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ptergwen · 4 years ago

Text

web of lies

take a leap. if you start to fall, the net will appear to catch you.

photographer!peter x journalist!reader || masterlist

w/c: 7.1k

warnings: swearing, one drinking mention, descriptions of anxiety, and angst if ya squint

summary: peter can’t stop holding your hands, betty and ned are the modern day bonnie and clyde, ned is a terrible guy in the chair, the osborn’s are up to something, and mj hates you all

a/n: y’all i’m super excited about this series like i haven’t had an idea i’ve really loved in months? so it’s good to be back !!! there are tons of things i have planned and i can’t wait to share them with all of you hehe i really hope you enjoy part one <3 happy reading

to be honest, which is what you do best, you’ve had a thing for peter parker your whole time at the daily bugle. you actually almost told him once.

a couple months ago, peter walked you home on a night you worked overtime. he’d came in last minute to leave some pictures on your boss’s desk. no one else but you was there, hunched at your computer in the dim office lighting. peter was pleasantly surprised to see you, yet concerned for your well-being. you had to put your finishing touches on a story.

he didn’t feel comfortable letting you travel alone at that hour. so, he went with you when you were ready. his company was more than welcomed. you told peter about your article while you two sat on the subway. he’d listened intently, your head resting on his shoulder and his arm around you. he made sure you got to your apartment building alright as well.

“hey, peter?” you’d asked, halfway up the steps. he was waiting until you were inside and safe to leave. “hm? you good?” he’d smiled sort of expectantly. “yeah. i... i wanted to say...”

your words got caught in your throat when he gave you the softest puppy eyes you’ve ever seen. you couldn’t do it. for some reason, you were too scared to confess how you felt. “thanks again for walking me home,” you’d settled on. he’d seemed disappointed that was what you wanted to tell him. nevertheless, he said not to worry about it before taking off.

that one moment perfectly captures it all; how yours and peter’s narrative plays itself out.

—

“we’ve got an update on hydra v. the people!”

“those freaky giraffes escaped the zoo... again.”

“shoot one more spitball and it’ll be your last.”

“does anyone have an aspirin?”

welcome to the daily bugle, where the chaos never ends and the calm never starts. you’ll find new york’s finest writers, publishers, and creatives of all kind right here. that would include you. you’re one of the top journalists in the whole building, according to mr. norman osborn. he’s the brilliant and slightly insane man who runs this place.

although it’s rare for someone in your field, you were hired straight out of college. norman read a few pieces you’d written and loved them so much that he offered you a job. full time, full benefits, no questions asked. there was something special about the way you wove your words together. your writing had its own voice. a strong voice, one the paper was severely lacking.

you’ve been with the bugle for just over a year now. it’s not the quiet, nine to five gig you were initially expecting it to be. you’re each very unique individuals in your office, and there’s never a dull moment because of it. your coworkers can be found hosting debates on the riskiest topics or tackling each other for blueberry muffins, and that’s just a regular tuesday. the place is stranger than strange. but, it’s become home.

thanks to mr. osborn being so accommodating, you actually settled in rather quickly. another big help has been the friends you’ve made. your first was michelle jones, who prefers to be called mj. she’s a fellow journalist with a wickedly dark humor that trickles into her writing. if you had to describe her in one word, it would be blunt. mj is as real as it gets, and also eternally loyal. she keeps her circle small, so you’re honored you get to be in it.

mj sits right next to you, which means you’re always talking through your days. that’s due in part to the way your office is set up. there aren’t any cubicles, tables and swirly chairs taking up their space instead. norman heard it was more progressive, probably from his son harry.

harry is about your age, only a couple of years older. he hangs around quite a lot, but doesn’t do much with his time besides that. according to norman, he’s still seeking out his passion. he’s banking on him finding a suitable career at the bugle. he’d like to pass this all on to harry some day, hopefully sooner than later. either way, you don’t mind having harry here. he’s super funny and friendly with everyone.

there’s also ned leeds, who’s an editor and reviews most of your pieces. he’s sweeter than candy, even when he’s ripping your grammar to shreds. on the rare occasions you’re not discussing breaking news, you two talk about movies. ned is a film buff and gives you the best recommendations. you’re convinced he was a critic in his past life.

last but so from least is peter parker. he only works for the bugle part time, since he’s still in school. you both graduated from your respective colleges the same year. peter wants to get his masters degree, though. he’s a photographer who’s aspiring to be a cinematographer. him and ned have their passion for the industry in common, and that’s what makes them such great friends.

you learned this and more from the times you and peter have partnered up on stories. he’s one of your best friends not only at the bugle, but in your entire life. the many long nights you’ve spent collaborating have brought you close to each other. they consist of drinking and deep talks, along with some actual work. he takes the pictures, you do the writing. you’ve been told you make a lovely pair.

peter says it himself, too. you’d like to believe he means it as more than coworkers. he’s so caring, and smart, and pure, and peter. yeah, you like him an awful lot. you can hardly stand the feeling of it sometimes.

the fact that you you haven’t come clean already is ridiculous.

“goddamn. not again,” you mutter out. “em, you better come look at this. it’s bad.” mj wheels over to you in her chair with a puzzled look. her eyes follow yours, landing on your computer. “leeds just sent this? to everyone?” she questions, your reply a short hum. you’re both staring daggers at the email your screen displays.

ned is responsible for assigning each journalist their own topics to cover. he’s been lacking a bit recently, having you write up think pieces on fluffy things. in other words, stuff that no one cares about. he asked you to compare oat milk and almond milk just last week. you’d hoped this week would be better, but here you are.

“this is ass. who does he think we are, buzzfeed?” mj scoffs at her own words. the daily bugle prides itself on being a reliable news source, on paper and tv. you’re starting to stoop down to the low level of your competitors. “he assigned me some tiktok dance trend. i’m not writing a single word about that app.” she sets her elbows down on the table, head in her hands.

“aw, why not? grandma mj isn’t down with the kids?” you tease and click out of the upsetting email. “i don’t write for kids,” mj deadpans. she pushes her glasses up on her nose. “what’d you get?” “the evolution of memes,” you gloomily reply. you’re surprised norman has been approving these topics. then again, ned is the head editor. he can do whatever he wants regardless of approval.

mj glares over at the kitchen, where betty brant currently resides. she’s making two hot chocolates instead of her usual one. “i blame her,” mj mumbles to you. your eyebrows furrow. “dude, what? betty is an angel. she doesn’t even work in editing.” betty is the bugle’s highest rated anchorwoman. her and her news team are on people’s televisions every night.

“no, but she has been spending a generous amount of time with leeds,” mj grumbles. she’s admittedly very nosy. the upside is that she tells you any juicy office drama there is. “my theory is betty’s making him give us crap stories so she can report the good ones.” she glances over at you to see what you think. “no way. that can’t be allowed... or legal,” you laugh back.

as if on cue, ned appears next to betty in the kitchen. he takes the extra hot coco that’s piled high with whipped cream. betty tucks a sheet of paper into his suit pocket and kisses his cheek, then he’s gone. you can only gasp as you watch this unfold. what has she done to poor, clueless ned?

“not such an angel anymore, huh?” mj smirks in satisfaction. “suddenly, she has red horns and a pitchfork,” you bitterly agree with your tongue in your cheek. betty waves to you two on her way back to broadcasting. mj gives her a fake nice finger wave, you ignoring her. “we can’t sit back and let this happen, em. we have to do something,” you decide. “let’s tell norman.”

uninterested, mj takes off her glasses and starts to clean them. “like he’ll believe us. yeah, golden girl betty brant is sabotaging the writer’s room,” she rewords her previous statement to put its stupidity in perspective. you throw your hands up. “she is, though! we literally watched it happen!” mj puts her freshly wiped glasses back on and sighs.

“i doubt norman would care, y/n. every newspaper to ever exist is corrupt somehow.” your pessimistic old pal has a point. however, you’re not so willing to accept it. “why can’t we be the first one that isn’t?” you offer a small smile. mj snickers, wheeling back to her own computer. “those are words of the innocent.” she’s already tapping her fingers across the keyboard.

“i thought you weren’t doing the tiktok piece,” you say under your breath. you’re slightly pissed mj turned you down, since she’s the reason you know about betty’s meddling. “i’m not,” mj answers sharply. “i’m gonna email quentin and ask if we can change our topics. happy?” quentin beck is another editor in the building. he’s not bad, but he is intimidating. no one typically goes to him as their first option.

“i’m thrilled,” you confirm and grin at mj to emphasize it. “thanks for stepping up. you’re forgiven.” “i didn’t realize i had to be sorry,” mj notes, this time in a playful manor. she shakes her head as she begins writing. “you and your morals.”

what you value most in your career is honesty, under any circumstances. of course, the other daily bugle writers are the same. norman strictly prohibits clickbait and crazy headlines because that isn’t real news. you leave that to companies like buzzfeed. you’re honest in the sense that you say whatever has to be said, what everyone else is too afraid to. you’ll speak your truth no matter who tries to stop you.

it didn’t used to be that way. there’s some childhood trauma that remains deep in the back of your mind. you’ve left that behind you now, having over a decade to cope with it. hey, they say the past is in the past. what’s important is your takeaway, that you would never let yourself or anyone else be silenced from there on out. never again.

quentin ends up giving you the okay to write different stories. he lets you and mj choose choose your own because he’s got “better things to do” and you’re “big girls.” what a peach he is. mj goes with how capitalism is continuing to provoke global warming. she has something to say about every major world issue, and you admire the hell out of her for it.

you’re a bit stuck when it’s time to write your article. it’s terribly ironic because you pushed for this. you aren’t too worried, though. the city is crawling with material, so you’ll find what you’re looking for eventually. lucky for you, some much needed inspiration comes skipping out of the elevator.

“morning, peter,” you hear liz greet him at the front desk. she’s your floor’s receptionist. her wisdom and patience keep this place going. “hi, liz. how’s it going?” he asks. “things have been quiet... mostly. can i do anything for you?” liz peers up at him. peter sports a shy smile. “uh, yeah. mr. osborn wanted to see me?” “right. hang on.” she nods, dialing his office phone number.

it’s endearing how peter calls him mr. osborn, seeing as the rest of you go with norman. he’s probably the politest guy you’ve ever met.

grinning, liz puts down the phone. “you can go in whenever you’re ready. good luck!” peter laughs nervously and turns to leave. “thanks, you too.” his face falls when he realizes his mistake. “wait, i- i didn’t mean to say that. that was stupid. you’re not-“ “it’s fine, peter,” liz reassures him. his anxiety makes him trip over his words sometimes. that, and he’s a bit dorky in general. you find it rather adorable.

you also wonder what exactly he needs good luck for. he’s not even supposed to be working today, so your curiosity as to what’s going on has been piqued.

“um, i’m gonna go now. bye!” peter rushes off, his face tinted pink from the embarrassing encounter. you’re hoping he’ll stop and talk with you for a little while, but he heads straight to norman’s office. your whole body deflates at that. mj notices from her peripherals.

“what’s the matter? missing your hubby?” she coos, her words dripping in sarcasm. “no,” you lie. “i’m... i don’t know what to write about.” ok, there’s some truth. mj gives you a couple pats on the shoulder. “ask parker for help. you two work... well together. don’t you?” this must be the zillionth time you’ve heard that.

“we do,” you murmur and glance at norman’s closed door. peter is hidden behind it. “i just don’t wanna bug him. he has finals soon, and whatever norman is putting him up to. it’s my job, anyway.” mj pokes your arm. “those sound like excuses to me,” she concludes, still jabbing at you childishly. “you really just don’t wanna tell him you like-“

“can you keep it down?” you hiss, yanking your arm back. “he’s literally right over there.” peter stands up and shakes norman’s hand. you catch it through the blinds on his window. “y/n, you were drooling over his mere presence only minutes ago,” mj prefaces, a smile pulling at her lips. “you can handle three little words. i like you, that’s it. spit it out already.”

you’ll never admit this to mj, but she’s right. you lost your momentum after your first failed attempt to say the three little words. you’re still not sure what stopped you. you’d shared the details of that faithful night with her, and she’s been pushing you to try again since.

the door to norman’s office opens, and out walks peter. he’s beaming after their conversation, which seems like a good sign. harry passes peter on his way in to pay his dad a visit. he claps him on the shoulder, peter happily accepting before continuing his stride back into the main office. it takes a moment to register that he’s coming towards you.

you quickly set your focus back on your computer so he doesn’t think you’ve been watching him. even though, you definitely have.

“y/n!” peter calls your name. he’s on the opposite side of your table, in front of you. “peter!” you match his tone. “i was just dropping by. i thought i’d say hey while i’m here.” he’s still grinning. “what’re you doing?” he looks cute as ever in an oversized and cream colored sweater. his curls are slicked back with a tad too much product, cheeks rosy. you gaze up at him when he rests his arms on the table.

“pretending to be productive,” mj answers for you, pressing her lips together. peter cocks his head to the side. “pretending?” “ignore her. she’s being a shit stirrer today,” you explain. “like every other day,” he jokes, earning a laugh from you. mj just tuts and keeps writing. “talk about me like i’m not here,” she mumbles to herself, then gets back into her article.

“anyways, i thought you didn’t work today?” you ask to take the attention off yourself. also, because you’re curious. “oh! get this.” peter perks up even more, if that’s possible. he has energy like no other. “you know alex in broadcasting? betty’s camera guy?” “what about him?” you wonder. “he called in sick earlier this morning, with the flu or something.” he’s oddly excited to announce this. that prompts you to make a funny face.

biting back another smile, peter elaborates. “mr. osborn needed someone to fill in for him, so he picked me. i’ll be here all week.” it makes sense, since peter knows how to work a camera and does so wonderfully. you give him a celebratory push at his chest. “peter, that’s amazing! this is the perfect way to transition from pictures to film, right?” he’s nearing his finals at school, which consist of more movie-like projects. the news will be great practice.

then, he’s off to hollywood. you’ll put that out of your mind for now.

“exactly! i think it’ll be a good place to start. the pay isn’t bad either.” peter wiggles his eyebrows at you, you giggling once again. you do a lot of that when he’s around. that’s going to be more often now. “plus, i get to see you. everyone wins.” he squeezes your hand that was just on him. your heart begins to thump. “except alex,” you challenge, playing with his fingers. “but, for real. i’m happy you get to do this and that we’ll be spending more time together.”

“thanks, y/n/n. me too.” peter grins and leans over, taking a peek at your computer screen. there��s a blank word document on it. “you never told me what you’re up to,” he chuckles. “guess mj was right... nothing.” “i’m always right,” she chimes in from next to you. you look between the two of them with a scowl. “i haven’t found my story yet. i don’t know, this never happens.” peter nods as you share your dilemma. “no good ideas are coming to me,” you murmur.

“they will. you have a way of attracting things.” he licks his lower lip, your heart completely stopping this time. “well, i gotta go set up for rise and shine with betty brant.” he waves his hand like he’s presenting his words. that’s what betty calls her morning news segment. “be careful with her. she’s being really sketchy these days,” you warn peter, mj grunting in agreement.

confused, peter purses his lips. “really? ned says she’s a sweetheart. they’ve been going out for a while.” mj pops her head up and adjusts her glasses. “did ned also tell you she’s bribing him to give her all of our scoops?” she’s asking rhetorically because she already knows the answer. of course he didn’t. “it’s one thing to not like her. you’re just making things up now,” peter huffs.

mj kicks your foot under the table. “i told you no one would believe us. not even peter gullible parker.” “it’s benjamin,” he corrects her. “whatever,” she brushes it off, resuming her work.

peter does tend to be sort of naive, to only see the good in things when there’s plenty of bad. you’re the same in that way, unless you hang around mj for too long.

“is that true? betty’s stealing your stories?” peter turns to you and asks. you gesture to your screen. “i don’t have one, so you do the math.” he hums sympathetically. he’ll listen to you, never mj. “i’m sorry. thanks for telling me, y/n. i’ll watch out for her.” he bends his fingers to look like goggles, putting them around his eyes. you sigh lightheartedly.

“are you twenty two years old or twelve?” mj remarks, but not without a comeback from peter. “you’re, like, eighty five. worry about that.” they’ve had this type of banter for as long as you’ve known them. it’s equal parts amusing and exhausting. “don’t be late on your first day.” you snap peter out of it with a knowing smile. he returns it.

“i hope something crazy happens so you can write about it.” he’s walking backwards now, towards the elevator. “see you later, pete,” is all you say back, yet another laugh threatening to escape you. “see you. bye, michelle,” peter says just to bug her. “it’s mj,” she groans without looking up. he shrugs. “not so fun, is it?”

after peter is gone, you try to get back into work. or rather, you try to start your work. what he said about you having a way of attracting things keeps ringing in your head. was he flirting? no, he couldn’t have been. peter parker doesn’t flirt. words aren’t his strong suit, and you have countless memories that prove this to be true. earlier with liz, for example.

you’re probably reading way into this. peter was simply doing what any good friend would do and gave you advice.

it’s late in the afternoon when anything worth mentioning happens again. peter is still with betty, as far as you know. they’re probably preparing for the nighttime news now. all you’ve done since seeing him is nibble on snacks and bug mj, who’s almost done with her story despite your distractions. this is really bad, considering your deadline to submit is at the end of today.

you’ve never missed a deadline.

mj emails her work to quentin while you repeatedly bang your head on the table. she hits send before deciding to entertain you. “whatcha doing over there?” she cautiously prompts, powering off her computer. “trying to get an idea. i’m desperate, if you couldn’t tell.” your voice is muffled. “i could.” mj grabs your shoulders and pulls you back so you’re sitting up. you childishly pout.

“y/n, the only thing that’s gonna give you is brain damage,” mj says sternly, then softens her tone. “why don’t you ask for an extension? norman gives me them all the time.” whining, you slump down in your chair again. “yeah, but you’re you! we do things differently, have different expectations put on us.” she’s back to cold mj after you say that. “alright. at least i did something today besides pine over that little-“

mj’s insult for peter is interrupted by harry. “ladies, what’s shaking?” he comes up to you two with a the hint of smirk on his face. you manage a nod to acknowledge him. “oh, hey... harry,” mj unenthusiastically replies. she’s the one person who isn’t really a fan of him. “not much. y/n was just having a tantrum.” “she was not,” you dismiss her. “it’s work stuff. you know your dad.”

harry clicks his tongue in a teasing way. “yep, the grind never stops in this joint. boss man is...” he does the sign for cuckoo with his finger. you laugh a little at that. “in a good way,” you add on. mj only watches you two, blinking blankly. harry gives you a definitive pat on the back. “before i forget, he wants to see you.” that gets mj talking. “norman?” she questions. “your dad?” you choke out at the same time.

“who else? he said you two have to talk.” harry flashes you a weary smile. “have fun in there, old sport.” you’re too busy biting the skin off your bottom lip to respond. “mhm... she will,” mj speaks on your behalf. even she sounds worried. saluting you both, harry leaves to go pester your other colleagues. you’re completely and totally fucked.

“that’s it for me!” you grin sarcastically, freaked out by harry. “i’m fired, aren’t i? i’m definitely about to get fired, and it’s all because-“ “relax!” mj cuts off your rambling. she reaches down and grasps at your wrists. “get it together, y/l/n. you’re the best we have, okay? you aren’t going anywhere.” your grin becomes a frown. “then why does norman wanna talk to me? and, why don’t i have a story?”

mj always has the answers, but this time is the execption. she lets out a breath. “i don’t know. you’ll go find out and tell me what happens.” there’s no use protesting. you’re going to have to face whatever you’re about to at some point. “ok,” you give in, defeated. “i’ll be back soon, i hope.”

the walk to norman’s office feels like a walk of shame. mj can do nothing but sit back and observe it. if this ends the way you think it will, you’ll be collecting your things and won’t ever return. norman is a kind man, and he’s usually pretty understanding. he doesn’t mind the workplace shenanigans as long as you get your job done. unfortunately, you haven’t today.

you hear your boss’s booming voice when you approach his door. inhaling deep, you knock on it, and the room goes silent. “come in,” norman responds after a few seconds. mustering up a smile, you open the door to be met with your doom. “hi, am i interrupting something?” you check. “not at all! you’re just the person i wanted to see. sit, sit,” he beckons you over. he’s not using his angry voice, so maybe you’re in the clear. you enter the room as told.

you’re shocked to see a terrified peter is already in one of the chairs. he visibly relaxes a bit now that you’re here. what the hell is happening? whatever you were expecting, this was the last thing.

taking the armchair next to peter, you sit facing norman’s desk. you nudge his arm to get his attention. his big brown eyes lock with yours. “what’s going on?” you whisper. “no idea,” peter whispers back. the two of you turn to norman again when he claps his hands. he’s plopped down into his cushy leather seat.

“so,” he begins, gaze flicking from peter to you. “you kids know why you’re here?” “is it because i missed my deadline?” you blurt out. you’re once again a nervous wreck. peter doesn’t speak, just winces. “not that. although, i did hear from ned that you turned down his assignment.” norman flicks at a post-it on his desk. “i asked quentin for one instead. me and mj,” you explain, peter’s eyes going wide.

“you talked to quentin? that guy’s bad news,” he murmurs to you. “how so?” norman questions, since it’s his employee. “he- he, um,” peter clears his throat before answering, “he’s super critical, you know? hates all my pictures.” “i love your pictures,” you assure him, the corners of his lips turning up. “your style is so cool. yeah, though. quentin’s pretty bitter.”

considering this, norman drums his fingers on the desk. “i’ll look into that. but, that isn’t why you’re here. i’m letting you off the hook this time.” your whole demeanor changes and a huge weight lifts off of you. “really? you are?” “i have a scoop of my own that i want you to cover,” he continues, peter bumping your knee happily. a toothy grin takes over your face.

“since peter will be sticking around for a while, i want him to join you.” norman waits a beat in case you have any questions. it’s been a minute since you last worked together. peter laughs in disbelief. “you want me to take over for alex and do this?” norman nods proudly. “y/n will need the extra hands, if you have them.” “yes, sir. i do,” peter immediately confirms. “my last class is next thursday, so i have the time.”

“wait, so you’re almost done? that’s awesome!” you bump peter’s knee this time. “yup, all that’s left is finals... and studying.” he mindlessly takes your hand, lacing your fingers together. you’re enjoying his gentle touches. “thank you so much, norman. seriously, i appreciate this a lot,” you tell him and mean it. “hey, no problem,” he chuckles at your eagerness. you grip peter’s hand tighter.

“what’s the story?” “ah, yes. the most important part,” norman starts, peter sharing an excited look with you. “how familiar are you two with spider-man?” his excitement fades at the question posed. it’s unbeknownst to you, caught up in the moment. “uh, same as everyone else, i guess,” you casually reply. “how come?” “he’s your subject.” norman points at you both. “you’re gonna study him over these next few months.”

peter’s hand goes limp in yours, and he gulps hard, throat feeling dry. “you mean, like, an exposé?” “no, no. there will be no exposing,” norman clarifies. “i’m sure he wears the mask for a reason.” that settles peter only slightly. you’re not sure why he’s so tense all of a sudden. “what’s our aim here, then?” you steer the conversation.

“see what new york’s favorite hero gets up to every day, how his life is beyond the crime fighting,” norman further describes your task. peter exhales a shaky breath, shifting away from you in his seat. the golden sun hits his face and reveals a bead of sweat dripping down it. you stare at his figure in worry. “you okay, peter?” “fine. i’m just... hot,” he murmurs back. his sweater does look pretty heavy, so you concede.

getting back to norman’s story, you grimace at the idea. “do you really think people will want to read that? for lack of a better term, it sounds kind of...” you pause. “basic.” “i thought the same thing at first,” he surprisingly agrees with you. “harry pitched the idea to me this morning. you won’t believe it! the other night, he caught spider-man hanging outside his window.”

“harry... harry saw him?” peter squeaks out. he uses the wool material that feels like it’s swallowing him to dab at his forehead. “he stopped on his balcony. must have been pretty late, the kid’s a night owl,” norman says about his son. your face lights up as you listen to him. “he took some shots of spidey in action, when he swung off. i saw a few. they were pretty great.” he’s grinning at his son’s success.

“maybe he’ll get into photography with you, pete,” norman suggests. peter gives him a weak smile in return. “we’d be happy to have him.” he usually has a lot more to say about his career than that. his behavior is starting to genuinely concern you. “anyway,” norman gets back on topic, “it got me thinking. how much do we really know about this guy? we’re supposed to blindly put our trust in him?”

you’re beginning to see the appeal now. you’ve written your share of pieces on the avengers and their methods, tackling the same questions norman just asked you. spider-man shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when he operates so close to your home. this could be another revolutionary superhero story in the making. and, you get to bring peter along for the ride.

“you know what? this has a lot of potential,” you smile at norman, then peter. he has his phone in his lap, fingers flying across the screen. it must be something important. you’ll discuss with norman while he takes care of that. “we could make it a weekly thing, about spider-man’s adventures. find out what we can about the man behind the mask...” peter shoots up in his seat. “without taking it off,” you finish, putting his mind at ease.

“see, i knew you were gonna love it! it was a blessing in disguise, you missing that deadline.” norman bangs his fist on the table with a hearty laugh. “what do you say, peter? you still in?” peter slips his phone back in his pocket. his tongue pokes out to wet his lips. “oh, of course. i can’t wait to work with you, y/n/n,” he speaks in a monotone voice, adding on, “again.”

something is definitely bothering him, and it isn’t the weather.

“i gotta go. betty needs me upstairs, so,” peter moves to get up, his body stiff. you assume that’s who he was texting. “thank you again, mr. osborn.” he’s rushing out of the room just like that, until you call after him. “um, don’t you wanna set a time to meet up? so we can get started?” you reasonably ask. “i... i really gotta go. find me later,” peter tells you, giving you both a tight lipped smile and running off.

“the dynamic duo is back!” norman announces to you. you’re disappointed you can’t share that sentiment with peter.

he’s absolutely booking it down the stairs, not bothering to wait for the next elevator. this is bad. this is a nightmare.

peter went from having one of his best days in a while to the worst in not even a full round of work. today started off fine, and got better when norman promoted him. it got way better when you came along. he saw your smile that makes his insides tingle, heard your laugh that’s the prettiest sound to grace his ears, held your hand that he never wants let go.

things went a bit downhill after that. betty was pushy and yelled at him a lot, demanding he only film her good angles for the segment. you and mj weren’t wrong when you told him to be careful.

later on when he saw you again, everything was okay. he was physically shaking as brad told him mr. osborn requested to see him. brad is mr. osborn’s assistant. a try-hard for sure, but good at his job. why did mr. osborn call him in? did betty complain already?

they’d been sitting in mostly silence, save for small talk until you came knocking on the door. simply being next to you was enough to ground peter and his racing thoughts. it was enough, then it wasn’t.

the whole day had gone to shit after he found out you were going to be writing stories about his alter ego. not only that, but he was helping. during the pitch, he’d texted ned to meet him in the bathroom. he was really anxious and needed a friend who understood why.

ned accidentally found out peter is spider-man last year. it’s a long story that involves peter hiding from some bad guys in the building and ned shrieking so loud the lights flickered. they’re cool now that peter talked things through with him. his secret has been kept, from what he knows.

pushing open the men’s bathroom door, peter is a mixture of sweat and ragged breaths. he’s panting from his fast descent down the staircase. he takes in his disheveled appearance using one of the mirrors. his styled hair is now damp and undone, hands trembling and palms sweaty, chest heaving. here’s his daily reminder that anxiety is not cute. as if he didn’t know.

his stupid, gigantic freaking sweater is only making things worse. it’s suffocating him. no one else is in here, so peter pulls it over his head and tosses it to the ground. he’s got a t-shirt on underneath that happens to be black. what a convenient day for him to wear the hottest material there is.

peter splashes his face with some cold water next to try and cool himself down. that doesn’t do much for him. his face still feels like it’s on fire, but now it’s wet. he takes his hands through his mop of curls, backing away from the sink.

“fuck. fuck, fuck, fuck,” peter repeats to himself. he’s silent for a moment, then rage overcomes him. he kicks open a bathroom stall. “shit! i can’t do this. what am i supposed to-“

the door creeks open, so peter shuts up in case it isn’t ned. it thankfully is, and he wears a deep frown at the sight of his best friend. “dude, what happened? you look...” “terrible. i know,” peter finishes for him. he tugs at his locks in another attempt to tame them. ned approaches him carefully. “you’re not, like, dying... are you? because betty was telling me you have to-“ “of course you were with betty,” peter exhales in frustration. “no, ned. i’m not dying.”

in ned’s defense, the text he received was very alarming. all peter wrote was, ‘EMERGENCY. SOS.’

“i mean, yeah. it was my break.” ned sits on the ledge by the window, close to peter. “you do the same with y/n.” the mention of your name upsets peter all over again. he hides his face in his hands as ned watches. “if you’re not dying, then what’s the problem?” ned finally asks. “me and y/n...” peter removes his hands from his face, meeting ned’s worried eyes. “mr. osborn wants us to do a project together.”

“uh, peter? you’ve been saying how much you miss her forever, dude! you’re not excited?” ned snorts at him. he means well, but he has no clue what he’s talking about. “no. it’s supposed to be about spider-man,” peter answers angrily. this isn’t the support he was hoping for. realizing the severity of the situation, ned gets serious.

“oh... but, you’re still doing it?” he questions. “i didn’t have a choice,” peter scoffs out. “i can’t let either of them down.” “you’ll expose yourself!” ned escalates things further. “it’s not like that. we’re gonna follow spider-man around and post updates on him,” peter says, technically in the third person. he’s given an are you insane? look from ned.

“you are spider-man! and, no offense, but you’re not so good at hiding it,” ned refers to himself finding out. “how are you gonna be in two places at once?” damnit, peter hadn’t thought about that yet. he can’t be taking pictures of spider-man and swinging from building to building simultaneously. “i- i’ll figure it out,” peter stammers, unconvincingly.

ned looks him over in a disapproving way. “jeez. you’re really putting your life on the line for this girl-“ “woman,” peter interjects, not loving ned’s attitude towards you. “have some respect.” unfazed, ned gets up from the windowsill. “speaking of women, remember betty? you’re still on the clock,” he changes the subject. peter nearly forgot he has to go film her segment.

“i’ll head up to her now,” peter gives in. he scoops up his discarded sweater, not bothering to check his appearance again. ned follows behind him to the door. “we wrote her script together, you know,” he gladly informs peter, who already knows from you. “not really a flex,” peter mumbles his response. “peter, lighten up.” ned hits at his shoulder. the two of them exit the bathroom.

“you’ll figure this out later. i can always help.” he shoots him a sugary sweet smile. “thanks, ned. for talking with me and everything.” peter doesn’t smile back. they do a quick bro handshake, then they’re going their separate ways. “have a good show, dude!” ned yells back, to which he doesn’t get a response. peter doesn’t have it in him.

he allows himself to take the elevator back up to broadcasting. he’s so drained from the several anxiety attacks he endured. while peter waists for the elevator, he contemplates all the issues he’d better solve. it’s a relief to hear it ding because it brings him back to earth. that doesn’t last long because both you and betty are there when the door opens.

you’d each had the same idea, to find peter. unlike betty, your intentions were good. you asked liz if she saw peter leave. she told you he went downstairs, so you did also. betty was already in the elevator when it got to your stop. she was looking for him because, you guessed it, he had to record the news. the small space was filled with tension as you and betty occupied it.

“perfect. we’re going right back up,” betty beams, motioning for peter with her index finger. “hop in!” “coming,” peter does as told, going to stand between you and betty. she presses the button for your floor and theirs. the doors close. “pete?” you speak up, voice soft. “you kinda ran off earlier. i thought you were with betty.” “clearly, he wasn’t,” betty sneers.

you’re less concerned with her and more with peter. the sweater he looked so huggable in is now folded in his arms, his face splotchy and jaw clenched. he must have gotten triggered by something back in norman’s office.

“are you sure you’re okay? you... you can talk to me about it.” you take a step closer to peter, your doe eyes searching for his. he meets them with a tiny smile. at least, it’s real this time. “i’ll be fine, y/n/n. ‘s nice that you came to check on me, though.” “don’t mention it.” your arms loop around his neck and bring him into a hug. peter hugs you back by your middle, chin resting on your shoulder, breathing out in relief.

you keep your hands on his shoulders when you pull back. his stay on your sides, a lopsided grin now crossing his features. “spider-man...” you quirk an eyebrow. “how are you feeling about that?” “should be cool,” peter somehow maintains himself. “i’m mostly looking forward to doing it with you.”

listening in, betty joins the conversation. “what’s happening with spider-man? anything i should know?” her hand reaches into her bag and emerges with a notepad. does she ever think of her own content? “she’s nothing if not persistent,” you grumble to peter. chuckling, he pulls you into his chest. if he didn’t hold you back, you would’ve pounced on her.

“we’re gonna do a piece on him,” peter tells her. “you can’t copy or steal this one because it’s already been approved,” you contribute, smiling smugly as peter holds you tighter. betty is taken aback. “are you accusing me of stealing? who said i-“ “ned ratted on you... sorry,” peter says in a sing song voice. squealing, you jump away from him. “he did? we were right?”

“mj’s never wrong,” he reiterates. “mj knew about this? oh my god, i can’t believe her!” betty stomps her foot. “we got you on candid camera.” you make a clicking noise with your mouth. peter mimes taking a picture to back you up. “alright, alright. i won’t do it again,” betty mumbles, turning away from you two in annoyance.

“finally!” you hold up your hand for a high five, which peter gives you. “we really do make the best team,” he hums. your fingers intertwine with peter’s, and he lays his palm flat against yours. he prays extremely hard you don’t notice that it’s sweaty. you do, but you couldn’t care less.

“i was wondering when you’d wanna start our... research?” peter asks you, his lip between his teeth. “you were saying something earlier. maybe we could make a schedule.” “how elaborate of us that would be,” you tease. that earns a breathy laugh from peter. with a knowing smile, you put your free hand back on his shoulder.

“what are you doing tonight?”

peter parker taglist

@saturnpeter @tpwk-grande @itstaskeen @missyouhollnd @becicamina @dummiesshort @zspideyy @watchitimreadinghere @my-patronus-is-mabel-pines @dpaccione @karispotters11 @theofficialzivadavid @thehumanistsdiary @kelieah @aayaissaa @petersgroupie @annab-nana @tayyx @swtltlmrvlgrl @magicalxdaydream @haoluvver @kjune113 @captainamirica @marvel-dork98 @emmastarz @killingbxys @viriditie @misshale21 @veryholland @liliswifts @tommydarlings @rebelemilu @peterspideysense @cr-uelsummer @dreamy-clousds @quaksonhehe @quxxnxfhxll @blackbat2020 @babyblue19 @falconxbarnes @zachary-s @dirtytissuebox @dracoswhore007 @heavenlyholland @thsquad @etheralholland @dhtomholland @awh-lilies @tomshufflepuff @multifamdomfan12

if i forgot you please lmk!

#peter parker #peter parker fluff #peter parker x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker x you #peter parker imagine #peter parker fic #peter parker fanfiction #peter parker smut #spiderman #tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland x you #tom holland imagine #tom holland fic

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seerofmike · 2 years ago

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3, 5, 11, 19, 30 for AO3 ask game 👀

hi nix :3

3.) What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

i think it's still my percy jackson apex AU Until The Sun Comes Up (and its unfinished sequel lol) cuz like. not to toot my own horn but i felt like SUCH a genius working everyone into that AU even if i didn't get to fully display it all. i need to finish the sequel so i can go off about the apex predators in camp jupiter/praetor blisk/valk being a legacy demigod (hehe). oracle wraith my beloved. my Only regrets are making bangalore a daughter of ares instead of athena but it was suggested to me by the commissioner so u.u

5.) What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

ok i cant pick between 3 of em, from apex: Shower Talk since it was my first real explicit work so i wasn't expecting positive feedback (and its still. rly popular LOL) and Same Damn Hunger. i got a lot of anons and twitter replies/DMs about this fic which i was surprised about because the subject matter is. intensely personal and comes from a dark place but i got a lot of messages from people who were hurt by it (in like. solidarity JWISJWIE) but also felt a sort of vindication and comfort.

and then True Identity which is a mob psycho fic which i wasnt expecting to be even a QUARTER as popular as it is because 1.) i'd never written for mp100 before and 2.) its just separation arc but reigen trans KAISKW9S

11.) What work took you the longest to write?

ogh. i am STILL writing Four Oh Three it hasnt been updated since 2020 but thats more like. on hold. i think Up The Ante takes the longest to write because between the large gaps in chapters i *do* have chapters in the works. sometimes they just take me like 6 months to write. because porn is hard actually

19.) What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

i like seer/rampart SOOOO much i need to actually do shit with them. its on my to do list

30.) Biggest surprise while writing this year?

i'm just surprised most of my works reached 50+ kudos this year. literally nowhere near the 1,000+ kudos average i could expect from bnha fics but the apex fandom is so tiny and my pairings so dead that 50 kudos are like the equivalent of 500 from the bnha fandom for me. its like inflation for kudos on ao3 economics

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meltwonu · 4 years ago

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45. “I haven’t even touched you and you’re already this wet.”

80. “Don’t ruin the sofa.”

“I’ll just have to cum inside you then.”

notes; incubus!joshua, dom!joshua, dirty talk, name calling, degradation!!, the smallest smallest whisper of subspace, 😗🥴 If I could write incubus only fics forever I would djfhskd also yes I need to update my mastertlist I was meant to do it earlier and I took a nap instead oops ☠️ jdfhksdh but anyway!!! I'll do another inbox sweep tomorrow! there's some GoSe spoilers in there and I havent had a chance to watch it yet so imma do that after this goes up hehe 💕💕 Thank you for requesting!!! Enjoy!!! 💕

Joshua pushes you down onto the sofa; lips easing into a knowing smirk when you look up at him with glassy eyes.

“Wanna tell me what you’re thinkin’ about in that head of yours?”

His voice is gentle, sweet, and almost enough to trick you into thinking he was actually an angel if not for the horns protruding from his skull and the way his eyes gleam a dark crimson when they stare back at you. “Hah, why should I even ask? We both know you’re just my desperate ‘lil toy wanting to get fucked, right? I can see it in your eyes and the way your body calls for me and craves me, baby.”

Your body already feels hot, legs spreading on their own to welcome Joshua between them as you whimper.

“If you already know then why are you so slow, Joshua~?” You shoot him a cocky smirk of your own, watching as his eyes travel down your body.

“It’s ‘cause I know I don’t have to do anything to get you to cum. I could stand here all night, tell you the words you wanna hear, get your pretty ‘lil cunt wet and you’d cum all over those panties of yours. You know I have the power to do it too. You’re just greedy and want more than that~” Joshua slots himself between your legs, leaning over your warm body until his face is only inches away from your own.

His fingers ghost across your naked thighs, goosebumps rising on your skin as you shiver under his touch.

Your shaky moans cut through the air once his nimble fingers press against your soaking panties; eyes clamping shut at the way he already had a complete hold over you.

“Hmm… I haven’t even touched you and you’re already this wet. Do I even need to fuck you? Your mind seems to be doing enough without me. But I can make your imaginations sweeter, if that’s what you want.” He whispers softly.

“No, p-please… J--Joshua I--I need you to fuck m-me... please...”

When Joshua sinks his cock into you, there’s a moment when you feel like you can’t breathe; lips falling open in a silent cry when he bottoms out in a single, fluid movement.

He grins at your expression, drawing his hips back before thrusting back into you, slow yet hard. “O-oh, fuck!” You cry out, sobbing as your body wholly gives into the pleasure.

“Hmm~ It’s been so long since I’ve fucked your pretty body, baby. You should call for me more often. I don’t understand why you’re so scared of me~ I could be so nice to you.” Joshua teases. You peer up at him through hazy eyes, cheeks hot to the touch as you bite your lip.

“Ah, could that be it?” He smirks down at you and you can feel the way his eyes seem to penetrate your own; reading you like an open book while he slows his thrusts down.

“My pretty ‘lil baby wants me to be rough, is that it? You want me to call you my ‘lil slut. My good little cocksleeve that was only made to lay pretty underneath me while I fuck you senseless? You know I can give you what you want but you just like playing coy. You’re scared you won’t be able to get enough of me, that you’ll crave me every waking moment of the day. ”

You clench around his cock, soft yes’s spilling from your lips at his words. “Josh---Joshua, p-please!”

He laughs under his breath, resuming his quick pace as his hips snap into you. “You got so much tighter around me just now. Filthy ‘lil cumslut, you might not be honest with me but your body is telling me everything I need to know.” Joshua knows your body like the back of his hand; angling his thrusts to perfectly tap your g-spot as you cry out and beg him to fuck you faster.

Admittedly, you and Joshua hadn’t known each other for long, give or take a month or two at most. How he’d even been summoned to you was a mystery in itself and the handsome male had only flashed you a smile and told you that it’d been fate that your body had called to him. You weren’t sure how much he even knew about you or your desires; not that he’d ever given you a second to ask when he was fucking you.

“Ngh, J--Joshua, fuck it feels, ah, so g-good… You’re f-fucking me so d-deep… Filling me u-up so good...” You mewl, hands digging into the cushion behind your head. “M-make me, ah, c-cum on your c-cock…”

Joshua doubles his pace, fucking you deeper into the cushions as your mind starts to get fuzzy. Your lips part in clipped moans and soft breaths, unfocused eyes blinking slowly up at Joshua who licks his lips.

“Oh? My little cocksleeve is feeling really good now, huh?” You nod slowly in return, unable to form words; body tingling as he works to throw you over the edge of an orgasm. He reaches a free hand down to your clit, rubbing quick circles around the swollen nub as your back arches off of the sofa.

A jumbled mix of noises and broken cries of Joshua’s name manage their way out of your mouth as you’re suddenly overcome with unadulterated pleasure; body shaking under Joshua’s own as he keeps fucking you through your high.

You can vaguely hear his soft chuckles through the buzzing in your ears and you can feel the way your breath almost stops with how hard your orgasm hits you. “God, you’re so pretty when you cum.” Joshua groans; his own body thrumming with sexual energy as he feeds off of you. “You always taste so fuckin’ sweet too.”

It takes a second for your body to untense underneath him; chest heaving in deep breaths as you start to come down from your high.

Joshua keeps fucking you, albeit this time slowly as he drags his cock out slow enough to have your body craving the way his cock fits inside your tight, warm walls.

“God, your cunt is soaking my cock.” He moans, “I could fuck your pretty ‘lil pussy all night. Get you thinkin’ only about me so fuckin’ bad that you’ll only ever think of the way my cock fills you out and keeps your slutty ‘lil hole plugged up with my cum.”

Joshua pauses, eyes trained on the way your hazy eyes still pool with lust when you look up at him.

“Or should I cum on your skin, cover you in it ‘n get you all messy? I’ll even take pictures for you so you can see how fuckin’ wrecked I can get you.” Joshua lets out an angelic laugh, eyes forming crescents when he feels you clenching around his cock.

“I--d--don’t ruin the sofa…” You mumble, shy eyes averting from his piercing stare.

He thrusts into you harshly; eating up the way you whimper and try to fuck yourself on his cock already. Joshua’s grip on you tightens, blunt nails digging into your skin before he draws his hips back and slams into you again. He knows you’ve made your choice. For now.

“I’ll just have to cum inside you then.”

#incubus!svt #Joshua smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #incubus!joshua #Joshua scenarios #Joshua imagines #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt scenarios #seventeen scenarios #Joshua fic #svt fic #seventeen fic #Joshua #hong jisoo

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obey-me-headquarters · 3 years ago

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coming to be a nuisance in ur inbox again because this wip just hit 8k words and i STILL have the big climactic bit left to write and im in that stage of writing where ive started at my fic too long so now im like "?? what are this gross nasty dusty old words?" kdfhjgl

good work organizing your masterlist! that's always such a chore skdhfhfdg. plus i found that really cool wing kink thing you wrote for luci and i have a luci fan friend who is huge into any kind of fic about his wings and loves sub!luci hehe~

i find it challenging to write about the demon's inhuman features sometimes, and it was great reading through lucifer's sensations during the experience. loved that one!

also while i am desperately avoiding my wips i will remark that p much nobody writes the kind of extreme kinks i get excited about XD liz's pet au and their writing in general is a pretty good example.

i'm into horror/gore as well, too, so skdhfgldhfg i'm used to my kinks being offputting to people. i have written a bit abt,, demon culture,, and gore-themed romance between demons bc sdkhfglh HEY IF IT GROWS BACK,, i do think i even mentioned detachable dicks to u so u probs know some of that sdkhfglkh

okay ty for listening i go back to my wip now

HEY! Your never a nuisance in my inbox!! I love getting your asks!!

Gosh if that is not a wip mood lol. I think I have like... at least two or three current wips that I want to finish that are Long and keep getting too disacted to finish lol. I think one of the main reasons why my Mini Fic section is so big in my masterlist is because I work best with short, a few paragraphs at most, ideas or ease I loose steam lol. It's bad for writting but it does mean I come up with a lot of ideas at least?

I'm glad you liked the Luci wing kink stuff!! One of the reasons why I really wanted to update my masterlist is because I didn't think a lot of people were seeing some my works I posted at weird times lol. I hope your friend enjoys the post! Gosh I love Lucifer with bird instincts I really want to do more with it lol. Is it technically pregnancy kink if Lucifer is being broody about eggs lol? French fries has lowkey got me into pregnancy kink, but I don't actually like the more technically issues with pregnancy, so now I'm just imagining what a broody Luci would be like lol.

I totally understand not really knowing how to write about the demon's more inhuman features. Quite a few of them don't really have an animal associated with them and more just has random horns or stuff. I only really Lucifer easier to write because Bird.

Also...yeahi totally get the thing about having hard kinks lol. I don't think my kinks are hard, like gore or anything like that (although I do enjoy a good *written* gore post some times, depands on how it's written. I went crazy about your demon courting post that was top notch. I absolutely love the idea that demons have a different culture than humans.) I just think one of my kinks are more....weirder. Like, full confession time, I got some of my kinks from hentai manga. This was mainly because I didn't like real life porn and tumblr smut was full of written fics about real people. So i really only had Ao3. So I'm not really surprised that a lot of stuff I find hot I see no contact for lol. I do have one of my more, Weirder kinks content queued up so look forward to seeing that soon I guess?? I'm trying to face my fear and be more relaxed about the content the put out there.

Good luck on your wip!! :D

#ask #elsecrytt #headquarters rambles

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averytiredbitch · 4 years ago

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MK OC Randomness part 5? 6? What part am I on?

I am having trouble with writer's blocks... so here are more OC jokes

Some of these jokes contain spoilers for both my Switched and Fate AUs.

enjoy

------

Michiko: Sektor is such a wonderful brother! Look he made me this dress!

Krow: Gae one time took me to a forest with nothing but birch and hickory trees and left me there for 3 days.

Krow: I'm allergic to birch and hickory trees.

------

Ash: Hate to break it to ya, but there are in fact three genders.

Ash: And those are, Good girl, Good boy, and little shit.

Kamden: So what do you identify as?

Ash: Little shit.

------

Shinnok: Hello No- *studies her haircut for a minute*

Nozomi: don't say a word!

Shinnok: *in a serious tone* Nozomi, is there something you're trying to tell me? Something you can't tell your father?

Nozomi: *looking at him quizzically* what do you mean?

Shinnok: *getting up and walking over to a storage closet, opening it and gesturing vaguely*

Nozomi: *groans* For the last time Shinnok. I am not gay! I just had to get my haircut again and dad wasn't there to help. So I did it myself

Shinnok: Oh. Well you know there's nothing wrong with being gay Nozomi. It's perfectly alright. Your girlfriend or partner will be treated the same as if you had a boyfriend

Nozomi: Thank you Lord Gaydar, but I don't like anybody like that!

Shinnok: Alright, hey is that your mother's cloak?

Nozomi: NOPE! *teleports away*

------

“Quan Chi”: I’m not possessed! What makes you think I'm possessed? You have no proof ! Prove I'm possessed Fuyuka! Prove it! You can't!

Fuyuka: *already sick of this bullshit* I know it's you Onaga.

"Quan Chi", now revealed to be Onaga: Damnit! What gave it away?

Fuyuka: *sighs* Well one, your eyes are really yellow with an odd slit in them, something I know my Chi does not have. Two, I don't think you've noticed, but you've grown some wings and horns, and last I checked Quan Chi never had any of those. And three, MY HUSBAND DOESN'T HAVE A FUCKING TAIL!

Onaga: *looking at the features he never noticed* Yup that'll do it. Could've sworn I hidden those.

Onaga: Oh well. You still wanna mate?

Fuyuka: Get out of my husband's body.

------

Seth: *walks by laughing*

Yamato: Shut up. *smacks him down*

------

Satoru: He doesn't deserve you.

Satoru: If he doesn't treat you right by now, you're gone.

Xue: I'm gone.

Satoru: Good. NOW GO CHOP HIS DICK OFF-

------

Ash: Dad look, it's the good kush!

Kano: This is the dollar store how good can it be?

------

*While in isolation*

Fuyuka: Fuyuka the tea is done

Fuyuka: Fuyuka?

Fuyuka: *thinks; "Maybe I'm Fuyuka?"*

Gae: *pops up out of nowhere* Did you say tea-?

Fuyuka: *screams*

------

Old LK Grandmaster: I should've left you out in the cold with your dead father!

Michiko: But ya didn't!

*Trying to figure out who killed Havik*

------

Raiden: Alright, who do you think did it then?

Nozomi: Argus!

Raiden: Argus is dead.

Nozomi: Wait, Ar-

Raiden: Argus is still dead.

Nozomi: Ah this is really difficult. Hold o-

------

Raiden: Melantha, this is a crime scene.

Melantha: *taking some Edinan pie* What is this the murder weapon?

Melantha: Get off my dick!

------

Erron: Hey Klaudia ya got something I can cut this thread with?

Klaudia: Yeah right here man

Klaudia: *skillfully opens up a switch blade*

Erron: Hey are you ok?

------

Taven: He's dead!

Nozomi: *yawns then looks around*

Nozomi: "not the dick-head", what do you want me to say?

Idalia: are you gonna wake up today you little shit?

------

Kabal: Oh come on Kristy, it's not like you actually killed somebody.

Kristy: *does a vague face gester*

Kabal: hehe- *to this side* fuck!

------

*In Fuyuka's temple*

Nozomi: Alright, grab onto my staff, we'll teleport to the 16th floor.

Reiki: Wait, couldn't we just walk there?

Nozomi: Well if you wanna walk up about ohhhh about 369 steps and 15 flights of stairs, then be my guest

Reiki: ... And we're teleporting!

------

*then*

Reiki: Michiko obviously loves me more. So run along ice boy!

Bi Han: I will destroy you and your clan if you don't take that back! *now*

Reiki: I love you more. Don't fight me on this Bi Han!

Bi Han: I will throw hands with you over this! I love you more!

------

*then*

Scorpion: Since Reiki assigned me to protect you, maybe we can be friends?

Michiko: *smiles widely* Oh sure! *smile drops* when foxes fly!

*now*

Hanzo: Heeeeey... can I also get a kiss?

Michiko: I don't know. How many did I give you today?

Hanzo: t two

Michiko: *kisses him two more times*

------

Reiki: I'm a healer but-

Reiki: *makes his flames turn black*

------

Harmonia: If you hate dad so much, how were we born?

Melantha: *not looking up from the paper* fever season.

Harmonia: What?

Melantha: Hormones.

Discordia: Huh?

Nemos: Oh my fuckin- SHE GOT HORNY! MOM GOT HORNY!

------

Meixiu's ghost: So how's motherhood treating you?

Michiko: It's going great actually, just didn't expect there to be so much crying.

Meixiu: Oh, all babies cry. You'll get used to it.

Michiko: Oh no, Xue is fine. It's Bi Han I'm talking about.

*From the nursery*

Bi Han: *sobbing* She's so beautiful!!!!

Bi Han: *bursting into the infirmary* Is she ok!? How is the baby!? Have they been born yet!?

Medic: Actually Sub-Zero you'll be happy to know that your wife gave birth to twins. A boy and a girl.

Michiko: *holding the twins* Hi honey. Look. This one is Nori, and this one is Su.

Bi Han: *tearing up*

Little Satoru: *sighs* I'll get the tissues for dad.

------

Erron: Hate to disappoint Blade, but another gal has my heart. < *talking about Kristy*

Sonya: *raises an eyebrow* Are you gonna ask her out?

Erron: shrill voice I AM WORKING ON IT!

------

Quan Chi: I would tell you not to hurt her, but technically she's not my daughter so-

Meixiu's ghost: Oh it's ok. I got this.

Meixiu's ghost: ahem!

Meixiu's ghost: Hurt my daughter and you'll wish you were back in the void with nothing but your shadow based hallucinations, and when you do get back there, not even those will keep you company!

Bi Han: Good Elder Gods!

Reiki: *from the background* OH IT'S OK! YOU GET USED TO IT!

Klaudia: I wake up everyday and chose violence in hopes that someone will kill me.

------

Michiko: Wait the floor's made of glass?

Old LK GM: Yeah I had it updated.

Michiko: Dad, why the fuck would you do it?

Old LK GM: I don't know. I thought it would be nice. Does it look good?

Michiko: PEOPLE ARE GETTING HURT ON THE FLOOR DAD!- I mean yeah it does look kinda nice, not gonna lie- BUT WHAT THE FUCK!?

Tomas: You can't live off solitude and alcohol forever!

Demon form Michiko: I've made my choice!

------

Satoru: Can you show any emotion besides "meh"?

Xue: Can you show any sign of intelligence?

Satoru: Why are you like this?

Xue: Why are you an idiot?

------

Satoru: Xue's got a boyfriend! Xue's got a boyfriend! Xue's got a boyfriend!

Xue: *glaring* I hate you!

Satoru: Aww.. Why? *grinning*

Xue: Because I can't get you back on this particular subject!

Satoru: *sticks his tongue out and snickers in AroAce*

@feistyfandomthings

@dontunderestimatemypoison

@doodlewagonbug

@yuvononik

@yuvon

@deepinthefog

@toomanyf4ndoms7

@toomanyf4ndoms8

@cyberneticbloodgoddess

@tora-lotus

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wonderland-in-bloom · 5 years ago

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the leaders and i

[7 dorm leaders x reader]

@innerherringprunepickle asked: U-u-um m-may i-i h-have a r-r-request o-on a-all dorm leaders x fem shy reader who is scared, timid, insecure, coward but kindhearted, gentle, sweet, cute, empathy, understanding, doesn't look down on people's flaws and softspoken. Also, she doesn't have friends because of her timid and quiet nature and s/o is the MC who transport to this world. Pls.

okie! and just a heads up gais i’m sorry if i write really slow recently. i have a heckkk ton of requests (which i’m honestly so grateful for and y’all friggin made me cry aaaa) and i really wanna give you guys the best quality of my work and also things that really make you all happy. so please please please be patient with me! of course i have other things to do out of this blog too, but of course i’ll still try my best to update everyday. i hope you guys understand :))

♡

“SUMIMASEN.” you muttered quietly as you accidentally bumped into one of your seniors in savanaclaw. “tch, watch where you’re going. first year.” he scoffed. “you really gotta respect your seniors.” it’s not like you were bumping into him on purpose or anything. “i’m sorry senpai. it won’t happen again.” he cornered you in the hallway with all students crowded around you. it was too crowded no one saw what was happening. “oi. what the hell are you doing, dumbass?” you snapped your head up to see the one and only, dorm leader of savanaclaw, leona kingscholar. he was approaching the both of you and that’s when your senior moved away from you. “prefect leona..!” he gulped, sweat trickling down his forehead. “it was just a minor incident..!” leona growled. “you dare disrespect the newbie who can’t use magic? let alone a lady.” your senior did a perfect 90 degree bow and apologized. eventually he ran away, leaving you alone. you exhaled a sigh of relief. “kingscholar-senpai. thank you.”

“tch he’s just an idiot after all. ruining savanaclaw’s name.” he looked around at the now empty hallway. “where are your friends? not heading to class together?” you shook your head. “a-actually i don’t...really have any friends.” you muttered the last part. of course with leona’s careful ears he picked up what you said. “hah? is that so?” he sighed. “well if you have no one to go to class with, let’s just ditch and go somewhere.” you pouted. “i mean...i have no class right now...so why not?” you smiled. leona led the way and you just followed behind him. “king...kingscholar-senpai? where exactly are we going?” you spoke in a volume which was actually to soft to be heard. “i’m taking you somewhere you can just relax okay? no matter how much the owner’s a slimy bastard.” he muttered. you arrived in an odd looking place surrounded with different types of decor which resembled corals and sea shells. leona said it was called the mostro lounge. “ah! leona-kun! what a surprise! areee~is that newbie-chan?” you gulped and hesitantly took small steps to where octavnielle’s dorm leader, azul ashengrotto, was. leona noticed your discomfort and slung his arm around your shoulder. “just relax.”

“tsk, can’t shut up can you, slimy bastard?” the man in the glasses just chuckled at this. “why that’s a new nickname leona-kun. care for anything to drink? newbie-chan?” you cleared your throat. “it’s (y/n).” you spoke softly, which caused azul’s eyes widened. “so you do speak! and not to mention you have a lovely voice.” you just nervously chuckled. “thank you...i don’t get that a lot...” azul shook his head. “why someone with an alluring voice as your’s just makes me want to...” he trailed off and cleared his throat. “would you two like anything to order? or...are you here for a contract perhaps..?” leona just sighed. “can you get us water or something for now?” he snapped. “oh i’ll get those two to do it. i want to have a conversation with the both of you.” and that conversation was filled with azul and leona just bickering with each other. sometimes you had a small input but they could barely hear you. you hated this. just speak up me! of course you tried to. but it didn’t work. ��what’s this? an informal dorm leader meeting?” you three snapped your head around to meet the dorm leader of heartslabyul, riddle rosehearts. “ah~riddle! here for that contract huh?”

“we leave that matter for next time.” he brushed azul off and noticed you sitting next to leona. “ah, you’re (y/n) aren’t you?” you nodded. “nice to meet you.” you smiled softly and spoke softly as well. how gentle, riddle thought to himself. “well then, what are you doing here if you’re not here for that matter.” azul questioned. “well originally i was. but seeing we have company...” riddle glared at leona “we can have that discussion for another time.” and so riddle joined the conversation between the three of you. it was better this time, considering he asked you more questions. you got more comfortable with riddle being there and you were able to say something when you got the chance. “yooo! i managed to leave class early. i-eh, wait where’s idia?” you noticed in the front door to the lounge, the dorm leader of scarabia, kalim al-asim. “he’s not here. obviously.” leona scoffed. “ehhhh, but he wanted to meet me here.” he pouted. “anyways what are you four talking about?” he bounced all the way to your table. “(y/n)-chan here was just telling us about her whole experience with that racoon dog...thing...” kalim laughed. “oh the cat that burnt my butt on the first day.” you giggled. “it doesn’t hurt though right? grim really said sorry for it.” kalim smiled and waved his hand. “no, no! of course not! ne, ne, (y/n)-chan, are you enjoying your stay so far?”

truth be told. you weren’t. ever since the first day up to today, you were dreading every moment of it. however, since leona stood up for you, azul was nice enough to get you both something, riddle opened conversations for you, kalim was so cheerful and asked you tons of questions, you started to like it here. you never knew the dorm leaders were so nice. “ever since today actually...yeah. i really do.” you smiled. all the dorm leaders felt as if their heart skip a beat. cute. “come now, epel-kun, we need to teach you the different arrays of table manners-huh.” vil schoenheit, the dorm leader of pomefiore stepped inside the lounge to see you and four other dorm leaders sitting in a table and smiling at each other. “oh my, was this a party i wasn’t invited to?” when vil saw you, he left rook and epel confused at a table alone and went straight to you. “oh my, darling, you have such silky hair. please tell me what product you use.” he took a strand of your hair and admired it.

you flinched a little and your face was bright red. “u-uhmm..just normal shampoo?” vil then started complimenting every single thing about you. even the things about yourself you thought were somehow off. you were now beginning to have a really good conversation with all of them. you were able to answer, ask, and even crack a joke or two when a chance came up. suddenly kalim’s phone rang. it was idia shroud, the dorm leader of ignihyde. “ah! idia! join us for a chat!” kalim put his phone on speaker mode. “n-nice to meet you...shroud senpai.” you spoke to the phone. “ah? are you the new girl?” you nodded but forgot he wasn’t there to see you. riddle took notice of this and chuckled at how cute you were. “yeah. i am.” with idia, the conversation continued all night long. you were starting to get drowsy and tomorrow was a school day. “oh my, it seems our dear (y/n)-chan is getting sleepy. why not we call it a day.” azul spoke. you were honestly thankful for him. you waved each and every one of them goodbye with a large grin plastered on your face. aren’t there seven dorms though....not six? you thought to yourself. you ignored that thought and started heading back to the ramshackle dorm.

“grim’s going to kill me for staying out too late without getting him any food.” you noticed a tall figure lingering in front of the dorm. he looked shocked to see you. “a human..?” he had horns. how odd. “aren’t you...malleus draconia?” he smirked. “you seem to know me. yet you don’t cower in fear. how odd.” he started walking away from the dorm as you entered through the gate. you missed a step however and almost fell face first into the dirt. however a green mist covered your body and helped you stand upright. “please be careful, (y/n). i’ll be seeing you around.” and with that, he left. how did he even know my name?!

you tossed and turned in bed that night. you glanced out the window. just like every other night. you wanted to go back home, to your own world. but today, after meaning the seven dorm leaders, you’re not so sure you still want that to happen.

♡

aaaaa im not too proud of this one ;-; i’m going to listen to some chill songs later to try and get inspiration hehe. have a good morning/night guys :))

love, a♕

#twisted wonderland #night raven college #heartslabyul #savanaclaw #pomefiore #scarabia #ignihyde #octavinelle #diasomnia #riddle rosehearts #leona kingscholar #kalim al asim #vil schoenheit #idia shroud #azul ashengrotto #malleus draconia x reader #twisted wonderland oneshots #twisted wonderland imagines

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shibiichi · 4 years ago

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Update? Ye,,

I’ve been slower than I’d prefer with finishing Vinzen’s sprites—- BUT!! I will update you guys! Also above is a headshot of _pastel.dust_’s fantroll Faekii! They are actually an Amphitian troll!! (Which are trolls belonging to my Ambivabent AU. They have a few key differences that place them apart from Alternian/Beforian trolls. One of which would be skeletal color. A troll’s skeletal color can be determined easily by their teeth! Meaning they usually come in shades of either honey yellow, pumpkin orange, or vermilion— basically the colors of the horns.) I’m not certain how many more headshots I’m gonna do— but I do want to practice more as I plan to have it as an commission option when my comms open up!

Next we got a bit of an edit to Vinzen’s first pose sprite! I forgot his cape—- so I added that shit in real quick. His og cape was just a simple gradient but I decided to draw up a galaxy print because it fit well with his character and background. At first the cape was colored but I felt it distracted from the main palette of Black, Gold, Fuchsia, and White! So I put it in greyscale and I like how it looks now. Hehe- I just like to imagine he just letting kids go underneath his cape and when he closes it the kids just see a bunch of stars around them like—- yeS giant sea dwelling space dad!

Anyways that’s it for now! I’m working on the arm poses for Vinzen’s second pose sprites! He has like- five different arm positions or whatever- but feel free to give me some feedback on either how Vinzen’s sprites look so far or how the headshot of Faekii looks! Also happy 4/13 lmao.

#homestuck #ocs #original character #fantroll #oc drawing #fantrolls #oc artwork #oc #hiveswap #Homestuck troll #trollsona #Homestuck Oc #Vinzen Xhoulh #shibiichi ocs #shibiichi vincent

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smoll-tangerine · 3 years ago

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update: january 2022

HELLO WORLD! first of all, happy belated new year!

it’s been a hot while since my last update post (the last “official” one being from april 2021), and believe it or not, this is still a blog where i just so happen to post stories written by yours truly. this is going to be a long (?) update, so bear with me please!

not to toot my own horn, my blog has grown tremendously since that last update so i’ll take this opportunity to say hi to my new followers! hello! thanks so much for following me and for joining me on this crazy journey, i hope you will enjoy your stay ♥

i unexpectedly went into a small hiatus from the end of september until december 2021. long story short, i’ve written so many drabbles for my one-year anniversary event in such a short period of time, that i experienced a burnout and had no motivation whatsoever to write anything. but as you can tell, i am back from the dead and i am slowly posting some very overdue stuff!

i also want to let you all know that there is a jaehyun timestamp posted on tumblr that is very, very similar to the first chapter of my jaehyun just friends timestamp mini-series (which you can find here). i will even be as bold to claim that it is borderline plagiarism given to how similar the stories are (yes, i did read it), especially since an anon thought that the other timestamp was a repost or that it was a new account of mine. i don’t have any other writing blogs (tumblr), smoll-tangerine is the only one on which i post my stories. you can also find me on AFF, but i don’t post any of my NCT stuff there.

no worries for now. the author has contacted me and they will rewrite the fic in a way that it is going to be very different from mine. they claim to be new to tumblr and has never come across my blog, so i gave them the benefit of the doubt. i asked that they send me a link when they’re done revamping the fic, so i’ll keep you guys updated on this. but also just letting everyone know that i do not condone plagiarism and i will not hesitate to call people out publicly and report if i see people copying my stories.

i can’t give an exact date as to when will i post the fics that are on my wips, but i’m making tons of progress. i’m starting school again soon, so hopefully it won’t hinder me too much. you will have to make due with my short drabbles and timestamps♥

currently working on the following stories simultaneously: - tabula rasa (taeyong x reader) - collab fic - pandora’s box (doyoung x reader) - collab fic - a promise of infinity (winwin x reader) - collab fic

with an unexpected turn of events, i will post the latest chapter for you’re my wonderwall soon, whereas the first chapter of wanted for error is still a work in progress.

[!!!] i also have some very new exciting projects that i will be posting about in the following week so keep an eye out! (keep an eye out for my wips too, i’ll update it soon!)

thanks for making it this far & feel free to drop me a message in my ask box!! i love talking about anything and everything hehe (ɔ◔‿◔)ɔ♥

#nini.updates

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eleanorbloom · 4 years ago

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When You’re Ready Ch. 13

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x f! MC (Eleanor Bloom) x Ethan Ramsey.

Word Count: 3.6k

Warning: Bit of angst and cursing.

A/N: Hello! This chapter is shorter than usual because I decided last minute that the last third fitted better in next chapter. Eleanor went really deep today trying to figure out her feelings, so, even if could seem a bit boring, it’s really important for the next two chapters.

I also wanna give a special thanks for all the support I’ve recieved from all my works! I can’t believe we are on chapter 13 already! When I updated my masterlist today I realized that this will be my 20th work publised here! 20 work in two and a half months. That’s a looooot 😲😲 So, thank all of you for your constant support and patience with my mistakes and my experimental writing. Currently this is not as difficult as it was in the first chapter, when I had no experience writing fiction in english, but now that I have more confidence, I’ve been experimenting with style and more elaborated words, metaphors and situations, so thank you for your patience in this matter, I hope I find my voice and stick to a more stable style soon hehe.

BIG HUGS to all of you!! ❤❤

I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

Taglist @utterlyinevitable @binny1985 @shanzay44 @choicesficwriterscreations @laiba-the-person @starrystarrytrouble @lahellacute @lucy-268 @cinnamonspongecake @romewritingshop @bratzlahela @mckenzie-bae @mercury84choices

___________________________

Chapter 13. Million Reasons.

I’ve got a hundred million reasons to walk away

But baby, I just need one good one to stay.

Tchaikovsky was almost inaudible among the horns and cars passing by the streets of Boston. It was hot for midday, and as much as the AC was the best way to mitigate the heat, Eleanor would always prefer the Bostonian wind percolating through the window at her side of the car.

She was lost in the people walking hurriedly through the sidewalks with who knows how many concerns, joys, and miseries, in a quick game of people-watching to shut her mind for a second. To forget she was alone with Ethan in his car on their way to the Harbor Marina. To ease the pit that she feels in her stomach every time she expects something from someone. A sign of useless hope, disappointment guaranteed. A pain of hope that would always turn into deception.

And now, even with all past experiences, with all the painful conversations in mind and the heartbreaking goodbyes playing in her mind like a broken record, there she was, waiting for something from him again. Her biggest flaw always manifesting.

She could’ve avoided the trip, make an excuse, politely decline, but it would’ve been evidently unprofessional refusing to go with Ethan just after what had happened the day before. He would have known. He knew her enough to notice it. And if she wanted their working relationship back, she had to act professionally. Set an example. And the simpler way to go with it was asking Esme to check on her patients while she was away and then joining him in the parking lot at the agreed time.

She didn’t know what to expect, though. She didn’t even know if she should expect something from him at this point. Worry, apologies, more arguing, more recriminations.

What she actually wanted was to confirm he wasn’t the asshole he was yesterday, that he didn’t mean what he said. That the man she still loved wasn’t this selfish and hurtful. But of course, she had to have in mind that the apologies may not come as she expected, or that they may never come.

But her desire wasn’t created out of nowhere. The moment she saw him this morning, she knew something was different. The cold glare, the conscious ignoring, the distance. There was none of that. Somehow, she felt like the wall between them had fallen. His eyes were looking at her differently, his demeanor towards her was soft, and even his voice wasn’t grave as it used to. But maybe it didn’t mean anything. He had just understood he couldn’t keep being this cold and unprofessional, and he was ending all that and now they would act as nothing happened. Like this almost two months didn’t happen, and they are two friendly colleagues.

“May I ask how are you doing? I’ve been worried about you after what happened yesterday.”—Ethan asked giving a quick glance at her.

Eleanor was taken aback. Although she was daydreaming with the best possibilities, she didn’t expect his words all of a sudden and decidedly mentioning the discussion they had yesterday.

She turned her head to her left and stared at him defiantly, determined to not give in so easily, even if that conversation was all what she wanted.

“You were worried, really? Yesterday it didn’t seem.”

His shoulder slumped imperceptibly at her response, though he tried to remain imperturbable.

“I know. I know it looked like I didn’t care about what you were feeling, but at that moment, I felt… overwhelmed with everything.”

As Ethan didn’t continue, Eleanor turned her head forward, fixating her eyes on the car that was upfront them. After a few moments, she felt how Ethan glanced at her every few seconds.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you gonna say anything?”—Ethan said after a minute of silence and no reply to his first question.

“Like what?”

“Like how are you doing? I told you I was overwhelmed at that moment, that’s why I reacted that way. But I am genuinely worried about you.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just had the stupid hope that you would explain why it was so overwhelming to you to the point of not giving a fuck about the mess I was. My bad.”

“And what should I say?”

“For god’s sake, Ethan.”—She snapped in a jaded tone.—That’s something you should know considering what happened yesterday. If you think you did something wrong, of course, ‘cause if you think that you were all good all the time, there’s nothing left to talk”

“I…”—He stopped as the words couldn’t come out of his mouth.

A brief moment later Ethan parked in the Harbor Marina, and Eleanor didn’t even wait a second after Ethan turned the engine off, to get out the car and walk to the spot where Caroline Bloom indicated the yacht would be parked. After a minute, Ethan appeared behind her with the ultrasound in tow, just as she found Leland and Caroline talking with a group of people on the deck of the yacht.

“Ah, Doctors! Just in time! We’re about to set sail.”—Leland greeted as Eleanor and Ethan stepped in the boat.

“Where can we set up. Mr. Bloom? Somewhere private is best”—Eleanor asked motioning her head to the machine.

“Later, later, I was in the middle of an important discussion and I’d like to finish it before you resume your poking and prodding.”—He chuckled at the incredulity on Ethan’s face, and then added: —“Relax, make yourself at home. I’ll be with you as soon as I can”

Ethan tried to stop him, but Eleanor spoke before he could say anything.

“We're on a boat, Ethan.”—She pointed with obviousness.—“He’s not going anywhere, and it’s not like Tobias can sneak ahead of us while we’re here.”

And without expecting a word from him, Eleanor turned around and walked to the opposite side of the boat looking for a quiet spot to sit in and take in the stunning view that was forming as the yacht navigated across the sea.

Soon she got absorbed by the deep blue ocean in front of her, the saline smell, the brisk air, and the luxury of the quietness, feeling free from all the noises, smog, and the suffocating heat of that summer afternoon.

Those involving feelings made her wonder how different it felt from the fragment of the sea she was swimming yesterday evening. It was the same sea, the Atlantic Ocean, boarding the same city, Boston, with only a dozen miles away, but still, it made her feel so different.

How the depth could add so much beauty, when it is so terrifying and risky the farthest you are from the shore, from the safety zone? Because the farthest it is, the more mysteries and dangers can be found inside.

How much you can find if you jump and dive into the immensity of the ocean, with equal parts of wonders and terrors waiting for you at the bottom of the sea? Is it worth the risk? Or it’s better contemplating from above or just from the safety zone?

Soon she realized that the same question applies to people. The deepest connections come with baggage, unknown baggage. Equal parts of wonders and terrors, or maybe more terrors than wonders or the other way around. It’s unknown, but most of the time, jumping and diving into the depth of a person, between their fears, traumas, manias, dreams, feelings, could worth any risk, even if it’s a pure gamble.

Did that apply to what made her love Ethan? She had been looking for the answer for months, even in the oddest and more impossible places and situations, and today it wasn’t any different. Maybe the water had the answer.

Was it the sense of deepness? Since the beginning, they had a deep connection, even if it wasn’t romantic at first. Ethan understood her way to see life, her passion for medicine, and to help as many people as she could. And she, in return, could understand that he drives his life by a series of principles, that the medicine and the people come always first. But how deep she knew him actually? It was inches from the shore? Feet? Miles? Was she willing to go for miles away from the shore and jump in? Take the risk of getting to know the deepness of his heart, with hall his pains, frustrations, limits, and flaws?

And what about Bryce? She couldn’t help but think about how poorly she knew him on the inside at first, even when they began dating. She knew his charms, his strengths, his qualities, his capacity, but never knew his fears, his flaws, his failures, his deepest regrets. And now she knew him. Since she met Keiki, everything changed, and the missing part that stopped her from loving Bryce on another lever was filled like a jigsaw. He used to show her exactly how he felt. Tired, scared, angry, sad, jealous, all of it. And that was an important component to love a person unconditionally, fully. To fall in love. Something that she had found difficult before Bryce let her in. And now she could say with all honestly that there wasn’t a single part of him that she didn’t like.

The deepness… Something she had always been craving but maybe never knew what it meant. Past friends and lovers made her believe she found it. But it wasn’t. She thought she found it with Ethan. Hard not to. It was a grown-up man, smart and curious. He always had a way to push her and understand all her motives and what drove her in life, so it gave her the sense that that was the deepness she had always been looking for. But now that she has met a new kind of deepness with Bryce she had to wonder: Was it what she was looking for? That’s what she wanted in love? Or Bryce had had the answer all along?

She was so immersed in the profundity of her thoughts that didn’t hear the steps approaching her until Ethan stood by her side and offered her a lemonade.

“Oh. Thank you”—She said startled, looking at him for a brief moment before turning her eyes to the front again.

Ethan cleared his throat and imitated her, fixating his eyes on the water swiveling in front of them.

“I knew there was something between Lahela and you.”—He said after a few minutes of silence.—“I heard rumors, and even Naveen told me he had seen you with him, but I couldn’t believe it, I didn’t want to believe they were true. I thought you were having a fling with him and nothing more than that. He does seem like the guy with whom you just… sleep with and have nothing serious.”

“Wow, even you get carry away with reputations, looks, and prejudices? You of all people, Ethan?”

She turned to face him, changing the cobalt of the sea for the sky blue of his orbs. It was an act of bravery. His eyes still managed to make her feel weak. There were too many memories linked to those beautiful sky eyes.

“I have to admit that I did. That’s why I couldn’t believe it, and that’s why yesterday I reacted that way. I couldn’t understand that you were so naïve to be with a man that was just using you. I could have never imagined that he… that he could be serious about you and be deserving of you.”

“The number of sexual partners of a person doesn’t say anything about them. You can’t judge a person by that.”

“It’s not the number, or what does he do with his life, it’s just that he seemed to be a person who can’t commit and respect you, so I was worried he might be fooling you.”

Eleanor snorted.

“You talking about commitment? Oh, god, you cannot be serious.”

“Why not?”

“You have no idea what commitment is. You always ran at the slightest idea of commitment when I mentioned it.”

“That’s because I know my faults. I took a step back because I know what I could and couldn’t give you, and I thought he couldn’t give you enough.”

Eleanor looked around, checking if there were people near that could hear their agitated conversation, even if she was trying to be as discreet as she could be.

“You thought, you thought.”—She repeated, irritated—“You just assumed things, but never cared to ask. If you were so worried about me, why the fuck you never asked me what was going on?”

“Because it wasn’t my place to do it.”

“Oh, but yesterday you did seem to have a place to say all that crap about Bryce.”

“I know. That was very disrespectful. I shouldn’t have interfered in your private life like this”

“Disrespectful?! Really, Ethan? You insulted my boyfriend in my face. You told lies about him in front of me when you didn’t even dare to confirm your suppositions. That wasn’t unrespectful, it was hurtful, selfish, and cruel because you didn’t do it just once, you did it twice.”

He sighed and his shoulder slumped as if he felt defeated at the mention of the word boyfriend coming out of her mouth. As if he had been still in denial, but there was nothing left to deny now.

“I know, it would have been better if I asked you, but… We were nothing to ask you something so personal. I was just your boss and your colleague.”

“Are you sure about that, Ethan? Because let me remind you that aside from all the Gwyneth thing, you ignored me from the moment you started suspecting I was dating Bryce, because yeah, I always knew you were suspecting. So, you weren’t acting just like my boss, you were my jealous ex-something who ruined my first months in the Diagnostics Team just because you were a coward that didn’t have the balls to face the truth, as always.”

Ethan stared at her ruefully. He wasn’t capable of saying anything, but the least he could do was nod and accept her accusations.

The uncomfortable look lingered only a couple of seconds before they were interrupted by Leland Bloom announcing that he was ready to let them examine him.

An hour later, after spending the rest of the trip chatting with Caroline about her husband and the possible missing information about his symptoms, and socializing with the rest of the guests, Ethan and Eleanor got in the car as soon as they put a foot in the Harbor Marina.

A few minutes after Ethan drove onto the main highway, he broke the silence between them for the third time.

“I’ve been thinking about why I never asked you about Lahela.”—He started— “And the truth is that I didn’t know how to deal with the fact that you could love someone else.”

She felt a lump inside her stomach as she noticed how painful those words were for him. How much he didn’t want to say them. How much he hated to be in that position.

“Ethan…”—She whispered, completely moved by his vulnerability. –“But why? Why you let me go if you weren’t sure you wanted that in the first place?”

“It was the only thing that I could do, Eleanor. I wasn’t ready, and I think I’ll never be ready to let you go, but I had to do it for your own good.”—He scratched the back of his head— “I could’ve never imagined that it would hurt so much seeing you moving on so easily.”

She gave him a humorless smile even when he wasn’t looking at her.

“It hasn’t been easy, Ethan. I have a constant fight inside my head, every day. You have no idea how scared I am at the possibility of breaking the heart of the only person that has given me everything, and the constant guilt of not being able to love him the way he deserves. It’s a nightmare, and has been hell after you indirectly started blaming me for doing something I only did for me, because I needed to heal after you left."

“You’re right. I’m sorry, Eleanor. I know I shouldn’t have made it more difficult than already was. I was so selfish.”

Eleanor shook her head, incredulous.

When Ethan parked outside Edenbrook, Eleanor turned to him.

“Why, Ethan? Why you always have to get to the point where all that’s left is your apologies? I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s all you know. I’m always forgiving you, and I’m tired of that. When will be the time when you won’t get to the point of hurting me, of avoiding say you’re sorry and just… do the right thing?”

He couldn’t say anything.

His posture stiffened as he closed both hands on the steering wheel until his knuckles went white. She was right and he couldn’t hold how angry he was at himself anymore.

“Listen.”—She said in a conciliatory tone. —“This hasn’t been easy for any of us, that’s a fact. We both have our ways to deal with the pain. I chose to do it by giving myself the chance to love again, because someone offered me a way out, knowing perfectly well what I had been through and respecting my boundaries and my fears. You chose to do it the worst way. With denial, jealousy, and selfishness. It was wrong but now is your chance to make it up by leaving us in the past and by being the boss, the colleague I need, but no more than that.”

He nodded.

“Eleanor…”—He took her hand before she could get out of the car.—“I understand what you’re asking me, is what you truly deserve but… I need to know if... that’s really what you want?”

She faced him again

“Why is it important now? You never cared about what I wanted, only what was ‘good’ for me.”

“I know, but maybe I’ve realized that I was wrong. That there are more important things that what I consider good for you.”

“I think is too late for that.”

“Is it really too late? Even if you’re still in love with me?”

Her eyes widened for a second when she felt a shiver down her spine. She never thought he would react that fast. Maybe he knew he was racing against time. He wasted so much time these months and he had to act quickly.

What was happening, was something she had dreamed for weeks since he left, and maybe a couple of times since he was back; but now she didn’t know how to react. What to feel. What to expect. It was confusing. Bittersweet. Because it felt wrong. He couldn’t open the door to Ethan just like that, even if Bryce had ‘allowed’ her to, because those weren’t the circumstances she had imagined. However, that’s what she got, and she had to take charge of her choice.

What she was about to say had a mixture of feelings. She couldn't deny that there was hope, but it wasn’t the same as the hope she had four months ago when he left. It was clouded with fear, the fear of making the same mistake again, and it was tinted with the feeling that she was doing something wrong. Maybe, deep inside, she didn't want to do it, but she felt like it was her last resource.

And the other feeling was… Bravery, she knew opening the door would help her to put in order her feelings, just as Bryce told her the day before. If she let Ethan be the man she loved, maybe there was a chance to know if she was willing to jump the ship and dive into the deepness of his wonders and terrors. She sensed that only getting to know him as he really was, would, at last, find out if she still loved him or she was just trapped to a part of Ethan that only existed in her memory.

It was risky, it would be hard, but that was what she probably needed to end all this tiring process. In any case, it was just open the door to possibility, but not to let him in.

“Maybe not.”

He couldn’t help but smile with relief.

“Don’t get your hopes too high, though”—She added—“I’m still with Bryce and I won’t break up with him just because maybe you gonna try to make things work out between us.”

She was opening the door, but she wouldn’t make things easy for him. Bryce hadn’t had things easy with her and took a big risk. She wouldn’t let that Ethan think he had some sort of advantage just because she was in love with him. If he wanted her, he’ll have to strive.

“I understand.”

“Okay, anything else? Because I’m done with this situation.”

“Just one more thing.”

“What?”

He stared at her for a few seconds, trying to transmit sincerity and regret.

“I’m really sorry about what happened yesterday, Eleanor. For how I made you feel and what I said about Lahela. That was totally out of line and wrong. I shouldn’t have let it affect me this bad, but it did, and I hurt you on the way. I am sorry. I know you don’t want to hear any more apologies, but you deserved a better apology than what I gave you earlier. I hope this is the last time.”

Eleanor remained silent for a few seconds, thinking. She was done with grudges and fights. She got what she wanted and had no intention to prolong the bad relationship between them. After all, she always knew Ethan wasn’t bad on the inside. But he made mistakes and he’ll have to live with them, at least until he proved with facts that he was really sorry, and those weren’t empty words as usual.

“I accept them, but don’t expect things to go back like they were before.”

He nodded with somber eyes.

A moment later, she got out of the car without looking back.

_____

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