#like some on my ankle were visible and she asked if they were all about that depth and whatnot and i didn't look closely and said yeah

[catkin-morgs-kookaburralover]

uh oh the post-psych mood crash

[luveline]

I would love to see Derek with a super confident sunshine gf but May be she gets super shy and flustered when he compliments her or makes a dirty joke and just like the first time it happens and Derek is so taken aback by her shyness bc he's used to her being chatty and confident

“Hi, Dr. Reid.” 

Derek knows it’s gonna be a good day when you come in already flirting. 

“Hi,” Spencer says. “Want a bagel?” 

“Thanks, handsome, but I already had breakfast.” Derek leans back in his chair to watch you, and you see his moving, turning your attention to him with an equally brilliant smile. “Hi, Agent Morgan.” 

“You can call me Derek, baby.” 

“No, I don’t think so,” you say lightly. You pull your pea coat tighter against yourself and give a breath. “Is it cold in here today, or is it just me?” 

“There’s a problem with the radiators,” Spencer says. “They sent out an email this morning to dress warmly. It’ll be fixed by tomorrow, apparently.” 

“Oh. I didn’t see. I don’t think I’m dressed for the cold,” you say, looking down at your short heels. “I would’ve worn sneakers like you, Spence.” 

“I brought some extra socks?” Spencer says. 

“Well, keep me a pair in case I need them?” you ask. 

“Sweetheart, if it’s warming up you need, you come straight to me,” Derek says, his tone warm as his promise, “I’ll find a way to keep you comfortable, that’s on my life, don’t waste your time with anybody else.” 

He doesn’t mean it to sound so heavily sexual, but he absolutely did mean for it to be an innuendo. Regardless, he isn’t expecting this —you look straight to Spencer like you want to check he’s heard it, and you fluster hard, fisting the strap of your purse where it’s snug over your shoulder, a small smile playing on your lips. 

“Okay,” you say shyly, nodding, looking at the space to the left of Derek’s shoulder. “Won’t waste my time.”

He doesn’t know what to say. You’ve always been sweet like that, your sunny disposition drew him to you like a moth to a flame, and yet Derek can’t recall ever having made you fluster so quickly, and so visibly. 

Derek suspects he’d find neck hot under his hand with a flush if he touched it. laughs loudly, pen in his hands wagging up and down as he fights the urge to say anything else and prolong your agony.  

You give a soft laugh, flustered, embarrassed and breathless, tapping his ankle with your shoe. “That was a bit mean.” 

“Sweetheart,” he says, sorry Spencer has to be here to see it, “I was kidding.” 

“I know!” You also give Spencer a sorry look.

Spencer, while sometimes slow to pick up subtle social cues, thankfully gets the idea and stands up from his chair. Derek follows suit, though he doesn’t scarper for the kitchen. 

“That caught me off guard,” you say, laughing again as he offers his arms to you. 

“What happened?” He tugs you forward. You tuck your arms behind his neck to kiss his jaw, the morning hello.

“You said it like you were bossing me around!” you defend yourself.

“And you liked that?” 

“Stop, stop,” you laugh. “I wasn’t expecting it. You never boss me around. You’re nicer than anybody gives you credit for.” 

“You think so?” he asks, still teasing, but also vaguely smug. To get to hug you in the office, arms on your waist, prettiest face ever made, Derek can’t help himself. “I really will keep you warm. I’ll get you a heater.” 

“You’re my heater.” 

“I’m hot-blooded.” 

You part ways with mutual reluctance. “You’re something, Derek.” 

He enjoys making you laugh, and the shy tilt of your head as you’d recovered, but he’s much happier when you’re bundled up at your desk with a hot cup of coffee and his promised space heater plugged in at your feet, chatting across the way to him about what you want to do this weekend if he doesn’t get called away. 

“Maybe we can buy a couple of DVD’s and you can warm me up all weekend,” you suggest, an attempt to pretend you aren’t bothered by his comment anymore, that it had been a momentary lapse in judgement. 

Derek’s content to give you anything you ask for. “Sure, sweetheart. Whatever you want.” 

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

His Second Chance

Taglist

Everything was groggy when you finally came back, a sting in your neck making it painful to move.

Ignoring the pain the best you could, you looked around, only to see you were back in Miles' room.

But, not really. This wasn't your world.

Once it hit that you didn't wake up back at home, in bed with your Miles you sat up quickly, trying to move out of bed only to see your hands were tied and your ankles.

They weren't tied harshly, like the one who tied them with care, careful not to hurt you even when you moved around but strong enough you couldn't get out.

"What- what the fuck…" you muttered, trying to pull your hands free or get the knots undone before you heard a chair squeak and you froze.

"Don't worry about it. Can't get 'em off. Stop trying."

You turned your head quickly to Miles' chair, the back turned to you as a familiar deep and stoic voice spoke.

"Won't know if I don't try." You quipped back, trying to make whatever light of the situation you could, at least try to get you and Miles out alive.

And you could swear, you heard almost a chuckle come from behind that chair, quickly ended by the one sitting in it.

"...Why are you here?" He asked, quickly getting to the point as you scoffed.

"You're the one holding us here? We just wanna get home." You put it bluntly, going back to working on your toes as he wasn't looking.

"No." You could hear him say, the chair turning around as you worked faster before he saw.

"I mean, why are you here?" He asked, demanding as the chair finally turned.

You couldn't help but freeze as you saw his face.

It was Miles.

Your Miles.

But, not really. This Miles was visibly different and you could tell. This Miles was cold. This Miles just stared at you instead of smiling like yours did.

He was not your Miles.

Your Miles was knocked out somewhere, and needed you to get out of here.

"How are you here when you're not even supposed to be breathing?" This Miles brought you back from your shock, watching the confusion and realization sink in.

This was his world. The world where you guys disrupted the canon. The one with no Spider-Man.

So now you were forced to look at his suit, a suit similar to one Uncle Aaron wore when he was dubbed the Prowler.

"I'm not…we're not supposed to be here." You muttered, looking at everything and how similar it was to your Miles' room, down to every last picture of both of you in every same place.

"But you are." Miles bluntly reiterated, staring at you, his eyes going over and over your face like he was trying to find any similarities and any differences, he found all of one.

"You're the Prowler…? You can't be- you can't be the Prowler." You denied, stumbling over your words out of shock and shaking your head.

"Wanna know how I became the Prowler?" Miles somehow was amused by your shock and confusion, standing up to walk to you.

You couldn't find it in yourself to back away as he leaned down to you on the bed, his face close to yours as he stared into you.

"Because my dad died. And you died. Know what it's like to watch your girlfriend crushed to death with your dad on TV?" Miles muttered, his gaze never leaving you.

"And finding your body under all that?" Miles kept going, watching every reaction you did, your eyes darting around as you took in the new information.

"Now you're back…" Miles muttered, a small smirk can't help but to make its way onto his lips as he kept thinking of all the possibilities, the second chance he had now in his grip.

"Looking just as pretty as the day you left." Miles complimented, his smirk only growing as he used his fingers to pull your chin up to look at him.

"You think I'm gonna let that go?" Miles chuckled, amused at how you wanted to just leave, because he wasn't gonna let you.

"Miles. I'm…I'm not your (Name). I'm sure she loved you- but I'm not her." You tried to explain, shaking your head.

"But you are in some multiverse way. Right?" Miles laid the sarcasm on, his smirk slowly leaving as he heard how much you denied.

"Please. Just let us go home. I'm sure I loved you as much as you did me here, but you're not my Miles and I'm not your (Name)." You shook your head, a plea to understand.

"So please, let us go home." You begged one more last time as Miles just now stared at you, face blank the more you went on about leaving him.

Again.

"...How come he gets to have you and everything while I'm stuck here with what could've been avoided?" Miles scoffed, his hand making its way onto your cheek, feeling your skin he hadn't felt in so long.

"It doesn't work like that." Miles muttered, staring into your eyes, his hand lingering before he pulled away, turning his back to you and to the door.

"Miles! Please, just let us go! I- we don't belong here!" You yelled after him, desperate for him to understand as he activated his mask.

"You did once before. You'll do it again...But he won't."

Miles out on his glove, his mask over his face as your pleas fell onto deaf ears as he walked away.

He wasn't losing his second chance.

Not to that Miles, not to anyone.

You weren't leaving him again.

[murdrdocs]

just thinking thoughts abt luca and his muscles.. i KNOW that mf just manhandles you without even thinking abt it like. ur in the kitchen just yapping away abt some really interesting gossip and he's moving you around if ur in the way with a hand on your arm or waist like you weigh nothing. or you're outside walking somewhere and he's moving you outta the way from some asshole on a bike going dangerously fast and you're not paying attention to your surroundings. he has so much muscle obviously he's not putting it to use if it's not on me 🙄🙄[he makes me ILL]

i got this message and had to pace my kitchen btw casual manhandling; fluffy w suggestive undertones MDNI 18+ w/ LUCA (the bear)

luca's working diligently.

you would've worried about distracting him if he wasn't so visible focused, his head consistently dipped to keep his eyes focused on the cutting board. you don't know how he does it, how he's cooking and responding to your shitty and extremely confusing recollection of drama you heard from a friend this morning. his responses are simple, small nods and verbalized "mhm"'s, but they're effective.

"and then, come to find out, she told her that she was in the wrong, even though everyone knows she was literally just sticking up for herself..." you're getting to the climax of the story, the part that made you gasp and dramatically look around your apartment when you first heard the story over the phone. a smile is growing on your face as you wait for luca's reaction, but before it can come, you have to tell him the best part. and for that to happen, you have to continue speaking.

you don't even realize you've stopped speaking until luca prompts you to continue. but it takes you a second, because you need a moment to recover from how casually he has just moved you.

you've gone from standing in front of the spice cabinet, a place luca needed to reach, to standing in front of the sink. and you could've gotten there yourself if he spoke up and asked you to move, which he's done before. but you were in the middle of your story and he probably didn't want to interrupt you. so instead, he placed his hands on your hips, pushed you against the sink, and turned around to grab whatever seasonings he needed. like it was the most casual thing in the world.

and sure, you figure it is actually fairly casual. he's done it before, the most recent time being just a few days ago when you were furiously texting a group chat, too busy staring at the messages as they appeared to watch the sidewalk for any obstacles. before you could even realize that there was a bike coming towards you, luca had you moved out of the way and a middle finger thrown up towards the biker. it made you hot then, and it makes you hot now.

at your silence, luca looks up from his work.

"love? you were saying?"

you blink dumbly. it takes a second, but you try to recover. you resume your earlier position, arms crossed over your chest and ankles crossed over each other as you lean your weight back into the counter.

"yeah, right. where did i stop?"

"everyone knows she was just sticking up for herself but the other girl thought your friend's friend was in the wrong anyway—"

you take it from there, continuing your ramblings and exaggerating the story more and more as it builds, all while trying to push the image of luca's arms—tanned, big, and tattooed—to the back of your mind until you need that information.

which will likely be later in the night when you hope luca will manhandle you like that again.

[alwaysthefool]

Dressed Up Treachery (x Sylus)

Warnings: none

Tags: f! Reader (pro trans blog), MC Reader

Synopsis: Sylus gets jealous and that’s never a good thing

You were in another room, getting ready for an event with a dress you picked out yourself. An off shoulder silk bell strap with the fabric reaching your ankles, dyed in soft colours and embellished beautifully, however needing to be zipped up from behind. You tried to reach it, but failed, eventually looking for your phone to ask Sylus to come help you, soon realising you left it in his room.

You groaned, holding up your dress on your chest with your hands, lightly taking footsteps to Sylus’ room. Before you could knock, you heard someone clear their throat behind you.

You looked back to see Luke, or perhaps Kieran, with a box of cufflinks for Sylus in his hand. “Oh, thank god you’re here.” You chimed. “Help me zip up my dress.”

“Uh…” The voice seemed like it belonged to Luke. “Are you sure boss won’t get mad at me?”

“What? That’s so silly.” You laughed. It was truly a small thing. You just needed help with a zipper. Luke gulped, setting the box on the table beside the door, and soon you felt a gloved hand lightly push your hair on your shoulder, and zip you up.

“I’ll give him these, thanks!” You said, referring to the cufflinks. Luke took a bow, and almost sprinted away. You picked up the box and knocked on his door, hearing a cold ‘come in’. You lightly came inside, seeing Sylus in front of the wall mirror, fixing his tie. Thankfully, it wasn’t positioned in such a way that you were visible, so you tried to sneak up on him.

“Terrible habit, kitten.” Sylus sighed, turning around to face you, his face breaking into a smile when he saw you dressed up. “You look beautiful.”

“Thanks.” You feel heat rush up to your cheeks when you noticed Sylus wasn’t looking away from you. You shied away, handing him the box. “Your cufflinks.”

“Help me put them on?” Sylus asked, opening the box and taking them out. You clumsily took the cufflinks, and his large hands, taking your time with it, discarding the box on his vanity. You could tell his red eyes were still on you and that made you a little conscious. “Stop staring.”

“Do you really expect me not to? Such a pretty girl, and she’s all-“ Sylus stopped for some reason. You were almost done with his cufflinks, so you looked up at his frowning expression.

“Kitten, why do you have my cufflinks in the first place?”

“Oh. I needed help with zipping up my dress, so I came to you. But Luke— well, at least I think it was Luke— was outside so I asked him to do it!” You spoke non chalantly, finally finishing up. You expected Sylus to nod in understanding and move on, but something was suddenly off about him. He looked irritated.

“You what?”

Sylus was not looking pleased, to say the least. His eyes bore into you, accusatory and hurt, as if demanding an explanation. It almost reminded you of someone else you knew. Your relationship with Sylus was inexplicable, something between business partners and actual partners, but you never actually addressed it. He’d never said it out loud, but the way he held you, looked at you, spoke of you, made everything confusing. He acted as if the two of you already belonged to each other without even a single moment that confirmed it.

Maybe this was it.

“It’s just a dress.” You rolled your eyes, stepping away to sit on the bed, but he held you back gently by your waist, making sure not to touch your skin. You looked up at him, upset yourself, thinking you did something wrong.

Sylus sighed, trying to appear less annoyed once he saw that look. “Next time, only ask me for things like this.”

You were about to say something to protest, but he continued. “Things like zipping up your dress, helping you put your heels on, braiding your hair… leave them to me, please.”

“Why?” You pushed, defying him still. You felt bad, he was being patient and gentle, but you wanted some clarity in that matter. You pulled away from him to sit down on his bed, playing with the pearls on the skirt of the dress.

“Because.” Sylus seemed to lose his patience as he moved to tower over you, his hands on either side of you. “These small moments with you are precious to me. I want all of them. I want them, and I want you,” He moved closer, his lips next to your ear, his hair tickling your cheek, “all to myself.”

There was none of that usual snark or teasing in his voice, it was just a pure, possessive, pleading tone. You wanted him to be more explicit, but only managed to let out a ‘mhm’ as he got off you, a pat on your head.

So that’s the definition you held on to, and the fact he wouldn’t take his hand off you for the rest of the evening, asking you your views on everything, making sure you didn’t drink too much, treating you with care and affection like never before. You could only lean into him, and accept all of it shamelessly, not even thinking about the eyes on you.

-x-

Bonus;

As you and Sylus retuned home, something felt amiss. “Hey, where’s Luke?” You asked Sylus, as Kieran took the keys to take the car into parking.

“He’s on clean-up duty.” You cringed hearing that. That was never a fun task.

“And for something he didn’t even do.” Kieran whispered to himself, stifling a laugh.

[makeyoumine69]

Till Death Do Us Part (Chapter Eight)

PAIRING: Patrick Bateman x Innocent!Fem!Reader; [no y/n]

SUMMARY: Patrick locked you in the bathroom of Timothy Price's summer house. Scared and lost, you tried desperately to get out, not really understanding that he was probably doing it to save you from himself.

CONTAINS: Smut, angst, swearing, childhood traumas, toxic behavior, self-loathing, sexual tension, fingering, first time sex, pet names, mutual masturbation, dirty talk, guilty pleasures, corruption kink, body worship, hair pulling.

WORDS: 5k

A/N: Hello dears, here's another chapter! I plan to post several flashbacks after this one! Thank you so much for supporting this story, I love you all!

LINKS: [MASTERLIST]; [SERIES MASTERLIST]; [AO3].

"...Patrick, are you still there?" You pressed a shaky hand along the wooden bathroom door, swallowing your salty tears. "Please…don’t go away! I’m…I’m scared."

You began to panic as you heard his distancing footsteps as Patrick moved downstairs to the kitchen, still not really understanding what and why he was doing all of this. The man opened the freezer and took out an ice pack before going back to the bathroom you were locked in. Frowning, he gently opened the door, peering inside before opening it. When he saw you, barely standing on your feet, Bateman pulled you down to sit on the edge of the bathtub, being as gentle as he could be. Then, he ran a hand down your thigh for a moment before lifting you leg up, wrapping the ice pack around your sprained ankle and propping your foot up against the sink. 

Visibly exhausted, he sighed and looked in the mirror, seeing the small gash in his lip and shaking his head. "I guess…I've had worse." Patrick looked back at you and crossed his arms. "I…I'm…uh…I'm sorry too…for…slapping you..." The man scrunched his nose, clearly uncomfortable with apologizing but trying his best. "It, uh... it works in movies... to calm people down... I thought it'd...whatever-" He coughed and rubbed his nose before looking back at you. "But- uh... I'm not upset that you aren't Courtney or Bethany or some other whore I slept with- I just... I don't like it when you... get upset at me for watching porn. It's a normal thing for me."

"A normal thing?" You repeated, glancing at him sternly. 

Bateman nodded. "This is exactly what I’ve said."

Was he genuinely concerned about you or did he just want to manipulate you?

God, how many times has he already done this?

Maybe it did not matter, since you let him do it, you wanted to be manipulated, even now. "You know, I didn't sleep with my ex-boyfriend because," you stopped halfway, not sure if this was the right time to bring up such a topic, but the desire to dotting the I’s and crossing the T's between two of you overcame any doubts. "Because my family always told me not to go out with boys—they didn't want me to become a whore," you confessed, trying to move your ankle, hissing with pain as it still hurt. 

"If you move, your ankle will swell to the size of a grapefruit." Patrick tried to interrupt you but you didn’t falter.

"...they kept insisting that sex was something sinful and dirty, so when I grew up I had no idea what physical intimacy was. I even…consider myself frigid," you watched as Bateman's eyebrows furrowed in exasperation. "Sorry to bring that up. I... I was going to say…why didn't you ask me to... help you instead of watching porn, but then I realized how stupid it would be... to ask such an inexperienced virgin like me for help." 

Annoyed, the man shook his head and gently put a hand on your back, urging you to stay seated. "Even if you did have sex with your ex-boyfriend...Courtney is a whore because she's cheating on Luis and not just with me either. Bethany was a whore because she was getting married to Robert fucking Hall." Bateman chuckled at himself, the image of the last lunch with Bethany relapsing in his mind. He ignored it though, keeping the friendly smile on his face. "I didn't think to ask you because I knew you would say no." He admitted, showing his fear of rejection. 

"There's a huge gap between us," you licked your lips briefly as you watched your reflections in the mirror. "It always has been, even when we were children. Your family is much richer and more influential, that's enough to make you feel superior, isn't it?"

Patrick hesitated before he also started opening up, deciding it was his turn to talk about his family. "Uh, my whole life I was pretty much... surrounded by sex. Father left these... porn magazines around the house and Sean and I often caught him fucking... well anyone, really. Started with just my mother, but after she became suicidal and drugged up, he would bring women into the house- sometimes he would just bang our maids. Mother was always asleep. Until she wasn't one day." The corner of his eyes twitched slightly, but the stoic mask didn't falter

"Patrick…I’m sorry, but it's not your fault to be born into such a family…with so much power and wealth." You gasped and closed your eyes for a moment. "The thing that bothered me the most about our arranged marriage is... the heir our families would probably want us to have. And if they really do want this, I don't want our child to suffer…I only want good things for them…I don't care about myself, I just want the baby to be happy." Saying that, You didn't even notice that you were crying again, your tiny hand clasped around his involuntarily, sending shivers down your spine from the mere physical contact. 

Embarrassed, Patrick tensed slightly at the sudden touch, but then he hesitantly moved his hand to entwine his fingers with yours, not looking at your hands so he wouldn't talk himself out of it. Blushing a bit, the man stared at his reflection in the mirror, but all he saw was an expressionless mask. It was difficult for him to tell what was real and what was not. 

"My life was hell." He said tonelessly. 

Sitting closer, you carefully rubbed a small circle into the top of his large palm.

My poor little boy. Why did all this happen to you? Why?

Bateman was usually open about how unhappy he was in life, but people never listened. It's gotten to a point where he actively made threats against people just to see how far he could go without anything noticing. 

Confused, Patrick raised an eyebrow and looked down at you. "...A child?" He repeated. 

How could he have not thought about that? Of course they would be expected to have children. Patrick liked children, and he often imagined himself as a father. But he usually imagined it with Jean or Courtney or a random model he saw on TV. 

"Uh... the baby will be happy, don’t worry," he stated, looking away from you as he spoke so he wouldn't have to see you cry. "After this marriage, I'm planning to... cut contact from my family." 

As a lurking sadness creeped up into your chest once again, you frowned and closed your eyes at his last words—burning bridges with family was not the easiest way to solve the problem, but despite your urge to persuade him to find another solution, you should have respected him and his choices. 

"I see," you murmured and before you knew it, your  lips were pecking his soft cheek, usually perfectly shaved but now a bit stubbly. "This is very brave of you to do this. I think I should follow suit and do the same." You sighed and looked down at your intertwined fingers, the sight making your heart beat so fast, that you felt slightly light-headed. "But speaking of heirs, I don't think I'm ready for children, neither are you...I suppose," you  slowly kept stroking his warm palm. "To be honest, I don't want my life to be limited by taking care of children while you're out having a great time in clubs with other women..." you stopped, biting your lip as you didn’t really mean to say it. "But as I said so many times already…I'm not going to judge you, that's the lifestyle you always had and will have. The lifestyle that so few people on our planet can afford."

Rubbing his cheek where you kissed him, the man chuckled and shook his head. "No... no kids yet... I don't think I even have enough room in my apartment." He admitted sheepishly—he didn't like to admit that his apartment was rather small. Then, Patrick glanced down at your clasped hands and flexed slightly, the veins becoming visible under his tan skin. "Well…" He started then paused. "...I don't really... like partying." Bateman admitted, looking over at you again. "I think they're loud and stressful. It's also tiring to have to make reservations at so many restaurants every single day... " He sighed. "But it's a cycle I can't break. Because it's... well, it's my life. Maybe when I'm older, it'll be... hip to stay at home instead of going to the Tunnel every night."

After listening to him attentively, you took your hand away and made another attempt to stand, but failed and fell right into Bateman's embrace—and thank God you both didn't fall into the tub, as he managed to keep his balance. And now, you were literally straddling him, your hands instinctively wrapped around his strong neck and you could feel his burning flesh pressed against your womanhood. It was so hard and throbbing—you  had to close your eyes for a second to keep yourself together. 

"Sorry," you murmured, staring into his walnut eyes. "You... you have such beautiful eyes, it was the first thing I noticed when we first met. Do you remember?" You asked, trying to play it cool as Patrick looped your waist with his muscular arms and, doing it certainly on purpose, pressed you closer to his rock-like groin. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, subtle but definitely there. Patrick shifted as he felt his now growing erection pressing against the silk of his robe and against your elegant thigh. The man glanced away for a second, the eye contact making him nervous. 

Bateman flushed at the compliment and shook his head slowly. "No…uh, maybe… I don't think so.." He said slowly, instinctively pressing you closer.

Momentarily, you leaned down, about to kiss him hard on lips, only to stop at the last second, and instead of kissing him, you hugged him tightly. "You're so strong, as you’ve always been," you murmured, stroking his biceps through the expensive fabric of his robe, not even realizing you were playing with fire. "I can't imagine how hard you had to train to be in such shape," you hopped on top of him to make yourself more comfortable, accidentally hitting his hard bulge and hearing him growl. "I...sorry...I didn't want...uh…Does it hurt?" You started to get up, but then just stopped. "Can...can I help you with...this?" You asked almost breathlessly, watching Patrick's nostrils flutter with heat. 

The thunder still echoed in the background, but you didn't care. Not now. 

"I don't promise I can do anything from the porn you watch, but... but maybe if you help... if you guide me... it can work?" You asked, pursing your lips and averting your eyes from the burning embarrassment.

"No... don't worry about it..." The man husked through his clenched teeth before moving his hands down, squeezing at your ass with both hands. He grinned and tilted his head back. "Ah, fuck it-" He muttered, throwing all his standards and concerns out the window. 

Heaving, Patrick moved his hands underneath your legs and stood up, carrying you against his chest. Then, Bateman strode back to the bedroom, pressing kisses against your jaw before gently laying you down on the big bed. With a wolfish smirk, he kneeled above you and pressed his soft lips against yours.

What am I doing?

The questions echoed through your head, but your body refused to listen to what your jittery mind was telling you. Breathlessly, you squealed into his mouth as he parted your legs with his massive knee, making himself comfortable between them as you could feel his hunger getting higher by the second. 

"Patty..." you moaned breathlessly in response to his aggressive attack on your neck, and you  didn't even notice that you were craning your neck to give him more access. Not to mention that you were so wet, dripping even, and it embarrassed you to no end. "Wait, w-wait...please," you whimpered suddenly, leaning against his strong chest to stop him. "I...I've never done this...I don't know..." you struggled to breathe, your hands sliding nervously around Bateman's torso as you had no idea where to put them. "I don't know what to do..." you closed your eyes, unable to bear the way this man stared at you like the wolf that had finally caught its prey. 

It would hurt…it would hurt so much… but I should go through it!

Panting, Patrick pulled away from the kiss, using his knee to part your legs. He looked down at you with a soft expression, an expression he rarely showed anyone as he felt the urge to make love to you rather than just…having sex. The man reached over to run his hand through your hair, making your face more visible to him. You really were quite beautiful. So much different than his regular standards though. Carefully, he slid a hand under your back to hold you closer as he pressed kisses against your shaky throat. He gently bit at one spot and licked, sucking on your skin until a dark hickey was left. Growling quietly, Bateman felt his erection twitch by you moaning his name. But…he slowly pulled away when he heard your protests, looking at you with furrowed brows. 

Patrick swallowed before sighing lowly, licking at his lips. "Yeah, I know you're a virgin..." he said slowly. "I'll be…uh…gentle…you don't have to do anything if you don't want to. You can just…lay here…" The man moved his hands down your hip before slowly pulling on the lace of your underwear in a teasing way. All this time, he kept eye contact with you as he rubbed two fingers against your clothed womanhood, a smirk tugging at his lips when he felt just how wet you were. " It'll hurt at first...but it'll feel great after a few seconds."

"I know," you gasped in response to his remark about pain. "I know it's going to hurt, but I'm okay with that," you suddenly realized how long you’d been waiting for this—to finally be claimed by the man you’d longed for years. "I'd better shut up...I'm afraid I'll mess everything up." 

"You can keep talking, sweetheart. I like making noise." Bateman said smoothly, letting the designer fabric slip off his shoulders.

You propped yourself up on your elbows to catch a perfect view of his hard, engorged cock, bobbing as the man moved, its tip leaking and blushing red. "Maybe…we can have some foreplay?" You suggested tentatively, not that you weren’t ready—your  soaked slit was a great testament to how ready you were in a biological way—but your girlish nature wanted to live through this moment emotionally, to feel his touch on every inch of your trembling body. "What do you think about...mutual masturbation?" 

Patrick was losing himself in you, he pressed a few kisses to your head, taking the opportunity to smell your hair and savor your sweetness, but then paused. "Mutual masturbation?" He asked incredulously. "You might be a virgin, Becca, but you certainly aren't innocent... I like that..." The man readjusted himself so his erection would be in a more convenient spot for you to take hold of. "I usually don't like... innocence. It's, uh... inconvenient. Acting like a teacher." 

Bateman hummed and moved his hand to cup your virginal pussy before flicking his thumb over your clit. After that, he reeled his hand back for a couple of seconds before bringing it back, using one finger to rub the inside of your taut, lower lips in an agonizingly slow way. Grinning wryly, he glanced up at your face before shoving two fingers into your tight hole, making sure to move them slowly and deliberately. And even though you still couldn't believe that you were capable of suggesting such filthy things, Patrick didn't give you time to think about it as his poking digits caused a storm of sensations in your fuzzy mind.

“Uh...Patty..." You were ready to scream this nickname over and over again, closing your eyes from the way your taut nipples rubbed against his firm chest through the soft fabric of your top. "I think...I think I..." a nervous pause, then a swallow. "I think I like it..." 

“Yeah,” the man shoved his fingers deeper, indulging how warm and tight you were. “Just like that…keep your legs open for me.”

"Mmhm," you covered your mouth with one hand and cupped his thick cock with the other, feeling it throbbing from your touch. "I'm sorry…I didn't watch porn," you giggled nervously, your eyes closed as you shyly began to jack him off with hope that he was enjoying it despite the fact that your motions were pretty amateur. 

“Don't do that..." Bateman warned. "I want to hear you making all these little lewd sounds..." He added, bucking his hips against your hand to get some more friction. He groaned and tilted his head back. "Just…just move your hand faster..." He tried to encourage you, before closing his eyes, following the rhythm of your hand movements with his fingers. 

"Are you…are you sure…it will fit?" Your question hung in the air for a moment before you continued. "You're so... so big, I'm not sure if just the tip would fit..." your breathing was labored and shallow, and it grew more rapid the deeper Bateman pushed his fingers. "Do it...do it fast, okay? Don't worry about me." you stroked his cock more vigorously, sensing the drops of his warm pre-cum dripping down onto your hand. 

Without further ado, you pulled up your white top, revealing your heavy breasts and hard nipples, one of which you squeezed almost instantly, trying to add extra stimulation to distract yourself from the searing pain.

 "Fit?" Bateman grinned, his eyes having a mischievous glint in them."It'll fit. I've been with younger girls than you…and it always fits." He remarked casually, deciding not to mention that he actually did end up tearing someone's vagina from just thrusts. He groaned again, the sound coming deep from his throat. 

"I think...I think from behind is the best option?" You asked without even thinking, opening your eyes to find his brown ones, admiring the way his face was flushed and focused...focused on you.

The man nodded slowly and ran a hand through your hair, pulling at it gently. "Yeah... we can do doggy…you sure haven't, uh…watched porn? You seem to know what you like." Patrick chuckled and watched with glee as you played with your tits, his free hand immediately went to one of them, massaging and gently squeezing the heavy mound in his hand—his palm was smooth against it. He flicked his thumb over your nipple and bit his bottom lip. Then, he hesitantly pulled his fingers out from you, quickly putting them in his mouth so he could taste you and God, you were so sweet.

With a cheeky grin, he rolled his hips back from your hand. "So, are you going to get on your hands and knees or will I have to maneuver you…Dove?"

"I...I can't believe you still remember this nickname..." your breathing became more and more labored as you couldn't see exactly what he was doing behind your back, but maybe it was for the better. "...I've missed it so much, Patty." 

Damn it, did I say it out loud?

Patrick opened the condom after struggling for a bit, his hands shaking from anticipation. He cursed to himself quietly before slipping the condom onto his erection, making sure the condom was an inch from the tip to "catch the ejaculate" as Courtney would say. His eyes traveled to your body hungrily, staring at your back, then your ass, then the back of your head. Satisfied, he lapped at his lips before moving to sit on his knees behind you, his hands grazing over your hips. 

"I... can't believe it either. Guess it just came back to me." The man muttered before leaning over your back, his cock pressing against your ass cheek. 

As much as you wanted to look confident and brave, your legs began to tremble the moment you felt Bateman's strong arms wrap around your waist in a possessive way, as if you were an object. "Make it quick...please..." You pleaded, closing your eyes and already wrinkling the sheets beneath you.

Smirking arrogantly, he trailed his hands from your hips to your waist and then to your arms. His grip on you was tender and soft, a stark contrast to how he treated his other hookups. Patrick moved his hands down to yours, pressing his palms against the back of your hands. Then, he kissed your neck and did that also to your jawline before stopping at your ear. 

"You say that, but... I don't think you really want it to be quick, do you?" Bateman whispered, his breath hot against your face. He chuckled and pulled back slightly. "Tell me when you're ready..." He said roughly before bringing his body back to your hips, waiting for your signal. "Safe word will be... uh... vanilla." Patrick never bothered to use a safe word before with any of his other companions, but he felt it was necessary for you. His Dove.

"I'm ready," you mused, turning to face him. "You can imagine someone beautiful in my place, so it would be... more appealing to you." You suddenly added, knowing that your body was so far from the standards of beauty that Patrick preferred when it came to banging women.

Biting on his lower lip, Patrick could feel the tension in your body. He kept his hands gentle against your skin, holding back his urge to absolutely rail you senselessly. Bateman groaned when you pushed your hips against his, as he huffed softly and tightened his grip on your ass.

"If you weren't beautiful, I wouldn't be here behind you." He countered softly before reeling back. He positioned himself fully before pressing his tip against your opening. He inhaled sharply and slowly moved in further, your pussy wet enough for him not to use lube. Overwhelmed by the musky scent of your arousal in the air, he groaned throatily and began to thrust slowly, his cock breaking into your hymen. "S-shit... you're so fucking tight.." He croaked through clenched teeth.

Inch by inch, his thick cock slid inside, past your hymen, forcing your inner muscles to tighten around the foreign object that had invaded your innocent sanctuary. "Uhhh, it's so..." you clutched the pillow beneath, your eyebrows knitted together by the tearing pain. "...so big…mmhm…it won't fit!" You cried out suddenly as the pain grew, but when you tried to wriggle out of his grip, Bateman only pulled you closer, wrapping his hands around your waist like an iron ring. "Patrick..." you whimpered, and although you knew the safe word, you didn't want to be a coward, but these new-founded sensations were too much to bear. "Can you…k-kiss me…please?" Your hands clawed at his hips as if looking for something to help you to suppress the pain, you didn't even know why you asked him to kiss you as if it could really help.

Visibly irritated, the man moved his hands up your back and pulled you up not-to-gently at all, pressing his hot lips against yours. Next, Patrick ran his hand down your heavy breasts as he deepened the kiss, full of affection and desire. He pulled away only after a few moments, panting heavily, he looked into your hazy eyes. 

"You're... clawing my skin." The man hissed slowly, moving one hand to pull yours off his hips. "You know the word... if it's too much, we can just do oral for the night." He said roughly. "Your body will adjust to it... it'll fit. You just have to be patient... but if you can't, we can stop." Bateman tried to hide the disappointment from his voice as he spoke.

The undertone of his words hit you like a truck, encouraging you to give yourself an illusory slap in the face and to be strong and brave, since you were really acting like a cry baby, considering it was your idea. But the pain…the pain was so sharp and you didn't expect it, so now you had to think of other options, because you didn't want to ruin this moment completely, as if Bateman wasn't already annoyed. 

Panting, you quickly leaned forward, causing his cock to flop out of her without him holding her, and then you rolled onto your back, placing a pillow under your ass. "Let's go like this," you commented, taking another pillow to cover your face. "Doggy is too much for me right now…too painful…I'm...sorry...I thought I could handle it," you peered up at him for a moment, then at his still rock hard dick pressed against his flat stomach, encased in a condom and already slick with your flavor. "Why…why are you so big?" You suddenly asked, feeling silly because you were a nurse and you knew very well that such things usually depended on genetics and there wasn't much Patrick could do about it, but you asked anyway. 

Patrick honestly didn't care what position you did, he just needed a release. When you lay down, he moved back behind you and wrapped one of your legs around his shoulder, having a firm grip on your thigh. Huffing and blushing, he pressed his tip against your wet folds, humming softly as he felt your heat. Then, he glanced up and saw you were covering your face with the pillow once again. Bateman felt a sudden annoyance and reached over, pulling the pillow away. 

"Stop fucking hiding your face!" He commanded—a certain edge in his voice. "You know what's the only unsexy thing about you, Rebecca? Your fucking lack of confidence. I don't want to fuck you if you're always talking about how 'ugly' you are, or how you aren't worth my time, because-" He paused, staring at you and pursing his lips as he stopped himself from spilling too much. "It's just- it's unflattering... and I'm not going to fuck you until you promise me you'll stop hiding your face. Because I want to see your face." His voice was softer now as he stared down at you , keeping his hips completely still.

As if you weren't the only one who made me feel unattractive.

You thought, but didn't say it out loud. "I won't," you stated and stared into his eyes without a hint of doubt. "Go ahead…use my hole like you always love to." 

With that, you spread your legs wider, being on the verge of bucking your hips against his to impale yourself on his cock, no longer as hard as it had been. Panting, you looked up at the ceiling for a moment. 

'I want to see your face, huh, yeah, for sure,' his words kept spinning in you head, 'and who will he be imagining while fucking me, Courtney or maybe Bethany? Or maybe both together.' 

You fidgeted impatiently on the bed when Patrick still didn't move. "What's the problem now? I did what you said."

Something about your tone bothered Patrick. Apparently there was another unsexy thing about you—your jealousy. And your incompetence in hiding it. He felt his horniness leaving his body and his erection softening, a deep frown on his face that didn't leave any creases in his skin. He crossed his arms over his bulging, taught pecs and shifted away from you again, letting go of your legs. 

"You're upset with me." Bateman muttered tonelessly, leaving no room for argument. "I don't want to fuck you if you're going to be bitchy. Why are you upset with me? Is it because you aren't my first? I feel like I've been... nothing but nice to you lately." He hissed through clenched teeth, tilting his head up slightly and staring down at you.

A tired sigh escaped your chest at his words. Silently, you rolled onto your stomach, feeling so embarrassed and disappointed... again. 

"You're such an egoist," you commented suddenly, covering yourself with a blanket. "I've told you so many things about...my family problems, because you know, unlike you, my parents didn't allow me to do whatever I wanted," you huffed, realizing that it was pointless to try to explain anything to him. "Leave me alone," you finally blurted out, barely holding back your tears. "Do whatever you want, hire a hooker or a million of them, I don't care! Just…leave me alone!" You sobbed and hugged yourself. What an idiotic decision you had made, thinking you could help him when he didn't even see you as a woman. Shaking, you closed your eyes and hid your face in the pillow. "It was my fault…but you could have stopped me."

Angry as fuck, Patrick furrowed his brows, tying the robe back around his body. He clenched his jaw and moved off the bed, now standing besides you. "Is that what you think? That I was allowed to do whatever I want?" He repeated, his eyes penetrating the back of your head. "Well, uh, newsflash...I had my own problems too. I had my own issues with my family. Just because we were wealthy doesn't mean we were a picture perfect family like my mother so desperately wanted to perpetuate!" He was now getting really insane, his hands clenching into his fists at his hips. "You think your life was so hard, Becca. Well, here's what I think. I think you're too much of a self-centered, self-loathing bitch that's too clouded by your own sorrow to see anyone else's. Am I right? Did I… hit the nail on the head?" He spat. "You act like I'm some sort of villain, some burden on your life or some...some obstacle you have to overcome. Don't you know how that makes me feel? Every. Single. Fucking. Day… you are chastising me for something. Whether it be watching porn, or…or what, having a wealthy upbringing? Or having past girlfriends, for Christ sakes. You've always been such a prude, Rebecca. I swear, you were born with your own chastity belt." After he calmed down, he sighed and looked away from you, going to the door. " So, uh, y'know… think about that." He said before leaving the bedroom, closing the door behind him but making sure the lights were still on.

P.S. Thank you for reading until the end! I don’t have a taglist. You can follow my side blog @makeyoumineagain and turn on notifications to know when I update!

[emmyrosee]

HAI EMMY!!! i've always wanted to send this request since it's been on the back of my mind for a while now;;

i just wanna know how kita shinsuke would act if he had a crush. likeeee would he be straightforward about it, or would he shy away from his feelings, OR OR OR IMAGINE IF HE BECAME ALL CLUMSY BECAUSE READER HAS SUCH A SOFT SPOT IN HIS PURE LITTLE HEART. AUGUAHAHHUH he's so cute and pinchable it hurts.

you don't have to tend to this request right away, of course. ^^ I JUST HOPE YOU'RE DOING WELL AND PLSPLSPLS DO STAY HYDRATED!!! ・゜(。┰ω┰。).・゜

*sneezes* you got me in my feelings mate 🥺❤️❤️ also this is pre-timeskip bc I needed the boys for support dont @ me

Because kita shinsuke- the man, the myth, the love of my life and the reason I wake up in the morning…

Is SO. DANG. BAD. when it comes to having a crush, because all his steadiness and confidence and grounding is completely gone, and he turns into a mess. With most feelings, it’s easy for him, the love he feels for his granny is complete adoration, his teammates are admiration, and you… he doesn’t know what you are, because you feel different than he is used to.

All his ducks were lined up if anyone were to ask how his emotions were sorted. Then you came along out of seemingly no where.

He doesn’t know what happened; he’s known you for years, you’ve been in similar classes and know each others name, but then you started showing up when Suna Rintaro came along, even sitting quietly at practice while the second-year played. While people noticed your arrival- namely the twins- Suna would immediately shut them down with a snap of his fingers and a dominating “absolutely not.”

From then, Kita just assumed you were off limits. Not that he had specific feelings for you regardless, but he kept his distance just in case.

One day, Rintaro fell at practice and twisted his ankle, and while you had indeed helped him to the bench and laid ice on it, your scolding was just a loud hiss as practice continued.

He… liked, that you weren’t going to sugar coat the magnitude of injuries.

After that, for some unholy reason, you’ve absolutely plagued his mind.

His serves are off, he’s working harder and harder in practice as if to impress you, talking more in class for you to hear his voice. He tries to find shoes to make him look taller, shirts that tone him a bit more, he tries to style his hair a little different, anything and everything to be more visible to you.

All that seems to do, however, is make the twins notice him.

“You could be a long lost twin,” Osamu snickers on a rare day you’re not at practice, taking a sip from his water. He raises his hands in defense when Kita shoots him a small glare, “I’m serious! Cant say I don’t appreciate the style but… why?”

“Because captain’s in looooove,” Atsumu sings, dramatically resting his head on Kita’s shoulder. Kita blinks down unamused at the blonde, but everyone sees right through him as his back tenses and eyes blow out slightly. His cheeks give a small flush, and he’s so full of it, it hurts.

“Being in love implies that there’s a two party consent,” he defends. “I have absolutely no indication that she has any feelings other than platonic for me.”

“Not true! Suna’s in love with you!”

“AM NOT!”

“See? The love Suna has for me, is not part of a two party consent. Not quite the same as being in love.”

“KITA-SAN?!”

Kita ignores the completely offended middle blocker, giving Atsumu a small shrug of his shoulder to make him raise his head. The setter does, but not without continuing the conversation, “come onnnn! What have you got to lose by confessing? Huh? Plus you gotta be in love, because you’re so nervous for those feelings to not be mutual, if you weren’t you wouldn’t care!”

And gosh, he does have Kita there. Why do you make him so nervous? Truly! Maybe it’s his fault, perhaps he sees you as a fond younger class man, despite being in the same years… in… fact you may be older than him? But that’s beside the point,

“You know Kita-San, I’ve never seen you so… out of it,” Osamu continues. “You’re usually like, cold and stoic and straightforward-“

“Benched me three practices ago when I kept fooling around,” Suna snickers.

“Yeah! Now you’re smiling at your phone and laughing more during drills at our crap and just… happier. It’s strange.”

A thick brow cocks in confusion for Osamu’s words, “im… I didn’t think those were bad characteristics to have?”

Finally, to mend the situation, Aran sighs and stands up to clap Kita on the back, “I think what our eloquent second hears are trying to say, is that she’s good for you… maybe you pursue something with her and get some answers.”

Maybe he should.

Kita thinks he should sleep on it.

But in fact, all Kita does is toss and turn. All night. Thinking about all the outcomes if he does, or doesn’t, confess to you and how you may or may not feel about him in return.

In fact, Kita spends the whole rest of the day thinking and day dreaming about you and the mere idea that you could return any of the affections he could share. He shambles uncharacteristically like a zombie, a complete 180 from his usual composed self.

With all love in the world… you’re ruining his life.

He’s barely able to comprehend his movements, if he didn’t have a team relying on him, he’d immediately try to go home for the day and shake whatever remnants of you are on his mind.

His team, who look at him with cocked brows as Kita enters the gym with a massive, book in his hand; and listen… he doesn’t really know where he got it either.

But it has your name on it. He can’t remember if you left it, or forgot it, or… honestly, he may have stole the thing on a subconscious whim to talk to you.

Either way, he’s got it and not you.

“Whatcha got there, cap?”

“Her book,” he says flatly. “She… left it on her desk… I think. She needs it for her homework.” He looks at the second year who’s glancing back up at him with sharp eyes. “I was wondering if you could bring it to her on your walks home.”

“Or,” Suna says, hopping back onto his feet once his shoes are tied. “You could return it, and maybe then tell her how you feel?” He takes out his phone and immediately, his fingers start to fly.

“Oh… I’m not sure about that-“

“Too late,” he says indifferently. “I already texted her that you were on your way; she was on her way here after digging for it, so,” he claps his captain on the back. “Have at thee.”

Kita sighs in defeat, “remind me to force a phone-ban when I get back.”

“That’s my captain,” Suna teases. But he does send Kita an encouraging push on his back, and the captain takes a deep breath before shuffling out.

And his thoughts of what to say run over and over and over and over again, creating a string of words to fire out at anything and everything you could say.

He just wants to confess at this point. He can’t go on being so stiff and distracted; he needs you to either like him back, or reject him.

That, of course, dissipates when he sees you on the other end of the hall.

Your face brightens up as you see him, bouncing relieved on your toes and he approaches with his usual small smile.

“You are a godsend,” you praise, and Kita’s ears turn hot pink at your words. “I just completely blanked on grabbing it, thank you, thank you.”

“It’s no trouble,” he assures. He then swallows thickly as he continues to watch you place the book in your bag and then trying to make your way to the gym to watch Suna and the boys.

He, subconsciously, steps in front of you.

“Kita-San?”

“I… think you look pretty today,” he says, gnawing his lip and keeping very intense eye contact with you. You tip your head and, in an attempt to ease his nerves, crack a joke.

This, evidently, was a bad idea.

“Huh. Am I not pretty everyday?”

You almost hear the whimper in his throat, and before you can tell him that you’re just joking, the word fountains turn on and he’s off.

“Of course you are! It’s just that today in class, I couldn’t stop glancing over at you and the way you were chewing on your pen- because even though that’s bad for your teeth it made you look positively focused and your eyes were kept on the board and no one else and I couldn’t help but look at you because I like the way you look when your focused, I like the way you look when you do anything-“ he takes a deep breath while you blink in surprise.

“Kita-San?”

“-And I don’t know how to stop liking the way that you look but the way that it’s making me feel is making me feel confused and almost a little frightened because I’ve never had these feelings before but apparently Suna has similar feelings and according to Atsumu that’s normal to have feelings that may be unreciprocated-“

“Kita-San!”

“-But he’s the one that encouraged me to do this because I’ve been such a fool with everything I do because I can’t stop thinking about you and Atsumu said that it’s easier to get an answer rather than guess and-“ there’s small snickering around the corner, and the shy, rambling Kita snaps back to his usual composed, captain form, “atsumu, I hear you over there. 50 push ups and 3 laps around the court when I come back to practice!”

“Suna’s here too!” A voice whines.

“Then both of you! OUT!”

There’s a dash of sneakers down the hallway. He takes a deep breath and finally looks back at you, completely flushed and out of breath from the past minute and a half.

He clears his throat before he cards his hair back, “for… for reference, I have no desire of pursuing a relationship with Suna.”

You blink. Then, you snort to try and hide a giggle.

Then, you’re laughing, you’re laughing straight into his face and clutching your sides, and he could almost cry from embarrassment, swallowing thickly and looking down the hall where the twins were hiding.

“I understand,” he says quietly. “I do hope you continue to support our team-“

“Kita-San,” you say, trying to gather yourself. You reach for his hand, which is clammy and he feels bad for, but you don’t seem to mind. “I’m laughing because I like you too; I’m always staring at you too, Mr. Perfect, even when you do see it.” You plant a small kiss to his knuckles and he nearly faints.

“I was laughing, because Suna is basically obsessed with you, I tease him for it constantly on our walks home; just the idea that you had to clarify to me that you were indifferent towards that was just silly.” He opens and closes his mouth like a fish to try and reply, but you shake your head with a smile, “I like the way you look. I like the way you put your heart and soul into everything you do. I like the way you always have some money incase someone needs something for the vending machine.” You beam up at him, and he feels like he’s floating, but he finally cracks a smile back, and when you open your palm in an attempt to initiate hand-holding, he laces his fingers with yours happily.

As you walk down the hall, only the sound of footsteps ring through the air, and kita is happy, he’s thrilled that not only do you feel the same, but you had no judgement towards him. You liked him for all the reasons he couldn’t see, and that meant the world to him.

Then, you hum, and he casts you a look.

“Is it really that bad to chew on the end of your pen?”

“Horrendous,” he chuckles. “The enamel of your teeth wears down.” You laugh and shake your head at the silly fact.

“But that’s okay,” he continues. “I like when you do it. It’s endearing.”

[wandanatsbaby]

Hey saw that you were taking requests for Lexa so here i am ! could you write smth about soft lexa and an oc or freader grounder that is really pretty and like soft for a grounder ? thankksss :))

Soft Grounder

Pairing: Lexa x Reader

Warnings: none

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

Lexa watches on with a smile as the night bleeders braid your hair and put little flowers in it. She has a small smile on her face as she watches you interact with them envisioning your future and wondering what you would be like if you both had kids.

Walking up to lexa with a smile you wrap your arms around her as no one is looking and give her a kiss on the cheek. “Good evening Heda.”

“Good evening Hodnes. Join me for lunch? The sky crew will be joining as well.” You nod and follow beside her as she leads you to the dining area. You look around and give Clarke a small wave as you see her sitting with who you recognize as Bellamy.

Lexa pulls out a chair for you at the head of the table and then makes her way to the other end. You never liked having to sit far from her but you knew it was tradition for the Commander's partner to be at the other end.

The night went on pretty smooth with everyone talking and chatting but throughout it all you could spot Bellamy giving you weird glances and whispering stuff to Clarke which made you nervous.

“Bellamy, is there a problem?” Lexa asks as she had seemingly noticed the looks and whispers.

“No Heda I just-”

“Just what? You’ve been giving my wife weird looks all night and whispering to Clarke. I'd like to hear what you have to say.” You send an uneasy look to Lexa not sure you want to hear what the boy was saying about you.

“I was just saying that well. Ive never met a grounder as sweet as her I mean the other day I say her with one of the guys at a stall and she was very sweet.”

Then

“Excuse me. Do you happen to have any more of this?” you asked, pointing to the object you wanted.

“sha hang ona” (Yes hang on) The guy pulled more of the material out and looked at you expectedly.

“What would you like? I have some medicine that Nyko gave me. I also have some jewelry.” The man just politely asked for one of the rings on your fingers but you just gave him a smile and handed him two rings and a bag of different medicine that Nyko had given you. The man tried to deny it but you insisted but ended up walking out with the object you had wanted and a bird that he said was made by his wife. The bird now sat on a stand in your and Lexas room.

Now.

“Is there a problem with that?” Lexa started standing up at this point ready to defend you by all means.

“Lexa its okay. Calm down.” The girl did not even spare you a glance as she stared the boy down and you watched him visibly gulp as he shrunk a little in his seat. Clarke trying to control her laughter beside him

“NO! Of course not! I mean its amazing how she acts with Night bleeders. They all looked so happy the other day when she was playing with them”

Then

“Kwin (Queen) Y/n will you please come play with us?” Aden asked as the other children gave you pleading looks. Will a laugh you agreed and ended up chasing them through Polis as many people watched on with small smiles as well.

As you were chasing a younger girl she had ended up tripping on a rock and landing on her knees. She let out a soft cry before covering it up.

“Oh no ash are you okay?” you asked the young girl as you crouched in front of her. You could see the tears in her eyes and the way she tried to hide them. She nodded slowly and looked at you. You attempted to help her stand but quickly swept her into your arms at the sounds of her cries of pain and quickly took her to Niko’s tent to get her seen.

She had made you promise not to leave her until she was allowed to go back to her room with the other Night bleeders and you gladly accepted. You ended up being there for an hour as she had a sprained ankle and needed some rest. You then escorted her to her room and gave her a small kiss on the head.

Now

Lexa turns to Clarke now wanting to know if this information is true.

“Is this true wanheda?” Clarke gives a nod and a slight laugh while looking back to Bellamy's shaking figure.

“Yes Heda its true.”

“Very well then. Just know if anyone were to ever threaten her or anything it would be against the rules and you would be killed immediately.” Bellamy Gave an Immediate nod and gave you a small apology as he continued to eat.

[heartsoji]

suna rintaro here. my girlfriend, y/n, is being distant today and i don't know why. let me tell you about what happened.

we were supposed to have our separate zooms with her on my lap, but she left to a different room near the very beginning. she tried to play it off with "i have a pop quiz and i need to focus. can't have my grade drop just because i can't focus on your lap with your zoom in the background," but we all know that that is absolute bs. she could've focused on my lap just fine, and we all know that failing a 10-point pop quiz from chiahara-sensei happens to the best of us. and if you're wondering, i am the best of the best.

then, after we both finished our annoyingly long 1.5 hour lectures, (well she claimed hers was in fact a 40-point pop quiz/test but it def wasn't) she refused to cook together. she said something like, "rin, you burned yourself last time, remember? go sit down," but that, too, is bs. yes, i spilled hot water on my sweats last time i tried to make pasta, but it was on my knee, so it wasn't like it was a big deal anyways. i don't know why she kept making excuses.

then, after we finished eating the meal she cooked without me, she had the audacity to get on a zoom call when i didn't have one. and after that terrible offense, she refused to sit on my lap for it AGAIN. she said that inuzuka-sensei was always more strict about what we wore in zooms, and i wouldn't get away with no shirt on like soma-sensei let me. when i told her that her body would block mine, she said that my chest and shoulders would still be perfectly visible. then, she guilted me by saying that she didn't want other girls to see my "perfectly toned abs," as she called them. AND THEN she had the impudence to TEASE ME and LIE TO ME by telling me my cheeks and ears were getting red! couldn't believe her.

then, after all our classes were over, she refused to cuddle with me because APPARENTLY her friend's sister a block down rolled and sprained her ankle, and that it was getting pretty bruised and swollen. she also added that her friend didn't have any advil or experience in injuries, and apparently she was asked to bring some advil, a compression bandage, and a couple ice packs. when i told her that her friend could just buy some and that she could get her own ice pack, she tried to get out of it by telling me that her friend's sister was only 5, was bawling her eyes out, refused to be left alone but also screamed louder when she was picked up, and that we also had a lot to spare because we have a ton of supplies in the closet because of my constant volleyball injuries. again, absolute bs. her friend could just go grab everything herself. what did it matter that the kid was crying? fuck kids! do you know how funny those youtube videos of kids getting hurt and crying are? people enjoy them for a reason. it's because kids are annoying as hell and it's fun to watch them get injured. im subscribed to like 10 of those kinds of channels. her friend is literally getting free entertainment and y/n obviously just wants to watch the free entertainment WITHOUT ME because she'd rather be with her stupid friend than me.

all in all, please help. i don't know why she's so distant today. is she mad? please give me tips!

@.su.rin post made at 4:16pm

comments: @.y/n.l/n: HELP WHAT IS THIS @.y/n.l/n: for the record i got an a+ on that so it was worth it @.y/n.l/n: love u always rin <333 @.su.rin: reply to @.y/n./l/n- ik that u hate me its ok

[kaziwi]

Hellooo!!! may I request a luffy, zoro, and law with fem!reader whos rlly shy and she will just will throw gifts or little notes that say “love u” at him and runs away or hides 😭

separate pls but also if u don’t wanna do all three u can do one! whatever works for u❤️

Shy Reader Who Gives Gifts/Notes To Them

Hiii!!! Thank you for being my first ask!! I couldn't really think of any ideas for Luffy, so I just wrote for Zoro and Law. I apologize for the long wait and I hope you enjoy!

Character(s): Zoro, Law

WC: 1.4k

Zoro

You've had the biggest crush on Zoro for longer than you can remember. The Strawhats had saved your island and invited you to join along, and with this HUNK of a man there who could say no.

You wanted to talk with him so bad, but he was always training and it was just so awkward...you didn't wanna risk a conversation that was mostly silent.

After going to Nami for advice, you decided the best way to communicate would be little notes! Nothing could go wrong...right..?

"321...322...323..." Zoro was in the crows nest, training as per usual. Right now he had so many weights on his back while doing pushups that he couldn't even look up from the floor. He heard the door to the crow's nest creek open, but he didn't have the strength to break his workout and look up to see who it is.

"Oi, who's there?" He asked, but got no reply. He heard someone walking towards him, but couldn't make out who's footsteps they were. The person came close to him, then ran back to the ladder and climbed down the crows nest. Zoro thought it was a bit weird, but maybe it was Chopper dropping off some water, or Usopp searching for Luffy in their daily game of hide and seek. Whatever he thought, as he finished his workout. When he finally put down his weights, he noticed a small note taped onto one of the weights.

"Love u"

What.

Zoro looked at the note like it was in another language. Whatever, someone probably left it as a joke. He went back to training, crumpling the note and throwing it to the corner of the crow's nest.

He thought that would be the last he thought of the note, but that was before he found 4 more in the past hour. Each had the same words, "love u", and it was starting to piss him off. Of course he appreciated the gesture, but he was confused on who in the crew would leave him these notes. Nami???? No, she wouldn't, and if she did she'd charge him for it. Luffy?? No, his handwriting isn't even legible. This was going to bother him all day, so he decided to catch the culprit in the act.

He decided to lay on the side of the railing and take a short "nap." It took about an hour, but he soon noticed someone's presence approaching him. Quietly, the person crept near him and placed a small note on the ground next to him, but just before they turned to walk away, Zoro grabbed their ankle and pulled them down. When he opened his eyes, he never expected to see you there.

"Y/N??? Oi are you ok?" Zoro hastily helped you up. "Shit I am so sorry."

"Its fine.." you quietly reply, he had caught you in the act, you had no idea what to say. It was quiet for a few minutes till Zoro spoke up.

"So...you were the one leaving those notes...right?"

"Yeah..it was me.." you mumbled, looking down at the ground. You were finished, he knew, he probably thought you were weird now and would never want to-

"Next time...sign your name.." You looked up at him, a glimmer of hope in your eye. His face was visibly flustered as he said, "I'm glad those notes were from you ya know, anyone else on this ship leaving them would be weird..."

"Okay...I'll make sure to sign my name next time.." You said, still intrigued by his flustered face. He noticed you staring and quickly walked away, covering his face. You kept leaving notes for him and even small gifts too, and even though you always ran away immediacy after, you always made sure to sign your name.

Law

Your captain was THE Trafalgar Law, like how could you not have a crush on him????

You were a good crewmate and did your job well around the ship, but whenever your captain praised you or tried to have a non-work related conversation, you just got so flustered you couldn't handle it.

Approaching him directly about your feelings wouldn't work...but you had another idea up your sleeve....

Law stopped looking at his clock a long time ago, all he knew was that it was late. He had stayed up late reading a new textbook he picked up at the last island, and the last time he checked the clock it was about 2:19 am.....but that was awhile ago. He swore he was going to go to sleep soon...he just wanted to read about 1 or 2 or 5 more chapters.

Knock Knock

Who the hell was knocking at his door at this hour??? Probably Bepo with a random nightmare he thought as he shuffled towards the door. Law opened it expecting a crying polar bear, but was shocked to see no one was there. He stepped out to see if someone could be down the hall, but his foot was met with a small box. Law picked up the box and looked around the hallway....no one was there. He shut the door to his room and examined the box. It looked.....normal..

Law slowly opened the box and found a small plush of a polar bear. Oh my god???? He loved it???? He examined it more and could tell it was obviously hand made. The stiches weren't perfect, but he could tell whoever made it put a lot of thought into it. He didn't know why someone would make him this, but he didn't really question it cause even though he loved the gift the textbook was calling his name.

Throughout the next week Law would receive a total of 23 gifts. Some being a small note attached with a piece of candy and others being big extravagant displays. He wanted to confront the crew about it and ask whoever it was to stop.....but in all honestly he loved these small gifts. Each one had their own thought to it and the person who gave them obviously knew his favorite things. He wanted to figure out who was giving these to him so he could thank them...and hopefully return the favor.

Law decided the best course of action was catching them in the act...so he set up baby Den Den Mushi's around the Polar Tang that would hopefully catch the perpetrator in the act. He waited till the next time he got a gift to check them, and when he was met with a box of chocolates at the foot of his door, he knew it was time to check.

Your plan had been going perfectly. Throughout the week you had been leaving Law little gifts, hoping that it would catch his attention. Everyone noticed the captain's mood boost throughout the week, so it was obvious your efforts weren't to waste. You wish he knew it was you though....but you never thought you'd have the courage to tell him.

You started to make your way to your room after dinner, when Law stopped you. The rest of the crew had left the kitchen, so it was only you and him.

"Um..is there something you needed captain?" you asked. Why had he pulled you aside?? There's no way he knows about the gifts right???

"Yes actually, I was just wondering when did you learn to sew?" Ok so he definitely knew. No, you could still save this.

"Sewing??? What are you talking about??? I can't sew-" You were cut off by Law shoving a baby Den Den Mushi in your face. He didn't have to play it for you to know you'd been caught.

"I just don't get it, why did you give me all those gifts. I appreciated them of course, but what was the occasion??" Law asked.

"I just wanted to show my appreciation towards you captain...and show how much I care for you.." you sheepishly say, looking down at the floor.

"Well....I'd love to return the favor...maybe I could take you out to dinner at the next island.." You looked up at him, your eyes sparkling. His face was clearly red, and seeing you staring at him made him even more flustered.

"Sure...I'd love that.." you said, letting a smile slip from your lips. Seems your efforts paid off...and it only took a few of sewing classes to do so.

[marlynnofmany]

Always Bring A Flashlight

“This delivery,” I said, trying to hold my feet stable on the uneven ground, “Would have been a great use for the hovercycle.”

“Yes it would,” Blip agreed. She pushed the hoversled along with me, having just as much trouble with the criss-crossing tree roots that made up what passed for a road here. Her clothes for today were the type that fit closely and displayed muscle, leaving her natural frills as the only things waving in the breeze. Or maybe they were waving with frustration.

Normally she and Blop would have done a delivery together, but he’d sprained his shoulder trying one of Wio’s impossible puzzleboxes. He knew full well those were meant for people with tentacles instead of arms. Now he was recuperating on the ship, while we pushed a sled full of packages over some very treacherous footing. No, I wasn’t bitter about that.

“Have we tried hooking the bike up to a sled before?” I asked, stepping over a python-sized root and walking down one the size of a playground slide. “I know it would take some quick work on the brakes to keep it from crashing into anything, and you’d need somebody to ride along and steer, but it seems doable.”

Paint piped up from where she was riding on the front of the sled. “Oh, like when we did that one rush delivery with you running and pulling it!”

I chuckled, slipping just a little. “Yep, like when I was a sled dog. But with less of a risk of spraining an ankle.”

Blip said, “Pretty sure Captain Sunlight declared it too risky for regular deliveries. The hovercycle’s for small packages, not whole piles.”

Paint clambered over the stack to look down at us. Her orange scales were bright in this foresty dimness. “But it’s all tied down so well.”

I craned my neck up. “Are those rated for sitting on?”

“Hm. Probably not.” She climbed back to the front where the brakes were. She was a little small to be of any help in pushing, but she made a good lookout.

Like now. “Hey, what’s that?”

I peered around the side of the package stack, but didn’t see anything other than giant trees and a ground covered in roots. Plus the occasional white marker attached to the trunks so offworld courier crews didn’t get desperately lost. It was all very shadowy and green. “Where?”

“There’s misty-looking stuff in the distance,” Paint reported. “Steam? Fog? Poison gas?”

Blip groaned. “I hope not.”

I thought back to the briefing for this location. “There wasn’t anything hazardous in the report. No predators of note either.”

“Good,” Blip said as the mist grew thick enough to spot in the shadows. “That means probably nothing will jump out at us when the visibility’s egg-dark.”

“Probably,” I agreed. “Are we still going to be able to see the pathway?” The white marker sticks were kind of far apart. I didn’t like our odds if we missed one.

“So far,” Paint said from the front of the sled.

We pushed on. The fog thickened faster than I expected, and I found myself struggling to make out the root shapes before I needed to step on or over them. “Paint? Are we going the right way?”

“I think so?” she said, a faint distressed blur in the darkness. “I don’t suppose either of you brought a light?”

“No.” I sighed. “Just my communicator, which isn’t going to do us much good.”

“I’ve got one!” Blip said, tugging at a pocket that I hadn’t realized was there. “It’s the kind that doesn’t make your eyes adjust, too.” With a quiet click, suddenly everything was vivid red.

“Ow,” I said on reflex.

“Perfect!” Paint exclaimed, setting the brakes and climbing over the boxes again. Her scales were as red as the boxes, though Blip looked black like the roots underfoot. While they handed the light off, I checked my own hand out of curiosity: red too, though not as bright as Paint.

“Twist it to adjust the focus!” Blip called. We were in shadow again, now that the light was on the other side of the stack.

“Got it,” Paint said. She fiddled with it for a moment, then sent a beam of red lancing into the mist with much less scattering in all directions. “That way! A little more to the left!”

Blip and I resumed pushing. We had to rely on Paint completely, but it worked.

She sounded delighted. “We’ll be there in no time! Onward!”

It was then that I realized what all this reminded me of, and I nearly fell over laughing. They of course demanded to know what was so funny.

“Another legend from my planet,” I said, wiping away tears. “Paint, I got to be Balto last time. You get to be the hero today!”

And then I sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for my alien coworkers, and they were honored to be part of it.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[teddymoon06]

Desperate measures

Title: Desperate Measures

Y/N’s POV

The air inside the base was stifling. Every day seemed to drag on, the threat of monsters lurking outside and the tension among the survivors gnawing at my nerves. I knew Kang Seok-chan didn’t trust many people, least of all me, but in a world like this, trust was a luxury few could afford.

Seok-chan was always one of the strongest among us, not just physically but mentally. He kept his distance, rarely showing any emotions. But I had caught glimpses of him watching over the group, his eyes calculating, always planning.

Lately, though, the pressure had been mounting. Resources were running low, and arguments between the survivors were becoming more frequent. It was only a matter of time before something snapped.

And that’s exactly what happened tonight.

A fight broke out between two of the residents over a measly can of food, and that’s when I decided I needed a break from it all. The chaos, the fear, the constant threat of death—I just needed to clear my head. I thought about sneaking out quietly, slipping past the guards, just to get some fresh air.

So I did.

The night was cold, the wind biting at my skin as I moved through the ruins outside the base. I hadn’t gone far, just far enough to escape the noise. But the dark streets carried their own dangers. The sounds of monsters echoed faintly in the distance, sending a shiver down my spine.

I had promised myself I wouldn’t be out for long, that I’d head back before anyone even noticed I was gone. But, deep down, I knew this was reckless. I just didn’t care at that moment.

Kang Seok-chan’s POV

"Where is she?"

The words left my mouth, cold and controlled, but the rising panic underneath my calm exterior was impossible to ignore.

I stood in the main hall, my eyes narrowing as the residents fidgeted nervously. They didn’t have to say anything; I could already sense something was wrong.

One of the residents stepped forward cautiously. "Y/N… she’s not here."

I cursed under my breath. I had been keeping an eye on you, always from a distance, always making sure you stayed safe. This world was too dangerous to take unnecessary risks, and you had just gone and done exactly that.

"How long?" I asked sharply, trying to rein in the frustration building in my chest.

"A while," they answered nervously. "No one saw her leave."

Of course, no one had seen you leave. You were good at slipping away, even when I thought I was watching you closely. But now, you were out there, alone, with monsters prowling the streets. And I couldn’t let that slide.

Without wasting any more time, I grabbed my gear, not bothering to explain myself to anyone. They knew better than to question me when I had that look in my eyes. I was going after you, and I’d bring you back.

Y/N’s POV

I didn’t go far—at least, that’s what I told myself. But the further I walked, the more disoriented I became. The streets all looked the same, the crumbling buildings casting long shadows in the moonlight.

I felt a chill run down my spine, and not from the cold. There was something out there, lurking just out of sight. I could feel it.

The sudden snap of a twig behind me made my blood run cold. My heart leaped into my throat as I spun around, my breath catching in my chest. For a moment, I saw nothing but darkness, but then my eyes adjusted. In the distance, barely visible, a monstrous figure moved, its grotesque body shifting unnaturally in the dim light.

Panic surged through me, and I did the only thing I could think of—I ran.

The streets blurred as I sprinted, my footsteps echoing through the empty city. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I had to get away. My lungs burned, my legs ached, but the sound of the monster’s growls behind me kept me moving.

Suddenly, I stumbled over a piece of rubble, crashing to the ground. Pain shot through my ankle, but I bit back the scream threatening to escape my throat. I had to stay quiet. If I made too much noise, it would find me.

I scrambled to my feet, limping forward, the sound of my heartbeat loud in my ears. I had to keep moving. I couldn’t stay here.

Kang Seok-chan’s POV

I moved through the streets with purpose, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of you. Every noise, every distant growl set me on edge, but I pushed it aside. The only thing that mattered was finding you and getting you back to the base.

Why did you always have to make things so difficult? I wasn’t blind to the way you felt trapped inside those walls. I had seen it in your eyes, the way you looked out at the world beyond, like you were craving some kind of escape. But this wasn’t the time for that. Not in a world like this.

A part of me was furious with you. Furious that you had put yourself in danger, that you had made me feel like this—worried, scared, angry. I wasn’t supposed to care this much. I had sworn not to let anyone in, not after everything that had happened.

But here I was, running through the streets, trying to save you.

As I rounded the corner, I spotted something in the distance—movement. My heart raced, and I crouched low, my grip tightening on the weapon in my hands. For a moment, I thought it might be one of the monsters, but then I saw you.

You were limping, your face pale with fear, your eyes darting around as you struggled to move forward.

I felt a surge of relief so intense it almost knocked me off balance. But that relief was short-lived when I noticed what was following you—a monster, its grotesque form closing in fast.

Without thinking, I ran.

Y/N’s POV

The growls were getting louder. I could feel the monster getting closer, the terror building inside me with every step. I was trying to move faster, but the pain in my ankle was too much.

Just as I thought it was over, a figure appeared out of nowhere.

"Kang Seok-chan?"

He moved so fast, his presence so commanding, that I could hardly process it. One moment, I was on the verge of being caught, and the next, he was there, his weapon raised, his expression hard and determined.

The monster lunged at him, but Seok-chan didn’t flinch. With a swift, practiced motion, he struck, taking it down with brutal efficiency. It fell to the ground with a sickening thud, and the world around me went silent.

For a moment, I just stared, my breath coming in ragged gasps, my mind trying to catch up with what had just happened. Then Seok-chan turned to me, his eyes blazing with fury.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words wouldn’t come. I had no excuse, no explanation that could justify what I had done. I had put myself in danger, and worse, I had dragged him into it.

"I—" I started, but he cut me off, his voice low and dangerous.

"You could have been killed." He stepped closer, his eyes locking with mine. "Do you even realize how close that was?"

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I couldn’t hold back the tears that welled up in my eyes. "I’m sorry," I whispered. "I didn’t mean to—"

"Save it," he snapped, his voice cold. "We’re getting out of here. Now."

Kang Seok-chan’s POV

You were crying. I hated it. I hated seeing you like this—scared, vulnerable. But more than that, I hated the way it made me feel.

I was supposed to be angry. I was supposed to be furious with you for leaving the base, for putting yourself in danger. But all I could think about was how terrified you looked, how close you had come to dying.

I wanted to yell at you, to tell you how reckless you had been. But instead, I found myself reaching out, pulling you into my arms.

You didn’t resist. You just stood there, trembling, your face pressed against my chest. I could feel your heartbeat, fast and unsteady, and it took everything in me not to lose my composure.

"Don’t ever do that again," I whispered, my voice harsh but soft at the same time. "I can’t protect you if you keep running off like this."

You nodded against my chest, your hands clutching at my shirt like you were afraid I’d disappear. "I won’t," you whispered back, your voice barely audible. "I promise."

For a moment, we just stood there, the world around us fading into the background. It was only the two of us, standing in the middle of the ruined city, holding onto each other like it was the only thing keeping us alive.

Then, slowly, I let you go.

"Come on," I said, my voice rough as I tried to regain control of my emotions. "We need to get back to the base before

[probably-writing-x]

Curtains Closed - Part 2

Summary:

Warnings: I dont thinkkkkkk there's any?

Author’s Note: I love writing this concept and I loveee writing requests so please let me know if you'd like more parts of this or if you have any other ideas <3 Love you all x

———

You were sure that your reflection would start morphing if you stared at it anymore, or at least the small part that was visible in your compact mirror. Your makeup was still flawless, your hair still not even a fraction out of place, your outfit still hugging your body in the exact way it had done when you’d left. But now, sat in the car just before you had to leave, you wanted nothing more than to go home and change it all.

You should be high on life. You’d just won Best Actress for your role - a role you’d poured your heart and soul into. The film was a success, your name was in the headlines, everyone adored you. But as you were sat waiting to go into the after party, you couldn’t think of anything worse than having to celebrate your success alone.

“Are you ready to go honey?” Your assistant asks from beside you, offering you a smile.

She came with you everywhere, and she’d taken the plus one seat at the Oscars now that Drew wouldn’t be using it.

Drew. You hadn’t spoken to him since that day at your apartment, not even crossed paths once. You’d heard he’d been doing okay, and his film with Emily came out last week.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready,” You smile, taking a deep breath and stepping out of the car.

Vanity Fair was plastered along one wall of the red carpet, cameras lining up along the other side with their flashing lights, a sprinkling of celebrities across the carpet already.

You’re instantly whisked onto the carpet, told to stand in front of the sign and smile. You’d changed out of your lavish Oscar’s dress for one of the same colour, this one simpler, a silk dress that fell around your chest and hugged into your waist, dropping down to your ankles with an extremely low cut back.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)! Over here!” Strangers’ voices call out to you from all different directions, all accompanied by the flash of their cameras.

You know how to pose by now, looking over your shoulder, moving your dress in the right way, look left, look right, go back to the front, change pose. It was all relatively routine to you at this point.

“(Y/N)! Over here! Look this way!” Another few voices shout and you try to keep your smile just as wide, knowing all of them wanted to capture the perfect shots of the lead actress of the year.

Your assistant comes back over to you and leads you over to the interviews, a row of filming cameras and people with microphones all waiting to hear from you.

“So, congratulations (Y/N), all of us here are so happy for you. How does it feel to officially be an Academy Award Winner?”

You take in a deep breath and smile, “You know, it’s just beyond words. I am so so grateful, I just feel like I’m living in a dream!”

The interviewer smiles and proceeds with their next question, “So who are you going to be celebrating with tonight?”

You swallow the lump in your throat, “Um, you know, I’m here with my assistant who is literally with me through everything, so I’m very happy to be sharing this with her. And then I’ll be celebrating with my family and my close friends as soon as I can.”

“That’s great, (Y/N), thank you! Have a lovely night.”

You move onto the next couple of interviews and they all ask you similar questions, about the film, about how amazing it was to win, about who you’d be celebrating with. The latter always brought the same sickness to your stomach. When Drew first saw you act, he told you he knew there’d be a moment when the world saw you in the way he did - and he told you he’d be there to cheer you on from the front row. But you were on the stage tonight, and his seat was re-named.

“I think Madelyn has just arrived,” Your assistant comments, “I’m going to head in but it might be nice for you two to get some photos together.”

“Sure, I’ll see you in there!” You encourage and she disappears.

You glance around at the carpet and catch sight of Madelyn just arriving. She’s wearing a black floor length dress accented with thin feathers and she looks as elegant as ever. Her face brightens up as soon as she sees you.

“Oh my god (Y/N)!” She squeals, extending her arms to envelop you in a hug, “Oh my god I am just so so so so so proud of you.”

“Thank you!” You respond, squeezing her a little tighter, “I’m so glad you’re here, I needed to see you tonight.”

“Girl, I gotchu, don’t worry,” She squeezes your arm, “I will warn you though, in about ten seconds I think you’re about to see somebody you really don’t want to see…”

Her words trail off into the ringing in your ears as you see who had just stepped out of the car behind her. His tall frame fitted into an all black suit, with just a small white trim along the button line of the shirts. His hair is buzzcut short, his eyes as piercing as ever when they are so harshly focused on you. And they are. As soon as his eyes fall to you, it is impossible for them to leave. The whole world around you seems to stop completely, all the sound drown out, everything else a blur but him and his face and his eyes and… him.

“Are you going to be okay?”

"Yes, yeah, of course," You cough a little, "Why wouldn't I be?"

And then you see. On the other side of the car, Emily stepping out. Her hair is fixed perfectly in a messy up-do, a short dress accenting her long legs and the perfect curves of her body. Perfect.

All of the reality comes tumbling back to you, washing over you in rushes of excess noise and bright lights and people shouting. You feel like you could sink into the carpet beneath you.

"(Y/N)," Drew says, now walking the short distance over to you, "Um, hi."

"Hi," Your breath catches in your throat, "How ar-"

"Hey honey, let's get some photos done," Emily cuts in, hurrying over and linking her arm with Drew's, "Oh, hey, (Y/N), didn't even know you'd be here."

You fight back any hatred from your words, "Yeah, yeah, sort of comes with the win I guess."

You can feel Madelyn smiling from beside you. Drew is still yet to take his eyes away from you, his lips slightly parted as if on the cusp of saying something.

Emily moves her hand and links her fingers with his, pulling both his and your attention to the point where their hands intertwine, "Come on babe, they need to get my good angle."

There's never a good way to describe the feeling, is there? How your heart feels like it tears in two and completely stops, all at the same second, all with no warning. How your hands feel like they lose all feeling but your body suddenly feels hyperaware of everything. How your brain loses all focus and your eyes cease to work but you can still note down every detail of exactly what is happening in front of you. How your worst nightmare is playing out right there, but you can't bring yourself to look away.

Drew doesn't say anything, simply nodding and following behind her as she drags the pair of them to stand in front of the cameras. You watch the photographers start snapping the shots and feel the tears start to bubble in your eyes, threatening to spill and expose how you felt for the headlines - fanning a fire you had tried to put out.

"Oh no you don't," Madelyn squeezes your hand, "You're not crying for him tonight, today is your day."

She grips your hand tighter and the pair of you walk in towards the party, forcing against every instinct in you to not look back at the sight of your worst nightmare playing out in front of you.

~~~

It's a little later into the party and you've done everything in your power to try and not think about Drew and Emily. Luckily, you'd been busy all night with people wanting to congratulate you on your win, thanking them and laughing when they say they want to be with you in your next project. It is at least an hour later when you see him again.

You're at the bar, waiting for the bartender to bring you your order, taking a minute to breathe amongst a lot of posing.

"Excuse me mate, can I grab a beer and a glass of water, please."

You'd know the tone anywhere. The same voice that made you weak at your knees, made your heart race.

He leans over the bar waiting for his drinks, glancing right until his eyes fall on you, "Hey."

"Hi," You respond, just as the bartender comes back with your drink.

Drew looks at you and then down to the glass in your hands like he can't manage to keep eye contact for too long.

"I should go," You say quickly before all of the air feels knocked from your lungs.

Drew stretches out a hand and wraps his fingers around your forearm, "Please don't."

There's a pleading in his eyes that laces his words, echoing in the slight furrow to his brows. When he sees you don't resist his touch, he relaxes, but his hand doesn't move just yet.

"I didn't get a chance to say it earlier but congratulations, really, I-" He stops himself, "I know how much you deserve it, and I just wanted you to know that I'm... I'm proud of you."

You let out a shaky breath, but draw your shoulders back and try to inject some confidence back into yourself, "Thank you, I appreciate that. You always did tell me it would happen eventually."

Drew lets out a raspy laugh, dropping his hand from your arm to drag it over his short hair, "Yeah, well, I believed in you," He stops, "Still do."

There's an ache in your heart to reach out for him. To tell him about the new coffee shop in New York that you've fallen in love with and how you want to go to Italy for the summer, how you wished you were reading more recently and how you aren't sure whether to take a new TV role. You went to tell him all the big and all the small, all the bad and all the good and everything in between. You want him to know you like he did last year.

In the silence, he glances down and looks at your drink, "They didn't give you ice."

"Oh, yeah, no, it's fine," You shrug, "I don't mind."

He frowns a little and takes it from you, "Sorry, do you mind putting some ice in this?"

You hover beside him at the bar, scanning your eyes down the lines of his side profile. As much as he didn't know it all, he did know you. He always would.

"Here," He gives you back your drink, "You never were good at sending food back."

You stop yourself from smiling too much, biting the inside of your cheek.

"I wanted to say to you too," He chews at the inside of his lip like he does when he is nervous, "Me and Emily-"

You put up a hand to stop him, "I don't think you need to tell me, Drew. If you're happy, that's great. But it took a lot for me to get over you, and I don't know if I can do all of that again so-"

"We're not together."

The words stop you in your tracks.

"We're not dating, we never were, we never will be," He states, clearly like he wants to make it certain that you hear him, "The producers said it would be a good idea to spark some rumours to promote the film, I didn't want to do it but..."

"You're not dating?"

"No, god no," He shakes his head aggressively, "After you and I split up she mentioned something about there being something between us, but I told her that I was waiting for you, and she understood. We're just friends, and I don't want it to be anything more."

You fight back another smile, feeling a little bit more like your boyfriend was stood in front of you - the boy who knew you.

"I told you I'd wait for you, (Y/N)," He shrugs his shoulders like its the easiest thing he's ever said, "I meant it."

[becauseimanicequeen]

Gustav Klimt's The Kiss in My Stand-In

I received an ask a couple of days ago about what Gustav Klimt's The Kiss painting might mean in My Stand-In (which is something I've been thinking about ever since I briefly reacted to it all those episodes ago) and decided to answer that question in a separate post. So, here I am.

I will first describe the painting (since it isn't that visible in the images I have from My Stand-In) and then dive into the stories behind the possible sources of inspiration for the painting before I get to the significance it might have to the series.

The painting depicts a man and a woman who are tightly embracing each other. The man has one hand around the back of her head while the other is on her cheek. She has one arm around his neck and the other hand resting on the one that's cradling her face. Her eyes are closed and the man is kissing her on the cheek. They're kneeling on a bed of colorful flowers (well, at least we can see that the woman is kneeling).

The man has an ivy wreath on his head while the woman has flowers in her hair and around her neck. They're both wearing yellow/gold garments. The man's garment is decorated with rectangular shapes in black, white, and silver. The woman's garment is decorated with circular floral patterns, curvy lines, and some small squares and rectangles. The patterns on the woman's garment include red, green, and blue hues. The woman also has golden ivy hanging from her ankles.

Now that I've gone through that, let's look at the possible meaning of The Kiss.

I've never heard of this before, but just like Anon wrote in the ask that made me write this post, The Kiss seems to have been connected to Orpheus and Eurydice (at least according to Wikipedia, but take that with a grain of salt because there are no official sources to support this) and showing the moment right before he loses his love.

To summarize the story of Orpheus and Eurydice: They were married, Eurydice died due to a snakebite, and Orpheus went into the underworld to get her back. Orpheus was told to not look back at Eurydice as they walked out of the underworld. He couldn't hear her footsteps behind him, looked back (either out of his own longing or thinking he'd been fooled by the gods, I've heard of both versions), and she was sent back to the underworld forever. This led Orpheus to swear off women until the end of his life (which includes a couple of different endings, one of them being that he's ripped to pieces, lol).

I don't know if art historians have actually made this connection, but (in my opinion) it could make sense. Orpheus couldn't hear Eurydice's footsteps because it was her soul/spirit that walked behind him. She wouldn't get her body back until she came out into the light. And in the painting, the woman actually looks like she's translucent (just like it says on Wikipedia). But also, the meadow she's kneeling on ends abruptly behind her feet, which could indicate a way to the underworld, and the golden ivy around her ankles might be keeping her "chained" there.

I'll get into what this might mean in My Stand-In in a moment because I have another connection to write about first. And that's the story of Apollo and Daphne, which an art historian/author argued is the case.

To summarize the story of Apollo and Daphne: Daphne was more interested in hunting and exploring forests than getting married and having kids (which her father initially wanted for her). So, when Apollo fell in love with her and started pursuing her, she fled. She eventually reached the water where her father resided and cried out to him to destroy her beauty. That's when she turned into a laurel. Even as a tree, Apollo vowed to honor her forever.

If The Kiss was inspired by this story, it would be a depiction of the moment Apollo kissed Daphne, right before she turns into a tree. However, there are no official sources to support whether this story was Klimt's inspiration or not.

But let's say that both versions are valid. How does that relate to My Stand-In?

Both myths are about transformation in some way. Orpheus and Eurydice's myth is about death and rebirth (although it doesn't get as far as an actual rebirth), while Apollo and Daphne's story is about a metamorphosis.

If we look at Orpheus and Eurydice's story in particular, the big strokes are similar to Ming and Joe's. They were in a situationship/relationship, Joe died, and Ming has been searching for Joe ever since.

If we look at Apollo and Daphne's story, certain things are similar to Joe and Ming's. First of all, there is the transformation where Daphne turns into a laurel and Joe transmigrates to another body.

Second, considering what we've seen in the trailer for the series, I'm sure Ming will chase Joe as much as he possibly can now that he's (almost) sure Joe 2.0 is "his" Joe, which feels similar to Apollo chasing after Daphne. I also feel like Joe will continue to refuse Ming for as long as he possibly can, which is similar to Daphne running from Apollo and rejecting his advancements.

With that said, including The Kiss in Joe's home decor was a great choice (besides fitting with his color scheme).

But, what might The Kiss mean going forward? Let me speculate for a moment.

Considering the myths and how Eurydice didn't come back to life while Daphne didn't change back to a human being (even if she had wanted to), I feel like that's telling of Joe's fate in My Stand-In. I don't think he will get back into his former body because there is no turning back. Just like with Eurydice and Daphne.

I would be really surprised if the series chooses to transmigrate Joe back into his own body because I don't see this story having a "fairytale" ending. That's not the vibe I'm getting. A happy ending (which is possible) is another thing entirely, btw.

Instead, I feel like we will get Ming chasing Joe (like Apollo chased Daphne), just like I mentioned above, and Ming trying to honor Joe as much as he can (like Orpheus swore off women after losing Eurydice or Apollo vowed to honor the laurel tree).

This also falls in line with the idea I've personally had about this series for a few weeks now; that one of its major themes is about second chances. Joe got a second chance at life, Ming is getting his second chance with Joe and to not fuck it up this time, Joe is getting a second chance at having a family (Joe 2.0's mom), etc.

But, I could be wrong about all my speculations. And I'm excited to find out how wrong I am, lol.

Anyway...

The Kiss is said to weave together themes of love and the cycle of life and death. That seems very fitting for the series. And, as an artist, I love that art is so prominent in (particularly) Joe's home.

[call-me-ninaaa]

DODGE-A-LEEN-TOURNAMENT - henry hart x fem!reader

you were currently at the dodge-a-leen tournament with your two friends, who you promised to join their team as they wanted to win of course, and with you on their team the two girls had no doubt you guys would win.

''hey, i see some friends, i'll go talk to them real quick, 'm gonna be right back okay?'' you announced, leaving after getting a nod from both ashley and aaliyah, making your way to henry, who was talking with three people in purple shirts, jasper and piper no where to be seen.

''hey hen, you never told me you would compete, neither did you char.'' smiling as you talked, the two men beside charlotte visibly wearing wigs, looked shocked, and just then did you notice the pants from the shorter man down to his ankles, although he didn't bother pulling them up, which you ignored for now.

''ooh, hey, yeah, but you didn't tell us you were competing either, so we're kinda even right?'' henry replied startled by your sudden appearance, making you chuckle as charlotte started talking.

''ugh, finally, i was going insane surrounded by boys only, you're the only girl i can tolerate.'' she groaned, walking towards you as she gave you a hug, leaning her whole weight on you sighing, knowing she had no intention to let go that soon, you continued speaking, arms still around the girl's waist, not paying any mind to her actions as she played with your hair.

''uh, i take that as a compliment i guess?'' it came out like a question, nonetheless you spoke again, this time asking a question towards henry.

''anyway, who are these guys with horrible wigs if you don't mind me asking.'' it may have sounded like a rude comment, but you were just curious to know,

''uhh, well this here is my boss ray manchester, from junk'n'stuff, and that here is schwoz, he also sort of works for ray.'' henry figured there was no harm in telling you their names, it's not like he outwardly told you schwoz sort of works there because he builds things for ray who is also captain man, which would make him kid danger.

''ohh, well if you ever need help with wigs, makeup or anything that has something to do with hiding your identity- i mean who you really are- uh i mean what you look like, i'd be happy to help, no offense but your fake hair looks nothing like real hair, which makes it noticeable that you're hiding your real selves. anyway, i am gonna go back to my team, char you comin'?'' you accidentally almost said too much, so you hoped they won't overthink your words and just shrugged it off. receiving a hum from the girl, she let go of you which gave you the opportunity to give henry a quick side hug before going back to your team with charlotte.

''hey, did you guys just notice that?'' henry asked the two men in front of him, all three staring in your direction.

''yeah, charlotte has never just hugged anyone, especially for that long, and your girlfriend didn't even mind.'' schwoz was the first to speak up, thinking henry was asking because of that.

''no schwoz he's talking about how his girlfriend told us how to do our hair and that she would do our hair and makeup, she indirectly insulted us man!'' ray replied directly after him, making henry not only confused but also annoyed with the two.

''what? no! first of all she is not my girlfriend, and second of all, she corrected herself two times, first she said to hide you identity, then who you really are, and then what you look like, i don't know about you guys but i think that was a little suspicious, don't ya think?'' henry revealed, not knowing why they thought you were his girlfriend.

''really? i still think she's your girlfriend.'' schwoz shrugged, ignoring whatever he said after the 'second of all' which was the more important thing in that situation.

''she said that? well kid i don't really think her slip-up is something we should worry about, right now, we are about to beat your ass in this game.'' ray shrugged, the referee talking as charlotte came back to her team and piper and jasper back to henry, listening as the referee talked about the rules and how everything was going to play out, just like the day before.

after that the semi finale begun, though there has been a slight mix up, the jumping jaspers won against the bro force one, but they still had to compete against your team.

as you all made your way to the trampoline, henry walked beside you.

''you know my team is gonna win this right?'' he spoke with confidence, not a single doubt in his mind, his superpower being the reason for it.

''oh hen, you haven't seen me play yet, but guess what? now so many people will be able to see your downfall. and btw, too much confidence is a big turn off for girls.'' you winked, patting his shoulder as the referee once again explained the rules.

''all right! both teams! i want a good clean match! no spittin'! no ball slappin'! no nose pickin'! HEYYYYYY! no flirting!'' garth yelled out, looking at you and henry.

''we weren't even flirting!'' you both defended yourselves, arms up in the air in frustration, oddly in sync.

''pfft, yeah, he was ripping your clothes off with his eyes.'' ashley said quietly, only loud enough for you and aaliyah to hear.

as aaliyah laughed at her comment, you glared at both of them as they mumbled out an apology.

''okay, ready? and, DODGE!'' he blew the whistle before saying dodge with his hand out, the balls came down from the ceiling and so the battle begun.

there were balls flying everywhere, though you and your team didn't mind at all, if anything, it made your will to win stronger.

you must say, the jumping jaspers were better than you thought, but after some time you caught both jaspers and pipers balls that they threw at you at the same time, just as henry caught ashley's and aaliyah's balls also at the same time.

"you're out, you're out, you're out and you're out!" garth pointed at piper and jasper and then at ashley and aaliyah, all four of them leaving, just you and henry left.

as henry made a motion for you to shoot the ball, you only shook your head no smirking, your hand making a signal as if to say he could go first, so he did, you dodged every single one though, really fast he might add, which confused him a little because he should be the only one who could move that fast, due to his hyper motility, so why were you able to do the same if you hadn't got any powers, or at least that's what he thought.

as you began shooting balls at him, he also dodged every single one, his movements mimicking yours seconds before.

''you're good hart, but i'm better, i'm not even trying and still winning.'' just as you said that he shot a ball in your direction, and if you wouldn't of had fast reflexes, it would of have hit you right in the face, but you dodged, falling on your back and standing right up, smirking.

"y'know what you should never do? be too sure about yourself.'' henry used your distraction and hit the ball with his foot, which he was so sure would hit you, of course he was wrong.

"pfft, you really thought i would just let you win that easily? you need to try better next time hen." you caught the ball with ease, the referee yelling an 'you're out!' one last time, directed to henry before you spoke with confidence, smirk plastered on your face, winking before celebrating with ashley and aaliyah who came back onto the trampoline, jumping around in excitement.

"oh man! we were so close to winning!" he was lying flat on his back, a defeated look on his face, jasper and piper sitting around him telling him it was okay and that they could just always try it out another time.

sighing, he stood up, congratulating you and making his way to the man cave, the only thing in his mind being you.

specifically the way you dodged every single ball so easily, just like he did, which a normal person couldn't do, so he made a mental note to just bring it up the next time he saw you, casually just asking how you could move that fast.

henry hoped of a honest answer, but doubted he would get one, still, he had to try and get it out of you, for the sake of his secret identity, along with ray's.

okay that's it! there aren't enough henry hart fanfictions out there so i thought i would give it a try.

not proof read! if there is anything you don't understand please tell me i'd be happy to help!

if you got any requests feel free to either comment or if you want it to be anonymous ask in my inbox, either way i will see it.

i'm planning on writing for more people other than henry hart and the sturniolo triplets, though i'd have to make a list and find the time, time i don't know if i'll have, i'm still going to collage, and have many exams coming up, but i'll find time like i always do.

anyway, thank you for reading i hope you enjoyed!

-nina out🤍

[thewitchandtheassassin]

Choices, Choices (Maria Hill x Reader)

Summary: Part 2 of Kiss or Kill

Words: 923

Warnings: Language, violence?

Taglist: @natasharomanoffswife17​​ @red1culous​  @aaron-despair​​ @username23345 @xjiasx​ @nowthisisliving27 @higherfurther-romanova​ @summergeezburr @marvels-writings @imnotasuperhero @miscmarvelwritings @captain-josslett @onlyafewfindtheway @hayleyokami @b-5by5 @lostandsearching @evilcr0ne    @everything201197​

-X-

Maria’s grasp on the grip of her sidearm was firm, knuckles nearly white with tension as she crept through the uncomfortably silent HYDRA base. They’d received intel that it was teeming with scientists and soldiers alike in another pathetic attempt to recreate the beauty of the Super Soldier serum but she hadn’t seen another soul since infiltrating the base.

At this rate, she was beginning to wonder how accurate their information truly was.

Nearing what was supposedly central command, she inhaled deeply. She’d been off for weeks, ever since you’d pinned her to that damned wall and kissed her like lives depended on it. And maybe they had. If she’d been caught by some of those monsters roaming about, she would’ve been killed on the spot – or worse.

But now she couldn’t get it out of her fucking head.

She’d hoped this would redeem her dry spell but it seemed she would be leaving here empty-handed as well. As she stepped to the door keeping her from command, she paused as a cheerful whistle met her ears. It sounded oddly familiar and her heart dropped into the pit of her belly.

There’s no way.

Shoving it open with reckless abandon, Maria was baffled and furious simultaneously at the sight of your grinning countenance. A slew of motionless bodies were littering the floor, most of their chests still visibly rising despite the vague appearance of lifelessness. You were leaning against the edge of a desk, ankles crossed as you languished against it nonchalantly.

“Why, hello, agent,” you purred, gleefully clicking your tongue. “I wondered how long it’d take you to get here. I was starting to worry you’d dismissed my helpful tipoff.”

“I- you-” Maria sputtered, brows furrowing with frustration. “That’s not possible. Agent Romanoff…”

“Followed a clue I left for her. And then subsequently found all the others I just so happen to leave out in plain view for any halfway intelligent agent to put together. Really, your people should never assume it’s that easy to uncover things. I understand most of HYDRA is run by morons but there were far too many coincidences involved here,” you replied patronizingly, smirking at the fuming brunette. “Aw, there’s no need for such dramatics, you sweet little mouse. You simply stumbled into this cat’s trap thanks to a deadly widow. You are the Jerry to my Tom, if you will.”

Shoving away from the desk, your expression grew somber as you stood before Maria.

“I asked you here for a reason,” you admitted, all the teasing gone from your words. “Your appearance at the party has painted quite a target on your back. The heads of a few ugly organizations have put a price on your head and if you continue chasing down this path, they will call for the hit.”

“I can handle myself,” she contended, her glare faltering under the concern shining brightly back at her. “SHIELD –”

“Cannot protect you,” you muttered solemnly. “Your life is contracted. They will hire only the best and they will buy or murder the people closest to you. You may not fear them now but you should.”

Hesitating, Maria studied the tightness of your features, the tension of your form as your eyes darted about attentively. “(Y/N)...”

“I am a pawn in many games,” you shrugged, unbothered by the notion of being caught in the webs of horrible men and women alike. “Until I am no longer of use, they will keep me on the board at the cost of any lives they deem inconsequential. Nothing about my life is as black and white as your organization believes it is. Their house of cards must fall, but I will be the one pulling it. So stay out of my way.”

“I can’t let you keep hurting people,” Maria argued weakly. “People will die.”

Cupping her cheeks firmly, your look was fierce and blatantly terrified as you stared at the stunned woman helplessly. “You will die, Maria! And I won’t fucking let that happen. Please, stay away from this.”

You let one hand fall to her waist as you dragged her close, mouth harsh and unforgiving against hers though she returned the embrace with similar fire as her shock dissipated into something deeper. Something she couldn’t deny.

If you were anything in this world and in this lifetime, you were selfish. You always had been. You would sacrifice the things that didn’t matter to you to keep those you did care about safe without hesitation or thought. The world itself could burn as long as your world remained.

And you would not let her gamble her life for others. Not when she meant so much to you.

Tugging a syringe from your pocket, your eyes fell open as you pulled back, forehead resting against hers. Panted breaths passed between you, Maria’s eyes soft and trusting.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, wetness pooling in your waterline as you jabbed the needle into the side of her neck and pressing the plunger, wincing at her gasp of betrayal and pain, watching the light of consciousness fade from her crystal eyes. “I know you won’t let this go. But you have to.”

Catching her sagging body, tears dripped down your cheeks as she went limp in your arms. You held her tight, lifting her with ease and hurrying from the command center.

“When it’s all over, I’ll make this right. I promise,” you pledged, kissing the crown of her head. “You may hate me, but you’ll be safe. That’s all that matters.”