#its like past midnight. were all still a bit out of it cause we just left the show and. my chemical romance was real in stage in front of us

[lipstickontheglass1985]

mcr warsaw artist here: exactlyyyyy warszawa centralna... i had to hoof it there from the show in the middle of the night and then wait until 4-5 am to actually get home. you couldn't walk without stepping on an mcr fan in that place.

yeah i was lucky enough to have a place to stay overnight after the concert (cause like man staying at the station overnight sounds honestly kinda awful esp with how overcrowded it seemed) but before that me and my friends headed there cause we were hungry and everything else other than the 24/7 fast food joints at the station was closed at this point and it was like. such a surreal experience. like stepping into an alternate reality where 90% of warsaws population suddenly got really into red eyeshadow

[its-freaking-jordan]

Friend told me to write a smut. MIND YOU IM NOT GOOD AT THESE BUT ENJOYYYNSFW! Please no minors and I tried to make this Gender Neutral

“Remind me why, you brought me out here?” You asked Karaku, looking over to him from the side of you eyes. You both were walking out into the forest at broad midnight. There was a cold breeze, which neither of you mind. You walked past a few villages, it felt like hours of walking the two of you did. “Aww~ Don’t be like that Toots, I just wanted to bring you out here! Plus its been a while since we both hung out!~” The demon said. He looked over to you with the same sly grin he always have on his face. After a while you both made it to a complete stop at a hot spring. You would be lying if you said it didn’t look nice. There was a small waterfall too, with a cherry blossom tree, with fog. You looked and admired the place with all its glory. “This is surprisingly nice.” You thought you would never admit. “Told you it would be nice Toots!~ Why would I ever bring you out to an ugly place hm?~” He asked in a teasing way, not really expecting you to answer back. You just chuckled followed along with you shrugging your shoulders. Moments later you both were found in the water, letting your bodies relax in the water was exactly what you both needed. You closed your eyes followed with a long sigh. Karaku seemed to shoot you a few glances, which you caught onto, yet he didn’t realize. “Alright..What’s u-UP!?-” You suddenly let out a loud gasp. You haven’t realized that Karaku was under the water and between your legs. You felt you body shudder when you felt something glide across your inner thigh. A shaky sigh left your lips, looking down into the water, you see Karaku with the same grin on his face. His hands had a grip on yours, pinning them to the side of your waist, so you wouldn’t squirm as much. He came above the water, with your hands still in his grip. “Make sure to not make as much sounds..But I must say this is a open hot spring so anyone could come in at anytime and see you…by the way…I wouldn’t care in the slightest if we get caught, but if you do…Don’t. Make. A. Sound.” Your eyes slightly widened at what he said. ‘Shit!’ You cursed at yourself under your breath. He let out a cocky laugh before he stuck his tongue out. He winked at you and went back underwater. Heat was pooled between your legs as he kissed and bit on your thighs. You bit your lip, anxiously as you watched him get closer and closer to your hole(Gender neutral) He did small kitten licks on your hole, as your arousal coat gets on his tongue. He brought his face onto you and started to devour you at a quick pace. You let out a audible moan, right before you jumped from his sudden movements. He pressed his tongue further into you, causing you to arch your back and have your eyes roll to the back of your head. “Fuck,” You whined out as you looked down at him. He felt you clench around his tongue which caused his smile to grow even more, knowing that he can please just by his tongue alone. He dug his hand into one of your thighs, spreading them out more so he has a better view and to keep yourself open for him. His nails dug into your soft/rough skin, drawing blood. You both heard someone, your face was completely red, as you heard the voice or voices getting closer. You then looked down at Karaku hoping that he would stop, but god was not with you, he just kept going, getting rough by the minute. You tried to hold back the sounds that were going to come out. “I told ya Sekido! I heard Karaku talking about wanting to come here!” Urogi (Joy) has basically shouted. Aizetsu (Sarrow) soon followed in behind, lastly then Sekido(Anger) came in. Aizetsu looked around then spotted you in the hot springs. “Maybe (Name) knows where Karaku went?” He said, catching the attention of the other 2, pointing in the direction you were at. You wished that you could just die right then and there, they were the LAST people you wish that would show up. You whined quietly as you heard their footsteps approaching louder by the second, you turned around and saw them, a slight smile was on your face.

Karaku pushed a finger inside of you and started thrusting it as he circled his tongue on your hole. Sekido looked at you with a cocked eyebrow. “Karaku, have you seen him anywhere?” He asked almost annoyed of the fact that he had to ask. “U-UHm~ N..No I didn’t see hiMm…” You tried your best not to moan out loud, especially in front of them. You covered up the moans with a cough. Ugori raised his eyebrow at you. Aizetsu just stared at you, he stared to be a little worried. “(Name)..are you alright…you face is red..” He pointed out the obvious, Sekido just tched, as he had his arms crossed. You furiously nodded your head. “Im F-Innee..Just thought to stay in here for a long time would be n-NIcee..” You slurred out the last word, closing your legs around Karaku neck, bringing him further to you. “Hmm..”Sekido said..he didn’t believe but took your word for it. “If you see Karaku let him know that we are looking for him, got it?” He asked and walked out with the two others right behind him. Once they were both gone you let out a few groans. You became a whimpering mess, feeling a knot in your stomach, you squeezed the sides of his head. He then removed his tongue from your hole. A long whine escaped from your mouth.”Karaku Please~..” He smiled again as he let your hands go, your hands were now free, he came above the water and placed you on top of the rocks with your legs above his shoulders, as he went back down on you. You couldn’t control the noises that came out of your mouth, your hand reaching for his head, you eventually found it and had a grip of his hair in your hand.

You tugged on it slightly which caused him to let out a low moan. You were now grinding on his face which caused him to chuckle. “Look at you fucking my face like this. I find it amusing really…for a slut.” His words were dirty, but followed along with desire hinted behind them. He honestly could’ve made you stop fucking his face, but enjoyed it too much. He loves it when he’s buried between your legs and on your sex, and tasting you. He pushed his tongue even deeper into you if that was possible which caused you to scream out his name. You felt the same knot in your stomach, and it matter of seconds it snapped. Your entire body shuddered and you had your climax on him, he didn’t mind the mess you made, it found it pretty in his demonic eyes. He pulled away from you, releasing your legs from his grasp. Your legs were shaking slightly and felt weak. “I sure did enjoy my time with ya Toots..” He held you in his arms, placing you on his lap, cleaning you, giving you kisses on your neck, and leaving love bites. You were panting heavily as you let him deal with the aftercare. You did enjoy your time with him even tho it was short but boy, did you wish it could last forever.

[sanscat0414]

Misunderstanding?!

Hawks x reader:

Synopsis: Hawks gets suspicious of you because you have been coming home later and your spend less time with him. He begins to suspect you of cheating but little did he know it was…

————————————————————————

Hawks have been noticing that you came from work later for the past month. Usually he tried to aim to get home by 10:30 or before midnight. Whenever he was home earlier he noticed you were not home which is strange as you always came home before 10 even in days you work overtime. You were almost always on your phone typing away texting someone. You would even laugh a couple of times when texted this mysterious person. What’s even more suspicious is when he asked you about it you just brush it off.

“Hm? Oh it’s nothing. It’s just some family stuff.”

Or

“Huh? It’s 11? I didn’t realize I was out so late. Why? Mmm? Just lost track.”

Or

“What do you mean? I’m just texted a friend.”

Now he trusted you so he let it be. He believed you but still he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. You weren’t spending as much time as you used to with him. You spend majority of your precious time you had with him on checking on the phone when your not you seem distant. Like you were thinking of something else.

Last week, was even more weird to Hawks. He was lucky to have gotten out of work early that day and wanted to pick you up. Only to find you hanging out with another man. Sure he saw you from a far but you were laughing with the man. He just left thinking it was your friend or something but you never mentioned him before. All this combined the extra time gone, the texts, the times you were distant hawks started thinking you were cheating on him. Hawks gave the benefit of the doubt but his trust in you was waning.

The final straw was today. It was a long a waited day off for him. He wanted to spend it with you but when he asked if you wanted to spend time with him you said

“I’m sorry Keigo I can’t. I know it’s your day off and we haven’t spend much time together. I just have something to do.”

That “something” was hanging with that same man. He wanted to get some KFC for the both of you and by coincidence spotted you. Naturally he was furious and sad that you had chosen another man over him. He decided to wait for you to come home before confronting you.

When you finally got home, you could tell something was wrong. The atmosphere was as thick as butter and an Erie silence cause by the lack of “Baby bird your home!”

“Keigo? I’m home.” You said.

“I’m in the living room.” He said almost coldly.

“Baby?” You said as you walked in to the Living room only to see Hawks sitting there in a serious manner.

There was no funny business and hawks had a no emotion in his face. He just sat there watching you like a predator watching its prey. It unsettled you.

“ Sit, we need to talk,_____.” He said as he gestured to the other couch infront of him.

Now you know it’s serious. He never uses your name unless it’s serious, like taking about your safety or something.

“Is something wrong?” You asked confuse and nervous as you sat down.

“Be honest with me. Are you cheating on me?”

“What? Why would you think that?” You said with genuine confusion shown on your face.

“I mean you spend extra time away from home after work, those texts that you laugh at, and that man that you were hangout with. I saw you today! With him. You rather choose to be with him than me! If so just say so.”

You stared at him at disbelief, now to be fair when he laird it all out like that it make sence but you could help but think thsi situation was a bit ridiculous. After a few seconds you laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s not what- you know what that’s to cliche. Let me try agian.” You said as you tried to stop laughing.

“Kei, first of all of course I’m not cheating on you. I love you with everything I have. I’m sorry I haven’t been spending as much time with you or paying attention to you. It’s just this month has been a bit hectic.” You said and you moved next to him.

You gave him a small kiss on the forehead and show him a picture. “Is this the man you saw?”

He nodded and you explained “that’s my sister’s boyfriend. He’s been asking me alll about what my sister likes. And what do for a proposal to her. I was helping him do a little shopping for the proposal plan. If I had known earlier that you had a day off today I wouldn’t have planed our outing today. He’s been planing it for months and kept changing the day he pop the question. I kept pushing him.”

Hawks looked at you dumb founded “Why didn’t you tell me.”

“It’s a secret that I have been helping him. Plus he wanted to forge his own ring for her, and I had a friend who does metal smithing. I been going to that. friend with him.”

“Why would you need to?”

You got up to go get something form your room. You came back with a small box and you handed it him. He open it and saw a beautiful metal feather with a gem on the stem of the feather. The feather was a little wanky but it was cute. It was attached to a leather string necklace.

“I took the opportunity to try to make something for you too. It was supposed to be a surprise for our anniversary but I wasn’t able to get it just right on time. I guess better late than never right.”

Hawks started it for a good 5 minutes in silence. It was beautiful and you made this by yourself (with help but still.) once he was finally done admiring it he hugged you. He warped his wings around you tight and nuzzled into your neck.

“I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions …. I love it thank you.”

“No no I should have said something sooner. I should have payed more attention I’m sorry too. I should have been more clear.”

That nught you guys cuddled for a bit. When your sister boyfriend called Hawks answered. He mildly scolded him for “stealing” his girlfriend and gave him some advice on being confidenace. Needless to say your sister said yes and you and hawks was invited to see them.

Hawks met your sister’s now husband on their wedding day. He apologized to Hawks after learning of what happened. Natural your just glad everything went well, and you where grateful that you and hawks were always upfront when it come to communication. Occasionally there will me moments when you suck at communicating but it all works out.

[x-aefx]

NEW YEAR'S KISS

Bella Ramsey x reader

Summary: You find Bella just before the clock strikes midnight on New year's Eve.

Not proofread.

°*

Your house was swarmed with people dancing and drinking as music played loudly reaching every corner of the house. You hadn't even met the majority of the people here. Word spread of your party which was enough to lead everyone here.

If they weren't sipping from solo cups, they were dancing. And if they weren't dancing they were playing some party game, and by some chance they weren't doing that, they had been lucky enough to find someone to shamelessly makeout with.

You had spent the night dancing with your friends as the alcohol slowly took over your mind. One by one you had lost them to the sea of people in your home.

You twisted and turned in all directions looking for them. Pushing past strangers as you made your way outside. People began to crowd outside as midnight approached, you continued searching.

In the distance fireworks were being let off. Their bright colourful sparks lighting up the dark, clear night. The loud sound of them being set off causing giddiness to bubble inside of everyone.

You rubbed your eyes as your vision slowly blurred.

The dark silhouette of a figure sat on one of the swings was what motivated you to keep walking despite your growing exhaustion.

You were a good bit away from everybody else by now, the sound of the music losing its volume as you reached the swing set at the bottom of the garden. Clumsily you sat down on the only available one left.

Straight ahead of you, you could see the crowd of people gathered outside the patio, above them you got the perfect view of fireworks shooting into the sky.

"you know how to throw a good party."

The voice from beside you spoke up.

You turned to them, recognising Bella's voice immediately. You frowned.

"Bella what are you doing down here alone? It's scary just seeing a black figure on the swings."

Bella smiled at your comment.

"yet here you are."

"here I am." You confirmed.

It was silent for a moment, both of you watching the crowd ahead.

"me and Lily made a deal that if we both didn't find someone to kiss at midnight, we would be each other's new year's kiss. I'm starting to think that's not going to happen." You sighed softly. In truth it didn't bother you that much, it would've still been nice to not be the only one not getting a new year's kiss.

Bella glanced to where your eyes were fixated. She saw a girl and a boy sloppily making out, and put the pieces together. Her mouth forming an 'o' shape.

You had met Bella a few months ago but in that short time had become impossibly close. You trusted them as much as you did the friends you've had for years longer.

They weren't quite familiar with all your friends yet, but presumed that the girl you were staring at was Lily.

Bella pushed down their disappointment.

"Do you like Lily?" Bella asked, hoping you wouldn't notice the slight jealousy in their voice.

You turned to them not concealing your giggles.

"nah. I was just hoping to not be the only one without a new year's kiss tonight. It's stupid I know." You rested your head against the swing chain.

"if it makes you feel any better, I'm not getting one tonight either." Bella tried lightening up the mood.

You turned your body towards them. They looked good tonight. Short, brunette hair falling just past their shoulders in loose waves. They wore a navy blue crew neck with a black collared shirt underneath.

You hoped it was the alcohol in your system that was making your head fuzzy. Not Bella.

"why not?"

"because I don't think the girl I want to kiss is interested."

Your faces had grown closer and your breathing was heavy. Your heart was beating at a not so normal rate.

"who is she?"

"someone very special."

"do I know her?"

Bella hesitated. Her eyes flickered over to the crowd of people who suddenly grew louder.

"TEN!" Everyone began shouting.

"very well."

"NINE!"

"is she here tonight?" Your eyes grew heavy as they stared at Bella's lips.

"EIGHT!"

"yes. She's right here."

"SEVEN!"

You dragged your legs against the grass to inch the swing closer to Bella.

"SIX!"

Bella's fingers softly trailed up your exposed legs which your dress was too short to cover.

"FIVE!"

Your lips parted at the feeling of their hands on you.

"FOUR!"

Your eyes moved up to Bella's eyes, flickering between them."

"THREE!"

Bella leaned in until your foreheads were touching.

"TWO!"

You cupped their face with your hands as your eyes closed.

"ONE!"

Your lips met theirs. Bella's hands found your waist as they deepened the kiss. Cheers from everyone else could be heard. They didn't matter. Multiple fireworks went exploding in the sky, neither you or Bella looked up at them.

Your heart was plummeting in your chest. Butterflies danced and fluttered in your stomach.

The kiss was perfect.

Slowly you both pulled away for air.

Even if it was dark you knew your face had reddened and Bella's.

Both your breathing was heavy as you stared fondly at each other, your faces still close in proximity.

You couldn't contain your smile as you rested your forehead against Bella's once again.

[krispdreemurr]

oh oh i have an interesting discussion/query ! what do u think the meta purpose of making kris act like they do at the end of chapter 1 was? specifically like the imagery of a kid in a green/yellow shirt manipulating a red soul, pulling out a knife, having red eyes and grinning evilly cause like... i feel like deltarune definitely incorporates the memory of undertale throughout? like its advertised as a game for people who finished undertale and theres lots of references and things that are only as impactful if you had an emotional connection to the original game, like spamton neo and gaster saying "have you been looking for me?" and just.. so many things but most interestingly imo being that ralsei almost comes across like a fanonized "cinnamon roll" version of asriel that was so popular way back when? ofc he's more than that but thats like. a Part of him anyways what i mean is like, when chapter 1 released many people (myself included) saw that and instantly assumed that kris was being controlled by chara because of how strongly chara-esque (*especially* to the fandom, like ralsei) the imagery was, only for chapter 2 to come out and many people (myself included^2) completely disregarded chara as having any bearing on the story whatsoever and that kris is just themself trying *not* to be controlled by us. i think we can all agree that the latter is correct, and some people were clearly smarter than me in chapter 1 and deduced the truth even then (e.g. lynxgriffin in their comics), but i am left wondering what the point of that was almost? i thought you might have some interesting thoughts on that, cause like, if kris's frustration with the player is essentially the main plot of the game (give or take), the allusion to chara was a little bit 'distracting' for the fandom i feel like? some ppl are (somehow) still confused & blaming chara even! i guess im just wondering, what if kris had wore a different shirt and menaced the player in a different way at the end of chapter 1? do you think it would have improved the story to eliminate the possibility of confusion, or do u reckon toby fox want us confused? idk LMAO just thinking aloud atp. just been on my mind the past few days bc in retrospect, while the intro to deltarune is obviously trying to trick you into believing this is "undertale 2", post-dark-world the game is unambiguously super different, to the point where it feels a little bizarre that there'd be a red herring *after* deltarune already smashed the notion that it's a prequel or sequel into pieces doesnt it?

i think it's most legible to me as an attempt by Kris to psych us out that they sort of get lucky with thanks to toby helping them!

like, obviously they have no way to know you've been menaced by nonbinary children before - the specific parallels aren't a thing they're reaching for. but they're trying to get the player freaked out, and toby sort of lends them a helping hand by making them coincidentally charalike.

it's not the first time he's had a character freak us out with knowledge they don't have (thinking about sans and the talking flower in grillbys), and it's not the first time in Deltarune alone where a parallel is arguably sheer coincidence in world but happens to echo something to the player. i don't think it's like cheap or anything - toby fox does a really good job building up a language of associations and connections and motifs and then sometimes uses that to trick you just the tiniest bit lmao

but just like Chara, the ways to see thru the trick are there if you're looking. if you pay attention to Chara, you learn their oh so ominous faces and scares were originally just a thing they did to have fun with their brother, and maybe you get an appreciation that they were a child trying to scare you in childish ways. similarly, if you talk to everyone in town, you learn that Kris is a prankster by nature who delights in freaking everyone out (and also someone who would eat an entire midnight pie), and maybe you get the chance to go "oh, they're pranking me, huh?"

a little like Chara, Deltarune ch1 uses Kris to ask if you've been paying attention to the material. did you notice this really, really wasn't Undertale? and if you did, what conclusion do you reach about this new kid?

[mandos-mind-trick]

Here’s To The Future (Let Me Forget The Past) - Part 1: Aftermath

Summary: The war’s over. That should be cause for celebration, except the wrong side won. Things begin to change quickly, and it doesn't take long for Midnight to realize something’s not right among the clone army. She should be glad the war is over, but the threat of her losing her boys is all too real. She did swear she would do everything she could to keep them from being separated when the war ended.

She’s not going to give up on that promise. Even if it kills her.

Pairing: The Bad Batch x reader (no clonecest)

Warnings: Order 66 and the aftermath of it, inhibitor chips, The Empire and its shady methods, smut, fingering, P in V sex, Wrecker’s size kink, violence, injuries, Crosshair.

A/N: Well, here it is. Sooner than I expected, but this is more of a test run. I might delay the next parts a bit depending on how this one does. Grab your tissues folks cause this is a rough one. They’ll be rough for a while then...you’ll see. Takes place during Episode 1 of Season 1. Also, I gave Midnight a last name that will only show up in this part mostly for plot. It’ll make sense as you read. 

Also I am still looking for a beta reader for this one, so if you’re interested...

Definitely suggest reading at least a couple parts of the one-shot series before this one for the relationships to make sense. 

Next > | SERIES MASTERLIST | MAIN MASTERLIST

Midnight stares down at her hands as she sits on her bed in the Marauder. They’re shaking, fingers trembling. She’s still in her armor, sweaty and dirty from their last mission. 

It had not gone like she had thought it would. Then again, she could have never guessed what had happened would be reality. 

“Hunter!” Midnight stops, hearing blaster fire behind them. She turns, finding the regs firing on General Billaba. Midnight stares in disbelief. Just moments before they had been defending her, and now they were...trying to kill her. “What-” 

A sturdy hand on her shoulder. Hunter’s behind her, all of them watching in shock and horror. 

“What are they doing?” Echo asks, his own voice thick with disbelief. 

Midnight screws her eyes closed, trying to block out the final anguished cries of the General. In her comms there’s no normal chatter of the battlefield, the relayed messages from the control centers. There’s only one thing relaying on a loop: 

‘Execute Order 66.’ 

Things had not gotten better since then. They’d split up, Tech and Echo going to find the reg Captain to try and figure out what was going on. Hunter and Crosshair had gone after General Billaba’s padawan, and she had been left with Wrecker to try and stall the regs from following. 

They were more rude than usual. 

Midnight had returned straight to her bunk. Something was very wrong, but she can’t figure out what. The regs had been acting strangely, and even Crosshair seemed more standoffish than usual. She just hopes they can get more information on Kamino. 

She’s drawn from her thoughts when her door slides open, Hunter standing there. He steps inside, closing the door behind him. He looks tired. She knows he’s as impacted by this as she is. 

“Are you okay?” He asks, sitting next to her on the bed. It doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since they’d been in a similar position. 

“Do you want an honest answer?” She asks, leaning her head back against the wall as she stares up at him. 

“I’m sorry you had to see that.” He says. 

Midnight sighs. “Why? Why would they go from defending her one minute to killing her the next?” 

“I don’t know.” Hunter takes her hand, squeezing it. “We’ll figure it out.” 

“Do you think it’s true?” She asks, leaning her head against his shoulder. “Is the war going to be over soon?” 

“It’s possible.” He says slowly. “We’ll figure that out too. I’m not going to let them separate us that easily.” 

We may not have much of a choice. She won’t say it out loud. 

***

Midnight can’t help the nerves twisting her stomach into knots as they exit the Marauder. Kamino seems like an entirely different place. There’s a tenseness in the air she can’t place. She tries to make herself as small as possible as she walks in the middle of the squad. 

“Shock troopers?” Hunter says as a group of troopers pass them with familiar red and white armor. “What’s the Coruscant Guard doing here?” 

“Level five lockdown remains in effect. Security teams, report to the command center.” A voice says over the PA system. 

“This isn’t a drill.” Tech says. 

“Aw man! What did we miss now?” Wrecker complains. 

“The end of the war.” An approaching shock trooper says. 

“Say again, Trooper.” Hunter says. 

“General Grievous was defeated on Utapau.” The trooper says, stopping to speak to Hunter. “The Separatist leadership has collapsed. The war is over.” 

“Just like I said.” Tech says. 

“It is just like you said.” Wrecker gasps. 

Midnight swallows thickly as two troopers pass carrying a stretcher. She doesn’t need to hear the clank of a lightsaber falling to know it’s a Jedi. She had never met the Jedi stationed on Kamino since their visits were so few and far between, and she usually avoided more populated areas. 

The shock trooper bends down, picking up the lightsaber. He turns back to Hunter. “Is there a problem?” 

“No problem.” Hunter says. “We’ll just head to our barracks then.” 

“Best hurry.” The trooper says. “There’s a mandatory general assembly at 1500.” 

Midnight sticks close between them as they make their way towards the barracks, taking up her usual spot between them. They pass many clones on their way, but none of them even bother to glance at them. It’s strange, as usually someone would make a comment, or give a nasty look. Midnight almost misses the rude exchanges compared to this new attitude. 

“It’s not just the clones on Kaller.” Hunter says. “All the regs are acting strange.” 

“Let’s test that theory,” Tech says, stepping in front of one of the approaching clones. “Excuse me, trooper, what division are you from?” 

The clone shoves him to the side with his shoulder. “Step aside.” 

“Well, they seem the same to me.” Tech says. 

Midnight keeps her head down as they make their way to the barracks. The regs had turned their backs on the Jedi so easily. Who’s to say they wouldn’t do the same to civilians? She knows her boys would never let anything happen to her. They’d fight all of Kamino if they had to, but she’d rather not take that risk. 

“Good to be back.” Wrecker says as they step into the barracks. 

“The smell’s getting worse.” Echo says. 

Midnight feels a weight coming off her shoulders, glad to be in her home away from home, so to speak. She sniffs the air, her nose wrinkling a bit. “Are you sure there’s not a dead animal in here?” 

Crosshair pushes his way past Echo and Hunter, heading for his bunk. 

Midnight heads for her hammock, settling into it with a sigh. She scratches at her scalp, half a nervous habit, and half because it was horribly itchy. She desperately wants a shower, but she knows they don’t have time. She’ll have to attend the general assembly as well. The few civilians employed on Kamino would be required to be there, especially if it was something related to the end of the war. 

The end of the war. 

As much as she hated the fighting, the constant stress, the constant danger, she feared the end of the war almost more. She doesn't know what’s going to happen now. What’s going to happen to the millions of clones? What’s going to happen to her? She had made a promise to herself that she would figure something out. She wouldn’t let her boys be taken from her. She’s not going to let them be separated. But how? With the regs acting strangely, she knows it’s going to be difficult. 

“Eleven more successful missions.” Wrecker says. “Like there was any doubt.” 

“Kaller wasn’t a win.” Echo says. 

“Says who?” Wrecker asks, sitting on his bunk. “We completed our objective.” 

“Not every objective.” Crosshair says. “Hunter let that Jedi kid escape. Or do you want to keep lying to us?” 

Midnight stiffens a bit. Crosshair had been acting strangely since Kaller, since the order had been given. Was he being affected in the same way the regs were? Why weren’t the others then? 

Hunter rises from his seat, walking over to the window. Midnight stares at him, watching the others in the reflection. “I don’t like to think of executing our commanders as a mission objective.” 

“An order is an order.” Crosshair says, stepping closer to Hunter. 

“Since when?” Hunter turns to face him. 

Midnight sits up, glancing between the two. She knows getting between them in a fight is dangerous, but the last thing she wants is any of them fighting. 

“None of this makes sense.” Echo says. “Those clones served alongside General Billaba for years. How could they turn on her like that?” 

“Because of the regs programming.” Tech says from his work desk, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. 

“What programming?” Hunter asks, turning his gaze from Crosshair. 

“It’s been well documented that the Kaminoans inhibited the cognitive functions of clones to engineer them to follow orders without question.” Tech explains. 

“Ha!” Wrecker exclaims, hitting Crosshair’s shoulder with Lula. “We sure don’t.” He wraps an arm around the obviously annoyed clone. 

“Obviously, we are different.” Tech continues. “They manipulated preexisting aberrations in our DNA, resulting in your brute strength, Crosshair's sharpshooting skills, Hunter’s enhanced senses, and my exceptional mind. My guess is we are immune to the effects of the programming. Though I can’t be 100% certain of it.” He glances at Crosshair. 

“What about Echo?” Hunter asks. “He was a reg before he joined us.” 

“Yeah, if all the regs were programmed, why didn’t I react like the others?” Echo asks. 

“The damage you sustained on Skako Minor most likely wiped out all of your preset behavioral modifications.” Tech says. “You are more machine than man...percentagewise, at least.” 

“Lucky me.” Echo sighs. 

“All personnel report to the staging area for a briefing on the state of the Republic.” The voice says over the PA system.

“This is one meeting I don’t want to miss.” Hunter says. He offers a hand to her, helping her out of the hammock. He squeezes it gently, obviously having sensed her turmoil, and her anxiety with Crosshair’s unusual behavior. 

She squeezes it back, offering him a small smile before they make their way out of the barracks, Midnight not missing the icy stare from Crosshair. Midnight wants to keep her hold on Hunter’s hand as they walk to the staging area, but she knows that’s not possible. That was an issue they did not need to add to the ever growing list. 

“See you when it’s over?” Hunter says, turning to her as they reach the staging area. 

Midnight nods. “I’ll be here.” 

***

“In order to ensure the security and continuing stability...the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society.” 

“I don’t believe it.” 

Midnight glances to the side at one of the other civilians. She can see her boys from where she’s standing behind them on one of the raised platforms with the other civilians. 

“What do we do now?” Another asks. 

“We’re getting out of here.” The first that had spoken says. “Since the Republic is no more, our contracts are void. We’re getting on the next ship out of here.” 

The cheering of the clones can be heard from her position. 

“For all we know, we’ll wind up as nothing more than slaves to this new Empire if we stay.” Another civilian says. “I suggest getting out of here while you still can.” 

Midnight watches them leave, before looking back down at the rows of clones. This was getting more and more difficult. 

***

“Galactic Empire?” Echo says as they make their way back towards their barracks. “We’re soldiers of the Republic.” 

“Republic, Empire...What’s the difference?” Crosshair says. 

“The systematic termination of the Jedi is a big one for me.” Tech says. 

Hunter stops, holding up a hand. “Lads, we’ve got company.” 

They all turn around, Midnight surprised to see a...child? 

“Hello.” She says, waving at them. 

“What’s that?” Wrecker asks, bending down to look at her closer. 

“Adolescent human female. Origins...uncertain.” Tech says, getting a closer look too. 

Midnight can’t help but roll her eyes. 

“My name’s Omega. I was wondering when you guys would come back.” She says with a smile. 

“You know who we are?” Hunter asks, stepping closer to her. 

“Hunter, Echo, Tech, Wrecker, Crosshair,” She nods at each clone. “And Midnight. You’re Clone Force 99.” 

“What are you doing on Kamino, kid?” Hunter asks. 

“Her job, of course.” A smooth voice says. They all straighten up, looking up at the Kaminoan approaching them. “She is my medical assistant. One with a curious mind that causes her to wander. Come, Omega. There is work to do.” 

Omega gives them a smile before following the Kaminoan down the hallway. She turns and gives them a wave before they turn a corner. 

“This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Hunter says. 

“I think it’s kind of sweet.” Midnight says, smiling. They all turn to her, giving her a look. “What? You have a fan.” 

***

Midnight stands in the shower, letting the water flow over her head. She’s glad to be in a real shower. Though Tech had updated the one on the Marauder, it never left her feeling quite as clean as the showers on Kamino. Something about the fresh water, and the pressure, made her feel so much better. 

She leans her hands against the wall, letting the water flow down her back. She doesn’t hear the door open, nor does she hear the approaching footsteps. She jumps slightly when hands slide up her sides. The touch is soft, almost hesitant. 

Midnight smiles softly, staying still. “Hi, Wrecker.” 

His hands find her breasts, big hands closing around them. “Hi, mesh’la.” He hums, pressing slightly closer to her. 

He’s naked, his erection pressing against her lower back as he folds himself over her, his face pressing into her neck. She braces her hands on the wall, arching against him as his fingers pluck at her nipples. 

“Missed you.” He murmurs, lips trailing over her neck. 

“I’ve been gone five minutes.” She gasps, one of his hands sliding down her stomach. 

“No,” He hums in her ear, a thick finger sliding through her slick folds. “I’ve missed this.” 

She moans, her head falling back to expose more of her neck to him. He takes advantage of it as he eases one of his fingers into her. She flutters around the intrusion, eyes rolling back as he picks up a slow pace, gently stretching her. 

“Kriff, Wrecker.” She moans, lifting onto her toes as he presses a second finger into her. 

“I’m not even inside you yet and you’re already moaning like that?” He says, wrapping his free arm around her to hold her up. 

“Feel so good, Wrecker.” She moans, rocking her hips in time with his movements. 

Kriff, she really needs this. More than she thought she had. 

She nearly cums as he slips a third finger into her, the stretch almost painful. Her fingers tense against the wall, hips trying to pull away from him but he holds her still. 

“That’s it.” He breathes, easing all three fingers into her. “You can take it.” 

She whines, pushing away from the wall to press her back against his chest. The change in position sinks his fingers further into her, her head dropping back against his shoulder. 

“You gonna cum?” He asks, deep voice rumbling against her back. 

She nods, unable to find words. She squeezes around his fingers, dropping a hand to brush once, twice over her clit before she’s cumming. She trembles in his hold, squeezing his fingers as he stills, letting her ride out her high for a moment. She can still feel him, thick and hard against her back. 

“Ready for me?” He murmurs, kissing her shoulder. 

She nods, easing his fingers out of her. He pushes her forward, pressing her against the wall of the shower once more. She hears the familiar pop of a cap opening, glad he remembered to bring some lube. He places a hand on her hip, holding her still as he presses the thick head of his cock against her. 

She relaxes, pushing her hips out more as he slowly eases inside of her. She gasps at the stretch, never quite prepared for it. He holds onto her, rocking his hips in slow bursts to work his way inside of her. 

She curses, head dropping as he stretches her open. “Wrecker!” She gasps as he snaps his hips just a bit harder, sinking halfway into her. “So big! Kriff, too big!” 

“Kriff, mesh’la.” He breathes, forehead pressing against her shoulder. He groans, sinking in as far as he can. “You can take it.” 

She whimpers, both of them stilling as he gives her a moment to adjust. Her legs are shaking already, heavy breaths echoing in the fresher. The others can probably hear them...will hear them. She’ll apologize later. Right now she doesn’t care. 

Wrecker begins moving, slowly rocking his hips. The painful stretch has eased, morphing into pleasure for her. They’ve had plenty of time to practice, plenty of time to work out the best method. He knew what was safe, and what not to do. He had learned quickly, though much of it had been trial and error. Maker bless Tech for having to help with the...errors. 

Wrecker picks up the pace, his movements still slow and careful. He’s careful with his strength, knowing he could easily break her. He doesn't want to, though, so he keeps it slow and easy. It’s more than enough for her, his thick cock hitting places deep inside her, and rubbing against all the right places. 

She shifts her hands against the wall, pressing back to meet his thrusts. Her legs are tired of standing, shaking partly out of pleasure and partly from exhaustion. Her hand drops to his on her hip, squeezing it. “Wait.”

He stops and she pulls away, turning around. She puts her hands on his shoulders, jumping up. He catches her easily, taking a step forward to press her back against the shower wall. He holds her with one arm, using the other to press into her once more. It’s easier this time, her body already adjusted to his size. 

He slips his hands under her thighs, holding her up as he thrusts into her. Her arms wrap around his thick shoulders, face pressing against his skin. She curses, every word she can think of as the angle forces him right against that spot inside her. She won’t last long, and she knows he won’t either. 

“Wrecker!” She squeals, her whole body shaking as she’s thrown into her orgasm suddenly. 

He holds her closely, thrusting a couple more times before he reaches his own, spilling into her with a groan. He keeps his hold on her for a few moments, face pressed against her neck. 

She’s going to be sore later. 

He eases her back onto her feet, holding her steady as they both quickly clean up before leaving the fresher. Midnight walks out fully dressed, not trusting the barracks like she did the ship. Virtually anyone could walk in at any point if the door wasn’t locked. 

It usually isn’t, not until they were getting ready to go to bed. Despite the darkness outside the window, she knows it’s not nearly that time yet. 

“We’re heading to the mess hall.” Hunter says as Wrecker puts his armor back on. “You coming?” He asks her. 

She debates it for a second. She had eaten with them in the mess hall only twice, and both times had not been pleasant experiences. With the change in the regs, she’s not entirely sure she wants to risk it a third time. “No, I’ll stay here.” She finally answers. 

“We’ll bring you something.” He says, leaning down to kiss her before they take their leave. 

Midnight debates locking the door once she’s alone. 

***

Midnight moves as fast as she dares without drawing attention to herself. She hates navigating the halls of Tipoca City herself, but she was not about to let that stop her. The regs she passes hardly give her more than a glance. She missed the sneers, the inappropriate comments. At least that had felt normal. 

“Where is he?” She almost skids to a stop in front of the others. 

“He’s probably fine.” Hunter says, rolling his eyes. 

“You left him in there alone?” She asks in disbelief before walking right in through the doors.

“Ha! Told you he’s alive!” Wrecker shouts as they make their way to the second bed where Echo is sitting. “You owe me two credits.” 

Midnight rolls her eyes, moving to Echo’s side. “How are you?” 

“CT-1409’s condition is stable.” The AZI droid says, floating up to the others. “But I have some distressing news for the rest of you. According to your test results, you all appear to be genetically defective clones. I will leave you to process the shock of this revelation.” 

“I’m fine.” Echo says, squeezing her hand for a moment. “But we’ve got a problem.” 

“Not really. We’re more deviant than we are defective.” Tech says. 

“Not that.” Echo shakes his head. “Admiral Tarkin’s here. He’s the one evaluating the clones.” 

“The same Tarkin from the Citadel rescue when you, uh...” Tech pauses. “How should I put this?” 

“Blew up?” Wrecker offers. 

“And turned into that.” Crosshair says. 

Echo sighs. “Yes. And he’s not a big supporter of clones.” 

“We’ll soon find out.” Hunter says. “We’ve been summoned by the prime minister.” 

“Guess he didn’t find that mess hall fight amusing. But I sure did!” Wrecker says. 

“Come on. Let’s get this over with.” Hunter says. 

They begin to walk out of the medical bay, but a voice stops them. “Wait!” Omega calls, following them. “The fight was my fault. I’m going too.” 

“Not happening.” Hunter says. “We’ll handle this.” 

“But I-” 

“Listen, kid,” Hunter says, turning around to face her. “Our squad’s nothing but trouble. For your sake, keep your distance. Got it?” 

Midnight takes up her usual place walking in the middle of them as they make their way down the hallway. “She likes you.” 

Hunter glances at her over his shoulder. “What?” 

“The kid, Omega. She likes you.” Midnight repeats. “She’s probably lonely.” 

Midnight can’t help but feel for the kid. She knew what it was like, being alone, not having many friends. With how the regs acted, she can’t blame the girl for not wanting to befriend them. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” One of the passing shock troopers stops them. “The training facility is that way.” He points in the opposite direction they were going. 

“Training facility?” Hunter asks. 

“For a battle simulation.” The trooper says. “Admiral Tarkin has requested to see more of your squad in action.” 

“Then we are not being reprimanded?” Tech asks. 

“No, you’re being tested.” The trooper answers. “Now go gear up.” His gaze drops to Midnight. “Except you, civilian.” 

Hunter steps slightly in front of her, staring down the reg. “She’s part of this squad.” 

“Admiral Tarkin requested to see only clones in action. Not civilians.” 

In a way, Midnight is glad. She’s not sure she can handle the training facility built for clones. She’d never used it. The little combat training she’d received had been on a different course, meant for civilians who weren’t going head on into combat. Most of her combat training had happened in the field. 

She knows this isn’t good, though. Tarkin only wanting the clones meant one thing. Her time with her boys is about to be cut short. 

***

Midnight hasn’t been able to sit still since she got back to the barracks. She’s alone again, the normally slightly cramped space feeling too big without the others. She’s not sure why she’s nervous. They’d spent most of their lives training in that facility, and they’d fought in hundreds of real battles. It’s not that she doesn’t trust them. 

She doesn’t trust Admiral Tarkin not to try something. 

She can feel a headache starting to blossom. She’s tired, in desperate need of sleep, but she knows she won’t be getting any. Not for a while. 

“They used live rounds? On us?” Wrecker says, barreling in through the door angrily. 

Midnight’s head snaps up, looking at them with wide eyes. “They did what?” 

“We were there, Wrecker. We know.” Tech says.

“I tried to warn you about Tarkin.” Echo says, stepping closer to Wrecker. 

Midnight moves closer, spotting the blaster mark on Wrecker’s chestplate. 

“Who’s that Imperial snake think he is?” Wrecker yells angrily. 

“Stow it, already. You got shot. It happens all the time.” Crosshair says. 

Midnight frowns. She had been right in her worries. 

“There’s a fundamental difference between taking fire in battle and being used for target practice.” Tech says. 

“Exactly!” Wrecker says. “We’re not dummy droids.” 

“That much we agree on.” 

All of them spin around at the voice in the doorway. Tarkin is standing there, flanked by two shock troopers. They all stand at attention, Midnight shooting Hunter a glance as she stands across from him. 

“That was quite an impressive display.” Tarkin says as he makes his way into their barracks. 

“Didn’t have much choice.” Hunter says. 

“Our new empire may have methods which seem a bit unorthodox,” Tarkin says, taking in each of the clones. “But so does this squadron. Both certainly have their merits.” He takes the most time studying Wrecker. “Nala Se speaks quite highly of her five enhanced clones. She claims you’re more capable than an army.” 

“You have a mission for us, sir?” Hunter asks. 

“Indeed.” He turns back to Hunter. “We have tracked a group of insurgents to the Onderon sector. They must be dealt with.” 

“What sort of insurgents?” Echo asks. 

“Separatist forces intent on keeping the galaxy at war. If you neutralize this grave threat, you will be looked upon most favorably as I assess the needs of the Imperial Army. The five of you will be leaving immediately.” He turns to her. “You, Miss Mylark, will not be going.” 

Midnight tries not to flinch at the use of her real name. It’s been so long since she’s heard it. She straightens herself even more as Tarkin runs his gaze over her. 

“You will be staying here.” He says to her. “I’d like you in my office tomorrow at 0900 hours sharp.” 

She swallows the lump in her throat, nodding. “Yes, sir.” 

He stares at her for another moment before he takes his leave. 

Midnight deflates as soon as he’s out of sight, moving to sit on the workbench. 

“A mission without Midnight?” Wrecker asks, turning to look down at her. 

“I don’t like this.” Hunter says. 

“You’re telling me.” She says, rubbing her forehead. “I have to be alone in a room with him tomorrow.” 

“What could he possibly want to talk about?” Echo asks. 

“There’s a lot he could talk about.” Midnight says, trying to stave off the looming fear beginning to bubble under the surface. They all turn to look at her. “Contract negotiations, a new job offer, termination, imprisonment.” Midnight scoffs. “Technically since the Republic’s gone, my contract is void. I shouldn’t even still be here.” 

“Night-” Hunter starts but Midnight cuts him off. 

“No, I knew this was going to happen.” She starts pacing, unable to stay still anymore. “No matter who won, I knew something like this was going to be the outcome. I’m a civilian. I’m not even a qualified civilian. That’s why I was put on this squad in the first place.” 

“We’re perfectly capable without her.” Crosshair says contemptuously.  

“Cross-” 

“He’s right.” Midnight cuts Hunter off again. “How long were you together before me? I add nothing to this squad but another blaster. I’ve been thinking about this for weeks. I thought up plan after plan for how this was going to work, and now here we are and...I can’t even think about what to do.” She can feel her resolve quickly crumbling. 

Arms wrap around her, pulling her against a firm chest. “We’ll worry about this when we get back.” Hunter says. He pulls away, his hand cupping her face. “Try to stall as much as you can. We’re not going to let them separate us.” 

Midnight wants to believe him. She really does. 

***

Sleeping in the barracks alone is strange. Rarely she’s alone in the bunks, usually when they were eating. At least then she knew they would return soon. Now she’s truly alone. There were no promises they were coming back. She wouldn’t put it past Tarkin to send them on a suicide mission. Of course, suicide missions were their specialty. 

She doesn’t get much sleep, too nervous from being alone, and too nervous about her meeting. What could Tarkin possibly want to see her about? It could be any number of things. She spends most of the night thinking over all of those things. 

She dresses in her armor in the morning, unsure of how she should dress otherwise. Civilian clothes probably wouldn’t be appropriate, and she felt safe in her armor. As uncomfortable as it is, it feels like a safety blanket. 

The doors hiss open, Midnight stepping back in surprise to see two shock troopers waiting for her. How long had they been there? Had they been there all night, making sure she wouldn’t try to escape? 

“We’re here to escort you to Admiral Tarkin.” One of them says. 

“Lead the way.” She says, following them through the halls. 

She steps through the door at 0900 sharp, just as Tarkin had ordered. His office is plain and white, as most of Kamino is. It’s raining as usual, the dark clouds doing nothing to help her feel better. 

“Miss Mylark, take a seat.” He says, motioning to the chairs across his desk. 

Midnight hides her disdain at the use of her real name, taking a seat. 

“You joined the Grand Army of the Republic a year ago, correct?” 

Has it been a year already? “Yes, sir.” She answers. 

“You were placed with Clone Force 99 at the special request of Clone Marshal Commander CC-2224 almost nine months ago.” 

Cody. She hadn’t even thought about Cody in all of this. “Correct, sir.” She says, waiting for where he’s going with this.

“Your achievements are impressive, Miss Mylark. Your survival alone speaks of your talent in battle. But, as you are a civilian, your contract is no longer valid.” 

Midnight stays quiet as he pauses, unsure of where this is going. 

“I am putting together an initiative to conscript non-clone soldiers into the Imperial Army. You could be a great asset to the Empire. I am offering you a job under this new initiative.” 

Midnight stares at him for a moment, taking in his words. She had thought he might offer her a new contract under the Empire. It was one of the many scenarios she’d played through her head last night. Actually hearing it though, made it all too real. If she accepted, she’d likely be staying here. Even then, though, the chances of her seeing her boys again was slim. 

“If I refuse?” She asks, mostly out of curiosity.

He grins at her maliciously, and she almost regrets asking. “I thought you might need a bit of persuasion.” He stands from his seat, turning to face the window. “You are aware that fraternization was a criminal offense under the Republic, yes?” 

Midnight’s mouth goes dry. Her stomach feels as if it's dropped through her chair and straight into the ocean below. “S-Sir?” 

“That is a belief the Empire intends to uphold as well.” He turns around to face her. “Miss Mylark, I received a rather distressing report about your...relations with your former squad.” 

“I-I’m not sure what you’re talking about, sir.” Midnight says, trying to keep her heart from pounding right out of her chest. 

He sets a datapad down in front of her and she picks it up, skimming through the report. It’s very descriptive, relaying details only someone who was there would know. Her stomach twists painfully as she reaches the bottom, reading the signature multiple times in disbelief. 

Crosshair. 

Midnight swallows the lump in her throat, steeling herself using the anger bubbling in her. She has to be smart about this. It’s not just about her anymore. “You would believe the word of a clone over me?” 

“This clone, yes. He has proven himself very loyal to the Empire, compared to the others in Clone Force 99.” Tarkin takes a seat once more, the doors sliding open as the two shock troopers enter. “You are running out of options, Miss Mylark. If you refuse this kind offer I am extending for you, you will be placed under arrest, along with the members of Clone Force 99. You will be tried and charged with fraternization among other offenses and placed in prison, and the clones will be decommissioned.” 

Midnight sets the datapad on the desk, cursing the obvious shake of her hands. “You’re blackmailing me?” 

“This is not the Republic anymore, Miss Mylark.” He leans in closer to her. “The Empire is not opposed to using...extreme measures when necessary.” He smiles at her again. “So, Miss Mylark. What is your decision?” 

****

Midnight’s hands are shaking as she walks through the halls. She feels a bit like she had after her first battle. She’s waiting on the shock and the panic to set in, the paralysis as she’d sat there among the destroyed battle droids. Only, there’s no Hunter to bring her back, to place a gentle hand on her shoulder and whisper that it’s okay, that it’s over. No Hunter to remind her she’s still alive, she made it out the other side. 

Her mind is racing, her shoulder knocking painfully against a passing trooper, but she doesn’t care. 

Had she made the right decision? 

She hadn’t had much of a choice. She’d been backed into a corner. She wasn’t going to put the others through that. She had no guarantee Tarkin wouldn’t use it against them anyway. They all outranked her. He could use that to twist the story. Crosshair had proven he would side with the Empire. He could be molded to tell a different story. 

She had just proven she could be too. 

She needs to contact Hunter, but she’s not sure she can. If Crosshair had betrayed her, had he betrayed the others as well? She can’t risk it. She’d have to wait for their return, hope she could have just a minute with them, something. She needs to warn them. She needs to do something. 

The barracks are almost bare when she returns. 

She stares around in shock for a moment, thinking maybe she walked into the wrong one in her confusion, but no, there was the 99 on the wall of Hunter’s bunk. There was her stuff, piled in a corner. It looked so...clean. Even the smell was slowly disappearing. Midnight rifles through her stuff, glad she kept most of her belongings on the Marauder. 

Something is happening. Something had happened with the mission. She has to find out what happened, but she’s not sure how. Too many questions would raise too much attention. She can’t risk that. Not right now. Maybe she should wait for them at the landing bay. If she could get to them first she could warn them. 

“Not with your boys?” A mocking voice says behind her as she passes the training facility. 

She stops, turning around to face the group of troopers. “Excuse me?” She blinks at him, choosing for once not to ignore the rude remarks of a reg. 

He smirks, the others in the group chuckling. “Heard your boys are locked up in the brig. Figured you’d be in there with them, civvy.” 

Midnight smirks, stepping closer. Perfect. At least now she knows where they are. “Why? Jealous that they got to stare at me while all you had to look at was a hundred exact copies of yourself?” 

She turns on her heel, making her way back down the hallway, leaving the seething clones behind her. It wasn’t smart, making enemies at this point, but with the plan that was beginning to form in her head, it wouldn’t matter. They wouldn’t be spending much time around regs after this. 

***

“This is stupid.” Midnight breathes to herself as she walks down the hallway, fully armored. No one paid her much mind, as it wasn’t that unusual of a sight. “This is so stupid.” 

She gets into the lift, taking a big breath in. There’s going to be hundreds of guards down there. Hundreds of guards and one of her. She lets out the breath she’d been holding as the lift begins to slow. She’d fought in almost hundreds of battles at this point. She’d gone up against impossible odds time and time again and she’d survived each and every one. 

She’d gone up against General Grievous with nothing but a blaster and a knife. Was this any different than that? 

The lift doors open, Midnight stepping out. There’s shockingly fewer guards than she’d expected, most of them marching the hallways as troopers always seemed to do, even during the war. She waits for the current group to pass before heading towards the brig. She doesn’t know where they’re being held, but seeing as there weren’t many prisoners, they shouldn’t be that hard to find. 

She peeks around a corner, spotting two shock troopers standing outside a door. That had to be them. She takes a deep breath, pulling her blaster out of its holster. She can do this. She can do this for her boys. 

She marches towards the troopers, gaining their attention. 

“You’re not allowed down here.” One of them says. “We have strict orders to-” 

She doesn’t let him finish, stunning both of them quickly. She didn’t have it in her to actually shoot them. If Tech was right, they didn’t know what they were doing. They weren’t in control of themselves. She grabs one of their blasters, opening the door. 

She stuns the other three troopers inside, stepping in. Wrecker, Tech, Hunter, and Echo are standing behind the energy shield with the girl, Omega. “Hello, boys.” She says, stepping up to the controls. 

“Midnight!” Wrecker cheers excitedly. “Boy am I glad to see you!” 

She pulls the switch in the middle, releasing them. “Where’s Crosshair.” 

“They took him somewhere.” Hunter says, him and Tech grabbing the reg’s blasters. “We need to find out where. Let’s move.” 

Hunter takes the lead, sneaking through the halls. She’s thankful for the few guards, and Hunter’s enhanced senses. 

“We’re not going to get very far without our gear.” Tech sighs as they pause at a corner. 

“It’s not in the barracks.” Midnight says. “They cleared those out.” 

“They started moving all your things to the hangar.” Omega says. Midnight blinks, wondering how she knew that. “Your gear might be there too.” 

Hunter looks down at her and Midnight can tell for a moment he’s questioning it, but they didn’t have much of a choice. “This way.” He says, leading them down the hallway.

Tech gets them through the doors, crates full of their gear stacked in front of the Marauder. Midnight is glad most of her belongings are on the ship as she stands guard. 

“All right, boys, suit up. Let’s make this quick.” Hunter says, beginning to armor himself. “Tech, power up the ship with Midnight. The rest of us will go after Crosshair.” 

“What?” Midnight protests. “I’m going with you.” 

“No.” Hunter says, the command clear in his voice. “You stay here with Omega. Help Tech get the ship started.” He puts a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not putting you at risk anymore. You’ve done enough for us.” 

Midnight wants to argue, but she can see it in his gaze. She’s too close to this. They had no idea what they would find when they reached Crosshair. He’s trying to protect her. 

“I don’t think we’ll have to go far.” Omega says as the bay doors open, a squad of troopers entering. 

They all duck behind the crates, Midnight holding her breath. They were so close. Midnight grips her blaster tighter, the steps to the Marauder just two feet away. 

“Is that...Crosshair?” Wrecker asks, peeking over the crates. 

Midnight sits up on her knees, peeking over the crate as well. Her breath catches in her throat, the familiar form of Crosshair standing at the other end of the bay. “No.” She whispers, fingers beginning to tremble around the blaster. 

Hunter stands, moving to the aisle between the crates. 

“Best stand down, Sergeant.” Crosshair says. “Make it easy on yourself.” 

“Have you lost your mind?” Hunter growls out. 

“We should have killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders.” 

“I did what I thought was right.” Hunter argues. 

“You never could see the bigger picture. Now surrender.” Crosshair threatens. 

Wrecker pulls his helmet all the way down, Echo adjusting his grip on his blaster. Midnight grips hers tighter, not wanting to have to shoot at Crosshair. 

This isn’t Crosshair. 

She knows Crosshair. They all did. He was a prick, but he had been just as willing to go against orders, to bend rules as the others. This...This is someone else entirely. 

“Is that an order?” Hunter asks. 

“I guess it is.” Crosshair smirks. 

“Well, I guess I’m disobeying that one too.” 

Thunder rumbles from the open bay door, the sound loud in the tense silence of the hangar. Midnight takes a shaky breath, and for a moment she wishes she had just gotten on the ship. At least she wouldn’t have had to see this. 

Hunter ducks as Crosshair takes the first shot, diving behind a crate as the other troopers begin shooting. Midnight, Echo, and Wrecker begin returning fire, two of the troopers throwing smoke grenades. 

“Tech, we gotta move, now!” Hunter says through the comms. 

“I’m working on it.” Tech says. 

“Wrecker, clear the smoke on three. Midnight, get onto the ship and help Tech.” Hunter orders. 

“You got it, boss.” Wrecker says. 

Midnight ducks behind the crate, staring at the steps up to the Marauder. They’re only two feet away. She can make that. She’s run from worse things in her lifetime. She’s run in more tense situations than this. 

“Omega, stay low.” Hunter says. “One...two...” 

“Three!” Wrecker says, moving to the isle with the tops of a couple crates. 

Midnight uses him for cover and a distraction, darting up the steps to the Marauder. 

She almost makes it. 

She’s right at the top of the steps when pain burns through her leg. It gives out under her, and she collapses to the floor of the ship with a cry. Shots spark around the interior of the ship and she drags herself out of sight. She lays on the floor of the ship for a moment, the metal thrumming to life as Tech gets the engines started. 

She needs to move, she needs to get to the cockpit. Tears blur her vision as she pulls herself to stand. 

Crosshair. 

He had turned against them so easily. He had betrayed them in so many ways. She knows it’s not him. The Empire had done something to him. He had been off since Kaller, more than just his normal prickly attitude. She hadn’t thought it would lead to this though. 

She limps, more like half drags, herself to the cockpit, collapsing into one of the seats. She’s been shot before. She’d been shot badly before. She’d been able to hide it, at least until her enhanced squad had noticed. It shouldn’t hurt this bad. 

She knows it’s not just the fact she’d been shot. 

It was who had shot her. 

She squeezes her eyes closed, the ship rumbling as Hunter shouts for Tech to take off. Midnight holds onto the seat, the Marauder speeding through the atmosphere and away from Kamino. 

Tears slide down her cheeks, squeezed out from the corners of her eyes. She can hear Echo, Hunter, and Wrecker in the back. This hadn’t been part of her plan. This hadn’t been part of any of her plans, any of the many scenarios she’d played through her head. 

She had promised. She had promised herself and she had promised them she wouldn’t let anything separate them. She wouldn’t let anything take them from her no matter what.

She’d already failed. 

Taglist: 

@amyroswell, @dangraccoon, @hunnythebee​, @lokigirlszendaya, @kriffingmeshla, @storm-breaker7

[hopelesswrites]

Midnight - Joseph Quinn pt. 3

Joe makes promises to you to make things right. 

18+ MDNI, smut!!!!

(I really wanted to give you a happy ending but their relationship is still a little rocky, so I give more Joe being a dickhead. Can they fix things now? idk lmao.)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

-

The next couple days were spent laying in bed curing your hangover. To be fair, the first day was because of your hangover, but the other two days of sulking were purely because of Joe. All you wanted was a call, a text, a knock at your door but as the days go on your confidence in that diminishes. He’s gone, swooped up by Hollywood and pretty models and out of your life.

Come Thursday you decide you can’t keep brooding away, you have to shake it off and go to work. So for the rest of the week you busy yourself with work, staying back and doing overtime just so you don’t have to think about Joe. Your boss also said you had a lot to catch up on, so that kept you occupied.

Friday evening came by quickly and you were finishing up your extended day at work, ready to head home. You were scared to go home, knowing the weekend would bring two more days of staying in bed feeling sad and sorry for yourself. Part of you was ready to welcome those feelings back, the more productive part desperately wanted it to be over, that you’d wake up tomorrow morning feeling great, maybe go for a run, visit the local bakery for a proper substantial breakfast for once this week, no thought of Joe crossing your mind.

As you made your way home you kept your mind on that bakery. How good it would feel to get out of the house. How much you need to go for that run, let the cold morning air hit your face, maybe knock some damn sense into you. Joe was in the deep depths of your mind now, no longer causing a tight feeling in your chest like he had for the first half of the week.

Your flatmate was at the front door when you arrived home, she looked anxious as she paced back and forth across the small front patio.

“Thank god you’re here” She sighed once you came into view.

“I tried to tell him to fuck off but he was so persistent, barged his way in”

Your stomach sank, you didn’t need any more information, it was him. You really didn’t want to face him, the reality of it hitting you finally. He was going to end all communication, completely reject you and leave you alone forever. You didn’t want that.

Walking through the hall and to your bedroom, you see him sitting on your bed through the crack in the door. His head snaps up at the sound of your door opening, a stunned look plastered on his face.

“Hi” He said quietly, watching as you dropped your bag down and stood by the door, keeping your distance.

“I didn’t know your work schedule so I waited” He tried again, but you didn’t know what to say. Part of you didn’t want to start talking at all, getting closer to the end tugged at your heart.

“I want to apologise” He sighed, getting up and slowly inching closer, he had a way of manipulating you so subtly, getting what he wanted without you noticing until its too late. It infuriated you, made you hate him so much, hate how much you loved him regardless.

“Go on then” You answered, eyes trained to the floor, Joes eye contact was too strong.

“I shouldn’t have acted the way I did the other night, I care about you and was so worried, I didn’t think about how cruel I had been”.

You watched Joes feet shuffle, his ugly shoes making you frown, you distinctly remember telling him not to buy them.

“I also want to apologise for the way I’ve treated you over the past year, it’s not been fair on you and I cant keep stringing you along”

‘Here we go’ you think.

“Things are different in my life, and I don’t want to lose you, I want you in my life, but that means things have to change a bit”.

You looked up after hearing his last line, falling into the depths of his sad sorrowful eyes. He had you, you were trapped, it made you feel sick.

Joe reached out and grasped your hand in his, tugging you closer forcing you to look up at him.

“Let me do things right, let me take you out, I’ve got a premiere to go to tomorrow night, I want you with me.”

You didn’t give it a second thought, head nodding viscously, agreeing to whatever Joe wanted from you. The spell he had cast on you was in no time lifting, you could feel that.

-

The next evening you were dressing up in your best dress, most uncomfortable heels, hair and face all done up. You were simply excited, happy to finally feel like you were a part of Joes new life. There was no time to feel silly, or manipulated, what could go wrong?

Joe arrived to pick you up, dressed in all black. Not too dissimilar to the getup he had on a few months ago when he came to visit you. He was hot, you thought, there was no way you’d be getting through the night with him looking like that. He took your hand, gave it a reassuring squeeze before guiding you down to the car waiting, he had a god damn private driver. You ignored the feeling that gave you, the feeling of not belonging, because you were with Joe, you belonged with him.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?” Joe whispered in your ear as you got out of the car, arriving at the venue.

“A few times. Can’t go wrong with a couple more though” You replied, eyeing off the crowd in front of you. People were arriving in all sorts of fancy cars, dressed in stunning gowns and suits. Security guided guests around, into the building, off to the side where you noticed a red carpet, this was an official thing, still that feeling of not belonging got pushed to the side, Joe had you close, you belonged.

His arm snaked around your waist firmly, another reassuring squeeze as you were both guided off to the side, the red carpet.

“I’m going to take a few photos, bosses orders, why don’t you wait for me down the end?” Joe said, removing his grip on you and motioning down behind the carpet, out of camera view. You agreed, making your way down the path where you noticed a group huddled by the door at the other end, you concluded this was where managers and escorts waited, unfamous guests.

You struggled to ignore the anxiety you began to feel without Joe by your side, you didn’t belong here anymore, this wasn’t your crowd and you just needed him back beside you, holding you tight to get you through this whole night.

It wasn’t long before you saw the man make his way off the carpet and back to you, he offered you a small smile, and took your hand in his again. You tried to ignore the lack of a squeeze this time, but it ate at the insecurity you felt inside.

Inside the building people chatted and drank, waiting for the theatre to open up. Joe was quick to grab two drinks for the both of you and manoeuvre his way through the crowd until he was stopped. A tall woman tapped his shoulder, greeting him like old friends. You watched as they laughed and chatted, you beside Joe, your hand he once held forgotten. More people approached him, more greetings, not one towards you. You did not belong here.

When the theatre doors opened Joes hand lay flat on the small of your back guiding you in, no longer wrapped around you like before. His dismissal of you hurt, it felt worse than any ignoring he had been doing previously, you were finally in his world and you were still invisible.

The screening was painful to sit through. Joes fingers fiddled with the fabric of your dress cascading over your thigh until the end credits played. Before anyone got up Joe was whisking you away and out of the theatre into the lobby, his hand now grasping your wrist rather than your hand.

“What’s wrong?” You asked watching as he looked around, he looked frantic.

“Here” He replied pulling you towards a bathroom, locking the door after you had entered.

Without explanation you were slammed against the door, Joes mouth falling to your neck in quick harsh sucks and bites, he was ravenous.

“Joe what is-“

His lips came up quick, swallowing your sentence in a kiss, his teeth scrapping over your lip as he pulled away and resumed his assault to your throat.

“Been dying to have you all night Baby” Joe mumbled against your skin, his hands roaming over your backside, bunching the dress up and slotting a clothed leg between yours.

The pressure elicited a content sigh from you, Joes grip now firmly on your hips, guiding you to grind on his leg. The pleasure forced all rationality out of your brain as you submitted to the man you loved.

“You’ll have to be quiet for me, okay?” Joe groaned as he twisted you around so your chest was against the tile, ass out.

You listened for the sound of his belt buckle, but it never came. Instead, you got a harsh slap to the ass followed by Joes quick fingers rubbing you through your panties. You fought off a loud moan as electricity shot through your body. Joe pressed up against you, his lips finding purchase on the sensitive skin behind your ear, his hot breathe creating goosebumps over your skin. His fingers stopped their movement to pull his own pants down, the feeling of his skin against yours almost sending you over the edge. It felt pathetic, to be so affected by him, to need him as much as you did.

Joe rubbed himself against your entrance testing the waters by pushing in a little and pulled out. You eagerly waited for what you were craving so much, to feel him completely, but it never came.

“Lets get these off yeah?” Joe mumbled, tapping your foot with his own before leaning down and gentle pulling your heels off your feet. The relief was almost as good as the sex itself, but with your height difference from the lack of shoes Joe was quick to resume his movements, slipping in effortlessly, his hand snaking around your face, covering your mouth before he began thrusting. The pleasure was overbearing, Joes small grunts in your ear sending shockwaves through your body. You couldn’t see him but you knew the blissed out look on his face, could picture it, and it got you through to your own orgasm, legs quivering as the coil snapped and you let yourself go all too quickly.

Joes movements became sloppy and you knew he was close.

“Let me” You whispered, turning around and dropping to your knees, swatting his hand away pumping him a couple times, tongue out ready to catch his load.

“Fuckfuckfuck” A string of curses left his swollen lips as he released above you. You took everything he gave you, quite happily as embarrassing as it was, and watched him come back to above you. His chest rising and falling, a small trickle of sweat sliding down his temple, his eyes screwed shut still. You wanted him to look down at you, smile at you, give you anything but he stood back, tucking himself back into his pants, head thrown back as he let out a shaky sigh.

Your heart sank, even in such an intimate moment he was ignoring you.

“That’s it huh?” You frowned, gaining his attention again.

Joe looked at you confused, “Didn’t you come? I thought-“

You cut him off with a laugh, “You just don’t get it!” You raised your voice as you stood up, slipping your shoes back on. “Or you do get it and just don’t care” That was what worried you the most, being nothing to Joe and him being actively aware of it. Actively making you aware of it.

“I come out here with you, surround myself in an environment I’m not comfortable in to make YOU happy, and you blow a load in the bathroom like we’re goddamn teenagers.”

Joe stuttered out useless apologies, but you couldn’t care to listen to them.

“I’m going to go now, don’t follow me, I’m serious” You spoke sternly, watching him carefully, worried he might reach out, touch you and break you down again. “And don’t contact me, I think we’re done”.

[theheadlessgroom]

"I think he was...and wasn't," Dorian confessed, pausing briefly to think of an answer. "He hadn't missed how much I'd...perked up, since we got "engaged", and of course, he didn't buy the ruse for a second-he's always known how I feel about Lizzie..."

Outside of Randall (to whom he swore would be his best man at his wedding), Beau was the only person who knew the depth of the Gracey heir's feelings for young Miss Henshaw: Although Dorian had once declared his intentions to marry her as soon as they were old enough, the Gracey parents tried to dissuade him from these feelings, telling him there were more eligible (read: white) bachelorettes who would make better brides for their son than the daughter of their cook. As such, Dorian largely kept his feelings to himself, only confiding them in Beau, who was much more understanding and encouraging to the young master as such. To see him arm-in-arm with Emily de Clair was, needless to say, very suspicious to the majordomo, who figured there was more to the engagement than met the eye.

"Of course, he hasn't the faintest clue about your time travel, or what the future was to hold for all of us if we didn't change it now," he continued. "But...he did see how much more...invigorated I was, after meeting with you, and so...I think he was sort of anticipating me telling him the truth in regards to our plans of escape. I...I think he was a bit surprised that I asked him to come with us, but...how could I not? I can't imagine a life without him in it in some fashion...or a life for my children without "Uncle Beau", as I used to call him when I was a boy..."

He smiled and chuckled as he admitted this, adding, "Oh, my parents didn't like that much, not at all..."

@beatingheart-bride

"Now that's a good question," Dorian smiled as he leaned back in his seat-it was a question he had pondered a number of times, especially once the plan started to get underway. Although he planned to take quite a bit of money with him when they escaped New Orleans, so as to start them off on a good foot, he knew it wouldn't last forever, and he wanted to be a good provider to Elizabeth and their family, so it was a question he'd long sought to find an answer for.

"Well, as you know, my father has been a shipping magnate for many, many years," he replied, fingers laced together as he gave his answer. "He received the business from his father, who received it from his father, and so on and so forth. But to tell you the truth, even though my old man has tried to prime me to take it up someday, I've always found it dreadfully boring. No, if I'm going to go into business for myself, I don't want to sit behind a desk in a stuffy old office all day, it'd drive me mad. And so, once we make it to California, I...I would like to become a florist."

Although his parents politely tolerated Dorian's love of horticulture as a silly little hobby, he himself actually took it very seriously-much more seriously than any of his other studies they'd foisted upon him, and so, he'd love to parlay that into a business all his own, finding it a much more appealing career path than that of a shipping magnate. A job where he could be on his feet instead of stuck behind a desk, interacting with people, helping them with their own gardens, assembling bouquets for young couples, getting to work with plants all day as he often wished to do here at home-what wasn't to love about that?

"I'd especially like to specialize in roses," he explained with a small smile. "I...I hope to take some cuttings with us when we leave, from the roses Mrs. Pace planted here. I'm sorry that I won't be able to take them with us wholesale, but...at least a part of them will be able to live on in our new home."

[minsungjinho]

~seoul city boxing~ STORY BASED ON THIS TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT81tk7MP/

enjoy :)

Warnings: fluff, bit of angst, some derogatory terms, homophobic attitude from strangers, suggestive

it was another late night at the Seoul City Boxing and Gym building, a quiet atmosphere besides the punches being thrown by Minho. the gym was at ground level but with high ceilings that made every impact against the punching bag echo. the windows were tall and old, and despite the extra airflow from air conditioners and ceiling fans it still smelled faintly musty. Jisung tapped a beat against the paper of a notebook with his pen, humming a tune repeatedly until it was to his liking.

he picked up his phone and squinted at its shining light as he checked the time, sighing due to the fact that it was well past midnight. he rubbed his eyes tiredly and leaned against the mat that was propped against the cold bricked walls. upon opening his eyes he saw a blurry figure right in front of him, his face only inches away.

“jesus!” Jisung yelped while pushing back himself deeper into the wall, frightened.

“wow babe, you’re really that frightened by my face?” a sweaty Minho chuckled, squatting right in front of him.

once the blurriness from rubbing his eyes went away he shook his head, embarrassed, and gently shoved Minho’s shoulder causing him to lose balance and fall on his ass. Leeknow took this opportunity and crawled right up to Han, placing a kiss on his nose. As he pushed himself away, Jisung’s eyes were open wide and his cheeks more red than the gloves on Minho’s hands.

“There are other people here! you can’t do that..” Han looked down at his shoes, his cheeks still warm.

“I don’t see anyone else here, why would there be when it’s this late?” Leeknow rebutted, using the top of his boxing glove to raise Jisung’s chin toward him.

Han’s eyes refused to meet that of his boyfriend’s. “yeah speaking of it, why are we still here?” he said with a sassy tone, his eyes still looking everywhere else other than to match the gaze of Minho.

“just a couple more minutes,” Minho dropped his hand and stood above Han, tightening his gloves with a grin before walking over to the boxing ring. “I’ll be done before you’ve got your things packed.”

Jisung nodded and started to collect his belongings, glancing up at his man under the spotlight once or twice before zipping up his bag and standing up. Leeknow dodged and punched at the air inside of the ring, his shirt sticking to him with sweat. He walked a bit closer to watch the movements up close, leaning against a worn punching bag as he observed.

Han’s eyes drifted to posters, and newspaper articles all around the walls of the gym. Minho’s face was plastered on most of them, whether they were winning articles or simple pictures of him fighting in the ring. His eyes returned back to the ring where Minho was stepping out between the ropes. “help me take these off?” he yelled from afar, referring to his gloves.

they sat on a bench press while Jisung removed the white tape from Leeknows hands, a protective layer that helps prevent bruising even with the gloves on. He hummed the tune of the song he was writing while doing so, being careful not to yank the tape too hard. Minho has his head tilted back slightly, trying to prevent the sweat droplets from his face from dripping onto that of his boyfriend. he smiles softly as Han hums and assists him with something he could easily do himself. though his smile fades when a towel is thrown over his face and he can no longer see anything.

“wipe up your face and hands, you’re so sweaty you could probably fill up an empty jug.” Jisung scoffs and stands, grabbing his bag.

As Minho wipes his sweat off, he slowly lifts himself up and walks over to where his belongings lay in the corner near the exit. He shoves the hand towel into the pocket of his shorts and grabs his jacket off of the hook. Han waits for the boxing champ while looking down at his phone, browsing through Instagram while he waits. once Leeknow’s jacket is all zipped up and he grabs his bottle of water and phone they both leave the building and head in the direction of home.

“aren’t you cold?” Jisung asks quietly as a breeze flows past them. Minho shakes his head and looks toward him. “You?” he questions back with a raised brow. Han shakes his head and returns his eyes back to the direction they’re walking. they talked briefly about music, and Minho’s next boxing match while walking home. in less crowded areas they held hands, or wrapped an arm around one another, while on the busier streets, they looked like just a couple of friends walking home from the bar.

“let's stop in here and grab some drinks to take home,” Leeknow suggests, pulling Han in the direction of the convenience store. they each grab a few small cans of beer and walk up to the counter where a younger-looking girl is standing.

“will that be all?” she asked in a chipper tone, much happier than someone working the overnight shift should be. they both nodded while Minho pulled his phone from his pocket to tap the card reader and asked for a bag. the employee looks Han up and down with a blank look while bagging up their drinks before smiling up at Minho and thanking him for his purchase. they both nodded and made their way out of the store.

Jisung’s hands returned to the pockets of his oversized hoodie while Minho carried the bag of alcohol. He shook his head and fumbles with his fingers inside of the pockets while walking. Minho noticed the mood change and nudged Han gently with his elbow. “what is it?” he questioned. Han stopped walking and looked up at him with a pissy frown.

“that store clerk is always so happy and flirty towards you but then looks at me like I’m a moldy apple, always.” he looks up at Leeknow who has a grin on his face. “what?” Han questions.

“oh nothing, but I’ll make sure to keep going there on our way home.” Minho grabs a hand from Jisung’s pocket and interlocks his fingers before bringing them closer together. Jisung looks around briefly and tries pulling away, of course failing due to his boyfriend’s much more impressive strength.

“why would we keep going there? it bothers me.” Han questions, giving up on removing himself from Leeknow’s side, and sighs. “I like seeing you bothered, it's cute.” he responds point-blank while looking straight ahead. Han’s eyes go wide once again and he pulls his hood down over his face so no one could see his red cheeks.

they walk quietly together, just a few blocks away from their apartment. while walking side by side a group of three guys come stumbling out of a bar to their right, bumping into Minho and jostling the bag of drinks he holds. “hey, watch where you’re going.” Minho states before continuing to walk home.

the drunk men start laughing and cursing up a storm, homophobic slurs practically dripping from their mouths while the couple has their backs turned. Leeknow stops walking and lets go of Jisung’s hand- turning back toward the group of guys with a blank stare in his eyes. Jisung grabs Minho’s arm pleading for him to keep walking. the plastic bag drops to the ground and Minho steps hastily toward the men, brushing Han off.

“say it again,” he mumbles while stepping directly in front of what seems to be the tough guy of the group.

“what was that, pretty boy? you two gonna go drink those girly cocktails and make out like fags?” the man chuckles and looks at his buddies who don’t seem to think the joke is funny anymore. “what?” the aggressor quietly asked his two guys. they all mumbled to each other, words like “fighting” and “boxing” popping up. “you think a twink like this can fight? doubt it.” he chuckles once more.

Leeknow’s fist swiftly takes ahold of the man's shirt collar, pulling him close. “apologize.” he says through his teeth. the man starts laughing once more before Minho places a hard, jaw-breaking punch to this man's face, letting him fall to the ground after impact. the other two men step back, looking at each other questioningly before the guy on the right runs toward Minho with his fist held high.

he grabs the fist of the idiotic drunk friend and pulls him into his knee, causing the man to run directly into it. the drunkard falls to the ground gasping for air and clutching his stomach while Leeknow steps over him in the direction of the last guy.

Han picks up the plastic bag and hides inside his hoodie, yelling Minho’s name as people are taking pictures and videos. he backs up slowly, covering most of his face with the extra big sleeve showing only his big, wide eyes. Jisung trips over a curb and falls right on his butt while Leeknow starts to fight with the remaining man. He hisses in slight pain, rubbing his leg where his body took the most weight.

Minho delivers one last jab to the nose before backing away from the three men laying on the cold road in pain. he starts to walk away, looking at his boyfriend getting up from the ground with beer cans cluttered on the sidewalk. he grabs the bag and collects the drinks once more, turning to Han whose expression is worried and fearful. Minho walks to the backside of Jisung, wiping off any dirt and debris that collected on his clothes when he fell.

“let's go home, watch Ponyo, and get drunk.” Leeknow started while grabbing Jisung’s hand once more. “and we drink beers, assholes.” he yells to the three injured men, holding up the plastic bag as the two walk away hand in hand…

“that guy had a good point, we should go makeout.” Han chuckles.

[hollandorks]

saved

matt murdock x original female character

chapter fifteen

Summary: Fleeing from an abusive relationship, Grace St. James goes to the only place she still has a friend: Hell’s Kitchen. She’s forced to live in her car and beg for a job from the law firm Nelson, Murdock, and Page all the while making sure her past doesn’t catch up to her. Enter Matt Murdock: cocky, handsome, and willing to let her live with him for free until she can afford to get a place of her own. Grace is drawn to Matt in a way she’s never been drawn to anyone, causing sparks to fly as they inevitably grow closer and closer.

a/n: do I really need a note here since I’m posting so frequently? Idk, it feels like it’s a requirement so I just do it out of habit! All I can really say is that I keep meaning to write angsty bits for this story and all that comes out is flirting....oops.

*NSFW themes in this one but nothing too explicit! (which tbh you can kind of expect from here on out oops*

Series Masterlist

word count: 4227

Grace vowed that no matter what Matt Murdock did, he’d at least still be her friend.

She hoped.

Grace’s POV 

Unfortunately, Grace didn’t see Matt that night. When she left the office, he was still working, buried in a pile of papers with Foggy, working on a potential new case. 

She ate dinner in the silent apartment, wishing that Matt had a TV. She watched videos on her phone to combat the silence, then did laundry to wash the scent of her night off of Matt’s fancy sheets. Then she cleaned up the kitchen, making sure everything went back in its original spot so Matt wouldn’t miss it. 

It was late by the time she got ready for bed, and still no Matt. She texted him asking teasingly if she needed to come save him and Foggy from an avalanche of paperwork but he didn’t respond. 

She wondered if he was avoiding her. 

She really shouldn’t have brought up the bet first thing. She should have talked to him about it, instead, and told him that maybe she wanted something more. 

She fell asleep daydreaming about him sleeping next to her. 

In the morning, Matt was either still gone or already at the office. She wondered again if he was avoiding her, but brushed the thought off as stupid and paranoid, especially when she saw him enter the building right before her. She must have just missed him. 

“Hey, Matt,” she called out as she caught the door. Matt paused as he was folding up his cane. 

“Hey,” he said softly. Karen and Foggy weren’t in yet. “Must have just missed you.” 

“Oh, so you didn’t sleep at the office?” she teased with a lightness she didn’t quite feel as she slung her jacket over her chair. 

Matt laughed softly. “No, but almost. Foggy woke me up at midnight, I think, so we could both go home. We fell asleep on our desks, like we were in college again.” 

“Must be an important case if you were both working late while being hungover.” She clicked her computer on and frowned at the work that had piled up for her, mostly stuff for her to transcribe and a few order forms with Foggy’s messy handwriting. “Looks like I should have stayed late too,” she murmured to herself as she began sorting through the stacks. 

“Yeah, sorry about that. It could be big. We’re still researching stuff, though.” Matt shrugged out of his jacket and slung it and his cane on a chair right inside his office. Grace watched as the material of his shirt pulled taut across his chest for a moment with the movement, then looked away. 

She hesitated before sitting down at her desk, then walked to stand in Matt’s doorway. “Hey, can we…talk about the other night?” 

Matt paused, head tilted to the side. She tried really hard not to remember him doing that, painted in neon, shirt open. “I…you don’t owe me any money, Grace,” he said softly. 

Shame flared hotly in her chest. “I know, I–it was a stupid bet and–” She stopped, unsure how to say what she needed to. It was a stupid bet because I want to be something more than friends with you. It was a stupid bet because it was the only way my drunk brain could think of to get you to kiss me and I’d really like to do it again. 

“Yeah, it was stupid,” Matt said. His shoulders tensed as he spoke. 

Grace stepped back as if the words had been a physical blow. Yeah, it was stupid. 

She tried to remind herself of what Karen had said, about Matt closing himself off as a coping mechanism. But it didn’t feel like that’s what he was doing. It felt like he was trying to let her down easy. It felt like…he thought it was a mistake. 

“Yeah,” she said faintly. “I’m…sorry.” The world faded and narrowed around her as the hot flame of embarrassment in her chest flared even hotter. 

When she blinked, she was back at her desk. She put her head in her hands for a moment and sighed. “Fuck,” she said under her breath. She’d wanted to talk to him about exploring more of what was between them, this time without alcohol. 

But if he felt like it was stupid, she didn’t want to press for more and potentially ruin anything between them. She wanted to stay friends, wanted to keep the easy camaraderie between them. Even if, at that moment, the gulf between them felt insurmountable. 

After letting herself wallow in self pity for a minute, she straightened and got to work. There was nothing else to do. Matt felt like it was a mistake, so she would treat it as one. They could move on, simple as that. 

She spent the day buried underneath as much paperwork as her three coworkers, all of them catching up from a slow, hungover morning the day before. They were also catching up on other, smaller cases that had been put off in preparation for the trial. 

At the end of the day, they went to dinner together, all four of them. Matt was nothing but polite and professional towards her. She pretended that she didn’t see the secret looks Foggy and Karen kept exchanging, or the way Karen raised her eyebrows at her once when Matt was just a little too curt. 

The shame lodged like a solid coal in her chest. 

“I’m going to head home,” she said the minute she finished her food and paid. She wasn’t sure she could endure Matt’s forced politeness any longer. “See you guys tomorrow.” 

She tried to hurry out, only for Matt to catch up with her at the door. He sure was fast for a blind man, she thought. 

“I’ll walk with you,” he said softly. He held his arm out for a minute. She stared at it and remembered walking home from Josie’s with him, the two of them laughing and flirtatious. 

She sighed and took his arm right as he started to lower it. 

“How was your day?” he said carefully as they started to walk. 

Grace grit her teeth at the benign pleasantry. “It’s okay, Matt,” she said. “We don’t have to make small talk if you don’t want to.” 

“I–that’s not–” 

She nudged him gently. “I’m letting you off the hook.” 

Matt turned his head towards her. “I wasn’t aware I was on the hook.” She caught the edge of a smile. But she also noted that he was blushing a little. 

“Seems like you’ve been wanting off the hook to me,” she said. “Since you kind of blew me off this morning.” 

Matt hesitated, almost tripping before catching himself. “I…didn’t mean to blow you off.” 

“Look, I get it. I work for you. We’re roommates. We were drunk. It’s fine.” She shrugged. “We can just go back to normal, yeah?” 

Matt made a little noise. “I think I fucked up, didn’t I?” he said so quietly she wasn’t sure she’d heard him right. 

“I said I’m letting you off the hook, Matt,” she said softly. 

“Just because I was on the hook doesn’t mean I don’t want to know how your day was,” he said after a moment. She watched his cane swing back and forth across the sidewalk. 

“We work together, you should know how my day was since you kept dropping stuff on my desk,” she said, but she kept her tone light and teasing. Back to normal, she told herself. “All three of you.” 

“Sorry about that,” Matt said with an awkward little laugh. “You can see why we were so desperate to hire you.” 

“I’m surprised you survived so long without me.” They turned a corner and the apartment building came into view. 

“Me too. Foggy’s terrible at filing, and since Karen used to be our office manager neither of us wanted to treat her like that again.” Matt laughed and she drank in the sound of it. 

“And you? Are you terrible at filing too?” She squeezed his arm playfully. 

“Oh no, obviously I’m great at it.” They both laughed at the joke. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she said as they stepped into the building’s elevator. Matt leaned back against the wall and tilted his head towards her. His eyebrows raised behind his tinted glasses. 

“What’s that mean?” he asked. There was an undercurrent to the words that she couldn’t quite figure out. 

She almost said something about him being good at hearing things he shouldn’t hear or how he sometimes found things on the first try with his hands. Instead, with a burst of unexpected bravery, she said, “It means, Matt Murdock, that I’ve found you surprisingly good at unexpected things.” It came out much more husky and flirty than she’d intended. It was too late to take the words back, though, so she let them hang in the air between them. Let him make of it what he would. 

Matt was saved having to reply by the elevator doors opening. She walked out casually, as if she hadn’t just reminded him of the very thing they were pretending hadn’t happened. But fuck it, she thought as she unlocked the apartment door. He had been unexpectedly good at it, and she didn’t regret how good it had made her feel. She only regretted the awkwardness it had created between them. She regretted that he thought it had been a mistake. 

“Do you need the bathroom first?” she called over her shoulder. She turned and found a still stunned Matt standing in the elevator. The doors started to slide shut and his hand snapped out to catch them. 

“Uh, what?” he asked as he finally followed her into the apartment. 

“I’m going to take a shower. Do you need the bathroom first?” She couldn’t help but feel a little pleased that she’d rendered him speechless. Matt was so confident and cocky more often than not that she enjoyed having the roles reversed for once. Even if she’d been almost unintentionally flirty. 

“Oh. No, no, you go ahead, I’m gonna–get changed. Probably go to the gym or something.” He rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Okay,” she said with a little nod. She bit her tongue against the urge to invite him to shower with her. He was very clear about it being a mistake, she reminded herself. That didn’t stop her from imagining it for a moment. Maybe the urge was because she liked him. Maybe it was because it was easy to flirt with him. She didn’t know, but it overpowered her for a moment as her thoughts drifted. 

Maybe it’s because you want another three orgasms, she told herself as she stripped off her work clothes in the bathroom. She groaned and leaned back against the bathroom door. 

Her mind flipped rapidly between daydreams and memories. Daydreams of Matt joining her in the shower. Memories of him painted in red on his knees before her. 

A cold shower should work. Hopefully. Because try as she might to stop it, she’d been thinking about those three orgasms pretty much since they’d happened. Her mind helpfully provided more flashes of that night even as the cold water hit her skin like a wall of ice. 

Grace sucked in a sharp breath as she leaned against the tile wall and let herself remember, just for a moment. Matt’s hands on her ass, carrying her to the bed. The way he’d looked at her, even with his eyes sightless, like he wanted to devour her. That low growl of a voice when he said Sweetheart, that was just my hands before he did devour her. His moan as she pulled on his hair.  

She let her hands ghost across her breasts and stomach, lower and lower as she remembered. And then her thoughts drifted to what could have happened. She would have undressed Matt slowly, revealed each and every one of those delicious muscles before she laid him on the bed and repaid the favor with her mouth. She remembered how hard he’d been against her, right where she’d wanted as they’d kissed on the counter. She bit back a moan as she imagined being in that same position but naked instead, the counter cold underneath her bare skin, Matt’s hands braced against her hip and the mirror.

Her breath came in pants as she came, hard, around her own fingers while she imagined all of the things she wanted to do to Matt Murdock. 

–

Matt’s POV

In the other room, Matt could hear everything. He’d stepped into the bedroom as soon as the shower had turned on and grabbed something more comfortable to sleep in. 

His thoughts were a wreck as he thought of her teasing in the elevator. It means, Matt Murdock, that I’ve found you surprisingly good at unexpected things. 

He’d known immediately what she’d been referring to. It had stunned him into stillness, a gut reaction beaten into him by his nightly activities. Fight, flight, or freeze, wasn’t that the saying? So he’d frozen, his mind churning out exactly what unexpected things he’d been good at. 

She’d been flirting with him. He might have been blind, but he wasn’t that blind. 

Grace had told him that she wanted to go back to normal, but God if he wasn’t having a hard time with that already. 

He practically ripped his shirt off. Maybe he’d go out that night. He’d probably feel better burning off some of the lingering adrenaline in his veins. He’d intended to do that after leaving the office the night before, but he and Foggy had both dozed off at their desks like a couple of amateurs. 

Plus, it was Friday. He was supposed to meet her that night, at twelve thirty, as Daredevil. 

He didn’t know if he could face her. He was terrified she’d recognize him. That whatever tentative truce they’d just reached would be obliterated by the truth. 

As soon as he yanked on his sweatpants, he heard it. 

A stifled moan. 

Matt froze for the second time in less than ten minutes, his shirt halfway on. 

Was she–

His whole body reacted to the noises coming from the shower. Noises any regular man wouldn’t be able to hear. 

Even with the shower on, the scent of her arousal hit him so hard he stumbled back a step. 

He unfroze and chose another of the three options: flight. 

Matt half-ran up to the roof, trying to get as far away as he could from what was happening in his goddamn bathroom. He hated his abilities at that moment. He didn’t want to intrude like that on such an obviously private moment. He didn’t want to be able to hear and even smell everything she’d done in there. Everything she was doing. 

He strode to the edge of the roof but it wasn’t far enough. He could still hear her heart accelerating, hear her fingers moving, hear the way she bit her lip to keep any more noises from slipping out. 

He leapt onto the next roof and kept running until he couldn’t hear her anymore. He was at least four blocks away now, and even though the sounds had faded, it felt like he wasn’t far enough. 

One thought pierced through his panic. 

What was she thinking about? 

Matt cursed under his breath and dug his fingers into his hair. 

It was so much worse than when she’d had whatever dream she’d had. Because now he knew what it was like to have her. 

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there trying to calm his breathing, but he eventually made his way back to his apartment. 

He could hear her rustling around getting ready for bed as he came back through the roof access door and bolted it shut. How was he going to face her after that? Nothing like that had ever happened in the weeks she’d been staying with him. Even after her dream, she hadn’t…touched herself. 

He had to focus very hard in order to keep the thoughts of her touching herself at bay. 

“Oh, hey,” Grace said as she stepped out of the bedroom. He’d somehow missed the sound of the door sliding open. He barely kept himself from visibly startling. “Your turn,” she said. There was a note of something in her voice and her heartbeat picked up as she moved past him towards the kitchen. Guilt? Embarrassment? Lust? He couldn’t pinpoint it. 

Despite the shower, he could smell it all over her. He cursed himself silently as she grabbed a drink of some sort from the fridge. He couldn’t concentrate enough to be able to tell. 

He fled into the bathroom. He was supposed to go to the gym or pretend he was going to the gym and go out as Daredevil. 

But the smell was stronger there, in the bathroom, so Matt flipped the shower on with a muttered curse. His body was overheating. 

He regretted inviting her to live with him for the barest of moments. 

Did she have any idea the kind of torture she was putting him through? Of course she didn’t, Matt reasoned as he stepped into the cold spray. On his sensitive skin, it may as well have been like bathing in the Arctic. 

Maybe she wouldn’t notice if he showered twice. Because no matter what he did, no matter how many times he had to use his own hands to take care of things, nothing helped ease the fire raging in his body like a fight did. He would have to go out, have to find a criminal of some sort to fight, and come home sweaty and in need of a second shower. 

Matt groaned quietly. Grace was driving him crazy. She might be able to pretend things were normal, but he wasn’t so sure he could. 

When he came back out, hair dripping slightly, she was sitting in the bed in those same goddamn silk pajamas. He could hear the whisper of it against her skin, something about the soft slide of it innately sexual. Or maybe that was just the memory of when she’d worn them last. 

There was a rustle of something else, too. Paper. The scent of ink and dust. A book. 

“Hey,” she said with a voice softened by sleepiness. “I could take the couch tonight, you know.” 

Matt half-smiled. “No, it’s alright. I…was going to go to the gym. I don’t want to wake you up when I get home later.” He knew he looked like an idiot, freshly showered and talking about going to the gym.  

Grace sighed, either not noticing him contradicting himself or not caring. “Matt, you’re like, ten feet too long for that couch. And last night you slept at your desk for part of the night. If you won’t sleep on the bed I need to at least foot the bill for your chiropractor.” 

Something in Matt’s chest squeezed at her words. “My back is fine. Besides, I’ll get my bed back when you get your own place.” 

“Ouch. Trying to kick me out already?” Her tone was light and teasing. 

Matt frowned. “Of course not.” The thought sent panic through him, even though what she’d done in the shower earlier had made it nearly impossible to share a space with her. Yet the thought of her leaving made him…sad, almost. It was better to her her here, where he could protect her even as she unknowingly tortured him, than to have her leave. 

Grace made a sound between a laugh and a sigh. “Always so serious, Murdock. I was kidding. I know your good Catholic heart won’t let you kick me out on the streets.” 

It was Matt’s turn to sigh. “I don’t think that has anything to do with my Catholicism.” 

“It’s because you like my company, isn’t it?” 

Another pang in his chest. She was teasing and had no idea how right she was. “Nah, it’s because you clean up after me. It’s like having a maid that works for free.” He grinned at her. He heard her book sail through the air and forced himself not to react until it hit him in the chest. “Hey, you can’t just throw things at a blind guy!” But he laughed, because of course she would do something like that. She’d never treated his disability as something to tiptoe around, for which he was grateful. Foggy and Karen were the same way, and it was a big part of the reason they got along so well.  

“I can if he’s being a dick,” she said back but she was laughing too. “I don’t buy the poor little blind boy act, anyway.”

“Oh yeah?” Matt said as he bent over to retrieve her book. He made sure to miss it a few times before she sighed and told him it was to the left. He held it out to her. “What makes you say that?” 

“I think even though you’re blind, you’re just a regular guy. You use the blindness to hide behind to get away with stuff. Like those guys who are so handsome that they can get away with anything. Except you’re handsome and blind.” She snorted a little. “So somebody has to keep you humble. Like me. And Foggy. And Karen, though she’s much nicer about it.” 

“Oh, so you think I’m handsome?” he said before he could stop the words, hands on his hips. He silently cursed himself for flirting with her. 

He could hear her shift, that damn silk sliding over her skin. He heard the sound of her teeth rasping over her slightly chapped bottom lip. Her heart started beating faster, too, and he hated that he knew what he did to her, because he just wanted to be normal, just for once. 

“Matt, even though you can’t see yourself, I know you know you’re handsome. I’m rolling my eyes at you, by the way.” Her light tone betrayed her nerves, if that’s what they were. 

Matt didn’t want to go down this road with her. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. “Can I plead the fifth?” he said instead of all the things he wanted to say. All the things he wanted to do, like crawl into bed with her and kiss her senseless. To beg her to tell him what she’d been thinking about in the shower. 

Grace laughed and it was the best sound in the world. He wanted to make her laugh every day for the rest of his life. Which is probably why he kept flirting with her, teasing her–because it almost always got a laugh, and he was addicted to the sound. 

“Yeah, yeah, Mr. Lawyer Man. I just said I need to keep you humble. So maybe I’m going to mix up all your little color-coded notes in your closet and start doing laundry and turn your white shirts pink.” She raised her finger in the air, likely pointing it at him. Her heart was still pounding. She was enjoying this, he thought a bit helplessly. Too much. And so was he. “I’m pointing my finger at you all threateningly by the way.” 

Matt couldn’t keep the grin from his face. “Well if you’re going to do that, then you can sleep on the couch from here on out.” 

“Hey!” she said, laughing. “I thought you were a gentleman!” 

Matt must have been drunk again, even though he hadn’t had any alcohol in two nights, because the words slipped out of his mouth in a rough voice. “We both know I’m not a gentleman.” 

Grace froze, and he wished yet again he could see her. Her breath was coming in little pants and–goddamn it, he could smell her arousal. 

What the hell was wrong with him? 

“I should go,” Matt finally said, pretending really hard that he couldn’t tell she was a little nervous but aroused by his words. “Goodnight, Grace.” 

There was a silence at his back as he retreated towards the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him. 

“Goodnight, Matt,” she finally called out to him, swallowing so hard he was certain he could have heard it without his abilities. 

Matt yanked out the duffel bag that held his suit. He was such an idiot. But there was something about her that made him react that way. Some kind of gut instinct around her that came out and made him cocky, made him flirt. He hadn’t acted that way around a girl since–

The thought sobered him. 

Since Elektra. 

Matt closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. 

Grace was nothing like Elektra, but something about her still reminded him of her. Elektra had always been teasing and flirty like that, too, but often in a much more dangerous way. A way that usually involved blades, blood, or violence. Or all three. 

Matt realized it had been a while since he’d thought of the woman he’d lost. He still missed her, still hated that she had died the way she had–both times. 

But Grace made it almost easy to forget Elektra. Matt used to be afraid of meeting another woman, of dishonoring Elektra’s memory. He thought he would compare them all to the woman he’d lost–twice–and nothing would stick. 

Yet Grace wasn’t Elektra, and for the first time, the thought didn’t take Matt’s breath away.

Next Chapter

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[campbells-content]

Part 2 of road trip au, post road trip. Also un checked and unedited.

They don't spend the next few days together on purpose.

So, as I said, Chloe offers a ride to Juleka, but once they get to the boat, Juleka asks Chloe if she wants to hang out. She says yes and the first day they just hangout on the boat, talking for hours, watching movies and laughing at Luka's reaction to the jumpscares. By the time they realized how long its been it is midnight and Chloe ends up spending the night. In the morning they get dressed and get ready. They take a detour on the way to the hotel and go shopping till they get hungry, then go eat. They get to the hotel and Chloe asks her if she wants to come up for a bit. They do and they just lay on the bed and talk. "So, you're dad has partial custody?" "Yeah, which sucks cause he lives in America." "Is anything gonna happen since you just up and left?" "Probably not, he's pretty laid back. Maybe even a little too laid back." "I guess it has its perks." "Yep." "You wanna get out of here?" Chloe sat up with a smile. "It'll be fun."

They end up going around Paris, to the park and then up to the observation deck on arc de triomphe in time for the sunset. They're not alone but they kindof get lost in eachother, almost missing golden hour. When golden hour does happen Juleka can't look away. Chloe can't look away from her. Chloe realizes she may or may not have feelings for her. After the sunset they walk around for a few hours then head back to the hotel, laughing about the fact that they've spent the last like 9 nights together and were about to spent 1 more. They couldn't sleep so they went up to the roof, keep in mind it is now the middle of the night. No one is there and there is no event so the lights are all off. Chloe looked around for the power box and flicked on the lights. She dragged Juleka to the railing where she new they'd get the best view.

The city was still so alive with lights everywhere. Again, they just talked. "It's sad." "Hmm?" "That we trade the lights in the sky for the ones on the ground." "Oh." "Sorry, that was probably a little to dreary." "Juleka?" "Yeah?" "We have been trading trama stories for the past week." "I know." "Your cute concern about light pollution is not too dreary." "Oh." "If anything it's kindof endearing." "How?" "Even when you see something this beautiful, you still think about what it costs. Then again you did grow up with Rose." "She might've affected my view of the world a teensy bit." "You two are close?" "Have been for years. Oh, shit. She doesn't even know I'm back."

"Yeah she does." "What?" "She's been asking in the group chat. The others messaged about the details of the road on the plane ride home." "Oh." "What?" "Nothing." "Trouble in paradise?" "No, nothing like that. It just hit me that this has to end eventually." "What does?" "This-" she motioned between the two of them "-I've just really enjoyed hanging out." "It's not ending now, is it?" There was a mini desperation in her tone that only seemed to ring in the seconds of silence. "I don't think so." Filled with relief, Chloe suggested they go back inside and they did after almost falling in the pool and cutting out the lights. They watched another movie and fell asleep. Chloe woke up first to butler guy knocking on her door. He just told her that Andre is glad she got home safe and would like to schedule a dinner sometime this week. She said yeah, sure and went back to bed. She couldn't get back to sleep so she stared at Juleka until she realized she was staring at Juleka. Then she just got up and sat on her balcony with the door open. Juleka woke up and silently joined her. They mumbled their goodmornings and just enjoyed the morning air in silence. 30ish minutes later, another knock on the door as butler dude came to tell Chloe they're about to stop serving breakfast.

He is a little surprised when Juleka is standing behind Chloe but continues to tell them both about the breakfast ending. Chloe asks if Juleka wants to get this or go out. They get hotel breakfast, joking as they ate in the dining area. Butler guy comes to tell Chloe about the dinner scheduled in three days. She nodded and he left. They finished eating and went back up to Chloe's room. They just chilled out in there for a few hours until they got hungry again. They raided the kitchen and then Chloe got a text from Adrien. A: "wana hng ut" C: "with who?" A: "me n alya" C: "can juleka come?" A: "👀" A: "sur" They went to Adrien's and played some video games, watched a movie, and played some bored games. They ended up staying the night there and sleeping on a pallet while. Chloe woke up to Adrien and Alya talking from the bed. When they saw her up they laughed and said goodmorning. "Whats so funny?" "Nothing." "You and Juleka seem close." "We've been hanging out." "For how long?" "Did you even drop her off?" She got flustered at that and glared at Alya. "I was going to! Really, I was, but she asked if I wanted to hang out." "And you just haven't left?" "Did you even want to?" She was silent, her face getting more flushed. "Chloe..." "You're down bad, girl." She looked back to make sure Juleka was still asleep. "...I know." Alya laughed at and teased her and Adrien tried to console her. Eventually Juleka woke up and they ate breakfast. Chloe focused on her food and aladrien kept glancing at everyone. Juleka pretended she didn't notice. Afterwards aladrien say they are gonna go mess around and record at the park. Chloleka just went back to the hotel to get Juleka's stuff that she left because they weren't planning on spending the night at Adrien's. They watched another movie, then another, and another. Juleka said she should probably go home after one more. They start the movie but Chloe kinda just falls asleep.

The movie ends and Juleka is about to leave but she doesn't want to leave without good bye. She lays there for a minute and pulls out her phone to text Luka. J: 'Probably not gonna make it home tonight.' L: 'This is a very long date' J: '>-<' J: 'Its not a date.' L: 'Sure its not' J: 'Shush' L: ':P' J: 'ur gae' L: 'Says the one on week long date' J: 'Its not a date.' L: 'Sure' J: 'I'm going to ignore that and go to sleep.' L: 'Really? Its a little early don't you think?' J: 'Its 10?' L: 'I'm guessing she's already asleep?' J: 'Yep. Gn.' L: 'Lol night ig' She lays there for a while before putting on another movie and getting comfy under the covers.

This is where it ends for now cause I've hit a mental block

[whiskeyswifty]

i love reading your analysis despite disagreeing with a lot of it because i think it’s important to see other people’s pov. but i do find it comical when u were talking about midnights vs lover because lover is easily my least favourite of her albums and the only time i ever felt disappointed by an album. i totally agree what u said about folkmore getting sandwiched between them though and making it a catch 22 for her post that release cycle, i think to a degree anything that was diff from what she did with folkmore was going to be more scrutinized, even if it was phenomenal! thanks for making such interesting commentary!

I hope its okay that i put your asks together, because i think that's a huge part of my original post as well! Lover and Midnights to me, and my circle who engages with her, are both albums that are reductive ultimately. and this is particularly damning for an artist who at the very least is always pushing herself and the state of music in new directions, whether you like the outcome of those pushes or not. and that's what makes her so interesting to talk about and her art such a great marker for culture at any given time. i totally agree on the whole that lover came after several albums of new and exciting work and was comparatively stagnant. i'm a bit higher on lover personally than you are i think, but i by no means rank it high and don't consider it an achievement of any kind. and i think that's kind of what a lot of dissenting midnights opinions feel about this album; that it's uninteresting and unexciting work from a person who is usually very interesting and exciting. and considering that they're both mid at best, in the eyes of me and my circle, it's fun to compare them back to back as if folkmore never happened. and it's fun to see history repeat itself a bit. not exactly, as reputation was not as well received writ large as folklore, to say the least, but still it's a similar phenomenon. to pose the question; what predispositions caused the feelings we have about this piece of art and is it fair to have those feelings when they conflict with past feelings of similar circumstance? all art exists in and is born of context and cannot be divorced from it, but it's interesting to try and parse how much of my opinion is objective and merit based, and how much of it came with a set of expectations that might have been unfair from a critical standpoint?

ultimately i still zone out during midnights adklfjadlkjfdf so that's something that can't be helped. but thank you so much for adding this and sharing your experiences! even if we disagree on some points, we're definitely aligned in a lot of our thoughts on how her albums are often scrutinized based on expectations set by previous releases. and how it's just a fact! fair or unfair notwithstanding. and i'm glad you find it as interesting to think about as i do!

[happy-tori-friends]

“They hurt you, despite knowing what I would do.” With Splendid and Fliqpy? I just really like how you write those two sorry

aww thank you, i really appreciate that! …tragically, despite the brain craving angst, i do not think i did this one very well. in my brain's defense, most of it was written past midnight. there's very slight gore mentions but im bad at writing actions and describing things so it's very not good. i'm a dialoguer, not a describer.

There were not many people who would mess with Flippy. Those that would likely didn't know about his capabilities or Fliqpy. And though Fliqpy was the protector, more often than not able to handle himself, there were times when he couldn't, whether it be PTSD messing with him or just having an off day. Though he always tried to deny it, Fliqpy was not invincible.

It hardly ever came into play though, so Splendid tended to just assume that Fliq could handle most every that came his way His pride and being paralyzed by the PTSD would likely cause him not to call for help, either, and the chances of him flying by on patrol and witnessing it were slim.

It was an average patrol - fly around town, look and listen for people in need of help or criminals up to no good. He'd taken on Splendont's route as well, since his brother had a meeting with a client. That led him to the bad part of Tree Town, which he knew would certainly give him a workout.

Almost immediately, Splendid heard gunshots and stiffened. He was aware it wasn't exactly uncommon, but it still worried him. He hoped it wasn't too big of a scuffle.

He began to fly towards the source until he heard something else.

“He's a veteran, right? Maybe he's rich. Think we can make him pay us to leave him be?”

Immediately, his eyes narrowed and he pushed the gunshots to the back of his mind. He changed courses and landed near the source of the comment, glancing over the scene.

In the midst of a switch, or maybe stunned by memories of war, stood Fliqpy, cornered by two young looking men. Older than the twins, he assumed, but not nearly smart enough to know who not to mess with.

“I suggest you leave him alone,” Splendid announced, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles. “I'm not above beating up criminal scum like you. And believe me, it will not be pretty and it will not be painless.”

With a smirk, the second of the two, the one who had not yet said anything, spoke. “Yeah, right What are you going to do about it?”

The two young men threw each other a look, before the glint of a blade caught his eye in the second's hand. He assumed he was bluffing, or that Fliqpy's reflexes would kick in, but when the knife plunged into his boyfriend's side and he barely flinched, Splendid realized that he should not have been so optimistic.

And upon that realization, he saw red.

One punch was all it took to send one of them flying into a building, splattering upon impact. The other, the one that held the knife, took it out and immediately dropped it upon hearing and looking at the impact, his friend's body broken and leaving a crimson stain in its wake.

“Craaap, this is one of those superheroes!” he hissed, eyes darting around as he tried to look for a route to escape. He let out a sigh of relief and began to run, trying to round a corner.

…Only for Splendid's heat vision to reduce him to ash.

He did not intend to kill them, but it seemed the curse liked to male his powers a bit more potent than usual, which led to a lot of accidents and, well… But that was not the point - he didn't have time to think about his failures. The curse had seemingly kicked in, and the chaotic nature of it could easily male that stab wound more dangerous than normal, fatal even. Unless it wasn't technically caused by the curse but…

Bah! Not the time to consider semantics! He needed to treat it with urgency, no matter what!

“Hey, Fliq,” he approached carefully, so as not to startle him. “Are you…”

“…Got stabbed,” Fliqpy responded, gaze still vacant, not even looking at him. “Kinda hurts.”

It was a good thing Splendid always cane prepared with-

“…Oh dear. It… looks like I've forgotten my mini first aid kit at home.” He still, albeit hesitantly, lifted up the other's shirt, looking over the wound. “It doesn't look to be too deep, though it obviously needs treatment.”

A shaking breath, and Fliqpy grit his teeth. “I'll be fine. I can handle it. I was only… The gunshots fucked with me and… Fuck, sometimes I miss the days where I just killed, because the memories didn't hurt. They just felt like the present and I went wild.” The mint haired man let out a low laugh, looking around and steadying himself. “You killed them for me, this time. Probably better that way. If I went into a state like I used to, they wouldn't be the only one's dead.”

Splendid let out a hum. He didn't want to kill them, but… he didn't regret it a single bit. “They hurt you, despite knowing what I would do.” He had warned them - they were just stupid enough to pick the wrong person to mess with and not realize they were being confronted by a superhero.

“But it's going to be fine,” Fliqpy assured him, putting pressure on his own wound to stop the bleeding. “They deserved it, and they should've listened, but I'm okay in the end.”

“I know you are… I just… worry sometimes,” Splendid admitted, pulling the other closer and placing a kiss on his forehead. “You can usually handle yourself but you were all frozen here. This isn't uncommon in this part of town, why were you over here?”

Fliqpy tensed at the contact at first, but relaxed a few moments later, wrapping his arms tightly around the other. “Dropping something Flip made off for Red's double trouble duo. But PTSD's a bitch and shit happens and then suddenly you've been stabbed and stuff.”

It was good they were getting along, and Splendont would especially be happy his boyfriends were getting along with someone they'd been terrified of prior. Not that Splendid cared for Lifty or Shifty that much, but he respected his brother enough to be civil. At least they weren't going around stabbing people to coax cash from them.

“Oh!” He wrapped his arms around Fliqpy. “We should go to my place and clean that wound. I'll take care of it for you.”

The other let out a huff, but in a fond sort of way. “You really are my hero.”

A smile bloomed across the cyan haired man's face as he took off, careful not to hold him too tight. He'd stopped anything worse from happening to his boyfriend, and any excuse to spend time with him was wonderful.

…The gunshots were forgotten in the wake of this however.

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Beyond Midnight Final Chapter

It is 6am.

Otobe is confronted by not just Mifune but his own mindset that he's most familiar with. One nice bit of detail is the spirit of Otobe's past self is wearing the same outfit he wore when he ran away to Tokyo.

Arakawa charged in screaming and likely flailing his arms the whole way.

This arc has a central theme around having the resolve to live to the fullest and that includes doing what you feel has to be done even if you're scared.

Otobe starts as the antithesis of this. He's just coaxing through life with no goals and always taking the easy way out of everything. His choices are not based on what he feels he should do or wants out of life, but what is easiest. Contrast that with the rest of the cast who are willing to put their lives on the line to do what they can in the situation.

On the most extreme end, we have Mion who is literally fighting for her life to ensure she keeps control of the Sonozaki group. Her determination was to the point that she literally was crawling toward the place the bell was cause she felt it was worth getting.

Then we have Towada who chose to kill her abusive boyfriend so she could take back her life. She discovered too late that her choice may have been the wrong one, but she decides to move forward, first by atoning for her actions.

Then we have Arakawa. He's a normal guy who got swept into some very not normal circumstances. At every moment, he's the voice of reason when it's reasonable to abandon what's happening and save yourself. But despite that and despite him being utterly afraid for his life, he still chose to help because he couldn't just leave the others behind.

Just like last chapter, death is not treated with the same tone as the rest of the series. Mifune gets killed very nonchalantly by Mion Shion.

So yeah, that was actually Shion this whole time. Based on her remarks at being called that, it seems she had taken Mion's name after the real Mion had died. But also, Mion's spirit had possessed her during this arc so she could get the bell to Shion. And Shion survived cause Mion's spirit took the blow.

I don't get it. It's dumb.

And the last part of the story takes place at the ruins of the school where everyone died. Shion talks about her own feelings on everyone's deaths and Otobe passes on Mion's final words: "It would be great if we were twins in the next life."

Thinking on it, Shion probably survives most of the arcs in the series on account of not being in Hinamizawa at the time. So she's often left behind. Despite her connections to the others, she is part of the secondary cast.

Mion's toothpaste analogy is really silly but if you think about it, it ties into the themes of this arc. A tube of toothpaste has only so much toothpaste in it, and the tube costs the same whether you use all, half, or none of it. So if you want to get the most worth out of it, you use every last bit of the toothpaste and only discard the tube when it's empty.

So if we were to compare life to a tube of toothpaste, it has the same value whether it's partially or wholly used, but it doesn't get its maximum worth until you've gotten everything out of it.

And now the group leaves with the resolve to live their lives to the fullest. Otobe is going to go back home and figure out how to pay off his debts; Shion is going to claim her spot as the head of the Sonozaki group; Towada is going to turn herself in and then start her life over anew; and Arakawa... is gonna take a nap on the ride home before figuring out how to write his article.

And Shion leaves behind the Tamahajiki no katana and an Ace of Spades card. Just like the others, she will live her life fully. And the first step is to not be shackled by the past, but instead look forward to the future, both for this life and the next.

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Spoiler Discussion

The feeling is mutual. Mion's final words are what Shion says in the final arc when she believes she's marching to her death to help the others.

[nininehaaa]

Leo valdez - crying

‼️SELF HARM‼️

TW: THIS CHAPTER HAS MENTIONS OF SELH HARM AND DESCRIPTIONS OF IT❗️❗️❗️❗️

I too struggle with sh so this chapter is to spread awareness that there is ALWAYS another way of coping.

Y/N's PoV:

I cried. I have been crying. I've been crying for years, being a hades child wasn't the best. If you were though, you'd be bullied, abused, harassed and generally hated. People would avoid you like the plague. Besides, who would associate with someone that could kill them?

Leo Valdez would. And he did

I laid emotionlessly on my bed, as I watched the long lines of blood flow down my arms and

Drop of my elbows. My eyes pinched together at the sting of tears dropping on the cuts.

My mind was blank, all this suffering and pain and loss just cause the gods couldn't keep it in their pants.

I was kicked out of my trance as I heard a nock on the cabin door. Shit, Leo was probably early for our date to the party .

I quickly dragged myself out of bed and went to put on a longed sleeved shirt.

As I walked to the door I prayed that Leo wouldn't notice my demeanour.

"Hey Leo "

" HII YN YOU READY????"

"Leo it doesn't start till 8"

"So? Come on let's be early!!!"

"3 hours early?"

"Huh?"

"Leo it's only 5"

"WHAT"

"Umm yeah"

"OH SHIT "

What?"

"ITS 5!!!!!"

"So ?"

"I HAVE TO GO BYEEE"

"Oh ok"

"ILL SEE YOU AT THE PARTY "

Just like that Leo ran of into camp and left me confused as hell as to what he had planned at 5.

After I cried for a tad bit more I went and got ready for the party.it was tricky finding something long sleeved but I decided on wearing:

After putting on some makeup you did your hair and was ready.

~~at da party~~

Leo's PoV:

I couldn't wait to surprise YN . I had been working on a necklace for the past few months so that I could give it her on our anniversary. Tomorrow is our anniversary of one year so I'm going to give it to her at midnight .

I suddenly heard my name being called and I realised that it was YN. She looked beautiful.

Except the fact that she seemed a bit upset. I frowned , she was fine when I was with her yesterday so what happened?

"Oh hey Leo "

"YN! You look hot as hell"

"Why thank you, you don't look to bad yourself

"Hey!"

"I'm just kiddingggg"

"K well why aren't you wearing the other one?"

"What do you mean?"

"The dress y' know , other purple one"

"Oh umm I'm cold"

"It's 24 degrees?"

"Still your the fire one , of course your hot"

"Oh okay"

After the party I took her to the docks to give her my present

"Leooo why'd you bring me here?"

"Just wait it's nearly 12"

"Huh ,why are you waiting for 12?"

"Yessss it's finally midnight "I said looking at my watch

I slowly removed the box out of my pocket and put it in Y/N's hand.

I saw the confusion and excitement in her eyes as her shaking hands undid the ribbon and put the necklace out.

The necklace:

"Leo did you make this for me?"

"Uh yeah, I know how much you like scream and um well I spend a few months making it cause I- it's made of styrangian iron and I um couldn't really find an-"

She cut my rambling of with a passionate kiss.

"Leo it's perfect, I- I love it"

P2 sooon

[skenpiel]

we finished deltarune!!!!!!! tomorrow im going to force my sister to listen to me babble for HOURS about deltarune/undertale theories