#only a person who knows a smoker knows how annoying it is when they take smoke breaks everywhere

[leighsartworks216]

Birdcage

Sylus x gn!Reader

Sequel to My Pretty Bird

Fucking love Mephisto!Reader so much I love being a silly little bird in the arms of a big ol man

Warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, kidnapping, swearing, smoking, rescue

Word Count: 1,234

Main Masterlist

First - Second - Third LADS Masterlists

AO3

Tag List Form

You squawk and screech and make all sorts of sounds. Your wings beat relentlessly against steel bars, padlocked firmly shut. A man hits the cage with the butt of his gun. It swings back and forth, knocking you off balance.

"And why can we just shoot this damn thing?" the man asks. He glares at you. You stare right back, cawing indignantly in his face. He hits the cage again. "It's so fucking annoying!"

Another man in the room laughs. Smoke sifts through his teeth, drifting lazily through the air. "Don't tell me you're gonna let a bird get under your skin."

The first man covers your cage with a heavy cloth. It doesn't do much to quiet you and you beat more defiantly against the bars, but at least he doesn't have to look at you.

"Crows are smart birds, you know. You give them an inch, they'll take a mile," the smoker says. "It probably likes annoying you cuz you're making such a fuss."

"It doesn't annoy you?"

"Hmph. I have three sisters - I'm used to it."

The dark doesn't mean much when you have night vision, but night vision doesn't mean much when there's nothing to look at. Everywhere you turn: bars and nothing beyond. And there's nothing you can do on your own to get out of it. Code-based locks are easy enough to break, but a key-lock? You're shit out of luck. Still, you peck at it restlessly, without thought of if it would work or not.

You sent out the beacon a while ago. Sylus still isn't here. Unsurprising, given he was all the way in Linkon and you're halfway across the N109 Zone in some other fool's territory (intel-hunting, as it were). From what you gather, they have no idea who you belong to. The idea that the leader of Onychinus could come here is an utter impossibility in their minds. You just hope he'll be here soon.

You hear the click of a door opening and heavy boots entering the room. "I didn't even need to ask for directions," a new voice jokes, "I could hear it all the way in my lab."

Lab?

"Thank fuck you're here, doc. It's giving me a headache. Can't you shut it up?"

"Without damaging it," the smoker reminds them. "The boss wants to know how it's built."

The new person laughs. You try clawing through the bars at the cloth, with no luck. That voice, that laugh - it unsettles you.

"If what you described is true, I'd hate to damage it." The heavy boots walk closer. "Can I...?"

The first man hmphs. "Go ahead, doc, I won't stop ya."

The cloth is removed without ceremony. A face stares at you through the bars. A gaunt woman with an unsettlingly wide smile, eyes obscured by thick goggles. She gasps in pleasant surprise as she sees you.

You scream in her face, flap futilely in your little cage to try getting away. It's the only thought you have - you have to get away.

She chuckles lowly. "You're still as spirited as ever, I see."

The jagged, jolting sound of electricity registers milliseconds before it touches the cage. It travels through the path of least resistance: from the taser she holds, through the steel bars of the cage, and into you. The best way to describe the sensation is like waking up from anesthesia, except the "waking up" comes from your synthetic heart and mind being temporarily stopped. Your wings feel numb and uncoordinated. You can't stand, falling weakly to the cage floor. Your eyes see, but nothing processes.

She hums, satisfied. "Where did you say you found it?" she asks the men.

The smoker is the one to answer. The first man is too busy staring with gleaming eyes at your new silence. "It was slinking around the market. Don't know what for yet."

"Probably just looking for something shiny to bring back home." She pokes your body through the bars. You jolt away, tripping over your own feet in the process, feathers on end. "Isn't that right? Where do you consider home now, I wonder."

"Doctor?" the smoker interrupts. "Have you met it before?"

She giggles, louder as you manage to make a pitiful sort of sound. "I was there when they created it. I even helped out here and there. It's a remarkable piece of technology, but it's incredibly difficult - if not impossible - to reproduce."

"It's a machine, right? Can't you just wipe its memory, like a computer?" the first man asks.

"I'd hate to erase so much valuable data." She pushes the cage, stepping away as you go round and round. Your head spins. You squawk indignantly. "Where's your boss? I need to discuss price-"

The door clicks open again. She gawks up at the man who enters. His red eyes glare intensely into her.

It's a mess, after that. You manage to face the action, trying to record it to rewatch later, but actually keeping up with it in the moment is tricky.

From what you do pick up on, the two men opened fire on the intruder. Sylus's Evol was able to stop some of the bullets, too worn and weary to have any chance of catching them all. One hits his shoulder, distracting him just long enough from the doctor. There one moment, she seems to disappear the next. She's not gone - not at first. But Sylus is shoved aside in his moment of weakness and the door swings loose on its hinges, her heavy boots receding into the distance beneath the crossfire.

Two quick shots from a pistol end the fight.

He grunts, holding his shoulder as he looks down the hall. You don't know if he would have chased after her. That's a question that won't be answered perhaps for a lifetime, because your soft cawing draws him back to you.

Tucking his gun into its holster, he crosses the room to you. You stumble and trip trying to stand on your feet to meet him. Despite the situation, his lips curve into a slight grin, glad to see you again and with your same persistence.

The padlock clicks open. You nearly fall through the door and to the ground in your excitement, but he catches you, holding you securely against his chest. The blood on his hand stains your feathers. You start emitting a strange sort of purr, picking at his hand in an odd form of preening.

"What did she do to you, hm?" He idly scratches under your chin as he steps over an outstretched arm and into the hallway. He looks down the way, seeking any traces of the woman left behind without any luck. It aches deep within, reignites a fire that never truly went out, as he turns and heads for the back exit he came in through. "Sleep. I'll wake you when we're back home."

You nibble at a callous on his finger. He truly thinks you'll be a stubborn little thing and refuse, staying awake until he gets you home where he can get you fixed up. Fortunately, you relent. You tuck your beak into his hand, hiding away from the world. It's not long after that your feathers fluff slightly and you fall asleep in his arms.

He'll find that bastard one day. And he'll make her pay for everything she did to you.

---

Tag List:

@the-golden-jhope @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow @cheesemachine44 @nyx2021 @angel-jupiter @thelittlebutton @pikachuzhc @pomegranatepip @cordidy @an-ever-angry-bi @thejysemongko @deusfoundry @that-lost-one @always-just-red

[nightscarab]

haikyu!! headcanons - seijoh main four

slight suggestive themes in matsukawa's

iwaizumi hajime

100% without a doubt, works out to relieve stress. it's an escape from his problems (oikawa) and helps him take out his anger in a healthy way.

his favorite color is definitely red. i don't know why he just seems like a red guy.

literally gets SO pouty when he's surprised with something. it could be a gift or a party and he'll get so pouty. he's so emotional i love him

he loves LOVES when you grab his bicep. it makes him feel so strong and manly and proud it's so cute his face lights up.

contrary to popular opinion, he LOVES physical touch, but only with specific people. he just loves feeling loved.

whatever you cook for him, he'll DEVOUR it. he'll literally eat it up he loves food especially if you're the one who made it.

oikawa tooru

he has major separation anxiety. when he's in argentina you know damn well he's spamming the group chat with messages and calls.

his friends mean everything to him. he'd abandon volleyball for them anyday. he'd never admit it though...

a horrible, terrible liar. cannot lie to save his life, he'll start laughing or smiling. his voice cracks if he tries to drag it on too long.

when he falls in love, he's in LOVE. the gc is spammed with messages about how much he loves his gf and pictures of her followed by long ass paragraphs.

if he ever catches you in his jersey, oh honey... you're never gonna hear the end of it. he'll do a whole photoshoot of you in it, it doesn't matter if you just woke up. he thinks you look stunning and now it's his lockscreen wallpaper.

the SASSIEST man alive. he'll give you so much attitude if he's pissed off. you gotta sit his ass down and tell him to cut it out cause it gets BAD.

matsukawa issei

i don't see him as a smoker honestly. however...he is a big drinker. beer, whiskey, rum and coke, you name it, he'll have it.

super handsy. can't keep him hands off you, he needs to be touching you at all times. whether it be a hand on your hip, waist, thigh, head, or an arm around your shoulder, he's always touching you.

working in a funeral home, he sees a lot of grieving families yk.. he has nightmares that one day he'll be the one grieving you. please hold him tight at night!!

king of midnight snack runs! it's 4am and you're hungry? no problem! let's do a cvs run. oh you want taco bell? it closes soon better hurry!

has the LONGEST eyelashes you've ever seen. it's not even funny how are they so long. he looks great with mascara, he'll even beg you to put it on him so he can show off to oikawa. (he does, in fact, get jealous)

jams out with hanamaki to 2000's white girl songs. i'm talking christina aguilera, britney spears, natasha bedingfield, etc. it's their favorite way to mess with hajime. (he secretly loves it though)

hanamaki takahiro

matsukawa might not be a smoker, but hanamaki totally is. he doesn't smoke often, but when he does he comes back higher than a kite. he only smokes to relieve stress.

our dear boy is unemployed, but he still tries to spoil you as much as he can. you want that swimsuit? you'd look so hot babe of course he's buying it for you.

not a very touchy person, but he tries to make it up to you by spending time with you. he'll stand by you in the kitchen while you're whipping up some coffee for yourself. he sees you on the couch? now you guys are watching a movie together. he just loves being with you.

late night drives with takahiro are to die for. you've never had this much fun in your life. the city lights and the music blasting from the radio lifts you to a high you've never felt before.

uses hot cocoa flavored chapstick. he stocks up during the winter since it's a seasonal flavor (which he thinks is super annoying) but you complimented him on it once and now it's the only one he uses.

on twitter nearly 24/7. he posts his every thought and somehow they go viral. he prides himself on that and comes to you every time his tweet blows up. "look babe! my tweet hit 100k retweets."

[goingmerryfics]

Reader fails at flirting - Mihawk, & Crocodile

Content: SFW content, clumsiness, ranting, & bad pick up lines

Notes* Thank you for your patience while I struggled through my writer’s block! This was a request from a looong time ago but I no longer have that ask to reply to it seems. I believe Smoker was also supposed to be here, but I’m just going to upload this and take it easy while I get back into the writing spirit :) 

Mihawk

Not the type for talking, attempts at flirting with Mihawk usually end up with long, awkward silences that you feel the need to fill, which makes you sound even more awkward as you bounce from topic to topic

He was always the first to show up at the Warlord meetings, and since you worked in the building, it gave you an opportunity to chat him up as you pour the champagne for each guest

He only barely glances at you every now and then as you try to get his attention, ranting on about whatever comes to mind in the moment and asking him questions that he doesn’t respond to

You always end up feeling defeated at the end of the day. Always left with the heavy feeling that he just doesn’t like you, no matter what you say

Eventually you decide that you can’t keep pestering him. Next time there’s a meeting, you decide not to shoot into chatter with him when he arrives

You keep your head down, silence in the room. You can feel his eyes on your back as you walk around, watering the plants and doing whatever you can do to stay in his presence without having to talk to him

And then,

“Is something wrong?”

You’re embarrassed by how fast you look back at him. It’s the first time he’s addressed you. You, stuttering like mad, tell him that nothing is wrong

“You didn’t greet me today.”

He sounds… Disappointed. You ask him why he never responded, adding that you thought you had been annoying him, and that you weren’t even sure he knew who you were

Then he says your name- your full one. He starts to repeat information you’ve told him about yourself, a mix of information that you had thrown at him over all the different times you’ve met him. It touches your heart that he remembers it all

“I know who you are very well, actually. If you gave me a moment to think of my answers, I would have been able to share. You speak too quickly.”

He explains it so bluntly, but now that you think about it- you didn’t really give him much time to think before you moved on to the next subject. So the awkward silences were just Mihawk trying to put his words together

He urges you to take a seat beside him, that way he can finally give you the responses you were looking for

“You should try to let the other person respond if you’re going to flirt with them.” 

He says it almost scoldingly, but he’s smirking at you

Crocodile

As a citizen of Alabasta, Crocodile was someone that many people looked up to. But only you were in semi-regular contact with him

Every now and then, he would come dine at your workplace and every single time, you were his server. Your co-workers were always too intimidated to potentially get something wrong- the man was intimidating, after all -so that meant that anytime he was in, you were the one to face him

He always ordered the same thing when he came, which made it easier after a while. You’d already be walking up to his table with the wine he liked while his food was in the oven before he’d even made his order

The problem was that your ridiculous crush on him made you clumsy as hell

The first few times you were safe- the tripping over your feet and dropping plates had only happened out of his view, where it was your co-workers that would laugh or chastise you for not being careful enough

But then it had caught up to you in the worst way

You were taking the wine to his table and, as always, you engaged him in some casual conversation. Something about the weather or asking how his casino was doing

He would always answer shortly. Something of a grunt that either sounded positive or negative, or a short answer of ‘good’ or ‘eh’

You were too busy staring at him and waiting for an answer to notice that you were completely missing the glass as you poured his wine

And in turn, he was too surprised at your new, sudden carelessness to answer

Eventually you’d noticed as the wine started to spill onto the floor. Crocodile got up from his chair as you scrambled to get the spill contained to just the tablecloth, but also trying to be careful of all the glass on the table

The white tablecloth would be stained for sure

Crocodile just watched the whole time, holding his cigar between his fingers

The next few times went similarly. You’d bring the wine, serve his food, and give the bill- and every time, you would do something wrong. 

Forgetting his silverware, serving him the wrong plate, etc.

At least he always tipped you nicely. That never changed

You’d been so determined to make sure everything went right that the next time he walked in, you tried to be extra careful. You brought him his wine and paused, noticing his hand covering his glass.

“Just water today.”

Three simple words that threw you off. Why? What was wrong with the wine? Was it you?

Your on your way back from getting his ice water when a co-worker steps back, bumping into you from behind and sending you off balance, tipping the serving tray and sending Crocodile’s ice-cold water all over him

Your co-worker all but bails out of the dining hall, leaving you slack jawed, staring at Crocodile’s ruined suit. You can’t even muster up the bravery to apologize to the man as the ice cubes slip off of him and onto the floor

Then he laughs. It’s a loud, booming laugh that seems even louder while the room is dead silent. You’re sure you’re going to die there either from embarrassment or his wrath

“I’ve never seen someone trip over themselves so much just to get my attention. It’s flattering.” He says, smirking down at you while you’re still frozen in place. Then he asks you what time your shift is over, and you answer that you’re done in an hour

He tells you to make sure you’re here in 3 hours, that way he can dry off and have a proper conversation with you

You’re left there, confused, wondering if it’s going to be a date or a murder when he returns

[sk3tch404]

Late Night Hanma Blurb

A/n: Thought abt this during an itty-bitty road trip today. Smoker Hanma does smth to the chemicals in my brain. Forgive me for any lengthy bad writing. I've had a long day and I just wanna yip yap about one of my fav crazies 🙇

CW: Hanma can give two shits about your lung health but chooses not to when he feels like it, intimidation, threats of forced drug usage, sometimes forced participation in violent activities, thoughts of lovers suicide/murder(?), and whatever other yappin I put in here.

Hanma who smokes a fuck ton and doesn't mind giving you the good ol' second-hand effects of it, but absolutely detests you doing it on your own.

He snatches the stick from your mouth and holds it up and away from you with a small grit in his teeth. Hanma glares down in some curiosity but clearly squints in irritation.

"The hell is this? Don't tell me I'm being a bad influence on you now. If I catch you with one of these again, I won't let you off the hook so easily. You got it, Y/n?"

When you retort, telling him it's no different from when he does it and it is your own choice whether he likes it or not, he merely scoffs with a tilt of his narrow head. Throwing down the cigarette, the sound of his sneaker stomping and scraping it out against the pavement echos through the air with an annoying presence. Shuji demands the rest of your stash with a looming stare that can only put you into a state of sinking discimfort.

"Come on, don't be stubborn. Ya know, if you wanna do it so bad, why don't you try the whole pack? Mine too since it's a shitload better than that cheap stuff."

Reluctant on suffocation and early lung cancer, you begrudgingly hand over your smokes to him. Hanma smacks down on the box with an evidently loud shot of noise and slides it out of your palm--- pocketing it. He stretches out narrow smile as he leans down towards you.

"See, now it ain't so hard to listen."

He's still ticked off by the fact you think you can do whatever to your body without his permission, but since Shuji is so generous, he'll let you learn from your mistakes. See, he can be nice.

Don't test him though. Next time you're caught defying his selfish wishes, he's beating you down with degrading language and probably also beating whoever was involved. The convenience store employee that sold you the cigs, vape, or maybe even chewing tobacco? Yeah he's taking out his held back frustration on them. Bro is jumping over the counter and tearing their shit up.

Avoiding him because of his brutal and honest-to-God psychopathic personality? Now that's just cruel. Shuji is dragging your ass by the back of your shirt and pushes you to his motorcycle. The leopard print on the back of the bike makes you wanna barf every time you see it, but you got to keep it down if you wanna have enough energy to deal with him. He'll take you out no matter where you are at in that point of time and make you remember who he is; who you think you're messing with.

"Y/n, how many times do I have to tell you? Aim for the nose. That's easy for amateurs like you. Actually, lemme show you how to really deliver a jaw breaker-"

Yeah, he'll show you just how bad it can get with some random thugs on the street. You should be grateful with how gentle he's treating you. Instead of ending up with facial fractures, you have nice dates and thoughtful gifts. He's even teaching you a few tricks. How lucky can you get?

"I'm all done. Shit, I'm starved. Let's go grab a bite to eat, kay?"

Hanma thinks the only way you'll ever keep paying attention to him is if he keeps you and your actions in line. If you go off doing your own thing, his usually unmoving heart can't just stand there and watch you slowly leave him. Despite the negativity be brings into your life, he actually gets really fuckin anxious when he doesn't know or understand what you're doing. It's so troublesome how you make him feel. Yeah, being bored as shit is bad, but seeing you, the only thing that could ever bring him down to his knees unwillingly, slip away with nothing but disdain for him? Fuck no. He won't accept it. Shuji would rather kill you and then himself than have to bear the strange feeling of pain, or what other people call heartbreak, by his lonesome self.

Should he ever say he loves you, that would be the point of no return for the both of you. His hands have you tight in his clutches. No way out, no way back in for anyone else.

[wtowingedtragicobsidian]

Misc. Chuuya HCs

He has serval ear piercings, but he doesn't wear them at work often/they are hidden by his hair.

Can do makeup, learned from Kouyou

Wears those hella expensive Italian leather dress shoes religiously.

Chuuya sleeps like the dead but wakes up like he's having a heart attack. He doesn't have dreams, or at least can never remember them.

His mind is strangely quiet/baren. That's not to say he doesn't have thoughts, but they aren't loud/layered unless he's really overwhelmed. Otherwise he's very grounded/concise.(He suppresses a LOT and has basically been running a refined fight or flight plan since he first got sent to the lab.)

He's actually a reasonably calm/level headed person most of the time. He can get annoyed easily if he's already stressed/irritated but he tends not to blow up if its unreasonable. Conversely if it is justified or he's having just a truly shit day he goes from like 3 to 100 in seconds. He usually resolves it quickly though (through violence and/or cussing, maybe an apology later if its warranted). Interacting with Dazai or thinking about Dazai is the only outlier to this.

Is fond/has a soft spot for kids and is pretty good with them. He also is very friendly/helpful to the elderly and tends to be doted on by them. This attitude extends to animals. (He feels a need to look after things even if he doesn’t know how to.)

Nostalgic/emotional drinker, stressed/on edge smoker

Workaholic. Bit of a complex surrounding personal safety. (Would always take a bullet for one of his men, focuses less on self protection if more of them get hurt then anticipated because he feels he deserves it, trouble saying no to people in need, sacrifices too much of his time. ) This is not helped by the fact that he really has no sense of identity outside of the mafia so why wouldn't he sacrifice himself for the machine.

Owns property in France and just got back from there on a long term mission (several years) when we are first introduced to him. He was called back because of the weretiger. He left because of Dazai.

Has serval bits of paraphernalia from the Flags after they passed, which are kept at his apartment or on his person.

His hands are the most delicate part of him and have very minimal wear/scarring.

He has a small scar on the back of his neck where Verlaine and Rimbaud removed the identification he was given in the lab. Dazai got him the collar to be his dog (to cover it up).

Petite but muscular build, that being said his legs are the only part of him that are actually bulky.

Pre experimentation his hair was duller and his eyes were dark brown. Post his hair is brighter, and a cold blue has migrated into the center of his irises, leaving only a faded brown ring around their edges.

Can float/hover without using corruption but it takes a lot of his concentration and the effects are less impressive. It also doesn't feel very good body wise. The same is true for flipping gravity on himself but to a lesser degree. This is why he tends to prefer manipulating the gravity of an object and then hitching a ride.

The after effects of corruption are vicious, he basically just gets sick. Headache, ringing in his ears, nausea, weird lack of appetite, joint pain, muscles aches, creaky bones, fatigue, soreness, irritability, brain fog, vertigo, spotty/blurry vision. The effects dwindle over a few hours/days.

Every time he activates corruption he reopens hairline scars all across his body. They heal and fade quickly(couple days/months) but the longer he was using it for the longer it takes. He absolutely hates them even though they are barely noticeable. Dazai is the only other person who knows he has them. With each use they get worse.

Calustraphobic

Can speak French

Cusses frequently, not in an angry way its just part of his vocabulary. That being said he could out cuss a sailor if he's actually pissed.

Delicate features

Has a preference for plainer (non pretentious) dishes. This preference extends to exactly nothing else.

Likes harder music (rock, metal) but also jazz, and almost exclusively likes oldies. However, he does enjoy live music.

Has a surprisingly nice karaoke voice for somebody who screams so much.

Tends to be very direct in both communication and conflict resolution. (He cant be bothered to care more a lot of the time). This was a big point of contention between him and Dazai cus that mf would dance around the truth/point reflexively.

After corruption the effects of gravity linger on the area/him. Things get pull to a point/him or pushed away or they are heavier/lighter than expected.

Has mildly accelerated healing

Very intuitively math smart. Money savvy and can do complex physics with ease. He has barely a GED in terms of general knowledge/education though. Most everything he knows is by necessity and was learned by figuring it out for himself.

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1102 - Initial Thoughts

And we have returned

For more Emotional Devastation!

Bonney's cathartic freedom is still undermined by the reality of hindsight, and before we end the year Oda intends to make sure we leave in sadness and mourning.

One more time, for Kuma

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release

A Bonney-themed cover this time, eating hot dogs with some wolves

True to her word Bonney has set to sea to find her father, unleashing the Bonney Pirates onto any leads she can find

Typically, the government string up lies to vilify Bonney by saying she attacked villages of elderly and children

Kuma was indeed there, but to protect her and honor his arrangement he has to leave, surprised she became a pirate

Bonney's annoyed, but she is patient too, she also intends to find Nika as well, something to show off to him when they find him

This happens in parallel to Luffy getting his bounty, right after Arlong Park

Dragon decides to 'conveniently' head to Loguetown

Rare Smoker cameo, I miss that dude

Ace getting to show off in front of Jinbe, his brother did just beat his former subordinate after all

Kuma also seems to admire the irony of Luffy being a pirate given his parentage

Meanwhile, Bonney proves herself to still be a good person; only plunder from bad guys and only help people if they need it

The others also help her look older, giving her lipstick and the piercing so that Kuma would recognize her

Bonney also feels that if she becomes a big enough deal, she'll get her father's attention

Back with Kuma though the Pacifista are ready

It would be surreal to see a clone army of yourself in pods

This is around Enies Lobby time, as they mention that some 'rookies' declared war on the WG

Even Vegapunk didn't know about Dragon having a son, but since Vegapunk is gonna be going through Kuma's memories there's no point hiding it

Kuma has made the similarities between Luffy and Nika known too

Thriller Bark recap this time from Kuma's perspective

That Ursus Shock was still madness, I guess now we know how they all survived it though

And look at all this Nothing Happened about to happen

Even Kuma thinks this amount of pain could take him out, showing just how incredible a feat this was

Then we shift to Sabaody, Kuma's got his summons for the upcoming Paramount War

But Kuma is not at Sabaody for Luffy, he's come to get one last look at Bonney

A guy that size cannot sneak in a public place XD

But he's halted by another incident: the punching of a Celestial Dragon

'Who would dare do that?' I think you know bud

It's always good to see Charloss KO'd

And seeing that Luffy did it to protect a Fishman too compels him to make his move

The division is now shown through Kuma's monologue

A tragic monologue as Kuma apologizes to the Revolutionaries for leaving, how he wishes to put his faith into Bonney and Luffy as a legacy, and how he internally apologizes to Luffy, noting that they are not ready yet

'Don't go there yet, after all, you will someday save the world' - I might need a minute for this

And now the Gorosei are back to their fuckery

Kuma has a self-destruct mechanism!?

Vegapunk is again strongly against such a plan, but Saturn continues to gaslight and try to justify their immeasurable cruelty

Means that Kuma has a ticking bomb in him, could that have any key information to where he's going in present?

Vegapunk wants to try and sneak in a way to maintain some of Kuma's personality in exchange, but Saturn shuts him down quickly

'Any attempts to deceive me will fail' - yeah about that one?

The time has come to erase Bartholomew Kuma though, and despite Vegapunk's objections, Kuma feels at ease for how much he fought for him

We bring in the command for Kuma to protect the Sunny

'I'd like to be a stubborn guardian for their home' man...

With Luffy's poster in hand, Kuma notes how moved and motivated he's become by Luffy, how much like the legend of Nika he's become

He believes he'll be king as well

Kuma removes his memories too, not a full on procedure it's like a copy, but one which'll dissipate on touch

Vegapunk however has devised a way to view it without touching though to study it

Kuma gets to watch his life unfold, wondering how many were harmed or troubled by his actions

Panel by panel Kuma sees his life, his parents, Ivankov, Ginny, Dragon, the fishermen, Bonney, Vegapunk, each time running through that field a little older

Tears stream down Vegapunk's eyes at the precipice of the lever

'Your life hasn't caused anyone harm or trouble, but your death will pain everyone who loves you' - fucking god Oda

And before he goes, as all of Egghead mourn the loss of a true saint, he leaves one last message for Bonney, heard in present when she takes the bubble

'Please wish her a happy 10th birthday'

Bartholomew Kuma did not deserve any of this.

Bartholomew Kuma did not deserve any of this.

BARTHOLOMEW KUMA DID NOT DESERVE A FUCKING DAMN THING OF THIS!

Typical for Oda to end the year on a wave of emotions. But it was a spectacularly heart-wrenching chapter, Kuma once again seen through a new lens which elevates him to a top tier character.

There's not much else to say, nothing else really to intuit except whether present-Kuma knows the bomb is in him, and maybe if Vegapunk managed to keep a small piece of his ego within him to act this way. I think we all just need to have a small cry or something.

We'll have a break now so we'll only see a chapter in January, but we can live with that, we do need to recover.

Bartholomew Kuma did not deserve any of this, but he loved, he sacrificed, and his legacy will live on.

[wellthoughtplot]

Headcanons for Sharon Marsh

(It’s pretty long)

- Colorado and South Park native. Her great grandfather is canonically one of the original founders of the town.

- Jimbo is about 9 years her senior.

- Her maiden name is Kern. (I’m ignoring Kimball because I had a teacher named Kern and I liked the name better —,—)

- Great Grandpa was an Austrian immigrant named Johannes Kern with his wife named Marie

- Her parents, William and Joanne Kern, both passed away while she was 16 due to a car accident. Jimbo helped raise her after he came back from the war (not going to specify which war because it would mess up their ages)

- Raised Catholic, lapsed, but found faith again.

- Her favorite colors are burgundy (it’s brown and red mixed together) and blue .

- Sharon is tall for the South Park women, standing at 5’11” (179 CM). Her height is only beaten by Laura Tucker, who’s 6’ (182 CM). Randy is the same height.

- Originally, she got her pixie cut because Stan kept grabbing and yanking her hair as a baby. Found out she really likes the hairstyle so she decides to keep it (much to Randy’s dismay)

- She has deep, dark blue eyes, which many people find scary because they’re so deep, like the ocean.

- MILF through and through.

- Sharon is voluptuous. She’s just naturally fully figured. It’s a reason why she wears baggy clothing, so people won’t check her out.

- Her physical appearance, age, and personality make her a very intimidating person to those who aren’t attracted to her. A lot of women around town get jealous of her if they didn’t take the chance to know her.

- she’s a Sagittarius (also canon)

- She has a blunt and forward personality. It’s a result from dealing with Randy’s foolishness. Sometimes her comments would just slip out without her realizing (like with the comment she made about her eyes in Its a Jersey Thing)

- One of the youngest moms in the town, at a whopping 38

- Sharon met Randy while he was getting his doctorates in college for geology. She was a sophomore at 19 and he was around 6 years her senior. Sharon approached him at a party.

- Very rocky from the start but got better as time went on. When Randy got his doctorate he managed to get a place for both of them in South Park as the USGS had a position there and it was relatively cheap. She got pregnant with Shelley a little bit after and had to drop out her junior year

- Sharon originally wanted to be in the design field.

- Sharon LOVES to hike, camp, and go shooting. Got a lot of it from Jimbo. She’s not big on hunting though.

- You know the guns Randy somehow has in the farm despite his criminal past? Yeah those are all hers. She doesn’t know how Randy keeps breaking into the gun safe.

- Used to be a smoker, quit when she found out Shelley was coming.

- Despite her “favoritism” to Stan according to Shelley, she only gives Shelley more space because she understands how annoying people were when she was her age and doesn’t want to dote on her.

- When she was Shelley’s age, she also went through an “Ugly” phase

- Sharon was the leader of the book club before she moved out to the farm. Reading is a passion of hers and she is honestly a bit of a snob.

- Sharon runs a blog based off reading and book recommendations. Half the time she’s just dunking on BookTok for their content.

- Yes, Sharon is aware of how attractive she is to a lot of the kids around town. She’s heard too much snickering and seen too many blushes whenever she speaks to Stan’s friends.

- Can’t play video games for shit. She tries playing Stan’s games when he’s not around but just sucks at them. Does enjoy story focused games.

- Cannot play an instrument to save her life. (Her

- Her sex life with Randy is alright. She can’t complain or brag.

- She has a lot of money left over from her onlyfans (think like 10k) she has in a secret just-in-case-i-divorce-again savings account.

- Doesn’t drink hard liquor and she doesn’t usually drink often but when she does, but drinks a LOT of wine. Since it’s rare, she does only drink when acceptable by others.

- Really wants to divorce Randy again.

I’m probably going to make a part two in the future for this lol

[princessroyal95]

Do you love me? (Smoker x Reader)

Warning: This chapter contains sexual content. If you don't like this type of content, don't read on, even if it means you'll lose information about the story.

"Take a hundred laps in the field!"

A shout upsets all the Marines who had no choice but to obey Captain Tashigi. The woman is kind to the men, but in the presence of the Vice Admiral it is very difficult. Every time she looks at him sideways, her leader doesn't stop grumbling annoyed that the young woman is still so noble with the Marines. Why does he have to be so rude? He's often a gentleman, but it's only a matter of minutes.

However, his personality changes dramatically when ___ comes around every time he prepares food for the Vice Admiral. Since the girl arrived in the squadron, Smoker treats her in a very different way. Tashigi thinks that maybe his superior has noticed the girl. Or maybe because she is weak and might be in danger from any pirate. But his behaviour with her was... unique. And the truth is that the young ___ was not a born fighter, let's say she is the cook on Smoker's ship.

Her radiant smile is so perfect that it melts any man. Instead, the Vice Admiral stands still without making any sudden movements every time he looks at the girl. Every time they collide it is as if there is tension in them. But in what? Even Tashigi doesn't know for sure.

And speaking of the girl, she comes out of the kitchen door with a tray in her hand where there is a bottle of beer and a mug. ___ approaches with slow steps towards Smoker who was sitting on a chair, smoking as usual, while he watches as Tashigi commanded the crew. Smoker's right hand has to learn to be firmer with the Marines because, in any case, Smoker can fall and will not be there to help her.

"I bring you your beer, Smoker-san." His thoughts fade as he hears the sweet voice of young ___. His eyes are fixed on the young woman's body and then he lifts them up and looks into those eyes that called out to him so much. "Do you want me to put it on the table?"

"Yes, please," he speaks politely as the young woman leaves the beer and pitcher on the furniture.

"In an hour and a half dinner will be ready," says the girl, seeing that it was already getting dark.

"Thank you for the information, ___."

"You're welcome, Smoker-san."

The girl takes a brief bow and then walks away leaving a Vice Admiral who kept looking at her. That girl is pretty, yes. Any man would notice her. However, in the last few days he has noticed something strange about her and many of his soldiers are drooling over her. What could it be? For a superior, he doesn't know clearly. You have to get that out of your head or else you'll go crazy.

However, he was getting cranky every time the girl played nice with his men. Was he getting jealous? He doesn't know for sure. But his desire to smoke more than he should have has multiplied, and he has noticed Tashigi's concern. He didn't care because it didn't affect him at all to have a Devil's Fruit in his body. It is even rare to see him give up cigars to drink or eat, and he does it for ___.

What was really happening to him? He is not a sentimental man, but that girl brought out the worst in him. Even wet dreams that any man can have.

"Tashigi!" he shouts the captain's name, making her tense.

"Yes?!"

"Let the men continue with their training!" The Vice Admiral rises from his seat.

"But... it's only half an hour to..."

"I said get on with your training!"

"Yes, Vice Admiral Smoker!"

How many times do I have to repeat it for you to understand that it is an order? Tashigi is sometimes very nice to the Marines and that drives me a little bit crazy. She's a Marine, after all, but the day I'm not going to be around, she'll have to manage on her own without my help. I worry, yes, but she's a captain and has to make the decisions for herself when I'm gone.

Now my mind is somewhere else trying to quiet my blissful brain that's always eating me up. Why does everything always have to be difficult? Why am I behaving differently? And all because of one person: ___.

She came to our crew because one of our cooks was killed by a pirate attack. We urgently needed someone who could cook. Everyone was counting on Captain Tashigi, but she already had a much higher position than a cook. I had to decide to go to an island to find someone to take over the job. There were few people interested in the job as they did not want to interfere in the life of the Marines.

Our reputation fell so low because of Akainu. That man has no idea what he is doing. He just scares people with our presence. I was ready to leave that island until my eyes caught sight of a young woman with a sunny smile. I don't know how, but I got a good feeling from that brat. I asked Tashigi to interview her and she said she was the one for the job. So I accepted her into my crew.

The food she prepares is exquisite. Any man would be very satisfied with the way the young woman treated us. But... especially with me. She makes me feel strange when she is near me. She treats me differently than Tashigi or any woman in or out of the Navy. Her sweet voice leaves me blank at times not knowing what to say and sometimes she even makes a fool of me in front of everyone.

Not that I have the best body in the world. However, her face is sweet and angelic as if it was easy to break it as if it were a simple glass. Her body was always covered with loose clothes as if she was ashamed to show what was under those clothes. On the one hand, I am curious. And on the other hand, I felt like breaking it with my own hands.

What the hell am I saying? I can't like her, she's a brat after all. I'm older than her and she's just a simple little brat.

It makes me laugh every time I bother her for being so short. I remember that when I entered the kitchen I found her jumping to get to the top shelf. She looked cute in that way. Until she decided to take a chair and go upstairs to reach some simple dishes. I just laughed like a rascal and she got angry blowing up her cheeks. Sometimes I feel like squeezing them with my own hands. She looks so tender when she's upset. I have fun with her without hesitation.

However, every time I spend more time with her I feel strange. I don't know if it's my thing, but the atmosphere between us gets a little uncomfortable as if she's hiding something.

I was already in front of the kitchen door as I heard my men shouting loudly at Tashigi's request. It's now or never, I have to end this discomfort between her and me.

"One and a half hours is enough for me."

I enter the kitchen with determination and there she was, wearing an apron, preparing food for my men, Tashigi and me. Did you notice my presence? I observe how she moves her head as if she were smelling something, and then she smiles a little and looks at me out of the corner of her eye.

"How quickly you drank the beer, Smoker-san."

I didn't notice that he had the jug already full of beer with him. I just smile like an idiot.

"I haven't finished it yet."

"Ah, I said."

How this woman knows me. More than Tashigi. I go further into the room by closing the door behind me and sit on one of the chairs while looking at her.

"Does it bother you that I smoke here?" Not that I mind, but with her it's... different.

"It's your boat, Smoker-san," says the young woman as she cuts the meat with a knife quite a bit, "you smoke when and where, wherever you feel like it. I'm not the one to say that I've stopped smoking, it's very common for you". She turns her head to dedicate that fucking smile to me that leaves me stunned in a matter of seconds.

"But it's your kitchen..."

"And it doesn't bother me at all."

So sweet and good, a very dangerous mixture in a woman like her. However, it doesn't bother me at all. In fact... it turns me on just thinking about what it will be like to do it with her. So harmless together with a man as dominant as me. It would be fun to see that.

I shouldn't think about such things, but this girl is making me bring out the worst in me. And on top of that my eyes are stuck in that short skirt that anyone could take advantage of and touch her ass. Why the hell is she wearing something so short? Usually she wears a little baggy trousers and she doesn't. It bothers me and turns me on at the same time.

"Do you want something, Smoker-san?"

Her question leaves me somewhat puzzled. What do I wish for? Oh, if you only knew, you little brat. I could do anything to you right now.

"You seem a little strange lately," I say with sincerity to draw your attention.

"Strange in what way?"

"Is there something wrong with me?" I feel her body tensing up and then looking at me a little.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Smoker-san."

Why do I have the feeling that you are lying to me? I exhale the smoke of my cigars without stopping looking at the girl who was just going on with her work. Girl, put that aside and concentrate on the question. A vein appears in my temple holding the desire to explode.

"It looks cute like this, Smoker-san" Cute? I don't know if it's more than that, but I feel my cheeks starting to burn.

"Answer me the question, ___."

"I already answered you, Smoker-san."

I was already getting on my nerves with this little girl. I bite hard on my cigars feeling the taste of the grass that is made. The little brat is making fun of me and that makes my patience limited. Why do you have to be like that with me? Are you torturing me mentally and physically?

"If I were, I wouldn't be talking to Smoker-san.  However, I have respect for you and as far as I know there is no problem with you.Maybe you need some kind of rest..."

It's over! I stretch out my arm towards her, thanks to the Fruit of the Devil, and pose strongly towards the counter, making the young woman afraid of such an act. With that, I get up and walk towards her. I perceive fear and tension in the girl who was just standing still. Having her so close to me increases my excitement and I have the feeling that she is noticing.

The young woman, with determination, is turning, but I prevent her from doing so by putting her other arm almost in a corner. She is helpless in this position.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough not to realize what you're trying to do?"

The young woman's breath becomes more choppy as she feels mine. And even more so when I'm smoking near her.

"I knew something was up," I say very close to her ear, "I can tell by the way you dress. The smell coming from her neck was driving me crazy. "You always wear looser clothes, but lately you've been wearing these kinds of clothes." Without any shame, with one of my hands I start to go through those fabrics that were making me a little bit annoyed and at the same time it excites me. "A short skirt... so fucking provocative to my eyes..."

"Smoker-san" Is this my stuff or did he just moan?

"So short that it makes me want to rip off your panties and penetrate you hard..." I feel her body shaking under me, is that good or bad? "And this...," I slowly turn her around forcing her to look at me while I pull that shirt, "a simple cleavage that makes you more attractive than normal and on top of that almost showing off your breasts."

"Smoker-san..."

"Something to say, brat?"

She didn't say anything, she just looked at me. Her eyes shine and I wouldn't know if it's pure excitement or what, but it's a way of saying that what I was trying to do was to get that way. Well, she's done it, she should be proud of that brat.

"Do you like me, brat?"

That's where the trigger question comes in. ___'s face becomes redder than usual, she looks tender in that state. Girl, if you knew what you were doing provoking me like that.

"S-Smoker-san... I..."

"Stop being so fucking cute." I know a vein is growing in me. I bring my face closer to hers, feeling that our breaths are diminishing. "You just make me want to break this sexual tension between us." I bring my body closer, already feeling friction in my limb against hers, and a slight groaning from her lips. "And believe me... I will do it." I was determined, fate wanted this. Just a little and I would be kissing those fleshy lips that had caught my attention. She doesn't respond just by opening them wanting to receive a kiss from me. It was only a short while away...

"Vice Admiral! Vice Admiral Smoker!" The magic is broken when I hear one of the Marines enter the kitchen." S-Sir... Am I interrupting something?"

Damn it! I almost made her mine in the kitchen and she has to come and crush the party. My eyes are fixed on the girl who was looking at me with some shame. I move away from her so that there is no discomfort from both of us. I turn my body completely around to meet the soldier.

"What happens?

"Captain Tashigi has slipped again."

What?! You come here to tell me that Tashigi has slipped because he's so clumsy?! And I've got a fucking urge between my legs! That brat... I rest my head in my hand, holding on to my desire not to explode.

"We'll get back to business," I said to ___ to keep in mind that our game wasn't going to end here. I walk towards the door with a dog's grumpiness closing tightly, "Tashigi! What the hell have you tried to do?!"

It was already night and everyone had eaten dinner including Smoker-san. I still can't forget what was going to happen in the kitchen. Did he really want to do it with me there? I didn't think my plan was going to work. During the whole dinner I kept looking as if I was analyzing or planning something related to me.

I just hope it's nothing perverted. Shit! Why should I have noticed a man like that? He's so attractive with that kind of intimidation. I love dominant men and he is one of them. I doubt very much that he's been with many women, but I'm curious as he is in bed. And the question he asked me... well that has made it clear that I really like him because I haven't said a single word.

Now the doubt is what will happen between us. Will there be more sexual tension than before? I don't know, but it's really uncomfortable.

Well, I'm done washing the dishes that were too many. Thank God Tashigi stayed with me for a while to help me with the cooking. Without her, I'd be about two hours. And knowing how clumsy she is... But well, she's my age and we're still in our youth, as some people say.

I go to the table to set things up and something catches my eye. I look at one of the corners and there are two unused cigars. How strange Smoker-san would not leave one of his favourite elements anywhere. This amazes me as I raise my eyebrow looking seriously at the cigars. I take them carefully and stare at them. There was no sign that they were being used. But why? I think the best solution is to take them away before they get a rage or something.

With everything packed up, I leave the kitchen to go to Smoker-san's room, which was not far from here. It's to go through all the crew's cabins and get to him. How could I have gotten into the G-5? I don't know myself. Although I've always wanted to get out of my village. It was a bit boring, honestly. And being with the Vice Admiral... maybe I went crazy with all this sexual tension along the way.

I hear slight snoring from the Marines. The poor guys having a pretty hard training will be exhausted. Sometimes, Smoker-san goes too far with them, but I can't blame him. He is their superior, after all.

He was already standing in front of the Vice Admiral's door, and decidedly walked in with some care to see if he was there. And he wasn't. Now that's strange. He'd be in his room by now. Well better, so I can leave his cigars on the table and leave quietly.

I go to the furniture and leave them there. But my eyes stick to Smoker-san's big coat that is hanging on the chair. My cheeks turn red as if they were volcanoes about to erupt. I shouldn't, but I take it with my hands and bring it close to my face to smell that essence of man. Smoke and cigars. Typical smell of Smoker-san and with a touch of masculine fragrance. That man was driving me crazy.

"What are you doing in my room, you little brat?"

Suddenly my eyes open like plates at the sound of that recognisable voice. How the hell did I not hear the door open? I quickly leave his coat on the chair, I hope he didn't notice.

"I came here because he had left some cigars in the kitchen..."

Serious mistake when I turned to see him and explain the situation. My heart starts pumping hard and my body trembles because my eyes are seeing something that is forbidden for any woman.

I have in front of me a naked Smoker who was only covered by a towel on his waist! Wait, has he been in the bathroom? Oh, God, his muscular body full of scars, is decorated with drops of water as if they were pearls. Her hair is a bit messy, not with the typical hairstyle she always wears. And her cigars... God! I feel like taking them off and kissing him right now!

"Oh... how absurd of me." And you say it so calmly?!

"Y-Yes..." My nerves are in bloom, I couldn't look away from that monument. "I-I better go. Yes, I'll let you rest. G-Good night..."

I walk a bit hastily to the door, afraid that he will say something. I don't want to look at him, I just want to get out of this rather embarrassing situation. I was almost at the door. I can feel the freedom. My hand caresses the doorknob about to open it.

However, everything broke when I heard a loud knock near my face preventing me from leaving. It was no more and no less than his outstretched arm thanks to the Moku Moku no Mi. Was it the end of me?

Just let her go? It was clear that this brat would never learn. I exhale the smoke from my mouth with all the tranquillity of the world without stopping looking at her body. Still and immobile as I like. So obedient and so... submissive?

"___ turn around," I command what she turns around to with some fear.

"S-Smoker-san, you need to rest." And I will have it, brat.

"Don't you remember what I said this afternoon?" Now her cheeks turn redder than before to which I smile complacently

"S-Smoker-san please..."

"Are you asking for mercy, you little brat?" I walk towards her and stretch out my other arm, cornering her again. This time there was nothing or no one to bother us

"Smoker-san..."

"The game has only just begun, besides...," I take the cigars out of my mouth by throwing them on the floor and then I trample on them by putting out the fire, "this time you won't run away from me."

___ was about to say something, but I shut her up by finally kissing her. For seconds she was static like a lifeless piece of furniture when she received such a thing. However, that happened when I felt her hands resting on my head slowly caressing my hair. That meant she was kissing me back. A kiss that was being eternal for both of us. And I didn't care, I just wanted to enjoy this moment.

I bring my hands towards his body caressing slowly. Running my fingers through every pore of her skin. Until one of my hands rests under her thigh and the other one squeezes her hair intensifying the kiss. But because of the lack of oxygen we had to separate, inhaling mouthfuls of air. How I loved to see her like that, her cheeks decorated by that colour tone that made her look so tender and defenceless before anyone. Before me.

I couldn't wait to kiss her again, but with more fury than before. This kiss showed a hint of my dominance over her. I was in charge here. I was the one who was more in need than she was at that moment. Oh, you are noticing it, aren't you, little one? Your moaning gave you away when you felt my member, still covered by the towel, touching your belly. I smile mentally when I know that. But you are so small and fragile that it can't hurt you.

I straddle her so as to be at my height while she takes advantage of surrounding my hips with her legs. That position was too intimidating for both of us and we know it perfectly well, but neither of us said anything. We just enjoyed this special contact between the two of us. Tonight you will be my brat.

We walked away from that door to walk slowly towards the bed and leave it on the sheets while I get on top of it without crushing it. God, her face makes me horny. Her eyes show that hint of excitement, you could tell by the glow in her eyes. She is provoking me and she knows it perfectly.

She raises her hands towards my face touching every part of it, caressing that scar that decorates it. A scar made by one of my battles in finding the crew of Mugiwara based on my training. Oh child your hands are as soft as a baby's that makes me smile tenderly at what you are simply blushing.

"Smoker-san... regarding your question earlier..."

"Not now, ___. Now think about what's going to happen tonight," I whisper near her ear and then bite her earlobe receiving a little whimper from her.

I was about to start the game with what I do again with my hands, caressing every touch of her skin. She trembles at my mercy and I liked that very much. But these clothes are in my way. They were a nuisance to my eyes, but I didn't want to be rude to her.

I feel myself grabbing the young woman's wrists, forcing her to sit astride me. She makes a sound of surprise when she notices the little present between my legs. Oh, how I liked to bother her like that and make her a little shy. Her look said it all, she was confused, she doesn't know what to expect.

With dexterity, I remove that neckline that had been provoking me for a few days, thus revealing a black bra. If it were white, it would have already conquered me in a supernatural way. But black suited her. By pure instinct, she covered her breast to what I stopped her.

"You shouldn't do that, after all, they'll be beautiful."

"Don't say such things, Smoker-san!" Her nerves are blossoming every minute.

Doesn't she realize that she's the most beautiful thing my eyes have ever seen? I approach her face, but this time my lips go to her neck kissing it, licking it, and biting it marking what is mine. She groans and trembles with delight, I even feel that at any moment she may melt before my hands. However, she doesn't know that I was looking at her back so that I could unbutton that bra which is a hindrance to my eyes.

I unhooked it and took it off watching those mountains being decorated by those pink nipples. She was about to cover herself but I quickly grabbed her hands to what she was complaining about.

"Every woman is always ashamed," I comment honestly, "but that's normal.

"I'm not used to it," she tells me frankly as she rests her forehead on hers without taking my eyes off hers.

"Stop being so tender and kind, please," I beg her by putting her to bed again, "you're making me horny and not so kind to you.

That left her a bit bewildered and her shyness became more noticeable. Fuck! I tell her and she follows! Well, if you want a war, you'll get one. I bend my head towards her breasts and decisively start biting and licking one of her nipples while caressing the other one with my hand. Her moaning becomes noticeable that she was liking it. I will make you beg, girl. I will make you enjoy like never before.

With the Devil's Fruit in my possession, I create a kind of cloud shackles around her wrists immobilizing her completely. This time you are my hands and in my domain. You will not escape from me so easily.

"S-Smoker-san..."

"S-Smoker..." I get her attention while dominating her nipple.

"L-Like it?" What if I like it? Of course I fucking like it!

"Stop asking such obvious questions and concentrate." As a punishment I pinch the other nipple receiving a moan from her.

"Smoker-san!"

How I like you to moan my name while I make you have pleasure. This towel is getting in my way a lot. My limb was getting bigger and bigger in this stupid garment. I just grunt something frustrated so I decide to take it off, having some release. Feeling like releasing a part of you is a nice thing.

I can't stop looking at the girl who was only struggling to groan more and more before my tongue and my touch. With my free hand I slowly descend to her skirt to which I decide to take it off along with her panties, leaving her in a state of liberation. Now we are both naked. Skin and soul.

But my daring followed more so I run my fingers along those thighs that made me want to bite and lick them. Until I reached her intimacy noticing a small and slippery essence that slipped down the young woman's legs. Juices of excitement I thought with pride. The young woman is trembling under my body, a sign that she is sensitive in that area.

"S-Smoker-san..." Why are your moans so deeply sexy to my ears?

"Enjoy...," I snore, implying that I was liking the way she called me.

I leave her breasts alone and then focus on leaving kisses and licks all over her belly watching her shrink. Lovely, isn't it? But my goal was much greater than that. My kisses descend little by little reaching her pelvis until I notice how she tensed when she felt my breath on her sex.

"N-No look please..."

"Don't tempt me, ___."

"B-But... Ah!"

I don't want to hear any word in it, I just want to hear those moans that provoke me so much that I start licking her clitoris with some savagery. She is moving her legs a little bit uncomfortable, but with my smoke coming out of my body I held them steady and open for me.

Her essence was driving me crazy, I wanted more from her. I vehemently nibbled her clitoris receiving more screams from the girl holding my hair tightly. Was it a way to make her stop? No, I was rather pressing my head on her sex, wanting more of my hot tongue. Feels good, doesn't it? You like my tongue running all over you while I add a finger moving it slowly inside you.

I know you're going crazy. You wish to have me inside and I wish the same. My dick is so hard. And it hurts so much. I want to fuck her, I can't take it anymore. And she was about to have an orgasm, as I feel her body tighten and give small spasms. I, with my pride in presence, withdraw my tongue and my fingers in her receiving a complaint from her. Did I already say that I liked to bother her?

However, she knows perfectly well what was going to happen now. I watch her bite her lower lip with a desire to have me inside. I wanted it more than she did. I stand at the height of her face without taking my eyes off her and I rest my forehead on hers.

"Are you ready?

"Yes, Smoker-san." She puts her arms around my neck, even knowing that her wrists were chained.

"I'll fuck you...," I whisper near her ear, "hard."

She was going to say something, she always has to say something, but I always interrupt her and this time I penetrated her with all the strength in the world. I receive a groan from her near my lips that I cannot stand and I kiss her, where she corresponds with pleasure.

For Kami, to be inside her is incredible. So hot and excited provoked by me. This is a time bomb so I had no choice but to start moving quite hard no matter if she hurts or not.

But her face was just the opposite, she was enjoying the damn thing. So she likes rough sex, huh? Then I won't stop moving that way to please you. I feel how it raises the hips wanting to feel more that wild penetration from me. At no time did our lips separate because we felt that, if we did, this would be more than a wet dream.

It is reality. Pure reality. May this last for all fucking eternity. Having her in my room, all by myself, makes me feel the luckiest man of all the seven seas. Our moans echo inside my room, there was only her and I no one else to interrupt us. Fuck if my men are listening to me. Fuck everything. Now I want to focus on this exquisite feeling.

My movements become faster and more erratic feeling like I was slowly reaching the limit. And I was not alone. ___ was shaking, her eyes were tearing up from the pleasure I was feeling right now.

"S-Smoker-san!"

"J-Just a little more..."

"I-I can't take it anymore!" She hugs me tightly, digging her nails into my back with force. "S-Smoker-san!"

And from one moment to the next, we both reach orgasm feeling how its vaginal walls imprison my member while I cum inside.God, how long has it been since I had this feeling of liberation?  Our breaths are intermingled by inhaling a little air into our lungs.

I slowly caress her face as she smiles at me. Her smile is as radiant as ever.

"Smoker-san..." She rests her hands on my cheeks and then tells me what I was waiting to hear:

"I like you".

[tarohonii]

꒰Eleceed Characters At A House Party‧₊˚✧

↷Base: Fruit Tea ↷Flavor: Sucheon, Jisuk, Jiwoo, Curtin, Kayden, Wooin, Vator, Dark, Gangseok, Duke, Asher ↷Allergies (Warnings): drug usage, alcohol, overdrinking/blacking out

┊Jisuk: 

Hosting the party. The one who initiates all the drinking games and gets the overall vibe going. Screams along to chief keef songs and nothing else. Probably has fought somebody by the end of the night and trashes the house more than anybody else even though...he's hosting it.

Takes care of a few select people throughout the night with the upmost care even though he's off his rocker. Fetches them water, doordashes them food, gets them home safe or offers to let them sleepover. But everyone else can go fuck themselves, to be honest. Not his problem if they live or die.

┊Subin

Probably the center of the party, whether it be games or dancing. Her specialty is drinking competitions with Jisuk, which is essentially the highlight of the night. Emotionally connecting with every person in the party by ugly sobbing with them about their destructive families and then also instantly dancing with them seconds after.

┊Gangseok:

 hotboxing one of the bedrooms. a very calm smoker, so probably started a "talk about our feelings circle" honestly very quiet and peaceful down there.

┊Wooin

in the smoking circle and the only one who brings snacks to the party (and edibles lol). Gets the munchies and makes the most vilest snack combinations and claims they test amazing. Starts crying once they start playing frank ocean at the end of the party.

┊Sucheon

Was hiding in the basement but Gangseok turned it into a hotbox so he just decided to smoke with them and ended up getting absolutely greened tf out. Laying on his back in the basement and can't move or speak the entire night.

If he's drinking, he's passed out in the bathroom because he was coerced into playing a drinking game and lost

┊Jiwoo:

Nervously follows Jisuk and Subin around and tries to make sure they're staying hydrated. Tries to take care of Sucheon and Wooin too but he can barely breathe down in the basement. Eventually ends up getting drunk by accident because someone (Asher) spiked the minute maid

┊Gahin:

One of those destructive high maintenance lightweights. Keeps tripping over his own feet and has to have someone personally escort him to the bathroom to hold his hair while he throws up. Either ends up fighting someone or sobbing his eyes out on the couch.

┊Asher:

Brought half of the alchohol and extremely questionable substances. High out of his fucking mind and ALSO drank (WHICH IS A TERRIBLE IDEA) Makes the most vilest, black-out inducing concoctions known to man and then pays people to drink it.

One of those loud, annoying people when they get high. Wandered off halfway through and ends up in a bush somewhere and doesn't wake up until like two days later.

┊Duke:

Drinking bottles of smirnoffs like it's water and somehow not blacked out at all. Sitting in a chair in the living room with a thousand yard stare and completely unresponsive the entire night. Everybody's too scared to ask him if he's okay.

┊Ian:

Flirts with everybody shamelessly, manages to coerce the police to leave (while drunk) mostly mingles, but gets absolutely thrashed once the party hits it's peak.

┊Lia:

Completely out of her element. Standing in the corner and nursing what she's pretty sure is a cup of water. Plays with the pet or observes the paintings on the walls because literally has nothing better to do. Somewhere in the night does end up getting drunk by the help of Subin or Jisuk or something and does loosen up a little

┊Boyoung:

One of those really peppy, outgoing drunks so she's living it up. Giggling and gossiping with literally anyone and dancing with Subin. Also sleeps over but helps clean the next day!

┊Jaehyuk:

Brought the speakers so ends up being the DJ. Doesn't take requests, which would usually be annoying, but it's fine since he actually knows how to put music to a vibe

[taysdorothea13]

Yeah no i don’t think wren does drugs like that. Espeically w smoking since a lot of that leads to lung cancer and same w taylor since she’s had a history of those issues. It’s only rlly edibles (+joints) because in my mind even taylor doesn’t want her to be around weed n smoking even if a lot of her friends do it, even when wren is a teen. She makes sure she has a healthy relationship w alcohol and weed, so she’s always checking in w how wren is doing w edibles. She cares too much to have her girl spiraling back into issues w weed and drugs, so she’s doesn’t overdo it 

i mean… yes but also no. i said wren doesn’t do hard drugs, but she does smoke weed/occasionally vape. also, taylor’s been in the industry for nearly twenty years… she has an entire album rooted in a 70s aesthetic where the album cover is her holding a zippo lighter, a music video where she is literally dancing in rooms filled with smoke and has to outright clarify it’s not that kind of powder party. obviously it could have entirely separate meanings… but that’s what i choose to take away from it. (also i do remember her posting an insta story where people were speculating if she was trying to hide a vape… which that seems a little more farfetched then im willing to agree with, but it has been speculated for a while that taylor does drugs/smokes). as for not wanting wren around it, obviously she doesn’t want her kid in the same room as someone lighting up a joint, but it’s also unrealistic to completely shield her from it when they’re lives are rooted in hollywood events/scenes. but also, i didn’t mean wren and taylor are chain smokers when i said they smoke socially 😭 i just know that new york is literally drug central, and hitting a strawberry vape is a much better social habit than doing random lines of coke in a club bathroom.

and as for wren spiraling over drugs/alcohol, it’s actually so beneficial that wren has friends that drink/smoke. she trusts them fully, even when james is drunk as fuck on her couch, or gracie’s high as fuck raiding her fridge. growing up, taylor was very rarely drunk around wren, but there were times when she came home and was tipsy and wren was still awake, or times when she was up in the middle of the night having a glass of wine and wren came down after having a bad dream or just because she was restless. there was a lot of work and trust that was built between her and taylor before she was truly okay with alcohol, and the same goes for weed. but now that she’s faced the initial fear/trauma, it only benefits her to have healthy relationships where her friends prove that timothy isn’t the normal. obviously she’s still wary, obviously there are days where it triggers her, but that’ll happen regardless. wren cannot tolerate scotch. that was always timothy’s drink of choice if he wasn’t just nursing beers or downing vodka. his breath always smelled like scotch, and even as an adult that can tolerate being around alcohol, just the smell of it alone brings her right back to the times where he’d get in her face and yell until she wet herself from fear. wren’s therapist encourages her exposure, and anytime she’s triggered by something in particular, they have a conversation about it. but she’s a twenty year old kid living alone in new york city… she needs to be able to handle the exposure in at least some capacity.

wren is an adult the first time she takes edibles, and she trusts her relationship with taylor enough to call her when she panics. taylor doesn’t need to be breathing over her shoulder constantly checking in. what wren chooses to do is her business, and all taylor can do is be there if she needs it. taylor’s been telling wren that her trauma doesn’t define who she is as a person since she was five, wren genuinely cannot tolerate people who are always pushing her triggers in her face. she gets beyond annoyed if someone tries to get her out of a situation because they think she won’t be able to handle herself, and it especially pisses her off when others try to give her advice claiming to ‘have her best interest at heart’. she was the one who got beaten when her foster father was shitfaced. she was the one who got locked in a bedroom for days at a time when both of her foster parents were on a coke bender. it’s her trauma, it’s her healing journey. honestly it’s a very delicate thing for taylor and wren to handle as wren steps into her late teenage years and early twenties. for a long couple of years taylor has to battle the fact that she knows all of her kids triggers, but can’t keep wren away from them anymore, and wren just begs taylor to trust that she knows what she’s doing. taylor’s not always going to be there to save her, and it’s important to wren that she learns how to be okay on her own, because for the majority of her life taylor was there to scoop her up and shield her from anything and everything.

i hope this made sense 😭 and once again just a reminder that taylor can do whatever the fuck she wants. she’s a grown adult and a stranger to me. my fics are only slightly based in reality, as i’ve said a million times. i follow the timeline of taylor’s public life and i mention some events that occurred, but at the same time the taylor im writing is a character. i’ve had some people get genuinely mad when i add certain details in chapters saying “taylor would never do this”… im so glad you think you know her so well, but taylor also doesn’t have a five year old foster daughter that went through hell… so what are you really trying to prove 😭 anyways i’m rambling, but yeah! no wren doesn’t do hard drugs and taylor’s not smoking a pack every day so i hope everyone gets the full picture now

[ratgingi]

since ur posting about them a lot can we get some fuckin uhhhhhhhh old men from the library facts

i meant to answer this earlier but passed the fuck out . thank u for waiting so patiently old men facts under cut

roe and murr are obviously intented to sort of mirror each other in a number of ways, one of these ways is the fact that roe tends to act a lot older than he is whereas murr tends to act a lot younger. roe behaves like hes some crank ass retired war veteran in his 80s while murr acts more like someone in their 20s would

another way they mirror each other is the fact that murr tends to wear his heart on his sleeve while roe is very caged up about his emotions. they both believe life is short, but while roe focuses on despairing over what he considers 'wasting' it, murr tries to spend most of it doing things he believes to be worth while, which unfortunately for him happens to be throwing his heart around pretty recklessly, something roe used to do before he concluded that it was stupid to do so

roe loves classical music and often has to play piano music to help him sleep at night or he'll struggle with falling asleep. the only time he doesnt need it is when hes dead tired and passes out 2 seconds after laying down

murr sleeps with a lot of pillows, which obviously includes bodypillows. he likes ones with soft/fluffy textures because who doesnt but as long as he can pretend hes holding another person he'll take anything

the only thing roe openly displays a soft fondness for is his trinket collection. every item in his collection means a great deal to him and he has two days of the week dedicated entirely to cleaning the collection/making sure nothing in it is damaged (and if they already were, he insures the damage hasnt gotten any worse). however, he rarely actually fixes damaged objects within the collection if they came to him that way, because unless the damage was severe enough that it might fall apart completely or was obviously done to ruin the thing, he believes in that thing that to be changed is to be loved

murr is technically a smoker, he will not actively seek out cigs or smoke them on a regular basis but if people are smoking around him and offer him one he'll take it on the spot. he and charlie smoke together often though

one of the ways youd probably help murr cope with his whole . Issue. is by helping him get like a pet of some kind. something he can give love to and bond with without the fear/risk of hurting himself or others by it. he probably ends up getting a cat or something

surprisingly, roe likes children and murr doesnt. roe believes theyre some of the only people on this planet who physically cant waste their time, as kids tend to just be figuring out the world around them and living life as much as possible, and if they arent then its usually the fault of some adult in their life, and while he is easy to annoy he has a lot more patience for kids. murr thinks hes too much of a bad influence on children and knows he probably shouldnt be around them because of it, and also he just generally doesnt know how to handle them really

murr has a little bit of a gambling problem because of course he does. its something his brother would poke at him about during the scene where you meet him

roes favorite kinds of birds are song birds, specifically sparrows and starlings. hed probably be a fan of bird watching if he wasnt worried there would be more productive things he could be doing

[sunfoxfic]

I just got a very cynical, very angry anonymous ask about the fact that smoking would stop being cool if the world sucked less (and that's a... very gentle paraphrasing of this) and I understand that I shouldn't be blaming individuals for systemic problems but like...

You can't act like people being annoyed by smokers are equivalent to drug prohibitionists who don't want to create systemic reform.

You want to know why people are annoyed by smokers? Because they have asthma or migraines that get triggered by cigarette smoke and vape aerosol. Because they can't stand that one particular scent. Because they have really bad memories of smoking and scent, the sense notoriously tied to digging up old memories, makes them feel like shit.

Because they grew up with parents who smoked cigarettes and had to watch their father refuse to quit even when he was going through treatment for a cancerous tumor on his neck, like me.

The issue I have with smoking isn't that it should be banned, but rather that smoking is a socially acceptable way to take control of a space in a way that others can't avoid. I object to cigarette smoke and vape aerosol in the same way I object to people playing music aloud in public.

I'm also staunchly pro decriminalization of most drugs and higher levels of support for recovering addicts. I understand that self medication is a thing and that taking away someone's right to self medicate does not solve any issues and in fact only serves to make them worse. You'll notice in the original post, I identified the inciting incident of smoking being cool again as "then they flavored it mango," because I understand this problem is systemic and comes from a small group of oligarchs screwing over everyone else.

I've gotten a lot of complaints about this post. That this is too American-centric and we were never that close to making smoking uncool, at least not where *insert reblogger here* is from. That I just need to make better friends, that I'm hanging out with assholes and that's a me problem.

But every person with asthma in the comments who says they can barely take a bus anymore or person complaining about their best friend's brother's girlfriend having no consideration at their family Christmas affirms that this is a problem people have.

I know I didn't encapsulate every human experience in this post, but that's because this is a vent post I made when two people in my school's student government started passing a vape back and forth in the student government office without asking me if it were okay. And I'm lucky enough that I don't have any actual issues that get triggered by vape aerosol, so when people ask if they can vape around me, I usually just say yes because I already know I annoy people around me by being neurodivergent but masking just enough that they only peg me as "annoying." I can't represent any human experience outside of my own, and I do live a very privileged white midwestern/northeastern American experience.

I can't say this post was made with as much tact as I would have made it with if I known it would get 6,000 notes. But please understand, I was complaining about two things:

The way people can't escape the influence of the tobacco industry because of the structure of the world; and

The way people are so inconsiderate because they don't think of other lived experiences

What me and the anon agree on is that the world really sucks, and ordinary people are the subject of that suckage. But we don't make that better by sending angry, anonymous messages at each other complaining about how the world is terrible and we can't make it better by not smoking. Because while choosing not to smoke doesn't make the systemic reform that the world really needs to see, it can save someone from an asthma attack or a headache or a bad afternoon because they caught a scent in the air that brings up bad memories. And I don't know - maybe I'm a romantic, but saving someone from a bad afternoon is all I need to convince me.

We were so close to smoking not being cool anymore. We were so close. Then they flavored it mango and now it's taboo to criticize it anymore. People don't ask if they're allowed to vape indoors, they aren't considerate of people who may have health problems that are triggered by the chemicals or if it just bothers them, people don't care that they're supporting an industry built on corruption and greed, they can't see it draining their pockets and much less their health. We were so close to smoking not being cool anymore.

[emchante]

HELLOOO!!!! the notes app really came in handy with this haha. this will be filthy so mdni!!!

sooo.. in this essay i will be explaining the effects of 🥦 on your body during sex from my own personal experiences. to preface this, i have to admit it was still the best sex i've had to date and i'm not sure anything while sober can top that but we'll see (pun intended).

for my non smokers i'll start with before any sexy time is happening: you usually get a little fun drink, whether it's some sort of soda or juice and maybe even water bc some 🥦 types can dry your mouth out or give you a scratchy throat if you smoke without a fancy coal filter (yes, it really does make a huge difference!). you prep your little work station with papes, tips (made from paper) or filters, tobacco or tobacco replacement and your 🥦. put it any amount you can handle, 50/50 is usually fine, i sometimes do a little more. since the long papes are so thin you might struggle with grip, meaning it'll take a few seconds longer but wetting your fingers with saliva can help (bonus points if you're keeping eye contact with the other person lol). where i'm from the person who rolled the joint gets dibs, so this is where the fun begins. after two or three hits you can already see the 🥦 have an affect on the other person: their shoulders relax, eyes look a little drowsy and the breathing is much deeper and slower. it's really hot to watch how that can change from sober to high so quickly. at first you feel your muscles relax, your mind gets clouded and if you're already horny before you will surely feel it now. every touch feels so intense, whether it's just on your arm, your leg or closer to your intimate area.

if you're someone who likes making out- let me tell you it feels INCREDIBLE when you're high, the way the other person tastes can only be described as raw passion. combine that with teasing and holy shit- it feels like ascending to heaven. any kind of sex feels phenomenal, for me personally having been (with a cis man at that time) i mostly enjoyed receiving oral while high (not while sober). sensations like pain take you to a whole new level of pleasure (!!!) and when you have an orgasm it feels like you're a floating cloud, feeling hot and cold at the same time, enjoying your favourite snack. i feel like the thc prolongs your pleasure even longer but the come down is not fast or uncomfortable. it's like an angel is carrying you down from heaven tucking you in a little pillow fort and giving you a forehead kiss.

so overall a 10/10 experience. if you can smoke or would like to try it i'd recommend it! however you should be careful if you take any meds like antidepressants since that combination can have annoying side effects. i've been pretty lucky with 🥦 and all my meds so far (unlike with alcohol). and doing it in an environment you feel comfortable and safe is a must if you're not experienced and not sure on how your body will react. (that obviously applies for other things as well)

and having sex while your high is totally worth it, but you really have to communicate boundaries, limits, likes and dislikes beforehand and maybe safe words or hand signals to be safe. i've only had good experiences so far and it's a lot of fun!

🩵

okay god DAMN 🩵 nonnie, you delivered!!!

all of this is actually super interesting, and i’m going to keep note of it so i can work on a high sex fic with streamer! max in the near future.

i definitely have more to say about it all but i’m eepy tonight… but god, please know i appreciate all of this information SO much!!! i genuinely would’ve had no clue otherwise, you delivered perfectly<3<3

and no need to worry about minors anymore!! blog is 18+ now forever<3

[karenarella22]

Eighth II.

This charpter contains Graphic Content, read it at your own risk.

***

-Sir, this is not a coincidence, it has to be related- I comment after presenting my case before him.

-Considering the evidence collected, it's not such a far-fetched idea, detective, are you sure your hypothesis may be correct?- I roll my eyes at his question.

-Why is everyone asking me the same thing over and over again? Yes, sir, I am completely sure that my hypothesis is correct- I insist.

-Okay, tomorrow morning we will issue the orders to speak with the relatives, but if you think about it, what does Conte have to do with all this?-

-I don't know, it's not as easy as going to ask him- I bite my fingernails. Recurring practice when anxiety overwhelms me.

-Maybe not Conte, but Father Mario is still detained in the dungeons we could talk to him and try to get a description of the group leader-

-Let's go right now- the three of us headed to the dungeon area, where prisoners awaiting trial are forced to wait. We walk through the narrow and gloomy corridors, just as the guards are changing their shift so that blue uniforms move from here to there. The blow of a solid body collides with mine and knocks me to the side of the corridor.

-I'm sorry- the guy continues walking without the need to apologize, he just keeps walking as if nothing had happened. It is normal for these gorillas to ignore good or evil for the other, I always knew that in this "man's world" where women were only destined to serve coffee it was not going to be easy, but that does not mean that I was going to give up at first and 10 years later as an officer and detective I still haven't.

We arrive at the cell to find another one of these scenes so destructive to the human soul that it doesn't even surprise me anymore.

The guard informed us of what had happened and they quickly opened the cell for us.

-How is it possible that this happened? I want an ambulance here right now and the total lockdown of this police station, nobody enters or leaves, there is a murderer in our ranks, gentlemen, look for him now! - The sergeant orders with a smoker's voice and everyone begins with their assignments.

I approach the figure of the father; there are lacerations all over his body and a deep cut in his throat, most likely the cause of his death. I leave the cell, leaving the body to be searched, and return to my office followed by the two men who accompanied me earlier.

-In my own police station, who would dare to do something like that? - He comments as he goes from one side to the other.

-I don't know how this can happen right under our noses but we must end this once and for all, this is personal-

-Hey...- the two men are still immersed in their discussion- hey! - I call their attention- we have a serious problem- I murmur without looking at them.

-Another detective, please, enough with the ones we already have...-I take a handkerchief and hand them the newspaper that is on my desk, a new edition that I clearly didn't buy. On the front page they can read...

"...for me the condemned race goes, justice encouraged in my sublime architect..."

This is the message found next to the body of the dearest Mario Vega, better known as Father Mario, our sources reveal that the message was found next to the body of the deceased who ceased to exist in circumstances that even the relevant authorities do not want to admit... could there be a murderer among the police ranks of NewShire? Ladies and gentlemen citizens, can we trust the police to keep us safe?

-It has tomorrow's date... but it is not possible that they have printed it yet-

-He was here... Conte was in my office- I scan the place as if somehow he could still be hiding somewhere.

-Besides that the information is wrong, it was not next to the body, it had never been there- I see the two men.

-This bastard is playing with us- Dylan growls annoyed.

-I think it's a good time to bring him to the police station- announces the Sergeant.

-Perfect, I'm going to participate in the arrest- I run to the other side of the room.

-Of course not-the boss firmly reprimands- you will accompany Dylan, do not touch anything, I repeat, absolutely nothing remember that you are committed to this and everything you touch will be inadmissible in court, you cannot touch single thing- he points with his accusing finger and resigned seat , this is better than standing here staring at the wall until they come back. After a little talk with the tactical group of the station we went to the patrol.

Once we arrived at the journalist's property, we got out of the vehicles and prepared our bulletproof vests.

-I'm not comfortable with you being here, you shouldn't come into the house, let us do this...- Dylan murmurs, helping me put on my bulletproof vest.

-Don't start, it didn't bother you that I was in a raid before that kiss- I check the 9mm and keep it in the holster on my waist.

-I always worried, only now I can tell you- he grabs me by the waist kissing me passionately in front of the whole police station- don't leave my side, understood?- I laugh silly.

-Yes sir- I hold my hair in a high ponytail so it doesn't bother my face- I won't touch anything, I promise- I arrange my equipment.

-We are ready to enter- we nodded in response and began the operation.

Two groups of 4 members fan out around the house covering the sides and back of the place as Dylan and I walk out onto the porch.

-On my signal- I draw the gun holding it in the gun in hand- 3, 2, 1 now! - The brown-haired man opens the door with a bang- City police, is there anyone here? - I walk through the house in the dark the footsteps of the officers are heard at the back of the house.

-Aeryne, there doesn't seem to be anyone home- he walks out of the kitchen, holstering er gun.

-Good morning officers- we point to the voice that appears behind us.

-Vinicio Conte, you are under arrest for multiple counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder-I inform him as Dylan places the handcuffs on him, the penetrating gaze of the Italian who allows himself to be handcuffed without even saying a word penetrates the depths of my mind Bringing back memories that I thought I had buried forever, an arrogant smile forms on his face as he identifies the terror he causes on my face.

Back at the station, the detainee is taken to the interrogation room.

-Sir, everything is ready, in a few minutes we will begin with the interrogation- I comment entering the office with the case file.

-I'm sorry detective but you are not going in that interrogation room-

-Sir... I'm the best person to question him, I know his tricks and I have a connection that I can exploit to get information out of him-I plead.

-That is precisely why you detective is not going in there, you're is too involved with the detainee, you partner will do it and it is a decision made not to argue- He gives me one last look before leaving.

I lean back on the table and cross my arms in front of my body defensively.

-I'm sorry doll, but you know it's for the best- I sigh trying not to blurt out the insults that want to come out of my lips.

-Is that supposed to comfort me? - He tries hard not to laugh.

-No- he smiles sideways and approaches leaving a kiss on my forehead- have fun with the evidence- he walks away not holding it back.

-Of course I didn't want to question him- I turn frustrated to see the boxes with the evidence brought from Conte's vineyard.

I open box by box checking each piece of paper in them. There are receipts from restaurants, drafts of some reports and numbers of some sources and practically the entire library that I saw the night I visited his house.

I keep going through the books, many of them have hand written sentences all over, some more than others. I take the one at the bottom of the box that catches my attention.

"Divine Comedy" can be read on the cover of it, I open the leather relic that caught my attention that night at the journalist's house, like the previous books there are pages marked and written by hand and I read a few paragraphs...

I run through the police station under the gaze of all the officers on duty and burst into the interrogation regardless of the consequence.

-Aeryne what...- my partner gets up from the chair and tries to block my way, I push him out of the way.

-Dante's inferno- I leave the book in front of Vinicio.

-At last detective, I was beginning to wonder when you were going to stop by- a sly smile appears on his lips.

-The Divine Comedy, how could I not have noticed before? - I walked around the room under the eyes of the two men.

-Aeryne get out of here right now- my partner intervenes.

-The circles of hell Conte, gluttony, anger, sloth-

-I know the detective book, it has been part of my library for many years- he answers complacently.

-That's how Dylan!! think about it for a second and you'll see that I'm right-

-This interrogation ends here, gentlemen- an elderly man enters, corpulent, with wide shoulders hidden in a black wool jacket and a matching briefcase.

- Who says? - I stand in front of the man ready to fight with anyone who crosses my path.

-Mr. Conte's lawyer- unceremoniously, they take my arm and I am pulled out of the interrogation room.

-Have you gone crazy? - he whispers yelling.

-We have him Dylan, he is to blame for all this theater-I run to the evidence room, take a fiber and write on the blackboard under the gaze of my partner.

"For me you go to the city of tears; for me you go to eternal pain; through me one goes towards the condemned race; justice animated in me, sublime architect, made me the divine power, the supreme wisdom, and the first love. Before me there was nothing created except the eternity and I last eternally. Oh you who enter here abandon all hope!"

-This is why it was so familiar to me- I smile satisfied- we have it Dylan-

-We must determine who the material authors of the crimes were- he completes- but we have them Aeryne- celebrates excitedly.

-I don't think so, detectives- a voice interrupts our atmosphere charged with adrenaline- come with me Wolf-

-What for sir?- He enters the office.

-Just come and you will understand why-

I walk following in his footsteps, once in the office I see Vinicio's defense attorney standing next to his client. The man looks at me accusingly while Conte looks straight ahead totally serene.

-Are you calm detective? - the lawyer comments, mocking.

-What are we doing here?-I ask sharply.

-According to the statements of the accused, you were at his house a few days ago and asked him to write a newspaper article with the aim in catching the murderer in your investigation. What do you have to say about that?-

-That the accusations of this man are totally false- I look up.

-Come on, Aeryne; is that how you want to play this? - Conte intervenes.

-I hadn't seen you except here at the station sir- I answer back.

-We also met at Edward Johnson's house, remember?-

-I can't remember something I didn't experience, lawyer, find a better defense for your client than this one, smearing my name won't help you get him out of jail- I cross my arms defensively.

-Detective you never get tired of lying...-

-Enough, gentlemen, if you don't have concrete evidence to accuse my detective, I advise you to retire, lawyer, and come back when you find something concrete- the boos opens the door inviting them to leave.

The lawyer walks out accompanied by a policeman who will transfer his client to a cell.

-You know that hitting the ego of a lawyer is never good right?-

-I know, but you could have said something if you started arguing with him, the less information you give the better- he lies down in his chair again.

-Know this beforehand, the one who they are after is me, my career is at stake- I comment sitting in front of him- we must do something sir-

-I don't know, worry detective, I'll solve this-

-I hope he does because if I fall, I'll make sure I don't fall alone- I leave the office and return to Dylan determined to find evidence to convict this murderer.

[waynes-multiverse]

OH MY GOD! I’m positively obsessed with this story! I love it!!! If this were legit a book, it would be one of those I wouldn’t be able to put down, you know? The one you read and read and read and don’t care about food and sleep, and then suddenly it’s three days later, and your stomach rumbles and your eyes are red, reminding you that you do need to eat and sleep. But yeah, it’s that kind of story! 😍👏💚

More swooning below! 👇

Honestly, I know you said at the end that this part was sort of a filler, but I would read thirty pages of purely this. I love the manhunt and her hanging out with the boys and Annie and Kimiko. I could read way more chapters of this and not get bored, seriously. It’s that good! Gimme as much cat and mouse as possible. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

First of all, you nailed all the characters perfectly. Annie, Frenchie, Butcher, Hughie & M.M.! I laughed every time the latter mothered her or was anal about shit. Hilarious and so accurate! Five stars for a job well done! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

No, you weren’t former SAS, like Butcher. You weren’t CIA, or any other military alphabet soup. 

Loved that line! Genuinely made me laugh 😂

I also pretty much laughed at every line Butcher threw out. From “granny fucker” to “not enough hugs,” it was hard to contain myself. And I love her character, her skill set, and how damn smart she is! To me, this girl is Liam Neeson in Taken. God forbid someone dares to kidnap her sweet sister. Butcher better respect her!

Everything is relevant, always. Even if it isn’t.

So true! And no matter what you think about Soldier Boy and his general attitude before he got kidnapped by the commies, forty years of torture certainly changes a person. He at least deserves a second chance to prove he might have changed, although he’s still pretty “macho.” But c’mon! The guy is over a hundred years old and missed out on tons of progress! How is he supposed to know any better if no one teaches him? Just knowing what he went through in Russia always breaks my heart. The guy needs a genuine hug and some understanding, not Novichok and a bullet, much less be turned back into a popsicle... 😔

In other news, I’m a fan of Soldier Boy’s South America tour so far. First Brazil where I’m sure he learned what a g-string and a Brazilian wax is before he moved on to goddamn Columbia (of course he did). Did he already find out about Netflix and catch up on Narcos? Either way, I bet the cartels are happy to host him, even though he might snort the whole country 😂

Her big blue eyes were vacant, her blonde hair caked with blood from a head shot.

No! Not Bette Davis Eyes! 😭 I love how caring reader was, though. She’s got a good heart in that chest of hers.

“I like it when they’re cocky,” you replied.

Me too, girlie, me too... 😆

[...] he seemed to be taking an extended vacation surrounding strip clubs, casinos, and other likely destinations for sex, drugs, and money. 

As crazy as it may be, I genuinely love this guy 💚 Also love the fact that he robbed banks. Way to go, my hero!

“Whoever you’re looking for that isn’t me,” he said, injecting a fair bit of charm into his voice. 

Wow. Antonio is becoming annoying quickly. And handsy. ADIOS ASSHOLE! A small part of me hoped whoever is watching her (SB?) might swoop in and save her all hero-like. *sighs* A girl can only dream... But good for her! She saved herself! Who needs men anyway? My little Liam Neeson surely doesn’t ❤️

“He had tenacity,” Frenchie remarked.

But of course, the French guy appreciates the Latino fire 😂

You didn’t want to go in, but you wouldn’t put it past Soldier Boy to get caught up in a mass orgy. 

No, we really shouldn’t... 😅

Focusing on the far wall, you saw a leather chair by the window, with a still smoking cigar laid to rest in an ash tray on a small table.

Okay, seriously, this should not turn me on as much as it does. I’ve never gone for the douchey cigar smoker, but all I want is for Soldier Boy to slap my rear and order me to refill his drink. What the fuck is wrong with me?

Butcher, you’ll die first. Then the cum-guzzler. 

DEAD!!! This one little note killed me. KILLED ME!!! I laughed so hard! Poor Hughie. He always gets the worst end of the stick 🤣🤣🤣 I bow to your feet and heavily applaud you for this one! 👏 (This is exactly why I could read endless chapters of this manhunt and this story. Hunt him around the globe. I’ll pay for the whole ride!)

“Maybe then you’ll—and let me not shock you here—meet someone,” Louisa said. “And finally put an end to that goddamn dry spell. What’s it been, like three years?” 

I love her little sister 😏🖤

But mere feet above you, if you had only looked up to the roof, you would’ve seen a hunter lazily eyeing his prey.

DUDE! That ending!!! Glorious! Is it SB? Someone from his entourage? No, I bet it’s him. She caught his green eyes in that sexy af leather dress, didn’t she? I need help 😂🙈

I want more! MORE! If this had legit 10k words, I would’ve devoured it all the same 😍👏 Amazing, amazing job, love! Can you tell I’m obsessed yet? Sorry for that ultra long ramble. And that little sneak peek... 👀 Is it Wednesday yet? When is the next part dropping? GAH! 💚

Break Me Down - Part 1

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Female Reader

Summary: You’re a private investigator by trade, but now you happily sit at a desk — leading a surveillance team at Supe Affairs. After managing to end Homelander in New York, Soldier Boy escapes custody. You are recruited for the manhunt, joining Butcher’s team.

Truly, you joined the S.A. for the right reasons. But after you become his accidental hostage, Soldier Boy will break down every single one of them…

**To start from the Prologue.

Word Count: 5,200 Warnings: Some male skeeviness lol.

Part 1: The Game Begins

Two months ago…

You and M.M. continued to pour over all the records that the CIA had been able to pull on Soldier Boy.

This had been your life for the past month: locked in one hotel room after the next, up to your eyeballs in research. Or pounding the pavement in the sweltering summer of Brazil, on any whisper of Soldier Boy.

Right now it was the former. You all were piled into M.M.’s room, as it was the only one with a kitchen.

You smiled at Frenchie and thanked him when he offered you a steaming mug. At least you would finally get to experience Brazilian coffee.

You hiked a foot on the table where you and M.M. were working and sipped carefully; the mug was filled to the brim. Your companion eyed your pajama-clad leg, which only encroached an inch or two into his space.

“Excuse the fuck outta me,” said M.M. “Can you not?”

You briefly looked up from the (completely fabricated) biopic you were reading on Soldier Boy. “Hmm?”

M.M. gestured to your bare foot on the table. “Hello? What, were you raised in a fucking barn?”

With an amused smile, you lowered your leg. “I’m cramping up. We’ve been at this for six hours.”

“And counting,” Hughie said with a tired sigh. He and Annie had just come from scoping the local tourist spots and dive bars in the city. But it wasn’t for pleasure. You all had arrived in Brazil last night on a rumor that Soldier Boy had been spotted at a club a couple of days ago. 

Annie heaved a sigh as she dropped into the seat next to you. She stole your paper fan on the table and tried to dry the sweat on her face and neck. You smiled and passed her your bottled water as well.

You and Annie had been “work friendly” at Supe Affairs. But now you felt like she had accepted you the most readily into the group. She seemed genuinely interested in who you were as a person as well.

Though you tried not to give too many personal details about your life, she had a way of disarming you, getting you to open up with her genuine willingness to listen. 

You were friendly enough with Hughie and Kimiko as well, and you could also admit, you liked M.M. He was a straightforward man (and fun to tease with his anal idiosyncrasies). You got the most done with M.M. by your side. And watching him with Frenchie was pure entertainment. 

Overall, you felt respected by them, even if you knew you weren’t as close as the rest of them seemed to be. You just hadn’t been on the team long enough. 

The only one who mostly ignored you was Billy Butcher.

Butcher didn’t want you on the team. He’d made that pretty clear from the beginning.

What had his words been? Oh, yeah.

She’s a fucking amateur. Won’t last thirty seconds if, heavens for-fuckin’-bid, she encounters an A-lister like Soldier Boy. 

You knew he considered you dead weight. But as Grace had told him, her track record speaks for itself. 

No, you weren’t former SAS, like Butcher. You weren’t CIA, or any other military alphabet soup. But if there was one thing you knew how to do, it was tracking people down.

You were currently flitting through Soldier Boy’s sham career: the shitty music videos, the starlets, the ticker tape parades, and what precious little there was about his beginnings: about “Ben.” 

You did find out that his family was from Hartford, Connecticut, and stupidly rich too. You found his parents’ names to go along with that. 

And then it was a hop, skip, and a jump to him being unveiled as Soldier Boy.  

“That is curious,” you murmured. 

“Curious about the world’s most infamous granny fucker?” Butcher remarked. You slid him a wry look. 

The fact that he tried to erase his past is interesting,” you said. “The details that aren’t here are just as important as the ones that are.”

Butcher hesitated a second, an ice-cold beer poised to his lips. He tipped it toward you in acknowledgement. “On that, we actually agree.”

“What do we know about his real life? Before he became Soldier Boy,” you asked.

Butcher sat down across from you and shaded in the details he knew, mostly about a disappointed father. 

“Didn’t get enough hugs as a lad,” he surmised. 

You suspected he was understating the truth. If there weren’t that many recorded accounts, pictures, or footage of Soldier Boy’s parents and home life, then he didn’t want people to know. 

Interesting, you thought. Eventually Butcher got up to run down another lead that came in via text from Grace. Frenchie came back from the kitchen and saw how intently you were staring at your computer screen, eyes rapidly scanning. 

“Ah,” Frenchie said, gesturing between you and the departed Butcher with a hand that held three alfajores cookies. “I see the same anal tenacity that fuels Monsieur Charcutier.”

You raised a brow. “My tenacity is for the case, not Soldier Boy.”

This wasn’t a vendetta for you. This was just business.

“For money,” M.M. correctly guessed, but his eyes held no judgment. “Been there.”

You sighed, smiling a little. Yes, you were doing this for money. They didn’t need to know anything more than that. 

You liked this team well enough, but this was a job. The way you protected your family, and yourself, was by not talking about them.

That night, Frenchie’s ordered “package” arrived, courtesy of Grace. It was a healthy dose of Novichok gas—perhaps one of the only substances on Earth that could put Soldier Boy into a peaceful sleep. 

Well, you didn’t know if it was peaceful, exactly. But he’d be asleep. That was all any of you cared about.

“At least it’s in proper containment this time,” M.M. said, examining the large cannister. Annie peered at it over his shoulder. 

“I don’t know. My shitty perfume case seemed to hold it just fine,” she quipped. 

You smiled from your usual seat at your computer. Annie came over with a sandwich for both of you. It was from the café down the street, and you’d been meaning to try it. Every time you stood out on your hotel room’s balcony, you could smell fresh bread and smoked meats coming from the café. 

“Oh, yeah. How’s your sister?” Annie asked around a mouthful of sandwich. “She’s in college now, right?”

She had a good memory. Annie had heard you on the phone with your sister before you all left last month. You’d said one last goodbye, knowing it wouldn’t be safe to talk once you were locked into this mission.

While you were reluctant to answer Annie’s question, the others seemed distracted in the kitchen, fighting over who ordered chorizo and who ordered steak on their sandwich. 

Still, you lowered your voice, even as a proud smile graced your lips. “She got into Julliard.”

Annie grinned and set her food down to give a little clap. 

“She starts in the fall, so a few months,” you added.

“Aww, you’re glowing with pride,” Annie teased. And you laughed, but it was true. You wouldn’t hide that you were very proud of your little sister’s accomplishments. 

“She’s worked hard, and she deserves it,” you said. Though your eyes dimmed. “I just wish I could help her celebrate…she’s on my case for taking this job.”       

Quite simply, she worried about you. You were good at your job, but you were still human. She’d seen you come home banged up and bruised more often than you cared to admit…

Annie gave you a knowing look. “If you don’t want to be here, you don’t have to. I’m sure you can get other jobs—”

“Getting into school is just the beginning,” you said. “She’s got four years to go. Then her master’s. Hell, her doctorate if she wants.”

“There are scholarships…”

“It’s not enough,” you said with a sigh. It’s never enough.

“All right, lads,” Butcher said. He wiped his mouth with a napkin as he read off his phone. “The new Strongest Cunt in the World has been spotted. Suit up.” 

“Where’re we going?” you asked, closing up your laptop. 

Butcher shot you a wink. “Columbia.”

While on the private plane, you were the only one still awake as you continued to watch the archival footage with your Airpods in. Reel after motherfucking reel of Soldier Boy. 

You really were starting to get sick of his smug face. He was clearly a good actor, if nothing else. 

But then you came across the Russia files. 

Part of you didn’t want to watch. You knew exactly what they were, and you didn’t want to see anything that would make you sympathize with him in your mind…

But your father’s training was ingrained in you—like fingerprints on your skin. Like a vice grip around your throat. 

Everything is relevant, always. Even if it isn’t.

…That, and maybe your own insatiable curiosity won out. 

So you steeled yourself with a breath, and you hit the play button. 

Gradually, your eyes widened. 

You had seen awful things—as a private investigator at your father’s firm, and at Vought. 

You had filled your quota of blood and death. And you had already seen the footage of Soldier Boy blasting a tower full of people in New York with the nuclear power now housed in his chest. 

You also knew what he did to M.M.’s family. But after watching several minutes of Soldier Boy's torture, hearing his struggle, his outbursts of rage, the ragged gasps for breath, the clawing, traumatized sounds...

It was like stereo between your ears, and it was...too familiar. Too much.

So you finally turned it off, closing your laptop with an unsettled breath of your own. 

And you were unable to sleep that night.

When you all finally arrived in Columbia, you and the team surveyed the wreckage in the casino.

It was a fucking blood bath.

As you stepped carefully through the wreckage of bodies and gambling chips, you looked for clues. Anything that might tell you about what Soldier Boy was doing here (though you could guess), and however unlikely, where he might go next. 

You were disheartened to find the body of a young woman. Her big blue eyes were vacant, her blonde hair caked with blood from a head shot. On further inspection, you found a small room key in her hand. 

With a sigh and a gloved hand, you took the key. But you also closed the girl’s eyes. 

You kept looking while the others had fanned out in the opposite direction. When you came across a small table that wasn’t turned over or splintered into fragments, you raised a brow. There was a napkin pinned to the top with a steak knife. 

You yanked it out and examined the flimsy napkin. Noticing that you’d found something, Butcher came over to your side. He was much taller than you, fairly looming over your shoulder. You angled the note toward him. 

Try harder.

S.B.

It was more than just a taunt. 

It was the beginning of a game. And it made you smile. 

“What the hell’re you smiling about?” Butcher asked. 

“I like it when they’re cocky,” you replied. Butcher shot you a sideways glance, one that said you were maybe more deranged than even him.

“All supes are cocky bastards.”

You eyed him with a teasing grin. “On that, we actually agree.”

True to Grace’s word, she provided you all with the full extent of the CIA’s resources. While Butcher tracked down the hotel of the room key you found, you and M.M. were able to tap into any and all local street cameras and map out the likely points Soldier Boy had hit in this city—and where he could be going next.  

According to the hotel manager, Soldier Boy had paid for a month’s stay, but hadn’t checked out after coming back for some of his belongings. The security cameras had caught him leaving his hotel room with a few men—armed ex-military types, and possibly his new entourage. 

But the trail ended there. 

Over the next two months, Soldier Boy continued to be one step ahead of you in the chase. 

Though his movements were calculated (disappearing like a coil of smoke whenever you caught his scent), he seemed to be taking an extended vacation surrounding strip clubs, casinos, and other likely destinations for sex, drugs, and money. 

And he’d evaded capture after hitting at least three banks on his way out of the U.S. alone.

At the current crap motel of the week, you shared the couch with Kimiko and Hughie while you surveyed traffic cameras.

“What’s the likelihood that he’s even still in Columbia? In South America, even?” Hughie asked. It was a good goddamn question.

“We have agents covering every major port and air hanger,” M.M. said. “If he wants to escape the continent, he’s gonna have to fight his way out, or rent a dingy and float his motherfuckin’ ass across the Atlantic.” 

“I wouldn’t put anything past him,” you remarked. “What connections does he have?”

It wasn’t the first time you’d asked that question, but it was the first time you got a straightforward answer. 

“Who knows,” said M.M. “He’s an ancient fuck.”

“Who killed all his old friends,” Hughie supplied.

“Well, his team, to be fair. I don’t think he ever had friends,” Annie said. “...Plus his old girlfriend.”

“What a spectacular bonfire that was,” Butcher dryly quipped. 

Nice, you thought, heavy on the sarcasm. 

You sighed. Clearly, you all would have to be prepared for anything.

When you weren’t pouring through surveillance, you took to the streets with Annie, playing the part of American tourists. 

“Soldier Boy don’t know who the fuck you are,” Butcher had reasoned. He’d then pointed at Annie.

“Her fame as Starlight can get you two into whatever bar, club, or fuckhole that might’ve let him in. She’ll park it at a table, attracting attention. Meanwhile, you’ll circle around and look for him.”

It was actually a sound plan, and you could be a decent actor yourself. This wasn’t the first time you’d adopted a role to find your target, and on this mission, it probably wouldn’t be the last.    

Well, a week later, the plan worked. You and Annie encountered a woman at a bar who waited tables at a nearby club, in Medellin. She’d served Soldier Boy just last night. 

Medellin was considered the party city of Columbia, and for good reason. 

Butcher had cleverly found your “disguise” for tonight, though you hadn’t liked the smirk on his bearded face when he gave you the shopping bag. 

It turned out to be a semi-legal black leather dress, along with thigh-high boots possessing a sharp heel. Annie’s dress was just as short, and gold. With her blonde hair and shimmering makeup contrasting your black dress and smokey makeup, the two of you looked like night and day. Light and dark. 

While Hughie manned surveillance in a rented van, parked outside the club, the rest of the team had found strategic points to cover in the club: M.M. was at the bar. Frenchie and Kimiko had found a table to watch the area in front of the stage, while Butcher was somewhere clinging to the shadows. 

You followed Annie into the club. Once they’d recognized her as Starlight, they’d let her right in, and you by association. You didn’t envy her fame, but you could admit, it had some perks.

Inside, the club was dark and loud, and packed with people and streams of colorful light bouncing off the walls. This isn’t going to be easy. 

Both of you scoped the area subtly before joining M.M. at the bar. 

Well, you two found your own opening further down. Sitting next to him would be too obvious.   

You subtly pressed a finger to the communicator in your ear while Annie ordered drinks. 

“It’s gonna be hard to find my own ass in here,” you said to the team. You scanned the place and noticed an entire second and third floor. “This place is huge.” 

“Then get crackin’, love,” Butcher’s voice reached you. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. But you did take the vodka martini Annie offered you. 

“Ah, you beat me to it,” a man said, his richly accented voice hovering near your ear. You turned your head and had to lean back a bit. You were met with blue eyes, tan skin, and an attractive smile. The man tipped an imaginary hat, letting his shoulder-length dark hair dip into his eyes. 

“Good evening, mi vida,” he said. “I was gonna buy you a drink, but I see you’ve got one. Mind if I finish my beer with you?”

Inwardly you wanted to sigh, but you gave a flirtatious smile to keep up appearances. “Sure.”

“Where are you from?” he asked, and with a more teasing smile. “I’m having a hard time placing your accent.” 

You affected a giggle. “Oh, really? You mean I don’t have a massive, neon sign over my head that says, ‘American Tourist?’”

“Well, maybe not neon,” he joked. “I’m Antonio.”

“I’m Jess,” you lied, shaking his hand. He turned it over and pressed a kiss to the back of your hand. Annie raised a brow behind you, but she sipped her drink.

Antonio must’ve been a local. His dark blue buttoned-down shirt, jeans, and boots were more casual than the obvious tourists with their flashing finery. And by his accent, you could guess that he was at least Latino. Columbian, most likely.

You were able to subtly dodge the question of exactly where you were from. And the two of you flirted for a few minutes while you continued to survey the people passing by, scanning the gaps between bodies.

When Antonio finally asked you to dance, you agreed. It would get you further into the club with a better excuse than walking around aimlessly. You turned to Annie.

“Catch you later?” you asked. She tossed you a wink.

“Yeah, girl. Have fun!”

You smiled and let Antonio lead you to the dance floor. But you discreetly used every movement to your advantage, looking beyond your dancing partner to continue your search. If Soldier Boy was here, you would find him.

“He’s not here,” said Antonio. It actually managed to jerk you out of your focus.

“Who?” you asked, feigning confusion.

“Whoever you’re looking for that isn’t me,” he said, injecting a fair bit of charm into his voice. 

You actually felt your face warming up at that. The way he was looking at you now, there was very little doubt as to what he wanted. His grip on your hips tightened. 

Part of you was getting impatient with this part of the game, but at the very least, he was a good dancer. He pulled you effortlessly through the cumbia, Columbian salsa dancing, even if he was starting to sweat on you. 

But now, you could almost swear someone was watching. Though it might’ve been the sweat dripping down your spine, you felt that strange prickle on the back of your neck.

Well, besides Annie. You knew she was keeping an eye on you from the bar, as were Frenchie and Kimiko as they joined a poker game in the far corner, away from the dance floor.

Your gaze continued to flit through every corner of the room between spins and the movements of your feet and your hips. 

But when Antonio’s hands started get a bit too familiar with the curve of your ass, you took his hands and used them to spin yourself. He brought you back in tight. A bit too tight.

“Come on, baby…” he whispered in your ear.

And you felt his hand slide up the inside of your thigh. He even had the audacity to try and slip past the lacey front of your underwear.

That’s when your patience snapped. 

You grabbed his wrist and “accidentally” drove your heel into his foot. With precision you felt it land between two vertebrae. 

The girlish yelp he made brought a flicker of a smile to your lips, but you covered it with a doe-eyed look and many bumbling apologies. 

“Oh, I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

He all but shoved you as he limped away, cursing you in Spanish. You’d taken four years of it in high school, and you still only caught half of it.  

Hiding your smile, you walked away and pressed a discreet finger to the comm in your ear. 

“The stage front is clear. Scoping the back.”

“Wait for me,” Annie said. She was still sitting at the bar. “I think you broke that guy’s foot.”

“He had tenacity,” Frenchie remarked.

“All balls and no brains, as usual,” you muttered. “Stay there and look shiny, Annie. He’s less likely to recognize me, but he might come out to play if he spots a familiar face at the bar.”

“She’s right,” Butcher said to Annie. “Stay where you are.”    

You made your way to the bathroom and scoped the hall. There in the privacy of the shadows, you adjusted the gun holster on your thigh. It was a miracle Antonio hadn’t felt it. 

Not that a gun would do much against Soldier Boy, but you didn’t feel right without it. 

Then you kept moving and dodged various couples making out (and more) on your way upstairs.

“Going up,” you informed the team quietly. The second floor was a series of rooms, none of which you wanted to pop in on without an invitation. But after you made it to the end of the hall, you turned a corner and noticed a door hung open a crack. Sliding it open, you found a wall of music there to greet you.

But that wasn’t all.

Inside was a room of people drinking and drugging and generally doing things to one another. You didn’t want to go in, but you wouldn’t put it past Soldier Boy to get caught up in a mass orgy. 

You walked through the room, only taking in what you needed to with your eyes. 

Focusing on the far wall, you saw a leather chair by the window, with a still smoking cigar laid to rest in an ash tray on a small table. Your head tilting with interest, you went over to the table and found another hand-written note. 

Once again, you sighed. “He’s not here, guys. He bounced.”

Once you all regrouped with Hughie outside the club, you handed the note to Butcher with a grimace.

“You have a love letter,” you said. And Hughie too.

With a wry brow raise, Butcher looked down at the scrap of paper.

Butcher, you’ll die first. Then the cum-guzzler. 

S.B.

That night at the hotel, after you'd showered and peeled off that ridiculous dress, you poured over the Soldier Boy files again.

You hadn’t touched the Russia ones since that first night, but you knew you were missing far too much. In order to anticipate his moves, you needed to understand how he thought.

You couldn’t do that if you didn’t even have the full picture of who he was. And the movies, the silly music videos, even the exploded skyscraper and Homelander’s death—none of it told the full story of Ben. 

It didn’t tell you what he wanted. What he cared about. Why he was playing cat and mouse instead of just taking his stand, like his soldier persona would’ve demanded of his pride.

Or maybe that pride's just like everything else: a well-crafted costume.

A knock at your door jolted you out of your thoughts. 

You got up to your feet, briefly looking down to make sure you were decently dressed (you supposed pajama shorts, a bra, and a tank top would suffice). You grabbed your gun and checked the peephole before you answered the door with a smile.

It was M.M. with a mug of tea for you. “I knew you’d still be up, killin’ those files. It’s almost morning, you know.”

You accepted the mug with a warmer smile.  

“Aw, you do care,” you quipped. He rolled his eyes. 

You laughed a little. “Seriously, thank you.”

He pointed at you.

“Go to sleep,” he said. You raised two fingers to your temple in salute. 

“Sir. Yes, sir!” you joked. Really, you appreciated his concern. After hearing many a story about his daughter Jennine, and seeing how the rest of the team respected him, you knew that he was a good man. 

And thanks to him and Annie, you were actually starting to feel like part of this team.

After you wished him goodnight (or good morning, at this rate), you closed the door to your hotel room, followed closely by your laptop. 

You took out your phone, silently contemplating what time it would be in New York right now.

Well, it would still be very early in the morning. But you thought it was worth a try, since you had the time.

You dialed your sister, Luisa. While it rang, you remembered just how thin these hotel walls were. So you stepped out to the rickety balcony. Jeez, hope it holds my weight throughout this call.

When your sister eventually answered, she murmured your name sleepily in confusion.

“Hey, sorry for waking you up,” you said, feeling bad. 

“It’s okay.” She yawned. “I should be up soon anyway. Got 8 am classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”

“Ech. Screw that shit,” you teased. 

“You’re the one sweating balls in South America.”

“I’d rather be drowning in my own sweat than listening to some old bag drone on for eight hours,” you volleyed back, and leaned against the balcony’s railing, even as it creaked suspiciously with your weight. 

“You, my friend, are uninspired. You mean to tell me mosquitoes and drug cartels are better than Mozart?” your sister asked incredulously. Her sleepy voice was starting to lose some of its gravel as you two fell into familiar bickering. 

“Wow, way to type cast. Not all of South America is about drug-running,” you pointed out. 

“Aren’t there, like, entire shows about people shoving cocaine up their ass to get from Columbia to Miami?” Luisa asked. 

“…Yes, but that’s not the point,” you said with a giggle. “And good guess. I’m actually in Medellin right now.”

“Are you supposed to tell me that?”

“Not really, no. But I don’t think you’ll sell me out to the cartels,” you joked. Or to the Russians, your mind added. That thought made your lips twist sourly. 

“Anyway, are you okay? How’s school, really?”

“It’s good, sis. You know I’m good. I’m worried about you,” she countered, and you could hear the concern in her voice.

“You know me. I’m always good,” you replied with good humor. The silence on the other line told you that you hadn’t been quite convincing enough. 

“When do you think you’ll come home?” she asked.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that night (or morning), you sighed. “That’s hard to say.”

The answering silence told you even more about your sister’s thoughts, and you felt guilty for it. 

“I’m happy just knowing you’re doing so well. With school, starting your adult life, doing your thing,” you added.  

“You need to start thinking about yourself,” she told you.

“What do you mean, Lou? I’m fine.”

It was Louisa’s turn to sigh.

“You know, I was so proud of you when you decided to leave Vought," she said. "When you finally got out from under Dad. When you started working at Supe Affairs…you seemed happy, like you were finally proud of yourself too.”

Emotion started to burn behind your eyes. Part of it was probably sleep deprivation, but you heard the sincerity in your sister’s voice.

She just knew you so well. And she wasn’t lying there—what she’d said was all true of you. But after the joke that was Victoria Neuman running Supe Affairs, you didn’t know what you could trust anymore. 

Maybe not even your own judgment. 

“But I really wish that you’d consider more than just your work,” Luisa said. “Like a hobby. Take a painting class. Go to karaoke, like we used to do in grade school after Choir practice. You have such a beautiful voice! Like Grandma’s was.”

“I’ll leave the performing to you, Lou,” you said with a chuckle. She was serious, however.

“Work isn’t everything,” she reminded you. Now her voice was firm. “You should go out with your friends. Go out with Annie! Rub shoulders with her celebrity friends.”  

“Right.” You huffed a laugh. You’d been around plenty of famous supes while at Vought. You’d ran down the leads and tracked down the criminals, just for the supes to swoop in and “save the day.” You did the grunt work, and they claimed the credit. 

You’d had enough of “celebrities” to last you a lifetime. 

“Maybe then you’ll—and let me not shock you here—meet someone,” Louisa said. “And finally put an end to that goddamn dry spell. What's it been, like three years?” 

“All right, all right.” You held up a hand of surrender, even if she couldn’t see it. You were grateful she couldn’t catch you blushing. “That’s enough about my non-life, thanks.” 

You shook your head. Embarrassment actually clawed inside your belly. 

Yes, it had been a while since you’d actually been with anyone, relationship or otherwise. You just didn’t have time to have a life, you’d reasoned. Working at Vought had been grueling, and your hours at the S.A., while better, were still demanding.

…Still, you could appreciate that your work-life balance left much to be desired. And that was on you. 

Case in point, you were on this job.

You tipped your face heavenward, letting the sunrise spill some warmth on your face. 

“But…I hear you, okay?” you replied with your eyes closed. 

“You do?” she asked suspiciously.

“Yeah. When I get back, I…I’ll work on it, okay?” you said. “But I love you.”

“Love you too, sis. I should probably get going, but…please be safe.”

“Always,” you promised.

After you hung up, you finally opened your eyes. 

That prickly feeling was back, almost like you were being watched.

You scanned around, but your human eyes didn’t find anything out of the ordinary in the sunshine pouring in between the rows of buildings. 

In fact, you didn’t see a damn thing that wasn’t supposed to be there.

So you clutched your phone to your chest, letting out a deep breath. Then you headed back inside.

But mere feet above you, if you had only looked up to the roof, you would’ve seen a hunter lazily eyeing his prey.

AN: Ok! So a little bit slow in this chapter, but it’s all important setup.

In the next chapter, the reader meets Soldier Boy:

You laid a hand on his chest, fingers spreading between the open buttons, and felt his warm skin. 

He glanced up at you with another challenging tilt to his head. What are you gonna do now?

You met that challenge, boldly leaning down to press a kiss against his lips.

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