#nice to hear that the boss/everyone else thinks i'm doing well! i don't

[ioannemos]

boss 2 (boss's wife): so how are things going?

me: ...ehh heh heh...

boss 2: [boss 1] says you're killing it

me: kinda feels like it's killing me...

[jeonginsleftcheek]

A relaxing evening

pairing: lee felix x afab!reader

genre: smut, fluff, roommates to lovers

word count: 3.2k

warnings: soft dom lix, big dick lix, sensual massage, clit play, fingering, squirting, unprotected sex, one light spank, not proofread (lmk if i missed something)

a/n: after spending a month writing a literal 70k+ book for hyunjin i hit a bit of a writer's block and who better to get me out of it than my very own muse, lee felix😏

~ Masterlist

To say you've had a horrible day was an understatement.

You've had the worst day that actually stretched and turned into the worst week.

Your boss was on your neck constantly, there was so much work to do which made you stay at the company working overtime and coming home late.

To make matters worse, everyone was angry and annoyed, so the conflict at work grew into a displeasing feeling that had you desperate for any kind of relief, even just a free afternoon to nap.

Felix, your roommate and friend, noticed how you came home later than usually and more drained day after day, the dark circles under your eyes getting progressively darker as the week came to an end.

Finally, Friday came around and you were barely standing on your feet when you walked into the apartment.

Felix is sitting on the couch, probably playing some games before sleep as you shuck off your shoes.

"Hi, sugar plum."- he snickers when he hears you groaning behind him, his head falling backwards to catch a glimpse of you.

"Please, don't start. I'm not in the mood."- you say tiredly.

Usually you throw disgustingly cute nicknames back and forth at each other but your brain was short-circuiting so bad that even thinking of a nickname for your friend was hard.

Felix exhales, pouting as he gets up and makes his way to you, helping you take off your blazer.

"I'll heat up some dinner."- he says and you nod, not even bothering to answer because the last ounce of strength you have is focused on standing upright.

You follow him to the kitchen to drink some water, and Felix looks at your tired frame, feeling sad that you're so down, instead of being your usual self, the one that jokes around and yaps away with him until the early morning.

"Why don't you sit down?"- he guides you to the chair and you sit wordlessly.

"My whole body hurts."- is what you say after a few moments of silence, as Felix waits for the dinner to warm up, his eyes trained outside the window.

"And my mind too."- you add as he looks at you and you notice the sympathetic smile he gives you.

"Well..."- Felix starts as he takes the food out on a plate. "I could prepare you a nice warm bath."

"You would do that?"- you ask, in your tired state you feel emotional and tears prick at your eyes.

"Of course I would."- he smiles, the sweet expression on his face as he brings you dinner makes you feel a little bit healed already.

"You're an angel, Lixie."- you smile as he squeezes your shoulder.

"I don't know about that."- he chuckles shyly, his freckled cheeks becoming rosy instantly.

You shake your head with a fond smile as he makes his way to the bathroom while you finally have a normal warm meal after the lunch you ate at work.

Hunger takes you over and you finish eating quickly, just in time for Felix to come back.

"Oh, you're done already?"- he asks.

"Don't judge me."- you say and he chuckles.

"No, I'm not judging, just wondering if you're still hungry. I could make you something else?"

"No, no don't worry, Lix. I'm ready for that relaxing bath."- you smile and he nods, biting on his lip.

"Um, can I suggest something?"- he asks as you stand up and you tilt your head at him.

"What is it?"- you ask curiously.

"You know I have some knowledge about massaging. I could help you relieve your stress with a full body massage." - Felix says and your eyes widen. "I mean if you're comfortable with it. You don't have to... ugh forget it."- he seems embarassed suddenly and you chuckle.

"A free full body massage? Sign me up."- you smirk.

"Who said it was free?"- he smirks back at you.

"Oh, so you're gonna charge me for your services, hm?"- you joke and he laughs.

"No, of course not. I'm just joking."- he says. "Go enjoy the bath I prepared, before it gets cold."- he adds and you make your way to the bathroom.

As soon as you walk in, you gasp, Felix has really made an effort.

He put your favorite bath bomb with bubbles into the water, lit your favorite scented candle and even adjusted the lighting to be less attacking on your tired eyes.

You strip in no time, throwing all your clothes inside the hamper and getting into the bath as quickly as you could.

The water is still warm and it feels wonderful to submerge your weary body into the relaxing feeling.

You close your eyes, leaning your head back on a towel as you feel the relaxation slowly taking you over, traveling through your limbs and making you feel weightless.

The warm and cozy atmosphere that Felix created have you almost falling asleep in the bath as your body slips a little and you sit up with a start, your eyes snapping open.

"Y/n? You okay?"- you hear Felix on the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be out soon."

"Okay, I prepared everything for the massage."- he says and you giggle to yourself.

You don't feel too nervous being practically naked in front of Felix as you have known him for a long time and since you've been roommates you have seen each other naked on accident a few times.

He even gave you a few shoulder and back massages when you were in pain from sitting at your desk for too long but he never suggested a full body one.

Curious about it and ready to relax completely, you shower and dry off quickly, putting a bathrobe on and leaving to your room.

"Lix?"- you peek inside and see that he has fluffed up your bed, lit another scented candle and a few normal ones just to add to the atmosphere, and prepared some massage oils.

"Damn, you went all out."- you chuckle.

"I wanna make you feel better."- he smiles sweetly, making your heart flutter a little as you make your way towards the bed.

The two of you stand awkwardly for a few moments before both of you chuckle.

"I should undress, right?"- you smile and Felix nods quickly before turning his back to you and covering his eyes for a good measure.

"Tell me when you're ready to start."- his voice is muffled behind his palms and you giggle as you take the robe off.

You lay down on your stomach, pulling a towel that Felix prepared over your backside and private parts, getting comfy on the soft bed.

"I'm ready."- you say when you find a nice position, your forehead pressed against the end of the pillow so you can breathe, your arms on either sides of you, aligning with your body.

Felix bites on his lip as his eyes roam on your body shamelessly.

"Lix?"- you say and he snaps out of his thoughts.

"Yes, let me grab some lavender oil. It's good for relaxing."- he announces and you mutter, ready to just enjoy having his skilful hands on you.

Felix kneels next to you, as you feel the bed dip and hear him opening the little bottle of oil.

Some light music is playing in the background and you exhale a hundred worries as soon as his fingers press on your shoulders.

"Mm Lixie."- you moan instantly, making his gut stir but he shakes it off, wanting to focus only on your well-being.

His thumbs circle your flesh slowly, going up to the sides of your neck and down the top of your shoulders before pressing back to the original spot, circling it and taking off the stiffness you feel from spending long hours at your desk.

Little moans of relaxation keep coming out of your mouth and Felix's sweatpants get tighter, as your body visibly relaxes.

Working his way down your back, he keeps adding oil and finding the most painful spots skilfully and relieving you of your pain, as if it was his actual career.

"God, Lixie, you're so good."- you whimper, smushing your face into the pillow for a moment.

"I know."- Felix smirks, making you chuckle.

And he does know. He knows exactly which pressure points are located where so when his fingers press into your lower back, just a bit above your ass, you feel a wave wash over you.

"Oh."- you exclaim a little but Felix never acknowledges it, smirking behind you as he gently massages your lower back.

You start feeling a bit hot, aroused even as he continues his ministrations, fingertips barely dipping to the swell of your ass.

Your breathing is slow and deep, your body completely relaxed as you left yourself in Felix's precious hands.

Felix shuffles a little, you hear more oil being opened before you feel his hands on your foot.

"Good?"- he checks in on you and you whimper as he presses and continues bringing you relaxing touches.

"Perfect."- you half-whisper, your mind floaty, all the stress from the week forgotten, no thoughts, just Felix.

Felix, with his soft hands and deep voice, his pretty smile and adorable freckles.

Wait.

Why are you thinking of him like that?

You don't know why, and you don't care as his hands slide above your ankle, he presses four fingers on your skin as if he's measuring something on the inner side before he finds a pressure point and starts working on it.

As soon as his finger finds that spot, you shiver, feeling yourself getting aroused the more he keeps circling that spot.

You would feel embarassed but you're so relaxed that you couldn't care less, your body melting even further into the bed, your arms coming up on either sides of your head as you gently fist the sheets beneath you.

Felix smirks, massaging the point harder, making your arousal drip between your folds, your cunt clenching around nothing.

He notices your slight squirming and that lets him know he's got you right where he wanted you.

He lets go for now, hands sliding up to massage your tired muscles.

At this point, you're aroused, wishing he would touch you where you need him the most and you want to press your legs together but you don't want him to notice that.

Felix already knows, after all, his touches were purposeful and he has wanted you for so long, wanted to be the one to make you feel good.

"Lix."- his nickname almost sounds like a whimper as he runs his hands on the back of your thighs.

"You okay?"- he asks, his fingertips dipping between your legs, touching your inner thighs as he gently starts massaging the flesh.

This is the last straw, your slick is now gushing out and you start feeling embarassed, wondering if he can see it or smell it.

"I-I'm fine."- you whimper as he keeps massaging your thighs.

"You sure?"- he asks, hands sliding up, close to your core and you lean into his touch as you grip the sheets.

"N-no."- you whimper.

"What's wrong?"- Felix smirks, fingertips brushing your asscheeks.

"I- um... I'm horny."- you turn your head sideways to look at him and he hovers over you.

"I know. You're kinda obvious."- he says and you whine.

"You did this on purpose."- you say as he runs his hands on your lower back and waist, making you shiver constantly as you feel ten times more sensitive than usually.

"Would you hate me if I did?"- he bites on his lip, his eyes big and pleading.

"No."- you whisper.

"You want me to continue?"- he asks and you nod.

"Please."

"How about a special massage?"- his voice is low as he slowly removes the towel. "Do I have your permission, angel?"

"Yeah."- you say, legs spreading slightly as you lift up your middle just a bit so he can touch you properly.

Felix groans at you presenting your wetness to him, your forehead buried in the pillow again as you anticipate his touches.

His hands are on your ass, as he gropes and massages them before his fingertips dip between your legs, sliding through your wet folds.

"L-Lixie."- you whimper as he touches you teasingly, fingers gently rubbing around your pussy and towards your other hole, down to your inner thighs again.

You push back into him and he gently grabs your hip.

"Don't move, my honey bee."- he says and you snort.

"Alright, pumpkin pie."- you retort.

"Let me do all the work, you just relax."- he says, fingers sliding through your dripping folds repeatedly, making you clench around nothing constantly, before he finally presses into your clit.

"Mm."- you moan when he starts sliding the pads of his fingers up and down your clit, swollen with arousal and coated in your slick.

You moan quietly as Felix keeps massaging your sensitive clit slowly, up and down, left and right and then circling it and gently pinching it, occasionally dipping his fingertips into your cunt to gather more of your arousal.

You've never had anyone touch you this gently, it was usually a guy just flicking your clit fast when you're about to cum and while that does feel nice, this was a different kind of nice.

You felt tortured in a good way, like Felix was constantly dangling your orgasm in front of your eyes but never letting you get to it.

So much arousal kept gushing out of your pussy that for a moment you thought you were cumming as he kept pressing his fingers into your clit, playing your body expertly, like he's done this many times before.

"Lix- I wanna cum."- you whimper.

"I know love, but be patient. Just a bit more, I promise it's gonna feel amazing."- he coos at you, fingers working your nub faster and with more pressure.

You push back into him again and he grabs your hip as he starts flicking your swollen clit fast.

"Lixie, ah!"- you whine loudly, your slick coating his hand.

"I need you inside me!"- you add, holding onto the sheets.

"Mhm, later. I know you can cum just from this."- he says, as you keep jolting and whining.

You can't believe it's happening but your orgasm hits you like a wave, as you spill onto his hand, moaning loudly as he keeps massaging your sensitive nub.

"Oh fuck!"- you whimper when he slides his fingers to your folds.

"Interested in a deeper massage?"- his voice is low and dark as he leans down to your ear, making goosebumps rise on your skin.

"Mm, please Lixie."- you moan.

He slowly pushes two of his fingers into your sopping cunt, taking him in greedily as you were so relaxed and ready to receive.

Felix adjusts his position between your legs and it doesn't take him long to find your gummy spot.

"Lix!"- you groan when he starts gently fucking into it.

"Feels good?"- he asks, his lips brushing your ear as he scissors you open.

"Heavenly."- you moan out as he fucks you slowly, effectively massaging your walls, making your pussy clench on his fingers constantly, begging for more.

"Just relax."- he says as you keep pushing back on his hand, slowly fucking yourself on his fingers.

"I said relax."- he chuckles, lightly smacking your ass.

You gasp, calming down immediately, surprised by his commanding tone and actions.

You never thought your shy Felix would be handling you like this as you present yourself to him, to use you freely as he wants.

But all he actually wants is to bring you pleasure like you've never felt before, making sure to ruin every man for you so you only belong to him.

Eventually he speeds up, his fingers perfectly hitting your sweet spot and driving you insane, as you drip around him, the wet sounds are so loud that it makes you feel even more aroused.

Felix leans down and unexpectedly starts kissing and gently biting the flesh on your ass as he holds your hip and ruts his fingers fast into you.

"Ah, ah, Lix- Lixie, ah! Felix!"- you moan desperately as you tremble, squirting a fountain as he keeps on fucking into you, prolonging your orgasm as much as he can, teeth sinking into your flesh as you squirm under him.

"Oh..."- you're speechles when he pulls out, you can't feel your legs and your ears are ringing.

"You with me, angel?"- Felix hovers above you as he caresses your head gently.

"That was the best orgasm ever."- you exhale.

"Told you I wanna make you feel better."- he smirks, hearing you praise him boosts his ego and makes his cock twitch and throb painfully inside his tight boxers.

"Is there more?"- you chuckle making him laugh and he gently turns you to lay on your back.

"If you want, I can offer more special massages."- he smirks as his eyes roam all over your body, his hands squeezing your thighs and massaging them gently.

You look down to see his dick straining in his pants.

He follows your eyes and looks down too, just as you hook your fingers in his pants.

"I want your cock, Lixie."- you say as you slowly slide his pants down.

"You do?"- he looks a bit surprised and you giggle.

"Mhm."- you say as you finally free him.

"Oh."- you gasp. "You're a grower."- you add with a smirk.

"Oh shut up."- he looks embarassed suddenly and you start giggling again.

"Come here and kiss me first."- you say and his eyes soften as he leans down to kiss you sloppily, your tongues crashing against each other, his heavy cock pressed against you.

"So pretty."- you bit on his lip as your hands wrap around his length.

"What, my cock?"- he chuckles.

"Mhm. Want it so bad."- you whimper, and Felix groans lowly.

"You can have it, angel. Anything you need."- he says as he slowly pushes inside you.

"Mm. More."- your legs wrap around him, making him hit deeper as he keeps pushing his length inside you until he fills you up to the brim.

"Feeling relaxed?"- he asks, his hand coming up to brush your hair behind your ear and gently touch your face.

"Mhm, I have no thoughts at all."- you give him a smile and he chuckles quietly.

"Then, let's keep it that way."- he says as he slowly starts sliding his cock against your walls.

Felix keeps working hard to make you satisified and relaxed, to get you into a state of pure bliss, even if it means putting his own pleasure at the back shelf as he makes you cum on his cock over and over again.

He fucks you until you're shaking and crying, gripping at his biceps and clawing at his back, whimpering how sensitive you are, your pussy sloppy and shaped to fit his cock, which is when he finally lets go, cumming inside you hard, filling you up with his hot cum.

And when you fall asleep in his arms, a small blissful smile on your face, Felix knows he has accomplished his mission.

And he will do it again in a heartbeat, anything to make you feel better.

✨Taglist: @moonchild9350 @janepg @velvetmoonlght @hwanghyunjinismybae @jehhskz @laylasbunbunny @porangporangmeong @jeonginslefthand @sapphirewaves @simpforleeknaur @laughatdanger

[withahappyrefrain]

For the ship ask game!

48. …out of habit + a bob of your choice!

This prompt screams secret relationship, and what better Bob to do that with than Cobalt Eyes & Sweet Smiles Bob?

Bob knew he shouldn't be jealous. You weren't paying Jake any attention as he bragged about the latest air maneuver he mastered. Your eyes were focused on putting together a burger.

Soon enough, one of your fathers' old Top Gun classmates would whisk you away, no doubt to marvel at how much you had grown up, reminiscing on how you used to toddle around at this yearly cookout.

The worst part was Bob couldn't even be mad at Jake. Because he told Jake that all that happened after you two met was that he walked you to your car.

Which was partly true. Bob did walk you to your car. And then exchanged numbers after making out in said car. Which led to going on a date, which led to Bob secretly dating you.

Turns out, dating the daughter of your bosses is complicated.

Once the current mission was over, it would be easier to come forward. And decidedly less weird to think about.

Though Bob was still worried that once the secret was out in the open, he'd wake up the next day to find he's been deployed to Australia.

So all Bob could do was sip on his diet Coke as he tried not watch Jake fail at hitting on his girlfriend.

"I'm going to go...." Your eyes lingered on Bob. God, he looked so good in that blue shirt, it was unfair. But wouldn't that be too obvious?

"Somewhere that isn't here," you finished, walking away before Jake could even speak. The temptation to tell the blonde pilot you were dating Bob grew stronger everyday.

But Jake also had a big mouth and seemed like the kind of dick to mention something to one of your dads, if not both.

Technically, you weren't breaking their rule. They said no pilots and Bob wasn't a pilot. He was a WSO.

But it certainly made things awkward as Bob was working with Dad. And Pa was his boss.

Well, wanting to get away from Jake Seresin wouldn't raise anyone's suspicions.

Bob tried to hide his excitement when you stood next to him. He tried to act casual, but nothing could hide that smile of his.

Not that you mind. In fact, his sweet expression sent warmth throughout your body.

"Got tired of hearing how much better he is than everyone else?" Bob joked, causing you to nearly choke on your burger.

"The best don't brag, they let their work speak for themselves," you explained, a sly smile on your face. It was so hard not to make eye contact with him. Truly unfair how he had eyes bluer than the ocean, deeper than the sky-

"Is it too much if I asked you to accompany me to the Hot Dog station? Figured it would be nice to have someone who understands all the toppings." With that lopsided smile, how could you say no?

"It is an intimidating amount of choices," you chuckled as you led him over to the station.

"Alright, so I know it sounds weird, but the Olivier-Russian potato salad- that Pa makes is actually pretty good. The chili Slider makes is good, but unless you have a stomach of steel only take a little. Oh, and Hollywood says the candied jalapeños are mostly sweet but that's a lie. It's mostly spicy."

Bob couldn't help but be memorized as you rattled off facts about the various condiments. Whether it was about work, a personal belief, or yes, even hot dog toppings, you always spoke with such passion.

He loved it. He loved you, but that conversation is still a few steps away.

For now, Bob was happy to settle for counting down the days until he could hold your hand in a gathering like today's. Even if it terrified him.

Yes, technically, he wasn't a pilot. But considering who your dads were, a technicality didn't bring Bob much hope.

According to Bradley, the idea of you dating someone in the military, much less a naval pilot, had been vocally met with disdain.

But today Bob wouldn't focus on that. Instead, he focused on your bright smile and how cute you looked in that sundress.

"What's your go-to?" He asked, ready to take the valuable information to heart.

"Chili with some of the candied jalapenos and a dash of ketchup."

"No mustard?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

You had to stifle a laugh, "No mustard."

"Alright, I trust ya." His words, laced with a slight twang sent warmth throughout your body.

Without saying a word, you took the ladle from the chili bowl, serving it onto his hot dog. You gave him a sweet smile as an explanation, one that Bob took happily.

"Thanks darlin'," He leaned in to peck your lips, neither of you thinking about it.

It wasn't until he broke away to grab the ketchup that you both froze, realization washing over you.

Fuck.

"I'm gonna, um, go." You said quickly, grabbing your plate.

"Uh yeah, good idea," Bob quickly put down the ketchup, turning around to walk away from you. His face was bright red as he practically ran back to Mickey and Natasha who were currently chatting up with some of Pete and Tom's old classmates.

You looked around, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. No one standing in shock.

Alright, good. That was a good sign.

"Hey, did you see that?" You asked Bradley, who had been roped into grill duty.

"See what?" Your pseudo-brother shrugged, his eyes remaining on the grill, unaware that you were on the verge of having a panic attack.

"Bob and I kissed. It was an accident, like neither of us thought about it! It just felt natural and we forgot where we were!" You hissed.

Bradley was the only one who knew. The first time Bob spent the night at your place, the universe decided that Bradley should be the one to pick you up for family brunch. In hindsight, better he than one of your dads. Thankfully, you had enough dirt on Bradley to buy his silence.

"Oh," Bradley shrugged, as if it was nothing. Truthfully, he didn't know why you two insisted on keeping it a secret. It wasn't like you were dating Hangman (thank fucking God for that).

"I didn't notice anything," He said, which accurately reassured you.

"Although...." His words made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

"Although?" You gritted through your teeth.

"I mean, that would explain why Slider was running into the house. I thought he just had to piss."

God. Dammit.

"You good Bob?" Mickey asked upon seeing his fellow WSO, beet-faced and nervous.

"Huh? Oh! Me? Yeah, I'm great. Swell actually!" Bob said, unconvincingly.

Natasha knew Bob was dating you. It was obvious when you showed up to one of the beach football games. How anyone else failed to notice was beyond Nat.

But she knew not to say anything. Instead, she gave Bob a raised eyebrow. Whatever it was (concerning you), she knew it was better to ask in private.

"Lieutenant Floyd? May I speak with you in private?"

Bob's blood ran cold as he turned to face Captain Mitchell, who had his arms crossed.

"Um, I..." He could pretend to pass out. There was no current or former medic here. So he would just need to play dead as if his life depended on it, because it did. Claim it was from the heat. Yeah. Blame the sun, he was pale enough to do so.

But his knees were locked. Bob couldn't run, couldn't pretend to pass out. Fuck, it was too early to fake food poisoning.

So instead, all he could muster up was a weak nod as his legs carried him inside the Mitchell-Kazansky house.

He was fucked. Utterly fucked. He should just leave now so he can go pack up for Australia. Would he even get that far? He had been sneaking around with their daughter, death was probably the only option.

Even if your dads didn't kill him, your honorary uncles will. Fuck, was his will updated? Would you even get anything? Well, Bob did tell Bradley to give you the ring in his drawer should anything happen to him. It was his grandma's, given to him so he had a ring to propose and-

Why was the Admiral whose callsign was literally "Iceman" hugging him?

"Thank God it's you. We thought she was seeing Seresin."

Oh.

That explains a lot.

"Um, no offense sir, but you raised your daughter to have better standards than Seresin," Bob barely got out, now receiving a hug from the much shorter Captain.

"We knew she was seeing someone. We're all glad it's you."

When you ran into your childhood home, you were expecting many things. Mainly Bob's head on the floor.

Receiving hugs from your dads was not on the list, but man was it a welcoming sight.

Bradley shrugged, "I don't know why you were so worried about them knowing."

You rolled your eyes, "The same reason why you haven't told them you have a fiancé."

Wait shit, that was not supposed to be said out loud.

"You have a what?"

[restinslices]

If it's alright with you, can you write the lin kuei trio with a s/o, who is a detective tracking down a serial killer who is going to target s/o and the lin kuei trio's reaction to it.

I can confidently say I have never gotten a request like this

Handle it or he's handling it 

It's as simple as that 

Did Bi-Han let his own father die? Yes. But for whatever reason he didn't fuck with him 

I'm assuming he fucks with you though, so the thought of someone hunting you down is not something he's very fond of 

I don't think he'd have any strong feelings about you being a detective. Not everyone can be out and about fighting people from other realms. Some people gotta do some protective work for the smaller people 

So you being a detective is whatever to him

When you say you're hunting down a serial killer, I don't think he'd have any strong emotions either. He just assumes you'll catch them soon. His faith is pretty high 

When it's revealed the serial killer is hunting you, that obviously becomes a big problem 

A problem he has to solve 

If you're like “No Bi-Han! I got it! Let me find them and end this!” he'll consider giving you a set amount of time before he handles it 

Doesn't know how he's gonna track this unknown person down but his faith in himself is stupidly high 

If you find them and lock whoever up then great for you 

If the agreed time passes and they're still on the loose, he becomes Batman. Get out the way. He got it 

No point in protesting either. Just sit at home and let him figure it out 

He becomes the annoying boss in police movies. Y'all know what I mean 

Definitely finds the person eventually and finishes the job for you 

Hooray?

Honestly I think all the brothers are a “handle it or I'll handle it” case 

Thoughts on you being a detective are positive. I think he can see how difficult that certain job would be 

He's fighting with his fists. You're using your brain. You're both helping people. 

He admires it lowkey 

You're hunting down a serial killer now? Ok. Be safe-

What do you mean you're a target now?

He kinda saw it coming but it's still unfortunate 

He'd understand still wanting to lead this case and he applauds standing your ground, but he's also worried because ya know, you could be killed 

He'd try to assist but at some point he would really want you to let someone else handle it 

By someone else, he means him 

He's a trained assassin. He can probably hunt this guy faster than you can 

Has more patience than Bi-Han but if a lot of time passes and they're not handled, then he'll step in 

He probably would've warned you beforehand that this was something that would happen but as we can see, you either didn't listen or still slipped up 

It's not that he thinks you can't handle it… kinda. 

You're just not moving quick enough 

I think he’d be nice enough to remind you he has faith in you but would vocalize his concerns when it comes to you still working on this case 

Whether or not you decide to drop it is up to you, but he’s definitely not 

Thoughts on you being a detective I think are also positive

He thinks you're doing a good thing

The Lin Kuei can't help everyone. They do more bigger things 

So you helping civilians is great to him. It's a good cause 

I think he'd also enjoy hearing about your cases and chiming in whenever 

Hunting down a serial killer? Well, he guesses someone has to do it 

He'd be confident enough in your abilities to catch this person 

But then you're the next target

I think honestly all the brothers would have a similar reaction. So much so, I don't think there'd be much of a change. I probably could've written this in one paragraph 

He could possibility be the most cooperative when it comes to letting you handle it

Gives you the most time to figure it out and tries to help out as a partner 

Doesn’t wanna step on your toes but if you’re taking too long, he’s gonna do his own investigating 

Probably asks Kuai Liang for assistance 

I’m not saying any of them would find this person in days time, but they certainly believe they will 

Worried about your safety as you could imagine, so he wants you to sit this one out 

He’s probably conflicted, like what I said with Kuai Liang. One part is like “yeah, you gotta find this person!” And the other is like “you need to sit down so you’ll be safe”

Probably prefers for you to do all your investigating at home. Any leads you have you’ll either follow together, he��ll follow it, or someone else will 

I think all the brothers will want to help as much as they could and would wanna handle this serial killer. And by handle, I don’t mean letting them go to prison. You can get out of that if you play your cards right 

The only real difference is how much they let you help after they find out you’re a target 

Bi-Han is like “I gave you time. You’re done. I got it”. Kuai Liang is “I knew this would happen and I know you wanna stand your ground, but maybe take a step down” and Tomas is “I get it so let me help”

This is kinda boo boo. Also I hate their little moodboards I made. It’s sickening

[srslyscary]

body swap?! pt. 1 // bonten

;; alternative title: swapping bodies with bonten sanzu.. clearly a nightmare.

| Contents: SFW , reader is written as she/her but can be considered gn, mentions of drugs, reader lives with bonten

- uhhh.. idk man get ready for ts.. if there are any grammatical mistakes or words that don't seem to make sense just lmk bc sometimes I don't proofread these and my fingers mess up my writing at times.

This was supposed to be a normal morning.

Supposed to be are the key words.

"No fucking way." The woman, or rather... man... looked into the mirror.

"This has got to be some type of dream." She said, doing a full 360. She was no longer the beautiful woman she expected to wake up to be... no no... she was her fucking druggie boyfriend, Sanzu.

She slapped herself a couple of times, hoping it was a dream. Realizing it wasn't as the pain of being slapped so hard came to her. "Oh god no, please god no."

She ran to her boyfriends bathroom, turning on the sink and running water down her face.

Alright bud I don't think this is gonna change anything.

Realizing she couldn't really change this outcome, she became to sob dramatically. "WHY?!"

She didn't have her nice vagina or perfect boobs, but very muscular pecs and a shlong that felt quite heavy. She felt tired standing to be honest.

"How the fuck do men handle all this weight?!"

She sighed, falling to the floor with her hands covering her face. "I'm my drug addicted boyfriend— am I being punished for my sins or something?!"

Yeah you are.. nah I'm just fucking wit ya.

After a few hours, it was around the time breakfast would be made. She decided to make her way down by the elevator, and hopefully finding her boyfriend, who was in her body.

"Morning." She spoke out. Everyone seemed to jump, not being startled by who it was, probably by the fact that they were hearing Sanzu greet the group, which he never does.

"Good morning to you as well.. Sanzu?" Kakucho tilted his head in confusion, everyone was sat eating breakfast. The only people who hadn't come were Mikey, and Sanzu... well... Sanzu in YN's Body.

The elevator was heard opening once again, and everyone looked to see who it was.

"Good morning Boss." Kokonoi spoke, leaving the girl in Sanzu's body fuming. 'WHERE THE HELL IS THAT IDIOT HARUCHIYO.'

"Hey Sanzu... where's YN? She's usually one of the first people down here." Kakucho seemed to question the girl of where her boyfriend currently was.

"Uh... I- Well—"

The elevator dings once again.

...

"GUYS GUYS GUYS I HAVE BOOBS, HUGE BOOBS! LOOK—" The female stopped speaking, grabbing her... chest..and squeezing them.

...

"Oh-"

It was Sanzu. Of course in YN's Body. The female in Sanzu's body became to fume, it looked like smoke was... coming out of her head...? Yeah Sanzu brace yourself buddy.

"You...YOU GROPED ME?!" YN screamed, grabbing a knife from the kitchen. "WAIT WAIT WAIT- BABE HOLD ON-"

You basically just chased him around and grabbed the nearest thing you saw (which unfortunately was a knife) and were about to kill him with it.

“What… is happening.” The boss spoke looking unamused as he watched his #1 chasing his gf with a knife.. while everyone else just looked flabbergasted as they didnt even have a clue what was going on.

safe to say this was a rough experience and you’re currently trying to explain to them all what the situation is.

[howlingday]

Superstitious Schnee

Setting - Weiss and her siblings grew up very close to her Nana, who was a very superstitious woman. Of course, these superstitions would carry over to her children, and yes, even her children's children.

Weiss: Ruby, have you seen Blake?

Ruby: Yeah (Points), she's over there. Why?

Weiss: Don't point at people! It's very rude!

Ruby: ...It is?

1 - Pointing at someone is considered rude. Instead, gesture with fingers extended from your palm... Or just don't point at all.

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

Qrow: Yeah, well, I'm not exactly sure this plan will really work ou... Ah... ACHOO!

Winter: Gesundheit.

Qrow: (Sniffles) Ugh...

Winter: You must be very lucky to be having someone think about you at this time of day.

Qrow: Uh... Thanks?

2 - If you have the hiccups or suddenly sneeze, it means someone is thinking about you.

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

Whitley: Oh, Klein! Did mother break another vase?

Klein: (Sighs) Yes, I'm afraid so.

Whitley: Well, shards do bring luck, don't they?

Klein: A sentiment you and your mother share, but not your father and I, young master...

3 - To bring good luck, porcelain can be smashed.

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

Weiss: WAIT!

Blake: Huh?

Weiss: (Glyphs to the other side of Blake) Proceed.

Blake: ...What just happened?

4 - If a black cat crosses your path right to left, it is considered good luck. However, if they pass left to right, well...

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

Winter: Come on, Weiss....

Winter: (Shaking thumb-tucked fists) Come on...

5 - To wish someone good luck, press your thumbs against your palms in a closed fist.

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

Whitley: (On his scroll) Yes, I'll be staying close with Ruby.

Whitley: ...Yes, I understand six weeks is an unusually long time for paternity leave, but I insist on this issue.

Whitley: ...No, actually, it's not an issue. It's settled. Good-bye.

Ruby: (Holding her baby, Thinking) Huh... Whitley is really taking charge on this. He's so cute when he's serious~.

6 - After a baby is born, the husband stays at his wife's side for six weeks.

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

Weiss: Hello, everyone. I hope you enjoy my housewarming gift for you.

Nora: Wow... Bread and salt... Um, thank you?

Weiss: Would you prefer I give you knives?

Nora: ...I mean, I could always just tear this bread apart with my bare hands. Ooh! Bear hands!

Ren: Thank you for the housewarming gift, Weiss.

7 - A good housewarming gift is bread and salt, but knives are bad housewarming gifts.

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

Qrow: Oh, hey, before I forget; Happy birthday, Ice Queen.

Winter: My birthday is this weekend, Qrow.

Qrow: Is it?

Winter: Normally, I would forgive your semblance, but this time... (Shuts the door)

Qrow: ...Why do I hear boss music?

8 - It is bad luck to wish someone a happy birthday days before their birthday. For the best luck, wish it at the stroke of midnight on the date of their birthday.

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

Jaune: Cheers to the new dad!

Whitley: (Holds eye contact with Jaune, Clinks glass) Prost.

Jaune: (Thinking) Man, he's really staring me down...

9 - When performing cheers, or prost, look the other person directly in the eye.

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

Weiss: Oh, candles. How very nice.

Yang: Yeah, pretty easy to light when I'm already a walking matchbox.

Weiss: ...

Yang: Y'know, 'cause i'm so hot-

Weiss: Yeah, yeah, I get it, I just need to figure out whether or not this is okay...

Yang: Uh, alright?

10 - Don't light a candle with a cigarette, or else a sailor dies.

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

Qrow: Oh, you drink here too, huh?

Winter: Only when the need suits me, and it indeed suits me. (Knocks three times, Enters) Don't forget to knock.

Qrow: ...What does that mean?

11 - When entering a pub, especially when you're a regular with your own favorite table, knock three times before entering.

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

Jacques: Klein, did you get that chimney clean yet?!

Klein: A-Almost, sir. A-Ah... ACHOO!

Jacques: Ugh, honestly! There better not be snot mixed with that soot!

Willow: Leave him alone, Jacques. Is everything okay, Klein?

Klein: That depends, are you responsible for my sneezing?

Willow: Perhaps, but I believe it is Whitley here who is moreso responsible for this one.

Whitley: Is he finished yet, mother?

12 - It is good luck to be touched by a chimney sweep.

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

Ruby: Wow, Weiss! You were really eager for this mission!

Weiss: Let's just say I have a preference for killing Beowolves.

Ruby: Oh, uh, okay?

13 - Wolves are deemed bad luck. However, this superstition is outdated as it has led to the extermination of real wolves to near extinction.

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

Qrow: What do you think? Think it's some kind of Grimm?

Winter: I would rather not say. Instead, let's focus on killing it instead.

Qrow: Always a woman of few words.

14 - To avoid something terrible from happening in your home, it's better to not speak of it. "If you don't want trolls, don't speak of trolls."

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

Ruby: What's with the wet spot over there?

Whitley: Hm... I'd say there was a famous actor here.

Ruby: Really?

Whitley: (Nods) I thought I heard "toi, toi, toi" earlier.

Ruby: ...I swear, you and Weiss are so weird. And that's ME saying that!

15 - When an actor is about to perform in theater, it is considered good luck to spit over their left should and say "toi, toi, toi".

[likeahorribledream]

Not Good Enough

SUMMARY: It doesn't take long before you and Lee get close, but an overheard comment ruins everything.

PAIRING: Lee x Reader

WORD COUNT: 6.6k

WARNINGS: Fluff, angst.

REQUEST: You and Lee work together and become close friends. You're both secretly in love with each other but you think it's unrequited so neither of you purse it.

NOTES: This was written over six months ago and I don't have the courage to read it, so hopefully it's not too bad.

18+. Minors DNI.

ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ

Lee Bodecker is a tough man to please, both at work and in life. He is very peculiar with the way he runs things in his station and his employees often find him to be a major pain in the ass, but they can't deny that the man knows how to do his job and he does it damn well. As a sheriff from a small town he knows everyone and everyone knows everyone. There's a familiarity amongst townsfolk that forces him to be tough if he wants people to listen to him and respect him when he gives orders otherwise it'll be absolute chaos in the streets of Knockemstiff. 

He doesn't hire people because he knows them or because they're someone's kin, he hires people based on their skill sets. That's how it's always been and he never makes an exception. 

As the sheriff he is constantly busy and needs an assistant to help lighten up his workload as much as possible. He takes a lot of time training his assistant because she needs to work the same way he does. They need to be perfectly in sync so that it looks like one person did it all. Not because he wants to take credit for all the work that is done, but to make sure that the work that's put out is always constant and flawless. 

Training someone takes a lot of time, energy and money. 

Hence why he almost lost it when his newest assistant that he just spent 3 weeks training with quit without warning. Apparently she's leaving town to pursue her acting career or whatever else nonsense that Lee doesn't listen to or cares to know. 

He needs to find someone to replace her and quickly. Except Lee can't seem to find a single woman in town that's willing to leave the house and work. 

"I got someone for you, Sheriff."  Matt, one of Lee's deputies, says one morning after hearing his boss curse up a storm in his office. "I got a cousin my age that moved into town a few days ago. She knows how to work the phone and everythin'. Real nice girl, too."

Lee shakes his head. "I don't hire other people's kin." 

Matt shrugs. "Suit yo'self, Sheriff. It's a shame 'cause she'd do a great job, cousin or not." 

Not even five minutes after walking out of Lee's office, Matt hears his name being called out from the office.

"Have her come down tomorrow morning at 7. Not one minute later."

"She'll be there!" 

On his way home, Matt stops at your house to let you know that he might have found you a job. 

"You need to be at the station at 7 tomorrow morning. Don't be late, the Sheriff hates when people are late."

"You know, I'm always on time!" You nudge him out of your small apartment. "Thank you for helping me." You smile at your cousin. "I promise I won't get you in trouble."

"I know you won't, otherwise I wouldn't have said a thing about you." He laughs as he leaves and you close the door.

You look through your boxes, as you've only moved two days ago and you aren't completely done unpacking, you need to find a proper outfit. You really need this job which means you really need to make a great first impression. You've heard Matt talk about Sheriff Bodecker many times, you know he's a tough boss and he's hard to please. You pick out a white blouse and a black skirt with a pair of black flats, heels would only slow you down and make your feet hurt. 

You lay everything out for tomorrow morning and quickly finish eating your dinner that Matt had interrupted so that you can take a shower and go to bed early. 

You wake up early the next morning to make sure you aren't going to be late. 

It's 6:45 when you walk into the station where you are greeted by a woman clearly at the end of her night shift mending the front desk.

"Good morning." You say softly with a smile, you have a feeling she wouldn't enjoy an over the top kind of energy at this instant. 

"Mornin', what can I do for you?" 

"I'm supposed to meet with Sheriff Bodecker at 7." 

The woman looks down at the time and back up at you. "You're early."

"My mama used to say that if you're right on time, then you're late." 

She forces a smile, clearly not caring about what you have to say. "Have a seat, I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you." You'd smile at her but you have a feeling that it'll only irritate her, instead you go sit where she tells you to and wait. 

You watch as the woman leaves the front desk and comes back a few minutes later. "Follow me." She gestures for you to get up.

You hurry up and follow her through the station, all the way in the back to an office. She knocks quickly on the door and opens it without waiting for permission. 

"Go on, I don't have all day." She nods her head to the inside of the office and as soon as you walk in, she closes the door behind you. 

"Matt's cousin?" Lee asks without looking up from his desk.

"Yes, sir." You stay close to the door, unsure of what to do. For a small town, people aren't that friendly. 

"Sit." He gestures to the empty chair in front of his desk. "I'm almost done here." He keeps looking through his paperwork, he still hasn't even looked at you. 

As you walk over to the chair and sit, you aren't so sure if you're going to like it in this town. You're not used to this cold and detached attitude that everyone here seems to have. You're used to the warmth and cheerfulness of your hometown, but after your mama passed not long ago you decided to move closer to Matt as he's the only family you've got left. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea. 

You look down and nervously smooth out your skirt while you wait for the sheriff to look at you. 

‘’Alright.’’ Lee finally looks up and almost loses his composure when he sees you. You look cute as a button.

You look up at the sound of his voice and smile at him once your eyes meet. The most beautiful shade of blue you’ve ever seen.  While you’re busy admiring the blue of his eyes, you miss the way Lee’s breath hitches in his throat when you smiled at him. 

The sheriff clears his throat and sits straighter in his chair. ‘’Your cousin told me you can answer the phone?’’

You nod. ‘’That’s right.’’

‘’Can you type?’’

‘’Yes.’’

‘’How do you feel about long hours?’’ He crosses his arms over his chest.

‘’I don’t mind.’’ You smile again and Lee almost has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from smiling too. 

‘’Your boyfriend is ok with you working?’’ He furrows his brows. ‘’Last thing I need is a pissed off guy walking in here and messing with my station.’’

‘’I don’t have a boyfriend.’’

‘’Husband then.’’

You shrug and look down, slightly embarrassed. ‘’Don’t have one of those either.’’ 

‘’You’re not missing out on anything, I promise you.’’

You look up and smile, appreciating his effort to comfort you.

‘’Can you start today? Right now?’’

You nod enthusiastically. ‘’I’d love to.’’

‘’Great. You’re hired. Just know that you won’t be getting any special treatment because Matt is your cousin.’’ 

‘’I wouldn’t want any special treatment. I’m more than capable of proving myself.’’

Lee stands up and walks around his desk, toward his door. ‘’Follow me, sweetheart.’’ He opens the door and stops right outside next to an empty desk. He waits for you to join him before talking. ‘’This is gonna be your desk. You will have to keep people out of my office sometimes when I’m real busy or meeting with someone. You gotta keep them out unless it’s an emergency. You won’t be spending much time here while I train you, you’ll mostly be in my office and following me around so I can show you how I want things done.’’ 

‘’You got it.’’

He grabs a notepad and a pen from the desk and hands them to you. ‘’Take notes because I don’t have time to repeat myself.’’

You take them quickly and follow Lee around as he shows you around the station, taking notes about the important things. 

‘’The girls at the front desk can be a little bit mean, don’t take it personally. The guys are assholes sometimes, don’t be scared to put them in their place. I can be an asshole too but I’m your boss so there’s nothing you can do about it.’’ He winks. ‘’You might have to go grab me lunch from time to time, do you have a car?’’ You shake your head no. ‘’You’ll take mine then.’’ 

You keep following him around until you’ve seen the entire station, then Lee takes you back to his office and closes the door behind the two of you. He sits back in his chair and invites you to do the same.

He explains to you in great detail how he wants things done in his office. Where files and folders go, how he wants the phone to be answered and how to filter his calls.

‘’A lot of people around here call me directly when a deputy could easily do the job, they think my office number is better than 911 so you gotta filter the calls and redirect them. I don’t have enough time to take care of every crisis in Knockemstiff.’’

You nod, writing everything down.  Just as you look up, Lee’s phone starts to ring.

‘’Want to give it a try?’’ 

‘’Yes!’’ You get up and walk around his desk to stand next to him. You clear your throat and pick up the receiver. ‘’Sheriff Bodecker’s office, how may I help you?’’ … ‘’I’m sorry but the sheriff is in a meeting right now. What are you calling about? We have a station full of capable officers and deputies, I’m sure there’s at least one of them here that can help you.’’ … ‘’Yes, you definitely need to take him to the hospital.’’ … ‘’No ma’am, I’m no doctor but if his finger isn’t attached to the hand anymore he will need medical attention.’’ … ‘’Alright, good luck.’’ You hang up and go back to sit in your chair. 

‘’Mrs. Larson?’’ Lee asks, looking at you curiously. 

‘’Yes. Mr. Larson seems to have had an accident with a knife and she wanted to ask you if she should take him to the hospital or not.’’ 

‘’She calls at least once every two days.’’

‘’Good to know.’’ You write it down.

‘’You did a good job handling her.’’ He flashes you a small smile, if you had blinked you would have missed it.

‘’Thank you, sheriff.’’ 

For the rest of the morning, Lee keeps explaining how everything works until lunchtime. At exactly noon, Lee stops what he’s doing and stands up. ‘’We have an hour, starting now. We can’t waste a minute, we don’t know when an emergency is gonna come up.’’ He explains as he puts on his leather jacket. ‘’Did you bring your lunch?’’

You stand from the chair and follow him out of his office. You put down your notepad and pen on your desk as you stop walking. ‘’No, I didn’t think you’d hire me on the spot but that’s ok I had a good breakfast. I’ll just wait for you here.’’ 

‘’Yeah, that ain’t gonna work for me sweetheart. Come on, I’m heading to the diner.’’ 

You shake your head. ‘’I can’t really afford to eat out right now.’’ Heat creeps up to your cheeks, embarrassed once again at how messy your life is. Not married, not even dating and barely a cent to your name.

‘’My treat. As a thank you for starting right away and for doing a great job already. C’mon.’’ He gestures for you to follow him and you can see in his eyes that there’s no arguing with him.

‘’Thank you.’’ You follow him outside. ‘’You can take it out of my pay.’’ 

Lee chuckles and opens the passenger door of his cruiser, holding it open for you. ‘’That ain’t gonna happen. Go on.’’ He nods to the passenger seat and shuts the door once you’re seated. He walks around the cruiser, his belt and everything on it clinking together with every step he takes. The car dips a bit under his weight and he slams the door shut, making you jump a little which makes him laugh.

‘’Sorry, sweetness, the door sticks a little.’’ He starts the car and rolls down his window. ‘’It’s hot as hell today.’’ He groans, driving out of the station’s parking lot.

You roll down your own window to let more air in and hopefully help him cool down.

Lee notices that you didn’t react when he said hell and makes a mental note to ask you about that later. 

It only takes a few minutes to get to the diner and Lee parks right next to the door, then turns off the car. He sees you’re about to roll the window back up but he stops you. 

‘’Leave it, hopefully by the time we come back it won’t feel like a damn oven in here.’’ He opens his door, quickly getting out. He takes off his leather jacket and throws it in the backseat with his hat. 

He opens the diner’s door and holds it open, stepping aside to let you walk in first. 

‘’Such a gentleman, thank you.’’ You smile as you walk in and let him guide you to his table.

Lee can’t help but laugh when he hears you call him a gentleman. ‘’I’m no gentleman sweetness, everyone here can attest to that.’’ He sits down in his usual booth.

You sit across from him at the table. ‘’I’m sure your wife would agree with me. Florence, right? I babysat my niece so that Matt and his wife could go to your wedding a few years back.’’ You smile at the memory of spending an entire day with your niece who was barely one at the time.

Lee’s mood turns sour at the mention of Florence, he leans back in his seat and extends one of his hands on the table hitting it rhythmically with the tip of his index finger. ‘’Florence left me 10 months after we got married.’’ 

‘’Oh.’’ Guilt fills your eyes. ‘’I’m so sorry, sheriff. I didn’t know.’’ You instinctively reach over to his hand and give it a comforting squeeze before letting it go. ‘’I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason. Some things hurt more than others but that just means that whatever’s gonna happen next will be great, y’know?’’

Lee rolls his eyes. ‘’God’s plan?’’

You shake your head. ‘’No one said anything about God. It’s the universe, fate.’’ 

Lee frowns. ‘’You don’t believe in God?’’ 

You grab a menu from the table and open it. ‘’I believe in sleeping in on Sunday mornings.’’ You look over all the options from the menu, missing the way Lee smiles. 

‘’We’re going to get along just fine you and me.’’ He nods to himself and takes the other menu. ‘’Order whatever you want, sweetness.’’ 

A waitress comes over, from her looks she can’t be older than 30, ready to take your order. ‘’Sheriff Bodecker.’’ She greets him with a fake smile. ‘’Ready to order?’’

He doesn’t even bother smiling back and hands her his menu. ‘’Same as usual.’’ 

She takes the menu from him and turns her attention to you. ‘’What about you, doll?’’ 

‘’The chicken wrap and some french fries, please.’’ You give her back your menu and you don’t miss the way she looks at Lee to check for permission. 

‘’What are you looking at me for? You heard her.’’ He stares until she turns around and leaves.

‘’Thank you for lunch, and for giving me a job. I didn’t think I’d find one so quickly after moving here.’’

Lee brushes it off like it’s no big deal. ‘’What brings you here anyway?’’ He asks, curiously.

‘’My mama passed two months ago and Matt is the only family I’ve got left so I thought I’d move closer. My niece is already 3 and my nephew is almost 1. It feels like I’ve missed all the big milestones. I didn’t want to miss more.’’

‘’I’m sorry to hear that.’’ Now he feels guilty from bringing that up.

‘’Thank you.’’ You smile but it’s a sad smile, it has nothing to do with the bright smiles from this morning. ‘’She was real sick at the end, I feel relieved that she’s gone. I know it sounds horrible but I couldn’t handle seeing her suffer so much.’’

‘’I get it. I was a teenager when my ma died but even at that age I wanted her pain to stop.’’

For the entire lunch hour, you and Lee eat and ask questions to each other while trying to avoid any sensitive subjects. 

Before you realize, your first week of training is done and then the second one. In the blink of an eye, an entire month has gone by. 

Lee is usually a cold, distant man but to everyone’s surprise, especially his own, you manage to pull him out of his shell. He’s a lot more carefree around you. Just around you. Most officers haven't seen Lee laugh and smile since before his divorce, it's a nice change of pace because even if he acts all nice and sweet only with you he has softened up a tiny bit with the others. He now tends to let things go or turn a blind eye when he normally wouldn't. 

Every Monday and Friday morning you would come in early with a basket of freshly made baked goods that you would leave in the break room for everyone to enjoy with their coffee. You always separate them into two batches; one for the night shift who are about to leave and one for the day shift who are starting their day. 

Needless to say both shifts appreciate having a little something to either start or finish their day on a good note. 

Even if you think you're being subtle, everyone knows that almost every day you have a little something special for Lee. You've heard him make comments here and there about his shape and the way he looked, even if you think he is perfect the way that he is you know that it's not enough to change his mind. Instead you bring him homemade lunches, he doesn't have the time nor the energy to cook for himself and by bringing him his lunch he doesn't have to eat at the diner. 

He tries to play it cool, he pretends like it's not a big deal but you can see a difference in his mood and confidence. There's a twinkle in his eyes that didn't used to be there and you hope he never loses it again. 

"Sweetness, you need to stop bringing me food." He looks at you as you walk into his office with a very familiar brown paper bag in your hand. 

"Are you gonna start bringing yourself food?" You arch a brow, knowing the answer before he even says it.

"... You know I don't have the time."

"Then I won't stop bringing you food." You put the paper bag on his desk. 

He shakes his head and tries to give it back but you don't take it. "Just say thank you, sheriff." 

He sighs and gives up. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." You smile brightly at him before leaving his office and closing his door. 

It's the same fight every day and you win, every day. 

Your cousin has noticed how close you and the sheriff have gotten and he's not sure how he feels about it. He's known you your entire life so he recognizes the look in your eyes whenever Lee's around. You like Lee and there's no denying it. 

He makes you laugh and he's always sweet to you. You've become close friends  and it's not rare for people to see you out and about with him. They can gossip all they want neither of you care. Your friendship is more important than the opinion of the bored housewives of Knockemstiff. 

As the eternal optimist that you are, you've let yourself think that maybe, just maybe, Lee could like you too. It's hard to tell because he's so closed off but there are times you think he might have feelings for you. 

You're never going to tell him how you feel because you don't want to lose your friend or your job. Deep down you hope that Lee will wake up one day and realize that he likes you too, and decides to do something about it. 

You mentally chastise yourself for staying hopeful but that's what keeps you going.

Until your hopes are completely crushed.

Every night before leaving you find Lee to ask if he needs you to do anything else before leaving and to say goodnight. 

He's not in his office so you go look for him in the break room. Lee and one of the officers are standing next to the table, drinking coffee and eating whatever's left from the baked goods you brought before leaving for the weekend. 

You're about to call out to him but the subject of their conversation stops you. 

They're talking about you. 

"Aren't you glad Matt suggested her for the job?"

"Yeah. She does a great job and she learns fast." 

"She's cute and she cooks on top of everything else she does for you. Did Sheriff Bodecker find wife number two?" The officer chuckles at his own words, not knowing that you can hear everything and that your heart is pounding in your chest as you wait for Lee's answer. 

You don't expect to become his wife but depending on his reaction you might be able to tell if he likes you in the same way that you do. 

The way Lee scoffs doesn't announce anything good.

"Are you out of your mind? Her?" He shakes his head and laughs. "Like that's ever gonna happen. Keep your stupid ideas to yourself and get back to work." He rolls his eyes and turns toward the door, feeling like someone was there but there's no one. 

It hurts. You've known that something is wrong with you because no man wants to marry you but to hear it like this, like marrying you is the dumbest thing any man could do, and from someone you thought was your friend, hurt. 

You've been fooling yourself about your friendship with him because Lee's tone and words were laced with so much disdain that there is no way he respects you enough to be your friend. 

You want to run out of the station but you don't want to look suspicious so you walk out calmly, wishing everyone a good weekend and then you leave without another word, heading straight to your apartment. 

Lee is surprised to see your desk empty as you normally always say good night before leaving. You're probably walking around, looking for him. He goes back to his desk but leaves the door open, to see you when you'll walk back to your desk. 

An entire hour goes by before Lee comes to the conclusion that you've left. Without saying goodbye which is highly unusual for you. 

Every Friday afternoon you find Lee, ask if he needs you to stay longer, make plans with him for the weekend and then you'd leave. 

He has a bad feeling but he just shakes it off, he'll see you tomorrow like every Saturday. 

The whole weekend goes by without him hearing a peep from you. He doesn't even leave the house to make sure he doesn't miss your phone call, but nothing. 

On Monday morning he gets to the station a little earlier than usual to make sure he's there when you arrive. 

You come into the station empty handed which disappoints every employee. No baked goods and no lunch for Lee. 

You don't go into his office to wish him good morning, instead you sit at your desk and start working right away. 

The pit in Lee's stomach keeps growing. 

"Can you come in here, please?" He speaks loud enough for you to hear as you're right outside his door.

You stand up, grab your notepad and pen, then walk into Lee's office and stand behind the chair you usually sit on to tell him about something funny or to listen to him talk about whatever is currently pissing him off. 

"You need something, Sheriff Bodecker?" You barely look up and it makes Lee frown. You never call him Sheriff Bodecker. At least not seriously. It's always Lee or, if you're teasing, sometimes you'll still call him Sheriff but it's always playful. 

This was not.

"Somethin' wrong, sweetness?" 

"Everything is fine. What do you need?"

Your eyes finally meet but there's no warmth in yours. They are cold and… empty. 

"Nothing, for now. You left without saying goodbye on Friday and I haven't seen you all weekend. Just wanted to catch up is all." 

You stop yourself from rolling your eyes and you bite back whatever you were about to say. You know what he really thinks of you and you hate that he pretends to care. 

"Call me when you need something, then." You walk out of his office and sit back behind your desk to keep working. 

Lee comes out of his office for lunch and stops in front of your desk on his way out. "I'm going to the diner. Wanna come?" He looks down, trying to decipher what's going on in that head of yours.

"No, thank you." 

For the entire week all you do is come in, work, go home. You don't talk to anyone but Matt, you don't bring anything for anyone, there's no smile, no kind words, nothing. It's like you're an entirely different person and no one knows why or what happened. 

On Friday afternoon Lee can't take it anymore and he orders you into his office, shutting the door once you're inside. 

He sits back in his chair and leans back, staring at you. 

"Look, I don't know what's been going on with you but everyone is worried about you. Clearly something happened but you won't talk to me about it and I don't know why you're shutting down like this." 

You can't help but roll your eyes at his words, which Lee doesn't miss. 

"Ok. Enough. What's wrong?" He sits up, getting angry. 

"Nothing is wrong." You cross your arms in front of you. 

"Then what's with the attitude?!"

"No one is worried about me. You just want me to start bringing you food again. Tell everyone that I'll bring food on Monday." 

You turn to leave but Lee's loud voice tells you to stop.

"We're not done here."

You sigh and turn around. 

"What the hell has gotten into you?" He stands up behind his desk, leaning forward and holding himself up with his hands laid flat on the top of his desk. "You don't talk to your boss that way and certainly not to your friend. You owe me respect." 

"You mean the same kind of respect you gave me when you talked about me with one of your officers in the break room last week?" 

He frowns, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you out of your mind? Her? Like that's ever gonna happen. Keep your stupid ideas to yourself and get back to work." You repeat word for word what he said about you, making sure to use the same disgusted tone he did. 

Lee's eyes widen as he finally understands. There had been someone there like he thought. You. 

"Sweetness-"

You cut him off. "The only reason I'm still here is because I need this job. I am looking for a new job, hopefully with a boss that won't be disgusted by me. You should start looking for my replacement." You walk out of his office, stopping long enough to grab your things then leaving without another word. 

Lee falls back into his chair, staring into nothing. 

He's so angry with himself. He was trying so hard to pretend that he wasn't falling for you and hiding his feelings, he never thought that he could hurt you. Without meaning to, he played right into your insecurities and made it sound like something was wrong with you, that someone wanting to marry you is insane, and you heard everything. 

Lee has had a crush on you from the moment he looked up from his desk and saw you for the first time. He's almost embarrassed by the fact that he, a grown man, has a crush like a hormonal teenager because before you, he's pretty sure the last time he had a crush on someone was in high school. 

It's only been a little over a month since you started working at the station, though it feels like he's known you his entire life. 

He adores you in every possible way and he's grown to love you with every moment you've spent together. You spend at least 8 hours a day together from Monday through Friday and then you spend more time together on his days off. If he could, he'd spend every single minute of his day with you without ever getting tired of you. 

If he is being honest what you overheard was true, that's exactly how he felt but not because of you, because of him. 

Why in the world would an amazing, kind and sweet woman like you want to be with him, marry him? There's no chance in hell that he's good enough for you, to be yours. Plus, he's your boss. It's not like he could hit on you. Well, he could but he didn't want to seem like a creep. He wants to be perfect for you and the general consensus around town is that Lee Bodecker is everything but perfect. 

He made that stupid comment in the break room because he didn't want rumors going around that he liked you, he didn't want to jeopardize your friendship. He ended up doing even worse, he ruined and broke it. 

He realized he was in love with you two weeks ago when Matt hosted a dinner at his house. Lee almost died from a heart attack when he first saw you in your cute summer dress looking as beautiful as ever. Then he watched as you played with your niece and he saw how much you loved her. For the first time in his life, Lee wanted children. He wanted children and he wanted them with you. 

It became clear as day in his mind that he was in love with you, that he'd love nothing more than to make you his. Put the prettiest ring around your finger, buy you the house of your dreams and give you as many babies as you want. 

He has never felt like this before, not even with Florence, and truthfully it terrifies him. Especially now that he has ruined everything. He has no idea how he's going to fix this mess but he sure as hell is going to try. 

Lee is pulling a double today so he can't even run after you, he's stuck at the station and it's driving him crazy. 

His officers quickly realize that the honeymoon phase is over and that Lee's bad mood and short temper are back in full force, they make sure to avoid him as much as physically possible. 

His shift ends at 6 on Saturday morning and at 6:01 Lee is walking out of his office. He gets into his cruiser and drives to your apartment. He doesn't care if he wakes you up, he needs to fix it and he needs to fix it now. 

He parks on the street in front of your door and slams his door shut before hurrying to your front door. Even as he knocks, he doesn't know what he's going to say. Hopefully, he won't make things worse. 

You are startled awake by someone pounding on your door, you look at your alarm clock to find that it's not even 6:15 am and it's Saturday morning, why is someone pounding on your door at this hour? 

You throw the covers at the foot of your bed and hurry out of bed, you grab your robe on your way out of your room and put it on before opening the front door. The last person you expected to see was Lee, yet here he stands in front of you. 

You should have checked the peephole before opening the door.

Lee's heart painfully clenches when he sees the hurt and sadness settle in your eyes at the sight of him. He opens his mouth and closes it a few times without making any sound, he has so much to say yet nothing feels right. 

He wraps an arm around your waist and pulls you into his chest, crashing his lips onto yours. Lee sighs with relief when he feels you kissing him back almost right away. He uses his free hand to cup your cheek, stroking your skin with his thumb while also putting just enough pressure to make you tilt your head back to have better access to your lips. 

Your heart has never beaten this fast before and as you wrap your arms around his neck to pull yourself closer to him, you can't help but to think that he has to be feeling your heartbeat against his chest.

Breathless, Lee breaks the kiss but barely moves an inch away from you. He opens his eyes and rests his forehead against yours, breathing deeply to get some oxygen back into his lungs. 

Once you've managed to pull yourself out of the kissing haze you got lost into, you remember the situation that led to Lee showing up at your door at this hour. You let go of him, unwrapping your arms from around his neck but his arm around your waist stops you from going anywhere. 

"I'm sorry for being such an asshole, sweetness." He finally says, speaking softly before leaning back to be able to look at you. "What you heard, I meant it."

You shake your head and try to get out of his grip but he doesn't let you go, if anything he tightens his hold on your waist. 

"I meant it but not in the way you heard it. I meant that a girl like you would never go for a guy like me." 

He looks into your eyes, trying to guess how you're feeling.

"I don't want you to quit. I want to keep seeing you every day at work. I need to see you every day at work. I'm so crazy about you, it's almost embarrassing but I don't care anymore. I don't care who knows it and what people are going to say about it. I don't care how cliché it is that I fell in love with my assistant because you make me happy." He tucks a strand of your messy bed hair behind your ear. 

"Lee…" You sigh, not knowing what to say or how to act. Lee is your boss but most importantly he's your best friend and you fell in love with him. How could you not? Lee is perfect, for you at least others might disagree, and there's nothing you'd love more than to be with him but you can't get the conversation you overheard out of your head. One, amazing, kiss won't make you forget. You try to pull away and this time he lets you. You take a few steps back into your apartment and tighten your robe around you. "What you said, how you said it… it hurt me." 

"I'm so sorry." He watches you, fear written all across his face at the thought that maybe there is no fixing his mess. "I was just trying to protect myself, and you, from the rumors and gossip. I shouldn't have said what I said and for that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you but I'm not sorry for trying to protect you and our friendship." He says seriously. "What do I have to do for you to forgive me and give me a chance?" He takes a step forward, standing in the doorway. "You love me just as much as I love you, I felt it in the kiss. Tell me, what do you need from me? Do you want me to beg? Because for you baby I'll get on my knees right now."

Lee doesn't even give you a chance to talk. He walks into your apartment and stands right in front of you before getting on both knees, looking up at you. "I'm beyond sorry and I'll apologize everyday for the rest of my life if I need to." He puts his hands on your hips and squeezes gently. 

You hold back a gasp at the sight of Lee kneeling down in front of you. The sheriff Bodecker who is feared amongst all is on his knees and begging in your apartment where he can easily be seen by anyone who walks by. 

You look down at him and lift up a hand, stroking his short hair on the top of his head as you feel him getting anxious. 

"I forgive you." You say quietly, scared that he might make you regret how quickly you forgave him. 

His eyes completely light up and he pulls you closer to him, pressing kisses on your stomach on top of your robe from his excitement. He gets up as fast as he can and grabs your cheeks, smiling down at you.

"Don't make me regret forgiving you, Lee Bodecker." 

Lee can see a hint of a playful glimmer back into your eyes and it makes his heart skip a beat. 

"No ma'am." He kisses your forehead, nose and lips. "Next time I'm getting down on my knees, it'll be to put a ring on your finger." He says confidently. 

"Is that so?" You arch a brow, smiling. 

He nods. "Definitely. How do you feel about being future Mrs. Lee Bodecker, mh?" 

You pretend to think about it and shrug. "Guess you'll have to ask to find out."

He pulls you into another kiss, this time he can't stop smiling even when his lips are pressed to yours. 

For the first time since his divorce Lee feels happy again. He sees a future for himself that doesn't revolve around work or a bottle of whiskey and he can't wait to go through everything with you. The good and the bad, as long as you're standing next to him and holding his hand there's nothing he can't do.  

For now Lee closes your front door and follows you back into your room, stripping down to his underwear before getting into bed with you, for you to finish your night of sleep and for him to finally have a chance to sleep. 

For the next couple of days, it'll be just you and Lee with the entire world outside forgotten. Of course there will be talk around town of the Sheriff's cruiser being parked in front of your apartment for the entire weekend without moving once but you will deal with it all on Monday morning when you're ready to face the world again.

For now all that matters is you and Lee, the rest is a problem for another day.

[jaylleoo14]

Its not the spooky season anymore 😔 But I dont need it as an excuse to write it!

TW// Dark/gory/horror themes up ahead so tread carefully

I've been thinking, imagine what the characters would be like as serial killers. Who would be a best fit for one? And honestly, I feel like I'm able to write all of them as possible ones, well except for Ortho. Okay and maybe for Silver too but everyone else I think I can make do with it. I think.... I feel like characters that are obvious to fit the role is already generic such as Jade or Leona or Malleus! So i wanted to get more creative and try to expand more on the other characters. It would be fun to write about them though but I want someone who I think would fit the role just as nicely. Riddle and Trey was also a close one but I just really thought there could be someone more fitting. And what better character than to do the secretive man himself, Cater! I love Cater! And the potential he has a killer! Huihuihuihiuhihi Its making me shiver just thinking about it (with excitement) Perhaps I'll make the narrative as if you are looking through his eyes. That would be a fun read, no? Well I'll definitely switch the narrative to you and him but its a fun thought!

One day your boring, depressing, and mundane life gets interjected by Cater, the fun loving and bright barista! Some days you would always find yourself dreading as to why you should even continue. You live in a shitty area and your living situation is a mess, your neighbors are always partying, your boss is always picking on you, you're family situation is complicated, and all your friends seem to have moved on doing their own things in life. Life sucks, why do you have to go through this? You just want to go home already. Recently whenever you come by this super cute cafe this barista is always happily greeting you. "Another rough day?" He asked one day, and ever since that question you both have been making small talk whenever you would come by. He was easy to talk to, very friendly and bright. He was something you looked forward too during your days before and after work. One day when you go by the cafe you don't seem to see Cater around. Instead another worker rings you up instead. Out of curiosity you ask them where Cater was, and to none of their surprise that it was you who asked they simply answer with a "he called in sick." They recognize you as well considering you are a regular patron, one of the many other people who seem to enjoy Caters livelihood. Well you needed it in your life anyways. When you take a drive to your workplace you hear on the radio that two missing reports have been filed just last week, and to add on, just today they found a dead body belonging to one of the missing persons. They've been found brutally handled, the skin of their face peeled off and missing. What a grotesque and horrific way to go out.

A killer has been out on the loose in your city for who knows how long now. Though one thing is for certain, they've been going on for quite sometime now, all the victims going out in the same vindicative way. With their faces taken from them. This killer has been going on for quite some time now, but its just recently that they are starting to make another strike. For how long exactly? Who's to say. One thing for sure though is that you plan to save enough to finally move out of this godforsaken city, your awful apartment, and quit your damn job once you make enough. Despite all these killings going around, a lot of people seem to still go by their normal days just only hoping that they wont be the next unfortunate victim. "I hope Cater's alright" You say to yourself as you turn off the radio. The weather has been getting a lot colder lately, and it has been frequently raining. It would make sense that he'd get sick. Hearing about the reoccurring news causes you to let out a sigh, taking a mental note to be a bit more wary now.

You both don't really delve into each others personal life like that, so you can only hope for the best that he has someone to take care of. However on the way to work your light makes you stop and next to you is a deep alleyway. The day still being freshly new, the weather being a dewy light blueish grey after a slight rain, you dont care to look anywhere around you until a little glare hits your eyes on the side. Without much thought you turn around to see what the cause could be. Perhaps a shiny or passing car? Or perhaps it was just the reflection of someone's skateboard on the nearby sidewalk next to your car, or maybe it was- Oh.

. . . Oh

Your heart drops. You suddenly feel cold and goosebumps arise in you as you slowly flare up and your eyes widen with hyperactivity.

Someone is over there

In the alley way, next to you. Just slightly, are you able to make out a figure hidden under the shadows casted by the surrounding and clustered buildings.

Someone with a dark hoodie to blend in with the shadows, their back slightly angled towards you in the dark.

HONK

A car honks from behind you and you're woken from your trance. Just then though, the person in the alleyway slightly shoots their head towards where the sound of the honking originally came from quickly and for a split second your eyes meet. You hit the gas pedal, quickly speeding off with your heart racing as you pass the streetlight. Your cold clammy hands grips onto the steering wheel as you slightly speed off in a hurry and you bury yourself into your seat as the sound of your engine revs away down the dampened street.

They saw me...... I saw them...... they saw me

Was that? Did I see, the killer?

As he watches you speed off in your car he turns back to his finished business. The bloodied and lifeless corpse in front of him lying in a dirty puddle mixed with gravel and rain water from the earlier light rain. With his bloodied gloved hands, a dark shining glint glossing over it, he brings it to drag his mask down to inhale the dewy freshness of the air and out with a heavy breath.

"Ah, Cay-Cay should've been more careful huh?"

With no response he only laughs to himself a bit, nudging the lifeless corpse with his foot as if it were a ball.

"Oops. Forgot you've kicked the bucket now. Oh well, they didn't see me anyways. I shouldn't worry too much anyways."

"heh, who would've thought It would be (y/n) to see me down here... I guess I'll keep a close eye on them from now justttt in case."

Definitely will expand on this when I have the time and finish my other work, but oh how I cant wait to share! >< This is just a base and loose little draft for me to go off of but I was thinking of something like Cater placing pictures around the victims, pictures of perhaps locations to where he could have put their faces. But regardless, I think it'd be fun to write a really slow burn between you and Cater, a psychological horror experience :3

[coffee-writesthings]

Fuck it, engiespy but it's the Cinderella plotline with my own twist on it.

Spy in place of Cinderella (I'm gonna give him the name of Jean Laurent, and Engineer in place of Prince charming (so he's Prince Conagher/Dell Conagher cus that's his canon name that we know of)

The wicked stepsisters and the wicked mother are Miss Pauling, Maggie (Saxton Hale's ex-wife in the comics) and the Administrator. I hope I characterized them in a way that is nice to read :)

Also this is gonna have more than one part. I think like 7? They'll all be reblogged from this one though so less of an issue on my end

Jean didn't truly know what he was doing when he had heard of the ball being thrown by the Conagher Family. He must've been outside when it happened, if the commotion meant anything to him. All he wanted to do was get the shopping done for his bosses.

A few words could be picked out from the cacophony of voices, "The Conaghers are throwing a ball". It was repeated so many times. Along with "What am I going to wear?"

He just groaned, instead opting to sneak his way back home with what he had. If nothing else, everyone would be happy to hear about an opportunity to throw themselves at the most influential people in the land.

The Conaghers are known, far and wide, for their incredible abilities with machinery. They'd mostly focused on defensive turrets, and many sorts of dispensers for anything from fresh water and some food to magical healing substances. And don't get anyone started on the teleporters. At all the hot spots of every town there are three high-level teleporters at least. Someone could get from town square to the castle and back multiple times before any official guards would be able to get there.

It was a problem which necessitated itself, in Jean's opinion. So when he saw one of these teleporters, he didn't mind a bit of sabotage. With a trusty wrench he got to work, under the shadows cast by mid-morning, the sentries wouldn't work nearly as well. He wouldn't die for his crimes here.

All it took was loosening a few bolts here, taking out a screw or two there... et voila! One teleporter that wouldn't work for several hours.

A smug grin crossed his face as he put the tool back into his pocket and took the food bags from off the ground.

"Well howdy there," came a southern drawl which nearly scared him out of his skin, "what's your business with these here teleporters?"

Quick, find a convincing lie for this guard. "Oh, don't you know? I'm new to the engineering field. I wanted to see how all the experienced people do it."

He gave a tilt of his head and lifted one eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "Alrighty. Tell me about this thing as if I'm... oh, five years old."

"I'm sorry?"

"I can repeat myself, if you want."

"No, I heard you. It's just... isn't this the sort of thing a teacher tells me first?"

"Nah, I don't believe in that crap. Tell me how you think it works, I'm curious." He leaned against a wall, and gestured towards him.

"Well..." he wracked his brain for the English words to describe teleporters, "it takes people from one place to another, much faster than anything else. You would only have to stand on an entrance for a moment to travel to its exit."

He nodded, a small smirk on his otherwise-neutral face.

"And I've seen upgrades take place on exits that will have the same effect on an entrance. I don't know how that happens though, and I don't think you do either."

"Yeah, that's accurate. Those blueprints I dug through never did explain that either."

"Blueprints?" Then the realization dawned on him. This wasn't just some guard patrolling for miscreants and the like, this was Dell Conagher. He was the man who took his grandfather's nonsense ramblings and built things from them. The man could definitely be allowed to do harm without consequences, being first in line for the crown. His eyes widened, just a little.

"Yeah, my granddad passed 'em down to me, one way or another." His expression darkened momentarily, "But that's all history anyway! What's your name?"

"I'm... I don't have a name." That was a stupid, stupid lie. If he so desired, the man in front of him could use one of those teleporters right now, and start listing names of his relatives from a registry.

"Alright, I won't push. Now, do you wanna know my least favorite feature on these things?"

What in the-? What is he doing?? It wouldn't be a bad idea to listen, but why would he even tell him in the first place? He figured it would be best to humor him, lest he decide cruelty is his nature for the day. "What is it?"

"They're all the same damn color. I can never tell which one is which, and I don't know how to make them differentiated. Sure, signs could help but there's not much that'll do if somebody can't read or if it's dark out. And nobody's listened to me or suggested anything that we could do, it's frustratin' as all hell."

He cocked his head to the side, "I never thought about that. I've only been annoyed by how many there are. It's ridiculous."

"Right? I've been meaning to figure out how to make them bigger or something but nothing's worked. It's technically better this way for other reasons, but god it's gotta be annoying to use every day."

He hummed in agreement. The crowding was the main reason he never used them in the first place, after all.

"And I mean that's probably part of why this ball is being thrown for me. Lord knows I'm not planning on getting married to some lady any time soon, long as I have more work to do. It's what I tell them at least."

He squinted, just a little bit. Was he saying what he thought he was saying?

"Ah, sorry, I'm rambling. You don't need to know about any of that." he rubbed the back of his neck, while asking nonchalantly, "Will I see you there? I bet if you had something nice to wear you could have your pick of the crowd, easy."

"Are you encouraging competition at your own ball?"

"That's part of the fun, isn't it?"

"For the record, you won't be seeing me there. As much as it would be nice, I have a laundry list of work to do today."

"That's a shame. Have a nice day now, sir."

He'd called him 'sir'. Why?? If anything, he should be the one referring to the other with respectful words. Once the man was out of his sight, Jean scurried back home on foot, with the bags in hand.

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

Back at home, the complaints began immediately.

"Jean," Pauling asked, "we need warm water for our baths!"

"Jean, I need you to mend my dress and shine my shoes for tonight!" Cried Maggie.

"Jean, I don't want you getting any ideas of possibly having tonight off, just because we are off at the Conagher ball. You're going to clean the whole manor tonight," Helen's voice dripped with venom, "s'il te plaît."

He hadn't even had a chance to set down any of the food he bought. Taking a breath, he noted the requests that he could take care of immediately. When the bags were on the counters, and then sorted into the fridge, cabinets, and bread box, he could then move onto something else.

"Miss Pauling, I am taking care of your water right now. Do you want bath salts, or florals?"

"Florals, please."

"Pauling, you don't need to give any respect to him. 'Pleases' are for people who don't make a living washing our floors."

"I- florals."

"And?" Helen pressed.

She didn't look into his eyes when she said, just loud enough to be heard, "I want florals, you good-for-nothing servant."

"Right away." He clenched his jaw a little. "And, Madame Maggie, I will start on your dress and shoes as soon as I am able."

She huffed in response, "Administrator, why do we only have one servant? Two or three would be much better."

"I've told you why many times, there are rules. For a family of three, there can only be one servant."

"I should be so lucky to get married into a large family like the Conaghers."

"Lucky indeed."

Spy took care of the bath fairly quickly, though still needing to boil some water for it, which Miss Pauling tried to help with. He barred her from it with a stern look.

He closed the bathroom's door quietly, leaving her to her bath. What next? Ah, yes, shining shoes for one of the least pleasant women he knew, then mending the holes she always managed to get into her dresses. He groaned, but moved onto the next task. If there was any hope of a night's rest, he'd have to get through all of it quickly, so he wouldn't scrub the floors until dawn.

"Madame Maggie," he knocked on the door to her chambers, "I need the shoes you want shined, please."

"Such manners!" She exclaimed as she opened the door with momentary glee. Even seeing his face displeased her. That was fine, the feeling was mutual.

He waited with two hands held out, waiting for some ridiculous contraption to be placed in them. For a ball being thrown by the Conagher family, it was hard to expect anything less than seduction by all means necessary and extremely painful.

The shoes plopped into his hands with an eye roll were actually fairly simplistic. Tall, chunky black shoes, made soft by many wears. He gave them a tentative bend in the middle, and found that they were sturdy as rocks where the majority of her foot would be. These were great shoes for her purposes, which seemed to be to dance forever-- maybe to impress the prince, maybe to attract any mate.

"Thank you." He grimaced. "They'll work."

[lunar-years]

i think i remember you mentioned how jamie’s love confession to keeley had nothing to do with how he felt about her romantically and i’d love to hear more of your thoughts on it. jamie’s so strange throughout the ep, and considering it’s right after the man city confrontation with his father, it’s probably not too far of a stretch to say he’s thinking about his own father’s death and having a bit of an existential crisis himself. i think jamiekeeley is cute btw and i’m all for ot3 roykeeleyjamie! just wanted to pick your brain about this. and apologies if you’ve never posted about this and i’m remembering the wrong user

Hi! I’m pretty sure this wasn’t me who said it (but never say never because I sure say a lot on here, lol). However you might have still seen it on my blog, because I think I responded to an ask recently with the same opinion!

Regardless, my personal view on it is that Jamie was definitely speaking romantically, BUT I’ve seen a bunch of people think otherwise and it’s fun to explore different viewpoints so I'm gonna talk about my opinions on the funeral episode anyway lmao :)

I think the funeral is soooo interesting because Jamie AND Roy AND Keeley are all acting kind of strangely. Even when we figure how why Roy is being so odd (Grandad Emotions), but there's still whatever is going on between Jamie and Keeley. Because like, yeah, Jamie definitely should’ve 1) realized his boss' father's funeral wasn’t the time nor place for love confessions and 2) probably not done it regardless because, yes, it is kind of out of pocket to tell your ex-girlfriend you’re still in love with her when she’s currently dating someone else (who just so happens to be your current football coach who just helped you during a very traumatic experience)…like ohhh Jamie. Messy!! But I love mess. So therefore I did love this. 🤷‍♀️ However…the topic is not necessarily as ~coming up out of nowhere~ as it first seems, I think. Importantly, Keeley is also acting weirdly!!

I was staring at this gifset recently and thinking many a Keeley thought, and to be honest I think feelings and big emotions were being stirred up again on BOTH sides at that event. It’s interesting (and I think rings true to other insights we've gotten into her character) that as soon as things get a little dicey with Roy, Keeley starts looking outside her relationship, either for people to confide in (as she does when she tells everyone but Roy about the problems she’s having with Roy in Headspace) or to reflect on what she no longer has but is suddenly wondering if she might miss and possibly still want (her contemplative looks at Jamie at the funeral, “you look nice Jamie” etc…. Maybe this is an unpopular take, but I think Keeley is also feeling some type of way that day, about Jamie in particular. And yeah I definitely think that has an impact on why Jamie chooses then to confess to her. He's sensing a different vibe between them suddenly and is reminded, I need to do this.

The other reasons in Jamie’s head imo are 1) Jamie is just generally very open about most of his feelings and I think he’s coming at it from, a 'you should tell the people you love that you love them!' place, right or wrong 2) as he later tells Roy, the funeral made him uncomfy!! and AS YOU SAY yeah i do think there's definitely an connection between that and his dad abusing him in front of the whole team, which has just happened very recently. PERHAPS he is already Not Doing Great, and watching his boss who he doesn't really know act Weird during the eulogy for her Dead Father has him extra off-kilter. 3) as we learn in s3... his dad disappeared after Wembley. No calls, no texts. Nothing. Now, we don't have categoric evidence that this is unusual, but to ME James Sr. doesn't seem like someone who typically leaves well enough alone. I can definitely see Jamie still being freaked out over this very big thing that happened that his dad has got to be incredibly angry about. Perhaps there is still a part of him very much waiting for the other shoe to drop! Which is to say, I do think you're right that there's an element of existential crisis going on here.

Also, while I do personally think Jamie's confession is romantic in nature, I do not think it is conditional in intent. Jamie isn't telling her with the expectation that she's going to dump Roy immediately and tell him that oh yeah, she loves him too. Like, Jamie isn't an idiot. I think he does at the heart of it just want to thank her and he's been meaning to thank her for a while because she means SO MUCH TO HIM that it all has to come spilling out as some point. And a part of that love is romantic, yes, but he also loves her in so many ways. I think Jamie is perfectly content to put it out there and let her set the terms of their future friendship/relationship. Most important to him is that she knows.

So anyway, sorry this got so long and that it isn't really what your original question was about (for anyone who thinks the confession wasn't about Jamie loving her romantically, please feel free to chime in/reblog and add your thoughts!) but in summation, I think: Roy being upset about other things (Grandad) causes him to stir a fight with Keeley -> The fight with Roy causes Keeley to re-evaluate some things and part of her focus undeniably lands on Jamie -> Jamie senses something has changed between him and Keeley and because of that, in addition to the lingering aftershocks of a recent very traumatic experience, confesses he's still in love with her at a funeral.

Which is to say, as I DO always say here at lunar-years, these three's stories have always been irrevocably intertwined since the beginning (regardless of the ot3 as a ship) and the funeral is another example of that. Also it is totally crazy that we never get an explicit follow-up to Man City until episode 11 of the NEXT SEASON and that is one of my biggest grievances on season 2.

[yesyourstalker]

Mahi: so he knows how to read lips right?

Neta: yes he knows how to read lips. He'll understand you.

Mahi: All right? Okay, I just don't want to look dumb in front of him

Neta: well I don't see the problems there. I mean you look dumb in front of me all the time

Mahi:....... It's not very nice to say to one of your employees

Neta: yeah what you going to do fight me? Shut up any way (clap) okay!! so you guys haven't had a proper introduction so here we go. Mahi this is Seth, Seth This is Mahi. [Signing].... Mahi is just going to show you the ropes around the store if you don't have any clients at the moment you can help customers or take care of stuff around the store with them.

Seth: [signing] sure, no problem

Mahi: uh hey my name is Mahi I'm your manager

Seth: hey, it's nice to meet you.

Mahi: yeah Nice to meet you too!

Neta: All right you seem to be doing well. I'm going to be in my office I got some shit to do so take care of the store. K

Mahi: so what do you want to learn first?

Seth: I took a look at your register. It seems to run the same system as my old job so I know how to work it. Maybe just teach me how to fold clothes I guess. Is there a proper way to do it?

Mahi: we separate our clothes by category of musician and we switch it out every other month. Clothing with green tags are folded while clothes with red tags have to be hung up. So most most green tags are shirts and some pairs of jeans while everything with red tags are usually socks, belts, jewelry, jackets some tops do need to be hung up... Most of them are like dress shirts... You'll know what I'm talking about.

Seth: uh huh

Mahi: ok you got some boxes in the bag we can unload those so you can get the hang of it.

Seth: alright

_______________________________________________

Mahi:[folding]........................

Seth:[folding]...........................so how long have you been working here?

Mahi: three or four years or so..........

Seth: oh... Must be a nice job

Mahi: I have a question and please don't think I'm stupid. It's a genuine question

Seth: Go on

Mahi: Can you hear me? I mean you're- you're looking right at me so I know you can understand me now but when you're not looking at me, can you understand what I'm saying.

Seth: It's usually environmental so I can hear high pitch noises and loud sounds but speech not so much. I'm severe to profound deaf on my right ear but on my left it's moderate so I can hear speech but I do have to try to figure out what you're saying. Especially since you're a new person. If it's like my roommate or my parents not so much, though sometimes I do have to face them to understand what they're saying too.

Mahi: oh..

Seth: I honestly hate wearing it but it makes work a little bit easier to manage..... This one has a purple tag. What does the purple tag mean?

Mahi: purple tag means we can't put that out yet.... It's a specialty item. So you see there's the date on when we have to put it out so we have to put it out next month. I don't know why they printed it on purple, makes it harder to read.... But when you put it out all purple tags have to be hung up near the entrance. Never folded.

Seth: okay I get it...... Nice tongue piercing who did it?

Mahi: Candi did it. She did it right after I interviewed her when she got the job....why

Seth: just wondering?.... You got any tattoos?

Mahi: I do I have one on my ankle and I have one on my shoulder see

Seth: DJ Sango huh? Nice... You thinking of getting another tattoo?

Mahi: I have ideas but but I don't have the money

Seth: but considering I'm going to be working here for a while I guess I can give you a discount and technically you're my boss so you might get a bigger discount.

Mahi: really! Holy shit!

Seth: yeah just give me the design and I can see what I can do. I'm scheduled to work on Neta tomorrow,might wanna visit

Mahi: great! You've met everyone else, right? Warabi and Candi?

Seth: Candi and I go way back so she got me this job. I haven't probably met warabi yet he seems...... Interesting. I honestly thought that was just his persona for diss-pair I didn't realize he was actually like that in real life

Mahi: yeah he's always like that. You'll get used to it.

_______________________________________________

Mahi: [knock knock] .... Hey Neta?

Neta: yeah so we can put vending machines and maybe another arcade in this location so we don't lose traction to -yeah!

Mahi: oh you're busy. I'll just

Neta: no, it's fine! We'll talk later....yeah.....yeah I'll tell him Bye Koi.... You finish training?

Mahi: yeah he got the gist of it he just needs his sign in card..... I have a question

Neta: shoot

Mahi: how much was your back tattoo and how much did it hurt?

Neta: it was around 875 and the pain was bearable it stung in some areas. Why? you want to get a back tattoo?

Mahi: yeah I do

Neta: I wouldn't recommend jumping to that extreme mahi. You might need to get some moderately sized tattoos before you get something big like a back tattoo. Get something on your arm or leg first.

Mahi: I don't have any ideas what are you getting?

Neta: I'm just getting a family tattoo on my arm and finishing up on my e-liter one.

Mahi: why do people who use chargers as their main weapon make that their whole personality?

Neta: because it takes skill to use it

Mahi: it takes skill to use all weapons

Neta: yeah well mine takes more skill shut up. You don't get it.

Mahi: I really don't.

_______________________________________________

Seth: I'll meet you at my old parlor you have the address?

Mahi: yep got it. Can I bring warabie with?

Seth: he can tag along

Mahi: great!

_______________________________________________

Warabie: I always wanted a tattoo on my stomach like flowers or a crab or something

Mahi: a crab?... we're here.

Warabie: remind me of my childhood home! We used to live right next to a wharf and they used to pull big halls of crab. We would visit all the time my family used to make crab cakes, crab bisque, crab broil and steamed king crab. You know this! you We always had crab linguine when you came over

Mahi: that wharf you're talking about was an hour away. And you guys never went over there I distinctly remember that they delivered it to your house cuz your mom couldn't stand the smell or the people

Warabie: well I went there once it was with ikkan we picked up some crab and fish and made dinner.

Ikkan: no, you stayed in the car I went to the wharf and bought the fish and crabs and I also cooked the dinner you did nothing.

Warabie: ikkan!! Shouldn't you be in school? Why are you here?

Ikkan: Neta and I missed Valentine's Day but we're making it up by having a tattoo date. I just finished I'm just waiting for-

Warabie: can we see your tattoo? Did you get the chest tattoo? (Gasp) Let me see!!!!

Ikkan: *huff*.....one second.... ...see

Warabie: ohhhh That's really nice. What plants is that?

Ikkan: it's a pothos like the one at my place.... Can I button my shirt now?

Warabie: It's matches up with your tops surgery scars awwww

Ikkan: yeah that's the fucking point. Why are you guys even here?

Warabie: mahi has a meeting with a tattooer they're thinking of getting a back tattoo

Ikkan: A back tattoo? That's a little extreme for your first tattoo.

Mahi: It's not my first tattoo, I have tattoos. They're just small....*sigh* I'm actually just here to talk to Seth and come up with ideas. The back tattoo is still on the table

Ikkan: He's working with Neta now they're in the back

_______________________________________________

Seth: All right, I'm going to lay down the stencil........ Looks Good?

Neta: yeah

Seth: ok great. Let's start tattooing.... Used to be in the military?

Neta: yeah

Seth: You're an admiral? It's a pretty high rank

Neta: actually the badge belongs to someone else. They really helped me through a lot and they recently-

Warabie: hey guys!

Mahi:....lot bigger than I expected.

Seth: hey guys, just sit on the couch over there. I have a packet of designs I've done feel free to look through.

Warabie: I think I already have an idea for my tattoo

Seth: All right.

Warabie: I was thinking of maybe a crab on my abdomen like a really detailed blue monochromatic style

Seth: sounds sick. What about you mahi you come up with any ideas for yours?

Mahi: no, I'm still thinking about it

Seth: there's no rush

_______________________________________________

Seth....All right, I'm finish with the line art. I'm going to start doing the color. Do you mind if I take out my hearing aids I do my best work like that

Neta: sure man no problem.....so mahi you want to get another tattoo? What are you thinking about?

Mahi: i have some ideas I want a school of fish on my arm maybe some tetras

Warabie: you should get nine of them

Mahi: That's too many

Neta: maybe three?

Mahi: That's too little. I wanted to actually look like a school of fish...... Six, six would be good I just need to schedule the appointment and get the final design. I don't think I'm going to get it today

Warabie: well can you stay cuz I'm definitely going to get the crap tattoo today.

_______________________________________________

Ikkan: hey babe I got you some things to eat.

Neta: thanks. Feels like my blood sugar is getting low. *Tap tap* [sighing] can we take a break I need to eat something

Seth: [signing] no problem

Warabie: how do you know sign language?

Neta: the military requires us to learn sign language if we're going to be in combat. Though mine is BLSL and Seth's is SSL

Seth: BLSL and SSL sign are very similar so it's easy to understand and learn if you already know one.

Mahi: what's the difference?

Neta: It's mostly different hand gestures really for different words. Haven't used it in a long time so I'm kind of rusty.....umm.... Tattoo I'm looking pretty good. Half an hour should be finished.

Seth: Glad you like it!... warabie I'm going to work on some crab designs for you. Mahi do you know what you want?

Mahi: I think so.

_______________________________________________

Mahi is getting a new tattoo @fish-at-fish-fish-resort

The emo to punk pipeline is in action

[clonerightsagenda]

L&Co ep 6. I am going to start this by saying something nice.

I do think they're doing a good job of showing George feeling isolated. It's tough to do when you squash the timeline so much - he doesn't have months of grievances, they've only worked together for a few weeks - but being able to move outside Lucy's pov allows the show to emphasize it. Tbh George is head and shoulders coming out of this show looking the best because he's not being filtered through Lucy's uncharitable pov.

Ok starting the episode now, let's see if I find anything else nice to say.

"We found Annabel Ward's murderer." I mean, you cheerfully walked into his deathtrap and then clocked it after the attempted murder but ok.

Oh man I didn't think about the fact that Lockwood can now see a death glow every time he leaves through the front door. And after the last book, also one in his kitchen. The poor kid cannot lose his talent soon enough. Might be good for his mental health.

I imagined the skull's grotesque distorted faces more as the result of taking a human face off its underlying bone structure and then squashing it behind glass (like smushing your face against a window but worse because #boneless) but evil smoke is probably easier to animate. Also the former might stray into cartoonish territory and this show is far less interested in being funny.

Lucy has entered her conspicuously glowing backpack era

They're calmly considering letting him out much earlier than in the books, I'm surprised Lockwood didn't freak at the mere suggestion

Well we haven't gotten any colorful death threats yet but we have gotten a 'let your dipshit friends die already' so maybe they haven't entirely nuked the skull's personality. Well played on manipulating him right back though Lucy.

TV Bickerstaff made his own sources by killing his patients? Suppose that's faster than robbing graves (although messier because you have to do all the defleshing yourself), but then why was he robbing graves? Unless I guess he killed them, pretended they died of natural causes, and then went back to the graves after the burial. Personally I think harvesting old sources is the better option, then the visitors don't hate you personally. The bone glass spirits all seemed relatively chill just kind of bummed out.

Except, hang on, he couldn't have harvested these ones for the bone glass, because then their ghosts wouldn't be here.

Shame they did the dead patients and not the rat ghost, that would've been fun to see animated (but probably a bitch to do which presumably is why they changed it)

It's odd to hear them consistently using 'he' for the skull already. In the books they tend to switch between gendered and it pronouns for all the ghosts until the very end when everyone but Lockwood switches to he/him exclusively. Stroud is pretty deliberate about characterization via pronoun use in both his series I've read, so this seems a bit hasty.

Show!Lucy: I'm the nicer more sensitive one <3 I respect your pronouns <3 I am still not letting you out of that jar though

You can force a source? That's interesting.

Also, ok, here the old notes show making the glass with seven sources. Iirc the book only had 3 or 4 which is what I'm guessing Bickerstaff fucked up, since we know spirit goggles work. He made it with too many and opened the gate a little too wide.

"You've got a good track record with precious necklaces." Did they write that line before switching Annie's source to a ring?

Also, Lockwood was very brave and/or optimistic to gift Lucy a second family heirloom after she lost? left behind? stopped wearing? the first one. Maybe switching to gold was a tacit acknowledgement that she’s going to keep chatting up dead people no matter how much he hates it and so silver isn’t going to cut it.

The only color in this crowd is blue. You'd think people would avoid black for party wear. Too funeral

Wrecking her shitty boss is actually a great play to gain her trust, nice one Penelope. People's bribes are much better in this version

"They're not looking at me. Not really me. They're looking at the great Penelope Fittes." Lol you don't say

"Like a date?" "Is that so hard to believe?" It is for ME because in the BOOK he is TWENTY and she is FOURTEEN and I am in HELL

You know if they pursue this thread seriously I bet they would've killed him off for real in The Empty Grave. This man's life was saved by the Netflix cancellation

Assuming this is Rupert Gale. He's got guyliner now

A golden sword is actually really interesting because rapiers are meant to be used against ghosts and gold does nothing to them. But gold plate (I assume, a fully gold sword would bend or break immediately) is delicate and would get scratched to hell immediately if you crossed blades with another living human. A golden rapier would be a great toy for some rich bastard who wants to show off how much they don't need to use it. It's an odd thing to give a powerful person's hired enforcer.

Salt sprinklers… having a ghost alarm is actually a great bit of worldbuilding. I was going to say regular fire sprinklers should work just as well since ghosts hate running water, but salt is easier to clean up. Less property damage. Wonder what the nightclub blue light is for. Does it make visitors show up better?

[like-rain-or-confetti]

Rogue crushing on another villain henchperson and it's mutual. It's pretty clear and he asks if being a big villain was the reason for their interest. But then Y/N says "Oh no, it's not the reason.  When I'm with my boss, people always see him first. But you? You looked at me. Most people I meet think of me as an afterthought or try to get to my boss through me. It was nice for someone to see me first."

The Riddler: "I know what that's like. For someone to see you but not really see you." He smiled slightly. He grew weary of that feeling a long time ago. Edward was better than that. He was smart enough to see something in people that are worth his time. Something everyone else seems to miss. You were no exception. There was something about you that made you worth his time and like a puzzle, he was going to figure you out and decide if you were worth it. "However, Crane hired you and speaks highly of you. There's a reason for that. Naturally I'm curious about you. Don't let me down, will you (Y/N)?"

Scarecrow: "Well, it seems rather surprising that the likes of Roman Sionis would hire such a capable, level headed individual such as yourself." Jonathan said crisply. He noticed the way you blushed slightly and curled into yourself. "I trust you find his work satisfactory?" He asked and you nodded. "Yes, Mr Sionis is brutal but hasn't given me any reason to question working for him." Jonathan nodded. "I see. Well, I'll consider him lucky for your loyalty. I'd like to remain in touch. I'll admit, I have no interest in what Roman Sionis does or intends. I find him too...brutish and egotistical for my tastes. However, I would like to see more of you. I reckon you much more appealing."

Two-Face: He seemed to agree with your statement, nodding before speaking. "Tetch's employees are usually brainwashed to the point of barely being people." Harvey leaned against the wall beside him, arms crossed. "It's rather surprising of him to employ a genuinely nice individual with a mind of their own." You smiled slightly. "Thank you, Mr Two-Face. Although I'd say it was a given. You didn't have to be polite to me given my position beneath your associate. Regardless, you did. I appreciate it. As I said before, it's not a often occurrence." Harvey smirked. "You're not a common occurrence." Harv replied. "I'll give Tetch credit where credits due. He did good with you." "Just don't let him ruin you." Harvey added. "It would be such a shame." Harv' agreed with a nod.

Black Mask: "Harvey can pick out a goodie two-shoes. I'll give him that. He tends to avoid hiring them. Though he picked a much more tolerable goodie. A pretty face too. A man like me simply couldn't resist getting to know someone like you." Roman shrugged like it was the most simply thing in the world. The door behind you swung open. "Roman Sionis, hiding away in here are you?" Harv' taunted darkly. "Hiding?" Roman tilted his head. "I don't hide from the likes of you Dent. I was just saying hello to little (Y/N) here." "I believe you have." Harvey shot back. "Now are you gonna come with me or do I have to get (Y/N) to leave instead?" Roman sat back in his chair. His expression unseen behind his mask but his tone of voice gave him away. "I don't see any need for that. I think both of us are just fine right here but you're free to clear off." Roman replied smugly. "(Y/N), leave." Harv' ordered flatly. You nodded and stood up. "It was a pleasure, Mr Sionis." "Oh doll, trust me, the pleasure is all mine." You could hear his grin behind the mask. "Oh and if I can help it, I'll see much more of you."

Mad Hatter: "I find you much more pleasant company than Edward. Especially those he employs." Jervis shrugged simply. "Edward hires such dull and boring people! I do consider dear Edward a friend however his actions and employees are rather...what's the word? Theatrical? No...I'd say that's more of a quality for some. Arrogant? Ah! Two words, insufferably arrogant!" His eyes gleamed as he grinned. He tapped the tip of your nose. "Not you!" He sang before giggling. "No, you are a very good choice indeed. If not careful, he might find I am tempted to have you for myself!" "I appreciate the compliment but I'm rather happy with my position." You replied politely with a bashful smile. He sighed, slumping slightly before perking up. "Regardless! I'm always pleased to have a new friend and if Edward gives you any trouble, you know where to find me!" He grinned mischeviously.

[jazzhandsmcleg]

tomorrow is my last day at my current job, which was only ever a three-year contracted position. I don't yet have anything else lined up to replace it, and it's not for lack of trying. in fact, I'm waiting to hear from one place to see if they want to interview me, and waiting to hear from another place who said they'd make a decision this week. but I don't know what's coming next. if not one of those two places -- and in fact even if it is the second place; it doesn't pay a whole lot and I have a shiny new car loan to pay off -- I'm going to have to go out and get a retail job or two while I wait for my professional prospects to improve. story of my generation, right?

I've done that before. I don't really want to do it again, but I'll do it if I have to and it'll be fine.

work the last few days have been odd. I've been trying to wrap up one last project, and the deadline of "Friday" has really put me in the zone. I blink and ninety minutes have gone by. blink again and it's lunch time. lunch today was odd, too. my boss ordered in pizza and a salad and all of us commandeered the lunchroom and shot the shit for almost an hour, aka almost twice as long as our government-mandated lunch breaks. I often get weird about eating with people and COVID is always more or less a concern, so I've never actually eaten with any of my coworkers before. they gave me a card, cleverly done up to look like a governmental record. even the people I've seldom interacted with, even the lady who I suspect doesn't really like me very much, added a nice thing or two to it.

tomorrow I'm taking a cake and some popcorn for everyone to eat, as a little reciprocal goodbye gift. if it weren't for that and for the project I have to finish tomorrow (and, well, for the eight hours of vacation pay transferred to cash I'd be giving up), I'd be tempted to just call out tomorrow and go out without any awkward goodbyes. but it'd be kind of rude to do that to my coworkers, who are a pretty good bunch of people. but I'm not ready to leave. but I've been ready to leave for at least a year and a half at this point. but I've known when I was going to be leaving, at the absolute latest, since the day I was hired.

you know a place after three years, you know? it matters in the way all things do after three years. it's weird to think, I will likely never see these people again. it's a bit of a relief. it's a bit sad. after three years, it's mostly just weird.

I'm so tired. I'm a little glad I evidently don't have anything lined up, because it means I get to take next week to "do nothing"...by which I mean I will clean and apply for retail jobs that I hope will hire me even though I haven't done customer service since 2019 and tackle some home projects I've been putting off and cook and. life goes on.

I'm so tired. I drove home today in an exhausted fugue, my mind stretched out and my back sore from craning over papers all day. I sat down to do my budget before I make the cake, and found myself dissatisfied with all my music. I made a new station on Pandora -- well, technically pianobar -- that spun off from The War on Drugs, and got Under the Pressure, eight and a half minutes of serious, dreamy guitar and solo tenor vocals, with a little brass on the side.

under the pressure indeed.

I opened up realtor.com instead of my budget spreadsheet and started looking at pictures of pretty houses in my area. they're all still out of my price range for the foreseeable future, and it's odd because today I can't even imagine myself living in any of those houses. all of my problems would just be there with me instead of here. is that realization maturity?

life sure does go on.

[itspdameronthings]

Party Gone Wrong

Summary: Finally at long last! Long awaited Benny fic i was trying for along time to write! i know has been along while since i have wrote anything new. This fic is about Benny doing something at a party he regrets. Using his musical talent to win back Doc! yes its set in @autumnleaves1991-blog;s channel two universe. whom helped me with this fic. bless you @autumnleaves1991-blog for helping me get back to writing !

Song benny sings is down below the post enjoy!

Warning: 18+ content mentioned. So under aged readers please. I'll block you if you do.

How can anyone be so stupid! That is what you thought laying on your bed weeping over what has just happened.  To think Benny would tell the other nurses about how intimate the three of you have gotten.  Wish you didn't hear what he said,but sadly you did. 

Few nights ago : 

After a horrible night at the ER. So many patients. What do you expect during a full moon? Benny moans as he places his clipboard on the admit desk, " Last nutcase heading up to the OR,and I'm so out of here. Soon as my baby girl finished curtain in  3. We are so fucking out of here. Dominic comes bouncing towards the desk, " How about we go out. Ya know to unwind.  After a shift we had? We need some food,and kick back a few beers, what yall say?" Benny couldn't say no to that. He goes over to you. Pull the curtain back, seeing you laying on the bed. Looking so exhausted.  Couldn't help ,but to kiss you, " Sweetheart? Time to get up now. If you are up to it. Dom ,and the rest of the nurses are goin to Woodies for drinks and pig out. We don't have to go if you dont want to. " Sitting up followed by a soft moan," That sounds great,but I have some charts to take care of. You know, bosses like stuff. Tell you what.  You go ahead. I'll meet you there. Promise I won't be long. " 

Blue offered to stay with you while the others left. Didn't want to leave you alone with piles of charts to do. There was something she wanted to talk to you about.  Plopped on the couch looking up at the ceiling," I'm done with the last chart. How about you? My tummy is rumbling like crazy!" Putting down your readers," Roger that! Could eat anything right now. Let's sneak out before there is another trauma .last thing I need is to stay here! Miss Benny." Blue laughs as she hugs you, " Oh I know you do." 

" Oh yeah! She loves to be taken from behind. She moans for hours it seems. Surprisingly the guests in the next room didn't tell the front desk about the noise." Benny grins in his bottle of beer as he tells the story about the time they were at staying at a hotel during an outing last year. Other nurses wanted Benny to tell more. Which he did. 

Dominic comes out of the bar to get some air tell he sees you and Blue pulling up.  Opening the driver side door practically smiling, " Well, well look who's here miss I love to have two cocks inside her. Never pegged you as a kinky friend.  " Slamming the door, " What the fuck did you say? Oh wait who fucking told you about… oh I know who fucking did! What else did he say?!" 

Trying to explain to his friend what led to the conversation.  Dominic pulls your arm," Don't be hard on the guy. We were chatting about stuff.  You know how Benny gets when he drinks too much? Just.." 

Didn't hear what your friend said.  Marched inside to hear Benny chanting away. Not much of a hello," Oh really now Benny! You have to tell everyone about our sex life!? Not everyone needs to know that! Now if you excuse me! I'm leaving! Have a nice dinner spilling your drunken guts out!" 

Benny marched outside to catch up with you.  Reaching out for your arm so he could get your attention, " What was that ! Answer me! Dammit ! We were talking about stuff that led to another.  I don't see what's wrong?" You know that was a lie! When he gets drunk.  He talks too much! Couldn't take it anymore.  Go to slap him. Benny's reaction is right on point even if he was drunk," Remember darlin, I have quick reflexes.Sober or not. " That did it! With a swift motion of your leg. You tripped him. Laying on the ground looking all shocked," Doc! Look, I'm sorry! Okay! It slipped out! " 

Fuming at that remark.  Thinking about how stupid he was! Telling the others such intimate stuff to the others! Knowing that the whole hospital will know about it tomorrow. Not if you have anything to say about that. Marched inside to see the nurses that love to gossip, and the others you trust with your life. Ordered a drink to ease your woes as you spoke," okay! Let's get one thing straight! If any of you gossipy, assed , no fucking good for nothing nurses tell anyone what you heard tonight? I'll make sure you will be doing nothing but doing nothing but triage for the next month! Do I make myself fucking clear?!" Blue and Dominick look at the two nurses in question.  Both of them rolled their eyes as they walked away.  One of them made a comment, " You're no fun! " Dom and Blue gathered around you so you can calm down. 

Meanwhile, Benny gets up to nurse his wounds. All he wanted was to go inside to talk to you till he thinks you need to cool off. So he drives over to see Will.  Knew he would help him. 

" Are you out of your mind! How could you do that! Never thought about how embarrassed she would be? I'm glad she didn't kick you anywhere else.  Like your head! " Benny runs his fingers through his hair as he tries to think about what to say," Will, I know I screwed up big time. Never meant to embarrass her. Regret for drinking too much again! " Sitting next to his brother trying to figure out what to say to help him. Only to say," You can stay here for a few days.  So you can figure out what to do. " 

Present day: Both of them haven't spoken to each other.  Has to do with them having different schedules so they could have some space. By switching with either Dominic or Blue. Coming up to the admit desk to drop off a chart. Blue stands next to you, " Look honey, I know you are still mad. Think it's time to talk to him? He is hurting too ya know.  We went over to see him . He is messed up. " Looking at your friend with tears in your eyes, " I miss him too,but it hurts! Wished Santi was here to help. He always knows what to do to help me get over the pain." 

Santi moans as he talks to Benny on the phone, " Sometimes you can be such a nincompoop! Okay, here's what I would have done in this situation. Sing to her. Something that both of you did together. " Benny sighs, " Thanks for the idea man. See ya when you get back. " Santi hangs up . Hoping his idea would work. 

" I know you are sad sweetheart.  Wish I was there . Help to mend that fragile heart.  Need to know . Benny would do anything to say he is sorry." Listening to Santi's sweet, deep voice on the phone while sitting in your favorite chair.  Sniffled, " Me too. Cant.. ya know stay mad at Benny for too long. It just.. hurts. I haven't seen him since that night. Feel crappy!" 

Benny takes a deep breath as he pulls his truck in the driveway.  Guitar in hand . Taking a breath, " Okay, time to make things right with Doc. Hope she is home , or I'm singing to no one ,but to a nosey neighbor. " Start to strum the few chords of a certain song they would sing at the top of their lungs. 

I'll never hurt you.  

Never scared to love, scared to love. 

He didn't deserve you 

'Cause your precious  heart is a precious heart 

He didn't know what had and I thank you God oh, oh,oh, oh 

And it's gonna take a little time

But you're gonna see that I was born to love you.

Benny waits for the next part . Nothing. Continue to play the song. What he doesn't know you are home listening to him sing. Tears in your eyes while leaning against the window sill," santi, he is singing that song we did at open mike night! What am I gonna do baby!" 

" Sing with him! Get out there and sing with him! He needs you!" 

Opening the window so you could sit on the sill. Started to sing the chorus.  Benny looks up at you smiling through his tears. Looking up strumming again: 

What if I fall? 

I'll won't let you fall

What if I cry? 

I'll never make you cry

And if I get scared? 

I'll hold you tighter 

When they're tryna get to you,baby ,I'll be the fighter

Benny stops and goes over to the window," Look darlin. I'm sorry for being an idiot. Didn't mean to blurt our sexcapade. Never thought how it would embarrass you.  Miss holding you tight.  Miss your soft lips. I know you do the same. So. How you come down here so I could hold you close. " 

Looking down seeing how disheveled he looks. Baggy pants, tee. Messy long hair. How can he look so hot while looking so sad?Not thinking jumped out of the window.  Rushed over to you.  Checking to see you hurt your ankle. Benny sweetly kissed your lips while carrying you inside, " I didn't mean for you to do that you know. Guess you weren't thinking.  How about I take you upstairs to tend to your ankle? Better yet.  Take you to the ER." 

After checking your ankle.  Seeing it was definitely sprained. Benny stays with you while Blue gets some pain meds. Taking your hand," Now you are officially unable to work . I have volunteered to take care of you. " Tracing patterns on his cheek, " Don't have to baby. I'll be fine, you know.  Working on my laptop.  Catching up on shit. You need to focus.." 

" Focus on others you shithead. I'll take care of her. " Santi leans against the doorway, flowers in hand," neighbors told me what happened when I drove up. Glad you are fine sweetheart.  As for you mr. Loud talker? No more telling nurses about our sex lives." Benny nods as he walks away to get your discharged papers. Santi hugs you close," Glad you are okay. Made me think about when you were in the chopper in Columbia. Got so scared. So now tell me why you jumped out of our window?" 

Few weeks later

While you were resting in bed. A familiar song filled the air. Made you smile.  Benny enters the room, " Thought about you need something nice to wake up to.  How's the ankle?" Sitting up," stiff,but I'll be fine baby. See you had a rough shift?" Taking off his scrubs, " Oh, your usual stuff. GSW, DWI'S ,and other shit. Everyone missed you.  So do I.  The others went to hang out.  I declined. Rather stay home with you,and Pope. " Reach out to hug Benny, " Right answer baby. Right answer. " 

[lutawolf]

The 8th Sense ep 9

I'm going to hang on to the image above by bl-bam-beyond to get me through what I'm sure is to be a roller coaster.

Deep Breath... Okay Lets Do This!!!

I FUCKING LOVE THIS THERAPIST!!! That deep sigh when she says, "okay, work on yourself first." Because she knows there is no other choice. Because emotional fucking damage. I get this so much. I love you, lady.

"And when you're ready, think about what you want to do next." "I want to protect him." Sometimes love is selfless, and sometimes it's selfish. Sometimes they are a little bit of both. Here, we have someone who just wants the person they love to be safe. Not comprehending that sometimes it's better to have love than be safe.

I love bestie so much. Even though I feel an overwhelming need to smack that food out of his mouth, so I can hear him. Even if I'm just reading subtitles. I make no damn sense but there ya go.

I will say that Jae Won makes sense to Ji Hyun which is why they are simply meant to be. Even if I feel the urge to knock some mother fucking sense into everyone.

Haha, bestie over here throwing out words like narcissistic. I won't even correct him because he is funny. Apparently it's not common sense, cause you used it wrong. Still love you though boo.

I freaking love the trio so much! They are adorable. And you can't convince me otherwise. Oh lawd, he just now thought about his painful past.

Well... At least he is pretty, and he gets it now. So. 👀👀👀 And he has solid friends. Fighting! Then bestie goes and thrusts the dagger in. Damn.

Oh, this is going to be a tough scene to watch, isn't it. Those sitting next to each other talking about the incident.

Noooo!!! Him reaching out to hold his hand is gutting me.

Guys!!! Not gonna lie, I was literally holding my breath while I waited for him to go to her. Damn, that was painful. I mean, he isn't so good at it, but he is trying right. That's what matters. Ji Hyun come back and show this clueless boy how it's done!

Fuck, I hate her. She makes me want to gag every time I see her. I want to punch her in the face every time she says Oppa.

Nooooooooooo SHE DIDN'T!

Nope... I'm not okay. Everyone else can forgive. I am not in the forgiveness business. Guess I'll be the odd one out. He wanted to protect him, and then he does that. Yeah… Did that look like protection to you, do, and then you have the ability to be nice to her afterward. To not immediately go after that baby boy. Yeah, fuck this. Guess I'm gonna be the unpopular opinion here.

I love his bestie so much. Ji Hyun, you have the best bestie ever. I have mixed feelings on seeing Jae Won. I'm petty and I don't like to see him happy when he hurt Ji Hyun yet on the other side, maybe it means he is taking his fucking meds and getting his head on straight.

Oh, the look in his eyes when Ji Hyun just left. Then a deep swallow. You deserved that bitch. You really did.

Now that's unselfish love. Even believing that it's all ended. That the cunt won. He doesn't push but lets him know he supports him.

I mean... Didn't you do the same thing to Ji Hyun minus the sex. You didn't even break up officially before being back with her. Shit, I don't even know why I'm bothering to type anymore. I'm sure people have stopped reading at this point.

Shit, doesn't that sound familiar. "I apologize, I was out of my mind." I swear to god if I don't see some growth in this boy.

Oh, the boss knows. Dude, I love her. Okay, I'm pissed at you dude, but that was funny. "I'm here to eat, not listen to a fortune-teller."

OMG! I FUCKING LOVE HER!

"I can't seem to organize my life." "Then organize it." I don't know how many times I've said this. You know what the problem is, now start working towards a solution instead of sitting there and not doing anything about it. I can only help so much, eventually you've got to help yourself. "I feel like things got screwed up big time and I don't know where to begin to fix it."

Shit hit him! Oh, thank you baby Jezebel she hit him! I knew I was in love with her! Oh, I really love her. Knock some motherfucking sense into him!

There ya go. You only live once. Are you finally hearing people, asshole.

Oh! My little button nose. Isn't that just love. Love is forgiveness. For the people who deserve, who support you, and you want to be beside you. Love is forgiveness.

gif by @bl-bam-beyond

I love the song playing in the background of the kiss. Life is complicated and messy, grab your happiness where you can.

For those who read this. Thank you! 💜💜💜