#just going to drop some bad news then flee

[waves-against-a-cliff]

After the end - Post-apocalyptic Omegaverse AU

Summary - You missed the end of the world. Fine by you. You thrived in your new surroundings, content to be on your own. Until something happens during your third winter.

Tags - Omegaverse (duh), alpha/beta/omega dynamics, non traditional dynamics, all of the 141 are alphas, you're an omega. Eventual smut, dub-con, knotting, mating press, polyamory, alphas love alphas. Uh... This came to me in a fever dream. Consider this a prologue. 141 x reader

You think you're pretty lucky all things considered. You had always been self sufficient and your childhood gave you skills you were able to call on after the entire world shat itself. To be honest, you hadn't even noticed the world had completely gone to ruin until you tried to call your pharmacy to refill your heat and scent suppressants.

The line was dead. So you called the grocery store. Dead. The movie theater, the diner, the post office. Dead dead dead. Panic seized you by the throat and you dropped your home phone onto the ground. You splashed cold water onto your face and looked into the mirror with puffy eyes and shaking hands.

What were you going to do? The world couldn't have ended. Right? You should have noticed sooner. "Fuck," you said, pulling on your shoes and grabbed your car keys, you got into your car, "fuck!"

As it turns out, you did in fact miss the ending of the world. You yelled obscenities and banged on your steering wheel. The entire small town you lived near was deserted. Windows were boarded up and cars were parked by the road with tires missing or windows smashed in.

You missed the entire end of the world.

As it turns out, the end of the world wasn't that bad. Nothing really changed. Well besides the rarity of getting your hands on heat suppressants and scent blockers. The first week after you finally got caught up on the whole "the world has ended" thing you raided.

You avoided using your car after you got a mild scare that someone else had been attracted to the noise. Hiding in the very smelly gas station bathroom while you listened to the sound of boots crunching on glass was enough to teach you that lesson.

You tore apart the pharmacy the first week, finding what had to be at least four months worth of scent blockers and nine months of heat suppressants. You took everything you deemed useful and stuffed it into your backpack before hiking back home.

You set up a routine, patrol the forest edge twice a day, care for your garden and check any trap for animals to eat. Self sufficiency had never been such a blessing.

It was the middle of winter three years later when you first saw them.

Men. No, not just men. Alphas. Their scent almost made your knees buckle when you smelt it down wind. For a moment your mind went hazy as their smells flooded your mind until that part of your brain that had been responsible for your survival kicked back in.

Alphas. In your territory. Your territory. It felt like a crime and you felt your inner omegas turmoil. As you watched the four men walk down the road that led into town through your binoculars you debated on what you should do. Run, flee while you are down wind. With shaky hands, whether from the cold or fear you didn't know, you climbed down from the perch you were on and sprinted back home while doing your best to cover your own tracks.

You went in circles, outside in the cold long past when your hands and feet had gone cold. But you were sure they couldn't follow. You were sure they didn't even know you were there.

Three years. You had been off of heat suppressants and scent blockers for years. After a while your heats had stopped coming, whether it was from lack of sleep or stress or some evolutionary thing that happened when no one to mate was around, the bottom line was that you were unprepared.

You boarded up your door and threw water on your fire. You grabbed every blanket in the house and ran into your bedroom. At first you did it for warmth. If you were going to hide you couldn't have fire to give out smoke and you needed to be warm.

Then you continued to mess with the blankets and pillows. You huffed, growing increasingly frustrated at your inability to get it right. You grabbed your laundry and threw it in too, arranged and rearranged until it felt right. It wasn't until you took a step back that you realized what you had done. Something you haven't in years. Before you was a nest. Large enough to fit many in it. Maybe even five. You swallowed hard as your fingers dug into your stomach. It was going to be a long winter.

[giuseppe-yuki]

spoiled

fernando alonso x cocker spaniel shapeshifter!reader

w.c.: 2k

warnings: one curse word

part my of shapeshifting!reader series

summary: as nando's precious cocker spaniel, you are spoiled rotten.

picture credits from pinterest :)

*side note- it has come to my attention that the cute puppy in the header is actually a king charles spaniel, not a cocker spaniel, so i apologize for that one. my headers are mainly used for aesthetic purposes, so feel free to imagine yourself as either breed :)

the word “no” was practically nonexistent when you were with nando. 

you want another birkin to go in your collection? here, have three. you felt like pizza for dinner? sure thing. pizza freshly made in italy is being flown in right now. wow, that baby pink aston sure is cute, isn’t it? here’s the keys to a brand new, custom made, db9 that has matching pink heart tire rims. 

it seemed like fernando’s singular goal in life as your boyfriend was simply to pamper and spoil you. when he found out your shapeshifting abilities, he became ecstatic. even more ways to spoil you! 

that’s how you found yourself sat on his lap, twin pink bows tied on each of your ears, inside of the aston martin meeting. mike krack was currently yapping about tire degradation and management, repeatedly smacking a labeled graph with his pointer stick. you usually didn’t accompany your boyfriend to these types of meetings, but you felt particularly clingy today, and who was he to deny your request? ignoring the bewildered looks of the engineers on the spinny chairs around you both, he leans down, presses a kiss to your head, and then combs his fingers through your freshly washed fur, making you sigh in contentment. 

however, mike’s loud voice snaps you out of your thoughts. 

”fernando!” he shouts across the long table, stopping his long spiel. “are you even listening, or are you paying all your attention to your dog?”

all the engineers at the table turn towards fernando, giving him quizzical looks at the canine in his lap. (except for lance, who looked bored beyond his mind picking at his fingernails) he simply just shrugs, still petting you. “eh, what can i say? she’s kind of high maintenance.” 

the aston martin team principal rubs his face in annoyance, but picks up his pointer stick and continues on with his presentation. 

he only gets in a minute of talking before loud knocking echos throughout the meeting room. curious, you hop off of fernando’s lap and pad towards the door. 

“what is it now?” the irritated team principal exclaims exasperatedly. 

the door swings open, almost hitting you, to reveal a rather disgruntled-looking delivery man holding a clipboard that looked like it had a book’s worth of papers clipped to it. you flee back towards your boyfriend in fear. 

“fernando…alonso?” the deliveryman asks, squinting his eyes at the name printed on the top-most paper. when he receives a nod of confirmation, he continues,”i have some deliveries for you, and this stack of papers you have to sign that make sure you have received the parcels.” he then thrusts the board out to nando. 

while your boyfriend sifts through each paper, hastily scribbling his name on each dotted line, the delivery man peers around the room in shock, as if he just noticed the handful of engineers and moderately pissed team principal standing in front of him. the man’s bored demeanor shifts to a more panicked one. “i - um- is this a bad time? should i come back later?” he stutters out, shifting nervously. 

mike crack starts, “obviou-” before being cut off by fernando.

“no, right now is fine- it would be great if you could set up my purchases in my garage as well,” your boyfriend says, ignoring mike’s glare at the back of his head. 

with a jaw-dropping two championships in his racing history, who was anyone to refuse fernando? mike had no choice but to begrudgingly end the meeting short and send the engineers away to analyze the new racing data. 

meanwhile, you sat prettily in the corner of nando’s garage. and no- not at one of the dirty sweat-stained barstools in the garage- your boyfriend would never let you stain your soft fur like that. no, you sat in a plush white satin dog bed in your special curtained off area. 

under fernando’s instructions, a swarm of deliverymen bat away your pale lacy curtains and filter in like a line of ants, one after another. they place box after box on the carpeted floor of your little area. it creates a glimmering tower of designer jewelry boxes and prim monogrammed paper bags. 

after they exit the premises, fernando kneels down onto one knee and wraps you into a tight hug. “you enjoy your gifts, mi princesa!” he points to the sunny outdoors. “i’ll just be outside, overseeing the builders making the new air-conditioned mini house for you, okay?” 

you wag your tail at him, and give him a kiss (lick) on the cheek as a thank-you. 

the second fernando exits the room, lance’s girlfriend pokes her head through the sheer curtains separating your corner from the rest of the garage. 

“hellooooo!” she giggles. “now what do we have here?” 

looking over the pile of assorted bags and boxes on the floor, she pokes a green patterned bag labeled, ‘gucci.’

she jumps giddily after seeing several other matching shopping bags. “i saw the deliverymen come in with fernando’s order, and i was wondering i could-”

you shift to your human form before she can finish her sentence.

“yeah, i guess you can help me open them…” you sigh, rolling your eyes in fake annoyance. 

lance’s girlfriend squeals in glee before ripping open a dior bag. 

“how about this one?” you question, twirling around in your bedroom a haute couture babydoll dress. 

from his position on the bed, wedged in between the plush pillows, your boyfriend rakes his eyes across your body appreciatively and pretends to think for a second. 

“i think-” he pauses for a grand effect- “it looks absolutely beautiful on you, mi amor.” 

even though he compliments you everyday, it doesn’t fail to make your cheeks heat up wherever you hear his praise. 

“why, thank you, nando!” you say, flashing a smile at him.

ducking behind the changing room divider, you slip on a more skimpy stirling green pajama set that lance’s girlfriend had somehow pulled from the stack of clothes earlier in the day.

you can practically hear nando’s jaw hit the floor when you daintily step out from behind the divider, hands shyly held together behind your back. 

“i’m guessing you like this one?” you joke, watching him blink back at you with an awestruck look. tiptoeing over a pile of clothes strewn on the ground and the pieces of expensive jewelry in various boxes, you run over to nando’s figure on the bed and prance onto his lap. 

face inches away from his, you take your hand and physically shut his gaping mouth. 

“speechless, huh?” you tease, tittering. 

fernando looks at you, the pajama set draped over you perfectly (why would it not? he had it custom designed to fit you), new van cleef necklaces hanging from your neck, and celine bangles adjourning your wrists, and he can’t help but think all the money he spent for you was worth it. 

his hazel eyes sparkle with adoration. “what can i say, mi amor? you take my breath away.”

you bat at his chest, giggling, before climbing off his lap and tucking yourself in next to him. like an automatic response, he protectively wraps his arm around you tucks your head into the crook between his neck and his shoulder. 

the twinkling stars, crickets chirping, and warmth of fernando’s body quickly lull you to sleep, but before you drift off, you place a soft kiss on your boyfriend’s stubbled jaw.

“thank you for all the gifts, nando. you’re way too good to me.” 

the next morning, you woke up early to drive to the paddock with fernando. it was race day, one of your favorite days to watch your boyfriend on the track. but, that also meant the swarm of celebrities, media, and fans of all ages that might step on your tail or ruin your little pink bows with their grimy hands. your ever so observant boyfriend took note of this right away and tucked you safely in between his arm and his body in your cocker spaniel form before a speck of dirt from the floor could touch you.

he doesn’t let you down until he arrives in his garage.

along with a couple of engineers, lance and his girlfriend are in there too. lance waves a polite hello to you and his older teammate, while his girlfriend shuffles over. she flashes a shy smile at your boyfriend before opening her mouth. 

“could you please tell your *ahem* girlfriend-“ she gestures to you in his arms- “thank you for letting me open all those gifts with her yesterday. it was really fun!” 

fernando lets out a chortle before nodding, “of course.” 

you let out a bark, as if saying no problem, and give her outstretched hand a lick. 

after your boyfriend peels away from you to go suit up with lance, you and lance’s girlfriend scamper back into your little sectioned off corner in the back of nando’s garage. you both sprawl yourselves on your satin white mini couch to wait for the the start of the race. you had to admit, having a boyfriend that spoiled you rotten was kind of nice. before you can get comfortable, however, the girl next to you practically launches herself off the couch.

“oww!” she yells, clutching her back. “what the actual fuck is that?”

you tilt you head in question, before you spot the offending material on the couch.

it was a swarovski diamond-lined dog collar with alternating green emeralds (you knew the possessive side of nando purposely put that in there to show what team you were rooting for). you laugh internally, before gingerly clutching it in your sharp canines and picking it off of the other side of the couch.

lance’s girlfriend shoots a playful glare at you. “wow…i literally helped you rip open all those boxes yesterday, and this is how you repay me? by nearly stabbing me to death with those ridiculously sharp gems?”

you roll your eyes, but give her a bark to apologize. jumping off the couch, you gently place the collar in front of her. knowing your intent, she bends down and fastens it on your neck, but not before exaggeratedly groaning and clutching her back as she knelt down.

in front of the full size mirror propped against the wall, you admire the way the collar glimmers like stars on your neck. then, the girl in front of you comes up with an idea. 

“hey! we should go show max’s girlfriend your sparkly new jewelry!”

max’s girlfriend is nowhere to be found when you arrive in the redbull garage. ignoring the redbull engineers’ weird looks, you pad through in your aston martin colors with lance’s girlfriend by your side. still, you are unable to locate the girl you had in mind. 

lance’s girlfriend shrugs. “that’s so weird! i wonder if she is still in his driver’s room or something?”

you tilt your head in confusion. she shouldn’t be, as the race was starting soon, so max must be in the garage! making up your mind to find max’s girlfriend, you pad over to the highest object next to you- max’s car. without thinking, you jump up onto the drs flap the back in order to have a higher vantage point. you only realize your grave error when lance’s girlfriend looks at you with wide eyes and nearby engineers let out gasps of shock. 

as if it couldn’t get worse, max walks into the garage with his girlfriend in tow. he scrunches his eyebrows when he sees you on his car. pointing at you he lets out a shout.

“hey! what is fernando’s cocker spaniel doing on my car? call fernando and tell him that’s a €50,000 fine!”

when fernando comes over to the red bull garage to collect you, you bow your head in shame, fully expecting him to chastise you, but instead he holds you close and laughs. leaning close to your ear, he whispers, “good job, baby! i know max will never fine me for you touching his car- his girlfriend would never let him. next time, collect more info on his steering wheel setup and rear wing…they’ll never catch you!”

a/n: jk! one last fic for the current grid :)

taglist: @ilivbullyingjeongin @ale-522 @formula1-motogpfan @aceyalonso @my0hmary 

@mbappebby @madkohi @rakshatos @heartsforleclerc @papaya-twinks

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Devil Wears Armani 1

Warnings: this fic will include elements, some dark, such as age gap, noncon/dubcon, and other untagged triggers. Please take this into account before proceeding. It is up to curate your online consumption safely.

Summary: you're the CEO's new PA and you find the work too much to handle. (short!reader)

Characters: Tony Stark, this reader is known as Georgie.

Author’s Note: Please feel free to leave some feedback, reblog, and jump into my asks. I’m always happy to discuss with you and riff on idea. As always, you are cherished and adored! Stay safe, be kind, and treat yourself💜

💼Part of the Bad Bosses AU💼

The world stands still for Tony Stark but you run for him. You flit between the bodies on the street, hangers hooked in your fingers as the heavy suit bags bounces on your back. You’re breathless and dizzy as you get to the glass doors, nearly colliding with one as it opens from the other side. You clamour around it and apologise to the stranger that steps through. 

You check your watch as you hurry across the lobby. Ahead, you see the elevator filling up. No way. It’ll take forever with stops at every floor. You divert and head for the stairs. What’s a little more fire in your lungs? 

You burst through the door and scuff towards the first flight, barely keeping from shouldering the brick wall. You huff and puff your way up, feeling around your crossbody bag until you free your phone. Stark’s messages assure you that you’re not fast enough. You were warned about being run through your paces but you haven’t sat down in what feels like weeks. 

‘Suits. My Office. Now.’ 

His last message is fed up. You won’t offer excuses about the traffic or the dry cleaner losing the tags. You will just smile and accept the reprimand. That’s what the job is. Taking shit. You have no misconceptions left, not since Louise told you what happened to the last PA. You hope she’s in good therapy. You should look into some once your benefits kick in. 

You rush across the floor of desk, paying little mind to the paper that flutter in your stead or how the suit bags hit the edge of monitors. You can’t stop. Somehow, he’ll know if you do. 

You enter the hidden lobby where your desk sits guard to the CEO’s office and you gulp down humid breaths as you near his door. You knock furiously but don’t wait for the response. You push the handle with your elbow and lean into the door, scrambling through in victory. 

“Mr. Stark, your suits--” 

You stop short and the hangs fall as your fingers bend back too far and the suit bags slide down to your feet. Your eyes widen as Annabel’s crystal blue eyes roll up to meet yours as she lays across the desk, Mr. Stark’s silver-streaked hair over her chest as he buries his face in her cleavage, her dress pulled down just to the top of her ribcage. 

“Oh, gosh, sorry!” 

You put your hand up to block your view and bend to gather up the mess of dry cleaning. You swipe the bags up by the hooks of the hangers, spinning in a panic and fleeing back through the door. You snap it shut and race over to your desk.  

The round desk sits behind a ledge that hides all but your hairline from the few of visitors and other employees. The chair is set as high as it will go and yes, you can barely see from your perch. You’ve moved the monitor twenty times and it’s not made it any better. 

You sling the suit bags over the back of the desk and drop into the chair. Horror crawls up your chest and neck and threaten to choke you. Your heart continues to pound as your adrenaline slowly recedes. It’s more than just the cross-city sprint that has you out of sorts. 

Shoot! Why did you just go in like that? You knocked but you didn’t wait. You were so set on the finish line you didn’t see the red flag beside the checkered. You groan and slump forward, cradling your head as it throbs. You’re fired. 

You sit up and use your phone camera to fix your addled appearance, your glasses crooked and low on your nose. You did yourself no favours in your excess. You’re even more of a mess than usual. Dang. You put your phone down and untangle your crossbody bag and open the bottom drawer. You hesitate to drop it in, should you bother? You should start packing up. 

You tuck the bag away and use your foot to close the drawer. You don’t know what to do so you do what you always do. Work. 

You roll up to the monitor and login, fingers fluttering over the slender keyboard. You bring up Mr. Stark’s inbox and filter through the endless correspondence. His calendar’s full enough that most of the invites are an automatic ‘no’. 

You hear the door across from your open but don’t look up. Your cheeks blaze as Annabel’s clears her throat and struts away with a tap of heels. Your eyes widen behind your screen and you cough as you focus on your task. 

Mr. Stark doesn’t appear right away but you sense his silhouette in the doorway before he approaches. Your hands shake and your typing turns to gibberish. You still your fingers but keep them hovered over the keys. You bite down on the inside of your lip as you stare at the monitor. 

“My suits belong in my office,” he says. 

“Yes sir,” you reply obediently and stand abruptly, “just let me--” 

You trip around the swiveling chair and scoop up the suit bags. You step down from behind the raises desk and come around, overly aware of his looming shadow. You feel even smaller with your armful. 

He chuckles, “what was the hold up? I got bored.” 

“Sorry, sir,” you answer, “I’ll do better.” 

You scuff over the floor in your flats and into his open office. His desk is still a mess from his playtime. You veer towards the rolling rack against the wall and hang his suits. He steps into the doorway and watches you. 

You go to the desk without a thought and start tidying up. You’re such a busy body when you’re nervous. His soles tap on the floor as he enters and sucks his teeth. 

“She’s a cutie, huh?” Stark snickers, “and her assets are... admirable.” 

You blanch and back up, pushing your hands behind your back as you face him, “I’m sorry, sir. That won’t happen again.” 

“Oh, it will,” he smirks, “there’s enough pretty girls around...” He winks, “maybe next time, you’ll join.” 

You blink and your mouth opens just slightly. You’re speechless. He laughs again. 

“I’m playing with you,” his expression hardens and he crosses his arms, “go, get back to work.” He demands as he shakes his head, “next time don’t be fucking late.” 

[delicrieux]

—𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭, ch.1: things of present and future importance

pairing—carmy berzatto x f!reader genre—drama, romance, age gap, boss/employee relationship warnings for this chapter—trauma, anxiety, swearing, and sum depression as dessert word count—2k

uh-oh, carmen is losing it again, this time in front of his new employee, too. 

author’s note: give me this wet dog of a man and give him to me NOWWWWWWWW

masterlist | buy me coffee☕ | read on ao3 . next >

important! some of the dialogue scenes are written as a script & dialogues that overlap are marked in [] <3

there’s a lot of things wrong with this situation, but carmen does not have it in him to care. maybe he never will, and that’s okay, because it’s his fucking restaurant and he knows he could be kinder, could be gentler, could, maybe, keep all of those splinters in his gut from hurting too bad if he took a few deep breaths just how they say in therapy. deep breaths, slow breaths, and then they look at you like you’re a toddler having a meltdown in the middle of the street and suddenly, suddenly, it’s all go fuck yourself and the door slamming shut.

carmen’s an abandoned puppy – disheveled hair and round eyes that have been unloved (by him, most of all), with his head bent and shoulders tense, not sure whether to flee or attack, but offense is the best defense and just like a bad dog he bites when frightened. it’s all teeth and anger and desperation; jaws lock and teeth sink and he doesn’t let go because he’s starving, even if what he’s fighting for is nothing but a cadaver of a place, space, body – brother? no, don’t think of mikey. he’s starving, has been for ages – approval? don’t say that – and that hunger bubbles to the surface when confronted by a minuscule imperfection, like sauce on the stove left to simmer for too long.

it’s a bad first impression, second impression, third, what the fuck, he’s good at food and not very good at math, unless math comes to food and then, maybe, he can sort it out. still bad, still fucking terrible, to be honest, and somewhere in the frying tangles of his mind he knows that yelling doesn’t help, and that yelling in front of the new hire doesn’t bode well for retention. the last enzymes of his sanity warn him – calm down, just, just calm down, carmen, you’re making it worse, you’re making it fucking worse – but the to-go machine keeps beeping, and the kitchen is too hot, and his staff is too anxious, and everything is amplified tenfold by his brother’s looming shadow that exists to him only. don’t think of mikey.

“can someone please turn that fucking thing off?” it’s his voice, laced by such scorn and a barely contained anger that makes him tremble by the pans. he’s losing his mind. sweat collects on his temple and his eyes sting from the fumes billowing onto his face, “sydney!”

“yes, chef.”

sydney’s a trooper, doesn’t bend under pressure like steel, and he sees her maneuvering in his peripherals, quick and agile to not get into anyone’s way, least of all his. briefly, he thinks about burning this place down. he blinks. the beeping stops – she ripped the cord out of the socked, dropped it onto the floor that sent an echo.

the new hire watches this shitshow unfold by her station, eyes wide and weary, ears perked for orders. her hands move – strong hands, swift hands, long fingers and rough palms that cradle a knife the way a mother would cradle a child. she doesn’t look at what she cuts, but she chops and slices and it’s all automatic – trained response? – and if carmen were to take a ruler and inspect the pieces, he’d be impressed to find that most are even and none are crooked. he’d hum, then, skim through the folders of his mind to re-check her experience, re-check the college she went to. he’d say something like, “good work, chef,” and maybe she’d smile at the bare bones of the compliment he’d given her, and when he’d be alone in his dingy office he’d pull out her resume and examine it with more interest because he’d be too embarrassed to ask.

he’ll grow familiar with those hands, with the dips and curves of knuckles and the tiger stripes of scars running down their expanse; he’ll grow familiar with the touch, too, soft despite the callouses, but only to him. not yet, though, not for another few months till a completely expected storm will halt the trains and he’ll have to drive her home. it’ll be weeks after that awkward silence in the car and stolen glances at soaked t-shirt-clad skin.

her form is unfamiliar to him – he hadn’t any interest to look, nor would he find anything curious when all is covered in oversized fabric and a blue apron. at present, she’s his colleague, nothing more, and a young one at that, too young and too talented to be stuck in such a place and with him running it.

but he will look. sooner than expected, and not for any devout reason, unless loneliness can be considered holy.

he’ll feel bad about it, too, and he’ll feel worse when everything escalates, because it always does.

for now, he cooks by the open flame, letting hot oil sizzle on his hands and the fire lick his fingers, and maybe, just maybe, he likes the pain because he knows nothing else. it’s become empirical to him. an indication that he’s still alive. that he’s still in control of something, even if he isn’t.

richie, richie, good fucking god, richie always picks the worst moments to bitch about.

“are you fucking with me?” carmen’s voice, again, a bit higher this time and just a gruff. doe eyes narrow at the bell-tower named richard jerimovich that has the audacity to look clueless, “do not fucking fuck with me right now.”

richie: shove that stick outta [fuck you] your ass, cousin carmen: are you deaf? richie: boutta go deaf if you keep yapping [don’t got time for this]; listen, i just [you just?] came to talk [talk? now? talk?] yes, to talk, look carmen: now you wanna talk? now? you wanna [jesus] fucking talk right now?

the tension in the air is sharp enough to slice through skin. everyone pointedly pretends not to hear this conversation. carmen doesn’t want to hear this conversation, either. there’s a line of people waiting. he reminds richie of that, and richie reminds that oh, he knows, and –

“richie!” it’s sydney, cheeks glowing with sweat and bandana crooked, “not now.”

richie huffs, looks at carmen with a certain exasperation, a wordless question of ‘really? really? you’re letting her run the show, now?’, and carmen needn’t be a genius to know that richie’s gonna bring this up later. he’ll never hear the end of it, he scarcely does now. it’s a headache in the making. his heart skips, or maybe stops, and for a moment he feels white-hot panic shoot through his veins. it passes with a shiver he doesn’t show. he breathes just a tad quicker – not enough air, not enough fucking air, jesus.

richie retreats with his arms raised in surrender, amused and annoyed simultaneously. a quiet follows his departure, and carmen looks at the staff, gaze jumping from one to the other before settling on her. she’s unperturbed by the chaos, working, watching, assessing, and later he’ll learn she wears that face the same way he wears his anger – as armor.

eyes meet and there’s a certain understanding that glimmers in the depths of her iris. but what could she understand? three weeks from now, he’ll come to learn that she’s used to rough edges and loud voices: he’ll learn that she���s the daughter of the chef that made his life hell back in new york, he’ll learn that she took up cooking because she wanted to appease her father, he’ll learn that her parents have split and her mother is sick and that she’s not calm but disconnected and that she tends to live in her head just like him.

but he doesn’t know that now, so he blames the shitty lighting that blinks and buzzes and, “fak, for the love of fucking god, please fix it.”

he said please this time, and it means he’s cooling off. he thankfully misses the quick look the staff shares – a mixture of relief and pity. either would have been devastating to recognize.

the only upside is that the day goes by fast. too much to do, too much to stress about, and carmen’s used to running on nothing but nicotine and adrenaline and an odd spout of desolation, and he manages everything, keeps the pieces glued together until eventually everything becomes too much and then he crumbles. still picks them up gently, like handling broken glass. he visits the storage often. closes the door for a moment and just lets himself breathe, reminds himself how to. doesn’t calm, only collects, reigns in the anger that coats loneliness. don’t think about mikey.

the staff cleans in a similar silence that douses after a storm.

the night's clear, crisp air compounded with cigarette smoke. he leans on the wall of the restaurant, staring into space, listening to the white noise of a restless city. by now, sydney has flipped the CLOSED sign; by now, his new hire is probably thinking about quitting, elbows deep in cleaning detergent as she scrubs the floor. he’ll have to go over her work and double-check. just in case there’s something more to do for hands that are always restless.

he tries to think but his head is scrambled. too many thoughts rushing in and out, loud, obnoxious, too quick to leave a lasting impact. he’s tired. he’s always tired. he wants lay on his bed and let sleep swallow him whole, but he knows that won’t happen. if he sleeps, he dreams of new york, he dreams of fire, he dreams of voices coming from the other room. one, in particular, holds a familiar rasp and drawl, punctuated by laugher, weaving a tale and stop it, don’t think about it anymore, just stop it, don’t think about –

he tosses the cigarette, watching the embers burn.

don’t think about mikey.

he enters through the back exit, stalks through the restaurant like he's haunting the place. briefly stops to stare at the mirror behind the bar. doesn't really recognize the man staring back.

the clock reads 00:30 am.

marcus was the last to leave, or so carmen assumed by the silence that shrouds the place, but as he makes his way to his office, he hears a locker shutting, and the sound rattles him so much his heart beats in his throat. all of that previous exhaustion ignites into anxiety that makes his limbs lock up.

she halts by the mouth of the kitchen, hair matted from sweat and lower lip marked where her teeth sunk, drooped eyes widening a fraction as she regards him. he can only stare at her in return, at her messy hair and pinched eyebrows and the slight downward curl of her lips.

“you could use a coffee,” she utters, and her voice is jarring – not for any unpleasant reason, but for the fact that he didn’t expect to hear it. he’ll grow to like it, crave it, even, because it’s a lovely cadence and it’ll sound even lovelier when she says his name.

he’s frightened by it now, if one can be scared of such a thing. so he bites.

“it’s almost 1 am.”

“right,” she mutters dryly.

“why are you still here?” he questions, and it almost sounds like an accusation, because he thought he was alone, only to suddenly be proved wrong. feels like an invasion of privacy, to be fucking honest, “your shift ended like an hour ago.”

“oh, I, uh, had some things to finish, so…” she trails off, but she still looks at him, and it’s unnerving, really, how she doesn’t budge under the weight of his stare. he bends under hers, though; the floor is spotless, he has nothing left to do. he misses the visible tension in her face, misses the quick swipe of her tongue on her lower lip as she opens and closes her mouth. it’ll take two whole weeks to grow entranced by the sight. misses the polite smile, too, but hears it in her voice anyway, “night.”

her sneakers squeak and echo and the door shuts. silence settles heavy on his shoulders. he’s not sure if he’s more distraught by her sudden appearance or abrupt departure. both somehow feel bad. in less than half a year, he’ll come to realize that the latter is worse.

ch.2: thank you, love you

[aventurineswife]

Kafka, Silver Wolf, Blade and Jingliu with Reader who cooks as bad as Yor Forger? 🤣 (Could be platonic or romantic, whatever floats your boat.)

Like Reader’s cooking is so bad it makes the actual in-game food item Sugarball Fried Viscorpi look normal in comparison, and even the most hardened criminal would balk and flee the moment Reader lifts the plate cover. A cycrane could be passing overhead and as soon as it catches a whiff, it just drops dead to ground with smoke rising from it. A devout follower of Lan might start praying to Yaoshi for a strong enough stomach to survive a bite, maybe a few bites if luck is on their side. That’s how bad Reader’s cooking is. It should be impossible for one person to be so terrible at cooking, yet Reader pulls it off without even meaning to, with desperate attempts to avoid it being terrible.

I just think it’s funny for characters that are meant to be super serious or “tough/cool” have that exterior suddenly shatter/freeze up when faced with something that is so awful and yet very much mundane. 😂

“When Love Cooks... but the Kitchen Revolts” | Part 1

Tags: Kafka x Reader, Silver Wolf x Reader, Blade x Reader, Jingliu x Reader, Humor, Fluff, Cooking Disaster, Slice of Life, Mild Chaos, Romantic Undertones but can be read Platonically, Lighthearted, Crack Fic.

Warnings: Slightly chaotic food descriptions, humor involving exaggerated reactions to food (no real harm intended), mentions of inedible meals.

A/N: was laughing when reading this req🤭, don't let this reader meet Solomon and Raphael 💀

[Part 2]

Kafka was rarely fazed. A Stellaron Hunter who could manipulate the minds of the toughest soldiers and bring entire armies to their knees with her charm and cunning—what could truly unsettle someone like her?

Apparently, your cooking.

“I appreciate the effort, darling,” Kafka purred, her tone masking the visible hesitation in her movements. Her hair fell over one shoulder as she peered down at the steaming… dish? It was hard to describe what lay before her, even for someone as eloquent as Kafka. The consistency was gelatinous, the smell pungent enough to make the station's security drones glitch and crash into a nearby wall.

You watched nervously as she poked the food with her fork. It wobbled menacingly.

“I followed the recipe to the letter this time!” you exclaimed, your hands wringing a dishcloth. “I even double-checked the measurements.”

Kafka gave you a patient smile, though there was a flicker of genuine fear in her eyes. She tentatively lifted the fork to her lips, her composure rivaling that of a woman walking into certain death.

The taste hit her like a warpstorm.

The fork clattered to her plate, and for the first time, you saw Kafka’s facade crack. Her lips twitched as she forced a smile that was as strained as the vocal chords of a cycrane caught mid-squawk. A bead of sweat slid down her temple.

“Exquisite,” she said, voice a touch too high. “Truly a flavor I’ve never experienced before.”

Outside the window, a passing cycrane plummeted from the sky, smoke trailing from its feathers. You gasped, and Kafka seized the opportunity.

“Darling,” she said, standing abruptly and pulling you close to her side, “why don’t we step outside? Some fresh air might do us good.”

“But you haven’t even finished—”

“No need!” she interrupted quickly, her polished calm returning. “I’m already full. Full of… new memories.”

As the two of you stepped outside, the dish quietly bubbled on the table, sending faint tremors through the floor.

Silver Wolf was sprawled across your couch, console in hand, her fingers flying over the buttons as she annihilated yet another level. She barely glanced up when you called her to the table.

“Hold up, just one more boss fight!” she said, her voice dripping with casual confidence.

“Silver Wolf, it’s going to get cold!” you called back, proud of your latest attempt at dinner.

With a dramatic sigh, she finally paused her game and wandered over. “Alright, alright. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

She froze mid-step when she saw the plate. Her usual smirk faltered, replaced by wide-eyed disbelief. The dish in front of her looked… pixelated. Somehow, you had cooked something that appeared to have graphical glitches. A faint buzzing sound emanated from it, and a small spark leapt from one corner of the plate.

“Uh…” she began, stepping back cautiously. “Did you… download this food? Is this some kind of DLC?”

“No, it’s homemade! I swear, I followed all the steps this time.”

Silver Wolf adjusted her purple glasses, leaning in like she was analyzing enemy data. “It’s moving...” she whispered.

“It’s probably just steam.”

“It has a health bar...” she countered, pointing at the faint glowing bar hovering above the plate.

You crossed your arms. “Don’t be dramatic.”

Before she could respond, a stray kitchen cycrane beeped as it flew overhead, caught a whiff of the food, and promptly crashed through the window. Silver Wolf stared at the wreckage, then back at you.

“…Yeah, I’m ordering pizza.”

Blade had faced mara, untold pain, and the horrors of his immortal existence. Nothing could break him—or so he thought.

“Dinner is ready!” you called cheerfully, setting a plate in front of him. He glanced at it, his eyes narrowing slightly. The dish emitted a faint purple mist, and there was a distinct hiss as it touched the table.

“Is it… safe?” he asked, his tone flat.

“Of course! I made sure it was cooked all the way through this time.” you said, smiling.

Blade lifted his fork, gripping it with the same resolve he used to wield his broken sword. He took a small bite, and for a brief moment, you thought he’d handle it.

But then his usually impassive face twisted. His mouth opened as if to speak, but no words came out. Instead, he slowly placed the fork down and stared at you.

“This… is a weapon.” he said finally.

You frowned. “You don’t like it?”

He shook his head. “No, I mean it’s literally a weapon. Whatever this is… it could end battles. Entire wars.”

Outside, a devout follower of Lan walking by your home dropped to their knees and began praying fervently. Blade sighed, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Next time, let me cook.”

[Header credits]

Jingliu was a woman of discipline and focus. Even as she descended into the madness of mara, she maintained an iron grip on her composure. That composure was now being tested.

She stared at the dish before her, her eyes narrowing. “This… is your cooking?”

“Yes!” you said, grinning nervously. “I thought you might enjoy something homemade for a change.”

Jingliu reached for her chopsticks, her movements slow and deliberate. The air around her grew colder as if her body instinctively activated her Path of the Destruction abilities in self-defense. She picked up a piece of… something. It sizzled ominously in the open air.

“Perhaps…” she murmured, her voice low, “this is a test of endurance.”

She took a bite. The room fell silent.

Moments later, a faint cracking sound echoed through the house. You realized it was the sound of her chopsticks shattering under the force of her grip. Her usually calm expression flickered, a subtle twitch betraying her inner turmoil.

“It is… unique,” she said, her voice tight. “You have… a talent.”

Before you could respond, a faint thud came from outside. Looking out the window, you saw a stray cycrane lying on the ground, wisps of smoke curling from its beak.

Jingliu stood abruptly. “I must meditate on this experience. Alone.”

As she disappeared into the night, you sighed, looking at the uneaten plate. “Maybe I should take a cooking class.”

[tiredfox64]

Can you write about the reader being close friends with Smoke for a long time and both secretly have feelings for each other but could admit it to each other out of fear until one day the reader came back from a mission injured and Smoke freaks out, confesses his love for the reader?

Don’t Go, Please

Prior notes: Oh Tomas, how you make my heart ache. You know what else makes my heart ache, this damn speech!

Pairing: Tomas x Gn reader

Warnings ‼️: This is possibly angst with a happy ending

Born as a hunter, raised to be a Lin Kuei assassin, built the Shirai Ryu with Kuai Liang, yet can’t confess his feelings.

You’re no better.

It’s so painful obvious to everyone that you and Tomas like each other. You two spend so much time together whether that be training, eating, or just hanging out.

To Tomas, he saw you as a great fighter and a good person overall. He never felt scared to talk to you about anything even if it involved his past. He even cried in front of you once when he talked to you about Bi-Han betrayal. He was scared at first since he thought you would find him weak for crying. But he was pleasantly surprised when you held him tight to you and soothed him. Thank goodness you two were alone in your room. Ever since then that’s when he knew he truly was in love with you. He just never said it out loud.

And for you, you knew you liked him the moment he spoke. At first he seemed so scary to you with his big muscles, that mask, and those piercing eyes. But when you heard his voice your heart melted and you realized there’s nothing to be afraid of. On the outside he may look intimidating but you realize how sweet and considerate he is. Your conversations would last for hours. You would be so lost in them you wouldn’t realize that you stopped training.

He’s a good man, a good man!

But confessing your love seems like a hard task. The risk is too high. You’re afraid of getting hurt. You can heal from physical wounds but emotional wounds can take a long time. You can’t afford to have a weakened emotional state and neither can Tomas. So you both force yourself to be happy with what you guys have. A close bond, a friendship.

Now get yourself ready, you have a new mission to get accomplish. Put your best gear on and be prepared. Slow down for a sec, Tomas would like to say something to you.

“You better be careful out there.” He warned.

“You’ve been saying that for so long yet I always come back.” You replied with a big smile.

“I mean without a kunai stuck in your leg or a big rash on your arm from poison ivy.”

“That was one time!”

“Yes, but it happened a month ago.” We all make mistakes.

“Ah whatever. Look, I have to get going. I promise I will return in one piece.”

Before you walked away you felt Tomas grab your hand. You looked back at him with a look of surprise. Even he seemed surprised he did that. There was just one more thing to say to you.

“Promise me that you will come back to me.” Tomas said softly.

“I will, Tomas.”

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

Even the best make mistakes.

You and some of the other Shirai Ryu members were ambushed by Lin Kuei assassins. It was double the size of your group. Yet you fought victoriously.

You did your best to protect yourself and the others. At some point, however, you stopped protecting yourself. You protected everyone and made the remaining Lin Kuei assassins flee. But at what cost.

You were down for the count too early in this mission. Pushing forward would only result in further injuries. Your group helped you up and brought you back to the Shirai Ryu temple.

Tomas was the first to see your group return and his heart dropped. Seeing your limp body being carried back was already a bad sign to him. Paying little mind to what he was doing before he ran up to take you into his arms. What a horrific sight it was.

There were so many slashes on your arms and legs. It ripped your sleeves and pants to shreds and soaked them in your blood. He could already see bruises forming on your body which gave him the idea of how hard you were beat. There was already one coming in on your cheek. A cheek he always dreamed of kissing being stained with a nasty red surrounded by purple. It angered him to see someone else he loved get hurt but what could he do now. All he can do is bring you to the infirmary and hope they can patch you up.

Everyone was hustling to get you fixed up and see what they could do for you. Tomas placed you on a bed and let the others take care of you. Yet he couldn’t leave no rip his eyes away from your body. He couldn’t even tell if you were breathing there was little motion in your chest. Kuai Liang had to drag him away as he couldn’t stand to see his brother sad.

The next few hours were rough.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

When Tomas was finally let back in he was somewhat relieved. You looked much better than when he last saw you. There were bandages wrapped around your arms and legs. Seems like no bones were broken which is great. He still can’t get over how they hurt you. He can get over the bruise on your face but when it came to the reason it was even there he can’t.

He pulled up a chair and placed it next to the bed so he could be close. His hand went up to remove any loose hair that was around your face. He knows that can be annoying to you.

Tomas sighed before taking your hand and just holding it. His thumb rubbed over your palm like he was trying to comfort you.

“I understand why you did what you did. You were protecting others as you always did. It’s who you are. Do you even realize how much you’ve scared me? If I lost you too, I don’t know what I’d do.”

He lifts your hand to press it against the side of his face. The thought of you actually holding his face and looking at him with love always brought warmth to his heart. He felt as is started to race as his emotions screamed to be let out. And then a tear dripped onto your hand.

“Do you even realize how much I love you? How I want to hold you and never let you get hurt again. It’s too painful to think about and even worse to witness.”

Tomas started to cry a little harder. The thought was too painful and brought back memories of the past. He can’t lose you. Never.

“I never met someone who I loved this much. I don’t want to find someone else to love, I just want you. I love you. I’ve loved you for so long and I don’t know if I’ll ever be strong enough to tell you. I don’t want us to get hurt over this.” He said before he felt something.

Your thumb rubbed his face gently. Your thumb moved slightly so it could wipe away his tears. Yup, you were awake. And you’ve been awake since he first entered. You were still a bit woozy from the incident you didn’t want to open your eyes. When Tomas touched your hand you immediately knew it was him.

When he started to confess you wondered if this was all a drug-induced dream. That maybe the medics gave you something to help with the pain and it made you imagine things. That’s not how it works over here and his touch felt too real. Your heart flutter when you heard him say the words ‘I love you’. It’s like you always imagined. You felt it was right to now do something since he started to cry hard. Your beautiful eyes were open and looking at him.

“It’s okay, Tomas. I’m fine. I told you I would come back. I always do.” You responded weakly.

“You’re awake! Ah, but how long were you awake and how much did you hear?” He questioned.

“All of it. I thought it was best to stop you now to show that it’s okay. No need to cause anymore pain. And yes, I heard all of it.”

Tomas didn’t know how to feel. It felt good to get that off his chest but he was scared of your reaction. You seemed calm but that could be because you’re exhausted.

“The thing is…I love you too. I have for a long time now.” Your eyes shifted away awkwardly as if you were the one who confessed first.

This was fantastic news for Tomas. His pale skin showed a hint of pink in his cheeks. The person he loves the most loves him too. He was still a little embarrassed that he was caught confessing to you but it all worked out in the end. He went in to hug you lightly, not wanting to hurt your already injured body.

“You have no idea how happy you just made me.”

“I think I actually do. There was always a little sparkle in your eyes when you got happy.”

That only made his cheeks turn from a light pink to a pinkish red. Your hands went up to hold his face, not caring about if it hurt or not to move. You just wanted to look at him and of course kiss him. You brought him close and gave him a gentle kiss. If only you could have seen his eyes it was like fireworks went off in there. He felt like the luckiest man in the world. You pulled back to look at him again before saying something.

“You wouldn’t mind staying here with me, right?”

“Why would I ever mind being with you.” He said lovingly.

He did just that. Tomas stayed with you for hours where you two talked. It almost made you forget you were injured. He brought so much comfort to you. Things died down at some point and the exhaustion of the day’s events hit you both.

Eventually, Kuai Liang came around to try to find Tomas. He knew he was probably in the infirmary with you. When he looked inside he saw Tomas resting his head on the bed with your hand rested on top of it. It looked like you were petting him before you two knocked out. It was an adorable sight and Kuai Liang felt like there was no reason to disturb you two. He silently closed the door and walked off.

You know what they say, love always finds a way. It found its way towards you two, didn’t it.

After notes: So it’s Mavado and Phen-228 who are bringing in the karma for me. Weird combo but they both serve cunt (don’t ask me about Phen or else I’ll laugh). So yeah I wanted to push this out because I’m a people pleaser which means I’m still not done with a lot of my work. But now that I have this out I can focus a little better…hopefully. To the person who requested I hope you are satisfied and if not you can make me watch the boiled one phenomenon at night.

[fountainpenguin]

Secret Life finale highlights for me:

- "My strategy: Kill Skizz and Tango. Will happen at some point... Or, just maim them and watch them die in a corner." - Scar

- Scott on Grian's loyalty: "I have never seen a man drop a pair of sunglasses faster in my life [than last season after Joel died]."

- I think I reblogged someone's speculation weeks ago that at the dawn of final session, everyone's task book would just say "Win Secret Life." Congrats to them for Apollo's gift of prophecy.

- Martyn's beat of pause before saying to Joel "Welcome to the Out of Context video."

- At the start of the season, Etho said Joel was the first one he wanted to kill because "He's cheeky." When Joel is asked who he wants to kill, he says "Etho." Glad you're enjoying your rivalry, boys, smh...

- Joel, once again giving into his Shrek origins, watching Bdubs' wool globe go up in flames and chirping "My world's on fire; how 'bout yours?"

- Tango does not break his "pathetic death" curse. Just blipped out of existence. Love that for him.

- Spitting, crying... BigB panics and flees into his creepy backrooms for safety. Immediately vanishes into the tunnel maze. Scar pursues and skids to a halt because he hasn't seen it yet and is thoroughly creeped out.

- Scar coming up to surface and trying to describe how BigB disappeared. Martyn looks down at where they're standing and is just like "Oh, that's the backrooms." Mental image of Scar as that meme that goes "The. what."

- Scar describing BigB as a sneaky squirrel. "Squirrel" was the name of BigB's horse in Double Life.

- Joel's anxiety about entering a Nether portal on the final episode, specifically because of how he and Etho perma-died in Double Life

- Whatever was going on with Martyn flinging ender pearls up the ladder seconds before he died

- Additionally, people in the background commenting that they think Martyn's teamed up with Cleo and the only reason he was near them was an attempt to bear down and kill them

- Scar to Bdubs, watching Cleo and Etho from a distance: "Look at this- Mom and Dad are bringing their new ugly stepson to meet us, Bdubs." /camera pans to the warden chasing them

- Bdubs tells Scar that Cleo said he was her favorite son and Scar IMMEDIATELY, without responding or even waiting for Bdubs to finish his sentence, jumps a wall and books it to Cleo to confirm... Mental image of him swinging dramatically over it with one hand, his shawl billowing behind him

- Scar chases Cleo while they're both being pursued by a warden, asking her if he's her favorite son. Doesn't let up until she assures him she "just said it to keep Bdubs happy." what is wrong with the Clocker family.

- Joel somehow pulled off a beautiful PVP kill on Skizz despite having only 2.5 hearts

- In earlier episodes, Joel had people say "The florist sends his regards" on his behalf before striking. Before killing Skizz, he says "Scar sends his regards" since Scar really wanted to kill Skizz but bequeathed the fight to Joel instead.

- Scar trotting up to Etho and Cleo, who are watching him from a cliff, and announcing "I am not up to anything nefarious!"

- Scar's weird spiky wall design is really pretty

- slkdjfskldjfsklj?!?!?!? I had a bullet point on this list that said "Honorable non-finale mention to Scar getting both the Green and Yellow kill on Etho this season" but now I see I need to correct that:

- Shout-out to Scar killing Etho - in Etho's front yard - THREE TIMES this season. Etho rushing back to his base, tripping over his feet and saying "I'm going home, everybody- I'm dying at my home-"

- Scott to Scar: "I went down to BigB - to get him - and I see what you mean; he does just talk his way out of things so you feel bad; you just leave him." / Scar: "That's why you don't let him speak. You just inner monologue. You start talking about Star Wars so you can't hear his charms."

- As Scar drives his sword into Cleo, he says "Good-bye, Mom- This is for you telling Bdubs [he's your] favorite." Geez, dude. Scar killed both his parents; this family is a mess. Bonus points for Joel fumbling in the background like "Oh my gosh- Scar, you savage-"

- I watched multiple POVs until I was caught up to the standoff between Gem & The Scotts vs. The Mounders... So picking up from there with Scar's POV b/c his is the one I randomly started with today: I love how Joel basically went "I am once again throwing caution to the wind and charging into battle with a murderous Red rage in my eyes and no one behind me" like he ALWAYS does.

- Bdubs and Scar decide to back him up... Amazing.

- Scar has gotten 4 kills (Tango, Etho, Cleo, Impulse) and he was super close to getting BigB as well before Scott sniped the kill. Geez... The man is vicious today. During Limited Life, Grian made a comment that went something like "Of course Scar is only destructive / successful when I'm not on his team" and honestly? Yeah...

- Pearl begging Scar to kill her- Pearl warning Scar that if she perma-kills Gem, she'll go up 10 hearts- Scar refusing, insisting that he doesn't want to turn on her because it feels lame...

- Scar got Gem, he got Gem... GeminiSlay is DOWN!

- SCAR SWEEP WITH THE BOW!!

Oh my goodness, I saw his episode title ("Can Villain Scar Win?") and the words that went through my head were "Welp, that's a spoiler that he's dead." I see I was wrong.

GG, SCAR WIN!!! Man who wanted so desperately to have friends, only to trip and fail time and time again... GoodTimesWithVictor!!

My heart, Scar letting that zombie knock him down to half a heart... playing up like he didn't just watch the lightning bolt mark Pearl's demise. He wanders, calling out to Pearl, asking where she went... quietly giggling and muttering to himself as that zombie pushes at him... GG, Scar. GG.

My goodness, is this the only time we haven't seen the winner die in their perspective? Scar slams that success button for winning the game, gets 5 hearts, turns back, and that's it... That's the game. End scene.

What a LAD!!

[thisapplepielife]

Written for the @steddieholidaydrabbles December challenge.

Go With This

Prompt Day 30: New Year's Eve | Word Count: 1000 | Rating: M | CW: Underage Drinking, Weed, Off-Screen Sex While Under the Influence | Tags: Post S4, Eddie Munson Lives, New Year's Eve Party, All the Teens, Kissing at Midnight, Getting Together, Morning After, Eddie POV

"Gareth, no!" Eddie screams, as he steps through the doorway, but it's too late. The bottle of champagne pops open, exploding all over Steve's kitchen.

"Oh, fuck!" Gareth says, trying to control the spray, but it's useless. He's making it worse instead of better. Gareth didn't shake it up on purpose, but Eddie watched him poking at the cork with his pocket knife and knew something bad was gonna happen.

Gareth is flailing around, shouting, "I'm sorry!"

Steve's already waving him off, grabbing a towel off the counter, then some paper towels, and finally the mop for good measure. It's going to be a goddamn sticky mess when it dries, that's for damn sure. 

"It's okay," Steve says, but Eddie can see that his jaw is tense, clenched. 

They didn't even ask if they could have New Year's Eve here at his house, they all just decided that's what they were doing, and made Steve go with it.

Eddie gets down and tries to help wipe it up, but he's pretty faded. Argyle brought the good shit, and Eddie's been going out back with him and Jonathan all night long.

But, Steve smiles at him, so maybe Eddie isn't on Steve's shit-list.

The ball drops, and it's 1987. He made it through 1986, thank fucking Christ. Eddie watches everyone take turns kissing each other. Weird. He thinks he could have lived without seeing Nancy kiss Jonathan, and then Steve, back-to-back. But then she kisses Argyle, and Argyle kisses Jonathan as Nancy kisses Robin. 

Is this an orgy? 

Was Eddie invited to an orgy and didn't know it? 

Or, do preppy kids have a version of key parties? Eddie looks for a fishbowl.

Gareth gawks at him, like, what the fuck and Eddie stares. He doesn't know either. Clearly not wanting to be left out, Gareth kisses Goodie, much to Goodie's chagrin. Jeff just laughs, and then kisses Eddie, and it's weird, but okay, he guesses.

Then, Nancy presses her lips to his.

He's kissed Nancy Wheeler now. In what world?

But, okay. That's okay, too, he supposes. 

It wasn't sexual. He's sure of that, and if he had any concerns, they'd have evaporated a second later, once he sees Robin kiss Steve. It's the weirdest thing he's seen yet, even if it's only a hard pucker of a kiss that nobody would ever mistake for being romantic. It looked more like a hostage situation, and Robin immediately wiped the back of her hand across her mouth, hard.

"Rude," Steve says, and Robin laughs.

Then, Steve looks at him, and Eddie falters.

Steve's gonna kiss him.

Eddie watches Steve lean in, and Eddie doesn't know if he needs to go with this, or flee the country. It's too late to choose, because Steve presses his lips to Eddie's, and Eddie's hand isn't connected to his brain anymore, because he lifts it, cupping Steve's neck. 

Steve startles, but only for a second, then opens his mouth over Eddie's, and now they're kissing kissing. Not just the friendly peck Steve offered everyone else. 

Shit. Fuck. Damn.

Eddie tries to extract himself from this, but Steve's fingers are digging into his back, and Eddie can feel everyone's eyes on them. They're never gonna live this down. 

Steve finally lets him go, and Eddie makes a move to step away, but Steve grabs his hand.

"Happy New Year," Steve says to the room, and heads for the staircase, dragging Eddie along behind him. 

Oh shit. 

But Eddie follows, willingly. Letting Steve pull him to his bedroom. Letting Steve yank his shirt over his head, letting Steve press kisses to his chest, his scars. Hands roaming, both of them pulling off clothes, grabbing at each other. 

This is really happening.

Eddie tries to toe off his Reeboks, but realizes he's wearing his boots, and almost falls over. Steve doesn't let him, and just squats down, and starts unlacing them. Pulling the long laces loose, in swift movements.

It's hot. It's so hot.

And Steve is eye level with his dick, and this is what dreams are made of, for sure.

Happy Fucking New Year.

In the morning, Eddie clomps across the kitchen floor in his unlaced boots, and the soles stick with every step. He gets a vaguely clean-looking glass from the countertop, and fills it with water. 

And drinks, and drinks, and drinks.

He looks out over the living room, and can see Gareth on the couch, with one eye barely open. Clearly hungover. Maybe Eddie fucked up letting Gareth join them. Gareth's not that old, not yet. He's still in that weird middle-ground. Eddie was drinking and smoking at his age. Steve, too. But maybe they shouldn't encourage it. Maybe Gareth should have been sent to Dustin's kiddie party, instead. But Gareth would've fought that.

Gareth whistles low, a mocking catcall.

Eddie looks down. He's wearing his boxers, and his boots. And that's it. Fuck. Yeah, he's hungover, too.

Eddie doesn't give Gareth the satisfaction, so he twirls, showing off. Acting like he meant to look exactly like this.

Then, Steve stumbles into the kitchen, taking the glass from Eddie's hand, gulping down the rest of the water, and he's in his briefs, and that's it. With a big-ass hickey on his neck, that Eddie is certain he's responsible for, even if he doesn't quite remember doing it. 

"Steve's hairy," Gareth mumbles, and Eddie laughs, even if it kills his head. 

They are all so hungover, it's ridiculous. Maybe he shouldn't have mixed champagne, beer and liquor with Argyle's weed.

But then Steve leans down, and puts his chin on Eddie's shoulder, wrapping his arms around Eddie's waist, hugging him from behind. No, Eddie thinks this is the best thing he's ever done, maybe. 

Eddie leans back into him, and Steve kisses him on the bare shoulder.

"Happy New Year," Eddie says, quietly.

Steve chuckles, hugging him tighter, "Well, it sure has been so far."

Yeah, 1987 is definitely going to be Eddie's year.

Notes: Thank you so much to everyone who read, liked, commented on and reblogged all my entries for this month-long challenge. I really enjoyed participating in this event so damn much. Thank you for reading! ❤️

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun!

If you want to see the rest of my entries into this month-long challenge, you can check them out in my Steddie Holiday Drabbles tag, right here!

[k4zushi]

[ 08 ] GONNA SHIT MYSELF WTAF

status : unedited, written 01/04/24 ☆ word count : 0.8k

Y/N’S POV ⟡ COSTUME ROOM

every time you willed the universe to give you a break it found a way to somehow make matters worse.

it all started with your conversation with hu tao earlier that morning. the incident with albedo made sure that your nerves were on edge pretty much the entire day but what your friend said made you want to move across the globe and never return.

maybe if she hadn’t mentioned the possibility of running into a certain grey haired man maybe none of this would’ve happened in the first place.

you were silently freaking out at every random interaction you had. despite knowing the fact that you had no overlapping classes with cyno as he was a computer science major while you were studying fashion design; meaning you’d be studying on opposite sides of the campus.

honestly that made you even more nervous because alongside your history of “short lived crushes”, you also had a track record of bad luck. not one that could compare to a certain blonde engineering major but still bad nonetheless.

play practice was going half decently well. you had managed to escape interacting with others in the theater as you were mostly confined to the space of the costume room along side a couple other students.

it felt like you could finally breathe for the first time that day since you weren’t constantly trying to hide your presence.

“hey y/n i’m going to step out for a bit to measure some of the actors in the theater!” hu tao said, standing in the doorway. “you’ll be okay here by yourself right?”

you looked up from the racks you were sorting through.

“yea no worries. just looking through these racks from the previous years for anything we can use” you replied before turning your focus back to the costumes.

“thanks, we’ll make send anyone down if they have any questions!!” your bestfriend responded before turning to walk out.

you let out a hum in response fully diverting your attention.

it was peaceful being alone in the costume room. it was kind of dusty and cluttered but it was also filled to the brim with clothes, accessories, and fabric. the fashion design major in you was sobbing from the amount of things you could mess around with.

you were snapped out of your little headspace when you detected a new presence in the room.

curious, you peeked out from behind the racks. that, however, was your first mistake.

“um.. are you y/n?” a slightly familiar voice questioned.

you were trying to connect the dots as to why this person’s voice sounded familiar and it finally hit you as your eyes landed on the one person you didn’t want to interact with.

“yea!! how’d you know?” you said in a overly friendly tone in an attempt to cool your nerves.

cautiously, you stepped out from behind the racks to face the guy you had been avoiding all day.

“i was sent down here by hu tao,” cyno explained. “i’m cyno.”

“ohh i guess that makes sense, it’s nice to meet you! i’m on costume design for the play, just thought i should mention,” you paused to think, head tilted to the side in confusion before you continued. “did you need something from me?”

cyno shook his head.

“no, not really. just wanted to ask you a question if that’s okay”

“if it’s about costumes or the play you know i’m more than happy to answer them for—“

“do you happen to be friends with albedo?” cyno interrupted.

your sweat dropped and your nervous system started to go haywire. the urge to book it out the room and flee was overriding all of your other thoughts.

“oh haha.. uh albedo huh?” you said nervously. that was your second mistake.

“so you do???” cyno narrowed his eyes at you and took a step forward as you took a step back.

“yes…?” you looked around hoping that anyone come to your rescue and interrupt the unwanted confrontation.

when cyno took a step forward, you took a step back to maintain a safe distance away from the intimidating, yet extremely attractive, male.

this cycle continued.

that was until you realized you had effectively cornered yourself against a wall next to one of the costume racks. your third mistake.

you mentally facepalmed at your lack of spacial awareness.

“then does that mean you’re the one he was talking about?” he took another step closer.

“ahaha i have NO CLUE what you’re talking about cyno!!” you said trying to laugh off the sudden tension.

you were starting to panic. not only was this costume room stuffy and triggering your asthma but you also found it particularly hard to breathe when a really attractive guy was practically interrogating you.

and that’s how you found yourself in this awkward predicament that made you wish you had a twin that swallowed you in the womb.

‘i should just quit life huh’

“y/nnnn do you know where the measuring tape is?? it wasn’t in the theater and i can’t find— WHAT THE FUCK????”

prev ︴masterlist ︴next

AUTHOR’S NOTES : note that the costume room is going to play a ( somewhat big ) part of the story btww (*´▽`*) this was also kinda a nightmare to write bc i was fist fighting w/ the dialogue and awkward word repetition way too much😕

cyno is so silly.. ik this is from y/n’s pov so it’s hard to tell bc of his bluntness, but he’s actually genuinely curious abt the whole admirer thing. which i find hilarious bc he comes off as freakishly intimidating while confronting ppl😭 it’s bc he has somewhat of an rbf and is completely unaware of it૮꒰ ˶• ༝ •˶꒱ა ( hence the ‘lack of expression’ i mentioned in a previous chapter )

— TAGLIST : @ioveaether @otomegame-oneshots @ashyiiy @mafuyuslover @yuminako @waengyknow @sharkdays @tikitsune @jihoonotes @gallantys @keiiqq @mochibaby123 @lambcandle @ell1e2010

[kazz-brekker]

hotd episode 6 thoughts

boy oh boy this episode was so full of many delicious character moments, i feel very well fed

aemond really was in his best goth villain era tonight, honestly good for him!

i have never seen tyland lannister look more uncomfortable than he did with aemond looming over him lmao

i enjoyed the scene where aemond is firing alicent from the council while also simultaneously holding her hand in place so she'll keep touching his face…tasty tasty family issues

loved that song that the dragonkeepers were singing while summoning seasmoke, it was a very cool detail

also, it was really fun seeing seasmoke again, especially since he's grown bigger since we last saw laenor riding him

man, aegon and rhaenyra really need to put out an ad in the paper for new members of the kingsguard and the queensguard, those guys are dropping like flies

ever since daemon's visions at harrenhal started i really hoped that we would get to see viserys since so many of daemon's issues stem from being cast aside as heir by his brother so i'm SO pleased we got those scenes, it was a present Just For Me

daemon bro stop threatening simon strong he's a nice old man who's done literally nothing bad to you

greatly enjoying this dynamic of daemon and his new bestie the weird witch who may or may not be psychologically tormenting him with visions of his past mistakes and issues

genuinely alys is my favorite new character this season, she's so fun and i just adore her scenes

madam sylvi, dyana, and ulf getting together to bitch about the food shortages…the greens better look out the smallfolk are unionizing

i am getting the sense that aemond and madame sylvi had a…less than amicable end to their working relationship

aemond tormenting aegon in his sickbed really made me go c'mon dude haven't you made him suffer enough, leave him ALONE!

from rhaena's scenes in the vale it appears that they've cut the character of nettles and give rhaena her storyline instead. not sure how i feel about this…i'm all for rhaena getting more to do but nettles is also an interesting character in her own right

knowing alyn and addam's parentage going into the show i suspected that alyn shaves his head because he inherited the velaryon white hair and i was pleased to see i was right

baby stormcloud is so cute! but holy shit my the pit of my stomach really dropped when jeyne arryn mentioned the ship the gay abandon. my fellow book readers, i am full of dread!

i really liked the scene between gwayne and alicent, since he wasn't in the first season it's interesting to see how their relationship with each other and otto has been affected by that huge distance

i kind of miss otto, i hope he comes back by the end of the season

daeron mention! facts about daeron! a personality! never thought i'd see the day!

one of my favorite hobbies is being emo about scenes of alicent physically putting herself between her children and physical harm so i liked her and helaena fleeing from the riot together

that scene with larys and aegon was sooooooo interesting, there's definitely some manipulation/attempts to curry favor coming from larys, but i also hadn't considered that he might now feel some genuine solidarity with aegon after his injuries and can speak frankly about his disability and offer advice

i have been waiting since daemon got to harrenhal and began being tormented for him to have a breakdown and start crying so i was quite pleased when that happened :)

knowing that seasmoke is chasing after addam because he wants him to be his rider made that whole sequence really funny to me

i have often blogged about how daemon and rhaenyra each have what the other one wants (freedom and patriarchal status vs. viserys's love and position as his heir) so it was super fun for me to hear rhaenyra actually verbalize that

i have been super into queer readings of this show since the beginning and all season whenever rhaenyra and mysaria interact i've been like "hmm…are they flirting…" but i truly did not expect them to actually kiss. rhaenyra targaryen canonically queer! on my tv screen! never thought i would see the day!

crazy to think that we only have 2 episodes of this season left after this, can't wait to see what unhinged drama still awaits us

[ouiouimochi]

Well-dressed for the occasion

pairing/s: undecided (definitely putting hoshina in here), maybe various platonic and/or romance

wc: 2.7k

warning/s : violence, injuries, weapons and explosives, blood, gore, swearing, this chapter has been completed since August 12 and been marinating for awhile oop-

note/s: just had this idea literally 5 hours before I had to go to class— I definitely had enough sleep and sanity on my first day back. expect pov changes. I also don't know about locations in Japan so mb if they're inaccurate. this is only the first chapter to many I have planned

thanks to @ryescapades, this work has come to meet daylight finally

⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*

It was a pretty nice day. Pleasant weather, peaceful surroundings, lessened traffic. The perfect day to have a date on.

The bell hanging at the door of the quaint cafe chimes, signaling the arrival of new customers. My eyes flitted over, only to be disappointed when I did not recognize the face that passed through.

I sigh, taking a look at my reflection on my phone— feeling proud of the hair and makeup I did on myself. I double tapped the screen as it lit up and showcased the current time.

‘I better not have been stood up again-’

I paused as my eyes caught a couple strolling past the glass window pane overseeing the sidewalk. I blinked in disbelief at my supposed date that had his arm slung on another girl's shoulders.

‘I’m never trusting online dating apps ever now’

I massaged my temples to keep the incoming headache from forming. Someone walks up to me and I see that it was the waitress who's been waiting for me to order the whole time I was here.

I smiled at her.

“Can I have one of your specialty lattes and a slice of your artisan cake?”

She scribbled down my order on her notepad before dropping it due to an unexpected and violent ground tremor. I pulled her under the table with me in case the debris from the ceiling came crashing down.

As the tremors stopped, she brought her head up to look at me before pausing, having her eyes locked into the glass pane behind me. I followed her gaze and paused as well when I made direct eye contact with a grotesque kaiju that was looking into the cafe.

The sound notification of the emergency ping on our phones echoed throughout the cafe at the same time as the loud blaring of the kaiju alarm resonated across the whole district.

The waitress let out a shriek as I immediately had to pull her abruptly from our spot. Glass shattered as the monster tried to force its way into the establishment— the whole place filling with panicked and horrified screams. I quickly snagged my bag with all my things inside.

The other customers quickly exited the cafe, some unable to due to the kaiju blocking the way. The monster was preoccupied with the people fleeing through the front door. I turned to the waitress.

“The back door, where is it?”

She gulped down nervously before pointing at the door beyond the counter. I stood up a bit more properly.

“Everyone go to the back door now!” I directed to the remaining customers as I pointed where to go. The people quickly followed, not wanting to be killed by the kaiju while I went last since I was observing the monster’s movements. My shout and the remaining evacuating customers seemed to have alerted it.

I ran behind the crowd as a tentacle darted to where I last stood.

Everyone was able to successfully exit the building as we went back to the main street where we'd have to book it to the nearest shelter. So we ran, my heels— although they were only around an inch or two and block type— were utterly killing me. My eyes scanned the surroundings.

That seemed to be the only kaiju— but the wreck it left behind was pretty bad.

I can only deduce that the monster came from the huge hole on the ground of the road. That must've also been the cause of the tremors earlier.

More people emerged from the area, shouting. The kaiju managed to wiggle itself out of the cafe we successfully evacuated from. It stood at its full height.

“You've gotta be kidding me.” I muttered.

The monster turned out to be bigger than it seemed from the cafe.

Then a small unit of anti-kaiju officers rounded the corner, immediately shooting at the viney and octopus looking kaiju but even their bullets didn't seem to do significant damage to it. A few officers then came up to our crowd, leading the way.

Everyone else seemed more relaxed now that the anti-kaiju force arrived. However, that small moment of peace with the evacuating citizens was quickly thwarted as the body of an officer landed on a nearby car. The said officer coughed out for everyone to leave before he unceremoniously fell off the vehicle onto the floor, unconscious.

The officers who were with us immediately pointed their guns at the kaiju that was approaching quickly. They commanded us to run— and so we did.

The officers also accompanied us while trying to hold back the medium sized kaiju (according to their words as they complained how their bullets weren't able to pierce its body). I look behind and see a child left behind on the cracked road, nobody else having noticed.

I glanced at the evacuating group, noticing a woman calling out a name but unsuccessful in pushing through the panicking horde of people— only being whisked back. Not even the officers saw the kid.

I took a quick breath before sprinting to the fallen kid, knowing very well that it put me into the kaiju’s attack range. I scooped the little boy up before immediately darting to the car where the unconscious officer landed earlier. A bunch of debris went up into the air as the octopus attacked the spot where the kid last was.

The kid was still crying.

“Hey, buddy… You good? Listen to me okay? We have to be extra quiet or else the monster would notice us…” I tried to convince the kid, successful in doing so as he bit back a hiccup.

I patted the boy’s head, “What a brave kiddo.” I whispered to him.

Assessing the surroundings for anything that can help us, my eyes landed on the unconscious officer— more specifically the tactical pack attached to his suit. I rummaged through the small bag, acquiring one stun grenade and one explosive grenade.

We were out of sight from the monster but we would be crushed soon if we didn't do something and killed if we suddenly dashed away with a kid. I then checked the officer’s body, eyes lighting up at acquiring a special anti-kaiju pistol— it weighed more than the average handgun though. The man groaned, seeming to have woken up but in no condition to fight at all.

He noticed that I basically raided his supplies, about to tell me off before I interrupted him.

“We have no time, can you take this boy to safety the moment I throw this stun grenade?” The man in the specialized suit was confused as to why a civilian was ordering him, but when his suit seemed to be out of commission from an overheat— he only had to nod his head. I handed the boy over to him.

“Great. Now when I say go, immediately get away.” I instructed, tucking away the explosive grenade and pistol into my bag.

The pin of the stun grenade fell to the ground with a clink as its main body was thrown into the air.

“Go!”

A flash and ringing reverberated around the area.

‘I might've underestimated the JAKDF stun grenade… ‘ My ears slightly hurt, despite finding safety behind another car.

I took out the gun and inspected it, whistling.

“I didn't know they had the latest model in the force, maybe I should join…”

Well, no time to waste. I stood up and aimed the pistol at the octopus— its lone eye specifically since the officers were unable to pierce its body with their rifles— before shooting a few consecutive shots. The shots pierced through, as the kaiju shrieked.

‘Bingo!’

Another pin clinked to the ground, this time an explosive grenade being thrown into its open mouth. A few seconds ticked by before the octopus imploded on itself.

Thankfully, I was behind the car— untouched by the splatters of guts and blood. Peeking out from my spot, I noticed the monster wasn't quite dead yet. However, its core was exposed and slightly damaged.

Yet again, I aimed the gun and shot at the core continuously. I had to make sure it was dead for good after all. The gun clicked as I pulled the trigger again, having run out of rounds already.

I walked out from my spot still holding the gun before approaching the corpse. I stared at it while reflecting on today's events.

‘First I got stood up, wasn't able to even eat due to waiting, and it just so happened a kaiju came in and ruined everything else. At the very least shooting it helped in cooling off my anger.’

I sighed.

‘What a pretty nice day it was indeed.’

⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ

When the other units arrived at the scene of the kaiju attack, the place was unsurprisingly wrecked. They expected the said target as they turned the corner, and their eyes were greeted with the kaiju alright.

Except, it was a corpse of the medium sized monster that laid there on the main street of Yokohama. As the platoons approached with guns still at the ready, the figure in a dress standing by the corpse became more clear.

Platoon Leader Nakanoshima signaled everyone else to stop as she approached the unknown person. Getting closer, she recognized the woman.

“(Y/n)?” she questioned, tucking away her gun as she signaled her platoon to do the same.

You jumped a bit from being deep in thought, hearing a familiar voice calling you. You turned around as Nakanoshima removed her respirator.

“Tae!” Your eyes lit up in recognition of the pinkette.

The Platoon Leader was in disbelief at how her friend was just casually standing beside a big corpse in her dress and heels.

‘Is that makeup I see?’ she thought to herself.

The pink haired woman scanned you, immediately realizing you were holding the anti-kaiju pistol issued specifically to officers of the JAKDF.

Her eyes then drift off to the corpse, assessing that it exploded judging by the mess. Nakanoshima snapped her attention back to you.

“Was this your work, (Y/n)?” she pensively asked.

You only shrugged, turning your body around to face the platoon.

“I guess you can say that,” you held out the pistol for the other woman to get, “I did borrow some of the force’s stuff— “ you paused, noticing the look your friend was giving you.

“Did I do something illegal, Tae?” You blinked rapidly, a bit of panic seeping into your voice. Nakanoshima shook her head, taking the pistol back.

“About that… I think you need to come with us… back at base.” The Platoon Leader had to inform you.

⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ

The ride back to the Tachikawa base was awkward. Imagine an armored car full of soldiers in battle suits and wielding heavy weapons… with a woman fully decked out in hair, makeup, attire, and accessories… for a date.

The walk to… wherever they were taking me was even more awkward— especially due to the stares from the people we passed by on the base. It was nerve-wracking.

They're definitely staring because of how disheveled I looked.

‘Today’s horoscope was total trash.’ I cursed to no one, internally crying at today's misfortunes.

They brought me to a normal looking office, which I'm thankful for. God knows how more nervous I'd be if I was put in an interrogation room. Nonetheless, the solemn and silent atmosphere was something I couldn't bring myself to break— only being able to nod in response to their instruction to wait as I sat on the cushioned chair in front of the large mahogany desk.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long as the door opened with a click. I turned my body towards it, quite surprised myself when I wasn't only greeted by the Vice Captain, but also the Captain of the Third Division herself.

⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ

You sat there awestruck before pulling yourself together and standing up to pay your respects with a bow. You then stood up straight once more.

Captain Ashiro waved her hand for the other officers aside from Vice Captain Hoshina to leave the room. The two highest ranked in the Third Division situated themselves behind the desk.

“Take a seat.” The red eyed female spoke— you had to stop yourself from gaping at her. You obediently did so. The ravenette then pulled out a device that projected a staticky video of someone in a dress—you— using the Defence Force’s weapons.

You can only wince at how the kaiju imploded— it was quite different from seeing it all as a whole picture. After all, you were hiding behind a car. The video ended there.

It was silent.

“Uhm…” you broke it, “Am I in trouble for… that?” You pointed at the projection perfectly paused as you were standing close to the corpse.

“Ignoring evacuation protocols… Raiding a defense officer’s supplies and weapons… As well as using said supplies and weapons to dangerously engage with a medium sized kaiju…” The purple haired male spoke up in a serious tone as he held up a finger for each thing he listed off. You only got nervous the more the Vice Captain added.

“Hoshina, stop making the woman restless.” Captain Ashiro interrupted, you looked at her in confusion. Before you knew it, the male’s chuckling filled the silence.

You stared at him incredulously as he threw a fanged grin at you. Hoshina couldn't help teasing you a bit since you peaked his interest. Who wouldn't be interested?

A civilian casually neutralizes a medium sized kaiju only with a stun grenade, an explosive grenade, and a defense force handgun. You weren't even wearing the specialized combat suit— heck you did it in a dress with heels. And here you were, sitting in Captain Ashiro's office, admittedly still pretty despite the minimal amount of dust and dirt that got onto you.

‘Did they even allow her to freshen up a bit?’ He mused to himself.

“Apologies, “ Hoshina started, “to answer your question, no you're not in trouble.”

⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ

A sigh of relief escaped my lips, thank the above that I didn't do anything illegal.

“Although your offenses were grave,” I froze up— okay maybe I did something illegal, “it's been pardoned since you've eliminated a threat all by yourself.”

Captain Ashiro stood up. “For that, I apologize for showcasing such an embarrassingly disorganized display by the officers under my command.”

I waved my hands around, not wanting to undermine the hard work of the defense officers.

“No need to apologize, Captain! The officers helped a lot of people in evacuating…” I justified.

She made eye contact with her vice captain before locking eyes with me.

“For that, we also thank you.” She bowed her head, I panicked even more. I stood up, not wanting for someone as cool and respected as the Captain to lower her head because of me.

The ravenette stood up again before she spoke, “Your actions greatly impressed us… the force needs more people like you.”

“I'd like to recruit you to join us.”

Captain Ashiro looked directly into my eyes, her own lit up by a fire— a fire that compelled me to agree. She offered out her hand.

I thought about it since my life was basically just on a standstill— heck it was slightly miserable because of multiple failed romantic ventures.

‘Maybe I should step away from the dating scene for a while. Oh my, I guess my so-called uncharacteristic hobby can come in handy!'

A smile broke out into my face as I felt my fingertips tingle— I was looking forward to it. My own dominant hand lifted itself to grab into the Captain’s awaiting one. She reciprocated my smile with her subtle one.

“Where do I sign up?”

⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*⁠･⁠｡⁠ᴥ⁠༚˳•⁠⁠°. ☆ﾟ⁠˖⁠*

note/s: should I stick with the Japanese format of names (last name, first name) or no?

I'm thinking of using honorifics since Reno calls Kafka senpai— even the english sub in netflix shows “senpai” on the screen. (probably will call titles as stand-alones like Captain Ashiro instead of Ashiro Taicho)

do give feedback if y'all want a specific POV more or if the POV switching is fine

also I just realize how many plot holes there are but I'll be f i n e

how I imagined the reader looked like, you're free to decide how you look tho!

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Dark Boss Clark Kent or Bully Sy??

Bully Sy who happens to be your boss

Help (Un)Wanted

Warnings: this drabble includes bullying and self-esteem issues. Please proceed with caution. This is not fluff.

Please leave a comment and reblog.

"Girl, what're you looking so dumb for?" The burly man snarls as he grabs a wrench. 

"Your-- your two o'clock is here. Mr., er, Mr.... Cray--" 

"Crayton," Sy snarls and you nod. You sway nervously as he lays back and rolls under the car again. "Don't I look busy? Hell, you go on and tell him to wait." 

"S-sir--" 

"Scram," he spits. 

You don’t hesitate to do exactly that. You flee the smell of oil, though it wafts through the entire place, along with the damp chill. Just like your boss’ anger, neither relent. You smile at Mr. Crayton as you emerge and resume your perch behind the front desk. 

“Um, he’ll be a couple minutes. He has to clean up.” 

Sy is just as good as dealing with his customers as he is you. You feel bad for him. He can’t be very happy if that’s how he treats people. The way his face turns red and that vein bulges in his forehead, he can’t have much peace. You don’t dwell on it. Like your dad, he won’t change. 

You go back to your crossword book as you wait. The radio drones behind you, filling the dearth, and Crayton taps his toe impatiently. People might not like the grumpy mechanic, but they respect his work. He charges a fair price and he’s efficient. 

“Did he say how long?” Crayton asks as he puts down the magazine in his hands. 

“Umm, not long,” you lie. With Sy, it could be a few minutes or an hour. 

“Can I leave my keys with ya? I gotta get to my kids’ game. You just tell him it keeps stalling.” He stands and crosses to your desk. 

“Oh, er, sure, I can do that.” 

“Thanks,” he says curtly and drops his keys on the desk. 

Before you know it, he’s on his phone and halfway to the door. You suppose he has more important things than waiting around on the mercurial mechanic. You’re only there because you get paid for that task. 

You turn on the squeaky chair and turn the dial in search of a different station. You find something relatively recent and go back to trying to find a seven-letter word that might describe a cactus or unpleasant person. 

You hear Sy before he comes out. He wipes his thick fingers on an oil-stained cloth and growls as his eyes search the front room. “Where’d he go then?” 

“He had to go. Left his keys. Says it keeps stalling’.” 

“Goddamnit, girl,” he snarls as he stomps towards you, “you couldn’t tell him to wait?” 

“His appointment was forty minutes ago--” 

“I didn’t ask that, did I? You really are stupid. You know, if I didn’t like your daddy, you wouldn’t have a job,” he scoffs. “Then you’d truly be useless.” 

You frown and set the pen between the pages, “sorry, sir, I tried--” 

“Tried.” He shakes his head. “Thought I asked ya to put coffee on.” 

You glance over at the machine. “I did... couple hours ago.” 

“Well, it’s cold,” he charges over to the table in the corner. “You want me to drink this piss?” 

“No, sir,” you stand, “I’ll make some new stuff. It’s okay.” 

“It’s okay? You sittin’ there with your puzzles like you actually got a brain,” he sneers. “You fill up my mug and bring it to me. Too busy to be dealin’ with your lazy ass.” 

You wince as you empty the filter and set a new one in the basket. You don’t like your job and it seems your job doesn’t like you. You can’t do anything right. It’s better than having nothing at all and in a small town, that’s more likely than not. You can put up with Sy for the cash, even if it isn’t very much. 

As he leaves, you let the breath out of your tight chest. You got out into the garage to retrieve his insulated cup. The silver is dented and scratch from years of use. You take it and rinse it out in the tiny bathroom. 

The coffee brews slowly and you fill his cup, twisting on the lid tight. He likes it black. That doesn’t surprise you, as bitter as he can be. You take it out to the garage as he pulls Crayton’s car in through the open door. 

You put the thermos on his table as he slams the door. His treads hammer across the floor as he lumbers toward you. You back up and he huffs. 

“Maybe you should have a cup and wake up,” he jeers as he snatches the cup. 

“Sir,” you clasp your hands together. “Anything else?” 

“Didn’t I tell ya to sweep up?” 

“I did--” 

“Well do it again. I don’t pay ya to sit around. You’re not pretty enough for that,” he turns away, nearly knocking you with his elbow. 

You back up and turn away. As much as he likes your dad, you don’t get why he agreed to this. It’s been six months and nothing’s gotten better. You told your dad and he just laughed and said ‘that’s Sy’. Your mom told you to grow and do your work.  

You can’t argue with either of them so long as you live under their roof. Twenty-four and you’re still at their table eating their food. Maybe they think you deserve it. Maybe your dad did it on purpose. After all, they never missed an opportunity to tell you how unwanted you are. 

“Call Eileen. Her car’s ready,” Sy hollers after you. “And in my fucking way.” 

[one-idea]

As I just watched 325 where Ace and Blackbeard fight. I can’t help but think of other ways it could have gone.

What if Ace didn’t leave the Moby dick alone? What if members of the Spade pirates followed?

Maybe Ace takes off on his own but Masked Deuce, Skull, and Mihar follow. They were his commanders. Maybe Deuce never liked Teach to start with. The man has bad vibes even when he’s actively tricking the Whitebeard crew. (If Luffy can pick up on the rancid vibes I refuse to believe other people didn’t pick up on them) add in the fact he just murdered a crew mate, and they all know Ace. Ace will take this as his responsibility. He’s going to go after teach there is not stopping him.

Maybe they go with him.

Maybe they see him leave. Deuce asked why no one’s going after him and is told that as second division commander Teach is Ace’s responsibility. So Deuce Mihar and Skull decided to follow on their own.

When they catch up depends on how you want the final battle to play out. There are two options.

1) they catch up before Ace reaches Blackbeard.

You get an argument of Ace anting them to turn back. He’s still underestimating Teach. He doesn’t know what his new devil fruit does.

It ends with them reminding Ace that they are there because they’re his friends and they care about him and want to help. They can deal with what ever consequences come from leaving the Moby later.

When they catch up to Blackbeard. Maybe they go to fight Blackbeard’s crew while Ace handles Teach.

That is until Teach shows off his devil fruit and the three have to book it to the forest. They don’t know what the fruit does but Blackbeard’s crew is fleeing from it.

Pause because idea 2 is that they trail him and end up on Banaro island right before Ace does. Maybe it was easier to track Blackbeard than Ace and the best him there. They are talking to/helping the town folk when Blackbeard shows off his power.

Either way both ideas meld here

Once out of range maybe Skull recognizes it. He has a weird hodgepodge of knowledge about pirates and I can see him knowing somethings about devil fruits.

Once Blackbeard is done showing off. They three race back to Ace. It takes them some time but they get there just in time to see Ace take a big hit.

Maybe between Skulls sword, Mihar’s gun and all threes quick thinking they are able to pull Ace out of there.

Ace is furious. He hates running. But the others know they are out matched. They were able to do some damage. (Over the years with Whitebeard they have gotten stronger) but maybe Blackbeard’s crew had also come to back him up. They were out numbered and Ace was already hurt.

Ace fights every step of the way. “You don’t understand! I can’t let him get away!”

“Ace we’ll get him I promise but we need help.” Deuce tries to reason. Blackbeard is a bigger threat than any of them thought. They will need Pop’s help for this.

“No you don’t understand. He’s going after Luffy!” And the world freezes for a second. (I’d like to think in either option the Spades missed Teach’s little attempt to get Ace to join him) they all know of Luffy. Ace little brother who he adores. He talks everyone’s ear off about the kid. So the fact that Teach was going after him was beyond low.

It’s a race now to Water 7. (They say the fight took place three days before the Strawhat’s new bounties dropped) so they are all still resting at Water 7. Garp may not have even shown up yet.

It’s a race between the two crews. Blackbeard to kill Luffy for his Warlord position, and Ace who desperately trying to warn/save his brother.

Maybe they have contacted the rest of the Whitebeard pirates and filled them in and they are on their way to.

This is a fluid idea. But I always thought it was unfair for Ace to be on this quest alone. I understand why, but like the boy deserves his friends.

Also I don’t think the Spades could beat Teach on their own. I think they are just enough to pull Ace out of the fight. He’s kicking and screaming but he’s safe.

Part 2 of this nonsense

[weirdleeenough]

One Shot, Adventure

It really is falling in love. And the fall is treacherous.

At least it's an adventure along the way.

Reader w/a Crush! Unrequited Love, Questionable Overuse of the Word Adventure. SFW! 10 Second Bad Guy.

Monkey D Luffy / You

What exactly is an adventure?

You hadn't really paid much mind to the concept.

It wasn't a very important or necessary thing at the time, so who could blame you? Sure, you'd understood the basic idea of it.

Going somewhere to find something interesting. But, wasn't the word adventure so ambiguous? It was a risk, and a journey and then also an experience. You knew very well that none of those words were synonymous, of course.

Actually, your real question all along was, what was so amazing about an adventure?

Amazing enough that Monkey D. Luffy felt that the mere mention of one would make you just drop everything. All that you'd built, and healed and survived from. None of it would matter in the face of an adventure. It was his assurance, his promise, his smile.

Adventure could make you leave it all behind and say, 'Ah, it was worth it.'

You doubted it.

Monkey D. Luffy didn't.

Then Monkey D. Luffy slayed a man who felt like a God, and waltzed his way to Barry's Inn. Ate what you were sure was a meal even a whale would leave leftovers of. Laughed, laughed, ate again, drank, was so merry as he chatted.

All these collective moments were a part of his adventure.

You weren't sure there was much to it.

You just wanted to watch it a little longer. Because if you watched him long enough, you'd definitely find the right answer.

So, you joined his crew and became some diluted, proxy form of a pirate.

Now to answer your question, what really is the adventure? The future you could say with your chest that it was the itch on your back legs. Luffy got flees from the last island and no one's quite sure exactly how they're still living.

The adventure was the Merry's dining table, bite mark shaped indent at the edge because sometimes Luffy just doesn't stop eating. It was your comb tangled with reddish sun-tanned strands. And the bathroom that smelled of Zoro's lost stinky boot. Just where the hell was it?

The adventure was an island made of spoons, and a dog with human ears. It was Luffy deciding he'd go for a swim knowing very well the water was his undoing. Chopper dropped something off the side of Merry by accident, you know?

Usopp lied about being the last person to take a shit.

Zoro just might need glasses.

Nami wears the same bra size as you.

Luffy loves you.

Well, not just you. He loves everyone. In this clumsy way where he's the protector, the merriment, the one's who's so overbearingly honest you wish he'd just shut up.

The adventure was that love, in that moment, that you wished you possessed in the same way. Why couldn't you look at every person, and every breeze and every breath as the adventure?

Why only him.

Why could you love only him.

Only his family. Only his moment.

The adventure consumed you, and here comes the risk, here comes the journey. May experience find you and drown you in that smile.

Oh, did experience find you. Maybe today was divine punishment. Today was the moment adventure got a little hungry and wandered off on his own. Nami needs new shoes. Usopp just might be off somewhere being the pirate king. Zoro's looking for liquor and Chopper is looking for Zoro.

You're alone.

And everything you reeled from and healed from had found you again.

He came like a wave and washed you away, battered you against the cliffside and made you wish you never left that god forsaken island for something as small and vague and meaningless as an adventure. You were fated to lay here, weep here, die here.

You swore adventure was nothing in the face of this man who'd held you captive since you were a babe. Who you barely escaped with torn flesh, blood dripping fingertips, ashen mouth agape. The man who stood so tall his shadow blocked the sun, the moon, and the stars.

He crushed you beneath his boot, would take your life if only adventure didn't appear with a snare.

"Are you okay?"

That's what Luffy asked you. Then he turned, smiled like if nothing was ever wrong or shameful or miserable. He told Zoro to come get you and that was the last you saw of that. Until half an hour later when the earth shook and the cliffside crumbled. Luffy came back dusted, with a scrape on his lip and elbow.

This was adventure too. You were adventure.

Curse it's name.

You never wanted adventure, you wanted a boy named Monkey D. Luffy. A fickle thing love is.

Careful, don't get confused.

It's an easy thing to do when adventure smiles at you like that.

sorry this took as long as it did. and sorry it feels as empty as it is. i think i just got tired of staring at it in my drafts🥲.

[buckgasms]

How did daddy Bucky x princess meet?🥰🥺

I think this is my Magnum Opus 🤭 it's mega long so forgive me but I just have a lot of feelings when it comes to Daddy Bucky and Princess 🩷

I'd love to hear your thoughts, feedback and obviously do keep sending me asks and ideas because I could write for these two for the rest of my life

Also a huge thanks to @mandijo17 and @clara-geekhime specifically, but to all of you who love them 🌷

- So I think it's a sure thing that when they met you, (Princess) were working at a really boring, horrible office job.

- You took the job at Peirce Enterprises because it was a chance to be creative and use your artistic skills, but as time went on it was becoming more strict, the workloads were humungous and all your colleagues were just plain mean.

- Most of the time you could hide at your little cubicle and get on with your work without being bothered, but sometimes mean guys would come around and steal your little plushies, move your stuff and leer at you.

- When you had to go to meetings the boss would shout, making you nervous as hell, so when you were called upon, you would stutter and struggle to speak.

- That just made everything so much worse.

✨

- One afternoon it was really bad. Mr Peirce had a big business meeting with Bucky Barnes.

- Everyone knew who he was.

- He owned almost all the real estate in Brooklyn, had fancy hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and god knows what else in his portfolio.

- He was also absolutely gorgeous, not that you were looking....

- So anyway, it was a big fucking deal and your work, some of your absolute best, was on display.

- "This is trash!" Pierce yelled and threw the paperwork at you knocking over your tea in the process.

- "What's your excuse?" He continued as your work soaked up the brown liquid and your eyes began to sting.

- "I...I...um, I thought..."

- He mocks your struggle and scoffs. "Get the hell out of my office...."

- Jumping out of your seat you run to the door, tears streaming down your face as you flee to your desk.

✨

- Not long after your colleagues drop by, saying it's all your fault they have to stay late and do more work. "Cost us our fucking bonus you dumbass" one of them says.

- Under the desk you squeeze at your little plushie, before dashing off to the supply cupboard.

- A few moments later there is a knock at the door. Before you can say anything it opens, and to your total shock, there is Bucky Barnes.

- He smiles, a kind smile but it's like he's holding his tongue.

- "This is a nice supply cupboard..." He comes in a bit further and hands you a handkerchief. "I fucking love stationery, nothing like a new notepad, or a y'know when you get a really good pen? And don't get me started on laminators... fuck those things are cool..."

- Before you can stop yourself you start giggling, hiccuping as he looks back at you and smiles more openly than before.

- He walks you back to your desk, admiring your cubicle, pointing out the pretty drawings and giving your little teddy a squeeze before placing it carefully on your desk.

- "Listen, I really loved your work. I thought it was excellent. If you want a change of scenery, let me know and I'd be happy to find a place for you in my organisation."

- He hands you a business card before giving you a wink and leaving. He shoots glares of death to all your co workers who are staring totally bemused at what they've just witnessed.

✨

- About a month later you are sitting at your desk and a parcel is dropped off by the moody receptionist.

- You sit confused for a moment before your curiosity peaks and you tear into the parcel.

- It's full of the most amazing things. A new iPad, apple pen stylus, notepads, pens, a fluffy pencil case and a little bunny teddy. It's an explosion of pink and you can't help tap your feet in excitement at this mystery parcel.

- Then your phone rings.

- It's Bucky's number.

- You know that because you have put his business card on your desk and memorised the number and each letter of his name until you know it by heart.

- "Hello?" You say quietly and look around, making sure no one can hear.

- "Did you get my parcel?" His rumbly voice tickles your ear, and you imagine him whispering just behind you. Your feet keep bouncing.

- "It's from you? Why?"

- "Well I thought maybe it might convince you to up sticks and work somewhere you are appreciated?"

- You smile and play with the ears of the bunny, "and what made you think I'd like this particular sort of thing?"

- "Just a hunch Princess..."

- Well that was nice. You struggle to breath a little but manage to pull it together for a sort of half laugh.

- "There is a condition though. You can only keep that stuff if you come for an interview. Otherwise I'm going to need it back..."

- Just then your boss storms through the office, eyes on you. You quickly say goodbye before he unleashes a tirade on your team. You manage to hide your parcel as he rants and raves, feeling oddly soothed by the soft bunny ear running between your fingers.

✨

- You knock on the door of Bucky's office later that day. You have the box in your arms and your backpack weighing on your shoulders.

- He let's you in with a smile which drops when he sees the box in your arms.

- "Don't tell me you're bringing that back?" He says incredulously as you softly smile and place it on his desk.

- The office is light and spacious, expensive furniture everywhere, a plush couch and of course a statement desk that you imagine he looks quite imposing sitting behind.

- "I was offered a better job today. I just don't feel right taking your gifts when it makes sense to stay there right? I'm sure once I'm in control of things, it will get better?"

- You seem to be asking him, rather than telling him and despite his downcast face, he doesn't press it.

- He flicks the lid open and peruses the contents, before clicking his tongue and raising an eyebrow.

- "Hmm I thought there was a bunny in here?"

- You face flushes and you even feel yourself pout. "I didn't think... I mean it's..."

- He grins, boyish delight on his face as he holds out his hand.

- "C'mon, it belongs here, not in that place."

- You control the urge to stamp your foot and have a total temper tantrum, which is totally not how you would ever behave in front of anyone. There's even a little scowl on your face as you hand it over and and takes it in his arms.

- You feel jealous of both of them before staying a firmer goodbye and leave, but not before his chuckles reach your ears and make you smile.

✨

- Monday morning you make your way into your new office. It's pretty bare but you gasp when you see the bunny sitting on the desk, a little note wishing you "Good luck x" in it's arms.

- You kiss its head and beam as you start unpacking, feeling lighter than air.

- Maybe you couldn't work for Bucky anyway. It wouldn't be good to have a crush on your boss?

- You finish sorting everything out and get to work, making sure Bucky's card is back on your desktop.

- Then an email dings up and you are called to a meeting. 2 hours!! It should be illegal. You give your bunny a squeeze before heading off.

✨

- You were feeling exhausted from the meeting when you came back to your office. Everyone in the area was quiet for a change. No snarky comments, no cruel joke.

- But you soon realised why.

- Opening the door of your office you found it trashed. Paper everywhere, screen scratched, books ripped and nasty words carved in the wood of your desk.

- Worst of all, the head of your bunny left sadisticly on your chair.

- It was too much. All the pain and awfulness you had taken on in the last year was too much.

- You had never done anything to them and they just continuously bullied you and made your life miserable.

- Looking around the room you felt utter dispair until you saw Bucky's card, ripped in half.

- Grabbing your bag you walked out of the room and didn't stop until you reached the lift. They shouted something at you but you didn't care. You couldn't take on any more of their hate.

- You walked through the city in a blur. Tears streamed down your face but you just kept walking and walking until you were there. You'd walked all the way to Bucky's building.

- The security desk looked quite disturbed to see you so emotional but you asked for Bucky and they pointed towards the lifts and made your way up.

- In that moment you wondered what the hell you were doing? Why were you in the lift?? Heading closer to his office looking like an absolute lunatic??

- Before you could stop them the doors slid open and there he was waiting. Without saying a word he pulled you out of the lift and into his arms.

- The dam broke fully and you sobbed into his chest. You managed to wail something about the bunny, your office, how mean they were...

- He managed to walk you into his office and sat on the comfy sofa and held you tight until you finally took a shaky breath and stopped crying.

- "Why are people so mean?" You whisper as he wipes the last few tears from your cheek before taking your hand in his.

- "I'm so sorry sweetie. You don't deserve that..."

- You feel so exhausted that when he takes you back in his arms and gently strokes your hair you just release a deep breath and slip into sleep.

✨

- A little while later you wake up, a soft blanket over you and you mumble a quiet 'hello?' as you sit up.

- "Hey, are you feeling ok? I got us some dinner I was worried you hadn't eaten all day..."

- You feel mortified but he shushes your apologies and puts a plate down in front of you.

- "Be a good girl and eat" he says smiling and you can't help but tuck in as your hunger (and praise kink) kicks in.

- You both sit comfortably, talking about various things, avoiding the reason for your arrival, keeping it light.

- Still, you find yourself unable to be sad around him. He makes you feel so safe and happy. It's addictive.

- He drops you home a few hours later, walking you right to the door, his hand resting on your arm, keeping you close.

- "So maybe I can come in for an interview in the end?" You say, feeling awkward but ultimately worried about what you are going to do now you can't go back to your actual job.

- He chuckles and takes your hand in his. "Do me a favour, don't worry about it. Will you let me figure something out for you?"

- He pulls you in a little closer and looks down at you, a cocky grin on his face.

- "Umm well, I worry about a lot of things Bucky... How can I not?"

- He rolls his eyes and presses a kiss to your forehead.

- "Because Princess, you can trust me..."

- Speechless, you nod before planting a rushed kiss to his chin/cheek before speeding into your apartment.

✨

- Then next few days are filled with texts, flowers, phonecalls and gifts from Bucky.

- You can't help the huge grin that spreads across your face when something from him appears, or his name lights up your phone screen.

- "Hi Bucky" you say one morning as he calls first thing. You roll over in bed and squeeze the huge bunny he sent you the day before.

- "Good mornin', tell me what you're doing today?" He says with slight growl as you snuggle down deeper under the covers and giggle.

- "Umm I don't know, maybe you should tell me?" You tease, biting your lip and listen to his deep chuckle.

- "Well first off, you are coming here for that interview, and then I'm taking you out to dinner to celebrate you're new job..."

- You giggle again and huff at his silliness. "Bucky that's cheating! I would feel bad if I didn't deserve it..."

- He tuts at the other end of the line and tells you, if you aren't there at midday you were going to have your first disciplinary.

- You were intrigued by that but you figured you better get moving.

✨

- You showed up on time, dressed in a pretty dress, your portfolio of artwork in your arms and a smile on your face.

- Bucky's secretary greeted you with a big smile and even hugged you when you arrived.

- "Hi I'm Wanda, I feel like I know you already! Go straight in, he's waiting for you!"

- You smiled, feeling flustered as she ushered you into the room where he is indeed waiting for you, his crisp shirt and checkered pants looking divine, his hair slicked back into a bun. It almost makes you drop your folders but you manage to hold on and plop them onto the desk before taking a seat across from him.

- The 'interview' goes well. He asks for your work history, where did you study and what you want to achieve.

- It was silly really. But you actually enjoyed it. You did have a big brain in your pretty head and it was nice to talk positively about yourself and not fear mocking, snarky comments.

- After an hour he smiled and stood up, reaching for your hand so you mirroed him and he shook your hand.

- "Welcome aboard darlin' now let's go celebrate."

✨

- Hours later you were back in Bucky's office, a little tipsy and full of delicious food.

- He had taken you to one of his restaurants, one of the fanciest in town and both of you had gotten a little drunk on champagne and each other.

- You had insisted that a part of your interview had not been completed, so you headed back to the office, giggling all the way up in the lift.

- Back in his office you 'ah-hahd' as your portfolio sat on the desk untouched. "You haven't seen my work properly Bucky."

- He looks at you a lot more hungrily than he ever has before as you beckon him over and push him into his seat before placing yourself on his lap and opening your book.

- "See now look at this one" you say as his hands drift over your thighs and rub small circles into your skin. He hums as you turn the page and show him another, this time his lips press to your bare shoulder. "Very pretty" he murmers as you turn again.

- Suddenly his hands glide up your body and you drop the book, turning in his lap and crashing your lips to his waiting ones.

- He wastes no time lifting you up onto the desk and gripping your face before dragging you into a crazed kiss.

- You are moaning in moments as you help him push off his suit jacket and watch hungrily as he pulls the shirt over his head, revealing his tanned, toned chest.

- He leans in and captures your lips again as your hands drift over his body and his hands push your dress upwards and pulling your underwear down, stopping for a moment and breaking the kiss.

- "You gonna let me see you Princess? Let me take care of you?"

- Wrapping your arms around his neck you bite at his lip and nod, doe eyes staring up at him.

- "Please... Please Bucky..."

- He pushes you down slowly and removes your underwear with a firm rip making you gasp and moan as his hot breath fans over your folds.

- "Fucking.... So pretty baby, knew you would be" he growls before diving in, licking and sucking at your soaked folds, one hand pushing your thighs wider as the other toyed with your entrance, eliciting a loan moan of pleasure when he sank his finger in and curled it towards him.

- He teased you and drove you closer to the edge until he pulled back, dragging you upwards and planting a kiss to your lips as he presses his thick cock to your pussy.

- "You taste so sweet princess but I wanna feel you... You want that babygirl?" You can only nod and reach between you, guiding him to you.

- "Please... Da... Bucky need you..." You stutter and he can't help but pause, a sly grin on his face.

- "What did you say baby? Were you thinking about someone else?" He's smiling like the devil because either the truth will be delightful or the lie will be ridiculous.

- You shake your head and grab for his face, pressing kisses to his lips.

- "No, no, didn't mean, da- um Bucky please, please just.... Fuck, fuck me please da- shit Bucky please??"

- He fully laughs at that before resting his forehead against yours, slipping his hands under your thighs and lifting you, until he's seated and you are straddling him, his thick perfect cock just pressed against your soaked heat.

- "Princess, you aren't a very good liar" he says and rubs his nails along your sensitive skin. "Just say it baby... Say what you wanna say to me when I'm fucking that pretty little pussy...."

- He lines himself up as you whimper, chewing your lip before you lean in and whisper it, so quiet as if someone else in the world might hear it.

- "Daddy.... Please?"

[archetypal-archivist]

Three Eels, Soup, and a Bad Day

In which Riddle is having A Time and it's all the Leech siblings' faults. This story features Morgan from "the seven habits of highly unfortunate souls: a transmigrator’s guide to the coral sea" by mercen on AO3 and is not canon to the events of that story. I just got brain rot. :)

The story starts with Floyd going about his day, picking at his teeth with a toothpick he'd swiped from the host stand in Mostro, having gotten bored of trying to steal all the picks without Jade noticing. It's getting late in the year, the temperatures are cooling down, and that makes Floyd want to get somewhere indoors for a while, his human body prickling with little bumps in a way that annoys him.

As such, he heads to the library and finds Riddle there, who's also inside to avoid the cold. Their usual banter ensues, Riddle up on a tall ladder trying to put a book away and Floyd wanting to climb up to see what Riddle's looking at. Their fighting knocks Riddle off the ladder and while Floyd catches him, the sudden fall spooks Riddle badly enough that he starts shaking. Floyd panics when Riddle tries to flee, not wanting to drop him, and the sudden squeeze only panics the house warden further. Tired and freaked out, Riddle has a minor breakdown in his arms, so Floyd ends up sprinting to Morgan because Riddle is mid-panic attack and his apologies and head pats aren't helping.

Morgan had been in his room shelving away a few news titles that he'd picked up in town, but the sound of Floyd's momentum slamming him into his door puts an end to that. Upon Floyd scrambling to get the door open and a brief thirty second explanation, Morgan mentally freaks out but starts by having Floyd put Riddle down on the bed, giving him space.

First, he pumps the air full of his magic, a sort of 'intent' that people can feel before someone casts a strong spell. He then layers out a ton of protection spells, listing each one as he goes so Riddle knows what's happening around him.

Morgan slowly approaches Riddle and starts singing in mermish, basically telling Floyd what to do in a sing song voice to both soothe Riddle and also keep the boy from knowing what Morgan and Floyd are doing. Under Morgan's instructions, Floyd creeps low, close to Riddle, and puffs him with little gusts of wind magic to cool him down and distract him. Then he asks outright if he can touch Riddle, yes or no, following exactly what Riddle says. No means no, even if Riddle keens at the loss of Floyd's touch.

Riddle finds it cruel and exposing to have to say outright what he wants from Floyd, what comfort he desires, and that breaks him down further. Morgan's eyes on the matter don't help, it feels voyeuristic and prying for him to be there, even with his good intentions. Still, Riddle is eventually finagled into something like being soothed, with a cold compress on his head and Floyd wrapped around him tightly enough that he can hardly breathe- tight enough that every breath is a reminder he isn't alone.

The whole time Morgan keeps up his stream of singing praises and promises of protection, layering as much positive intent into the air as possible to the point where Riddle can feel it. It causes some cognitive dissonance in Riddle, as his instincts say he is safe and his brain says no, Morgan's a stranger and he's still there, watching.

Floyd, on his part, is half catatonic under the sheer palpable weight of Morgan's magic, knowing full well that he's never been more safe here at NRC. His brother is there, watching, spilling out bloody promises should anything pop up. Eventually Morgan lets his voice trail off and asks Riddle if he'd like to sleep for a bit. Riddle, thoroughly broken down and too tired to fight, even though he's still scared, agrees. Morgan nods and tells Riddle exactly what spell he is using and the details, even as he casts it, giving Riddle plenty of outs.

After a few moments, Riddle and Floyd are both very asleep. Now it's Morgan's chance to panic, his own instincts demanding he keep watch until his brother and his brother's friend(?) are both whole and hale. So he texts Jade, slightly terse in a way that says Morgan is trying to stay polite and Jade knows really means Morgan is having a borderline emergency.

Jade fulfills Morgan's requests with terrifying efficiency, bringing in bottles of water and bowls of thick, warm soup, the recipe scraped together from what Jade knows of Riddle's preferences. He comes in ready to throw down, a first aid kit secretly in his jacket pocket, but instead walks face first into a veritable sauna of positive intent, Morgan's reserves enormous enough to keep pumping out magic. (His dietary preferences for magic-rich food definitely had an effect.)

Jade feels a bit like he's been hit with a brick and he nearly stumbles, Morgan's instincts having him grabbing the tray and bundling Jade up in a blanket too. Jade, confused but too punch-drunk to think straight, goes with it, settling by Morgan's feet. Morgan sticks a hand in Jade's hair, teasing through it in an attempt to further soothe, then informs his brother about what went down with Riddle. Now more amused, Jade laughs a bit at everyone's collective emotional idiocy, especially Morgan's, as he's conscious enough to tease and get a reaction out of. Soon enough, however, that tapers off and Jade falls asleep too, bundled up and lax like he was as a fry in the loop of Morgan's tail.

After a few minutes, Morgan stops filling the air with his magic, instead getting to his feet to start layering up protection and privacy spells. He cools Jade and Floyd's blankets, changes Riddle's compress, starts and stops singing as a fidget and in not knowing what to do, and eventually just ends up sitting at the foot of Floyd's bed, eyeing the door. His pen has accumulated more blot than he'd like but Morgan's perfectly willing to dirty it further, if it proves necessary.

He's being ridiculous, he knows he is, but having people under his direct care who aren't vicious beasties like his brothers has Morgan paranoid.

After another hour, Riddle wakes up, far more coherent and a little alarmed at where he is. Morgan is quick to tell Riddle of exactly what happened, what's gone down in the last two hours, what spells are in effect in the room right now, the time, and so on. Riddle stares at Morgan, a little nonplussed, before commenting that Floyd really didn't know what he was doing, did he.

Morgan, amused, agrees, establishing that Floyd brought Riddle to him and that he understands that this mess may have been a breach of Riddle's privacy. Riddle is shocked as Morgan continues, forcefully saying that there is no debt for this- he'd thump anyone who'd try to enforce one- no one knows about this but him and his brothers, and he's perfectly willing to submit to whatever methods Riddle wants to employ to guarantee his secrecy on the matter.

Riddle blurts out that Morgan is nothing like his brothers and Morgan laughs, telling Riddle that he considers himself the eldest of the trio. Taking care of others is kind of his job; a half-truth but one that takes away implication of debt or discomfort with the situation. He doesn't need Riddle to freak out further, that'd just be... messy.

At this point Riddle takes stock of the sleeping eels and just how potent the spells in the room are, eyes wide at how Morgan has essentially turned the bedroom into a bunker fit to keep an overblot monster out. He's not sure even he could break in if he tried and he really, really doesn't want to think about the fate of anyone who did.

Morgan notices that Riddle is looking at the door, wide-eyed, and thinking Riddle wants out, begins trying to reassure Riddle that he can leave whenever but to please eat first. Riddle agrees on instinct and soon finds himself hunched at Morgan's desk, eating a bowl of delicious soup, more than a little bewildered at how he got into this position. He does start to realize that he truly is safe here, however, as Morgan hefts Jade onto the bed to join Floyd and begins fussing, straightening blankets and soothing down bedhead. Floyd makes a sleepy grab at Morgan but Morgan steps away with an air of long practice, choosing instead to sit at Riddle's feet. Riddle is a tiny bit alarmed that Morgan is tall enough that his eyes come up to his belly button even with him on the chair and Morgan criss cross on the carpet but of everything going on so far, that's low on his priorities.

Morgan tries to ask Riddle as subtly as possible what had happened to make him panic as he did but Riddle bulldozes subtlety, telling Morgan outright in such a candid way that he knows he'll regret it later. Given Floyd's actions, would Morgan even do anything about the situation?

Instead, Morgan listens, offers advice, and promises protection (distraction of the terror known as Floyd) as needed in a way that suddenly reminds Riddle of Trey. He chuckles, startled at the thought and the realization of the many similarities, and Morgan asks, curious. Upon hearing the response Morgan nods, fully understanding, and agrees, stating that they're both big brothers. Riddle settles back in the chair, once again startled, and realizes that if this is big brother behavior, then Trey must act like he's Riddle's big brother. He doesn't know what to do with this information and so he stays silent, eating more soup.

Riddle finds himself oddly hungry and eats through most of another bowl, at which point Morgan begins reheating a third, the smell of which wakes up Jade and Floyd.

The duo emerge from their blanket burritos and Morgan immediately leaps to fuss over them, which makes the two go all pliant and a little huffy, insisting on not needing the fuss but never refusing it. Floyd catches sight of Riddle and immediately starts smiling, genuinely happy with no hint of mockery or fakeness. Just- genuine sunshine joy at seeing Riddle. Riddle's heart thuds in his chest and then Jade bowls Floyd over, squishing him for freaking Morgan out and thus making Jade freak out in turn. Floyd laughs, sighs, and apologizes to Morgan for springing all this on him, Morgan tuts and says it's alright, he doesn't mind.

At this point Riddle thanks Morgan for helping, drawing the threels' attention back to himself. More domestic arguing over who gets the last two bowls of soup (Morgan wants to give up his, Floyd is refusing and wants Morgan to have it, Jade sneaks and grabs the fourth one all for himself). Then even more domestic arguing, with Riddle drawn into it this time, as they all start packing out of Morgan's room.

Is there payment needed for this? Morgan says no, twins say yes, Floyd wants more time with Riddle, Jade wants Floyd to take Morgan's shift at the Mostro. Who's sweater is that? Morgan is fine with Riddle borrowing it as his own jacket is sweaty and he wants Riddle to be warm. Floyd wants Riddle in his jacket, Riddle doesn't want anyone's clothes at all. Does Riddle need walking back? Opinions vary.

The end of it has Riddle and Floyd walking back and Riddle commenting that Morgan is really nice but also freakishly powerful, Floyd laughs and starts detailing all the ways that Morgan is actually the scary one of the three eels, a big looming predator, haha! Just- kinda sleepy too, boring; not gonna bite first, yeah? He then pauses and tells Riddle with all seriousness that since he's fond of Riddle, he's under Jade and Morgan's protection just as much as Floyd's own and to tell any of them if Riddle needs help. Except if like, Morgan is busy. But then Morgan gets all huffy and that's no fun so- Riddle interrupts and says he doesn't need protection and Floyd nods before commenting that he and Jade don't usually need protection either but the nap was nice, right? Not just safe but cared for. Morgan's cool like that.

Riddle hesitates then states that Floyd really loves his brother. Floyd agrees softly, pausing as if to see which way his mood wants to swing, then states again softly that Morgan isn't why he and Jade survived- they could have done it just them two- but he thinks Morgan wouldn't have survived without him and his brother. People aren't built to be alone and Morgan guards what few people he has with everything he has, which is A Lot.

Riddle pauses, considering this and feeling warmed at the thought of being under that aegis, before offering up that he's glad Morgan was willing to help. Was that a big brother thing? Floyd pulls back, levity returned, and jokes that no, that's just a Morgan thing. Scene fades to black with Floyd complaining about all the ways Morgan is too nice and generous sometimes with Riddle arguing back that no, Morgan is just a decent person.

Back to Jade and Morgan, they emerge from the room with the spells removed to return the dishes to the sink in the Mostro only to bumble into Azul. Azul snidely comments with a hint of worry that everyone vanished on him and he got reports of Morgan's bedroom suddenly being coated in so much magic that the other students were worried. Did something happen?

Morgan lies as quick as he can on instinct, blank-faced, that it was a sleepover. Azul turns to Jade, incredulous, but Jade backs Morgan up. Yep, sleepover. In the middle of the day. For three hours. With Riddle. S L E E P O V E R. And everything is fiiiiinnnee.

Morgan grins and tries to bear Azul's scrutiny, Jade is as impassive as always, and soon enough Azul gives up... But not before snidely commenting that if Floyd has decided to get the pair involved in his quest for Riddle's friendship, Azul does not want to know. Morgan and Jade immediately want to die and Morgan internally laments what a good big brother he is, doing this for his siblings. Jade just wants to stab Floyd with a knife.