#okay let's do a headcount here

[fadedncity]

safety net

wc: 4.6k

pairing: jeno x fem!reader

cw: smut, bsf!jeno, friends to lovers, non idol au, haunted attractions, reader has coulrophobia (a fear of clowns), use of fake blood, (soft)dom!jeno, teasing, pet names, multiple orgasms, choking, manhandling, spanking, fingering, praise kink, oral sex (receiving/giving), protected sex, aftercare…pretty sure that’s it

song inspo: safety net by ariana grande feat. ty dolla sign

You could hear the screams coming from inside as you and your friends moved up in the line. You nervously bounced on the balls of your feet, glancing at every person passing, keeping an eye out for the horror actors who were going around jump-scaring patrons.

Jeno noticed you become more anxious, unable to stop fidgeting.

"You're not too thrilled about this, are you?" he asks.

"What would make you say that?" you furrow your brows, clearly unaware of it written all over you.

"You seem a little on edge."

"What? No, I'm fine-" You turn to find the presence you felt creeping up behind you. You're face to face with a clown mask and almost jump out of your skin, letting out a small shriek.

But hearing Haechan's laugh, your fear quickly turns into anger as the boy pulls the mask away.

"Donghyeok, I swear I'm gonna fucking-" You lunged at him, only to be stopped by two strong arms.

"We don't need you laying him out here in the park before we even get to the door," Jeno says.

You grumbled, "Fine, but if he's missing from the headcount after this you know what happened," you glared at the Gemini, flipping him off as he stuck his tongue out at you.

"You know we don't have to do this you know, you and I can get off the line now." Jeno offers you one last out as the line continues to grow behind you.

"I know. I'll be fine. I just hate clowns," you peer over Jeno's shoulder at the actor in the clown costume standing across the lot, scaring other passersby in the park.

"I won't let anything happen to you, alright? I promise." Jeno says reassuringly.

"Thank you, Jen," you smile at him.

Your friends were the next group in line to enter the attraction. The big glaring neon letters in bright red, reading Hollow's Horror above the entrance, followed by a disclaimer of what could happen once you're inside. 

"So you gonna make a move tonight?" Minjeong whispers.

"What?" you ask.

"You and Jeno," she nods to the boy ahead of you, talking to Jaemin.

"Me and Jeno are just friends."

"Yeah, okay," Minjeong sarcastically nodded, "'I won't let anything happen to you. I promise.'" She mimicked Jeno's voice, and you elbow her.

"Hey, Johnny, you sure no one's ever died inside this thing?" Renjun asks the seasonal employee.

"Few people have passed out or accidentally injured themselves running and tripping over something, so the EMTs are on standby," Johnny answers. "All I'll say is the more scared you are, the more they're likely to go after you," he says, looking your way like he's talking to you directly. "But no, no one has died. Yet," Johnny says with a wicked grin as the doors open and your group is ushered inside. 

"Yet?? Did he just say yet?" Ningning questions as Jimin drags her along inside. 

You all stood in the dimly lit room, listening to Ten as he went over the rules and guidelines of the attraction. Minjeong unsubtly nudged you in Jeno's direction, causing you to stumble into him, and you shoot her a death glare over your shoulder.

"You ready?" Jeno asks you.

"As ready as I'll ever be," you sigh, following everyone else into the haunted house. 

. . .

"How'd I even get talked into this? Everyone else could be dead for all we know."

"You know damn well everyone's fine. We just got separated." Jeno says, continuing to lead the way, "Look, Chenle's still on live with Jisung and Ningning," he shows his phone, and you see Chenle hysterically laughing as the three of them are chased through a corn maze by an actor with a chainsaw.

"Of course he is, he loves this shit," you shake your head, peering around the corner on the lookout for another scarer.

"Come on, we're almost out," Jeno nodded in the direction of another doorway.

"How are you sure?"

"Yangyang's been raving about this thing since Hendery went last year. He's watched all the vlogs and read all the reviews. He practically has his own blueprint of this place, and I'm pretty sure the funhouse is one of the last."

The first three letters were scratched out and replaced with others to spell out Bloodhouse instead, and you glare at Jeno.

"Oh come on, you gotta be shitting me," you protest, hearing the circus-themed music grow louder. 

"You can do this, I have faith in you," Jeno holds out his hand, "And I'll be with you the entire time."

You let out a displeased sigh as you take Jeno's hand and follow him into the hall of mirrors. 

"Just try to relax and stay calm. If they smell your fear they'll come for you," Jeno whispers dramatically.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?"

"Maybe. But if it didn't, you know I still got you," Jeno reassuringly squeezed your hand. 

You let Jeno take the lead, holding his hand firmly as he guided you through the maze of electronic attractions, jumping out at the both of you as you passed them by. 

Jeno was seemingly moving fast through the poorly lit room, wanting to get you out as soon as possible. But the next corner you turn, you find two actors dressed as killer clowns shuffling around, awaiting their next victims.

Jeno feels your body tense up as you lock eyes with one of them.

"Stay calm," he says as both clowns stalk toward you.

"I can't," you say, your breathing becoming heavy. 

"Okay, so we run," he says.

Still holding hands, the maniacal laughter follows you both down a narrow hallway, where you feel hands grab at you both through the railings. But just as you both escape the hands grabbing at you, the sprinklers above your heads go off, spraying you and Jeno in fake blood.

Still processing all the red you're seeing, neither of you has the chance to react as another clown jumps out at you, yelling, "Give Lucky a big smile!"

You instantly grab Jeno, screaming bloody murder as a bright flash goes off. The actor shoved the Polaroid into Jeno's hands as the evil laughter grew louder and louder, more actors swarming you both. With his arms around you, Jeno takes you the rest of the way out of the haunted walk-through.

Complimentary towels were offered to you and Jeno as you exited the attraction with I Survived the Night at Hollow's Horror embroidered into the fabric. 

Still, in a bit of shock, it takes a second for you to register that it's over, and you're now back in the crowd of the theme park.

"Oh thank god, we're done," you practically collapse into Jeno's arms, "I couldn't take anymore of that."

"You okay?"

"Might have nightmares for a few days, but I'll live," you wipe your face clean of the fake blood.

"Well guess what, you did it. I'm proud of you," Jeno says, causing warmth to bloom in your chest.

"Holy shit, what the hell happened to you guys?" a familiar voice grabs both of your attention.

You and Jeno find most of your friends crowded outside, waiting for you and the few others still inside.

"They definitely got the bloodhouse," Jaemin said.

Haechan erupted into laughter, "Of course you did out of all people."

"You know Haechan just cause you made it through the haunted house doesn't guarantee you'll make it through the rest of the night." you started, but Jeno immediately put himself between you both.

"We survived!" Chenle yells triumphantly.

He runs toward your group with Jisung and Ningning not too far behind, all three of them wrapped up in their own complementary towels.

"Why are you guys wet?" Jimin asks.

"We ended up in the shark tank," Jisung says, chittering his teeth.

"Shark tank!? And this thing is legal??" Aeri asks.

"They definitely weren't real sharks," Yangyang says.

"You sure about that? Cause the teeth on that thing looked pretty real," Ningning said, hugging the towel tighter around herself. 

"Who cares? We're definitely coming back next year." Chenle declares.

"Yeah, we'll see about that."

. . .

"You didn't have to drive me home. I could've gone with Jimin," you say once on the front steps of your house.

"I know I didn't have to," Jeno shrugs, "But I wanted to."

"Well, thank you. Not just the ride but everything tonight. I don't know if I would've survived without you," you say lightheartedly.

"I promised you I wouldn't let anything happen to you, didn't I?"

You laugh, "Goodnight, Jeno."

"Goodnight," he says.

But neither of you move, your hand resting on the doorknob, wordlessly staring at Jeno.

"Everything okay?" Jeno asks.

"Yeah," you nod.

"Cause this is the part where you take out your keys and unlock the door so I know you've made it inside safely before I leave," he says, "Unless you don't want me to leave-" you cut him off with your lips on his.

Jeno's hands reach for your waist and pull you closer. You curl your arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Your hands find his hair, raking your fingers through the stiff strands dried with food dye and corn syrup.

"Do you wanna come in?" you ask.

"Do you want me to come in?" he retorts.

"You could at least come inside to wash up. It's the least I can offer."

. . .

The steam left from your shower poured out of the bathroom the second you opened the door and stepped into your bedroom, now wearing clean clothes.

"Whatcha looking at?" you ask, rubbing the last of your moisturizer into your hands.

You find Jeno on your bed, redressed in new clothes; a shirt, and some sweatpants he left at your place a while ago. You climb onto your bed, sit beside him, and see the Polaroid picture Jeno's looking at in his hands.

"Oh my god, I can't believe this," you take the picture as Jeno hands it to you.

"This is officially my favorite picture."

"Why? I look crazy!" you point to the terrified expression the photographer caught while you were mid-scream.

"I kinda think it's cute, I mean look at us. You're clinging onto me for dear life. I thought I was gonna lose my arm," Jeno jokes.

"Alright, you know what, I've had enough of you," you playfully roll your eyes, ready to stand and walk away. But Jeno doesn't give you the chance to get too far, grabbing your waist and pulling you back down into his lap.

"Well, that's too bad, because I definitely haven't gotten enough of you," he rubs his hands over your thighs as you lean closer.

You smile against Jeno's lips, cupping his face as you kiss him. Jeno rests his hand on your lower back, pressing firmly against your spine. You comb your fingers through his damp hair and swipe your tongue along the seam of his lips. As your tongues clash, Jeno's hands cup your ass, subtly directing you to roll your hips into his allowing you to feel the bulge in his pants.

"Wait-" Jeno stops kissing you.

"Oh my god, did I completely miss read this?" you drop your hands from his face.

"No, no," Jeno quickly clarifies, taking your hands in his, "It's just I don't want you to think I just wanna sleep with you."

"Oh."

"I mean, no, trust me I do—god knows how bad I want to. But I wanna be clear that I like you, y/n. Like really like you. And I need you to know that I'm not just using you—"

"Hey," you cut off his rambling, "I know you're not like that," you stroke his cheek, and Jeno sheepishly smiles, "So you like me, huh? Like really like me?" you teasingly smirk, resting your arms over his shoulders.

"You really think I would've just let Haechan drag me out tonight if you weren't gonna be there. You know I don't really care for that type of stuff. But for you…" he trails off.

"It's funny you say that, because I was pretty adamant about not going until Aeri told me you were."

"Sounds like we're pretty perfect for each other," Jeno says with a laugh.

"I mean it's not like nothing good came out of this," you smile, kissing his lips.

"No, lie there."

You softly nibble down on his bottom lip, making him quietly groan. You feel his fingers dig into your hips, lightly scratching his nails down your exposed thighs, causing you to gasp against his lips. Jeno takes the opportunity to slip his tongue into your mouth. He tastes the remaining fruity flavor of the gummies you were chewing on in the car on your lips.

Your hips drag against Jeno's, and you feel his cock through your shorts.

Jeno pulls you flush against his body and begins softly pressing kisses down the side of your neck, making you moan and arch into his touch.

"Jen," you call his name.

"Yeah, princess?" you almost moan as the pet name rolls off his tongue.

"I need you."

"I'm right here, baby. Can't think to be anywhere else right now. I'm all yours."

Jeno switches places with you, laying you down on the bed, your lips still attached.

"Gonna let me have a taste of you, angel?"

"Please," you nod.

Jeno admired you as you lay beneath him. "Just tell me if it's too much, you wanna stop, or even if you just need a break, okay?"

You nod, just hoping he'd touch you already.

"I'm gonna need words, pretty."

"Okay," you reassuringly nod again.

Jeno softly kisses your lips, and you feel his hand roam your body, kneading every place he can reach except where you want him most.

"You're so beautiful, princess," Jeno smirks, slipping his hands under your shirt and palming your breasts. You mewl into his touch as he started lifting your shirt. "So, so pretty," he hums, eyeing your perky nipples before he lowers himself and takes one into his mouth.

With his tongue swirling around your areola, Jeno had his hand occupied with your other nipple, rolling and tweaking it between his fingers.

Curling your fingers into the short hairs at the nape of his neck, you moan and arch your back into his mouth. You squirm beneath his body, the ache between your legs growing even stronger.

"Patience, baby," Jeno pulls away from you, "I like taking my time," he runs his hands up your thighs, softly squeezing your flesh.

"You know I'm not known for my patience," you say.

"Guess you better learn quickly then."

One of his fingers lightly trailed up your inner thigh. He took his finger and traced your clothed slit with a feather-light touch. You tried to raise your hips against his hand. But he pins your hips to the bed.

Jeno tsks, shaking his head. "You want something, angel, you gotta ask for it."

"Touch me," you breathe out.

"I am, aren't I?"

"You know what I mean," you say, irritation evident in your tone.

"No, I'm not sure. You want me to touch you here?" Jeno asks, rubbing your clit through your shorts.

"Yes," you buck your hips into his hand.

"Yes, what?"

"Please, Jeno," you frustratedly fist the sheets.

"Come on, sweetheart. I wanna hear you say it," his tone is soft as he applies more pressure to your clit.

"Fuck. Just fucking touch my pussy, Jen, please," you beg.

"Atta girl," he praised. "Wasn't so hard just using your words, now was it." he smiled as he removed your shorts along with your underwear.

"Fuck off-" your words are choked up by a moan as Jeno's fingers sink inside you.

"What was that?" Jeno asks, but you can't respond other than with another moan, "That's what I thought."

Jeno scissors his two fingers against your soft walls. The muscles in his arms flex every time he pumps his digits in and out of you.

"Feels good, huh, baby?" he watches your face twist up in pleasure as he curls his fingers.

"Yes."

He plants a few kisses on your face, "You want more?"

"Please, Jen, I need more. It feels so good," 

"That's it, princess. Taking my fingers like such a good girl."

"Don't stop. Please-" The stretch of Jeno's three fingers made it harder to think. Jeno watched his fingers disappear inside you, reappearing with a layer of slick coating them.

"Shh, it's okay, sweetheart. I've got you," Jeno talks you through it.

You weren't watching him, but you felt the bed shift.

"Oh my god!" you cry.

The most beautiful sound Jeno's ever heard came from your lips as he took your clit into his mouth. He directed one of your legs over his shoulder as he buried his face deeper between your legs.

"Come on, sweetness, say my name. Tell me who's making you feel so good."

"Jeno~"

He purred before dropping his head back down. Jeno wrapped his arms under your thighs, spreading your legs further apart. You writhed and thrashed in his hold, attempting to grind your hips against his mouth, but his strength never let up. Jeno's strong arms held you right where he wanted you. He lapped at your folds, using his fingers to part your lips, revealing your leaking hole, clenching around nothing.

Jeno hummed before delving back in. His eyes fluttered shut as he wiggled his tongue inside of you.

"Jen—fuck. I'm gonna-"

"Cum? You wanna cum for me?" he slipped his fingers back into your pussy.

"Yes, please, Jeno! I wanna cum for you," you whine.

You grab Jeno's wrist, rolling your hips against his hand as he curls his fingers just right, hitting that spongy spot inside you.

"Please-" you gasp.

Jeno kissed your thigh. "Cum," he practically growled.

Jeno sucked on your clit as your noises got louder. His fingers curled against your soft, gummy walls, and the obscene squelching of your juices mixing with his saliva filled your ears.

Your back arched off the bed, your fingers pulling at the roots of Jeno's hair. Your legs fought against his strength, threatening to close around his head.

"Jeno—ah!"

You quietly whimper when his fingers easily slip out of you. Your eyes blinked in and out of focus as Jeno licked his fingers clean with a delighted hum. He checks on you, softly cradling your face.

"Look at me," Jeno says, "Are you alright?" 

"Mhm," you nod, "You know it's been a minute since someone else has made me cum. That hard, especially."

"Which is why I was more than happy to do for you, baby," He kisses your lips, "I don't know if I would've been able to handle hearing about another one of your pathetic hookups," he mumbled.

You raise your brows and kiss your teeth, "You're one to talk. I'd rather have brunch with Pennywise than hear one more story about someone else's mind blowing orgasm from your supposed magic tongue."

"Are you saying my magic tongue didn't just give you a mind blowing orgasm?" Jeno raises an eyebrow.

"Shut up," you cross your arms over your chest.

"Aww, don't get like that, angel," Jeno uncrosses your arms. "Would it make you feel better to know I've never been that close to cumming untouched. Just from eating you out," he says, motioning toward the prominent outline in his shorts, and you notice the darkened spot of precum staining the material.

"How close?" you ask, sitting up with a smile threatening to spread on your face.

"Very close."

"Yeah?" you place your hand in his lap and start palming him over his clothes. "At least let me return the favor, you've been so good to me, Jen, let me make you feel good too," you gently trace the outline of his cock, and the corner of his mouth twitches.

He gave you a nod, and you pulled his cock out of his pants, grasping his length in his hand. Jeno hisses as you slowly jerk your wrist, teasing his tip with your thumb. Wasting no more time, you took his cock into your mouth, welcoming the weight of him on your tongue. You hummed around him, letting the salty precum coat your tastebuds.

You look up at him through your lashes, seeing him intently watching your ministrations. You lick a long stripe along the underside of his cock, his eyes refusing to leave your face, and they threaten to shut.

Spit dribbled out of your mouth onto his cock, assisting your hand in pumping the base. You swirled your tongue around the head of his cock, softly sucking the angry red tip.

"Holy shit," Jeno groaned. The hand resting on your head gently grasped your hair, lightly tugging your head back. "I'm gonna fucking spoil you," he said, pulling you in for a kiss.

You collapse back onto your bed to watch as Jeno grabs the back of his shirt, tearing it over his head, and you can't stop the moan coming out of your mouth seeing his adonis-like figure above you.

Jeno smiles, his ego definitively inflated a bit as he kicks off his sweats along with his boxers. Hooking his arms under your thighs, Jeno pulls you away from the head of the bed and back toward him.

As Jeno looked at you, the most unholy thoughts ran rampant through his mind.

"God, I love seeing you like this," he kissed your chest, "All I wanna do is ruin you," he darkly smiled.

"Please do," you grin before he sinks two fingers into your pussy.

Your eyes roll back, feeling his fingers wiggle against your soft walls.

"Such a needy little thing you are," Jeno said as he added another finger.

"Just for you," you moan.

You let out a small whine in protest when Jeno removes his fingers, using your juices on his hand to pump his cock.

"Get on your hands and knees for me?" Jeno's question comes out more like a gentle order, and you roll over onto your stomach, raising your hips into the air.

While you reposition yourself, having familiarized himself with your room, Jeno reaches into your nightstand, retrieving a condom for himself.

"This is definitely a view I can get used to," Jeno runs his hand down your spine before harshly bringing his hand down on your right asscheek, making you moan.

"Come on, Jen," you mewl, pushing your hips back into his as he rolls the condom onto his length.

"So impatient," he tsked, "Can't even properly admire you, baby," he smacked the other side of your ass.

"Jeno!"

His laugh melted into a deep groan as he slid his cock into you. 

"Oh my god," your eyes roll back, and your jaw clenches.

"Yeah?"

"You feel so fucking deep. Feels so good,"

"Pussy feels so goddamn good around me. It's like you're perfectly meant to take my cock, princess."

Jeno pulled both of your arms behind your back, holding your wrists with only one of his hands, using them to pull you back onto his cock repeatedly. You whined shamelessly into the sheets as Jeno continued to fuck you into the mattress.

You know right here and now isn't the ideal time for this thought to occur to you, but knowing Jeno's heard about every aspect of your sex life, and has remembered things you've mindlessly mentioned being into in passing, only causes you to lose any sort of composure you had left. You hold onto his wrist, moaning carelessly, your pussy choking Jeno's cock as it moves rhythmically in and out of your soaking cunt.

Jeno's movements started to pick up, and the harsh sound of his hips slamming into yours filled your ears beyond your own cries and whimpers.

"Jen, please I'm-"

"Yeah, come on, baby, give it to me," he rasped in your ear, "Cum for me."

You could feel Jeno's cock twitching inside your pulsating pussy. Jeno quickly pulled out of you before he also came, flaring his nostrils and clenching his jaw when he denied himself from cumming just yet.

Pressing kisses up your spine, Jeno asks, "Think you got one more for me?" slipping his middle finger into your overstimulated cunt.

A moan squeals out of your lips, and you nod. With ease, Jeno rolls you back over, pulling your legs apart to settle between them.

"Such a needy little cock slut. You already love the way I fill you up, don't you?" he asks, running the tip of his cock up your slit.

"Love it so much." you nod eagerly.

Your eyes roll back as Jeno bottoms out once more. 

"If only you could see yourself, princess," Jeno softly wraps his hand around your throat, "All fucked out and taking all of me like a good girl." Between Jeno's fingers lightly squeezing the sides of your neck and his words, your head was spinning.

The intense pleasure came over you, you couldn't piece together words anymore. Jeno smiled, hearing your incoherent babbling.

"J-Jeno..oh my god, ple-ease!" you cried.

You blinked your glossy eyes up at Jeno as he slowed down but deepened his strokes. You smiled, feeling how deep he was inside you, and you could feel your body teetering the edges of your third orgasm of the night.

"Dumb little princess," he crooned, "Have I already fucked you stupid, baby?"

Flustered by his words, you laugh, "Yes, yes, yes, Jen! please don't stop," you arch your back.

"That's my pretty girl," Jeno deeply rolled his hips into yours. "Let me know how good I'm making you feel."

"It's so good, it's so go-ood, Jeno, m'gonna cum," you whine.

"Go ahead and soak my cock, angel," he grunted.

Red streaks decorate Jeno's arm as your nails dig into his skin, another earth-shattering orgasm slamming into you.

"Th-thank you—fuck—thank you," you cried, tears of pleasure pricking at your eyes. You could hear how heavy Jeno's breathing has become and know he's not too far behind you.

"Mhm, such a good girl," Jeno's voice drops a few octaves as his hips stutter, filling the latex with his cum.

Your legs were trembling as they fell against Jeno's. He gently caressed your face, waiting for you to come back down to him.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Much more than," you smile.

"Happy to hear. Just give me a minute." Jeno says, softly kissing your lips before slipping out of your pussy, disposing of the condom, and pulling his sweatpants back on as he disappeared into the bathroom.

Jeno quickly returned with a wet cloth to wipe away the stickiness clinging to your skin.

Once he was done, you sat up and let Jeno pull you into his arms. The usual annoyance of your clammy skin sticking to his hadn't bothered you much as you just wanted to be in his arms.

"What're you thinking about?" Jeno's voice breaks the silence.

"Hm?" you snap out of your thoughts.

"You're quiet. I can tell there's a lot going through your mind right now."

"A lot of things pertaining you, yes."

"I meant what I said earlier. I really do like you."

"I know…I kinda really like you too."

You swear his eyes sparkled as a smile broke out on his face, "You have no idea how much it means to hear that. I was too afraid I would've messed something up between us."

"And I thought I was the only one here who faces their fears tonight," you say before planting a kiss on his lips.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you need I can get for you?" he asks.

"I'm all good right here." You wrap your arms around his neck, resting your forehead against his, "This is all I need."

a/n: this was especially for the five of you that had already seen this last week when I accidentally posted 😭😭 thank you for reading!! feedback is appreciated <33

edit: i can’t believe i let all of y’all read this with this many typos and shit 😭 i swear i wasn’t done editing but this was the second time it accidentally posted from my drafts and i just said fuck it 🚶🏽‍♀️

[roosterforme]

Adult Education Part 9 | Hangman x OC

Summary: Jessica visits Beta Brewing and meets one of Bradley Bradshaw's former fraternity brothers. He's flirtatious, and she's surprised by it. But nothing surprises her as much as the way Jake can be so sweet and sexy at the same time. But she doesn't know he's only ever been like this for her.

Warnings: Fluff, smut, swearing, 18+

Length: 6600 words

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female OC

This story is part of the Beer Boy and Sugar universe but can be read on its own! Adult Education masterlist

Seriously, who let Jake on my masterlist!? Banner by @mak-32

Bradley Bradshaw helped Jessica climb up into the backseat of the idling vintage Ford Bronco with her notebook, a pen and her overnight bag. He somehow looked even more handsome in jeans and a tie dyed shirt with a backwards cap than he did in his uniform. "I can't thank you enough for doing this," she said as he released her hand and smiled. 

"It's nothing," he replied casually with a shrug of his broad shoulders before closing the door. But it was definitely something to Jessica. It had been a very long time since she had friends. She watched as he climbed back into the driver's seat and leaned over to accept a kiss from his wife. His handsome cheeks flushed a little bit as he cleared his throat and asked, "Ready to hit the road?"

"Yes," Jessica said as she buckled in for the half hour drive up to Beta Brewing. Advanced Calculus was turned around in the front seat, handing her a snack box filled with mixed berries and artisan cheeses. 

"Bradley packed these for us," she said with a grin as she held up a second one. Sure enough he was blushing a little more now.

"Thank you," Jessica gushed, biting into a ripe raspberry and thinking about what Jake might be cooking for dinner later tonight. She'd never eaten this well in her entire adult life.

"It's nothing," Bradley said again as he turned onto the highway. "So how much beer do you think you'll need for this fundraiser?"

"At least two kegs?" Jessica said as she ate some of the cheese that was practically melting on her tongue. "More than that will kill my thousand dollar budget."

"I think you're better off with three," Advanced Calculus said. "I know you don't have a final headcount yet, but with the way Bradley and Jake drink, you'll run out with just two."

Bradley laughed. "You really think Jake and I could drink an entire keg of beer ourselves?"

"The two of you drank the equivalent of a keg of champagne on New Year's Eve," his wife replied easily as she fed him a berry.

"Ah yes," he rasped, "the inception of Dr. Tits." Jessica laughed as Advanced Calculus smacked his shoulder. Bradley looked in the rearview mirror and asked, "You know about Dr. Tits?"

"Yes," Jessica replied, recalling the story of drunk Jake and the low cut dress. Of course Advanced Calculus had been a good sport about it. 

"And you still want to date Jake Seresin? He's a goddamn menace."

"He's actually much less annoying since he met Jessica," he wife remarked. 

"Shit. You're right," Bradley mumbled. "Okay, you actually have to date him. You're never allowed to break up with him either."

After that, Jessica got some inside scoop and funny stories about her boyfriend. Apparently he tried to sleep behind the bar at their Navy hangout on his birthday last year. And at Starbucks, he likes to give Hungman as his name just to see if the baristas will say it, but at least he leaves them a nice tip for their troubles. And neither Bradley nor his wife could ever remember Jake having a girlfriend since he graduated from the Naval Academy. 

"Here we are," Bradley said as he pulled into a parking lot right next to a beautiful cliffside beach. Beta Brewing was written in huge graffiti lettering on the side of an industrial building. Bradley wrapped his arm around his wife and headed toward a door off to the side with a sign that said Tap Room.

Jessica followed behind them and asked, "What was your friend's name again?" She was suddenly very nervous that she was going to sound like an idiot asking for a deal on this guy's designer beer.

"Dev Borah," Bradley said, pulling the door open for the two women to go first.

"He's nice," his wife promised. "You'll like him."

Jessica took a few steps into the bar area that smelled delicious and was decorated like a tasteful fraternity house. "We open at noon!" boomed a voice from the long bartop. "Sorry!"

Bradley chuckled and said, "That's bullshit. You can't turn away a Beta Gamma brother."

"Oh shit!" the other man with dark hair and a big, beaming smile said as he looked up and slammed his palm down on the countertop. "Bradshaw! I completely forgot you were coming up today."

Jessica watched as Dev popped up from behind the bar and gave Bradley some weird, elaborate handshake before they both started laughing. "It's good to see you man. Been a few months," Dev said, eyeing up Brashaw's wife. "And it's honestly rude of you to try to keep this one away from me." 

"Hi, Dev," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"I still can't believe the two of you got married. That's fucking wild," Dev replied before focusing his attention on Jessica. A crooked smile appeared on his lips, the kind that let her know he would have been quite a handful when he was in college. "And you're Jessica?" he asked, reaching out to shake hands with her. "Damn. I've gotta get down to San Diego more often." 

She laughed and shook his hand. Maybe she didn't have anything to be nervous about after all. This man seemed like a goof as he took the three of them on a tour of the brewery and back into the areas he assured her were top secret.

He also seemed to understand the entire process involved here. He answered all of their questions about brewing beer and the business end of things. "We're shipping as far as Pennsylvania now," he said when Jessica asked about distribution. "Making it hard for me to crunch all the numbers myself, but I'm really particular about who I let in on the details." When he stopped in front of an industrial looking door, he punched a code into the keypad and said, "Let's dip into my personal stash."

The room was his office, and it was massive with floor to ceiling windows and a view of the cliffs and the beach. Jessica watched him open a stainless steel refrigerator and select a few bottles and cans from his collection and line them up on his glossy desk. "This is incredible," she remarked, looking out the window while Bradshaw gazed longingly into his wife's eyes and said something about only drinking the good beers. "Your whole setup is incredible."

"Thanks," Dev said as he opened a bottle of beer called Greek Week and handed it to her. "Started the whole thing myself about seven years ago."

The beer was absolutely delicious, and Jessica wondered if she could buy a six pack or something to take to Jake's place. "I like this beer. Can I get it in a keg? For that event I believe Bradley mentioned to you?"

Dev smiled and said, "We don't keg this one. It's a limited release of 500 bottles."

She almost choked on it. "500 bottles and you're letting me have one? Are you insane?"

His laughter was contagious, because soon she was laughing too. "You can have one. His wife can too, if she wants. But Bradshaw gets one of the regular beers. That's what he gets for never helping me with my homework. That asshole graduated top of our fraternity."

"Yeah, I absolutely did," Bradley said, winking at his wife as Dev handed him a different beer. "Sugar made sure I spent plenty of time in the library. Studying." His wife looked a little bashful, but she accepted her own bottle of the limited release Greek Week beer and sipped it.

"If you want kegs," Dev said, "we can walk through the warehouse so you can see what's available. I have a few brews that were aged in barrels and a few others as well right now. You can try some samples in the tap room and take whichever kegs you want."

Jessica nodded and finished her beer. "Sounds great. I'll probably need three kegs, but I have a very limited budget, so two might have to work."

Dev just waved her off. "We'll talk about it down there." He led the way through a labyrinth of hallways and down an elevator to the warehouse. "Careful," he told Jessica with a wink as he held a door open for her. "Usually I don't let anyone in here with high heels, but I don't think I could tell you no to anything you wanted to do."

Jessica looked down at her jeans and heels and then back up at him. "I'll be extra careful."

"Let me know if you need to hold my hand," he said with that same grin before leading the way toward rows and rows of kegs where a handful of employees were working. "Point out the three you want unless you want to taste them first."

"I've tried all of them," Bradley told Jessica. "There's no such thing as a bad beer made at Beta. They are all good."

She didn't want to cause any extra work for anyone. She just wanted the event to be successful which meant staying under budget. "Can I just take three of your least expensive ones?"

"Is that really your deciding factor?" Dev asked, waving someone with a cart on wheels over. 

"Yeah," she replied with a wince. "I'm sure they're all great! The Greek Week was amazing! But I need this fundraiser to be as successful as possible, and the finances are tight."

Jessica wondered if she could come back up with Jake and his truck one day to pick them up, but Dev asked, "Can you fit three of them in your Bronco, Bradshaw?"

"Yep," Bradley replied, his arm draped casually around his wife's shoulders. 

"Okay then," Dev said to the man with the cart. "Load one keg of Gamma Rays, one of East Coast Girls, and one of Nerd Core into the fancy blue thing parked outside."

Jessica's math brain was swirling. "How much do I owe you?"

Dev shrugged. "They retail for three hundred apiece, but you can have them at cost."

"Well, how much is that?" She was starting to panic now. 

Dev was laughing again. "I'm not going to charge you a penny for the kegs. It's on me."

Bradley laughed, too. "That's just bad business, man. Didn't you study accounting?"

"Nah, I studied girls," Dev replied, smirking at Jessica as she blushed. "Come on, I'll send you home with some bottles."

Once they were in the tap room, Jessica insisted on paying for two six packs of beer while Bradley and his wife picked some out of the coolers as well. "I can't thank you enough," Jessica told Dev as he ran her credit card. "This whole thing is just really important to me getting tenure at my school, and... just, thank you."

"Don't mention it," he said as he handed the card back to her. "Bradshaw can make up for it in manual labor when I do my next brewery expansion."

Jessica looked to her left to where Bradley was setting down the beers he wanted to buy. "N-No," she stammered. "I wouldn't want anyone to have to do that!"

"I'm kidding," Dev promised as he took Bradley's credit card. 

"You could come to the fraternity event!" Jessica blurted out. "And I could definitely promote your brand, too."

Dev tossed the card back to Bradley and shooed him away with his hand. Jessica thought she heard Bradley laughing behind her as Dev leaned a little closer, his perfect smile back on his face. "Just to clarify, are you asking me on a date?"

Her jaw dropped open. Would it have been that easy for her to get a date with him? She was shocked. He owned a brewery worth millions of dollars. "Oh. No. I have a boyfriend."

Dev shook his head. "Not surprising in the least. Email me the details for your event. I'd love to come, even if it's just an excuse to see you smile again."

"Okay," she said softly, taking both six packs in her hands. "And thanks again."

Jessica stumbled outside into the sunlight where Bradley and his wife were practically making out next to the Bronco which was filled with three kegs of beer. Even when she approached them, he didn't bother to remove his hands from her butt, but Jessica supposed that was a good sign that they considered her a friend as well. 

"So? You ditching Jake for Dev?" Bradley asked, laughter in his voice. 

"No!" Jessica replied. "But I can't believe he gave me the kegs for free. Really, it's thanks to you."

"Don't worry about it," Bradley replied, opening the door for her before walking around to the passenger side for his wife. "Dev's loaded, and he's nice anyway. So if you ever do decide to ditch Jake, you have options."

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

The Longhorns game was on, dinner was ready to go into the oven, and Jessica just texted that she was on her way. Jake was lounging on the couch, ready to spend the rest of the day and all night convincing her that she should show him her pretty green underwear and let him take it off of her. 

He bought a new box of condoms, just in case. He felt a little weird digging into an open box for her, so he just tossed the last few he had, deciding to start fresh. In a lot of ways, that's what he was doing. Starting fresh. 

Everything around him was spotlessly clean. There were new sheets on his bed. He had Sam Adams seasonal beers in the fridge. He had his couch ready for snuggling. He just needed her. 

When she knocked, he rocketed off the couch, fixing his hair on the way to his door. "Hi-" The words died in his throat and he grimaced as he was met with Bradley Bradshaw, but at least he was holding some beers. "Rooster."

"Hangman," came the response with a smirk. When he pushed his way inside, Jake saw his wife was behind him, and then he finally saw Jessica. 

"Jake," she sighed breathlessly, and he collected her up in his arms. He kicked the door closed as she kissed him, but he was wondering why there were four people in his condo instead of two when all he really wanted to do was take Jessica to bed.

"Hey, Baby. How was the brewery?"

Bradshaw was laughing as he made his way to the kitchen. "You can kiss your girlfriend goodbye. Dev Borah wants her. He just texted me asking how serious Jessica is with her boyfriend."

"Who?" Jake asked, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Jessica.

"The beer guy. His fraternity brother," she replied, kissing him softly. "Bradley's just kidding."

"He's not kidding," Bradshaw's wife said as she picked up one of the journals on the coffee table. "Dev really texted him."

Jake didn't think he actually had any cause for concern as Jessica wiggled her bag down her arm and let it drop to the floor so she could snuggle against his chest. "Why don't you text him back and tell him to fuck off," Jake told Bradley who was now rooting around in his refrigerator. 

"What are you making for dinner?" he mumbled. "Bruschetta chicken? Sugar loves it when I make that for her."

"Bruschetta chicken?" his wife replied, also hustling into Jake's kitchen.

"Fuck," Jake whispered, "they're never gonna leave."

"Sorry," Jessica mumbled. "Bradley insisted on carrying the beers I bought up here for me. I got you a bottle of this one called Greek Week which Dev told me is a limited release, and I think you'll really like it."

Jake kissed her lips softly and asked, "What's it going to take for you to forget this Dev guy all together?"

She blushed for him and glanced toward the kitchen before she said, "I didn't wear my pretty green things for Dev. I wore them for you."

A smirk instantly appeared on Jake's face. Images of Jessica's bare pussy rubbing on his khaki uniform pants while she whined for him filled his mind. He would just have to make sure he was very good for her every single time, because there was no way he was giving her up now. 

"Can we stay for dinner?" Rooster asked from the kitchen. "I want to compare recipes." 

"No," Jake drawled as Jessica's lips found his neck in the briefest of kisses. "I'm going to say this as nicely as I can: Get the fuck out. Please."

"So rude," Bradshaw's wife replied, but she was smiling. Jake watched her lean in and whisper something to her husband. 

His eyes went wide immediately, and he was nodding as his tongue darted out to lick his lips. "Yeah, I can do that for you, Sugar," he said softly, but Jake still heard him. Then Bradshaw cleared his throat and said, "See you on Monday, Hangman. Bye, Jess." He dragged his wife behind him as he made a beeline for the door, and she waved as she laughed.

And then they were gone, and Jake was just thankful it wasn't awkward at all when Jessica whispered, "I was afraid they weren't going to leave," as she ran her fingers up underneath his Longhorns shirt. 

"He would have stayed, but she's a good wingwoman," Jake replied, kissing her temple, his lips meeting the cool plastic of her glasses. "And I just want to spend time alone with you. You want to sit on the couch? Have a few beers?"

The Longhorns game was on mute, but he'd lost interest in it anyway as Jessica carefully stepped out of her high heels. Now she really had to look up at him as she started to unbutton her blouse, and Jake's hands were on her denim covered hips immediately as he felt his cock twitch in delight. He was shocked and about to suggest taking things to his bedroom when he lost the ability to speak. She shrugged out of her blouse and draped it on the arm of the couch leaving her in a sheer, white camisole and her green bra. 

"Sure," Jessica replied casually like she wasn't nearly stripped bare from the waist up for him. "I'd love a beer. Want to try that one called Greek Week?"

"Yep," he grunted in response as she pushed against his abs until he was sitting on the couch. 

"We can share it," she whispered as she walked into his kitchen like she belonged there. Even from behind, Jake was entranced. The white fabric looked soft and stretchy, and he wanted to know for sure. He also wanted to see her without that silly little shirt on at all. "Fuck."

He watched her open the bottle and take a sip before heading back his way. When he patted the spot on the couch next to him, she settled in with her legs folded up and her knee resting on his thigh. He was plainly hard in his briefs and gray sweatpants as she leaned on him. He had a great view of her tits down her nearly nonexistent top as they were pressed together now. 

"You want some?" she asked, looking up at him and adjusting her glasses. He wanted everything. It was actually fucking crazy how he reacted to this woman.

He leaned in and kissed her. "I want some of you, but I guess I'll try the beer as well." Then he took a sip, and it was good, which kind of pissed him off. He didn't know anything about this Dev guy, other than the fact that he was in Bradshaw's fraternity back in college in Virginia, but now he was imagining him flirting with his girlfriend. 

When he handed the bottle back to her, she took another sip before setting it on the coffee table. Then she settled back against him, her hand grazing his cock through his sweatpants. She gasped. "Are you comfortable?" she whispered as he ran his fingers up her bare arm. 

"Not really," he murmured, watching her head tip to the side in pleasure. He ran his lips along her soft shoulder. "You're teasing me right now."

"I'm not doing anything," she moaned. "Jake."

But he was too busy sucking gently on her pulse point below her ear while he worked his fingers underneath that pretty, green bra strap. She was half sitting on his lap now, reaching back with her hand to brush his cock again, this time intentionally. 

Her breath was a soft whimper as she asked, "Don't you want to watch the Longhorns?"

Jake pulled his lips away from her and paused with his right hand on her hip and his left fingers dipping down inside the front of her bra. He watched her trace the head of his cock through too many layers of fabric with the tips of her pink painted nails. 

"If you want to play games here, Jessica, I'm afraid you might lose, Baby."

That one sentence was enough to have her spinning around to face him,  straddling him and sitting back on his thighs. "You didn't answer my question," she whispered, looking at him like she meant business in her decadent little outfit. She ran her hands down the front of her body to the button of her jeans and asked, "Do you want to watch the Longhorns?"

His fingers flexed on her hips, and he leaned back against the couch, eyes fixed on her as she unzipped her jeans and let him see some of that green lace thong. She wiggled herself against him and reached for his left hand, guiding it inside her jeans. And if he thought her shoulder was soft, then the skin above her panties was heavenly. He was aching as he stroked her, watching her chew on her lip as her glasses slid down her nose a bit. 

Then she reached for the bottom of that white camisole and pulled his clean off over her head, tossing it toward her previously discarded blouse. Jake groaned at the sight of her pink nipples pressing against green lace. And there was a tiny green, satin bow right there between her tits on her bra. He couldn't decide if he wanted to chew it off or rub his nose on it, so instead he leaned forward and kissed it before pressing his lips to the swell of her right breast. 

She smelled like expensive perfume and she tasted like a dream. Her fingers were soft in his hair as he continued to toy with her panties, but he brought his other hand up along her ribcage to join his lips on her tits.

"Jake," she said firmly in what he could only imagine was her stern teaching voice. "Do you want to watch the Longhorns?"

He pulled his mouth away from her tits and reached up along her back to her bra clasp. He suddenly pulled her closer, making her gasp as she sat with her jeans pressed to his hardness and her hands on his shoulders. Then he looked her in the eye. "Jessica, the only thing I want to watch right now is your pretty pussy taking my cock."

Jake smirked as her mouth fell open, and she stared at him. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths as he licked her lips and undid one of the hooks of her bra. "And maybe the way your gorgeous tits bounce for me," he added with a smirk.

A moaning, whimpering mess. That's what was sitting on his lap right now. He watched her reach back and guide his hands so he was undoing the second hook closure on her bra. Then she pulled her hair to the side and let him guide the green lace away from her body. The way the straps slid down her arms was making him throb, and he kissed the soft skin in their wake. Then her breasts were free of the fabric, and she was looking at him expectantly as she chewed on her lip and stifled a moan.

"Baby," he gasped, throat suddenly dry as he let her bra fall to her lap and took her in his hands. She rolled her hips forward as he moulded his hands to the perfection of her tits and buried his face between them. Two flawless handfuls. And they were real. He could hardly remember the last time he'd been treated to something this exciting. 

He had his mouth everywhere on her, sucking one nipple and then the other between his lips. Licking long stripes from beneath each breast up to her collarbone and back down again. He squeezed and caressed and nuzzled until she started to shake, his name starting to sound desperate on her lips. "Jake," she moaned like a wounded animal, shoving his hands inside her open jeans and grinding. 

But he reminded himself that a horny quickie was not right for the first time. Second, third and fourth? Yeah, absolutely. But not right now. "Will you let me take you to bed?"

"Yes!" she practically shouted, fingers digging into his shoulders. He stood up, Jessica clinging to the front of him, and carried her to his bedroom with his hands on her ass. Her lips were on his neck, and he could hear the needy sounds she made as her nose pressed to his ear. 

There was soft afternoon sunlight filtering in through Jake's bedroom windows, and everything looked dreamy as he set Jessica down on the floor at the foot of his bed. A bashful smile ghosted across her lips as she reached for the bottom of his Longhorns shirt and guided it up his torso and over his head. "Oh," she gasped, and Jake nearly purred as she ran her fingers through his chest hair. "Ohh." Then her hands trailed down to his sweatpants, and it was over. 

"Jessica," he growled when she reached inside and yanked them down his hips. He was so hard in his black briefs, he had to beg her to be gentle as she pulled them down as well. Then she was stroking him with her small hands, giving him a few experimental pumps. 

He had to squeeze his eyes shut and take a deep breath when she whispered, "That's enough teasing, don't you think?"

"Get on the bed."

With a soft squeak, she did as she was told, scrambling onto her back so her tits shook invitingly. But he needed to focus here. He needed to be good. Great. Spectacular. This was his girl, not just some girl. His cock was bouncing as he watched her pull her jeans down over her soft hips and thighs, leaving her in just that sinful green thong.

He crawled on top of her, propping himself up on his elbows, and he let his cock rest on her thigh as he kissed her lips. "You're so fucking beautiful, Jessica."

Her fingers were back in his chest hair before she looped them around his neck. "So are you."

He hummed against her lips. "I bought condoms this morning. Give me a minute to get them?"

But she shook her head. "I don't want to use a condom with you."

The noise he made was actually perverted, and he thought his eyes were going to roll into the back of his head when she pressed her pussy up against him. "You want me to skip the condom?" he ground out, his hand cupping her breast. He stroked her nipple as she whined the word yes over and over again. 

"Please," she gasped. "I'm clean. I got tested last year. I haven't had sex in a year."

"Oh my god." She hadn't had sex in a year. How was that even fucking possible? Pretty face, perfect body, smart as hell, and she wasn't even getting fucked? "Jessica, are you on birth control?"

"Yes. Are you clean?" she asked, and Jake just kind of froze there. He had never skipped a condom before. Even at his drunkest. Even in the bathroom at the bar. Even in the bed of his truck on the Fourth of July. He had used a condom every single time he'd ever had sex since he was sixteen years old and lost his virginity. And right now he was afraid he was going to cum after two seconds inside her without one on. And if this perfect woman went a year without sex, she deserved to have him last an hour. 

"I'm clean," he confirmed, and she pulled him down for a kiss.

"Then what are you waiting for?" she whispered before swiping her tongue into his mouth. 

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

Jessica was so turned on, it felt like her skin was on fire. She was making this pitiful noise at the back of her throat, and she couldn't seem to stop no matter what she did. She was already thrusting up, rubbing herself on Jake like a needy cat, back arching off his bed. If he didn't fuck her soon, she was afraid she might start crying. 

But right now he was just kissing her forehead and cheeks and looking at her while his golden chest hair teased her breasts. His cock was heavy on her thigh, and she needed it inside her. It was an absolute necessity right now. The fact that she could go from completely normal all morning at Beta Brewing to a filthy mess for him right now was startling. 

"Baby," he whispered, shaking his head. "Jessica."

Then he let one hand trail down her body and slip inside her underwear, and as soon as he touched her clit she sighed in relief. His fingers were sure and steady as she stroked the back of his neck with both hands, scraping along through his hair with her nails. 

"Jake," she gasped, and he kissed her lips as he fucked her with one long finger. But even when he added a second, she already knew it wouldn't compare to his thick cock. She was aching for it. He was going to make her beg for it, she needed it that badly. It had been a year since she had sex with Brian in his office, and he was nowhere near as big as Jake. This anticipation was almost too much now.

The swirl of his thumb on her clit was delicious though, and Jake trailed his kisses down her neck to her chest. He pulled her nipple gently between his teeth before sucking. Her back arched off the bed again as she rode his fingers. "Oh god," she moaned. "Jake." 

Okay, okay. He seemed to know just what to do with his mouth and hands to make her wild. Just the right amount of pressure. Just the right speed on her clit, too. All she needed was for him to fuck her. 

"Please?" she asked softly. Then she reached for her glasses. Maybe that was the problem. They always seemed to be in the way for activities like this, so she took them off. 

That seemed to draw him out of his daze as he released her breast and gasped, "What are you doing, Baby?" His face was blurry to her now, but he still looked handsome.

She ran her foot along his bare leg up to his hip and brushed his cock. "I want you," she whispered, hips jerking as he continued to work her clit. "Thought maybe you'd want me to lose the glasses?"

"Back on," he instructed sternly, so she slid them back on her face. Then he kissed her lips again as he drew his soaking fingers out of her pussy and used them on her clit in place of his thumb.

When she ran her fingers along his face, he moaned into her mouth. "Jake, please," she whispered, breaking the kiss and shaking her head from side to side. "I need it."

He groaned and laughed softly, and she was searching his face. "I want to make you feel so good, but you do a number on me Reedy. I'm a little concerned I'm gonna come immediately."

"You are?" she whimpered. 

He nodded and kissed her softly. "Yeah." She watched him pull away from her to gently ease her thong away from her pussy and down her legs. He held the green fabric to his nose and grunted, keeping it in his right hand as he took his time to press kisses along her thigh before kissing her pussy. She bucked against his face, already clenching as he kissed her again and again. Then he brought his hand down to his cock and pumped a few times before lining himself up with her and pressing the tip inside.

Then his face was hovering over hers again as he planted his hands near her head. His kisses were a little desperate, but so was she. Then he started to move, and it was everything she needed. "Jessica," he hissed, his face contorting in pleasure as he filled her all the way, stretching her out. 

And if he was the one who was afraid of coming right away, he had nothing to worry about. She was whimpering, she felt so full. He was thick, and the stretch was so good, it was almost painful when he started to thrust. She laced her fingers through his silky hair, pulling him closer so he could feel her lips quivering.

"You're so big," she moaned, and he absolutely devoured her mouth just the way she wanted him to. Her fingers tightened in his hair as he rocked into her, and when he brought his fingers back to her clit, she was already fluttering. 

She slowed him down just a little bit with the roll of her hips, and then it was perfect. He actually felt perfect to her. Whispering her name against her neck and moving his fingers just right as he kept her full. When he gasped, "Baby," she clenched around him, and it brought on a tidal wave. 

"Oh," she moaned, digging her fingers into his neck as she rolled her hips and started to come. She was whining for him as he sucked on her collarbone, and she just kept getting louder. Her voice was strained to her own ears. There was a crescendo of her gasping his name, and then she was just panting softly and shivering beneath him, her hands limp by her sides on the bed as her pussy continued to clench.

Jake met her gaze, still fucking her as he combed his fingers back through her hair. Then he smiled, as she bit her lip and whimpered his name. "You feel good?" he asked. 

"So good," she whispered. Jake adjusted her glasses and kissed her before tucking his hands underneath her and lifting her up. He flipped them so he was on his back and she was straddling him, and she had to brace her hands on his chest. 

She combed her fingers through his chest hair again, and now she was the one leaning down to kiss him. She felt powerful now that she got her pleasure and felt sated. She was ready to give him what he wanted. "Do you feel good?" she asked, turning his question back around on him. 

Jake responded by propping himself up with one hand and wrapping his other arm around her waist. "Incredible."

As she leaned back a little bit, she kept her hands braced on his shoulders, and sure enough, his gaze drifted down to watch as she slowly slid herself up and down along his cock. God, he was thick, and she could tell she was really gripping him. "You wanted to watch me take your cock, didn't you?"

Sweat was breaking out on his forehead, and he swallowed hard. "Jesus Christ, you're gonna be a fucking handful." Then he thrust his hips up, ramming himself deeper, and she shrieked in delight at the stretch. 

"Do it again!"

So he did. And again after that. And again. His head was tipped back now as the tempo increased, and she pressed him flat on his back again as she rode him. He seemed so much more confident now too as he brought his hands and mouth up to her breasts. His white teeth looked so pretty as he ran them against her peaked nipples, and she fucked him a little faster. But his trimmed pubic hair was rubbing her clit at this angle, and the faster she went, she realized she was getting close. Again.

"Fucking gorgeous," Jake muttered, switching from her left nipple to her right and sucking. And then she bucked her hips, and he looked up at her as she parted her lips and tried to speak. But she just made another embarrassing noise, and her hair fell in front of her glasses as she sank all the way down around him.

But this time she took him with her, his fingers tangled up in her hair as he grunted, "Jessica." Pleasure rippled through her, not as intense as the first time, but it was still incredible, and she eased herself down to rest against his chest as his hips slowed as well.

Jake carefully ran his fingers through her hair until she could see his face again. "There you are," he whispered, coaxing her a little closer for a kiss. His cheeks were flushed, and he looked like he was as affected by everything as much as she was. His movements were languid and unhurried, and the smile on his face was dreamy and genuine. Had she ever been with a man who looked at her like this after he unloaded inside her? He wasn't even making any move to get up yet.

"I really like you," she blurted out, immediately embarrassed. 

"Yeah, well, I just made you come, so..." he said with a little shrug as he ran his thumb along her lips.

"It's not that," she said, letting him trace her lips before she continued. She looked down at his neck as she whispered, "You seem excited by me."

"I am," he confirmed as she started to sit up. "Where you going?"

She wiggled her hips and let his softening cock slide out of her. "Just going to get cleaned up."

Jake's left hand shot out to hold her in place as she straddled him. He was propped up on one elbow, staring at her pussy as she felt his cum dripping along her thighs. "Oh my god," he growled. When she looked down, she watched his cum drop onto his abs, and she could feel herself blushing. 

"You're looking at me like you've never enjoyed a creampie before."

He sat up so she was straddling his thighs and making an even bigger mess. "I haven't. I've always worn protection in the past."

She was shocked as she let her arms slide around his neck. "Always?"

Jake kissed her as her forehead came to rest against his. "Yeah," he whispered sheepishly. Maybe that's why he seemed to get a little nervous for a minute there. But Jessica was so incredibly turned on right now by this information, she was about to ask him if he could go again yet. But he was holding her so sweetly now, just cradling her against his bigger body and kissing her like there was nowhere he'd rather be. "Okay, Smart Girl. Let's clean up, and then I have something I want to show you."

"What is it?" she asked as he stood with her in his arms. 

He ran his nose along her jaw and kissed her. "Oh, you'll love it, Baby. It's a spec sheet on the new Super Hornet outfitting."

She gasped. "Jake. Really?" This had to be the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her.

He chuckled softly as he took her into his bathroom. "It's an archive copy, so a few things have been redacted, but I have it all memorized so you can work out the math as many times as you want."

"You're a dream," she whispered against his lips. 

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

Nice to see Dev again! It's been a while! Nervous Jake, I love you. He almost fumbled things for a minute there with his woman. Are we taking bets on round two later in the weekend? Think he can keep it together? Thanks @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls

PART 10

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[stellar-haikyuu]

orange ☆ ennoshita chikara x reader

synopsis: reader is karasuno's second-year manager. during one of their morning trips to a tokyo training camp, something heart-fluttering with ennoshita happens. based on the song "orange" by spyair. details: fluff, ~1.4k words, gn! reader. i referred to characters based on how the reader would probably address them! takes place sometime during the season 2 tokyo training camp arc. warnings: none!

“I will spread my wings and take off straight ahead, Up to those beautiful orange morning skies. There’s only a second left, give me just one more, I beg — Every moment is precious to me like nothing else. I know…”

Although you normally hated waking up at the ungodly hours of the morning, you still buzzed with excitement as you stood in front of the rented school bus. 

You’ve lost count of how many training camps Karasuno has attended now, but each time, you see the team reach new heights. Playing against Tokyo powerhouses truly pushed the team further.

“Are all the members here?” Shimizu asks, walking up to your right. You do a quick headcount, scanning the endearing mix of sleepy and excited boys. “Yes, all twelve are present.” 

Shimizu nods and turns back to Hitoka, who is frantically running through a checklist. You chuckle at her diligence.

“It’s alright, Hitoka-chan,” you reassure the nervous first-year manager. 

“B-but, senpai! It’s- I can’t- the first aid kit,” Hitoka stammers, clutching her clipboard. You look over the checklist Hitoka held and see that the first aid bag is the only item left uncrossed.

Hitoka spins her head around to inspect each bag pile in the driveway. Some of the boys who notice the first-year’s conundrum ask her what’s wrong. 

You’re about to help Hitoka with her search, but that’s when you notice where the first aid bag is.

“Um, Hitoka-chan?” You can’t hide the giggle from your voice. Shimizu locks eyes with you, wearing an amused expression.

“Yes?!” Hitoka whips around immediately.

“You might want to look at the bag on your shoulder.”

Hitoka blinks for a moment before she looks down. She promptly falls to her knees, burying her face in her hands. This takes the entire team by surprise, causing even the sleepy members to startle. 

“It was with me this whole time! I can’t believe this- I’m so sorry! I should be more careful and aware, I caused you guys to worry for no reason and, and-” 

“Take it easy, Hitoka-chan.” You pat her back. “And just in case it did end up missing, there are always nearby convenience stores and pharmacies for supply runs.”

Hitoka quietly wails in frustration, then shoots her head up with determination shining in her eyes. “Okay! I promise to be more observant!” 

You and Shimizu exchange another look, sharing a soft laugh. “I’m sure you’ll be fine,” the third-year says warmly. “Now let’s help sensei and coach load all the bags.”

“Alright, everyone. Last chance for a bathroom break,” you announce to the team, barely suppressing your laughter as you see a few of them visibly consider if they need to go.

After helping Takeda-sensei ensure that nothing was left behind in the parking lot, you realize that you’re the last student to board the bus.

As you step on, you scan the seats. Hitoka and Shimizu are paired up front. Right, it’s their turn to sit together today.

You check the line of single window seats, but all of them are occupied, leaving you confused.

Wait, they always leave one empty for one of the managers…

You find it a little odd that Tanaka and Nishinoya are occupying the single seats in front, totally knocked out. But, whatever, you can take the back seat-

“Would you like to sit beside me?”

Startled, you turn to see Ennoshita looking up at you with a sleepy smile.

“Huh?” you blink.

He pats the empty seat beside him. “No one’s sitting here. Plus, you’ll be right behind Shimizu-senpai and Yachi-san.”

Hitoka looks up at the mention of her name. “Oh! Senpai, I’m so sorry! I didn’t realize you didn’t have a seat left.”

You ruffle her hair gently. “It’s okay, Hitoka-chan. Don’t worry about it.”

Shimizu turns to them and puts a hand on Hitoka’s shoulder. “Yes, she’ll be fine next to Ennoshita.” Her gaze lingers on you for a moment. A subtle but knowing expression crosses her face before she turns away. 

What did that mean?

You sit beside Ennoshita, feeling a flutter in your stomach. You’re used to his presence, but being this close feels different.

“Uh, thanks,” you murmur. 

“No problem, I think the guys forgot that you normally sit there. They’re just sleepy-” The end of his sentence morphs into a yawn and he immediately apologizes.

“So are you,” you laugh. “Get a good sleep.”

“I will. You too.”

You both lean back into your seats as the bus starts to move. As the rumble beneath your feet turns steady, a comfortable silence settles between you. 

You glance out the window, admiring the first rays of sunlight painting the horizon. The orange reminds you of the fleeting beauty of moments like this.

Your eyes follow the trail of light, which falls on Ennoshita’s peaceful face. The sight makes warmth bloom in your chest and spread to the rest of your body. 

Before you know it, your eyes flutter closed.

“Shh, shh, be quiet, they’ll wake up.” 

A series of whispers break through your hazy consciousness, but you keep your eyes closed, wanting to go back to sleep as soon as possible. 

You’re confused when you realize that the bus isn’t moving and you can hear the birds chirping outside.

Maybe it’s a rest stop, your mind supplies. No one’s shaking you awake, even if you can hear footsteps padding up and down. There’s nothing to worry about, so— hang on.

You’re leaning far to your right, slumped against something warm, and there’s a light pressure on top of your head.

Before you have a chance to process everything, you hear a gasp, followed by a shushing sound. 

“Take a picture, quick.” 

“Idiot, my phone makes a loud sound.”

“What if we take one from the front and cover the speaker?” 

“Hm. That’s actually pretty smart.”

“Boys, what are you-”

To their credit, you only hear a quiet, muffled camera shutter sound. Then, you feel the weight next to you shift slightly.

“We’re not saving you if Ennoshita finds out and decides to murder you two.” 

Ennoshita?

“But they’re so cuuuute. I don’t care if I die at his hands for taking this picture.” 

“Dumbass, he’ll make you do extra tutor sessions because you got them in it. Now move dude, I need to pee.”

“Ugh. Don’t snitch on us.”

Suddenly, it clicks. You’re leaning on Ennoshita and he’s leaning on you too. You don’t know how to respond. Well, not that you have to—you’re busy pretending to be asleep, after all. 

“Tanaka, Nishinoya, enough. Don’t wake them up.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Things eventually die down after a few minutes, and you hear the hiss of the bus door closing. 

You suppose you don’t have to worry about going back to sleep, taking comfort in the warmth of the person next to you. 

You find yourself wishing for this moment to last forever.

A gentle hand on your shoulder wakes you.

“We’re here,” Shimizu says, coming into focus as you blink repetitively. There’s a grin on the senior’s face. Another look that seems to mean something.

“Oh…thanks.” You groan a little, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. Although you’re unwilling to detach from your source of warmth, you need to stretch and get up.

Wait…why is it warm?

You freeze. Ennoshita’s still leaning on your side and…one of his hands is holding on to your arm. 

Oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god-

“Ennoshita?” You tap his arm gently. “Hey, we’re in Tokyo.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re here already.” Your face heats up; your teammates sneak glances at the both of you as they pass by the aisle.

Ennoshita inhales to take a deep breath, but right when he’s about to exhale, his body stiffens and he sits upright. 

“Oh my, uh, sorry, I didn’t mean- did that make you uncomfortable?” Ennoshita rushes out an apology, flustered. “I didn’t know-”

“Don’t worry about it!” You chuckle nervously. Really, don’t worry about it.

“I slept way too well,” he rubs the back of his neck. It’s adorable how flushed he’s gotten.

“Well, if it means you’re well-rested, I wouldn’t mind if it happened again,” you say quickly, not realizing how bold the words sound until they’re already out.

Ennoshita’s eyes widen in response.

You feel a little sorry for Takeda-sensei who is still making his way off the bus. He awkwardly whistles to himself, trying his hardest not to eavesdrop.

“Um. Well…that’s if you want to,” you avoid making eye contact with him.

You end up looking out the window behind Ennoshita. The pale yellow of the morning sun feels bittersweet, a reminder that the moment has already slipped away.

But, you’re reminded that every day, the sun rises and falls.

“I’ll take you up on that offer, then.”

masterlist

karasuno fic event: stellar's stationery (ongoing)

[batarella]

Bruce's Bathtime - Batfamily Sitcom

Bruce's mistake was thinking he could have a peaceful night in the bath on his day off when his manor is full of kids who share one brain.

A/N: HELLO EVERYONE I LOVE YOU AND IM SORRY I DISAPPEARED BUT I WANTED TO WRITE SOMETHING SWEET FOR YOU TO ENJOY. THIS IS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY "BATH" BY SAM AND MICKEY ON YOUTUBE.

WORDS: 1.7K

WARNINGS: NONE. IT'S WHOLESOME AND SWEET.

MASTERLIST

——-

Crime rates were always at an all-time low in time for the Superbowl.

Which meant Batman gets a day off. Duke was the only one on patrol that night. Alfred spent half an hour convincing him not to spend the night at the cave.

“Master Bruce, the bath has been drawn and I’ve taken the liberty of using the expensive lavender bath salts so you would not like to waste it.”

“You’re right, Alfred. I’m a billionaire and I find the fifty-dollar lavender salts a waste to not use.”

“Just get in the bath, Master Wayne. Just thirty minutes of quiet shall do you good. I’ve set an alarm.”

Since when did Bruce start working for him?

He did as told anyway. Bruce closed the bathroom door and stripped off his clothes to get in the tub. There were so many callouses in his body, he barely felt just how burning the temperature was.

It was just a minute in there when the first knock woke him from drifting off.

“Bruce?”

What the hell is Dick doing out of Bludhaven? “What?”

“Is the music room haunted?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I heard something inside.”

“Instruments tend to do that.”

“I did a headcount of everyone in the manor and everyone is accounted for except Duke who you sent out for patrol so I doubt it’s anyone but a ghost,” Dick said.

“Get out.”

“But I’m not even inside the bathroom.”

“Go away.”

“What if it’s not a ghost? What if it’s a spy?”

“The manor has more advanced security systems than the Pentagon, Dick.”

“That’s not a good point of comparison.”

Bruce closed his eyes and let the steam slow his rising blood pleasure.

“Just check the room. Could have been the wind.”

“I’m too scared.”

This man was almost thirty and was still giving Bruce the same amount of aneurysms as when he was eight.

“Ask Alfred to check for you.”

“Okay.”

He heard fading footsteps and let them lull him into sleep. He set his large arms onto the sides of the tub, sinking his mouth under the water.

“Father,” a voice said from out the door followed by three soft knocks by a small hand.

“What, Damian?”

“I need you to sign this letter from the school headmaster.”

“What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything.”

He doubted that.

“It’s for a parent-teacher conference.”

Bruce let the silence answer for him until Damian gave in.

“Someone attacked me in class.”

“Damian-“

“Okay, I threw the first punch but he taunted me first about how I was small for my age but I said that I’m of perfect size for my age and that I’m simply too smart to be crowded into elementary school children when my intellect belongs to that of a senior and then he asked what I was doing here and not in 5th grade and I said what was he doing here and not in 5th grade and he spat at me and now his nose is broken and they want you to cover the medical bills.”

Christ.

“Maybe you don’t have to pay it. You can call them yourself. You’re Bruce Wayne. You can get away with anything.”

“I can, but you’re not Bruce Wayne, so you have to deal with it.”

“Can you just sign this, Father?”

“Fine.”

Damian walked in, fanning the steam off his face and covering his eyes so he wouldn’t have to see his own father naked, then handed him the letter to sign it.

“Make sure your handwriting is the same as when I forged it.”

His eyes could not have rolled further back into his skull.

The boy walked out, just two seconds before the next set of voices made him wish the gunman shot him in the head four decades ago and not just his parents.

“Bruce, could you tell Jason he’s not the only one who died and come back to life and that his robin costume doesn’t deserve to have to top display in the Batcave anymore especially since he’s here?” Tim said.

Jason’s voice was even more obnoxious. “I died first, asshole and no one else would have died if it weren’t for me so clearly, you should thank me. And my rebranding was better. You’re still technically a robin since, you know, it’s the other half of your name, so you don’t deserve to be memorialized.”

“You don’t deserve to be memorialized at all when you’re alive and not a memory. You’re not even the first robin.”

“You’re not the first anything.”

“I’m the first at a lot of things.”

“Replacement.”

“Glorified zombie.”

Bruce grabbed the cucumbers Alfred had laid out on the table next to him just so his eyes wouldn’t burst out in blood at how much he wanted to scream.

“Ask Alfred what to do,” Bruce said.

“Alfred is with Dick in the music room to look for ghosts. We need an answer now.”

“What do you even want me to do?”

“Tim threw my robin costume piled up with all their robin costumes when clearly, it should be in the display case,” Jason said. “And Tim wants to move my motorbike out of the cave.”

“You have so many motorbikes, would it hurt you to move just one?”

“No.”

“Bruce!”

Bruce counted to ten. “No.”

“No to what?”

“Everything.”

“You don’t even know what you’re saying no to.”

“I could not care any less.”

“Can we please come in?”

“No, I’m naked.”

“We’ve seen you naked.”

“Not on purpose.”

Jesus fucking Christ. “Fine. Fine. We’ll get glass cases for both of you and we’ll pretend it’s a shrine as if you’re still dead. Happy?”

“Not from dying but sure,” said Tim.

“What about the motorbikes?”

“Put it outside,” said Bruce.

“Are you sure? What if someone sees?”

“Do whatever. Throw out the T-Rex in the cave for all I care.”

“Also, I need access to the batcomputers,” Jason said.

“For what?”

“Everyone else has access except me.”

“That’s for a reason, Jason.”

“Pretty please.”

“Get out.”

It took another five minutes of the two yapping at the other side of the door before it finally quieted down.

Then his phone started ringing. Duke.

That was when his blood pressure really started to spike.

“Duke? Is everything alright? What’s wrong?” he said to the phone.

“Me?” said Duke. “Oh yeah everything’s great! Not much crime when everyone’s watching the halftime show.”

“Then why’d you call?”

“Can I use the batmobile?”

Fuck a duck. “For what?”

“The streets are empty and you said I could drive it when there isn’t traffic.”

He hung up and threw the phone into the water before Duke could say anything else.

He had five minutes of quiet this time. Then Steph was at the door. “Bruce!”

An aneurysm. One of these days, he might actually have one.

“What now?”

“Can I change rooms?”

“Why?”

“Dick said there’s a ghost in the music room and my room is like five feet away and I don’t think I can sleep there anymore.”

“You slept there last night and everything is fine.”

“Ghosts can be quiet, Bruce, it doesn’t mean they’re not there. And you’ve made a lot of enemies, so I won’t be surprised if anyone’s settled in to haunt you.”

You’d think he wasn’t in a house full of vigilantes who fight the city’s most dangerous criminals.

“I haven’t killed anyone, Stephanie. I keep all my enemies alive.”

“What if it’s not your enemy? They don’t have to hate you to haunt you. Can I please just change rooms?”

“Move wherever you want. I don’t care.”

“Can I move to the bedroom at the west wing?”

“That’s mine,” Bruce said.

“You have a bedroom? I thought you never slept.”

“Fine. Take it. Just get out.”

“Really?” Steph squealed. “The master bedroom. Sweet!”

It took less than five seconds before the next reason for his headache started pounding at the door.

“Bruce! Jason is trying to hack into the batcomputer!”

“I did not!”

“He did!”

“The World’s Greatest Detective is just mad I guessed his password on the second try.”

Bruce sank into the water, drowning their yapping until it had blurred out. He held his breath for seven minutes straight. He could die. That wouldn’t be the worst thing. Just when it was finally quiet, again, Bruce rose up and found Damian sitting on the toilet.

He continued to look unbothered even when he looked at Bruce straight in the eye.

“Do you mind?”

“I’d like to use this toilet.”

“There’s fifteen bathrooms in the manor, Damian.”

“I like this one.”

“I understand I have not spent as much time with you, but this is not what your tutors mean by father-son bonding.”

“Oh no, don’t worry. I don’t mean to bond with you. I just like this toilet.”

“Fine. Please. Take your time.”

He did take his time. Damian sat there for a whole five minutes and pulled out a book.

“I wasn’t being serious. Get out of here.”

“Relax, father. It’s your day off.”

Bruce eyelids fluttered closed and he refused to open them until his son left the bathroom.

The next knock made a blood vessel pop. “Bruce. It’s me Barb. So sorry to bother you but I found another group of conspiracy theorists on the TikTok who made a list of billionaires who have never been seen in the same room as Batman and you’re the front liner of that list. I know you told me to never engage with these things but it’s at fifty million views right now and they’re making edits of you as Batman.”

“Make more bot accounts and pin it on Elon.”

“On it,” said Barbara. “So sorry to have disturbed you!”

He’s going to have a talk with Alfred to block off the whole floor the next time he draws these baths.

“Bruce?” It was Cass. “I hope it’s alright if I take Steph’s room. I took the liberty of putting a speaker in the music room so Dick would tell everyone there was a ghost in the manor and Steph would move out.”

The alarm went off. His thirty minutes were up.

 One of these days, Bruce might finally break his no-kill rule, and it won’t be for the Joker.

---

A/N: I MISSED ALL OF YOU ASSHOLES AND I HOPE THIS WON'T BE THE LAST

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[henwilsonmd]

post 6x18: some out-of-order vignettes | ao3

4251 words

“Buck,” said Eddie, trying to school his face into something less fond and amused. “That’s my couch.”

Buck turned from where he’d been happily showing off the new piece of furniture he’d gotten with Natalia the day prior. “What?”

“The couch,” Eddie repeated, with a quirk of his eyebrow. “You bought my exact couch.”

“No,” Buck replied with a shake of his head. “No, it’s definitely different.”

read on ao3

Eddie looked at it—a three-seater in dark blue, velvet-y fabric with square corners and deep seats to accommodate his long legs. They’d picked out some nice white decorative pillows for it, and it’s certainly brand-new looking, but—

“It’s totally the same.” Eddie gave up on hiding his smile.

Buck looked back to the couch, tilting his head to scrutinize it. After a moment, he sighed, planting his hands on his hips. “Ah, fuck. It’s totally the same.”

Eddie groaned, letting his head thump back onto the edge of the cot behind him. “The pain meds are definitely kicking in.”

“Well, good,” snarked Buck from a chair next to him, attention half-focused on his phone in his hands. “That’s what they’re supposed to do.”

Eddie sighed, long-suffering. “You too?”

“Yes, Eddie, me too.” Buck replied, thumbs flying as he tapped out something on the screen in his hands. Probably to Maddie. Probably about Chim. Who was probably okay. “Your ribs are fucking broken.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, staring at the ceiling. “And I know what they feel like. I’m fine, there was—other stuff going on.” He thought about that paramedic from the 133 shining a penlight into Hen’s eyes, frowning like he didn’t like the results and going back in to do it again. He thought about the constant jitter of Buck’s leg next to him, the constant worry for Bobby and Chimney who’d taken the other two ambulances before the three of them had managed to squeeze into another cab. “Besides,” Eddie pulled himself back on track. “Did you even get checked out?” He leveled Buck with a look that he hoped had more energy behind it than he had left.

Buck shrugged, powering off his phone with a click. “I’m fine.”

“There’s blood all over your face,” Eddie pointed out.

“Hen cleaned most of it up already.”

“There was more?”

“That’s—Eddie, I’m fine,” Buck said, turning towards him. “I scraped up my cheek and bit my tongue when I fell, and, sure, I’ll be a little bruised, but I’m fine.”

“You lost consciousness,” Eddie pointed out, and he swallowed around a dry throat.

“How… how did you know that?” Buck stuttered in reply.

Eddie gave his own shrug, picking at the edge of the right kneepad on his turnout pants. “I didn’t pass out. I radioed right after I’d gotten my bearings, but no one answered. Then, like, thirty seconds later you must have woken up.”

Buck, for a moment, held Eddie’s gaze with something so unbelievably devastated, and guilty—like the thought of not being able to answer Eddie’s call was the worst possible thing that had happened that day. Then he flicked his eyes down to the floor. “Okay, s-so, like, thirty seconds. I’m fine, Eddie. Really.”

Eddie frowned, thinking about those thirty seconds—an unbearable weight on his back, a growing pain in his chest, and the clawing panic as he listened to the silence stretching out on the other side of the radio and fought the mounting urge to plead, I’m still alive, please, I’m still alive down here.

And then how he’d breathed a hugely painful sigh of relief when Buck finally asked for a headcount, how he’d fumbled into his pocket for his St. Christopher medal and prayed—something he hadn’t done since that awful week of the coma. Prayed that he’d come home safe to his son, but also that Buck would be careful—that he wouldn’t do something stupid and destructive and reckless to save any of them.

That heady rush of gratitude when Buck had sawed the doors open, taking off his safety goggles and assessing Eddie’s situation with a calculating, heavy gaze.

Next to him, Buck cleared his throat, shifting in the chair. “Anyway, you broke three ribs, man. Let the meds do their job.”

Eddie huffed a laugh, leaning back into the pillows behind him. “Trust me, they are.”

Eddie sipped his Diet Coke, beer off-limits because he was still taking the Tylenol threes. “So, you finally got a new couch.”

“I had a couch before,” Buck pointed out, a matching soda in his hand for solidarity. “Kameron just—y’know, gave birth all over it.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, snorting a soft laugh. “That must have been wild.”

Buck chuckled. “The baby didn’t want to wait, I guess.”

“Impatient little guy,” Eddie said. “Must be those Buckley genes.”

“Hey,” Buck protested, pointing a finger. “I can be plenty patient.”

“Sure,” Eddie agreed placatingly, but be noticed how there seemed to be something more behind the mirth in Buck’s eyes—the plastic pieces at the edges of his smile. He fought the urge to say I told you so—mostly because it would have been childish, but also because Buck hadn’t asked for his opinion at any step of the way, and Eddie hadn’t offered.

Eddie decided to wait him out—usually the best course of action when it came to Buck. Eddie understood intimately how much time it could take to parse through a mess of feelings in your brain and formulate them into words that would make sense to another person. Usually, Eddie would sit quietly and sip his beer while watching Buck’s feelings play out on his unguarded face, and after a minute or two Buck would haltingly begin to explain what had been going on with him.

Eddie had tried to explain that to Maddie when they’d both been nearly sick with worry over Buck’s post-coma mental state. “He’ll come to you when he’s ready,” Eddie had said over the phone. “You can’t force him to talk about it.”

“Eddie, you don’t know him like I do,” Maddie had protested. “He shouldn’t be alone right now.”

And Eddie had opened his mouth to say no, actually, I know him better than you, I know him better than anyone, but—that’s not true, is it? Why would Eddie know Buck better than his own sister, who’s spent the entire thirty years of his life caring for him, when Eddie’s only had him for—what, five years? Then subtract all the things they didn’t talk to each other about and all the issues they’ve had, and—yeah, who is Eddie to say what’s best for Buck?

And then Buck had knocked on his door and passed out on his couch and Eddie had felt righteously vindicated in a way that he almost wanted to rub in Maddie’s face, which was kind of bitchy of him to think.

So, Buck sipped his soda next to Eddie on his new couch, a storm of emotions clear on his face, and Eddie waited him out because that’s what he does.

Buck let out a sigh, and Eddie thought, here it is, he’ll let me in, and then— “Want to watch the Dodgers game?”

Eddie blinked. “Um, sure.”

And Buck turned on the TV.

Doubt roiled in Eddie’s gut.

“What about Hen?” Eddie asked, Buck’s hand tight on his arm as he helped him into the passenger seat of the Jeep.

“Karen already took her home, she’s fine,” Buck replied easily, before he shut the door and rounded the front of the car.

He’d left when Eddie had been taken back for x-rays, taking an Uber back to the station to pick up his car so he could come back to get Eddie and drive them both home. Eddie absently wondered when he would get a chance to get his truck from the station parking lot.

Buck hopped into the driver’s seat, fitting his keys in the ignition but pausing before turning the engine. He fixed Eddie with a gentle, reassuring look. “Seriously, man, everyone’s fine. Athena’s with Bobby, Maddie’s with Chim, let’s go home.”

Eddie swallowed, biting the inside of his cheek as he thought about just how close literally every single one of them except Ravi had come to something far more serious than some hospital bills and time off work.

His gaze slid to Buck, who flashed him that small, soft, close-mouthed smile that Eddie rarely saw—the one that made his chest feel warm and gooey.

“Okay. Let’s go home.”

The Dodgers were losing, and Buck wasn’t talking about it. Eddie tried not to either of those things get to him.

During a commercial break, Buck got up to throw their empty pizza boxes away, waving Eddie off as he moved to help.

When he came back into the living room, he paused under the overhang of the loft, just staring at Eddie.

“What?” he asked, a bit self-conscious.

Buck huffed a laugh, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I bought your couch.”

Eddie snorted. “Don’t worry about it, man. It’s flattering. You think I have good taste.”

Buck raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if that’s it. Half the furniture in your house is from Target.”

Eddie sputtered. “I—what’s wrong with Target furniture?”

Buck, lowering himself back onto the cushions next to Eddie, raised his hands in a show of innocence. “Nothing, man. I just—I don’t know if I would call it good taste.”

Having no comeback, Eddie just whacked him in the shoulder.

Buck laughed, playfully pushing his hand away. “Hey, c’mon, don’t start shit when I can’t retaliate.”

Eddie smirked. “Why? ‘Cause you know you can’t take me?”

“No,” Buck denied. “’Cause your ribs are still fucking broken.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. “I’m fine, Buck.”

“Well.” Buck crossed his arms, turning back to the TV as the next inning started. “Forgive me for wanting to be careful.”

For a moment, Eddie considered saying hey, maybe we should talk about how I could’ve almost died again? But Buck clearly wasn’t in the mood to talk about the big things, and Eddie didn’t really want to think about that yet either, so he settled for bumping their shoulders together.

Buck leaned right back into him, and neither of them moved apart—the comforting warmth of the contact buzzing in Eddie’s brain like the alcohol he wasn’t drinking.

Eddie smiled down at his hands. “You like my couch,” he teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” Buck groused, slouching into the cushions as they watched a batter swing and miss yet again. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

“Are you sure you’re both alright?” Carla asked, a worried hand hovering over his elbow. “I caught some of the collapse on the news.”

Eddie flashed her a smile before turning to pour two glasses of water—one for him and one for Buck, who was off in Christopher’s room. “We’re okay,” he said. “A little banged up, but the doctors said I should be back to work in six weeks or less.”

Carla narrowed her eyes. “You better take that full six weeks.”

Eddie set the Brita down and met her gaze. “I’m fine, Carla. Really.”

She sighed, crossing her arms. “I just—I worry about you, Eddie. Okay? I know you’d rather I didn’t, but I can’t help it.”

Eddie ducked his head and smiled, a bit, filled with that familiar half-disbelief that people really do care about him. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but—I was lucky today. That nothing worse happened, that—that Buck was there to pull me out.”

Carla scoffed. “Of course he was. I don’t think luck had anything to do with that one.”

Eddie tried to fight the blush off his cheeks—he didn’t know what to do with that. Carla’s surety that Buck would save him come hell or high water. His own surety that Buck would be ripping open the doors of that camper van any second now.

When she realized he wasn’t going to say anything, Carla cleared her throat. “I should go. You up for a hug?”

“From you?” Eddie responded easily. “Always.”

Carla pulled him into a gentle-but-still-desperate embrace. “Okay, I’ll get out of your hair.” With a frown, she brought a hand up to ruffle the wilting mess on Eddie’s head. “Your dusty-ass hair. Take a shower, alright?”

Eddie laughed. “Alright, alright.”

“It’s a little early for a welcome back party, don’t you think?” Eddie said as Athena hugged him in greeting, Christopher heading off in search of the other kids.

“You and Bobby are headed back tomorrow,” Athena pointed out.

“Yeah, and Chimney’s not back for another two weeks.”

“And you best believe I’ll throw another party for him.”

Eddie laughed, before venturing further into the house to greet everyone else. His ribs had healed perfectly, barely a twinge when he’d thrown himself onto the couch in triumph yesterday. Which—speaking of, Eddie’s phone was burning a hole in his pocket and he was doing a very good job of ignoring that.

Or, he was, until a lull in conversation found him standing alone in the kitchen and pulling it out of his jeans. No texts. Which—of course, they’d agreed to go for coffee after his shift on Friday, why would she text him before that—but, still. Eddie was nervous. Sue him.

His thumbs hover over the keyboard for a moment while he debates if it’s too much of a desperate move to text Marisol before they even go on a date. Christopher would know.

“Who are you texting?” asked a voice, and Eddie fumbled to turn off his phone and shove it in his pocket before someone could see… what?

He looked up to see Buck smiling at his antics, a beer in hand.

“Oh, it’s you,” Eddie sighed, leaning against the counter.

Buck sidled over to join him, staring out the windows at the backyard where the party was in full swing. “Just me. Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine,” Eddie replied, for some reason hoping desperately that Buck wouldn’t ask him about—

“So,” Buck nudged an elbow into his arm. “Who were you texting?”

—fuck. Eddie wasn’t sure why this felt like something he didn’t want to tell Buck, to whom he tells everything, but… they don’t really talk about their girlfriends? It was always, always awkward, and it always left him with a sour taste in his mouth.

But, Eddie’s excited about this. Marisol probably won’t be the one, or whatever, but—still. Eddie was excited that his brain was finally in a place where he could think about opening up his life to someone and it wouldn’t send him into a panic attack that landed him in the ER.

And Buck asked.

And Eddie’s not in the habit of saying no to him.

“Um,” he started. “Do you remember Marisol? From the—”

“—yeah, yeah!” Buck cut him off. “So, you were texting her?” He raised his eyebrows, a knowing glint in his gaze.

Eddie blushed. “Yeah, uh… we’re going on a date?” he said quietly, a pit of dread or something similar opening in his gut.

Buck was quiet for a moment, and Eddie risked a glance at his face. He just caught the edge of something shocked and maybe fearful in his expression before it cleared and was replaced by one of those huge, sunny smiles.

“Eddie!” Buck exclaimed. “That’s great! Oh my god, man, this is awesome,” he enthused, slinging an arm around Eddie’s shoulders and squeezing him close.

“Yeah,” Eddie chuckled, still unsure why part of him felt sick with guilt.

“Hey, ever notice how we always start dating at the same time?”

“No, do we?” Eddie lied, thinking about how he’d agonized over making the call and kept telling himself Buck’s with Natalia now, you should do this.

Buck laughed again, before he jolted with surprise and turned to Eddie, excitedly slapping him on the arm. “Dude! We can go on double dates now!”

Eddie frowned. “We didn’t last time.”

Buck shrugged. “Well, you didn’t like Taylor, so I figured—”

“I liked Taylor,” Eddie protested.

Buck snorted. “Uh, no, you didn’t.”

Eddie tilted his head in a you-got-me face. “I kind of didn’t. I thought you didn’t notice.”

Buck dropped his arm around Eddie’s shoulders again, making Eddie huff out a breath. “Oh, Edmundo, I always notice.”

No you don’t, Eddie thought, and then he ignored that.

“But,” Buck continued, a hesitation in his voice. “You—you like Natalia, right?”

Eddie didn’t really know her at all, except for how excited she’d been about Buck’s death-that-didn’t-stick and how angry that had made him. “Yeah,” Eddie lied again. “She’s good for you. And she has good taste in couches.”

Buck laughed, relieved. “Good. So—we’ll do a double date, yeah? Me, you, Natalia, Marisol.”

Fuck, no. Eddie thought. That sounds awful.

“Yeah, sure,” Eddie said instead. “That sounds great.”

Eddie was in the kitchen, pre-heating the oven to heat up some frozen chicken tenders because he didn’t have the energy to cook anything else when he felt little arms wrap gently around his midsection. It hurt his ribs, but Eddie didn’t have the heart to dislodge his son—not when these hugs were becoming rarer and rarer each day.

“Hey, kid,” Eddie said, turning in the hold and dropping a hand onto Christopher’s head. “What’s up?”

Eddie had already seen him, when he popped his head into Christopher’s room to find him sitting with Buck, a careful hand brushing the wounds on the man’s cheek. The sight had made something massive and unknowable bloom inside Eddie’s broken chest, threatening to choke him. He’d tamped it down and hugged Chris hello before heading off to shower, but apparently that hadn’t been enough.

Chris looked up, propping his chin on Eddie’s sternum. “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, a tightness in his voice betraying him.

Eddie smiled. “Me too.” Even though it sparked the ache in his side into a bona-fide pain, Eddie leaned over to drop a kiss onto Christopher’s head—something he barely tolerates anymore. “Hey, the doctors said I’d be good as new in six weeks. Think you can deal with having me around all the time for that long?”

Chris laughed, bright and happy, and Eddie’s heart sang. “I’ll try,” he joked, and then something clouded passed over his face. “Buck’s okay, too, right? His face is bloody.”

“Oh, buddy,” Eddie sighed. Usually, he would kneel down to meet Christopher’s gaze, but he settled for easing himself into a chair and ignoring the concerned look Chris was giving him. “Buck’s totally fine, he just got scraped up a little bit. And today was pretty—pretty scary. For both of us.” He swallowed down the urge to berate himself for telling his kid he was scared, and it seemed to be the right move, because Chris nodded along with wide, careful eyes.

Eddie sighed again, settling his hands on his son’s shoulders. “But—tell you what. Buck’s gonna stay with us tonight, and he’s pretty bad at taking care of himself, right?” Chris giggled at that, and Eddie smiled in response. “So you and I are gonna have to be sneaky about taking care of him tonight, okay?”

Eddie expected Chris to give another sweet smile, and maybe to offer some comfort so earnest and childlike in its innocence that it made everything in the world feel right again, so he wasn’t quite sure to do when Chris burst out into loud, raucous laughter.

“Okay, what’s so funny?” he said, playing at being annoyed.

“It’s just,” Chris managed through his massive smile. “That’s exactly what Buck said. About you!”

Eddie just blinked in response, and Chris fell into peals of laughter again. “Okay,” Eddie said with mock-offense. “Okay, I see how it is. Gang up on the injured guy, why don’t you.”

“Da-ad,” Chris whined, fixing him with a very grown-up look. “We just care about you.”

Eddie pursed his lips, that unknown emotion threatening to drown him again. “Yeah,” he said, more choked-up than he would like. “I know.”

A small hand covered his, and Eddie flipped his own over to give it a squeeze. “Why don’t you go put on the next episode of María, okay? We’ll translate for Buck.”

Chris smirked. “You mean you’ll translate for Buck.”

“Hey, don��t sell yourself short, kid,” Eddie offered as Chris disappeared into the living room.

And later, when they were all piled on the couch, Christopher giggling at Eddie’s half-assed translations and Buck protesting that he understands more Spanish than you think, guys, the newest dose of pain meds forced upon him by Buck making his head more than a bit fuzzy, Eddie thought to himself: I wish it could be like this forever.

Buck shouted in exaggerated outrage to make Chris laugh, gesturing at some ridiculous plot point playing out on the screen, and Eddie let that huge wave of feeling bowl him over—that world-ending, all-consuming love.

Just this. Forever.

“Hold on, let me get this straight,” Hen said, a hand raised to keep Eddie quiet. “He has this whole thing about his girlfriends being couches, and the couch he finally bought is your couch?”

Feeling somehow embarrassed, Eddie just nodded. Hen shared a smirk with Chimney, sitting on the lawn chair that Maddie hadn’t let him move from for the entire party.

“That’s like—almost romantic,” Chimney snorted.

“What?” Eddie said.

“He’s been looking for the perfect couch, but it was yours all along!” Chim crowed, and Hen dissolved into giggles. She was definitely more than a little drunk.

“It’s so sweet, Eddie, come on,” she needled.

“Well, sure, but—” Eddie sputtered. “—romantic? Come on, guys.”

“No, you—you come on.” Hen said around a hiccup. “You guys are—Buck and Eddie! Eddie and Buck!”

“Yeah,” Eddie replied with a frown. “And you guys are Hen and Chim.”

“Nah, no, no, no,” Chim said with a wagging finger. “It’s not the same.”

“How is it not the same?” Eddie threw his hands in the air, one hampered by the half-full bottle in his hand. “You guys are partners, just like us.”

“Yeah, but,” Hen said. “You guys are partners,” she explained, trying for some hand gesture that must have gotten lost in the all the alcohol and rush of the party because she just ended up clasping her hands together awkwardly.

“You guys are crazy,” Eddie said with a long-suffering shake of his head.

“And you’re crazy about Buck,” Hen said in an it’s-so-obvious whisper.

Eddie drew back. “What?”

“Hen—” Chimney started, a hand on her arm.

She shook him off. “No, I gotta—Eddie, you and Buck are like, perfect for each other. You love him, right?” Her eyes were wide and earnest behind her glasses.

“Of course I do,” Eddie said automatically.

Hen gestured emphatically, whacking Chim on the shoulder like this proved her point.

“Hen,” Eddie said gently. “Did you forget that I’m straight?”

Hen scowled, like she did not want to be reminded of this fact. “Okay, but like—if Buck was a girl, you would have asked him out by now. You’d be like—fucking married by now.”

Eddie opened his mouth to respond, but found his mind stuck on Hen’s words. If Buck was a girl. Him and Buck, married. Eddie felt far drunker than he should be off just one and a half beers.

“Eddie, ignore her,” Chim cut in.

Hen frowned. “I’m going to find Karen,” she declared.

Eddie watched her retreating form, unsticking his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “He’s my best friend,” he said belatedly.

“Eddie.” Chimney kicked his leg. “Ignore her, okay? She’s drunk.”

“Yeah, but—” Eddie started.

“Look,” Chim sighed. “We joke about you and Buck sometimes, okay?”

“You do?” Eddie asked.

“Little stuff,” Chimney assured. “Just, like, you’re each other’s favorite person and you’re missing what’s right in front of you, or whatever.”

Eddie opened his mouth to respond, to refute—what?—but Chim continued.

“But they’re just jokes, okay? We know you’re both straight. I mean, it’d be great if you weren’t, or whatever, but that’s not the world we live in.”

Eddie’s jaw closed with a click. He sipped his beer.

“He’s your best friend.” Eddie looked back to Chimney. “And that’s—” He seemed to search Eddie’s face for a moment. “That’s enough, right?”

Eddie swallows. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Exactly,” Chim agreed with an easy smile. “So, don’t worry about it, okay? She’s just drunk and forgot that we don’t make those jokes in front of you guys.”

Eddie nodded. “Right. Besides, Buck has a girlfriend, and—I have a date on Friday, so…”

“You have a date on Friday?” Chimney exclaimed. “That’s great!”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed, voice flat.

Chimney clapped him on the forearm, unable to reach his shoulder from his sitting position. “Look, man, you’ll find that perfect girl-version of Buck out there, okay? I believe.”

Eddie chuckled. “Sure.”

He looked out to the party—his eyes immediately found Buck, head thrown back in laughter at something Athena had said. The string lights of the backyard made his styled curls shine with a honey-colored fire, his fingers curled carelessly around the neck of a beer bottle made Eddie’s mouth feel suddenly dry.

Just this. Just you, Eddie thought.

“You’re right,” he said to Chimney with a hollow smile. “I’ll find someone.”

[marvel-payformytherapy]

Tony: "Okay, let's do a headcount. Who's here?"

Thor: "Present."

Natasha: "Here."

Tony: "Clint?"

Clint: from afar "In the bathroom!"

Tony: "Alright, then the rest of us can start the meeting."

[kawaii-queen-kaiju]

Teenagers

Gotham City. What the hell was Mme. Bustier thinking?! Here she was thinking her PowerPoint had proved her- well, point,- but apparently not. So here she was staring at the plane that was gonna take her and her hellish class to their doom. Okay, maybe she was exaggerating, but with trigger-happy mental patients (literally!), no Miraculous Cure, and Lila of all people, this was bound to be a dumpster fire! 

"Ugh, come on, Dupain-Cheng. Are you gonna stand there all day or are you coming?"

Chloe. Her unlikely ally against Lila, the only person she hated more than Marinette herself. After the rest of the sheeple had migrated to Lila's side, Marinette found that the only people she had left standing beside her were Kagami, Luka, and- surprisingly- Chloe. Adrien was disappointingly neutral, but she didn't hold it against him. His upbringing had left him horribly socially stunted, and she was 90% sure Lila had some kind of unholy alliance with Gabriel, keeping Adrien in check.

"Yeah, I'm coming, don't get your panties in a twist."

"Dupain-Cheng!"

-

The hotel was fancy. Like, Grand Paris Hotel fancy. Stupid billionaires.

The rest of the class got paired up, two to a room, but Chloe managed to get hers changed to the penthouse suite, oh so graciously deigning to let Marinette stay with her.

"What am I supposed to do with two beds, Dupain-Cheng? Hmm? Besides, if I left you alone with the rest of the heathens, they'd tear you to shreds!"

Marinette thinks she enjoys the company after Sabrina flocked to Lila.

The itinerary has them set for resting the jet lag off that night, then touring the Gotham Wayne Enterprises office. Unfortunately, while Chloe is snoring away in the next room over, Marinette is lying awake worrying. Sure, she knew that no one was going to find the Miracle Box in her sewing box, magically locked, in her suitcase, with a padlock on it, stashed in the hotel provided safe, but she still felt paranoid having it out of her bedroom.

As a result, her night with little to no fitful sleep compounded on the jet lag, leaving her feeling like a literal zombie.

Wait, she's died before, so is she a zombie?!

Coffee. Her eyes zero in on the drink of the gods in Chloe's manicured hand.

"You are a goddess, Chloe, and I love you." She says, chugging the coffee down like a man in the middle of the desert. She completely missed the astonished look on Chloe's face.

"Alright class, I'm gonna do a quick headcount, then we'll head out." Mme. Mendeleiv said.

Despite the fact that Mm. Bustier wanted to go on the trip, she found out that she's pregnant and decided that the other teacher should go in her stead. Honestly, it was the only thing that salvaged the trip for Marinette. If Mme. Bustier were here, she'd have probably left her behind!

They quickly boarded the bus (dodging a foot stuck out by Alya. God, to think she almost confessed she was Ladybug to her!) and got on their way.

The W.E. office was, quite frankly, huge. Really! The only building that Marinette had seen that could hold a candle to the building, was the TVi studio back home. The lobby was equally as impressive. It was huge with marble floors and columns that probably cost more than her parents would make in their whole lives.

"Hi! Are you the French class?"

They were greeted by a woman who... honestly, looked out of place in the large pristine lobby. Her brown hair was long and curly, up in a ponytail, revealing shaved sides, and heavily pierced ears. Her rock t-shirt, cargo pants, and leather jacket clashing with the business casual the rest of the people bustling about were sporting.

Oh, wait. Was she saying something?

"-guest I.Ds, they'll let you access the elevators up to the fifth floor. Any questions?"

"Yes, one." Mme. Mendeleiv said. "I thought our tour guide was a young man, Richard Grayson?"

The woman's eye twitched (she tuned out her name, damn.).

"Yes, he was scheduled to lead the tour, but something... came up." She seemed awfully annoyed with this Richard. Hmm.

"Excuse me? Riley?" Lila piped up from the back. Ew. The woman's- Riley's- smile sharpened. "That's Mrs. Miller-Todd to you. Yes?" Lila flinched back, like her words physically hurt. That little- "W-Well, I was wondering why our passes only took us up to the fifth floor?"

"W-" Mrs. Miller-Todd (damn, that was a mouthful, is this how people feel about her name?), opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Alya. "Yeah! For your information, Lila's dating Damian Wayne!" 

Well, shoot. She might not have to deal with Lila for much longer. At Alya's exclamation, all the movement in the lobby stopped, every single person staring at Lila and Alya like they grew another head. Their tour guide raised an eyebrow looking amused, baffling Lila and the rest of her flock. "Really? I wasn't aware that he had even been to France, let alone gotten a girlfriend five years older than himself." Did... did that just happen? Did Lila just get called out in front of a bunch of people who seemed to not believe her?! "Pinch me." Marinette whispered. Unfortunately for her, Chloe heard her. She whipped around and pouted at her.

"Lila's not from France! She lived in Italy before; that's where she met him, and the Wayne's are very secretive, that's why you didn't hear about it! And five years isn't that much!" Alya stoutly defended Lila, reminding Marinette vaguely of a pomeranian.

The poor young woman covered her mouth with her hand, looking like she was contemplating running out the door and not looking back. "You know what?" She muttered, "Bruce is gonna have to actually pay me to get me to deal with this shit." Out loud though, she said; "O-kay, well, supposed girlfriends aside, the first five floors are the only ones open to visitors, the rest are various labs and offices for employees, nothing very interesting."

Marinette wanted to argue that the labs sounded very interesting, but like a good visiting student, said nothing.

They went up the elevators in two groups, up to the third floor. "The second floor is a food court, and you'll be stopping there for lunch and getting turned over to your teacher. Now this floor..."

The tour was actually pretty interesting. They got to see a few finished projects going up for sale, and an in-depth explanation of which department does what. They managed to get to the R&D department before Lila's Possi(trademark pending) caused more trouble. "So, is it true that you make Batman's gear? How about nuclear weapons?" Alya asked, whipping her phone out. Mrs. Miller-Todd sighed. "Mlle. Cesaire, I believe that in the form you signed allowing you on this trip, it said 'no recording devices of any kind'?"

Alya frowned, but put her phone away. "Good. That was your first warning, Mlle. Cesaire. If it happens again, I will have to confiscate it. As for your question, I'm afraid I can't answer it." Alya grinned, her hand twitched, obviously wanting to grab her phone, but refraining. "So you do!"

Mrs. Miller-Todd narrowed her eyes. "I did not say that. I mean, that I don't know. I'm not an employee at Wayne Enterprises."

Everyone's eyes blew wide. Not an employee? "But, if you're not an employee, then why are you giving the tour?" Mme Mendeleiv asked. Mrs. Miller-Todd sighed in annoyance. "I lost a bet." 

"Yeah, but who let you do this?" Alya demanded, placing herself in front of Lila, like the loyal guard dog she was. Mrs. Miller-Todd raised her eyebrow (it was starting to seem like her signature move at this point. Or maybe... someone else found her class as annoying as she and Chloe do?). "Bruce Wayne." 

Marinette could feel the panic in Lila from the back of the group, and watched the reporter in Alya sit up and beg. She whipped her phone out and started rattling off questions, asking about her relationships with Bruce Wayne. In a second though, her phone was taken from her hand, cutting her off. "I warned you, Mlle. Cesaire. You'll get it back at the end. Now, last time I checked, this was a tour of the building, not my personal life." She proceeded to turn on her heel and stalk off down the hallway, expecting the class to follow.

"I like her." Chloe said next to her ear. "Mmhmm." Marinette hummed back, agreeing whole heartedly.

Maybe Gotham wouldn't be a disaster after all.

~

Cross-posting from Ao3, attempting to lure followers here all because of a bit :)

[minminyoonjii]

Hey, Can you make little reader x caregiver skz scene or whole oneshot when Skz bring little reader to shopping mall or somewhere but suddenly reader gone missing and Skz panicked

❤️Ultimate Masterlist

💜Rules and Guidelines

🧡Stray Kids Scenarios Masterlist

🌹CW

Gender Neutral Little! Reader|Panic Attacks|Dissociation|Genuine Toddler Babbles|Surprise Cameo|Don't Worry You're Okay Throughout The Fic|Happy Ending|Emotional Hurt/Comfort|Samchon Is Uncle

💌 This is a work of fiction, I by all means don't force ship anyone. They have the right to love whomever they want.

🍄Wordcount: 1.8K

"Angel, hold my hand," Jeongin said, pulling you close. You rolled your eyes, "I'll be fine, Innie," you smiled, taking his hand nonetheless. Jeongin ruffled your hair, "You will be, as long as you stay close," he said, intertwining your fingers. "This place is bigger than I thought," you said, looking around. Jeongin nodded, "The stalls look packed too," he said, walking within the crowd. "Is anyone hungry?" Jisung asked, holding out his wallet. Felix rubbed his stomach, "I could go for something," he said, making a beeline toward Jisung.

Jeongin nodded, "Same here," he said, following behind his lovers. The crowd began to pile in, making it harder to stay together. You winced, bumping into someone. "Sorry," they mumbled, before walking between your intertwined hands. Jeongin felt the bump but thought you held on. You stood in the middle of the crowd, trying to take control of the situation "This is fine," you mumbled, moving between the public until you reached a clearing.

"Do I have anything on me?" you whispered, patting yourself down. Nothing, none of your stuff was on you. Fear began to creep up, headspace tethering between each other. "Breath, you can't slip now," you reminded yourself, digging your nails into your palm. Anxiety lurked within your throat, making you feel sick. You looked up, and something sparkly flew past your sight, "A butterfly," you whispered. Your feet moved independently, following the butterfly to wherever it would lead you.

Soft meows rubbed against your legs "Kitty," you whispered, running your fingers through their fur. You giggled, dissociating from your current situation. The cats nuzzled into your palm, purring against your gentle strokes. It didn't take long for you to slip and zone in your focus on the kitty cats giving you attention.

Chan held a tray of fries, "Is everyone here?" he asked, doing a headcount. "Eight," he counted, furrowing his eyebrows. "Why are there only eight?" he questioned, looking back at the members. Jeongin pulled his arm out of the crowd, only to see a bag instead of a person "Oh no," he whispered under his breath. Chan's eyes wavered, "Innie, what do you mean 'Oh no' ? What happened?" he asked, taking your bag from Jeongin's hand.

"All their things are here," he said, finding your phone, wallet and other essentials. "I didn't realise they let go. I thought I was clenching their hand," Jeongin stuttered, his breathing getting raggedy. Felix wrapped his arms around Jeongin, "Breath, Innie. Breath," he said, tucking Jeongin's face against the crook of his neck. Chan rubbed Jeongin's back, "They'll be fine, I'll bring Minho and Binnie with me. They'll be alright, Jeongin-ah. I promise," he said, smiling down at Jeongin's grieve-stricken expression.

Jeongin nodded, holding Felix closer. Chan gulped, his heart twisting with worry "Dinner time is almost over, the crowd will die down soon. I can't risk losing any one of you, so find a place to sit, and send me the location," he said, pulling his boys for a big hug. "We'll find them. If the worst-case scenario does happen, Minnie phone the security. No one goes in or out until they are found," Chan said, clenching his jaw. Seungmin nodded, "Will do, hyung," he said, gripping the hem of Chan's shirt.

"Eat up. Hopefully, we'll be back in less than an hour or so," he sighed, giving them one last squeeze. Soon the group split. "Jinnie, do you think they're alright?" Seungmin whispered, hugging Hyunjin's arm. "They have to be," Hyunjin reassured, rubbing Seungmin's back. Jeongin curled up on Felix's lap "Have a bite, Innie," he said, holding up a sugar-covered strawberry. Jeongin chewed on this sweet fruit, melting into the warmth.

A shiver ran down your spine when soft footsteps came up to your figure. You turned around, seeing a man standing right above you. The man noticed the glint in your eyes, "Oh a little, what are you doing here, honey?" he asked with a worried look. You blinked, taking in your surroundings, the previously bright alleyway suddenly dark as you broke out of your disassociation. Panic boiled at a rapid pace, unable to be suppressed.

The man noticed, squatting down to your height "Hey, hey, hey. You're okay. Deep breaths, yeah?" he said, taking slow breaths for you to mimic. You followed his hand gestures, breathing in slowly and deeply. "That's it. You're doing great, honey," he praised, making sure your panic settled before he asked more questions. Your breath stuttered a few times but you managed to calm down enough to gain your vision. The man smiled, "Now, why is a little like you lost in a place like this?" he asked, keeping his hands on his knees.

"Wots of people and, and hold Ninnin's hand but the people bump into hand then Ninnin has gone," you babbled, tears brimming your eyes. The man frowned, "Someone bumped into your caregiver's hand and you got lost?" he asked, clarifying the situation. "Ah huh, then saw a butterfly so follow butterfly," you said, staring up at the man with sparkling eyes. The man cooed, "Oh, you saw a butterfly and decided to follow it?" he asked.

You nodded, "Then, then kitties come to rub my leg so play wif kitties," you explained, gesturing to the cats surrounding your body. The man chuckled, "Sounds like you had quite the adventure, honey. How about we go find your caregiver, hm? They must be so worried right now," he said, reaching out his hand for you to take. You flinched back, "Mama said not to follow strangers 'cause they bad bad," you mumbled, furrowing your eyebrows.

The man raised his hands in surrender, "I genuinely want to help you out, honey. Your caregivers can't find you in the dark like this," he explained. You whined, moving back "Nu, nu. Is scary," you said, curling into yourself. "I know you're scared honey but I need you to trust me for a bit," he said, trying to reassure you. You raised your head, "You not bad?" you whispered, looking into the man's eyes. "I'm not bad enough to hurt you, I just want to help you find your caregivers," he said, smiling softly at you.

"You promise?" you asked, sticking out your pinky finger. The man hooked his finger with yours, "I promise," he smiled, standing up. "What's your name?" you asked, tilting your head. The man chuckled, "Wooyoung," he said, carrying you up. "Woongie?" you repeated, furrowing your eyebrows. Wooyoung smiled, "You can just call me Wooyoungie Samchon," he said, holding you in place. "Woongie samchon?" you questioned, poking his cheek.

He chuckled, "You said it right, good job," he praised, finding your mispronunciation adorable. You giggled, "Woongie Samchon," you said, playfully calling his name. "Yes, Wooyoungie Samchon," he said, carrying you around the stalls. "Woongie Samchon, how we going to find my Daddy?" you asked, looking around. Wooyoung hummed, "Do you know your Daddy's name?" he asked, looking up at you. You thought for a bit, "Banchan," you said, looking back.

Wooyoung laughed, "Banchan? Are you sure, honey?" he asked, wondering if he misheard. You puffed your cheeks when he laughed, "Baba always call him Banchan hyung or Channie hyung," you frowned, crossing your arms. Wooyoung raised an eyebrow, "Honey, how many caregivers do you have?" he asked as he started to connect the pieces. You looked at your fingers and covered two, "This many," you said, showing them to Wooyoung.

"I think I know who your caregivers are, honey," he said, taking out his phone. Your eyes widened, "Woongie Samchon, know?" you asked, watching as Wooyoung scrolled through his contacts. The phone rang for a bit before the other person picked up, "Jagiya, where are you?" Wooyoung asked, pressing his phone against his shoulder. "At the food market, why?" the voice panted. Wooyoung hummed, "You sound breathless. Are you okay?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

The voice sighed, "We lost our little in the crowd and we can't find them," they explained. Wooyoung smiled, knowing his guess was correct "I'm going to pass my phone to someone," he said, giving you the phone without any explanation. You took it, holding it up to your ear "Hello?" you asked. Changbin's eyes widened, "Agi-ah, is that you?" he asked, holding his phone tight. A smile etched on your lips, "Baba?" you questioned back.

A sigh of relief puffed through the phone speaker "Thank god, you're okay," he whispered, tears brimming his eyes. You jutted your bottom lip, "Want Baba," you whimpered, hands trembling around the phone. Changbin sniffled, "I know, agi. Could you pass back the phone to Wooyoung?" he asked, voice shaking. You nodded, "Woongie Samchon," you said, handing him the phone. Wooyoung pressed the phone back against his shoulder, "Jagi, they're okay. Not a single scratch or bruise. Where can I find you?" he asked, walking down the stalls.

"Take a left turn and then right. Okay, we're almost there," Wooyoung said, following Changbin's directions. You rested your head on Wooyoung's shoulder, eyes drooping from today's events. "Don't sleep yet, honey," Wooyoung cooed, looking around the area. You yawned, keeping your eyes open. A faint shout caused you and Wooyoung to turn around. Changbin run up to you both, he cupped your face "My sweet agi. You're okay," he said, taking you from Wooyoung's arms.

You nuzzled into Changbin's hold, melting into the familiarity. "No hug for me, Jagi?" Wooyoung sulked playfully, huffing his cheeks. Changbin chuckled, hugging Wooyoung tight "Thank you for finding them," he whispered, hands trembling slightly. Wooyoung smiled, "My pleasure. I think I have to get going, Sannie might call the security on me if I'm gone for too long," he said, patting Changbin's cheek. "Buhbye, Woongie Samchon," you said, waving at him. Changbin snorted, "Woongie Samchon?" he questioned, smirking at Wooyoung's tinted ears.

Wooyoung groaned, "Just go back to your lovers, Binnie," he said, walking away. Changbin laughed, "Come on, agi. Let's find the rest of the family," he said, holding you tight. Chan was the first one to squeeze you in a big hug, "You're safe. Thank goodness, you're safe," he mumbled, planting kisses all over your face. Jeongin pulled you onto his lap, eyes red from crying "I was so worried, angel," he sniffled, stroking your hair. "Ninnin don't cry," you whimpered, tears brimming your own eyes.

Jeongin smiled with glossy eyes, "I'm so sorry, angel. Don't ever get lost from us again, okay?" he whispered, holding you against his chest. You cried into his shirt, fear, guilt and anxiety fading away the moment he held you in his arms. Jeongin rocked you, rubbing your back "It's okay, Ninnin's here," he sniffled, burying his face into your hair. Minho brought the car to the entrance, "It's been a long day, I think it's time to head home," he said, stroking your tear-stained cheeks. Your caregivers looked at your half-lidded eyes, "Yeah, let's go home," they agreed, packed up their things and drove back to the comforts of their home.

[theprincelyking]

TADC Headcanons (Mostly about their memories)

I’ve been thinking of headcounts for the circus. Just tiny parts of their lives that shine through in one form or another. If you want me to expand more on the specifics, let me know.

I think subconsciously they do retain some vague glimmer of their memories, which contributes to their personalities. And that small things can trigger something primal and unknown within them, for example:

…

Pom: “Ugh, we really are gonna be stuck here forever.” Jax: “Glad you managed to figure that out toots! After all, you gotta get used to the next how many years we’re gonna be in here.” Pom: “I’m gonna be old enough to be someone’s grandma.”

She looked over to see Jax’s eyes welling with tears, that threatened to spill out

Pom: “Ahh! Are you okay? Did I upset you?” Jax: “Ugh, right. Fair warning. Random words can set us off. For some reason, my body starts bugging out everytime I hear the word, "grandma". Tried to get Caine to fix it, but no luck.” . . .

But it can also be wholesome I betcha …

Ragatha was sitting at the table bored. Seemingly unimpressed with her plate of digital food

Pom: “…Are…Are you going to eat that?”

She slides it over to Pomni and she gingerly eats it

Pom: “Uhh…This place sure has…well food.” Rag: “Yeah. Nothing too interesting.” Pom: “True. I wish they had something more diverse…Like something seasoned, or something like desert. Ohh, I could really go for some beans.”

She smiles warmly at that

Rag: “I don’t know why, but everytime I hear the word "beans’" I feel weirdly happy. It’s almost nostalgic.” Pom: “Do you like beans?” Rag: “I don’t know. But I like that word a lot.” . . .

And some can be just plain weird …

Zooble was walking back to their room while Pomni followed

Pom: “So…What’s it like having…A body like that?” Zoo: “Hard to keep track of when your roommate keeps using your hand as a back scratcher. Also walking was a NIGHTMARE when I first got here.” Pom: “I can only imagine. It looks like a lot.” Zoo: “Yeah. It’s so annoying.”

Pomni nodded

Pom: “Well, maybe we could do something to get away from the others.” Zoo: “Not interested.” Pom: “Oh, that’s okay. Uhh, I guess I just wanted to forget about the whole…In a video game thing.” Zoo: “sigh I know it’s hard. But I’m not really the person you wanna hang out with.” Pom: “I’m sure your not a drag or anything. Ehh…I guess if you need me, I’ll be outside the tent. I think I saw a bunch of weird stuff outside. Balls, Board games. I think I even saw a pair of skates-”

Zooble immediately bursted out with laughter, almost falling to the floor, beating their mismatched feet on the ground as they wheezed hard at the word

Zooble: [censored] [censored] [censored]- Oh [censored], don’t say that word around me. It drives me nuts.” Pom: “Huh? Skates?” Zoo: WHEEZE . . .

And some are just…Completely out of left field … Pom: “Marco!” Rag: “Polo!”

They were in the digital lake, going on another one of Caine’s adventures. Thankfully today was rather simple. A pool party in the digital lake. Nothing more.

Pom: “Marco!” Jax: “Polo.”

Jax was using a giant rubber ducky to swim away from her immediately after that

Rag: “Hey! That’s not fair!” Jax: “Oh please, she’ll be fine.” Pom: “Marco!” Gang: “…Help?”

Pomni unblindfolded herself and could see Gangle, sort of stuck to the surface of the water…It didn’t seem like she could move. Pomni picked her up and she wrapped herself around her head, sort of creating a cute little bow on her head

Gang: “Oh that’s better, so cold…” Rag: “I was wondering where she was.” Jax: “I wasn’t.”

Pomni akwardly patted her mask and put back on the blindfold. She drifted in the water a bit before yelling out again

Pomni: “Marco!” Kinger: “I’ll have the Neapolitan cappuccino, More Cappa than Chino. Make sure it's got no more than 4oz of milk, The beans won't have the right texture otherwise-“

He explained in disturbing detail a very lengthy coffee order, which completely stopped the game.

Pom: “…Okay, maybe we should take a break.” Zoo: “I agree, especially since Jax is using my FACE AS A F[censored]G FOOTREST!”

Looks like Zooble also came apart in the water. And was not happy about it.

Rag: “I got your arm!” King: “…Oh!”

He paddles over with their torso, using it as a board to propel himself across

King: “Here you go!” Zoo: “…Gee. Thanks.”

They sneered a bit

[mixtape-racha]

it's a scream, baby! | hyunlix

chapter eleven: we all go a little mad sometimes

words: 1.50k // warnings: depictions of dead bodies and injuries, mentions of blood, cursing

OFFICIAL GHOSTFACE KILLCOUNT: 006

when (y/n) woke up the next morning, her back felt like it had been twisted into an ungodly position - she knew she shouldn’t have slept on the couch, she should’ve just let changbin wake her up to go to bed.

the living room had beer bottles scattered all over, and takeaway rubbish covering the table. the tv was still on, playing a shitty romcom in the morning sunlight. her head was sore - probably from the angle she slept on the couch - and her mouth was so dry she could have sworn a desert had more water.

a smile washed over her face as she got up and headed to the bathroom - flashbacks from the night before of everyone taking it as a goal to tease jisung for his ‘rule’ outburst. minho and seungmin had teasingly called out a ‘i’ll be right back’ as they headed off to bed for the night (although everyone knew they’d be doing anything other than sleeping). she truly was so happy to be surrounded by her friends right now, although she would never stop wishing chan and jeongin were still here too.

she reflected on everything that had happened lately in woodsboro as she brushed her teeth, humming to let changbin in as he knocked on the door gently.

“have you seen seung? him and min aren’t in their room, and i didn’t know if they’d gone out or not.”

she hummed again, shaking her head as she spat out her toothpaste.

“sorry, bin. i only just woke up. have you tried calling them?” she suggested, noting how his eyebrows furrowed as he nodded.

she finished up her routine in the bathroom before wrapping the buff boy in a gentle hug.

“don’t worry, they’ll be fine. lix was sleeping closest to the back door, right? why don’t we go ask him if he heard anything?”

changbin was exceptionally sensitive - that was something all of their friends knew. especially after recent events, (y/n) would do anything she could to calm his nerves and reassure him. it was a crazy, unknown territory - having to question their every move - but she was sure in her assumption that seungmin and minho were okay. no one except campus staff knew they were at changbin’s parents, so unless they were being followed no one should know where they were. and if they were being followed…. well, that meant the killer had something personal with them. but that was an unwarranted fear, so she shook it off quickly.

she softly took changbin’s hand in her own and headed down the stairs towards the bedroom closest to the back door. god, changbin’s house had so many rooms, it was a wonder no one got lost in it. once they got close to the door, (y/n) called out.

“lixie, you awake and decent? me and bin are coming in– oh.”

she came to a stop outside the door, changbin slamming into her back with no preparation for her sudden halt.

“what’s wrong?” he mumbled, looking past her towards the door and instantly spotting the problem.

the door was slightly ajar, which was weird because felix always closed doors behind him - something his mum raised him to do, or something - and the room seemed silent. too silent. changbin’s pushed open the door gently, finding the room empty. it was only when he pulled his hand away from the handle that he noticed the red trail on the door and splattered on the door.

it couldn’t be…. blood, could it?

but before either changbin or (y/n) had a chance to react properly, they were thrown by a scream coming from across the house. it sounded like… jisung? in the garage? what the fuck was going on?

(y/n) and changbin ended up meeting hyunjin as they all ran acros the house, caught completely off-guard by jisung’s yells. as they approached the garage side-door, jisung came flying out, slamming the door behind him. he took terrified - sweaty and red, eyes blow wide in shock and his breathing was uneasy. after taking a quick mental headcount he nearly cried.

“where’s felix?”

“we can’t find him,” changbin said quickly, gripping jisung’s shoulders in an urge to get him to talk. “what’s going on, why are you yelling?”

it was then that jisung’s self-control broke, his breath coming out in short, raspy gasps as he tried to calm himself.

“bin, i don’t know what to– the police or something, we– minho and seungmin–”

it was with that (y/n) finally pushed past jisung and swung open the door to the garage, although in hindsight she kind of wished she didn’t.

minho and seungmin were dead. that was what jisung was trying to say.

their bodies, brutally attacked and destroyed, were flung across changbin’s garage floor. there was a huge pool of blood that seemed to be drying, showing how long the bodies had been there, and even in death the pair seemed to be able to show their affection for each other - their hands outstretched as if trying to reach one another.

a sob escaped (y/n)’s throat, hyunjin grabbing around her waist as her legs gave way. how many of her friends had to be murdered before the killer had enough? was the entirety of woodsboro going to be slayed before this ended?

the remaining friends took themselves into the living room, needing to take a breather and recuperate before they could figure out what to do next. minho and seungmin dead, felix missing with only a blood trail left behind. who was next?

somehow, they decided that it was better not to call the police straight away - they had no proof felix was dead, too, and they didn’t want to draw suspicions to themselves. 7 friends alone overnight and all of a sudden 2 dead and 1 missing? it doesn’t look good for them at all.

they honestly didn’t know how much time had passed before hyunjin spoke again.

“should we… i dunno, go look for felix? the killer seems to like making a show of the bodies, so lix’s body being missing doesn’t make sense. maybe he escaped and he’s out there hurt?”

changbin hummed before agreeing.

“if he wanted to draw the killer away from the house, he could’ve gone out to the woods. i’ll go one way with jisung if you want to go the other way with (y/n)? does that work for you guys?”

the last question was directed towards jisung and (y/n), who agreed hastily. if there was even a slight chance that felix was out there, hurt and alone, they wanted to take it and try to find him. even if it took splitting up in the mass forest behind changbin’s family home.

hyunjin was extremely careful, walking with (y/n). he kept making sure she felt okay, always keeping her in sight and holding her hand. he would make sure she didn’t trip over branches, or get caught on any low hanging brambles. it was nice, but in all honesty (y/n) was too shaken up to care.

any slight movement had her thinking they’d either found felix, or had come face-to-face with the killer, but hyunjin reassured the girl that he’d do anything to protect her. by the time he’d convinced (y/n) to call it a night; the girl was reluctant to go back without having found felix, it was dark and nightfall was hastily closing in.

when they arrived back, they were met with changbin waiting at the door, jisung worriedly pacing by his side. they were relieved to see the pair approaching, overwhelmed with the worry that something had happened to them in the woods.

dinner was a silent affair that night, quiet bowls of ramen shared over an empty table, but none of them could bring themselves to speak. how had they gone from a loud and bustling group of nine, to an anxiety and silent set of four within a week?

the house remained quiet as they cleaned up behind themselves - hyunjin and (y/n) on dish duty as changbin and jisung cleaned up the living room and shut off most of the house - not needing it used anymore. they were all emotionally and physically exhausted, ready to go to bed, when all the lights shut off.

changbin sighed as jisung let out a yelp, the sudden blackness surrounding them had caught him off guard. the four huddled in the living room with their phone flashlights the brighests they could go, while changbin hurriedly texted his parents to see if they could fix the problem.

but all plans to not let it phase them went south as the door loudly slammed open. the four tiptoes across the home, towards the front door to see what the commotion was, only to be met with a horrifying sight.

on the threshold, stood a tall figure in all black and a ghostface mask on their head, the shine of a kitchen knife glistening in the moonlight.

taglist: join taglists here @pretty-racha @chubbyanarkiss @queen-klarissa @queenfelix @taeriffic @mits-vi @myeg1993 @lemontead @peachessandhoney @chanssmiles @changbinisabigboy @5kayzee @skz-streamer @iweirdthingsblog @sinforsuccubus @bunniie0325 @torixx80 @fawnpeaks @bangtanmix73 @savluvsmingi @boi-bi-ahaha @moondustmemories @4evrglow @marrivmel @littlepotatooooo @selxmeow @demetrisscarf @carpioassists

[sagesolsticewrites]

your green eyes calling me back home (you look just like an angel who walks on heaven's floors)

John Brady x Juliet (OFC)

a/n: Saw Twisters this past weekend and have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop. Inspired by a lyric from Stronger Than A Storm by Dylan Gossett. Here's a lil blurb for y'all while I work on the next part of Love's Light Wings <3 Use of modern therapy techniques in the 1940s thanks to our favorite time-traveling Book Club Girlie Olive 👀 TW: This does include a description of a panic attack and Stalag Luft III

word count: 849

Masterlist

@winniemaywebber @ginabaker1666

A shot rang out from somewhere. John Brady didn’t see where, because he was huddled on his small, cramped bunk in his hut, but it sounded like someone had gotten too close to the fence.

He wanted to move, to try and see who it was, see if he could help, but he couldn’t. His legs were frozen where he had them tucked into his chest, and no matter how much his mind told him to move, to help, his body stubbornly refused to obey.

He did a quick scan of the crowded, narrow hut, tallying up a mental headcount of his fellow kriegies as his hand blindly reached for the tattered paperback he kept tucked under his pillow.

His heart dropped like a stone when he realized it wasn’t fucking there.

“No, no, no…”

He reached behind the mattress, throwing off the blankets and shaking them out, ducking down to check if it had somehow fallen under his bunk.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” A voice from somewhere asked— he couldn’t tell who it was.

“Can’t find it… gotta find it…”

His breaths were coming quicker now, terror building in his chest.

“Johnny— breathe, it’s okay, what do you need?”

That was odd. Hardly anyone in the stalag called him by his first name.

“Book—” he managed to gasp out through the tightness in his chest, where was it he needed it, “Juliet’s—”

There’s the sound of someone rummaging through something— or maybe that was him, rifling through the makeshift bookshelves they’d added to the walls— and a flash of green—was that a ring?— then a familiar paperback was placed in his hands.

���This? Is it this one?”

He nodded, clutching it to his chest as if that would calm the breaths that are still coming much too fast.

“Okay, um… just take some deep breaths, Johnny, can you do that for me?”

The person takes an exaggeratedly deep breath, holding it for five seconds before exhaling slowly.

“Like that, okay? If you can.”

He takes a shuddering breath in. It’s still much too shallow, but it’s closer to normal than it was before.

“Again?”

The process repeats until he’s mostly calmed down, but there’s still a tightness in his chest, a panic that refuses to leave forming a vice around his lungs.

“Okay, now, um…” the person mumbles for a moment, too soft for Brady to hear, then speaks up, “Can you tell me what you feel right now? What do your clothes feel like, uh… how does the book feel?”

“Clothes are… soft. Comfortable.”

Another odd thing. Being stuck with just his flight uniform for months was the exact opposite of comfortable.

“The book…”

His thumb traces along the worn cover, the tattered edges of the pages.

“It feels worn. Old. Need to get Jules a new one when I’m back.”

The person lets out a wet, sniffly sort of laugh.

“Alright. Okay. Now… can you look around and tell me what you see? Objects, colors…”

Yet another odd question, because what was around them had all been the same for months. Why would anyone need it described to them?

“I see…”

But looking around him, he was no longer in a damp, uninsulated hut in Germany.

“Green walls. Flower pattern on them.”

“Good,” the person says, “What else?”

“Carpet. Gold.” He says, his voice now hoarse as his vision finally focuses on the person in front of him. “Purple dress.”

There’s a pretty red-lipped smile stretching across the person’s face as they nod.

“Good, very good. You’re doing so well, Johnny.”

His gaze finally lands on sparkling emerald green eyes— the same green as the jewel he’d caught a flash of earlier.

“Jules?” He gasps, the vice finally loosening. 

His wife makes a desperate sound of relief, the golden light of their bedside lamp forming a halo around her dark curls, and for a moment— not for the first time— he’s convinced he’s looking at an angel.

“Johnny,” she nods, “It’s me. You’re safe, you’re at home. Victor, New York, 1946. You’re okay now.”

“I—” He blinks, reality slowly returning to him, “Fuck, how long this time?”

“Not very long,” she assures him, “A car backfired down the street, I came right upstairs and you were…”

He nods. He doesn’t need to hear any more.

“Can I… touch you? Give you a hug?”

There had been times where he couldn’t stand to be touched after an episode, but now all he wants is to hold his wife in his arms, remind himself that this is real. 

At his nod, she perches on the bed next to him, wrapping her arms around her husband and pulling him gently into her.

He buries his face in her neck, paying no mind to the soft brown curls tickling his face, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.

“I’m here, sweetheart,” she murmurs, fingers carding gently through his hair, “I’m here, you’re home, everything’s okay.”

Everything wasn’t quite okay, he knew, and probably wouldn’t be for a while.

But in the safety of Juliet’s arms, he was okay for now.

[five-rivers]

Iewuukaubweenz

AO3

@jaybirdscall

.

Footnotes at the bottom!

.

“Iewuukaubweenz,” said Danny, smiling toothily at the tour guide.  

“What was that?” she asked.  “I wasn’t quite able to make it out.”

“Iewuukaubweenz(1),” repeated Danny.  

“Ignore my brother,” said Jazz.  “It means good morning in one of the languages he’s studying.”

“Oh,” said the guide, smiling, “that’s wonderful.  Preparing for college?”

“It’s just a hobby,” said Danny.  

“What language is it?”

“Oiwawu uno Yinis(2).”

“Well, it’s lovely.  Ah, I think that must be everyone…”  The guide stepped away and started to do a headcount.  

“Don’t make me regret bringing you,” said Jazz.  

“Oh, you should have done that long ago, nu(3).”

“Nuuhuueiwee, uu iiuuni yinis, uzue(4)!” snapped Jazz. 

“Your pronunciation is a little off, there.  ‘Don’t forget’ should be ‘nuuheiwee,’ since ‘eiwee’ starts with a vowel.”

“You’re insufferable.”  

“Wibli i iiuuni eulmau noo iitsetu(5)!”

Jazz groaned.  “Please, just don’t scare off any of my potential future classmates.”

“I make no promises.”

“Danny.”

“I won’t do anything on purpose,” said Danny.  As annoyed as he was to be here, he didn’t want to tank Jazz’s social life from the start.  “But you know how things are.”

“Yeah, I know.  Uu iiuuni(6).  But you could be helpful, too.”

“That sounds like a jinx, honestly.”

“Danny.”

“If you look at it from a certain perspective, it’s like I’m helping them.”  And Jazz, too, because most people would run for the hills upon being presented with the elder Fentons.  Crummy friend material, if you asked him.  Which people usually didn’t.  

Jazz gave him a look.  It was a remarkably effective look.  He crumbled.  

“Fine.  What do you want me to do?”

“Well,” said Jazz, “when people ask why you’re here, I want you to let me explain that you speak over a dozen languages fluently and that I brought you here so you can look at the language, anthropology, and archaeology options.”

“But,” said Danny, “that is why you… Oh.”

“Honesty is sometimes the best policy.”

Danny squinted at her.

“Look, you’re the one going around showing off ghost speak.  At least stick to Latin or something?”

“Ihi Yinis nyoobli wutish(7)!”

“And maybe stick to English unless someone asks?  Maybe?  Like, it’s kind of weird when someone who isn’t, you know, Spanish or Mexican or something starts a conversation off with hola, right?”

“I guess.  But I am a native speaker of Yinis.”

“Danny.  You have a utwueeeweustee(8).”

“Your pronunciation is still off.”

“Give me a break, here, I’m not sure if you can pronounce things in Yinis correctly unless you’re a native speaker.”

“Native speaker?” asked a young man behind who had crept up behind them.  “What are you a native speaker of, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, it’s Danny that’s the native speaker,” said Jazz, spots of color high in her cheeks.  “My little brother.  I’m hoping he’ll be interested in some of the language programs here at the university, if he gets to see them.”

“The language is super rare, though.  Not very many people speak it at all.”  Well, all of the dead, but that didn’t count.  

“Mind saying a few words to me?  I’m a bit of a language buff myself.  Maybe I can guess it.”

“Noo iileihush hii u ib eunti aawee(9).”

“Yinis!  Noo ieku iiiwoo, noo u hib euwi einu ihwuu muueu(10).”

Danny’s mouth fell open.  A sideling look at Jazz revealed that she, too, was slack-jawed.  

“Hii huuyeu yihi, iim.  Wuicheuu(11).”

“Ur hii(12)!” exclaimed Danny.

The tour guide clapped her hands together.  “Now that you’ve all got a moment to get to know one another, let’s start!”

.

Danny and Jazz kept an eye on the young man all through the tour.  Neither of them were quite sure what to do with the fact that a… Ghost?  Human?  Someone who knew how to speak ghost was here, at the college with them.  

“All right!” said the guide, “here’s the student union and our food court!  Let’s meet back here for the second half of the tour in one hour!  Okay!”

Everyone nodded, murmured, or cheered their assent, and scattered.  Danny and Jazz made a beeline for the maybe-ghost.  He had staked out a lonely table in the corner, as if waiting for them.  

… Actually, that was probably accurate.

Jazz slid into the seat right in front of the maybe-ghost.  “Before you two start talking, I want you to know I’m not fluent.”

“Of course not,” said the young man, “I wouldn’t expect a winoo(13) to be.”

“So you are…?” Jazz said.  

“You can call me Roman,” he said.  “But, for what you were actually trying to ask, yes, I am a ghost.”

“Your disguise is really good,” muttered Danny.  

“Yet not, I think, better than yours.  It’s practice.  I’ve been in academia for a while.”

Jazz sharpened.  “As a student?  Isn’t that a bit unethical, considering that there are a limited number of admissions every year?”

Roman laughed.  “Not really.  I’m a ghost student, so to speak.  I don’t really show up anywhere officially, people just remember that I’m where I’m supposed to be.”

So, unethical but in an entirely different way.  “You just… go to school?” asked Danny.  “That’s what you do with your… life?”

“What’s better than learning forever?” asked Roman with a shrug.  “They say you’re not really dead until you stop doing that, and intend to demonstrate that idiom.  I do move around, though.  This is my first time at this university.  But speaking of that…  You must be a lover of knowledge as well, to scout out this place for your afterlife.”

“It’s not like that.  I’m just here because of Jazz.”

“You really should think about what you want to do when you graduate, though.”

Roman cleared his throat.  “As presumptuous as it may be… If you do determine to further your education, I will be here for the next several years.”  He reached into his vest-pocket and pulled out a small, pale green business card.  “I can show you the tricks of the trade.  How to blend in, even if you look, and feel, out of place.”

“Go ahead and take it, Danny,” said Jazz, nudging him.  

“I don’t know,” said Danny.  “It’s not really…”

“You can always throw it away later,” said Roman.  

“Alright,” said Danny, plucking it out of the ghost’s hand.  

“Excellent.  Now that we have that out of the way, what major are you taking, Miss…?”

Jazz blushed.  “I’m Jazz.  Psychology and pre-med.”

“Hm.  I was planning on sociology this year, but that’s not set in stone.”

Danny stood up.  “I’m going to go buy lunch.”

He did not need to watch Jazz flirt with a ghost.  Another ghost.  Jazz… seemed to only flirt with ghosts.  And guys like Spike.  

Oh, ew, Danny did not need to know about his sister’s preferences.  

Did Mountain Dew work as brain bleach?  Yuck.  

Or, as ghosts would say it, nuekawuhuu(14).

1 - Good morning.

2 - The language of Yinis (also called Old High Spirit)

3 - Sister

4 - Don’t forget, I know Old High Spirit, too!

5 - Now you know how I feel!

6 - I know.

7 - But Old High Spirit is fun!

8 - Secret identity

9 - I doubt you have heard this one

10 - Old High Spirit!  I must say, I have not heard that in many years.

11 - You don’t look dead, though.  Very impressive.

12 - Neither do you!

13 - Human

14 - Gross

[mothfables]

Violets and Rabbits

Legend and Ravio reunite after months apart.

It had been a long, long few months. The Chain had had little time for rest and they’d been nowhere close to finding reprieve with any friendly faces in any of the eras they’d been dumped in. Everyone was tired, sore, and more than a little grumpy as they pushed themselves through yet another portal. They kept their weapons at the ready; being dropped in the middle of a monster camp or hostile situation one too many times had made them more than a little wary.

It was thus an unexpected surprise to step out into an empty clearing, the surrounding woods quiet except for the echo of birdsong. No one relaxed just yet, though- they’d been caught off-guard enough in similar situations that a moment of peace was suspicious. After a few tense minutes passed without something happening, however, weapons began to lower as the Chain cautiously allowed themselves to relax.

“Anyone have an idea for whose Hyrule we’re in?” Time called after a quick headcount. Everyone except Four and Hyrule seemed to be doing fine, and even those two were recovering quickly. One less thing to worry about, then. The Chain took that time to look around and see if they recognized anything in their immediate surroundings.

“...It’s mine,” Legend confirmed after about a minute. He went to take a step only to stagger and have to brace himself on a nearby tree. He swore under his breath, waving off a concerned Warriors. “Jus’ my stupid joints. The constant portals made ‘em worse than usual. Gimme a minute, I’ll be fine.” The admission didn’t stop Wars’ hovering but he did at least try to stop being too obvious about it, knowing the Vet hated being coddled.

Eventually they started moving, Legend taking the lead with Warriors right behind him. It didn’t take long before they found themselves leaving the cover of the trees to step onto a firm dirt road. Legend took a moment to look around before setting off down it, his expression settling into badly-hidden hopeful excitement. The rest of them hurried to keep up, Twilight and Warriors exchanging grins. That expression could only mean one thing.

Sure enough, within minutes a cozy little cottage came into view, smoke puffing merrily from the chimney. A large sign decorated with purple lettering sat on the thatched roof, and plants flowed over the walls and along the path. As they drew nearer, the door opened to reveal a person in a hooded purple robe, and Legend’s breath caught.

The figure looked up and gasped. “Link!” The Chain exclaimed in surprise as Legend broke into a sprint. The hooded figure did the same, running up the path to meet Legend halfway.

They collided, wrapping their arms around each other with relieved sounds. They stayed like that for a moment before Legend pulled back, taking Ravio’s face in his hands and looking over him worriedly.

“No one tried anything, did they? The knights-?” Ravio shook his head.

“No, no, I’m okay. What about you?”

Legend gave a short, bitter laugh. “Who cares?!”

“I do!” Ravio leaned forward and kissed away the tears that had gathered in his partner’s eyes. Then he gave a surprised laugh as Legend grabbed his waist and lifted him up to spin them both around.

The Chain watched in surprise as the two of them spun, laughing in delight. They slowed after a few moments, Legend putting Ravio down but not letting go. Ravio wrapped his arms around him again as they leaned into each other. He pressed a kiss to Legend’s hair, humming contentedly. There was a moment of peace before Twilight whooped and Wind let out a piercing whistle, making them jump.

Legend grumbled, burying his face in Ravio’s shoulder. “Your family is easily amused, Mr. Hero,” his partner chuckled. “Aren’t you going to invite them in? It would be rude to just leave them out here, you know.”

The Veteran just growled. “If I don’t look at them, they’re not there.”

Ravio burst out laughing. He pressed one last kiss to Legend’s temple before pulling away and waving to the eight heroes standing further up the path. They quickly made their way towards them, laughing and jeering good-naturedly. Legend just scowled, though he brightened when Ravio took his hand, which only elicited more teasing. The Veteran ignored them and started walking, tugging the merchant back towards the house.

“Feel free to make yourselves at home! I won’t even charge for room and board!” Ravio called over his shoulder as they passed through the door. The heroes gladly took the invitation, filing after the couple and settling in with the knowledge of at least one night of safety and comfort. Packs and weapons were leaned against the wall and shoes piled in the hallway at Ravio’s insistence.

As for their hosts, the two of them put themselves to setting up the house for their guests, passing between the hall closet and the living room where most of the Chain was gathered. They rarely strayed far from each other’s side, keeping some form of contact at all times: from a hand on a shoulder or waist, to linked arms, to a gentle headbump once or twice when their hands were too full.

The gathered heroes couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Their prickly brother rarely allowed himself to be so soft or physically affectionate, so it was a rare treat when he did.

By now, Legend and Ravio had moved to the kitchen - shooing Wild out from where they’d attempted to start dinner - and from the sound of it had started their own preparations. A few moments later soft humming drifted through the house, interspersed with muffled laughter and chatter.

Warriors leaned back in his chair as he listened to the sounds of his brother’s happiness, closing his eyes with a soft smile. Already he could feel himself unwinding, the stress from the road melting away in the warm, homey atmosphere that enveloped the house. He could only imagine how it felt for Legend. It was clear how much he loved Ravio, and try as they might their brothers couldn’t compare to the feeling of coming home to a loved one. The Veteran had been away from home longer than the rest of them, and looking back it was easy to see the distance and separation taking its toll.

His musing was interrupted by the subject of his thoughts reentering the room, followed by a fragrant cloud of what smelled like fresh bread.

“Dinner’ll be ready in about an hour,” Legend announced, moving to sit on one of the plush chairs by the fire and sinking into it with a relieved sigh. By the looks of it he didn’t plan to move anytime soon; Wars couldn’t blame him. Between the numerous fights and constant walking, the Veteran’s joints must be making their displeasure known with a vengeance. He was sure someone - at the very least Ravio or Hyrule - would make sure Legend took something to ease the pain before bed. Nobody liked seeing one of their own hurting.

Speaking of Ravio, he appeared from the kitchen to sweep through the living room with a swish of purple robes to Legend’s chair, waiting for his partner to lift his arms before sitting on his lap and cuddling close. Legend wrapped his arms around him with a soft smile.

“So, Link tells me you had an exciting few weeks,” Ravio mentioned. Wind immediately groaned, taking a deep breath to complain extensively about their recent travels. The rest of them chuckled, settling in for a night of good food, comfortable beds, and more-or-less pleasant chatter. Warriors glanced at the couple across the fire and caught Legend’s eye, giving him a smile. His chest warmed when it was returned, and he sat back to enjoy the evening surrounded by his family.

[sevens-evan]

okay, so, 30 (tourist/knowledgeable local au) go go go

this turned into tourist/park ranger au and is heavily/entirely based on a hike i went on in arches national park years and years ago. slot canyons my beloved. please reblog if ya like it!

“Alright?”

“Great,” Ava says, trying not to look down into the canyon between her feet and the rest of the hiking trail. It’s maybe two feet wide and a long way down. Beatrice holds her hand out over the gap, and Ava takes it. She doesn’t even try not to enjoy the warmth of Beatrice’s hand or the callouses on her palm. Thirsting after her park ranger guide on a group hike definitely isn’t the highest point of Ava’s life, but it’s not the lowest, either, and she’s refusing to feel shame about it. It’s not her fault that Beatrice somehow makes a park ranger uniform look good. It should be impossible, between the pleated trousers and the baggy grey shirt and the stupid, stupid, stupid hat, but Ranger Beatrice is doing it. Ava has been at the front of the pack through the whole hike, throwing in an occasional glance at the shape of Beatrice’s arms beneath the short sleeves of her shirt amongst the views of slot canyons and rocky vistas.

“Ma’am?”

Ava blinks. She’s still holding onto Beatrice’s hand, and has yet to take the step over the canyon before her.

“Ava,” Ava says. “Ma’am was my mother.” She makes a face. What did she just say?

“Ava,” Beatrice says. Oh, Ava likes that. She really likes that, the way Beatrice’s accent turns over the second a in her name. “Just one step. The more you look down the worse it seems.”

“For sure.” Ava decides to let Beatrice think she’s afraid of heights. At least for now. She’s getting, like, major gay vibes, so maybe she can correct that misunderstanding at a later date.

Ava takes the step.

“One small step for Ava, right?” Ava says, looking up from her hiking boots to grin at Beatrice. Beatrice smiles back at her, which is just—devastating. Ava will never be the same.

“One giant leap for Ava-kind,” Beatrice agrees. She squeezes Ava’s hand before she lets it go, and Ava has to clench her jaw shut to keep from doing something embarrassing like asking her to do it again. Or moaning.

They follow the trail as a group as it narrows between two rock walls, then widens again, letting them out into a sort of split in the side of the solid rock hill, rock faces soaring a dozen feet high on either side of them. It affords them an incredible view of the desert out beneath them, sand and rocks and hills. Beatrice stops near the far end of the open space, turning and waiting as the hiking tour group files in behind her.

“Everyone doing alright?” Beatrice says. Ava watches as she does a quick headcount, following along with the numbers Beatrice mouths. If that involves staring at her lips, well, Beatrice probably can’t tell. Beatrice nods a moment later, apparently satisfied with the number of hikers gathered before her.

“This is my favorite spot in the entire park,” Beatrice says. “If you’ll all entertain it a moment, I’d like to tell you why.”

“Go for it,” Ava says. She’s the only person in the group to speak aloud. Beatrice glances at her, and Ava refuses to be embarrassed, offering an encouraging grin.

“Well, if Ava approves,” Beatrice says with a smile. She reaches up and takes off her hat. Several strands of brown hair have escaped their neat bun, and she brushes them back with one hand while the other holds her hat against her side. “My first summer in the park, I was cleaning cabins. I graduated college and lost contact with my entire family not long afterwards. It was a very difficult and confusing time in my life. I thought that I had made a mistake in coming to the US. I thought that I had made a mistake by coming here. I thought that I was in the wrong, that it was my fault somehow that my parents weren’t accepting of me. That it was my fault I was different.”

Gay, gay, super gay, totally gay. Ava agrees with the voice in her head and then tells it to shut up. There’s a rehearsed quality to Beatrice’s voice—Ava suspects she gives this speech on every one of these hikes—but there’s something genuine in it, too, and Ava wants to listen.

“One day towards the end of July—the hottest day I’d ever experienced up til then, being from England,” Beatrice says, “a friend I’d made, a ranger, took me up here. She sat me down and told me to talk to the desert, and ask it if I’d made a mistake. And then she went back up the canyon to give me some privacy. I sat here for ten minutes before I finally did it. The desert did not answer.” A ripple of quiet laughter goes around the group. Ava doesn’t join in. She’s transfixed by the look on Beatrice’s face, a little half-smile that Ava wants to stare at forever. “But on the hike back out I found a tarantula on my backpack.”

“And that made you want to stay?” Ava says. Beatrice glances at her.

“The tarantulas are a very important part of the ecosystem, Ava,” Beatrice says. Ava shuts her mouth and busies herself with the lid of her water bottle. “But yes, it did. It felt like…the desert was calling me stupid for even asking. What does a bunch of sand and rock care if I’m here or not? Have a spider for your troubles, you idiot.” More laughter, and Beatrice laughs quietly at herself this time. “But the people do care. My friend cared to take me here and show me all that sand and rock. And I care to show it to all of you. It’s my job, yes, but it’s only my job because it matters to me. And I hope that it matters to all of you.” She takes a deep breath and puts her hat back on.

“So,” she says. “On the way down the hill, if you want to, I hope that you’ll all ask the desert a question. Doesn’t have to be out loud, don’t worry. The sand won’t hear you either way. And I can’t promise you a tarantula, although some of you may be grateful for that”—no fucking kidding—“but I can promise that the desert won’t answer. And I can promise that that will be more comforting than it sounds.” Beatrice pauses for a moment. Ava might be in love with her. “Are we all ready to start?” There’s a general murmur of assent, and Beatrice turns away from the group, leading them towards the trail out of the split in the rock and down the hill. Ava hurries to catch up to her.

“So,” she says as she draws up shoulder-to-shoulder to Beatrice. Beatrice looks over at her. “Quite the story.”

“I suppose.”

“All true?”

“Of course.” Beatrice shakes her head slightly, amused and scandalized by the idea of lying.

“Got any more stories you’d like to share?” Ava says. “Maybe over a beer or something?” Beatrice is silent for long enough that Ava’s rapid, anticipatory heartbeat turns worried and even faster. “That can be my question for the desert,” Ava says. “If you want. Don’t want. Whatever.”

“Asking the desert to have a drink with you,” Beatrice says. “How unconventional.” Ava shrugs.

“I’m not really the conventional type.”

“No?” Ava shakes her head. Beatrice looks down the trail. “I’m done for the day after this tour,” she says. “There’s not many bars worth visiting around here, but if you’d like to come by my cabin, I make an acceptable gin and tonic.”

“High praise,” Ava says. “There’s literally two things in that drink.”

“Three,” Beatrice says. “There’s lime.” She pauses. “Four. And ice.”

“Sold on the ice,” Ava says. “How the fuck do you do this hike in July?” Beatrice laughs, a sharp, abrupt noise, like it’s been startled out of her. Ava’s hands clench into fists at her sides, trying to catch it in her fingertips.

“You get used to it,” Beatrice says. “Now watch where you’re going. You’ve been missing all the views staring at me.” Ava flushes pink at being caught, but she obeys, turning her head and watching the desert stretch out before her.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Kalina, UMP45, AK12, and M16A1 walking in to find their S/O being buried by the strays the Commander keeps adopting, please!

Okay seriously, we are in the Arctic, where the HELL do these animals keep coming from?

Kalina walks into the rescue station in order to double check if her paperwork was correct.

Only to see her S/O completely overrun with many of the smaller animals, Kalina failing to contain her laughter.

(Kalina) "Hah, oh my god! Need some help there?"

(S/O) "W-Why do we have so many?!"

(Kalina) "It raises morale for the T-Dolls and other personnel around base. It's certainly raising mine watching you get mauled!"

(S/O) "Are you coming to help or not, Kalina?!"

(Kalina) "Aaaactually, better idea! Stay there, and I can do a headcount of everyone. Thanks for making my job easy!"

Kalina says with a cheeky wink, and checks her clipboard, pretending not to hear S/O as they're buried alive by many four legged furballs.

45 wasn't at the base very often due to the nature of her operations, so it surprised her when she learned about the rescue station.

She decided to investigate it out of curiousity before seeing S/O struggling to wrangle a herd of kittens and puppies who were making so much noise.

(S/O) "45! Thank god you're here!"

UMP45 chuckles, walking in and helping S/O by leaning down and petting the animals, many of them coming to her.

(UMP45) "See you got your hands full. How long has this been here?"

(S/O) "Uh, I think even before the Commander started working here. As to why this is here, I haven't got a clue."

45 shrugged and mindlessly started petting the small animals that walked up to her.

Her smile softened upon seeing S/O struggling to feed some of the kittens who were crawling on them.

(UMP45) "Heh. You're pretty good with animals."

(S/O) "You call this pretty good?!"

(UMP45) "...Hm, yeah you're right. You suck."

12 noticed her S/O was in the rescue station, judging by the radar. She decided to walk in to see what S/O was doing, before being greeted with S/O carrying multiple bags of food trying not to step on any of them.

(AK-12) "Would you like some help?~"

(S/O) "PLEASE."

AK-12 giggled at their panicked reaction, quickly stepping in and distributing the food evenly.

She noticed one of the kittens began nudging at her hand, which she gave it a pet in response.

(AK-12) "Are there any wolves here? I think I'd prefer to pet those instead."

(S/O) "Psh, please. Last thing we need in here are predators, and worst of all I think Kalina and the Commander would actually let them..."

(AK-12) "Is that such a bad thing?"

(S/O) "For me it is!"

(AK-12) "Well, not my problem.~"

(S/O) sigh

(M16A1) "Oh my god, they're adorable!"

(S/O) "M16, make sure you don't reek of booze before touching the animals."

M16 looked offended at that remark.

(M16A1) "Wha-Oh come on! I haven't even drank today yet! I just wanna pet the cute dogs!"

(S/O) "They have a keen sense of smell, you might scare them."

(M16A1) "That's a load of bull! I bet they'll love me! Besides, you don't mind getting close to me at night!"

(S/O) "T-That's different!"

(M16A1) "Hmph, my ass!"

She picked up one of the puppies pawing at her legs and was tempted to flip her S/O off.

(M16A1) "See, the little guy-"

(S/O) "Girl."

(M16A1) "-Girl, loves me!"

[i-write-sometimes-maybe]

Let Me Heal You!- Natasha Romanov XFemReader!

Synopsis: Natasha won’t let you do what you do best, but that’s not a surprise.

Warnings: mentions of wounds and blood, stubborn Natasha, mutant reader, implications of torturous past, slight mind control, fluff at the end ofc.

Word Count: 1.6k

A/n: I think this is totally canon. Let me know if you want to see more Natasha! All likes, comments, and reblogs are welcomed!

© This is my work, you have no right to repost my work for any reason without my explicit permission, all rights reserved.

☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎☁︎︎

“Alright, the files have been uploaded. Everyone get back to the quinjet!” Steve went over the comms.

‘Oh thank god.’

You let out a sigh, relief finally started to come back as you finally threw the last few Hydra agents away, the relief gave your powers an extra kick knowing that they could rest soon. You really didn’t care where you sent them, they were just lucky to be alive.

You turned around and began to journey back outside to where the quinjet was parked. As you rounded the corner, you nearly collided with Clint. Instinctively, you threw a punch to protect yourself, and he instantly dodged it.

“Woah there, Y/n. We’re all on the same team now, right?”

You sighed again, “Yeah, we are. Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see you there. I’m on edge and I’d really like to get out of here.”

You didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary. You already knew that this place would mess with your head later and frankly, you were expecting that.

“Alright, no worries, we’re not too far now.”

He took the lead and you followed behind him. He navigated his way around each turn as if he’d been here before, you easily could’ve been the same way if you weren't so distracted during this mission’s briefing earlier in the week.

The pain and exhaustion started as soon as you saw the jet waiting for the both of you. You weren’t too worried about the pain or the cuts, you're an incredibly fast healer thanks to your powers. The only good thing that came from those experiments.

“Let’s go, I’ve got a padded seat calling my name.” Clint said, referring to the hours he had spent on the roof of a neighboring building to keep a look-out.

“I’m going, I’m going. You’re not the only one that wants out of here.” At this point, you were only a few yards from the jet but it still felt so far. “Are you alright? You don’t look too banged up.”

“I’m fine, just a few bruises.” He shrugged and walked up the ramp to the quinjet, instantly slumping into a seat.

You just nodded in acknowledgment, if there wasn’t anything for you to heal then you're good to sit too.

Only a few moments after you sat down, the rest of the team came from their respective areas and found their seats. Tony made his way straight to the front, still suited up.

You were guessing that he’s fine, just a little ticked off and ready to go back to the compound. You did a quick headcount, just to be sure no one is left behind.

“Everyone on and good? Good.” Tony instantly started the jet and initiated takeoff.

“How is everyone? Everyone doing relatively okay?” You asked, scanning over everyone.

Simple nods and a groan or two filled the jet, “No one is missing a limb right? That, I can’t fix.” You felt a little bit better about the situation when you heard a few chuckles.

It wasn’t much but some laughter helps.

You did another scan over everyone, this time you were sure to look extra hard at their injuries. Everyone had superficial cuts that would heal in just a few days and some bruising.

Your eyes landed on Natasha finally, You'd admit that you did look over her harder. It definitely wasn’t because she was your girlfriend and you wanted to tend to her first, not at all. But something was off.

She had her hand over her abdomen and was sitting at a weird angle. Her stoic spy expression was on her face, not a tired expression that she usually has after missions.

To anyone else, this is fine, she is fine. But you're not anyone. She may be a highly trained spy but she couldn’t get past you. You know her better than that.

You walked over to her and sat beside her, she shifted but it wasn’t to be closer to you. She moved to be sitting straighter but her arm didn’t move. Yeah, something wasn’t right.

“You are okay, right?” You asked even though you knew the answer.

“Yup, I’m fine.” That’s a lie. For a spy, you’d think she could lie to you better than that.

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m your girlfriend and it’s hard for you to lie to me. So, I’ll ask again, are you okay?” You were a little more stern this time.

She sighed, “I’m fine really, it’s just a scratch.”

“Uh huh, let me see it.”

“No.”

“Natasha.”

“I’m fine!” She kept trying to insist.

“Are you kidding me?”

She side-glanced at you, “What?”

“Something is wrong and I know it, so, you might as well show me now so I can heal you.”

“Y/n, I’m fine. Really.”

You sat beside her, staring at her face. You would’ve kept eye contact but she was staring ahead at the floor.

The one thing about her, you can’t break her. You know that for a fact, and of course, you know why. Your squinting glare, an attempt at intimidation and persuasion, did absolutely nothing. You weren't surprised though.

Neither of you moved from how you were sitting, and in no time you were all back at the compound.

As soon as you were safely docked, she instantly stood up. You noticed how she tried to hide a wince, and that's when you knew for certain that something was wrong.

Natasha was one of the first people off the quinjet, and if you know Natasha, which you do, you know that she’s going straight to her room to shower.

Well, she was going to try to. You used your powers to make her walk to the Med Bay.

“Really, Y/n? I am completely capable of walking myself.”

You continued to move her forward, “Oh I know, I’m just guiding you where you need to be.”

Natasha groaned the moment she realized where you were leading her. You opened the door and made her sit on an exam bed.

“Sit.” She tried to get up when you released your powers. “Stay.”

She rolled her eyes, “I am not a dog.”

“Good, then maybe you’ll listen better than one.”

Bruce walked in behind you, he had stayed behind so he could have the Med Bay ready for anyone that got injured on the mission.

“Let me see it.”

“Y/n, it’s nothing, it’s just a small scrape.”

You narrowed your eyes, “Then let me see it.” She didn’t move. “Do I have to do it myself?”

She finally gave up, “No.”

She moved her arm. And that's when you saw her suit ripped open and her side was bleeding.

“Nat, that’s not nothing! That’s a bullet scrape!” You moved towards her so you could heal her, but she put her arms up to stop you.

“Let me heal you!” You just wanted her to heal, or to at least stop the bleeding.

“No! I’m fine! Bruce, tell her I’m fine”

It definitely wasn’t the worst injury you’ve seen her come back with, but it wasn’t small either.

He looked around you and saw the wound, “Uh well-“

“Never mind!” She thought Bruce, a trained medical doctor, would side with her.

“Babe, please, just let me heal you.” You tried moving towards her again.

“Oh. I’m sorry, is this OUR wound?? No? Then stay out of it.” Why does she have to be so stubborn?

But you knew something you could say that would change her mind, “If you don’t let me heal you, then you won’t get kisses for a week.”

Her stoic face shifted into one of disbelief and concern, “Hold on now, no need to get carried away-“

“So. Let. Me. Heal. You.”

“Ugh! Fine!”

“Thank god! Now stop moving!”

You finally moved to her side, You looked at her and nodded so she could be prepared. Your healing doesn’t hurt but it’s still something to be prepared for. She nodded back, ready for it.

Nat wasn’t a stranger to your healing, almost every mission she came back from, she needed you to heal something on her.

Even more of a reason why you'd think she'd be more welcoming to your healing, but Nat would always downplay her injuries.

You placed your hand on her side, she winced a little bit when you added pressure.

You closed your eyes when you felt them start to glow, there was something about the glowing that you just never liked. You didn’t understand why that happens when you heal people.

Your hand began glowing against her skin, the tissue now fusing itself back together. You stayed like that for a few moments until you felt your powers calm to a stop.

When you opened your eyes again, you saw Natasha watching you.

You ignored her look as you looked over the once wounded area. Everything was fine and it was almost like she was never hurt to begin with. Though you have magic, it doesn’t prevent scarring. However, it does make it significantly better than it would be if she were to heal and scar on her own.

You backed away and grabbed a cloth, wiping your hands clean from her blood. That is the one thing you’d never get used to. And you never, ever, want to get used to it.

When you turned back to face Nat, she still had the same look on her face.

“You know, I like when your eyes glow when you’re healing.”

“What? Why?” you were so confused, you had never liked it.

She lightly shrugged, “I’m not sure, I think it just makes you that much more beautiful and unique.”

“Okay, I think Banner needs to check you for a concussion.”

“No, I mean it. I really do like it.” She put her hand in yours.

“Really?”

She nodded, “Really.” You smiled at her assurance. “Now I need to shower, care to join me?”

“Is that even a question? Absolutely.”

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