#it doesn't feel like i'm only happy for someone else by proxy

[imblocking-you]

I'm blissed out honestly, this is a unique experience with all three of us. I've felt right now for the first time the glee and not the stress looming from college. I love it. I hope to never forget it.

[starguardianniom]

The Emodrien and Emonette scene

Ok so yesterday while rewatching this scene something caught my attention, when Shadybug sees it's Adrien Agreste that is Claw Noir, she goes to touch his cheek and sees makeup covering the black veins on his face, and says that she should have known.

Now that is an important detail, because at first I wasn't sure what she was talking about.

Then when she detransforms and tries to make a wish, it fails and she is send crashing against the mirror and we see dark veins that now goes from her neck to her face.

If you noticed though, when she crashes into the mirror, she loses the scarf she has around her neck.

Now when she looks in the mirror she gets a sad look at seeing the veins, but doesn't seem surprised to see them there.

I'm thinking that she also had the black veins showing to her neck hence why she was wearing a scarf to hide them, and with the wish backfiring on her, it spread to her face, and now she can't cover it up.

Probably why she breaks down after that, she realise she is on a close timer and is beyond terrified of dying.

Heck now it reminds me of the line she said earlier when she and Claw Noir were fighting in the street before getting Monarch's attention, she said that she would be the one the Supreme would spare, was it because she thought the black veins were probably gonna kill her and the Supreme told her that she would be saved if she brought back the Butterfly Miraculous?

Like she wasn't aware why of how she got her veins turning black and showing but the Supreme probably promised her to take care of it if she did what she was told?

Given Claw Noir was in a similar predicament, did he put them against each other in order to give only one of them a chance at living? If he ever had any intention of curing them in the first place, which I highly doubt in all honesty.

Also, the implications of why they would get miraculouses when Betterfly outright says the Supreme gives them to those in his closest circles seems weird, until you remember that Gabriel was part of it before he betrayed the Supreme and stole 2 miraculouses, remembered it from reading about it on Tv. Tropes in the Fridge Logic section.

After that, the Supreme probably trusted his close circles less, so he decided to give miraculouses to young teens that would get themselves killed by their powers and nobody would care much, they would be desperate and eager to prove themselves while also being merciless as they were hurt and angry at the world and wanted to lash out about the unfairness of it all.

Perfect preys were Emonette and Emodrien.

Emonette only knew pain and suffering from Chloé Bourgeois and never had anyone in her life caring about her which made her a good candidate to get a miraculous, she would be happy to finally have something to defend herself, power, while also feeling important, but also her having no one close in her life would make sure her presence wouldn't be missed when she would die, apart maybe Chloé missing her favorite victim though I'm sure she would have found someone else soon enough.

Emodrien being the son of Gabriel the traitor and his mother being dead by the Supreme's hand was also a good candidate, punishing Gabriel's betrayal via proxy through his son slowly dying without any of them being none the wiser. If Gabriel hadn't went to the other universe, he might have gone to bury his own son alongside his wife soon.

So now everything falls into place.

Why Emonette and Emodrien are Shadybug and Claw Noir and not some adults like maybe an alternate André Bourgeois and Audrey Bourgeois.

[phoenix-is-the-hottest-thing]

I'm planning to re-play part 1.5 and 2 soon, and I'm kinda interested in understanding Vita better. Like, right now I just don't understand her. She says things like "I love Seele", that she wants to be friends with people, but it kinda seems like she's got some ulterior motive? And if she doesn't have some big grand evil plan that she's working on in the background, how can she, how can anyone express those feelings as genuinely as she does? It's like she just doesn't know what shame, fear and anxiety are. Maybe after getting Sa's powers she feels like nothing can stop her so she can just whatever she wants? idk

While 1.5 is, Part 2 isn't replayable on the same account at this time, so watch out on that.

Vita... Vita knows shame, fear and anxiety a little too well, I'd suspect.

Salt Snow Holy City and the Phosphorus arc to a lesser extent are very important to understand why she's like this. More than Part 2 is; Part 1.5 established all her villain backstory character, Part 2 we see more how she's getting worse now that she's free lmao.

You have to understand Vita is someone who was created in her mother's image. Furthermore, she has been told, explicitly, by someone who loathes Sa, that she is too much like how her mother used to be. If you played Born in a Dream, Vita's personality was born from a mix of her experience as a Proxy and Sa's memories.

Vita is essentially to Sa what Kiana is to Sirin.

But worse! Kiana was a child and grew up amnesiac of Sirin's memories even if they eventually came back (this really isn't elaborated on uh?), while Vita remembers, and was drop-kicked into adulthood with no one protecting her. Also, Kiana doesn't look like Sirin, while Vita's an identical clone.

She's got baggage as the basis of her identity!

Next up, you have to remember Vita was created as and lived as a slave and assassin all her life. Her thoughts were being spied on constantly, she had to follow orders or else she could be killed by Sa at any moment (her life even gets threatened onscreen in the Phosphorus arc), and her personality was molded to be approachable specifically so she could manipulate and kill people. That's what the kids would call a nasty abusive situation, with a side of neglect.

So Vita lacked a proper childhood, and she was unable to form bonds in a normal way in her formative years because her job was murdering everyone she got close to. The four sisters she got attached to in the event dream? They existed to an extent, but they were already gone. Vita already killed them. Yippeee! Marah, arguably the only one who could've been a loving parent, or at least her friend? Ran away, leaving her alone with Sa. Yippeeeeee!!!!!!!

Girlie calls herself a villain and told Seele she doesn't feel guilt for Salt Snow because no one died for good, so... I think she does feel shame for the blood on her hand, but also it was kind of all Sa's fault? So she wants to get over it and live her own happy life now. That might seem callous, but what else can she do? She can never atone for all the worlds she's destroyed, besides protect those that are threatened now... which is exactly what she is doing on Mars.

She explicitly tells Hua she finds genuinely good people disarming because she's so used to looking out for herself selfishly. She's twisted, and she's been constantly running in survival mode because that's what growing up in an abused household does to you. She is well aware she might turn out evil without guardrails, and asks Hua for advice about avoiding it in Phosphorus, but she feels being held back by equal friends doesn't suit her. Can you blame her? Girl's never had those before!

So. Why does she have zero filter? Vita very much always had the capacity to love, and that went horribly with her siblings who kept dying, but now she can indulge it without holding back, she no longer has a sword of Damocles hanging over her head. She can be childish and provoke people, because she has nothing to fear anymore, with Kiana asleep there's nearly no one left to be able to make her feel consequences for her actions (this is kind of a bad thing).

Toying with people is a habit, one she finds fun, and she is very much used to accepting that people hate her for very good reasons, so she has no incentive to stop. In Part 2 she's only been free for five years out of several dozens of millions of years of slavery. She hasn't unlearned any of that shit!

There's also the factor that she does not like it when gods decide what mortals do (yaknow like Sa did?), so she's pretty incensed against [REDACTED] on Mars. That seems to be her main long-term goal... and it's making her angry and frustrated, which she takes out on others by being extra mean (RIP Dreamseeker).

TLDR: Vita is an annoying gremlin because she's a pissed off abused woman catching up on her childhood while going slightly mad with power.

[mxstball]

@arcanaanima from ask

"Wh--what? What in the world? How the fuck did they find this place already?" Heidi blinked. "I JUST had that other Aesen over not too long ago. All I sent Hera was a location request to MY Hall of Origin. How did they find this place?"

Actually, you know what? At this point, considering Izanami's resources, she wouldn't be surprised if there were others that were like her to some degree.

Either way, Heidi was happy to receive the phone. "Alright. This addition will have to do with your Infinity Energy signature, so if you feel that being adjusted a little, it's nothing bad."

Heidi summoned Ghost and the two went to work. On the surface, it looked like she was just tapping a few buttons, but there was a tie in the Infinity Energy between Shukukou and the phone. It was surprisingly quick, however. Seems that Heidi was getting good at this.

"The fact that it works with other Arceus the same way is kinda cool. Thought I had to do more tweaks. Anyway, so I added a new app to your phone -- or, I guess, to you directly. The app is tied to your unique Aura and Infinity Energy signature, but it interfaces through your phone. Doesn't take any space or memory or anything. So, there's a few things that this app does. So, you don't need this, but there's an improved map that allows you to make a portal or teleport to various major areas that you've been. You can even set your own. The map doesn't just cover this world, though. It covers every dimension that you've been to as well. Second, when messaging people, not only can the message go through dimensions like it already does, but it can go through time as well -- and it will show you the time that they're in relative to you. So, if I went back 200 years, it'll say that I'm currently 200 years in the past. Because of this, whenever someone talks in relative times and places, tapping the message will convert it to the relative time and place for you so you know where and when to go."

"Finally, for anyone that has this app like me or Zinnia, there's special teleport and portal technology between the app users. Starting with requests, you can send a teleport or portal request to the other person, and, if they accept, they either instantly teleport to your location, or a portal opens to be right in front of you. In term of open requests, you can enable to where other app users can teleport to you at any time while open requests are available. This will be on a per-contact basis, and you can turn it on or off with a simple tap or with your energy signature. So, for example, if Gloam had the app, you have request turned on, and she gets in a hairy situation, then she can simply tap to instantly teleport to you; however, if you are out on a mission, your requests will be turned off, so she won't be able to teleport to you and will have to pick someone else instead."

Heidi handed the phone back. "So far, you're the only one with the app in this world, but if you find it useful for others like your Legendary Pokémon or Proxies, then I can set it up with them as well."

[h0rr0rsaxo]

Hi there! So I have a few ideas, here's on for Oc-verse.

So Lucien gets dragged back By ocv Fang and Viper and just rants to The Shadows (Enids proxies) about how adorable and cute the humans from the Cp universe are. Everyone is sitting there like..."Wtf I sound so fucking weak." like Kellin is talking about how big of a pussy he seems and Lucien talks about human Anni and describes how small and "cute" she is and Varrick is like..oh? Ocv Anni obviously is not happy about being so "weak" in the other universe and she just scoffs and ignores Lucien. Demon Varrick though...he listens and gets curious. So he goes to Cp verse and finds Anni. She's in the woods and he kinda watches her until she spots him and just sees glowing eyes. In an attempt to run, she slips on a rock and hits her head on a tree root, and gets knocked out.

Waking up she sees this demon dude who is just staring at her, she is slightly concussed and very confused and he says who he is and she's like...."uhhhh....what?" but he just stares at her eyes, her freckles, how small she is, and even takes notice of her hands lmao. All in all its adorable and cute until Ocv Anni pops out of nowhere, pissed and annoyed and she tries to get Varrick to come back but he refuses and grasps onto human Anni. Ocv Anni, being pissed off, she just leaves and goes and finds someone else to intimidate and then flirt with lmao-

(tysm, this is a lot so no pressure and feel free to change or add anything!)

[ humans. || simp party. ]

Warnings: None.

Tags: @insane-horror-movie-addict

A/N: Lucien beng a little shit is so funny. He doesn't care if he's getting hateful glares, bro just keep TALKING. Lawd. Also, this isn't proofread, so if it doesn't make sense, I'm sorry- I was just writing and was hyperfocused. Writing without thinking?

Word count: 3,781

Fang stood with her arms crossed, her eyes flashing with anger as Viper tried to defend himself. They were standing in a dimly lit alleyway, the only source of light coming from a flickering street lamp above them. Fang's long black hair whipped around in the wind as she glared at Viper— creatures of sorts crawled and scrambled amongst Nightmare's realm. The luminous sky above adorned not one— but three moons, all shining down on the three figures in the dark.

"Are you kidding me, Viper?" Fang spat, the little fox on her shoulder growling along with her, as if to emphasize her anger, "We were supposed to capture Lucien two hours ago! And now, because of your incompetence, we're going to be in so much trouble with Nightmare. What are we supposed to tell her?! That you got your feelings hurt, and fled to another realm?! I can't believe you decided to pull this stupid bullshit on the most unforgiving Goddess we've EVER worked for!"

Viper rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Well, maybe if you didn't reject me, this wouldn't have happened!" She retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Fang's eyes widened in disbelief. "This is not the time for this, Viper!" she shouted. "You're being unreasonable!"

Viper stepped closer to Fang, her face twisted in anger. "Unreasonable?" She growled. "You're the one who's always been so cold to me! Maybe if you had just given me a chance, we could have worked together better and caught our target on time. Maybe— I wouldn't have to resort to finding a Fang who would actually appreciate me!"

Fang shook her head in frustration, "This is not about us, Viper!" she yelled. "This is about our mission and our duty to Nightmare. You need to focus on the task at hand and stop bringing up irrelevant issues."

Viper took a step back, her anger deflating slightly. "I know," she mumbled. "I'm sorry. I just...I'm frustrated. I feel like I can't do anything right when it comes to you."

Fang softened slightly, her anger giving way to sympathy. "It's not about you, Viper," she said gently. "It's about our duty to Nightmare. We need to focus on that and get to our target before it's too late. Before we get a public execution— one slip up, and she's going to feel us to the rats."

Lucien was being dragged while tied up, his arms bound tightly behind his back as Fang stood before him, a look of determination on her face. She had finally caught him, after hours of chasing and battling him, and now she had him right where she wanted him. But Lucien was not deterred. Even in this precarious situation, he couldn't help but flirt with Fang. "You know, you're even more beautiful up close, and that other version of you? So adorable. " he said, his voice low and seductive.

Fang rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the way Viper audibly growled at this man— she had absolutely no time for their antics right now. "Save it, Lucien," she said sternly. "You're going to pay for what you've done."

Lucien smirked. He marveled at Fang's determination and the way her darkened eyes seemed to flicker like an unsettling fire. The radiant strength that seeped off her body was contagious, and being next to her, Lucien felt like he could stand up to anything that was in his way, "Oh, I'm sure I will," he said, his eyes roaming over Fang's body. "But maybe we can come to some kind of arrangement? I'm sure we could both benefit from a little...negotiation—" 

"I will slaughter you, and feed you to my hyenas if you continue to flirt with her." Viper let out an unsettling growl emerge from her throat, her eyes glistening a mischievous glint as she reached for her scythe to deliver the last blow to Akuma's pathetic and irritatingly strong son— Lucien only laughed at her— her threats meant nothing to him. 

The moon shone down on the deserted street, casting an eerie glow on the empty buildings and silent alleyways. It was a night of stillness and solitude, a time when most people had retreated to the safety of their homes. But then, out of nowhere, a group of figures appeared in the distance. They were cloaked in darkness, their movements swift and silent as they made their way towards Fang, Viper and Lucien. They called themselves "The Shadows," and their presence was enough to make Fang's skin crawl with absolute annoyance— what the hell were they doing in Nightmare's realm? Last time she remembered, they weren't allowed here.

As they approached, their condescending laughter rang out like the howls of wolves, echoing through the empty streets. Fang and Viper stood their ground, but they knew they were outnumbered and outmatched. The moonlight glinted off the blades and weapons that The Shadows held, casting a chilling glare across their faces. 

"I'd never thought you would actually return, Fang. After all, you're still just a little human— you can barely fend for yourself." Anni laughed, their eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, as if she was a creature of the night themselves. Fang felt a surge of anger and frustration. These Shadows had been a thorn in her side for months, always popping up when she least expected it, always causing trouble. She was tired of their games, tired of their taunts and their laughter.

But as they closed in around her, their menacing presence looming over her like a dark cloud, Fang knew she had to stay focused. She couldn't let her fear get the best of her, not when the lives of her friend and the safety of the city were at stake.

With a deep breath, Fang stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice steady and strong.

"Hey! What's up guys? Was wondering when you would show up!" Lucien was clearly unable to sense the tension in the air— this air-head seemed to chat with just anybody, even if they considered him an enemy. "I need to tell you about the crazy fucking things I saw! You will never believe this— but you guys were all humans in this universe I went to!"

"Humans? What the hell are you talking about, Lucien?" As the night sky hung heavy above, a silvery luminescence cascaded down from the full moon, casting an ethereal glow upon the world below. It was in this otherworldly light that Vince finally showed his face in the street light. The moonlight seemed to dance upon his skin, illuminating every facet of his being.

"I wouldn't even talk to him if I were you, this guy is a complete fucking nutcase." Kellin rolled his eyes, also stepping into the comfort of the moonlight— his blades glinting. Despite his precarious situation, Lucien remained calm and collected. His mind was a steel trap, sharp and agile, and he used it to carefully consider his words as he spoke to The Shadow proxies that surrounded him. 

"Oh yeah? Well, you can always see it for yourself, I have the exact portal coordinates," They loomed large, with faces that twisted and contorted in the flickering light, yet Lucien did not falter. He spoke with an air of confidence and authority, as if he were a scholar lecturing to a room full of eager students. "First of all— you should have seen Varrick, oh dude— he was human! A cocky human at that— he was much smaller of course, but man, that guy had some balls, I'll tell you that. He threatened to kick my ass so many times— even if he knows I could kill him, can you believe that?!" Lucien laughed loudly, his sounds of laughter echoing off the streets— causing Varrick to narrow his eyes slightly. 

"A little human wasn't scared of the son of Akuma? He seems so brave, and confident— I like that in a man." Anni let a little smirk tug at her lips, putting her hand onto her hip as she listened to this tale that Lucien told. Varrick— who was right beside her— felt oddly offended.

"I'm confident too.." Varrick muttered quietly, while Anni slipped a hand onto his face, teasingly brushing her gloved hands against his sensitive and untouched skin.

"Oh please, we all know you're lying to yourself, Varrick. You just have to accept that there is a more handsome version of you out there." Anni teased, nudging the much larger man with her hip as he slumped with a little sigh. The Shadows listened intently, their forms shifting and swaying in response to Lucien's words. 

"And Kellin! When I tried to speak to your human version, I kid you not, he started screaming because there was a spider on my shoulder! Never in my life, would I have thought I would hear any version of you scream. I couldn’t stop laughing, I wish I recorded it.." As Lucien spoke, the moonlight seemed to intensify, casting them to glare down athim. Yet he remained unafraid, his voice ringing out clear and true in the night. He knew that he had stumbled upon something extraordinary, and he was determined to share it with them.

"What the fuck? I sound so fucking weak. I didn't kill hundreds, just to be patronized like this." Kellin felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment as the group erupted into laughter. His eyes darted around, searching for a way out of the situation, but he found no escape. He had made a foolish mistake, and now he was paying the price. The laughter continued, growing louder and more raucous with each passing moment. 

"Vince, don't even let me get started on you— when I saw you, you were wearing an apron and you were holding a tray of cupcakes!" Lucien continued to laugh, tears started to even spring to his eyes as he howled with laughter, "Your human version even offered me one!" Vince could feel the weight of his group's amusement pressing down upon him, suffocating him with its intensity— he crossed his arms angrily and waited for the laughter to die down.

"Oh my god— and Anni? She was so small, and cute. I swear, she had the cutest little freckles on her face and get this—" They seemed to be drawn to the tales he wove, their interest piqued by the stories he told of the other world he had seen. His descriptions were vivid and intricate, each word carefully chosen to paint a picture in the minds of his captive audience. "This Anni was actually….nice!" 

"No fucking way." Kellin crossed his arms, "You're so full of shit, Lucien."

"Am I?" Lucien challenged, his Chesire-like grin carved onto his face, "Go see it for yourself— you won't regret it." 

Anni's voice was hushed, almost reverent, as she began to insult this supposed version of herself, "I seem so fucking pathetic. I can't believe a version of myself even exists— I'm so glad humans barely exist in this world, they fucking disgust me." She said, her eyes alight with annoyance. "I'm done hearing about this weird shit. I have more important things to do."

Varrick's face flushed as he felt a warmth spread across his cheeks, the telltale sign of a blush. He couldn't believe how much of an effect Anni had on him with just the very thought of her being not only human, but a kind-hearted human— the thought of it had his heart racing, and he was going to take Lucien's advice— he was going to go see this Anni from another universe. 

— . — . —

Anni wandered through the woods, her senses heightened by the eerie silence that surrounded her. The trees loomed above her, casting dark shadows that seemed to follow her every move. She couldn't help but feel like she was being watched. Unbeknownst to Anni, Varrick was indeed watching her from a distance, his eyes fixed on her every movement. He had been exploring the woods when he stumbled upon her, and something about her had captivated him. He couldn't resist the urge to follow her, to see where she was going.

As Anni walked deeper into the woods, Varrick stayed hidden, his eyes never leaving her form. He watched as she stopped to inspect a flower, her delicate fingers tracing its petals. He saw the way her hair caught the light, making it seem like it was on fire. But then, something changed. Anni's head snapped up, her eyes scanning the surrounding area. Varrick froze, hoping against hope that he hadn't been spotted. But it was too late. Anni's gaze settled on a pair of glowing eyes in the darkness, and she gasped in fear.

Before Varrick could even react, Anni turned and ran, her movements quick and panicked. She didn't see the rock in her path until it was too late, and she tripped, her head hitting a tree root with a sickening thud. Varrick rushed to her side, his heart pounding in his chest. He saw the blood trickling from the gash on her forehead and knew that he had to act quickly. He cradled her in his arms, his hands gentle as he tried to rouse her from unconsciousness.

"Anni, can you hear me!?" he whispered, his voice filled with worry.

For a moment, there was no response. But then, Anni's eyes fluttered open, her gaze unfocused— before she immediately fell back to sleep. Varrick let out a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. 

— . — . —

Anni groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. She tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to wince and fall back onto the hard, cold ground. Blinking rapidly, she tried to assess her surroundings, but all she could see was darkness. She could barely remember what had happened, but she knew she was in trouble.

Suddenly, she heard a deep purring sound coming from beside her. She turned her head and saw a large demon standing over her, his glowing eyes fixed on her face. He was massive, with weapons that stretched out behind him and a set of razor-sharp claws that glinted in the darkness. Anni's heart raced as she realized she was in the presence of something otherworldly.

The demon spoke, his voice low and guttural. "Are you alright?" he asked, his eyes still trained on her.

Anni was so disoriented that she couldn't find the words to answer. She just stared up at the demon, trying to make sense of what was happening.

"I am Varrick," he said, his voice echoing through the space around them. "I know you, and you know me, but…in another world."

Anni tried to sit up again, but the pain in her head was too much. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Don't be scared," Varrick replied, his eyes still locked onto hers. "I'm not here to hurt you— I would never dream of it." Anni's eyes widened as she realized that this large demon strangely resembled the Varrick she knew. She tried to sit up again, but the pain in her head was too much. She felt dizzy and disoriented, and she couldn't focus on anything. Varrick seemed to notice her discomfort, and he leaned down closer to her. His eyes scanned her face, taking in every detail, from the freckles on her nose to the small size of her hands. 

Anni's head throbbed as she slowly opened her eyes once again. She groaned and tried to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through her skull, causing her to wince and fall back onto the hard, cold ground. She was disoriented and confused, unable to recall what had happened. As she tried to regain her bearings, she noticed the demon who continued to loom over her. She squinted, trying to focus her vision, and saw that it was the same demon and glowing yellow eyes. He was staring at her intently, as if he were trying to read her thoughts.

"You're so…cute. Lucien had mentioned that you were a human— but I'd never imagine you to be so…adorable." He mentioned, his voice deep and rumbling.

Anni blinked, still trying to process the situation. "Uhhh...what?" she managed to stammer.

The demon's eyes never left her face as he spoke again. "Sorry," he said. "Was that too much?"

Anni's heart raced as she realized she was in the presence of something otherworldly. She tried to sit up again, but the pain in her head was too intense.

"What happened?" she asked, struggling to remember how she had ended up there.

"You hit your head against a tree root— hard. But I brought you to a cabin I presume was yours, it had your scent." Varrick replied, his voice surprisingly gentle. "You're safe now." Anni felt a sense of relief wash over her as she realized she wasn't alone in this strange place. She looked up at Varrick, taking in his intimidating presence, but also sensing a kindness in his gaze.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Varrick nodded, his eyes scanning her face with a look of curiosity. "You are different from the other Anni I know," he said.

Anni furrowed her brow, confused by his statement. "What do you mean?"

Anni felt a shiver run down her spine as Varrick reached out and traced his finger along her freckled nose. She was taken aback by the sudden intimacy of the gesture, but she couldn't deny the warmth that spread through her body at his touch.

"You are very cute," Varrick said, his voice low and husky.

Anni blushed, feeling a flutter in her chest at the compliment. She had never been called cute by anyone before, let alone a demon. Varrick continued to trace his fingers across her face, taking in every detail. He gently brushed his thumb over her lips, causing her to gasp in surprise. His touch was surprisingly tender, and Anni found herself leaning into it, wanting more.

As Varrick's hand moved down to her palm, Anni couldn't help but feel a jolt of electricity shoot through her body. His touch was sending tingles up her arm, and she found herself wanting more of his affection.

Varrick seemed to sense her desire, and he leaned in closer, his lips brushing against her ear. "You are so small and delicate," he whispered. "I could hold you in my arms forever."

Anni's heart raced as she felt Varrick's breath on her skin. She was both scared and excited by his closeness, unsure of what would happen next.

But instead of doing anything more, Varrick simply sat back and looked at her, his eyes filled with a mixture of tenderness and curiosity.

"You are different than the other Anni," he said, his voice soft. "You have a purity and innocence to you that she lacks. It is refreshing."

Anni felt a sense of pride at his words, grateful that he saw something good in her. She had always felt like an outsider, never quite fitting in with the people around her. But here, in this strange realm with a demon, she felt like she belonged.

"Thank you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Varrick simply smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with warmth. "You are welcome," he said. "I am here to protect you, Anni. You are safe with me."

Anni felt a sense of contentment wash over her as Varrick continued to trace his fingers along her skin. She was captivated by his gentle touch, feeling as though she could stay in this moment forever. But that moment was shattered when a sudden noise echoed through the darkness. Anni jumped, her heart racing as she looked around for the source of the sound.

And then, out of nowhere, OCV-Anni appeared, her eyes blazing with anger. "What are you doing with her? We were supposed to be out on a mission— and youre cuddling with a pathetic human version of me?" she demanded, her voice sharp and menacing. Anni's jaw had practically dropped— was she on drugs, or did a more badass version of her just casually break through the door— what the hell was happening?

Varrick stood up, pulling Anni up with him. He held onto her tightly, as if protecting her from Viper's wrath. "We were just talking— shes so…cute." he said, his voice calm and even.

OCV-Anni scoffed, her eyes flicking between Varrick and Anni. "She's just a human," she said. "What could you possibly see in her?"

Varrick bristled at her words, a little smile tugging at his lips— hugging her closely. "She is not just a human," he said. "She is you! But nicer— and kind— I want to take her home with me…she's just so precious. I've never met someone like her.." Varrick was obviously being dramatic— he had only known this Anni for about five minutes, and yet he couldn't keep his hands off of her.

Anni felt a sense of gratitude towards Varrick for standing up for her, but she also felt a sense of fear at the intensity of the situation. OCV–Anni seemed to sense her discomfort, and she turned her attention back to Varrick. "Fine," she said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Do what you want. But don't say I didn't warn you. I'm gonna go explore, maybe bring home some humans. Demons will kill each other over a single piece of human meat." And with that, she disappeared into the darkness, leaving Varrick and Anni alone once again.

Varrick turned to Anni, his eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft.

Anni nodded, feeling a sense of relief that the danger had passed. "Thank you," she said. "For protecting me."

Varrick simply smiled at her, his eyes twinkling with affection. "Of course," he said. "You are special to me, Anni. I will always keep you safe."

Anni felt a sense of warmth spread through her chest at his words. She was grateful to have found someone in this strange realm who cared for her, who saw her as more than just a human.

But as she looked up at Varrick, she couldn't help but wonder what other dangers lay in store— I mean, what the actual hell was happening? This entire situation was just so confusing— was this demon even actually Varrick, or was it just some shapeshifter claiming to be him? She had a hard time understanding this situation, anybody would be confused— and it all started with that mysterious woman, apparently named Viper. 

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

So, i know that logic has never applied here, but I've been seeing some rumors where people are afraid that Carlos will be hospitalized and Iris will keep TK from his medical stuff and I'm just kind of confused about that? Like, technically Owen should have been the only one who was allowed to know about TK's condition during the comas 2.0 since I'm sure he was his medical contact at the time but the doctor had literally no problem telling Carlos, Tommy, and Nancy TK's condition and everything going on with him. So, I just don't see how that can kind of be a thing. But also logic doesn't apply sometimes LOL

But I also think that Iris isn't really going to be a part of episode 4 since she's prob rescued in 3 and I like the idea of the divorce papers being signed and we get the false happy ending bc carlos gets shoveled lol.

I've seen that theorized as well. I hope that isn't where this is going. I think I prefer the sequence of events you suggest. A false happy ending before shoveling Carlos seems like a good way to go.

As you mention, this show has never been that concerned with medical privacy. However, there is a difference between finding out medical information and making medical decisions. We don't know what kind of prior permission was given or who exactly TK's emergency medical contact was at the beginning of season 3, but realistically, the hospital probably shouldn't have been giving out medical information to people TK works with and his ex-boyfriend (unless Carlos was his medical contact, but we don't have any confirmation of that). Regardless, we never see the hospital allowing random people to actually make a medical decision for TK. Then we have the fact that the show made a big deal about TK being Owen's medical proxy. I think the main point of that was that TK would be able to make decisions on Owen's behalf. The way I've seen people discussing this theory about Iris is that the conflict would come from Iris being the one able to make medical decisions for Carlos. Since the medical proxy issue has already come up with Owen, there is some precedent for this kind of thing on the show. I don't think we've ever actually seen someone make a medical decision for someone else without proper authority to do so.

I guess the scenario would be Iris wanting to withhold medical treatment that TK thinks Carlos should get? I can't imagine why that would happen or what the possible treatment would be. Or would it just be that TK would feel helpless and left out because he wasn't allowed to make the decisions, even if Iris was making the right ones? I don't know. Personally, I don't like it. It feels too close to villainizing Iris, which I really hope the show doesn't do. I think she and TK might be at odds at least a little bit in this next episode, but I'm hoping that won't continue beyond episode 2. I don't like the idea of them essentially fighting over Carlos. Really, they both love and care about Carlos, so if Iris is involved during episode 4, I would like to hope there wouldn't be conflict between her and TK. I just don't see the point. I suppose it could possibly be used to make TK want to get married as soon as possible because he would never want to be in that situation again, but I don't think we need that since he clearly already wants to get married as soon as possible.

We'll probably have a much better idea on how likely this is after the second episode. We'll find out what Iris' position on signing the divorce papers is, and it also looks like we'll at least start to find out about the mystery/problem/danger involving Iris. I'm betting these facts will give us a lot more to go on when it comes to theorizing about episode 4. I don't feel like we know enough yet to say whether this theory is likely or not. I don't think I want Iris to be a part of episode 4 or involved in Carlos' near death experience, particularly if that requires a conflict between her and TK, but ultimately, I'm reserving judgment until we see how it plays out.

[michaelmyersofficial]

29/01/2024 Monday Afternoon

I spent yesterday not really feeling well, so I never posted about going to bed, or about anything else. Unfortunately I'm not really feeling well today, either, however I have so much I need to work on that I can't possibly finish it all. It's left me feeling extremely overwhelmed. This is to the point that I feel like I'm making myself sick again, not to mention that I'm alone with my thoughts. Have you ever considered the concept of altruism? I mean people say you can't really be altruistic because no matter what you gain something, even just feeling good about what you've done. But that isn't something I can relate to. For me, when I feel good about something it's usually not something good, and that triggers guilt, of course, but my initial reaction to something terrible is like Munchausen by proxy. I like when bad things happen to other people, that triggers a positive effect. Which is why, secondarily I always become terrified if I'm feeling good or happy about something because I don't WANT bad things to happen, not truly. And when something good happens or I do something nice for someone else? I always end up feeling like shit about it, because it usually ends up hurting me. I do it anyway, because it's the right thing to do, and I'd rather be hurt than hurt someone else. But the fact is that doing something nice for someone else doesn't feel good, to me. It makes me feel like shit, it often bites me in the ass, it often makes my life worse or harder. So I don't understand people who say "doing good feels good." It doesn't. So I guess I just don't understand. Maybe I'm just a negative person? Or maybe this is some lesson I'm supposed to learn. Or maybe I have an empathy problem. Or maybe. . . I don't know. I think I'm just too alone in my head at this point. For the record, despite being stuck in my own mind, I have fed Liechtenstein, 1 cup kitten food and 1 ice cube, chicken flavour. I've also taken my vitamins and eaten breakfast, a bagel with peanut butter and hot chocolate. I do have to finish getting ready for the day, but each thing I do only reminds me of how much more there is. It feels never ending. I'll do my best to work on things, and update as I go, but it feels sort of hopeless at the moment. I can't decide if taking some time to relax would help, after all, that just means I'd be taking up time I could be using to work on things.

[the-bau-quinjet]

Secret's Out

Summary: Request! Reid and Y/N are secretly dating, but their business doesn't stay their business for long.

Warnings: Criminal Minds level violence

Word Count: 2974

a/n: Thank you for the request! I hope you like it :)

Sorry this took forever! It took me a while to think of case details that I liked and then I kept rewriting parts. I think I'm finally happy with it though!

Masterlist

"Spencer!" You pushed him away. "The doors could open at any moment! How are we supposed to keep this a secret if Morgan walks in on us kissing in the elevator?" You raised a brow at him.

"On average, elevators travel at a speed of 200 ft/min or about 4 seconds per floor. Being on the fifth floor means we have about 20 seconds to ourselves." He smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah, until someone surprises us on floor 3." You rolled your eyes, stepping out of the doors once they opened.

"I can't help it. I'm just... really happy with you." He whispered softly.

"I'm really happy too." You smiled at him. You were about to lean in when the elevator doors opened once again to reveal JJ and Emily.

"Hey guys, ready for another case?" Emily glanced between you suspiciously, but thankfully didn't ask any prying questions.

"Yep, let's go!" You turned quickly, walking into the round table room without so much as a glance back at the three agents by the elevator.

"What's with her?" JJ questioned.

"Said she didn't sleep well last night. Must be all the caffeine." He held his own cup off coffee up in solidarity before also walking to the round table room.

"Alright, we've got 3 dead in Billings, Montana. All three were law enforcement, and all three were found this morning around the city." You listened as Penelope introduced the details of the case.

"Could be someone who feels the police didn't do a good enough job protecting a loved one?" You threw out a theory.

"Or someone who feels wronged by the criminal justice system as a whole." Rossi added on.

"Either way, they likely won't stop until we catch them. Wheels up in 20." Hotch rose from his seat as he spoke, wasting no time in preparing for take off.

You all dispersed briefly to grab your go bags, meeting back at the SUVs to head to the jet.

Once boarded, it didn't take long for the conversation to start up again.

"When we land, L/N go to the morgue. Dave, Prentiss take the first and second crime scenes, they're only a mile apart. Morgan and Reid, check out the third scene. I'll head to the precinct with JJ."

With Hotch's instructions set, you took what little time you had left on the flight to go over the causes of death.

-

"Anything stand out to you on the bodies?" You asked the ME after going over the blunt force trauma and bullet wounds.

"There's tape residue and bruising on the wrists and ankles. Based on the state of bruising, they were likely held for about 3 days before they were killed."

"Thank you for your help." You shook hands, pulling out your phone to call Hotch.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch, they were held for days before they were killed. How did nobody notice they were missing?" There was nothing in the reports that indicated the victims were reported missing prior to being found.

"We just found the same pattern. They all used vacation days for various reasons in the days leading up to their deaths. Meet us back at the precinct and Reid can explain the whole pattern."

"Okay, I'm leaving now." You hung up just as you reached the SUV. Throughout the drive, you couldn't stop thinking that something wasn't adding up.

The victims were taken in the same day. It didn't make sense for the unsub not to escalate. So, why aren't any officers unaccounted for?

Suddenly, a truck crashed into your SUV, sending you flying off the road. A figure dressed in black opened the door and dragged you from the car.

"Agent L/N, it's so good to see you again." A male voice spoke, but you couldn't place it.

He hit you over the head with a handgun before dragging you to his own vehicle.

-

"Where's L/N?" Emily questioned when her and Rossi returned from the second dumpsite.

"On her way back from the ME." Hotch answered. "Did you find anything useful?"

"They truly are dumpsites. Both bodies were found by dumpsters, sending a pretty clear message." Dave replied.

"Same for the third site." Derek added on.

"All three victims were single and took time off leading up to their death. Nobody would've notice that they were missing until it was too late." Reid supplied the final bit of information gathered.

Hotch's phone rang before anyone else could comment. The frantic sound of Garcia's nails clicking against her keyboard echoed through the phone. She was talking before anyone could greet her.

"You need to see this, check your tablets."

Confused glances were exchanged as everyone, barring Reid, opened their tablets. Reid glanced over Morgan's shoulder to observe as well.

A seemingly live video that Garcia received a link to was streaming to the tablets.

A single woman sitting in a chair could be seen in the frame. Her wrists and ankles were bound to the chair with thick, gray tape and a bag was over her head.

"Garcia, what is this?" Hotch asked almost immediately.

"I was emailed the link just now. It's not streaming anywhere else online." Her reply came quickly, the sound of typing still filling in the silence.

"Can you trace it?" Rossi questioned.

"I'm trying, but it's being routed through multiple proxy servers."

"Did the email say anything?" Emily chimed in.

"No, it was just the link- Wait. I just got another email." She paused as the new email loaded. "It's addressed to Reid."

Every set of eyes in the room turned to Reid.

"What does it say?" He felt the nerves beginning to grow waiting for Garcia to read the words aloud.

"Dr. Reid,

I hope you remember me. What am I saying, of course you do. I've got something of yours that you might want back. You see Dr. Reid, you and your team ruined me. My family, my career, all of it, just gone. I thought I'd return the favor. A person's phone can be so informative. Tell me, does your team know about your girlfriend? I've so enjoyed getting reacquainted with her.

Happy hunting."

Spencer's face went white as he looked at Morgan's tablet again. His thoughts were racing. How did he not recognize you before? Even with the bag over your head, he should've known it was you.

"It's her." His words were barely a whisper.

"This is your girlfriend?" Morgan gestured to the screen again. Spencer could only nod in reply, his mind unable to focus on anything except you.

"Reid, listen to me. You've got to tell us everything you know about her. We'll have to split up. You can go back to Quantico with Emily and Morgan, the rest of us will stay here to work on our current case." Hotch was already devising a strategy to work both cases.

"There's no need." His words made sense to him, but sounded cryptic to the rest of the team.

"Kid, of course there is. We'll help you get her back." Morgan placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively shocking him back to the present situation.

"There's no need to split up because she's here. She's in Montana." Before he could continue, everyone was asking questions.

"Give me a phone number and I'll get you a location." Garcia was already typing away again.

"Are you sure she's here?" JJ's brows furrowed. She did her best to hide the hurt of her best friend hiding his girlfriend from her, again.

"Why would she be here?" Rossi added.

"How did she get here? Maybe we can track the transportation and figure out means of abduction." Emily was the only one thinking about the case.

Like ripping off a bandaid, Spencer blurted out the truth.

"It's Y/N."

He was met with silence in the room as everyone absorbed the information.

Garcia caught up first, a sudden gasp sounding through the phone.

"So, then that's Y/N... in the video..." Her voice wavered.

As if a switch was flipped, the team was back on the case.

"Garcia, get me a list of anyone who would have a grievance with the team." Hotch ordered.

"Go through anyone who was falsely accused. Start with cases in or around Montana. He would want to keep this close to home." Rossi specified.

"We've only had one case in Montana since Y/N joined the team." Reid supplied the knowledge as it came to him. "A name, I need a name." He muttered to himself, pulling his hair as he roughly ran his hands through it and over his face. "Garcia, look into Jameson Braddock."

"Got it." She immediately began a background check, searching through case files and news articles for additional information. "i'll get back to you with locations." With that, she hung up.

"Fill us in, kid. Who is Jameson Braddock." Morgan lead Reid to a chair, gently easing him into it.

"Our last case in Montana, Emily and I went to interview a witness." Emily nodded, the memories slowly coming back to her.

"He wasn't very forthcoming, and then he tried to run." She added on.

"Exactly, except he didn't make it very fair. We arrested him, but it turned out he was only guilty of selling alcohol to minors. When word of his arrest got out, the whole town thought it was for the serial rapes and murders we were investigating even though it was never confirmed."

"By the time we corrected the media, it was too late." JJ supplied, also remembering the man.

"So, he killed three officers just to draw us out back out here?" Morgan refocused the conversation on the current case.

"It looks that way now. The media knew we were coming, so he must have as well." Emily theororized. "If he followed us from the airport, he would've seen Y/N leave by herself."

"He likely didn't know about your relationship until he abducted her and went through her phone." Hotch paced the room.

"He's flaunting his power over us." Rossi chimed in just as Hotch's phone rang again.

"Garcia, what've you got?"

"Three addresses in Billings, Montana. Jameson Braddock has been on a downward spiral since your last trip there. His entire life fell apart, like he said. Divorced, his wife moved to Nebraska with their two kids. He lost his job at the high school, and was evicted from his house when he could no longer pay the bills." She listed the information quickly.

"He has ties to three addresses. Nobody has moved into his previous house, so it's vacant. He's got a small apartment in the northern part of the city which he pays for through working odd hours at Taco Bell. Finally, he briefly worked security at a now abandoned warehouse."

"An apartment wouldn't be enough space to hold her without the chance of someone hearing. She's not there." Rossi eliminated the location as an option.

"We'll split up to cover the warehouse and the house-" Hotch began, but Reid cut him off.

"No, we shouldn't split up. She's got to be at the house. The warehouse has no connection to his previous life. He wants revenge for our perceived wrongdoing, he wouldn't make his last stand at a new location." Reid was already putting on a bullet proof vest. Despite how his mind was racing, he refused to show how afraid he was.

"You're sure?" Morgan asked, on the fence about committing to one location.

"Absolutely." With that, Reid was out the door heading for the SUVs.

-

"Rossi, Emily head around back. I'll take the front with Reid. JJ and Morgan, the side door." Hotch instructed the team to split up upon arrival at the house.

Reid wasted no time in approaching the house. He was confident you were inside, but he didn't know what was happening to you.

The main floor was cleared quickly. Again, the team split up to cover the upper level and the basement.

Knowing you were likely downstairs, Reid immediately started that direction, JJ and Hotch following him.

It wasn't hard for him to find you. You were still tied to the chair in the middle of the room, bag over your head.

Before anyone could stop him, Reid lowered his gun and ran to you. He gently maneuvered the bag off your head, stopping his movements only when he felt something press into his back.

"Dr. Reid. So kind of you to join us." Braddock spoke maniacally, pressing the gun against Reid's head.

"Drop your weapon." Hotch commanded, but the man only cackled in response.

'Y/N... Y/N." Reid gently shook you in an attempt to wake you up.

"She can't hear you." Braddock singsonged.

"What did you do?" Reid tried to turn to him only to feel the gun press further into his head.

"Like I said in my email, you people ruined my life. They took everything from me, so I thought I'd try to return the favor." During his short speech, Braddock shifted just enough for JJ to get a clean shot.

He fell to the ground, gun clattering across the floor.

Reid moved quickly to remove the tape binding you to the chair while Hotch called for a medic in the basement.

The entire team watched as you were wheeled into the ambulance, still unconscious, none more scared than Spencer.

-

"She's going to be fine, Spence." JJ tried to reassure him, nonetheless his pacing continued.

"You don't know that. We don't even know what he did to her." He had one hand anxiously running through his hair, the other pinching the bridge of his nose in distress.

Just then, a doctor emerged from behind closed doors.

"F/N L/N." She called into the waiting room, slightly taken aback when the group of agents rushed to her.

"It was touch and go for a while, but she got here just in time." It was visible to even the least qualified profiler how relieved the team felt. Their previously tense shoulders relaxed, frowns turned to small smiles, wide eyes and raised brows pinched together with joy.

"What happened?" Emily posed the question everyone was thinking.

"In short, she was drugged. It's not clear what exactly was used, but it was likely a mix of drugs that attempted to stop her heart."

"Can we see her?" Morgan spoke next, cautiously eyeing Reid.

"You may, follow me." The doctor lead them through a series of hallways to your room. "She should be waking up soon."

With that the doctor left, allowing the team to file into the room. You looked strangely peaceful for someone who almost died.

"So..." JJ glanced between you and Spencer. "Girlfriend, huh?"

His eyes went wide. Instinctively, he turned to you for help, but you were still asleep. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out.

"Relax, kid." Morgan grinned. "We're happy as long as you two are happy."

Spencer smiled gratefully, looking at you with an adoring gaze. "We are happy."

"How long?' Emily gestured to your joined hands. Just before Spencer could answer, you groaned.

"I want to hear your guesses first." Your voice was raspy, but there was a clear smile on your face. "Also, what happened?"

The quickly explained the email Garcia received and the events that followed.

"Now that that's cleared up, do tell us how long you think we've been together. I know you've got a bet going." You narrowed your eyes, playfully glaring at each team member.

"4 months." Hotch begrudgingly admitted. JJ followed with 3 months, Derek and Rossi both betting 10 weeks, and Emily going with 6 weeks.

"Ha, you're all wrong." You smiled triumphantly, leaning closer to Spencer.

"Wait, we haven't heard from Garcia." Derek smirked as he rung her on speaker phone.

"Oh, my beautiful crime fighters. Y/N, are you okay?" Your smile widened at the concern in her voice.

"I am indeed, but I have a very important question for you." You glanced as Spencer briefly before continuing. "How long do you think Spence and I have been together?"

"Oh, I know this one!" Her excitement caught everyone but you off guard. "7 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days."

Spencer's jaw dropped as he stuttered out, "that's exactly right..."

"How'd you figure it out?" The group of profilers wore matching expressions of surprise as Penelope explained.

"Well, we had just finished testifying in the Bigelow trial. The whole team went out for drinks, and I could just see it in Y/N's eyes the next day that something wonderful happened. At first I just thought that she got some, but then I saw her and the good doctor in the kitchen getting coffee and I knew." Penelope's voice held a mixture of smugness and pure excitement.

"Babygirl, you didn't tell me?" Derek sounded genuinely offended.

"Y/N asked me not to." Even though you couldn't see her, you knew she punctuated the statement with a shrug.

"You knew, she knew?" Spencer turned to you in shock.

You nodded. "I could see it on her face the second I walked out of the kitchen. But she promised not to tell, so I didn't either."

"The two of you, thick as thieves." Rossi lamented.

"I love you so much." Spencer whispered into your ear as he pulled you in for a hug.

"I love you too." You whispered right back.

"Honestly, I'm glad the secret's out." You smiled at Spencer before looking at the rest of the team. "Although, I wish I didn't have to be kidnapped to tell you."

You spent a few more hours in the hospital before being cleared to go back to the hotel.

The next morning, you smiled to yourself as you were finally able to cuddle with Spencer during the flight home.

Permanent taglist:

@averyhotchner

@jesuswasnotawhiteman

@strawberryspence

@sebastnstn

Criminal Minds taglist:

@mac99martin

@goldeng1rl8

@measure-in-pain

[willel]

I'm really not trying to start a ship war or discourse (and this isn't directed at you at all!) so don't answer this if you don't want to create waves but am I the only one that feels like most Willels are Will stans first and only use Willel (and by extension El) to fulfill an agenda whether that be a Will arc or even Byler?

I was just going though the Willel tag on here and a lot of it is just Bylers pulling El into situations to make them potentially being canon less messy and almost not caring about her feelings at all? For example: the idea of Will ending up alone and having to watch the boy he's in love with date his sister after everything he's been though is terrible writing and isn't fair but El breaking up with her first love (someone who, we are under the impression, she still loves) and then having to watch him go on to date her brother after everything she's been through is okay? It just seems odd? and it gets passed off like it's no big deal because "Willel are twins! and they love each other! and just want each other happy!" and yes!!! that's true but it feels like sometimes that's only used as an excuse and if El doesn't fulfill that, she'll be looked at as selfish and a bad sister (and the writing will be terrible) because they don't truly actually care about what she wants or gets, as long as Will is getting what he wants over her.

This isn't me saying you can't be a Willel and ship Byler or Mileven or even have a favorite of the two btw! I love Will but it's just an observation of mine. I kinda just wish this love triangle thing never happened.

Well, firstly, I think you should readjust your perspective. I don't ship Byler (or mileven). All my pals who I speak to in private don't really care about either ship either but we LOVE willel, the byers, El, Will, Jonathan, Joyce (and Hopper sometimes).

I know it's SO hard to wipe away bias or see through the fog, but I implore everyone to TRY. Try not to judge, allow yourself to understand the perspective of the other side even if you don't agree or genuinely do not care (like me with ST shipping). If you find yourself judging too much, take a step back and reevaluate.

I'm not just saying that to say it either, I have to tell myself this every day so that I don't gain a massive hate boner towards all the shippers when it's only a minority of shippers who are the problem people in this fandom. It's... VERY hard. But it's an effort I willingly make else I would've left a long time ago.

Refocusing on the subject matter at hand, yes, I am aware there are some shippers (bylers in this case) that lean in a little too much on El being the catalyst to make their ship happen, hence they may support willel by proxy and only pay attention to willel in service of their ship. They do exist.

But those kinds of people are a minority. I just left the twitter fandom, but you know what I saw a lot of?

I saw one group of fans insisting that El would crush Will under the soles of her boots for even DARING to look at HER man. How she would rip him to shreds, push him off a building, or break Will's neck for so much as looking in Mike's direction. How dare he have feelings for his bff who he's known for years. Will is a bad brother for flirting with his sister's boyfriend (which he didn't do) and trying to make a move while she was gone (again, he didn't do that). You don't like El if you don't ship mileven. You don't like El if you have willel in your name. You don't like El if you ship her brother with her boyfriend. You don't like El if you like Will. El and Mike should call Will slurs. Will is yucky because -insert slur-. Mike would never like a -slur-. Yada yada. (yes, these are things I have seen. these are reasons I block people. for my own sanity.)

When there was backlash against those kinds of people, you'd assume maybe there'd be a wave of hatred against El. Like in return, people could claim Will would break El's neck. He'd push her off a building. She's a bad sister for taking the guy he's had a crush on since he was a kid. Mike should dumb her. El should get her heart broken. Blah blah blah. (on the rare occasion I have seen these, which I can count on two hands, they get blocked too)

That's not what I saw as an unwillingly witness to the fandom ship wars.

The sentiment I saw most was, "You're really pitting Will and El against each other for Mike Wheeler?"

Mike slander, yeah, but THAT was the sentiment I saw amongst byler shippers and people who don't ship either pairing.

Yeah, I side eye the handful of shippers who might be using willel to support their ship, but I am MUCH more bothered and upset by the other side who decide to tear Will and El apart instead. If I were a mileven and actually cared about Will and El as siblings and individual characters, I wouldn't be ripping on them like I see WAY too often.

I would throw my own hat in the ring and start saying they they support MY ship. Will spent the entirety of season 4 trying to keep those two honest with each other and keep their relationship intact even though he was being third wheeled into oblivion. That's how much he cares about those two despite his own feelings. Why AREN'T mileven fans gushing over all that? A character that believes in that ship so much that he's pushing himself aside for them like? Well obviously, it's because the ship war has gotten to their heads and they can't see anything beyond it and only see Will as an obstacle. But anyway.

NOT SAYING I WANT THAT BTW. I would love it if both sides just... let Will and El be. Their individual characters do not revolve around Mike. The bond they have with each other has NOTHING to do with Mike either. In fact, I was really bothered that Mike had anything to say about how Will and El were interacting with each other. Imagine if Will criticized Mike for crapping on his own sister every other episode? He wouldn't, cause that's none of Will's business.

BUT ANYWAY

I am an "El discovers the lie about the painting" truther through and through. Not because I think El will break up with Mike and push Will and Mike together. I honestly have no idea wtf the writers are doing with that plot line and I don't care. I want El to figure out her dear brother is gay, she's the only Hopper-Byers left that doesn't know that yet.

I am a "El would never hurt her brother" truther. Like I said, don't know wtf is happening with the life triangle and I don't care. But I know for a fact El would not break Will's neck, push him off a cliff, or hurt him at all if she learned about his feelings. I think it'd be complicated for sure but El is not violent. She hurts the people who bring harm to her and her friends/family. I HATE when people depict her as a violently jealous girl. It's gross.

Do I think some shippers are placing too much responsibility on El to make byler work? Yes sometimes. In my opinion, El should have absolutely nothing to do with that ship. Not saying she'd hate it, but I think it's too much to have her bring them together. She is still just a teenage girl. It's unfortunate that the writing made Will spent so much time involved with mileven, but at the same time, that is within his character to do such a thing and it was sorta important to his own personal growth.

If you've been following my blog for a long time, you'd know I was someone hoping and praying this love triangle wouldn't happen. I was hoping in season 3 and season 4 they would introduce a new love interest for Will just like they have for every other character. All to prevent the fandom becoming like this and that I knew this road could lead to either Will or El ending up unhappy. The worst possible outcome has come.

But what's done is done.

To summarize, yes, there are some bylers who support willel because in turn, they believe El is a catalyst to their ship. But you'll find MOST Bylers don't believe that at all and that they love Willel entirely separately from their ship. There are Byler shippers that place Willel above their ship or have even dropped their ship in favor of Willel (because in their opinion, Mike makes things complicated/hurts them both. That's up to personal preference and their interpretation)

In turn, I think some mileven fans would benefit from the willel hype by not pushing forward this idea that "Will is stealing El's man" and other ridiculous things. Will has probably loved Mike since before any of them knew El existed. But that doesn't even matter. Will is not gonna make a move on Mike, he would never do that to his sister. Why insist that he did? Why insist that he will? He hasn't. He values El's happiness more than his own. Maybe you guys should lean into that more instead of spreading hatred towards Willel and Will. I just don't get it.

As a frustrated willel lover, my greatest desire is for people to... chill out. Don't generalize. Become consumed by the wonder twins vision, and leave your ships behind! (joking. mostly.)

(also, 'you' is not directed at you. English is fun.)

Hope that answers any questions.

[mallowstep]

(I came up with this au while in debate class so I'm calling it the Debate AU if you don't mind)

Tigerstar absolutely misread everything about Riverclan and fucked up so bad by keeping Stonefur, Mistyfoot Featherpaw, and Stormpaw alive and well and healthy but basically doing everything to Leopardstar that he does to Mistyfoot and Feathertail and Leopardstar in the Misty and Leopard AUs that Stone pulls a Scourge in front of all the clans and everyone looks at Stonefur in terror but Stonefur only has eyes for Leopardstar, who is leaning heavily on Mistyfoot. (Like Leopard is beat down, she's loosing hair, and she has deeply infected scratches on her shoulders.Stone and Misty fucking Hate Tigerstar for what he's done to this cat they've known all their lives.) Stonefur kicks Shadowclan the fuck out of Riverclan territory, Mistyfoot doesn't let Mudfur near Leopardstar (neither does Featherpaw, for that matter. She wasn't abused and she's healthy, but she was traumatized in-Tigerstar had her watch Mudfur abuse Leopardstar and Tigerstar himself told Featherpaw Greystripe thought the same things about her.) Featherpaw won't let any warriors in Leopardstar's den unless she's in there with Leopardstar ---so Featherpaw can protect Leopardstar. The silver furred apprentice curls around her leader, "I'm right here, Leopardstar. Stonefur and Mistyfoot are talking to the other clans and then they'll be back. Stonefur said he'd bring back your favorite." Featherpaw added, purring as she groomed Leopardstar's head. "Stormpaw said he went and got the best trinket for your new den though, and he thinks it's going to be your choice over uncle Stonefur's."

damn anon. thank you. hold on i'm going to engage.

also fair like. i'm. i'm out of the haze and not good at keeping track of au tags so. the only ones i'm really tagging for are the ones i'm like. still thinking about. stone au atm. just didn't want like. u to be. think it was a thing. i'm just tired 100% of the time. anyway.

cw: sexual assault, physical abuse, a few more detailed cws immediately under the cut

cws: parent being involved in sexual assault of child, child sexual abuse (via exposure)

cool. sometimes it's like. i dunno. anyway. sorry i said i'm tired but also very into this.

anyway /nm but also reminder to everyone that i have adhd and would prefer if you included paragraph breaks. obviously i just copy it into a document and add my own but. i appreciate when you save me the step. like i get it y'all've seen me ramble at Length in one paragraph before i just. appreciate it.

okay back on topic.

i'm going to sidestep riverclan related concerns for the sake of "angst good," lmao. riverclan related concerns being if i wasn't tired i could easily come up with a justification i'm just tired and lazy.

but like yeah like. uh. dammit i'm already opening up tpb books left and right. let me just.

"But common sense says there’ll be a battle, Firestar. I don’t need an omen from StarClan to tell me that."

oh my god can cinderpelt like. go and talk to all of the modern medicine cats so that they stop flipping out because starclan isn't answering their texts or whatever.

Remembering the wounded and devastated cats in the WindClan camp the day before, he had expected only a small group to come to Fourtrees. Instead practically every warrior must have been there.

i mean windclan has like five warriors but-

Firestar waved his tail to signal to the two united Clans—LionClan, he thought with a rush of pride. This was his destiny.

this is mostly for jace (assuming u see this) bc it's the whole "importance of lionclan existing" thing i was referring to. didn't bother to pull quotes on my dotc rant, but here u go.

so. point of canon divergence* is:

���Greetings, Tigerstar,” he meowed coolly. “You came, then. Not still looking for those prisoners you lost from RiverClan territory?” Tigerstar let out a snarl. “You’ll regret that day’s work, Firestar.” “Try and make me,” Firestar retorted.

* from firestar's pov

bc obviously that didn't happen.

no, what happens is firestar sees -- blackfoot and darkstripe and.

leopardstar.

firestar harbours no affection for riverclan's leader. but. even from a distance, he can see her ribs. he'd be surprised she was standing on her own, if he wasn't processing everything else going on.

he doesn't see this part.

Mistyfoot's tail flicks to Stonefur's shoulder, and he nods. They've only exchanged a few words, only had a brief moment, but they're ready.

Stonefur glances back. Featherpaw and Stormpaw are out of the way. He hopes, if this goes wrong, they have the sense to run. If they had the chance, he would have told them to skirt the edge of TigerClan and try to make it as deep into ThunderClan's territory as they could.

He hopes they have the sense to figure that out for themselves.

Firestar is exposing Tigerstar's plans. RiverClan doesn't react. There's not much they'd be surprised by, Stonefur muses. If Firestar told them Tigerstar killed his own kit, he doesn't think he'd be shocked.

Mistyfoot slips towards the front of the crowd. Leopardstar doesn't know, of course. Stonefur has barely had the chance to say two words to her in the past moon. He slinks around to the space between the Clans.

Firestar finishes his speech. No one says anything. Firestar looks takenaback. He glances towards Leopardstar; Stonefur does too. Mistyfoot is watching him, but she's looking at the ground.

A part of Stonefur wants to say, "That's not all." Because, as he starts to run, preparing to leap at Tigerstar, he wants them to know why. He wants them to know what Tigerstar has done. He wants them to revel in Tigerstar's death.

But he doesn't.

Tigerstar sees him, of course. Stonefur isn't trying to be subtle.

"You," Tigerstar growls.

Say it, Stonefur thinks. Tell them what you've done.

But Tigerstar doesn't.

The actual fight is a blur. He doesn't think he is himself again, until Tigerstar's corpse twitches and stills, and he looks towards Leopardstar. Mistyfoot has inserted herself between Leopardstar and Blackfoot, and Stonefur nods minutely.

It's over now.

the clans, of course, are...shocked. riverclan has no complaints, and while...everyone (more or less) is happy tigerstar is dead, but...for thunderclan and windclan, stonefur just murdered him without direct provocation. and the fact that he killed him nine times? direct violation of a warrior doesn't need to kill.

like. if they Knew, they would think stonefur just. but they don't know.

and riverclan doesn't want to explain and shadowclan doesn't want to explain and no i'm not at this moment figuring out what happens wrt bloodclan and so forth. i just wanted to set that scene.

yeah. no idea what happens next in a lot of places here. but.

everyone goes home.

("Your territory," Stonefur growls.

"Obviously," Blackfoot says.)

mistyfoot takes leopardstar to her den. stonefur tells stormpaw to run to thunderclan and ask for their medicine cat. tells him to say it's urgent and he can't explain here. tells him that if they want to send her with a warrior or two, don't argue. just get her here.

featherpaw stations herself outside leopardstar's den.

stonefur feels like he should say something. he's still covered in tigerstar's blood.

"we're taking this down," he says, "now."

they dismantle the bonehill.

once the process has been started, stonefur lets the rest of the warriors finish, and grooms himself and washes in the river until he's satisfied every trace of blood has been taken care of.

he's about to see her when stormpaw arrives with cinderpelt and...hm. sandstorm.

(cinderpelt was there. she saw leopardstar. she can start to put pieces together.)

stonefur greets them, and featherpaw goes to tell mistyfoot and leopardstar, and the adrenaline is fading, his limbs starting to tremble. when's the last time he got any real sleep?

"Stormpaw said you needed a medicine cat," Cinderpelt says.

"We do."

"Did something happen to Mudfur?"

"He can't do this." Stonefur's tail flicks. "We need someone to look at Leopardstar -- you can use our herbs, of course, whatever you need."

Cinderpelt blinks. She's a young cat, Stonefur thinks, too young to be looking at him like she understands. Maybe it's part of being a medicine cat.

"Right then. Does Leopardstar know I'm coming?"

"Featherpaw is telling her."

and stonefur isn't going to follow cinderpelt into leopardstar's den.

for one, it's crowded enough, and he'd probably just get kicked out. for another, he doesn't know what leopardstar and cinderpelt will talk about, but -- he doesn't want to force himself into it.

cinderpelt stays for a while. sandstorm runs proxy, taking some herbs to her, but then she stays with cinderpelt. stonefur has probably been up for over a day when cinderpelt and sandstorm nod.

"take some prey before you leave," he says. "riverclan won't forget this."

"i went over some things with mistyfoot," cinderpelt says. "always good to have some basic herb knowledge."

cats don't have a direct analogue for kissing, but stonefur could kiss cinderpelt for having the grace to say that without letting on why. it's not like riverclan doesn't know. everyone knows.

but.

it's still appreciated.

As the sun rises, Stonefur stands, facing into Leopardstar's den.

"Can I come in?"

Her eyes are watching him. Even they have been changed: no longer the brilliant gold he remembers, but something brassy and dull.

"Of course."

Featherpaw slips past him, taking his place as sentry. She needs to sleep, Stonefur thinks, but it might be best to wait until she's too exhausted to keep her eyes open. He's not above carrying her back to her den like a kit.

Leopardstar starts to stand.

"Don't," Stonefur says. "It's alright."

He hates that seeing her like this is not foreign to him.

Mistyfoot curls up, her eyes closed, a compromise. Stonefur sinks to the ground. "Can I -- do anything?"

Leopardstar looks at the empty space in her nest. "Would you stay with me?"

"Of course." (Anything.)

yeah. uh. i think like. i dunno. it's not like tigerstar ever showed leopardstar a single ounce of kindness. so. uh. am i using that as an excuse to sidestep angst? no. no i am not. well. not entirely. but Damn leopardstar needs a hug.

that she can initiate and control.

but still. she's desperately deprived of positive human contact and as someone who cried once because someone put their hand on my shoulder and i hadn't touched another human being in like six months. i think she needs it.

ohh boy yeah. i think y'all know me well enough to know where i'd go with that angle.

so let me turn my attention to featherpaw. i started answering this ask like an hour ago. anon i love you.

featherpaw has. uh. she's got a Lot of problems. as you can probably understand.

i'd say let's start at the top, but i'm not sure where that is, so let's start with her relationship to stormpaw, because i think that should get fucked up. i think...you know how stormpaw says, "i won't let him kill us"? and. yeah.

but there's never One Moment here and stormpaw realizes way too late and featherpaw feels like...you know like. everyone who is supposed to help her is failing her. she can't really blame leopardstar, and mistyfoot clearly feels bad, and stonefur like. idk what he was doing but she's solidly neutral on him.

could tigerstar try to fuck all of that up? of course he could. do i want to write featherpaw and stonefur arguing about leopardstar? i've already written a lot of something blindingly similar, so not at the moment.

anyway. the relationship i will freely fuck with is stormpaw. i think not because of anything specific, i think tigerstar just gets in her head and she looks like her mother (something tigerstar brings up) and stormpaw takes after their father and he keeps acting like everything is normal and.

at the end of the day, there's this gulf between them that he keeps stepping into.

so yeah. not to mention greystripe. like. fuck.

"Featherpaw!" Greystripe waves his tail at his daughter, and she flinches.

oh hey i hit the grammar cut off again. let me. i learned how to do this okay i'm going to insert some kind of dummy image or something to reset the counter.

there it's a link to my tumblr but i've got grammar checking again xd

moving on.

featherpaw doesn't want to talk to greystripe. it's not Strictly that she thinks what tigerstar said was true (although she's not sure it isn't), but that. just looking at him sets off a loop in her head.

uh. does anyone explain this to greystripe? no. because the cats who could are:

leopardstar (doesn't want to talk about it)

mudfur (doesn't want to talk about it)

mistyfoot (but only by inference, and doesn't consider explaining things to greystripe a priority)

featherpaw (doesn't want to talk about it and doesn't want to talk to greystripe)

so yeah. no. he's in the Dark.

one of the first priorities is building leopardstar a new den. and decorating it. that's part of building a den i just wanted to clarify and.

featherpaw takes it seriously. because. you know. beauty begets beauty.

she doesn't want...stormpaw is ready to jump straight into sharing a den with old apprentice friend dawnpaw. maybe they never stopped.

but featherpaw? doesn't feel safe there. (doesn't feel safe anywhere.)

especially as she's getting older and tigerstar certainly implied and-

she's not sleeping very well.

mistyfoot and stonefur are trying to help her but they're not therapists! they don't know what to do! featherpaw clearly is dealing with shit but how do they help her??? they have no idea!!! how would they?

in a very strange inverse of canon, leopardstar and featherpaw develop a close relationship. leopardstar feels like she failed to protect featherpaw. featherpaw just. doesn't know. she doesn't know what she feels or thinks or knows and like: leopardstar doesn't. she doesn't need to explain herself to leopardstar.

she's in a big sister role to the kits, i think.

uh. yeah. featherpaw. she is not taking any of this well.

sooner or later greystripe corners her (because he doesn't know) and she's having a panic attack and leopardstar is like "you are never allowed to talk to her ever again" and greystripe is like "what the fuck did i do" and someone (mistyfoot?) finally explains.

uh. what else.

stonefur + leopardstar + featherpaw cuddle pile? leopardstar is in the centre. she feels kind of weird about that because she can tell featherpaw is like. going through this whole. uh. whats the. fuck.

like. featherpaw feels like she needs to protect her and leopardstar doesn't really want to encourage that but on the otherhand it's kind of nice that featherpaw is right here because tigerstar 100% used to threaten her to leopardstar and-

yeah.

uh.

i started writing two hours ago so i'm just going to post.

[alj4890]

Misfortune's Intentions

(Liam x OC*Elisse Millan) (Drake x Riley) in a Choices The Royal Heir fan fiction

A/N We've jumped ahead in this chapter by nearly a month. Liam is returning home after the road trip and Walker family visit for Savannah's wedding. He now has to figure out how to keep moving on now that Drake and Riley are pregnant. Amalas makes a decision that keeps Elisse right where she wants her to be.

@gkittylove99 @krsnlove @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @hopefulmoonobject @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie

Masterlist

Chapter 2 Confirmation

Liam gave orders to the staff to take his bags upstairs on the way to his study.

The past few weeks spent exclusively with his friends, trapped in a rental car and small farmhouse, had exhausted him. He longed to go up to his room for a moment of solitude. No thoughts. No conversations. No reliving that moment.

He closed his eyes as he sat down behind his desk. Unbidden and unwanted, his mind brought the image of Drake and Riley to mind.

"We have something we need to tell you." Drake said once Liam, Hana, and Maxwell sat down.

"Is something wrong?" Hana asked.

Riley shook her head, unshed tears formed as Drake cuddled her closer in his arms.

The couple locked eyes before taking a deep breath.

"We're pregnant!" They shouted.

Maxwell whooped and jumped up to hug them both. Hana followed, exclaiming how happy she was.

Thankfully no one noticed the only person in the room who remained sitting down.

No, Liam thought. He wasn't sure why that denial whispered through his mind. He only knew he didn't want to hear this. See it. Be forced to witness every moment.

He made himself stand to congratulate them. Somehow the words came.

"I'm thrilled for you both." He even managed to smile. "This is the best kind of news."

"Oh! Let's go shopping for the baby to celebrate!" Hana exclaimed.

Everyone else agreed, making their way out the door. Hana paused, glancing back at Liam.

"Aren't you coming?" She asked.

"Of course." He shook himself out of his daze. "I need to retrieve something from upstairs."

She smiled at him. "Hurry."

As soon as the screen door shut, he allowed his smile to disappear. His steps were heavy as he climbed up the stairs.

He hesitated as he walked past the bedroom Drake and Riley had been using since their arrival at the Walker ranch.

The walls were thin. Too thin. He heard everything at night as he tried to sleep in the other bedroom.

There were many nights that he had to leave the house and take a walk just to escape hearing them express and demonstrate their love to one another.

If they had not gotten pregnant after all that, then they never would, he thought.

The moment he parted from them outside the palace, he felt the stress of keeping his feelings buried disappear. He was able to breathe again. Frown if he wanted to without anyone asking what was wrong. Remain silent for the next few weeks if he was so inclined.

He could focus again what was most important: running his kingdom.

Even if it is for someone else's child.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. Irritation rose within him that he even had that type of thought. He had chosen this himself. No one forced him to. Why was he now experiencing bitterness when he should be rejoicing? His best friends had done what he had asked. They were pregnant with the royal heir.

What more could I possibly ask for?

"Liam? I hope I'm not interrupting."

He stood up with a tired smile. "Not at all. How were things while I was away?"

Regina eyed him for a moment. "Everything went well. We had requests from a few of the visiting monarchs to rent some of the vacant manors outside the capital."

"Oh? Hoping to use proximity to sway Drake and Riley's decision, I take it."

"Indeed." She sat down across from him. "I gave them permission to do so." A slight smile touched her lips. "If nothing else, we will have nearly a year's worth of rent from these people."

Liam chuckled. "True."

Her expression became serious once more. "Liam, dear..."

He cocked an eyebrow when she didn't continue.

"As difficult as this must be, we will need Drake and Riley to be here for a press conference as soon as possible." She averted her eyes when she saw the brief flash of anguish on his face. "The country has been anxiously awaiting for an announcement."

"I see." He rubbed a hand down his face. "I will let them know." He cleared his throat deciding to change the subject. "Which monarchs are staying in Cordonia?"

"Many, like the King and Queen of Auvernal   are dividing their time between here and their kingdoms." She explained. "The only one needing use of a manor for the entire pregnancy is Queen Amalas."

"Really?" Liam's brow furrowed. "That’s strange. She doesn't strike me as the kind of ruler to leave her duties for so long."

"You're right. That's why she intends for her cousin, Viscountess Millan, to be here the entire time and act as her proxy when she is back in Monterisso."

Liam straightened in his chair. "Lady Elisse is moving here?"

"According to Queen Amalas." Regina replied. "As soon as she is back from America, she will be settling at Cranborne Manor."

"She's in America?" He wondered why she would be there. He knew Amalas had surprised Riley and the other ladies at Savannah's bachelorette party. Her brief visit had struck them all as odd.

Was Elisse following us? Is that how Amalas knew where we were?

"Yes, she is. Boston, I think is where the queen said Lady Elisse was going. How was the wedding?" Regina' s voice cut through his thoughts. "The papers here have spent weeks documenting every little thing." She grimaced slightly. "They are eating it up that the Walker siblings made such advantageous marriages."

That's how Amalas knew where to find us. She had seen it in the news.

Liam relaxed some at that mystery being solved.

"Liam?"

"Forgive me." He apologized. "I think the jet lag is causing me to zone out."

"Then you need to go upstairs and rest."

"But I--"

"No arguments." She took his arm and tugged him toward the door. "There is nothing on that desk that demands your immediate attention."

He looked down at her with an affectionate smile on his lips. Once at the main stairs, she released him. Liam surprised her with a hug and kiss to her cheek.

"Thank you." He said softly. "For commanding me to do so."

She gently patted his cheek. "Anytime, dear."

*****************

Monterisso's Royal Palace...

"Don't go, Lisse." Josip rubbed his eyes before launching himself into Elisse's arms.

"I'll be back." Elisse promised, hugging him tight. "And you can come visit me when Mommy comes." She tilted his little cherub face up. "We'll have new places to play." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "And all the cupcakes we want. Your mommy will never know."

"I heard that." Amalas yelled out from Elisse's closet.

Josip giggled at his mother's tone.

"What are you looking for?" Elisse yelled back.

"That black ballgown of yours." Amalas stepped out with hands on her hips. "The one that caused Lord Ashton to trip and land in the punch bowl."

Elisse rolled her eyes. "It wasn't the dress that caused that. It was his vanity in not wanting to be seen wearing glasses."

"I think it was the dress." She returned to her search. A triumphant yell sounded after a few more minutes.

"You're packing this and wearing it." Amalas said in her queenly tone. "That is a direct order, by the way."

"Hmm." Elisse picked up the little prince. "What do you think? Should I mind mommy?"

"Yes!" He replied with another giggle.

"See." Amalas smiled, "even the prince agrees."

"Very well." Elisse set him down. "I can't fight you both."

"I want you to wear it at the next ball Liam hosts." Her cousin instructed.

"Amalas." Elisse drew out the syllables. "Stop."

"Why? You’re clearly attracted to him."

"You know why." Elisse snapped. "I can't--"

"He's already taken care of that!" Amalas argued. "You could be with him without any pressure."

Elisse zipped her suitcase. "I'm going to Cordonia to represent you, not to romance Liam."

Amalas folded her arms. "If you change your mind, know that I would be thrilled both as your cousin and queen for you to be with him."

The viscountess sighed. "I'm not going to actively pursue him."

Elisse couldn't help but think of that moment in Valtoria's ballroom when he asked her to dance. The way it felt to be in his arms. Talking to him.

A smile appeared as she faced Amalas. "But I won't say no if he decides to pursue me."

****************

The Royal Gardens, Cordonia, a week later...

"Drake and I are so excited." Riley told reporters. "I can't wait to meet our son or daughter."

Cameras flashed as she continued to answer questions.

Liam stood off to the side with a well practiced expression of delight on his face. His eyes swept over the crowd of nobles and members of the press.

He paused when he saw Elisse.

As if sensing she was being watched, she began to turn her head from side to side.

Their eyes met. She sent a smile his way, causing his own to respond.

With a tilt of his head toward the back of the crowd, he made his way over as she did the same.

"Welcome back to Cordonia." Liam kept his voice to barely above a whisper.

"Thank you." She replied. "I am glad to be here again."

"How do you find Cranborne Manor?"

"It's beautiful." Elisse responded. "I love being right on the ocean." She glanced over at the press conference still going. "I slept with my window open last night so I could hear the waves hitting the shore."

"I haven't been to Cranborne in years." Liam slipped his hands in his pockets, relaxing his kingly stance.

"Oh?" She lowered her eyes. "You are more than welcome to stop by and see it."

Liam grinned and also looked away. "I might just take you up on that offer."

She peeked at him from beneath her lashes. "I had thought of taking advantage of the perfect weather and spending a day on the beach tomorrow."

"That sounds nice." He lifted his eyes to hers.

"It's a shame I don't know too many people in Cordonia." She clasped her hands behind her back. "I wouldn't mind some company." Her lips curved slightly. "I might even be willing to pack a picnic."

"Might be willing?" His smile turned a touch flirty. "And what should one expect from a picnic you pack?"

She bit her lip, turning slightly away. "Mostly items that no one deems healthy." Her eyes cut to him. "Everything that tastes good and probably wouldn't appear at a formal court dinner."

He shifted closer to her. "That does sound tempting."

Liam cleared his throat. "Hypothetically speaking, what time would you go out to the beach?"

"Around noon." Elisse couldn't control her smile. "Hypothetically speaking of course."

"Of course."

The crowd began to disperse. Members of the press were packing up their equipment while nobles mingled at the garden party.

"Looks like we better catch up."

Liam wondered if he was imagining the faint note of reluctance in her voice.

He offered his arm to her. "Shall we, m'lady?"

She slipped her hand into the bend of his arm. "Thank you, your majesty."

****************

"Who is that with Liam?" Riley asked.

Maxwell craned his neck to see who she was talking about.

"Hmm. Not sure but I think I've seen her before." He muttered.

"That's Queen Amalas's cousin." Hana said once she caught a glimpse. "From what Madeleine said, she will be remaining here to act as proxy for Monterisso's monarch."

"Liam said he would spend time with her to see if the Spy Queen has any hidden motives." Drake added. His eyes narrowed somewhat at Elisse's ability to hold Liam's attention. "I don't trust her."

The group of friends watched silently as Liam made her laugh on their way to join a group of other visiting foreign nobles.

Overhearing Drake's opinion, Olivia stepped up beside Hana.

"Monterisso has been a country that keeps mostly to itself." Her sharp green eyes remained on the viscountess. "I can't recall the last time any representative from their country visited Cordonia."

"Perhaps it is time to flip the tables on them." Maxwell suggested. "Spy on the spies."

"Isn't that what Liam is doing?" Riley asked. Worry for her friend began to appear on her face. "Do you think he is safe with her?"

"Liam can take care of himself." Hana replied. Her own worry reflected in her eyes. "But I'm worried she will use him in other ways."

"Maybe we should talk to him." Riley slipped her arm around Drake. "What do you think?"

Drake's lips parted, hesitating on whether or not they should interfere. "We'll play it by ear for now. Until we see Liam acting differently, we need to stay out of his way as he tries to gain information."

*******************

The next day, Cranborne Manor's private beach...

"You look much more relaxed today."

"I am. I didn't realize how much I needed a break from everyone."

Elisse chuckled before standing up. "Everyone? I suppose that's my cue to leave."

Liam scrambled upright to snag her hand in order to stop her.

With a laugh, she dodged it and ran off toward the water.

His smile came unbidden as he chased after her.

What am I doing?

That thought caused him to falter once he was waist deep in the ocean.

Elisse popped up out of the water, beside him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked once she pushed her damp clumps of hair out of her eyes.

Liam's gaze drifted over her. The wet, coffee colored hair. Bronze skin glistening with suntan oil and drops of water. Lips that were usually turned up in a warm smile were now in a thin, concerned line. Deep brown eyes that reminded him of dark chocolate. The black bathing suit that highlighted her beauty. He took it all in within a second or two.

I really am attracted to her.

He slowly shook his head. "Nothing's wrong, m'lady."

What am I to do now?

Her smile reappeared. "M'lady? I thought a certain king insisted that today we lose all titles."

He chuckled. "He sounds very intelligent."

"I certainly think he is." She reached for his hand. "Come on. There are a number of desserts in that picnic basket that I want to eat but also need an accomplice to finish them off."

"Should I be concerned with your sugar addiction?" Liam teased.

"Only when you find me eating sugar cubes without a pot of tea or coffee nearby." She teased back.

"I'll make certain to have the Royal guards take up sentry duty by the palace pantry."

"That will cause me to have to smuggle sweet treats into your country." She shook her head sadly. "What would the punishment be for such actions?"

"The most severe one we have." His tone playfully turned sinister. "You will have to watch Cordonia's ruler eating it all in front of you without offering you a single bite."

She gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. "I never knew how brutal you could be."

"One has to be with smugglers like you." He winked at her as he helped her unpack the rest of goodies she had brought.

She laughed softly, her own body relaxing in the warm sun and his company.

"I'm glad you took my hypothetical invitation and came by today."

Liam polished off the rest of a vanilla cream puff before responding. "I'm glad you offered it." His lips curved. "Hypothetically."

She opened another container filled with various chocolate covered fruits. Her teasing smile turned a touch serious. "This is my first time living somewhere other than Monterisso."

"It is?"

"Yes." She picked up a strawberry covered in white chocolate. She focused on the waves as she spoke. "I always knew there was a chance of marrying someone who lived in a different country. But, I never imagined living somewhere else alone."

Liam glanced back toward Cranborne. He knew her intimidating bodyguard was most likely watching over them. "You're not completely alone."

"You mean Felix?" She laughed softly. "True. It is hard to ignore his presence." She reclined back on her beach towel. "He's that older brother I always needed growing up."

"Keeps you out of trouble?"

"That and isn't afraid of letting me know when I do something he thinks is foolish." She closed her eyes. "He has stood by me during some difficult moments in my life."

Liam stretched out on his side after removing the picnic basket that sat between them. "It's nice to have a source of comfort."

"Yes, it is." She turned her head and met his steady blue gaze. "It seems you have quite a few that are that for you."

"Yes." Liam averted his eyes. "I suppose I do."

"Liam, may I ask you something personal?" She turned on her side facing him. "If you don't wish to answer, I won't pressure you."

"What is it you wished to ask?"

"Why did you decide to name an heir instead of marrying someone and producing your own?"

His silence made her wish she hadn't ruined this day with her curiosity. He probably despised her for the audacity of even thinking she could ask him something like that.

Though it felt like she had always known him from rereading his file every chance she got, he didn't know her.

Her lips parted to apologize and take back her question.

"I think..." Liam began. "I think I did it out of selfish reasons." He grimaced at voicing what he had hoped wasn't true about himself. "I needed a way to take some time from being pressured about my finding a queen for Cordonia." He lifted his eyes to hers. "And I've used the excuses that I secured the throne and gave an honor to my closest friends."

Liam searched her face for repulsion or disapproval.

He saw nothing but a hint of sadness and sympathy.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" He asked.

"No." She replied. "It's not. From what I know about you, you have been put in some very difficult spots these last few years. You unexpectedly being named the crown prince. Forced to choose a bride to become king. Trying to break away from such tradition. Terrorists." Elisse placed her hand on top of his and gently squeezed. "Who wouldn't want a moment to step back from all that had been asked of him?"

He turned his hand over so he could hold hers. "Thank you, Elisse."

She smiled at him. Her eyes drifted over his handsome face in contented silence.

"May I ask a personal question?"

She nodded. "Of course. It wouldn't be fair for me to be the only one allowed."

"Why didn't you take part in my social season?" Liam braced himself for her answer.

He did not expect the sight of tears forming in her eyes.

"You don't know?" Her voice cracked.

"No." He gently gripped her hand. "I'm sorry, I--"

"Your father didn't want me to take part after the results of his required health examination." Elisse closed her eyes, trying to keep from crying.

"Health examination?" Liam's brow furrowed. "Why would that have any importance?"

"Because you are a king who needs to have heirs for the throne." She said softly.

"Yes, but why would--" Realization came over Liam. "Elisse."

She nodded in a jerky manner.

He couldn't stand to see her so hurt. Ignoring the question his mind asked of why he was doing this, he gently pulled her into his arms.

She buried her face against his shoulder while she silently cried.

Liam closed his eyes, dropping his head against hers. He couldn't help but think how ironic it was. Here was a lady he might very well have realized was the one he should marry that his father kept from him. And yet, he was now a single king with no heir from his bloodline.

If Constantine was not already dead, this surely would have caused it.

Liam looked at Elisse's face when she slowly pulled away.

"I'm sorry." She bit her bottom lip. "I didn't mean to put a damper on our day at the beach.

"You didn't." He reassured her. A bittersweet smile curved his lips. "I had hoped to get to know you."

She delicately blew her nose. "I did too."

Liam tenderly cupped her cheek, drawing her attention back to him.

"Elisse?"

She lifted an eyebrow.

"I think," Liam hesistated. "I wish you had been allowed to come for that season."

She swallowed a touch nervously. "I wish I had too."

[cateyesinthenight]

maybe i'm reading this wrong, but I think you mentioned in one post that you think the daughter actually still loved her dad. TBH I'm really not seeing that- like asides from her limited panel time where we don't have a window into her head. if she really did, why would she bother trying to comfort Sungbae? Much less agree with his assessment that he deserved it? That doesn't make sense to me. While I do agree Sungbae that A. Sungbae was being a jerk to her (because he's been being a cont'd>

cont’d> Jerk to everyone (Officer Lee included- and that dude seems to be Bae’s like only friend). and B. that he’s not above critcisim for his flaws, and that C. you have every right to dislike him for you’re own reasons. I feel like it’s a bit of a leap to assume atm because SB is being an ass when we literally know nothing about this other girl. >>But I do think some fans tend to be more forgiving of Bae’s flaw- not because he doesn’t have him- but because of what he could be. cont’d>>cont’d> interestingly enough- for all the self thought righteousness Bae justifies his bad decisions/behaviour on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bae think or say that he’s a good person. Even the ‘oh I’m like SW’ feels kinda dry- like he’s not surprised by that assessment and has thought of it before. Which makes sense oddly, because SW isn’t the worst existence in his head- that’s the dad murderer. He hates SW by proxy of the 'murderer’ label, in reality he knows next to nothing about SW. last cont'd>> but like even though I am sorta defending SB. You can totally still dislike him- I think it's good that you are expressing that you do, and that its important in fandom to talk and hear out people who have different opinions than our own. Otherwise- we just get stuck in echo chambers.

I hope you don’t mind me compiling your questions together?

It was an assumption on my part that she still loves her dad, but I do think it’s likely. It is extremely difficult to stop caring about someone you once loved. Some part of you will always love them. It doesn’t mean that you can’t hate them. You can hate the person that theyare , but still love anyway. Emotions are complicated. For instance, I really hated my dad when I was younger. We still don’t really get on. But I never stopped loving him because he’s my dad. I hated the person he chose to be, but I loved the part of him that was my father. If he had died, I would’ve been sad. A person is capable of feeling multiple emotions at once, even if they seem like completely opposite or conflicting feelings. It’s just the way that it is.

So, she can hate the man her father was, but still love him because he’s her father. Again, that’s something I’m assuming, but I still believe it’s true. Seungbae still seems to remember the part of him that loved the man her father was. There’s no reason to believe that she doesn’t feel the same. It doesn’t mean she can’t comfort Seungbae or blame her father. She can believe her father deserved what he got and still love him. Like I said, emotions are complicated. They don’t have to make sense, especially when love is involved. I mean, does it make sense that Bum loves Sangwoo- a man who has consistently abused him, tortured him and raped him? No, it doesn’t. But he still loves Sangwoo. There are some things you just can’t help but feel. And love is not an emotion you can ever really control. Sometimes that really sucks, but it’s just how things are.

And Seungbae? I don’t think he thinks of himself as a good person necessarily. I just think he thinks he’s always right, and there is no situation where that doesn’t get old really fast. But it’s the fact that he puts down others because he thinks he’s better than them that annoys me. 

And I do agree that he hates Sangwoo because he thinks he’s a murderer. But I think it’s more than that. He became obsessed with him, and now it’s like a puzzle he can’t solve. He was desperately trying to find even a shred of evidence to pin on Sangwoo, but in the end, he lost his job instead. Now Sangwoo is the one that got away, which only haunts Seungbae even more. I think Seungbae and Sangwoo are similar in quite a few ways, but especially in the need they both have to ‘win’. To be the best. And in Seungbae’s mind, Sangwoo is standing between him and that goal. He can’t ‘win’ as long as Sangwoo is free. It doesn’t help that Sangwoo repeatedly mocked and taunted him, but like I said, Sangwoo feels the need to ‘win’ too. Which also involves putting others down. Like I said, they share quite a few similarities. 

And I completely agree that we should all be able to discuss our opinions, without fear of ridicule. It’s important to share this kind of stuff. And there’s absolutely no reason why you need to agree with anyone. Live and let live. Other people are just as entitled to their opinions as you are. And that’s a good thing. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Sometimes you might agree, sometimes you might not. In those cases, you just have to agree to disagree and move on. I have no problem with people liking Seungbae. Just because I dislike him doesn’t mean I expect everyone else to as well. That would be ridiculous. You should always feel like you can voice your own opinions, even if no one else agrees with them. It doesn’t make you wrong or make them right. People are complicated and we like different things. We should celebrate that, or least accept it, rather than getting at people because they don’t share the same opinion we do. When I get at Seungbae or Sangwoo or Bum, I’m not getting at people who like those characters, I’m just getting at the characters themselves. No one likes to hear bad things about things they like, but sometimes we just have to accept that we live in a big world with a large population and no everyone is going to like or dislike the same things we do. And that’s okay. 

Thanks for the ask, btw. It makes me really happy when people ask for my personal opinion (even if you might not agree with it, haha) ^_^

[punkscowardschampions]

Buster & Rio

Buster: [sends the convo to her] Buster: Fair warning Rio: Oh God Rio: Oh my fucking God Buster: What do you wanna do? Rio: I don't even know where to begin or how to think about this Rio: When is she going to stop ruining your life? Rio: Jesus Buster: Never, clearly Rio: She's such a cunt Buster: Hence I'm not doing anything until or if she does 'cause I wouldn't put it past her to sit back and let us out ourselves thinking she will Rio: Yeah Rio: I can see that Rio: she won't, will she Buster: I don't know, babe Buster: It'd be a really stupid thing for her to attempt but like, she obviously isn't trying to play things any smarter Rio: Maybe she still reckons there's a chance for you two, then she won't Rio: 'cos she's not gonna want to drag herself down by proxy, you know Rio: and like she keeps saying, the kid is yours regardless so Buster: Yeah exactly Buster: She cares about her rep fair too much Rio: I think so too Rio: but shit Rio: we should've been more careful Rio: I thought we were, enough Buster: She reckons I'm gonna come crawling if she gets me spooked enough but I ain't Buster: There's nothing to find she's just been looking obsessively Rio: but if she can work it out Rio: should I delete everything Buster: Don't Buster: She's probably saved it all anyway so Buster: Drew did too, it's cunts with their own interests, nobody else knows or is likely to Rio: Yeah Rio: we've got to hope Buster: Nobody'd believe them if they said shit anyway for the same reason Rio: Who would make something like this up though, babe Rio: not even them Buster: Don't say it like that Buster: We're not doing anything wrong Rio: That isn't what they think Buster: And what, you think Drew or Chlo know better about what's right than I do? Buster: Fuck that Rio: I know how it feels Rio: but there's a reason we're scared, right Buster: I'm not scared Rio: How are you not Rio: I feel sick Buster: What's the point? Whatever anyone else thinks isn't gonna change my mind Rio: I don't know Buster: Babe, you can do whatever you need to, okay Rio: I don't want to do anything, I just want a fucking break Rio: Why is it one thing after another Buster: I know Buster: I'm sorry Rio: It's not your fault Buster: Yeah it is Buster: She wouldn't be doing this if not for me Buster: You'd barely even know her Rio: How could you have predicted...any of this Rio: us, her, all of it Buster: Well, I've had years of thinking about us so I shouldn't have risked our relationship when it finally happened Buster: Not with her Buster: Granted I didn't realise she was this fucked up but I still knew enough Rio: Yeah well, we all know you weren't in a fit state Rio: and it's fucked she doesn't realise that's some real dirt you have on her but Buster: I still got myself into that state though Buster: She didn't force me into that part of things Rio: It's not an excuse Rio: You know that Buster: I'm just saying what people would Buster: Not like I'm a girl wobbling along on her heels, is it? Rio: Fuck people Rio: It's no different Buster: Maybe I could just tell my mum Buster: She'd help us fix this Rio: How? Rio: She's not actually superwoman, babe Buster: I don't know Buster: There's gotta shit you can do if someone's blackmailing you Rio: Maybe Rio: I know the police were fuck all help with Ryan so Rio: don't get your hopes up, like Buster: Fuck's sake Buster: Should I talk to Chlo again then? Rio: And say what? Like you said, she ain't gonna be happy unless you tell her you love her or some shit Rio: and even then, she'll know you don't really so Rio: the girl doesn't know what she wants Buster: But I could just tell her what she wants to hear, or reckons she does Buster: Buy us time Rio: No Rio: I am not making you do that Buster: I'm not gonna fuck her Buster: Nobody could make me Rio: No Rio: I'd rather out myself right now Rio: fuck that Buster: Should we? Rio: I don't know? Rio: It's like, do we wait and let Christmas and all that come and go and risk her doing it Rio: or do we potentially fuck up the holidays for all, fun times Buster: I'd rather wait Buster: But that's only 'cause I don't like my hand being forced Buster: If she says anything you can deny it if you want, I won't hold it against you, like Rio: Yeah, I don't want the caviat of it to be Rio: 'and we're only telling you 'cos Chloe is gonna drop the bombshell so' Rio: it makes it sound bad and not serious, you know Buster: Yeah Buster: My mum is gonna fucking murder me Buster: She told me not to speak to her Buster: Like not only have I, she also knows and is gonna out my secret Buster: Surprise Rio: How can you not when she goads you into it constantly though Rio: and you only did when you thought it was the right thing Rio: it's not your fault she's mental Buster: I shouldn't be that much of a pussy, letting her get to me Buster: You knew she was bullshitting me Rio: It's what she's good at Rio: Don't blame yourself Rio: Blame her, she's the one who keeps pulling this shit Rio: You can talk to your Mum if you want, I don't mind Buster: No Buster: Like you said, it makes things look different to how they are Buster: And makes me look weak Buster: Fuck that Buster: I can't be running to her like a child Rio: You're not though, you know that Buster: I would be though Rio: Okay, don't tell her Rio: What are you gonna do? Buster: Kill Chlo and make it look like an accident Buster: But seriously, nothing right now Rio: I'll be your alibi Buster: That kinda gives us away, babe Buster: but cheers Rio: I think murder trumps this in the grand scheme of things though Buster: Not when I get away with it Rio: Let's not get cocky Rio: know it's hard but this is serious, Bundy Buster: Harder still now I'm back on her fucking home turf Rio: It's barely any time 'til the hols Rio: if she was gonna do it she'd want max time to torture you, right Buster: Thank Christ Buster: You're right Buster: Just gift me with the DNA for fuck's sake Rio: 😟 Rio: Put in a good word with Santa Buster: I love you Rio: I love you Buster: You had a good birthday though, yeah? Buster: She didn't ruin that as well Rio: Of course Rio: It was perfect, she can't touch that Buster: Good Buster: 'Cause I actually would have to kill her Rio: Same Rio: She won't ruin xmas either Rio: she's all chat Buster: Agreed Buster: You heard her playing like she has the nerve or means to talk to my sister when she's blocked on everything Buster: You should block her too though Rio: Yeah, even if she snaked her way in, like Nancy literally wants to hear anything from her Rio: What's she gonna do, cc in our parents, like, who even is she Rio: They don't have time for this petty bullshit Buster: Exactly Buster: I don't have time for it and its about me so Buster: One minute she wants me to get into a top uni, the next she's pulling this shit and my focus Buster: Which is it Chlo? Do you want me to keep you in designer gear or nah Rio: She don't know what she wants Rio: so she's got no business making any kind of demands Buster: I can already tell you she don't want this kid and has no business keeping it Buster: I feel bad for her mum and step dad 'cause it's them who'll be picking up her slack Buster: Doubt they have time either Rio: Yeah Rio: and the poor kid Rio: that's no environment to be raised in Buster: Say what you like about ours but they came good for us Buster: Jesus, I reckon I'd take Indie's mum over Chlo at this point Buster: At least nobody could deny she was unfit, can't out and out prove that Chlo is gonna be the worst mum this side of Chelsea, can I Rio: Yeah, there's a difference between unplanned and straight up unwanted Rio: whatever she tries to sell Rio: it's an acceptable kind of bad, isn't it, she won't be the only, like Buster: Cross your fingers for me, babe Buster: If it ain't my kid we don't need to look back Rio: I'll still feel bad Rio: but at that point, nothing you can do about it Buster: Me too Rio: Poor baby Buster: I can't lie, I feel bad for Ro and Drew's already too Rio: God, I know Rio: I was talking to Indie the other day Rio: and she was half joking but Rio: she doesn't even know the half of it Rio: she reckons they might get married Buster: I mean, my auntie clearly wants that Buster: I can't see Drew agreeing to a big white wedding though Buster: All the fam hates him for a start, imagine how awkward the ceremony and after party would be Rio: Oh God Rio: It would be the most depressing wedding in the world Rio: not that he's let that stop him hanging around for this long, he doesn't care Buster: Like are you gonna have Edie as a bridesmaid as well you cunt Buster: We all know he'd want you to do it Rio: Shut up Rio: Your Ma won't let her Buster: She couldn't stop them getting this far Rio: Well, that would be a little shameless, even for this fam Buster: If my life ever gets anything close to that fucked up, leave me Buster: I'm serious Rio: You're gonna have to pick up the pace if that's what you're going for, like Buster: Challenge accepted, babe Rio: 😒 Rio: If you want me to go, just say like, no need to go crazy Buster: I never want you to go Rio: Good Rio: 'cos I ain't Buster: If you could be here instead of there that'd really help me out though, like Rio: I wish I could be baby Buster: Wasted you talked a good game about it that night Rio: I did? Buster: Yeah Rio: Well, exactly how many cheques did drunk me write that I haven't cashed Rio: not saying won't 'cos refuse to be that bitch but need to know what I'm up against Buster: 😏 Buster: Some of them I was glad to rip up but you know Rio: 🙃 ha kill me Rio: I really do not know wtf I took that night Buster: Me either Buster: I've never seen you like that before Rio: Must've been cut with something dodgy that he didn't know about Rio: 'cos he was doing it too so Buster: Don't remind me Buster: Have you seen him since you got back? Rio: He was here one night with Indie Rio: Ro is doing his head in that much Rio: but I made my excuses and left sharpish, like Buster: Well that's something Buster: Sounds like the wedding's off then Rio: Ha, we can dream Rio: they constantly do each other's head's in, I think Rio: it's stupid, the whole thing Rio: if they'd done it when ours did, no one could say anything but they're grown now so sort it out Buster: I should send Chlo over to theirs it'd soon stop her believing we can play happy families Rio: Maybe we could convince Drew that kid is his too Buster: I just choked Buster: 😂 Rio: 😏 Just sayin' Rio: two birds one stone, like Buster: Always thinking, yeah? Buster: 🧠 Buster: God, I miss you so much Rio: Stick with me, babe Rio: I'll sort this shit so you can focus on your real 🧠box shit Buster: Just don't sort it how this fam normally do like 🥊 Rio: I don't think a slap would hurt her but Rio: probably not whilst she's with child, not very classy of me Buster: Fuck class, if that's what she reckons she's got you don't want it Rio: You're cute Buster: You too Rio: Nah Rio: I'm tough as hell Buster: Yeah and I like it Rio: I been knew Rio: You ever call my dominatrix friend or what Buster: 'Course Rio: Don't play Rio: really? Buster: Yeah Buster: Came highly recommended from a reliable source, like Rio: 😩 WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME Rio: why didn't she Rio: rude Buster: Didn't reckon you'd want an actual review back from me Rio: Duh Rio: selfish, right? Buster: Alright Buster: We had a good time Buster: but you know I prefer being the one in control so Rio: Yeah? Good Rio: You just can't buy this level of dedication, babe, sorry to say Buster: No more presents any time soon then, okay Rio: Seriously Rio: I don't even wanna work out how long you're good for with birthdays and xmas, like Buster: 😏 Rio: Buster Buster: Rio Rio: You're an idiot Rio: and I love you Buster: Good 'cause I'm yours Rio: Yeah? Buster: Yeah and you're mine, babe, whatever happens Rio: Promise Rio: Don't let anyone or anything fuck it up Buster: I swear on my life Rio: I'm not gonna let anything happen to you so Rio: we're good Buster: We really are Rio: I don't care if everyone knows Rio: I want people to know you're mine Rio: and I'm yours Buster: Me too Buster: After Christmas we'll figure this out Rio: Yeah Rio: Orrr we just stop hiding it and let 'em work it out for themselves 😏 Buster: Don't tempt me Rio: Everyone too awkward to ask Rio: rely on this fam for that but one loudmouth with a drink in 'em always ruins that Buster: And obviously that's Nance nowadays Rio: 😂 Rio: Don't Buster: Have you seen her? Buster: I should text but with Chlo hanging over me I'm just Rio: I haven't actually Rio: text planning this summer trip with her, and she seemed more like her old self Rio: obviously she ain't over it but everyone else will be soon, so that'll make it a bit better Buster: And the hols really ain't far off, like you said Buster: That'll help, not being at school for a while Rio: Definitely Rio: the others would tell me if shit was really dire at school, I know Rio: I'll check in when I have the chance Buster: As long as she doesn't try and make her ex her New Year's kiss she'll be alright Buster: That stupid cat is really making a difference too, like Buster: Not saying your ma is on to something Rio: If she suggests a gay bar I'll veto that shit hard, I think once was enough to learn on that one, bless Rio: 😏 See Rio: animals heal everything Rio: Indie still wants her puppy Buster: Are you gonna let her? Buster: Or be a strict ma Rio: Steady on Rio: know what you'd like Rio: I think so Rio: she's always out, so it'd get the exercise Buster: True Buster: Keep her out more too, so suits me Rio: Clearly you've never had to shoo a curious animal out the room 😂 Buster: You know we ain't been allowed since we were kids Buster: Not living that life Rio: Aww Rio: I remember Rio: it was so cute Buster: My ma weren't gonna fall for no scruffy pup, like Buster: Only the best Buster: Surprised she let this kitten stay Rio: Redhead pride Rio: gotta stick together Buster: 😂 Buster: I wonder if my brother would've left me outnumbered or what? Could've been blonde like, dad would've been buzzing Rio: Yeah, I wonder Rio: Your curls are the cutest though so, you win by default Buster: You're biased Rio: Am not Buster: Oh no? Buster: Just always got your hands in my hair as pure coincidence Buster: Same Rio: If you've got a better suggestion of how to hold on, lemme know Rio: 😩 fuck, now I miss you Buster: I can't think of anything better. You know it feels too good Rio: I can't think of anything else now Rio: fuck, babe Buster: Do you want me to be sorry? Buster: 'Cause like, you're gonna have to make me if you do Rio: Oh yeah? Rio: Challenge accepted Buster: Let's see what you can do then, babe Rio: Doubt me all you want Rio: Only gonna make me go harder Buster: Yeah? Buster: I hope so Rio: Don't be wasting your wishes now Rio: you're gonna need 'em Buster: Is that a promise? Rio: [Vid] Rio: What do you reckon, daddy? Buster: Fuck Buster: Okay, I believe you Rio: Good, I don't need to be the only one here wishing they weren't alone Buster: You can believe me, you aren't Buster: Jesus, you're so hot Rio: I am for you Buster: You just are and I can only take credit for the tan Buster: Unfair Rio: Trust, you can take credit for that video and the way I'm feeling too babe Buster: As long as you take credit for this Buster: [Sends own] Rio: Jesus Rio: I wanna take so more than credit Buster: I know Buster: And I wanna give you everything Rio: Please can we use the app Rio: I need you Buster: Say please again Rio: Please, Buster Rio: fuck me and make me cum now Buster: Okay, baby Rio: I missed you Buster: I miss you too Buster: Even more when you say my name like that Rio: I can't even help it Rio: it's the only word I have when I feel this good Buster: If I was actually there you'd have no words Rio: I wouldn't need them Rio: you know exactly how to fuck me best Buster: and you know exactly what to say to make me want to Rio: Got to return the favour Rio: no pillow princess Buster: Though if it meant you were here I wouldn't be mad at you lying there doing nothing Rio: The only way you could stop me being all over you if I was there would be handcuffs, babe Buster: That could be arranged, like, but I need you to touch me right now so Rio: You're so fucking gorgeous, baby Rio: I have to feel you to make sure you're real Buster: Christ Buster: You're the one that's unreal. You're so perfect, Rio Rio: You make me feel it Buster: Good Rio: I can't wait 'til you're here again Rio: even if there's going to be so many people to evade Buster: I don't care if the fam suddenly also invites half of Dublin, nobody and nothing is gonna stop be being alone with you Rio: Did you have to say that as you turned it up Buster: Do you want me to turn it back down? Rio: Fuck no Rio: You better not Buster: I didn't think so Rio: 😩 Don't tease me Rio: but also don't stop Buster: Does that feel like I'm gonna stop Rio: Buster Buster: I've got you exactly how I want you babe, we're not stopping Rio: I fucking love you Buster: I love you Buster: So fucking much Rio: I'm just thinking how hard I'm going to make you cum when I see you Buster: Tell me Rio: I want to take you all in and feel your cum hit the back of my throat Buster: Oh fuck Rio: Yeah, I miss you that much, I want you to fuck me with this toy whilst you're in my mouth, I want to be full of you Buster: Babe Buster: I'd kill for that right now Buster: I need you so bad Rio: I know Rio: Do you ache too? Buster: Yeah Rio: We need to get you a toy baby Rio: I'll send you one Buster: Jesus Christ Buster: I'm not gonna argue. I can't Rio: Have you ever used one, they're supposed to be so good Buster: Not yet Buster: But now I wanna Rio: You have to show me when you do Rio: and tell me exactly how it feels Buster: You know I will Buster: We tell each other everything, remember Rio: Yes, daddy Rio: Speaking of, you're about to make me cum Buster: Do it for me baby 'cause I need to cum for you Buster: You know that, don't you? Rio: Have I made you so hard, daddy? Telling you all the dirty things I NEED you to do to me, whilst you fuck me 'til I cum all the way from there Rio: I wanna make you cum without even touching you too, you're so good and I'm so close Buster: Rio Rio: Say my name again Rio: say it out loud when you cum Buster: Fuck, Rio Buster: You're everything Rio: I love you, Buster Buster: I love you Buster: And I want you Buster: I'm being so loud Rio: You're so hot, do you have any idea how fucking special you are Rio: no other lad has come a little bit close Rio: please let me hear you Buster: [Calls] Rio: You make me crazy, boy Buster: You love it Rio: I do Buster: Me too Rio: How could this be wrong Rio: she's stupid Buster: It isn't Buster: But even if it was, I wouldn't care Rio: Yeah? Buster: I meant what I said, nobody's gonna stop me from being with you Rio: Good Rio: I need you, you know Buster: And I need you Rio: You're always going to have me Buster: I seriously can't do any of this without you, you know Rio: You can Rio: but you don't have to Buster: Alright, maybe but I don't want to Buster: And I'm glad I don't have to Rio: You're my favourite Buster: Yeah? Buster: Well, you're one of the only people I like so good Rio: Aw baby, you're a big old softy really 😉 Buster: Shh Rio: as long as you keep hard for me it's all good Buster: You know I can't stop getting hard for you, babe Buster: Christmas is gonna be hilarious like Rio: Seriously Rio: Good 🍀 baby Buster: Do me a favor and look as unattractive as possible Rio: I'll wear an ugly christmas jumper then Buster: Cheers Buster: Straighten your hair and I won't even recognise you Rio: I'll get onto Gracie, I guess Rio: if you shave your head I will cry though Buster: I love you but not that much, like Rio: Good to know I've found the line 😜 Buster: 😂 Rio: Your Da looks good but I'm not seeing it Buster: Steady on Buster: Don't be complimenting me and him in the same breath Rio: 😏 Not like that Buster: Yeah yeah Buster: I don't look anything like him and I ain't about to try and pull of his look, the point's valid Rio: Yeah, you don't much Rio: I don't look loads like mine either Buster: You look so much like your mum Rio: If that's a subtle way of calling her a MILF Rio: heard it before and I doubt you're a stranger Buster: I mean Buster: Nobody'd dare say that about mine though 'cause I'd kill 'em Rio: Not to your face then, babe Buster: Shut up Rio: 😂 Rio: poor baby Buster: It's bad enough when lads say stuff about Nance Rio: Yeah, people are dicks Rio: like you wanna know Buster: And she don't wanna know either Buster: Looking at you James you cunt Buster: Sorry if you thought you were his fave convo topic, babe Buster: 😒 Rio: 💔 Gutted Rio: on my behalf and hers, like Buster: 'Course Rio: Such a tool Buster: Understatement there, like Rio: The amount of times I've had to kick him off my stream still Rio: get over it, babe Buster: Seriously? Rio: Yeah, I mean, it's just usernames but he's that stupid that I could still tell it was him 😂 Buster: I'll punch him again for you Rio: Don't go out of your way, like Buster: I don't have to Buster: I'll see him at school Rio: Yes but I'm saying you don't have to hit him Buster: But I want to Buster: Don't act like you don't Rio: Be a way to avoid Chloe if you're stuck in detention I suppose Rio: unless that's her vibe Buster: Imagine Buster: Safe to say it ain't Rio: 😏 Rio: #badgirl Buster: Don't Buster: Did I tell you she told me cockiness ain't a turn on? Rio: What's she saying, she got lost on the way to your bed then? Rio: like whatever, babe Buster: Doubt I was throwing her lines that night to be fair Buster: If I was chatting anything it was pure shite, guaranteed Rio: You would've been well-suited then Rio: If she wasn't such a bitch with it, I'd be well embarrassed for her Buster: 😂 you're savage Rio: Really? She's tryna fuck up your life, babe Rio: don't think anything's off limits Buster: Take the compliment Rio: Begrudgingly 😜 Buster: I love you Rio: love you 🤓 Buster: I'll leave the uniform on next time I record for you then Rio: Don't 😩 Rio: I'll be put on a register Buster: You're funny Rio: Mm, visit me in prison? Buster: 'Course Buster: You'll need a lawyer Rio: Now that's a conflict of interests Rio: victim and defender, like Buster: I won't tell if you don't Rio: it's that kinda talk that got us here in the first place Rio: so yeah Rio: 🤐 Buster: You're just so good at keeping my secrets, babe, I can't help myself like Rio: I like keeping 'em Rio: works for me Buster: Good

[punkscowardschampions]

Buster & Rio

Buster: Are you gonna be on clean up crew? Buster: I have to be Rio: Was meant to Rio: but I'll leave you to it then Buster: Cheers Buster: You can always help with Jay so Nance can do her bit Buster: Nobody'll give you shit for that Rio: Maybe Rio: she'll be well fawned over so Rio: best out of it Rio: stay in bed Buster: Whatever Rio: Not free childcare Buster: Didn't say you were Buster: She has fun with you that's it Rio: She's a baby, she can't tell who's who idiot 😂 Buster: Tell that to everyone she hates Rio: Rather not start my morning having a chinwag with Chlo, tah Rio: too far Rio: ? Buster: Probably Buster: Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, yeah? Rio: Oh well, too late now Rio: Funny Rio: Wrong bed, init Buster: Not very funny to be fair Rio: Oh get over it, McKenna Rio: This is what you do Rio: what, really thought you'd changed? Buster: I was trying to Rio: N'awwh Rio: Single tear Buster: Glad you're loving this Buster: That's what you do Buster: revel in the fuck ups Rio: and what? Rio: sorry I don't jerk myself off, fist pumping every 'victory' Rio: not my crowd Buster: So you say Buster: Happy to crowd me though Rio: You can go fuck yourself Rio: like I forced you Rio: you're delusional Buster: No Buster: Much as you like to put words and thoughts on me Buster: I never said you did Rio: Then own it and move the fuck on Rio: you're turning into a real bore, you know? Buster: Good Buster: It'll keep you away from me Rio: Who you trying to kid? Rio: 'Cos newsflash, its only working on yourself Buster: Newsflash I only give a shit about myself Rio: I'm aware Rio: reckon your girlfriend ain't yet Rio: Give her time to catch up, eh? Buster: Planning to Rio: Save me another job Rio: 'cos cba to give her the lowdown Buster: You're welcome Rio: But like I said, not fooled here Rio: you'll just continue to be a piece of shit Rio: keep up the collection of dumb bitches Buster: Lucky you don't care then Rio: Didn't say that Rio: not about you Rio: I can feel bad for her though Buster: Bit late for that Rio: I'm not her boyfriend Rio: and doubt I'm the first or last betrayal so good one Rio: its all on you, dickhead Buster: You still knew I was Buster: Say what else you like Rio: And what? Not my responsibility to make sure you behave Rio: And if she's that girl that blames the other women then I take back any sympathy I had for her so Buster: And you didn't say no to spare her so don't act like you give any fucks now Buster: You're as selfish as I am Buster: Own that and move on Rio: Not claiming I love the bitch Rio: I can do what I want Buster: Then shut up about her Rio: Little late to grow a conscience Rio: you're SUCH a little bitch boy 😂 Buster: And you love it so get off the moral high ground Rio: Its mine to take Rio: if you're gonna pretend to be something you're not, tie yourself down, then you get the consequences Rio: Simple as Rio: Not going to console you Buster: I wasn't asking you to Buster: I only asked you one question Rio: Nah Rio: Not how I recall it Buster: Recall it how you want Rio: Fucking hell you're dry Buster: If you only wanna talk to me when I'm making you wet you're gonna have a long wait Rio: Big talk for someone who lasted a month being 'good' 😂 Rio: Pathetic Buster: That was then Buster: I'm over you now Buster: Over all of this Rio: That was a few hours ago Rio: You're actually derranged, called it in the air from the off Rio: you can't gaslight me like you can your bland naive little girlfriends Rio: Unlucky Buster: Yeah I am and now I'm sick of you too Buster: I got what I wanted a few hours ago Buster: So no need to string this out Rio: 😂 Brilliant Rio: what's the issue champ, can't get it up? Or just not enough fucked up shit for you to really feel more than a pump and dump? Rio: Poor girl Buster: Why do you care? Buster: Not everything has to be that deep Rio: Yes it does Rio: I'm not the one with delusions here, remember Rio: If you were happy, you wouldn't have done it Rio: Its that fucking simple, Buster Buster: I never said I was happy or unhappy Buster: Why would I to you? Rio: You didn't have to Rio: Actions speak louder Rio: Stop behaving like you're braindead, you're meant to be clever Buster: I had an opportunity and I took it Buster: There's the action Buster: Nothing else to say Rio: and if you were happy Rio: you wouldn't have Buster: How do you know? Buster: Maybe I was blissful and I couldn't handle it Rio: then you're more of a lost cause than you're acting Rio: if you're into someone, you don't cheat on them, its that straightforward Buster: For you Rio: You're sooooo complex 😂 Rio: for everyone Buster: Not for me Buster: I'm into her and I still fucked you Buster: End of story Rio: No it ain't Buster: Cause you don't want it to be Buster: But it is Rio: No Rio: fuckwit Rio: because you're not going to do anything about it cause you're chickenshit Buster: I'm not going to do anything about it cause it doesn't mean anything Buster: I'm not married to her Rio: She'd disagree Rio: and you're fully aware Rio: If she meant anything, you'd tell her the truth and beg for fucking forgiveness Rio: but that's not gonna happen, is it? Rio: No because she'll dump you on the spot for being such a fuck up Buster: You don't know her so don't give it out like you do Rio: You don't Rio: and she doesn't know you, the real you, cos you know what'd happen if she did Buster: Exactly Buster: It's been weeks not years Rio: She's still not going to appreciate being cheated on you absolute fucking tool! Rio: More so, maybe if you were in love you'd get passed it Rio: but it ain't that deep, honey Buster: Get over it Buster: There's no need for you to care Buster: Or give me this lecture Rio: No Rio: I'm not staying in the box you put me in for your convenience, I don't fucking love you either Rio: and I'm within my right to tell her, if that's what I want to do Rio: you have NO control over this, Buster, NONE Buster: Go on then Buster: Do it Buster: You're the only one who gives a shit about who has control Buster: I could care less Rio: When it stops being fun holding it over you, I will Rio: You'll find out by proxy, I'm sure Buster: Take that pathetic enjoyment and run with it Buster: If that's all you've got, take it Rio: Plan to Rio: 'Cos what have you got? Nothing more than what you lie and cheat for Rio: and that's all so easily taken away Buster: I've got everything I need Buster: You're the one grasping Buster: Trying to make me react Rio: You have NOTHING Rio: None of it is real Rio: and I don't need to lift a finger or say a word to make you Rio: you do it all yourself, no need for help Buster: Boo fucking hoo Buster: If I'd wanted real I'd never have gone near you Rio: Duh Rio: its all fantasy Rio: Best of all is the fantasy where you think you'll be a good guy with a 'nice' safe missus Rio: I'm not apologising for laughing Rio: What do you expect? Buster: Nothing Buster: I like the fantasy Buster: Paint me as being a devastated loser all you like but actually I'm fine Buster: Even better now I'm done with you Rio: You can't be Rio: Cuz Rio: 😂 you're the furthest from fine Rio: trust, I know Rio: you don't live around a trainwreck for as long as I did without learning how to spot the derailment ahead Buster: I'd tell you not to flatter yourself but that's all you've got so go ahead Buster: You don't know anything close to as much as you think you do Buster: If you had you'd have seen Drew coming for a start Buster: And Edie going Rio: Likewise, Mr Trinity College Rio: can't stop a trainwreck, everyone knows that Rio: can't look away either Rio: you and your saviour complex Rio: served you well, hasn't it? oh wait Rio: nah, nah it hasn't Buster: Again, you're the one putting that on me Buster: Worry about yourself, Rio Rio: I'm not Rio: can't take back the fuck, can't take back all the shit I know about you Rio: deal with it Buster: You see what you wanna see Buster: Deal with being wrong more than you're right Rio: I can only see and hear what you're putting out Rio: You're the twisted one, remember? Rio: I'm crystal clear Buster: Keep telling yourself that Rio: I shall Rio: keep telling yourself you're fine Rio: and all will be peachy Buster: Unlikely but it's the truth regardless Buster: Got to go get shit done now Buster: Bye Rio: When you out yourself as not being fine in a sentence Rio: Good Luck, kid Rio: You need it Buster: No doubting that Buster: Never have Rio: Right, the fight to the top Rio: I recall, we're not going over that again, PLEASE Buster: No we aren't Buster: I'm busy Rio: Carnage won't clean itself Rio: better to start with that mess Buster: Can't all lie in bed being a smug bitch Rio: oh, you want me to come now? Rio: wow, mixed messages, babe Buster: Like I've said repeatedly, I don't care what you do Rio: No, bitch, you only messaged me to make sure I wasn't going to show Rio: Cut the crap for a sec and be honest Rio: you've had no problem telling me graphically and repeatedly what a horrible mistake I was/am so let's not act otherwise now Buster: No I told you I had to be there Buster: I never said what you should do Buster: Thought you might not wanna come, but if you're that desperate to pick up empties nobody's stopping you Rio: And why else would you tell me that but to say don't come Rio: you're driving me insane, have you forgotten how to tell the truth, has it been that long? Rio: fuck Buster Buster: I figured you might not want to see me since I don't wanna see you Buster: It's that simple Rio: Well, you were wrong Rio: Again Rio: but whatever, understood Buster: More fool you for being surprised or bothered Buster: You should've known Buster: Seen it coming I'd be wrong, that's your thing Rio: No, I got it, you've hurled enough insults my way for one morning, thanks Rio: not expecting a good morning text but you know Rio: I'm the idiot who thought you might have some decency left in you, yeah, my mistake Buster: Yeah it is Buster: At least you won't make it again Rio: No Rio: I'm not fool enough to believe that Rio: but you're riding that hard enough for the both of us so maybe Buster: Believe what you want Rio: I don't Rio: and that's why you're so angry at me Buster: Don't flatter yourself Buster: I'm mad at myself Rio: Stop telling me what to do, and then telling me you aren't! Rio: and don't say such vile things to me and be so cruel, and then tell me you don't care! Rio: Just stop it Buster: What do you want? A declaration of love Buster: You wanted honesty Rio: No Rio: and you haven't given me honesty, you've given me nothing but contradictions, so only half of what you said can be close to being right Buster: If that's what you've heard there's nothing I can do about it Buster: I've been honest Rio: Yes, there is! Rio: Oh my god, why are you so infuriating? Buster: You tell me Buster: You're the one having a stroke Rio: Because you've treated me like shit! Rio: and you don't see the problem in that Rio: you only care about her Rio: whether you like me or not you could treat me like a fucking human being Buster: Like you've treated me any better Buster: Not my fault you can give it out but can't take it Rio: Nothing ever is Rio: I said some things that if I was in a better frame of mind, I'd probably be sorry for, yeah; but you literally started this Buster: I'm not going to be sorry for treating you how you deserve to be treated Buster: I've been defending myself this entire time Rio: Clearly Rio: No, I fully understand that you're just treating me how I deserve; what else would a sad whore like me deserve but a pity fuck when you were horny and inexplicably your girlfriend wouldn't do? Rio: and I'm even more of a sad whore for being offended when this is pointed out to me the next morning when you say you NEVER wanna see me again Rio: Gotcha Buster: It wasn't that Buster: I don't pity you, that's all you feeling sorry for yourself and me apparently because I'm so fucked up Buster: And I didn't say never, I just don't want to see you the morning after I made a mistake Buster: Get over yourself like Rio: I think you'll find you did but I'm not being the bitch who sends you screenshots, heaven help me, I'm already a whore and a jealous cunt Rio: can't add that to the list of my sins Buster: Well if I did add that to the list of mine Buster: Since you love my mistakes so much Rio: Gotta love myself, ain't I? Can't fault me that, you always extoling the virtues Buster: I'm not Buster: Come on, you're not the mistake, getting with you again was Rio: What's the difference? Buster: It's the timing it's not you Rio: C'mon Rio: that just means it was alright when nothing better was on offer Rio: appreciate the attempt at being decent but Rio: whatever, I'll survive Buster: She's not better, she's different Buster: And you know it wasn't just alright Rio: Nah, she is Rio: It ain't the first time I've been a side-chick Rio: Forever like, ahh, too early to crack open another bottle is it? Rio: Pity party that it is Buster: I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this bullshit Buster: You're better than this Rio: Evidently not Rio: but that's alright, not gonna rock your world at this point, you've been putting out as much Buster: Stop Buster: I wanted to hurt you Buster: You called me out on it already so don't buy in now Rio: What do you want me to say? Like, mission accomplished Rio: What's done is done Buster: Fuck's sake Buster: what do you want ME to say? Rio: I don't think there's anything else for you to say Rio: is there? Buster: Christ, now you're being infuriating Buster: I'm sorry, yeah? Rio: Yeah Rio: cool Buster: You're just gonna ice me out now then Buster: We're done talking, that's it? Rio: You said Bye like, 10 minutes ago so Rio: I assumed so, in fairness 😜 Buster: THAT you listen to Buster: Fuck Buster: I can't win with you Rio: I'm all ears, McKenna Rio: Its not a game, so you can't, I'm afraid Buster: Isn't it? Since when Rio: Since it has no end-goal Rio: and who decides who's won or lost Buster: We both lose according to you Rio: Well Rio: am I wrong? Buster: Why do we have to Rio: Because we set ourselves up to Rio: What else did we think would happen here? Buster: We weren't thinking Buster: I'm not sorry I wasn't Rio: Yeah you are Rio: but should be, at least you're trying Rio: Shouldn't take the piss out of you for it Buster: Like I said, only about last night Buster: 'Cause I am trying Buster: But I can't blame you for coming for my failings, shouldn't anyway Rio: I can't apologise for the gist of what I was saying, even if I did go too far at certain points Rio: even if it is one for you, and that's alright Rio: its not the best feeling in the world to be someone's 'failing' and 'mistake' Rio: is what it is but now you know Rio: said my piece Buster: yeah Buster: I don't want you to be sorry Buster: I don't want you to be one of my fuck ups either Buster: But I meant what I told you before, I really like Erin, and that is still true Rio: Yeah Rio: I just am, we can't take it back Rio: we thought we knew that but we didn't Buster: Fuck Buster: Tell me what you want me to do Buster: I can't fix it, I know that, but I don't wanna leave it like this Rio: I don't know Rio: I really don't think there's anything you can do or say Rio: It'll get better with time, doesn't everything? Buster: No Buster: It's a platitude Rio: Well Rio: Gotta take it Buster: Yeah Buster: Do you want me to go? Buster: I'll get out of your inbox, that's what you properly deserve like Rio: No Rio: of course I don't Rio: but you should Buster: You're right, you've been right this whole time Buster: But I don't want you to be Buster: Not about that Buster: I've changed my mind Buster: I do want to see you Rio: Buster Rio: Don't Rio: One of us has to be sensible Buster: One more time Buster: Please Rio: That's what you wanted last night to be Rio: wasn't it? Buster: I don't know Buster: But I know I don't want this convo to be it Buster: I do care about you Buster: I want to stop lying Rio: Okay Rio: Okay, I don't want it to be either Rio: lets just talk, in person Rio: we can be honest Buster: Yeah Buster: I owe you more than that Rio: Its a start Buster: Where? Rio: I don't know, don't care, anywhere Buster: Meet me outside, we'll figure the rest out when you get that far Rio: Okay Buster: Don't be long, yeah? Rio: I won't Rio: Coming now