#not the way i wanted her to win but I’m glad she won anyways

[livsjaded]

SHE LOOKED PHENOMENAL !!

[queensunshinee]

Time Of Our Lives || Part 24

warnings: SMUT! 18+!, oral sex, handjob.

Part 24

Patrick has a new girlfriend. Liana doesn’t care. She’s just stating a fact. Patrick and Art competed against each other in the French Open finals. Liana sat on Art’s side next to Tashi, and on Patrick’s side, she saw his parents (a surprise in itself) and someone she didn’t recognize. And she was beautiful. So beautiful. But Liana didn’t care. All she cared about was Art. She didn’t even glance in Patrick’s direction.

Fuck tennis. Only Art mattered in this scenario. She’s blonde. His girlfriend is blonde and looks younger than them, which is a bit embarrassing for him, right? Couldn’t he find someone his own age? Someone who knows who the President of the United States is and maybe even all the continents and the multiplication table. Someone who has seen a thing or two in life. Someone who can respond to him and match him. Art lost the fucking set. His body language was off. Everything was messed up. Liana had seen Art lose before; she hadn’t yet seen him lose to Patrick. She hoped today wouldn’t be the first time.

“Shout that you love him,” Tashi told her, and Liana made a face in response. “I’m not joking with you. Tell him you love him. Now.” Tashi and Liana barely spoke; they tried to keep their distance from each other but were polite when necessary for Art. “Don’t tell me what to do.” Liana rolled her eyes. “Do you want him to lose because of you?” she asked in response, and Liana chuckled. “What do I have to do with it exactly?�� “You can’t stop staring at your ex’s new girlfriend who is currently beating Art. So tell him you love him or get out of here because you’re disturbing.” It felt like if Tashi could, she would burn Liana alive. “You got this, baby, I believe in you,” she said loudly enough for Art to hear, making him nod and smile a little. Patrick heard too. He was less thrilled by Liana’s gesture.

When Patrick won, his familiar smirk spread across his face, and he looked directly at Liana for a second. Right after that, he bowed towards his girlfriend, and Liana found herself rolling her eyes. Art was interviewed first and had to compliment Patrick, giving a backhanded compliment that only those who knew them understood, praising him for his "long journey" and saying things like "it's not taken for granted that Patrick reached this stage and won," and in the end, that he was "happy for him." Patrick said in his interview that he was happy to be here and hoped that everyone who didn’t believe in him now knew that when he wanted, he could win. He thanked his family "and the love of his life," which was a bit over the top if you asked Liana, because she had no idea what the girl who looked at him with hearts in her eyes was even called, but whatever. Both were asked if they were still friends since they competed together as kids, everything was awful, and Liana felt like she was going to vomit.

When the interviews finally ended, Liana could go to the locker room and look for Art. Wondering what state she would find him in. He was dressed after a shower and looked at her with a frozen expression. As if the world had collapsed on him. “Let’s go,” he mumbled, and she nodded, glad to get out of there. Hating to see him so broken. On the way out of the locker room, Patrick and his family stopped in front of them. Liana wondered if God hated her. What did she do, and who did she hurt so much for this interaction. “Liana, honey, it’s been so long since we’ve seen you. How are you?” His mother was polite. “Art, I won’t even talk about you.” She added with humor that none of them knew she had. They were in a good mood because their son finally proved he was a winner. That the investment in him was worthwhile. Finally earned a significant amount of money. Finally worthy of his family name.

"I’m Casey," the girl with the gum and blonde hair suddenly said. How old is she anyway? "Art," he introduced himself because Liana was in shock. Both boys looked at her, almost waiting for her reaction. "We were on our way out," she muttered, trying to keep a smile. None of them knew this impolite side of Liana. She looked at the girl in front of her as if she were dirt that needed cleaning. "Can I steal her?" Patrick addressed Art, and everyone looked at him, unable to ignore his choice of words, "for a moment. Just a few words." He added, not removing the smile as he saw the color leave Art’s face. "I’m not her owner, Patrick. I’ll wait for you in the car." He nodded towards Liana and said a quick "bye" to Patrick’s parents. "I’ll be right there, love. You guys can wait for me at the exit." Patrick turned to the blonde next to him. What did she say her name was?

Liana stood facing him in the locker room he closed, and Patrick felt on top of the world. "Hey," he said. "What do you think you’re doing?" she asked as he sat on the bench in front of her. "Winning, obviously," he answered. "Well done, Patrick. You remembered you’re capable of not being the loser you were for four years? I’m happy for you. What do you want?" she asked, venom dripping from her. "Why are you so angry, Lilo? What did I do this time? You haven’t seen me in a year. The ring on your finger is impressive. Everything’s good. Just tell me you’re proud of me, and we can each go to our homes and our beds where I’ll have amazing sex, and you’ll have whatever it is you're having with him." She looked at him in disgust. "Do you ever control what comes out of your mouth? People your age are supposed to develop a filter. How old is Barbie outside?" She couldn’t help herself and saw his smile widen. "Is she legal?" she added, ignoring his smugness. "She’s a year younger than you; she just looks a lot younger." He said, trying to hurt her a little. "Wow, Patrick. You’ll never change, huh?" she chuckled in despair.

"When did you get engaged?" he suddenly asked, glancing again at the giant diamond on her finger. He always thought Liana would want something more modest. He thought he knew her that well. "Two months ago." She didn’t know why she answered him. "Congratulations," he said. There was nothing sincere about it. "You see, that’s what you say when someone wins or shares good news. You say congratulations. I won today. Can you be the polite girl you know how to be and say congratulations?" She didn’t know how it happened, but he was in front of her. In her personal space. Almost demanding her attention. Almost demanding the attention she had denied him for a year and a half. "Do you think winning in tennis makes you the person I hoped you would be?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. The disgusted look didn’t leave her. From the distance between them, she could smell his breath, a mix of mint and banana. He nodded in response to her question.

"Patrick, do you even know me? Like…at all?" She said. And Patrick knows her. He knows her so well. Maybe only he knows how well he knows her. He knows her favorite song. What subject was hardest for her in her degree. Who her best friends are. What part of her body she hates the most. How many freckles she has. Which side of the bed she likes to sleep on. Who her role model is. What her favorite position is. What her favorite shampoo is. What perfume she uses. He knows her biggest fear and what makes her angry. He knows how jealous she is, and he knows she’ll compare herself to Casey (the bland girl he found on an app and will probably break up with in a week) for months to come. And he knows she still thinks about him. He sees it in her.

"Don’t you think you deserve more?" he suddenly asked, his hand brushing her cheek. "Don’t do that," she muttered, unable to stay focused. "Don’t do what? Remind you that you love me?" he asked, seeing her take a deep breath. Seeing all the emotions she tried to hide. "I love Art. Don’t ruin it." She said, and he nodded. "Okay." He chuckled, half at her, half at himself. He took a few steps back. "You look really good, Lilo. I hope he tells you that a lot," he said, bringing back the smirk to his face and making her roll her eyes. "He tells me that a lot, Patrick." "Good," he replied. "Good." And with that, she left the room, leaving him alone with his emptiness. She didn’t say she was proud of him for winning. So maybe, after all, he didn’t win.

Art gripped the steering wheel as if it were his lifeline. “You’re back,” he said as she sat next to him. “You sound surprised,” she muttered, examining him. He didn’t look at her. He hated how she made him feel right now. Almost half an hour he waited for her in the car while she and Patrick did who knows what. He started driving, seeing out of the corner of his eye that she was playing with the ring he gave her. He felt like he had lost her. Like Patrick beat him in tennis and the ultimate prize was Liana. As if the past year and a half hadn’t happened. “I’m going to Tashi’s room to review the video,” he said, refusing to look at her and leaving the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

“I don’t want any more competitions against him,” he told Tashi the second he entered her room. The video didn’t interest him at all. He didn’t want to lose to Patrick Zweig again, and he knew that no matter how many times he played against him, he would lose. “I don’t control who you face in the finals, Art. Patrick is a good player. You need to be better. That’s all,” she answered him with half indifference, trying to understand what he was doing in her room instead of spending the rest of the day with Liana. “He’s got nerve. dickhead,” Art muttered, completely frustrated by the day. “It was humiliating, Tashi. I’m not willing to be humiliated again by Patrick Zweig.” He looked at her, playing with his fingers. “Why are you here, Art?” she asked. “I can’t look at her,” he admitted, causing Tashi to raise an eyebrow. “I can’t look at her, so I need to calm down before I go back to the room,” he explained. “Why are you angry with her?” she asked, not understanding how this day went so sideways from their routine. “She’s going to leave me,” he said quietly, afraid to admit it out loud. “Art, give Liana some credit. Don’t waste your time here. Go fix it.” She opened the door for him, no longer accepting his presence there.

Liana was fiddling with her laptop after a shower when he returned. In an instant, she looked up at him, removed her glasses, and closed the computer. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but I love you,” she said in the most steady voice she could muster. “You went with him today. You were eaten up with jealousy and went with him. You just let me go to the car.” He tried to temper his anger, speaking in a calm voice despite his body burning inside. “I wasn’t eaten up with jealousy,” she rolled her eyes. “Yeah? Look at me and tell me you don’t care about his dumb girlfriend. Look at me and tell me you didn’t feel relieved when he asked to ‘steal you.’ Who even talks like that except that idiot?!” His anger was much more evident now, unable to control himself.

“I was with Patrick for four years of my life,” she said, swallowing hard. “And when does that stop being an excuse?” he retorted, ready to fight a battle he didn’t know he needed to wage. “It’s not an excuse, Art. He was a part of my life, and you’re supposed to know that. I thought you understood that,” she sighed. “What did he want?” he asked. “Sorry?” “After the game, what did he want? He held you for half an hour. What did he have to say?” His gaze was murderous, if not directed at her. “Why are you fighting with me now?” she asked, exasperated. “It’s not my fault you lost. That’s not on me,” she said, and he raised an eyebrow and scoffed in defeat.

“I’m going to sleep, Liana. I can’t do this right now,” he said. “Do what, Art?! What do you want? Why are you so angry?!” she raised her voice. She felt Art withdrawing into himself, consumed by his anxieties and scenarios he created without reason. He was silent, moving to his side of the bed, stripping off his pants and shirt, ignoring her question entirely. “We’re getting married in three months, Arthur. I’m not going to let this slide and let you punish me for something you made up,” she said, and he looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed, and her leg was twitching. He’s marrying her in three months. She said they’re getting married. She’s not calling off the wedding. She’s not going back to Patrick. She’s still with him.

“Do you love him?” he asked, his voice weak and almost broken. He felt his eyes welling up with tears, not understanding why he was reacting this way. He felt stupid and pathetic as Liana knelt in front of him, trying to catch his gaze. He refused to look at her. “I love you,” she said confidently. “You don’t want to be with him? I won’t hate you for it. I just need to know before the wedding. I need to know you won’t leave me on our wedding day. That you won’t go to him the second he asks.” He admitted all the feelings weighing on him. “Art, look at me,” she demanded, gently brushing her hand against his cheek, making him lean into her touch and automatically place his hand over hers. “I want to be with him as much as I want to have a heart attack,” she said, making him chuckle.

"Okay," he said. "He just likes to mess with our heads. We're better than that, baby. You're better than that. You're stronger than that." She stood up and sat on his lap, stroking his face with one hand and his short hair with the other. "It's you and me against the world," she added, and he nodded. "I lost to Patrick." He looked so miserable as he gazed at her with red eyes.

"Yeah? Can Patrick do this?" She placed Art's hand on her left breast, letting him play with it through her shirt. She felt his fingers gently pinching her nipple. "Can Patrick hold me while I do this?" She started moving back and forth on his lap, feeling him harden beneath her and close his eyes. She began kissing his face, his cheek, and then the other. She kept moving, hearing his little moans underneath her. "I'm yours, Art. I'm yours forever." His moan was the loudest yet, and he pulled her into a hungry kiss. "And after we get married," her hand was on his cock, feeling the pre-cum as she moved it the way he liked, "I'll give you as many kids as you want. I'll make you a daddy," she smiled, feeling him respond to her words, almost thrusting into her hand. "Is that what you want? To be a daddy?" she asked, and he nodded. "I'll make it happen, daddy. You and me. Fuck, Art," she said as she felt his warmth on her hand as he came. "Take it. Be a good girl and take it all," he said, and she got down on all fours, starting to clean him with her tongue, taking her fingers that had been on him as he came into her mouth as well.

"Will you really make me a dad?" he asked after they had cleaned up and she was lying on his chest in bed. "Do you want that? Kids, I mean..." she lifted her head to him, and he nodded. "Yeah, it could be nice. A mini-you running around our house making a mess." He smiled at the thought of it. "Or a mini-Art, running around with a racket and stealing other people’s gifts," she retorted sarcastically. "I want everything you're willing to give me, Lia." He looked at her with the utmost seriousness after a day that had beaten him and battered him from all sides. "I love you, Art Donaldson. Please don't doubt that again. Not like that, okay?" she said, and he nodded, feeling he was about to fall asleep.

Liana couldn’t fall asleep, and if she thought about it deeply (which she tried not to and failed), she also hadn't answered Art when he asked if she loved Patrick.

Hey :) How are we feeling? Do we love it? Do we hate it? What the actual fuck is Patrick doing?!?!?! Talk to me, let me know what you're thinking.  BTW- I love writing the blurbs, so if there's anything you want to know about our fav trio, just ask for it and I'll write it from time to time. 

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[eternal-dragon-of-time]

I got really into the potential of a Drakath Arcadia route. So um. I wrote it lol, here's what I think his dialogue would've looked like if he had beat out Sepulchure in the polls.

Drakath: Chaos Incarnate

Surprised to see me? You shouldn’t be. You’ve had my attention since the beginning, so who else would be worthy to be here? Ha! You don’t have to look too excited about it, knowing I took a spot from someone else you might’ve liked more is just encouraging me. I was hoping to have another battle to decide your favor, but this competition seems easy enough as well. You know how strong I am, and who better to solve your problems than someone who caused them? Don’t expect this from me ever again, but today you’ll have my full power supporting you.

Motivation: 

Initially that invitation was just good for a laugh before being tossed, but then I heard about some of the other people that were entering. Be glad it's me and not one of the nobodies I had to fight off from trying to get your affections. Besides, this is an opportunity to have you all to myself again. What do I mean by that?

Tournament:

Why are you bothering to ask? I won it easily, even the resurrected corpse was barely a work out. The hardest part was the sheer number of opponents, you had a lot of champions for your hand. I’ve never fought someone over love before. I don’t get what the fuss is about when compared to battles over the fate of Lore. I’d rate our own clash far above this.

Competitors:

Gravelyn is staring daggers into me, and Safiria looks like she is weighing the risk of drinking my chaorrupted blood. Neither of them worry me. Gravelyn spends the majority of her time fussing over an Empire I pushed to the brink of collapse, and the Vampire Queen is a bit player in a world that left her behind. More importantly, neither of them know you as well as I do.

Quest Accept: Under Umbra Wings

Finally, I was getting tired watching you waste time with the others. You and I will be taking the rightmost route up. No need to bother with the ladder, unlike the others I have wings strong enough to carry the both of us. Don’t act so shocked, I can play nice if it means winning over the others. You can even go play with the butterflies before we get started, you looked like you enjoyed it.

–

Quest Complete:

You don’t have to squirm so much. It’s not like I’m going to drop you, even with these leeches trying to crash the party. You’d know if I was going to let you fall anyways. Probably. Speaking of the overgrown mosquitos, do they look strange to you? Something is off about the way they fly, and they come apart like dolls if you press them too hard. Don’t look at me like that, try it yourself.

Quest Accept: Battle Muse

More of these fake foes, it’s like cutting through wax. I’m not a stranger to my enemies falling apart before me, but it's usually not so literal. These ones look like that usurper’s knights too. I wonder, is that intended as a taunt or a gift for me? Hm? You want to fight them for yourself? Sure, I don’t mind. It’ll be like old times, I always did like sitting back and watching you fight.

–

Quest Complete:

Sorry to cut this break short but I need to get you out of the water. Stop trying to wriggle free and look down at the pool beneath us, you can see where the pond is dyed purple from where I lingered. Guess that answers my question. I’ll be flying us over this for now. Why are you looking at me like that? As nice as it would be to have you out of my hair, I’m not going to let you go out in such a pathetic way. Besides, I still need to win this.

Quest Accept: Denial in Read

Why would there be reading material during this challenge? There was a book like this on the other climbs as well? …Nothing that has you that excited can be good, you keep your eyes to yourself. Great, more of these things are coming after us. I’ll take care of them this time, it’ll be fun to see how many more of them I can break then you. Feel free to admire my work if you want, or find something else to occupy your time if you don’t want to see me smash your record. Maybe inspect the tree trunk, or the armor pieces. Not the book.

–

Quest Complete:

You read it didn’t you, that smug look on your face is telling. Well? Aren’t you going to tell me what was in it? You’re insufferable. Whatever, I’ve cleared out the room so we can continue upwards. Hm? You pulled these gems off the armor pieces for me while you were waiting? Is this some stupid Hero’s Heart Day thing? No, you can’t take those back, I'm keeping them.

Quest Accept: A Better Toy

Have you noticed the ground get more twisted the higher we go? It almost looks like… No. It doesn’t make any sense. I would know if Chaos magic was at play here, and I don’t feel anything, no connection to it at all. We’ll find the truth of this higher up and- How did we get here!? This can’t be real, it's just some pathetic attempt to get under my skin. Well it won’t work, you’re already here to do that. I’m fine. I don’t need her. Stay behind me, I’ll gladly rend this place apart.

–

Quest Complete:

I gave up everything, my flesh, my self, my strength. All for her to use me up and abandon me. Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if there was something wrong with me, that if I was just stronger she would’ve let me come with her. Pathetic, isn’t it? You know, I’ve never had to wonder if I’d ever see you again. You just kept coming back again and again.

Pre-Boss Dialogue:

Stop it, I can stand on my own. I don’t need you, or her, or this thing trying to worm its way into my head. I am strong, I am worthy, I am fine alone.

End Questline Dialogue:

The reality that monster invented could never have happened, but that didn’t stop me from dreaming. It’s easier to believe that there was something I could do then face the truth. That I’m not perfect, and I was never going to be enough. Augh. I didn’t expect that to hurt so much to say. You look ridiculous being concerned over someone who’s killed you, but I can’t stop you. That's just the kind of person you are. The person I can trust you to be. I’ll remember this Hero, fondly even.

[once-in-a-blood-moon]

Of Dice and Sin

Mammon x GN! reader :)

Summary: Mammon loses his lucky dice and you decide to help him with his little dilemma.

No warnings or anything, so enjoy!

Mammon dug through his closet for a third time, tossing out any clothes he’d missed the first two times, turning them inside out in his frantic search. 

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” Turning around he kicks the nearest piles of clothes in frustration. His eyes catch the two couches in this room, and bolts towards them, deciding to ransack the couch furthest from him. Mammon hastily throws the pillows to the ground, and yanked the cushions out of their spots haphazardly. Coming up empty handed at the immediate couch, he rushes around his coffee table to the other one. He flings the pillows aside and his fingers grip the cushions once more about to tear them off.

“Mammon?” The second born jumps from the sudden intrusion, recognizing the voice instantly. He turns his head to acknowledge your presence before returning to his task. 

“Have ya ever heard of knockin’? The hell do ya want anyway, The Great Mammon’s a little busy at the moment.” You hardly stifle a chuckle at his greeting. 

“Mammon, you never knock when you come to my room.” Mammon momentarily freezes, caught up in the hypocrisy of his words. He’s glad he’s turned away from you so you can’t see his face light up in embarrassment. 

“Yeah, well you should be grateful that The Great Mammon even visits ya in the first place!” Mammon retorts as he sloppily places the cushions back on the couch, flopping himself down in rejection. 

“So, what’s going on?” You walked over to the opposing couch, picking up one of the cushions on the way to place it back where it belongs, before taking a seat. Mammon lifted his head to look at you. 

“I lost m’lucky dice.” 

“...You have lucky dice?” 

Mammon’s whole body shot off the couch, a hand flailing wildly in emphasis. “Yes! They were specially enchanted to give the owner extra luck! And by luck, I mean they automatically roll on the numbers I need. It’s how I win my games at the casino!” 

You hummed and nodded at his explanation. “I think our definitions of luck and cheating are wildly different… Anyways, how’d you even get a hold of them in the first place, Mammon?” 

“I owed a witch a favor and after helpin’ her out, she gave me those dice.” Mammon flopped back on the couch once again. He sighed heavily, running a hand through his disheveled locks. “And now I can’t find ‘em.” 

You pursed your lips in thought. You felt bad for the greedy demon, maybe there was something you could do. You jumped up from his couch, before quickly making your way to the door. Mammon’s eyes trailed your figure in confusion. 

“Where ya goin’? Ya just got here.” 

You turned around as your hand made contact with the doorknob. “And now I’m just leaving.” You gave him a playful smirk before heading out the door. 

“Fine, didn’t want ya to stay anyway!” Mammon called out as the door closed. His eyes shifted blankly to the coffee table in front of him. Now he was without his dice and he was without you. What a lousy day. 

-

It had been a week without his lucky dice, and Mammon had been feeling the effects like withdrawal. He hadn’t won a single bet or game at the casino, which put him in substantially more debt and substantially more trouble with Lucifer. 

Last night he had made the brave decision to not go and gamble until he either found his lucky dice or came up with another pair altogether. And he got right to looking in his bed as he wallowed in self-pity. And on top of that you hadn’t hung around him much since the day he’d told you about his dice. Anytime he’d suggested the two of you do something together, you would sputter out some excuse as to not hang out before hurrying past him. What the hell was all that about? 

A knock rapped on his door, causing Mammon to jolt out of his thoughts. 

“Go away! I don’t need anyone botherin’ me right now!” The door knob turned regardless, and Mammon pulled his head out of the covers to yell at whoever was interrupting his exclusive pity party. The door slowly opened as you popped your head into his room. 

“Hey.” You fully made your way inside before closing the door and walking to stand by Mammon’s bed. 

Mammon looked at you astounded. You had went M.I.A. for a week and the first thing you say to him is ‘hey?’ The nerve of his human! You were going to get an earful, before you presented Mammon a small gift wrapped box, no bigger than a ring box. His eyes carefully studied the box in your hand, returning to your expectant gaze. 

“What’s that for? If ya think you can be forgiven with a measly little present like that, then you really are a stupid human.” 

You sigh and roll your eyes. “Look I know that I haven’t been around you this whole week, but it’s for good reason. Now will you just take the box and shut up?” You reach your hand out a little more to coax Mammon to take the box. It works. He rips the wrapping off the box and opens it, eyes widening at what’s inside. 

Two dice sit inside of the box, both a different color. 

“They’re lucky dice. I’ve been having Solomon help me out with the enchantment all week, and that’s why I haven’t been able to hang out with you. I also didn’t want to accidentally spoil the surprise, so that’s another reason. I hope you like them.” 

Mammon looks up to you, mouth agape at the sweet gesture. “You did all this for me?” 

You smiled and nodded. Mammon closed the lid on the box before pulling you down on his bed, tackling you in a tight hug. He had missed his lucky dice, but he had missed you more during what felt like an eternity. He hated not having you around. But it certainly was all forgiven knowing the reason why. Mammon lifted his head off of you wanting to ask yet another question.

“Why are the dice different colors?” He thought back to the one yellow and one blue dice that were sat in the box. 

“They’re the colors in your eyes.” You gazed up into the very inspiration for the dice with a soft smile, making Mammon fluster. You took this moment to initiate a gentle kiss, ending just as quickly as it began. As Mammon regained his bearings, he shook his head with a chuckle. 

“Nu-uh, that wasn’t nearly enough. If yer really sorry for abandonin’ me for a week, you’ll give me more kisses.” You giggled and obliged him, giving him all the kisses he wanted. Mammon didn’t consider himself lucky for having his fancy dice, he considered himself lucky to have you by his side. 

[nicolesainz]

The burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me (CS55)

Carlos Sainz x female reader

warnings!! mature content 18+ sexual themes!!

It was Carlos’s 28th birthday. Another epic weekend for him, since he won his second Grand Prix ever in Zandvoort. This was truly a moment to cherish. Me, Charles, Rupert and Onõro, found this as the perfect opportunity to host him a surprise party in order to celebrate both occasions.

The boys were in charge of keeping him occupied throughout the day, while I was taking care of decorations and preparing Carlos’s house alongside with his family. I was sure they would keep him away from the house, since as a newly Spanish Grand Prix winner, the streets of Madrid would flood with his fans and Ferrari supporters who would congratulate him on another epic win.

- R : How is everything going? Need any help?

- Y/N : Everything is in control. Don’t stress. If I need anything, I’ll let you know.

-R : Great! We are at the golf track now and probably will still be until you call us to head back

- Y/N : I will text you when it’s time to bring him in

-R : Noted. By the way, he’s been asking for you. The moments we got in the car he said “Where’s Y/N? Is she not coming? She loves golf”. Obviously I said you were with a few friends.

- Y/N : Thanks Rupert! I owe you. Also he really believes I like golf?

- R : Not simply like. You love it.

- Y/N : I must be doing something wrong or he’s blind. Anyway, gotta go. Have fun and don’t come back until I say so!

- R : Copy that. See you soon

I hung up the phone and headed to my car. Needed to drop by the market to buy a few ingredients I was lacking of.

My car was smelling as if Carlos was in at the moment. His smell is so intoxicating but also calming simultaneously. My breathing would get heavier every time he hugged me. It was a safe place. By the years this hug made my heart race faster than it used to and bring back memories from our childhood that made me realize I was in love with him since forever.

As I was walking around the market in search of the ingredients, I felt a body knocking me off and it falling down too a few seconds later

“I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking at where I was going. Are you okay?” that voice that echoed through my ears was more than familiar 

“Isa?”

“Y/N? Hi! I feel even more bad now. Please forgive me. Are you hurt?” she was as sweet as always. The Isa I first met in middle school. The kindest person. Carlos’s ex girlfriend too. I was the reason they got together. At a mutuals friends party, we were all hanging out and decided to introduce them. Two months later, they announced they were dating. Their relationship was very private. Very few of us knew they were together. Even at races, she would only be pictured alongside me and not Carlos. 

“No, I am sorry. My mind was wandering somewhere else. How have you been?”

She then started telling me about leaving Madrid and living permanently in Portugal, working with one of her best friends as a model. Also mentioned she was in a relationship with one of her co-workers and a very famous Portuguese model. Of course, I already knew since I follow her socials. It was her first ever public relationship. Isa did not like to post much about Carlos. With the amount of fans he had as a Formula 1 driver, she had heard from other girlfriends how some comments may get really nasty. So she preferred to stay away from the spotlight. It was better for both of them. 

“I am so glad your life is going this great! You deserve it”

“Thank you. But, tell me about you! How is everything? Are the boys good? Give them my regards”

“I am good. Flying out almost every now and then. Trying to combine work with the races and personal life. The boys are good too. We are hosting Carlos a birthday party tonight”

For a split second, my mind thought about simply not inviting her. I wouldn't know if Carlos or her would feel comfortable around each other. But I also didn't want to be rude. 

“You are more than welcomed if you would like to come!”

“Sadly, I can't. I’m flying out tonight. Plus, I don't think it would be a great idea for me and Carlos to be in the same room”

“Oh okay. Well, whenever you are back in town, don't hesitate to text me. We could hang out, the two of us”

“I would be more than happy to meet up again. I hope you guys have fun today. And Y/N, go for it. Don't let your chance go away”

“What chance?” 

“He truly loves you more than anyone on this planet. We all know that. Don't let it go to waste” she gave me a kind smile with a playful wink. 

“Have a safe trip Isa”

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

- R: Can we come back? If I stay here with him a minute longer, he won't make it alive

- Y/N : Yes you can. I was about to text you. Guests are slowly arriving. 

- R : Fucking finally! We are on our way. I will let you know when we are close

- Y/N : See you soon. And bring the birthday boy back alive

No more than twenty minutes later, Rupert texted me that they are 5 minutes away. I told everyone to hide behind the couches, as I would be hiding behind the door! I truly wanted him to like this surprise. That moment brought back to my mind Isa’s words. Should I really go for it? Confess my feelings after 25 years? As I was thinking about all the possible scenarios in my head, I suddenly heard the door unlocking.

“Honestly Carlos I could literally hit you with-” Rupert was about to say when we all interrupted him 

“SURPRISE!! Feliz cumpleaños Carlos!!” His eyes were glowing. They were wandering around the room, seeing all his friends and family together. Before he could say anything, his focus turned on me. It was like he was about to rip my heart out. I had never seen such kindness in his look. 

“Gracias a todos. Lo aprecio mucho. Estoy agradecido por todos ustedes (thank you everyone. I appreciate it dearly. I am grateful for all of you)

Charles, Rupert and Onõro went to hug him first. Then his parents were in line with his sisters and afterwards Lando, Max, Pierre and Daniel. 

When he was finished with everyone, he quickly wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight, as if I was about to run away. All the memories were flooding back, every little “thank you” and “you're the best person” were echoing through my ears. I could feel his grip getting tighter around my waist. My arms were caressing and gripping his back equally tightly. I could have stayed like this forever. 

“Te quiero a muerte”(i love you to death) he softly whispered to my ear, as he placed me back and let go of me. 

“Enjoy the party Mr. Sainz” I gave him a playful look and was about to go get a drink, when he grabbed my arm and pulled me close to him.

“So that's why you’ve been missing all day, huh?”

“I definitely wasn't with any friends whatsoever”

“Don’t you wanna spend some time with the birthday boy, no?”

“The birthday boy wants you though” his eyes darkened and a sense of lust appeared in them. One I hadn't seen before 

“Go play with the other boys Carlos. I will be around” he lets go of my hand and I move towards the table with the drinks and chat with Rupert for a while.

“He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you” Rupert quickly mentions before taking a sip of his drink 

“What do you mean?” I take a quick glance at Carlos who was currently laughing at something that Lando said

“Oh come on Y/N! We all know Carlos secretly likes you, even though he doesn't want to admit it”

“And what exactly can I do about that?”

“Talk to him? Explain how you feel? He hasn’t dated in 2,5 years. Nor been with any woman.”

“I don't think its a good idea Rup. We have been best friends since forever. He would hate me and I would hate myself too if I make this relationship awkward”

“Y/N, listen to Rupert. Plus, he thinks you like me. And I don't wanna end up in a dog fight with my teammate” Charles came by, as he was listening to the conversation we were having. 

“We will see”

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

It was past 2 am and everyone had left. I told everyone that I would take care of the mess and clean it up. I was the one least drunk. As I was throwing away all the empty bottles, I heard a loud thump coming from outside of the kitchen. 

“Carlos? Are you alright?” I raised the tone of my voice so he could hear me

“Yes, cariño! More than alright” I went up to him and held him steady as he was about to fall down. The wine he had in the plastic cup was splashed on my shirt, which made his eyes grow. The cold feeling of the wine made my nipples visible, since I had taken off my bra. 

Carlos’s eyes were scanning my whole body from top to bottom. He bit his lower lip and said in one breath:

“Cómo es que nunca me había dado cuenta de lo hermosa que eres?” (How come I had never noticed how beautiful you are?) 

The blood quickly rushed to my cheeks, which made me lower my look from his. I didn't know how to feel. To my surprise, I saw the grown bulge on Carlos’s jeans, which made me leave the room. Before I could react, he jumped in front of me and stopped. 

“Its bedtime mr. winner. I have more work to do” 

“I would much rather you being occupied somehow else”

At that moment, he brought his two fingers under my chin and lifted it up for me to look at him. His beautiful eyes were calming my soul down but his rosy lips were setting it on fire. There was a war going on right now between my heart and brain. 

“I would give up the whole world for you. Just to make you happy. I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you. I have never loved someone more than you. And I don't think my heart will ever allow me to” the words that came out of his mouth, were the reason why I felt alive at that moment. 

“Puedo besarte?” (can i kiss you?)

All i simply did was grab him by the hem of his shirt and connect our lips. This was all I was wishing for. He didn't waist time to lift me up and carry me upstairs to his bedroom. His lips were following a path that was going between my neck and lips. A soft groan escaped my mouth as he bit my lower lip hungrily. When we reached his bedroom he threw me on the bed and took off his shirt quickly. What a sight for sore eyes!

Then climbed back to my body and begun slowly undressing me, while his lips were constantly connected to mine. Once my shirt was gone, his mouth flew towards my hardened nipples and started making circles with his tongue around them

“Oh my lord-“

“No need for praising baby”

His hands were making their way towards my panties which were soon destroyed as Carlos ripped them apart fiercely.

“I’m so sorry for wasting so much time cariño”

My womanhood was dripping wet and Carlos seemed to be more than pleased with this result. He lowered his head, which I followed with my eyes and started leaving hungry kisses on my pussy.

He suddenly rose up

“How many? Show me”

I held up 2 fingers

“What a good girl. Abre, mi amor (open up, my love)”

I obliged to his command and spread my legs wide. I seriously couldn’t believe this was happening. Suddenly, there was a blissful feeling inside of me. As if I was one step away from heaven. His fingers were pumping in the perfect rhythm, earning a louder groan from me.

“Am I the only man you’ve been this wet for, cariño?”

“Y-yes” I said with no hesitation

“Don’t keep your voice down. I want to hear you. Louder” his movements became faster and my pussy was clenching around his fingers

“Fucking hell Carlos” my moan was even louder now. Just what he wanted

“Hell? I must be doing something wrong then. I wanna send you to heaven”

“I’m go-gonna-co-come” I let out a soft whimper as I was too focused on how his fingers were making me feel so good

“Then do so,Hermosa. On my fingers” in a few thrusts, I felt the warm liquid leaving my body and I finally opened my eyes. A sight of Carlos with his messy hair being underneath me was presented. I thought I was dreaming. But then I realized I wasn’t, once he put his fingers in his mouth to taste me.

“Cielo(heaven)” Carlos gave me a lusty smirk, brining his face closer to mine and sharing a hungry kiss. His hands were firmly cupping my cheeks, while mine were roaming all over his muscly and tense body. When I reached the lace of his underwear, Carlos looked at me with pleading look.

“I’m yours to use. However you want. Make me feel alive again” this phrase, was the beginning of everything. A wild story was about to unfold.

My fingers lurked inside his pants and firmly pushed them downwards, which lead to his cock being fully exposed to my eyesight. I was slightly taken aback, at which Carlos commented,

“Te gusta lo que ves?(do you like what you see?)”

“Full of surprises Sainz”

“Only for you”

I lowered myself on my knees. Once I was beneath him, my lips softly touched the tip of his cock, which made Carlos flinch a little. I smiled at his reaction. My tongue did a few first swirls around it, before opening up fully and taking his entirety inside me. I started off slowly until I could find the best pace for the both of us. My free hands were simultaneously squeezing his balls to give him more of a feeling of who was now in control.

“My fantasies just became my reality” he softly spoke out. Those words made my heart race faster. Was I really his fantasy? This whole time?”

I started sending the pre-cum, coming from his tip in the back of my throat. To which I didn’t complain. Means I was doing something right.

He hasn’t stopped looking at me. As if he is taking a picture of me with his eyes.

“Darling I’m close” he let out in coordination with a loud moan

In less than a few second my mouth was filled with his juices.

“Swallow. Every. Last. Drop” his lips were brushing mine and I did so before he could kiss me again.

“Thank you for the gift Princesa”

“Happy birthday Carlos”

“I know I’m very late, but I want you to know that I love you. Every bit of you. Unconditionally. And I always will” his eyes were sparkling as those words escaped his mouth.

“I’m glad this isn’t one of my dreams, because I love you too. As a best friend and more than that”

————————————————————————

[teddy-tastic-the-toon]

Disadventure Camp Rant 🚧(spoilers for EP 8 below)🚧

Ok, SO- I had already expected Ellie to get the boot this episode, pretty much since the last episode. And, honestly? I'm glad she’s gone- but not because I dislike her!

First off, HUGE Ellie defender and lover of her character here- she's actually part of my top three and man do I love her design and motivation! She’s so real and desperate in a way I think many people can relate to nowadays. She’s obviously portrayed to be kind and caring person to all those who’ve met her outside of the game, even mentioned by Kai in one of his greetings! It’s also obvious how much she adores Gabby and I thoroughly believe that she would ultimately choose her if it came down to it.

Still- I can’t deny that her cut-throat competitive nature would have gotten the better of her at some point. She was becoming really harsh and Tess has a really good point, one I 100% agree with. The game was NOT good for her, and she honestly would have permanently burned so many more bridges if she’d have continued. Plus, it would be silly for her to win as she’s displayed her competative nature again and again, so it was she’d likely have been soon to go anyways. If she, by the slimmest chance, made it to the merge? She’d have been either an early vote if most of yellow didn’t make it, or an easy Villain boot if they did make it. The only one of the four remaining that would possibly want to keep her in would be Alec, but after last season’s finale? It’s be a long shot. The point is that there’s literally no way she would have won, so better now than later.

To get back on topic though- the biggest reason I’m glad she’s gone though? (hoping for) More Gabby character development/screen time! She was a pretty early boot during the first season and her character has been mostly revolving around Ellie thus far in All Stars. I'd simply love to see some more of her interacting with the other contestants and even just her on her own! She’s obviously got something up her sleeve, and highly potential allies to back her up! Villain Gabby arc? Uh- YES PLEASE-

All in all, a bittersweet ending for my girl Ellie- really hoping Gabby gets far! (Gabby for the win lol) Going to cross my fingers for a Gabby vs Grett ending, though that's 100% wishful thinking. Also though- SO psyched about the confirmation that they use pet names! I wasn't sure how cringy-cutesy I could get away with being when writing them but I'm glad it's cannon lol. They're so adorable- can't wait to see Ellie again in the finale! (kinda sad we didn't get her reading off the patrons, though hoping that it means there's a chance she’ll be back?? MAYBE???)

[your-hands-in-mine]

My take on Tessa and ice dance is a little different. I think Tessa had within her from a young age a pretty strong ambition to be great. And she found Scott at that age and they both saw how they could work together to be great through ice dance. I think that ice dance was lucky to have her and if she hadn’t met Scott maybe she would have been great at ballet or something else. But despite her success as a skater, she actively separated her identity from skating and often didn’t really even seem to enjoy skating as much as the pursuit of their common goals.

But I think that once VM started to have a national profile and especially once they won in Vancouver, Tessa saw the possibilities of what her profile as an Olympic gold medalist could do to launch her post-skating career as an endorser or what we now know as influencers and that obviously grew exponentially after Pyeongchang. And you can see that from 2010 forward Tessa was building up a profile and making connections with Canadian celebrities and socialites that have been helpful in her post skating life. And at times it felt like she was almost waiting for the chance to launch her second act.

At the same time, Scott’s aspirations were closer to home. He came from a skating family, and he’s wanted to give back to his community. The kind of celebrity that Tessa pursued is anathema to him, and he feels most comfortable with people he’s known for a long time. And he has always seemed like someone who not only loves skating but really enjoys working with younger skaters — he always helped at skating schools when he had downtime when competing whereas the last place you would find Tessa in her free time is a skating rink. (The Lindt skating classes they did were work, not free time.)

I’m grateful that their partnership kept both of them competing and performing for so long. I doubt they would have lasted without each other. And I’m glad we still have Scott as a coach.

Hi!! 👋 Sorry for the late replay. First off, I want to put it out there that when I talk about Tessa not liking skating, I’m referring to everything pre-comeback. Tessa made it clear that she LOVED skating during the comeback, and thank god she got to experience that, if only for two years. Anyway. That’s interesting, in terms of Tessa thinking ahead to her life/career post skating, I never considered that the gears in her head would have been turning on that as far back as Vancouver. Thinking about it, I’d say maybe after 2012 worlds? At that point, Tessa realized that the sport was exhausting her. Even though they won worlds, she didn’t feel that thrill from the win that she thought she would. A year later she just wanted to quit.

Ultimately, they decided to stay in for Sochi. But yeah half way through the quad that, at the time, they thought was going to be their last, I’m sure Tessa was thinking ahead.

Your use of the word “influencer” to describe her is curious to me 😂 You’re definitely not the only one! But when I think of “influencers”, I think of people who produce regular content on either instagram or tiktok, build up a following through those videos, and then brands eventually start reaching out to them. They first become known because of their social media, not from any previous accomplishments or achievements like Tessa.

And as for making connections/networking, isn’t that just preparing for the future and acknowledging the fact that their skating career would end when they hit 30? And this just occurred to me, but I wonder if this especially dwelled on Tessa’s mind because they very nearly lost their career. Her leg pain was chronic. She knew more than many people that it all could feel and be so very fleeting.

“And at times it felt like she was almost waiting for the chance to launch her second act” is where I hesitate. I will say I only just got here 🫣 like this year, which is RARE I know!! So I’m not an expert on the subject. I just do my best to do my research and use my best judgement since I wasn’t actually there to witness it all unfold. If you mean she was waiting for it during the comeback era, I disagree. I don’t think there was any “waiting” going on. First of all, I think they had a very clear timeline. 2018 and they were done. And both were spending their energy focused as hell and soaking up every moment of their comeback. Whatever pursuits or thinking she did that involved her post career while they were in the midst of the comeback, it did not take away from their endeavor at the time.

If you mean she was waiting for it during the Sochi quad, in a way, they both were. Waiting for it to end, I mean. As I said, she (and he) were exhausted in every way. I would want it to end too. But the reason never was: “I want this to end so I can launch my second career and use my first career to back me up.”

And “anathema” is a bit of a strong word, no?💀 (had to look that one up). But I do agree that Scott finds comfort and familiarity in his “circle.” It’s true. They both run in quite different circles nowadays. And I don’t think either of them hold judgement against the other for that. They just recognize that that’s a significant difference in the type of people they are.

But as for Tessa not having chosen to involve herself in skating in her free time, I think that is part of her finding a separate identity from skating, as you mentioned in the beginning. Finding those boundaries was what was healthy for her. Because as much as she could find comfort in associating skating with Scott, the chronic pain it caused her, as well as all the toxicity she experienced from Canton, were very strong presences in her life too. Scott had a different relationship with skating. Besides loving it, a part of it is because men have different experiences with the sport. And pain-free people have different experiences with the sport. Scott is both of those things. (He experienced pain, but you get my meaning).

In the 22 years they gave us, VM showed us all the different things you could be on the ice: dancers, artists, athletes, performers, humans. They demonstrated loyalty to each other that could withstand the hardest of times. And they learned to support each other no matter what. Considering how long and how intensely they did all that, I sure hope they enjoyed their free time, however they chose to spend it. And I think they taught us plenty.

[sasuhinasno1fan]

Wish come true - Adrien AUGreste Day 26, 27 + 28

Yes, late for a second day but this was the prompt that made me realise I wanted to extend the story. And background context was needed. I do wonder if I took a quick and easy route with how this chapter ends for Luka but it seemed like a better reason for Adrien to be given the Cat Miraculous. Also, you could pull Chloe redemption from my cold dead hands. Anyway, a massive thank you to @etherealxgenie for taking the time to beta this. She’s been a godsend. Freedom

Adrien tried not to fidget. Regardless of Lady Tomoe’s ability to see, she was still incredibly intimidating. Marinette had mentioned it felt like ice was running down her spine when Kagami skipped practice to participate in the city-wide scavenger hunt, with a private Clara Nightingale performance waiting at the end. It did cause the woman to be akumatized but in the end she gave in and Kagami promised the relaxing time gave her an edge on actually landing a hit on her mother. Adrien wasn’t sure how much he believed that with the bruises on her legs from her mother’s shinai.

“You fence?”

“Um, I know how to. I don’t really do it much anymore.” Adrien replied.

She let out a hum and Adrien couldn’t help but glance at Kagami. What did that even mean?

“Have you been on any teams?”

“Uh, yeah. I was on my school’s team in Italy and also when we lived in London for a while. Usually there aren’t enough people and once they hear I know how to, they kinda just ask if I can do a bout.” He easily answered.

“And you’ve won?” She continued to question.

“Yes. But like I said, I don’t really do it anymore.” Adrien said.

Lady Tomoe hummed again before nodding her head to her daughter. “Is he good?”

“He’s joined Marinette and I a few times. He can beat Marinette easily and he and I kept a tie record. I did win our last fight, however.” Kagami explained, not mentioning their fights had been replaced nearly 3 months ago when Kitty Section was starting to gain more traction.

Humming once again (he really wished she’d stop doing that), Lady Tomoe waved them away. “Go. Mingle. But behave. I’m watching you, Kagami.”

Adrien believed that bit in a heartbeat.

“When you asked if I could come as your guest to this party, I didn’t know you’d be subjecting me to that.” Adrien whispered as they walked away.

“You dealt with Lila on a daily basis and my mother is the one to unnerve you? You’re a strange person, Adrien Rossi.”

As Kagami led the way to the dessert table where Marinette’s parents were passing out food to the guests, he glanced over his shoulder at where Chloe was standing. She was sulking, leaning against the wall near where her parents were. Her butler tried speaking to her, but she kept turning from him. He’d heard that Sabrina and Chloe had gotten into a fight, something about Sabrina’s reason for being akumatized into Miraculer. Clearly without her best friend, Chloe was miserable. He was sure watching her mother act the way she did while her father tried to gain affection was torture. If his own parents were this bad, he’d just walk away and leave them but Adrien was fine getting lost in a city while they yelled at each other. Chloe was still having trouble accepting the class as her friends. It was hard to erase years of habits in a few months.

“Hello Adrien, Kagami.” Marinette’s mother said, picking up a plate and napkin, her husband at the ready with tongs.

“Nin hao tài tai Cheng.”

“Oh, you’re getting much better at the accent Adrien. I’m so glad you’ve been practicing.”

“Sorry I haven’t been by for your help.”

“That’s alright. Marinette said Kitty Section was signed to the same label as Jagged Stone. You must be excited!”

He still didn’t know about the possibility of moving. With each day his mother had no answer, he couldn’t think of what to say when people brought it up.

“Yeah. Really excited. Do you have any passion fruit macarons?”

“No, Marinette is bringing more by. But we do have eclairs. Kagami, would you like one as well?”

“Can I try the strawberry one?”

Taking a bite, moaning a little from the creamy taste, Adrien watched Chloe. Nathalie had arrived carrying a box and the screen with Gabriel, Gorilla following behind her. He watched the assistant leave her driver with Lady Tomoe, who seemed perfectly fine with the silent giant’s presence. Nathalie called the mayor over, while his wife complained about being left alone and Chloe seemed to be done with everything. She stomped away from her butler, oddly making a beeline for him. At that same time, Marinette stepped off the elevator and stopped herself from crashing into Chloe, though the boxes she had stacked started to tip. Chloe managed to grab them, looking frustrated at Marinette.

“Honestly Dupain-Cheng, everyone knows how clumsy you are and you still insist on stacking boxes these high? I hope you’re not nearly this clumsy at your very first show. You're going to embarrass yourself when you trip in front of the audience and all your models.” Marinette looked as surprised as he felt, more so when Chloe started to carry the boxes to the bakery owners. “Hurry up Dupain-Cheng!” she ordered, causing Marinette to scramble after her.

“That was…odd.” Adrien said.

“You said she hasn’t spoken with her friend right, the red-haired girl? Maybe she’s tired of being alone? You did say she’s getting better. Just that the entitlement was mostly just part of her personality?” Kagami asked, both watching Chloe place the boxes down.

“Yeah. Just, kinda weird to see it just happening. Half the time, Sabrina is giving her that ‘you better behave’ look.”

“Thank you, girls. Did you want to try anything Chloe? I don’t think I saw you touch a single thing.” Sabine asked.

“Your mother requested bagels and I even got the rainbow kind down. Sure, you don’t want to try it?” Tom threw in.

“Honestly, I want to go back to my room.” Chloe said, looking back at the stage where Nathalie had joined her parents holding a sheet looking item over her arm. “This is stupid. They don’t love each other and the sooner they get divorced the better.”

No one really knew how to respond to that. Months ago, after the fashion show Juleka walked, Chloe announced she wanted to go to New York with her mother. But her mother didn’t even seem to notice or care, instead focusing on offering Marinette a chance to work in fashion in New York. The two girls didn’t get along, so Chloe felt like it was a slap to the face. And as much as Marinette wanted to say yes, both to get a start in her career and to spite Chloe, she also noticed how Chloe would take it. Surprisingly, it had been her to call off the party celebrating Chloe leaving.

“She might be mean to me any chance she could get but…all she wants is to be with her mom and she’s being treated like she doesn’t matter. I might not like her, but no one deserves to be treated like that.”

During it all, the mayor had been akumatized in hopes to keep Chloe in Paris and that’s when she’d been given the Bee Miraculous. She helped stop her father but she also messed up. She still wanted her mother’s attention, so when the fighting was over, Chloe ran off. From what the city understood, Scarlet Bug and Catseye were about to detransform and couldn’t go after her.

They were spotted again 20 minutes after that but Chloe hadn’t gone back to her hotel room. She’d gone to Sabrina’s and come morning, planted herself in front of her mother in the hotel’s restaurant and transformed, hoping for something. All she got were insults and an upturned nose, watching her mother order her new assistant to get Marinette on the phone for an answer on her proposition. It was no one’s surprise that she’d been akumatized, even with the Bee Miraculous on. She’d only shown up again as Queen Bee during Hero Day but since then, no one had seen her during fights. Chloe had even gotten a Batman style light to get the heroes’ attention but she’d stopped using it a while back. No one knew why, kinda scared to ask.

“Marinette, before you take the trays back, could you go find umbrellas for the drinks? Chloe, maybe you know where they are?” Sabine asked.

“What? No, I don’t. I don’t go into kitchens.” Chloe said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

“Well then take Adrien and Kagami. 4 pairs of eyes are better than two. It might take a while, I’m sure.” Sabine said with a smile on her face and a knowing look.

“Yes.” Kagami said, seeming to understand. She took Adrien’s plate, allowing him to grab his half-eaten éclair and placed them on the table before grabbing Marinette’s arm. With a hand on Adrien’s side, she pushed him towards her mother, Marinette grabbing Chloe as they passed. “Mother, we’re going to help Marinette look for something in the kitchen. It shouldn’t take long.”

“Very well.” Lady Tomoe answered. “Be back quickly. You’re not here to play around.”

The young fencer dragged them all into the kitchen, looking around. She got her hands on the bag of mini umbrellas and poked her head outside for something.

“Why is the scary fencer ordering my butler around?” Chloe asked, like either of them had answers.

Kagami came back and grabbed them again, stealthily going to the door and looking out. Armand stepped in front of the door, moving one hand behind his back to wave at them. Taking that as a signal, Kagami dragged them out of the kitchen and into an elevator just as it opened. Chloe was the one to hit the button for the roof, and they all let out a sigh of relief when the doors closed.

“Ok, what was that?” Chloe asked confused as the elevator started to move up.

“You wanted to leave, I wanted time away from my mother and these two are fine with anything.” Kagami stated. “Marinette’s mother was giving us an out, so I took it.”

Chloe looked at Kagami speechless before sighing and looking away. “What the hell did I get myself into?”

Once they reached the roof, Chloe threw herself on one of the loungers while pushing her sunglasses down as she took in the sun. Adrien let out a yelp as Marinette pushed him into the ball pit, who jumped in with Kagami. The three started throwing the plastic balls at each other, trying to dodge while stuck. A few managed to get over to Chloe, one actually hitting her, which she returned with quite an impressive throw. It hit Marinette on the shoulder and the sound wasn’t pleasant but her two classmates were too impressed with the throw to say anything. When Gorilla came out of the elevator, he thankfully spotted Chloe first, giving Marinette and Adrien time to shove Kagami under the balls.

“What?” Chloe asked, her voice set in her usual haughty tone. The bodyguard did some sort of fencing gesture then held his hand up to about Kagami’s height. “Does it look like she’s here?”

With her glare, Gorilla left. While Marinette and Kagami continued to play, Adrien pulled himself out of the pool, walking over to the grand piano close to the loungers. He started to play the piano opening to Fabulous from the High School Musical movies, though Chloe groaned.

“Not that! Anything but that. Can’t believe I watched that movie so much.”

“Why am I not surprised you were a Sharpey fan?” Adrien said, switching to a medley of Ashly Tisdale songs.

“Oh please, I’m much better than she is. At least I don’t go after guys who are dating people. I also don’t ban people from doing things.”

“No, just pop stars from performing in France as a whole.” Adrien reminded.

“That wasn’t my fault! Dupain-Cheng didn’t want to do it before. She only said she would do Catseye after I got cast. I had the worst job working with Lila as Scarlet Bug. I didn’t actually think those rules Daddy found would stick. How was I supposed to know Clara’s label wouldn’t send the correct paperwork after? But I guess that’s what I do. I make a mess of things and can’t even fix them.” Chloe sulked, sliding down the lounge chair while refusing to look in his direction.

Adrien stopped playing to look at Chloe. He felt like an idiot. He was happy Chloe was changing for the better, but of course she’d still have feelings about her actions. Since most people were willing to look past it as much as they could – example with Marinette not going out of her way to talk to the girl who bullied her for years – he assumed Chloe felt the same. He didn’t realize Chloe was still holding onto the blame from the consequences for her actions.

Turning on the bench, Adrien leaned onto his knees, staring at the back of Chloe’s head. “Is that what happened with Sabrina?”

“Fishing for information for Cesaire?” she snapped, still refusing to look at him.

“No, just curious. From what I know, it’s been you and Sabrina for ages. No matter what you did, she always stuck by you. She always comes to your defence and I’ve actually seen you threaten bodily harm on anyone who messes with her.”

“Yeah, except all I do is get her akumatized because I have to be a bitch and be rude. First, I ignored her because she unknowingly embarrassed me and then I snapped at her about never understanding what I went through. The one girl who’s actually been there when I’m dealing with my mother.” Chloe interrupted. Her voice got lower, like she was holding back tears.

Adrien got off the bench, kneeling next to the lounge chair. “What do you mean ‘not understanding’?”

“I can’t say what it is.”

“Chloe-”

“No!” she said, actually turning to him, yanking her sunglasses off. “I can’t say. I messed up already before by being selfish. If I say anything, to her or anyone else, I’ll just be selfish again. I’d even be putting her in danger.”

The only real danger Adrien could think of was Hawkmoth. Then he remembered the note. He knew he wasn’t the only hero who’d been pulled in to help during fights. Which meant, he couldn’t have been the only one to get a note.

“You mean Scarlet Bug told you not to tell?”

Chloe muffled a choking sound as her blue eyes shimmering with tears. “I knew I couldn’t be Queen Bee anymore. I mean, I was given the chance to help when my dad was akumatized and all I thought about was how my mom was going to finally notice me. I was surprised they asked for help during Hero Day. Then something happened and I knew if I wanted another chance, I had to keep quiet about it. So, I stopped using the signal and I stopped bugging them about it. I didn’t tell Sabrina because if anyone else knew I wanted another chance, Hawkmoth would still be watching me. I didn’t say anything and she got mad for me. She couldn’t understand why Scarlet Bug and Catseye were ignoring me and I didn’t know how to tell her what I wanted, so I just snapped. Told her she didn’t understand me or why I did things.

“After Sabrina was akumatized again, there was this other akuma, she was all dressed in red. The akuma that came from Sabrina was the same colour, like all the ones during Hero Day. I was given the Bee Miraculous since Sabrina could take powers and I was told to go after the other akuma. I don’t even know what her item could have been but she managed to get away. I helped them with stopping Sabrina and I wanted to keep the Bee. I asked, what am I saying? I begged to keep it but Scarlet Bug told me it was too dangerous. The other akuma almost took the Bee during the fight and took it to Hawkmoth. I got that, but I also thought about how I could help. He told me that I could help by being a hero out of the costume, by still being Queen Bee without the Miraculous. He said that if he didn’t have to worry about Hawkmoth always waiting for me whenever an akuma showed up, he’d give me a chance. But to keep everyone safe, I couldn’t be Queen Bee officially anymore. Sabrina heard, but she was still mad, saying that he was playing with my feelings. I should have told her it was ok, that we could still dress up as Scarlet Bug and Catseye and instead of playing, do things to help build morale. Instead, I yelled at her again for not understanding. How is she supposed to understand if I don’t tell her anything? But I can’t because I don’t want Hawkmoth going after her.”

“Tell her that. Tell her that regardless of what you know about Scarlet Bug and Catseye and the rest of the Miraculous team, that the biggest threat is Hawkmoth. The guy is good at getting into people’s emotions, who’s to say he can’t get into their minds? You don’t want her to go through that. She’ll understand you’re trying to protect her. You should also let her know that you feel bad about what you did. You do feel bad about it, don’t you??”

“Of course, I do! But what good will telling her that do?” Chloe retorted, angrily.

Adrien shrugged, giving her a wry smile. “You can’t make her forgive you. But if she knows you’re sorry and knows that all of this was to protect her, she might be willing to forgive you. You messed up Chloe, but you’re trying to do better. Isn’t at least trying, something a hero would do?”

Chloe scoffed, rolling her eyes. “God, are you always like this?”

“Just imagine, if mama has to move and I move in with you, you’ll have to put up with me like this all the time.”

Giving him a mild glare, she swung her legs off the lounge chair, fixing herself. “Well, here’s hoping daddy isn’t an idiot and makes her stay. I’m going to my room. Try not to get caught.”

“Bored of us already?” Adrien asked, getting up as Chloe headed towards the elevator.

“I have private phone calls to make, thank you very much.” The doors opened and Chloe stepped on, already back to herself as she crossed her arms and cocked out a hip. “Rossi? Thanks.”

Adrien couldn’t respond as the doors closed but he smiled to himself. Chloe really was trying and he hoped Sabrina understood that. He hoped having to keep quiet about the note wouldn’t haunt Chloe forever. He still had no clue what would happen if they gave him a Miraculous and he had to leave. It was concerning though, how whatever allowed Hawkmoth to make multiple akumas had reappeared to get to the Bee Miraculous. He hoped whatever it was, the two heroes could beat it, or at least had a plan in place.

“Hey girls! Think we can sneak out and grab ice cream?”

                                          _____________________

“Come my dear, aren’t you mad that Scarlet Bug and Catseye don’t trust you? Regardless if I know who Queen Bee is, you’re a good hero. But they don’t appreciate that do they?”

Chloe took the smallest step away. She didn’t want to show fear to the man in front of her, the man responsible for her parents being pink floating heads right now, but it was Hawkmoth. Since he showed his face on Hero Day, people came up with nicknames to make him seem less terrifying. But regardless of how much you called a person ‘condom head’, when they had the ability to twist your emotions and focus on the worst parts of it, you got scared when they appeared in front of you.

“When your friend was akumatized, they just left you in the dust.”

But they didn’t. She was the one to blame for what happened to Sabrina. The letter that had been left on her bed with the box, she kept it a secret. but she didn’t give Sabrina a clear reason for why she retired her Queen Bee light and why she wasn’t upset when they didn’t come to get her. The red-haired girl was just being a good friend, being mad at the heroes for her. But she snapped, letting her old habits get the better of her. She didn’t even understand how the heroes gave her another chance, with the Ladybug Miraculous of all things. Not just once, but twice! She wanted to tell her best friend but she couldn’t make the same mistake as before. As such, she reacted badly and Sabrina was akumatized again. She helped stop her by helping Scarlet Bug figure out what his Lucky Charm was for and she listened as he told her that being Queen Bee was dangerous, not only for her but for them. He'd given her a hidden wink and she knew it was mostly for show. They still trusted her. She might never get the chance to meet Pollen again, but she could be trusted with another Miraculous.

“All I ask is for one little favour. Something that will help you get back at Scarlet Bug and Catseye and every other hero they called for help. I need you to find the Guardian of the Miraculous. You’re strong, strong to throw my akuma. With the rest of the Miraculous at your disposal, you’ll be unstoppable.”

“Chloe, are you still there? What's happening?” Sabina’s concerned voice asked from the other end of the line.

Chloe shuffled back further. She came down to her room to call Sabrina and did what Adrien told her. She even opened up more, telling her how she felt with all the memories of things she caused hanging over her head. Sabrina, the kind person she was, accepted her apology and listened to Chloe talk, telling her things would be ok and she could work to earn forgiveness if she thought it would help. They were interrupted by the Akuma Warning and then she saw them, her parents.

She’d come up to her patio, trying to catch a glimpse of where her parents went, also hoping to see spotted red or green and black. Her fear over her parents ran through her mind when she heard something land behind her. She turned around, and there he was, all shaded in red.

“Your mother’s anger and your father’s anguish at a decaying relationship are quite powerful and they could make a mess for days. If you want them out, I’m going to need your help, Chloe Bourgeois. You can even get back at Scarlet Bug and Catseye for disrespecting you.”

“Chloe!” Sabrina yelled, snapping her back into the present. Hawkmoth stood there, smirking. She was surprised that he hadn’t done anything about the phone in her hand. It got wider as she lifted it back to her ear.

“Sabrina, I need to call you back. Mother is screaming about not having enough rosettes on the cake. I meant what I said, ok?”

“Ok.”

She hung up once Sabrina answered and dropped the phone on the ground.

“Smart girl. I didn’t remember seeing a cake in the ballroom.” Hawkmoth mused.

“Daddy ordered it as a surprise. He likes having their wedding cake remade as a present. Why should I help you anyway? Scarlet Bug and Catseye would totally have time to beat my parents before I agree.” She asked.

Hawkmoth let out a chuckle, spinning his cane. “Oh, but you see, I won’t let that happen. In case you don’t remember, this isn’t my normal colour. I’ve got help from a little friend again. She was the one responsible for the akumas on Hero Day. All those Akumas all at once? Childs play and I can do it again. I’ll keep those heroes so busy, going after your parents will be the least of their problems. So, tell me dear, do you care about your parents enough to keep the heroes from getting exhausted?”

Chloe’s mind raced in attempts to think of something, anything that could help or stop him. She wasn’t a hero at the moment, so she didn’t have the reflexes to rip the butterfly brooch from his neck. Could she even though? To gain the extra power he had, was it a Miraculous or the effects of an akuma? Answers were looking dim and she couldn’t think of another way. She just hoped Sabrina remembered the code word.

“Remove the akuma from them first. And you don’t go after anyone else, just me.”

Looking victorious, Hawkmoth pointed his cane in the direction of the akuma and with a sharp gesture, there was a burst of light and everything was quiet again. She tensed seeing the red akuma flying towards her, closing her eyes once it got closer. She felt the darkness of akumatization take over her and she thought about the time she resisted the akuma. She was in a bubble of light and had pushed it outward, destroying the darkness that was trying to consume her. She held onto that image as the connection was established.

“Mistress Locality, you now have the ability to locate any nearby Miraculous. Normally I’d ask for you to locate the Cat and Ladybug Miraculous, but I want to know where the rest of them are. The Guardian who holds them can’t be far from them.”

When Chloe opened her eyes, she was looking out of what felt like spy binoculars. Looking at Hawkmoth told her a Miraculous was in front of her. It didn’t say which, just that there was one. Turning and seeing a swarm of ladybugs flying around, told her that two more Miraculous were not far from where her parents had last been. One of the Miraculous was heading in her direction.

Or the direction the akuma had gone.

Knowing she had to move quickly, she continued looking until she saw it. At the park not far from school, near the carousel was a host of tells.

“Well? I can feel something from you.”

She just hoped Scarlet Bug was fast enough.

“In the park, by the carousel. There’s a lot there.”

“At last!” Hawkmoth cried.

“Now let me go!” she ordered.

Hawkmoth’s gleeful smirk turned dark. “And why would I do that? You’re coming with me my dear.”

The darkness started to press down on her. She couldn’t let him win; she couldn’t be the reason he won. For god sakes, Scarlet Bug trusted her! He told her to be a hero without the Bee Miraculous and even if she didn’t end up with another one, she was still going to prove she was one.

“I said, let me go!” she cried, pushing her bubble out. She felt the disconnection and suddenly she was free.

Hawkmoth looked surprised before his face contorted angrily. She scrambled to back away as he lifted his cane to strike her.

“You little…!”

She let out a scream before she felt an arm grab her from around her waist and pull. The sound of a tightening cord, a sound she was very familiar with filled her ears as she went flying. The other arm wrapped around her to keep her body steady as they landed.

“I’m sorry!” she sputtered out, when she turned and saw the concerned look on Scarlet Bug’s face. “I’m sorry, I messed up. I had to. You need, you need-”

Gripping her arms tightly, Scarlet Bug leaned down so he was eye level. “Hey, hey. Chloe, it’s ok. You’re ok. He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Mind scrambled, she shook her head. “No! No, he akumatized me, in place of my parents. But I messed up. He wanted me to find Miraculous. He gave me the power to do that. I didn’t want to but he could tell. You need to get to the park, the one with the carousel. There’s a bunch there. He was talking about a Guardian. I just sent him straight to them. I’m sorry!” tears started to pour out of her eyes as everything that just happened hit her. “I got him out, I resisted but I still told him.”

“Hey, hey. Come on sit.” Scarlet Bug ordered, holding tighter when Chloe’s legs gave out from under her. He guided her to the rooftop they were standing on, kneeling in front of her. “What do you mean you resisted? Chloe, did you throw off the akuma in the middle of being akumatized?”

“Yeah,” she answered shakily. Her mascara that she managed to save earlier was starting to run with her tears. “Before, when Sabrina was akumatized, it was supposed to be me. I was mad at myself for the fight and frustrated at you guys a little but I didn’t want him finding out about the note, so I resisted before he could akumatize me. Why does this matter? There’s a lot of Miraculous in the park about to be captured. You need to go now! He has help from whatever helped him on Hero Day.”

“You’re saying the Guardian has the Miraculous in the park? All of them?”

“Maybe? There was a lot.”

Earring beeping, Scarlet Bug picked up Chole and got them to the streets. He sat her at a chair outside a restaurant and kneeled down again. “Chloe, listen to me. You didn’t mess up, ok? You did very well keeping him occupied until I could get to you. We’ll take care of this, ok? You didn’t mess up.”

Nodding, she watched the spotted hero get up and jump off to the rooftops. Hearing noise in the restaurant behind her, she let her head drop, not in the mood to deal with people seeing her like this.

“Ma’am? Goodness, Mlle. Bourgeois! Are you alright? Pierre, get some water out here, now! It’s alright Mlle. Bourgeois, you’re safe.”

But was whoever she sent Hawkmoth after safe? Could the heroes of Paris get to them in time?

Police sirens filled the air as a squad car screeched to a halt in front of them and spilled out Sabrina.

“Chloe!”

She couldn’t help it. She burst into tears all over again as Sabrina ran to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

“It’s ok. Chloe, you’re ok.” Sabrina comforted, rubbing a hand up and down her back and on her head. She barely heard Agent Roger speak to whoever came out to check on her.

“You remembered.” She wailed.

“Of course, I did. If you have to hang up or go anywhere suddenly and mention roses and your mother, something’s wrong and I need to find you immediately.” Sabrina recited. “How could I forget? It had been my idea, remember? I got you, ok?”

She did, but what about the Guardian? Did she just make the fight against Hawkmoth that much harder?

                                              _______________

“That little! I can’t believe him! He starts seeing signs of the elders from the temple coming and he decides to run?” Plagg fumed. “After he swore to accept the punishment? I knew we shouldn’t have trusted him!”

“Plagg stop. If you get any angrier, you’re going to set off your powers.” Tikki warned. She looked at Luka, who was staring at the letter Fu had left. They tried to avoid this happening, and had done so much to prevent this, but somehow it all began to happen again.

After the quickest break to stuff her mouth full of cookies, Tikki transformed Luka. She was a god, THE god of creation, so she never needed to pray. But she understood why people did it. By the time he’d gotten in contact with Juleka and reached the park, he watched Fu place himself in Shell-ter. The other akuma was there, Catalyst her name was. Plagg said it had to be Nathalie. She was no Mayura but trying to fight against her and Hawkmoth was just as tough. Unlike the last time where Chloe exposed the holders and had them fight while she held onto the box, it turned into a demented game of hot potato to keep it from the villains. It got even worse when no one was able to grab it, too busy fighting the other, that it fell to the ground and a few fell out. Hawkmoth sent akuma to grab it while Catseye jumped after them. She used Black Hole to create an opening and sent the Miraculous and the box into the Shell-ter.

Later, Juleka would call herself stupid for not using it to give the Master a way to escape the fight. Instead, it meant they then had to defend the cracking defence from attacks. Tikki wished she knew what was running though his mind just then, watching two teenagers he entrusted powerful objects to defend him, even when they knew the extent of his mistakes and weren’t going to let him escape them.

He’d picked up Pollen’s hairclip and she was left to relay his message.

“He let his fears take him over and, in the process, allowed himself to be caught. He meant to keep his promise but to keep the box safe, the one thing he swore he’d do, he had to make the biggest sacrifice. He said that you’d be able to talk to the Guardians once they came.” Pollen sadly told Luka.

“I, Wang Fu, hereby relinquish the Miracle Box, and name Scarlet Bug the new Guardian!”

In a bright light, where Hawkmoth and Catalyst decided to take their leave, Luka was left with a box. The wood was red and the design of the Guardians was now drawn in green, the buttons black and white scuffing throughout. The colours of Scarlet Bug and Catseye. Fu had lost his memory and not even a Miraculous Reset could do anything. But he did still recognise the keychain, which sent the siblings to Gare du Nord train station and their locker room. Resting on the gramophone was a letter.

It was different from the one Marinette had gotten in that timeline. Instead of unhelpful words about accepting loss and nothing about the duty she was suddenly given, Fu explained that he’d gotten scared, seeing hints of the Guardians. But he wasn’t going to leave. He couldn’t, not after he promised to do better. He just needed a moment to breathe but not wanting to be without the Miraculous, his first friends, he’d taken them with him. He said even as he was writing it, that it felt like things would change. That if it were up to him, either of them would make great Guardians, Luka especially with his way of understanding emotion. He wrote how he had never wanted to put them in a position where he had to force that upon them, not knowing how it would affect their life. But he said if he was ever to do that before the Guardians arrived, they could get answers. They were stubborn and didn’t back down. they’d be ok.

Tikki didn’t know if they would. It was different this time, Luka having support from the get go but with Adrien’s living situation up in the air, being signed to live his dream and just the life of being a teenager, she was worried if he’d crack.

“Hey,” Juleka walked into the room and sat on the floor next to her brother. She played with the Cat Miraculous, staring at it as she spoke. “I got him into the car ok. Took one look at Marieanne and fell in love all over again, so there’s hope there.” The two were quiet, even as Luka let his head rest on his sister’s. “I should have moved him from the battle.”

“There was a chance they’d get the Miraculous in the meantime. It made the most sense. He could have run off with it then.” Luka pointed out, voice even.

“But he looked weak. He could hold up the Shell-ter because he was older but he’s past 100. It had to be taxing on his body.” Juleka remembered.

They’d gone around in circles already. Sighing, Luka leaned harder. “There’s a spell mentioned in the Grimoire. How to pass the box on without losing your memory.”

“But it’s a last resort!” Tikki cried, the two kwami flying over. “We’d have to be 100% sure it’s safe to use.”

“Why?” Juleka asked, feeling out of loop.

“It said if the Guardian who used the spell was to ever use a Miraculous, well, they used flowery language, but they basically die.”

“Right, so guess we won’t do that. What do we do though? Should we still give Chloe a Miraculous? Do we switch as extra security?” Juleka asked, moving from under her brother to look at him. Luka instead leaned on his bed looking tired.

“She resisted an akuma, twice. It would be wrong to not give her another chance. Besides, he never figured it was her with the Ladybug. Unless he knows about the letter, he wouldn’t expect us to give her one. Changing Miraculous…it might be smart. He’s going to want to find out who I am and going after the team would be the best way to but if you change suddenly, he’ll have to try harder.”

“So, Adrien gets the Cat, Turtle to Marc, Bee to Nathaniel, and Chloe the Fox. We still need to figure out a new Miraculous for Alya and Nino” Juleka called off.

“But Adrien might be leaving.” Luka remembered. He looked at the ring he wore, the sun making him think of his boyfriend’s smile. He sat up, stuffing the letter into his pocket and got up.

“Where are you going?”

“I don’t know if the spell will work and let me keep my memories or if I’m going to be forced to lose everything but, I am not going to let the knowledge of that keep me from living. I love Adrien and if he ends up leaving, I want him to know I want to try long distance. So even if I do lose my memory, when I see him again, I fall in love all over.” Luka left the room, Tikki flying after him, calling to wait for her.

“Huh.” Plagg hummed, watching Luka leave. To know Luka was willing to try, even in the face of everything for Adrien, he felt comforted that his favourite kitten was still so cherished. He looked at Juleka and knew regardless of what happened with Luka, losing her was going to hurt just as much. “Hey Blacky? Can we share cheese?”

“Share cheese? That’s new.” Juleka said, confused.

“Yeah well, I’m about to lose you to Rooar who likes you a lot and I just don’t want you to forget who loved you first.”

Juleka scooped him up and held him close to her cheek. “I won’t forget at all. Plagg, you’re the one who helped me realize my confidence, helped me be free of my anxiety for the first time in a long time. I won’t ever forget that.”

                                    _____________________

The bells from Andre’s cart rang in the wind, giving Adrien something to listen to as he stared at the sky. After he, Kagami and Marinette managed to get outside and find Andre, Heart Eater attacked. He’d gotten separated from the girls but thanks to Alya – who no doubt went rushing right in with Nino calling after her – he’d seen Scarlet Bug, Catseye and Ryuko fight the akuma, which managed to suddenly disappear. Then there’s been sightings of Hawkmoth in the park near school. Something had happened, with a great burst of light Adrien saw, but no one knew. During that time, Luka was unreachable and he hadn’t responded to any communication.

Not long ago, he’d called Adrien asking him to meet. So here he sat, waiting for Luka to arrive. His mother promised to have an answer after work, so he had no updates like he hoped.

“Adrien!”

Looking over, he saw Luka running towards him. He got up, meeting Luka in the middle as the older teen hugged him close. This hug was tight, like Adrien was going to slip away. He wished he could tell Luka he wasn’t going anywhere.

Once they were sitting facing each other, Adrien took Luka’s hands. “What happened? I called but you didn’t pick up.”

“I was dealing with something. The long and short of it is, thanks to my…grandfather not keeping to his promises, I’m now in charge of dealing with something I wasn’t at all prepared for. I mean, I guess I kinda started the cycle myself because I ended up fixing one of his issues with Juls.” Shaking his head to keep himself from rambling, Luka refocused, “it just means I’m going to be dealing with something that’s gonna be stressful and I might be annoyed and sullen at times but I want you to know I have support and if it gets too much to keep secret, I will tell you.”

“Is this thing legal?” Without context clues, Adrien was confused as to what could be affecting Luka.

Letting out a strained laugh, Luka nodded. “If you can actually believe it, then yes.”

“Does it feel legal?”

“Also, yes. It’s nothing that’s going to get me arrested, just mostly looking after a thing and being in charge of a group. I was fine with that part when I had someone else to defer to but now it’s just me and Juls, so.”

Still feeling a little lost, Adrien looked at their clasped hands, thumb running over the designs of Luka’s ring. “Would it be easier to not be in a relationship right now?”

“No!” Luka stated, tugging on Adrien’s hands so he’d look up. “Trust me, that is the last thing I want. Look, I have no clue what this thing is going to do to my life, but I refuse to let it dictate everything I do. Adrien, I love you and I get that we haven’t been together long enough for me to say that, but I mean it. If you do end up moving, I want us to at least try long distance because I like you way too much for us to just go our separate ways unless it’s our choice.”

Heart pounding, face red and feeling tingly all over, Adrien felt like he was going to faint and start floating all at once. “I…”

“You don’t have to say it back, I’m not rushing you for an answer. I just hope you’ll agree to the distance?”

Unable to form words because it felt like too many were going to spill out, he nodded, squeezing Luka’s hands tight. Any romantic relationship usually ended when he moved because it never felt like they were on the same page and with Luka it felt like everything made sense. Because as crazy as it sounded, he wanted to do it, do long distance for as long as they could bear. He felt like if they were to split later down the line, it wouldn’t be in anger and tears and hurt. It would hurt, god it would, but it would be something they’d agree on. Unable to help himself, he put his hands onto Luka’s neck and pulled him into a long kiss.

“It’s probably a good thing we weren’t together during the Heart Eater attack.” Luka said against his lips, his own hands holding onto Adrien’s waist. “We would have gotten snatched up right away.”

Adrien was tempted to remind him of Heart Eater’s actual power but Luka kissed him again and thought escaped. If he had to leave this, it was going to hurt.

Somehow, he left and got back home, finding his mother there earlier than anticipated. She let him go drop his things off in his room where he stopped at the sight of a very familiar box.

We heard you might be leaving us and honestly, we need help confusing Hawkmoth, so feel free to use Plagg tonight. He’ll be gone in the morning, so be careful and have fun.

Adrien hid both the new note and the box under his pillow and went back to his mom, sitting on the couch in breathless anticipation.

“So?” Adrien asked anxiously.

“So, the ambassador called everyone into a meeting to do reassignments. Some are leaving and some are staying. Then he got to me.” His mother said. “Ready?”

“Mama, just tell me!” he begged.

“Well…”

                                 __________________________

Cat Walker had a put together look, like the cat part was a second thought. This cat was different. Fingerless gloves, leather, real tail and ears and the sound of a cat’s bell ringing through the night. Cat Walker made Adrien feel a certain type of freedom but this new cat, one he needed a name for felt different. Like everything bad was finally behind him and he was a new person. The sound of an extending pole shot through the night as it launched Adrien into the air, where he landed on one of the taller pieces of the Eiffel Tower. Looking down at the sparkling nightlife, all the emotions of freedom, love, happiness exploded from him as he cried into the night.

“WE’RE STAYING!”

They were staying in Paris. It was set for his mother to stay for a full year, with the possibility of staying longer depending on how long Hawkmoth attacked Paris. While he didn’t love the idea of Hawkmoth still attacking, he got to stay. Plagg had gotten excited when he opened the box and blurted it out.

“I can stay with you then! We need to go now, Ladybird is gonna wanna hear this!”

“Ladybird?” he asked, remembering the name given to whomever used the Ladybug Miraculous in place of Scarlet Bug.

“Scarlet? Anyway, most I can say right now is that fight that happened, we need to switch things around to keep everyone safe.”

Adrien furrowed his brow, the excitement simmering down. “But what about Catseye?”

“Don’t worry. Blacky is being well looked after by another kwami. Relax, they made this decision ages ago when planning for something like this. Come on kitten, don’t leave me all by myself.” Plagg begged.

He was sure he should be worried. Plagg just essentially told him Adrien was his new holder. He should be asking questions but an idea came to mind and he had to do it.

“Where do you think Scarlet Bug would be?”

“On patrol. Why?”

“I just have the urge to scream from the rooftops. Plagg, Claws Out!”

He was sure he owed Plagg whatever he wanted after this. Now that he’d done the thing he wanted, he needed to find Scarlet Bug. He leapt off the Eiffel Tower, launching himself to a nearby roof. Adrien would never say he felt stifled in his life as a diplomate kid. Yes, there were times he had to bite his tongue with people around him or he ran away to keep his sanity, but he’d never say he lacked the freedom to do what he wanted. But this, this was different. Maybe it was the knowledge of what having this Miraculous meant in combination with his news, but he’d never felt freer. As Cat Walker, it was a mild feeling that felt familiar. But as this new hero, jumping across the Parisian rooftops, the familiar feeling seemed to burst forth, leaving him more exalted than before. It wasn’t him running from his problems, it was feeling like he could tackle anything. This felt like the ultimate freedom, a feeling that could never be replicated. 

He’d closed his eyes to take in the feeling and then immediately went crashing into something. He felt himself tumble through the air, spinning with no control before landing on - thankfully - a flat roof. Well, Adrien landed on something that wasn’t the roof, which was perfect, since his new costume involved a crop top inspired by Black Lynx.

“I’m so sor - oh mio dio, Scarlet Bug! I’m so sorry!”

Of course, he crashed into one of Paris’ heroes. Because why not? He laid there, groaning in pain. Adrien also noticed his costume was a bit different. His big jacket was replaced with a sleeveless one with inverted colours, hands covered with mismatched gloves. Unlike before when he’d keep his hood up, it was down, exposing his hair half tied back. His snake bites were still there, reminding him of Luka’s. Adrien climbed off of him, noticing that his boots had a stripe of green around the top.

“You changed your look,” he said, hoping to distract him from the pain.

“Well, we’re making a lot of changes, so thought why not? When I said have fun with Plagg, I didn't mean crashing into things.” Blue eyes squinted at him as the spotted hero turned his head to him.

With an awkward and apologetic smile, Adrien shrugged. “I got a little distracted. Kinda forgot how much I enjoyed jumping across town, especially since there isn’t an akuma.”

“If Hawkmoth actually created one now, I might actually take a blunt object to his head.” Scarlet complained, pushing himself up slowly. He cracked his back, groaning before looking at Adrien, that same smile he had on his face the first time he met growing. “Missed Plagg huh?”

“Yeah. I did. I’m surprised you’re letting me hold onto him. What happened in that second fight?”

“Let’s just say, Hawkmoth won a small piece of the battle. I can’t give you too much detail just for your protection since Plagg will be coming back tomorrow.”

“Oh!” Adrien cried, clapping his hands. “He doesn’t actually! I’m not moving, I get to stay in Paris.”

Scarlet blinked at him, surprised then tried to bite down a smile. He didn’t know Scarlet thought he was that good a replacement. “That’s amazing to hear. Plagg must be happy. He likes Catseye, but he seems to be pretty fond of you. I see you even changed yourself.”

“Yeah,” Adrien said, looking down at his new costume, before looking back at the hero with a massive smile on his face. “This felt more like me. Seriously, thank you for doing this. I’m going to do my best to be the best Cat holder and support you.”

“It won’t be just you, but thanks. Your job is going to be harder than others, but I know you’re capable of doing it.” Scarlet Bug replied confidently.

He would. He would hold pride and do right by the people and things that made him feel this free. Hawkmoth wasn’t going to know what hit him.

[animefankotaro]

Trans Ash and Brock

Ash Ketchum was in his home town of Pallet Town after winning the Pokemon League in Alola. Many friends and family were there to celebrate the victory. Ash's Pokemon were also there enjoying the event by resting, eating, playing, or entertaining guest. It took Ash a while but it was all worth it. Everyone was gathered around Ash who was giving a speech.

“This is the greatest thing to ever happen to me.” Ash said. “It was always my dream to become a champion and now I am one.” Everyone cheered. “I can't thank you all enough for sticking by me the whole way.”

“What are you going to do now?” May asked.

“I'm going to continue my journey and see new places, people, and catch more Pokemon. I may have won a championship but I still need to become a Pokemon Master. I'll do that no matter how long it takes me.”

“When you're old enough have you ever thought about settling down and start a family?” Serena asked with a blush though Ash didn't seem to catch that.

“I'd love do to that. But that's not for a long time. I want to focus on my journey now.”

“Maybe Jessie and James should do the same rather then continue to chase after Pikachu.” Cilan commented. Everyone laughed a bit.

“I think we'll be seeing them blast off for years to come.” Ash replied getting more laughs.

“Hey, Ash.” Brock said. “If you're not ready to settle down yet but know some older women who are just let me know.” However, Misty then took him by the ear dragging him away.

“Look's like you've never change.” Misty sighed.

Any girls here are welcome to marry my brother.” Bonnie said.

“BONNIE!” An embarrassed Clemont yelled.

“Anyway. I'm glad for you all supporting me throughout my journey. As you know a few days ago a rumor went around about me. That rumor was that I am trans. According to Gary Oak the rumor started from a few other guys who were also from Pallet Town like we are.”

“They are. The same ones who started when we did!” Gary yelled.

“Well, some of you already knew the truth so I'll go ahead and say it. The rumor is true. I was born a girl.” Several townsfolk looked around and whispered.

“My birth name was Ashley Ketchum. Not only did I want to be a Pokemon master but also a boy.”

A young Ashley was in the yard playing around. Delia was watching while also on the phone.

“Yes. Ashley just turned 5 not so long ago. She loves Pokemon more than anything and wants to be a trainer like her father. I just wish she had more friends. Her only friend is Gary Oak. Maybe they'll travel together when they're older. Maybe even date.”

Ashley was quite different though. She preferred getting rough over staying clean. One thing she wanted was shorter hair.

“Can I have a haircut, mom?”

“Why do you want a haircut?” Delia asked.

“I want it to look like Gary's. I hate it being long like this. It gets in the way all the time. When I'm a trainer that will distract me when I'm battling.”

“But if we cut it short people think think you're a boy.”

“I don't care!” Ashley pouted.

“Well, okay.”

She grabbed a pair of scissors and a comb and started cutting away. She didn't want it to be a copy of Gary's. It had to be different enough to give Ashley an image. After she was done she grabbed a mirror.

“How's this?”

“It looks great, mom! Thanks. I'm going to show Gary.” With that Ashley ran off.

Ashley also preferred boys clothes over girls clothes. So she got her mom to take her to a store to buy some.

“Remember, Ashley. We can't buy too much.”

'I know. Just a few so I don't have to wear dresses or shirts all the time.” Ash got a few clothes. His favorites were a yellow shirt that had a red stripe and some blue shorts. They weren't unique or anything but he liked them for it's simpleness. They were still boys clothes in the end.

One day Ashley and Gary were pretending to have a Pokemon battle in the backyard.

“All right, Bulbasaur!” Ashley yelled. “Hit it with a razer leaf.”

“Get in the safety of your shell, Shirtle! It will protect you a little.”

“It can't be protected from this. Bulbasaur use whirlwind on that sitting duck!”

“Good move, Ashley but it can't deflect this. Squirtle use body slam!”

“Hey! Your Squirtle can't know body slam yet!”

“Yes it can. My Squirtle is a special Squirtle because it's from my grandfather.”

“Professor Oak!” Ash whined.

“You two play nicely.” Professor Oak said barely paying attention.

“Looks like I win.” Gary gloated. Ashley rolled her eyes.

“Gary can I tell you something.”

“No rematches.”

“No, it's not that. It's just I've been thinking about my name. I don't like it. Can you call me just Ash instead.” Gary raised an eyebrow but nodded.

“Umm, sure. Why though?”

“I think I'm suppose to be a boy. But don't tell anyone okay.” Gary nodded again.

One day Ash was watching TV when a show about trainers came on. One segment was on a trainer named Brock.

“We'll here with 10 year old Brock of Pewter City. So Brock you want to be a Pokemon Breeder?” The boy nodded.

“Yes. Though a lot of people think I might have a shot at the gym one day. I got an Onix not to long ago and we're already best friends.

“And is it true you were born female?” Brock nodded again.

“I knew I was a boy for a while enough. So I changed my identity to that of a boy.”

“That's interesting.”

“If you're not busy later how would you like to go out out with me.” This made the reporter sweatdrop.

“Ummmm call me in 8 years.”

This got Ash thinking maybe she was actually a boy. After some hard thought he decided he was. He then told his mom.

“I'm not your daughter I'm your son. I'm not Ashley I'm Ash. Not only do I want to be a Pokemon master but I also want to be the perfect son too.”

“Oh, Ash.” Delia hugged him.

Back in the present Ash concluded his story.

“So it's all true. I was born a girl named Ashley but I'm now a boy named Ash. I have Brock to thank for that. If it wasn't for you I might have never truly found out.”

“I never knew, Ash.”

“Now you do. Thank you.”

“I don't know what to say but thank you.”

Ash sent up and shook Brocks hand. After mostly everyone left the two said goodbye.

“Thanks for that speech, Ash. If you never need anything I'll be there for you.”

“Thanks Brock. Same to you.”

“And seriously if you know any single women I'm available. Just tell them...” But before he could finish Misty pulled his ear again.

“Enough all ready!” Misty yelled as Brock yipped in pain making Ash laugh.

[bracingtincture]

RPDR s15e03 impressions

- positively CONVINCED this season is leaning into some kind of old guard vs. up-and-comers narrative that will continue for most of the run, and it’s basically a given that Sasha will be in the finale. i don’t know if she’ll win it, though! i feel like The Narrative™ will ultimately drive the pick of winner, as it usually does.

- Sasha was so great this week and i KNEW that preview was bullshit. the neck snap was so twisted. (no pun intended.)

- the right person won (though it was CLOSE between Sasha and Loosey) but i’m torn on the bottom three. i felt like Jax didn’t do as poorly as Poppy and Amethyst, but otoh the excuses and the way she treated Sugar left a bad taste in my mouth. (again, no pun intended.) i still like Jax a lot, but she did not cover herself in glory here. i do have to say, though, as a longtime MK fan i did love the runway.

- i do kind of think it should’ve been a double elimination and probably only wasn’t because the next episode is Snatch Game and they wanted even numbers. and also, The Narrative™.

- Amethyst is kind of selling herself as a comedy queen but has been on the bottom for her comedy twice, lol. i mean, i don’t even agree that she should’ve been on the bottom the first time! but it is kind of...the funniest thing about her.

- soooo glad Michelle is on Team Natural Noses but Amethyst is hardly the only queen who sullies her perfectly lovely natural nose with unskilled/overdone contouring.

- <stan brained> i’m just really glad Anetra has fully embraced her prominent nose because it really does give her face such character </stan brained>

- Maren brought up a great point about how far the show has come and how everything on this runway would’ve been, like, finale-level a decade ago. and this was just the second runway of the season!

- my favorite runway looks were Sasha, Aura, and the twins. i am really enamored of the twins’ trashy-glam plastic doll ‘00s aesthetic and love that they commit so fully to it.

- actually just in general i really like the twins. they’re sweet ditzes! i’m old and tired enough that sometimes i just like to see nice people being nice. and anyway, as immature as they are in some aspects, they have surprising emotional maturity; pointing out that life and even their careers are more than this competition is important. their ability to keep their perspective and stay grounded is really admirable. i hope they hold onto that.

- they’re also genuinely pretty good at comedy (even if they lack range) and too breezy to be easily flustered so i’m looking forward to their Snatch Game performances. even if they bomb, they’ll bomb entertainingly.

- <stan brained> Anetra’s bone-dry sense of humor is one that frequently works well in Snatch Game so i hope she does well there </stan brained>

- Loosey is going to crush it next week but her Dolly this week was outstanding. the voice!! and i really loved her runway look and would totally wear it. i don’t know where i’d wear it or for what reason, but i would. i’d at least take it out of my closet and gaze lovingly at it regularly.

- in the preview for next week: is that Marcia³ as Tim Gunn? showing off range, i see.

- Salina as the Virgin Mary...that’s going to be. so much.

[moodylimesoda]

Crown Jewel 2024 Reactions

So like last ppe I will give my final thoughts! If you see no reactions it’s because I didn’t have any for that match.

Bloodline OG vs Bloodline Lite

Winner: Bloodline Lite

It was interesting. I’m not sure how I feel about the outcome but I can gather the concept that the OG bloodline isn’t complete until it is actually complete. There’s too much bad blood. That questionable non tag to Roman from Jey was already tricky for me.

The after of the match with the obvious shenanigans was a little predictable because we know Sami was coming. I was good with that. But, that accidental kick. Hmm. Great. How does The Pebble get involved in the future? Let’s see.

Women’s Tag Team Fatal 4-Way match

Belair and Cargill (c) vs Sky and Sane vs Jackson and Legend vs Greene and Niven

Winners: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill

This match was fantastic! Iyo had a few issues there but that’s okay! No injuries I hope. Chelsea did her comedic part with a few good moves there. I’m not sure about y’all but I’m going to need to see Cargill vs Legend someday! All 8 of these ladies did so good!

Seth Rollins vs Bronson Reed

Winner: Seth Freakin’ Rollins

Women’s Crown Jewel Championship match.

Nia Jax ( WWE Women’s Champion Smackdown) vs Liv Morgan ( WWE Women’s Champion Raw

Winner: Liv Morgan (With help)

Another waste of my damn time. Listen I’m glad the ladies got to come out and represent (as a person I’m great with this, everyone needs to flex on!) but as a fan I’m over the cheating. I’m also annoyed Tiffany didn’t cash in and it’s giving useless contract for me.

Some wins need to come WITHOUT distractions and assistance. This was one of em. Any belt for that matter… Again, as a person I am not knocking this because this is huge for women in this industry anyway, and I am proud Liv as a person is doing what she wants to do and being heel and making it work, but as a fan I separate kayfabe from reality and my fan side DON’T WANT NONE.

Kevin Owen’s vs Randy Orton

Winner: None. The match never happened. I’d be kind of angry if I was a filler segment but it’s Crown Jewel…so…we just chose violence.

WWE United States Championship Triple threat match.

LA Knight (c) vs Andrade vs Carmelo Hayes

Winner: LA Knight (Yeah)

That turnbuckle doesn’t like them. Iykyk. lol.

Impressive as always from all three.

Men’s Crown Jewel Championship

Cody Rhodes (Smackdown Undisputed WWE Champion) vs Gunther (Raw World Heavyweight Chamion)

Winner: Cody Rhodes

Somehow I imagine they weren’t going to have the King/queen of the ring also be Crown Jewel champions. That makes sense to me. Was a crazy match though. Great to watch. I appreciate the handshake at the end however.

Overall

I have to begin this with the obvious because my wrap up is short. Those are some FUCKING UGLY BELTS. AND I saw the post show and so those belts remain in Saudi Arabia and they get rings. You could have JUST MADE THE PRIZE THE RINGS.

Everything is else is written above. Aside from the belts being basically made rings, it’s like when you make a replica for a miniature. We just had huge versions made human size. I just…I don’t get it. Overall everyone just make your money. As I said as a person, everyone did what they needed to do, as a fan, I don’t want some of that lol.

And I do want to say I realize I sound quite negative when it comes to the women but I’m not trying to be. These women do amazing work and have amazing talent and no matter how it was won she is the first and I’m proud of all of the women when they achieve firsts in this business. I must say again I separate kayfabe from reality! So as a person I’m all for it! As a fan of the brand…god she’s gonna he insufferable!

Thanks for reading!

[brittlebonesguy]

12,13,finale,reunion

i hate robert’s flavor of deep voice. it’s grating to listen to. happy kathy won and not robert. not sure i like her son though.... the answer is yes kathy. you need to be a duo with rob because that is the only way to get to the final 2. the other duos are way too close. i think my favorite part of older survivor is that the people at the bottom of the alliances realize that they are in a terrible position and flip when they have to. people are way too passive in recent seasons it annoys me. there’s nothing i hate more than majority alliances picking off people one by one. its so boring. this season had that beginnings of that multiple times and then it just gets snipped in the bud. i love it. i do like kathy so if neleh has to go this episode so be it. in fact i welcome it. thank CHRIST neleh lost. out of the three duos in the game i like paschal and neleh the least just because. kathy....you’re fucked. so i’m hoping the v and sean duo survives but that will rest solely on who wins immunity and how kathy, the new swing vote, votes. 

i hope neleh wins this reward challenge since it’s the car one. and the myth does say if you win a car, you won’t win the show. sean......im so sorry but you aren’t winning the show after getting that car. rip. if i were the flip vote i’d side with v and sean because i feel like there’s a chance of separating them, but definitely not pachal and neleh. pachal it’s survivor everyone has an agenda. also not loving how he’s talking... and neleh and pashal say they have a “relationahip” but never say alliance. but when v and sean say the same thing they’re....deceiving you? in any case kathy’s best chance is with sean and v so i hope she goes full throttle with them. how does someone drop something every season when they do this challenge its amazing really. yessss kathyyyyy!! dropped her shit and still won. okay but sean is literally right. kathy.....dumb decision. oddly enough i’ll miss you sean.

 i need v to win immunity pronto. and NO KATHY you didn’t make right decision. anyway i hope v wins. omg!!!! v wins and her and kathy are gonna create an alliance to get to the final 2 together. please don’t let me down. please be serious you two. GOD YES i’ve missed pulling rocks im so happy it’s finally happening. and paschal who had no votes goes home. god i love drawing rocks. and just like that the universe said all women final 3. ideal situation for me really. final 2 v and kathy?👀 damn jeff....you’re just gonna say whatever now. nooooo i know neleh is gonna win. v whyy. you know what i’m fine with this final two and v get’s some money anyway (neleh is absolutely going to win, especially after seeing john’s reaction to v making a deal against kathy with neleh). not to be mean but i hate neleh’s “oh my heck” i really do. not them both thinking taking v/neleh to the final two i have a better shot. girlies only one of you is right. i’m glad you support women zoe love that for you and i too love an all women final. fuck offffff robert we know you don’t want a woman to win especially against you......a man who’s won one challenge. you’re a terrifying sight to behold.... john ajdhksjbskdb my god so righteous. there’s so much god talk this season damn. jesus tammy ajdsdsh lay INTO them. you know it’s funny that v and neleh wanted to play the game differently aka ethically and without lying because season 2 they was a lot less lying and more camaraderie than this season. the one that comes to mind is gina being voted out right after kathy, paschal and neleh all said we’re a family and we don’t vote based on tribal lines despite......mhm mmm sounds like you guys played way more ethically.  

not neleh saying she didn’t start playing the game until day 24....girl and then she didn’t even answer the question (aka what you did BY YOURSELF not in a group setting). 2 coasters sitting in the finale who don’t answer the questions at all 💅🏻. love that v really plain and simple said i should win because i fully played the game and...she’s right. neleh didn’t do a single thing this whole season. it’s always super religious people who do the bad things they yell at other people for doing huh. lying and cheating is bad unless i do it 🥺 neleh needs to stop admitting to not playing the game until like merge thats ridiculous 

yesss give me three full minutes of you and a helicopter jeffery. strong whistle jeffery no wonder the cab stopped. STOPP!!! “can i get a receipt?” i hope this gag never ends even though i know it does. too funny. congrats v! definitely played better than neleh. 

no.....noooo....WHY IS COLBY HERE???????????? but at least i can rest easy knowing that one host is gone. i couldn’t do another reunion with him. okay so i thin overall i would give this season an 8/10. i highly enjoyed it but i didn’t have a ride or die love of my life (you’ll always be in my heart teresa <3) and i did dislike several people which is why it isnt higher. however i LOVE LOVE the all women finale and the gameplay this season was actually interesting.

[eristic-kaleidoscope]

Unlawful Factors || Kenshin || RE: Trial Results

As the votes are announced to the group, Kenshin bites back a small sigh of relief. At least they got it right, saved two more people from dying, at the cost of Eureka’s life. Even with her explanation, he remains quiet for a while, hearing her out in hopes that some things would change how he felt about this whole situation.

Which, they certainly did… but not in the way he expected.

She was so hellbent on killing her own sister due to previous experiences with her other sisters… That’s what made Kenshin’s blood grow cold. God, she’s just a kid, and Eureka was sacrifice it all in order to kill a child. Her own sister. That makes him sick, the corner of his mouth twitching with the thought of it. While he understands that she didn’t want to die somehow to any of her sisters, using many lives as stepping stones to get to that point felt like a punch to the gut.

None of this explanation made him feel any better, as he continued to try and try to find some more ways to feel sympathetic. Fuck, why did it have to be this way.

There was quite a lot of unease still resting in his system for a few reasons. But strangest of all, was the fact that he was the one to figure out and stab holes into her plan, her argument. It was strange, feeling glad that he figured it out and aided the group, yet at the same time….

He didn’t like the implications that he was the one that cast the truth that will subject her to death. He didn’t like that he was the cause of it, even if there were many factors that went into it.

Maybe he was overthinking a bit, he tends to do that anyway. Still, if blame needed to fall on someone, Kenshin had expected it. This isn’t something he wants to celebrate anyway.

Yet the fact that Eureka was willing to kill all the hostages if she would have won… that’s what freaks Kenshin out the most. The what ifs, the uncertainties, all the unknowns if she had actually won. That scares him the most. While someone he hated was his designated hostage, it’s not like he wants him to die. Even if Kyoya deserves the worst, he didn’t deserve a fate like that. Hell, all of the hostages didn’t deserve that. No one deserved to die, here or there, even if they were hated by people, even if the group wanted them gone.

Maybe that’s something he should be proud of. He made sure over a dozen people didn’t die. And yet… he can’t bring himself to feel that way.

There was no winning. Someone else was going to die. While one life is less than many, in the sake of numbers, it’s another life lost to this fucked up game, this fucked up experiment. Even if Eureka shows her true colors now, as people stab their knives again and again into her, she’s just another person lost to this game. She’s another person gone, as the group continues to dwindle. And god, how he HATES that. He hates how this has to keep going, even with the hosts losing someone they actually care for.

Fuck. FUCK. When will this END? When is it ENOUGH??

As the group continues to swear at her, Erisu dries her tears, and END grabs her by the jacket, while Eureka continues to spiral further and further, Kenshin remains at his stand. He stares, quietly for a while, letting people get out all their rage and fury, even about shit not related to the trial, he remains idle. Oh, how he wants to tell people to cool it, don’t treat someone’s last moments like these. Instead, he bites his tongue. The same fire burning their ankles as last time, now with even more venom dropping from their lips, it’s not like he can stop it. He just lets it happen, even if his hands shake slightly as he observes.

Before finally, he takes a deep breath, quelling it. His icy eyes fall on Eureka, with that smug look on her face.

“....while everyone continues to tear into you, I’m going to hold off. I’m not expressing my anger towards… fuck, a lot of things. And hell, I imagine you have shit to say to me as well, which I’m all ears but… I’m glad I figured out your plan, and that the people who should not be affected by this place remain safe. Even if I hate that bastard that’s connected to me, it’s not like I wanted him to die. So… yeah, I’m glad you couldn’t kill them all.”

Kenshin’s voice quiets for a moment, glancing away, toward the hosts as he speaks still to Eureka. “....I’m sorry that you’ve been running, and you wanted to keep running from everything that haunts you. I’m sorry that all this affected you, and that you’re going to have to die this way. I mean it when I say that I hate all of this, as none of this in this place is fucking justice, but…”

“I’m sure you know I can’t forgive you. We knew we could never truly get along, and I believe this seals it. I think tearing into you about other topics from outside the trial now of all times is a bit uncalled for, but….” Shrug. He can’t stop them, as much as he wants to.

God, how he wants to tear into Eureka right now for losing the laptop, for losing his only method of communication to make sure his sibling is alright, for that little mistake. But instead, he keeps quiet about that, the fire still burning in his mind. It’s not the time, it’s her final moments. If she wants to make them miserable and with smug fury, then that’s on her.

Kenshin simply doesn’t want to make this terrible situation even worse.

With that, he flashes a small wave, glancing back in her direction. “...sorry about all this, how this turned out. Just know you are smarter than me, even after all this, that’s for damn certain.” And yet, he did have the ability to outsmart her.

It’s not something to be proud of now.

[survivor-north-sea]

episode thirteen: "[tiktok voice] she's just a baby!!!!" - Trinica

Tyler Frazier

Alyssa played a better game on BB24 than I am playing right now.

Trinica

The vote went off as planned, no idols were played, and AJ is gone :( I genuinely feel so so so bad about that vote. [tiktok voice] she's just a baby!!!!

This wasn't the best move for me right now, but it was the best move to show trust in vecepia alliance + Raffy, so here we are. I don't think for one second that Champ, Tyler, and JayJay are buying my "oh Jinx popped into my DMs a minute before tribal telling me they don't trust AJ any more" but I had to say something. They were going to assume I spilled the beans anyway lol.

So next up...JayJay, Champ, or Tyler!

Jayjay

I’m wondering why Jinx forfeited the challenge… I tried my best on this one but glad that it was Toni out of anyone who won immunity 👏🏼 Proud

Trinica

I actually thought I had this challenge in the bag but Moby Dick fucked me. As it so often does. I'm glad my ally won BUT I really wish it was me because I think Champ/Tyler/JayJay don't trust either of us so now I'm probably their target. All it takes is a well-placed idol and I go home.

Raffy

I'm glad to see that last tribal council went exactly as I thought. My alliance has had such a death grip in this game. However, at the Final 7, I have a feeling tonight is going to go my way. There are too many idol variables. I feel like I am getting idoled out tonight for real this time. Oh well. I think our plan is remaining the same. We are not going to talk to the other side as to give them no ideas. Hopefully it seems like we will be voting JayJay. They use any idols they have on her. We vote someone else. If it works, great! If it doesn't, wig.

Tyler Frazier

So I did awful in the challenge per usual, I don’t know what the plan is tonight and I’ll probably be left out of the vote or shocked by it again. BUT here’s what I think will happen We say we are voting raffy and he plays an idol or “miraculously” gets the numbers once again sending Jayjay or myself out of the game

Champ

If I stay in throw this next round, I’m gonna fight for an immunity run! At first it was strategic to make me seen as non threatening, but now I need to build my resume

Toni

Theme: How Did I win immunity?

AJ is gone!! A queen truly but she had to go lol I could not keep up with her betrayals lol. The scariest thing is thinking you're at the top of an alliance and not knowing you're actually on the bottom. Even though I won Immunity this round I am still a little bit anxious about a blindside or a flip this round by one of my allies. Trinica has grown increasingly quiet but I think it's because she feels like she's in danger this round. I want to do everything to keep trinica safe this round.

Also, HOW DID I WIN IMMUNITY?

Just when I had given up all hope I was ever going to be a challenge winner looool I was not expecting it. I hope I can win more. That would be cool. This one felt a bit like luck lol. I'm very worried about the next few rounds but I'm very worried about this round simply because I feel like an idol will be played tonight and I may lose and ally which will make the next tribal very difficult.

The best we can hope for is a misplayed Idol.

Byeeeeeeeeeeee

Jinx

jinxcast for f8 but going into f7 https://voca.ro/1eU58SflmxCx

[dhampiravidi]

in--somnium​:

Truth be told, none of this would be happening right now if it weren’t for Tyler. Or, at least, Cassia’s part in it wouldn’t be happening without him. Because she never, ever, in a million years, would have ever approached Caleb Danvers on her own. And if, for some reason, he had approached her, she probably would have given him little more than a short, soft, “hello” before finding a reason to scurry off. “Intimidated” would have been an understatement for what she would have felt if she’d met him without having already heard about him from Tyler. It wasn’t Caleb’s fault, of course- but, while Cass had a way of searching for the best in most people, she would have made some pretty dumb assumptions about him (well, all of them, actually) just from a glance. After all, Caleb was handsome. No, not just handsome, he was hot. Like ridiculously hot. Tall, well built, with that killer smile of his. Most guys with looks like his and money like his, in her personal experience at least, hadn’t been… the kindest of people. At least not to her or her friends. Caleb, however, had been entirely different than what she would have expected him to be. Sweet. Thoughtful. Responsible. Mature. She’d had a little crush on him from the first moment they’d met and she’d tried really hard to just… squish that down, convinced he’d never like a girl like her back. She wouldn’t consider herself especially pretty or anything. She was, in her own opinion, fairly average overall and Caleb Danvers was so far out of her league… Sometimes she still thought she was caught in a fever dream or something. In fact, a small part of her was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak- a daughter of divorced parents didn’t make for a particularly stable view on relationships and love. But she’d learned a long time ago that the best you can do is not dwell on things like that. Live in the moment, as it goes. So that’s what she was doing. Enjoying her time with Caleb while she had it, whether it was just for another day or if she was still finding ways to steal kisses from him 20 years from now. 

“Skee ball is kind of my specialty,” A nudge of his shoulder and she walked maybe a bit closer than she needed to, her giant plush still held to her chest with one arm while her other hand was in Caleb’s. “But there’s no shame in losing, either. I just like to play the games,” She admitted. Losing could be just as fun as winning if you wanted it to be. 

Her eyes hovered on Pogue and Jayn for a second before she glanced back at Caleb. So much for hoping he hadn’t noticed. “We’ll give ‘em a second,” She said, giving his hand a small squeeze. “I’m sure everything’s okay.” She hoped he understood the unspoken words: if things seemed not to be okay, then they’d go check on the other couple. It wasn’t their place to get in the middle of it, especially if they were just looking for some time alone. For now, anyway, they had a game of skee ball to play. And by the end of the game when Cass had won, she looked back over at Pogue and Jayn and was glad to see that everything seemed to be okay- Jayn was tucked against Pogue in a hug and the sight of it made Cassia smile. (Did they realize how cute they were?) Pogue was desperate for a way to assure her that he wanted her, that all the things he’d said were true. Jayn- beautiful, passionate, smart, Jayn. The kind of girl who got his heart beating faster just at the sound of her name. At the thought of how nice she felt pressed against him. How could he not want her? (And, after that incident in the pool, did she really still not know how badly he craved her?)

When she placed her hands over his, Pogue felt the tension and the worry start to flood out of him. He leaned down into the kiss she offered, and when she pulled away from it he followed her lips just a second longer, drawing out the contact. He wasn’t so good with words, didn’t know how to say the right thing, could even make matters worse when he wasn’t careful… but physical affection? He was good at that. Comfortable with it. He wanted to be touching her whenever he could- his fingers, his lips… Then she mentioned his eyes and Pogue laughed softly. It wasn’t at all what he was expecting her to say, and it had caught him off guard in a good way. “What color are they now?” He asked, just a hint of playfulness to his tone as he wrapped her up in his arms. Really, he didn’t care at all if his costume got a little mussed from it. He wanted to hold her. Wanted to press her close. She fit against him so nicely. Then the “I love you” came and hit him square in the chest, stealing his breath for a few moments. She loved him. She loved him. He tightened his hold on her just a bit, felt his lips pull into an affectionate smile. He wasn’t so open about it, but Pogue was maybe a bit of a hopeless romantic. “I love you, too,” He said back, Then one more time because it felt nice to say: “I love you.” He��d said it to Kate before, too, of course. Had thought he’d meant it then (maybe even had meant it at some point). But it felt more… genuine with Jayn. He couldn’t explain that, wouldn’t try to. But it settled in his chest in a way it never really had when he was with Kate. “And I’ll call you "baby” all you want,“ He added with a chuckle. "Any other nicknames or terms of endearment you want while I’m at it?” He joked, pulling back just enough to lean down and kiss her forehead.

Pogue was glad that the incident was resolved now, hoped that it wouldn’t be an issue anytime again in the near future. But even if it was, he had every intention of reminding her again that he wanted her, that he loved her.  “Ya wanna go play a game or two now?” He asked, gently running a thumb beneath each of her eyes to help her fix her makeup a little (though, admittedly, she’d looked hot even with the slightly messy eyeliner). “I’ll win you something. Whatever you want.” He grinned. 

Tyler was glad to see Reid so excited. When was the last time his best friend had been out on a date? It felt like way too long (and he was sure it felt even longer to Reid). Though he did hate to be the voice of reason, having to tell him to be careful about how much candy he ate. He didn’t want Reid being a zombie on his first date with this girl, after all.

“Sure it’s all about candy, but do you really want to show up to your first date with this girl with the equivalent of a hang over? Uh-uh. She’s totally into you, but that might just make her change her mind,” He warned, arms crossed. “But it’s just one night, Reid. You make it through tonight consuming a normal amount of candy and tomorrow? Well, after your date, you can eat as much sugar as you want.”

Then Aaron chimed in with the reminder of advent calendars and Tyler nodded. “Hey! Yeah! There’s that, too! We’ll get you an advent calendar. One of the good ones with-” And then Reid was jumping forward to hug Aaron and Tyler cut himself off with a laugh. This was good- Reid and Aaron were notorious for not getting along, so seeing this shift was encouraging. He hoped it was a sign that they could maybe be friends? Then it was just a matter of convincing Pogue and Caleb that Aaron had changed, too.

Tyler laughed again a couple moments later when Reid mentioned gathering more candy. “Yeah, yeah. Alright. You can still collect as much candy as you want. I won’t stop you from that.” Collecting candy and eating candy were two different things entirely, and Tyler had told Reid that he could eat as much candy as he wanted post-date. “Let’s round up the others and get moving, then.” And, as if on cue, he caught sight of Pogue and Jayn, waved them over. It was also hard to miss Caleb considering he was so tall and also, ya know, dressed up like a big skeleton. So when he saw them, Tyler waved them over, too. 

“Sounds like you think you’re gonna win, then,” Caleb replied. He was trying to balance out the attention he was giving Cassia with what he was giving to Pogue and Jayn. On the one hand, Cassia was his girlfriend. They were currently on an unofficial date, celebrating her favorite holiday (which he’d promised to make special). In the past, girls he’d dated had gotten upset when he had prioritized his friends over them. He didn’t think he did it too often, and he told himself that his friends were ultimately more important, since they’d be there for him no matter what. Still, he didn’t want to lose Cassia. She was sort of becoming a close friend and a love interest for him. Unlike his exes, she didn’t have some glaring flaws he kept politely ignoring. 

And then, on the other hand, were Pogue and Jayn. He liked both of them a lot. Obviously, he was closer with Pogue, as they’d known each other forever (and had that weird abandoned will-they-won’t-they thing going on for a while). And yet, he thought a lot of Jayn. When his mother had said that a girl his age would be living in their home, Caleb hadn’t been too fond of the idea (even if he kept his feelings about it a secret). The more people who knew about the Covenant, the more likely it was that the wrong people would find out about it. On top of that, he feared that the girl would be annoying, discourteous, and/or ridiculously flirtatious--and with everything he had planned for his school year, Caleb didn’t need that. Instead, Jayn had been great. She helped out with some of the chores, talked to his mom when he was gone, and convinced him to vent to her when he was stressed out. She was a good friend. He was happy Pogue was with someone cool. In other words, if Caleb could keep them from getting into a really bad fight, he would. He was thankful Cassia seemed to understand that.

He glanced over at the other couple every so often but forced himself to stop once they began to huddle together. From what Caleb had observed, Jayn processed negative emotions the way he did. They both tried to hide them from other people (not wanting to be a burden) until someone close to them called them out on their crap. Eventually, they’d let everything out and calm down. Caleb figured she was probably on the second part if she was letting Pogue in. “Nice job,” he told Cassia when she won. He kissed her cheek, feeling both relieved and happy, then shared a knowing glance with her as her gaze returned to him from looking at Pogue and Jayn. “Did you want another prize?” He doubted she’d choose another big stuffed animal, seeing as how she was already holding one, but there were some little toys in the reward bin along with the candy.

Jayn had always longed for the ultimate love story. She didn’t expect her future partner to be perfect, but she really hoped that she would be for them. After years of awkward, unrequited crushes, she finally found Pogue. He was always kind to everyone, protective of his pack, and willing to listen to her ramble about anything. Except for the Caleb thing (which she had decided to push to the back of her mind) and that time when she thought he didn’t like her period, she really did love him. So when they’d been in the back of Tyler’s Jeep together, casually admitting their mutual attraction to each other and she’d kissed Pogue--Jayn had a split-second meltdown. She had never kissed anyone in her life, aside from giving her parents the occasional kiss on the cheek. But as always, Pogue came through for her. He kissed her once, twice, and then again on her forehead like she was something special. He looked at her like she was made of gold.

She beamed and blushed when he laughed at her comment about his eyes. “Oh, shh,” Jayn mumbled, too embarrassed to reply. Compliments were something she gave out both genuinely and generously. Apparently, she hadn’t given him one about his gorgeous irises yet. She thought she’d told him she loved him, too, but the words made him pause as if he hadn’t expected them. Did he not hear it enough?, was her first thought, her first worry. Well, she’d make sure to say it every day she saw him from now on--OH FUCK, HE LOVES ME TOO! HE SAID IT! POGUE PARRY LOVES ME! (She was definitely gonna dance around in her room about that later. And text her mom about it.) “My name’s Janice, dunno if I told you,” she said, brushing a soft piece of hair behind his ear, “Only my family calls me that. I guess I like Jayn, Jaynie, baby...” She looked away, blushing hard. “Babygirl. Do not tell anyone.” Jayn looked around to make sure that no one was listening in, and she caught sight of Tyler. “Ty’s calling everybody. Tell me what I can call you later.” She reluctantly left the warmth of Pogue’s hug to take his hand, gently tugging him toward where the group was meeting.

Aaron froze at first. His brain had translated “Reid jumping forward” to mean “we’re being attacked”, but then he realized the blond Mothman had gone in for a big hug instead. “Yeah, you’re welcome.” He joined his boyfriend in laughing and patted Reid’s back, making a mental note to give the guy some candy for his birthday (he’d have to ask Tyler when that was). It was really nice, finally getting to be part of the jokes and to see Ty be a dad friend. He got to see how all the guys (and the girls) made up a little family of their own. Maybe they could all play DnD together someday...

Reid immediately went to Caleb the moment the two couples had arrived at the rendezvous point. “Do you have the map?” he asked, wanting to know where the haunted house was. He wasn’t one for enjoying math, but he was prepared to do some calculations if it told him how much candy he’d haul in at the next few houses. 

“You’re not gonna tell them about your date?” That was probably the only thing Aaron could’ve said that would distract Reid from his goal. Reid smirked, giving his friends a look that belonged on the face of Westley from the Princess Bride. 

“This guy got a date with that girl.” He pointed over to the booth where Rose had been. She was gone.

“Uh...” Caleb looked and did not see.

“Rose Davies. 5′5″ish? Brown hair, blue eyes. Harvard sweatshirt.” Reid nudged Aaron. “Back me up,” he whined, wanting to prove that he’d actually gotten a girl to say yes before they all started thinking he was crazy. Aaron nodded.

“She ran the tic-tac-toe booth. Me and Ty saw her. They’re meeting up at the diner tomorrow morning, so Tyler’s having him stay off candy for tonight,” he explained. Jayn beamed and gave Reid a friendly hug.

“Congrats,” she told him, before stepping back to Pogue. Reid had told her (and Cassia and Tyler) about tons of his crushes at book club. Poor guy wanted a relationship, but couldn’t find one. Maybe he’d be lucky this time.

“Thanks.” Reid quickly snapped to attention. “Haunted house first, candy on the way?” he asked Caleb, mimicking a whimpering puppy.

[huggybug]

can you do 56 with matthew tkachuk for dilf day?

happy dilf day!

56. “You do realize what time it is, right?”

“Holy shit!” Brady screamed as the family waited outside the locker room for Matthew.

“Brady! Language!”

“Sorry” He grimaced at his mom before looking down at your daughter who was too busy talking to Taryn to hear him anyway.

“That was the most stressed I’ve been so far” Chantal laughed as you agreed with her.

“And it’s only round one” The entire Tkachuk family had been travelling between Calgary and Dallas for this series and as exciting as it was, it seemed like it had gone on forever, you were all glad that it ended with a win.

“There he is!” The hallway fills with cheers as Keith and Brady attack your husband, Taryn joining soon after when your daughter sees her dad is finally out and she drags her aunt over to congratulate him.

“Where’s my congratulations kiss?” You snort when Matthew escapes his family and appears at your side with your daughter on his hip.

“Congrats Matty, great game” You plant a quick kiss on his lips, keeping it pg, staying aware of his family surrounding you. No matter how long you’ve been with Matthew and how much he pushes for it, you tend to keep the pda to a minimum.

“That’s it? Jeez a nice goal in the series winning game and that’s all I get?” You smack his arm as everyone laughs around you. Leaning up to kiss his cheek, you whisper a promise of ‘later’ in his ear which is enough to shut him up for now. Everyone’s talking over each other but your eyes stay on your daughter who seems to be falling asleep in Matthew’s arms.

“Should we go for ice cream?” Matthew asks your daughter who’s eyes light up at the suggestion. It was funny, the usual post-win celebration was going to the bar but obviously with your daughter around, that wasn’t going to happen.

“We can take her back, you guys should go out with the team” Chantal offered but Matthew was quick to turn her down.

“Nah I want to celebrate with both my girls” He pokes your daughter’s belly which makes her giggle and squirm in his arms.

“You do realize what time it is, right?” You ask him and turn your phone for him to see it was almost midnight, way past your daughter’s bedtime.

“Babe, we just won the series, she’s fine” You look at the little girl who was struggling to keep her eyes open and laughed a little.

“Can you stay awake to get some ice cream lovey?” You ask her, running your hand down her back and she shoots up at the mention of ice cream again.

“Mhm I’m not even tired Mommy” You shake your head while laughing as Matthew fist bumps her.

“Fine but only because you won” You grin when Matthew cheers with your daughter.