#like I don't know how I'd get into the tank to wipe it down no matter how much it looks like it needs it

[the-algebra-thing]

just fired up a norelco fabric steamer from I believe 1985, based on a few internet searches, to test out whether I'd be able to use it for some dresses I have whose fabric content is not clear to me instead of risking an iron, and it seems fully functional. no idea where this thing came from or how it came with me to my dad's apartment when I moved out of my mom's house but I've been meaning to get it our for ages and I am so psyched that I finally remembered to AND it still works. it has just been sitting in its original box in my closet for at least two years. this thing is gonna be invaluable to me I already know it

[evie-sturns]

Right here-Chris Sturniolo

summary: chris is your best friend, he has been for a couple years. one night you and chris are laying on his bed talking about anything and everything, somehow the conversation leads to sex, where you tell him a confession, leading to him taking your virginity.

contains: smut, fluff, swearing, aftercare, chris talking u through it, virgin!reader.

-----------------┌─── ∘°❉°∘ ───┐-----------——

9:43pm

chris and I have been laying on his bed together, staring at the ceiling as the conversation rapidly switches between topics.

"remember like the first time we met, how it took us a solid hour to start up a real conversation" chris laughs,

"i was working chris! i was like 16 i wasnt gonna risk my job to leave from behind the counter to talk to you" i nudge him with a grin.

"working at topgolf.." he teases back, "i mean i only knew nick from middle school, but i did serve your food and we spoke!" i say defensivley.

chris shakes his head, rubbing his eyes before he adjusts his chain which hangs around his neck.

"what was...." chris starts, thinking about what to say next. i tilt my head on the pillow to look over at him.

"your worst sex experience." chris asks casually with a stupid smile on his face,

my heart sinks slightly, truthfully im a virgin, and i'm almost 21. chris has no idea about this.

a silence fills the room, i clear my throat "well- uh"

"oh my god how bad was it" chris laughs.

i feel tears somehow prickle at the corner of my eyes, it doesn't bother me that much.

a small laugh exits my mouth, chris looks over at me "are you okay-?" chris says with a small laugh.

"yes! yes i'm good-" i say, sitting up and crossing my legs.

"chris can I tell you something" i sigh, wiping my face as a nervous smile forms.

"anything- hey you know about that time at graduation when i went the wrong way when i went up on stage to get my fuckin' paper thing." he yaps,

"oh my god and they had to guide you in the right direction" i scoff back.

"stopp" chris groans, sitting up and pushing me over onto my side, "now speak"

"this is like- the wrong time but.." i start,

"i've never done like anythingg.." i say, dragging out 'anything'

chris goes silent,

"like you've never fucked-" he says, but i cut him off "yeah."

he nods understandably, "thats okay!" chris chirps. "are you planning to loose it or not?" chris asks

"well, i've always wanted to its just like i'm worried that i wont fully trust the person who i hook up, and it'll just be a desperation thing- i don't know though." i say, opening up to him

"yeah, that makes sense." chris nods.

"but i really want to, like its always on my mind" i groan, flopping my head back down onto the pillow.

"i mean we could fuck" chris says with a shrug, i laugh it off,

he's clearly joking...?

"no like honestly think about, i'm horny 24/7, your wanting to loose your virginity, and you trust me i think?" he continues rambling with a cheeky smile painted on his face.

chris says stuff, a lot of stuff, and i'd say 90% of it is unserious

"chris... stop fucking around this is a serious topic" i scoff.

"no, like actually- deadass." chris says, slightly more nervous than earlier.

i go silent, sitting up in bed and looking down at him "yeah?" i ask quietly, chris sits up aswell "i can't tell if you're being serious chris"

he grabs my jaw, "i'm serious.." chris leans closer to me, my heart thumps aggressively as i stare at the brunette's lips, which are practically begging to be kissed.

chris's hand falls slowly from my jaw to my hand, "like 100% serious right?" i ask again, my mind now not being able to comprehend that chris could be inside me in a matter of minute.

"100%." he says,

i rip my white tank top off from over my head, chris scrambles to remove his shirt, i pause for a second as chris's eyes lay over my exposed chest.

"chris- I don't know what i'm doing this is gonna be so embarrasing for me" i start, but chris interuppts me

"shh- sh." he shushes me, grabbing my hand again, "do you want me to talk you through it?"

i nod, playing with chris's long fingers as an anxiety reaction, "can you tell me with your words what you want please?"

with a wobbling breath i start, "please talk me through it, i- uh.. i need you? please."

chris nods, "oh shit wait,yeah- if you want i'll go get nick and matt out of the house, they won't think we're doing anything 'cause they know that i don't bring girls over to fuck,- and they wouldn't think we'd do shit together"

i shake my head 'yes' rapidly, "thank you."

chris stands up off the bed, throwing on his shirt and unlocking his door, he walks out of the door, closing it behind him as i lay back in his bed,

anxiety rushes through my veins, my bare back presses against the soft plush of his mattress that i have been so used to for so many years, where chris told me all about his first hookup at 16, now hes gonna be mine on this same bed.

i hear his distant chatter with matt, "hey we need some shit from target from tomorrow, take nick with ya hes probably interested in childrens toys" he says with a laugh before matt agrees,

chris walks back into the room a minute or two later, his cheeks instantly turning maroon again as he says me laying half naked on his bed, he takes a deep breath "matt and nick are going to target in a few, you okay?" chris asks, discarding his shirt to the side of the room again.

"yeah! i'm just nervous." i laugh slightly,

"about what?" he questions, flopping down on the bed next to me,

"i just feel like it's gonna hurt- or i mean.. i don't want this to change things between us, 'ya know?" i sigh.

i hear matts van pull out of the driveway, the small pebbles crunching under his tires.

"it won't hurt." chris says, his voice serious, yet reassuring.

chris sits up off the bed, he turns around to face me. i sit up aswell, i feel chris's large hands wrap around my waist, pulling me closer to him on the edge of the bed.

"i'm going to take these off, yeah?" chris says, his fingers lingering on the waistband of my shorts.

"yeah." i smile up at him, laying back on the bed. chris pulls my sweat shorts and panties down to my ankles in one yank, his eyes widening as i feel his gaze drawn between my thighs.

"so perfect," chris says, his voice raspy.

"okay- wait." he whispers, rubbing his eyes, "can I ask, when you say you've never done anything, what's the most you've done.. sexually" he almost cringes at his words.

"um.. probably just doing stuff with myself.?" i reply, chris nods "okay good."

"okay, just try not to be too loud, the neighbours are always in their backyard" chris laughs, hovering above me, his face directly ontop of me as i lay on the edge of the bed.

my eyes widen as i feel a veiny cold hand on the inside of my thigh, "you sure?" chris asks for the 80th time,

"chris i need you, yes- please."

i close my eyes, the brunette presses a finger against my hole "just gonna stretch ya out a little bit first hm?" he says from above me before pressing his long finger deep inside of me,

"fuck." i whisper under my breath, my back arching slightly off the bed.

he begins to curl that finger inside of me, adding another finger quickly

"look at me."

he says, i squint my eyes open, soft whimpers escaping my lips. i lock eyes with him as he continues to thrust his fingers in and out of me.

a desperate gasp escapes my mouth as i feel his mouth attatch to my clit, "oh my god- fuck oh my god." i repeat under my breath.

"gonna finish already for me?" chris says with a hint of a cocky tone in his tone.

i let out a loud whine which echoes through the room as i feel my orgasm rapidly approaching "you got it, im right here." chris says into my ear.

i instantly clench around his fingers, the knot in my stomach snapping with a moan of chris's name. "there she is, let me hear you."

i flop my arms above me on the matress as chris pulls his fingers out of me, he wipes them on my thigh before starting to yank down his sweatpants, leaving him in his boxers

“tell me when your ready okay?” chris says, sitting down on the bed next to me as i lay down,

“chris”

“yeah?” he replies

“thank you, you didn’t have to do this.” i say with a small smile, my cheeks still flushed.

“no honestly i’m more than happy to do this” chris laughs, earning a nudge from my elbow to his rib.

i sit up on the bed, giving chris a certain look. he nods, standing up off the bed and pulling down his boxers.

i stare very obviously at his length, my eyes fixed on the long vein which follows the whole left side of his cock.

“you okay?” chris laughs slightly, i look up at him “yeah, no- just nervous.”

chris grabs my hand “listen, i’m going to talk you through everything, it won’t hurt, i promise.”

“okay.” i reply, “what position do you want me in?” i ask slowly letting chris’s hand go.

“just lay down on your back, wanna see your face okay?” chris says with a smile.

i lay back down, my bare back hitting the soft plush of chris’s matress. chris takes my hand again, “squeeze my hand if you need a break” he whispers.

i breathe in heavily, then out as chris positions himself between my legs.

“can you spread a little more for me sweetheart?” he asks, the pet name making me clench around nothing.

i spread my legs further, chris admires me, the position i’m in right before his eyes.

“there we are.” he says under his breath,

“i’m just going to give you the tip, and if it’s uncomfortable tell me okay?” chris says, squeezing my hand lightly as he rests his tip against my core.

“please.” i breathe out, looking up at his addictive eyes.

chris slowly pushes inside of me, a burning sensation as i stretch around him. i let out a pathetic moan. he pauses,

“you took the tip, feeling okay?” chris asks, looking down at me, his brown hair flopping on his forehead as he leans down to hear my awnser.

“feels new.. but good.” i whisper, chris nods.

he nods before pushing further inside of me, i arch my back off the bed, strings of whimpers exiting my mouth, i squeeze chris’s hand hard, he instantly stops

“chris- how much more?” i ask, overwhelmed

“you took half, should we try the other half aswell?” chris asks in a serious tone.

after a few seconds i reply “yes.”

chris places a kiss onto my lips, i kiss him back.

my eyes widen, i guess it was a good distraction because i barely notice chris pushing deeper inside of me, i let out a pleasured moan “fuck- chris”

i feel him bottom out, he has small droplets of sweat sitting on his forehead, his pale cheeks are a deep red.

chris starts to speak after about half a minute of silence, accompanied by our shared heavy breaths. “can i move?” he says, “yeah.” i reply.

he slowly starts to thrust in, and out of me. almost pulling out, but then pushing back inside of me, his pink tip pressing against my cervix lightly.

“you’re doing so well, let me hear those pretty noises.” chris says, his voice low and croaky.

i fill the room with loud moans

“look at me, look at me.” chris says, grabbing my chin which is tilted upwards from throwing my head back. he tilts my head down, locking eyes with me.

“you feel so good around me mhm?” chris groans, my eyes squinted but still staring into his.

“i’m not gonna last long chris.” i whimper out, chris nods

“that’s perfect, i’ll tell you when to finish and you will” he replies, i nod frantically.

i feel my high coming, with every thrust i clench around chris.

“ready..” he says, almost whines,

“you okay?” i ask, my breathing intensifies

“just need to cum, real bad.” he replies, his voice strained.

and with that, i finish with a scream of his name.

chris instantly pulls out, painting my chest and stomach with white streaks. “fuck y/n, oh my god, fuck-.. fuck.” chris throws his head back, stroking his length a final few times.

he falls down on the bed beside me, propping himself up on his elbows.

after a handful of seconds he sits up, pulling me onto his lap. “you okay? you did so well, took me so well.”

“i’m okay.” i laugh into chris’s chest.

“let’s get you cleaned up.” chris says, tapping my hips then carrying me into the bathroom.

he places me down on the countertop before grabbing a damp cloth.

he pats my inner thigh with the cloth, he lets out a small laugh,

“yeah?” i question

“i never woulda thought you’d be screaming my name.” he says casually.

i scoff as chris leaves the bathroom, he comes back with the clothes i was wearing earlier he starts to redress me, his concentration at an all time high.

after chris had redressed he helps me off the counter, “cmon let’s go get something to drink.” chris says, grabbing my hand and leading me out of his bedroom.

i’m met with nick and matt, leaning on the kitchen counter. my heart stops, i thought chris got them out of the house?

chris instantly drops my hand “thought you guys were at target.” he says with a embarrassed laugh.

“we got 2 minutes down the road then decided to get it another day.” nick says, eyes fixed on chris’s.

“so are you two offical?” matt asks with a smile, chris’s head snaps round to look at him “what do you mean!” he says defensively

“trust me, we heard those fucking screams” nick laughs, slapping chris’s bicep.

“no guys, i can explain i swear.” chris starts, following nick and matt close behind, as they walk into the living room.

“it wasn’t what you think-“ chris rambles, i can hear the smile on his face.

i laugh to myself, shaking my head with a scoff.

————-

[lesbojournals]

Three's A Crowd (Stucky x Reader)

Nobody at the Avengers compound knew about you, Steve, and Bucky. In fact, not even Bucky and Steve knew you were seeing them both. To be fair, you started your…situationship with them both on the terms that it wasn’t just them you were seeing, and that you weren’t ready to commit to a relationship yet.

It’s just that neither of them knew who was the other you were referring to. Or so you thought.

The night started like any other, you were in your sweats and a tank (your usual pajamas) in the kitchen making a bowl of ice cream for yourself. You added some whipped cream to your dessert and nearly jumped out of your sweatpants when a pair of hands met you from behind.

“How’s it going babygirl?” Bucky teased you, taking your spoon and eating some of your ice cream.

You jokingly scoffed, taking the spoon back. “Get your own ice cream, Buck.”

“What’s this I hear about ice cream?” Someone called, and that’s when the smile on your face was wiped clean off.

Steve entered the room, joyfully at first, until he made sight of Bucky’s hands around your waist. His eyes turned dark and he looked at Bucky, who just smirked back.

“So…” He started. “This is who you’ve been seeing.”

You pulled yourself out of Bucky’s arms. “I can explain-”

“No need.” Bucky interrupted. “We’ll be in my room.”

And with that note Bucky walked away from you and towards Steve, giving him a painstakingly long kiss before dragging him off and away from the kitchen.

The whole event shocked you so much you didn’t even notice you’d been making an “o” face, AND had dropped your spoon on the floor.

Your mind was swimming with questions, and without even thinking about your ice cream you left it behind, practically running to Bucky’s room.

“What’s going on?” You demanded as you entered, walking in on Steve and Bucky in a beautifully posed make out session.

Bucky had a small smile and Steve smirked at you.

“What do you mean, beautiful?” Steve asked.

You stammered as you came up with what to say next, the “guns blazing” technique not working to the best of its abilities. “Did you both know this whole time? Were you playing some weird twisted game on me? Are you two dating? Literally Steve, tell me, what’s going on?”

“Well,” Bucky spoke first, sitting up. He caused the blanket to shift down, making you just now realize they were both shirtless. “We kinda figured it out ourselves from the beginning–you weren't being very slick. Thought confronting you about it should come organically.”

Steve added to his comments. “Plus, we'd always been seeing each other. Hard to believe you hadn't noticed.”

“We thought you were just teasing us–” Bucky continued. “...turns out you're just a little lacking in observation.”

It was like a quick montage of moments between both Steve and Bucky flashed before your eyes. The wistful glances, the long touches, the soft smiles.

“Oh.” You were shocked by your own obliviousness. Had it really been that obvious? “I…I uh…I'm sorry.”

“What're you apologizing for beautiful?” Steve cocked his head to the side, almost daring you to look at the hickeys Bucky had clearly left behind.

You looked down at the ground, blush rising to your ears. “I shouldn't have been messing with you guys if you're a couple. I should've realized sooner.”

“Don't be stupid.” Bucky quipped. “You think either of us would have gotten with you if we didn't want to?”

“I…I don't understand.”

Bucky rolled his eyes. “We want you to join us. Be with us. Romantically.”

Steve rushed to add more. “You don't have to say yes if you don't want to. Don't feel pressured. But just know that the option is out there.”

You took a deep breath. “Yea I…I think I'd like that.”

[lou-struck]

Figures in the Dark

Leviathan x reader

Flufftober Day 9: Figures in the Dark

W.C. 1.6k

~ you have no idea how Levi can sleep with all those figurines in his room. But you don't have the nerve to tell him that.

Normally, if you were to stay up late playing a horror game in the early hours of the morning, you would find yourself too anxious to sleep, but strangely, when you play in the cozy comfort of Levi's room, you find yourself growing drowsier by the minute. 

You yawn and lean against Levi's unbelievably comfortable shoulder for support. "Oh, are you getting tired, MC?" he asks, pausing midway through the game's intense chase scene like it's nothing.

"Just a bit," you yawn again, pulling your eyes from the bright screen. "I'm afraid I don't have your talent when it comes to staying up all night playing games."

"T-talent?" he stammers, turning fire engine red at the smallest bit of praise." Only you can find the beauty in a pitiful otaku like me MC, I don't even know how you come up with things like that."

His flustered rambling makes you chuckle as you use his shoulder for support and get to your feet. "I think you'll have to go on without me."

His fingers fidget, and you can tell he is conflicted. "Wait," he says suddenly, his body language resembling a kicked puppy, and you can tell he does not want to let you go so easily. "You wouldn't wanna sleep in here, would you?"

"Sure, I'd love to," you say sweetly, watching as the third-born's face lights up like he had just won the lottery. 

"Just give me a second," he says quickly, dashing across the room over to his bathtub bed, smoothes out the plush navy blue covers, and fluffs the many pillows. "There, I had to max out my bed's comfort stat so we can recover all of our HP."

With a giggle, you follow him across the room and flop onto the freshly prepped bed, "I see what you mean; it's very comfy." 

He tentatively sits on the edge of his bed and shyly fiddles with his hands. As if it's the first time you guys have ever had a sleepover." A-are you really okay with this? You don't just feel bad for me, do you?"

"Of course not," you say, reassuring the demon with a sweet kiss to his trembling lips, "you know how much I care about you, Levi."

"W-well, if you're sure, then that's good," he says with a relieved smile. He lays down next to you and claps his hands to turn off his limited edition Ruichan lamp. The room darkens save for the cold blue light illuminating Henry's bubbling fish tank. When you meet the demon's gaze, you see that his eyes are silently begging for your approval.

"Well, that was impressive," you say in a low whisper, meeting his amber gaze. 

"Would you maybe be okay if we were to cuddle a bit?" He asks shyly. "You know, like normies?"

illuminating from Henry's fish tank 

"I would love to," you say as the demon wraps his arms around your form, pulling you close. It doesn't take long for the soft sounds of his steady breathing to fill the room as your sleepy lids take in your surroundings. 

You never realized how many figures he has on display in his room. Sure, you know he loves to collect them, but it seems that everywhere you look, there is a different pair of plastic eyes fixated on you. 

You know they aren't real, but the stares are kinda creeping you out. Maybe it was the game, or maybe your time in the devildom ignoring other horrors is catching up to you, but you find it impossible to relax. 

You scoot closer to Levi's sleeping form, but it does little to ease your mind. Even when you flip around to hide your face in the demon's chest, you still feel the intensity of those inanimate stares on the back of your head. 

You sigh and cover your face with a pillow. 

It's going to be a long night.

~

"Wow, Mc, Hon., don't take this the wrong way, but are you feeling alright?" Asmodeus says, pulling you from your fuzzy daydreams. "You look a bit tired."

"Ugh, is it that obvious?" you ask, wiping your eyes. "I did not sleep well last night."

"So I take it your little sleepover with Levi didn't go well," the avatar of Lust winks. He may not be able to use his charm on you, but the demon's friendly nature has a way of coaxing little details from your lips.

"No, Levi wasn't the problem at all," you respond nervously, lowering your voice so no one can hear your conversation, "I just couldn't sleep in there last night. Not with all the eyes on us, watching us sleep."

"Ohhh, you mean the little figurines," Asmo says knowingly. "Yeah, I like attention as much as the next demon, but that can be a little much. I don't know how he does it."

"I don't either, and they are really not bad in the daytime," you say, thinking back to the shelves and shelves of limited edition merchandise that brings him joy in his room. You have no right to say anything to him; he doesn't tell you how to decorate your room. 

"And you know that if you say anything to him, it would just crush him," Asmo adds kindly. "We wouldn't want him to take it the wrong way."

Sometimes, you just have to deal with certain things, especially when love is on the table. You care about Levi far more than you care about his figurines. "I'll just deal with it." 

"That's all we can do, Hon," Asmo says, slinging an arm around your shoulders. "Now, let's go to a cafe and get you something to drink that will get you through the day."

"Good plan," you yawn, allowing him to whisk you away from the stone hallways of RAD, not noticing the purple head of hair disappearing behind a stone pillar.

~

One week later, you find yourself once again in Levi's in the wee hours of the morning. Having gotten lost in a game, you feel the telltale signs of fatigue encroaching on you, and you know that soon, you will have to call it quits. 

The eyes of the figurines are on you again, but they look far less intimidating in the light. You feel a yawn coming on, and you try to fight it. You once heard somewhere that staring directly at a bright light can help get rid of it. 

Or was it the other way around.

Well, based on the extremely loud yawn that slips past your lips, you guess it's the other one. 

"Are you tired again?" Levi asks hesitantly, already pausing the game. "I can walk you down to your room."

Your heart sinks, and you realize that he knows. Embarrassment and shame heats your cheeks, and you give him a soft smile. "Actually, I was wondering if I could stay in here tonight."

"Do you really want to?" 

You take his hand, "I do,"

"Even with all the figurines looking at you?" he gulps nervously and scans the room; for the first time in hundreds of years, he wishes he could make them disappear just for a moment. "I-it not like I was eavesdropping or anything like that; I just happened on you guys talking about it and~"

"I'm sorry," you say. "I should've told you earlier; I just didn't want to make you feel ashamed about being who you are because you are wonderful."

"I know why you didn't," he frowns, his eyes turning glassy with unfallen tears. "But do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do. So would it be okay if I stay with you tonight?" you ask softly, giving him a slight smile. "You know, cuddle like normies?"

He nods eagerly. "I didn't want to push you, but I did order something on Amazon in case you ever wanted to stay the night with a creepy shut-in like me.

"What did you do?" you ask surprisedly. 

Turning off his monitor, he boldly takes your hand and leads you proudly to his bed, where a black remote rests atop the blankets. Pressing the center button, a dark curtain descends from the ceiling and encircles the area around his bed. Completely obstructing the view of the figurine collection.

"Do you think that will work?" he asks shyly, admiring his handiwork.

"Levi, when did you do this," you ask, your heart feeling full at such a thoughtful gesture.

Last week." he admits, "I know I was jumping the gun, b-but I wanted you to know that I care about you, and I want you to be just as comfortable with me in my room as you are with Belpie and Asmodeus."

"This is amazing; thank you for going out of your way to do something like this for me."

"I would do anything for you MC, even if I'm not as bold as the others IRL," he says seriously. "Just name it, and I'll do it."

You laugh but know that he is deadly serious. 

Sometimes, you underestimate the power you have at your disposal.

"Well then, I guess I have one thing in mind?" you say, flopping down on the bed with a sigh. "Can we test it out tonight?"

He nods instantly and joins you on the bed. Needless to say, you slept like a baby all night long.

Tagging: @pixelcafe-network @ambiguouslady42

[noisyquokka]

By A Thread...

PAIRING - Chan x GN!Reader

SYNOPSIS - When life leaves you hanging off the end of your rope, fighting on your own is a struggle. You thank the universe for giving you that one person who can always make those struggles a little more bearable.

WORDCOUNT - 3.5k

WARNINGS - TRIGGER WARNING *** Talks/thoughts of suicide, description of panic attacks, anxiety, reader's mental health has tanked (Please don't read if you aren't comfortable with these)*** angst, comfort, emotional support, childhood friends || Please let me know if I missed anything!

A/N - I started this writing piece to help me get through a really tough mental health episode. While I didn't finish it during that time, something brought me back to it recently and it's a bittersweet feeling to have completed it. After thinking about things for a bit, I've decided that I'd post this for anyone else who may be going through those difficult thoughts, or who has in the past. Chan's Room has always been a safe space for me, and I know a lot of us resonate with that.

Knowing this is a heavy fic, I feel it appropriate to leave a link to suicide hotlines. This site has international hotlines for those of you outside of the U.S. as well as other useful info. I know this planet is a questionable place to be existing on at the moment, but the human experience isn't complete without some struggles. We can all get through it, whatever it is we're struggling with. I'm proud of you! 💛

You shut the door to the apartment, slugging your shoes off at the entrance. The stresses of the day weigh heavily on your shoulders, tense and aching as you trudge through the hallway toward your bedroom.

"You're home early." Chan's bubbly voice resonates through the apartment; a welcoming sound. If you would've acknowledged it, that is. Brown eyes shift from the blue-light of the laptop at the lack of a response, catching the ghost of your body whiz through the kitchen from his spot on the sofa. Your footfalls reverberate against the floorboards. It was the door slamming shut, rattling the walls, the electrifying static that had purged into the space. That's when Chan knew that something wasn't right.

You sag against the woodgrain of the door, wrapping your arms around yourself in an attempt of self-consoling as you slowly slide floorward on shaky legs. Breaths come in shallow puffs of air, your lungs constricting like a mouse in the death grip of a python. Everything that had happened today had finally tripped the tidal wave of negative thoughts you had been pushing down for... God knows how long now. You can't remember. All you know is you want it to end before these thoughts drag you too deep into the rabbit hole to where you can't crawl back out on your own.

Trembling fingers wipe the tears from your cheeks, although it seems futile when fresh ones retrace their tracks down your skin. You focus in on your breathing with a shaky breath and furrowed brows. A deep breath in. Hold.

5...4...3...2...1...

A deep breath out.

A soft rapping on the door startles you, shoulders jerking violently. You know who it is before he even speaks your name, voice muffled beyond the barrier of the door, soft and laced with concern.

"Hey, you alright?"

The crease between your brows deepen as your ears pop, drums a void of rumbles and vibrations as if someone stuffed them full of cotton. Teary, bloodshot eyes tilt toward the ceiling.

"Yeah," You wince at the warble in your voice, clearing your throat before trying again. "Yeah! I'm fine, Chan." When no response comes from beyond the door, you know. You know that he knows you are far from fine.

Chan's shadow crawls up the hallway of the shared apartment as he shoulders his weight against the doorframe to your room. He could count the amount of times you two have found yourselves in this very predicament on his fingers three times over. Most nights he'd ask if he could come in and you would both talk about what was bothering you.

Tonight wasn't most nights, though.

Chan shifts himself so his back is against the doorframe, sliding down the woodgrain until he's settled on the wood floor, legs crossed beneath him. He bites the flesh of his cheek at the sound of your sniffles, his heart aching in his chest.

"You wanna talk?" He asks, and you feel your composure cracking at his tone. So courteous and careful, like always. You nod your head, tongue darting out to lick chapped lips and salty tears.

"Sure."

"Alright, let's see..." Chan trails off, taking a deep breath as he racks his brain for a topic. Something to take your mind off your troubles. His lips twitch into a ghost of a smile as he turns his head toward the door. "What's your favourite flower?"

"What?" You scoff, wiping the tears from your cheeks. He begins to repeat himself, and you cut him off.

"You already know the answer to that, Chan."

"Sunflowers." He says, resting an elbow against one knee. "We were what... nine and twelve when you became obsessed with them because Ms. Keller had planted some in her yard down the street." 

Chan's smiling. You can hear it in his voice. 

"When your dad bought some sunflower seeds from the store, you stole some from the bag and I helped you dig a hole in the backyard so you could plant them. You watered them for months until the weather got too cold. They never grew because they were roasted sunflower seeds." He's rattling on as if he's experiencing the memory all over again behind those brown eyes of his.

Your laugh is broken and groggy - a candle's light in the dark, casting away shadows that had built up in the corners of the apartment - but it's the reason that Chan's heart skips when it flows beneath the door.

"Oh my god, I forgot about that," You reply, sniffling behind long sleeves. "I thought if my parents found out we planted them that they'd be mad."

The image of you and Chan sneaking around the yard in search of a shovel and a watering can is a core memory, the spring sunshine kissing your skin. The smell of freshly turned dirt and a handful of salty sunflower seeds is as vivid in your mind as the man beyond the door.

"But the next spring, Ms. Keller came over and helped us plant some sunflowers in your yard because your dad seen us trying to plant his roasted seeds in the far corner of the garden."

You chuckle as Chan recalls the memory, eyes downcast to the floor. Everything was so carefree and enjoyable as a kid, and now it feels like work to find just a fraction of enjoyment in your life. Too much anxiety over whether or not you're on the right path, nevermind worrying that you're going about living life the wrong way. As if there's some manual to go by. Your chest tightens and you hold your breath, wet lashes fluttering.

Everything is quiet for a moment, save for the wall clock ticking softly.

"I understand why you always loved them." Chan says, and for a moment it sounds like words he didn't mean to verbalize. You know him better than that. "They're so vibrant and full of life - just like you."

You swallow down the ball of nerves, but that does nothing to quell your active tear ducts. Chan tilts his head toward the door at the sounds of your untamed whimpers, brows furrowing.

"Can I come in?" His voice is sheer lace, delicate as he reaches out to you. And you are well beyond your breaking point, rubbing at your wet, matted lashes. He listens carefully for the sounds of shuffling beyond the door, or even your verbal consent.

The lock on the door lets off a subtle click as you wrap shaky fingers around the knob and twist. He's off the floor before you can swing the door open, meeting your gaze with ember eyes that shine like the hearth of a home.

There you are.

The one constant in Chan's life since the first grade. You, standing in front of him in your crumbling state, trying desperately to hold yourself together like a tattered flag in a storm; a whole piece of fabric battered and torn by gale force winds, frayed edges violently tearing away until single threads are all that's left.

And there he is. Your life raft saving you from drowning in the choppy waters of your mind. Chan stands with open arms, awaiting the inevitable weight of your head against his chest. Your skeleton rattles against wound muscle and vermilion-coated veins when you take a step forward. As the weight of your world comes crashing down upon his shoulder, he holds you with the utmost care, strong arms encircling you as if afraid that you would break under the pressure. The warmth of his body only eggs on the tears, breaking your composure further as you collapse into him. Sobs wrack your body, muffled in his shoulder. Shaky fingers grasp for something to hold onto.

"It's alright," Chan murmurs, digging his nose into your scalp. You feel him press kisses into your scalp, breathing you in as your tears seep into the fabric of his shirt. Fingers splay against your back, soothing shapes and gentle motions running the expanse of your spine, rocking the two of you back and forth. His warmth cradles you, soothes your pain. You never feel shame in these arms. Only the strongest, surest form of love and support that you could ever find in someone. Chan's heart drums against his chest. "You can let it out, it's just me."

You don't know what Gods had decided that you were worthy of such a soul, but right now the only way you think you can thank them is through your violent sobs. Grief and gratitude blend together. You needed this comfort desperately, and it shows in your inconsolable tears. In how quiet you are, unable to verbalize much of your inner monologue when it's thrashing around the confines of your psyche like a hurricane. If a Category five was the worst, you were sitting at a nonexistent Category seven. Chan's words echo in your mind.

"They're so vibrant and full of life - just like you."

There's no point in trying to compose yourself. The floodgates have opened. You feel yourself overheating and yet you crave the comfort that Chan is offering, whispering words of encouragement as you press your face into his shoulder. Soothing each scar that litters the muscle in your chest that beats like hummingbird wings.

"Am I a bad person for wanting to die?"

Your brain is so overwhelmed that your mouth opens without a second thought. You hope your words fall on deaf ears, what with how most of them were interrupted by broken hiccups and a pounding head. But when Chan's body goes rigid under your touch, you know he's heard you. His grip tightens, your name whispered against your hair as his voice catches in his throat. If he felt something was off when you walked in the door earlier, it was painfully obvious now. You were lost. Utterly lost and alone, sending out an S.O.S in the labyrinth of your miserable mind. He's talked you down from the brink of destruction many times through the years. To say he was heaven-sent would be a severe understatement. But this was different to the others. Hearing those words come from anyone was enough to bowl him over. Hearing them come from your mouth, though? He's never heard you speak this way in all his years of knowing you. He wanted to know what had been the origin of your tears, but this was not where he expected the conversation to go.

Your breath catches as you sense how much your words affected him. Chan's silence weighed heavily in the air, your words sinking into the hard wood floors until they were weighted with lead. You pull away from him, gaze downcast as you wipe away the tears on your face. A flood of guilt crashes over you, throat constricting like a zip tie closing around your esophagus.

Put the mask back on. Rebuild your walls. You've fucked up now.

"I-I'm fine. I didn't mean to- I'm sorry." You turn your head, unable to bring yourself to look at your best friend since childhood as more tears fall from doused lashes. Your chest tremors for putting that burden on him, something you hadn't meant to say in the first place. You've never said those words out loud before. You never wanted people to worry. Never wanted to be a problem for them. But here you stand, bearing intrusive thoughts to your best friend. It was like throwing a pile of bricks at him and expecting him to bear all that weight with no trouble.

"You're not. Look at me, listen to me." He says, taking your shaking shoulders with a gentle yet firm grip to turn you towards him again. Calloused fingers brush against your jaw, tipping your chin up to meet your glassy eyes. Brown optics flicker across your face, moving from feature to feature with the deepest concern. There's an emptiness in your eyes that twists Chan's heart, the ache so miserable that tearing the muscle from behind the wall of marrow would be more bearable than leaving it be. Chan's tone is adamant, steady despite the weight of the words you've just entrusted to him. "No, you're not."

New tears retrace the old tracks down exhausted epidermis, eyebrows sliding in as you feel Chan press another kiss to your scalp, lingering a moment longer than before. Chan's response only causes you more anxiety, unsure what exactly he's referring to. Not fine or not a bad person for having such heavy thoughts? He must pick up on it, quick to speak up again.

"You're not a bad person at all, and I think you know that. You're just struggling right now, and that's okay."

You sniffle and shake your head, fighting against a tidal wave of hysterics.

"But, what if I..." You swallow, your mind so jumbled you're unable to spit out the words in their original form. "What if I can't get through this?"

"Oh, love..." Chan murmurs, his voice tremulous. It takes everything in him to reign in his own tears. The very thought of you giving in to those intrusive thoughts is like driving a dagger through his heart. His hands leave your face and wrap around you again, his strong hold tightening until you're lifted off the ground, cradled in his arms as he walks toward your bed. You are so tired, physically and mentally overwhelmed by his compassion and the gentle way in which he carries you. You fold into him like a tired newborn. Being tucked into secure arms as he lays you in bed feels like something more intimate than anything you've ever known. Chan is quick and careful when he settles in beside you.

"You don't need to say a word," He whispers, brushing stray hairs from your face and wiping your tears. "just listen to me."

You nod, a broken whimper escaping your throat as he pulls you into his arms. Chan rubs your back soothingly, letting you cry like a child, and he holds you like letting you go would be a criminal offense.

"You don't have to tell me what brought you to this point, I don't need to know if you don't want me to." He starts, his voice rumbling through his chest as he speaks. It offers you some modicum of comfort as you rest one of your arms over his torso. He lets out a heavy breath, eyes cast to the ceiling. "You aren't a bad person for having those thoughts. They don't define who you are, or where you're going. The fact that you're telling me this says a lot, that you've been holding this in for God knows how long."

"I'm just- it's so exhausting to keep living." You mumble, wiping at your runny nose. You press yourself further into Chan's side, feeling his arms tighten around you with every shift you make. His gaze falls to you when you speak, taking in every word with sharp ears. "I've had those thoughts, myself, y'know." His voice is thick with unspoken secrets, a heavy breath hitting the crown of your head - shallow and sharp. You lay with your head against his chest, silent as he confesses to his own feelings of hopelessness.

You've never seen Chan lose the façade of the stable best friend. Even through the stresses of high school, he was the rock, a bastion of strength and resilience. But Chan knows. He knows what those thoughts are like, the struggle of falling asleep while trying to fend off cackling demons from the foot of the bed. The pain of trying so hard to fit the mold that society has crafted, that every single individual is expected to fit to a T.

Perhaps that's why he knows how to soothe you, how to take care of you and hold back his own tears. Even if he doesn't know how frayed and weathered your thread on this life is.

"I never told you about them. Never told anyone, really. I put all my feelings into songwriting, even if I never released half of them." Chan's body relaxes beneath you as the weight of his secrets leaves him. A half-hearted sigh. A lazy hand traces the curve of your back in a calming gesture, the rhythm of his fingers almost hypnotizing.

"You always believed in my impossible dreams... encouraged me to pursue them like it was your calling in life. You made me happy through all of my downfalls." You pick your head up at his words, resting your chin against his breast. Two pairs of eyes lock on one another. There's a ghost of a smile quirking Chan's lips after a moment, brown eyes glowing like the embers of a fire.

"You're one of the good ones." He pauses, bringing a hand up to swipe at the stray hairs in your face, running his fingers through the locks like he always does. "You're so much that this world doesn't deserve, but everything that is needed. Just like those sunflowers that summer. Little seeds that were waiting for their chance to shine, and you lit them up like little beacons of hope."

Even though fresh tears are streaming down your face, Chan beams at the soft laugh that you release. It's genuine this time, unbroken and featherlight. Childlike. These tears aren't ones of hopelessness and sleepless nights, but of gratitude and love for the person embracing you. The way Chan speaks to you, the way he's willing to offer up his strength and his heart without expecting anything of you in return is exactly what you need. In a world filled with harsh realities and high expectations and constant beat downs, he is the personification of empathy. His voice calms your anxious mind, even if his words don't completely wipe out the heavy storm. He tames it, eases the hurricane force winds and manifests a steady rain that could lull you to sleep.

"I'm not going to let you drown, alright. I know things seem rough right now, but you've accomplished so much and you're gonna do so much more." Chan's eyes burn into yours, unwavering in his conviction. You feel the pad of his thumb against your cheek as he wipes more tears away, the heat and passion in his expression shifting to tenderness as he speaks. "As long as I'm here, you'll never be alone in this."

His words are the affirmations you've told yourself for months, fighting your negative thoughts with positivity that only worked for so long. But the words held an air of certainty coming from Chan. There's value in them. It's the first time in a long time that hearing someone - even yourself - telling you that it's going to be okay brings you some semblance of peace, of safety. Knowing that things can get better given a little time. Sunflowers only bloom after some tender loving care; you learned that back when you were kids. 

God damn, were you determined back then...

Every fiber of Chan's body exudes safety as he run his hands through your hair, your tears faltering with every delicate touch as you shed the weight of inner phantoms that you've repressed for forever. Your eyes close at the gesture, feeling his heartbeat thunder beneath your palm.

"You take care of me, I take care of you. Like it's always been."

You pick up on the strain in his tone, eyes wide when you open them again. Tears threaten to spill over Chan's lower lashes, unable to hold back those emotions any longer. Your fingers are still trembling lightly when you reach up and wipe them away, mirroring the actions he's been calming you with all night. You feel the arm around your torso squeeze you once, almost a silent thank you for that comfort, even in the state you're currently in.

"You ok?" He asks.

"Not quite," You mutter, sniffling as you keep your eyes on him. "but I'm better than I was an hour ago. All thanks to you."

Chan smiles; one of those smiles that isn't much, but somehow it still reaches his eyes.

"Good, that's good." He pulls you further up, pressing his fingers into your spine. "Now how about I order us some take out and you and I sit and watch a movie? Maybe that new one that you said looks laughably terrible? Or a comfort movie? Your choice."

"Can we lay here for ten more minutes?" You ask. You've already dropped your head against his chest, eyes closed as you listen to his heart thump against sturdy muscle.

"Ten more minutes. Twenty, if you need. I'm not going anywhere." Chan's reply is soft and slow as he continues to hold you close, your tears drying as seconds turn to minutes. You melt into his warmth, pressing further against his neck. Chan mirrors you, a silent reassurance that he's here; now and always.

In Chan's arms you're both so small, so powerless as you confront the demons that have long haunted you. There's no rushing here. Healing isn't a process that can be rushed. He doesn't need you to say a word or do anything. There's nothing more to say, no. He'll just hold you with everything he has. You relax against him, breaths evening out as you feel exhaustion take over.

As your eyes close, you feel the past few months recede.

The future seems less daunting. Just as the pieces shatter, you are finally ready to begin picking them up and piece them back together. It'll get ugly; viscous and foreboding. But Chan is willing to help you with such a demanding process.

That's everything that keeps you going.

It's what keeps you alive.

If you made it this far, thank you for taking the time to read my work 💕 I appreciate you!

[spencers-abit-weebish]

Teasing

XxX

Warning(s): 141 Being unintentional bullies, Mention of burn scars from fire fighting, slight age gap

The One Where:

Pairing: Price x Fem!Reader

A/n: Reader is described as being small both in height and stature but has a past as a firefighter so they're super buff but its hidden under baggy clothes

W/c:

xXx

You grunt as you set your fellow solider down on the ground against the tire of the Humvee. You quickly take a small oxygen tank out of your bag attaching it to his face before grabbing a towel and your canteen of water wiping the ash and cynder off his face. You look back at the burning building you just pulled him out off.

"C'mon, lets get back to the safehouse" Blaze says helping you pick up the new team member and help him into the vehicle.

"Price, are you good to drive?" You ask. You look back seeing the Captain with a half assed bandage around his hand helping his own teammate stand up.

"Sparky help them I'll drive" Blaze says. You nod helping your teammate into the Humvee first before helping Ozone in.

"Get in" You told Price who nods as you climb into the Humvee after Ozone. You glance back at the burning building seeing whatever Shadows were still alive trying to get out as Blaze starts to drive off.

xxx

"You did good out there Sparky" Price says patting your back.

"I'm only as good as my mentor" You told him as you tended to the slice he had on his hand.

"I can't take all the credit, Blaze's known you longer" He said gesturing to your commander who was patching up one of your comrades. You smile shrugging as you caught Blaze's attention.

"Blaze, celebratory drinks after this right?" You asked.

"Of course, that's a stupid question" Blaze chuckles. You smile rolling your eyes as you finish bandaging up Price's hand.

"You're coming with us, no questions asked" You told him.

"Oh I shouldn't, I have my own task force I should get back to" Price said gesturing to the few Bravo Team members he has brought with him for this mission.

"Please, we never get to see eachother John, I'd really like to be able to hangout with you" You begged. John chuckles as he tries to ignore your puppy dog eyes.

"I guess I can go back tomorrow" He said making you cheer. "Ozone, Druid, Scarecrow, you guys can go ahead and head back to the command base, I'll be there tomorrow" Price said.

"You sure Cap?" Ozone asked.

"Yeah, let Ghost know he's in charge of Soap and Gaz though, I don't want 2 am calls of those two getting into petty fights in the commons" Price said making the three other soldiers chuckle as they grab their bags and left. Price smiles softly as he watches you start to take off your tactical gear. "You got out of there without a scratch" He notes.

"I was a fire fighter Price, I know how to dress for occasion and avoid injury, and we both know I'm good at my job" You smile taking your layers of masks and goggles off. When you roll up your sleeves though Price’s eyes move to the notable burn scar on your inner forearm, right over top where you used to have a tattoo. “Okay this was a rookie mistake and not my fault because the uniform Blaze gave me was too big and in the way” You say.

“Oh I believe you” Price chuckles.

“It was one time give me a break, we have the same scar anyways kid” Blaze says his sleeves already rolled up as he patched up his solider.

"I could use someone like you on my team, you know” Price says flexing his hand that you had just bandaged.

"Thanks John, that means a lot to me" You told him as you grabbed a wet wipe wiping your face from its greasepaint and cinder

"I'm serious darling, you know I only want the best of the best" He says.

"You are my best Y/n" Blaze comes up from behind you tossing an arm over your shoulder.

Blaze used to be your captain back when you were both firefighters, if anything he was the one that convinced you to join him in the military, becoming part of the SAS. From there during basic training he had introduced you to Price where you had immediately become attached to the older man.

"What are you trying to get at here?" You smiled looking up at the two older men.

"I'm asking you to join my task force Y/n" John chuckles.

"I'm giving him my blessing" Blaze adds.

"i- are you sure?" You ask taking a seat next to John.

"Sparks, you're my best soldier, and Price only wants the best of the best. As not only your commander, but you're friend, I really think you should do this" Blaze says arms crossed over his chest soft smile on his face.

"I would really mean alot to me if you joined us, be my second lieutenant" Price nudges you softly.

"Let me think about it John, and I'll get back to you," You smile softly resting your head on his shoulder.

xxx

"You better treat them right Price, because I will hunt you down if I need to" Blaze said.

"I know sir"

"Sparky, don't forget you always have a home here, and don't hesitate to let me know if the 141 is giving you a hard time because i will go up there and start handing out cans of ass-whooping" He says making you laugh. Blaze picks you up as he hugs you.

"Price, friendly reminder that I'm ranked higher than you and will kill you and your men if I need to, take care of my kid" Blaze threatens John one more time making you laugh.

"I'm just transferring team Blaze it's not like I'm getting married" You laugh teasingly shoving him away from you.

"Not yet my little Spark" Blaze says patting your head as if you're a child.

"Bye Blaze,” You say loudly at him grabbing John’s arm and dragging him away with your things. “Lets go before he embaresses me anymore" You whisper quietly to Price as you both head to his car. He laughs his hand on your lower back guiding you to his vehicle.

It took you one week to agree to join Price's team, it took less than 24 hours for the transfer to be complete due to Blaze having done all the paperwork for you ahead of time. Price took it upon himself to drive to you to pick you up and take you to the 141 command base. It was only a few hours distance but it still meant alot to you that he went through that effort.

Price set your bags in the back before opening the passenger door for you. He helps you climb into the truck before closing the door.

The ride was filled with mostly small talk, catching up on the few months the two of you had missed apart.

“What do you bring with you that you have so many bags?” Price asked glancing at the backseat.

“I live in the barracks John, I don’t have my own place” You reminded him.

“Still, I thought you were going to go out and look for a place last year?” He said.

“I thought about it but I spend so much time working it’s pretty much pointless, and you know my mother and sisters all pretty much disowned me when I decided to go into ‘a man’s career’ so there’s no point in finding a place close to home since there’s no one to go home to and I pretty much work 365 days a year” You said.

“Well that would explain how you managed to climb the ranks so fast Sparks, I’m proud of you, but I will say when I tell you to take a leave you’re taking it, I don’t care where you go but I want you to take a vacation” He orders making you laugh.

“I’ll only go if you do, seems fair” You tease making him chuckle. You head your arm rested on the center console and smile when John sets his arm next to yours, his pinky linked with yours making you smile down at them before looking out the window.

When the two of you arrived to the 141 Command Base there were a few soldiers outside waiting for Price. Your hand went to the handle to get out of the car until John stops you.

“Don’t you dare open that bloody door” Price scoffs at you making you laugh as you let go of the door handle. You smile as he gets out running around the front opening the door for you helping you out. The truck was fairly high off the ground and your civilian boots didn’t give you the height that your tactical boots did. You watched as the three soldiers that were waiting for Price were whispering to each-other as John helped grab your bags out of the back.

“Y/n these are a few of my men, Sergeants Kyle Garrick and John MacTavish better known as Gaz and Soap, and that is Lieutenant Ghost you’ll meet the rest of the team tomorrow morning along with some privates we’re training” John introduced.

“It’s great to meet you all I’m Lieutenant Y/n L/n but you can call me Sparky” You smiled kindly waving at the group of men who stared at you in shock. Before anyone could say anything Price had dragged you off to show you your room in the barracks.

“Oh they’re definitely shagging” Soap said.

“They have to be, I’ve never seen Price act like that towards anyone, not even his wife when they were still together” Gaz said before the two of them looked over at Ghost.

“I’m not agreeing with you,” Ghost says before he starts to walk off. “But I’m not disagreeing”

xxx

“Stop” You squeak as John laughs holding up a picture out of your reach. The picture was of your college graduation just a few years prior when you had gotten your PhD. John, Blaze, and a few of your friends had attended the ceremony but the picture that you chose to keep framed was of you standing standing with Price his arm around your waist while Blaze stood behind you both like a proud father.

While Blaze and Price weren’t far off in age with each-other Blaze was the protective older brother you always wanted. Price on the other hand, he made you happy.

“I’m just teasing Sparks here” Price chuckles handing you the picture, you flush as you set it down on your desk before taking out another picture setting it on your nightstand. John took a glance and the first picture was of your fire unit back home. He chuckles softly opening your bag of clothes putting them on hangers.

“You really love your teams don’t you?” He asked seeing you also had a picture of your former task force.

“Of course I do, I mean, back with the fire guys, Cap was the best father figure I ever had, and Blaze is like my older brother, they were my first family" You explained. John smiles softly to himself before closing your closet door and shoving the duffle bag under the bed with the rest.

"Well I hope you see the 141 as a family" John says as he sits down at your desk while you sat on the bed falling back.

"This bed is really comfy" You chuckle.

"I'm glad, now get some rest Sparks, I'll meet you down at the field in the morning" John patted your knee his hand lingering for a moment before he go up and left.

xxx

0500 sharp you were out of bed lacing up your boots and grabbing your PT jacket. You made it out to the field no later that 0510 waiting for the soldiers to all get there. You had gotten them all some protein bars and waters just incase along with Tylenol since Price had mentioned that they had recently come back from a mission a few days before you had gotten there and some of the soldiers were still sore.

“There she is, how’d you sleep Sparks” John asked walking up to you a few of his soldiers trailing behind him. You reached an arm up to him since you had been stretching on the ground. John pulled you up tossing an arm around your shoulders.

“Hey, I slept great my room here is so much better than the one I had back at my old base” You said.

“Probably because Price spent a week making changes to it” Gaz quietly whispered to Soap who nodded.

“So Sparky tell us about yourself, why that call sign?” Soap asked.

“I used to be a firefighter” You explained.

“Aren’t you too small to be a firefighter?” Soap teased. You inhaled sharply at the comment but decided to ignore it.

“Hey are those firefighter competitions real?” Gaz asked.

“Yeah, not every district participates on them though, but my Captain was very, exentric so in our case we never missed one” You explained causing both boys to share looks before they started laughing.

“Here’s the rest of the team Sparks” John changed the topic of conversation as he introduced you to the others.

Meeting the team wasn’t as exciting as you thought it would be. First of all, you were the only girl on the 141. Second of all, ontop of being the only girl, not everyone was open to obeying your orders, not when they had big bad Ghost to listen to. Third of all, the teasing, and it wasn’t as much teasing as it was back handed compliments and passive aggressive statements.

As the months passed with you being part of the team you thought things would progress, but it seemed as John was the only person on the team that respected you. But even he was blind to the way everyone treated you.

“You’re not as dumb as you look” Ghost says after you had offered an alternative plan to get out of the building unrecognized by the enemy soldiers.

“I like how you don’t care what people think of you, that’s a nice trait to have” Gaz says after you explained why you had met up with them at the bar looking the way you did.

“I never would’ve pegged you for for a fire fighter even less baseball team in High-school. My guess would’ve been choir or band kid, and I don’t maybe a teacher” Soap said still in disbelief that you used to be a firefighter and part of your high schools baseball team.

Ozone, Druid, and Scarecrow were really the only ones that treated you with the slightest bit of respect only because they worked with you on the field before and have followed your orders. But even they could be a bit insufferable at times.

“What’s going on between you and the Captain, are you two shagging?” Druid asked as he sat with you in the mess hall. You rolled your eyes getting up tossing your meal and heading to John’s office.

“Ya’know I think the only reason Sparky’s even with us is cause she’s sleeping with the Captain” Ozone told Scarecrow.

“You think? I mean she is pretty bad ass” Scarecrow said.

“Yeah but just look at how Cap treats her, he treats her so much more differently than the rest of us” Ozone said.

The straw that broke the camels back was on a mission. A bad one at that.

“Shit! Duck for cover!” John said grabbing you by your vest and pulling you towards him. Everyone nearby ducked as the building exploded and collapsed.

“Are you okay?” You asked him.

“Yeah you?” He asked. You nodded your head as you kept moving.

“We need to rendezvous John I don’t like it here” You told him.

“I know, but we need to catch him Sparks” John said. You nodded your head as you shot down a few soldiers that rounded the corner.

“Price we got a problem, bad one” Soap could be heard over the comms.

“What is it?” Price asked making you stop.

“We have our target, and by we I mean Gaz. He’s trapped inside the burning building with him” Soap says causing you and John to look at the building that was on fire and on the verge of collapsing.

“Sparks” John says. You sigh heavily dropping your head.

“Toad, Archer I’m gonna make a run for it, cover me” You ordered hearing both men reply with ��Yes ma’am’

“With all due respect Sparky I don’t think you’re gonna be able to get them” Soap starts coughing clearly indicating he’s probably in the mess trying to help.

“I’ve got the target but I can’t find Gaz” Ghost says coughing over the comms.

“Both of you get out of there now, that’s an order” You tell over the comms.

“C’mon Sparks, can’t be too *cough* bad, we’ve done worse things before” Soap chuckles.

“God damnit Soap I’m your fucking Lieutenant so you follow my god damn orders, I want you out of there now, the same goes for Ghost” You yell. You stop in your tracks as you see a portion of the building start to collapse.

“Sparks we-”

“That’s an order Soap” Price cut him off.

Once you made it you spring into action. You take off your backpack grabbing your ropes attaching them to your waist, clipping your axe to your thigh. You take out a few oxygen tanks setting them up before placing your gas mask over your face and going in.

Soap is the first person you find since he was on his way out.

“Go, there’s an oxygen tank waiting for you outside” You told him. He nods as he makes his way out finding Price outside with Druid. Price immediately slaps the mask over his face turning on the tank.

“Ghost! Gaz!” You call out.

“Over ‘ere” Ghost coughs. He has the target who’s already passed out. You climb over some fallen beams getting to him.

“Can you walk?” You asked.

“Yeah” he says. You grab the target with ease tossing him over your shoulder. You grab the Axe breaking the beam you had jumped over after making sure it couldn’t cause anymore damage and help Ghost out of the building.

You set the target down on the ground grabbing an oxygen tank putting it over his face. Soap takes off his mask handing it to Ghost who slightly lifts his balaclava so he can breath.

“I found our target at the bottom of some broken stairs” Ghost says. You nod your head.

“I’m going back in” You said going into your backpack pulling out a fire hydrant.

“You go in missions with all this in your bag all the time?” Soap asked.

“I was a fire fighter for 8 years, I’ll be damned if I’m not prepared for something like this” you said.

“Y/n!” John calls out before you run back into the burning building.

“Yeah?”

“Please be safe” He begs. You simply nod your head running inside calling out for Gaz. After sweeping the downstairs you see a flight of stairs that have toppled over. You climb up the stairs using the rope for support making your way to the second floor.

“Gaz!” You yell finding him by the window passed out. You kneel at his side taking off your gas mask slipping it on over his face. Your break the window looking out. “I have him, I’m sending him down” You said causing the rest of the 141 to nod, the ones that hadn’t made it to the rendezvous point had met up there after reassuring they they had taken down the rest of the enemy soldiers.

“Sparky?” Gaz said as he slowly regained consciousness.

“I got you big guy” You said lifting him up as if he weighs nothing. You helped him out of the broken window and slowly lowered him to the ground. Right as you were about to untie the rope from yourself to go ahead and jump out since the height wasn’t that far, the floor below you breaks.

“Y/n!” You hear John scream. You scream as below you is a fire just inches away from you. You cough as you pull yourself upright looking at where th floor was once above you.

“I’m alright!” You yell out as you cough again. Looking around you you start to climb the rope. You find your axe and fire hydrant not too far away from the edge of the hole.

“Keep the rope attached to Gaz, it’s the only thing keeping her out of the fire” Price orders. They all nod as they start attending to Gaz.

“Captain, we have a problem” Soap says taking the gas mask off of Gaz, it was the same one you were wearing. He slips the oxygen mask over the soldiers face.

“That’s not our only issue” Ghost says looking up at the window we’re the glass shards still attached to the frame we’re cutting into the rope due to your movements on the other side.

“Y/n get out of there!” Price yells into the burning building. When you didn’t respond he starts to worry. “Bloody hell, give me that” Price says taking the gas mask from Soap. He goes into your backpack in hopes of finding something to help him save you but grunts when he comes up empty. Price throws all common sense out the window as he runs into the burning building.

“Sparks!” He yells. He hisses when he gets too close to a fire his arm getting slightly burned.

“John” You croak back. He looks over and last the burning flames seeing you hanging between the first and second floor, holding onto the rope and what’s left of the second floor for dear life.

“I got you Sparks don’t worry” John says as he starts making his way towards the stairs.

“No it’s too dangerous, get out” You shout back as your lungs start to fill up with smoke.

“I’m not leaving you here Sparks” John shouts back as he jumps over the hole on the stairs his foot briefly getting stuck after creating another hole. He quickly scrambled up the stairs as they collapsed behind him. Without thinking he runs over to you stopping when you shoo him away.

“The floor’s becoming fragile get out of here before we’re both stuck” You cough.

“Y/n your rope is about to snap and that floor is about as stable as Ghost’s mental health, I’m not leaving you here” Price says. He looks around the room before finding some books. “I’m going to try to hit the fire hydrant towards you, think you can grab it?” He asked. You nod your head adjusting your grip before reaching forward for the hydrant. Price slides the first book across the floor, missing the hydrant but hitting the axe. You watch as it misses you but falls into the fire below.

“Damnit John that was my good axe” You complain.

“Sorry darling, it was in the way” John says before sliding the second book. John almost cries when he hits the fire hydrant but instead of going towards you it falls to its side and starts to roll off the edge of the flooring. “Y/n!” he yells when you let go of the floor reaching for the hydrant. Your body drops causing the force of your weight to snap the rope. John runs to where you were holding onto the broken wall for support as he looks into the hole on the floor. You’re on the ground spraying the fire around you and yourself in the process due to your clothing starting to burn. John sighs in relief as he slowly jumps down the hole to the first floor.

“Are you okay?” He asked taking off the gas mask putting it on your face.

“Yeah” You say slowly getting up. You check yourself seeing that while you had a few burns in your clothes you were fine. You and John walk out of the building seeing the target was now awake along with Gaz.

“Let’s get going” Price says as you start to pack up your bag with the exception of the two oxygen tanks.

“You won’t leave” The target mumbles.

“I just saved your ass so shut the fuck up” You growl at him.

Before anything else could be said, you felt a jabbing pain right on your lower back. Making you double over in pain. Gaz and Soap both copy your movements as they both get shot as well.

“Sparks” John as he pulled you off the the side the rest of the task force doing the same.

“I got it, I got it” You said pulling out two hand guns and your goggles. The team watches as you step out from the hiding spot and start to shoot, you earn yourself another bullet which causes John to cringe as he grabs his rifle. He stands behind you taking out the last couple of guys.

You sigh heavily leaning back on him his arm going around your waist.

“Can we please get out of here before my adrenaline goes down” You sigh heavily.

It took nearly an hour to get to the RV point due to most of the task force member having injuries and trouble breathing.

When you all got there, the teasing began again and you were finally fed up.

“I refuse to believe little ole’ Sparky actually pulled you all out of a burning building”

“You’re so small, how the hell did you carry a man twice your size out of there”

“Got yourself shot twice In the process how the hell did you even do that”

“That’s enough!” Price barks at them. He looks over at you noticing your adrenaline hasn’t gone down yet, only being fueled by your annoyance and anger.

“There goes Captain again defending his girl” You hear one soldier whisper to another, low enough that Price doesn’t catch it. You finally snap as you stand up from leaning against the nearest wall walking up to the soldier that towered over you.

“So what?” You say catching him off guard.

“Come again ma’am?” The solider says suddenly nervous he’s being put on the spot.

“No no, don’t start with formalities go ahead, say what you’ve been saying for the past year I’ve been with you all. Think I don’t hear your taunts and whispers? Go ahead, say that I’m too small, or too inexperienced, I’ll never be as good a Lieutenant as Ghost, I’m not smart enough to be here, I’m not big and bad like the rest of you, I’m Captain Price’s little whore, his toy and the only reason I’m standing here right now is cause we’re fucking” You said finally confronting the entirety of the 141. The men all got silent causing you to bitterly chuckle. “Now you all want to be quiet, good to know the kind of men you all are” You say as you start to load into the trucks.

Price sighs heavily telling everyone to load up. He climbs into the back of one of the trucks seeing you tending to your wounds. He’s in shock on how your adrenaline still hasn’t worn down.

“Can I?” He asked reaching out for the tweezers. You sigh heavily handing them to him. Gaz, Soap, Ghost, Druid, and the target are all loaded in behind you. Your target has a bag over his head and you had tranquilized him.

You watch as Scarecrow and Ozone get in the driver and passenger seat the rest of the team loading up on the other trucks. Due to your years as a firefighter you also had medical experience so you slowly and quietly coach John through the proper treatment of a bullet hole so you wouldn’t take up space in the infirmary at base.

“How about your back?” John asked as he finished bandaging your shoulder to your liking.

You hold up the bullet you carved out of your vest, “Another one for the collection” You joke. John chuckles as he sits himself next to you a hand placed on your thigh. A silence with tension unknown to you and John was made. Soap was the one that decided to break it.

“We’re sorry Sparky” He said. You look over at him watching him take off the oxygen mask giving it to Gaz to put it to his face. From the corner of your eye you arch Ghost drop his balaclava slipping the oxygen mask over the targets face.

“Go on” You said your voice becoming cold.

“We didn’t realize a lot what we said was bothering you, I mean we’re so used to the task force being all men and usually we like to tease the newbies but I guess we forgot that you’re not new” Soap says.

“That’s a shit apology Soap, don’t make excuses, I should write you up for the shit you all pulled” John said his voice harsh with his soldiers.

“I think what Soap is trying to say is that we felt excluded. Obviously we’ve worked by Price’s side for years and he’s been an amazing leader and friend to us. Then suddenly when you come around it’s all about you. We all got in our heads and started believing the rumors going on about you two so we just subconsciously started trying to hurt you” Gaz says handing the oxygen mask back to Soap.

“I’m a soldier to him just like the rest of you, the only reason John and I have a closer connection is cause he’s been with me since I was in basic training. He and my former commander Blaze were the only people to show up to graduation due to my family pretty much disowning me when I chose more masculine line of career” You explain.

“I don’t think that’s what they mean Darling” John sighs heavily. You look at him confused as he leans over his face in his hands.

“You know when my wife and I split up I was a mess,” He started. “I had to take a months leave to get my shit together and darling, you had no reason to be there for me and help me but you told Blaze you’ll be damned if you let me fall into a pit of depression on my own” He said.

“Sparky we’re sorry about the rumors but there is a reason we thought you and the Captain were sleeping together” Ozone said from the front.

“Yeah he treated you differently than he treated the rest of us, but Sparky, the man looks at you and follows you around like a lovesick puppy” Gaz says.

“Okay that’s enough I think she gets it” Price says causing the other men to chuckle. You smile leaning forward taking John’s hat off running your hands through his hair.

“Fuck you, I owe Blaze 50 pounds” You giggle.

“Excuse me?” John says.

“Before I came here he had bet me 50 pounds that part of the reason you wanted me on the task force was because you have a crush on me” You smile

“He wasn’t entirely wrong, but you are amazing darling, I mean you just saved my best men from a burning building, and I guess that bloody asshole too” Price said gesturing to the target who had his head thrown back on the wall drool falling from his lips.

“Is he going to be okay?” Soap asked.

“I think I injected him with enough tranq to take out a full grown horse,” You said. “He’ll be okay, I’d say one day in the infirmary and he should be okay for interrogation” Ghost nods his head taking the oxygen mask dropping the bottom half of the bag before lifting his own mask to breath again.

“Back to the topic on hand, we’re sorry Sparky, and thank you so much for saving our arses even though we’ve been horrible to you since you got here” Soap says all eyes landing on Ghost who hadn’t spoken a word since you saved him.

But the silent nod he gave you was enough for you to smile and accept their apologies. You grab the first aid kit as you move over tending to Soap and Gaz’s wounds.

“You know there’s not much I can say about Ghost but I hope you all know I’m in charge of PT this weekend, and I am petty enough to hold grudges even though I forgive you all” You smile wickedly as you bandage up Gaz since he only got grazed by the bullet on his leg.

“Oh we doubt your training can be worse than Ghost, he’s ruthless” Soap says earning him a glare from you that made him shut up. As you finish patching him up you take your seat next to John again.

“Ghost I expect you to follow Lieutenant Spark’s training this weekend, and if I hear a single complaint from any of you you’ll be on cleaning duty for a month” Price orders. The sound of Ghost hitting his head against the wall of the vehicle was enough satisfaction for you. You rest your hand atop John’s that was on your thigh again. You side eye him with a smile on your face as you link your fingers with his.

“Darling” John whispered to you.

“Yes dear?” You smile cheekily causing John to chuckle and turn pink.

“Did any of my comments ever bother you?” He asked.

“John, you’re the only man on this earth that can tease me and won’t get their head blown off” You said.

“Tease you- you say” John smirks.

[klaprisun]

One Sunny Day

(Stardew Valley)(Haley x Female Farmer)

Chapter 13

The day of the Flower Dance has arrived. I received a letter in my mailbox yesterday informing me of the details.

Tomorrow we're all getting together for the Flower Dance.

If you can find a partner, you might even want to participate in the dance yourself!

There's a little clearing beyond the forest west of town where we hold the dance. Arrive between 9 am and 2 pm if you're interested.

-Mayor Lewis

I don't totally want to go considering I'll have to see Haley. We have not spoken for a couple days again. This time I feel it's deliberate. At least on my end it is. My heart still aches from our last encounter with one another at the Bath by the train station. She hasn't tried to reach out and apologize once. Part of me wonders if she even remembers. I wasn't going to try to find out though.

She will be dancing away with Alex with not a care in the world. Not even a second thought about what happened the other day. Everyone else will have a partner too except for me and I will look stupid standing on the side, watching everyone else have fun.

"I have better things to do today anyway," I mutter under my breath while crumbling up the letter about the Flower Dance, "I will start the day by watering my crops like usual, then I will swing by Pierre's-... oh never mind."

Everything will be closed today. How stupid. It only takes me 30 minutes to water everything and then I'll have nothing to do.

Back in my house, I sulk around for a good hour, refusing to do anything else. I stare over at the dresser I now have in my bedroom, wondering what clothes I would wear if I were to go check it out for a second. IF I were to go.

Getting up out of bed, I pace over to the dresser and proceed to pull open the draws to see what clothes I have to wear. There is nothing even remotely nice enough to wear.

"It's not like I'd be staying anyway. I'll just go, peek around the corner and leave," I start convincing myself.

Next thing you know I am walking down to the clearing the note said the Flower Dance is held. I had just thrown on baggy jeans, and a white flannel with a light pink tank top underneath. I kept the flannel open so the pink tank top is more visible.

I made the mistake to fiddle around in the fields before I left so my knees are covered with dirt and I am kind of dusty.

I've never been this far west before. I got a little lost finding my way but I did eventually make it since I saw ropes with colorful banners leading the way. But just as I said I was going to do, I stood back and observed from a distance.

Sam, Abigail and Sebastian are huddled together. Oddly, Penny is standing around with them. Emily has arrived back in town from her trip. She is prancing around and doing her own thing. Shane is also off on his own, but moping around instead of prancing. Leah and Elliot are chatting away over some punch, and Maru is talking to Harvey while they grab food from the buffet table. The older folks are also kind of just standing around and chatting with one another.

As badly as I wanted to ignore her, I saw Haley sitting by herself in the corner of the clearing in the grass. She seems to be wiping her eyes constantly, and trying to hide away behind her golden locks. She has the most gorgeous white, spring dress on with a crown made of beautiful pink flowers. Alex is nowhere in sight.

My legs seem to have a mind of their own, because I find myself approaching Haley in the shaded corner of the clearing. No one else had my attention, only Haley. I felt everyone's eyes on me as they watched me cut across the grass to get to her.

Haley didn't notice my presence until I was directly looming over her, casting extra shadows over her since I blocked any bit of light that's shining behind me.

She quickly wiped her eyes and nose before she spoke, "What are you doing over here?" she sniffles.

"I came to see what you are doing." I respond blandly.

Haley recognizes the bland tone and proceeds to quiz me more, "if you are just going to be all grumpy, why did you even come?"

"I felt left out. I had nothing else to do today. At least I'm not crying in the corner by myself." I snap back in a monotone voice.

That made her stand up to face me now. Except she doesn't seem that threatening considering her cute little outfit and her height. She brushes off her dress before pointing an accusing finger at me.

"I didn't ask you to come over here and ridicule me. Now go on with whatever you came over here to do and be gone!" she shouts. Our conversation is not in the range of anyone else, despite the shouting.

"Why are you crying, Haley? Where is Alex?" I calmly ask to try to settle things down. I don't try putting a hand on her shoulder or anything yet because I don't think we are quite back to that level.

She broke down crying instead of answering me. She covered her face with her hands and lowered her head. I just awkwardly stand there waiting for her to get to a point that she can speak.

"Haley you are going to wreck your makeup," is the best I can do to try to stop her from crying any longer. It worked though because her wails turned to breathy inhales.

"A-A-Alex l-l-left," she manages to get out.

"What do you mean?"

"He left for Zuzu City this morning to go see someone named Taylor. I heard them on the phone talking today and he just left right after. He left me hanging here with no dance partner. I have been the Flower Queen for 5 years and again this year, but how lame is it that I don't have a partner to dance with," Haley blurts out all at once. She got angrier and angrier as she went on.

"Whoa whoa whoa, Alex just left? On the day of the Flower Dance? Does he know how important that is to you?"

Her eyes sparkle up at me with more tears ready to form.

"Yes."

"So now you don't have a dance partner?" I reiterate.

"Yes."

"Have you asked anyone at all?"

"Ew no. That's not my job," she holds her nails up to her face to admire them. They are manicured with an eye catching, sea blue color.

"Well how are you supposed to get a dance partner if you don't ask around?"

She rolls her eyes at me, "I don't. Everyone else has a dance partner. You'll see. It's the same line up of partners every year. Nothing changes. It's kind of a tradition."

"Fuck tradition," I stick my hand out to her, palm up. I watch the gears work in her head to figure out what I am doing. It finally clicks and her head rapidly moves to look up at me.

"You... want to be my dance partner?" She says hesitantly. I can't tell how she is feeling with this proposition I have made.

I reach out and gently wipe the tear marks of her mascara from her cheeks. "Someone has to be the Queen's knight in shining armor."

Haley started blushing immensely at my remark. All she could do was look up and stutter at me. It was quite the sight to see.

"It is now time for the Flower Dance to begin! Everyone find your dance partners and line up as usual," Mayor Lewis hollers.

I watch as everyone huddles around, while the dancers line up across from their partner. The pairings really surprised me. Emily is with Shane, Sebastian with Abigail, Sam with Penny, Maru with Harvey, and Leah with Elliot.

Haley takes me by the hand and drags me straight to the open spot in the middle. She sticks me where I am supposed to go and prances over to her spot across from me. Since I have taken Alex's place, I am unfortunately the only girl on the guys side.

"I'm not a very good dancer. Warning you now," I tell Haley.

"You'll be fine. Don't worry," she giggles.

Mesmerizing music starts filling the air. I can't help but feel the weight of my worries lift off my shoulders as soon as I hear the song start.

On cue, Haley and the other girls in her row start swinging their dresses side to side to the beat. My row, which is all the guys, start approaching them to the beat. I am kind of behind on all the moves, Haley is amused.

The whole world seems to stop as I get closer to Haley. I can't help admiring how gorgeous she looks in the afternoon sunlight. It starts to feel as if we are the only two in the world.

Haley starts to wave her arms in the air while swaying her hips. I am not even paying attention to what moves I'm supposed to be doing at this point. I am just kind of bopping around... although that is kind of all I'm supposed to be doing anyway.

Haley goes back to swaying her arms in the air, I sense my row is moving closer to the girls, so I approach closer to Haley. We are almost face to face now, just a foot apart.

"You are all dirty," she whispers to me, referencing the dirt on my pants from this morning.

"You have no idea," I give her a wink, causing her cheeks to flare pink. I notice her stumble in the choreography which I doubt she has ever done in the 5 years she has been Flower Queen.

All the guys go to grab their partner's waist gently with one arm, and do some sort of a formal walk in a circle move.

I grab Haley's waist and hold it tightly, giving her a slight squeeze. Our bodies are pressed up to one another. The two of us are so wrapped up in our little circle move, that we don't notice everyone else has stopped.

Mayor Lewis clears his throat off in the distance, "That's it for the Flower Dance festivals folks. Y'all have a great night."

Haley and I immediately backed off from each other severely embarrassed. I look around at the crowd and notice Elliot and Leah fanning themselves as if they're saying 'it got steamy in here'.

Haley smooths out her skirt and gives me a little curtsy. "Thank you, my knight in shining armor, for saving the day."

I return a small bow and take her hand, planting a kiss on the back of it before releasing, "You know where to find me if you ever require rescuing."

I'm so glad I ended up going to the Flower Dance this year.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.172 New plan

Running around after four toddlers while chatting up our guests was quite the ordeal, and me and Sophia were beat. Dirty plates and glasses lined every surface, making me wonder who raised our friends, heh. The mess was too much to tackle in our state, so we left it to tend to in the morning. Sophia crashed while I got Desiree ready for bed. My mood tanked when I thought about how happy Mama would have been tonight, surrounded by all her grandchildren for the first time. I'm not sure what triggered it, but my mind drifted to this morning when I wondered about my life's trajectory. Before now, I'd been fine working this yoga thing until I figured out what my real passion is. But now I find myself unsettled. Desi is older now, so life can be more flexible. I can start working again, but do I want to? How long do I want to teach yoga? Do I want to teach yoga? Mama was right about me being good at it, but what do I think?

That time I fixed the sink and wondered about being naturally handy came to mind. Maybe instead of forcing myself to fulfill someone else's dream, I should take advantage of my privilege and figure out what I want. The money tree has blessed Sophia and me with the gift of time. I could be by Sophia's side the entire time we were trying to get pregnant. And I was still by her side through the birth and recovery. Without the need to run to a job every day, I have time to figure myself out and what I'd rather be doing with my life. Don't get me wrong. I still love yoga. And I sincerely wish everyone would learn and live less stressful lives. I don't mind teaching, but do I want to do it forever? Maybe when Less moves, I'll go get Mama's candle equipment and give it a whirl.

I put Desi down, and she seemed very hesitant about her new bed at first. Even though we only made minor changes, her room was different, and she noticed. We took out the changing table and put it in the other room. And, of course, the bed replaced the crib. It took her a minute to decide if she liked being so low to the ground, but eventually, she figured it was okay.

I tuck her in, tell her I love her, and watch her drift to sleep much quicker than I'd ever seen. All the activity must have wiped her out too. I turn out the lights and watch her for a moment. There's something calming about knowing your little ones are safe at rest. It's a beautiful thing. And so is she.

[ionlymadethissoicouldleaveanask]

So I've got some thoughts for my RvB gang.

I had a thought recently. I found Sharkface to be an extremely boring villain. Like he was cool(ish) and the jokes about how edy he was trying to be were funny(ish) but. You know who would have been more fun? The dude with the robot arm.

Think about it - the guy was shot by Carolina and left behind on a drilling rig that blew up, and survived. He tanked a MAC round from orbit and all he lost was his right arm. They've set up a perfect villain here. Claiming he literally can't die would be so funny! Every time he appears he dies, then he just shows back up with yet another robotic prosthetic. His whole subplot is that he just desperately wants to die, and he finally figured out that the pyramid thing is his only shot at finally getting his wish. The problem is that he would also wipe out the rest of life as we know it if he did that.

Anyway, the background subplot is what's really important here. Carolina is being hunted down by a shadowy figure. Evidence points to him being another hired gun working with the pirates. He is always half a step behind her, getting closer and closer to tracking her down.

Eventually in the climax, the hitman catches up to Carolina. They go through an intense duel, where he seems to be able to anticipate all of her best moves and counteract them. Finally, she manages to hit the guy hard enough to knock off his helmet.

It's York.

Then we get some backstory - when York was shot going after Wyoming, Delta turned on his healing unit. He then told Tex that York was dying. As soon as she left Delta woke York back up, got him to swap armor with one of the grunts, and disappear.

So York spent several months slowly recovering. During that time, life finally beat him. He didn't have his armor, he didn't have his healing unit anymore, and he didn't have Delta to keep him coming. He finally gave up on the dream of finding Carolina alive somewhere.

So instead, he decided it was high time someone finally killed Director Church. He would kill the man who took everything he'd ever loved - admittedly, in a roundabout sort of way - from him. Only when he tracked the director down, he found hundreds of dead Allison lookalikes and archive footage of yet another cheap robot replacement killing the Director - except this time Church went to far. He made a replacement of her. He couldn't even let his own daughter's memory find peace.

So, York ended up with a new goal: kill the robot that had stolen Carolina's face (armor). End it once and for all. Bring some closure for the girl that he loved so much but never got to keep.

After all of this revelation, we finally get York and Carolina's big happy ending. I don't know how they beat the immortal robo guy, but mostly I just care about my Yorkalina angst and resolutions.

Anyway. I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts. And... should I write this at some point? Let me know.

[ahoystevee]

The Sweetest Torture One Could Bear | Part 1 of I Despise My Rotten Mind (And How Much It Worships You)

It’s 1990. Steve Harrington and Eddie Munson are forced to confront their shared past and shifting dynamics under the ever changing hues of a gay club in Indianapolis. Eddie, exuding confidence and embracing his sexuality offers a helping hand to Steve who is buckling under the weight of societal pressures.

OR: Steve wants to sleep with a guy for the first time and Eddie reluctantly helps against his better judgement.

Indianapolis, 1990

Eddie leant back on his elbows against the metal topped bar of the club, eyes squinting as he delicately held the rim of his glass between his fingers.

It was a Saturday night which meant that it was nothing short of a a visual feast for the senses.

The music pulsated through his body, situating itself in his spine as he squinted out at the vast expanse of potential conquests through the smoky haze.

The multi-colored lights above bathed the adumbrate dancers in an ever-changing rainbow of hues. The walls were adorned with mirrors, reflecting the dancers and amplifying the feeling of being part of something larger than oneself. Giant video screens played music videos and club scene footage, immersing them all in a world of pure hedonism.

Of course, Eddie couldn't deny that a majority of the time the clientele were just as visually stunning as their surroundings. Dancing bodies adorned in leather, lace, and sequins were all in abundance, as per usual.

But something was different. He didn't have the usual feeling that anything was possible in there tonight.

Something was missing.

"What about that guy?" Robin asked; voice elevated so it could carry over the bass of the music as she leaned across from behind the bar on her tiptoes to point out across the room to a guy with spiky blonde hair in a tank top.

“Nah - had him already. He's boring." Eddie said cavalierly.

"Boring?" She reiterated, busying herself with wiping the rims of highball glasses with a dish towel.

"He sucked dick like he was working a nine to five." He scoffed a laugh, taking a sip of his drink.

"Okay, fine." She shrugged, neck craned as she scoured their surroundings.

"Him?"

"Nah - too - muscly." Eddie grimaced, immediately glancing away without wasting a second.

"I thought you liked that?" She asked, looking up at him beneath furrowed brows.

"I like 'em toned, like a subtle 'yeah I work out but it's not my entire personality.' I don't want someone who looks like they're the face for sports steroids advertisements." Eddie said firmly.

"God you're so picky, you're looking for a hook up not a husband." Robin clarified, rolling her eyes.

"There's just nobody new and exciting. It's the same faces, same music, same routine. It's exhausting." He said, staring out ahead of him as he kissed his lips between his teeth.

"Yeah, I forgot that getting your dick sucked could be so tedious." She said in jest as Eddie chose not to respond.

"You know, maybe you're just not as into it as you used to be. That's fine, you know. To grow up and get a life outside of hooking up with people. Maybe settle down, get a boyfriend or something."

Eddie narrowed his eyes, pretending to be in deep pensive thought.

"Nah, that doesn't sound like something I'd do." He eventually said, lips breaking out into a devilish grin as Robin glared across at him.

He allowed his eyes to glaze back over the crowds of people.

His vision fixated on a lone guy with lightly tousled brown hair leaning against the metal bars of the balcony, facing away from him. It was long, layered. Purposely messy? Eddie couldn't decide. But he loved how it curled around his neck from the length.

He was wearing camel coloured chinos and a navy blue T-shirt. Fingers tapping against his crossed arms as he continued to look out at the vastness ahead of him.

Two go-go boys dressed in nothing but tight fitting, metallic shorts and pairs of cheap angel wings that were most likely bought from a Spirit Halloween store were either side of him.

They were elevated from the floor, encased in metal caging with dollar bills hanging limp from their waistbands.

It was an ethereal sight given the circumstances. If he believed in that kind of la-di-da butterfly effect bullshit he would have assumed that the universe had placed him in his line of sight for a reason.

Eddie's eyes scanned the length of his body.

He couldn't help but admire the curvature of his ass; how it was packed so tightly into the material it almost made them look as though they were painted on with the way they hugged his hips and thighs.

"Him." He said firmly, not breaking his gaze.

"What?" Robin asked.

"Him, over there." Eddie said, clicking his fingers with an outstretched arm to draw her in to his line of sight.

"The guy in the chinos?"

"Yeah. I want him."

"You haven't even seen his face yet." She warranted.

"Don't need to. He's got an ass that goes for miles. He could be the ugliest fucker in the world for all I care. I'll just go behind, don't have to look at him." He clarified, biting down against the flesh of his lower lip.

"Here I was thinking you were shallow." She shot back, voice tainted with sarcasm as she slung the dish towel over her shoulder.

"I'm going over." He affirmed - voice low as he downed the remainder of his drink, reaching around to place the empty glass behind himself on the bar.

"Okay, have fun. Be good." Robin called out after him as he brushed down the front of his black tee.

"Never. Don't miss me too much." He shot back, teasingly as he ran his fingers through his bangs to ensure they were placed in the perfect divide between careless and purposeful.

The thing with Eddie is that he didn't get rejected. In fact, he couldn't even recall the last time he got rejected.

He read an article that stated that statistically speaking, men think about sex on average around 19 times a day. This was one of those times that Eddie was happy to be branded as above average.

Of course, these statistics were based solely on straight men. Go figure.

When Eddie wasn't having sex, he was thinking about having sex. And the second he was finished having sex with the most beautiful man who ever lived, he was thinking about the next beautiful man who ever lived that he'd meet the next night.

And luckily for this guy, he was right on his radar.

He sauntered through the throngs of people, skin prickling in anticipation as he approached him. It was almost exhilarating, reaching the apex of a desired conquest.

"Hey, had a busy night?" Eddie asked, slinking an arm around the guys waist as he whipped round to face him.

He had hoped his gaze would be met with the same inquisitive eagerness. Instead, he was met with brown forlorn eyes and furrowed brows with a sinister familiarity to them.

The chiselled jawline, the mole on the side of his neck beneath the stubble, the irate demeanour.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Eddie announced, retracting his hand with the same speed you would if you caught it on the side of a hot teakettle.

"Oh God." The other breathed out, eyes darting maniacally across his face as Eddie watched the muscles of his neck contract with a deep swallow.

"Steve?" Eddie asked, biting back a laugh as his jaw slacked in awe.

"No." He said hastily, shaking his head as he darted around at his surroundings for a quick escape.

"Oh my God, it is you. Steve Harrington. From Hawkins High." Eddie pressed as he watched him back away, hand gripping the metal of the balcony for stability.

King Steve. Hawkins High maverick, belligerent basketball captain, disciples at his heels. He sounded like a cliche.

He was a cliche.

The man was a planet who carried his own gravity.

Continue reading on AO3:

[finkinthisfrew]

Anything (Pt.24)

Chapter 24 I lay in Matty's bed in silence, hugging my knees to my chest, the curtains drawn with no lights on. I didn't know what time it was. I didn't care. Matty wasn't here.

After Carly had dropped me off back at Matty's apartment which he'd given me his keys to ("Stay as often as you like. Stay every night. This is your home now," he'd said) I heard my phone ring. I picked it up immediately, knowing it was Matty, who said he'd call me as soon as he got through customs. We talked right up until the flight attendant gave him his last warning before takeoff. Saying goodbye on the phone wasn't as hard because I already was numb. After that, I curled up in a ball on Matty's bed and cried and cried... I cried for hours. I cried until I didn't have any tears left. When I couldn't cry anymore I lay there in silence, numb, my fingers still clutching the locket Matty had given me at the airport.

Whether it was hours later or days, I wasn't sure, but what I knew for certain was that I'd never felt more hollow. My phone rang again and I looked down to see Matty Facetiming me. I picked up right away, closing my eyes at the brightness of the screen.

"Anna, my darling," he said wistfully, his eyes bright. He was sitting in the back of a van, his hair tousled in a handsome way, headphones perched on his head. His brow furrowed as he took in the sight of me. "Did I wake you? It's not that late there, is it?" he asked, referring to the dark room and my eyes which were barely open.

I checked the time on my phone. "No, it's only a bit past ten. I just... forgot to turn on the lights," I said groggily as I turned on a nearby lamp, my voice hoarse from sobbing for so long. "My eyes are too puffy to open all the way. I was crying for a bit when I got home... I must look like such a mess..." I said, looking at myself for the first time in the camera. I was right, I looked awful.

"I love that you called my home 'home'," he said dreamily, his eyelashes fluttering as he cocked his head to the side. He hiccuped, then smiled at me seductively. "And I think you look sexy."

I looked at Matty, confused. "Have you been drinking?" I asked, feeling a little concerned.

"Well, I had a few drinks on the plane," he admitted, "I can't remember how many... but I couldn't spend the whole time crying, could I?" he laughed, then hiccuped again, his face suddenly sad. His nostrils flared as his jaw tensed.

"Hey, are you okay?" I asked gently, starting to feel worried.

"I don't think I can do this, Anna," he whispered. His eyes were suddenly filled with tears.

I knew what he was feeling. I felt it too. But something felt off. Something was wrong here. And what surprised me was that while I felt sadness and longing, just as Matty did, a different emotion surpassed them. Concern.

"Matty, baby. It's going to be okay. It's only a few days," I tried to comfort him, scraping the bottom of my emotional gas tank for energy. I felt weak, but our love fuelled me. He started to cry, leaning his head against the window drunkenly as he looked down at me on his phone. "Baby, I'm here with you," I said softly while he shook his head to himself.

"I need you," he said quietly between sobs. "I can't do this." He looked around frantically, panic starting to set into his eyes.

The more he broke down, the more I felt myself wake up. I couldn't let him hurt like this. I especially couldn't let him cope like this. I knew the pain he felt, but I had to be strong for both of us.

"Baby, look at me. Do you see me?" I asked gently. He looked back at the camera and nodded at me, wiping his nose with the sleeve of his sweater as he hiccuped again. "I see you too. And you look so handsome, baby. I have the most handsome boyfriend in the whole world," I said, smiling at him genuinely. He smiled a small smile with his tear-stained eyes, hanging on my every word. "I'm so excited to see you so soon. We'll get to cuddle again, and then we can go to the beach, and you can feel the sand between your little toes. You can rub sunscreen on my back so I don't get burnt, and then I'll rub it on your back too. Then we can go swimming and play and have fun, and then we can go get a nice dinner somewhere... That'll be so nice, won't it?" I asked encouragingly. Matty nodded, his tears now slowing. I smiled even bigger now, excited to do all those things with him too. "Will you leave the alcohol alone for a bit though? Maybe save some for me? Getting me nice and drunk sounds kind of nice, doesn't it?" I said playfully.

"Oh there's plenty to go around," Matty said, not noticing the look of worry on my face. Then he turned his head to the side, someone getting his attention. "I've gotta go, darling," he said.

"Will you call me after the show? I don't care how late it is..." I asked hopefully.

"The second I get off stage," he said distractedly, too drunk to focus on more than one thing at a time.

"I love you," I said nervously.

His eyes flickered back to the screen, his face breaking out into a big warm authentic smile. "I love you too darling. To the moon and back."

That calmed me a little. I knew my Matty was in there.

The second we hung up I texted George.

Matty seems a bit drunk, and I'm a bit worried for him. Can you do me a favour and keep an eye on his drinking tonight? Hope the flight was okay <3

George must have been thinking of me too, probably having overheard Matty's half of the conversation in the van, because he texted me back immediately.

Flight was long, but things went as okay. I'll do my best with Matty. Try not to worry too much, I won't let him get in trouble. How are you holding up?

My heart swelled, thankful that I had George to rely on. He was such a good friend to me.

Oh, you know. Taking it minute by minute.

Promise me you'll keep him safe?

I waited as I watched George typing.

I've been keeping that bloke out of trouble since we were boys, it's practically my full-time job- I'm an expert ; )

He'll be fine, I promise <3 Get some rest over there. Sweet dreams.

I smiled from relief. I would have cried if I had any tears left.

Good luck at the show- talk soon &lt;3

I rolled over on the bed, finally noticing that I was still clutching Matty's locket in my hand. I looked down at it, the M shining up, remembering the mirror, there to remind me of my strength. I realized what I needed to do. I needed to be strong for him- for both of us. I couldn't let myself drown in this sadness. I had to continue to live for him, to show him I wouldn't give up for us. He'd been there for me every single time I needed him. Time and time again he was my rock, fighting for me when I couldn't do it for myself. I'd be there for him. Whatever came our way, I'd fight for us. He saw that strength in me before I did- helped me realize it. Now it was my turn to help him.

I looked down at my phone, it was almost 11:00 pm. I realized there wasn't much of my day left to do anything with it, and the exhaustion- emotional, physical, and mental- from the last 14 hours started to sink in. I decided I'd let myself steep in my sadness a little longer tonight and start fresh in the morning.

I put on Matty's locket, patting it over my heart. I got up to go pee and brush my teeth. I used Matty's toothbrush, smiling at the memory of all the times he'd steal mine. When I came back into the bedroom I rifled around in Matty's drawers, putting on his boxers, his sweatpants, and his t-shirt. I wanted to surround myself with him. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a familiar shade of blue. I turned to see Matty's favourite hoodie, the one he wore last night under the stars together, hanging over the edge of a chair. That night felt like ages ago... My heart twinged, realizing he left it behind for me. He was so thoughtful, it broke my heart.

I pulled the sweater on over my head, the smell of Matty enveloping me. I breathed in deeply, savouring the warm spiced scent as it washed a wave of relaxation over my tired body.

I walked over to the bed, climbing in. I picked up my phone from where it lay on the nightstand and took a picture of myself laying in his bed, in his favourite hoodie, smiling as genuinely as I could, replaying our happy memories in my mind as I snapped the photo. I knew Matty wouldn't see it for a while because of the whirlwind of concert prep that was likely happening, but I had to carry on like normal. 

Missing you like it's my job :) Good luck at the show tonight! You'll be amazing. I wanna hear every detail the second you get off stage. I love you to the moon and back <3 x

I sent off the photo along with the text, then rolled over on the bed, pulling the duvet over me. Then I gathered up most of the pillows next to where I lay and cuddled them as if they were Matty. I squeezed my eyes shut and imagined as hard as I could that Matty was here with me. Something shifted under my shirt as I snuggled in tight. It was Matty's locket. 'When we're apart, you'll find me in the home I made in your heart - M'

He was there with me. I could feel him. He was always there.

[snow-system-wol]

Some thoughts we had on the first alliance raid :D (like, the duty itself)

First boss

-circles appear on ground- haha what's this. That was definitely the "oh right new mechanics" moment lol

I really need to figure out how to aim that thingy, like it targets with a mind of its own lmao

The multi hit stack marker literally does so much damage, especially if some people are down. Based on watching one of the other alliances when I was dead the first try, it can easily do much more than a healer's total HP even on a Sage by the time all hits are done so instas seem very needed here. (That WAS with more ppl dear though)

Dodged everything SO much better after our first wipe, easy to learn the fight blindly

Dragon time

MOST of this fight has pretty clear telegraphs that were guessable on first view. Not too difficult at all

I cannot imagine keeping decent DPS uptime with anything except ranged during the "concentric circles + roaming AoEs" bit though. Chaos

The Warriors of Darkness Ice?

Speaking of chaos

Most of the tells are easy enough to catch and a lot of the worse attacks have longer cast times than you'd think (270 cleave), but it sure is chaotic to keep track of the other two enemies while you fight your alliance's

Genuinely this was a super fun fight though

"interrupt this dangerous attack" okay! "The enemy tank is doing passage of arms in front of them" ohhh

The Boss

Woof

Some of the things were fun to figure out, like realizing the mechanics in the limited size arena or understanding the half room cleaves

Dodging the spreading line AoEs is, uh, hm

It's not the worst but the curving animation for the cleave tells makes it pretty difficult for me to tell the safe quadrant which isn't ideal when it telegraphs like 3

Speaking of telegraphs. Not me looking at the ground dodging ridiculous line AoEs and then realizing the boss started to telegraph directional cleaves and that I didn't know what the first one was. F in the chat

Overall a good fight but some parts of it are hard in a frustrating way

Gen. experience

It's a pretty raid area and I'm def enjoying the aesthetics (though nothing hit quite like seeing Azeyma's arena for the first time, but that's a pretty high bar to clear)

I'm glad there's some animation bits during the "wait for it...!" I think but I imagine that would be a lot more troublesome of a mechanic if deaf

The change to makes orchestrion rolls universal instead of specific is pretty nice imo (even if I didn't get any yet bc day 1 roll fighting)

I'm glad other people were having fun with the experience, that was the best part of it. Two of our party members were kinda being annoying and that took a lil fun out of it (tank seemed to think everyone doing day 1 content are supposed to be savage raiders in skill, and scholar was just frustrating)

(lmao, they got annoyed about potential dps loss from me being rezzed before the first boss instead of respawning. My colleague and fellow party member -- we all got very murdered in the first boss and had the status effects anyway. Also I'm a DNC, not a melee. It's just not that dire)

Even with that, it was a lot of fun, though I don't think it would've been half as enjoyable if not doing it on VC with a friend :D

Also it was like, 5 am and I'd woken up for it lmaooo

[i-arch-my-backula]

Vampires and Cowboys: Lost Boys x male oc and Michael Emerson x male oc

I'm so happy to be finally posting this fic of my oc Miguel Rey. This is also being posted on my AO3. I'd like to say that I'm white and I don't speak Spanish so let me know if something is spelled wrong or I'm being offensive.

Warnings: Swearing and smoking

Miguel turns off his car and opens his door, throwing down his cigarette and stomping it out under his cowboy boot. He opens the back seat door and takes out a crate full of eggs, some produce and a pelt from a fox he caught recently. He shuts his car door and walks over to Mr. Emerson's house, noticing the new car and motorbike on the driveway. Walking up to the front door he hears a dog start to bark. He hears muffled voices and he knocks a few times on the door. 

The man who opens the door isn’t Mr. Emerson. He’s much younger, around Miguel’s age. Miguel gives the man a smile and sets down the crate. 

“Is Mr. Emerson here? I’ve got a delivery for him.” He says wiping sweat off his forehead. The man gives Miguel a glance up and down before turning his head. 

“Hey grandpa! Someones got a delivery for you!” The man shouts. 

“Well let him in Michael! Tell him to meet me in the kitchen!” He hears Mr. Emerson shout back. Miguel picks up the crate as Michael lets him in. Miguel, having come to this house every week for a year now knows where the kitchen is. 

“I didn’t know Mr. Emerson was going to have his grandchildren visiting him this summer.” Miguel says as he unpacks the contents of the crate. Michael watches as Miguel pulls out vegetables and eggs. 

“We’re not just staying here for the summer. We’re staying here until my mom finds a place to live around here. So did you grow all of these yourself or did you just go to the store for him?” Michael asks, looking over the other man's attire of worn in jeans and a dirty white tank top. 

“Well I did grow the vegetables myself, sadly I can’t lay eggs so these are from my chickens.” Miguel pulls out the fox pelt and Michael looks down at it before looking back up at Miguel. 

“So do you know any good places to hang out around here?” Michael asks. Miguel runs a hand through his hair and looks out the kitchen window. 

“There’s a boardwalk about a ten minute drive from here. I can show you around later this week if you’re interested.” Miguel says. Upstairs he hears footsteps. 

“Yeah that sounds good. What day works for you?” Michael asks. Miguel shrugs. 

“How about Friday. I’ve got nothing going on then.” He says, seeing Mr. Emerson walking into the kitchen. 

“This looks great Miguel. How much do I owe you?” He asks, pulling out his wallet. 

“I think 20 dollars is good. I made sure to take special care of the fox skin Mr. Emerson. I have some bones left over if you want to use them for something too.” Mr. Emerson smiles at the offer and takes out his wallet.��

“That’s very kind of you Miguel. I’ll see if I end up needing them,” Mr. Emerson hands Miguel a 20 dollar bill and elbows Michael, “You know, you two are around the same age. Maybe Michael should be helping you on your farm.” Miguel smiles and picks up his now empty crate. 

“That’s a generous offer, but I have enough on my hands trying to care for one dog. I don’t think I can afford another collar and leash.” He jokes, putting the cash in his pocket. Mr. Emerson laughs and Michael just gives him a smile, “I’ll see y’all later.” Miguel leaves the kitchen and walks back outside. Putting the crate in his car he drives back home. 

Once Miguel gets home he picks up his mail and looks over the letters. Nothing too important being in the mail today. Sometimes he gets letters from his family, but he hasn’t gotten one lately. He sets the mail down and his phone starts to ring. He walks over and picks it up off the receiver. 

“Hello?” 

“¡Miguel, soy yo tu madre! ¡Ay, te he echado mucho de menos!” 

“Mamá, ¿cómo has estado? Ha pasado un tiempo desde nuestra última llamada.” Miguel asks, looking out his kitchen window at his animals. 

“I’ve been good miel. I’ve been practicing my English like you’ve been telling me to. Can you hear how much gooder I’ve gotten?” She asks. Miguel smiles at her excitement. 

“Yes mama you’re getting very good at speaking English. How has everybody been?” He asks, leaning on the counter. 

“Oh everyone’s been great! Josephina is pregnant! You remember Rico? Her husband right?” She asks. 

“Yes mama I was at their wedding. But she’s pregnant? That’s amazing! I can’t wait to be an uncle!” The two of them talk on the phone for another 20 minutes before Miguel has to go feed his animals. 

  “Oh miel before you go I want you to have some fun sometime soon. I know you’ve been working so hard and you deserve a little fun in your life. Maybe you’ll meet a girl.” Miguel laughs and rolls his eyes. 

“Alright mama I’ll have some fun and try to find a girlfriend. Te amo.” 

“Te amo.” His mother replies before she hangs up. For the rest of the day Miguel thinks about the boardwalk. He’s been there countless times for deliveries and just for fun. He’s been meaning to see his friend who works as a fortune teller there too. So after dinner he decides to make his way over to the boardwalk. 

Miguel steps up to the boardwalk and looks around. He notices a few groups of people lingering around the entrance but he doesn’t pay much mind to it. He tips his head to a few women passing by as he makes his way down the boardwalk. His first stop being the tarot card reader. He frequents her booth on the boardwalk. He’s not a very religious or spiritual man but he still has fun getting his card read. He enters the booth into the soft lighting, seeing Alice, the reader, waiting for her next customer. 

“Well hello Miguel. It’s been awhile. Take a seat please. I can sense something great is coming for you today.” She says. Miguel takes his seat and puts two dollars down on the table and watches as she shuffles her deck of cards. 

“Alright Ms. Alice, let’s see what the future of this summer holds for me.” He says. Alice places down three cards. The lovers, the moon and strength being the cards drawn. Alice nods and looks over the cards, her many silver rings glimmering in the soft light.

“I’d be careful this summer. You’re going to find love, but also challenges with that love, you’ll remain strong but weakness can still come over you. I’d be careful Miguel.” She says looking back up at him. He nods and looks down at the cards. 

“I’ll keep this in mind. But can you by chance see what my lover is going to look like Alice?” He asks with a knowing smile on his face. She smiles back and picks up the cards.

“I’ll see you soon enough when you come over to drop off my food. Now go enjoy yourself tonight. There’s going to be a live performance with someone I’ve heard is really cool.” Miguel stands up and looks out of the tent before looking back over at Alice.

“I’ll be sticking around for a while. No need to worry about me honey. I’ll see you later.” With those words he leaves the tent and starts making his way around the boardwalk. He watches as everyone of all ages passes by. A booth selling jewelry catches his eye but before he can go in he feels something tugging on his belt. He turns his head and finds a child standing next to him. 

“I’m lost, can you help me find Dwayne?” He asks looking up at Miguel. He nods and takes the child’s hand.

“Of course hermano. How about you tell me your name and we can go where you last saw him.” Miguel says looking around for a bench or security. 

“My name is Laddie and we were playing this game where you throw balls at milk jugs. I was playing it and when I turned around he was gone and I didn’t know what to do.” Miguel spots a bench and takes Laddie over there. He runs a hand over his hair and huffs out a long breath. 

“Ok well he’s probably still on the boardwalk. Can you tell me what he looks like? Anything that can help me know who he is?” he asks, sitting down with Laddie.

“Dwayne has long black hair and he wears a leather jacket. He has on jewelry and he’s pretty tall.” Laddie says, looking around the boardwalk. Miguel looks around with him. Making sure his hand is still holding Laddies. 

“Jesus mary y joseph que clase de hombre pierde un hijo,” Miguel whispers to himself as he looks back over to Laddie, “How about we stay here for 15 more minutes then if he doesn’t come up we can go to security and we’ll find him there. Alright?” Laddie nods as a man approaches them. Looking at him Miguel knows that he's probably Dwayne, “Señor, bendice a este hombre con algo de inteligencia.” He whispers to himself as Laddie gets up and takes Dwayne's hand.

“Gracias por mantenerlo a salvo.” Dwayne says to Miguel. Miguel puts on a frustrated smile and glaces down to Laddie again. 

“Do you speak spanish?” He asks him. Laddie shakes his head. Miguel looks back to Dwayne and his expressionless face. 

“¿Qué diablos dónde estás pensando? ¿Perder a un niño así en un lugar como este? Eres un terrible cuidador si me preguntas. Tienes suerte de que no le haya pasado nada malo, bastardo.” Miguel swears at the other man. He notices another, shorter man walk over next to him. 

“What’s going on over here?” He asks. Miguel Glares at him, holding back a small smile at his ridiculous teased blonde hair. 

“I just helped your friend here find his brother,” Miguel looks back over at Dwayne, “Tú y tu estúpido amigo deberían tener mucho cuidado. También ponte una maldita camisa.” The blond man looks over to Dwayne, his stone cold expression doesn’t change. Miguel leaves and walks to a quieter part of the boardwalk. He pulls out his cigarettes and lights one up. He listens to the noise of the boardwalk mix with the waves of the ocean. He feels himself calming down when he spots someone approaching him out of the corner of his eye. 

“You got a light?” He asks Miguel. Miguel pulls out his lighter and lights the other man's cigarette. He’s dressed oddly warm for the weather. His bleach blonde, Billy Idol wanna be mullet only adding to his odd look, “What brings you back here cowboy?” 

“I just needed some quiet before I go back out. I also don’t think everyone would appreciate the smoke.” He says putting his cigarette back in his mouth. 

“I’ve never really seen you here before. Did you just move to town?” The blonde man asks. Miguel shakes his head. 

“I’ve lived here for a year or two now. I’ve been here often during the day, but not usually during the night. Now what are you doing back here?” Miguel asks. 

“I just needed to smoke too. I’m David.” He holds out his hand and Miguel shakes it. 

“I’m Miguel. So David, why are you dressed up so warm? If you don’t mind me asking.” David chuckles and takes a drag from his cigarette. 

“I tend to run cold. I also just like this look. So are you a real cowboy or are you just pretending?” Miguel puts on a polite smile and pushes his hair out of his face. 

“Well I’d say riding horses since I was eight years old and living on a farm all my life makes me a real cowboy. More of a real cowboy than those white guys in Hollywood.” David smiles and taps off his ash. 

“You know I’m friends with a couple of guys who want to save a horse. If you catch my drift.” Miguel smiles and crushes out his cigarette. 

“Maybe I’ll have to meet these friends sometime. What about you David? Are you interested in saving a horse?” David smirks back at him before another blonde man comes running up to David. The other blonde man is dressed as flamboyant as David, but in a slightly different way. 

“Hey there cowboy. I’m Marko.” He says with a grin. Miguel smiles and looks over at Marko. 

“I’m Miguel. You must be one of David’s friends. I’ve heard you’re interested in saving a horse,” He looks down at his watch and sucks in a breath, “Too bad this Cowboy’s got to get going. If y’all got a number I can call-” 

“Just meet us back at the boardwalk tomorrow. We’ll be by the entrance at 10.” David says. Miguel nods. 

“I’ll see y’all later.” He walks between two booths and heads back to the main boardwalk. Waiting by one of the booths he walked between are the two guys from earlier, with Laddie. Miguel just gives them a small nod as he keeps walking. 

[super-ion]

Ion & Emily

How it All Started: chapter 2.5

New Friends

I flip the big switch and it makes a satisfying clunk. The lights come on in stages very dramatically, bringing light to the cavernous space.

Holy shit! This is all mine, my very own secret evil lair.

After my success with the bank and Jackass Jackrabbit, I realized I needed a space that wasn't the unused spare room in my condo. So what does an aspiring supervillain do when they need a lair? They just go down to the waterfront and lease an abandoned warehouse with a big secret basement. There's like a whole frickin' grey market industry for that sort of thing. And it's all allowed, because superheros gotta fight somebody, right?

The lights finish coming on and…

It's empty.

I mean, no shit, it's empty. They cleared it out after the last guy got busted for human trafficking. But it's like… bad empty?

Maybe a quarter of the lights are broken, either flickering badly or not working at all. The space is huge and dingy and there's loose trash scattered everywhere. It'll take forever to get everything set up.

That old familiar one two punch of anxiety and depression hits me in the gut.

What the hell am I doing??

I don't know the first thing about being a supervillain? Why on earth did I think I could do this?

My ruminations are mercifully cut short by a knock on the door.

I stand there in shock for a moment. I thought this lair was supposed to be secret. Why would somebody be knocking on the door.

I cautiously return to the antechamber and climb the stairs to the main warehouse area. I open the door and… and…

Now, I'm not a short girl. I'm 6'2". It can be dysphoria inducing, but for the most part I've made peace with it. Worry about the things you can change etc etc. Also, now that I'm officially supervillaining, I should totally embrace it.

Sorry, got a little off topic there. The point is, I'm tall by most standards. This guy makes me feel short. And on top of being 7 foot something he's built like a tank.

He's incongruously holding a tray of cookies that's completely dwarfed by his hand.

He looks familiar. Why does he look familiar?

"Can I… help you?" I ask, slipping a little into my meek Jen persona.

He extends a hand.

"I'm Arturo," he says in a rumbly voice. He hooks a thumb over his shoulder. "I'm in the warehouse next door. I take it you're my new neighbor?"

"I… uh… yeah."

Neighbor? Why would anybody…?

Wait, why am I leasing an abandoned warehouse? He must be…

Oh… my… god…

He's Arachnid. I'm neighbors with freakin' Arachnid.

He watches the realization play out on my face with sly satisfaction.

"Oh! I… wow…" I reply a little stupidly. What the hell am I supposed to say to a fellow supervillain who happens to be my neighbor??

"I'm Jen," I say.

I extend a hand, realize realize it's sweaty, wipe said hand on my pants, cringe as I realize I just did that in front of one of my inspirations, and extend it again.

He takes it graciously.

"So, you new in town? Or just new to the business?"

"Uh… second one," I reply. "Did the whole… industrial accident thing and got tech powers. Figured I'd give… uh… this a try."

Recognition dawns on his face.

"Oh damn! You're the girl from the Jackrabbit video!"

I flush with embarrassment.

"Yeah… that's me."

The video had 137k views before it got taken down.

He opens his mouth to respond, but is interrupted by a faint sort of tearing shriek. A hole just kinda opens up in the air and there's a sulfurous ozone smell.

A woman steps out and I forget to breathe. I'm standing there like an idiot with my mouth hanging open and my eyes bugging out.

She's wearing street clothes: jeans, t-shirt and cardigan. Not her iconic costume, but there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that I'm standing in the presence of Lady Lacuna.

Don't get me wrong, meeting Arachnid is cool… but this is a whole other level. I had Princess Portal action figures when I was twelve. I still have Lady Lacuna figures on a shelf in my bedroom right now. I've written fanfiction about her. Hell, I've been a fangirl since before I even figured out I was a girl.

"Hey Art!" she says cheerfully. "Got the repairs done on the pauldron, should be better than new."

She hands a brown paper bag to Arachnid and seems to notice me for the first time.

"Oh!" she says. "New neighbor?

I'm still staring in awe.

"Yeah," Arachnid replied. "New girl on the block."

"Oh! You're the one who posted that video! Ion, right?"

"Y-yeah," I reply.

"God, that was fan-fucking-tastic how you took Jackrabbit down. Nice to see that prick get taken down a peg. I'm Sarah!"

My brain is still short circuiting.

"Uh… Jen," I reply. "I'm… I'm a huge fan… I'm sorry about your dad."

She cocks her head in confusion.

"Oh!" she says after a moment. "Oh no, he's very much alive. Just threw his back out one too many times and decided to retire. He teaches geology at the community college now."

"Oh…" I reply. "Good…"

"You wanna meet him?" she asks and whips out her phone.

Do… I want to meet… Doctor Magma?

"What??" I ask breathlessly.

"Got any dinner plans?"

I shake my head, still struggling to comprehend what's going on.

"Awesome!" she replies. "Art?"

"I would never pass up your father's cooking. I'll bring the wine."

She flashes a thumbs up and brings her phone to her ear.

"Hey Dad? Yeah… well, how do you feel about dinner for four? Got a new coworker who's a big fan of your work."

***

You ever meet your heroes and they're just like... normal people? Granted, they're the sort of people who would trigger a volcanic eruption and/or release mutant spiders on the populace downtown, which is fucking awesome... Okay, maybe they're not normal at all, but they are really cool.

We're just like around the table, drinking wine after dinner.

(Holy. Shit. Doctor Magma can cook. Note to self: get cooking tips from Doctor Magma)

Doctor Magma himself is telling us about the time he and Cobalt Blade (who sounds like a huge asshole) got caught in a shrink ray together and had to team up.

They've all done this before, just B-list supervillains hanging out, having a good time. I just met these people two hours ago, and I feel like I belong here. I've lived my entire life never really feeling like I belong, hell, I haven't spoken to my family in like 6 years. But here, with these villains-

"Okay, okay," Doctor Magma says, after wrapping up his story. "The real reason we're here is to welcome Ion to the family. May she have a long and nefarious career!"

Oh god, he said the quiet part out loud. I think I'm going to cry.

They all raise their glasses to me.

Yeah, I'm crying now.

"Dad, I think you broke her," Lady Lacuna says.

"Sorry," I mumble. "This is… a lot. I just met you… and you're all so nice. And…"

"We all look out for each other," Doctor Magma says.

"Do you have a tailor?" Arachnid asks. "It's cool if you want to do your own thing, but a professional costumer is going to think of stuff you never will and it takes off a lot of pressure. We can hook you up with our guy if you want."

"I do super tech gadgets as a side gig!" Lady Lacuna announces. "Wait, you have tech powers, don't you?"

"I… yeah"

"Would you mind taking a look at my computer some time?"

"Here we go," Arachnid mutters with a wink in my direction. "The transdimensional vortex simulator…"

"I will have you know that simulator has taken years of my life," Lady Lacuna huffs.

"What can you do with your powers?" Doctor Magma asks.

My mouth goes dry. They're all looking at me expectantly.

"I… uh… I guess I've got a party trick I've been working on."

The thing about modern houses is they're full of tech. You've got like wifi connected fridges and coffee makers and everything. I can hear the hum of it all the time. All I need to do is reach out and…

Everything in the house starts beeping and coming to life, the TV, the stereo, the microwave, everything. I even make the lights flicker ominously.

"Okay, that's really cool," Lady Lacuna says. "We should totally do a team up some time."

[humanitysong]

In certain situations person just loses hope. Meryl in the lab, was probably one of them. Yet the feelings refused to die, sitting deep in her chest. & hope to see Vash at least one more time to give a one proper goodbye. Maybe that's why she was initially hesitant when she saw a familiar red coat & blonde hair. That it was just made up, another scenario made up in her head. Yet she kept staring, until she realized that wasn't a lie. Once close enough Meryl grabbed Vash & pulled him to herself, face hidden in his shirt, the slightest move of the petals highlighting the happiness. Did he hear her thoughts just like plant's & that's why he's here? No matter what...

❝ I thought I'd never see you again... I'm glad to be wrong. ❞ A slight shift of position, top of her head now resting on him, while eyes were looking down on floor, tears still going down her face. ❝ I probably look awful right now, don't I? ❞

the moment meryl hugs him, vash wraps his arms around her, holding her close with trembling hands. "...I thought I lost you" he whispers against her dark hair. he found her... he finally found her.

vash takes a step back, seeing how the plant markings have already appeared just from touching meryl. for a moment his face becomes unreadable as he considers just the amount of pain she must have had to endure.

"nonsense" he quickly manages to gather his emotions again - even if the trembling in his hands never stopped, even if he could feel anger boiling underneath his skin towards those who hurt meryl. "you always look beautiful"

he gently wipes away her tears before taking a better look at her situation. she looked more like a plant than he did... "meryl, how long can you be outside of the tank?" vash asks quietly and kneels down before her. "I want to get you to ship three, they will have a tank for you but I need to know you can make the journey." he takes her hands into his, seeing the pattern appear again. "...I don't know how much I can control your body but I can try and keep your heart rate low until we arrive there, you don't have to worry about walking I will carry you. I'll get you to safety, I promise."

unprompted asks ( always accepting ) // @newsecured .

[bigwishes]

would love to be transformed into a sweaty stinking guy that's too hairy for his own good. I love a good muscle growth but I wouldn't be opposed to growing a big muscle gut either.

You want to become a big stinking sweating mountain of a man, we can grant that wish. Normally its my job to put guys in that position when they didn't specifically ask for it but because you did you'll get exactly what you asked for, and maybe a bit more.

what's the saying never too much of a good thing?

so first order of business piling on the muscle, lets take that body of yours and beef you right up like you've been lifting for years, filling you all the way up almost to your natural limit.

How easy was that? Yeah I know you said that you wanted to be stinking and too hairy for your own good but be patient we're getting there.

The next thing we need is hair and lots of it! make your pits fluffy, make you chest 2, NO, 3x as hairy and cover your arms and legs with the stuff. That discomfort around your ass isn't going to disappear either, there is so much hair down their now its going to rub up against you pants and become so itchy you'll be scratching your ass like a dumb ape.

How's that for hairy! Now with all that hair comes warmth, and with warmth comes sweaty 24/7 but here's the fun part, because you're so hairy it'll never fully fall off your body, it's just going to get tangled in that hair and cause you to reek, I'd say you're close to getting your own cartoonish stink cloud follow you around, give it a day and it will be in everything you own. That sweat and stench is going to seep through your clothes, everything you ever wear will be wet with sweat. Its going to get in your car seat, in your couch and in your bed, every time you sit on any of those it is going to squelch as old sweat is squeezed out like a sponge, your carpet will become stained with footprints from where you walked and it clung to the ground. I wouldn't recommend standing in one place too long mate or a puddle might start to form.

Try to keep those pits down mate, you don't want people passing out all around you, and if your stench starts peeling the paint on the walls of the gym I'm pretty sure they'll make you pay for it.

But I don't think we are quite done yet, no, I think there is one final change we can make to ruin you.

---

You wake up in your new body, the first thing you notice is the powerful smell of your house, stinking like no one has ever opened a window in any gym ever and all of it is trapped in your house. A small rush of excitement hits you, the wish your were probably too horny to make came true. You stuff your nose in your pits and breath in the stink of an entire locker room, all trapped in one arm pit.

Your stomach growls for food. Throwing a black tank top on you head to the kitchen to mix up a protein shake. Your new size demanded food, so you made a triple protein shake with triple the oats and fruit most call for. You raise the blender to you lips and start to drink, as you do you feel some slip out between the blender and the sides of your lips, running down your new beard and falling on your clean shirt. You chuckle looking down at the tank top growing darker as your sweat seeps into the fabric you take your finger and scoop up some of the protein.

"maybe I need a clean shirt before the gym, or at least one without food" you laugh as you walk back to your room, struggling to take off the tank top unassisted.

opening the door to your wardrobe you are greeted with the smell of sweat, musk and...stale protein? it smells like someone left their protein shaker in a locker for a year. Looking at the selection of tank tops you notice all of them have food stains down the front, some even have dried oats still stuck like you'd spilt your shake and simply hung it out to dry. Your shorts were similar, stains on the side from wiping your hands, even all your underwear stored in a small basket at the bottom of the wardrobe were riddled with old jizz stains and droplets of protein from drinking shakes in your underwear.

in confusion you scratch your beard pushing the dried shake you forgot was there deeper into the hair. Your stomach rumbles and you release a pent up belch reeking of protein followed by another growl in you stomach as more gas begins to brew.

"shit, I thought, I thought I was just gonna be a hairy bodybuilder with some B.O. not, I didn't want.."

but it doesn't matter what you want now mate, you wanted to stink so I gave you wanted, enjoy your life as a big, muscular, hairy, stinking,

fucking muscle S L O B