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lott-the-otter · 3 years ago

Text

The Taste of the Devil

pairing: Benimaru Shinmon x reader

premise: After multiple encounters with the man, after too many bickerings, you decide to settle the tension between you.

words: 7,315

notes and warnings: It's filth with spoons of sins, please minors dni.

*slap fic* this bad boy can hold so many kinks : kinda chocking, I'm sorry but I can't imagine Beni not being a mocking and mean dom, fighting for dominance, dom/sub relationship, kinda roleplay, rough sex, kinda oral, use of abilities, kind of bondage, kinda sassy reader (I tried), mocking Beni (but not degrading Beni), spanking, overstimulation and probably other stuffs but I can't remember. (Please ignore the grammatical errors)

My demons plays too well with @gojoho's demon - an incredible writer who writes awesome jjk smuts, you should check her out - , the outcome created this monstrosity. This author nothing and everything.

There might be sequels or at least headcanons to that.

You had a problem.

The dying sun melted into the horizon, streams of warm sunlight painting a healthy glow on Benimaru’s skin. The sun wheel dancing in his back would soon become the only source of light around you. From the patio outlooking the small garden of the fire brigade building, you spied beads of sweat running down his temples before disappearing beneath his kimono upper garment. He wasn’t wearing his white shirt underneath.

You licked your lips almost mindlessly, feasting on the sight of his collarbones and the top of his chest.

You have been, admittedly, ignoring the cause of the problem for far too long. And now, the problem that was, at first, easy to ignore festered within you and became an even bigger problem.

A light breeze ruffled through the mini bamboo forest. The song of the wind chime meshed with the rhythmic tic-tac of the Shishi Odoshi fountain and the crackling of his fire to create the dangerous aria of freedom that thrummed within every citizen’s heart.

Movements in your periphery caught your eyes, diverting you from the sinful thoughts plaguing your mind. A dragonfly landed on a half-closed lily pad and took off again before a frog preying in the pond could catch it.

Most insects, because they knew what was good for them, stood clear of Benimaru’s flames. But there were some, much like you, that would throw caution to the wind to be kissed by his fire.

You yearned for Benimaru Shinmon.

The realization had made you scoff at first. You, the vice-captain of the 6th company, entertained the fantasy of dominating the mightiest fire soldier of the Empire. Of having him on his knees between your legs, slanted down eyes watching from below with a hint of adoration, helplessness and hunger.

He who stood above everyone would bow to you.

Sometimes, the intensity of your yearning unsettled you, a desire far darker than you were accustomed to. It’s not like you were particularly dominant by nature. You liked being on top, being the one in control, the one who granted pleasure and could take it back just as fast. But you liked being dominated just as much. To have someone manhandled into submission, to chase your release only to get it ripped from your grasp, to have your body singing with both pleasure and frustration to reach a greater orgasm.

Your eyes were irresistibly drawn back to his form, to the flawlessness of his posture that he held for almost an hour now. He exhaled through his mouth. You reported your attention to his lips, to the heaviness of his bottom lip, full and perfect to bite. His upper lip was on the thinner side but you've kissed worst mouths before. You wouldn't complain.

Truthfully, after psychoanalyzing yourself during one of those nights, you realized that your desire to dominate him likely came from your first few meetings.

His nonchalance to authority and every citizen of the Empire had rubbed your pride the wrong way, creating the sparks to ignite your temper. It got worse after he rudely commented on the tephrosis’s medication system you helped install. At that moment, you would have given anything to wring his strong neck-

“You’re still here.” Benimaru’s voice, as emotionless as ever, had the undertone of a sigh. He shifted, readjusting his posture after the annoying scratching of your nails on wood created a momentary lapse of concentration.

-but it got better, you guessed.

Your lips curled up, the sweetness of your mocking laughter grating his ears, as you laid back on your side, watching Benimaru Shinmon over the knuckles of your fist. “Ignore me as much as you want but it’s not gonna make me leave.”

Eyes still closed, he refused to acknowledge your presence, curling his fingers slightly more. His back turned blazing as he put more power into his meditation. “You’re a pain.”

“Not my problem.” You shifted, making yourself more comfortable. You grabbed your cup of tea, quietly savoring the bitter taste of green tea.

From the way his lips thinned to the overly tensed muscles in his shoulders, you were getting to him. It was only a matter of time before he would look at you.

“Not mine either. Go back to your company.”

“Make me, Benimaru Shinmon~”

He clicked his tongue, furrowing his brows and turned his head to give a piece of his mind. He paused once he saw you, your outfit and your damn big smirk.

The garden darkened as the flames in his back died down. He settled for a glare, running a hand down his hair and watching the two fire threads coming from your fingers connect with the lanterns near you. With a snap of your fingers, you lighted them up. “What the hell are you wearing? There isn’t any festival today.”

What you were wearing was a pretty damn expensive outfit.

The black hakama wrapped around your belly was made of silk and embroidered with pink flowers at the bottom while your haori was hand-stitched by an Asakusa citizen. White with silver patterns of koi fishes and some green and pale pink lotuses, you couldn’t deny that it was your favorite part of the outfit.

To complete the look, your hair was gathered in a bun tightly held in place by hairpins crowning it like a sun. Almost as if you were the enlightened one.

You looked good and he thought so too. His eyes roamed over your figure a few seconds longer than in your everyday clothes. You knew Benimaru liked to see you in traditional clothing - he commented on it once - just as much as you disliked wearing it, which was pretty telling. The garb was too cumbersome.

“In Asakusa, it’s not.” You watched as he approached, planting himself right in front of you. “It’s Sol’s day.”

His scoff made you chuckle. You weren’t fond of that religion either. Though, you reckoned, it had more to do with the restrictions it imposed over Company 6 than whatever deep-rooted disgust the man had for it.

He grumbled something about ‘celebrating an oppressing god’ and ‘stupid religion’ but you ignored him, handing him a cup of tea. “Tea? I kept it warm for you.”

He stared at it, at you, then back at the cup before crossing his arms.

Brat. You squinted. He sighed.

“I don’t like tea.” He said, like a liar. Still, he took it from you, sitting next to your feet.

“Always drink after exerting yourself.” You nagged, the remark coming easily out of your mouth after repeating it hundreds of times to your little trainees.

He frowned, hiding a hand inside his kimono, but sipped on it. You weren’t a member of Company 6 for nothing, you knew what you were talking about. The strain Ignition abilities put on the body wasn’t something to laugh at and Benimaru knew it. Why he still chose to ignore most advice was beyond you.

Together, you gazed at the horizon, at the constellations igniting the midnight sky as if choreographed upon the celestial stage, at the clouds passing by and the pretty pond that mirrored it.

Asakusa was the best spot to stargaze.

The silence between you was comfortable but you couldn’t hide that it was starting to grate your nerves. Still, you waited for his move as you stared at him, wordlessly pressing him to ask the question he was itching to ask and you to answer. Dancing to his tempo was as tiring as it was hard. Benimaru liked a slow burn but he would get impatient, caught in the fragile web you were tirelessly working on to capture him.

“What do you want?”

You licked your lips, raising up to sit. Finally, you inwardly sighed, you would get to the main course. “You’re as tough as you’re dense, aren’t you? I’m here for you.”

He sipped on the tea a bit more, mulling on your words before exhaling, putting his elbows on his knees. “I had a feeling it was about that. I don’t have time for a relationship.”

Always straight to the point. Blunt to the point of rudeness.

You blinked, smiling wryly to yourself. It wasn’t what you were asking for. “I don’t either. I want to resolve the tension between us.”

Benimaru Shinmon, as cute as he could be once drunk, was a menace to both your blood pressure and your sanity. Taking him as a lover required an investment you didn’t have time to give.

Though, if he was a good lay, you wouldn’t mind going back to him for another night rendez-vous.

“You want to fuck me.”

He was staring you down, tone as bored and gruff as ever, but there was something else in his eyes, something that sparked your interest. He was intrigued, almost surprised.

You pinched your lips and checked that your hairstyle hadn’t loosened. “Crudely said-” Once sure everything was in place, you leaned against Benimaru’s side and pushed your chest out so one breast was brushing against his arm. You rose to whisper in his ear. “-but yes, if you want me to.”

Your hand ghosted over his hair, dancing over his shoulder. He was still processing your words. So, you took the time to carefully lower your hand toward the fair expanse of skin his kimono was showing, freezing and almost recoiling when he answered you.

“What’s in it for me?” He pierced you with a side-eyed glance before tilting his head while stroking his chin.

You tilted back in your surprise, catching yourself with a hand before you watched him dumbfounded. The warmth you were feeling was nothing short of scorching. It was a fierce flame of embarrassment that ignited your guts, pumped your heart and colored your cheeks.

“I- What?” You scoffed. Did he just… ? Rude much, isn’t he? “You know you could have said no, you dumb idio-”

With a swift movement, he grabbed your wrist and pulled. You jerked forward and, unable to stop your momentum, you crashed in his chest, half-sprawled on his legs. His arms then wrapped around your hips and your back to keep you in place.

“Is that why you are so insufferable lately?” His voice deepened as he spoke in your ear, mocking you while embracing you like a lover. “Annoying me on purpose, showing off more skin than you need to. Because you want to get laid? Because you crave my dick?”

Your mouth fell open, at loss for word after the whiplash he gave you but you couldn’t deny it was turning you on.

“I don’t-” Your attempt to defend yourself was thwarted by the sting of his hand meeting your rear. He spanked you.

He spanked you.

You gasped, a moan dying in your throat. Your body felt hot, both with want and embarrassment, as your panties stuck to your folds like a second skin. His mouth found the shell of your ear and licked it. “Keep spewing lies with that mouth and I will keep it occupied.”

His sentence ended in a growl that did wonders to your body. You were unaware Benimaru could make that kind of noise. And now, you wanted to know what other sounds he could make.

“I’m pretty sure spanking requires the consent of both parties.”

He cocked his brows, disbelief coloring his pretty eyes. His arms flexed, accommodating you better in his embrace and you could feel the way his muscles worked, sliding around your body even through the layers you were wearing. “Uh? You don’t?”

“I didn’t say that.” You answered so fast it surprised you and with just enough worry to make his lips wobbled.

You took in a calming breath, keeping your heart under control. It had the unfortunate quirk of growing bolder and wilder in the presence of Benimaru, sending too much blood into your cheeks and making you act like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

“Good.” With his hand buried in your hair, he angled your face and dived in the sea of trouble you were. First, slow and uncertain, discovering how much you could handle. With his lips, he absorbed the heaviness of your soul and the beauty of you and your world, replacing it with the fierceness of his passion.

As much as you played with it, you never knew kissing fire felt so good. It was overpowering, tingling tongue and the aftertaste of fire smoke, scorching heat running within your veins and strong hands helping you straddle his legs.

His hand ran up your spine, grabbing your shoulder to bring you impossibly close. His nails dug in your skin.

Unlike him, a tower of strength, unmovable and unyielding, you were a more restless lover. Touching him with the delicacy of an angel but the taste of the devil, you were far more intoxicating than he expected. Your hands had a mind of their own. Something you were thankful for as your head was spinning under his attack, heart thundering a heavy staccato while exploring and tugging at him, his hair and his clothes. His remained curled around your shoulder and hair.

One moment, your hands were buried in his hair, appreciating the soft but wiry strands while your nails scratched his scalp, tugging on it until you swallowed his surprised moan and the next you were shamelessly groping him, his biceps, his back, feeling the way his muscles moved to accommodate your weight.

You exhaled, biting on his lower lip as you broke the kiss. You breathed the same air, foreheads touching while half-lidded eyes gazed within the other’s soul. With a small mischievous smile curling your reddening lips, you tugged on his hair once more to hear again the delicious sound.

His throaty noise slipped into your skin to reverberate again and again on your nerves, sending jolts of electricity straight to your navel to turn up the intensity of your desire.

“You do like it rough too.” There was laughter behind your words, a mocking tone that the man didn’t like.

He pushed you off him. You collapsed on your back, eyes wide and mouth opened before bursting into a shoulders-shaking, tears-brimming, belly laughter at his childish face. In your giggles, you missed the softening of his expression as he waited for your laugh to end.

He cupped your warm cheeks, drying your tears. Warmth bloomed in your chest. Not the blistering heat of desire but the soothingly sweet burn of affection. It was the kind of warmth that told you that while you weren’t in love with Benimaru, you could be. You could see yourself fall in love with the man and all the troubles he would bring you.

“You look like a maiden,” he laughed at his remark. You were glad he found himself to be funny. You didn’t, “the opposite of what you are.”

You bit the hand cradling your cheek, taking his thumb in your mouth. You sucked on it, tongue swirling around his callus and enjoying the half-lidded stare gazing at you over the beginning of a blush and opened lips. He enjoyed your ministration so much he presented his index and middle finger.

You took them in, letting him pet your tongue before he ventured farther than you were used to. “Vixen.”

You gagged, breathed deeply before gently sucking, giving Benimaru your most innocent, teary eyes.

He sighed, a pool of dark swirling in his eyes as he smirked. Above you, with his kimono loose, a dark look on his face, and with the lantern shining behind his head, a crooked halo, he looked like the most dangerous being. A fallen god.

His fingers slipped out of your mouth. Your lips curled up.

“Silly, it’s because it’s tailored to be a priestess garb.” The mocking was still present in your tone and he wished to kiss your breath away. “For tonight only, I can be your high priestess and you can be my… Sol?”

You observed his face, the way his mouth curled oh so slightly down and his eyebrows shook. He didn’t like that. You raised both legs to caress his thighs before locking your ankles behind his knees. You slowly sat up until your breaths mingled, until your noses touched, lips hovering over his, until you could see the faint glow of his eyes. You smiled as his breath ever so slightly hitched and his gaze hooded. “No. My god of destruction.”

His eyes creased. The vixen knew how to stroke his ego.

“Then, I will conquer you like one.” He said as he grabbed both ankles, shoving them up. You yelped. The sudden force had your balance thrown off and you rolled on your back. He locked you down there, hovering with a warm hand wrapped around your sternum.

Benimaru shifted, slightly pressing down on your stomach to settle close between your spread legs. His other hand nestled in your hair, removing your hairpins with an ease that bespoke of the twins’ influence.

Your eyes closed as he slowly combed it free of knots before coiling strands into tight ringlets around his fingers. Yanking on them, he inclined your face so you could see the swirl of darkness within his eyes. He dived for an open-mouthed kiss. You were strangely pliant to his whims, half-lidded eyes and that damn smirk he wanted to bruise. With his lips or his fists, it didn’t matter, as long as they were coated in red.

His tongue invaded your mouth, roaming over every nook and cranny like a conqueror in the promised land. You had half a mind to bite on it, to take back the control he appropriated himself, to act on your fantasies. But you waited, listening to the dark part of your mind whispering to let him learn your body, delving in the pleasure of ruling over you before snatching it back.

Benimaru pressed kisses to the expanse of your neck, trailed his mouth down to your collarbones and sucked a bruise into the skin at the base of your throat- and when you reacted to him, when you inhaled sharply and choke on his name, he hummed his pleasure against your skin, the sound vibrating and low. Like a maestro, he had you singing under his relentless attack.

The wet smack of his mouth roaming your neck, gliding lower towards your chest only made you squirm beneath him. He growled under his breath, tugging on your belt to loosen your hakama before his rough hand slipped under your upper garment and he relished in the sight of your breasts. The work of his lips in tandem with his hand left a searing trail of heat in its wake. He would linger on places otherwise hidden from view and suck on your skin; branding you as a tainted war conquest. As his victim.

His rough hand scratched deliciously your skin, raising goosebumps while it made its way to your breast, first, simply grabbing and letting his warmth sweep within your body, appreciating the weight as his teeth bit into the skin just above your heart. You purred for him, grabbing the back of his neck to leave the scorching trail of your nails on his shoulders.

An eye for an eye. A mark for a mark.

He caught your nipple, caressing it then rolling it between his fingers to pinch it. You yelped, almost hitting him. You settled for crossing your ankles behind his hips and bringing him closer until his warmth sweeped in you, until your chests were pressed flushed, until your cunt could rock against his cock.

He growled and tutted his dissatisfaction at being interrupted in his work, biting your collarbone before awkwardly bending you backward so he could still play with your chest. You tried to rebel against him but his hand pressing your shoulders against the ground was far stronger than your abs.

You huffed and puffed and whined at the frustration of being denied, tugging on his hair to express your displeasure but it only brought more pinching and biting. You didn’t miss his sinister smile moving against your skin-

“Conquered can only beg for mercy.” He rasped out.

Your mouth fell open.

The audacity.

Did he think you were conquered? Did he think he broke you, that he was so good and strong and you could only yield to him? Did he think that the burning in your groin would make you forget yourself?

Mightiest fire soldier or not, you weren’t one to go down without a fight.

In your current state, you wouldn’t be able to overpower him. Too strong and too aroused to think, you could, however, make him yield first.

Your hand went to his kimono, ripping the belt off first and trailing your nails along his abs before pinching his nipple like he did to you. He growled his displeasure, grabbing your hand to pin it above your head while you let a victorious ‘ah’ out. The meaning, a strong ‘See how it’s not fun?’, wasn’t lost to him.

When your other hand picked up where you left, he changed his tactic, going for the throat and you found yourself seeing stars under the pressure. White spots danced in your vision before he released his grip, popping your abused nipple in his mouth.

His touches were abrasive but you lived for the hell he was throwing you into.

You felt a tug on your belt, the drag of hot fingers on an equally hot body going down and down and down until they passed your hips bones, until they caressed the top of your panties, toying with the hem before continuing to cup your aching sex.

You inhaled sharply, appreciating the way he rubbed you through the clothes. You followed the movement, shaking your hips wantonly and in a burst of passion, you kissed him, teeth clashing and sloppy, tongue caressing and noses squashed. You kissed him with more tongue and teeth than lips, overcomed by a passion borderline destructive that sank into your marrow and seeped into your every cell.

You tried to reciprocate the gesture, yanking on his own belt but he slapped your hand away. You snarled. He growled. You whined. You settled for rubbing him through the fabric. He sent you a glare but didn’t stop you, even pressing into your hand, rocking his hips for greater pleasure.

His fingers pushed against your slit and you curled your toes, grabbing the hand wrapped around your throat to ground yourself. You moaned, shaking in his hold. Truthfully, you were barely holding on to your ribbon of sanity, especially when he was working so well to snap it.

Benimaru, still inside your pants, grabbed your pretty expensive panties, peeling them away from your fold to-

Your eyes went as big as saucers. A wave of indignation and, unfortunately, arousal rose within you. You froze, still unable to understand that Benimaru Shinmon, Captain of the 7th Company, burned your underwear inside your pants.

You opened your mouth and closed it, plenty of words on your tongue but none got out. You stared at the man in utter indignation.

He laughed, dark and deep, right next to your ear. “You’re so drenched I almost couldn’t light them on fire.”

“You bastard- Oh fuck!” You choked on your words, covering your mouth to swallow the obscenities from the aching pleasure the two digits he pushed deep within procured you. Your legs shook, closing around his hand to keep them inside while you rubbed his dick through his pants with a bit more fervor.

He had magic fingers, teasing the embers of your desire until it turned into a blazing inferno threatening to consume your sanity entirely. In a desperate attempt to ground yourself, you latched yourself to his lips, drinking in him like he was your oxygen.

Under the night sky, you burned brighter than any star and your face, the hint of defiance in your eyes and your feeble attempts at pleasuring him wrested a grunt from his chest. His patience was thinning by the second. His movements, the slaps of his palm on your clit, the stretching of your walls and the stinging of his bites, spoke of his desperation to take you.

And when his patience finally snapped and when he separated from you to take in a long breath and when he threw his happi away, taking his belt of and finally revealing his erection to you-

You smiled, coy and oh so sinister.

You had half a mind to let him take you, to extinguish that fire in your womb but the part of you that waited with bated breath for a mistake wouldn't let you.

You watched as he sat on his heels, fumbling around with your pants and when he finally revealed your soaked cunt, the burned panties still around your hips and when he reached for your thighs, to grasp them and open them-

You acted.

Two fire threads caught his wrists, pushing him back to the wooden beam.

“Wha- ?” He watched his wrists and the glowing red ribbons tightly bond to them before sending you a glare. His first reaction was to disperse the fire but your threads weren’t something he could dispel nor break through sheer strength. Above a certain temperature, they could be burned, though. “What is this?”

Payback~ You took your time, raising on your elbows, shaking off your haori - which fell off the patio - and watched the sight Benimaru was offering you.

He stared at you, and he really looked good - lips swollen and red, hair disheveled and down, and face lightened by the ethereal glow of the moon and the warmth of the lanterns. His eyes glowed with the restlessness of a caged beast.

Benimaru was all slender and muscular, and you were drinking in this sight like a woman lost in the desert. His cock, angry and red and pearling with precum, stood erected against his abs, just above the hair that started under his navel and led to his crown.

On your four, you drew closer to him, watching the storm brewing in his eyes. It procured you such pleasure and pride, such craving. You wished to be filled as soon as possible and, your eyes lingered on his cock, that was why you wouldn’t lose much time sucking such a handsome part of him.

“Oi, I asked something.”

You ignored him, licking your lips. Your hands glided over his thighs and you dove for a taste.

He didn’t taste divine like people would say when talking about their partner, neither sweet nor salty. You couldn’t really define the taste but you didn’t hate it. The same could be said about his scent.

His scent was characteristic to him, strong enough that you would be able to identify his clothes in a pile. Neither pleasant nor unpleasant, a light scent of ashes would linger in your nose.

It smelled and tasted like Benimaru.

Benimaru watched your back arching, the curve of your spine leading to your fancy little butt. One he wanted to grab and squeeze and watched as it wobbled with every snap of his hips. One he wouldn’t mind turning red and blue. One he would even bite.

He watched, enjoyed the sight and groaned pitifully, tugging on his restraints. Truthfully, if he wasn’t already so out of his mind with want and if a part of him wasn’t willing to indulge you, he would have burned the things off to have his way with that sweet cunt of yours. But right now, he couldn’t be trusted with not burning the whole brigade to pounce on you.

Your tongue swirled around his head, adding spit to precum, and Benimaru groaned a wretched sound. You sucked just a bit, moving away as the captain thrusted up. You licked your way back up, his belly button, his abs, between his pecs and on his jugular. At last, you kissed his chin and answered: “Isn’t it a priest’s duty to serve her god?”

You placed yourself above him. Having him between your legs sure looked like a challenge. But you weren’t going to let it phase you.

“Is it your way of telling me you’re in charge?” He said and somehow, he managed to rearrange his features into his usual, unbothered self.

His breathing hitched as you rubbed yourself against his head, adding your slick to the sticky mess his cock has become. You arched your back, throwing your head back and moaning as his cock nudged your clit, shaking your hips to reproduce that sensation. Benimaru used your bliss to nip at your throat. Drawing out both your and his patience, you teased his tip with your cunt again and again until you really couldn’t wait anymore.

“Would you like to object?” You panted, guiding his shaft to your entrance.

You slid slightly down, enough to open yourself on him and tease without bringing that fullness you were craving. Building the anticipation led to a better orgasm and you intended to make your only shot at fucking Benimaru magical.

He squinted his eyes, full of annoyance and arousal. You could see his thoughts swirling, no doubt plotting to overthrow your rule but you would meet him head-on.

“Don’t falter.” He growled with the undertone of a threat. Shivers ran down your spine. His eyes were telling a different story that you could resume to: don’t leave him an opening or he would ravage you. “And do all the work.”

You leaned down to kiss him, soft and sweet at first but as you eased yourself down, gently, slowly, your teeth clashed and your tongues danced. You lost yourself in him, in his scent, in his taste and in the feeling of being so full and stretched. You didn’t even take all of him in, already feeling too full.

Benimaru gasped. The sound was quiet like wrenched from him against his will as his eyes fluttered shut and jaw went slack. He savored the feeling, the warmth, the wetness, and the tightness. You were fucking perfect for him, a tight fit he wouldn’t admit out loud.

Your eyes flickered over him, enticingly bare beneath you- his chest was muscular and his shoulders were broad and sturdy and his eyes when you finally met his gaze were hot and piercing.

And then you grinded down and Benimaru thrusted his hips up just a little, like he couldn’t help himself, and you answered with a shallow moan because the angle was good and the friction was good and you felt like you were getting lost in it.

Your hips rose and fell in a graceful motion like a rolling wave, slick and sliding. You wallowed in the stretch, in the tender feeling of his cock buried deep within you, with fluttering lashes and slacked jaw.

He huffed out a strangled moan after just a few thrusts and you pushed your chest in his face, arching your back due to the searing pleasure electrocuting your brain. He quickly found a better use of his mouth along your chest, devouring the soft flesh with motive.

When after a few other thrusts, you failed to take him entirely, he let go of your nipple with a wet pop. “You’re missing a bit.”

Your head fell on his shoulders, gripping and raking them hard as you panted. You watched pearls of sweat running down his abs to his pelvis, directing your gaze slightly below to the lewd sight the jointure of your bodies offered you. The crown of pubic hair was glistening with sweat, slick and saliva. The lewd noise fleeting from the both of you invaded the thin silence. Skin against skin, voice lost in lust.

"I know you can take all of me, pretty."

You shivered and furrowed your brows in concentration. Thinking and speaking was turning out to be harder than you expected. “I- I need a bit of time for tha-”

Your sentence ended in a choke, head throwing back as his tip brushed against that spot. Benimaru watched your eyebrows curve and your mouth fall open in adoration. He observed the petulance growing in your eyes while you failed to reproduce the movement. Then, his eyes went to your fire threads, to their ever dimming light and he knew you would break soon.

Your rule would soon come to an end. A sort of groan, the whisper of your name in your ear that sent shivers down your spine.

It was fascinating, the sound you both made once all pretenses of being anything but sinners were thrown away, equal parts thrilling and terrifying and utterly shameless. You cried out, not caring about your voice and who would hear you. His mouth ascended on yours, silencing you.

Your thighs were burning. Your breathing was erratic. The sweet ache of your release was building, promising toes-curling pleasure but alas you were unable to tip over. The gates of heaven, so close and yet you could barely brush them.

You whined and huffed and-

Two warm hands caught each of your wrists, pulling them above your head while his cock slipped out of you. You spluttered when the realization that you lost your concentration hit you like a matoï on fire. Your threads dissipated. You’ve released the beast.

His smile was mean and promised nothing good for your pride would come out of your mistake.

He, then, grabbed both wrists into one hand, placing the other on your hips.

“Slowing down already?” His grip on your hips was as painful as his voice was strained. His nails threatened to break your skin. You knew it was going to leave marks. “But you wanted that control. Can’t handle it?”

He spanked you, hard, and silenced your cries with his mouth, biting and devouring your mouth until you were lightheaded. And it continued again and again until he was satisfied with the face you were making, throwing a look down to appreciate the color of your ass. Red like his eyes.

Then, Benimaru straightened his position up and with you still balanced on his lap, the sudden change had you tilting backward with wide eyes. You opened your mouth to gasp and the Captain followed your movement.

He had the delicacy to cup your head to stop yourself from cracking it on the wooden floor. He boxed you in perfectly, separating you from the world until he became your everything, until all you could see, think and breathe was him, his glowing eyes and his smirk.

“Control doesn’t suit everyone.” He whispered against your lips, a very faint laugh fanning your lips.

His iron-clad grip reached for your hips, pulling them back up to his hips and throwing your knees to your chest. You gasped and babbled for him to not do what his eyes clearly told you he was going to do. “Wait, Beni. I can’t- ”

He sheathed him in one sharp thrust, going down to the hilt. You felt impossibly full and stretched. The base of his cock, thicker than the length, had your head spinning, eyes rolling back in their orbits with both pleasure and pain.

That man was taking the saying ‘rearrange my guts’ too literally but you weren’t complaining. You couldn’t, you were too preoccupied breathing and babbling nonsense.

Benimaru smiled, and if you weren’t so lost in the sauce, you would have realized that he smiled so much more once balls deep inside you. As if you were his own brand of sake. Exhilarating. Intoxicating.

“See?” His voice had a sweet rumble that spread through your veins, “No need to whine. I told you you could take all of me.”

You purred something for the sake of answering.

With that said, his hands steadied your hips, roughly pulling down onto a sharp thrust. He did it again, and again, pounding in your abused hole with a feral pace, and the harsh sting between each thrust was going to hurt even more tomorrow. But it didn’t matter, you already knew you would be more red and blue than your natural color. What was a bruise or two in the grand scheme of things if you could reach orgasm?

Benimaru was close to his own bliss and nothing was in his way of reaching it.

The friction of his pubic hair on your clit, his pace and the angle of his thrusts, it was all too much. Your steady release grew back in your lower stomach, feverishly pulsating in a way no other man had ever done to you. Nothing could describe the pleasure that wrangled your body other than twisted euphoria. The increasing aria of moans you sang, an omen to your impending fall. With a last thrust, you exploded, face twisted by your sudden enlightenment, body arching before slumping back on the ground -hot, tired and utterly satisfied. You even inched away from his thrusts.

But he didn’t stop, grabbing your hips back to him. In fact…

He moved at a frantic pace, one that had you gasping in mild discomfort and clutching above your head for something to ground you.

The first few thrusts were uncomfortable, it felt too raw, too sensitive. He was fucking you through the aftershocks. He kept going until you were shaking and pulsating, kissing and biting the calves thrown over his shoulders. “Come on, you can give me another.”

You felt too hot, too bare and too fragile, overwhelmed and sobbing, unaware that your tears combined with your dazed glare was utterly desirable to him. So helpless and needy, it was exactly how he wanted you, how he imagined you during the darkest hour of his lonely nights.

The slide of unyielding hardness against your inner walls and-

You gasped, back arching as he hit the right spot. He smirked and the smugness in his eyes was almost too much but you met his hips, one leg falling from his shoulder and his face twisted and-

“Faster!” You ordered, one hand seeking refuge in his hair while you bunched your nails in his buttcheek. He groaned, a wrecked sound of pleasure but did as you said.

Your release was coming too fast and promised violent pleasure. He was bringing you to new heights never reached before and the fall vowed to be as brutal as the flight but you kept going, ready to take the hit head-on.

You came first, back-arching, pressing him closer to you and eyes unseeing before going boneless.

Benimaru pressed into you once, twice, before he released a low growl that was the sexiest sound you had ever heard and came inside you, body shuddering.

You sighed, the sound breathless and painfully soft, like you had been waiting too long and too much and had finally entirely given in.

You were a puddle of smug satisfaction muddled in your pleasure and heavy eyelids that begged to be closed.

You should have done that sooner.

He went to pull out but you shakily stopped him, begging him to have mercy and wait a little bit longer. You had yet to touch the ground. He heaved a satisfied sigh, pushing your other leg away before softly pecking your lips, holding you close.

He pushed you far beyond your limit. He would soothe you back together.

His embrace belonged more to a lover than a fuck buddy but it wasn’t something you would talk about. He cradled the back of your head, bringing you closer to his neck, and rolled on his side. Once he placed you the way he wanted, he planted a kiss on your damp hair and-

“Good girl,” his praise was rough and almost timid, as if he wasn’t used to saying it, “You did well.”

You soaked in his praise like a sponge, absorbing the validation like water in the desert, and in your state, you thought that if Benimaru was praising you then it was the truth. The man was honest to a fault. Your walls quivered and Benimaru groaned. “You should stop doing that if you know what’s good for you. I can take you a second time.”

You whimpered your disagreement, a tinge of fear on your face. His eyes creased with mirth, inwardly laughing at your state. Benimaru only knew how to wreak havoc and he certainly wrecked you. You, usually so proud, strong and independent, reduced to a fawn in his arms. His face was dripping with smug satisfaction.

The night was hot and intense but worn fingertips danced over your back, feather-light touches that only brought you into the world of dreams faster.

If only you could stay like that for-

“Oi, don’t fall asleep on me.” You moaned your unhappiness at being disturbed, trying to burrow yourself deeper in his arms but he kept shaking you awake. “We can’t stay here, we’re lucky no one interrupted us.”

Your tongue was heavy and your throat was raw but you still willed them to move. “I would have been more surprised if they interrupted us. We were anything but quiet.”

Benimaru shook you off his arm, ignoring your unhappy noises and the movement lodged his dick slightly deeper. You shivered at that. “Hina and Hika are still roaming around. The others should be at the bar.”

“Ah. The tiny gangsters.”

He clicked his tongue and moved away and out of you. You whined at the absence, not sure you were ready to have him out of you yet. “Oi.” There was a warning, one that told you he would fight you over his girls.

You snorted and jabbed a finger in his chest. Perhaps it was your fearlessness talking but you couldn’t find him intimidating, not when he was previously balls deep in you, making the most sinful noises you were blessed to hear. “It’s the truth and you can’t deny it.”

And because he couldn’t deny it, he chose to ignore it entirely. “Come on, you can stay in my room.”

How he managed to move, let alone put on his clothes was beyond you. You pouted as he put on his happi, hiding the streaked back you gave him - the trails of your nails went down to his ass and damn, weren’t you proud of yourself.

“Good because I don’t think I could have gone back home.” A grimace tore your face as you tried to massage the numbness out of your lower half. You’ve said ‘break my back like a glowstick’ before but now that it had happened, you weren’t sure you would repeat it again. It hurt and burned like hellfire. “I’m not even sure I can walk, to be fair.”

You observed him freeze in the doorway, already ready to leave the altar of your sins. You saw him considering the pros and cons of leaving you behind, of washing his hands off of you and leaving you to fend for yourself. He might be the reason for your soreness but you were the reason all of this happened. (Not that he complained.)

Indignation shot through you and you hissed: “Don’t leave me there.”

He sighed, closing his eyes before coming back to collect you, draping your haori over your naked form and whatever else he could find. “That’s what you get for teasing me.”

He rose up to his feet, you in his arms as if you weighed nothing.

“We should stop by the entrance to get my bag, and the bathroom. Actually, the bathroom should be the first stop. I’m covered in your spit and sweat and your semen is trickling down my thighs. Also, the floor needs to be washed-”

He cut you off with a kiss. “I get it. It can wait tomorrow.”

The door leading to the guardhouse closed behind you, your indignation and your sore pride.

The end. To be continued?

#shinmon benimaru #benimaru x reader #benimaru shinmon #benimaru x y/n #benimaru headcanons #fire force #fire force smut #enen no shouboutai #benimaru smut

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papers4me · 3 years ago

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Fruits Basket, Se03, ep10 (part 1)

“ What to do? & how to do it? the answer & the method are so simple, so simple but difficult as hell. it was hard for me to get them, & that’s exactly why I treasure them/ makes them valuable”. kyo~ This is my favorite quote in all anime.

How many times a domestic abuse victim was told just leave this abusive partner? report them? easy. just make a call. Report your abusive parents? tell someone. easy. Just speak up. It is true. It is easy but difficult as hell. To believe it is your right to fight. No, to believe you deserve to fight. to Live. This abuse is not a punishment you must endure. Hope is not dead. How simple yet so difficult to do that. ugh! my heart!

- Seeing Death vs Facing Death: ( The abuser who was stopped):

Abuse is a form of slow death. An actual intentional murder of an innocent soul. Abusers suck the life out of their victims & kyo’s biological dad is the poster monster for that. His appearance:

thin deathly demeanor, lack of nourishment, excessive drinking, lack of desire get out of the abyss, wide eyes, tiny pupils, manic laughter. shaky body movement. pathetic outlook at things.

heavy breathing, lack of logic & distorted facts, blurry speech, bizarre mentality, toxic behavior, tendency to hurt, injure, both physically & verbally.

inability to grasp reality, desire for inflecting pain on others, finding joy in that as it justifies his entire toxic mentality.

Fear of being hurt like he hurt others & being paranoid since he KNOWS he should receive punishment.

Kyo stood watching this man spit, rage, shake, scream. The man from his past, the authoritative figure in his early tender years, the person who must always be right: a parent. Facing his dad, Kyo’s entire gradual change was fantastic:

Kyo went from feeling utter fear from this man, hatred towards him, grief at the loss of a father & a mother, to force himself to stand his ground & not leave” easy but difficult as hell“ , to talk ” easy but difficult as hell“ , to announce that isnt gonna die ” easy but difficult as hell“ to say I’m loved & I want to to be with someone ” easy but difficult as hell”

to then realize the source of his mom’s misery isnt him after all, but this jerk! & not crumble at this realization ” easy but difficult as hell“ to grief over his mom’s tragic life & still announce again that he’s anit throwing his life away ” easy but difficult as hell“ to still look at his dad with pity rather than immense hate & anger ” easy but difficult as hell“ to remove his hand & leave him behind in the past while he moves forward ” easy but difficult as hell“ to say “ i’ll come visit again, cuz I anit afraid of you anymore, I’m not running, but I’ll try to extend a hand if you wanna do the same one day. It is your choice to be the abuser who must be stopped or the one who is atoned! you can choose, dad! We heard his choice as kyo was leaving, didn’t we? locking himself in an eternal cage that he made for himself. After all, he is the monster in his own story by his own choice.

-Seeing death (1): Kyo watching his mom’s suicide is a traumatic experience especially considering she chose such a graphic way to exist this world. Kyo once said to tohru “ mom went flying”, he now said“ mom threw her life away” very graphic ways to explain her death both literally & figuratively. This alone coupled with his father accusing him, resulted in a 4 year old screaming” I’mma yuki & kill myself, this would make you happy, dad”. This explains kyo’s 2 meetings with yuki as kids“ I hate you” at the sohma estate, the 2nd meeting “ I hate you” at the street. Mimicking the toxic behavior of the dad. Why didn’t kyo mimic kazuma? cuz trauma doesn't work like that. Kids can live safely for time then one traumatic experience shatter their self-worth into an endless cycle of self-hurt, low self worth & anger issues or withdrawal. The writing that set kyo/yuki against each other is perfect.

-Seeing death (2): Kyo watching kyoko’s death hammers all the insecurities of child kyo deep down into teenage kyo. Kyoko too, went flying, blood everywhere. too much pain happening again, crashing hope & killing his fighting spirit over & over. Be with tohru? why? to kill her, too?

-Seeing death (3): Kyo watching tohru’s injured body. Yup. You caused this. not by pushing her or failing to catch her. No. but by hurting her with harsh words. by forcing her away from you.

-Facing death (1): Kyo facing his dad, the symbol of deadly-abuse. To stand & announce to live is huge. -Facing death (2): refuse death: being caged till death, -Facing death (3): To say, I wanna be loved & love someone, life is not just being outside, heck! kyo was outside for 17 years! life is abt being with those who give it meaning! -Facing death (4): To not demand others to die as a punishment. Walking away from his dad without igniting the cycle of revenge & hate. ahhhhhhhhhh~~~ Chef’s kiss!

-Seeing eye to eye: ( I don’t need to be you, but I appreciate you):

Kyo & yuki toxic relationship has been ongoing since their birth. The moment kyo’s dad was dismayed that he got the cat of all zodiac & the moment yuki’s mom was delighted she got the rat of all zodiacs. From that moment it became: look how lucky the rat parents? You shamed me? Look how pitiful that cat? eww! stay away from his filth. The explosive nature of kyo’s tragic fate tainted him with the blood of his mom & the daggers of his father’s hateful words, while the nature of yuki’s sheltered & locked fate tainted him with fear & isolation. They meet & both carry out the feelings of rejection & hate all while envying the other. The toxic nature of their relationship consist of fights & condensing words. Tohru connected both. Through her, they became civil. Even talking abt perverted shigure. Now that she is hurt, they are lost without her. Their lives are empty.

Yuki’s “ kyo has his own pain & reasons” (to not see tohru) is my fave line! even better than all the epic lines after they confess their feelings. cuz this like happened before they connect. it shows that, I see his pain, I get he has his reasons. But whatever issues he have shouldn’t hurt tohru. this is when yuki interferes in kyo’s choices. For tohru. This is also when kyo really allows him to. For tohru. Had tohru nor be part of the fight, kyo wouldn’t even engage in it & yuki wouldn’t initiate it.

-“I wanted to be you!” : Kyo said it first. I loved this so much! Cuz kyo said I hate you first! it is so fulfilling that the truth is now out. From kyo first. Cuz really... that hate was all toxic inheritance from a toxic father & a toxic system.

- “Why do you have to say it firs!” Yuki was mad, cuz he was struggling with it for the longest time. to be kyo. He even mused on how kyo interacted with ppl in school, got himself his own mini kyo. lol. studied how kyo filled tohru’s world just by existing. yuki can't do that for tohru. he looked for someone whom he could do that for! yuki/machi scene at her house paralleled kyo/tohru scene at her room when she was sick (se01, e023) & when they eating the somen together (se02, e02), yuki/machi chalk scene paralleled kyo/tohru scene at the beach where he coaxed tohru to tell her mom’s story (se02, e07). Yuki really was having a hard time finding his true self & accepting it without needing to learn from kyo. It is hard to say “ i admired you” after being rejected by you! so kyo saying it first helped yuki say his after. Also, both boys were hella shocked they admire each other. Like both were deeply shocked! stupid boys! XD

Side Notes:

Kyo’s confrontation with his dad is furuba’s most powerful scene & most well-written one! From the fear of facing him, to talking to him with low voice, to physically stopping him, to the exposed last piece of locked memory abt the mother, to the freedom gained by walking forward! Heck, even how it was weaved psychologically to perfectly mimic children’s self-defense mechanisms & children copying their parents theme. The realistic depiction of abusers both in their most powerfully menacing moment & in their weakest cowardly moment. Top-tier writing! Hands down my fave furuba scene! Can’t ask for better! Can’t even imagine better! genius- writing Takaya-san!

The boys had a necessary fight & confrontation & the yuki’s entire speech was valid & perfect speech. However, as usual, I’m not a fan of how violence is depicted in furuba. I was actually “warned/ ordered” by an anon to not “ sh*t” on the boys fight scene. I don’t know why someone who’d read my reviews would think i’d have anything but love for both boys. I criticize the writing not the characters. Also, furuba fans have always been good to me, I state my opinion frankly & they talk to me! “ talk!”. You don’t have to throw virtual fists over different perspectives on fiction. Talking kindly does magic, also having different opinions is natural & normal for humans.

I love yuki so much, he’s one of my top faves in furuba & I get why the boys would quarrel & throw fists. I get the history between them, the current state of mind, their emotions & mentality & I get it’s fiction & drama that needs its “ OMG” moment. However, I cringe when I see violence used as a bonding moment in fiction in general. That’s just me. I wish the fight was done in a more artistic style without showing that scene where yuki corned kyo & punched him in full view of the screen. (again not hating on yuki nor the fact that they needed to fight). I’m jus saying I didn't need to see a one-sided beat up from a character I love to another one I love. That’s just me again~ feel free to enjoy this moment to its fullest. It’s fiction & I’m not judging anyone at all, nor hating anyone from real life or fiction <3<3<3.

Yuki’s last piece of character development is in my part 2 review! Along with machi. Also, yuki’s Japanese VA was awesome!!

Also, let yuki have deep various facial expressions!!!! ugh! In the fight scene they did yuki so dirty with his hair covering his eyes all the time! then followed by low quality shots of him breathing! Why?! The voice acting sold the entire excellent emotional rage more than the animation! Yuki can look pretty even when mad, heck! screw looking pretty! just give him deep facial expressions to mach his feelings! boy was hella mad like he never was his entire life! always forced to wear a mask or be diplomatic! now he’s screaming his lungs out, you hide his face??? really?? Sigh~ the anime always do this wit yuki, replace facial expressions with hair on eyes or having his eyes without light. I wanna see them expressive eyebrows so bad!!!

Another powerful VA performance was both kyo’s dad VAs! both the Japanese (with his excessive breathing) & the English VA (with his range). They sold the mad abusive character! they gave me chills!

Also, I sound like a broken record, but kyo’s both VAs did phenomenon in the dad’s scene & tohru’s scene. Honestly, I only watch the dub to hear Jerry! I learned his name & would watch the dub for him!

Akito, Arisa, Kureno in part 2 of my review as well.

Shigure/yuki returning home scene is call back to ep1. Ok, everybody loves a call back scene & the full circle thingy. but C’mon! you dont have to copy everything! the walk, the scenery, its purpose, dialogue & all! The anime really took advantage of kyo being missing. XD

Tohru’s dress/top color matches the color of kyo’s old hat (The hat). symbolic of him finding her? As if he did find her when they were children? cool. I love this detail. But i do NOT love this color on tohru at all !! lol. it is so dull on her. The dress style/ design mimics her same dress in se01, ep26 as she was talking to kazuma & kyo fought him. Their first intimate moment after nearly loosing the other. Heck! tohru was even hurt on her hand as well. but the color was a nice pastel yellow. It suited tohru. The hat’s bluish-greenish color matches tohru’s own pajama at home!!!! & kureno’s hospital pajama! T_T... why couldn't the hat be red!!!! a color that both represent kyo & yuki! both were compared to red before~ oh well~~ minor issue~

#Fruits Basket #Anime Only #happy paper #final season #part 1

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thecreaturecodex · 4 years ago

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Nascent Demon Lord, Igramalash

Image from Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth, © Paizo Publishing

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon. This one requires some context. Igramalash appeared in Herald of the Ivory Labyrinth with a ton of backstory, as discussed in the first paragraph of the entry below. Most parties will probably never learn it, since he just fights until slain and has nothing to say to the party except for screaming for Alderpash. He can act as an agent of chaos in the adventure, and can be goaded into attacking the warden and the staff of the prison, be commanded by the PCs with the help of Runelord Alderpash, or simply killed. The commissioner ran a party through Wrath of the Righteous, and they allowed Igramalash to live and escape. So this request was for an Igramalash improved and triumphant, having re-established his worship and becoming a power to be reckoned with. The original module says he was worshiped as a god of pain and obedience, but I thought his concerns should be updated to reflect his history of betrayals and imprisonments.

Not also that the original Igramalash had mythic tiers, as is fitting for being from the Mythic AP. As I’ve previously said, I hate the mythic rules, and have stripped them out. Igramalash was especially egregious for having the most game-breaking ability of the mythic rules, dual initiative. I gave it an ability to maintain some of that flavor without the overpowered making-two-full-attacks-every-round mechanics.]

Igramalash The Inverted Rune, the Liberated Concerns hunger, revenge, revolt Domains Chaos, Evil, Liberation, Strength Subdomains Demon, Entropy, Ferocity, Freedom Worshipers evil giants, fleshwarped creatures, the downtrodden Minions grimleks, inverted giants, nabasu demons Unholy Symbol a spiral with a fanged maw in the center Obedience Devour a pound of flesh from someone or something that has wronged you. This flesh may be fresh or preserved. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against transmutation effects Boons 1: bull’s strength 2/day; 2: freedom of movement 2/day; 3: greater dispel magic 2/day

Nascent Demon Lord, Igramalash CR 23 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This hideous thing is roughly humanoid, with a head that is merely a fanged canker and squirming fanged tentacles that spill from its body like intestines. Its oversized arms drag to the ground and end in clawed fists, luminous runes carved into the muscle. A long tongue whips from its mouth, and black smoke billows forth from it like a shroud.

Igramalash the Inverted Rune has had a long and bizarre history. He began life as a rune giant, one of a race of titans created by the runelords to manage their giant armies. After a failed rebellion, he was tortured by his master, Runelord Alderpash, and transformed into a hideous parody—an inverted giant. This was accomplished by fusing his body with that of a powerful qlippoth, granting Igramalash remarkable resilience and a deadly poison. In this form, lesser giants worshiped him as a divinity of death, and this tribute went to his head (or what was left of it). After decades of service, he betrayed Alderpash again, and the Runelord turned him over to Baphomet, Alderpash’s patron, for torment in the Ivory Labyrinth. After being freed by adventurers storming the Ivory Labyrinth as a terror weapon, Igramalash escaped captivity. Having been exposed finally to the full energies of the Abyss, he has ascended to the form of nascent demon lord, and now seeks a spot of territory in the Abyss to claim as his own.

Igramalash’s intellect has been enhanced by his Abyssal upgrades, and he combines overwhelming strength with savvy tactics. Against multiple foes, he uses spell-like abilities to shape the battlefield and tie up support before concentrating full firepower on a single target. He enjoys eating his enemies alive, especially wizards, as they remind him of the hated Alderpash. Igramalash has lived far too long to die in battle, and he teleports away to recover and plot revenge if grievously injured.

The nascent cult of Igramalash is growing among giants, fleshwarped creatures, and other monsters used as minions by more intelligent powers. Igramalash has developed a reputation as a savior figure, which inflicts violence on the masters who deserve it. Few of his worshipers realize that Igramalash cares as little for them as their original masters did, and would gladly sacrifice their lives in order to gain a momentary advantage. The prospect of revenging themselves on their tormentors is too great, and his veneration spreads in secret, kept away from prying eyes and passed through hidden signs. Igramalash realizes that wealth can buy loyalty, and collects treasure to distribute among his minions. Igramalash has learned the lessons of his transformation and captivity well—any troublesome underling is swiftly killed instead of having their torment drawn out.

Igramalash CR 23 XP 820,000 CE Gargantuan outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +5; Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Perception +30 Aura fear (60 ft., DC 28), smoke (10 ft., DC 34) Defense AC 41, touch 12, flat-footed 35 (-4 size, +5 Dex, +1 dodge, +29 natural) hp 420 (24d10+288); fast healing 15 Fort +20, Ref +18, Will +18 DR 15/good and epic; Immune charm and compulsion effects, cold, electricity, death effects, fire, poison; Resist acid 30; SR 34 Defensive Abilities freedom of movement, rock catching Offense Speed 40 ft., air walk Melee bite +35 (4d8+15/19-20), 2 claws +35 (2d8+15 plus 1d6 energy), 4 tentacles +30 (2d6+7 plus grab), tongue +22 (1d8+7 plus grab) Ranged rock +26 (4d6+22) Space 20 ft., Reach 20 ft. Special Attacks constrict (tentacles, 2d6+22), fast swallow (tongue only), frenzied action, rock throwing (120 ft.), rune claws, runes, spark shower, swallow whole (4d8+22 bludgeoning, AC 24, 42 hp) Spell-like Abilities CL 23rd, concentration +29 Constant—air walk, freedom of movement At will—chaos hammer (DC 20), desecrate, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), telekinesis (DC 21) 3/day—black tentacles, disintegrate (DC 22), greater dispel magic, quickened greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. objects only), regenerate 1/day—crushing hand, energy drain (DC 25), implosion (DC 25) Statistics Str 41, Dex 20, Con 34, Int 15, Wis 17, Cha 22 Base Atk +24; CMB +46 (+48 bull rush, +50 grapple); CMD 57 (59 vs. bull rush) Feats Awesome Blow, Blinding Critical, Critical Focus, Dodge, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (bite), Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (greater teleport), Vital Strike Skills Acrobatics +32 (+36 jumping), Intimidate +33, Knowledge (arcana, local) +26, Knowledge (engineering, planes) +29, Perception +30, Spellcraft +29 Languages Abyssal, Common, Giant, Thassilonian, telepathy 300 ft. SQ nascent demon lord traits Ecology Environment any land or underground (Abyss) Organization unique Treasure double standard Special Abilities Frenzied Action (Ex) Three times per day, Igramalash can make a single attack, use a spell-like ability or use his spark shower as an immediate action. Nascent Demon Lord Traits (Ex/Su) Igramalash is a powerful unique fiend with the following traits:

Immune to charm and compulsion effects, death effects, electricity, poison

Resist acid, cold and fire 30

Telepathy 300 ft.

Igramalash’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons he wields, are treated as chaotic, epic and evil for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.

Igramalash can grant spells and boons to worshipers as described in his cult entry above

Rune Claws (Ex) Igramalash can deal an extra 1d6 points of cold, electricity or fire damage (his choice) each time he makes a claw attack. Runes (Ex) Whenever Igramalash is affected by a spell or spell-like ability, the runes on his arms flash with light. All creatures within 10 feet must succeed a DC 28 Will save or be blinded for 1 round. The save DC is Charisma based. Smoke Aura (Su) Any creature within 10 feet of Igramalash must succeed a DC 34 Fortitude save or be poisoned by his smoke. Creatures that breathe in the area suffer a -4 penalty to this save. In areas of severe or greater wind, this ability is suppressed for as long as the effect persists and an additional round. This is a poison effect and the save DC is Constitution based. Smoke Breath—contact; save Fort DC 34; frequency 1/round for 10 rounds; effect 1d4 Constitution drain plus staggered 1 round from pain; cure 3 consecutive saves. Spark Shower (Su) As a standard action, Igramalash can spew sparks from his runes, acting as a breath weapon (60 foot cone, 10d6 cold, 10d6 electricity, 10d6 fire damage, Reflex DC 28 half, usable every 1d4 rounds). The save DC is Charisma based.

#igramalash #demon #commissions #pathfinder 1e #pathfinder ap

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koiotic · 4 years ago

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AU where Zuko has 30% less impulse control and 1% better decision making

This fic idea has been bouncing around in my head for weeks, but I want to get more done on my other fics first. Anyway, here’s a snippet.

Zuko makes a different decision in the Crystal Catacombs-

•••

“I need you, Zuko. The only way we win is together.”

Azula smiled her sharp smile, but - was he seeing things, or did it look softer than usual? Was there something like desperation in the back of her gaze?

A cold, twisting feeling shot through him. He was seven again and running through the palace corridors, clutching her hand and helping her steal mochi from the kitchens; he was six and watching her bend her first flames in awe; he was five and hugging her tight as they hid in one of the empty rooms because dad was angry and they knew better than to cross his path.

“You are free to choose,” she said, suddenly cold and even all over again, like nothing had happened.

Uncle was saying something, but he couldn’t hear anything apart from the blood rushing through his veins. She said she needed him. It might be a lie, but she’d needed him before and he’d left her. Not by choice, but he’d left her. This time, he had the freedom to choose.

He made a decision, and prayed to the spirits it was the right one. Her words ricocheted around his head - honour, father’s love, everything you wanted. And that look on her face, the closest to vulnerable he’d seen since she was four and curled up under the bed with him because mother and father were yelling in the next room.

He was running without thinking, almost stumbling into the cavern behind her. The waterbender - Katara - looked up with something like hope shining in her eyes, the Avatar looking dubious but not instantly attacking. And that harsh glee was back on his little sister’s face, making her look so like father it stung. But she said she needed him. She needed him.

He sent a silent apology in his head to whatever spirits were listening, and struck.

Azula dropped like a stone.

~~~~~~

Katara didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it wasn’t that. Azula hadn’t either, apparently, eyes going almost comically wide as Zuko moved, hitting her in the back with a precise strike. She crumpled, Zuko catching her moments before she hit the floor.

“Wh- what?” Her voice cracked, laced with pure surprise.

Zuko looked just as surprised as everyone else, which was not very reassuring. “Sorry-“

And then, more to himself, “fuck”.

“Did-“ Aang gaped, “did you just chi-block her?”

“Apparently,” Zuko said, still looking shocked.

“When did you learn to chi-block?” Aang asked, half impressed and half nervous.

“About fifteen seconds ago,” Zuko admitted, sounding a little strained.

“So- you- you just did that and hoped it worked?”

“That’s... basically how I do everything.”

Katara was starting to wonder if they had seriously overestimated Zuko’s threat level. A laugh bubbled up in her throat.

“That was the most anticlimactic fight I’ve ever been in.”

And then one of the walls exploded, sending dust and rubble flying. Katara pulled up the water into an ice wall, then dropped it when she recognised familiar shapes careening through the dust cloud.

“Sokka! Toph!”

“Katara! We have to stop Azula, she-“ he stopped short and blinked, “... is unconscious?”

“I’m not unconscious, peasant,” the princess snapped, “why don’t you come here and we’ll see what I can do?”

A tongue of blue flame leaped up past her lips.

“Wow. Okay, cool,” then- “wait, Zuko?”

“Uh, hi?”

“Can someone please tell me what’s happening?” Toph burst out, throwing her arms up, “because I came here ready to beat up some Dai Li and that’s not happening for some reason!”

“Oh, Zuko chi-blocked Azula,” Aang said brightly, previous awkwardness forgotten.

“Does this mean you’re good now?” Sokka asked dubiously, fixing Zuko with a hard look.

“I... I guess?”

“Awesome!” Aang cried, and Zuko frowned, “does that mean you-“

The walls started shaking again, rocks clattering to the ground. Katara’s stomach dropped as rows and rows of Dai Li approached.

“Now that’s more like it,” Toph muttered, a tiny smirk crossing her face, “fighting now, talking later.”

“The only ‘later’ you’ll get,” Azula intoned, the air around her crackling dangerously, “is in a cell before your executions.”

“Charming,” Sokka muttered, letting his boomerang fly at the first line of earthbenders.

Then the Dai Li struck, the room exploding into cracks and rumbles. Zuko threw up a wall of fire, driving back the agents rushing towards Azula. She jerked forward, clearly trying to get up and start throwing around some fire.

Azula writhed as much as she could, then started screaming insults and curses as she whipped her head about, dark hair flying around her face.

Katara pulled up more water from the streams running through the cave, moving into bending stances that felt as familiar as breathing. Beside her, she saw Aang clutch his staff and Toph slide into a solid stance, waiting to strike.

The Dai Li moved first, striking in perfect synchrony. Their rock gloves shot forward, almost whistling through the air. And fast - Katara barely had time to freeze a shield before it was shattered on impact. Some air blasts from Aang threw more off course, but she caught the flicker of worry before he shifted into earthbending posture next to Toph.

Fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

Zuko, fighting earth with fire, didn’t seem to be having much better luck driving them back, but he was certainly holding his own.

A look of fierce focus had appeared on Toph’s face, and between her own attacks and blocks, Katara saw her precise and almost deadly looking movements. She was certain that if the Dai Li hadn’t been earthbenders capable of weakening her blows, they wouldn’t be getting back up.

She didn’t know how long it lasted, but soon a cold dread was settling in her stomach. Spirits knew how many Dai Li there were, and they weren’t stopping. She had lost her breath at some point and was struggling to get it back, feeling heavy exhaustion set into her limbs.

Beside her, she saw Aang stumble. A second later, so did she.

Two more figures appeared in Katara’s peripheral vision, and she cursed under her breath. Azula’s friends, the acrobat and knife thrower, weaving through the crowd of agents.

The princess saw them at the same time as she did, crying out “Mai! Ty Lee!”

Katara ducked under another flurry of projectiles and sent a wave back with all her strength, but the two girls were undeterred, the acrobat jumping over the water using the heads of flailing Dai Li as stepping stones.

“Zuko!” The knife thrower barked, “what are you doing?”

He faltered for a moment, locking eyes with her - but the girl was completely unreadable.

“Treason.”

The other girl - the actual, trained, chi-blocker, Katara remembered with a jolt - sprang forward before she could drive her back with a water whip. She flipped, landing on her hands in front of Zuko and Azula, jumping to her feet with that seemingly ever-present grin. The firebender moved into a familiar, aggressive stance, but seemed hesitant to strike.

“Treason? Without us?”

And then she was leaping back into the fray, striking with lightning quick movements almost too fast for Katara to catalog. The earthbenders finally broke rank, scattering in futile attempts to dodge or fight back.

Katara thought she saw a tiny smile on her otherwise emotionless companion before her arms flew out almost as fast, and another group of agents were thrown back, pinned to the ground and walls by glinting blades. The Dai Li were dropping like flies, piling up on the floor almost comically fast.

And then there were dozens of unconscious or immobile earthbenders at their feet, and Azula hissing and spitting flame in incensed horror.

“Well,” the knife thrower said, turning to Zuko, “what are we doing now?”

Zuko was frozen, looking utterly stunned, and Katara couldn’t blame him.

“Mai, you- you-“

“Well, I couldn’t let you commit treason without me,” she deadpanned, “I can’t let you have all the fun. And we need to get going. What are we doing with Azula?”

“How about we leave Crazy Blue and get out of here?” Sokka cut in, still looking suspicious but more preoccupied with not getting impaled on a rock, “Appa should be outside, Aang, do you have the bison whistle?”

The acrobat, Ty Lee, appeared at Mai’s side and latched onto her arm like a pentapus. “How are we getting out? We could try sneaking out, but Azula’s might give us away-“

“You’re damn right I will,” Azula practically growled, “I didn’t think even you would be stupid enough to double cross me!”

“Wait-“ Katara cut in, “you’re not coming with us?”

The three stared at her blankly.

“Coming with you?” Zuko looked perplexed.

“You- you turned on Azula and helped Aang. I thought you were on our side.”

Was she going crazy?

“Well,” Mai shrugged, “it’d be a nice change of scenery.”

Zuko exchanged an unreadable look with Mai and Ty Lee and shrugged somewhat helplessly. “I was planning on taking Azula somewhere safe in the Earth Kingdom, but...”

“We would love to!” Ty Lee exclaimed, looking so excited and bubbly Katara could almost forget that she was a force to be reckoned with in battle.

“Alright,” Mai shrugged, then glanced at Azula, “anyone got any rope?”

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shehath-awakened · 4 years ago

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Beautiful Deaths: chapter two

note: thank you so much for the support on the first chapter! i honestly did not expect that much attention haha, well here it is chapter two. i hope you enjoy!!

chapter one

summary: Y/N is a detective at the 99th precinct with a secret. Hiding from the avengers is not an easy task.

taglist:

@lozzybowe

@shuri-owns-my-heart

@nowheredreamer

@supergeekfangirl

You felt the familiar twist in your stomach of the teleportation, only this time far worse. You had never taken another person with you before, let alone two; you had an awful feeling this was going to drain you more than usual. It took less than a second to materialise back in the precinct. You could hear the distant chatter of officers and the whirr of printers down the hall. Looking up and down the corridor, you made sure nobody had seen the three of you.

Almost immediately, Charles began frantically asking what had just happened and Jake… well, he looked just like he did that time Amy tricked him into running up to the roof on Halloween. With a swift movement you led a spluttering Charles and a sea-sick Jake into the evidence lock-up, locking the door behind you as to not be overheard.

“okay” you began “let me��”

“what the hell was that Y/N?!” Boyle cut you off. “since when have you been able to do that? And why did you run from the avengers? Are you in trouble?”

“I’m sorry, I promise I’ll explain everything just… not right now. I need you two to trust me. Please.” You looked between them imploringly, hoping they would have your back. Charles held your gaze for a second and broke the silence;

“alright” he gave you a smile and you felt the weight being lifted off your shoulders. You looked to Jake. Like Charles did, he held your gaze with an expression you couldn’t read.

“Y/N of course I trust you. We are all a team. The whole squad will have your b—” he began but stopped abruptly, turning around and throwing up in the closest bin. Despite the interruption, you could tell he meant what he said.

“Oh yeah, sorry that tends to happen when you teleport for the first time. Should wear off in a few minutes” you explained, grimacing. It was strange talking to people about this, you had been keeping it secret for as long as you could remember but now it was about to be out in the open. Well, sort of.

“What do you need us to do?” you were brought back to the moment by Boyle. You looked at the time. Shit, it had already been ten minutes. You needed to act quickly as it wouldn’t take the avengers long to find out where you were, especially with the whole of Stark Industries and Shield at their fingertips.

“I need you to come with me to captain Holt” you addressed Charles “I need the squads help but I have to explain to him first. Jake—” you looked over at the sickly detective “join us when you can. We’ll be in his office. Do not speak to anyone on your way. Got it?”

Leaning over the trash can he smiled weakly holding up a thumb.

“Great” you patted him on the back a couple times as a gesture of sympathy and left with Charles to talk to Holt.

***

Despite your fatigue from the mission, you ran to holt’s office, time was against you and you had to get out of there and somewhere safe quickly.

“(Y/N), Boyle?” You had reached the bullpen, just about to turn into his office when you heard Amy behind you. “when did you get back? I didn’t see you get off the elevator… where’s Peralta?”

Crap. This is the exact kind of run in you were hoping wasn’t going to happen. But you then turned to her, realising she could help.

“Amy, you need to listen to me. Gather the squad and tell them to speak to absolutely no one but each other, even if it’s a family member. Please trust me. I’ll explain everything once I’ve spoken to Holt.”

She looked to Charles who nodded silently. She gave a single nod in response and went straight to Terry, doing as you instructed. Not willing to waste anymore time, you went to Holt who was, thankfully, inside his office. You didn’t bother knocking, it wasn’t the time for formalities.

“Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt. I have to talk with you. It’s urgent” as you walked into the room you closed the blinds. Your friend’s face became laced with concern and he motioned to the chair in front of him.

“what is the matter, detectives?” As you sat down you began to explain what had happened at the mission, how the avengers had turned up, how they let the guy get away causing you to get angry, not completely willing to go into the details despite the gravity of the situation.

“So you yelled at the avengers a bit? I’m sure they get it all the time from officers, it is nothing—” Charles cut him off.

“It’s what happened next, sir” Holt looked between the both of you, his normally stoic expression replaced with unease. Not too sure how to explain, you looked to Holt, telling him everything just as it happened. You then went onto explain why you had kept this a secret, it felt amazing to let go of it all. Not once did Charles or Holt push you, they trusted you completely and it felt surreal.

“So Captain, I need yours and the squads help, I can’t do this on my own” And without hesitation he agreed with a nod. You heard small sniffles coming from next to you and turned to see Boyle tearing up.

“You alright there bud?” you patted his upper arm as he replied between sobs,

“It’s just—so wholesome” before you could react he pulled you into a tight hug and you patted his back some more. He opened up his arm motioning for Holt.

“Captain get in here” he cried and you turned to Holt who wore his deadpan expression once more. With a lurch Boyle grabbed him and drew him into the embrace. You looked sideways to your captain and mumbled,

“Just say the word and I’ll teleport us out of here” as Charles comically sniffled into his shoulder.

***

After the awkwardly long embrace, captain Holt brought in the squad to explain the situation. What you liked most about him is his no-nonsense way about things. There was no beating around the bush with that guy which is exactly what you needed right now.

“So you threw a chair? What’s the big deal? I’ve lost it at them more then once.” Rosa chimed in. You sunk back into the corner of the room not wanting to admit what happened one more time.

“the deal, Rosa” Jake voiced as he walked into holt’s office, still looking a little green. “is that she threw it with her mind, it was awesome.”

Once again, all eyes were on you, some shocked, some looking for confirmation. Instead of verbally confirming what Jake had just said, you took a deep breath and lifted a pen from captain holt’s desk just like you had done with the chair. As you were doing so, the green signature of your abilities wisped around your hand and the object. After a few moments of hovering the pen, you set in back down on the desk.

Without any further explanations you looked back to Rosa and the squad. “I value my freedom. I never told anyone about my past but I have to now. When I was little I was taken because of my mutations. I can’t remember much but I know I was passed around a lot, being… sold, I assume for what I could do. I wish I could remember but I don’t. I got out somehow and made a life for myself. All I knew is that I had these abilities and couldn’t tell anyone. Next thing I knew New York was being attacked by aliens and Shield began rounding up people like me. That’s when some memories started coming back to me, although most of my childhood up to 16 is completely blank.”

You took a moment; the squad gave you the time you needed. You had never said this aloud to anyone before but it didn’t feel therapeutic, it felt damning. You knew this would change everything. You took another deep breath before continuing.

“So I need your help. Shield will be looking for me, I need to hide out for one night where they won’t find me.”

“You can come to mine. No one knows where I live” Diaz offered. You gave her a smile and surprisingly she gave one back. You turned to the rest of the squad,

“I need the rest of you to tell anyone who asks that I ran and that you have no idea where I am. It won’t necessarily be a shield agent or an avenger they send so do not tell anyone what I have told you. I’ll be back tomorrow disguised, I’m not letting this derail all I’ve built up”

“Isn’t that a bit risky? How do you know they won’t tell it’s you?” asked terry, you gave him a small smirk.

“Trust me, they won’t. Rosa, I’ll need to teleport us near yours to avoid being seen. Can you think of a nearby ally?”

“Several.”

“Perfect, no need to tell me I got it”

“Hang on. Did she just--?” terry addressed the group. You looked to him and finished his sentence for him;

“Read her mind? Yes, I did. Oh and before you ask Hitchcock, yes I have been able to do that all this time and you need to begin censoring your thoughts man”

“damn Y/N, what else can you do?” Jake asked looking like an excited puppy.

“Not enough time to explain. Rosa.” You offered the detective your arm to grab a hold of which she did immediately. Before leaving you looked back to the squad and nodded a thank you. You kept the place fixed in your mind and disappeared in a flash of green.

***

Just as you had done in the precinct, you rematerialized only this time in a dank alley near Rosa’s apartment.

“Dope” she said looking at you with an impressed expression, commenting on your skills. “Here, take my jacket, it’ll make you look less like yourself as we’re walking.”

The detective began to take off her leather jacket, and even though you admit it would be helpful you had another idea in mind. As she was handing you the piece of clothing you stopped her.

“Don’t worry I won’t need that. Hey, what does your dog look like?” you asked getting ready. You could have teleported you both straight to the apartment but it would be better if Rosa was seen entering without you.

“Golden lab about this tall, why does that--?” before she could finish there was another flash of green and down at her feet was you, as Arlo. “Holy crap Y/L/N” She said as she took the lead that you had conjured and began to walk you to her apartment.

As you were walking down the busy street, you spotted them and nudged Rosa with your head. Thor and Loki. Despite both being dressed in normal clothes, they could still be spotted from a mile off. They didn’t exactly blend in. You could tell Rosa had also seen them and they were walking to her, clearly about to question her on your whereabouts.

“Excuse me, Lady” Thor addressed Rosa, “My brother and I are here to speak you on behalf of Shield and the Avengers. Would you be able to tell us the whereabouts of one of your colleagues? (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

“Can you tell me why you wanna know?” she retorted, avoiding the question.

“I am afraid not, we can tell you she will not be harmed, Shield needs to speak to her about an ongoing confidential matter.”

You looked up at the two brothers in your current form. Thor was looking at Rosa, and she was looking at Thor. But Loki was looking at you. You sat down looking up at the god and cocked your head to the side. He remained silent, examining you until he was brought to the attention of his brother.

“Loki what are you doing?” Thor asked him. You were sure he had figured you out. It was only a matter of seconds, still you sat there waiting for the raven-haired man’s response.

“Oh nothing, it’s only this creature looks just like you brother” he said with a smirk. You were shocked, why did he not say anything? Your train of thought was interrupted by Thor spluttering his defence and you had decided you had spent too much time with the people you were hiding from. You pretended to chase after something, pulling Rosa away by the lead.

“I assume we are done here?” she asked coolly, raising her eyebrow while you still pulled on the lead.

“Yes, thank you for your time. Come on brother” replied the god of thunder and you and Rosa began to walk down the street and enter her apartment.

As soon as the door was closed behind you, you transformed back to yourself, exhausted. This was too much energy being drained in one day.

“that was a close call” noted Diaz, removing her jacket as you slumped on a nearby chair.

“yeah, yeah it was.” You said with a sigh. You stared into space, thinking about what had just happened. Loki knew that was you, you were sure of it. But why didn’t he say anything?

What game is he playing? You thought.

“relax, Y/N.” Rosa said to you handing you a drink, bringing you back to the real world. You weren’t sure what it was but it smelt strong, and you didn’t care. “we did it, you’re safe.”

But a few houses down were Thor and Loki, and unbeknownst to you, as you transformed back, you alerted the trickster to your use of magic, causing him to smirk once more and turn to Thor.

“I think this planet is starting to interest me after all, brother”

#jake peralta x reader #loki x reader #thor #Avengers #avengers x fem!reader #b99 #brooklyn nine nine #rosa diaz #rosa diaz x reader #captain america #raymond holt #terry jeffords #loki #jake peralta

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thatsgay-writes · 4 years ago

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Suki x Reader x Ty Lee Part 3

Summary: It’s been 10 years and now is time for the eclipse and comet. Even though you haven’t seen your friends since Serpent’s Pass, you know you have to help.

Warnings: Light Cursing?

*6 Year Time Skip*

If someone had told you ten years ago that you would be married to Ty Lee, you would laugh. But now, you wouldn't change it for the world. After having dropped of Mai six years ago, you and Ty Lee traveled the world together, relaxing, saving villages, and having some... fun. However, three years ago your freedom had changed. While saving a village from the Fire Nation, a house fell killing the family of a two year old little girl. At first, you wanted to hand the child off to some other family or find an orphanage but one look at the little girl stopped you. She looked like you and Ty Lee so much it was scary. You and Ty Lee had talked about having children before but decided to wait til after Sozin's Comet so Aang could bring the world back to an era of peace but, you just couldn't bring yourself to leave that little girl behind. So you took her with you, moved to the Fire Nation, used some of Ty Lee's family's money to buy a house, got a job and settled down. You knew settling down in the Fire Nation was weird but it wasn't under the constant threat of attack like the rest of the world was. You just made sure to steer clear of Azula and to make sure your daughter knew about what the Fire Nation was actually like, and not letting her get brainwashed by school. You also told her about her aunts and uncles, even adding in Sokka and Suki much to Ty Lee's surprise. When she had asked you about it, you said that you had her now and that what had happened was so long ago.

Marrying Ty Lee had happened a year ago. It wasn't a big celebration or anything. You and Ty Lee were still weary about living in the Fire Nation and decided to get eloped with her family and your daughter to act as a witness. You both had written your own vows to each other and you promised that once everything was over, you would throw her the biggest wedding party the world had ever seen. Ty Lee being her cheesy self told you that none of that mattered as long as she had you and Ming, your guys daughter. When the day of the eclipse and comet came, everyone in the city had ran to hide. You told Ty Lee that you had to help your friends, even after not speaking to them for a decade. She understood that you needed to do this and tried to come with you. "Ty Lee you must stay, please, and protect our daughter." "But---" "Ty Lee, please. If you get too scared head down to the bunker until I come back. Stay safe, I love you." You say before running out the house to join in the fight between the Fire Nation and Sokka's invasion team. Ty Lee held back her tears trying to be strong for her daughter. "Come on Ming, lets go spend some time in the bunker." "Will mommy/daddy be coming with us?" Ming responded with childlike innocence. Ty Lee smiled down sadly at her daughter before picking her up and walking towards the bunker. "You know how mommy/daddy and I use to tell you story of your aunts and uncles and how they are great heroes?" "Yeah! Uncle Aang can bend four elements!" Ty Lee smiled at her daughters excitement. "Yeah, well mommy/daddy went to go help them." "That's so cool! Mommy/daddy are a hero too!" "Yeah and after they win and defeat the bad guy, they'll come home to get us. And maybe you can finally meet your aunts and uncles." "Awesome!"

The battle had been hard and long. Aang couldn't find Fire Lord Ozai during the eclipse and had to fight him after, during Sozin's comet. It didn't seem like you were gonna win until Aang went into his avatar state and took Ozai's bending away. You watched with a smile as everyone hugged their loved ones before walking over to the Gaang. "Y/n!" Katara yelled before her, Aang, and Toph pulled you into a hug. "We've missed you so much!" You smiled at the three in front of you as you pulled away. "I missed you guys too! We have so much to catch up on!" They all nodded their head in agreement before you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned to see Sokka looking at you with a sheepish smile. "I know when you left we were on a sour note and I want to apologize for---" You cut Sokka off with a hug, surprising everyone. "I've forgiven you for sometime now Sokka. Yes I was very much hurt in the beginning but if stuff didn't happen the way it did, I probably wouldn't be as happy and content with life as I am now." Sokka smiled at your statement before pulling you back into another hug, "I still am very sorry." You smiled, "I know." Now that that bond was repaired, you thought as you turned to look at the girl who had broken your heart. There was another one that needed to be fixed. You took a step forward her, opening your mouth to say her name, when you noticed a movement to the right of her. A Fire Nation general, who was not pleased with the outcome of the battle, had stood up and was in the process of throwing a spear right at Suki, who was too focused on you to notice. Your yell changed from one of happiness to fear. "Suki!" you yelled running full blast at her. She looked at you confused before turning to the right the see what you had seen. Her eyes widened at the sight of the tip of a spear already halfway to her, leaving her no time to dodge out of the way. As she watched the spear fly towards her she felt a sudden push from her front, sending her flying backwards to the ground. Hearing a solid thunk from where she just stood.

When the dust cleared, she looked up in horror to see you standing there with a spear sitting in you. It had gone in from your right side and stopped after coming out your left side, you looked like a kebab. Suki watched as the Fire Nation general was taken down after everyone noticed what happened. She watched as you stumbled some before falling forwards, about to face plant on the ground, but get caught by Aang instead. Suki stood up fast and ran over to you and kneeled on the opposite side of Katara, who just kept mumbling no over and over again. "There's too much internal bleeding, too many things have been severed by the spear. Taking it out would just kill them faster." Everyone looked at you with tears in there eyes. They had just gotten you back! You couldn't be leaving them again so soon. "My wife..." You whispered, pain clear in your voice. The Gaangs eyes widen at your statement. "Please my wife and daughter, I want to see them one more time. Its the first house behind the palace, please." Sokka wasted no time before standing up and sprinting away, towards your house. You felt like your body was on fire, "Please move me to sit against a wall, I don't want my daughter to see me sitting in a pool of blood." Katara and Suki nodded at your request before moving you to lean against a palace wall. You grunted at all the movement, feeling pain every time you breathed. It was getting harder and harder to fight your tiredness and you just wanted to see Ty Lee and Ming one more time.

"Y/n! Y/n! Oh my spirits!" Ty Lee yelled, seeing you leaned against the wall. "No..." she said as she kneeled down next to you. The Gaang looked at each other in shock, seeing that you actually had a wife and kid, Ty Lee being your wife no less. Ty Lee had tears coming out of her eyes like a water fall. "No... We were supposed to grow old together, meet our grandchildren, see Ming get married. Have that big wedding party you wanted to throw me." You smiled at her sadly, putting a hand to her cheek and wiping away tears. "I'm sorry, my love. I didn't mean for it to end this way. I love you so much." You pulled her into a kiss before looking at Ming, who was hugging Ty Lee and looking at you with tears in her eyes. She had already lost her family and now she was losing half of her new one. "Ming, mommy/daddy has to go away for a while but I want you to know something before I go okay?" Ming nodded, "Watching you grow up has been one of my most favorite things in the world. While I'm gone I want you and mama to take care of each other for me okay?" Ming nodded before climbing into your lap, it hurt a lot but you didn't show it. You wanted to hold your daughter one more time. Ming looked at you with her tears now over flowing, "Are you gonna go see my mommy and daddy?" You never hid the fact from Ming, even though she was 5, that she wasn't originally yours but she had told you that she didn't care and that you would both always be her mama and mommy/daddy. At her question you finally let yourself cry.

"I am pumpkin and I'm so so sorry. I don't want to leave you." At this point your had leaned your head on Ty Lees shoulder, who was still kneeling next to you. The rest of your friends had stood around you, looking at the scene in front of them with tears of their own. After a moment of silence Ming spoke up again, "Does it hurt?" You didn't know how to respond, you didn't want to scare her but at the same time the black spots that kept clouding your vision were getting worse and worse. "Yeah." You answered being truthful. Ming grabbed your cheeks with her tiny five year old your hands, "Its otay to let go mommy/daddy." Her words messing up a little, she was still having trouble with her K's and C's. If you weren't crying before you would have been now. How had your daughter been so mature at such a young age. But with her statement you blink your eyes a couple times to clear your vision. You looked at your friends, who you had just reconnected with and look at Suki. "I forgive you." You tell her not wanting her to feel guilty about what happened after your death. You looked at all your friends, "Take care of them for me, please." You say, talking about Ty Lee and Ming. "Of course y/n." Katara says, holding on to Aang tightly. You smiled at your friends before looking at your family. You lean forward and kiss Ming on her head and kiss Ty Lee on the lips. "I love you both so much." "We love you too." "Love you too mommy/daddy." You heard before leaning your head against Ty Lee's shoulder and letting your eyes close for the final time.

#suki x reader #ty lee x reader #female x reader #female character #alta #avatar the last airbender #x reader

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slidewhistlebj · 4 years ago

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TUA Season 2 is finally here! I think it was a really cool season with some really awesome potential, but there are some parts that I think really didn’t work and this is how i think they should have been fixed

(Spoilers for Season 2 of the Umbrella Academy. Obviously)

i think landing the siblings in different years was amazing, they got time to explore themselves and we could see their personalities through what they did

On the other hand, they didnt devote enough time to those storylines so it never felt like they had a solid purpose (for most of the siblings), it was more to show “time has passed”

How did Luther end up boxing under a gangster? How is he adjusting to no dad, no academy?? He was alone on the moon, He was left behind by his siblings in the academy, now he is alone and in a whole other *time* like i wanna hear about that!

Klaus has mansion and a cult and had a girlfriend benefactor lady?? Like: lets get into that! if the show wants humor that can be amazing

but it can also be really interesting and deep for exploring klaus’s need for both personal space (physically and somewhat emotionally) yet also his need for positive attention from whoever will give it to him!

More on that alone now track: the opening scene with their fighting was built to get us hyped

it fucking worked, that shit was amazing

but along with wishing that we saw more of their individual stories, i wish some of their growth had been gradual

like Klaus should have been showing off ghost stuff with his cult which is part of why they follow him which would set up his new ability to summon and conjure multiple ghosts at a time

instead of it being a throw away scene at the end where he gets caught

or Diego could have been shown in his ‘alone in dallas’ storyline to be trying to escape multiple times from the asylum and in that, figuring out his ability to start affecting other peoples shots at him, etc

Stuff like that would have been a great way to both dive into the characters *and* ramp up their abilities

Moving onto The Commission who i absolutely love so so much

Hell yeah u funky lil time-space assassins

I think that the Handler should have stayed dead

her return to the show while awesome (because she is played so well by her actress) continues this problem for the show of seemingly running in place where things dont have consequences like they should

I also think her return made a very campy feel to certain parts which is fine, the story should have fun! but it doesnt fit with the vibe very well with the other more serious plots

Imagine a storyline where the Handler is replaced by Carmichael, a competent replacement with no close personal relationship to Five

A head to head show down throughout the season of Five trying to outthink and outwit Carmichael and Commission Agents to get a briefcase

The misdirects!

The drama!

The action sequences and reveals!

More Screen Time for the Cool Ass Talking Fish 2k20!

All of which culminates in the board of directors scene but now with real weight behind it for the audience because we have been watching these two face off with one another for a season of build up

LET FIVE EAT THE FISH!

Giving that scene to the handler was the worst part of the whole season, u cant change my mind bros

This would also open up Lila to be more of her own person

Her storyline would change without the Handler there so that instead of being actively manipulated by the Handler, she has gone rogue from the commission to kill Five for her parents deaths due to previous planning and programming from her mother

(its only been 14 days for Five, a very normal turn around for him to desert, have the Handler tell Lila her version of the story, get killed, and have Lila get ready to take him down)

its generally the same plot, but Lila is more in the drivers seat

Going from tagging along with Diego in the hopes that Five returns for him to questioning some of her commitment to her mission as she spending time with them, etc

it could culminate in a reveal of her mother to Five and Diego and then a redemption where she helps them get a case from Carmichael in someway, looping her into the main plot in an important way with generally the same story

but skipping the pretty basic “obviously evil character is obviously evil but hero doesn't see it” trope that they fell into

I think that Luther’s arc in this season was awesome 10/10 gold standard

he was still him, but this storyline showcases the softer side of his loyalty and lets him grow from season 1 mistakes which is everything I hoped for

Comforting Vanya? Check

Being there for Five? Check

Being a voice of reason but still being a dumbass? Cheeeeeck

Diegos arc this season fell flat for me which was hard because he was such a main part of the plot

This whole season had a build-up trying to break down Diego’s need to be a hero (which they turned to a fucking 11 from last season?? he was not *this* intense last season, im not quite sure why they made the switch), telling him that he isnt / cant be the hero

I assumed this was leading to Diego having a big moment or sacrifice that proved that hero or not, he cares and the effort that he puts into all of these different things matters

But it just didnt??

He didnt stop the president from being assassinated, he didnt save vanya, at the farm he got trapped under a tractor

it just felt like the point was “haha see he isnt a hero”

which,,,,,,okay? What the point of that??

His involvement with the Commision was weird too, i didnt care for him being a part of that storyline very much, it just didnt add anything

Allison’s arc was just on the edge of greatness for me

it was an awesome choice to put in her in a position where she wasnt treated equally and show exactly what kind of person she is by how she fights back

her not using her rumors also seems very genuine and character based here like: 10/10 character motivations and work

My one complaint, like with just about all the partners in this season, is that she fell in love with a man and just had to leave him

which makes sense and they talk about it but like: she loves him, its hard to picture someone as loving and loyal as Allison just leaving her husband behind forever

Klaus’s arc just needed more *time*

He is a hella deep character but all of his story lines needed more time to be able to address that complexity

Show us more of the cult and his ghost powers being used there to trick and amaze and how he has been handling being cut off from the family again

I,,,,,,I understand,,,dave’s storyline

I get the time period

but fuck

that just hurts

I think Klaus not trying to rekindle his relationship with a younger Dave, but trying to protect him from the war was an amazing angle and it needed more time to get the full punch of klaus pulling out all the stops to save him but failing to really land it

Five

My Son

My Trash Boy

I feel like his job as ‘leader of the stop the apocalypse’ movement is good but that was his whole story this time around

He should have gotten more to play off of with the Commission (*cough cough* Carmichael) in his fight to get a briefcase instead of what felt like 10 hours of Five trying to herd his siblings and them just fucking up in someway or another

Five and Older Five was a cool dynamic and im glad they brought him in but again, it just felt like another long storyline attempt that didnt have a purpose as they ended the scene without the case or anything new

Ben’s arc was,,,,,strange

I love Ben and i think his interplay with Klaus is really cool!

But the writers made him fall in love which someone so they could give him a reason to want to possess Klaus which i feel like didnt need to happen

The possession was a good part of the season and could have been taken to some awesome places

It was rough and the ‘consent’ wasnt run entirely well but i think the possession is supposed to be on the line and not quite black and white

its Ben asking to take control of Klaus! That can be conflict! Thats good stuff right there! Ben is selfish! so is Klaus! thats a cool story to get into between them and see how they try to work it out

Ben wanting to connect with his other siblings after the small taste of being corporeal that he got and pushing Klaus for more and more of that freedom into possession territory would be A+ shit

and Finally: Vanya!

I think most amnesia plots are lazy and just a way to stall progress and reset a character so you can run a very similar plot again but this one seemed to genuinely grow Vanya’s character, even when she remembered

She definitely has more personality in this season

And while shes quiet, thats just who she is, she isnt as afraid to take space and speak up which is awesome!

And this stays when she gets her memory back which is very good, i dont want to see backsliding for no reason! Give me growth!

I have two complaints about her storyline though

First Sissy and Harlan

I love both of them and I think they are really cool characters!

Theyre pretty similar to vanya season 1, taking whatever is thrown at them which places Vanya in a more assertive position where she wants to protect them which i loved!

but their ending doesn't sit entirely right with me, just like Raymonds

These characters are in love and they all just leave each other so that the siblings can have a clean, no characters permanently added slate for the next season

it just makes me tired and i really want season 3 to have little to no romance if the only way the show can go about it is to do a love interest per season

My second problem gets its own section because it is the culmination of everything else i have said

episode ten

Vanya is strong af so any writer that wants big final fight needs to very carefully weigh out how to give each sibling their appropriately sized struggle so they get equal ability to contribute

Instead of doing that though, they did my least favorite trope: Evil Character secretly can do everything the heros can but better and without a problem or ***training***

It meant that they could do whatever they wanted with throwing commission agents at them because Luther, Allison, and Klaus were completely added on just to react to things

Five sort of got to do some fighting (<3 thats my lil geriatric 13 year old) but it was minor, he was mainly there to very obviously turn back time when the big bad shoot out happened

Diego got the most to do out of the siblings and it was suddenly knowing a new ability and doing it a little bit

I dont want a final fight to be trying to woo a bad guy to the good side because theyre too strong to fight

I want there to be stakes and drama as the siblings show off exactly what the season was all about, what they learned, how they grew together and apart, etc and to take down the big bad which could have very easily been the united front of the Commission instead of 18% Vanya, 15% Harlan, 30% Lila and the Handler, 20% the Swede(s), etc

Lila’s turn to good could have been to help them sneak attack the commission, maybe in their base so as to shrink the fighting to manageable bites for each character?

That would have allowed five’s killing of the board to draw the fighting to a close, a hard decision for him as he is trying to move away from killing but does so to save his family, always to save his family :’(

Luther could protect his siblings from hits like they showed at the beginning in a way that mirrors how he has been doing that emotionally all season

etc etc etc for all of the siblings so that they each get to show off and have their moment in the spotlight as heros

I loved the season even though i just ranted for like 3 pages, and it has some of the best one liners and line readings ever (”Thats where you come in Five” “Nope. No it isnt”) I just wish that some parts of it had been given some more thought / care so they could really show of the amazing cast, effects, sets, etc without writing in the way

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kingreywrites · 4 years ago

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All that I have to lose

Fandom: Tangled

Words count: 2352

New Dream Appreciation Week Day Seven: Happily Ever After

Summary: Somewhere between meeting Stalyan and being betrayed by Cassandra, Rapunzel changed her mind about her opinion on weddings and happily ever afters. It could have been the natural progression of her thoughts on the subject, once she stopped seeing marriage as a prison instead of the new adventure that it was - but sadly, there was one event that served as a definite turning point, and she hated it.

Ten months after leaving Corona, Eugene got sick.

Read on ao3

Note: I can’t believe this week is already over! This was absolutely awesome, thanks again to the people organizing it, you’re incredible! <3

@our-newdream

Rapunzel hated that she could pinpoint exactly the time when she changed her mind for sure about marriage, and about what living happily ever after truly meant. Until then, she had always felt like it would be the end of her story - she and Eugene would settle down, happy and content without any new adventure to live through. It was okay, but she hadn't felt ready to give up on exploring the world quite… That is, until she understood that her definitions were wrong. But that didn't mean she liked her turning point. In fact, she hated it, because she knew that she had felt progressively more open about marriage during their journey, and she knew that she didn't need a life-changing event to understand that it wasn't the end of her adventures but the start of a new one. She would have come around, and had been nearly there after the whole Stalyan mess - but then, something happened to change her mind immediately and she hated it.

Eugene got sick.

To be precise, Eugene had left the caravan because they all wanted some air and had stopped in the middle of a clearing to do so. He went to the forest and came back some time after, and everything had been okay. It should have been okay. But then, Eugene had started acting weird - he kept drinking water, complaining that he was thirsty and that everything was too hot. He bickered with Cassandra, but lost his train of thought halfway through a curse, which never happened.

By the time Rapunzel was sure something was wrong, he had a raging fever and started talking about things that weren't there. It was Cass who finally understood what was wrong - she found berries in his bag, that weren't berries as much as it was belladonna.

Poison.

The following minutes were a blur to Rapunzel - she knew they had pushed Eugene into the caravan and bundled him into bed, despite his growing confusion and panic. She knew she had been panicking too, reminiscing about all she knew about belladonna which terrified her even more, but had also kept it all to herself behind a cheerful facade, because Eugene wasn't making sense and kept asking about her wellbeing. She couldn't worry him more.

By the time they agreed to rush back to the city they left two days ago because it was the closest one, his breathing was ragged and uneven, and his fever was through the roof. Rapunzel couldn't leave his side, because he would panic otherwise - and she didn't want to leave him anyway.

"Rapunzel," he gasped at some point, startling her, "you- you okay?"

"Don't worry Eugene," she soothed for the umpteenth time, hoping that he wouldn't notice her wobbly voice, "I'm fine."

She wasn't. Of course she wasn't, not when the love of her life was in such a state - in the throws of nightmares without even sleeping, begging her for water that she knew he would throw up right after. She had never seen him like this - had never seen anyone like this, really, but especially not him, who hadn't even caught a cold since they met. She did, though, she had fallen sick once or twice already, and he had been by her side to reassure her each time, assuring her that he had a strong immune system and that he rarely got sick.

She hoped it would be strong enough to fight this until a doctor could help.

"You're not allowed to eat berries anymore," Rapunzel whispered some time later, when his hallucinations seemed to have abated and they had needed to stop for the night, because the horses were exhausted. "Never ever."

"Did I-" He swallowed harshly against the dryness of his throat and tried again, looking heartbreakingly lost. "Did I confuse bimberries and dimberries again?"

"Something like that," she sniffed, getting his sweaty hair out of his forehead and cringing at the heat that was still here.

"Don't let Cassandra kill me."

"I won't. I won't let anything kill you," she promised, and Eugene smiled, but it was still vague and confused, as if he was indulging her without really understanding what she was saying.

His face and neck were covered by splotches of red, and he kept tensing his muscles against his will - the jerky movements scared her, and hurt him, and she hated it. She knew a lot about belladonna, because she had read again and again, during eighteen years, one of her three books that was about plants. She knew its effects - she knew everything that could go wrong, every potentialities, but it had never been terrifying until it was Eugene's symptoms. As she listened to him breathe, she kept fearing that his heart wouldn't have enough energy to pump anymore, or that his lungs would give up, or that another delirium would make him hurt himself further, and she had to do everything in her power not to cry.

She kept thinking about him dying, and she understood that she couldn't have an happily ever after without him. All the freedom and adventures would never make up from the sheer happiness he gave her every day, just by existing. She always knew this fact, in a way, but now it was a thought that choked her and made her hands tremble as she put a cold cloth over his forehead - because, until now, it hadn't been a true subject of doubt since he died that first time.

"I can't- I can't-" he muttered some hours later, never able to finish his sentences as he struggled beneath the bed sheets. Neither of them had gotten any sleep yet - neither of them could, Eugene because of the fever, and Rapunzel because of Eugene. "Blondie-"

"I'm here," she whispered, her hand cupping his cheek, making him look at her even when his eyes kept straying to the left, seeing something that wasn't there. "I'm here Eugene, I promise."

"No, no, I can't-" He sounded gutted, and one of his hand went to his stomach, clenching unnaturally over it.

Rapunzel worried that he was feeling sick again, because he hadn't managed to keep anything down, but when she tried to make him lean over the side of the bed, he fought her off.

"I can't let you do this," Eugene insisted, trying to get away from her.

"What? Eugene, please-"

"If you do this, you will die!"

With wide eyes, Rapunzel took in his appearance - the bags under his eyes, the unnatural blush on his cheeks, his heaving chest and his hand, not over his stomach because of nausea but over a familiar spot, that she should have recognised immediately. She exhaled shakily, her eyes burning as she tried once again to get close to him, careful not to spook him even more.

"Eugene, it's over. She- Gothel is dead. And you're fine."

"N-no, I… My side…"

Gently, she put her hand over his, not even flinching when he tried unsuccessfully to cringe away from her. She kept her fingers right over his and didn't move - not when he called her name in panic, not when he tried to convince her that he wasn't worth her life, not when he begged her to just let him die instead. They were tears falling from her eyes, but she didn't move.

"It's over," she whispered again when he calmed down on his own, his pupils blown but looking directly at her this time. "We're safe. I'm safe, because you saved me and you're safe, because I saved you."

As she talked, she slowly removed his hand from his side, taking it in hers and squeezing as hard as she dared, hoping it would ground him as much as it did her. Eugene kept watching her, mouth slightly open as he panted, but he didn't fight her anymore.

In a surprising show of strength, he raised himself quickly and brought her on an half-sitting hug, his head resting on the crook of her neck. She scootched over, bringing him to her lap as she hugged him back as strongly as she could, feeling like they would both fall apart if she didn't. He was mumbling things against her skin, his fever still high, and she didn't understand everything but she felt his relief in her bones.

"I'm glad you're okay," he muttered more clearly, and Rapunzel hugged him tighter, hoping that he wouldn't see the tears gathering under her eyelashes. She shouldn't have worried, because she felt his body go limp, Eugene finally succumbing to sleep now that he was sure she was safe. She kept holding him though - focusing on his weight against her so as not to drown in the emotions his hallucination brought back.

That was her turning point - the one event that rushed her natural train of thought straight to its conclusion, the event that she hated so much.

Because, at this exact instant, with Eugene's burning skin against hers, after ten months on the road toward her destiny, Rapunzel suddenly understood the feelings that she never managed to voice - she finally understood why she kept rejecting his proposal, and she understood why that didn't matter, in the end.

She was scared that her happily ever after meant the end of her adventure. She was scared that once they settled down, they would be safe and sound and locked inside forever, as naive as it might sound. For a long time, happiness had meant staying where she was meant to be, high up in her tower, making someone else happy - but now, she wanted to experience it all, be the person she knew she could be, make her own life and her own happiness...

But she wanted to do all of that with Eugene.

She had been scared that marriage would mark the end of her journey, but how could it, when Eugene was with her? It all seemed silly now, when she was holding him as tightly as she could while his ragged breathing tickled her neck and made her heartbeat speed up with worry. It all seemed silly, because Eugene was her happily ever after and had always been - he was her dream, he was who she felt free and wanted to go on adventures with.

Here and there, as she brushed his sweaty hair out of his face again, she realised that she would sacrifice it all if that meant saving him. Her adventures, her freedom, her destiny, it all meant surprisingly little compared to the knowledge that Eugene was safe and in good health, able to talk and laugh and smile as much as he wanted. He had told her, after the mess that was her coronation, about his fear of losing her like he lost most good things in his life - he had told her about his abandonment issues, and how that made him want to propose because he couldn't imagine his life without her. He had also apologised for it, apologised for not considering her feelings better, for proposing out of the blue because he was scared when it should be a shared choice between both of them.

In hindsight, she wished she could go back in time just to insist even more that he shouldn't apologise so much for it. She understood now - she thought she did before, thought her first-hand experience with losing him gave her more perspective than most, but she had somehow forgot how raw it felt to see him hurt. Now, faced with the too real possibility of losing him again, she wished she could propose to him right now, wished that they could get married and go hide out in the castle forever, if it meant he was safe with her forever too. She could accept any happily ever after, as long as it was in his company. And, the thing was, she knew it wouldn't be a sacrifice - she knew she wouldn't be unhappy, because she knew Eugene's happiness also relied heavily on hers. They made each other happy.

Eugene mumbled something incoherently, his lips right on the side of her jaw, and Rapunzel realised that she was crying, silent tears making their way down, to form dark little spot on his clothes. She shifted, to have one hand to dry her tears, and he twitched.

"You 'k?" he rasped once again, like he had done dozens of time since he ate those damned berries, because sickness or not, she was always his first concern.

He hadn't even opened his eyes. Rapunzel cupped his cheek with her free hand, stroking it softly with her thumb and erasing the rare teardrops that made their way here.

"I'm okay," she answered, not willing to share the jostling thoughts in her head screaming that she wasn't, she couldn't be when he wasn't. "I'm okay."

"Good," he said simply, before falling asleep again, a gentle smile on his lips and an unnatural blush still on his cheeks.

Rapunzel curled up as much as she could around him and cried.

In the end, they arrived in a day and a half in the village and they broke the doctor's door down in their panic. Thankfully, said doctor was a nice little old lady who looked suspiciously like old lady Crowley - but she clearly wasn't the evil twin between them. She didn't take offence in her broken door, and didn't even argue with Rapunzel when she insisted to stay with her when she treated Eugene.

By the end of the day, his fever was barely one, and he wasn't hallucinating anymore. The following morning, he woke up, completely clear-headed if a little confused about their whereabouts.

"You're okay?" he asked Rapunzel when she took his hand and, for a moment, she wanted to beg him to never ask this question ever again. But, on the other hand, she understood - he was her first concern too. Maybe she hadn't understood that fully before, but she was completely certain now: him being safe and sound was her happily ever after.

"I'm okay," she settled on, and it wasn't a lie anymore.

#I know today's theme is cute but like this is angsty really #and there's poison #tangled #New Dream Appreciation Week #Eugene Fitzherbert #Rapunzel #New Dream

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roseprincesskristina · 4 years ago

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My Crimson Valentine ((POV))

((Hey people. 😊 Today, since Valentine's Day is just around the corner a little later, I had to write a special fanfic about everyone's favorite crimson hunter getting busy with a certain girl who is new in Abel City to visit him. Plus, it's a POV version for the ladies out there. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this story and Happy Early Valentine's Day 💘💘💘💝💝💝 😊✌))

The crimson hunter, lastly created by the late Dr. Albert Wily, previously known of the uncontrollable maverick who lusts for blood, carnage, even destruction increases his strength along with everything he possesses. Founded by the former leader of Hunter HQ before being escorted to be tested after the ferocious duel against him, until later on when the impossible virus had traveled it way within the strong balded crusader's armored anatomy away from the blonde irregular's helmet to successfully control the new host. Forming from evil to good has allowed him to join the organization which meaning by hunting down crazed evildoers that caused havoc upon peace. Hardly addresses himself as the hero, however to battle against difficult odds such as maverick while for those around that he believes in at heart, for his own will also. Throwing away the corrupted memories of his past which blinded his focus of a better future awaiting ahead as well as to embrace off multiple sadness from his body.

Now, as the irregular destroying commander of the 0th unit, lacking any clemency towards opponents and acts with a "too cool for school" attitude to lower his emotions instead of showing them to anyone expect his indigo comrade in arms. Ranked into an upperclass position, bearing with the energy beam sword for slashing down anything blocking his path. Aiding with his colleagues, brawling baddies, passed onto with additional power ups, the rest during numerous journeys. He is ultimately quite difficult to become defeated when it comes to danger calling him out, but not with assistance to accomplish any tasks at hand. This fearless swordsman in red is named Zero.

At last, slightly exhausted of every beatings along with rescuing the innocent like any super hero would always do, fully relaxed while the daylight is young, the golden locked hunter had peered his eyes towards you into a seductive persona. Lying onto his bed sideways with his hand planted on the manly thigh to await your appearance inside his dorm. Smirking with a satisfying preparation in mind for a guest of honor such as yourself.

"Mmmmm he he he he~... Well well~... Hello to you, my sweet young treat~ What brings you here to MY lair of awesomeness~? Just by looking at your expression, I suppose you're here to visit me or to earn my autograph, right~? Either way, it wouldn't even matter much anyway since I'm bored with nothing to do~ But what really does now is to amuse a cute little lady like you with my irresistible charms to hypnotize my fans~" The upperclassmen spoke deeply with a sexual tone, walking over and takes you by your hand into his room as a welcoming manner by stroking his hand under your chin. Placing you upon his bed. "So, why don't ya come inside and make yourself comfortable until I freshen up for a special surprise in store just for you~ BRB~" He winked at you, rising right out of his bed capsule to change into a different armor.

While waiting for the blush colored host, you would began to take out something from your backpack like a notebook to draw characters, anime or shapes in order to keep yourself occupied. Even to write a journal about your life. It was your time here in Abel City, never have seen or been here before to meet the legendary Maverick Hunter in the flesh. Or perhaps reploid, of course. You hummed while enjoying usual hobbies like in your house, loving nature even to make friends, pondering about such wonderful memories within your thoughts just to keep you happy and lively for the rest of your life through tough times. It truly warms your innocent heart all the way along with emotions, until a surprise sudden has called your attention....

"Hey there, gorgeous~ Thanks for the long wait for me to straighten myself up, didn't wanna get too.... messy around ya~.... " Outside the bathroom despite of his "freshening up" methods, hearing his voice aiming across the roam has made you look away from the notebook that you're drawing and directly at him, who is wearing nothing underneath his armor like the inner black suit, but into a sexy belly dancing attire to suit him quite better out of his under clothing. Revealing not only the body, yet secondly his most flawless treasure known to man: his diamond shaped navel of his abs, placed with an initialed Z shaped jewel inside, similar on his left shoulder. The appearing shade of redness shown itself in your cheeks during your first witness of your host's harden bods of steel completely in front of you.

"Awww~ Did I made ya blush, little girl~? I kinda love it when you look real nervous when you're around me~ Cause it really, REALLY turns me on~" Slurped the bright red sword wielder, approaching his irresistible self towards you, folding his arms behind the brighten locks of his tied up hair. Blinking his sparkling sapphire pupils slowly to create something even more consensual than before or after your arrival to surround you along with everything in his dorm. You began to feel speechless for a fast second, beholding his fairly gifted body before you now when he chuckled.

"Mmmm~ Giving the silent treatment, too, aren't we~? I like that in a human woman~" Anything about you has impressed the saber enhanced mentor even more than busting against his enemies in the hunting days when duty calls. Could be a waste of time, but not as long as you're here to make his life interesting. "So, beautiful~ Whaddya think~? Like what ya see~? Did my abs impress you~? No need to answer cause I'm already aware of that~ Let's put away the notebook and enjoy ourselves, shall we~" He said again, helping to throw away the book off your hands. Snapping his fingers automatically to initiate the sensual music before the beginning of his dance. Once again, you blinked while watching him jiggle his hips to the rhythm, back and forwards non stop. Several visions of him showering the pleasurable has blinded you away from the focuses about your life, being slowly imprisoned filled of little resistance left in your body to fight it off.

"Mmmm~ Damn, you look so delicious when I take a closer look at you~" Licked his clean filled of the starving metaphorical act, circling around you while slowly drawing his finger on your shoulder. "Even though you're a human, but it ain't gonna change the fact or my mind since you're here~ Lemme taste you for a bit to see if you're good enough to eat~ Meow~" He does that right away by licking your cheek, making you fluster into a shade of pink appearing in your face. "Hot damn~ Did my tastes buds lie~? Or is it telling the truth~? You truly ARE my sweetest dessert, babycakes~ Meaning that I'm gonna save YOU for later after my overwhelming performance~"

Dancing very closer to you, caressing all over his glistening armor as well as his body to approach once more. Seducing you by shaking more of his delectable manly hips with his might, polishing the crotch if necessary. Commencing to arouse your being becoming trapped in his grasps to never release or allow you to flee from his inescapable sights, pinning down your body of his hypnotic dance. Then, feeding on your thoughts with his sultry speech.

"It's no use trying to resist my urges, baby~ My body will consume you whole whether you admire it or not so try not to fight against it~" He compelled, positioning his finger into a "come over here" action to brainwash you. "Come on~ Let my poisonous effects absorb you~ Look into my eyes and rid yourself of those tragedies holding you down from your senses~ Submit to me, my innocent slave~ Obey my body forever~ Smoothingly erasing your worries from your mind and replacing them with images of the sunshine haired expert's erotic movements clearing off those irritating dirt of lies entirely out of your peeps, helping you to see perfectly even by looking at your maverick hunting host shaking his money maker for you. Complying his demands with the lack of free will to shield yourself away of something elegant, you had no other option but to surrender by gazing straightly at him into the middle of his dance.

"So~ What do you think of my stunning bods, little lady~? You like it, even when I punish myself for being a bad boy~? Hmm~? He he he he~ Then I'll take that as a yes~" He moaned while speaking to you sexually. "Well, how about I give you.....this to change your pretty little thinking~? Continually to please you the hardest, he would slowly remove the pierced jewel from his stomach. Placing it on the desk table. You would be able to watch carefully of his special present only for you to see instead of others, but your mind says to resist it for this "nightmare" will haunt you in your sleep forever. Once the gem has been confiscated out of the body, he "accidentally" insert one of fingers deeply inside his ravishing navel.

"Whoops~ He he he he~ My bad, darling~ Didn't mean to cause an accident to you like that~ Or did I~?" Grinned the A Class sword fighter, planning his act on you in the first place by circling deeper into his belly button. Extending out his tongue to rock it like in the concert to party all night, siding with shaking his thighs of continuation towards the dance.

"Unh~ Unh~ M...Mmm god, it feels so nice~" He spits out his longing yet magnificent moan all the way from his mouth trying to dash for freedom, drilling his finger into the dark cavern of the stomach more further. Pleasing you to death with every inch of his power but quietly. Over and over he punishes his stomach hole without trying to stop himself. "Ahhhh~ I love massaging my navel during off duties at peace~ It really takes my mind off of killing enemies~ But, I couldn't hide it from somebody so tranquil and quiet like you~" He refers to you, winking to arouse his guest by "cleaning" his deepen abyss of a stomach hole further. You slightly blushed from his unseen hobby, attempting to look for an escapable exit. However, nothing could ever work because of the frozen spell of his seduction pinned you down on the seat.

"Oh yeah~ Yeah~ Mmmmm, face it, pumpkin~ I know you wanna see me ground my deep, luscious, tasty, warm navel of mine for being very naughty~ Don't try to deny it~ You CAN and WILL love it when I play with it~ Or better yet, to let you taste it~" He spoke toward at you, placing a torturing spell which is impossible to break. More shades of red pinkish flustering substance had yet again made its appearance in your face, eyes stretched of shocking discovery, heart pumping in a repetitive beat. It's as if you have seen a boy band member saying your name to climb up onstage or earning a first gift. But this, right up front, is even more breathtaking than both all combined at once.

Forwardly into your ear, his calm voice enters within your mind. Purring seductively due to his obsession with his new plaything like you to have fun with.

"Purrrrrrr~" No matter how much you try or do that could drive the spell from your consciousness, that too, is unstoppable to leap out of. "It's already too late to back out from me, doll~ Cause there ain't gonna be an exit to save you now that you're all mine~" He said, tilting your head directly to him by his hand grappling your cheeks. "You know, before I met an adorable birdie like you, all I ever do was fight off maverick trash all freaking day without getting a single break, which is completely boring for my taste~ But now here you are, making my life a living heaven than hell like in my usual days as a hunter~" You nodded while listening. "I really like you that much, despite of being a human, but still~ " He comes at you, proceeding towards your face. "As a matter of fact, you mean the world to me, Valentine, and that's why.... I wanna taste and suck your irresistible at the same cause I'm so famished~ So, let's kill off the idle chat, shall we~? And lemme give you something to make you.... remember me in your dreams~ Let me kiss you~ So~ Badly~....." With everything pushed out of the way, the stern yet handsome reploid in red inserted his lips into yours deeply. Drinking the life out of you with a craved thirst before resuming his belly dancing routine. His perfect smooch has gave you a further blush.

"Mmmmmmmm~" So forever long, he softly yoinked himself from the perfect smooch given to you and licked. "God, you taste even better than the rest~ So delicious~" Swallowed the smirked hunter, enjoying your clear lips until he continue his undodgable dance of lust to please you rapidly. Secondly, the glorious cave of a navel to pleasure or play with as well.

That trick, especially the breath stealing kiss, had forced you to have a nosebleed right away from his unavoidable surprise than earlier before. Without holding any grudge against the blonde host's perfect symbol of desires that shuts down all worries from their minds, the only chance you have is to submit towards his beauty and enjoy it, refusing to turn back. Zero smiled gladly at you, wanting more of his fascinating dances to ease your boredom aside in the garbage where it belongs.

"So~ Finally enjoying my gift, huh~? Good girl~" He smiled rapidly, resuming his lustful dance for your enjoyment. "I'm so proud of you for cherishing a pleasant gift I rained on you, sweet treat~ For that, here's another one from me~...." For following his directions of the pleasurable belly dance, the handsome rose themed ex maverick lays his hands onto your soft cheeks while you are a little prepared for something much more....appealing? However, you have to allow him by accepting the second present until finally, he mashed his lips gently into yours. Tongue and teeth.

"Mmmmmm~....."

Your eyes started to open widely because of the seeping smooch warming up your whole heart upwards to 100%, blushing darker than earlier. While you slowly responded back, he continues to sink his kiss into your lips all day long, never to get enough of your existence for one minute just to stomp on his doomed past like an insect. Non stop after separating himself from lip locking with you, he continues his beautiful entertainment by dancing, especially navel pleasuring, to please you more than the first act while you're gazing towards him with both hands placed under your chin. Directly in front of you, he blow a kiss at you for further mood at peace.

"Mmmmmwah~..... Mmmm, thanks again for keeping company to shut up my boredom today, cutie~ You're just the one who never gets tired of my unbeatable charms~" Winked the high ranked blade user, impressed by your company to sleep away his exhaustion from dealing with endless hordes of irregular rabble rousers all the time. You replied with a nod, watching permanently of your die hard android in light burgundy with all your heart no matter what. Enjoying both his company, even the erotic dance as well.

He may become of the lone wolf type reploid who refuses to gain anyone's assistance during heart throbbing missions, roughing up tough mavericks without problems whatsoever. However, fighting alongside friends to be stronger foes than him or enemies combined has made the yellow headed mentor even too powerful other than his base state. Because companionship can make any dream succeed so long as everyone remains by his side always, even the true Maverick Hunter should realize this. Furthermore, no crime lovers including the inhumaniods baddies could ever escape from the beam sword bearer of Abel City when it comes to disasters knocking on the town's door without regret. But for now, he is finally relaxing during his off duty with the only person in store to interest his company instead of all else: You.

"Happy Valentine's Day, ladies~ Feel free to visit yours truly anytime~ Mmmwah~💖"

#megaman #mmx #zero #pov #valentine's day #fanfic #earlyvalentinesday2021

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lanaisnotwool · 4 years ago

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414 Using Meetups to Grow Your Business - Interview with Adam Adams

http://moneyripples.com/2020/08/14/414-using-meetups-to-grow-your-business-interview-with-adam-adams/

Could creating a meetup group cause massive growth in your business?

Adam A. Adams, also known in the real estate community as Triple-A, has educated thousands of investors through real estate conferences, radio & podcast interviews, his coaching program, and his thriving Meetup group.

Adam hosts the Creative Real Estate Podcast, a podcast listened to around the world, with hundreds of thousands of downloads. His efforts to educate and inspire other investors have earned him the prestigious title “Master Investor” by Think Realty magazine and he is also a three-time Hall of Fame winner from RE Mentor for his successes in multifamily syndications.

In 2005, Adam took the plunge into part-time real estate investing, but it quickly became his full-time passion!

Today Adam is partnered in 7 multifamily syndications with approximately 1,400 doors valued slightly over $100 million. His company, BlueSpruce Holdings, focuses on finding and managing apartment communities to allow passive investors diversification, cash flow, tax benefits, and freedom of time.

Adam’s primary role in the company is to attract capital, successfully raising millions of dollars from private investors. He continues to grow his company’s brand as one of the top syndication teams in the United States.

Listen to our Podcast here:

https://www.blogtalkradio.com/moneyripples/2020/07/03/414--using-meetups-to-grow-your-business-interview-with-adam-adams

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris Miles (00:00): Well, hello, my fellow Ripplers! This is Chris Miles. Your Cash Flow Expert and Anti-Financial Advisor. We want to welcome you out guys for a wonderful show. A show that's for you and about you. Those of you that work so freaking hard for your money, and you're now ready for your money to start working harder for you. Today! You want that freedom. That cash flow. That prosperity. Right now! Not 30 or 40 bazillion years from now, but right now. So you can have that life of freedom to be able to do what you love. To be with those you love. Whenever the heck you want to do it. But it's so much more than just having a life of luxury, right? It's so much more than just, you know, having great cash flow and being financially free. But it's about having that life of legacy. Being that Rippler. Where you create a ripple effect to the lives of those around you. And guys, I appreciate it so much for allowing me to create a ripple effect through you guys.

Chris Miles (00:56): Cause you guys have been awesome. I love hearing how much you guys are bingeing lately, and you've been sharing it with other people and everything else. I love watching those numbers grow. So I appreciate it so much that you guys are a part of this movement. Allowing this ripple effect to go through so many lives, if not thousands, the hundreds of thousands. So thank you so much guys.

Chris Miles (01:13): As a reminder, you can check out our website, MoneyRipples.Com There you can go and see all of the good stuff. You know, everything from, you know, blogs from a couple of years ago that I occasionally write. Do even our little ebook called Beyond Rice & Beans, Seven Secrets to Free Up Cash Today. Which you can see there now. So check it out! Alright!

Chris Miles (01:33): So today I want to bring on a special guest because this is the guy that, I've been on his show as well. But man, he had a reputation that proceeded himself and it finally had the opportunity to have him on our show. I can't believe I didn't, I've taken it, taken me this long to even get him on here. So this guy is Adam Adams. Some of you guys might know if you're in the real estate community already. He's also known as Triple A, right? He's educated thousands of investors to real estate conferences, podcasts and radio interviews, coaching programs, his meetup groups and everything. Right? He's also the creative real estate podcast that I ever suggest you guys go check out. His let's do around the world has hundreds of thousands downloads as well. His effort to educate and inspire other investors had earned him the prestigious title of Master Investor by Think Realty Magazine. And he's also a three-time hall of fame winner of RE Mentor for his success in multifamily syndication's. Meetup.com has also recognized him as one of the top six meetup organizers in the world in 2018 guys. Which is going to be part of our topic today. He took the plunge and decided to go part time real estate investing, but it quickly became a full time passion for him. Today he's partnering in seven multifamily syndications with approximately 1400 doors valued at slightly over a hundred million dollars. His company, BlueSpruce Holdings, focused on finding and managing apartment communities to allow passive investor diversification, cash flow, tax benefits, and freedom of time. So guys, this is huge! So excited to have Adam on. So Adam, welcome to our show!

Adam Adams (03:01): Thank you so much for having me. And as you said, I've had you on our show a couple of times. So we really like and respect what you're doing, Chris.

Chris Miles (03:09): Yeah, absolutely man. So, give us a little background, like why'd you even go the real estate route in the first place?

Adam Adams (03:14): I went real estate because of my family. I grew up doing real estate. So it seemed like a normal thing. So I had one of those unique childhoods where a lot of people grow up and real estate seems like a far off thing. I was almost pushing it away because it was so close. My dad was always saying, you're going to do this. You're going to do this. You got to save 10%. You got to invest 10%. And so it was actually in college when he first purchased my first real estate for me, then his CPA told him that he, I had to buy it back from him or else he was going to pay a lot in taxes. So yeah, fun stuff. When you're a college student and barely making your books to have to pay for real estate. But with the cool thing is I made a 12000% return on my money within two years.

Adam Adams (04:03): And so in 2007, two years later after selling that I had more money in the bank than I had ever made in an entire year before that. And so I was thinking to myself, well, I'm going to have to figure out how to really make this real estate thing work for me. I was going to school for music education. I'm a musician. Been writing music since I was very young. And it was that time when I decided that I'm probably not going to be a teacher because this was a whole years of teacher salary already. So I decided that that was what I was going to focus on. So I bought my first, my first triplex, I lived in it house hacked. Made some money in it. Managed some other properties. Made somebody a couple of million bucks fast. And it was like, I couldn't get away from it. I couldn't get away from it. So fast forward, 15 years. And now I have over a thousand apartments that I'm partnered in and loving every minute of it.

Chris Miles (05:06): I love it, man! Man. So what, so tell us, like, obviously you've got a huge reputation for, like, you know, social media. You got this reputation for marketing. I mean, you even got asked to speak at the meetup conference, right? You made a global conference there as one of the top six speakers there, right? Like what they, how'd you even go the marketing route, like, was that just stumbled on by accident or is that just something that you just seem to master really naturally?

Adam Adams (05:31): That's a really good question. I feel like it was essential for me to learn it because when I was getting started in real estate, you know, and when I was starting to raise equity, I felt as though I was being drowned out completely by a lot of other noise and some of it was loud, you know, Grant Cardone is loud. And he's drowning out a lot of the people that want to be in real estate or marketing or branding. And I felt that it was just necessary to figure out how I could start standing out. And I stumbled across some of it by accident. Like with the meetups that you mentioned, I was brand new to Colorado. I had just moved here to Colorado five years ago. And when I got here, I didn't really know anyone.

Adam Adams (06:31): I felt brand new and I felt like someone told me your network is your net worth. And so with the marketing and branding, I remember thinking, I've got to figure out how to grow a network in a new place. And it was actually my mother in law who said that meetup was a place that you could kind of grow your brand and get to know people in a new place. So I just started to meetup. I literally just, you know, I don't suggest this to other people ready, fire aim. I always say ready, aim, fire, take the time to really figure it out. Yeah. And especially now that I can help other people do the same thing. I want them to skip their learning curve, but I just, I jumped into it. And the marketing I learned over time because in the beginning I only had a couple of people showing up.

Adam Adams (07:25): And the only way on meetups that I could have more people come to the group is if I spent extra time in the back. In, what is it in the background. Actually marketing the meetup. And I did things like take pictures while I was there. Write stories about people that attend, because I felt like if, if other people that were going through the same thing knew that there was people like them attending my meetup, that would help them think, Oh, I should come to this meetup too. That guy had my problem. And now he's successful. So I just started marketing, branding and throwing this out in, like you said, a couple years later, meetup HQ flew me out to speak to 150 of their top people. And that was a lot of fun. So in short I stumbled across it. Yes. I learned the hard way. Yes. And then I realized that if you don't take the time to market and brand who you are and what you're doing, people are just going to go to the other people that they're hearing marketing brand, who they are and what they're doing.

Chris Miles (08:35): Well, that's kind of, I was going to ask you is like, whether someone's in a real estate investor or if they are a business owner, right? I know cause we've got different people on this show. You know, why do they feel so important that they do brand themselves or market themselves and have this kind of influence?

Adam Adams (08:49): Yeah. Well, if they are a real estate investor and they're looking for deals, it's the main thing that is brought my company deals. And so here you go, this is the best way to sum it up. People do business with people that they know like and trust, right? And we all know that. And if 10 people know you, what's the most amount of people that could ever like you or trust you? The max. So if you want to build a funnel, people are talking a lot about funnels these days. So a lot of people think it's just a website. A funnel is a lot more than a website. A website is a piece, a small piece of a funnel. But if you want people to know you so that they can like you so that they can trust you so that they can invest passively in your deal or give you the next deal that they find where you need to close it or just do business with you. Then you got to have a lot of people knowing you. And to do that, you have to, I call it the four pillars just to brief it out.

Adam Adams (09:53): You got to have some type of thought leadership. There's five different thought leadership platforms we could talk about. You got to have some type of live event where you're meeting people in person and getting to know them. You gotta do something on your social media, where people, when they search for you, they literally can find you because these days, if they don't see you on LinkedIn or Facebook within the first five minutes of searching, they immediately go to the next person. So you gotta be active. And then the fourth one is your, I call it a Lead Magnet, which is some type of giveaway that helps your perfect person, that either will invest in your deal or do business with you to be able to convert from knowing you into starting to trust you. Right? So those are my four pillars and they're really, really important. You got to do all four of them and the meetups, the live events, I've raised $4.2 million for our apartments for my real estate deals have come. I can count exactly that amount of money just from the meetups. We've had a few million from the podcast too, but it's interesting how effective the meetup groups have been.

Chris Miles (11:09): It's interesting too, because I know a lot of, especially real estate investors out there will think the meetup groups are like a complete waste of time. They're like, Oh, don't even go to those things. There's just a bunch of wannabe investors there. Nobody really of good value. And you're completely flipping that upside down and say, no, absolutely. It's one of the best places to be, right?

Adam Adams (11:29): Yeah. Well, but you're right. There's a ton of people that say, don't go to meetups. And I actually think, I'm going to be honest. Most of them are correct. Don't go to meetups! Going to meetups is completely different than hosting meetups.

Chris Miles (11:46): Interesting.

Adam Adams (11:47): When you, let's just pretend like you're new, you have money and you're going to a meetup. You see 30 people, 30 different people. You've got a leader or maybe two leaders and 28 other people besides yourself. Yeah. The first person you're going to decide to know like, and trust the first person is probably going to be who? Not one of the 28.

Chris Miles (12:12): Right.

Adam Adams (12:13): It'd be one of the leaders, at least the leader or two. So when you're hosting these events, you get the deals before anyone else in the room. Cause people are able to see your track record. When you come to a place like you don't know anyone else's track record, but these people that are established, they've been running the meetup for a little while. You tend to trust them. You tend to believe that they can close. And so if you're asking, should I attend meetups? Yeah. Maybe not. Maybe not attend. But if you're asking, if you should host a meetup, like run it, be the organizer. You're going to get massive, massive value. I look at our group, it's a, it was a lunch club. I mean, it's still a lunch club, but now we, it's corona virus. And we don't have lunch during lunch club cause we're a virtual, but we started out just meeting at lunch and I never imagined how many people would be able to come to one of these. But we got up, up to a hundred plus every single week, 176 at the top. And those people are rarely doing as many deals with each other as they are doing deals with me. That's why I've been able to raise 4.2 that I can solidly say came directly from as a result of my lunch club. So yeah, let's just differentiate this in our minds. There is a complete difference. You can either attend or you can host and you'll get the value when you host a meetup.

Chris Miles (13:44): And that sounds like a lot of work. Do you think it's like a massive amount of work? Do you think it would be simplified?

Adam Adams (13:49): It's in general, a lot of work and a lot of people say it's a lot of work, but because you asked that question, I can share really good tool that has helped me to be able to simplify it. So in 2018, the same year that meetup HQ flew me out to speak. That year I hosted over 220 meetups, 220, like it was four or five or six every single week. And it was a part time job for my assistant and a part time job for me. So there was a lot of work to host 220, but what we found, what we learned halfway through that year is how to really solidly make it easy on us.

Adam Adams (14:36): So here's the tip trick and strategy. Grab some type of Excel spreadsheet and you're going to have the horizontals and the verticals at the same time. Right. And so what you'll, what you want to do is first you're going to book, you're going to block out your calendar. Let's just pretend like you're not going to go 200. Let's just do, let's just pretend like you're going to do 52 and you can do 12 if you want, but let's just pretend you're going to do 52. Every single week, always on Thursday or something like that. What you'll do is you'll actually start writing out the dates. Thursday, January 5th, Thursday, January 12th. And you just keep going. And so now you've blocked out the dates. The second part you do is you block out the venue. So you figure out, you start thinking ahead of time, what venues will I want to be at this year?

Adam Adams (15:29): So if you pick, if you have four venues, you'll call all of them. And you'll say I have 13 different places that I need to come and visit you this year. And I want to block all of them out all at one time. And you'll call the second one and block the other 13. The third one blocked the other 13. The next step you'll do is you'll start writing out the topics that you're going to want. Now I mentioned that I kind of go to four different events. I kind of, I do that on purpose. So, so I'm in the Denver area. So a quarter of what I do is it near Boulder. There's a lot of money in Boulder. A quarter of what I do is in another area, another and another, some of it is downtown Denver because I get the biggest amount of people to come to Denver.

Adam Adams (16:19): And so I'll kind of go all over, but I'll call that ahead of time. And so step, I think we're in step two. All we're doing is writing out the topics. So if I'm going to be in Boulder, I want my topics to be around. How do you invest in notes? Or how do you become a safe, private money lender? Because I want to attract people that have a lot of capital from Boulder to come out of the woodworks and say, this is for me because the, in Boulder, the billionaires are now currently kicking out the millionaires. That's kind of what's going on in Boulder. So, so that's what we'll do there. And then we'll do other things in, in like Denver. We'll do a lot of fix and flip workshops in Denver and et cetera. Now that I've have all 52 topics figured out, which actually is easier than you think.

Adam Adams (17:14): When you allow yourself 10 minutes to brain dump, you can get all 52 out. Well, that's what we do. And then once you've done that, then you select your speakers. Before they ever know. You've already got the date, the time, the topic. All figured out and you call your, and now you figure out the speakers. And then what I'm going to do is I'm going to call Chris Miles and I'm going to say, Chris, I have on July 3rd, I've got 52 events I'm hosting next year. And I've got an opening on July 3rd. And it's specifically for somebody who understands how to utilize a thing called a personal bank on yourself. How do you do infinite banking? And I have two or three people in mind, but you're really my favorite, Chris. And I wondered, do you think you could come on July 3rd to present this?

Adam Adams (18:07): Or should I call one of the other experts? Well, every single time you give that pitch, Chris Miles or whoever you're talking to is like, no, no, no, no, don't do it. I'll figure out how to get there on July 3rd. And so, you've solved a lot of time and attention and it's all out ready for you. And the second tip with this way to fill these out, you put them into meetup and you publish them, but there's a separate term for an actually announcing it to the list. So if you do 52 of these, you'll actually publish all of them in just one day. You'll easily be able to do that. But when you announce them, you announce them just a couple of weeks before. You'll announce every week you just click announce. That's all you gotta do. So your life is much easier later on. You create all the image cards ahead of time. So in about a week or two on the big end, if you're doing 52 of these next year. In about a week or two, you're done everything else is now on autopilot, except for you clicking that announce button once a week. That's all you have to do.

Chris Miles (19:26): That's a really useful system. I like that. So I see. Cause that's the big thing is always like, Oh, how do you come up with those topics? Or how do you come up with this or get the speakers? Like you said, but that's, I mean, that's like you said, you could have that all done by, well, if you do, at the end of the year, you can have it done before the beginning of the year even starts. Or even by first, you know, first of the new year. Right?

Adam Adams (19:45): Yeah. And it's super important to really point this out because if somebody's all, there's going to be a few people listening. They're like, I've already started a meetup. It was a lot of work. I couldn't keep up with it. It's because they're always behind the eight ball. They're always trying. Like every week they're like, crap. I got to do all this stuff. But if you do it in the beginning, you're always in front. You're always ahead of schedule. So if there's a listener, who's thinking about doing a meetup, it doesn't matter. You don't have to do 52! 52 works for me. I do. I like the weekly, but if you're listening and you just want to do 12, you could be done with this in a day. You could be completely finished with everything in one day. And then it's just clicking the announced button once a month. That's it.

Chris Miles (20:31): I love it! Now let me ask you like what, so why were you asked to speak of that conference? I mean, obviously like you get meet up. You do a great job, but what were the, you know, you mentioned there's four things that they said was a big reason why they picked you over so many other speakers. What was that?

Adam Adams (20:46): Oh, so here I was. At the sixth floor of meetup is where all of the nerdy engineers are. And for some reason I'm intrigued by nerdy engineers. I love hearing people that really think about things like into detail about things. And so I had this awesome conversation. It was me, the I'm, I am kind of nerdy, but I'm not really an engineer brain. My dad was, but here I was sitting there with about 10 other engineers. We were in a circle and all of a sudden, out of nowhere, I just, I gulped and I was afraid to ask this question, but I did anyway. I just go, Hey guys, I don't know how to ask this. But like, there was a few people that didn't get on stage and they have a lot more members than I do. I only had 1300 members in my meetup group. And there was some people that had like 20,000 members and you didn't ask them to speak.

Adam Adams (21:48): So like, what was the whole thing? What gives? Why me? And they said, here's the main things. Number one, Consistency. And so if you don't know when you're going to meet again, if you do this sporadically, it actually hits the meetup algorithm. And it ranks you lower. So fewer people see that you even have a meetup. And so, because you had the whole year planned out ahead of time, we knew that you're being consistent. We can see that you've never, ever, ever, ever canceled a meetup. And your meetup attendees know what to expect. So this turns your meetup group into one of the only meetup groups in the country. At least, I don't know how many there are in the world, but we were the only one in Colorado. And one of three in the whole country, two of them actually are in New York city, by the way, which is where the meetup HQ is.

Adam Adams (22:50): We were one of three they're called super groups. It's called a super group, which comes from that consistency. The second thing that they said was that the, I have the same members continue to come back over and over and over again. I actually have a sales pitch that I use during every meetup that I share with my attendees. I call it a sales pitch, you know, jokingly. But it it's the words that I use every single time that allowed me to have people keep coming back and back and back. So when we were doing, let's say we're meeting weekly. Okay. And I say to the people, Hey, we're going to be in Boulder every single Thursday, just so you know. And there's a lot of great meetups out there. And I encourage you to go to some of them, for sure, because you're going to be able to meet more people.

Adam Adams (23:44): But if you want to meet people that you actually do deals with, I looked up some psychology and it says, it takes about six to 15. This is the normal range for you to meet somebody in person before you start trusting them enough to actually do deals with them. And so that's why I meet, I have this group meet every single week because when you go to one of those other groups and if you go one month and then you try to go the next month, and then you're like, I still haven't even done a deal with somebody. And so you start falling off. And so like, that's what happens a lot and I want to solve that problem. So that's why I do it this way. And that's why a lot of the people that come here you'll see them coming every single week because they want to start doing deals with each other.

Adam Adams (24:37): So that was my sales pitch. That was how I shared with them, that it was important that they came every week and they did. And they showed me some stats. It's been a couple of years obviously, but they showed me some stats. And I was one of the top in the whole world on having the same people show up time and time again. Let me think of who, what was the third one. The third one that they shared with me is that, Oh, my Ratings and Reviews. And I was number two in the whole world with the most amount of ratings and reviews we had over 600, five star ratings and no four stars or lower. And they said that that was a big deal. Well, the trick is we were meeting pretty frequently. We meet a lot. And so if one person a day does this, I mean, we're done in a couple of years, but I used to ask for it when I was asking for it.

Adam Adams (25:35): I had no idea that this was part of meetups algorithm. I had no idea that I was going to be sitting with 10 engineers at the sixth floor of meetup learning that I was doing it right. But I just said, Hey, it's what I would say to my people is at the end of the event, I would say, Hey guys, there's going to be an email that comes out to you. It's going to ask how you liked it. Just be honest, let them know, you know, if it was one star or five star, just, just be honest. If you feel like you really got value today, that's all I would say at the end, I would just say, there's going to be an email. Just be honest. It doesn't matter if it's a one or a five star. And I just kept getting a ton of five stars.

Adam Adams (26:13): Like the same people would be able to rate the meetup multiple times because they don't rate the meetup itself. They rate the event. And so we had a lot of them. And so we had a huge amount of five star ratings. I think that's enough. I can't remember the fourth one right now, but if you are consistent and you ask for reviews and whatever, let them know, keep coming. You're going to hit into meetups algorithms. So it's not, now, it's no longer just you promoting it. Now it's meetup promoting it.

Chris Miles (26:54): And eventually that's not much different than any other thing. Whether it's be like social media, you know, or whatever it might be. It's kind of the same thing, isn't it?

Adam Adams (27:01): Yeah, exactly.

Chris Miles (27:02): It's about that engagement and that consistency, you know, and not giving up. That's, I love it, man. That's some really useful stuff. Like I know we can go on for hours on marketing because really it's, it can take hours literally to learn and master some of those things. But man, I mean just taking some of these nuggets and whatever, however you apply, whether you apply it to meetups, real estate or even with your own business, this is a, I think this is just gold right now. It's a huge gold mine. So Adam, I appreciate that so much.

Adam Adams (27:31): Thank you for having me.

Chris Miles (27:32): You bet. Hey, if they want to follow you and get to know your stuff better, what would you recommend?

Adam Adams (27:38): RaisingMoneyCoach.Com. Great place to find me. RaisingMoneyCoach.com.

Chris Miles (27:43): RaisingMoneyCoach.com Awesome! We'll put that in the show notes for everybody to check out. Adam it's extremely valuable and I know, I follow you as well. So I know your stuff is great. I see you as an influencer in my life. So everybody else, I recommend you follow Adam Triple A. Triple A Adams as well. So Hey Adam, I appreciate your time and appreciate your value.

Adam Adams (28:03): Thank you!

Chris Miles (28:04): And everybody else. Thank you so much for joining us today. Again, it's about action. The action you take is what creates the results in your life. It's one thing to be a listener of this show. But it's another thing to be the doer of the word too. So guys go out and do it. Make it a wonderful and prosperous week. We'll see you later.

#Anti-financial Advisor #Cash flow #Cash flow Expert #Debts #Entrepreneur #Financial Freedom #Money Ripples

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pkg4mumtown · 5 years ago

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Waiting for Love (Ch. 3)

A/N: This chapter got away from me and I never got to write what I originally was going to write, so that’ll be in Ch. 4.

Warnings: None unless you count spicy food, alcohol, and fluff.

Summary: You and Keanu have a couple more dates after the first encounter.

CH. 1 / CH. 2

Taglist: @cuttlefishcatfish @anita-e-taylor @beyond-antares @futuristic-imbecile @samanthagraceg @gwenebear @derangedcupcake @cumberbatchbaps @celestiaelisia @lunaticgurly @onebatch--twobatch @shatter-me-now @fanficsrusz @thecraziestcrayon

After our impromptu first date, Keanu had come back to the art show and bought Freedom for far more than was listed. I scolded him for it and complained endlessly but he laughed it off every time.

Our second date was planned a week or so later when he called me during the week and invited me to dinner. We had talked a few times before the date, which only served to leave me more excited to see him again. He paid for dinner, making me want to scold him yet again but he insisted. His hand held mine gently, with an exploratory touch throughout the night while we were open and honest with one another. He dropped me off back at my apartment complex and had walked me upstairs. We had shuffled our feet and twiddled our thumbs before he made the first move and took my hand. He coaxed me closer to him and I gladly stepped into his warm embrace. I wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his scent before we bid our goodbyes.

I offered to cook him dinner for our third date after he confessed to me that he didn’t cook for himself very much. I was determined to “wow” him and chose dishes I was confident I was exceptional at. I picked up two of the best filets I could find, as well as ingredients for a marinade, a special mac n’ cheese, and a haphazardly snatched bundle of green beans to cut through the food coma I was about to prepare.

I paused with my hand on a can of chilies, wracking my brain through every conversation I had with him to determine if we had talked about spicy food or not. After standing in a lady's way for the better part of a few minutes, I pulled my phone from my pocket.

“Hey, are you okay with spicy?” I asked him in a quick text.

“Food? Absolutely,” Keanu responded surprisingly fast.

“I mean, what else would I have been talking about?”

“No comment…”

My eyes widened as a blush crept up to my cheeks. I swear, this man. I shook my head while biting my lip, feeling the agitation radiating off the lady next to me.

“I just want you to know, you’re contributing to this lady hating me for being in her way.”

“A burden I’m willing to bear.”

I finished up my shopping and headed straight home to prepare for dinner. I set the steaks to marinade while I cleaned my apartment nervously. I decided to work out some of my nervous energy by throwing on music and sketching for a while to clear my head, making sure to set an alarm so I could shower and start cooking.

I shower and change, hoping that the shirt and jeans I throw on are good enough considering it’s my apartment. I’m just about to start cooking when my phone buzzes on the counter. I grab it, thankful that I hadn’t touched any of the food yet.

“Finished my errands early. Is it alright to head over now?”

In all fairness, Keanu would only be a half hour early and who was I to deprive myself of an extra half hour with him. I responded and got back to work. I was nearly finished with cooking when I noticed Sage trotting over to the front door. There was a knock, causing me to frantically move my pot of cheese to a cool burner and wash my hands. I jogged to the front door and opened it with a breathless huff and a wide grin as my eyes landed on Keanu’s face. My eyes travelled down, seeing a leather jacket adorning his shoulders and dark jeans.

“Hey! Come in, come in,” I waved him in and shut the door behind him. “I’m almost done, I just have to do one more thing.”

Keanu smiled at my nervous energy, grabbing my hand before I could take off, “Two more things,” he corrected.

I bit my lip, feeling my face heat up when I realized what he meant. I wrapped my arms around him, taking a leap and gently pressing my lips to his cheek, “Sorry.”

“Just relax,” he chuckled and kissed my cheek with his scruffy face. He shrugged his jacket off and hung it on the hooks next to my front door, revealing a well-fitting V-neck. He set his helmet and backpack next to mine on the entryway table before turning back to me.

“Come on,” I led him to the kitchen.

Sage weaved in between his legs as he walked, causing him to stop and pick the needy cat up. Keanu gave Sage love for a little while before putting him back down and peering over my shoulder as I mixed the noodles in the cheese sauce.

“Wow, this smells amazing,” he claimed, while his eyes travelled over the stove. “I’ve never seen red mac n' cheese before.”

“Well, it’s awesome, spicy, and a little Mexican,” I smirked over my shoulder as I finished. “Pick a drink,” I nodded toward the refrigerator, “I’ll have whatever you have.”

He pursed his lips while looking between the food and the contents of the fridge. His face perked up as he spotted a bottle of red wine, his voice dropping into a low purr as he reached for it, “Ooh, come to daddy.”

I nearly choked as I heard the words leave his mouth, stifling a giggle with the back of my hand.

“What?” he asked, seemingly oblivious but with a small smirk pulling at his lips. He closed the fridge, clutching the bottle in one hand while looking for the wine opener with his free hand.

“Nothing,” I shook my head, still laughing to myself. I pointed to the drawer that contained the opener while grabbing two plates from the cupboard. I pulled out two wine glasses and set them down in front of him, before busying myself with serving the plates.

I set the plates on the counter next to a pile of chopped cilantro and limes. “I wasn’t sure how you felt about these, so I’ll let you decide what you want,” I gestured toward the garnishes while grabbing a generous amount for myself.

I snagged the bottle on my way to the table, seeing Keanu follow with the glasses in his free hand. I was almost relieved when we started eating and he made sounds of praise toward the food. He caught me staring at his reactions a few times and would hide his smile by taking a sip of wine.

“Man, that was good,” he sighed happily, sitting back in the chair and patting his stomach.

“There’s plenty more,” I waved to the kitchen.

“No, no I can’t even breathe,” he chuckled, finishing the last of the wine.

I watched his tongue gather the remnants of the wine off his lips, making it my turn to blush when I noticed he was watching. As expected, he stood to gather the empty plates and utensils.

“Stop,” I whined, drawing the “o” out, “I’ve got working limbs.” I held the plate firmly between my fingers.

“Mine are longer,” he responded with a hint if mirth in his voice, tugging on the plate.

“I can see that,” I let my gaze drop down his form for a minute. I stood and pried the plate from his fingers, following him back to the kitchen.

“At least let me help wash some of this,” he pleaded.

“I can do it later,” I waved at the sink.

“That milk-crusted pot says otherwise,” he smirked.

“Fine,” I shook my head at him. “Scoot over,” I murmured while bumping my hip purposely against his. He chuckled, responding by bumping his arm against mine.

Keanu was down to the last pot, while I dried off the one before it. He sloshed the soapy water a little too roughly, causing it to splash over onto where our shirts met the counter.

“Keanu!” I shrieked and jumped back slightly at the feeling of the warm water seeping through my shirt.

“I’m sorry!” he laughed.

I scowled playfully at him, wetting my hand under the faucet and splashing droplets at his face with a flick of my fingers. He reciprocated the childish action, his droplets being significantly bigger than the ones I produced.

“No!” I whined before a laugh ripped from my throat. I let the pot clatter on the counter while I backed away from him and wiped my face.

Keanu let the pot in his hands rest in the sink before slapping the lever of the faucet into the “off” position. He stalked over to me with his wet hands curled like claws and playful growls emitting from his throat. He flicked water at me again, causing me to attempt to turn and run while yelping. Wet fingers circled around my forearm before I could go anywhere and suddenly, I was flush against his chest. By now, my body was infected with laughter and I couldn’t stop. His considerably deeper laughter was music to my ears, and I wanted to listen to it forever. I felt the vibrations of his laughter in my chest, which soon died off and prompted me to open my eyes and peer at him.

Keanu's eyes were warm and soft while his grin was replaced by parted lips. My arms were trapped in between our bodies, so I removed them and wound them hesitantly around his lowered neck. One of his hands splayed across my mid back while the damp skin of his other hand met my jaw. I licked my lips, watching his eyes flash down to the movement. As if we were magnets, our mouths gravitated toward each other until I could feel his lips skim mine. I pressed my mouth more firmly against his, relishing the way his fingers pressed into my skin. I let my hands drop to his jaw, sighing contently as his lips closed over my bottom lip. I felt the pressure of his lips dissipate as he pulled his head back. My eyes fluttered open while my lips formed a smile to mirror his.

“More?” I asked.

“Please,” he nodded before my lips were back on his.

Keanu pressed his body flush against me and softly backed me into the counter. His lips were gentle as we took our time getting acquainted with the feeling of one another. I dropped my hands to his waist, fisting the wet material of his shirt as his tongue ran across the seam of my lips. I parted my lips and allowed my tongue to meet his, feeling myself grow giddy at the touch. I let out a whisper of a moan at the slide of his tongue against mine, mixed with the feeling of him pressed against me.

Keanu’s lips separated from mine, letting his forehead rest against my own as we panted. He flashed me an embarrassed smile, “We should probably stop.”

“Probably,” I nodded and waited for him to step back.

We waited out Keanu's diminishing buzz from the wine by throwing on a movie and sinking into the couch. We spoke over the majority of the movie, too interested in one another to truly pay attention to the television. I try to stifle a yawn, making me wonder how late it even was.

“I should let you get some sleep,” Keanu announced, slapping his thighs in emphasis. He removed his arm from the back of the couch, where his fingertips had played with the top of my shoulder. “I’ve kind of been sober for a while, now,” he confessed.

“I wasn’t going to kick you out the second you became sober!” I shook my head, shoving his shoulder playfully.

Keanu just shrugged and threw his hands up with a huge grin, “I was having fun, I didn’t want to chance it!”

“I was having fun, too,” I laughed, taking in the way his eyes brightened when he was enjoying himself.

We eventually got up, nearly bypassing the kitchen before I stopped him, “Do you want to take leftovers? That pot by itself can last me for two weeks and I don’t think it’s meant to last that long.”

“Really?” he asked hopefully.

“Of course! I wouldn’t force you to come back just for me to make more,” I laughed, grabbing a Tupperware small enough to fit in his backpack comfortably.

“I wouldn’t mind,” he murmured, grabbing the handle of the pot and helping me.

My face heated up from his words and the warm cheese being exposed. I sealed the container and handed it to him as we exited the kitchen.

“I really appreciate it,” Keanu held the container up as a reference before securing it in his bag.

“Any time,” I shrugged lightly, wringing my fingers together.

He moved to grab his belongings before glancing at me and thinking twice. He strode back over to me, my arms opening automatically to accept him. I pressed my face into his chest, completely relaxing into his arms.

“Can I ask you something?” I felt him murmur against the top of my head.

“What’s up?” I wondered, pulling my head back and looking up at him.

“How, um,” he took a deep breath, mustering up any courage that disappeared the second I looked at him, “how would you feel about this moving forward?”

“Like a relationship?”

“Yea,” he nodded, letting his fingers press anxiously against my back. He chuckled softly, “You’re turning me into a nervous twenty-year-old again.”

I let a nervous smile adorn my lips, “I’d like that.”

“Really?” his tone of voice switched to a more hopeful one.

“Yes,” I laughed softly, “Are you sure?”

Keanu's hand came up to the side of my neck, letting his thumb brush across my jaw, “I’m positive.”

I raised myself on my toes, meeting him halfway in a sweet kiss. I didn’t immediately pull away, instead diving back into the taste of his lips. The hand he had planted on the side of my neck curled around the back of my neck, his thumb dropping to caress the front side of my throat. His lips took their time separating from mine, not wanting to let go but knowing it would be for the best.

“Text me when you get home,” I requested and tilted my head while staring up at his warm gaze.

“I will,” he grinned, pressing another gentle kiss to my lips before reluctantly separating himself.

He gathered his things while I opened the door, stopping briefly to pet Sage, who had jumped on the entry table. He stopped in front of me before exiting, bidding me goodnight and sealing it with another stolen kiss.

#keanu reeves imagine #keanu reeves x reader #keanu reeves x you #keanu reeves fanfiction #keanu reeves fanfic

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thecreaturecodex · 5 years ago

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Demon Lord, Haagenti

Image © Paizo Publishing, by Sally Gottschalk. Accessed at her website here

[Commissioned by @tar-baphon. This may be the single longest monster I’ve written. Part of the problem was that I had my own ideas for Haagenti’s abilities, but I also needed to incorporate the canon Pathfinder material from Book of the Damned. So if this Haagenti is too lengthy or complicated for your tastes, cut the extracts and the internal alchemy ability. If you do, bump his AC to a more respectable-for-the-CR AC 47. I gave him a lower AC with the assumption that he would boost it on the first round of combat with shield, barkskin or both.]

Demon Lord, Haagenti CR 29 CE Outsider This creature is the epitome of a fiend, appearing as a massive bull-like humanoid with leathery wings and golden horns. Wisps of foul vapor emerge from his nose and mouth.

Haagenti, The Whisper Within CE male demon lord of alchemy, invention and transformation Domains Artifice, Chaos, Evil, Strength Subdomains Construct, Demon, Resolve, Toil Favored Weapon battleaxe Unholy Symbol image of the philosopher’s stone Worshipers alchemists, drow, transmuters Minions fleshwarped creatures, golems, retrievers For information on his Obedience and boons for his worshipers, see Book of the Damned

Haagenti, the Whisper Within, seems on first glance to be among the more enlightened and beneficial demon lords. He is patron of alchemy and invention, and by his tutelage many wondrous inventions have entered the world. But Haagenti chooses his battles carefully, and bestows his knowledge and devices to people he knows will use them to harm others, destabilize societies and overall spread misery and ruin. He is the originator of the philosopher’s stone, and by its use has ruined economies and returned villains from the grave.

Haagenti is a master of disguise, and enjoys experimenting with new shapes as a debutante tries on clothing. He always includes some clue to his true identity by incorporating some monstrous feature, although he may hide these or “accidentally” reveal them as he sees fit. This mastery of shapes applies to his battle tactics as well. Not only does he frequently change form in order to use new abilities, he also delights in transforming his opponents. He has mastered various types of transmutation magic, and his very breath turns creatures into warped parodies of themselves, in excruciating pain unless they obey his commands. Haagenti can transform his own blood, bile and bones into alchemical extracts, enhancing his own abilities or decanting them as boons to his minions and servitors.

The layer of the Abyss in which Haagenti dwells is known as Cerebulim. It is a seemingly endless laboratory, filled with libraries, menageries, workshops and galleries. It is also filled with secret passages and traps, and Haagenti can reshape its corridors and rooms at will from several carefully hidden control centers. Those that seek knowledge or a powerful tool here are subject to Haagenti’s cruel whims, and few of them escape unchanged in mind and body.

Ring of Haagenti Minor Artifact Slot ring; Aura strong (no school) CL 20th. Weight -; This plain brass ring is inscribed with a single rune representing Haagenti. An alchemist, or creature capable of preparing alchemical extracts, that wears this ring may prepare one additional extract of every level it has access to.

Haagenti CR 29 XP 6,553,600 CE Large outsider (chaotic, demon, evil, extraplanar, shapechanger) Init +13; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect good, detect law, Perception +48, scent, true seeing Aura unholy (DC 30) Defense AC 45, touch 22, flat-footed 36 (-1 size, +9 Dex, +4 deflection, +23 natural) hp 717 (35d10+525); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic) Fort +30, Ref +32, Will +33 Defensive Abilities Abyssal resurrection, freedom of movement, master of shapes; DR 20/cold iron, epic, and good; Immune ability damage, ability drain, charm effects, compulsion effects, critical hits, death effects, electricity, energy drain, pain effects, petrification, poison, sneak attacks; Resist acid 30, cold 30, fire 30; SR 40 Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 80 ft. (good) Melee gore +47 (4d8+13/19-20x3), bite +47 (2d6+13), 2 claws +47 (1d8+13), 2 wings +45 (1d8+6) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Infusions Prepared CL 20th 6th—analyze dweomer (x3), heal (x3), mislead (x2), walk through space 5th—dust form (x2), magic jar (x2, DC 30), planar adaptation (x2), resurgent transformation, sending (x2) 4th—arcane eye, cure critical wounds (x2), death ward, echolocation, fire shield, greater invisibility, restoration, spell immunity 3rd—amplify elixir (x2), arcane sight (x2), displacement, haste, heroism, protection from energy, thorn body, water breathing 2nd—barkskin, bear’s endurance, blistering invective (DC 27), bull’s strength, cat’s grace, eagle’s splendor, false life, fox’s cunning, owl’s wisdom, undetectable alignment 1st—anticipate peril (x2), expeditious retreat, identify, shield (x3), true strike (x3) Special Attacks augmented critical, internal alchemy, mutagenic breath, penetrating gore, powerful charge (gore, 8d8+26) Spell-like Abilities CL 29th, concentration +42 Constant—detect good, detect law, freedom of movement, tongues, true seeing, unholy aura (DC 30) At will—astral projection, baleful polymorph (DC 27) M, blasphemy (DC 29) M, flesh to stone (DC 28) M, greater dispel magic, greater teleport, stone to flesh 3/day—empowered caustic eruption (DC 29), control construct, harm (DC 28) M, quickened mass suggestion (DC 28), polymorph any object (DC 30), reverse gravity (DC 30) M 1/day—arcane cannon M, transmute blood to acid (DC 31), wish M M = Haagenti can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in his Abyssal realm Statistics Str 36, Dex 29, Con 40, Int 40, Wis 31, Cha 35 Base Atk +35; CMB +49 (+51 bull rush and overrun, +53 sunder); CMD 72 (74 vs. bull rush, overrun or sunder) Feats Awesome Blow, Blind-fight, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Empower SLA (caustic eruption), Exhausting Critical, Fatiguing Critical, Greater Sunder, Hover, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Critical (gore), Improved Initiative, Improved Overrun, Improved Sunder, Multiattack, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (mass suggestion), Skill Focus (Spellcraft) Skills Appraise +53, Bluff +50, Craft (alchemy) +53, Craft (armor) +53, Craft (traps) +53, Craft (weaponry) +53, Diplomacy +47, Disguise +47, Fly +46, Heal +45, Intimidate +47, Knowledge (arcana, engineering, planes) +53, Knowledge (dungeoneering, history, religion) +50, Perception +48, Sense Motive +48, Spellcraft +59, Use Magic Device +47 Languages Abyssal, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal, telepathy 300 ft., tongues SQ change shape (animal, dragon, elemental, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, plant, undead, vermin; monstrous physique IV, shapechange, undead anatomy IV, vermin shape II), demon lord traits, item mastery, ultimate craftsman Ecology Environment any land or underground (The Abyss) Organization solitary (unique) Treasure triple (Ring of Haagenti, other treasure) Special Abilities Augmented Critical (Ex) Haagenti’s gore attack deals x3 damage on a successful critical hit. Extracts (Su) Haagenti can prepare and use extracts as a 20th level alchemist with the infusion discovery. Internal Alchemy (Su) Haagenti can use one extract he has prepared each round as a swift action. Item Mastery (Ex) Haagenti can use all spell completion and spell trigger items as if they were on his spell list. Master of Shapes (Su) Haagenti cannot be affected by any polymorph or transmutation effect unless he wants to be. He can use his change shape ability as a move action, and whenever he does, he heals 4d8 hit points. Mutagenic Breath (Su) Three times per day as a standard action, Haagenti can breathe transformative vapor in a 40 foot cone. All creatures in the area that succeed a DC 39 Fortitude save are staggered for 1d4+1 rounds. A creature that fails gains the fleshwarped simple template and suffers from intense pain, taking a -4 penalty to all attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, saving throws and ability checks. This pain is alleviated for 24 hours when the creature obeys Haagenti’s orders, otherwise it is permanent. This effect can be removed only with a greater restoration, miracle or wish. A creature that succeeds its saving throw is immune to the mutagenic breath of Haagenti for the next 24 hours. This is a pain, polymorph effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Penetrating Gore (Su) Haagenti’s gore attack overcomes all damage reduction and hardness. Ultimate Craftsman (Ex/Su) Haagenti can make any magical or technological item, as if he possessed all crafting feats. Haagenti takes 1 day to craft an item per 10,000 gp of cost, and can create any mundane alchemical item as a standard action. In addition, once per week, Haagenti may spend one hour to create a philosopher’s stone.

#haagenti #demon lord #pathfinder 1e #commissions #alchemist

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freebooter4ever · 5 years ago

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Sledgefu Pirate Au pt 5?

In which Eugene saves Snafu (again) and they lead the Governor’s troops on a chase, get tossed in jail, and end up at the OMM ball. This got RIDICULOUSLY long, and a bit goofy, I’m so sorry. @persipneiwrites I hope this still fits within your awesome AU and I didn’t go too totally off the rails ^_^ at some point we need to put this on ao3 as like a collab, my friend.

(Eugene has just visited Snafu in jail the night before he’s sentenced to hang as a pirate. He gave Snafu his ring to prove he will come save him, which I turned into a family ring rather than a USMC ring since I don’t know if the marines existed in the 1700′s? Also, Snafu wears a costume inspired by the Order Of Osiris which was Mobile’s first united Mystic Society for all LGBQT. Technically it wasn’t formed till the 1980s but I couldn’t resist. And that’s pretty much the extent of the research I did for this crack fic. Also I completely got their ages mixed up/the timeline of when Merriell joined the service, it’s hard to find info on the real background of Merriell and Eugene, but this way these characters are totally divided from the living heroes. Just fiction here! I gave Merriell a bit of my grandpa’s backstory cause the real history of his parents and sister is just too heartbreaking, I don’t know how to write that)

As Snafu stands on the raised platform, waiting to die, he reflects on his life. There isn't much enthusiasm in the act. None of his lofty dreams came to fruition. And he honestly never expected them to. This short drop and sudden stop, a brutal end to a mostly exhausting life, is exactly what he had anticipated.

One thing is unusual however. In the past, whenever he imagined the day of his death, of all the possible scenarios, a marching band never featured into any of them.

He always assumed he'd go out fighting in a blaze of guts and glory, not with instruments ringing in his ears.

The steady beat of drums does lend a sort of importance to the day. It gives Snafu something to focus on, other than the fact that his hands are tied, his stomach is empty, and his brain wants to be anywhere but here.

Eugene Sledge clearly doesn't want to be here either.

The man is conspicuously absent. Snafu twists his ring around his finger, spiraling it tighter and tighter in towards his palm. The sharp sting takes away the ache in his chest. He feels Sledge's absence like a physical blow.

Snafu knows he shouldn't have Gene's ring on. One mistaken flap of his hand and the Governor might recognize his own signet on a condemned man's finger. Not that the hell Snafu is currently in could get any worse, but if the ring is recognized then Sledge might be in for hell too.

Yet he can't bring himself to take the ring off.

He did turn the damn thing around so the large jeweled seal is pressing into the palm of Snafu's clenched fist. To any casual observer the ring looks like a plain gold band. No one will know. Snafu will see to that.

Still protecting the damn idiot boy who throws himself into danger just because it's the right thing to do.

Snafu, on the other hand, usually picks the wrong thing to do. As the executioner so calmly points out while he reads aloud Snafu's list of crimes for the crowd to judge.

Snafu never imagined being important in death. He lived his life with little fanfare, and thought he'd go out the same - as some unknown seaman with scurvy or battle wounds or water in his lungs.

But the list of his deeds makes it sound like he's had an impact on this world. The loud boom of the drums corroborate this weighty importance. The crowd gathering beneath his feet is there not to see a pirate, but to see him specifically. To witness the final end of Captain Snafu, who got caught up in circumstances bigger than his own life and paid the final price for it.

As his final moment draws closer, Eugene's empty place on the dias next to his father remains blindingly stark. At the beginning of the executioner's long speech, Snafu still had hope. Now, he can't even glance over at the governor and his cronies. He knows Sledge isn't there. And he doesn't want to see it.

Instead he looks to the sky. The hour is a little before dawn, so a few pinpricks of stars are still visible. There's a line of them, marching upwards, away from the stage, that he'd like to follow.

If he had to be famous, he'd rather it be for having a constellation named after him, than for his bones and hat, and a sign with his name on it, hanging rotting from a gibbet.

Snafu rolls his eyes closed and the floor beneath him drops.

He falls.

Surprisingly, he hits the ground. It shoots pain up his legs and he collapses on his side, but that makes it easier for him to look up and see what the fuck happened.

The last thing he expects is Sledge balanced precariously on the platform above him, desperately trying to dislodge his sword from the wooden gallows where he sliced the rope in two.

It almost doesn't look like Sledge. The man's face is half covered by Snafu's lucky hat. Sledge's large nose is the dead giveaway, sticking out by half a mile. Snafu'd recognize that nose anywhere.

Snafu smirks, thinking about the old wive's tale regarding feet and size, and that a more accurate version for Sledge would be the measure of that nose of his.

"Shit, shit, shit," Eugene curses with every tug, glaring at the sword as if it's the sword's fault for getting stuck. He glares with that little purse of wrinkled concentration between his brows. Which Snafu enjoys so very much.

With one final violent jerk, Eugene manages to free his sword from it's prison. But the movement knocks him off balance and he tumbles through the same hole Snafu fell down.

Luckily Snafu is already there to soften his fall. Eugene lands on his back, spread eagle atop the pirate.

"Get your pointy elbow out of my gut," Snafu grumbles, trying to wriggle away.

Eugene hastily rolls off, and crouches beside him. Their eyes meet for a moment, and magically all of Snafu's troubles evaporate. Every thought flies out of his brain, like maybe nothing sensical ever existed there in the first place. Nothing else exists except the slight shock of coming face to face with someone who desperately wants to look at him as much as he wants to look at them.

Someone who has risked his entire life to save Snafu's ass.

Again.

Reality crashes back down on them pretty quick when the executioner's ax falls between their bodies.

Both their heads swivel to the ax in surprise, and then to each other. As if accusing the other for being distracted.

"Nice of you to finally drop in," Snafu drawls, "Lucky I did so much shit in my life that the long list gave you the extra time." He leans back on his elbow and tries to look as seductive as possible even with both hands tied behind his body.

Eugene scowls, "Nice of you to be so grateful."

Snafu's smile widens gleefully, "Nice of you to wear your best hat."

Eugene's eyes roll upwards towards Snafu's lucky hat's brim. Eugene's scowl deepens as if he only just remembered that he is wearing the monstrosity. He drags it off his head unceremoniously.

Snafu gets one glorious glimpse of the worst case of ginger hat hair he's ever seen before his vision goes dark.

Not because he's blacked out but because Eugene drags the hat forcefully down over Snafu's head and the brim covers his face. Which wouldn't be a problem except that Snafu's hands are literally tied behind his back and he can't push the hat out of his eyesight.

"Gene, not to complain or anything…" Snafu starts.

Eugene says nothing, he focuses entirely on cutting the ropes binding Snafu's wrists as quickly as possible.

Snafu feels the tension of the rope give when Eugene finally breaks through.

The first thing he does is adjust his hat's position and secure the tie under his chin so he can get a better look at Eugene's wonderfully wild hair. The second thing he does with his newfound freedom is grab Eugene's hand and hold on tight like it's the only thing that matters in the world.

They run.

Snafu is faster, and navigates crowds and small spaces easier, so it's mostly him dragging Eugene along. He thinks they're making it, that they'll successfully get away, until a bullet wizzes past his shoulder too close to his head. He yanks Eugene into the nearest alley and they duck behind a giant cart.

"They're shooting at us?" Eugene exclaims incredulously.

Snafu eyes him, "What'd you expect?"

"I… my father wouldn't…" Eugene sputters.

A voice in the distance yells "Ceasefire! For God's sake…!"

Another volley of shots and then the voice yells again "...do not fire on my son!"

The alley goes quiet.

"Eugene, son, please surrender. You can come out peacefully. Captain Haldane is prepared to take you both into custody, there will be a trial."

Eugene and Snafu look at each other.

They're trapped in the alley. It leads to a dead end with a giant wooden fence and absolutely no toeholds.

Snafu presses himself against the wall to try and peer through the crack between the cart and the brick, and he almost stumbles over an iron cellar door.

"Sledgehammer..." he whispers.

Together they wordlessly lift the door open and slip inside. The cellar is dark. It takes a minute for their eyes to adjust from the harsh sun. Snafu makes sure to lock the door behind them. And then he turns.

And finds Eugene standing in the middle of the room rifling through a giant crate. He holds a pink lace parasol in one hand and lifts a brand new muzzle-loaded rifle with the other.

"Looks like smugglers were either trying to sneak weapons into the city in boxes of petticoats, or sneak the ugliest dresses known to man into the city under the guise of weaponry. Hard to tell which is worse," Eugene says, deadpan.

"Eugene, no…" Snafu admonishes, approaching and taking the parasol from his hand, "Pink is not your color, ginger." He swaps the pink parasol for a muted sea grey one.

"No, you keep that one," Eugene shakes his head and hands the grey parasol back to Snafu, barely suppressing his smile, "It matches your eyes."

Snafu grins, snapping open the parasol and twirling it on his shoulder. Eugene leans in closer to him, a hand at Snafu's waist, like he can't resist.

A muffled yell from outside interrupts them, and they both hastily crouch low to the ground.

Snafu carefully climbs to the tiny window grate at street level and listens.

"I think your father is still trying to negotiate with you," he whispers to Eugene, "No one realizes we've moved. Idiots."

He turns to Eugene to discover the man dressed in the most god awful brown frock Snafu has ever seen. The dress has orange and yellow trimmings and clashes with Eugene's hair, like a sunset gone horribly wrong smeared over day old shit.

"Orange ain't your color either, boo," Snafu says mournfully. Eugene might've looked really nice in the powder blue dress Snafu can see peeking out of a bottom crate.

"Here, I found one for you," Eugene says matter-of-fact-ly, tossing a red bundle at him.

"Well at least one of us will match your hair," Snafu comments as he catches it and grimaces with distaste.

They spend the next minute strapping themselves into uncomfortable garments and a single petticoat layer to hang low and cover their boots. Snafu slows them down somewhat when he insists on strapping as many rifles as he can to his legs beneath the skirts.

"Waste not," he says with a wink when Eugene raises an eyebrow at him.

Snafu fills the dress's puffed sleeves with bags of bullets.

Ultimately their getup makes it awful hard to move, but Snafu figures ladies are always having trouble doing anything more complicated than walking in their outfits anyway, so them mincing their steps will hardly stand out as unusual.

They sneak to the ground floor of the building and pause to listen at the front door.

"Okay, plan. We open the parasols as we open the door, and hurry in the opposite direction, like we're afraid," Snafu whispers.

Eugene nods, daintily twisting his pink parasol in his grip.

Snafu nods back. And then pulls Eugene in for a passionate kiss against the door.

Can't give up his last chance to feel Gene sigh softly against him and all that. If this is his last.

"I love you…" Gene mumbles against Snafu's lips.

Snafu's eyes widen. He gropes for the door handle behind his back and throws it wide open, causing them both to stumble out onto the street.

Good a time as any to get this game started.

Their parasols pop open and they duck underneath the frilly lace.

Eugene titters in a grating fake falsetto voice that makes Snafu want to stamp on his toes. But the disguise works. The Governor's soldiers ceasefire and Snafu and Sledge run, skip, and hobble down the street towards the docks.

When they hit the wood of the decks and can dare to lift the parasols above their faces, the very first thing Snafu sees is the bright splendor of the Santa Alma's sails. The most beautiful sight in the world, floating only fifty feet away.

Next Snafu sees the second most beautiful sight in the world. A beauty that makes him stop short in his tracks: Eugene Sledge shedding his ugly brown orange shell and clambering into a skiff wearing nothing but his green velvet trousers. Rich and soft, the kind of fabric a man could run his hands over for hours.

And Snafu decides then and there that green is definitely Eugene's color.

"Snaf, jump!" Eugene reaches out towards him.

Except Snafu doesn't have time to jump because right at that moment a bullet rips between his legs, shoots a hole through his petticoat, and nearly hits one of the rifles pressed against his bare skin. Snafu immediately stops - frozen like his balls in the Antarctic during that one memorable sailing expedition.

"Hands where I can see them," Captain Haldane tells Shelton, "And Eugene, if you could please step out of that boat real slowly."

Alarmingly Haldane is using the same tone of voice on both of them. Almost friendly...kind...and mildly amused.

Snafu is surprised the man didn't just shoot Snafu on sight and deal with the emotional fallout from Eugene later.

Eugene calmly climbs out of the skiff and shuffles over beside Snafu. He stands tall and stiff as a board, as if he has something to prove.

"Hands out," Haldane orders Snafu mildly.

Snafu sticks out his wrists and lolls his head in a petulant stare.

Haldane gently clasps him in irons.

"Ack Ack, you can't arrest this man," Eugene protests.

"He has to follow orders or he'll be court-marshalled," Snafu reminds Eugene.

"Your friend's right, Sledge," Haldane says, "But I can also see to it that he receives a fair trial."

"Snafu's not my friend," Eugene snaps and then falters, "He's my...Captain."

"That what we're calling it these days?" Snafu grins and knocks his hips against Gene who blushes furiously.

Eugene continues speaking as if he didn't hear Snafu, "Ack Ack, the things I've seen...the way the law treats sailors...I don't know if I trust the courts…"

"Eugene, what were you thinking?" a woman snaps behind them. The sound of smartly heeled boots clips closer and closer down the dock.

Eugene visibly winces at his mother's voice.

Both her and the Governor arrive, surrounded by crisply uniformed soldiers.

"You can't run off like a boy anymore, Gene," his mother says.

"You're mother's right," Governor Sledge agrees, "What you did today must have consequences. Captain Haldane, have you secured the pirate?"

"Not quite," Haldane responds with amusement, "He is still armed, sir."

"Armed? In that dress?"

"Underneath it, I believe, sir."

"Well then," Governor Sledge sighs, "Divest this young man of his...armory."

Captain Haldane nods and starts untying the laces on the back of Snafu's gown. He strips off the overskirt, and petticoats, leaving Snafu standing bare legged in the most raggedy underwear he owns. Eugene standing next to him swallows with great difficulty.

Haldane then begins to slowly cut away the ties holding the rifles to Snafu's body. It's only when the last gun falls away that Snafu feels truly naked.

"Better check the sleeves too, Skipper," Snafu grins maliciously.

Haldane cuts off the bodice. As soon as the man's knife slices through a sleeve, bullets rain down onto the deck like it's hurricane season.

In the end all Snafu's got left is his underwear and the same ratty shirt he thought he was going to die in.

"Shame you had to ruin the dress," Snafu drawls, "Fit me so well."

"Take him away," Governor Sledge orders.

"No!" Eugene demands and puts himself between Haldane and Snafu.

"Eugene…!" his mother is shocked.

Eugene draws himself up and takes a deep breath, "I killed the Royal Navy commander of the Dauntless while acting as a pirate. If you are going to hang Snafu, you better hang me too."

Snafu is too shocked to breathe.

Eugene's father looks grim. "Arrest them both," he says.

The mother faints.

Captain Haldane quietly gestures for Eugene to extend his arms.

That shakes Snafu into action, "No!" he shoves Eugene out of the way, "That's not how it happened. Gene is innocent."

The mother, who had been starting to come round, promptly faints into her servant's arms again at Snafu's familiar use of Eugene's nickname.

Everyone else, including Haldane, ignores him.

"Snaf…" Eugene says warningly.

"No…." Snafu is shaking his head at him in exasperation.

They're both marched up the docks towards the fort.

"No!" Snafu repeats as he stumbles along behind Haldane, "no…"

Eugene goes silently. Willingly.

And it makes Snafu mad as hell.

They're brought to the same cell Snafu thought he'd never see again on account of being dead by morning.

In front of the cell door they're delayed.

"What's the hold up, Mac?" Haldane asks the warden.

"The master key's run off, no one can find it," Mac shrugs.

"Then find the individual key," Haldane patiently states the obvious.

"I have my best men on it," the warden smiles.

"They seem to be taking a long time, you best go help them Mackenzie," Haldane says.

The man rolls his eyes, but he disappears further into the fort.

"Ack Ack, please, let us go," Eugene requests as soon as the three of them are alone, "We'll leave port. Snafu's ship is set to sail. You can make it look like an escape. No one will know."

"I'm sorry, Sledge," Haldane says, and he sounds genuinely upset. He casually unlocks the irons on both Eugene and Snafu's wrists. It's a gesture of trust Snafu would never have considered had their places been switched.

Snafu stands, fidgeting awkwardly with his underwear and feeling like a third wheel.

Eugene calmly reaches down, grabs Snafu's fidgety hand, and twines their fingers together. He leans into Snafu's shoulder and murmurs, "Pull on that rag anymore and soon you'll be giving everyone a show."

"Like you'd complain," Snafu retorts.

Snafu tries his best to stand still. Though he's grateful Eugene doesn't release his hand.

Haldane observes them with a knowing expression. "Be careful boys," he warns.

They wait in silence the rest of the time it takes Mackenzie to find a key.

"Hey boys," the warden returns and waggles a key in Snafu's face, "you're in luck, I found the small key."

Snafu casts his eyes to the ceiling.

With a compassionate goodbye, Captain Haldane leaves them to their fate.

The cell door is unlocked and Mackenzie shoves them both in.

A small mercy - keeping them together - or an act of necessity in a relatively small fort, Snafu doesn't know. When the door closes and locks behind them the only thing he focuses on is Eugene's hand in his.

"Looks like it's all over for you two," Mackenzie says, leaning against the cell door. He says it casually, as if trying to start a conversation with an old buddy.

Eugene cuts his eyes to the man outside the cell.

"Sort of a… what do you do now, huh?" Mackenzie's smile is slimy, yet almost genuine. The type of man who can't imagine a life or mind more complicated than his own.

It draws a stark comparison between the supercilious warden versus naive pretty boy Sledge, who's world started out equally as narrow, but who was determined to learn. And to change.

"Here," Mackenzie passes a bottle of rum through the bars, "Everybody deserves a last meal."

"Thank you, sir," Eugene grits out, ever the polite gentleman.

"What an idiot," Snafu says under his breath as he watches the warden leave.

If it weren't for Eugene clinging to his hand in a death grip Snafu might wonder if being alive was worth being back under this asshole's thumb.

Of course, technically it's Eugene's fault for landing Snafu in jail a second time. Otherwise he could be peacefully decomposing right now.

As soon as they are alone Snafu slips out of Eugene's grasp and crosses the cell to the outermost wall. There's a window, high above, nearly level with the ceiling, and Snafu worked out the climbing path on the stone the last time he was trapped in this godforsaken place.

Eugene watches silently as Snafu expertly scales the rock.

Snafu knows Eugene could easily follow. He's seen the boy monkey up rigging enough times to realize that when it comes to heights, Eugene shares the same lack of self preservation sense as Snafu.

But this time Eugene lets him go it alone.

Snafu eases his ass onto the three foot deep window ledge cut into the wall and presses his face against the bars. If he squints he can almost make out the sails of the ships down at the dock. They blur together, though, becoming one massive fluttering speck, like a caught moth.

He sighs, and leans his head back against the wall. There is no way he could recognize the Santa Alma from here even if she did escape in time. When he glances down, he sees Eugene still standing in the same place, staring up at him.

"Take a seat, we'll be here awhile," Snafu drawls, closing his eyes, getting comfortable.

Eugene huffs. But Snafu also hears him drop into the pile of straw in the corner.

"I am aware we will be here awhile, Snaf," Eugene snaps, "I may have never been in a jail cell before, but I do understand the general operating principle."

"Could'a fooled me," Snafu drawls, "The way you were tripping all over yourself to get in here."

"I…" Sledge hesitates yet somehow his voice is still firm, "I told the truth."

"Truth'll get you killed," Snafu says, "And it ain't reality, anyway."

"I did kill the commander, Snaf," Eugene argues.

"You didn't have a choice…"

"I did! I made my choices and I won't take them back."

"You were following my lead...I put you in that situation...your choice was a matter of survival…"

"Snaf, I killed to defend your life. That was my choice. I'd do it again, and I will accept the punishment befitting the crime. I won't let you shoulder all the sins of the world yourself. Especially not mine."

Snafu knocks his head against the wall again out of frustration, and falls into silence. He fiddles with a loose pebble, and then tosses it out the window, watches it splash in the water below.

"Next time my life is in danger and you feel like playing the hero, don't," Snafu spits out.

"You don't get to make that choice," Eugene says, sounding arrogantly pleased with himself at having won this particular conversation.

The next pebble Snafu tosses hits Eugene on the head instead. It bounces off harmlessly.

"Hey!" Eugene exclaims, tilting his head back to glare at Snafu.

Snafu grins.

Eugene folds his arms and shrinks further into the straw.

They sit in silence for what feels like an age. Emotions keep itching under Snafu's skin, and he knows what he wants, but he doesn't know how to get it, or if he even deserves it if he does get it. Snafu watches the sails outside the window come and go freely in the open air to distract himself.

At some point Eugene falls asleep. He sleeps fitfully, with a lot of twitching, but deep enough that Eugene fails to hear the soft clatter of paws on the tile floor.

Snafu silently slides down from his perch and greets Deacon at the cell door. The first thing Snaf does is pocket the offered gift hanging from Deacon's mouth. He sticks both hands through the bars and thanks the puppy by giving him extra scritches.

"Good boy," Snafu whispers as quiet as he can.

His voice wakes Eugene up anyway.

"Shelton?" he asks, groggy, "Deacon?" Eugene pushes himself to his feet and crouches near Snafu, but when he reaches through the bars Deacon ignores Eugene in favor of the pirate.

"I'm his favorite now," Snafu taunts with glee, "We bonded last night. He came and slept right outside my door."

"Only cause I sent him to stand guard," Eugene protests, looking a little jealous. "Isn't that right, Deacon?" he asks the dog as Deacon finally moves from Snaf's hands to Eugene's, "You're a loyal dog."

Snafu leans against the cell door, hand on a hip, and watches Deacon try to lick Eugene's face.

"I'm sorry, Sledgehammer," Snafu says.

"What for?" Eugene asks, looking perplexed.

Snafu shrugs and climbs back up to his window perch. He curls his legs up to his chest and rests his head on his knees.

Eugene heaves a sigh. "Snaf, please stop pouting and stay down here. With me."

"I ain't the one with those thin pursed lips," Snafu taunts, "You look more like the pouting type to me."

Eugene turns bright red - a blush almost as endearing as his little annoyed expression.

"Fine," Eugene says shortly, "Stay up there."

If Snafu climbs down, he'll kiss Gene, and if he kisses him, he might hold him, and if he holds him, Snafu might fall asleep in his arms, and if Snafu falls asleep it's going to be a lot harder to do what needs to be done.

He stays seated at the window and maintains his watch.

Eugene sits against the cell door with one hand stuck through the bars, resting on Deacon's fur.

"I ain't from New Orleans," Snafu confesses, just to fill the silence.

"What?" Eugene looks up, startled, "What do you mean?"

"I'm from northern Louisiana. Born in a one room shack, youngest of nine, took baths in the metal laundry basin, I was always the last with the water so always smelled the worst. Ma died having me, Pa died twelve years later in an accident with a farm gate, I hopped a river boat south, starved on the streets of New Orleans till I stowed away on a navy ship," Snafu says quietly, "Nearly starved there too."

He isn't paying attention to Eugene's movements, so he doesn't notice till it's too late and suddenly Gene is heaving himself up onto the window ledge next to Snafu. Eugene settles in his seat and stares hard as if daring him to protest.

"You deserve better," Eugene says with conviction.

"Oh yeah?" Snafu smiles, "You gonna give me better? Going to pull me out of the dirt and let my siblings rot? Some of them are already rotting. Literally. Six feet under. Can't do nothin for them."

"I know I can't but…"

"They're all just as much poor cannon fodder as I am," Snafu continues, "Not much use except as bodies in a count."

"I don't know any of your siblings…"

"Lucky me then, to be someone you know…"

"Snafu, give it a rest. You're being difficult."

"I'm being honest," Snafu throws Eugene's own words back in his face, harsh.

Eugene grabs his hand, and presses his fingertips against the ring on Snafu's finger.

"Maybe I can't save the world, but I can save you," Gene says softly.

"I'm going to free the world," Snafu counters confidently, with a smile that stretches his face but doesn't reach his eyes, so burdened with the impossibility of his life goals, "That's what freebootin' is all about. The first sign you're ready for piracy: you have a desperate need for freedom."

"I don't understand…"

"You already have it," Snafu says, "That freedom. Bought, paid for, and born into it. Don't need to go looking for it. Waste of your time."

Eugene narrows his eyes. He leans back, takes Snafu's hand with him. He holds Snafu's clenched fist gingerly in his lap. Eugene's thumb trails circles around the base of Snafu's palm. Snafu's skin is particularly sensitive there and every pass of Eugene's calloused thumb sends distracting pulses straight down Snafu's spine.

"Why do you think I was on that shipwreck you pulled me out of in the first place?" Eugene asks.

"Gene…"

"I signed on to Mobile's navy to help people. To keep the port secure. I wasn't going to just sit around and watch while everyone I cared about made sacrifices that I'd never need to face. While everyone else became...cannon fodder," he spits the last word out with shame.

"Gene...'"

"So, yeah. I'd help you free the world. If you'd let me," Eugene concludes.

"Sledgehammer, I'm always gonna end up here," Snafu argues, "One way or the other, I'll get caught. One day it'll stick."

"Not today, it won't."

"Tomorrow, then."

"Not tomorrow either if I…"

"Look into my eyes, and tell me…" Snafu interrupts. He leans forward, pushing into Eugene's space, "...someday if they condemn me and pardon you, are you gonna be able to sit by and watch? Cause no matter what happens between here and there, that's how I'll end."

The hand circling his wrist goes still, limp.

"I'm dying, Sledge," Snafu concludes.

Eugene stares into Snafu's eyes for half a heartbeat, and then closes the short distance between them. Gene drags a hand through Snafu's curls and kisses him like their life depends on it.

And Snafu would be hard pressed to say this isn't what he wanted.

"Promise me," Eugene whispers in between kisses, "Promise me you will accept my choice to die beside you."

Snafu nods mutely and cups his hands around Gene's face.

Eugene pulls Snafu bodily into his lap, which is a little dangerous with them being ten feet off the ground. But Snafu supposes he's set to die anyway, and cracking his head open by falling off a ledge mid pleasure seems like a better way to go than his other option. Besides, up here, they're hidden from view.

When they're finished, a little messy, a little sticky, and having a hell of a time shuffling back into their clothes on such a narrow ledge, they climb back down. Sledge goes first. He jumps down, almost eight feet, and hops a little at the bottom. Eugene turns around and stares up at Snaf, his eyes expectant, waiting to help but not offering it.

Snafu skidaddles down, not taking his eyes off Sledge for an instant. Not checking his momentum, he collides bodily with Eugene, who catches Snafu in his arms and kisses him. Again. If Snafu's going to make a fool out of himself, might as well see it through to the end.

They fall into the straw together, and Sledge holds him close. He finds his ring on Snafu's hand and carefully twists it on Snafu's finger so the black jeweled front is on display for the world. Snafu twines their fingers together and rests his forehead against Gene's, who closes his eyes.

Snafu almost laughs. For the first time since he met Eugene, the boy's breath stinks. Guess no one, not even the Governor's son, gets to meticulously clean their teeth in a jail cell. Snafu gingerly kisses the tip of Gene's nose.

The nose twitches, and this time Snafu actually does laugh. Eugene cracks an eye open, sees Snaf smiling at him, and then pulls him in for exaggerated sloppy kisses until Snafu finally settles down calmly, with his head on Gene's shoulder.

Sledge falls asleep wrapped around Snafu as tight as his damn ring.

Some time later a whistle through the window grate wakes Snafu up from foolish daydreams. He's never in his life been more grateful or frustrated to hear Burgie's voice. Snafu carefully lifts Eugene's arm off his waist and slides out of the other man's grasp. He stands up, and watches Eugene's chest rise and fall with every gentle breath. Sledge is so quiet, he could almost be dead.

If Snafu doesn't leave, Sledge will be dead. If Snafu disappears, however, none of the charges against Sledge can stick. Without any evidence or testimony against Eugene, the boy will be safe. Eugene's crazy, misplaced adventure will be forgotten.

Snafu breaks his promise. He drags Eugene's ring off his finger as he leaves. Eugene sleeps on peacefully, unaware, with the ring resting beside his head.

Snafu silently pulls the jail's master key from his inner pocket and slides it through the bars. He deftly unlocks the heavy cell door. The door creaks as it opens and he pauses, his shoulders hunched and eyes on the floor, waiting, listening. When nothing happens he quickly slips through the crack in the door and swings it shut again. He twists the key in the lock once more, and pockets it.

Maybe if they can't open it, Sledge will stay locked away, secure.

When he looks up from the key, he sees Sledge sprawled out across the floor, his head pillowed on a pile of straw.

It takes every bit of self loathing Snafu has to turn around and walk away. He's always been selfish. Never had no one to care for and no one to care for him.

Eugene Sledge is better off without him.

Snafu slips past the guards, steps outside the fort, breathes fresh air again, and there waiting beside a cart is his faithful quartermaster.

For a while, after he escapes jail, the thrill of reuniting with Burgie, his crew, and his ship provides Snafu with enough adrenaline to forget about the ache in his chest. But starting from the first night aboard ship, Snafu's bed is much too large. He takes a tiny corner of it for himself and piles all the pillows around the other half. He doesn't recall it feeling so big before. He never did take up much space himself.

Eugene, though. Eugene would sprawl out like a starfish. Not in the beginning, but once he started trusting Snafu, once he relaxed. And more often than not, Eugene would end up lying half on top of Snafu. His face so close Snafu could count his freckles, and smell his hair.

He tries to imagine Eugene sleeping in the fancy Governor's mansion. He can't picture it somehow. The only image Snafu's brain conjures is of Eugene sleeping in a jail cell, his expression happy knowing Snafu is nearby.

If he dwells on that too much the guilt sets in, so he mostly tries not to think at all.

He succeeds in not thinking about it until he opens one of his older ship logs and finds doodles scribbled on the margins. The drawings are mostly flowers, and ship instruments; tiny and not particularly detailed. Except for one full page sketch, at the very back of his largest logbook.

It's him. In pristine, exacting detail, down to the last curl on his forehead. Soft, and delicately shaded. The lines of the drawing are fine enough to be almost invisible, like he is looking in a black and white mirror.

The Snafu in the drawing is sleeping, which explains how Eugene got away with it without him knowing.

Snafu slams the book closed and drops it under the table. He vows to not look at it again.

Except he does. Often. Whenever he has an extra minute, he takes the book out, and cracks it open, and runs his finger down the page. As if he can touch the artist's hand through the drawing.

He looks at it so often the graphite starts to smudge.

Eventually the ship makes it to Cape Horn, and Snafu finds the tiny canal Eugene wrote about in his journal. They almost make it through the canal, around the tip, and into open water on track for the Pacific. Except the weather turns dangerous and waves lash the side of the boat, sending a cold shock down Snafu's front. Wet, shivering, and remembering a promise Eugene once made, Snafu makes his own decision.

"Turn her around," he tells Burgie.

Burgie sighs, "Snaf...the men will hate this."

"We'll never make it otherwise," Snafu's eyes are luminous and grave, "Not alone. We need more bodies for this."

"We or you can't make it alone?" Burgie asks.

Snafu sucks on his bottom lip and turns his spyglass to the sliver of clear blue sky in the east. Burgie waits patiently for a minute and when nothing but silence is forthcoming, he strides across the deck to give out new orders.

The crew immediately shares their opinion.

"We're going back for our navigator ain't we?"

"Thank goodness."

"Cap'n would get us lost on a river if we let him."

"Always did think the code 'bout leaving crew behind was a bad one."

Burgie smiles.

As luck would have it, the Santa Alma also encounters a spanish merchant ship on it's way home after pillaging the colonies. The pirate schooner swiftly overtakes the slow merchant and the pirates commandeer the entirety of the ship's stolen native gold.

The Santa Alma also acquires a new passenger. A strong minded girl who goes by the name of Florence and nothing else. No family, no friends, and certainly not a part of the merchant's fleet. She claims her destination is some pacific island called Australia but that she's not picky about the journey to get there. Snafu takes her aboard solely to find out more information on this mystery island if nothing else.

Burgie hastily gives up his private cabin for the girl and starts bunking with the crew himself. Until Snafu gets lonely enough to offer room in his bed for Burgie, which is the worst idea ever because suddenly Snafu finds himself being kept up all night having conversations about girls and courting. A subject which Snafu has zero experience in.

"Just kiss her and be done with it," is the only advice Snafu can offer Burgie.

Luckily Burgie quiets down after that suggestion, although it makes Snafu start to worry he might be down one quartermaster soon.

However, nothing appears to change in the next couple of months and by the time the ship reaches Mobile, Burgie and Florence remain as cordial and distantly polite to each other as ever. Snafu gives it up as a lost cause and goes shopping.

"You look ridiculous," Burgie says after spending an hour assisting Snafu with his costume.

The costume is incomplete by Snafu's standards. He couldn't find a proper crown. And he had to add decorative elements to his crook and flail himself. But luckily these fancy french balls always seem to require people to wear wigs nowadays anyway. He repurposes a portion of his treasure into jewelry and gold plating. And to top it all off, with the help of an especially hairy crew member, Snafu procures a beard long enough to be strung underneath his costume mask.

"I look proper," Snafu jokes to Burgie, using his crook as a dandy cane.

"You look like a royal court jester," Burgie counters, "All that purple and gold."

"Exactly," Snafu says confidently.

"He looks like a gold crusted emu," is Florence's opinion, which puzzles both Snafu and Burgie greatly. "From Australia," she adds. As if that explains anything.

"The breeches might be a little wide, Shit-N-Ass," Leyden comments.

"No one asked you," Snafu retorts.

All that matters is that he will be unrecognizable at Mobile's OMM ball.

His coach is almost unrecognizable too. The leather covering the tiny, odd shaped thing is stained and bleached from the sun. If Snafu holds a candle up to it the shade is nearly a perfect match for Eugene's hair. Except brighter.

"Does it turn into a pumpkin at midnight?" Snafu asks, sneering at the orange color.

"It's either this or the dung cart, Snaf," Burgie says, "You spent the entirety of your treasure allotment on your outfit."

Orange coaches notwithstanding, it's thanks to his expensive drapery that no one blinks twice when Snafu sails past the guards, up the fort steps, and through the entrance. Everyone assumes he is a visiting wealthy gentleman from some distant city, here to experience Mobile's Mardis Gras celebrations. His costume works flawlessly. No one remembers him as the pirate they tried to hang a year ago.

The only downside to everyone being in disguise is that he can't find Eugene.

He doesn't spend long looking inside the fort. It's dusty and suffocating, and Eugene was more the outdoors type anyway. Instead he takes his search to the gardens.

As he walks, Snafu sticks to the shadows. Despite looking the part, he still feels out of place, so he skulks from tree to tree. He avoids the stark yellow light cast by the candle lanterns strung overhead. And only surfaces to peer cautiously around every mile high brushed and powdered wig to see if the person's face matches the one he is looking for.

Of course the person he is looking for is the only person not wearing a wig or mask.

Eugene Sledge's brilliant copper hair sparkles

under the lantern light. Snafu is momentarily blinded by it the minute he finally recognizes the back of the head he is staring at. Trust Gene to buck convention and attend a ball with a bare head. He is dressed plainly too in comparison to the other party goers. His jacket is unadorned and his trousers are simple cotton. There's a single flower stuck in the lapel of Eugene's coat and Snafu sneaks closer to see if he can recognize it from Eugene's logbook drawings.

Snafu never meant to be creeping around in the dark. And he certainly never meant to eavesdrop on a private conversation.

It starts when a familiar looking, excessively handsome blond man brings Eugene a drink. The man can't be much older than either of them, but he wears his military rank with ease. He lacks a wig as well, but Snafu can hardly blame the man for it, considering how shiny his natural hair is. He and Eugene almost match, somehow. As if they've known each other long enough to become the same person in habit and gesture.

Their open familiarity with each other sends a rush of jealousy down Snafu's throat. He might vomit, if he isn't careful.

When he hears the other man try to cajole Eugene onto the dance floor, Snafu's first reaction is to slink off petulantly into the night. To disappear and never return. His whole body burns, and he finds himself grinning murderously.

But then Sledge says "No".

Sledge says 'no' very stoutly, and his face is mournful. Almost as if he is missing someone.

And the handsome man returns to the dance floor alone.

Something has soured Eugene's enjoyment of the gala's frivolity and splendor.

Snafu wonders if maybe it was him.

The world of these galas was always a farce, Snafu wants to tell Sledge. The crowd all gentlemen by government decree; the appearance of nobility rather than the act.

This elegance is unsustainable, this generational wealth built on the backs of stolen labor. To exist within it is to be complicit. As far as Snafu can see the only way to escape the monster society created is to run away and not look back.

Run with me, Snafu wants to say, Run with me and we can be free.

He doesn't say any of that, though. He merely holds his chin high, straightens his back, and steps closer till he is directly behind Eugene's shoulder. Snafu removes his mask for this moment. It is crucial Gene recognize him.

He takes a deep breath.

He hesitates because he almost doesn't want to see how Eugene's mood will change. Whether it turns to anger, or frustration, or worse - nothing.

Then he clears his throat. Takes careful note of the way the back of Eugene's neck tenses.

"I only dance when Eugene Sledge wants to dance," Snafu quotes. He mimics Eugene's accent flawlessly, throwing a bit of his own swagger in for good measure.

Eugene slowly turns around. His eyes are wide with shock as they sweep over Snafu's body, from head to toe. He says nothing, but his mouth gapes a little, like a fish.

"Referring to yourself in third person now?" Snafu asks, "Better be careful...that's the second sign of becoming a pirate." He can't bring himself to meet Eugene's eyes, so Snafu watches the other guests strolling through the garden behind Eugene's head.

Sledge's mouth snaps shut. His shock turns into a glare. He steps forward and invades Snafu's space. It's the kind of close proximity a gentleman might instigate in order to challenge him to a duel. Snafu expects to be slapped with a glove.

Instead Sledge snatches Snafu's carefully powdered wig off his head. He throws the poor thing to the ground, stomps on it, and grinds it into the dirt. The embittered frown on Sledge's face never wavers.

"That was very expensive," Snafu drawls conversationally as he stares at the sad deflated mess of grey hair on the ground between them.

"It looked awful on you," Eugene says bluntly.

"Least it's not my head being flattened," Snafu shrugs, nudging the destroyed wig with a toe. He feigns nonchalance. Inwardly his heart soars, higher than a bird. Sledge still cares. Sledge is angry, but his anger means he still cares.

"Don't tempt me," Eugene snaps.

Snafu finally raises his eyes to meet Eugene's. "Thought I already did that," Snafu says with a challenging grin.

Eugene is taking measured breaths, and his hands are shaking just a tiny bit, like he is holding himself back. "You were not a temptation…" he says, softer and without anger, "You were just...you."

Snafu doesn't know how to respond to that.

"Who are you supposed to be, anyway?" Eugene asks, drawing his eyes up and down Snafu's form, taking in both him and his costume.

Snafu struts a little and holds his mask over his face for Eugene to see, "You can't guess?"

Eugene rolls his eyes, "Some kind of King?"

"Osiris" Snafu says proudly.

"Who?"

"An Egyptian god," Snafu explains, "One who casts judgement on the dead."

"It suits you," Eugene says.

Snafu grins, stands a little taller.

"Especially considering the lack of shirt," Eugene adds snidely.

"The cape and mantle sort of make up for that," Snafu says.

"Yes, that is an impressively vibrant color of dye," Eugene comments. He pulls at the top of the cape and draws it outward, away from Snafu's body to see the sheen of the fabric as it cascades around his hand.

"And this?" Eugene knocks his hand against the wooden staff tucked in Snafu's belt.

"A flail," Snafu says, "To go with my golden crook." He holds out the cane he's been leaning his weight against.

Eugene steps closer, takes the crook, taps it expertly, "Real gold? Business must be going well."

"Booming," Snafu says sarcastically through his teeth.

Eugene chuckles, "Any more Navy ships?"

"Not yet," Snafu replies, "We'll see how tomorrow goes."

Eugene gives Snafu back his crook and tweaks the beard on Snafu's mask instead. Snafu moves the mask away from his face and slips it into his belt alongside the flail.

They're so close, Snafu can smell the tobacco on Eugene's breath.

'Touch me,' Snafu wants to beg, 'Stop touching my clothing, touch me instead.'

They stand in silence for a time.

Eugene's hands return to his pipe.

Snafu studies the flower attached to Eugene's coat.

"Never seen you draw that flower before," Snafu notes.

"Never had a reason before," Eugene replies.

"What's your reason now?" Snafu eyes him warily.

"Sentimental," Eugene says, "Traveled all the way to the Louisiana swamp looking for someone...didn't find them. But I brought a cutting of these home so I'd have at least something to show for the trip." He pockets his pipe, slips the blue iris off it's clip and holds the flower out to Snafu, "They grow beautifully in my garden at home."

It's identical to the kind of irises that grow in wild bunches around the shack where Snafu was born.

"You saw where I came from?" Snafu asks, nervous.

"I did," Eugene actually smiles. Softly. Fondly, like it was a good thing.

It baffles Snafu to no end, but he tries to take it in stride.

"The shack used to be a chicken coop," Snafu grins back, "Was probably better as a chicken coop."

"There's an alligator living in it now," Eugene holds the flower out for Snafu, "I had to fight it for this."

"How brave." Snafu doesn't take the offered flower. "What were you looking for? In the swamps?" he asks.

Sledge's hand drops to his side. "Damn it, Snaf. Do I need to spell it out for you?"

"Might help, my spelling is atrocious, you should know better than anyone," Snafu taunts.

"F," Sledge says haughtily, "U...C...K…" he takes another step closer, trodding on Snafu's wig. "Y...O...U…" Sledge doesn't even have to reach to grab the collar of Snafu's jacket, they're so close. "S...H...E...L…" Sledge closes his lips around the stem of the iris to hold it while he unpins the flower clip from his own coat and pokes it in Snafu's collar instead. The tension around Sledge's mouth forms Snafu's favorite tiny crease between his eyebrows. "T..." Sledge slips the Iris into the clip and smooths the front of Snafu's jacket, "O...N."

"Captain," Snafu corrects, blatantly watching Eugene's lips form each letter.

Gene's eyes flash. He grabs Snafu's collar - forcefully this time - and yanks him into a kiss. Snafu nearly jumps out of his skin in shock.

The kiss lasts less than a second. Snafu shoves Eugene away. His eyes anxiously dart towards the small crowd in the garden. Eugene follows his fearful gaze, and then wraps his long fingers around Snafu's wrist. He drags Snafu through the trees until they come to a hedge maze.

The maze is overgrown. At one point it might have been one of those carefully manicured french monstricities, no bigger than knee height, meant for casual amusement of the European aristocracy, and replicated poorly in the colonies. Now the hedges are well over six feet tall, and thick with tangled branches. Eugene and Snafu barely manage to fit through the entrance.

But the hedges promise privacy.

The air inside the maze is still, and silent, and damp, and slightly cooler than the humid evening around them.

After turning a few corners, Eugene shoves Snafu against a hedge. The bush is prickly, and not at all comfortable, but Snafu finds it hard to care when he is distracted by the press of Eugene's lips, and Eugene's body, and the pleasant intensity of Gene taking all his frustration out on Snafu in ways better than wig destruction.

Without words it feels as if no time passed between tonight and the last they saw each other. Snafu is as familiar with Eugene's body now as he was months ago. Eugene briefly lets go of Snafu's waist to undo his own belt and the buttons of his trousers. Snafu hastily shoves his hand down Eugene's pants himself before the other man can get to it. He breaks off their kiss, chest heaving, to lean back against the bush and curl his fingers around Gene's dick. Eugene braces a hand on either side of Snafu's head and hovers there. He makes a small, strangled noise when Snafu's hand starts to move, but he doesn't look away. Snafu's mouth goes dry and he hardly dares to breathe for fear of breaking whatever the fuck this moment is.

Slowly, he jerks him off, staring into Eugene's dark eyes the whole while.

Eugene makes a complete mess of his pants. He buttons his doublet closed, and smoothes it neat, before hungrily reaching for the red sash wrapped around Snafu's waist.

After a fumbling attempt to get Snafu's clothes off (during which Snafu immediately regrets making his costume so complicated - "Don't. It's fine," Snaf mutters with his hand on Eugene's), Eugene gives up and simply grabs Snafu's hips, and collapses towards him in an embrace. Surprised by the sudden switch to calm, Snafu reacts by limply draping his arms over Gene's shoulders, and waiting.

Eugene turns his face into the crook of Snafu's neck and fully encircles his arms around his body. "God, Snaf," he groans.

"Eugene?" Snafu asks.

Eugene doesn't respond. Snafu can feel Gene's eyelashes blinking against his neck where he is hiding his face.

"Gene?" Snafu tries again.

Eugene sighs. He kisses Snafu's bare skin.

"We should talk," Snafu prompts.

Eugene actually laughs. "Now you want to talk," he says without lifting his head.

"S'what I came here for," Snafu says.

"What is it you wanted to say, then?" Eugene asks, leaning back just enough to look Snaf in the eye.

I love you.

"Nothing," Snafu says, "Thought maybe you might. Maybe a few words to get off your chest?"

Eugene smiles sadly, and leans back in to press their lips together briefly. One small kiss and then he rests his forehead against Snafu's.

"Hope. And faith." Eugene murmurs.

"Hm?" Snafu grunts.

"The flower I found. Irises. They symbolize faith," he fumbles that same heavy ring off his finger that Snafu threw back at him, and then slides it onto Snafu's hand for a second time, "I told you to keep it. I meant what I said."

Snafu stares into his eyes, "Gene…I'm sorry."

"I never doubted you," Gene brushes aside his apology.

Something crazy is on the tip of Snafu's tongue and threatening to spill out, so he keeps his jaw clenched tight and his forehead pressed to Gene's. It's enough. This is enough.

"Stay?" Eugene asks.

Snafu fidgets nervously.

"Here. For a few days," Eugene elaborates, "I've taken care of everything. I want you to meet my family, properly. You can even invite the crew."

"Third sign of piracy: extending dinner invitations to pirates," Snafu drawls. He's imagining Burgie's reaction to getting a cream colored, floral embossed card in the mail.

"Privateers. You are an official United States privateer, Captain Shelton," Eugene corrects. He laughs at Snafu's startled expression, "I have the paperwork all drawn up. It's in my room. Waiting for your signature."

"In the mansion…"

"Yes, to do this you'll have to go to the governor's mansion. You might even have to sleep in an actual bed that doesn't rock up and down with the waves."

"That takes all the fun out of sex…" Snafu murmurs.

"I'm sure I can improvise," Eugene kisses his neck with a smile.

"Will you be doing the rocking then?" Snafu quips.

"For as long as you want…" Eugene promises.

Snafu nods and kisses him, tries to quell that ache that's bubbling up inside him again.

Eugene breaks away, grinning ear to ear. He looks at Snafu as if all his prayers have been answered. And who is Snafu to deny him any of it.

So when Eugene takes his hand and leads him out of the maze, Snafu follows.

He is so dazed by an emotion he never thought himself capable of feeling again he almost doesn't notice where Eugene is leading him. Until he recognizes the same inner courtyard where Snafu was condemned to die.

Snafu stops short. His abrupt halt yanks Eugene back by his arm. Gene turns around and stares at Snafu in confusion. Snafu is preparing to run. His palms are sweaty, and the skin there feels melted to Eugene's, and he's about to twist away and disappear when Eugene's hold on him tightens.

Eugene is looking Snaf straight in the eye, and he slowly lifts their clasped hands to his lips, "It's all right, Merriell. I promise."

And in full view of the Governor's entire court, Eugene Sledge bends to kiss Snafu's hand. The same hand Snafu recently stuck down Gene's pants.

No one says anything.

All eyes are on them, though.

Correction, all eyes are on Snafu. His planned ostentatiousness backfires. Eugene notices him, for sure. But so does everyone else.

His costume glows golden in the candlelight. If the glint half blinds him when he moves in the wrong way, he can't imagine how difficult it must be for someone standing across from him.

Snafu grins petulantly when Eugene guides him forward to stand in front of the Governor himself. He can tell Eugene's father recognizes him immediately. The man frowns. He shakes Snafu's hand politely, but he doesn't speak a word.

Surprisingly, it's the Governor's lady who breaks the tension. She eyes her husband calculatingly, sucks in a deep breath, and reaches out to take both of Snafu's hands in hers.

"I want to apologize for the previous case of mistaken identity," She says, regally and with great intent, "As I understand it, Commodore Haldane confused you with the dreadful pirate Snafu. I assure you, Captain Shelton, we will rectify this mistake and will remain forever grateful to you for bringing our Eugene back home alive."

Snafu's eyes slide sharp towards Eugene, realizing for the first time how the boy must have brought about this miracle of clearing his name.

Eugene returns Snafu's stare with a confident grin. He rejoins their hands and pulls Snafu off to the buffet table. A very smart decision as he is going to need a full belly to stomach all this nonsense.

Contrary to popular opinion, food on a ship is not half bad. Burgin keeps their cook happy with the third highest salary on board and frequent stops in port for fresh supplies. Snafu's diet as a child on land, however, was regularly lacking. His father was a failed farmer, and boiled cabbage soup was their evening meal more often than not. So Snafu supposes his standards for good food are not as high as most people's.

But this buffet laid out before him at the Governor's ball? This is a masterpiece.

Snafu immediately heads straight for the pork chops. He loads up a plate and even concedes to taking utensils and a napkin when Gene offers them.

"Just so you know, we're going back for seconds," he informs Eugene. Eugene chuckles, and holds Snaf's plate for him while he pours them both drinks.

They find a table under a tree to sit and eat. If Snafu must use a fork and knife instead of his fingers, he's gonna need two hands to do it. And that shit's not possible while standing.

Eugene scoots his chair conspicuously close to Snafu's. But the low hanging branches of the willow tree partially conceal them from view, so Snafu allows it. After he finishes his first plate, he does indeed go back for seconds, and thirds. And then Eugene lights his pipe and they pass it back and forth. Their shoulders and legs are pressed together, and Eugene's arm reaches behind Snafu's neck to rest along the back of his chair. Sometimes when Eugene leans in to gently lift the pipe from Snafu's hand, he whispers in his ear and his nose brushes his cheek.

At one point Snafu makes a particularly cutting remark about the state of one unfortunate gentleman's coat, and Eugene starts laughing. He laughs so hard at the joke he leans his hand against Snafu's back and hides his face in his shoulder. Snafu has never seen Gene laugh like that. Ever. A wave of relief washes over Snafu and for a minute he forgets himself and tucks a stray lock of hair behind Eugene's ear.

His gesture is altogether too much like a caress, and he remembers with cold fear, that they are out in the open.

The minute Snafu's fingers leave Eugene's skin, his nerves are back. He darts a glance towards the Governor's dias and he freezes in place. The harsh sensation of a particular pair of eyes boring into the back of Snafu's head takes him out of whatever spell he'd been under making him feel like he and Eugene were the only two people in the room.

Snafu may have the weight of a ring on his finger, but the thousand yard stare of Governor Sledge holds the weight of the world. And every bit of it exudes disapproval.

It chills Snafu to his bones.

At the end of the party, after they've returned to the Governor's mansion, Snafu is shown to an opulent room by an opulently dressed butler. Eugene disappears somewhere down the hall. And Snafu finds himself standing alone, wearing his gold plated costume, inside a masterpiece of a room, feeling an utter fool.

He removes all his jewelry and unwraps his sash. He drags the covers off the bed and makes his own nest in front of the roaring fireplace. He curls up and he tries to sleep.

He is interrupted when Eugene mysteriously appears in Snafu's room through a hidden door behind a bookshelf.

Gene laughs at Snafu's floor nest, and helps Snafu pull the blankets back onto the bed.

Eugene then helps Snafu out of his costume, and this time he succeeds.

They fuck tenderly atop silk sheets and plush pillows. And the way Eugene whispers "Merriell" in his ear is almost enough to make Snafu forget he is here on borrowed time. Almost.

Right as Snafu is about to finally fall asleep there is scratching and a thud against the bedroom door, and for a second Snafu's heart stops at the fear they've been caught. But Eugene simply chuckles and wraps an arm around Snafu's bare waist in a quick hug.

"Go answer it," he says with a kiss to the nape of Snafu's neck.

Eugene lets go of Snafu and reclines back against the pillows, his eyes twinkling.

Snafu grunts about spoiled Governor's sons and casts his eyes overhead to the four poster bed's velvet canopy, but he drags Eugene's breeches on and does as he is told.

On the other side of the door waits a very patient dog. Deacon wags his tail excitedly and the dog's entire body wiggles. Snafu immediately crouches down to greet him and gets a few licks to his face in return. Snafu nearly falls over, but he moves to the side enough to get the dog in the room and the door closed.

"You were missing your master, huh?" Snafu asks Deacon, scratching under the dog's ear.

"He was missing you," Eugene speaks up from the bed, "This entire week, he has done nothing but stare out the window at the ocean and whine. If I didn't understand exactly how he felt, I might have been jealous."

"That's the real reason I've come back," Snafu says as he wriggles back out of Gene's pants and crawls into bed, "To steal your dog and turn him pirate."

"Guess if you've already got one of us, you might as well have the whole set," Eugene replies, drawing Snafu close and insisting on a kiss before letting Snafu settle his head against Eugene's shoulder. Deacon happily curls up at the foot of the bed.

The next morning he wakes to find that somehow during the night Snafu ended up flat on his back with Eugene sprawled across his body and Deacon stretched out across his feet. He is completely unable to move.

Snafu snakes his arm out from underneath the covers and tickles Eugene's ear. Eugene twitches in his sleep. Snafu stays persistent with the tickling until Eugene rolls over, almost accidentally knees Snafu in the groin, and is woken by Snafu's panicked yelp.

With Eugene awake the tickling quickly turns into a wrestling match, which Snafu almost wins. He straddles Eugene and pins Gene's hands above his head. Snafu presses teasing, featherly light kisses across Eugene's collarbone until Deacon barks and a sharp knock on the door interrupts them. Eugene bucks Snafu off him, dives underneath the blankets and slides down the bed in a lump like a coward, leaving Snafu on his own.

"Yeah?" Snafu calls out with as much authority as he can muster. He holds the bedcovers tight over his waist, but his hands won't stop shaking.

It doesn't help that Eugene chooses to put his mouth somewhere very distracting on Snafu's body right as the door unlocks and opens.

"Deacon's food is waiting for him downstairs," the butler says kindly, "Would you like your breakfast brought to your room?"

"Ah, no," Snafu improvises, "I will...uh...be out. Shortly."

Deacon jumps off the bed and trots out the door, tail wagging.

The butler nods and backs out of the room.

"Thank you!" Snafu adds belatedly to the closing door.

Once they're alone again, Snafu yanks back the blankets covering Eugene and finds his lover shaking with silent laughter and the worst case of bedhead he's ever seen.

"Asshole," Snafu accuses him, refusing to give in to the urge to run his hands through Gene's hair - a vibrant red in the morning light.

Instead Eugene pulls him down, silences him with a kiss, and they're both rather late for breakfast.

Snafu stays in the mansion for three days. He doesn't send Burgie any dinner invitations, knowing how well they'd be received, but he does mail a monogrammed card letting the crew know he's safe. He includes a handful of stolen silver artifacts in the parcel to appease any pirate tempers.

Every afternoon Eugene closes them both in the study and forces them to go over page after page after page of legal documents. Snafu attempts to read a few lines here or there, but mostly he only serves as a distraction. His hands wander of their own free will, and they both continually risk getting caught with Snafu's hands up Eugene's shirt or on his thigh, or tracing the line of Eugene's mouth.

"Pay attention," Eugene huffs with as much frustration as Snafu felt when Eugene kept trying to pry Snafu's attention from his maps.

"I am," Snafu insists, trailing his finger down Eugene's neck and studying the way the scruff of his hair stands on end.

"To something other than me," Eugene admonishes.

"Impossible," Snafu leans back on the cushy window seat and admires Eugene's profile against the sunlight. He grins devilishly, crosses his arms behind his head, and adjusts the seat of his hips in a languid manner. Snafu has never had this much free time to indulge in all his urges and he is determined to enjoy it thoroughly.

Eugene stops pretending to read the paper he is holding and glares at Snafu out of the corner of his eye.

It only makes Snafu smile wider.

"Fuck it," Gene says. He drops the page to the ground, plants a hand firmly on the windowsill, and leans over to kiss Snafu with wild passion. Snafu laughs between kisses and Eugene wraps an arm around his waist and tightens his hold, lifting Snafu off the seat until there is no air left between their bodies.

Then the locked door to the study opens.

Snafu drops his arms from around Gene's shoulders and goes still and silent. Eugene sits up, immediately alert. But bizarrely his hand falls atop Snafu's thigh and prevents Snafu from moving his leg off Eugene's lap. Snafu is left lying awkwardly on his back like a turtle, one leg still around Eugene's waist, the other shoved up against the cold glass windowpane, bent as far away from Gene as he can get it. The tent in Snafu's loose breeches is painfully obvious, and his mind is racing, calculating every possible exit from the room. There is only one thing keeping him in place and it's Eugene.

Unfortunately Eugene's strong grip on Snafu's upper thigh only worsens his state of arousal.

The Governor himself calmly looks at them, walks into the room, and closes the door behind him.

"Did you get all the necessary documents signed?" the Governor asks in a tired voice.

"Yes," Sledge replies defiantly, his shoulders straight, his chin high.

Snafu can barely breathe, let alone talk.

"Good," the Governor remarks politely, "I trust Captain Shelton will be setting out on his first officially sanctioned voyage soon."

Snafu's eyes dart between Eugene and the Governor in a panic, trying to guess what his answer should be.

"Actually," Eugene says, "He's staying here. Indefinitely." His tone is light but his accent is sharp.

Snafu, for his part, is still blinking like a fox caught outside its hole.

"Very well," the Governor says solemnly. He stands in the middle of the carpet, and makes no move to leave, even though they are all sitting in silence.

After a minute the Governor lifts his head and gazes out the window beyond where they're sitting. "It's a beautiful day today," he says casually, "I think I might organize a hunt." And with that he takes his leave. The door closes behind him gently. They hear the lock click back into place.

"Shit fuck, he's gonna kill me," Snafu claws at his face with his hands, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"No," Eugene says calmly. He releases Snafu's leg and Snafu curls in on himself like the turtle he feels. "He won't," Gene promises.

Snafu groans.

"Snafu," Eugene says, trying to grab Snafu's hands behind the protective barrier of his legs. "Merriell…" Eugene eventually succeeds in wrapping his fingers around both of Snafu's wrists and uncovering his face.

Snafu lets his knees fall open in defeat. He stares at Gene between his legs balefully.

"I love you," Eugene tells him. Certainty is written all over his face.

Snafu doesn't know how Eugene manages to look at him with such intense affection when they're surrounded by so much fear.

"Father is the only one who has the keys to this study," Eugene says, "I trust him. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," Snafu's response is immediate and uncompromising.

Eugene lets go of Snafu's wrists and twines their fingers together instead. Snafu uses the grip to pull himself into a sitting position. He takes a moment to run his eyes over Eugene's serious face. His chest presses into the side of Eugene's shoulder.

"I trust you with my life, Gene," Snafu confesses.

"Then stay," Eugene says, and closes the deal with a chaste kiss.

That night the two of them fall asleep in Eugene's own bed instead of the guest room. Snafu luxuriates in the comfort of being utterly surrounded by reminders of Gene.

But this time Snafu wakes up alone.

He hears a knock. Not on Eugene's door, but on the door of the guest room down the hall. Snafu falls off the bed in his haste to both yank his pants up over his ass and trigger the bookcase to open the secret passageway. He manages to get back in his room, slip on his shoes, and open his door by the time the impatient person looking for him knocks a third time.

"The Governor wishes to see you," the butler says.

"Right," Snafu nods, scratching the back of his neck and makes as if to step into the hall when the butler places a gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps Sir should put on a shirt?" the butler smiles in a fatherly manner.

"Ah…" Snafu glances down at his bare torso and retreats inside his room to fish out something respectable.

"Perhaps a coat as well?" the butler once again poses the suggestion as a question.

Snafu gets the distinct feeling he is receiving advice. He hunts through the wardrobe and holds out a deep purple velvet ensemble for review.

The butler smiles and shakes his head discreetly.

Snafu presents two more outfits before they decide on a smart grey number made of flawlessly tailored rich fabric but without a lot of frills.

"Good luck," the butler whispers to Snafu before leaving him outside the door to the Governor's private library.

Snafu has already spent many hours in the family library. It's the only room in the mansion he actually likes. The Sledges own a copy of every single overseas expedition logbook Snafu could possibly want. Sailing is clearly a pastime both Eugene and his father enjoy.

This is the first time, however, that Snafu is given the privilege of seeing the Governor's personal book collection.

As soon as he walks through the door, the first thing to catch Snafu's eye is a large, exquisitely detailed globe resting in its own golden stand on the floor to the right. He itches to lay his hands on it, and he barely manages to restrain himself before the high backed chair turns and the Governor sets his eyes on him.

For a split second Snafu's breath leaves him. But then, he relaxes. He tilts his head with a small smile, and crosses the room to the globe. He ignores Eugene's father in favor of running his finger down the eastern coast of the Americas. Keeping his finger on the surface of the globe, he rotates it until he is touching China, and then the East Indies. He lifts his hand, spins the globe, and stops it with a touch.

He shifts his finger aside and reads the name of the country he landed on.

Japan.

"How much?" the Governor asks plainly.

"What?" Snafu's head jerks up.

"How much money can I offer to make you disappear from my son's life?" the Governor folds his hands on his desk and looks at Snafu pleasantly.

Snafu stares in shock, processing this new information.

"If you are killed, Eugene will mourn you forever as if you were a martyr. But if you leave, he will forget you," Governor Sledge explains.

"If I leave he'll miss me forever," Snafu taunts, smiling.

"You want to leave," Governor Sledge points out, "I can see it. Eugene certainly sees it. You are restless here. You have nothing here, except him. Let go of him. And I will give you any amount you ask for."

Snafu honestly considers it. Considers that - if Sledge's family truly hate Snafu that much - leaving Eugene alone might be the best decision for both of them. Considers how much Eugene loves his family, enough to risk his life to get back to them, to lie to a pirate. Considers the fact that the kind of money Governor Sledge is talking about could probably get Snafu across the pacific and back five times over. Considers how often Snafu has seen Sledge genuinely smile back home with his familiar comforts compared to his scowls aboard ship.

"I'd break his heart," Snafu says before his throat chokes closed. He coughs. His eyes sting.

"Exactly," Governor Sledge agrees amicably.

Snafu laughs. He hates how it sounds wild and a little despairing, even to his own ears. He can feel a grin on his face, mouth stretched so wide his muscles already ache.

"Well," Snafu bites his lip. He spins the globe again, faster. And this time he lets his finger drag against the curved surface, intentionally stopping it right over the port of Mobile. He looks up, and saunters to the desk, pulling Eugene's ring off and holding it high for the Governor to see.

"You want me gone that badly, I'll do it for free," Snafu offers, "But I'm keeping this." He closes his fist around the ring.

Taking a leather cord strung with keys from the corner of Governor Sledge's desk, Snafu unhooks the clasp and carelessly dumps the keys to the floor. He slides the ring onto the cord, knots it in the middle to keep the ring secure, and hooks the clasp around his neck.

"He'll know," Snafu says as he stuffs the necklace down his shirt front, "No matter what lies you tell him, he'll know. And he'll come after me."

The Governor doesn't respond, and Snafu turns his back on him to walk out the door. He'd take the globe with him, too, if he could think of a way to lift it on his own.

Snafu leaves the estate without another word to anyone. The relief he feels when he walks past the final gatehouse is palpable. He can breathe easier again out here, in the fresh air. And when he reaches the docks his confidence in life soars the minute he sees the Santa Alma waiting patiently in the bay. For the next few weeks he remains confident every time the crew sets sail, charting a course that wins them easy prizes while staying within a couple days reach of Mobile. They make berth regularly in the port, the crew eagerly enjoying the extra shore leave and spending money.

But after the first month passes and there is no sign of Eugene, Snafu's confidence dwindles. By the sixth month the heavy weight of the ring around his neck is no longer a security but an anchor. More time passes, and after the second full year spent alone, Snafu gives up hope.

He begins to plan another voyage around Cape Horn. This time enroute to Japan.

(My sketch of Pirate Snafu)

(the END for now, i swear they get back together, i promise, eugene didnt forget he’s just busy and he thinks snaf is an asshole who left without saying goodbye. if you want to see more PLEASE TELL ME cause i might do it)

#sledgefu #sledgefu pirate au #bad germs

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three-seas-writes · 5 years ago

Text

Captain Wonder Backstory!!

There’s no pain in this one! I promise

Captain Wonder doesn’t mess with romance. It’s one of his rules, he doesn’t meddle with other peoples love and he doesn’t waste time looking for his own. Not that he thinks it’s wrong or anything, he just doesn’t understand it. He’s never wanted what people idealize as romance, or even the unidealized versions he sees his teammates live through. Hand holding sounds embarrassing and kissing sounds gross. He doesn’t even want to think about sex.

It makes him a freak for most of his life. He gets used to the teasing from teammates, even misses it when some of them die too young. But then, about the time he’s turning 30, things start changing. More and more “freaks” start standing up, demanding respect and rights and change. And it happens. Acceptance comes so quickly it’s a wonder this didn’t happen earlier. There’s so many words he’s never heard of, and the world expects him to be resistant. Captain Wonder stands for good old-fashioned values of freedom and justice, hundreds of thousands of bigoted people believe he’s on their side. He goes to his first pride at 36, picks up two flags, and comes out to the world as aro-ace and proud. The bigots shut up after that.

It keeps him happy for years, until he enlists as a mentor at 41. It’s later than most heroes, but he’s respected and well-known for his calm and serious personality, so he gets assigned a reckless upstart of a kid and a deadly partner named Ibis.

Ibis is 38, and incredible. She fights with long, sweeping blades and a silent demeanor that puts most people on edge, heroes and villains alike. She’s tall and angular, sharp features and piercing eyes. She’s a good match for Captain Wonder, and they’re both good for Harvey. The kid is chaos incarnate, his weather powers routinely spiral out of control and into tornadoes, and he firmly believes that he should be risking his life from the moment he steps into the Association. Captain Wonder thinks he’s a fool.

He keeps that opinion long after Harvey leaves his mentorship. He’s headstrong and careless like only a child can be, 16, because the enlisting age gets higher every year as the public decides super are humans, not fighting machines, and isn’t that something. But working with Harvey begins to reveal bright streaks in his personality. A genuine need to help others. The desire to protect, and be looked up to. A rock-solid resolve. Captain Wonder meets Ibis for meetings once a week to gauge Harvey’s progress, meetings that turn into lunch breaks as their schedules fill.

It takes a year for him to call Harvey by his name, and they grow close quickly after that. At a year and a half a conversation about meal and sleep habits turns into Harvey holding back tears as he explains why he lives alone in Hero Housing, and Captain Wonder spends three hours that night filling out paperwork for him to move in. Harvey starts calling him Cap, and they have Ibis over for dinner twice a week. On his 43rd birthday Harvey enlists Ibis’ help to throw him a surprise party, and it’s the first time in years that he’s enjoyed celebrating. Harvey begins combat training at the two-year mark and everything is better than it’s been for a long time.

It’s been two years, nine months, and six days when he realizes he’d like to hold her hand. He and Ibis are walking to his home from the Association for the bi-weekly dinner when it happens. He thinks about it until Harvey goes to bed at ten, and then pulls out his computer to figure things out the same way he did eleven years ago. It takes far less time than it did back then, mostly due to better internet he’s sure, but after looking through many sweet and well-meaning blog posts about how normal it is to change he finally finds a word he likes. Grey aro-ace. It fits, and he thinks it sounds cool.

He informs Harvey that his labels have changed over breakfast, and is a bit surprised to learn that he didn’t know. Or, to be specific, he’d “figured, but I didn’t know if you knew, y’know?” They miss an hour of morning lessons having a discussion, about the rights movement and the assholes, Harvey talks about being demi-pan and Captain Wonder mentions the teasing from his teammates and they feel closer than he’d ever thought possible.

The first step, he supposes, is actually holding her hand. It’s not something he’s ever had to consider, so it takes about a month before he decides he ought to watch some romantic films. For research. Harvey has lots of suggestions, and they waste a few months on romantic comedies and romantic tragedies and romantic action adventures and romantic buddy-cop movies, which might be his favorite, and in the end he’s a little overwhelmed.

Typically his next step for something this big would be to plan obsessively for months, but he doesn’t get the chance. At three years and two months a villain targets Harvey, supposedly his powers will be perfect to fuel her plans once she’s drained them from him and left him a lifeless husk, and it’s fair to say that Captain Wonder loses his shit. It’s been nearly two decades since he’s been seen seriously fighting a villain, and it seems a bit like people forgot how freaking good at it he was. The villainess is so surprised when he makes it through her traps that it’s almost easy taking her down. Harvey is okay, mostly, and it’s terrifying in a way that Captain Wonder is not comfortable with. He hovers, he knows he’s hovering, but he still hovers the whole time in the ambulance to the Heroes Hospital, in the hospital room as a doctor checks them both over, he even insists on sharing a hospital room with Harvey- with his kid - for the week he’s there. And he is his kid and Captain Wonder spends most of the time worrying and the rest of it wondering how it only took three years for him to emotionally adopt someone when it had never happened in any of the forty other years of his life. They celebrate Harvey’s 20th birthday on his last day in the hospital and Captain Wonder debates whether you can even adopt an adult. They take him home the next day, him and Ibis, and when Harvey passes out Captain Wonder pulls out the dusty wine he never drinks and they each have a glass. It’s the calmest he’s felt all week, sitting here silently drinking wine with good company, and he almost says something. But he likes this moment as it is, and maybe the perfect time to say it passes, but then when he eventually walks Ibis to the door she leans in to kiss his cheek and smiles softly at him, and isn’t that something. The next time they have dinner he ditches a supportive Harvey at home and takes her to a sky-high restaurant and he gets to see that soft smile illuminated by distant city lights.

They take it slow. There are movie nights and dinner dates, and the bi-weekly family dinners. One year, Ibis moves in. Three years, Harvey moves out. Five years, the mentorship ends and he and Ibis register as a couple. They talk about marriage. No papers are ever signed, but they call Harvey their son. Six years, they get a cat. Ibis names her Georgie.

Captain Wonder is 52 when he opens his door on a cold night to find his son carrying an injured supervillain. Alastair’s face is pale and Harvey’s eyes are wet, and it’s only hours later, watching Harvey sleep in a chair next to his old bed and the unconscious villain in it, that he lets himself think about how lucky his son is to find love so young. Three weeks later, watching his son and Alastair interact, he thanks the gods that Harvey’s not such a fool to love someone who wouldn’t love him back.

See! No pain! And this might be the longest short I’ve written, its about three pages in MS Word! This is a backstory piece for the story, and is entirely canon, as well as the first m/f couple I’ve ever written. It’s also pretty special to me because it’s the first time I’ve written a character who is asexual like I am, and when I was asking a friend for feedback it started a great conversation about our sexualities and she discovered she’s demi!! Which was really awesome and a wonderful conversation to have! Anyways I’ll stop rambling now, thanks for reading!

#my writing #my characters #Captain Wonder #Harvey #Ibis #Alastair

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notfunnydean · 6 years ago

Text

Personal space

Pairing: Dean Winchester / Castiel

Warnings: Nsfw, masturbation, Voyeur!Cas, teaching how to masturbate, cheeky!Cas, porn without plot

Word Count: 2.858

Square Filled: masturbation

Summary: It’s been four weeks since the last time Dean actually had time for himself and he just wants to crawl into his bed and finally jack off. Sadly he says a certain name and Castiel shows up and not to interrupt.

A/N: So uh... is it hot in here or what? I always liked the idea that Castiel understands the thing about personal space, but he just doesn’t care. He loves being close to Dean. So this is what happens when Dean wants some alone time and Castiel doesn’t accept it. This is for the @deanandcasbingo.

Link (if posted on AO3): https://archiveofourown.org/works/18611149

Dean is feeling jittery when they drive home after a long hunt. They had just washed up in their motel when Dean announced that he wanted to drive home and sleep in his own damn bed.

“I’m just saying, we could’ve stayed there one more night.” Sam says for the tenth time and Dean rolls his eyes. He doesn’t really want to talk Sam about the real reason why he wants to drive home tonight and besides it’s only a three hour drive.

See, the last weeks, they were busy with so many hunts, that Dean… well he didn’t really have time for himself and by now he feels like he might explode if he doesn’t get off soon. Normally he would just go and find a pretty woman in a bar but… something changed in the last months and he doesn’t really do that anymore.

“I don’t get why you are complaining, since I’m the one driving.” Dean mutters and then he turns the volume of his music up. He thinks about stealing Sam’s laptop again, to watch some porn, but he is sure that tonight his imagination is enough.

Sam seems to pout and Dean tries not to concentrate on the thoughts that are already forming inside his head. He can feel that his dick takes some interest in them and he huffs quietly, before he drives even faster.

“New record.” Sam says, when Dean finally parks in the garage and gets out of the car. He waits long enough for Sam to get out as well and then goes into the kitchen first. It’s empty. Maybe Castiel is not even in the bunker at all. The kitchen is his favorite spot and he is here the most often.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Dean says and takes his bag with him. Sam doesn’t answer, he probably already knows why Dean is so snippy. Sometimes Dean is really thankful that their rooms aren’t next to each other.

Then again, lately, Castiel is living in the room next to Dean and that wouldn’t be really helpful tonight, so Dean carefully knocks on his door. He has no idea, why Castiel wanted the room next to his, but he hopes the walls are soundproof.

“Cas, are you there?” Dean asks, when he knocks again, but there is no answer. Dean takes a deep breath, seems like everything is perfect today. He even whistles, when he opens his own door and smiles at his bed.

God, had he missed his memory foam.

He throws the bag in the corner of his room, not caring about it at all, and kicks his jeans off. Finally, some freedom. The shirt follows next and Dean crawls onto the bed. God, he had waited such a long time for this.

With another small chuckle he lays down on his back and stares up at the ceiling for a moment, just breathing slowly. His dick is pressing wonderfully against his boxer shorts, tenting them a bit already, just because he is so excited to be finally alone.

Dean slowly rubs his hands over the fabric and huffs under his breath. He has no idea how loud he can be, but with Castiel not being there some sounds should be allowed. Normally Dean is really loud, but that’s way more fun, if he is not alone.

“Fuck.” Dean curses when he cups himself more firm. He has to reach to his left to open the drawer of his nightstand and he smirks when he sees the lube. Luckily, Sam never dares to touch his drawers and Dean can only imagine his face.

Because lube is not the only thing Dean has stashed there. He smirks at nothing, when he looks down and sees his purple vibrator. Today he is way too restless to use it though and just takes the lube out of the drawer.

He cups himself again and groans quietly, he loves to tease himself and sometimes he would do this for half an hour, before he finally caves in. Now he just rubs over his dick a handful of times, before he is already leaking.

“Damn it’s been a long time.” Dean mutters and then he pushes his boxer shorts down. Very slowly and he inhales wetly, when his dick finally has some freedom. The tip of his dick is an angry red and Dean huffs a laugh.

He carelessly kicks the underwear off and takes his dick in hand. Even though his dick is already leaking, it’s still a bit dry in his hands, since he didn’t take the lube so far, but Dean enjoys it a bit… rough sometimes.

Even though it feels good, Dean closes his eyes and tries to think about somebody else. Most of the times he thinks about a good porn he had seen once, but lately he has something different on his mind.

Or someone.

Dean groans quietly and tries to imagine a big hand stroking him. The grip is tight and there is a deep voice telling him how good he is. Dean almost whines, but even though he is alone, he swallows that sound in embarrassment.

“Like that.” He whispers instead and opens his eyes to grab the lube. He likes the wet sound it makes, when he fucks up into his hand this time. After a few strokes, he feels already too close and stops his movements.

Instead he goes back to his fantasy, even though it feels wrong. He shouldn’t think of his friend like that and yet he always ends up here. Since his right hand is still holding his dick, he uses his left hand to carefully stroke over his chest. His breath hitches when he touches his nipples.

He imagines somebody else touching him there and if he would be lucky, maybe he would even suck on his nipples. Dean groans again, the sound so loud in his empty room, but he doesn’t feel like he should care.

“So good.” Dean whispers to nobody when he pinches his nipple. The pain is just perfect and sometimes Dean imagines he could come from touches like this alone. Maybe paired with some hushed words whispered into his ear.

Dean imagines dark blue eyes watching him, wet pink lips smirking at him and maybe… in another world there would be wings involved as well. Dean huffs, he will so go to hell for his thoughts, but right now he doesn’t care.

When Dean’s right hand starts moving again, he arches his back and thinks how it would be, if there was somebody else between his legs. Dean sighs happily and speeds his movements a little bit.

“Cas, please.” Dean groans and he suddenly stops. He never even dared to imagine the name and this time he actually said it. No, he freaking moaned it, like a whore. Dean tries not to panic and opens one eye.

The room is still empty.

He exhales and then smiles at his silliness, as if that actually worked. Normally Castiel needs a whole lot more to…

“Hello Dean.”

Dean actually squeaks, when Castiel appears in the room, directly next to his bed and he almost jerks his own knee into his face, when he searches for a blanket or anything to cover himself up.

“Cas what the hell!” Dean yells and he discovers that he had kicked the blanket off, so he takes his pillow and holds it protectively over his dick, that is by the way still freaking hard and how is this his life.

“Dean are you alright? You called my name in such an wrecked way, I thought it was a life or death situation.” Castiel says and he frowns at the pillow in Dean’s lap. Dean awkwardly wipes the lube, that’s still on his hand, onto it and he stops, when he sees how Castiel tilts his head.

“No uh… it was just a mistake you know. So you can leave again.” Dean stammers out and he is for sure blushing real bad, so how come most of his blood is still downstairs?

“Are you sure? You look all sweaty?” Castiel says and he even holds two fingers up, as if he wants to heal him again. Dean hastily holds his wrist, before the angel can touch his forehead and how the hell will he get out of this?

“Positive, Cas, so please.” Dean says and he wants to look away, but like always Castiel stares at him and Dean can’t look away. He isn’t sure what he is searching for in Castiel’s eyes, but he can’t stop.

Castiel licks his lips and Dean’s dick, the traitor, jerks under the pillow.

“You said that. Please. What are you asking for?” Castiel wants to know and Dean thinks about making a run for the door, but that would probably be even more embarrassing and it’s his room, so Castiel should be the one leaving.

“N-nothing.” Dean presses out and Castiel is still just watching him. Oh god, what if he can look through the pillow?

“Tell me Dean, what were you doing here?” Castiel asks and this time his voice drops even lower. Dean hopes the goosebumps are not that noticeable, but he bets Castiel sees it anyway.

“I was having some private time, alright? Just me and my dick.” Dean says angrily, because he is still embarrassed. He just hopes that Sam will never know about this. Castiel frowns at those words and Dean wishes he could go back to hell.

“And how is that?” Castiel says quietly and Dean is the one tilting his head at that.

“What do you mean, did you never…?” Dean asks and why are they still talking about this? Castiel should’ve run away like Kevin did once, when he just heard Dean moaning one morning, instead they are even talking about it.

“No. Is it pleasurable? I tried a few times, but it mostly hurts.” Castiel says slowly and Dean has to chuckle at that. How can you fuck something like this up?

“Then you are doing it the wrong way.” Dean says and he regrets the words as soon as he says them, when Castiel stares at him again. There is almost a hint of a smile on his face or maybe Dean is imagining in.

“Will you show me the right way?” Castiel asks and he actually sits down right next to Dean, who hastily tries to scramble away a bit. Sadly even his awesome bed is not that big and Dean can’t exactly run away.

“I c-can’t…” Dean starts to say, but then Castiel puts his hand on his thigh and Dean has to hold back a groan. Castiel’s hand is warm and when he strokes almost all the way up to Dean’s hip, he shudders hardly.

He is so weak.

“Please, Dean?” Castiel says, so quietly that Dean doesn’t really understand him, but since his gaze his focused on Castiel’s lips again, he can read the words easily there and this time Dean nods. He can’t speak right now, but Castiel is smiling at him.

Dean isn’t sure what to do now and Castiel just leans back, his hand leaving Dean’s thigh and for a second Dean wants to press his hand back down, instead he just tries to relax his own hands.

“Lay back down for me.” Castiel says quietly and Dean doesn’t even realize, that somehow Castiel takes the control over the situation. He really leans back on the bed and when Castiel nods, he takes the pillow away from his lap.

Dean was never really shy about his body, but when Castiel’s gaze wanders down to his dick, he squirms and his hands nearly jerk up to cover his dick, but Castiel’s hand is right over Dean’s left one.

“Show me how you touch yourself.” Castiel says and Dean has to look away. It’s almost a miracle that his dick is still half-hard, but then again, Dean always imagines Castiel with him and now that he is really here, his dick can’t seem to calm down.

“Give me the lube.” Dean says and his own voice sounds wrecked, he can’t believe he is actually doing this and at the same time, he’s excited about this. He wishes Castiel would take out his own dick, but he doesn’t dare to say it.

Castiel gives him the lube and frowns at it. Dean takes some amount of the lube and then takes his dick back in his hand. It feels good, but he bites down on his lip, too embarrassed about how loud he can get sometimes.

“It’s better with lube, not as dry. Maybe that’s why it hurt.” Dean gasps out between a few strokes and Castiel looks back to his face. Dean speeds his hand up a little and Castiel nods. His eyes grow darker with every second and Dean is sure he is bright red by now.

“It looks as if it feels good.” Castiel says and he looks back down. Dean groans at that, he can’t help it and rubs his thumb over his tip. He can feel how his dick leaks more precum, but he is still looking at Castiel.

He can see how tight Castiel’s trousers are. Dean whimpers.

“Feels so good.” Dean whispers and Castiel nods. Dean wishes Castiel would touch him, like he always imagined, but he tries to ignore the feeling and cups his balls with the other hand.

“Tell me how you like it.” Castiel says and Dean throws his head back. Fuck this is so freaking hot and he loses the feeling of shame. This is Cas. He can trust him.

“L-like it fast and s-sometimes a bit rough.” Dean stutters out between his strokes and he feels so close already. It’s not really a surprise since he waited all day for this and it’s even better with Castiel watching now, but he wishes he could last a little bit longer.

“So you just fuck your hand?” Castiel says and Dean doesn’t even realize, that the angel uses such a word. Dean nods a bit wild and his toes curl already, he really wants to come for Castiel now.

Forgotten that he was just showing Castiel how to masturbate, lost in his own fantasies.

Just when Dean thinks he is already losing it, Castiel’s hand covers his own and it’s now his movements that are jacking Dean off. The sound Dean makes is more of a wail than anything else and Castiel actually smirks down at him.

Dean wants to frown and ask Castiel what this is about, but he forgets about it when Castiel leans down and kisses him right on the mouth. Dean’s complete body goes still for a second and then Castiel whispers something right in his mouth.

“Come for me Dean.”

That’s all it takes and Dean whines loudly against Dean’s lips while he is coming. It feels like an eternity and at the same time just a few seconds. Castiel strokes him through it, Dean’s own hand still between the angel’s and his own dick.

Dean whines, when his dick gets too sensitive and Castiel chuckles, before he stops his movements. Dean feels as if he just went straight to heaven and he smiles lazily up at Castiel, before he hastily sits up, nearly smacking their heads together.

Fuck. He just did that with Castiel.

Dean’s eyes are wide and he hastily tries to cover himself up again. Why did he do this? Only then does Dean realize, that Castiel is smiling softly at him and before Dean can do anything, Castiel presses another hot kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for showing me Dean, even though it was nothing new.” Castiel says and then he gets up. He presses two fingers against Dean’s forehead and cleans them both up in the process. Dean bright red when he sees that there are a few spatter on Castiel’s black pants before they vanish.

Only when Castiel is already at the door, Dean understands what he just said.

“What do you mean, nothing new?” Dean asks and there is this damn smirk on Castiel’s face again. Dean wants to smack… or kiss him.

“Well it’s not very different from the way I do it, even though of course I mostly imagine how to fuck you.” Castiel says and Dean gasps at nothing. He always had thought that Castiel was this innocent and holy angel and instead he knew all along.

“What the fuck!” Dean says and he gets up, now not really caring about his nudity. Thankfully his dick is spent for now, since it’s actually freaking hot when Castiel raises one eyebrow at him.

“Are you complaining?” Castiel asks and Dean shakes his head. No, he wishes they could do it again and Castiel’s smile tells him, he is thinking about the same thing.

“Good, because that was just the start.” Castiel says and with that, he is out of the door. Dean hears him laughing and runs after him.

He doesn’t care who sees him. He has to drag Castiel back to his bed. Now.

#destiel #destiel fanfic #deanandcasbingo #deanandcasbingo2019 #dean x castiel #my writing #writing

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