#maybe going to give her a scar or two if it looks appropriate. she did get beaten up a lot less in da2 than i expected lol

[dreaming-about-seireitei]

I need you

A/n: Yay! My first ever finished piece of writing!! I apologize in advance for the quality, I'm still learning how to do this and English is not even my first language. Anyway, enjoy!

Summary: reader has been in the 10th division for the longest time and has developed feelings for capt. Hitsugaya, but she doesn't think it's reciprocated.

Day after day, your affection and unspoken feelings grew heavier as weights on your shoulders. And as much as you loved it, he was still a distant person with frosted feelings. It was his way of being. It started getting tiring. It was beginning to feel like chasing after a train already in movement. Seemingly impossible to catch.

You and the captain of the 10th division were close. Between you two there was a strong bond that could only be explained by all the things you've been through. Having people you love get hurt, being misunderstood or judged in your lifes, fighting and going through hell to protect the ones you care about, scarring your hearts in the process... All these things made you able to understand eachother the way the tall, cold mountains understand the scattered, mellow clouds.

Some time back, you realized you had very strong feelings for him and you worked on subtly making them known. Not only have you been at his side in most battles, but in life in general. Helping him with paperwork, bringing him some snacks when he spent late nights in the 10th division's office or making him some tea when the rainy days made him melancholic. All of these were your way of showing him how much you want to be the one who takes care of him when nobody seems to do so. As days passed, your heart gathered more and more space only for him. And the late evenings of paperwork shifted to deep night hours spent in the office talking about weights of each of your souls, in a manner that other people wouldn't understand. The outsiders of your conversations would think you were only speaking in metaphors, but that was the beautiful way you two got to see through each other's words. Your soul was aching to caress his. Your heart was melting at the sound of his voice and the sight of his eyes. But your mind would always remind you about being appropriate, calling him by rank and giving him the space he needed. Even so... You loved him. You loved Toushirou. And you loved his personality. That cold demeanor with his words full of depth. And his way of frowning, always looking deeply beyond one's speech, as if trying to find the meaning behind their actions.

Even though you knew he cared about you, you couldn't be sure of the extend of his feelings. And so, after a while, you start thinking that perhaps, his affection towards you doesn't reach the point of the one you carry towards him. Maybe it's not the same kind of love, if it even gets to be called that. So in an attempt to release some of the stress in your mind, you turn to Rangiku, who gladly listens to you in the office, while you tell her all you feel. And as she asks you what are you going to do about it, you find yourself thinking about one solution. Because you knew nobody could ever reform the way he shaped your heart, you hesitate a bit before speaking. "You know, captain Hitsugaya will always be my first love. He will come in the first place, before anyone... But maybe, I can find someone and at least move on..."

Little did you know, that while you were talking about maybe asking to be departed in a mission for a while, the captain was right beside the door. With the intention of looking for Matsumoto, he stoped at hearing his name coming from the inside and has been listening from the start. Your conversation hit him like a brick, leaving a shocked, almost alarmed expression on his face. This kind of love... He never considered it. He never thought about the name of the feelings he has for you up until that point. But now that he does, he realizes. If you leave, not only will there be an empty place in his heart. But there will also be nobody who could ever fill it back. He can't let you leave. He has to have you in his life, beside him. He kind of...loves you.

After getting a note from him to meet him back at the office later that night, you hurry there. It was pouring rain. Your mind was all over the place. You two never had a planned meeting, excluding the official ones, where multiple people attended. You ask yourself if it was a coincidence or if Rangiku spoke up behind your back. You're thinking about the worst possible scenarios that could happen. The stress is making your fingers fidgety, and you start playing with the material of your clothes as you get closer.

When you finally reach the door, you take a deep breath before opening it and entering. And there he is. Initially with his back turned to you, leaning his weight on his right hand in a fist, on a table. You only get a glimpse of that view but you find it so beautiful that you wished you could have seen in more than just a second. When he turns around, you stop. His eyes look straight into yours, piercing your heart with the intensity of his gaze. He softly, almost whispering, let's out a "hi, y/n." He looks at your clothes and states "you're soaked".

To that, you just look at him and barely open your mouth to say "I didn't take an umbrella... "

The next couple of minutes were filled by silence. That, and the never-ending sensation that what was about to happen was going to be forever stamped inside your chest. Anxiety was flowing through your veins. Finally he talks.

"Do you want to be departed some place else?"

You look at him in disbelief. What? How...?

"..Matsumoto.. ", you say as anger starts creeping up the back of your neck.

Toushirou cuts you off. "No. Not this time. I happened to overhear you."

Now there's embarrassment that's showing through your cheeks and ears. You look down and start asking yourself how much did he hear and where was this going. After hearing a serious, aggravated "well?" ,you look back to him to see his frowned face staring at you.

"I'm... Not sure yet. I might." You say, not ready yet to make that decision.

His frown deepens as he sinks into thinking. Looking as if he debates whether to say something or not, he opens and closes his mouth a few times. Finally, after closing his eyes to take a deep breath, he starts walking towards you as he speaks, taking a step forward with every word.

"Look. I heard it...I know."

He takes one more step so close in front of you, that you're centimetres apart now, not breaking the visual contact for a second.

"And I... Don't want you to move on"

And he softly places his left hand on your cheek, barely touching it, to caress your skin. You slightly part your lips and widen your eyes from the surprise and the feeling of his fingers on you sends hot waves through your entire body. Breathing feels like a hard task in this moment and all your thoughts are gone. All there is, is just the feeling of barely feeling his hand and your body longing for more of his touch. He slowly pushes one step further. His body is now slightly touching yours and his right hand rises to your back. He leans in, and gently closes the gap between his lips and yours. Your whole body tingles, and you put your hands around his neck, pulling him in a little more. The delicate way he kisses you, like he's worried you'll shatter like glass if he comes too close, is making you want more of it. He takes his left hand away from your face with the right one grabs your back tighter, pulling you in, without breaking the softness of the kiss. Soon, you find out he used his left for support, and his right hand to hold you tight while he slowly takes one step further, pushing on you with his body, and leaning your back over the couch. He breaks the kiss for a second, while he holds you, to look at you. The sensation lingers on your lips for a moment, and you look at him too. And even though he has a serious and determined face, with his signature frown, his eyes are so soft looking at you like you were the meaning of life, and the light from the stars. You could hear hardly distinguish his faint, shaky breath from your own.

His gaze shifts into one of almost worry as he opens his mouth only to whisper barely audible "I need you."

You take this moment to whisper to him "now I know".

Like a weight has dropped off his shoulders, he sighs, relief making it's way on his face,his gaze softening. He smiles at you. Then, almost as a thought has just crossed his mind, he furrows his eyebrows, and opens his mouth. But you already knew what his worry was.

"We can take it slow for now." You say, a warm smile painted on your face. To that, Toushirou just smiles back and hugs you.

You two end up falling asleep on the couch, cuddling. You were right. What happened tonight was going to be forever stamped on your heart.

Phew! That was all for now! Thanks for reading. And big thank you to @seireiteihellbutterfly for helping me learn my way around these things ❤

[arxxq]

╭◦•◦❥•◦𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐈

Ik the poll was for a week but it was only supposed to be for a day and I checked to see sanzu winning so yeah so here I am writing for sanzu.

Haruchiyo Sanzu (bonten) x psychiatrist reader, dynamic being similar to the famous Joker and Harley Quinn dynamic.

This will be AFAB. I will switch from using she/her and they/them pronounces. mistakes will be corrected soon. Warning: Idk really but I guess this is mainly appropriate for 15+? I don't write smut. Sanzu mainly has green-ish eyes here since most of ken wakui's art he has green eyes.

Dr. [Name] [Last name].

A psychiatrist intern that was hired to help in an asylum full of criminals..

They usually succeed in changing the behavior of those criminals so she is highly respected. They're portrayed to be nice and open...and well accepting.

The life they had was perfect.

That all changed when a new patient was admitted into the asylum.

"Dr [Last name]!" A man shouted at them.

"Ah Hey Robert...what can I help with now?" They said, an innocent smile plastered on her face.

"We have a new patient and we were thinking maybe you could handle him?" She looked at Robert with confusion.

"Who is this patient exactly? Could you give me his documents?" Robert handed her the documents of this said patient.

"We don't have much on him so the documents won't really help but most of us can't really handle him..."

She rolled her eyes. "The patient can't be that bad," she opened the file but was stunned to see who this said patient was.

Akashi Haruchiyo, better known as Sanzu Haruchiyo. Ranked as the top 2 of the criminal organization named bonten. He was known as insane that's for sure.

What confused her even more was that bonten members weren't really easy to catch so how did Sanzu...managed to get caught in the first place?

"Earth to [Name]?" She broke from her trance and let out a "hmm".

"Do you think you could handle him?"

With a smile as well as confidence she replied.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad!"

Now she's in a room. A room that's actually quite messy and uncleaned. Usually the rooms would be cleaned and white but this one had stained walls and dirty floors.

She didn't really notice her patient sitting in a chair but when she did...she saw him tied up to that said chair.

She looked at him, what meant to be a quick glance ended up being a whole observation. To say she was mesmerized was not a lie. He was quite the charm....

"Done checking me out Doctor?" He taunted and raised his head up. A smirk plastered on his face. He had pretty unique features like the diamond scars on the edges of his lips and his sea green eyes makes her want to fall in.

"I was not checking you out..." She said....although it clearly seemed like a lie. The said patient scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that Dr [Last name]..."

This was day one, and he's already driving her crazy...and not in a bad way actually.

As days passed on....she didn't realize that she was slowly falling for this madman. Although she said she wasn't getting attached she was..and she just kept telling herself that she was helping, curing him.

Entering the said room, there he saw him still tied to the chair.

"good morning Doctor..."

She laughed. "Good morning to you too"

"What did you bring me this time huh doctor [last name]," he asked. "I didn't bring you anything today... we're just going to do our daily session of talking, is there anything I can help with?"

Sanzu smiled deviously. "You know....there is something you could do for me, doctor," he added.

With no hesitation she replied. "Anything....I mean yeah!"

He looked at you that devious grin still on his face. "I need a machine gun.."

She wasn't even perplexed but more shocked. "A...a machine gun?" Sanzu laughed like the mad man he is.

Giving him the machine gun was something she regret doing because now the other patients have managed to escape.

"LET GO LF ME!" She shouted as two men held her down on a mattress in the asylum. "Well look what we have here~" Sanzu's taunting voice echoes in the room.

A bright light was then shined down on her face. "I did everything you said, I helped you!"

Sanzu laughed at her like a maniac would. "You helped me...by erasing my mind with the few faded memories I had!" He shouted at her while hitting the mattress with both his hands at the said on her head.

"you left me in a black hole of rage and confusion darling~ is that the medicine you practiced doctor?" He walked to a different direction and came back. He was holding something but she can't tell what it was.

"What are you going to do? Are you going to kill me Haru?" She said anticipation written on her face with a mix of fear in her head. "what? No~ I'm not going to kill you..." He assured. "I'm just going to hurt you... really really bad~"

"You think so? Well I can take it," she admitted. Sanzu smiled at her. "Oh how I adore you.." he then tied your mouth using a belt. "This is just going to hurt a little bit~"

A few days later after that incident, she could still recall what had happened. Her brain was messed up...he shocked her. Ever since then she couldn't think properly. "what is wrong with me?" she asked. A message was sent to her phone. It was from Sanzu.

'meet me at the abandoned facility doctor [name]. I'll be looking for your presence'

-H.S

[Name] promised that she wouldn't meet up with him again but could she really resist. So stupid enough she went there.

When she arrived, she saw a pool of chemicals. She was really high up. "I knew you'd come," Said a voice from behind.

She turned around to see no other than Sanzu. "You really couldn't resist me~" anger took over [Name] that she pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.

"aw...you wouldn't do it~i know you won't," he was right you couldn't. You've fallen deeply for him that you can possibly kill him.

"Say [Name] would you...die for me?" That question lingered in her head for a few seconds and she looked at him with eyes glistening with desire.

"Yes.."

"That's too easy....would you, would you live for me?" That question left her perplexed, but she thought it through and nodded her head.

He looked at her with that same devious smile. "Careful darlin...don't say this oath thoughtlessly," he caressed her cheek. "Desire become surrender and surrender becomes power~"

"Do you want this?"

"I do,"

"Say it then...oh pretty pretty pretty pretty-"

"please.." she pleaded. "God you're so...so obedient~"

She stepped away from him. Looking down to the pool of chemicals. She looked at Sanzu one last time. With a smile on her face she purposely fell off the ledge and into the pool of chemicals.

Sanzu was about to leave her but he couldn't. He looked down to the pool of chemicals and took off his coat. He couldn't just leave [Name], not when she devoted her life, her sanity for him so he jumped down to get her.

Starting there [Name] [Last name] lost all sanity just for him, a mad man that probably won't love her back. She was devoted to him and saying she regrets being loyal to him was a lie.

She was then part of bonten being the title of Sanzu's woman. Some of the executives thought she was crazy for falling for sanzu but they were right she was crazy falling for him and she couldn't care less. She knew Sanzu never loved her really but he really seemed to adore that woman.

At the end of their twisted love story....

In every timeline whether good or bad~

They assumed they were bound to meet.

And at the end,

It was Him and I

I don't support plagiarism

Arxx/Hasinah

November 6th 2023

My writing is Lowkey shitty but eh it's fine as long as it's understandable lol

[sanguine-salvation]

What's that? Something obnoxiously loud... Well there was only one person who could be this obnoxious.

There comes Joker, driving in her stupid toy car. There are two low grade Bluetooth speakers somewhere beneath her on the actual seat that she can't fit on, given that it's a kid's toy. 'Birthday Cake' by Rihanna blasted through those shitty speakers. The back had two balloons tied to it. One green, one purple. She has a little party hat on her head, and a picnic basket on her lap. Which she promptly places down after stopping mere inches away from Viktor. Reaching into her pockets with both hands, she rummages around. With one, she grabs a hand-full of glitter, which she throws in their direction. With the other, she pulls out a party horn that's far too loud for its cheap plastic shell.

"HAPPY UN-WOMBING DAY, CUTTING BOARD! HOPE IT WAS A C-SECTION! YOUR FIRST OF MANY CUTS! HAHAHAHAHA!" One more toss of glitter as she drives off again. The basket contains a homemade square birthday cake, with little Joker frosting decals and various red lines meant to mimic Zsasz' cuts. Grape juice in a wine bottle. And a handmade Zsasz plushie; Complete with sunglasses you can remove! One to match that Joker plushie she had given them ages ago- if they still had it...

Literally what did they expect anymore.

They did know that they’d play the game of chicken and not back away as that rattling little toy car zoomed up to them under the whining strain of a tiny motor and amidst the chunky, crispy, fly-wing sound of poorly filtered Rihanna. Part of them wondered if she had a whole themed playlist, because that would be so very on-brand. The rest of them did not want to test that theory at all.

Though admittedly, she almost got them to twitch with how close she got to squishing their toes. She DID get them to twitch when they made the terrible decision to look down at the basket, only to put themself in perfect range to get a facial of glitter punctuated with the noise the devil must make when he stubs his toe.

“Augh—” and nope, not even anyone left to glare at, because there she went like the wind, baying gleefully with success.

Okay well. They were distracted from the day and to the day all at once. How in the hell did she even do that!? But they just… BREATHED CALMLY, rubbed their temples— which only got the glitter in their hair and ears, so they’d have fun with that for the next few days of manic showering— and looked down at the basket. Through a little raining halo of glitter!

A cake. Appropriately decorated in Jokerization and some little ‘scars’, clearly homemade— did she really bake them a cake? … they were going to eat so cautiously. Wine? Maybe, probably? But most importantly…

A plushie. A them plushie. With sunglasses. The stare, baffled at it for a few moments, lifting their own… glitter-bespeckled sunglasses to get a better look at it with one sharply arched brow and a squint. Did she really get all the scars in exactly the right places. It’s… a little creepy! But still cute. In a creepy way. But they just sigh and give it a squeeze. Yes, it will go in their hideout, right next to the Joker one that still sat mockingly on the shelf. Why did they keep it? What, were they going to throw it away? They’re a serial killer not a monster, thank you.

[seitmai]

He wanted to know in an overabundance of detail how you'd feel if he asked to cancel your dinner reservation and chill with takeout instead?

In detail:

One last thing. The aviator who took my photo on the beach was a woman, but I appreciate your response. I can't guarantee I'll stay off the beach, but I can guarantee that I'll give a guy a chance.

In my head it was Nat taking the picture, you can't convince me otherwise

I actually don't really fit on my couch too well at all. If I really stretch out, my feet dangle over the arm, and there wouldn't be much room left for you, too. Would we be touching? God, I hope so. Where would you end up? I'm blushing just thinking about the possibilities. 

I'm obsessed that he writes that he is blushing

You asked for details? Well, I'd ask for permission. If you gave me permission to touch you, we'd be holding hands. If you gave me permission for more than that, then you'd be covering both of us with a blanket, and I'd be holding you a lot closer. I don't think I should provide further details on that right now, actually. Gorgeous girl, you're messing with my head.

"Maybe she won't notice if I'm not in it," he muttered as he snapped one of the setting sun.

Fly boy I can with 100% confidence tell you that she would notice lmao

He had never been so stressed out about his scars in his adult life before right now. The best photo he took of himself was one where they looked a little more prominent. He'd sleep on it tonight and consider if he wanted to send it or a different one. Usually he didn't care at all.

🥺🥺🥺

He needed to survive this deployment so he could even potentially allow his thoughts to go further with you later.

He's so smitten already

He sat there with his fists clenched and his jaw set tight. He literally could not believe her. Anyone else would just use a different water bottle like a normal person, but he knew she'd be on his ass nonstop about this now. The fact that he was going to have to explain this situation to Nat and beg her to go over there with his spare key was almost laughable. He'd probably owe her two steak dinners if he asked her to deal with his ex girlfriend, because she never could stomach Vanessa. 

This cracked me up, everything about is just so absurd😂

After resting all weekend, you were definitely feeling better. You loved your students, but sometimes dealing with their parents was more than you bargained for. Adults were often worse than kids when it came to complaining and exercising patience.

So so valid!!! I already did a lot of babysitting, nannying and youth groups in my life and there are kids that are simply let's say, a lot. But they can't anything they are just what they are raised to be. Parents on the other side? Full grown adults? No excuses for being shitty.

"What?" gasped Jayden. Great. Your students were just as attached as you were. "Well since our aviation unit is going to be tapering off, we probably won't need to be writing to him as much now."

Jayden, my dude, valid response, I respect that

 I'll tell you how old I am. I wasn't expecting to be so nervous about it, though. I'm thirty-six. You definitely look younger than that. I know it's never appropriate to ask a woman how old she is, so maybe you'll offer that number up without me asking? And maybe you'll tell me that I'm still within the age range of men you let email you regularly? Please?

He's a charmer!! But especially the last sentence and the pleading?! I'm melting🥰

He decided right then that if the vibes still felt right, he'd ask for permission to call you. And yeah, the vibes were feeling pretty fucking good. 

I hate talking on the phone, but for him I might would make an excuse😌

You're the only woman I'm going to let email me regularly. And I was right. You do look adorable snuggled up in your bed. That photo is going to keep me up at night wondering how cute you'd look in mine...

Giggling and kicking my feet 🥰

Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw Part 5 | Rooster x Reader

Summary: With each email written and received, you and Bradley are both aching for more details. While he's thinking about plans for a first date, you get apprehensive, knowing you're going to be devastated when he returns to wherever he calls home after a few days of leave. If the two of you had an opportunity to speak more intimately, there's a chance the details could fall into place.

Warnings: Fluff, language, Bradley being hot

Length: 4200 words

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Female teacher!Reader

Check out my masterlist for more! Yours Truly, Bradley Bradshaw masterlist

After much consideration on the matter, you sat down at home that evening with your phone and started to type up a response to Bradley. He wanted to know in an overabundance of detail how you'd feel if he asked to cancel your dinner reservation and chill with takeout instead? You weren't quite sure what he was getting at, and it felt a little bit like he had given you another assignment to work on, but you were planning on being completely transparent with him. 

Once again, the ease with which you and he communicated, even through the written word alone, was something that made you a little dizzy. A little needy. Bradley had better communication skills and paid you more attention than half of the men you'd dated, and he wasn't even in the same time zone as you.

Bradley,

We got the package you sent. My kids went wild over their personalized notes, as per usual. You've reached full celebrity status in my classroom. We'll be working on sending some notes back to you in the next few days, so brace yourself.

Please remember that you asked me for an abundance of detail here... What would I do if you wanted to change plans? Wanted to spend a quiet evening hanging out at your place instead of going out? In an extreme effort to sound as cool as possible right now... just thinking about this is making me feel warm enough that I need to take a lap around my apartment. I guess first of all, I would tell you that as far as takeout is concerned, I love Thai food the most. I'm not very picky though, so even a generic pizza and some beer would more than suffice. 

If you said you were tired from work and still wanted to hang out, I wouldn't be too pressed about the details. I would be perhaps a little giddy that you missed me enough to want me around. I'd offer to pick up dinner on my way. I would let you choose the movie. I wouldn't even be upset if you fell asleep. In fact I'd probably just cover you with a blanket and let you doze. There is perhaps no worse feeling than forcing yourself to go out when you just really don't want to. And right now nothing sounds better to me than watching a movie with you on your couch. But I have to know... if you're 6'1", are you too tall to stretch out there comfortably? Where would I end up? Would we be touching? Please reply with an abundance of detail. 

I know this scenario is purely hypothetical, but it does sound pretty perfect. I'll be thinking about splitting some Thai curry with you on your couch for a long time. Maybe during those couple days of leave when you get back to San Diego, we could meet? I think I would like that, even if you just have one day before you have to get back to your regular routine. And now I need to take another lap around my apartment.

One last thing. The aviator who took my photo on the beach was a woman, but I appreciate your response. I can't guarantee I'll stay off the beach, but I can guarantee that I'll give a guy a chance. Also, what does a girl have to do around here to get a dreamy sunset photo of you? 

Once again, hitting send before I can change my mind.

You took another lap around your apartment, even going so far as to walk around the block before it got too dark outside. Thai food and Bradley Bradshaw and a movie on his couch. There was a loop playing in your mind where he leaned in and kissed you before calling you 'Gorgeous Girl' and reaching for your hand.

"Why are you torturing yourself like this?" you moaned out loud when you walked back inside all flushed with desire. You took a long bath. You made some sleepy time tea. You sat on your couch with your notebook and worked on lesson plans until it was pretty late, but you weren't tired at all.

Frustrated that you were letting this man take over so much of your brain, you went to your bedroom and plugged your phone in for the night. And that's when you heard the familiar ping, alerting you to the fact that you had a new email.

"No way," you gasped when you looked at the screen. You'd just send him a response two hours ago, and Bradley had already written back. You flopped down onto your bed, wrenching your phone back from the charger as you started to read.

Hey, Gorgeous,

Your answer was enlightening, thank you. Relieved to hear you wouldn't pout about missing the dinner reservation. I love Thai food, but I would absolutely insist on grabbing the takeout and having you pick the movie (nothing with scary spiders, please). 

I actually don't really fit on my couch too well at all. If I really stretch out, my feet dangle over the arm, and there wouldn't be much room left for you, too. Would we be touching? God, I hope so. Where would you end up? I'm blushing just thinking about the possibilities. 

You asked for details? Well, I'd ask for permission. If you gave me permission to touch you, we'd be holding hands. If you gave me permission for more than that, then you'd be covering both of us with a blanket, and I'd be holding you a lot closer. I don't think I should provide further details on that right now, actually. Gorgeous girl, you're messing with my head.

If you're feeling generous enough to give me a chance, then I'm feeling generous enough to send you a sunset photo. But frankly a girl like you isn't going to have to do much at all to get whatever she wants. Next decent sunset around here is all for you.

Your Truly,

Bradley

Well, you may never sleep again. You read his email twice before pulling up the photo of him in front of his jet, and your mind started to wander as you looked at his face. No, you'd never sleep again.

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

Bradley felt pretty ridiculous. He'd never taken so many photos of himself before in his life. Snapping a few for your class while in his cockpit with all of his gear on was one thing, but trying to get a flattering one of his face with the sun setting in the middle of the ocean was something else entirely. He was alone in a deserted part of the deck, thankful nobody else could see him. 

"Maybe she won't notice if I'm not in it," he muttered as he snapped one of the setting sun. The sky was glowing a deep orange, and the clouds moving in made everything look even dreamier. He started thinking about you and the fact that you said you were going to give him a chance. The details weren't important. He'd work that part out. When he got back to San Diego, he was going to see if you and he were as compatible in person as you were right now. But the remainder of his deployment was the one thing that was preventing that from happening immediately, and you did ask him for a photo of himself. If you really wanted it, he'd make sure you had it.

He had never been so stressed out about his scars in his adult life before right now. The best photo he took of himself was one where they looked a little more prominent. He'd sleep on it tonight and consider if he wanted to send it or a different one. Usually he didn't care at all. He supposed that in person, women would either talk to him or not, depending upon if they were bothered by the way he looked or not. But you weren't with him in person, and the more detailed the photos were, the more likely you were to dwell on his face now. He really wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

After grabbing an inspired dinner alone in the mess hall, he thought about eating spicy Thai curry on his couch while you and he argued playfully about which movie to watch. Then he thought about you sitting on his lap and maybe even touching his scars which he hoped you wouldn't be bothered by. Then, as he changed to head to the gym, he imagined all the things he thought about but didn't tell you. Like pulling you onto his lap or stretching out on his couch with you lying mostly on top of him. His hand would find a nice resting spot on your back, or maybe even a little lower. His lips would eventually find yours, and the movie would become a distant memory in his mind.

"Shit." Now he was the one who needed to walk a lap before he could even go to the gym. He was already sweating by the time he got there, making it his continued mission to avoid the married woman while he listened to his playlist. He did a few extra reps, knowing you were on dry land in San Diego and wanting to make sure he looked as good as possible. Maybe he could make up for the close up photo of his face with his body.

Without sleeping on it, Bradley went back to the lounge and logged in. He sent you the best photo of the bunch along with two sentences.

Thinking of you, Gorgeous. Tell me about your week.

But he didn't hear back from you right away, and it wasn't for lack of checking his inbox. He hoped you and your students were working their way through the last batch of notes that he'd mailed. Or maybe you were busy and tired from taking them on a field trip. He was hoping there was a reason other than you not liking his bad selfie that meant he didn't get a response. 

Luckily he got busy over the weekend so he didn't have to think about it as much. Each time he climbed that ladder up to his cockpit and waited patiently for his jet to launch from the carrier deck, he took a few seconds to clear his mind and make sure he was focused on the right thing. He needed to survive this deployment so he could even potentially allow his thoughts to go further with you later.

When he made his way back to the lounge after dinner and a shower on Sunday night, he definitely got more in his inbox than he was hoping for. And not in a good way. There was a new message from you, but it was sitting right beneath a second, newer message. From Vanessa.

"What the fuck?" Bradley asked himself, loud enough that the guy next to him turned and glanced his way. It had been months since they'd spoken. Literally fucking months, and she was emailing him now? "No." Sudden panic started to boil to the surface as he quickly tried to click on it, now terrified about what she could be contacting him in regards to.

Hi,

I'm only writing to you because I have a bit of an issue that I need your help dealing with. I can't find my favorite water bottle anywhere. I think it's in your kitchen cabinet, and I just started at a new gym, so I really need it. Let me know how I can get into your house to retrieve it. And please don't take forever to respond to this like you usually do. Like I said, I really need it.

Vanessa

It was a joke. It must be. Bradley double checked the email address to make sure he wasn't being pranked by Nat or somebody else, but no, it was really from Vanessa. 

"A fucking water bottle?" he muttered. He couldn't even picture what she was talking about. Unless it was that ugly, oversized pink thing she used to carry around with her everywhere? The one with the big handle that he joked could double as a weapon? That thing?

What the fuck. He wrote back to her before he even bothered to open the email from you.

Vanessa, it's a water bottle. And it's already been months. Can't this wait until I'm home?

He hit send, rolled his shoulders and took a few deep breaths. He could archive her message so he didn't have to see it again, and he'd just deal with her bullshit later. He would read what you had to say instead, and hopefully it would cheer him up. But after he stood and stretched for a minute and sat back down, there was already a new response from Vanessa waiting for him.

"What the actual hell?" he grunted. He didn't even know what time it was at home, and he didn't take the few seconds to do the math as he started to read.

No, Bradley. I can't wait. It's a $65 sustainable, dual temperature, leak proof water bottle in a limited edition color. And I would like it back. I tried to find a replacement online, but I do not want a potentially used water bottle. Please advise.

He sat there with his fists clenched and his jaw set tight. He literally could not believe her. Anyone else would just use a different water bottle like a normal person, but he knew she'd be on his ass nonstop about this now. The fact that he was going to have to explain this situation to Nat and beg her to go over there with his spare key was almost laughable. He'd probably owe her two steak dinners if he asked her to deal with his ex girlfriend, because she never could stomach Vanessa. 

He sent Nat a quick email anyway with Vanessa's phone number which he had to look up in his phone, begging her to take care of this for him. It would be worth the price of two dinners at this point. Then he settled back in his seat and tapped on your beautiful name, letting the monitor fill up with your words. When he started reading, he forgot he was supposed to feel nervous at what you sent back in response to the close up selfie.

Bradley,

Wow. I didn't think things could improve after the photo of you with your jet and the video where you're speaking. But I was wrong. So wrong. And I'm not upset about it. You're very handsome. The sunset looks okay, too. Now you're the one messing with my head.

I'm sorry I didn't write back immediately, but you should know that your hot photo has taken up residence in my mind. My week involved three of my students getting sick with the flu as well as a bunch of parent/teacher conferences, and tonight I'm really tired. The idea of snuggling, or more, with you on your couch has been playing on loop. I'm giving you permission to hold my hand if we ever meet in person. You have very nice looking hands. You have a very nice looking everything. Would you mind me asking how old you are?

Right, well, we mailed another box back to you on Friday afternoon. My kids asked me to project a photo of a Super Hornet onto the wall so they could have a drawing contest. I finally caved and let them, and they want you to be the judge. And once again, you'll have eighteen individual letters to read. Nineteen if you include the one I put in the box.

On that note, I'm going to take a bath and snuggle up in bed. And you can't blame a girl for looking at that photo again.

Yours Truly,

Your favorite pen pal 

Now this was the kind of thing he wanted in his inbox, not questions about missing water bottles. Bradley hit reply immediately, happy that you hadn't even mentioned his scars. You thought he was handsome in the close up picture? He always figured he was okay enough looking that his height and build made women say he was attractive. But you actually called him handsome. He started typing back to you, already feeling so much better.

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

After resting all weekend, you were definitely feeling better. You loved your students, but sometimes dealing with their parents was more than you bargained for. Adults were often worse than kids when it came to complaining and exercising patience. All of the conferences from last week were a thing of the past now, but you still felt a little bad for taking so long to write back to Bradley. Especially after he sent you that photo.

Maybe you felt like you had to reel it in a little bit. What was the most that was going to happen? He'd agree to meet you during his short leave in San Diego? Maybe you'd go out on a date? It would probably be the best date of your life. It might even turn out to be the best night of your life. And then he'd leave for another station with the Navy, or maybe he'd return back home, leaving you feeling even lonelier than you did before you inadvertently mailed him that first box.

It was a good thing you had your students to take your mind off things on Monday morning. 

"Are we going to talk about aviation now or after lunch?" Violet asked as she unpacked her pencil box.

You took a deep breath and said, "We're actually going to start a unit on Natural History today." Eighteen pairs of eyes stared at you like you'd completely lost your mind. "It'll be great!"

Oliver's hand rocketed into the air. "Does Lieutenant Bradley also know stuff about Natural History? Is that what we're going to write to him about now?"

Great. Your students were just as attached as you were. "Well since our aviation unit is going to be tapering off, we probably won't need to be writing to him as much now."

"What?" gasped Jayden. 

"No way," complained Nia. 

After that, you tried to move along with your lesson plans, but the entire class just sat there quietly, barely engaged with what you were saying. And perhaps part of it was your fault, because you didn't really feel like teaching this after all. By the time lunch and recess arrived, you felt defeated. You sat quietly at your desk in your empty classroom while your kids played outside, and you ate your lunch while you checked your phone. Bradley had written back an hour ago. Even if you wanted to wait until later to read it, you wouldn't have been able to.

Hey, Gorgeous,

That note from you made my day. I can't wait for the new letters from the kids to arrive so I can spend my evenings writing back instead of absolutely living in the gym right. You want me to judge a drawing contest? Bring it on. I'm so ready.

I'll tell you how old I am. I wasn't expecting to be so nervous about it, though. I'm thirty-six. You definitely look younger than that. I know it's never appropriate to ask a woman how old she is, so maybe you'll offer that number up without me asking? And maybe you'll tell me that I'm still within the age range of men you let email you regularly? Please?

Not gonna lie, taking a hot bath sounds amazing right now. And snuggling up in something bigger than an extra long twin bed would be heavenly. And thinking about you doing either of those things is enough to get me through the week with a smile on my face. Maybe even through the rest of the month. Maybe even to the point where I'm in San Diego. You'd look adorable snuggled up in your bed. But then again, when aren't you completely Gorgeous?

I'll be waiting for more air mail and another email.

Yours Truly,

Bradley Bradshaw

"Damn it," you groaned, melting back into your desk chair and shoving a cracker into your mouth. Even if meeting him was going to be a one-off, you still wanted to do this. You still wanted to write back to him and flirt and listen to his voice in the video he sent for your class with Marty the mechanic. You wanted to think about him working out on the aircraft carrier. You still wanted him to call you Gorgeous. You'd write back tonight.

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

Bradley was taking another video and some more photos in the shop with Marty for your class when one of the admirals stopped by. He jumped to attention and addressed him. "Sir, what can I do for you?"

"Lieutenant Bradshaw, you haven't put in for a phone call. Would you like to?"

Bradley just blinked at him for a few seconds. "I don't really have anyone to call, Sir." But that wasn't completely true. He'd never actually asked you about it, but he wouldn't mind calling your number. Which he didn't even have.

The admiral nodded and said, "Just giving first dibs to my high rankers who haven't made a call home yet. Otherwise you're dismissed, Lieutenant."

As soon as he started to walk away, Bradley found himself following along. "Actually, Sir, I may have changed my mind."

If he was already thinking about Thai food and a picnic on the beach for a first date, he might as well just ask you for your number now. As long as you didn't tell him his age was an issue. As long as you seemed keen on the idea of him calling. So he put his name down on the list, and then he started to sweat. He finished up with Marty, and he headed for the lounge.

When he logged in, he braced himself for another note from Vanessa like he always did now, but the only new item he saw was from you. He decided right then that if the vibes still felt right, he'd ask for permission to call you. And yeah, the vibes were feeling pretty fucking good. 

As soon as he opened the email, the attached photo at the bottom pulled his gaze in like a beacon. You were in bed, mostly under the covers, and the thin straps of some sort of tank top were the only thing preventing him from having a completely unobstructed view of both of your shoulders. Your skin looked impossibly soft, too perfect for him to touch with his rough hands, and your expression was playful and maybe a little nervous. He could see the soft swell of your breasts before the blankets enveloped your body in the most comfortable looking cocoon. He wanted to join you there in the worst way, and keep you warm enough that you wouldn't even need that blanket.

His heart was pounding as he started to read your note.

Bradley,

You know, it's funny you should mention that, because my currently inactive dating app profile says I'm interested in men who are between 30 and 40 years old. So you sound kind of perfect to me. And not that you asked or anything, but I turned 30 earlier this year. I hope that's within the age range of women that you let email you regularly.

I'm writing this from my bed. I have attached a photo. I'm not wearing any makeup, and I'm all snuggled in for the night, and of course I'm thinking about you. Whether it's a good idea or not, I find myself frequently thinking about you.

Your favorite pen pal

He scrolled back to the photo and sighed. Oh, he knew it was a good idea. Maybe you just needed a little bit more convincing, but it was definitely a great idea. That first date was looking better and better in his mind. He wished he could give you an estimate on when he'd be home so the two of you could start planning it. Bradley's stomach was growling for dinner as he pried his eyes away from your photo long enough to type out a message.

Hey, Gorgeous,

You're the only woman I'm going to let email me regularly. And I was right. You do look adorable snuggled up in your bed. That photo is going to keep me up at night wondering how cute you'd look in mine...

It looks like I'll have the opportunity to make a phone call soon, and I'd love to hear your voice. If you want to talk. I can't guarantee I won't sound like an idiot, tripping over my words the whole time, but hey, a guy can dream. Will you let me have your phone number?

Yours Truly,

Bradley

And now, once again, he would wait for you to respond, hoping his luck wasn't about to run out.

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

A phone call! She him your number immediately, Gorgeous! There are some things you need to hear him say in that raspy, sexy voice! Thank you @beyondthesefourwalls

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[assbutt-writes]

A Heart Of Iron Chapter 12

Chapter below cut

LOKI

Shit. Why did it have to be right then? Loki sighed and then teleported outside, instantly appearing face-to-face with a gray man that seemed to be entirely covered in some sort of red tattoos. Maybe they were scars? Whatever they were, the man was standing extremely still, staring at Loki.

"Drax, get over here. We've gone over this, standing still doesn't make you invisible, it makes you look like an idiot," a raccoon said, and, wait a second, why was the raccoon standing up? And why could it talk?

"Did that raccoon just talk?" Clint said, bemused.

"i'm not a raccoon!" the raccoon yelled, a look of anger crossing it's face.

"I am Groot," the tree said smugly, and the raccoon looked insulted.

"Hey!" the raccoon said, and he started to shoot the tree with his blasters. The tree just stood there, and wait, was it laughing? A talking tree and talking raccoon. Surely this day couldn't get any weirder.

"Rocket! Groot! Break it up!" a man behind them said, trying to break up the fight, and yeah, apparently it could get weirder.

"Stay out of this, Quill!" Rocket hissed.

"Okay, what's going on?" Clint cut in, "Why are you here?"

"My father was here on Earth, and we're trying to stop him from wiping out half of all of the life on this planet," a green woman explained, and Loki's eyes went wide. He knew that someone was playing God and wiping out half of all life on each planet they went to, but if they were Thanos, they didn't stand a chance. Nobody stood a chance. He was called the Mad Titan for a reason, after all. His race practically were gods, and races far greater than his were no match for him. And if that was the case, then the woman had to be–

"Loki?" Clint asked, looking over at him with a concerned look crossing his face, breaking Loki out of his thoughts.

"You–You're Gamora, right? I–I've heard of this. I just never knew it was Thanos. If it is him, we're doomed," Loki said, starting to panic.

"Maybe you could've broken it to them a little easier, Gamora?" a man said from behind the group, and Gamora spun around to face him.

"Cut it, Quill. They needed it hear it, and I don't sugarcoat things. You know that," Gamora said, giving Quill a terrifying look. Quill backed off immediately, looking appropriately scared.

"Okay," Clint said slowly, wanting to make sure he understood, "So we're all about to die, and you guys are here to try and stop it?"

"Pretty much," Quill said, shrugging. Gamora rolled her eyes at him.

Clint let out a long sigh.

"I guess you guys can come on in, then. We can use all the help we can get," he said.

"Wait a second. How did you know who I am?" Gamora asked, spinning on Loki.

"You and your sister are common knowledge where I come from. Gamora and Nebula, two children, the last of their races, taken in by the Mad Titan and raised to be warriors," Loki said.

"And where exactly do you come from?" Gamora asked, her guard obviously going up.

"Asgard," he said simply, and she nodded, accepting his answer.

They all walked back inside, Jarvis assigned the aliens a floor, and Loki went back up to Tony to fill him in on what happened. He told Tony the story, the other man's eyes going wide.

"So let me get this straight, a bunch of aliens came down in a spaceship and said that, what, we're doomed?" Tony said exasperatedly, running a hand down his face.

"Pretty much," Loki said, and Tony let out a groan.

"Why can't I have one normal day?" he complained.

Just then, Rocket entered the room, as if to punctuate Tony's sentence.

"Wheres the bathroom?" he asks, and Tony looks disgusted.

"Why is there a raccoon in my room? Get it out of here!" Tony said as Loki tried to stop him.

Rocket looked offended. "I'm going to ignore that, seeing as you're in a hospital bed right now, but if you ever call me a raccoon again," he said, leaving the threat unfinished, "I'm not an it, either. My name is Rocket."

"N–Nice to meet you, Rocket," Tony said hesitantly.

"Yeah, yeah, now where's the toilet?"

"Down the hall," Loki said, trying not to laugh.

After he was gone, Tony turned on Loki.

"You ass! Why didn't you tell me one of them was a raccoon?"

"I thought it would be funny?" Loki said hesitantly, his face breaking out in a grin.

Tony threw a book at him.

"Ow," Loki said completely deadpan, and they both broke out into laughter at how completely absurd the situation was.

Clint came in, grinning from ear to ear.

"Strange says you can get a wheelchair now!" he said, and a similar grin broke out on Tony's face. He threw his fist in the air and whooped happily.

"Mobility!" he cheered, making Loki laugh.

Clint brought in a StarkTech wheelchair, and, after 4 failed tries, they got him into the wheelchair. Tony gave it a few experimental spins, and attempted to pop a wheelie, which ended up with him on the floor.

"Tony!" Loki shouted, while Clint laughed.

"Hey! Don't laugh at my pain!" he shouted, and then, noticing the look of concern on Loki's face, he said, "I'm fine, Lokes,"

Loki helped him get back up, and they went into the common room. Tony froze when he saw the group in the living room, watching Star Wars and talking about how inaccurate it was.

"Holy shit there's a tree in my living room."

"I am Groot!" Groot said, crossing his arms.

"Okay, then," Tony said, taken aback, "It talks."

"I am Groot!" Groot yelled, obviously offended. Gamora rolled her eyes and stepped in before another fight could break out.

"Guys, I think we have bigger problems right now, like Thanos," Gamora said, turning off the TV.

"Right, so what are we going to do about that?" Tony said, getting straight to business.

"There are 3 Infinity Stones on Earth right now, the Time, Space, and Mind Stones. We don't know where the others are, bit if we can stop Thanos from getting those Stones, we can stop him from destroying half of all life in the universe," Gamora said.

Tony nodded, "We already know where they are: the scepter, the Tesseract, and with the Ancient One. We already have the scepter and Tesseract. "

"Good. We're going to need to go to this 'Ancient One' and get the stone from them," Quill said, and the others nodded. They did a bit more planning, but when they started talking about going right then, Steve cut in, indicating the clock.

"I vote we do that in the morning," Steve said, yawning, "It's already 11:58."

"Fine, old man," Tony said, and Steve throws a pillow at him.

"I agree," Rocket said, "You have no idea how hard flying a ship is."

"Wait, he flies the– You know what? Why not," Tony said resignedly.

They all went back to their rooms, Tony wheeling excitedly to his, talking about his "first time in a real bed in forever". Loki fell asleep right when he got to his bed, and, for the first time in a while, he didn't dream.

[artist-rat]

detail of an Inquisition tarot of my Hawke, Rene. (kinda prefer this cropped version to the whole piece, so... just posting this lol :D)

[acourtofthought]

Az & Gwyn / Lucien & Elain Similarities

Az had a vicious competitive streak.

Boos sounded. Gwyn lifted her chin in challenge. “We look forward to proving you wrong.”

“Remember how Gwyn was with the ribbon?”

🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛

{Az} had done unspeakable things that sullied his hands far beyond their scars.

it was a sacrilege for his fingers to touch her skin, tainting her with his presence.

{Gwyn} You asked me once why I don’t wear the hood or the Invoking Stone. That stone is a sign of holiness. How can someone like me wear it?”

🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕🌛🌙🌕

Az isn’t a courtier. He works from the shadows.

“I don’t know. He’s Az. He likes his space.”

“He’ll keep to himself"

I know you like to be alone

Gwyn, despite the Rite, had returned to living in the library.

Gwyn had said she MIGHT leave for Nesta and Cassian’s mating ceremony in three days

As a side note, as this is not really a similarity. I think someone like Gwyn would be good for someone like Az. While I do think SJM will continue writing Gwyn as a kind character, she's not overly sensitive to others emotions when she is trying to get answers. Her curiosity seems to override someone's slight discomfort (I don't mean that in a bad way).

“Fine,” he said and realized a heartbeat later that it wasn’t a socially acceptable answer. “It was nice.”

“I am a shadowsinger- it’s not a title that someone just made up.” She shrugged again, irreverently. Az narrowed his eyes, studying her. “Do you, though?” She pressed. “Sing?” She opened her mouth to ask more, but he didn’t feel like explaining. Or demonstrating, since that was surely what she’d ask next

In this scene, Az is not entirely comfortable at first. He answers her with his usual clipped responses but realizes he's not being socially appropriate so he tacks on a few other things. But he's not overly engaging. Some people might take note of his hesitation and halt any further questioning (as I imagine Elain would. She usually notes someone's unease and adjusts her behavior accordingly). Gwyn however, continues the conversation, pushing it forward. She was very similar in her first interactions with Nesta who was giving off major "leave me alone" vibes but it didn't deter Gwyn from questioning Nesta.

I don't think Az is ever going to be Mr. Personality and too often gets caught up in his own head so he needs someone with a bit of a forceful personality who isn't going to be put off when his reaction is not always warm and welcoming.

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

He assured me that he hated the gatherings as much as I did, and that Lucien was the only one who really enjoyed himself

Two in the morning, and yet the party was showing no signs of slowing. Elain was laughing among a circle of beautiful friends, flushed and brilliant.

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊

a pattern of thinking and feeling that was old, and clever, and sad, so endlessly sad and guilt-ridden, hopeless—

Seems like Lucien can still play the fox.

For a moment, I just stared at my sister, the wisdom she’d spoken.

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

"making friends with the sons of other High Lords”

a report one of Lucien’s contacts at the Winter Court managed to smuggle out.

“My sister Elain can convince anyone to do anything with a few smiles.”

she had purpose, and joy, and friends: those two half-wraiths who worked in Rhysand’s household. But those things had always come easily to her sister.

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

“Well, I never want to fight in another battle as long as I live, but …

"she's been brave when she's had to"

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

Lucien practically buzzing with whatever repressed words he was dying to spew.

"she's never been confrontational" "Maybe she was never given the chance to be that way."

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

“Amren is a bedtime story they told us as younglings to make us behave. And yet there she was, acting more like a cranky old aunt than anything.”

“The new Amren is even crankier than the old one,” Elain said softly. I burst out laughing. The others joined me,

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

he truly looked the part of a High Lord’s son. Handsome, powerful, a bit rakish—but well-mannered and elegant.

She acted like a purebred lady in every regard but that.”

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

“Easy,” Lucien repeated, and flame sizzled in his russet eye.

The flame, the surprising dominance within it, hit Cassian like a stone to the head, knocking him from his need to kill and kill and kill whatever might threaten—

When Rhys spoke like that, it was more of a command than a question. Elain waved a hand in dismissal

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

Tamlin’s emerald eyes were feral as he snarled at Lucien, “Did I ask for your opinion?”

“Lucien?” A short laugh. “What a miserable place to be.”

"Lucien will never be good enough for her"

“Lucien can’t be entirely trusted anymore.”

but she has no ambition. She does not dream beyond her garden and pretty clothes.

Elain sometimes just … didn’t grasp things

“There is an innate darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to.”

Nesta’s spine straightened. No one spoke, but their attention lingered on her like a film on her skin. “You will not go looking for it.”

“Maybe you’ll become interesting at last, Elain.”

"everyone has spent so long assuming Elain is sweet and innocent"

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺

He had to give Lucien credit: the male was somehow able to move between his three roles—an emissary for the Night Court, ally to Jurian and Vassa, and liaison to Tamlin—and still dress immaculately.

Eight years of poverty hadn’t stripped from her the desire to look lovely.

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊

He was a son of this forest, and here … He looked crafted from it. For it.

I was content to listen to her talk about every bud and bloom, about her plans to start another garden by the greenhouse, perhaps a vegetable garden, if she could learn enough about it over the next few months. She had come alive here, and her joy was infectious.

🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊🌺🦊

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.” He held me, stroking soothing lines down my back,

Lucien squeezed our linked arms as we rounded a hedge, the house rising up before us. “You are a better friend to me, Feyre,” he said quietly, “than I ever was to you.”

Both Jurian and Lucien stared at her, the former’s face utterly unreadable, and the latter’s pained.

Elain threw her arms around me, and, holding tightly,

She was looking for a gift for our sister, regardless of whether Nesta deigned to join us tomorrow.

“I asked Nuala to do it in that order,” Elain said as the others gathered round. “Because you’re the foundation, the one who lifts us. You always have been.”

I adore the idea of Elain and Lucien. These two characters are not afraid to express their love for their friends and family, are extremely loyal, intelligent and yet undervalued by those closest to them. They share so many interests and personality traits. Both have been desperately trying to find a place where they belong while trying to make the best out of any place they find themselves in along the way.

[handsome-2d-guys]

This might get long and normally I DO NOT do this at ALL and I am SO sorry but…

Is it just me or Cove and Garrus are similar??

I knew nothing about Mass Effect until that poll of Garrus vs Baxter appeared on my dash. Of course, my first instinct was to vote for that Vakarian guy because no way I would vote Baxter AND THEN it hit me… “Wait you can date the alien in this game??”

So anyways I played Mass Effect and IM DESTROYED but that’s besides the point. I feel like I’m connecting the dots buy maybe I’m not connecting shit but here is what comes to my mind after playing both games because both characters are absolutely husband material.

-Both don’t like the cold. Garrus says turians don’t like the cold when you take him to a snowy planet and my man Cove does not like to wear layers, would prefer to be cold than wear a Jacket.

-SCARS!! THEY ARE VERY PROUD OF THEM!! They might have acquired them in a very… hard way but they learn to like them as a part of them. Both of them MIGHT want to get new ones as a joke- maybe- Garrus says to Shepard he could get new ones if it gives him a possibility for her to still be interested in him and Cove there’s this option to tell him to not even think to get a new one. These guys would probably be serious about getting new ones honestly.

-Awkward flirts. Flirt with these two and they get all nervous, I love it, and the lines they can throw?? Just see:

Garrus: “If you were a turian, I would be complimenting your waist or your fringe. So… your, uh, hair looks good. And your waist is… very supportive.”

He is trying ok?

Cove: “You know, if you were a fish, you would be… A paradise fish, b-because being with you is like being… in paradise”

MY HEART very appropriate for ocean man.

-Are open to try new things because is for someone important to them!!!

There are moments with Cove in the game where he would be uncomfortable about a situation but always reassures you that is not because of you that even though he himself doesn’t understand why, he says he likes to try because is for you, that he likes when you want him there and it makes him happy and even if the first time he cant do it he WILL try again for you!!

As for Garrus when Shepard say she wants to “Blow steam with him” he say he didn’t even consider it and has no fetish for humans yet because is Shepard the one that is suggesting, his only friend and the woman he respects the most he wants to try. You might think this a fling for them IT IS NOT. Look at Baxter THAT is a fling, for Garrus is a promise of a starting point, even if its alien for him, he will try because is for Shepard.

-RESEARCH.

Cove has this whole moment where he plans three dates for you, and what did he research?? “How to make someone happy” because he was worried about not doing enough for both of you to continue being together, not wanting to drift apart when adulthood reaches both of you. He is a very emotional and attentive person.

Garrus whole research, you might laugh, is for his night with Shepard to go well, the whole “interspecies intercourse”. He researches a lot, so it goes well because a lot of things had gone wrong for him, and he doesn’t want this to be one of those. It gets funny if you think he is researching about the whole connecting port A to port B but like, its just not sex nor “a one-time thing” (looking at you Baxter) there is FEELINGS. And also, research on human customs so he doesn’t say something offensive he he.

-BOTH ARE GOOD LOOKING AND HAVE A NICE VOICE, "but garrus looks-" I WILL NOT HEAR IT.

So, to end this, sorry for the whole ramble and if it isn’t very comprehensible, I LOVE both characters and games, head full at the moment and if for some reason someone reads this whole thing:

Affectionately: You are crazy. With great entusiasm: Thank you!

QUARTER-FINALS MATCH 2

Garrus propaganda:

"Garrus is a character who went from being a shit head punk in ME1 and grows and betters himself over the games. He talks over the hard choices in ME3 without judging Shepard no matter what they choice. He is pretty much the first to stand up for them and even when his own home is being destroyed and he doesn’t know if his father and sister are alive he’s there for SHEPARD. He is there for the person who is always there for everyone else! ME3 Garrus is honestly Best Garrus and I want to celebrate how good his character arc is over the games.

And the best part is: the romance doesn’t fix him. He still grows and improves if you romance him or not!

Idk, I just don’t think it’s super fair to reduce him to his ME1 character when the fact that him growing and improving is the part I like best about him. Garrus, to me, shows you can always get better and life is about always getting better. It’s never too late to be better.

And he has the power to make Shepard dance good in the Citadel DLC."

Cove propaganda:

“This bad boy can fit so much autism in him”

“he is sooo loveable. he's autistic. he's kind. he has a scar on his arm from a waterbike accident. he likes food when they mix them he is VERY awkward with a crush (love it) and he's so interested in the ocean. hates being all formal and stuff. his game is basically about possibly living life with a neighbor like him and it's so cool. please play this game. for him. ocean man take me by the hand”

“Cove is the best boy. He's the deuteragonist (Next to the player) from the game and he's literally the best thing that happened to me. He can be kinda clingy, but who doesn't love a little guy who sneaks into their room to say hi (not as creepy as it sounds, I swear).”

“He is such a sweet person, that deeply cares about the mc, he is such a crybaby in the best way.”

“Look I know he's already your profile picture, but HEAR ME OUT ON THIS!! He's so nice, he's so sweet, it's childhood friends/neighbors to lovers, he likes sea animals and his game is summer themed and I'm a sucker for summer stuff abhdszagvaz!!!!! The VN is so wholesome and fluffy and Cove is just perfect boyfriend material”

[yuueee]

𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 fire lord! zuko x fire lady! reader

authors note: Firstly I just want to apologize for the hiatus, I want to be more active from now on! I’m starting finals next week so I’ll thankfully be done with this semester soon and will also have more time to write. Anyways I hope you enjoy!! I also want to apologize if Zuko is ooc here.

requests:

First of all, your tumblr looks sooooo cool! I’m looking forward to reading all of your future work! Imagine this: Zuko is annoyed by people constantly asking him about a future heir, but when one day his friends also start to ask, and even his uncle and his own mother join the baby fever train, it’s too much for him so he complains about it to his wife who only reassures him with her lovely self and her understanding smiles, not telling him yet that she is in fact pregnant. What do you think ?

Can you write an imagine with zuko who is clearly, utterly and soooo obviously in love with the reader (outgoing, courageous, loving) and maybe with the prompt “So you...well...I mean...I could give you a massage?” Thank you a lot! ^^

As the current Fire Lord and Lady, it wasn’t uncommon for the citizens of the Fire Nation to be deeply invested in your relationship - it was to be expected especially due to the uncommon nature of your union. What you weren’t expecting were Zuko’s close friends and relatives being wrapped up in your business as well. Being outside of team avatar, you were naturally more welcoming to his friend's constant questioning, but Zuko on the other hand was not. He couldn’t understand why they cared so much all of the sudden. They hadn’t been as interested when he was in a relationship with Mai - so why did they care so much now?

It wasn’t as if you weren’t getting along with his friends or family - you got along with them quite well and were very loved by them in fact. Outside of them though, you weren’t always as welcomed, unfortunately, the Fire Nation was still coming to terms with having the daughter of an Earth Kingdom General as their Fire Lady. The arranged marriage was put in place to solve several different ‘problems’. After Zuko broke up with Mai several years ago, he hadn’t begun dating anyone else due to being so busy but he’d eventually be expected to have an heir in the next coming years.

Although they had gotten better, tensions among the Earth Kingdom Colonies were still high and both sides were having difficulty keeping them under control. Eventually, an agreement was made for the daughter of a high-ranking Earth Kingdom General to marry Zuko - that daughter being yourself. Arranged marriages certainly weren’t unheard of in either nation - but a union of this sort was definitely unique.

Though he certainly wasn’t thrilled about it, Zuko understood that it was for the good of the people - and it wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it anyway. Even with his position as the recently crowned Fire Lord there still wasn’t much he could do.

On the other hand, you understandably had some issues coming to terms with your new situation at first. Despite being known by those around you as friendly and just a joy, in general, to be around - the woman Zuko had first met was quite the opposite. He could recall it like it was yesterday. Though it was awkward and stressful at the time, he now considered it to be the best day of his life.

“She’s in there.” A female servant whispered to the young man quietly, as if she didn’t want to speak loud enough for you to hear from your place at the balcony.

“Thanks,” he replied with a soft smile, bidding the elderly woman goodbye as she shuffled down the hallway. Turning towards you he was faced with a warm tropical breeze. His advisors had arranged for the two of you to meet a couple of weeks before that dreaded day, and for some reason, they thought Ember Island was the appropriate place. A combination of anxiety and general distaste for being on the island was causing him to be quite stressed - which led him to be more awkward than usual.

“Um, hello?” he spoke up faintly, as if not to startle you. He was sure you heard him come in, but you hadn’t turned around since he entered the small room. You stood several feet away with your hands placed on the railing, your [hair-texture] locks sifting gently with each gust of wind along with your predominantly red clothing. It was against what you had wanted to wear that day but it didn’t seem as if you had much a say in anything going on in your life recently.

You understood that doing this would be for the greater good of the Earth Kingdom and that your situation could technically be worse. You could have been married off to some old creep - but if you were being honest with yourself being married to the Fire Lord sounded just as bad. As you turned around though, you were surprised at the face you were met with.

He had a much younger face than you had expected, but the slight hollowness of his cheeks and the worry lines on his forehead told you that he had experienced things beyond his years. He also happened to be quite handsome - not that you wanted to admit it though. You had been bent on hating him ever since your father told you who you’d be wedding.

He was the leader of the Fire Nation, of course, you would hate him! The country that has had a century-long reign of terror on the world - and now you found yourself engaged to their leader. What had you done so wrong in your life to deserve this?

As much as you wanted to plan on running away the first chance you got, you knew deep inside that it would only cause tensions to increase and more issues to arise. You wanted the best for the residents of the Earth Kingdom, so you agreed to go through with it, but did so resentfully - which you had every right to feel that way.

But as you glared up at the young male next to you and tried to keep your attention off of the scar over his left eye - you couldn’t help but wonder what if this was the man who joined the avatar in defeating the Fire Lord? He wasn’t what you expected at all. Standing in full armor with his hair holding the fire nation insignia in a top knot - he looked awkward and out of place. You almost felt bad for him - keyword is almost.

“What do you need Fire Lord?” you questioned him, turning your gaze back to the rushing waters of the ocean.

“Um,” he faltered slightly, probably not anticipating your response. “I just wanted to introduce myself-“

“I know who you are.” you brushed him off, turning around and walking towards him - grabbing his collar and pulling him to your height. “We might be getting married but if you think for a second I will ever be nice to you, you are sadly mistaken.” you hissed at him before letting him go and walking out of the door.

Zuko couldn’t recall how long he stood there watching your form leave, all he remembered was standing there like an idiot with a red face. He hadn’t expected you to like him of course but he surely wasn’t expecting that.

As he reminisced on memories long ago while sipping his Uncle’s tea, he couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his features. As stated earlier, It may have been an unpleasant memory back then but now he considered the day he met you to be the best day of his life. Though your relationship had surely faired through many complications for a while in the beginning - surprisingly, you became fond of Zuko over the years.

It was certainly a long time coming but that strange friendship you two shared eventually evolved into love against all odds. That didn’t mean you weren’t constantly giving him an ear full (as you should tbh) your first months together. But as time progressed and you learned that he may not have been the evil prince that you had heard so much about, at least not anymore.

He wasn’t that same angsty teenager he had been years ago looking for the avatar, he was now a young adult growing quite well into the position of the Fire Lord - which was no easy feat. Taking another sip of tea, he watched his Uncle and Mother come to take a seat with him.

“How is it, Nephew?” His Uncle asked with a mischievous grin and a raise of two bushy eyebrows - albeit already knowing the answer.

“It’s great as always Uncle,” Zuko responded with a small smile, his Uncle's expression making him just a bit concerned, causing his Mother to chuckle. Though she had gained a few wrinkles over the past couple of years, she was still as radiant as she had been in her youth. She was also much happier being able to live with the family she had been apart from for many years without fearing Ozai’s intervention. It came with a price though - it seemed as if her relationship with her estranged daughter who was now on the run would never be resolved. She never lost hope though.

“Zuko,” his mother began speaking, catching the young Fire Lord’s attention with a raise of his eyebrows. “When are you going to give me a grandchild?” She asked teasingly, eager to see his reaction. In turn, her son had barely kept himself from spitting out the mouthful of tea.

“Why do you ask that?” He choked out in between a series of coughs with Iroh patting his back gently.

“You haven’t?” She asked in between chuckles, noticing how her son got bewildered at the mention of having children of his own. “You know you’ll eventually have to have an heir at some point right?”

“It’s not that I haven’t thought about it... but Y/N and I are just really busy.” He thought aloud, wishing he could run a hand through his hair - but was unable to since it was pinned in a top knot.

“Zuko, you never know when you’ll get this time of peace again. What better time to raise a child?” Iroh reassured, wiggling his eyebrows. Letting out a groan, the young Fire Lord attempted to mentally prepare himself to go through this same conversation every time he visited his family.

Over the next couple of weeks, the constant badgering he received from his friends and close relatives started to frustrate him further, so who could he turn to? You of course.

Being married for several years now, you were more than used to Zuko’s rants, so you simply just reclined on the bed with an eyebrow raised as he paced back and forth.

“I don’t get it! Why is everyone so concerned about when we’re going to have a child or not?” He questioned seemingly no one as you attempted to keep your face from contorting into a smile. It wasn’t as if you didn’t understand his frustrations, it was just funny to watch, especially since you were already pregnant.

You were surprised that he hadn’t noticed honestly, with you staying in for the past few days due to feeling sick. Who could blame him though? It wasn’t as if he wasn’t attentive and loving as a husband, he was extremely busy as of recent-and also just dense at times. After noticing his silence for a few moments as he looked over the balcony, you decided that maybe this could be the perfect time to tell him.

Getting up and sneaking behind him, you snaked your arms around his waist and turned so you could see his face. He let out an audible sigh of what sounded like relief before returning your smile and your hug.

“You want a head massage?” You questioned pulling away, wiggling your fingers playfully.

“Please.”

For the past couple of years, Zuko had been letting his hair grow out so now it rested around his shoulders.

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” You started tentatively, but as usual, he was too caught up in the sensation of your fingers raking across his scalp to entirely understand what you were saying, so he just nodded in response. “I’m pregnant.” You stated plainly, ceasing your scratching. Not getting a response for a few moments, you turned to face him with a worried expression.

Much to your surprise he was grinning up at you and placed a warm hand on your cheek. “Really?”

“Yes. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell y-“ you were abruptly cut off by him pulling you into another hug and placing a kiss on the crown of your head. “So you’re happy about it?”

“Couldn’t be happier.” He responded sincerely, leaning into your shoulder so you couldn’t see the redness on his cheeks.

Maybe your family and friends would finally leave the two of you alone now?

taglist: @practicallylivesonline @chewymoustachio

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

The Sommelier (Hannibal x Female!Reader) pt. 3

A certain redheaded tabloid journalist tracks y/n down at work. Y/n finds out how persistent she is when she makes her an offer she just can’t refuse. 

Trigger warnings: Christianity, stalking, survivor’s guilt

You made it out alive, and that was more than could be said for some. 

Your consolation prize was a ghastly scar on your hand that you kept bandaged up as to not scare small children. You did get some worker’s comp after all; enough to pay for your medical bills and a little extra to make up for the lost workdays. All things considered, you were the lucky one. Four people lost their lives that day and three more were injured far worse than you. You should have felt grateful to be alive.

But somehow that was even worse. You got a couple stitches and some time off. It wasn’t worth four people’s lives. 

Your therapist explained it to you very gently. You were experiencing a phenomenon known as "survivor's guilt". She encouraged you to join a support group, get outside and familiarize yourself with your new experiences. 

This was good advice and all, but yours was the newest, hottest crime. You couldn't go anywhere without being hounded by reporters looking for whatever details you had somehow left out. Dr. Bloom encouraged you to take some time off work until the media circus died down, but you had bills to pay.

"I feel like there should be some rule about re-opening a restaurant within a week of it being an active crime scene." Charissa observed as she wiped down a table. "If anything, it's a health hazard."

"Are you serious?" You scoffed. You'd been tasked with refilling the salt shakers. Appropriate, because there was plenty of salt to go around. "Demand for this place has never been higher. Everyone wants to see if the blood is still on the carpet."

"Hooray for capitalism." She rolled her eyes. "Are you gonna be okay, [F/N]?"

"'Okay' is a very relative term." You forced a laugh. "I think I can make it through the shift if that's what you're asking."

"Aren't you behind the bar all evening?" She asked.

"Yeah, but that means I'm trapped." You folded your arms. "First thing you see when you walk in is the waitress who survived the- what are they calling him?"

"The Baltimore Butcher." She answered with a voice full of vitriol. "Do you think they ever consider the ramifications of giving literal murderers these weird superhero names? Like, no wonder we get copycats, they treat these guys like celebrities."

"Holy shit, right?!" You slammed the salt shaker down on the table. "Y'know, last night on the news, they used the creep's graduation photo and kept saying that he was a good Christian young man with a lot of prospects."

Charissa stuck out her tongue in disgust. "I saw that. And how he was 'corrupted' by crack cocaine. Once again, blaming a drug that was used to villainize poor Black neighborhoods in the 80's as some kind of corrupting agent."

You nodded furiously. "Instead of understanding that Christianity is a violent imperialist religion that lets violent white men absolve themselves of any guilt."

"And they knew it wasn't crack." Charissa added. "I heard that shit was completely uncut. You know he spent a lot on it."

"And I will say this until the day I am put in the goddamn ground," you tensed up. "The only reason the fucker escaped is because he is white."

"Hey y'all." Another waitress walked in for her shift. "What are we talking about?"

"Cocaine." Charissa answered. “Also white privilege.” 

"Great." She said dismissively. "Hey [F/N], can I scoop up that bar shift? I could really use the tips."

"Madison!" Charissa scolded. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"What?" Madison shrugged and glanced at you. "I didn't get any paid time off. I need the money."

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Charissa scowled. "Are you seriously joking about her trauma?!"

"It's fine, she can have it." You rolled your eyes, then turned them to Madison. "Just know you're the reason I have survivor's guilt."

"Well now I feel bad." Madison frowned.

"Good." You and Charissa said in unison.

It was sort of comforting to get back to the script. Almost nostalgic. It provided the illusion of normalcy in an incredibly abnormal new reality. 

You approached the first table in Madison’s block, hoping for a new beginning. A young woman with fiery red hair sat alone by the window. 

“Hi!” You greeted, with a smile as genuine as you could muster. “My name is [F/N], I’ll be your waiter tonight.” 

The woman smiled back. “Evening.” 

You couldn’t tell what, but something was off. Perhaps you were trying too hard to force normalcy. Or maybe it was the borderline predatory way the woman was looking at you; like a shark following a trail of blood. Either way, the vibes were rancid. 

“Can I start you off with a drink or is water okay?” You ask. 

“Could I possibly trouble you for a glass of chardonnay?” She asked, lowering her eyebrows. 

“Of course.” You nodded and reached for your pen. 

“Actually,” She corrected herself. “If you could bring a bottle and two glasses, I’m expecting company.” 

“Absolutely.” You scribble the order down on your notepad. “Do you have a preference?” 

She thought for a moment. “Oh, dealer’s choice. Whatever you prefer.” 

You soon returned to her booth with a bottle of your favorite chardonnay and two stemmed glasses. You poured a small bit in one glass to let her taste. 

“You have wonderful tastes.” She complimented, filling her glass. “It’s very delicious.” 

You rocked on your heels. “Would you like to place your order now, or do you want to wait until after your guest arrives?” 

“Actually,” she repeated, filling the other glass. “My guest is already here.” 

She slid the glass across the table and gestured to the other seat. 

You felt stupid, but there was no way to avoid this. You couldn't just not do your job. She cornered you by the confinements of your profession.

"I really can't, I'm on the clock." You said, apologetically. The wine beckoned you. "I'm sorry, maybe another time."

"Oh, bummer." The woman placed her chin in her hand and pouted. "Well, I'm sure there's something that would make your boss look the other way."

She glanced down at your bandaged hand, then met your eyes. "The bandages are a dead giveaway, [F/N] [L/N]."

You then noticed a wire sticking from her pocket. Undoubtedly some kind of recording device. You looked at the ground. "I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

"But who will drink all this wine?" She asked, raising her glass.

"Ma'am." Your voice hardened as you tried to bite back an overwhelming rage. "Please leave the restaurant. I'm not going to ask you again."

Your manager, Matthew, passed by. "What's going on here?"

"This waitress is being very rude." The woman complained. "I ordered chardonnay, and she brought me chablis."

"Chablis is a type of chardonnay." You corrected. Even you found it strange that this was the hill you were willing to die on. "She asked for my preference, and I prefer the unoaked varieties."

Matthew looked confused. "Well, she's right."

You gestured to her pocket and he caught on immediately. He narrowed his eyes. "Ma'am, please leave the premises or I'll be forced to call the police."

The woman stood up, rummaged through her pockets and slapped a handful of bills down on the table. She then proceeded to drink both glasses of wine and walk away.

Matthew looked at you apologetically as he collected the bills. "Are you sure you want to be here tonight? I can call in someone to cover for you."

You shook your head and grabbed the bottle by its neck. "No, it's okay. I appreciate the concern but I really just want things to go back to normal."

"Hey!" A woman from the adjacent table called out. You prepared to immediately recant your statement about not going home.

"We like chablis." The woman said, gesturing to herself and her friend.

Her friend joined in. "And if that nosy reporter lady isn't gonna drink it..."

You glanced at Matthew, who shrugged. "Sure. It's yours."

The women exchanged delighted looks as you placed the bottle on their table. Matthew handed you a couple of clean glasses and you began to pour.

"For this wine, I suggest any of our wonderful seafood dishes." You explained, your cheeks stinging with a smile. "It also pairs quite nicely with chicken and game bird."

"Thank you." One of the women said. "If you don't mind, we'd like to take a look at the menu, please."

"Of course." You nodded. "Just flag me down whenever you're ready."

"This is why I put you behind the bar, by the way." Matthew gently scolded you as you collected the soiled glasses.

"Didn't you hear?" You said. "Madison needs the money because we can't all have paid time off."

"You should have come to me first." He sighed. "She has no right to say those things to you."

"Never stopped her before." You shrugged.

"I'll talk with her after the dinner rush." He said. "Just... try not to get cornered tonight, okay?"

"I'll do my best." You answered, flatly. “Because that’s definitely something I can control.” 

The rest of your shift went smoothly, or, as smoothly as could be expected given the circumstances. The nosy reporter was right, your bandage was a dead giveaway. You had to dodge a couple of questions, but most people had enough decorum to know the wound--metaphorical and literal--was still fresh. 

You said goodbye to Matthew and Charissa, collected your things and walked out to your car. You put the key in the ignition, only to find your gas tank was completely empty. You had just filled it that morning. 

You bit back a scream and fought the urge to slam your head against the steering wheel. Throwing the door open, you mentally prepared yourself to either make a long trek to the nearest gas station, or beat someone up.

“Looking for this?” A smug voice said over the cicadas. 

You turned around and saw the nosy reporter from before holding up a canister. A deep, blistering fury overtook your face as you slammed the car door. “You siphoned my fucking gas?” 

 “It’s not like you left me with much choice, [F/N].” She crossed her arms. “You’ll get it back once you answer my questions.” 

You threw your head back in disbelief. “You’re Freddie Lounds, aren’t you?” 

“I see I’m not the only one who does my research.” She said, looking a bit impressed. “How’d you know?” 

“It’s the first thing that comes up when you search ‘unethical crime journalists Baltimore’.” You answered. “There’s a whole flair dedicated to you on the subreddit for murder survivors.” 

Freddie seemed proud of herself. “Need a ride?” 

“I’d rather drive off a cliff.” You said, honestly, before turning around to leave. 

“Where are you going?” She walked after you. 

“To get more fucking gas, you evil bitch.” You shouted back. “Are you gonna follow me to the BP too?” 

“Look, I heard what you were saying to your friend.” She called out. “About white privilege.”

“Yeah,” You rolled your eyes. “It’s the same privilege that allows you to siphon a stranger’s gas and sit in a parking lot all night without getting arrested.”

“And I agree with you.” She hurried to your side, her chunky platform boots clacking against the asphalt. “They did you dirty and they’re shooting themselves in the foot by not listening to you.” 

You turned around and threw up your arms. “Why didn’t you just lead with that?”

“I invited you to sit down over a bottle of wine, did I not?” Freddie chuckled. 

“Cornering me at work is not a gesture of goodwill.” You huffed. “And I actually do want to put my story out there, but all you’re accomplishing by stalking me is guaranteeing you won’t be the one to do it.” 

“Are you really in a position to be that selective?” Freddie smirked and placed all her weight on one hip. 

You groaned. “What?” 

“The Baltimore Butcher is still out there, and you won’t be the hot new victim forever.” She grinned sadistically. “Soon enough, him or some other psycho is going to strike, and your fifteen minutes of fame are up.” 

“Good. Then I can go back to living my life.” You said. 

“But what if his next victim is a Christian?” Freddie grabbed your shoulder. “What if the next person who narrowly avoids getting their throat slashed decides to go on record and say that he doesn’t represent ‘real Christianity’?” 

You went quiet. You hadn’t considered it, but the thought of anyone downplaying his faith as a motivation made your blood boil. You looked into the man’s eyes and saw a person driven to kill for his god. A god he shared with the crusaders, conquistadors and slavers. 

“...but it does. Christians colonized half the planet for--” 

You stopped yourself when you saw Freddie’s smile. 

“You want to get on your soapbox, now’s your chance.” She bit her lip. “Take control of the conversation while you still can.” 

“Fine.” You spat. “I get off work tomorrow at four.” 

Freddie shoved the gas can into your hands. “I’ll see you then.” 

[dirty-brainrot]

(Baby Hotline)

Hello~ This is angst so prepare yourself for the sad.

Pairing; (Tenmei) Noriaki Kakyoin x reader

Ringgg~! Ringgg~!

"Baby hotline! please hold me close to you!" You tackled Kakyoin down on the soft covers of your bed. The redhead could only chuckle at your silly action with a small smile.

"You're really cute like this." He placed his arms around your waist and gave you a quick peck on the crown of your head. In return, you peck his cheeks.

It had been years since you all have defeated DIO in Cairo. It left some battle scars and horrible memories but there are some precious/good ones in there. You and the other students in the crusading group had graduated and now you were on your way to university.

Kakyoin gently cups your cheeks, snapping you out of your thoughts, and lifts your face to meet his. "Have you been getting enough sleep?" His voice is soft and worry is written over his face. Rubbing his thumb over your cheeks, you sigh and melt into the gesture.

Staring into his pretty scarred lilac eyes, you answered. "It's just college stuff, y'kno?" He hummed, his hand leaving your cheek to brush your hair. He hummed, "That isn't an excuse to starve yourself though..." his lips seem to curl down more when he realized that you weren't taking enough care of yourself. You just buried your face into his chest and hummed.

"How about this; let's go out on a dinner, yeah?"

Slightly raising your head to peek at him to see if he was serious, of course, he was. Kakyoin smiled at you, patiently waiting for a response. His smile was contagious, you couldn't help but smile and agree. It couldn't be that bad to go out and treat yourselves. The moment you agreed, his smile became wider. He kissed your cheek and pulled you up to get ready for the date.

After wearing the appropriate clothes, you walked outside with Kakyoin. Hand in hand, occasionally making silly jokes. "Oh hey, Kak! Look!" You pointed at the sidewalk where a quarter was laying. Dragging Kakyoin along you picked it up. "Look at that! Some tourist probably dropped it." You nodded and kept it in your pockets. Grinning you say to him. "Maybe it's good luck!" He laughed and ruffled your hair.

Time passes and you both arrive at your favorite restaurant. You two got yourselves seated and looked at the menu. "Hey Y/N, look at that guy." He whispers, pointing at a table with a guy that has a horrible mustache. "His mustache looks like as if a kid cut it." You giggled. A child approaches the horrible mustache man. He chuckles when an idea popped into his head. "Daddy, I hope you like the mustache I cut for you" He spoke, trying to mimic a child's voice. Following him, you spoke in a deep voice. "Daddy is mad, this mustache is wacky!! How will your mom ever love me now."

The two of you burst with laughter, gaining some unwanted attention. You quickly put a hand to your mouth, not wanting to gain more attention. The laughter died down but both of you still have goofy smiles.

"A moment with you is never boring."

Soon after that little moment, the waitress arrived and took your orders. You can't help notice the weird look she gave you before walking off. 'She probably thinks we're weird...' you thought and shrugged it off.

Later, she came back with the food you requested. You thanked her and began to eat, occasionally you and Kakyoin chat.

"I heard Jotaro is interested in marine biology." You laughed and told him about the nickname you gave him after finding out his interest in marine life. "Never knew he's interested in ocean stuff! Well, Mr. Ocean man is pretty secretive." Kakyoin chuckles. "Also don't tell him that because he's gonna whoop my ass if he found out that I'm still calling him that."

You finished your meal faster than Kakyoin. While waiting for him to finish up, you looked around. Everyone seems to look satisfied, some even happy and some are just bored. Trying to start up a conversation, "Do you think Polnareff eventually found someone?" You asked the redhead but you heard no answer. "Kakyoin?" Looking back at Kakyoin only to see an empty seat.

"Kakyoin?"

You looked around in distress, searching for your boyfriend. Standing up from your chair, you called out his name again but this time louder.

"Kakyoin?!"

You didn't see him inside the restaurant so, in panic, you paid and ran out of the restaurant. Searching the streets to find the redhead. Turning around momentarily in search, you whipped your head back only to see the red curl that you had grown to love. "Kakyoin! You scared me!" Jolting a little bit before calming down. "I'm sorry Y/N, I didn't mean to scare you like that..." He gave you an apologetic look. "I had to take a call." Sighing in relief, you held his hand. "Let's just... go home.."

He agreed and walked you back to your home, hand in hand. As the two of you arrived at the doorstep, you thanked him and gave him a kiss before waving goodbye and entering the comforts of your home. Going to your bedroom, you changed your clothes into comfortable ones. You sat down on your bed. It was too early to sleep, so you decided to watch tv instead. Looking for the misplaced remote, you searched around. Instead of finding the remote, you found something besides your table, it was Kakyoin's scarf and one of his earrings.

How odd... Did he forgot to grab this earlier?' You reached for the telephone and dialed Kakyoin's number. It rang and rang, 'He should be home by now' suddenly, you felt a cold breeze flow past you. It seems like you forgot to close the window. You squeezed your phone between your shoulder and cheeks then closed the window to avoid the room getting colder. You then heard someone pick up the phone from the other line.

"Hey, kak you forg-" You were instantly cut off by a different voice. "Hello? Who is this?" It was a female voice, presumably Kakyoin's mother. "Hello Ma'am it's me, Y/N, Kakyoin left his scarf and one of his cherry earrings. Could you put him on the line?" It was silent for a while, then she spoke up.

"Y/N... Kakyoin is not here..." She spoke in a solemn voice. "Ah, well could you tell him-" You were interrupted again by her. "Y/N, Kakyoin died in Egypt." Your breath hitched as you froze. "This is the 4th time this week, maybe you should-" Slamming the telephone back to its place, you fell on your knees.

Kakyoin isn't dead! He's-he's still alive, we talked earlier. Hell, I even gave him a hug!

You laughed and hooked your head. "It's probably some prank that he and his mom thought of." You thought. As you shakily stood up, you felt your cheeks getting wet. Putting a hand on your face, you felt the tears pour down.

"I'm so sorry, Y/N..."

Looking beside you to see Kakyoin giving you an apologetic look. His appearance was slightly different than earlier. The only difference was his stomach had a huge gaping hole, you could see the other side of the room through the huge hole.

Feeling sick, you ran past him and into the bathroom to get your anti-depressant pills. Quickly gulping the pills dry, you only cried harder. The painful memories from Egypt start to flood in. DIO somehow teleporting in front of Kakyoin and punching a hole into a stomach while you stood there helpless.

You collapsed in front of the sink, tired from all the crying. You felt yourself getting numb. You closed your eyes, remembering the feeling of Kakyoin caressing your cheek.

"Maybe I'll go back outside and see you okay."

[blissfulalchemist]

“  what aren’t you telling me?  ” your choice 👀

Not me coming out of the woods to bring a little Sahar content since the newest issue gave some inspiration and thoughts as to their relationship. Thank you Noah for the prompt and I hope you enjoy this little tidbit!

word count: 1.4k no warnings

Sahar flips to the next page of the latest gossip magazine, sneering at it while the words pass over her eyes. Dr. Badar made the decision to bench her after the showdown with Zodiac; it had become too dangerous in recent weeks for someone so new, according to him. Really all she saw was that he was attempting to regain his pride after being taken down so easily. Nevertheless she couldn’t well go out at night without being caught and so picking up more shifts at work became the solution. 

Nearly every night since then is spent in the stale smells of coffee and deli meat, a forever yellowed edge among the blue tinted lighting reflecting off the linoleum, and the rare customer coming in for cigarettes or the munchies on their way home for the night with only two feet and some plexiglass to keep them at bay. She glances up at the clock, sighing that she has four more hours and still no Marc to come by and alleviate the boredom. Really she should go down there herself and see how he was doing after that night, couldn’t have been good but he was someone that seemed to need the reminder that there were people that cared about him whether he wanted them to or not. Maybe tonight after she’s clocked out, she can bring over some of the donuts the delivery guy sneaks for her with the ones for the store. 

The bell chimes with the sudden intake of wind from the door being thrown open. Sahar not having a chance to look up before a piece of paper is slammed down in front of her. She moves her eyes up slowly following the dark umber arm to meet Reese’s narrowed red eyes. “Evening Reese,” she says, sitting up straighter, “can I get you anything?”

“Don’t try and play nice with me,” the vampire growls out, “You’ve been keeping things from me.”

Sahar’s brow furrows, “Keeping things-? Oh right, the vigilantism-.”

Reese shakes her head, “No. Not that. I knew about that a long time ago. I was the one that told Marc, remember.”

“Oh yeah….,” Sahar shakes the thoughts from her mind, “Okay then if it's not that then what are you talking about?”

She draws Sahar’s attention to the paper on the counter that shows a photo from days of old, pulled from an ex-coworker’s social media profile if she had to hazard a guess. While Sahar wasn’t the main focus of the photo it’s hard to deny that it's her in the designer long sleeved gold and maroon dress that hugs her body and comes to her knees, arm thrown over the shoulders of a man she hadn’t thought about in years, the two of them smiling in the middle of a laugh. Her lips twitch in a small smile as she catches the banner stating it to be a New Year’s party, the memories of which come back clear as day knowing that ten seconds after that photo was taken the countdown started and she’d kiss the business man that surprised her with his presence that night, and that she would see him once more after that before he seemed to just disappear from existence.

“That’s you is it not,” Reese asks, pointing directly at the woman she once was. Sahar nods, Reese’s finger moving to the man next to her, “Do you know who that man is you’re hanging off of?”

Sahar pulls the paper closer, looking at his clean shaven face, the way his brown eyes glittered, the softness of his brown hair as she ran her fingers through it, and the distinctive scar just above his left eye, “Yeah, his name was Steven Grant. He was my holiday party buddy.” She looks up at the expectant face of Reese, “That’s it. I didn’t know too much else about him….or well things that are appropriate to share in a public space. How did you even find this? This was a long time ago.”

“Really? That’s all you’re going to give me? I thought we were friends.”

“We are, but I don’t know what else you want from me.”

“Bullshit!”

“Look, you only asked me who this man is and I told you.”

“And you know more than you’re letting on! So tell me, Sahar, what aren’t you telling me?”

“I-. You mean about Steven Grant or my past?”

Reese slowly relaxes, looking down, “That man in the picture doesn’t look at all familiar to you in any other way?” Sahar shakes her head once again, Reese pinching the bridge of her nose, “Does he just not take his mask off when you fuck?”

“Uhh, well he pulls it up enough to allow for us to kiss, but no….he doesn’t really take it off.”

Reese blinks a few times, “You’re a little odd, Sahar, anyone ever tell you that before?” Sahar shrugs, as her friend lets out a deep sigh, “So you’re just as in the dark as me.”

“Reese, what is it you’re trying to tell me?”

“I think Marc and Steven are the same person.”

Sahar purses her lips, looking back at the photo, Is this the reason you didn’t flinch when I told you about me?, there were still too many possibilities as to just what was going on and it was enough to give credit to Reese’s theory. “I can’t call myself an expert on either man, just that, if there’s something Marc isn’t telling you he has good reasoning for it,” she looks up at the vampire, “even if it doesn’t make total sense to you. It does to him and it’ll do you no good to pressure him into telling you.”

“Then what can I do? I just want him to be honest with me. Isn’t that something you want from him also?”

“Just continue on as you have been. Whatever it is, it’s out of the dark and into the light, he knows that.” She sighs, “When that happens it takes a little time to figure out just how and if you ever want to acknowledge it with someone you care about. It's not an easy decision, trust me.”

“You act as if you already figured out just what it is he’s keeping from me,” the vampire crosses her arms, looking away, “from us.”

“I have a few theories, but I also know from experience. When you don’t have anything to outwardly say you’re different from everyone else it makes it harder to want to be honest.” Sahar exhales slowly, “We’ve all seen how people treat others that look dangerous, the mutants had to create their own island because of it, and I’m sure you’re feeling it a little now that you’re a vampire. You have no choice but to confront the truth with people, so when you can hide it….well wouldn’t you want to keep it hidden to seem like some kind of normal that people will accept.”

Reese hangs her head, “I just thought he’d have trusted me by now. Would have thought that he knew that I wouldn’t just abandon him, that I would be understanding, you know?” The young woman sighs, “I’m worried about him is all. Whatever it is he’s keeping to himself is making him reckless and I don’t want to see him….”

Sahar reaches out a hand, “I know. I worry about him too, but there isn’t much we can do until he’s ready to tell us.”

“And if he never does tell us?”

“Then we do what we can to protect him.” Sahar walks out from behind the counter, embracing the vampire before they part for the night. Sahar’s eyes narrow at the photo on the counter still once Reese leaves her eyesight, examining it once more with a frown. “I refuse to let you keep secrets from me Marc,” she grumbles, closing down the store for her break and changing into more suitable wear for tracking down a working Marc Spector. Slipping out the back door and onto the rooftops she easily makes sight of him, three rooftops over and easy enough to catch up too. She takes him by surprise, pinning him against the wall, arm across his throat, snarling, “Listen here, you may not want to tell Reese but you’re going to tell me just what it is you’ve been hiding under that mask of yours, Marc.” He fights her off when she grabs for his mask, something she keeps an iron grip on even after he pushes her away causing it to slide off anyway. Her knuckles turn white as she stares into the bruised but unmistakable face of an old friend, “Or should I just call you Steven Grant?”

[aes-anime-asks]

In that case, could I please request some general Oz/Brian pining headcanons pre-prom/confession? Thank you! :D

This is such an adorable request!! Sorry I'm responding so late a lot of life things came up! This also ended up being way longer than I thought it would be :o.

💛💚💛💚💛💚💛💚💛💚

Brian and Oz obviously both go to Spooky High and actually even went to middle and elementary school together, but they came from very different parts of town and grew up very differently.

Oz's two parents, the Embodiment of Dread and the Embodiment of Horror brought him up in an upper middle class, suburby part of town. The enrolled him in all kinds of extra curriculars like Badminton, library club, and art classes. He was really rather sheltered and incredibly mild mannered.

As a zombie from around age 6 or 7 (he's not really sure) , Brian never really knew his birth parents and wound up being taken in by a kindly old neighbor who was too near-sighted to actually notice that he was a zombie. His caretaker, though immensely generous, did not have lots of money for things like new clothes or regular trips to the laundromat, resulting in Brian's grizzled appearance.

As kids together, they were often the last two picked to be on things like dodgeball teams, and because of their mutual lack of a social group, they often drifted toward each other when told to choose partners and would spend their free time in the library reading comics together.

However, despite the cozy, reliable comfort each felt around each other, their friendship never extended beyond required academic work.

Once again, in high school, Oz and Brian found each other taking a dreaded P.E. class together. As they head up the rear of the class running laps every day, Oz can't help but notice that Brian smells delightfully of pine trees, and that his sage-green face has gotten remarkably defined and handsome.

Both of them being naturally SO QUIET they go about attempting to do sports side by side for weeks, with Brian's cool demeanor instantly putting Oz's anxiety at ease the minute he sees him in class.

When Oz tries to sleep at night, his mind cycles through so many ways he wants to tell Brian that he might, maybe, have some deeper feelings for him than is appropriate for Badminton partners, but Brian is so stoic, however that in all these scenarios, he ends up giving Oz a weird look and walking away from him.

Oz gets so in his head about the fact that's he's convinced Brian hates him that he actually starts avoiding him in class and everywhere else.

Brian can't stand this. He misses the weird little noises Oz would make when he would try to hit a ball. He misses the short words of encouragement he gives him all day. But most of all he misses his cute eyes, cute hair, and cute phobias crawling all over him. He thought they were friends. What happened?

Being a zombie, Brian is prone to depression, but not having his yellow beam of sunshine around makes things even worse for him. He starts ditching class entirely.

As a being created wholly from anxiety, Oz immediately assumed the worst when Brian stops showing up. Is he somehow dead? Can that even happen to zombies? He needed to find out.

Oz bribes Vera into giving him Brian's address (how does she know where everyone lives?), and heads over there first thing after the bell rings.

As he approaches the worn, falling apart cabin, he's greeted by the tiniest old lady he's ever seen. She smiles up at him through the thickest pair of glasses he's ever seen.

"Good afternoon Ms. Yu. Is.... uh... Brian home? I noticed he hasn't been at school for a few days and I just wanted to bring him the notes from P.E. (God, there were no notes from P.E. class, what was he thinking?!).

After shoving some warm zucchini bread toward him, Ms. Yu led him to Brian's bedroom and closed the door behind her. (Was she TRYING to set them up???)

"Oz?" Brian said, completely floored at his presence. He swore he could see pink tinging Oz's dark cheeks as he set the Zucchini bread gingerly on the nightstand.

"Brian... I need to tell you something..." Brian motioned for Oz to sit on his bed. "I got so worried when you stopped showing up to class. I thought maybe something had happened to you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I haven’t stopped thinking about you for weeks. I'm sorry I stopped being your partner. I just thought maybe... maybe I was annoying you or something ."

Then for the first time, Oz swore he saw Brian smile. Damn, his smile through those scars on his cheek might be the hottest thing he had ever seen. He scooted a little closer. Just then, Brian started laughing, belly laughing. Oz was mortified. Was Brian getting what he was trying to say at all?

Then, without saying a word, Brian sat up and put his arm around Oz. "I thought you were smarter than that." He said grinning the entire time. This was his chance, Brian ruffled Oz's hair like he had been wanting to do for years. It was just as smooth and soft as he imagined it would be.

This time he could definitely see Oz turning bright red. Brian figured he had better do something before he went and passed out from stress.

In one smooth motion, Brian grabbed Oz's face in both of his hands and kissed him right on the lips. Not a long kiss, not a deep kiss, but a "See I told you I meant it?" kiss. He wasn't much for words, but Brian knew exactly what Oz needed.

Oz melted into Brian's arms after that, crying a little bit through his joy. He was still in shock, but he knew he was going to have one hell of a prom.

[jessiebanethedragon]

White Sands Warm the Cold Sea (pt 9)

Summary: the reader, betrothed to a disgusting Coruscanti Lord flees her home world and lands herself in a plethora of trouble, a ship of clones, and one pirate captain whose cold exterior needs much more than the tropical seaside sun.

Chapter one

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter four

Chapter five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Warnings: Swearing, takes place in time periods where women have dowery's and suchlike. The readers' dad and betrothed are asses.

Chapter Nine: The Night at Sea

The second you attempt to reach behind to untie your corset, your arm spasms. The collision with the hull of the ship has left you shaken and battered and in no position to twist your body to undo the double knotted ties Seil, your handmaiden, would have tied. And your heart aches when you think of her.

You know that you shouldn’t sleep in the dirty clothes and the corset, but with the secure double knots there is no way to undo the ties yourself. And so you pull yourself into the hammock, landing face first, when your back muscles give out, into the netting tied to the wall. With a groan, you don’t even bother trying to move, and you pass out on the ship - having been through the ringer for what feels like a million times in one day.

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“Where is she?” Hunter grumbles when Tech returns to the group, looking up at the stars Hunter was using to calculate their ETA.

“Probably asleep in Echo’s hammock I'd guess.” Tech says plainly, and he watches as his sergeant’s face hardens.

“You need to learn how to follow orders.” He snaps, before going back to the map.

“Sarge,” Tech starts, “you’re displaying worrying symptoms.” He decides on. And under the hat he sees his eye twitch.

The barrage never ended, and the cannons never ceased. How much ammunition either side had left was impossible to guess. This creeping barrage was working. But only just. All they had to do was keep the separatists busy, the regs should be able to manage that at least. And rescue missions were the best kind of mission out there these days…

In the medical bay, Hunter shakes, the wookie child is long gone, and his vod have returned to keep their sergeant company while he heals. They’re angry, and resent him for the return-to-ship order from before. But the carnage that was left of Kashyyyk proved how right he was in securing the safety of Clone Force 99.

“Hunter, your hand.” Tech says looking at the cuts and mangled tissue.

“Kriffing door wouldn’t open.” He explains through drugged eyes. Thinking that the war is over. It has to be over. If not now, it has to be over soon. They can’t continue like this, there can’t be more missions like this. The war has got to be over soon.

Outside, the artillery starts firing again.

Hunter looks at Tech, watching the goggles reflect moonlight, and realises something that, in the chaos of the day, went unnoticed.

“Did Wrecker even lock the cell door?” He interrogates the shorter man in front of him.

“I don’t know.” Tech answers honestly with a shrug. “But even if he didn’t. You know he made the right call.” Hunter grunts in response.

“She’s a Aaray. A danger to us all” He says.

“We’ve been in worse predicaments.” Tech states. Watching as Hunter walks away from yet another conversation of theirs, and he wonders to himself, how long it will take for his captain to start screaming because of nightmares on this clear, calm, night at sea.

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Everything on your left side hurts. The hit from the ship has battered your skin, muscles, and bones. Sleep evades you because the only thing you can focus on is the pain. And when even laying down becomes too much, Gonk moves herself out of where she was curled on your back as you clumsy step out of the hammock, and begin to tread outside.

The three boys are asleep, and part of you chides yourself for being vulnerable in front of them. They could have thrown you in the birg - or worse. But a bigger part of yourself says that you can trust them. Probably more so than you’ve trusted anyone in your life. It’s a naive thought - and perhaps it’s built off of never having someone you can trust before, but a part deep inside of you jumps onto and clings to the idea of putting your faith in these men.

Maybe Crosshair was rough around the edges, and from what you can see, his glare stays with him while he sleeps. It makes you smile a little. And Wreckers exposed scars, they scare you, but the eye patch was so typical of the pirate stories you heard as a child, it’s like living in a fairy tale.

Someone clears their voice behind you.

It’s the Captain, or rather Hunter. Now only in his pants, and tunic, that's been bunched around his forearms in his sleep.

“Plotting something else perhaps?” He asks, crossing his arms in front of him.

“N-no,” you say, annoyed at how easily he makes you nervous. “I couldn’t sleep, I wanted fresh air, and they…” You pause, looking back at the crew. “They’re more manageable when they’re asleep.” The captain lets out a puff of air that's not in annoyance, and you take that as a small victory. And he watches when you crane your neck to look at the stars. He knows it’s because you feel awkward, but in another life, he would’ve found your curious eyes endearing.

“Am I missing something?” Crosshair asks, having woken on his own, and deciding to investigate the scuffle outside.

“Didn’t want the Aaray skulking around the ship.” Hunter answers, “nightmares?” he asks his brother, watching him shake his head no, and with that, one tension is lifted from the sergeants shoulders.

“Are you in pain?” Your voice comes out softly, and they both stare at you unabashedly. “I only mean, i just,” You go to explain. “From earlier the side of the…”

“Hull.” Hunter corrects on instinct, before chiding himself for doing so.

“The Hull, when you caught me…” You motion randomly with your hands as if that helps communicate to Crosshair what you mean, and he stares at you looking tired and vaguely annoyed.

“You’re in pain.” He tells you. And you’re a tad taken back because it hadn't shown on his face that he knew what you meant, let alone made the connection as to why you were awake and hence asked if he too, was hurting.

“I’m okay, I just wanted to…” you try to brush it off

“There’s no point in lying.” Crosshair interrupts, watching at Hunter’s features soften when he also takes in your appearance, leaning against the door, tense and radiating anxiety. He wonders if you’ve ever felt pain like this in your life. Living on a velvet cushion of upper class coruscant would call for little more than flimsiplast cuts. He watches you shrug off Crosshair's comment, intent on being the smallest problem you can possibly be. The man that Hunter was before would be reaching out for you, your messy hair, soft features, and innocence that he knows lesser men are itching to take advantage of.

“You should take that off.” Crosshair nods towards your dress and you gape at him.

“Crosshair!” Hunter barks on instinct, and not standing for the disrespect. He sees your face flush and your arms go around your waist protectively.

“Have I missed something?” A forth voice joins them outside of the bunks and Hunter inwardly groans. Now Tech is awake, what he hoped would’ve been a private nightly stroll has turned into some kind of situation report.

“Shockingly the Aaray is being uptight.” Crosshair moves to the opposite side of the doorway you’re leaning on.

“I don’t think it is fundamentally uptight to want to preserve my own modesty.” You say incredulously, and Hunter notes that you resort to your training as a lady when you become nervous. Just like his men resort to being soldiers when faced with problems.

“Crosshair!” Tech exclaims, glaring at his brother - he really needed lessons in things that are appropriate to say, and things that are not.

“I’m only asking you to take the corset off.” Crosshair says smirking, enjoying how flustered everyone is. And Hunter sees something flash in your eyes.

“Do you think you’re funny?” You snap, and the sniper stops smiling. “Is this a game to you? Clearly you have no concept of the ramifications on a woman should she ever do something like that. Or you have no concept of how dresses and corsets work - which wouldn't surprise me given your temperament.”

Hunter catches a small grin on his face, you’re alive tonight and he hates to admit that he likes it. The inference that Crosshair is too unintelligent to understand womens garments or that no women has let him close enough to understand them is both funny and potentially accurate.

“He does have a point.” Tech chimes in.

“Tech!” Hunter shouts, expecting better from him.

“I mean it might be adding pressure to areas already in pain.” He says quickly, his face as red as a zarrabak. And no one is surprised that he’s caught himself up in the conversation.

Behind all of you - Wrecker snores.

“I-I… can’t.” Your voice is small, and you’re looking at the floor, embarrassment pings in everyone's hearts when they realise that this is an important issue to you, and they’re talking about it like you’re not even present.

“We can give you private space if that's what you require.” Tech speaks up. And when you pause you can hear the waves crash in the night.

“Thank you.” You stammer out. This whole ordeal has become very embarrassing and as much as you want to deny the pain and tell the clones it’s nothing, you know both Crosshair and Tech will see right through whatever lie you construct.

“It’s, it’s just that…” You pause again. Maker if you tell them you can’t do it yourself you’re going to look as pathetic as you feel. “I would need assistance with the ties…” You mumble the last part to your bare feet that poke out under your dress. When you have the courage to look up again, all eyes are looking at Tech. The latter of the three simultaneously having decided he was most equipped for the job.

“Have at it, loverboy.” Crosshair jeers at his brother, and now both you and Tech are blushing madly.

“I’m surprised you're not jumping to the occasion.” Tech cracks back at him. And if you weren’t so self conscious in this moment you’d roll your eyes at how much they argue. Hunter remains deathly quiet.

“Unless she wants it cut off as i’m usually-” “Alright! Alright!” Tech cuts him off, and moves towards you while Crosshair snickers.

“Turn ‘round.” Hunter barks, and while you might think he’s telling you, he’s actually giving an order to Crosshair, as the trooper made no move to divert his eyes. And as Tech undoes just enough buttons to start loosening the corset he sees how taught the ties have become and yanks it towards him for leverage.

“Tech!” You squeal and gasp, trying to get away from him and he accidentally constricts you more. Sending pain shooting all over you as your injured body is put under more stress.

Hunter turns around at the sound of pain and sees both of you shaking, he knows you must be beyond embarrassed and Tech even more so. Your moss coloured dress is unbuttoned and the back pushed aside to reveal the cream corset. Hunter sighs, and pushes his brother aside.

You hear an ‘ow’ from Tech as well as what you suspect is Crosshair's hand connecting with the back of his shorter brother's head. As they walk away you shiver as you realize the captain is standing behind you.

“You’re fine.” He says plainly. Nimble fingers working at the knots quickly, you shake in the absurdity of it all, and the feeling of Hunter exhaling into your hair and neck as he works.

“This is so unbecoming.” You mumble to yourself in shame, jerking when you feel the tips of his hair brush against your skin.

“I recall you saying ‘fuck’ earlier.” Hunter scoffs at you, “I think you’re past unbecoming.” silently praising himself when one knot becomes free, whoever tied them must have known what they were doing because it feels more complicated than half the sail ties on the Muraduer. Then again, your activities of the day probably didn't help the situation.

“Captain, you’re basically undressing me.” You tell him, looking over your shoulder just in time to watch him still at your words. The part of his face you can see in this position is covered by the tattoo, but what the moon and stars manage to light up is stunning nevertheless.

“If you’re worried about modesty, I can’t see any more of your skin than I could before.” He reassures you, and you’re beginning to wonder what kind of man he really is. Hunter is so tender at this moment, so gentle. And yet you know what lies underneath.

Technically what he just told you is a lie, he can see the expanse of your back, and parts of your shoulders. But the way your brows creased in concern as you look back at him makes lying worth it as you relax a little bit. Trying to be annoyed at you for causing him grief, he goes back to the knots.

You gasp and clutch your chest as you feel him loosening the string as the last knot comes free. And you see the shock in Hunter's face when you whip around so he barely catches a glimpse of the slip that sits underneath the corset.

Maker, he thinks to himself, you’re so disheveled and scared by a simple act. He grits his teeth at the thought of how Nython would treat you, someone like you needed soft and gentle touches, words of affirmation. Hunter’s grinding his teeth together as he realizes the pride Nython would have in hurting someone as defenceless as yourself.

But then he thinks about how you held your own against his own crew today. And the captain of the Havoc Marauder thinks you’re not as defenceless as you look.

Tags: @the-mandalorian-clone-lover @peacefulwizardfox @rex-meshla @s1st37 @and-claudia @kamino-mermaid @thelambandthewolffe @starwarsmeninhelmets

@bronvin @myeternalsin @sweetsunflowerkisses @loverofclones @beizm @gunsmoke-blu

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@starskenobiwan @lordellbell @kaetavlos @violetjedisylveon @​​vergol @Lackofhonor

[my-unmanageable-mischief]

Book Club

For the anon who requested : can you do a professor remus one?

Remus Lupin x Reader

After complaints from parents about their kiddies not learning anything, Professor Binns was finally (politely) forced into retirement. That meant for the first time in centuries there was an opening for a History of Magic professor. You jumped on the opportunity immediately, never expecting to actually get the job. You were young, relatively inexperienced, but you were a wiz at history of magic, you had always been, even in your time at Hogwarts not too long ago. 

That’s why Dumbledore gave you the job. That and he was hoping that having someone young and relatable would inspire the students. And you hoped he was right, all you wanted to do was teach, from the time you were a young child. You sat nervously in your seat at the faculty table and looked around at all the young faces in front of you. You remembered being that young. 

“I would like to introduce two new professors this year that we are very lucky to have. Teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts will be Remus Lupin,” There was some scattered applause as a man a few seats down from you stood up, waving slightly. He was a handsome man, definitely older than yourself, but his eyes were even older than that. He had light scars on his face that were illuminated in the candlelight. “And replacing Professor Binns this year will be the lovely Y/N Y/L/N,” You took your turn to stand, there was a wolf whistle from somewhere in the gaggle of students. You flushed slightly and Dumbledore hushed them, “She’s recently been in your shoes, so I hope you will all take her knowledge to heart. Now, enjoy the feast!” 

You took your seat again, watching as the plates in front of you filled with delicious foods and your goblet filled itself to the brim with pumpkin juice. Merlin, you had missed Hogwarts. 

The first week of classes flew by in a whirl. You felt like you were slightly out of your league and you were beginning to panic. The kids were not much younger than yourself, and you felt like they didn’t quite respect you yet, and you had no idea how to gain it. You didn’t want to hand out detentions, that wasn’t your style. You didn’t want them to hate you or fear you via punishment. You wanted them to like you and to understand you were there to help them. 

One day between classes you were wandering the hallway, trying to clear your head when you heard a roar of laughter. You stopped, peaking into the cracked doorway. Professor Lupin was at the head of the class, and the students in front of him were laughing, grinning ear to ear. 

“Okay okay!” He raised his hand and the laughter died down, “Next up, remember,” He flicked his wand and spoke, “Riddikulus!” The next student stepped up and Lupin opened the chest at the front of the room, and a Bogart popped out, taking on the form of a giant snake. You watched from the hallway, smiling to yourself. 

“Remember, remember the spell! He called and the young girl looked at him worriedly before flourishing her wand and yelling out the spell. The snake morphed and changed and suddenly it was a giant clown, the students roared with laughter again. You remained watching, student after student went. They were learning, they were having fun. It was everything you wanted for your own class. Finally, a student stepped up, Harry Potter, you noticed. When his Bogart turned into a Dementor Lupin lept in front of him, and it changed into a full moon. You frowned. “Riddikulus,” He spoke, and suddenly it was gone, a balloon with the air let out from it. Everyone cackled but you continued to frown. Why would his biggest fear be the moon? “Alright, alright,” He announced, laughing, “That’s enough fun for today, I will see you all next class!” There were groans of protest from kids who didn’t go yet, but they all turned to shuffle out past you. 

“Ms. Y/L/N, I didn’t see you there,” Lupin greeted you, gesturing for you to come into the classroom, you stepped forward. 

“Sorry to impose, I heard laughter, I had to check it out,” You smiled politely at him, he smiled back. 

“I hope we weren’t too loud, Ms. Y/L/N.” 

“Absolutely not.” You assured him, “And please, call me Y/N.” He nodded his head, shifting around slightly. 

“Of course, Y/N. You’re welcome to call me Remus, if it pleases you.” He was so polite it was almost comical. You took a deep breath getting ready to ask the question on the tip of your tongue, but Remus spoke first. 

“How are you finding teaching so far?” He asked and you shrugged slightly, smiling sheepishly. 

“Alright, I actually wanted to ask you.. For advice.”

“Me? I’m sure there are much more qualified people to be giving out advice.” 

“Maybe, but none of them are new to being a professor. And your students seem to love you so much already. I want to know how you did it. Maybe over a cup of tea? I don’t feel like my students are connecting to me yet.” You explained and he nodded knowingly. 

“It’s a hard gig, especially so young.” 

“I feel like they think I’m just babysitting them,” You both chuckled. 

“How about Friday after lessons? My office, I can give you all the advice I have, even if it isn’t much.” You nodded and smiled. 

“Sounds lovely,” You checked the watch on your arm and nodded towards the door, “I have to go, it was good to finally meet you properly, Remus.” 

“You as well, Ms.- I mean, Y/N.” You laughed, offering him a small wave before turning to leave the classroom, looking forward to Friday. 

Friday rolled around faster than you thought it would, and you were grateful. You felt like your students were warming up to you, but there was still a disconnect. You walked to Remus’s office and knocked. A moment later the door opened and the man stood in front of you smiling softly. 

“Hello, Y/N.” 

“Hello Remus, how was your week?” You asked, stepping into the office. It was nicely decorated, and the bookshelves were brimming with literature, so much so that there were several boxes around the room with even more books in them still. 

“Sorry for the mess,” you waved him off.

“It’s lovely, have you read all of these?” You asked curiously as you followed the man to his desk, sitting in one of the plush seats on the opposite side while he settled behind it. 

“Most of them yes, there are some I haven’t gotten around to yet,” He admitted. You smiled, watching him conjure a teapot and two mugs over. He poured you each a glass. “How do you take your tea?” He asked, and you smiled sitting back in the comfortable chair.

“Just some sugar please,” He added a few cubes of sugar before setting the mug in front of you. “Did you go to Hogwarts?” 

“A few lifetimes ago, yes,” He chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink, you stirred yours with your spoon waiting for the sugar to dissolve. 

“Oh come on, hardly.” You laughed, “Is it as odd for you as it is for me? To be here and not be a student?” Remus nodded his head. 

“Yes, it’s odd. Being here, being in charge, not being...” He paused, and eyed you slightly, “Not being a troublemaker.” That made you laugh harder. 

“You were a troublemaker?” You pressed and he shrugged before nodding, his eyes glistening slightly. 

“A bit, well my mates were, but they dragged me into everything,” 

“Brilliant,” You snickered. 

“What about you? All I’ve heard from other professors is how brilliant you were.” You flushed slightly, glancing away. 

“I’m not that brilliant, I only ever really excelled in history of magic. And that wasn’t hard considering most kids didn’t even want to be there. But I love it, I love to read. And I would love for my students to find it even half as interesting as I do.”

“So make it more interesting,” He prompted, and you sighed,

“It’s not like defense, I can’t very well let a Bogart loose in the classroom,” You teased and it was his turn to flush slightly. 

“I’m sure you could think of something more appropriate to the subject, you seem rather resourceful.” You sipped on your tea and hid your smile behind the mug. 

“I will try,” You assured, “I think it’s hard for them to respect me, they look at me and they see their siblings, or older kids they attended school with. They don’t think of me as a professor.” Remus put his mug down and looked at your thoughtfully. 

“I’m sure they respect you more than you give them credit for.” You shrugged, “Dumbledore would not have given you this position if he didn’t think you were more than qualified, just remember that.” You smiled and nodded your head. 

“Thank you, I think I needed to hear that,” 

“Of course,” You made small talk as you drank your tea, and you eventually put the empty mug down with a content sigh. 

“You know, we should start a book club.” The man across from you chuckled, raising an eyebrow. 

“A book club?”

“That was my polite way of asking to raid your little library you have yourself here,” You grinned and he chuckled again waving a hand towards the shelves. 

“By all means, anytime you’d like you’re welcome to borrow. Or else they just collect more dust.” That was all the invitation you needed, Remus watched amused as you excitedly got out of your seat, going to the closest bookshelf, running your finger over the spines. You stopped randomly on one and pulled it off the shelf, looking at the title. 

“One of my favorites,” Remus informed you, leaning back in his own chair as he watched you. “I highly recommend it.” You opened the book and read over the inside cover, smiling to yourself. Remus thought you had a wonderful smile, but he shook the thought from his head. You were way too young, too pretty for him. Besides, he had way too much baggage to be dating. 

“I’ll take it then,” You decided, coming back to his desk, “Want to meet next friday for tea and we can talk about it?” You offered, unsure if you were overstepping. 

“That sounds lovely,” You smiled and nodded your head, brushing your hair over your shoulder. 

“Brilliant, I will see you around then, Remus.” 

“Have a good day, Y/N,” With that you left his office, going back to your own to start on a new lesson plan. Something fun. 

This week went by better, things were getting easier. The students were engaged, and seemed to be enjoying your class more and more by the day, something you were elated about. They were asking questions, participating, and doing their assignments as instructed. In your free time you read the book you had borrowed from Remus, and he was right, it was a wonderful book. Written by a muggle about magic, and it was fun and interesting to see how they believed your world would be. Somethings were almost accurate but most of it was.. What was the word? Fantasy. 

Friday arrived again, and at the end of classes you made your way to Remus’s office, excited to see the man and to talk about the book. When you got there, Professor Snape was leaving and you nodded politely at the man. You never cared for him while you were a student, and now that you were a teacher your feelings hadn’t changed much. 

“Y/L/N.” He greeted in a draw before brushing past you, leaving the door ajar. You knocked on the doorframe, popping your head in. 

“Remus?” You called, and he looked up from where he had been rubbing his face with his hands. 

“Hello, Y/N, come on in,” You entered the office, shutting the door behind you. 

“Cheating on me with Snape?” You teased and he flushed.

“W-What?” 

“I’m just joking,” You assured, coming to sit in the lovely plush armchair. You would need to get yourself one of these. 

“Oh no, I know, I am sorry. He just stopped in to ask a question.” You nodded your head, tucking you feet up under your legs as you sat. 

“I don’t think he likes me,” You admitted, “Not even when I was a student,” 

“He doesn’t like anyone,” Remus assured you chuckling, “Not even when we were students.” He gestured with his wand and the teapot came over to his desk landing between the two of you were two mugs already sat. 

“You went to school with him?” You asked, surprised. 

“Yes, I unfortunately did.” You snickered at that, watching Remus pour you each a cup of tea, before placing sugar in yours and handing it over. You thanked him and took it, holding it in your hands, letting it warm you up. 

“How was that?” 

“He was mostly the same, we, he and my friends, never got on.” He admitted, “But don’t let my petty squabbles influence you.” You smirked, taking a sip of tea.

“Don’t worry, they don’t. I’ve never been fond of the man.” Remus smirked in return, nodding his head. 

“How did you like A Wizard of Earthsea?” He asked, and you produced the book from your robes, setting it on his desk.

“Oh I loved it,” You gushed, and he smiled. He wouldn’t tell you, but he truly enjoyed having someone around who enjoyed literature the way he did. You talked yourself through three mugs of tea about the book, conversation flowing nicely. When it got dark you finally checked your watch.

“Dinner is soon, we should go to the hall,” He checked his own watch, disappointed that your time together was over. 

“Pick another book before we go, if you’d like.” 

“I’d love to,” You grinned, taking the previous book and returning it to it’s spot on his shelf. You looked around before settling on another one, holding it up to him. “Good?”

“Ah, you’ve got brilliant taste,” He grinned and you returned the sentiment. Months passed like that, fall turned to winter, but the tea and talking about books with Remus every friday remained a constant in your life. You loved having something to look forward to every week, and it was nice to have a friend. 

You were on your way to your weekly meeting when you were intercepted by Severous Snape a few corridors away from his office. 

“Ms. Y/L/N.” He greeted and you smiled meekly at the man.

“Hello, Mr. Snape?” You greeted, unsure what you were supposed to call him. His face darkened slightly, you guessed that was wrong. 

“May I offer you some advice,” It wasn’t a question, you nodded, shifting from foot to foot. “I wouldn’t go around spending all your time with Remus Lupin, not if you like your job.” You blinked a few times. 

“Excuse me, sir?” 

“There are many things you don’t know about that man, dangerous things.” He continued ominously. You scoffed, that cardigan wearing man? Dangerous? “You’re a bright girl, I’m sure you’ve worked out his... furry little problem.” You frowned. You hadn’t. 

“I don’t think it’s your business to be sharing his business, do you sir?” Snape glared down at you, and you did your best to hold his gaze. 

“Just execute... caution.” He finished and with a flourish he was gone down the corridor and you were left alone with your thoughts. You went directly to Remus’s office, not knocking before you entered, face still screwed up in a glare. 

“Y/N,” He greeted, “What’s wrong?” His face fell slightly. You shrugged, coming to sit in your chair across from him. 

“Just ran into Snape in the hall,” You admitted. Remus didn’t say anything, but you could see he was nervous, “He told me to be careful around you, that you were dangerous.”

“Y/N..” 

“Said you had a furry little problem.” You continued, glancing up at the man, who was pale as a ghost. 

“D-did he?” 

“Your Bogart...” The pieces were all there, right in front of you, “You’re always ill, once a month...”

“Y/N...” He stood up, eyes widening, “Please,” 

“You’re a werewolf?” You whispered, meeting his eyes, and he immediately looked away from you. The question hung in the air for an uncomfortable amount of time. You took your wand out, Remus still refusing to look at you, and you conjured the teapot over, pouring yourselves each a mug. “How do you take your tea?”

“What?” He spun around, like he was surprised you were even still there. 

“Tea, Remus, how do you take it?” You placed a few sugar cubes in your own mug then looked at him expectantly. 

“Oh, uhm, milk, no sugar.” You nodded, pouring a bit of milk into his mug before pushing it towards his chair. 

“I can’t believe I’ve never read this before,” You continued, placing the book on his desk and Remus slowly returned to his seat, hesitantly taking the mug. “Lord of the Rings, you said there were more of them?” You prodded, and he took a small sip of his tea. 

“Several,”

“Brilliant,” You smiled, tucking your feet up under your legs in your usual position. 

“Listen, Y/N...”

“Remus,” You spoke firmly, “It’s alright,” He waved his hand.

“No no, it’s not alright, Snape is right... I am dangerous.” You looked him up and down before smirking.

“I think I could take you in a duel,” He frowned at you.

“I’m being serious,” 

“You’re not dangerous Remus,” You argued. 

“I am, and ... and you shouldn’t be around me,”

“Too bad.” You shrugged, stirring your tea and taking a sip, “I rather like being around you.” He flushed, running a hand through his hair. 

“Snape is-”

“A git, I agree,” You took another sip, eyeing the man over your mug, daring him to argue with you, he chuckled.

“Well yes, but he has a point.” 

“He’s an arse, Remus, a fear mongering arse, He had no right to tell me that,” Remus shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t feel like he deserved this- you being so blase about this all. You should be running from him, screaming to everyone who would listen that he was a monster. But here you were, drinking tea with him, and discussing books. 

One the last day of school you went to your dear friend’s office, having heard the rumors by now. You knocked on the door before letting yourself in. The bookshelves were empty, and nothing but one last box sat on his desk. You frowned. 

“So it’s true,” 

“Parents don’t exactly want their kids being taught by a monster, Y/N.” You frowned deeper. 

“You’re not a monster, Remus, you’re a good man with a rotten condition.” He laughed bitterly. “You’re a good man Remus.” You repeated. 

“Whatever you say, arguing with you is pointless,” He teased slightly and you smirked coming to him, putting your hands on the back of the armchair you had grown to love.

“It’s yours.”

“Sorry?”

“The chair,” You looked down, surprised. “Put it in your office, these are yours too,” He gestured to the box of books on his desk, “I think you’ll like them.” You gazed into the box before coming around the desk to throw your arms around the man in a hug. 

“Promise me you’ll see me over the summer,”

“Y/N...”

“No excuses, take me out for tea, invite me over, talk to me about these lovely books of yours. We already agreed there is no point in arguing with me.” You chidded him. He hugged you back for a moment, letting himself breath you in before he pulled back. 

“I will,” He assured you, and you nodded. 

“Thank you Remus, for everything.”

“No thank you,” You smiled up at him before leaning up on your tippy toes to place a kiss on the man’s cheek. 

“I expect an owl as soon as you’re home safely,”

“Yes ma’am,” You both chuckled, “and I will see you Friday, alright?” 

“Alright.” 

“Promise me,” You demanded and he held out a pinky finger, which you took with your own. 

“Promise.”

[an-annyeoing-writer]

vulnerability. – chap. 2.

Story info:

Pair: Byun Baekhyun x Reader

Rating: +18 for mentions of s*x and violence (future chapters)

Genre: angst, smut

Chapter info:

Release date: 4th June 2021

Word count: 2 751

Warnings: mentions of criminal activity

Vulnerability Masterlist || Fanfiction Masterlist || Ko-Fi

Taglist:

@shesdreaminginoverdose @mybiasdashboard @marimsun @byuns-asscheeks @multi--kpop--fanfics @vunv @making-me-blush @skittlez-area512 @bloopbloopkai @byuns-asscheeks @baekyeonoreo @kimcarinaa

Please, always comment on the newest chapter if you wish to be added to/removed from the taglist. I will be also checking the tags, so if you're shy – feel free to leave a note this way.

Previous (Chap. 1.)

Chap. 2.

“What’s my name?”

“Baekhyun.”

“Wrong.”

A stroke of the riding crop over her chest makes the woman whimper. She’s older than him, but it doesn’t matter. Right now, everything about her – her age, name, wants and aversions – they’re all reduced to the leather collar around her neck.

“How are you to address me?”

“Master” she doesn’t hesitate.

The man does, though – he stares her down just for a few seconds, as if to judge her, before he speaks again.

“Good.”

Her gaze follows him as he walks slowly around her, observing her body’s reaction. She’s not to move, not to ask questions. She’s to accept it.

“I’m going to beat you with the crop now. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Bend over.”

* * *

The day was long, but Baekhyun found himself relieving stress in one of his favorite ways.

This time, he sat in The Queen of Spades alone, sipping whiskey and silently watching people around him, eventually ending up staring into the alcohol’s surface instead, until it disappeared entirely and there were only a few pieces of ice at the bottom left to look at. Once they melted, he’d drink them up as well – and it would probably happen, as he wasn’t about to leave anytime soon. There was not much to do.

His eyes landed on the small cut on the inside of his palm, placed next to the glass; the cut was still fresh, but not deep enough to require medical assistance, or even bandaging for that matter. Accidents happened – in some jobs more than in others. The best he could do was to make sure that accidents like this would not follow him back home.

He heard his phone vibrate, but it took him a few seconds to pick it up.

“Hello.”

“Hi there, Hyunie.”

The familiar voice made him sigh deeply with annoyance.

“You don’t sound happy to hear me,” the feminine voice on the other side spoke in slight offense.

“Sorry, it’s not your fault, Luna, I thought I’d be off for the night,” he admitted honestly; the woman’s presence was not something he minded much, but she wasn’t one who ever brought good news, so his mood instantly dropped the moment he heard her voice.

“Well, tonight you can rest, I have something for tomorrow, though.”

Baekhyun exhaled, already rubbing his temples.

“Spill it, I guess.”

“It’s an office. They have a very good security and our hacker couldn’t get in, so we need someone to go there and get some physical copies out, take a few pics and then leave them where they were. No footprints. We need the copies by Monday, and I’ll send someone to give you the details in person tomorrow.”

“Alright. I’ll be waiting.”

“One more thing.”

“What’s that?” He was ready to hang up; thinking became too tiring. But tomorrow; tomorrow, he’d consider this; now was his time off.

“You did leave footprints today, everyone knows. That you got in trouble, and the police were called. What if they recognize you?”

The man snorted in response.

“No way, I know our safety measures. I wouldn’t let them see my face. It was just an accident, okay. A harmless one. I know better and it won’t happen again” he elaborated, feigning confidence – anything just to make this conversation end.

“Are you sure it was harmless?” Luna was the most composed as she spoke, her voice completely ridden of emotions, and that was what started to worry him. As he knew, carelessness and light humor were typical of her, not this seriousness and solemnity.

“What do you mean?”

“The police have a sample of your blood” she finally spilled. “It wasn’t enough to extract your DNA, but it’s already something. Be careful next time, could you?”

His heart dropped. Confidence was gone.

“…Got it.”

“That’s all. Just take care of yourself, Hyunie.”

“Yeah…”

“Sleep well tonight. You have a long day ahead.” She made a quiet smooch sound.

“Goodnight, Luna.”

The line went dead.

For the next few minutes, Baekhyun stared straight ahead, seemingly deep in thought.

In fact, though, he was depleted of thoughts. He was stuck in the bubble of no thinking, no reasons, no emotions, as his brain processed the information it just gathered, but the process was happening outside of his consciousness.

He wished to stay in his thoughtless bubble for longer, but the thin barrier between his consciousness and his internal dialogue finally broke, and he was flooded with everything that he’d been keeping at bay ever since the conversation started.

And so, Byun Baekhyun started contemplating all the things that he preferred to keep away from himself, so as to not spiral into depression and frustration.

He chose a job, thinking, that the breach of law will give him the freedom he desperately wanted.

He ended up dependent on other people to the point where not even the law could protect him anymore; exactly the opposite – the law didn’t seem much of an obstacle anymore, in comparison to all the other things he got tangled in. It wasn’t a lifestyle that one could escape, and he’d learned it way too late.

He tried to achieve independence, but he became a pawn in other people’s hands, irrelevant to the big things happening around; trusted and respected, yet simply disposable at someone else’s command.

There was only one way he knew that could help him regain the sense of control.

And that was how Byun Baekhyun coped.

* * *

“Bend over.”

She obliges without a question, leaning over the table in front of her. Apparently, he’s interested in her behind, rather than the chest that was only a bit pink from the previous hits. She’s an obedient, but slightly frisky one, one that aims to please while also hoping for some pleasure for herself, getting bored easily, but also fussy if something goes not as she wants. Baekhyun breaks her spirit every time they meet, ridding her of any remaining selfishness.

But she enjoys the pain. He makes sure she enjoys nothing else.

The first hit makes her moan, rather than resist. Her skin is smooth, with no scars, and he makes sure it won’t stay this way for much longer, at least for the next few weeks that it will take to heal after he’s done.

The next few swats must feel nice as well, but then her voice falters and turns into quiet whimpers. She doesn’t try to move away, instead, she leans back, at least for the next few hits until it becomes too much and she tries to move away instead.

She doesn’t speak, and neither does he; the sound of the riding crop hitting her bottom mixes with her breath becoming strained and whines becoming louder from pain.

* * *

It was a few days later that Baekhyun sat again in his favorite, cozy area of The Queen of Spades, with a man taller, but younger than himself; it was not so difficult to be taller than Baekhyun, but at the age of 29, most of the people in his circle of closest friends were younger, while most of the ones in his work field were older, which was some sort of a good sign, meaning that he’s worth more than most people of his age.

29 years old – a confusing age. He should have had his life figured out by now, and, to some extent, he had – he knew what he was good at, and what he could do to slowly ensure himself a stable retirement. But to say he was pleased with his career of choice would probably be a misstatement. Yet, that was what he had, and that was what he needed to accept.

They sat on the leather couch that he usually occupied. The taller, bar-styled table and two chairs were on the right side of the couch – he usually used them when carrying on serious conversations. But currently, he was there just to rest, and so in use was the couch. He glanced at the man on his side – leaning his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder, looking fragile despite, in comparison to Baekhyun, being the stronger silhouette.

“Don’t fall asleep, Sehun.”

No answer came, and he didn’t feel a strong need to disturb the other’s rest. Maybe it wouldn’t be too appropriate to sleep in such a place, making an impression of getting drunk over the limits – which was not really the case, alcohol wasn’t the reason for Sehun’s tiredness – however, in fact, who was there to judge them? Especially with Baekhyun being a regular customer who knew everyone else with such a title; and most of them knew what he was up to as well, and why the people he came with usually were not in the most energetic moods.

The music playing in The Queen of Spadeswas usually quiet and climatic, R&B and jazz tunes mixed with the voices of people, and people coming here usually didn’t try stir the bar’s aura.

In fact, it was exactly the opposite.

The moment a person entered the bar, welcomed by the dim space of browns, beiges, woods, and crystals, their soul instantly filled with the calm atmosphere. The aesthetic and climate gave a clear cue, that intruding them wouldn’t be worth much; it was the best to accept and follow, to allow the place to create the unique experience.

“Sehun, are you sleeping?” Baekhyun glanced at the other, and the man only hummed lowly in response. Baekhyun’s shoulder began to cramp, so he gently lifted the other’s head and rested it on the couch’s backrest instead. Sehun instantly moved a little to adjust, but it didn’t seem like he’d want to get up anytime soon. Baekhyun eyed the bruises on his neck – slowly darkening fingerprints of his own.

The bar’s door suddenly opened, catching his attention with noise when the door accidentally hit the wall. Two girls walked in: one of them he saw come here a few times before, alone and not, and the other… well, the other he had not only seen before, but would most likely see in the future as well. What a coincidence.

[F/n] looked nothing like when he last saw her; primarily because, at the museum, she wore modest clothes that suited the situation. Now, in tight fitted pants and a loose shirt exposing a fair amount of cleavage, she looked way more like a girl of her age, similar to many others that came to the bar every day. If not for the fact he knew her, he wouldn’t have paid her much attention now; however, he did know a bit, and if not her appearance, then at least the personality behind it kept his eyes on her until she looked over her shoulder, sparing him a shy glance, as though either knowing he’s looking at her, or, at the very least, expecting him in the same place as he usually was – in fact, he guessed it would be the latter.

She smiled at him softly, and he reciprocated the smile, tension on his face dissipating; the smile grounded him, in a way, reminding him of the fact that, just as he could watch anyone now, he could also be watched. His presence also didn’t make her as tense as it did before, which was relieving – he started worrying if he didn’t go too far during their official first meeting. The word sensitive written on the page of his notebook wasn’t taken out of the blue. She was fragile, he could tell; not in a bad way – but he knew how his demeanor impacted her back then. But that was sort of a proof in itself, a proof of her determination, because despite this impact, she didn’t back out when she had the chance to.

He still felt that she’s not completely aware of what came with the lifestyle – hobby? activity? – that she was getting herself into. Yet, when he thought about it, how could anyone know that for sure, before they had a taste of what’s it like? If anything, he could give her a chance, he thought; a trial, to see if not only she’s in for her own indulgence, but if she can handle what he himself is interested in.

“Wazzup?” Sehun’s voice sounded by his side. The man was undoubtedly good at recognizing his changes in moods. When Baekhyun didn’t feel confident enough to say too much, it was usually Sehun who asked the questions, allowing him to spill out what was on his mind.

“Nothing much. There’s a girl, though, she wants to join” he explained slowly. Sehun’s face didn’t change at the statement.

“You want to take her?”

“Not sure yet.”

“Ah, so.”

“What do you think?” Baekhyun glanced down at the other; Sehun didn’t look at him, his eyes remained closed.

“Well, I don’t know her. But since Byeoli moved out, your circle’s been kind of empty. There’s me, Chaejang, Lisa… well, yeah, that’s it. You haven’t taken anyone new in a while, and old ones are leaving… Aren’t you getting bored?”

“I’m not bored with any of you.” The statement was simple, but meaningful; Sehun smiled softly at that.

“Well, but you seem to have a lot of free time now, and when you have too much free time, you do stupid things.”

Baekhyun scoffed.

“I mean it.” Sehun looked at him directly now. “You’re getting lonely. You need stimuli.”

To the last statement, there was no answer. The men sat there in silence for some more time, until the glasses became empty, until there was nothing more to sit there for, and until the night became so deep that it threatened with becoming the morning soon.

* * *

“Will this be all?”

“Yes, thank you.”

You gave the customer in front of you a bill with the price of his purchase – an average one, just some grocery; not like you paid it much attention – and took the calculated amount of cash from his hand. No change, no problem. You shared a warm smile, as warm as you could muster up at the late hour. It was one of the days when your natural shyness and introversion didn’t get in the way, and you could enjoy the few polite words exchanged with the people passing the store.

“Thank you, goodnight.”

Right as the door closed behind the man, your phone suddenly called and you reached under the counter, where some of your personal things rested during your shift, ready to reach for if necessary.

“Hello?”

“Hello. Am I disturbing you?” Your heart skipped at the familiarity of the voice. However, this time it wasn’t due to anxiety – you started to look forward to his response, and it was like butterflies in your stomach when you received one. You probably should save his number, though.

“Um… Not much” you replied honestly.

“Is your Friday afternoon free?”

“This Friday?” It was Wednesday, you consulted your imaginary calendar.

“Yeah” he replied shortly.

“Um… Sorry, I have the night shift. Saturday?” You counteroffered right away, not wanting him to take your response as a rejection.

“Won’t you be tired?”

“I’ll sleep it off before the afternoon. I’m used to it.” Your free hand fiddled nervously with the strap of your ID badge.

“Hm, okay then. Can we meet at The Queen of Spades? I live nearby too.”

“Where are we going?”

“To my place.” He hesitated for just a second or two. “Are you okay with that?”

The statement made all the cogs in your head move. You hesitated now, too.

Was it what you thought it was? You couldn’t be sure – it could have been just another one of the ordinary meetings, one to get to know each other better, one to pass free time. It was still soon – you didn’t expect it to happen so fast. Even in the span of the time that has passed ever since seeing him for the first time, till reaching this particular point – it still felt so fast, as though after all these years of hopeless yearning you weren’t ready for jumping into the deep end and bringing your dreams to life.

Yet, your instincts were at ease, no red flags, no suspicions. You didn’t feel a need to refuse, or to wait. What would happen if you did – wouldn’t you end up regretting it? Would you be stuck in your safe-zone forever? Although you felt naïve in your trust, you still trusted your instincts foremost.

So the answer came naturally.

“Yes. Yes, I’m in.”

* * *

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Author's note: How's everyone doing~? I hope you're enjoying yourselves. Please let me know your thoughts on adding that little criminal thread! And, while waiting for the next update, consider checking out my masterlist~

Next (Chapter 3.)