#i'm losing it i have so many of these now

[anonymousmarshmallow]

Also, this happens during the hiring games. Every one of them believes it. Only after asking around (and not just the big 3 either, everyone, the nurse staff, janitors, legal, long-term patients). Most of the hospital staff is like 'yeah that makes sense,' and 'they sure do act like it.' Also due to many convoluted reasons they somehow either just miss Wilson or something always comes up right before they mention it. The big 3 deny it cause they don't have to put up with as much House's shit now. But, the contestants all believe both of them were in the closet for reasons and were forced to come out to avoid jail or a lawsuit, which is horrible. Sooooo cut to part of the team trying to be kind and understanding, thinking 'maybe this is why he's such a dick unable to be yourself, and watching other openly express their love while he can't. Of course, he would be bitter. Maybe he's like this to avoid getting close to people because someone he trusted outed him or bullied or blackmailed him once, and he never fully healed. Their all doctors, and they want to help and show support.' This is completely wrong. The other part mainly decides to leverage this situation and "supports" House and Wilson to (hopefully) get cookie points. Chaos ensues.

The nice ones: looking up support groups for the LGBTQ+ and googling how to support someone who just came out, because coming out like this must be upsetting at the very least

House: Stop kissing my ass. That's Wilson's job

Also House: [milking it for all its worth especially during secret Santa] What you'll get your other STRAIGHT co-workers gifts but not me. Is this a hate crime must be?

House: Now that I'm out, it's so difficult with all the patients in the clinic so many homopophobes :(

The nice ones: Covers clinc duty to stop House being exposed to so much hate

The suck ups: mentions how they like Beyonce and RuPaul. Went to a musical once, definitely has a gay cousin or friend, and makes everything go back to being gay and overly defending House fellow people who are equal to them and deserve support. They always supported LGBLT people.

House: [Let's them talk and enjoying them making asses if themselves] Wow, you are so supportive

The suck ups: [says/does something really offensive]

House: [staring in surprise/and a little horror] Little impressed actually going to remember that for later. But I had reasons for medical reasons to what I said, and you don't. Also, you'll get me in trouble with Cuddy, and if you do that, you're fired. [Makes the couple who sued him give a lesson on the LGBTQ+]

The truth doesn't come out until someone catches Wilson on a date and confronts him, either because 'cheating isn't okay he needs to come clean' or 'I can use this and have him talk me up to House' and Wilson is like "What no! I only said that to keep House out of trouble. We never dated. I'M STRAIGHT! N-n-n-not that there's anything wrong wi... I didn't... Look, it was either a small white lie or House goes to jail, and you lose a job. Besides, it's not like I really lied. House is my friend, and he is a boy. He's a boy friend. Yeah, House, he was just messing with you.

The ruse comes to an end with House announcing he had fun and fires someone.

Also, House knows Wilson's dick size because both of them were drunk, and Wilson was shitting on House about not having a girlfriend or whatever making a joke about being bad in bed. Later, at one of their homes, Wilson passed out drunk. House is curious and takes a look and measures.

House would treat two gay patients like shit and get sued for being homophobic and cuddy would go "he's not homophobic, he treats everyone like that!" which does not hold up in court so instead he's like how can I be homophobic when I have a boyfriend? Wilson stand up. Everyone would turn to Wilson (who had ZERO warning about this) and he'd stutter before glaring at House and stand "yes, House is unfortunately my boyfriend"

Then they'd walk out of the courtroom and Wilson would chew him out which House ignores. Cue 3 days layer when Wilson says House needs to clear up they lied about being gay to get him off (ha) and they're not actually dating because he is NOT getting any dates like this. House would walk into the hospital cafeteria and yell "ATTENTION EVERYONE. Doctor Wilson is not my boyfriend." Wilson would nod for 2 seconds before House follows up with "because we're engaged!" and Wilson can't even be mad because why did he think for 2 seconds that House would make it easy for him

House would try to use this as an opportunity to demand less clinic hours (think of it as a wedding gift) which he does not get because Cuddy knows exactly what's going on and she thinks it's hilarious but she needs his ass working

Cuddy: yeah? You two are a thing? How big is he?

House: 5.3 inches

Wilson: how the FUCK do you know that

[humanjarvis]

i'm sorry for scaring you

synopsis: caleb shows a new side of himself during one of your fights. it almost makes you believe he's changed.

tags: angst, suggestive (psychologically), fluff (sorta kinda), caleb kneels, caleb crawls, caleb is pathetic, caleb is overprotective and unwell pairing: farspace colonel!caleb x reader word count: 1.7k

a/n: this is angstier than i intended i wanted it to be hot, maybe it's still hot, when he tries to lock u up in his house but he has lethal booboo face ⬇

“I didn't ask for any of this! I didn’t ask for your protection, and I sure as hell don’t want it.”

“You not wanting it doesn’t change the fact that you need it,” Caleb replied blankly. 

In the four months since you’d reunited with Caleb in Skyhaven, your relationship had taken a hit. In the first few weeks, you’d barely seen each other; he’d stop by to check on you, assume you thought him the scum of the earth, and abruptly retreat back home. It wasn’t until you’d grown fed up with the awkwardness and uncertainty that you began approaching him again—asking him about his day, initiating phone calls, and even starting the rare video call, if he was lucky. 

Around the last month or so, things had gotten better. During your increasingly frequent visits, you’d gone out together several times—to see the new cyberpunk action movie, to window shop in the pet store, to marvel at the Skyhaven nightscape from the safety of his personal aircraft. Just as you thought you’d both been making progress adapting to your new dynamic, a wave of highly dangerous wanderers had infiltrated the city, and Caleb had had the nerve to essentially place you on house arrest until the threat was dealt with. Fast forward to now, his composure threatening to overpower your impassioned rebuttals. 

“Did you honestly think I’d let you leave right now?” he asked. “You’re here for a week. The Fleet will take the next couple of days to sort out the problem, and we can go out together when it’s done.”

“We can go out together. Right. So you can rush me back here the second someone looks at me the wrong way?”

“No one will look at you the wrong way. Not here. Not while you’re with me. But you need to understand, Pipsqueak: you came to Skyhaven for me. You’re in skyhaven for me. I won’t stand by and watch you put yourself in danger, and you won’t change my mind,” he replied, his large frame looming over you as he stepped closer. 

You’d had enough. You’d spent almost an hour on the losing side of this back-and-forth, and you were too exhausted to pull your punches anymore. “My first time seeing you after the explosion,” you started, voice trembling. “Do you know how it felt? When you stepped off that plane, when you interrogated me behaving like you never have in your life—I didn’t know what to think. But when you brought me back here? Started spewing off that shit about a world where my only world is you? I was scared, Caleb. I thought I’d needed to be afraid for you, but I was afraid of you. That you’d lock me in this house forever, that I'd only see the sun when you decided it wasn’t top bright for me. I was afraid that I’d die here having grown to hate the person I’d wanted to live for,” you finished, your words dripping with venom.

Seething, you spun around, ready to storm out of the kitchen and into the quiet of the guest room Caleb had remodeled for you. 

You’d taken three steps toward the door when you heard something hit the ground with a heavy thud. 

Body still facing the door, you stopped in your tracks. This was new. Unexpected. You’d been prepared to hear a few calls of your name, some “Wait!”s, maybe even a “Don't walk away from me.” Worst case, you’d expected him to pin you in place with his Evol, preventing your exit and prolonging your fight. 

But a thud? A thud could mean many things. Enough things for you to remain frozen contemplating the possibilities before the voice in the back of your head broke through your thoughts, reminding you of the very real chance that you’d spiked Caleb's blood pressure so much that he’d fainted.

The fear that he was hurt made you finally turn around, only for Caleb to catch you off guard yet again.

Caleb the Loathsome, the overprotective, obsessive, now cold-blooded colonel of the Farspace Fleet, was on the floor before you. Kneeling.

All at once, your anger dissipated, melting into shock at the assertive man before you’s sudden display of submission. 

Realizing you’d turned around, Caleb lifted his head, meeting your flustered expression with his pained one. His furrowed brows, shining eyes, and pouted lips—he looked pitiful, honestly. And as much as it tugged at your heartstrings, it awakened something dormant inside you. 

It made you feel powerful. It gave you an idea. 

Biting the inside of your bottom lip, you took several steps toward Caleb’s kneeling form, closing the distance you'd been so eager to put between you all of ten minutes ago. A slight gasp escaped Caleb at your movement, and he swiftly lowered his gaze back to the floor, as if worried that daring to watch your approaching form would make you retreat. 

When you came to a stop, you were just in front of his knees, looking down your nose at his bowed head. For a few moments, Caleb’s heavy breaths were the only sounds between you, thickening the cold air in the room. 

Then, finally—finally—you touched him, lifting his chin up before resting your palm on his cheek. At your touch, he leaned forward, nuzzling his head against your thigh. 

“…You want this that bad, huh? Want me that bad?”

“More than anything,” he breathed. 

You stared at him. 

“Please,” he whispered, turning his head into your hand to brush his lips across your fingers. 

At this, you hummed softly, running your thumb across his cheek twice before turning away from him once more. When you break contact, Caleb freezes in the midst of rubbing his face on your leg, his eyes popping open in panic. He only calms when he sees you heading for the armchair tucked into the right back corner of the room, slowly taking a seat, your legs spread. 

“Relax,” you call out, settling in your chair. He didn’t move a muscle.

You decided you’d had enough of the tense silence after a few more beats. It was time to test him.

“…Come here, Caleb.”

In an instant, his head snapped up. His gaze, abruptly ending its budding relationship with the floor tiles, held yours for more than a few seconds this time, your slight smirk challenging his slight disbelief.

Caleb had all the cunning in the world. Since joining the Fleet, nothing got by him—and on the rare chance that it did, he’d chase it down and make it beg for mercy. He was a prideful man. He was a calculated man. So when you called for him in your sweet voice, slightly breathy with unadmitted nerves, he figured you out quite quickly. 

You were testing him—to see if he’d walk or crawl to you—and he knew it. 

And unfortunately for his dignity, any reservation he held about the latter was overshadowed by his desire for you: to be in your space, to breathe your air, to be close enough to feel you—even if he rarely did now, out of fear that his touch would repulse you.

He needed you to need him. So he crawled. 

Inch by inch, Caleb crawled toward you, the only person who would ever see him reduced to this. The only person who could reduce him to this. And all the while, as the fabric of his dark pants dragged across the floor, his violet eyes never left yours. In them, you saw resignation. You saw anticipation. You saw the shattered remnants of a pride that he’d let be broken, and you saw them rebuild themselves in lust the closer he came.

A few inches away from you, Caleb stops, sitting demurely on his heels. His hands twitch in hesitation before falling into his lap. His vulnerability is palpable, and you can feel him banishing himself back to his hell of self-deprecation, the guilt-eroded space in his mind where he repeats how little he deserves you. Before he can lower his gaze again, you beckon him upwards,  guiding his palms to rest on your knees. His kneeling form almost equals your seated one in height.

“I used to love watching you scare off the boys who were mean to me,” you tell him, placing your palm back on his cheek. “But as much as I like you intimidating, this little act might be my new favorite.��� 

His nervous breaths come to a momentary halt before he brightens slightly, chasing your touch. He nuzzles into your palm like he did your leg earlier, and you sigh. 

“You scared me, Caleb,” you murmur. 

“I know. I'm sorry.”

“I know you want to keep me safe, that you have kept me safe for as long as either of us can remember,” you say, continuing to stroke his head. “But I don’t want to be afraid of you, Caleb. I won't be afraid of you. So if you want to keep doing this, if you want us to move on, if you want me—it can’t happen again. Tell me it won’t happen again.”

Your movements still as you tighten your grip on his jaw, forcing him to meet your eyes. A grimace flashes across his face as he goes quiet for a moment. But you wait for him. You have to. As exhilarating as it’d been to see him crawl before you, this was the true test—if you extend your trust, will he extend his lenience? You have to believe that he will. To give him the chance to. 

And as you’re wrapped up in your optimism, your fantasies that he’ll acquiesce and let your relationship go back to normal, Caleb responds. 

“...I’m sorry for scaring you.” 

[sassysnowperson]

The world is exploding and you want me to take care of myself?

I live in the U.S.A. As you might have heard, things are PRETTY BAD right now. It's been bad before, sure. I mostly coped with 2016-2020 by ignoring the news and writing a TON of fanfiction.

But between then and now I went and got a job as a therapist, and it turns out I can't just stick my head when my whole job is to help other people with the stuff that's stressing THEM out. So I've had to find a better way to deal with it. I thought some of y'all might appreciate a distillation of the conversations I've been having, with myself, and with the people I'm working with, as we try to figure this out together.

Yeah, It's Bad.

So yeah, we know that depression and anxiety are lying liars that lie. But. Your anxiety or depression isn't lying to you about this one. Things are bad. That said, maybe it's helpful to check if they are lying to you about your ability to survive this, to handle this, to find spaces where you can act. We are not doomed to paralysis and misery.

The Paralysis is the Point.

The current administration is using a playbook that involves trying to make their opponents feel overwhelmed, helpless, miserable. Any action we take against that is action against tyranny.

Action is the Antidote.

We live in an age where we can take in endless misery, about things that are either so big or so distant or so both that we are not able, by ourselves, to fix them. And that sucks. We need to find a way to turn that fear energy into action.

More Things are Action than You Think.

Self-care is an act of resistance. Authoritarianism does not do well with a hopeful, resilient, connected populace. Taking care of yourself is action, taking care of those you love is action, building hope and resilience is action. Talking to your neighbors, taking care of them, paying attention to their needs and seeking local solutions to address them - all actions. Any step you take towards building resilience in yourself and your community fights the crap you see on the news.

Speaking of the News.

Lets talk about digital self-care. This is not an all-or-nothing situation. If you need to detach completely, go ahead. But your options are not only ignore or open yourself up to an endless stream of misery. This is going to look different for different people, but we have got to refine our information boundaries. That might be blocking or unfollowing people (even people we agree with, who are saying things in a way that triggers our own despair). It might be losing certain platforms, it might be seeking out news from specific trusted journalists or a weekly roundup. Pay attention to how you feel during and after your news and social media use. Is it helping you live the life you want to live? Is it meeting a need? Is there a better way to get that need met?

Some Things are Still Good.

Let's make a Still Good list. All the crap in the world, but you know what, my cats purr is still good. The smell of vanilla and old books is still good, the look of a new-green shoot sticking out of the dirt is still good. No, we're not doing this to ignore the bad and pretend life is wonderful. But our brains are designed to prioritize threats, and with so many threats, it will wear itself out trying to protect you. Find the things that are still good, focus on them. Let yourself rest in the good, at least for awhile.

You are not alone.

It's so easy to feel alone. Feel like we misjudged the world, what was important to people. How can people think so differently than ourselves? The world is so big, things are so bad, and it feels like we're fighting by ourselves, so why not give up?

You are not alone. There are people that believe in the same things you do. You are not the only one fighting. Anything that you find full of despair and hopelessness, I promise, there are smart people with good ideas working on it. Take comfort from their presence. If you have space to do more, try to find them for the thing that's close to your heart.

I want better for us. And I know I am not alone. Neither are you. I promise. Neither are you.

[3fingersofscotch]

Like a Party Favor

Like a Party Favor

Pairing: M/M/M/M/F Sylus x Zayne x Rafayel x Xavier x Afab Reader

Summary: In what scenario does MC get passed around like a party favor? This one!

WARNINGS: 18+ mdni!! GANGBANG, word porn with just enough plot to make your brain happy, double penetration, vaginal and anal sex, rough face fucking, rough cunniligus, creampies, tons of cum, like... tons, reverse harem, butt plugs, multiple partners, multiple positions, actual funny parts, gratuitous self pleasing smut.

Author's note: I started writing this back in August, so obviously some new cards have come out to spoil a couple of things. There is one chapter where Zayne is enjoying a martini. We know know he doesn't drink. Give me a break. This is a WIP. I'm trying to figure out how to fit Caleb in there somewhere.

Ao3- 3fingers_of_scotch

You must ask for permission to repost on other platforms.

I do not give permission for my work to be copied or translated anywhere.

You can’t hide your innermost desires from a man with an aether core in his eye. And this man in particular makes direct, sinister, enrapturing, infuriating eye contact with you as he plunders your body.

Sylus is a far departure from the men you are used to. You shudder at the thought. You’ve struggled with this for a while now. Grandma would be so ashamed if she were still around to find out.

You’ve sampled 4 men in as many weeks. 4 beautiful men with giant hearts and eyes that look at you like you hung the very stars in the sky. And while you let them ravage your body and lose yourself in their arms, in that brief searing moment, love seems so pure and so wholesome.

Then you come down from your high and that feeling is gone—replaced with the guilt of knowing you are nothing but a common, back stabbing whore who can’t pick one good man to give your heart to. You tell yourself that your love is true, that you aren’t a bad person. You don’t believe that lie for a second.

You know Sylus can hear the voice calling from the depths of your mind on occasion. He has heard your heart cry at some point-

Xavier

Rafayel

Zayne

And though he pretends he didn’t hear and that he doesn’t know, you can’t help but notice that those are the sessions that he fucks you the hardest. Those are the days that your orgasm rips through your chest because he fucks you like he paid top dollar to use your body like some common street walker.

‘This has to be grief,’ you tell yourself as you try to distract yourself from the mental and physical pain of losing your family in that explosion.

But if that were the case, grief is still not an excuse for being a bad woman.

Fuck me

He stares at you intently after you dismount the back of his bike and remove the helmet. You were painfully wet. Sylus had teased you all night when bidding became boring and he was certain no one was looking. You could tell he was wound up and ready to pop, especially since he’d taken the hand you had wrapped around his waist and placed it over his half hard erection when you were nearing his compound.

The wet spot you left on his bike was embarrassing. All of this was embarrassing. It is shameful how much you need him. It was disgraceful what your innermost desires confessed to him in the throes of passion.

You wonder why he hasn’t walked away. He continues to comply like your desires aren’t insane. He looks thrilled as he fulfills all of your darkest needs. He hasn’t said no yet. It appears he is also willing to comply tonight.

Fuck me

“In due time, kitten.” His voice is like warm honey in your ear and you tremble as his fingers tease under your skirt and slip into your panties. Sylus pulls your hips back into his clothed erection and you grind against his length, whimpering your want as the pads of his fingertips dig deeper to firmly tease your clit.

 You know you aren’t alone in the compound. Luke and Kieran are lurking somewhere, but you let Sylus rip open your blouse, buttons flying across the living room. His right hand is still playing with your pussy and you know your skirt has ridden all the way up, and the left hand pushed your bra up and over to expose your breasts so he could play with your nipple.

“Luke and Kieran--“ you begin.

“Will stay out of sight if they know what is good for them,” Sylus murmurs in your ear, making you shiver. His fingers sink in past the lips cloaking your entrance, making awkward squelching noises with each pump.

“Look down,” he orders. You comply and see him withdraw his fingers that are glistening with clear, sticky juices. He lifts his fingers to your lips. “Clean the mess you made, kitten.”

He normally likes some sort of resistance. Resisting has turned him on thoroughly in the past, but tonight, you just want to be fucked so bad and this back and forth is making you frustratingly hot.

You lap at his finger just like the stray kitten he imagines that you are and you hear him hiss with approval in your ear.

“Sweetie, when did you become so obedient?” the timber of his voice purrs.

“I won’t stay this way for long if you don’t bend me over soon!” Your frustration amuses him.

His evol envelops your body and lifts you off the ground to bring you upstairs and you feel your own juices tickle as they drip down your thighs uncomfortably.

His compound is too large. By the time you reach his bedroom, you are crying from need and Sylus hates seeing you cry.

“Shh, shhh,” he cooes as he unbuttons his shirt. His evol places you gently on the edge of the bed and you become increasingly frustrated as you try and tug his belt off. It won’t comply.

Sylus grabs your hand and lifts it to place a gentle kiss on the inside of your wrist as his other hand slides a notch on his belt buckle. It releases quickly and you unbutton and unzip his pants, feeling triumphant as the head of his big beautiful cock springs forward from his underwear. The front of his boxer briefs are nearly as wet as you are, and you lean forward to taste the tip of his cock.

It’s salty and bitter and oh so rewarding, especially as he hums his approval, fingers threading into your hair. You desire to be used. To be punished for being such a loose, despicable woman.

Fuck my face

And he does with hands firmly wound in your hair, he holds you in place as he thrusts. You can feel the head of his cock impact the back of your throat and that just won’t do. He clucks with disapproval, before repositioning you so that your throat lines up straight with is thrusts. You’ve practiced this before. Several times in fact, he has read your desires and given you exactly what you are too afraid to say aloud.

Today, the head of his cock enters the column of your throat, stretching out your esophagus. You clutch at his muscular thighs as you feel tears sting your eyes. He thrusts a few times, before abruptly withdrawing and throwing you back on the bed.

“I’m not ready to cum yet,” He growls and his right eye glows red. Your bra and panties are ripped off, but he leaves your skirt bunched up around your waist. 

Punish me

“How?” He asks as he kicks off his pants. You aren’t quite sure you even know yourself. But he always come up with an answer and you find yourself on your hands and knees in front of him. He sinks two fingers deep past the heat of your thighs and without warning, roughly finger fucks you, causing you to cry out blissfully.

This felt more like a reward than punishment and you want to be mad, but he is already making you cum and it catches both of you by surprise as you cry out and your inner walls clamp down around his fingers.

“Sylus! Ooh, Sylus!” He doesn’t need you to announce your orgasm because it won’t stop him. His fingers continue their plunder as his other hand caresses the smoothness of your ass cheek. You are screaming at this point, but the firm grasp he has of your ass is not lost on you. He squeezes roughly and as your second orgasm ripples through your body, his hand withdraws from your ass cheek and you are given a firm, stinging smack.

He’s never spanked you before, so he waits for you to protest before he dares to try again.

You love it. It only makes your orgasm more powerful and your cries only reflect pleasure.

“Hmm, this is interesting. Does the bad kitten need another spanking?” he asks. You can hear the amusement in his voice and although it annoys you, you also feel a wave of relief at the lack of disgust you were worried he’d feel.

You nod wordlessly in response and feel the crack as his palm smacks your ass with more force.

“Ooh!” You cry. Words are useless at this point and you quiver as you feel the bed dip behind you as Sylus climbs up, lining his cock with the entrance of your core and sinks in, filling you deeper than his fingers did. You moan as he gives you all of him and sighs your name under his breath.

He enjoys the feeling of your moist heat swallowing him for a moment before he moves, plunging violently deep within you.

Deeper and deeper and deeper. He’d crawl into you if he could, you were sure of it. The others could be too gentle when all you wanted was to be used. An endless stream of moans, curses and his name tumbles from your lips.

Punish me

Oh God, why is he reading you again right now? You were going to start thinking of the foulest, dirtiest things soon.

Sylus’ hand smacks your ass once more and you practically buck crying out sharply. That one was sure to leave a red welt. You want that and more and his cock feels so good and you feel so naughty.

“Slut.” Yes, you are his little slut. Your body was made to be wrapped around his, you are certain of it. His hand slaps your other ass cheek and the sting lingers.

“Oh, God,” you utter as you feel him reach forward and wind his fingers in your hair, using it as a handle as he continues to fuck you from behind. You are so close to cumming and the hair pulling nearly tips you over the edge.

“Does my little slut want me to cum in her tight pussy again?” Oh god, he was close too?

You love cum. You love being filled by cum. You love feeling a cock throb inside you as it releases rope after rope of cum.

Sylus never bothered to put on a condom. As a matter of fact, he never bothered to ask you if you were on birth control. You don’t think he really even cares. But every time he cums in you, he asks you for permission and its hot knowing that your pussy is good enough for his release.

Cum in my ass.

“Fuck!” Sylus bucks like he can’t believe what he just heard and you feel him coming completely undone, trembling and shaking as his cock throbs in you. He grips your hips, holding you flush against him, burying himself as far as possible and you are certain this is the longest he’s ever cum as you feel his body twitch and jerk against you.

“That was so fucking hot,” He murmurs as he rolls you onto your back. He kisses you the same as he always does when you are done. Deep, like he wants to say something that words can never convey. He leaves you, digging around a drawer in his room somewhere, but you can’t see because you are still trying to catch your breath. Despite not finishing, you are happy, ready to clean up and let sleep take you.

He returns, a lecherous grin you’ve never seen plastered on his face with a tube and a towel in his hand.

“Is that really where you want me to put it, kitten?”

Fuck, suddenly you remember that your inner most desire told him something you weren’t ready to reveal.

Sylus puts that nonsense to bed, silencing the protest you are about to utter with his lips. You feel the growing need as hope blooms in your chest. His lips taste the column of your neck and you realize that he is rock hard as his still wet erection rubs against your navel.

You want to touch him everywhere and he lets you as he continues to taste your chest. Your fingers grasp at his hair when you feel a lubed finger circle your asshole. Your cheeks burn bright red as he meets your gaze.

“Princess, you have to tell me. Is this what you want?” His voice is dripping with desire you didn’t know he’d hidden from you.

You can’t trust your voice, so you shyly nod and you feel his finger push in. You wince at the discomfort and he studies your face, pressing soft kisses to your temple to distract you and he pumps slowly, in and out until you nod that he can go faster. Whatever pain from initial entry subsided after a moment and you were ready for another.

You still can’t talk, so you nod once more and Sylus understands, grabbing the tube of lube and diligently applying more to his fingers before entering.

You can feel how hungry he is as his lips swallow yours. You try to match his enthusiasm, but his fingers scissoring and stretching you out distract you. He is diligent and gentle until he is not, needily nibbling at your ear and hungrily squeezing your body against his.

“Fuck, kitten, I need to be inside you so bad,” Sylus rocks his hips, grinding his erection against you. You can feel his leaking need.

“I’m ready,” you tell him. Honestly you aren’t sure, but you’ve never heard his voice drip with this much desperation. He withdraws his fingers and applies a generous amount of lube to his cock before rolling you onto your stomach.

“I’m sorry sweetie. This will probably hurt,” He whispers as he enters.

Despite Sylus’ diligent prep, it is searing. You feel the head of his cock ‘pop’ past the ring of your entrance and the pain is astounding. You buck and cry out as Sylus pins you down.

“Fuck!” Tears roll down your cheek and onto the mattress beneath you. “Fuck, Sylus!” You don’t think you can take it. His cock is so very huge and you are so very small.

“Shh,” he soothes and you hate him for it. “It will only hurt for a little while. Trust me.”

Sylus doesn’t press further and you focus on your breathing. It still hurts, but you think you can handle more.

“More,” you tell him and he obliges, sinking further into you as you continue to take deep breaths. It still hurts, but not as much as it did initially and you realize he is fully seated. He doesn’t move and you continue to focus on your breathing.

“Okay, Sylus. I’m okay.” Your voice is shaky and you are sure it betrayed you, but Sylus takes you at your word and gentle thrusts in slow shallow motions that are searing. You bite your lip, enduring the pain when you notice that suddenly, it doesn't hurt. As a matter of fact, it is starting to feel good.

It’s not long before your tepid breath becomes pleasurable moans and you feel Sylus huff in amusement against your shoulder.

“You like it, kitten?”

“Mmhmm, oh Sylus! Yes!” And that was all he needed to rear back and pound into your tiny body. Every bone and muscle in your body reverberates with each clap of his hips against your ass as you feel yourself sinking further and further into the mattress beneath you. You are swimming in a pool of sweat and your own desires and Sylus is unrelenting, encouraged by your screams of bliss.

“Fuck, your little asshole is so tight,” Sylus mutters and you can tell he is fighting a losing battle from the pitch of his voice. You can’t see him, but you imagine he is beautiful as he pounds you with abandon, glistening with the sweat you can smell all around you. His hand snakes its way under your torso and between your legs, teasing your clit deliciously.

“Sylus, mmm! Oh! Sylus, I’m gonna-“

“Me too," the way his moaning becomes more fevered as his breath becomes shallow confirms it.

"Cum for me, kitten!” You vision goes white hot. You are throbbing from multiple places. Sylus grunts are drowned out by your cries of pleasure and you feel him filling you up so nicely.

Sylus chuckles when he hears you whimper as he pulls out and pulls you into his arms. He places gentle kisses on your temple, like he wasn’t just balls deep in your asshole seconds ago.

“Thank you,” he whispers, gently running his fingers through your hair.

“For what?” You know the answer, but you want to hear him say it.

“Your first time. It’s a big deal. Thank you for choosing me.” Sylus picks you up with his Evol and takes you to his shower. His aftercare is like a routine at this point and doesn’t surprise you.

What does surprise you though is the hour under steaming hot jets where he persistently showers your body in doting kisses until you feel the temperature drop and know that the hot water is about to run out.

You feel guilty and undeserving once more as he pulls you into his chest and rapidly falls asleep. He always does when you are around, despite your opposite sleep schedules. But your body is exhausted and sleep claims you as you ponder what to do to get out of your predicament without hurting four men you care about deeply.

The only thing there to wake you in the morning was the glimmer of sun peeking through the dark curtains in Sylus’ room. You plug in the cellphone that you realize you never charged the previous night and head down to the kitchen to see if Sylus’ chef can whip something up for you. It isn’t until you are completely down the stairs that you realize that Sylus is talking to the three people you’ve been avoiding since you went into hiding at the N109 zone.

You hear Zayne, Rafayel and Xavier call out after you as you turn and run as fast as you can out the front door.

Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 are already uploaded on my Ao3.

You must ask for permission to repost on other platforms.

I do not give permission for my work to be copied or translated anywhere.

[moody-sunset]

A Poppy Playtime "Save Everyone" Au

Chapter Selection

Prologue

-

A thick heavy air lays itself across the room. The warm light buzzing faintly from a nearby stove lamp only manages to lay strange shadows of darkness against deeper darkness. It is there she sits in a worn-down old kitchen chair.

Tick tick tick

An old clock clicks away at the seconds. Her hands tap lightly on the oak table, her throat swallowing thickly as she tries to stop her slightly shaking.

‘Am I really doing this?’ she asks herself. Her eyes turn to the bag she packed with nothing but essentials. Food, water, medicine. She almost felt over-prepared for the one night out, but the worries of what could happen were what had driven her to the frantic packing in the first place. Perhaps it was only for her own peace of mind, but she wouldn't be leaving without it.

“I am…I'm doing this” she speaks to herself as she steadies her nerves. Only a bit longer and she'd leave. She just had one thing left to do. She finally reaches out, hands messing with the buttons on a dust-covered camera.

Click

“Is…is this thing on?” Her voice echoes against the slight whirring of the old machine. She stares intently at it, a deep sigh leaving her when she realizes it is, indeed, on.

“Good. It's been years since I've had to work with one of these” she sits further back against her chair, though her posture remains as stiff as a board, eyes holding the gleam of something wrong.

“I uh, I guess I should keep this quick. My name is Eliza Sun. Eleven years ago I was hired at Playcare. Eleven fucking years” she mutters the last part to herself, hesitating a moment before she continues.

“I saw things there- things I shouldn't have. The kids…god” she's hardly able to speak through a shaky breath.

“I don't know what they were doing there, but I sure as hell know blood when I see it. And all I could think about at the time were the missing kids and- and I hope to whatever's out there that my assumption was wrong but…but what else was there to think?” She holds her head in her hands for a long, long moment. Trying to find some sense of calm. She only manages a distant numbness.

“They threatened me when I left” she mutters through her hands, soon reaching to grip onto her hair.

“Threatened my life, my friends, my family. I'm sure that if I hadn't had so many connections both in and out of the facility they would have just killed me. I was young myself, hardly halfway into my twenties and just…scared out of my damn mind. I was so worried about what they'd do to everything I cared about- I couldn't risk pushing it. So I-…I did nothing” she pauses a moment, the reality of that fact only truly sinking in as she spoke it. Her face wrinkles into a mix of rage and devastation, a pressure behind her eyes threatening tears.

“The guilt doesn't leave, it never has. Something like that doesn't just leave you!” she fails the fight to hold her tears back and they begin flooding down her rage-written features.

“All I think about is what might have happened to those kids. What I could have done, what I didn't do” she finally turns to look back into the camera, her rage soon replacing itself with something darker.

“It's ruined me” her words are spoken through gritted teeth and harsh breaths.

“But now…” her face softens and her voice quiets.

“Now I have nothing left to lose” her voice cracks despite the determination that now gleams in her eyes.

“Everything I’ve ever loved is gone. All that's left is that place…that guilt” she takes a deep breath and tries to wash away the emotions that plague her every movement, instead trying to find a line of focus.

“So I'm going back. Whatever answers I'm looking for have to be there. I'm not sure what they'll be, hell-” she lets out a desperate laugh.

“They probably got rid of everything!” She seems almost manic momentarily before forcing herself to dial it back down.

“But it's the only place I'll find out and I…I have to know. I have to do what I should have done years ago” she grows quiet again, hugging herself in some vain attempt at comfort.

“I might die tonight, but I don’t think that matters to me anymore” her tone didn't portray any amount of fear in those words, only resignation.

“I just hope I’m wrong” she reaches for the camera, shutting it off with a simple click. The only sound left is the buzzing and the never-ending.

tick tick tick tick tick tick

Next Chapter ->

[the-kr8tor]

I have several things for you and bc I like what our chefs cook up-I'm using the ask button.

Princess Jasmine was my favorite disney princess as a kid. I saw the latest ad for a jewlery company (that completely botched the inspired design) and was reminded of my pookie. I told @hyperfix-wip and she sent me an unfinished project called the Princess and the Cobbler. So now I want a princess r who's down bad for "street rat" Hobart or prince Hobart with vendor r. I'm also not opposed to Ekko in this au 🫣.

Like imagine r doesn't want to get married and is very radical in her views. Hobie witnesses this firsthand in a scene like Jasmine's "I am not a prize to be won!" Obviously my favorite aspect of the story is learning to be true to yourself so Hobie slowly realizing the princess isn't snobby and pretentious is ✨️👌

A genie r would be pretty cool too. I would imagine the scenario is Hobie treats r like a person and not an indentured servant. Then he loses the lamp to a baddie (not the good kind) and has to save her and that's how r ends up free from the lamp.

On that note I know we're jumping on the Ekko and Hobie train so... princess r x genie Ekko x thief Hobie?

Also...faries✨️? I'm getting bombarded with my childhood. Pirate Hobie with fairy r as his little spy lol.

Summer fairy Hobart with Winter fairy r? The forbidden romance? Wings shimmering when they get close bc they're soulmates? His talent would definitely be tinkering or music. Omg Hobie serenading r while they're on opposite sides of the border 😭. This could work so many ways fhfjdjjdkd!!

My pookies are cooking up so many good things lately we're all getting fed good!!!

Gasp i loved jasmine! She's my third fave next to belle and ariel! Lol was it pandora? I saw those designs and some of them were hit and miss 😂

GAHHHH THEY'RE ALL SO GOOD!!!!! Especially the genie one 👀👀👀 like imagine the angst potential--- i mean fluffy potential hehehe like here's hobie who was never granted anything for a better life but just wanted to simply live and not survive on scraps and then here's r who could grant him anything he ever wanted and more. R would expect him to be like the previous owners of the lamp and be greedy and wish for the same things but Hobie's wishes don't just help himself but everyone who needs it too 🥹 and they just don't form the usual relationship r is used to but they actually become friends and r always looks forward to his wishes

THE SHIP WE CANNOT ESCAPE FROM THE SHIP (i love it tho) OWNSKWKDKE U KNOW I LOVE ME SOME FAIRY AU!!! Like it's from the same universe from Tinkerbell where they have their affinities and hobie and ekko aren't bound by one talent but is doing it all to the disdain of everyone else except for r

The forbidden love one 😵‍💫😵‍💫🥴

[kelpweedkelpweedingkelpweeds]

Ok, so I think I'm slightly ready to talk about the comic (really I'm not but my brain has been thinking about them for an hour straight I have to let some of it out) This comic answered a hundred questions in my head and in the process produced a thousand more to replace them. The exploration of hyuna's thoughts as she was dying, it's so wonderfully complex and exactly what I expected out of vivinos.

Hyuna's feelings towards Luka is less so "I want to hate you, but I can't", rather it's "I hate you, you caused me so much pain and yet at the same time I pity the things that caused you to do this to me and I still care about you". A popular opinion is that as Hyuna spun Luka around her intent was revenge, and my 2 cents on it is that yes payback was part of it, but her kneejerk reaction was to save him.

There's still no official confirmation for Luka's role in Hyunwoo's death but he holds a major part in it. Hyuna cared deeply for her brother; it's no wonder she would hold bitter feelings towards someone who caused her to lose someone she loved. Hyuna knew that Luka loved her more than himself; she knew that she was the only person whose death would make him feel anything, not even his own. So she let herself get shot, made him lose the one person who ever made him feel human, made him feel the human grief of watching someone you care about sacrifice themselves, made him understand how the other performers on stage felt as they watched their friends die in front of them. This was her revenge, letting him feel the same pain she did, the same pain he inflicted on so many others on stage.

But at the same time, Hyuna isn't cruel. Her character is about love, love for humanity and the hope for freedom. As she heard that bullet fired, her first thought wasn't to make him suffer, it was to protect him. That she didn't want to see him die. Because watching him bleed out would cause her so, so much pain. It could be considered selfish, as she is the head of the resistance and he is the alien overlord's favourite pet, the person symbolizing the thing she swears destroy and never return to. But for someone who loves the world so selflessly, her love for Luka is and always has been selfish, and so is her resentment. He is her only weakness, the only person she would sacrifice her life for to teach the meaning of loss and pain.

She tells him that she leaves a puzzle for him to solve, which can be interpreted as figuring out human emotions for the first time. She understands him well enough to know that it will work, for he loves her more than anything else and loves her enough to at least try and move on like she wishes him to. Perhaps he may never find the answer, perhaps he might die before he has the opportunity to, but Hyuna knows he will try desperately, that perhaps in the process he could be given the chance to be human, as he deserved to.

She didn't let herself get shot for the satisfaction of watching him cry for the first time, she died because she loved him and wanted him to come to understand grief and gain the ability to move on, things that he was deprived of since his birth. She never forgave herself or Luka over what happened, but she wanted him to learn to forgive himself, so that maybe he could do what she couldn't. She knew she didn't have to ask him for forgiveness; his love for her poured out of him like water, he could never hate her for the selfish thing she did. So maybe Hyuna died with bitterness lingering towards him for what he did, but ultimately she came to peace with the fact that she loved Luka, that she would die for him, that only he could bring her back to the damned alien stage as her burial ground.

Y'all I nearly cried writing this, can I PLEASE do a self indulgent post next about how pure Luka's love towards Hyuna is I DONT WANT TO DEAL WITH THE COMPLEXITIES OF HUMAN EMOTION IM BARELY HANGING TOGETHER RIGHT NOW

Here have a stupid lil image of them (sorry Hyuna isn't coloured in I know it's really bad but when all you can think about is how tragic they are all I want to do is draw them happy for the rest of eternity)

[ziipzeepzop-eez]

Ooooo, juicy.

1. What are 4 tabs that you have open on your browser right now?

A c.ai chatroom [¬‿¬], the definition of self-actualization, this specific Tumblr page, and emojicombos.com.

2. Have you ever thought about seriously harming someone?

Yes. What's worse, they're all my blood-related family.

3. How are you feeling emotionally right now?

Excited! Mostly due to the Monster Energy I'm sipping on AAAAND the Swedish fish I'm munching =') I'm a sugar fiend, I know.

4. What type of place(Like building) are you in right now?       

My home sweet home, a cute little bungalow. 😌

5. Does anyone know your deepest, darkest secret?

God.

6. Have you ever tried to feign mental illness for personal gain?

Nah, they're too real for me to fake. (╥﹏╥)

7. Do you have any enemies?

The devil himself.

8. Do you have any people you only pretend to like?

I used to! But recently, I've been working really hard at being more upfront about my boundaries and cutting toxicity out of my life. & I don't know many people in the first place soooo . . . 🤷🏾‍♀🥲

9. What is one item that you never let anyone besides yourself look at or in?

My diaries and eyeglasses! (No temporary blindness on my watch!!)

10. Do you have any talents that people say you have but you don’t believe you actually have?

Being very scary/intimidating and therefore influential, personality wise. Is that even a talent? >< sjhdhd. I always thought people only listen because I'm tall. ☠

11. Something you like that other people generally do not like?

Food combos that could classify as pregnancy cravings but I eat them regularly.

12. Are you a Virgin?  

Yes!

13. Is there anyone that your grandma would hate that you are subscribed to on youtube?

I actually used to watch my YouTube channel with my grandma allll the time! She was bed bound so to entertain her if I was busy, I'd just put it on the TV & when I wasn't, we both watched together!! ^^ If I had to say tho, maybe DashieGames ☠ I love him but she'd probably hark on mountless scoldings and harrumphs due to his loud nature and all the swearing lmaoooo.

14. Introvert or extrovert?

Introvert unless I'm feeling energetic! ^^

15. What is the most used application on your device?

Instagram, I think!

16. How much fan fiction have you actually read?

Too much to count. 🫡 Been a player in the game since circa 2012 (I think).

17. Worst Fears?

Not healing in the way I actively am and retaining too much of my people-pleasing tendencies, not making it into Heaven, losing myself, getting hunted/mauled by a wild animal, and sewer rats.

18. Biggest mistake you’ve ever made?

Living Staying silent when I should have spoken. This applies ever since childhood! We're getting better, tho <3

19. Worst lie you’ve ever told?

Uhhh.. that is between me and the Lord! Only He could heal and forgive me for them too 😭☝🏼. But it had to do during a very dark time in my life, not very cash money at all. I said I was fine and I was very, very much not. We good now tho fam. 🫡 Trust.

20. Do you consider yourself a trustworthy person?

I try to be. But so far, yes. ( ◜‿◝ )♡

“I have nothing to hide” Asks

(For those daring enough to reblog)

1. What are 4 tabs that you have open on your browser right now?

2. Have you ever thought about seriously harming someone?

3. How are you feeling emotionally right now?   

4. What type of place(Like building) are you in right now?       

5. Does anyone know your deepest, darkest secret?

6. Have you ever tried to feign mental illness for personal gain?

7. Do you have any enemies?

8. Do you have any people you only pretend to like?

9. What is one item that you never let anyone besides yourself look at or in?

10. Do you have any talents that people say you have but you don’t believe you actually have?

11. Something you like that other people generally do not like?

12. Are you a Virgin?  

13. Is there anyone that your grandma would hate that you are subscribed to on youtube?

14. Introvert or extrovert?

15. What is the most used application on your device?

16. How much fan fiction have you actually read?

17. Worst Fears?

18. Biggest mistake you’ve ever made?

19. Worst lie you’ve ever told?

20. Do you consider yourself a trustworthy person?

[hathorneheiress]

Dangerous woman.

After a chaotic dinner with the Hawthornes, Lyra was ready to retire to her room for the night. It wasn't the that disliked her boyfriend's odd family, quite the opposite. But she had listened to enough riddles and weird cryptic talk to last her for a long time.

Sighing, she closed the door to her luxurious bedroom. Letting her lose, she slipped into a dark blue silk nightgown, it's neckline coming dangerously low. Good thing no one would be seeing her in this state.

A talented dancer, Lyra enjoyed listening to music often. Even though it wasn't her own room, the Hawthornes had allowed her to rearrange and add anything to it like it was. And one of those things was her own old record player with records.

She pulled one that held many different songs in one. "Demons" by Imagine Dragons came blasting through in no time.

What a fitting song, as everyone had demons, some more than others, she thought as she slowly walked toward the window. The full moon was out, and she wanted to admire it before bed.

As she glanced out the window, she caught sight of her boyfriend swimming in the crystal blue water below.

Grayson Hawthorne, grandson of the late, but by no means missed Tobias Hawthorne, not only was he one of the most beautiful men on the planet, but he was also her boyfriend, though Lyra still couldn't believe it was true.

They had been dating for a little over a year, but there was still so much more she still didn't know about him. Though if there was one thing she did know, was that he was still the biggest, but lovable asshole ever to live.

His pace never changed as she watched him. It was at that exact moment that the music changed. "Dangerous woman" came blaring through the room.

Don't need permission, made my decision to test my limits

Lyra let the words sink into her. Both her and Grayson had made decisions that not everyone would have approved of. But they didn't need anyone's permission either. They were grown adults, and they had pushed each other to the limits to many times to count.

I'm locked and loaded, completely focused, my mind is open.

All that you got, skin to skin, oh my God Don't you stop, boy.

Lyra's skin began to crawl as her face flushed with embarrassment. It wasn't hard to let the thoughts that she had controlled for so long come rushing out. How could watching her boyfriend swim feel so enchanting?

She didn't want him to stop as he swam with a grace like no other. Oh, those strong, powerful arms as they stroked the water like it was nothing. How many times had she imagined him wrapping them around her?! Holding her close and telling her she's his.

Somethin' 'bout you Makes me feel like a dangerous woman Somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout Somethin' 'bout you Makes me wanna do things that I shouldn't Somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout

Lyra never had considered herself dangerous. Ruthless, sassy, and not afraid to say her thoughts? Definitely.

Nothin' to prove and I'm bulletproof and Know what I'm doing.

If only that true. When Lyra first met Grayson she had every reason to prove to him. That she was strong, better then him, that could beat him in anything. Both wore layers of bulletproof masks to protect themselves. But it became evident that both didn't know what they were doing and they were willing to become alley's and then that became more.

Now, with him by her side, she didn't have to prove herself. She was enough. He was enough.

Oh, yeah Somethin' 'bout you Makes me feel like a dangerous woman.

But man, music sure had a way of opening channels in your brain you never knew existed.

Maybe she should imagine everything she knew hadn't happened yet. All those sweet moments she envisioned but never thought possible.

Just then, Grayson came out of the pool.

You know how I'm feeling inside (somethin' 'bout, somethin' 'bout)

If only he did. They way his long, muscular, powerfully built legs came striding out of the pool. The water dancing around them, highlighting every vein. The way he elegantly shook his mane of thick blond hair. The way the water flew off. Just like out of a movie.

All girls wanna be like that.

Surely all girls have wanted this moment to happen to them. Watching this enchanting event happening before them, only wishing he knew that you were watching.

As if Fate decided to take hold of her predicament, Grayson looked up from where he was standing.

Well shit

Lyra's breath hitched in her throat. She couldn't run, not now. Not with him looking at her like that. And then he did something she had never seen before.

The bastard smiled at her.

(Yeah, there's somethin' 'bout you, boy)

Not a small smile. No, it was slow, sly. Almost coy even. For a brief moment she wondered if Jameson had switched into Grayson's body. But that was not the case.

Dammit.

Yup, she was doomed.

Tagging @lyrakanefanatic @ria-lina @goldi-1-graysons-version @i-too-enjoy-blog @riddles-n-games @reminiscentreader @cocomowgy

[midnightdevotion]

Not Real (1)

Hi Guys!! I mentioned writing this fic back in august??? anyways sorry for taking so long. I'm trying to have more balance with my creative hobbies and do them more regularly.

Description: Hangman, ever elusive and avoiding commitment finally finds the one. Except she doesn't think love is real anymore. Part 1

Warnings: Depression, Reader loses themselves, Slow burn, and I do use y/n so sue me ig

Pairing: Jake Seresin x female Reader

Readers POV

It's an uncharacteristically rainy day in Southern California. You heave a small sigh at the ever lasting grey clouds. To be completely honest, your life has felt like an everlasting grey cloud recently.

Heart broken one too many times, seemed to take the color out of life. You were someone who looked at fuzzy bumble bee's and grinned. Who felt the wind blow against her skin and let it relax any tension.

Now it was like nothing but grey existed in your mind. You didn't know how to escape the hallow shell you have turned into. It felt like the person you were is so far gone and yet you still vividly remember every thing. Every thing you loved about the version of you, you just can't seem to reach any more.

The easy laughter no longer came, the yellow sunshine your personality was described as now ashes and dull. The worst part of all of it was nobody noticed.

Nobody put together how your entire world was ripped away and nobody saw how it changed you. How you could barely get through the day, crawling back into bed as soon as you get home.

These endless grey days lasted months. A good thing would happen, you got a raise, and cried to yourself later that night. It was good, why didn't anything feel good, why didn't you feel like enough anymore.

------

You could feel the change, not sure when it happened but it felt like it was so slow and then all at once. One day you couldn't imagine being happy ever again, and suddenly, one day you had your spark back.

You'd never wish on your worst enemy the 8 months you had just lived through, the thoughts that haunted you now just painful memories you can push to the side and leave behind.

You found friends you genuinely feel happy to know. Who have your back in every scenario. It started with meeting Phoenix, or rather Natasha. You first met Natasha after forcing yourself to go to the gym regularly. Hoping the endorphins that release from exercise would help your depression.

In ways they did, like the butterfly effect. You went to the gym, every day for a week and Natasha noticed. She noticed the empty eyes, and came up to you one afternoon. She introduced herself and asked if you wanted to be friends, In her exact words

"I'm sorry if this sounds weird but I work with all dudes and I genuinely need someone to talk to that doesn't rage testosterone, soooo brunch Sunday?"

And it sparked a real laugh out of you, a sound that use to be so common to you now unfamiliar to your own ears.

It's been six months since then, you and Phoenix have grow very close, She has introduces you to a few of her coworkers 'the safe few' she has dubbed them.

It was a usual Thursday night for you when you get a call from her, asking you to come to the hard deck. Which is unusual for her, she usually liked to keep her aviator life separate from her friendship with you.

It didn't bother you, her reasoning of pilots are assholes and your aversion to getting hurt again made it pretty straight forward to take her word for it.

So when you pulled up to the parking lot of the infamous bar she frequents with her navy friends. It feels a little like going into the lions den.

You roll you shoulders and sigh. An old version of you tickling the back of your mind that this is what you should be doing when you're young and single. Not moping because your heart got shattered beyond repair. Or so you believed anyways.

The loud ambiance of the bar was startling slightly, for a Thursday night the bar is packed. A sea of never ending khaki it takes you a few minutes to find your friend.

"y/n!" Rooster calls, one of the few 'safe friends' you have met. He has always been nice to you, and in fact regularly joins your girls nights.

"Hi rooster" you grin at the mustached golden retriever. Giving him a side hug, trying not to feel intimidated by the eyes on you. "nobody told me khaki was the move tonight" you laughed

Rooster shook his head grinning. "I know, it's bad isn't it" and okay it definitely isn't the look for some, but you will definitely attest that rooster and every in this area seems to pull them off well.

"oof" a grunt leaves your lips as you are suddenly hugged from the side, a slightly taller brunette almost taking you down with her on impact.

"Nat what on earth" you laugh.

"I-II knew you would c-come!" She slurred her words and her eyes looked at you unfocused. You furrow your brow and help balance her.

"uh phoenix why did you ask me to come? do you need a ride home?" there was a small part of you that was hoping she would say yes and you could leave the loud crowd, especially feeling like a sore thumb being one of the very few people in denim shorts and a tank top.

"No- No, si-silly. Hangman here said I didn't have any friends, so I bet him I did and that you would come here and prove it." you laughed because Natasha was always betting on things, especially when she gets tipsy. "he owes me fifty bucks now" she grins

"HANGMAN!!" you wince as she shouts in your left ear. You hear a slow drawl that sounds like he's somewhere from the south in reply.

"Yea yea Phe, I will get you cash tomorrow" You turn your head and notice the tall blonde man leaning against the wall. Clearly watching this whole interaction. He gives you a wide grin, one you can tell right away means he gets what he wants and has no problem breaking hearts.

"what I can't figure out is why phoenix has been hiding you all this time" his eyebrow raises when he notice you grimace, his clear attempt to be charming not impressing you.

"probably cause pilots are assholes" is your albeit maybe a little to monotoned reply. It's not that you wanted to be mean. You just had to shut down any attempt at flirting. You don't think any version of your heart could ever love again.

What you didn't expect was for him to cock his head a small smile playing on his lips.

"well Phoenix has always been smart that way" not offended that you basically called him and half the people in this bar an asshole. "I'm Jake though, or as you heard earlier, hangman"

You just nod, finally getting introductions to the rest of the group. Excluding bob and rooster, the only other pilots you had been introduced too.

Despite only being called upon to win fifty dollars (which phoenix is buying brunch for on Sunday) You found yourself enjoying the company and getting to know the people Phoenix spent most of her time with. Finally putting names to faces she has definitely complained about.

At a certain point rooster goes up to the piano, something you had heard he does before coming tonight. You exited the bar for a few minutes to breathe. Thinking about the past and how the old you would be relishing in the socialization, singing along with rooster and the others, no worried and unbroken.

"Penny for your thoughts?" you startle looking to the left and seeing hangman leaning against the wall to the bar.

"Trust me you don't want to spend a penny on those" you laugh, but it feels a little hallow.

"why not, I already spent fifty bucks to prove you existed" that laugh comes a little easier.

"why'd you do that by the way?" you question. he had to have known you were real.

"honestly because phoenix talks about you a lot, and rooster and bob started mentioning you and I was curious"

"curiosity cost the cat fifty dollars apparently" you throw a grin at him, walking out to the sand kicking your sandals to the side to feel the coldness of the sand touch your skin. You weren't surprised when he followed, you kind of expected it.

"it sure did... but I have a gut feeling it was the best money I've every spent" It makes something old and dead flutter inside you, and it scares the shit out of you.

"I don't know you ever spend fifty bucks on pizza when it's just you? cause that's some pretty good self care to me" you can't tell how he takes your evasion of his comment.

"that's pretty good too, but my gut feelings are usually right." in the past maybe heat would've rushed to your cheeks at his comment. Now though, fear rushed to your heart. You turned to look at him. No response on the tip of your tongue, and you were scared how awkward this interaction was going to get.

"well goodnight Darling, hope I see you again soon" and he smiled at you, then turned and walked to his truck. You watched as he pulled out of the parking lot, until his taillights faded. You headed back into the bar to say your goodbyes.

Later that night as you crawled into bed, mind blazing over everything that happened unexpectedly and knowing you'll be in for a tired tomorrow.

You couldn't get the thought of a certain blue eyed pilot out of you mind.

----

Jakes POV

He'd been hearing stories about you for months, Funny, sarcastic, kind, caring, every thing you could imagine in form of stories for months. At first he thought nothing of it, Phoenix having a girl friend is probably good when she deals with him everyday.

Then Bob started talking about you and funny stories with you and Phoenix. Then Rooster added into the group. It was safe to say Jake was feeling severe FOMO.

He had a plan. Get phoenix tipsy and she's pretty suggestible to anything, especially betting. So yes he planned on getting you to the bar, shamelessly flirting with Phoenix's friend and annoying Natasha the next day.

The universe had other plans, because when Jake laid eyes on you, it was like a spotlight was shining on you, he couldn't see anyone else. The bitter rage he felt at roosters hand on your side when you gave him a sheepish hug, burned hot.

So when he hit you with a flirty one liner, and you retorted, usually he wouldn't have given up. He saw it though, in your eyes, the cold dark fear. He became curious, what happened to make you so guarded, and why did he want to solve that so badly?

He sat in that bar and watched you laugh and joke, the smile never really reached your eyes though.

So Jake went home that night, focused on a new goal.

He wants to make you smile-- really smile.

[f1-stuff]

Hey! Do you have any fic recs with style similar to yours or ones that you particularly enjoyed and would recommend, preferably something on the happier side?? Thank youuu!!

Hi! I'm not sure what my 'style' exactly is tbh 😅 altho I've been told I'm the AU/romance author lol. 'Happier' trips me up a little bc I feel like sooo many fics lately have been angsty, what with the divorce. But I'll put some below that hopefully fit the bill/ones I've really enjoyed recently! (also here is a general fic rec list from a couple years ago now, so for the sake of variation, I won't repeat any from there, but they're all great!)

internal mechanics by venerat - Carlos has a crush on Lando's friend Charles, who goes to his gym and is in his jogging group (it is as adorable as it sounds)

last night by venerat - (basically anything by venerat lol), 18yo Charles, ahead of his freshman year, 'loses his virginity' to Pierre's NYU roommate, Carlos

head over heels by betzykielberg - charlos rival lawyers AU series, Carlos refuses to sleep with Charles bc he only sleeps with people he's in love with (cue copious sexual tension and Charles trying to move on bc wth kind of kink is that, but he can't!!)

(sharpen your teeth) sink into me by antspaul - Charles & Carlos keep having bad sex (or is it?) and, for some reason, Charles won't stop coming back to try again. Funny and pretty lighthearted, tho there's some feelings/angst involved

i know the end by aplacetorestmyfics - Charles is trapped in a timeloop of the Abu Dhabi GP, not exactly 'happy' but it's so good I can't not rec it, and it ends in a happy place

never got that ferrari by iiiOpheliaiii - another one that's so good I can't not rec it, Charles misses Carlos now that they're no longer teammates but it takes the two of them a while to figure it out, angsty! but so satisfying

a bad recompense for your love by steviethenarwhal - non-driver!Carlos AU, they meet when Charles is on vacation and start up a casual relationship that is really Not casual! This one is a little angsty, but it ends happy!

The Sicilian Defense by nottonyharrison - if you're blindfolded and a dude goes down on you, is that gay? Carlos doesn't really think so and this shakes the foundation of Charles' world lmao

[30somethingautisticteacher]

Fighting for his TK

Following the breakup, Buck gets support and advice from someone unexpected.

****

Buck had never felt so numb after sex before. Objectively, the sex hadn't been bad—it had been pretty amazing if he was being honest. He and Taylor knew each other's bodies well, falling into an easy, practiced rhythm. Still, as his mind caught up to his body, all he felt was an overwhelming emptiness, a hollow ache where satisfaction should have been.

He felt his breathing begin to quicken as he lay next to Taylor's warm body. This wasn't right. None of it was right. He didn't want this. He tried to focus, tried to center himself, but it felt like he was sinking into quicksand, each panicked breath pulling him deeper.

"Buck?" Taylor asked, concern flooding her voice. "Are you ok?"

"It's—it's all wrong." He stammered, his chest tight with rising panic. "I'm not supposed... not supposed to... you're the wrong TK, Taylor."

Taylor began to rub his back gently. It felt nice, even as he longed to have strong biceps wrapped around him instead.

"So who is he?" Taylor asked quietly.

Buck's jaw dropped at the pronoun. "Wait. How did you...?" he trailed off, his voice barely a whisper.

"I've known since the first time we got together," she said with a shrug. "You were not subtle with the way you flirted with and checked out guys, but I figured if you didn't know, it wasn't my place to point it out."

"I was so blind for so many years. It wasn't even denial—I just never even thought it was an option for me," Buck said, his voice thick with realization.

Taylor nodded supportively.

"His name is Tommy and he's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I thought he was my endgame, my happily ever after, but after six months he just walked away." Buck's voice cracked. "I asked him to move in with me and he got so, so sad and said I was still figuring myself out, and that he was my first but not my last."

"First of all, you have got to stop with the moving in thing," she began exasperatedly. "And secondly, what happened when you chased after him?"

"I—I didn't," Buck said quietly.

Taylor's expression flooded with concern and confusion. "You didn't? Buck, that's crazy. You always fight for what's important to you. It's one of your most endearing qualities. You never give up."

"I was hurt and confused and so caught off guard. I thought he needed space and would come to his senses and reach out to me. I think my friends and family thought so too because they told me not to call him. I think they thought he would contact me once he worked through some of his baggage," Buck said, his voice tinged with regret.

"I've wanted to call him so much," he continued, staring at the ceiling. "But I tried to push it down. I took up baking as a distraction. Every time I wanted to call him, I baked something, and soon I had enough pastries to open up my own bakery."

"You want to know what I think?" Taylor asked, shifting to face him fully.

Buck nodded.

"No offense, but you and Tommy are both idiots. You broke up because you both desperately wanted a future together, and then you've both been too cowardly to try and fix it," she said, her tone gentle despite the harsh words.

Taylor had a point, regardless of how much the truth stung.

"It's been months now. I don't even know how to reach out to him at this point," Buck said, running a hand through his hair.

"Why complicate it? If everything you've told me about him is true, he wants to fix it too and he's just scared. Go to him and ask to talk, and then sit down and be vulnerable with each other," she said, squeezing his shoulder.

"You really think that will work?" Buck asked, hope creeping into his voice.

"Trust me," she said. "And I bet you'll get some mind-blowing make-up sex out of it."

Buck blushed. "Thanks, Taylor."

"Go now, before you lose your nerve," she said, giving him a gentle push.

"O-Ok," Buck stammered, visibly nervous. "I can do this."

"You can," she said firmly, conviction in her voice. "And keep me posted."

"I will," Buck promised, already heading for the door with renewed determination.

A few hours later, Taylor's phone buzzed. She opened it to find a picture of Buck and a gorgeous man snuggled together in bed, both beaming at the camera.

Buck: The idiots are back together.

Taylor: I'm so happy for you. Now don't screw it up again, Buckley.

Buck: I wouldn't dream of it.

And looking at their faces in the photo, how they seemed to fit together so perfectly, Taylor knew he meant it.

[our-queer-experience]

So so so (for context, i'm in latin america) Pride is in june and this is my second year going, right? First time i went very lowkey, since i was new AND im very much not out to my conservative family, and i would die if they saw me in the news. it was lovely, everything went fine, and nobody suspected a thing.

now, this year it feels important, and i want to do something flashy, but i'm not sure what

not helping the matters is that now i know more queer people (yay!), that i met in different contexts/places, and everyone has a different perception of my queerness, and i don't know how i feel about everyone seeing a part of me that they might find, contradictory i guess.

some of them know i'm asexual and aromantic

some of them i've talked with about my aesthetic attraction, and how i find people of all genders very pretty and cool and awsome

nobody knows i'm non-binary, and this one is a bit new and i feel very, vulnerable about it.

and everyone kinda sees me as... idk, i'm very openly sex positive, but also the kind of asexual that is "so, i don't have any attraction ever, but a lot of this is really cool (as in, to me personally), and i really like to learn about things like (for one of many examples) leather and the culture, even if i'm not sure i'll ever have sex", and ANYWAYS, having a good sex ed is IMPORTANT, but i guess people tend to see me as a prude???? for some reason??? maybe??, as an uwu asexual who doesn't know anything about sex

and like, it has gotten some queer friends baffled when we're talking about things, and i'm perfectly capable to hold a conversation about, idk straps for example. And they get all "how do YOU know about that????" ugh is so frustrating. one of those friends was a person who tried to put his penis in the urethral opening of his partner at the time not that long ago btw, and he assumed he knew more about general sex stuff that someone who cares about doing research and staying informed.

THE POINT IS. they are very much not expecting to see me showing much skin. ever. and ok, my usual style of clothing is not very revealing i'll give them that. But i really want to show off at pride y'know? i want to show off my thick and dark body hair, i want to show off my tummy because depression has made me lose a lot of weight, but i'm hoping to get better by june and be able to show the body i was really happy with. i want to show off my curves and big thighs and be proud of being non-binary with the body that i have.

And i want to maybe use something more revealing, because yasmin benoit is so cool, and seeing her leading pride was very important to me.

and i also kinda want something inspired by chappell roan, because i'm not immune to her ok

and i want to be loud about the aroace bit, because it meant the world to me to see others like me last year, and i want to be there for others too.

but i'm also scared, oh so scared of being filmed and recognized by someone dangerous. i'm disabled and young for fucks sake, i can't afford being kicked out or losing support. and, i know i'm not in the usa and that it's getting really really scary up there, but i'm also afraid of what will happen at the event, because my country tends to follow usa's lead, and our president is not exactly the best (a lot of us in latin america had also shit elections this last year lmaon't), and it'll probably be fine but i'm still worried. it'd be safer to go very lowkey and with the usual outfit for going to dangerous protests, but i don't want to have to keep myself lowkey, not when i have a choice.

gods sorry for the rambling, this got away from me huh.

anyways, any advice on anything? honestly even if it's only costume/outfit ideas i'll be happy to see them

id say wear a face mask- its good to do in public anyway- and a hat. borrow some friend’s clothes. if your family cant see your face and isn’t expecting you to wear “revealing” clothes…. you’d probably be fine :) good luck!

[daphwritesworld]

Every possible established couple out of that foursome would be the hottest thing ever, how are you meant to decide which one?! 🥵

Like from your words alone I'd say Reader and Alessia are obviously not the already established couple and are the more shy but eager ones, typically I'd go with Alessia x Leah as the couple because it would make sense since they play for England and I love this duo BUT imagine the way everyone would lose their mind if Alessia x McCabe were together? The shy, gentle and puppy like Lessi with the cocky, argumentative McCabe?! Fuckkkkk

Feel like there would be a lot of edging for a while to get them worked up, get R and Alessia right to where they want them and then when they thinking that's all their getting, they'd overwhelm them with orgasms

I'm picturing Alessia and R being more shy to be shared, clinging to their girlfriends at first while someone else touches them. Unsure what to do with themselves until they turn to each other and start sinking into each other, moaning into each other's mouths tentatively and before they know it they're humping at each other like they're in heat.

So many thoughts

-🧠

SEE YOU GET ME.

i’m always down for a Leah x Lessi pairing….but McCabe x Lessi ??? 🤭 GIRRRLLLLL!!!!!!

i get the feeling the reader & Alessia are good friends on the team. usually doing drills together when needing to team up and leaving their girlfriend to fend for themselves. that’s how it starts— Leah and Katie pairing up out of force tbh. but they quickly stop pouting about being left by their significant others when they realize just how much fun they can have together. Leah and Katie have a competitive friendship at heart, seeing who can do drills faster, better, and god knows what else. they also both seem to get distracted by their hot sexy girlfriend’s about 50 times every practice session. which inevitably leads to them trying to compete in other areas of their lives. it starts small— a passing comment from McCabe about how she had Lessi cumming 4 times after their win. oh and that makes Leah pipe up about how she had reader squirting in her mouth after the 5th orgasm she gave her that same night. and that’s how they start the idea of having a competition….a sex race you could say. they get a months time and whoever can give their girl the most orgasms wins. im talking they’re on their phone texting as soon as the rounds over, “make that 10–8 Williamson” and a nice reply not even 20 minutes later “12-10 eat my dust McCabe 🖕🏻”

that leads to both of their girlfriends growing suspicious. i mean they appreciate all of the orgasms, but every single day?? and the sneaking on their phone every single time after sex?? yeah they’re confused, concerned, and worried their girlfriends have some sex addiction they’ve been keeping under wraps until now. it isn’t until they start confiding in each other at practice that they realize something is definitely up, so they make a plan. i’m thinking they both run off to the locker rooms first— grabbing their girlfriends’ phones before going into a shower stall to investigate. idk where i’ll take it from there but 🤭 it will escalate to the best extent.

but once they’ve worked out the plan and they get into that room? GOOD GOD OL MIGHTY. Lessi and Reader are definitely shy at first. hiding their faces with their hands, not wanting to make any noises so they bite their lips. red rosy cheeks and hesitant hands as they let themselves relax more from their girlfriend’s touches. once they’ve worked up the courage to finally look at each other— the connection is instant. they’re reaching out, holding onto each other for support as they’re being taken apart right next to each other. “Y-You look really pretty, Lessi,” it’s said so softly reader’s not even sure the other girl heard it. oh but she does, and it has Alessia leaning forward so close her breath is fanning against reader’s lips. “So do you,” and her cheeks are turning darker. and before they know it they’re sinking into each other..kissing, moaning, groping each other’s bodies as they’re girlfriends swap places. they don’t even notice at first— too caught up in each other to even realize they’re building orgasms had dwindled down.

anyways i’ll stop myself now before i actually ruin the whole fic 🤣

[ms-demeanor]

For the record, I *DO* have email management strategies and I'm willing to share.

This is for work-specific email in a dedicated application. I use outlook for work but this could apply just as well to thunderbird.

Tip One: Try to make your emails all visible within a single scroll. Depending on your screen size this will be somewhere between seven and twenty emails. If you can see everything it's going to be less overwhelming.

That *does* mean that you first need to work through the big pile and then need to periodically do a reset-to-zero.

Tip Two: Make a million folders and subfolders. At my old job my inbox had subcategories like "order/vendor" info and then sub-sub categories like "invoices from specific vendor" and "tracking from specific vendor." Make as many folders as you need in whatever system seems logical to you. Make subfolders by coworkers, make subfolders by client, make subfolders by subjects. When you've looked at an email but you can't just delete it for some reason, drag it to the appropriate subfolder.

Tip Three: Silence the noise. A huge amount of the email that comes into my inbox requires no action on my part - it's an alert that doesn't need a response, or me being cc'd on a thread that isn't important. When I have email overwhelm the FIRST thing that I do is set a ten minute timer, then go through and remove as many of these "noise" emails as I can in that amount of time. Frequently that's a hundred emails in ten minutes but I'll spend three days not looking at my inbox because it's got hundreds of emails in it. If you can do five or ten minutes a day JUST GETTING RID OF NOISE and nothing else, you're going to have less email paralysis.

Tip Four: Use a heavy hand setting up filtering rules. You know what I never, ever see in my inbox anymore? MFA codes from our office google phone. Everyone is on the mailing list for those codes, the phone number gets used twenty times a day, and the person using the number is almost never me. So they all go into a big folder called "filtered" that I check for important stuff once a week and then empty. Other things that don't bother me because they go into "filtered" right away: notifications that a particular user's switch was disconnected, outage reports for client servers, and about half of the vendor emails that go out to the team. Those come to my inbox because it's good to have me on those mailing lists, but if I don't filter them I won't see the stuff that I should be seeing so I filter filter filter.

I also filter stuff that's important. Emails from the CEO go directly into a folder with the CEO's name so that I don't have to dig for them in my inbox and I can immediately see if a new email was from my grandboss instead of being some tracking information or something like that. Order confirmations from specific vendors get filtered into specific folders. Copies of quotes that I send to clients get filtered into a specific folder. Warranty registration information gets filtered into the warranty registration folder.

Tip Five: Figure out your "I have to do something with this but I'm not sure what and I don't want to lose it" actions. I've got two subfolders and a flag for this - one folder is for things that need to be addressed and are time sensitive, one folder for things that need to be addressed but are NOT time sensitive, and the flag is for things that I need to address but are not ready to leave the inbox (which usually means I need to check with someone to see if it's time sensitive or I need to take an action but it will keep until I've got five or six things to do in that category so I can knock them out at one time). These folders and flags act like a to-do list if your inbox is too full to be a to-do list on its own.

Tip Six: The email inbox teaches the attitude of the knife - chopping off what's incomplete and saying: "Now, it's complete because it's ended here." Set a tolerable upper age limit for your emails. If it has been languishing past that age, you need to delete it or sort it somewhere but it can't keep living in your inbox and making you guilt spiral. Put it in a folder with a non-serious label (mine is called 'Shame Pit') and move on. If it's serious, someone will send you a new email.

"Every day I get emails" but not in the funny ha ha work sucks I know way more in the ADHD horror story this is legitimately causing problems for me at work way.

[littelovelunette]

Hi, can u do Vi x Reader. Where she is Caitlyn’s sister and she went with Vi and Caitlyn to stop Jinx but in the aftermath, Caitlyn abandoned Vi and Reader leaving them heartbroken especially Reader. After that, Vi disappeared too and Reader was crying hard. During 6 months, she became a vigilante (like Deku in MHA). Her hair is pitch dark and her eyes are almost tired but she has been helping the Undercity with finding shelter and food for them but also fighting crimes. During the scene where Isha was going to sacrifice herself, Reader took her place and she was slightly injured. Vi saw her and was shocked and she ranned to her with Caitlyn and they took off her clock and saw it was Reader.

Shadows of the Undercity

This is so big and so detailed, anon, I don't know, if I did well, I dont watch anime, I'm literally just a writer 😭 feel free to request changes and whatsoever I'm just gonna go in a corner and cry-

The air was thick with smoke and the scent of blood. The battle with Jinx had left the Undercity in chaos, buildings crumbling, fires raging in the distance.

The dust had barely settled when Caitlyn turned away from Vi and her sister, her expression unreadable.

"Cait…?" Vi’s voice cracked, but Caitlyn only shook her head.

"I can’t do this," she whispered before walking away, leaving them both behind.

You clenched your fists, your breath ragged.

Watching Caitlyn leave you both, Vi’s heartbreak was evident, but the pain that cut through you was unbearable. Vi was too stunned to speak, and in the aftermath, silence swallowed you both whole.

Days passed, then weeks, and one night, Vi disappeared too—without a word, without a trace.

You actually searched for her at first, desperate to find the only person left who mattered. But you couldn't find her anywhere. Did she not care about you as well?

But as time passed, hope crumbled into dust. Left alone, abandoned by those you loved, you finally hardened.

Grief morphed into determination, and with no family left to turn to, you turned to the Undercity itself.

For six months, you roamed the streets of Zaun, becoming a shadow in the night. Your once-bright eyes dulled with exhaustion, your hair dark as the abyss you lived in.

You fought crime, protected the weak, and found shelter for those who had none. The people whispered your name—some in awe, some in fear. A vigilante born from heartbreak, but still, a protector.

The night was unforgiving. Rain poured down as the distant sounds of battle echoed through the streets.

You stood on the edge of a ruined bridge, watching as Isha—a young girl with nothing left to lose—prepared to throw herself to the enemy, to sacrifice herself to save the few people.

"Don’t do this," your voice was low, weary. You had seen too many lives lost, too many sacrifices made. You refused to let another die tonight.

"I have to," Isha replied, her small frame trembling. "If I don’t, they’ll—"

You didn’t hesitate. In one swift motion, you shoved Isha behind yourself, stepping forward just as the bullet tore through the air.

Pain seared through your side, but you gritted your teeth, standing firm as the enemy fell before your blade.

Everything blurred for a moment. The pain, the rain, the gasps from the people behind you. And then—

"No—NO!" A familiar voice rang out.

Before you could react, strong bandaged arms caught you, steadying you before you collapsed. Vi’s hood was pulled back, and the world seemed to freeze before your almost blurring vision.

Vi’s face hovered above you, blue eyes wide with shock and horror. Caitlyn stood behind her, drenched in rain, lips parted as if words failed her.

"It’s you," Vi whispered, her voice barely above a breath. "You’re alive."

You barely had the strength to glare. "Didn’t seem like you cared."

Vi flinched, guilt flashing across her face. Caitlyn stepped closer, her hands trembling. "We… we thought you—"

"You left me," you spat, voice raw. "Both of you. And now you show up?"

Vi shook her head, her grip tightening. "I never meant to— I was lost, I—"

"Don’t," you cut her off, shoving Vi’s hands away. The exhaustion was catching up, blood seeping through your clothing, but you refused to be weak in front of them. "I don’t need your apologies. I don’t need anything from either of you."

But your body betrayed you. You swayed, legs giving out. Vi caught you again, holding you close as Caitlyn kneeled beside you both.

"Let us help you," Vi murmured, her voice filled with something fragile, something broken.

For the first time in months, you hesitated. You had been alone for so long. You had survived without them. And yet, as Vi held you, something deep inside you ached for the warmth you thought you had lost forever.

Maybe… just this once.

Maybe you didn’t have to be alone anymore.