#its hard work but someone has to do it (noone has ever asked for this)

[mothpdf]

Louis de Pointe du Lac and his dear friend, Daniel Molloy (Meu Caro Amigo by Chico Buarque)

[dr-spencer-reids-queen]

A Different Type of Workout

Pairing: Derek Morgan x Female!Reader

Word Count: ~2.1k

Warnings: sexual tension, fluff

Summary: You and Derek are always butting heads, and everyone knows to steer clear of you two whenever you have to work together. When the BAU announces its plans to put a gym for all employees on the fifth floor, you’re ecstatic. That is, until you get hurt, and Derek feels the need to work out with you just to make sure that you don’t hurt yourself again.

Square Filled: poker for @mfbingo

Author’s Note: any and all comments are greatly appreciated! <3

x

Spencer is the first person you see when you enter the BAU, and he is wearing a grin and holding a coffee out for you.

“Good morning, Y/N. Coffee?”

“Do you have to ask?” you laugh and take the coffee. “Thank you, Spencer. What case do we have today?”

“I hear we don’t have one. The B Team is out right now.”

“Thank God. I really didn’t want to go anywhere today.”

The smile on your face dies when you see Derek Morgan. He’s the only one who has ever been able to wipe the smile from your face. To say that you two don’t get along is an understatement. It’s not that he’s mean or bullies you, it’s just that you two are so similar that you always butt heads. There’s not a day that goes by that you two aren’t arguing over something. You never let it affect your work, but everyone knows to steer clear whenever you two have to work together.

“Hey, Reid. Prentiss. JJ,” Derek greets on his way to his desk. Unfortunately, his desk is located right in front of you. “Hi, Y/N.” You ignore him and log into your computer. “Oh, come on, baby, talk to me.”

You take a sip of your coffee. “I’m not your baby, and I’m busy.”

It’s one of those days where the time goes by fast, so it’s noon when you look at the time. There is a stack of files you’ve completed, so you’re going to put those away before taking your lunch. You log out of your computer and grab the files as you make your way to the file room. After putting the files away, you leave only to run right into someone. Someone with a hard body.

“I’m sorry—oh, it’s you.”

You look into Derek’s eyes which are swimming with amusement. As much as it pains you to admit, he’s very attractive. He’s cocky and confident and he definitely knows how to charm a woman with that panty-dropping smile. It makes you almost want to bend over for him right now. Then, you think about how he always has to be right about everything, and you’re back to being pissed at him.

“Whoa, where's the fire, baby?”

“Don’t call me baby,” you snap. “What are you doing here?”

He holds up a group of files. “Same as you.”

“Okay, well, excuse me.”

He’s the only thing standing between you and the rest of the BAU, however, he doesn’t move from the doorway.

“You’re excused.”

He’s not going to make this easy for you. You have no choice but to slide past him. This way, you can feel every dip of his body. It’s been a while since you’ve been intimate with a man, so this act puts a blush on your face. The last thing you hear as you walk away is his snicker. Oh, how you’d love nothing more than to slap that smirk off his face.

The rest of the day goes by without a hitch, and you find yourself in easy conversation with Emily. The BAU is getting an update on the building that benefits all the employees. A gym is being opened on the fifth floor where there used to be offices, but those people were allocated to different floors of the building. This gym is available for anyone to use at any time. The one at your apartment complex sucks, so you’ll be using this one as soon as it opens.

“I hear they’re adding multi-pressure shower heads,” Emily gossips.

“Let’s hope. I can’t wait for Friday. I’m probably going to start on Monday before I start work.

“I can join you. What time do you start?”

“Four in the morning.”

Emily laughs. “You’re on your own, I’m afraid.”

“That’s okay. I prefer to be alone, anyway.”

Come Monday, you make sure to get to work at four, knowing you’re not scheduled to come in until six. No one being in the gym is perfect for you. You can get lost in the music for an hour and a half, allowing yourself thirty minutes to shower and change for work. The first hour of your workout goes by smoothly until you start working on your shoulders. One wrong move later, and your shoulder gets dislocated.

It fucking sucks, but it’s not the first time you’ve done this to yourself. The good news is that it’s still file day since the B Team is taking a bit longer to come home. You don’t want to make a big deal about your shoulder since the pain will go away in a few days. You can barely move your arm, but you don’t need to do strenuous work today.

Derek and Spencer walk into work, chatting about their weekend with the young doctor carrying two coffees. Derek sits at his desk while Spencer walks to yours, and he hands you the second coffee.

“Hey, how was your weekend?” Spencer greets.

“Good.”

“I brought you some coffee.”

Spencer hands it out to you, and you automatically lift your right hand. Pain explodes in your shoulder, and you immediately lower it back. Your shoulder throbs, but you try to mask your pain. You take the coffee with your left hand instead.

“Thank you, Spencer.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Sore muscles. I’m okay.”

Derek watches the whole ordeal with his eyes narrowed. He knows something is wrong. As soon as Spencer leaves, he speaks up. “You’re not okay.”

“Excuse me?”

“What happened? You were fine on Friday.”

“Derek, I’m okay.”

“Tell me,” he insists.

“I dislocated my shoulder when I was working out. It’s not a big deal. Not the first time I’ve done something like this.”

“You shouldn’t be working out alone. You should go after work where there will be other people.”

“Derek, I’m fine. I like working out by myself. Plus, I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”

The pain is too great to ignore, so you go to the doctor after work, who gives you six weeks to heal. Yes, you can work out, but only light work like the treadmill or bicycles. Only until you’re fully healed can you start to lift weights again. Not only that, but Derek has been in the gym every time you have been. Four in the morning like clockwork. He usually keeps to himself on the other side of the gym, but you always feel his eyes on you the second you turn your back to him.

Six weeks later, and you’re fully healed. You can start doing pull-ups and weights. It sucked not working on your arms, but you know you have to take care of your body before overworking it. Like he has been for the past six weeks, Derek shows up exactly at four, the same time as you do.

“Seriously, Derek? Do you have to be here? I just want to work out alone,” you sigh.

“I’m sorry, is this not available to all employees at any time? Last I checked, four in the morning falls under any time, and I count as an employee.”

You roll your eyes. “Whatever.”

You go to your side of the gym while Derek goes to his, and you two start your workouts. Derek picks up heavy weights and starts with bicep curls. It’s hard not to stare at him, especially with him wearing a thin white tank top. His muscles flex with every curl, and you peel your eyes off him to focus on your own workout.

You have to use a step stool to grab the top of the pull-up bar, and you begin slowly doing your rep. By the fifth one, you’re shaking. Five is your max, but you want to push yourself to do ten. However, you only get one more out of the way. You’re not strong enough. You let yourself hang there, and Derek chuckles when he sees the look of defeat on your face.

“Do you need some help?” he asks when he walks over to you.

“I got it.”

You try to lift yourself again, but you don’t get anywhere near the bar.

“Are you sure?” he smirks.

“Help me, goddamn it.” Derek laughs. “I need five more.”

Maybe asking him to help you was a bad idea. He grabs both of your hips and lifts you slightly so that you can use your own strength to get you most of the way. With his help, you’re able to do five more.

“Let go. I’ve got you.”

Your hands uncurl from the bar, and Derek slowly sets you on your feet. You’re so close that your shirt rides up as you slide down his sweaty body. Every inch of his body is pressed against yours. Your breath mixes with his, and you hold the intense eye contact. He keeps his hands on your hips, and you can feel his fingers flex as if he’s holding himself back. It’s a game of poker that you play. You don’t know what his cards are until he wants you to know.

“Careful, Derek, your eyes look like they don’t hate me at all.”

Derek rakes his eyes down your body, bringing them back up to your eyes.

“Can you blame me? A pretty girl is in front of me, and you expect me to keep my eyes to myself?”

It’s a joke. He respects women, but there’s something raw about his words that has your thighs clenching against each other.

“You think I’m pretty?” you gasp jokingly.

“I think you’re fucking gorgeous, but I think you already knew that.”

“Sure, right,” you scoff. “Why would you think me, the woman you can’t stand to be around, is gorgeous?”

“You think I can’t stand to be around you? Who gives you coffee every morning?”

“Spencer.”

“Yeah, because I give it to him to give to you because I know you won’t accept one from me.”

“What?” you whisper.

“Yeah, or what about the fact that I’m here at four in the fucking morning every single goddamn day when I should be sleeping in my warm bed.”

You shove him away from you, but it only puts a few inches of space between you two. “No one asked you to be here.”

“Yeah, well, I need to make sure that you’re safe.”

“From what?”

“Yourself.” You shut your mouth. “You dislocated your shoulder, and you were here alone. Imagine if you did worse to yourself with no one here to help you.”

“What are you saying, Derek?”

“I think you know what I’m saying.” He steps closer. “You just don’t want to admit it.”

“What’s that?” you whisper.

“That you want me just as much as I want you.”

You grin. “Yeah? How much?”

“This much.”

He scoops you up by your thighs and slams his lips against yours. You wrap your sore legs around his lean waist, and he presses you against the side of a workout machine. This moment has been in the works for over six weeks, so the tension is high. His lips feel too good against your own to stop kissing him, so you pull him closer if possible. Instead of finishing your workout, you spend the next twenty minutes making out with him.

No one is suspicious when you sit at your desk that morning. If they see your swollen lips and flushed skin, they don’t comment on it. You made sure to put your hair down to mask the mark Derek left on your neck. If Emily, Penelope, or JJ knew what happened, you’ll never hear the end of it.

“Y/N. Morgan. A word.”

Hotch stands on the second landing right outside his office with a hard look on his face. He always looks that way, but you can’t tell if you did something wrong or if he wants to praise you for what you did.

“What did you do?” you hiss to Derek.

“Me? What makes you think I did something?”

“You always do something.” You two enter Hotch’s office but leave the door open for a quick escape. “Yes, sir?”

“I want to make one thing clear. What you do with your personal time does not concern me. The gym is meant for working out and working out only, and I don’t mean the workout you do in bed.”

“God,” you hiss and look away from Hotch.

“Don’t let it happen again.”

“Okay,” Derek chuckles.

“Yes, sir.” You two leave his office, and you smack Derek in the chest. “This is your fault.”

“If you want to work out at four in the morning, sleep over, and I’ll give you a more effective workout,” he smirks.

“You’re unbelievable,” you scoff with a smile on your face.

x

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[radio-fmm]

Withered

Sanji x gardener!reader

Warnings: fluff with a little angst, mentions of sickness and fainting, fem reader

Word count: 1,526 words

Summary: In which you got sick because you worked so hard. From my gardener!reader series but can be read as a stand alone.

⋆ ˚ ꩜ ｡ ⋆୨୧˚

“SANJI IT’S NOT FAIR” Luffy screamed while throwing himself at the cook who was busy prepping vegetables “Luffy we already told you that because y/n is sick the garden is not in conditions for us to eat stuff from it” Nami said for like a millionth time that day.

You had fainted yesterday morning and have had a fever since, you were still very weak, because of this, your powers affected all the plants around the ship… and Sanji’s mood apparently, he had already gone trough half a box of cigarettes and it was just past noon.

“But you’re making something why can’t I have some?” The captain whined once more “This is all the vegetables I could salvage from the garden and its all going to y/n’s soup so she can get better sooner” he explained as patiently as he could. Since the garden was withering the food rations were now just half, and obviously the most affected form this was Luffy since he wasn’t having any snacks between dinners. “I’ve never seen her sick like this” sighed Nami a little worry in her eyes “Don’t worry! We have the best doctor in the world! He’ll take care of her!” Luffy exclaimed, he noticed how Sanji tensed at Namis comment, breath shaky “You know she’s strong, she’ll be fresh as a fruit in no time!” he said while patting Sanji’s back smiling brightly.

He took the vegetable soup steaming hot and walked to your room, opened the door ever so slowly so he wouldn’t make any noise and wake you up. He was greeted with Chopper sitting beside your bed with a cold towel in your forehead “How is she?” Sanji asked in a whisper “Better that yesterday but still has a little fever, she’ll be up in a day or two” Chopper explained with worry… there was something he wasn’t telling for sure “Is it just a fever?” Sanji positioned the soup in the nightstand beside you while looking at the doctor who had started to sweat “Oh yeah yeah just… just that no biggie he he” He answered quickly while looking away from the cook. Sanji tensed, eyes twitching “Chopper…” he went down to his eye level “It wouldn’t be really professional if you lied to me about a patient diagnosis would it?” the reindeer panicked “She made me promise! Confidentiality with my patients comes first!”

There it was… The blonde sighed and massaged his temples “If you don’t tell me I’ll probably go insane” there was a pause, the doctor was getting worried not only about you but now also about Sanji, he looked so disheveled, big bags under his eyes, hair all over the place, his smell of cigarettes stronger than other days and instead of having his neatly tuxedo on he had just thrown in a shirt, no tie, with a couple loosed buttons… he looked like he was going insane. “Fine, just because I know you care a lot” he started “She fainted because she had pushed her body too far. In our last fight with the marines she used her powers to protect us too long and didn’t rest properly” he paused to look at you “Her body is just asking for a break, I scolded her because this is not the first time she ends up sick because of this, and she asked me to keep it a secret”

Of course you did… you always overworked yourself and Sanji couldn’t do anything about its since he did that too, how ironic. He looked back at where you slept, you looked so peaceful for someone so sick, your hair covering the pillow like a spider web and your mouth parted a little. “I gave her medicine and the fever has gone down but she needs to rest!”

“Thank you Chopper I’ll take care of her now” the cook sat at the end of the bed as the reindeer left the room quietly

He admired you for a moment, worry shaking trough his body. You’ve been a straw hat for a long time now, and still felt like you owed everyone. “Sunlight” he spoke up. As he removed hairs from your face, you groaned and wiggled under the covers, scrunched your face as you opened your eyes trying to focus on the man before you “There you are” he said feeling a little better since he could look at your eyes once more.

“Sanji?” You yawned and stretched before you felt a stinging pain travel trough your muscles that made you groan “Take it easy dear” Sanji stood up and helped you sit on your bed “It’s ok I got it” slowly but surely you made yourself comfortable. “Made you this” Your eyes widened a smiled was painted on your face “Oh god I most be dreaming!” you let out a laugh that made Sanji feel lighter, softer. How could you still be bright as day while you’re sick? “Thank you! You didn’t had to tho” you tried to take the plate from his hands but he backed up “Slow down there sweetheart” he grinned playfully “Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I let a sick woman eat by herself?” Maybe you should get sick more often if it meant having this kind of treatment form the cook, your whole face turned all shades of red and you stiffened. But the day you decline Sanji’s food, is the day you’ve gone mad, so you leaned and took the spoonful.

You happily ate the whole plate between chatter laughs and shared stares “Sanji I really don’t know how you manage to outdo yourself every time!” You always made sure the cook knew how amazing his skills were, which always made him smile proud and puff out his chest feeling absolutely unstoppable “Thank you dear” you smiled and thanked him for the hundred time “Can you do me a favor Sanji? Before you leave?” The mentioned felt his legs babble at the way his name left your lips, whenever you asked him something, which was very rare because you’re not the type to ask for help for anyone, your voice always flowed in such a way, like a soft plead, that made Sanji’s breath and heartbeat stop “Anything dear!”

“Could you open the blinds for me?” without missing a beat he opened them so that the sun could pour in your room, you closed your eyes and sighed in satisfaction, taking in the rays of sun like a flower opening her petals Sanji thought, you looked angelic

“Can I now ask you something y/n” your eyes opened in fear, whenever the blonde cook called you by your name without nothing endearing attached to it he was about to say something really serious “Of course” all your attention was on him who sat now in the chair next to you so he could see you better and closer “Why are you overworking yourself?” a silence was followed, nervousness hanged in the air piercing both of your ears, you’ve talked about this with Sanji before but nothing ever this serious. You looked at him and notice his weary eyes, you sighed “I… don’t know” your eyes ran away from his face “I just want to be of use for everyone in the crew… did Chopper said something?” The cook nodded with a little guilt as you covered your face in your hands, embarrassed to be somehow a burden.

“You all make me so happy, so this is my way to pay you back” you offered a smile as Sanji sat there, wordless, it was like he was hearing his own thoughts, your hearts were so much alike that it stunted him sometimes, so, he said what he would like to hear himself “You’re not a tool or a maid, you’re a strawhat” he leaned in to take your hand in his “Luffy invited you to join this crew not only because of your powers or strength, but also because he believes in you and likes you… as so do I” you felt your eyes water a bit which made the blondes heart hurt “Your health and happiness is important to everyone in the crew”.

You sighed and hugged Sanji, tightly and with such eagerness and grateful you could always count on him to make you feel wanted and important, you were always strong and kind in front of everyone but he always managed to get your vulnerable side out “Thank you Sanji, I promise I won’t do that ever again” you whispered in his ear, Sanji felt like floating, your hug was so full of love that made his head spin, heart pounding hard and pink creeping trough his neck, you were so sweet “But I must ask you the same, please let me help you too” he stiffened, he sure wasn’t ready for that talk.

He cleared his throat before pulling out of your embrace which hurt him like hell and taking the plate “You don’t worry that pretty head of yours dear” he walked towards your door “I’ll keep an eye on you cook!”

Oh please, do~

⋆ ˚ ꩜ ｡ ⋆୨୧˚

I sweat next one in the series would be a confession I had this idea and got carried away lol, as always you can request what you wanna read about these two and correct me if I made any mistakes English is not first language!

[lavenlady]

Also, lady, could you do Yandere Metal Cardbot S2 x Metal Cardbot female reader that has the personality of Nina mazursky of creature commandos, The reader is somewhat shy and doesn't know anything about fighting and prefers to calm the fight than to fight but she still has her weapon in case things go very wrong, the reader was Deep Bite's only friend and basically she is with him when Jun and the team try to capture him, the reader's armor would be the same as Nina's suit only without the helmet and also that its alternative mode is some marine animal

Here you go @zinnia1506 ! Enjoy!

ʚ Gentle ɞ | Yan!Metal Cardbot S x Nina Mazursky!Cardbot!Reader

You were quite an unique Cardbot, you had every mean to turn someone into scrap, but instead you have decided to become a scientist. You have met a lot of other individuals during your life, but noone really wanted to be your friend or even associate with you. It hurt you greatly, but you still managed to push through and had made your first ever friend - Deep Bite.

It was a nice feeling, finally having things that you fought hard for in your life. But every great thing has to come to an end. Your home planet, Machina was annihilated and you were forced to run away from total destruction. You have got a ride thanks to Deep Bite and he enthusiastically agreed to take you with him.

You both have crashed into the sea of a planet called Earth. You both lived there for a while, Deep Bite taking care of danger and you were in charge of findling fuel. Thanks to your unique build you could only half-way, something that resembled native species fantasy creatures - a mermaid.

That way you were effectively protecting your new home from intruders. It was enjoyable for Deep Bite - he could finally spend time with his friend. That is until a kid named Jun seals you both and you finally got to meet other Cardbots.

There were both nice and quite annoying ones. Like Red Blitz, he really got on your friend's nerves, but in the end they kind of made up. Deep Bite always kept you close, not entirely trusting the other Cardbots at first. With time it changed and you both started to hang out with Rock Crush and Glober the most.

It was really sweet coming from the cowardly drill that he didn't find Deep Bite scary. He complimented your work, even if he didn't exactly understand half of what you said.

Glober was more on the adventurer part. He really liked to be free of others rule, he would even often ask you to accompany him to some of these, promising materials for your new gadgets.

Red Blitz was more of a nuisance than a teammate, but he too had his rare moments of peace. He often tried provoking you to fight him, just like he tried with Deep Bite. That didn't happen as you would only respond by words, not actions, which Edo was thankful for.

Cielo liked spending time with you mostly by asking you to climb onto the roof of the Auto shop and sunbathe with him. You liked talking with him and even offered to upgrade his guns, which you don't exactly often.

Musclehyde was like a gentle giant. He doesn't exactly let others walk over him, but he too can be naive at times. It didn't stop you from talking to him, finding his ability intriguing. It could even heat up his frame thanks to it. You really liked being near him when said warmness was present. It made it more enjoyable and calming to talk with him.

Blue Cop was quite hard to talk to, but in the end you managed to somehow connect and talk about your experiences on Machina. It really made you excited to meet one of the best Star Guardians known to your home planet. He too admired your work and even lent his help with helping you complete your projects.

Sometimes even the most enjoyable presence can be a little bit to much, especially when the time spend with you can become a topic for the next argument. But still, you may be the last Cardbots to still exist after the annihilation of Machina. You need to keep close to them. Danger waits around every corner. They will make sure that no harm is done to their favourite scientist. Even if they would need to resort to questionable means of doing so.

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( Hope you liked it! )

(Master list)

( Request away! )

[cartooemcanhis]

Headcanons of nutty and toothy :>

Hehehe!! alrighty!!

Banned from most, if not all stores (if he wants to go shopping hes gotta bring a friend to supervise him)

Noone knows how the heck he ended up like that. He says hes always lived in treetown but noone knew him as a kid and he only started showing himself by the time he was a adult

Hes got a scarily good sense of smell. If you have candy and you think he cant see it, trust me, he can definetly smell it.

Bro is so sticky and gross

Barely ever talks, and when he does its super stuttery and uncomprehensible

Buys totally legal candy from Lifty and Shifty and pays them WAYYY too much money because he has no idea how math works

Sniffles has been trying to find him other interests to distract from Nutty's addiction, but so far its been hard.

Hes the reason scented toys are banned in treetown

He loves running around on all fours

Got rabies from wrestling with a feral animal who happened to have a lolipop. Sniffles has been trying to find a cure for it but for now hes using very temporary fixes.

Most other people in treetown tend to avoid him because they hate him

Stashes candy in his tail and its very icky looking

Often breaks into peoples houses if he sees or smells someone with candy in there. Has to get shooed away with a broom like a cat in an old cartoon

Milk drinker. he drinks milk like water. he goes "oh im thirsty" and then goes to get some milk out of the fridge it is horrifying.

Always lived in treetown!

Hes Handy's cousin! They used to live together and had a little bit of a onesided rivalry when they were kids but its fine now.

WILL deny the surgery allegations. He wants everyone to think his tail is natural but he gets really overly defensive when asked about it so hes doing bad at gaslighting everyone into thinking that. Before he got the inlargement surgery his tail was around the same size as Russells

Hes very sensitive and gets upset easily

The amount of toothbrushes this man owns is insane. HUGE cabinet full of them in a wild variety of colours. He has tons of those really bad singing ones lol.

He likes keeping his teeth really long so he isnt a wood chewer

Very very hyperfixated on Splendid, owns alot of merch and comics (He doesnt have as much as Sniffles though..hes kinda jealous)

His pet tortoise is named Dash! Toothy is blissfully unaware of how violently territorial Dash is with people that arent him lol.

Loves playing dentist!! (he is wanted in 7 states. do not let him near your teeth he has no idea what hes doing.)

thx for hc requests!

[nevertheless-moving]

But Peter Parker (no not that one, the other — yeah that guy) does actually have an OnlyAdmirer’s account though.

He doesn’t remember exactly when he started it — sometime after losing the job at the pizza place and before picking up the tutoring hours; he remembered he was short for one of Aunt May’s prescriptions that month, but isn’t sure anymore which one it was. Sometime during college.

Low ebb on crime that week, which meant he wasn’t making much from the Bugle, but he did have some extra time, enough to take a deep breathand set up the encyptions on his account (he should probably go this hard for all his spiderman stuff too, but eh, it had been fine so far).

He wears a mask (no not that one, though he did consider it because, you know, it would be freaking hilarious).

He pulls...a grand, whopping total of.... $100 a month. Wahoo.

Ok, maybe a little more on average; and sometimes its up to $200! It’s just worth the fees and the time, and after a while he has to admit it’s less stressful than any of his other gigs.

At first he’s paranoid about someone finding out, both in his personal life and his superheroics (he has, like, 10 self righteous rants prepared about the moral neutrality, nay the moral Good of sex work).

(He’s a little disappointed that it never comes up.} Eventually he doesn't think about it, especially not on patrol, not any more than he thinks about the taco shop, or the GrubHob gig, or any of the bazillion odd jobs that come with working class heroics. Eventually he doesn’t think not to mention it, and the set-up was perfect for him to — ok— sue him, he might have been trying to sound cool in front of an X-Man who was laughing at his jokes��� He, uh. May have forgotten. How much X-Men gossip. It’s not like it would have been a big deal had the press event not happened two days later, and— why do other people always get a laugh when they repeat his jokes anyway!

Plus! He was on maybe two hours sleep when the tabloid asked him point blank and for a moment he was so wrapped in the euphoria of a non-Bugle rag interviewing him, and also not yelling at him for damages or anything serious, that he forgot he lived in a world where sex-work was stigmatized so— yeah. Good news! His secret identities are still fine, no-one’s even figured out which OnlyAccount is his. Bad news! Because his secret identity’s still intact, and noone’s figured out which twink is spiderpowered, he’s still only going to make $134 this month, which is barely more than minimum wage when you include prep time.

Other good news! Most fun he’s ever had explaining something from the internet to Jonah.

[erato481]

Signore

(Explicit content/Mature)Reader has been working for Bruno, slowly developing a crush on him, not knowing that feelings might be mutual. However after a rough day Bruno has asked her to stay with him for the night.

This is our first fanfic, we really hope that you'll like it. <3 English isn't our first language. We're also active on other social media platforms under the same name, or will open them soon (AO3, Tiktok, Twitter, Wattpad soon)

Its been 3 months since I started working for Bruno, or rather since he saved me from a rough financial situation and offered me money for simple chores. Just as he needed someone to take care of his mansion, I needed money. It was a simple job, really. I was supposed to come at his house every workday morning, clean and leave, usually at evening.

In the beginning I didn't know what Bruno did for a living, but he was a kind enough man. He wouldn't rush me, boss me around or ever yell at me. He was sweet enough to make lunch instead of me, calling me to dine together with him. He is a good cook, and during that time simple small talk turned into deeper conversations, something more meaningful. It was our special time, where I would take a break from cleaning, and he would take a break from a day of hard work.

At first I sat awkwardly, not knowing what to say to this man. But he was kind and welcoming enough and he asked questions that made him seem like he cared. I told him about my life when we first met, but during those meals was the first time I said it in details. Bruno seemed agitated, his usual gentle and stable demeanour was replaced by a worried, almost anxious one. I could see subtle changes in his expressions, the way his brows slightly furrowed, his jaw tightened and the way he avoided eye contact for second as if he needed a moment to compose himself. It seemed to me as if I saw his eyes water, but just for a brief second. Then he put on a slight smile and got back to his calming self and comforted me.

After this his behaviour towards me became even sweeter. He would ask about how I was doing, or if I was hungry, if my work was too exhausting, if I needed a break, if I needed money and if I needed someone, a shoulder to cry on. At first I wasn't sure if this was only out of pity. But we grew closer, I found out more about him, about his tough childhood, the divorce of his parents, and the first time he had killed a man.

He finally told me what he does for a living, and how come he has so much money for a mansion and a maid to clean it. When I heard it at first I was rightfully scared. But he was always too caring to be a cold hearted killer so I knew he wouldn't hurt me. As time passed he made feel like I finally had a safe space. A place where I could go and be at ease and not think about troubles of rent, a leaky roof and debts. Therefore I couldn't turn away from him, even after his confession. I have cleaned his blood stained shirts, without a question. I wasn't afraid of him.

Often he was home while I was working, but even if he wasn't he would still come back for lunch most of the time. I always greeted him warmly, with a hug and a big smile. Deep down I held this little secret that I actually loved it, I loved being in his arms and in his presence, more than I should. Then after a hug he would rush to make food. Lunch was always our special time, but we started talking even when I would work. He always at least make me company even when he had a job to do. That's how, day by day he became someone who I spent most of my time with, and someone who I thought about almost every second of the day.

Today was a normal day. I came to Bruno's house in the morning. I cleaned the house meticulously. It was around noon when I heard the door open. My whole face lit up and I ran up to the door to greet Bruno. I almost jumped to hug him. He caught me and held me tightly by the waist, hugging me.

"You're home" I said excitedly as I buried my face in his shoulder

"I'm glad to be back".

"Was today rough?" I asked with a hint of worry.

"It was a bit stressful," he replied, with a serious face "don't worry about it" he added in a hurry

"Are you sure about that?" I asked back, with clear concern showing on my face, pulling away from the hug completely.

"I'm fine now that I'm back" he replied with I smile, but I could tell it was a bit forced.

He didn't give me the chance to reply as he made his way towards the kitchen to make lunch. I carried away with my cleaning, but I was uneasy. He usually wasn't this distant. Something must have happened, but from the way he avoided answering he clearly didn't want to talk about it. I was always a little sensitive to his mannerisms. His distance distressed me. But as I was cleaning his living room, lost in my head, he called for lunch.

I left my chores, leaving the cloth and the mop on the floor beside the wall and cautiously went to the dinning room. As I was walking, my mind raced, was Bruno in a bad mood? I wasn't even sure if he wanted me there. He called out again and I started walking faster until I arrived. Lunch was on the table, ready. It was pasta carbonara, nothing too special or difficult to make but Bruno always made it delicious. He looked at me but quickly his gaze went to the food presented on the table. He didn't say anything, it was chillingly quiet.

The creaking of a chair being dragged on the floor broke the silence. He pulled out a chair for me, then lifted his gaze, looking at me deeply. "Have a seat, bella" he said in a quiet, raspy voice. Something was indeed bothering him. It was the voice a person uses when they are in deep distress, when they are so tensed up their voice changes. I simply nodded in response, feeling uneasy and sat down as he told me to. My mind started overthinking again.

I took a seat and pushed my chair to the table. I turned my head to look at him and smiled. He briefly smiled back and walked over to his seat. He poured the pasta into our plates and quickly started eating. I started eating too and avoided looking at him and as I quickly glanced up I noticed he was avoiding me too. Now I knew for sure that he was in a bad mood. He was never like this. He always talked to me, looked at me, paid attention to me. I didn't like this.

"The food tastes good." I awkwardly tried to start a conversation. "Thank you, Signore."

"I'm glad you like it, bella." He said politely, but a small smile escaped from his lips, revealing that he was still glad to be here despite being in a bad mood. "I'll do the dishes." He added. He put his gaze back onto his plate and focused on eating again. We ate in silence which was uncommon. That made me anxious. I forced myself to finish the plate, looking down throughout the whole meal.

Bruno finished first and waited for me to empty my plate. He turned sideways looking at the living room. While eating I occasionally glanced at him. Finally after a few minutes I finished eating too, which caused Bruno to immediately turn towards me and nod with a smile. He took both of our plates and the pot and carried it to the kitchen that was connected to the dining room. He carefully placed them in the sink, eyes not leaving the dishes. Afterwards, he turned to me and quickly approached my seat. I waited for him to pull my chair like he always insisted on doing. There was no need to say anything. He stood beside my chair and gently pulled it from the table.

"Here you go." he said in a deep voice and I stood up, my face turned to the side.

"Thank you, Signore." I said quietly and immediately got back to work. After an hour of cleaning my job was done. I was supposed to go home, but it was getting cloudy and rain started falling. I went to the living room where Bruno was watching TV. I started swiping the dust from the shelf besides the TV, trying not to block his view. I cleaned to buy some time in hopes that the rain will stop soon and that I will be able to go home. I knew that when I get home there will probably be a pond from the leaky roof waiting for me. What made me more anxious is Bruno's attitude today. Will he even call me tomorrow?

As I polished the shelf nervously I turned around to see if I was blocking Bruno's view, but instead I saw his blue eyes fixated on me. My heart started beating faster and I turned back to the shelf so that he won't see my embarrassed smile. The sound of rain started getting heavier and I could hear distant thunder. I cleaned all the dust from the shelf, but didn't know what else to do and felt awkward about just going around and cleaning random objects so I continued cleaning the shelf, pretending that there was still some dust.

Suddenly there was a loud thunder strike and I flinched. I was afraid of thunderstorms. Bruno chuckled and turned off the TV.

"Come sit down." he said calmly. I nodded and turned away from the shelf to sit besides him on the couch.

"Are you scared of the thunder?" he asked, breaking the silence.

I turned to him and nodded, embarrassed. "Yes…well you know sudden loud sounds, can't really say that I like them. I know its dumb." I said, admitting unwillingly.

Bruno sat beside me with a glass of wine, his way of relaxing. He held his glass elegantly in the hand further from me, and raised his eyebrows, looking at me amused. He smiled briefly, caringly and parted his lips as if to say something. He looked away, and raised his head to look up. "Well, how about you stay here?" he said confidently. The question took me off-guard. I was completely surprised. I never stayed overtime.

"No need to get embarrassed about it, bella, fear of thunderstorms are normal…and I'd be lying if I didn't admit that it was adorable." he added.

I was still stunned and didn't reply. He finally turned his head to me and lifted his head slightly as well as an eyebrow, expecting the answer.

"You mean like stay until the storm passes?" I asked confused.

He rolled his eyes and laughed a bit "No…not only that, I meant stay here…tonight." He said those words while looking in my eyes intensely "And the storm doesn't look like it would pass soon, it may even rain all night".

I didn't know what to say, it was too good to be true. I smiled and replied "Are you sure? You didn't look like you wanted any company." I said a little worried.

Suddenly his gaze became worried too and his brows frowned "Oh bella please don't think like that…actually I would love to have your company today." his eyes became even more charring, even more sincere "Please" he whispered, almost pleading.

I realized, he wasn't pushing me away because of the stress, I'm not getting on his nerves, he doesn't seek solitude, he wants someone to ease his worries. I smiled "I'll stay." my tone was sincere and tender.

His lips curled in a sweet smile. After a few seconds he got up and my gaze followed him. "Thank you." he said calmly, trying not to show emotions but it was obvious how grateful and relieved he was about me staying.

He then walked to the kitchen and poured some wine into a glass. He came back and bent slightly while extending the hand to give me a glass of wine with a kind and almost childish smile plastered on his lips. "Here you go." he said and I took the glass from his hand. Our fingers accidentally touching which caused me to unwillingly smile. I didn't want to look dumb but every interaction with him would cause me to smile or even blush. He sat next to me and extended his hand with his glass "Cheers."

We both took a sip of wine. I could tell it was of a good quality. Soon enough after a few sips, which was his second glass, we were a bit more comfortable. The atmosphere became more relaxed, but I couldn't wipe off that sweet nervousness that I always felt around him. Often times I didn't know what to reply to him.

"You know we can watch a movie if you would like. I can give you my clothes to wear for sleep. Please use my bathroom too, the one upstairs. We will move there after we finish the wine." he said nonchalantly, at least for him since he always had a certain seriousness about him. He turned his head to me and noticed my tension. He smiled widely and looked at me caringly "What is it, tesoro mio?". He then placed his hand on my back gently.

I smiled at the nickname and sighed "Its nothing really…Its just you know, you seemed a bit distant today. More than any other day. Bruno is something bothering you? Should I really stay? I won't force you to say it but please you can tell me anything. We've known each other for a long time now, I think you are the person I spend most of my time with." I started first shyly but I started getting more emotional. I stared at my glass and took a sip which quickly turned to finishing the whole glass. Without looking away I placed the empty glass on the table. I found the courage to look at Bruno. His eyes saddened and he now looked more worried.

His arm from my back slipped down and he touched my hands, still very lightly "Oh…I didn't know it affected you like that, angelo mio" he seemed down and sighed "I'm sorry." he said quietly while in his thoughts. "Is that why you were so anxious today? Did I upset you?" he asked louder than his previous words, as if relieved. Almost unnoticeably he moved closer to me.

I nodded, embarrassed about getting emotional. "I had no idea" he exhaled gently "I usually read people well, I was just so stressed I wasn't really paying attention. I'm sorry…Well I guess I owe you an explanation" he started. "You know what I do for a living. There was a mishap…a crossfire happened and one of my subordinates got injured. You know this part of the job really stresses me out. I know its dangerous but you don't really think about it. You push it under the rug until something like this comes up and reminds you." he said, his voice shaky, he looked so tired and vulnerable. I listened to his every word carefully, noticing every emotion that crossed his face. As he kept talking his at first light touch on my hand became more tense.

"It really makes you think…I don't like burdening people with this, I am supposed to be the one that gives them hope, that makes them feel safe. But suddenly everything around me feels unsafe" his hand squeezed mine "I am really trying to keep everyone around me safe, but if its not enough…" he added, already too distressed to talk. I looked at him deeply and placed my other hand above his "Caro…you're doing more than enough." I said softly but took a moment to calm myself so that my next words don't come with tears. "If it means anything to you, you've always made me feel safe…and happy" unwillingly a tear fell down my cheek. Bruno's face lit up and an honest, catharsic like smile appeared on his lips.

"It means…it means a lot…what you've said means everything to me." he said with voice shakier than I've ever heard it.

My heart melted I removed my one hand from his and placed it gently on his shoulder. Then I took my other hand from his grasp and went in for a hug. His eyes widened in disbelief as I slowly closed the distance between us. I held him gently and rested my head on his shoulders. At first he didn't even move. He inhaled deeply and slowly wrapped both his arms around me, very uncertainly, I could feel how his body shook slightly. After a few moments he got used to it and tightened his grip, anxiously, like he never wanted to let go. It made me so happy. Now both of our bodies were so close that I could feel his heartbeat. At first I mistook it for my own because of how fast it was beating.

I started caressing his back gently and he leaned in more and buried his head between my neck and shoulder. After holding him and caressing him for some time I felt something wet hit my shoulder, his tears. His tight grip let me know that he didn't want to let go. We sat, holding each other in silence. His breathing became calmer and deeper. While still holding me firmly he moved his hand across my back. I felt his fingers run up and down my spine. I leaned in even more and held his head, keeping it in my neck, feeling his breath and gently playing with his smooth hair. He let out a quiet hum. I listened to the rain falling and his heartbeat along with his unsteady breath.

Suddenly thunder struck and I flinched again almost jumping from where I was sitting. Bruno and I cracked up laughing and pulled apart from our hug while still laughing.

"Thank you, bella" he said.

"No problem, Signore" I answered and giggled again. He smiled at me warmly and pinched my cheek.

He then took my hand, noting me to stand up "We should go upstairs now. Go take a shower and I'll wait for you. I'll pick us a movie to watch."

He walked me to the bathroom that was next to his bedroom. I went in and started taking a shower. His bathroom is very well kept and clean, after all I was the one who maintained it. As I washed myself my mind couldn't stop wandering. My heart was still racing as my thoughts kept coming back to Bruno. I quickly finished my shower, feeling all clean and fresh. I grabbed a towel that Bruno gave me and started drying myself. That's when I realized that he didn't give me any clothes. After a few seconds of myself getting too embarrassed I collected the courage to wrap myself in the towel and opened the bathroom door just enough to slip my hand through.

"Um…Signore what should I wear". Suddenly the realization had struck him and he started laughing nervously and quickly stood up from the bed and went to his closet. Soon he handed me his shirt, while his head was turned away from me in respect.

"I'm sorry this is the only thing I have that fits you. Its probably big enough to fit you like a dress" he said still embarrassed. I took it and got dressed. I slowly got out of the bathroom. Bruno was putting a movie on and when he noticed me a smile appeared on his face

"I'm glad the shirt fits you so perfectly" then he patted the spot next to him on the bed "Come here" he said. I chuckled and sat down. He put on a movie, it was a romance. I looked at him surprised and raised my eyebrows. He closed his eyes in embarrassment and smiled. I chuckled in response

"Its alright, we'll watch that."

"Its an old movie, I'm sorry if you don't like movies like this, if you want to I can change it" he said, almost flustered, trying to sound as polite as possible.

"No, no, If you like it I would love to see it" I said and gave him a smile. He put his arm around my shoulder, like a gentleman. The movie began, it was a black and white one with classy and calming music, the lights were off. I started getting more nervous since I was in Bruno's bed with his arm around my shoulder. I wasn't even sure what it meant. My heart started beating even faster than before. My body felt very stiff as I tried relaxing into his embrace. I tried not to let him see how nervous I was, because I didn't want him to move his hand. I could hear my heartbeat.

Suddenly a loud thunder strike brought me back to reality from my daydreaming. I jumped and gasped, completely caught off guard. Bruno's hand dragged me closer to him, right into his embrace. I looked at him surprised.

"Is it better like this?" he asked in his deep voice with a gentle smile.

I nodded, still taken aback. He than placed me in a more comfortable position. He brought me between his legs, almost but still not sitting in his lap. His left arm slipped from my shoulder slowly to my waist while he gently placed his right hand on my cheek. I could feel all the heat from my body rushing to my cheeks, like I had a fever. I was so happy he couldn't see them since they were completely red.

"I'm glad" he said calmly.

I was wondering if he could feel my heartbeat through his hand since it was pounding so hard. I couldn't watch the movie any more, I was simply thinking about him. How could I even go back to working for him like this didn't happen. This must mean something. I know I like him too much but he wouldn't just hold anyone like this.

His hand kept caressing me as I almost completely forgot about the movie. His hand was so gentle and the one on my waist, could he feel how my heartbeat affected my breathing, it was barely touching me, not grabbing me at all. It gave me this ticklish feeling. I wish he would grab me tighter honestly…As I was getting lost in all my thoughts about my boss not paying attention to anything around me, the movie went a little silent. The silence went on and I could feel Bruno's eyes on me. My back was leaning in his chest and what I thought was my pounding chest turned out to be his. It almost felt like our heartbeats were completely synced up.

I turned around to look at him just to see that I was right, his eyes were fixed on me. His pupils were wide, he was looking at me intensely, and didn't look away when I turned. His gaze shifted on my own eyes. He looked at me deeply, I could almost describe it as hungry. Something sparked in his eyes the moment I turned and I couldn't look away either. His hand that was caressing my cheek now tightened, as well as his hand on my waist.

He lowered his gaze onto my lips, and after a few seconds he looked at my eyes again, slightly softening his expression and very slightly rising his eyebrows as if asking for permission. It felt hypnotizing, I simply leaned in slightly more into his gentle yet passionate touch and by a few millimetres brought my face closer to his. He looked at me even more heatedly. With his hand that was on my cheek he lowered his thumb and placed it on my lower lip and pressed softly.

I was almost shaking from excitement, my breath deepening, following Bruno's lead. Bruno deeply inhaled and looked me in the eyes once more, parting my lips with his thumb, then lead my body closer to him by the waist.

I closed my eyes and felt his lips press on mine gently, he then pulled away but was still close enough that we could feel each others breath on our skin. I kept my eyes closed and his finger was still touching my lips, reminding me of the feeling of having his lips on mine. He closed the distance and his lips were once again on mine. Very softly for a few seconds, then he pressed harder, he held my waist more roughly, and pressed my body completely on his. I parted my legs so I could sit in his lap where he placed me. I put my hands on his bare chest. He used his finger to open my mouth a little wider and slipped his tongue in. I moaned into the kiss, this time he wasn't holding back.

I felt myself getting lost in the feeling of his passionate kiss. I couldn't keep still, it felt like I was melting under his kiss and touch. I quivered and slid my hips across his lap. That's when I felt something hot and stiff under me. I whimpered at the feeling of it, and surprise. He kissed me more deeply and groaned. His hands couldn't keep still on my body. He lowered his hand from my waist to my ass and gripped hard. With his other hand he grabbed my hair making me pull away from the kiss, exposing my neck. I could feel his hot breath there.

"I wanted this for such a long time, angelo mio" his words tickled the skin of my neck. All I could think of saying is I love you, but I didn't want to say it just yet, so in response I only moaned. He looked at me closely while caressing my back and nape and then kissed my neck softly, only with his lips a few times before biting me. It would definitely leave a mark.

With his hand he went under my shirt and brushed my stomach and waist, slowly bringing it up. With every single brush of his fingers against my skin, mixed with the sensation of his teeth on my neck I made some sort of noise, a moan, a whimper, I couldn't keep silent any more."Ah Bruno…" I moaned.

"Yes, amore mio" he replies, his voice deep and rugged. His hand moving onto my breast, squeezing gently, before making a circle with his finger around my nipple. I moaned and he kissed me again. He started sliding both of his hands up, moving my shirt along with them

"May I?" he asked cautiously. "Please" I replied eagerly. With my approval he took of my shirt completely. After slowly and carefully taking my shirt off, making sure to savour every moment, every part of my body that he is uncovering, he looked mesmerized. He took a moment to look at me. Delicately he came closer and kissed my shoulder while having his hand on my back for support. He trailed kisses from my shoulder up to my neck and when his lips came closer to my ear he whispered

"Sei cosi bella". It gave me goosebumps. With his hand on my back he gently laid me down on the bed. He placed his hand on mine and kissed me again, only softly pressing his lips on mine. He was still holding back. He sat next to me on the bed and took his hand, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before dragging his fingers gently down my whole body. While doing so he said serenely

"You're tense, take a deep breath. We can stop anytime you want. Just please…rilassati per me" (Relax for me). I did as he said, I took a deep breath and tried to relax.

"I can't, Bruno. For too long I've been longing for this" I replied to him, sincerely. I noticed the widening in his eyes, he tried to process what I said. Quickly he came back to this moment and looked at me reassuringly

"I'll give you everything" he said. When his hand, that was slowly dragging along my body, reached my hip, it stopped. He glanced at me before looking down between my legs. His hand started moving again from my hip to my thigh and then closer. He touched me tenderly, as if to see my reaction. When I felt his hand my breath hitched. I almost started shaking from anticipation. He noticed and for the first time touched me properly. His hand moved tenderly in circles. I let out a breathy moan. He started going a bit faster

"Don't worry, I'll take it slow".

"I want you" I moaned eagerly already getting worked up, without having anything inside of me yet. He kept touching me where I was sensitive the most. The sensation almost too much. He sensed that I enjoyed it. I was already starting to lose myself, my breathing became faster and uneven, my chest rising and falling, so he dragged his finger lower. He earned a surprised moan from me.

"May I?" he whispered and I immediately nodded. He carefully dragged his finger around my wet entrance. My whole body was begging for him. Slowly, he inserted only the tip of his finger. Than, while looking at me in the eyes he inserted the rest, bit by bit. His fingers were long and slim, very elegant. He took care of them so they were smooth. When he finally inserted it entirely I let out a loud whine. "Ah Signore" I felt it deeply.

"Does it feel good?" he asked, sounding proud. "Mhmmm" I moaned in response. He started moving it. The pace was not rough nor slow, but it definitely was a teasing one. It felt amazing, too much, too good, but not enough to satisfy, only to leave you longing for more. I was anticipating every time he would insert it back deeper before pulling it out slightly, just to bury it deep within me and hit the right spot.

My body was moving on its own, followed by all the whimpers. Without realizing what I was doing, I grabbed Bruno's free hand and held it tightly. His eyes looked at me with care.

"Oh Angelo mio" he said quietly before lowering himself to kiss me, without changing the pace. He pulled away but kept his face above mine closely, looking in my eyes, almost like looking at my very soul. "Do you need more?" he asked. I was too focused on his eyes and the pleasure

"Signore…yes…yes please". He added one more finger, stretching me out a little more. It felt amazing, just enough that I needed, but only for short time before my lust grew and I needed even more.

He started fingering me even faster, leaving me panting. I held his hand tightly while getting lost in pleasure.

"Così adorabile" he murmured and suddenly took his fingers out. He looked at me intensely and moved away from me, from my side to in front of me. He was sitting but now he started lowering his head. He stopped between my legs. While keeping an eye contact he kissed my thigh and parted my legs with his hand. He trailed kisses to my inner thigh. He closed his eyes and bit me. He kept kissing that spot and softly sucking. Then he lifted his head and slowly got closer. He licked teasingly at first. After I got used to it he started his own pace. I was gripping the sheet. The feeling was very gentle, his tongue kept working on me smoothly. He started licking the same spot, the one he noticed I liked the best. The pleasure was overwhelming, unbearable for me to keep still. I suddenly, grabbed him by his hair hard and dragged him even closer, burying his head between my legs. He let out a deep muffled out grunt and held me by my thighs, digging his fingers in my skin. I threw my head back as he started going faster. He was so focused on pleasing me, it felt like it was pleasing for him too. From time to time he would glance at me hungrily. Not only was it not enough for me, but also for him. All the nervousness left me and he wasn't holding back. He looked at me with such intense hunger and pulled away.

"Sit on my face" he suddenly said.

I looked at him surprised "Signore?" I asked confused.

"Cara mia, don't hesitate" he gave me an approving smile and took my hands, putting me in a sitting position. Than, while still holding my hands, he laid down and pulled my hands to him, encouraging me to move on top of him. I cautiously sat and he immediately let go of my one hand while still holding the other and grabbed me by the hips, bringing me even closer before he started again, even more passionately. I had to get hold of the headboard to keep myself stable. It felt even better like this and it wasn't long before I started moving my hips on my own, which made both of us enjoy it more. He was getting into it more, working his tongue harder, sliding all over my sensitive parts. He kept holding my hand, making my heart swell with love.

"Aaah Bruno it feels so good" I moaned and he fiercely kept going. His tongue crossed my entrance which reminded me of the fullness I felt earlier and how much I missed it. I wanted him inside of me right there. "Ah Signore I can't…aaah…I can't keep up like this any more… ah I need more" I pleaded. He let himself enjoy it for a few seconds longer before pulling away. I let go of his hand and got off him. He sat up and held me by the waist.

"Bella…you want me so much". I looked at him before my glance fell to his pants. He placed his fingers on the hem of his pants and slipped them inside as if he is going to take them off. I slightly bent to reach him and slid my fingers next to his while looking at his eyes cautiously to see if he was okay with it. He started pulling his pants down slowly and I did too, along with his underwear, revealing his crotch. It was big, like I expected from when I felt it against me earlier. His pants were gone and now both of us were naked. We sat in a few moments of silence. This is the first time I saw Bruno without clothes and it only made my desire grow. I wanted to know how it felt like. I realized that I've been staring so I told him sweetly

"Signore…can I do the same for you?". He took my chin in his hands and kissed me passionately but shortly. He put his hand on my shoulder and gently pushed me down, on the floor.

"On your knees" he whispered and I kneeled if front of him. With his hand on my chin he guided me upwards and gave me another, more intense kiss. He pulled away and started bringing me lower. I followed his lead and my head was between his legs. He caressed my chin while I was looking in his eyes with anticipation and desire. He placed his hand that was on my chin in my hair and slowly started directing my head towards his cock. My lips were just centimetres away from it. He brought his finger to my lips and parted them, all while I looked at him eagerly. With my lips parted he placed his finger inside my mouth, exploring it for a few seconds, teasing me, making me want it even more. And I was sure he could tell just how much I wanted him by the look of his eyes. I closed my mouth and started sucking on his finger, seductively.

"Mia dolce ragazza" he praised and took his finger out of my mouth. Again he parted my lips, but now brought them to his cock. My mouth touched it and I could hear his breath hitch in anticipation. All the while he was pleasuring me, we paid no attention to his needs, so he was extremely pent up. I gave his tip a teasing lick and he inhaled sharply. His hands started playing with my hair. I wrapped my lips around it without putting it in my mouth yet. He gave me a stern look and pushed my head further, making me take his tip. I sucked on it only slightly. I had to open my mouth wider so I could take it in. I started moving my head up and down, further from the tip, still not halfway through it. Bruno moaned and brushed his fingers gently through my hair. The intense look in his eyes told me he wanted more. I took it further and went back again with only his tip in my warm mouth before quickly lowering my head even further.

"Proprio così, mia dolce ragazza" (Just like that my sweet girl). The sweetness of his voice made me moan, sending vibrations to his cock. He grunted and tucked my hair behind before pushing me deeper. Wanting to please him more I moved my head faster, paying attention to every detail. I sucked in my cheeks making the inside of my mouth tighter, applying more pressure to it and swirling my tongue. A deep groan escaped his lips. My jaw started hurting from his size, but I kept going with the same pace, eager to please him.

I closed my eyes, but quickly I heard Bruno say "Open your eyes, bella, I want you to look at me". I opened my eyes and looked into his, innocently gazing up at him. I was taking a little more than half of it and I could feel it hit the back of my throat. I wondered how it would feel inside of me. With those thoughts I forced myself to take more, struggling to keep the pace and to keep taking that much. I gagged at the size and my eyes filled with tears. They streamed down my cheeks while I was choking on it, looking up at Bruno with glassy eyes. Noticing me struggling He pulled me away by my hair. On my knees I coughed and he caressed my cheek, wiping away my tears. He placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Take it easy, amore mio" he said as he pulled me closer, to his chest, while still keeping me kneeling. Then gently while keeping his hands on my skin, like a soft brush, brought his one hand on my face and the other on my back. I leaned my face against his chest and stayed like that for a few moments, peacefully until my breathing calmed. He took my face in front of him and tenderly kissed my forehead "Good girl". We looked at each other, full of love and anticipation.

"I just want to please you, Signore" I said softly. He cupped my cheeks.

"I know, angelo mio" he whispered before lowering my head again. I didn't hesitate to wrap my soft lips around it. After taking half of it in my mouth I took his hands and placed them firmly on my head, noting him that I want him to guide me.

"I will" he said and held my head securely. His arms gently pushed me further and back. He kept the pace he liked and I relaxed and kept my lips around it while adjusting to the size and rhythm. After few minutes of sucking it like that, with small breaks he gave me, I got used to it. He guided me to take it whole. I felt it deeply inside my throat and whimpered at the feeling.

"Just like that" he said breathlessly. I deep-throated him, as he wished, gagging from time to time. "Keep breathing. Relax your jaw." he told me calmly. His eyes tried staying on mine but he would look up in pleasure and grip my hair tighter when it would hit the back of my throat. Biting his lip and moaning. I could feel it twitching inside my mouth. Shortly after which he pulled away carefully.

"You were perfect" he praised while stroking my cheek. His finger slid under my chin and he pulled me up to kiss me deeply. That turned into a long, passionate and needy kiss.

He took me in his lap while kissing me, and laid both of us down, with me on top. Our kisses were getting sloppier and our breath more rapid. I lowered my face to kiss his neck and gave him bites from time to time, after which every time his breath hitched. After a few minutes he pushed me and turned us around, making himself on top. His lips were sealed on mine, his hand trailing over my chest. I felt him pinch my nipple. A moan escaped my lips which made him deepen the kiss. Tracing his hand lower he made his way toward my thigh. Sighing at the sensation of his warm, gentle fingers I allowed him to part my legs.

Continuing to kiss me passionately I felt his dick on my skin not yet at the entrance. My moan of desire was swallowed by the increasing intensity of the kiss. He broke away from the kiss, looked at me with heavy lids in a drunk like state, took my hand in his and kissed the inside of my wrist. Then he positioned himself at my entrance. He smiled at me reassuringly and I gave him an approving nod, inhaling sharply. I've been awaiting this. I needed to feel him inside. An anxious feeling arose in my chest, worrying because of his size. Slowly the pressure on my entrance turned into a sharp pain, making me grip the sheet and let out a loud high pitched moan. Bruno's expression was one of satisfaction, his heavy lids closed before his eyes suddenly opened from hearing the pained moan and became worried. He took my hand in his, entangling our fingers. Taking advantage of my open mouth, his lips were immediately sealed on mine. He pushed a few more centimetres in, making me scream and held his hand tighter. My other hand placed on his shoulder, holding him sweetly. Separating his lips from mine he said lovingly

"Does it hurt?". "Mhm" and a whimper was all I could produce in response.

"Oh Angelo mio" his whole demeanour softened, but he still had that same pleasured look plastered over his face. "You will feel good soon" he said caringly "As I said before we can stop anytime you want".

My eyes looked at him pleadingly, with my eyebrows knitted and mouth open "Please don't stop, Signore". He chuckled in response and kissed my forehead. "Just hold my hand" I told him desperately.

"I will, bella" he said with a sincere smile. Inserting the whole tip in he inhaled sharply and then groaned. His eyes closed again, biting his lip at the feeling of the pressure. A beautiful sight that made me clench and him moan.

"Ah…bella don't do this to me". I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Unable to resist he pushed himself deeper, making me whimper. I could feel him stretching me. He let out a grunt and went even deeper. "I'm more than half way in, bella" he whispered in my ear. I whimpered.

"Signore"."You can take it" he said reassuringly and went deeper. From his face I could tell how careful he was with every move and how he savoured every moment, enjoying it fully, relishing every sensation, from every inch he buried in me. He did not only wait for me to adjust but let himself take delight in every second, intensely watching my reactions. I found myself clinging to him, he held me like I was so precious, moaning softly.

"Oh, angelo mio" from time to time. He finally moved into me entirely. I felt it so deep, more than I thought I could take. I screamed again and my eyes rolled back, my nails dig into his shoulder, contrary to my previous gentle touch.

"Ah mmm Signore". He let out a deep moan and couldn't keep calm so he rested his head on my neck.

"That's it, bella" he whispered, tickling my skin with his breath. He moved his hips a few inches away from me until he was halfway out, stopping there. The warmth of his hands gently pressed on my cheeks. “Can I move, tesoro?” he asked tentatively. His raspy voice echoing throughout the room, quiet enough so only our sweet moans, eager breaths even could be heard. His tone enough to make me desperate. I nodded in agreement but from the look in my eyes alone he could tell that the answer was yes.

I managed to utter the words “Yes, Signore” making him grunt in exhilaration, lids widen. From my words I felt his twitch inside me, making me involuntarily whine. I grabbed one of his hands on my cheek, reminding him of my request. “Please be gentle” I added nervously. His smile was wide, his whole body trembling in excitement.

He didn't waste time and immediately thrusted back in entirely, before pulling out half way. He started with a steady but strong pace. Every time he pushed inside it would make me feel overwhelmed. In that blissed out state I let put an uncontrolled whimper the moment he buried himself inside me, before repeating it again and again. I started feeling dazed, my mind filling with fog and the only thing I knew then was him and the immense pleasure he was giving me with every thrust. I almost forgot to breathe. My eyes couldn't focus. He too was almost out of his mind, looking up, eyes rolling, getting high off my every moan, every sound I would incoherently make. His foggy eyes would look down at me before closing them shut, unable to focus on anything other than the feeling of my tightness and warmth.

”Mia dolce ragazza” he whispered, “Amore mio, Angelo mio, sei cosi perfetto, cosi bella, cosi affascinante. Ti amo bella, mio grazioso angelo, ti amo carina” he repeated incoherently, in a drunken like state “Ti amo” he continued whispering. This state of mind made him instinctively grab my thighs fervently, possessively, spreading them, keeping them apart and allowing him to go even deeper and increase his pace. It was still not fast nor rough, but pervaded with burning passion. He moaned loudly, consumed by pleasure. “Ti amo” he mumbled again. In a muddled state, trembling beneath him I managed to answer, voice shaky

“Ah Bruno…I love you too” before my mind went blank. My body convulsed from his intense pounding, my belly and chest going up and down from my heavy breathing. Every time I felt him hit that spot deep inside my legs twitched. Noticing that he buried his fingers in my skin, leaving deep marks. Extending my hand I brushed my fingers along his chest, wanting to be closer to him.

With a wide smile he raised his head, looking up now thrusting more passionately with quiet moans. He glanced at my hands, brushing his palms all the way from my thighs to my hand before gently grabbing it and pulling it to his lips, kissing it. He then grabbed my wrists in a light hold and bent over me, our chests touching. He kissed me deeply, slowing his pace while doing so, I let out a muffled moan to which he responded with a soft one of his own. Pulling away from the kiss he shuffled his arms to my back, fully embracing me, continuing again with his previous vigorous pace. With the returned intensity I wrapped my legs around him. Touching our foreheads together we looked at each other, lovesick, completely enamoured with one another.

“Signore” I whined between moans without looking away. “Keep looking at me, angelo mio” he said breathlessly. “You're so beautiful, signore” I responded my voice full of adoration.

He smiled and chuckle which soon turned into a moan, holding my body tighter, like wanting to combine us into one. It felt like he was going even deeper, if that was possible. “I love you” I uttered against his lips my eyes glassy like tears are about to fall any moment.

“Anch'io ti amo” he moaned, lowering his head to my neck, sprinkling kisses on it. The combined sensations of him inside of me and his soft pecks made me tremble. I felt his teeth scrape against my tender skin causing shivers down my spine.

“More, signore” I pleaded stretching my neck to give him more access. With that he enthusiastically sunk his teeth into me, fulfilling my wish. The tingling pain caused the tears in my eyes to overflow, trailing down my cheeks. My fingers ran through his hair, gripping him tightly, pushing his head deeper into my neck simultaneously leaning into him. He let out a deep groan sending vibrations to my skin. All the combined sensations of pain and pleasure made me yearn for more. I couldn't take it any more. I started moving my hips to meet his, greedily trying to get more friction, my moans getting louder and more needy. He bit down harder, sucking on the same spot. Making sure to leave a mark while thrusting, now harder and sloppier.

“Oh carina, you want me so much” he whispered into my neck in a deep, teasing voice.

“Bruno…” I cried out, my whole body and mind focused on feeling him more.

Swiftly he tightened his hands and I felt myself being lifted. Without pulling out he placed me right onto his lap, holding me securely. His eyes watched me, completely mesmerized, looking at me deeply, taking a few seconds to appreciate the beauty of my face, eyes, lips, then looking down at my body with that same look that he often gave me when we were alone together. Only this time not hiding his passion.

Bending his head to trace kisses on my bruised and now more sensitive neck and my chest, he held me possessively but tenderly at the same time, continuing his appreciation. I wasted no time and lifted myself before slamming back down with his head leaning against my chest. The room was now increasingly filling with more and more heated moans. In my desire of wanting him closer, wanting him more my hips instinctively moved faster, my body at limit. I tried taking more and more,slamming myself onto his hips, feeling myself getting overstimulated and swallowed up by my desire. Mindlessly going up and down, not minding the pain that I would feel every time my hips met his, hearing his sweet grunts only making me try more. I could hear my voice get increasingly louder from soft moans to intense cries.

“More aah more please more” I repeated breathlessly, like in a different state of mind. Bruno, noticing me getting too impatient, grabbed my hips firmly, holding them still, not allowing me to move, depriving me of the friction that I needed more than anything in the moment. However, the position he held my hips in, all the way down to his, was one of me taking his whole length, feeling his tip touch my cervix. Not being able to move away I let out a whimper. It was too much and at the same time too little. My body started shaking. I tried moving myself up, however his strong arms held me in place.

He lifted his head to meet my eyes “Don't be so hasty, I want this to last longer” he whispered, still it somehow sounded like an order.

Whining quietly I nodded, completely at his mercy. His arms lifted me carefully just to bring me down again, with the same gentleness. Attentively he made love to me, without his gaze straying away from my eyes. He wouldn't look away from me, keeping his piercing eyes on mine the whole time. I couldn't take it any more and looked away, instead opting to look at his chest, avoiding his glance. Quickly he trailed one hand to my chin, grabbing it with his thumb and forefinger, and returned my head to its former position, making me face him again.

“Don't be so shy, bella. Look at me.” he ordered me in a raspy tone. I unwillingly looked at him with heavy lids, feeling embarrassed even though there was nothing to hide away from any more. He continued moving my hips slowly while keeping the intense eye contact though his eyes could hardly focus from the pleasure. At that moment it was like time stopped, it was just us, feeling each other, letting his hands control my hips, my movements, pace, making me feel every inch, every detail of him going in and out, hitting my deepest parts. He leaned his face against mine, nuzzling me.

“I love you so much, bella” he said tenderly and kissed me slowly without giving me time to say it back.

He started speeding up bit by bit, carefully watching my reaction. Although I liked feeling him slowly making love to me, I was glad he started picking up his pace. With his increasingly faster rhythm my moans started getting louder. I clung to him, my arms embracing him, wanting to be closer and to hold onto something.

“Here, bella” he gently moaned and sped up again. Losing my composure I buried my head between his neck and shoulder and bit hard to hold back the sounds that still inevitably escaped my mouth. I whimpered into his skin, trying to match his now harsh pace. The harder he went the more I started losing myself, my body giving out, becoming limp in his embrace. Lost in pleasure he continued thrusting roughly for a few minutes holding my exhausted body.

Noticing that I couldn't keep my body up he placed me back on the bed, hovering over me, adjusting the pillows, placing one under my lower back.

“Thank you, signore” I said in a shaky voice. He didn't reply, instead he started thrusting roughly again with a pleased smile. I screamed, tears streaming down my face, which he kissed away.

“Please hold me, signore” I pleaded between my loud moans. Immediately, he fulfilled my request, holding me, putting his arms across my back. I felt myself going back and forth with the force of his thrusts, throwing my head back, giving him access to my neck which he latched onto, alternating between soft kisses and harsh bites. With each and every movement he got faster, rougher, hitting my sweet spot over and over again.

“Bruno…” I uttered his name in my now raspy, hoarse voice, digging my nails in his shoulders. He growled at my broken moan or maybe it was the feeling of my fingers gripping him. I couldn't tell any more. My mind only focused on feeling of him inside me, of his kisses, of his warm hands firmly on my body, I could only focus on Bruno. He rested his head next to mine, his heavy breaths falling onto my ears, his movements getting uneven. I realised that he was getting close and so was I. There was a pressure building up inside. I started moving my hips, trying to feel more, get over the edge. With my moans and movements getting needier he noticed how much I needed a release, and he too let himself go, allowed himself to be more unreserved.

“I'm close, bella”

"Me too Signore…ah I can't…" I was barely able to speak let alone to form a sentence. All that was left in the room were needy and loud moans, getting more intense and a few words mumbled, a clapping sound skin to skin getting faster and faster. I held onto him tighter, like my life depended on it, and he returned it with the same passion. I could feel that with every movement he hit my sweet spot and held me so comforting as I let out cries and moans into his shoulder

"Ah bella, that's it…ngh come" he whispered. And like every time, I obeyed, letting an overwhelming feeling wash over me while his every thrust sent me over the edge and forced me to stay longer in this feeling. I whined and moaned loudly, incoherently, tightening around him before he himself couldn't keep it any more and followed up with his own release.

He groaned deeply "Ah angelo mio, may I?" while uncontrollably thrusting into me.

"Please Signore…please" I whispered, completely surrendering to the feeling. He came inside, moaning and whimpering at every thrust. It was like the time stopped for me and I could feel everything.

After we both finished we stayed like that, holding each other, completely tangled, he was still inside and both of us were breathing heavily against each other's ears. He laid on top of me, holding onto me like I was the most precious thing. We laid like that in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying one another's warmth before he lifted his head just above mine and moved his hand on my cheek "Bella" he said, every letter and every look from his eyes full of love, if I didn't know him for so long I would've thought that he might start crying from how glossy his eyes were.

"Did you like it?" he asked. All I could do was eagerly nod and kiss him passionately on the lips.

"I love you Signore" I said, all the pent up emotions coming through my words.

"I love you too angelo mio" he said lovingly. " And please, call me Bruno" he chuckled.

"I love you so much, Signore Bruno" I told him.

He chuckled again, his eyes full of happiness "Mia dolce ragazza" he said before kissing me.

Thank you so much for reading through to the end. We hope that there weren't any grammar mistakes. Give us feedback please may your children and grandkids live long healty life(unless you don't want kids than no, you live happy then). Follow us on other platforms so we can be mutuals. We have another fanfic coming soon. We decided to take a fantasy/fairytale turn. We hope you enjoyed!

[outsidereveries]

in this seventh issue you will see..

tzuyu's overall career reading (like future check) in her hometown: honestly it's not that bad as it can seems. i can see she would actually love to at least try to establish her individual relevance back in her hometown (i am not sure about china by its own since both countries are in its own conflict and until everything is resolved between them and possibly others, taiwan is independent by its own, so i asked separately about taiwan). however, due to that controversy she had when she wasn't even 18, she is aware of the hardships it can bring. as much as tzuyu would like to try again, it's only fair if the taiwanese audience want to give her a chance by itself. i personally doubt jype shut her out in this perspective/possibility, but they just don't have opinion. if taiwan wants her, ok, but only then.

how vcha view twice: collectively, they see the senior group as very ambitious people who work ready hard to achieve their goals. i can see also admiration, possibly even idolization from vcha's side, and respectfully why.

how wonyoung feels about either way's lyrics: i can see that she relates to the lyrics based on her experiences, it was like a shock to her. up to that, i really don't see anything else as she doesn't want to share more, it's really personal how she feels.

if someone from ive has solo career in the future, will ive promote as a group like now?: um, yeah, i see they'll be still promoted but like, it won't be the fucking same. i do see a member who will be the most affected out of all (since noone has fire sun, then moon/dominant planet/etc.) because they will still want the solo career that member has. i do see some sort of mistreatment and even mismanagement to some extent but that will be the only issue as of now.

babymonster, career reading, 2026: i do see postpoment for that tour yge is planning in 2025. due to uncontrollable and unstable reasons from the earlier year, i am not even sure.. i am sorry if i happen to be ffs wrong but are they living in a lie? around that time, of course. look. the girls will be even more full of postpontments and any sort of delays and the only beneficial thing i actually see here is either a tour or activities outside of south korea. i am still not sure they will be 7 and .. ahyeon doesn't seem to be the reason why.

ygnbg check: they're still on postponement :) i don't see someone specific, they really gave up for now. (that person also asked for anyone standing out and possibly ethinicities and all that shit, i cannot say anything when yge stopped working on them for unspecified time)

how jay (enhypen) feels about sunghoon?: jay believes he is fair and responsible person. he appreciates that sunghoon might do multiple things at once as of now, and also that quality of his that he can get revenge if there is some sort of unfairness. quite wild person when it's needed.

jake (enhypen), general reading: from what i see, currently he is more focused on work than ever. i do see some workaholic tendencies from jake himself, so honestly he has to be careful to not overwork himself at this point. i don't see anything else. he might work harder for perfomance, stage, tour, next comeback, i have no clue.

why the issue with chaeyoung's red face happened years ago: whoever uploaded that video with the thumbnail in question, don't want chaeyoung to continue as a public person. i'd even say they cursed her in some way, at least from what i see. they seem to like other members more than her.

babymonster, first comeback, career reading: since blackpink have resigned with the company as a group (i am making difference between individual contracts and group ones!!), yge have more money to continue with babymonster, which for them is good. however, this leads from the company's side to literally "abuse" k-netizens with baemon's presence even more with the girls' first comeback. i can see ahyeon's eventual choice influencing the girls' first comeback the most, and rightfully so. however, due to uncertain outlooks the energy of babymonster's first comeback is really shaky because as of now ahyeon priorities her health.

does jype's founder want wonyoung in his company?: as much as he would love to, he would prefer to save her from the company he founded, jyp himself might be actually aware of its tactics :)

what does baemon (ot6 without ahyeon) think of ahyeon's break: they are too anxious, possibly because of her actual relevance. i'd say they were unaware of what is happening and perhaps they overthink everything: was she lying, is she actually okay, what will happen to baemon now.. i am unsure if they actually care about ahyeon herself because they seem to care much more about how much they earn individually rather than ahyeon's actual mentality/wellbeing as of now and even if they care about her, that's not their main concern.

why txt had this much scandals the recent months: i do see someone certain who want to (i am sorry but) destroy the group. they seem to have very negative energy that is invented towards (allegedly) the group and the company's team. i can see that the best thing they (bhm's team) do is to ignore the threats and etc. towards them (txt included). i see that it might've been way worse for txt but they survived through it and whatever was going to be released/revealed/etc. didn't got public in the end.

will txt be as relevant as before: with the time i believe so but it will really take some time.

how the recent scandals txt had will affect the group?: not much, they seem to have learned some lessons from this point in their group career but apart from that nothing much :|

"next so-called bts (allegedly!!)", more info (UPDATE): they haven't debuted and if they will, as of now it will be up to 8 months. i do see the past group i saw as the "next bts" was for some reason fifty fifty, so now I do see different group. i still see the next group that might have similar releavance as bts will allegedly be girl one. however, i am not sure if the company the group will be in will be from sme/jype/yge/hybe or smaller one (with budget and etc.), i see the company the girls are in have some setbacks, such as delays, financial issues and so on, so in the case where (from what I see) almost all of big4 companies have more or less financial issues (i don't see hybe being affected and if it is, they're the least out of these 4) i am unsure if the company is big or not. it seems to be bigger but i am not sure if it's from big3+hybe.

will the companies that make international groups with western companies do well?: ah.. about that.. only hybe seems to do well.. i checked hybe, jype and sme since i am aware only for these 3 companies. compared to VCHA and the group between SME and .. idk, that UK company, or that USA one, i cannot remember atp, KATSEYE seems to do really well. maybe not as well as the other two but better, I guess.. they can do well and although not as well as some of their other groups, they will be just fine, i guess. VCHA on the other hand seem to rely mainly on the company USA is managing them and on their fanbase that is gained from the k-pop community that are fans of groups that are currently active in jype. that seems to not work well for them and they won't apparently gain more new fans as a group. therefore, restrictions will be inevitable. they might work out if they are similar as xg but up to that, i guess. sme on the other hand, they are completely different situation especially when I see there will be isolation towards sme. honestly, i do see similar try as jype when they did tried to make wonder girls relevant in usa but didn't work but worse.

will ahyeon return to babymonster: as of now, yes, i see she will probably return. she wants to.

the readings are this much due to hashtag limit.

[notthestarwar]

For your WIP folder…. Omg it’s so hard to choose. Wonder Soldier AU with Kix?

thank you so much for the ask!!!

omg. this is the one im currently rotating in my brain. im SO VERY obsessed with it.

(im going to ramble so badly here lol pls dont feel you have to read it all but im VERY excited by this au)

ok so. ive been rereading the winter soldier comics. starting from the first reveal of him in captain america onwards. i feel like everyone knows about the 'who the hell is bucky scene' which is a real heartstopper but omg. there are so many moments that didnt make it in to the films. theres just so much feeling there and i see a huge paralell between a lot of stuff bucky goes through and the clones origin.

i'd seen winter soldier au's with various clones before, but there was always something missing for me. on my reread of the comics i realised what it was. the being out of time. finding yourself in the future unexpectedly. having to adapt. getting used to being alone. and then realising you arent. realising that someone you failed to save is here. is still maybe capable of being saved. is such a huge part for me. thats the driver of so much emotion.

and i realised that there IS a part of star wars that makes me feel kinda similar. Kix's story. Kix finds himself waking up in a galaxy that has moved on. theres no room for him anymore. he was once a part of something, but now he isnt. he's never been alone before, but now he is, without question. he is the last of his kind. and after he finds out what happened, his identity as a medic is really threatened. his job was to heal his brothers, to save them. but when it mattered, he couldnt.

so then i started thinking. what would it be like for kix, facing this reckoning, having faced it for a while. finding himself a place in this new world, beginning to fight the first order. beginning to move on from something thats really quite impossible to ever truly move on from. what would it be like for him to face what steve rogers does in those comics?

for anyone that doesnt know, steve and buckys stories in the comics are slightly different. they are brought together because captain america needs a sidekick. they dont know each other before. and bucky is pretty much a kid at the time. he's 16. steve becomes like his older brother as they fight in ww2 with a superhero group called the invaders (pretty much like the avengers) against nazi superheroes and the like, unitil, just at the end of the war, they get captured. steve watches bucky being tortured, he cant stop it, and then when they escape, bucky sacrifices himself. the last thing steve sees before he gets frozen is bucky, just out of steves reach, unable to be saved after sacrificing himself for their cause. steve is awake in the ice in the comics. he has all those years to dwell on it, and when he gets out, the world has moved on and its far far too late to save anyone he knew.

buckys backstory has some real similarities with the clones. he grows up on a military camp, his dad dies when he's like 12 and he ends up staying as a kind of camp mascot. he grows up in the army. violence is every day for him. its all he knows. and when he gets recruited as captain americas sidekick. its all about the image. he is a propaganda tool. there to look like a kid so that other kids want to join up, but trained to be a killer. he is there to do the dirty work that captain america cant be seen doing. he's an assasin from the start. deadly efficient.

buckys return in the comics is delicious. it comes out of nowhere, to the reader and to steve rogers. he has been living in this new world and has accepted that noone will ever really understand him. anyone that survived ww2 looks at it with rose tinted glasses, but in a lot of ways to steve, he's still there. and then comes the winter soldier, a cold war relic, woken up to meet someone elses aims. in a lot of ways, it echos how steve has been working for america, putting out fire after fire, since he got out of the ice. the people around steve put the pieces together before he does and when they try and break it to him, he refuses to hear it. he wont look at their evidence. he simply cant. to know that not only could he not save this younger brother figure, but that while he was frozen, powerless, bucky was taken by the enemy and used in the worst kind of way. made to do things he never would have done (a big part of this is that bucky never would have worked against america. his patriotism was a huge part of his character thanks to his upbringing, which his handlers knew and found pretty funny. they used him to fight america because it was ironic). like omg. the paralells there! with the clones being raised to serve the republic, being raised to know nothing but loyalty because alll they knew was the military. and then having chips in their heads force them to do the last thing they ever would have done? again and again?

steve refuses to believe that its bucky. but we begin to see that he knows. he's just in denial. he fights the winter soldier and we have the 'who the hell is bucky moment' and then, his denial is shattered in the worst possible way. a dossier is delivered to him holding records from the winter soliders handlers from the start. he has to see the cold and impersonal documentation of the ppl that ripped his brother, his best friend, from death (from peace) so that he could be used against his country. he'd forgotten everything about who he was, all he had was the muscle memory of this fight. he could still fight. he was still a killer. these files document a kind of sick amusement from his handlers at his situation. his drs talk about him like he's an object for testing. (there are so many paralels here with the kamineese, palpatine, jango and how they treat the clones). worse than this. the files show that even without his memory, bucky fought them. during a mission in america he dropped off the radar, confused and lost, but trying to find something of himself. at this point they start wiping his memory after each mission and keeping him in stasis. he is no more than a tool. the whole thing is heart wretching. i know the movie version touched a lot of ppls hearts but. oh my god. it doesnt even touch the surface.

that feeling. those vibes. are the backbone of this au.

kix is beginning to move on. and then, the first order pull out the winter soldier. kix fights him and he's caught. because this stranger, decades after the last clone died, fights just like a clone. and against his will kix is just. pulled in. it feels like one last link to his brothers. he needs to know who trained this assasin. he needs to know more. this guy is like a ghost. the more he finds out the further he feels from any answers. what he finds. well none of it fits together. this guy has been doing this for decades. is he the first winter soldier? was he the one trained by a clone or was that his predecessor? his predecessors predecessor. kixs new war continues, as he investigates. this is simply a side quest. research to resolve his own curiosity.

and then, kix is fighting yet another battle. and in comes this guy. and as they fight, it gets to the point where its just kix and this assasin and the guys mask falls off. and he's a clone. and its an impossibility. its not something kix ever let himself imagine. how can there possibly be a clone here? how can he possibly be so young. he's hardly physically older than kix, in statis all these years, and the guy runs and kix is left. just. shellshocked. he goes back to his research. it doesnt make any sense.

time passes and kix realises who this winter soldier is. he knows him. not only that. he knows exactlly how they are controlling him. its the chips. the chips that kix was unable to save his brothers from. he woke up here and he thought it was too late for anything. his brothers long dead. him, unable to save any of them. he's a medic but he was not enough. yet. here is a chance. a chance at redemption. a brother, just one, that still needs saving. that kix has a chance of saving. and if he does. its someone that will understand. someone who knows what it is to be a clone. someone who knows what it is to wake up in a new galaxy, after years of stasis against your own will. its a chance.

the story deals with kix trying to face this. the whole thing is just like. emotional turmoil. he's given himself a impossible task. he's trying to save someone that does not want saving and very much wants to kill kix. in doing so he's having to face all this trauma and shit he had just accepted living with. and even worse. he gets to see a chipped clone in action. the lack of self preservation, the lack of control. kix gets to see what it would have been like for every one of their brothers. and he has to face that. its a journey thats kinda agonising. lots to face up to. lots to be dealt with. bad situation all round.

im so sorry for how long ive rambled but. oh my god im so utterly obsessed with this. its taken root in side me. the idea. the thought of them. gives me a feeling in my chest thats just. beyond words.

theres another post where i talk about it here also here

im just...screaming. the whole thing makes me want to scream and bite and never stop

ive yet to actually write anything that i can share loool cause ive just been chewing over the idea HOWEVER rest assured once i have something i'll be sharing it on here lol cause i need to yell about this au as much as possible

[warriorscend]

@asktheevilgeniusesson xxx

Oh please, bring your crew with you. All mortals. All ones the one above doesnt care that much for, while hes busy fucking the piss outta his ‘wives’. A whole crew just for her.. it sounds amazing to her crazed mind. Letting the captain hold them, she keeps as close as she can manage without making him snappy, some men like it when their so close, others get snippy, would they ever shut up about their wives? Not the point, this one doesnt seem to argue he’s married or that someone waits for him. All for the taking… perfect. He had no clue how true his little attempt at flirting was. No clue.. it was adorable. “Oh it didnt hurt too badly, i wouldnt think.. afterall its hard for sand to hurt when you land on it sometimes, its not for everyone, but its comfortable when its all you have, mh? I would ask you the same, but.. it seems it did hurt abit when you fell.” They snicker and giggle lightly, eyes trained on him the entire time, blinking, yes, but attention never drives away from his face. It might be creepy to some. But she does this all the time. Eyecontact, until the subject must change. “How awful you fell off such an important part of your voyages.. its a good thing no sirens or sharks picked you off! Courtesy of myself, ofcourse.. i couldnt let such a handsome one go to waste for such an unlucky break..” make it sound as if they saved him, that should help smooth over any red flags he might see here. “I would love to help you and meet your crew, i think they’d like what i have to offer on my lovely little island.. but its up to the captain to decide that, no? You’re already here.. maybe a sneak peek would do you some good..” she’d keep an eye out for the ship, ofcourse, but she has to keep him trained on her. Only her. Just them. And when the crew arrives? More for her…

The intense staring might have set off alarm bells in anyone more discerning than the captain, but a captain he is and being the center of attention is very much a task he tends to with a certain poise found characteristically of noblemen despite him lacking in any of such natural born nobility, roughly raised in its confines though he was. If anything, he figures it's a rough estimate on how long he'll have to wait for a courtesy crotch inspection (estimation, judging from proximity: not long at all).

When she plays along with his flatteries, he loses a hearty (if not dry from the swallowed sea water) bark of a laugh. "Arrr...it can make fer a comfortable bed...if all ye do is sleep at night, that be." Though from the playful tilt of his tone along with the salt stiff dreads that spill over his shoulder as he leans over a ways to give her space to settle into the crook of his arm while simultaneously dragging her into it, it's clear he's not one to 'just sleep'. Nothing worse than a few granules caught in the no-no quills, and he'd know all about that given the amount of times he's claimed 'never again' only to lose that main story to the 'too much to drink' and 'gals with nothing better to grab and giggle about' sub plots.

His leather gauntlet guarded palm idly comes to rest on the curve of their hip as he scoffs at the concern. "What - this bit o work?" Indicated by a quick glance down and once over of his partially tattered wear, crinkled from its long soak and subsequent drying out under the high noon sun. He doesn't exactly look battered, but he doesn't look crisp for the day either. "Nawwwr! Twas only an unlucky spill. Me mobility's never been better!" He says, remaining slumped on the ground. Of course, why would he need to move more than the few inches it takes for him scratch any sand off an itch? Well, considering she's perfectly capable of smacking the attempt down and doing it herself, why move at all? Unless it's the 'not sleeping' kind needing to happen offa the sand, of course.

"Sirens and sharks don't be messin' about with me, beautie. I'm sure they want to, but me name's got em tremblin' down in their holes at the thought o'me entering their domain." Nevermind it's probably because that bastard kraken would tear them limb from limb if they messed with his quarry. As her corrosive gaze refuses to waver, a grants her a low chuff and swivels his briefly towards the shore like he might spot his ship on the horizon line despite not knowing how long he'd been out for or if his crew had seen which way he'd floated. "Sure those dogs would appreciate a vacation after all the misery that kraken's been putting us through...wait, did ye say yer island?" Amethyst eyes fall back to where she's coiled beside him. "As in the 'choose to be here' yers? Ye struck me as the bound goddess type." Another shameful attempt at flattery without realizing a damned thing? It's a typical occurrence for him.

"Ye know what? Maybe I could go fer a wee bit of a tour. Give me th'chance to stretch out and knock the salt from these stiff legs. Maybe even me hips - hAR, HAR!!"

[leftovercigarettes]

I'm burnt out from work this week - my roommate and I were the only ones to show up Tuesday morning so it was me and him from 6am-10am and he did service, I was on the line (the only person able to do line from 7am-noon) and we had to come in on our day off yesterday to open bc Noone was there for it and ended up staying an hour late bc the next manager showed up late 🙄 - but so I decided to get my hair washed at the salon bc its 10 bucks and I dont have any spoons to wash my hair and I have a ton of build up on my scalp that I just cannot seem to get rid of for some reason (yay hard water 😭) but while I was waiting for my appt, an older lady was getting her hair cut and when she was finished the stylist is like "it's 22$" and the lady says something about a check and the stylist says they don't take checks and I'm watching the lady and saw her get visibly uncomfortable bc I'm assuming she was starting to get anxious/embarrassed so she's calling her husband and I'm calculating how much I have in my account and when the last time i did something nice was, so I wait til the stylist comes back over and I'm like, "yall take card?" She says yeah so I'm like "Ill pay for her hair cut." And that seemed to just blow everyone away. And the lady is like "my husband's coming and-" I just cut her off and told her I got it. So, as I'm paying for it her husband shows up and he's asking her about her credit card and all that and I'm telling them both that it's fine, I've got it. So I pay and sit back down and her husband pulls out his wallet and is trying to ask me how much it was and I tell him it's fine. I look at the lady and tell her I like her haircut and that I hope they have a good day. The look she gave me was like "🥹" so I just smile and they told me thank you and to have a happy Easter and I told them the same. The stylist told me it was very nice of me to do that and I just said "sometimes people need help 🤷🏻‍♀️ and that situation can cause anxiety and embarrassment so I figured I'd help out."

But the thing is - I currently live in Wisconsin. I'm from Texas. That's just what we do where I'm from, ESPECIALLY when it's older people. People up here aren't nice, which has been blowing my mind since I moved here. My roommate compliments people all the time and they look at him like he called them a slur. Like it's fucking weird up here. And also, I hope that if my grandparents were out doing something and they didn't have a way to pay that someone would help them and not make them feel any type of way.

Another thing is that "my type" of people (alternative) get a bad wrap for some reason when we're some of the kindest people ever istg.

So I hope that lovely couple is having a great day, and i hope they're like "a chick with neon pink hair helped us out today" 😂

Happy Thursday everybody. 🤟🏼

[alyimoss]

YES YES YES IVE NOTICED THIS BEFORE!!!! the reverse is also true: chara calls asgore dad, but toriel is just toriel. both have a parent theyre closest with

that does make me think tho like. frisk seems to me like he would either call both parents just by their name or call both mom and dad. not pick one and leave the other. hes shown to be more considerate of the residents of xtale in later timelines than chara, whos grown much more disillusioned, hateful, and violent. chara has way fewer problems treating people more poorly because in his mind the end justifies the means and as long as the goal hes working toward is noble (which. it at first is but later twists into something completely different. but i think he still considers it noble and the "best outcome for everyone" and thats ahat matters most to him) any horrible thing he does is completely fine. hes playing on the same battlefield as xgaster, after all, so he has to adopt his same tactics. frisk, though also shown to have grown more hateful and violent and disillusioned, shows a lot more hesitation in using and/or hurting the residents of xtale.

anyway, all that to say that he just doesnt rlly strike me as the type of guy to just exclude one parent, especially if it hurts/saddens them. like i could be completely wrong and hes just got a preference contrasting charas bc siblings, but. idk.

bc chara not calling toriel mom immediately makes me think of timeline III. the timeline right after the one where chara got the father figure he yearned for. it was the first timeline to use underswap as a base instead of the original timeline. in the episode, we see both frisk and chara sitting in toriels lap. frisk is chatting happily with her, but chara looks livid

i wonder if chara refuses to call toriel mom because she hasnt been the mother he knew for so, so long. she doesn't even know it. and swap toriel taking asgores role and some if not all of his personality (depending on the interpretation), it probably felt to chara like she was trying to replace asgore. a shoddy stand in, smiling at him almost in mockery as he has to mourn the death of his father alone because noone except for him, frisk, xgaster, and alphys even know he died. for all the other residents of xtale, that series of events never happened.

toriel asks him whats wrong and he has to fight the urge to snap at her, to yell at her that she knows. she knows and shes mocking him. that shell never be him. that she shouldnt have ever dared to do something like this so close to his death. and he only barely holds that all in because he knows shes not doing this on purpose. she doesnt know what happened. she didnt ask to be remade in someone else's image. she doesn't even know she has been

the whole situation fuels his hatred of xgaster more, because now more than ever he feels like hes being toyed with. first it was just the world. just seeing what changed. and then one of the most precious things to him was taken from him by the very man who promised him the world, a marionette facsimile dangling by strings from the claws chara couldve sworn he didnt always have.

and again, its not toriels fault. but it leaves such a strong impression on him that she forever changes in his eyes. shes no longer the loving mother. shes someone who doesnt belong, someone he doesnt recognize as his own. she changed from who she was when she WAS his mom, all the way back in timelines I and II, and the mother he loved is dead. gone. erased. irreplaceable. and no matter what xtoriel does, chara can never bring himself to call her mom again

and, on the contrary, he latches to asgore hard. because hes also changed, hes not exactly as he remembers him, but hes back. hes alive. hes still asgore and hes still his father and he missed him so much. he doesnt care about the smaller details, nothing matters except the fact that his father is back. that the man who gave him hope and support and company when he felt so crushingly lonely under the weight of losing his world is back, and that means chara isnt alone anymore. hes not hopeless. and he holds to that tiny hope as tight as he can

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[axelsagewrites]

For that Ned Stark request...I was thinking a smut with low-born reader, maybe - I don't really know if your comfortable writing about cheating, or it could be before Catelyn during the war or after - he could be needing relief due to stress or pressure and reader could acting like a bit of a minx...

Ned Stark*MiLord

Pairing: Ned Stark x f!reader

Summary: Ned befriends a baker who helps him manage his stress

Warnings: p i v sex, innuendos, oral m receiving, ig you could say cheating but Cat and Ned are privately separated cause I don't think Westeros would approve of divorce :/ 18+

Word count: 2992

Masterlist Here

For that Ned Stark request...I was thinking a smut with low-born reader, maybe - I don't really know if your comfortable writing about cheating, or it could be before Catelyn during the war or after - he could be needing relief due to stress or pressure and reader could acting like a bit of a minx...

It was hard not to be an admirer of the Stark men especially when you were always so close by them. One Stark man that is. ever since your arrival at Winterfell it was hard to keep your eyes off Ned Stark.

You had come to Winterfell a few weeks ago for work and ended up getting a job in the kitchens as a baker. It often meant you were awake before the sun to make the bread for everyone else’s breakfast. However, once you were finished with your work for the day around noon you were free to do as you pleased unless the chef requested your assistance on an extra shift.

One morning for you and night for everyone else you awoke to venture down to the kitchens to prepare the seemingly never endless amount of bread needed for Winterfell. There were other bakers as well of course but you were always the first to arrive at the kitchens each morning.

The moon was still shining brightly over the castle, and you walked slowly to bask in its light. There was no one else awake and wandering the corridors so you didn’t bother to much with your clothes. You had of course thrown on a dress, but your chest was very much exposed in it, something you enjoyed doing but the up tightness of the rest of the North seemed to frown upon. You also opted to carrying your cloak and savour the cold breeze on your walk as once you reached the kitchens you knew you would be sweating till you left them. Any other time of day and you may have felt exposed at your careless dress.

The walk also served as a time for you to try and wake yourself, something you apparently had not been doing well. Perhaps he moved with swift silence or maybe you were too tired to notice but when you turned the corner suddenly you smacked into the man you admired in secret.

It was not a soft bump either as a yelp came from your lips and Ned had to grab your shoulders to steady you, “My Lord, I’m so sorry,” you breathed out, suddenly awake, “I did not hear you,”

“It was an accident don’t fret. I didn’t hear you either” he assured you, his hands lingering on your shoulders. The warmth of his touch comforted you more than his words, “What are you doing up so late?”

“So early,” you corrected with a small smirk, too tired to bite your tongue. Luckily Ned chuckled as his hands fell from your shoulders and suddenly you were cold again, “I’m off to start preparing the bread milord,”

“Ah a baker,” Ned smiled down at you, “I never realised how early you had to wake up,”

“Its hard to get used to,” you admitted, smiling yourself in his company, “But we do what we must. Im sure others have it much harder,”

Neds smile faltered before a sad one replaced it, “We do what we must,” he agreed, “I suppose I should let you get to it,” he said as he turned to walk away.

Without thinking, just wishing for a few more words, your hand shot out to grab his arm gently. Ned turned round with eyebrows furrowed but no anger in his face, “If you don’t mind me asking milord is everything okay? it’s awfully late for someone who has not slept to be awake,”

Ned sighed, “It is,” but you saw him force the smile back onto his face, “I couldn’t sleep very well. My mind is…very active at times,”

“I’m sorry milord,” your hand was still on his arm but slipped down to just above his wrist, your fingers ghosting the edge of the fabric of his sleeve, “If you ever need a friend milord, I’ve been told im an excellent listener,”

“I appreciate that truly, but I do not wish to burden you,”

“Tis not a burden milord. It is my desire to serve house Stark,” you told him, suddenly feeling bolder at how he allowed your touch. You lowered your hand to hold his softly and he let you. “Whether it be in baking your bread or lending an ear or whatever you desire milord. I came to Winterfell to serve,” his hands were rough and callused but warm and you craved his touch when you felt how they were against your own skin.

Neds’ breath caught in his throat, “You honour me…” he trailed off, waiting for you to give your name which you did. “(Y/N),” it sounded so sweet off his tongue, “But I think it is time I found a bed,”

“Very well milord,” you took your hand back from his and you swore you saw him reach for it again before correcting himself, “Sweet sleep milord,” and with that you walked away, deliberately slow with a slight sway in your hips as you felt his eyes on you. however, once you turned the corridor you scurried to the kitchens

That was your first encounter with Lord Eddard but not your last. Occasionally you began to bump into the Lord on your walks to the kitchens. You were beginning to think he deliberately stayed up later to see you but then you had began waking earlier as well. He began to walk you down to the kitchens, sometimes even talking with you in the kitchen as you awaited your fellow bakers. Slowly but surely, he began to open to you.

He told you of the struggles he had with his fellow lords and his general duties but then he confirmed what many had speculated. He had essentially separated from Lady Catelyn after many arguments and fights. She had taken up her own chambers and only spoke to him regarding their children or in front of the other nobles.

From the bags around his eyes, you could tell it had not been an easy conclusion to come to. “It must be so hard to have to sleep alone again,” you said as you walked to the kitchens, Ned by your side.

Ned sighed but nodded, “Aye well I don’t know what else I can do,”

“There’s nothing you can do,”

“I made a vow,”

“It is not your fault she won’t let you love her,” you told him, trying to bring him some comfort, “You swore to protect her, and you have, give her children which you did, you have broken no vow,”

Another heavy sigh fell from his lips. You linked your arm with his, something you knew he was originally hesitant of but not once had someone even seen you walking together so now, he was more open to your touches. “I don’t understand how she could do it,” you said, and Ned shot you a curious look, “If you were my husband, I don’t think I would be able to leave your chambers to start with,” you said with a teasing smile.

Ned chuckled at your boldness. Up until now he had never reciprocated your flirtations or innuendos, you had even noticed him glancing at your chest in the past. He would always chuckle and move on. “If you were my wife, I wouldn’t let you leave them,” this night was different.

“You flatter me milord,” you said, placing a hand to your chest in fake shock.

His eyes lingered on your chest before flickering back up to your face that still wore its teasing smirk, “I’m sure you’ve experienced much flattery before,”

“I have,” your cockiness made him laugh again, “but hearing it from you is the sweetest of sounds,”

“You pay me too much mind,” he chastised with a smile. “I enjoy our early mornings,” he confessed.

You stopped walking, now outside of the kitchen door you would be trapped behind for hours, “As do I. I only wish…” you trailed off, your eyes never leaving his.

“Wish what?” he asked.

Stepping closer, you rested your hand on his chest. You only wished you could strip him of his tunic right there, “That you would finally invite me to your chambers,”

“I- “Ned began to stutter.

 But you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before placing your hand on the handle to the kitchen, “I need to go to work. Goodbye Milord,” you grinned before quickly disappearing into the kitchens leaving a shocked Ned behind.

Perhaps you had went to far when Ned did not appear the next morning for your usual stroll however it got more curious when you learned he did not appear in any halls. The servants and staff at Winterfell were like flies on the wall so it did not take long to hear what had happened. Apparently, breakfast had been tense for seemingly no reason then Ned withdrew completely to the gods wood where he stayed till dinner. While the rest of the Starks dined, he went to his chambers, not even taking a bite of food with him.

Luckily you were friends with the people cleaning up the kitchens after dinner, so they didn’t comment on the food you had swopped into your basket. Even when the halls were busy no one seemed to notice you. you were able to get to Ned’s chambers in no time, somewhere you had dreamed of but never entered.

Before you knocked you pressed your ear against the door listening for any sounds before knocking when you were sure he was alone. “Who is it?” a grumpy voice shouted through the door.

“It’s me milord,” There was silence again for a moment before the door opened revealing Ned in just his undershirt and trousers, “I brought you some supper milord,”

Ned glanced up the empty hallway first before he moved to the side to let you walk in. his chambers were filled with soft greys and blues. He had a fire going in the hearth and the drapes were drawn so only the flames and a few candles lit the room. You noticed how comfortable his four-poster bed looked in comparison to your own cot. The life of a lord you supposed.

“You’re too kind my dear,” he said as he latched the door behind you. he gestured for you to sit at the table he and you complied, placing the basket on the table. “Im sorry I couldn’t make our stroll this morning,”

“Its alright milord. You can make it up to me another time,” you said with a slight smirk as you began to unload the basket onto the table. Ned took a seat across from you as he looked at the mini feast you had brought him, “You spoil me,”

“You deserve it milord. You work harder than anyone else at Winterfell,” you reached out to hold his hand, rubbing your thumb over the rough skin. “I worry about you,”

“You needn’t worry love,” Ned placed his hand over yours, “You’ve already done so much for me. You’ve been a gift from the gods.” You chuckled at his words. You were sure the gods would not approve of what their gift to Ned had been thinking about.

Ned ate some of his food but insisted you ate also. You moved your chair closer during your talk so you would be sat shoulder to shoulder with him. This gave you the perfect opportunity to lean in ways that exposed your chest which Ned was quick to look at. It also allowed for your hand to rest on his arm or shoulder or to wipe something off his face. Any excuse to touch him really.

You were laughing at one of his jokes when Ned smiled down at you, “I’m not sure what your fascination is with me love because no one’s ever laughed that hard at my jokes,”

“It’s not my fault no one else has appreciated you properly Lord Stark,” you leaned closer with a teasing smile. Neds’ eyes locked with yours and slowly you moved ever so closer.

Ned leaned forward slightly, faltering as he did, “We shouldn’t,” he murmured.

“Why not?” you whispered as your nose bumped with his.

“It’s wrong,”

“But how can it be wrong,” your lips were now ghosting over his, “when it feels so right?” Ned swallowed hard as he did his best not to lose composure under your gaze. “Don’t you deserve to relax Ned? To have some fun?”

The words must have got to him cause suddenly his lips crashed onto yours, his hand going to the back of your neck to hold you close. You gasped at first but quickly your lips fell into sink. It was you that introduced tongues but finally Ned didn’t seem to complain. He groaned when you pulled out of the kiss. you pulled your skirt up around your legs to allow you to climb into his lap easier before connecting your lips to his again.

His hands found your knees before slowly making their up your thighs, his fingers squeezing into the flesh at the top of your thighs. You manoeuvred slightly so that your clothed core would be above his cock which you could feel harden under the friction. Without warning you began to roll your hips into his which caused him to half groan and moan into the kiss and for his member to harden considerably more. His hands found your hips to help you set the pace.

“I want you,” you broke the kiss, pressing your forehead onto his, “I’ve been waiting all these weeks,”

Ned gripped your hips and stood up, pulling you with him. You couldn’t help a giggle as he quickly dropped you onto the bed. It was so much softer than you had imagined. Ned stood above you, his hands pulling off his shirt, “Are you sure about this love?” he asked. “We don’t have to,”

You sat up quickly, grabbing him by the waistband of his trousers to pull him closer, “I’m sure. This is what I want. I want you,”

Ned leaned down and placed a hungry kiss to your lips before you helped him rid himself of his trousers, letting his hard cock spring free. Ned crawled above you, kissing your neck, before loosening the strings at the front of your dress and pulling it down off your body, taking your shift with it. “You’re perfect,” he praised as he placed a kiss to your breast, squeezing the other with his hand.

You whined from which touch; your body almost jolting when he took your nipple into his mouth. “Please,” you whimpered under him.

“Please what?” Ned asked, realising your nipple before continuing to trail wet kisses across your skin up to your neck.

You stopped him, taking his face in your hands and looking him in his eyes. You brought his face closer to yours so that your lips brushed against his as you spoke. “Please fuck me,”

Ned’s lips crashed onto yours as his hand went between your bodies to find his cock. He took it in his hands and lined it up at your entrance, his tip rubbing against your wet folds. Finally, after weeks of tension and stress you gasped as he slid into you. a burning sensation took over your as he slowly filled you up. Ned stilled for a moment, his head lowering so he could kiss your neck. “Tell me when love,” he said, his voice husky and his eyes closed.

Finally feeling at ease, with a smirk, you began bucking your hips up, rolling them into his, causing Ned to release a loud groan, “Fuck,” he gasped as he began to thrust into you, his hands at either side of your head, “You feel so fuck- good,” Ned praised as his eyes screwed tighter shut with pleasure.

Your arm wrapped around his neck, pulling his lips to yours again for sloppy kisses as he continued his messy thrusts. Soon ned began to find a rhythm. He broke the kiss to lick his fingers before using them to rub circles on your clit. Moans began to fall from your throat, but Ned silenced them with his own lips. Your nails trailed down his back as you tried to conceal the moans he was causing.

Ned let out his own groans and soft moans which became strangled when your walls began to clench around him. You felt his cock twitching and began to roll your hips to meet him. His thrusts began faster but sloppier. Neds’ lips fell from yours, his head hanging low into your shoulder as he sped up. “Fuck, I can’t fuck,” he gasped as he quickly pulled out and fell to lay beside you, his cock still red and angry.

His hand went to move to his member, but you moved quicker. Without waiting for instruction, you moved to take him into your mouth. Ned gasped as your head bobbed up and down on his hard cock that was still wet from moments before. His hand went to your hair and within a few bobs of your mouth he was coating your mouth with his seed.

He was like a man gasping for air when you came up. “You still need to,” Ned tried to speak but you stopped him, placing a strong but brief kiss to his lips.

“Its okay milord,” you smiled as you held his face in your hands, “Another time?”

Ned grinned at your words, “Aye my lady. Another time for sure,”

No one was quite sure what had happened during Ned Starks seclusion but everyone at Winterfell noticed how much more relaxed he looked the next day.

Game of Thrones Taglist: @clairacassidy @nyotamalfoy 

[gamingartandlove]

The best part of having managers who know and accept someone being neurodivergent is some of the conversations that ensue.

Literally having just walked up to the registers: Manager: "Oh thank god you're here!" *runs up and hugs me* Me, hugging back: "Need me to start sorting things?" Manager, about to cry: "PLEASE! Name, I can't trust anyone else, I just spent an hour cleaning up behind Coworker."

Upon being told to check boxes for any possible items left inside before they got crushed, and starting the task as deemed logical by brain: Checking each box layer by layer making sure I don't miss any: Store Manager: "You know, I don't think anyone's ever been so thorough checking those before." Me, not missing a beat: "If you didn't want it done thoroughly you wouldn't have asked me." Store Manager, grinning: "That's right! I know I can count on you."

Me walking in while having a terrible day and on the cusp of tears: Manager: "Name! He-oh no, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Me: *shakes head, explains having a rough day mentally and words are hard* Manager: *hugs me and gently guides me away from customers* "Don't worry, things will get better. How about for today you work on this pile of clothes and don't worry about the registers unless I call you, noone else you hear? We'll be okay."

Inventory Night: Manager: "Name, I need you to make tags for any item that doesn't scan in. That is ALL you do, even if Store Manager asks, tell him what you're doing." Me: "Yes Ma'am." *immediately gets to work barely noticing time passing because this is a Fun Task* Coworker A: "Manager, its been 5 and a half hours, and me and Name haven't breaked yet." Manager, wide-eyed realizing what she has done, normally relying on me to remind of my own break: "Go now. Name, go eat, You've done great, I'll cover for you. I'm so sorry."

[tsarinatorment]

Yk, I really loved your analysis and I'm so glad you agree with everything ive ever thought about., especially the voice related stuff.

Anyway, alot of people don't talk about this but i have thought about this for a while, yk given that will is insecure and thinks so low of himself and never acknowledges his achievements ot how powerful he is I feel like him having impostor syndrome is plausible.

Also ik he has insecurities but I dont necessarily think they are about healing its obvious, like one this that sticks out to me and I would talk for hours is when will was soo so reluctant to glow and did not like that apollo was proud of it and was prumpy throughout the trogs thing. I feel like he feels like a joke cuz there's everyone out there summoning skeletons and creating giant waves and there's will who can just glow

(Mind you this is his perspective not mine I don't think it's just a simple glowing, there's more to that power, I've talked about this before)

Like he is skilled and powerful but I feel like no one takes him seriously, cuz he's the most non threatening, non combatant person at camp and while he is powerful its not "showy" ifyk what I mean?

And being a night light makes him feel like a joke like it is a good power but I just feel like it just goes back to the whole sunshiney goody two shoes happy go lucky softbean will narrative and noone takes him seriously and make jokes about him glowing so given his insecurities and the way he reacted upon asked to glow I dont think the idea is not plausible.

(I just wanna give him a long warm hug and tell him how great he is)

Also with the ability vs skill thing since its all abilities he inherited from his father, I dont think he is ever proud of himself for all the stuff he does, like he could go, "I didnt work hard and get the skills it was just granted to me, I didn't do anything to be worth it". And that one line in TON where he would rather have apollo be proud of him for getting top of the class??instead of glowing?? Thats what made me think if it.

So even no matter how powerful he is and how skilled he is and my many ppl he saved! he still thinks he's not good enough and not worth it and not skilled enough (I'm just a healer is what he says) this is very obvious with his insecurities and it could also be a possible lead to impostor syndrome(its very common in people in the medical field)

Also IT IS CANON that ultrasonic whistle in not the only musical talent he has, it was stated that it is one of his few musical talents

I'm sorry this is so long, I just don't find ppl who are as passionate and invested about Will solace like me in this fandom that often.

I love your writing btw

Oh hey, wasn't expecting to wake up to an essay in my own inbox for a change, nice :D

Will certainly has insecurities by the bucket load, which is very sad but very true. It's primarily shown to us in this passage:

‘I agree,’ Will said. ‘I wish I was a better archer … I wouldn’t mind shooting my Roman relative off his high horse. Actually, I wish I could use any of my father’s gifts to stop this war.’ He looked down at his own hands with distaste. ‘Unfortunately, I’m just a healer.’

It's interesting that despite what he says, though, Will does exactly that - he is the one to stop the Greco-Roman war, using his ultrasonic whistle, which neatly proves his insecurities wrong here and shows him as far more powerful and versatile than he gives himself credit for.

His thoughts about being "just" a healer are understandable, though - his job is primarily after the battle is fought, picking up the pieces of the demigods that (to his mind) could fight and sticking them back together, but being reasonably useless until someone's already hurt. You could argue this was increased back in TLO, because Will would have seen Michael fall. It's never stated (but then again, even Percy doesn't see him fall), but considering all the Apollo kids barring Michael are off the bridge and Kronos himself is bearing down on them... all the surviving Apollo kids would've been watching. They couldn't afford not to be. So Will's seen first hand how quickly a life can be taken, and that no matter how fast or good he is, he still fails to save the most important people to him (we don't know where he was in relation to Lee when Lee died; it's unlikely he was in the fight itself, but regardless, those giant clubs are nasty and Lee's death would've been instantaneous).

Does this translate into imposter syndrome? I am a little hesitant to put that label onto him because something about it doesn't quite seem to fit for me, but there's certainly some indications of a similar mindset, even if it's not the syndrome itself. One of these is how Will talks about the powers compared to how his siblings do.

"My father's gifts", he calls it in that moment of self-depreciation. Not my abilities, or even my talents; he calls them gifts, as though they're not really his, or even as though he thinks he's been passed over entirely for some of them while Apollo chose to lavish them elsewhere.

In contrast, we have the way Austin and Kayla talk about them in THO:

“But you’re mortal?” Kayla asked. “As in completely mortal? Does that mean I’m going to lose my archery skills? I can’t even qualify for the Olympics until I’m sixteen!” “And if I lose my music…” Austin shook his head. “No, man, that’s wrong. My last video got, like, five hundred thousand views in a week. What am I supposed to do?”

My. They have no doubts at all that the abilities they have are theirs. They're aware that they inherited them from Apollo, and they're worried that somehow they might disappear if Apollo dies (in Kayla's case she's literally worried that she, born literally of Apollo, might disappear), but they have no hesitation about claiming their abilities as their own.

(Interestingly, the one time Will calls an ability 'his', it's when he's being derogatory about it. "[...] a truly awful whistle", he says - the one thing he claims as his is the one potentially destructive ability he's showcased that people complain at him for.)

Will's reaction to Apollo's praise about the glowing reads to me like a little bit of shame (because he's comparing it to all the other neat demigod powers he's seen and "oh gods, all I do is glow, really?") but also just straight up insecurity - which Apollo sees and does not rise to the bait of.

‘I’m so proud,’ I said. Will’s face turned the colour of sunlight shining through a glass of cranberry juice. ‘Dad, I’m just glowing . I’m not graduating at the top of my class.’ ‘I’ll be proud when you do that, too,’ I assured him.

Remember that Will, as a demigod, is ADHD and dyslexic - while that doesn't automatically mean he can't be top of the class, it does make it a lot harder to do, so in this instance he's giving Apollo an out of "here's an example that you actually ought to be proud of... even though it'll never happen," because he doesn't actually believe that Apollo's as proud as he is. And yet, Apollo's response is instant, unwavering faith - "when you do that, too". (Obviously, Apollo is currently lacking his foresight abilities, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's forgotten what he has seen, and the confidence with which he says this might just be him reassuring Will, but also empty reassurance is pretty dangerous to do for someone whose self-esteem is so low, so there's a decent chance that Apollo remembers seeing that Will will do that.) He completely turns Will's self-depreciation around on its head like "you're amazing for this, you'll be amazing in the future, you're amazing whichever way we slice this so take the compliment."

And yes, Will is grumpy/unimpressed about the whole trogs thing - it's not just the fact that he's being viewed as a convenient light source by the trogs, he's been vocally opposed to the entire encounter from start to end.

But something I find interesting is that, for someone who's embarrassed about it and reluctant to do it in the first place (and honestly, I get the feeling that Will discovered this power by accident, probably when being dragged around dark places by his boyfriend, and was so embarrassed he never even showed it to anyone else), when we see him again in the tower - he's glowing.

He doesn't need to be glowing in the tower. There's plenty of light around, no-one's been struggling to see. His glow is also being described as bright, this time, rather than the subtle descriptions Apollo applied earlier. This is Will Solace, child of the sun god, using the light to show exactly who he is, and that's such a marked change from his attitude earlier where he was reluctant to turn on the glow even when it was pitch dark and the others (even Nico) needed it to see. This is Will being proud of what he's got. He's showing it off here, really - and the only reason I can think of is that Apollo gave it a solid mark of approval. He got affirmation about this particular ability from Apollo, Apollo explicitly told him he was proud of him for being able to do it, and that seems to have boosted his confidence in it.

I just feel like it just goes back to the whole sunshiney goody two shoes happy go lucky softbean will narrative and noone takes him seriously

This bit I'm gonna disagree with, though. The fandom, from what I've seen, packages Will into this little box (I've seen posts going around about him being exactly this), but in canon there's no evidence at all that he's not taken seriously by his fellow campers (or, actually, that Will is happy go lucky - he has strong morals and does not back down in the face of disagreements or conflict. Look at his interaction with Travis about stealing in TLO, his scolding of Annabeth about breaking the chariot in TLH, his scolding of Nico in BOO, and Apollo in THO; a consistent character trait right from his first appearance is that he's not afraid to stand his ground/disagree with more powerful/older/generally feared characters). In fact, he's probably well-respected in camp.

‘She’s right.’ Will Solace, head counsellor for the Apollo cabin, put his hand gently on Clarisse’s wrist. Not many campers could’ve done that without getting stabbed, but Will had a way of defusing people’s anger. He got her to lower her dagger.

Will has Clarisse's respect. It's shown here, where she doesn't lash out at him (unlike her interactions with Michael in TLO), it's also heavily implied in the fact that Will delivered Chuck - Clarisse is incredibly protective of Mellie and it's Will that she let near her in her vulnerable state. Not because Will isn't a threat, but because Clarisse trusted Will enough.

He has Nico's respect before their BOO encounter, "the camp's best combat medic", he has the respect of all the head counsellors in that meeting (not one of them interrupt him or disagree with him).

He has Annabeth's respect - she backs down and apologises to him even though she's still very wound up about Percy being gone and the Jason hint being a bust.

Hell, he has Dionysus' respect. There are very few demigods whose names Dionysus gets right - Will's is one of them, on more than one occasion.

I'm honestly not actually sure where this "sunshine goody two shoes happy-go-lucky softbean" fandom take comes from, unless it's literally taking one or two lines and twisting them a long way out of context, because that's not the Will we see in canon at all.

I'm pretty new to this fandom, and honestly I stay away from most of it because a lot of the Will takes I've seen around I don't agree with but I also refuse to get involved in anything that might start spiralling into drama (made that mistake in other fandoms, not making it again) so I only lurk on the edge of this one, and that's where I'll stay, but I did latch onto Will and find him fascinating to poke at and see what makes him tick, so I'm always happy to talk about him :D

I am glad you enjoy my writing, though! My plan is to be here to stay at least for a while, and there's a sore lack of Apollo&Will content, or even just non-Solangelo Will-centric content around on AO3 so that's mostly where I'm foreseeing hanging out (although I am also dabbling in Solangelo because while there is a lot of content for that, I find the way it's often portrayed to again not actually go with the canon we have, and as the old adage goes, "if you can't find something you like, write it yourself." So that's exactly what I'm doing!)

[namariea]

New Arrivals

“You drive a hard bargain Wakako. There’s a reason why no one knows much about them yet - they don’t take kindly to people who poke around.”

“Which is why I have called in the best. Perhaps these newcomers need a lesson on how we conduct business in Night City.”

Words: 3K

Genre: Cyberpunk 2077 AU

5:27 PM, Japantown

“Well well, if it isn’t my favourite merc.”

“Wako, a pleasure, as always.”

The beaded curtain clinked together as you passed through, it's soft chimes melding with the sound of the pachinko parlor behind you. A curious choice of privacy, but then again no one would be stupid enough to eavesdrop on Wakako Okada. If you did, well, you probably got what was coming to you. Which was usually a body full of lead and a six-foot hole, if you're lucky. 

“I have a job for you, it is time sensitive.”

Isn't it always. 

“Ok, let's hear it.”  

The older woman folds her hands infront of her leisurely. “I’m sure you have heard of the new gang that has taken root in Night City.”

Your eyebrow raised incredulously. Seriously? “New gangs pop up every other week. Groups of gonks or try-hards who think they can do better than where they came from. You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“This particular gang settled in not too long ago, new arrivals from Korea. Ring any bells?"

Ah. 

You would be hard pressed to find someone in this line of work who hadn't heard rumours. At first no one cared about the nameless street gang who was picking off low-rung gigs from other mercs. Skulking around gang turfs across Night City, swiping loot here and there, petty theft. That was until they somehow managed to pull off major jobs only few of the fixers at the Afterlife knew about.. 

You gave a hum of affirmation. “I might have heard a thing or two, nothing major though. Know they pulled that gig out in Watson a few weeks back, Maelstrom was pissed.”

“I need you to find out who they are, and what they are up to.”

While being said with an air of indifference, the words gave you pause. 

As far as you knew, noone in your circle could pin down a face let alone a name, and anyone who came close ended up with a memory wipe so corrupted no ripperdoc could fix it. NC was already ever-changing and hard to keep up with, the last thing you needed was to forget the last 6 months of your life on top of it. 

Something wasn’t adding up. While it made sense for you not to know anything, you don't make that much noise in Night City without its best fixer knowing about it. Yet here she was, asking you to get info on some nobody gang. Either Wakako was holding something back or… 

This whole gig smelt like a steaming pile of shit, and she wanted you to dive head first into it. 

This job was risky, even for Wakako. She was not one to request recon jobs, or at least she never asked you for them. You assumed it was beneath her, that information was presented to her without her having to lift a manicured finger. This was going to be costly, for both you and her. If you were going to potentially get your ass thrown back to 2076 at least your padded wallet will soften the impact. 

“And what exactly do I get out of this?”

The fixer leant back into her chair, a small, conspiratory smile grew on her face that did not quell your unease. “I heard that you are in the market for the newest Netdriver. I can see that it is provided to you, free of charge. On top of your usual rate, of course.”

Fucking hell.

“Anything specific you’re looking for?”

From the dim light of the room, you saw the Matriarch's assessing look from across the desk. Like a tiger that lay in wait for an ambush. All at once you felt the weight in her stare as she observed you, looking for what, you weren’t sure. What you were sure of was that you should have pushed her call to voicemail. 

“No one knows for sure where they have made their nest. But there is whispers of a gathering happening somewhere in Little China, two days from now. It is… unclear what is taking place, just that it is of great interest to the gang’s key members."

Only gate crashing a random gang’s secret meeting. Should be easy enough.

“You drive a hard bargain Wakako.” You shook your head. “There is a reason why no one knows much about them yet - they don’t take kindly to people who poke around.”

“Which is why I have called in the best. Perhaps these newcomers need a lesson on how we conduct business in Night City.” 

Time stretched on as you stared at each other from across the room in a silent stare down. After what seemed like ages you broke off the staring contest.

“I guess I have a party to get ready for.”

—--

10:07 AM, The Glen

“I’m tellin' you ese, one second he was there, next he was gone. Dissapeared outta thin air." 

Leaning back against the side of your car, you crossed your arms, kicking at the ground in thought. Despite the secluded booth you were in, you felt the need to flicker your eyes around. It was still a little too early for the general population to be around, but nevertheless you scanned the faces hunched over the bar drinking hair of the dog. 

After a moment of scanning you returned your focus back to your conversation, rolling the idea around your mind, weighing the new intel for its worth. In the end you are shaking your head. “No way, tech like that doesn’t exist." 

Your contact let out a disapproving tsk. “You weren’t there, shit was crazy. Wouldnt believe it either if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes. Never seen nothin' like it. Como un fantasma."

Like a ghost.

Off to a great start. 

—------ 

1:12 PM, Northside

“An Airbender.”

“Yeah man, an Airbender.”

“What even is-" you took a deep breath as you pinched the bridge of your nose. You could feel a headache taking root behind your left eye. "-ok, run it by me again. Slowly.”

“We was out in the Badlands, just passing through y'know. Then we see these Wraiths getting into it with another group, guns blazing n’ all. We was trying to get the fuck outta there when we saw it. Guy just sticks his arms out like this and goes-” the man waved his arms in an exaggerated sweeping motion, “- all of a sudden, I shit you not, this fucking sand tornado just appears and fucks everything."

"And then what, what did this… Airbender…do?" 

"Nothin’. Just hopped back in his ride and went back to the city like he was on a fuckin Sunday drive.”

You felt the muscle in your eye begin to twitch. 

"Right. Ok. Thanks, for the intel.”

—-----

4:12 PM, Coastview

“Let me get this straight.” You lifted a finger. “You’re telling me a guy - one guy - walks into an Animals hideout, throws an armoured truck through a wall and just… leaves.”

The group infront of you mumbles in affirmation, heads nodding.

“Honestly I don’t even know if the Animals were mad” One of the guys spoke up “I mean yeah sure, those testosterone-junkies are always mad, but shit-” They let out a whistle. “-the sheer muscle to do that, they probably wanted to run him down just to ask what implants he was usin’.”

“And did this guy say anything while he was flinging cars, anybody get a good look at him?” Your gaze ran across the group as they all shook their head. 

“With all the chaos? There was no way.”

Your left eye twitched again. “Alright, I think we’re good here. Thanks for the chat.”

As you walked away you heard them call out to you. 

“If you find him, get his autograph for me will ya?! Fuckin’ legend, man.”

You needed a drink. 

—------

9:21 PM, Kabuki 

“Rough night?"

You gave Mateo a nod of thanks as he placed a drink infront if you. Not missing a beat you picked up the glass and threw it back, then signaled for another. He grinned at you knowingly as he got started on the next round. 

You leant against the bar, head propped up in your hand as you watched him mix various colourful drinks. 

“It’s been a day, let’s just put it that way.”

“There's a new braindance if you want to relieve some stress.”

You shook your head as you accepted the second drink. “Not tonight. Listen, have you heard anything about that new gang? The one that came in from overseas not long ago?”

The bartender nodded as he wiped down the counter. “Who hasn’t, it's all anyone talks about on the streets these days. Why?”

“Got a job, need to find out what their deal is. Heard anything?”

“Not any more than everyone else, which is shit all.”

You sighed, looking back down into your glass. Running through limited information you were able to gather, you grimaced at the vagueness of it all. It wasn't to say you were surprised - you weren't expecting anything groundbreaking, but you were at least hoping for something remotely helpful. 

Instead all you had were reports of tech that not only sounded outrageous, but just straight up impossible. Even if you were to entertain the thought of it being possible, of people like that existing, they would have to be more than two-bit thugs trying to make it big. 

You were missing something. Something important. 

You tapped your nails on the bar as you glanced around. “Don't suppose any dolls came in recently bragging about hooking up with guys who can create cyclones with their dick or something? Maybe can turn water into wine, that kind of schtick.”

As you scanned the patrons you heard Mateo let out a scoff behind you. 

“Nothing like that, but if you want to talk to someone, maybe try Irene."

That got your attention. You turned you head back around and the man gave you a shrug in response. 

"Might be nothing, but she has been coming into the bar recently looking more put together than usual, talk is she came into some good Eddies. Could ask her yourself to find out how."

Interesting. You stood up from the bar. "She around tonight?" 

"Top floor, best of luck babe."

-------

"What makes you think I know anything about that?" 

Settled in a secluded VIP booth, you observed the woman across from you. Irene was a no-nonsense woman who was hard enough to converse with on her best days. From the way her eyes narrowed at you, you had a feeling this was not one of those days. 

You schooled your expression into what you hoped was neutral indifference. 

"Been coming around Lizzy's lately looking like new money and didn't think anyone would notice?" 

Irene scoffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder before crossing her arms over her chest. "I make more Eddies than half of these girls combined on the regular. So what if I want to flaunt it, I don't owe them shit."

Touché.

Then your eyes flitted down to the now exposed collar of her dress. 

"Since when were you patriotic, aren't you from New York?" 

Stitched to the collar of her dress was a small Korean flag, along with another insignia you weren't familiar with. Her eyes followed your gesture and froze, as if she had forgotten it was there as well. Clearing her throat, Irene turned back to you, adjusting her hair so that it was pulled forward once again, covering both entirely. You could tell from her tense body language that she was losing patience with the conversation, and you had to act fast.

"Listen.” Cutting all pretenses you leant forward, leveling her with a look that instantly got her sitting straighter. “Irene, you better than anyone knows how it works. Gangs don't like new blood by default. But then going off and attacking all of them, blowing up hideouts and stealing their tech? That's painting a huge target on their backs. Either they are the biggest fucking idiots to walk these streets, or they are trying to start a war with every gang in Night City at once."

You watched with rapt attention the slightest widening of her eyes, before her brows furrowed, looking at the table between you. This seemed to be news to her. Good. 

"Fuck. I told them to keep a low profile."

You let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah well so much for that. And now the people they are fucking over want answers. So either you help me take off some of the heat, or next time I'm out here it's not for a pleasant chat."

Irene held your stare for a few moments, nothing except the clubs synthwave was heard along with the crowd below. You could practically hear the cyberware in her frontal cortex working as her eyes flitted between your own, probably trying to determine if your words were empty threats. 

Whatever she came up with must not have been to her favour as you heard some select muffled curses in Korean before she reached for the cigarette case on the table. Flicking it open, she pulled out a thin cigarette and lit it, allowing a few puffs to pass her lips before she sighed in annoyance. 

"Fine. What do you want to know?" 

"The gathering in Little China tomorrow night, I need to get on the guest list."

The reaction was immediate. "Nope. No way. If they find out I let you in-" 

"I just need to know where, I'll figure out the rest."

Through the cloud of smoke you saw her narrowed her eyes at you. 

"You have a death wish or something?" 

"Don't we all?" 

Irene only lifted a sculpted brow at you and you gave her a sly smile. Shaking her head she muttered something that sounded a lot like fucking mercs before she reached for the cigarette case again a pulled out a small black card.

Offering it over the table, just before you grasped the card she pulled it back, her eyes hard and expression severe. 

"We never had this conversation, got it?"

You grinned. "What conversation?"

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

11:27 PM, Little China

Even with directions Irene gave you, it still took you some time for you to find the building. Tucked away at the end of a narrow alleyway you made you way to a nondescript door. Using your optical scanner you searched for the gang's insignia. 

According to Irene, the gang liked to alternate which marker they used to identify themselves. Provided with the known symbols, you were relieved when your scan identified a four leaf clover etched at the bottom corner. 

Taking a steadying breath you pulled open the door and was met with a winding staircase illuminated with red neon.

Well that's foreboding. 

You followed the sound of heavy EDM until you reached the bottom, where the ground vibrated with each pulsating bassline. The bottom of the stairs led up to an archway which had an illuminated sign reading ‘Club Exodus’.

You sidestepped the groups of people that hung around the entrance and entered the club. The club itself resembled much of what was expected in the Night City underground - a gutted warehouses repurposed with some chrome, neon, and cheap synth-leather booths. You were pleased to note though that unlike other clubs, this one has yet to smell like stale piss and beer. Either meant that they haven't set up shop for very long, or they made an investment in their housekeeping. Your bet was on the former. 

You walked further in and noticed that there was a floor above you, also full of people mingling and dancing. Your eyes narrowed, scanning discretely as you made your way further in. A cursory glance to the bodies around you revealed that no one was carrying any weapons. An observation which led to another puzzle. From the moment you walked in, there was no security manning any of the entrances, and from what you could tell, none in the club itself.

You weren't sure if they were severely underestimating the good-will of their patrons, or it meant that whoever ran this club didn't need any additional backup.

You were hoping it wasn't the latter. 

After some time wandering around the club, you settled on a spot on the second floor, leaning over the balcony to observe the dancefloor below. 

Swirling your glass, you took a long drag, letting the liquid burn a path through you. While normally a packed club would be the perfect set up for a good time, you were here on a job. A job that was proving to be a waste of time and making you bored as hell. At least the drinks weren’t watered down. 

Wakako sent you here to get dirt on this supposedly shadow gang but in the near two hours you have been here, you haven't seen or heard anything out of the ordinary. After the stories you were fed the other day, you felt slightly foolish, half expecting to see people flying around, or shooting lightning out of their fingertips. 

Knew it was a load of shit.

As you were debating getting another drink, you saw commotion below you. The lights moved towards the back wall where a stage was set up. Situated along the length of it was a long table with chairs, all facing the room. The DJs booth lit up and the DJ took up the mic, the music cutting out. 

"Alrightalrightalright settle down people!" 

You watched as the crowd took notice of the new development and the dancing ceased, all eyes trained on the stage. 

The DJ continued on. "Now for what you've all been waiting for. The reason why we have all gathered here tonight." 

Despite the hush that had suddenly fallen upon the crowd, there was a growing energy within the club. It washed over the room and almost felt tangible, like the static energy building before a lightning strike. 

Movement in your peripherals made your eyes snap towards the stage. Slowly, figures stepped onto the stage. You tried to use your cyber optics to focus on the stage but the harsh backlighting from the screens behind the table made their features almost indistinguishable. One, two, three, you counted them as they appeared until six bodies were seated along the table. There were nine seats in total, the ones at the ends as well as the centermost remained empty.

The booming voice echoed through the space. "The last 6 months we have wandered the streets of Night City without a purpose. But no longer! For our fearless leader has finally returned!" 

The hairs on the back of your neck began to rise. 

"So let's give it up for our Leader Suho!" 

You watched as a figure appeared on the stage and took the spot at the center of the table. From what you could see, this Suho was dressed in a cropped red suit jacket and matching red slacks. This, in combination with red eyes and hair to match it made him look like the devil incarnate. 

So much for a simple gathering. 

"Thank you, friends, it's been too long." 

"In my absence, the members worked hard to establish a base for us here, and have seemingly succeeded. And from what I hear, began establishing quite the reputation along the way as well.”

Hoots and hollers rang out, the crowd members riling each other on the dance floor below. You paid them no mind, instead keeping focus on this ‘leader’, watching as he turned to look at each of what you were assuming the main members of this gang along the table. His lips quirked up until a slight smile, but it did not reach his eyes.

He returned his gaze back into the rambunctious crowd, outstretching his hands. 

"That being said, we are still outsiders here. And we will continue to be seen as outsiders until we find our place in all of this."

His voice pierced through the cheers. "So no longer will we be nameless nighcrawlers, operating in the shadows. It's time we show these gutterats we are here to stay.” The volume of the crowds rose as they rallied for their leader. “And if we have to raze this hellscape to the ground to do so, so be it."

The man raised his glass up. 

"Night City will welcome Exo, either with open arms or on its knees." 

The roar of the crowd was almost deafening, the mass of bodies around you all cheering together. You were almost certain the crown was one firm push away from starting a mosh pit; they were so riled up. 

Toasting to the room, you watched as the leader brought the glass to his mouth. Just as he took a sip his eyes snapped up to the balcony, zeroing in on your area. 

Your blood ran cold. 

You did your best to keep your face neutral. You were on the other side of the room, he could be looking at anyone. There were so many bodies around you, there was no way. Subconsciously your left foot took a step back. 

Your breath caught as his eyes took on a familiar glow. 

WARNING: UNAUTHORIZED SCANNING

WARNING.

Fuck.