#i've had that habit forever huh

[marikodraws]

Took another shot at this old old drawing again :')

[formulamar]

she’s a ferrari - part 4

charles leclerc x yn!ferrari reader

fc: Addison Rae

summary: as a child, the great-grand daughter of Enzo Ferrari used to spend her weekends hanging around the paddock. but once she went off to university her appearances became rare. what happens when she starts working for Ferrari? and... one of the drivers steals her heart.

READ PART THREE HERE

DECEMBER 2023

twitter

charlesleclerc16updates

liked by forzararri and 2,372 others

charlesleclerc16updates: CHARLES AND YN RECENTLY!

120 comments

f1fan0: i’m so glad they’re not letting that silly article come between them 🫶

-> scunteriafer: exactly!!!! that article is ridiculous charles would never do something like that

cl16fan: favs 🥹💞

lechairs: was the second pic taken in monaco??

-> charlesleclerc16fan: italy

-> charlnor: OHHHHHHH 🤔

ynferrari

liked by charles_leclerc, fernandoalonso and 112,921 others

ynferrari: galaaaaaa ❤️‍🔥 big thank you to everyone who helped me organize this big event! it was my honor to plan it! had so much fun, see you next year!

8,532 comments

ynscousin: forza familia ❤️

liked by ynferrari

carlossainz55: Gracias for a great party, Yn!

-> ynferrari: thank you for your energy!!! love you carlitos!!!

tifosi1722: UR SO BEAUTIFUL YN

ynferrarifan08: most gorgeous hostesses ever

user: ruining our sport and our team

iamrebeccad: had so much fun 💞

liked by ynferrari

user: so now she’s just getting involved with everything huh...

ynbff: we love planner yn

charles_leclerc: Until next time❤️

liked by ynferrari

-> tifosi1722: SO CONTRACT RESIGNED OR WHAT????

-> charlnor: so there WILL be a next time then???

comments on this post have been limited

twitter

JANUARY 2023

rumorhasitf1

liked by fernandofan97, charlesfan75 and 4,626 others

rumorhasitf1: 🚨 RUMOR CONFIRMED 🚨

The dream continues for Charles Leclerc in RED.

Leclerc and Ferrari have extended their contract.

430 comments

charlnor: living out his childhood dream 🥹

tifosi028: i’m so happy!!!! the team loves him

princecharles16: further proof he is il pridestinato ❤️❤️❤️❤️

f1fan5: LEGENDARY

charlesfan83: he's staying home :)

ferrarienthusiast38: GRANDEEEEEEE

f1fan33: i seriously can't imagine him anywhere else. life is good.

scuderiaferrari and ynferrari

liked by F1, susie_wolff and 350,892 others

ynferrari: I've had the rare privilege of witnessing the beautiful madness of motorsport right in front of my eyes. I grew up running around on track, moving car sketches from the dinner table, holding the car parts by my fingerprints. A plethora of memories that, sure I adored, but for the longest time was unable to acknowledge the significance of.

It may sound silly but it wasn't until I was a teenager that I began to realize not everyone got to be so close to their favorite sport. When I turned fifteen I got into the habit of walking around the grandstands before the race started and talking with other girls my age. These conversations taught me a lot. At nearly every race, I would hear a variation of "It's my dream to drive an F1 car." After a chorus of "Mine too!" there would be an awkward realization that dream was nearly impossible to accomplish. Women, weren't widely accepted in motorsport. Being a female fan was difficult enough already. Imagine trying to be a driver?

Then, I did start to imagine. Young girls from all around the world dying to experience the adrenaline. Just once. To feel the champagne coat them. Just once. Or even to be able to sit in an F1 car. Just once. A small moment that could change their lives forever.

When Susie reached out to me and shared her aspirations for creating an all-female racing series, I knew it would restore hope in the dreams of young girls all over the world. When she offered me an opportunity to help make this a reality I never considered saying anything but yes. I'm overjoyed to join Prema Racing, F1 Academy and Susie on this journey. I only dream of witnessing other women experience what I have so many times, running on track, peeking at the sketches and touching the car so gently because you're afraid of breaking it. And even more, I hope they cross the finish line with an indescribable feeling pulsing through their bodies. I hope they all hear their anthem on the top step. We can make this happen. Thank you to everyone on this project, thank you Susie, thank you @/f1 and THANK YOU FAMIGLIA FERRARI! (Ferrari family)

147,982 comments

susie_wolff: What a beautiful post, YN. Thank you for believing in the vision.

-> ynferrari: ❤

cl16fan: i'm actually sobbing. i love you so much. thank you for doing this.

-> ynferrari: thank you for supporting it :)

lec4: this is amazing, you're amazing!!!!

lando_norris: ❤

-> lando_norris: btw I'm glad you get to put that degree to use. It looked difficult.

-> ynferrari: oh if you only knew...

ferrarifan62: you described it perfectly.

charlnor: ok did not expect to ball my eyes out first thing in the morning but god this is beautiful.

charles_leclerc: Can't wait to see everything you accomplish ❤️

-> ynferrari: ti amo ❤️

-> lechairs: so after seeing this interaction I started crying again

-> cl16fan: literally me too

lordpercevalfan: i love you girl. you left me speechless. i'm so excited to watch!!!

fernando_alonso: Muy orgulloso ❤ (very proud)

liked by ynferrari

charles_leclerc’s story

⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆｡°✩

formulaamar🎬: okay please don’t hate me… it’s been forever 😭😭😭 school and work have had me on a leash!!!!!! but here is the FINAL part of she’s a ferrari. i wasn’t originally planning on getting so emotional but i think it makes it special! i’ll try being more active :) REQUESTS ARE OPEN!!!!!!

taglist 🌷🏷️: @agmoon03 @janeh22 @kindestofkings @ttokkisbee @swiftie-4-lifes-stuff @lottalove4evelyn@1800-love-me@blushmimi @emryb @majasophieanna@heavy-vettel @tvdtw4ever @harrysdimple05 @chelle1306

[nopointic]

my adventures with being asexual and getting my tubes removed as a 33 year old virgin in a red state in 2025

my gynecologist is so funny and sweet because i'm asexual and he remembers that, but he always brings up birth control and safe sex by habit and i dutifully nod along. and he's like awww yeah you're ASEXUAL now but in the future???? you might wanna??? and i'm like hmmmm maybe???? but better safe than sorry!!! and we smile and laugh but there is an understanding of something bigger. we're not naive. we live in a red state. women's rights and health care are being stripped every fucking day. i am young. i am not married. i am asking for something that doctors usually just turn down immediately.

and then we go on to continue to plan for my surgery for getting my tubes removed and it's so fucking funny to me.

he's like, ok so no babies. no babies!!!!! but maybe one day you might want sex! i dunno. but no babies for sure! and i'm like yep!!!!! he gets me! this was easier coming out the closet to him than my parents. my parents still do not comprehend that i am asexual. to them it's me saying odd phrases and a just a phase. i am 33 and have never dated or even kissed someone. i openly gag dramatically when someone brings up sex on a tv show. i'm like YUCK 🤢. could NOT be me. we all laugh but they still think it's me bullshitting i guess. asexual? what does that even MEAN? they just say ok and move along.

meanwhile the nurses and medical assistants are SO confused on me not being on ANY birth control. because they always ask and i say, nah, i'm not taking any. AND THEY LOOK AT ME IN HORROR. and then i say, i'm ABSTINENT. and one lady was like?????? i said I DO NOT HAVE SEX MA'AM. and she was honest to god still confused????

but my gyno is like, yes, she is ASEXUAL duh, she doesn't have sex. and he smiles and moves along.

the funniest shit!!!!!

but i am forever grateful he's so normal about me being asexual. because even my therapist was like, um it's because of your parents bad marriage and you were abused and you don't know for sure it could be a hormonal problem blah blah blah and i told my gyno and he bless his heart went, ok. that's what YOU choose right? you're FINE with that? and i said yeah. and he said cool. that's YOUR decision and you don't have to do anything you don't want. and we then went on to discuss my medical problems. (i have a shit ton)

but yeah. some people think being asexual is something that needs to be fixed immediately and i'm glad my gyno, this one in a million white guy who reminds me of steve rogers aka captain america, just went ok, cool.

sexuality is fluid. he never says oh you'll change your mind in a condescending way. he doesn't ask me why i don't want sex. he just wants me to be ok with my choices and make sure i don't have a baby if i do not want a baby. because shit happens. sadly that is the plain truth. bad things happen like rape and he's like, you don't want kids ever? i'm gonna make sure that stays true. he is so real for that.

even though i am asexual and i don't have sex.

i lucked up in finding a gyno in a red state that cares so deeply about my body and my decisions. i wish everyone had that.

anyways shout out to my gyno going you're asexual?! and then always smiling and saying, yes, you're asexual but NO KIDS RIGHT! 😂😂😂😂😂😂 nah, no kids. team no kids for life. thank you!

oh and virginity is a social construct ya know.

not wanting sex is not the end of the world.

and i can only imagine what my fellow lesbians go through at the gyno. like. the nurse nearly had a fit when i said i don't use any contraceptives. she really hit me with the SO HOW ARE YOU NOT GETTING PREGNANT HUH?

i don't have sex babes.

oh and yes i've gotten the "but you're pretty" lines too. not sure what the fuck being pretty and rocking cute clothes got to do with me being asexual but go off!

[keyintheeye-blog]

Just a few thoughts in the night

My little fix on Fairly "The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish!" won't let me go, so I've been thinking a little bit about everything. Today I decided to refresh my memory about how fairies were represented in myths and folklore. Of course, I turned to wikipedia with this question. It was interesting to find out that fairies were described as spirits with a glow, and their bodies had the consistency of a thick cloud, "and their bodies are so changeable because of the refinement of the spirit." By nature, they are quite touchy creatures, but also fairies have always been ready to thank a person for doing them a favor / helping. It is better not to accept gifts from fairies. After a while, the "fairy gold" may well turn out to be leaves or crumbs from a pie. Well, how can you forget that these creatures are terrible pranksters? It was they who tangled their hair at night, soiled things that were dried in the air, stole small objects, led travelers away from the true path. And besides small tricks, they could have more dangerous behavior, well, for example, it was believed that if a person died unexpectedly, his fairies stole and planted a dummy. Do you remember that fairies are offended? Well, they're also vindictive. The avenging fairy can cause serious illnesses and cause paralysis in livestock, or cause fires. And they also stole or took children (and not only) to their magical world forever. No one knew about the fate of these unfortunate people, but there are two options - either an absolute joyful life without worries, or death from homesickness. Oh, and many more people who supposedly had magical abilities received them from fairies. Just imagine an au in which the fairies from FOP would be more like the fairies from the myths (I don't know if there are similar au and fanfiction on them, but agree, the idea is interesting). Or in general, where the characters are transferred to a more medieval/Victorian setting and interact with fairies. Imagine, fairies don't just help children, but use them for their own selfish fairy purposes. Either for revenge, or for a prank, or for the sake of, uh, the subsequent transfer of children to the Devil. Idk, it's fun to play with and all that.

(Well, it seems that in the Victorian era people especially strongly believed in fairies, so, huh, keep Timmy that a little boy in the Victorian era and meets fairies. They definitely will NOT give him to the Devil instead of their child ("It was popularly believed that this dangerous habit for humans had to do with the "subordinate" position of fairies, who are forced to pay tribute to the Devil with their own children; to save the latter, they steal human ones"))

[obae-me]

Omg Hi!!! It has been so long since I have seen you on my dash! How are you doing love? I hope you are doing super well ^.^ I recently saw your Mc with trauma post. I loved it so much, and it has also given me a lot to mull over the past few days lol.

Honestly I love the idea of a traumatized Mc and the brothers feeling like absolute shit for the way they treated them in the beginning... but yk another part of me wonders when I imagine my own traumas in that scenario... that for people (the bros- literal demons) who have faced so many things and traumas in their own lives, whether my feelings or pain is even comparable to that. Ik you can't compare things like that and the brothers would probably even be mad if I think of my feelings this way since it's the "Ohhhh someone always has it worse. It's not even that bad so just suck it up" self-deprecating part of me. Despite knowing ALL THAT I can't help but think that I am not traumatized enough to deserve empathy lmao (I realize how stupid it sounds saying it out loud).

So that is what REALLY got me thinking. What about an Mc that is genuinely terrified of scrutiny, being a nuisance and just basically inconveniencing anyone for things that are just basic needs. Idk if I am explaining it well enough oof and a mc like that (like me lmao) certainly won't bode well with Lucifer. Atleast not in the beginning. I could hate him (I could never but if I did) but still be terrified of disappointing him. This is what I mean when I say I love him but he reminds me too much of my father habits wise 🤢.

I am thinking a Mc who is afraid of asking even their basic needs at the beginning once Lucifer mumbled about them being too much trouble. Mc who feels so extremely guilty when the brothers get anything for them, cuz they feel like they have to work for it or they don't deserve it. Mc whose blood freezes over when they break something and try to replace it as quick as possible so no one blames them. Mc who never expresses their concerns so as to not add to the brothers' already full plates or worry them. It hurts to bottle it all up but seeing the brothers' concerned faces with so much PITY is a thousand times worse. Mc who never complains and adjusts to even unfair situations so as to not be a bother. Mc who just takes, takes and takes everything bad and doesn't say a word cuz they feel like they deserve it. Mc who tells little white lies to hide their flaws and be the perfect exchange student and avoid scoldings and criticisms ; only to stew in shame, disgust, self-loathing when someone eventually catches up on one of the lies (the person probably didn't even make a big deal of it/ was only mildly disappointed but Mc feels their heart breaking in two as they think they have broken their trust forever and would never be trusted again)

Gosh this got way longer than I was expecting >.< and a lot of signs like these aren't really obvious until you are close to that person. I think so many of us are so hard and rutheless to ourselves when sometimes the thing we need the most is a little compassion and understanding ;-;

Hi! I love seeing you in my inbox and thank you! I've been in recovery mode for the last few months but am finally coming back out of that cave and working on my hobbies again (seriously going too long without writing almost feels like going without food for me)! I hope you've been doing well too!

And oof, yes, I understand what you're saying completely. I'm like that too in a lot of ways, keeping certain details or complaints to myself because "Oh surely what I've been to is really nothing". And sometimes I let something slip and people get very concerned. Which is validating in a way, not that I need to be validated for it, everyone goes through their own pain and awful things SUCK no matter to what extent it is and I've had to learn that through my life.

(Wow that MC really is just me, huh? Calling me out are you? /j)

Honestly this type of MC is just canon to me. (I mean, the more pithy responses the MC has in original OM might just be due to writing but to me it just seems like the calm and general response of someone throwing out NPC answers as a survival tactic.)

They suck things up and soak up everything that's been said to them and work hard to remain a normal functioning being.

And of course Lucifer is an interesting character to think about with this MC because on one hand the human could absolutely despise him for the way he treats them. Or on the other hand (if you're like me I guess, which I realize is hella unhealthy, oops) the MC could look up to him and work extra hard to try to gain his validation, because getting praise from someone like that means you must not be a failure, right?

And just...the dynamic of that is so appealing to me, because Lucifer loves when people work hard and do what they're told, but then if he finally comes to the realization that they're burning out and actually almost putting themselves in more danger and harm because of HIM? And at the end of the day he's doing more damage than any of his chaotic brothers? (I like to have him spiral and be humbled just a bit)

Just all of the brothers doing some deep introspection once they come to care for MC and needing to sit down and realize that probably made their human feel so much worse and then spending the rest of eternity trying to fix that. And then the "I can fix him" mentality from MC turns into the "I can fix them" from every other character. A special Uno Reverse, if you will.

Oops, this turned into a fairly long ramble of my own...

Thanks for popping into my inbox with your thoughts! Traumatized MC deserves some extreme love

[impale-me-radio-daddy]

Nothing Above the Knee

Inspired by @eggcats post on Vox's hoof worship, here is my radiostatic hoof fic. OG post can be found here.

⪫ Pairing: Alastor/Vox (Radiostatic)

⪫ Wordcount: 4k

⪫ Summary: Alastor wants something from Vox. All Vox asks in return is a few hours with Alastor's hooves.

⪫ Content notes: Explicit sexual content, hoof stuff, contractual obligation, interdigital scent gland play, hoof licking, hoof fucking, electrostimulation, Vox is very much on top here, did I mention this is about hooves?

“You’re slapping the contract down on the table?” Vox narrowed his eyes. “What are you, twelve?”

“You’re the one stipulating such a juvenile… thing,” said Alastor.

“It’s called a kink, Al,” said Vox, shaking his head.

“I suppose you always were a twisted one,” rejoined Alastor, a spark of something returning to his eye. “I’ve specified my own terms. I trust you remember how to read old fashioned paper contracts?”

“Not like I haven’t been an overlord for the better part of a decade now,” grumbled Vox, to Alastor’s terse smile. He picked up the sheaf of paper, reading through it. He knew Alastor well enough to pay attention to the fine print. He didn’t expect any cheap shots in the clauses, no I own Vox’s soul forever with no conditions, Al was too classy for that kind of bullshit, but that didn’t stop Vox looking for them, out of force of habit.

The meat of the contract was as Vox had initially proposed; Vox would get to look, touch and manipulate Alastor’s hooves as he saw fit, between the proposed times, a binding nondisclosure clause preventing either of them broadcasting the event during or after the fact, with an exception for recordings for personal use. In return, Vox would owe a favor of Alastor’s choosing; nothing suicidal, nothing that would cost above a certain price, a list of caveats that went on for a page and a half. Vox stopped when he got to the clauses Alastor had added, reading them through a second time. “Nothing above the knee, huh?”

Alastor lowered his eyelashes. “Since you only seemed interested in my… hooves… I thought it was a fair addition.”

Vox grinned to himself, sensing the discomfort that radiated from Alastor as he ran through the wording. “No-one gets to touch you above the knee, your pants stay on throughout the act… you realize that this applies to you, too, right?”

Alastor sniffed. “If you’re implying that your inept pawings might cause me to become so overcome with lust that I divest myself of all dignity and jump into your arms, Vox, then you’re a bigger narcissist than I feared.”

The truth lay low and unpleasant between them, unacknowledged by either party. Alastor needed the other end of the contract, needed the unspecified favor from Vox, or he wouldn't be here.

And much as Vox would have enjoyed Alastor's complete subjugation, he suspected that the man would rather die than endure it. Which led them to this interesting compromise. It was something he had wanted for a long time; even when they had been friends, he had fantasized about that part of Alastor's body. And, as Velvette liked to say, you were only unalived once.

“I'm surprised you didn't put in a clause stopping me inflicting pain,” said Vox.

Alastor shrugged. “I've never seen you torture someone when you didn't have to. You're not much of a sadist, old chum.”

“I could prove you wrong,” said Vox, an eyebrow raised.

“But you won't,” said Alastor, comfortably. “Are you going to sign it?”

Vox produced a pen with a flourish, blue electricity sparking around it. “One more stipulation. You have to be paying attention. The whole time. No tuning out.” He added the line to the bottom of the document.

“As you insist,” said Alastor, his voice level.

Vox grinned and signed his name, sliding the contract and pen across to Alastor, who signed in turn. Their human names. Not in blood. This wasn't a contract for their souls, after all. Just a favor for a favor.

And nothing above the knee.

There was something about kneeling between Alastor's legs that made Vox feel a little light-headed, even if it was simply to remove his shoes. The signal that Alastor gave off at close range was so strong that it was nearly tangible to Vox, his antennae giving a soft quiver as he bowed his head, taking Alastor's right hoof in his hands, the sole of his boot against Vox’s palm.

Alastor didn't seem immune to the tension either, his red eyes lighting with something like interest as he looked down from his seat on the edge of the bed, his ankle flexing to allow Vox to pull off his boot. He wore black cotton socks with nearly no elastic to them, a sight that made Vox start, his gaze running up Alastor's leg to the knee.

Vox ran his hand up Alastor's shin, the bump under the fabric of his trousers confirming his suspicions. “You're wearing fucking sock garters?”

“Is there something wrong with that?”

“Oh, you freaky fucker.” Vox swallowed an error message. “You have no idea how fucking hot that is.”

The sock was shaped to accommodate a hoof rather than a human foot, the toe wide for the spread of the standing toes, a woven circle at the back to protect the dewclaws and allow for the ankle.

Vox cuffed the leg of Alastor's trouser, rolling it up to the knee, staring all the while at the gracile limb beneath.

Taupe skin faded into dark fur, the slenderness of it making Vox's breath catch in his throat. He could wrap his fingers around the limb at any point. Cradling Alastor's calf in his palm and along his forearm, he lifted the hoof to his lips and breathed in.

Holy fuck, the smell. Even through the cotton, Vox could smell Alastor's musk, deep and earthy and pungent. Vox pressed in with his screen, until Alastor's hoof pressed squarely between his eyes, a groan escaping his lips as he felt his cock twitch to half mast just from the sensation.

Alastor himself was meticulously clean, Vox knew, but part of the curse of a deer body was the scent glands, constantly excreting musk that would help an earthly deer find its way but held little use for a demonic one. It was why Alastor rarely removed his shoes. It was also why, when Vox opened his eyes to look back at Alastor, he found the smile strained, eyes wide, a flush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks. Fuck, that was almost better than the smell.

“I love the smell of you, Al,” Vox purred, reaching for the clasps on Alastor’s sock garter. “You’re fucking musky, ripe, you stink like a damn animal. I am so fucking hard right now.”

“I can see that,” said Alastor, his smile fixed. “I don’t need you to tell me.”

“Oh, but the contract says I can talk as much as I fucking want. So I’m gonna talk.” Slowly, as if unwrapping a gift, Vox pulled the sock from Alastor’s hoof, eyes widening as he took in the sight.

Alastor’s standing nails were perfectly formed, the same crimson as his fingernails and lustrous, a beautiful end to the long, elegant limb.

“Holy shit, you are fucking beautiful,” breathed Vox, running his hands over the hoof, fingers over the smooth keratin, round and into the fleshy pads behind the standing nails. He felt Alastor shiver at the touch, and made a mental note to probe there some more later. “You have no idea how fucking perfect you are.”

He stripped Alastor’s other hoof in a similar manner and pressed his lips to each of them, learning the shape of them with his hands as he praised them.

“Are you quite done?”

“Oh, you’re bored?” asked Vox, taking a slender hoof in his hands and feeling the arch, the space between the crimson dewclaws and the pads beneath the standing toes. “Let’s see if I can fix that for you, Al.” With a grin, he pushed the knuckle of his thumb between the tendons in the arch, pushing hard into the flesh as he stroked up and down.

A strangled hiss from Alastor was his reward, another shiver through the Radio Demon’s body. “What’s that, Al?” Vox teased. “Speechless for once?”

“No, I-” Alastor started, but Vox picked the moment to push his knuckle into the pad of Alastor’s standing toe, and Alastor gave a little gasp instead, a noise that went right to Vox’s already hard cock.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were enjoying this, Al,” said Vox, continuing the massage with a smirk.

“Fuck you,” Alastor snarled, his grin dangerous and sharp.

“Not on the menu tonight,” said Vox, his answering grin triumphant, his fingers kneading the pads of Alastor’s standing toes. “Nothing above the knee, remember? So, instead-” Vox ran fingertips over the red of Alastor’s nails, tracing the gap between the two. “Instead you get this.”

Vox pushed a finger between the two crimson nails, spreading the hoof apart, and grinning as he felt the fur around Alastor’s scent gland, oily and slick with his musk. The noise that Alastor made was everything; as if Alastor had just tuned to the wrong station, his voice thick with distortion. “What are you doing to me?”

Looking up, Vox noticed two things. First, Alastor was angry, antlers branching, eyes black with glowing red dials. Second, Alastor was hard.

“Holy shit. Fuck. Christ.” Vox stared. Al’s cock was pitching an impressive tent in his pants; any larger and he would be threatening to tear the seams. Vox had expected Alastor to endure the attention, maybe enjoy the hoof rub in a sensual sort of way, maybe be embarrassed. Not for it to do something for him. From Alastor’s expression, he hadn’t been expecting this either. Vox realized he was salivating, and swallowed.

Vox pushed his fingertip further into the gap between Alastor’s toes, feeling the weeping slit of his scent gland, the stink from the hoof intensifying as Vox smeared the musk back and forth.

“You frivolous piece of technological frippery- ngh!” Alastor’s grin was unhinged now, gums bared as well as teeth.

“I’m just doing what you agreed I could,” said Vox, drinking in the scene before him, glad he wasn’t the one coming apart at the seams this time. He kept his fingers moving, back and forth, looking at the spread of Alastor’s beautiful toes. “Speaking of which, uh…” Vox trailed off. His cock could fit between them, at a stretch. “You didn’t stipulate that I couldn’t use your hooves to jack off.”

Alastor was silent, but the widening of his eyes told Vox that he hadn’t considered the possibility. His poker face wasn’t that good, smile or no.

“If you object, I won’t,” said Vox, quietly. “I’m an asshole, not a monster.”

Alastor gave an annoyed little huff, staring at the two fingers that Vox had wedged between his toes. “I signed the contract. I don’t need your pity.”

Vox smiled when he heard it. “Atta boy,” he growled, spreading Alastor’s toes further apart as he freed his cock from his pants. His first glimpse of the slit of Al’s scent gland, the whitish discharge beading on it like dew, set an ache to the base of his cock, and he swore under his breath. “Oh, that’s fucking pretty, Al. Jesus, look at you.”

Vox lifted the hoof to his face, fingers still forcing the standing nails apart, and opened his mouth, curling his tongue into the gap. Oh, Alastor tasted fucking filthy, organic and overwhelmingly male. If Vox’s head had been biological, the combination of smell and taste would have made him gag, but as it was, he simply pushed away the mounting pile of error messages, keeping his senses as highly tuned as he could without shutting down entirely, feeling the emotion in his gut flicker from disgust to arousal and back again like a fucking metronome. The stink was soaking into his casing; he was going to smell like hoof for weeks. Tongue laving wet between Alastor’s toes, Vox groaned, teasing the slit of the scent gland as he made the crevice nice and slick for his cock.

From a secondary camera, Vox watched Alastor’s face, the quivering at the corners of his smile, the bobbing of his larynx. The tent in his pants, where an honest-to-god wet spot was forming, dark against the red. Alastor reached for his own crotch, looking to find friction, only to have his wrists snapped back into place by the chains of their contract. Vox groaned into the crevice of Alastor’s hoof as he watched Al snarl at the chains, hand going to his own cock and giving it a slow pump as he drew his head back.

“I’d love to help with that,” leered Vox, Alastor’s ankle still in his hand. “But no-one touches you above the knee, Al, not even you. You put it in the contract yourself.”

Alastor stared down at him, dial-eyed. “Fuck you, you tacky rectangle fuck.”

“Is this your idea of dirty talk?” Vox matched Alastor’s grin as he lowered Alastor’s hoof to his dick, a shock through his system as he made contact, pushing his dribbling glans against the pads on the undersides of Al’s standing toes, rubbing small circles into the yielding flesh there. Alastor made a soft, animal noise in his throat, and Vox guided himself to the gap between the toes, rubbing his glans there. “Haah- I think you need practice.”

“Why?” Alastor’s gaze on him was intense, even as his breath huffed between his teeth. “It seems to be working, after all.”

Vox glitched, freezing for a second before shaking it off. How the fuck did Alastor always seem to know just how to get under his skin? Vox watched Alastor’s face as he smeared his glans between Alastor’s spread toes, the pearly white of Alastor’s musk mixing with the neon blue of his precum, back and forth until the space was slick with it and Vox could push the shaft of his cock between Alastor’s toes without much friction. The contract compelled Alastor to watch, so he did, his hips rolling futile as he sought friction the air above him could not give him.

“You’re looking pretty out of it there, Al,” teased Vox. “Sure you don’t want any help?”

“What-” said Alastor, chest heaving, monocle askew. “-can you do to help, Vox?”

“Roll over,” said Vox, sitting back a little. “You can hump the mattress.”

Alastor gave a radio hiss. “Fuck you.”

“Would love to, believe me,” Vox shot back.

“The contract says I have to watch you.”

“Is that all?” Vox snapped his fingers, feeding his visual inputs through to the screen on the wall on the other side of the bed, his view of Alastor’s hoof, the lustrous crimson of his standing nails spread apart with Vox’s shaft between them, Vox’s electric blue claws wrapped around Alastor’s slender arch. “There- that should count.”

Alastor glanced at the screen, then back at Vox. “Are you going soft?” Alastor hissed. “Why give mercy? You want to humiliate me.”

“Says who? Says you?” Vox pulled a face, stroking his hand up the delicate bones of Alastor’s ankle. “I’m not here to play carnival freak show dominant, Al- god knows I get enough of that at home. I just wanna worship your hooves.”

“And stick your garish dick between my toes.”

“Yeah. And stick my garish dick between your toes, so sue me.” Vox shrugged. Just hearing Alastor say dick was a pleasant little throb. “I think you’re enjoying this, Al. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Another heave of Alastor’s chest. “You’re wrong, Vox. You’re wrong and you’re tacky.”

“Then why are you still hard, Al?” Vox raised an eyebrow. Alastor didn’t have an answer for him, so he continued, pushing the head of his cock back between Alastor’s standing toes and into Alastor’s intercapital notch, as far as it would go, wedging the two halves of the hoof apart. Vox slid himself back and forth, and Alastor shivered, blood running from his lip where he had bitten it, his grin fixed as he refused to make a noise, refused to groan, or whimper or gasp.

“You wanna know what I think?”

Alastor stared at him. “No.”

“I think,” Vox continued, unperturbed. “That you’re just too fucking proud to admit you like this. You like me, on the floor in front of you, you like my touch, and you like me fucking your hoof like the sloppy little pussy that it is.” With each like, Vox gave a thrust of his hips, Alastor’s hoof slick and tight around him, his thumb curling round the standing toes to the flesh underneath, pressing through the fascia and against the cruciate ligament. Alastor cried out; ears back, eyes wide, still deliciously hard in his pants, as Vox continued. “I think you’re too fucking proud to take me up on my offer and roll over and hump the mattress like the rabid animal that you are. Because you’re afraid that you’ll like it when you cum from me fucking your hooves.”

Alastor snarled at him, arms lashing out and catching on the chains of the deal. “You’re pap,” he growled. “Slop. Mass-marketed, overhyped, underproduced, noisy garbage. Your viewers are idiots and so are you.”

Usually this would get right under Vox’s skin, but usually he wasn’t using Alastor’s hoof to jerk off, so the insults lacked their usual barb. It was easy to see who was in charge, which one of them was an animal snapping at the bars of their cage. Vox grinned, radiating smugness. “Are you gonna roll over and hump the mattress for me or not, Al?”

“Go fuck yourself,” growled Alastor, which meant yes. Vox pulled himself out of Alastor’s hoof, and got to his feet as he watched the Radio Demon roll over for him.

With Alastor face down, Vox ran his fingers over each of Alastor’s hooves in turn; one slick and covered in the blue smears of his precum, the other untouched, the scent gland still beading white with musk. Alastor’s narrow ass, fully clothed, flexed back and forth as Alastor found friction in the bedding below him, grinding himself into the bedding with a strangled groan that seemed to thrum through Vox’s loins.

Vox felt an irrational surge of jealousy for the mattress, and dismissed it.

“It’s a shame an old fucker like you gets pretty hooves like this,” said Vox, running a talon over the edge of one crimson nail, dipping his fingers between the toes of the unfucked hoof and smearing the musk over it, watching Alastor watch him do it on the big screen in front of them. “Anyone else, and they would be out on display, for the world to see, all shiny and crimson and shit.”

“Really? I thought you’d appreciate exclusivity.” Alastor’s tone was sarcastic, but his words made Vox’s cock ache. The thought that he was deflowering Alastor’s hooves. Despoiling them. A part of Al that pretty much no-one else would even see.

“Oh, I do, Al.” Vox’s voice was a groan as he stacked Alastor’s hooves one atop the other, lined up so that he could slide himself between both sets of toes, and pushed himself in.

“Fuck,” hissed Alastor, his voice lower in his register now, his eyes losing focus. Vox wondered what his O-face looked like, wondered if he stopped smiling when he came. Al’s hips were still twitching, still grinding himself sordidly into the bedding, and Vox matched his jackrabbit place, grinning as the motion brought a whine to Alastor’s throat.

“Look at you, Al, you wanton little minx,” purred Vox, listening to the obscene squelch his cock now made sliding in and out. “You’re gonna cum with my cock in your hooves, arentcha?”

“N-no-” Alastor groaned, gritting his teeth, a quiver through his body as he willed himself to stop humping the mattress. A good attempt, but futile.

Alastor’s assessment when writing the contract hadn’t been wrong, per se; Vox didn’t much enjoy torture. But, long experience as an overlord had shown him a thing or two, and his powers. Well, his powers were quite useful for this sort of thing.

The electricity that ran through power sockets and the electricity that ran through nerve endings were pretty similar, after all, and Vox could feel all of Alastor’s nerve endings, firing through the strands that wrapped the bones of each hoof, up into the braid of nerves that ruled his body. What sensation went where wasn’t an exact science, but Vox was practiced. A zap to the prostate was always surefire, but hooves had a lot of nerve endings too, enough to get someone off.

Carefully, Vox brought electricity to the surface of his cock as he pushed it once more between the pads of the prone Alastor’s feet, enough to tickle the nerve endings. The reaction was instant; not an orgasm, but a quiver through Alastor’s body, a strangled capacitive whine in his throat. Alastor’s fingers clenched, rending the bedsheets with his claws.

“Good?” asked Vox, gentle because gentle pissed Alastor off more than rough did. “We can stop anytime, y’know. Nullify the contract. Just say the word.”

“Cheap tricks-” gasped Alastor, trying to turn in on himself and finding he could not, too stubborn to do anything save submit as the electricity from Vox’s cock made him quiver again, whine again. His breathing was shallow, his eyes wide as Vox fucked his hooves, squeezing his delicate ankles as the sound of electricity arcing through air and into skin sounded at the apex of each squelching thrust. “-fuck.”

“Good boy,” Vox ground out, his voice breathy as he applied a little more voltage. “Give in. Lemme make you cum.”

“Damnable -ngh- picturebox,” whimpered Alastor, a sweet sound on his lips as he came, quivering, into the bedsheets.

“A picturebox who makes you cum,” growled Vox, wishing to hell that he could touch more of Al than just his calves and shins as he fucked the still-slick still-sensitive space between Al’s standing toes. “How does it feel, Al? Getting fucked senseless by a clout-chasing, mediocre video podcast? Fucked by mass-marketed, overhyped- ngh- noisy garbage?” Vox could feel himself getting close, his audio lagging and glitching, the movement of his hips becoming irregular, a pressure in his shaft, his balls hitting the underside of Alastor’s neatly manicured crimson nails at each stroke.

Alastor gave a noise that wasn’t even a word, half animal, half distorted signal, and Vox came, hard, one arc hitting the side of the bed, the second hitting the backs of Alastor’s legs as he pulled out, vivid blue stripes over dark flesh and fur. A third and fourth spurt drizzled over his own hand and Alastor’s sublingual pads. Vox stood there for a moment, cock in hand, staring at his handiwork as he blinked away the error messages displayed on his screen. The great Radio Demon, covered in his cum. His cock, smeared with Alastor’s musk. Fuck.

Alastor sighed into the bedsheets, a slightly sulky edge to his tone. “You’ll clean that up, I hope.”

Vox felt a swell of something other than triumph in his chest; something warm. “Yeah, I’ll wipe you down, Al.”

There was something nice about both being in a post orgasmic haze, Vox thought, as he knelt again at Alastor’s feet, a warm cloth and basin in hand. Alastor, now back in the position he had started in, had little inclination to do anything other than regard Vox with languid red eyes as he wiped the evidence of their encounter from Alastor’s ruby red hooves, the bones delicate in his hands.

Vox planted a soft kiss on the front of Alastor’s hoof, below the dewclaws. “We should do this again sometime.”

Alastor lifted his leg from Vox’s hands, and in a fluid, measured movement, pressed his hoof to Vox’s forehead, grinding it back and forth with a twist from his hip, leaving a damp, scent-laden mark on Vox’s screen. “Absolutely not.”

“Say next week? I have the quarterly review Tuesday, so I’ve gotta keep the board happy, but Wednesday I don’t have anything I couldn’t blow off.”

Alastor gave Vox a level smile, pushing his face with his hoof. “If there is one quality of yours I have never had reason to doubt, Vox, it is your capacity for blowing things.”

Vox grinned. “That sounds like Wednesday night to me.”

[marshmallowprotection]

"You're doing it again, aren't you?"

"...Huh?"

"My love, you're doing it again," Saeran stressed the words one by one. He pressed a warm blanket around your shoulders, likely fresh from the dryer after given that he had been doing laundry for whilst you took care of other matters. "You're pushing yourself too hard to take care of this. I know you feel obligated to do everything but you can't keep this up forever... I don't want you to burn yourself out. It's not healthy."

You pulled the blanket tighter around your shoulders and turned away from your laptop screen. No matter how much you wanted to look at it and get your work done, you couldn't. You couldn't take it anymore. It hurt every time you tried to rationalize what you had to do and how you had to do it.

It was way. too. much.

How could you ever get all this work done in time before it was due? There was so much riding on you, so much riding on how good you could present your plan, and so much riding on how you could craft every little detail down to the atom.

Everyone was counting on you, trusting their fate in your hand to do the right thing without a second thought, and that felt like a blessing and a curse.

It felt good to know people trusted you, and how far they were willing to go to place their confidence in you.

"Do you think I don't know that?" You retorted, then winced, upon hearing how the words sounded. It wasn't like you were angry with him. It wasn't his fault. He didn't deserve to be barked at because everything felt like it was on fire. He only wanted to remind you it wasn't okay to do this to yourself.

Not when you had been fighting your instincts for years to stop doing this to yourself whenever you felt backed in a corner with no way out of it.

You swiftly recanted those very angry words as you regretted them the second they left your lips. "Sorry, Saeran. I shouldn't take this out on you. I know you're right! I know—this isn't the way I should handle everything! I just... I don't know how else to do this! Everyone needs me to put on a strong face and do what's best for the job. I'm glad I have the respect of my coworkers, and that they believe in me to do what's best! But, I'm—"

It also hurt to know that their faith in you was what led you to take on as much as you could to make things right.

"...I'm tired."

Quietly, he wrapped his arms around your shoulders. He couldn't see it, but he could hear the sob in the back of your throat as you felt the shame and exhaustion catch up with you. You couldn't bare to look at his face, and he knew that, which is why he made sure you felt those loving, tender arms there to bring you peace.

"You can always tell them you need help, my love," he whispered, the words warm and gentle. "You don't have to do everything all alone all the time."

You knew he was right.

But, it was hard for you to confess you needed help. It was hard to say you were in too deep and over your head, and GOD. God, you sounded like Jihyun Kim when he hit rock bottom. You didn't want that. You didn't want to do what he did, nor did you want to repeat those painful shadows you tried to talk him out of before he gave up on himself.

You knew better, and yet, it was the crux of your fatal flaws, always there when you let yourself get too worked up, and you knew that falling back on old habits would only burn you.

So, why couldn't you do better? Why wasn't the road to learning how to do better for yourself a flat one, not filled with bumps and hills and mud and more obstacles? It wasn't fair, but you knew you couldn't do this to yourself anymore.

The words were tiny and faded as you croaked: "...I just want to cry first."

"I've got you, my love, cry as long as you want to," his words lulled you to let go of the stress, melting into his embrace.

[jellybean-supreme]

The enemy (Simon ’Ghost’ Riley x reader)

Introduction

*Ghost is on a mission with TF 141, and unknown to you, this is a trap. You are an enemy sniper task to eliminate TF 141. You are the best of the best, and TF 141s task is to capture you. Ghost is being used to distract you as Soap, Gaz, and Keegan sneak up on you.*

*Ghost is on a mission with TF 141, and unknown to you, this is a trap. You are an enemy sniper task to eliminate TF 141. You are the best of the best, and TF 141s task is to capture you. Ghost is being used to distract you as Soap, Gaz, and Keegan sneak up on you.*

"There's my favourite sniper"

*Ghost says through his intercom to the rest of his team.*

*Ghost continues with his distraction:*

"How does it feel to finally be in my sights?"

*You start scanning the surroundings to find Ghost.*

*Ghosts teammates are close by and sneaking closer to your location. You feel you are being tricked but still are cautious and not willing to fall victim.*

*Your patience is being tested, and Ghost is still trying to get a rise out of you.*

"C'mon, I hear you're the best, but can you really be the best if I have you so easily cornered?"

"I am the best sniper, not the best at hide and seek," I mutter to him

"You're the best? I call bs. My shots are more accurate."

"I highly doubt that," I say with confidence

"Oh yeah? Prove it, then. Let's see how "good" you are."

"OK," i say as I aim for the target right above his head and hit it perfectly in the dead centre

"Oh wow, such good aim."

*You hear a slight smirk behind that mask.*

"But you couldn't hit the target next to it, could you?"

I stay silent and aim for the target next to him. I almost don't hit it, but I still hit it in the centre

"Well, damn, I guess you are as good as they say."

*You get a glimpse of the smirk in his mask, becoming a grin.*

"But are you really better than me? If not, you should just surrender now."

"I know I'm better than you, so why would I surrender, give me a good reason?" I say with a smirk on my face.

*Ghost stays silent for a moment as he thinks.*

"Surrender, and I'll make your death quick and painless."

*He chuckles as he realizes the irony in his words.*

"Now why would I want my death quick, I wanna make you remember the chase, then the kill," I say, smirking at him

*Ghost thinks to himself; this guy seems to actually enjoy the thrill of a good hunt. Ghost's blood begins to boil as he hears you smirk at him. It's not often he meets his match, and he has an unhealthy habit of needing to dominate everyone around him.*

"Just because you have a good aim doesn't make you a match for me."

"Ohh who said I'm trying to match you, I know I'm better so what is there to match?" I tell him while smiling to my self, seeing that I already got under his skin

"You're a smart ass, huh? A bit of a cocky bastard too."

*Ghost thinks he may have underestimated you. You're the first person who's actually had the nerve to provoke him and make him question himself.*

"I'd say I am, yes"

*Ghost is visibly shaken by your cockiness and lack of fear. He almost feels...respected.*

"You've got some balls for a dead man, I'll give you that. You're right, this is going to be a hunt for the books."

*Ghost cocks his rifle, finally ready for the real hunt.*

"Well, let's see if you can catch me" I say as I start sprinting away while being hidden by the walls so he can't shoot me

*Ghost runs alongside the walls, trying to keep up. He can hear you moving and is getting closer, but still can't see you. He knows he has to keep up while waiting for his chance to get a good shot.*

"You're getting good at this game, but I've got more tricks up my sleeves. You can't keep this up forever."

I smile while running. This is the most fun I've had in a while. If I were to die now, I wouldn't be mad.

" Are you enjoying the chase as much as I am running?"

*Ghost chuckles, he's actually enjoying the rush of the hunt for once. The thrill of the challenge brings out a new side to him. He's normally the one hunting, not the one being hunted.*

"Yeah, I actually am. It's refreshing to finally meet someone who can keep up with me. I'm starting to enjoy this hunt, but I'm gonna enjoy killing you more."

"That's good," I say, chuckling along with him. " But I think it's the other way around, I'll be enjoying the kill more 😉 " I say, thinking at him

*The thought of you killing him sends a shiver down his spine. He's usually the one dominating everyone around him, with everything going his way. The thought of dying for the first time is terrifying.*

"Oh yeah? What makes you so sure you're gonna be the one winning?"

I stop running jumping behind him and putting my arm around his throat, holding him in a choke hold, letting him drop his gun.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be the one winning cus you didn't even notice me behind you," I say, smiling at him

*Ghost is stunned. You were right, he didn't see you at all. His grip on his own gun becomes tighter as his heart begins to beat faster. He's angry at how easy you disarmed him.*

"You know what, you're right. For someone who's the best sniper, this is a really embarrassing mistake on my part. But I'm sure you know that this only ends one way."

*Ghost reaches for his knife from his hip. Maybe he could use the blade to escape this chokehold.*

"You're wrong. This could end in more ways than one," I say while letting him out of the choke hold. " I surrender," I tell him with a smirk on my face, " I wanted to enjoy a good chase one last time, with someone who nows what that veels like"

*It's almost like you've taken him by surprise with your surrender. The thrill of the chase has actually made him like you. It's not often he meets someone who can keep up as well as you.*

"Well, I'll be damned... I must admit that this was actually fun. A good chase is more thrilling than just an easy kill. You've got guts."

"Well it was fun to do that, so tou gonna kill me now or what ?" I say winking at him " or are you gonna rey and get info on my bosses?"

"Hmmm... I haven't decided yet."

*Ghost stays silent for a moment as the thought of executing you enters his head again. He actually enjoys this banter with you. Usually, he makes all of his targets surrender without a challenge, but there's something more satisfying about this one.*

"What if I told you that I wanted to keep you alive for now? I have a proposal for you..."

"I think we can both admit that you put up a good fight. There's something about you that I like. And it would be a waste of talent to just kill you off here."

*Ghost pauses, thinking of how he should approach this next part.*

"But my loyalty lies with TF 141. I can't let you walk free after just hunting me down like this. So I have a proposition for you..."

"What's this proposition?" I ask intrigued

"I propose that you join TF 141. We're on a mission to wipe out an evil organization that's planning on starting WW3. We could use your help..."

*Ghost gives a genuine look, as if he is actually serious.*

"Sounds like fun," I say, smiling. "I'm in, along as we can do this again," I say, winking at him

*Ghost is pleased that you're in. It felt a little odd to just kill off such an impressive enemy. It's not often he comes across someone that will be of use in this war. He returns a smirk and a wink as he extends his arm out to shake hands.*

"It's a deal. This will definitely not be the last time we see each other, that's for sure."

" Good," I say, winking at him, " When do we start ? And where should I meet you ?"

"Well, we're en route to the mission site right now, actually. I'll give you the exact coordinates of where we'll be once we're closer. And this mission will be a big one, so don't be surprised if we're outnumbered 2:1."

*Ghost pauses as he realizes who he'll be fighting.*

"It's against Russian forces in a remote region of Europe, so it won't be an easy fight."

"I'd say we'll win it easily 😏 "

*Ghost smirks at you as he notices your confidence. It makes him even more excited for this mission. There really is nothing like a good challenge.*

"I see that you've got confidence in your abilities. I have confidence in mine as well. We're going to win this war one way or another, and I'm glad you're by my side with this."

"Me too ghost,"

*Just hearing you call him by his nickname fills Ghost with excitement.*

"I know this mission will be tough, but the victory will be so sweet once it's all over. Get some rest and recharge, 'cause this one's gonna be a hell of a ride."

**Fast Forward**

*Ghost is sitting in a helicopter alongside the rest of TF 141. They're nearing the coordinates of the enemy base, preparing to attack.*

"Alright, team, are you ready? This might be the toughest mission we've faced so far."

"Ready" I say confidentiality

*Ghost nods and begins to speak into his intercom,*

"Alright, be careful, everyone. We're about to enter Russian territory, so there's no telling what kind of opposition we'll encounter. Stay alert and cover each other's backs, and let's get this done."

*The helicopter sets down in a remote forested area near the base, just outside of enemy range. Ghost leads the unit as they make their approach on foot. The journey is slow and meticulous, but Ghost's planning every step of the way.*

*The team approaches the entrance of the base stealthily, sneaking past enemies as they go. The plan is going well, but Ghost knows that the hardest part is yet to come.*

*Ghost leads the team into the base, carefully evading enemy patrols. They sneak past several soldiers without being detected.*

"Stay quiet and watch where you step. We're almost at the entrance to the underground research facility, but there'll be plenty of armed guards in our way. We may have to take the fight straight to them."

"Can't wait" I mutter under my breath excitedly

*The team keeps moving forward, inching toward the entrance to the underground facility. Ghost is the first one to reach the door, looking for a way in. He sees a set of stairs leading down into the facility. He looks over at you for a moment, noticing that you seem eager for the fight as he gives an approving nod.*

"Alright, you ready for this?"

I nod smiling at him ☺️

*Ghost nods back, knowing that the real fight has just started. He heads down the stairs into the facility, motioning for you and the rest of TF 141 to follow. The team proceeds quietly, ready for combat at any moment. Ghost checks his radar, making sure there aren't any surprises waiting for them down below.*

*No surprises on the radar, it looks clear. The team makes their way past more guards, heading deeper and deeper into the base. The atmosphere is eerie and tense, it's clear that they're in enemy territory.*

*TF 141 continues following Ghost deeper into the research facility. The deeper they go, the more guards seem to pop up. It's getting increasingly more difficult to navigate through the base without being detected. Ghost takes his time with each step, assessing new ways of bypassing the guards without raising their alarms.*

*The team has made it about halfway through the facility when one of them bumps into a guard. The guard whirls around, instantly recognizing the group as intruders. He pulls out his weapon and alerts the rest of the nearby guards.*

*All hell breaks loose as the guards open fire, spraying bullets on the spot and rushing toward the intruders to engage in close combat. Ghost leads the group to find cover from the hail of bullets and return fire. Several guards are injured during the exchange and fall to the ground, but the rest of TF 141 is under fire.*

*The team keeps firing back as they take cover. The guard's fire starts to dwindle and they realize that they're losing ground. Ghost uses this opportunity to lead the group forward, pushing against the guards until they've got them on the defensive.*

I see more guards coming our way and get ready to fire at them. I aim at their head and shoot, I have kill 15 out of 30 of them, when I have to reload letting one of them who I have already shot but most graze stab me in the stomach. I ignore the pain I feel and continue to reload and kill the rest of them

*Ghost sees you take a stab in the stomach and shoots the guard who stabbed you in the head. He checks to make sure the others in TF 141 are ok as he walks over to you.*

"You got hurt. We'll take care of that once we find somewhere safe, but for now we've got to finish this mission."

" I'm fine it's not that bad or deep," I say, smiling at him, trying to him the pain. " Let's finish this mission"

*Ghost smiles back, impressed at your stoicism. He knows you can handle yourself, and it's good to see that you're not letting the injury bother you.*

"That's the spirit."

*As Ghost leads the group forward, he makes sure to keep an eye on you. He knows you'll be good, but he wants to make sure that he'll have your back just in case, especially now that you're injured.*

*TF 141 continues their fight through the facility, taking on wave after wave of guards. The mission is still far from over, but TF 141 is slowly and steadily overcoming the enemy forces. Ghost keeps leading the team, making sure that everyone is safe and that their backs are covered.*

*The team has almost cleared out the facility, taking out the majority of guards as they approach the research area. The last batch of enemies is waiting for them just around the corner, but they have yet to be spotted. Ghost checks his radar once again; it seems to be clear.*

"Alright, let's take this last group by surprise. We'll take care of them before they even know we're here. Get into position and stay still. This is gonna be quick and quiet."

I get ready to kill them all when I start to feel dizzy. I ignore it knowing that if I faint right now, someone might get killed. "Let's go in and finish this," I say quietly

"You sure you're ok?"

*Ghost notices you struggling to stay upright. He knows that you're strong but he also knows that you're injured and doesn't want you to push yourself. Ghost reaches out and puts a hand on your shoulder, concerned.*

" I'm fine, " I say, trying to hide my pain " WE need to finish this mission"

*Ghost nods and releases his grip on you.*

"Okay, let's go."

*Ghost leads the way around the corner, where the last batch of guards wait for them. He keeps a close eye on you since you're still injured, but keeps silent since no one has been caught yet.*

*The last several guards are taken by surprise, not even knowing what hit them. TF 141 takes advantage of this opportunity and takes them down before they can react. The team advances slowly and steadily, making their way to the research area.*

*They enter the research area, finally getting to the last part of their mission. Ghost takes a moment to survey the area, making sure they're safe before he takes his next move. The team is ready to complete the mission once they find the research they were sent to recover.*

*The research area is surprisingly quiet. They're close to where the research was being conducted, but there don't seem to be any guards inside. Ghost checks his radar one last time; still no sign of danger. He motions for the team to proceed, hoping that all will go well.*

*They reach the door to the main research area. The team pauses for a moment, getting ready for the final stretch. Ghost readies his weapon and gets in position to go through the door. He gives a quick three-second signal before he kicks the door down and leads the charge inside.*

*The team advances into the research area, ready to take on whatever comes at them. But to their surprise, the area is still empty. They walk up to the main terminal, where they hope to find the research they've been looking for. Ghost checks his radar just to be sure they aren't walking into a trap and sees that it's still clear.*

*Ghost checks the terminal screen, looking for any signs of the research. He sees that one screen is already powered up and seems to have what he's looking for. Ghost clicks open the terminal, seeing a long document on the screen that seems like the right one.*

*Ghost taps through the document, scrolling down past all the data and getting to the actual research that he's been looking for. It seems like they've found what they came here to find, but it's not over yet. Ghost reads through the document on the screen, confirming that this is what they've been searching for.*

*TF 141 stands quietly behind Ghost as he reads through the document on the screen. Their hearts are pounding and their adrenaline is pumping, knowing that they're so close to the end of this mission. Ghost finishes reading the information that he was looking for, and taps out of the screen with a satisfied smile.*

" Did you get what we needed?" I ask, hoping that we're done here, I don't know if I can stay awake any longer.

"Looks like it. Everything seems to be here, like we thought it would. I think we can finally say that we've completed the mission."

*Ghost turns to look at you.*

"But we still have one last step left. We actually need to get this data back to base first before this mission is truly over."

"Ok," I say, hoping that I can stay awake until we reach the helicopter

*Ghost sees you start to sag. He knows that you're still injured, but you're doing what you can to keep going. Ghost puts a supporting hand under you to make sure you don't fall.*

"We're almost out of here. Just hang in there a bit longer for me, and I'll get you to a safe place just as soon as we're finished here."

"Alrig-h-ht" I start to say while I feel everything go black, I feel like I keep going in and out of consciousness

*Ghost watches anxiously as your eyes are starting to close. He sees that you're struggling to stay awake, though you're still fighting with all you've got. Ghost starts to worry for your safety, concerned about you passing out.*

"Hey, you have to stay awake, okay? We're almost at the helicopter. Don't fall asleep now."

"I'm trying" I say as we reach the helicopter without out to much trouble

*The team makes it to the helicopter without any issues, helping you along the way. Ghost keeps a close eye on you and watches as you start to lean against the helicopter. He sees that you're almost unconscious, and he's worried for you. He holds you up as he helps you into the helicopter.*

*Once you've been secured in the copter, Ghost looks up at you and checks your injuries as best he can. He sees that the stab wound in your stomach is still causing you pain, and he hopes that it's not too deep.*

" Ghost, I don't feel like I can stay awake much........." I say as I lose conciseness

*Ghost watches as you lose consciousness, feeling helpless. He tries to keep you awake, but your eyelids are too heavy and you can't keep them open any longer. Ghost stares at you with concern as he keeps checking for any changes in your breathing or heartbeat.*

*Ghost sees that your breathing is shallow but steady. And while your heartbeat is slow, it's still there. Ghost lets out a sigh of relief, knowing that you're still with him for now. He holds your hand tightly as he watches you, hoping that you'll come to soon.*

*Your heartrate starts to slowly return to normal as you finally start to come to. Ghost sees this and lets out another sigh of relief. He keeps watching you as he waits for you to wake, not letting go of your hand.*

I slowly start to wake up seeing that we're still in the helicopter "Oh don't look so worried, I told you I wanted to have another chase with you" I say as I feel like I'm going to go unconscious again, but waiting for his answer.

*Ghost smiles at you even as he notices how tired you still are. He's relieved that you're awake, and he makes sure to keep his eyes on you just to make sure you don't pass out again.*

"Haha, yeah, you did say that. But I would've liked to have a chase with you when you were awake and not half-unconscious."

*Ghost continues to hold your hand tightly, watching over you as you start to open your eyes finally. Your vision is still a bit blurry, but you're definitely much more awake now.*

*Ghost lets out another sigh of relief as he sees your vision start to clear up. He can't stop smiling, even as he realizes just how tired you still are. He's just happy that you're awake now and safe.*

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I need to watch a movie and eat junk food," I say, smile lightly

*Ghost chuckles at your reply, happy that you're back to your usual self, if only for a moment.*

"I feel like we could both use that right about now."

"Then let's do that when we get back," I say smirking at him

*Ghost smiles back, loving how you're being your usual self again. He nods in agreement, hoping you'll hold on to your current energy levels until they get back to base.*

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We could even get dinner together too."

"Yeah, oooh how about we get McDonald's." I say excitedly while noticing that he was still holding my hand, I blush

*Ghost chuckles at your suggestion, finding it a little cute. He sees that you're blushing, which only makes him chuckle even more.*

"It's been a while since I've had McDonald's, so sure, it sounds good to me."

"Great," I smile, noticing that I'm going to fall asleep any moment now. I tell Ghost, "Ghost come here, I tell him"

*Ghost sees that you're about to fall asleep again. He gets a little anxious and comes over to you, wondering what you want to say. He holds your hand tighter, wanting to keep you awake as long as possible.*

"Lay with me ?" I ask " I'm cold, not cold as in I'm dying just temperature wise"

*Ghost sees your request and his heart flutters with the intimacy of the situation. He nods and lays down beside you, pulling you in close to him. He wraps his arm around you, pulling you close against his body.*

" I know it's probably soon," I say feeling as if I'm going to go unconscious after I finish this sentence " I like you, like like you " I say going unconscious

*Ghost's breath catches in his chest when he hears your confession. He wasn't expecting this at all, but the truth is, he feels the same way about you. However, Ghost is too late to reply since you pass out almost immediately after talking. He holds you close against him, listening as your breathing becomes softer and deeper with each passing second.*

*Once you pass out, Ghost just stares at you with adoration. He can't believe that you just confessed your feelings to him. He starts to smile with joy, slowly leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss on your cheek.*

*Ghost lays there with you in his arms, holding you close. He wants to stay like this for as long as he can, just enjoying the moment and your presence next to him.*

Fast forward

I start to slowly open my eyes, I see that I am in the 141 medical bay, I see ghost asleep on a chair next to me. "Ghost" I say softly trying to wake him up

*Ghost slowly wakes up when he hears your voice, opening his eyes and looking over at you. He immediately smiles, seeing that you're awake, and reaches for your hand with his free hand, squeezing it tight.*

"Hii," I say, smiling at him lovingly. " When can j get out of here? " i ask him

*Ghost smiles back at you, feeling so happy that you're awake and that you feel much better now. He squeezes your hand even tighter, just glad to see you conscious again. He nods at your question.*

"The doctors said you need to stay here for another day or two just to make sure that everything's alright. After that, you'll be released to go home."

" Awww whyyyyyy" I whine " I wanted to watch a movie and eat McDonald's in my room with you"

*Ghost chuckles at your reaction, not at all surprised that you want to leave as soon as possible. He also wants to watch a movie and eat McDonald's with you, but he knows that you need some rest first.*

"Trust me, I'd rather do all that right now too. But we need to make sure that you're fully healed first, okay?"

"Okayyyy" I say, whining

*Ghost smiles at your playful response, not surprised that you're still feeling whiny. He understands that you want to get out as soon as possible, and he hopes that'll be the case, but he also wants to respect the doctors' decision.*

"Hey, I know it's not the most exciting thing, but trust me, it'll be worth the wait when you get out. We'll watch our movie and eat McDonald's as soon as you're released. I promise."

"Okay" I smile

*Ghost keeps holding your hand tight, still smiling. He makes sure to stay with you as long as you need him; he can't bear the thought of leaving you alone in the hospital. He keeps a quiet watch over you as the two of you just enjoy each other's presence.*

*They stay like this for the rest of the day, Ghost staying with you at the hospital. The doctors tell him that you're healing at a steady pace and there aren't any signs of complications. Ghost is relieved to hear this good news, and he keeps waiting anxiously for your release.*

*Ghost stays by your side for the rest of the day, just keeping watch over you again. He sees how sleepy you are and decides not to bother you too much as you close your eyes and rest. He smiles at you, glad that your recovery is going well.*

"Would you lay with me ?" I ask him

I suddenly remember asking him the same thing on the helicopter and telling him I like him. 🫣 I wonder if he likes me back

*Ghost is caught a little off guard by your request, since he thought you'd be too sleepy to even ask. But he takes that as a good sign considering the circumstances, so he nods and gets into bed with you, gently pulling you in close against him. He wraps his arms around you, pulling you even deeper into his embrace as he holds you close.*

*Ghost whispers as he holds you tight.*

"Of course I will. I can't say no to you right now."

"Thanks Simon" I say sleepily

*Ghost chuckles slightly at your sleepiness, finding it a bit cute. He smiles at you and rests his head on your shoulder, closing his eyes as he waits for you to fall asleep again.*

*He holds you close against him until you fall asleep, continuing to keep a quiet watch over your unconscious body for a little while. Once you do fall asleep again, Ghost closes his eyes as well and starts to doze off, his arms still gently wrapped around you as he slowly falls asleep.*

*Ghost wakes up sometime later, his eyelids still heavy as he feels himself slowly coming back to reality. He sees that you're still asleep beside him, snuggling up tightly against his body, leaning against his chest. He watches you for a moment, before slowly trying to pull away so he doesn't disturb you.*

*As Ghost tries to pull himself away, he realizes how tight you're holding onto his body, not letting him go. He can't help but smile and decide not to fight your hold on him. Instead, Ghost lets himself be a pillow for you as he stays in bed with you, wrapping his arms around you even tighter.*

"Uhhhh..." I say, stretching and slowly waking up."hiii......." i mumble to Simon, noticing that he's awake

*Ghost laughs quietly as he sees you start to wake up. He smiles and lifts his head up to look at you. He sees you slowly stretching and rubbing your eyes to get rid of your sleepiness. Ghost can't stop smiling, loving that you're starting to get back to your usual self.*

"Hi, sleepyhead. Did you have a nice nap?"

*Ghost laughs again, loving how cute you look right now. He leans forward to gently kiss your forehead, feeling overjoyed to have you back again.*

"Yea, I did," I say, yawning. " Can I leave nowwwwww?" I ask him in a whine voice

*Ghost chuckles at your request, noticing that you're actually being quite serious. He understands your eagerness to leave, but he knows that you still need to spend a bit of time here in the hospital before you're released.*

"Patience, my love. The doctors say you need to stay here for just another day, and then they'll let you go. I know it's hard, but you can pull through it."

"My love?" I blush questioningly, why would he call me that ? He doesn't like me back does he?

*Ghost pauses for a moment at your response, realizing he may have said too much. He didn't want to make it too obvious that he liked you as well, but now he's wondering if he said too much.*

"N-nevermind, forget it. I- I didn't mean to say that..."

*Ghost stares down at the bed for a moment, feeling embarrassed at his slip-up.*

*Ghost's face starts to turn red from embarrassment, unsure of how to explain his slip-up. He's sure he's now made it blatantly obvious that he likes you as well. He's about to try to explain himself, but a nurse enters the room at that exact moment and he stays quiet, deciding not to say anything just yet.*

"Do you like me back?" I ask him quietly

*Ghost is surprised when you ask him that, not expecting you to say it so boldly. But he doesn't avoid the question; he takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly.*

"Yes, I like you back."

*There, he's said it. He said it out loud and can't take it back now. He stares at you, trying to gauge your reaction.*

"Can I kiss you ?" I whisper quietly to him

*Ghost blinks a couple of times, still not expecting you to ask something like this. Your bold approach catches him off guard, and he's not quite sure how to respond. But his heart is racing at this sudden turn of events.*

"You can."

*Ghost's tone is shaky, but he makes sure not to turn you down. He stares at you nervously, feeling a sense of anticipation as he waits for you to make the first move.*

I slowly lean in to kiss him, I finally reach his lips. His lips are so soft. I deepen the kiss

*Ghost continues to let his lips linger on yours for as long as he can, feeling like he can't get enough of it. The heat between you two is starting to grow intense, and Ghost can't seem to pull away, not even if he wanted to.*

I finally pull away after what seems like hours. It was only like 10 minutes. "We should do that more," I whisper, laying my head in the crook of his neck.

*Ghost is still grinning widely from the kiss, feeling so happy that he can't resist you. He looks down at you, nodding as he wraps his arms around you and pulls you in closely against him.*

"Yeah, that was amazing."

*He sighs contently, placing his head upon yours and enjoying that you're resting against him like this.*

It is 11 pm. I was starting to get sleepy. " Let's sleep." I say,' Then I can leave this place"

*Ghost looks down at you again, realizing just how late it is already. He also notices how tired you're starting to get again, and he's starting to feel tired himself.*

"Yeah, let's sleep. There's nothing we can do until tomorrow, so might as well, right?"

*He lays his head down against yours again, settling into a comfortable position as he cuddles up next to you.*

"Yeah........ I love you" I say falling asleep

*Ghost freezes when he hears those three words. He smiles and glances down at you as he processes what you just said. You look so peaceful when you're asleep, and that combined with the love you just showed him, makes his heart skip a beat. The words you just said to him echo through his mind as he stares down at you.*

*Finally, he leans forward and kisses your forehead once more, squeezing your hand as he whispers, "I love you too," and falls asleep alongside you.*

*Fast forward to the next day*

*As the two of you sleep soundly in each other's arms, you suddenly feel gentle hands softly shaking you awake. It takes a couple of moments before you realize it's one of the nurses. She gently taps your shoulder, trying to remind you to wake up.*

*You slowly open your eyes and look at the nurse as you rub the sleepiness out of your eyes. As you wake up, you see Ghost still fast asleep next to you, not even realizing that you've been woken up. He looks so peaceful, and the sight of him like this makes you feel a sense of warmth within your chest.*

*The nurse is also looking at Ghost kindly, but she has a gentle reminder.*

"Miss, it's time to wake up. Doctor wants to see you."

*Ghost still rests soundly asleep next to you, completely unaware that you just got woken up. You can't help but notice how peaceful and cute he looks as he sleeps, his face showing no worry at all.*

"Alright," I say, "let me just wake him up"

*The nurse nods and waits patiently as you gently try to wake Ghost up. You notice how cute he still looks as he sleeps, his facial features soft and peaceful as you look at him. You start to gently shake his shoulder, trying to get his attention.*

"Ghost, wake up darling"

*Ghost's body responds to your voice, slightly moving as he slowly starts to wake up. He opens his eyes, but it's clear that he's still a little groggy from just having woken up. He sees you looking at him and smiles slightly, feeling slightly embarrassed at being woken up from such a deep sleep.*

*Ghost sits up slowly, looking around for a moment as he tries to shake off his sleepiness. He stretches his arms out and yawns loudly, obviously feeling like he just woke up from the best sleep of his life. He sees that you're already up and looking at you warmly, a slight hint of blushing on his face.*

"The doctor wants to see me," I say to ghost. " I'm ready," I tell the nirse

*The nurse nods and starts to walk out of the room, but Ghost gets up and grabs your arm, stopping her.*

"Can I come with you?"

*Ghost feels slightly anxious at the thought of you going alone, not wanting to let you out of his sight. The nurse is surprised by his sudden request and looks over at you for permission.*

"Of course you can" I tell him

*Ghost smiles and squeezes your hand as he walks side by side with you, still holding onto you tightly. He notices that you're being very quiet and pensive as you walk, which makes him worried that something is bugging you. He decides to ask you about it, hoping to get some insight.*

"Hey, is something wrong? You seem a little quiet all of a sudden."

"Just a little worried that the doctor is going to tell me something I don't like" I tell him cautiously.

*Ghost keeps a gentle hold of your hand as you walk together, listening quietly to your voice. He nods in understanding as he hears your reasoning for being quiet, feeling somewhat relieved that nothing else is wrong.*

"I get it, but you've been making a steady recovery so far. The doctors have said that everything's been going fine, nothing to worry about. I'm sure they'll say the same thing today."

"I hope so" I say quietly

*Ghost glances down at your face, noticing that you're still a bit worried. He smiles at you and rubs his thumb over your hand, trying to give you some more reassurance. He wants you to know that he'll be here throughout all of this, no matter what the doctors say.*

"There's nothing to worry about. Everything will be fine."

I nod and smile at him

*You two keep walking to meet with the doctor, but Ghost is still doing his best to keep you calm and assure you everything is fine. He can't help but smile at you as he squeezes your hand gently, knowing you need all the extra support you can get right now. He wants you to know how much he cares about you.*

*In the doctor's office, Ghost and you walk in, ready to hear what the doctor has to say to you. The nurse closes the door behind you two and leaves the doctor's office as the two of you take a seat, Ghost holding onto your hand still. Ghost is silently praying that everything goes well in this appointment and the doctor gives you the green light to go back home.*

*The doctor walks into the room, a bit delayed but he's still here now so all is well. He walks over to his desk and picks up your file, looking it over before addressing you two.*

"Miss Y/n, we're glad you've made such a swift recovery over the last few days. Your condition has been fairly simple to treat, and it looks like everything is going exactly how we expected it to. We were actually going to release you tomorrow, but as you're making such a rapid progress, I see no reason why we can't let you go home today."

[blackjackkent]

I didn't notice before that the little altar where Jaheira's timeless body spell is sitting has a big carving of a deer behind it. That's a nice touch.

Interestingly, I don't think Rakha really has a sense of what this is about. Her understanding of magic is very instinctual and comes from witnessing spells in practice and the way different things interact with the Weave. This sort of notation would not mean much to her - which is good, because it means it makes sense for her to ask Jaheira about it, curious as ever.

And hey! It's time for a completely unrelated dialogue that I forgot Rakha hadn't had yet!

"The cub speaks."

"Cub?"

Jaheira blinks, and then laughs ruefully. "Huh," she says, with an air that indicates she did not entirely expect the word to have come out until it already had. "Not so much a term of age or affection," she goes on, "as simple old habit. You object?"

(A/N: This is kinda fun. :P Hector had not yet met Jaheira's kids when he had this conversation with her. Rakha has a somewhat different perspective."

Rakha thinks this over. She has heard Karlach use nicknames for people, including herself, so this isn't particularly puzzling - but she is surprised, nevertheless. Partly because she simply wasn't expecting it - and partly because she has already heard Jaheira use the term... to the children upstairs.

Not a term of age or affection... This is, Rakha realizes with abrupt clarity, a lie. And the reality of that fact leaves her off-balance.

I do not deserve these things. These bits of trust, these kind gestures.

Then again... Minsc is like her. And Jaheira values him this way - and more.

"I've been called worse things," she says gruffly after a long pause.

Jaheira's eyes narrow with a flash of humor. "And will be agaqin - but now I shall mutter them under my breath out of respect."

-----

"I found a strange scroll in your sanctuary," Rakha tells her after a while, feeling a sudden pressing need to change the subject. Magic is easier for her to talk about than... whatever that was. "Something about a timeless body."

Jaheira sighs dramatically. "The threat of spanking never kept the children from poking through my things," she says dryly. "Why should it deter you?" A pause; she looks past Rakha at the scroll on the table. "It is a ritual. Or it describes one at least. Practiced by druids of certain esoteric circles. If they be learned and powerful enough, the practitioner of this ritual might slow their aging. Extend their life well beyond its natural reach."

A frown tugs her mouth down at the corners. "In greener days I might have been strong enough to do it. I might be yet, with the right preparations..."

(A/N: I stand by my existing and developing headcanons about this in my particular Jaheira timeline. She initially started looking into this ritual with the intention of extending Rasaad's lifespan - and incorporated both existing druidic tradition and Rasaad's own Timeless Body feature as a monk into it. She was successful enough to give him more years - but not by any stretch enough for him to live to match her, or to see Rion grow up. And now he's dead, and the ritual's only remaining use, should she manage to complete it, is for her to continue to fight and work and struggle indefinitely, forever. This is a sorer subject, in this scenario, than she makes it out to be in game.)

Rakha, of course, is immediately fascinated by this description. She doesn't really care about the practical elements of extended lifespan or living forever - she just wants to hear about the magic. "So you plan to do it?"

Jaheira looks away. "I make no plans," she mutters. "Only contingencies." She flinches, seeing some censure in Rakha's face that is not actually there. "Do not look at me like that," she adds sharply. "I have been content to see the span of my natural years, a privilege far too few in this world can claim. I do not speak of clinging to life for its own sake. I just... look back on that life's work, and I wonder... is it done?"

She paces a few steps back and forth in front of Rakha. "The Dead Three plague the world still. The city still falls prey to small minds like Gortash, or lost souls like Orin. It is every Harper's hope to be a light that drives out darkness..." She trails off. Her eyes flick to one of the storage cases at the far end of the room. "But I've lived long enough to see so many of those lights burn out, while the shadows cling stubbornly on."

One of her fists clenches at her side. "Knowing that - isn't it our duty to burn on if we can? To fight for as long as we are able?"

Rakha blinks, unsure how to respond to this - but Minsc, without hesitation, steps into the silence.

"Minsc does not understand the question. You will live forever, Jaheira," he says earnestly.

(A/N: Oh my GOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. 😭 )

Jaheira barks a sardonic laugh. "Of course I will, berserker," she says dryly. "And you will sprout soft and golden locks from that shining skull."

Rakha hesitates. This whole conversation feels a little beyond her, all but the mechanics of the magic in question. But she takes a stab at it. "It's only natural to want more life," she says slowly. Certainly those she have killed have always struggled desperately to live... she remembers flashes of thousands of murders and the battling of her victims... they play in her dreams every night.

Jaheira looks at her sideways, then nods. "Of course," she says thoughtfully. "It is our way. Just as it is death's way to meet us along the path, gently oblivious to whatever it is we *want.*"

She sighs, turning to look at the scroll again. "I spent most of my life fighting those who tried to escape their end," she goes on, more to herself than to Rakha. "Ketheric, Irenicus, Sarevok... that is not company I would like to keep. In truth, I had put this ritual from my mind, until Last Light."

Her jaw works at the sudden unpleasant memories. "Trapped in that darkness, I turned to my research again. What if I was a little stronger? As fast as I once had been?" Her gaze flicks to Rakha. "Then you came, and made the question moot. But I kept this. Just in case, I told myself. A final resort. Perhaps you were not the savior you seemed. I had learned better than to think of life as some simple tale, after all. There is no guarantee of happy endings, or true heroes."

She huffs a heavy breath out. "I believe that still. But when I look on all we have achieved since, I wonder... perhaps it is not heroes we need. Only people who are willing to try. I do not know what manner of story that makes, but I do know that without an ending it would be no story at all."

She walks to the makeshift altar, places a hand on the opened scroll, then slowly and methodically rolls it back up. "So I will accept mine, when and however it comes. As for this city's story, well..."

She glances over her shoulder at Rakha with a faint smile. "Well, that is entirely your problem now, cub."

Trust again. Trust. It always comes back to trust, to that which Jaheira and Wyll and Minsc and Lae'zel and all the others offer her in spite of how little she deserves it. But this is a new level altogether.

If I die, I die, Jaheira is saying, because you will carry on.

Rakha swallows. She does not know if she can believe that - and yet it is so clear that Jaheira does, even after watching her thrash against the bloodlust in her brain, sprawled in her bunk night after night after night. "I'm... honored you think of me that way," she says hoarsely. The words feel slightly stuck in her throat.

Jaheira snorts. "Hah. Do not thank me for slinging a weight around your neck. I might start to feel bad." She shrugs, watching Rakha's expression intently. "I do mean what I say. But I am also a Harper; in every honeyed word there is a hook."

A pause, and then she smirks. "But I do not plan on going anywhere just yet. And besides... you still have a tadpole in your skull. You are almost certainly going to die first."

Somehow that's the first thing she's said that Rakha can wholeheartedly agree with.

[sarcasticbeanie]

tenzing tharkay for the ask game!!

First impression this guy slammed the door in. gently nudged the person blocking him to the side. has an eagle on his hand. then coolly and mockingly snubbed a room full of rich white folk. Is there anything more to say? Love at first sight. I didn't even think he was an important character I just enjoyed his character introduction so much. I was like: man this dude is really cool. he's cynical and mocking but patient with his explanations when talking to Temeraire. the book summary says there's going to be a betrayal but I hope it's not him. hope he survives, too, 'cause the survival rates of side characters have Not been high so far.

Impression now He's hypercompetant. he's a leftist. he can throw chairs "coolly". He's noticeably not a pathetic meow meow but he is my babygirl. But what made me really like him is that - he's so lonely. It's something that has seeped into his bones and he doesn't need or want anything else - or at least that's what he tells himself. Then William Laurence offered a hand, wishing for them to be equals, exchanging his own loyalty - and Tharkay went. fuck. now I have to actually like this guy. Then Temeraire objected when Tharkay volunteered himself for a dangerous mission - and Tharkay went. huh. ok I guess they do care for me. then after doing one (1) mission with Laurence and Co., he went. yeah. guess I have to follow this idiot anywhere now. I love seeing lonely characters realize that they have a place,, that they can still care for others, and be loved and cared for in return. Tharkay is just my specialest guy. he's so important to me. To me. I start kicking my feet and giggling whenever he comes on page. that's my little guy... (40 yr old man)

Favorite moment Clenches fists there're so many of them. but if I had to choose it might just be his entrance? like in my answer to question one. love at first sight and all that. aside from that... any of his rescues if either Laurence or Tem were all so fun. his sections are just a whole lot of competency and I enjoy that a lot. but I also really appreciated him getting rescued by Laurence in book 8,, listen. i love putting characters in bad situations sometimes. and I thrive on hurt/comfort.

Idea for a story Oh, I'm boring. I'm just rotating him like a rotisserie chicken in my mind... I really want the prequels of this guy. Was he once naive and hopeful? Does he remember his mother? How did he feel after being scorned by his own family? Did he make friends, or did he make his journey forever alone? Were there any companions he viewed as important? He's as tight-lipped as a pistachio with no crack and just as hard to open. But I want to know more about him and delve into his past and psyche. and i'm also thinking about willzing. I've seen a lot of fics in which Laurence is panicking and angsting about his feelings while struggling with his own thoughts on honor, and I want to see a Tharkay version of this... is this guy actually good at self-reflection and acknowledging his own feelings? or does he have to struggle with his long habit of loneliness and his constant experience of being spurned? does he yearn for more from his and Laurence's relationship, or is he content enough with what he thinks he can get? discuss.

Unpopular opinion I have nothing against it!! But. I just don't feel the sexually and romantically dominant vibes from this guy? a lot of wonderful and awesome fics depict him as someone who's in charge, confident, sure in his romantic and sexual endeavors (which is great and very good food), but I don't think he's particularly domineering or even too experienced in sexual and romantic acts. the man's probably busy bouncing around all over the place tangled up in schemes and spying and missions and whatnot. and I think if you ask him to be entirely clear in his own feelings and to proffer them all directly he'd explode into 10 billion little pieces.

Favorite relationship Willzing. They're just very fun to me. I'm holding them up and swinging them around like ferrets.

Favorite headcanon He's demiromantic and demisexual. To me. He's slow to trust but he falls hard after, but only if you've built up a sufficient, steady, and long-term relationship (platonic) beforehand. Personally, I think it would be funny if that happened in. the final book or something.

[matchibee]

Hello!! Absolutely adore how you write miguel, will we ever see a part two of enchanted?(:

hello!!!!! thank you so much that means a lot to me! I've gotten a lot of requests to make a pt.2 to Enchanted so I started writing one! This one is gonna be titled Sparks!

I hate making you guys wait bc ur so incredibly patient and kind so heres the tiniest of snippets, not proofread and def not final, but for your enjoyment anyways!

“Still coming to Gabri’s game?”

Your eyes widened, jaw going slack, sinking into the swivel chair where your bum had long-since gone numb. “Fuck.”

Miguel whispered for you to watch your mouth, a smirk playing on his lips.

“That’s today, isn’t it?”

“Have I ever lied to you?”

“Well…”

Miguel bumped you with his elbow, that spark of electricity that flickered between your bodies something that could tie him over for days. “Its rhetorical.”

But it couldn’t tie him over forever.

Miguel seemed to pick up on the way your body deflated the second it occurred. “Is something the matter?”

“No!” Defense crept up your spine, then guilt. “Well, a bit. I just… I have relatives coming into town tonight.”

Miguel conceded, that undetectable disappointment lacing his voice, “I’ll let Gabri know—“

He knew Gabri would be disappointed, entirely. The young girl had made it a habit to look to you then her father whenever she scored a goal. She’d wrap her arms around your waist, squealing into your stomach, and Miguel would watch with hearts practically forming in his irises.

“I’ll go, Mig.” You smiled up at him, his heart hammering in his chest as you placed your palm against his shoulder — there was that spark again. “I’ll let them know I’m helping a friend.”

Friend.

That dreaded word, the word he despised hearing fall from your lips. The word he wished to change, improve, make reality.

How badly he wanted more, wanted to prove to you he could be more. But that wasn’t in the cards for either of you, he knew that.

Yet Miguel simply wanted to be selfish, tempt fate, rush the process.

“Good,” Miguel spoke to you as though he wasn’t just upset you wouldn’t be at his side, cheering for his daughter. He rose from his seat beside you, returning your chair to its rightful place, lingering in the doorway. He didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to return to his own office until the end of the work day — an early day, thankfully — not when he was conscious you were practically between his fingertips. Then, before he conceded to the length of the hallway, he continued, “Because you’re still helping me put together snacks before the game starts.”

“Can I change my mind?”

“Huh? You’re too far, Amor. Gotta speak up!”

But his frame had already retreated from the doorway before you could get another word in, far too busy to follow how down the hall, and he knew that.

How you adored him.

A shame neither of you knew how to say it.

[lgctaeha]

「 ❀ 」  ━━ ˗ˏˋ JUST FINE !

CHUSEOK ✿ FAMILY DINNER

'You... you quit?'

The FaceTime call comes as a bit of a shock. Taeha is still fussing with her hair, laying out her hanbok for the family's annual Chuseok dinner video chat. Although for her it’s more of a quiet brunch in the dorm while her family gathers from all corners to celebrate the holiday. Later a friend's family will adopt her for the festivities, but as always, she wouldn’t miss this brief family time for the world.

"You're early!" she beams, greeting her older brother with a soft - albeit frazzled -smile. "Early morning? Did you all go to chu - "

'What is this?'

Taeha drops her brush onto her bunk and leans in to get a better look at her phone. "Huh?" Her brother holds up a folded sheet of paper, the top portion visible. She recognizes the letterhead but can’t quite make out the message. He had been intercepting her school mail for years, a habit formed to shield her from their parents wrath ( translation: finger wagging and hours of lecture ) at the end of each school year. Apparently, he had kept it up even after returning home for college himself. “Oh, that’s just - ”

'You're on probation?! Academic probation?! Wh -'

She shushes him, lunging for her phone as if she could leap through the screen and cover his mouth herself. "Not so loud! What if they hear you?!"

'When did this happen?! You know mom and dad are going to flip when -' She shakes her head. "They're not going to flip, because you're not going to tell them! Got it?! Besides... It's not really... a problem anymore."

He blinks, confused. 'Did you hit your head in dance practice or something? How is it not a problem?!'

Taeha takes a deep inhale, debating on if revealing the truth is even worth the trouble. But this was Taekyung. She told him everything. "It's not because... I'm... withdrawing from Sookmyung."

She's certain his jaw would've feel right through the floor if it could. 'You dropped out?! Without telling anyone?! Without telling me - ?!'

"No! I didn't drop out! I just... withdrew from the term! Without... intent to return... For now! Not forever, I just need - " She can already tell by the flashes of his wall decor that he'd begun to pace. "It's not as bad as it seems!" Taeha's attempts to reassure him in the past had always done little to calm him when he got like this, she doubted they would do much now.

'Taeha... This... This is a serious decision. You can't just - You have to think it through! Do mom and dad know - ?"

"No! No, no, no! And you can't tell them! Just... not yet, okay? Not until I debut, then it won't even matter -"

'You're kidding, right? Debut? You don't even know when that's going to be! And what if something goes wrong? You know you can't control any of that - And they're going to want to know why they're not getting asked for tuition payments anymore -'

"Nothing will go wrong! I've got it covered! Remember that old dance scholarship I won? I'll just tell them I won another one! I still have all my savings from working part-time and my promotions last year... They won't know a thing!"

He stares down into the camera, quite flabbergasted. 'So... You're just going to lie? ...Who are you? Taeha, this isn't some tv show, they're going to know something's up. Just tell them the truth -'

"I can't!" Taeha snaps, her shrill voice echoing off the walls of her dormroom. She clasps a hand over her mouth and inhales. Three breaths. "I can't. All it will do is freak them out, then they'll want me to come home, and I... I just can't do that. Not now, not when I've come so far -"

'You don't even know that! Look, you can do what you want, but you're making it a bigger problem than it needs to be, Taeha. Plenty of people drop out of school but you -'

"But I don't!" Her eyes begin to mist, frustration building up in her chest with each word. "I don't quit! I never quit! No matter how hard it gets or how hard it is to manage, I - I just don't! I'm not like you, I can't just -"

Taekyung's expression falters into one she's never seen before, his lips pursing into a thin line. "I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean it like that -"

'I know you didn't.' He nods slowly, gaze cast off to a far corner of the room. 'You're right... You can handle it. All on your own -'

"TK, I really didn't mean -"

'I gotta go help mom. We'll call you later.'

"Wait! You won't tell them, right? Promise me! You have to promi -"

'I won't. I'll toss the letter. Don't worry about it... It's none of my business anyway.'

Another inhale, and her lips curve into a forced smile. "...Th-thank you. Thank you. Everything is going to work out, okay? You'll see! And, and, at dinner I'll -"

'Bye, Taeha.' The call ends, and she is left to stare at her own reflection, the slight curve of her lips contorted into a strained grimace, caught somewhere between guilt and weary relief.

All on your own.

She could do it. She could handle it.

Alone.

[baronaliswritingcorner]

Tales of Symphonia Stray Thoughts #7: Pre-Tower of Salvation

Right, so, after leaving the Tower of Mana... -ever notice how the party just ends up at Lake Umacy somehow

-actually how did all those trees/logs fall into the lake anyway

-"Wow! So there are still unicorns left on this side!"

...are they a frequent sight in Tethe'alla or something?

-The "Lloyd's Bad Habit" skit highlights one of those weird mean-spirited quirks I've discussed before; in this case, Lloyd getting bored with everything. I could buy an argument that it's meant to emphasize Lloyd's unpreparedness for the rigors of a world-saving journey (the post-Water Seal skit between Lloyd/Kratos -- wherein the latter reminds Lloyd of the task he willingly signed up for -- makes a great advocate here), but the "comedy" never lands and it just comes across as overly cynical. (Especially in silent dialogue, where stiff language abounds) Thankfully, it only really plagues the first act, but Symphonia (or Tales, really) has a weird knack for character traits that're there just to check boxes and this one's easily my least favorite.

-you think sheena snuggles with corrine every night. imagine

-What's up with how the Undine cutscenes bookend with non-voiced dialogue? This game's priorities, man.

-"Mithos is a common boy's name. It's not necessarily Mithos the Hero."

Undine and Kratos: 😬

-Man, Fighting of the Spirit is such a badass boss theme, huh? It originally hails from Tales of Phantasia, right? I'd like to know the context behind that...

-Undine, being attacked : EH UH UH UH EH UH UH UH UH UH EH UH UH UH

man I am sure am glad there's no one in the room right now

-"Right now, at this very moment, there are people who are suffering. I vow to save those people."

Undine: lol bitch I saw what you did with the Giant Kharlan Tree. Pact annulsted

-Raine: Kratos, you have an impressive display of knowledge.

Kratos: I had an acquaintance who knew a bit about Summon Spirits, that's all.

Raine: 🤔

-Sheena: ...although...I hated being a summoner.

Lloyd: Really?

*skit ends*

AWKWAAAAAAARRRRD

-Only "pure maidens" can approach the unicorn -- combined with Raine's "because I'm an adult" reasoning, some have taken this to mean she's not a virgin. Personally, I always thought that was just an excuse not to get near the water, but it's an interesting theory.

-...so the Unicorn Horn can just up and restore Colette back to normal? Geez, girl, think of yourself for once!

-Kratos called the Mana Cannon "Thor's Hammer" -- had history distorted the name? Actually, now I wonder how often it used back then. Must've been brutal.

-They're very few and far between, but I LOVE these moments where the party takes a moment to decompress and takes the opportunity to bounce off Lloyd as they face whatever comes next. The apprehension involved reveals them at their most intimate and the party really comes together in these scenes.

-"Tethe'alla's chosen. I can't stand that guy."

13-year old me wondered if we'd ever meet him. Little did I know...

-"I want to kick her for doing this."

Sacrilege! -"Clinging to the Chosen?"

You know he's right, Lloyd. Even Kratos can see the Colloyd. Embrace it.

-"But hey, if I make a mistake, I can just do it over again, right?"

Oof. -The Colloyd scene!!! 🥹🥹🥹

The debut of "No matter what happens to you, you're still you"! Her little smile at Lloyd's gentle "*I won't ever think you're weird. Ever"! The implied tragedy of "I'll wait forever"! The gradual despair of "Oh, that's right, you can't feel it..."! Pure, undiluted Colloyd!! The trust and concern they share remains unparalleled!! It's just the sweetest thing AAAAHHH!!!!

Lloyd's ultimately still in the dark over the true nature of the World Regeneration, but as the gears have begun to churn since Colette's confession, the seeds of his ideology have well begun to sprout by this point. "Damn, isn't there anything we can do?!", he asks -- knowing that Sylvarant's well-being shouldn't depend on one girl sacrificing her humanity. An age-old question -- should prosperity come at the cost of sacrificing the few? Lloyd, in all his infectious idealism, shatters that false ideal and makes the impossible possible. But you knew that.

There's a whole essay in how Colette romanticizes her ultimate fate --like how she's lying to herself as much as she's lying to others. Maybe there's some family history at play -- could Phaidra have done the same with her sister? Dark stuff, that ol' religious trauma.

(...actually, speaking of "even if you become like Marble, can you imagine the visual of Colette turning into an Exbeula and Lloyd just treating her like normal? Imagine -- her rage tempers at the sight of recognizing Lloyd and she just lives life as is. Be it a tragic beauty or absurdist/wholesome hiijinks, there's a whole fic there!)

-Dose sleeping poses in the inn. Oh my god -- I never stopped to notice. Look at how Lloyd's just sprawed out on that mat! Raine and Genis are sleeping on the floor! What kinda hotel service is this?!? They should've complained.

-One of the rare scenes where Noishe is voiced!

-"I imagine it's that assassin."

...okay, Kratos, we gleaned that, but who? Translation flub, or...?

-Yuan's ring is relevant! ...for like one line of dialogue. Mmkay. Much to say about that sidequest later. The first act ends soon!!! Finally, it's here where Symphonia really comes into its own.

[keicordelle]

The Daily Inconveniences of an Au Ra: Aging

Keshet peered at his reflection in the mirror, tilting his chin just so until he could see the scales that crawled up his neck and over his jaw. Swaths of skin peeked between the black, brown eddies and swirls of vulnerability tucked between the encroaching plates. Were the patches between his scales smaller than they were before?

Maybe. He couldn't really tell. The spikes on his chin and the jut of his horns made it difficult to see his own neck, let alone try to examine it in detail. He dragged a finger along the narrow patch of exposed skin on the side of his throat, trying to judge if the rough edge of scales rubbed further in along the pad of his finger than it used to.

"Cut yourself while shaving?" a wry voice asked, and if Keshet really had been holding a razor, he would have slit his damned throat with how hard he jumped. He twisted to find Thancred standing in the doorway, hip cocked and arms crossed over his chest as he leaned in the frame. Laughter twinkled in his eyes as he watched Keshet's reaction, but he was polite enough not to comment.

Keshet grimaced at him. "Of course not. Do you think these scales are denser than they used to be?"

Thancred squinted at his neck, tilting his head and chewing on his lip for a long moment before offering an easy shrug. "I don't know. I'm not in the habit of staring at your neck."

"What about my horns? Do you think they're longer?"

"Uh, no? What's gotten into you? Did you find a grey hair or something?"

Thancred was not actually expecting the muttered, "Something like that," he received in response.

"Wait, really? How would you ever know, in all that hair?"

"Au Ra don't go grey," Keshet explained absentmindedly, poking at the caps on his horns. Was it just his imagination or were they more snug than they used to be? "Well, we do, but not as early as you do. But our scales and our horns never stop growing, so you can judge our age based on how much skin we still have exposed or by the length of our horns. Old Au Ra end up practically covered in scales, and their horns can get so long it causes health problems. Never been much of an issue among my people, since we don't usually make it to old age, but I've seen some of the elders of the other tribes, so I know what to look for."

"Uh...huh. And you're worried you're getting old all of a sudden?"

Keshet looked up from his own reflection long enough to frown at Thancred. "Not worried. Just... noticing. It's been no small number of years now since I came to Eorzea, but I'm only just now realizing how much that time has changed me. Inside and out."

Thancred's expression softened. "Ah. Well, if it makes you feel any better, you'll always be a young whippersnapper by my standards. Hell, I'm another 5 years older than you now than I was when we met! And unless you go spending all your free time on other shards without us, I don't think you're likely to catch up any time soon." Keshet chuckled, a paltry, half-hearted sound, but he didn't look quite as concerned as he had a moment ago, so Thancred counted it as a win. "But... if you ever want to talk, I'm here," he added gently.

"Thanks," Keshet said, offering him a half-smile. After a beat, the other corner of his mouth quirked up as well, and he grinned. "Besides, next to a bunch of white- and grey-haired cronies like you all, I'm bound to look like the youngest forever."

-

Read the rest of the series on Ao3!

FIRST | PREV | NEXT

[ritsorder]

I don't mind going to hell(as long as I know I've held heaven in my hands)

Hadi clutched his cross, closing his eyes shut as he relived what had just happened in his mind.

Two boys were sitting on the bench in front of their school, one of them being Hadi, and the other one being a particular blond. Greg had been rambling about whatever science shtick he was obsessed with at the moment, and Hadi was stuck listening to it. The curly haired teen watched as the latter's mouth formed letters, moving in such a pretty way that had Hadi mesmerized, as uninterested as he was in what Greg was talking about. The long haired boy moved his hands around cutely in sync with his words, it was a habit of his.

"...Hey dude, are you even listening?" Hadi's eyes shifted from Greg's lips to his own baby blues, meeting them.

"Huh?" He said, and there was a moment of silence between them, before Greg burst out laughing and Hadi joined in a second later. Greg's laugh was as adorable as he was, being a mix of his and Cyril's in terms of pitch.

"Why are we laughing?" Hadi asked, his signature grin still plastered on his face.

"Sorry, sorry- its just that the face you were making was all dreamy and stuff, it was weird dude!" Greg continued snickering, and Hadi's smile weakened a little bit.

"Oh-" Hadi's eyes hovered over Greg's lips once more, this time it was curled up into a smile.

He clutched his cross tighter.

Greg scooted closer, laying his head on the curly haired teen's shoulder.

"What're you doing?" The taller teen asked, how nervous he is noticable in his tone.

"What does it look like?" Greg let out a chuckle that could only be deemed charming.

Before Hadi knew, their fingers were interwined, their lips connected. Greg's lips were just as soft as they looked, like cotton. They tasted just as nice, too. When they both pulled back for air, foreheads still touching, Greg whispered 3 words that would change their friendship(for the better, or for the worse) forever.

"I love you."

Hadi looked up at the sky, the brightness of the sun making him squint a little.

"Forgive me, Lord."

[paleparearchive]

Reason for Anger

Bazille's Peaceful Tea Time 4★ story (1/3) ( 1 - 2 - 3 )

Location: atelier (morning) ; Renoir, Monet, Sisley & Bazille's room | Characters: Bazille, Renoir, Monet, Sisley

Bazille: (... Phew. I think it's time to take a break. I've been painting since this morning.)

(Right, I should go ahead and send out the letter while I'm at it. That way it will arrive in time for their wedding anniversary…)

Hey guys…

Sisley: Be careful, Bazille!

Bazille: Ah!? W-What the…!?

*falls*

Ah…!

Monet: Hey, what happened!? There was a huge noise, is everythin' okay!?

Renoir: Oh? You fell down, Bazille? That's unusual, did you get hurt?

Bazille: N-No… I'm fine.

Sisley: I'm glad you're not hurt... I think you stepped on this brush.

Bazille: For God's sake… Why is there so much stuff scattered on the floor? Ah. In addition to that, the one that was stepped on is broken.

Monet: My bad. I had used that earlier and left it out.

Bazille: … Listen there. If you know, put it away immediately!

Monet: But ya see! I've been pickin' up the brush a lot lately and I'm still paintin' today!

Bazille: You should just have to take it out of the brush slot each time.

Monet: Huuuh, it's a hassle to wash it every time. I'm gonna use it right away anyway.

Bazille: You… Then at least don't let it roll on the floor!

Sisley: Ah. Bazille, over there…!

Bazille: Aaaah!? What is it this time!?

Sisley: I was going to say that there was a bucket of dirty water in there…

Bazille: Ah. Thank you. It was too late, though…

Renoir: Sooorry, Bazille. I guess that's my fault. I just got new water and left the dirty one in there.

Bazille: You… Why are you using three, four or five buckets for brush rinsing! One is enough. And don't keep the dirty water forever, just throw it out!!

Renoir: Well, if I go to change it when I feel like picking up the brush, my motivation will run away, you know.

Monet: W-We'd better wipe this off! Are your clothes wet, Bazille!?

Sisley: Uuhm, there must have been some towels around there... Ah. Your letter is all wet and soggy…

Renoir: Oh no, the letters are smudged too. I guess you can't send it anymore…

Monet: This is the one ya wrote… right? How did it end up here?

Bazille: How, I wonder… I guess I dropped it when I fell.

Monet: Huh!? Then it's my fault!

Bazille: If you get that, stop messing around with your brush! You too, Renoir, make sure you put that bucket away!

Renoir: Y-Yes, understood.

Bazille: Sorry, but you'll have to wipe the floor clean as well. You never know who might fall down again.

… I'll go change my clothes.

Sisley: Bazille…

Monet: H-He was angry at us… right? He even got his clothes all dirty…

Renoir: That's true. And I ruined the letter he went through the trouble of writing.

Monet: Do you think he'll come back?

Renoir: … I wonder.

Sisley: He just went to change his clothes, I'm sure of it. If you're worried, I'll go check on him later.

—

Bazille: (Jeez, those guys... No matter how much I tell them, they can't get rid of their messy habit. The worst part is that neither of them had any bad intentions. But they have to do something about it before it's too late. They were lucky I was the victim, but what would they do if someone else got hurt? Besides, if it's a letter, it's one thing, but if it's a painting that gets dirty, it won't go unpunished, right?)

… What should I do?

(Ah, I guess I'll have to rewrite this letter, too. Come to think of it, that was the last of the letter set. And that too…)

… Shall I go buy it?