#let alone this months do you HONESTLY THINK she is EVER going to pay me the 900 dollars I’m fucking owed

[ilonii]

Roomies G.S

✧ s.m - the everyday life of you and roommate suguru geto

w.c - 1.1k

warnings. fem reader, use of y/n, slight nsfw, mentions of sex, mentions of nudity, flirtatious behavior, brief gojo x reader, etc.

an. second installment of the jjk roomie series. for the next post, do you guys want sukuna or choso? comment your picks below.

Roommate Geto who honestly, you forgot even lived there. Between the tattoo shop and hanging out with Gojo any chance he gets, he’s rarely ever home.

Roommate Geto who only really talks to you when it’s time to pay his rent. The first Sunday of every month he knocks on your door and hands you an envelope full of cash, that he makes sure you count so you know he isn’t gonna short you.

Roommate Geto who, whenever he actually is home, cooks some of the most amazing food you think you’ve ever had.

“Geto oh my gosh, this is the best chicken parm I’ve ever tasted”

“I thought you said you’ve never had it before”

“Okay, so? I don’t have anything to compare it to but it’s still out of this world”

“You're funny, thanks pretty"

"You are very welcome"

Roommate Geto with the MOST annoying best friend you've ever met.

“Gojo, for the love of God, how many times do I have to tell you to stop eating all my snacks. I know for a FACT Geto buys plenty for you to eat while you’re here”

“Well I finished all the ones he got me last night”

“That doesn’t mean you eat mine asshole”

“Fine sorry. Here’s 40 bucks go by yourself so more. Oh! and while your out could you get me some of that strawberry mochi, you only had the mango flavor, not one of my favorites but I can’t be too picky I guess”

“You are unbelievable”

“Why thank you”

Roommate Geto who has the worse timing humanly possible. What are the odds that the one time you forget you towel and have to run from the bathroom to your bedroom, at the very same time Geto decides to pop his head outside his room for the first time today.

“Oh my gosh.”

“Oh…my..gosh”

“ARE YOU LAUGHING”

“No, no no im not im nottt”

“YOURE STILL LAUGHING”

“I mean I’m not laughing AT you, your body’s amazing, it’s just that-”

“EXCUSE ME”

“What? I call em like I see em”  

“are you serious right now?”

“are you naked right now?”

“I’m leaving”

“Just like your towel”

“SCREW YOU”

“Just say the word sweetheart”

Roommate Geto who after the “incident” won’t let you live it down.

“You know, its rude to laugh every time you see someone”

“Well, it’s also rude to run around the house naked and not tell anyone”

“It was a MISTAKE”

“that’s what they all say”

Roommate Geto who is a major tease. It’s like every time you see him, he’s shirtless, sweaty and begging to be licked.

“What are you staring at”

“Nothing”

“I don’t knowww, it kinda looks like you were staring at my abs if you ask me”

“Well, I mean, you’ve got em just sitting there, all on display and whatnot so I mean could you blame me really”

“guess not.”

Roommate Geto whose surprisingly….unlucky in love? He was up to four dates this week and returned home alone, once again.

“Hey, how’d it go”

“Idk man, maybe the problem is me”

“Why, what happened”

“She was just so boring and so superficial. I mean oh my gosh all she talked about the entire time was about how good all her ex’s told her she was in bed and how at the end of the date she’d give me SUCH a good time.”

“Wow, what a date”

“I know, like gosh I don’t remember it being this hard to get laid, like ever”

“Well, if you’re tryna just get screwed then you’re being a bit picky don’t you think, I sure she was a decent enough lay”

“Well, I mean yeah, but I’d also like to sleep next to someone I wanna get up and make breakfast for in the morning”

“I mean, you got me there”

Roommate Geto who talks you into letting him do your first tattoo.

“Oh cmon, don’t be a baby”

“Don’t be a baby? This is a permanent decision, not something to be taken lightly, AT ALL”

“It’ll be something small, in a place that won’t hurt too bad, it’ll take at the absolute most an hour”

“What would I even get”

“Something small and cute that represents you, that you won’t regret in forty years. And that’s not a butterfly.”

“What’s your beef with butterflies”

“You know how many teenage girls I give butterfly tattoos to each and every week? I’m so tired”

“Well, you’re in luck, I was actually thinking about something else”  

“So, you’ll let me do it”

“Yeah, why not. Yolo right”

“YES”

Roommate Geto who has a surprisingly large, sweet tooth.

“Geto, did you have Satoru over recently”

“Yeah, he was over last night, why what’s up”

“He ate all three of my packs of mango mochi. AGAIN”

“Oh um, actually that was me”

“You ate it? Since when did you start eating sweets like that”

“It’s a bad habit I pick up every now and then, I’m really sorry, I left some money on the counter for you to get some more, did you see the note?”

“I saw the money, no note. I left it there because I figured you just forgot it there or something”

“Nah, it’s all yours”

“Thanks, hey so that one-time last month when I got that strawberry cake and it disappeared the next day you blamed it on Gojo even though I didn’t even remember him being here, that was you”

“Uhhh, yeah”

“An entire cake Geto? Get a grip”

Roommate Geto whose been home an unusual amount.

“You’ve been home a lot recently, what’s up”

“Tired of seeing me already?”

“No, but I mean, I used to forget you lived here you were gone so long, and now you’re here no later than eight every day. Believe me I enjoy the company but it’s worth mentioning”

“Yeah, everything is fine, I just idk, have had more reason to be home recently”

“Yeah, reasons like?”

“You”

“What?”

“What?”

“What’d you just say”

“Nothing, why do you ask”

“But you just-”

“I just what?”

“hmm”

“Hmm”

Roommate Geto who you might have a crush on. I mean in your defense; he’s been turning up the flirt tenfold, and when there's an impossibly hot, tattooed guy cooking, cleaning and flirting with you, it's hard to help your feelings.

Roommate Geto who you, scratch that, DEFINITELY have a crush on. That's probably why you ended up in his bed last night.

“Geto, where are you going. You know its rude to sleep with someone and disappear in the morning”

“Well seeing as how we’re in my bed, I think you’d have to be the one to sneak off on me. But relax, I’m just gonna go make breakfast. You got anything in mind?”

“Mmmm how about, pancakes”

“Whatever you wish beautiful”

border by @bunnysrph

I hope you all enjoyed. don't forget to comment choso or sukuna next post.

[lesbiansanemi]

Currently trying not to vomit over the fact that I essentially just lost almost a thousand dollars brb

[basicallyjeankirschtein]

lost and found - toji x reader x sukuna

chapter 8

summary: gojo is an asshole. sukunas there for you, though (and toji)

* ooc, MDNI, mentioned dubcon (between gojo and reader) because reader was under the influence, toji being shameless(and a freak), mentioned masturbation and dacryphilia

not proofread

masterlist. prev. next

you were shocked gojo would even think about bringing that night up. even more so hurt, you guys promised to never bring that up again. and to imply that you were hooking up with sukuna? that was disgusting.

two months ago when you were beginning to introduce shoko and utahime together, shoko invited you two to a party. gojo clearly wanted to tag along, so the two of you reluctantly agreed (with shokos approval, of course).

at the party, shoko and utahime obviously hooked up. everyone could see the tension between them, and you were happy for them. but that left you and gojo alone, and after coercing you to drink much more than you wanted, the two of you ended up hooking up, as well. gojo must’ve been jealous utahime was getting more pussy than him.

you don’t remember the night at all. you were way too drunk, but gojo could strangely remember everything. you didn’t know how, considering he claimed to also be drunk.

you were tired of this disrespect. you were known to be a compliant, quiet girl. you always let others take advantage and disrespect you, but you were honestly sick of it. you’ve had so many bottled up emotions over the years of letting people walk all over you, and you think it’s finally time you stand up for yourself.

you did not hesitate to block gojo. yea, maybe he’ll tell everyone you guys had sex or whatever, but it’s not like he had evidence. you’ll just say it never happened and use your scary dog privileges (sukuna) to make him back off.

could you consider sukuna someone you could trust? he told you if gojo ever did anything, he’d be there to help. so you did consider him someone you could trust, despite how scary he was.

someone delivered your shower products just as sukuna finally reappeared.

“sorry,” sukuna said in his usual (and insanely attractive) gruff voice.

“i told toji off. he won’t bother you anymore.”

you didn’t want to know what sukuna did to make toji stop, so you just smiled at him.

“it’s okay, really.” you said, trying to sound as appreciative as possible. “could you help me with the shower? and i know you told me not to pay you back, but im going to anyway-“

sukuna grunted, his face going red once more. is it hot in here? if it was, you didn’t feel it.

“help… you in the shower?”

you tilted your head, confused why he was acting so fidgety. “if you don’t mind… i just need you to show me which direction to turn the knob to make it hot-“ you felt stupid for asking. he probably thought you were an idiot.

“oh.” he coughed, quickly pushing past you to the bathroom,

“how hot do you like it?” he asked, his face turned away from you (much to your dismay).

“i want to feel like im boiling alive.”

sukuna snorted at your response. it was cute, causing you to laugh as well.

“it’ll take a minute to heat up, just yell for me if you need anything.” he told you, still avoiding eye contact as she made his way past you and to the door.

before leaving, he called over his shoulder,

“and i told you not to worry about paying me back.”

with that, he closed the door behind him, and once again, you were alone. you made sure to lock the door behind him, not wanting toji to waltz in again like he owned the place (well, he did).

you hummed as you stripped yourself, setting your clothes down beside the towel sukuna left for you by the sink. you hated putting on dirty clothes, especially after a shower, but it’ll have to do.

almost as if toji could read your mind, he knocked on the bathroom door. this caused you to jump, a bit shocked by the sudden noise.

at least this time he knocked.

“did sukuna leave you any clothes?” he asked, his voice deep and gruff. they both had that same almost scary tone to their voice, a roughness to it, yet you could somehow easily tell the two apart.

“um, no, it’s alright.” you yelled from behind the door, covering yourself up despite the door being locked.

“need a pair?” he asked. you glanced at your used clothes, biting your lip as you pondered if you should take him up on his offer.

“if you don’t mind?” you finally responded. you got no response, only the sound of footsteps fading away.

you wondered if he was leaving to get you clothes, or if he just did that to mess with you. you scrunched your face up in confusion, this guy was weird.

you shrugged to yourself, not expecting him to come back after the fifth minute. he must’ve just been teasing, what a weirdo.

you sighed, moving the curtain to the side so you could step in the shower, and then, of course, toji knocked. tool him long enough.

“i’ve got you some clothes, doll. sorry i took a while, was trying to find some old clothes that might be smaller so they’d fit.”

you blinked, still shocked he came back. you stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel around you as you quietly stepped towards the door.

as if noticing you discomfort and hesitation, toji spoke up, “i’ll leave them for you out here if you’re too shy to take them from me.”

you didn’t know if he was flirting, teasing, or mocking.

but, you knew he left because you could hear the sound of his footsteps fading away once more.

you were quick to open the bathroom door when you couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, a small pile of clothes (that were definitely too big) on the ground.

you practically slammed the door behind you after retrieving the clothes, terrified one of them would see you, whining when you noticed the size. this would definitely not fit. the boxers, at least.

it was nice of him to try to get smaller sizes for you, but god, he was huge. this wouldn’t fit anybody.

you decided that would be a problem for later you, and you should instead focus on showering before you used up of their hot water.

you stepped in, once again thankful for sukunas credit card buying you the shower supplies when your gaze turned to the mystical, definitely not safe, six in one bottle of shampoo and conditioner. what were the other four, you wondered…

as much as you’d love to keep these delicious strawberry scentened products, you thought you’d be doing them a favor by keeping them here. not only did sukuna pay for them, but they probably had some unknown chemicals creating a new disease in that six in one bottle. they’d have to suck up smelling like strawberries, you said to yourself as you made a mental note to throw out that bottle, maybe burn it. you’d be doing them a favor.

while you loved to take long showers, you were mindful of their water bill and only took as long as necessary (which was still long).

you stepped out, the bathroom was steamy, you weren’t visible in the mirror. you childishly drew a smiley face on the mirror, unable to resist with a giggle.

now, the problem.

the clothes.

you couldn’t even ask sukuna for a pair of his clothes, as he was just as big as toji. either way, they’d be falling off. but, it was better than used clothes, right?

you slipped the oversized t-shirt on, the material practically drowning you. it landed just above your mid thigh, making you look small in comparison.

while you disliked used clothes, you thought it would be best to throw your bra on under it. the neck of the shirt was so loose around you, if they were to look at you from a taller angle (which, they always are), you’d be flashing the poor men.

you however do NOT want to put back on your used panties. you didn’t know why, considering it was your pussy, but you disliked the idea of wearing the same pair of panties more than once without being washed. it was just one of those little things that grossed you out.

boxers were technically underwear, right? you thought to yourself, pulling the ridiculously large pair up. they barely clung to your hip, much to your dismay.

well, it would just be tonight. you thought, trying to wiggle them up higher, but they just kept falling down your waist and to your hips. at least the shirt covered you.

you stepped out of the bathroom, the overpowering scent of strawberries following you into the living room where both men sat on the couch.

“you smell nice,” sukuna spoke, his gaze immediately wandering to your toji’s clothes. you could see the faint envy in his eyes.

“thank you,” you said with a soft smile, “you can keep all that stuff. it smells nice and it’s way better than whatever that six in one concoction is..”

“are you saying that because you want us to keep it, or because you plan on coming here more often?”

the question sprung up by toji caught you off guard. once again, you couldn’t tell if he was flirting, teasing, or mocking. he always had that same somewhat malicious tone to his voice, but as you’ve come to know of sukuna, you think that’s just how he normally sounds- rather than being rude towards you.

“both…?” you decided to answer, a bit confused with both his question and your answer. you wouldn’t mind coming to see them more, they were nice, but you weren’t sure if toji meant it in a sexual way or not.

“then i suppose i can see you in my clothes often, too?”

oh, he was totally flirting.

it seems sukuna telling him off didn’t scare toji off for long, because here he was, shamelessly flirting with you infront of sukuna.

sukuna was definitely going to beat up toji.

sukuna, not wanting to scare you, decided to bring you to his room so he wouldn’t hear him and toji arguing. he made sure to let you know that you can sleep in his room, he’d just crash out on the couch. he said you were welcome to lock the door if you felt uncomfortable, god, he had too much trust in you for a guy you just met. you were going to protest, but he was quick to shut the door behind him. as usual.

you bit your lip, looking around his room. this was awkward, you thought. you didn’t want to be the reason the two were arguing.

you felt beyond guilty for even dragging sukuna into your own mess. you should’ve just dealt with gojo yourself, you shouldn’t have even accepted his offer to help.

was it sensitive of you to cry? maybe, but you were so pent up. you still haven’t properly accepted the fact that you just practically lost all your friends.

what you needed was a good cry, and thankfully for you, they were too busy arguing to hear your small, pitiful whimpers as you hugged yourself close, finally letting yourself go after having such a terrible day.

arguing over text when they were sitting right next to each other was a little funny. but when toji admitted he was also looking to an actual relationship with you, sukuna got angry. not even uraume could help them with this argument.

the two have never fought over a girl before, neither of them were the type to be in a committed relationship.

but now, it was different.

sukuna was sure toji was only claiming that because he hated when sukuna had something he didn’t.

the two argued that night, although both were mindful to keep it down so you wouldn’t hear. although, in the midst of their whisper-yelling, sukuna noticed the sound of your small sobs.

“shut up.” sukuna growled, glaring at toji as he turned to face his bedroom door. the sound of another sob alerted him that you were in fact crying.

“shit.” toji sighed, “you go check on her.”

sukuna was shocked toji was offering for him to do it, considering toji apparently liked you and everything. he gave toji a curt nod, making his way to his bedroom and knocking.

toji could hear sukuna say ‘can i come in?’ softly as he made his way to the bathroom, his gaze immediately shifting to your used clothes discarding on the sink.

toji heard the sound of sukunas door opening and closing, glancing over his shoulder every second to make sure neither of you were coming out.

he discreetly picked up your panties, a cute lacy pair with little pink bows on the side. he stuffed the cute thing in his pocket, swiftly returning to his room.

and that night, as sukuna comforted you and you cried about your misfortunate day, toji wrapped the pair of panties around his cock and thrusted to the sound of your cries.

he came fantasizing about how you would cry on his cock

sorry i got a little freaky there…

taglist

@starmapz @corvid007 @estella-novella @zezedoesshit @beautifulwitchcandy @jinxiewritings @b0nez9 @pixiedustaddictsblog @nightlysunn @nanamineedstherapy @lvingd3adg0rl @etsuniiru @paradisestarfishh @yanelis-world @str4wb3rryc4k333 @indiewritesxoxo @havkjhdecs @tenthmilo @yunho-leeknow @polarbvnny @gradmacoco @anonnieghost @tyunswifey @ex1acy @t4naiis @shizukaay0 @ivydoesit23 @animereaderinsertwriter @des-todoroki @slowlyshycomputer @imoutofpot @qardasngan @recispeices @moncher-ire @nakednostalgia @minzxec @drownedbytears

@seellove @melonmako

[lost-romantique]

"We aren't a family, sir!"

"We aren't a family, sir! You are the boss! We are the employees!"

"Who's that?"

"Oh, her? That's just Loona. What a nightmare. Serious attitude problems... She'll be out of our hair next month when she ages out. Good riddance, if you ask me. She'll never amount to anything much."

"Fuck, Blitzo! Why can't you stay out of my face for, like, five minutes?!"

"Because, I adopted you! And that should mean something!"

"Oh, what does it matter?! You're not my real dad! I was almost eighteen!"

"It still counts!"

"Well, it shouldn't! I didn't need you then, asshole! I don't, now!"

"I love you, dad."

"Okay, not much of a talker, are you? I'm Blitzo, the "o" is silent. I'm sure we're going to get along just fine. So, what's your deal? What'd you do? Who'd you diddle? You look like someone good with a gun. You look like someone who could shoot up an office-"

"I'm just worried about Millie. She'll be on her way by now, I'm sure!"

"Ugh, she'll be fine, Moxxie. It would take a roided-up hippo to take down that woman when she's upset."

"We've never dealt with the human government before! She's in danger!"

"Do you ever honestly shut up about Millie?! It's always "Oh, how's Millie?" "I can't tonight. I'm hangin' with Millie!" "I'm so worried about Millie!" And she's ALWAYS... FIVE FUCKIN' FEET away from you! It's pathetic!"

"Do you remember what you said to me after my first day with the company?"

"Not really..."

"I remember. You told me I did a good job and that you were proud to work with me. I feel like you wanted to say something more judgmental, but... you said that because I needed it... And it helped."

"Look, I'm hard on you, because I know what you're capable of, Mox. You care too much about what everyone thinks except for... me, because, y'know, my opinion is correct, but just... keep doing a good job. 'Kay? You shoot 'n kill good, you escape things easy... you can be strategic and cold-blooded when you need to, aaaand don't expect any more compliments; I'm maxed out."

"Thank you, sir."

"Who the fuck are you?"

"Someone with an eye for potential. Now you wanna keep working for peanuts, or do you want to shake things up?"

"I'm done. I don't wanna play ghost hunter with you, and I-"

"Uh, it's ghost-fuckers"

"I wasn't done! You know, I always love to have fun with you, and I ain't said boo to you moping around like a sad sack for weeks. But we have bills to pay... So look, you can go be pathetic and play sex ghosts, if that's what you need to do, but I gotta get this job done!"

"Fine! Who needs you anyway!? Bethany Ghost-Fucker works ALONE!"

"We're just Wrathians, Blitz. Muscle. It's all we're good for, all I'm good for. It's why you hired me. Any demon good at making a buck is welcome in Lust or Greed, but here? Demons like us ain't cut out for this."

"Uh... fuck you!"

"What?"

"Millie, I have spent too much of my time, energy, and holes into setting this up for us to entertain your bullshit. I brought you into this company for a reason, okay? You're tougher, smarter, and frankly more capable than anyone I've ever met in any ring..."

"Look. What I said earlier, you've just always been so unbothered by everything. Almost bulletproof and, I guess I never realized how much I depended on that. I didn't know how to react to you being reduced to…Bethany. But I should've respected you like you always do for me. I'm sorry."

"NO! Not them, Your Highness! It was me, it was all me, okay? Y-you can't expect to teach anyone a lesson by killing all of us!"

"You dare try to tell me how to PUNISH!?"

"Look, all that Hell is gonna see is you executing imps who are just trying to do their job! I'm the rogue here, not them!"

"Blitz, what are you doing?"

"Your Highness, please. Blitz just--"

"Moxxie, stop."

"Blitz, I can't let you-"

"This big red bitch never planned on hearing us out... Just... just take care of Loona for me."

"I love you, guys."

"Sir-sir, you're here!"

"Dad!"

"Don't you ever do that to me again, you fucking idiot!"

Moxxie was right, they are most definitely not a family. /sarcasm

[lara4eclipze]

“Expensive”

sypnosis; being an OF wasn't that hard , one pic here and there , yet sometimes it intrigued who was these people—especially your top payer

cw; smut (!) , sw!reader , pervy Lara , swearing, , usage of degrading names , kinky shit , G!P Lara,not proofread, men do not interact!!

"what the fuck" you exhale as you take a look at your dms , one thing about being an OF model I guess — men will request the most outrageous shit ever

"fuck it" you say picking out one of the request— this one wasn't too bad oh! and it's made by your top payer

"wear my favorite lingerie?— not bad" you say , she payed like what thousands every month practically paying for your monthly dues

going to your closet and picking out one, which one pink? maybe red?— god it said your favorite why are you stressing it out

deciding on an simple pink one with ribbons , sighing out of relief — now all you have to do is shower and get the set up ready

--

after setting up the cameras and most importantly the lingerie, you get into position and take pictures

"wait should I text this to her? or is it a him?" you never really knew the gender since Lara went on your page under an anonymous name

after the"photoshoot" you ofcourse had to edit them think of a caption and so many things

afterwards you sent it to her , thanking her for her donations

"hello!— i noticed you were my top payer, here's a little thanks 😉" and sent , now we wait?

ding!

ding!

"oh my gosh— thank youu , honestly love your content!!" she immediately replied which surprised you

i mean the way she types , is she a girl??

"welcomee , if it doesn't bother you are you a female??" you ask , confused

"female , why?—I'm Lara by the way" she replied right away so she had a lot of time in her hands

oh and Lara? is that why her user was just L?

"nothing! — I was just wondering" you replied

--

a few days passed by , and Lara did not miss a single hour of donating

"hey—i was wondering how much I can uhm pay you to meet me in person?" Lara suddenly chats you

at first you were taken a back but after a little thought you decided to agree

"can you please show me pictures of yourself first?" you replied, yes you knew she was a girl but you can never be too sure

L sent three files

your phone rings , opening the photos you were stunned she looked beautiful, her eyes were like a siren calling out to you

"wow you're gorgeous" you replied

soon you were both planning out the day and time you would meet , you both settled for her apartment

--

the day comes and your standing outside her apartment, you were strangely sweating and your heart raced

"hey—how are you" Lara says as she opens the door , she looked mesmerizing her arms were toned, her face was sculpted by god himself

"uhmm" she trails off , god did you just snoozed off

"oh uhm sorry! " you replied, she lets you in and you both settled at the living room , her apartment looked expensive, I mean considering she spent thousands on you she can probably spend millions alone

"drink?" Lara asks , handing you a glass with some nice wine in it , she took a sip out of hers god she looked hot

"thanks.." taking a sip aswell , it tasted spectacular, like expensive, fine wine

a little bit of chatting and talking about your interest , it truly felt like a date but it's weird since you know she pays to see you

maybe it was crazy that you got drunk because of wine , but your tolerance was as low as 0

you were checking her out shamelessly at this point, her fingers , her face gosh , your eyes trailed down to her thighs , wait is that a bulge?—she noticed you especially where you were looking

"why princess? , want to try?" she ask her voice was husky and laced with seductiveness

you couldn't think straight , you aren't straight that's one thing

you hadn't noticed how close you both were till you felt her hands on your waist hoisting you to sit on her lap

your arms wrapped around her nape , core perfectly aligned with her bulge — you were gonna lose it

"my pretty girl — tell me what you want" she purrs

"please" you pathetically whine against her , her lips found yours , her hands deftly removing your clothing till you were left with your undergarments

"shit" she whispers , she loved it truly

"don't stare" did you just get embarrassed?, you did this for a living selling pictures of your body

to make you comfy she removes hers aswell leaving herself in some boxers and sports bra

"gosh you look better in real life" she says , was that a compliment?

"i just didn't expect you to be whore outside OF aswell" now you're soaked , how can someone make you feel this way when they degrade you

slowly she removes your lacy undergarments , her fingers finding your swollen clit begging for attention

"so wet , how nasty of you" she snickers

you whine , god your head felt fuzzy from her words and her fingers , have mercy on me Lara

"your cunt is so tight" she tsks , as her fingers probe your insides

by this point moans fill her house , you gently rock back and forth on her fingers seeking pleasure

until you felt her pull out her fingers at first you whined earning you a deep chuckle from the indian

you felt a much more bigger thing replace it — god was that her shit .it felt amazing the stretch that her tip kissed your cervix

"faster please" you moan , as she started bouncing you on her , you started blushing and sweating out of pure pleasure

her hands snaking around your breast taking one in her mouth , swirling her tounge around it

"gonna fill you up" she pants , hemr moans mix with yours as she keeps a brutal pace , the knot in your stomach quickly getting tighter

"please fill me up!!" you moan pathetically

"such a fuckin' whore for me" she breathes out before finally painting your insides

you silently scream—she prolonged your orgasm until you felt exhausted

pulling out of you , Lara took a look at your cunt dripping with her cum

"beautiful" she says before carrying you to her bed resting you there

"are you okay?" her kind demeanor now back

"yes thank you" you replied

"okay that's good— take a nap , I'll wake you up when dinners ready" she says smiling at you

you hum far too tired to form words

[flowery-mess]

Midnights of October🍁🧡🎃

October 27th

Family trip to Disneyland [dad!Noah]

warnings: parenthood, Noah pictured as a girl dad

author's note: watch the video at the end🥹 Thea, or Dorothea, is name that I gave this fictional daughter😊

taglist: @concreteangel92 @sorrowsofsilence @lma1986 @stardustsirenmelody @dream-machine-love @mrsnoahsebastian (let me know if you want to be tagged or deleted!😊)

Midnights of October masterlist

*

I bet this would be one of the cutest family days ever

Baby girl Thea has Noah wrapped around her finger all the time, but in Disneyland? All it takes is her to look at something and he's taking his card out

Minnie ears? Got it

Princess dress? Gets her like theee of them because she can't pick just one

Fairytale books? Give him 10, because books are good right

Snacks? Every single one, even if she can't finish them, because that gives snacks also to you, and Noah knows snacks are the way to his girls hearts

The day would start with big hotel breakfast, talking about all of the things you're going to see and do there

Your's and Noah's goal was to meet Ariel at some point, because Thea will burn the whole place down if she doesn't meet her favorite princess

You'd think she'd want to wear Ariel costume, but she doesn't want to be her, she wants to be her best friend, so...

You bought her the fishie costume, Flounder, months ago when you were planning for this trip and she insisted with wearing it for breakfast too

She would be really careful to not spill anything on it, and you'd watch her with terrified eyes everytime something looked like it's gonna drop, because if that happened you'd have to pay the hotel staff to get it washed and dried and it would just delay the whole plan

While Noah would be watching her with heart eyes the whole time

Noah would be the kind of dad that takes pictures and videos of EVERYTHING Thea does

And if you think you two would get away with not dressing up you'd be crazy

So as I was saying Ariel is the favorite princess here...

Noah would be dressed up as prince Eric, obviously

And you, get ready, Sebastian the crab

Noah would have a blast with seeing you in all red with gloves in the shape of pincers (??) and head band with eye balls

"Just laugh at me, find your Ariel and leave me alone to die alone." you'd say

Or the typical question "Would you love me even if I was a crab?"

"Yeah, I could take you anywhere in my pocket." he'd say like it's the most normal thing ever

Back to the Disneyland we go

You and Noah would spend the whole day pointing at Thea in her costume saying "Look how her tail wiggles."

Peak of the day - meeting Ariel of course

Thea saw her and took off

Thank god Ariel has red hair, when you spotted her you hoped Thea was with her

And she was, hugging her already when you and Noah caught up with them

In that moment you and Noah did not exist for her

Thea spun around to show the princess her costume and then remembered her parents

"Oh and look at my mummy she's Sebastiand and daddy is the prince!" she said excitedly while pointing at you both

You and Noah didn't know how to act, being both introverts and uncomfortable, sending panicked looks to each other

But Thea didn't even give you space to say something as she started babbling something to Ariel again

You took pictures of her with Ariel, also all three of you with Ariel and then said your goodbyes

Honestly anything else after meeting Ariel didn't matter, because every few minutes Thea said "Can I see the pictures moooom?"

And "Can you send them to uncles? I want uncle Folio to see my fishie costume dad!"

You'd get something for dinner and then gathered with everyone else to see the fireworks

But meeting Ariel was probably so tiring that Thea fell asleep on Noah's shoulder halfway through

She continued with her peacefull sleep the whole way to your hotel room

You and Noah stood at the end of the bed as you watched Thea sleeping with her plush fishie and small smile on her face

In that moment you knew you and Noah did good with this whole family and parenthood thing you were scared of

[ceasarslegion]

Ok you can't just tease gory roommate stories and then not share them! Pleeease tell us more!

I didn't answer this at first because I had to go back to dig up the photos to prove I am not fucking with you when I say how disgusting that place was

So how we ended up living together was that I had just graduated uni, toronto is too expensive so I couldn't stay there as much as I wanted to, and a federal government career opportunity in PEI fell through on the basis that I "didn't look enough like a minority" (which is a lot to unpack but let's just move on, if anyone wants that story send another ask my way lmao). So all this in mind, I had to grab all my stuff and fuck off back to edmonton and take a paying-the-bills job for a while.

I also needed a place to live, so I called up a few of my friends in edmonton and asked if any of them needed a roommate because I was making minimum wage in a mall skincare store, I couldn't afford to live alone. This person responded and told me they needed a roommate to get out of the sketchy part of the city. Win-win.

Honestly, would've been better taking my chances on craigslist. This person single-handedly ruined the concept of roommates for me for the rest of my goddamn life.

When I say disgusting, I mean vile. I mean that the entire time I was there I had the one laundry card from our unit and she never once asked for it. I don't know where or when or how she was doing her laundry, but most of her clothes were strewn about randomly. She had 2 cats, and cleaned their litter boxes maybe once a month, never brushed them. Cat hair everywhere, the whole place reeked of cat piss, dirty litter got tracked across the whole house, and one time one of them barfed on the carpet and she didn't even touch it for weeks. I left it there as a test to see if she would actually clean up after her own animals if I didn't get fed up and do it for her, like I ALWAYS did with everything else.

Dirty dishes were left to rot, her definition of "cleaning" them was soaking them in their own filth overnight and then putting them back in the cupboard, no brush or sponge. Half the time the dishes were fucking coated in grease and mold that was just rinsed off. And every time that happened was when I didn't do them. She ended up getting a tabletop dishwasher at one point and was so fucking lazy that she couldn't even be assed to throw a dishwasher tab in there and hit the on button when it got full, just kept piling dishes up in the sink.

The floors were COVERED in untouched impulse bought shopping bags that she would set down and never pick up again. The fridge and cupboards were chock all of all her impulse bought food to the point where I had no space for my own. She just kept buying more and more of the same shit she already had and then getting pissed at ME when I told her to reorganize the fucking fridge so that I can EAT. Honestly this was where I started getting petty and just eating her food, because it would go fucking moldy and sit there and she wouldn't do shit about it if I didn't.

I was the only one who ever took out the garbage. I was the only one who cleaned the bathroom. Wait sorry, she did it ONCE, so I'm a hypocrite /s. The previous sentence was her logic and tactics for arguing whenever I asked them to clean up after themself. Multiple times I had to deal with their used pads because they couldn't be fucking assed to take out the bathroom trash.

And hey, when I said I was fine with her boyfriend coming over sometimes, I didn't say he could basically just move in, throw all HIS trash everywhere, and never move out. I don't think that motherfucker (who was more disgusting than her) ever slept at his own goddamn house for 6 straight months.

She smoked so much weed that I think she might be the first person to have a legitimate weed addiction, often INSIDE so we would get smoking complaints. She would howl like a BANSHEE into the early hours of the morning on ps online with her brother in a building with thin walls. She would hoard all the dishes in her room to rot to the point where half the time I didn't have bowls to eat out of, because they were molding in her room.

One time, she made soup. And then didn't clean the pot for multiple MONTHS. And when I told her to clean her disgusting pot her reaction was to put it on the floor. Do you think I'm a fucking dinosaur whose visual competence is based on movement? Do you think im fucking stupid?

This all came to a head on provincial election night of 2023. I was a campaign staffer for the NDP so obviously e-day was hectic for me. I left my apartment at 6am and didn't get back until past midnight scrambling to get last minute canvassing done and poll inspections and go to the results party. She knew this, it was her day off, she promised me she would clean up her mess

When I get home, what do I find?

Not only is the mess not touched, it is worse. "Dirty underwear in the hallway" worse. She spent all fucking day playing video games and smoking weed. And now I would have to clean it all up because she won't, she never did, not one time did she ever actually make good on her promises to clean up after herself, I did it EVERY. TIME.

Oh wait no, sometimes she would move bags into a corner, so I'm a hypocrite and I'm asking too much of a grown-ass adult who is OLDER than me and she has to walk on eggshells around me. I'm so cruel and terrible and a bad person whose hygiene expectations of not breathing in cat piss are impossible. Don't I know she has depression and works 6 days a week? I'm a bad terrible ableist piece of shit and if I don't like it I can just leave. Which is what she acted like when I got so pissed at that that I confronted her about it and told her to get her fucking act together and grow the fuck up and take some responsibility for the fucking pigstye she was making other people live in. And then the next morning I found a lovely note on the fridge calendar that said "[boyfriend] moves in soon <3" so she was just kicking me out. Because I told her to pick up her dirty fucking underwear. She also had the AUDACITY to tell me that I was being unreasonable and had impossible standards of hygiene and that "it literally doesn't affect you"

So I went "lmao bet" and then told my landlord I was taking that offer of his to break the lease. What she didn't know was that I was telling him all this shit just in case I would have to bail early and cover my ass with the rental board. And he agreed that she was so unreasonable that he drafted me up a written agreement that this was a special case and he would not charge me fines or slap a broken lease on my record on the grounds that my roommate made my situation unlivable and a hazard to my health and safety. I contacted my grandma to move into her basement for a while and a week later I fucked off, leaving her with the entire rent and all the utility bills. I think it's less than she deserved honestly, I want my fucking security deposit back. Although I was very petty and did a shit job of patching up and repainting the mounted tv holes in my bedroom wall so they could deal with that.

Here's the photos of what I lived in for 9 months:

Are you taking the fucking piss

Now I live alone and I'm never doing roommates again. The only people I am living with are either my life partner or I'm moving back in with family if I can't afford it. I'll pump gas in the ass end of nowhere Saskatchewan in my Nan and grandads trailer before I live in this again

[inevitablysomber-dark]

The Price of Success 6

Dark! Peter Parker x Clementine! Reader

Summary: Clementine has fought tooth and nail to achieve her dream of attending a prestigious university. Balancing her demanding workload, a suffocating home life, and financial strain, she’ll do whatever it takes to stay afloat. Enter Peter Parker: wealthy, charming, and unexpectedly fixated on her. When he offers a proposition that could solve all her problems, Clementine reluctantly agrees—unaware she’s stepping into a carefully constructed trap. What begins as a transactional relationship spirals into something far darker as Peter’s true intentions come to light.

Warnings: This story contains dark themes, including manipulation, psychological and emotional abuse, unhealthy relationships, non-consensual elements, obsessive behavior, gaslighting, loss of autonomy, familial neglect, and power imbalances. Please read at your own discretion.

Dividers by @thecutestgrotto

Series Masterlist

"Clem, please come see me. Come and meet your niece," Mandarin pleaded over the phone.

It had been a couple of months since I escaped my personal hell to move in with Peter. Life since then has been nothing short of amazing. I quit my work-study job at the library, and now my tutoring client list is down to one person: Carrot.

I occasionally tutor Peter only when he insists he needs some "practice." Otherwise, my focus is solely on my studies, and acting as Peter’s unofficial girlfriend.

We never formally made it official, but peer pressure forced me to bear the title. Living with a guy who takes me on dinner dates and introduces me to his high-society friends at fancy galas practically screams "relationship." At this point, it’s easier to just go with it.

My parents called twice since I moved out. The first time, my mom berated me for not paying rent, even though I wasn’t living there anymore.

I hung up on her.

Peter, ever the problem-solver, offered to help with their bills. But when I told him they weren’t strapped for cash, he was confused, then shocked. Once he realized my parents made me pay rent despite not needing me to, he offered to ruin their lives. I had to give him a side-eye before calming him down and explaining that I didn’t want revenge.

The second call was from my dad, asking if I wasn’t coming back. When I told him no, he sounded genuinely guilty. But that guilt wasn’t enough to make me care.

Mandarin hadn’t called me at all, at least not until now.

She was practically begging me to meet her newborn, born earlier that morning at 2 a.m.

“I’m hanging up now,” I replied flatly.

Honestly, I had no intention of reconnecting with my family. I figured they felt the same, so Mandarin’s sudden outreach was surprising and irritating.

“Her name is Morgan,” she continued, her voice thick with emotion. “She’s so small and cute, and I honestly think you’d love to meet her.” She sniffled, clearly on the verge of tears.

I sighed. “Mandarin, we don’t exactly have the best relationship. So tell me, especially after the last time we saw each other, why you’d want me to meet your daughter. Or why you think I’d want to.”

“Please,” she whispered, hiccupping. “I need you. Morgan needs you.”

“Then call Mom and Dad,” I snapped. “They seem to have all the time and love in the world for you.”

“They’re not here. None of my friends are around, and I feel so alone,” she admitted, her voice trembling.

Rolling my eyes, I relented slightly. “I’ll think about it.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

As soon as I hung up, I decided I wasn’t going. Life was too good right now, and I’d be damned if I let Mandarin drag me back into the chaos.

“Was that Mandarin?” Peter asked from the couch.

“Yeah,” I said.

“What did she want?” he asked, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

“She wants me to meet her baby,” I said.

“Are you going?” he asked, his tone curious as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

“No,” I replied firmly.

He smirked. “Probably for the best. Considering.”

He kissed my temple.

I’d told Peter a lot about my childhood with Mandarin. It was…therapeutic, and he was a great listener. However, now, he seemed to have his own quiet vendetta against her and my parents.

Which wasn’t my intention. But I had to appreciate the fact that he had my back.

Right?

He turned me around to face him, the widest grin spreading across his face. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned in for a kiss.

His hands slid over my hips and down to my bottom, giving it a gentle squeeze before pulling me closer. When we pulled apart, he whispered, "So, when do I get to see the outfit you plan to wear to Tony’s event tonight?"

"Why? So you can ruin it like you did the last one?" I teased.

"Ruin it? Is that what I did?" he asked, feigning innocence.

I rolled my eyes. "I don’t even have it right now. Gerald insisted I get it tailored, so it should be ready in a couple of hours."

"Damn," he said with a smirk, "I was hoping to practice all the ways I’d take it off you."

I slapped his arm lightly and pulled away, gathering a few things as I moved toward the door. "I have to get to class to present this final project. Afterward, I’ll pick up the dress. Do you want just to meet me at Tony’s?"

"Never," he said, quickly closing the distance between us to plant another kiss on my lips. "I’ll be waiting for you right here."

When I arrived to class, I sat down and waited for presentations to begin. My phone buzzed with a text from Mandarin.

She’d sent a picture of baby Morgan. I had to admit, the baby was one of the cutest I’d ever seen. Still, I rolled my eyes, saved the photo, and closed the message.

Switching to a group chat with Carrot and Nikki, I saw Nikki had been sending pictures of potential outfits for Tony’s event. I decided to send Mandarin’s baby photo to the chat with the caption: Baby Morgan made it into the world.

Carrot replied almost immediately: OMG, she’s so cute!😍

Nikki added: Isn’t she? I’m planning to visit tomorrow. Are you coming, Clem?

Before I could think of a response, I heard my name.

Looking up, I saw Professor Xavier staring at me expectantly. I quickly put my phone away, stood up, and walked to the front of the class to start my presentation. Nikki’s question faded into the back of my mind as I focused on the task at hand.

"So, you never told me how the presentation went," Peter said.

We were on our way to Tony's event, running a bit late because Peter couldn’t keep his hands to himself. His distractions had pushed us back by at least half an hour. While Peter insisted it would be fine, I couldn’t shake my nervousness. I had only met his group of friends and associates once before, never all at once. I didn’t want this to set a bad precedent, especially considering how affluent and influential everyone there would be.

"It was fine. I’m pretty sure I passed," I replied.

Peter chuckled. "You definitely passed. I had to sit through that presentation a hundred times before you felt like it was perfect."

I rolled my eyes. "It wasn’t a hundred times."

"It felt like it," he teased, placing a hand on my thigh.

As we came to a stoplight, his hand started to inch toward my inner thigh, creeping up my skirt. I grabbed it and held it firmly in my own.

"Nope," I said firmly. "You already got what you wanted back at the apartment. We’re not doing this again."

"Oh, come on, just a taste," he smirked, clearly amused by my reprimand.

"No," I repeated, raising an eyebrows at him. "Be a good boy, and we’ll see how the night goes."

He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and sighed in mock defeat. "Alright," he conceded, though the mischievous twinkle in his eye told me he wasn’t done testing my resolve.

When we arrived at the party, Peter handed his keys to the valet with a casual smile, and we were greeted by coat check at the door.

As we were led through the grand halls of Tony Stark's mansion, I couldn’t help but gape in awe at the opulence surrounding us. The sheer size of the place was overwhelming, but it was the details that really got to me. The intricate woodwork, the polished marble floors, and the art—oh, the art.

“Wow,” I murmured as we passed a hyperrealistic statue of a nude woman holding a child. Her expression was serene, almost otherworldly. I glance at the name of the piece: ‘Love’s Secret Child’

“It’s something, isn’t it?” Peter commented, catching the direction of my gaze. “Tony loves to be extra.”

I looked back at him, catching his grin, and chuckled. “I can tell.”

We continued walking, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor as we approached what could only be the grand hall. As we entered, my breath hitched. The room was dazzling, crystal chandeliers bathed everything in warm, golden light, and the crowd was a sea of expensive suits and glittering gowns. Servers moved through the room with trays of champagne and hors d'oeuvres, and the hum of conversation filled the air like a low, luxurious symphony.

Immediately, my eyes found Nikki. She stood in the middle of the room, wearing a stunning dark teal floor-length gown with a deep plunge at the neckline, the perfect balance of elegance and allure. A small crowd of men surrounded her, captivated by her every word, their laughter rising above the hum of the room. She looked radiant, commanding attention with effortless charm.

“She got comfortable fast,” Peter commented with a smirk.

I couldn’t help but grin. Of course, she did. Nikki had a way of fitting in wherever she went.

Carrot couldn’t make it tonight—she’d come down with something and decided to rest—but I was relieved Nikki was here. Out of everyone I knew, she was by far the most sociable and outgoing. If anyone could thrive in a setting like this, it was her.

Peter’s hand found the small of my back as we moved further into the room, grounding me amidst the grandeur. “Ready to mingle?” he asked, his voice low and close to my ear.

I nodded, drawing in a steadying breath. 

“Peter!”

A high-pitched voice rang out, cutting through the murmur of the room.

We both turned toward it, and there was Pepper, walking toward us with a bright smile and her arms open in greeting.

“Peter, it’s so good to see you,” she said warmly, leaning in to kiss his cheek before turning her attention to me. “And you must be Clementine.”

I nodded. “Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Of course, I remember seeing you at Mandarin’s baby shower,” she said, her expression brightening as recognition dawned. “You’re her sister, right?”

I nodded again, glancing briefly at Peter, who gave me a reassuring rub on my back. The gesture was subtle, but it calmed my nerves a bit.

“How is Mandarin?” Pepper asked, her voice laced with genuine curiosity.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted, my tone neutral. “We haven’t spoken much lately, but from what I hear, she had her baby.”

Pepper gasped softly, her eyes lighting up. “Oh, that’s wonderful news! When?”

“This morning, I think,” I replied, leaning slightly into Peter’s touch.

“Really?” she said, a delighted smile spreading across her face. “I simply must go see her sometime this week.” She paused as if expecting me to say something more.

“You definitely should,” I said politely, maintaining a pleasant tone.

“Well, enjoy the evening!” she said with a graceful wave before whisking away to greet someone else who had just entered the room.

When I was sure Pepper was out of earshot, I turned to Peter.

“That was weird, right?” I asked.

He tilted his head, his expression puzzled. “What was weird?”

“How did she not know Mandarin was having her baby, or already had her baby?”

“Maybe they’re not that close,” he said with a shrug.

“She was at the baby shower, Peter.”

He hesitated. “I don’t know.”

I studied his face, but he looked genuinely confused. Maybe I was overreacting. I had decided I didn’t want anything to do with my immediate family, and yet here I was, grilling Peter about something he probably had no idea about.

“I’m sorry,” I said, exhaling a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“No need to be sorry,” he replied, giving me a quick peck on the lips.

As the evening wore on, I chatted with Nikki, who was having the time of her life, mingled with a few more of Peter’s friends, and eventually found myself in a cozy lounge room with Tony and Peter.

Tony sat in a large armchair, a drink in hand, and a selection of bottles sprawled out on the small bar cart next to him. Every now and then, he poured himself another, sometimes without even finishing the previous one.

The two of them were deep in conversation about business, tossing around inside jokes and banter I didn’t understand. Tony’s laugh was loud and infectious, but there was something about the way he kept refilling his glass that made me uneasy. He didn’t seem drunk, just... restless.

I sipped my drink quietly, letting their dynamic play out, until Tony turned to me and asked,

“You’re Mandarin’s sister, right?”

Surprised by his acknowledgment, I turned to Tony before nodding.

“Yeah. Pepper told me she had her baby this morning... Morgan, right?” he asked.

That’s right. Mandarin’s baby’s name was Morgan.

I nodded again, taking a sip of my drink. “Yeah, Morgan.”

Something felt off.

“Or at least, that’s what Pepper told me,” Tony added, his tone casual but his gaze sliding over to Peter.

I followed his line of sight, turning to Peter. For a brief moment, I caught an unfamiliar look in his eyes. It vanished so quickly, I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it. My stomach tightened, and I carefully placed my drink down on the table.

“Excuse me,” I said abruptly, my voice steady despite the unease building inside me. “I have to use the washroom.”

As I turned to leave, Peter reached out to grab my hand, but I stepped out of his reach before he could stop me. My heart was pounding as I made my way back to the large hall, scanning the crowd. The buzz of conversations and laughter felt muffled, distant, as my eyes landed on Nikki.

Without hesitation, I rushed toward her, grabbing her hand and leaning in to whisper in her ear.

“I need you to take me to Mandarin.”

Nikki paused to get a good look at me, concern etched on her face, before grabbing my hand and pulling me through the crowd.

We stepped outside, and Nikki went straight to the valet, not even bothering with coat check.

“What happened?” she asked, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“I don’t know,” I said, my voice calm despite the whirlwind of emotions beneath. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out.”

“Clementine!” Peter’s voice called out as he rushed down the steps toward me. “Babe, listen—”

“No,” I said firmly but evenly, cutting him off. “I’ll see you at home.”

I gave him a look, one that told him not to push, and to my surprise, he stopped in his tracks. “Okay,” he said after a pause. “I’ll see you at home.”

The valet pulled up with Nikki’s car, and we climbed in. The ride to the hospital was quiet, eerily so. Nikki didn’t press me, and for once, my mind was completely blank. I wasn’t panicking or overthinking. I felt… tranquil, almost numb.

When we arrived, Nikki handled the visitor badges for us both, her efficient demeanor snapping me back into reality. Together, we headed up to Mandarin’s room. When we stepped inside, Mandarin’s face lit up, a smile spreading across her features.

“Hi!” she greeted, her voice tired but warm.

She looked rough.

In all my years of knowing Mandarin, which was my entire life, I had never seen her look anything less than flawless. Even in the depths of drama or chaos, she always managed to have every hair in place, and her makeup impeccable. Seeing her now, hair disheveled, bags under her eyes, was unsettling.

Nikki wasted no time. “Oh my goodness, is that Morgan?” she gushed, her voice full of excitement.

Mandarin nodded, holding up the tiny bundle in her arms. Nikki stepped forward eagerly. “You don’t mind if I hold her, do you?”

Mandarin smiled weakly and carefully passed Morgan over. Nikki immediately became a cooing mess, swaying gently with the baby cradled in her arms.

Meanwhile, I stood near the door, my arms crossed and my eyes locked on Mandarin.

“Hey, Clem,” she said, her tone cautious.

I didn’t return the greeting. Instead, I asked flatly, “Is Tony Stark the father?”

The smile on her face froze. For a moment, it was so quiet you could hear an ant fart.

Mandarin’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. I could see the wheels turning in her head, the way her expression flickered between shock and panic.

“Well?” I pressed, my tone sharper this time.

She stammered, “W-What kind of question is that?”

“A reasonable one,” I said, stepping closer. “Answer it.”

I could see Nikki swaying baby Morgan back and forth, her earlier cooing replaced by wide-eyed silence as she watched me unload Mandarin’s mess.

“Mandarin,” I said, my voice firmer now. “Please just be honest with me.”

She hesitated, biting her lip before finally asking, “How did you know?”

“Tony,” I said flatly.

Nikki, still holding Morgan, chimed in, “We were just at an event he and Pepper hosted.”

Mandarin’s face paled, her guilt clear as day.

“He’s engaged to Pepper,” I said, each word deliberate and biting.

“I know,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

“What do you mean, you know?” My voice rose, sharp with disbelief, though I tried to remain mindful of the newborn in the room. “And you still slept with him?”

“It just happened…” she started, but her weak excuse only fueled my anger.

“Oh really?” I snapped, crossing my arms. “You just tripped and fell right on his dick?”

“It happened,” she said, her voice cracking. “And now I’m stuck.”

“Stuck?” I repeated, incredulous. “You’re stuck because you made the choice to mess with a man you knew was engaged to another woman.”

Tears welled in Mandarin’s eyes, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “I didn’t mean for it to go this far, Clem. I didn’t plan this.”

“Clearly,” I retorted, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’ve managed to not only screw up your life but potentially wreck someone else’s too. Do you even care about what this could do to Pepper? To Morgan!?”

Mandarin looked down, avoiding my gaze. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Well, congratulations,” I said coldly, gesturing toward Morgan, who was still peacefully swaddled in Nikki’s arms. “Because it looks like you’ve done a fine job of making a mess out of everything.”

“Hey, Clem, cut her some slack,” Nikki said, her tone soft but firm.

“Why should I?” I shot back.

“Because she just had a baby,” Nikki replied, carefully placing Morgan into her bassinet. “I get where you’re coming from, but this is neither the time nor the place for this.”

Nikki stepped closer to me, lowering her voice. “She’s clearly going through a lot right now, and berating her while she’s still probably feeling the aftereffects of her vagina being ripped open isn’t doing anyone any good.”

I glanced at Mandarin, her head buried in her hands as she tried, and failed, to stifle her sobs. A pang of guilt hit me, and I sighed, deciding to back off, at least for now.

The tense atmosphere had died down a bit and awkward silence was slowly taking its place.

“Can I hold her?” I asked.

Mandarin lifted her head, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked at me for a moment before nodding silently.

I made my way over to Morgan’s bassinet, carefully lifting her tiny form into my arms. Looking down at her for the first time, I couldn’t help but think how much cuter she looked in person. Her little face was soft and peaceful, her delicate features making my heart ache in a way I didn’t expect.

“Hi, Morgan,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’m your auntie Clementine.”

When Nikki pulled up outside Peter’s building, I hesitated before getting out. The lights in his apartment were on, a warm glow spilling through the curtains, beckoning me back inside. But I couldn’t shake the knot in my stomach.

"Want me to come up with you?" Nikki asked, her voice softer now.

I shook my head. "No, I need to do this on my own."

She nodded, reaching over to squeeze my hand. "Whatever happens, just remember you deserve honesty and respect. If you don’t feel that here, then you walk. Simple as that."

I nodded, her words giving me a small surge of confidence. I grabbed my bag and stepped out, feeling the weight of uncertainty press on my shoulders as I made my way inside.

When I unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment, Peter was already waiting for me, pacing in the living room. He turned the moment I entered, relief washing over his face.

"Hey," he started, his voice gentle but unsure. "I wasn’t sure if you’d actually come back."

I didn’t respond right away. Instead, I took off my shoes and coat, setting them neatly by the door before walking into the living room. I sat down on the couch, crossing my legs and arms.

He followed standing in front of me, waiting for me to say something.

 "I’m here. Now explain why you didn’t tell me Tony was Morgan’s father."

Peter’s face dropped slightly, and he rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit I’d seen a hundred times before. "Clementine, it’s not that simple."

"Really? Because it seems pretty simple to me," I countered, my tone sharper than I intended. "You knew, didn’t you? You’ve known this entire time."

He sighed, walking toward me cautiously. "Yes, I knew. But—"

"But what?" I interrupted. "What possible reason could you have for keeping that from me?"

Peter hesitated, his hands fidgeting at his sides. "Tony swore me to secrecy. He didn’t want this getting out, and I was stuck in the middle. I didn’t know how to tell you without betraying him."

I scoffed, my disbelief bubbling over. "So his reputation was more important than my trust? Good to know where your priorities lie."

"It wasn’t about choosing him over you," Peter said, his voice pleading. "I was trying to protect you, Clem. I didn’t want you dragged into this mess."

"Protect me from what, Peter? The truth?" My voice cracked, and I hated how vulnerable I sounded.

"From all of it," he said, stepping closer. "You don’t know Tony like I do. He’s powerful and ruthless when it comes to protecting his image. If you got caught up in this, he wouldn’t think twice about using his influence to hurt you, your family, your education…everything."

I stared at him, gauging whether this was genuine or just another excuse. His eyes were earnest, but the damage was already done.

"So you lied to me because you thought you knew what was best for me?" I asked, my voice quiet but biting.

"I didn’t lie," Peter said quickly. "I just-"

"You just omitted the truth. Got it," I cut him off, my words dripping with sarcasm.

Peter’s desperation hung thick in the air as he knelt before me, his hands firmly resting on my thighs as he pleaded his case. His eyes were wide, his face painted with genuine fear. "Clem, please. I know I messed up, but everything I’ve done has been to make your life better. You’re thriving here. You’re finally away from all the crap your parents put you through. Don’t let this ruin what we have."

I took a deep breath, leaning back into the couch, my body tense as I weighed his words. "What we have? How can I trust anything we have when you kept something like this from me?"

Peter’s pleading eyes locked onto mine as his hands rested firmly on my thighs, carefully uncrossing my legs, a mix of desperation and resolve in his voice.

"I’ve done everything I could to give you peace, to make you feel safe," he said. "I can’t lose you over something that doesn’t even involve us. You mean too much to me."

He pushes my dress up, as his fingers creeping in between my thighs.

I hesitated, searching his face for any hint of manipulation, but his expression was raw, almost pained. The weight of his words hung heavy in the air, but something about his logic still felt off.

"You kept something from me that you knew would hurt me," I said, my voice steady but strained. "That doesn’t feel like safety to me, Peter. That feels like control."

He pauses his movements flinching at my words, a flicker of guilt crossing his features.

"I wasn’t trying to control you," he insisted. "I was trying to protect what we have. I didn’t want to risk you seeing me in the same light as Tony or thinking I’m like him. You’re the only person who makes me feel... real."

I softened slightly, caught off guard by his vulnerability. He pushes forwards with his movements, and before he can get to my most intimate area, I grab hold of his hands, trying to move them away, but he won’t allow it.

"Protecting what we have means being honest with me, Peter. I can’t trust someone who can’t even be honest with me.”

He releases a long, shaky sigh “Please, I just want you.”

Peter swatted my hands away with ease, gripping my thighs and lifting them over his shoulders as if I weighed nothing. It caught me off guard, and my breath hitched as I tried to process what was happening. The look in his eyes was intense, almost primal, and it sent a shiver down my spine.

"Peter," I started, my voice uncertain, but he cut me off with a firm, determined tone.

"Let me show you how much you mean to me," he said softly, his lips brushing against the sensitive skin of my inner thigh.

His hands gripped me securely, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he had all the time in the world to make me forget about the whirlwind of emotions swirling in my head. It was overwhelming, the way he focused on me entirely, like I was the only thing that mattered in the universe.

I was stuck, what do I do? What could I do? But submit to him.

I felt him push my panties to the side, the cool air grazing my skin for only a second before his mouth replaced it. A sharp gasp escaped me as Peter’s tongue explored with deliberate, unrelenting intent. My fingers instinctively tangled in his hair, pulling at the strands as a wave of heat coursed through me.

"Peter," I whispered, my voice trembling, though I wasn’t sure if it was meant as a plea for him to stop or to keep going.

He groaned in response, the vibration sending a ripple of pleasure through my body. His hands gripped my thighs tighter, holding me in place as he worked with a precision that made my head spin. Every stroke, every flick of his tongue, seemed designed to pull me further from reality and into a haze of sensation.

I arched my back, my breaths turning into soft, helpless whimpers. The emotions I’d been wrestling with earlier, anger, betrayal, confusion, felt so distant now, replaced by a fire that consumed every part of me. It was maddening how he knew exactly how to unravel me, piece by piece.

"Peter, please," I gasped, not even sure what I was begging for anymore.

My legs trembled, the tension in my body building until it felt unbearable. Every nerve seemed to spark under his touch, his tongue and lips working me over with an expertise that left me breathless. My hands tightened in his hair, as I felt myself teetering on the edge.

"Peter-" My voice broke as my entire body tensed. The knot in my core unraveled all at once, sending a rush of white-hot pleasure through me. I gasped, my head falling back as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over me, leaving me shaking in his grasp.

Peter didn’t stop, his movements softening but still intentional, drawing out every last bit of my release. I felt my body melt into the couch, boneless and completely spent.

When I finally opened my eyes, Peter was looking up at me, his lips curved into a satisfied smile. His hands slid down my thighs, grounding me as my breathing began to steady.

"Still mad at me?" he asked, his voice low and teasing.

I blinked at him, my mind still hazy from the high. "You’re impossible." The only response I could muster.

Peter leaned up, planting a gentle kiss on my lips. "And yet, you’re still here."

Oof

[beaker1636]

MIW head cannons for taking you to meet their family for the first time

Vinny

I feel like for him this is kind of a test

He’s extremely close to his family, we all know this from what he has posted as far as photos and stuff with them, so if they didn’t approve in any way it would be an automatic game over… “sorry my mom didn’t like you”

But if they did, home boy may have thought he was in love with you before but now he knows for sure he is

Loves seeing how well you get along with his parents, may be slightly jealous that the first time you meet them they’re paying more attention to you then him.

Would probably be more nervous than you, he doesn’t usually take anyone he’s dating home so if he does it’s a big big deal.

Would lowkey ask his mom to make his favorite meal for both of you.

Embarrassed when his mom breaks out the photo album of embarrassing childhood moments

Almost dislikes how much you clique with his mom because now he knows the two of you are going to gang up on him and embarrass him when the chance arrives

Ricky

I feel like y’all would have to be very serious before he would take you home to visit his family… mostly because of how far away from them he lives

Like we’re talking you guys have been together for months

Would low key adore watching you with his nephew, might make him want kids idk? My brain immensely went to this.

I feel like it wouldn’t matter quite as much to him as it would the others that they like you, mainly because you aren’t around them much so if they do or don’t they don’t really know you, if you get what I’m saying.

Honestly I could see him being the anxious one

Chris

I don’t know if he’s a mommas boy confirmed but for some reason I get the vibes he’s a mommas boy.

So clearly when he does introduce you to her what she thinks means a lot

Would really hope that you get alone and are close to his family

Would love seeing you bond and be friends with his sister… even if it means both of you tease and torment him quite a bit.

I feel like you’d have to be pretty established in the relationship for him to take you home given his struggles with relationships in the past, he doesn’t want to get his or their hopes up again by you getting close to them and then the relationship ending.

10/10 would do as much as he could to dispel any anxiety you may have, especially never the sweetest boyfriends you could have in that regards.

Ryan

He’s the one I feel like would be the most chill about bringing you home, he just gives me those vibes

That’s not saying he doesn’t care what they think but I feel like if it’s serious enough he’s willing to take you home then he won’t be as worried about what they all think. If they out right hate you that’s one thing but otherwise I don’t see him letting it get to him too much.

Like hey, this is my girlfriend instead of what do you think about her if that makes sense?

But low key would still love if you got alone with his family because that’s always a good thing

Low key you wouldn’t be nervous or anxious because he isn’t nervous or anxious, so that would keep you pretty relaxed about it all

Justin

Going off the fact that he has a child I feel like he would be the one it is most important to.

Like if that little one didn’t like you, goodbye

But if we pretend for this case that he doesn’t have a child then I think it would be similar to Ryan

He’d be pretty relaxed, excited for sure that you mean enough to meet them but not stressed that you are

I could see him being one where you’d meet at a restaurant instead of at home just so nobody feels pressured at his parents nor your place to make everyone feel at home and a meal everyone would like

10/10 sweetest boyfriend ever when it comes to calming down your nerves about it all.

Would make sure you know that they liked you after so that you feel welcomed and at ease.

AN: I genuinely struggled with Justin and Ryan a little bit but I tried to just go with it 🤷‍♀️ you can tell this isn’t my speciality or a subject I’m familiar with 😂

[illtakeyoutowonderland]

The One (Part 5)

The one where she explained

Sihtric x Reader

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

Y/N had never been so happy to be able to wash herself like she was right now.

After Skade left with Haesten, she and Aethelflaed, along with Uthred and his men, had traveled to Saltwic, Aethelflaed's Mercian estate. But that took them days. Days Y/N could no longer tolerate anymore since she had never had to camp so many times in her life, let alone travel by horse. She missed cars. She even missed the bus.

She tried to stay away from everyone as she gathered her thoughts and tried to accept everything. It was hard, though. She could feel Uthred's eyes on her, and along with Finan's and Sihtric's as well. Osferth was the only one who actually talked to her. A few little comments on things, some thank you's as he brought her some food or shared some water. He was a sweet guy, Y/N liked him already, but still was torn between trying to be his friend while keeping his secret from Aethelflaed. So, she did what she did best. Stay quite and away.

But now, after a well deserved hot bath, she felt in a much better mood. She thank the universe for Aethelflaed's commodities on her house, or more like castle. She was given new and clean clothes, too. A simple dark green dress, warmth enough for this weather to her surprise. She brushed her hair and went to find her friend.

She instead found Finan and Osferth, practicing with swords and for a moment she wondered if she could ever learn. If she will ever have to. She got lost in her thoughts for a few seconds when someone from afar catch her attention. 

Sihtric was standing against the wall, not far from his friends, but paying them no attention. She felt guilty for the way she had treated him. Yes, he was infuriating, but she had let her emotions and her own problems get the best of her and she took it all on him. A man she didn't even know. 

She stood still for a few seconds, debating with herself about doing the right thing or ignore her feelings and go spend some time with Osferth. She rolled her eyes, knowing damn well she couldn't let this thing go. So, she walked up to him.

"Hey" She said softly as he realized her presence and looked at her

"Lady" He nodded at her and he watched her from head to toes and Y/N suddenly felt naked. His face showed no expression at all, but his eyes were dark and she even dared to say surprised to see her in a dress or clean, or both.

"Bet I do not look like a Dane in this dress, huh?" She awkwardly smiled and cursed herself for trying to be funny

"You do not, Lady" Sihtric said a little confused

A few awkward seconds passed, both in silence, before Y/N spoke again "So, uhm... I wanted to apologize to you"

"I think you already did, Lady" He said not looking at her "And then you went to pray for your God to give me a new brain, remember?" Ok, ouch

"Ok, so first of all, He is not my god, ok?" She exasperatly explained "And enough with the Lady thing, it's weird and my name is Y/N, not Lady " He looked at her and nodded as if to reasure her he was listening but he honestly he didn't know what to say. Sihtric was more than confused with her, she was so infuriating and could never predict her next move or words, still he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He looked over to Finan who shrugged and continue practising with Osferth. Y/N took a deep breath "What I'm trying to say is I'm sorry for insulting you and slapping you the way I did" She looked everywhere else but him "It was worng of me, you don't know me and I don't know you, and I was scared... I've been scared for the past few months and I took it on you. I don't know what came over me, I'm not like that" Sihtric notice, between her rambling, how her cheeks flushed a little and a few snowflakes that got stucked on her hair. And how she tried to keep her hands busy while explaining and he couldn't think of anything else but how cute she looked "You didn't deserved that, although you were being kind of annoying, but still, I was hoping you could forgive me and like, not hate me? So, yes, I'm sorry for all that"

She didn't dare to look at him, but could feel his stare on her. When he didn't say anything she looked up and found him smirking at her and blushed even harder "I can take a punch, Lady" This time his tone was playfull, ignoring her request to stop calling her like that

"I know" She said and took a few steps closer to him "Doesn't mean you have to"

"I think I'll live" He shrugged 

"But you still do not trust me" She stated "You, Uthred nor them" Y/N pointed at Finan and Osferth who pretended not to listen to the conversation "You do not trust me"

"Skade knows you and we do not trust her"

"But I don't know her" Y/N explained "I've never seen her in my life, I swear"

"You will have to talk to Lord Uthred about that" He started to walk towards his friends

"Are you serious?" She said turning in their direction "Can't make your own opinions without Uthred around?" She snapped

"This is more that just you and me" He said sternly "She cursed us all and you want me to believe you just happened to be around?"

"Sihtric, that's enough" Finan intervined

"She is hidding something, Finan!" 

"I am not!" Sihtric scoffed at her words "I'm serious, what do you want to know? I'll tell you everything, just ask me"

"How will I know you are not lying?"

"Guess you'll have to ask and see" She shrugged

"Ok" He said and stared at her "Who are you?"

"I'm Y/N" She said annoyed, she had said this a million times

"He means where are you from, Lady" Osferth intervined calmly

"And do not say from far away" Sihtric stated before she could give them the vage answers she had been giving them for days

"Oh, uhm" She looked to the floor weighing her options, the three men waiting for her response "I do not know how to explain"

"Lies" 

"You are really annoying you know that?" Y/N snapped at Sihtric and she could see Finan and Osferth grinning

"That's what we been trying to tell him, Lady" Finan said trying to light up the mood but failed

"Where do you come from?" Sihtric insisted "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

"I don't know, OK?!" She snapped louder than she intended, silencing the three men "I do not have a fucking clue why I am here! Wherever the fuck that is. I have no idea how the fuck I got here either, ok? I just am and you will have to fucking deal with it. And I cannot tell you where the fuck I am from because it doesn't even fucking exists yet, ok? I'm not from this time. How the fuck am I supposed to explain that, huh? You will believe I am some sort of witch, which I am not but at this very fucking moment I really wish I was so I could leave this fucking place and go back home and never see your stupid fucking face again!" She tried to hide the tears forming in her eyes, but failed enormously

"Those were a lot of fucks" Osferth said awkwardly breaking the silence she had once again created

"Yes, they were" Finan laughed loudly and the mood changed slightly "You talk to God with that mouth, Lady?" He asked jockingly

"I do not believe in God" She said wipping away the tears from her cheeks

"Then what do you believe in?" Sihtric asked, more calm than before but still wairy from her oubrust "The Gods?"

"Right now I only believe in punching you in the face for making me cry" She said softly, not entirly believing it. Finan snorted loudly and Osferth joined him in his laughter. Even Sihtric relaxed a little

"You will have to apologize again"  A small smirk started to show on his face

"You said you could take it" Y/N shrugged mocking him "And no, I don't believe in anything. I was born and raised a Christian but that didn't work out, so I have no religion now I guess"

"That's sad" Osferth said softly "What is your motivation, then if not God?"

"Men had never been my motivation for nothing, trust me" She said laughing, Finan joining her

"He is not a man, He is God" Defended Osferth

"He is a he" Y/N rolled her eyes and shrugged "That is enough menly for me"

"Lady" a new voice interrupted them and they all turned around to look at one of Aethelflaed's maiden "The Lady Aethelflaed is looking for you"

"Guess we will have to leave our theological debate for later" Y/N joked and turned to follow the woman

"Theo what?" She heard Sihtric ask and Osferth sighing heavily as she walked away with a little smile on her face

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

[sequinsmile-x]

Took a Tour of the Stars

It happens quickly. A glint of the knife, a familiar grunting sound from her husband, and the flash of red against his shirt that spreads quickly. She barely has time to react before the men are gone with their belongings and Aaron slumps against the wall, his hand pressing into his lower abdomen as his blood spills out onto the ground. 

It was just supposed to be date night. 

-x-

Hi friends,

I had honestly planned on updating SGW today (don't worry, there will still be an update over the weekend) but I had a ROUGH day and decided to write something where I could get some of the feels out and...here we are.

I hope you like it, please let me know what you think, feedback always makes me so happy!

-x-

Words: 4.2k

Warnings: Canon typical injury/violence, pregnancy

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily smirks at her husband as he jolts in his seat, sitting up straight as he tries to get away from her foot, how she’d run it up the inside of his thigh. 

“Emily,” Aaron says, trying, and failing, to hide how affected he was by her, how affected he’d always been. 

“What?” She asks, feigning innocence as she smiles slyly, one of her hands holding her mocktail and her other on her bump, “I’m not doing anything.” 

“We’ll be going home soon-”

“Excusez-moi,” she says, cutting over him and finally removing her foot from his lap as she gets the waiter’s attention, “L'addition, s'il vous plaît.”

She ignores her husband’s gaze, how it burns into her, making her shudder with anticipation as the waiter nods at her. 

“French, really?” Aaron asks, raising his eyebrow at her as she finally turns to look at him, a glint in her eyes that only ever meant good things for him. She shrugs nonchalantly, as if she didn’t know exactly what hearing her speak French did to him. 

As if she wasn’t fairly sure it was the very thing that had led to the night she got pregnant. 

“You’re the one who picked the restaurant this time,” she says, finishing her drink and placing the empty glass on the table, “It’s not my fault you picked a French one.” 

Date night had become a regular thing since just after she’d had their daughter Alice almost four years ago. At first, it had simply been Aaron’s attempt to get his wife out of the house, to get her used to spending time away from their baby daughter before she went back to work, but it had quickly become more than that. Alice’s birth marked the end of an era for them working together and the start of Emily’s job in another department. Date night had become something important to both of them, time when they could reconnect, when they could just be Emily and Aaron, instead of Mom and Dad or Hotch and Prentiss, and it was something she always treasured. 

Especially since life was about to get a whole lot busier in four months when she had the baby she was currently carrying. With Alice, they’d found out as soon as possible what they were having, the knowledge easing Emily’s anxiety throughout her pregnancy. She’d been told when she was in Paris that she might not be able to get pregnant, let alone stay pregnant, so every little twinge, everything that felt strange, had made her worry. She felt calmer this time around, although she was still cautious, already assigned to strict desk duty. They’d made the decision not to find out what they were having, the two of them determined to find out when their child, the one they both knew would be their last, was born. 

“What can I say, I’m a martyr,” he says dryly, pulling a laugh out of her as the waiter puts the bill down on the table. Aaron grabs it before she can, raising his eyebrow as she rolls her eyes and sits back in her chair, rubbing a circle on her belly.

“It’s my turn to pay,” she grumbles, narrowing her eyes as he pulls his card out of his wallet and hands it to the waiter. 

“And I want to treat my pregnant wife.” 

“You can treat me when we get home,” she says, biting her lower lip as he leans forward, his hands linked together on the table in front of him, his wedding ring glinting in the low light of the restaurant. 

“I plan on it,” he replies, purposely making his voice deeper, well aware of the impact it had on her. He pulls back as she leans in for a kiss, playing the game she had started, and smiling as she huffs out a breath, “If it makes you feel better, I used the card to our joint account. That way we’re both technically paying for dinner.” 

She smiles at him, pressing her hand into her belly where she feels the baby moving, and she allows herself to bask in how well her husband knows her, “That does make me feel better, thank you.” 

Once they’ve paid, Emily makes the point of thanking the waiter in French purely to get a reaction out of her husband. Aaron helps her into her jacket, his fingers purposely lingering on her shoulders as he does so, a smile spreading over his face as she shivers. 

Emily smiles as he opens the restaurant door for her, forever a gentleman in ways she’s sure would have once annoyed her. As they step out onto the street she wraps both of her arms around one of his and presses her cheek into his shoulder. 

“I hope Alice and Jack behaved for JJ and Will,” she says as they start the journey towards their car, she tugs him towards an alley that she knows is a quicker thoroughfare to where they’d parked, two streets over, her feet hurting too much to even think about walking the long way around, “This way is faster.” 

Aaron nods and they enter the alley, “Jack would have behaved, Alice on the other hand…she’s just like you so who knows what she’s been up to.”

She acts offended, scoffing like this wasn’t a conversation they had every time they did this. A script of sorts that they both knew the words from, a part of their comfortable, ordinary life. 

“She’s perfect,” she says, defending their three-year-old, well aware that when Alice was in full-blown toddler mode she could raise hell. 

“I know she is,” he says, kissing the top of her head, “Like I said, she’s just like you.” 

Emily blushes, but any response is cut off as two men block them off in the alley, seemingly appearing from nowhere. They were dressed in all black, hoods pulled up over their head and obscuring their faces. She looks down and sees both of them are armed, a large knife in each of their hands. She doesn’t react outwardly, and neither does Aaron apart from the slight step forward he takes to put himself in front of her. She grasps his arm tighter, her nails digging into his skin through his jacket, a silent warning not to do anything stupid. 

She thinks of their guns locked up in the hidden safe they have at home. They hadn’t brought anything with them tonight, they never did unless they were working anymore, both of them so safe and content in their day-to-day lives that they didn’t feel the need to. 

It was just supposed to be date night. A nice meal with her husband before they went home and had sex before their toddler inevitably crawled into their bed in the middle of the night, a habit they knew they needed to kick before the baby arrived. 

It was just supposed to be date night. 

“We don’t want any trouble,” Aaron says, his voice even, the years of practice he’d had thanks to his job overriding the fear he was feeling. He couldn’t protect Emily right now, not in the way he wanted to, but he’d let the world burn before he let one of these men near her. 

“Just give us your wallets,” one of the men says, stepping closer, pointing his knife towards Emily’s hands, “And your purse and all your jewellery, and no one will get hurt.” 

She looks at her wedding rings, at the bracelet Aaron had bought her for her most recent birthday that had slipped past the cuff of her jacket and was on display, and she shudders out a breath. She nods as she does what she’s asked, removing them with fingers that don’t shake and passing them to Aaron who has taken off his ring too. 

Aaron steps forward and puts everything they’d asked for on the ground, taking Emily’s purse too and doing the same. He stands back up straight and makes sure he’s in front of his wife again even though he’s still several paces ahead of her, using his body like it was armour, shielding her from harm like he had been doing with his love for years now. 

One of the men steps forward, but freezes at a sound at the other end of the alley, another voice is added to the mix as it breaks through the tension. 

“Is everything okay over there?” 

It happens quickly. A glint of the knife, a familiar grunting sound from her husband, and the flash of red against his shirt that spreads quickly. She barely has time to react before the men are gone with their belongings and Aaron slumps against the wall, his hand pressing into his lower abdomen as his blood spills out onto the ground. 

It was just supposed to be date night. 

___

Her eyes are fixed on the ground, her knee bouncing as she bites at her cuticles, the blank space on her ring finger catching her attention. The skin was paler where they’d been, a band of light skin because the last time she’d had them off for any length of time was when she was pregnant with Alice and her fingers had swollen. 

Aaron had bought her a chain to keep them on, a soft smile on his face as he handed it to her, well aware that even though she wasn’t one to attach meaning to physical objects the rings were important to her. Now they were gone, forever tarnished even if they got them back, and the thought of it made her feel sick. Her stomach was churning and she knew her stress was making the baby kick more. It felt like a soft reassurance from within, a reminder from her son or daughter that everything would be okay. 

Aaron was in surgery. He’d remained conscious the entire time, desperately reassuring her as if he wasn’t the one who had been stabbed, whilst she yelled at the person who had interrupted them being mugged. Her voice cracking as she asked for an ambulance, her own cell phone in the purse that had been run off with. The doctor who had come out to speak to her had assured her everything was as good as it could be, that they had to control the bleeding, but it was all too familiar. A ghost of the past haunts her as she sits waiting for news, memories of a time when she hadn’t been loved by him yet overwhelming her as their baby shifts under her skin. 

“Momma!” 

She stands at the sound of her daughter’s voice, fixing a smile on her face as she sees her children come into view. Jack runs at her, his arms tight around her middle as he buries his face in her chest, a tension in his shoulders that is tight enough to break her heart, a vice around it that she can physically feel. 

JJ and Will aren’t far behind, Alice in Will’s arms and her tiny fists reaching out for her mother. Emily wraps an arm around Jack and holds him just as fiercely as he is holding her. She shifts him just enough so she can take Alice from Will, settling her on her hip, some of her anxiety lessened by having all of her children within arms reach. 

“Emily, what happened?” JJ asks, her hand on her friend's shoulder and squeezing tightly, providing what little comfort that she can. 

“We…” she swallows thickly and clears her throat. She knew she hadn’t given many details over the phone, just that Aaron was in the hospital and a request to let the rest of the team know and to bring the kids to the hospital. She wanted to see them, she needed to, and she knew Jack in would rather know when something was happening rather than being kept in the dark. 

When she became his mother she promised she’d never lie to him, and it was a promise she intended to keep.

She smiles tightly at her friend and then looks down at Jack, encouraging him to shift enough so he can look at her, “You stay here with Uncle Will, okay?” 

He frowns, “Mom-”

“I’ll be right back,” she says, running her hand through his hair, “I just need to speak to Aunt JJ,” she says, seeing that he’s still unsure. She looks at her daughter, the toddler too young to understand what was happening but clearly stressed by the tension around her, her little hand tight in the neckline of Emily’s dress, “Can you sit with your sister and Uncle Will for me? I know Alice likes it when you sing to her.” 

She feels bad for playing dirty, for counting on the endless empathy that he had inherited from his father, but he nods and she feels relieved. She kisses his forehead and then guides him over to where Will is now sitting, an understanding look on his face as Jack sits next to him as closely as he can. Emily hands over Alice who resists, her grip on her tightening, and Emily smiles at her before leaning in and kissing her cheek.

“Mommy will be right back, sweet girl,” she says reassuringly. She nods gratefully at Will as he takes Alice from her, already talking in the tone she knows her daughter finds comforting. 

She walks several paces away with JJ, still in sight of the kids but far enough away that they can’t hear them.

“We took a shortcut,” Emily says, crossing her arms over her chest, holding herself together because she had no other choice, “It was my idea, I…I didn’t want to walk the long way around.” 

“Em,” JJ says fiercely, reaching for her hand and linking it with hers, “This isn’t your fault. It’s the fault of the men who did this.” 

Emily nods even though she isn’t sure she believes it, and she blows out a steady breath, “They came from nowhere. I wasn’t paying attention, I wasn’t looking for threats I was…I was just on a date with my husband,” she says, her voice cracking for the first time all evening, giving way under the weight of guilt she couldn’t shake, “They had knives, they took our wallets, my purse. Our rings. Then they got spooked and…one of them stabbed Aaron.” 

JJ squeezes her hand again, smiling encouragingly at her, a kindness in her eyes Emily wasn’t sure she’d ever deserved, “Well, Pen is at mine watching the boys and by the time she arrived she’d already blocked all your cards and started tracking your phone. Derek is poised to get the bastards that did this the second she finds them.” 

Emily chokes on a laugh, the sound catching in her chest, held in place by the sadness that wouldn’t let it escape. It was strange to think sometimes she’d found her family, her people, in the most unlikely of places. People she had been to hell and back with and for more than once. 

“That’s good,” she says, looking over at the kids, smiling softly at the sight of Alice already getting sleepy in Will’s arms. 

“Are you okay?” JJ asks and Emily looks back at her, her eyebrows furrowing. JJ rolls her eyes lovingly and points at her bump, “Physically. You and the baby.”

She nods and rests her hand on her belly, “Yeah, we’re fine they didn’t get near us.” 

“And you had that confirmed by a medical professional, right?” JJ asks knowingly, raising her eyebrow at her friend whose silence was the only answer she needed, “Okay, we’re getting you looked at-”

“JJ-”

“Look, we both know when Aaron wakes up it’s me he’ll be pissed at if you don’t get checked out,” JJ reasons, tilting her head slightly at her friend, “He is entirely incapable of being pissed at you.” 

Emily still feels resistant to it, wanting nothing more than to sit with Alice and Jack until the doctor comes out to update them, but she knows her friend is right. She sighs and nods, “Okay.” 

JJ smiles at her and walks back towards Will and the kids, speaking to them but ensuring Will knew she was actually addressing him, “I’m just going to take Mommy to have the baby looked at, okay?” She says softly, her eyes flicking to her husband’s briefly, “And when we come back we’ll have lots of new pictures of the baby for you to look at,” she waits for Jack to nod, Alice already mostly asleep, and she stands back up straight, directly addressing Will this time, “If there are any updates-”

“I’ll make sure you know them, darling,” he says, “I’ve got it here, you go make sure she looks after herself.” 

She smiles lovingly at him, reaching out and briefly squeezing his hand, “As always, you get the easy job,” she jokes as she winks. She walks over to Emily and puts her arm around her friend as she leads her to the nurse's station. 

“I heard that you know,” Emily grumbles and JJ chuckles.

“Good. I meant you too.” 

They are sent by a nurse to an examination room and told a doctor will be with them shortly, a promise made after JJ made no secret of what they did for a living. 

Emily slips off her shoes as she gets up onto the bed, her hands on her bump as she blows out a breath, “I really am fine. Baby hasn’t stopped kicking.” 

“I know,” JJ says, taking a seat on the chair next to the bed, “But we both know you’d never forgive yourself on the off chance something did go wrong.” 

She knows she can’t argue with that, so she doesn’t, simply nodding at her friend as the door opens and a doctor walks in. 

“Emily Hotchner?” He says as he looks at his file and Emily nods, smiling tightly at him. She usually felt a spark of joy whenever her married name was used, something that only ever happened in personal circumstances like this, but tonight it was nowhere to be found, “I’m Doctor Covey, I hear you had a bit of a scare this evening?” 

She clears her throat, “My husband and I were held at knifepoint, he’s in surgery right now but I didn’t get hurt.” 

“Still,” Doctor Covey says as he walks over, tugging the ultrasound machine with him, “It’s always best to get these things checked out,” he says, and Emily doesn’t have to look at JJ to know she’s smiling smugly, “Is this your first?” 

“No,” Emily answers, “I have a little girl, she’s three.” 

He smiles, “Then you know the drill,” he says, pulling a paper blanket from the dispenser above the bed, “If you could pull your dress up over your bump we’ll have a look at your baby and see what's going on.” 

Emily hesitates, looking at her friend as she’s handed the small, paper, covering she’s been given to cover her lap, and JJ laughs. 

“Em, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. You do remember your bachelorette party, right?” 

She blushes slightly, her teeth clenched as she narrows her eyes at her friend before she nods, shifting so she can hike her dress up as needed. 

“I thought we said we’d never speak about that,” she grumbles, wincing slightly as Doctor Covey puts some of the cold gel on her skin. 

“Sorry,” he says, already looking at the screen of the machine, the wand pressed into her belly, “Just a few seconds and we’ll be able to see your baby."

She closes her eyes as she feels anxiety set in. It felt wrong to be doing this without Aaron here. He’d been to every scan, every appointment, making it a point to never miss any of it, and she hated that he was somewhere else in the hospital. Once again being stitched back together because she hadn’t been able to stop him from getting hurt. She smiles softly as she feels JJ grab her hand, and she squeezes back tightly, grateful for the presence of her best friend if she couldn’t have her husband with her. 

The relief she feels is palpable when she hears the familiar swoosh of her child’s heartbeat, the sound forcing her eyes open as she looks at the screen. She can’t help but smile at the sight of the baby on the screen, how their hand was up near their face, almost as if they were waving.

“Everything’s okay?” She asks, and Doctor Covey nods smiling as he turns to look at her. 

“He’s perfectly healthy, exactly what I would expect to see for how far along you are.” 

She freezes, all of her focus shrinking down to one word he’d said, the laugh that had been trapped earlier in her chest finally escaping.

“He?” She asks, her voice full of wonder as she looks at her stomach, “It’s a boy?” 

In any other circumstance, she’s sure she’d find the way the doctor’s eyes go wide funny, but it’s the last thing she can think about right now. He stutters as he puts the wand back down.

“I’m so sorry, I should have checked if you knew-”

“No,” she says, smiling as she cuts off the unnecessary apology, “That’s okay…” she turns to look at JJ, unsurprised to find tears shining in her friend's eyes, “A boy. I’m having a boy, JJ.”

It’s joy she didn’t think she’d be able to feel at the moment, and it’s fleeting, immediately replaced by the nagging fear she’d never be able to tell the one person she wanted to tell more than anyone.

___

When Aaron wakes up, the first thing he feels is pain. 

It’s familiar, greeting him like an old friend. A burning sensation low in his abdomen pulls him awake, concern for Emily, for his family, overriding anything else. He feels a hand he’d know anywhere squeeze his and he turns his head to look at his wife. She looks tired, worn down by the last several hours, but she’s still beautiful. All of the features he’d loved for much longer than he should have ethereal even in the fluorescent hospital lighting. 

“Hi,” she says, keeping her voice low, the tightness in her chest that had taken residence there the moment he was hurt easing slightly. 

“Hi,” he repeats, his voice sounding rough even to him. He looks around, “The kids…” 

“They’re okay,” she says, smiling softly as she rubs her thumb back and forth over the heel of his hand, “It took some bribing to convince them to go, but they are at JJ and Will’s tonight. Will promised to make them breakfast which did a lot of the heavy lifting.” 

He nods, his head swimming as he does so, “You’re okay?” He asks and she smiles and nods. 

“I’m fine, baby is too,” she says, “We’re fine,” she says, shifting so she’s sitting on the edge of his bed, placing his hand on her belly so he can feel their son move. “Derek called, they got the guys who did this,” she says, blowing out a breath, “Apparently they had a truckload of things they’ve stolen, they’ve been working those streets for weeks.” 

He looks down at their hands and looks at the empty space on her finger, the one on his, and he squeezes her hand, getting her attention so her eyes meet his. 

“I’ll buy you new rings,” he says, his voice so serious that she laughs, the sound wet as she shakes her head and wipes stray tears from her cheeks. He knew her so well that it made her ache, aware without her saying something that the meaning the rings held would change after this. That every time she would look at them she’d think of this, of how she could have lost him in a way she had never seen coming.

“We’ll buy new rings,” she corrects and he smiles.

“I’ll put it on the joint account,” he jokes and she laughs again, nodding because she knows there is no point in arguing with him. He looks her up and down, his eyes fixed on her bump, “You're both really okay?”

“JJ made me get a scan, I’m fine,” she says, pressing her lips together to suppress her smile, “He’s fine.” 

It takes a second longer than it usually would for her words to register because of the medication in his system, but she sees the moment it does. His eyes going wide, immediately filled with the same joy she’d felt earlier. This time she lets herself enjoy it this time, lets it settle over her now she knew Aaron was okay.

“He?” He asks, the same wonder in his voice that she’d had when she asked the same question, “The baby’s a boy?” 

“Yeah,” she says, her smile so wide she swears her cheeks could split with it, “It’s a boy. We’re having another son.” 

The joyous laugh that escapes him, the one she thought she might never hear again today, and it eases the last bit of tension that had existed in her chest, the feeling immediately replaced with love for him and their family. 

-x-

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[asterkiss]

“I think they bought it. We can leave now.” “No way, this was just 5 minutes and I have a reputation to uphold.”

Or

“There is actually no downside to acting like we would be dating.” “Yes, except the part where people would think I was dating you.”

Fake Dating Prompts Modern AU where all the kids + Bill go to highschool together. Again, everything I know about American highschool is taken from movies and TV shows.

- HOMECOMING

Mabel was usually rather proud of who she was. She didn't pay any mind to the whispers behind her back, nor did she let it get to her when the girls giggled and pointed in her direction. So what? She knew she was a little weird by their standards but she wasn't going to change for anyone(!) - let alone a bunch of mean classmates she wouldn't ever hang out with again after graduation.

Still, when Pacifica Northwest made needling comments regarding her love life and lack of a date to the Homecoming, Mabel may have snapped a teensy bit.

'Actually, I do have a date! And he's great and handsome and even better than your boyfriend, Pacifica!'

Urghhhh, why had she said that? Whyyyy!? She didn't have a date! Or a boyfriend! Heck, she was the furthest thing from having any kind of romantic interest after being rejected twice in the last month.

Not to mention that last comment had definitely shot her in the foot. Pacifica was dating the highschool quarterback in typical cliche fashion, and he was a beautiful hottie wrapped up in like, even more hottiness! How was she meant to top that?

Heck, there was only one guy in the entire school who was on par with that level of attractiveness. Although, he was also kind of a two-faced asshole who scared everyone.

―But hey, the alternative was letting Pacifica win.

'So, wanna go to Homecoming with me?' She offered a toothy smile, putting on her best cutesy look as she gazed upon the sight of Bill Cipher. She'd tracked him down to one of the club rooms as it turned out he was in the forensice science class. The brunette couldn't help but notice how the few others in the room were on the far side keeping their distance.

Bill stared at her with a pensive frown, eyebrows drawn together as he scrutinised her face. She couldn't help noticing his eyebrows were dark but his hair was almost platinum blond - did he dye it? She couldn't see any roots from this distance. This colour definitely made his blue eyes pop though. He'd look dreamy if he smiled but instead the guy was staring at her as if she'd grown a second head.

'Well?' she asked, tilting her head when he said nothing.

After a moment he returned his attention to the slides and forensic scope before him. 'Nah.'

Her expression dropped. Nah?

'Why not?'

'Why yes?' he quipped back without glancing her way. 'I don't even know you-' He cut himself off, casting her another curious frown. 'Right?' He seemed to be asking himself as much as her.

'Um, well not really. We haven't spoken per say-'

'Then nah. Nothing in it for me, ya can go now.' He waved her off dismissively.

Mabel huffed, not one to be easily dissuaded. She wasn't going to rejected three times in a month! 'Well, um, what if I did give you something?'

'Doubt there's anything you have that I want,' Bill drawled. 'No offense. Honestly, that's more a compliment than anything else.'

'Uh, thanks?' she replied, before returning to the topic at hand. 'And look, I'm not asking you out because I like you or anything.' Although he was defintiely attractive. 'But I sorta got myself into a predicamenet aaaand... um, well I kinda need to show up to Homecoming with you as my date to avoid schoolwide embarassment?'

Icy blue eyes wandered in her direction. 'Uh huh, and how is that my problem? Ain't my fault you talked yourself into it with the Northwest chick.'

Oh, so he did know about it? Then again, she had kinda got into it with Pacifica in a rather crowded place and neither girl had been quiet.

'If anything, it should be entertaining for a few minutes,' Bill went on with a shrug. 'Otherwise, I'm hoping the spiked punch and bribed DJ will make this thing a concotion of disaster by the time the night's over.'

She ignored his concerning statements. 'Please? It's just one night! There's no downside to us acting like we're dating for one night.'

'Yes, except the part where people think I'm dating you.'

She gaped. 'Hey, what does that mean? I'll have you know I've been called cute on several occasions!'

'Yeah you're cute,' he replied without missing a beat. 'But that begs the question why you haven't already got a date so there's obviously something up with ya if like me you're going alone. I know I'm messed up in many ways, so what's your issue?'

She flushed, partially because he'd called her cute so easily but also because he'd called her out instantly. It was also annoying that he was clearly enjoying her reaction, although she saw the same pensive look cross his face as he glanced her way.

'...Okay, okay, seriously have we met already? Have you asked me out before? Were you one of the girls I turned down in the first year?'

She opened her mouth to respond when he cut her off with a sudden yell that made her flinch in surprise.

'Wait, wait!' he yelled, looking deleriously excited as he stood up. The other students in the room jumped, looking towards them anxiously. Bill grinned, eyes wide with delight when he jabbed a finger in her direction. 'You're not- Wait, are you related to Pine Tree?'

'Who?'

'Pi- Dipper Pines!'

'Um... yes? He's my twin brother?' Did he know Dipper?

Bill's grin widened, splitting across his entire face. Mabel jumped when he grabbed her by the biceps, suddenly invading her personal space as they stood toe-to-toe. She swallowed, heart skipping a beat from the abrupt turn of events. 'Uhhhh....'

'Tell me, do you and your brother get on? Or is it more a case of you hating one anothers guts?' Bill said, dropping his voice to a whisper as he leaned nearer. Oh, her heart was dancing all over the place. She wasn't used to being up this close and personal with a guy. Wow, he had really good skin up close - did he use product? She should ask him―

'Hey, cm'on, answer me Shooting Star,' he said, raising one hand to flick at the dangly stars hanging from her ears.

'Yeah, we're close,' she replied, finding her voice. 'So what?'

Apparently she'd given him the correct answer because his eyes twinkled in delight. It was startling how different the boy seemed from when she'd first entered.

She was so confused right now. 'Soooooo.... about Homecoming.'

'Hm? Oh yeah, we're totally doing that.' He stepped away. 'Feel free to tell people we're dating right now if ya want.'

'Wait, really?' A pause. 'Is this something to do with me being related to Dipper?'

'Oh definitely, I'm only going out with ya cuz I reckon it'll wind him up.'

Hmmm. Mabel turned that information over in her head. Did that mean he and Dipper didn't get along then? Wasn't surprising, having only spoken to Bill for a couple of minutes she couldt definitely see how the two would butt heads.

....Oh well, she was only doing this for her own reasons that benefitted her so she couldn't really be annoyed at him for doing the same. She'd deal with Dipper and any issues that came from it later.

'Okay, cool!' Great, she'd be able to deal with Homcoming and Pacifica in one swing. Now she just had to decide on her dress. As Mabel was mulling over this new issue and turning to leave, a firm hand grasped her shoulder from behind. She turned her head to peer behind, only to find his face inches from her own as their gazes locked. She felt his lips brush against her own, chest tightening and eyes bulging wide in response.

And then there was a flash and click.

He pulled away with a chuckle, whilst Mabel blinked away the light and stood rooted to the spot. 'What just happened?'

'I'm gonna add you on Facebook so I can tag you in this,' Bill replied back, glancing down at his phone. 'Make sure you accept both, alright?'

Uh.

Wait, huh?

Had they just kissed? They had, right? Their lips definitely connected.

More and more questions bounced around her mind as Mabel finally left the classroom, pulling her phone out of her pocket as it buzzed. She stared at the friend invitation from Bill Cipher.

She was beginning to wonder if she'd gotten more than she bargained for with this. It would be worth it to see the look on Pacifica's face, right?

....Right?

[torturedmemesdepartment]

TAYLOR SWIFT : DEBUT PROMPTS

(adjust as needed, pronouns, tense, etc.)

Tim Mcgraw

" i said 'that's a lie'. " " i hope you think my favorite song. " " i hope you think that little black dress. " " i hope you think of me. " " september saw a month of tears. " " there's a letter left on your doorstep. "

Picture to Burn

" state the obvious, i didn't get my perfect fantasy. " " i realize you love yourself more than you could ever love me. " " you're a redneck heartbreak who's really bad at lyin'. " " as far as i'm concerned, you're just another picture to burn. " " there's nothing stoppin' me from goin' out with all of your best friends. " " if you're missing me, you'd better keep it to yourself. "

Teardrops on my Guitar

" i bet she's beautiful, that girl he talks about. " " she's got everything that i have to live without. " " i can't even see anyone when he's with me. " " he says he's so in love. " " i wonder if he knows he's all i think about at night. " " can he tell that i can't breathe ? " " the kind of flawless i wish i could be. "

A Place in this World

" i don't know what i want, so don't ask me. " " i'm alone, on my own. " " could you tell me what more do i need ? " " i'm ready to fly. "

Cold as You

" you have a way of coming easily to me. " " i start a fight 'cause i need to feel something. " " what a shame. " " you put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray. " " i stood there loving you and wished them all away. " " just walk away. " " you never did give a damn thing, honey. " " i cried, cried for you. " " i know you wouldn't have told nobody. " " i've never been anywhere cold as you. "

The Outside

" i didn't know what i would find. " " i didn't read between the lines. " " baby, i've got nowhere to go. " " nothing seems to work the first few times. " " am i right ? " " how can i ever try to be better ? " " nobody ever lets me in. " " i've been a lot of lonely places. " " i've never been on the outside. " " you saw me there. " " you could've helped if you had wanted to. " " no one notices until it's too late to do anything. "

Tied Together with a Smile

" you walk around here thinking you're not pretty. " " but that's not true. " " 'cause i know you. " " baby, you're losing it. " " you cry, but you don't tell anyone. " " you might not be the golden one. " " you're coming undone. " " love was all you wanted. " " it's not his price to pay. " " goodbye, baby. "

Stay Beautiful

" will you ever know ? " " you're beautiful, every little piece, love. " " you're really gonna be someone. " " ask anyone. " " i'm taking pictures in my mind. "

Should've Said No

" yesterday, i found out about you. " " even now, just lookin' at you feels wrong. " " it was a moment of weakness. " " you should've said no. " " i shouldn't be asking myself why. " " you can see that i've been crying. " " you know all the right things to say. " " do you honestly expect me to believe we could ever be the same ?" " you should've gone home. " " tell me this was it worth it ? " " was she worth this ? "

Mary's Song (Oh My My My)

" i looked at you like the stars that shined in the sky. " " you never did. " " i dared you to kiss me. " " all i need is you next to me. " " i'll still look at you like the stars that shine in the sky. "

Our Song

" baby is something wrong ? " " nothing, i was just thinking how we don't have a song. " " man i didn't kiss her and i should have. " " i almost didn't notice all the roses. "

[ssa-sapphic]

Pairing: Emily Prentiss × (POC)fem!oc

Previous Chapter: part one

Summary: When the bodies of several women show up all around LA, it's Garcia who aids the team in making the shocking connection that all of the victims look exactly like one of her favorite actresses, Sloan Hudson. Upon making this discovery, the team soon realizes that this famous celebrity might just be the unsub's final target, meaning that she is now in grave danger and needs to be protected. Unfortunately for Emily, her days of being a profiler are soon put on hold when Hotch assigns her to be Sloan's personal bodyguard.

Warnings: Basically all that an episode of Criminal Minds consists of. I don't really know what to specifically list, but if you have any additions or specific triggers, please let me know

Word Count: 4.6k

“Hollywood is a place where they’ll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.” - Marilyn Monroe

“Good morning, everyone!" The talk show host introduced, directing his words to the huge camera lens a few feet away and the small audience sitting behind it. "We’re here with America’s Sweetheart, Sloan Hudson, daughter of the late world-renowned director and Academy Award-winning actor Omar Hudson, and she’s here to catch us up on how life has been treating her over the past year since her father’s passing.”

On the sofa next to him, Sloan sat with her legs crossed and a dazzling smile plastered on her face as she looked out into the crowd filled with many of her adoring fans and supporters.

“So, Ms. Hudson, first and foremost how are you doing?” He asked, politely.

With a glance at her manager, who stood backstage with a pointed look, Sloan swallowed the lump in her throat and addressed the man next to her.

“Well, Jimmy, I’ll admit things were rough the last several months after my father’s accident. Loss isn’t ever an easy thing to experience, and it was difficult picking myself up from such a dark place in my life. However, I knew the impact he left on this world would never be forgotten and in a way, it’s like he’s still a part of me. Of course, I know firsthand that life and the industry itself won’t ever be the same without him, but it’s that idea alone that has motivated me to continue in his footsteps and keep his legacy alive. He helped shape me into the woman and actress I am today and I will always be grateful and honored to share the same passion he had for acting.”

Once again, she looked over to her manager behind the scenes, who was now sending her a nod of approval, almost as if she had doubted Sloan’s capability to remember the simple words written for her on yellow note cards that morning. Did she honestly forget that reading pages and pages of scripts was part of her job?

“Yes, his death certainly shocked all of us who watched his career develop over the years but we’re glad to hear that the Hudson talent won’t be ending so soon,” Jimmy noted solemnly, allowing the audience to clap in encouragement before he moved on to his next question. “I think we’re all looking forward to seeing your career flourish just as much. Speaking of which, I hear you’ve already begun a new project that’s set to hit theaters as early as next summer. Can you tell us a bit about the film and what we can expect to see from you this time around?”

"Unfortunately, I can’t say much,” Sloan smiled apologetically, knowing she’d get in heaps of trouble for disclosing any details while production was still underway. “But I’m excited to introduce my fans to this new character I’m portraying. She’s nothing like the roles I’ve had in the past and I hope she touches their hearts just as much as she has mine. I know you’re all used to seeing me in romantic indie films and the like, but this one is going to be a real emotional and dramatic performance for me and I’m honored to be part of such a brilliant storyline. I can’t wait to see it come to life.”

“That’s amazing!" He exclaimed. "It sounds like maybe this could be your year to take home an award, what do you think?”

With a small chuckle, Sloan suddenly grew bashful as she hid her face behind her hands, while the crowd cooed and awaited her answer. Truth be told, her anxiety crept up on her like a shadow in the night from his question, but within a second, she managed to ground herself and slip her mask back on before addressing his words.

“Well, it’s like the famous painter Van Gogh once stated: I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream. In that same aspect, I don’t know what the future holds for me or if I’ll ever take home an Oscar. All I can say is that I’ve been dreaming of it ever since I was a little girl sitting in my father's director chair, and that drives me to be the best that I can be. We’ll see if that’s good enough.”

“Ah, Miss Hudson, just as humble as ever, huh?” Jimmy smiled at her. He then turned to face the camera. “When we come back we’ll talk more with Sloan and even play a few games with her that are favorites on the show! I’m sure all of you watching at home don’t want to miss it. So, stay tuned and we’ll be back after a quick commercial break.”

On the way out of the studio, lights flashed and shouts erupted as Sloan and her security team rushed through the crowd of paparazzi, journalists, and fans. Quickly they made their way over to the limousine waiting for her in front of the building, but not before being stopped by a woman with a microphone blocking their path.

“Sloan! Is it true you’re dating your costar, Colton Davis!? Are you engaged to him?? Where is he, and why isn’t he here with you!?”

“Who said he’s not here?” A male’s voice cut in, as the dirty-blond himself emerged from the limo and threw an arm around Sloan’s waist. She had to force herself not to cringe away from his touch as his hand lingered far more downward than she’d liked. “I’m always supporting my girl from the sidelines. Isn’t that right, babe?” He turned to her, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips knowing the press would have a field day with it.

But just as his chapped lips neared her freshly glossed ones, she moved her head so that they met her cheek instead. It was an act of nonchalance executed so perfectly and ritualistically, that no one seemed to notice. They never did, and it was one of the few reasons that made having a PR boyfriend manageable. As long as they were seen out and about together, that was all that mattered. The nonexistent kisses and intimacy could happen behind closed doors and away from the public’s knowledge.

Sloan ignored the rest of the questions thrown at her and blew a kiss to her fans before entering the vehicle, where she finally let out the breath she had been holding in since pulling up to the studio just hours ago. Moments like these were when she was thankful for whoever invented tinted windows, or in her case, the acting shields that allowed her to remove her mask completely without the worry of being seen. It was there that she could let her guard down and wipe away the thick layers of makeup caked on her face consisting of nothing but fake smiles and faux happiness.

She looked over to her manager, Vera, who was currently having what looked to be a serious conversation on the phone. The older woman spared a couple of glances her way, a mixture of worry and skepticism clouding her features, but Sloan couldn’t seem to find enough energy in herself to care. It was probably a modeling gig or another interview that fell through.

Cancellations and rain checks were like the end of the world to Vera, but to her, they were the calm between each passing storm. Moments where she could finally rest and step away from the limelight to have a day or week to herself.

Outside the car, she watched Colton wrap up his goodbyes. His proud demeanor and love for himself amused her to the point where she let out a dry laugh. The people out there didn’t care about him at all, and she knew that. They were all there for her and the only reason they gave him the time of day was so they could find out more information about her life. However, he was too blinded by his new rise in fame to see that.

Deep down, she couldn’t blame him though. When her career first set off, she too enjoyed the love and attention, but over the years she soon recognized it all for what it truly was:

Misconception.

With a roll of her eyes, she sat back in the leather seat and pulled her iPod out of her bag. Within seconds, “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths flowed through the earbuds she had placed in her ears. Listening to music was her usual way of grounding herself before getting into character, and knowing she was due on set within the hour, she figured the car ride there would be her only time to do so.

The song choice was deliberate, not only because The Smiths were one of her favorite bands, but also because the lyrics resonated with her in more ways than she knew how to explain. As a celebrity, you’d think she had access to everything she ever wanted. Truthfully, however, that was far from the case. There were many things she wasn’t allowed to have, and those specific things just happened to be what her heart desired most in the world.

“Sloan,” Vera called for her attention, having hung up the phone. “Don’t think I didn’t see that kiss with Cole. If you could even call it that.” She muttered the last part. “Remember what we talked about? You need to sell this relationship to get more publicity, and that won’t happen when you’re giving him the cold shoulder right in front of the cameras.”

“I still don’t see why I need a fake relationship.” She muttered. “I mean, I’m literally in the middle of filming a new movie. Isn’t that enough to warrant publicity?”

“That’s what showbiz is all about, you can’t rely on one single project to keep you trending, you know that. Besides, your fans don’t know anything about this movie aside from the cast. There’s not much keeping their attention. This relationship, however, is the key.” Vera exclaimed. “Haven’t you checked your socials? You and Colton are the hottest new couple, everyone and their mom is shipping you two.”

“I just don’t understand why it had to be him.” She mumbled in reply, looking out the window and watching him take a few photos with fans.

“Look,” Her manager sighed. “I know you’re still upset about our talk last week, but this is for the best. What you were asking me could’ve put you at risk for so much backlash and negativity. You’d lose hundreds if not thousands of supporters and that’s not what’s going to skyrocket your career, Sloan. What the people want from you is to see your face plastered on skincare ads telling them the secret to beauty, or on movie posters for upcoming blockbuster hits. I mean, you’re America’s Sweetheart for a reason. The public loves you, just as you are now. Why change that?”

“Seriously?” Sloan asked in disbelief. “Vera, this is just the kind of thing that could tell me who my true supporters are! I don’t care about the fake fans or what people think of me. People constantly come into my life just to end up taking advantage of me or using me for their own gain anyway and I’m so tired of it. For once, I just want someone to love me for who I am, not some false image that you or anybody else is forcing me to be. Why don’t you get that?”

“Because it’s ridiculous,” Vera answered simply. “We’ve worked too hard to get you where you are in this industry, and I won’t have you throwing it all to waste over some happily ever after fantasy that isn’t necessary when people literally throw themselves at you every day.”

With a scoff, Sloan put her earbuds back in. “You know, contrary to what you may believe, having people constantly throw themselves at you or want something from you doesn’t feel as good as you think it does. It makes trusting people impossible.”

“Sloan, come on–”

“No, Vera.” She cut her off. “I’m done with this conversation. If you want me to keep acting like someone I’m not then I’ll do just that. Luckily, for you, I know how to put on a good show.”

With that, she turned the volume on her iPod up to drown out any other remarks Vera threw at her. That, and also to distract herself from the overwhelming thoughts constantly plaguing her about life and adulation. It was all becoming too much, and Sloan just wanted to remember the passion she once felt for acting again. Lately, it felt like she was putting on this never-ending show for the world and she hated it. She felt used, empty, and hopeless. If she knew pursuing her dreams would end up making her sign her life away, she would have chosen a different route. At least then she would know who she was, because nowadays she felt her true self slipping away from her with each passing day, and it was starting to take its toll.

“Agent Hotchner,” The lead detective, Owen Kim, shook his hand. “I can’t thank you and your team enough for coming all this way to help us out.”

“Of course,” Hotch replied, before turning and introducing his team. “These are Agents Rossi, Morgan, Prentiss, Jareau, and Dr. Reid. Our technical analyst Penelope Garica will also be here this evening to help assist. Where are we so far in finding Kayla Shafer?”

“Well she’s now classified as a missing person, so we have her face plastered on the news and her family has orchestrated a search party of their own.” He answered, solemnly. “We’re doing everything we can but I’m afraid we don’t have much to work on. My officers are heading down to the bus stop area in a few minutes though to see if we can find any working surveillance cameras along the route we think she would normally walk.”

“Great. I’ll have my team set up in the conference room and we’ll go from there.” Hotch spoke formally, watching Detective Kim nod and walk off before JJ slipped into his sight next.

“So, how are we going to approach this?” She asked, quietly, knowing they had to be careful with letting more details about the case reach the media with a celebrity possibly being involved.

Hotch sighed as he looked around the precinct, discreetly. “If Garcia was able to connect the pieces from being a fan of Miss Hudson, sooner or later other fans will too. Our priority right now is to work the case like normal until we hear back from her management team. Until then, I want you to call Garcia and work on putting together a list of all of Sloan’s past roles in chronological order so we have a map to base off of. Hopefully, we’ll learn who the unsub’s next targets might be.”

“Got it.” She gave him a quick nod, before stepping aside to make the call.

Once the rest of the team finished setting up, they equally dispersed in pairs to take care of the respective tasks given to them on the jet. Rossi and Reid headed over to the morgue to examine the other bodies while Prentiss and Morgan followed the LAPD officers to the diner where Kayla worked.

Immediately after walking in, they were hit with the fresh smell of burgers and fries wafting through the air as the bustling breakfast hours quickly turned into lunchtime for many customers. Waiters and waitresses scurried about, taking orders and wiping down counters left and right. Derek just managed to move away from a serving tray filled with plates of food coming his way as the family in the booth next to them got served their meals.

“Looks like we came at the worst possible time’,” He commented, removing his sunglasses and trying to look for someone in charge. Or at least, someone who wasn’t too busy enough to talk with them.

“There’s something so nostalgic about vintage diners.” Emily looked around in awe. “During my college years, I worked at one just like this so I could pay for my apartment. There was a jukebox and everything.”

Derek smirked, “And how’d that work out for you?”

“It sucked.” She dry-panned. “But it did give me a whole new level of respect for waitresses.” She added, just as a woman with ginger hair walked up to them.

“Table for two?” She asked, already picking up menus.

“Oh, no ma'am.” Emily politely declined, as she and Derek held up their badges. “We’re actually with the FBI, here to talk about Kayla Schafer. Did you happen to be working with her the night she went missing?”

“Yeah, we were on the same shift.” The girl answered, whose name tag was revealed to be Julie. “But it's like I told those other cops when they came asking this morning, I clocked out early for my hair appointment so I wasn’t here during closing hours. I don’t know if she left with anyone or not.”

“That’s okay,” Emily assured her. “We’re more interested in the hours you two worked together. Do you remember if there was anyone suspicious hanging around either without ordering anything or maybe even after paying?”

“Perhaps all they ordered was coffee, but they still stuck around for hours anyhow,” Derek added.

“I’m sorry, I don’t.” She shook her head. “As you can see, it gets pretty busy in here. Most days I’m so occupied with running back and forth between tables and the kitchen that my mind is elsewhere. I don’t focus too much on who’s ordering what, you know?”

“I understand.” Emily nodded.

“I really wish I could help, but I have to get back to work,” Julie explained, before reaching into the pocket of her apron. “Here, this was Kayla’s notepad she used to take orders. It might not be much help either but if you’re looking for odd customers maybe there’s something in it you can find. Kayla hasn’t been working here for too long and after an incident that occurred her first day, she’d often make notes about customer appearances to help her remember who ordered what.”

“Thank you.” Derek accepted the small notebook. “Can you tell us more about this incident?”

“Oh, it wasn’t anything major.” She dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “Some woman complained that her food wasn’t right and made a big fuss. Just the normal slip-up with orders. Even the most seasoned of us workers still have those days. I don’t remember it much but if she came back after that day, Kayla’s got it jotted down somewhere in that book.”

“Alright, thank you. We’ll let you get back to work.” Emily replied, nodding before she and Derek walked out into the parking lot.

“You think this has something in it?” Derek asked, flipping quickly through the pages to see quick scribbles of dates, food orders, and vague customer descriptions.

“I’m not sure,” Emily answered honestly. “We’ll let Reid take a look at it though. He’ll be able to read it faster than any of us and point out specific characteristics in the handwriting.”

After Derek agreed, the two of them entered the SUV and drove back to the precinct. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Rossi and Reid were in the middle of examining the bodies of Jessica Dunnings, Rina Mendes, and Sofia Lombardi.

“The toxicology reports indicated that various traces of poison were found in each of the victims,” Spencer recalled, his hands gloved up as he leaned closer to Rina’s body. “Have you found out what they are yet?”

The M.E. in charge nodded, picking up his clipboard and reading the report. “We found white powdery residue in each of their nasal passageways which the lab identified as cyanide salt, so we believe they inhaled some sort of potassium cyanide prior to their deaths.”

“Most likely how our unsub abducts them,” Rossi noted, standing over the body as well. “They become dizzy, confused, and end up unconscious right there at the scene. Blitz attack.”

“Initially that was all we had discovered,” The examiner continued. “But after closer inspection, we found neurotoxins in the flesh of their hands consistent with aconite and mesaconitine as well.”

“Aconite and mesaconitine,” Spencer repeated, deep in thought as he lifted Rina’s lifeless hands to observe her palms. “The flowers each victim was holding when they were found were purple. I couldn’t get a decent look at the shape of the petals in the files but now after learning that I’m almost certain that it was Aconitum. Also known as wolfsbane.”

“You’d be correct.” He replied, handing Rossi the full report. “Each of them had signs of respiratory distress, which can happen when the neurotoxins of the plant absorb through the skin. It’s why in the crime scene photos there was no blood around the stab wounds. Cardiac arrest is what caused their deaths, the stabbing was inflicted post-mortem.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Rossi frowned. “How did the unsub have time to do all this at the disposal site? And what reason did they keep each girl for when there are no signs of torture or assault?”

“That’s another thing,” He went on. “When I checked for defensive wounds, I noticed that all three bodies had their nails neatly trimmed, and their hair was freshly washed. Not only that but their torsos had markings embedded in the skin from around their waist and up towards the chest region. Most likely from a corset or restraint of some sort.”

That piece of news instantly made the two agents look at each other knowingly. Perhaps their original theory of the case relating to Snow White might not be as far off as they thought.

Once the team regrouped at the station and exchanged all of the new information they discovered, by that time Garcia was able to get in contact with Sloan’s management team. Unfortunately, they only had a small window to meet with Vera, but hopefully, it would give them enough time to convince her that Sloan needed to up her security and answer some questions that they had.

To keep things hush, only Hotch, Prentiss, and Morgan went to meet with her, while JJ drove to LAX to pick up Garcia (who was bummed out she wouldn’t be meeting Sloan herself). Spencer, on the other hand, stayed back to look through Kayla’s notebook with Rossi assisting him.

“Always a first for everything,” Emily spoke up, as the three of them pulled into the Hollywood lot location where filming was currently underway. Trailers were set up in rows all around, and crew members roamed about with several large pieces of equipment and props, making it hard for them to find a parking space.

Hotch furrowed his eyebrows as he scanned the lot, “Vera said to meet her in trailer seven, does anyone see it?”

“Over there,” Derek pointed out, motioning to the right.

Hotch nodded and maneuvered the car over in that direction. Finally, after finding an open spot, the three agents stepped out into the blazing heat of Los Angeles and walked over to the trailer.

“I want you two to scope out the trailer as I talk to Vera.” Hotch directed them as they neared the entryway. “Look for any signs of fanmail lying about or over-the-top gifts. If our unsub truly is obsessed with Ms. Hudson they no doubt attempted to contact her more than once.”

“How do we know for sure it isn’t Sloan herself committing these murders?” Derek wondered aloud. “I mean, we agreed that the crime scene photos depicted to be the clean work of a female. It wouldn’t be our first celebrity unsub case like that either. Remember Jonny McHale, the comic-book artist?”

“Let me stop you right there.” A new voice cut into their conversation, making each of them turn their heads.

An older blonde woman stood behind them with her arms crossed, looking at them with a mixture of impatience and skepticism laced in her features.

“Sloan has been working endlessly on this new movie, and in between set hours and resting she has had other bookings to attend to where she’s constantly followed by fans and paparazzi. That girl wouldn’t have time to kill anybody even if she wanted to.” Vera argued, defensively. “Now, I took the time out of my busy day to talk with you agents but I will not stand here and allow you to accuse her of murder. I’m sure you’d run right to the press with it and have it be the headliner for tomorrow’s paper.”

“My apologies, Ma’am,” Derek replied. “I’m just trying to make sure all possibilities are covered.”

The woman scoffed but said nothing as she quickly opened the trailer door and ushered them in before they were seen. After closing the door, she led them to the small living space at the end of the trailer and sat down on one of the cushioned chairs motioning for Hotch to sit on the adjacent one.

“You guys have 20 minutes before the cast is dismissed for the day,” Vera sighed, as she texted away on her cell phone. “What’s this about a bunch of killings related to Sloan?”

Emily fought the urge to roll her eyes at her blatant nonchalance, as Hotch introduced everyone and started diving into the case findings with her. She and Derek, however, took that as their cue to wander around the place looking for clues.

There wasn’t much to the eye besides the luxurious furniture and interior design elements. Still, Emily’s eyes landed on what looked to be a black notebook or journal sitting on the small table in the dinette. It was bound in leather and had gold letters imprinted on the cover that spelled out “HUDSON” in cursive. Inside the journal, she saw a white envelope poking out and wondered if it was fanmail or something more personal.

Though curiosity tempted her to read it, she ultimately decided to leave it be and ask questions later, not wanting to leave a bad impression if Vera had caught her snooping. However, when she averted her gaze over to the counter across the way, what she saw next certainly piqued her interest even more. A fresh bouquet of purple flowers rested in a vase by the sink, with the gifting tag still attached to it.

At the sight, Emily walked over and picked up the tag with her glove, but unfortunately, no name was listed. It was completely blank. She was about to call out to Vera and ask if she knew who delivered them but before she could, the trailer door creaked open, and Sloan herself emerged from outside with a look of surprise.

Emily’s breath nearly caught in her throat when she locked eyes with the young actress standing just a few feet away. Instantly, she was hit with flashbacks from the night before when she was watching one of Sloan’s movies with JJ and Garcia. Yet, Emily couldn’t remember a single scene that did the girl justice in terms of her beauty and physical essence. For one thing, her eyes seemed much more warm and vibrant in person. Whatever filters and color editing were added in the film completely dimmed the natural glow radiating behind her false lashes. She could only describe them as golden pools of honey hypnotizing her in the very spot she stood. Unable to look away, all she could do was stare in a trance as Sloan studied her back with furrowed eyebrows.

Though her presence was quite alluring, Emily was soon brought back to reality by the repellent attitude in Sloan’s voice as she slammed the trailer door closed behind her.

“Who the hell are you?”

A/N: hope you liked this chapter! drop a comment and let me know your thoughts if you enjoyed :) also let me know if you want to be tagged whenever a new chapter is posted! thanks for reading <3

[apuckishwit]

Interlude: The Besties Conspire

A preview of chapter 28 of Rolled a 1 on the Check, Rolled a 20 on the Save on AO3

All told, living with Steve turns out to be one of the best decisions she and Vickie have ever made.

There are a few hiccups and minor squabbles of course. Going from living alone (or with just his significant other) to having three roommates is an adjustment for Steve. Despite knowing it’s a good idea that will benefit them tremendously in the long run, it is kind of a weird dynamic to be letting Steve pay the entirety of the rent and just pitch in for groceries and utilities. Logically, she knows he can well afford it and he’s doing it out of love and a desire to help pull her, Vickie, and Chrissy up into the place of financial stability his grandparents’ trust fund let him achieve…but it’s still kind of weird.

They work through it, and within a few weeks, it’s smooth sailing. Chrissy throws herself into interviewing for a teaching position in and around her hometown, with her student teaching coming to an end in another month. Robin and Vickie start talking about Vickie maybe quitting her job over the summer so she can apply for some of the internships her marketing professor talks about. It’s never been an option for them before, but it could really help Vickie land a good job when she graduates next year. Then she can support them while Robin finishes her linguistics degree. Steve starts classes and he and Chrissy often spend the evenings bent over his notes and books, going over things while he finds his stride in school again.

After about his second week of classes, it’s Chrissy who sits down with him and asks very nicely if he’s ever been tested for any learning disabilities. “You kind of remind me of some of my kids with ADD, but honestly, the way you describe things, you might just have a general processing delay. Your brain works just fine, it just takes a little longer to digest everything.”

“A few of my teachers wanted to have me tested over the years, but my parents never allowed it. I got by. I was thinking of going to student services and seeing what I’d have to do to get some kind of accommodations, but I got distracted getting registered and moving apartments and everything.”

“If you stop by the student services office and get the forms, I can help you fill them out and make an appointment for the testing. In the meantime, I really think it’d help you if you recorded your lectures instead of trying to take notes. That way, you can highlight the really important stuff as you go, and then come back for anything you missed later.”

Steve looks so stunned at the idea Robin has to laugh a little, even as her heart aches for the thought of her best friend struggling more than he had to, with parents who never cared enough about him to help.

Well fuck it, Steve’s got a whole new family now. One that absolutely will never leave him struggling by himself.

And it’s because he’s got a whole new family that will never leave him struggling, of which Robin is one of the chief parts if she does say so herself, that she and Vickie are determined to help him solve The Eddie Problem. All joking about emotional support lesbians and community bi laws aside, Steve’s her best friend. Her best friend who has made her and her girlfriend’s lives an order of magnitude less stressful, who she loves like a brother, and who she wants to see as deliriously happy with his partner as she is with hers (sue her—she’s happy and in love and she wants to spread that shit around like peanut butter on a slice of bread). And Steve seems pretty fixated on Eddie Munson, but utterly unconvinced that he has a shot.

Which is why she and Vickie are currently perched on the couch on either side of Steve, a huge plate of pulled pork loaded nachos (with the warmer weather, Steve’s cooking class has been doing barbecue lately, and it’s the best thing ever) balanced on Steve’s lap and his laptop set up on the coffee table in front of them. They’ve been watching recordings of this Eddie guy’s streams on and off for about a week now, a few hours at a time, and the number of times she and Vickie have exchanged loaded looks over Steve’s head is ludicrous.

A tilt of Vickie’s eyebrow as Eddie calls Steve some sappy pet name for the umpteenth time: Are you hearing this?

Robin presses her lips together and widens her eyes: He’s not being even remotely subtle.

Robin jerks her chin and shrugs a shoulder when Steve laughs a little too loudly at some joke Eddie’s just made: I can’t believe the dingus ever questioned if he was bi.

Vickie waggles her eyebrows: Right?

Robin sucks her cheeks in like a fish and rolls her eyes heavenward: They’ve got it so bad for each other, it’s making me physically ill.

Vickie smacks her lips and flutters her eyelashes: These nachos are incredible.

“Oh my God, they are!” Robin says out loud, prompting Steve to shoot her a confused look. Robin just ruffles his hair and stuffs another tortilla chip loaded down with pulled pork, barbecue sauce, melted cheese, red onions, and sour cream into her mouth. After a moment, Steve gets distracted by something on the stream, pausing it and rewinding it a few seconds only to listen to the same description of some guard tower in some town before letting out a triumphant hah!. He doesn’t elaborate though, and so Robin pays it no mind. She’s got bigger things to think about.

Like the fact that Eddie Munson has been heavily flirting with her best friend for literal months. Like, it’s not even “I want to get in your pants” flirting, they’re well into “I want to marry you and have your babies, shall we adopt or get a surrogate?” territory. But Steve…her dear, sweet dingus who is somehow simultaneously one of the most mature and emotionally intelligent people she knows and a completely oblivious idiot…will never believe her and Vickie if they tell him that.

She’s going to have to get creative.

She glances down into the chat window displayed at the bottom of Munson’s stream. She and Vickie both clocked the little tally game some of Munson’s regular viewers have going every time he and Steve do or say something that reveals how goddamn down bad they are for each other. And she’s also noticed that one of them in particular seems to be someone who knows Munson in real life, if the side comments he makes to the commenter on mic are anything to go by.

She looks over at her girlfriend and wrinkles her nose, slanting a look down at the chat window where Gare-Bear-Stare has just made another tally mark after Munson took actually kind of an absurdly long time describing Steve’s character’s muscles flexing as he helped heave one of the boys’ characters out of a river crossing: We should talk to this guy.

Vickie gives her a discreet thumbs-up: Absolutely.

Then she presses her hand to her bosom and swoons back against the couch: Seriously, this sauce is to die for.

“It is! I’d eat this on a floor tile!” Robin replies.

“What the hell are you two talking about?” Steve asks.

[guildtree]

EXCEPT IT'S WEDNESDAY BECAUSE I DO WHAT I WANT

Anyways, this is meant to be an opportunity for writers to do a "behind the scenes" look at one of their fanfics, something I've wanted to do for a while. I'm choosing Left Behind, my story about Taimi and Marjory becoming friends while recovering from Balthazar, because not only is it my first posted fanfic and one I still love, but because GOOD LORD does it have a story behind it.

So here's the tale: I wrote this thing in October of 2022, shortly after essentially dropping out of college. COVID had knocked me flat on my ass both mentally and physically, so I was still recovering from a pretty severe health crisis/depressive episode and had very little to do with my life. I'd started writing fiction again after a few years of not doing it at all. And then my uncle calls me up and says, "Hey, I'm going to Europe for three weeks, I know you're not busy, would you like to catsit my two kittens while I'm gone? I'll pay you." Obviously, I jumped at the chance to cuddle cute fluffy animals and earn money for it. Easy, right?

WRONG. First off, these kittens were not tiny fluffballs, they were five-month-old former-stray terrors that hadn't been fixed yet and still had tons of nervous energy. They caused chaos whenever I wasn't watching. Second, it took all of half a week for them both to somehow get sick with gonorrhea (honestly, they'd probably had it before and the symptoms just hadn't shown up yet). If you've never had to deal with two hyperactive, aggressively cuddly kittens with diarrhea ... be thankful. It was a disaster. Between taking them to the vet, giving them medicine regularly, cleaning up after them, and making sure they didn't break anything important, I wound up over at my uncle's house way more than I'd expected. Eventually, I just started dragging my laptop along so I could sit on the couch and write for hours while keeping the little fuzzy troublemakers in the corner of my eye.

I'd had the idea for Left Behind for a while - ever since I'd heard that little achievement line where Taimi mentions that Marjory's been calling her a lot and, "it seems like she's kinda lonely." (Which like, Marjory? Lonely? What? But then it clicked for me that she's not only alone, she's alone and injured, and she's probably feeling frustrated about not being able to do anything, much like Taimi has felt over several arcs, and ohhhhh... I can make them friends.) But I'd also be deluding myself if I said that nothing about my situation while writing bled into my work. I mean, I certainly had a good perspective on how much medicine sucks, and how hard being a caretaker can be, especially when the people (or cats) you're taking care of aren't cooperating! There are references to Taimi and Marjory being up at ungodly hours because I was up at ungodly hours trying to find the very small, pitch-black kitten who was hiding in the house somewhere because she really did not want to take her medicine. Some of the more out-there comedy is definitely influenced by that sleep deprivation as well.

But on a more serious note: I think the reason why my first posted story is at it's core about recovery and finding camaraderie in that recovery is because those were the things I needed at the time too. I mentioned that in October I was just starting to come out of a nasty depressive episode? I do mean just starting. I didn't feel good, I merely felt not terrible, which was a significant improvement but still didn't feel like enough. I think, consciously or not, I put a lot of my own hopes, wants, and frustrations into these characters. Hidden in Marjory's rage at feeling useless are a lot of my own frustrations about how my depressed brain simply wouldn't let me do things sometimes. In Taimi's fear of being forgotten are my own anxieties about how in taking a break from college I'd ruined my whole future. And their entire story of healing, growing closer, and finally moving on was what I wanted for myself most at that moment: a way out, a new start, and people who could understand and help me through all of that.

I wrote that entire fic over the three weeks I was catsitting, fending off kittens who wanted to step on my keyboard and chew my laptop wires the whole time. I finished a few days before my uncle was due to come home from Europe, and I was so exhausted and annoyed at that point, I was just like, "You know what, FINE, this is pretty good, why don't I post it." So I did, and then I went to go give the cats their meds and fall asleep, and when I woke up the next day there were 11 comments waiting for me, and I learned that people actually might like my writing and what I had to say. And now here we are 8 months later, I'm in a much better place, I've got a little community of friends and people who like my stuff, and writing has been a valuable hobby that brings me accomplishment and happiness. All because of my uncle's sick kittens xD

This got long, but it was a story I've wanted to tell for a while, so as always: thank you for reading.