#just be very nice and maybe she won't notice the other stuff going on (she will)

[vaultsixtynine]

actually i take it back even tho ana's dancing card (psychosexual non-relationships to have w antagonists) is full raphael is very cordial with her. doesn't want her in his house because that will cause an Event he doesn't want to happen but he does act very fond with her when interacting with her out and about in the planes. she is mystified by this and he's Essentially just keeping a useful pawn close to his chest if plan 358B needs to come to fruition (she is a keystone counterweight in at least 2 of his ongoing deals) but the contrast between how he treats astarion vs. ana (and even the rest of the party if she's anapanion) is soooooooo stark and. very funny.

[lilacqiqis]

"Darling"

naruto, kakashi, obito(non massacre), hinata, itachi(non massacre), sasuke, sai

Scenario: getting casually called darling by their crush

A/N: pls send in Naruto reqs I'm starving to write stuff, also finally decided to give characters specific emojis LMAO last post i made i randomly gave them emojis 😭 Writing this at 3 AM sorry if it's ass -mod Lilac

TW: none, GN!reader

more under the cut

🌱 Naruto isn't used to romantic affection from people, let alone his crush, so his reaction when you call him "darling" is a huge gaping mouth and stuttering as he tries to process what you said

🌱 "W-wait!! Whuh?! Huhhh?!! Whaddja call me?!"

🌱 Whether it's a joke or not he has a dorky smile after as he laughs, the pet name making him feel warm inside. He probably will try and call you a pet name back afterwards, hoping you'll like it just as much as he did.

🌱 Goes to brag to all his friends the next day. "Hey hey! Guess what?! S/O called me DARLING!!" Nobody really cares too much honestly, they think he's overreacting or even lying.

🌾 A stoic man he is, that Kakashi. Not much can get him flustered, besides reading Icha Icha of course.

🌾 He usually can keep his feelings hidden away from his crush, treating you like any of his other friends, but when you call him darling? Lucky that he's wearing a mask because you'd be able to see the huge blush forming on his face.

🌾 He'd try not to react too much, his eye slightly widening and body tensing up when the word hits him. It felt so... Natural? The pet name came off your tongue so nicely that Kakashi can't help but want to hear it more.

🌾 Wouldn't comment on it, but may bring it up in the future to tease you. Perhaps to get back at them he'll also call you a romantic pet name... Nah, he's too nervous to do that, if he was that bold he'd go and just confess already!

🌺 Like Naruto, Obito is flabbergasted. He's liked you for gods who knows how long and you can just casually call him that while he becomes a mess just hugging you?

🌺 His head whips towards you so quickly as he stares at you with wide eyes. How is he supposed to react to this?! Does this mean you like him...? Did you even mean this romantically in the first place? Do you call other people that too?!

🌺 His mind is running and he just kinda... Stares at you in awe. Don't let him down by telling him it was just a joke when he questions you later, he'll be devastated.

🌺 Obito will try and be confident, calling you an affectionate pet name as well but all that comes out is stuttering.

🌺 "Heheh... I think so too, s... S-sweet... Sw-sweethEART OKIMGOINGTOGONOWBYES/O"

🌻 Goes absolutely red. Hinata already gets embarrassed by little gestures so something like getting called darling is sure to make her pass out!

🌻 Did you really mean that? She hopes so! That small name made her day, and she won't ever forget about it<3

🌻 Of course, she's still too shy to admit her feelings to you. If that was your way of confessing you'd be dumb to not see that she obviously likes you too... You'd probably be dumb to not notice her behavior before, after all Hinata isn't very good at hiding her feelings towards you.

🌻 She wouldn't realize it's a confession of your attraction if that was your motive, so please be more blunt with her.

🌙 If you think he wouldn't remember, he will. Itachi is a romantic individual, though not as much before a relationship. He takes note of everything S/O says, and will try to hint towards his feelings through small actions and words.

🌙 Absolutely loves it. Itachi will think about the pet name, wondering if you'd mind if he called you that as well. Maybe you'd get embarrassed that you're getting a taste of your own medicine? It's not the humiliation part Itachi would enjoy, but he'd love to see your flustered face.

🌙 Doesn't make a huge fuss when you call him darling, probably doesn't even say anything about it, but has a small smile while thinking about it.

🌙 Will begin to also call you pet names!! It depends on how close you are, but if you two are good friends he'll return your affection. You two probably end up having a lot of romantic tension while everybody suffers watching wondering if one of you two will finally confess or not...

🪻 Sasuke loves hates it. Do NOT call him that cheesy warm and gooey shit, he will scoff at you then turn his head away. jk he just has an ego to protect

🪻 Hates how it makes him feel. That disgusting ticklish feeling he gets in his stomach and the heat in his face makes him feel weak and vulnerable, so stop that. This is just as bad as a genjutsu and he doesn't like it one bit!

🪻 In reality though, Sasuke adores being called darling. He's just... Really bad at dealing with affection you know? He doesn't know how to react and the feeling of love is so foreign to him, so his only way of reacting is acting like he hates it in hopes of ridding his feelings. (Spoiler alert:it doesn't help one bit.)

🪻 You can catch him with a soft blush and tiny smirk on his face if you can catch a glance before he turns his head. Quit being such a loser and just accept it, Sasuke!

🪶 This was mentioned in his book, so Sai should act accordingly, right? He'll begin to also call you pet names, and he probably already did before you due to the fact he read a book saying he should...

🪶 Doesn't quite understand the meaning behind the sweet names but he's trying his best

🪶 It makes him happy though, being able to connect with you... Someone he enjoys being around so much, someone who he feels he has a "special" bond with.

🪶It creeps into your twos friendship, and before you know it you two are acting like a married couple with all your affectionate behavior.

[luveline]

hi baby if you feel up for it i'd love to request some fluffy fluff with sirius. maybe he's usually so reserved and stoic (because, cmon) and they're out with his friends and they're all making fun of him for being so lovey and doting on r

love u sm!

love you!! ♡ fem, 1k

"This is really lovely," Sirius says, your face turned to the light in his hand. "It's bright without looking out of place. Blue is your colour." 

"Thanks, bug," you murmur back, holding still as he cleans the smudged mascara from your lower lash line.

"Every colour is your colour," he amends. "It goes nice with your top." 

You rub your lips together slowly, sticky with gloss. His noticing makes all your make up efforts worth it. 

Sirius wipes his thumb into the tissue you'd given him and tucks it away, stroking your cheek one last time with his other hand before stealing yours to twine your fingers. Your friends have carried on into the pub, but it doesn't take long to catch them. Remus was kind enough to wait at the entrance, eyebrows raised. 

"What?" Sirius asks. 

"Nothing." It's clearly something. "At all." 

You figure it's between them and skirt past Remus with a smile, eager to hide away in the warm wooded walls of The Firestroke. The boys filter in behind you, following you through the entryway and past the bar to the table James has commandeered with Emmeline. 

He's fiddling with her hair, readjusting a bobby pin, another held between his lips. "It looks nice, Emme, you should have it out of your face more often." 

"Marl says that all the time. Hey!" She beams at you. "Come and sit by me." 

You laugh happily and slide onto the seat next to her. You, Emme, and James sit on the booth side while Sirius and Remus set themselves down opposite. A waitress arrives and Sirius doesn't wait for the others, ordering a round of drinks for the entire group, wherever they may be. They'll filter in soon enough. 

"And extra cherries for my girl, please," Sirius says, nodding to you as he does. "Thanks." 

"Ooh, for his girl," James croons. 

"Remember when he'd order stuff for me like that?" Remus asks. 

Sirius rolls his eyes, offering his hands to you from across the table. Honestly, you're slightly surprised at his behaviour today, but you won't look a gift horse in the mouth. You lay your hands in his obligingly and relax as he begins to draw shapes into the fronts of your fingers, tiny stroking lines that feel ridiculously good, even under the eyes of your friends. "He's lying. I'd purposefully get his food wrong when we were teenagers so he'd have to go up to the counter and correct it." 

"Like exposure therapy I never signed up for," Remus sighs. "It worked, too." 

Sirius laughs. He's handsome to begin with, the last burst of a tan from summer's end on his skin, his hair dark and lush in the shimmering light, and when he laughs it's a tenfold effect, the grey of his eyes suddenly mesmerising, the wicked curve of his smile softened into a sweeter thing that begs to be kissed, or admired at the very least. You let him keep one hand but turn the other inward to give him similar treatment, rubbing your fingertips up and down his palm in a ticklish wave. 

"Do that to me, mate, there's a good lad," James says, offering his hand. Emmeline bats it away. 

"Awfully jealous today, aren't they?" Sirius asks you, ignoring their teasing to curl your fingers in and cover them. 

"I…" You're not sure what to say. Does he not realise how sweet he's being? Publicly? He's not usually this open. 

"You okay?" 

"Fine, just…" Words fail you twice. You cringe at your lack of explanation, but Sirius doesn't falter in his nice touches. It shouldn't shock you when he slides his chair tight against the table and pulls your hands ever closer, his top lip scratchy with hair as he leans down to kiss your knuckles. "Siri." 

"Yes, darling?"

"Jesus," Marl says, announcing her presence with a faked gag. "What's your problem, Black?" 

"I'm deeply in love, McKinnon. Not that you'd know what that feels like." 

You melt in your chair as he kisses a short path to your wrist. You could write Marlene a ten thousand word essay on love if she needed it, that's how adored he's got you feeling. 

"Absolutely vile."

"So sweet!" Mary denies, plopping herself down in the chair beside Sirius', all pink tulle and flowery smells. Any other day you'd be jealous of her in a good-natured but undeniably insecure manner, terrified that Sirius was gonna turn to her and see her in all her dewy beauty, but he doesn't so much as look up, your hands now rubbed against his cheek. 

"He's had a bit of catnip or something," Remus says. 

"It's the eyeshadow," you try to explain. 

Sirius lifts his head severely. "It looks perfect, but it's definitely not the eyeshadow. I'd feel just as mad about you if you were covered in soot." 

"Good to know," you say breathlessly. 

"Oh, so you're feeling pathetic today?" Marl asks.

Sirius sighs as though he's been greatly inconvenienced and sits up properly, casting his gaze around the group for a lick of sense between them, if his slack eyebrows are anything to go off of. "You're all wrong. I'm this pathetic for her every day of the week."��

"Then what's with the PDA?" James asks incredulously. 

"Mate, first of all, look at her. And if you must know, it's our anniversary." 

You flinch, your gaze jumping to his. The group erupts with well wishes and 'why didn't you say so's, and James slaps his card on the table, insisting that the round is on him to celebrate. Your heart races as you make the calculations in your head, calming as you realise that nothing falls on today's date, not a half month nor a first date. 

"Sirius?" you ask while everyone's distracted. 

He takes your hand again and begins kissing your knuckles once more. "I'm lying," he says, as you'd figured, scratching your fingers with his stubble. "That's what he gets for prying… You really do look lovely tonight." 

You nearly swallow your tongue. "Thank you. You look lovely, too." 

He smiles, twining your fingers together to rest his face against the back of your hand. "Thanks, angel." 

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

How to react to you longtime girlfriend regaining her angelic wings: a guide by Charlie Morningstar, proud girlfriend of said girlfriend.

Things you SHOULD do with her new wings!

Notice them! (this is easy bc they are BIG and BEAUTIFUL with the soft grey faded colors of an overcast sky right before it rains and gives you an excuse to stay indoors snuggled in soft blankets drinking hot coco together back when everything was simpler and safe which is exactly what getting folded up in them will feel like later and- what? oh right! The list thing, um-)

Complement your girlfriend's wings! Maybe don't overwhelm her with a whole paragraph just yet though. Saying "They look nice!" works perfectly good. (waxing poetic can wait until Alone Time)

GENTLY touch the wings. But not too gently!!! Maybe hold the upper joint place, like a little handshake hello. (the feathers are attached to very VERY sensitive bundles of nerves for feeling out air pressure and drafts and stuff, Vaggie says, but they are TOTALLY NOT TICKLISH supposedly and the reason you shouldn't run your hands across them all nilly-willy whenever you get caught up in how pretty and soft they are is it messes them up and means they need preening again to make flying work right, and THAT'S why she jumps and squeaks about it. She likes keeping things tidy! That's all! No other reason. Noooope)

Things you should NOT do with her new wings!!!!!

Blow a giant raspberry right between them, where the feathers get all small and super extra downy soft, just to see what will happen.

Do the above in the middle of maybe KINDA making out....?

Tell absolutely everyone in the hotel about it directly afterwards.

Thing you WILL end up doing if you complete the above list

Spend the night on the bedroom couch: because you keep remembering the noise she made during the raspberry blowing incident, and giggling yourself and her awake about it.

Wake up in bed anyway: snuggled in your girlfriend's arms the same way you do any time you fall asleep in the wrong place and she has to come find you and carry you back with her so SHE can get some sleep too- only this time she also has WINGS!!! And her wings tuck around you so warm and strong, you'd swear you've felt this every time waking up with her before- only now the feeling is all around you, instead of just wrapped around your heart <3

You're still sleeping on the couch tomorrow though: At LEAST for the first part of the night. Or however long it takes before you stop giggling over hearing your totally an angel very serious former solider and absolutely Not a BIRD girlfriend Squawk.

Things to KEEP doing now your girlfriend has wings again!

Try better next time with the rule following??

Hope you're doing okay so far????

Help her with the preening!!

Stop giggling. Somehow.

Staring at them and spacing out is also okay as long as you say you're "acclimating" yourself to the "sudden change in a core aspect" of your life when someone catches you at it. They won't believe you- But! They'll probably just roll their eyes and let you get back to the staring. Acclimating. Whatever!

Anyway, good luck to whoever needs this! Hope this helps things go smoothly for you, Cherri Bomb!!

Also- Angel Dust, if you've read this far, then PLEASE don't tell Husk. Me and Vaggie PROMISED him not to give you ideas, and we don't wanna get banned from the bar again :(

Sincerely, Charlie Morningstar, princess of Hell, Vaggie's girlfriend (!!!)

Note from Vaggie: You're doing great sweetie. And you're lucky you're cute when you laugh, even in your sleep. P.S. There's no 'supposedly' about it, my wings are NOT ticklshkSkk .... P.P.S. from Charlie: are you suuuure? <3 <3 <3

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ 𝕋𝕖𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕣 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ anon request: hihi! platonic blade, welt, jing yuan and dan heng with a lynette (genshin) teen!reader?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ Hii!! Sure, here it is! I don't think I know Lynette the best but I tried my best so hopefully it's kinda alright!

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ platonic

✧ Dan Heng is most than happy to have someone calm around, he already has to deal with 2 energetic kids so having 1 calm is a nice change

✧ he definitely took notice if how sly you can be, with sneaking sweets here and there for example

"You're observant... alright, run away and hide as soon as you can as well. We're being chased, so if they see you, they'll chase you too."

✧ but when he sees it in much more impressive action, he's happy to see you know how to get out of sticky situation and won't say no to you helping him if he happens to be in one himself

✧ he doesn't mind tea so of course he doesn't mind little tea parties with you either!

✧ but he'll act like a parent when he sees you getting your 5th sweet

✧ he for one cares about your health but if you tell him simple "later", he'll just sigh and leave it to someone else to get sweets away from you today

✧ and even when your cat features come in, he doesn't really mind! If anything, he thinks it's useful that you can most likely hear better

✧ he'll make it clear for others to not treat you like an animal but a living being if anything like that will take place

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@miya-akane @toyaswif3y - come get your quiet but scary trabilazer!

✧ Welt is honestly glad to see you're so calm, because that only means less problematic kids for him, or so he thought...

✧ you are indeed calm and quite smart, but apparently very sly too... March spilled out one time that you were distracting Welt just so she could spend more time on a planet and... he couldn't even be mad, he was just impressed how he didn't realized that

✧ he now definitely is more caucious around you and keeps the thing that needs to be done this day in mind, to not accidentally forget it

✧ but as if it wasn't enough... he also needs to watch over sweets with you...

✧ don't get him wrong, he doesn't mind if you resch for little treat from time to time but 5 A DAY?! Even if you brush your teeth and exercise often enough to catch up for it, he's still worried about your health...

"Which chocolate bar is it for you today? That's it then. You can eat more tomorrow, for now let's put it away and maybe go on a walk?"

✧ but something he doesn't mind is your love for tea! Himeko often makes coffee so water stays for you to make tea instead~ and he finds it better than if you were to drink energy drinks or so...

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@vodka-glrl - come get your father of the express!

✧ Jing Yuan definitely took a like of you rather quickly

✧ you were certainly a nice teenager to had around and who knows? Maybe even Yanqing could use some company of someone younger but wise?

✧ tea parties are a MUST with you, he's definitely tea enjoyer as well!!

✧ during these he usually catches up with any rumors going around that he failed to hear and you in exchange get a little sneak peaks on his side~

✧ he thinks you're wise so he won't mind telling you about a bit more serious stuff as long as you won't spread it around, but there are still some stuff he doesn't tell you obvs

✧ he finds your ability to always get our of sticky situation and know what's going on despite just arriving impressive and sometimes also amusing

"Oh? Exit? How nice... I was just thinking of looking for one. Thank you, young one."

✧ and if you happen to have any sticky connections smth aka Fatui he'll most likely know even before you met but chose to give you a chance and he wasn't disappointed so he now had more trust, but still hides some stuff in case you'll be forced to say everything you know

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@miya-akane - come get your soft general~

✧ Blade is happy from someone calm and wise finally but your slyness is sometimes still a bit unbearable for him

✧ don't get him wrong, if you want to flee, feel free, he's never gonna take your advice buuut at least you're not persistive with it!

✧ he's quite observant so if you all of the sudden start showing around you because of a mission for someone (Fatui alike) he'll notice, even if you're being stealthy as much as you can

✧ but if that doesn't happen and you stay on neutral ground, which believe is a lot for someone like him, you should be able to avoid his death stares

✧ he doesn't really like tea as much as you but he did tried it once and now he'll SOMETIMES agree to have a cup with you

✧ and cat features? He couldn care less. It's just part of you... he has ears on sides of his head, you have on top, if anything he thinks you should be proud from having better senses

✧ despite him so "not liking you", if someone gives you a hard time, he won't mind giving them a quick glance to shut them up and never approach you again

"Who said that? .... Go get ice cream with Kafka, I'll go clear the area."

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@vodka-glrl - come get your cold man!

[snowblossomreads]

Day 11 - Out of Reach

Pairings: Lionel Shabandar x Fem!Reader

Summary: In where [Y/n] crushes on her boss who may or may not have similar feelings (spoilers he does)

Tag(s)/Warning(s): boss/secretary thing, pining, 'collecting' people, unhm not too much other stuff really, Lionel getting angy for a moment, worrying about job loss, that's it?

A/N: AYEE it's our boi Lionel 🦁🦁🦁 !!! I have not really written for him before lol so much sorry if it's out of character i'm trying here bhaha!

Crushing on your boss, was one of the most cliche things someone could ever do. Yet here [Y/n] was doing that exact thing, in hopes that maybe, it would all end up like a romantic Christmas BBC special. You know the one, where the protagonist is in love with their boss who, is very much out of reach? But it turns out the boss has been crushing too. Yeah, those.

Only, she didn't think Santa liked her that much. Granted, she stopped believing in him when she saw her mum sneaking presents under the tree when she was ten, but she also wasn’t a big believer in Christmas miracles. It’d be nice though. Because boooy, the list of things she would do for Lionel Shabandar to like her as much as she liked him was looong. 

And some of them were very much not child-friendly.

Hey, it wasn't her fault he was so handsome, suave, and also, so, so demanding of everyone he worked with. A lot of the people who worked for him found that he was a bit of an asshole, but her? Nah. She just saw a man who knew what he wanted, and did what he needed, to make sure he got it. And boy did watching him deal with some of his clients get her hot and bothered, when he would lay waste to them with facts and data until the other person had no other choice than to acquiesce to him, or go back to the drawing board. 

Lionel wasn't a fool, and he certainly didn't have time to suffer with fools or day dreamers. No, he had a business to run and a world to dominate with his media might. 

But speaking of day dreamers.  

"Day-dreaming again [Y/n]?"

The low rumble of his sonorous voice right by her ear, caused her to jolt in her seat as she hadn't even realized he had come over to her. Startled by him suddenly appearing right by her side, and giving her a look of amusement, she couldn't help the flood of embarrassment that ran through her veins, and showed on her face as she tried to play it off. Shuffling up some paper to make it look like she hadn't been zoning out, she smiled at him in hopes he would ignore her zoning out.

He of course, wasn't fooled by that. 

"I don't believe I pay you to just sit pretty and day dream about doing work," he continued, straightening to his full height and crossing his arms against his chest. "Though I do so enjoy looking at you as much as I do my Monet's. Much more interesting than silly paperwork. Though I guess it is a good problem to have. Paperwork that is."

Oh, also how could she forget how much of a flirt he was. Was it really her fault that she was crushing on him whenever he would say something like that to her? 

"I'm so sorry Lionel!" [Y/n] apologized profusely, looking at him bashfully. "It won't happen again! I was just looking at the winter gala information and the themes for the night," she lied hoping to save her skin. 

"Hmm really?"

"Yep, just wanted to make sure we had everything we needed before I went to talk to Earl about getting some potential sample art pieces for the gala."

There was a grimace on his face when she said that, and she noticed it would appear whenever they talked about his curator. She didn't know why, but he seemed to not really liked the man which was so very strange. He did hire him after all. 

"Then why do you only have the lunch menu of the Savoy's grill and memos from print media on your desk?"

She looked down and those were exactly the things on her desk. Well, would you look at that.

"I-I uhm…I got hungry?" 

If he fired her for that, he would very much be in the right for it as she watched him close his eyes, his lips going into a thin line before he let out air through his nose. 

She was about to lose her job wasn't she? So long any chance of her getting to date him. As if there were any in the first place.

"It is about time isn't it," Lionel spoke as he opened his eyes, and glanced down at his watch, and back to [Y/n] who was trying to not gawk at him.

What.

"But before that, I need you to find Earl." Another grimace. "And do indeed tell him about the samples, I rather have this done sooner than later so we can fix any mess ups that happen."

"Don't have any faith in him do you?"

"Barely," he groused, annoyance clear on his features as he rolled his eyes. "I'm not sure why I even keep him on, the quality of his work has been declining for a while now and as you know, I have no time to suffer fools. Especially with the growth that’s happening with the company."

She did. Which made her cheer knowing she wasn't a fool, at least because she was still here.

"Well everyone has their slumps sometimes Lionel," [Y/n] responded, actually dragging up the memos and notes from the board members with their requests and preferences for the gala. "Maybe he's just having one right now? He did help with curating the spring gala this year, and there were a lot of compliments from the board and others, so maybe he's rebounding?"

"The spring gala?" He huffed in exasperation at that memory, and she couldn't help but feel a rant coming on. "You mean after you had to intervene after seeing him show up with a collection of expressionism paintings rather than surrealism after he mixed up which storage room he went into?"

That had been a whole debacle, and she’d never seen Lionel turn that red with anger. The heat had practically radiated off of him as he glared at poor Earl who was bumbling his apologies while [Y/n] tried to calm Lionel. 

"If it wasn't for you it would have been a  bloody disaster!" 

Eh, he did have a point. But she liked Earl pretty well, and he seemed mostly competent. Mostly competent, was well below Lionel's standards though.

"I'll take the compliment, but I'll make sure I'm clear with Earl this time about what we need," she smiled, garnering a similar look from him that made her stomach feel all funny.

He had a very nice smile. 

"Good, other than your daydreaming," he started, causing her to want to squirm in embarrassment, "you've clearly been a better hire than my previous assistant," Lionel mused as his features softened, his eyes watching her intently making  her to feel a bit shy under his gaze. "I'm not one for silly praise, your compensation should be enough for that." 

It was. Quite generous actually. 

"But I do hope you stay on for as long as possible, I do quite like seeing you every day, and appreciate how thorough your work is."

If her face wasn't on fire from earlier when he had shown up next to her suddenly, it sure was now. Something else was on fire as well. Leave it up to her to turn his praise into something more. 

"Thank you Lionel, I hope I can keep satisfying you with my work."

"Oh, I'm sure you will." He replied, flashing a smirk at her that many a woman before had fallen for, and she was not ashamed to be another on the list. "Now," he cleared his throat, "before you talk to Earl, I think lunch is waiting for us. That is if you care to join me today?"

"Yes please!"

"Get. Out." 

He was hot and fuming, but his words were as chilly as the London air this time of the year. Actually, they may have been colder. 

Add the way she had never seen someone run from his office like this, and she had seen some people powerwalk out the door mind you, and she knew they were in a shitty place.

Six weeks until the gala and the ball had been dropped and bad. Earl was out, and they were left with a steaming pile of turd, Lionel's words not hers. But it was very much what it was. 

"Lionel I've called, Andrew, Catherine, James and Holly but all of them are either booked with work or out of the country and won't be able to make it."

"What about Martin?"

"I left a message with Mr. Zaidenweber's assistant, but she said he had just started work with another client and won't be able to fit it into his schedule with such short notice."

"Bloody damn!" He hissed, slamming his hand on the desk, causing some of the items on it to shake and fall. One of the victims, was a little globe that rolled off it and onto the floor as it made its way towards where [Y/n] was standing. "I should have fired him months ago!" He spat, as he leaned over his desk to look at the samples that were left , and it seemed to make him even more furious as he swiped them onto the floor with force. The sound of the pages crinkling filled the air with a ‘woosh’ as he did that.

"And now I'm going to look like an absolute fool to these people because of that little prat!" 

Grabbing the little globe that rolled towards her before it tapped the sole of her shoe, she brought it back to his desk, sitting it down before backing away. She could feel the fury radiating off of him, and rightfully so, considering all the important people who were supposed to be coming to talk business. 

While she wasn't extremely savvy in all of that, only knowing bits and bobs from what Lionel told her, and a bit of research she had to do when clients were coming. She knew appearances were everything, and taking into account what people liked and didn't like was important. 

And Earl had mucked up terribly it seemed, after mishearing what she had said, even though she had sent him memo after memo with what was needed. In a way, it made her feel like it was her fault even logically it wasn't. Still, though, he had entrusted her with that task, and from where she was at right now she felt like a great big failure.

"I'm so sorry Lionel!" She blurted out, her head dropping to look at the floor, hoping to avoid his anger and also to avoid him seeing how her eyes began to gloss.  

A familiar pang in her chest attempted to crawl up her throat, and she tried to keep it down as she had no intention of crying in front of him.

There was a beat of silence before he answered, and when he did, his voice was filled with utter confusion because what was she talking about? 

"I'm sorry?" A look of bewilderment appeared on his face that she couldn't see, and with the tone of his voice going up from his norm, it made her want to hide. "What are you going on about [Y/n]? I don't pay you to curate art though at this point I may have to!" 

"It's just, I-I was the one who said Earl would be fine doing it," she explained shakily as she fidgeted with her fingers. "Even during lunch that one time. I tried to convince you of it…and now he's gone and botched it! I know the board is going to have something to say if things don't go right. And it's not gone right…just because I couldn't keep my mouth shut." 

The room was quiet for a moment before the sound of his shoes tapping against the floor echoed around the space as he approached her. With each step, she felt her heart drop further into her stomach. All that joking around about losing her job, but this time, she might really lose it. 

Head still bowed, even when she felt him standing in front of her, she was jolted when she felt a hand wrap around her forearm, and a finger lifting her head up to look at him.

His lips were drawn into a frown, but the look in his eyes was devoid of anger. Especially now, when he saw her eyes that were rimmed red, which caused a look of concern to etch itself onto his face

"[Y/n] once again you have things arse backwards," Lionel huffed, but gently. "I hired you to run around and make sure the others have their orders, not, to do their work! Not only that, I can assure you I have no intention of blaming anyone for the decisions I make. And it was my decision to let him continue on. So enough of that, I don't enjoy your tears being wasted on something silly like this." 

"B-But I-."

"[Y/n]." His voice was stern, and she quickly shut her mouth not one to back talk him. That seemed to placate him considering the pleased smile on his face before a thoughtful one took over.

"Good. Mow that we are on the same page, I need to make a call, I think I may have a solution. But well, we will see," he explained as he removed his finger from under her chin, which caused disappointment to rise in her chest. Though the one on her arm stayed and she wasn't in a hurry to move it. 

She was hopeless wasn't she?

"Why don't you go and have lunch while I make a call, darling."

Darling? 

That was a first. But she wasn't gonna complain about it either as he didn't even seem phased by what he had said. 

For a moment, she wondered if he had even realized what had come out of his mouth. But he gave no hint of whether or not he did, and she could only do so much to hold back the grin that wanted to break through..

"Sure! Should I bring you back your usual?"

"Yes, that will be fine."

Giving him a smile, they stood in the same spot for a moment, his hand still on her arm as they gazed at one another before [Y/n] made the first move.

"W-well I'll be back and hopefully to some good news," she rambled, as she stepped back from his hold, which caused him to let go of her.  

Already she missed his touch, but they had things to do, his was probably more important by hey so was eating. 

Watching her go on her way, Lionel bit his bottom lip as she left all while he lingered in the middle of the room. His thoughts filled with a plan that he was sure to work, but also with thoughts of [Y/n]. 

His sweet, caring, brilliant, hard working assistant, who was also extremely alluring, so much so he would be remiss to compare her to the paintings he had. Oh no, she was much more stunning than those paintings. 

And like the collector he was, he wanted to collect her. Maybe even have her in his permanent collection…

The only problem was he couldn't tell if she was as interested in him as he was her. But with the way she let him touch her, and how she seemed to hold back when he called her that little pet name, maybe there was a chance. 

A smirk graced his lips at the thought of having her all for himself, but it would have to wait, because he had a gala that needed curating for, and no curator. And that just would not do.

So, he made his way to his desk and took his seat behind it. His back facing the glass window that showed a busy plaza in the middle of London as he picked up his desk phone and dialed a familiar number.

It rang a few times before the receiver was picked up on the other end, and a much to happy sounding voice came through the phone almost shouting.

"Li! What a surprise! You never call me at work without an appointment! And right before lunch too. Everything alright?"

"Quite alright, yes, but Sinclair, I need a favor." 

A/N: What's next? Who knows : D ( I do hehe)

[zoeykallus]

After Reading your stories again, damn, I missed them, they were so good and fun :D

So I've got this head canon that Echo wears his headset to improve his hearing (which got bad after getting blown up).

So what about it got damaged and tech needs some time to repair it. In the meanwhile the reader tries to help him get along with his impaired hearing. (And maybe they found out something about their feelings in the process ;)

I just love your one shots and Echo is just my favorite ^^°

And as always, just have fun and don't feel pushed to do anything which you don't like to.

Aloha my dear!

So nice to still have you around! I'm glad you are still enjoying my stuff 😊

And again, sorry for the long wait! Let me see what I can do for you...

Echo x Fem!Reader One-Shot - Without Words

Warnings: Mostly Fluff (Possible Trigger: Mentioned Hearing Loss)

___________

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

___________

>Master List<

"Do you really have to do this now?" asks Echo critically, frowning unwillingly as Tech sets about taking the headset off him. He feels uncomfortable, his eyes wandering to the clock again and again. He's excited enough as it is, it won't be long until your second date, and he wants to be on time, especially he doesn't want you to notice any more of his problems. It's enough that you know about his legs and his arm, he doesn't really want to reveal his hearing loss to you right away. Not yet. He wants to wait for the right moment, but when is the right moment for that anyway? Tech says matter-of-factly as always, "You want the problems fixed as soon as possible, don't you? It won't take long." Echo sighs somberly. "Yeah, I do, but I'm about to meet her". "Oh? A second date?" asks Tech, surprised. Echo says grumpily, "Don't act surprised, she simply likes me". Tech shrugs and says nonchalantly, "Our squad rarely has prospects of a romantic nature, by that I mean all of us, not just you" Echo laughs softly and says, "She's only dating me though, and I'm certainly not going to share that girl with you" "If you did, that would be weird too" Tech notes dryly.

He loosens the last screws and takes off the headset. Echo blinks a few times, hearing a low hiss he always hears when he's not wearing the headset. "This feels like shit," he grumbles, only partially able to hear his own voice as he does so. He feels Tech tap him on the shoulder and follows his finger pointing, in your direction. You've arrived earlier than scheduled. He sees your smile and can't help it, he has to smile too. "Hi," Echo says softly, almost timidly, and raises his hand in greeting, a gesture you return. But then you say something to him and all he can hear are muffled, distorted sounds that barely penetrate through the constant static noise. Echo raises both hands toward his ears, shakes his head and shrugs helplessly. "I can barely hear anything," he says louder than usual, and it feels very strange to barely hear his own voice as well. You look from one to the other for a moment, but then you smile in understanding and nod. You exchange a few words with Tech, but he can't understand what you're saying. A moment later, you gently grab Echo's hand and pull him with you. Over his shoulder, he calls out to Tech, "Hurry up with that thing, please."

Tech makes a shooing hand gesture to signify for him to go with you. Outside the Marauder, you walk just a few steps, to a bench beyond the landing area under a tree with a sweeping, low-hanging canopy in full bloom. It's a nice spot, and for the moment you're alone. You feel Echo looking around frantically as you walk, hearing phantom noises and expecting to run into someone or get hit by a speeder. You squeeze his hand encouragingly, gently tugging on it so that he closes in on you. You place your other hand on his forearm and smile at Echo. You can't use words, but Echo sees in your expression that you want to tell him you have everything under control, he doesn't have to worry. He's a little wobbly on his feet, every time he walks without his hearing aid his sense of balance suffers a little, but you gently and safely guide him to the bench beneath the flowering tree. His hearing has deteriorated over time after the Citadel, the damaged eardrums simply not recovering, Tech's guess is that this is also due to some nerve damage. Occasionally, however, the headset needs to be serviced and Echo is actually glad that Tech is taking care of this.

You sit down together on the bench, in the shade of the low-hanging branches. You hear him sigh in relief. Echo trusts you, yet he is glad to be able to sit down and not have to rely on his hearing or sense of balance for a moment. He looks at you, and you sense that something is on his mind. When he speaks, he is again much louder than you are used to, but you don't mind. "Didn't think you'd agree to a second date." You laugh softly, and he smiles when he sees it. Then you raise your hand, showing him first one finger, then a second, a third and so on. Showing him the whole again and again with a big smile. "You want more dates?" he asks, surprised. At your nod, he asks with a wry smile, "What do you want with damaged goods like me, anyway?" You pull a pout and shake your head, wagging your finger reproachfully, before smiling and kissing his cheek. When you look at him again, his cheeks have a little more color than usual. He laughs softly and says, "I like you a lot, too."

Your radiant smile makes his heart beat faster, and he has to take a deep breath to collect himself. This feeling that you trigger in him is quite new for him, but yet he already doesn't want to miss it. The fast pulse, the fluttering in his stomach, the tingling under his skin and this constant urge to smile. He's so excited with you and at the same time more relaxed than ever. "You're very special," he says a little breathlessly. You emphatically place your hand on his chest. "Me too?" he asks with a grin. At your energetic nod, he laughs softly again. You hear Tech say, "Finished with the headset. Am I interrupting?" and turn to face him. "No, you're not interrupting." Echo sees his brother with the headset and sighs in relief. You give them both some space and Tech puts the headset back on Echo. When he's done with it, Tech asks, "So, how does it feel? Can you hear me?" Echo gives him a thumbs up and says, "Fine, Tech, thank you very much" "You're welcome anytime." As Tech leaves you alone again, Echo looks at you, he grins and says, "Now let me hear your wonderful voice" You laugh softly and say, "It's not that wonderful"

Echo beams at you in love and says, "Oh yes, for me, it is". The way he looks at you is so wonderfully dreamy, makes your heart beat faster. "So you said last time you wanted to show me something?" you ask curiously. Echo smirks and says, "Hunter let me have the secondary shuttle for the day." You laugh softly and ask, "Are you trying to kidnap me?" "Something like that, of course, only if that's what you want." "As long as we don't go to Tatooine," you say with a little giggle. Echo laughs heartily. "No, don't worry about it. But have you ever seen a sunset in the lake scenery on Naboo?"

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

@padawancat97

@agenteliix

@allsystemsblue

@palliateclaw

@either-madness-or-brilliance

@ortizshinkaroff

@andy-solo1

@hunterssecretrecipe

@heyitsaloy

@greaser-wolf

@extrahotpixels

@hated-by-me

@hunterxcrosshair

@malicemercy

@bebopsworld

@echos-girlfriend

@cpnt616

@dangraccoon

@jediknightjana

@pb-jellybeans

@antishadow2021

@sleepycreativewriter

@projectdreamwalker

@1vlouds

@starwarsnerd111

[imbadwithprofilenames]

U know how Cass and Tim are twins? And how Tim and Damian fight for the number one brother of Dick Grayson spot? These got me thinking of a fun idea.

When Tim finally gets to grow up and be in his 20s, he's clearly taller than Cass, so the twin thing doesn't really work anymore unless you can't see them fully.

No one thinks anything of it, Cass and Tim get a little sad about it but oh well.

Then Tim and Dick along with some titans or/and young justice members go on a mission that requires stealth outfits, like the one we see in the you g justice tv show.

So Tim and Dick, in identical costumes, domino masks, and about the same length of hair because why not, and now not so far in height after Tim's final growth spurt look very similar, especially when they're moving fast in the shadows so you can't really tell if that one is taller or I'd that one has more round face etc.

So one of the titans or young justice mixes them up. And they kind of brush it of after a little "You're right they do look kinda similar nowadays".

But it doesn't stop there. Although they usually wear their normal costumes and in civil clothes you can tell them apart from their faces, there are times when they're wearing something else and you can't see their face.

And the behavioral similarities don't help either. It's not really a suprise, given that they saw Tim at his teenage worship phase, so of course some of it had to stick. But then they notice Dick has picked up stuff from Tim too. And it's not a suprise either, since they're brothers. But it doesn't make them easier to tell apart.

They sometimes tease them about it, but it's not really a problem so they don't pay any mind to it. Sometimes they even make a joke about it themselves.

But then they're in Gotham. Maybe they're staying at the manor and one of them is sitting face away from the door and Bruce or one of their siblings (not Cass, she could tell) comes in and is like "Hey Tim" and then Dicks head whips around and he's like "What" and the family member just stands there stunned. They just agree it was the hair and that the person was very tired.

But then, Bruce and Damian come back from patrol to the batcave. Dick is sitting in front of the batcomputer. Damian recognizes him, but Bruce has a mild concussion so he's not really paying attention to details so he says "Tim, while you're there could you check in on the Joker" (or something I dunno) and Damian freezes. Then Tim, who just came down the stairs says "uh, Bruce, I'm over here?" Bruce looks confused for a moment and Dick turns the chair around. Bruce says "Sorry, concussion" and goes to change. Damian's about to chalk it off to that but then he hears Tim and Dick whispering "Do we really look that similar" "I guess so. At this point only one who hasn't confused us is Cass"

Damian just scoffs loudly. "Only an imbecile would confuse the two of you. Father just has a concussion. No one in their right mind would think you two are the tiniest bit similar" Then he heads off.

And that's when the best idea he's ever had hits him in the Face.

He starts to intentionally act like Dick. He picks up on his habit, starts saying some words in Dick's non gothamite accent. Even starts do more flips and dramatics. Dick of course notices, but doesn't say anything because it's kinda nice. Tim doesn't do it around any other members of the family so they won't notice. Then when one or some of their friends confuses him for Dick out of costume, even tho Dick is in another city all together, he know it's his time.

He waits for the perfect opportunity. Maybe another stealth mission. Maybe they're in a undercover mission where he and Dick wear the same suits. Anyway. He does everything exactly the way Dick would. He copies his mannerisms, he even wears lifts. And to make the plan foolproof he informs Dick about it. Their hair is the exact same, they don't speak much so their voice won't give them away but when they do they do it in the exact same tone.

And guess who's also there? Cass. And yeah, if she had the time to fully assess them, she could tell them apart. But there's not time. Things move quickly, they're running and swinging and moving around a lot and fast. And she mistakes, Tim for Dick. Of course when they correct her she sees the difference. But Damian, who maybe was also there or listening in or something, along with everyone else is shocked. How could Cain of all people confuse Drake for Grayson?

Word spreads fast and soon everyone is calling them twins. Dick tells his friends that he's honored that Tim has taken after him so much. Tim tells people that Dick and him have always had a very close sibling bond, that nothing could match. When they're asked about it together they say that it's awesome and joke that they are so close they might as well be twins.

Damian is furious and jealous. They have unmatchable bond? They are close? What a joke. He is was Grayson's robin. They were the dynamic duo. The best. He'll make everyone remember that.

What does he do? He grows his hair. He starts doing more flips. He changes his body language, accent even. Everything Tim did. But he takes it a step further, because of course. He starts visiting Bludhaven more often. Asking Grayson to help with a case in Gotham. Organizes an undercover surveillance mission in Bludhaven, and only logical place to stay is with Dick. He even starts implanting himself on titans missions.

Tim notices. And that's how the war begins. Damian is of course easier to tell apart from Dick with him being notably shorter, but he finds a way around that. Now everyone is mistaking them for Dick. And people start suspecting. The batfamily knows. So do their closest friends. Bruce is so done. Dick loves it. He might've had a hand in it.

What do the other siblings do? They join in. Cass copies him easily, but her height fails her often. Steph gets a wig and babs borrows it sometimes. Duke uses his powers to cheat a little.

Everyone is horrified when after a mission Nightwing takes his mask off and rips his hair that was apparently a wig off and it's Jason fucking Todd. They were too busy copying Dick to notice that Nightwing was a little too tall and had wider shoulders than usual. Now everyone is Paranoid. (yes dick was in on it. Yes it was Steph's wig)

Eventually Dick has to start copying Bruce so they will stop. He's kinda sad that now his siblings don't have a reason to see him so often anymore. But Tim and Damian still keep trying to one up each other. tho they take the imitating down a notch, they still fight for the best brother spot.

Everyone in the hero community cries tears of joy when Nightwing is Nightwing 10 times in a row.

[g0dspeeed]

Curbing The Bullshit

Thank you @socially-awkward-skeleton for humoring me 🥰 I needed Cappie and Rory to meet!

[Rory Sinclair decides to listen to a friend and take a bold risk. She agrees to meet with Cappie De La Costa]

Maybe it was the smoke that hung heavy around them, that soft, comforting smell of burning tobacco that frenzied the chemicals in her brain with old memories. Maybe it was the alcohol that burned going down, cheap and sweet like she likes it, but hit the spot like the expensive stuff could, that anxious itch quelled by a timeless balm. Maybe it was the place. A hole in the wall, off the beaten path like all her favorite bars, neon signs and an apathetic bartender with a heavy pour.

Her finger traced over the carved initials in the wood of their table before her hazel eyes, predatory and sharp, flickered back up to the other woman’s face.

“Surprised you came,” reflected Cappie. “Thought all of you were a bunch of snobby blowhards.”

This wasn't her usual brand of meeting spots, not by a longshot. Rory was far more used to the brutality of concrete, to the brick and mortar of clandestine safehouses and secretive intel drops. Frankly, it was a nice change of pace. Something more informal, casual, a place that gave her the sense she could let her guard down.

But, of course, she knew better than that.

She chuckled as her tongue dragged over full lips, collecting every last drop of something that claimed to be scotch, stinging her tastebuds with its sharp, turpentine bite. It was certainly no Glenlivet, but she’d make do.

“Don't let the accent fool you, darling,” her voice a soft purr from too many cigarettes. “Might sound like a toff, but I assure you, I'm not above taking a meeting when the intel's apparently good – or so Kate tells me.”

Shrugging, she sank back into her seat, the moody lighting dimmed by the large sconce above their table casting shadows over her face.

“Besides, could've been stuck here with John instead. Count your blessings.” Her smirk crept slowly across her lips, curling the corner just enough to start her dimple carving into her cheek. “I’m much better company.”

“Sure ya are,” chided Cappie with a lopsided smile. She knocked back her second shot of whiskey with a soft hiss. The glass was then slid next to her first as she cleared her throat. “Bleh–Look, I have no idea what the fuck a ‘toff’ is, and if ya call me ‘darling’ again I won't pay for any more of your drinks–Take this.”

Cappie scooted a third shot glass across their table, the amber liquid gleaming under the golden glow of the bar light.

Rory rolled her eyes and picked up the shot glass without complaint. Holding it to her lips, she glanced at the woman across from her, inspecting her with hazel doe eyes.

“Cappie” certainly was a rather interesting choice of nickname.

“Shoot,” she said, knocking back the drink, the liquor burning the whole way down.

The former smuggler grinned as Rory drank down the whiskey. Part of her was surprised, for Cappie had meant it when she assumed that Task Force 141 was made up of a bunch of hard ass psychopaths who didn't even know what fun was, let alone would show up upon receiving a cryptic invitation to a bar such as this. Rory had called herself ‘better company’. The fact that she humored Cappie at all was refreshing.

“Okay, an easy one,” tried Cappie. “Captain John Price. You and him a thing, like, for real? Because I thought the military had a thing against their soldiers bumping uglies?”

At the tail-end of her question, her phone buzzed on the table, along with the blasting of a techno song, signaling exactly who it was trying to contact her. Cappie silenced the device in an instant, her focus shifting back to the operative across from her.

Rory glanced down at the phone, noticing the very quick movement to silence it, brow cocking sharply at the sight.

Eyes narrowing, she clenched her jaw and bit the inside of her cheek as she growled softly in her throat. “Nik… so much for being sworn to secrecy,” she quipped.

Brushing her hand through her hair, ruffling it, she sighed and leaned forward, tapping her nails on the table.

“We are. And it does,” she said, lowering her voice, treating her relationship like the secret it was. “Which is precisely why John and I keep it all under wraps… for five years now.” A proud little smirk curled her lips as she spun the empty glass on the tabletop. “I'd like to keep it that way.”

Pushing her glass to the side, Rory's stare flickered back up to the woman across from her. “Any other personal information you wish to dredge up while we're here?”

Cappie's brows raised and she leaned back with a scoff.

"Oo, that's one close to the chest," she reflected. "Which is kinda funny 'cause he seems pretty heartless. But five whole years. Damn--Does the hat stay on?"

Cappie then signaled the bar from their table, earning a flat look from the barman. Her body leaned closer. She could smell the soft notes of Rory's perfume. Expensive, guessed Cappie.

"Want anything specific?" Cappie asked Rory in a jovial tone. "The only limit is the credit card, but my guess is that it's nearly infinite so go HAM.”

Rory hummed, her mouth pursing as a mischievous gleam flashed in her eyes. “Have you ever tried the Glenfiddich 21 year old reserve?” Her head tipping to the side with a lopsided, cheeky grin. “Got a bottle for John and I to share last Christmas and we've left it unopened this whole time. A shame, really.”

Looking over at the bar, she scanned the cheap bottles of booze on the shelves. “Think they might have a bottle here, or something similar at least?”

She glanced back at Cappie, the gleam in her eyes still very much alight as she gave the other woman a playful wink. “As for the hat… sometimes.” Shrugging, she averted her gaze. “John's really not all that bad – questionable at times with his work, perhaps, and he certainly has his walls to get through when getting to know him – but we trust each other. There's history.”

“Can always ask,” started Cappie in reference to the alcohol preference, “But a place like this only has the good stuff in a basement for the Somebodies who name drop–Ask me nicely and maybe I'll pull a few strings. That's how the Captain is, isn't it?”

Her lips met the rim of her cocktail, contemplative as she breathed in the bright notes of the sugary maraschino cherries floating in her glass.

“What's romance for people who lie for a living?” she asked Rory, her eyes taking on a new sincerity. “Do you see that for yourself? All white picket fences and a happy ending? I don't know. I don't know you or John at all, but what I *do* know is that there's a lot of red in your ledger. A lot of bad people would pay me top dollar to whisper a thing or two ‘bout where you are.”

Her lips twitched a smile that died in her eyes. Cappie sipped her drink and sighed.

“Lucky for you I hate what money does to people. And Nik says good things.”

“Well, I appreciate that, but that’s also assuming I’d actually let you tell anyone… been special forces for quite some time. I might be all smiles and charm now, but as you said, there’s red in my ledger, I keep adding more, and I am very good at it.” It was a warning rather than a threat, said with sparkling eyes and a friendly smile to match with just a hint of the ruthlessness the operative was capable of.

“But enough about that. I could do with a good drink rather than whatever swill this place calls scotch, and so long as I’m in good company with someone who holds Nik in high regard then I won’t be too upset about the fact you called me a liar,” she said, huffing out a quiet chuckle. “In actual fact, truth is a much more powerful weapon in our job, which is precisely why I will neither confirm nor deny the dreams of the white picket fence.”

Before Rory could finish her last sentence, Cappie flicked a piece of straw wrapper at her head. Her mood soured.

“No, no, no,” chided Cappie with the wag of a finger. “Don't! Don't do that. Don't do all that cryptic, fake smiles bullshit, with your lil’ warnings and dainty lil’ laughs–I was patient with Nikolai in navigating that clusterfuck of a Soviet defense mechanism, but I ain't doin’ it with you. I brought you here to be a fucking human being, not some robot spat up by that gnarly war machine you call Queen and Country. You're having a secret relationship with a grumpy soldier. Big whoop! You're sapping out all the fun!”

With a huff, Cappie scooted her chair back, the wood legs grating on the stained concrete floor. She strode up to the bar, flashing the credit card with a command. Soon, she returned to their table with a bottle of scotch, as preferred by her British companion. It was plopped down with a heavy thunk .

“How much liquor do you need before you tell me the good stuff?” Cappie drawled.

Rory snickered, her laugh growing, a loud burst of joy that would very likely draw the attention of others.

“Cappie, I like your style. I will curb the bullshit just for you.”

Grabbing the bottle, she poured herself a measured dram and knocked it back – the warmth an old friend that went down smooth. A pleased hum drifting over her lips as she grinned and settled comfortably into her seat, trying her best to keep her guard down as much as she could.

“That remains to be seen. However, you're welcome to keep trying. Rather interesting to be on this side of the interrogation, actually.”

“Pft, if this was an interrogation, you'd be far less comfy,” drawled Cappie with a flat look.

Her phone lit up again as a flurry of text messages illuminated the screen. Cappie picked up the device, scanned the messages with a smirk, then set it back down without replying.

“Seems your Little Secret doesn't like us talking,” she told Rory. “Wonder why.”

“My John not trusting someone?” Rory mocked, pressing her hand to her chest and gasping in feigned surprise. “Who could have foreseen something like that occurring? It's almost as if living a life full of secrets and lies starts to have an effect on a person.”

She smirked as she took another sip of her drink.

“Don't take it too personally, eh? He's like that with most people. Especially when I'm alone with them.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and huffed out a laugh. “The stubborn bastard's just a tad overprotective.”

The corner of Cappie's lips twitched. She wasn't exaggerating, wasn't feigning mystique for Rory’s entertainment. There were people, shady, dangerous people in the criminal underbelly who had softballed a question or two about Cappie's new “acquaintances” in recent weeks. Price had every right to doubt Cappie's intentions. Lucky for him, Cappie also meant it when she expressed her distaste for money. Funny that Nikolai had once said it made Cappie even more dangerous.

“Has Nikolai bugging me,” mused the former smuggler before downing her drink. “That or he figured out where his card went–Why are you here? For real?”

“Ah, so that's who's been buzzing about like a fly for the last while… had a feeling when the opening bars of ‘Rasputin’ began to play.”

Rory smirked and then looked the other woman over, pinpointing the little tics of someone with the weight of the world on their shoulders. She'd gotten all too used to noticing them (and learning to hide them as well).

“I'm here because I was told to come, and I go where the intel is.” She shrugged, spinning the amber contents around the bottom of her glass. “I handle people better than most of the others. I actually ask questions before merely shooting."

Grabbing the bottle to top up her glass, she gave Cappie a cheeky grin, her eyes alight with a devilish glint. “And who am I to turn down a night out with free drinks, eh? Or the chance at making a new mate – whether John likes you or not.”

"Who the fuck told you to come?" chided Cappie. Her phone lit up again on the table. It was ignored in favor of plucking out one of the drowned cherries from her cup, plopping the sweetened fruit into her mouth. "Was it Nik?”

“I'm not generally in the habit of giving away an informant's identity… but yes.” Rory nodded, giving a quick little grin.

“Suppose he figured we'd get along. Or perhaps he hoped you'd come around to us 141 ‘blowhards’ if you met me. It's not exactly like he's any stranger to working with us while still having free reign to keep up with his own activities."

Cappie nursed her drink, considering Rory's insight. She pivoted the topic away from Nikolai, however, not wanting to parse out her own complicated relationship with the Russian fixer.

“And what do you do for fun with Mr. Mutton Chops?” chirped Cappie. “What do any of you do for fun? Group bowling nights? Trivia? They don't seem the clubbing type, but then again, would hate to make too much of an ass out of you and me.”

Rory chirped out a short laugh, scrunching her nose as she shot a playful grin at the other woman. “That's Captain Mutton Chops, thank you very much. And we're known to have our group pub nights after a mission's over. A few rounds of darts or billiards, too many pints, Gaz and Soap winding up with more numbers to ring than they know what to do with – it's quite fun, actually.”

Leaning forward in her seat, her cheeks had turned rosy as the warmth of the alcohol started to settle in her system, loosening her up.

“As for Price and I, let's just say the man is not strictly business all the time. He has different faces for home and at work. Might struggle to leave duty at the door, practically married to his career in most cases, but I'm a good influence on him. Helped show him the error of his ways.”

“Sounds so fun,” replied Cappie with a bit of a sardonic attitude. She twirled her glass. “And don't expect me to keep up with all your lil’ titles. Nik has to remind me all the time. Not from the military, not where I'm from anyway–Wait, what's yours? Your, mm, rank or whatever the fucking term is?”

“Do I sense a hint of sarcasm?” Rory retorted with her own.

She sipped her drink, and bit down with a loud crunch on the well-melted ice cube that tumbled into her mouth.

“Rank, yes. Lieutenant.” Raising her hand swiftly to stop Cappie before she could say anything. “And yes, yes I know, the way we pronounce it is odd, there's no letter F anywhere in the word – just deal with it. I'm tired of Yanks constantly bringing it up,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Poor thing,” cooed Cappie. Then with a laugh, she added, “Chill your tits, it ain't the weirdest thing about you, nor is it the weirdest thing I've heard about you all: Ya have a geriatric 30-something year old who wears a boonie hat unironically , a hot Scot with a mohawk who I can hardly understand like, twenty percent of the time, a human refrigerator who wears a skull mask that scares the living fuck out of me, and the most Russian Russian I have ever met in my life–and no, I’m not forgetting about Gaz. He's perfect, no notes. The rest of you? Buncha weirdos. Like if the United Nations was equally hot and fucked up at the same time, a clusterfuck of assholes bidding for world peace.”

Cappie knocked back her drink in favor of reaching over to slide another shot before Rory. The former smuggler winked before downing her own, the burn near numbing at that point.

"But! I get the appeal. Other than the refrigerator and the cranky Captain , you all don't seem too bad. Maybe I'll get your Captain some quality cigars for a change.”

Rory laughed and picked up the shot glass with a polite nod of her head, bringing it to her lips and shooting it back with a toss of her head, grimacing slightly at the alcohol burn.

“Oh Christ, don’t get him anymore of those. Please. He has boxes of them stashed around his office on base, and I went and got him a bloody humidor for at home. Apparently, cigars and whiskey are the only gifts people can think of to get him for Christmas and his birthday.”

She drummed her nails on the table, the itch for a cigarette to pair with her alcohol starting to flare up.

“You’ve got a point about us though, I’ll give you that. We are an odd bunch, but we make it work. I’ll have to remember to start calling Si a ‘human fridge’. I quite like that description, it’s apt. As is calling my John a geriatric thirty-something year old, you’re not far off. I can only imagine what people must think running into us, an elite task force filled with some of the worst fashion faux-pas known to man,” she joked, laughing heartily.

Cappie had an eye for recognizing the needs of others. A gift, especially in her line of work. Her hand rifled through her small bag beside her. From it, she pulled out a carton of hand-rolled cigarettes.

“I'll help you if you help me,” offered Cappie along with the open carton. “I won't gift your John a yearly tobacco subscription if you can tell me what Nik wants for his birthday.”

“I'd be all too happy to oblige,” Rory said, reaching forward and selecting one of the hand-rolled cigarettes.

Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out her zippo, flicking back the lid and rasping her thumb against the flint. The golden flame flickered in her eyes as she lit the cigarette and took a drag.

“Ta,” she breathed, exhaling the stream of smoke from the side of her mouth.

“Last time we were in St. Petersburg, Nik showed us around the old haunts a bit. Made mention of a bakery there that used to sell these chocolate wafer cookies he found difficult to find anywhere else.” The cigarette bounced between her lips as she spoke, the ash flaking off the end of it. “You're a former smuggler, perhaps you could find a way to procure some. Would likely mean a great deal to him.”

Cappie's cigarette balanced between her first fingers while she considered Rory's suggestion.

“I like that idea,” she decided aloud. “Sort of cute . I'll pair it with what I was going to do, which isn't so cute.”

She lit her cigarette with her own lighter, taking a slow drag before releasing the smoke away from Rory. Cappie then leaned forward with a smile.

“I like you, Posh Spice. I can get you anything from anywhere: Booze, drugs, guns. I can, even with Laswell's little leash, ask MacTavish. You help me, I help you, and now you get a favor since you seem like you're fun.”

“Posh Spice,” she giggled, “Not the first time I've been referred to by that. John's mum even mentioned the passing resemblance to the poster he had on his bedroom wall as a twelve year old.”

Rory snickered and then her eyes bulged realizing what she’d said, and she cleared her throat. “I’ll take that favour now, if you please. Pretend you didn't hear that,” she muttered, pushing the whiskey bottle away from her. “Think that might be enough for me, at least for a little while.”

She took another drag of her cigarette, trying to clear the headspace and fight the mild spin that came with the inebriation beginning to settle upon her.

Brow lifting, she gave Cappie a curious look, head tipped to the side. “So, a ‘not so cute’ gift, eh? Forgive the intrusion, but just what were you thinking of getting him?”

Upon hearing the slip, Cappie grinned. “Aw, you're a little teenage fantasy come true? How could I ever choose to forget that? Hm, very interesting. Pretty damn funny. Kinda what I'm gonna give Nik, fantasy becoming reality. Learned real quick that the biggest challenge ever is surprising him, but it's worth all the work. Got a good voice, like fucking The Motherland.”

Her smile never waned through another long drag from her cigarette, nor did it fade when her phone lit up once more with another dire text. Her eyes flit over the message, amused as ever.

Cappie then rose from the table. Her hand slid over the liquor bottle to Rory's side.

“All yours,” she told Rory. “Call it courtesy of Chimera, which unfortunately, is why I gotta go. Someone's testing me.”

“Fair enough,” Rory said with a nod. “I appreciate the gesture, and it was good meeting you.”

She leaned towards the other woman, giving a smirk as she grabbed her coat, and curled her hand around the gifted bottle. “Whoever it is, give ‘em hell, eh?”

Cappie moved towards the exit. She tossed Rory a wink.

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am!”

[letomills]

The "requests are paused until I'm done with the current ones" thing was wishful thinking (a bit like the closing statements in my last yt video 🤓) and I am once again thoroughly overwhelmed with everything.

Requests are firmly closed until further notice. I said yes to the FtM hairs for anon and the Tiggerypum tunics & iamliz13 alpha dresses for children & toddlers for the other anon (I did get the links you sent to the meshes), so I still intend to complete both.

A novel's worth of life updates under the cut (content warning for struggle with bipolar type 2, including questionable choices which should not be taken as advice).

Well over a year ago I shared that my mother was going through a really bad bipolar type 2 depression episode (looking back, mention of it in that post was very euphemistic, I must have been hopeful). The reason why I didn't give any updates after a while is that there is no satisfactory narrative that I could easily spin into words. She's not all better, she hasn't died or lost her mind for good, things have just been evolving at a snail's pace through a whole spectrum of very bleak colors. She's not fully hospitalized anymore, she lives at home with my brother and me, with day hospitalisation activities several times a week. The myriad psychiatrists that she's seen have not been able to find the "right" treatment for her, but hey, after lithium sent her into such a state of confusion that we thought she might stay mentally disabled for the rest of her life, at least now we know that's not an option. A couple days ago her psychiatrist prescribed a new antipsychotic to replace the one she'd been taking. She started the transition, and today confusion started showing its terrifying face again so she's not taking that pill tonight, or to be honest ever again unless her psychiatrist somehow manages to convince us otherwise (she'll report her symptoms and get counsel at the hospital tomorrow). Her cognition is already impaired, her short-term memory and ability to focus especially. She can't live alone, I keep and manage her pillboxes, make sure she's eating right and the stove is off, that sort of stuff. But at least, until the introduction of this new drug, she'd made considerable gains compared to when she was at her worst last winter. No way we're going back to that again.

On a more positive note, about a month and a half ago I started work at a grocery delivery place just up the street (yes that's what I'm doing with my degree in Mandarin and my master's in English-French translation studies). It's intense physically, kinda stressful, and not very well paid, but I think I like it and the people are very nice. What scares me is that my trial period ends in about 2 weeks and I'm not entirely sure that they'll want to keep me, considering I've made several mistakes and they don't seem to think that I work quite fast enough (I know I said the people were very nice, they are, that's just the job). They keep saying the work load is gonna get crazier starting in September. The way they're saying it may suggest that they do envision me as still working there in September, but maybe they're trying to push me to work faster now and if I can't prove that I'm able to they won't keep me? Well I'm already doing my best, even if sometimes I end up finding myself crying over clients' items because my brain isn't able to focus anymore and I'm messing up and wasting time.

Emotional control has been harder because I unilaterally made the decision to taper off my antidepressant. Now before you facepalm, let me flood you with all of my best questionable arguments: • I do have an appointment with my psychiatrist, the earliest date I could get was October 1st (and I may have to postpone, depending on my work hours that day which I don't know yet). • I was already on the lowest dose that you can be on. • I tapered off very slowly. • I recently talked about it with the nurse that I saw for the mandatory medical visit I had to go to because I got the new job (idk if you have that outside of France). Naturally she was alarmed that I'd been weaning myself off on my own and she convinced me to see my GP asap and not change my medication without at least his input (which yes, I know). • the reasons I did it despite knowing that it's inadvisable are: 1) obviously I haven't been feeling depressed for a while or I wouldn't have done it, 2) the amount of endorphin-producing physical exercise I get from the new job felt like it could maybe do the trick so it was worth a try, 3) seeing how much my mom's medication has messed up her cognition over the years is scary. She's been taking way higher doses of antidepressants than me, along with other stuff, over a way longer period of time, but still. I don't want to be on it if it's not strictly necessary, so I wanted to try off. • I'm still taking my antipsychotic religiously and have no intention to stop that (I can't anyway or I won't be able to sleep and I'll definitely lose the job).

My plan with the antidepressant was to space out the doses and eventually get off it entirely for several weeks before reassessing, but after seeing that nurse, I started upping again to one dose every other day. I will admit, I was having suicidal thoughts after several days off, and now it's gone. Maybe I should find having suicidal thoughts more alarming than I do, the nurse's phrasing when she asked if I did - something that could translate to "no suicidals thoughts, riiight?" - was a good reminder that suicidal thoughts are really bad to have oh no. Of course I said no, why would I want her to interfere (leave me to make decisions for my own self thank you). Anyway, the appointment with my GP is in two days. He's gonna be useless on psych stuff but I guess getting his unqualified, predictable input is the responsible thing to do in polite society. More relevantly, the nurse also told me to go see him because my blood pressure is a bit low, or at least it was at 9/6 when she saw me, so I need to have it retaken and see what's up with that if anything.

And so yes, I have a ton of CC plans as always, I am positively drowning. Beside the two requests I mentioned above the cut, one of which I need to do a lot of learning for, I picked up work on Celestialspritz's beta Vincent skins and started converting afbodykimono for the usual roaster of breasted body shapes, like I did with afbodyqipao here and would like to do with more Happy Holiday Stuff outfits in the future. Although I told myself that I would stick to the body shapes that I've already done stuff for, I now also want to make a set of clothes for Lady Apple. I also have an idea about a set of scrawny body shapes for TU-EU inspired by Mrs Crumplebottom's body shape. I know Melodie9's slim family exists but to be honest those shapes creep me out and I want to see if I can do something less uncanny (it may end up looking too similar to the Androgyny body shapes, or to Faerie Gal, or it may not pan out at all, so don't hold your breath). I also want to do a ton of hairs in FakeBlood's palette + Naberius (tbh I'm still not 100% sure if I like Timebomb or Naberius more for my aliens, I need to figure that out once and for all). And of course I want to do more FtM & MtF hair conversions once I know how to do it well enough. There's a billion smaller projects I'd like to insert in between those, outfit conversions for one or a couple body shapes, repurposing of older meshes, a set of nude "outfits" for all the body shapes I do, etc.

[shan-bunbun]

Today is something new, I did a story about my OC Bonnie meets Hiro, I been thought of it before it just I didn't know how do it. It's (may) not like other oc and canon bh6 writing so just letting you know. You can read it whenever you want, enjoy!

-The first meet-

As Professor Granville finished talks about the project and telling the students to choose their partner, everyone did except two students didn't since no other students would choose them. Class have finished, a young teen boy walks toward to his professor and said

"uhh..Professor Granville, I don't have a partner to work with so is it alright if I can work alone?" "No Mr. Hamada, you're going to work with your partner."

as Professor Granville packing her stuffs, Hiro little surprised knowing who it going to be so he ask

"Wait, I have a partner? Who is it?" Professor Granville tells him "Ms. Rivera." Hiro is confused and doesn't know who's Rivera "Ahh..um, who exactly?" Professor Granville chuckles gently "I'm surprised you don't know this student, she's started SFIT few weeks ago. Her name is Bonnie Rivera, that is your new partner."

she looks up at Bonnie, Hiro turns around to see what she looks like. As he did, he looks at her appearance thinking to himself 'She's looks younger, maybe around my age… I wonder she's a genius and what's her maj-' Hiro snap back to reality notice Bonnie caught him looking at her and slightly embarrassed quickly looks away while Professor Granville keeps calling to him

"Mr. Hamada are you listening?" "Ah! I-i'm sorry Professor Granville…yeah, I'm listening." "Very well then Mr. Hamada, I'm expecting you talk to her tomorrow, goodbye."

Professor Granville takes her stuffs and walk to the door. Hiro say goodbye back then sigh and grabs his backpack walks to the door then suddenly Bonnie accident hit Hiro's shoulders she immediately apologize

"Sorry!…"  walks away, Hiro scoffs "Ah…smiles and chuckles softly that's okay.."

knew that she won't hear him. Both of them go different separate ways. The next morning, it's 2nd period everyone going to their partner and Hiro goes to where Bonnie sit at and he saw her, so he sit with her and getting his stuff computer, messy notebooks, and old pencil. This very awkward for them, they don't know if they should say something. Hiro goes first and he said

"Um, hey… do you have a esear I can borrow?" He thought to himself 'really? Is that what you have to say, you could've say someting else! I didn't write anything and I ask her to borrow a esear, great just great…' lucky Bonnie didn't see his writing and give him a esear "Here, I know it's pretty small but that's what I have, sorry." "Oh, no worries."

Hiro slightly smiles and pretend to esear a empty writing then he stops and took a breath to relax and stay calm

"H-hi, I'm Hiro..Hiro Hamada nice to meet you." Rise his hand and light wave, Bonnie turns her head a little "Uhh, hello I'm Bonnie Rivera nice meet you too…" smiles little as she getting her notebook from her backpack "so yesterday that Professor Granville tells about the project, you remember that right? Of course you do that's was a dumb to ask, heh.." chuckles softly and felt a bit embarrassed "It is kinda a dumb you ask, but.. you were just wanna know if I know about the project." "Yeah..that's what I meant and uhh, I'm guessing that you don't have a partner." as he scratching his messy hair "Aha no I don't, I'm guessing same thing with you hm?" Bonnie laugh softly "Well then, do you want to be my partner?" "Sure why not" "Wait really?! I mean.. clear the throat cool"

Bonnie smiles and giggles. Few minutes later class finished, everyone getting ready to leave, now back to Hiro and Bonnie

"Great! I'm glad we both agreed what project we should do. I might say you're pretty smart, curious what major are you in?" "Uhh.. thank you, you were also pretty smart too. Me? It's mathematics." "Mathematics huh, that's cool. So the hardest math major, you must be a genius." Bonnie pause for a second "Huh?!…I-I wouldn't say myself a genius but thank you... I heard that you're the young genius in the SFIT but I never thought I'll meet you." Hiro flustered a bit "Ah, really?.. heh, now you have." "Hehe yeah, it is pretty cool that you're in robotics." "Oh yeah, it is pretty cool." Bonnie hesitate for a second "Um, I was wondering maybe you can show me your work… but that's up to you." Bonnie move her right leg back n forth "Sure I'd like to show my work, how about after our presentation?" Bonnie gasp softly "No way, that'll be great."

They both smiles then it's quite "…" "…" still quite. Awkward. "It's was nice chatting with you but I should be going, see you next week." Bonnie said breaking the awkward slient "R-right, it's was nice chatting with you too, bye."

Hiro see Bonnie about to leave the classroom then Hiro ask her something and walks toward her"Bonnie wait!" She turns around "Hm, What's wrong?" "We should uhh..exchanges our phone numbers so we can do on Saturday if you're not busy." He said while getting his phone. "Oh yeah, we can do that. I don't believe I'm going to be busy on Saturday so I should be good."

Bonnie grabs her phone and switch with Hiro's phone, they put their phone numbers and switch it back

"Thanks, you can meet me up at Lucky Cat Cafe at 8 AM, I can send you the location and the time just in case if you forget about it." Bonnie thought to her mind 'Wow, I never meet someone around my age who's is nice to me, is he usually always nice?…not just that, Lucky Cat Cafe does sound flimiar..hmm' "You're welcome. Thank you, that's sounds good to me a great cafe should be good." "Great, bring anything you think it's important, well that's all you should be going now." "Oh right, um, bye.." Bonnie turns around and hits her forehead at the wrong door "Ahh, ow!" Rubs her forehead and then hiss "Bonnie are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Hiro surprised didn't know Bonnie will get hurt herself, he check on her just in case there is a anything scratches on her forehead he lift her messy bangs then sigh relief

"You're okay, good thing you're not hurt that bad just only ltitle bruise. Oh, I have a robot friend who can…" Bonnie takes Hiro's hand of her forehead gentle "help you…" "I'm okay, really. Don't worry about me there's no need to take me to your friend. Thank you." "Hmm, okay then. Next time watch where you going." Hiro cross his arms "Huh?! Of course I was, I thought the door was opened." Looks away and twisting her hair "Yeah right..." "I'm not lying but for reals I really need to go" Slightly smiles and wave goodbye then left, Hiro shake his head and left too.

[thisisbugsy]

Darwin’s Theory

Summary: In an attempt to climb ranks, Crowley contracts an ex-hunter to aid in his ambition but manages to go through more than he bargained for

Word count: 9.7k

Rating: Teens and up

Warnings: descriptions of violence

Triggers: none

Characters: Crowley, Y/n, mentions of Lilith, Oc Issac

Relationships: Reader/Crowley, Crowley/OC (3rd person POV)

Tags: lemon, Mild injury, Reader-Insert

A/n: I’m thankful @crowleybigbang for letting me participate. I’ve never actively participated on tumblr before so it was a nice change. The stress I had writing this was unbelievable but as a fanatic I’d take any excuse to write about my favorites

Bars were always familiar, comforting even, but this bar was fancier than the ones Y/n grew up with. A very different crowd and a lot cleaner. She could practically see her face on every surface. The view might have been enjoyable had she not been working.

”If I looked that good I don’t think I’d stop looking either.”

Her eyes shifted to the man’s reflection before finally looking up and locking eyes. She ran her finger around the rim of her glass.

”Maybe,” He clears his throat. “It’s the design. Countertop’s made from granite. Makes it durable, won't scratch easy, hard to stain and-" His eyes search hers nervously. "I'm sorry, I just can't think of an excuse good enough to talk to someone like you."

"Well, I'll give you an opening then," She smiles, leaning forward with her hands intertwined as she jokingly whispers. “I’ve never really been here before so I only picked what I know. You could help recommend a drink.”

Immediately he nodded to the bartender, hoisting his glass. "Get her what I'm having will you?” He smiles at her. “You'll love it.”

"I usually just drink Craig," 

They turned to the new voice. The accent noticeable, rolling off the tongue smoothly, nice black suit. His entirety demanded attention. "The old stuff is really the only drink worth taking. 30 years aged at least if you want perfection."

"Your opinion, I'm sure. My recommendation is more than pleasant for a first drink."

"Yes, well, you also thought going after a woman with that wedding ring imprint still present was a good idea." He smiles at his drink amused before looking at Y/n. “I'd be hesitant to approach him for that if I was you love. Clearly just took it off for the night hoping someone like yourself would come along."

Y/n gaps at the stranger's uncalled outing. The married man, too embarrassed to come up with a defense, decided to stumble away. She didn’t make an effort to call after him, she couldn’t afford to. A whole month's worth of tracking and taking behavioral notes, all flushed down the drain just like that. The only thing working as planned was the free drink the bartender barely managed to place in front of her. Improvising wasn’t a foreign concept but nonetheless, she was willing. "Thanks for that." She started softly, glancing at him.

“No worries." He dismissed. "Doubt he would have made good company anyway."

“I guess it’s just bad luck on my part.” Resting her chin on her palm, she looked around before settling her eyes back to her drink. 

“Perhaps.” He looks at her smiling. “Nonetheless, if I’m not pushing luck of my own, I was wondering if I can buy you another round?”

It surprised her, a rather bold move scaring a man away only to move in himself. At least she was subtle about it. Then again, him showing interest first helps. She smiles, knitting her brows slightly. She admits the other man, although shady, had a good taste. She liked the evenness of the bittersweet taste on her tongue. “Thank you but I just got this drink.”

“I mean the next one is on me. If you’re willing to stick around after that mishap. Besides, I’d be more at ease if you did, it’s not really safe to drink alone. Unless of course,” His brows went up as she naturally crossed her legs, taking the bait. His eyes trailed from her heels to her eyes slowly. “You’re one of those women who can hold her own?”

“Is that such a bad thing?” She laughs lightly.

"It's dangerous," His grin widens as he hears her laugh. "A girl, better said, a girl as pretty as you, not afraid of getting herself in trouble? It's a recipe for disaster."

“What’s the point of living if you have to be afraid all the time? Looking over your shoulder like that?”

”Hardly a life at all.” He agrees.

“Are you gonna give me a name or are you just a passing stranger giving advice?” Y/n scoffs a smile. She needed a false sense of trust, a name could be just as powerful as anything. How you use it. How you say it.

“Crowley” he answered bluntly. “May I know yours?”

”Y/n” she gives her hand despite the late introduction.

”Y/n” He repeats, taking her hand in his in a more gentlemanly manner, bringing it up to his lips for a light kiss on her knuckles, never breaking his gaze. “Seems like a perfect fit.” He grins.

There was a small tightness in her stomach. She found herself forgetting her job for a second. When was the last time she actually enjoyed a guy rather than screwing him over for his money?

“Thank you, Mr.Crowley.” Then again she was barely grazing the top with this guy.

“You’re very welcome.” Dark eyes, such a deep brown looking back into hers. He admired the flush on her cheeks, though there was a chance it could have been from her drink he was far too confident to believe it.

”Tell me,” Crowley kept her hand in his. “Why is a beautiful young woman like yourself spending time in a place like this?”

“If you got a better place in mind I’m all ears” she shrugs smiling. This was exactly what she needed for a quick win. An invitation.

He laughs to himself, a small shake of the head. “I wouldn’t exactly recommend an evening with me.”

She smirked into her drink, making sure he saw her size him up before taking an aim at his ego. “Don’t tell me, no good?” She taunts playfully.

He chuckled amused. "Too good for you to handle. In fact, I assure you you'll try to come back to me afterward and I don't want to deal with that kind of nagging. I have a job to do after all. The drink was merely to show my sympathies for such a misfortune. You spend the night with me and well,” his knuckles grazed her leg. “I’d ruin you for other men.”

He smirks at the idea. “A place does come to mind but it’s a bit more….private” he whispered lowly in his throat.

”Really?” She hums amused. 

He nods. “No crowds, nothing loud or obnoxious, just the two of us with a few drinks, talking like civilized people.”

“Sounds like a good time”

“It does doesn’t it?” He stands from his seat, bringing her with him, linking her arm with his. She tilts her head. He was charming, she'd give him that much. She almost found it entertaining. "It’s a little ways from here, I hope that isn’t an issue?”

”By all means, lead the way.”

They reached the exit. The valet nodded to them as a slightly stretched car pulled up. The driver in front got off to help open the door but Crowley was closer, stopping the man. He opens it, letting her in first. The inside was just as lovely. Dark brown leather seats, and a side bar with several drinks and glasses to match. Once he got in with her she gestured to the bottle.

"Scotch?" She voiced her thoughts, remembering he mentioned it.

"Scotch Craig, old stuff. One of the only things I’d let near my lips," Crowley says, pouring her a drink. He examined his own crystal before letting his hand rest with it on his knee, smirking. “Amongst other things.”

She gives an airy laugh. Her lipstick stained the glass at contact. Crowley watches her in silence before clearing his throat. "Y’know, I can't help but wonder, are you just looking for good company or just a few good drinks to get you through the night?"

"I'm entitled to enjoy myself after a week of work, aren't I? Besides I'm a firm believer in letting faith take its course. If the right company did come along with it why not have both?"

He hums in response. "Well, that got you near a married man tonight."

"But you interfered," Y/n reminds him. ‘And the bastard didn’t have the balls to stand his ground.’ A simple comment to suggest he should mind his business was all that she was asking for to continue.

"And now you're here." He chuckled. "Tell me, are you in the right direction then?"

‘Far from it.’ She couldn't help but mentally sneer. Instead, she smiles at him. Watching his hand slide up to her knee. Placing her own drink on her holder, she pushed him into the seat gently before he could go further. Moves onto his lap as she takes the opening she was presented with. Crowley was only teasing, he didn't really expect her to respond so forward. Though he wasn't going to stop her. His hand moved to support the small of her back.

"Crowley," She trails her fingers down the lining of his jacket. "You're a businessmen aren’t you?"

"I am," He hums, taking a drink of his Scotch. "But what does that have to do with this?"

"Just curious," She says softly. "What kind of business?"

His eyes roam her figure. She was trying to find the benefit of being with him. "I...import and export goods so to speak." He manages enough to not overshare.

"Meaning?" She tries to dig.

"Meaning, I get a lot of stuff from point A," His hand moved from her back, caressing her rear to her thigh before pushing his hand up again to shift the edge of her dress higher, nearing the edge of her stockings. "And send them out to point B." He smirks, tilting his head at her. "What's the matter, darling? Don't I not look the part?"

“I was just trying to make conversation,” His eyes watched her curiously when she undid his tie, using it to pull him closer for a kiss at the corner of his lips. “Is that such a crime?”

He glanced at her lips, meeting her halfway as she took him for a proper kiss. Her fingers slowly overlap his when she takes his glass and sets it aside to one of the cup holders. She presses into him, not breaking the kiss as she uses the clink of the ice to cover the sound of the sleeping pills going in. She goes down to his neck, blocking his view of his drink. Crowley tilts his head back willingly, eyes closed as he enjoys the feeling. His hands held her thighs, a light squeeze. His fingers eventually find a garter. His brow knits briefly as he smirks.

Finding a garter in this day and age was rare, mostly just for show rather than its actual function. Any man with a working brain would know it was a way to show off her intentions. He couldn’t help but wonder if she knew that. He laughs to himself. Slipping his thumb under the band, pulling it before letting it go. A small yelp at the sudden snap escaped her lips. Almost sounded like a moan. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride, being able to get her worked up.

She encourages his hands to roam, to drink, to grope, anything that’ll keep him from noticing the lack of lip contact. As they stumbled into the hotel, laughing at every little thing. She groans when he pressed her against the wall of the elevator. Then again as they fumble into the room, he passed out almost the second his body hit the bed. 

Dropping the act immediately, Y/n took a minute to regain her breath before looking around. A low whistle as she noticed the peculiarity of the fancy room. Though nowadays she's not exactly roughing it as she did when she was a hunter, the luxury of it all still left her in awe. It was neat, with no signs of luggage. Not even in the closets and provided safe- which she made sure to double-check.

She made her way back to Crowley. Watching his slight stirs as she went through his pockets. The only thing particularly inviting was the wallet. She relocated the cash into her purse before writing the numbers from his plastics on one of the notepads the hotel provides. She ripped it then folded it into her own little notebook. She went to the bathroom to tidy up her appearance.

It did strike her as odd. Having a room but no actual belongings. Not even a small bag yet he was in a nice suit. Nothing like the ones her father used to get on a whim for a hunt. Was it just a one-day meeting thing? Even if he just needed to spend the night how far would his actual place be if he was sure he didn't need anything come morning? Why book a hotel room at all?

She pulled out a cigarette from her notebook where the pen usually should be. She curses after realizing she has no matches, going back into the bedroom for her purse only to stop at the sight of the man sitting contently against the bed frame. "What's the matter, darling?" He looked up from the purse he held in hand. "Need a light?"

’Shit.’ Two pills were supposed to be enough for him to last till morning when she was long gone.

“I'm a fan of your work. Kind of primitive for a hunter’s daughter wouldn’t you say?”

Her jaw tightened at his casual remark. The situation was a lot more complicated than she thought.

“Then again most hunters are primitive. I admit seeing your work up close and personal,” He shook his head with a light laugh. “What a show. Don’t think Daddy would be so pleased if he heard what you were up to these days.”

"What are you." She questioned immediately.

"You know in the pit of that hunter’s gut of yours exactly what I am."

"Export and import business huh?" She scoffs. Y/n looks him over. A more sour attitude than when they first met. She didn't have much room to fight. Her holy water and salt were stashed in her purse which troubling enough was out of reach. There wasn't a real proper way to deal with demons exactly. At least from the basics, she's learned growing up.

The whole point of leaving that life was to not feel so tense all the time. And now she was in the presence of a creature who could get rid of her so easily. Yet she couldn't help but continue talking. "Do you have any idea how much work I actually put into these kinds of things? Weeks. I only went for you because you scared off my guy!"

"Ouch." Crowley chuckles.

"What do you want?"

"That, my dear, is the million-dollar question isn't it?" He leaned his back against the bed frame. Crossing his legs as he looks at her thoughtfully. "I have a proposal."

"A proposal?" What the hell did she have or did he think she had for him to come looking for her?

Did her dad do something?

"As a crossroads demon-"

"A crossroads demon?" She scoffs a laugh. It wasn't that she’d considered them any less dangerous than a regular demon but they did like to talk a lot more. Almost exactly like a salesman you want out of your house. Then again she's never heard of one appearing anywhere aside from an actual crossroad. "I admit I've done a few stupid things before but I've never actually been that stupid."

”There’s a first for everything darling.” He smirks. “Course I’m not here for that kind of arrangement, what I want is more of a partnership of sorts. See in my line of business, its traditions are,” he shrugged as he looked around the room. “For a lack of better words, outdated. The world is always changing so why don’t we change with it? Brings efficiency, sales go up, everyone’s happy.”

”Except for the poor bastards in the deal.” Y/n scoffs.

He immediately waged his finger to correct her. ”Willingly, with consent. We just lay out the deal and our terms it’s not our fault if they don’t read the fine print. I assure you nine times out of ten it’s of their own free will and most likely done some level of idiocy to deserve such a faith.”

”Loopholes” she rolled her eyes. “You know the tricky little things you can get away with because of your charming talks with the desperate.”

”Point is, There are faster better ways to go about it. That’s where you come in love.” He smirks.

“Not much I can do with a soul y’know, at least with what I do I get enough money to keep me stable.”

”Is that what you want? Stability? Or actual comfort? It’s a very simple concept darling. Course I could charm a poor bastard to do my bidding but I think it would be much more beneficial not to mention entertaining to have someone already skilled in manipulating people to do the work for me.” Crowley smiles at the thought. “I find myself enamored with your little scheme, conning men. You’re quick on your feet and from what I’ve seen ways before our official meeting, know exactly how to pull on a man’s heartstrings. Willam Evans comes to mind, poor bastard ready to pull a ring,”

”Why do you think I left?” She huffs amused. “The long way is fun, I get showered with gifts and attention but I’d need to do more than just talk. Something I’m not really willing to do unless I find the guy up to my standards. Staying like that too long makes an ‘attachment’ on his end not to mention makes my face more recognizable. The last thing I need on my ass asides from monsters and hunters- is a man trying to give me a ring.”

"Nonetheless there's no doubt in your potential. You can go from conning a few well-off men to more important Powerful pursuits, men of great influence. With a bit more time and practice of course to perfect such an art. And if you’re good enough- powerful women.”

”So I should be flattered knowing you think I can play both sides?” She couldn’t help but laugh, amused at his suggestions. “Demons are sinful, lustful creatures”

”We all have addictions that make the afterlife more entertaining.” He agrees easily. “ Either way, I can’t deny that I’m confident a bat of those eyes is enough to put them in your hand, latching on to any suggestions just to hear your voice. A siren dragging a sailor to a bottomless sea is you will.”

“I want you to continue doing what you do best, under my name of course, and in turn, I give you your own pay and desires to live as you please. Money, power,” His eyes easily drifted down her body once again. “Pleasure”

“Yeah!” She laughs “The pleasure to not deal with things like you. I got out for a reason y’know.”

”The hunter’s dream after a long tortuous battle right? And anyone in such business with a right mind would know you’re never truly out. I would think someone like you wouldn’t be blind to that assessment yes?”

Y/n decided she hated the man on the bed, Crowley. What a name. No doubt it was bound to be engraved into her after tonight. She was right from the start, he did demand attention. She wondered how long he’d been watching her, stalking her. Did he switch between bodies? At some point, she should’ve noticed the smell of sulfur right? Or was she really out of touch with her training?

She needed a drink.

“Protection.”

”Protection?” He knits his brows. “From what exactly?”

“From what? From everything that goes bump in the night. Even things like you”

It was a good request but it was definitely too tall of an offer. For some creatures sure, but there were plenty above him. Lilith, his boss, came to mind immediately. She didn’t even know he was attempting a deal like this, no one did. All he could bring himself to do was laugh a little.

Y/n smiled as she watched him. “You can’t do it can you?“

“You have no idea what you’re asking of me.”

”You said anything I want”

”Anything within reason darling.” He corrects her. “I can’t give you something that is so far from my control.”

”Shame.” She sighs before smiling. “Then I guess there’s not much to talk huh?” She gets up from her seat going to the door with her little notebook in hand. “Keep the purse if you want, don’t really need it.” It would be a pain to have everything replaced but really her notebook is all she needed.

“You can’t just leave-“ He looked at her in disbelief, finding himself moving quickly off the bed to follow her. He hated the feeling of not having the upper hand. It was another reason he’d need to climb ranks but now to think he had to play nice for a hunter? “You’re willing to throw away such a generous offer? Money and anything your heart desires, in exchange for a bit of your time and effort? You can’t be bothered to be content with such things?”

Crowley closed the door the second she tried to open it. It was clear that he was frustrated though at the moment actually hurting her wasn’t on his mind. If anything he hated the fact that she could feel that too.

”What was it you said earlier? Something about not settling for stability? I don’t know, if I’m being honest I tuned out a good chunk of your little speech. Y’know, focused on that accent of yours- highly distractive by the way”

”You should understand that I’m simply looking for the best possible interests for both of us in this deal.”

“I agree, but accepting a deal like that is like someone offering me a job that I gotta dedicate my whole life to with the idea of a promised bonus or promotion. No guarantee just a promise that can be broken or changed at any moment. You’d think a hunter like me would know better than to take a deal like that.” She opens the door, keeping her eyes on him as she goes out.

”Ex-Hunter, I hear” Crowley huffs the second he’s alone.

It was difficult, being as talented and charming as Crowley and still having to deal with something as ridiculous as a rejection. Clearly, the deal needed some time to play out in her head. Another thing that was frustrating was sharing his views. Demons were practically born with a defiant streak so chances of getting one, a decent one, to listen were low.

”Right, so this Y/n,” Isaac starts slowly as they walk down the park’s sidewalk. “L/n, I know a hunter with that don’t I? Name’s familiar.”

”Daddy dearest, yes” Crowley hums.

”Ah,” he nods. He didn’t know he had a daughter or kids in general. It was an interesting turn of events for a solo hunter. It was common for hunters to raise their kids in this life, on the off chance that they do live long enough to produce. “You’re right, I do think this is ridiculous. C’mon Crowley? A hunter?” 

”Ex-hunter” he corrects. "Now a con artist. Interesting switch in careers if you ask me."

”Still, you bring her to the party and everyone will be falling over themselves to rip out a piece” Issac shakes his head with a smile. “Hell, Lilith herself might take action and keep her as a plaything, maybe even eat her, literally”

”I just need a while to prove this is efficient. I swear it’s a crime to be creative. You'd think Hell of all places would encourage unnatural changes."

”Right. Except it's also full of demons who take pleasure in torture, especially a lone hunter-"

"Ex-hunter," Crowley corrects again.

"Even on the off chance that it actually works and no one bothers her, who's to say she won't turn on you? Please tell me you at least-“

"Under contract, of course, I'm not an idiot." Crowley looks around. The park was a lovely place for a walk, completely quiet and abandoned the second the sun got low. The lamplights guiding their way.

"No, of course, I’m sure you offered something tempting. Money? A dead relative?” Issac scoff lightly. Remembering the deals he’s made with humans before. All so completely obsessed and desperate. It was sad to watch but the power he felt over them was addictive.

”Not entirely, I  mean I did but she…..wants an immunity of sorts, from monsters, a peaceful life. All she has to do is sway people to me.”

"Immunity huh,” Issac smiled amused at the idea. "A hunter with no morals?"

"No" Crowley sighs, looking at the sky for a moment, the frustration visible in his tone. “They’re very much there. She just wants the proper motivation for the betrayal to at least be worth the effort. I doubt any hunter would blame her for such a deal if immunity was in the cards. Hate her, sure but not blame.”

”So not only do you not have proof of this idea of yours working the girl isn’t even on your side yet?” Issac laughs. “Ain’t that a tall order, nice little dame you gotta butter up first-“

”She’s perfect” he insisted. “You should’ve seen her work up close, her manipulation tactics. Just enough to draw you in and make it seem like it’s your idea. I can’t remember the last time a woman got me worked up so quickly”

”Pretty is she?” Issac loved the idea, the older L/n had been a pain in his side for a good while. Bothering his work, trying to save his clients. The idea of a daughter just…

”The amount of men that have fallen for her schemes, you’d think she was one of us. Tempting little thing,”

“Or just pretty enough, lust is rather powerful y’know, for someone to just flaunt it.” He shrugs. Lust could so easily pair with other sins, sins that build easily in the human mind. Since the first downfall, it’s what built everything they know today. Sure none of them knew they’d be basically stuck in a job for eternity, fighting for scraps and acknowledgment, the whole ordeal was…..well, hell.

Crowley was a tad more ambitious than most, though it was unclear if it was because of the useless life he lived before or the enjoyment that came with the power of his status. Higher status, more power. Promotions and whatnot like any other business. Issac’s been around a fair amount of years, he was younger than him, managed to make a higher rank. This business was no different than that when he was alive. To think someone wanted to climb so high so easily- it bothered him that he didn’t think of the idea himself but why her?

”Why are you telling me all this anyway? You have a plan, seems like you’re dead set that it would work. Clearly something you can take on your own no?”

“I just wanted your opinion on the matter, believe it or not, I value your input, Issac. Besides,” Crowley sighs, looking around the park before looking back at him. “I'm not stupid enough to believe I can do this alone. Even demons have their limits.” Honestly, he got excited and needed someone to dump his thoughts. Enough to hear his idea out loud.

”Well you said your fish ain’t on a hook yet right? Got an idea for a next approach?”

“As fun as the push and pull has been I thought it was about time I pushed boundaries. Mold her into the perfect ideal temptation for any idiot within a mile away from her. She wants freedom I’ll promise freedom.”

”And Lilith? Your position? Any human would get reckless the second they know they can’t get hurt.”

”I’ll figure something out, what I do know is that I need to get her attention first.”

“She’s a con artist, right? Not to mention a woman, if I were you I’d get her something shiny.”

“Something shiny?” Crowley chuckles at the simplicity of the idea. "Something simple to match the idea then? A Dimond necklace perhaps? Silver setting, elegant but not too much to catch attention. If that fails I'd have to look into other options."

"Mock all you want Crowley but temptation is temptation. You're trying to get her to look over her nature as a hunter, ignore her morals for people's lives." He took out his cigarette, lighting it. A few puffs before he continued. "Immunity from monsters is a blessing. More so if you manage to convince Lilith but still, the necklace is just a showing. Not only can you give her freedom but keep the comfort you offered the first time around.”

"It’s all about presentation," Crowley nods in understanding. "The necklace is a mere taste of the power and influence I hold. Let her know there are luxurious awaiting, She'll have it made if she works for me."

“At least then she wouldn’t have to take up side jobs that would take her from your intended goal right?” Issac shook his head as he took another drag. Processing the idea to get to Crowley's understanding of things. “A human workin' for a demon."

Of Course, considering the last encounter she chose a location far from the last. There were an abundance of ways to play the game. If anything she’d rather her target approach her instead. Then again it depended on the kind of person they were and who she had to be to get them to notice her the way she wanted to be noticed.

So she sat there, this time playing the part of the stood-up date. Probably in his 20s but absolutely loaded with Dad’s credit card with how loosely she’s seen him spend it all day. Leading her to sit in a high-end restaurant this time instead of a bar. She’d send a few small glances at him before taking her time to pretend she was looking for someone. It was going well enough, at least well enough for him to turn his full body toward her direction as he subtly talked to his companions.

Unfortunately, her luck didn’t last enough, the man turned around suddenly with a weird look on his face. At the same time, she felt a shift in her booth’s seat.

”Is this seat taken?”

She took a breath, not wanting to cause a scene she smiled, looking him over briefly. "What are you doing here?"

"I saw a lovely lady sitting alone, pouting and my heart couldn't take it so I decided to come by and keep her company." He intertwined his fingers. "And well, here I am."

"I'm working" She huffs lightly.

"Working?" Crowley chuckles. "Of course, and how is that going for you?"

”I hate you”

”I’m aware.” He took in the elegance of the restaurant. Looking the way she did he knew even if that man didn't come over right away someone else would. Nonetheless, if it’s not him it’s not on the agenda. “It's quite the place you've chosen to practice your craft but I guess business isn't going quite as planned is it darling?"

She rolls her eyes.

"I apologize," the smirk playing on his lips was anything but. “If you'd like to call in early. I could always provide some..." He looks her over. "Distractions"

”You’re seriously not gonna let that go anytime soon, are you?”

”Deal or no deal Who am I to deny myself entertainment like that when the opportunity presents itself?” He laughs.

”It won’t happen again I can guarantee you that much.”

”It was only a little game, upset I outplayed you are you darling? You make it sound like I actually brought you harm. Did I threaten you? Touch you or try to harm you in any way?”

”Touch me? Yes. Harm me?” She scoffs in disbelief. Really her pride was more than hurt. She should have been able to spot him, especially being that close. There should have been signs. But it would be weird to start testing her target every single time out of paranoia. “No, but you were more than handsy in that car. I could’ve sworn we would’ve-“

”Can I remind you tried- no, you did drug me?”

“They were sleeping pills for insomnia, Crowley. Even human you would have lived.” She leans on the table. “And it wasn’t like I was gonna do anything but rob you blind.”

“And that makes it better?”

”Don't play damsel demon. Didn’t I say I’m not working for you? You’re wasting your time.”

"So you say." Amusement clear in his tone. "You're a survivor, this is surviving. Isn't that all rather....tedious?"

”You here to ramble about that deal of yours again?”

”Yes, though I do have a new offer. A rather handsome one at that. I've thought about what you said and I couldn't help but agree. You deserve freedom, to not...look over your shoulder for everything that goes bump in the night." He takes out a velvet box from the inside of his suit jacket. Placing it on the table, sliding it to her.

She glances at it before bringing it closer to her hesitantly.

“Go ahead, open it.” His smile grew as she took it out, admiring it immediately.

“Okay, I’m listening,” He gets up when he sees her move her hair to the side. Taking the diamond necklace out of her hands and setting it around her neck as it rests into her shape naturally. She could feel her nerves spiking at the proximity, her foot taping naturally but quietly. It was hard to look at him the same after the first time. Knowing what he was, how he could kill her without much effort. Demons didn’t really care if they made a mess and abandoning a vessel makes the mess someone else’s problem. She didn’t want to be a case herself.

Crowley let his hands linger on her shoulders, his thumb stroking her skin as he admired the piece. “Perfect fit.” He gently moves some of her hair further, trying to keep it from falling back enough for him to place a light kiss on her neck before continuing with a few more. She tilts her head instinctively, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment. Enjoying the intimacy mixing with the anxiety of the situation.

”It was made for you, don’t you think?” He whispers against her skin. She moves away, swallowing slightly.

“Show what you want, at the end of the day you’re still a demon.”

“And you’re still a hunter.” He sat back down. Taping a glass he claimed near him as a waiter passes them. They both paused as the waiter served him the champagne she selected. 

“Ex-hunter.” She corrected.

”Ex-hunter,” He echoes. “Perhaps you beautified the packaging but that doesn’t really change what you are. You wouldn’t see me any different had I changed vessels either.” 

Crowley took a sip of his glass, slightly savoring it. “It’s in your nature to be cautious as it is mine to be deceptive however, I wasn’t lying when I said I bring you no harm.”

“Course you don’t, not when you want me to be the one to lead sheep into the slaughterhouse” Knowing he needed her was the only insurance she had to rely on. Despite her stubbornness, she knew it was a matter of time before his patience ran thin. The entire idea was…she couldn’t accept a deal like this right? Under the principles she was raised with? Not after the people she’s saved from things like him. 

“I can understand the hesitation, I do.” Crowley sighs deeply. "I've run the numbers, thought of candidates and it all leads back to you darling so I'll be back again, and again if need be. The only thing you could do as of now is talk to me.”

”I'm not killing or hurting anyone for you.” She says almost immediately.

“I’m not asking you to,” Crowley shrugs.

”I won’t let anyone take me to bed if I don’t want to.” She rolls her eyes. “I mean I do stuff for this job sure. But I don’t actually go that far with any of it.”

”Shame, but not entirely unreasonable.” He looks her over.

“You said I’d get immunity from other monsters. Demons are no exceptions” At this point it sounded like she was placing her own terms and conditions.

“Can’t say I didn’t see that one coming back, yet, I’m not in the best position to grant you full immunity. At least not until I get my own boss on board with the idea,” He picks up the champagne. It was decent but not exactly the kind he’d go for given the chance.

”You said-“

”I know what I said, and I’m sure I can. There’s just a few things I have to do first before I can fully grant such a thing. Even we have people we need to answer to.”

”What like the devil?”

”She-devil more like. Hell works like an office, there are bosses, workers, and some that are just considered dispensable.” he huffs amused. “Lilith, the first demon in existence, was meant to continue his work of corruption so she created a system. It’s sales darling, if anything think of it as us doing a favor. One last big hurrah, where the most certainly already dammed can ask for anything, indulge themselves in their most craved dreams before their light’s snuffed out.”

“My soul-“

”Would be completely untouchable, we’ll add it to your little list of demands. Only as long as you’re employed under me.” He says seriously. “So?”

She looks around. People still very lively, enjoying their evenings. “I…I’ll sleep on it.”

Crowley doesn’t remember the last time a deal caused him so much frustration, let alone a human. Usually, the common go-to rule when it came to forced deals with hunters was to use someone or something they cared about as leverage, but this particular deal was important. He needed her to willingly surrender to him. It was all he could think about nowadays. Though he didn’t have the patience for it he endures, giving her a smile in response. “Of course, You do that.”

She couldn’t sleep, she didn’t even bother changing. The most effort she made getting home was taking off her heels and placing Crowley’s gift back in its box, letting it stare at her mockingly on the coffee table of her living room. It was stupid for her to even sit here and actually think about it.

Immunity?

luxuries?

The idea was greedy, selfish, and everything else a hunter should strive to stray from. Conversing with a demon of all things. Any hunter would be after her if they ever found out. What if her dad found out?

“It’s none of his business anyway,” she tells herself. Raising her beer to her lips. This wasn’t something she’d bother him with. To be honest she didn't want to see him at all.

Y/n jumps slightly, hearing something upstairs. She places the beer down carefully before bending slowly, getting a shotgun she had under the couch. It wasn’t every day that she had personal visitors, especially not with how she kept moving about. She went up the stairs carefully, trying her best to step lightly but move fast enough to not let the wood creak too much under her weight. She can hear the flicker of a lighter clicking in her room. She pokes her head in with the gun close to her. 

A man, probably in his 30s, dark blue suit, his hair slicked back neatly as he took a drag of his cigarette. He smiles immediately as he looks her over. “A L/n, as I live and breathe- well y’know, as close as I can get to it right?”

”Who are you?” She pumps the gun, a round ready.

”Easy honey, I’m a friend of Crowley’s, so to speak. Name’s Issac.” He leans against the wall. He glances at the window seal, seeing the salt lined up, only a part of it disturbed, clearly done from the inside. “I couldn’t help but notice it. I mean hunters are cautious by nature. Every nook and cranny was covered in salt except this window.” He tilts his head at her, smirking. “And in the bedroom no less. C’mon doll I knew Crowley’s been working an angle with you but I wouldn’t think he’d get you so riled up.”

Her grip on the gun tightened as she glanced at the salt. “He hasn’t.”

"Really?" He squints. "I mean from what I heard hell, from what I saw. Almost felt like I was supposed to turn away or something. It was like some ridiculous attempt at an affair."

"What is it with you demons and spying?"

"I don't know. Probably gotta do with our nature. Common excuse you hear with these folk y'know? Hunters and demons go a long way. Prey and predator. That thin line constantly being played with like some kind of schoolgirl’s jump rope. Though we still got the upper hand ya like to fight back.” He briefly frowns as he brings the cigarette back to his lips. “Always fighting back.”

“What are you going on about?”

”I just sayin’ I know my onions.”

”What?” She didn’t like him. Not like this in the temp home she managed to get her hands on in this town. Dealing with demons was unsettling in general. No matter who they were or what meat suit they decided to wear.

”I’ma be honest here with you L/n, I don’t like him. I don’t like the smirk on his stupid face or his voice, always complaining, questioning one thing after another, and you-“ Issac points. “You’ve been his latest obsession and to be honest, the second I heard your name-“

Y/n shifts as he takes his time to look her over. Her finger was ready on the trigger. She knew salt wouldn’t kill a demon but a part of her hoped it would hurt him enough. Maybe even inspire a few rounds to go off.

“Your pops,”

”What about him.” She demands quickly.

“He was quite the hunter but he really never knew how to keep that nose of his in his own business. One time he managed to trap me, left me to rot for….fuck months I think?” A laugh erupted from his throat as he shakes his head. “Can you imagine that? It’s like a rat outsmarting a cat, leaving ‘em in a small confined cage. It’s just not natural.”

”Do you have a point here?” Her jaw flexed slightly. 

“As I said, I hate him. And seeing that you are who you are, he can’t have you so I got a counteroffer. You won’t know it and I doubt Crowley would have explained it but we got our own ranks within ranks. I happen to be a higher rank than him so any ‘protection’ he offered you would be more guaranteed.”

”How do I know if you’re lying or not?”

”You don’t, but that’s half the fun isn’t it?” Issac taps his cigarette, the ash falling into the pot of a plant she had. “That bastard has been a pain since he first arrived. He's like a dog doing extra spins to see if his master gives him another treat. Tryna make himself a favorite, look Lilith I got the moon for you."

”The moon?”

“Not as impressive as it sounds, I promise you. ‘Sides I'll get my boss's favor in a snap. You just gotta play nice for me." He smirks. "And help me get rid of that demon of course. Though to find something that can actually get the job done, not the easiest thing to come by."

"You wanna get rid of Crowley?" She looks him over. “For good?”

"Yeah," Issac scoffs. "Can't have him rat me out. Even if he lets me have it he'll find a way to benefit from it. Fucking parasite."

“Have what?”

”The colt Y/n, I know you have it. Your dad took it, then placed it ‘Somewhere safe’. Took me a while but what better place than a hunter always on the move? It doesn’t stay in one area, you’re not actively in the hunter business so there’s less of a chance of a supernatural encounter. It all clicks. Now be a doll and hand it over.”

She could play dumb. She should play dumb but she had to take into consideration he might already know where. Especially since he admitted to stalking, there was no telling how long. “Over my dead body.”

“y’know,” Issac sighs. “I was absolutely baffled when he told me his idea. Getting a dame to lure in anyone willing to trade for a measly ten years of whatever the hell they ask for. I thought to myself ‘Why doesn’t this idiot just posses a nice lookin’ chick and do the same?’ I know a handful of demons who play with different meat suits to get targets.” He nods his head to her, the action sending her back into the wall, making her drop the shotgun. His lips twitched up slightly, wetting his bottom lip as he watched her try to regain the breath that was knocked out of her.

“But it wasn’t just about that. It was the fact that you were human. Selling the idea to them. But you’re a hunter, you can think on your feet. You’d most likely get recognized by other hunters which will set them at ease from suspicion faster and the cherry on top?” Issac walks over to her, watching her use the nightstand for support as she leans her side on the bed. “You’re a fucking L/n. That’s exciting, for me at least. The second I heard you were his daughter. I could hardly focus sweetheart.”

It was rather hypocritical of him to use force when he advised Crowley to do otherwise for favor. Hunters may be human but with what they do and the self-inflicted suffering they put themselves through, he couldn’t help but place them as an entirely different species of their own. He pushed her to the bed by her neck, pushing his body weight on her slightly. Her hands instinctively gripped his wrist, wanting him to let go. His own breath hitched at the sight. He loved it when they squirmed. Though the defiance on her face was clear.

“You’re gonna do it or are you gonna bitch some more?” She managed to get out despite the pain of being tossed around.

“Huh, guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, does it? Always havin' something to say despite being completely backed into a corner. Do you know how many deals he cost me?" His grip tightens, leaning in closer. His eyes closed momentarily as the smells flooded in. She took the moment to stretch her foot out to the cup she had on the nightstand, knocking it over to spill onto his side.

Issac yells in pain, buckling down as the steam erupts from his suit. Y/n forces herself to crawl further up the bed once his grip loosens, rolling to the other side to create enough distance for her to think of something.

His groans slowly turn into laughter. "Oh you little-" Issac couldn't smell her father on her. Only a lingering emotional touch, enough to know she’s thought of him but it wasn’t enough to prove he was around. "Here's the thing. I am jealous. I know he was close but how close was Crowley to you to get his smell on you?”

Her eyes narrowed at him. She really was cornered, the shotgun was on the other side, and so was the door. All she had was a window and not enough salt to close it. Even if she could she'd be trapped in here with him unless she jumps. The second floor isn't so bad but the flowers planted below had a brick lining. Jumping on a whim before he could get to her might make for a bad landing.

He forced himself to stand, though the holy water still stained his suit. “He was real insistent on it being you. He could’ve gotten any greedy chick willing to jump at the deal but loyalty is something you can’t always buy. The second there’s a higher bidder she’d up and leave. And you won’t say yes, you won’t give me the gun so what the fuck?”

This was just a talk, she realized. This was his idea of talking. Throwing her around like a rag doll because he was jealous, strangling her because he remembered her father. If this was just a talk what was she supposed to expect further down the line with him?

“Plus there’s also your old man right?” Issac smirks as her look changes. “There you are. Y’know I can find him again easily, make sure he’s red and blue for you before I take my time to really send him off. Or we can make a deal.”

On one hand, she was glad to hear he was alive, despite his ways. “You say that like I care. Haven’t been on the best of terms since…ever? It was a great try though. A for effort.”

What was better? Being in the hands of a demon or death?

"So, in conclusion, Fuck you." She decides.

He huffs, raising his brows in surprise. He nods accepting her answer as he smiles to himself.

"Okay," he shrugs. A wave of his hand sent her through the window, the glass breaking from the impact. He sighs as he walks over. Eyes trailing over the new injuries she gained, her body arched over the plants. 

"What a world."

Everyone hates an errand run. There wasn't much to do but wait for a small delivery to be made. Lilith, being stuck in Hell, made her reliant on the demons that were out of the gates. Being a woman of deals herself she preferred to use crossroads demons. Though the irony of sending them together to run it didn't fly over their heads. Sharing subtle glances as Crowley made small talk. 

Feeling bored as the time passes Issac moves, looking at the abandoned cars around them, tools scattered, and Graffiti at almost every turn. No doubt proof of the warehouse's new use as someone's hang-out spot.

Eventually, a set of other demons came with a chest, setting it down and leaving it to them to complete their part.

"Finally," Crowley sighs, looking over the chest curiously. "What do you think it is, needing it so badly even if she's not up here to get it herself?"

"It's none of our business is what it is. We're not opening it." Issac said bluntly.

"Never said we would, I just figured if we're gonna wait for something that long we'd be granted a small note of information or something."

"You ever heard of the colt Crowley?" He asked out of the blue. "Nasty little peashooter that can shut down almost any creature a hunter could possibly deal with."

"I thought that was a nice fairytale hunters liked to go on about when things get desperate." Crowley grabs onto one handle of the chest as Issac picks up the other. Taking the chest to a giant symbol written off in blood on the floor. An entire ritual set up. Both being well versed and educated in more complex magical situations they needed to be the ones to do it.

Crowley never really like doing work like this but better for Lilith than another demon. Crowley had his fair share of bottom-feeding in his past life and he wasn't willing to take it in this one.

"What's the point of creating a gun that only had a handful of rounds? Clearly, he had the intention to use it for one troubling thing. Even if the gun was around there'd hardly be enough bullets for a hunter to make proper use of it in a world crawling with creatures."

"Maybe it was more so meant for us. Y’know to be haunted by the idea that hunters would have something to go against things like us or hell, bigger if there even is such a thing." Issac grunts as they put it down. The candles around them light up automatically. They immediately stopped, moving to their positions. Holding their hands up mid-chest, muttering the needed words. The chest burned up in flames leaving nothing but a scorch mark behind. “How’s your hunter situation?”

”Silent. Though I’m sure there’ll be an answer soon.”

”Yeah?” Issac smiles a bit too contently for Crowley’s liking. “Diamond necklace wasn’t it? I’m telling ya, girls love jewelry. Course, hunters' such as Y/n have an adequate taste y’know?” He pulls out the Colt. It didn’t take long for him to find it in her house. Placing it under floorboards was a commendable choice but the bedroom was typical. He watched as Crowley shifted in place, more serious though a frown clear on his features. Issac couldn’t decide whether to shoot him in his smart mouth or his heart. The irony of shooting a demon’s ‘heart’ would only provide him a laugh rather than actual satisfaction.

“Seems like I struck a nerve.” Crowley hums at the sight. “Colt, I’m guessing?”

”No shit.” Issac pulled the trigger.

It was nothing like he thought it would be. There was a loud bang but Crowley only stumbled slightly from the impact. There was no show of anything else, no proof the gun being anything but a gun. For a moment Issac thought he felt it but it was his own body jolting at an unfamiliar sensation. He only had a brief moment left to look down and see the bright lights beaming through his veins.

Crowley’s usual smile returned easily when Issac collapsed. The view of Y/n standing there, knife in hand, finally in the clothes expected to be seen on a hunter. A grey undershirt, her flannel as red as her favorite lipstick he’s always seen her wear. Jeans worn out, most likely for repeated wear rather than the use of an aesthetic. Combat boots to endure proper footing if needed in a fight.

In all honesty, the sight had been more of a turn-on than her usual dress-ups.

“This must be what damsels feel like when their hero prevails-“

”Did you know?” She didn’t waste time on asking.

”Knooow?”

”About him!” She gestured towards the corpse. “The stalking, knowledge about the deal-!”

”I told you, I did my research on you. Issac’s been on my radar for longer than I care to remember. I knew he was going to make a move sooner or later. Though I wasn’t lying I do want that deal settled and your skill set. This was just an added convince.”

“He threw me out the fucking window of my house!”

”My condolences.” Crowley paused for a moment. “The colt was an added surprise, that wasn’t the real thing I take?”

”It was.”

”But you did know it had regular bullets yes?”

She shrugs.

”And you let him shoot it?!” She took pleasure in his offense. Watching him examine where the bullet had hit him.

”It was an added convenience.” She smiles.

“My suit,” He huffs.

”My condolences.” She glances at the body again. “Do you have to report all that?”

”To who?”

”Lilith.”

”Ah,” Crowley simply straightened out his suit. “A little betrayal story would go well. I could say he wanted to take her personal delivery case for himself. Add in my attempts with you- only that worth mentioning of course. But I still need that contract sealed beforehand.”

“Why? What’s the point of even mentioning me in all this?”

”You want immunity, don’t you? This is our ticket in. I’m shown as a loyal demon, you’re shown as an asset, and we have ourselves a proper start to a successful system. So….is there a deal?”

”What about the colt?”

”I’ll convince her to let me have it stored away for safe keeping though you’d have to hand over the actual bullets it came with. And that knife-“

”You take it and you can forget it.” She steps back instinctively.

”Fine,” He sighs. “Hard bargain but I’m willing if it lets you sleep at night. But I do prefer you leave it on the floor or elsewhere before approaching.” 

“Why? Do I have to shake your hand or something?”

“Not exactly.” Crowley smiles. “Listen carefully,” he moves to her. “This deal is binding. From this moment onward, you will be under my employment. You will do whatever I ask of you. There will be no refusal when I demand something of you. Except for the little list of conditions you decided upon beforehand. Good enough?”

She nodded hesitantly. Even now it felt wrong.

His hand tightened across the back of her hip as he leaned in close to her. His lips brush against hers at first, before quickly locking their lips together. It started out with a quick peck but soon turned into a slow, steady rhythm. For a brief moment, she gripped his suit, pulling him close before pulling away.

”Congratulations.” Crowley licks his lips, taking in the taste of her. “You made it past survival.”

[batmenstrualcycle]

reflections; maki x reader

:"studying"

:master list

note: not my finest chapter lol, I'm SO sorry if maki's ooc </3

"The test isn't that hard, all you gotta do is go with your gut, but I know you don't have one, so I'm gonna be nice and help you."

"That part wasn't very nice," you rolled your eyes and plopped down on Maki's bed. Her sheets were so silky, it made you a bit jealous, and made you think your own sheets were incompetent in comparison to hers, seeing that you toss and turn every night.

Maki shrugs before she reaches into her drawer and pulls out a few sheets of paper, "These are the answers on that test," she says as she hands them to you. "They aren't hard to memorize, there's just quite a few."

"I didn't think this is what studying was," you mumbled as you looked at the sheets of paper. They were all the same test, each with different dates and scores no lower than a 92. Impressive, you would think, if you didn't know that Maki was already smart to begin with. She simply shrugs and sits down next to you on her bed. "That just proves you've never taken a test before."

"I have, just not a paper test," you begin to chew on your bottom lip as you look between the three sheets of paper. All the answers were the same, since they were all the same sheets just with different dates and such, and the spaces between the letters that joined to construct her name were obviously different, otherwise you'd think she's a robot. You wouldn't be surprised, with the way she walks: always in a straight line with seemingly perfect posture, her shoulders are always squared- or maybe that's just the small shoulder pads of her uniform; the way she trains, you've watched her do the same routine every day for two and a half weeks: waking up, breakfast, training, lunch, training, dinner, then it resets the next day. It's like she's in a circle and she doesn't realize it, probably because she lived that way back at the Zenin estate.

"Well, they're not hard, but there's a lot of questions so you might get confused on which answer is which," she sat up from her headboard which she previously leaned back against then looked down at the papers in your hand. Her sharp eyes switched from the paper to your focused expression, and kept switching for a moment before you let out a sigh. Then you narrow your eyes at the final question on the backs of each test, "Why the hell is Gojo trying to stroke his own ego?!"

"I ask the same thing every time I see that question. Imagine being that sad and lonely that you have to get the approval from teenagers about yourself," Maki shakes her head, a hearty chuckle leaving her lips as she does so. You follow, your shoulders shaking in sync with the giggles leaving the flesh of your lips.

"You could just take a sharpie and write down the answers on your hand, he won't notice," Maki leans back towards her nightstand then pulls a marker from the top of it. You looked up from the sheets of paper and found her holding the sharpie in between her fingers. "Take your time writing them down, I don't mind having you in here."

"I'll be as slow as I possibly can," you chuckle as you pop off the lid and set the tests down on her bed, flattening your hand right next to it and writing stuff down on your palm. You wondered how long the ink would last, but you figured since you wouldn't be doing much this weekend, you'd be able to keep them on your hands for that long.

"I wonder how Naoya would react to seeing this," Maki circles her finger in the air around her whole room. "Bet he'd have a stroke." she finished with a small chuckle before she looked at you, watching you write the answers down on your palms.

"Probably, he never liked seeing me interact with others," you shrugged before putting the lid back on the sharpie. You turned to her, handing her the sharpie, hanging it loosely between your fingers. She takes it back, setting it down beside her and staring at you, "Do you think Naoya had a soft spot?"

"Absolutely not," you frowned a bit with an embarrassed huff, completely ignoring the small warmth in your face. "I just know that man loathed me."

"You'll know he loathes you when he bullies you relentlessly every day," Maki hums as she scoots closer. Your face practically lights on fire when your arms and knees are touching. "It got boring after a while, but I got used to it. I remember I used to wake up thinking he wouldn't do it that day for a change, but he always found a way. Be it verbally or physically, he always found a way to bully the shit out of me."

"I don't get it, why did he hate you so much?" you ask as you look at her, now watching her lean back. She probably hit the marker that she set down, but she didn't care, there were definitely worse things to be hit with. She looks at you as she crosses her arms behind her head, "Because I don't have cursed energy. That marks me as a disgrace to the Zenin clan, let alone being born a girl," she shrugs afterwards. You hum before leaning back with her.

"I don't think you're a disgrace," you glance at her, sending her a grin which makes her blush profusely. She frowns, turning away from your radiant smile as she clenches her jaw. You keep a smug expression as you watch her turn on her side and listen to the curses she's mumbling under her breath. Despite the doubt that she's feeling, since you're a special grade and she's a fourth grade, you weren't lying, you really didn't think she's a disgrace. It's the clan that's the real disgrace, if it were up to you.

"Right, that's believable," she turned back to you, looking more confident than when she was looking away. You rolled your eyes and sighed, "It's true. I never once started to wonder, so this is the disgrace everyone's talking about? Her? Are they sure?"

"That's easy for you to say," she shrugs again. "I mean, you've had power sitting in your hands forever and you never used it, yet nobody bats an eye or looks your way." she looks at you, a blank expression present on her face. You sigh and chew on your bottom lip for a moment. That's true, you always had that power in your grasp- in your palms, even- but you never used it up until that mission (minus when Naoya would train you- that doesn't count), and nobody said anything. Maki on the other hand, was always harassed by anyone at the Zenin clan for not having cursed energy- you thought it was unfair. She's still a human, and you thought that's what matters, rather than cursed energy. Apparently that's not what they think, and they ridiculed her for that.

"Like I said before, I don't really care about it that much," you looked at your palms; you were having a hard time believing that the power is actually yours to use, you're starting to think it's all a fever dream. Maki frowned, her nose scrunching up and her eyebrows knitting together as she looked at you once again. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, I mean I never asked for it," you shrugged. "And this stupid power is what landed me as a servant back at that damned estate."

"That's true, but you would've never met me," she replied; you didn't see the smirk since you were looking the other way, but looking wasn't necessary since you could hear everything smug in her voice. You sighed reluctantly, rolling your eyes since you knew it was true. "Whatever,"

The both of you stay silent for a moment, the only noise in the room is Maki's ceiling fan going 90 miles an hour, and it was already cold outside, so you were freezing in silence. Your body was shivering, and you were sure your fingers had locked up from how long you've been keeping them there. Doing anything with them wouldn't be of good use at all, they'd be moving too slow. The silence is loud- almost uncomfortable, if it weren't for the ceiling fan- you want to say something, but you can't think of anything to say after that. Unfortunately, Maki came up with something for you.

"Can I, like, ask you something?" she turned to face you, eyebrows slanted downwards as her sharp eyes stared at you, waiting for you to face her. Eventually you do, looking at her with hooded eyes, clearly tired since you two have been in her room for about two hours now, the time hitting 11:09 on her alarm clock.

"What is it?" you finally say, your words relieving the pressure building in her throat. Maki bites her tongue to keep herself from blurting out what she wants to say, so instead, she slowly leans in, resting a gentle hand on the bottom of your chin to hold your face in place, and her lips barely brush against your cheek.

Your eyes fluttered for a solid minute, sitting there in shock for another two minutes before finally contemplating what just happened. Your eyes glide over towards her as you watch her lean back as if nothing happened, then your lips parted. "Does that involve the question?"

"I was gonna ask first, but I couldn't find the words to," she looks at you with a relaxed look on her face. You simply nodded, not knowing what to say afterwards.

"Um...how long have you been hiding that?" you finally look at her, your eyes still blown wide from earlier. Maki shrugs, but tilts her head slightly and gives you a knowing look, one that sends butterflies swarming in your stomach. "Do you want me to do it again?"

"Please," you don't know why, but it felt like something clicked, like the universe fell into place when Maki's lips miraculously landed on yours instead of your cheek. The both of you breathing out your nose to extend the kiss for as long as possible, both of your faces warm enough to start a fire in the room, tongues colliding with one another and before you knew it, you ended up lying flat on your back.

"I wonder how your mom would react if she saw this," you panted, hands holding her red face. Maki chuckled then leaned in to press a kiss to your forehead. "I think she'd have a stroke if she saw us doing this," she hummed before going back to making out with you.

[juneaulime]

Zombie!König x FEM!Reader

Pairing: Zombie!König x FEM!Reader

Tags: Primal König, Choking, Biting, Blood, Rough Sex, Not Beta Read.

Notes: Little German like Schatz and stuff, but nothing much, I'm not going to Google translate and get badly translated phrase. I'll spare the cringe for the Germans reader. Anyway, enjoy, I tried my best.

P.S. I still don't know how male anatomy work, lmao.

König turned into a zombie. Y/n found out and decided to hide it from the other members of KorTac. But, she couldn't hide him forever, so she told them. She told them everything and to trust her. Since then, König's been under her care. He began speaking again, though in a very broken English, he also started eating "normal" food, like snacks and processed meat, he still struggled with vegetable and cooked meat. But, he was good enough to be left alone for long times. So, y/n left for a mission that lasted 4 month. She thought it would be no big deal.

She came home, unusually dark and cold. She smelled König's scent, the scent of rotten meat mixed with soap. Weird combination but tollerable. She took off her gear and shoes, putting her backpack on the sofa. "König?" She calls out, then she hears big stomps, like he's dashing here. She chuckles and then turn around to face König, something about him looked primal. His eyes were blown wide and his breath was erratic. "Me... You... Sex" what? She looks at König confused "What- König, what do you mean by-" before she could finish her phrase König takes her wrist and pins her down on to the sofa, restricting her with his massive body, and a very noticeable bulge in his pants.

"Schatz... Sex... Now!" His to e was different from the first time, this time he sounded... Primal, and... Commanding. She puts a hand on his chest as a way to symbolize that she was not up to it. "König, listen. We can't... You'll break me." Her voice trembled when she said "break me", but as soon those words left her mouth something snapped in König, his grip tightened on her wrist and he was drooling now and growling. "Y/n... Please... Sex?" He said now begging and rubbing his erection on her stomach, she swallows her spit and gives up. She caresses his masked face "Okay... Fine. You win. Try to be nice, ok?" He nods excitedly. He takes off her shirt and pants, struggles with her bra which she helps him out with it.

There she was, laid bare and naked in front of König. He takes off his mask and tries to kiss her, but due to the lack of his lips he struggles a bit, but she understood and guides his mouth open and intertwine their tongues. He felt cold, compared to her she was warm, he could still feel it a bit on his fingertips. He traces her spine and trails down to her neck and collarbone, leaving small kisses and licks. He stops and looks at her with pleading eyes, she nods and he opens his mouth and bites her neck. She lets out a pained moan, which scares König for a minute, he looks back up, and she just nods again. He holds her hand, and rips his pants off of him, he lines up against her wet pussy. He looks up one last time and she nods again, maybe for the last time.

He takes a deep breath and pushes himself inside of her, immediately a wave of heat against his dick and the wetness, he let's out a satisfied groan. The caresses her face and starts moving with a steady pace. Little by little he gets faster and faster then he hits her cervix. She let's out a loud moan and her eyes rolling back into her skull. Her mouth hanged open and she breath was short and erratic. She looks up and sees that König was now lost, his reason was now gone, replaced by his primal instinct of sex. He let's go of her hand and puts it around her neck choking her lightly and starts fucking into her. He kept moving his hips and groaning and she kept moaning and pleading uselessly to König to slow down, but he won't listen. His grip tightens on her neck choking her completely, she cries out and squirts all over him. He let's out a satisfied laughter, and let's go of her neck and pulls her up against him. He holds her and kisses his neck and bites her, she yelps. With that he starts moving again, this time he felt even deeper inside of her, their moans and groans could've been heard all over the house. After God knows how long she feels König emptying inside of her, he pulls out and immediately positions y/n's face against his still hard member now covered in his and her cum. She doesn't think twice and give it a lick and takes it into her hand giving him a couple of pumps, she kisses his base and balls and goes up to the head swallowing whole. He groans and cums in her mouth pushing her even deeper onto his dick.

After he was done she lays there her mind fucked out of her and he looks at her, both ends filled with him.

He picks her up in bridal style and takes their clothes to the laundry.

He tosses their clothes in the washer and opens the door to the bath. He turns on the hot water and adds some bath salt.

He carefully washes her and after soaping her up and washing her up, he gets into the bath with her in his arms. She slowly blinks her eyes open and looks at him, they make eye contact and smile. She lays her head back on to his shoulder, falling asleep once again.

The End.

End note: Aahdhdbdbdhd hope y'all liked it!!! I tried my best!! Byee

[dearreaders-things]

rambling directors commentary of my vampire!au julian x mc fic? yes? yes.

i mentioned it on ao3 but: inspired by the lovely vampire headcanons post from @iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia bc who doesn't love a vampire's s/o offering their blood to be drunk?

title! bittersweet ugh this one absolutely fell into place while i was writing, i loved it and immediately went in to make sure it was like a recurring motif through the whole fic

i did consider spelling it bittersuite, shout out billie eilish, but ultimately decided against it because the "suite" doesn't quite fit or make sense with the story. however i LOVE that song and listened to it a lot while writing. probably the vibes match.

that one tumblr post abt julian saying upsy-daisy when someone's fallen? yes.

but i love writing him as like a Doctor!! that man is a Scientist and i'm tired of ppl pretending he's not! all the talk of recessive genes and unfalsifiable hypotheses and scalpels, yeah that was a nice lens to look through

dude maybe the most fun part of writing vampire stuff is deciding what lore to fold in. completely disregarding things if you feel like it and getting to add whatever you want? very cool. i mean, such is the nature of folklore :D

i think the vampire backstory of this was also inspired by ali hazlewood's novel bride. shout out to that.

the "metal burns you" stuff i'm pretty sure is from fae stuff? anyways that was a cool association. i also really liked finding a reason to give astrella, my oc, scars in this au. i feel like my fics lately have been a big flashing sign saying "author has dermatillomania!!!" but anyways

also the symbolism with astrella touching something she shouldn't?? mhm mhm that was such a good moment when i noticed it

also also it gave me a reason for her and julian to have matching gloves, which is an image that held over from a different fic of mine (obv in that one it's canonverse so the reason for it was they were both plague doctors. but still.)

sensory description is big in this fic and i love it. also the different kind of levels of mental awareness, going from kinda sixth sense for heartbeats stuff in the beginning then going into the full on psychic bond by the end? chef's kiss. i got a chance to use sooo many tasty words.

“Even before you knew what I am. How many times have you offered up your neck for my teeth?” was the first line i had in mind for this fic. i mean you can see why. look at it.

ok if you made it this far thank you for coming to my ted talk, can you tell i had so much fun writing this

let me know if you enjoyed this rambling, i might write up some more thoughts on the other fics i've written recently! (they probably won't be anywhere near this long lmao i just have feelings)

[tia-amorosa]

Sunset Died - Wolff/Sekemoto

Own decisions

Later that evening. After Morgana had brought dinner to the table, Sam sat silently in front of his bowl for a moment. “Do I really have to go to school tomorrow?"/ ”Oh… No, of course you don't if you don't feel ready for it yet. But…maybe it would be nice for you to make a new friend and learn something”. Sam slowly pulled his chair a little closer. “I'll decide in the morning.”

A few minutes after the meal. “I'd like to use your laptop, if you don't mind. Don't worry, I won't access your medical stuff, I just want to check on old contacts"/ ‘was Cy able to answer your questions?’/ ‘mhm, the line is back up 24/7, he's checked everything again for security. we just haven't been contacted about it yet’/ ”Oh, that's wonderful. Yes, all right”.

That evening, Sam wanted a bedtime story. Morgana and her husband actually thought that he would want to sleep without it for the time being. But he seems to be coping with his grief in his own way. He doesn't cry, at least apparently not in the presence of the adults. His attention span didn't last very long, though, and he quickly fell asleep. “Hn, no wonder, that was a really stupid story. Good night…”.

As Morgana was about to go to bed, she noticed that there was a new painting on the easel. And it was completely finished. In a way, it made her a little proud, because Sam had apparently only learned to paint from watching and was therefore able to gather enough inspiration. But on the other hand, it made her a little sad. His family would never admire his later works.

Even though it was already quite late and Thornton's eyes were almost closing, he at least wanted to make a first attempt and see what had happened in his e-mail inbox since the disaster. “Holy shit, over 4000 emails. I can delete some of them, it's just advertising, information… what did I click on back then? Well, o.k., i have some catching up to do“.

Later that night. “What have you been doing all this time?"/ ‘Deleting unnecessary emails and giving an old colleague a sign of life from me, like my cousin Dwayne…’/ ‘You… You have a cousin?’/ ”Hard to believe, but yes. I haven't seen him for ages, I don't know how he got my e-mail address. Anyway, he wanted to know if everything was OK and if we wanted to see each other again sometime…phh“.

“How long ago was the email?"/ ”A few days before everything here was dead. I had so much to do at the time and hadn't checked my emails at all… The last time I saw him was when I was 6 or 7, we never had much to do with each other…"/ ‘And yet you replied to him…’/ ”Well, at least to say hello. He sent me a family photo. His children look like little feral wolves"/ ‘hnhn, maybe they are wolves’/ ‘what nonsense… good night’.

It's the next morning. Morgana was about to check on Sam and was surprised to see that he was already up and standing in front of the closet. “hi, I thought you were still asleep"/ ‘No, I just wanted to get my things out for school…’/ ‘For… You want to go to school?’. He just nodded without looking at her.

“Yes, then… Then get dressed, I'll quickly make something for you to eat” / ‘You don't have to, I know where everything is…’. Without another word, he took his things out of the first drawer and disappeared outside into the bathroom.

After Sam had disappeared from the room with his clothes, Morgana looked out of the window for a moment. Then an important thought caught up with her again. She remembered Leighton's words. “The family chronicle. It's not really my style to rummage around in other people's things, but… I guess it's important.”.

Morgana literally rummaged through the things that belonged to Yumi. She didn't have very many clothes left, as most of them had been lost in the destruction of her house. But the few things she did find were all carefully folded, so it wasn't long before she came across something in the bottom left-hand drawer.

She felt something solid under one of the items of clothing and pulled it out of the drawer. Then it fell out of her hand briefly. “This must be it. I only have one problem… I can't speak Japanese, but I'm sure the Internet will help me.“.

A little later, Morgana went downstairs to the living room with the book. Sam was still eating breakfast. He saw her sit down at the desk and recognized what she was holding. “What do you want to do with it?"/ ‘Oh, I… I wanted to translate a few things for you, if I can manage it’/ ‘You don't have to translate it for me’.

Morgana looked at him a little questioningly. “Don't I have to?”. He shook his head. “When we sometimes couldn't sleep at night, Grandma would read it to me since I was very little. She showed me all the signs and told me what they meant"/ ‘really all of them?’/ ‘mhm…’/ ‘And you've memorized them all?’. He nodded again. “So… do you know what it all says?"/ ‘not everything yet’.

“Hm, I see. “/ “Dad told me to read it”. Morgana almost felt guilty. She looked at the book for a moment and then decided for herself not to proceed any further. “Of course, I didn't want to violate your privacy either. I just thought…"/ ”When I'm ready, I'll read it. And I can read it out loud to you then. But not today… And not tomorrow either.” Morgana switched her laptop off again. “All right. You're the boss, hn”.

Sam brought his keys into the kitchen. ("Unbelievable, I didn't know she taught him Japanese. Of course, it's his mother tongue and it wasn't out of the question that she taught him more. It would probably take me weeks or months to translate everything. Hm…I'm excited”.

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@greenplumbboblover ⭐😊