#it was supposed to be a surprise for some pals of mine

[st4rking]

Marvel's First Family in honor of the FF trailer (or so I will say if asked what prompted this)

[dilf-docs]

all the works listed below are mine. +18 (minors dni). reposting and/or translating is not allowed. requests are open!

Misery Reigns My Lonely Neon Nights‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎6k

old man!logan x younger fem!reader

logan should've said no. should've just drove the pretty waitress home. that's his job. hers is to serve his cup of coffee to the brim. so why is he riding you to his house?

X Si Volvemos ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎1k

ex older bf!logan x younger fem!reader

there are many things you and logan disagree in but not when it comes to things in bed.

The Rock N' Roll Got Harder and Softer‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎5k

eddie brock x younger fem!reader

common sense isn't really your strongest suit. so here you are, riding a stranger's bike on halloween night. hey, he saved you! with one hell of a costume, no doubt. because it has to be one, right?

Knockin' On Heaven's Door‎‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Pt. 2‎‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎4k

eddie brock x younger fem!reader

you're what people call a ray of sunshine, probably the most likeable person in the planet. so why is this hot idiot next door so mean to you?

Drunk In Love‎‎‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎3k

eddie brock x younger fem!reader

you don't exactly hate your job as bartender. well, sometimes, like when customers who can't take a no show up. your boyfriend decides to take matters into his hands, or better said, tentacles...

Sabor A Chocolate ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎2k

eddie brock x younger fem!reader

your boyfriend eddie and his symbiote pal just make sure you know how loved you are.

All Roads Lead to Rome‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎3k

pedro pascal x younger fem!reader

your boyfriend swears he isn't annoyed at your little surprise visit on the set of gladiator II; you might have to help him release his anger, one way... or another.

This Thing Upon Me, Howls Like A Beast ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎6k

professor!pedro pascal x younger fem!reader

to cover some social hours and as a favor to your recently fallen-ill friend, you become your research methodology professor's TA. but here's the catch: you've got history, and what you really mean is beef; good, pure, unadulterated loath.

Le Pedí Al Mar Y Al Sol Que Te Trajera ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎2k

pedro pascal x younger fem!reader

vacations are supposed to be fun! and with a hot older famous boyfriend? now we're really talking.

Call It What You Want‎‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‎

pedro pascal x younger fem!reader (a series)

you and pedro are married, but you've kept it a secret up to the point you sometimes forget there's supposed to be a golden band on your finger. but then you both get cast in your first movie together. the chemistry is off the charts, and it starts to catch upon you: will the lines between shipping and reality finally blur?

I'm Happy Where The Devils Are ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ Pt. 2‎‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎7k

dbf!joel miller x younger fem!reader

something something about forbidden things; you never learn, not until the heart you gave returns to you in shreds, bleeding out of love. what's left when you've given all of your heaven away? hell.

You're A Daydream, Stay A While ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ 6k

jackson!joel miller x younger fem!reader

you're jackson's designated bartender. well, your dad is, but after the arrival of a new face in town, maybe the inspiration to finally step up to your obligations kicks in.

To The Devil I Know ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎

dbf!joel miller x younger fem!reader (a series)

your infamous girl's trip with your best friend sarah gets crashed by his overprotective dad.

Can We Hit It Now, Low-Down And Gritty? ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ 6k

dieter bravo x younger fem!reader

the last thing you need is world-renowed asshole slash actor dieter bravo to yell at you for doing your job. he'll pay for that.

Tuyo Será, Y Tuyo Será ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ 5k

javier peña x younger fem!reader

after an stressful day at the office, javi finds solace in your warm embrace: you, his informant, who he has yet to cross that line he always crosses, like a goddamn vice.

A Pillar I Am Of Pride ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ 3k

vander x younger fem!reader

you're too young, that's what he tells himself; that you could be one of his kids. but of course you have spent too much time with vi, and unfortunately for him, stubborn rhymes with your name: you just don't know when to quit.

©dilf-docs all right reserved. last updated: february 12th, 2025.

[l0serloki]

Yo! Can I ask for Cypher, Gekko, and Sova x reader who loves affection? As in, they love head pats, and when they get hugs they will just snuggle and melt? The gender of the reader doesn't matter. Thanks! 😊

Affection!

(Cypher, Gekko, Sova)

masterlist

Cypher : 

Cypher wasn’t used to getting such affection before you. And now he doesn’t want to ever live without it.

He will constantly try and convince you to come sit in his office so he can snuggle with you as he ‘researches’.

He loves nuzzling into your neck and feeling your hands pat around his face as he feigns his attention to his computer.

He even makes not so subtle nudges when you try to stop. If you tease him he will eventually ask why you quit. 

“Where do you think you are going, little bug?” Cypher’s voice rang out as you squirmed in his lap. Your arms wrapped back around his neck as you looked up.

“Nowhere, just getting more comfy.” You smiled as your hands worked at his taut muscles. A soft sigh left his mouth as he relaxed against his work chair. Cyphers head leaned down to rest in the crook of your neck as he continued to type away at his computer. 

After a bit you laid your hands to rest as he got more into his work. Within seconds of you taking a break you heard the nerd grunt and peer back at you. You raise an eyebrow and continue to rest against him. He nudges your hand lightly with an awkward cough. You could only laugh at his subtle attempt to ask for more.

“Is that better?” You coo as your hands work around his mask, fingers pressing against the soft flesh of his face. 

“Much better.”

Gekko :

He LOVES attention and physical affection. I mean look at how he treats his little pals! You know he has such a loving soul.

He’s always wanting to be next to you, holding your hand, or even in your arms. He will pout if he is not.

Refuses to sleep without you and on nights you’re away on missions and calls so he can at least hear your voice. He makes sure to let you know it’s nothing compared to cuddling. And that you owe him double.

He absolutely melts when you baby him as well. Pinching at his cheeks and rubbing at his head are a major weakness. But he makes you swear not to tell anyone else. 

“Babe I’m right here.” Gekko pouted as he watched you pat wingman. Your grin grew as you noticed his ever-growing jealousy.

“Does Wingman not deserve love?” You tease out as you turn over to your boyfriend. His eyes widened for a moment before his lips turned down.

“That’s not what I meant.. Wingman deserves the best. But I do too, babe.” Gekko tries to nudge his way in between the gooey pet and you. You only laugh and Wingman makes a noise as you welcome him into the family hug.

“You’re so needy. Isnt he, Wingman?” You voice and the slime only makes an agreeing sound. Gekko gasps as he smacks at your arm lightly.

“It’s not needy if I am your boyfriend! It’s the tax for being mine! And not cool Wingman! You’re supposed to be backing me up!”

Sova :

Sova loves affection. It helps make him feel grounded and helps him know you’re not leaving.

He completely relaxes and melts in your arms when you hug him from behind. He loves being cradled. Not that he would fully admit it out loud.

He also loves when you play with his hair. He turns into a little golden retriever if you scratch at his head. He can’t help it, it just feels too good!

He loves giving it back as well. He always makes sure to give you reassuring squeezes and some back scratches here and there. 

You smiled as you walked into the main hall of HQ. You had just got back from a meeting when you saw Sova standing near the table patching up his drone. Taking the opportunity to strike, your arms wrapped around his torso. A soft gasp left his lips as he looked over at you and tossed his arm around you.

“Dove, you are back early. This is a lovely surprise.” His smile was infectious as his hand rubbed away at your shoulder. You only squeezed tighter against him as you nuzzled into his side.

“Let me finish fixing the drone and then we can go rest. Does that sound good?” Sova questioned and you could only nod. You would never give up a chance to hold your sweet boyfriend in your arms.

[hauntedparadisebandana]

More Desmond hcs cause I love him so much.

Desmond is the type of person to sleep everywhere but where he's supposed to. The others can't figure out if it's because of the bleeding effect and his episodes or if he's genuinely sleeping in weird places. They had an idea to lock his room door at night, but they didn't want to treat him like an asylum patient. There's been a few instances where Shaun has walked into the kitchen and has found des sleeping on the counter or even inside the cabinets.

"Hmmm, I'm in a chamomile mood today," mumbles Shaun as he walks into the kitchen yawning.

He fills the kettle with water and puts it on the stove. He lazily leans against the counter and waits, trying not to fall asleep. Then, a muffled voice fills his ears.

"You making tea? I want some too, please."

Shaun's eyes shoot open like he's seen Jesus himself. He stands up straight and frantically looks around.

"Christ, I'm hearing voices... I should've done the evaluation." He runs a hand down his face, rethinking his life choices.

"Nope, no ghost. Just your good pal Desmond." At this, Shaun is confused. Where is his voice coming from? He then gets the bright idea to look inside the cabinets, the only place Desmond could hide. Crouching down his opens up a door, and lo and behold, desmond is in there.

"Why on earth are you in the cabinets desmond?" Shaun says with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm actually not sure, I just woke up in here. Ugh my back hurts."

"Well, yeah, you fell asleep crammed inside a cabinet."

"About that tea, though, I want some."

"Oh- uh yeah, sure, tea for you too." He closes the cabinet door, "Wait!" The door opens again, "what is it, Desmond?" "Can you add honey to mine, please? " "Yes, you can have honey."

The same goes for rebecca and Lucy. Rebecca remembers the last time she tried to go to bed peacefully, she didn't.

Rebecca yawns and turns over, eyes still closed. She's feels something is off, it's warmer than usual, way warmer, and her bed feels...heavier? She opens her eyes, coming face to face with Desmond. All snuggled up under her sheets, leg thrown over hers, staring like this was an everyday occurrence.

"Jiminy Christmas! Fuck Desmond! what the hell are you doing in my bed?!" Rebecca whisper yells.

"Your bed so warm, you mind if I sleep here? I think my heater is broken in my room."

Rebecca sighs out loud,

"Did you make sure it was plugged in? Cause you did that last time des."

Desmond thinks back to his heater. Now that he thinks about it, it probably wasn't plugged into the wall. But who cares? He's warm now.

"Probably not, but it's too late. I'm already lying down."

"Ughhhhhh, fine, you can stay. Just don't hog the blanket, and don't kick me."

"Ok ok I won't. Goodnight becca."

"Night des."

FYI, Rebecca got kicked at least 3 times that night.

Lucy has had her share of being scared shitless by Desmond, too, in her room as well.

Lucy sits up and stretches, just waking up. Checking her clock, she sees its 5am, no use in going back to sleep now.

"I could really start the grocery list today. The fridge is pretty empty -" she freezes, holding back a yell with her eyes wide as she stares straight into the corner at her hanging chair. Something tall, resembling a person is in it, its way to dark in her room to see.

She shudders, reaching for her bed side lamp she flicks it on in a hurry.

"Oh what the hell."

There sits Desmond, sitting inside Lucy's chair with a blanket draped over him, he even brought his own pillow. Yet he's so tall. He looks a bit uncomfortable.

She stands up and walks over to Desmond, patting his shoulder.

"Des wake up, you can sleep in my bed."

"Hmmmm?" He groans, not fully awake yet.

"You can sleep in my bed. You look uncomfortable over here."

"Hm, thanks," Desmond goes to stand, "Ugh, wait, headache."

"From the bleeds?" "No, stood up too fast."

Lucy grabs Desmond by the arm and leads him to the bed. "Sleep now, I know you barely get any as it is." She expects a rebuttal but is surprised when he is fast asleep again, and this time, he looks comfortable. She leaves him there, making her way into the living room where Rebecca and Shaun are watching whatever is good on TV.

"Shaun, Becca, we need to get this Desmond sleeping situation under control."

"Agreed"

"Agreed"

[shirefantasies]

Hiii!!! I love your works so so much, you're truly amazing!! I would like to make a request if that's fine with you. I would like to request Thorin's company with a reader that is afraid of heights. You don't have to do it if you don't want to, it was just a stupid idea that crossed my mind. If you do decide to do it, take as much time as you want and thank you so so much!! Again love your works, your way of writing and the way you portray the characters!!

Thanks pal 🥰 for your kind words and for being one of the longest-standing members of this blog's taglist! It's funny because someone else sent this in for LoTR a while back so it is not at all stupid, quite a common ask~

Warnings: canon typical peril, suggestive jokes in one

Thorin's Company + Your Fear of Heights

Balin

“Look at the river,” Balin encourages, taking your arm, “a fair chance we are not to see it like this again, after all!” You hesitantly hum at his side, and that is when he looks over to see your tightly shut eyes and stiff posture, your hands firm and flat against the great eagle’s soft, downy feathers. “We’re safe now,” he tells you quietly, scooting into your side. The warmth of his coat brings some comfort, but not enough for you to open your eyes, even if they shine red beneath your crushing lids. “This does not feel safe,” you reply, your voice barely exceeding a whisper. Balin does not fight, does not argue, presumably continues enjoying whatever view you did not doubt was beautiful. You simply cannot appreciate it. “I understand,” he replies, running a soothing hand up and down your back, “and I’m here. I’ll hold you down.”

Dwalin

“I bet you’ve never been afraid a day in your life.” Those were the words that set the conversation- or challenge, more like- flying between you and Dwalin, both of you huddled near the smoldering remains of your earlier fire on watch of camp. Hazes of fatigue descended upon both of your heads as you spoke, your musing bringing quite a surprise to Dwalin, who immediately sat up straighter and fixed you with surprise. “Are you mocking me?” “No,” you shrugged, shaking your head, “I simply could not imagine what that would be. It is quite difficult to picture you afraid.” It was your turn to be surprised as Dwalin’s expression softened far beyond what you were used to. “Even the greatest of warriors have them. I, then, am far from an exception.” “What is it, then?” “Pardon.” “Your fear,” you lit up, “is it the ocean? Dogs? Speaking to a crowd?” “Why are you selecting such ridiculous-” “You’re dodging,” you teased, “Thought you might be embarrassed.” “I’m not,” he crossed his arms, “Tell me yours and I shall share mine.” “Fine,” you replied with a shrug, “I am terrified of heights. Fell off a roof as a little one. …long story.” “That… makes a lot of sense.” “Hey, now what is that supposed to mean?”

Thorin

In all honesty, you’d expected the king to have no patience for such matters. You had avoided mentioning your phobia to any of the company for that exact reason, in fact. No more reason given for Thorin to see you as a liability, an outsider. At least until the booms of thunder, the slick of rain and your cold sweat alike as you slid along cliffs, eyes closed and then squeezed so shut your skin warmed and almost burned. Great stone giants you stood upon, legs rising and sending you swinging out wildly, unable to stifle your scream. As the giant slowed, having been struck by a massive rock, you were righted again, and feeling a hand tighten about your shoulder you turned around, expecting to see fatherly Gloin or Balin and instead almost starting at the sight of Thorin there behind you. “I can tell you fear the precipice. Stay here and no harm will come to you.” Your lips parted wordlessly, unable to form a sound beneath the thrum of blood in your ears, the heat creeping to your face, the echo of shattering stone still reverberating through your whole body. As if he heard you regardless, Thorin added, “I promise.”

Oin

“You’re sweating. Do you have a fever?” “No, Oin, I’m fine,” you replied, shaking your head. “Are you certain? For I’ve got quite the concoction- two in fact! One you put on and one you put in. Yourself, that is. You drink it, you see.” “I gathered.” You mustered a smile, but it was halfhearted and, judging by Oin’s expression, obviously so. “No need to be proud. Come on. I’m the one who can help you. And trust me, I’ve seen it all!” Oin was right. A fear of heights was far less embarrassing than all the accidents you imagined dwarves got into. Bofur alone had plenty such stories. “To be honest, it simply is this climb,” you nodded to the foot of the mountain, the great steps you’d heard so much about- and stars, they were nothing like the steps in your old home! “Afraid of heights?” You nodded in reply and the healer’s bearded face burst open in sympathy. “Well, that’s more than understandable! Seen plenty of- Ahem,” he cleared his throat, “Well, that is to say you’re not alone. I’ll let you in on a little secret- from what I hear, it took Kili years before he’d even get on a ladder! ‘N he’s a prince! You’ve nothing to worry about. I can give you something to calm you down as we speak, and beside that I can stay by you every step of the way. How’s that?” “That’ll be great,” you smile, “Thank you, Oin.”

Gloin

“What d’you think you’re doing? …Rotation my arse, send someone else if you’d like to avoid discussing this with the business end of my axe!” What was going on? Emerging from the brush, you followed the sound of Gloin’s voice, the volume of which had steadily been increasing, to see him glaring with all intents of intimidation at Dwalin of all people. As much as you knew you should step in and resolve any tension, you couldn’t deny your amusement. Kindling in arm, you shook your head fondly at the scene before you. Ever since he found out you were afraid of heights, rather than mock you as you’d half expected the dwarves to Gloin had made it his personal mission to swoop in and lobby for you whenever the opportunity availed itself. Such as climbing trees for watch. Muttering, Dwalin walked away with a shrug and a roll of his eyes, and you took your own opportunity to set the kindling down and sneak up behind Gloin to pull him into a hug.

Bifur

Snapping jaws narrowly missed the edges of your legs. Wargs ran to the feet of the trees, standing against the trunks and trying in vain to pull you down. They were coming closer than they should have, though, one even catching a dangling strap from your boot and tearing the buckle on it clean off. Jumping at a tap on your shoulder, you swiveled your head and peered up, admittedly a bit relieved to forget you were above ground, even if it was not by much. Bifur had gotten your attention and was urgently circling his hand, encouraging you to go further up to his branch. You shook your head. “I am fi-” SNAP! The moment you attempted to defend yourself was the moment the branch at your side was ripped off, scrabbling claws following its descent. Another tap to your shoulder, this time with the hand groping down to find yours and pry its fingers from their death grip on your branch. “What are you doing?” You hissed, panicking at your loosening grip, but your complaint was quieted when Bifur yanked you up against his chest and held you there fast. He muttered something in Khuzdul and while you weren’t certain what, his tone alone soothed you a bit more, keeping you in place there with your rapid heartbeat against his.

Bofur

“What’s the matter, no foothold? These hills can be a bit slippery, can’t they? Pesky when it’s so far to fall, pesky indeed.” “Bofur,” you breathe, voice wavering as you near tears. The sheer desperation in your voice shakes the hatted dwarf to his senses, his eyes and smile softening and falling as if seeing you for the first time. “Hey now, you’ll be all right. Thorin put you in the middle on purpose. So many hands here to catch you. ‘Sides that, I’m right here next to you, and you know I’ll always protect you, right?” Smiling faintly, you nod, eyes still blurred faintly with the sheen of tears. Strength renewed slightly, your hands dig even tighter into the rough stone and with all your might, you pull up to the next ledge. “See, there you are! Before we know it you’ll be outclimbing us all,” Bofur teases, leaning over and gently bumping your shoulder with his. “Bofur!” You squeal. “Oh, yes, right, sorry! Say, why don’t we just talk about the weather instead?”

Bombur

“I can’t.” “You must,” Bombur insisted, always-gentle voice even quieter than usual. Groaning beneath the weight of your bodies, the great pine you’d been forced to climb bent further. “If we don’t, who knows what’ll happen to us. I’m scared, too.” The shocks running through your heart calmed slightly at the sight of his soft eyes. “Who wouldn’t be scared of jumping off a cliff?” “Fili ‘n Kili, probably.” “You’re right,” you giggled, delaying the inevitable that much further.” “Why don’t we go together. See, just because we’re both ‘fraidy cats, you know?” Bombur sounded so… shy? He truly meant it, not that you doubted his sincerity much- a more sincere dwarf could scarcely be found. “Of course,” you replied, and beaming, he took your hand. “Just close your eyes. Trust the wizard. You’ll be alright if I have anything to say about it.”

Dori

“Is this truly necessary?” “Unfortunately that is the best way to keep things away from bears. Awful creatures trying to spoil our picnic!” “This is no picnic, Dori,” you giggled, “on account of we’re on a perilous journey? If you remember.” “Yes, yes,” he waved the hand that was free of the bundle, “but I will suffer much before I go this whole mess without doing something for you. Now Bilbo was kind enough to lend this food…” “You lot stole it, didn’t you?” Dori pointedly ignored you. “Be a dear and climb up to that branch with the rope,” he requested, pointing up into the tree and sending a wave of apprehension straight through you. “Can I hold it?” You asked, shuffling your feet. “Please?” Dori inhaled. He frowned slightly. His frown softened almost immediately at your slight pout. His shoulders deflated, hand loosening about the bundle. “Very well. You certainly are lucky to be so adorable.”

Nori

“Come on, let’s have a look at the stars, huh?” Something about Nori’s tone, a sort of provocation you hope to be deciphering correctly, has you shying your eyes away from the smooth-talking dwarf, hands behind your back as you nod. “That’s a good’n,” he smiles proudly, grabbing your hand tightly, a bit harshly even as he tugs you outside. Your gaze drifts up, but Nori tilts it back down to face him. “Not out here!” You are puzzled, tilting your head back at him. Rivendell’s garden is the most beautiful you’ve seen, a perfect little gazebo to sit under surrounded by pure white flowers and vines that reach up to the very stars upon which you wish to gaze. “Elrond can’t mind too much if we get a bit closer, after all, can he? Those elves love the stars as much as anything, after all.” You see now that he is motioning up to the roof of the enclave set aside for you all to stay, a conveniently flat expanse granted access to only by a risky-looking trellis. Nori wants to climb that with you. All the blood drains from your face at the very sight, the mental image of your shoes slipping from the hole, tumbling you back into the… “What’s the matter, hm? Scared? Afraid of getting trapped up there with me? I promise I won’t bite…unless you ask me to, of course.” His joke brings you back to your senses, out of the unexpected tenderness and back to your usual joking. “What’s the matter with you?” You shoot back. “Can’t get excited without being imperiled?” Cackling, Nori lets you slide, instead winding an arm about your waist and sweeping an arm, letting you lead him to the gazebo bench. “Got me there.”

Ori

“What’s the matter?” Ori ponders your name so sweetly it almost cuts through your fear. “Isn’t it wonderful?” ‘It’ being the view from, at least in your mind, the most precarious parapet in the whole kingdom of Erebor. “I see even more now why we were fighting for this,” he adds, smile growing and wonder positively glowing in his big brown eyes. In almost hilarious contrast, you struggle to feign a smile, fingers tightening around the wall’s edge like a lifeline. Which it quite literally is. It isn’t that high. You can simply take one step, no, two, and go tumbling off the whole of the mountain- The sound of your name cuts off your dread-laced internal ramblings, shaking you back to Ori, to feeling him take hold of your upper arm. “Are you alright? I can see your face, you look so-” Cutting off his desperation, the way he clearly is searching for a kind way to say it, you just sigh and answer him. “You were so excited to show me, I didn’t have the heart to tell you that, well, I have quite the fear of heights.” Ori’s jaw positively drops as he surges back, taking you away from the railing like it’ll burn you. “I’m so sorry, you never told me! How was I to know? Why, here you’ve been just-” You forget your fear entirely in favor of giggling at Ori’s kind reaction. You should have known better than to fear what he would say! “How about we go to the library instead?” Ori offers, hand still on your arm. “I’d like that,” you answer with a smile.

Fili

“Don’t let him catch me telling you this, but do you realize Kili used to have such a bad fear of heights he wouldn’t even set foot on a ladder?” Fili snickered to you, leaning with his arm along the back of your chair. “And that is supposed to be funny?” You replied, eyes wide and one brow raised. All attempts not to show your true thoughts- would Fili think you a fool? “Of course it was! I couldn’t even persuade him into the attic for all the deal it was,” the elder prince answered with a smile of great amusement. Pulling away from his warm proximity, you wrapped an arm around yourself instead. “And why was he wrong to fear harm? To- to avoid doing something he didn’t even need to do? Have you never felt the creeping of dread, of crushing danger?” Sitting back himself, Fili raised his hands defensively. “I’m sorry. I just thought it was funny the way he’d only put a toe up on it. You feel the same, do you not?” You nodded and he shifted back forward to put a hand on your shoulder. “Nothing wrong with that. I swear I won’t laugh about it again.”

Kili

For so-called ‘steps’, this climb certainly was involving your entire body, all of you company members heaving yourselves over each one and you suppressing a whimper at each slip and grind of your boot against smoothened stone. Why did the dwarves have to build their kingdoms so again? Sliding back, you winced, cringing back even harder when Fili playfully nudged you with his elbow. “Careful you don’t- oops!” He seemed to stumble back and fall, bringing you to cry out his name until he popped back up with a grin and laughter. “Quit that!” Kili stepped back down, making his way in between you two. “You’re really scared, aren’t you?” Nodding, you shied away at the way he wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “Don’t worry,” he spoke your name softly, “mean old Fili’s going to apologize, isn’t that right?” “I’m not a child,” you teased, “I just…hate the thought of falling. Of my feet wavering and giving out.” “Understandable,” Fili added, lowering his head, “I promise I won’t actually lay a hand upon you. No more jokes. For once, Kili’s right.” Smiling again, you allowed Kili to guide you up, one hand protectively over the small of your back. “You just wanted to play the hero.” You heard Fili hiss to his brother behind your back, shakily grinning at his words.

Bilbo

“We need to get out of here. Come on.” The hobbit whispers your name urgently, extending and waving his hand at you. How you have managed to avoid losing your mind completely is what you can only imagine to be a testament to your luck. But Bilbo? You had completely lost track of him and now he’s here before you, gripping a tree branch and pleading with those shining grey eyes. This forest has your head spinning, but those eyes are an anchor, something you can focus on for once. Your heart moves, but your body remains in place, blood rushing to your face and slamming chest. “I- I-” What can you say? “Please,” Bilbo adds, “I don’t want to lose you, too. We need air. You must come with me to clear our heads.” Blinking, you look back and forth. Did you need to? Wait, need to what? “Please,” Bilbo begs again, “I’m afraid too. But it won’t be so bad if we’re together, right? I would never let you fall.” The way he begs, says your name so carefully yet so intently, has you nodding and taking his hand, smiling faintly at the warm grip. “Let’s go.”

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[swarvey]

paper rings | harvey x f!reader

summary -> you decide to have some fun at the luau; harvey learns what it means to be truly humbled. warnings -> none! wc -> 2740

a/n: whaaattt i am totally not sneeking in leah x haley as much as i possibly can. absolutely not. anyways, another fun chapter to write!! this man is a prime example of dumbstruck with love. someone help him.

ch. 5 | ch. 6 | ch. 7

paper rings masterlist

chapter six: gorgeous -> "you've ruined my life, by not being mine."

Harvey couldn’t decide whether he wanted to cry or rip his hair out as Shane and Elliott berated him in each ear, both taking a different approach to dismantling his pride.

“You mustn’t let the Flower Dance dwindle your fiery love, Doctor!” Elliott insisted, twisting his head to try and meet Harvey’s downcasted eyes. “True love entails hardships and obstacles!”

“Sure, but I bet he didn’t expect his obstacle to be a damn kid,” Shane added distastefully. “That guy is a living example of ‘peaked in high school.’” 

“It’s true, I didn’t expect such a choice from our dear farmer, but it was her choice nonetheless. We must work with the present.”

“How? You think buying him a gridball uniform will help?”

“Shane, please, be realistic. I was going to suggest we find out when and where their next excursion will occur, so the doctor can reveal himself and profess his love—”

“What the— are you hearing yourself? What the hell are you on? Newsflash, we’re not living in a bad rom-com, pal.

“Alright, both of you, enough!” Harvey intervened, face beet red. “Listen, I have been thinking about this enough on my own, I assure you, so can we please try and enjoy the Luau?”

Shane cocked a brow, huffing. “Really? You think you can enjoy it with this shit going on in front of you?” He nodded towards where you were standing. 

Harvey glanced over, unsurprised to see Alex by your side. Emily smiled and nodded in front of you, her sister on her phone and chewing a piece of gum. At that point in time, the scene in front of him had become a common one. 

Except, one detail threw him off.

A familiar laugh sounded through the air, though it wasn’t yours.

A small smile lingered on Maru’s face as she continued to listen to whatever story you were telling, her eyes intently on you.

“Ah, yes,” Elliott sighed. “Leah informed me Maru took a liking to the farmer at the Flower Dance. Her efforts to befriend her haven’t ceased since then. I can’t say I’m not pleasantly surprised, Maru has always been a bit of a shy girl.”

“R-Right.” The writer looked over at his friend at the sound of his shaky tone, biting his lip when he saw Harvey’s face had paled. 

This was just about the last scenario he’d wanted to happen — after the Flower Dance, he had realized how his initial description of his “mystery girl” could fit Maru, despite him trying to pinpoint your characteristics. In the midst of it all, it seemed you ignored the fact you fit the picture perfectly, hearing only that he was interested in a nurse. Harvey cursed his past self, the full repercussions of his actions hitting him. 

Yet another mess he didn’t know how to clean up.

Shane let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his forehead. “You really know how to get yourself into shit, don’t you, doc?”

“I suppose so,” he replied, voice void of energy. 

“Alright, enough with this moping.” Shane paused. “As much of an idiot as you are, you’re still my friend, and I owe you a few, so I’ll —  I can’t believe I’m doing this shit — I’ll ask Emily about it, alright? They’ve been hanging out a ton, so she’s gotta know something.”

Harvey looked at him with softened eyes. “Shane, I—”

“You better not tell a damn soul about this.” 

With that, Shane walked away, Elliott trailing behind him rambling something along the lines of, “I had no idea you could feel such things!”

Just as he began to relax, Harvey felt a finger tap his shoulder, jumping at the touch.

You laughed, stirred even more by his exasperated look. “C’mon, Harvs, loosen up! I feel like you’ve been so uptight recently.”

Oh, you have no idea. “Sorry,” he said, ignoring his thoughts. “You caught me off guard, is all.” He gave an awkward laugh, adjusting his glasses.

“You’re a bit . . . off, today,” you noticed, tilting your head at him. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all! How, um, how are you enjoying the Luau? Did you add something to the pot?” 

Despite his rushed voice, you — thankfully — decided to indulge him. “It’s been great! Especially since the weather has been so warm. Haley and Emily have basically been dragging me and Alex to the beach all week. Anyway, you’ll have to wait and see what I added to this year’s pot, it’s a surprise!”

Me and Alex. Harvey had to clench his jaw to prevent a scowl from forming on his face. He realized then just how foul the sound of another man’s name seemed coming from your tongue.

“What’s Maru like at work, by the way? She seems really sweet.”

“Maru, yes!” he answered, blinking as he came up with a careful response. “I enjoy working with her, she’s very passionate about what we do. She was actually one of the first people I truly talked to when I moved back here, since she wanted to be a nurse.”

You hummed. “I see.” Harvey noticed how your eyes narrowed for a split second, as if you were trying to decipher the meaning behind his words, before smiling. “That’s what I assumed.”

Harvey thought for a moment, knowing he had something he wanted to ask you, before brightening. “You remember the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies, don’t you?”

After a brief moment, you nodded excitedly, grinning. “How could I forget? We used to go every summer.”

Yes, of course. Harvey would never forget the evenings he spent with you on the beach, watching the water in anticipation as everyone waited for the jellies to arrive. He remembered you practically bouncing with excitement beside him, while he’d simply been satisfied seeing you happy.

Harvey smiled at the memory, a wave of nostalgia hitting him. “Well, it seems we’ll get to relive a memory this summer.”

“No way. They still come here?”

“Every year, just as before.”

“That’s great! Maybe you won’t be as scared as you used to be.”

“Hey, can you honestly blame me?! That is not a usual sight!”

As you laughed at him, Lewis announced the Governor would begin tasting the soup, and Harvey wondered why a mischievous look filled your eyes. Surely you wouldn’t put something unusual in the pot your first year in Pelican Town, would you? He expected you to save one of your best crops of the season for the occasion.

Instead, he watched Marnie nearly faint at the sight of the Governor pulling out a pair of purple shorts from his bowl. Lewis looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

“Are those . . . my shorts?! ”

-

After your little stunt at the last event, you were honestly surprised you were still invited to see the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies. Oddly enough, everyone seemed to move on from it relatively quickly, including Lewis himself.

Deciding not to think about it too much, you quickly filled up your pet’s water bowl and double-checked all the farm animals’ enclosures before walking up to your horse. She looked down at you with gentle eyes as you put on her harness, closing her eyes as you pet her head.

“Ready, girl?” You urged her forward, wind biting your cheeks as you swiftly made your way towards the beach. The gleaming light of the sunset made the ocean shine as you approached it, and you couldn’t help but let out an easy breath as your horse slowed. Throughout the previous couple of seasons, Pelican Town had grown to feel more like home to you than the city ever did. Sure, it was small, and farmwork was tedious, but you’d rather spend the rest of your life in the freeing countryside than in the claustrophobic city.

As you hopped off your horse, giving her a quick pet as thanks, you were quickly approached by the sisters and Leah. You smiled, waving at them. 

“Your outfit’s cute,” Haley complimented immediately, a drop of surprise in her voice. Leah nodded in agreement.

Emily lightly grabbed your shoulders, looking you up and down before giving you a wide smile. “Yes, you’re especially beautiful tonight, Y/N. Your energy is stronger than ever.” You laughed lightly after she winked at you, to which her sister swatted her away.

“Ugh, don’t say that stuff, Em! Just be normal and call her hot.” 

Leah laughed. “She’s right, you’re radiant tonight,” she sighed dreamily. “You all will have to give me some tips on how to dress sometime.”

Haley whipped her head around, crossing her arms. “Why? Your style’s already perfect.” Leah blinked, speechless at her statement as she began to blush. After a moment, the blonde quickly turned away, checking something on her phone. 

“She’s never said that to anyone before,” Emily whispered in your ear, and you believed it. You were constantly surprised at her approval of your style, especially after seeing how she criticized pretty much everyone else in town — particularly Alex.

As if he could sense your thoughts, the jock himself appeared next to you, a gridball tucked under one of his arms as he heavily dropped the other around your shoulders. 

“How’s it goin’, farmer?”

You shoved him off, unable to contain your smile as he grinned playfully at you. Although the two of you had a bit of an awkward start due to Haley’s bluntness, you quickly learned Alex was much more understanding after opening up to you. After hanging out a couple of times, he ended up telling you about his background and how he didn’t have the best relationship with his father, which could explain why it was a bit harder for him to let down his guard. Hearing him talk had made you feel comfortable enough to bring up some of your own troubles, pleasantly surprised at how well he’d listened and expressed his sympathy to you. 

Now, the two of you were open friends, seeing each other every other day and helping each other out whenever you could. This explained why he eagerly held out the gridball to all of you, sweat glistening on his skin. From the looks of it, he’d abandoned his shirt a while ago, his muscular body showing in all its glory.

“You wanna toss around a gridball with me and Sam?” he asked, his excitement reminding you of Dusty whenever you approached him with a treat.

“I think I’ll pass this time,” you replied, watching as he turned hopefully to the other girls. 

Upon seeing Haley’s deadpan stare, he shrugged. “Suit yourselves.” With that, he ran to the other end of the beach, calling out to his friend as he reared to throw the ball.

“You two are actually pretty cute together, you know,” Leah commented. Emily looked at you with wondering eyes, while Haley scoffed. You had a feeling she already knew your answer.

“Yeah, well, he’s not really my type.”

Just as your blonde friend began to make a remark, Harvey walked onto the beach, and her mouth snapped shut. 

Maru was next to him. Not that it mattered, but she was. Is she blushing, or is it the heat getting to her? You frowned at your thought. Why did that even matter?

As they made their way further in, Maru spotted you quickly, waving enthusiastically. You raised your hand in a greeting, smiling at her.

“I seriously have no idea how you’re so nice to her,” Haley muttered, trying to keep her voice down. “She obviously likes him back.”

You shrugged. “Regardless of whatever the hell is happening between all of us, she’s still a nice girl.” Let’s ignore the fact I’m constantly trying not to compare myself to her.

When Maru went to join her family, you made your way over to him, which was apparently the other girls’ signal to scatter. You silently reminded yourself to tell them to be more subtle as he turned to you, giving you the same shy smile you’d seen for years.

“Y/N! It’s good to see you,” he greeted. You could smell the cologne he was wearing from a few feet away. 

“Hey, Harvey!” Ever since the Summer had started, Harvey had abandoned his coat, opting to simply wear his white button-up with his sleeves rolled up. You swore he must have started working out after college — he was no longer the scrawny med student you’d known in college. 

After realizing you had been staring at his broad shoulders and thick arms for a bit too long, you quickly cleared your throat, bringing your attention back to his patient gaze.

“So, how was your day?” you asked, hoping you sounded normal.

“Same old,” he sighed. “Maru and I had to stay at the clinic for a bit to finish up some work, though. We just got finished.”

“Really? What kind of work?”

He shrugged. “Nothing too important.”

Nothing too important? Really? You watched enough movies to have an idea of what that could mean. As the two of you fell into a comfortable silence, you snuck glances at Harvey, trying to read his facial expression.

Something was off, but you couldn’t figure out what.

-

Something was off. Harvey could feel it.

He couldn’t tell if it was because of your mannerisms — which were a bit out of character, he noted, as you kept giving him looks he wasn’t used to — or what Shane had gathered from Emily at the Luau. Being back on the beach brought Harvey back to his friend’s words.

“She wouldn’t budge,” he’d said, visibly frustrated. “She just said you should ‘tread carefully around her’ and to ‘pay attention to what you might not typically notice.’ Some shit like that. Sorry, bud.”

Although he hadn’t exactly gotten the answer he’d been looking for, Harvey was still grateful for Shane’s efforts, trying his best to read more into your body language than usual. Through his quick looks at you while you gazed at the water, all he was able to gather was that you, as per usual, looked completely and utterly breathtaking. The moon had completely replaced the sun at that point, its pale light exaggerating the features on your face he’d memorized over the years. 

He swallowed, eyes glued to the horizon as he prayed his dusted-pink cheeks wouldn’t give him away.

Just as he opened his mouth to break the silence, you turned your head, gasping.

“They’re here!” Sure enough, the jellies slowly floated into view, shimmering in the ocean’s waves.

As Harvey turned to get a better view of them, his hand grazed yours, and you flinched slightly. 

Am I seeing things?

While your eyes were wide and awestruck at the sight of the jellyfish passing by, he took the moment as a chance to admire your expression. The moment was quickly over, though, when the sisters and Alex joined you. Thankfully, the gridball player had thrown on his t-shirt for the event.

“Whoa, isn’t it cool, Y/N?” he voiced, eyes round with amazement, and you laughed. God, he usually loved the sound, but he couldn’t stand to hear it then.

Harvey grit his teeth at the sight of him on the other side of you, part of him wanting to grab your hand and pull you to his chest. How was it fair that Alex got to dance with you, to make you laugh, to go to the beach with you, while he had to watch from afar? 

His heart ached at the thought of you not being his. He honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if it stopped beating altogether. 

You turned to him then, and he jumped slightly as you met his eyes. 

“Still scared, Harvs?” you asked quietly, the teasing glint in your gaze reminding him of when you were young.

“Terrified,” he joked, tension leaving his body at the sight of your grin.

“Well, you’re in luck — I’m back in town, so I can protect you again!” He could hardly believe it. Despite decades passing, you still said the phrase with the same tone. It was as if he could hear your younger self’s voice echoing in the back of his head.

He couldn’t help but laugh, feeling his hand brushing against yours once again as the jellyfish disappeared. He swore it took all his willpower not to intertwine your fingers together.

Harvey wondered how you could be so, so close to his grasp, and yet so far away.

[hotdaemondtargaryen]

PHIA SABAN INTERVIEWED FOR CONTENTMODE MAGAZINE.

CONGRATULATIONS ON HOUSE OF THE DRAGON! HOW HAS THE PROCESS BEEN SO FAR?

"Thank you! It’s a cool thing."

"When we’re working on it we’re in our own little microcosm with each other and those characters, and now it’s coming out and we’re seeing it all link up and become something else."

"It’s very new to me."

"Acting on screen still feels very new to me."

"I am so lucky to get to work with this group of people, they are so clever and loving."

"Recently we’ve been promoting the show and have been asked for opinions and explanations about our characters and the story."

"I’ve found it a new and funny facet of the job, to be asked sometimes to represent myself and speak from the character and for the bigger picture."

"It can feel different from acting, where you engage with the contradictions and spend more time with the mystery and the magic than the answers."

"I guess I’m saying that I’ve found this process contains multitudes."

"And watching the show is surreal — there are all my pals in wigs!"

MANY DIE-HARD GAME OF THRONES FANS HAVE READ THE BOOK SERIES AND ANTICIPATE PLOT POINTS IN THE TELEVISION SERIES. HOW DO YOU PROVIDE A FRESH TAKE ON FAMILIAR MATERIAL?

"It’s major to be part of something that people already feel passionate about, but it’s also exciting to have the chance to subvert expectations."

"It’s fun to make up little secrets that only you know about."

"As a viewer, I always like to be surprised anyway."

"I think it’s important (and fun) to have some irreverence for the genre so that you’re not patronizing your audience."

"The hope is to be part of something that challenges people!"

YOU'VE FOUND SUCCESS IN THE FANTASY AND DRAMATIC GENRES. ARE THERE ANY OTHER GENRES YOU'D LIKE TO EXPLORE?

"Yes! I miss being in plays so much."

"I cannot wait to be in the theater again."

"I’ve never been in a film, I’d love to make an independent one."

"Oh! To be in something people call a ‘picture’!"

"Recently I’ve been fantasizing about learning motion-capture and playing some sort of animal or creature."

"I’d love to be part of a suburban coming-of-age film, like the ones I obsessed over growing up."

"I’d like to do a great limited series, an intense crime one."

"And I could narrowly avoid being eaten by a shark, or an alien."

"I have dreams of doing a time-spanning project."

"I’d like to be the voice of an animation!"

"I‘d love to have a go at the present day."

"And maybe a dystopian future."

"And a Western?"

"I always want to do something funny."

"And strange."

"There are so many TA and filmmakers I admire (I won’t list them but they’re always being lovingly scribbled in my notebook.)"

"I’ll learn Norwegian and French for them!"

"I’m excited to keep finding new people too."

"More than all these, there are so many more things I hope to do, if I’m lucky."

"Not that I give it much thought or anything…"

HAS YOUR REAL LIFE INSPIRED YOUR APPROACH TO YOUR CHARACTER IN ANY WAY?

"Sometimes a character can be an expansion pack for your real life, like a new way to see things."

"So maybe it’s more that the fantasy inspires your real life!"

"It’s been really fun to explore Helaena’s interests."

"I’ve thought quite a lot about bugs."

"I get a huge kick out of investigating how her mind works and finding all the ways her’s overlaps with mine."

"I do lots of people-watching, which is great because now when I’m staring at people on the bus I can tell myself that I’m ‘working’."

WHILE FANTASY CAN SEEMS UNTETHERED FROM REALITY, DO YOU THINK IT CAN REFLECT THE REAL WORLD?

"Haha I hope so, otherwise that would be boring!"

"I suppose these stories are full of archetypes, which should mirror universal truths."

"But maybe that’s just good TV?"

WHAT TYPES OF NARRATIVED DO YOU FIND YOURSELF DRAWN TOWARDS WHEN READING SCRIPTS AND CHOOSING ROLES?

"Something surprising and honest that doesn’t tell me what to think!"

"And I love it when a script lets sad things be funny."

WHAT INSPIRES YOU AS AN ACTOR?

"Other actors, a lot."

"On a good day, almost everything can…"

"That might be one of the best things about being an actor."

[mariana-oconnor]

The Naval Treaty pt 3

Yes, we apparently have got to the point where I'm memeing myself.

Right, last time, after Percy, Watson's old 'pal' from school failed magnificently at understanding how to protect confidential data, he followed an old woman into the night and the stress gave him a brain fever. Meanwhile, I'm still certain that Joseph Harrison, who has not been implicated in any way, is involved because I am a well-balanced and entirely reasonable person.

Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us down to the station

See! He's trying to get rid of you! 🤣🤣😂

“It's a very cheery thing to come into London by any of these lines which run high, and allow you to look down upon the houses like this.”

Last time we had Holmes looking out a train window: Ugh, look how terrible the countryside is! I can't bear it.

The contrast is palpable.

“The board-schools.” “Light-houses, my boy! Beacons of the future! Capsules with hundreds of bright little seeds in each, out of which will spring the wise, better England of the future. I suppose that man Phelps does not drink?”

Board schools are not the same as boarding schools, the internet tells me, but the first state run schools with no religious affiliation. I was about to be cynical about Holmes' view of children and Victorian educational standards, but I can't. He's right, those schools were important and really did pave the way for a brighter future.

And then a bit of mental whiplash as he snaps back to the case at hand, because he's Holmes.

In answer to the question, I can't say whether Percy drinks alcohol, but he definitely has a caffeine addiction that he should work on. If not for that, he wouldn't be in this mess.

Also, it was unreasonable of his uncle to expect him to copy so much text in a foreign language in one night. But even so, Percy needs to work harder on curbing his need for coffee.

"Then came the smash, and she stayed on to nurse her lover, while brother Joseph, finding himself pretty snug, stayed on too."

Oh, so he's just hanging around leeching off people, huh? Exactly as I suspected! This is just the beginning. Clearly, he's been a wrong'un all along and I will be vindicated.

"But to-day must be a day of inquiries.” “My practice—” I began. “Oh, if you find your own cases more interesting than mine—” said Holmes, with some asperity.

First of all, Watson does have a job, Holmes. I get that you want to play with him, but he does have responsibilities. You really shouldn't be bitchy about that.

Second, if Watson actually cares enough about his patients to ditch you, that would be the first time ever.

“I was going to say that my practice could get along very well for a day or two, since it is the slackest time in the year.”

See. No problem at all. Why would Watson ever do his actual job when he could be running around with Holmes? What a preposterous idea!

"...there is Lord Holdhurst.” “Lord Holdhurst!” “Well, it is just conceivable that a statesman might find himself in a position where he was not sorry to have such a document accidentally destroyed.” “Not a statesman with the honorable record of Lord Holdhurst?”

Oh Watson, my sweet summer child. Out there believing in unicorns and fairies and honourable politicians.

I discounted him because honestly, a political plot involving the politician uncle and corruption seemed too spy thriller. Also, the time frame of everything being nine weeks ago, I think discounts a political motive because if there were spy games going on, it would be far too late to do anything about it. Of course, it might be the case. These stories have surprised me a few times so far.

“£10 reward. The number of the cab which dropped a fare at or about the door of the Foreign Office in Charles Street at quarter to ten in the evening of May 23d. Apply 221b, Baker Street.”

The Bank of England inflation calculator tells me that's equivalent to approximately £1000 today, which is a pretty impressive reward for a little bit of information. Honestly, I'd expect people to be climbing out of the woodwork to say they saw Queen Victoria herself driving the cab and dropping off Jack the Ripper.

"Why yes, Mr Holmes, I saw a man with a long white beard and carrying a large sack. No, it was right odd, y'see: he didn't go in through the door. He climbed up on' roof and went down the chimney, that he did."

"And then, of course, there is the bell—which is the most distinctive feature of the case. Why should the bell ring?"

This is what I'm most interested in. What is up with that bell?

He sank back into the state of intense and silent thought from which he had emerged; but it seemed to me, accustomed as I was to his every mood, that some new possibility had dawned suddenly upon him.

Tell me! Tell me! I need to know. The bell is plaguing me.

a small, foxy man with a sharp but by no means amiable expression.

So Lestrade is a ferret and Forbes is a fox. Must all police officers be described as animals? This appears to be a pattern.

“You are ready enough to use all the information that the police can lay at your disposal, and then you try to finish the case yourself and bring discredit on them.” “On the contrary,” said Holmes, “out of my last fifty-three cases my name has only appeared in four, and the police have had all the credit in forty-nine. I don't blame you for not knowing this, for you are young and inexperienced, but if you wish to get on in your new duties you will work with me and not against me.” “I'd be very glad of a hint or two,” said the detective, changing his manner.

Forbes changes his tune pretty quickly here, so he seems open minded enough. Although it does seem a bit like he doesn't understand the purpose of Holmes. Yes, he's supposed to take all the evidence the police give him and try to solve the case. That's kind of how being a detective works. I get the emphasis here is on 'yourself', but still.

I like this exchange, because we've already seen in the stories that Holmes really doesn't care about the notoriety or the accolades - though he's more than willing to display gifts he's given in his own home - it's entirely the case and helping the people involved that he cares about.

Not sure he really needed to say that 'you are young and inexperienced' bit, though. Seems a tad direct.

“We have set one of our women on to her. Mrs. Tangey drinks, and our woman has been with her twice when she was well on, but she could get nothing out of her.”

OK, I thought it sounded unlikely that there were female police officers in the late 1800s, and it seems like the first female police officer in London was in 1919. But it definitely appears from this that they have women working for them - unless one of them has set his wife on a suspect, which... fair. Fascinating either way.

Also, Mrs Tangey has an alcohol problem, that could be an angle.

“What explanation did she give of having answered the bell when Mr. Phelps rang for the coffee?” “She said that he husband was very tired and she wished to relieve him.”

Alright, so it either was her, or she's involved in some way. Which I think we already suspected, but this clarifies that no one impersonated her without her knowledge, at least.

“Did you point out to her that you and Mr. Phelps, who started at least twenty minutes after he, got home before her?” “She explains that by the difference between a 'bus and a hansom.”

That's fair. Not everyone can afford their own taxi. Check your privilege, Holmes.

Standing on the rug between us, with his slight, tall figure, his sharp features, thoughtful face, and curling hair prematurely tinged with gray, he seemed to represent that not too common type, a nobleman who is in truth noble.

I may have rolled my eyes at this bit. Watson sometimes needs to back off on his earnest belief in the glory of England and its political and social systems. He's so classist it's actually painful at some points. Even if he's saying the type is 'not too common' it just makes me wrinkle my nose.

I also don't like Lord Holdhurst, but that's mainly because I believe hereditary nobility is immoral and also because he is a tory politician. There was never any hope of me liking him. I don't think he murders puppies, but I bet he'd pass legislation saying that murdering puppies is okay in certain circumstances if his old chum wanted to start a puppy murdering business and was a generous donor.

"I fear that the incident must have a very prejudicial effect upon his career.”

Yeah, that I do agree with.

“But if the document is found?” “Ah, that, of course, would be different.”

This, I do not agree with. Not after nine weeks, anyway. If it had been a couple of hours and the document was found to have fallen down the gap between the desk and the wall then he could probably just be given extra training and not allowed to touch confidential documentation without supervision for a few years. But it's been nine weeks. That treaty is lost. Even if it's returned, he still lost it for nine weeks.

“Did you ever mention to any one that it was your intention to give any one the treaty to be copied?” “Never.” “You are certain of that?” “Absolutely.”

OK. That cuts off that line of thinking, as Watson's insistence on him looking 'noble' clearly means we're supposed to believe him. But we already knew it wasn't him.

Because it's Joseph Harrison.

“If the treaty had reached, let us say, the French or Russian Foreign Office, you would expect to hear of it?” “I should,” said Lord Holdhurst, with a wry face.

Like I say, any political motivations would have been thoroughly completed by now, before Holmes was even called upon, so that's not likely.

“Of course, it is a possible supposition that the thief has had a sudden illness—” “An attack of brain-fever, for example?”

Given he called Holmes in, I sincerely doubt Percy's involved. Again, if this weren't a Sherlock Holmes story, there's a slim possibility it could be that his brain fever cause amnesia meaning that he doesn't remember taking the treaty and causing the whole problem, but that doesn't seem like a likely plot here.

“But he has a struggle to keep up his position. He is far from rich and has many calls. You noticed, of course, that his boots had been re-soled?"

OK so now we give him a motive, when you've all just gone on about how he's a 'fine fellow'? Are Lord Holdsworth's money problems going to be relevant to the plot? Maybe. We've heard nothing of Percy having any cousins, so as it stands he might be his uncle's heir. Not sure how that would lead to the treaty being stolen, but we'll bear it in mind.

Ah, and then Watson is racist again. Native Americans this time. These stories are really trying to spread the racism around, aren't they. This whole section is strange though, because it's about how Watson can't read Holmes' face, when multiple times (in this very story) he's said how he knows Holmes so well that he can instantly tell from his face what Holmes is thinking.

“God bless you for saying that!” cried Miss Harrison. “If we keep our courage and our patience the truth must come out.”

She and Watson should get together and have optimist meetings.

Although, it's definitely your brother, Miss Harrison. I don't know how, but it is. It's got to be. We're running out of suspects. Mrs Tangey seems like she might be involved, but I doubt she's the mastermind behind events.

Maybe Joseph just bribed her into trying to discredit Percy, she saw the paper and thought 'well this looks important' and took it not really knowing what it was.

But that doesn't explain the bell. Unless it's because she was drunk and she stumbled and grabbed it. Or she didn't really want to be doing it, so she pulled it in a weird attempt to get caught. Or she let Harrison in and then saw him stealing something and pulled the bell, only to be threatened if she said anything.

“Yes, we have had an adventure during the night, and one which might have proved to be a serious one.” His expression grew very grave as he spoke, and a look of something akin to fear sprang up in his eyes. “Do you know,” said he, “that I begin to believe that I am the unconscious centre of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at as well as my honor?”

He's probably right to be worried - maybe not for his life, but I'm pretty sure this entirely thing is aimed at him, not the treaty. But at the same time, this does not sound like the thinking of a mentally healthy person.

"A man was crouching at the window."

No. No, you see it could be him. Of course you're going to want to make it seem like it was someone from outside forcing their way in. To keep the suspicion off the people who live in the house. It has to be him. Has to be.

Did he have a knife, or was it just something that looked like a knife... like...

uh...

The thing he used to unlock the window?

"As it was, I rang the bell and roused the house. It took me some little time, for the bell rings in the kitchen and the servants all sleep upstairs. I shouted, however, and that brought Joseph down, and he roused the others."

Oh oh... convenient, being the first person on the scene, huh? Was that because you weren't in bed asleep at all? Mr Joseph Harrison?

(If I am by some miracle right about this, it will be entirely undeserved as literally the only reason I decided it was him is because he seemed too happy and his sister is getting married)

"There's a place, however, on the wooden fence which skirts the road which shows signs, they tell me, as if some one had got over, and had snapped the top of the rail in doing so."

Okay... well... well... that doesn't really fit with my theory at all, but maybe it's a coincidence. People climb over fences all the time. Maybe it happened ages ago. I bet they don't check the fences every day. Totally not a sign I'm wrong.

“Oh, yes, I should like a little sunshine. Joseph will come, too.”

Why?

No, seriously. Why? Percy says Joseph will come, but not his fiancee? That's weird. Is it because Joseph is stronger if Percy needs to be carried back?

"I should have thought those larger windows of the drawing-room and dining-room would have had more attractions for him.” “They are more visible from the road,” suggested Mr. Joseph Harrison.

And right here we have the classic Columbo moment. I know Sherlock Holmes came first, no need to send me angry messages. But this is something that happens in Every. Single. Columbo. It's part of his method, it's kind of his whole method. He makes a comment about 'I wonder why the murderer didn't do x' to the person he (and the audience) knows is the murderer and the villain, in an attempt to cover their own tracks, immediately presents an explanation.

“Do you think that was done last night? It looks rather old, does it not?” “Well, possibly so.”

Aw shucks, is Holmes not falling for your clever ruse? What a pity!

“Miss Harrison,” said Holmes, speaking with the utmost intensity of manner, “you must stay where you are all day. Let nothing prevent you from staying where you are all day. It is of the utmost importance.” “Certainly, if you wish it, Mr. Holmes,” said the girl in astonishment.

Not the weirdest thing Holmes has ever asked a person to do - still remember Watson pretzeling himself behind the headboard that one time - but still kinda weird. I hope she has some sort of enrichment in her enclosure. Tell me she has a bookcase at least.

“Why do you sit moping there, Annie?” cried her brother. “Come out into the sunshine!”

Look! LOOK! He's trying to get her out of the room. He hid the treaty in the room and now he's trying to get it back but he can't! All aboard the Joseph Harrison train, next stop: Vindication.

Got to assume that even though Joseph wasn't present when Holmes was speaking to Anne, or when he was speaking to Percy, he will be aware that Percy is not in the house. But he'll only be able to break into the room by the window again, so I guess that is the plan. To catch him red-handed.

[tobiasdrake]

Well, that happened. Moving right along, let's check out this spooky lab. I think we've found the secret secret lab.

Also gotta keep an eye out for a red bridge and whatever "Princess Kaguya in the Bamboo Forest" is supposed to mean. Those are our final baubles to collect.

They left the gate open and the door unlocked. That's not a good sign. Either nobody's alive here anymore, or whoever is here is unconcerned with the threat of feral homunculi walking around their facility. Or they're inviting us inside.

Yeah, I'm not surprised. At this point, I figure it's more likely that this was something important than is something important. Perhaps this is where the homunculus experiments were first performed? The "gas leak" from the mines may have actually been some sort of homunculus research outbreak.

Spitballing here, maybe they fucked up and created Homunculus Forever Rain. Then they tried to evacuate everyone but when they realized they were too late, they came up with human meat buns to try and keep the city homunculi rational? I dunno. Let's take a look around and see if we can gather evidence to support or refute some of these ideas.

I'd keep an eye out for yellow herbs too. They're a later addition to the franchise but they increase maximum HP. Given the frequency with which Yuma gets knocked out, that sounds like something he could use.

Maybe this is where they make the meat buns. Spooky.

...you know, in the immortal homunculus town, I suppose it was optimistic of me to think we'd encounter corpses. That's on me. It has been a while since I was in a zombie-esque environment.

Those really do look like meat buns to me. Each looks like a tray of about 16 meat buns. I'm beginning to think my theory was on the ball. Is this actually where kidnapped humans get processed into KANAI WARD SIGNATURE MEAT BUNS?

Y'all, I am going to be so happy if the meat buns really are fucking cursed. I started doing that bit in chapter 2 or 3 on a hunch. If I rolled those dice and came up 20, I will be ecstatic.

Yuma's beginning to get a sense for when haunted truths are lurking around the corner. After having to euthanize Yakou, he's finally learned the perils of too much revelation.

Ooh, can I go with her? I know you're freaked out, Yuma, but I am chomping at the bit for the truth. Yuma's falling to pieces under the weight of the forbidden truths he's already acquired, but Kurumi and I are hungry for knowledge.

It IS. It IS KANAI WARD SIGNATURE MEAT BUNS. I called it. I fucking called it. This is it. This is the Secret of Kanai Ward. They're processing the corpses of kidnapped people from around the globe to make these meat buns, so they can feed the homunculus civilians inside the city and keep them sane.

Oh fun, the automated facility has an automated tour guide. Presumably because this used to be an unassuming, perfectly normal meatpacking plant.

It is. It IS. It really, truly is. Oh, am I giddy right now. Those meat buns pinged my Rug Pull Radar fairly early on and now I'm dancing with joy to see that bit pay off.

Which is super convenient, as it means less people that need to be told the awful truth about the "zombies" outside.

Let's see if that courage holds up when you see the ingredients.

Yo, that is an Ama-Pal wearing a bamboo steamer as a hat. So the Ama-Pals are factory workers, then? They're repurposing them as children's toys for--

What the fuck is happening in the back there? It looks like three homunculi are gathered around a chained-up human corpse, devouring it.

...we should keep an eye out for a red bridge.

I'm seeing red. I'm on a bridge. Do we have... do we have....

WELL FUCK That voice is not from before the disaster. It is recent. Might be talking directly to us. Maybe AI?

Not sure how exactly. Plan is to use a loud noise to pull aggro away, but what are we going to do? Throw something at it?

Tee-hee, bamboo steamer hat looks even cuter up close. What are they doing? Is the Ama-Pal actually steaming the buns?

OH MY GOD IT'S SO GODDAMN CUTE. It does a little twirly dance, plays a song, and scatters meat buns to keep the ferals pacified.

It's adorable in its horribleness. A true expression of psychopop.

...

Oh, shit. So this is what became of the Master Detectives. You see those little buttons on the collar? That's identifiably Desuhiko's jacket.

Well, here we are. Bloodbath finale. I'm not expecting the game to be picky about who lives and who dies at this point. I figured that would be where we're going but I didn't want to. We'll probably find the remains of Halara, Fubuki, and Vivia up ahead.

Now that he's consolidated his power, Makoto killed everyone.

[teegeewrites]

Blossoming Connection Chapter 5 Preview:

The sky was ablaze with brilliant orange and purple shades as Luigi and Daisy meandered along the path leading to Toad Town. For Luigi, sunsets had always been a cherished sight, a ritual both he and Mario shared since their arrival in the Mushroom Kingdom. This evening was no exception; in fact, he was so entranced by the view that it took him a moment to notice Daisy’s elbow gently nudging him in the ribs, causing them to halt.

“Am I that uninteresting?” she teased, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

Luigi scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile. “No, not at all! I just can’t resist a good sunset. It’s a favorite pastime of mine.”

Daisy delicately placed a hand over her mouth as she giggled, a sound that was music to Luigi’s ears. A warm smile then formed on her pretty orange lips. “Oh Luigi, I’m only pulling your leg. I too enjoy sunsets. I like to watch them from my balcony back home. There aren’t many things as beautiful as a good sunset.”

Luigi nodded in agreement as Daisy sighed appreciatively at the sky. She then turned to him with a puzzled look. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask – where’s your hat at?”

Luigi blinked a few times, momentarily lost in thought, before his fingers instinctively checked the back pocket of his khakis. Relief flooded over him as he felt the familiar shape of his beloved green cap still nestled there. He flashed Daisy a shy smile. “Oh, it’s right here in my back pocket. It’s my good luck charm. I hardly go anywhere without it.”

Daisy smiled back with her eyes twinkling. “I see. Even though we’ve only known each other for a short while, it feels odd to see you without something on your head.”

“I totally get that!” Luigi chuckled lightly. “Mario and I are almost always wearing some kind of headwear, so it’s a bit of a shock for people when we don’t. I thought I’d not wear my cap tonight because it’s a date.”

With a playful shake of her head and a gleam in her eye, Daisy pointed at her floppy hat. “Oh, so what do you think about this? Are you suggesting that my hat isn’t suitable for our date?”

Luigi opened his mouth to stammer a defense; however, he recalled their past exchanges and realized she was having fun with him – at least he hoped that was the case. A mischievous smile crept onto his face as he prepared to respond in kind. He crossed his arms and looked away from her with a haughty lift of his chin. “Absolutely not! You’d think that as a princess, you’d have a better sense of style for dating someone as refined as me!”

That clearly struck a chord because Daisy stared at him momentarily slack jawed before playfully slapping his shoulder and laughing heartily. “Well played, Luigi; you really got me there! It’s great to see you come out of your shell some. But honestly, if you want to wear your hat on our date, that’s totally cool with me. I don’t mind at all.”

Luigi expressed his gratitude with a nod. “Thanks, Daisy. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Daisy returned his nod with a cheerful smile, and they continued their walk when a sudden thought crossed Luigi’s mind. “Say, Daisy.”

“Yes, Luigi?”

“Speaking of our date, you haven’t told me where we’re going yet.”

Daisy’s eyes flickered with surprise, and she chuckled softly while rubbing the back of her neck. “Oh, you’re right! I totally forgot to mention where we’re going! I suppose I can tell you now.”

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t our old pal Linguine!”

Luigi tensed at the sound of that unmistakable voice echoing behind him and stifled the impulse to grumble something under his breath. Against his better judgment, he turned around, only to be met with a sight that made him roll his eyes in exasperation.

~~~

[thelifeiknew]

meet cute

I have never had any particular reason to be excited for new years eve. As a high schooler, why would I? However, I live in Texas where shenanigans run amuck and high school isn't high school with out some very memorable shenanigans.

This year, my senior year, finally I had plans! Nothing extraordinary, just me and my best guy pals hanging out, being loud and playing pool. I usually ended up being the only girl with this group but that never bothered me and they always treated me like one of the guys. Well... most of the time it was more like my annoying brothers who would do anything they could to embarrass me that they could and succeed, but still. Tonight was supposed to be different, the teddy bear of the group, Caleb, was going to bring his girlfriend and a friend of his I'd already met that I had been crushing on. That was something fate did not have in mind.

It was me (Marie), Martin and John waiting for everyone else to show up at Martin's. We snacked and talked to Martin's mom for a bit before heading into the garage. I couldn't tell you how long I got my ass handed to me in pool till Caleb arrived. He didn't come with Jennifer and Tom like he was supposed to, he had someone completely different with him that I'd never met nor even heard him mention his name. Brad. Help me God, he was so handsome. He was quiet and shy and hid behind Caleb. I was instantly attracted to his good looks and was thankful I didn't dress all the way down tonight, I had fitted jeans and a low scoop neck shirt that hugged me in all the right spots, I felt beautiful and confident, right until he showed up. Once I saw Brad, I became this giggling moron. He joined in on the round of pool we were playing. No surprise that I lost but I did laugh like a fool everytime I went for a shot. I was so happy when it was over, my nerves were shot, I must have embarrassed the hell out of myself.

When the game was over I sat on the couch with an icy Dr Pepper in hand because I needed something to cool my blushing red face. To my surprise, not long after he sat next to me. Brad smiled and quietly asked "do you go to our school too? I've never seen you". I nervously look at my feet and reply "um no actually I go to a private school close by". Puzzled he turned to me, "then how do you know these guys and why are you the only girl here, are you with one of them?" I laugh, "no no no, Martin dated a friend of mine for a while and well Caleb and John come with being Martin's friend and I guess I do too now. After they broke up I kept up being his friend too, it was a mutual split”. He shook his head in understanding. "Why I'm the only girl", I continued, "well that's probably because I get along with guys better than the girls at my school. They wouldn't be caught dead in a converted garage playing pool with a bunch of nerds but I like it". I smiled looking at my friends, they could be absolute terrors but they were great fun and I never had to pretend to be anything I’m not. He doesn't say anything else, Caleb gave me a knowing look from the other side of the room, Martin came up and convinced Brad to play another round of pool and off he went.

I not so casually walk over to Caleb to get more information about Brad out of him. I tripped over my own feet and ran into one of the bar stools that were out for tonight, graceful I was not. Caleb just laughed and sipped on his drink, "he's single if that's what you're going to ask. He just graduated with Martin this past May, but Brad and I are better friends than they are, so if there’s something you want to know, best to ask me”. I looked over to the game at hand, yeah I see why they aren't close, both swearing the other is right about what's the best engine for whatever car they were talking about, John taking his best friend Martin’s side on it. They are all car junkies, I am not, I admire the cars but technical stuff, I was lost. "That obvious huh" I ask Caleb and he just laughed and smirked down at me, "well you did nearly run over here the second you were alone, I didn't think it was because you missed me". I blushed in embarrassment, the choice of guys at my school were so slim, no one in my class caught my eye. The few did that were a couple years behind me and that wasn't something that happened in small religious private schools. Girls didn't date younger guys but it was acceptable for guys to date younger girls. Dumb stereotypes.

John wanders over and the three of us talk about a lot of nothing and everything all at once. Jessica, Caleb's girlfriend, was sick so she was staying home and Tom would be joining us later after spending time with his family Caleb explained. I left the game room to go to the bathroom for what felt like the millionth time but this time when I came out of the bathroom, Brad was there, and we were alone. He asked if I knew where the snacks were that Martin's mom left out for us, so I showed him where everything was. Shouldn't Martin be doing this? This is his house after all, Brad makes me nervous. So nervous that right now I think I could puke. He smiles at me and his blue eyes seem to sparkle, "sit with me for a little bit? I don't want to eat alone out here". I nod, "sure, why not" as I zombie walk to the couch in the living room. I couldn't help but think what in the world is happening, is trying to flirt with me? Albeit I have had only one boyfriend before, I had no clue when someone was flirting with me let alone if I was flirting. I've been told that I just act extremely awkward when I attempt to flirt and when I'm just joking around it seems like I'm flirting. The TV was on, some random movie that we laughed and made fun of. I don't know when he finished eating but he had been finished for awhile and we were just laughing and talking. I don't even know what he said, but I went to poke/tickle him in response. He went to tickle me back and thus began a tickle war. I got some good shots in but he over took me. Both of us laughing becoming breathless, he's tickled me into retreat. There Brad was, hovering over me laughing, tickling me, while I lay on my back on the couch trying to turn off my tickle as it were, when he leaned down and kissed me softly. I was grinning ear to ear and kissed him back. We did that for several minutes, tickling each other, laughing and kissing each other. His mouth fit perfectly to mine from the first, they were soft but demanding kisses. I knew from just that alone I was quickly going to be addicted to him. He sat me up, holding my face in his hands kissing me one more time before saying "we should go back before they all come looking for us". I smiled outwardly, but inside I frowned, is he going to act like nothing happened so the rest of the guys won't find out? My fears were put to rest after being back with the group, he held my hand and tugged me down on the game room couch next to him, draping one of my legs into his lap. He never let go of my hand and the looks we got were priceless. Tom showed up nearly an hour later, Brad had his arm around me and I knew then whatever Tom and I could have had, had died the moment Brad kissed me. Tom was visibly unhappy and tried to get my attention to no avail. I thought to myself, I wonder if he had not been late, would what was happening between Brad and I still happen? As if he knew my thoughts, he squeezed my hand to get my attention and said “ I’m glad I came tonight. I got to meet you thanks to Caleb inviting me last minute.” I smiled and nodded in agreement, yes, lucky for me indeed.

Brad had me on cloud nine for the rest of the night. All of the guys kept teasing us, but it didn't phase me and Brad just laughed at them. He was always zeroed in on me, no matter where I was in the room, his sight was set on me. After the ball drop, we jumped in the bed of Caleb's truck to throw sparkler bombs at other friends homes. I know, sparkler bombs? Yes indeed, we taped up a bunch of sparklers together and then lit them up. Instead of a pretty light show we got a decent BOOM sound. The entire time in the back of the truck Brad tried to keep me warm since I misjudged how heavy of a jacket I really needed. His blue eyes and his tight hold spoke so much more than words ever could. I have never felt this way about anyone before. I have had plenty of crushes before, my first and only boyfriend was a 2 year relationship, I may not have had a lot of experience before but I knew I was going to fall head over heels for him. When we got back to Martin’s house, we all hung out for a little bit longer and played another round of doubles at pool. I knew I needed to get home, so I started to say my goodbyes to the group. Brad decided he was going to leave too and walked me out to my car. When outside, he suddenly became this shy boy in front of me again, unsure of what to say. He held my hand and kissed me a few more times. He gave me his number and I gave him mine. He didn’t have a cell phone at the time but he did have his own phone line in his room at this house. Knowing my curfew was very quickly approaching, I told him I really had to go. He held my face with both hands and gently rubbed his thumb across my cheek. Brad for the last time of the night, but the very first time for the year, tilted his head to kiss me and as he did I wrapped my arms around his waist wanting to savor every second and burn it into memory. He released me, smirked at me, telling me good bye for the millionth time. I got in my car reluctantly and drove away. When I got home, I knew that sleeping wasn’t an option, my mind was in overdrive, but also that I had no idea when I would see Brad again. That made me anxious not knowing if I’d ever see or speak to him again, but I happy knowing if I did, it would be amazing.

[parttimepuff]

“How would that conversation even go?”

Well buddy pal friend chum bud of mine you’re in luck! It would simply go you asking Beep what she was doing, Beep explaining it to you, you asking for further explanation because by all accounts her reason and motive don’t make any sense to you given what she is, or rather what you think she is, and then whatever happens after that. That’s on you I can’t see the future.

Dedede huffed. While that was more or less the subject he wanted to talk about, he'd honestly hoped to gauge why the knight had acted the way he had earlier before telling him she had a name. It'd probably modify his feelings on everything. Glancing over at him seemed to confirm that. Metaknight was frozen in place, staring ahead. Figures that one of these strangers would get to the point faster than he could.

A tense few moments passed. Why did they have to bring her up by name so soon? The knight struggled to adjust to this unexpected shift. All his planned scenarios waited to reveal Beep's existence until later, if he would bring her up at all today. What was he supposed to say from here? Admit he knew her? Lie and say he didn't? Why did the king seem more annoyed than surprised by her name?

Maybe that was his avenue. "You-is this what you wanted to talk about? The Matter... you, were thinking of having a conversation with them..?" Metaknight asked, bewildered and keeping what spark of hope he had out of his voice. The question took the penguin by surprise. "Wh-no, that ain't it. These folk keep badgerin' me to is all. Insisting ah talk to her." Dedede defended.

'Her'. This was a good sign. He saw her as enough of a person for that. Maybe the persistence of the anons had been wearing him down? "I see. And you know her as Beep?" The knight persisted. The king shifted uncomfortably. "That's what they call 'er. Ain't the kinda name ah'd expect for a Matter." He mumbled.

"Well, it's not much different from Gooey." Metaknight commented. Dedede paused. That was true, but... "She don't look like him, though. She looks, well... Ah showed you the photo." He said, wondering if he should have brought it here for the reference. The knight nodded. The penguin couldn't help but be surprised by how well he was taking this. Sure, he was shocked by the fact that she had a name, but was still so calm.

Stepping a bit closer, Metaknight looked up at him. "And you think looking like, the one you remember, makes her different from Gooey, right?" He guessed. The king's expression hardened despite the lack of judgement in his tone. "Don't see why she'd be sneakin' around here if she was more like him." He flatly stated.

Silence fell for a moment before he spoke up again. "What ah wanted to talk about was why you didn't seem to care about that." Dedede continued, the knight's eyes widening. "Is that what you thought..? I'm, sincerely sorry for that." Metaknight apologized. "If that ain't it, then what was it? Yer just, fine with Matters now? After everything?" The king persisted.

"...no. Try as I might, it's not something I can just put behind me." Metaknight confessed, a tinge of sadness in his voice. Holding up his folder, he locked eyes with the penguin. "But it's been nagging at me for awhile now. That I was missing something. And so, I've found some things." He said. Dedede stared a him, then the folder. "...well, go ahead. You have the floor."

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

DIAL, THOUGH YOUR HEART IS ACHING...

Opening this weekend:

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny--The first sound we hear is the ticking of a clock. Thus the fifth and valedictory entry in the series about Harrison Ford's globetrotting, whip-cracking archaeologist establishes Time, and its persistent shadow, Mortality, as the theme.

The movie starts with a lengthy and rather splendid act set in France in 1944, with Ford made young via some impressive CGI alchemy. Indy and a brilliant sidekick (Toby Jones) are snooping around a mountain stronghold, trying to filch back some artifacts from the plunder of retreating Nazis, among them a coldly businesslike SS Colonel (Thomas Kretschman) and a reptilian physicist (Mads Mikkelsen) who identifies the title gadget, a clockwork contraption built by Archimedes himself that supposedly can be used for time travel.

From here we fast forward to New York in the late '60s, where Indy is a grumpy and bereaved old man on the verge of retirement from teaching, separated from his beloved Marion, annoyed by the Beatles blasting from the hippie pad neighboring his cluttered apartment. His goddaughter Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), who he affectionately refers to as "Wombat," pulls him into one more adventure, chasing the Dial from Tangiers to the floor of the Mediterranean to Sicily. The unrepentant Nazi prof, who went on to help NASA get to the moon, is looking for the Dial too, with his murderous goons.

The first Indy flick, 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark, is a favorite of mine; tight and witty and curiously modest, it genuinely felt like a Republic serial of the '40s, maybe directed by William Witney. It was also built around a terrific Jewish joke, with its Nazis arrogantly supposing they could co-opt cosmic Jewish power unscathed. The lavish, overstuffed sequels were enjoyable enough, but all of them fell far short, for me, of that snappy, surefooted original.

Dial of Destiny falls short of the original too, but even so it may be the best of the sequels. It's the first that Steven Spielberg didn't direct; the duties here went to the always proficient James Mangold, who was also among the many screenwriters. And for the first half--the 1944 scenes, and the stuff in '60s-era New York, with Indy on the run against the backdrop of war protestors and astronaut ticker-tape parades--it's sensational.

The trouble is that, like so many contemporary blockbusters, it's outrageously overlong, at least thirty or forty minutes longer than it really needs to be. As MacGuffins go, the Dial doesn't have the same stirring imaginative power and poetry as the Ark, and its implications get the narrative in a little over its head in the later acts. For a story that starts with urgent ticking, the movie manages time very poorly.

Still, there's a lot to like here. Ford is wonderfully on point. He seems to have grown into the curmudgeonly manner that's always been part of his persona, but he's also emotionally present to a surprising degree, truly connecting with the other characters. Mikkelsen is a top-notch, quietly megalomaniacal villain, and Toby Jones, Antonio Banderas and John Rhys-Davies could all have warranted more screen time as Indy's allies, as could Shaunette Renée Wilson as an exasperated U.S. intelligence agent. Ethann Isidore is likable as Helena's street urchin pal.

Maybe best of all is Waller-Bridge's Helena--headlong, fearless, smiling, eyes full of self-delighted mischief. She even shows a hint or two of lewdness, welcome in this largely asexual series. It would be okay with me if they gave her more movies.

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken--At the very least, one must admit that this is a take on teen angst we haven't seen before. Ruby and her family are Krakens, the fearsome tentacled sea creatures of Nordic lore, but they're passing themselves off as humans; Ruby's Mom has a good career as a realtor in a seaside town. Ruby is under orders never to get wet in the ocean, lest her giant Kraken-ness be revealed to her classmates. This means she's forbidden to go to prom, as it's being held on a boat.

Soon enough Ruby (voiced by Lana Condor) learns that her Mom (Toni Collette) and her Grandma (Jane Fonda) are giant Kraken as well, and their backstory includes a feud with the mermaids. Indeed, the story is sort of The Little Mermaid in reverse, with many of the same psychological and sexual subtexts at work. And like an earlier DreamWorks Animation effort, Shrek, the snarky shots at Disney are amusing, in an inside-baseball way.

This movie has a glitzy, primary-color sensibility, like a fever dream after bingeing on My Little Pony and Powerpuff Girls and eating too much cioppino. And it feels about that ephemeral. But it's a sweet-natured fish tale, and undeniably original.

[srslysierraa]

I recently saw your event post- Congratulations on 111 followers!! You deserve every one of them! For your event, mine is going to be Montgomery Gator, the song will be Infra-Red by Three Days Grace, the flower is Oleander (Nerium oleander), and I pick a one-shot!! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Nerium Oleander is an ornamental but poisonous flowering shrub having narrow evergreen leaves and clusters of fragrant white to pink or red flowers. Despite that, it symbolizes Bewitching Desire, Destiny, Seduction, Charm, and Caution. ❞

Maybe, Probably.

Prompt ;; maybe this was a mistake, going to the Pizzaplex with a surprise date your friends has set up for you? Yeah, a definite mistake. Well, i suppose it's also your fault for not telling them that you're practically in love with an animatronic, and now you have to spend the day here trying to survive till evening before coldly say that you're not interested. And hopefully? Avoid a certain gator on the way.

Song Title ;;

Type ;; one-shot, angst teehee, comfort.

Char. Involved ;; montgomery gator. [fnaf sb]

A/N ;; bro, i literally didn't intend this to be as long as it is😭 well anon i hope you enjoy this, i tried 😔

It hasn't even been half an hour.

Not even a goddamn thirty minutes.

And here you are, pulling your hand away as the poor guy that your friends has set up for you tries to coily intertwine your hand with his, a poor effort really, though you're also confused on how he hasn't picked up on the very obvious signs that you don't like him. Though, right now that's the least of your worries. Why? Well.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to our beloved pals, Freddy Fazbear and the gang!"

It'll be fine, it'll be fine. Right?

As the speakers starts booming with loud sounds signaling the arrive of the most beloved Glamrocks, unlike most kids and even a few adults on set ready to dance the night away, you shrinked. And you thought that'll be the worst of it, but that didn't even hit close when you looked up the stage to see the familiar bassist, smiling and giving a little wave before absolutely killing it on said Bass.

It all went well and fine, for the most part. Nearing the end, a few of the kids got a little rowdy as you try to gain balance from the amount of dancing involved in one place. But of course the world had to make it hard for you for no reason, as you accidentally tripped on someone's foot while trying to walk back, keeping distance. Though, you didn't feel any impact from your fall, but when you opened your eyes, you were met with another pair. Honestly you would rather he let you fall at that moment.

As he tries to help you get up from your awkward position, hand on your back as you finally regain balance, somehow he has the nerve to still try and make you hold him in some way. Obviously you're still unwilling, not like you ever will. "Hey, you okay?" The guy said, as you stood up again. "I'm fine. Thanks." You tried to brush him off, attempt turned futile as you look back on stage to see the Gator persona keeping his eyes on you during the whole thing. Shit.

What was supposed to be an opening show felt like absolute hours, you didn't even realize when it ended because it felt so long you just thought it'll go on for forever. Then, you went to the main hall. Colorful lights blared harshly that it brought this place to life, though for some reason this time, it only brought you headaches.

"Let's go see the animatronics,"

"Sure. Wait, huh-?"

No wait, you shouldn't, what were you thinking?! As your arm was being held, again, he pulled on you all the way to the Animatronics' green rooms. Heart in throat, air like knives, poking you mad from every direction. Though, a person took you out from your trance, female to be exact, and a familiar one too, it was one of the workers here that you see often. "(Y/n)! Back again i see, here to go meet with Monty again i assume?" Her chirpy voice rung out, as she then took a moment to see the person standing next to you. "And you are?" She asked curiously, keeping her eyes on how close he is with you. "Oh, he's just my-" "Their date." He cut you off, smile hanging from his features, "I'm their date, nice to meet you."

Soft eyes looks at you before looking back at him, she was the few people that knew about how you and Monty feel when it comes to eachother, only because Monty told her. So the worry in her eyes as she hears that quickly turned to confusion, before looking at you for confirmation. You quickly avert your gaze somewhere else, throat clearing before your hand slyly went up to your neck, making cutting motions as to try and silently tell that you also didn't want this. She got the hint thankfully, you hope so at least, as her mouth performed an 'o' shape after the realization.

She greeted your so-called "date" before letting you explore the Pizzaplex again, before so taking a grab of your arm, letting you know something as she speaks closely to your ear.

"Monty was a bit grumpier when he came back earlier, you might wanna check on him."

And you already know how much of an understatement that is, it always has been, the word "grumpy" and "Monty" together just doesn't belong, so whenever someone exclaimed that Monty is "upset", you know they meant that he's having a full blown tantrum. And you're right, the curtains on his green room was closed, and another attendant was standing in front of it as to stop whoever thinks that they can just enter.

"Is Monty your favorite?" A question suddenly got your attention, as your date keeps his hands in his pockets. "You could say that." You answered, short and simple. "Well, my favorite is Freddy." I don't care.

That's what you wanted to say at least, but you bite your tongue, holding in any mean words. you just need to get rid of him so you can talk to Monty. "Hey, um, are you hungry? I am. Maybe you can go order us some food? El Chips' are pretty good, why not save us a seat? I'll be there, just gotta use the bathroom real quick." Thankfully he wasn't really that hardheaded and went, you waited for him to disappear with the crowd, before finally going to meet Montgomery.

"Who is he." It didn't even sound like a question, just pure intimidation. You look around, scratch marks on the wall, couch torn apart, and the chair is practically useless now after being thrown about multiple times. "(Y/n)." Tone low and dangerous, a warning for you to answer, "I said, who the fuck is he." You scramble about in your mind to find the right words, not wanting to upset him further.

"He's," you sighed, trying to keep yourself together. "He's just a guy that my friends set up to be a date of mine." You speed talked, ripping off the metaphorical band-aid off your chest. Monty howled, laughed, but it didn't sound really cheery. In fact, it was poisonous, pretty but poisonous, aching your heart with each second passed. "Ohhh, so you're on a date, aye? What? I'm supposed to congratulate you or somethin'? Damn, right when i thought we were fuckin' amazing for eachother'."

"Montgomery, that's not-" "Y'know sugar? I'm happy for ya, whatcha here for again? Why not be with your mans?" He taunted, big metal body cornering you as you try to answer, only for him to cut you off every damn time. You looked away, obviously stressed and the Animatronic in front of you is not helping, and as you try to take a few deep breaths, metal cold fingers reaches itself by the chin of your face, though softly, it forces you to look up at him. "Why no response, hm? You thinkin' about him that much that you can't answer?"

He softened the moment he saw just how distressed you are as he moves your face, with that he lets go of it and moves back, looking away as he tries to seem unfazed. "Alright, i got my entertainment, now speak." The air was so tense you swear breathing was almost impossible, but you forced yourself, he was giving you a chance to speak, it's now or never. "I don't like him," you started of, trying to get the Animatronic's attention. "I really don't. I don't know what my dumbass friends were thinking but i really didn't agree to this, i was planning to just tell him that I'm not interested. And-"

"Then tell 'em now." He looks at you, as if daring you to say something. "Monty, that's mean." You sterned back, trying to gain some sort of footing. "Sweets, i was watching you two practically get glued together during my own shows, now knowing you two are on a date. You think that ain't mean to me?" Voice raised by a slight octave, it was clear he didn't want to, but Montgomery Gator isn't really known for being able to keep his anger in check. "Monty, i love you, you know this. And you know that I'm going to reject him either way," you barked back, not wanting to lose against him. "Sounds to me you're just scared of breakin' his heart."

This petty back and forth continued for a while, and though it got heated up for a second, you're just happy that Monty didn't get physical or start breaking things to let off steam, not that he does that or at least not when you're around, but it is still an intrusive thought that creeps itself in your mind. You look at him, defeated and tired from having to constantly tell him that you're not interested in the guy your friends had set up. Seeing that face of yours just makes him rile down, god damn it, look what you did, he's a softie now. "God damnit." He puts his hand through his hair, finally stopping to let you breathe.

"i don't, like him." This was your last attempt in telling him, voice so soft if Monty wasn't an animatronic, he probably wouldn't have heard you. "I get it, doll, i get it. Fine, whatever. Just, go finish your date or whatever and come back to me." He stopped himself the moment he sounded demanding, as he took a breath and look back at you. "Please?"

"Alright."

A few minutes pass, as you then went back to Monty's place, bringing a few bags of food with you. He didn't even realize when you came in, only continued to tear up his own room before stopping immediately when he saw you. "You're.. early." He spoke up, voice coated in confusion as you simply walked past him to sit on the couch that he had destroyed. "I told him to go home,"

His eyes grew wide as you said that, a grin so big making it obvious that he's absolutely delighted, "Really? Damn," he let out a small hearty laugh before picking you up, "That's my baby!" This was such a weird setting for this type of thing to happen. Monty just finished tearing his own place down as he lets out his anger, before then picking you up in happiness after you told him what you did. "Bet you're real happy huh?" You rolled your eyes, smiling softly at his antics. He didn't even try to hide it when he said yes, swinging you around before putting you back on the ground.

"I mean, i know that you're burning out for me and me only, so it wasn't a big deal." He shrugged, receiving a playful kick from you. "Right, say that to the same gator that cornered me earlier." "Oh but i know that you liked it, don't ya Sugar?" You let his question hang in the air, pretending to ignore him as you walk back to the couch, lazily positioned that you're basically laying down. "Yeah well, i still want an apology, you owe me a cuddling session."

You're sure to just ban your friends from ever setting up another surprise date for you. Maybe you should just tell them about you and Monty, well, not like they'll understand, you and Monty... You might even say that you two are on a different wave than anybody else, so does it even matter what they say? Even if you're just poisoning yourself by being with Monty, constantly straying from reality, so what? It's pretty poison, you'll take it.

[imeternallylove]

Since you're writing NCIS, can I request about the honor code, where Gibbs brings Zach to his house with you, doing his boat, and it's like true parents, but everything gets twisted when Shepard arrives? She mentioned that Zach's father might be involved with the lieutenant disappearance case, which enraged Zach, even though she didn't mean it. And the reader has only to calm Zach down while also venting his rage on Gibbs. Reader could be in a relationship with Gibbs, or not? 👉👈

awww thanks for this cutie request! and you know what, I’ve also drafted a kind of this plot for this valentine, so similar 😂❤

ps, I'm totally into Zach‘s charm, he’s such an intelligent boy 👦

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Gibbs x Reader

genre: angst, fluff, strong language and implied lemon(why)

words: 1,467 words

(gifs not mine)

"Yeah. Yeah, at this rate we'll have her seaworthy in no time." Step down from upstairs, you grin at the like dad-son Gibbs and Zach in the basement, they both sand the boat while you hold the pizza boxes and soda. "Boys, dinner ready."

"Maybe my dad can help when he gets back," Zach says enthusiastically, making you smile at Gibbs distressfully because of the cumbersome your team got.

Gibbs helps you in putting your food on his workbench. "Starving!" Zach makes his way to get out of the boat runs to you. You hand the little boy the single slide of pizza while Gibbs carries him down. "How was it?" You chuckle as you tenderly wipe the dirt from Zach's mouth.

"So tasty," you nodded admiringly as Zach clambered onto your lap. You pat his wet red-brown hair and lean against the wood, where Gibbs' eyes are on your relaxed face. He hands you the soda. You give him a small smile.

You suppose the three of you eat dinner together as if you were a real family. It makes you feel terrible that your team hasn't gotten any leads on recovering Lt. Commander Tanner, Zach's father, and that all evidence implies to him. Zach's only six, and you can't stand it.

Gibbs noticed your tension, but you already know he doesn't want to talk about it right now.

When director Shepard came, all of your enjoyment and distractions vanished in the blink of an eye. Gibbs keeps some space away from you by slipping out of your seat just a tad. That's an inch of agony, you told yourself.

"Hubba-hubba. Dinner at the White House?" Gibbs asks as she walks calmly into the basement, dressed to the nines and making you -just a little piece of your shitty envious to her.

"A date, actually." Shepard corrects Gibbs. "Must be an important guy for you to get all decked out."

You swallow the lump that Shepard is teasing or flirting with him. "I'd prefer if you just told me that you liked my dress."

"I haven't decided yet."

The basement becomes an unintended period of silence. So, you get up and clean the workbench quietly without paying attention to them, "Zach, Why don't you come upstairs with me and get a soda?" You suggest lightly, grabbing his hand and quickly walking away from the dilemma situation.

"You don't like that woman." Zach jokes as you open the fridge and hand him a soda. "Just our attitude is more difficult to get in a lock," you explain as you bring some soda to your boss and the director. "She's my director."

"I don't like her," Zach says as you approach the stairs, surprising you. You squat to his fluffy face, holding his arm. "Lt. Commander Tanner's case is quite difficult to the NCIS, but I need you to relax." You stroke his cheek, "can you do that, pal?" Then you lead the kid back to the basement.

"You made a house call to reprimand me, Jen?" Gibbs demands Shepard without knowing Zach and you have returned. You stop Zach, about to sneak out of here, but it's the same time when the director said something she shouldn't.

"Don't tell me your famous gut again. Zach is a great kid, Jethro. That doesn't mean his father's not a bastard." Shepard snaps at Gibbs loudly enough, and Zach can't help but yell angrily at the nonsense adults in defense of his dad. "My dad didn't do anything wrong!"

"It's a complicated situation," Shepard goes on to say in shock, exacerbating the situation for the kid.

"It's not!"

"Zach..." You attempt to calm him down. "Zach, there is evidence he did something wrong," Gibbs add explains to the little boy.

"It doesn't matter! I know in my, my stomach he didn't do anything wrong. You promised you'd bring him back to me, Gibbs. Please," Zach exclaims before shoving you out of the way, running up. You keep your gaze fixed on your two wacky commanders, frustrated. You let out a huge sigh.

"I can't believe how dare you two just did that." You turn away from them, follow after Zach.

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"He's not guilty, Y/N. He's not, he isn't," Zach sitting beneath at the kitchen counter, crying out, he informs you repeatedly while he leans into your embrace.

You kiss his brow, "I know. But the director wouldn't let us cut any probability things off until we found your dad, proven him truly no guilty." You hug him even tighter, making him feel safe.

Zach sobs into your chest, "I- I'm missing my dad."

"I know," you mumble worriedly, enraged at Gibbs.

"Hey," you look up, seeing Gibbs sitting next to Zach. But as Zach moves away from Gibbs and forces you to hold him, you place your chin on the boy's head, gently rubbing his back. "Zach, it's time to bed. I'll change your clothes; you'll sleep, okay, pal?"

Zach simply nodded. You get up and help him in preparing to rest. It's too quiet in a big house, but you heard something quite loud, and you didn't talk to Gibbs at all, he either.

You're about to leave the room after watching Gibbs lay Zach down in the bed, but your boss won't let you. "Leave me alone." You snarl at him in a bad mood as you storm close to the house door.

"No," he grabs your arm and turns you around before you can leave the house. You could tell he was in trouble by the look on his face, he made you vulnerable. You averted your gaze and spoke softly. "He's only six. You two causing his trauma went worse."

"You better think bout the investigation first, just leaves Zach on mine thing." Gibbs reminds you that make you blown a fuse rips your hands out of his grip, you yell at him in disbelief, teeth clenched. "Okay. You know what? Take the hell of this!" You bump your agent ID badge and gun into his hand, "I'm out of this case, doing your 'right thing' and, I'll be Zach's nanny from now on." You hastily leave his house and drive away.

"Y/N!" When Gibbs chases after you, however, you've gone a long distance away; he can't leave Zach. When he calls you, you also left your phone on his table next to the lounge chair.

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"Damn," you groan as you regain control of the car parked on the side of the road after your rage has subsided. You drown too much into your envy. You just left Zack with Gibbs, knowing he could take care of him better than you, but you promised Zack you'd stay as his friend. "God." You clung to the steering wheel, unsure whether you should go back to Gibbs' house. You just shouted at him.

You drive back in your slightly boozed-up. The conscience takes you back here. "Okay," you gasp against your driver seat, park in front of Gibbs' house, and turn off the engine, chugging the beer to clear your throat. It's close to midnight now, and the house has turned off the lights.

And yet before you can unlock the house door, Gibbs opens it, and you slump into his embrace. "Ouch- shit." You could hear his warm breathing, chuckling as he supports you inside. "Gi-b, Gib-bs, I-m--" You patter, scattered everywhere you could put your bag with car key on it.

"Here," he places you on the lounge chair. But you slam your body against the ground and massage your temples, staring at his icy eyes. It's was blurred by your sight. "Look, I'm just a jerk. I left Zach. I shouted at you." He takes his time sitting beside you and says nothing. However, it is more comfortable than it was an hour ago.

Gibbs only gives you his soft smile, which you don't get, but the heat from your cheek has increased. "Oh, come on, boss. Say somethin'! Scold me or slap my head, tell me 'm was wrong!" You get up, out of mind by his enigmatic expression. And he pinned you to the wall with that, his lips against yours, rough control of your tongue. He drew your neck closer to his lips, and why the hell are you obeying him?

You were melted by his touch, clutching his strong arms to keep from collapsing. When Gibbs breaks the kiss, he orders, "Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me to stop, I'll."

You were completely blank and choking, thoughtfully. He's your boss, he has made his rules. The rule #12, but for the sake of your heart; shouldn't you have -followed it?

"Y/N-"

"Fuck that, rule 12," you mumble as cupped his face to blow a kiss. All you can see from your blood-crazed is a smirk of his.

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[forget-you-morelike-fuck-you]

Bad Idea- E.M.

I've been listening to a lot of Waitress recently, and I thought this song would make a great oneshot with Eddie. If you're a marvel fan, you can check out my Bucky two-parter based on She Used to be Mine here.

Eddie makes you feel so alive, even if you're still with Steve.

Pairings- Eddie x Reader, Steve x Reader

TW- 18+ Minors DNI mentions of smut, mentions of drug use, some cursing, cheating

Word Count- 1,161

(Gifs not mine, credit to owners!)

It’s a bad idea, me and you. It’s a bad idea, me and you. I’ve never known anything so true. It’s a terrible idea, me and you.

This wasn’t supposed to be more than a one-time thing. In fact, it wasn’t supposed to be a thing at all. Steve was so good to you, but there was just something about Eddie…

Steve made you feel safe. He made you feel loved, but he couldn’t scratch all the itches you needed him to. Eddie, on the other hand… He helped you fly. Then he brought you down and put you under his thumb in exactly the way you wanted. You can just let yourself go, be completely and utterly yourself with him.

It started the first time by accident. You were leaving his house, having just bought some weed from him, and since you were really good friends, you both reached to give each other a quick peck on the cheek, finding lips instead. You pulled away, surprised, and you both said sorry sheepishly, but when neither of you looked away, he pulled you back in, hands on your face, and you didn’t stop him. You didn’t want to stop him. Clothes were shed, cries of pleasure echoed in his living room as he took you body and soul. And afterward, you could barely look at him as you gathered your things and left, feeling so guilty.

Eddie knew it was bad too. Steve was his buddy, his pal. How could Eddie ever tell him that he fucked his girl?

So neither of you did, tell Steve that is. And things went back to normal, until you ran out of weed.

Heart stop racing, let’s face it, making mistakes like this will make worse what was already pretty bad. Mind stop running, it’s time we just let this thing go. It was a really good bad idea, wasn’t it though?

You really tried to keep it together the next time you went to Eddie’s, you really did. But Eddie opened the door shirtless, his necklaces swinging against his chest. When you got yourself inside, the door closed and before you even knew what was happening, your hands were on him, his lips tracing sweet patterns against your neck as he pulled gently at your hair. You almost stopped him as his hands began reaching for the button of your pants, thinking of Steve, but with the sinful whispers Eddie was littering down your neck, you kept quiet.

You needed this, you rationalized. You just needed this release.

It won’t happen again.

Until it does, and then again, and once more.

It’s a bad idea, me and you. It’s a bad idea, me and you. Hold me close while I think this through. Yeah, it’s a very poor idea, me and you.

The next time you visit Eddie is to try to stop this. You never wanted to be a cheater, and you know Eddie doesn’t want to be an awful friend. You talked about it, sure, but you couldn’t leave. Not when you both knew it was deeper than just sex now. Eddie is your best friend. And with the way he makes you feel… Your feet wouldn’t move. So when Eddie tried to usher you out the door, trying to stay strong for the both of you, the hand holding yours couldn’t let go. He almost had to fight back tears. With one look at his face, you lost all of your resolve as you flung yourself back into his arms, the door closing back behind you both. This wasn’t going to be just another release. This time, it was goodbye.

I know its right for me. It’s the only thing I’ve ever done. What if I never see myself ever be anything more that what I’ve already become?

In the next few weeks, you stayed clear of Eddie, and him from you. And Steve noticed a change in you. You didn’t smile as much, or laugh, and you didn’t even care much for physical affection from him anymore. He didn’t know why, and he did everything he could to fix it.

He tried giving you what you needed, but with Steve, there was no passion. He didn’t make you feel alive. You tried to push the thoughts away and be happy, but as time went on you realized… you didn’t love him anymore. Because when Steve was on top of you, whispering how much he loved you into your ear, you wished with all of your heart that it was Eddie.

I need a bad idea.

At night, when you were alone, you thought of him, his lips, his eyes, his rings and necklaces tickling your skin as he held you like you were the only person on the planet. You thought of the sinful words spilling from his beautiful mouth as you brought yourself to your peak.

I need a bad idea. Just one.

You had a choice to make. Safety or vitality? The more you thought about it, the easier the choice became.

Heart keep racing, let’s make mistakes. Let’s say “so, what?” and make worse what was already pretty bad.

You couldn’t resist going to him in the middle of the night, a couple of months since your last meeting. You snuck out through your bedroom window and biked to his trailer, rapping on the door after running up the stairs. You were still trying to catch your breath as he groggily opened the door. He looked at you, stunned at seeing you again.

“Tell me you don’t love me and I’ll walk away.” Is all you said. Your heart was thrumming in your chest, your lip bitten raw from the nerves. Eddie took a few seconds to process before shrugging.

“I can’t.” He admits. It’s good enough for you, and he welcomes you into his arms, small tears of joy running down your face.

This secret is safe. No reason to throw it away when there’s love to be had. Hold me tight as I tell myself that you might make sense and make good what has just been so bad.

You spent the night with him, engulfed in this new-found love. You barely sleep, catching up on all of the time you’ve been apart. There is no place in the world you have ever wanted to be more than in Eddie’s embrace.

Let’s see this through. It’s a pretty good bad idea, me and you.

Not long after, you let Steve down as easily as you can. He’s hurt, but he can’t say he didn’t expect it. You omit your cheating; you only say you have feelings for someone else. You don’t go public with Eddie for a while after that to spare Steve’s pride. But on the day you show up to school together, his arms wrapped around you as you walk into Hawkins High together, it’s like you’re on top of the world.