#i wasn't planning on giffing any of this series

[ghostlyarchaeologist]

Pistols Hoses at dawn 2.30pm.

Rescue 77 S01E01 Pilot.

[incognit0slut]

Much Ado About Nothing (Act II, Scene II: The Crazy Idea)

After being cornered by your friends, you find yourself in an even more complicated position due to your impulsive decision.

Part warning: none, just my bad attempt at crack humor Words: 2.6k A/n: If you paid attention, I've been using his gifs from season 9 so the timeline is somewhere along there. And while writing half of this, I realized Emily wasn't even on that season, but for the sake of fanfiction and pure imagination, let's ignore the human error of this stupid author. Thank you. Let me know what you think!!

SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

It took you exactly seven hours and fifteen minutes to finally gather the courage to head to Penelope's lair. The morning had been a blur of paperwork and reports, leaving you mentally drained and chained to your desk. But no matter how much work you plowed through, your mind kept drifting back to last night's disaster and how your friends had planned the whole thing.

Frustration wasn’t enough to describe how you felt. You found yourself gripping your pen so tightly it threatened to snap in your hand, and your fingers pounded the keyboard harder than necessary as you typed out reports.

Eventually, you found yourself daydreaming about ways to get back at them. You imagined a dozen different ways to plot your revenge, each more elaborate than the last, and although it provided a temporary sense of satisfaction, it wasn't enough. 

By the time you wrapped up your last report, your frustration had reached its peak. You decided you couldn't wait any longer. You headed to JJ's desk first, hoping to catch her and get some answers, but it was empty. With no sign of her anywhere and your patience wearing thin, there was only one other person who might have the answers you needed.

You made a beeline for Penelope’s office. The moment her door came into view, you knocked sharply and then entered without waiting for a response. You weren’t surprised when you found Penelope and JJ huddled over a monitor, their heads snapping up in sync at your abrupt entrance.

“There she is!” Penelope exclaimed, turning around in her chair. “We were just talking about you.”

“Oh, really?” you replied, crossing your arms. “I wonder what could possibly be so interesting about me.”

Penelope and JJ exchanged a quick look, barely suppressing their chuckles. 

“How did it go last night?”

You groaned at the memory. “I can’t believe you guys tricked me!”

JJ laughed and turned to you, her expression almost apologetic. “Look, we’re sorry, okay? We just thought it would be…” she looked over at Penelope, trying to come up for a word before settling with, “Fun.”

“Fun?” You exclaimed. “Manipulating your friends into awkward situations is your idea of fun?“

Penelope waved her hand dismissively. “It couldn't have been that bad. Did you guys talk it out?”

You stared at her pointedly as if the idea of you having that conversation with him was absurd.

“No.”

“Did he apologize for anything?”

“No.”

“Come on, there had to be some deep, meaningful conversation,” JJ chimed in, trying to hold back a grin.

You scoffed. “No.”

“Did he walk you home?”

“No—wait, yes, he did,” you admitted, recalling the memory. “But he complained the whole time about how inefficient my route was and how there were, and I quote, statistically shorter paths to my apartment.”

“How sweet of him,” Penelope observed, deciding to ignore the last part of your rant. Then she wiggled her eyebrows. “Did he lean in for a goodnight kiss?”

“What? No!” You sat on the only empty chair in the room, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks. “Nothing happened.”

“Did he at least say something sweet when he walked you home?” Penelope prodded, trying to dig deeper.

You shook your head, a resigned sigh escaping you. “No, because it was nothing like that. We talked, we ate, he walked me home. That’s it.”

“Sounds like the start of something to me.”

“Totally the start of something,” Penelope nodded enthusiastically.

You rolled your eyes. “There’s nothing to start because we can’t even stand each other.”

“Well you know what they say,” Penelope sang. “There’s a thin line between love and hate.”

You narrowed your eyes at her, trying not to show how unnerving her assumptions were. "That's ridiculous."

“But he walked you home,” she pointed out.

“So?”

“So that’s got to be something,” JJ joined in. “Spencer’s not exactly known for going out of his way unless he wants to.”

“He was just being polite,” you insisted, feeling cornered. “He walked me home because my apartment was on the way to his place.”

Penelope tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Hmm, on his way, or making a way?”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, feeling a headache brewing. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

“Maybe he’s being subtle about it,” JJ suggested, trying to sound reasonable. “He’s not that forward when it comes to expressing his feelings.”

“No, guys, it wasn’t anything like that,” you insisted, your voice rising slightly in frustration as your eyes moved between the two of them. The room felt smaller with each passing second, the walls closing in as they stared at you expectantly. They were enjoying this way too much.

“Oh, but it could be,” Penelope persisted. “You’re both single, smart, attractive people who spend a lot of time together.”

“You two are unbelievable.”

“It’s okay, you can tell us,” she continued, her voice softer now as she reached out to pat your hand. “We’re your friends, and if there’s something more, we’d love to support you.”

“Or if you prefer to keep it a secret, we won’t tell anyone.”

“Exactly. You can trust us. We’re really good at keeping secrets.”

“So good.”

“So good.”

Your patience snapped, frustration and pressure boiling over. “Fine! Yes! We’re going on another date!” You blurted out, the lie spilling out in a moment of desperation before you could stop. “Happy now?”

Silence fell over the room as Penelope and JJ stared at you, stunned. Then slowly, realization dawned on their faces, and a chorus of excited squeals filled the air.

“Oh, I knew it!” Penelope exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight.

JJ grinned at you. “Really?”

The weight of your words hit you like a cold splash of water.

What had you just done?

“This is so exciting!” Penelope gushed, her enthusiasm mounting. Then she turned to you. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

You suddenly felt a wave of panic. You scanned their faces, seeing only genuine excitement and curiosity, no hint of doubt and discomfort swelling inside you. How could you explain that there was nothing to tell because there was no second date? That it was just a knee-jerk reaction to their relentless teasing? You couldn't possibly confess now, not without making everything infinitely worse.

But how were supposed to tell him? The idea of deceiving not just your friends but also involving Spencer in this lie made you feel sick. The room seemed to spin as you tried to come up with some way to ease the damage.

“I... I wanted it to be a surprise?” You managed to say, although the words sounded more like a question. Your lie felt hollow even to your own ears, but Penelope and JJ seemed to buy it, nodding and exchanging excited glances.

“This is going to be amazing,” Penelope said, practically bouncing in her chair. “So when’s the next date?”

Your mind raced. For there to be a next date, even a pretend one, you needed to talk to him. The realization hit you hard, the full weight of the lie you'd just created sinking in. You'd have to involve him in this deception and the thought made you feel queasy. You imagined the awkward conversation, the look of confusion—and likely frustration—on his face. This was going to be a mess.

You opened your mouth, then closed it, scrambling for a response. “Uh, soon. I-I’ve got to go talk to him about it, actually.”

Penelope’s eyes lit up even more. “Oh, planning it together! That’s so sweet!”

You forced a smile, slowly rising from your seat. “Yeah, super sweet,” you mumbled, your voice barely steady. You could feel your cheeks burning as you stumbled over your lies. “I, uh, better go find him now.”

Without waiting for a response, you bolted out of the room, your heart pounding in your chest. You mentally kicked yourself with every step. You had let them get to you, allowing their teasing to push you into this mess. You couldn’t believe you had let yourself get caught up in this lie.

You paused in the hallway, briefly considering turning back and telling them the truth. The thought lingered for a moment, the idea of ending this charade before it spiraled further out of control. But you quickly shook your head, knowing that backtracking now would only make things worse. You could already imagine how unbearable the teasing and explanations would be.

No, you’ve gone too far to back out now.

Continuing down the hallway, your steps quickened as you searched for him. You finally spotted him by the pantry, absentmindedly pouring too much sugar into his coffee. You walked up to him and leaned against the counter, watching him stir his coffee with more force than necessary.

“I did something stupid,” you blurted out, catching his attention. He looked up before glancing back down at his cup.

“Why am I not surprised?”

“No, listen.” You leaned in closer, lowering your voice. “It’s about last night.”

He finally looked at you, eyebrows raised, clearly surprised as to why you would bring up anything from last night.

“What about last night?” He asked, bringing his cup to his lips.

The words tumbled out in a rush. “I was with JJ and Garcia, and they were teasing me about us, how we supposedly have this… thing going on now. I couldn’t take it anymore. So…” You watched him take a sip of his coffee. “…I told them we’re going on another date.”

He choked, the drink catching in his throat. Coughing, he set the cup down with a sharp clatter, his eyes watering slightly as he regained his composure.

“You told them what?”

“I didn’t know what else to do!” You rushed to explain. “They wouldn’t stop pushing and I just wanted them to shut up. I thought if I said something like that, they’d just leave me alone. But now they expect details, and I… I need your help.”

He took a deep breath, trying to process what you were asking of him. “Let me get this straight. You, of all people, told them we’re going on another date, knowing full well how we—” He paused, searching for the right words. “How we don’t get along. And now you want me to help you keep up this lie?”

You nodded, and he called out your name in frustration.

"Last night wasn't even a date!”

“I know! The words just… came out.” When you saw him shake his head disapprovingly, you let out a groan. “I’m not thrilled about it either, okay? But I’m kind of… desperate here.”

Spencer took another sip of his coffee, his eyes never leaving yours. After a moment, he set the cup down, gripping it in his hand.

“No.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “No?”

“No,” he confirmed before turning around, walking back to his desk. “I’m not going to help you.”

You shuffled along, trying to match his pace. “Why not? This could actually get them to stop.”

“Do you even hear yourself? This is crazy. You can’t just spin lies and drag me into them because you want to avoid a little teasing,” he retorted, sitting down and starting to shuffle through some papers on his desk, clearly trying to end the conversation.

“It’s not a little teasing! They’re relentless,” You pressed, leaning against his desk. “Come on, don’t you ever get tired of them trying to set us up?”

“That doesn’t mean I’m going to pretend to date you. What’s next? A fake wedding?”

“Don’t be dramatic. We just need to show up together a couple of times, act mildly interested in each other, and then we can break up. We fake it, we tell them it didn’t work out, and we move on. It’s simple.”

“Of course, because nothing says ‘simple’ like faking an entire relationship.”

You crossed your arms and took a deep, calming breath. “Look, I know it’s not the greatest plan, but can you think of a better way to get them off our backs?”

Spencer stared at you, his eyes narrowing as he considered your words. “You realize you’re trying to deceive a team of profilers, right?”

He had a point, but you weren’t about to back down. “Wasn’t this your whole idea in the first place?”

“My idea was for us to act like we get along, not pretend that we’re in love.”

“It doesn’t even have to be convincing,” you argued, leaning in slightly. “Just enough to make them back off for a while. Besides, if you start laying it on too thick, they’ll never believe it. They know you don’t have much experience to begin with.”

Spencer looked offended, his brows knitting together. “I have experience,” he countered. “Just because I’m not flaunting it doesn’t mean I’m completely clueless.”

“Oh, yeah? When was the last time you were in a relationship?”

The words slipped out of your mouth before you could stop yourself, and when you noticed the sudden change in his demeanor, you realized what you had just implied. There was a tensed pause as you both stared at each other. You both knew the answer to that question, and you both knew you were treading dangerous territory.

But before either of you could break the silence, a voice cut through the tension. “What are you two lovebirds fighting about now?”

You turned to see Derek standing by his own desk, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. And then you saw it, an opportunity. If Spencer wasn’t going to agree to help willingly, you were going to take matters into your own hands.

You straightened your shoulders and faced Derek. “We need to tell you something.”

Spencer sensed what you were about to do and quickly stood up. “Wait—“

“Reid and I are dating.”

You heard Spencer take a sharp inhale. There was no turning back. The nerves in your stomach tightened, but you decided to ignore it and focus your attention on Derek instead. His eyes widened in surprise, looking between the two of you.

“You’re serious?”

“Yes,” you said firmly, crossing your arms and standing your ground, while Spencer remained silent beside you, his expression unreadable. “We decided to give it a shot.”

“At dating? As in romantically?”

“I don’t think there’s another way to describe it.”

Derek stared at you both for a moment longer, then his shock gave way to a broad grin. “Finally.” He let out an amused laugh “Took you two long enough.”

He approached with a playful swagger, clapping Spencer on the shoulder and ruffling your hair, which you quickly swatted away. “Can’t say that I’m surprised, but congratulations.”

Spencer looked at you, and you glanced back at him. Derek, oblivious to the tension between you two, grinned widely.

“I guess all that tension was just unresolved passion, huh?”

Your eyes snapped at him. “Morgan!”

“Alright, alright.” He raised his hands in mock surrender, still wearing a broad smile. “I’m just happy for you both. Seriously.”

You stared at him, bracing yourself for more teasing, perhaps a joke about what supposedly happened last night, or worse, something embarrassingly inappropriate. But to your surprise, Derek didn’t press further. Instead, he simply nodded with a genuine smile and returned to his desk, resuming his work.

You and Spencer stood there, dumbfounded, not quite sure how to process the sudden shift. You both were so used to his relentless teasing that his quick exit left you momentarily speechless.

You slightly leaned towards him as you continued to stare at Derek hunched over his desk.

“Do you hear that noise?” You whispered.

“What noise?”

“Exactly. This is the sound of peace,” you replied with a slight grin, turning back to Spencer. “See? This is already working. If we keep this up, we can finally get them off our backs.”

“I still think this is a bad idea,” he muttered, giving you a pointed look.

“Do you have a better plan?” you challenged, raising an eyebrow. “Because I’m all ears if you do.”

Spencer sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. He studied you for a moment, his eyes searching your face as if weighing the pros and cons. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this…” He trailed off, looking genuinely conflicted. “This is going to backfire, you know that, right?”

Sure, he could be right, but at the same time, you believed this plan was harmless. It seemed like a simple solution: a fake relationship played out convincingly enough to appease your friends. It was supposed to be straightforward—an act, a performance without real consequences. Nothing could go wrong if you controlled the narrative.

You finally looked up at him. “Don’t worry,” you said, trying to sound confident. “It won’t.”

But as the words left your mouth, you realized, you weren't entirely convinced.

[thehusbandoden]

You Flinch During an Argument -Hawks

My confidence for this series is like at a 2 outta 10 but I can't really take it back now sooo ig I'll just continue to write. I hope someone's enjoying it </3

Hurt to Comfort | 1,097 words

Warnings!: Mentions of arguing, flinching, mention of someone beating up on themselves (Hawks), Hawks' name used. Let me know if I miss any <3

Dabi | Hawks | Todoroki Shoto | Bakugo Katsuki | Midoriya Izuku | Shigaraki Tomura | Aizawa Shota | Amajiki Tamaki | Kirishima Eijiro | Shinso Hitoshi

Gif credit: @tatakaeeren

His heart will stop as soon as he sees you recoiling from him.

He was planning on simply taking your hand to ground you both.

He'll softly ask if you're okay and what you need from him.

You need him to leave you alone? Sure thing, he'll be busy cussing himself out in the kitchen- doing those stupid dishes the argument started.

Want comfort? Don't worry, he'll hold you for hours upon hours, accomanying each peck with a soft apology.

He'll get very upset with himself and will be very reserved and somewhat cold for the next week or so.

He keeps thinking back to that one movement from you.

And no matter what he was planning on doing and how you said that you knew he wasn't going to hurt you, he can't get the idea that you flinched because of him out of his head.

You finally have enough when he leaves for a mission and only gives you a peck on the lips, no extra cuddles, kisses, hugs, compliments, or tickle fights the entire week he was preparing to leave.

Right as he was saying his goodbye his eyes were as cold as ever, holding no liveliness in the honey depths.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" You pout, crossing your arms across your chest.

And that was quite normal for the two of you.

He would chuckle and swoop you in his winged embrace, kissing your lips before inhaling the scent of your shampoo, kissing your forehead as he did so. "I love you, and I miss you already", "You're so goregous.. don't find someone better when I'm gone, mkay?", "I cannot wait to see your smiling face when I get back" were some of the things he would whisper to you as he hugged you, mentally bracing himself for the long week or more that he would be apart from you.

But now? All he did was glance around before giving you a negative response, informing you he had everything.

"A-aren't you going to kiss me?" You ask, emotions getting the best of you.

He then came and gave you a small, fleeting peck to the lips before heading out with another hushed 'goodbye'.

You then labored to figure out how to help him for the next three weeks, until he finally came home to you.

As Keigo's hand made its way towards you you recoiled back out of instinct, not fear. You would never fear your Keigo.

But did he know that?

Terror consumed Keigo as soon as he saw you flinch.. were you.. scared of him?

His heart beat faster against his chest as sweat protruded from his body... you were scared of him... he scared you.

Forcing himself to get a grip and focus on you, Keigo weakly asked, "Y-y/n... did you think I was going to hit you?"

You immedietly shook your head no, and made your way to him, one hand on his cheek. "No baby, I know you would never hit me. I don't know why I flinched, I guess it was just instinct. I'm not scared of you."

"O-oh.. well do you want me to leave you alone or.."

"I would love it if you would cuddle me. We can talk more later, right now we both just need one another." At that, Keigo nodded before making his way towards your shared bedroom, holding your hand in his trembling one.

Since then, Keigo has been a wreck.

He doesn't eat properly, he doesn't sleep properly, and he's not his usual chipper self. He's a lot more cold towards you, sitting on the other side of the living room instead of right next you, he does the dishes, laundry, vaccuming, and any other kind of chore you can think of without playfully bantering with you like usual, he avoids starting arguments, always just agreeing to whatever you were saying, and he hardly touches you.

If you want a kiss before he goes to work, you need to ask for one, and then you'll get a small peck on the lips, and sometimes just your forehead.

You want cuddles after having a nightmare? You're going to have to deal with you clinging onto him for comfort while he awkwardly rubs your shoulders.

He's miserable, punishing himself for a simple reaction from you.

~~

"I'm leaving y/n." Keigo called, picking up his bags and suitcase, entirely ready to leave.

"Wait! Wait!" You exclaim, dashing into the enterance way. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"I have everything needed for the trip." Keigo muttered, honey eyes cold.

As Keigo turned to leave your emotions went out of whack, Keigo is really messed up if he won't kiss you before a three week mission.

"C-can I get a kiss?" You ask quietly, emotions ready to leak any minute.

Keigo just walked towards you, pecking your lips once, before walking out of the door with a quick "goodbye".

As soon as the door closed you fell onto your knees, overcome with emotions. Your Keigo was truly broken. He hadn't even said 'I love you'.

~

Three weeks later Keigo came home, and you had a plan in mind. You would simply sit him down and have a talk with him, ask him what's bothering him, get him to talk, comfort him, and then reassure him. Then, things would be back to normal.

But that bird just had to ruin all of your hardwork.

As soon as Keigo stepped through the door he jumped on top of you, dropping the two of you onto the livingroom floor.

"K-Keigo?"

"Oh y/n I am so so sorry! I was so focussed on my worry about you that they sent me home and then I decided to go take a vacation and clear my head- and I realized how cold I've been to you! I didn't even give you a kiss- or, or say I love you- y/n I am so very very sorry." Keigo exclaimed, burying his face into your chest pitifully.

"Oh baby what changed? I was going to sit you down and make you talk it out unil you were normal again."

"I thought about it over and over again- and I realized that you're not acting scared of me. If you were you would be quiet and would want to stay away from me and not start those silly arguments you keep tryin' to pull." Keigo pouted, pecking your lips once he was done talking.

"Keigo.. you still haven't said it."

"Said wha- oh I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!~"

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[gaming-universe]

How You Met || Call of Duty Preferences (1)

Authors Note: This is the first part of my Call of Duty preferences series. I had a lot of fun writing this one. So please enjoy!

Gifs by: @dustysalmon @codsona-moved @daniel-bruehl @une-femme-de-lettres @echo3one @wardencouslands @collinnmckinley @cssndra-cain

John Price

With the six months of recovery beginning to drive you insane, you felt a huge weight lift off your shoulders when Laswell called you in a few weeks early.

Her intel indicated that Al Qatala had planned an attack on Piccadilly Circus in London a few days from now, and she had no one else to call in on such short notice. When she had called, you thought that she might have wanted to meet for coffee, as the two of you usually did every week or so to escape the chaos of life. When she told you that she needed you for a mission, you jumped at the chance, anything to get you out of your stuffy house.

Informing her that you would be in London within twenty-four hours, you packed your bags and headed to the airport, where a plane was already waiting for you. Laswell had texted you all the information you needed for when you arrived in London. You would be met by the man she had put in charge of the entire operation, Captain John Price. You had heard of him in your many years of service, but you had never actually met him. But Laswell spoke highly of him, and you valued her trust in judgment.

As you stepped off the plane and onto the tarmac, your eyes landed on a black SUV parked alongside a maintenance road. Beside it stood a man: tall, arms folded across his chest, beanie on top of his head, with an impressive beard and mustache.

You recognized him from the file Laswell had sent you hours ago, and despite his seemingly warm clothing, Captain Price looked slightly cold in London's cool and overcast weather. He smiled kindly as you approached, stepping forward and extending his hand in greeting. "Lieutenant L/n, thank you for coming on such short notice..." Price spoke politely, taking your smaller hand in his larger calloused one and shaking it firmly.

You smiled up at him in return, goosebumps forming along your skin as a cool breeze blew by. You shivered, a small laugh leaving your lips as Price took your bags from your hands. "Not a problem, Captain..." you replied watching him intently as he placed your bags in the back of the car "Besides, I kind of owe Laswell for coffee last week".

Price chuckled, closing the car door and turning to face you fully. He grinned, "Let me guess, she paid for it?"

"She wouldn't let me, despite the many times I insisted. I think she still feels guilty about what happened in Mexico."

Price turned, kindly opening the passenger side door for you. "She told me about that..." he spoke lowly, looking you up and down carefully, examining your form with a slightly worried expression "...are you sure you're up for this?"

You scoffed, climbing inside the SUV with a small huff of effort. You eyed him cautiously, a stern expression that made Price freeze. "I have been cooped up in my own damn house for six months, attending mandated physical therapy for an injury that healed three months ago. I am fine. If you have any objections, you can speak to Laswell."

For a moment, your eyes met his, and you could see by his expression that he was thinking things over. Then, with a nod of his head, he closed your passenger door without hesitation.

Price took a moment to himself to release a long nervous sigh. As he walked to the driver's side, he couldn't stop thinking about how highly Laswell had spoken of you, and that you were the first person that came to her mind when he had asked for a trustworthy taskforce. He had read your file, and to say that he was impressed was an understatement. He was in awe.

You were exactly what he was looking for, and you were the exact person he needed in the fight against Al Qatala.

Kyle ‘Gaz’ Garrick

This really wasn't how you wanted your first meeting with Taskforce 141 to go.

Your morning hadn't started off well. Firstly, your alarm didn't go off, and you arrived late to Laswell's briefing. All eyes landed on you as you entered the room, heat flushing to your cheeks as you mumbled a quiet apology under your breath. As Laswell introduced you to the others, you smiled awkwardly in greeting, praying to god that after your late arrival, your day would only get better from here.

But of course, life likes to play cruel tricks. Hours after your first briefing, you dropped an entire stack of files in the hallway, the contents scattering everywhere all over the floor. After that, you got lost several times on your way to your office, cursing yourself every time you asked someone for directions. And to top it all off, the final straw in your terrible, horrible, very bad day, was spilling coffee all over yourself in the mess.

You had been hiding in the women's bathroom for the past few hours, trying desperately to scrub the coffee stain out of your blouse with some wet paper towels, but to no avail. Frustrated with yourself, and the overwhelming feeling of embarrassment sitting uncomfortably in your chest, your eyes welled with tears. As you threw the paper towel in your hands into the bin by your side, you released a long and heavy sigh. As you stared into the mirror, taking in your disheveled appearance, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Y/n? Are you in there?..." a low voice asked from the corridor, "...it's Kyle, I saw you walk in here about two hours ago, and I wanted to make sure that you were alright."

You released a small huff, your shoulders slumping as your emotions finally spilled over. You remembered Kyle from this morning, Gaz, as Price had called him. He had been so kind to you this morning after your awkward late entry and had offered you a seat next to him during the briefing. Wiping the tears from your eyes, you sniffled and cleared your throat, and replied quietly, "I'm fine. I just need a minute."

The door creaked open slightly, and you watched as Kyle's arm squeezed through the crack in the door, a blue sweater clutched in his hand. "I uh, I have a jumper here if you want it. I saw what happened in the mess and thought you might want something to cover up that coffee stain."

A small feeling of gratefulness welled inside your chest as you approached the door, taking the sweater from his hand with a small 'thank you'. As you pulled the sweater over your head and placed your arms through the arm holes you opened the door and stepped back out into the corridor. You met Kyle's eyes with a grateful smile, "You didn't have to do that" You spoke softly, biting your lip as you folded your arms across your chest. He shrugged, leaning against the wall casually "It's fine, you looked kind of distressed, so I wanted to make sure you weren't having some sort of panic attack".

You laughed, "I was getting there, but that's unrelated for now" You replied, before groaning and burying your head in your hands. "Today has been the worst day of my life. I look like a fucking mess, and I've embarrassed myself too many times today."

Kyle chuckled, "Everyone has bad days Y/n, trust me. Yours isn't the worst I've seen."

"Oh really?" You questioned.

"I watched Soap fall flat on his face during a training exercise last week. He just laid there while we laughed."

You couldn't stop the loud laughter that left your lips, your hands instantly flying to your mouth as Kyle smirked. "Oh no..." you exclaimed "...that must have been awful."

"It was for him..." Kyle shrugged "but it was fucking hilarious."

The two of you continued to exchange funny stories, until Ghost appeared at the other end of the corridor, calling for the two of you as a mission had been assigned to the 141 by Shepherd. Kyle gave you a small smile, before motioning with his head for you to follow. "I'll tell you what, after this mission, I'll buy you an actual coffee. I know a nice place off base."

You smiled brightly, nodding your head in agreement. "I'll hold you to that, Garrick."

Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley

He had been staring at you from across the room since you had arrived.

You had no idea what was wrong with him, or what his apparent problem with you was, but you chose to focus on Price's briefing instead. It was very off-putting, especially since this was your first mission with Taskforce 141. Laswell had recruited you at Price's request. Impressed with your skills and your file, she agreed with him that you would be a perfect addition to the team, and that you would also bring a little balance and reason when needed.

Noticing your slight discomfort, Johnny or Soap' MacTavish moved to stand beside you, sending a warning glare towards his friend cautiously.

"Does he normally glare at every new person that works with you guys?" You whispered, looking up at Johnny beside you with a questioning expression. He shrugged, "Not usually, it's putting me off as well, don't worry. I'll talk to him once this is over."

"Don't you think I should? If I've done something I want to know what exactly is pissing him off."

Johnny hummed lowly in response, turning his attention back to Price. "Only if you want to. If I had to guess, it might be because he doesn't know you. He hasn't worked with you before, so he's trying to size you up." You bit your lip anxiously, releasing an uneasy sigh as you folded your arms across your chest. "No, I know what being sized up feels like. This is something different."

He was examining you from head to toe, trying to determine whether or not you have what it takes to become part of the task force. So maybe Johnny was right, maybe Ghost was sizing you up in his own way. And you weren't going to let him intimidate you, even though it was kind of working.

The second you entered the room, Simon froze. It wasn't something that usually happened, he wasn't always lost for words. He had read your file, thanks to Laswell and Price, and he was impressed by your skills. Seeing you in person, however, there was just something about you that made him feel...strange. It was a good kind of strange, something that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Once Price had finished his briefing, you watched as Ghost pushed away from his position on the wall, and immediately stalked out of the room. You turned to look at Price, who was already looking at you with a confused expression.

You sighed, "It's me, isn't it? I'm the problem?"

Price shrugged. "I don't know, but he'll warm up to you. He just needs some time."

Your gaze fell to the table as you sat quietly in thought. You hoped that this would all work out, especially since you and Ghost would be working together for the foreseeable future.

John ‘Soap’ MacTavish

"Have you met either of them before?" Alejandro asked, the two of you jumping out of the truck and stepping onto the tarmac, watching as the large plane landed on the runway ahead.

You shrugged as you moved to stand in front of the truck, leaning against the bullbar. "I've worked with Ghost a few times. As for Sargeant MacTavish, this would be the first."

Alejandro chuckled, "I suppose you all work under Laswell, eh?"

"You suppose correctly, although it has been some time since I've worked with a familiar face" You replied, smirking teasingly as Alejandro turned to face you, an expression of mock hurt on his features. "Am I not good enough company!?" he shouted over the sound of the plane's engines, throwing his arms out in an exaggerated manner.

You laughed loudly in reply, "You know I love you!"

Alejandro smirked back at you, before turning back to face the now-lowered plane ramp. You watched from afar as two men descended the ramp, the skull mask clearly visible even from this distance. You watched as Alejandro and Ghost spoke with each other, while the younger, unfamiliar man watched them intently.

His gaze turned towards you and you smiled kindly in greeting.

John froze. He couldn't take his eyes off you. Simon had mentioned that they were going to work with an old colleague of his, but he didn't mention that you were absolutely gorgeous. Whatever Simon and Alejandro were talking about now fell on deaf ears as he watched you give him a small wave.

Wow, Simon has been holding out on me.

A sharp jab to the ribs from his left brought John out of his daze, turning his attention towards Simon who was already glaring at him. "She will eat you alive" He warned sternly, knowing John's exact train of thought.

"What are you saying exactly?" John challenged, eyeing the Lieutenant with a smirk.

A deep chuckle came from his right, John turning to see Alejandro shaking his head. "He means exactly that, my friend. She's fierce. I'm tempted to ask Laswell to permanently assign her to the Vaqueros."

"Good luck with that..." Simon snapped lightly "Price won't allow her to leave that easily-"

"Are you guys done deciding my life and career for me!?"

All three men turned their gaze to see you standing a few feet away, arms folded over your chest and a knowing smirk on your lips.

They all froze, eyes wide as you approached. Eyeing them individually, you motioned with your head towards the truck behind you. "We have something more important than my life to discuss. You know better than that, Simon". John watched on in shock as Simon's gaze lowered to the ground, mumbling a quick 'sorry' under his breath as he moved to walk past you, heading towards the truck without another word. Alejandro followed, keeping his gaze downward as he too walked back to the truck.

As you rolled your eyes, your attention turned to him, John's entire body tensing. "You must be Sargeant MacTavish..." You spoke politely, extending your hand in greeting, "I'm Y/n."

"So I've heard..." He replied, taking your hand in his "...but please, call me Johnny." The smile that formed on your face took his breath away, the mischievous glint in your eyes doing something to him that he couldn't quite understand.

"Well, Johnny. Just so you know, I make my own decisions around here. The sooner you learn that, we'll get along just fine."

As you turned and walked away, joining Simon and Alejandro back at the truck, John released a long breath and mumbled lowly. "Oh fuck, I'm in so much trouble."

Alex Keller

Throughout the entire briefing, Alex couldn't keep his eyes off you.

Farah had informed him that Captain Price was sending one of his best man, or rather, woman, to help their effort against Al Qatala in Al Mazrah. Farah had been excited about your arrival. You had been with Price when Farah was rescued, and ever since then, she has considered you to be a sister.

She trusts you with her life, and that was good enough for Alex.

He watched you speak with Farah about the next move for her forces, and how you expertly dealt with the situation when Farah protested about laying low.

"If we lay low now, we lose the advantage-"

"And if we attack, there's a chance that they will be waiting for us" you countered, looking between her and himself with a calm ease. With your gaze moving back to Farah, you continued "You attacked two huge targets before I got here. If you attack a third, there is a chance that they are already anticipating us."

"But we have them right where we want them-"

"That may be so, Farah, but you're not listening to me..." You began again, a clear look of exasperation on your features.

Alex could see that you were very tired, and despite obviously being at the end of your tether, you still managed to remain calm. He had to do something.

"She's right, Farah..." Alex interjected, eyeing her with a warning glare, "she came here to help us, so maybe we should listen to her."

The grateful look on your features caused a strange feeling to form in his chest, your tired eyes conveying a small 'thank you' as you turned back to face Farah. She released a long sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. She met your gaze with a small nod.

"Alright, you have a point. Come find me if Price or Laswell call" She spoke lowly, leaving the room with her head lowered.

Your eyes moved to focus on Alex once more, sighing heavily as you closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose. "Thanks for stepping in there, you didn't have to."

Alex chuckled. "You did have a good point, and you were right. Another attack would have been too risky." He watched you nod in agreement, sighing once again as you rubbed your eyes, stifling a yawn.

Alex found a small grin forming on his lips as he moved to stand up from his seat. "Long flight?" he asked, moving around the table to stand beside you. You nodded again "From one warzone to another..." you chuckled, "I'm a bit exhausted, yes. But I'll manage-"

"No offense, Lieutenant, but you're not going to be much help if you're sleep-deprived" Alex spoke plainly, finding himself enjoying the sound of your loud laughter, as it echoed throughout the room. "Good point, I won't argue with a few hours of sleep" you answered, giving him a genuine though tired smile before leaving the room, and heading for your quarters.

Alex watched you leave and found himself muttering a low 'shit' under his breath, before exiting the room and walking down the opposite end of the hallway.

Alejandro Vargas

Yes, the cartel was becoming more versatile, but why Laswell was choosing to assign a DEA agent to his command was beyond him.

Laswell spoke very highly of you and promised that you would be perfect for the job. That didn't mean that he had to like you. He watched you from across the room as you spoke to Rudy. He was smiling down at you, and you were smiling up at him. You were getting along with all of his men, and it was pissing him off.

His men adored you, and Rudy adored you. And he...who was he kidding, you were fucking gorgeous.

There was no way that he would admit it out loud, he couldn't. He could see you looking at him from the corner of your eye, the glare on your expression causing his jaw to clench. You were doing something to him, and he hadn't spoken a single word to you yet.

You held Alejandro's gaze, watching as his jaw clenched, and noticing how his shoulders tensed. Since you stepped off that plane, you've felt like he hated your guts. It was an uncomfortable feeling, your stomach twisting uneasily as you refused to be the first one to look away.

"Please tell me that he isn't going to look at me like that the entire time I'm here" You muttered lowly, as Rudy followed your line of sight.

You saw movement in your peripherals, as Rudy moved closer to your side. "He won't. I'll make sure of it" he spoke lowly, his tone directed to his friend across the room. Feeling slightly relieved as Alejandro dropped his gaze to the floor, you sighed and turned to face the man beside you.

Rudy was already staring at you, a small grimace on his features as he huffed. "I'm sorry about him, he's usually more welcoming than this" he apologized, moving to stand in front of you and blocking your view of Alejandro. You shrugged your shoulders, pressing your lips together in a thin line, "I'm guessing I'm not what you guys were expecting?" You asked awkwardly, almost afraid to know the answer.

Rudy chuckled softly, meeting your nervous gaze with a kind smile. "He was expecting Laswell to send someone we knew, someone like Ghost or Soap. Hell, we didn't even know that Laswell had contacts in the DEA."

"She doesn't, I'm the only one..." You answered, grinning as Rudy's eyes widened in shock "...I used to work for her, but I got hurt on a mission and was honorably discharged. She helped me get a job with the DEA, and I owed her a favor."

Rudy nodded, an impressed look on his face. You could just see Alejandro over Rudy's shoulder, his glare softer this time, but still menacing nonetheless.

You felt your chest tighten, as you held his gaze once more, a feeling that made your heart skip a beat. Why? You had no idea. You weren't going to let this man get the better of you, no matter how dangerously attractive he was.

Rudolfo Para

Stepping off the plane, you took a deep breath in and sighed heavily. While the air in Mexico was humid, it was much better than the stuffy air on board the cargo plane.

Once down the ramp, and after you had stepped onto the tarmac, you were met by Alejandro. "Thank you for coming on such short notice..." He spoke kindly, leading you towards the awaiting truck only a few feet away, "if Hassan is moving as fast as Laswell claims, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"I'm happy to help. Besides, having me with you will help if he manages to cross the border" You replied, looking over at Alejandro with a nonchalant shrug of your shoulders. He chuckled lowly "Hopefully we will catch him before it comes to that."

As you approached the truck, you noticed a man standing beside the passenger door, arms folded over his chest as he watched the two of you approach. When his eyes met yours, you noticed that his entire demeanor changed. His eyes widened as he stood up straight, brushing invisible lint from his clothes as both you and Alejandro stopped in front of him.

"Y/n, I would like you to meet my best man, Rudolfo Para" Alejandro introduced, the two of you shaking hands.

Smiling innocently, you looked up at Rudolfo with a kind expression. "Nice to meet you, Rudolfo."

"Please, call me Rudy..." He spoke happily, a small nervous laugh escaping him as he pulled his hand away "...we appreciate you coming out here to help us."

"Not a problem, Rudy. I've been tracking Hassan for months, there's no way that I would miss this" You answered, your smile widening before you climbed inside the awaiting truck.

When the truck door closed, Rudy released a long, shaky breath. His eyes met Alejandro's, who was already smirking knowingly at him. His best friend knew him too well and could read him like an open book, the bright flushed redness to his cheeks aside.

"I know that look..." Alejandro teased, his smirk growing wider and more menacing "...though I can't blame you, she's gorgeous-"

"That's enough out of you" Rudy snapped, punching his friend's shoulder as Alejandro laughed darkly.

"Oh come on, don't deny it-"

"I'm not denying anything-"

"You were like a deer in headlights" Alejandro chuckled, mocking Rudy with an exaggerated wide-eyed expression.

With an embarrassed groan, Rudy clambered into the passenger side of the truck all the while trying to hide his bright red face from you. As Alejandro sat in the driver's seat, you cleared your throat awkwardly from the back seat.

"Hey boys, if you're going to talk about someone...make sure they don't speak the same language."

Rudy felt his heart stop.

Phillip Graves

You couldn't take your eyes off him.

In all your years of working with Laswell and being part of Taskforce 141, you had never heard of Shadow Company or Phillip Graves. The fact that they were brought in by General Shepherd made you suspicious enough, but the man did save your life via an airstrike on your mission to find Hassan, so maybe he wasn't all that bad. As a bonus, he was incredibly attractive.

You watched Graves interrogate Hassan before it was decided by Shepherd and Laswell that he had to be let go. Your jaw clenched as Shepherd gave the order, before Graves closed the laptop on the hood of the truck to your side. You heard him swear under his breath, his jaw clenching in annoyance as he turned to watch Ghost and Soap release Hassan.

"We were so fucking close" he growled, folding his arms over his chest and glaring at Hassan's retreating figure. You nodded, sighing heavily as you shrugged. "We'll get another chance..." You spoke plainly, turning your head toward him "I don't know when that will be, but I'm hoping we do."

Graves huffed a short laugh, his eyes meeting yours as he pressed his lips together in a line. "Oh we will, he's not getting off that easy" he spoke matter-of-factly, moving closer to you and staring down at you "Though I'm a bit pissed that we went through all that trouble for nothing."

"That is sometimes the job..." You laughed "Not everything goes to plan."

Graves nodded, giving you a kind smile. The two of you stood in silence for a moment, the only noise being that of the desert at night, and the voices of Ghost and Soap only a few feet away.

As heat crept onto your cheeks, you cleared your throat awkwardly. "I uh, I don't think we've actually met in person..." You spoke lightly, "I'm Y/n."

"Phillip Graves..." the man beside you replied, smirking down at you with a playful expression, "I'm glad that I can finally put a face to a name. Especially one I rescued."

It was your turn to laugh, "I appreciate it, really. Though I think an airstrike is pretty extravagant."

"Oh, I don't call in an airstrike for just anyone..." Phillip shrugged, "but I figured I should make a good first impression."

You blushed a bright red as you laughed, shaking your head at his bold and flirtatious tone. It made your stomach backflip and your heart skip a beat. Maybe it was his accent, or maybe it was the way he was practically undressing you with his eyes.

There was an immediate tension forming between the two of you, one that caused your breathing to stutter, and your legs to-

"Oi! You two, let's go!" Ghost called out to the two of you, forcing both you and Phillip out of your bubble of sexual tension. Clearing your throat, you avoided Phillips's eyes as you immediately turned on your heel, making a beeling for your two teammates.

Phillip watched you walk away and muttered under his breath. "Fuck, this is going to be difficult."

[cobragardens]

The 3 Falls of Anthony J Crowley

So far, Crowley has told three different stories to three different audiences about why he Fell, and there's some important information that can be inferred from them. Let's get nerdy.

(Nb. C. 25% of this is from a previous post I made about Crowley's memory problems.)

Here's Crowley's 1st story (gifs courtesy of Fuck Yeah Good Omens), in 1867:

In Book Omens this line is narration about Crowley, and means that Crowley didn't embrace evil and side with Hell so much as he just wasn't into the whole Heaven shindig.

In Show Omens, this phrase becomes a little more fraught, because Crowley says it about himself, and he says it to Aziraphale.

Aziraphale has just disagreed with Crowley's assertion that the two of them have a lot in common. Az thinks Crowley means their origins as angels, and demurs, "I don't know. We may have both started off as angels, but you are fallen."

But what Crowley means, as we find out in pretty much every other scene the two of them share in S1 and S2, is that that he and Aziraphale have a lot in common now, in their current positions. He wants Aziraphale to see him as a friend--and to be his friend--so he elides the difference his Fallenness makes to Aziraphale, all "Ehhh, it wasn't really a fall kind of Fall, it wasn't that bad."

Also, given the conversation they have in the Final Fifteen, I feel like his phrasing is kind of important here, because falling is not voluntary, but sauntering is. In saying this Crowley is claiming that to some degree he chose to reject Heaven.

It's entirely possible that Crowley may have been lying to Aziraphale in 1867--he is, as he says, a demon, and he's lied to him before to make something bad seem less bad--but maybe not. Remember what the Metatron says about Crowley:

And this is another interesting point: The Metatron knew Crowley as an angel. The Metatron. The being who, after shepherding Aziraphale out of the bookshop, turned back and looked at Crowley with hate.

(And tense music playing, in case you weren't sure.)

So maybe that's it. Maybe Crowley just chose to be on his own side.

But in 2019, and addressing God, Crowley's story of his Fall is slightly different:

I think we can take this as Crowley's sincere belief. It's unlikely that he would lie when speaking to God, because that is Aziraphale's job because he doesn't have any reason to do so: God hasn't been listening to Crowley for 6,000 years at this point, and if She were listening, lying would not work. So Crowley probably believes he's telling the truth here with this story: Crowley believes one reason he Fell is that he asked questions.

But is he right?

Another line from the Metatron:

The Metatron seems to speak of Crowley's habit of asking questions as though he finds it obnoxious rather than damning, so maybe the questions weren't the problem. Then again we know that the Metatron is a lying piece of shit and an authoritarian who doesn't want his regime questioned, willing to erase memories and destroy lives to cover up the 'institutional problem' that Heaven doesn't know what the Plan is and is run by a handful of warmongers who want everyone dead or indentured.

Either way, this is the third time in the series someone has talked about the problem of Crowley asking questions, so my guess is his questions were probably a salient feature of his Fall.

Onward!

Before we look at the 3rd story, remember that we have strong evidence now that Crowley has had his memories erased by Heaven.

But we also know Furfur, another demon, still has his memories. Inference: Heaven don't erase the memories of every angel who Falls. This suggests that Heaven erased Crowley's memories because he had knowledge in those memories Heaven didn't want him to have anymore.

This may not be specific knowledge. We know Crowley has a high security clearance in Heaven and therefore must have been a high-ranking angel, and we know he created a nebula with Saraqael, so presumably there was a lot of stuff in his head Heaven wanted stripped out.

But I think there was something specific, and here's why. Firstly, there's no reason to assume that importance in Heaven is a guarantee of importance in Hell. Furfur could have been a high-ranking angel too before ending up an admin in Hell. (Hell does not seem to be any more of a meritocracy than Heaven does.)

Secondly, it's clear that Crowley doesn't know his memories have been erased. If he knew, then when Furfur says "We were in the same Legion? Just before the Fall? Doing dubious battle on the Plains of Heaven? Remember?" he'd say something like "Don't be stupid, of course I don't remember, Heaven erased my memories."

Instead he says,

Now, maybe Crowley is just being a dick here. Certainly we're supposed to take it that way until he goes up to Heaven with Muriel and doesn't remember Saraqael either.

But what if he's being truthful? If Crowley is being honest (and a dick), that would mean the Fash didn't erase all of Crowley's memories of his time in Heaven. We know this because Furfur says he and Crowley fought together "on the Plains of Heaven," and "just before the Fall" [emphasis added].

This suggests that Maybe Heaven didn't erase time from Crowley's memory. Maybe they erased people.

Okay, now here's Crowley's 3rd story about how he Fell:

It's a cute line, but what if it's not just a throwaway joke referencing what people say about kids who go down the wrong path and become criminals?

Crowley mutters this 3rd story to himself, so we can be confident Crowley believes this to be true. But Crowley doesn't know who the wrong people are. He doesn't know whose company got him thrown out of Heaven, because his memories of all those people have been taken from him.

And taken together, these three stories and Crowley's stolen memories suggest a bigger, more disturbing inference: Crowley doesn't know why he Fell. (Or sauntered vaguely downwards.)

Like Crowley, Job was once a favorite of God. But he has fallen out of that favor and been delivered to demons for reasons God refuses to tell him.

We the audience are meant to draw a parallel between Job and Crowley. We know this not just because of the speech Crowley cathartically gives Job's goats, in which everything he says to the goats can be just as easily applied to Job or himself, but from two other indications. Here's one:

Job is wearing Crowley's color.

The other is the minisode title, "A Companion to Owls." This phrase comes from the Book of Job, specifically Job 30:29. Job, lamenting what has happened to him, says,

 I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.

In Biblical symbolism, dragon=serpent=snake=demon. And in some Mesopotamian beliefs--one of them Judaism--owls were associated with demons as well:

and

and

So the Job of the Bible is saying in this verse the same thing the Job of Good Omens says: God has forsaken me and delivered me to demons. Or even: God has forsaken me and I am now being treated like demons are treated.

And he's also saying something else. In the Bible, owls symbolize loneliness, desolation, and solitude. They're consistently depicted as living in barren, abandoned, isolated places. Seriously. Go search owl(s) in a Biblical concordance and read all 30 entries: it comes up a lot. If you're a companion to owls, you're alone (except for the owls) in the wilderness. You're forsaken.

WHOMST do we know whose signal color is yellow, who's a brother of demons, and who admits at the end of the episode that being alone and forsaken in the wilderness is lonely?

So. Job, a character whose claim to fame is that God punished him and he didn't know why, is a mirror character to Crowley. This on its own isn't enough to say definitely that Crowley doesn't know why he Fell, but combined with the three different stories he tells about his Fall, I think there's enough textual evidence to conclude that Crowley isn't entirely sure why he fell; he only has educated guesses. Either he knew and the memory was erased, or he was never told at all.

My question about Crowley's Fall is this: Who pushed him?

Was Crowley's Fall an act of God Herself, or was it an act of Heaven? What did the fucking Metatron have to do with it? What was Crowley's crime? When Aziraphale takes charge of Heaven and the Second Coming, will he read Crowley's file?

[theratpy]

i love this series, Ratticus’ character and family feel incredibly real its a little surreal. i was wondering is the whole webseries inspired by real life events? i hope thats not too personal to ask but the writting and characters feel so comforting to see, like watching your therapy sessions from afar.

Hi Anony-mouse!

Yes, the webseries is absolutely inspired by my own experiences, but is definitely not parallel! Both Ratticus and Dr. Zo were originally made as extensions of different parts of myself, and my intent at the start was for them to just be outlets for smaller animations that didn't amount to a bigger story, like this one:

However, enough people fell in love with them in concept that a whole world begged to be built around them! I spent weeks and months fleshing out their characters and animating the pilot! Then when I finally posted it and took some time to reread over other stuff I'd written for what came next, only then did I notice how many scenes have sprinkles of my own experiences, and how many are planned that are all twisted up in a way that it'd be hard to pick out what exactly is fiction and what is not. And, I like that it's like that!

I've been in a lot of therapy for a lot of reasons, one of them being having my own issues with intrusive thoughts, and I pull from that heavily if at least for accuracy. I've also just hardly seen any media about intrusive thoughts, about how they can affect someone day to day, about how they can be both a cause or a symptom of a lot of emotional dysregulation and can stem from neglect or a lack a reliable support system or proper attention and care at a young age. Not knowing what to do about them can lead to a lot of avoidable problems! I really would have benefited from seeing a character go through some of that and struggle with intrusive thoughts, to know it wasn't just me. Especially because, some of what I have planned to animate is going to get pretty ugly in a way that I hope I'll be able to navigate well and do justice to! And still be able to keep that overall comforting feel a lot of people seem to get from the series Theratpy :))

I'll leave you with, it's always easier to write what you know!! Here's two Ratticus gifs of two moments I felt were relevant to this post. Thanks for your ask, and happy holidays and new year to you!! <3 Melby, aka beetlerat

[scarletwinterxx]

got me confused, got me satisfied - jaehyun imagine

hellooooo. currently on my jaehyun brain rot era😶😶‍🌫️ this is the bit different from what i usually write... hope you like it😅

if you have a request or scenario you want me to do, just send me a message I'll see what I can do😊💌

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

: a bit suggestive, fluff, whipped jaehyun

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2023 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

(gif not mine, credits to rightful owner)

"What do you give a man who has everything?"

"For Jaehyun? Damn girl, i don't know. What about a good dicking down" Joy says nonchanlantly like you're not having brunch at the moment.

"Sounds tempting" you mumble

"Your presence is a present enough, if he don't want that then I know a list of guys ready to take his place"

You chuckle at your friends words, "I like him though, I like his face, I like his hugs, I like that he likes me"

"You like all of him, it's not so bad too that his secret dream is to be a sugardaddy. Specifically yours"

"That doesn't make me a sugarbaby... does it?" you look over at her

"Girl, you are the definition of a sugarbaby, the lavish dates, the expensive gifts, out of town trips on his private yatch? what would you call that then?" Joy asks back

That got you quiet. Thinking about what you would call your relationship with Jaehyun.

You don't like being confused, it frustrates you. He frustrates you but there's no other man you would run to but him. No man can make you think like him. Here you are slowly losing your mind over finding a simple gift for him.

Smirking as an idea pop in your mind, "I think I got it" you mumble. Getting your bag to go the the mall and get what you need

"Where are you going?!" Joy shouts

"I'm going to make a man cry tonight, see you at the party" you shout back as you walk across the street, Joy just chuckles after you. Whatever it was you had planned, Jaehyun is definitely in for a surprise.

A few swipes of your card, and a couple of hours getting ready you finally make your way to the party. It was already packed by the time you got there, some faces you recognize but more you've never met before. Probably just here to have a good time.

You easily spot Joy amongst the crowd, happily belting out the song with a very drunk looking Jungwoo.

"You're hereeeee" she squeals when she spots you, pulling you by the arm and making you do a quick spin. Your little black dress and the cute matching black ribbon on your hair,

"You look hot babe! Is this Jaehyun's gift tonight?" she teases you, pulling playfully on the ribbon. She's not far off if you're being honest. Shrugging at her question teasingly, you excuse yourself to find the man of the hour.

He wasn't on the dance floor, in the main room or outside. You do find Yuta while you trying to find Jaehyun.

"Here for the birthday boy?" he asks, a beer in hand

"Yep, have you seen him?"

"He's been sulking all night, Joy and Jungwoo kept saying you weren't coming cause you were out on a date" he laughs

"They're evil, it's his birthday" you joke, laughing along with him.

"Go find your boyfriend before he finds you here, don't forget to use protection this house isn't baby proofed!" he shouts, earning a few glances but you pay no attention to them. Making your way back inside the house, you finally see the familiar tuff of dark hair, fair skin and those arms you loved having wrapped around you.

Confidently making your way over to him, he's still looking at the other side of the room where the door was. Like he was waiting for someone to walk through at any moment,

"Waiting for someone?" you ask, catching his attention

He turns his head so fast, you let out a giggle. At that moment Jaehyun didn't care if he looked like he cared too much. He didn't care if his friends were teasing him all night saying shit like you went out on a date and found someone better.

Who the fuck is better. He thought to himself earlier.

This arrangement he has with you is definitely a confusing one, but for you he'd ignore all the warning signs. Heck you could've been the biggest red flag and he'd still happily chase after you like a mad bull.

It's not like you're leading him on, he knows you like him. And he likes you. The two of you like the way you are right now, not exactly boyfriend and girlfriend but you do all the things that comes with being in a relationship. From the cute nicknames, to him driving you anywhere and everywhere, even having weekly movie nights in his room or yours (depends if all the guys are home). No man knows your body the way he does. And if he's completely honest, he would like to keep it that way.

In a way the two of you are lowkey, but nothing about the way you scream his name some nights says lowkey AT ALL.

You catch the way his face lights up, fighting the smile instead showing you a smirk. But you know him enough, he's happy you're here. You're happy you're here.

His eyes rakes over your body, head to toe. He tucks a few loose strands of hair behind your ear, "You look cute" he tells you, noting your wearing that damn ribbon he loves seeing on you. It makes you look innocent but he knows you well enough.

"Happy birthday" you tell him, throwing your arms around his neck to intertwine them. Dragging your nose along his jaw, kissing the shell of his ear knowing exactly what it'll do to him.

You smile when you pull back and see his ears turning red. A rather unimpressed look on his face, you want nothing but to kiss him but you hold back. For now.

"Thought you weren't going to make it" He tries to act nonchalant but his body was on autopilot. His arms are already around your waist, pulling you so close leaving no space between your bodies. If it was up to him, there's still too many places he's not close enough.

For example he wanted to just bury his face on your neck and mark you up for the world to see, let them wonder just who did that to you. He wanted to have your legs wrapped around him, like vice grips every time he pleases you.

"And you look like you're thinking about something else" you tease him, "I got you something" you add

"Told you, you didn't have to get me anything" he mumbles but you just shake your head at him

"Shhh, just this once let me buy you something. Tomorrow you can go back to living your dream of being my sugardaddy"

"Call me that again, I'm carrying you out of this kitchen and go upstairs" he tells you, leaning closer to you until your lips were centimeters away.

"Okay, daddy" you smirk, feeling his arms tighten around you before he lets you go. Confusion written across your face before you see him crouching down, feeling his hands behind your knees he throws you over his shoulder as gently as he could. One hand on your legs holding you while the other hand rest right were your dress stops.

"Hey! You guys! Come back here, we're doing shots" you hear Jungwoo scream but Jaehyun paid him no mind. It's like he's a man on a mission. Mission to ruin you.

He walks down the familiar hallway until he reaches the last door, punching in the code before walking inside. He doesn't let you down, again gently throwing you on his bed.

You laugh, like literally laugh out loud. Jaehyun watches you carefully, waiting for you to say something. He knows you know exactly how to rile him up.

"Now that I got you here, time for your present" you tell him, standing up to get a small paper bag on his table. You probably put it there before finding him downstairs earlier.

"Was this your masterplan?" he asks you

"Kinda, I have a few more lines to use but either way they will all end up with us locked here in your room" you giggle, how can you sound so angelic yet so devilish he will never understand.

"Here, even if you don't like it just pretend you do. For me" you tell him jokingly, taking the bag from you he opens it up to see a box. Inside it was a simple chain necklace. Anything from you is a prized possession to him.

That mug you made him on your second date? his favorite to have his coffee in the morning.

That tshirt you bought him because it had peaches all over it? his favorite shirt to wear at home.

That candle you bought for him to use in his room? still sitting on his bedside table, lighting it whenever you're over or when he misses you.

"Your style right?"

"You saw me looking at this when we went to the mall, was that why you told me not to buy it?" he asks, taking it out of the box to put it on. You watch happily as he finishes putting it on.

And god damn you were right, he looked good wearing it.

If taking gifts makes you this happy maybe, just maybe, he'll let you shop for him more. But in this relationship, he likes spending more on you. From dinners to quick coffee runs to shopping sprees, he's always the one to swipe his black card. He's so damn hot while doing it, you thought.

"Just imagined that hanging over my face, I had to buy it" He chuckles at your reasoning. You saying that so casually as if it was a very normal scenario.

"Is this a gift for me or for you?" he raises a brow at you, he does love the gift. He loves it even more now knowing why you bought it. He already know how this night will end up, making mental note to make that imagination of yours into reality.

"Well that's first part of your gift, close your eyes"

You wait for him to do so, guiding him to sit on his bed. He hears some rustling, tempted to take a peak but he knows you'll scold him.

After a few moment he feels your hands holding his arms, guiding him to stand again. "Keep them closed until I tell you to open okay, I'm serious Jae"

He chuckles when he hears the nickname, it always sounds so cute when it comes from you.

"Okay now open" you tell him.

And when he did, his jaw nearly dropped on the floor. Cute is not the word to describe you right now. Divine, heavenly maybe because he's about to take all his time to worship you.

He should've known there was a reason you wore that damn ribbon. He loved seeing you with it, he knows you know he loves it.

And now here you are, on his bed with nothing but that black silk ribbon in your hair. He will never look at it the same again, he might just end up with a boner everytime he sees you with it.

"You don't like your gift?" tilting your head to the side, hooking your foot around his leg to pull him closer.

"Goddamit, woman. Do you have any idea what you're doing to me?" he breathes out, leaning down so he's face to face with you. Your arms automatically going around him, he can feel you warmth against him.

Is it because he's still all dressed up that why the room just got hotter or because the girl of his dream and reality is lying naked underneath him?

The latter. Definitely the latter.

"Satisfied with your second gift?" you ask him, leaving a trail of kisses from him jaw down his neck then back up until your noses were touching.

"If you wanted this damn necklace hanging over you that much, all you had to do was ask" he teases you, you can feel his hand on your body. It feels like he's leaving a trail of fire with the way your body is burning.

"This is a bad idea, now every time I see you with that necklace I'm afraid I'm going to jump you" he chuckles, finally leaning further down to capture your lips with his. Getting lost in each others kisses, at first you tried to fight for some control but Jaehyun is never one to back down. Not when it comes to you.

That got you giving up, like you always do, letting him explore all there is to explore. It wasn't new to you or him, but his kisses still felt like a man chasing after air.

When the two of you broke apart, you can see already how swollen his lips are. And the two of you haven't even started yet.

"You know what's a worse idea? that ribbon. Now everytime I see you wearing that, this is exactly where you'll end up"

You chuckle, pulling him down for another heated kiss, "Then plan succeeded"

[secriden]

well that was lovely. i love that we got to see them so long after the finale, after they've mellowed and settled into their relationship and their dynamic.

tongrak has come so, so far. he could barely confess his love to mahasamut in ep 10, and now we see him completely unashamed about being head over heels for mahasamut. there wasn't a single instance of denial or embarrassment about his love and desire for and eagerness to be with mahasamut - even when vie straight up accused him of having a kink for angry!mahasamut, his response isn't denial but "are you psychic". oh, how safe he must feel in this relationship to be able to fly so freely with this after everything we saw in the series, because to show this kind of devotion must feel so vulnerable.

and i love that mahasamut truly gets to be true to himself. i love that he still gets to do what he cares about; gets to live on the island, continue working, presumably take care of all the people on the island he protects and provides for. i also really love that tongrak never at any point dismisses the importance of mahasamut's work (which would be so easy to do by arguing that tongrak's rich enough that mahasamut probs doesn't actually need to work). but he knows that mahasamut loves what he does, and loves the island and the people so he's never dismissive of it.

and its so beautiful how they accomodate each other into their lives. mahasamut just spoils him so much and is so enamoured by everything tongrak does but there's subtle, more hidden things too, like how he knows tongrak likes things neat and tidy so he makes sure their home is neat before he comes back; how he knows tongrak was secretly enjoying his time with vimook even though he also wanted to rush back to mahasamut. he plans to take tongrak out to the sea because he notices a pattern of tongrak only settling after he's been to the sea even before he learns why tongrak loves the sea. and tongrak wanting to run back to mahasamut's side finishing his work early so he could but not pushing for mahasamut to come back with him, learning to cook for mahasamut, looking at furniture but refusing to buy it until he discusses it with mahasamut even though it's his money. like this is such a stable, loving, considerate relationship. they think of the other person and genuinely want what's best for the other even if it's not necessarily their preference.

i also love that as much as mahasamut's very 'dom' coded to tongrak's 'sub', there's glimpses of their true ages in moments like when mahasamut asks tongrak to "just see me off like this from time to time" and tongrak's face just softens into this overwhelming fondness and he kisses mahasamut on the forehead. mahasamut asks for so, so little but somehow tongrak's reaction shows us that he holds those instances with the reverence and adoration they deserve.

their love is so deep and sweet and tender and lovely and warm and i'm so grateful we got this.

fortpeat's performances were breathtaking. i'm desperate for a gif of mahasamut looking at tongrak as he turns away with the sparkler to kick at the water because fort captured 'besotted' beautifully in that 1 second (screenshots don't quite capture it somehow). it really felt like they immersed themselves fully into the roles, like there wasn't even really any awkward moments or interactions that made me second guess that they were 2 people very much in love and very, very sure of the other's love for them.

[abarbaricyalp]

All That and a Partridge in a Pear Tree Too

Merry Christmas! Don't look at the date.

It had started on December 13th. It was easy enough to remember because Bucky had texted him: Happy Twelve Days of Christmas. Your countdown starts now. and a gif of a very fat orange cat wearing a Santa hat.

The twelve days of Christmas happen AFTER Christmas, Sam had answered.

Bucky had texted him back a shrugging emoji. 

They hadn't seen each other in a week or so, but Sam knew Bucky was in Louisiana because he hadn't turned off the cat camera, so Sam got a notification every time he passed in front of one of them. Luckily, Bucky had the motivation of the cats as far as daily activities went, so he mostly moved from the couch to the bed and then back to the couch every four hours and stayed out of range of the cameras when he was getting himself into trouble.

Sam was stuck in New York. He'd been stuck in New York for four days and before that Bucky had been in DC, so the holiday season was not exactly going to plan. 

Countdown for what? he asked a few minutes later.

Bucky didn't respond, which wasn't unusual. He was a terrible texter.

It was late that evening when another text from his partner came in. Sam had all but forgotten about the impending countdown, chalking it up to a series of gifts or letters or something romantic like that. Bucky was good at those things, even though he pretended not to be. Sam was actually kind of surprised when flowers hadn't shown up at his door after the earlier conversation.

He'd only just gotten back to his hotel room when the text came in. He opened it while kicking his shoes off and yanking his tie loose enough to wrangle over his head.

The text loaded first, Come sit on Santa's lap ;) and the picture loaded right after it, before Sam even had time to make sure he was alone.

Mostly it was Bucky's abdomen, flexed and kind of wet for some reason. He was sprawled across the reading chair in their bedroom, long legs stretched in front of him, spread and lazy and inviting. Leather suspenders stretched along his body, connecting to lush red velvet pants that looked hardier and hotter than they had any reason to, especially since there was white fuzz along the waistband and cuffs. He was wearing the black combat boots that he knew did some sort of thing to Sam.

The picture cut off at his shoulders, rounded and tense and perfect. The line of his arm followed to the waistband of his pants, where he was lazily shoving it down, revealing the long, hard line of his cock, half exposed, half hidden beneath his pants.

Sam's hand went to his own crotch without him meaning to. It was a tantalizing tease and he could feel it working its way through him.

I don't know if I've been very good this year, he texted back with a pouting emoji.

He finished kicking off his pants and shrugged out of his shirt, all without turning off the screen of his phone. Bucky had read receipts and typing notifications off, because he was a cagey asshole, so the return text was fully a surprise.

That's my favorite kind of year.

Sam dropped himself on the bed and palmed over himself again. He still wasn't done staying at the photo when a second message came in.

You can still have your present.

It was accompanied by another photo. This time, Bucky had shoved his pants down and was fisting the top half of his cock, exposed flank tense. Sam wanted to put his teeth on it.

He switched from his messages app to the cat camera so he could watch Bucky in real time, but Bucky had been smart enough-- enough of an asshole-- to move the chair out of view of the camera. Sam exchanged a few cursed words at that, but went back to the pictures without much reticence.

What am I supposed to do with that? he asked, as if he wasn't already jerking off to a multitude of thoughts about exactly what he'd like to do with that. I already have one of those. 

The next picture caught some of Bucky's face. He'd turned to hide it against the wingback, but Sam could still see half of his wide grin and the crinkling around his eye.

Sometimes two is better than one.

Sam couldn't argue with that. He slipped his hand beneath his boxers, starting to jerk himself off in the hopes that Bucky would send another picture where he wasn't hiding his dick. One didn't come. Sam could still appreciate those boots and the leather suspenders though.

He came across his stomach before he even really got to enjoy the jerking off. Lazily, he put two fingers in his mouth (Bucky could extrapolate what he wanted from that) and took a picture of his messy abdomen and mouth.

Whoops, still being bad, he texted, then got up to take a shower.

But you make it look so good, Bucky answered. Wish your fingers were in MY mouth though.

Sam laughed as he shucked his boxers into the corner and turned on the water. Bucky was so damn easy sometimes.

Naughty, Mr. Barnes.

And once again, he was unsurprised that Bucky didn't answer. Hell, he'd probably fallen asleep. Sam got into the shower and ran up the water bill thinking about those pictures again.

Continue on AO3

[buckysdollsworld]

The Adventures of Bucky Barnes and Y/n Stark | Chapter two: Home not so sweet home | Bucky's Doll

Gifs, not mine!!!

Warnings: Kidnapping, medical tools (needle, drugs), curse word or two

Content: 18+ MDNI, adult topics, kidnapping

Pairings: Buckyxreader, Readerxkidnapper, Readerxex-boyfriend, BuckyxFemalereader

A/n: I'm having so much fun writing this series. Let me know how you like this series so far and any feedback or story requests are welcome also please go show this story love on my Wattpad

It had been hours since Rowan had taken you. Bucky and the others were in their hotel room the only one who seemed calm was Zemo of course Zemo was calm it was his idea to give me away in the first place. Little did everyone know I was with Rowan they had all thought you were still with Selby. It was silent in the room all that could be heard was the footsteps of Bucky pacing. Sam finally speaks up breaking the silence

"So what was your plan Zemo?" Bucky glared at Zemo as Sam spoke "More importantly how do you plan on us getting her back?" Sam finishes.

"Glad you finally asked you see next week Selby will be auctioning off her little pets along with others we will simply buy our friend Y/n back," Zemo says as if it's that simple.

"Or we can go back out there and save her ass from whatever bullshit they're going to do to her," Bucky growls.

"Your little girlfriend shall be fine soldier they won't hurt her at least not now they need her in the best shape for the auction" Zemo is so carefree it annoyed Bucky. Bucky grabs his leather jacket off the back of the couch and walks towards the door."Where are you going?" Sam asks as Bucky opens the door.

"To find my girlfriend." Bucky walks out closing the door behind him he walks down to the hotel lobby and out the doors. Bucky was determined to find you it's the only thing that matters to him now. He went to the parking lot hopped on his motorcycle and started driving back to the club.

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Meanwhile, you were with Rowan he had locked you in your cell it was the place you had stayed when The Winter Soldier project was going on. He had left you there alone with your thoughts it had been hours, and all you could do was wait. All the horrors you used to endure came back to you the longer you stayed in that awful cell. A few moments later the door can be heard creaking open Rowan was back and ready for his fun to begin.

"Hi princess are you ready to play?" he asks coming to the cell door you are sitting on the cold concrete floor hugging your knees when he starts talking to you your attention goes up to him but you say nothing.

"Oh come on don't be that way I just want to help you," he says with an evil grin.

"Rowan why am I here?" you ask as your voice is strained from crying. He has a smug grin like he has big plans for you.

"We're just going to play a little game and if you're good you'll be rewarded and if you're bad..." Rowan pauses a moment "Well let's just say you won't like what will happen, so are you going to be good?" You look up at him and nod you know there is no escaping what is about to happen. You slowly began to stand up as Rowan gestured for you to come closer you were hesitant to get closer but did so taking your time. Rowan smirks as you reach the bars of the cell doors he is amused at whatever games he is playing at.

"Kneel" he demanded before opening the cell door. You looked at him before dropping to your knees you dropped your gaze to the ground.

"Such a good girl" he praises opening the door he brings one of his hands to trace your cheek tracing down to your chin and tilting your head up to meet his gaze. Rowan loved that scared look in your eyes he got off on your fear he had some plan for you and it wasn't good.

"Now you are going to behave and stay right here until I say otherwise," Rowan says with a serious expression. You nod and Rowan walks over to a table with various things that are too far to make out but close enough to know something there. Your eyes dart around the room trying to find an exit or something to help you escape. Rowan was too occupied with gathering things to notice You noticed he had left the upstairs door open now was your chance while he wasn't looking you carefully got up and took steps towards the stairs keeping your eyes on Rowan to ensure he was still busy. You slowly start up the stairs your attention now at the door and you feel a sense of hope maybe you could actually get out of here but right when you reach the door you hear Rowan's voice from behind you.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet" Rowan says as he quickly makes his way to you wrapping his arms around you and pulling you back. All hope disappeared from you, you knew exactly how things were going to end it felt like you were back in the past all over again. With one hand Rowan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a syringe with some type of drug in it he sticks the needle into your skin in an instant everything starts to disappear and fade to black Rowan had sedated you.

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Bucky arrives back at the bar he was raging as he barged in heading straight back to Selby. Once he gets to the door to Selby's V.I.P. room he is stopped by her guards.

"Woah woah woah soldier not so fast," one of the guards says stopping Bucky from entering.

"I need to see Selby, now" Bucky growls he wasn't going to take no for an answer but the guards don't move.

"Selby isn't taking guests at the moment come back tomorrow" The guards hold their ground crossing their arms over their chest. Bucky is about to say something back but before he opens his mouth to speak Selby emerges from her room.

"It's okay boys let him in" she commands her guards to move when they move Bucky goes in immediately looking around for you.

"Where is she?" Bucky asks sternly

"Who?" Selby smirks she enjoyed with Bucky

"Don't play that fucking game with me, Selby. Where is Y/n?"

"Lighten up soldier she's fine she's in good hands" Selby reassures Bucky but something in her tone was deceiving. Bucky wasn't playing games especially when it came to you Bucky got closer to Selby reaching out to grab her by the collar.

"I swear if you hurt her" Bucky growls

"You'll what? You'll kill me? Please do but let me remind you your little girlfriend is in my care if anything happens to me my men will not hesitate to do the same to her" As soon as Selby says that he releases his grip from Selby and steps back.

"Since you are so desperate to get her back I may cut you a deal" Selby smirks "Bring me some super soldier serum and I'll give you the coordinates where Y/n is being kept" Bucky had a big choice to make he could either get the serum for Selby and save you or risk it all and do things himself. Bucky thought for a long moment before speaking up.

"Fine I'll do it" he wasn't happy about agreeing but he knew he had to save you.

"Great you have 48 hours to get it to me or deals off," Selby says. Bucky left getting back onto his bike and heading back to the hotel.

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Once back at the hotel, he barges in.

"Zemo how do we get super solder serum? I know you know where to get some" Bucky asks

"Ah so the soldier needs more serum," Zemo smirks with amusement

"Woah woah woah Bucky what are you talking about that shit is dangerous, why do you want it?" Sam buds in

"Look it's the only way to get Y/n back I will do anything it takes" Bucky pleads

"I understand but what happens when something goes wrong if the wrong person gets their hands on the serum all the work we did to fix this mess will be for nothing think about it Buck" Sam tries to reason with him. Bucky looks so defeated he is desperate to get you back. Sam puts a hand on Bucky's shoulder.

"We're going to get her back man just not like this" Sam tries reassuring him.

[pluto-supremacy]

Will there be a part three of the Vi dating femreader at Stillwater where the Reader gets out of Stillwater and Vi makes it up to the Reader after they reunite? Maybe either the Reader gets out on her own and they reunite in Zaun or Vi comes back to get her out like she promised and they are reunited that way and she makes up for all the lost time since she left her there and promises she will never leave her again, that she loves the Reader with all her mind, body and soul. If Caitlyn is there she apologizes to both Vi and the Reader for separating them once she sees them together and how they are with each other and that she should have fought harder to get the Reader out the first time before Vi and Reader have their life after Stillwater, then maybe a time skip or something where we see Vi and the Reader living together and after Stillwater. That part two was heart-wrenching and would love for Vi to make good on her promise of coming back for the Reader like she said she would, so they can be free and live a better life outside of Stillwater.

Vi Fic: Miss Me?

➼ I'm so glad everyone is liking the Vi series! This will likely be the last part, at least for Stillwater. Maybe I'll have little au's as to how the story ends. Have some fluff to make up for what I put y'all through last time

➼ Continuation of Vi Fic: Bye Bye Bun

➼ This definitely diverges from canon, so please keep that in mind. I didn't have it in me to give an angsty ending (this time). Consider this a little fix-it fic for the end of season 1

➼ No beta we die like some random enforcer (I've officially run out of people season 2 come faster)

➼ Warnings: None!

GIF does not belong to me! All credits to the owner

The days started to blur together. Each passing moment seemed more painful than the last. Vi left you. Left you with that enforcer to rot in Stillwater. Sure she promised to come back, and for a while you were hopeful. Vi had no reason to just leave you behind. That didn't make any sense. Even with the warden saying he could ‘only release one’. Bullshit. Vi should’ve fought harder. She could’ve gotten both of you out, you knew that. If this enforcer needed her so bad then she’s have to do what she asked, even against the warden’s wishes.

While it was hard to keep track of time behind bars, you were certain it had been at least a week. Or it at least felt like a week. Around day three you had lost all hope that your girlfriend was coming back for you. What could take her this long? Nothing. Absolutely nothing in your eyes at least. Vi didn’t even offer an explanation, just that she’d be back. Who does that? Certainly there had been enough time for her to at least say something like 'If I don't go they'll kill me'. Was that even what happened? Or was this the out Vi had been looking for? Had she ever even cared..?

Some days you went with no. Others it was yes. No was the more common answer now. Well hopefully that enforcer was happy with what she had done. What relationship she had torn apart. It was just after lunch when you had been returned back to your cell. Lately you haven't had much of an appetite, the prison uniform you wore hanging slightly looser than usual. It was hard to eat when all you could think about was what Vi could be doing. Fighting. Cheating. Running away. Dying. Of course you only imagined the worst. Never that she was currently racing towards Stillwater like a man on a mission.

Which she was.

The last few days had gone by so fast and so slow at the same time for Vi. Each time she closed her eyes she saw you, she saw Powder, she saw the both of you begging her not to leave. It haunted her, plagued her every waking thought. The guilt of leaving you behind was eating her alive. If it wasn't for how many times she had gotten her ass kicked lately she might've had time to really revel in the fact that she may have lost you forever. She would fix this though. Vi knew that she would. Part one of her plan was already complete.

She had Powder back. For the most part.

After the little dinner party ended with Silco dying, Vi pleaded with her younger sister. Pleaded with her to do the right thing for Milo, for Claggor, for Vander, for her. At the last second it seemed like her Jinx persona had began crumbling away. She dropped the weapon she had built and ran to her older sister, crying and hugging her tight. Catilyn, who had been tied up and gagged by a mask, was relieved to say the least.

After untying both of them Powder handed over the gemstone to Caitlyn. She hadn't wanted it anyways, not really. It was Silco who planted the seed in her head to build the weapon. Every now and then Vi could see Jinx trying to peak through, trying to take over Powder. Maybe one day Jinx would finally go away. Maybe she would always be a part of her, whispering in her ear to turn on those she loved. Either way Vi was keeping her close, not wanting to make the same mistake twice. She promised Powder it would be them again, but with just one new addition.

Now Vi, Powder, and Caitlyn were on the boat to Stillwater. Powder had been asking a million different questions about you. There was part of her, the Jinx part, that resented you. Like you took her sister away from her despite the pair of you meeting when Vi had already been in Stillwater for some time. But mostly she was just excited to see whoever made her sister this happy. The instant the boat was docked Vi ran off, clutching the release papers in her right hand. Caitlyn and Powder were right behind her, albeit a bit slower.

Vi slammed the papers down on the warden's desk with a smirk as soon as she made it up to his desk. "Orders from Councilor Talis to release prisoner 381. Immediately." She stated. The warden wasn't exactly pleased with the orders, but begrudgingly agreed. Mostly since he now had no choice with new orders. That and it would be three against one, and Vi had already put up a fight in the past when it was just her. The one with the blue hair also looked unstable, so best not to mess with that.

Confusion overwhelmed you as the doors to your cell opened. The first thought you had was that this was a trap. A guard opened the doors and was waiting for you to try and escape. That's the only thing it could be. At least until you saw pink hair peaking out from around the corner of your wall. "VI!" you yelled, your feet carrying you forward and before you even realized there was a familiar pair of strong arms around you. "I've got you bun, I've got you" she whispered as she pulled you close, hiding her face in your hair. For a while neither of you said a word, falling into a comfortable silence. At some point tears had began falling down your cheeks, you weren't too sure when. Only this time they weren't sad tears. They were tears of relief and happiness. Eventually you broke the silence. "You came back after all."

Those words hit Vi hard. You really didn't think she would keep her word? Though she couldn't find it in herself to blame you for that. After all, she did just up and leave without running you through what was happening. There just wasn't time in the moment. "Of course I did. I promised I'd come back and get you. I'd never lie to you." she whispered, her grip tightening. "I'm back and we're leaving this place for good. We'll never see Stillwater again."

When you finally pulled away you realized that you weren't alone. There was the enforcer from earlier, Catilyn, and..someone with blue hair? "Who is that?" "That's my little sister, Powder. You remember me talking about her right?" you did, Vi talked about her a lot. Though clearly she wasn't eleven anymore. "I do. You found her?" you asked, giving a small smile and wave towards Powder. She returned the gesture, moving to hold her elbows. "Yeah, that was a few years ago" Powder responded rocking slightly on her heels. "Vi told me a lot about you on the boat ride over. I have a lot to catch you up on." "We both do." Vi added on.

Caitlyn cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention before turning to you. "I wanted to apologize for taking Vi away from you. She had important information about something stolen from Piltover. I did try to get you both out, but-" "Caitlyn, right? As long as you didn't kiss Violet I'll say it's fine." that made her laugh a little, shaking her head. "I promise you I didn't. I wanted to say that both of you no longer have a criminal record, it has been wiped clean. And I wanted to give you this," Catilyn handed over a large pouch filled with money. You carefully took it, examining the pouch. It was a considerable sum, likely enough to rent an apartment in Piltover for a few months.

"Please take that as part of my apology. It should help the three of you find a good place to stay and keep food on the table. Whether you want to go back to the Undercity or move on to Piltover." "Thank you." You handed the pouch over to Vi who tucked the pouch into one of the pockets on her jacket. "Come on bun, we're going to find a place for the three of us. No one," she looked between you and Powder "is getting left behind ever again. Come on" she grabbed your hand and Powder's, walking towards the elevator. You followed along, pulling your hand away at the last second.

"Vi?" "Yes?" Vi responded, nervous for what may come next. "I love you." You said, pulling her in for a short, sweet kiss. Vi was quick to return it, pulling you onto the elevator where Powder was waiting.

"I love you too. Now let's go home"

[irayoeywa]

the name game ✧

part six.

neteyam sully x fem!omatikaya!reader

warnings/notes - fluff, injuries mentioned, uniltaron is the na'vi name for dream hunt, barely proofread bc i wrote this at 4am, characters speaking na'vi unless stated otherwise, lowercase intended, gif is mine, divider creds to shifterium.

na'vi words used (with translations) - marui - a woven canopy-like structure made for living inikran - mountain banshee tsahìk - spiritual leader

< part five part seven >

series masterlist main masterlist

"thank you so much, tell your parents that we appreciate their gifts." a woman smiled, taking the baskets that you and tuseya arrived with. when a na'vi woman has a child, the people within the clan bring them baskets filled with many things they may need. not too long ago, a mated pair had a baby and that same baby recently had their first communion with eywa at the tree of souls.

your parents decided that it would be nice to gift the parents with something and that's how you and tuseya found yourselves at their marui with baskets of freshly picked fruits and vegetables. after dropping off the baskets, the two of you bid your goodbyes and started walking back home.

you didn't really have any plans for the rest of the day and you couldn't leave high camp at the moment. the war party was still out and it was dangerous to leave during their raids.

while walking back to your own marui, a certain 7 year old ran past you rambling to everyone in earshot that the war party has returned.

"the war party's back!" the young tuktirey exclaimed as she ran past you and tuseya with kiri and spider. you looked up, watching the warriors come flying back on their banshees. your gaze averted to your sister when she nudged your arm.

tuseya pointed and you rotated to understand what she was pointing at. you watch as a few of the ikrans land before you notice it's the sully family. you see jake sully get off his ikran before he pulls an injured body figure off his banshee. it then becomes clear that the injured person is none other than neteyam.

it had been a couple weeks since you had interacted with neteyam. the raids that jake sully had orchestrated were becoming more frequent so that meant you saw neteyam less. it didn't really bother you because you knew he wasn't purposefully trying to not hang out with you. also, you have been questioning your feelings towards him for a while now. after that atokirina had landed on your arrow, you didn't know how to interpret that and you hadn't told anyone else.

"looks like your boyfriend got hurt." tuseya teased.

you sent a glare her way before turning back to the scene in front of you. since you were a good distance away you couldn't hear what was being said directly but it looked like jake was berating both neteyam and lo'ak.

kiri stood beside neteyam, examining her brothers arm while her father yelled at her brothers. your eyes were trained on neteyam though. he looked down at the ground with low shoulders as his father spoke to him.

you frowned, feeling bad for him. jake then dismissed him but continued to talk to lo'ak privately. neteyam and kiri started to walk away, towards where you were watching the whole ordeal.

"let's go." you spoke, grabbing tuseya's arm so you could go home but she pulled her arm out of your grasp.

"don't you want to say hi to him? neteyam!" she called out and your eyes widened, looking at her like she's insane. you immediately draw your arm back and hit her arm as hard as you could.

she winced as she jumped back, "ow!"

"why would you do that?"

"i thought you would want to speak to him."

"no i don't want to-"

"tuseya, y/n." a voice cut you off. you cursed lowly, turning around to see neteyam standing in front of you along with kiri. you forced a smile and brought your hand up to your forehead before bringing it back down to greet the two of them. since your back was turned when tuseya called his name, you missed the way his facial expression changed almost instantly when his eyes landed on you. you may have missed it but tuseya didn't.

now that neteyam was close to you, his injuries were clear as day. you frown, "neteyam what happened? was it lo'ak?"

he sighed and nodded, "yeah.. i'm going to my grandmother right now if you want to come."

your eyes flickered to kiri who was watching the interaction with furrowed eyebrows. she had never seen you before so the fact that you and neteyam were talking like you had known each other for ages left her puzzled.

you took your amber eyes off of kiri and put them back on neteyam, who was awaiting your answer. you finally shook your head, "no that's okay-"

an unexpected yelp left your throat as your younger sister pushed you forward, "we would love to! come on."

neteyam smiled as he took a hold of your hand and began walking to the tsahìk's tent. you turned to glare at your sister who was smiling but you were about to ruin her fun right now.

"tuseya go home." you said.

the girls smile fell, "but-"

"go. home." you repeated, more sternly this time. she groaned loudly before turning around and stomping away in the opposite direction. you rolled your eyes as you kept walking with your hand in neteyam's. you knew tuseya only wanted what's best for you but she could be a little much sometimes. after neteyam had come to your marui that one time, she started going around telling all her friends that neteyam is courting you and you had to beg her to stop telling people that because it simply isn't true.

even though your family now knows that you are friends with neteyam, nobody else did. ri'an hadn't told lo'ak that you were the mystery girl all along so the rest of the sully family had been left out of the loop. the two of you still hung out in private. the only times you were seen at high camp together were when you met up to leave together and those moments were very brief for anyone to take notice.

"oh kiri this is y/n. y/n this is my sister kiri." neteyam said introducing the two of you to each other. you smiled and waved as she did the same.

it was then that you noticed the stares you were getting from passersby. you put your head down so nobody would see your face. the main reason why you avoid speaking to neteyam at high camp is because the last thing you want is attention drawn to you. but being seen talking to and especially holding hands with the future olo'eyktan would definitely draw some attention.

when the three of you finally arrived at the tsahìk's tent, the sully siblings already knew what to do like it was routine. kiri went to her own little corner with her supplies and neteyam sat in front of his grandmother with his back turned to her. you greeted mo'at properly and she nodded her head at you, starting to treat her grandsons wounds.

you stood there awkwardly before neteyam looked at you and patted a spot in front of him, "come, sit."

you hesitated before finally sitting down across from him with your legs crossed. you watched as he began to hiss and grimace at the pain from the healing paste mo'at spread across the open wounds on his back.

"are you okay?" you asked, concerned.

it took a moment before his face returned to normal. he nodded, "i'm fine."

mo’at glanced up to look at kiri to see her reaction. the younger girl was watching the pair with a confused look on her face. she shook her head and started making neteyam a drink that would help. once it was made, she tapped your shoulder. you turned slightly, seeing her holding out a small cup.

"give him this." she instructed. you awkwardly took the cup from her grasp and gave the cup to neteyam. he gave you a small smile before taking the cup and drinking it. it was a little distasteful so he made a face that made you laugh at him.

"oh this is funny?" he chuckled.

you shrugged, "maybe a little."

as neteyam forced himself to finish the drink, you took notice of a cut on his cheek. once the drink was finished, neteyam put the cup down.

you lifted your hand and took ahold of his chin, moving his head to the side so you could inspect the gash. it was small but you could tell that it was slightly deep. neteyam let out a hiss when you gently brushed your thumb over it.

you laughed, "big baby."

he smiled at your teasing. for a moment, you had forgotten that his sister and grandmother were in the room with you. it was just you and neteyam, hanging out as usual.

as you were smiling at one another, the flap of the tent opened and the rest of the sully family along with spider walked in. your hand immediately dropped from his face, incredibly embarrassed that you had gotten caught basically caressing neteyam's face in front of his parents.

before anyone could speak, you looked at neteyam and spoke lowly, "i'm going to go."

neteyam frowned, "why?"

"your family is here and i don't want to intrude." you said and stood to your feet.

"y/n-"

"it is fine. plus, i have other matters to attend to. i will see you another time." you said, using your usual excuse on the boy although he knew it was just an excuse by now.

you bid your goodbyes and exited the tent, leaving the rest of the sully family to process what just happened.

neytiri's eyes followed you as you left before turning to her gaze to her oldest son, "neteyam, who is that?"

neteyam looked up at his mother, "a friend."

"so you finally traded out your imaginary friend for a real one." lo'ak jokes and spider joined in, laughing with his friend.

neteyam rolled his eyes, "that is her, she was never imaginary. i just didn't know her name before."

"is that the one you were asking me about?" jake asked. neytiri's ears perked up at her husband's words and she turned to look at him. jake internally cringed, knowing she was mad that he didn't tell her anything about that. she didn't say anything but she didn't have to, jake already knew.

neteyam nodded at his fathers question before letting out another small hiss. mo'at had finally finished with his back and instructed neteyam to turn around. once he did, she examined the cut that you did and began applying the paste there as well.

"well your friend is pretty." tuk said, walking over to kiri, sitting with her. tuk had always gravitated more to kiri than her other siblings being that's who she spent the most time with.

"yeah.. she is pretty." neteyam mumbled. his lips curled slightly as he said the words. ever since the day an atokirina landed on your arrow, neteyam had been struggling to forget about it. yeah, he's attracted to you but the sign from eywa had him thinking if there was more to your friendship with him.

neytiri and jake had left the tent a moment ago but lo'ak still looked over, making sure they were gone before he spoke, "holy shit, you like her!"

mo'at understood most english but didn't know much about the curse words so she figured it was just some useless slang he was always yelling. she just continued to put away her supplies while her grandchildren and spider talked among themselves.

"i thought that was obvious, we walked in on them about to kiss." spider said, taking a seat.

"we were not about to kiss." neteyam deadpanned.

spider laughed, "whatever you guys were doing, it definitely looked more than friendly."

"are you going to court her?" tuk exclaimed.

"stop. you guys are overwhelming him." kiri spoke up, seeing how flustered neteyam looked after tuk's question.

neteyam finally stood to his feet and made his way to the entrance of the tent, "y/n and i are just friends." and with that, he left.

once he was out of earshot lo'ak spoke, "i say they'll be mated by next year."

spider scoffs at his friend's statement, "next year? i say as soon as he finishes uniltaron."

"what do you think kiri?" lo'aks asks his sister who rolled her eyes, "i refuse to be a part of this."

lo'ak and spider gave her a bored look.

she let out a sigh, "but i say once he completes uniltaron."

they smiled at her response and began discussing and joking about how they think neteyam will go about it.

sorry for the wait, life started life-ing and then i had writers block. i made my mom watch twow with me the other day bc she hadn't seen it yet and that gave me some motivation.

taglist - @fanboyluvr @liluvtojineteyam @arminsgfloll @squidalapobre @jjkclub @angelsamor @baebinana @im-in-a-pansexual-panik @hana-yuri @riatesullironalite @camilo-uwu

[giowritess]

fortnight [1]

gif by @dameronscopilot

pairing | Benny Miller x female!reader [Grace Stratford]summary | you somehow end up pretending to be Benny's girlfriend for two whole weeks. is your heart going to survive that? probably not. warnings | mentions of sex, alcohol, mentions of cheating by a third character word count | 1.7k author's note | so. happy new year! i deeply apologize for not showing my face here for the last two years lol things have been complicated and i haven't found the time to write. i've recently fell in love again with the miller brothers from triple frontier and this came up completely random, it's gonna be a small series and i'll post as soon as i write them. future smut. no mentions of y/n; grace's name is only mentioned once. english is my second language and this wasn't proofread so i apologize for any mistakes. hope you enjoy it. xx masterlist | main masterlist

fortnight

"Meaning: 14 days; fort·​night ˈfȯrt-ˌnīt : a period of 14 days : two weeks."

Pretending to be Benny Miller's girlfriend for two whole weeks wasn't how you planned to spend your days off, but here you were.

After working so hard for so long, you finally had your well-reserved month off, plus a few days more. You spent a few days with your family and now were all set to enjoy two weeks of summer bliss at a friend's super fancy summer house, along with lots of other friends and others not so much, as you soon found out.

The moment you got there, you could hear the laughter coming from the house—a mansion, one could say—even from your car. The moment Will showed up at the doorway, Maddie, your best friend and his girlfriend, jumped out of the car to run to him and you rolled your eyes. They saw each other yesterday. But then Benny showed up at the door, shirtless, laughing as Will picked Maddie off the ground, and you sighed. 

Yeah, you had it bad, and he was completely oblivious to it.

While you and Maddie made the trip there, she filled you in on a lot of things. The house belonged to Luke's parents, Luke being an Army buddy of the boys and your long time friend since high school. What a small world, right? Besides him and the three in front of you, you couldn't say you were “friends” with that many other people there. At best, “acquaintance” was the most appropriate word, but you didn't mind, you were there to enjoy the summer, the Fourth of July and Luke's birthday. But the thing is, Maddie also told you some other rather interesting things. Benny was pissed for two reasons: one, he was the only single guy there, and two, his ex-girlfriend was there with her new boyfriend. His ex that, according to Maddie, was the one who broke things up and he still had a thing for. His ex that Maddie hated because she was a typical Regina George—nevermind being almost thirty.

The idea started to form in your head the moment Maddie told you all that, but you still weren't so sure of it.

The thing was, your relationship with Benny was weird. Since Maddie was your soul sister and you were always around when you weren't deployed, he was basically a brother-in-law to you. You two had always been friends, got along just fine; there was, however, one alcohol-filled event two years ago that changed the trajectory of your relationship. 

You still remembered it as if it had happened yesterday. You'd just gotten back from deployment, happy to be home at the beginning of summer, your favorite season. Maddie and Will were in the early stage of their romance, lots of longing glances and unsaid words, so you were starting to be around Will and Benny more frequently. The thing was—you had a thing for Benny since, well, ever. You just couldn't help it, guys who knew how to make you laugh were your downfall, and it was only a bonus that he was handsome as fuck and had eyes that made your parties drop. Suffice to say, Benny Miller was your dream guy, but he never made a move on you as seemed interested in you. It wasn't that you weren't brave enough to go for it—you just couldn't bear the possibility of being rejected by him, so you accepted your fate of liking him from afar. 

That night in particular, your first night back, the four of you were at your favorite bar to celebrate your Captain promotion—after four whole years in the Air Force, you finally had a helicopter to call your own. To say you were happy was to say the least; you were estatic. Your little brother would be proud of you. All drinks that night were on Maddie and the boys; you weren't a heavy drinker, but that night you let loose and really enjoyed yourself. And shit, you could swear Benny had never looked as good as he did that day. It didn't help that you hadn't had sex in a million years and he was basically sex on legs, nor did the fact that the trash bag of your ex, who cheated and dumped you through a phone call while you were overseas, had just walked in with his brand new girlfriend, the one who he cheated with. It served only to make you want Benny even more—he was so much more man than your ex, and you'd bet an arm that he was better at sex, too. You were sure of it, even though the only place he'd been recently (every night) was in your dreams. 

You were both drunk, you more than him. Maddie and Will had abandoned you already. You weren't sure how—maybe because of your sex deprived and lust-filled mind—, but the subject turned to sex, asking each other what sort of crazy things you'd already done. The thing in question was 69, which you'd never done, and Benny surprised you when he denied it, too.

And then, maybe it was the alcohol running through your veins, fogging your brain. Or how close he was and how good his perfume smelled. Or maybe you'd just had enough, so you said, taking a sip of your beer:

“I bet you know how to properly eat a girl out.”

You saw the moment his eyes darkened, one of his eyebrows raising up. He slowly placed his beer on the table. You didn’t breathe, feeling as if you were about to die while waiting for his reply. 

“Wanna find out, Captain Stratford?”

You were bracing yourself for a rejection, for him to say he wasn’t interested in you that way, anything but that. You definitely weren’t expecting that. He didn't ask, but you'd never had sex in a car before. Or had three orgasms on the same occasion that weren't self-induced before. But yeah, he was way better than your ex, and your dreams. 

But then it got awkward between you two afterwards. Sure, it was the best sex of your entire life, and sure, you'd love for it to happen again, but you weren't really sure how to treat Benny. So you tried to act as natural as possible and so did he, almost as if pretending that nothing had happened. Except it had, and every time you looked at him, you remembered it. Everytime you looked at his hands, you remembered how well he worked you up with those long fingers. Everytime you looked at his face, you remembered his beard glistening with your juices after he made you come twice with his lips alone. Whenever you saw him holding something, you remembered how good it felt to have those fingers wrapped around your throat while his cook hit every right spot, again and again. Safe to say, you were having a hard time focusing whenever he was around, and it made you wonder if the remembered it, too, when he looked at you, because sometimes you could swear he looked like he did. And sometimes... sometimes he looked at you the same way he did that very same might when he asked you that question. But then it faded as quickly as it came. So you tried to treat him like you used to, but for the past two years it seemed to have an elephant in the room with you, and you just didn't know what to do about it.

Truly, you'd already accepted that nothing would ever happen between you two again. But the moment Maddie told you all that, the gears in your brain started working. It was risky—what if he didn't like it? And honestly, why? It wasn't as if you really wanted him to get back with his ex... yeah, there was no rational motive you could come up with. At least no motives that weren't selfish. But then, still sitting at the driver’s seat in your car, you glimpsed your ex, wrapped around his current girlfriend—a new one, who looked suspiciously like you—by the pool, and that gave you the courage to go ahead with your plan. So that was how you found yourself in your current predicament. Exactly when Benny was awkwardly talking with his ex, still by the door, you called out his name and went to him, the surprise evident in his face. And then you kissed him.

This was the defining moment. You were scared of his reaction—and then he kissed you back, way more fiercely than you expected, his tongue slipping into your mouth, until the girl in front of you cleared her throat.

“And you are?” She asked, and the tone of her voice made you want to strangle her.

Instead, you took the jealousy and anger cursing through you and transformed into confidence, and you gave her your best smile.

“I'm Grace,” you replied, and you felt Benny's eyes on you. “Benny’s girlfriend.”

You didn't know what surprised you more: the giant scowl in her face, or one of his hands going around your body. 

“I'm sorry, what is it again? Pam, Tam?” You asked before she said a thing.

You knew damn well what her name was.

“Sam,” she replied through gritted teeth.

“Oh, that's right. Lovely to meet you.” You turned to him, dismissing her entirely. “Help with the bags?”

He nodded and gave her an apologetic look, before grabbing your hand (another surprise) and following you to your car. The moment you opened the trunk, he let go of your hand and you already missed the contact.

“What's going on?” He asked, confusion clouding his beautiful features.

You glanced around to make sure you were alone and tugged him closer.

“Look,” you whispered, “both our exes are here, and according to Maddie, you still like her. This way, you make her jealous, maybe win her back, and I rub it in his face that I landed someone way better than him.” His lips tugged up in the slightest shadow of a smirk. “What do you say?”

You didn't realize you were holding your breath until he replied.

“Huh. That's really smart,” he said, surprising you once again.

You expected him to say something more, but then he grabbed the bags and walked back towards the house.

And that was how you found yourself pretending to be Benny Miller's girlfriend for two weeks.

Would your heart survive those two weeks? Probably not.

by @reveriesources

➜ part two

[rythmicjea]

Daddikins and The Slaughter

A bit of housekeeping first. I've been agonizing on what my second entry in this series would be. I wish that I could say that I had a whole bunch of these lined up ready to post. But, all of my ideas revolve around a central theme: Two Sides of the Same Coin. So, before I get into all of those, and my break down of their romance, I want to isolate the situations where they are on the same side. Also, I made a few of the gifs in this post. They're shit. I know they're shit. Just go with them lol. And this is long. Holy hell it's long. It's longer than some of the short stories I've written.

The Opening Game

Archie

Hiram is considered to be the "main villain" of the series up through, and including Season 5. In these five seasons, the show posits that Archie is Hiram's archnemesis. Here's the thing, Archie maybe Hiram's opposite, but he's also a reflection of all of Hiram's insecurities. The biggest question is why a middle aged man would do everything he could to destroy a teenager. Hiram wasn't necessarily trying to destroy Archie himself. He was trying to destroy everything that Archie represented in himself. Archie is the character that most represents Riverdale itself in the show. Everything that the town can be. And Archie isn't afraid of being who he is no matter if he may stumble or fail along the way. To Hiram, that is unacceptable. He can't afford failure. He can't afford to make any mistakes. Everything Hiram does is to capture and destroy Riverdale as a whole because it encapsulates everything he is not. It's also why he can't condone a relationship between Archie and Veronica; because, Veronica is an extension of Hiram and Hiram can't let someone like him be involved with a person who represents everything he is not.

Jughead

Unlike Archie, who can be molded into Hiram's image, Jughead cannot. Hiram knows from the get go that he can't control him. Jughead is Hiram's opposite. Where Hiram is wealthy, Jughead is poor. Where Jughead lets morality dictate, Hiram has no scruples. There is a spot for everyone at Jughead's table, but Hiram believes that the boy shouldn't even be breathing the rarefied air that surrounds him.

For all of their differences, it's not the superficial contradictions that make Jughead an adversary. Again, unlike Archie, it's their similarities that birth the true rivalry. Hiram isn't dumb. He's incredibly cunning. Unlike Jughead, whose intelligence doesn't come from his parents, Veronica's comes from her father's. But, Jughead is a teenager and for as smart as he is, he doesn't have the life experience that Hiram does. He still holds onto an optimism that his exterior doesn't always emulate. Hiram recognizes and respects Jughead's royalty (and yes, Royalty is going to be one of my next entries); and, to take down a royal opponent you have to play a game of politics and subterfuge. This is why the matchup between Hiram and Jughead is of The Game of Kings.

Veronica

Hiram's villainy against his daughter doesn't come out immediately. He still sees her as his "little girl", "princess", and "mija" for the first few seasons. He relies too heavily on the blood between them to extract what he wants out of her and to manipulate her onto his side. As he tells Archie "fathers are forever". This... this is pure hubris. When a child cuts ties with a parent it's all "But it's your mom/dad! You only have one!" and not "Wow, what did that parent do to make their child walk away from them? How bad was it that their own child left them?"

One of the persistent jabs at Veronica's character is that she insists on telling him her plans to defeat him and then is surprised when he listens and turns the tables on her. For all of her acumen, Veronica is still a child. The main characters are still only children. They are teenagers thrust into a world of adult problems. Then, they are expected to solve all of the town's issues when it was never their job to begin with. But, Veronica, as Mrs. Burble points out is obsessed. She is obsessed with making her father proud of her. She wants all of her accomplishments to be recognized on their own merit without his interference.

Even though it takes many years, Veronica ends up severing ties with him completely. Going so far as to hire a hitman who is successful. That should tell you just how villainous Hiram Lodge was that his own daughter took such extreme measures.

The Middle Game

Hiram's True Rival(s)

The true opposition to Hiram's town domination has always been Jughead and Veronica. Sometimes separately and sometimes together. Unlike Archie, Hiram can't control or manipulate Jughead onto his side. And to an extent, he can't do the same to his daughter. He tries his best and for a brief moment, he succeeds. But, she always finds a way out of his clutches.

The Prince

There's more than one way to execute your opponent. Jughead put Hiram in a position that he never expected. For all of his underhandedness and corrupted ways, Hiram wasn't ever able to bring Jughead down to his level. Hiram buys the Riverdale Register, Jughead publishes in the Blue and Gold. When the Register becomes the Lodge Ledger, Jughead creates the Riverdale Choice. Jughead helps lead the protests on Pickens Day and then Hiram retaliates by severing the statue blaming it on the Serpents. It's when Jughead refuses to kill the article on him that Veronica's vision of her father begins to become unrepairable.

The first time Jughead meets Hiram, they speak about family. But, before Jughead can continue any meaningful dialogue, Hiram cuts him off. Hiram employs these little mind games throughout the series. Jughead might have come off as dramatic when he said that Hiram was "trying to buy [his] silence again". But, he was right. And I believe the majority of viewers knew that, even if they didn't recognize how.

Hiram realizes that for every move he makes, Jughead successfully uses the high road against him. Hiram is not a shortsighted individual. In Chapter Twenty-Nine: Primary Colors we see the trap that's been laid coming to fruition. Now, Hiram never expected Jughead to go on a hunger strike or for anyone to follow him for that matter. He asks Archie about it and Archie (oh you lovable himbo), thinks he takes Hiram off the scent.

For all of Hiram's diabolical scheming, there is one thing that sets him apart from other villains. And that is, he keeps himself incredibly composed. In fact, the first time we ever see him get angry is in the second season when Jughead first starts writing about Hiram's exploits. I think every fan remembers where he slams his hand against his desk yelling "JUGHEAD JONES!" In fact, you can probably count on one hand the amount of times Hiram actually gets angry. And if it's not him lashing out about his own insecurities, he's lashing out about Jughead.

The Knight

Jughead discovers Hiram's plan for the Southside very early on. But, he has absolutely no support. Even when he proclaims he's going on a hunger strike, his best friend laughs. Then, to his surprise, Jughead has far more support than anyone expected. And, Jughead correctly knows that it's in no one's interest to take down "a bunch of teenagers trying to save their school". So, Hiram gets Archie to do his dirty work. He pits the best pals against each other.

The knight always gets romanticized in literature, history, and in this game of black and white. But simultaneously they remember and forget the knight always makes a turn. A change of course.

Season two isn't the best season for Archie's character. There's a lot of attempts at ambiguity. He thinks he's trying to play both sides, but he isn't. Archie is always categorized as someone who is steadfast and true. He is the moral compass for the town. But with this, he lets Hiram direct that turn and it puts everyone in danger.

But, there's something I find really interesting in the costuming that you can see in this scene in particular. Whenever Jughead needs to be The Leader/The Prince the prongs of his beanie are curled outward making the famous crown more prominent.

Jughead in the shot below is acknowledging that Archie, his once white knight, is gone. He doesn't know when or where he lost him, just that he's gone. But, he accepts the sacrifice of his own piece for what he hopes will be a win in the end.

The Rook Pawn

There are several times that Hiram throws Veronica to the wolves. Far too many for a father to do to his own daughter. But, it all starts with her rebellion. At first, she wants to be part of her parents enterprise. She doesn't realize just how deeply her family is committed to this life of crime. Like Jughead, there's an innate optimism that she can change her family's legacy.

In 2x16 we see the start of Hiram's plans to sacrifice his daughter. And it's this episode that Veronica starts to realize that she is unprotected and begs for help. She realizes that she's not a backrow piece. She's a pawn. She might be her father's favorite pawn, but she is still a pawn. A piece to be maneuvered for his own gain. She lists three names, Ethel, Betty, and Jughead. Betty is her best friend who just left her high and dry as her running mate because Veronica lied to her. She put her parents first and has realized that mistake. She's known for some time that her parents are the reason why Ethel's life is in shambles and she wants to make amends. But... why Jughead?

The deification of parents in Hollywood

Like I'm a criminal too...

Why is it so important to Veronica that Jughead doesn't see her in the same light as her parents? Because she, unlike Betty and Archie, and unlike the Serpents, can see the game the two are playing. She has been witness to Jughead's hunger strike, read his articles about her father, and arbitrated the negotiations between the two kings. And, yet, she's afraid. She's afraid that she brought this blight onto the town. In season five she says that it's her fault. It's her father and she needs to be the one to fix it. Children of narcissists learn from a very young age that it's their job to regulate the emotions and behaviors of their parents. Veronica never wanted her father home. She begged her mother to find a way out from under his thumb. Her actions of trying to impress him is a tactic to regulate her home life.

In the comics, it's well known that Veronica and Jughead are classified as "Frenemies". Do you want to know a secret? *beckons you over and whispers* They date several times in the comics and there are tons of panels where Jughead is lusting over Veronica unironically. In the second episode of season two Jughead is a friend to Veronica. He gives her cliche advice because it's what worked for him and his father. Children of addicts are special. They have to make their home safe for themselves. They put a burden on their shoulders to cure their parents. Because if they can do that then they don't have to carry the weight of the responsibility of surviving anymore. Trust me when I say, that all children of addicts blame themselves for what they went through at some point in their life.

Hollywood loves to deify parents. They can't do anything wrong. And if they did then they had a good reason for it. Play some sappy music in the background and they make you forget just how horrific their actions were. Jughead, when he gives this advice to Veronica, doesn't know Hiram. He says "I won't pretend to know what lies inside your father's heart". And when he says if there's a chance that her father is trying then it's only respectful to recognize that. He doesn't say she has to meet him halfway. How much effort she wants to put into it, is for her to decide.

But when Jughead realizes who Hiram is and the extent of his control he backpedals faster than a cyclist in the Tour de France. He does everything out in the open too. He does it so Veronica can see. He fucked up by giving her bad advice. If he had known what her father was truly like he never would have said such things! He would never tell her that she was at fault for his actions. He would never say that her father's mess was hers to clean up. Because he recognizes a traumatized person, because he's been traumatized. What he would say is that he was at fault for not knowing things sooner. (Oh you sweet summer child...)

When Jughead challenges Hiram to come to the trailer park, so that the two royal lines can broker an accord, she doesn't sit with her father. Jughead doesn't sit next to her because this is not a 'both sides made mistakes' issue. This is Hiram against the Jones'. So, Veronica sits between them - like a moderator or negotiator. She doesn't fully realize it yet, but this physical separation is the beginning of a crack. It's small. But it's enough.

That's why, when she announces her candidacy for Student Body President, Jughead perks up when he hears her parents are against it. Because that means she's thinking for herself. She's acting on her own. And Jughead presses on that crack making it deeper.

So, when she says that she doesn't want Jughead to see her as a criminal, her subconscious is coming to the surface and she is recognizing the truth around her. It's a truth she doesn't want to be apart of. So while Jughead has been trying to atone for his mistake, by exposing Hiram; Veronica changing course is her way of atoning to Jughead for what she believes is her fault.

One of the most beautiful things about their interactions is that Jughead never blamed Veronica. He might have been upset with her because outwardly she was so dedicated to her family, but he never once thought that she was responsible for Hiram's actions.

When they go low, we go high... Riot Night

The Bishop

Hiram has a Bishop - Penny Peabody. And he uses her to destroy the newly crowned Prince. And this is where Jughead realizes the real game he's been playing. The entire time he believed that it was two kingpins moving those under their leadership, using their own resources, to bring the other down. It's on Riot Night that he finally sees that he's never been on the offensive. Where he entertained the possibility of Hiram and FP playing the Kings on the board, he now understands that Hiram was never on the board to begin with. And Jughead was a pawn who made it to the back row. You see, in chess, a pawn can be elevated to "Prince" if they make it to the back row of the opposing side. Jughead was someone who begrudgingly took up his mantle in the Serpents (he moved from pawn to prince to king). And Hiram used this to his advantage.

Even at the last minute Jughead still didn't figure it all out. But he did realize the one thing no one else did. When confronted, Hiram tries to deflect; but, it's what Jughead says that is the most haunting. He notes how much Hiram is spending on all of this. But it's not the amount spent - it's the worth that those he bought represents. In business, the most valuable item is that which has not been obtained. Without Jughead, the Serpents would have rolled over. There was enough heat coming down on them to make them leave. So, when Jughead says "but you couldn't buy us", what he means to say is "you couldn't buy me."

It's in this moment, when he's cornered and in check, that he realizes he was Hiram's opposition all along. Jughead knew he was a thorn. But, he believed himself to be outside of the fight. An objective observer. This realization is what inspires the counteroffer to go to the slaughter for his gang, his town, and his father. Hiram knew the only way he could ever defeat Jughead was if Jughead sacrificed himself. He used Jughead's innate goodness against him. And Penny noted it all. "The sacrificial lamb arrives..." Jughead figured that no bloodshed would follow his sacrifice, but Hiram knew that without Jughead's leadership, the Serpents would implode. Getting Jughead out of the picture was Hiram's entire goal.

Deflection, Attack, Refute, Valve, Opposition

Like all villains, Hiram has a pattern. Surprisingly, Hiram's is well known in the psychology world: DARVO.

Deny

Attack

Reverse Victim

Offender

For those who are unfamiliar with this the titles are pretty self-explanatory. But, Hiram executes these with precision. Jughead says himself that Hiram is 10 steps ahead, because he is. Knowing when a teenager is going to zig instead of zag isn't that difficult; but, making that zig look like something it's not, is.

Deflection

Hiram likes to isolate his opponent first. But during that isolation he builds you up. He appreciates what you have to offer. He loves listening to your ideas. He makes you feel welcome in his world. That's how slimy he is and it makes the skin crawl once you know this. The diabolical part of this is the "Deny" aspect. He denies his involvement because he makes his victim come up with the idea. He gives them the authority to act out their deepest and darkest desires. This is how he keeps his hands clean.

Attack

Surprisingly, his attack, looks like denial, but it's really a withdrawal. Take the Dark Circle. Archie came up with it, Hiram facilitated it, but he maneuvered behind Archie's back to take it away from him. And he did all of this, so that at the debate, Hermione could truthfully say that Archie started it. Because he did. The nuance of the situation doesn't matter.

When it comes to Jughead, his actions are far more psychological. He calls Jughead "the other one" when he introduces Archie and Jughead to the new sheriff. He does this knowing it will diminish Jughead's efforts. But, Jughead, always knowing he's underestimated takes it in stride which just further upsets Hiram.

Refute

In Veronica's case, he serves his daughter up on a silver platter to be auctioned off to the highest bidder of 'The Families'. And when she puts in the work to get her idea off of the ground, he plays the victim. He makes it seem like she is the bad guy for thinking that her efforts could be successful. Because, if she fails, what would happen to Hiram? Later he throws out that she chooses others "over blood". No, she chooses others over him. He acts like she has made the ultimate betrayal when really, he has always been the betrayer. This is especially evident at the beginning of Season Three when Hiram refuses to withdraw his attack against Archie and says that it is her "punishment" for picking "that boy over blood".

Valve

Ultimately, his goal is to make those he is attacking into the offenders. "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling kids". Sound familiar? Hiram is just a business man taking advantage of good land deals so he can elevate his project that will elevate the town. He doesn't understand why this petulant teenager is trying to stall progress! Why is he the one being vilified when everyone can prosper? His Mija is just a child! He's looking out for her and her well-being. Of course he would take the money she earned and put it in a trust. She's not old enough to understand the responsibility that comes with such a large sum. Ignoring the fact that when her would-be rapist kidnapped and tortured her boyfriend, Hiram did nothing. Instead, he's absolutely okay with Veronica selling herself for Archie's freedom.

Opposition

He doesn't send Jughead or Veronica to be slaughtered, it was done of their own volition. They decided to do that. Their choices lead them to that outcome. Except, his game of psychological warfare in the form of systematic torture and corruption of the town drove them to do it.

The End Game

Tick Tock, Daddy... Tick... Fucking... Tock...

Season five and six Jeronica is SO underrated. I know that it seems like their relationship in season seven came out of nowhere but if you don't think that they were coded from the pilot, then you have recognize that the groundwork was being laid since they all came back to Riverdale. But I argue this groundwork goes back even farther. As early as the season finale of season two.

It's Veronica who is the first to stand with Archie to save everyone from being bussed out. She wants to buy the Whyte Wyrm to save Jughead from Hiram. And when she finds out that Hiram fired FP from Pop's she realizes the "bigger, smarter play". Jughead really doesn't have that strong of a connection to the Wyrm. Yes, it's Serpents territory. Yes, it's the last piece of the southside that Hiram needs. But it's in this moment that Veronica realizes that Pop's is the Heart of Riverdale. In my analysis of Archie's dream, at the beginning of season five, I present that Jughead is Riverdale's conscience. And Veronica is the first to realize this fact. So, because her friend loves this diner, and this diner is everything to the town, she lovingly takes it over.

Hiram's deception of still owning Pop's is the first time he sacrifices Veronica. The second time is when he destroys her rum business because he can. He uses his position as Mayor to literally break the law because she beat him at his own game. So, he topples the game board. The third is when he sabotages her self-esteem by greasing her entrance into Harvard. He even tries to sacrifice her for his own good in season seven! He gets her to perjure herself with an affidavit by saying she was with him in Cuba. But, to me, what he does in Season 5 is the worst one and one he both succeeds and fails at, at the same time.

From his intro we all knew that Chad was a version of her father. The saying that "girls marry boys just like their father" exists because it's true. Chad is stalking her, harming her, defrauding her, and abusing her (love bombing is a form of abuse). Every trick that Chad employs is the same that Hiram did to Hermione. So, Veronica, innocently believing enough time had passed, goes to her father for help. And Hiram turns her away. Why does he do this? What could she have possibly done to deserve him turning his back on her? She set a boundary that she would not clean up his mess and save him when he willingly and stupidly put himself in danger because of his machismo. I repeat, as a teenager she refused to be a parent to her father. That's the reason why he won't help his daughter get out of an abusive marriage and he actively helps Chad hunt her down. This is when he succeeds at sacrificing her. Hiram fails when she successfully defends herself against Chad and eliminates the threat he poses.

Just like the end of sophomore year when Jughead almost gave his life to save everyone he loved, history repeats itself with Veronica fighting for hers against her husband and exiling Hiram.

Check...

The Heart and The Conscience...

The conscience is when the brain agrees with what the heart wants. Jughead and Veronica work separately to take her father down. They both almost die in the process. Hiram willingly sends his daughter and the rival prince to their own demise to keep his control. To quote Jess, that's some Shakespearean shit. If Veronica is Cordelia then Jughead is Hamlet. But, if they had worked together from the beginning? Archie never would have been arrested, they never would have been in danger, Veronica never would have put the hit out on her father, and Hiram would have been gone by the end of season two.

Season Three

In Season Three, Jughead investigates the Gargoyle King and he suspects it's Hiram. But he can't go after Hiram the way he did the previous year. He knows what will happen if he does. He still never comes down to Hiram's level but he's far more covert and direct than he once was. He was a pawn who elevated himself to Prince and then took up the mantle of King. This time, he knows he's on the board but instead of moving everyone else, he knows better now. He knows to make sure everyone's playing the same game.

That's why Hiram could never really affect Jughead the way he wanted. Jughead used his resources against him not wanting to get too close. But in their Junior Year, Jughead has to take a more personal approach. There's a discomfort and an anger when he does this. He can't obfuscate the fact Hiram has gotten to him, but it's far more complex than it once was.

This is the same with Veronica. The first episode has her disowning herself from her father. "You don't have a daughter anymore." She feels more inclined to manage the carnage but neither have the fortitude to do what they did the second half of their sophomore year. And they don't have the wherewithal to aid the other's help. It's why in season three we begin to see Jughead pick up the pieces from when Hiram shattered Veronica. Even when dating Archie, Veronica's only protector was Jughead. But that's for another post 😉.

...and Mate

If their dynamic with Hiram teaches us anything it's that together, Jughead and Veronica are absolutely unstoppable. For as cerebral as Jughead can be, he is the heart to Veronica's conscience. Jughead is emotional and prone to letting them cloud his judgement. It's a real and honest portrayal of the complexities of teenagerhood.

Where Jughead is emotional, Veronica is analytical. She's the embodiment of the sexism women face every day. Women can't be emotional or they won't be taken seriously. They have to work twice as hard to get half as much. Nothing, not even for a Princess, is handed to them. Veronica rarely lets her emotions get the best of her, and the first time she sheds a few tears it's Jughead's name on her lips. Not because he caused them but because she's not ready for him to see her vulnerable. She's not ready to confide in him. She's not ready to apologize for her parent's actions because she still believes it's her fault. That's why, after he's almost killed, Veronica vows to make things right. She still wants to atone.

I mean, when you break down the series finale you realize that the writers couldn't say it outright, but Jughead and Veronica became the most influential couple the world had ever seen. Name a more powerful couple than a studio president and a publishing mogul. I'll wait...

And, as always, I love feedback. Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts!

Bisous, Bisous... Votre Auteur.

[acciocriativity]

Last update: 01-09-2025

-> ATEEZ GENERAL MASTERLIST

-> EVENTS

300 FOLLOWERS EVENT

400 FOLLOWERS EVENT

-> HEADCANONS

ATEEZ as your boyfriend (MATZ)

ATEEZ as your boyfriend (SANGI)

ATEEZ as your boyfriend (YUNWOO)

ATEEZ as your boyfriend (JONGSANG)

-> REACTIONS

You're on the quieter side (F) (Hyung Line)

You're on the quieter side (F) (Maknae Line)

When they got jealous of your Christmas gift (MATZ + YUNHO)

You keep distancing yourself (Hyung Line)

When they reject you... but it wasn't a confession (MATZ)

When they reject you... but it wasn't a confession (WOOSAN)

You're hyper independent (Hyung Line)

-> ONE SHOTS

... meet cute? - poly!ateez

To meet the legend campus himself on a random day was not on your Christmas bingo card this year.

-> SERIES

The "u" in "us" - an OT8 ateez series

-> PARK SEONGHWA MASTERLIST

Birthday Miracle (F)

Park Seonghwa was shy guy, what an understatement and you aren't that far from it, so what kind of miracle is going to finally change your relationship for the better?

Picnic Date (From the 300 followers event)(F)

You and Seonghwa went out for a special date you've been planning for a long time now. After such a crazy year, you both deserved a calm day to yourselves.

The Cat and The Fox (F/A) I II III

You never even considered adopting nor fostering a cat in all the 25 years of my life, so why do you have a gray cat laid down on your couch, licking his fur without any worry in the world, as if that was his rightful place since the start?

-> KIM HONGJOONG MASTERLIST

You and his work (F)

Or a series of things he does to spend more of his time with you.

Written in the stars (From the 300 followers event (F)

In a world of soulmates and gifted beings, every time a couple found each other it was a very interesting sight to see. Now it was Hongjoong's turn, and it wasn't going how he expected to be.

Safe and Sound (From the 100 followers event) (F/A)

Prompts used: "rough day? I can make it better" - "you don't have to be strong all the time" - "do you want a hug?"

Pretty Boy (F)

The night seemed perfect to tease the hell out of Hongjoong, but he didn't care a single bit, since you called him pretty.

A MOMMA'S BOY (A)

You made the mistake of falling in love with a momma's boy, and, well, this is the consequences of your heart's actions.

-> JEONG YUNHO MASTERLIST

Different as black and white (From the 300 followers event)(F/S)

You both had always been so different from each other, anyone could easily tell, everyone made a point to always comment on it, but you always held the tinniest hope that this wouldn't stop Yunho from liking you someday... the thing is, it never did.

Payback (F) I II

Yunho decides to host a little watch party of the first episode of your new drama on Netflix together, but he doesn't share with you his secret agenda for the day.

Hype Boy (F)

Your boyfriend hypes you up before you go to the nail salon.

-> KANG YEOSANG MASTERLIST

So this is love (F)

With him, you're able to experience what love actually means.

To be better for you (F)

Yeosang isn't one to express his love through words, and there’s nothing more he wants than change that

-> CHOI SAN MASTERLIST

Little Things (F)

You don't accept expensive gifs on your birthday, and San doesn't question it until you say you didn't want any gift at all this year. Now that's... that's something he can't let it go.

Kind Eyes in an Intimidating Face (F)

Or the iconic moment you, an established idol in the industry, got San flustered for all the internet to witness

-> SONG MINGI MASTERLIST

Baking a happy birthday (From the 300 followers event) (F)

Mingi didn't really care for his birthday, but he still got the best present he could ever ask for, you.

-> JEONG WOOYOUNG MASTERLIST

Better than words (From the 300 followers event) (F)

Wooyoung considered himself a very straight-to-the-point kind of person, but what can he do when you make him so damn nervous all the time?

The Cat and The Fox (F/A) I II III

You never even considered adopting nor fostering a cat in all the 25 years of my life, so why do you have a gray cat laid down on your couch, licking his fur without any worry in the world, as if that was his rightful place since the start?

-> CHOI JONGHO MASTERLIST

Jongho as a bear hybrid (F)

This is a special HC for Jongho's birthday last year with my favorite trope of all time for him ♡

[lumpyspaceprincess05]

The world is my oyster

Pairing: Jayden Shiba x gn!reader

Word Count: 3k+ words

Warning(s): depictions of violence, no use of yn

Summary: A new ranger has made an appearance catching everyone completely off guard, and the awful thing? They're working with the nighlock.

Author note: I started watching power rangers samurai again and i rediscovered a first love. Sadly, there's not enough fanfictions out there for Jayden, so i decided to just write one myself. I don't know if the fandom is still alive, but if you are, enjoy!!

Reblogs are highly appreciated!

Masterlist || Series masterlist || gifs

Part 1/?

Octoroo leaned his head over the side of the boat, his gaze concentrated on the calm seas below him. His head hung low as the image of Master Xandred's outburst flashed through his mind, the anger they would endure if he found out that the water levels in the sanzu river were slowly declining.

He hurriedly turned on his heels and treaded back into the interior space of the very large ship. Shifting his gaze to his Master's door, he breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered that it was still closed, light snoring penetrating through the door.

"This is not good. This is not good at all. If Master Xandred sees the river, there's no telling what he would do." He began pacing back and forth, his teeth gnawing at the tough skin on his nails.

With her back still turned toward the nighlok, she continued to stroke her musical instrument, her ears conjuring all the possible melodies she could play, but ultimately decided against it because of the sleeping Master. It had been some what peaceful without his presence, but peace was a luxurious commodity on this boat.

"Octoroo, can you please do that more quietly. With your loud footsteps, you're just begging for him to wake up."

He stopped at once, not wanting her words to manifest into reality.

The octopus stood still, in complete silence for a moment as he remembered all the plans he had conjured up and hidden away in his arsenal throughout all his years. He raised his pointer finger, a large smirk forming on his face. Yes. This plan would definitely work.

"I have one final trick up my sleeve, one for sure to get the river rising before Master Xandred wakes."

Walking to the other end of the boat, he grabbed his staff which he had left propped up against the wall before he had gone out to inspect the river.

"Oh, do share with the rest of us. I'm curious how you're going to mess this one up." She finally turned to face him

"I have–" He walked closer to her, and after looking around for any prying eyes and ears, he cupped his hand beside his mouth and whispered in her ear. "A ranger."

She snickered. Whatever he had told her, she wasn't buying into it. "What? Which ranger?"

"Orange."

She rolled her eyes as she turned her back on him once again, losing all interest in his plan. As far as she knew, no such color existed.

"Orange? Now I know you're lying. There's no orange ranger."

"It's true. It's true. The orange ranger lies dormant, and when they wake, I will use them to fill the sanzu river. Ooh ah ooh! It's the perfect plan!"

"Does Master Xandred know that you have a ranger captive?"

"Oh no no no. He can never find out. Hiding a ranger from him all these years? There's no telling what he would do to me then. You too, because you know about it now."

"Then I'm coming with you. This is something I need to see with my very own eyes."

"Me too! Me too! Don't forget about me!" A nighlok chanted as he hauled himself into the ship. This nighlok was just like all the others, except that the exterior of his body was covered in arrows. The shaft was a dark shade of black while the points were hearts tinted a shade of dark imperial blue with a slight gap that divided the hearts into two parts.

His head mimicked the shape of clouds in the sky with another one of his arrows piercing through it, the end coming out the other side.

"Puppet master? Ooh ah ooh!" Octoroo's eyes darkened and the corners of his mouth lifted. "Just the right nighlok to get the job done." His plan was coming together just nicely.

⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 ₊ ⊹ ♡

Screams filled the streets as people ran off to avoid the wrath of the moogers. They tripped, stumbled, and clumsily picked themselves up to run far away to safety.

The figure jumped before the monsters, creating a barrier between them and the civilians. That had been enough to stop them from advancing forward. Their reign of terror on the innocent was over, and all you needed to do was take them all out, and then everything would go back to normal.

When people saw the hero, they stopped and sighed in relief that their savior had arrived. They cheered and hollered having peace of mind in knowing that the evil monsters would be defeated. Some even took out their phones to take pictures and videos to share later.

The moogers stopped and looked at each other in confusion. They hadn't seen this color before. After a short moment of contemplation, they came to a mutual agreement that you were dressed like the enemy, therefore, you were just like the other pesky rangers.

You assumed your fighting stance. Your samurai sword had long been drawn, aimed at the disgruntled moogers.

They engaged their defensive stance and charged to the ranger. The ranger tightened the grip on the hilt of their sword and ran towards the enemy, swinging their weapon every which way. Sparks flew as each swing landed blow after blow with great precision, bringing them to their knees, and defeating them.

An explosion went off in the background as you assumed your final stance.

Victory was yours!

Dayu and Octoroo watched the scene from the comfort of a nearby rooftop, the female nighlok shaking her head at the disappointing performance.

"What was the point of this battle? I don't understand how killing off our own will help with this plan of yours."

"Oh, just...wait for it." The octopus responded in a sing-songy way, delighted that his plan was coming along nicely. Dayu frowned, frustrated that he refused to tell her his plan in its entirety, however, she continued watching the figure dressed in orange intently.

With your sword still clutched in your hand, you made your way to the area where the civilians had found refuge, and when they saw you, they scrambled out of their hiding places and cheered as you walked toward them.

CLINK!

The crowd gasped as their attention turned to where your sword struck. With his phone now shattered on the floor, and a hand placed over his racing heart, he turned his head slightly to the right where he saw the weapon punctured into the wall, narrowly missing his head.

It was quiet for a time, the people wondering if what happened was truly a mistake or purely intentional, but that didn't matter when a young girl ran off screaming which created a domino effect and everyone just ran away from you for safety.

Octoroo cackled, knowing that the sanzu river had risen quite a lot, and what was to come would only raise even further.

You strolled casually to where your sword remained, and shimmied it out from the wall. After assessing it for any damages and being satisfied that there were none, you sheathed it and got ready to leave to your hideout.

The samurai ranger team finally appeared, donned head to toe in their respective color attire. They had their weapons ready to slash any nighlock, but as they arrived at the location, it was empty. There hadn't been any people or nighlok running about.

"Where are all the nighlok?" Mike was the first to speak up, breaking the eerily quiet atmosphere.

"Keep looking. The sensors definitely picked something up from around here. It can't be too far." Jayden spoke up, scanning the area for any trouble.

"Sounds good!" Emily folded her hand into a fist, before her and Mia wandered off to another area.

"I'll go this way." Kevin quickly ran off in the opposite direction with Mike running after him, yelling that he would go with him.

Jayden was now standing all alone in the same spot as he arrived. There were a million scenarios going through his head about the foe they would face. Was the monster invisible? Was teleportation the reason why they're no longer here? Did they trip this sensor only to commit their nefarious deeds somewhere else?

No. No. Mentor would have let him know if that was the case.

With his sword tightly gripped in his hands, he slowly advanced forward, looking every which way to catch the threat before it made a move on him.

Maybe the sensor just malfunctioned today. That was just way too many possibilities and not enough to give him the answers he desperately needed.

The other rangers scanned the area, and upon discovering nothing amiss, they decided to return back to where they had left Jayden.

They could sense that something was wrong, but what?

"Did you guys find anything?" Mia responded to Kevin by shaking her head in disappointment.

"No. You?" Emily moved closer.

"Nothing."

"What about Jayden?"

"Well, let's go and find out."

They quickly rushed back to their leader.

⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 ₊ ⊹ ♡

You peeked your head around the corner, and there he was. The red ranger, completely by his lonesome. Now was the perfect time to attack.

You stepped out from your hiding place to the middle of the road, your sword still tucked away in its holder. Jayden quickly turned around, his own directed toward you.

His breath hitched as he took in your attire.

"Ooh ah ooh! This is getting very interesting." Octoroo muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction.

His eyes widened underneath his mask, his breath caught in his throat. "This...this can't be–"

You drew your weapon, aiming it in his direction. Without giving him a second to catch his breath, you attacked him with full force, pushing him back with each slash of your sword.

His brain was running a million miles a minute. With that and the added pressure he was enduring, he found it more and more difficult to concentrate. You were making it more difficult to concentrate, that is, if it was really you.

Where had you been all these years? Why were you even fighting with him? Just what on earth was going on?

You were going at him hard, constantly pushing him back with each attack. He grunted as he finally put some distance in between the both of you, his hand clutched his side as he took a moment to catch his breath.

"Jayden!" Emily shouted out as they ran to his side, helping pick him back up.

Mike turned toward the assailant, frowing when he saw the ranger attire in an entirely new color, one they had never seen before. "Who is that?"

"There's an orange ranger?" Mia's voice hitched in suprise.

"Now that's new." The yellow ranger's voice trailed off.

After skulking for a while, both Dayu and Octoroo decided to intervene, jumping in between you and the rest of the rangers. The rangers immediately assumed their fighting position, shielding Jayden from the enemy.

Jayden grunted as he picked himself up. He was weak, but he had enough strength to fight alongside his teammates.

"This was fun for a little while, but now it's getting boring." Dayu placed a hand over her mouth to cover her fake yawn, while the octopus nodded in agreement.

"We'll just claim what's ours and be out of your hair." He turned to face you and beckoned you with his hand. "Come." You walked over, put your hand in his, and as fast as you appeared, you were gone.

"What...just happened?" Kevin's voice trailed off as they stared in the direction where you had been.

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The battle was over and the rangers joined each other in the living room, ready to discuss the events that took place earlier. Too shaken up, the rangers sat down on the sofa, afraid that their legs might give way if they remained standing. The silence was broken only by the faint sounds of a bokken colliding with the training dummy outside.

As soon as they returned to the Shiba house, Jayden wasted no time and sped of his room to change into his training garb.

He had been quiet on the journey back. The others were hesitant to talk about the incident, noticing how his eyebrows were furrowed, his jaw clenched and his fingers curled up tightly.

This was a whole other side to their leader that they didn't even know existed. Sure, he had been upset only a handful of times, but the air usually did not feel this heavy. Why was he so upset? Considering that the others were just a little worried about one of them working with the enemy, but maybe there was a different reason...

Either way, it was not the right time to coax the answers from him. But, not only had Jayden been acting strange, but the older man as well. As soon as they reported their findings back to him, his face dropped before he lost his baalnce and landed on the couch.

For the first time since they had begun living in the Shiba house, they hadn't seen Mentor this lost for words. He sat in silence, twiddling his thumbs while his gaze avoided everyone else's.

"There's an orange ranger? How is this possible?" Emily broke the silence before looking in Kevin's direction.

He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. "There isn't any information about the orange ranger in the archives. Otherwise, I would've known about it."

"How could they be working with the nighlok? It goes against everything we're fighting for." Mike clenched his fist tightly.

"Can we even still call them a samurai ranger?"

"Well, whatever's going on, we need answers."

"Mentor?" Mia turned to the man. "You've been awfully quiet. Is everything okay?"

Mike rose to his feet. "You know something...don't you?"

Ji's finally gained the courage to look at each of his pupils faces. Sooner or later, they would have known about you. He just didnt expect that the day would come so soon.

"There's a reason why the orange ranger isn't mentioned in the archives," he finally gained enough courage to meet his students' eyes.

"When the first rangers acquired the powers of the samurai ranger, they all joined each other in battle. It was a really difficult time for all of them, especially considering that they were thrust into war with no formal training. All the rangers understood that they had to use their powers to defeat the nighlok, but the orange ranger did not want that responsibility–"

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Beads of sweat trailed down his face as he swung at the dummy over and over again, without an end in sight. His grip on the hilt was slowly loosening, but he fought even harder to keep it secured.

For the first time in a long time, Jayden had no idea how he was going to handle this situation. His team was inside the house trying to come up with their next course of action, but he simply could not bring himself to sit there and relive his past.

The memories he had of you were still fresh in his mind. The day you two met, all the days the both of you spent on your training...the day you disappeared.

The guilt was eating him up alive. What if he hadn't left you that day? What if he caught you as you snuck out? Would you have returned along with him? Would the both of you have continued training together like nothing happened? Would you have loved meeting the other rangers? Would the both of you continued to be as happy together before everything had happened?

The day you disappeared was the hardest for him, and for months after that, he couldn't eat, sleep or train like he used to. It just...didn't feel the same without you.

⋆˚✿˖° 𐙚 ₊ ⊹ ♡

3 YEARS AGO

You stood in the foyer with your arms folded across your chest, foot rhythmically tapping on the wooden floors. What were they discussing that was taking them so long? An innocent life was at risk so surely whatever was keeping them could wait until later.

Noticing your distressed demeanor, Jayden walked closer to you and gently unfolded your arms, sliding his hand into yours and giving it a tight squeeze. That was his way of telling you that everything would be okay. They would bring her back safely.

Hushed whispers could be heard at the other end of the room as Mentor and your older brother engaged in a heated discussion. You could hear bits and pieces, but not enough to gauge the entire story.

All you had known at that moment was that a few hours ago, a horde of moogers had broken into your home, and kidnapped your mother. Your father had been home at the time as well, but due to the injury he had sustained the last time he fought them, they easily overpowered him. He quickly called the Shiba house soon after and that's where you were.

Your brother quickly walked past Mentor, his hand reaching for the morpher in his pocket. The man quickly followed after him.

"Wait! You can't just go after them. We have to come up with a plan–"

Your brother stopped in his tracks, and turned to face him. "And how long do you think that will take, Mentor? Every single minute we spend not doing anything, they could be doing something horrible to her. She could be dead, Ji."

He moved around Ji and broke out into jog to the front door. You and Jayden turned to look at each other, worry plastered all over your faces.

"Cyan? Where are you going?" You ran up to him, your heart pounding in your chest.

"To do what's right." Your older brother turned to you one last time and gave you a sad smile. He dashed out of the door and as he ran, he transformed into his samurai suit.

You turned to Jayden, tears brimming in your eyes. "What are we going to do? We can't just let him go alone."

"We have no choice. The blue, yellow, pink and green rangers are close, but, I don't think they'll make it to him in time."

You stormed off to your room, Jayden following closely behind.

"I don't know why we can't do anything. We've been training for this." Your voice wavered as you buried your face in your pillow. Jayden sat on the other side of your bed, rubbing circles on your back.

"I'm frustrated too, but we have to trust that your brother will bring her back." You moved to sit upright crossing one legs over the other. Aggressively, you tried wiping away the tears, but the more you wiped them, the more fell.

"It's not that I don't trust him, it's just...he's not been training like he used to. He doesn't want to be a samurai ranger anymore. He wants to go to college and live the life he couldn't because of all this." He cupped your cheeks, wiping away whatever streaks of water he could.

"Do you..." He stopped himself, slightly biting the inside of his cheek. "Do you wish you had a normal life too?"

You nodded your head.

"I do..." Jayden didn't let it show, but your words made his heart hurt, but you knew better. You placed a hand on top of his hand, guiding him to look back at you.

"That's how I felt when I first came here." You paused.

"Jayden, my father gave me a choice and I can't imagine doing anything else–being anywhere else. I'm happy with the life I'm living right now. Training with you, cleaning up after breakfast–everything. All of this will be worth it when we defeat Master Xandred. As long as we do it together, right?"

He nodded contently.

"I'll bring the tissue box." He smiled widely before walking out of the room.

You shrunk into yourself, your head propped up against your knees.

Will he be okay fighting all alone?

The thoughts consumed you as all the scenarios you conjured up didn't have a happy ending. What if the other rangers don't make it in time? What if...he doesn't come back home?

The possibilities were weighing down on you. What was the point of training if you were just going to stand on the sidelines and let other people fight your battles?

You made a beeline for the window, quietly unlocking it before stepping through. Turning to the house one last time, you could see Jayden walking into the hallway from the kitchen with a couple of boxes in hand. He always went overboard when he tried to help you.

The corners of your lips tugged up, but the smile didn't quite reach your eyes. It was comforting to imagine all the ways he would scold you for defying the Mentor's orders, only because you ended up making your way back home again. Safe, maybe a few scratches here and there...but you would be home.

"I'm sorry, Jay." You mumbled under your breath, before sprinting out through the gates. It was up to you now to make sure your mom and brother got home safely, no matter what happens.

Part 2

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