#it kills me inside fr but i’m being so very chill about it

[otrtbs]

all the ppl saying they’re moving to instagram after the tiktok ban like fuckerberg didn’t use his bajillion dollars to lobby for the ban … oh okay.

[gyuphorias]

it being cold as hell and beomgyu just kinda…taking advantage of the situation while you’re cuddling…

at first it starts with his hand down your shorts, fingers moving in and out of your cunt—and he’s laughing just a little every time you clench around him or moan out. but then he whispers something in your ear about cockwarming, and the biggest chill runs down your spine. it’s funny because he’s very lighthearted and isn’t even trying that hard to make a mess of you, he just does it naturally.

and now you’re a silly little mess around his cock, holding onto him for dear life. but you’re warm now right? so it’s a mission successful for beomie; you’re both warm and he’s deep inside of you. occasionally playing with your clit or thrusting up into you😮‍💨😮‍💨 i’m 😵‍💫 rn

i think this might have officially killed me 😵‍💫😵‍💫

like fr he takes advantage of it 😵‍💫 like you've been cuddling for a while, but you're still cold so you mention it offhandedly n because he's a huge tease, he pulls you back into his chest even further and then slips his hand down your shorts without a word. he takes his time to work you up before he finally starts fingering you, letting the heel of his palm work on your clit as he thrusts his fingers. he literally just lives for the way you moan and whine and press back into him.

the second he suggests cockwarming and you shiver, oh he's fucking thriving because he wasn't even really being that serious about it. it was literally just a one-off comment (one that he's totally down for tho ofc), but when he sees how eager your body reacts, he just knows he has to. so he helps you slip out of your shorts and panties, rubbing your thighs to warm you up a bit and teasing you (bc it's beom). he settles back behind you and guides his cock into your cunt, feeling a little proud of how you whimper as he stretches you out. once he's bottomed out, he wraps you up tight in his arms and pulls the blankets tight over you too. he's gotta admit that it does feel a lot warmer and he's down to fall asleep just like that. he knows you almost fall asleep just like that, so to keep you on your toes a bit, he plays with your clit and thrusts into you and shifts around, and he smiles and laughs quietly when you let out little moans and whines, telling him to either stop or just fuck you already.

i'm dizzy i need a breather 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[angeltrapz]

oosdkk dude im sorry ur mood dropped too.. i hope u feel better soon <3 but like i wld love 2 hear more abt ur thoughts on Art in general bc Boy Is He Interesting, and also a lil more abt Daniel coming out as nonbinary to his dad (whether he knows Eric is trans or not at that moment skjdfhdskf)! + if ur feelin it just more abt Mallick in general ESP cuz we agree that Brit doesn't make it thru V

djhfjdks thank u sm <3

okay Art first. I genuinely wonder abt him so much, something in specific I think abt is that aside frm Amanda (+ Eric, obviously, but talkin abt disciples) Art is one of the only trap victims EVER 2 be tested twice and it’s like... what’s that abt? Why? as u’ve said b4 it rly depends on how you personally view his character: whether he’s a disciple or not. fr me, both options are equally plausible, n honestly I don’t rly confine myself to either; it sorta depends on what I’m feeling/writing. if we’re talking abt art being a disciple, then the Spinecutter not going off (one of my BIGGEST questions) makes total sense, as Hoffman’s side of the trap was never set up to work either, + Jigsaw disciples have a history (aside from Lawrence) of appearing as victims in other tests/traps. if he were not just another pawn and was in fact a disciple himself, then the Spinecutter was never meant to go off - it was there just to make Eric think it COULD go off/make it look convincing to outsiders. which brings me to ANOTHER question: what does Art know abt Eric? does he know anything? what does he think of Eric?

(lil side note: if Art is a disciple, then I kinda wonder if it’s a lil bit of a Hoffman + Lawrence situation where Hoffman didn’t know abt Art either? just bc he looks so shocked when he sees Art’s face fully fr the first time... that could’ve just been acting on Hoffman’s part but IDK. food fr thought)

personally, I feel like Art probably does know a lil bit abt Eric - at the very least, he’d know tht Eric had been previously tested + failed by John’s rules, but then I feel that he wld also know Eric didn’t rly have a chance in his second test. that is why Art trying so fucking hard to keep Eric alive is interesting 2 me: what is his motivation 2 do that? like he’s been told Eric’s basically just there to get Rigg to participate, he doesn’t have any personal obligation or anything like that. sure, the aim is to keep Eric alive + see if Rigg can pass his “test,” but nobody said anything about grabbing a man you barely know around his ankles to keep him frm hanging himself w a noose made of chains. nobody said anything abt speaking to him so softly, not even raising your voice beyond saying “hey,” and asking him do you understand? when you tell him to keep still and prevent him frm killing his counterpart (which, if Art is a disciple, he knows it won’t, but he still speaks to Eric so softly, so compassionately, doesn’t he?)

nobody said anything abt grabbing him around the waist and steadying him again after being punched by said man. but Art does that. he stabilizes Eric’s feet on the ice as best he can and he keeps his hips straight and he basically says “look, we’re all stuck here, you need to keep it together ‘til that clock counts down if you want us to live, but I’m giving you a choice,” and he presses the gun w the single bullet into Eric’s hands and tells him it’s up to him. nobody said Art had to care but he does, I think, and it’s just like. he really didn’t have to keep Eric alive over the course of Rigg’s test. he didn’t. but he did and I just,, where does it come from? why does he care? this is even going beyond the fact that we’ve talked abt them being together after their test in a scenario where they both survive - I just think that Art at his core is a very stubborn but very compassionate person, whether he wants 2 be or not. like he HAS to know that kind of involvement cld prove to be extremely detrimental but he cares. I feel like that says a lot abt him (even if he does call Eric an asshole a couple times while doing it,,).

plus I also just. I think his reason for being tested (as it seems to be in most cases) is extremely flimsy. he was doing his job. he’s a LAWYER. often times it has nothing 2 do w personal feelings; they’re there to do their job and sometimes, unfortunately, that is defending possibly reprehensible people (in cases like Rex’s & Ivan’s). + John was already upset w him regarding their argument abt the urban renewal group so like it just feels So Very Petty, y’know?? even in the scenario where he IS a disciple, testing him twice seems entirely like John having a personal vendetta against him. Amanda is the only other person to be tested twice aside from Eric, so like. what. is that abt Mr. Kramer.

like I’ve said b4 in dms one could argue that Art is grey morally, bc we never rly see anything of him outside of flashbacks + acting as a test controller in IV, esp given that he... rly doesn’t seem too bothered abt it all? which is fair. but I also feel like the concern he shows towards Eric is smth to be considered as well.

-

+ YESS NONBINARY DANIEL I know I’ve mentioned it b4 but for reference, I read Daniel as masc nonbinary (he/they)! so I feel like Daniel wld b pretty comfortable w his identity, he’s never rly had a reason not to be (it’s rly anyone’s guess here tho bc we never see Eric + Daniel + Kate... as a family unit, for obvious reasons), so I feel like he’s vry chill abt it? and in the scenario where Eric survives n is dating Adam, I feel like Daniel wld talk 2 him abt it first (Adam is an adult they quickly come to trust + he’s vocal abt being trans himself so there’s that added layer of understanding - other than his mom maybe Adam might b the first person they come out 2). they’re just kinda like “so I wanna tell my dad I’m nonbinary but like I’ve literally never thought abt coming out what do I do” and Adam’s just like. Aha. bc he knows Eric is Also Trans so like, he doesn’t tell Daniel that bc it’s not his info to share, but he’s definitely like “oh it’ll totally be fine. trust me you have no reason to worry” so Daniel’s just like Okay. I Got This

+ I know I mentioned this in dms but Daniel wld absolutely wear those floral ripped hem skirts over jeans, so I feel like on one of his visits to his dad’s, he just. wears that combined w a completely random niche graphic tee he bought when shopping w Adam (I adore this hc n I am Holding Onto It) n is just like. not super open abt it bc he doesn’t know what to expect? he just kinda waits fr Eric to comment on it but when he doesn’t, Daniel gets nervous n is like “do I look okay?” and Eric’s rly chill abt it, like “yeah! it looks vry cool, vry alternative.” n like Daniel is relieved, of course, but also he’s just like God Pls Say Something so he just comes out w it like “okay this is not working. I’m nonbinary.”

and he’s COMPLETELY SHOCKED when Eric is just like “oh why didn’t u say so? do u have a different name u wanna go by? is Daniel still okay?” bc he wasn’t sure how much Eric knew, so he’s just like “uh no Daniel is still good, he/they pronouns though” and Eric’s just like alright cool but internally Daniel’s just like ??????

n THAT is when Eric asks him 2 come sit out on th front steps w him n is just like. “I don’t think I ever told u this but I’m trans. I transitioned during training in my early 20s” n Daniel is nodding while internally he’s like Adam I’m gonna throttle u. he worked himself up fr NOTHING. he just kinda laughs abt it and Eric is like “are u good?” ‘cause he’s a lil worried but then Daniel just smiles and is like “yeah I’m fine! just realizing I had nothing 2 be worried abt” and it’s a rly good moment fr them. they sit out there together talking abt their experiences for quite a while n at some point Adam steps outside 2 find them deep in conversation + he just smiles n goes back inside bc he cares abt them both so much and seeing them talk like that makes him so 💞💞 (Eric is SO PROUD u can see it on his face)

-

ohhh gosh Mallick,,, I spend a lot of time thinking abt him actually. he’s just one of those characters I feel vry connected to (me 🤝 Mallick: Ambiguous Disorder 💕) n one I got surprisingly attached to? hello (he IS one of my f/os)

I feel like Mallick is a very lonely person at his core. the way he sort of clings to Brit (w out the whole like. adrenaline of being in very very real danger w ppl trying to kill u SEVERAL TIMES) somewhat confirms this fr me. this is someone who has no reason to look out fr him, no reason to keep protecting him when their fellow captives hit him over th head w a club or attempt to push him into a bathtub to ELECTROCUTE him, but she keeps doing it and he’s just. in awe of it a little bit? ‘cause she could just let Charles knock him tf out or let Luba push him in but she fights for him, some1 she has no obligation to n met fr the first time literally when they woke up.

the moment they share b4 they stick their arms into the saws to activate the 10 Pints of Sacrifice is so very vulnerable and maybe even a little tender. yes he calls her a monster, yes she calls him one back, neither of them deny it. it’s an admission and an acceptance. they’re monsters, sure, fine, okay. but they are monsters and they are in this together. Brit tells Mallick it’s okay when he says he can’t do this alone. she says okay, okay, it’s okay, we’ll go together. and they help each other secure their tourniquets and they stick their hands in together bc it’s the two of them, literally hand in hand, fighting for their lives n for each other n they’re in so so much pain but they are doing it TOGETHER. I lose it thinking abt it!!! they even have a head bonk moment!!! I very much feel like it has some cinematic parallels to Adam & Lawrence’s moment in SAW 2004!!!!

+ as u mentioned, we both share the thought that Brit likely died since she wasn’t present at Bobby’s meetings, and. I want to touch on how fucking despondent and lost Mallick looks when we see him again in 3D. lights on but no one’s home. I feel like for Mallick, losing Brit was losing the first chance at a real connection he’s had in god knows how long - and for him, that’s just very shattering. he’s been thru hell, he’s watched three people die right in front of him, he sawed his ARM IN HALF, n the person he went through all of that with didn’t make it. but he did. and I feel like for Mallick that’s just like... he doesn’t understand it. but he feels even lonelier than he ever has b4 because the One Person who was there w him thru it all, the one person who could ever possibly understand what happened that night, is gone.

the Mallick we see in V would NEVER sit down n willingly listen to Bobby Dagen’s bullshit abt loving yr scars n taking pride in the fact u survived. he wld hate that man with a passion n I am very much sure of this. the fact that he’s sitting in that chair looking numb and glassy-eyed and silent? Mallick is trying to find some1 to connect to, find a place where maybe he belongs. trying to fill that hole that losing Brit made. why else wld he be sitting there, listening to someone he would ordinarily tell to shove his self-love bullshit up his ass? he’s lost. he’s just trying to keep his head above water and find a way to shore even though everything in him is fighting not to. he’s adrift without her.

+ ALTERNATIVELY, bc the reality of that is just. crushing n maybe not where I needed 2 go, in the scenario where Brit survived + just doesn’t want to put up w Bobby’s bullshit, I imagine them to actually move in together after a lil bit of time getting 2 know each other better w out the pressure of “oh god we’re gonna die.” she kinda helps him build up a sense of self-worth bc GOD it’s practically non-existent n thinking abt possible reasons why makes me sad. she’s definitely just like “no, you do deserve to be cared for and you deserve help when you need it, you deserve good things n to be happy.” she just kinds shuts it down while still making sure to talk 2 him abt WHY he feels that way (she’s not dismissing, but she’s trying to nip it in th bud) n Mallick is just like. huh. bc no one’s really done that fr him before. but it rly does end up helping in the long run, even if it is a very slow pace toward actually getting 2 a place where he recognizes his own worth + realizes he deserves all the things he wants Brit 2 have too. they’re there for each other thru thick n thin and if they made it thru their game, they can make it thru anything.

[kaitosimp]

In an au I made, Yasuhiro adopts Kaito (because look at the similarities between those two. Double jackets and positivity)

Any thoughts or head canons for them as father and son?

:o !! Now this is something i never thought about! I think I've thought about kaito and hiro being similar once or twice but never as dad-son (ive been too busy calling kaito "ishimondo's love child" oops)

I haven't re-played the 1st game in a loooong time so apologies if the Hiro stuff isn't 100% accurate but I did think of a few hc's! Also I'm assuming it's like fr adoption and not that Hiro saw Kaito in the school halls and went like "gASP my child" but if it is do let me know so i can do another one 😂 (english isn't my first language so I misinterpret a lot of stuff sometimes 🥲)

I thought of these where Kaito's a kid! 🌟

-Hiro always sets up a fortune telling session for lil Kaito in which he guarantees Kaito will be a succesful astronaut and all his dreams will come true

-Naturally, Kaito freaks out and gets super happy and gives his dad a big o'l hug

-Kaito always takes Hiro's fortune telling items cause they're shiny, especially the crystal balls

-Hiro always keeps Kaito away from his sessions, he doesn't want some of his more dangerous clients to know about him and risk having him in any type of danger

-But if the sessions go sideways he will literally yEET and will nab Kaito from the other room to take him to safety

-When Kaito gets mad, he climbs something to be taller than Hiro and will pull on his hair

-Kaito thinks his dad is the most awesome person in the whole world and that his psychic abilities are 100% real

-He brags about it in school about how his dad can predict the future and can read minds, earning the awe of his classmates

-Kaito always steals Hiro's coat and drapes it on his shoulders like a cape

And these are for a teenage Kaito! 🌠

-Kaito never expected to be adopted by a fortune teller but he isn't complaining, Hiro seemed like a cool and chill guy, he just hoped his job wouldn't include occult things

-At the mention of the occult, Hiro proceeded to go on a one hour rant about how its totally different to what he does

-It was a bit awkward at first, but once he was reassured the occult wasn't involved, Kaito settled in and was thankful someone gave him a chance

-The first thing they bond over is their hate of ghosts

-As soon as Hiro found out about Kaito's love of space, he bought him a bunch of galaxy themed clothes, glow in the dark stars, and his very own crystal ball with a galaxy spiral inside (it cost him a fortune but the seller guaranteed it'll bless his son for life)

-They love plants and thus there's loads all over the house, but if one dies they freak out thinking its an evil entity killing them

-Kaito doesn't say it much, but he's really grateful that Hiro regularly chants any evil spirits away, it makes him feel safer about any possible lingering ghosts

-Positivity and chilling all day every day! They regularly have talks where they talk about positive things and chill out

-Kaito got used to his dad's sessions and deals going sideways, often being ready to run or get the bat ready (just in case)

-Kaito ends up being the voice of reason when Hiro goes to waste money, his best accomplishment was stopping his dad from buying a 5 million dollar charm that was supposedly handed down between generations of foreign royalty

-Hiro often tries teaching Kaito how to do fortune telling sessions and how to predict the future, Kaito sucks at it but he appreciates the quality time regardless

W o w I'm so sorry this is so long 💀 I always get carried away with hc's, oops

[cuddlecave]

is xiphoid

hhhh ur last post is makin me think of a Time Travel au, which I love

cute after-antarctica established fr*nrey gets transported via shenanigans to when shit first started going down in antarctica, giving the base two gords and a stranger *during a bodysnatcher attack*-- but they're both??? the real gord??? meanwhile--where in fuck did that stranger go...

cue future-benr meeting up with past-benr, which maybe in this 'verse is A Lot More Injured, and therefore thinking of killing The Entire Base. future-benr gotta convince him to chill out--and maybe gives some body mass as help and goodwill, to which past-benr, having never received that, is like, *????????????!!!!!!??!?!*

in the camp, future-gord is trying to explain he's from the future, trying to figure out whys they're here (and can his benr communicate that it's so this benr doesn't kill everyone?? maybe if they get close enough, but then there's a chance of one of the benrs getting caught and torched.... Potential Angst Galore) also past-gord is very sus and trying to figure out why the future him is so fucking chill about a bodysnatcher--oh, he's *acting* concerned, but past-gord can tell it's an act, so what the fuck

(future-gord has *complete confidence* in his benr, and that everyone will be protected. it's honestly adorable)

maybe somehow past-benr and future-gord meet and gords like, awww, it's ok bud I won't hurt u <3, and benrs like what the hell my future self was right, he's?? good?? and now wants to go befriend his timelines gord...but *how*??? this timelines gord hasn't been hurt, so he can't heal him for trust...

(will be continued in next ask)

(continued) cue past-benr and future-gord creating a Plan to trap past-gord (who's been very very sus and therefore hard to corner) and trying to explain the *actual situation*, and why benrs, cool, actually. maybe for muffling and containment purposes, future-gord suggests past-benr vore past-gord--and maybe joins past-gord inside to explain, once the initial panic has worn off. big rush of Trust for past-benr, for sure--and a good demonstration of Not Getting Hurt by benr even when he's obvs got the Opportunity, for past-gord. meanwhile science team has been being distracted by future-benr pulling shenanigans to make sure that his gord and his past self aren't disturbed (again, good potential Angst if in these attempts he gets hurt *on purpose*, breaking off pieces of himself specifically to get attacked, running low on bio mass...his gord is gonna be so upset and distressed!) now that both gords are on board with the benr-is-good thing, they've gotta decide What To Do about it all, hmm. and try to meet up with future-benr,,,who is now injured pretty badly. bonus points if this involves a scene where future-gord has to physically-ass rescue his benr in front of some or all of the science team...the Drama omg not Entirely sure how it gets solved from there--maybe copious explaining and more blood tests to be sure the gords aren't faking. future-fr*nrey is super fucking cuddly with each other, and their past selves are curious about each other, but still working it out. they do mostly trust each other tho, so past-gord is still pretty protective of his benr--a very new feeling for past benr maybe now that everyone knows the situation and the Main Plot is over, there's just fun Shenanigans the rest of the time until they figure out a way back. (maybe is was g-man who sent them, to make sure that timelines tom didn't die??) I'm imagining various members of the team finding the Futures swallowing each other and going ???!?! and also the Pasts figuring themselves out, maybe trust exercise vore. also a fun idea is if benrs can like, merge their biomass (like they're still separate minds, but technically their DNA is Same so it's compatible) and getting both gords inside for Maximum Comfy Boyfriend Time (...maybe while part of themselves are in their respective gords...vore-ception) they Obvs find a way to keep in touch after tho :) anyway I love time travel aus so this popped into my head fully goddamn formed so I need to share thank u for providing this fun experience tho and for letting me play in ur sandbox

this sandbox is open to the public, build all the idea sandcastles u want bro 👍

[ultraintrovertedgryffindor]

The 100 AU

I just read the allegations of one of my favorite actors and I’m (de)pressed. I have no idea if I believe it myself, but if it’s true, then wtf and this dude needs a reality check fr 🙄

Anyway, I just wanted to write something that’ll make me feel better.

~~~~~~~~~~

(not my gif)

The years that went by were peaceful and happy, a big change from having to fight others and protect those that were friends, something Clarke was not used to. Of course, she missed her daughter and the friends she lost along the way to peace, but she was satisfied to know Madi was happy wherever transcendence was. 

Everyone else seemed happy with their decision to stay behind with Clarke, she was thankful for them, and Picasso of course.

Just like “Lexa” said, no one had children, much to the dismay of Murphy and Emori, but they had each other.

Indra was the first to pass away, her being the eldest, but she died holding her daughter’s hand and everyone around her, she died loved. Even more years had to pass for the rest to pass away, Niylah being the first. It was just as painful, knowing they’d never see each other again, but everyone made sure to comfort the Grounder woman just like they did with Indra.

One by one, Clarke’s family left her, some two at a time (even in death, Murphy and Emori followed after one another). The last to leave Clarke was Raven. She noted that even in old age, the feisty mechanic looked beautiful, which she expressed to put a smile on her face one last time.

Clarke’s lip trembled as she felt Raven go stiff in her arms, a content expression on her face as her soul left her body.

There was no point in the “may we meet again’s”, not anymore, knowing that they wouldn’t. Clarke wondered if that how Jasper felt before Praimfaya.

Being an old woman, Clarke didn’t have the strength to give her friend a proper burial, but she still tried, but her frail body didn’t allow her.

Clarke slowly walked back to the beach, where she sat down on the shore to look out at the sky as was tradition after every death, but this time it was silent. She had no one to talk to about the recently passed friend, about different memories that would make her laugh. After Murphy and Emori died, the rest of the night was just conversation about how amazing they were as people, and how Murphy could make jokes at any moment and it would elicit laughter out of anyone.

Clarke looked to her right, where Raven would usually be, and frowned.

Clarke thought it was fitting. She arrived back on Earth first, she’d be the last one to leave. Yeah...it was pretty fitting.

Clarke knew she had a good life, it would end happily.

Clarke laid back on the sand, feeling the soft ground in between her fingers. She felt the Sun on her face, the trees just a few meters away, smelling the scent of wildflowers on the chill breeze. It was so beautiful. The ground, that was her dream, and she got to live her perfect dream to the very end.

“Clarke?”

Clarke opened her eyes, seeing the feisty mechanic that she saw die just moments ago softly smiling down at her. “Raven?”

“I knew you wouldn’t be too far behind.” Her smile grew wider.

Clarke looked her friend over, she looked just like she did in her twenties. “Where are we? Is this transcendence?”

Raven’s smile faltered slightly. “No. But we aren’t in Hell, that much I know.” Raven chuckled at Clarke’s confused face. “We’ve all been waiting for you.”

“Huh?”

Raven reached out her hand. “I’ll show you.”

Clarke stood up with Raven’s help, and she couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. The world around her was indescribable, she knew she could never find the right words to express how beautiful everything was. She never knew something could be more beautiful than Earth.

“Is this Heaven?”

Raven smirked. “It definitely feels that way, doesn’t it? We think it’s more like, the knockoff transcendence.” She chuckled. “I didn’t come up with that expression though, so I can’t take credit for that.”

“We?” The amount of questions Clarke had kept adding up by the second.

“Clarke. Relax.” Raven shook her friend’s shoulders slightly. “Everything’s okay. Now, come on, everyone’s getting impatient.”

Clarke huffed. “I would relax if I knew what the hell was going on.” 

The two girls came up on a mansion, almost resembling Alie’s, but Clarke quickly ignored that thought. 

When Raven opened the door, Clarke was instantly met with the smell of baked goods that made her mouth water instantly. The Latina led her to what she presumed was the kitchen, as the smell increased in intensity.

As soon as the girls walked in, Clarke was met with the booming sound of clapping and cheering. The sight almost made her sob then and there.

There in the middle of the kitchen with a pair of pink oven mitts was Murphy, holding a tray of freshly baked pastries, Emori right beside him wearing excited grins.

Gaia was sitting with her mother at the island opposite of the couple. Hope and Jordan were playing board games at one of the other tables. Niylah was leaning against the wall, she was obviously waiting for their arrival. Miller and Jackson were petting Picasso. Levitt was nowhere to be seen, but in his place next to Octavia was someone Clarke never thought she’d see again. Lincoln.

“There she is!” Murphy shouted much too loudly, causing everyone to laugh.

“How?” Clarke gaped. “How is this possible?”

“Clarke, what did I say? Relax!” Raven grinned, walking over to hug Echo who was just walking into the kitchen.

“Took you long enough.” Echo teased with a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth.

“Hey, princess.”

Clarke froze at the voice from behind her. Thick tears welled in her eyes as she instantly recognized the gruff voice. She didn’t have to turn around to know her best friend was standing behind her. From the look of everyone else’s faces, she knew. Murphy was the first one to shoo everyone out of the kitchen, even the dog. He knew they would need space.

“Clarke.”

Clarke knew she would have to face him eventually, so she forced herself to turn around, but she kept her eyes to the floor.

“Look at me.” He said softly.

Clarke shook her head, the movement forcing her tears to finally fall out of her eyes and landing on her boots. “I can’t...” She cried, the feeling of guilt weighing on her heart.

Clarke felt warm arms wrap around her shoulders, and she let out a shaky breath. “It’s okay.”

Clarke finally dared to look up, seeing his clean shaven face, his dark curly hair framing his face. He looked like the same boy who pulled the level with her at Mount Weather.

“Bellamy...I’m so sorry.” Clarke starting full on sobbing.

Bellamy smiled softly. “You have nothing to apologize for, Clarke.”

“I...I killed you.”

“You had to, to save Madi.”

Clarke shook her head. “I didn’t save her. She ended up dying anyway.” She sobbed.

Bellamy caressed Clarke’s hair, pulling her in for another hug. “You still did the right thing. I was dangerous. I was too brainwashed to think about anything else. If I was in your place...I wouldn’t done the same thing for Octavia.” Bellamy pulled away to wipe the tears from her face. “You don’t have to be sorry for anything. Everything’s okay now. We don’t have to worry about anything anymore.”

Clarke’s sobs finally stopped, and she felt better now that Bellamy was here and didn’t blame her.

Bellamy smiled. “There’s someone else that wants to see you.”

Clarke tilted her head in confusion. “There is?”

“Go on up the stairs and down the hall, second door to the left.” Bellamy instructed, shooing his best friend away.

The house was huge, so Clarke repeated to herself what Bellamy said. Second door to the left...

The door was already slightly ajar. Clarke felt a pit in her stomach. She wondered who could be possibly waiting for her. After seeing Bellamy again, who knows? She thought of her Mom...maybe she would finally see her mother again...or Madi.

The door groaned as it was pushed open, alerting the person inside of Clarke’s presence.

Clarke gasped. Just when she thought she was done crying for the day, the tears welled up once again. She almost didn’t recognize the woman in her casual looking attire, so used to seeing her in her Heda outfit with her typical war paint. But she was just as beautiful as the day she last saw her.

“Hello, Clarke.” Lexa smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~

don’t mind me, just crying my eyes out over what could’ve been. i want dead 😭

[detectivedreameater]

It Takes A Steady Hand|| Anita and Marley

TIMING: Last Night PARTIES: @professoranieves and @detectivedreameater SUMMARY: There’s a metaphor in here somewhere but neither of them are thinking hard enough to figure it out. CONTENT WARNINGS: Slight NSFW (Kissing, touching), Gun use

Asking for help made Anita feel deeply uncomfortable. It wasn’t just because it made her feel vulnerable, but growing up her family was never big on relying on others. Anita was taught to do what she needed and if she couldn’t get it done on her own, then it wasn’t meant to happen for her. In the years since she left her family, it was only her. She had nobody she could even ask for something, even if she did need it. But then she decided to settle in this town, and despite her best efforts, she was slowly building connections with people. And not the light, fun, and very temporary ones she was used to. She was really not used to whatever was happening with Marley. They had spent an unnerving amount of time together, much of it while fully clothed. Something about it didn’t feel right, but something else about it… did? She didn’t have time to unpack that, nor did she want to. 

Anita made her way to the shooting range. Her hands would probably be clammy, if she were capable of sweating. This was becoming an odd trend, her feeling nervous when seeing Marley. Was it because of Marley or because of the situations they were far too often in? Either way, it wasn’t ideal. She pulled out her phone and sent Marley a message when she was out front, she didn’t feel like walking in there alone. “I’m out front. Almost here?” 

Normally, something like this was the perfect opportunity for Marley to score a nice “owed favor” from. But something had possessed her into typing the words “you don’t owe me” to Anita, and actually mean them. She didn’t want Anita to owe her. She didn’t want to scare Anita off. That thought alone scared Marley. She didn’t know why, on either account, but it was too late to put it back where it came from. Only thing to do now was ignore it. She’d arrived at the shooting range long before she knew Anita would be there, and kicked back in her car. Her arm was still in the sling, but she’d popped enough pain killers that it wasn’t hurting at the moment. Probably another week and she’d be able to start moving it. Over the years, she’d gotten good at gauging how fast her injuries healed, considering she couldn’t go to a hospital.  Or wouldn’t. At this point, it was the same thing. 

Her phone beeped and Marley glanced down. Anita. She hopped out of her car quickly and glanced around, immediately spotting her vehicle and waltzing over, putting all the funny thoughts she’d had on her mind away and replaced them with a coy, but welcoming, smile. Knocked on her window and waved. “Your escort has arrived,” she said through the glass.

Anita jumped a bit when Marley knocked on her window. Ever since coming face to face with that mime double, Anita had been severely on edge. Hell, it was the first time in years that her nightmares were about something other than Priya. Despite that, she smiled when she saw Marley. And it wasn't a forced smile? Anita got out of her car and went to hug Marley, then stopped herself and instead just patted her awkwardly on the shoulder. “So, uh, what happened with the arm?” She asked as she started walking towards the building, trying to move along from whatever she just did. “Work related? Do you get extra pay if you get hurt on the job?”

Marley glanced down at her arm when Anita mentioned it. “I told you, this was my gift from my encounter with someone else’s mime-sona.” She hadn’t missed Anita’s awkward attempt at recovering from an almost hug, or the way she’d jumped when Marley had knocked. “C’mon,” she said, motioning with her head towards the front, “let’s get inside.” She didn’t feel much like explaining how it happened, because Marley still wasn’t sure why she’d pushed Jane away. Why that strange feeling had strangled her when she’d watched Jane and her mime double fighting. When they reached the front, Marley held the door open. “Ladies first,” she motioned.

“Shit. Yeah, forgot about that. I mean, you could’ve been working when you encountered a mime?” Anita found it really odd, how somehow she felt a deep comfort being near Marley despite feeling an equally deep discomfort. It was likely what drew her in, what kept her going back no matter what her brain was telling her. “Why thank you.” She replied, walking into the building. Looking around it became quite clear that she was the only out of place person there. She touched a gun once, and couldn’t even work up the gut to shoot it in the face of danger. That wasn’t really the vibe anyone else here gave off. “So, how does this work? Do I need to sign like … release paperwork or something?”

“I wasn’t working,” Marley said, “I was just at a fr--” she paused, righted herself, “colleague’s house.” Anita looked wholly out of place here, but Marley scooped her arm around her and led her towards the counter, letting everyone there know she was with her. No one would dare question or challenge it. Everyone there knew not to mess with Detective Stryder. “Yep, gotta do some quick paperwork. Liability reasons and stuff.” Smiling as they approached the counter, Marley showed her badge and the man behind the desk handed over some papers. “Nothing too serious, don’t worry. You’re safe with me,” she said, subconsciously repeated her words from their last night together.

Anita chose not to dig deeper into the ‘almost calling someone a friend then immediately taking it back’ thing, mostly because she knew that trick all too well. “Well, having been in a mime situation with you before, your colleague was lucky to have you there.” An ease spread through her body as she felt Marley’s arm around her. It was like a security blanket. Anita smiled softly over at Marley, feeling a little bit more comfortable being there now. “Right. Liability. The insurance on a place like this must be through the roof.” Anita very briefly skimmed over the documents that were handed to her before scribbling her signature down at the bottom and initialing a few boxes. “Yeah, uh, that’s becoming pretty apparent,” she replied, not really making eye contact with that one but still oddly meaning the words. She slid the signed documents back to the clerk, then looked around at the place once more before turning her attention towards Marley. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Marley chose not to mention that Jane was a cop, too, and watched as Anita filled out the paperwork, glancing around the range for a moment as she tried to brush off the strange feeling coating her chest inside. It was oddly comfortable. An ease that she was used to but didn’t always get a chance to enjoy. It was just...easy being around Anita. And though they had their secrets, their agreement to not talk about it somehow made things...easier. There was that word again. Marley furrowed her brow, not hearing Anita when she first spoke up again. “Wha-- Oh! Right. Perfect. This way,” she said, tugging on her again, intertwining their arms as she walked them down the hall to the shooting range. “Alright,” she announced as they headed inside, “I brought my glock that you can try, as well as the revolver, but we’ll start off easy with the pistol. Not as powerful but easier to hold for beginnings,” she noted, using her hand to guide Anita into the right spot, motioned to the gun sitting before her. “And first things first, we learn how to load the gun and turn off the safety. We’ll start with blanks, yeah? To get a feel for things,” she explained, hand lingering on Anita’s arm as she stepped to the side.

There it was again, a comfort washing over Anita as Marley entangled their arms and guided her down the hall. She hadn’t felt an ease like that in… ever? No, that couldn’t be right. In a long time, at least. It went against everything she thought was going to happen if someone ever found out that she was less-than human. It was never spoken, but they both knew. Maybe it was the knowing that made things so simple. “Right, okay. The revolver is the one from… “ she trailed off, briefly remembering the last time she had seen that gun. “And then the other one is the pistol.” Despite being able to kill a person with just the venom in her body, there was something surreal about being so near so many things that could cause so much carnage. “Blanks! Yes, okay, that’s good. Yeah, to ease into it.” Hesitantly, she reached out and put her hands on the pistol, the cool metal of the gun against her cold skin was uncomfortable. She preferred the warmth of Marley, but that wasn’t what they were here for. 

Marley couldn’t help but chuckle a little. Anita just had a way about her, to make Marley lose the part of herself that was supposed to be stern and guarded. Keep ten feet of emotional distance between her and anyone else at all times. But Anita had snuck in somehow and Marley hadn’t even thought about her species in ages. It was probably just because she already knew, and Anita knew she knew. But they just didn’t...talk about it. There was no need to. That’s all it was. Now it was just about seeing how far they could go, right? Till one of both of them got bored. Right? Marley blinked, coming back to her thoughts. Wow, those pain killers were really doing a number on her. It was probably because she hadn’t eaten in a while. “Here,” she traced her hand down Anita’s arm to her hand-- because of course she was going to play it this way-- and pointed to the butt of the gun. “This releases the magazine,” she instructed, “and these,” moved her hand away to point at the prepared magazines. “There’s about ten shots in a clip. You just pick it up,” she did so, holding it out to Anita, standing close enough to her that their bodies were touching, “and slide it in.”

A smooth chill ran down Anita’s spine when she felt Marley’s hand trail down her arm. So much had been going on lately that she almost forgot how intense their physical chemistry was. Almost. If she wasn’t about to operate a deadly weapon, she would have let her mind wonder, thinking about the last time Marley was in her bed. Well, not the last time actually. The time before that. The last time was oddly clothed. Anita leaned her body into Marley’s slightly so that they were pressed up against each other, because even though she was focusing on the gun instructions, she just couldn’t help herself. “So I just take this,” she said as she picked up one of the magazines, “...and slip it right on into the opening here?” As she finished that question, she slid the clip into the gun, jumping a little when she heard the click as the two pieces of metal fit into each other perfectly. “That’s not too hard.” She said, turning her face slightly to the side, now just inches away from Marley’s. 

Marley could feel her stomach burning, little bumps rising on her arms. Luckily she was wearing long sleeves and Anita wouldn’t be able to see the effect she was having on her right now, as she turned to look at her. “Mmmm, yup,” Marley said, not even looking at the gun. “That...that’s it.” She blinked, cleared her throat, and looked away, now focusing on the gun again. She shimmied around a little to lift Anita’s other arm. “Now hold it with the trigger in your dominant hand,” she instructed, “and use the other hand to support it around the bottom,” guided her hands into place, keeping hers there for a moment. “Have a good grip?” 

Anita grinned a bit when she heard Marley clear her throat, then followed suit and re-focused her energy onto the gun in her hands. In her left hand she gripped the gun, her pointer finger tentatively resting near the trigger. She brought her right hand up and cupped the base of the gun, resting some of the weight there. “Yeah, I think so?” Nothing about the way she was holding this felt right, but she figured that was because it was such a foreign experience to her. But Marley knew what she was doing, and Anita just had to trust that. Shit. Why did trust keep coming up when she was around Marley? Anita could probably have come here by herself and paid some random person to teach her this stuff. They both knew that, but for whatever reason she reached out to her. “Uh, how stiff should my arms be? Like fully extended forward or should they be a bit loose?” 

Marley watched Anita position her hands, noted the way her arms stiffened and her body tensed. Holding such a powerful weapon could be frightening, even for the most hardened of people. She knew that. She drew her hand back down Anita’s arms, pushing lightly on the crook of her elbow to make her relax her grip a bit. “You want to squeeze the gun tight with your hands, but keep your elbows bent. Otherwise, that recoil is gonna suck, which is why we’re starting with the pistol,” she said, giving a little smile. Then, she lined herself up with Anita, standing directly behind her, leaning against her, chin basically on her shoulder. “Now to line up the shot,” she said, putting her hand back over Anita’s on the gun and helping her aim in, “you want the very top tip of the gun to point just above where you wanna hit.” Breath hot on her cheek as she spoke, smiling slightly. “And then you pull the trigger,” and without warning, she backed away.

“Okay. Loose and bent. I can do loose and bent.” Anita repeated, doing her absolute best to actually try and be loose with the amount of tension she was feeling. And not just from the gun. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been with other people in between now and the last time she slept with Marley, but feeling her body pressed up against hers and her hot breath on her cheek, she realized just how badly she wanted to be doing so many other things with Marley right now. A soft breath of air escaped her lips when Marley pulled away. She felt suddenly exposed. The reality of the weapon in her hand really hitting her. Thank God they were blanks because she was not confident in her abilities right now. Trying to remember everything she had just been told, she aimed, kept her arms relaxed, and pulled the trigger. The noise shot through her more than she had anticipated. She knew she rattled, and was suddenly deeply anxious and a little embarrassed. “Fuck. I… I’m sorry I don’t think that was a good one. I don’t think that would’ve hit.” 

Marley let out a strained puff of air before smiling, shaking her head with a chuckle. “Relax,” she said, coming back over to Anita. She put her hand on her hip, standing behind her again. “It was your first try, no one’s good on the first try, no matter what they say.” She hooked a finger into one of Anita’s belt loops and tugged, adjusting her hips. “Now spread your feet a little,” she said, “kind ground yourself.” She lifted her hand again, put it on Anita’s shoulder. “Try again.” She said, this time staying where she was, despite knowing how loud the shot would be. At least they had a silencer on the pistol, because she wasn’t fond of putting on the big, stupid headphones. And she liked being able to be this close to Anita. To be able to touch her. She swallowed. “I’m right here.”

Anita wasn’t really sure why Marley’s words were so calming to her. But they were. “Yeah, yeah you’re right. First time’s always awkward and clunky.” Once again she followed the instructions she was being given, letting her body move wherever Marley positioned her to be. Never in a million years would she have thought shooting a gun could be romantic. Wait, no? Fuck, no. Not romantic. Hot, steamy, sexy. Aiming the gun up towards the target, Anita took a deep breath then let her finger pull the trigger once again. This time she was more prepared for the noise, the recoil, the vibrations ringing through her entire body, all of it. And it felt… better? Who the hell knew if it would’ve hit if she had been loaded up with real bullets, but maybe it would’ve. “Okay, wow. That, yeah… that felt a lot better.” She wanted to thank her for staying with her that time, but she had been thanking her for a lot lately, and that was starting to freak her out more than she cared to admit. 

“Good,” Marley said, stepping back finally but not taking her hand off Anita’s shoulder. “Now empty the rest of the clip to get a feel, and we’ll try a real bullet next.” Though once they put real ones in, Marley would have to stop the teasing and step away, because one misfire there and there’d be dire consequences. A little blip of disappointment ran through her at the thought, but it was just about the teasing, of course. She liked seeing Anita squirm, that was all. That’s what she told herself, even as she stayed close to Anita while she finished off the clip, her hand eventually lowering to her hip, her stomach, back again. Realizing how much she longed to touch her. It was probably just because Marley hadn’t had anyone in her bed since the Jane-mime incident. She was just riled up and ready to blow. “Ready to try for real?” she asked, clearing her head of those thoughts, stepping back.

Real bullets next. A small feeling of dread fluttered through Anita’s stomach. She had to remind herself why she was doing all of this. Sure, she hadn’t seen her mime-twin in a while and the feeling of being watched may have faded, but that didn’t mean she was about to let her guard down. There were plenty of things out there that her old tricks of spitting venom and running didn’t protect her from. So she emptied the clip of blank rounds, slowly getting into a bit of a rhythm with it. Feeling Marley’s hands all over her became more of a calming presence than a distraction, though she would no doubt be thinking about it all later. “No going back now, I guess.” She responded, wondering if she’d actually be able to hit the target with any of her shots. “It’s not gonna feel any different, right? Shooting with actual ammo?”

“The recoil will be a bit more,” Marley said nonchalantly, clearing her throat again as she backed up. “And make sure you have a real tight grip on it. It’s gonna make a louder noise, but that’s what these are for,” she said, motioning to the soundproof headphones hanging on the wall next to them. “They’re not exactly the sexiest looking things, but protection is protection, right?” she tried to tease, picking up a pair and holding them out to Anita. “There’s gonna be a muzzle flash, too, but try not to move the gun once you’ve pulled the trigger.” She grabbed the other pair and looked at her. “Think you can do it without me this time? As much as I’d hate to leave you all alone, I’ll just be right back here. I’d like to keep my hearing, though.”

Anita reached out and took the headphones from Marley. “I dunno, I like to think I have a superpower of making anything look sexy,” she teased. Nodding as she took the information in, she tried to remember everything that Marley had said up to that point. Well, everything gun related. Messing up any one thing could be… disastrous. “Yeah.. yeah, I think I can do this solo.” Anita slid on the bulky ear protection, then picked up the clip that had real bullets in it and slid it into the gun. She squared up her hips in front of the target and slowly lifted her arms up. Firm, but loose. After taking one last deep breath, Anita aimed and fired. The first bullet came ripping out, she could feel the vibrations before the bullet had fully left the chamber yet. Then came the flash, short but bright. She wanted to drop her arms immediately, but she kept them up, following her instructions. Her eyes followed the trajectory of the projectile all the way to the target, and much to her surprise - it actually made contact. Feeling a little more confident, she took aim again and shot off the remainder of the rounds in the clip. Sure, none of them hit dead center bullzeye, but it didn’t seem too shabby for her first time. Pulling off the headphones, she turned back towards Marley with an excited smile on her face. “Okay, I think I kinda get the hype around these things now.” 

Marley stepped back to watch and found herself mildly entranced. Anita’s body language wasn’t exactly relaxed or professional, but this was her first time shooting a gun, so she could hardly blame her for that. But even just looking at her back, the way her hair fell over her shoulders, the way her arms tense slightly every time she pulled the trigger-- Marley couldn’t help but stare. She’d always been good at seeing the little details, after all. By the time Anita finished, Marley was fully entranced, and had to blink, realizing she was talking and quickly took her headphones off. “See? That’s what I’ve been saying. You just gotta know what you’re doing,” she smirked, coming back over to her, slowly, “and I hear having a good teacher helps.” She paused just a few feet away from her. “Did you wanna try some more or do you think you’re good?” she asked, finding herself hoping she’d pick the latter. She knew that Anita was here for a more serious reason, but Marley wanted to put her hands back on her, in any capacity.

Anita placed the gun down on the table where she had first picked it up from, her hands practically still vibrating from the power of the gun. “A great teacher certainly does help,” she replied, about to pull her in and kiss her riding off the high of the adrenalin when Marley spoke again. “I think I’m good? I mean, this is all really just for that one very specific purpose, and I feel like that there would’ve done the job… even if not on the first shot,” she said, referencing the target that now had at least 9 holes in it. “So, uh, I think we can head out? That way I don’t take up any more of your evening.” Admittedly Anita really wanted to take up a whole lot more of her evening, very little of it involving guns or mimes or clothes. But did that make it weird? She was overthinking shit now. Any other day, any other situation, any other person she would’ve already invited them back to her place with all that just happened. But Marley tripped her up, threw her off her game. It was hard to get a grip on why, but the fact remained. 

Marley stepped closer, as if to lean in, but just leaned against Anita to put her headphones back on the wall before leaning away again. This time, she held her hand out to Anita. “Let’s get out of here, then,” she said, “I think people are staring.” They weren’t, but it would be fun to watch Anita squirm a little again. That’s what she liked about her, right? That must be it. That Marley knew her well enough to tease her just the right amount. It was a stark difference from the first time they’d talked. She’d been sure if she’d pushed it, Anita would have never talked to her again and something in her had made sure Marley didn’t make that mistake. And now here they were, shooting guns and not...doing other things. She swallowed and gripped Anita’s hand, pulling her out of the range quickly. She didn’t want to be in there anymore.

Anita stared at Marley’s extended hand probably for too long before taking it. She wasn’t even fully sure why she was so hesitant. They’d already displayed more PDA, if you could even call it that, in the last hour than she had in the last decade. Looking around briefly, Anita rolled her eyes slightly at the comment. “Uh, I think everyone is too wrapped up in their guns to pay any attention to us.” They still made their way to the exit though, Anita keeping pace with Marley as she led her out. Reality was slowly hitting her again, the dopplegangers, the death, the reason why they were here in the first place. Despite the fact that she knew that mime thing wasn’t the real Marley, she still had trouble shaking the image of something with Marley’s face dying. Once they were back out in the parking lot, and the cold air hit them, Anita gently released her grip on Marley’s hand. “So, uh, thanks for tonight. For all this.” 

Marley was more than sure that Anita was responding to her teasing, but the second the cold air hit them, it was like something changed. Anita’s entire body language changed. Marley slowed to a stop in the middle of the parking lot, turning to look back at her. Her hand felt cold where Anita had been holding it a second earlier, which was funny, because she ran pretty cool. Marley turned, blinking. It was dark out now and her eyes had a red glow to them again but there was nothing malicious in them. She furrowed her brow. “Yeah, like I said,” she shrugged, “anytime.” She took a step back, motioned over her shoulder. “Just make sure you don’t use what I taught you to go on a killing spree, okay?” Gave her one last look before turning away, a painful disappointment in her chest.

Anita couldn’t form into words why she was letting Marley walk away, just like she couldn’t figure out why the moment she took a step away a deep visceral need to be close to her again took over. They’d already slept together, more than once. Usually that was all Anita needed to flush someone out of her system, out of her head. Why the hell wasn’t that working this time? Before she fully realized what she was doing, Anita took a few steps forward, reaching out and grabbing Marley’s hand. She pulled her back around, and brought her other hand up to Marley’s face, cupping her cheek as she drew her in for a kiss. It was urgent and needy and even though Anita didn’t feel in control she felt deep down like she needed this, needed her. They had gotten each other all worked up in the range, that had to be what this was. Just a need to release a bit of pent up tension. 

Marley was a profiler and even she hadn’t seen that coming. She’d tell herself later it was because she literally couldn’t see Anita, but there had probably been signs before. Signs that she would chase after her and grab her hand and turn her around and kiss her. Roughly. Desperately. And Marley kissed her back all the same. It only took a moment for the action to register before she was pressing back, arm wrapping around her like it had been inside. Digging into her shirt, her jacket, her other arm pressed between them. Finally all that tension releasing. They were obviously just worked up from that and from their missed date last time. No, not date. Just from their missed opportunity last time. It was obvious they were physically attracted to each other, so that’s all this was. Filling in that gap. That missed opportunity. That’s all it was. When she needed to breathe, Marley pulled away, cheeks flushed. She had nothing to say.

As Anita pulled away, she tried to read Marley’s face. She was waiting on her to say something, to do something, but the two of them just stood there in silence. Eyes glancing down towards the ground, she shoved her hands into her pockets. Maybe she had misread signals? Maybe that had been a bad call. Deep down she wanted to ask her to come over, to kiss her more and be with her. But the last time they were together she asked for her to stay, and she wasn’t about to make a habit of always being the one to put it on the line. Without saying anything else, Anita just turned and walked back to her car, rather disappointed in how the night was ending. She climbed into the driver's seat, then turned to see if Marley was still standing there before turning the key and starting the engine. 

Marley didn’t move as Anita backed away. And then she was slowly walking away and all Marley could do was watch. She hadn’t said anything, why hadn’t she said anything? She’d been teasing and playing with her the whole time and now she was just letting her walk away? Of course she was. Going over after this meant something she wasn’t sure either of them wanted to face. So, instead, she went over to her car, opened the door, and sat down. She watched Anita drive away before starting her own car. Let out a long breath. She really needed to get back to how things used to be. Things with Anita were weird. But there was still something about her that pulled Marley away from the thoughts. She turned on her car and pulled out to head home. Except she didn’t turn right, she turned left. And then ten minutes later she was parking outside of Anita’s house. And before she could stop herself, she was at the front door, knocking.

Anita had barely gotten home when she heard a knock at her front door. If the light of her living room didn’t spill out her front door she might’ve pretended she wasn’t home. She was honestly exhausted, emotionally drained for the first time in a very long time. But since whomever was out there undoubtedly knew that she was home, she answered the door. “Marley.” The name slipped out of her mouth before she even had any thoughts. “Why are you here?” Anita stepped aside, opening the door wider and inviting her in with her actions. “I mean, I’m glad you’re here… I just, I didn’t think…” Her thoughts trailed off, trying to figure out how she was feeling in the moment. 

The door opened and for some reason Marley’s heart was pounding. She looked at Anita, still without her glasses on, meeting her eyes, meeting someone’s eyes for the first time in a long time without any intention to feed from them or scare them or hurt them. She stepped inside. “Stop talking,” was all Marley said once Anita finished sputtering. Reached up with her hand to wrap it around Anita’s neck, drawing her into another kiss, just as desperate as their kiss in the parking lot.

Anita found the red glow of Marley’s eyes was entrancing. A subtle reminder that they were both similar in their differentness. Then suddenly, their bodies were together again, and Anita wrapped her arms tightly around Marley’s waist. Finally. Was all she could think, any other thoughts slipping effortlessly from her mind and suddenly all that mattered was the two of them. Not guns, not mimes, not being non-human. Almost instinctively Anita began to tug at the top of Marley’s jeans, not wanting them to have even a moment where their momentum could die down. 

Marley kicked the door closed pushing Anita farther inside until her back hit the wall. Her hand curled into her hair, tugging her closer to her. She wasn’t sure what had possessed her to want to kiss Anita so much, what made her feel like she was going to explode if she wasn’t kissing her. It was probably her own damn fault for being such a tease back at the range, but she needed to not think about this all too much. It was just sex after all. She pulled away enough to suck in a breath, and give Anita a look. “Does that answer your question?”

Anita was tired of feeling unsure about what was going on between the two of them. She didn’t want to be thinking about her doubts or insecurities. The moment Marley pulled her lips away, her entire body craving for them to be back on hers. “Yes. Now stop talking and keep kissing me.” She shot back, leaning her back firmly against the wall and lifting up one of her legs and entangling it with Marley’s. She smirked, then leaned in and began kissing her again. This, right here, it helped reaffirm what the two of them were really about. It wasn’t anything more than a physical need. A deep attraction and great sex. Everything else had just been a strange product of stranger circumstances. This was what they did, and they were damn good at it. 

Keep kissing her. Yeah, Marley could do that. No more of this stupid talking or playing around or teasing. Just kissing and sex. That’s what they were about. This was the parts Marley knew how to do, and how to do it good. Sure, they’d met up several times now, but Marley wasn’t always a one and done girl, especially if they were good. And Anita was good. And this was all it needed to be. She pulled away one last time, staying close enough to her to feel her breath on her, and said, “Bedroom.” No other words were needed.

[ramblingshit]

Fright Night - 2011 - 2/5

we start , very, very high. its ominous to begin, the dreamworks opening dark and spooky and slow. scrawled font glides across dark stormy clouds and we're over a small square, isolated suburb. a house is on sale. that's the Charmed font.

oh my god what is that david tennant what the fuck was not expecting that.okay so this is a modern Fright Night.  and david tennant sis peter vincent. okay what a jump scare just happened the dog is scared, and this girl is dead and he's covered in blood and holy shit its the senator. wow the bed was bloody where his dad was scrambling for the gun hidden beneath the mattress that the boy finds. oh his dads body is sliding away and what the fuck is that im scared what the hell holy shit. ohh cool title card. nice symmetry in the birds eye. just a happy, normal small neighbourhood, everyone is diverse and happy and the kids are playing outside. holy shit its that dead guy poor ol mate.oh its hereditary mum.  they got a chill equal relationship just chatting like friends more than parent adn child. and the mum's intelligent and assertive and smart and a real estate agent. this is very very different from the original fright night. is it really the same movie? is it oh its the girl from 28 weeks later nice she's hot and eyy pumped up kicks is playing damn. I'm pretty sure they're both like 25 and playing as  oh holy shit its like zac efron's brother. trumping all over stereotype. what the hell its the weird super bad creepy guy comedian dude 'Brewster' it's the weird cackling kid. they've got relationship issues they're both geeks but brewster got hot and with the hot girl and rose through the 'social ranks' and they had to stop being friends. weird kid is threatening to show all his new friends embarrassing stuff from the past. oh my fucking god oh my god colin farrell. holy shit. oh my god. and damn she is Amy I'm forgetting everything cause its so different. he's charming and fucking hot and buff with like a paled face.being all charming and neighbourly. wife beater and silver necklace and damn the way he bit that apple. what are they doing here crawling through the doggy door who's adam. outta nowhere weird kid tells him jerry's a vampire, like a 'by the way' situation where are they going why does he have a cross and stake? they just added a stock door opening noise. they're telling the realisations of hm being a vampire without actually showing any of it and the weirdo kid is the one interested and telling brewster that jerrys a vampire like what first he's not even met him he hasn't been involved or around him at all and now he's adamantly trying to argue that he is a vampire?? in the original brewster was obsessed and found out quick to the start all by himself and half the trouble was trying to convince everyone else too. now one of his friends is trying to convince him?? what?? and they're mentioning Twilight and weird kid is saying how he's not broody or whatever like show us what his personality is like why are you saying this it's like this long ass dialogue chunk in the middle of a completely irrelevant situation, all about Jerry. fucking weird man what the fuck. we've seen the guy once. he's got evidence? why are they in this house? why is this happening? this was the Charley show - his journey from fear to sorting Jerry out and his tension with the guy the weird kid was basically comedic effect now he's premature exposition guy? and he's the one who thought of peter vincent cause it showed him watching him all the time but now its the weird kid convincing him and now they're having relationship problems and brewster fkn pushed him damn son use your words wow he's a fucking asshole like die dude the fuck. oh damn what the fuck the bully just grabbed him off his bike fr riding down his street like its his turf what the hell there's like four streets in this suburb and now they're fighting who wrote this why bother calling it fright night its a whole nother (fkn messy shit) story he's literally chasing him over the fence like he wants to kill him damn this isn't bullying  fuck. what is this movie? oooooh jerry is hottttt i love me a murdererous manly man. weird kid is in big trouble. oh my god. oh my god did they get him to play fake grindelwald because of his role in this. damn he's turning weird kid and the cross falls dramatically from his hand. ohh he's a fuckin dick to his friend and now he's feelin all guilty and worried and reminiscing about the time he wasn't an asshole to his friend. wow we're not even half an hour in and half the original movie is gone and replaced by whatever high school drama movie this is.he walked into weird kid's room and didn't turn the light on? yeah alright. what the fuck. why is peter vincent fkn that 'sexy' emo magician man who was popular -Chris Angel Mindfreak. he found a laptop with evidence that jerry's a vampire videos on it. and here's Jerry and what's happening ahaha he's not gonna invite him in and its physically uncomfortable standing at the door he's literally stuck at the door and it's really really obvious.  damn that was cool though passing the beer through the doorway and the communication in their eyes and now he's perving on his mum is this acting intentional? like he looked really unsure what to do with himself was that in character or?? he's looking around all paranoid he's perving on all the girls he's threatening him really obviously i can't tell if i like it more than the smooth suave chilling conversation that was driving charley mad at the start of the other one. jerry telling him to 'manage' the women in his life cause its his job to keep them safe. now they're doing the distracted disinterested in Amy play and she's the one coming onto him strong  and what are we gonna see this. this is literally worse acting than the screaming kid in the first one it's like halfhearted. now the movie's settling in for like a spookier, much darker version of the  nah nevermind its like a padded retelling. there's no billy in this one, just Jerry - who's gonna cover him during the day? original was a squad effort movie - bunch of kids and an old man going up against a vampire. not anymore its just this obviously mid 20s guy sneaking around in a dark house to quiet, eerie music. wait he's in Jerry's house? oh cause Jerry drove off. ooh Jerry's got awesome creepy office with spooky drawings on the walls why is this place so dark goddamn turn on the lightswitch. he's got costumes for hunting damn that's cool. and here he returns uh oh run charley run. try escape the vampire now that you're in his lair. a secret door to like a jail block in the wall? what he's letting himself be close in? what is he doing how did Jerry whip this up?jumpscare lol lame it's Doris. you telling me he's gonna lockpick the lock okay he's never done it before but okay. god he's hot. the swooning blond in the arms of a vampire. it's like hella horrific oh my god she just shushed Charley where he hid in the other room. drinks from her all orgasmic and tosses her back in the room. damn he looks good with a bloodstained mouth lickinn his lips and shit. good luck picking with a bobby pin you're hilarious holy fuck she's tiny, like a limp ragdoll. ew why is he watching skanky girls on TV. tryna tell me he's watching the TV so loud that he can't hear they panting and crying. yeah he can he's outta the chair - there's no reflection and he's like crying damn this is tense. such a nice house. strutting around, drinking beer, vaguely amused at everything. he just caught an apple. it's like he knows something amusing no one else does.  but does he actually kno-- oh my god yeah he does that's awesome. oh holy fucking shit holy shit holy fucking shit she was a vampire she fucking exploded in the sunlight. his jumper s covered in her ash that's messed, Jerry stood inside listening and laughing to himself as he bit into the apple. now he's out here being the one looking up peter vincent - that entire start was completely pointless they should've cut out all of the weird kid stuff. now he's snubbing his girlfriend too this is how it should have all begun here comes david tennant. what the hell he's pulling a secret swipe identity thing to try get in to see vincent and vincent is a gross slimeball of a david tennant why are all these men slimy he's pretending to be a reporter she's walking around in a bra, vincent is an expert on vampires and the lot - not just using what he learned from doing his show and now she's using 'little girl' as a derogatory term for vincent. okay not the most attractive bod and i hate tattoos tbh at this point its true. god this whole thing is so edgy and wow okay here we go his hair is so much betterokay damn holy shit. it was the hair the hair was fucking me up okay holy damn all his facial hair is fake. and thank god his eyebrow piercing - wait nevermind all that 'expert' stuff was bulll? or is he mucking around? okay no its bull he isn't an expert. i can't believe how much hair affects someone. oh and his tattoo are right as well. damn he sounds schizo and vincent is fkn cold and that is some bad cgi and trying to be so dramatic its just a filter over the shot. oh and here's  zac efrons brother and eternal grunge guy.  ohh he's got creepy long nails and oh damn eating them and there's the blood oh fuck why is that hot im so disturbed. he's shaving stakes and its mum who confronts him and he's awwkard about it and now they've referenced 'Dark Shadows' as well as Twilight. these highschoolers are so serious and mature tryna talk to each other and here's Jerry at the door.this is a game to him but she's sticking up for her son and Jerry thinks its awesome or is it just oh damn he's coming back with a shovel and a power saw?? what's he doing??? where's he going oh my god what's he doing the girls are slowly realising that he might be right what is he digging up.flinging huge chunks of earth around. oh uh oh oh FUCK  THAT:s  GAS HOLY SHIT are you serious Jerry no holy daaaaaaamn he's blowing up their house I love it ahahaha 'dont need an invitation if there's no house' that is hilarious oh my god as if they're going to get out with what really he's gonna  oh wait he''s gonna take the dirt bike what the fuck he just threw the bike at them what is happening is this Michael bay. and now he's ramming them fuck he really wants them dead damn oh ahahah they have a tank of a car driving getting hit by a bike, smashing through a vampire and his big ass car. is he-- he's under the car that's amazing yeah okay like they survived that too oh he just lifted up the car oh what the fuck he looks like that shark guy from batman oh no why does he look like that who made him look like a shark he's eating that guy blood squirting, he's very animalistic like twitchy and shit too  black eyes eats a guy, morphs into something evil blood stained mouth cars all fucked up and he turns around 'hey' he greeted jovially, the girls run away - the mum just leaves her son to face off a vampire? yeah, okay. - and he calls 'catch you later!' damn some of this is gold and other bits are trash but so far they're evening each other out. he's oh damn he grabbed the cross and it lit on fire and he's got charley and was gonna stake him but mum popped up and shanked him through the shoulder with one of her real estate signs that's so lame, but he's screeching and flinging himself around making growling noises and now mum's fainted and hit her head and jerry's twitching out with a oh okay he hit him with his car again. jerry's all kinds of fucked but he heals up fine soon enough. vincent isn't charming; there's too much sex and money and cynical and assholey and its grotesque compared to the teenageriness of the original. and now mum's out for the count at the hospital lol  what's happening. he's shitting on the idea to call the police that's hilarious he wouldn't stop calling them in the first. i dunno i keep comparing them because these are the bits i 100% liked better in the other one. now he's talking about weird kid who disappeared ages ago. he's a loser - she likes him cause he's different; she's the popular girl who didn't want an ass bully to date. vincent's a drunk on top of everything. but he does know his stuff about vampires. there's different species different breeds - Jerry's a tribal snacker who keeps his victims alive for days and oh damn its weird kid he's a black eyed vampire and he's mad Jerry got him Vincents in his panic room the bra girl is dead weird kids arms off and now Jerry's coming and weird kid's twitching out and he looks like a wolf shark and they're being vulgar again he's hunting them down this is a serious relationship drama issue. if they're strong enough to like bend metal how did grabbing him hard around the neck not immediately crush it. they're fighting - like what; charley just took a deep clawing across the chest they're blocking and slashing and every ones smashing stuff and he just got weird kid at the neck and uh oh she's in trouble but she's got a gun but he's barely flinching oh what. how did she know that was holy water the cup was up too high for her to see there was even any water in it. dude they're strong when its plot convenient - how do these guys know how to fight with weapons he's just so chill with that slash across the chest. ahaha what the fuck she's like urging him to kill him aha he stabbed him all drama and she's in survivor mode like fuck outta the way everyone oh good he's pretty again. i'm disappointed no jerry/amy stuff though tbh she's spicy, he thinks this is a great time. he's just hunting them and its nightclub time are they gonna do the jerry amy thing no he grabbed her by the throat oh damn oh okay no that was pretty hot he's got a slash on his chest and the bouncers just grabbing it and he doesn't react fuck sake 0 that was pretty cool if not exactly what i wanted - he properly vampired her: blood on his lips he kissed her and it drugged her enough to take her neck in the middle of the club. and now a vampire killed vincent's parents and that's why he's a drunk but how'd he become a magician what's that got to do with anything. damn highschooler dropping moral truthbombs that immediately make adults change their mind immediately and wanna help him. how does that car still drive. this is so gay like he is overreacting he's dressed to go to war - i forgot he burned their house down he's got a fucking crossbow and he's dressed in like military shit and he's swinging the crossbow around like he's in the military, did they tell him to take this serious or like he shoulda been an awkward stumbling kid oh what the damn they'res a secret like basement damn he just broke a hip how is all of this under his house didn't just move in???he switched on the first light in the whole movie and it barely lit anything up so lame. so extra oh damn that tiddy damn nice just dodged an arrow oh fo real really is he the vampire who killed vincent's parents are you serious that's so lame. and now Amy's  what the fuck why is there like an entire institution beneath this house what is this. oh its the tribe?? they live in the dirt whoop her eyes are black but vincent's got a dramatic black leather jacket and a stake gun that just fucked up and he's just gonna stake her straight up they barely gave her time for her scary wide face he just stabbed her and ran and now she's eating her own blood and whoop vincent's being eatenoh really how did he know there was sunlight up there aren't we in the base meant isn't this place made of cement. damn he's hot with his shirt open. he just hissed at the beam of sunlight. even his fingernail burns oh that's cool he's in teh shadow and charleys in the sun beams as he taunts him about Amy and vincent's turning ahaha  and they're gonna wait til the sun goes down and in the meantime he's gonna like fuck amy in front of charley ahaha nice drinking bloods like sex. oh yeah okay what he's gonna what he's expecting to go up in flames what the fuck he'd oh no okay what the fuck as if. as the fuck if. first of all, charley is human and a crazed vampire is not and are you joking me that charley could survive being thrown around plus he's fucking on fire that should have destroyed him by now fucking burned to a crisp oh im so disappointed and okay yea being a vampire was just dark spirits? and now everyones free to die of their wounds aha jesus. his clothes would have seared into his skin, his goggles would have melted but no, completely unscathed. so lame. oh that was such a slow awkward dialogue. weird like one liner jokes throughout are we in vegas? oh nice they're fucking i really don't care i don't wanna see these 25 year olds why do we care what happens now Jerry's dead. jesus that was bad. please im so upset. oh well sometimes 1980s camp horror is better than cheap rushed or at least badly edited modern ones. disappointing man.

[lydisms]

fight song || Riley and Lydia

Summary: Two banshees are stronger than one. Lydia and Riley finally come face to face with Death while they're together, and they prove they’re a force to be reckoned with. Trigger warnings: death mention, violence, abuse.  Tagging: @rileylyon

Lydia: Since Stiles was working that meant Lydia had to spend the day dealing with the realtor by herself. It seemed to drag on and once she was finished with countless meetings and open houses, the only thing she wanted was to get back to Stiles. The strawberry blonde was driving way past the speed limit as she stopped at a red light and sighed. Her attention turned towards the wooded area next to her just briefly when something caught her eye. Lydia was almost positive she’d seen a person. She narrowed her eyes and sure enough, Death was standing at the edge of the preserve. Lydia almost kept driving. She wanted to desperately but she knew Death was there because he wanted to talk to her. She was afraid what he’d do if she didn’t get out of the car. Reluctantly, Lydia pulled her vehicle over and walked towards him. She nearly flinched when he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. “I missed you.” Just the words made Lydia sick to her stomach. “And I feel bad about our last meeting.” Of course he was talking about when he killed her mother. “So I brought you a present. Come.” Death grabbed Lydia’s hand and forcefully pulled her towards the woods as they headed for a cabin. The same cabin he’d killed her mother in. Lydia felt like she was going to pass out but nothing compared to the feeling she had when she entered the cabin and saw Riley chained up.

Riley: Riley had been walking home from the library when it happened. There was a sort of chill in the air, enough to have her clutching the books she'd gotten out a little closer to her chest. After the incident with Talia and the car wreck, she felt like she needed answers more than ever. Each book gave her a more outlandish theory on what was wrong with her than the last but she wasn't sure she could dismiss anything at this point. After all, it's Beacon Hills. The man had come out of nowhere. Something about him made her feel cold, and clammy. It made her throat tighten. "Excuse-" Riley tried to brush by him but he grabbed her bicep, making her swallow the words with an incredulous look. "Hello little banshee." He'd purred at her. She didn't even have time for her eyes to widen, let alone to scream before he struck her over the head with whatever had been in his other hand. The blonde's body hit the ground immediately. Days, hours, or minutes could have gone by and Riley wouldn't have known. She didn't 'wake up' so much as become aware of a throbbing in her head, and something wet on her forehead. Her eyes snapped open when she realized that she couldn't move her hands, and horror grew in the pit of her stomach when she saw the old shackles around her wrists. It looked like the man had left her in some sort of cabin, and just gone. Riley'd certainly seen enough episodes of criminal minds to know she needed to get the fuck out as soon as possible, particularly if he was coming back soon, but a few hours of rubbing her wrists until they were raw and bleeding proved that idea easier said than done. Her hands shook, and everything seemed out of focus. A dark heavy feeling was weighing on her body and her mind, and she just wanted to scream. She nearly did, abandoning her sneaky escape plan in the hopes that someone might hear her shouts, but then the door handle began to turn. Riley yanked the chains again in vain, looking up to give the stranger a scathing greeting when she saw Lydia standing there. "Lydia?" She asked, tears pricking in the corner of her eyes. "Lydia what's going on?"

Lydia: Lydia couldn’t seem to take her focus off Riley. She was having flashbacks from the night her, Stiles, and her mother had all been chained up in the very same cabin. That night ended with Lydia losing her mother and a piece of herself that she’d never get back. It was impossible being in that same room again, and adding the fact that she was now possibly about to lose another person she’d grown to care about made this nearly impossible. Lydia shut her eyes tightly for a brief moment and prayed to whatever God was out there that this was a nightmare. Unfortunately the cold touch of Death’s hand cupping her cheek was enough to let Lydia know that this was very, very real. She tried not to flinch or show any signs of weakness when he touched her and she swallowed the lump in her throat before something snapped inside of Lydia. She spit directly at him which earned her a slap in the face from Death but she didn’t care. It felt good to finally at least do something to this monster. “R-Riley.” Lydia mumbled quickly, the seconds feelings like hours. “I’m so sorry. You’re going to be okay. I promise I’ll get you out of here.” She couldn’t save her mother that night, but she was going to save Riley. She had to. “Not so fast, Lydia. This girl is a present to you. It’s my apology for what happened to your mother. Now you won’t have any competition. I’ll get rid of her for you and there will be one banshee in Beacon Hills. Well, at least one functioning banshee.” The dig at Meredith made Lydia glare at him, and she wasn’t even really processing the fact that he said Riley was a banshee. All Lydia cared about was getting the girl out. “I only want one banshee here. One beautiful, perfect banshee. There’s no room for a second one.” Lydia ignored what Death was saying and how creepy it was, and how disgusting his hands felt every time he tried to touch her. She pushed past him to get to Riley, desperately trying to break her out of the chains. There was no escape though, and as usual Death had control over her powers. There was really only one way to get Riley out. “Please don’t hurt her. Please.. let her go.” Pleading wasn’t something Lydia did often but these were desperate times. “I’ll do anything. I can stay with you if you want just..” Lydia’s eyes filled with tears at the thought of having to lose another person she really cared about. How she couldn’t help but feel like Riley was in this situation because of her. “Just don’t hurt her.”

Riley: Riley's eyes darted between the man and Lydia, her mind racing. It didn't take much to make the cognitive leap- this was one of the horsemen. And based on Lydia's reaction to him and the disturbing way he was touching her, it was probably Death. The blonde steeled herself. Knowing that Death himself was the one who put her in this cabin wasn't exactly the answer she'd been hoping for, but it was better than not knowing who it was at all. She jerked, rattling the chains, when he hit her, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't run to Lydia's side. "Don't TOUCH her!" Riley shouted, pulling against the metal even as it dug into her wrists again. When it became clear yet again that she wasn't going to be able to get the chains off with pure force of will, she settled for glaring. Every word that came out of his mouth made her frown deepen, and she stopped short when he called her that word again. Banshee. It wasn't the first time she'd stumbled across it, but it seemed a little too insane to be true, that she could be anything but human. "Lydia, no!" Riley shook her head vehemently. "There's no way in HELL that you're staying anywhere near him!" She strained against the chains again, putting all of her weight into it with a fierce desperation that hadn't been there before. The idea of Lydia- amazing, warm, loving, bright Lydia stuck with this man... Riley wouldn't consider it. Ever. "Don't you dare."

Lydia: Lydia wasn’t paying any attention to Death which she was sure drove the man crazy. Everything he did was for attention, almost as though he literally thrived off of it. Lydia didn’t care, though. Her only concern was Riley in that moment and all of her focus was on the blonde. “It’s okay, Riley. I promise. I can’t let anything happen to you.” Lydia would rather go with Death than have something terrible happen to Riley. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Riley didn’t deserve to be in this situation. This girl had brought so much life into Lydia’s life since they’d initially met and now it felt like Lydia was just bringing darkness in return. She hadn’t intended to get Riley involved in this. It didn’t matter if Riley was a banshee, Lydia still felt responsible. “Just tell Stiles I’m sorry and that I love him, okay? That I’ll find a way to come back. Tell..” Lydia was cut off when Death started to speak again, clearly angry about what was going on. “I haven’t killed in so long, Lydia. Not since your mother. And you staying with me doesn’t change the fact that I dislike this girl.” He went closer towards Riley and on instinct Lydia tried to shove him away. He may have control over her scream but he couldn’t stop her from trying to fight. Lydia kicked his foot out from under him but suddenly Lydia was being hit again in retaliation, this time knocking her to the ground. He went closer towards Riley and Lydia was growing more livid by the second. “How about I kill her anyway and you still stay with me? It’s a win win situation. For me, at least.” Lydia gritted through her feet, the idea of Riley dying was filling Lydia with a rage that she had never felt before. The more Lydia thought about how she was going to lose another person that she’d grown to love, the angrier Lydia had become. Her anger was directed at Death in particular. He had ruined her, ruined her entire life and Lydia couldn’t keep allowing him to win like this. Suddenly the ground was shaking slightly, the lights flickering as Death fell to his knees in a sudden surge of pain. Lydia still couldn’t get a hold of her scream but she was drawing closer to it, she could feel the strength coming back.

Riley: "Lydia. No way, there is no way you're going to be allowed to do this." Riley was incredibly frustrated, so angry that she had no idea what was happening and that everything was so dire. "There's no telling people you love them! That's such bullshit! You tell him, I don't want to!" Riley's voice cracked. She couldn't lose someone else. She couldn't do it. It was too much, too soon. The blonde pushed herself backwards as far as she could, glaring at Death with the most vitriol she could muster. It felt so odd, being near Death, and the sort of darkness hovering around her. She wanted to help Lydia but wasn't sure how. Clearly something was happening, maybe an earth quake, or more likely... Something a little stranger. She wanted to reach for the other girl, to be closer to the person who felt so familiar. The darkness in them felt the same. Maybe now she understood why. "You can't hurt either of us." She growled. "You can't, you won't."

Lydia: Watching Death grimace in pain, it occurred to Lydia for the first time that perhaps her strength was coming from Riley. She was angry at the man, sure. Lydia had been angry at him plenty of times before, though. He always had a hold on her powers but now she seemed to find that spark to push through. Riley being a banshee might’ve been the missing link that Lydia needed- the extra push to finally overpower him. It was what she’d been waiting for all along and Lydia could not let this opportunity go to waste. “Riley..” Lydia mumbled, turning to face the girl. She was a bit exhausted from the push of her powers and Lydia knew she needed to speak quickly. The more time she stopped using her powers, the more likely it was for Death to regain control. “Look at me, alright? Concentrate and trust me.” She saw him get up out of the corner of her eye and start walking towards her. Lydia pushes past him to grab onto Riley’s hand tightly. “I need you to scream, Riley. It might feel weird at first and it might even hurt-“ Lydia was cut off by Death grabbing at her, desperately trying to take her away from Riley. He looked scared, maybe vulnerable. Lydia was sure he knew that his time might be coming to an end soon. Riley and Lydia seemed to be a dangerous combination if she could just tell Riley what to do. But Death was regaining control as a rush of pain ran through Lydia’s body. She cringed, her face contorting in agony. But his hands on her was even worse than any sort of pain.. even more traumatizing. Lydia kicked her leg upwards to hit him in the chest and keep him away for another moment. The window of time she needed. “Scream and concentrate, okay? Just..” Lydia shut her eyes tightly and tried to use whatever newfound witch powers Nate had given her to break the chains off of Riley. Thankfully Lydia had done it quickly. “Use your hands when you scream.. push towards him, alright? You’ll know what to do.” She had faith that once Riley started she would just be able to feel what came next, and follow Lydia’s lead. “On my count. 1..2..” Death was charging at the girls once again and Lydia took a deep breath before nodding at Riley, letting her know she needed to do it now.

Riley: Riley strained against the chains to get as close to Lydia as she could, ignoring the metal biting into the already raw skin of her wrists. Her eyes darted to Death, who actually looked like he was thrown off for once, which sparked something fierce in her. Maybe it was just her lack of interactions with any of the horsemen, but she'd gladly take some fool's confidence here. She believed it, that her and Lydia would beat Death, would beat anything, and there was no way he could keep them in this cabin. When he touched Lydia, the blonde was furious, and that dark feeling pushed through her veins just behind the anger, that power she hadn't been able to put a name to before pushing up through her torso and sticking in her throat. She trusted Lydia with everything she had, and she knew that she'd do anything to save her right now, even if that meant doing things she didn’t even know were possible ten seconds ago. When the shackles broke, Riley leapt to her feet, standing beside the strawberry blonde. She raised her hands, opened her mouth, and let loose a blood curling scream. For a second, it drowned everything out, and pain erupted in Riley’s head and her throat. She could feel the ground beneath her feet shaking, but everything was too loud- but suddenly it wasn’t. It was like her scream was helping her, not fighting her. That realization was distracting enough that she nearly forgot that she was supposed to be directing it, but Death let out a shout of his own that drew her attention back where it needed to be. "NO!" He roared, throwing himself towards the two banshees. Riley thrust her hands forwards, letting the power that she’d been pushing away since her dad died burst free. The twisted man's hand clawed at them as he was propelled backwards into the wall of the cabin. Riley almost fell to the ground as her scream finally finished, gasping for air.

Lydia: Lydia had never felt such a rush of power before. The last time she even came close to feeling so powerful was when her and Nate used to combine powers and work together. This seemed similar but even more intense, which Lydia figured was because Riley was another banshee and not a necromancer. Suddenly everything seemed to click inside of her head all at once- their instant connection probably had something to do with them being the same. They were drawn to each other in more ways than Lydia had originally imagined. And now she was also even more thankful for it as she used the strength of Riley to find her own and push out a loud wail in the direction of Death. She channeled all of her fury at the man in that one scream. Flashbacks of the night he murdered Nate and her mother ran through Lydia’s mind, and then she thought about what he’d said about Riley. How he wanted to kill someone so full of light and happiness inside. She would not let him win again and take someone that she cared about. That fire combined with Riley’s was enough to send Death flying backwards- something Lydia had never witnessed before. When they were both done screaming, Death laid still on the ground beneath them. He was actually beneath Lydia, for the first time in months. She’d found an edge on him and she found it in Riley. And it felt damn good. “You’re going to lose. We'll keep getting stronger.” Lydia mumbled to Death, reaching for Riley’s hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. For the first time, she finally felt as though they had an advantage.

Riley: Riley felt a wave of strength hit her as she immediately recognized Lydia's words as true. They would keep getting stronger. She looked at what they had done, literally MOVED DEATH, with the force of their voices, and that was with Riley having basically no clue what was happening. All of this was new to the blonde, but she found herself thinking that given a little time, there wouldn't be much that could stand in their way. She squeezed Lydia's hand back, a small smile on her lips. "We'll win." She agreed, her voice spent, but unwavering. Death was laying there on the floorboards, looking like he was at a loss. Together, they had put him there. She wasn't sure that he was truly afraid of them yet, but Riley knew that if he wasn't, he should be.

Lydia: Standing over Death while he was one the ground and being able to walk away unscathed (with the exception of the inevitable trauma that he'd given Lydia) made the banshee feel so powerful. It was almost as though she'd gained some control back that she'd lost over the last year. It wasn't completely in her grasp just yet but Lydia could see that control coming into reach again and that felt good. With Riley, Lydia felt unstoppable- if only for a brief moment. She was able to walk out of the cabin with her head held high, which was so different from the last time she'd left that cabin. When her mother died, Lydia walked out of there feeling like her life was completely over and she'd never be the same again. This was hopeful. "Riley that was.." Lydia shook her head, trying to find the right words but she couldn't. She quickly thought about the fact that she put Riley in such a traumatizing situation and Lydia's happiness faded quickly. Her walls went up and she couldn't even look at the girl. "I'm glad you're okay." Lydia finally said. "You are okay.. right?" She scanned the girl quickly for any visible injuries. When Lydia asked if Riley was okay, she really meant physically. She knew that facing Death- even if they'd won- left some scary scars emotionally. "I'll take you home, alright?"

Riley: Riley a huge rush as she walked out of the cabin, partially because of the incredible thing her and Lydia had just done, and probably a little because she was going into some kind of shock but shock is for losers and not people who can throw other people with their minds. Her hands were shaking, but she was smiling. "I'm definitely okay. Thanks to you." Riley knew that she'd have some bruises the next day, and the cut on her forehead from Death's unceremonious abduction would take a while to disappear completely but none of that was even close to being on Riley's radar. "Are you okay? You're okay, oh my god right?" She mostly babbled to herself, scanning over Lydia for anything she could see. Lydia's change in demeanor didn't quite slip past her, but Riley was willing to leave it be for a moment, just relieved that they were both safe. She squeezed the other girl's arm gently. "Yeah, that'd be great. Thank you. Thank you."

[black-strike-otp]

part 28

This one’s pretty freakin’ long and feelsy so ya’ll best buckle the fuck up and get ready for a ride alright? We’re going full throttle now fraggers.

While Blackout went to go aid the crew in prepping the ship for its descent onto Edaps, Novastrike went to the observatory deck or more bluntly, the command center to see what Edaps looked like. It was a standard dirt ball from the look of it. With little to no atmosphere of its own and a brownish-red dust as far as the eye could see and hills that turned to mountains and back again across the planet.

“The primary station for fuel is on the currently dark side of the planet, sir,” a mech stated checking what datalogs there were filed away.

Twitching her ears, Nova glanced back at those in the room at work. She was one of few who were in the room merely to observe the new planet, but those running the ship as well as Neutro and Guard were on duty.

“We’re not going to the primary fueling station,” Guard stated calmly. “Head for station Delta, it should be near the bottom axis point of the planet.”

“Yes sir.”

“The Delta station?” Neutro implored.

Guard gave a brief nod. “Blackout suggested to me that we steer clear of the more populated hubs,” he explained. “This is Vestial Imperium territory we’re in. The last thing we need to do is throw ourselves in the spotlight. So, we’ll refuel, collect supplies, enjoy the scenery a bit...”

“At Blackout’s suggestion,” Neutroboost grunted with anger.

“What scenery?” laughed another mech.

“You prefer the same view from on board the Rising Star?” Guard asked curiously.

“I don’t mind space,” the mech stated. “And there’s some lovely femmes and mechs on board...”

Out of the three femmes in the room, two of them gave inviting flirtatious giggles. Novastrike just rolled her optics. That line was sure to impress.

“Take us in slowly now, we don’t want to make a scene,” Guard stated gently. “We’re strange guests on this world. We don’t know how any inhabitants may treat our arrival.

~

As it had turned out, they were extraordinarily lucky. The Delta facility was deserted save for a single primitive robotic looking individual who appeared to be at work. He seemed shocked at their presence, immediately followed by suspicion as they landed.

Guard was the first to limp out from the space vessel, with Neutroboost and a few others behind him.

“Eh if’n it ain’t a couple of newcomers,” the mech spat in a strange dialect. His Cybertronian sounded rather rusty and ill-used. “A’right, what can I do for ya?”

“We’re just looking to refuel our ship,” Guard said pleasantly. He turned and nodded to a mech on his left who stepped forward with a container. “I assume you take credits?”

“Aye,” the robotic individual agreed. “But at a rate of one credit per one hundred kiskar’s. Credits are practically useless ‘round here.”

The mech dropped the case on the ground.

“Will this do to fill up the ship?”

The robot leaned over his window slightly to view the crate. He sniffed rudely, about to open his mouth-

The mech stepped aside and another came forward with another crate.

Then another mech.

Followed by another.

With wide eyes, the automaton craned his neck to the side to see how far back the line extended. He narrowed his optics with slight distrust towards Guard despite the fact he was already drooling out of the corner of his mouth with delight at all the funds.

“Don’t suppose this is from that Optimus whatsit trying to buy out our favor?”

“Not at all,” Guard stated gently. “As you said, credits are effectively useless to us as well. We’re simply nomads on our way. Would this do to fuel our ship entirely?”

Guard’s smile was warm and inviting. He knew very well this was much, much more than it would cost the small cargo ship to get a full tank.

“Aye, I’ll go easy on ya, should just about do,” the android muttered, trying to hide his delight.

“Excellent,” Neutroboost responded at Guard’s right side.

“I see that you have no available crew to offer a maintenance check on our vessel,” Guard stated with disappointment.

The robot’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, I can have a crew brought out in ‘bout 3 cycles or so if’n ya’d be willing to wait.”

“Of course,” Guard stated. “And, perhaps, keep this off the records...?”

For a moment, the android looked skeptic again. He appeared to desire questioning why, but considered it after realizing just the size of his pay raise was going to be.

“A’ight,” he agreed. “Off the books; 8 cycles then though, I know a couple o’ guys who would be willing to work without questions asked for some extra pay.”

“Suitable,” Guard stated, inclining his helm respectfully. “Thank you for your services.”

The droid laughed heartily. “O nah, thank ya!”

Ignoring the bellowing and somewhat boisterous laughter from the bot, Guard turned to shuffle back towards the ship. There was still mechs stacking up some of the boxes containing firm credits. Neutroboot was quick keep at his side.

“You’re overpaying him,” Neutro hissed. “Why are we throwing away all our credits on this dump?”

“Because they’re worthless,” Guard reinforced. “We don’t need them, and the Rising Star could use a lot of work and some other servos on it for a while. We could use a break. I don’t care how ridiculous the price is. A bit of freedom will do us some good.”

Neutro gave a grunt in disagreement but let it go. He felt a small part of him die to see all that Cybertronian money be handed off to some low-life, but he didn’t dare object further.

~

“I’m not cleaning you when you’re done,” Blackout complained, watching as Scorponok found the nearest hillside to throw himself into and began digging.

They’d moved the Rising Star behind a hillside off from the facility and had cables brought in to fuel the ship. It was a bit of work, but Guard had insisted on the privacy. Even though the Delta station was used very infrequently, he didn’t want to risk butting heads with anyone with any bias towards Cybertronians.

And the moment Blackout had taken a break from aiding in hauling the fuel injectors to the ship, he realized where his bug had ran off to. After being cooped up on a ship for the past months and nearly dying out in space, he seemed all too eager to spread his pincers. Pincers? Well, that seemed the only adequate word, anyway.

A quiet melody of laughter charmed Blackout’s audios and he turned just slightly to see the angelic white figure walking towards him.

“He’s only having a bit of fun, Blackout,” Novastrike reminded him.

“But I’m the one who has to repair and clean him while he whines and fights me the whole time,” Blackout grumbled.

Stepping closer to the large mech’s pede, Nova reached out and patted him gently. “I’ll help you out. We can pin his tiny aft together.”

Warmth pooled in Blackout’s spark and he shivered slightly from the contact.

“I’d appreciate that,” he stated with a far-off voice. “Thank you.”

Arching an optic ridge, Novastrike let out a soft ‘hurmph’. “You okay there? Looks like you got a chill or something. Did that mech’s name- oh what’d you call him- Rapidspin? Rapidstorm? Rapid... Rapid something. Did his ghost just run through you?” she joked.

A waning smile appeared on Blackout’s face. “One could hope not, that mech was delusional.”

“And you are sane?”

“I didn’t try injecting a hundred circuit boosters before taking on a titan-class mech in the Pits.”

A snort of amusement escaped Novastrike. “Your life has always been pretty creative,” she said softly.

Slowly, Blackout glanced off to the side. If only she had any idea. The only stories he told were ones that made his life seem normal at times. Sure, he admitted to some here and there’s, to killing some, but the details were kept out of it as much as possible. He tried to pull out the moments that would be considered funny now that he was out of them.

He was making a lie of himself and he knew it.

The servo upon Blackout’s leg caressed his armor gently and he peered down at Novastrike questioningly. There was a certain kind of magnetism about her touch he didn’t like. It tended to make him want more and roused unknown responses he wasn’t used to feeling stir inside of him.

Scorponok was right about one thing, it wasn’t just about wanting to frag the femme at this point, and that was making it all the more nerve-wracking. But what else was coming of this he couldn’t define. He certainly didn’t need another friend to worry about. It was bad enough he allowed Barricade in so much to be concerned about his well-being.

“I’m sorry,” Novastrike said softly. “I didn’t mean to downplay the things you’ve been through. I just can’t imagine what it must have been like, living before all of this. And the stories of Kaon..”

“I survived,” Blackout stated bluntly.

“But at what cost?”

Why do you care, he wanted to growl, but swallowed it down.

Concern was starting to grow in the little femme’s optics and caused a flurry of discomfort in Blackout so he made quick to look away.

Why did it seem like she could read into him? He always kept his feelings under lock and key, always keep his secrets close to spark. But the way she looked at him, it was like she could tell he was holding back.

Or holding something in.

The later of course was far from true. He’d accepted his life. He wouldn’t change anything about it. It made him stronger, and it made him grow.

Scorponok came driving out from the ground, chirping loudly and diving back in, spraying rubble in every which direction.

Blackout was all too keenly aware of Novastrike’s servo still upon his leg, and the moment she took it off. He flicked his optics down to watch as she turned around to head back to the Rising Star.

He thought about calling her back, but didn’t. The more he let her in, the harder it was going to be to leave.

~

Sand went flying up in every direction like a tornado. Whipping back and forth wildly and violently, Novastrike ran one way and dashed the other, stirring up the dirt and causing it to built up on her armor and on Blackout’s.

Blackout’s pede slammed down inches from her but she was completely unphased. Skidding around his legs she jumped up, blowing head-long into the side of his leg.

A grunt escaped the big mech and he staggered slightly.

“Impressive effort,” he stated. “But you’re going to wear yourself out by using all your energy to run. And your moves are becoming-”

Blackout extended a pede out and the cyber-cat tripped over it as she jumped, going flying across the dirt.

“-predictable,” he finished.

Novastrike tumbled a ways away and rolled back onto her pedes. Although her armor was more rust-colored than white and gray now, her blue optics stood out like startling twin stars.

Blackout gave a slight grunt and turned just slightly, as if he expected the spar to be over.

Dashing across the ground, Novastrike transformed and went hurtling for the space between Blackout’s legs. Her stun gun came up and she fired at the back of Blackout’s knee joint and up at his chassis as he came sliding from beneath him.

The large mech staggered slightly and placed his weight onto his other leg, staring at her in shock.

“What did you say earlier?” she panted. “About never turning your back on an enemy?”

The shock slowly began to evaporate from Satan’s gaze. There was a look of admiration and pride beginning to illuminate Blackout’s optics that made Novastrike’s spark sing.

No, literally. Her spark chimmed a few notes of delightful and confidence hummed in her veins.

“You catch on quick,” he remarked, a large grin on his face. “But that was a cheap shot.”

“Show me what you got then,” Nova huffed, trying to catch her breath. “Or are you scared?~”

Armor plating snapped around Blackout’s arm and he unfurled a smaller pair of rotor blades. “I fear nothing,” he stated with conviction.

From the far safety of the hanger of the Rising Star, Guard smiled thoughtfully as he watched the two exchanged blows. He turned slightly to look at the medic as she stepped over with an irked expression.

“He’s going to agitate his wounds again,” she hissed. “Does he not realize he’s still healing? And all that dirt in his ventilation system, I’m going to be spending all evening on-”

“Let them be,” Guard said gently, fixating his optics on the pair again.

The medic gave a sideways glance towards the Commander. “Guard, just because he lov-”

“It’s good for them both, and I’m sure the damage won’t be irreversible, correct?”

“... Yes, but as a medic-”

“You don’t have to agree,” Guard commented. “Just, follow this one order, please?”

The medic snorted. “Bonding through fighting, huh? Some plan.”

“There’s more to it than that,” the older mech murmured. “Just watch, you’ll see.”

“I’d rather not,” the medic hissed. “I’m hardly a romantic. You enjoy Guard, I’m going to go see about any actual patients who want my assistant.”

The Commander nodded briefly, barely paying any attention to the femme. “Yes, of course. Thank you.”

~

Blackout couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was right there. Right in front of him.

Why wouldn’t his pedes move?

There was a shuffle that came upon him much quieter than Blackout would have found capable of anybot to sneak up on him. Then again, he was so distracted, it was no wonder he was startled so thoroughly.

Dragging his leg and using his cane, the old Commander offered a polite nod. “Good to see you out and walking around Blackout. I’m a bit surprised not to see your acquaintance Scorponok anywhere...”

“He’s on board the Rising Star, sir,” rumbled the large mech in a distracted one. “With Novastrike, getting cleaned.”

Guard offered a short nod. He tilted his helm, trying to see around the big mech. Shame flashed in Blackout’s optics as he realized what the old mech was doing and he slowly stepped aside for him to look around him and the Delta building.

A low whistle escaped Guard. “That there looks like a Decepticon ship,” he commented.

“It is.”

“I thought so.”

Silence cut through the air like a knife.

With twinkling warm optics, Guard turned his face to Blackout. “Well, I suppose you’re leaving now.”

Blackout stiffened instantly. There was a heaviness to his limbs he’d never felt before and an underlying feeling of dread eating at him.

“That’s not my appointed vessel,” Blackout muttered.

Guard raised an optic ridge. “Oh?”

“I was assigned to the Nemesis,” Blackout escaped. “Under the command of Lord Megatron.”

“I see. Well, I’m sure someone on board could try getting a signal out for you to your commander, you know. It looks like they’re almost done getting refueled, I wouldn’t dilly dally too long.”

The old mech winced slightly as he forced his damaged leg to lock up and lifted his cane to tap Blackout’s leg swiftly in a ‘get a move on’ gesture. He quickly placed his cane down and sagged slightly, putting his weight back onto his good limb.

With a torn expression, Blackout looked between the Decepticon vessel and the Rising Star. He could see the mechs just around the corner stealing from the Delta station employee. The poor android was trying to shrink away from them as they would strike at him, laughing as he flinched and cowered.

“I haven’t repaid my debt to you-”

“What debt?” Guard asked cheerfully. “I don’t recall asking you to pay a debt. You are the only one who called it a debt. The Rising Star is in much better working condition because of you, and soon we will be in even better working condition after that crew the mech sent for arrives and helps with repairs. I’m sure we can manage. We’ll have a screw look at the weapons system with Novastrike, I’m sure they can get along without you.”

Blackout kept his optics trained on the Decepticons, remaining silent.

“That is of course, you’re welcome to stay if you wish,” Guard ventured as he turned away. His cane produced drag lines in the ground, along with his pede, as he began to hobble back towards the rogue space vessel.

Tearing his gaze from the Decepticon ship, Blackout slowly trained a tired gaze upon the old mech.

“Maybe stay for someone who might miss you when you’re gone,” the elderly mech muttered. “Someone who would be absolutely spark-broken if you left, regardless if they got a goodbye or not. But what do I know? I’m just a crazy old mech. You’ve probably missed your path and your line of work and we’ve kept you too long from that and busy with such mundane, unimportant tasks. We thank you for your services of course.”

An impression of a frown tugged at the corners of Blackout’s mouth. He shifted slightly, taking cover behind the building so that the ‘Cons wouldn’t see him. It felt like such a yellow-bellied thing to do.

“Alright, everyone on board,” one of the ‘Cons shouted. “We’re moving out in six-hundred nanokliks.”

Blackout took a step.

~

“Where’s Blackout?” Novastrike asked, her optics wide as she looked up at Guard. “I haven’t seen him for a while now, and Scorponok took off in a hurry to go find him.”

Tightening his grip on his cane, Guard turned a forced pleasant smile towards the small femme. “I haven’t the slightest clue,” he responded. “Perhaps go check his usual recharge locations, or outside?”

A lightbulb went off above Novastrike’s helm. “Outside!” She cried. “That’s right, he was out there last, maybe he hasn’t come in yet after all. Thanks, Guard, sir.”

“Don’t mention it,” the old mech stated, watching Novastrike take off down the hall. His smile faltered into a troubled complexion as the doors closed behind the little femme.

A vent escaped him, and he turned back to the command console he had been looking at.

“Poor femme,” he quietly muttered.

~

Sprinting down the Rising Star’s hatch and onto planet Epads, Novastrike gasped and wheezed breathlessly, looking around. There was only a handful of the crew wandering around, checking on the outside of the ship or standing around. Guard had given specific instructions that no one try repairing the ship; he wanted folks to rest.

Nova peeled her gaze from one end of the horizon to another.

“Blackout!” she cried out, startling some of those outside. She was tossed a few scrutinizing expressions and offered an apologetic wave and nervous grin at those wandering around.

Seeing no sign of the looming shadow of a mech or his minicon companion, Novastrike took a light jog towards the Delta installation. Maybe he was just out for a stroll. So she just took a wild guess at a direction; the most obvious sole location that they had for who knew how many hundreds of miles.

As she ran towards the building, there was a loud crash of thrusters igniting from a space voyager. The light jog Nova had been taking slowed as she caught a glimpse of the ship as it began to rise up. Her audios pinned against her helm as the clap of thunder from its thrusters began fire up.

As it re-positioned its direction to head skyward and out into space, that’s when Novastrike caught sight of the Decepticon logo on the ship.

Her spark jumped into her throat.

“No,” she whispered, voice growing louder and stronger as she took a step forward. “No. No, no no no please, please-”

The thrusters exploded; sending out a shock wave. The blast had Novastrike fall back onto her aft, optics wide with horror as it shot off like a missile.

Her spark dropped suddenly as she released her breath.

“No, please,” she breathed, lip trembling. A blur began to overtake her vision as her optics began to build up liquid that seeped out.

The ship didn’t show any sign of slowing down as it flew onward, out into the big wide stretch of space.

A small hiccup escaped Novastrike’s vents and she dropped her helm, sniffing loudly. She pulled one of her legs close to her chassis and wrapped her arms around it, resting her forehead against her knee.

Why would he stay? He no longer had a reason too.

Snuffling filth into her passages, Novastrike went to wide at her faceplate with her arm. Her blurry vision catching sight of the shadow that was stretching out from behind her.

Alarm colored the mech’s voice as he spoke up, “Novastrike? Are you... crying? Are you okay?”

She whipped her helm around, blinking rapidly at her tears to see a dumbfounded Blackout staring at her, Scorponok at his side.

“You... Stayed,” Nova hiccuped, wiping at her face.

Guilt flashed across Blackout’s faceplate and quickly disintegrated. “Yeah, I did.” What else was he to say? It wasn’t like he could explain it, either.

Springing to her pedes, Novastrike charged over in a flash. Blackout took a step back out of surprise from the assault, but was even further puzzled as she clung herself to his leg.

“I’m glad you stayed,” she stated through sobs.

Perplexed, Blackout blinked slowly. He pressed his weight to his other pede and went to kneel, pressing a servo against Novastrike’s backstrut in a returned gesture of affection.

“Me too,” he said quietly.

[strawberry-sorceress]

*My* experience with the signs:

Experience with the signs: Aries: Somehow the ones with water moons have always become my best friends. So easy to get on with. Always easy to see they just want the respect they deserve. Truly charismatic trendsetters. I know they're not perfect, but they fight so hard to make life worth sharing in the tiniest and biggest ways. They need to RELAX. Just squint at them then make really big eyes then squint again. Then tease them and watch them get happily upset. Repeat. My favorite to go on adventures with. I always feel like i'm growing when we're next to each other 💜 Taurus: One of my best friends! Possessive - but so am I. GRRRR, ONLY ONE CAN SURVIVE. But we are SO chill- look deep in our eyes and you can practically see the cows grazing the pastures -and our love for the good life is lowkey what the world needs more of, whoops... starting to sound all global dominationy like another taurus.... anyways, I'm a bad Taurus bc idk how to give killer massages, or I guess i might kill someone trying to massage them, but my Taurus friends seem to use it as their fav seduction method! Who are we, man?? Idk. Love us 💯

Gemini: um. EXCUSE ME??! Look, I have gemini in my 11th house and when I discovered astrology I wanted to be a gemini so bad I cried bc I was a taurus but the stars chose me so I survived - plus the constellations gave me merc in gem as a consolation. all I'm saying is the majority of my friend group is gems and they make you feel so safe bc if you're good at talking/being a not-jerk they let you live??!! And isn't that what life is for? Living? Gemini hate isn't natural people, it's a construct, WAKE UP PEOPLE. They either have soft dispersive features or look like they were sculpted by marble Michelangelo himself chose. Hot 💯

Cancer: My dad is one. I hear they're supposed to be all "where is the management" and yeah that's pretty much him. But definitely good intuition, except when they're trying to be mad. They're the worst at anger - in a dangerous way. Dad taught me how to iron, microwave milk, etc. They're also superrrrrr sensitive and can try putting up this 3edgy5you shell around ppl in public (whereas aquarius does it to the world as a whole). Really sweet/endearing, too. My favorite inside joke is one a cancer told me.

Leos: My Leo friends always get sentimental when talking about being special. Not about how they think they're special, mind you, but how they fear they aren't living up to some universally acknowledged decree that if they don't mean the world to one awesome person, they better be seen as one fucking awesome person to the whole world. Or they want both. But they'll die if they get none. They're truly child like, in beautiful and saddening ways. I want to just take them out into the world and show them how the loveliness of their being alive is reflected in every waking instance of Life. They're funnnnn and cultured!!

Virgo: The most distinctive eyebrows, just sayin'. Like so thick and fluffy and 💯!! I admire their work ethic and wish I had more of them in my life. Even though we're both earth signs I feel like they're lightyears ahead and soaring through some extraneous dimension. I just hope they're enjoying themselves as much as they deserve to, bc they work for it!! Usually have the hottest guys imo...

Libras: Remember how I said Virgos have the hottest guys? Libras too! I always have a mind crush on libra guys and know how to spot one because they ALL use the words "fair enough", "to be fair", "at the same time". And they all have these scales of relativity they devise for the most intricate of situations. And so on and so forth, it's just fun to see how their minds are mapped. They NEED to choose situations that let them assert themselves.Beautiful, beautiful thoughts that deserve relief and recognition. But my most intense, hurtful relationships are with Libras, too...hm.

Scorpios: Also easy for me to befriend, like Geminis. (So I basically love the two most discrimated against signs 😂😂😂). Their paranoia makes me feel at home. They think they're using people and half the time they are, but half the time the people they're using are just being their genuine selves, and don't care to get muddled in manipulation. We love teasing each other. So easy to relax and get real with! The only ones I feel okay being most intense with, because they luv it.

Sagittarius: Also fun to tease SO.FUN. also very opiniated, and super interested in continuously collecting patches of knowledge to share. Idk a single sag who isn't mired in philosophy or religion or not double majoring/ getting a second degree. Talking to them is a trip! Very fair minded people, but also need someone to try new stuff with so it's a worthwhile experience and not just a vacuum, so be cool!! Also, they tend to be really quiet but also super loud.

Capricorn: The young ones are so mature it'd make me cry if it didn't kill me with laughter first. Luckily they discover the world loves their dry wit soon enough to deal with it. I have a lot of respect for them. They try to cover their coldness so much by acting the "right" way. But they aren't even cold! They're just trying to make it through. Also very easy to relax around. So optimistic and loving and lovable 😫

Aquarius: I feel uncomfortably comfortable with them?? Like #where'sthelie. But fr, I always crush on them for a hot minute and admire them from afar and then BOOM, we end up becoming friends and I realize...they don't think they have a lot of friends? They love to be included, but hate admitting it. Will, in fact, break up with you if you are too clingy for them!! Super kind and sweet, bullshit toooo much, but also wise and decorate my heart with springtime flowers no matter the season 🌸.

Pisces: Always pretty well-rounded from what I've seen. Kind of kind, also kind of preoccupied. But they are so kind! And so weirdly good at reading emotions, I'm not making this up. I've watched them change their voices and adopt others' mannerisms to create a more immersive environment in front of me, it's an art libras and gemini's can appreciate. I know they often do it because they want to make sure everyone feels good feelings. Don't let them do that too much, though, or they'll get subconsciously resentful. Tbh, I don't know many!