#i want a second one but i'm thinking we'll adopt

[ratspider]

i have literally never been a dog person but lately i've been hit with What If I Got A Dog and it's rockin my world to be quite frank with you

[somehow-a-human]

The angels don't have to ask to enter the bookshop.

DO NOT ASK NEIL ABOUT FAN THEORY.

We've been operating under the assumption that BOTH the angels and demons have to ask to enter the bookshop, but I don't think that's true. I'm pretty sure it's one of our red herrings for season 2.

Continued under the cut.

When Gabriel shows up to the bookshop nude and oblivious, the doors are closed and (I believe) locked. Gabriel doesn't even know who or where he is, so he does what the default is... he knocks, and asks "Can I come in?" Aziraphale is frightened at first and tells him he can't come in but eventually our angels empathy wins and he says "Alright! Just... just get in!"

>> It's never clear that Gabriel would have physically been unable to come in otherwise.

When the Archangels show up Aziraphale literally cuts them off before they reach the door of the bookshop. Saraqael suggests, "Shall we discuss this inside?", and Aziraphale continues, "By all means. Would you like to come in?"

>> If Aziraphale hadn't rushed out to meet the angels, why wouldn't they have just walked into the bookshop like they did numerous times in season 1? Additionally I am fairly certain Aziraphale's "By all means. Would you like to come in?" was added in post via ADR. That doesn't necessarily add credence to anything, just an observation.

When Muriel arrives to surveil Aziraphale they ask, "Great! Well, could I come in and do it inside please? Only cause it's really noisy out here and I can't hear anything." Aziraphale replies, "By all means."

>> Muriel is an endearing angel who doesn't know much about life on earth, but had the shop been open and unlocked at the time of their arrival, they might've just wandered in as well.

We're never told the angels *can't* enter the bookshop explicitly like we are for the demons. We've always just assumed the same rules apply to all of the ethereal and occult beings.

But then, might I ask, why does Aziraphale tell us "Technically, this bookshop still counts as an Embassy"?

If the bookshop is still an embassy, the angels wouldn't need permission to enter, they would still have jurisdiction, and would still be able to monitor what's going on there... yes?

Let's compare this to the demons attempts to enter the bookshop, because Shax states clearly that she can't enter without permission. We see this again when she tries to get into the Bentley after it's canonically 'our car', and therefore at least partially owned by an angel.

I'm pretty sure John and Neil make a point of having the angels all ask in some way to enter, and Aziraphale seem to grant them permission as a red herring. They don't need to, but they want us to assume a false sense of security, to think that the bookshop is a safe space for our duo, outside of the reaches of both Heaven and Hell.

Technicalities are big in season 2 and I definitely think they're a huge underlying string running through all of Good Omens. In season 1, Crowley and Aziraphale stop Heaven and Hell from trying to restart Armageddon on a technicality. Gabriel and Beelzebub don't technically know if the great plan *is* the ineffable plan! It's definitely a favorite trope of Terry and Neil's to mock unfair, broken, bureaucratic systems, and Heaven and Hell are a PERFECT example of this.

**Somebody has written a meta on technicalities, I know I've seen it but I cannot for the life of me find it so if anyone could tag me so I could link it that would be brills! (Yeah that's right I'm adopting that from Charles from Dead Boy Detectives, 80's british slang ftw, I'm obsessed; please watch it, please, I need a second season.)

Neil has mentioned that the plot for season 3 might've had to be changed from he and Terry's original vision a bit, based on the political climate of the current day, and I'm sure that means we'll see some technicalities being the downfall of Heaven and Hells systems in Season 3 as well. I don't think the metatron is a villain, nor any of the other angels or demons. They're just fulfilling their function, following a set of rules, very much to a fault. This is all just God's big experiment after all, freewill, choice, eating the apple, and the angels and demons aren't exempt.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's some sort of technicality about the angels and demons themselves in season 3. We've seen that they're of the same stock, and we know Crowley at least is technically still the same person he was when he was an angel... more or less. Could the book of life end up revealing something like that the demons still exist perpetually as their angelsonas? A technicality, if you will?

Given the bookshop is still technically an embassy, is everything that happens inside observable by Heaven? Can they access the bookshop in their Earth Observation Files? There is some questionable blocking surrounding the bust in Aziraphale's bookshop, coupled with a curious record cover from Maggie's bookshop pointed out by @noneorother

Anyway... Let me know your thoughts. I haven't been posting as much, I have been mega busy and I'm trying to be thankful for it. Love you all, hope you have something nice happen for you today! <3

[unplanned-parenthood]

extracted messages to kutner from his official virtual obituary. the site is no longer up (it used to be at fox.com/kutner) but an archived version can be found here!

thanks to hugeegosorry and dorkylittleweirdo for contributing in the notes w/ the missing letters and the web archive link :-)

(im working on adding alt text to these, but for now transcriptions for the letters can be found under the cut)

Dr. Chris Taub:

I really don't want to write anything. I Have nothing to say… I'm pissed off. Why didn't you talk to me? Idiot. I miss you.

Chris Taub

Remy:

My first memory of you is when you got fired as #6. My second memory of you is when you reappeared as #9. My third is when you set that patient on fire trying to restart his heart. Later on, I was the one you confided in about your parents. About what happened to them. And I always felt there was so much more to talk about…

I wish we had more time.

Remy #13

Eric Foreman:

I wish I'd gotten there sooner

I'm sorry

E.F.

Dr. Allison Cameron:

I don't know if you knew this, but… out of all those new people, I'm pretty sure you were House's favorite.

Love

Allison Cameron

Lisa Cuddy:

I think what I remember most was your kindness. When I first adopted Rachel, a lot of people offered to come help, to babysit. But you're the only one who actually did. Nobody could make Rachel laugh like you. We'll both miss you.

Cuddy

Dr. Robert Chase:

I didn't know you that well – I guess nobody did x

Robert Chase

Dr. James Wilson:

When you gave me some of your short stories to read, I remember you practically apologized as you handed them over; that's how shy you were about sharing them. But I don't know why. They were actually pretty good.

James Wilson

Gregory House:

[Left blank]

[angelpuns]

Here's all the refs I've finished for Art Fight so far, plus some wips :) The jackalope one is actually gonna be an adopt I think, he's real cute but this is only the second time I've drawn this guy so :/ Also updated artfight card cause Henri is real cute and deserves it :)

Also I've made a separate blog specifically for furry art cause for now I need to separate my regular art from it just because?? idk I want to and I already have a cool blog name for it >:3 Plus this blog is mostly for tmnt art (even though it's been a while since I actually posted any

Other announcement is that I have started lining the next Kid Leo arc, though I haven't finished sketching it - I'm gonna try and work on it during art fight but we'll see if I'm able to :)

Also here's all the info abut these characters

[ravenstargames]

✦ Lost in Limbo Devlog #9 | 02.29.24

What is this?! Two devlogs in one month?! More likely than you think! This February has been very productive for me and the team, so let's dive right into it!

Ooooh boy, Raquel keeps knocking it out of the park! She managed to get done every expression for every LI, and I coded them all! Now we have our wonderful characters ready for their debut. We have been using the wonderful Image Tools for Ren'py made by the talented and hard-working Feniks, whose tutorials and resources save a lot of dev's lives every day! This tool has made everything a bit easier for newbies like me, hehe.

Here's a taste of our edgelord's expressions! 💜 They're kind of a cutie when they put some effort into it!

We also had our second valentine's day celebration art piece thanks to Kayden! Sadly with the reworked version of the demo, you won't meet Vycar yet, so we thought we could ask for his forgiveness by giving him a beautiful bouquet and reminding him how much of a sweetheart he is! 💜

Also, Raeya got a hair update!

So, we weren't completely satisfied with the way we portrayed Raeya's hair, so this has been a rework we were sure we wanted to make. At first we were just going to render it again, but we ended up working on it from scratch to better represent what we envisioned for her. We hope you like it as much as we do! ; v ;💜

As always, we are open to any critique or advice; we are white people who have the luck to be able to ask POC friends for their advice as we work, but the more the merrier! Don't hesitate to send us your opinion to our ask box or even our email, gamesravenstar@gmail.com!

When it comes to the background department, we have been making great progress thanks to Airyn, who is honestly leaving us with our mouths hanging open every time! Thanks to her, another background has been finished and another one is in the making, leaving only two backgrounds to be revised and approved!

I personally can't stop looking at this WIP! She understood perfectly what we wanted to portray just by looking at an old WIP we had, and this is what we have so far—and it's already amazing!

Allie has been OBLITERATING the script. As of today, I think we have almost gone through everything that needed to be corrected and discussing, and lord if the script doesn't look a 100% better after we put it in Allie's hands. The way she writes, the way she understands everything I want to say even when sometimes I don't even know myself—what a talented, inspiring and amazing writer they are. I know I may sound annoying at this point singing her praises endlessly, but if the script is in the state where it is now, it's thanks to her!

My programming adventure of the month has been a success, if I say so myself! I've coded the characters with aaaaall their layers, their expressions, the blinking animations, made some videos, and started coding the script. Step by step as they say; I've coded 18 pages, and there's, uh...142 more to go. Haha! *sobs*

BUT WE ARE GETTING THERE! We can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I can finally click 'new game' and read the script and see the stuff going on! YAY!

Some extras of the month—we are preparing a Casting Call to choose the voice acting talent that will hopefully give voice to our characters. The demo won't be fully voiced (it's impossible with the funds we have, which are...zero), but if we are lucky we'll use some of our personal savings to pay for at least a few lines for each character so you can get an idea of how they'll sound if we get funded! Raquel is preparing an art piece for the announcement, and I'm getting the document ready and asking fellow VA friends for advice :3.

Also, we have a new member here at Ravenstar Games! Some weeks ago Astro and I formally adopted our first kitty, 8 month old Riki, fulfilling one of our dreams. We got him from a feline association that works with volunteers and fosters cats who have been abandoned, cats they find on the street, and so on. Riki has been living with me since January, and he's a happy, long big boy who loves playing, cuddles, and sitting on my desk while I try to work!

Say hi to the Ravenstar family, Riki! 💜

A productive month full of accomplished milestones, excitement and new challenges! The team has worked so hard, and I've done my part too! We still don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but we have done a lot of stuff we were sure we wouldn't finish yet, and look at that! We are doing so well!

As you can probably tell, my batteries are starting to run low, so I'm going to leave this devlog here. Thank you all like always for cheering us on, for being here in this journey with us, and for all the love you send our way. Let's hope March is as amazing as February has been, for us and for all of you! 💜

[thesoftboiledegg]

Rick and Morty if Autism Speaks and Autism Moms focus-grouped it to death:

Rick: Everyone, I have a terrible confession to make. Summer [scrolling through her phone]: Sure, Grandpa Rick. How many planets did you blow up today? Rick: No, Summer, it's much worse than that. I... [sighs and sticks his hands in his pockets] I just got back from the doctor's office. I...I have autism. [The entire family gasps in shock. Summer drops her phone. Morty's hands fly to his mouth.] Beth: No! Rick! Why didn't you ever tell us? Rick: I didn't know, sweetie. Bird Person noticed that I'd been flapping my hands a lot and said, "Mubba rubba nub nub," which means, "I'm going to give you a referral for an autism diagnosis." I just got back from the clinic. I'll be honest with you--when the word "autism" came out of the doctor's mouth, I couldn't decide if I wanted to hide the truth from you or crash my ship directly into the building, killing me instantly. [Jerry stares at him. Summer starts sobbing. Beth glances at Morty with horror and disbelief.] Beth: But--what about Morty? He flaps his hands sometimes, too. Do you think that--maybe--oh God, I don't even want to say it-- Rick [looking at her sadly]: I don't know, sweetie. Autism is a genetic disease, and it's not looking good. Morty: No! NO! Why, Rick? This is the worst thing you've ever done! Rick: I'm sorry, buddy. I wish I could go back in time and delete the autism from my genes. Summer [sobbing]: You've ruined our family! I always knew I was the one normal child, and now you've just confirmed it! Beth: I'm sorry, Morty, but I won't be able to look at you the same way again. I knew there was a reason I favored Summer all these years. And Rick, well--I don't know if you can keep living here. Our budget is already tight without you spending $500 a month on math textbooks and model train sets. Jerry: Wait, hang on. If I can get meta here for a second--doesn't Dan Harmon play Bird Person? And isn't he, you know...in that way? Rick: Autistic? [Beth and Summer gasp at the sound of the word.] I don't know, let me check. [He opens a portal and disappears, then returns a few seconds later, his eyes heavy with sadness.] Yes. Dan Harmon is autistic, which means...Bird Person is autistic, too. I'm sorry. [The entire room is silent.] Beth: Well...at least you'll be able to get together now. I know you autistics can't date normal people. Summer: Autistics can't date anyone, period. Sorry, Morty, but I guess Jessica and Bruce Chutback both dodged a bullet. [Morty bursts into tears. Beth rubs his shoulder.] Beth: It's okay, honey. Look at it this way--you'll be able to go on lots of adventures with Grandpa since we have to separate both of you from the general population. Jerry: And "different" doesn't mean "worse." I mean, in this case, it absolutely does, but it doesn't mean that in other contexts. Morty: I'm sorry that I'm burdening everyone. [glances up] Hey, um, Rick--maybe you can find a cure, right? [smiles weakly] Some planet out there must've found a cure for autism by now, right? Rick [forces a smile]: You've got it, buddy. I'm sure there's a universe out there that's...found a cure for this tragic disease. [Everyone looks silently down at the table. Morty stands up.] Morty: I'm going to sit in my room for a while. Let me know when you've decided if you're going to keep me or put me up for adoption. Beth: We'll let you know, honey. [Morty walks upstairs. The rest of the family turns to Rick, who sighs.] Rick: Well...I guess I'll go to the garage. The noise-cancelling walls will protect you from the sounds of my incessant stimming and hand-flapping. I know you don't want me back in the house, so you can turn my room into extra storage space. Jerry can even turn it into a man cave if he wants. I don't care if he does. I don't care about anything anymore. Summer: Neither do we, Rick. Neither do we... [Rick walks into the garage and sits quietly on the stool. After a few minutes of silence, he hesitates, then reaches inside his coat and applies a sticker to his ship. The camera zooms in to reveal a puzzle piece that reads Autistics On Board.]

[toon-tales]

Hiya! Have a Branch sick fic featuring Brozone AND Kismet cause I'm bored

Enjoy!

Btw, tell me if you have any comments, I gladly accept and welcome criticism

The battling brothers

Branch may be sick, but he knew darn well the competition going on between his eight, biological and adoptive, older brothers.

He knew both groups loved him, he loved them too. Both of them. But now, as he lay sick and weak in his bed, he was starting to question whether it was a good idea to let Kismet know he was sick. It was Poppy's idea in the first place, something about all of them bonding or whatever.

"Can I have some water, please?"

"Sure, baby brother." John and Ablaze glared at each other.

"He was talking to me," the cyan troll hissed.

"As if," the other muttered. "He was clearly asking me."

Branch groaned, bracing himself for another round of bickering. "Not again…"

But his voice was drowned out by his brothers' as an argument broke out between them, again, each taking a side and spitting at the other. This wasn't the first time this has happened, and Branch was used to it by now, though it still triggered a minor panic attack whenever it did. He just wanted everyone to get along, was that too much to ask? Maybe. He was getting tired of having to cancel a hangout with a band just to make it up to the other, he was tired of the constant fighting, which often ended with them forgetting his needs.

He. Was. Sick.

"He's my baby brother!"

"He's our baby brother, actually!"

He tried to diffuse the tension. "I love both of you-"

"Stay out of this, Branch," Hype shot, willingly ignoring how stern it came out.

Floyd eyed him. "Hey! Don't talk to my brother like that!"

"Yeah, dude, he's sick," Clay stood by his brother.

"And now you suddenly care?!" Branch winced. This wasn't going to end well.

"Of course we care!"

"Twenty years too late!"

Twenty years too late. Branch had been trying to forget about that. Why did they have to reopen his wounds when he had finally almost stitched them. Don't talk like that, he forced himself. They didn't mean it, they would never hurt him. In and out through your nose, he thought, just like we practiced. But he could feel the harsh words spreading through the room, words of accusations going back and forth between the two groups, Kismet usually throwing them first.

"We were young and foolish, alright? Is that what you want to hear?"

"We want you out of-"

"Enough!"

Silence arrived just in time. No one should know what the next words were.

The purple troll glared at Hype, giving him a warning glare before turning to the youngest. "Branch, you have to choose."

Branch's eyes widened. "What do you mean-?"

"You know what I mean, Branch."

"None of us can keep going on like this," the leader of the blood brothers chimed. "It's either us, or them."

Trickee smirked. "That won't be so hard, right, baby bro?"

But his adopted brother stayed silent, eyes darting between his and the others' set.

"Branch?" He smiled nervously, reaching out to hold Branch's hand. But Hype put a hand in front of him.

"I see how it is."

The sick troll pushed himself up, blinking as the room spun around him for a second. "Wait, no-"

"You really choose them over us?"

"That's not– please-"

"Come on, guys. Let's get outta here." A beat. "But don't come crying to us if they leave you again." And with that, the room was filled with heavy silence as Hype and his group walked out, leaving Brozone to try and keep Branch in bed.

"B, they'll be back in five minutes." Bruce scoffed. "They're just making a scene."

Branch wasn't even listening, not making a single attempt in resistance as his brothers finally tucked him in his bed.

"Now, we'll stay with you tonight-"

"I wanna be alone…" It was his turn to interrupt.

"What? We're not leaving you-"

"Please…" he begged, swallowing hard as he tried to think of what to do next, and a thought, one he had been trying to bury, was telling him he shouldn't have gotten so attached. It was his fault.

He knew this was going to happen sooner or later, the way the two groups never stayed near each other, with John, Bruce, Clay, and Floyd sleeping in Rhonda, and Hype, Ablaze, Boom, and Trickee sleeping in his room, each wrapped in his sleeping bag till the next morning. And the cycle had been repeating itself - he would ask for something, a member of each group would fight over who would get it for him, and by the time they were done, he would already be fast asleep. But this time, it had taken an unexpected turn, one he wasn't prepared for.

Which was the main reason he was now making his way to the kitchen in the middle of the night. He needed to get his mind off things, and maybe he was a bit hungry. His brothers? Absolutely not. They'll rub it in the other group's faces in the morning, and Branch wasn't in the best state to intervene this time.

He stumbled out of bed, almost falling face first onto Boom– Boom wasn't there. Hallucinating as well, add that to the list. Deep breaths. One foot in front of the other. How hard can this be? The sick troll mumbled under his breath, not sure whether he was assuring himself or trying to follow the rules to keep his balance, but either way, he was in the kitchen– he was in the kitchen? He must be more tired than he thought, but definitely not more than how hungry he felt.

But he did it. He was in the kitchen, and he didn't even know when he had put the water to boil, nor when he had prepared it in the first place, but he did it.

He did it.

That was a bad idea.

Very bad idea.

Branch was now clutching the kitchen counter, feeling as if he might collapse if he let go for a single second. He tried to look for something, anything, to lie down on, but much to his liking, there wasn't. Or maybe he was too disoriented to notice any.

Think. But he couldn't. He felt as if Branch.exe had stopped working, and he desperately tried to make sense of what was happening. Wasn't this a simple fever? He's dealt with those before, when he was alone, and this has never– okay, maybe it did happen a few times, but he had always pulled through.

Which was what he was going to do now.

Think. What do you do when you feel on the verge of passing out? Lie down. He just had to lie down till this spell passed. Lie down, slow and steady to the floor– a thud. At least he was now in a safe position, yeah. He'll just lean his head against the wall and wait.

His eyes snapped open briefly as pain shot through his skull. It wasn't supposed to hit it that hard, but it'll pass. The pain will pass.

He just had to breathe. In and out. Nice and slow through his nose. Why wasn't his body working properly? Why today, when he was by himself?

But it's okay. He'll keep his eyes open. He had to keep his eyes open. No one, and he means no one, is allowed to see him like this, not Poppy, not anyone, and definitely not his brothers - adoptive or blood.

He'll tough it out, just like he always does.

Safe position? Check. Breathing steady? He'll come to this one later. Eyes open? Definitely not check.

But he'll be okay. He'll be okay. He just had to hold on, hold on till whatever was happening passed. He'll just open his eyes– okay, that was a bad idea. The room was spinning harder, but he'll manage on his own. He's done it before, and he could do it again. Close your eyes. Open your eyes. He didn't know what to do, didn't know which rule to follow this time.

He can't do this on his own. He needed his brothers. All of them.

"Guys…" Was the last thing that left his lips before his consciousness slipped away, leaving his limp body lying slumped on the kitchen floor.

—------------

"Branch? Wake up."

"Wake up, baby brother."

"Call the others, quick."

Was all he managed to hear before he let go again.

Then someone was slapping his face.

"Branch! Branch, wake up!" A somewhat urgent voice reached his ears, a voice that, for whatever reason, made him open his eyes, albeit groggily. And sure enough, eight figures were hovering above him.

"You with me?" It was John, his hands cupping his youngest brother's face and searching for any signs of distress.

Branch nodded.

"You okay?"

He didn't know. Darkness was clouding his vision.

"Branch, focus!" He felt a sting against his cheeks from where John was trying to fully awaken him.

He let out a faint groan, sluggishly swatting at the eldest's hand.

"What happened? Can you tell us?" This was Floyd, his voice filled with concern and forced calmness.

"I was… making some soup… then everything started spinning…" he stammered, "I-I don't want to choose, Hype…"

Said troll shook his head. "It's okay, it's okay, you don't have to–"

"I love everyone–"

Boom bit his lip. "Branch, please calm down, you're stressing yourself out."

But the tears were already welling up. He wasn't in the right state of mind, they figured.

Kismet members exchanged uneasy glances. "It's our fault, just please, calm down."

"I don't want anyone to leave… not again…"

Ablaze placed a hand on Branch's forehead, feeling the heat radiating off of his brother. He looked at the others and silently shook his head.

"Branch, no one is leaving, alright?" Hype tried. "But you're making yourself sick, you have to calm down, yeah?"

Branch nodded.

"Can you stand?" Clay was already helping the glittery troll lift Branch to his feet.

Branch struggled along, even as his legs wobbled beneath him and he had to rely on his brothers to get him back to his bed. Great, they thought sarcastically. They were doing more harm than good.

"I-I–"

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay," Floyd cooed. "Just calm down."

"Nice and slow, through your nose," the blue troll instructed, noticing how Branch's breathing became shallower with each step.

Trickee sighed. "You shouldn't have overdone it like this."

The heartthrob nodded. "Yeah, Branch."

However, Boom was more concerned about the almost-full medication on the bedside table. "Have you been taking your medicine?"

"No one gave me water…" It came out more vulnerable than he had anticipated.

"No one did…?"

The sick troll looked up, tear-filled eyes scanning his brothers before pulling the covers over his face. "No." That said, he turned around and closed his eyes, already drifting off to a restless sleep.

—-----------

When Branch woke up the next morning, he was met with the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Coffee. He smiled slightly, he missed that. He let out a content sigh as he made his way to the kitchen, ready to be met with scolding from Kismet, and another later from Brozone.

But the scene in front of him? That was something even him was not expecting.

They were here. All of them. Well, of course they were, after what happened yesterday, but that wasn't the case, they were together, in one room. He rubbed his eyes then looked again. This was real.

"Morning, B," Floyd greeted softly, handing Hype a cup of coffee and sitting beside him, mindful of his own.

"Morning…"

"What are you doing out of bed, young man?" Branch really had to remember this was his brother talking to him and not his grandma.

"I-I was-"

"Back to bed." the purple-haired troll interrupted, "We'll bring you your breakfast."

Branch just nodded silently, slowly making his way back to his bed the kitchen. We?

They were talking. They were chatting, even, all together. They didn't fight over who would bring him breakfast, which was highly noticeable given the events of the last few days. But the dull troll didn't care about that now, and his lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile. They were together.

And for once, reality seemed to be better than his imagination.

[anjelicawrites]

Once poly!Aemond asked his lovers to help him stay in subspace for the whole weekend. It had been a couple of grueling months and he felt his brain needing to be disconnected from everything. He was cutely uncoordinated and in need to be touched all the time, both reader and Osferth walking around with an Aemond koala plastered on their backs. When his lovers gently helped him back, he felt like he had recharged his batteries. The weird thing had been Vhagar, who was less cranky herself and even let reader’s adopted donkey sniff her snout.

From one of your headcannons can you elaborate more pls??? 😏

The OG!Poly is back!

Warnings: kissing, handjob, ass play, blowjob, hints at subspace sex, being in subspace for a long period of time, overwork, stress, hints at chronic pain.

NSFW and 18+ only please under the cut!

Aemond has been working hard on his latest project and had, basically, disappeared from your lives. He would sleep a handful of hours, waking up early and going to bed later and later, to the point that he had started sleeping in one of the guest rooms in order to not disturb you and Osferth. You two knew he was alive because he would send you quick texts or put his dirty laundry in the hamper, but he was a ghost in your lives, who promised you two that he was going to be finished soon. You and Osferth were worried he would overwork himself or that his chronic pain would flare up, you two knew that he couldn't afford it to happen.

The text message arrives in the chat Thursday afternoon, it simply reads "I'm finished. Coming home." You rush home, your only goal is to hug Aemond, which you do, the second he walks through the threshold, your arms hug his slender frame with all your might.

"Gevie, gevie, dōna jorrāelagon."

You can hear Aemond murmur in your hair as you take in his familiar scent, and the tension in his back.

"Please tell me you don't have any leftover work to do." "I'm done. I have the whole weekend off, my team as well." "Oh thank God!"

You stare at him with adoring eyes, take in his tired expression and the dark circles: all the alarm bells go off in your mind immediately. You try to help him relax and Osferth joins in when he manages to return home, to little results: Aemond is still a ball of stress on the couch, all the pent up energy trapped in his tense shoulders and in the way his eyes fixates on the TV, without truly seeing the stupid show playing. Not even putting the collar on has helped.

"You're not listening, are you?" Osferth asks from the floor where he's laying with the dogs. "I'm sorry beloved, my mind seems unable to unstruck itself from this last project. I am so tired and my brain doesn't want to stop."

He sounds exhausted, barely managing to run on fumes.

"Do you think there's something we can do to help you unwind? You never stopped working for two months!" You tell him, worried that he might just collapse.

Aemond hums in your embrace, pensively weighting your words.

"There's something, but I don't know if it's feasible." "Tell us and we'll see, together."

Aemond cups Osferth's face for a second and breaths in his earthly scent, wishing that just your combined presences would be enough to help him finally relax: he feels so drained.

"Would it be possible to keep me in subspace for the whole weekend? I just need to stop thinking and I don't know how!"

You suck in a big breath: it is so huge coming from him, who is still fighting against his demons, it's a testament to the trust he has in you two.

"We can try." You can hear in Osferth's voice that he is already shifting, taking control subtly.

"Let's go upstairs." You murmur in Aemond's ear, following Osferth's lead. "Let's make sure you're all nice and dumb for a while."

Aemond shudders against you, he closes his eye with a tired sigh: if only.

"We are not asking, my sweet prince." Osferth's voice is a low rumble that sends a shiver down Aemond's back. "You will stop thinking, I don't care how long that is going to take."

"Or how many times you're going to come for us, like a good boy." You add.

"I want that, badly. My brain doesn't seem to want to follow the plan." Again, defeated against his own mind.

"It's not your brain we're interested in."

Aemond groans when Osferth's hand sneaks inside his loose trousers and curls around his soft cock.

"You're going to come for us, you don't have a choice."

Osferth's voice has deepened to a growl as his hands slowly moves up and down Aemond's cock. You can see how enlarged his pupils are, how feral his smile is when he notices your fingers finding their home around Aemond's sensitive nipples, pinching them until he lets out a soft whine.

"You're playing dirty." He stammers, his head leans on your shoulder. "You have no idea Aemond."

He whines again when the hand around his, now, hard cock jacks him with intent, fluid already seeping from the bulbous head, hips canting to follow the rhythm Osferth has chosen for him.

"Come, now."

Aemond can hear the command in his voice and that makes the coil in his stomach curl tighter and tighter with every fast movement of the hand around his cock and your cruel fingers on his nipples, the orgasm so close he can almost taste it, yet just a step away from him, his brain still running a hundred miles per hour.

The sudden pain of your fingers pinching his nipples tear through the million thoughts in his head and he comes, body kept upright by yours and Osferth's, who keeps pumping his cock, milking it until Aemond whimpers, raw already with overstimulation.

Aemond is not fully aware of how he finds himself on the bed, naked and hard, his mind is fuzzy on the details of walking up the stairs as you and Osferth kiss and bite his skin and lips, and all his clothes are gone and he is defenseless under your stares: where he wants to be.

The pleasure that slowly consumes his overworked brain never stops, you two dead set in driving him absolutely out of his mind with your teeth, mouths and hands.

He begs when your lips find home around his erection, again, in the attempt to suck his brain out through his dick. His hips squirm uselessly when his hole his violated again by Osferth's long fingers, muscles fucked and scissored until he comes down your throat with a shout.

With every orgasm he can feel his mind losing grip against the pleasurable pain you're subjecting him to, the threads of his million thought snipped at the bud by your bodies on his.

Yet he can't let go, his mind is so stubbornly clinging to the most difficult detail of the project and just focuses there as his body burns with pleasure.

"You know." Osferth's dark voice tears through this last stubborn thought. "One day I will bring you to a piercer and make sure you get the prettiest rings on your nipples. After they've healed I'll put nice weight on them, make sure everyone sees how sensitive they are."

As on cue you bite down on his right nipple and suck harshly, Aemond's mind snaps free of that troublesome last thought and finally floats in that safe space where he doesn't have to think, just feel and soak in your care, and Osferth's.

Aemond's body melts under yours, his muscles completely relaxed, the sign you and Osferth have reached your goal: he's into subspace, where his mind can, finally, let go.

"Come here sweetling, sleep in my arms. You did so good my heart." You murmur, helping Aemond on his side, with his face against your chest.

Aemond's eye is closed, his breathing slow and even, blindly his face finds your breasts and just rests there, where your soft smell envelops him completely and he knows he's safe.

"He's hogging your boobies." "Osferth, don't be morose. Lie behind me and be nice." "There isn't enough space!"

Osferth stares at you like a kicked puppy and, for five whole seconds, you feel bad for him.

"Those are my breasts, thank you very much. Second, Aemond needs them more than you do right now." "I need them always!" "Be good Osferth, come on!"

Osferth looks devastated that he can't hold your breasts the way he likes to, when Aemond sleeps between you two: he has to settle with just a couple of fingers on the upper side of one breast for the night. How unfair is that?

When you wake up, Aemond is still asleep in your arms, his long body relaxed in your embrace. With a gentle touch you caress his back, following the dip of his spine: he needs food and a slow awakening.

From the door Osferth observes you two, enamored with the way you are taking care of Aemond. On silent feet he heads to the bed and hugs Aemond from the back, murmuring that it's time to eat. Aemond stirs and makes a sleepy sound of contentment, cocooned as he is in the double embrace. He can only feel, his mind is still somewhere soft, while is skin blooms with goosebumps wherever your hand, and Osferth's, caress him, a tentative erection stands against your tummy and Osferth gently wraps his hand around it.

"Let's make a deal. You come for us and then we feed you breakfast." Osferth says.

In this state Aemond is nonverbal, he just nuzzles closer to your breasts and moves his hips: he doesn't need words when he has you two. His mind is hazy, yet his nerves carry the distant feeling of Osferth's rough palm around his cock and the sweet taste of your nipples in his mouth, both sensations cloud his mind and mix with the pleasure he has been feeling. His hips move following the long strokes around his cock, unhurried as pleasure tightens in his belly. He hears your soft moans of pleasure and Osferth's praises, the nipple in his mouth is pert and delicious, he can't help but nibble on it as his hips move faster, his cock head rubs against your clit with a wet sound he can barely hear over his own whimpers of pleasure as his orgasm explodes in his loins and his mind flies higher and higher into subspace.

Aemond lies on the bed, his semen splattered on his belly, his breathing slowing down: he looks like the portrait of desire, with his head on Osferth's chest and his legs spread out like an offering. He makes a pleasurable sound when you slowly clean the mess on his groin and tummy, kissing the head of his spent cock. With your lips you follow the path of his beauty marks, until you can hover his parted mouth.

"Let's feed you baby, you've done so well." You murmur and he preens.

He's unstable on his legs, he wobbles and has to lean against Osferth to walk down the stairs; you've never seen him like this, but he's never been in subspace outside the bed. It's endearing to see him, who is always preternaturally aware of his surroundings, walk on unstable legs, nearly hitting the banister with his elbow or trip on one of the dogs. He plasters himself against your back with an happy sigh, while you make coffee. You expect his hands to mold themselves around your breasts, instead he is happy to just feel your warmth seep through the clothes you two are wearing and walk with you, using your body as a crutch to keep his balance. He is not aware of what he's doing, it's just that you smell so good and are so soft, that his body simply follows its natural instincts. You have to put your index in the loop of his collar to maneuver him to where the bench is and have him sit down next to Osferth, who has already cut the food in small pieces and feeds them to Aemond in between butterfly kisses.

He's never been so needy of physical touch like he is now. He doesn't shy away from it normally, but he is never reached for it so openly; deep as he is in subspace he can't help but follow what his body is telling him to do: soak in the warmth of his lovers' skins, taste it with his lips and tongue and just bask in their presence next to him to even out those two month without you two. You and Osferth are keeping him safe as well. A part of Aemond knows he needs your help, that he is not capable of recognizing danger and that he needs to lean on you two for safety. Draping himself over Osferth's shoulders, or yours, and just walk with you this way is an instinct he easily follows and saves him from falling and tripping around the house. Pleasure and arousal mingle with the warm waves where is mind is now, with every orgasm you and Osferth extract from his pliant body, he soars even higher and falls deeper into subspace and becomes ever more responsive to your touch, and Osferth's, his body blossoming under yours as he whimpers and moans with every touch on his sensitive skin. Whatever refractory period he normally has simply vanishes and he seeks your combined touches, until you two have made love to him to both your heart's content.

When it's time to help him resurface from subspace, he stubbornly clings to it, doesn't want to come back and be himself again. It takes you and Osferth the longest time, between soft kisses and gentle words, to see his eye focus again on your smiles. Aemond feels boneless, all his muscles well used and pleasantly tired, his mind, finally, his own again.

"Welcome back sweetling." You murmur in his ear, tickling the sensitive skin with your breath. "How long was I under for?"

He genuinely has no idea of the day and the hour.

"It's Sunday afternoon." Osferth tells him.

Aemond says something unintelligible in High Valyrian, surprised his idea actually worked.

"Even Vhagar is not as cranky as she usually is." Osferth adds. "She's an elderly lady, she's entitled to be grumpy." Aemond will always come to Vhagar's defense, it makes your heart swell. "Not when you're in subspace. She never huffed and slept peacefully: that's a first."

Not for the first time you find yourself wondering about the bond between you lover and his elderly dragon, how deep that runs.

"Come here sweetling."

You let Aemond hug you, this time he can lie pressed between you and Osferth, without stopping the latter's access to your breasts.

"Do you want to sleep my love? It's too early to eat." You say. "Let's just stay like this. I want to feel you two."

His mind, lulled by your combined warmth, starts wandering through disconnected thoughts, simply enjoying the stillness, after months of non stopping worry. Indeed, you three should do this more often.

Poly taglist : @fan-goddess, @notyour-valentine, @aegonx

[dearly-somber]

Cat & Dog | txt

-> pairing. txt & f!reader

-> genre. fluff, found-family

-> rating. 13+

-> w/c. 2066

-> warnings. none!

-> a/n. I liked this one a lot 🥴

-> collection. songfic

-> started. Sept. 6th, 2020 @ 02:19

-> fin. Aug. 21st, 2021 @ 22:14

-> edited. Thurs., Oct. 25th, 2022 @ 20:55

Why did you think adopting not one, not two, but five hybrids would ever be a good idea?

Yeah, sure. You had originally only settled on adopting one, but when you were told that this group was bonded you couldn't find it in yourself to split them up, let alone leave them behind.

"Alright, that’s the last of the paperwork! We'll be coming to inspect how the hybrids are doing in three months time. If we think that they're unhappy or being mistreated, we'll take them from you." The one employee said with a smile, handing you the boys' collars, all color coded and with their names on them.

There were leashes too, though you put that in your bag since you didn't want to completely restrain them.

"Thank you,” you mumbled, bowing as you left the small office to be met with a group of hybrids waiting outside for you nervously. When you came out they stood straighter, smiling at you with bright eyes. You laughed a bit awkwardly, bowing to them before giving them the most confident smile you could muster... Which turned out to be not so confident.

"Hi, guys. My name is Y/N and I'll be caring for you from now on." You cleared your throat, fiddling with the hem of your sweater. "I'll do my best." You said solemnly before clearing your throat one last time and going to put on everyone's collars, since you had already put your contact details on the inside. The first one you attached was to the tall brown haired hybrid, his Sheppard ears flicking excitedly as you neared him. His tail wagged at a fast pace, making you smile at him. You stood at just below his shoulder, so looking up to him had butterflies flying into the sides of your stomach. If you could, you wouldn't have them wear collars, but it was required by law for them to wear collars if they were in public to:

1. Show that they weren't stray or escaped and therefore potentially dangerous.

2. Be able to find their owners if they happened to get lost.

"You're Soobin..?" You asked the boy, your voice raising nearing the end to turn the statement into a question. He smiled at you as he nodded his head vigorously, his dimples making themselves present and attacking your heart.

"Yep!" He said cutely, his tail still wagging madly behind him.

"차, here we go, Soobin!" You said as you finished attaching his collar, standing back to admire how well the dark purple fit him.

Next was the eldest and one of the two cats of the group, a gorgeous gray tabby hybrid. He watched you closely, and the way he held himself practically screamed 'dripping with confidence'.

"Yeonjun?" You asked, feeling your heart hammering against your chest. You were pretty sure that they could all hear how loud it was beating, which made it ten times worse than it would've been.

"The one and only." He said, grinning at you cheekily while you leaned over his shoulder to attach his respective collar, a lime green color. You moved it slightly, swallowing nervously as your fingers brushed over the back of his neck. Immediately after Yeonjun was, who you believed, was the second youngest of the group and the last cat hybrid. You had been told that he was a Siamese hybrid, and immediately you were intrigued. Siamese were rare where you lived, so having one of your own would be a nice bragging right to have among your co-workers. You had apologized to him sincerely, telling him that you had forgotten his name to which he replied with a gentle smile.

"That's alright, noona. I'm Taehyun." He smiled at you, eyes boring through your soul. He had a shockingly deep red collar that highlighted his sharp features, which you told him quietly, making him blush.

Then, it was one of the most energetic of the lot, it seemed: A Jack Russell hybrid who was practically bouncing around on the balls of his feet, unable to hide his excitement. "Beomgyu." He said simply before you had even opened your mouth to speak, a grin plastered on his face at the way you pressed your mouth into a firm line. You attached his black collar to his neck, having to lightly push him away since he had moved forward to sniff your hair curiously.

And last but not least was the youngest, Heuningkai. You had remembered his name purely because it was so unique, and you were sure to tell him this. He grinned shyly, nodding his head and thanking you in a small voice. He was the other giant, probably only a few inches shorter than Soobin. His collar was a pretty white color, complimenting his creamy Corgi colors well. It was something that you hoped to God wouldn't get filthy, because it would be a pain in the ass to keep clean otherwise.

"Right. Before we leave this building, I have an important first rule." The boys' ears perked attentively as you addressed them, making you nervous again. They gave you their undivided attention and man, was your heart weak. "If you're outside on your own and you get lost, my number is on the inside of your collars. Your phones are waiting for you at home, and everyone's numbers have already been added to each phone, including my own." They nodded, looking at you with wide eyes and small smiles. With a grin you made them follow you into the van you had bought on a bit of a short notice, having to get a car big enough for everyone. Though it was still a bit crowded, Heuningkai and Taehyun squeezed together in the middle with Yeonjun and Beomgyu on the sides, Soobin sitting in the passenger seat.

What you had noticed first was that it seemed as if Soobin was the leader of the band of hybrids, which was to be expected, really. You think you remember hearing that he was second oldest, with Beomgyu being the 'middle-child'. While the thought popped into your mind, you looked into your rear view mirror. "I almost forgot to mention, but I'm a year older than you, Yeonjun." You said with a smile, turning back to the road to turn into that oh so familiar road.

“오디가요?” You heard Yeonjun ask from the backseat, and you couldn't help but smile.

"I wanted to make a quick stop at a café, to get something to drink. I hope you don't mind?" You asked the guys, looking around the car questioningly.

"No, it's fine!" Soobin said with a smile, his dimples springing out once more. You giggled, poking his cheek and unintentionally making him blush.

When you walked into the café, you ordered drinks for everyone, only Yeonjun having come with you to help you carry.

Heuningkai had gotten a hot-chocolate, Soobin settling for a plain and simple coffee. Taehyun got a frupachino, and Beomgyu got tea. When you asked what Yeonjun wanted, he had said he wanted an Americano, so that's what he was currently sipping at, your Iced-Tea standing out among the aray of warm drinks.

You arrived home a little later, showing them their room, the bunk-beds and one single bed in the room. "I dibs the single bed!" Beomgyu called with a grin, making you chuckle.

You clapped your hands together. “I'm going to start on dinner. Why don't the five of you go and watch some television in the mean time? The TV's out front." You said with a smile, the others scattering to the living room at a surprising speed.

You scrolled through your phone before setting up the group chat, the others already haven taken their phones. You looked up when you noticed Yeonjun, a smile spreading across your face. "Hey, Yeonjunnie. What's up?" He smiled at the pet name, tail flicking behind him as he came to stand next to you.

"그냥.. Wanted to see how dinner was coming along." He said with a somewhat hidden smile, sipping at his Americano.

"Ah, Yeonjun?"

"네?"

"You have something on your lip—"

"What? Where?” He wipes over his mouth. “Did I get it?"

"No, 여기~" You turned to stand in front of him, gently swabbing away the cream that had been on the corner of his upper lip... how it had gotten there though, you had no idea.

Yeonjun stood there with the straw of his drink still wedged between his teeth, tail stiff and ears leaning forward. You giggled cutely, flustered at the way he looked so dumbfounded by you, turning back to the food.

It was a few weeks later, and you had just come back from a quick run to the store to get the boys some new clothes, coming back home with well over five bags filled with mostly hybrid clothes, having gotten yourself one or two hoodies and a new pair of sneakers and jeans that you had liked.

You were sitting on the couch with Beomgyu, watching as Yeonjun and Soobin played Mario Cart together, laughing at the way they started screaming at each other angrily when the other pushed them off of the track or into some kind of obstacle. Beomgyu hadn't taken off his new hoodie since leaving the store six hours ago, and as cute as it was on him, you thought that he should at least've washed it first. You snapped a quick photo of him in it, posting it to your Facebook account that had recently gotten filled with pictures of you and the boys.

"Noona, come here~" Beomgyu hummed, bringing you to his chest to hug you to his form and rub his face against you. You giggled, lifting your arm to lightly pet his head, ruffling his hoodie ever so slightly. The action made him hum contentedly, holding you close to him as he put his chin on your shoulder. As soon as Yeonjun and Soobin ended their round the two of them turned around.

"Yah! We want cuddles too—" Soobin said with a pout as the two of them managed to also get some form of contact with you, Soobin playing with your fingers as he sat in between your legs, your hand resting over his Adam's apple, Yeonjun purring into your stomach as his hair was played with.

Later that same night, you were in your room reading when there was a knock on your door. "어? Hyunnie? What's wrong?" You asked, sitting up when a tired looking Taehyun walked toward you. He got under the covers with you, hiding his face in your side as he wrapped an arm around your waist.

"I had a nightmare and can't fall asleep..." He explained, holding you closer. "Can I sleep here for tonight, please?" He asked with a solemn look on his face.

"Of course, Hyun. Whatever makes you comfortable." You hummed, playing with his hair for a bit before watching him fall asleep and falling asleep yourself. Since then, it was a normal occurrence for Taehyun to share your bed, the others also joining you every once in a while.

It was the day after the examination, and you were quite bubbly, happy that you officially got to keep the boys. "Noona, are you even helping?" Heuningkai asked you with an angry pout, stopping as he dried off the dishes.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, Hyuka. Did you say something?" You asked, continuing with your scrubbing.

"No, I didn't. But you just suddenly stopped moving."

"Yeah, well I was thinking—"

"Abour what? Donuts? Don't you think you should cut down on the—"

"Yah!" You shouted at him, a smile spreading to your face as he laughed, smiling at you brightly.

"Be glad I love you, Kai. Or else I would've broken your nose." You warned the Corgi hybrid with squinted eyes, a playful grin on your face.

"Yeah, yeah, you liar. You wanna play some basketball after this?" He asked, making you scoff over-dramatically.

"What a dumb question to ask—"

You stood there silent and stunned, watching as Hyuka giggled evily.

"Did you just splash me... With dirty water?" You snarled at him in disbelief, eyes shining dangerously.

"Possibly?"

"You piece of— get over here!" You screamed, laughing at how dolphin like he sounded while screaming, running outside towards the guys for help and hopefully protection.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Full Family AU Part 15

Camila sat at her computer, rocking back and forth in her rickity, swirly chair that's probably older than her at this point. She had her hands over her eyes, letting out a long dragged out groan, frustrated to no end by the torment that is doing her own research.

"Daddy's home!" Manny announced as he stepped into the computer room. "I brought home pizza and, good news, Vee loves it. I gave her one slice and she gobbled it down in seconds. Bad news, her puppy dog eyes are as irresistible as Luz's, so she had to have three slices. Hopefully that's fine."

Camila said nothing. She just grunted, not changing her position in the chair. She barely even acknowledged Manny putting a plate with her slice of pizza next to the computer.

"Take a break," he told her. "Your brain is fried, so enjoy some pepperoni, my Pepperoni."

Camila removed her hands from her face and gave Manny a quizzical look. "Your Pepperoni? What does that even mean?"

"...It means I was trying something."

Camila groaned some more as she took her pizza. "I've hit a wall, Manny. I've hit a major wall..."

"What are you even researching?"

"Well, after that...heartbreakingly tragic backstory Vee told us, we agreed, we have to let her stay here. Because, I mean, where else would she go, right?"

"Right, I know. I was there."

"Well, I figured that if she stayed with us, people would ask her who she was. I can't say Luz's cousin because what if family visit? What do I tell them? So the only logical thing I could think of is daughter."

"Makes sense."

"But..." Camila paused to take a bite of her pizza. "Mm, that is good. But I would have to prove she's our daughter. Because then people will ask, 'Why isn't she in school?' And I can't send her to school without papers or stuff like that. And I'm not her birth mom, so I don't have her birth certificate or whatever. So I thought, 'Oh, maybe we could adopt her.'"

"I mean, I'm not opposed to that," Manny said. "We always talked about having a second kid and Vee...needs a home."

"Of course she needs a home, I want to give her a home, but unfortunately I can't give her a home!" Camila takes a bigger, frustrated bite of this pizza. "MAN, this is good! Did you go far from town to get this?"

"There's actually a place by--Actually, let's circle back to that," Manny said with a shake to his head. "What do you mean we can't give her a home?"

"Because to adopt a child you need adoption papers," Camila explained, sounding exasperated between her bites of pizza. "And to get those, you need to go to the county clerk's office, petition for adoption, get that in the system, go to the judge, and let the judge approve your adoption and--GAH!"

She leans further back in her chair, munching the rest of her pizza.

"Can you get me another slice?" Camila asked Manny. "Mami needs more stress food..."

"I think Mami needs a breather," Manny suggested. He then went behind Camila and started giving her his signature shoulder rub, Camila responding with a light hum because of how nice it felt. "You're overworking your brain, trying to figure things out as soon as possible. We don't need an immediate solution. Just gotta take things step by step."

"I know," Camila sighed. "But you heard what Vee said. All those horrible things that happened to her. She needs us, Manny. She needs to...be apart of something that shows her what love really is. And I want to give that to her. But...all those fictional stories that just show a child that had no home to begin with being adopted into a family tends to leave out all the paperwork necessary to make that process legitimate."

"Of course," Manny said. "All that stuff is boring."

"Manny..." Camila whined.

"But we'll get through it. Focus on stuff we can solve right now instead of things that we'll have to consider in the future."

"Of course we'll have to consider that future stuff. We can't just ignore the other steps."

"I'm not saying we ignore the rest. Just...look at what we have to do and focus on what we can do right now."

Camila hummed in thought. "I guess...I guess one thing we can do is make sure Vee can change into other outfits. That sundress is adorable, but she can't just wear the same thing everyday. This isn't a cartoon."

"And we can easily figure something out." Manny gave the top of Camila's head a kiss. "Until then, how about I get you that second slice of pizza."

"That'd be nice...Where'd you leave the rest?"

"On the kitchen table."

"You...didn't make it easy for the other kids to get to, did you? Especially the one kid who apparently loves pizza."

Manny was silent. Loudly silent. Next thing Camila knew he ran out of the room, quick as a flash.

"That's a no." She chuckled, shutting off the computer for now.

That's enough research for tonight.

[itsscromp]

Insomniac Miles x Reader who's been adopted by Rio for whatever reason you choose?

Miles morales x reader

Oh my.. 💥💥💥💳💥💥💥💳💥💥💥💳 word count:710

Miles knew you weren't in the brightest of situations, Always in and out between many foster families, You tried your best to try and stay with one. But your work being a spider person was getting in the way of that. So you had no way of properly settling down.

The foster system is now running out of families to try and house you with, you feared that you would be on the brink of homelessness. It scared the absolute crap out of you. One day when patrolling the city with Miles, He could see how deep in thought you were, Almost focused solely on it. Once the patrol had finished, he guided you to a nearby rooftop, taking off his mask.

"You got something on your mind y/n ??" he gently asked.

You took off your mask as well and sighed deeply.

"The foster system... They're struggling to find someone to house me..." Your knee was starting to shake. "If they don't find anyone by the end of the week... I'll likely be homeless" Tears threatened to spill.

Miles quickly wrapped his arms around and gently rocked you.

"It's ok y/n, It's ok. we'll figure something out OK??. We always do" He spoke softly as you started to cry into his shoulder, getting him in a bone-crushing hug. you were so damn scared.

Miles could see the absolute fear in your eyes, he really wanted to help you. But how was the $64 million question. Back at his apartment, Rio could see how puzzled he looked.

"Miles ?? ¿¿Qué pasa??" (What's wrong)

"Hey ma, I'm really worried about y/n, They could be homeless by the end of the week"

"What, Has the foster system found any families for them ??" she grew concerned for you.

"No... That's the issue, they said they're really struggling to find anyone at all." Miles flopped onto the couch, rubbing his temple.

Rio could see this is bringing miles, What could she do as well. Surely she could boost funding in the sector. No no that's up to the state, not her. Think Rio think. Then her brain just lit up into a million colours as she smiled to miles.

"I've got an idea"

"I'm all ears"

It was your second last day at the foster agency, and you started to pack your bags, They're has been no contact from any potential families, so you lost hope and just waited for the inevitable. But what you didn't expect was the foster agent to knock on your door.

"We have some great news for you y/n" she smiled.

"Have you found someone ??" You perked up.

"Follow me," They said as they brought you to her office, and who was sitting there ??, None other than Rio Morales herself.

"Rio ??"

"Y/n, Are you doing ok my dear ??" She smiled as she gently took your hand and sat you down.

"Miles has told me about what is going on with you, I was saddened when I learnt about it"

You looked down in a sort of shame and nodded.

"But... I found a solution." She smiled at you as she gently titled your head up at her.

"y/n... How would you like it, if I were to adopt you ??"

Your eyes went wide for a bit, considering her offer. You were incredibly touched by her offer. She knew about you being a spider person, you and miles could practically be siblings. Tears started to spill from your eyes, not out of sadness. But out of love and happiness.

"Yes... Thank you Rio."

She smiled as she brought you into a motherly embrace and pressed a gentle kiss on your temple.

"The paperwork is already signed, so now it's just... moving you in"

You nodded as you then finished packing and left with Rio, Heading to Harlem, you both entered the building as she then unlocked her apartment door.

"Welcome home y/n" she smiled as she invited you in.

You nodded and saw miles putting up some form of decorations, anticipating your arrival, once he saw you. He smiled brightly and rushed to hug you tightly.

"Welcome to the family y/n"

This was the best day of your life, You couldn't be anymore happier.

Taglist: @callofdudes @fun-k-board

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Gray 8

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"Ma! Wait!" Fen ran down the hall after Ma-ren. Her long strides caught up quckly to the smaller K'laxi, even while she was doing her best to not run down the hall. "Ma, please. Let's talk"

"I don't know why we should now Fen, it seems like your mind is made up." Ma-ren kept walking down the hall, but she did slow down a little. "Seems like you're more into leaving and taking off with Gord than staying with your actual girlfriend."

"Oh, Ma." Fen sighed. "Hold up here. Let's sit and talk." Fen looked around. They were about halfway between the docks and their apartment. They had just made it onto their floor and there was a bistro near with chairs spilling out onto the hall. Fen walked over to a small table on the edge and sat, gesturing for Ma-ren to join her.

Ma-ren walked over and slumped into a chair. A server came by quickly and Fen ordered some tea. Only Tam'itarr had chamomile, so they had to just take the regular Gren herbal tea, but at least it was hot and gave their hands something to do. After they both sat for a moment and stared at nothing, Fen spoke.

"I'm sorry Ma."

Ma-ren looked over at Fen and her tail swished.

"I'm sorry for not thinking of you more. It's just..." Fen stopped and took a sip of tea. "It's just that this is the first new thing to happen here since forever. Someone that knows Spyglass! Someone that can fix her! We've been refugees our whole lives. Most of our parent's lives too. This is a chance for us to... to... not just be 'those humans and k'laxi up on forty three'" Fen shrugged. "I got wrapped up in what it could mean for us that I guess I didn't think enough about us."

"Hmmph." Ma-ren sipped her tea but her ears twitched in that way that Fen knew meant she was almost forgiven. They had known each other since they were kids, and have been together for years. They had their own share of arguments, this was just another step on the path. "I... think I understand what you mean, Fen. Gord and Spyglass could mean us being able to trade, to conduct business, to not be reliant on handouts from the station authorities and Tam'itarr's black market."

Ma-ren put her tea cup down carefully and looked at Fen. Her large eyes focused on her girlfriend. "But Fen. You know how Gord is getting parts. Tam'itarr is going to want to be paid back. If Gord decides to just leave, then what? We helped him; Tam'itarr is going to come after us for repayment." She stood and started pacing, agitated. "You saw him with those AI cubes right? He's hungry to get them into bodies - if he even can - you have to know that he's probably going to try and screw over Tam'itarr, right?"

Fen blinked. "What?"

Ma-ren put her hands on her hips; a human gesture that K'laxi had adopted years ago. "Fen, really? Gord has nothing holding him here except Spyglass and he wants her up and running. He asked for printable mass in addition to another reactor. You think he's just going to print more reactors? I guarantee he's going to try and print at least one other body. Probably more if he can offload those AI cores. He's trying to resurrect his race. We're small time to him."

"You really think Gord is going to rip off Tam'itarr?"

Ma-ren rolled her eyes and smiled. "It's a good thing you're pretty, Fen. What does Gord have keeping him here and honest? He wants Spyglass up and running. Once he does he can convince her to just... leave. We won't even have our Starjumper anymore. Sure, we won't have to put together fundraisers to pay her docking fees, but the dream of us being anything more than refugees dies. Us - all of us - will be well and truly stuck here."

"So what should we do?"

Ma-ren walked back over to the table and drained her tea. "First thing. We go home and eat. Second thing, we get a good night's sleep." Fen stood as well. Ma-ren put her arm around Fen's waist. "Maybe in the morning we'll have thought of something that doesn't involve either Tam'itarr going after us, or Gord going after us.

That evening brought relaxation, good food, and a good night's sleep, but the morning brought them no closer to figuring out what to do.

Fen and Ma-ren circled the main promenade walking and talking.

"Do we tell Tam'itarr?" Fen said. She was looking around as they walked. It was a normal day with nothing looking out of place, but ever since their talk last night, Fen seemed to be more alert.

"Tell him what? That we think that Gord is going to rip him off?" Ma-ren stopped to look at a shop selling fabric. Nobody in the main part of the station sold Human and K'laxi clothes, but there were plenty of fabric dealers. There were a few peopel who bought the fabric and made clothes for the humans and k'laxi up on forty three, and Ma-ren knew a few of them.

"I mean, yes? If we tell him, then if he does, Tam'itarr will know that we weren't in on it.

Ma-ren looked up and sighed. "You're probably right. Let's go find him."

Tam'itarr was in his usual place in his booth in his social club. He waved when he saw them enter. "Ma-ren! Fen! How good of you to come." He gestured for them to join him. "I have managed to secure a supply of printable mass for you and Gord after all! It will be delivered to Spyglass tomorrow. We should have the reactor by the end of the week as well. I am pleased that my people have been working so diligently."

The bartender brought over a cup of chamomile to each of them, inclined his head and walked away.

Ma-ren didn't touch her tea. "Tam'itarr, we..." She looked at Fen.

"We think Gord is going to try and rip you off." Fen slurped her tea and shrugged.

Tam'itarr's mouthparts waggled a laugh and he grinned hugely. "Ladies, you have no idea how happy I am to hear this news."

Fen blinked. "You are?"

Tam'itarr nodded. "Although, I should clarify how pleased I am to hear this news from you."

Now, Ma-ren blinked. "Why?"

"Why ladies, it means that you trust old Tam'itarr more than some upstart human who showed up out of nowhere and is trying to steal your Starjumper. It means that you realize where your home is, where your community is." Tam'itarr sat forward and clicked his claws. A bouncer walked out with a black case and set it down on the table. "This is for you." He slid it over to Ma-ren.

"What is it?"

"Open it and see. I promise, nothing bad."

Ma-ren carefully clicked the case open, and inside were two bundles of Stars and two red pins. Ma-ren's eyes flicked up to the gangster's.

"Think of it as... a bonus. You thought of me instead of Gord. You thought of your home first. That deserves to be rewarded. The Stars are a bonus for making... the right choice. The pins will show everyone on the station who you work for. They will let you enjoy certain privileges here that most Humans and K'laxi normally aren't allowed. Think of it as your species' first step on leaving the forty third and joining the rest of us." Tam'itarr regarded them kindly. "You had a difficult decision to make today, and you made the right one. I take care of my own, I need you to know that."

"What about Gord?" Fen tried to take her eyes of the money. It was more Stars than she had ever seen in her life at once.

"We'll take care of Gord. Don't think I didn't also think he was prime to try and pull one over on us. I'll take you along, then you can see what we do to folks who try and hurt the community." Tam'itarr clicked his claws again and two bouncers appeared. He bent over and spoke to them softly, and they nodded once and melted away. "I would still like for Spyglass to be repaired, and for now Gord is the only one who can do it. We're going to continue to deliver what we promised and not mention anything." He looked at them. "If Gord needs your help, give it. In fact, volunteer to help. See if you can get him to show you how stuff works. Once he's gone, I'll need people who can operate my ship."

He stood up and walked over to their side of the table and placed his large hands on each of their shoulders. "From today on, you work for me. I promise, we'll do great things together."

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck: Beyond Canon Upd8 for July 23, 2024

Alright! We've got a new Upd8, and apparently it's a doozy! As usual, we'll start with the news post first!

Oh! There's a vod of the SAHcon panel. Might have to look that up.

James mentions a "big flash," and wants to give the team a break before either they start work on it or they drop it (wasn't sure here). I'm all for this. I don't want this team to burn out. Apparently there's progress on the plush, but James isn't telling us yet because it might not make it into the final version. Other than that, it's just this upd8. They're planning on more like it, so this won't be the only one of this style.

And what is this style?

It's a freakin' visual novel is what!

Looking at the options we have some basic VN selections, including options for skipping text. We have a History panel, which hopefully will allow us to go back to prior choices. We can also save and load. We don't have an option for full screen, so that's a little frustrating. But otherwise, away we go!

Yay! New talk sprites!

Absolutely love this one!

Oh man! Tavros got sucked into this too? Or is this some sort of construct or projection?

Oh wow. Vriska's trying to reconcile and every time she gets a prompt, she comes up with something else awful she did to him. I'd say we could be here a while, but I'm pretty sure she's going to lose patience soon.

"Hours later, but not many." Or we do that XD

Vriska doesn't get that the patterns that lead her here are the problem. She doesn't understand that being "an expert on this revenge thing," is part of the problem. The problem was that she was always trying to force Tavros to conform to some image of strength she had for him in her head, and used only the methods that she thought made her strong. That is, when she wasn't just losing her patience and doing something out of spite and anger.

Just as she thought she made things square with him before, she's not listening to him now. She's still never gotten that her failure to help Tavros wasn't Tavros's fault. It's always been her fault for not trying to understand who Tavros was and what he needed. By trying to help Tavros get revenge on her, she's just repeating the pattern again.

"Before I screw your life up," wow, I think she might have just had a genuine realization there! That's what she needs, though she still needs to understand why. She needs to understand why she did it, and why it caused Tavros so much suffering.

"Kill me." Oh wow. We've literally been exactly here before. How can she not realize that it didn't work then, and it's not going to work now!

"TAVROS: nO, i LOVE TO RUN AND, i DO NOT PLAN ON STOPPING, aNY TIME SOON,"

Ouch.

"Thief: Do the right thing."

Oh this is so not going to be the right thing.

Wow. She looks way too happy to have gotten Tavros to kill her. She is so not going to be happy when this almost certainly doesn't turn out to have worked.

Yep! That sure looks like we're back where we started! Respawn time!

Yay! Davepetasprite^2 talk sprites!

'Nother Vriska talk sprite. Is this a look from her past we haven't seen yet?

Hah! Groundhogs Day reference.

Sorry Davepeta, you can't help but make that innuendo sexual. It is your nature. Well half your nature.

Oh wow! When they said, Year 2, they weren't depicting a second point in the time frame. Vriska has been at this for over a year! "welcome to hell"

Whatever problems Dave and Nepeta respectively had, they just can't relate to the twisted mindset Vriska adopted to survive on Alternia.

"purrppets and then theres pawppet33rs" That one took me a while.

I think Davepeta just admitted that both Dave and Nepeta prefer to follow and let someone else be in control of things. No wonder Dave put up with so much of Jade's constant desires to form a stable polycule. I think I'll have some more to say about this later. Might even put it in a separate post.

Oh! Well that's that I guess! Might as well talk about this "panel" then.

So let's start with this. I do not believe in "leaders" and "followers". I think that's such a false dichotomy, that it barely deserves commentary. I think at best you can say that a person would be more likely to take charge, follow along, do there own thing, or disengage under sociologically normal circumstances. Already, that's four potential responses verse two, and these only apply under each person's "normal."

But even if we break it down to just "leaders" and "followers", Homestuck has already broken that dichotomy plenty of times. Take our beloved nub horned ball of of anger. Karkat presents at the beginning of Act 5 as a "leader." He was even somewhat good at it by Vriska's own admission. But Karkat was never happy as a "leader." He was doing it because he felt he had to. Being an exceptional bloodthirsty Troll warrior wasn't going to be good enough for him to avoid getting culled. He needed power, fear, and respect. He needed to be a "leader."

But once everything was over and he was given the chance to relax, he abandoned the role and was all the more happier for it. Pre Game Over, he wasn't particularly happy but he seemed less miserable than he did in game. And most of his anxiety revolved around not knowing where he stood with Dave and Terezi. Post Game Over he seems to have practically thrived. Letting Vriska, Rose, and Terezi handle all the planning and organization allowed him to finally enjoy life for once.

But now on Candy Earth C, he's a "leader" again. While he seems to be delegating a lot to Meenah, he's still the one everyone looks to. And while I can't say our beloved Knight of Blood is thriving, he's definitely much more comfortable as a "leader" now.

So all of that being true, has HSBC made any case for any character being a "leader" or "follower"?

But let's assume the premise and say Davepeta is correct. I think Nepeta can be said to be a "follower" in such a dichotomy. Even when it upset her, she still went along with Equius's wishes. But I would still stress she didn't exactly get a lot of screen time. We never got to know how Nepeta might have developed as a character over a full Homestuck run.

But what about Dave? Does Homestuck depict Dave as a "follower"? We definitely have plenty of examples of Dave going along with the plans and wishes of others. But I feel like we have far more examples of him taking initiative, doing his own thing, or even refusing to go along with a plan. Dave didn't want to play SBURB. Dave ignored Jade's advice to let the Crow hatch the egg. While he followed Terezi's plan, he eventually needed a break and basically broke with her after they finished the time loop. When Jade needed help, he acted on his own to get her situated in the game. He didn't like Rose's plan and refused to let her be the one to sacrifice herself when it seemed like that was the only option. He refuses to go along with Karkat's plans to try and setup quadrants with Terezi. In Game Over, he jumps into the fray to try and placate and then fend off Jack and PM. In Collide he takes the lead roll in the Strife at several points, including being the one to land the killing blow. Even Davepeta, as Vriska points out, was the one that secured victory against Lord English.

I think at most, what can be said is that normally Dave prefers to go with the flow. As he puts it, "maybe id rather just be like the dave of guy." This is one of those places where again, I have to ask if Homestuck has ever depicted a "leader/follower" dichotomy. Dave really seems happiest when he's just being Dave doing Dave things. Given a fully informed choice, Dave might have done everything he could have to avoid the SBURB session taking place. He stayed on the sidelines as things went to shit on Earth C, even as Karkat was looking to him for help. I just don't see Dave as a "follower."

That doesn't mean he has any angle to relate to Vriska. But for being an enlightened Sprite^2, I don't think Davepeta's take is a good one.

[94badbye]

Gotham mourns the day of Jason's death, and Tim Drake should too, but he can't.

It's a day of pain and sorrow in many, many ways. Bruce wakes up earlier and leaves earlier, and Alfred speaks softly and quietly, as if there's real grief in the air.

(There is. Tim knows. He remembers finding out about Robin, about Jason Todd, and then realizing the bitter truth behind it all. Robin is dead.)

In the beginning, people used to call Jason a street kid, a rat. Tim's memory has always been fantastic, and he remembers people's harsh words about that young, young boy, and how Bruce Wayne was fraternizing with poverty, while others were kinder, gentle and sweet, because if even a rich man like Bruce can do such a thing, then there's still hope. It was stupid, and Tim still can't understand how people can be so shallow.

Such a young boy, and Mr. Wayne was a hero by adopting him, by taking him under his wing, by treating him like his son.

It's been months, and yesterday Wayne Enterprises made a big donation to some shelters of homeless kids that is definitely going to be in the news, something about Bruce Wayne remembering his dead son's life.

Bruce took the day off.

It's weird. Every year, Bruce will mourn like Jason was just killed again.

Maybe. Maybe the Jason Todd he knows really is dead forever, and this version of him is what was left, something different and twisted.

If Tim tries hard enough, he can feel the scar on his scalp, the ugly pattern on his skin, close to his nape. And he can hear the shouts. And the screams. And the sound of broken glass being stepped on. Everywhere. And blood blood blood, a red mask standing over him, fists clenched and hoarse voice.

He feels like throwing up when he thinks about it. It's kind of hidden in his mind, but not exactly—a blurry memory.

Sometimes, he closes his eyes and has a flashback of a bloody uniform. A memoir. The uniform of a young soldier.

For some reason, the second Robin was known for being ruthless. Sometimes, in the past but not that long ago, Bruce would call Tim by Jason's name, and wouldn't even notice his mistake. Tim wouldn't correct him either.

Today, on day of Jason's death, Red Hood is nowhere to be found.

Big boots, strong arms, a gun. Sticky blood.

Replacement, Replacement, Replacement.

Now, they're in the Batcave, high-tech equipment everywhere around them. Tim is standing but Bruce is sitting down, typing something in one of the computers, because a day off as Gotham's bachelor doesn't mean a day off as Batman.

"B," Tim says. Soft but not too soft, because Tim isn't supposed to talk about today, not like that, not like it's easy.

Robin was created to save and to smile, never to suffer or to die.

"Hm."

"Are you okay with patrolling on your own?"

Say no, so I'll stay. Please. I'll sleep here, in my room, and we'll wake up tomorrow like this day never happened.

Please.

"Of course. You should go, Tim. It's late."

Never too late. He wants to stay. Bruce is big and tall and Tim wants to hug him and tell him about the scar that is never going to fade away and the blood and the glass.

Look what he did to me. I mourned too, but look what he did.

Anger is something no Robin should feel, and yet—

Tim's cheeks are suddenly warm and he looks away from Bruce.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Alfred can give you some food so you can eat when you get home."

"I'm not hungry. And I can cook, you know?"

Blue eyes, just like Tim's and Jason's, but Jason's are also kind of green. Tim wonders how much of a father figure Bruce used to be—did he buy Jason books and toys and watch movies with him? Did Jason have nightmares just like Bruce still has? If so, did Bruce hold him through it?

Tim's parents are traveling. They're coming back next month.

Bruce isn't there to hold him when he wakes up in the middle of the night, but why would he be anyway?

And Tim knows Bruce asks his next question more because he needs to than because he wants to, "You know you can stay the night whenever you want, right?"

Even tonight?

"Yeah. Yeah, I know, B. But I have school tomorrow, so… I should—I should go. See you tomorrow, kay?"

Tim doesn't even talk to Alfred about the food. He just leaves.

[eisner-therapy-and-counseling]

Oops All Byleths

I return with more silly designs. I liked the idea of doing four different versions of Byleth as the alternate commanders for the decks, but I thought I'd dip into a little bit of AU for them so they didn't feel too similar.

It was really hard figuring out what keywords to give them, since Double Strike (High speed so they almost always doubles enemies), Reach (Ability to counterattack regardless of range), and Lifelink (Crest of Flames activations healing them) felt so appropriate, but I ended up dividing them between the different versions, (except for reach, which the SotC grants (spoiler alert)).

Card explanations under the read more.

Byleth, Champion of Humanity (Crimson Flower)

The Crimson Flower version of Byleth was the first of two pseudo-AU Byleths. When you first play her, she is empowered by Sothis's Crest Stone and can swing in aggressively to keep your life total at a nice healthy number. When she dies, she loses her divinity and becomes fully human, but in doing so becomes a beacon of inspiration for the people of the Empire.

For this card I wanted to make a lower mana value alternate commander for the Crimson Flower deck since Edelgard was pretty expensive. I also liked the idea of representing Byleth dying and returning to life, referencing either the scene where she escapes from Zaharas or the end of Crimson Flower when Rhea is defeated and Byleth becomes human again. I will also say from a mechanical perspective there aren't many (if any) ways to give Byleth a +1/+1 counter in the Crimson Flower deck right now, so it'd be tricky to loop her.

Byleth, Guiding Light (Azure Moon)

The Azure Moon version of Byleth learns as much from his students as he teaches them, and wants to ensure that they teach each other as well. To represent this, he piles all of the keywords your creatures have onto one of your creatures, but only allows that creature to attack that turn. He has also fully adopted the culture of the Kingdom, giving him the Knight type.

I will admit that this design felt a little lazy, or at least was more mechanically motivated than some of the others. Since the Azure Moon deck had an exalted/single attacker subtheme, it seemed only natural to have a creature in the deck that let you stack all the keywords you have on one creature as well. That said, it's an effect we've seen before, and I may toy with the mana value or add another keyword to Byleth himself.

Byleth, Proven Professor (Verdant Wind)

The Verdant Wind version of Byleth follows in the footsteps of his father, and makes sure to make calculate his opponents weakness by recording information (investigating). He also allows you to get more out of your resources thanks to his knowledge of life as a mercenary, and imparts a bit of knowledge to a creature whenever you use an artifact token.

This design was another one that was fairly mechanically motivated, but I think it does fit. I mostly wanted a creature that incentivized use of the artifact tokens the Verdant Wind deck generates, while also providing a decent body to put the map token counters on. I'm also toying with the values on this one, but we'll see.

Byleth, the Goddess Reborn (Silver Snow)

This is the second of the two pseudo-AU Byleths, representing her in a future where she fully unlocked Sothis's power. Thanks to this, she is able to sustain herself/you (Lifelink), fight endlessly without tiring (Vigilance), and inspire fear into the hearts of the mortals she encounters (Menace). The devotion of her followers only increases her power, and if it reaches a certain threshold will protect her until her faithful are dealt with.

The design concept for this was based on the fact that I wanted the alternate commander for the Silver Snow deck to be something with a high mana value that could serve as a control finisher. Also, since the deck was based on the Church, it made sense for at least one card to reference devotion. Also sometimes a girl just wants to design a god card.

[callsigns-haze]

Pretty like a crime

Chapter 4

Pairing: Agent Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Singlemom! Agent Y/n 'Cobra' Y/l/n

Word count: 2.3k

A/n: This is the fourth post to my new series so please be nice! I'm going to try to make this into a series so please show this story a bit of love and reblog!

Summary: Cobra is finally back on the agency and is finally back in the job. With Kai at home she has to jumble being a mother and a agent. She's sent to her first U.C mission but never thought that she would meet a blonde, green eyed Texan...

Warning: Mentions of gun use, ptsd, mentions of death, mentions of shooting, flirting, mentions of abuse, description of dead body, death, blood, undercover work, alcohol use.

Part 1/ Part 2/Part 3

"Come on, Justin, they're not THAT bad," you say as the two of you walk on the icy footpaths back home from the fancy, uniformed, private school the two of you attend together. As always on the way back, you always discuss the rude people in your classes and the backstabbing ones that one second are nice and the other they hate your guts and in the classes you attend that happened on a day to day basis.

"Did you see the way Paris stared you down once she saw that you earned full marks and not like her losing only six," he says, readjusting his bag strap as it slowly slipped off his shoulder. He was right, Paris hated your guts ever since the two of you started the first year, she saw you as a competition, a threat but you didn't care, not about her opinion anyway. "Come on, I'm not going to think about Paris anymore! It's Christmas break, and she's the last thing on my mind!" You exclaim as you rub your mitten covered hands together to cause some warming friction.

"Yeah, two weeks with my dad home," he groans. Justin and his father didn't share the best kind of relationship. His dad was always working abroad but wanted his two sons to be top notch, at school, sports and in life. In his father's words, 'he didn't want failures', which you thought was out of line. His dad and Tom were quite great friends, though he did see how sometimes Mr. Cadence was out of hand.

"You can always come over to my place, from time to time," you suggest to Justin, knowing that he'll show up at your window late at night anyway. He needed an escape from his family life, from reality and with you he had that. You never judged him or winced in disgust but understood him, listened to him and let him express himself. "You know I'll be there." "Yeah, I do. But my pop's or mam don't mind you around so you're welcome any time. Not only through my window."

You adjusted to Tom and Sarah, they were your true family. Your mother and father figure, a while back they adopted you and you became a Kazansky, you were part of the family and they were your parents. The people you need in your life and the support you'll always will need. They were your home. Your feeling of safety.

"I'll think about it, just give me time and we'll see each other. Even if it's on your roof." He says laughing as you two make it to your house gates. It was a big house, a milky white colour with old tangled vines wrapping up the edges' gripping onto the building. It wasn't a big walk from the gates to the door but I did have a quite wide driveway with a fountain in the central like some sort of roundabout. "Hey, when are your parents home?" Justin asks as you lean against the metal cool bars that prickle through your jacket. "Well since today was a half day so in around five to seven hours, why though?" You asks as the you push the gate open walking in and Justin is right on your heals.

"Well I have till the normal time we get home and since your parents aren't home how about we leave our things here and head to the pier." He suggests as you knock on the door and wait till one of the maids opens it. It was a good idea and it's not like Tom or Sarah would mind since ideally you should be at school. "Yeah let's do it."

---------

'Y/N, whenever you are ready, brush down your dress and adjust your shoe strap,' the commander's voice echoed through the earpiece. You and the whole dagger crew were currently on a night long undercover mission. For the big mission, you need an intel, someone who could lead you in, someone who could be the distraction in the operation for you to get through.

You make your way to the top of the stairs and slowly drag your feet along the red silky carpet. You make your way to a dim lighted corner and bend over to adjust your shoe and then smoothen out your dress. That's the signal for Jake, Bradley and Natasha to meet you upstairs in room 13. The four of you would make your way to the door but sadly the bodyguards there will have to let you pass. They're big and stubborn, not the kind of people you like to mess with but you need an intel and a cover-up so that's the only true reason for the group being here.

The three make their way up the stairs and meet you at the top. You all shared a light look of approval and you make your way to the guarded door, for your grand finale. Every time you have the cocky, slick, daring and mischievous kind of women act and each time it works but this time around it has to be so good that they let you pass, so good that they believe you. You walk up to the door and where about to open it like a normal room but they quickly block you and ask. "Who are you ma'am?" Now time for the act, your precious little act.

"First of all, how dare you be thick enough in the head to not know and on the other hand, try and grab my wrist again and my people behind me will blow your dick off in milliseconds," no hesitation came with that. You stood your ground and were not going to give in even though the man's, big bod and look that he gave you made you kind of want to cave in and hide but you couldn't. He looked you up and down and asked you one more question.

"Ma'am, why are you here?" This time more sternly, like a demand, that if you didn't answer it would be the end of you. Like the wrong answer would lead to a death sentence. And you don't even react, not on the outside at least. You just scoff. It leaves the three others behind you in quite a shock. Normal people would run away if they were in this situation but you just didn't care and stood your ground. "I'm here for a 'angels whiskey'." He looks at you one more time and opens the door. So easy to convince a man to your way of thinking if he doesn't know the consequences.

All four of you enter and the for closes behind you. There is two more bodyguards in the room bot on either side of the door, the only entrance and exit in the room. You were cornered but it was all part of the plan. You had to get out but just had to wait until it unfolded and you gain their trust. "Well, well , well, who have I got here."

And that's the man you needed. His tall, slim but muscular body leaned back in the black leather chair with his hand wrapped around a glass of whiskey. He had black hair and a rather distinguished set of cheekbones and nose. He had very dark brown eyes that would be slightly covered with his long hair if it wasn't for the jell slick back. His muscles lightly flexed through the white button up shirt with the top three buttons undone and the black, open widely suit jacket.

"What a beautiful scene I have standing right in front of me," he smirks in his chair, getting up slowly as he places the glass down. He walks over to his cabinet that has a dagger on top of it. He picks up the cool, metal carved blade and twirls it through his fingers. "Well my beauty never fails," you smirk back as you watch a black lose strand of his hair fall out of the back of his slick.

"And your beauty is simply a disguise of a devil and since you brought…protection, that means you brought me a problem," he says tilting the blade in your direction, swiping it through his fingers and looks for your response. "I'm not here as 'trouble', Tá mé anseo le haghaidh roinnt fuisce aingeal mo sean chompánach." (I'm here for some angel whiskey my old companion.)

He looks you up and down and then inspects Jake, Natasha and Bradley, each one by one, his gaze seconds later lays upon his guards as he orders. "Leave us and don't dare to listen, you well know what happened to Maxance when he couldn't keep information to himself."

"Is bagairt mhór é teacht anseo le daoine eile (It's a big threat to come here with other people), cobra." He had a point it is a threat and unsafe but they were part of the mission force and you trusted the daggers a lot. "Tá muinín agam astu.(I trust them)" You did trust every one of them, and they've never failed you in any kind of way. The daggers have come close to you over the weeks, but all that matters is if Justin will reveal information in front of them.

"Cibé rud a deir tú (Whatever you say), Cobra." The smirk never lost his face as he heard the lock on the bike and finally sighs like if someone had loosened a woman's corset in the past history. He looks at you and smiles. The smile of a life long companion is flashed and you smile back. "Venom, long time no see," you say, no act in your voice, just your pure, true self with no lie or no cover.

"Well Cobra, you did leave for the France, not show a sign of life and only pop back when you were in trouble, so it's hard to keep in touch with you," sarcasm filled the room after the words left Venom's mouth. It was a heavy silence while the eye contact between you and Justin never breaks and you've had enough of it all. "And again I need you."

"Cobra, I told you I'm not doing you anymore favours." It was right, he wasn't gonna anymore. Many times you've pushed him over the edge so expecting his forgiveness is impossible. "It's not a favour for me. It's for the mission force." Justin and you have known each other for many years now, his dad works, not in favour of the mission force. He just doesn't like the agency since they interfere with his business and somehow Justin for many years now has hidden his mission force identity from his father for many years.

"Y/-" "I know but please. Déan é don fhoireann agus ní mise le do thoil (Do it for the team and not me please)." The use of Irish in your conversation was a way the two of you have communicated for a very long time. A lot of people would wonder, why Irish? Why does that barely use language over another? But it all made sense, if you know the backstory. Justin's father drank a bit, alcohol's from all over the world especially, whiskey. The most common, ' the pure Irish whiskey'. Justin didn't have a good home but the smell and aroma from the alcoholic drinks were so familiar to him he could identify how it was brewed or kept. And ever since then Irish was the two of yours code.

"Okay what do you need?" He was agreeing but didn't know what. Even though he didn't say he had agreed, allowing you to continue was his kind of way of saying it. You look back at Jake and the rest and Jake gives you a reassuring nod. "I need an intel about so I can go and finish him for good."

"Now cobra, that's a big ask," he wanders to his whiskey cabinet. It's filled with many size bottles, many shades. Each a different flavor, a different story to tell. He takes out a small bottle and a glass. It's one of those tiny bottles that you can get in a hotel or airport, the ones that go down in a gulp. He quickly cracks the bottle open and puts the glass back as if it was useless and hands the bottle to you. "Drink." It was like an order that you've yet to follow.

"You know I don't drink," you haven't drank in years and this is not going to change it, you weren't going to mess with something that'll ruin you. "Ah, come on Cobra do it for a friend, you can trust me," he stares you down. He wasn't going to budge unless you drink it but you truly didn't want to but you had to.

You feel the bitter liquid flow down your throat as you let out groan. Whiskey always disgusted you, it just wasn't your style but this one was different. Such a salty, sweet sensation on your tongue as the remains swirled in your mouth.

"You know if I do you a favor, there's a big payment in return." It's true. You knew if you made this deal with Justin it would cost you, it was written in your eyes. I mean, this man won't give you any favor if he doesn't receive anything in regards but you had to do what you had to do. "And what do you do called wish for?"

"I wish for my father to be put down in a grave along with my stepmother hung till her death, and perhaps my brother in rehab and therapy from this shitty mess." He wasn't serious about this being the favor you owed him but those three things were his dreams. You knew they were, you've heard his plan millions of times in the past.

"I could do the first two and the third one I'm not so sure about." It was a joke but not really, you could do all those things in minutes if you truly wanted and everyone in the room knew that. "I'll help you to bring down . You'll get your identification papers tomorrow. Bring the blonde, green eyed, he'll go undercover with you but our deal papers will arrive once you're back…"

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