#let her kill him and then give her a very long all-expenses paid vacation some excellent therapy and a nobel peace prize

[ohbutwheresyourheart]

ykw I will give mads mikkelsen props, he definitely delivers a more layered hannibal than anthony hopkins, I really am sold on the concept he thinks and believes multiple things at once and he feels far less of a human being and more of a monster in a person suit

however

while I will stan clarice/hannibal running off into the sunset together until the end of my days, the more I watch of nbc hannibal the more I want bedelia to take a very large hammer and just fucking beat that man's head into jam

[nevertheless-moving]

INFODUMP AU continued

(Star Wars AU #22)

Possible Continuations from INFODUMP. I headcanon that exchange taking place about a year before episode II and episode IV

A) Anakin Force Shenanigans

Anakin walks up: “master- who’s this guy?

“You can SEE him/me?”

Obi-Wan urgently cry/yelling at Anakin to either wear a condom with Padme or at least take her to a healer if you’re worried about her pregnancy (seriously healer BEFORE evil sith wtf)

(its been a number of years for Ben so he’s pretty much puzzled out the ‘doing this for padme’ bit)

just before obi-wan fades out anakin panics because ben hasn’t told him how he gets together with padme

yanks him into this timeline and now Old Ben has to deal with Obi-Wan and Anakin freaking out over all the info he just vomited at them AND everything else

B) Brush Off

Obi-Wan practices some good old fashioned repression to mostly convince himself it was all a weird dream

yoda always says in motion, the future is anyway

he mostly puts it out of his head until a year later when Anakin VERY obliquely references having dreams of his mother

“...what kind of dreams, exactly?”

end-up rescuing Shmi shortly after her capture, Obi-Wan’s there to make sure Anakin doesn’t go off the deep end

Council is a little disapproving of their side mission because now Anakin is even more attached/devoted Obi-Wan 

Obi-Wan is a LITTLE freaked out but Shmi being in danger isn’t exactly a hard prediction to make considering they left her on Tatooine but...

almost immediately after they get specially requested to protect Senator Amidala.

things proceed like canon and when Dex says the dart is from Kamino, Obi-Wan has a little panic attack attack

the whole trip to Kamino he’s just thinking pleasenoclonearmy  pleasenoclonearmy  pleasenoawFUCK THAT’S A CLONE ARMY

good news here is when he’s bullshitting his way through the meeting/ inspection he very confidently brings up removing the control chips

at first there’s some hemming and hawing ‘oh you mean the inhibitor chips, are you sure you want them removed we’ve already installed them’

“I DEMAND they be removed- I- can i speak to your manger? Do I need to take my business elsewhere??”

Nala Se is very reluctant, “I was ensured by certain high level parties that the chips were intended to be an important safeguard...”

*Obi-Wan sweating, but all-in at this point* “Well, uh, Master Dooku and Chancellor Palpatine themselves told me they were concerned about the chips being abused by the wrong parties, and sent me to supervise, so,”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were read-in on the project architecture to that extent, well here are our options-”

Obi-Wan still chases to Jango to Genosis because he’s got a mission and ‘this might as well happen’

Still gets captured in that stupid rotating energy field by Dooku 

“What if I told you the senate was now controlled by a dark lord of the sith?”

“...I would say that I would be very interested in any holo-recordings or legal documents you might have to that effect”

“oh?”

“would very much like some sort of proof to bring before a court of law, yeah.”

The rescue attempt actually goes well this time! Anakin is well rested and practically glowing after his week-long all-expense paid vacation at Varykino

They all manage to escape and intercept reinforcement mid-flight

The council is pleased Obi-Wan is safe and not surprised to find Anakin there, but it doesn’t really change their mission as the senate has ordered them to take out the federation army before they can attack...

“The Senate ordered it?”

“Yes, much has happened, while gone you were. Were given to the chancellor, emergency powers. Drafted a military, he has. Generals, the Jedi have been made. Uneasy we are, but serve the senate, we do.”

“Oh kark, the Chancellor ordered it? We DEFINITELY can not invade.” Obi-Wan's starting to have another panic attack, not sure how to get out of the sith trap

Anakin’s a little offended. “Obi-Wan! The Chancellor is a good man; the Jedi must do this, for the good of -”

“PALPATINE’S A SITH LORD”

“what”

C) He tries, ok? (inspired by @ourhitofsucrose )

Very similar to B except for the full year between the ‘vision’ and aotc, Obi-Wan is desperately trying to follow the future’s warnings but failing hysterically

kamino and genosis have both erased from the archives and it doesn’t occur to him to ask dex so he doesn’t even have a direction to go on

tries to find some proof about Palpatine but he is a sneaky bastard

tries to separate palpatine from anakin but he’s like I’M AN ADULT NOW YOU CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO

tentatively brings up Dooku falling ‘in a vision’ to the council because that is something they can check up on- Yoda gets really offended

‘garbage planet on the outer rim’ is not a lot to go on

when he tries to get help searching because he knows that the sith who killed Qui-Gon is still alive and planning to kill his ex-girlfriend even Anakin is like... ‘ok buddy, i think you might be under too much stress, maybe we should visit the healers...”

best he can do for Shmi is leaving her an emergency beacon

A+ success in relationship repair with Anakin tho! through the application of a very awkward hug and a mumbled “you know I love you, right?”

Anakin drags him to the healers immediately, and after a drug test and an overnight stay finally responds by bursting into tears and ugly crying on Obi-Wan’s robes because “YOU’RE A FATHER TO ME BUT I THOUGHT YOU HAATED ME”

Obi-Wan is uncomfortably patting him on the back “Of course I don’t hate you! You’re my padawan! Why would you think that?”

Then when Shmi activates her emergency comm the same night Anakin has his first nightmare about his Mom and they fly to her rescue he’s even more OBI-WAN 5EVER  than canon or scenario B because

“You...checked in on my mom?? Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry Anakin, I knew the council wouldn’t approve...”

hugs Anakin again since that is the only piece of advice he can follow from his future self and he just thinks ‘well its a long shot but hopefully this is enough to prevent any lava planet incidents’

it is 

Seriously in this version of events Anakin actively RESISTS being knighted because he was already obsessed with Obi-Wan in canon and now with hugs + verbal affection + protecting Mom proactively he is ALL IN FOR OBI NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP NEVER GONNA LET YOU DOWN

low-key ruins palpatine’s plans by itself because now when he tries to drive a wedge between them with his bullshit ‘your master doesn’t truly trust you’ Anakin gets huffy and responds with a space powerpoint presentation

i mean other stuff is going to go down once we get to the armies but already the stage is set for him to go running to Obi-Wan the minute he has a nightmare about Padme dying and him responding “J. Force Christ, lets just... go to a healer, fuck’s sake Anakin I hope it doesn’t need to be said but do NOT turn to the darkside over this”

canon would definitely diverge before that point but its also very funny to me to imagine RotS playing out more or less the same but when he gets to Palpatine’s big offer he just goes ‘sorry dad told me no’

[themonotonysyndrome]

REDACTED verse - Vincent and Lovely’s Dating Life Headcanons

TW: A very brief mention of Vincent killing Adam below:

Vincent has a lot of cash. 

How when he and Lovely are attending D.A.M.N? It's Will. Will gives out allowances to Vampires that relates to him. Well, he used to give allowance to Alexis, but now she holds down a job of her own and told him to quit it. Sam already has a career with a comfortable stream of income even before he was turned, so he doesn't need that Sugar Daddy money. But the thing is, Will's idea of allowance is a million per month.

Even after Vincent told him that's way too much, Will did his own research on the rent prices in some of the apartments in Dahlia. So better safe than sorry. Besides, who knows if Vincent has to buy another car after another fail attempt at parking on a hill.

So with that much cash on him, Vincent absolutely goes ham on spoiling Lovely. He's a total sap for them; he's so ready to provide them with anything and everything they want the moment Lovely stares at something for more than five minutes.

(Catch people watching them in confusion as Lovely insist to Vincent that no, they don't need that diamond choker, honey! They just made an offhand comment that it looks pretty! Put that black card away!)

In contrast, Lovely's financial situation is average, modest. They're not struggling, yet they're not loaded, and that middle ground is more than enough to keep them happy. So after they and Vincent became a thing, they're taken aback at Vincent's sheer excitement to shower them with praises, gifts and other goodies.

"Our semester break starts next week, Vincent. Let's plan something?"

"Sure. Got any ideas about what you want to do during the holidays?"

"I'm not sure yet. These past few months have been crazy lately..."

"You know what you need, baby? You need a vacation."

"Oooh, that sounds like an amazing idea, Vincent! The last time I went on vacation was with my family. It was two years ago..."

"Yup. You're seriously overdue for some much-needed relaxation, little one. Say... do you remember where we keep the luggage around here?"

"I'm pretty sure they're in the store. Uh, why?"

"We're going to the Bahamas! Don't worry, Lovely; I bought the tickets and booked the hotel already as we talked. Shit, I can't wait to see you in a swimsuit, baby."

"WAT."

That was a long night for Lovely. 

And after a year of being with Vincent and meeting Will, Lovely wasted no time and immediately called Will after Vincent announce that he bought a car for them and it's all paid for already.

"Will! Stop giving Vincent so much money! I don't need a car! The train and public buses work fine!"

"...But Vincent told me it's your dream car... and it's your favourite colour too."

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

When it's Vincent's turn to meet with Lovely's family (knowing that they mean so much to them), he completely overdoes it. Bringing them all to a highly fancy and expensive restaurant for the first time, gifting a diamond necklace and some rare cigars to their parents. He'll be wearing a super-expensive suit too.

Lovely is facepalming so hard in the background as Vincent tries way too damn hard to impress them.

"I promise to protect them, Sir... Ma'am. Please don't worry about it. I killed a man for them after all."

"...."

"SHITSHITSHITABORTABORTABORTWHATTHEFUCKDIDISAIDTHATOHGODSHUTUPVINCENTBEFORETHEYTHINKYOU'REANIDIOT!"

"..."

"...Excuse me, waiter? Hi, yeah, we're ready for some desserts now. ASAP."

Good news, though! Despite that disaster of a dinner, Lovely's parents could tell that Lovely is the one for this awkward, cute yet mess of a man. So they give him and Lovely their blessing. However, they'd call Lovely to inform Vincent to just... just chill it next time.

[consumeconstantly]

Summer Photography (aka the thirst trap)

Summary: Marinette is forced to take pictures for Gabriel in order to pay for her summer graduation trip with her best friends from lycee. Adrien, her primary model, wants to avoid the summer heat and pulls in one very attractive bad-boy motorcycle man to be his replacement.

_______________________________________________________

July in Gotham comes with an almost rancid kind of heat.

The kind of heat that is impossible to banish unless the air conditioning is set to 65 degrees and there’s a dehumidifier in the room. The kind of heat that makes babies cry with discomfort and adults curse whenever they have to take a foot outside. The only age population that enjoys it are the teens. More precisely, the teens are more fans of being on summer vacation, rather than the sticky warmth, but they find ways to work with the heat, rather than against it. Some teens gather on apartment rooftops, taking in the rare, smoggy breeze with pleasure. Others frequent their local swimming pool, an ice cream parlor or convenience store. If they get really desperate, they take shelter in the library.

Should a teen be forced out onto the muggy sidewalks full of sweaty bodies, they drift towards parks or areas of ‘city beautification’ and find a tree to rest their weary bodies under. 

Of course, there are always exceptions to these norms. 

“Marinette,” Adrien groans, sweat on his brow. “Can we please do this not during peak heat?”

“No,” Marinette says. “Your father insisted on having pictures of a male model at precisely two in the afternoon, and it took me months to convince him to let us come on this trip, so we’re not going to do anything to jeopardize it.”

“It’s not like he can do anything now. We’re literally an ocean away.”

“Suck it up, sunshine,” Marinette swats her hand at a lazy fly, not bothering to look up from changing the lens on her camera. “Maybe I’d let you get away with a substitution. Gabriel didn’t specify that the person in the pictures had to be you, but we don’t know anyone in Gotham, and everyone we’ve come across so far isn’t exactly the friendly sort.”

Adrien flicks the collar of his t-shirt, desperately trying to generate some sort of a breeze so he doesn’t melt. “This is all Nino’s fault. He and Alya insisted on going to that couple’s show when he could have been out here, taking my place. If Luka were here, he wouldn’t have deserted me like that.”

“We all know of your and Luka’s undying love for one another, but he is busy touring. He’ll meet up with us in New York, though, and you can have your disgustingly sweet love-fest over there. Meanwhile, I’ll be forever alone.”

“Don’t put yourself down like that, Marinette. At least five people in each city we’ve gone to so far have tried to go on dates with you.”

She crinkles her nose and does a test shot, making sure the light setting works out. “Yeah, but they all reeked of desperation and alcohol. Plus, at least two of them were just looking for a person to cheat with.”

“No good,” Marinette says, frowning at the shadows the tree cast. “Gabriel won’t be happy with these kinds of photos. You’re going to have to move out of the shade.”

“No!” Adrien wails. “I refuse! It’s bad enough that you dragged me out here, but to make me go in the sun? You know I burn easily.”

“Yeah, yeah drama queen, but these photos aren’t going to take themselves, and I’m one hundred percent sure that you don’t want to have to do this twice. Which is what we’ll end up having to do if you don’t get your little butt out into the sun so we can take quality shots.”

Adrien whines before a motorcycle revs in the not so far distance. A very Chat Noir smile creeps onto his face. “I don’t think I will. I’ve just found my substitute.”

Marinette follows his gaze, then shrugs. “If you think you can convince him to substitute in, you’re free to go. But remember, it’s Gotham, and if you get jumped, I’m not going to help. It’s too hot for a fight.”

“You underestimate my charm.” Adrien says, already triumphant.

#

True to form, Adrien somehow manages to get motorcycle man over to her. 

“Not sure how Adrien convinced you to do this, but I guess he gets a free pass.” Marinette knows exactly what Adrien’s going to do with his free time. He’s gone on and on about Gotham’s Museum of Vigilantes, and to be quite frank, Marinette doesn’t want to get caught up in another one of Adrien’s rant sessions on the Bat Family. “Anyways, nice to meet you. I’m Marinette, and my awful boss has come of with the wonderfully creative idea of Summer Heat for a photoshoot in the summer.”

She has a bone to pick with Gabriel Agreste. More than one, actually. In fact, she’d say that out of the 206 (well, 207, if she counts the fracture she got in her left pinky toe after that last akuma battle that weirdly, still hasn’t healed) bones in her body, she’d pick a fight with Gabriel over at least 200 of them. The lack of originality is one thing, but she’s not sure how she feels about his blatant attempts to set her up with her son during this trip. Somehow, he still hasn’t grasped the fact that his son doesn’t swing her way despite having hundreds of pictures of being lovey-dovey with Luka all over the internet. In fact, maybe it’s because Adrien and Luka have that many pictures that Gabriel is trying to push for a heterosexual relationship. A lack of vision both for his photo shoots and for his company. Marinette doesn’t understand how she once looked up to this man.

“It’s no problem. I’ve got nothing better to do, anyways.” 

Marinette blinks, then reassesses the man in front of her. Not only does he have a sinfully attractive voice, but his visual appeal isn’t that bad, either. “It’s still nice of you to do this. Should be a pretty quick shoot. Five outfit changes and a few poses in each-- shouldn’t take any longer than an hour, hour and a half.”

She rummages through her bag, fishing out a stack of paper. “You’ll get paid for your time. $250 for the whole shoot, and if you want to keep one of the outfits, feel free.”

If she’s being completely honest, she thinks that Gabriel’s summer collection is a hot mess, and she doesn’t particularly want the burden of bringing back the disgusting articles of clothes back with her in her suitcase. Should motorcycle man not want any of them, she’ll send them back via express mail.

“Don’t need the money, but I’m trying to stay out for as long as I can. Any way you could make the shoot go on longer?”

“You want to stay out in this heat?” Marinette asks in disbelief, taking out a small bag of makeup to apply to his face. She motions for him to sit in the shade of the tree while she sees what she needs to cover up. 

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” Motorcycle man says.

“Like the owner of a custom Harley-Davidson is poor,” Marinette quips. Humming in approval after giving his features once over, she decides that foundation isn’t necessary, only concealer to cover up the dark circles and some old scars.“You have great skin.”

During their summer trip, Marinette has become makeup artist, photographer, public relations manager, and trip advisor. It’s a taxing job, but well worth the reward, which is an all-expense-paid graduation trip with her friends from lycee. Well, Nino and Alya had to pay, but between Nino’s part time DJ gigs and Alya’s ad revenue on the Ladyblog, it wasn’t hard for them to raise enough for the two month long, seven city, four country trip. 

“One of my siblings is insistent that we do our best to minimize the scarring. Don’t know what his deal is, it’s not like our faces are sellable commodities.”

“That’s where you’re wrong-- you’re pretty good looking and could easily go into modelling or acting if you wanted. So props to whoever your sibling is. And thank your genetics too.”

Motorcycle man snorts. “Not cut out for that lifestyle. I like more… adrenaline inducing jobs.”

Marinette almost-- almost laughs. The placement of the scars on his face do imply that he’s gotten in at least one or two knife fights before, and there’s a thin line on his neck that definitely looks like it hurt. Motorcycle man has definitely been in trouble before, but he’s also good enough to get himself out of it. She’s not going to bother asking what his job is. She doesn’t want to be an accessory to any of his crimes. “Action movies, then?” 

“Oh sweetheart, I make action movies look like a kid’s fist fight.”

“Wow, we have a bad boy on our hands, ladies and gentleman.” She finishes applying highlighter and sits back to admire her work. His jaw can cut glass. “Okay, Motorcycle Man, it’s time to take pictures. If you’re good, maybe I’ll draw the shoot out-- I’m not a fan of this humidity.”

Summer is better than winter, if only because she’s acquired a weird habit to almost hibernate when the temperature gets too cold. It’s easy for Marinette to shrug off the heat most days, even when her friends complain constantly.

“The name’s Jason.”

“I think I’ll stick with Motorcycle Man. Alliteration, you know? Now, one hand in your pocket, the other at your collar. Left leg out a little, like you’re ready to take a step-- perfect. Walk forwards a little, yeah, just like that.”

Jason is Adonis personified. The perfect package of cocky, arrogant, and bad boy. It doesn’t hurt that he’s well muscled either-- even Adrien doesn’t have thighs like that, and he spends hours as Chat Noir jumping from rooftop to rooftop. 

“You’re a natural,” Marinette praises. “Have you ever modeled before?”

“Not like this, but I’ve got my fair share of pictures on the internet.”

She’s going to regret asking this. But curiosity killed the cat, not the ladybug. “If not for modelling, then what for?”

“Oh, you know. This and that. A few odd jobs here and there.”

And if that doesn’t make Jason sound more like a criminal, she doesn’t know what will. Marinette decides that she definitely won’t bring up a day job, let alone a night job. 

“All right, next outfit.” She pushes a muscle tank top and light, ripped jeans into his hands.  “You can change in the public restroom, and if anything doesn’t fit, just let me know.”

He takes the outfit, but pauses at one of the other outfits she has in her bag. “Is that… leather and fur? For a shoot with the theme of summer heat?”

“I don’t call the shots, I’m just the poor lackey who has to make them look good. Trust me, if I were in charge of design, the only outfit that might still be in the bag is the one you’re holding right now.” Gabriel is definitely losing his touch. But hey, doing this weird intern summer program for him isn’t the worst thing she’s had to do in her life. It’s good to learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than making them herself. 

“Don’t worry. Crappy fashion isn’t going to scare me away. Have you seen some of Gotham’s villains?”

At that, she couldn’t suppress a laugh. “You’re talking Gotham villains? How about Paris?”

“Paris is some weird alternate dimension. It doesn’t count,” Jason protests. 

“I could say the same for Gotham. Really, why are there so many Robins? Can’t they come up with another name?”

“I almost wish I could argue with that.”

He comes out of the stall, and Marinette feels the summer heat. Jason, Motorcycle Man is ripped. Yeah, his thighs are probably some of the thickest she’s seen, but his biceps are to die for. She’s half tempted to ask for his workout regime, but she’s sure that somewhere he’ll casually throw in ‘beating up random people on the street’ or ‘punching people who piss him off.’ Those are just the kind of vibes that Jason gives off. 

“The arm holes are kinda tight.”

“I’m sure they are,” Marinette breathes, chest tight. Jason’s eyes smoulder. He knows exactly what he’s doing as he places an arm on the door frame and flexes. She thinks she can die happy, now.

They wrap up the shoot quickly. All of the clothes are promptly packaged up except for the tanktop and jeans.  

@jasonette-july-2k20

____________________________________________________________

For the other jasonette prompts i’ve written for so far, i think i’ll probably continue them eventually, so lmk if you want to be added to the tag list for that. pretty surprised these are getting such a good reception thank you guys for that ;)

[thelemmerpie]

You look at your watch, and the same question since the beginning of the school year crosses your mind.

Why having classes on saturday morning?

Everyone is tired, except the teacher. Everyone will have to work this weekend. Students never have a vacation, only stolen time paid from sleepless nights.

Whatever. Since you know Mandy, your saturdays to you two are as free as possible and almost nothing prevents you from seeing each other. Every week, you end up in your favorite italian restaurant for a dinner, often accompanied by a night of pleasure in your flat, or hers. Even if it's still impossible for you to live with each other, spending the weekends together is not uncommon. So much that she has clothes and toilet stuff in your appartment, and vice versa.

You thought about her face floating above a table, lit by candles. It perfumes your spirit and you quickly forget the courses. Gracious, her smile revealing so cute dimples, her long and willowy hair tumbling down like a waterfall made of the most sleeked mirror on her oppulent chest, more or less revealed according to her mood...You're already on a cloud only by thinking about her. The day is beautiful, your eyes closes while you're smiling, and nothing can lift you out of your contemplation.

-Mr. Johnson seems already on weekend. Unless he's still in dreamland?

Almost nothing. The comment is as striking as a bucket of iced water. You turn your head to the old vulture who serves as a teacher. The bun as tight as her thin pinched lips, she looks at you with eyes ready to throw lightning. You stutt.

-Sorry mam'. Tiredness.

-Think about sleeping at night, young man.

As if you could afford it...This first year of master's degree in plastic arts, sculpture course, is more exhausting than expected.You wish you could rest your head every night on Mandy, which is impossible. Since she obtained a bachelor's degree and works on the other side of the city, she had to take a flat. You, you stayed on the campus. Life is good inside it, but not as much as with her.

The rest of the class is deadly boring, but you strive to make as many notes as you can. Finally, after what seems like hours, the old harpy frees you by asking you to return a project for the next time.

You turn on your phone and the notifications appears. Mandy sent you a text. You open it right away, hoping for a soft message to wait until tonight.

"I'm sorry, I have to cancel dinner tonight"

A fleeting moment passes, then an immense disappointment falls like a hawk on his prey (and on your heart. And on your libido). This is not the first time that one of you cancels at the last moment, but it's always unpleasant. Nevertheless, you decide to not hold it against her, even if it saddens you.

"Too bad :'(  All you alright? I miss you so much ".

The answer doesn't take long to arrive.

"Yes, I'm fine, but I really cannot go out yet."

She doesn't give you more details, which worries you a bit. Usually, you immediately tell to the other the reasons for the cancellation. You are puzzled, but you trust her and don't insist.

"If you need anything, I can go to your house tonight. Shop, or anything else. What about pizzas and a movie on the TV ?"

"Yes ! That would be wonderful, and much better ! If I can't go out right now, I can at least let you in ~~ I'm sending you a list."

It's autumn, but the heat persists and the blue sky makes you want a sandwich. You would like her to be there, by your side, lying in the still soft green grass, but she never liked the heat for a simple reason : finding suitable clothes to go out in such heat is almost impossible. Not because of being overweight, no. At least, not all over her body. It's a very local overweight: a macromastia.

As a teenager, her chest was already growing at an impossible rate. At 17, she was competing with the most buxom models you'd ever seen. Since then, her chest continues to grow steadily. Every four months, she is forced to buy new bras. Whole boxes of old underwear hang around her house.

She learned to do with it. As soon as she's back home, she unravels the torture instrument to free her chest. If it excited you at first, it fast becomed as common as taking off your shoes. Ignoring her chest is clearly impossible, especially when it jumps in all directions. But the moments you prefer are those quite ones where you are together to the couch, watching TV while behaving and more if you're in the mood. These moments are still too rare. You hope this will change one day. In such a big city, your respective obligations separates you and if you get closer, it would be your obligations that would be too far from you.

You sigh. In just over a year, you'll be able to live together. Her father has promised you a job in his molding company, and he already considers you two as married. Maybe you'll even be able to take up his business later. A clear path, a good job, a dream girlfriend, and a lovely family in law. It's well worth it to endure on saturday mornings with the vulture and work like a madman.

You finish your sandwich when your phone vibrates again. It's Mandy. A short list is displayed. She doesn't need much : food, some medicine...And new bras.

There, you frown.

She bought some two weeks ago, and they were already costing a fortune, in addition to being horribly uncomfortable. Having a big chest is considered as chance, but the bad sides can be counted easily : besides the expensive and inconvenient underwears, you can cite the look of others and the lustful solicitations from complete strangers when you go out in the street.

And yet, you've never seen her complain. No back pain, a body of foolproof flexibility, and an amused satisfaction when she surprises the eyes of others dive into her deep cleavage. She likes to seduce as well, but has always looked for someone who would consider her as something much than a toy for a titfuck. Her breasts didn't leave you indifferent, but you quickly became interested about her to the point that even naked, you can discuss with her as when she wears a triple layer of thick clothes, in autumn and winter, the only seasons where she can go out without problems. Her two favorite seasons have quickly become yours as she feels comfortable.

And yet, what a pair !

You could carve it from memory on pink marble, with all the details that her body offers. Round, no, a little oval. Glossy, smooth, plumped in her clothes, looking like a silicon bag that other women implant themselves. Except that she's natural. It's so unlikely that many people find it hard to believe, at the point that "fake boobs" yeled loudly always been an insult. Harassment, she knows that. But she has always been proud of her body, and you have always been proud of her. People talk, you live your love, that's enough for you two.

You keep thinking about your sculpture. Her tits would be nothing without gravity, of course. A challenge, to account for a chest so beautiful, so full, but that falls so little. Languid into the lustiness of her own pleasure, as she is after love. She's like her chest: proud, but so smoochy when she loves...

And the nipples, of course ! Small, discreet, as cute and innocent as infants. Two small chicks hatched by two aerolas, soft hen mums. Everytime, you vacillate between kissing them softly or sucking them. Everything in her is so perfect that to soil her would be a crime, if she wern't agree to welcome you near her and into her.

Nevertheless. New bras just two weeks after buying other is strange. Have they broke ? With a chest like hers, nothing surprises you anymore.Those before were worse than grandmother's bras. Thick sackcloths, oversized sports bras, with braces stretching out day after day, until her breasts overflowed and compressed her too much. A sexy photo later, you left to buy others. Shopping with her is always a pleasure, even if shops providing sizes at her convenience are increasingly rare.

You call her, and her voice soon rings in your ears.

-Hello, Danny ?

-Mandy, sweetie, I got your list. Had you not...already bought new bras recently?

It still gets you to be embarrassed to talk about her breasts, sometimes, and you must carefully prepare your words in order to not blush. You prefer to look at them and touch them, in silence, without any other noise than her pleasure moans.

-Sorryyyyyyyy ~~ . But I can't do otherwise. I can't go out with the old ones, it's getting worse and worse.

-Better and better, you mean ?

-For you, yes.

-And for you too. I know you love your breasts.

-Stop, she said, laughing. Or I could cancel the pizza tonight.

-You wouldn't dare !

The indignation in your voice is falsely exaggerated, which makes her laugh once again.

-If the handsome and brave knight carries out his mission and goes shopping, maybe the princess will send him a foretaste of what awaits him...

-An antipasti before the pizza, hm? I'll be curious to see what you're making...

-First, shop. I will prepare everything for tonight.

You're about to say goodbye to her, when a genius idea comes to you.

- What if I buy candles?

- What for?

- You know...candlelit dinner?

- For delivery pizzas ? No thanks. And then, I'm lazy to do the dishes. They have grown so much that I start having back pain...

-Really? In this case, prepare your oils for a long and good massage.

You hear hear murmuring with satisfaction.

-Very well, brave knight. If you manage to kill the hunchbacked dragon, the princess will offer you more than an antipasti.

-It's a great honor you give me, my lady.

-Come on, hang up. The shop will not make it himself.

- See ya, sweetie.

-See ya, cutie.

You hang up, a smile on your lips. Never in your life had you had such spars with anyone before. Each of her words brings you joy. Hurry the day you move in with her : your happiness will be complete.

But now, groceries. Your phone is vibrating again. It's a text sent by Mandy.

"I called Georgina this morning, you just have to take the package and pay. It's a huge lucky break, she has just renewed her supplies and agreed to take back those of two weeks ago. I will repay you".

The advantage of being a loyal and regular customer for out-of-the-ordinary clothing is that the ladies around the globe forms a small private club where they can discuss and exchange advice and services. The shop she usually goes to is far away, but it's a warm one and the woman who holds it is super great. Georgina, the manager, is a little old woman as wrinkled as an apple and had the same chest problems. She quickly decided to help women like her. If the bras remaines expensive, she gladly takes over the old ones to retouch them. She's even made customized tailor-made. But as long as Mandy's breasts will continue to grow at a breakneck pace, it will be useless and she clearly told you that : "I should take new measurements immediately after my work is done. I'd never seen that ! Go on like this, my little one, and congratulations, young man ! "

The shop bell tolls when you enter into it. Some times later, Georgina comes out of the back shop and greets you, delighted as you go forward the sale desk.

-Ah, Daniel ! I received Mandy's message. This girl beats all records, I made a new storpile just for her ! Only two weeks, and you'd think she took six months all at once !

-Thank you, Georgina, this is the first time that happens ...

-Tell me about it ! I've never seen that ! Fortunately, I have a good contact in England. Tell her to slow down, she never listened to me! It's not like you're not already happy with what she have, huh?

You try to show a neutral face, as every time Georgina talks about your relationship. Some grandmothers are discreet, but the old seamstress would be able to collapse buildings just by talking. Like every time, you fail and can only display a shy smile.

- I'll tell him, thanks. How much do I owe you?

The old woman sweeps the air with her hand and rejects the imaginary money.

-Nothing ! We'll see that when she returns the others. Knowing her, she didn't even touch it. She made her measurements, but I put her several sizes just in case. She will only have to bring me back as soon as possible.

-Thank you so much for your generosity. Without you, we don't know what she would do.

-Bah, we have to stick together! It was even worse when I was young.. Corsets that choked you even more than the things I'm selling today ! I say, I can't wait the day we can go out without it, half naked, like you men, without being attacked at every street corner! It's not Mandy that would bother ! Beautiful melons as big and as firm as the pectorals of my late husband !

You agree, but you don't know what to say. You may have an empty look, because Georgina allows you to leave.

-Ah, you men ! Go find your beauty and make us beautiful children, it will make my pleasure !

-Yes Ma’am. Thank you Ma’am.

You leave the shop, a second opaque plastic bag in your hands. Even through it, you can feel the fabric of the cup. The more Mandy's breasts grow, the less they seems thick, padded, comfortable. As for the shoulder's straps, they must be tight to cut off her skin. You can't wait the day she'll be able to wear custom made bras for her ease. You send her a text.

"I have groceries and bras, Georgina didn't charge me and she added several sizes just in case."

The answer is quick to arrive.

"Really ? Wonderful ! I'm gonna jump on her neck when I see her. How long before you get in?"

"An hour, I just went out"

"Too looooong..."

You strat to write, but another one appears.

"Here's a little something that will make you want to come even more faster..."

A few seconds later, your reward appears on your screen. It's been a while since you're used to her chest, but your mouth is opening and it takes little to make you drool.

She never sent photos of her completely naked, preferring provocation in exciting clothes. Sometimes she sends you her pretty face. Sometimes full body in a simple, wise, accompanied by her long hair that always makes you fall in love with her when you gaze at them. This time, they are tied over her head, revealing her neck, shoulders and thin arms. She seems to come out of the shower, a few drops still bead of her soft skin A new pair of diving breasts, with monstrous cleavage, overflowing beyond a towel about to explode.

You totally understand the need for new bras. At sight of the nose, only the widest will fit.

And sh's only 21 years old. And she has not finished her growth yet.

In size, yes. Not in cup size.

A new text appears.

"Have you choosed your pizza yet ?"

"I don't know, I'm in a mood for a snack right now. A stuffed sandwich, if you know what I mean ;-)"

“I thought you was in a romantic mood ? Candles of for lightning, not for BDSM, we agrée ?”

"You're impossible, as your jokes"

"No, I'm real. Why don't you touch me, if you don't believe ? I'm still waiting for my brave bra knight ;-) ".

The bus is here. You close your phone, ranks right at the bottom of your pocket so that no one can suspect your activities, and you sit down in a quiet corner. 

Something tells you that you will not have time for eating tonight.

__________

Model is MandaDawn, on Patreon and Onlyfans. That photo is clearly not the best, from two or three years ago when she was on tumblr, but I don’t know why, it inspired me with the force of a train. I barely touched her story since her breasts are effectively still growing, for an actual X cup.

[almost-jack]

Sex, Drugs,&Space Chaos Ch. 2 (A Smutty Handsome Jack Adventure)

FInd more chapters on my AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/27921886/chapters/68380147

P.S. I friggen love comments, indulge me y’all

Chapter 2: A Push, a Pull, and a Twist

Rei arrived at Jack’s office promptly at 5. The room was enormous, with Jack’s desk at the far end on a raised platform in front of three massive windows overlooking a vast expanse of black space speckled with shimmering stars. Rei couldn’t help but smile to herself upon seeing the room; of course Jack would rule Hyperion from a stage.

Jack was lounging, feet up on his desk and a cigarette dangling between his fingers. A pair of unfamiliar people, clearly not Hyperion employees, were seated in front of him, drinks in hand. Jack was talking animatedly to a tall, lanky young man with slicked back hair and a cybernetic arm who was hovering at his side. This looked like less of a company meeting and more of small soiree, but Rei wasn’t complaining. Jack called out to her as she approached.

“Ah, good!  Tiny cartel boss, meet the vault hunters. Vault hunters, tiny cartel boss,” he said cheerfully.

Rei decided to ignore the jab about her height and flashed him a crooked smile, relieved that he seemed to be in a very good mood.

“Is that my new title? I dig it,” she mused. Jack winked at her appreciatively.

“Have a seat. Rhys, pour our friend here a drink. What are you drinking, sweetheart?”

“Uhh whiskey neat, I guess,” she said, lowering herself into a chair. The tall man nodded and descended the steps of the platform to rummage around in Jack’s mini bar.

“This is your ace-in-the-hole, Jack? Really? She’s gonna get killed real quick down on Pandora,” growled a huge, muscular, bearded man with excessive cybernetics seated next to her. A tall, regal looking black woman dressed in a white fur lined coat leaned against his chair, eyeing Rei with equal skepticism.

“That’s why, Wilhelm, my dear, she’s not going down there to clean up that bandit filth. You are. You’re the brawn, she’s the brains. You clear the way and Rei will do the rest,” said Jack.

“You know, uh, I grew up on Pandora. I’ve held my own in more than a few fights,” Rei said with a hint of indignation in her voice. Her hand subconsciously drifted under her lab coat to the holster on her hip. She had decided not to take any chances and come armed with a pistol.

Jack’s eyebrows shot up.

“Hmm, is that so? There was nothing in your file about Pandora…”

“I’m sure you realize there’s a lot about me that’s not in Hyperion’s database. Besides, it’s not exactly something I advertise around Helios. People seem to have a lot of… misconceptions about Pandora. Thanks,” she said, taking the drink that Rhys handed her. “So what exactly is it that you want me to do for you?”

Jack grinned and took a drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out in a crystal ashtray.

“So-ho-ho much, cupcake,” he said with a chuckle. “Let’s start with mining the hell out of that shithole planet Pandora. We’re going to gut it and pull out all the Eridium until it collapses in on it’s stupid little self, and you’re going to oversee it. Then you’re going to take all that sweet, sweet Eridium and figure out a way to charge me a vault key. And all those little bandits your lab buddies drugged and tortured until they became psychos? I want some of those, too. But obedient. I swear I’ll shoot them right between the friggin’ eyes if any of those little monsters so much as looks at me wrong. But that comes later.”

“And what about the moral implications of, you know, torture and destroying a planet and all that…?” asked Rei, peering at him over rim of her glass.

Jack looked at her blankly for a moment, then broke into peels of laughter.

“Really? Really? The ex-Pandoran drug lord is questioning my moral integrity? Or are you getting cold feet, here?” he said, cackling.

Rei wasn’t questioning Jack’s moral compass so much as trying to discern if he actually had one. She concluded that…well she still had no idea, not that it mattered much. Over the years Rei had learnt and re-learnt the same lesson; survival first, power second, morality…whenever it was convenient. It was how the Borderlands worked.

“So I’ll take that as permission to do whatever I need to do.”

“You’ve got a free pass, run wild! And kitten, I really can’t wait to what happens when I set you loose. All you have to do is sign-” he motioned towards Rhys, who pulled a piece of paper from a folder under his arm.  “Here,” said Jack, pointing to a blank line at the bottom of the page.

She liked the sound of that…complete freedom to do whatever questionable project her heart desired was all she had ever wanted. She took a sip of her drink feeling more at ease with Jack, optimistic that this situation might actually turn out well for her. Rei picked up the contract and began to skim it.

“Don’t bother reading it, cupcake. You either sign, or I give you a ten second head start before I start shooting,” said Jack, reaching for his own drink.

“Jack, darling, are you quite sure she’s trustworthy? Wilhelm and I have already proved our merit. Don’t you feel compelled to test our new comrade?” asked the expensive looking woman.

“Aurelia, your concern is adorable, really, it is,” Jack said, flashing her a charming, well-practiced smile. “But you don’t need to concern yourself with anything other than getting paid.”

“I don’t know about that,” she said, frowning.

“Speak for yourself,” grunted Wilhelm.

“So,” said Jack, pushing a pen towards Rei, “what’s it gonna be, darlin’? Are we going to be buddies, or do I need to blow your brains out?”

Rei couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Oh wow, thanks for the ultimatum. I’ll need a minute to think about that one,” she said sarcastically, picking up the pen.

“Ooh, mouthy. Very, cute, kitten,” he said, sneering down at Rei as she signed the contract. “Ok kiddos, now that you’re all acquainted, you’ve got work to do. Off you go,” said Jack, waving a hand towards the door.  

Aurelia reached out and straightened Jack’s collar before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

“Do be careful, dear. I would hate for anything else to happen to that handsome face,” she cooed. She turned and followed Wilhelm out. Rei put her glass down and turned to leave as well.

“Ah-ah-ah. Not you, Rei. We’ve got a couple more things to discuss,” Jack said, eyeing her with a wolfish, almost hungry expression.

“Yes sir,” she said, taking a seat in Wilhelm’s recently vacated chair. She noticed that Rhys remained quietly behind Jack, watching her with a hint of concern.

“Rhysie, go get me a sandwich,” Jack said, without turning to look at him.

Rhys paused a moment, looking at Jack wonderingly, then shrugged and left.

As soon as the metal doors slid shut behind Rhys, Jack stood and rounded the desk. He perched on the edge directly in front of Rei, legs spread wide and arms folded over his puffed out chest, obviously trying to intimidate her.

“Aurelia’s got a point, kitten. How do I know you’re trustworthy?”

“Well I did just sign a binding contract under threat of death, so there’s that.”

“Is it really enough, though? Don’t think I didn’t notice that you showed up armed, today.”

“But sir, you’re always armed. Can you really blame me?”

Jack leaned in, his face less than a foot from her own.

“So what, you were going to shoot me if I scared ya? Nah. You wouldn’t dare,” he said, reaching out to cup her chin. He tilted her head up, exposing her neck to him. Rei didn’t resist, partially out of fear…but more so because something hot and dangerous was brewing deep in her stomach.

“No, sir. I wouldn’t shoot you. I don’t think that would be in my best interest,” she said softly.

“Good,” he said with a chuckle. Jack grabbed her by the lapels of her lab coat and pulled her out of her chair, forcing her to stand between his legs. He lowered his head to her neck and brushed his lips against her jaw, making her shiver slightly. Rei could have sworn he was inhaling her scent like some sort of animal.

“I like you, Rei. I don’t want to have to get rid of you. Don’t make me do that, ok?” he murmured in her ear.

“You like what I can do for you. You barely know me,” corrected Rei, putting a hand on his chest and trying to push gently away from his grasp, but Jack didn’t yield.

“Do you always get so hands-on with your employees, or am I just lucky?” she quipped sharply, pushing against his chest in earnest. Jack let go and sat back, leaning on his hands.

“Sorry pumpkin, did I misread the situation? I thought we had a fun little thing going. I’m attractive…you’re attractive…You seem kinda into me. Your little neck would fit so perfectly in my hand,” Jack extended a large hand towards her neck, but paused, letting it fall back onto the desk. He began to drum his fingers impatiently against the dark, polished wood, clearly displeased with being forced to practice some self control.

“But we can keep this strictly professional if you want,” he said, a hint of irritation in his voice.

“Hmm. Not sure, boss. First you don’t trust me, then you want to fuck me…I think you need to make up your mind,” Rei said, dropping her hand from Jack’s chest to his thigh. She slid her hand slowly up his leg, inching closer to the subtle bulge growing under his zipper.

“Since when are those two things mutually exclusive?” Jack purred, tucking her long, chestnut hair behind her ear to reveal a thick, silver cuff in her cartilage. He grinned and tugged gently on the loop of metal, leaning in so his face was inches from hers.

There was a sudden thunder of gunshots outside Jack’s door, followed by screams. Jack jerked back, looking around wildly, then reached for the intercom next to his computer, slamming his fist down on the call button.

“RHYS! What the goddamn hell was that?!” he growled.

“Jack, you better get out here…we’ve got a situation,” Rhys’ panicked voice crackled over the intercom.

“Wait here, kitten,” he said, standing and attempting to adjust himself to hide his growing erection. Rei took a step back to let him pass, snickering to herself.

“I promise this is going to be far less funny to you later,” Jack said menacingly, towering over her, nearly a foot taller.

“Sure. Go get ‘em tiger.”

Jack glared at her for a moment, then turned on his heel, sprinting across the enormous room and through the great metal doors. Rei waited a moment, then quietly followed, stopping at the doorframe to peer at the commotion outside. There, in the middle of the hallway, stood a burly man in a Hyperion guard uniform, an enormous machine gun in one hand and Rhys’ neck in the other.

Rei’s stomach sank; the shooter was one of her plugs, specifically Ian Lynch, who she had instructed to watch her back since discovering Jack’s intense interest in her. But what the hell had happened? Some of her distributers were thugs, sure, but they knew better than to get violent inside Hyperion headquarters.

Jack advanced on the man slowly, gun drawn, face twisted with rage.

“Don’t do anything stupid, asshole… That’s Hyperion property you’re screwing with.” he snarled.

“Hah! You’re not as ruthless as they say, Jackie boy, otherwise you would have just shot me already and let this twerp take a bullet to the head. You’re all talk, ain’t ya?” said the assailant.

Jack looked like he was seriously considering doing just that, gun aimed at the man’s head, but his finger was absent from the trigger.

Rei stepped out of the office, striding quickly down the hall.

“LYNCH. Drop him. Now,” she commanded, drawing her own gun from it’s holster.

“There you are, Barrett, you fucking weasel. I’ve been waiting for you,” he hissed.

“You know this guy? And Jesus fucking Christ kid, didn’t I say to wait in my office? You’re gonna get sh-“

“If it’s me you’re after, then what the fuck are you doing, Lynch?” asked Rei, cutting Jack off.

“I caught him eavesdropping, he was recording near your door” choked Rhys. Lynch gave him a hard shake.

“Shut up. Yeah, I was listening in on your little meeting. Sorry to interrupt just as you were about to let Handsome Jack bend you over his desk, bitch, but this little shit came along and blew my cover. Wasn’t gonna shoot anyone today, but he kinda gave me no choice. Little shit came at me with a stun baton.”

“So let him go and tell me what you fucking want already,” huffed Rei.

“I want the two of you,” he said, jerking his head toward Jack and Rei, “to stay the fuck away from Pandora. I don’t give a fuck what you do to your Hyperion lackeys- drug ‘em, torture ‘em, I don’t care- but you’re not getting anywhere near my people and you sure as hell aren’t taking over my planet. So I guess what I’m really saying is that I want you both dead.”

“A small time drug pusher with a hero complex. Cute,” said Rei smarmily. Jack stared at her, eyes wide with surprise.

“He’s one of yours?”

“Not my best and definitely not my brightest, but yeah. He seems to be forgetting that he agreed to sell some pretty dangerous shit to people on Helios just so I would get him off Pandora. Ease up on Rhys’ neck, or you’re gonna kill your only bargaining chip, Lynch,” Rei said, noticing Rhys squirming and struggling for breath as Lynch’s grip tightened in irritation.

“Alright, enough of this,” said Jack impatiently. He flipped on his cloaking device and vanished.

“STAY BACK! I’M FUCKING WARNING YOU, JACK!” Lynch shouted, looking around wildly. Rei took advantage of the distraction and hurled herself at Lynch, knocking both him and Rhys to the floor, just barely keeping her own footing by landing in a cat-like crouch. There was a sickening crack as an invisible force came smashing down on Lynch’s wrist, forcing him to release the gun. He howled in pain as Jack reappeared above him, kicking his gun across the hall. Jack aimed his own weapon at Lynch’s groin, a manic gleam in his eye.

“That’s better. Now let Rhysie go or I’ll shoot your fucking dick off.”

Lynch stared venomously at Jack for a moment, then loosened his grip on Rhys, allowing him to pull away and scramble to his feet.

“Good. Hand over that recording and I won’t torture you to death. I don’t really care if your little bandit friends know we’re coming for them, but I’m not ready to make that announcement just yet. I wanted it to be special,” Jack said with a mock pout.

“Why the fuck would I do that? Let’s be honest, Jack, you’re just going to kill me anyway,” spat Lynch, attempting to sit up on his elbows.

“You’re wrong,” said Rei, planting a boot on either side of his hips and crouching down so their faces were level. She placed the muzzle of her pistol gently between his eyes and leaned closer to whisper in his ear.

“I am going to kill you.” Rei pulled the trigger. The crack of gunfire resonated through the empty hall and a spray of crimson droplets spattered Rei’s face and lab coat. Lynch slumped back in a pool of his own blood and brain matter.

Jack stood motionless, mouth slightly agape, staring at Rei.

“That was…oh my god…so fuckin’ hot, I mean, I can’t even-“

“He’s wearing a wire. It’s still transmitting to somewhere…somewhere nearby,” interrupted Rhys.

He had pressed himself as flat as possible against a nearby wall, as if trying to make his lanky form disappear into the metal. He took a shaky step forward, gingerly rubbing a blossoming bruise around his neck.

“I picked it up with my Echo eye. Couldn’t figure out why that guy was lurking around Jack’s door, so I gave him a scan. Where are you going?” Rhys said, noticing Rei slowly backing away.

His Echo eye sparked to life and raked over her, his mouth falling open in surprise. The receiver for the wire was nestled in Rei’s pocket.

“Oh. Oh shit. You? Why?”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” snarled Jack, stomping over to her so he could make the vast difference in their sizes all the more evident as he loomed over her. She looked up at him wearily, realizing the jig was up.

“I…gave it to him. I told him to tail you and try to get something… to blackmail you with… in case I didn’t like the terms of your deal,” she mumbled sheepishly.

“So why was he here now? Couldn’t you just record me yourself?” asked Jack in a low, dangerous hiss, his eyes narrowed to slits.

“I asked him to watch my back. Like I said before, it really wouldn’t be in my best interest to shoot you. But…Lynch could have easily done it and left Helios for a while, if need be.”

“You really are a fuckin’ weasel, you know that? Give me one good reason not to shoot you right now.”

“Jack, she just helped you save my life…” muttered Rhys.

“She’s also the one who almost got you killed.”

“Look, I’m not sorry for protecting myself, but I honestly didn’t mean for Lynch to do a damn thing at all unless- SHIT, OW!”

Rei cried out as he roughly grabbed both of her wrists with one large hand, hoisting her arms above her head, forcing her to drop her gun. He pulled her up until the steel toes of her boots barely brushed the floor and gently placed the barrel of his gun under her chin, tipping her head up to look at him, all the while crushing her wrists in his powerful grip.

“JACK! Knock it off! Come on, you need her, remember?” Rhys protested, loudly and firmly this time.

“Yeah, you need me,” Rei hissed.

Jack glared at her furiously as he gave her wrists a twist that made her whimper, then lowered her slowly.

“Congrats, sweetheart, that’s strike three. First you use my company to run your little drug ring, then you try to blackmail me, then you try to kill me? Looks like you just earned yourself an early ticket to Pandora. Normally I’d toss you in a holding cell and let you rot there until I need ya, but I don’t trust that you’ll be a good girl if I let you out of my sight. So you’re taking Rhysie’s place and coming with me to help take care of some business. So glad you’re not shy about murder. Hopefully you don’t have to kill anyone you know, but… I wouldn’t count on it,” he purred, his voice dripping with honey and poison as he gave her wrists another twist.

Rei shoved a knee into his groin, not hard enough to hurt him, but with enough force to serve as a warning. Much to her surprise, she felt him half hard inside his jeans. He was clearly enjoying menacing her. Rei pressed a little harder and his cock gave an interested twitch under her knee, sparking a twisted pang of lust in her stomach.

“You want a mountain of dead bandits? You got it boss. Nice rage boner, by the way,” she snickered. Jack released her and stepped back, adjusting himself once again to hide the bulge in his pants.

“Don’t push me, cupcake, I think it’s evident how much I want to break you right now. You’re on the next shuttle with me to Pandora, pack your shit and be at the departure terminal in two hours. Rhys, you keep an eye on her, I’ve got shit to do. Oh, and give me that,” he snarled, thrusting a large hand roughly into the pocket of her lab coat and rifling through it. He pulled out the receiver and a small joint, inspecting them both, then dropped the receiver and smashed it under the heel of his shoe.

“What’s this?” he said, waving the joint in Rei’s face.

“Just plain old weed. Take it, on the house. I can’t think of anyone who needs to chill the fuck out more than you, right now,” she said brazenly.

“So help me god, I am going to…”  Jack mimed strangling the air in front of him.

“My point exactly.”

He made an aggravated noise in the back of his throat and stomped back down the hall, leaving Rei eyeing Rhys suspiciously while he uncomfortably shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Sorry about him. It’s really hard to calm him down when he gets like that,” Rhys said with a weary sigh.

“Nah, I would be pissed, too, if I were him. I would have kept monitoring him if I hadn’t been caught, and maybe not entirely for safety’s sake. If I have to destroy my home planet, I want to make sure I’m getting my fair share of the reward,” she said shrewdly.

“Well he shouldn’t have put his hands on you, at least. He can really do some damage if he’s not careful.”

“Yeah, I noticed,” said Rei, examining the angry red fingerprints around her wrists. “You seem to know him pretty well. What exactly are you to Jack? Personal assistant? Babysitter?”

Rhys laughed weakly. “Technically I was a middle management coder, but Jack took a special interest in me because…well, not to brag, but I’m a pretty great hacker,” he said with a hint of smugness. “So now I’m kind of…his protégé, I guess? But lately he’s been using me as an assistant because he freaking killed so many that no one wants the job anymore. He’s such a big, murderous baby sometimes.”

“Volatile psychopath is more like it.”

“Hah, yeah. You know…and don’t quote me on this because he’s pretty hard to read… but I think Jack was really disappointed about the whole blackmail thing. He seemed to really like you, kept talking about plans for his promising new “lab nerd”, and uh… something about bending you over his desk and uh…Well he was pretty excited that you weren’t a dude. And that you’re one of us,” Rhys said with a wink.

“What do you mean?”

“You know, attractive. In the 8 and up club. Grade A, Hyperion made.”

“God, you really are his protégé,” Rei said, picking up her gun and returning it to her holster.

“Hey, those are his words, not mine. You got a little something right here,” Rhys said, pointing to his cheek. Rei dragged her already bloodstained sleeve across her face, adding more crimson to it.

“Better?”

“You kinda just smeared it around…here.” Rhys wiped her cheek with the back of his hand, pausing just a moment too long before breaking contact. Rei raised an eyebrow and he blushed slightly.

“So, uh, we better get going,” he said, avoiding her gaze.

“Yep. Clearly I need a shower. Come on, Jack junior, let’s roll,” she said, taking off down the hall, Rhys hurrying after her.

[wincestisasincest]

The Green Book (Thorin’s Company x Reader, Part 3)

Hey gang! Wow, it has been a long time. I actually had the draft on my desk top for a really long time and just never got around to post it, because my life has been really crazy, but she’s back! I’ve already started the draft for the fourth chapter, so ready yourselves! Thanks so much for your patience : ). 

Summary: (Y/n) falls into Middle Earth. Shocker. Somehow, she gets recruited to join a party of dwarves on their kinda crazy mission to reclaim their home of Erebor.

Part: 1, 2, 3

Tags (let me know if you want to be added to the list!): @stuckupstucky, @dianaarelyfernandezgarza97, @alexloveskili

Words: 2188

Warnings: None I think...? I mean (y/n) is kinda a pussy in this chapter and Thorin is... himself so just be aware of that

Finally gaining my footing, I drew myself to my feet and regained my surroundings in the middle of the hazy afternoon. 

I used the reflection on the phone to observe myself. My (h/c) hair was an absolute tangled mess, with leaves, small twigs, and even a few pebbles here and there. I mussed it with my hand before lightly parting it, like I would do every morning. Of course, I still looked terrible, but something about fixing hair always makes people feel better.

I looked at my chin, where a massive bruise had planted itself, no doubt from the rather aggressive pushing and shoving from the trolls. Additionally, my legs and arms had been littered with small cuts and bruises that had just now begun to sting and make themselves noticed. Great. 

The next order of business was to find the Company. Admittedly, I was highly uncomfortable with the idea of meddling in a familiar tale. I touched on it earlier, but, reader, the tales of Thorin Oakenshield, Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf the Gray, and all of their adventures in reclaiming Erebor were, in fact, very common tales from where I come from. So common that they are read aloud to children every night. However, no one actually believed them to be true, for dwarves, hobbits, and wizards, along with every race except human, do not exist in the world where I come from. 

I would expand on this further, but I imagine that whoever reading this has many of the same questions as my dwarf companions will ask later in these many tales, so do be patient. 

While we are taught as children that it is bad practice to mess around with things that are already set in stone, we are also taught that cops are good and that “because” is a valid reason for anything, so I ignored that advice. 

They may be my only chance to ever see civilization again. 

Catching up with them was very easy, as, while they are quite business oriented, they travel very slowly. They had spent a long time searching in the caves of the trolls that had been killed earlier, and even longer packing and preparing for the journey ahead. Dwarves are tough, that’s for sure, but they are also very methodical, and do not like to be interrupted when they have already begun something. 

Like a stalker (which I guess I technically was), I peaked out at their company from behind a tree, wondering when exactly my entrance should be made. They were apparently wondering something similar. 

“I say we should look for ‘er.” Fili posited.

“I second the lad.” Dwalin piped up. Oh dear, that dwarf was so intimidating up close. Even though I was noticeably taller than him, he could take me out with a single swing of his axe, no questions axed asked. 

“If she wanted our help, she would’ve come back and gotten it by now.” Nori remarked, to which Thorin sternly nodded. He was right. I did need their help, and I was back to get it. Gold digger life. (A/N I’m so sorry for removing the immersion, I would just like to apologize for all of the Gen Z shitposting in this. Feel free to tell me to knock it off.) 

Gandalf and Bilbo were there. It was a moment I recognized, when Gandalf introduced Bilbo to his now famous blade, Sting. I realized in that moment that literally any point in which I decided to emerge would be interrupting something. I quickly swallowed my pride and decided to reveal myself. 

“Uh, hi! I’m back.” I had absolutely no idea what to say. They all turned to face me, though at this point I was used to being gawked at. I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t make me feel a little bit dizzy, though. 

I waved awkwardly, supporting my red canvas backpack over my shoulder. No one was saying anything. 

Gandalf lifted his every curious head up and eagle-eyed me from across the clearing. 

“Miss (Y/n)! So you have decided to join us.” It felt supremely unnatural to have him say my name. He crossed the way to approach me, leaving a rather disconcerted hobbit in the dust. 

“Uh… yeah. I guess I have.” 

“Wonderful! However, I’m afraid that I only offer my acquaintanceship to ladies whom I know more than their name. After all, it is only fair, since I’m sure you know mine?” No one bothered to interrupt the wizard, who, if I wasn’t mistaken, was doing the same thing to me that he did when he first met Bilbo outside of his hobbit hole. 

“Ummm, yeah, you’re Gandalf the Gray. And I guess, uh,” I breathed in deeply, realizing that, whether I tell the truth or lie, I’m going to sound extremely pathetic, “I’m (f/n) (l/n), but you can just call me (f/n). Uh, I’m human, I guess, and um, I don’t really know where I am right now. I’m kinda lost, I guess.”  

“Where do you hail from?” Damnit, damnit, I had no idea how to answer this.

“Ummm… really not from here. Like, so far that you probably haven’t heard of it.” His expression deepened a little bit. He was not playing as much as he pretended to. A somewhat scary reminder of the actual investment in the protection of his friends that it was easy to forget that he had.

“Try me.” 

“(Hometown name).” I answered back, with a fair amount of fake confidence. He furrowed his brow and pondered slightly, while everyone else remained completely puzzled. Of course, they had never heard of my hometown either, but the were far less travelled then Gandalf, and simply resolved to not seem outwardly ignorant. 

“You’re right, I suppose. I never have been there,” he paused, and no one surrounding him, myself included, was exactly sure what that pause meant, “But, how does one from the mysterious land of (hometown name) get so far from it?” 

“I’m not sure. I truly have no idea how I got to this place. One day it was life like any other, and the next thing I know I had woken up about to be eaten by a troll. I swear, I don’t know.” I added that last part, because I was serious, even if it sounded like I was completely making it up as I went a long, and doing a very poor job at that. 

“No need for swearing, I believe you.” 

“Well, I do not.” Thorin Oakenshield entered the ring.

“She wasn’t talking to you, dear Thorin.” Gandalf may appear spacy at times, but his sharp wit never left his side. 

“No, that is true, though perhaps she should’ve been, considering that I am the leader of this company.” I found it strange that, though he was arguing about me, Thorin had not yet dared to look me in the eye. 

“A leader who was too afraid to approach a frightened young girl alone in the forest?” My face twisted into a bit of a displeased expression. I thought I had hidden my fright well enough, and I was practically an adult. 

“She appeared far from frightened. While you were not there to see it, she was the one who confronted the troll head on, even when he was threatening her. And that thing that she can do with her eyes! I do not believe that she is as innocent as she appears.”

“Perhaps then, dear Thorin, all the more reason to have her accompany us for some time being. Perhaps,” he turned to me briefly before returning to the conversation, “we shall discover some more hidden skills that may be of surprising use.” 

I’d never felt so painfully passive in my entire life, just watching two people argue about what was to happen to me while pretending like I wasn’t even there. Did I even want to accompany them? To this point, I just wanted to go with them to Elrond’s house and then see if there is any aid there. Of course, it helped that Elrond’s house is basically an all-expenses-paid vacation, and particularly accommodating to lost souls. 

It became frighteningly clear that whatever separate visions they had of what was to become of me in their mind, neither of them were what I wanted.

“Are ye hungry, lass?” A finger poked my side. It was Bofur, a slightly more comforting sight. Though the two continued their bickering in the background, I diverted myself from the conversation slightly to face him.  

“Um, no, I think I’m okay, I-“ my stomach growled. 

Bofur smiled understandingly. 

“Well, we got lots o’ food if y’ever change your mind.” 

“Mahal, where did you get that?!” Kili yelled from the side. It appeared that I was now up for grabs by anyone who wanted to talk to me, as Thorin and Gandalf walked off. 

“What?” 

“That!” Kili pointed a finger at my chin, which I stroked thoughtfully, realizing that he was taking note of my large, now splotchy bruise that almost appeared to be a poorly shaved five o’clock shadow. 

“Oh, this? It was from the troll, I think. It wasn’t there before.” I rubbed my chin thoughtfully again before giving him something of a lopsided smile. He appeared quite amused at the concept of large bruises. 

“Lad, it’s considered polite to introduce yerself before askin’ a lass about ‘er wounds.” Balin remarked from the side, winking at me thoughtfully.

“Ah, yeah. Apologies. I’m Kili, at your service, miss!” He playfully bowed. I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I already knew all of their names, so I just passively watched as the introduction ritual took place, feigning mental notes as though it would be a struggle for me to recall them later. 

I “met” Fili next, as he always tried to one up Kili with the showmanship, then Bofur, who introduced his family, Bifur and Bombur. Dwalin and Balin respectfully bowed, which felt way more gratifying than it should. Dori, Nori, and Ori introduced themselves together, followed by Oin and Gloin. Finally, the smallest member, Bilbo, appeared to have the most practiced bow, and politely introduced himself. I nodded. 

“(F/n) (l/n) at yours.” I recalled the response to the standard greeting from the book, while doing a mock curtsey. I was still wearing jeans. 

“I have to admit, it’s been a while since we’ve seen a lass, or anyone for that matter, in these woods.�� Balin chatted curiously. 

“I can only guess as to why.” The sarcasm was the first thing that I had felt natural saying in a while. 

“Perhaps the giant trolls?” Ah, yes. Sarcasm was something that the dwarves were not yet used to. I nodded at let it pass. 

The group held their breath and Gandalf and Thorin returned, a tacit agreement among them to let Thorin do the talking. He stepped forward.

“Very well, (y/n) of (hometown name). You will be permitted to travel with our Company until you may be returned to some area of safety, though I must warn you against doing anything that may inhibit our quest.” 

I nodded, silently agreeing to the terms that had been placed before me. He grunted, and returned to packing for the journey ahead. 

“You must tell me more about this (hometown name) when you get the chance, Miss (y/n).” Gandalf added. 

“I’d be glad to.” I smiled, lying through my teeth. Part of me wanted to begin planning for when I would eventually have to lie about where I came from, but the other part of me simply had no idea what to anticipate. 

I recalled my red canvas backpack, knowing that it was filled with things so far from this time that it would be disastrous if they got in the hands of any of my travelling companions, even someone as wise as Gandalf. I recalled my familiarity with their tales, knowing that, no matter how honest I was, I could not reveal to them that I knew the end. I recalled the death of Thorin, Fili, and Kili, the abuse of Bilbo, the psychological torture of Thranduil, and everything unfortunate in between. 

Perhaps I was better off dying in the forest alone. 

“Miss (y/n), you may walk with me if you like? We are both quite out of place in this company.” Bilbo cautiously approached me, his small voice easier to focus on as the rest of the Company began to leave me alone to pack for the time being.

“I would be honored, though I’m afraid I am not a terribly experienced traveler.”  

“Then we shall make fine company, Miss (y/n).” 

“Oh, you can just call me (y/n), no ‘Miss’ needed.” 

He appeared somewhat startled, and on the verge of insulted. 

“Oh, no, no, it’s just that the ‘Miss’ isn’t very common where I come from. I didn’t mean anything by it.” I hastily added, trying to fix whatever mess I had started. 

“You really do come from far, don’t you?” Now he seemed to be observing me. I nodded. 

“Yes. It’s going to be a long way back.”

***********

So we finally start the shenanigans, though I must warn you that this is only getting started. As always, feel free to shoot me ideas as to what (y/n) has, or perhaps even a pairing. I’m considering also making this one a choose-your-own-adventure in terms of pairings, but that would take a lot more work, so if y’all have a specific one let me know and I can just write that!

[embarrassingresultofmyfreetime]

2020 Masterlist

Here’s a list of all the fics I’ve posted this year! (Listed by category, then chronologically:)

Link to my ao3 where you can read all of these: embarrassingresultofmyfreetime

~

Currents wips:

And They Were Quarantine Mates

An old disease has resurfaced on Earth- one which most humans recover from but is permanently lethal to Time Lords.

Because of this, the Doctor stays on Earth to make sure her humans make it through okay.

And because of the Doctor, the Master- against his better judgement- also chooses to stay.

Reluctant to leave the safety of the Doctor's Tardis, the Doctor and the Master find plenty of ways to pass the time but it can be difficult to enjoy each other's company with so many things left unsaid.

Good thing they have plenty of time in isolation to work it out.

Word Count: Currently 88,172

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Spyfall: Battle For Humanity

This is a little number I like to call: Roleswap AU with Dhawan!Doctor and Whittaker!Master

It's sort of a rewrite of Spyfall p2 but it's better.

Word Count: Currently 5,688 (will be about 12k when finished)

~~~

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Main fics (completed):

Please Tell Me Why Do We Worry

Summary: After learning about the final loss of Gallifrey, the Doctor takes some time to grieve and finds herself with surprisingly mixed feelings about the whole ordeal.

To her surprise, a knock at her Tardis door soon reveals the Master not only alive, but in uncontrollable mental agony as he reveals that the Doctor's suffering has been amplifying his own emotions via their telepathic bond.

Note: (After so many kind and positive comments on this fic, I finally gained the confidence to start posting more! A huge thank you to so many people it means so, so much to me!)

Word Count: 5,068

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Second Chances

When Graham finds a teleportation cube offering an all-expenses-paid vacation, he, Ryan, and Yaz take up the offer and give the seemingly-distant Doctor some time to herself.

After the events of Skyfall 1&2, the trust between the trio and a certain timelord is shaken. However, when their vacation quickly becomes a nightmare, it's up to the Doctor to bring about peace on an upsettingly familiar planet.

Note: (A rewrite/fix it of S11 episode Orphan 55)

Word Count: 7,130

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All’s Fair In Love And War

Having escaped alive and alone, the Master dwells on his failure and uncertainty at what to do next.

Purely by accident, he runs into a version of the Doctor he's never met before and she gives him a much needed perspective on their relationship.

Word Count: 4,653

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Truth and Reconciliation

“I... I destroyed a lot of things, but not this... trove of secrets. This is what started it all.”

Missing Scene where the Master goes to Gallifrey and discovers the truth of the timeless child for the first time + alternate ending to The Timeless Children episode

Word Count: 7,563

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The Doctor Finally Gets Some Rest

(Ch2 update Missy pov)

The Doctor promised to guard Missy for 1000 years, but Missy doesn't mind returning the favor.

Word Count: 5,671

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I Wouldn’t Wish It On My Best Enemy

"Just deserts appeared to finally be served for the Doctor. All her running had come to an end, all the lives she's taken or caused had finally been assigned a numerical value, and all the morals she had once believed in seemed to crumble to dust right before her eyes.

A life sentence.

She had JUST BEEN TOLD she would never die, and the first thing the universe does is give her a life sentence.

What kind of cruel joke is that?"

Basically: The Doctor reflects on herself while in prison, the Master rescues the Doctor and actually helps her, and idk read the tags

Word Count: 4,629

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Brand New Reality

In an alternate timeline: The Master is killed in the Time War but the Doctor finds a way to salvage his oldest friend's mind by binding it to his Tardis and building him an android vessel as a way to interact with the physical world.

The Doctor also manages to save the Time Lords from their war- but he is still a renegade in their eyes. As punishment, the High Council uses the Doctor- and by extension the Master- as their personal diplomats/field agents.

The Master isn't too happy about being trapped on the Doctor's Tardis, the Doctor is fed up with being the equivalent of a dog on a leash to the Time Lords, so in a moment of anger and also pure luck- they break out from their world and end up on a parallel one with a very different version of their universe and very different versions of themselves.

(Shalka!Universe Doctor and Master meet their modern counterparts- the Thirteenth Doctor and Dhawan!Master)

Word Count: 10,148

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The Imposter(s) Among Us

The Doctor has been searching the universe for the Master, but it's only when she takes a break to help a damaged space vessel that she runs directly into him!

The Doctor has a hundred and one things to ask him, but there's no time for any of that now. The ship is barely functional and if the mysterious murderer doesn't get to the Doctor first, then the trigger-happy crewmates might throw her out the airlock before the killer gets a chance.

Word Count: 12,655

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My Dear, Doctor…

The Doctor investigates an anomaly to find that her previous self has stood up their oldest friend for the umpteenth time.

Confused as to why the Doctor can't recall ever receiving Missy's invitation in the first place, the Doctor goes searching for answers and ends up finding far more letters than just one…

Word Count: 6,657

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Series:

And They Were Happy Au Parts 1-4:

Part 1: Dinner and a Show

All his lives, the Master had always believed that he and the Doctor could hold on for about the same amount of time. He always imagined that when they reached their last lives, they would both give all this up and spend their retirement years bickering and raising bees or whatever. The Master didn't particularly like bees, but he had always imagined that the Doctor did and as long as they were together, that was enough to satisfy him.

What he had discovered in the Matrix had proved his ideal endgame impossible.

The revelation that the Doctor was The Timeless Child meant that the Doctor would always live on. They would always evolve and survive no matter what happened. The Doctor would always race to people in need; and now, they would never have any reason to stop.

(AU where the reason the Master wanted the Doctor to kill them both in The Timeless Child is bc he's on his last life)

Word Count: 5,120

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Part 2: Dinner and a Show One-Offs

"The Doctor did her best to space out her visits with O. For every couple adventures she had with her 'fam', she would stop by his home once or so. Sometimes she let months slip by, because she knew that the longer she waited, the less of O's limited time she used up.

She felt guilty to calculate it, but if O was already in his mid-thirties and he lived a full human life...

Suffice it to say, she wanted it to last for as long as possible. She had never had a situation as stable nor as safe as she now had with O. After everything they had both been through to get to this point, she refused to jeopardize a single moment.

For all the pain the Master had caused her, O was well worth the wait."

(By popular demand, a continuation of 'Dinner and a Show')

Word Count: 10,926

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Part 3: Unjustifiable

O- having no recollection of his actions as 'The Master'- returns to being Earth's Horizon Watcher.

O is proud of his work and he cherishes the Doctor's frequent visits, but it's becoming increasingly apparent that she's been keeping more secrets about his past than he had theorized.

To make matters worse, the arrival of an advanced species of aliens on his doorstep brings with it a whole new plethora of problems. Something terrifying resurfaces when O hears they're searching for a Tardis and things go terribly wrong.

Word Count: 23,870

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Part 4: Found Family

The Master finally gets around to seeing the universe in a more peaceful way and runs into a young woman looking for her father.

Word Count: 3,663 (Will possibly be updated at a later date, but complete for now)

~~~

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Oneshots Inspired by others (specific inspiration in the beginning notes of each):

All Alone In The Dark

While heading back to Earth, the Doctor hears someone calling for her help.

She tracks it back to the Master- injured yet alive- and finds him trapped in his own head, reliving his last confrontation with The Time Lord Council before the destruction of Gallifrey.

Word Count: 1,926

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You Again

The 10th Doctor and Missy each escape their last canon appearances believing that the other is dead for good.

So imagine their surprise when they run into each other at a party in the 1920's.

Word Count: 6,943

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Sick Day

The Master has everything set up for his latest evil scheme but when he tracks down the Doctor, he realizes his best enemy is in no condition to fight. So the Master does what any good nemesis does and takes care of him.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

Word Count: 2,807

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Prompt: "Right now, I don't know if I want to kiss you or shove you off a bridge!" "Can I pick?"

The Master’s Tardis had traced the call seven minutes in advance to this exact time and location. He pushed open his Tardis door to find himself in front of some no name bar with graffiti scrawled on the side, situated in front of an empty ravine. He was on Earth, and there was probably a similarly ramshackled city around him, but he didn’t so much as spare it a glance.

The Master’s steps were determined, his jaw clenched, and his hands shaking despite his signature device in hand.

He had been on the other side of the universe, licking his wounds like any old villain would when disappointed by their latest nemesis showdown. It all made his blood boil to have caved so soon. To come back and HELP the Doctor.

The Doctor still had O’s number and her call was scheduled to be made in exactly seven minutes. A hysterical, agonizing call that begged the Master to intervene. He wasn’t sure what was worse, hearing the Doctor in so much despair, or the disappointment that hearing her in such agony somehow didn’t lessen his own.

Word Count: 2,410

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The Beginning and The End

Prompt: First Doctor, Dhawan!Master, Gallifrey, and the dialogue: "I know my words mean close to nothing for you. But I do, in fact, love you very much."

Basically Theta (Academy Era Doctor) accidentally runs into the Master on a burning Gallifrey

Word Count: 4,499

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Kisses Like That

The Doctor's never understood why humans enjoy kissing so much- but a certain, somewhat familiar woman piques his interest.

(Missy goes back in time to give 10 a lil kiss)

Word Count: 1,885

Spyvember 2020

Collection of short fics I did inspired by Spyvember prompts (from Tumblr)

Word Count: 15,506 (6 separate chapters)

~~~

Thank you to everyone who has inspired me, commented on my work, read any of my writing, and overall has just supported me in any way this year!! Thank you for keeping me motivated and helping me improve as a writer!

My best wishes to you in the new year! <3

[random-imagines-blog]

Killing Loneliness {James McAvoy x Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 2587 Summary: An unexpected meeting, a spilled coffee, and a VIP experience.

This was not at all how you thought your life was going to go. Here you were, on what was supposed to be your honeymoon, by yourself, getting lost in a small European city, with your phone dead in your pocket. There were worse adventures to go on, you supposed. At least you were safe and the day was gorgeous. Sunny, but with breeze enough to keep you cool. Europe in the early autumn was as gorgeous as you had hoped it would be. That’s why you had booked this place for your honeymoon - the sights, the weather, the cute couples strolling around with one another, arm in arm. But truth be told - you weren’t all that upset to be alone. Maybe you would meet a handsome European man who would sweep you off your feet with their exotic accent. Maybe this would be like all of those romantic movies that you used to watch. It certainly felt like the place for that to happen.

You were snapped out of your thoughts by familiar music coming out of a store that you were passing. No, it wasn’t a store, but it was something more welcome. Thank goodness for franchises like Starbucks which were worldwide. At the very least, you knew that you would be able to get your favorite drink to help warm your belly when the wind started to grow a bit cooler. You stepped inside and hummed along with the song as you stood in line and got your drink.

Alas, the good feeling was not to last very long. The Starbucks was small, and it’s entryway even smaller, so as you tried to exit the cafe, someone ended up sliding past you. It was a bit rougher than you had expected, and the two of you were so close. It was inevitable that your drink would end up getting onto his jacket. “Fuck,” The man swore in a Scottish accent. It took you a couple of seconds to work out that the drink ended up on you too, splashing on the both of you. “Are you alright? That’s really damn hot.”

“I - I’m so sorry.” You said, stepping back inside with him. Immediately, you went to grab some napkins and handed them to him. The jacket looked expensive, and the coffee appeared to have made a horrible stain. “Are you alright? I’ll um - I’ll pay to get it dry cleaned. Damn, I am so-”

“Whoa, take a breath.” The man put his hand on your shoulder lightly, the other one holding napkins to his jacket, trying to soak up at least some of the mess. “I asked if you’re alright, and don’t worry about the jacket. I’ve got plenty back in my room.”

“I’m alright,” You said. You took his advice and took a deep breath in and then let it out slowly. You moved your eyes away from his jacket, up to the bright blue of his eyes. Well, that hadn’t helped at all, for once you saw who the man was, your breathing stopped once more and you nearly went into a panic.

You really hadn’t woken up today expecting to spill coffee over James McAvoy.

AKA The actor you had a weird crush on since he dressed up as a faun in a children’s fairytale movie.

“Here, y/n, let me buy you another one.” He took his hand off his shoulder, took your half empty cup out of your hands and turned it to look at the order. You gaped at the fact that James knew your name, but as he spun the cup around, you saw it was written by the barista. With a slightly embarrassed smile, you nodded.

“Thank you - but I should be buying you one. It was my fault, I wasn’t paying attention.” You started, but James shut you up with a glance. It wasn’t a quick one. You might even be correct if you thought that he was checking you out. How your cheeks turned red at the thought of that!

James smiled and touched you again, hand lightly on the back of your shoulder, guiding you back towards the counter where a starstruck barista was waiting. You thanked him again as he said your order outloud, and then gave his own. “I really do owe you though. At least for the jacket. I don’t have much money to get you a new one but perhaps I can get it cleaned-”

“She’s adorable, isn’t she?” James cut you off, speaking to the barista about you. You stopped talking in that moment, and finally your mouth closed. You weren’t sure how to respond to that. He paid for the drinks with a credit card, and waited patiently by your side. “I can tell from the accent that you’re not from here,” He said, making conversation with you, despite the looks that he was getting from just about everyone in the place.

“You’re right, this is just a little vacation.” You said, trying to relax. He was being extraordinarily kind, the least that you could do was be the same way in return. “What are you here for?”

“We’re shooting here in the city,” James said, casually. He pulled out his phone and seemed to go through his messages. “Thankfully it’s a day off today for me. Eighteen hour days.” He sighed.

“I’m surprised you’re not still in bed. I would be if I had to work that long,” You chuckled.

“And waste a beautiful day like this? No, never, that’s why I’m getting coffee.”

As the last word escaped his lips, the barista put the two cups on the counter, one with your name and one with James’s. You took yours and held it close to your chest so that if it were to spill, it would be more so on you this time, rather than on your present company. A part of you did expect for this to be the end of your little adventure with the famous actor, but he surprised you by opening the door for you and followed you outside. “So where are you staying?” He asked pleasantly.

You named the hotel, wincing as you did so, since it had such a corny and romantic name. It was a hotel that basically screamed ‘Honeymoon’. As you said it, you saw James look away from you, slightly bashful.

“Honeymoon then? Where’s the lucky man?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. Your smile had entirely disappeared at this point, and you shrugged. It was rough to say, but honestly, James seemed to be interested so you gave him the truth.

“I honestly have no idea, though the last I heard, he was in Hawaii with his new fiance. I ran into his mom a couple of days ago and she was more than pleased to talk about his rich girlfriend and all the places she took them so far.”

“Well, fuck,” James said, mouth slightly open, clearly not expecting that answer. “So you just came out here by yourself, then?”

“I already had put down the deposit, and it seemed like a waste not to? That’s really weird, isn’t it, wow.” You chuckled, just realizing how odd it really was.

“Maybe a little,” He said, laughing along with you. “Well, since you paid and all, why don’t we make sure that you have a good time while you’re here?’

“I’m already having a good time... though what do you mean we?” You questioned, pausing your walk to turn towards him with a puzzled look.

“I mean you and I. I was invited to a club tonight, and it’s not really my thing, so you should come with me. Well, us, the rest of the cast is going too. Here, give me your phone, I’ll give  you my number, so you don’t feel pressured.” He held his hand out to get my phone from me.

“My phone is actually dead,” You admitted, bringing it out and showed him the black screen. “I can give you mine though, if that works.”

“Yeah, that works. You can even give me a fake one, and I’ll get the message to just fuck on off.” He said with a pleasant smile. Your cheeks were beyond flushed as you put your phone number in his phone, saved under your name along with the word Starbucks so he would know who you were. Here you were, alone on what was supposed to be your honeymoon, and you ended up giving your phone number, your real number, to James McAvoy of all people.

“I gotta turn up here but I’ll shoot you a text later, give you the address of the place. I’ll make sure you get on the VIP list.” He started to lean in for a hug, but then seemed to second-guess it, which was probably for the best. You wanted that hug badly, but it might have caused your actual brain to burst. Instead, he gave you a smile and made his turn, his phone in his hand the whole way back to where he was staying.

-

The club had a line going around he building - lots of people were anxious to go in. You kept the texts from James in the forefront of your phone, just in case the bouncer didn’t have your name on the list like was promised. But he let you in without a second thought, and a hostess guided you straight to the VIP area where James was waiting for you.

“About time!” An actress who looked vaguely familiar said, putting her arm around you. She smelled like she had a couple of drinks already. “James over there was perking up like a puppy every time someone new came in.”

You looked over at the blue-eyed actor and saw that he had red cheeks, much like you had earlier in he day. “Oh come on, come on, leave her alone,” He said, swatting the actress’s arm off of you. “Do you want a drink, y/n? It’s on me.”

“Yeah, so you’ll buy the lady drinks, but when it comes to the rest of us-” One of James’s co-workers said with a good-natured laugh.

“Or we can go to the dance floor, where it’s a little quieter,” James muttered.

“I can go for a dance,” You said, paying attention to only him. “I do love this song, actually.”

“Good, yeah, me too.” James said. He put his arm around your back, and unknowing to you, flipped off the rest of the VIPs in the process, leaving them laughing hysterically. You didn’t actually know the song that was playing, but you could understand why James wanted away from the teasing. You both found a spot at the corner of the dance floor, and managed to move around each other without much awkwardness.

“They seem like a nice bunch,” You said with a smile. His swore under his breath and you giggled. “Oh come on, I think it’s sweet. If my friends were here, they’d be doing the same thing to me, I’m sure of it.” You assured him, putting your arms around your neck to get closer to him so you could hear his reply. His hands rested on your hips, rubbing them slightly as you swayed back and forth to the music.

“Is that so?” He asked, eyes shining brightly blue under the strobe lights. “And why would they be teasing you?”

“Because I’m dancing with you. Someone who I think I’m quickly beginning to fancy.” You were feeling bold. You were wearing your best outfit, the one you had hesitantly packed, not expecting to wear it but your best friend convinced you to. You were invited out by James McAvoy of all people, whose friends had teased him about you. There was every reason to be bold.

“Is that so?” He asked, smiling as he looked away. He was thinking that you were just too adorable to handle at the moment. How someone so beautiful could have such an endearing personality as well, he didn’t understand. And he certainly didn’t understand how someone could cheat on you, but it seemed to be to his advantage. You nodded to his question and a comfortable silence surrounded the two of you as you continued to dance throughout the night.

As it was coming to a close, James walked you out into the slightly chilly air. It must have rained while the two of you were inside, but what else could you expect? It was Europe after all. “So, headed back to the hotel then?” He asked, not wanting the night to end.

“I suppose so - not sure where else I would be going,” You breathed in the fresh air, which felt amazing after the heat of the club. “What about you? Back to your trailer?”

“I don’t have to be on set until tomorrow afternoon...” He looked at you with a cheeky grin. You were catching his meaning, and you bit down on your lower lip, feeling the anticipation.

“Do you want to come back to the hotel with me?”

-

You could not believe what just happened. You were laying in bed, completely naked, beside an equally unclad James McAvoy. Both of you were breathing heavy from the sexual acts that you just performed, and though you were now covered in sweat and a little sore, you rolled onto your side to nuzzle against his chest.  

“I’ve never done that before,” He said, wrapping his arms around you, bringing in you in closer.

“Neither have I,” You said, assuming that he was talking about bedding someone that you just met that day. He chuckled and kissed your temple, though there were wet strands of hair stuck to it.

“I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing,” He said, eyes shining bright blue against the pink of his face. You raised your head up to question what he was meaning then. “I meant - I’ve never fallen in love at first sight like this before.”

“You do remember that we met when I spilt my drink on you, right? It’s not the most romantic setting,” You joked, though you were tickled pink at the fact that he was already saying that he loved you. This was like a fairytale come true - what your honeymoon should have been like. Never had 24 hours been so full of emotions for you. “It’s just a shame that you have to leave in the afternoon.”

“Are you sure you can’t stay?” James blurted. “If it’s about money, I can pay for the hotel-”

You shushed him by pressing another kiss on his naturally red lips and ran your fingers through his hair. “I can stay for a little while,” You assured. “But I do have work to get back to, my friends, my family...”

“I’ll come with you when we’re done,” James said, confident in that decision. “I’ll have a break for a while... we can see where this goes.”

After the rock bottom you’ve been in, you thought, there was no place this could go but up.

[nekojitachan]

How to Steal a Million

This is... part three?

We’re really starting to bring the gang together here, and the plot will really kick in after this!

*******

Neil lay sprawled upon a velvet-covered divan in Allison’s humongous bedroom while she stood in front of a gilded mirror which she claimed had belonged to Marlene Dietrich (he believed her), wearing nothing but lacy lingerie (he would go out on a limb and say that she had a date with Renee later) and tossing very (very) expensive pieces of clothes about while she decided what to wear that day. “So you’re basically telling me that you stabbed some no-name thief, bandaged him up and then let him go? Oh cutie-pie, just wait until I tell Renee! She’ll be so pleased to learn that you’re turning to the light, or something like that.” Allison beamed at him as she casually threw a Gucci shirt over her shoulder.

“I’m not going soft,” Neil sneered as he sat up, “it’s just that Stuart gets so grumpy when there’s blood on the Persian rugs and I spent all of last November swiping things for Berger to make up for taking out one of his best breakers.” He sighed as he thought of how he’d just wanted to spend the month hanging out with his friends before the city got too crazy for the holidays (too many tourists and people rushing about for the season), but no, it hadn’t worked out that way, had it? “Though he was American, so I doubt he’s associated with any of the local gangs.” Better safe than sorry, though, especially when dealing with a grumpy Stuart. There was just too much sighing and whinging and ‘where did I go wrong, Mary? Where did I go wrong?’

(Neil could give him one hell of a list, but there’d just be more damn sighing and whinging.)

“Hmm, caution’s not a bad thing,” Allison agreed as she eyed a Dior skirt before tossing it aside, too. “Though I worry about you, so damn cute and barely psychotic, and what do you do when you have a guy in your home late at night? You beat him up and send him on his way.” She shook her head as if disappointed. “It’s time for us to go to work again, grasshopper.” Her glossy red lips spread in a predatory grin before she leaned into the one closet to grab more clothes.

Hmm, that… that had possibilities; at the very least, it would serve as a distraction from the whole Venus mess, and it might be a good idea to have more cash on hand because of the Venus mess. “Who’s the mark, and won’t Renee be upset, talking about the whole ‘light side’?” Was that the right term? Matt had tried to make him watch the movies about the whole ‘light’ and ‘dark’ thing, but he’d fallen asleep within ten minutes.

It didn’t help that Henry had dared him to break into four mansions the night before….

“Oh, don’t worry, the target is grade-A asshole, so much that Renee won’t mind in the slightest. Now, what shall I wear?” She pulled out a slinky black McQueen dress with straps and rivets that would cover her from neck to ankles (for the most part) yet cling to a figure which attracted men and women alike (but not Neil), and a flowing light blue Chloe wrap dress.

“Definitely the McQueen,” Neil decided. “You’re clearly giving them fair warning that you’re ready to utterly destroy them, but they’re too busy drooling over your ass to care. Plus, I think Renee finds the skulls on the purses adorable.”

“As it should be, cutie-pie, as it should be.” Allison smirked as she dropped the Chloe gown to the floor; Neil shook his head and knew that Ines, Allison’s assistant, was paid more than enough to deal with the mess. “Once I slither into this, we’ll set about dressing you into something presentable and be on our way.”

Neil groaned as he lay back down and wondered if it wouldn’t have been such a bad thing, to let L.A. kill him in his sleep last night or something.

*******

Andrew tapped his fingers on the table while he waited for his ‘contact’ to arrive; he’d kept track of her over the years, and when Kevin had ‘dragged’ him to Paris for this latest case? Reached out to her in case he had need of her knowledge.

After last night? He definitely had need of Renee’s knowledge of the city, even if she seemed to have gone ‘straight’ in the last couple of years.

Well, straighter.

He’d finished his second meager cup of coffee (really, what did the French have against a decent size of coffee?) and his third cream puff (much better than the coffee) at the café not too far from the burnt husk of Notre Dame when Renee appeared. He noticed her decent French, which she used to order coffee and a couple of cream puffs, how her hair was now bleached silver with rainbow colored ends, her clothes simple but of good quality, and how she basically… she looked good. Looked at peace with herself.

When he’d first met her, it was barely a year after she’d gotten out of prison and was still trying to leave ‘Natalie Shields’ behind; she hadn’t appreciated Andrew being pointed her way for help with a case, yet she’d obliged after a rough introduction. Andrew had thought it an act initially, her attempt to change her life, to move on from Natalie and become Renee Walker, but he’d been convinced by the time he’d solved the forgery case. She’d helped out a couple of other times, then moved to Paris to take a job at a woman’s shelter.

“Hello, Andrew. You look good.” Renee’s voice was still soft and possessed a hint of her North Dakota upbringing. Despite him calling out of the blue, her smile was warm and dark eyes bright with affection. “Do you like Paris so far?”

“It’s crowded, the traffic is terrible and their coffee sucks. Plus, I was trapped on a plane for seven hours with Kevin Day. Seven hours,” he hissed as he folded his arms over his chest and slumped back in his chair. “Somehow, he’s still alive.”

“I’ll be certain to recommend you for sainthood over that extreme act of charity,” she murmured as she pushed the plate containing the cream puffs toward him. “Especially if he returns to the States alive as well.”

“Seven hours,” Andrew repeated as he did his best not to think about the flight home – one of them was going to be doped out of their minds for it, he just hadn’t decided who yet.

Renee stifled a giggle with the back of her right hand before she sipped her coffee. “Other than that, it’s going well?” She gazed at the band-aid on his throat before she looked him in the eye. “I assume if Kevin’s here, it’s not a vacation?”

“You assume correct.” He paused to eat one of the cream puffs (at least he was walking a lot to offset all the sweets) before he got down to business. “We’re here because of the Kleber-Lafayette Museum’s latest exhibit.”

“Ah.” Renee frowned as she turned her cup of coffee around on its saucer with the tips of her fingers. “I’m not sure what help I’ll be, since I’m not… well, I’m not involved in those things anymore, not really. And the little I am, just through a couple of associates, hasn’t brought me word of any trouble with that show.”

Now that was interesting – not that Renee knew ‘interesting people’, because he expected no less of the woman, but that she was already tied into gossip about the museum. “Really? Nothing at all?”

“No, nothing, it’s free of trouble as far as I know,” she insisted with a slight shake of her head.

Hmm.” Andrew had the last cream puff while he considered that. “What about Neil Josten? Have you heard about him?”

Renee was quiet while she finished her coffee then set it down without a sound, her motions smooth and too controlled. “I’m sorry, Andrew, but I believe we have a conflict of interests here.” That time, her smile was bland. “I do know him, but as a friend. He and his uncle regularly donate to the shelter, and he volunteers there as well.”

That wasn’t what Andrew wanted to hear, not about the sarcastic, handsome asshole who’d insulted him while bandaging him up last night – after nearly slitting his throat last night.

No one should look that damn good while giving him shit and continuously threatening to kill him. Maybe Aaron was right and there really was something wrong with Andrew….

Nah, Aaron was just jealous that Andrew was the older, better-looking, smarter twin.

Yet here Renee sat and proclaimed that Josten – the guy who’d tried to slit Andrew’s throat and gave him advice on who to rob – was a veritable angel. “Funny you say that, because I think I might be checking into his uncle because of work, and this,” he gestured to the little ‘scratch’ on his neck, “is from Josten.”

Renee frowned as she seemed to think about that. “Hmm, and what were you doing to provoke such a reaction out of him?” When Andrew was quiet, she nodded once. “Neil’s a good friend. He hasn’t had the easiest of times growing up, but he’s not a bad man.” She nodded again as she stood. “And I’d be careful, because he has people who care about him, who watch over him. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to return to work. Be careful, Andrew, you and Kevin.”

He watched her go then got up to leave himself, thoughts occupied with what she’d said – with what basically was a warning.

The more he learned about Neil Josten, the more the pieces didn’t fit together; if there was one thing (actually, there was a rather long list) that Andrew didn’t like, it was incomplete puzzles. He detested things that he couldn’t easily solve, that taunted him with their jagged edges that didn’t smooth out and fit together, with missing pieces and equations just waiting for that last bit to be figured out.

Josten? Neil Josten was all of that rolled together, was violence with a friendly smile, a teasing, lilting voice that poured out insults, a gorgeous man who’d shown no interest nor repulsion in Andrew despite his mild flirting.

Andrew had a job he was paid to do and now Riko Moriyama to deal with… but damnit, he’d figure out one Neil Josten before he left Paris, he swore to himself.

*******

Neil, dressed in McQueen as well (Allison had laughed as she ‘bullied’ him into the black blazer embellished with butterflies, but at least let him wear jeans and a pale grey shirt beneath it), escorted Allison into the cocktail party they were basically crashing (as if anyone would dare to throw Allison Reynolds out of a party she deigned to grace with her presence) – a cocktail party held during the middle of the day.

Someone was trying a bit too hard.

That someone turned out to be Riko Moriyama, which explained it rather well.

“Oh yes, Renee will even light a candle for us, I’m willing to bet,” Neil murmured in French as he gazed at the Japanese-American man who appeared to be boring Agnes Caron to tears; unfortunately, it was the freelance reporter’s job to suffer such things, and she probably was there to find out if he or his uncle were opening a new office in Paris.

Or, more importantly, if Riko’s brother was opening a new office in Paris, since the Stone Mountain corporation was much more important (powerful, wealthier, etc.) than Edgar Allan, one of its subsidiaries.

Was also free of rumored, quickly buried scandals – scandals tied to one Riko Moriyama.

Neil hoped that Agnes was careful, because she was a friend of Dan’s and never reported any lies about Allison.

Then he pushed all thoughts of the woman aside because Allison dragged him further into the room, right as Riko looked their way, an expression of interest on his face.

*******

Last part can be found here

[alejaosbastardos]

On the Road

Summary: Ten years after the massacre at the border, Daniel’s life had changed a lot, the death of his father and brother, his escape to Puerto Lobos to start a new life, dragging a past that he could never leave behind. When Daniel decided that he would never see a familiar face again, the past and the present cross in his road.

Chapter 2: Decisions

To: Christopher Eriksen

Address: 901 12th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, United States.

Dear Chris:

I hope the information I gave to you will be very useful. I am really sorry I can't help you find them myself, as you well know, the police kept tracking my movements and I can't leave the United States... You don't know how painful it is for me not to be able to go looking for them personally...

Many years have passed since I last saw them, I still remember clearly when I had to heal Sean's wounds and the pain in my soul I felt when I saw him like that, every day I think of them, how they are, what they will be doing, how they will have done in Mexico...

A part of me hoped that they would try to contact me, but it didn't happen, I hope it's because they decided so and not because something happened...

I hope you get lucky on your trip and manage to find them, in the worst case they may not be in Puerto Lobos anymore, if so, the search will be more difficult.

Any help you need, do not hesitate to contact me.

I wish you the best and that you find Sean and Daniel safe and sound.

With love.

Karen.

Friday, August 7, 2026

12:00 pm.

A flight was going to take off at 1:00 pm, a young blond was dragging a huge suitcase through Seattle airport to go to the ticket office to check in and leave his luggage, the flight would be long so he had brought his small ammunition in his backpack

A woman with red hair smiled at her behind the counter when she saw the boy approach her.

“Good morning, can you give me your documents, please?”

The blond boy greeted her and handed the girl the documents she was asking for.

“Mr. Christopher Eriksen.” The receptionist read while checking his data on the computer. “Here is your boarding pass, I hope you have a happy trip.”

Chris thanked the woman but before leaving he remembered something.

“Excuse me I have a doubt... The General Ignacio Pesqueira García airport... That is the airport where I will arrive.”

“Right.”

“It's not in Puerto Lobos...”

“It's in Hermosillo.”

“Do you know where I should go to take a bus that leaves me in Puerto Lobos?”

The woman was thoughtful with Chris's question.

“Give me a few minutes” She said before typing on her computer.

“Papá, papá! Estoy loco por llegar a México!” Said the boy next to him. “Extraño comer tacos.”

The man next to him let out a laugh and took his 7-year-old son in his arms and hugged him.

“No te preocupes mijo, cuando lleguemos a México es lo primero que vamos a comer.”

Chris looked longingly at the interaction between the father and his son, it had been 3 months since he last spoke with his father on the phone...

“Take it.” The girl offered him a paper with a name and written address. “I hope it helps, when you arrive in the city of Hermosillo take a taxi to this terminal, then you must buy a ticket from a bus that goes to Puerto Lobos.”

Chris took the sheet in his hands.

It will be a great surprise to see them again after 10 years.

“Thanks a lot.” Chris said with a smile on his lips.

 ______________________

The sun's rays filtered through the window, the sky was dyed orange while a silence flooded the place, Chris could only hear the sound of the plane. The people around him were concentrated watching a movie, reading a book or sleeping.

Chris had a comic in his hands that he had stopped reading an hour ago, he had fallen asleep after Captain Alfred had entered Supervillain's Sam's lair.

He took his backpack and took out some cereal bars, probably they were going to have dinner soon, but Chris was very hungry.

As he checked what else was in his backpack, he found the old drawing he and Daniel had made.

In the drawing you could see careless strokes of a blond boy with a mask, cape and armor, and next to him another dark boy wearing a hooded cape and a mask.

Chris smiled sadly and pulled a sketchbook into his backpack and opened it until he came to a drawing that had the same concept of children's drawing but much more professional.

He sighed as he remembered everything that happened in Beaver Creek, seeing Daniel and Sean fleeing through the forest, his farewell when Daniel last saw him when he climbed into the treehouse.

Chris had hoped to see them again, that things would be fixed and that all the misunderstandings would be resolved, to have the Diaz brothers again as neighbors and to be able to stay together.

But none of that happened.

Daniel and Sean didn’t come back and when Chris asked Mr. Reynolds about them Mrs. Reynold broke into tears.

Since that day Chris didn’t talk about them with Mr. Reynolds.

All he knew is that Daniel and Sean had fled the border after a massacre that no one could explain since the Diaz brothers did not carry any weapons.

The mysterious deaths of that incident had Chris in suspense, but he was sure of something and that Daniel had nothing to do with what had happened.

Daniel, his childhood friend, couldn’t have killed those people.

Chris's theory is that maybe someone there had super powers too.

From that day on many things changed, from the impact of the news, to things after what happened.

His father had decided to leave Chris with his grandparents living in Seattle for a time, while he resolved his own alcoholism issues.

But Charles never came back, and the times Charles talked to him he always replied that he was not yet ready to return.

Chris was patient.

But things never happened as he expected.

When Chris graduated from high school, his father called him to congratulate him and sent him a letter of apology for not attending his graduation with money inside.

Every time Chris asked Charles where he was and when he was going back, he always replied that he was still fixing his affairs and that he needed to do it alone.

Chris stopped asking the same thing 3 years ago.

Every time Chris talked to his father, it was always about how he was doing and how he was doing with his studies at the university, they didn't talk beyond that, and every time Chris asked his father how he was doing, his answers were very short. .

Chris had started his BA in Interdisciplinary Arts 2 years ago at the University of Seattle, his grandparents were very proud of him.

But 1 year ago a great doubt invaded Chris.

It all started when during one morning at the university, Chris was having breakfast in the cafeteria along with other classmates.

On the television they had to watch the news from their seats, journalists made a reminder of the border massacre.

10 years after the border massacre and even the police cannot explain what happened.

The Díaz brothers fled to Mexico, the United States government requested their extradition, but according to the Mexican government the police have not been able to find them.

Please, a minute of silence to the dead at the border.

“You don't think it's strange that they haven't been able to solve how the massacre took place” asked a boy named Nick who was sitting next to Chris.

“One  of the several theories said one of the boys who fled had telekinesis powers” Answered a girl of dark skin.

“Do you really think that?” Another boy scoffed. “Surely the boys had some hidden bomb they threw and that would explain why the cars flew.”

“But according to the investigations, no weapon was found at the scene of the crime.” answered a girl named Tess. “how could it be a bomb if none of that was found?”

At that time the boys began to debate the theories they had found on the Internet.

A week after Chris investigated online and read all the news portals that talked about the massacre, he began investigating all social networks to contact Daniel and Sean.

But none of that worked.

He could only find Sean's Facebook that had not posted anything since 2016.

He had left multiple messages but none of them were answered. So Chris started doing his little private investigation.

That same year, during his summer vacation he decided to visit Beaver Creek. His main reason was to speak personally with Mr. Reynolds and to be able to get information from the whereabouts of Daniel and Sean.

When he arrived he hoped to find his father in his old house, but when he reached the front of the house it was super careless, his old playground was full of a long lawn that had not been trimmed for years, and his old Tree house was very neglected, it looked as if at any moment it could fall.

His house looked like a place that had not been inhabited for a long time.

Similarly, Chris reached the porch and rang the bell, nobody opened the door.

Then he looked out the windows, but they all had low curtains.

A sigh of sadness came from Chris's lips, this house was full of memories, both good and sad. After all, it was the place where he grew up with his mother when she was alive.

After giving up he decided to walk to the house of Mr. Reynolds. The last time Chris saw them they didn't look as old as now, but they were still there, together, supporting each other.

They were very surprised to see Chris on his porch, Mrs. Reynold hugged him and told him that he had grown a lot and that he was very handsome.

Chris told them a little about his life, that he was studying now at the university and that he had rented a small flat apartment to avoid being a burden for his grandparents while with his part-time work he paid his expenses.

After having a small chat with Mr. Reynolds, Chris asked if they had news of the Díaz brothers.

The face of both changed completely, Mrs. Reynold shook her head.

“Is there no way to know anything about them?” asked a hopeful Chris.

Mrs. Reynold sighed.

“My daughter, Karen, she could inform you better of them, she saw them for the last time before crossing the border.” Mr Reynold replied before taking a small paper and writing his daughter's address.

"Look for her, she could inform you better of my grandchildren," he replied sadly.

After the dinner with the Reynolds, Chris decided it was time to return to Seattle and plan his next trip to Arizona.

Before leaving, Mrs. Reynold hugged him tightly.

“Thank you very much for coming Chris, I love you as if you were another grandson.”

His heart stirred, it had been a long time since he had last had contact with Mrs. Reynold, he felt bad for not having visited them before to find out how they were.

He promised himself to visit them again soon.

After returning to Seattle he left days later to Arizona where he would later meet with Karen.

At first Chris thought that Mr. Reynold had been wrong to give the address since he only saw desert when he arrived.

But after advancing in his car with the GPS activated, he found a small town near the Grand Canyon.

Chris was surprised to learn that there was a small town in a place like this, where you could see mobile homes and houses made of wood around.

It was not very difficult to find Karen since she was very well known in the place.

When Chris knocked on the door, a blond lady leaned out the window and was a little confused to see him.

However, she opened the door to the unknown boy and told him to come inside.

He looks exactly the age of Daniel she thought.

Upon entering Chris introduced himself and went straight to the point.

Karen was surprised that someone else was investigating the whereabouts of her children.

"Count on me in anything that can help you find Sean and Daniel," Karen said as she took Chris's hands.

That same night Chris had fallen asleep at Karen's house, they had talked both of their lifes, Chris told her his story, how he had met Daniel and everything that had happened.

After Karen told him about her life, she told him that she had never stopped thinking about them and that like him, she has been investigating the whereabouts of her children without much success.

All she knew was that they had fled to Puerto Lobos and there was no way she could go there.

And that's how Chris was now on a plane that went straight to Mexico, just 3 hours more traveling, and he would arrive in the Mexican city of Hermosillo.

Chris just hoped to find the Diaz brothers safe.

[lubdubsworld]

A change of heart.  ( Kim Taehyung x OC)

[ Summary : 

Times are changing. 

After years of being oppressed, werewolves are taking a stand against humans , demanding equal rights and fair treatment. Heading the movement is Kim Taehyung, the breathtaking heir to the Kim fortune and one of the few remaining Alpha werewolves in the country. His disdain for the human race is well known and well warranted. They killed his family after all..... 

He wants to change the world , to put humans in their place but when his five year old daughter takes a shine to their very human neighbor , maybe he has to start with a change of heart , first.  ]

Pairing : Taehyung x OC

Genre : Romance, Explicit Content. 

Warnings : None. ( Some mild violence but mostly off screen ) 

Chapter 1

“.... however, the question of whether weres should be offered equal opportunity in fields such as construction and those including manual labour and access to possibly dangerous machinery is still a matter of hot debate , taking into consideration their superior physical strength and general lack of self control....”

“Rae, be careful!!” 

The warning came a bit too late and I felt the sharp sting of hot coffee on my palm, yelping as I tried to right the cup that I’d accidentally knocked over.

Park Jimin, the barista , gave me a long suffering look of disappointment.

“That’s the third one this week.” He said , staring balefully at the spilled liquid , now making its way across the polished mahogany surface. I flushed, flailing to grab a few tissues off the counter and soaking up the worst of the mess.

“I’m sorry... I've just been a little distracted.” I muttered under my breath, thankful that the place wasn’t too crowded . it was still pretty early, and the morning crowd was just starting to trickle in, most of the people looking worn out and despondent after a week of working. Outside , the rain lashed the concrete , loud and unrelenting. 

Thankfully it was a Friday. A long weekend curled in bed with a steaming mug of hot chocolate was the only thing I had to look forward to. 

He hummed.

"Is this about the custody hearing?” He said gently and i sighed , trying not to give in to the sinking feeling of desolation.

“it’s a lost cause, I’m afraid.” i whispered. “ My sister is definitely unfit to be a parent and her husband is rich and powerful. There’s no way we’re winning this.” I shrugged. 

Jimin gave me a sympathetic smile.

“I hope the weather lets up.” i said softly, staring out the embossed windows. Before Jimin could reply, someone cleared their throat behind me. 

I turned around, blinking when I found myself face to face with a starched collar and perfectly knotted tie. I looked up in surprise, feeling my heart jump into my throat when I saw who it was. 

The man was almost painfully good looking, his eyes glowing red with unsaid annoyance and his lips pursed impatiently. 

“if you’re done, there are others waiting to get their coffee.” The werewolf said sternly, voice deep and rumbling. I flinched and nodded,  moving to get my new cup and almost spilling it again. i could almost hear a faint growl behind me and I glanced back again, throat dry. 

He was staring right at me, eyes still glowing alpha red and eyebrows raised in a ‘why-aren’t-you-out-of-my-sight-yet’ , kind of gesture. I almost let out a strangled meep  and quickly paid for the spilled drink and its replacement, suppressing the instinct to bare my neck and run .

 I’d heard about how werewolves could intimidate just by existing, but I’d never experienced it so strongly or at such close quarters. He looked beautiful but deadly, his sharp features intimidating and his towering height only making me shrink in further. 

“I’ll see you around then Rae.” Jimin looked amused as he watched me fumble with my bag, my purse and the change. I shoved everything into one of the bags and stepped away from the line. 

“Thank you.” Taehyugn said primly, before reaching for a menu card. 

I swallowed, nodding quickly and shooting Jimin a smile before scrambling away.

 i couldn’t resist looking back though, as soon as i reached the door.

What was someone as exquisite as Kim Taehyung doing in a place as plain and drab as this coffee shop?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you sure you didn’t just mistake him for someone else?” my brother sounded bored as he listened to my rambling rant on the exciting encounter i’d had with Kim Taehyung. 

I rolled my eyes rather impressively, a gesture that was wasted, seeing as Yugyeom was a whole country away and although we were on skype, he wasn’t even looking at me, his gaze fixed on his phone where he was no doubt seducing some poor unsuspecting coed via lurid text messages. 

“I don’t see how anyone could mistake Kim Taehyung for someone else I mean...that face is a one in a billion kind of face. Us mere mortals, do not encounter beauty like that on a daily basis...” I said sharply.

Yugyeom chuckled.

“He’s running for the cabinet this term, for the ministry of Supernatural Affairs. I think he’s trying to build a presence ahead of the campaign.”

I hummed thoughtfully.

“Well, I hope he gets it . He seems like a nice guy.” I said, glancing at the clock. 

It was a little past four and the last ferry to the Preserve left at 7.00 PM. I wasn’t sure if I could take the bus to the docks, but a taxi just seemed like a bit too expensive. 

“Spoken like a true naive fool.” Yugyeom scoffed. “ Taehyung has every intention of banning humans from the Preserve. You will literally lose your job if he wins.” 

i blinked back at my brother, who had abandoned his phone and was now staring at me.

“What?”

Yugyeom shrugged. 

“Kim Taehyung believes that humans are the problem and co-existence isn’t the solution. He thinks there needs to be isolation and werewolves need to have their own space.”

I hesitated, not sure what to say. 

“Well, i’m sure he doesn’t hate all humans.” i said weakly. 

3000 miles away someone knocked on my brother’s door.

“i gotta go...You heading back to the preserve tonight?” He asked curiously and i nodded.

“I’m supposed to be reporting at the research center later.”

“Be safe.” He smiled and i waved , before ending the call.

His words stung a bit.

Did Taehyung really want humans out of the preserve?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apparently, he did. 

“i’m sorry.?” 

“There’s a tentative stay order on allowing non-supernaturals on the official ferry . There was an incident last week with some guy pulling a knife on a were. We’re trying to work with the authorities but tensions are running a bit high...” The woman at the ticket counter gave me a sympathetic smiles, eyes flashing blue.

“You don’t understand , i need to be there tonight and-”

“I’m sure us wolves can survive a few weeks without your help Ms Yoon.” A voice said right behind me and I stiffened. 

Park Seo Joon was the biggest thorn on my side and I couldn’t escape him, apparently. 

But this time, he wasn’t alone.

Standing next to him, tall and strapping was Kim Taehyung, dressed in what looked like a way too expensive Burberry coat. 

i swallowed.

“I work for the government.” i said stiffly.” this isn’t a pleasure trip. I’m supposed to be submitting a medical report on a strain of influenza that even your superior immunity isn’t keeping away.” 

Seo Joon rolled his eyes.

“you just love the idea of us being vulnerable, don’t you Rae? The thought of something killing us all off, definitely fills you humans with giddy joy...” He sneered.

Next to him , Taehyung chuckled.

I felt my hackles rise.

“We’re trying to help.... Most of the infected are young wolves. Seeing as you have a kid of your own, i would think you’d be a tad bit more sympathetic.” i snapped, before i could stop myself.

Taehyung froze, eyes going red as he scowled.

“What did you just say?” He said, voice quiet but shaking with fury. I resisted the urge to cower and raised my chin defiantly.

“You heard me.” My voice barely shook. 

Taehyung tilted his head, curious.

“Yoon Mi Rae. Aren’t you Yoon Jae hyun’s daughter?” He said thoughtfully.

I felt my heart leap at the connection. My adoptive father had been a sad, cruel son of a bitch and being associated with him had literally no benefit.

“He’s my father , yes.”

“Your father cut off funding to the preserve by twenty million dollars last year. infant mortality rate rose by 17 percent because we couldn’t afford quality healthcare.” He sneered. “ And you’re here acting like you or your kind give a damn about our health?” 

I glanced back at the counter, the woman who looked embarrassed as she pretended she wasn’t watching us. 

“Fine. So you’re saying i can’t get on that boat?” I bit my lips and Taehyung didn’t respond.

“i’m saying that even if you do get on, the security guy at the dock isn’t going to be letting you in.” Seo Joon shrugged. 

“Fine .” i said shortly, mind already racing with possibilities. There was a private ferry a few blocks away and it was generally unsavory and uncomfortable but there were seven seriously ill kids at the research center, and this report could be a step up in curing them. 

“Good Bye then.” I said sharply, turning on my heel and stalking away. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After wandering around the dock for an hour or so, sticking to the shadows and hoping not to be caught,  i’d managed to hire an old, crumbling skiff with a tired looking werewolf helmsman. The man agreed to take me across the channel for a sum of money but warned me that there was a forecast of heavy rain and slightly turbulent seas. I didn’t protest, joining the half a dozen other passengers and climbing into the rickety old boat, trying not to flinch at the way the wood groaned and protested the added weight. 

This wasn’t a vacation. i had a job to do. 

What I hadn’t expected , as i stepped out of the boat three and a half hours later , soaked to the bone from the endless rain and mildly terrified from all the leering and name calling  from the weres on board, was Kim Taehyung standing at the entrance to the dock , his eyes flashing with disbelief

Taehyung’s eyes narrowed.

“What on earth were you thinking?” He growled striding over to grab my arm, yanking so hard he nearly wrenched it out of its socket. i whimpered, clutching my bag tighter to my chest, scared of dropping it into the water as he bodily dragged me out of the boat and into the wooden platform  . 

Taehyung let me go but not before giving me a little shake of anger. 

“Don’t you know how dangerous it is to travel alone with unmated weres? Are you looking to get raped?” He snarled. I flushed, shaking my head and smoothing my crinkled blouse. 

“I have to give this report at the center.” i said through gritted teeth. There was going to be a nasty bruise on my arm. I wanted to rub the skin there but I didn’t want to draw attention to it. 

“You’re not even a doctor here. i checked.” He frowned and I swallowed.

“I’m a lab Tech in the mainland lab. I work on the preserve four days a week and then head to the mainland to analyse and compile the results. I left this morning and I’m supposed to report back by 9.00 “ 

It was already a little past 11.00 PM.

Taehyung growled.

“the security is still under lockdown and-”

“Daddy!!” A voice said out of nowhere and I peered over his shoulders.

A young girl, about 4 or five years old came hurtling across the slippery wooden planks of the platform, her arms thrown up and eyes wide with unshed tears. Taehyung’s face softened in a flash and he held his arms out quickly, crouching down to hug the girl as she crashed into his chest.

“Luna...what are you doing here?” He sounded confused as he glanced over at the gate, where a harried looking woman was stuffing her umbrella into it s cover, looking upset and angry. 

“Kim Luna, what have I told you about running on the streets!” She said shrilly and Luna groaned burrowing deeper into her fathers chest.

i stood there feeling ridiculously endeared by the whole scene. 

“She wouldn’t listen Mr. Kim... Apparently, you promised her you would be home before dinner and she refused to go to bed . My shift at the brewery starts in two hours, i need to head home.” The lady gave me a cursory glance but turned back to Taehyung. 

Taehyung sighed and straightened, his daughter wrapped around him as he reached for his wallet. He fumbled a bit , unable to balance the child  and said, “ Lulu, sweetheart could you get down for a minute so I can pay Ms. Lee?” 

Luna pulled away from his neck, suddenly staring right at me and holding her arms out. i stared, completely thrown, instinctively holding my hands out. She all but leapt into my arms, chubby arms and legs wrapping around me as she quickly buried her nose into my neck.

“you smell nice.” she sniffed some more. 

i stared, horrified, at Taehyung who looked like he’d been stuck by lightning.

“I...it’s alright.” My voice cracked a little. “ You can pay her.. and i’ll just....”  hold your beautiful baby daughter, oh my god, what is happening, right now?!!.

 Taehyung hastily pulled out his wallet, handing over money to Ms Lee who looked amused . Once she had left , Taehyung turned back to me but Luna kept her arms tight around me.

“Baby,  You need to let go..” Taehyung sounded a little strangled and Luna merely sniffled.

“No. She smells nice. She smells like mommy.” She said brightly.

i felt blood rush to my face, so fast that i almost felt dizzy. 

Something like pain flashed across Taehyung’s face and he bit his lips before reaching out and gently pulling her arms away from me. 

“Luna, you need to let her go now.” He said sternly and as if on command, the huge doe eyes filled with tears.

“Don’t you want me?” She cried out staring right at me and my heart lurched. 

“I’m.. No.. i mean yes.. I mean... You’re so beautiful...” i said helplessly. Luna frowned like she really didn’t care for the compliment.

“Whats your name?” She said sharply , refusing to stay in her father’s hold and climbing down to stand closer to me..

“Rae... My name’s Mirae.” I said softly. She gave me a small smile.

“Will you come play with me?” 

“Alright, Luna, that’s enough. She’s not like...” He glanced at me , his eyes hardening again. I realised what he wanted to say. She’s not like us. Meaning , not a were. i felt a shaft of pain at that . Did he think that just because i was a human, i would hurt his daughter?? 

 “ She’s from a different place. she has to go back tonight.” He finished.

Luna gave me a soft smile.  Then her eyes brightened up. 

“My mommy’s gone to another place too” She said cheerfully “  In the sky. She’s there with the angels...right daddy?? “ She glanced at Taehyung who looked stunned. “ Are you going there too? Do you know her??” She asked eagerly.

Okay, this was just too much of emotion for a day, i thought miserably , as tears prickled before i could even control myself.

“No, sweetheart. I don’t know your mother. But i’m sure she was a lovely lady, seeing as she made someone as lovely as you.” i lightly booped her nose. Apparently, that was the right thing to say, because she giggled happily, smiling shyly and hiding behind her father’s legs. 

“It’s getting late. We should leave.” Taehyung said softly and his voice cracked a little. i didn’t look at him.

“You should finish whatever you came here for and talk to your superiors about transferring out of your job. There are qualified weres here on the island who could replace you. “ Taehyung said stiffly. “ You should go back to your family.” 

i didn’t argue, merely nodding and staring at Luna. She really was beautiful, wide eyed and happy, with bouncy brown curls and soulful honey eyes. 

And Taehyung was wrong. i din’t have a family to go back to. I was an orphan and my adoptive father had long disowned me. My brother was 3000 miles away and my apartment in Seoul was going to be renovated next week. i’d hoped to move into the Preserve permanently, because at the least I had friends here.

But apparently, Kim Taehyung with his myriad of political connections wasn’t feeling generous enough to let me make a home for myself. 

I glanced back up at him and he looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. Luna made a move to move closer to me but he held her back.  

“Good night Mirae ssi.” He said stiffly, pulling her up into his arms and walking away quickly. 

Luna waved cheerfully over her father’s shoulders, even blowing me a kiss with her chubby little fists. i stared after the pair till they disappeared around the corner. 

Suddenly, everything seemed way too gloomy. My wet , dripping clothes. The gentle wind that was starting to pick up. I sighed deeply, the cold seeping into my bones as i trudged wearily to the gateway. 

I had a job to do. Those kids needed me. 

[ironwoman18]

The Worst Third Date Ever part 8

Chapter 8: Almost Christmas.

The B.A.U had a case in New York. JJ was not there because she left to New Orleans to spend the Christmas with Will's family.

Spencer and some other members of the team asked, after finished the case, to stay in the city for a few hours.

Emily allowed it and said they must be at the hotel in an hour to take the bus to the airport.

Spencer walked around with Luke and Matt while Rossi y Emily stayed at the hotel.

"Are you going to buy a present for Lisa?" asked Matt.

Luke looked down "No, she will be working and we aren't good"

"Oh man, that sucks" said Matt.

"Yeah. I got the feeling she might broke up with me"

Matt patted his shoulder "if that happened you have us, right Spencer?"

He nodded "of course, we are a family" he smiled at him "how is Rosemary going?"

"She's amazing, so different from her siblings" said Matt "she sleeps more" he laughs "and how are things with Max?"

"Great, she asked me to spend Christmas with her family"

"That's important man" Luke said "when a woman wants you to spend a holiday with her family it's because she sees a future with you"

"I remember when I met Kristy's family. It was really awkward cuz he was part of the marines and he was a huge man. And with his gun ready to shoot me"

Both men laughed softly "you are here which means he didn't kill you. Unless you are a ghost" commented Luke.

"At the end of the night we were drunk and singing country songs" they both laugh and reached a Macy's and walked in.

Matt went to the children department, Luke went to the pets department and Spencer to the art supplement department.

He wanted to buy her an art kit, she mentioned she wanted one for her work at the Smithsonian but the one perfect for her was too expensive. So he thought he could buy it for her. He was well paid because of his three Ph.Ds.

He remembered her saying the name of the kit so he looked for it. When he found it he got it then buy a present for his mother and thought to buy something for Sammy but then remembered Max asked to buy presents together for her family.

Before Spencer knew they have a case, Max called to see him at the coffee shop to talk and she wanted to show him some changes she made for her program for blind kids.

"It's perfect, so don't worry. The only problem with them is that they don't know how look green. Especially the kids that were born blind. Because if hey could see before and after an accident they ended up blind could be different"

"Ok, I understand" she took notes "Oh, by the way... um... my dad wanted me to invite you to our Christmas' party" she said biting her lip "it's a tradition, he likes to invite us and our boyfriends or in Michelle's case her husband and child. You don't have to go if you don't want to... we can spend New Year. I know you maybe want to be with your mom and..."

He smiled softly "Max?"

"Yes?"

"I would like to go" her face was of release "in fact I would prefer to meet your dad and sister at Christmas than after a kidnap" she nodded.

"G...good... um... can we go buy them presents together? We exchange presents at 12 after dinner" she looked at him.

"Sure. Maybe on Christmas day we can go to my mom's hospital. I want you to meet her" she smiled and kissed him gently.

Then he got a call that they have a case. They said their goodbyes and he leaves.

But he decided to buy Sammy a present since he was so nice to him and he was the reason he and Max are dating.

He bought him a magic set. It was the one he once used to leard magic tricks.

After he played texted Luke and Matt to let them know he will go to check other stores.

He wanted to give Max something else, so he decided to check the Metropolitan museum and buy two tickets valid for a month.

He then checked his phone and realized it was almost time to go back to the hotel so he called a taxi and tell him the address of his hotel.

When he arrived he went up and got his suitcase. Then he went down and there were Rossi and Emily.

"Wow Spence I'm surprised to got a lot of things"

"Actually I just have 3 presents here. A dress for my mother, an art kit for Max and a magic set for Sammy, her nephew"

"That's so sweet of you" said Emily.

"Also got two tickets for the Metropolitan museum for us. We can come any day for a month"

"A very nice gift too. I got Krystall her favorite martini liquor and a pair of earrings"

"I bought Andrew a new helmet for his bike and his favorite after lotion, which is also my favorite" she smiled.

"Love is in the air" said Luke teasing them.

"What did you got for your girl?" Asked Emily.

"A box of her favorite snacks and a new toy" Rossi and Emily looked confused "Roxy needs her treats too" they roll their eyes but they could tell that something was not right because him and his girlfriend so they did not continue the questions.

Then they focused on Matt "what did you get?"

"I bought clothes for Rosemary and my other four kids. They needed something new for Christmas so I got them something. The toys are their mother's duty" he laughed softly "I got Kristy a new pair of earrings and a matching necklace"

"That's amazing" said Emily as their official cars arrived. They went to the airport where the jet was waiting and before they took off each text their couple to let them know they are on their way home.

The next day the bureau announced the vacations period and they leave for two weeks.

Emily left to Denver, Luke went to Florida to be with his family. Matt and his family stayed in Washington as well as Spencer.

A day before Christmas Max was helping him decorate his house. She wanted him to have some Christmas spirit.

"So after this we should go to buy our presents" she said while decorate the Christmas tree "I think I saw a nice present for you"

"I already got you present" he announced while he walked towards her holding two cups of coffee and some cookies she bought from Michelle.

"Oh really? Where?"

"New York. I saw something that reminds me to you and I brought it"

"Well, well, well... Doctor Reid is full of surprises huh?" She smiled "now I'm very curious what you got me"

"I'm pretty sure you will love it" he smiled "also I got something for Sammy. I know we promised to but your family's presents together but he made it possible we met so it's the less I can do for him" he ate a cookie after that.

"You are so sweet and kind with him" she stood up and kissed him gently "what did you get him?" She asked rubbing his cheek.

"A magic set" he smiled looking into her eyes. They faces were close.

"I thought you would buy it to him" she laughed "I'm sure he will love it" she ran her hand into his hair gently "we better finish this" she moved away and he looked at her.

He just walked to help her finishes to put the decorations and when the tree was done they connected it and the lights were on.

"It looks great. Thank you Max" he hugs her from behind and kisses her cheek.

"You are welcome" she smiled turning around to wrapped her arms around his neck "Spencer... I know we are just starting and I know I asked to take things slowly but honestly I never felt this happy in a long time. You are a proper gentleman, you respect me and you treat me great, you protect me... even from your own demons and I wish you could have the confidence to tell me, honey... you won't push me away" she played with his hair.

"I know and I'm sure the deeper we went into our relationship, I will feel more comfortable"

"You can trust me" she kissed him softly while he wrapped his arms around her moving her closer.

They kissed some more until they broke it to catch their breath.

She sighed looking in his eyes. She wanted to go further but was not sure yet. She tried to move away but he stopped her.

"What happened to you that you want to take things slowly?" He looked at her "because my reasons are the things I had to see at work. I don't want to tell you all the details because, I still have nightmares. But you... what happened?" He asked again.

"Mike Davis... I really wanted it to work. We dated for two years and we went fast. We had a few dates, we kissed almost immediately, we had sex shortly after that. We even moved in together. But then the magic stopped. He stopped being nice and treated me bad. He cheated with everyone. My dad was right. Beside him I always picked good boyfriends. Mike hurted me and I'm afraid that happened because we did things to fast"

"Max... baby" it was almost a whisper and the first time he called her that. She liked it "I would never do that to you. I'm respecting your choices and I won't hurt you the way he did. You deserve happiness and when you are ready to take all those steps. I will take them with you"

She had some tears in her eyes and smiled at him "Thank you Spencer. I'm so happy we met and to be with you" she hugs him placing her head on his chest.

He rubbed her back gently "you are so important to me and I don't want to lose you" he looked down at her. After some more minutes she stopped to cry but did not break their hug "we should go to buy the presents. Tomorrow I can't because Michelle got Eloise and me a reservation to an exclusive beauty saloon and I don't think we will see each other until the night when we have to leave for my dad's house"

"Ok then let's go. It's getting late" he said as she, reluctantly, broke the hug then went to get her jacket and put it on. Spencer also put on his jacket and holds her hand walking out his apartment "so where to?"

"We could go to a new mall center. They have lot of stores and we will find just exactly what we want for them"

"Awesome, you tell me where is it" she nodded then they both got into the car and Spencer followed her instructions and arrived to the mall.

He parked his car. It was full of cars. They both got out of the car, he held her hand as they walked in the mall.

"Ok I think ladies first. Theres this store Michelle and Eloise love. It's on the second floor. They have clothes and accessories for that clothes. I would like something for them"

"Sure no problem. Let's go there" they both walked to the store she wanted to go. There she checked some clothes for her sisters. At the end she picked a cute light green dress for Michelle and a striped blouse.

Then she wanted to go to get something for her dad and Michelle's husband.

"They like sports" she looked around thinking.

"Sports are out of my experience, Max" he looked at her.

"Could be a jersey but I'm not sure their teams. My dad was born and raised in Virginia and Phill is from here so maybe the Nationals?"

"It's up to you... but I think it could be better if we bought them a ball of some kind of sport. For example if they prefer football over baseball, we can brought them a football" he suggested.

"I like it... ok... um... Phill loves football so I will get him a ball and my dad loves basketball so I can buy him one of those" she looked up and him "you are a truly genius" she teased.

He made a sarcastic laugh "very funny... Maxine" he smirked "ouch!" She hit him playfully and he faked being hurt.

"Let's go Spencie. I want to buy a present for Sammy as well... and for you" she said the last part under her breath.

He listened but decided not to speak. They walked in the store and they got a football and a basketball for those two men and after pay Max looked at him "ok Spencer. Now I will go to get your present and Sammy's"

"Why I can't be there to get his present?"

"Because I will go to the same store to buy both and if you are there, you will find out" she said "so stay here. I will be here soon. Drink something. Check out other stores I don't know"

"Ok just because you asked"

"Good" she smiled and left him. She walked to the store she wanted to go.

She had been thinking about what to give to him. He is a genius so she cannot give him books. He has the classics, he has all the psychology, sociology, philosophy books ever made, he has everything his mind can use. He even has books in other languages. He has El Quijote in Spanish, he has books in Russian, Korean.

So intellectually she cannot give him something new. She decided to give him something that will be better for him.

Something she made. Max found in the mall a place to design your own t-shirts. You bought a white one, and threw paint on it until you are satisfied. Then they kept it to let the paint dry and then they gave it an special treatment to protect the design.

It is something special because she made it but also something they both can enjoy. She loved his dress shirts, ties and suits they looked perfect on him and made him look really handsome but she want him to relax with her so when they have a relax date she will ask him to were this.

She paid for it and got it wrapped up then walked to buy Sammy her gift. She wanted her nephew to improve his abilities to paint so she bought him a little paint kit and color books specials for a twelve years old.

After that she left to walked back to where she left Spencer. When she arrived she saw him talking to an old man.

She smiled and walked towards them "hey Spence"

"Oh hey Max. This is Daniel Collins. A former FBI agent. He was part of the negotiations team"

"Nice to meet you sir" she smiled "I'm Max, Spencer's girlfriend"

"Nice to meet you young lady. Well I will let you both enjoy the rest of the day. See you around Spencer" he stood up and left them.

Then Max took the seat he was using "ok I bought the two presents"

"Perfect I ordered a coffee for you but I told the guy there I will get it later because you weren't here yet"

"Thank you" she kisses his cheek and walked to told the guy how she wanted her coffee then returned to their table.

They talked some about the FBI agent she just met. How he started to talk to him.

Then they both returned to his apartment "so I was thinking if I left my family's presents here and I will just take with me your present. Because I also think it's better to just go in your car"

"I'm agree. I will left then under my tree and you will call me when you are ready?"

"Yes. I will be almost all the morning in the saloon and then I will go to my apartment and get dressed"

"Ok perfect see you tomorrow" they kissed and she got out the car and he did the same. Then his eyes followed her until she got in hers and until she did not leave he did not move.

When her car was out of sight he got the presents and went upstairs to his apartment.

He put them under his tree and went to change and laid in bed. He waited for her text saying she arrived to fall asleep.

OOooOOooOO

I wanted to just have a Christmas chapter but the next will be the actual Christmas eve and Christmas day.

This one was more focused in developing their relationship with that conversation. Hope you liked and we will read in the next chapter.

[d3-iseefire]

Gold to Airy Thinness Beat Chapter One

First chapter of my FemCaptainAmerica story (cause I love female main characters and I love Captain America so it’s two of my favorite things COMBINED. I also think it fits the story a lot better as I explain in a note on the first chapter but that’s just totally my opinion is all :D :D).

You can read the rest here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7597150/chapters/17288674

"You were what?" Stephanie asked, unable to keep the shock from her voice.

Bucky grinned at her, the fake one he used when he was trying to convince everyone, including himself, that everything was fine when it was anything but.

"Drafted," the words were like a death knell, the light around them dimming at the sound. "I'm going to fight."

"No, Bucky," Stephanie blurted. Bucky. No one would call him that in the military, her mind informed her irrationally. No one would know him well enough, would understand the history, the character and the personality that created the man she knew as Bucky. In the military he'd simply be a name and a number. James Buchanan Barnes, a soldier, more fodder for a war that seemed destined to never end.  

Her voice had been louder than she'd intended and several patrons in the small diner turned to look at her in disapproval. Stephanie ignored them. She wasn't in the mood to be a quiet, demure lady who sat and held her tongue while the only family, blood or otherwise, she had left told her about being drafted into a war that seemed to have a talent at taking living men from their homes and returning them in body bags.

His grin faltered and that did get her attention. She took a deep breath, trying to get herself under control. She doubted it would fool him any more than his attitude fooled her but they both played the game regardless. "Have you received your orders yet?" She managed to keep her voice steady with only the slightest hint of tension.

"No," he said, his eyes moving away from hers to some random point in the diner, "but it won't be long."

Stephanie felt sick. Bucky was exactly what they wanted in a soldier, fit, athletic and in amazing health. Not a single physical, or personality, defect to get rejected over. He was attractive too, the steady stream of girls constantly swarming him was testament to that. Even then Stephanie was aware of at least four in the diner who couldn't keep their eyes off him and two more who were trying to sneak glances when they thought their dates weren't looking. Bucky would be the one the cameras would gravitate to, the reels in the theaters using him to showcase the armed forces. It might work in his favor, might keep him safer as one of the faces of the armed forces...or it might not.  

The two of them were as different as night and day. Even if her medical file didn't read like an Encyclopedia of Disease she was too small, too fragile and delicate and, most of all, too female. She'd never added her sex to her list of physical defects before but, right then, it seemed the most glaring one. From the beginning she'd been struck by the video reels in the theaters, images of the Nazis and terrified civilians, soldiers marching forward to meet evil. She'd thought then that, were she a man, she'd have signed up, volunteered to fight. As it was, the only options open to her were nursing which she wasn't trained for, or a secretary which simply wasn't what she wanted. Now, with the knowledge that Bucky would soon be sent off without her, a face suddenly given to the mass of faceless soldiers she watched in the theaters, the war suddenly far more personal than it'd ever been before, the unfairness of it all hit home even harder. Why should she have to stay behind when she wanted to go while he had to go when he wanted to stay?

She found her eyes on one of the girls openly staring at Bucky. She was pretty, all curves and hips, long legs turned to the side and crossed in the hopes of gaining Buck's attention. On any other given day, she'd probably already have it. Bucky was a serial dater. He'd had a lot of relationships but had yet to have one either of them would classify as serious.

Stephanie looked nothing at all like that girl, or any of the usual sorts of young women Bucky dated. She had zero curves. Her chest had taken a vacation during puberty, coming back only at the very end to present her with breasts so small she could barely justify the need, or expense, of a bra. If it weren't for her hair, currently in a thin braid down her back, most would probably mistake her for a... for a boy...

She sucked in a breath and felt adrenaline surge through her. Her eyes widened and she straightened in the chair. The idea was insane but also caused a bright swell of hope to spring up inside her.

"What?" Bucky asked, his voice flat. "What have you thought up now?"

She wasn't stupid enough to tell him. Instead she simply smiled brightly at him, a genuine one this time. "Nothing."

Bucky's eyes narrowed in suspicion but there was little he could do about it. He knew better than anyone how stubborn she was.

He scowled instead. "I don't know if I'm more worried about going over there or what's going to happen to you back here without me to pull you out of whatever you get yourself into."

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "I can take care of myself."

He gave her a look of disbelief and she knew he was thinking of the many, many, many times he'd had to save her from being harassed, or outright assaulted. She couldn't abide bullies and any time one reared their head she'd find herself going after them. The fact that many of these bullies were men, and most were significantly larger than her was what Bucky claimed kept him awake at night. She'd been pushed around more times than she could count, roughed up and even outright punched in the face a few times, usually by those who'd had more than a few beers first. It had led to Bucky developing a serious hero complex around her, as well as a deep seated paranoia about leaving her unsupervised. The longer he was gone, the more likely it seemed he'd come back to find her about to get her bell rung. His worry had gotten worse now that her parents were both gone and his had moved away. Stephanie wasn't exactly what one would call social, leading to Bucky being pretty much the only person she considered a friend, or family, in all of Brooklyn. "I'll be fine," she insisted again. He'd have enough to worry about over there without adding her to the mix.

He didn't look convinced. "Just promise me you won't do anything stupid while I'm gone, alright?"

She rolled her eyes. "Like I could. You'll be taking all the stupid with you."

"You're a punk," Bucky said without heat. He reached for his wallet and tossed some bills on the table, more than enough for her meal, his untouched milkshake and the tip.

"Jerk," Stephanie retorted with a slight smile. She started to argue she could pay for her own meal only to have him raise an eyebrow in a clear challenge, daring her to try it after he'd let her slide on not giving him the promise he'd asked for.

Stephanie scowled but didn't press the issue, instead simply giving him a look that was half glare and half concession. The grin of triumph he shot back had her narrowing her eyes and almost, almost reconsidering but, in the end, she let it go.

Bucky was better off than she was financially. His job at the warehouse paid quite well while she made far less as a secretary. He was always trying to pay for everything they did together, the theater, dinners and the like. If she refused he'd pull out a hurt look that made her feel eight kinds of guilty, even if she did know he was blatantly manipulating her. Bucky was not her personal bank and, in spite of the almost constant trouble she got herself in, she did not need him to take care of her. Usually.

They left a few minutes later, Stephanie absently wrapping both arms around Bucky's bicep as he walked her home, much to the annoyance of the girls in the diner who had set their caps toward him. Stephanie barely noticed, too deep in thought over her slowly growing plan. She did notice the tension in Bucky's arm. When she was deep in thought she tended to walk into, and off, things which meant any time she held Bucky's arm, to keep herself oriented, he automatically worried. She squeezed his arm in reassurance, hoping he'd think she was just worried over him being drafted.

What he didn't know wouldn't kill her.  

***

She chose the name Steve Rogers for her enlistment form. It was close enough to her own that she felt she'd answer to it when called. The last thing she wanted to do was sit there like a dunce because she couldn't remember the fake name she'd put down.

She wrote it down five different times. Five different recruitment offices, five different enlistment forms, five different places of birth to keep them from putting together it was her over and over again.

She got in the door easily enough. She'd chopped her hair off the day after Bucky told her he'd been drafted, a fact which led to many disapproving looks from people on the street but it was worth it. Her job threatened to fire her for being unprofessional and looking like a hooligan, their words, but had calmed down when she'd claimed a jerk on the street had stuck gum in her hair and her only recourse had been to cut it. Bucky had been stunned when he saw it. She'd given him the same gum excuse she'd given her job. She was sure he saw right through it, particularly when she claimed she hadn't gone after the person responsible and couldn't give him a description so he could track the jerk down, but she was hopeful he wouldn't figure out what she was actually up too. It was pretty insane after all, even for her. Granted, if anyone could put it together, it'd be Bucky but she was banking on the fact he was too preoccupied with getting his affairs in order to put it together. It helped that she didn't see him as often. He spent all day working and the rest trying to get things in place so his life wouldn't fall apart while he was gone. It meant she didn't have to make repeated excuses to him about where she was and what she was doing. There was no possible way he wouldn't have picked up on something then.

Getting a pair of trousers and shirt was also easy. Bucky had given her a key to his apartment ages ago so she could go in and out as she wished. His place was closer to her job than her own and she would occasionally go over on her lunch break to relax when she got worn out. In return she'd prepare dinner for him and leave it in the icebox for when he got home. On one of her trips she scrounged around in the back of his closet and found an older shirt he'd planned to turn into a rag and a pair of trousers he rarely wore. He'd never miss them and she wouldn't feel as bad over having to alter them to fit.

After that it was just a matter of walking through the doors of the enlistment center. No one questioned her gender. Her age and physical ability, yes, given her size, but not her gender. The first time she tried it she was hopeful. Everything went so smoothly she was almost sure it was destiny guiding her way, right up until she was shown into a room full of shirtless men and ordered to disrobe so they could check her physical readiness.

She'd feigned sudden illness to get out of that one with her dignity, and modesty, intact. The next time she'd deliberately picked a center that had separate rooms and beds set up for medical checks. She'd hoped to beg her way in, tell the doctor her story and throw herself upon his compassion and mercy.

The doctor had, in fact, shown mercy, by not having her immediately arrested for falsifying her enlistment form. The third and fourth had not been as kind. The third had chased her out while the fourth had physically thrown her out. Admittedly she had offered him a bribe so it was understandable he'd taken offense. She really should have known better but had been at the point of desperation. The hard landing in the street caused cuts to her hands and knees from where she'd impacted the cobblestone. It had taken Bucky all of a half second to notice and she'd had to explain it away as tripping over her own feet, which had led to good natured teasing from him for days.

The fifth had been the worst experience, and the most demoralizing. The doctor had offered to help her, leading to a surge of hope only to dash it almost immediately by adding he expected a "favor" in return. The lewd way he'd looked at her had made the nature of the favor he wanted abundantly clear. She'd ended up kicking him in his knee, one of several moves Bucky had taught her, and stalked out with her head held high and her back straight.

It was only after she'd snuck into the dressing room of a nearby department store to change and begun walking home that her shoulders had started to droop and a deep sense of depression and resignation had settled over her.

By the time she reached the rickety stairs leading up to her small apartment her feet were dragging and her eyes were fixed on the ground.

She didn't notice Bucky in her kitchen until she'd nearly walked past him and he cleared his throat to get her attention.

She jumped a foot and whirled to see him sprawled out in a chair facing her, one arm resting on the table, the other on his leg. Stephanie opened her mouth to yell at him, only to snap it closed at the sight of the uniform he was wearing, the hat that completed it on the table near his hand.

"You got your orders," she said, her heart falling to her feet.

He held a slip of paper up between his thumb and forefinger. "Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th at your service."

Part of her wanted to imagine it was someone else. That somewhere there existed a James Buchanan Barnes who would get up and go overseas while Bucky, her Bucky, would stay behind.

Dimly the rest of what he'd said registered. The 107th. The regiment her father had fought, and died, with.

It was not comforting.

"Where have you been?" Bucky continued and there was the slightest hint of an accusation in his voice that made Stephanie think perhaps he hadn't been as oblivious to her being up to something as she'd hoped.

"Nowhere," she responded shortly. She walked past him stiffly, heading toward the cupboard to make coffee. Well, an approximation of coffee. The real stuff was rationed, and expensive. "When do you leave?"

"Two days."

The mug she'd been in the process of pulling out slipped from her hand. It hit the edge of the counter, cracked and rolled off, shattering on the floor in a smattering of shards about her feet, the sound loud in the otherwise quiet apartment. Behind her she heard the sound of the chair scraping across the floor and then Bucky's boots on the wooden floorboards in the living room. He returned with the dustpan and small brush she kept in the hall closet. He dropped to one knee at her feet and swept the glass up, the shards rattling into the pan.

Stephanie tried to get ahold of herself and reached over him to get a new mug. As she did she was horrified to feel her eyes beginning to burn and mentally cursed. She angled her body away from Bucky and tried to not blink, looking up slightly as her vision blurred as if that would somehow keep the tears in check. She very rarely cried and didn't want Bucky's last memory of her before shipping out to be her blubbering like an idiot. After a moment the feeling faded and she surreptitiously reached up and wiped quickly at her face, trying to pass it off as if she was merely dealing with an itch.

Bucky dumped the shards in the trash and put the dustpan away. He dropped back into his chair and sat in silence, absently tapping the edge of his orders against the surface. He looked deep in thought over something, his eyes fixed on some spot in the far off distance. When he got like that he often forgot where he was, or that he was with anyone. Stephanie left him to it.

It was only when she set a steaming cup of not-quite-coffee in front of him, and sat down with her own, that his eyes returned from wherever he'd been and refocused on her.

"So, I've been thinking."

"That's a first," Stephanie cut in and he glared at her.

"Punk."

"Jerk," she shot back. She raised the mug to take a sip of the hot brew and did her best not to grimace. He caught it anyway and snorted before looking away with a frown.

"Ah, to hell with it," he muttered under his breath a few minutes later. He shifted in his chair, reaching into a back pocket and then tossed something at her. Stephanie caught it instinctively She felt cool metal in her hand and looked down to see a slender, delicate looking gold band lying on her palm, a diamond set into a gap at the top.

"What is this?" she asked blankly.

"Pretty sure it's called a ring," Bucky replied dryly.

Stephanie resisted the urge to throw something at him. "I know that, smartass. Why are you giving it to me?"

"Language," Bucky said absently, not meeting her eyes. "Why do you think? I'm leaving tomorrow. I want you to marry me before I go."

[callunavulgari]

Year-In-Life | 2018

Or that annual New Year’s meme about yours truly.

1. What did you do in 2018 that you’d never done before? Got a big girl job! Got insurance! Made my very own eye doctor appointment! Got an apartment all on my own with my boyfriend! And this all happened since October! Basically I haven’t had time to do more than sleep in like two months!!!!!

But like. I’m making good money now, I can actually do things like go to the freaking doctor when I’m sick and not completely bankrupt myself if I get hit by a truck or something. Oh, and my new job has PTO! How rad is that, I can get paid for taking vacations now? The only downside is my eyes are not taking the staring at a computer screen all day very well and ache ALL the time now. But hey! Things are looking up other than my eyes being stabbed out of my skull?!

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Ugh I never remember what resolutions I actually made though! I mean, I know one of them was get a better job, which I did. I started smoking again for like two months and then quit again in November because holy shit I don’t need that in my life. I... briefly lost weight and then gained it all back because I stopped caring.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Couple high school people, I think. One of my best friend’s from middle school had her second kid. Another friend from middle school is expecting a third next year. But nobody particularly close, no. 4. Did anyone close to you die? I don’t think so.

5. What countries did you visit? Alternatively, what is your favorite place that you did go this year? Ugh, no countries. Nick got to go to Germany for his job training but I had to stay here because y’know, money, and also, money. Didn’t have the big girl job at the time and he went to Germany the week before we were due to go to North Carolina and I’m sorry, but I can’t freaking afford two weeks off of work. Couldn’t? Eh, still probably can’t unless I work crazy overtime to obtain more PTO. 

That said, I had lots of fun on our annual trip down to North Carolina. Once again I got to read a lot of books in the pool, chill on the beach, and play dumb drinking games with people five years younger than me. We also had an added date night, which I think I’m going to require every year.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018? Oh hey, I basically got everything that I wanted from last year. More steady job with insurance, apartment, not doing the college thing yet, but I’m going to have to think long and hard about how I want to proceed from here. This job opened up a LOT of opportunities for me, and I may pursue some of those instead of college. I just have to decide if that’s what I want.

Only thing that I didn’t get was, y’know, the ring thing. So here’s to hoping for next year? 

Also, ideally, we’re looking to buy a house sometime in either 2020 or 2021, so here’s to hoping we save up enough to make that happen.

7. What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 15th is when I started my new job. November 9th was when we moved out. Not many big events this year other than those. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Got new job! Got apartment! Read a metric crapton of books! Bought a nice couch that is all ours!

9. What was your biggest failure? Honestly? I’m not really sure. This year was kind of a good one. I’ve been very patient with Nick’s mom whenever we go on our weekly outing to one of the bars in our hometown and haven’t dropkicked her into the street whenever she gets too drunk. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Since moving out of the old house last month my weird allergy thing has improved wildly. We’re still using the sensitive skin detergent and I’m using very mildly scented soaps, but all in all the itching is so much less. I got really sick and missed Thanksgiving because I got some kind of stomach flu, and I think I had another stomach issue a few months back, but it’s been mostly mild. 11. What was the best thing you bought? I got new glasses at a vastly discounted rate because my vision insurance is apparently really good? We also bought a huge new sectional that is bigger, comfier, and LESS EXPENSIVE than all of the other couches we were looking at. I got Nick a sit/stand desk for Christmas and got upgraded to his old one by proxy. Got new books and a new painting for our living room. We also bought a new TV, because my old one was fucked and since we were moving out we didn’t have Seth’s to watch. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Mine. I was so good this year. 13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? Eh. Nick’s mom drives me nuts, my mom drives me nuts, the roommates aren’t as bad now because we aren’t there, but it got a little spotty near the end there.

14. Where did most of your money go? Mostly things like bills, car payments, groceries, plane ticket to South Carolina to see my family, Christmas presents. While I got a reasonably good big girl job Nick got a reasonably good computer engineering job which means even if he is just a starting salary it’s still about 30k more than I make. Which just, blows my mind to say? Because I’m not making less than 15k a year now?  15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? I’m sorry that you have to hear it again, but new job! New apartment! New books and new things and hopefully a new chapter of our life. I’ve been trying to not get too psyched about things just in case the bottom drops out, but for now I’m letting myself enjoy this.

16. What song will always remind you of 2018? Paradise Valley. The Sailor Song. Daddy. Smallest Light. Lots of things off the Stranger Things soundtrack. 17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. happier or sadder? Happier? Yeah, happier. ii. thinner or fatter? Little more, maybe? Again, lost a bunch but gained it back. iii. richer or poorer? Richer. With both of us having good jobs it’s so much easier to save. I dumped a little more than I should have into Christmas presents, but I’m still okay.  18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Write. I’ve been really bad about it, but I’m hoping that this year I’ll find my stride. 

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Still pretty chill this year. Maybe gotten my head out of my ass and tried to get a good job earlier, but I can’t regret it too much. 20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent Christmas Eve listening to Nick’s mom bitch about things and eating food that kind of turned my stomach. Spent Christmas Day at his mom’s in the morning and then his grandparents’ all afternoon. Only managed to squeeze a tiny amount of time for ourselves this year, but we had breakfast together and opened our presents. Hopefully next year we get Christmas Eve to ourselves again. 21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? So, last year we spent New Year’s cooking curry (him) and pirozki (me) and watching Planet Earth. I’m hoping to do something similar this year, but we might end up at his mom’s place getting trashed since we’re both off the next day. We’ll see. 22. Did you fall in love in 2018? Maybe a little more. 23. Best month for you this year? October? November? August? April-ish? Honestly most of my months this year were pretty okay. Like, I’m so sorry for all of you that had shitty years, but mine was so much better than basically anything from the past goddamn decade.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Of just 2018? Didn’t watch too much this year? Watched the second season of Westworld, Voltron, the Sense8 series finale, Killing Eve, Castlevania, The Haunting of Hill House, Bride of the Ancient Magus, Lost In Space... But honestly, most of them were good but not fantastic. I really liked the Sense8 finale and Hill House. Oooh, also, She-Ra. And Little Witch Academia! Those were good ones. 25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Eh.

26. What was the best book you read? Spinning Silver was so good, guys. The Goblin Emperor, A Tale For the Time Being, the Queen’s Thief series, the Kingkiller Chronicle, and the Nightrunner series were highlights too. It was a real good year for books, okay. 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Paradise Valley. Holy shit that song is the best. 28. What did you want and got? I got a lot of stuff I wanted this year. The job, the apartment, books, games. Nick got me a fucking switch for Christmas and this really pretty teardrop necklace made of green glass that’s just fucking gorgeous. And I got the glasses, the stupid tv, the better couch... ugh, we spent so much money this year, but I mean, it’s kind of about time that we had the money to splurge a little?

29. What did you want but didn’t get? A... ring? I mean, we’ve talked about it and we’ve both been moving steadily in this direction, but it didn’t happen this year. I foolishly made a bet with one of his brother’s friends while I was drunk. He thought that he’d propose before December of 2020, I thought he’d propose before the end of 2019, so now even if I’m right I’m wrong and I know he is going to give me shit about it.

Also. I think I might actively want kids now? Like, not in a nebulous eventually kind of way, but I think I might want to start trying? I don’t know. More on that next year. 30. What was your favorite film of this year? The Greatest Showman was really great. Other than that though, I didn’t watch that many. 31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? 29 went a lot like 28 and 27. Had lunch with Nick at the Lantern, and then lazed around until we went out to Old Bag of Nails with a few of our friends. It was nice. Nick got me knitting supplies because I mentioned a million years ago that I kind of wanted to learn so I could do something while listening to audiobooks.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Hah! A better president and a ring is the only thing that I didn’t get from my wishes last year. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018? Honestly until I started having to dress for an office job my personal fashion concept was PJs all the time except for when I had to go wait tables for a few hours. Now that I have the office job I’ve been wearing lots of sweaters, scarves, and skirts with tall boots when it’s not too cold for them. My bet is next year I’m going to give up and buy scrubs like everybody else in the nursing department. 34. What kept you sane? Reading was really, really great this year. - STILL leaving this answer 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Eh. Amber Heard was recently very pretty on my tumblr dashboard? 36. What political issue stirred you the most? FUCK DONALD TRUMP IN THE EAR 2015678. —– Ayyyyy, this was my response from last year, and apparently also the year before and the one before! Hello past me’s, don’t worry, it’s still getting worse. 37. Who did you miss? Nick, while he was in Germany and when I was in South Carolina. It was dumb. I wanted to smooch his forehead gently. 38. Who was the best new person you met? I have lots of new coworkers, but Bryan is my favorite. He’s pretty cool and I could see myself being good friends with him if he doesn’t fuck off to a different state. 

39. Talk about a new friend that you made this year: *Sherlock voice* I don’t have friends. ---- I’m just going to leave this here. 

40. Post a picture from the beginning of the year:

Took this one in... early March, but it’s technically the earliest photo I took of myself that wasn’t technically from December of 2017. I really miss the dark hair.

41. Post a picture from the end of the year:

This was taken a couple days ago when I got new glasses. I am 100% not naked, I’m wearing a tanktop.

42. A memorable meal discovered this year? Uh. I don’t know if I actually tried any new recipes this year? Most things that I cooked were repeat favorites from last year and Nick hasn’t cooked too terribly much either. The new jobs thing has been nice, but also we have SO MUCH LESS TIME.

43. What was your favorite memory this year? I don’t know. There have been a few of them. I had a night that was kind of shitty and empty, and ended up reading that Cornstalk Fiddle fic that I’ve talked about and it turned into one of my favorite memories. The vacation and moving was pretty nice.

44. What are you excited for next year? Still wanna try for that trip that’s just me and Nick, but I’ve got my little brother’s graduation to go to in May and the North Carolina trip in August, which basically wipes out my PTO for the year, but we’ll see. Maybe we can take a weekend trip somewhere nice.

Oh. Also, I’m freaking excited for KINGDOM HEARTS 3?!

45. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018: Things can get better? Your life isn’t over if you don’t make it to college? Just. Things get better. We’ll go with that one. 46. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: I’m singin’ in the rain Just singin’ in the rain What a glorious feeling I’m happy again

First Fandom of 2018: January seemed to be an ecclectic mixture of Star Wars, Harry Potter, Captive Prince, The Exorcist, and Teen Wolf before I settled into Stranger Things at the end of the month. Favorite Main Character of 2018: Ahhhh. Fuck, I don’t know. Ryan Dalias or Doug Eiffel, probably. Favorite Villain of 2018: Damien, from the Bright Sessions. He’s not... exactly a big bad, but he certainly isn’t good. Also, Billy Hargrove. Favorite M/F Couple of 2018: I actually read a lot of Jaime/Brienne this year because astolat started writing it and it was just really solidly good. Oh, Miryem and the Staryk Lord was also A++ Favorite F/F Couple of 2018: I did not read or write any, but let me tell you, I felt Isabelle Lovelace and Renee Minkowski on a fucking galactic scale. Favorite M/M Couple of 2018: Mark/Damien and Billy/Steve absolutely dominated all of my other fandoms this year. But also, Ryan/Akmazian hurts my entire heart. Fandom That You Never Expected To Get Into: The Bright Sessions? I did not expect to actually have feelings about these characters. Fandom That Made An Unexpected Comeback: Read some Harry Potter and Thor fic sporadically throughout the year. And Pacific Rim 2 hit my like a freight train. Fandom That Inspired The Most Crack: Uh. Stranger Things, I guess? Last Fandom of 2018: I mean, technically I’ve been reading more Harringrove because of the holiday exchange, but I’m still pretty hung up on Wolf 359 and the Bright Sessions. Unfortunately, neither of them really have fic? Favorite Fandom of 2018: I liked all of them, but Stranger Things and The Bright Sessions was so much of my year I’m gonna have to go with those two.

[duhragonball]

[FIC] Luffa: The Legendary Super Saiyan (106/?)

Disclaimer: This story features characters and concepts based on Dragon Ball, which is a trademark of Bird Studio/Shueisha and Toei Animation.   This is an unauthorized work, and no profit is being made on this work by me. This story is copyright of me. Download if you like, but please don’t archive it without my permission. Don’t be shy.

Continuity Note: About 1000 years before the events of Dragon Ball Z.

Previous chapters conveniently available here.

[17 February, 233 Before Age.     Hubler IV.]

Ryloth Windraker's office was as inviting and friendly as the man himself.   Whenever a client entered, Ryloth greeted him with a warm smile, a firm handshake, and a hearty pat on the back as he led them to a comfortable-but-professional-looking chair in front of his expensive-but-practical-looking desk.   After several interminable minutes of small talk about the client's family and various vacation plans, he would finally ask how he could send the client home with a smile on his face.    

"I should like to hire a mercenary," Dr. Topsas said frankly.   His arachnoid frame was too large and ill-suited for a chair designed for humanoids, so he simply stood next to it while he spoke.   "As my mouth is anatomically incapable of smiling, I fear that does not truly answer your question, but it does state my business plainly enough."

"Yes, of course, Doctor Saspot," Ryloth said.   "It's easy to forget just how diverse the galaxy is.    Putting a smile on your face is just an expression I use for making the customer happy.   I'd change it to something else... but then I'd have to order new stationary!"  

He laughed at his own joke, which Topsas found profoundly irritating.   "You do arrange contracts for this sort of thing, yes?" he asked.  

"Yes!  Oh, yes we do," Ryloth said with a chuckle.   "Well, officially speaking I have other people arrange that for me.    Keeps certain parties from asking too many questions.   Let me just take a look at my records.... Now you'll have to bear with me, our computer system is acting kind of slow today..."

"By all means, take your time, Mr. Windraker," Topsas said.  

"What sort of military solution did you need, Doctor?" Ryloth asked.  

"It's something of a real estate matter," Topsas said.   "And there is a bit of a personal grudge, so I'm reluctant to wait for the courts to settle it."

"Keeping your options open, is that it?" Ryloth suggested.  

"Something like that," Topsas said.  

"Something like that?" Ryloth repeated.   Topsas genuinely had no idea how to respond to this, so he waited quietly for Ryloth's computer to catch up.  

"So what I have here is probably a good fit for your needs," Ryloth began.    "He comes highly rated by past contractors, and he should be available starting..."

He stared at the screen for what seemed like an eternity.   Topsas began to wonder if the poor man had suffered a stroke.   Why wouldn't he finish his sentence?   Why had he started speaking when he didn't know the information he was trying to communicate?    He hadn't even asked Topsas when he would need the man, so why was he keeping him in suspense on his schedule?    What especially galled Topsas about Windraker was that conventional wisdom would hold this man up as an example of a "great communicator."    Except most of what he said and did was pointless showmanship and had nothing whatsoever to do with conveying information the other party wanted.  

"Do you have any warrior species in your files?" Topsas finally asked.   There was no point in waiting to broach the subject.

"You prefer them, Doctor?" Ryloth asked.  

"I find them to be very sympathetic to matters of honor, Mr. Windraker," Topsas replied.   "There may be more professional soldiers in your ranks, and many others with greater technical expertise, but I like to establish an emotional connection with the people I hire.     It helps to make it about more than just money."

"I understand," Ryloth said firmly, though Topsas strongly doubted that.   As he pulled up more records, he launched into a lengthy anecdote which had more to do with his family's history with appliance repair than anything remotely connected to the matter at hand.   "Now, I do have the Thundertoads open for next month.    They're very formidable.   Have you heard of them?"

Topsas had dissected a Thundertoad cadaver in pre-med, but he saw no point in volunteering that information.   "I was thinking of something... stronger, Mr. Windraker.   Perhaps a Saiyan or two."

"A... Saiyan?" Ryloth asked.  

"A friend of mine once told me that you had arranged contracts with Saiyan mercenaries in the past.    I was told to ask for a Mr. Jolok, if he was still in the business."

"Jolok?" Ryloth repeated.  "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while.   You have to understand, Dr. Saspot, that the market hasn't been good for Saiyans lately."

"And why is that?" Topsas asked innocently.    "It was my impression that violence was a key component of their culture."

"That's true," Ryloth said, "but there's been a lot of scrutiny surrounding Saiyans ever since an internal dispute broke out.    You've heard of the Legendary Super Saiyan, haven't you?   Well, she's been aggressively pursuing any Saiyan she can find, hoping to track down their missing king."

"I don't have much interest in alien politics, Mr. Windraker," Topsas said.  

"Yes, well the bottom line is that Sayians are radioactive right now," Ryloth explained.   "You might as well be asking me to sell you two hundred pounds of weapons-grade actinium.   At least that way you wouldn't have the Super Saiyan looking over your shoulder."

"What business is it of hers?" Topsas asked.  

"It's not a matter of jurisdiction, Doctor," Ryloth tried to explain.    "You see it's..." There was another long pause, which Topsas found doubly-annoying, since he already understood what the man was struggling to say.    "Okay, so... If you had a Saiyan mercenary, and word got out about him, sooner or later she'd come after him, and if he managed to give her the slip, then she'd probably start following the money, shaking down whoever paid the guy.   Now I don't want that kind of attention, and I don't think you want that kind of attention."

"Quite so," Topsas said, "which is why you have others to make those kinds of arrangements for you.   That is what you said, is it not?"

"Well, er, yes, I see what you're driving at," Ryloth replied.    "But I don't think--"

"Mr. Windraker, I have a great deal of money to spend on this venture, and I believe that the wisest investment would be on a Saiyan warrior," Topsas said.  "If they prefer to work discreetly, so much the better.   Now if you are unable or unwilling to put me in contact with a suitable candidate, then I respect your decision.   Perhaps it might be best if your intermediaries were to contact me directly.    There would be no risk to your own business, though you would also receive none of the reward."

Ryloth seemed duly impressed by this, and  held out his hands to concede the point.   "All right, all right, Doctor, I see where you're going with this.   If you're willing to accept the potential consequences, then I might be able to help you out.   A lot of Saiyans have gone into hiding though.   The one you were asking about, Jolok, was killed in the Quadzityz War.   Even so, I know some people who know some people, and they could put you in contact with some Saiyans, but it won't be cheap to get them involved."

"As I said, Mr. Windraker," Topsas answered, "I am prepared to pay handsomely, though I should like to see some proof to support your claims."

Ryloth nodded and turned back to his computer.    "You'll have it," he said.   "I'm putting together a file of all the Saiyans that my people can reach, and how to get ahold of them.   Of course, you'd still need me to make those arrangements.   They won't just agree to meet with an unsolicited client.   It's too dangerous."

"Naturally," Topsas said.   "I appreciate your cooperation on these matters."

Ryloth finished creating his file and handed a portable data unit to Topsas.   "Now you don't need to make a decision right away," he said.   "Look it over and decide which ones you'd like, and I'll see about setting up payments."  

"Oh, that won't be necessary," Topsas said.    "You see, I've already decided which ones to contact."

Ryloth was about to ask whom Topsas had chosen, when suddenly a blue humanoid with red hair appeared beside him, aiming a firearm at Ryloth's head.  

"We'll want to speak with all of them, Mr. Windraker," Zatte said.   "There won't be much of a finder's fee in it for you, but if you cooperate, we can make sure the Saiyans don't find out it was you who led us to them."

Ryloth looked at them both, then slowly raised his hands in surrender.

*******

[18 February, 233 Before Age.   Toblerone Prime.]

Guwar was a mathematician by trade, but he was also a Saiyan warrior, and like most Saiyans, he was frustrated by the lack of good battles to fight ever since the Super Saiyan Luffa began cracking down on Saiyan activity.   Eager to change his fortunes, he had joined forces with two other Saiyans, Lesseri and Endive, to pursue a rumored power that would make them all stronger.   The technique, known only as "Jindan", was thought to have some ties to alchemy, so most of their progress had been achieved with the help of Treekul, an alien historian specializing in alchemical artifacts and ancient texts.   Guwar had been pleased to find that his skills in differential equations had been helpful to the geomantic calculations she used to locate items and sites relevant to their quest.   As the weakest Saiyan on the team, he liked having some way to make himself indispensable, just in case his partners decided to start trimming dead wood.    

Together, Guwar and Treekul had managed to trace the secret of Jindan to a pair of ancient artifacts: a scroll of formulae written by a legendary alchemist, and a copper retort inscribed with sigils and runes.    Both contained elements of the alchemical theory upon which Jindan was based.  Guwar wasn't entirely sure how this could be, but he trusted Treekul's geomantic ability to trace modern mysticism to the ancient teachings that inspired it.   While recovering these artifacts, Lesseri had made another discovery.   Another Saiyan, a man named Salziff, had tried to  obtain them for himself.    Was he after the Jindan secret too?   What had he found out?  

Guwar was more concerned with how they would find Salziff, and how they would convince him to tell them anything.   Lesseri was confident that they would have no trouble with either.    Since Salziff wanted the scroll and retort rather badly, she reasoned that Salziff would be eager to arrange a meeting.    As for getting Salziff to talk, Lesseri was even more confident of her answer to that one.    

"There's three of us, and one of him," she had told Guwar after slamming her left fist into her right palm.    "You and Treekul will take the goods with you to meet with him, while Endive and I scout the area for any tricks.    If he tries anything funny, we'll gang up on him, and beat him until he begs to tell us what we want to know."

Guwar found her plan somewhat glib.   Of the four of them, he alone had met Salziff, and he knew the man to be devious.     No matter how desperate Salziff was for the retort and scroll, Guwar was certain that Salziff would find some way to take what he wanted while giving as little as possible in exchange.    As they rode and elevator to Salziff's apartment, Treekul listened patiently while Guwar tried to warn her about Salziff's guile.    

"You have to give Lesseri some credit," Treekul said.   "We put that ad on the subspace network, and he responded to it immediately.  'As soon as possible,' the message said.    The guy really wants what we've got."

"Maybe so," Guwar said, "but if I know Salziff, he picked this meeting location very carefully.    He's got something up his sleeve.   I don't know what it is, but I'm sure he's mapped out three or four escape routes to use once he gets ahold of the scroll and retort."

"Why would he try to escape?" Treekul asked.   "As far as he knows, it's just you and me coming to meet him, and you said he was stronger than you.   He's probably planning to beat you up and take what he wants."

"Maybe," Guwar said, "but he'd be a fool to assume that we're coming alone just because we told him we would.   He may not be expecting us to have backup, but he'll still be prepared for it.  Just follow my lead."  Guwar handed her a handheld communicator.    "If we run into trouble, signal the others with this."

Treekul shrugged and clipped the device to her belt, then she removed the backpack she was carrying to take out the scroll and retort that were stored inside.   "If we're so worried about this guy," she said, "maybe it wasn't such a great idea to bring these things with us."

"And leave them on the ship with no one to guard them?" Guwar asked.   "No, that'd be playing right into Salziff's hands.    This way, we look vulnerable, so if he tries to take advantage of us, Lesseri and Endive can swoop in and stop him."

"I thought you said he'd be expecting us to have backup," Treekul said.   "Is being a Saiyan always this complicated?"

The elevator door opened and Guwar let out an annoyed groan as they stepped out into the hall.   

"Right, sorry.   Follow your lead," Treekul said.   "Got it."

They arrived at the door number Salziff had specified, and Guwar knocked four times, as Salziff had instructed.   There was no answer.  

"Where is he?" Guwar wondered aloud.  

"Maybe he went out and lost track of time," Treekul suggested.   "No, wait, he might be putting the finishing touches on some deathtrap."

She leaned in and put her ear against the door to try to hear what was going on inisde, and then she looked up at Guwar with a puzzled expression.  

"What?" he asked.   "What is it?"

"It sounds like snoring," she said.  

Guwar put his own ear to the door to hear for himself.    It did indeed sound like snoring.   He pounded on the door again, and this time, he didn't bother keeping count.    

"Salziff!" he shouted.   "Wake up or I'll break down the door!"

Treekul listened again.    "He's not snoring at least," she said.    

"Then why isn't he coming to get the door?" Guwar asked.   They hadn't even started yet, and he was already fed up with Salziff's games.

"Wait, I can hear... it sounds like he's coming this way," Treekul said.    "Not really footsteps.   More like he's shuffling across the floor very slowly."

"Shuffling?" Guwar asked, but before Treekul could explain further, they heard the door being unlocked from the inside.   A moment later, the door opened, but only by enough to let the occupant see Treekul and Guwar outside.    

"Is that you, Guwar?" he asked.   Guwar could recognize Salziff's voice, but it sounded weak and hoarse.    

"That's right," Guwar replied.

"Who's she?" Salziff asked.  

"She's with me," Guwar answered curtly as he took Treekul's backpack and opened it.

"You have the retort?"

"Yeah."

"And the scroll?"

Guwar held them up for Salziff to see.   "Look can we come in?" he asked.   It's been a long trip, and my lady friend is tired.  

The door slowly opened, allowing the light from the hall to reveal the Saiyan, or what was left of him.    He looked pale and sickly.   His hair had turned white, and some of it had fallen out.   A thin layer of stubble lined his jaw and upper lip, perfectly framing his hollow cheeks and sunken eyes.  

"Come on in," Salziff muttered.   He turned and led them inside, shuffling across the floor in a pair of slippers.  The only other clothes he wore was a pair of linen shorts.    It disturbed Guwar to be able to see the outline of Salziff's ribs under the skin of his back.

"Hey, Guwar," Treekul whispered as she elbowed his arm to get his attention.    "What's up with this guy?  I thought you told me Saiyans don't age for most of their lives.   So how old does that make him?"

"He didn't look like this the last time I met him," Guwar murmured back to her.   "As far as I know, he's two years younger than me."

"Yikes," Treekul said through gritted teeth.    When Salziff turned to face them so that he could collapse into his recliner, she tried to make her grimace look like a friendly smile, though Guwar doubted that it was worth the effort.   Salziff seemed to be too weary to care what anyone thought of his appearance.  

"Well, you're here," Salziff said as he stared down at his feet.   "You've got what I want, and you knew that I wanted them, so that means I must have something you want in exchange.   Name your price.   I'm in no position to haggle."

Guwar's first instinct was to suspect a trap.   This was all too easy, and too suspicious by half.   He didn't know how or why Salziff looked the way he did, but Guwar had learned a long time ago never to take things at face value.    It was much easier to believe that Salziff was only feigning weakness for some reason.  

Then Salziff began to cough, and he kept on coughing.    He reached for a box of tissues and continued coughing, until at last he expelled something from his mouth.    Guwar couldn't tell what it was, but he noticed a trickle of blood on Salziff's dry, cracked lips after he threw the tissue away.  

It was then that Guwar realized that he rather hoped this was some kind of trick.    He never liked Salziff, but the idea of him really wasting away like this was horrifying to contemplate.

"All I want is information," Guwar said.  

"Good for you," Salziff said.   "That's about... about all I have these days.   T-tell you everything I know."

He began to cough again, and Guwar was grateful that it didn't last nearly as long as the last time.    

"First, I want to know why you want these trinkets," Guwar said, gesturing at the retort in his hand and the scroll in Treekul's.  

"I'm dying," Salziff said bluntly.    "I think they can save my life."

"How?" Treekul asked.

"I don't know," Salziff said.   "The man who owned them, he could tell you."

"He's dead," Guwar said.   He wondered if telling Salziff that was a good idea, but the severity of Salziff's condition was throwing off his negotiation skills.

"Then so am I," Salziff said after a long pause.   "Guess you didn't need to bring those things with you after all."

Guwar pointed at Treekul.   "The woman knows a thing or two about this stuff.   Maybe she can do something for you."

"I doubt that very much," Salziff said.    He didn't bother looking at Treekul.    "No offense, babe.   If we'd met a few months ago, I would have been happy to make your acquaintance.  These days... well, I just don't have the stamina."

Treekul ignored his comment.    "You're right, I probably don't know enough to help you," she said.   "I'm an alchemical historian, not an alchemist.   But I have some contacts.   Maybe I can put you in touch with someone else who can figure out how to use these."

"I don't have time for 'someone else'," Salziff said.    He stopped to catch his breath.    "I didn't have time when I went to Quadzityz to beg Dorf Portendav for his help, but he was the only one I could find who had any experience in prolonging life and restoring vitality.   He is... was... a hundred years older than he looked, you know.  There's other people who claim to do what he's done, but he's definitely done it.   But he wouldn't lift a finger for me.   Too bad... maybe if he'd cooperated with me, he wouldn't have run into you guys and gotten himself killed."

He started coughing again, and he reached for another tissue.   When he was finished with it, he tried to put some force behind it as he tossed it into the trash, though it was hard to tell the difference.   "Serves him right, that stingy bastard," Salziff said.    "Wanted to be immortal, well look how far you got.   Couldn't even outlive me.    Me, I just wanted to live long enough to see another worthy battlefield.    Guess that won't be happening now."

"What did this to you, Salziff?" Guwar asked.    

"Performance enhancing drugs, to start with," Salziff said with a weak sniffle.   "I wanted to get stronger, but I didn't want to train, and I couldn't find enough action out in space.   Things were peaceful enough before the Super Saiyan started this crackdown, you know?"

"I've never heard of any PED's that could do this much damage to a body," Guwar said.  

"Then you haven't looked as hard as I have," Salziff said with a laugh.    "Too busy sticking your nose in those math books, Guwar.  Maybe you're better off, now that I think about it.   Pharmaceuticals weren't getting the job done, so I started looking into the black market.   A lot of it's snake oil, but some of it really works... for a while, anyway.    Before I knew what I'd done, I'd managed to screw myself over pretty badly.   I had to use most of my ki just to keep myself alive."

Guwar and Treekul exchanged a look.  Lesseri had been floating outside the apartment window for several minutes now, charging a ki blast aimed at Salziff's chair.    If he noticed her presence at all, he never acknowledged it.   Either his ki senses had faltered along with the rest of his body, or he simply didn't care whether Lesseri killed him or not.   Guwar nodded at Treekul, who pressed a button on a communicator hanging from her belt.    A few minutes later, Lesseri and Endive answered her signal, and stepped inside the room.

"He's dying," Guwar explained to them.   "I don't think he knows anything, but even if he did, we can't really force it out of him."

"Oh..." Salziff said when he finally saw the other two women.    "I had you figured all wrong, Guwar.   You're pretty popular with the ladies, after all."

"Never mind that," Lesseri said as she stepped towards his chair.    "What do you know about Jindan, old man?"

"Jindan?" Salziff said with a gasp.    "Don't tell me that's what you all wanted from me."

"We simply wish to get stronger, Salziff," Endive said in a crisp, even tone.   "Just as you did."

"If that's what you three want," Salziff said with a weak cough, "then you'll take my advice and forget you ever heard of Jindan."  

"You're saying it doesn't work?" Lesseri asked.  

"What I'm saying," he said before another coughing spell came over him.    "What I'm saying is that it isn't worth it.    Look at me, woman.   I'm younger than Guwar, but look at me now.   Is this how you want to end up?"

"Then you have used it," Lesseri said.   "And everyone who does ends up like you?"

Salziff looked away from Lesseri, and shook his head.   She grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him out of his chair.    

A trickle of excrement spilled from his shorts.  Guwar winced at the smell.

"Tell me!" Lesseri demanded.   "You're not so close to death that I can't make you suffer before you go!"

Endive stepped in to stop her.    "Lesseri, this is pointless," she said.   "We still have the scroll.    Treekul can find another lead to Jindan with that."

"Back off, Endive," Lesseri growled.   "This guy's seen what we're after.   He's been there, and he can tell us everything we need right now.    But he won't talk, and that makes me upset..."

Suddenly, Salziff made a strange noise.    At first, Guwar wasn't sure what it was.    He had never spent much time around the sick, and so for a moment he wondered if it was a special noise people made before they died.   Then he saw a thin smile on Salziff's face, and he realized that it was laughter, or the closest thing to laughter that Salziff could muster.  

"Oh what the hell?" Salziff said.   "You four won't take no for an answer, so what do I care if you ruin your lives?   I'll talk.   I won't bore you with the whole story, but I'll get you where you need to go."

Lesseri set him back in his chair and crossed her arms impatiently.  Salziff took a moment to compose himself, and finally said the word: "Mundokuul."

"What is that?" Endive asked.  

"It's where I went to contact the Jindan cult," he said.  "They have their own planet, but I don't know where it is, or what it's called.   No one does.   You go to Mundokuul, and they take you the rest of the way.   If you're worthy, that is."

"Go on," Lesseri said.  

"Well there's not much more to say, is there?" Salziff said.   "There's a ritual, but you'll see that for yourselves.   You'll rue the day you heard my name, but when it's over, you'll receive the power of Jindan.    And you'll be stronger.... Yes, you'll be so much stronger than you've ever been.   Oh, it's glorious..."

"Then what went wrong?"  Guwar asked.    "What's the catch?"

Salziff turned and stared at the window, as though trying to look at the stars in the sky.   The curtains were drawn, and so if this was his intention, he had to satisfy himself with the gesture instead of the view.  

"The cult is the catch," he finally said.    "They don't give that kind of power away for free.    You accept it from them, and they own you, body and soul.   Step out of line, and they take it back, only you're not quite the same when that happens.   The Jindan power merges with your own, and after a while, it's no so easy to separate them.   So if you make them mad, and they decide to take back what they gave you, they end up tearing away a piece of what you started with.    That's why I'm dying.   My health was shot before I went to Mundokuul, and Jindan made me strong enough to recuperate, but I couldn't follow their rules, and when they took Jindan away from me, they took with it some of my own strength, leaving me too weak to keep my body from falling apart."

Guwar looked at Lesseri and Endive, who looked back at him, and then each other.   There was a grim silence in the room as the Saiyans considered what they had just heard.   Then Salziff started to cough again.    By the time he stopped, there were tears running down his face.  

"I grew up with my great grandfather," Salziff said.    "He told me all sorts of crap.   Used to knock me around when I wouldn't listen.   I just thought he was a foolish old man.   Now I look older than him, and I finally see where he was coming from.    I thought he just liked bossing me around, but he was trying to warn me.     He just wanted to make sure I didn't make the same mistakes he used to make.    He told me how nothing in life is free.   If it doesn't cost money, then it takes hard work, and if it's not either of those things, then it must be something else they want, like your freedom, or your health, or your soul.  I wish I had listened to him now.    He wasn't such a bad... such a bad guy.    Wish he was here... so I could tell him I'm sorry...  Sorry that I didn't listen, pop.   But maybe you three will listen.    It's not worth it.   Please, it's just not worth it..."

But the four visitors had already left.     He rambled on anyway, oblivious to his solitude, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

*******

[18 February, 233 Before Age.  Interstellar space.]

Aboard Luffa's star-yacht, Luffa herself appeared on the main video display at the fore of the bridge.   At first, when she had answered their subspace communication in a bad mood, mostly due to the passenger accommodations on the transport ship she was currently aboard.   Apparently whoever had designed the seats had not considered humanoids with tails, but as she listened to Zatte's account of Dr. Topsas' performance, her expression brightened considerably.  

"You should have seen him," Zatte said.   "For a while there I thought he really was looking to hire a Saiyan mercenary.   I was beginning to think he might storm out of Ryloth's office in a huff if he didn't give him one."

"I took an acting course at university," Topsas said.   "It helps when the role isn't terribly challenging.   To play a pushy, entitled customer, I only need to think back on so many of the patients I have encountered in my career as a doctor.   Demanding a Saiyan is not so different from demanding prescription painkillers."

"He's just being modest," Zatte said.   "He was amazing.   You would have been proud."

"I was already proud of Doc," Luffa said.    "I only sent you along in case he got too rough with Ryloth."

"For your information, I am only 'rough' on persons who fail to keep their appointments," Topsas said.   "There is one I could mention, whose wife has told me of all manner of old injuries which really ought to be examined by a physician."   He raised one of his eight limbs, and revealed a small data drive held in his fingers.     "I was hoping that I might use Mr. Windraker’s Saiyan contact list to lure her back to my care."

"So that's it, huh?" Luffa said.  "You two are ganging up on me now?"

"Hey, he just asked me how you've been," Zatte said.   "It's not my fault that you keep getting into fights and picking up strange diseases."

"All right, Doc, I'll turn myself in," Luffa said, "but I want you to look at someone else first."

"You mean that fortuneteller you told me about?" Zatte asked.   "You're bringing her back with you?"

Luffa nodded.   "Zatte probably already told you, Doc, but Jolok had a defense against telepathic attacks.   He called it the Mindworm, and it did a number on me, but he said that he tested it out first by tricking a fortuneteller into trying to read his mind.   Her name's Dotz, by the way.    I managed to bring her out of her coma, but she's still having trouble shaking off the effects.  I thought maybe you could do something for her."

"Brought her out of her coma?" Topsas repeated.    "I wasn't aware punching and screaming had any therapeutic value."

"Oh, they do wonders for me," Luffa said, "but for Dotz, I used my telepathy to go inside her head and fight off the Mindworm for her."

He stroked his pedipalps thoughtfully with his forward left hand.   "Impressive," he said.   "I didn't realize your powers could be used to heal."

"You should see what she can do for birds," Zatte said.

"Very well," Topsas said.   "I've waited this long to give you a checkup, little mammal.   I suppose I can take the time to see too your friend first."

"Good," Luffa said.  "We're on a transport ship bound for the Lubegev System.    You can meet us there.   I don't know anything about the local cuisine, but we'll figure something out for dinner."

"That's fine, Luffa," Zatte said as she and Topsas exchanged puzzled looks.   "But why there?   What's in the Lubegev System?"

"Nothing... yet," Luffa said.   "But after I got Dotz out of her coma, she had a vision."  Her lips curled into an excited grin.   "It wasn't much, but if she's right, there's going to be a Saiyan attack on Lubegev in three days.   I thought I'd drop by, and if any Saiyans do show up, I could give them a proper welcome..."

NEXT: The Pause at the Threshold.