#once i got rear ended while stopped at a red light

[quilliums]

None, have y'all ever been around Alabama drivers that cut through Mississippi? Worst in the country next to St Louis in Missouri. Every single time I've gone to St Louis I've gotten hit.

[preservationofnormalcy]

[My name is Meghan Hendricks, and I’m about to do something stupid.]

[I’ve scheduled my work to be sent to my superior in the federal government’s oversight committee unless I stop it in one week. A dead woman’s hand. It’ll be somewhat fruitless - I’ve begun to suspect that my work will be restricted, censored, and buried like most other things the Office does.

A lot of the people I talk to are exculpatory of the Office, even if they say they have questions or concerns. I think most of them mean it. I don’t think it’s brainwashing. I think in such a tighly knit community as the supernatural world people feel a more genuine sense of belonging than they might otherwise. A werewolf helping werewolves is going to understandably try and defend the hand that deals the help, even if they’ve bit it in the past. But one thing I’ve learned as I’ve been peeling up rocks and seeing what scurries away is that something isn’t right. Something is hiding in plain sight.

Most people don’t know about it. They can feel the shape of it, the outline the absence of something makes. Some people, however, do know. At least a little. I’ve seen them avoid questions, look away, end interviews. I can see it in their eyes. They know enough to not want to know more.

All of that brings me here, to the backwoods of upstate New York. I’m dressed in all black, wearing a mask and gloves. My clothing smells of peppermint, and in my bag is a bottle of peppermint oil. It stung my eyes and, before I got the dilution right, burned my skin. I look in my car’s rear view mirror and it hits me that I look ridiculous. I don’t know for sure why the factory foreman Barry warned me about the peppermint, but I had a theory. 

For the last few minutes I’d seen the shape rising into the air, the metal tower with red lights up its length. That was where I needed to be. The highway was thankfully bare, at this time of night. As was the turn-off onto an unmarked gravel road, only distinguishable by the Office’s symbol on a plastic sign, held up on a thin metal spike. I’d learned by now that the broader public couldn’t see the Office logos and signage until they’d been exposed to the extranormal, something the Office calls “memetic masking.” I was, in their terminology, memetically inoculated, and it was that fact that ironically helped me find the path. The gravel road went into the forest, but I pulled over past the road’s entry, into the small area of grass down past the turnoff. I pulled a tarp from my car and threw it over the vehicle, once again feeling ludicrous…and frankly, a little scared. 

The hike was about twenty minutes, mostly uphill on a gentle incline, the numbers station being built on a hill. I’d done worse, but not in a while. I could see pretty well in the light of the full moon, a fact that made me a little more nervous. I walked along the edge of the gravel road, in the dark - hiking onto a government facility, my nerves went wild. Every shift of leaves meant an agent clad in camo, every whip of wind causing a noise that made me think of the things I’d seen since I began this assignment. Not this assignment, I had to remind myself. This wasn’t part of it. Not really.

I saw the fence in the distance first - an eight foot chain link fence that stretched as far as I could see in either direction. Past the fence, I could see dark buildings, giant spools of wire, and above it all the metal tower of the station. I hadn’t exactly planned for this, even though I knew it was more than likely. The handheld cutters in my back pocket were ready, but something in me didn’t want to cut the links, even if I fully intended to pass the fence. Getting in some other way could be a blunder, accidental. Cutting the chain meant intent.]

C] 1 15 12 24 2 12 12 21 16 26 1 15 12 22 21 19 6 26 2 25 3 16 3 22 25

[The voice almost made me vomit. I spun and saw a man. Disheveled, haggard, an unkempt beard and long hair. Older, in his 50’s, but being dirty and ragged made him look even older. He didn’t even look at me, mumbling numbers so fast I could only understand them later once I slowed them down in my recording. After his string of digits he stood there, looking at the fence, then back to me. In the moon’s light I saw his dirty, torn jumpsuit, the logo for the Office on the man’s arm and chest, along with an embroidered nametag - Cecil.]

M] Wh- who are you? What are you doing here? 

C] 4 12 25 16 23 23 12 11 22 2 1 1 15 12 23 8 25 1 22 13 2 26 1 15 8 1 18 21 22 4 26 16 1 26 9 25 22 18 12 21

[His stare was distant, vacant. It was a shock when his hand moved suddenly, pointing upward to the moon. It took me a second to realize what he was saying, and when I did, it confirmed my suspicions.]

M] Here? Now? 

C] 1 15 12 6 19 19 23 2 21 16 26 15 15 16 20 13 22 25 19 16 3 16 21 14 1 15 25 22 2 14 15 16 1

[With that, he turned and walked away. He looked back once, pausing as if making sure I was following - which, despite my better judgment, I did. I attempted to ask him some more questions, trying to understand who he was or why he was here, but he didn’t respond. Not even with his numbers. 

After a moment of walking by the fence, we walked away from it, down the hill. A steep path, rocky and unstable, that he navigated with ease. It was only after climbing down past a tree and a rocky face that I noticed “Cecil” backtracking up a few steps. A huge drainage pipe jutted out from the hillside, hidden from above by rocks and plants. A piece of wood in the pipe was the only flimsy protection, and without hesitation Cecil pulled it aside and bent over to climb inside. Here I was, in the middle of the woods, about to climb into a dirty tunnel to a strange old man’s bunker. 

I could hear a match catch fire just as I stepped down onto a concrete floor and stood up past the metal pipe. The space was small, a concrete box that ended in a pile of rubble. It must have been the entrance to an underground section of the complex at one point, but now was only a covered shelter. A camp stove, a bed, an orderly pile of refuse. He was living hard out here, but he was living. Cecil put the match into an old oil lantern and held it up to one wall. ]

C] 13 16 21 16 1 12 2 21 16 3 12 25 26 12 13 16 21 16 1 12 1 22 22 19 26 4 12 19 22 22 18 12 11 9 12 6 22 21 11

[All over the concrete wall, pasted or taped, were papers. Mainly old documents from the Office, with the Office logo watermarked on their corners. Many of them featured heavy black redaction bars. Some were torn, upside down. Cut in patterns, circled with heavy marker lines. I’d seen things like this in movies, of course. The stereotypical red string and thumbtacks on corkboard. This was different, however. When I looked over the collage I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t a man trying to figure things out. He’d already figured it out, in his own way, and this was some kind of…archive. Memorial. A reminder. I looked at him, and he looked down to the floor. In shame? Sorrow? I couldn’t tell. I scanned the wall again, trying to find some order.  

‘Numbers Station 23 Decommissioned By Order Of Reality Compliance Council.’ ‘Bulletin From Director Walker On Directive 61722.’ ‘Los Angeles–’ the last one was torn off.]

C] 26 15 12 16 26 14 22 21 12 13 22 25 12 3 12 25 26 15 12 11 16 11 21 22 1 11 16 12

M] What is all this? Who ARE you?

C] 1 15 12 23 25 16 21 10 16 23 8 19 16 1 6 4 16 19 19 8 3 12 21 14 12 15 12 25

M] Listen, I – I don’t want numbers. Can you speak?

C] 15 16 26 13 2 1 2 25 12 16 26 2 21 18 21 22 4 8 9 19 12 8 21 11 1 15 2 26 16 21 13 16 21 16 1 12

M] You used to work for the Office…at the numbers station? This numbers station? Is that why you can only –

C] 4 12 18 16 19 19 12 11 25 12 8 19 16 1 6 1 22 26 1 22 23 15 16 20

[I must admit to some frustration. I scan the wall again. None of it made sense. Clearly it did to Cecil, otherwise he wouldn’t have saved all of this. Was the numbers station related to…what happened to my brother? Phrases leap out at me: ‘reality compliance’, ‘the equation’, ‘project dammerung.’ That last one was…all over. There were scraps, shreds with the phrase, but all of it redacted.]

M] What is this? Project Dammerung? 

C] 2 19 1 16 20 8 1 12 4 12 8 23 22 21 13 22 25 1 15 12 2 19 1 16 20 8 1 12 13 12 8 25

M] I don’t…I don’t have time for this. You know why I’m here. Are you going to help me, or not?

[Cecil was silent for once, looking around hesitantly, and finally back to the floor. I give him a moment to respond, and when he remains silent, I take in a breath.]

M] Right. Thank you, Mister…Cecil. I’ll…

[He raises his hand, almost as if he wanted to grab my arm, but was too timid. Raising the lantern to a section of the wall, he gestured to a particular document, from Office Security, or O-Sec. A photo of a serious-looking Asian-American man, Corporal Han. Most of the document was blacked out. Was this a warning? I take in the wall one last time, and drop my bag so I can reach for my camera. A polaroid - no digital trail, no getting the photos developed. With a click I snapped a photo of the wall. 

A noise distracted me. I turned, and Cecil was going through my bag.]

M] Uhh…sir? Cecil? 

[He stopped, looking up at me in almost surprise, as if he’d forgotten I was even there. ]

C] 1 15 12 12 20 16 26 26 8 25 6 26 14 25 8 21 11 11 8 2 14 15 1 12 25 4 16 19 19 1 8 18 12 15 16 26 23 19 8 10 12

[He slid the bag back over to me. I couldn’t figure out what he was looking for, but it didn’t matter now. I needed to get out of there. I put the camera back in, quickly checking that nothing was missing, and backed up towards the pipe.]

M] I know you showed me this for a reason. I’ll figure out how it all adds up, I promise. 

[I enter the pipe again, leaving the old man holding his lantern.]

M] Thank you.

[When I turn away, he looks to his wall one more time. 

I emerge alone into the moonlight, attempting the climb back up the hill. Though I had more scraps of information, I was back at square one, or so I thought. When I reached the top and made it back to the fence, I saw a section of the chain link that had broken, detached from the pole nearby and bent away, covered in a bush that only kept it half hidden. This must be where Cecil still entered the facility. 

The gap in the fence opened up into what seemed to be a storage yard, the place I’d seen past the fence earlier. Piles of tarp-covered metal or wood beams, spools of wire as tall as I was. In the moonlight, I could see poles dotting the yard, cables stretched between them, each one bearing a floodlight. Though everything had been organized and put away securely, I got the feeling no one official had been here in a long time. Leaves covered most surfaces, and cobwebs shone in the dim light along the roof of a nearby shed. 

Again, it struck me that I didn’t know what I was doing. Any information or leads would be in the building past the storage yard, and surely that had better security? Cameras, keycard locks - what was I even doing here? Walking through the yard, almost lost in thought - the tower of the station rose into the night sky in the distance, red lights along its length. They almost looked like eyes along the body of some thin creature, frozen against the stars. 

And then, lights near the station building. I stood still for a moment, uncomprehending until a pair of floodlights on poles a short distance away snapped on, then the next set. The lights were turning on this way, towards me. I had seconds to react, and I did what I’d practiced. In my bag’s side pocket was a plastic bag, containing a gross mess of wet cotton balls, soaked in diluted peppermint oil. Despite my panic, I threw them in all directions, slinging a handful of them in a wide arc, and then hid before the lights were on in my section of the yard. I could hear the electric buzz of the floodlights snapping on just as I ducked behind a row of wire spools, trying to stop my racing heart.

As I debated my options - running, waiting out the lights…maybe they were on a timer? I heard footsteps approaching, crunching on the leaves and pine needles that had accumulated over the unattended years.  When they got closer, I tried to peek through the center of one of the spools I was hiding behind. I saw his uniform first, O-Sec, Office Security. A large man, built like a weightlifter - could see the black shine of a gun in his right hand and my heart leapt into my throat. It was the man from Cecil’s mural, Corporal Han. Was he the officer assigned to this site? I should have known the Office would still have security even on decommissioned stations like this.]

H] I know you’re here. 

[He stopped in a large open area, looking around at the stacks of materials around him, the sheds and tarps - all hiding places.]

H] Normally, I might blame teenagers. Kids getting a kick out of trespassing on Office property. We had one group a few months ago, teenagers. Two humans, a fae and a vampire. They all forgot their vamp friend couldn’t enter without permission. Fun night.

[He paused, letting the silence fall again. I could see him look around, eyes scanning the yard and narrowing. He sniffed the air in a way that seemed…odd.]

H] But judging by the smell…I think you know what you’re doing. You came in with an idea of what was going on. Either you’re a professional, or someone told you…

[He carefully walked, passing behind a small shed and out of my view. I panicked that I lost track of him for a moment, but then there was a sickening sound. Like flesh stripping and bones crunching, and Han’s voice hissing. Then a sound that echoed through the yard, the sound of a hand - no, a claw, grabbing onto the edge of the shed’s corrugated metal wall, digging in and tearing the metal. A shape followed it. A long maw of shining teeth, white fur. A raised canine lip in a familiar but terrifying gesture of anger and aggression, a low rumble as the muzzle raised, and smelled the air. Then, a whine, another growl, sneezing and huffing as the muzzle retreated behind the shed again, out of my view. Another crunch, a growl, and Han staggered past the shed. Haggard, sweating, panting softly, looking incensed.]

H] And if someone told you, I’m going to have a nice, long…conversation with them. 

[He tried to collect himself, catch his breath, run a hand through his hair. He pulled a bandana from a pocket of his uniform, pulling it over his mouth and nose.]

H] You have one minute. One minute until I call backup. You can hide from me, but can you run from a dozen of us? Most of them won’t have my…shortcomings. 

[My heart was pounding. My head was swimming. My fingers were going numb. I couldn’t claim innocence, not when they found out who I was. Could I make a break for it? All of the ways out seemed to be past him, and if he was what he seemed to be, it would be a short chase. It would end up better for me if I surrendered now, but what happens after that? I’d never work again…or worse.]

H] Cecil?

[Han’s voice was confused, concerned. I snapped around to watch through a gap in the spools as Cecil approached, holding a bottle. The bottle of peppermint oil. He must have taken it earlier when he was looking through my bag.]

C] 1 15 12 18 21 16 14 15 1 9 12 8 25 26 1 15 12 14 2 16 19 1 15 12 16 26 25 16 14 15 1

H] Cecil, what did I tell you about–

[Han took in a breath through the cloth, and exhaled, clearly frustrated. His voice was sharp, low, but his face softened, and there was a soft click as he put his gun away.]

H] Why the peppermint, man? You know what that does to my nose. Were you just trying to sneak around without me knowing? 

[Cecil looked at the bottle, then dropped it.]

C] 26 22 20 12 26 1 16 19 19 13 12 12 19 23 15 8 21 1 22 20 23 8 16 21

H] Are you taking your medicine? Probably not. Let’s….let’s get you back home. Not that bunker, home. 

[Cecil seemed to hesitate, but Han put a hand on his upper arm.]

H] You know you can’t be here. Come on. If you come with me to the station I’ll ask someone to bring you dinner when they come pick you up. Okay?

C] 25 12 8 19 16 1 6 4 8 26 13 22 2 21 11 4 8 21 1 16 21 14

[The older man lowered his head, but followed Han as the guard turned and walked back towards the station - but not before looking around, deciding on the row of spools I was hiding behind, and nodding, jerking his head towards the direction of the gap in the fence.

I didn’t need to be told twice. Once Han and Cecil were out of sight, I ran to the exit. I don’t remember much of the next several minutes - running a roundabout way through the forest, coming to the edge, following that until I found my car. I didn’t allow myself time to decompress. I slammed the keys into the ignition and pulled out onto the highway. 

The tears came just as it started to rain, and I drove until it became difficult to continue. I had gained nothing from this. Nothing but a panic attack and a long-lasting nightmare, a recurring dream with claws, spools of wire, and the scent of peppermint. ]

[s-b-party]

Home is There and Here With You

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59810080

Includes: Light angst, Mild hurt/comfort, Memory loss, Friendship, Platonic relationships

Yuu has a moment of self-reflection of sorts after contemplating about the overblot incidents, leading to homesickness and fear of losing memories. Cue Grim trying his best to comfort them.

When all was said and done, Yuu was glad that the guys made it out of their overblotted states. Were they wrong? Yeah but it was also hard not to feel bad for them. Of course Yuu had found the same routine of needing to stop somebody's overblot annoying to do, but at the end of it, they were glad to see things get resolved. Glad...but also sad.

It was hard to admit after seeing all the times the guys had others look after them when the blot had dissipated. There were always people there to bring them back home.

The red tyrant...

The lion...

The sea witch...

The cobra...

The fair queen...

The watchman...

The dragon...

They all had people fighting to bring them out of their manic states. Were they all good friends? Not exactly, but they definitely had special bonds that the Prefect could see even if nobody else could. While some were very close, others were closer than strangers but perhaps a bit too distant to be called "friends".

All Yuu could think about was their old world and the people that were left behind. Sure, they made many friends here along the way and they have been here for quite some time, but they couldn't stay in Twisted Wonderland forever. It's not as if they chose to leave their old family & friends behind in the first place. Homesickness had reared its ugly head when they thought about their loved ones both here and back there.

The smiles on their parents' faces, warm hands hugging them, their friends' cheers at their competitions...

"Myahaha! What's wrong, my henchman? Surely the great Grim can solve your problem! Is your stomach hurting?" The direbeast sauntered his way to Yuu who was currently curled up on the sofa in a blanket while lost in thought. One short breath in and one long breath out, maybe it was time to stop keeping it in...

"I-I'm scared, Grim. I know Crowley said he'd find a way...but what if there's no way home for me? I was dragged here by the Dark Mirror even though I have no magic. I...I'm so scared, Grim. I'm starting to forget things. I don't know if the overblot incidents got to me and jumbled up some of my memories. It's just- I can't stop this fear of forgetting my old life. There's probably something that can fix my foggy memories of my old life, but even if I do find a way home, what'll happen to my memories of you and everybody else here? Will you all disappear...just like a dream? I already lost my family and friends once, I don't want to go through that again when I go home."

Lips trembling and eyes watering, Yuu laid bare their worries which gnawed at their soul for quite some time now.

".......I'm sorry, Yuu."

Grim initially was laying down on the sofa next to them. He then rose up from his position to squeeze himself into their arms underneath the comfy blanket. He gave off strong purrs which provided much comfort to them.

"I don't know much about traveling worlds a-and I'll be real sad to see you go home but...MRAHHHH I DON'T WANNA BE SAD AND SAPPY!!!!"

Yuu couldn't help but chuckle at his outburst. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd want to be sappy ever."

"I don't know how much help I'll be when it comes to sending you back- n-not that I'm saying that I'm not powerful, that's not it! Hmmmm...if it makes you feel better, the idiots and I'll be by your side while you're still here!"

"Thank you, Grim. That does mean a lot to me."

A comfortable silence fell upon Ramshackle Dorm that night and Yuu was able to sleep well with Grim nearby. Being both exhausted in mind and soul, Yuu was rest assured with the promise of another tomorrow in Twisted Wonderland.

They say that home is not a place but the people whom you love.

If only words were enough to tell you how much I wish I could return to you.

I see you in the twinkling stars of another world, in the clear river bank that trickles alongside the passing seasons,

in the breeze that carries voices that I can almost hear, in the rays of sunlight that caress my cheeks with warmth,

in the magic of this world, if only all of this could convey how badly I miss you.

If fate were kind, my two worlds would meet together not unlike a gentle kiss, if only life could be fair...

Whether I'm here or back there, I'll always be thinking of home.

****This is my first fanfic ever and it was really fun for me to write even though I was still emotional over Book 7 (still am ngl) 😂 hope y'all enjoy it :3

[heliosthegriffin]

Shadow Knight and Magic Girls XX

Chapter 20

Ao3 Link

----

Jaune got into the car, pushing his scroll up to the front. "I need to get here." He pointed to an address on his scroll.

Miltiades, seated in the front passenger seat, looked at him miserably. "This is the fifth place this afternoon," She whined. "I'm bored!"

"We have ten more places to hit up before we're done."

Melanie tapped the steering wheel. "Are you going to tell us what you're doing?"

"Nope. Drive." The blonde said, leaning into the back seat, and counting lien out in the back seat.

Melanie felt a flash of annoyance, then sighed, taking off down the road.

They stopped at a local pizzeria place in a decaying neighborhood, Jaune got out went inside, a couple minutes passed by, and then he exited, carrying a couple boxes of hot steaming pizza.

"Alright, now, we go here." He pushed a box into Miltiades lap, while he started devouring a meat-lovers in the back.

"We're not just going on food-runs, are we?" Melanie asked.

"No." He said between bites. "I was coming here anyway, got hungry, and it'd be awkward to be the only one eating."

Melanie reached for a slice, taken extra care to avoid her sisters hissing swipes for daring to take her food. "Alright, where to next?"

They went to several more small business, all in similarly low-income areas, with Jaune repeating his actions, leaving the car, going inside for a couple minutes, then return back, and going to the next locations.

Eventually, they hit all the locations that he had on his list.

"That it?"

"For today, at least."

Miltiades let out a whoop of joy. "Yay! Now, we can do something fun! Ooh, how about the gun-range, or ice-skating?"

Jaune looked at the clock, then shrugged. He could spare an hour. "Sounds fun."

"Awesome!" Miltiades cheered, then tapped her red lips. "By the way, will you at least give us a hint to what you're doing?" She gave him a sly look. "Not paying off baby-mamas, are you?"

Jaune blushed. "No! Nothing of the s-sort. I'm just doing something like, uh, ever heard of putting a chip on every horse in the race?"

Melanie looked at him curiously. "Yeah, but what's that got to do with you?"

Jaune shrugged. "I'm just making a bet,"

"And, if you lose?"

He shrugged. "Oh well, then. Gambles don't always pay off, and I'll have the experience."

Melanie shot him a calculating look through the rear-view mirror, the lien he had stacked back there was gone. Well, not like she could say that Miltia and her had been more responsible with their money. Let him reap what he sows.

------

Where the Wicked Ones went

'Once upon time, there was a great king.

In his kingdom, he did not accept any wickedness, and He chased from his lands the wicked and evil ones with the endless power of the Sun, and those that stood against him and his mighty knights, they were like livestock to the slaughterhouse.

The ones who fled, left this world entirely, fleeing to the Other World.

A place of different time and space, but not separate from our own world. It was not above the world, or under it, but overlapped in places, with stitching vein, and scars covered with stones.

Those who fled into this Other World, they took a different name, different bodies, but their wickedness remained. As they spread across the Other World, they founded many different kingdoms, still practicing their evilness, while fighting meaninglessly and cruel wars between each other.

However, on weird days, under rare stars, they stop fighting and turn to gaze at the World. The World changed, covered with layers of fallen ages and cycles of ever turning light and darkness, and they still yet remember, and most of all, fear that the King of Seasons will find them.

Or, if not him, one with a spirit to succeed him. In their arrogance, though, they are soon to forget that fear. Quickly, they turn their attentions to back to each other, and occasionally, with a bit of foolish pride, venture forth into their former home.

----

Jaune turned the page, the story ended there. He closed the book.

"Are elves, real?" He mused.

"Of course they are!" A voice shouted next to him, making Jaune jump back a step. He turned to look at the short ginger next to him.

"Thanks, Nora. I really needed those minutes off my life."

"You're welcome!" She circled around him, looking at the book. "Why are you reading a cookbook? You know Renny is always going to beat you in a cookoff!"

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Shut up." He didn't needed to be reminded that Ren had magic hands, metaphorically speaking. Hopefully. He didn't want Ren involved in this whole magic business, he had a whole life of him ahead of beating the snot of people in the CKMC* to be risking life and limb.

*(Cross-Kingdom Martial-Arts Circuit)

Or at least, more than he would otherwise, but at least there were rules there.

Nora circled around him. "Wait, is this an elven cookbook?! Are you trying to cook for elves, or trying to cook elves?! If so, you may have a lead on Renny, as I don't think he has the heart to eat elf heart."

Jaune paused, looking at Nora. Despite his downright magical life, she still found a way to say the most downright weird things. Not that he'd have it any other way. "No."

"Oh," She paused. "But, what if-"

Jaune decided to end that train of thought, now. "No." Still, another person, who says something different about the cover. A idea sprang to mind. "Hey, read this off for me." Jaune pointed to a random sentence."

"I can read, no need to test me!" She squinted her eyes on the page. "Two egg, half cup of honey, a cup of milk-, Oh, are you making pancakes?!" Nora vibrated in places. "Never-mind, you're the best cook in the worlds!" She leaned in, whispering. "Don't tell Renny."

Jaune looked at the page. Not the same, what so ever. This was a paragraph detailing how a girl forged a sword from a shooting star and a matching shield too.

This likely meant that the book changed perception of whoever read it. What did that mean? ... Was he even reading anything at all, or was the book just having his mind fill in the blanks that he wanted to see. What in the world was this book? What was its purpose? Why did it do this, was it some kind of mind-eater thing, that fed off attention?

Maybe, he should get rid of it, or at least, copy what he finds out of the book, and cross-references it. So, that if he found something, a story that existed inside the book, one he had no prior knowledge of before he opened the book, he could know that, it at least wasn't making anything up.

He felt a pull on his sleeve, Nora was looking at him excitedly. "So, pancakes?" He looked at the book in his hand, then put it away, it could wait. "Sure, lets go get some pancakes."

She let out a cheer, jumping up and latching onto his back. "Onward, my mighty knight! To pancakes!"

Smiling contently, he started walking. "Ay, my great queen."

-----

Jaune opened the door for the twins into their home, a light sheen of sweat on himself, while behind him, said twins, shambled in like they were on the verge of passing out, heading to the shower.

"Good run, girls." He tried to sound encouraging, as he was taking off his fifty pound vest. Amber looked at the vest, then twins, then back at barely sweating blonde. "Those poor girls, how far did you make them run?"

"Not that far, just a light run, about ten miles or so,"

Amber sighed, she didn't even want to imagine running one mile, let alone at the intense pace he set. She threw a hot towel at him. "Get cleaned up, and I'll work on any knots who might have."

Jaune nodded, closing the door behind him, stripped his shirt off, and wiped off his chest and back. Then laid down on his stomach on a futon next to Amber.

"Been feeling any discomforts recently?" She asked, working on his right arm.

Jaune grunted, feeling a sense warmth go up his arm. "Not really."

"Good, don't be afraid to tell me anything, though. Even if you think it might be personal. Remember, I've already seen it all, you got nothing to be embarrassed about." Amber felt up his arm, it felt heavier, harder to massage, and looked at him surprised. "You gained more muscle?"

"I guess?" Jaune almost shrugged. "I've just-, oh. Yeah, the armor, the extra weight. It's pretty heavy, heavier than anything I wore before, despite how well it's balanced over me."

Amber let out a breath of disbelief. "You were already ready to compete in any inter-national team I can think of, and you're still growing? Thanks just plain unfair."

"Hey, I'll trade places if they want, then we can have a conversation about fairness."

Amber laughed. "Good point, I suppose, hard times breed hard men, and all that."

"Tell me about it, you should meet my grandfather."

The futon bounced a little, as someone sat right in front of his face, a someone with a pair of curvy, athletics legs, wearing a pair of short black shorts. "What's up, superhero?" Vernal asked him with a wink.

"Not a hero, if I'm getting paid for it."

"If so, most legends wouldn't count as heroes."

"Fair, enough."

A beat passed.

"You think about how you want to get inked, yet?" Vernal asked, curiously, looking at his back like a painter looked at a raw canvas.

Jaune had nearly forgotten about that, Big Bear did want him to get the clan symbol on his back. "I just figured I get the clan symbol."

Vernal looked at him harshly. "Don't be half hearted about this, this is a important piece of work that going to happen, and it's going tell the world about you. Think on it hard, this is something to define you to the rest of the world."

Jaune looked at her. "Woah, didn't think you had much about yourself besides ogling me."

Vernal smirked. "I don't just ogle anyone, just the finer pieces of art. Besides, you don't know all of me." She poked his nose. "I have all sorts of tricks that might surprise you."

Looking into her eyes, not to one to back down, Jaune gave her a smile. "You'll have to show me them one day."

There came a moment them looking at each other, with Vernal slightly flushing, looked away. "One day."

Amber sighed. "Please, no flirting while the doctor's at work."

"It's harmless fun, Am!" Vernal shot back. "Besides, you'll get your chance, later." The she looked back at Jaune. "Back to what I was saying, it doesn't matter what Big Bear wants on your back, it's up to you in the end. So, think about what you want the World to see back there."

"I ... I don't know, what it is, that I want back there. It's hard to think about something I can't see."

"Then, don't rush in. Wait, till you can see it." Vernal waved her hand over his back. "Me, though? I can see all the images in the world, and I can pen any of them, you want."

"What do you personally think would look good?"

Vernal sneered for a moment. "It's not about looking good, it's about the message. It can be the ugliest, bat-shit insane tattoo in the world, and still be a work of art on a living canvas, as long as its on the right person." Her arm made phantom motions over his shoulders, and Jaune briefly saw, among her many tattoos, a red-eyed Raven staring at him ominously. "I could ink almost anything here, something heroic, monstrous, or just strong-looking, but, in the end, it's up to you, and what you want it to be. What do you want to be Jaune?"

Jaune looked at the futon beneath him, thinking for a moment. What did he want to say to the world? That was a pretty deep question, or it felt like one. But, he wasn't one for deep thought, and found his answer quickly.

"Hopeful." Jaune said, his answer naturally coming off his tongue. "If I have to show anything to someone else, I just want it to give a bit of hope."

Vernal looked at him, surprised. Then looked at his bare back, her mind turning. "I can work with that," Then she got up, going to her room, the sounds of intense scribbling could be heard inside.

-----

Velvet stood in front of the mirror, anxiously looking over herself for any flaws in her appearance. Her ears twitching over head, hair shaking with it, hadn't even left her room, but felt like her heart was about to give from stress alone.

Looking over herself in the mirror, dare she say it, she looked cute. Wearing a simple brown and white dress that showed off her neck and shoulders, it felt a little daring, at least compared to her conservative normal outfits.

"Ah, look at my little bun-bun! Just the absolute cutest!" Velvet nearly jumped out of her skin at Coco's sudden remark. Turning around so fast that she nearly tripped over herself, she glared at Coco. "Don't scare me, like that!"

Coco shrugged, as she smugly looked at her. "What's a woman to do, not compliment you?" She pulled up her scroll, showing going through the pictures she had taken of her. "So, are you excited for your date?"

Velvet lost her steam, blushing fiercly. "Its not a date, Nora, and her friend, Ren, are coming along to. It's just a friendly outing." Her ears drooped. "He didn't even seem like he wanted to come."

"Vel, my baby-bun, no man, or woman, could say no to you!" Coco slid up against her. "Including me!" She said giving her friend a flirty smile. "Mr. Buff-tough, is just nervous, he's probably never even kissed a girl, so going out with you? It must be mind-blowing to him, and so what, if you have some tag-alongs? Make a polycule out of it, girl! That Ren chick is hot as hell, and Nora? I'd kill to be alone with her."

Velvet relaxed, feeling her heart-slow a bit. "Your way with words never ceases to make feel better. Also, Ren's a guy."

Coco froze, color draining from her face. "What?"

"Yeah, he's a man. With, a-ahem, the bits, according to Nora."

"Oh..." Coco looked at her Scroll. "I have some pictures to get rid of later. Enjoy your date, and if Mr. Moody gives you any trouble, call me, and I'll take care of him, got it?"

Velvet nodded, smiling. "I'll do that." Velvet chuckled, imaging Coco trying to brow-beat Jaune down, amused her. Though, she also couldn't see it working, she was pretty sure that if Coco tried to slap him, any part of him, she'd break her hand.

----

Getting off the bus, Velvet arrived at Vale's Historical Exhibits and Museum. She was surprised by how many people where flowing around the yard of the building, and was equally surprised to see the amount of couples here.

Looking up at the banner on the building, it explained nothing, just relics from Vales past wars when it was a series of squabbling micro-kingdoms. Though, she had to admit, there was a certain energy in the air that made her heartbeat faster, drew her attention towards the Exhibits.

A hand clapped her shoulder, making her jump in place. "Vel-vel!" She felt herself turn around, looking at the short ginger, who was unnaturally strong despite her size.

"Ha-hello, Nora." Velvet stammered out, she hadn't known Nora long, but the short and strong girl had quickly made a place for herself in her heart. Though, she wished she wasn't so forceful!

"Velvet, you're here! That means we can get this party started!"

Velvet nodded, Nora's energy starting to infect her. "Oh, everyone is else is here?"

"Yep! Jaune and Renny are off getting-, oh! There they are walking this way!" Nora pointed away from them, pointing to where the crowd was parting ways from two men walking towards them.

Looking at Jaune exit the crowd of people, or rather, the people rushing to move away from his unstoppable walk towards them, she paused, as something was off about him that took her a moment to figure out. His atmosphere was different, and it clicked.

He was relaxed, today he didn't have any tension about himself like he normally did, he was fully there with them. She gave him a shy smile, and he paused for a moment, before giving a calm smile back at her.

"So, what are we here to see?" Jaune asked, Ren following behind him like a remora fish.

Nora shot up. "I want to see the iron maiden and warhammers!"

The other three of them looked at Nora bouncing with excitement, Velvet didn't doubt for a moment they were going to see those exhibits.

"Sounds good." Jaune said, Velvet barely catching the concealed glee in his eyes.

"Don't try and touch them, they're artifacts and we're not here to get banned." Ren said strictly, though, Velvet noticed that he wasn't saying that just to Nora, as he made sure to give a look at Jaune. There was touch of humor in his voice, though.

"That sounds, great." Velvet found herself agree, she didn't have much interest in torture devices or weapons, but if she was with these three, she would be happy.

"So, we ready to go then?" Jaune asked.

"Yep!"

"As we ever can be."

"Yes."

Velvet felt a push on her shoulder, and looked back to she the ginger culprit, as she landed against Jaune, who caught her easily.

"Jaune-jaune, make sure you don't lose that, she's precious cargo!" Nora said firmly.

Jaune looked confused, then looked at the sea of people around them. "Oh, good idea." Holding out his arm to her. "Don't want to get separated."

Velvet looked at his out-stretch arm, noticing how his many-times thicker his arm was than hers, it almost made her feel like a child by comparison. As she linked her arm into his though, it made her feel secure too, that Jaune would protect.

In that sense of security, Velvet dared to pull herself closer.

----

Deep, deep into the mountains, away from the vices of civilization, in the bosom of mother nature. Where the fat of the land was thickest, and beasts that would rightly be called monsters roamed, a man with a glorious mustache led his disciples into the mouth of a dark, ominous cave.

He swung his axe down in front of the cave, spraying the blood of beasts off of his blade. Peter Port turned to regard his young students with admiration. When he first met them, they were unpolished, and aimless children, with nary a hope of a future worth living. But now? Now, they did not need to hope for a future, they could make their own!

They stood before him, bare chested and raw-muscles, covered in mud and filth from the world over, scratched, bruised, and likely had some broken bones that needed treated, but unbowed and unafraid.

Their leader Cardin had taken to wield the femur of a oxen creature they had fought, while Russel had made a pair of primitive stone axes during their camping adventures, Sky had his warpaint on and crude rucksack of javelins and his onyx-head spear, and Dove? He had a sling, which was good enough.

It was almost enough to make him shed a tear. Sucking in a deep breath, he bellowed out with enough power to rival a landslide. "Student!"

"Teacher!" They returned back, while not having the same power as their teacher, they equaled, no surpassed his energy.

It was time, Peter knew, they were ready. "My children, our final lesson is upon us! Soon, you will be men among men!|

They looked shocked at this news.

"But, Teacher!" Cardin interjected. "We've only just begun to learn! How can we be done?"

Peter sniffled a bit. "That, that is how you know, my child, that you know that you've only just begun to learn, that is the sign you've matured. That you understand that to be a man is to know there is always more to see, more to know, and more room to grow. So, that is why, it's time for you leave the nest and fly!"

They bravely held back tears. Manly tears. "Thank you, teacher. We won't forget our lessons." Sky spoke through his tears.

"You will be alright, my students. You are ready for your final test!" He swung his ax at the cave. "Be wary, though! This cave houses dangers you can't even imagine, but what you encounter inside, will change you forever, it will be your cocoon, one for your boyish state, to enters only to emerge as a man! Now go!"

With another sweep of his ax, he signal for them to run in. With a nod between the four young boys, no, the soon to be young men ran into their final trials of adolescences.

----

Humming to himself, a red-head man sauntered without a care around the back of the museum. A outfit and set of keys that weren't his adorning his person. He opened the backdoor and entered the storage rooms of the place.

Immediately his senses lit up, the feel of magic in the air, and not just from relics either. The ley-lines were practically clogged with power and that was great news! It'd make his goal all the more easy tonight!

Oh how excited he was, so very excited, and there was no-way he was going to be stopped. Not by those Maidens, and not by any questing heroes. Tonight was a new moon, that meant no locks on his power, and whole ley-line to use, oh, how rich was he going to be?

A door opened across the room, and elderly man exited, a janitor. The old man nodded at him, then peered at him curiously. "Are you a new hire? I know most everyone around here, and I don't recall seeing you before?" His voice was raspy, but friendly.

"I'm just a temporary-worker, no need to remember me."

"Oh, that's a shame, its a good place to work here. Maybe, you'll change your mind, once you get the feel of the place?"

The red-head paused, humming to him deviously. "You know what, I think by the end of my shift, they'll always be a piece of the place with me."

The old man smiled kindly. "That's good, sonny. Ah, I didn't catch your name?"

Tapping his head in mock-embarrassment. "Oh, how could I forget to introduce meself? I am the one, the only, Roman Torchwick." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a bone-chilling mask. "Hey, how do feel about presents, Mr...?"

"... Alans." The janitor said a second. He looked at the young man with concern, unnerved by his presence now. "What, what do you got there sonny, that don't seem right?" The bone-mask was strange to his eyes, and didn't seem to be capable of being made by any person.

Roman approached, Sam took a step back in fear, but in a flash of movement, he grabbed Sam's collar and forcefully put the mask on the old man. Sam's body contorted in pain, as if he wanted to have screamed, but couldn't, as the mask meld into his flesh. The old mans kind, bright eyes going dull and cloudy.

"Hmm, that was easy." He patted his newest servants head. "Good work, keep it up!" Then sauntered out, twirling another mask in hand.

----

Omake: Another build - Horse Arc(h)er

Jaune crept into his secret-shack, where he built and managed his gear, bruised and tired after another night of fighting shadow-monsters. He was so tired of this, they just seemed to keep getting stronger, and he stayed the same. He needed a equalizer for this mess, as it was only a matter of time before he got offed, either by luck on the monster side, or unluck on his.

Looking across his limited arsenal, he got to thinking. He looked over his plans and blueprints, but he had already tried them, or just too expensive or plainly impossible for him. He sighed, forehead against table.

In his childhood, Jaune liked to play knights with his sisters, even if it was him playing the princess in distress. It still was something he admired, the man with the sword, in the shining armor, on a noble and beautiful steed.

It was a shame though, that he couldn't get a suit of heavy-metal armor, or a sword that could cut shadow-monsters to pieces. A suit of armor would just give away his best defense against them anyway, not getting hit at all. Plus, he had done some research, and metal armor was good for turning away a blade, but actually made blunt hits worse, and the shadow-monsters were more than strong enough to tear apart cars, dumpsters, and metal railings, it wasn't really worth the effort.

His luck getting close was dice as well, as all it would take is one good hit to be dead and done with. Where as Jaune knew he would need to put sustained force on the bigger ones, while rolling the dice to dodge their strikes, not that he couldn't do it, but the thing is, chance adds up and eventually, he'd critically fail.

Still, a horse? That sounded nice, there wasn't a night that he didn't feel dead on his feet afterwards, so even just to lower his recovery time, well, that almost sounded worth it.

But, would that even work with hit and run still of fighting? The guns, well all he had was the shotgun, and didn't horses need to be trained to not get startled from shots? That didn't even bring up how he'd train one against getting frightened from the monsters.

Walking out of the shed, he needed some fresh air to think. Unconsciously, he ended up walking home. Stopping in the backyard, he saw his father, bow in hand and aiming at target. Jaune stood there for a moment, just watching gears turning.

His father let loose arrow after arrow in a stream of projectiles, it wasn't hard for Jaune to understand why his father was a former pro archer. All the arrows hit, tightly clustered around the center. Jaune felt a phantom feeling in his shoulder, rushing down his arms.

His father turned around, nearly jumping. "Son? What are you-, uh, why aren't you in bed?"

Jaune looked at the bow in his dads hands. "Can I, try shooting that?"

All confusion dropped from his fathers face, lighting up in joy. "WIthout question."

---

Across the dark streets of Vale, there came a sound, a sound that was forgotten to all, but the streets themselves. If there were thoughts in the cobblestone and concrete, this was a sound that would bringing them back a century, to when horses ran the streets. When carriages were pulled down the street, when horses carried passengers and messages, it was a sound of a different time.

It was the sound of hooves and horseshoes hitting stone, clamoring of nimble hooves hitting and pacing, as it raced down the streets. Ceaseless neighing, panting snorts and breaths, it was the sound of a large, powerful steed. No, not just one steed, but several. A rider changing steed regularly, ones he had stored across the city, as one became too tired from battle and the endless pace set by their rider.

Then it was followed, by another archaic sound, that of the endless stringing of a bow. All through out the night, outside on the streets was a shadowy rider, swaying over the back of a horse, never falling as he was aiming a mighty bow, firing tens of arrows every minute at some unseen quarry. Never seeming to run out of arrows, as on each horse were quivers of arrows lining the sides of the animals.

Beasts would pursue them, out from the shadows, the alleys, and forgotten corners of the city, only to pelted with a endless stream of arrows. Falling to the ground, finished off by being trampled by other monsters, or a horde of arrows ending them.

There was a new rider in town, and he was here to hunt the night away.

[floofers-1]

Moonlit Serenade

Summary: A dance is held in honor of the newest member of the Donquixote family and shenanigans ensue

Pairing: Donquixote Doflamingo x Saint Maria (OC)

Word Count: 2.3K

Warnings: Suggestive Themes, Marking, Romance, Fluff

Notes: I'm sorry for moving slower at posting these to tumblr than ao3, I will attempt to move faster at this, enjoy some short romantic tension! Italics is either thoughts or emphasis on smth and I make it decently clear when it's thinking. Line breaks indicate time passing/ major scene change.

It'd only been a week since Maria had arrived on Dressrosa but one thing had already stood out to Doflamingo. The people’s word of mouth was not sufficient, Maria had on multiple occasions used Penny to advocate for her position as Doflamingo’s mistress and get her rightful needs met. So naturally it was time to create an event where they simply couldn’t ignore her.

“A dance?” Maria shook her head, she had never been taught to dance and now she was expected to perform in front of all Dressrosa, her stomach twisted as nerves settled in.

“Indeed my lady, the young master, thinks it’d be a great idea for the two of you to display your affection publicly.” He certainly has not been kind to those who have flirted with you, how it goes over your head when it’s not him I will never understand.

“I have no idea how to dance, I’m really unsure if this is the best idea.” While embarrassing herself was bad enough she would hate to embarrass him with her stunted movements.

“The young master will teach you how. So please come this way.” Penny led the way to the large ballroom.

It had grand windows with red curtains drawn back letting in the afternoon light. Standing by one of the windows with his arms folded was Doflamingo, his pink feathered coat hanging off a chair. “I shall allow you two privacy now. Good luck my lady.” Penny then left to take care of her master's bedroom.

“Doffy, are we sure I’ll be ready by tonight?” Maria worried as she approached him. “I wouldn’t dare want to embarrass you.” He turned to face her, for once his shirt buttoned, not fully but mostly.

“You would never embarrass me Dove.” With a snap, music began to play and he extended his hand for hers. “Simply follow my lead.” She took his hand. While intensive it certainly was a speedy full course lesson, every little detail Maria got wrong was instantly corrected. Before long he simply stood back watching her form, changing the pace of the music with his strings while she learned to mindlessly match and perform without his lead. She managed to catch on quickly and before long knew her role in a tango and ballroom. 

Near the end she was sweating, having taken off her coat and rolled up her sleeves. With a single clap of his hands Maria had stopped and collected her breath.

“Well done.” He approached from behind, running his hands down her sides.

“Y-you sure Doffy. It’s a big night.” She reached up with her right hand caressing his sharp jawline, generating that smile she adored.

“If you can keep your head on when I touch you.” His left hand squeezed her hip, generating a small mphm from her while chuckling himself.

“I-I can try, I just love when you touch me.” While nothing had explicitly happened between the two within the first week, the heat of their relationship was rapidly approaching a boil over where one would break, odds on Maria crying to him about how she needed him so so badly. That gave him a devilish idea, his smile changing to a smirk as he let out an ominous laugh that filled the ballroom. “Now what's got you chuckling?” Maria knew something was a foot in his mind but couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Nothing for you to concern yourself with.” Oh but it certainly was, with a few simple pulls of his strings, tonight would break her stubbornness and not just in the privacy of their own rooms or in his office but in front of the whole kingdom. “Why don’t you go along and get ready, Dove.” He lightly planted his open palm on her rear, sending her off clutching her coat muttering. Tonight was going to be electric. He could feel it.

The ballroom was rapidly given a tidy and prepared for the entourage of guests as well as room for a few special video transponder snails that would project the events of tonight all over Dressrosa, no one would be able to miss this. No more excuses for disrespect and more importantly a message to the kingdom on who belonged to who.

“Penny, are you sure it’s okay I wear something like this in front of the kingdom?” Maria stood before a mirror, she wore a dark dress tight to her body, every curve was shown, more than she was currently comfortable with amount of cleavage and openings to show her legs, just barely not exposing her panties.

“This is per the young master's request. I think you look wonderful.” Penny said, doing a few touch ups to the slightly sparkling fabric of the dress. “How would you like your hair for tonight?” Maria had found a bun the most useful for dancing so with quick work her hair was wrapped into an elegant bun on the back of her head. Maria stared herself in the mirror, she felt radiant and then her room door opened and in came Doflamingo, He still had his signature glasses on but lacked his coat, in fact he cleaned up a little. He fully did his white dress shirt up, one injection of pink with his tie, his dark dress pants and dress shoes in contrast to his usually pointy almost elf like shoes had taken Maria aback.

“Don’t you clean up nice Doffy.” Maria had stepped over, her eyes noticed the tie was ever so slight off and swiftly adjusted it. She then took his hand which was greeted with a squeeze.

“Can’t have you be the only one looking good tonight now can I Dove?” His deep voice at this point was rapidly growing into an addiction, the way it hung in her ears, the reverberations it left, why if she wasn’t well aware of Penny being in the room she may have thrown herself at him there.

“Have a lovely evening, young master and my lady.” Penny called out as the two left. Oh it was going to be a lovely evening.

The ballroom was already packed by the time the two birds arrived, they took their spot on a couple chairs where the other top executives sat.

“The king has arrived!” One servant announced and everyone turned to the chairs as Doflamingo took his place and Maria to his left, this time not a smaller chair on his side like dinners. But a proper throne like his.

“A-are you sure it’s alright I'm sitting here Doffy?” Maria worried, she may have been part of the family but unlike him she wasn’t officially royalty.

“I had that made specifically for you Dove, it’s all yours.” He flashed her a smile and what surely must have been a wink hidden behind those lenses, generating warmth in his little Dove’s cheeks. Music began to play after the two were seated and the audience below began to dance. Doflamingo and Maria as well as the top executives were brought champagne to sip while they watched. While Maria slowly chipped away at her one glass watching the crowd below, Doflamingo had already gone through a few and was making conversation not even paying attention to the entertainment down below. He was once again only interested in his main event. Before too long the two birds were called to the dance floor. Once in the middle all eyes upon them, Doflamingo took Maria’s hand. A dangerous smirk on his face leaves Maria slightly confused. 

Music erupted and she was pulled right up against him. Before he took charge and led their tango at a furious pace, Maria was barely able to keep up, he had given her just enough practice that she could keep pace but just by a hair. His pace continued viciously, all the while she began to lose her breath and hold him a little tighter. The crowd witnessed as Doflamingo was proudly showing off what belonged to him. He pressed her chest and body right against him for a moment, allowing her to feel an intense firmness in his pants, her already starting to flush face was beat red. Maria had finally caught on to the flamingo’s plan, but it was far too late. His movements became much less subtle, his hands taking extra time gliding along her sides, ‘accidentally’ brushing her chest or rear, a few times his knee would brush Maria’s legs causing her to lose pace only for him to whisper in her ear about how sloppy she was getting, had she had the opportunity to breath she’d apologize, but all her breath needed to go towards any attempt at keeping pace. The music was soon winding down and with one flick of his fingers, a string had tossed a rose into the air that he caught in his mouth, with one arm he lowered and held her in a dip. While he may have been breathing a little heavier through his teeth. Maria had been ravaged, her face red, hair a mess, chest heaving to get any air. The crowd applauded before music began again and they moved in to dance. The two birds stayed where they were, Doflamingo pulling Maria up and holding her against his chest.

“D-Doffy…” She managed through her heavy breaths. He had begun to lead her in a much slower dance, as he looked at her with his shit-eating grin, knowing exactly what he had done.

“What is it, My Dove? ” He knew already, but he needed to hear it from her. With one free hand he loosened his tie. Maria gave in, she couldn’t handle it any more, she wanted more from him, from them. She needed him, in her short few weeks of knowing him she…

“I love you Doflamingo.” Her gentle brown eyes stared into his lenses, so purely, so wanting, so vulnerable. For him it was mission accomplished and he leaned right into her ear, she deserved the truth from him too, no one else was allowed this side of him, she can have it all.

“I.” One hand held her left hip. “Love.” His voice still deep, now carried intimacy she had never known. “You.” His other hand held her cheek. “My Dove.” His warm breath dancing on her lips made her chest pine. She leaned closer and he obliged. The two embraced, her arms on his shoulders, his around her rear as he pulled her up. His lips were surprisingly soft but they were so warm, it was heavenly. Her lips were delicate and sweet just like he expected, but they were so intoxicating. What felt like eternity in bliss to the two was only a handful of seconds in reality as they pulled away, one a large grin plastered to his face the other a gentle and shy smile on hers. Doflamingo, still holding her up and without evening needing to look, weaved through the dancing crowd to a windows door. He slid through it before closing it with his heel. Out in the moonlit sky, the two lovers continued their slow dance to the faint music. With gentle finger work, Doflamingo had Maria’s bun undone, her hair spiraling and falling to her calves. The gentle light of the moon, playfully dancing on her skin and hair made her shine, the stars sparkling in her eyes, she was divine, she was his. She gently took his tie with her left hand, and with a light pull he complied leaning close.

“I’m all yours forever and always Doflamingo.” She placed her forehead against his as the two swayed. His normally deep chuckle was softer. “I love you.” She pulled his tie once more, trapping him in a short kiss. They both were well aware they had become entangled with each other it no longer mattered the risk of infatuation, all that mattered was the need the two shared for the other. Doflamingo pulled from the kiss every so slight, his lips pressing on her chin, then her jaw, then under her jaw, down her neck to her collar bone. His tongue tracing along the edge between her neck, collar and shoulder. She felt her knees wobble slightly and she held tighter to him, one hand clutching the collar of his shirt, the other tangled in the back of his hair.

“That’s a good girl.” He rumbled, getting a hitch in her breath. He may be vulnerable for his standard with her but he still held the reins. His left hand squeezed her hip gently while the other had lost itself in her silken brown waterfall. He grazed his teeth on her collar for a moment before sinking in.

“D-Doffy!” She whined out. “P-people will notice that.” He bit down harder in response, what did he care, he may as well have stripped her nude and dominated her with the tango they had just performed, a little bite wouldn’t even get a rouse from them. Maria quickly stopped her complaining while he licked his bite before continuing to mark what was his. Her eyelashes fluttered, her breath continued to hitch, her whole body trembled. She gave in to him, no matter how embarrassing it may be, she wanted everyone to stare at that mark and know she was his. He finally pulled away smirking at his handy work.

“Shall we return to the party?” He undid a few buttons of his shirt and held her to his side by her hip. She nodded and pulled some hair over her shoulder opposite of the one marked to fiddle with. He chuckled knowing tonight was flawless and oh so soon would he be beyond cloud 9.

[nuclearforest]

"Don't hold back. I want you to scream my name" - briarrett 👀

Thanks for the ask! Wrote out a quick 1.5k and feel bad it took so long. Hope it's up to your standards!

When summer starts to rear its head and the spring rains give way to the dreary summer sky that perpetually hangs over all of England, Briar unfailingly brings out Barrett’s favorite sundress. It’s a cute little thing: white and lacy with a repeating floral pattern that shifts when the fairy moves in just such a way that every little tear and puncture from moments of overexcitement can be hidden with a quick stitch repair before being returned to the rotation—years old but still bright in color in a way reminiscent of a wedding dress and bouquet, tinted by nostalgia and preserved by delicate hands. Every time she wears it, the werewolf takes it as his personal invitation to step up behind her and slip his hands under the skirt, starting where the dress ends at her thighs and stroking up in offer while he presses his lips to her ear and rumbles possessively from deep in his chest where his heart races. For me?

“Who else?” Briar replies, chuckling to herself at the way her mate’s breath tickles the untamable flyaway strands at the side of her head. She sets the paring knife she was holding down on the cutting board with the strawberries she’d been preparing. He always seemed to gravitate to her in the kitchen—hip-height countertops helped.

“Well I thought you were going out with your girls today,” Barrett offers in return, stopping his ascent at the tops of her thighs while the drool pools in his mouth. Her skin under his is warm; her heartbeat picks up slightly in her chest. Just a bit more of that honey sweet scent that defined her wraps a bit further around his head and he ducks his nose into the crook of her neck to inhale it, nuzzling aside one of her two golden braids. Köstlich. [Delectable.]

“When have the boys gone to have a sleepover at Oma and Opa’s so I can go out with my friends?” The fairy quirks an eyebrow and leans back into her lover’s embrace. “You’re more than capable.”

“I am.” The werewolf’s voice drops deeper, temptation wrapped in rough velvet.

“I just thought you’d like to celebrate the season like you always have.”

“You spoil me, lapine.” [Bunny.] He presses a kiss into her skin, then, trailing gentle kisses out to the mate mark on her shoulder exposed by the wide sweetheart neckline while he rubs his thumbs in circles on her thighs. The little fairy in his arms, perfectly fit to his hands, presses further back into him—she’s too short to press her rear to his groin, but he’s already hardening against her lower back, above her pillowy ass, and he groans low appreciation into her skin. Je t'aime. [I love you.]

“I love you, too,” she returns, popping half a strawberry into her mouth for a quick bite. The werewolf at her back huffs, hands sliding further up and leaving sparks in their wake to rest on her hips. In the blink of an eye he’s got her flipped around and seated up on the counter, crowding into her space with a devilish smile on his lips and lust in his bright red eyes.

“A snack?” he asks, “At a time like this?” His eyes, pupils wide, flick down to the speck of juice at the corner of her lips.

The bold fairy just shrugs (he had interrupted her light breakfast, after all) and swipes her tongue out to clean the juice away. Content to do as he will, the overgrown giant leans over to press a kiss into her. He pulls her up to the edge of the counter where her legs spread and the skirt bunches up. The faintest notes of her arousal join the sweet aroma of strawberries and Briar in the air and the werewolf pulls back to survey her once more. She brings her arms up to wrap around his broad shoulders and one hand gravitates so she can tangle her fingers into the silver curls at the back of his neck.

“I’d hate to interrupt your meal,” he quips, sparing a hand to snatch another piece of strawberry, “maybe you’d like some cream to go with these.”

Before his lover can reply, he pushes the strawberry between her lips and leaves his fingers there for just long enough that she can caress the tips with her tongue. Both an invitation and gratitude in one quick gesture; he just leans in to kiss her again and get the taste on her lips. Barrett was not a man for strawberries, but he was a man for fruity kisses and bruised lips, observing the slight change in his lover’s demeanor with every piece of fruit until he’s straining against his pants and she’s soaking into him, panties forgone.

“You little minx,” he rumbles, “are you sure you’re not part succubus?”

“Would you like me to be?” Briar licks her lips and looks at him through half-lidded eyes, tightening her grip in his hair and pulling the werewolf in for another kiss, where he growls into her at the test against his patience.

Ja. [Yes.]

Soon enough they forget the remaining strawberries, hands roaming curves and bodies like every memorized surface is new again. Every shape and curve explored for the first time. Briar pants quietly and Barrett buries his head in her neck, mouthing at her skin and leaving love bites, teeth scraping against skin and bruises rising from the depths of her flesh to paint his path.

She sighs quietly, keeping a hold on his head as he kisses down her chest to the exposed tops of her full breasts before pulling back and leaning down to stick his head under her skirt, hand sliding down her side and along her thigh to pull it up over his shoulder. Faced with her cunt, he digs in, lapping voraciously as his tongue starts to lengthen and flatten and he takes up more of her, by far better than any fruit or meat or other food he could ever get his paws on. The fairy professes her thanks with the pillowy thighs quivering around his ears and the grip tightening in his hair.

“Don’t be shy,” he growls into her, “Don’t hold back. I want you to scream my name, love.”

“Barrett,” she breathes, and he takes that as a personal challenge, pulling back to look at her with his eyes dark and face deadly serious, pronounced jaw pushing at his lips with the tip of his nose blackened and glistening with her arousal. She stares back at him, green eyes wide and cheeks flushed red.  He releases her for just long enough that he can fumble with his belt, opening it with a click that has her jolting.

Respire— [Take a breath—]

Barrett shoves his pants and boxers down with a hand and steps back into her space, rubbing the head of his cock against her for a moment before lining up with her hole. Then, a low growl of warning.

—und schreien. [—and scream.]

The werewolf sheathes himself to his knot, baring his teeth and breathing harshly as he reaches back to grip his mate’s ass, holding her close as she gasps—a far cry from the scream he’d wanted—and arches her back into him. She flutters around him, adapted muscles trying to grip for his knot, and he groans lowly with his head tipped back.

His claws poke through the thin fabric and prick against her skin as he starts to move, grinding against her to get used to the wet warmth wrapped around him before pulling back and bucking in. Briar whimpers for him, mewling when he sets a brutal pace right at the start. The werewolf grits his teeth, nose crumpling as he bites back the urge to shift and ruin the angle he has into her on the counter; he turns his head down and begins to nip at the skin of Briar’s neck as she gasps his name.

Like a machine, he repeats the motion over and over again, building it up until she’s panting and crying out for him, legs wrapped around his waist with her ankles locked at his back as she begs for more. “Barrett please—”

Always polite. He turns his attention over to her mate mark, pulling her out and snapping fully in as he sinks his canines into her. That gets him a proper scream that peters out into a low whine. “Barrett! Please—I’m going to—I’m—I—I’m—”

His knot pops into her and starts to swell as she clamps down on him in a way that makes him see stars. Mine.

Tied, he starts to rock into her until he finds his own end, pumping jet after jet of seed into her as his breath fans out over her shoulder and she catches her breath against him, thighs twitching.

“Yours,” she answers, curling around him as best she can. He grunts and squeezes her rear, probably bruised in the shape of his hold, and smiles into her skin as best he can. They’d be repeating this same song and dance until Opa pulled into the driveway to drop the kids off again.

[loudlooks]

Fender Bender

Tiva meet cute AU, requested here.

Word count: 1606 (it was half that when I started editing, something got out of hand)

.

As the green light changed to yellow, Tony slowed down, smoothly coming to a full stop. He revved the engine—hard to resist after driving around in a Japanese rental for a few months—and grinned widely, the roar of the revised 1967 engine music to his ears.

In a split second, the sound of screeching tires, instantly followed by the crumpling of metal, wiped the grin of his face. Instinctively, he hit the brake pedal as if his life depended on it, knuckles turning white as his fingers gripped the steering wheel like a vice. The Mustang jerked forward, and his whole body tensed as the seat belt snapped him back into the leather seat. Once the car came to a full stop, heartbeat pounding in his ears, he slammed the steering wheel with both hands. “Oh, come on!”

Unbuckling the seat belt with one hand while opening the door with the other, heat flushed through his body. “One week,” he grumbled, all but jumping out of the car, anxious to inspect the damage, and give the idiot that slammed into him a piece of his mind.

Spotting the white of a deflated airbag through the windshield of the other car, and movement of the driver’s door, Tony assumed the other driver most likely was not severely injured either.

From the corner of his eye he spotted the back of his car, stopped dead in his tracks, and ran both hands through his hair. “Are you kidding me!”

Taking a closer look, it became clear the front of the other car seemed to have folded itself around his Mustang’s rear fender. The crumpled hood of the Mini was about five inches higher than it should be.

Tony stood up straight. A Mini! His Mustang Shelby, a highly desirable classic, a feat of American engineering, rear-ended by a Mini. He groaned in frustration, as footsteps came to a stop beside him.

Running a hand over the shiny bumper that was exposed, he snapped, “Where did you learn how to drive?”

“Israel,” a woman’s voice said sharply.

Not the answer he expected. He turned towards her, spotted a small burn mark on her chin, most likely from the airbag, before making eye contact.

“Where did you learn how to drive?” she shot back.

“Me?” he asked incredulously, then pointed a finger at her. “You rear-ended me.”

Her eyes seemed ablaze in the streetlight. “You suddenly hit the brakes for no reason!”

“I slowed to a halt when the light turned yellow.”

“You speed up when the light turns yellow,” she said, gesturing widely at the traffic light.

He closed his eyes and grit his teeth. “Not in America!”

“Well, that is just dumb,” she said, rolling her eyes.

He raised his eyebrows and scoffed. She was going to be a pain in the butt.

The woman briefly looked away to check out the vehicles. “It does not look like your car is that badly damaged.”

Tony complained. “I’ve only had this car for a week.”

She glanced at him. “What happened to your previous car?”

“It got totaled.”

“Oh!” She pointed at him. “You are a bad driver.”

Tony clenched his jaw and glared at her. In a carefully controlled tone, he said, “A thief totaled it during a police chase.”

“Oh, well, that is why you have insurance, yes?” She looked at him with a glimmer of sympathy, and he realized for the first time how attractive she was.

Giving her a quick once over, his thoughts immediately snapped back to his car insurance. He scrubbed a hand over his face, remembering the paper work, the red tape, the endless phone calls, the burning hoops of fire they had made him jump through to get the money they owed him according to his policy.

She shrugged. “It looks like an old car.”

He held up a finger, the tension in his neck building. “It’s a classic car.”

She made a face. “What is the difference?”

His eyes widened, mouth open, yet at a loss for words. This was insult to injury. Definitely a pain in the butt.

“I will back up my car,” she said, “to get a better idea of the damage.”

Gut churning, he held up a hand. “No no no no, we’re filling out the paper work first.”

She glanced away, then stepped in closer. “I was hoping we could,” she looked him up and down, and  bit her bottom lip, “skip the paper work.”

Narrowing his eyes at her, he opened the right side of his jacket, exposing his badge and gun. “I’m a cop,” he said matter-of-factly.

Her gaze flitted down once more, a dangerous look appeared in her eyes. “Nice gun.”

She licked her lips, and a knot tightened in his stomach.

“I bet you impress a lot of women with that,” she raised her eyebrows, “or men.”

Tony’s brow furrowed as he let his jacket fall back into place. Technically he was off-duty, but this wasn’t the first time someone had tried to flirt their way out of trouble.

“Miss-“

“Ziva,” she said abruptly, stepping into his personal space.

He did not like this. He inhaled sharply through his nose, a delicate, tropical fragrance clouding his mind momentarily. The deep and mysterious look in her eyes would’ve made Jules Verne’s head spin. It was certainly making his head spin. Or maybe that was a concussion.

Tony blinked slowly. Oh no, he did not like this, at all.

She pulled out her phone. “I know some people who can repair your car in no time.” And before he could comment, she was focused on the conversation in rapid-fire Hebrew. Cradling the phone against her shoulder, she fished a pen out of her pocket, grabbed his left hand and began writing.

The warmth of her hand, combined with the almost tickling sensation of the pen moving over the back of his hand, sent a tingle down his spine. He inhaled deeply, itching for another whiff of, what was that, coconut? Vanilla?

Ziva looked up at him abruptly, a dark twinkle in her eyes.

Tony swallowed hard, as she continued the conversation, never breaking eye contact. The tip of the pen had long left his skin, but for some unknown reason her hand hadn’t. Not that he was complaining.

She ended the conversation with one of the few Hebrew words he knew, and pocketed the phone and pen. “Meet me here,” she held up his hand, “in an hour.”

He glanced at the address, rough part of town. Busted a chop shop there two months ago. Didn’t quite go as planned.

“Do I need to remind you I’m a cop?”

“I would not mind checking out your gun again,” she said in a smoky voice, “as a reminder.”

Her thumb ever so lightly caressed the back of his hand. Or maybe that was just his imagination, heightened senses, rushing adrenaline, car crashes, and all that will do that to you. Not to mention beautiful, mysterious women that change their mood like a weathervane.

“Why don’t you want fill out the paperwork?”

“It is such a, how do you say, pain in the button?”

Tony shook his head slightly. “Butt.”

“But what?”

“No,” he pointed at his backside, “butt, double t.”

Ziva’s eyebrows squished together. “You want to show me your butt?”

Tony opened his mouth, then stopped short. His instinct had been right, she was an absolute pain in the butt.

He rubbed his brow with his free hand, becoming vaguely aware of a headache. “Are you in the country legally?”

She shrugged, holding his gaze. “Legally enough.”

Tony leaned in closer, and stared at her fixedly. “Do you have any idea how shady you sound?”

Ziva tilted her head, a coy smile tugging at her lips. “I have an idea about how intrigued you are.”

He stood up straight, and wrinkled his nose.

Ziva chuckled, let go of his hand, and patted his cheek. “Do not worry, I will not let anything happen to you.”

Tony licked his lips. Either his car would be fixed by the end of the evening, or both he and the car would end up disassembled for parts. Maybe he should let his partner know where he was going. Wait, when had he decided he was going?

Ziva walked backwards towards her car, holding up a finger. “One hour.”

He glanced at the address again, mind racing, and offhandedly said, “It’s a date.”

The wide smile Ziva sent him made his stomach do somersaults.

“Only if you bring flowers,” she said, and winked, before disappearing inside the Mini.

Tony cocked his head. Beautiful women always knew how to get his motor running. Through the windshield he watched her rip out the deflated airbag, casually throwing it on the passenger seat, as if she had done so a dozen times before. He pursed his lips, beautiful women with a dangerous edge shifted his motor into higher gear.

“I’m not sure your car is safe to drive,” he called out to her.

Ziva popped her head through the door window, amused look on her face. “I have driven worse.”

The Mini’s engine roared to life, as Tony’s mind tried to hold on to this roller coaster of a conversation. “What?”

The Mini backed up, and with unnecessary speed, and far too little distance, sped past him, making him jump back against the side of his car.

He ran a hand through his already tousled hair. “Crazy chick.”

Once seated in the driver’s seat, he checked his watch, and mumbled, “I wonder if Walmart has any fresh flowers left.”

tagging @ziva-david​, @indestinatus​, @benedettabeby​, @hopeless-nostalgiac​

[chrystalwynd]

Diapers and Debts- Part 2

*An age-regression misadventure.*

     "Well, well, well," said Lexie's voice, waking me from a sound sleep. "Look at the cute little doodle bug."

     I opened my eyes. Sure enough, Max's sister Lexie stood in front of me. But...

     ...she was impossibly big.

     Then I remembered. She wasn't big. I was...small. I was six years old.

     Wait. I had fallen asleep. I squirmed nervously, then looked down. My heart jumped as I saw what I had hoped not to see.

     My body had disappeared into the tee-shirt.

     I had regressed even more. But how much more? I had to know. I needed to get to the full-length mirror by the door. Yes, Lexie would laugh her ass off as I waddled my little bottom across the living room, but it had to be done. I had to know.

     Except I couldn't sit up.

     I tried, but nothing was working. I could move my fingers and toes, even my hands and feet, but I couldn't sit up. I couldn't even roll over.

     What the hell?

     "What did you do to me?!" I said...or rather, I tried to say. What actually came out was, "Waaayabah!"

     "Oh, my goodness, Jenna," said Lexie. "You are an adorable baby girl!"

     Oh, shit. That wasn't good. That meant...

     Lexie reached down and picked me up. I had a momentary sensation of flying. Then suddenly I was pressed against Lexie's body, her arms cradling me, her scent filling my senses.

     "Ohhhh, you cute little thing!" said Lexie. "I can't believe such a naughty bitch makes such an adorable baby girl."

     I wanted to respond, protest, anything! But she was so big and I was so small. I couldn't even move. All I could do was rest my head against Lexie's shoulder. Besides, I was tired. I needed to rest for a few minutes.

     Lexie adjusted the tee-shirt around my form, wrapping me in it. Then she carried me to the full-length mirror. Being carried so easily while moving was the oddest sensation. The furniture in the huge room was big and bulky, even intimidating.

     "Look at you," said Lexie, standing in front of the mirror. "You are the cutest little thing, Jenna!"

     I could see our reflection. It was as bad as I feared. I had regressed into infancy.

     I was a baby.

     Lexie had regressed me back to infancy. But why? And how in the world could I pay Max back the money I owed him if I was a baby? I didn't get it.

     "Such a cutie patootie," said Lexie, jiggling me slightly.

     "Stop it!" I said. Well, tried to say. What actually came out was, "Waagaba!"

     Lexie laughed. "Oh, that's adorable," she said. "Now, let's get you set up."

     Get me set up?

     Lexie carried me back to the couch and lay me on my back. Then she pulled the tee-shirt off me, leaving me naked.

     "Gwaaa!" I said.

     "Oh, wittle Jen-Jen doesn't like being nakey?" said Lexie. She rolled me onto my belly, then started pinching my rear end. "Who's got a cute wittle butt? Who's got a cute wittle butt?"

     I squawked and wriggled, then giggled helplessly as Lexie gently pinched my baby butt. Finally she gave my bottom a light swat and rolled me onto my back once again.

     "Okay," she said, opening a diaper bag she’d apparently brought with her. "Enough of that. Let's get you packaged up."

     Packaged?

     A diaper bag?!

     Oh, no way. No way!

     I tried to roll myself off the couch, but Lexie placed a hand on my belly, preventing me from moving.

     "Ohhhhh, little Jen-Jen knows what's coming and doesn't like it," said Lexie. "Well, that's too bad, baby girl.'"

     Lexie grabbed my ankles and lifted my butt off the couch. She slid a disposable diaper under my rear end, then patted some sweet-smelling baby powder onto my bottom. Then she spread powder on the diaper.

     "You're lucky I'm nice," said Lexie. "I really should let you get a nice case of diaper rash. But I don't want my little baby girl getting a red, rashy butt. Nope."

     Then she lowered my bottom onto the diaper. I tried to struggle, but it did no good. Lexie ignored my struggles and folded the diaper between my thighs, pressing it against my lower belly. Then she taped the sides firmly into place.

     And just like that, I was snuggly diapered, whether I liked it or not.

     *****

     I was furious, but I couldn't do anything about it. The thick, fluffy diaper was firm around my hips and legs, hugging my lower region firmly. It wasn't uncomfortable, but regardless, I was diapered! I was twenty-two years old and diapered!

     "Well, now that you're all nappied up," said Lexie, "let's move on to the next order of business. Food."

     Much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. I was famished.

     Lexie reached down and picked me up, holding me against her once again. She walked back to the mirror.

     "I know you're very focused on your condition, baby girl," said Lexie, "and I know you can't talk, but I also know you understand everything going on. So tell me, doodle bug...have you noticed anything different about me?"

     Noticed anything different?

     I looked at Lexie's reflection. She looked the same to me. Hair color, height, clothing all seemed consistent. I lay my head against her boob as I tried to figure out what she meant.

     Then my eyes widened.

     Her boobs. That's what was different. Lexie was a thin girl. When she poured that potion into my whirlpool, she really didn't have much by way of boobs. But now...

     "Figured it out, did you?" said Lexie. "Yep, being a witch has its advantages. I have a rack now. Big, full boobies. Guess what they're full of?"

     Lexie walked back to the couch and set me down. Then she pulled off her top and unhooked her bra, freeing her swollen tits.

     "There we go," she said, arching her back in apparent relief at her unfettering. Her massive globes jiggled gently as she shifted her shoulders. "Much better. They're perfect for what they gotta do, but they're heavy."

     I stared incredulously. She was crazy if she thought I was going to let her nurse me.

     Lexie didn't move for me, though. Instead, she pulled out a jar of some clear liquid and opened it. Then she dipped a small brush into the liquid and used the brush to cover her nipples with the liquid.

     "A little something to make it easier for both of us," said Lexie.

     She finished brushing the fluid onto her nipples and set the jar to the side. Then, still topless, she stepped over to the couch and picked me up, angling me so my mouth was centimeters away from her swollen nipple. There was a sweet vanilla aroma coming from the fluid coating her areola.

     "C'mon, doodle bug," said Lexie, moving me closer to her boob. "Be a good girl and drink up. You want to grow back up, don't you?"

     I almost wavered at that, but it wasn't enough. I was not going to nurse. It was that simple. I was too helpless and humiliated already. I was not going to let have that victory. I'd drink from a bottle if I had to, but I was not going to suck Lexie's boob.

     I kept my mouth closed and turned my head away.

     Lexie laughed. "Oh, baby girl has some spirit!" she said, finally pulling me away from her nipple. "That's good! We'll try again later, when you're in a more cooperative mood."

     Lexie lay me back on the couch. Then she walked to the bedroom...my bedroom!...and came back pushing a pink baby stroller.

     "Okay," she said, picking me back up. "In you go."

     I squawked, but I never had a chance. In moments, my little bare feet were through the openings and my diapered butt was in the seat. Moments after that, Lexie had me secured.

     "Perfect," she said. "That should keep you safe while mommy builds your crib."

     I was furious, but I was helplessly secured and diapered. There was nothing I could do.

     As Lexie began putting the crib together, though, my anger slowly cooled as I realized how tired I was. So tired. And then, my eyes slowly closed on their own. Within moments, I dropped off to sleep.

Next:  Part 3

[ghostpill79]

Had a dream I was driving looking for somewhere to eat. Well first I was sleeping in my car for some reason like I didn’t have to be. I had my guitars in there with me. I moved my car because I didn’t want to be noticed because I had been sleeping in that same spot for a few days. I moved right next to another car- this was at a gas station ( with I guess just a big parking lot. I had a dog with me then and I let him out , but when I did Ed sherian came walking up with his son, who was scared of my dog. I tried to get the dog back into the car but while I did I talked alittle to Ed he said something about how he used to smoke crack and at first I was like “ hell yeah!” Or something but then I realized that was inappropriate and said that” it was cool how he’s come”. Once I got the dog back in the car he drove away. I then realized I was hungry so I decided to just drive until I found something. But as I was driving I accidentally ran a red light, and then was met with another one that I had to break super hard not to rear end the cars they had already stopped. I turned into a shopping center because I was scared people would report me ( I had heard two girls said they were going to but I also had no back linence plate). So I drove around the back of a big store to try and lose any one who might be following me and then I backed into a spot and got out. I started just walking away and then I saw my mom. I got incredibly emotional and started crying was having a panic attack. I guess I was supposed to meet her there. We went behind a bunch businesses and then stopped and I broke down. She told me to go into this cosmetic salon looking place where she had scheduled me to get the back of my ear fixed- at first I thought it was referrecinh my keloid I but in the dream I had a black and white tattoo of a moon on the back of my ear. My mom had scheduled me to get it finished with color. I became incredibly mad and started talking about how I wanted to kill my elf but the ladies at the place just kind of laughed at me. They started talking about why suicide is stupid. Talking about how they’re lives are flawed but are good . This black started talking about how she works at this shitty place but is able to go out to the club and spend time with her boyfriend. I yelled “ you’re lives are horrible!” They were obviously offended but not really bothered. I remember thinking that I wanted to ask the black lady “ I wonder why you’re boyfriend hasn’t per posed “. I thought this would really hurt her and I had wished I said it. I ran out of the place and kind of ran around the shopping center. I waiting for my mom to come after me but she didn’t. Two big strangers came up to me and grabbed me and started taking me back to the salon. I wanted them to hold my hand because I want to be comforted. They brought me back I guess. My mom and I walks down the back of the center again. She asked me if I was doing drugs. I said no and she didn’t seem to believe me. I told her sometimes I wish I could just silence what I was feeling with drugs but I hadn’t done them in months ( it was true). She brought me back to apologize to the people at the salon. I talked to the owner and her husband who were super cunty to me. The husband was saying sone shit and I got into his face. Another part was that I had left my phone at the salon when I stormed out so I needed to get that back. When I went back I held my hands up to show I wasn’t a threat. This is alll i remember.

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony’s Stupid Daily Blog (446): Tue 6th Jun 2023

Up fairly early this morning as I had to take my bike over to BDS in North Shields for it's annual six month servicing. This is the kind of stuff automobile owners normally consider an inconvenience but I don't mind it because it gets me out of the house and I like pottering around North Shields while I wait for the work to be done. For someone who loves to people watch so much having a bike is ideal because you can have a little wander and try to find new and interesting places then not have to worry about getting trains or buses when you've had enough. I might start picking a random location (within a reasonable distance from my home) then looking for local cafes nearby and spending the afternoon there in order to get out there and expand my horizons a bit. I dropped off the bike and headed into town, stopping off at a cafe to read more of my book Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin. I've been hearing the name Ian Rankin for a while but this is the first book of his that I've ever read. I'll be honest, the fact that every single charity shop you go into there are normally about three or four Ian Rankin books has always led me to believe that the books aren't that good or else why would so many people be giving them away? Unfortunately by skepticism prove d to be well founded because this book is quite boring and I found myself skim reading before long. My main takeaway was how shockingly bad the dialogue is in this book. Here are a few examples: Rebus: People keep calling him my friend Siobhan: He’s not? Rebus: Take away the r and you’re getting close Siobhan: The evidence is pretty thin isn’t it? Rebus: Thin? You could use it as a pizza topping This is the kind of dialogue I'd expect to find in the 1960's Batman TV show not a crime novel from 2005. I'll press on but I'm already looking forward to finishing this one as fast as I can and moving on to the next one. While I was sat in a pub with a non-alcoholic Koperburg I got a call from BDS saying that the bike was sorted an hour ahead of schedule so I headed back. After I'd thanked the guy for his work he told me that whoever had fitted my new chain had done it wrong because the rear tire was completely out of line with the front tire. Typical, just when I think I've befriended someone who knows their shit and can help me out when I'm in a jam it turns out that he can't even fit a tire back on. Well anyway at least it's fixed now and should be good to go until at least September for it's next servicing. Once I got home I chilled and (skim) read my book for a while before showering and picking out an outfit as I had a gig tonight in the form of KISS! I saw these legends in 2017 but that gig was somewhat marred by the fact that I had to  travel five hours down to London in a fucking heatwave to see them. Luckily this time they were kind enough to put on a gig at an arena only a few miles from my home so I couldn't exactly pass on the chance to bid farewell to them. I wanted to wear my red leather jacket but it's been a while since I've taken it out of the wardrobe and it appears to have been ravaged by moths (interesting band name) so I had to wear a different leather jacket as well. The good news being that this jacket is normally too small for me to fit into but this time around it fit just fine meaning that this diet has actually worked. The doors opened at half 7 but they were being supported by a couple of local bands and I didn't want to spend an hour politely applauding a bunch of chancers so I went to Five Guys for a veggie sandwich while I listened to Chris Jericho talk to the producers of Dark Side of the Ring about the upcoming season. After I finished my food I headed off to the arena, took to my seat and was delighted to see that I had arrived just after the support acts had ended and the real show was about to start. The lights dimmed, the big KISS Army logos on the curtains were illuminated and a booming voice came over the speakers proclaiming "Newcastle: You wanted the best? You got the best! The hottest band in the world: KISS!". I joined my fellow Geordie Kiss Army members in welcoming them to the North East one last time and over the next two hours was treated to some of my favourite KISS songs including Detroit Rock City, Shout It Out Loud, Lick It Up, God Of Thunder, I Was Made For Loving You & Rock And Roll All Nite. As happy as I was to be in the presence of one of the most iconic bands of all time for one last hurrah I was aware that there seemed to be a bit of lip synching and possibly even "instrument synching" going on because throughout the show the singers lips (especially Gene's) weren't correlating with the lyrics and it didn't look like Paul Stanley's fingers were anywhere near the guitar. Also Paul Stanley's singing voice sounded the same here as it did back in the 70s. How's that even possible? He's seventy one years old for Christ's sake. Even though there may have been some foul play and trickery going on I didn't let it bother me because just the fact that I was seeing them was enough for me. I really wish I’d gotten into KISS when I was a kid rather than my late teens because my childhood would have been a lot more fun but better late than never right? I know that in many ways KISS are a ridiculous band but when they first emerged the idea of a band being about more than just the music was unheard of then. Before KISS a musician was someone who stood still on a stage strumming a guitar and singing song after song. KISS were some of the first to adopt on stage characters and have their performances be accompanied by effects and pyrotechnics. I know these are seen as gimmicks by music snobs but I think it's a case of a band wanting to give the audience their money's worth and make that band seem larger than life. This was an amazing gig and as the band belted out Rock N Roll All Nite one last time while confetti emptied from the ceiling I joined them in singing until my vocal chords hurt but it was worth it in order to thank the band for all they've contributed to my life and to music in general. This gig was a little bittersweet because although I was having a blast in the back of my mind I was constantly aware this was the final time I would be rocking out with the hottest band in the world. As the band left the stage for the final time I felt sad but also happy that I got to see them in my neck of the woods. RIP KISS. 1973 - 2023 (or until one of them gets a big tax bill they need to pay off)

[stevestonbike]

8 minute hill.

I have been feeling pretty good. Not quite in full summer shape, but getting close. I felt is was time to try 8 minute hill. That is the hill I figure I am in decent shape if I can clear it in 8 minutes or less. My best time was pretty damn good about 3 years ago. I was under 7 minutes.

When I am doing a "try" I ride right out to the hill directly at a modest pace. Then I head to the base of the hill on 4rth Ave in Vancouver. It is about 2km long and 88 m high. Just a bump to real cyclists.

This time I had to start from a stop at a red light as I usually have a running start. But traffic is traffic. The two lights in the middle cooperated and I was able to get through OK. My time was 8:02. So Damn Close! I felt adequate, but not as strong as I have been before. That is consistent. What it means is I am capable of doing a north shore mountain climb, but that is all. I will make it. I have work still to do.

One year I actually caught and passed a few people on that hill. One had a high end bike and fancy team kit. Another had a utility bike with a big box on front holding a dog. I guess that one does not really count. I was showing over 300 Watts that day, peaking around 350 for bits. Usually it is more like 250. Watts the difference?

In other news the HUNT wheels are working. The ride is less cushy, but I can coast at a few kph downhill better. So Aero helps. I put Pirelli tires on and they work fine too. Holding pressure very well. I check every ride until I get a better feel for that. I can try tubeless, but I think that is not happening for a while if ever. I have heard bad things about tubeless for heavies like me.

I did find that the rear cassette was off a bit. I could not get the biggest cog. When I got home I checked the other wheel and there was a black spacer ring hiding on the free wheel. I swapped it in and adjusted the derailleur a bit and we are now good. I got the stump puller back. I usually only need it in the direst circumstances. 8 minute hill aint that usually.

It was a shorter ride at 54km. My FFF was 5.02 which is damn good for a day with some hills in it. I am just 97 km shy of last years May distance. I will do about 68 during the week with my YVR loops. So a modest club ride will cover that off. Of course everything is relative my 5 year running average is a couple hundred more than that.

Over the week I had one strange experience. I was out at Iona Park by VYR and this old guy pulls up and starts gabbing. Just that talk talk talk. He was thin. He was very grey, wrinkled and had a definite hunch to his back. Now cyclists are not known for good posture, but this looked permanent. He was going on about how he just got his racing license back and was going to race CAT 5 once he had a few more months of training. He had quit at 60 for a bit and missed the cut and thrust of criterion racing. (that is really rough and is like rugby on bikes) Maybe he landed on his head a few too many times.

The part that struck me is this. He looked old. If I had to say he had a couple decades on me and good for him for getting out! He said he was 68. This was two days before my 68th birthday! I actually shuddered. I guess I age slower than most people, but this was weird. My fitness app tells me I am in my mid 40s by fitness level. Most people think I am in my 50s. I'll take that. But this guy was my age and looked so old!

End games suck.

Keep the rubber side down droogs.

[twisted-art-wounders]

YGO AU Leviathan Rising

Yugi reunites with some fallen friends.

Chapter 23 Reunion

As Yugi rode down the rainbow road he was wondering if he was getting any closer to his destination, it seemed like it was going on forever. The hum of his motorcycle was the only sound in the void and he was starting to worry if he'd ever reach-

“Wow! what the-” He hit the breaks as hard as he could and tilted his bike to side, as it skidded across the multi coloured road  the tires made a horrible screeching sound. The bike stopped just short of the end of the road a massive drop off just at the end.

Yugi was panting tryign to collect himself a bit before looking out over the end of the road.  There a large round golden object floated in the distance, was it a sun? Or some kind or orb? No he realized what it was an eye, Leviathan's eye . He surprised but he knew it was where he needed to be. So he dismounted the bike and walked closer and closer to the giant reptilian eye.

Yugi narrowed his eyes once he reached the edge of road that stopped just short of the giant eye, he knew what he had to do. He got back up on his bike and started the engine again turning around he rode back as far as he could. Revving the engine again he took off picking up as much speed as he could build and drove towards the edge. The bike reared up as it jumped form the edge and began a slow descent into the middle of the golden eye.

Yugi braced himself for some kind of impact but once the bike and himself broke the surface and entered the orb everything on the other side felt thick. It was like he was floating in space, or more like the ocean minus the wet feeling. He looked back and could see the massive eye he used as a gate way was still there, flickering with black lighting a swirl of black and red coming from the yellow eye acting as a vacuum in this dark place.

This, this was the first thing he saw when his soul was taken.

“...this must be where Levi keeps all the captured souls...” Yugi spoke softly and turned around to face the void ahead.

Yugi noticed his bike was gone now but didn't think too hard on it since his attention was soon drawn to the atmosphere, was cold and unwelcoming. He looked around the large expanse of dark blue all around him this new void made him feel uneasy. Yugi started to swim around trying to find something in this new space, that's when he spotted them. Clear orbs that had people in them; Yugi swam towards them and could see dozens of floating orbs each with a single person inside, a trapped soul.

Yugi's heart sank as he saw numerous numbers of orbs just floating in the void, all of them a lost soul who was now at the mercy of a hungry God. He kept swimming past tons of different orbs, each one made his heart sink more and more.

How long had Dartz been collecting souls? Most of the waves of orbs had people with different outfits that seemed like they where form different eras of time. How many years? Hundreds? Thousands? He never felt so sick.

Yugi's mind now drifted towards the thoughts of his friends, What if they'd been captured now? He knew Joey and Mai had been, while his mind was fogey he could vaguely recall a piece of himself was trapped in a duel with the Pharaoh, Kaiba and Dartz. He shook his head and when he did he came face to orb with Joey!

“Jo-Joey??” Yugi blinked and swam up to Joey's orb “Joey!”

Joey's eyes fluttered awake, as he lifted his head and looked around for the source of the noise that woke him. He blinked and could finally clearly see the familiar star shaped spikes of Yugi's hair.

“Y-Yugi?” Joey said weakly before perking up “Yugi! Oh man am I happy to see you!”

“Joey! I don't believe it!” Yugi placed his hands on Joey's orb and smiled with tears running down his cheeks, he rested his forehead to the orb. “I'm so glad you're safe!”

Joey responded by mimicking the same action, he placed his hands on the orb as well and rested his forehead to Yugi's. “Same here! But uhh...where are we? I remember I was turned into a duel monster by Dartz and we where duelin' but...”

Joey looked around and could see all the orbs close to them had people he knew in them; Valon, Alister, Mai, Raphael, and even Kaiba.

“Hey you guys! Get it together we have to- urgh! I feel so weak! Whats going on?” Joey sat back and panted out of breath.

“I think this is where Levi keeps the souls that have been captured. And he drains your power here...”

Yugi responded looking around and finally noticed not too far form them was Pegasus who spoke in his more causal tone.

“Well that's a little obvious now isn't it Yugi-Boy?”

“Pegasus?!” both boys said in unison.

“The one and only~ I'm surprised your outside of your orb though Yugi-Boy how'd you escape?”

Pegasus tilted his head a bit making his hair flop over and obscure more of his face, his Millennium eye was still gone and he didn't like exposing that side of his face.

“Uh it's a long story...But we need to find away to get you all out of here!” Yugi looked around and saw that the golden eye was now absorbing a few of the orbs now. “oh no...” he whispered quietly.

“There is no escape.” A new voice called out form behind them causing all three to turn and face the new comer.

The Teal haired man floated in his own bubble, he looked quite defeated in his posture and tone of voice.

“What the- Dartz?!” Joey yelled.

“What are you doing here?” Pegasus narrowed his only visible eye now.

“Is it not obvious? I was tossed away by my God! Thrown to the side like waste...” Dartz looked down his mismatched eyes staring at nothing.

“Wait if you're here...then that means The Other Yugi won right? I mean that means the world is safe?” Joey looked to Yugi, who looked to him then back at Dartz, who let out a chuckle.

“Safe? You think you're safe here? HA! The Great Beast is alive and still hungers for souls...the duel isn't over yet...” Dartz looked at his hands.

“So Levi is dueling him now...We still have a chance then!” Yugi perked up.

“Well as along as he plays the card I gave him he should...'The Legend of Heart' will unlock the true power of the Legendary Dragons! Hopefully the Pharaoh has the power to unlock it's true potential.”

Pegasus said only to hear Dartz chuckle again, it made him narrow his eye towards him. “And what do you find so funny Dartz? In case you haven't noticed you're trapped here too.”

“Do you really think that silly card will stop him? You cannot stop the rise of my God...He'll devour this world and all of us as well...” Dartz clenched his fists now.

“It wasn't supposed to be this way...I wasn't supposed to fail. 10,000 years of work and service to feed him and he tosses me away...All because of you.”

Dartz now looked up and glared over to Yugi.

“This is ALL your fault!”

“Me?” Yugi said surprised but a little upset too. “How is this my fault!?” He yelled.

“You corrupted The Great Beast! The Great Leviathan was supposed to swallow this wicked old world and bring about a new world! One with me as ruler of a new kind of humanity! One of my own design! I was meant to bury the sins of our past! And forge a new future! A better future! But you and your wicked soul brainwashed my god! You made my god fall in love with you! And now he's forsaken me!” Dartz shouted with all the anger in his veins.

Both Joey and Pegasus were jaw dropped by Dartz's rant towards Yugi, was all of this really true? Did Yugi corrupt the old god and made it fall in love with him. Yugi on the other hand; turned to Dartz and made a motion like he just sat down in a chair floating in the void. He took in a long deep breath letting it out slowly. He closed his eyes and folded his hands into his lap before opening his large orchid coloured eyes now had a tint of red and gold in them.

“First of all Dartz, I NEVER agreed to be Leviathan's vessel. If memory serves you FORCED me into becoming his vessel. Second I didn't corrupt your God and make him fall in love with me. Leviathan is doing all of this of his own free will, he misunderstands what real love is and is going about this in the way he thinks will get him the results he wants form me. Third with the way you treat people in general I'm not surprised Levi dumped you here! When you treat people like trash don't be surprised when you end up in the dump!”

Yugi's voice was slightly morphing into a more demonic one; he clenched his fists and they shook slightly, he shut his eyes hard as he could feel his anger rising. He could feel his teeth where morphing slightly into fangs, his fingernails dug into his palms the tips where sharp and pointed which made him bleed ever so slightly.

Joey noticed this was getting slightly concerned; he knew Yugi could get very angry, not often did he knew when Yugi was hitting the peek of anger. At this point is when Yami Yugi would step in and start a duel but he wasn't here now this was all Yugi and it looked like he wasn't going to be calm at all. Pegasus was noticing this as well, he  knew the boy could get angry his eyes where always a dead give away to his internal emotions. Even with out his Millennium eye Pegasus knew this wasn't going to end very favourably for Dartz if Yugi let loose in here.  

“I was a righteous King! I ruled over Atlantis the most prosperous city of it's time! I took a vow to lead and protect my people! But my kingdom, my people they all grew nothing but darkness in their hearts! I had no choice but smite the wicked ones! I was supposed to lead a new world! New humans free form the darkness! But now thanks to YOU there will be no saving this world form it's fate...We will ALL perish, all thanks to YOU.” Dartz glared at Yugi again.

Yugi looked like he was about to blow his top at Dartz, the teal haired man was expecting it actually everyone was, but he was surprised when Yugi suddenly stopped and let out another breath and taking in another, it was like on cue his breathing was growing softer and claimer. Slowly but surely all of his tension and building rage were now gone. Yugi opened his eyes they lost the red and gold tint and held Yugi's normal purple colour again, but now they where sporting the look of empathy.

“Dartz, you only failed as a king when you decided to turn your back on humanity.”

Dartz looked at Yugi now his eyes wide in shock, how could he speak to him like this? Like he was trying to lecture him.

Yugi continued “You said you took a vow to protect and serve your people? but you didn't do that. You decided to give up on them when they needed you to most! A king- A Real King would never do that! He would give his people hope and inspire them to keep the light of hope inside of them! In the darkest of night everyone needs guidance! And you didn't give it to them!”

Dartz started to clench his fists again and hissed at the boy “Shut up! You weren't there! You didn't see the devastation I saw! The blood pouring into the streets! The screams of fear and anguish! My beloved Iona!” Tears ran down his face now his teeth where grinding slightly.

“What would you have done huh? You believe you are so gratuitous and all knowing? THEN TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE!?”

Dartz and Yugi only started at each other now, Dartz waiting for an answer and Yugi looked into the mans eyes trying to find an answer something to say...

“Geeze with that kind of defeatist attitude I'm surprised you where a king.” Joey spoke up now making Dartz turn and glare at him.

“Great, now I get to have an ear full form you too?” Dartz huffed in annoyance.

“I may not be a ruler but I know for sure, I'd never follow a guy like you! All you ever talk about is how people are all “corrupted and evil and the darkness in peoples hearts” or whatever. But have ever actually tried to help people? And I mean REALLY help people not give them evil powers and try to turn them against humanity kind of helping.”

Dartz blinked he was taken aback by his statement, he didn't have an answer.

“Yeah I figured, You know even though I may not be a king or something I still try to help people! I may not be savin' the world- that's more Yugi's thing- But I'm still at his side ready to help! And in my option a real king is someone who actually inspires his people and gives them hope!And that can make them wanna help each other! But form what I can see all you ever do is sow fear into people and blame them for all the evil in the world, just to get what you want.” Joey shot a glare right back towards Dartz and looked at Yugi in a more gentle tone.

“And you're wrong about Yugi. He's the last person who'd corrupt anyone! Hell Yugi saves people, he's saved me tons of times! And he may not be the most physically strong person, but when it comes to heart he's the strongest there is! Now he's a King I'd be glad to follow!”

Yugi cheeks where red form the blushing he was giving off, each of Joey's words rang into his heart and gave him absolute joy. Dartz only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms turning away form them.

“Pathetic children, Continue to lull yourselves into this false sense of security and hope for they will be the only blanket of comfort before The Great Beast swallows you whole.”

“Wow talk about a party pooper...So whats the plan Yugi-Boy?” Pegasus perked up now looking at both Yugi and Joey.

Yugi looked at Both Joey and Pegasus and signed looking towards the eye as it continued to absorb the orbs.

“Right now we wait for the Other Me to win...”

[hexalene]

Okay so I’ve had a day to sleep on it and be less emotional and I kinda want to tell this story because this call is going to stick with me.

trigger warning for domestic violence and threats of violence - this post does NOT contain any descriptions of physical harm or injury to a person, and it does NOT contain any detailed transcription of abusive language.

Alright let’s go:

“911, what’s the location of your emergency?”

I immediately hear a crying child and a crying woman, and a deep thudding noise. The echo of the caller’s voice makes it obvious they are in a car, and the phone is connected to the Bluetooth.

Here’s what I have at call entry:

The complainant (shortened to compl), is in her car with her child. They are on one of the main roads in the city, they were just stopped at a red light. The compl’s ex-wife (from here know as the subject, shortened to subj) is following them in her car. The subj has a gun, and has brandished it at the compl from behind her, as well as pulling up to the rear passenger side to point the gun at the compl’s daughter.

Whenever the vehicles stop at a red light, the subj gets out of her car, stalks up to the compl’s car, and begins screaming abuse while beating the doors and windows of the compl’s car with her fists and the gun. The glass can be heard cracking with impact on the line.

Obviously, the compl is very scared. HELL, I’m scared. We get these kinds of calls but the subjects getting OUT of the cars in traffic to PHYSICALLY ATTACK THE CAR?? Yeah no, that doesn’t happen often. Like, this is a bad situation, this isn’t going to be a stalking/intimidation thing, this is going to end in violence.

So, the call is in and I tell her the plan :

1. Obviously, do not stop. Keep going north bound on the road she’s on. The less turns, the easier it will be to predict her next location.

(note, because as this goes on, you may wonder why locating the compl was so difficult— Don’t think of the usual massive wide open maximum visibility dead road space that American highways usually are. While this road is one of the biggest main roads in the county, the narrow lanes of traffic are divided by a very large median packed with dense foliage, rocks, and massive ass trees. The visibility is rough to non-existent when it starts getting dark.)

2. Tell me every intersection she passes, and if she’s forced to stop for a red light.

3. Tell me where the gun is at every opportunity. ESPECIALLY tell me if it is brandished at the car or, god forbid, discharged.

(I’ll let you know now - that firearm is never discharged during any of this)

4. Stay on the line. I’m not disconnecting with her until I hear an officer in the background confirm to ME that they’ve got her.

Once they have her, the officers will take over.

At one of the stops, the driver’s side window smashes open completely and I can hear the subj trying to grab at the compl. The compl ends up blaring the horn and screaming back. Other cars in the background are honking and I can hear distant voices of other people in cars screaming. There’s a LOT of noise, I’m trying to tell her I have a solid location to send her to get the officers to intercept, I’m trying to tell her the address and then I hear sounds of scuffling and muffled thuds and—

Silence, then loud dial tone.

The line is disconnected.

Worse - it’s not just disconnected. The phone’s battery has died.

I know this because I tried calling it back five times, but only got the immediate disconnect tone of a dead phone. The tracking system is also frozen at her last known location. The phone isn’t bouncing off any towers anymore.

I can’t get her back.

It sounds stupid as hell, but like, even typing this out, I can kinda remember the crazy-cold-nauseating-adrenaline-horror that hit me when I realized I couldn’t get her back. Like…if I wasn’t at work and compartmentalizing my life away, I would have cried. I’m tearing up a little just remembering it now.

I put all the remaining information I had in the call, what I’d tried to instruct her to do, what I’d heard in the background in case other unrelated witnesses called in so other call takers would know what they were hearing, a transcription of what the subj had said at the end (indicating intent to pursue compl to eventually continue harm, threats to the child in the back, indication of multiple weapons in her possession), the remaining location data and tracking, the explanation for the officers as to why her tracking had completely cut off as well, my callback attempts, just….everything I had. And then I had to face I had nothing else.

I know it sounds stupid, but sometimes it’s like, you feel sick and you just HAVE to let it go, move on to the next call, move on to the next emergency. There’s nothing else I can do. I’ve done all I can and I’m not helping the incoming calls by lingering when I have nothing else to give. So, I move on to the next call. And the next.

I shouldn’t have, because like, compartmentalizing, but I left her live call window open, watching the updates from the officers in the field looking for her. Just lists of intersections she wasn’t at. Signals from other officers in nearby intersections confirming they hadn’t seen her.

And then, maybe at max 10 minutes later, I get a call from a random 911 only phone, but I jump because it’s her. IT’S HER.

SHE CALLED BACK

Her phone had died, and she had tried to get it to charge and call back but it couldn’t hold the charge long enough to call, but then she - THE ABSOLUTE LEGEND - managed to u-turn in the middle of fucking traffic, get into a turn lane the subj couldn’t follow her quickly into, stopped her car for a second, got her purse, and grabbed the old deactivated iPhone she kept for her kid to play on and used that to call 911.

Because FUN FACT: ALL CELL PHONES IN NORTH AMERICA ARE LEGALLY REQUIRED TO BE CAPABLE OF CALLING 911.

No SIM card? You can call 911.

No wi-fi? You can call 911.

No cellular plan? YOU CAN CALL 911.

If it’s a phone and has battery life, IT CAN CALL 911.

I HAD HER BACK!

AND I had the reason the officers weren’t finding her at future intersections - she’d been forced to make a u-turn! She was now south bound!

I immediately dragged her call over and started updating the locations again - and even better, now that she was south bound, she was headed even CLOSER to a police precinct, and as soon as I gave her the address, she was like “I know EXACTLY where that is, I’m making a left hand turn on Main Street/First Street and then I’ll make a right on First Street/Second Street.”

And that went into the call, the officers acknowledged it and sped off to those locations.

Her situation was still just as bad as it had been - the subj was still following, and chillingly, I could hear her screaming and blaring her horn at the compl over the sound of traffic now that the compl’s window was smashed open. Like, terrifying unhinged shit.

Fortunately, within seconds the officers actually managed to intercept and block the subj in and get her out of the car and hopefully on a one way ticket to jail. The compl continued on to the prescient.

When she got there, I think both of us just sat there in shock for a second, because it was over. She was safe.

I waited for the sergeant to get to her car, and I think what finally pushed me over the edge into tearing up is that while the sergeant was walking to her, she said “thank you.”

Fortunately I didn’t like, cry on the line, I just waited for the officer to confirm they had her, told her I was very happy she managed to call back and was now safe, and disconnected.

It’s over. I’ll never hear from her again, I’ll never know what happens next.

…And then I ran to tumblr and vomited that little post out because like, work brain off, emotion processing ENGAGED. oh my god. Like OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD.

That call is going to stay with me. I cannot begin to describe how relieved I was when I answered that random ass 911 only line and heard her voice. The officers in the area would have looked and looked as much as they could (we’d even aired the call to all the surrounding precincts for more eyes on the road) but at some point they too might have had to move on to the next emergency like I had, leaving it unfounded and unresolved.

And like…that’s kinda one of the nightmares of the job, hearing and knowing something awful is happening or has happened, but not being able to do anything about it. I have a handful of those unresolved calls, and I thought this would be one of them.

I can’t even say I’m happy really. I’m just relieved. I’m relieved I was the person who picked up the line and knew exactly who she was and what was happening so that she didn’t have to wait even a second longer for the help she needed. I’m relieved the officers got there in time.

I think it’s one of those calls that makes it possible for me to keep doing this. Like, for all the annoyances of this job and the horrific rudeness of some of the callers, the petty ass drama of the center itself and tech issues and blah blah blah…I’m glad she’s okay. I’m glad I could do something to help her.

I’m going to stop now, ha ha. This is word salad and word vomit at this point. This job has given me a veritable encyclopedia britannica of Feelings ™, Observations ™, and Thoughts ™ and I guess this blog is going to be the place where I vent it all out until I can afford therapy again.

ohhhhh my god I wanna cry from relief

[eufezco]

Request: can you please do one where reader and fezco are together (pur😩😋) and one night the reader gets drunk and fezco takes care of her?? Idk I think it would be cute

⚠️ english isn't my first language

"Yo man, have you seen y/n?" Fezco has been looking for you for almost half an hour now. Your phone was dead so his calls and messages were completely useless. Ashtray shook his head, in fact, he hasn't seen you since you stepped into the party. Fezco huffed, his hands running through his face in absolute desperation. He asked Maddy and Lexi, getting the same answer from them his brother gave him. Fezco was worried because he knew you didn't know how to drink alcohol like a normal human being. Always you ending completely wasted and passing out on him or throwing up. Plus, when he saw Nate the creep Jacobs a shiver ran down his spine. Teens doing drugs, creeps all around the party, a lot of empty bottles of alcohol by this time of the night... The only men Fezco trusted was his brother, that was a fact.

"Oh hell nah..." Fezco threw his hands into the air. Of course you were with Kat and Jules. When he spotted you in the crowd you were taking a shot with them, pure transparent liquid filling the glass and Fezco being a hundred percent sure it wasn't water. He made his way through the people inside the house until he got to you. "Hello ladies. Imma steal this pretty one for a sec real quick." Jules and Kat giggled. Fezco took your hand making you turn around in a quick movement, feeling the alcohol going up and down your entire digestive system. "You can't drink like you are a fucking flowerpot y/n. Look at me." Your dizziness made you stumble, Fezco being quick enough to hug your waist and stop you from falling. "How much have you drunk?"

Your eyes were focused on Jules and Kat dancing and having fun while your boyfriend talked to you. Fezco squeezed your cheeks making your eyes stare into his. Yours were inked in red, eyelids almost closed, a red blush on your cheeks, and a soft smile on your lips as you looked at your boyfriend in awe. "I love you Fez!" You screamed so he could listen to you over the loud music.

"Yeah, I love you too ma', but we finna go home now, k?" That seemed so right to you. You were tired and as much as you wanted to go dance with the girls your body, especially your feet, thought otherwise.

The drive to Fezco's house was complicated. You were in the backseat, the window partially open since you needed some fresh air to not throw up during the ride. The two brothers were in the front part of the car. Ash talked about business while Fezco listened but still got an eye on you thanks to the rear-view mirror. "She ain't gon never learn how to drink a normal fucking amount of alcohol?" Ash asked his brother when you started to mumble the words of the song that was playing on the radio.

Ash handed you a candy bar but you shook your head. "It ain't an option." The boy said and threw the bar to you. He knew your hangover was going to be worse if you went to bed with an empty stomach. So you listened to him and ate what he gave you.

"Okay, we here baby." Fezco helped you to get out of the car, walking behind you all the time in case you fell. He helped you to take off your heels once you got into the house before you twisted your ankle. "Go to my room and wait for me." You nodded, hands on the walls as you walked down the hallway.

Fezco took some things he needed and went to his room with you. You were sitting in his bed waiting for him as he said. Eyes almost closed and dry mouth. The taste of alcohol going up and down your throat made you want to puke every time you could feel it coming to your mouth. Your eyes lighted when you saw Fezco entering the room with a bottle of water and a bunch more things. But the water bottle being your main objective. "Shit, drink slow..." While you drank, he approached his closet and picked one of his shirts for you. "You want pants?" You shook your head when he asked. "Okay, stand up for me now ma'." You got up from the bed and turned around so he could unzip your dress, the thin fabric falling to your feet when he did it. He was about to put his shirt on you when you spoke. "Take it off too please, my back hurts ." Fezco's hands worked like an expert unhooking your bra. It also fell to the floor. He caressed your naked back, his fingers touching the marks your bra left on your skin. "You need a massage?" You shook your head again and turned around to face him as he slippedd his shirt into you.

Fezco also got some wipes you kept at his house to clean your make up. He carefully removed your lipstick, giving you a quick peck on your lips that made you giggle. He removed your mascara, the little sparkles you had under your eyes, and your perfectly done eyeliner until all the makeup was completely gone from your face. He kissed your forehead. "We gon' brush our teeth come on." He opened the door for you and followed you to the bathroom.

You peed while he brushed his. Every time you sat down anywhere was a blessing to him, no danger of you tripping and falling so he took advantage of those moments. You started asking him your typical drunk question. "Fez do you wanna marry me?" Fezco answered with an imminent "sure" and kept brushing his teeth. "Why are you so sure about it?" He rinsed his mouth with water. "Cause you are the love of my life." That was a pretty solid argument you thought. "But what if I was a worm, would you still want to marry me?" Fezco answered all your stupid questions with a lovely tone in his voice and extremely patience until you were done peeing and it was your time to get your teeth cleaned. " 'K pretty girl, open for me." You listened to his orders. He was soft with the toothbrush, hitting every one of your teeth and grabbing you by your chin so he could move your head and make it easier. You mumbled an 'i love you fez' with the toothbrush inside your mouth that was practically incomprehensible. "I love you too baby." You kept saying the sweetest things to him, making more difficult his work inside your mouth but he didn't mind as long as you kept talking. "Spit." Your boyfriend stated when he was done. You let out all the mint toothpaste in your mouth and rinsed your mouth with the glass of water Fez handed you.

'Open for me'? 'Spit'? Ash was completely disgusted. "The fuck are you two doin' in there? I need to use the bathroom, go to your fuckin' room bro I'm being dead serious right now." Ashtray talked outside the bathroom. You laughed covering your mouth as Fezco shook his head and opened the door for his brother. "I was brushin' her teeth man." The boy huffed as you two got out of the bathroom and went to Fezco's room again. "You good? You need anythin' else?" You shook your body falling into Fezco's bed and snuggling between his bedsheets. He laid by your side covering you both with the blankets as you hid your face in his chest and Fezco rested his chin on the top of your head. "If you need anythin' wake me up. You got some meds on the nightstand." You hummed in response, getting everything your boyfriend said. He kissed your forehead and hugged your body against his.

[userholland]

idk if you’re doing blurbs rn but if you ever get to this can you do one of dad!tom where they’re taking the newborn baby home from the hospital and tom driving really cautiously on the way home and being really cautious in general 🥹 i saw something earlier about how the first drive home and dads drive really slow and it sounded like a really cute moment 🥺

pairing－ dad!tom holland x fem!reader [parent + domestic au]

contains － nothing but fluff and protective, dad!tom in training!

word count－ 602

masterlist | blurb requests open!

"Geez, babe. Don't go too fast."

Tom didn't appreciate the sarcasm from your end, but you did just give birth to his child after spending a few hours of painful labor so, he could let it pass (for now).

"I'm making sure we get home in one piece." He trailed, his eyes glancing at the rear view mirror to check your newborn in their carrier.

"I don't think you'll get more than a dent when you're going..." You leaned over to see the speedometer, "Eighteen miles per hour."

It had only been two minutes since you left the hospital parking lot－a whole minute taken up by Tom trying to get out of it－ and now you were taking your baby girl home and with every hair on her basically bald head in place.

"Tom, seriously. Just drive like normal, you'll have to eventually." You nodded, rubbing his tense shoulder. You noticed his knuckles were almost white from how tight he gripped the steering wheel.

"I am, or I'm trying. Just didn't think the protective dad instinct kicked in until they were like sixteen and starting to like boys." Tom shrugged, not even wanting to think that far into the future.

"Relax. Please. I promise you, the next two years of changing diapers will keep you more than occupied." You jeered to lighten his mood.

Tom cracked a smile, quickly turning his head to you, then glancing back at the road at his slow pace.

It's as if someone else had possessed Tom's body, not believing he was the same guy who loved turning corners on (what felt like) two wheels.

Every stop you made was a complete stop. Every yellow light was met with a slow and steady stop before it turned red. His head turned back and forth so much to see each side of a four-way street that it could make you dizzy.

All you could do is grin at how he was suddenly shifting into dad mode, only able to put your hand on his knee and let him do the rest of the drive the way he needed to. Eventually, he would ease up, but you would remember this moment only to, probably, tease him a lot later in life.

The rest of the drive was a bit better, even if he only got to twenty-five miles per hour as his maximum speed, but he carefully parked in front of your house.

After you got out of the passenger side, you slowly put your jacket on while Tom was in the back putting the strap of the baby bag on his right shoulder and holding the carrier with his left hand. Your daughter was peacefully asleep, her soft head rested back and her tongue peaking from her mouth.

Sleeps just like her father, you thought.

When you walk around, you cooed at the sweet sight of your two loves. Tom kissed your temple before you both headed toward the front door. He carried the carrier with great ease, carefully planting his foot on each step toward the door before you opened it to give him a clear path to the living room.

Once the two of you sit on the couch, a relieved sigh leaves both your chests as you happily glare at your sleeping baby, snuggled in a pink blanket and the cap perfectly fit to her small head.

"Thank you for driving slow." You teased Tom, wrapping your arm around his.

"I think the word you're looking for is carefully and you're welcome." He jeered back, planting a soft kiss on the top of your head.

[cebwrites]

Haunted House Reactions (Heart Pirates Special)

a/n: AAAAAA CEV FORGOT TO POST THIS ON HALLOWEEN ASJDKHTH fun fact! i’m a massive scaredy cat and the elevator scene to this was based on a haunted house attraction i never actually ended up going into because ya boy had a panic attack on the way up (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

gn reader, gen word count: 1.2k

🎃 . 🎃 . 🎃

You feel a chill down the back of your neck as you step on the first creaky floorboard of the “Haunted Mansion” attraction that your fellow crewmates had begged the Heart captain to let him go into. Law had been largely unenthused but let everyone had their fun, you half regret not staying behind to silently judge passerby’s in the food court with your captain now that you were actually here at the entrance.

Several members had reassured you that if this was too much, that you could always turn back but there’d been a long elevator ride on the way up and you didn’t want to be the one that needed accompaniment back down because frankly even that had you reciting silent mantras in your head.

The Heart Pirates were split into groups of three because the elevator was too small to accommodate everyone all at once; twenty one members total minus their captain meant two groups of seven and one with six. You were the sixth in yours.

You’d seen Bas and Hake cheering as they exited first, the rest of them happily chattering along down below when your group got all the way up. The entrance was on the third floor, through a window of all things, and the patrons would have to navigate their way down through a cacophony of spooks and scares. Ani put a reassuring and on your shoulder as the buzzer glowed, a distorted voice welcoming you all to the entrance of hell. Looking down the hallway bathed in red lighting before you, you wouldn’t disagree with that sentiment.

You wondered between crying or throwing up, which option would be least embarrassing right now.

You clung to Bepo’s arm, who at least seemed to be about as nervous as you were on the surface, fluffy ears flat against his head; Penguin and Shachi both chatted excitedly, leading the charge while the boyfriends ribbed at and both tried to spook one another as you all made your way inside. Ani and Fang offered to guard the rears, to “protect you and Bepo from anyone who might try to scare you from behind” but frankly the shared glint in their shadowed eyes didn’t make your stomach churn any less.

There was the standard fanfare of blood splatters here and there, apparent claw marks on the wallpaper and torn up carpeting to indicate a struggle of some sort with some kind of... monster. Then again, when you squished Bepo’s soft paw pads and the bear turned to look at you with a cute little head tilt, you felt some of your fears set themselves at ease.

You made the mistake of meeting eyes with a painting two seconds later, however, or rather its gaze met yours, and your heartbeat was back in your throat. Focus on the Bepo paws. Think only of the Bep-paws.... 

The first scream of the group was surprisingly not from you, but Shachi, who recoiled back immediately once a ‘severed’ arm he’d been poking at grabbed him back. The sound still made your whole group jump, however. Penguin jabbed at his side to get the orca to stop fooling around so much and it wasn’t long before they were giggling again like schoolgirls. 

Walking along, you closed your eyes at certain imagery and clung tighter to Bepo’s side when deranged laughter from an unknown source filled the air. Bepo kindly informed you that there was a staircase they had to traverse and he held your hand as hands seemingly pushed through the walls (an elastic covering, maybe?) to grasp at everyone. It was Penguin this time that decided to shake one in a greeting manner, getting a few chuckles from the group on the way down.

Fang massaged your shoulders as you made your way through the second floor, gassing you up between a casual conversation through his mask with Ani and Penguin, finally able to part from the polar bear’s side and ease your mind a little. It’s not until Shachi points out that he hasn’t seen the resident navigator in a while that you notice the hands on you are a little rougher than before. 

When everyone turned to you, they froze.

Yes, there is a masked figure massaging your shoulders, but they’re a lot taller - and no, it sure as hell isn’t the beloved helmsman of the Heart Pirates. Your blood runs cold and you feel like collapsing right about now, but the adrenaline in your system sends you booking it out of the room with a scream faster than anyone would’ve imagined, ignoring the shrieks from your peers behind you. 

You practically glide down the last flight of stairs, weaving through headless corpses standing and violent axe murderers before they can even fully register in your mind because god, you don’t need them to. You briefly hear your name being called out but you’re too frightened to stop, running into a side room you’re not supposed to when an actor in grizzly makeup tries to guide you to the right way and increases your panic instead.

Once in there, however, you saw members of staff putting fake blood on Bepo’s snout and paws, and someone else making a quick duplicate of Fang’s mask that was cracked and bloodied. They both waved at you, one bright and cheerful and the other, apologetic. The staff saw your alarm, offering a bottle of water and some snacks to ease your anxiety, explaining that this was one of this attraction’s gimmicks, especially with large groups like yours. 

Ah yes, this was all part of the performance. A potential heart attack for the fun of it.

A lady with a walkie talkie let everyone in the room know that Pen, Shach, and Ani have made it out and that the last batch of Heart Pirates were on their way up. Someone else on staff kindly asked if you’d like to join or have an escort take you to the exit if you’ve understandably had enough of this place. Looking at Bepo’s curious eyes and the glint from what was visible behind Fang’s dupe, damaged mask - ah what the hell, so long as you weren’t the one getting scared anymore, right?

You were slathered in fake blood and given a quick script - having being attacked by this ravenous, bloodthirsty bear - and only had to play the part of a poor corpse strewn across the chaise lounge while poor Bepo on the other hand had to hold his position over you while everyone inspected the ‘doubles’ before he eventually turned to look at them and scared everyone off with a huge roar.

Previous crew members who’d entered were invited back in to fill other roles that weren’t as center-stage like being the hands in the walls, eyes following people around, ‘fake’ mounted heads, or simply grabbing people’s legs underneath furniture to get a cheap scream. 

The only downside to it all was the staining on some member’s clothes from the makeup and Clione getting a bruised nose from when he grabbed Ikkaku’s leg and her reflexes quite literally kicked in. Law wasn’t pleased at everyone’s disheveled appearances when you all showed up back at the sub, but the state of Clione’s face had to be what irritated them more.

Still, everyone clearly had a great time, they could see even you laughing along as well despite being near-petrified at the beginning, so Law doesn’t give his crew too much flak for it. Dry-cleaning bills for anyone’s uniforms, however, are coming out of your paychecks.

No, Law will not simply shambles the stains out. It’s the principle of it all.