#post construction cleaning rates

[pristinegroupcleaning]

Post Construction Cleaning Companies Near Me

If you own a cleaning business, specializing in post construction cleanup is one of the most profitable divisions that your company can have. This niche requires special training in finding the work, dealing with General Contractors and pricing the job to make a profit. This course teaches you everything you need to know about getting started with this lucrative division of your business.

Post construction cleaning companies near me is a task that many homeowners do not take lightly and often leave for professionals. This process is a crucial step in completing a construction or renovation project and is necessary for preparing the space for occupancy. Unlike regular house cleaning, this type of clean up involves removing any debris and dust from the walls, floors, ceilings, and other surfaces. It also involves sanitizing and disinfecting all areas of the home that have been affected by construction, such as kitchens and bathrooms.

Choosing the right company to do this work is essential for ensuring the job is done properly and safely. Hiring a company that specializes in this type of clean up will save you time and money. They are familiar with the specific needs of this area and will use the best tools to ensure a thorough job. Additionally, they understand the importance of following the appropriate safety protocols and can help prevent any injuries or damage during the cleaning process.

The most common method for pricing this service is to charge per square foot. This is a popular option because it provides a consistent and accurate method for calculating the cost of the work. However, the exact price will depend on the size of the space and the extent of the clean up required. In general, cleaning prices for residential homes are lower than for commercial spaces.

Professional cleaning services for construction and renovation projects are available in all major cities across the country. These companies offer a wide range of services, from basic to detailed. These services can include sanitizing all surfaces, dusting and vacuuming all rooms, cleaning windows, disinfecting all appliances, and removing any trash from the site. In addition, these services can be customized to meet the needs of the client.

A clean and organized building is a safe and comfortable environment for everyone to enjoy. A comprehensive construction cleanup by a reputable cleaning company can eliminate potential hazards and ensure that the space is ready for its intended purpose. Although some general contractors may provide this service, they do not typically have the experience or expertise to tackle a large clean up project. Hiring a specialized cleaning company like NY Brite can guarantee an immaculate result and a safe working environment.

Pristine Group Cleaning provides unrivaled quality cleaning services to Houses, Apartments, Townhouses, Estates, and Small Offices throughout Sydney. Hire our professional cleaning services in Sydney and transform the entire look and feel of your place with us! We are ready to sweep off your feet with cleaning services in Sydney. We are passionate about our work and keep up with technology and progress.

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Twenty Years

Summary: Twenty years went by since the last time you saw Joel Miller. You never thought you would see him again, but on the day you finally broke free of David' clutches and saved a girl at the same time, he's just there, standing in front of you. When your daughter and her husband find you, urging you to leave, you offer to take Joel and Ellie with you, knowing you have to talk to him. About the two of you. And about your daughter.

Pairing: Joel Miller x fem. reader

Rating: M

Wordcount: 6k

Warnings: pre + post outbreak, angst, implied smut, implied and mentions of sexual assault (I kept it pretty vague but it is happening, readers discretion is advised), David (needs his own waring, he talks about child brides and what he wants to do to them), religious bullshit, threats, lies about medical conditions, violence, blood, death, Joel not knowing he has another daughter, pregnancy, more angst, infected wounds, medication, some fluff, talking about feelings, talking about dreams, some kisses, cockblock Tommy Miller, happy end

A/N: Dunno what happened but I wrote all of this in the last 6 hours. Please read the warnings, If I forgot something in the warnings please let me know

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Full Masterlist // Joel Miller Masterlist

At one o’clock on the dot the door opened, a stream of dusty sweaty man walking into the diner you were working in. It wasn’t your dream job, but it kept the bills paid while you were in night school to get your business degree.

And… it had its perks. 

Like being located across the street of a huge construction side. The building that had been there before had been demolished almost a year before, making place for a new building. A mall. Or… whatever. It’s not like you cared. 

With the construction side came a lot of workers taking their break in the diner. 

With them came a frequent flow of tips into your pocket. 

With them came Joel Miller. 

You did not even notice him in the beginning which was the biggest fucking mystery to you. Because he was…. He was attractive, broad shoulders, dark hair and eyes. Always wearing a shirt that hugged his chest like a second skin. And then there were the days he was wearing flannel….

The whole construction worker look was really working for you.

Yet it took him calling out one of his co-workers (employees you would learn later, because he was the boss) from flirting on the verge of making you uncomfortable with you, to make you notice him. 

You had insisted on getting him his lunch on the house and he wasn’t having it. At all. You caught his eyes outside when you saw the bills tucked under his mug when you were cleaning the table, making you grin as you shook your head. 

He had winked at you with a boyish smile around his lips and that was all it took to start your crush on Joel Miller. 

Joel Miller who after that always seemed to linger a little longer in the diner to talk to you. To tell you about his daughter. To ask you about you and your life with that southern drawl that made you want to kiss the spot on his cheek that seemed too stubborn to grow any hair.

If you had known back then that only three months later the world as you knew it would end, you maybe wouldn’t have wasted so much time in confessing your feelings to him. 

Or… at all. 

Maybe you would have asked him to stay when in a very drunken mistake you both ended up in your bed, fucking until you couldn’t remember your name just the night before the world fell apart. 

Maybe things would be different for you now.

You blinked a couple of times, getting rid of the mental picture of Joel Miller smirking at you as the door opened. 

“Come on, he’s waiting,” a gruff voice said and you nodded. 

You were at a point where you were asking yourself if doing this just to survive in this hell of a world was worth it. If running, even if you would die trying was the better choice.

Yet you knew you weren’t doing this for your own life. 

You were doing this to protect her. 

And you would keep surviving and protecting her until you took your very last breath.

The day you walked into a group of men in the woods almost ten years after the outbreak you were too desperate for help to question their offer of shelter and food. 

You and your ten year old daughter Hannah had been on the run for months after your settlement had been overrun by infected, only making it out alive barely. With winter being in full swing for the last two weeks you were getting desperate to find a place to stay for you and your daughter. 

Maybe if you wouldn’t have been severely dehydrated and starved you would have seen the way David’s gaze had lingered on Hannah too long to be just out of concern. 

Maybe you could somehow have gotten far away from Silver Lake until it was too late. 

Maybe you wouldn’t have spend the last years feeling like a cheap whore whenever David summoned you to his room to give you absolution for your sins while he rutted into you from behind before throwing you out like trash. 

David, you learned quickly, was a psychotic maniac pedophile who masked his sick intentions with the word of god.

It was a week after you arrived, that he let the facade slip and told you about his true intentions for taking you in.

He wanted Hannah, as his bride. 

You were too stunned to speak as he kept going on that she was the one he had been waiting for and you were so lucky to have birthed the perfect girl that would bring whatever the fuck he needed to make this settlement more powerful and his followers happier. 

When you offered to take her place he only laughed, marking you as impure since you had her out of wedlock and her father was most likely dead. You weren't pure enough to have children with. He wasn’t asking, he would be taking Hannah and if you would trouble him, he would kill you. 

When it became clear that he was serious about this, you made up the lie that Hannah would never be able to give him any children due to a birth defect that left her without ovaries. 

You didn’t think he’d believe you at first, his cold eyes calculating before he hummed, telling you that he did find it odd that a girl in her age did not have her period yet. 

You by then knew that one, he had no idea about the female body and two, he had actually spoken to Hannah about it. 

He had left you in your room for a whole week after that. Alone. Without the opportunity to see your own child. 

And when he came to see you it was only to inform you that Hannah’s condition had been confirmed to be much worse, leaving her unable to perform her wifely duties by his most trusted doctor in town and that he now had to find another use for the two of you. 

Still occupied with the horror of what these people had done to your daughter you were to stunned to speak when he slapped you across the face, before he turned you around and pulled at your pants, his lips against your ear as he towered behind you, informing you that if he couldn’t have the useless cunt of your child, he would have yours as a substitute.

Because that was all a woman was.

A warm cunt.

Something was different today. 

You hadn’t been able to see Hannah, even though every Tuesday you were allowed to visit her and her new husband at their home. 

If Silver Lake had brought anything good since you gotten here, it was Hannah having been put in the house of the town doctor. The doctor, Carl, had been in his early forties when you met first.

You hadn’t been allowed to leave your room at first but David, showing you (or more like his followers) his good grace, had allowed for Hannah to visit you twice a week for an hour under the supervision of the town doctor Carl who she was living with. 

As helpless as you felt in your situation you were so happy that you had Hannah back, crying in your arms. From the day she was born the both of you hadn’t been separated, so of course she was scared and missed you and your heart broke for the mess you put the both of you in. 

You only noticed the man who had brought her here after minutes, your eyes hardening, putting Hannah behind your back to lash out at him for touching your daughter when he told you in quiet harsh whispered words to listen to him. 

That he was the one who confirmed your lies about Hannah’s condition, and that he made them sound so bad that she became uninteresting for David. That he offered to take her and even you in. While he was allowed to take Hannah, you would remain in David’s place for his… needs. Something Carl would work on changing but needing time for it. 

His own daughter had been taken by David when she turned twelve before she just disappeared and he wanted nothing more than to take him down, but it was difficult due to the hierarchy in town and how delusional the towns people were to everything that David told them. 

He was no fighter, he had been here in this resort on vacation with his family when the outbreak happened. He had no immediate way of helping you, but he could help keep Hannah safe. 

And he did. 

Hannah grew into a beautiful young woman, soaking everything up Carl thought to her and his son Jamie. She was doing better stitches than Carl himself when she was only fourteen years old, not that anyone knew about it. 

Women weren’t allowed to learn and work in this town.

But Carl trained his son Jamie to become a doctor, and if Hannah was in the same room? He could not stop her form listening and learning, could he?

The longer you were in Silver Lake, the more freedom you carved for yourself. It took almost two years after you arrived for you to not lash out and be punished for whatever the fuck David and his goons thought you did wrong. 

By now, you were playing the perfect little mistress, shamed by big parts of town when you walked down the street, silently thanked by the woman who had young daughters and now did not have to fear them getting taken once they hit a certain age. 

It was the only way you could endure David’s hands on you. 

Knowing that whenever he was occupied with whatever sick fantasy he had in his head with you, he had less time to lure on little girls. 

You were doing so good you were even allowed to attend the wedding of Hannah and Jamie only last month, the two of them having fallen in love in the last year. 

But today something was different. 

Or maybe you were paranoid because you finally had a way of leaving this place. 

You had to leave this place before David found out about not only your lie, but Carls because Hannah was pregnant.

Some of David’s men had been missing for some days now and David was preoccupied with figuring out what happened, and how to get his very hungry town fed.

Carl had told you early on to not eat any of the meat that was served, telling you that there was a reason people went missing during the winter with a long hard look. Something you and Hannah took to heart, having not eaten a single bit of meat since getting here.

With David being out, there was more time you could spend out of his house, leaving you to finally form a plan to leave this town. Through his connections Carl and two other men who wanted to leave had been able to trade some medical supplies for a car with a settlement a two day walk away. 

You would leave in three days time and you hopped that nothing would happen until then. 

You didn’t count in the very angry girl who ran into you on your way back to your room, blood splattered all over her face, eyes frantic. 

„Let me goooo,“ she yelled at you when you put your hands on her shoulders. 

She couldn’t be older than fourteen. You heard yelling behind her, pulling her with you inside your room. 

„Slow down and shut up, they are gonna hear you,“ you whispered as you slowly closed the door behind you. 

„Who the fuck are you?“ She whispered angrily. 

„Doesn’t matter. Who are you?“

„Doesn’t matter,“ she snapped back. You took her appearance in, your eyes stopping at the cleaver she was gripping in her small hand, blood dripping from it’s blade. 

„Was it David?“ You asked, nodding towards the cleaver.

„No. That sick fuck is somewhere out there. Are you with them?“ She asked, gripping the cleaver tighter. 

„Not out of my own choice,“ you said as you walked past her. You got on your knees next to your bed, carefully getting under one of the floorboards, getting your knife out. 

You heard her footsteps behind you as you reached inside again, getting the couple of baby pictures you had of Hannah out. 

„Is someone with you?“ You asked her as you got back up and walked towards you dresser. 

„My…. Friend. He’s… I don’t know of he’s… no he is… he’s out there,“ she said. 

„Okay,“ you said before you got out of the shitty dress you had to wear and picked some pants and a sweatshirt.

„Sheesh lady,“ she whispered and you looked over your shoulder as she turned her back towards you embarrassed as you changed. You were pulling your boots on when she turned back around.

It was then that you noticed the smoke coming through the slit under the door. 

Fire. 

„Fuck. Okay. We gotta get out of there. You stay behind me, okay? If we run into someone, I will take care of them,“ you said, grabbing your backpack, putting it on. 

„I can take care of myself,“ she said, face determined. 

„And I don’t question that. But I have been stuck here for ten years. If anyone kills these people, it is me,“ you said. 

She looked at you for a long moment, before she nodded. You turned around and searched for one of your lighter jackets you had not planned to take with you, but she was only wearing a shirt and it was still snowing outside. You approached her, holding the jacket out for her to take.

„Give me the cleaver,“ you said as she struggled to get it on. 

She glared at you, before you held up a knife to trade. She sighed before she gave you the cleaver and you watched her put the jacket on before she snapped the knife from your hand. 

You took a deep breath. 

„Okay. Stay behind me. I am gonna get us out of here. Then we’re gonna get my daughter and get our of here,“ you said and her eyebrows went up. 

„You have a daughter?“ She asked surprised, you nodded. 

„Yeah. I have,“ you said before you opened the door. 

When you heard his voice you gestured for the girl to hide behind the bar. 

You had made it to the old tavern, smoke thick inside the room as the fire spread.

„You’re easy to track, Ellie,“ David said and you took one last look at the girl, Ellie, before you got up and stood to your full height, seeing the surprise on David’s face. 

„What are you doing here after everything I did for you?“ He said with narrowed eyes and you laughed. Once. 

„What you did for me? Enlighten me what you did for me apart form raping me whenever you felt like it and threaten to kill my daughter,“ you snarled and he rolled his eyes, before surprise lifted his eyebrows as he noticed the cleaver in your hand. 

„She’s with you,“ he said before he turned away from you, walking towards the door. He reached into his pants pocked and used his keys to look the door before he put them back.

„If you want to get out of here, you gotta come here and get the keys. Either of you,“ he said a little louder and a small smile came to your lips. 

„You think I haven’t waited for my chance to kill you?“ You asked as you approached him. 

„Always knew I should have killed you. But I have a sweet spot for our dear little Hannah. She’s just so…. Innocent. Almost as innocent as Ellie. But she’s far stronger than your little broken girl. Ellie could have been what this town is missing. But she just had to kill all of my best men huh?“ David was still looking for Ellie, only half of his attention on you. 

The fire was making it difficult to breathe. You had to get yourself and the girl out of here. 

„Ah fuck,“ David groaned and you saw Ellie slip past him, her knife stabbing him in his neck before she hid in one of the front booths. 

At this point David's focus was completely on finding Ellie, which you used to you advantage. 

He was about to grab Ellie ankle, the girl screaming when you grabbed a chair and used it to hit him over the back of his head. He grunted, letting go of Ellie who crawled away. He fell and before David could blink you were on top of him punching his face. 

And the fucker just laughed. 

„Go on, kill me. I know you can’t,“ he mocked and you saw red.

The cleaver made contact with his shoulder first, making him groan in pain, eyes wide with surprise. 

„You think I can’t kill you?“ You screamed.

„You think I haven’t dreamed about this since you took me hostage you fucking maniac?“ You felt his blood splash against your face as you brought the clover down again and again and again. 

He was barely breathing by the time you stopped, his eyes wide in what you were sure was fear as he looked at you. 

„I am gonna kill you. And then I am going to take my pregnant daughter away from here,“ you spit down at him, before you brought the cleaver down one last time, killing him for good. 

With shaky fingers you reached inside his pants, searching for the keys.

„Ellie!“ You yelled and the girl came out of hiding, eyes wide with fear as he followed you to the door. You unlocked the door, coughing as fresh air filled your lungs, Ellie running past you. 

Closing your eyes, allowing yourself a second to fill your lungs with fresh air you startled when you heard the girl scream. 

„NO! Don’t fucking touch me!“ She yelled and you snapped your head around, seeing a man with his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. 

You saw red, running towards them.

„Shhhh…. Ellie stop. Stop. It’s me,“ the man said grabbing her face. You slowed down, the cleaver still in your hand.

„He tried to… He tried to….“ Ellie stammered and you closed your eyes, releasing a shaky breath. 

„Oh babygirl. It’s okay. It’s okay now,“ the man said and Ellie sobbed against him as he pulled her even closer. 

It was then that he noticed you standing there, eyes narrowing as he put Ellie behind him. 

When you could see his full face for the first time it was like you forgot how to breathe.

„Joel?“ You whispered in disbelief. He narrowed his eyes, about to approach you when there was a crash in the burning building behind you, making you jump.

„Mom!“ You heard Hannah yell and you turned your head to the side to watching your daughter run towards you, her husband Jamie close behind. 

Her eyes widened as she looked at you, and you had forgotten that you probably looked like straight out of a nightmare with blood all over you.

„Oh my god mom,“ she cried when she reached you, her hands brushing all over your face. 

„Not my blood,“ you mumbled, giving her a small smile before you looked at the man who was standing behind her, still looking at you, as if trying to figure out who you were. 

„We gotta get out of here. They are gonna come after us,“ Jamie said as he reached you, his hand taking Hannah’s. 

It was in that moment that Joel said your name. And everyone turned their heads towards him, Ellie now next to him, one of his arms keeping her to his side. 

His eyes were on you, before he looked at Hannah who had turned around, pistol raised at him. He looked between you and Hannah for what felt like minutes.

You knew what he saw. And you could see the moment he realised who was standing in front of him. 

Hannah was the spitting image of him. She had his eyes and his dark curly hair.

„Joel….“ You said, taking a step towards him but Jamie stopped you while Hannah looked at you with wide eyes. 

„Joel?“ She asked and you looked at her and nodded. She knew who her father was. You had talked about him a lot when she was little. 

„We don’t have time for that. We gotta get out of here,“ Jamie repeated and you looked at him. 

„Where is Carl?“ You asked and Jamie only shook his head lips tight, instant tears filling your eyes. You blinked them away, before you took a deep breath. 

„Okay. Okay. We gotta leave. You can come with us,“ you said towards Ellie and Joel. The latter shaking his head, while Jamie protested. 

„She saved me, Joel,“ Ellie said quietly and he closed his eyes, releasing a long breath. You only looked at Jamie who was about to argue with you when he saw the pleading look Hannah gave him. 

„Okay fine. But we gotta leave. Now.“

Joel hadn’t said more than two sentences towards you, Hannah and Jamie since you made it to the spot Carl had set up two days later. There was supposed to be a car stashed there, but it was gone and Jamie was trying to figure out what to do next. 

Night time was approaching and you were tired.

„We should settle down close to the lake and decide what to do in the morning. No point walking through the night, when we do not have any clue where to go,“ you said. 

„We have to get further away. I can’t risk them coming after us,“ Jamie insisted. 

„Jamie, we lit the whole fucking town on fire two days ago. If anyone survives, do you think they don’t have something better to so than to come after us?“ You snapped, patience wearing thin. 

„Do whatever the fuck you want, but I need to wash off David’s blood. I never want to ever be thinking about him again,“ you said, suddenly irritated as you made your way down to the shore of the small lake you had found. 

„She’s mine isn’t she?“ You were startled by Joel’s voice as you sat at the shore, dressed in fresh clothes you had brought, clean from all the blood and dirt. 

You didn’t turn around to look at him. 

„Yeah,“ you said and you heard him breath in deeply. 

„Fuck,“ he whispered and you couldn’t help but chuckle. You felt him sit down next to you and you risked a glance at him. 

He was older, you were too. 

The last twenty years hadn’t been kind to either of you, but you were pretty sure Joel was even more attractive than back when you met for the first time. 

And he still had that stubborn spot that grew no hair on his cheek. 

But he looked tired. 

You just sat beside each other, watching the sun set behind the lake, the sky turning pink. 

„Never thought I’d see you again,“ he said and you smiled sadly.

„Was’t even sure you’d remember me,“ you said and he scoffed. 

„Really hard to not remember you, darlin’“ he said and you turned your head to look at him fully, giving him a small smile. 

„Likewise, Cowboy,“ you said and he chuckled, before he flinched. 

„You okay?“ You said concerned. 

„Yeah. Got stabbed some days ago by one of these lunatics in town,“ he said, pointing towards his belly. 

„Can I… Can I see?“ You asked. 

He shrugged, before he laid down. As soon as you laid eyes on his wound you knew something was wrong. It was red and irritated. 

„I don’t think that look too good, Joel,“ you said with concern. 

„Survived worse,“ he said as he pulled his shirt down.

„I’m sure you have but….“

„I’m okay. Promise,“ he said. 

You let it go for the moment and looked away from him as he sat himself up with a groan. 

„Was planning to ask you out officially the next day, you know,“ he said after a while and you sighed. 

„I would have said yes,“ you whispered into the darkness as you let your head all against his shoulder.

As it turned out Joel was indeed not okay. 

All of you decided the next day that you would make your way to Jackson, the town Joel had told you about. It would be at least a week by foot and you were not looking forward to being on the road that long with the snow coming down like that. 

He used the time on the road to tell Ellie everything (Hannah is your daughter? No way, she’s way too cool to be your kid) and got to know Hannah. He talked to Jamie and let them tell him their story. He also talked to you, but every time he asked about how you ended up in Silver Lake and what happened after you closed up and walked away from him. 

You weren’t ready to talk about that. You weren’t sure you were ever ready to talk about that. 

It was on day five that Joel had issues waking up. 

You had taken watch over for him when you couldn’t wake him up. You thought he was tired, him having taken watch every night since you left. Now it was morning and you could see that he was sweating. Carefully reaching up you touched his forehead, feeling him burning up. 

„Mom?“ You heard Hannah. 

„He’s burning up,“ you said quietly, not wanting to disturb Ellie who was still sleeping. Hannah came to kneel down beside him, feeling it herself. 

„He got stabbed by the men David sent out to the university last week. He said he was fine…“ you said and she nodded. 

„I have to see the wound,“ she said. You nodded as he got up to her feet, walking over towards Jamie, waking him up. They both came and knelt beside Joel, Jamie already reaching for his fathers backpack he had managed to take, full of medical supplies. 

„Oh shit,“ Hannah said as you had Joel’s belly exposed, her hands also reaching into the backpack to get some supplies. 

It looked worse. Much worse. 

„It’s infected. We gotta open up the stitches. Here, grab this,“ Jamie said towards Hannah. You let the two of them work while you held Joel’s hand. 

Not fifteen minutes later Jamie injected some antibiotics into Joel’s arm while Hannah wrapped his wound. 

„There’s nothing more we can do. He needs rest and medication,“ Jamie said and you nodded. It was then that Ellie woke up, immediately concerned as she saw you all kneeling next to Joel. 

„Is he dead?“ She asked and you shook your head. 

„No. But he needs rest. The stab wound got infected,“ you explained and she sucked her bottom lip in, nervously. 

„Ellie, do you think you can find the way to Jackson to get help?“ You asked.

„No,“ Hannah said, shaking her head. 

„I think I can. We just gotta find the huge lake. It should be close by now. It was three or four days until Jackson once we found the lake,“ Ellie said, ignoring her. 

You nodded. 

„I want you, Hannah and Jamie to get to Jackson as quickly as possible and get help. We need something to help get Joel back to Jackson. I will wait here. Jamie can show me how to tend to the wound and how to get him the antibiotics,“ you said. 

Hannah shook her head. 

„You don’t have any supplies. We can’t just leave you here,“ she said. 

„And you can’t just stay here and wait until he gets better,“ the if he gets better was implied with the way you looked at her. She had tears in her eyes and you gave her a small smile. 

„You have not only yourself to think about anymore, Hannah. You need to get to safety too,“ you reached towards her belly and she released a shuddering breath. 

„Oh shit,“ Ellie said with wide eyes as she realised what you meant and Jamie chuckled. 

„I don’t like this,“ Hannah mumbled. 

„Me neither. But I’ll survive a week out here. We’re close to water, you saw the stream yesterday, I can hunt, and we saw this abandoned cabin not far away from here. We could get back to it, clear it, and I’ll wait for you there until you can get back. It’s gonna be okay,“ you promised. 

You looked at Jamie who nodded at you, and reached for Hannah. 

„We’ll get your Dad some help so you can get to know him,“ he whispered and you smiled at them both. 

„Well let’s fucking go to the lake of death then!“ Ellie said and you all frowned. 

„It’s… It’s a joke. I swear,“ she said.

Joel was in and out of consciousness for four days before he woke up for longer period of times during the day. He told you it was stupid to stay back with I’m and not leave with the kids and you only told him that you weren’t ready to leave him again. 

You feel asleep in his arms that night, allowing yourself to let your guard down, passing out almost immediately when he told you that he got you. That he’d stay awake. 

The following days went buy slowly. You continued taking care of Joel, his wound looking much better. You went hunting, coming back with some rabbits. Joel was on his feet by day six, taking slow walks with you towards the stream where he washed up. 

And you talked. 

You talked about everything that happened since the day you parted. 

You learned about Sarah’s death, holding him as he shed some tears. You learned how he changed, how he did things he was not proud of to keep bis brother safe. You learned about how Ellie who he had been trusted to take to a group called the fireflies slowly brought back his old self.

You in return told him about finding out that you were pregnant while you were in the temporal Austin QZ. About how you gave birth to Hannah the day before the QZ fell, leaving you on the road with a new born until you found a settlement when Hannah was almost a year old close to Denver where you stayed until it was overrun by infected. 

You showed him the few pictures of her as a baby you had, drying his tears as he looked at them. 

You told him in as few words as possible what happened in the years you were at Silver Lake, seeing him angry on your behalf. 

You woke up on the seventh day with his arm around your back, both of your laying on your side, facing each other. He was already looking at you when you opened your eyes, giving you a soft smile. 

And before you could stop yourself you closed the distance between the two of you, pressing your lips against his in a soft kiss. Resting your forehead against his you closed your eyes, one of your hands brushing through his hair. 

„Sometimes I allowed myself to dream what would have become of us if the outbreak hadn’t happened,“ he whispered. 

„And what happened to us in those dreams?“ You asked, opening your eyes. He kissed you again, humming. 

„We would have dated for seven months before I popped the question,“ he said. 

„Why seven months?“ You asked. 

„It’s my lucky number,“ he mumbled and you chuckled. 

„Sarah would have loved you. We would have gotten married, her as the flower girl. We would have gotten a bigger house, cause I’d have you pregnant by the time we were married,“ he said with a small smile. 

„Would have had at least two kids more before you said you were done and I would have gotten the snip so I could still fuck you everywhere without getting you pregnant again,“ he said and kissed your nosed. 

„Lots of baby making in your dreams, Miller,“ you teased and he laughed. 

„I’m only a man, what can I say?“ He shrugged before he kissed you again, deepening the kiss. 

„You still have that piercing down there?“ He mumbled against your lips and a shudder ran down your body. 

„Why don’t you find out?“ You whispered, feeling him smile as one of his hand made their way down your body, his fingertips slipping over your stomach. He was about to push his fingers further down when a noise outside startled you, making you jump up and grab your knife. 

„Joel!“ You heard a voice yell outside and you relaxed. 

„In here, Tommy,“ Joel yelled back, giving you a sheepish expression before the door opened and a man stepped inside, you hadn’t seen in twenty years. 

Tommy lowered his gun as soon as he saw only you and Joel inside the cabin. 

„Well fuck me, I never though I’d ever see the girl my brother was pining over like a teenager twenty years ago ever again,“ he said with a wide smile and you raised your eyebrow, looking at Joel who rolled his eyes, yet his cheeks seemed a little flushed. 

Tommy hugged you tight before he let go and walked over to his brother. They were whispering with each other, when Jamie walked in. 

„You’re okay?“ He asked. 

You nodded, and he hugged you quickly. 

„Left Hannah home. Can you believe it? We get our own house. With running water. Warm Water!“ He said, excited. You laughed, squeezing his shoulder. 

You turned back to Joel, who was now standing next to Tommy. 

„We got a long ride in front of us. Best we get back as quickly as we can,“ Tommy said. 

"Gonna check his injury first, and then we can be on our way,“ Jamie said, already walking over to Joel.

„Can’t believe you’re here. Can’t believe I have another niece,“ Tommy said as you stepped outside with him after you gotten your coat and shoes on. He took your backpack from you, fastening it somewhere to one of the horses staying in front of you. 

„I can’t believe it either,“ you said. 

„Can’t believe Joel’s gonna be a granddad,“ Tommy chuckled and you did too.

„Fuck I’m gonna be a grandma,“ you groaned, feeling every year of your age.

„Also gonna be an aunt. Wife is due in the next two weeks. So we better get the fuck back before she skins me alive,“ he said and you nodded. 

You turned back when you heard Joel and Jaime talk, the latter helping Joel down the stairs. 

„You good to ride?“ Tommy asks his brother. He nodded. 

„Might need a little help getting up on the horse though,“ he said. Tommy nodded, walking over towards the third horse that you were standing in front of. 

„You riding with me?“ Joel asked. 

You nodded. 

„Sure,“ you said. It took some help, but you got on top of the horse, having never been on one before. You didn’t know what to do, already freaking out a little, when Tommy and Jamie helped Joel on the horse behind you, his arms immediately coming around you, pulling you closer. He grabbed the reins, clicking his tongue once and the horse turned around. 

You watched Jamie and Tommy get on their horses too before Tommy rode up on front. 

„Gonna take us at least three days. Let’s get the fuck out of here,“ he said and rode forwards. 

„Ready to go home?“ Joel whispered against your ear. 

You let yourself rest against his shoulder, your head turning up so you could look at him. 

„Haven’t had a home in twenty years,“ you said quietly. 

„You have now,“ he hummed, kissing your temple before he moved the horse, following Tommy. 

Home. 

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ruggie Bucchi - Platinum Jacket Voice Lines

When Summoned: Well, we're gettin' free admission, so... Guess it wouldn't hurt to look at the art while I'm here.

Summon Line: A supporter of the National Museum of Art, huh. Sure hope that title and the little gig that comes with it'll help me for future jobs.

Groooovy!!: Look at 'em, sharin' bugs and lazily singin' without a care in the world... Their little friendship must've been faaaantastic.

Home: Time to party! It's a 100th Anniversary!

Home Idle 1: Hey, looks like Cater-san's Magicam account just had a post update. Guess this's why he was snappin' that selfie in front of the Queen of Hearts' paintin'.

Home Idle 2: Azul-kun was yammerin' on about investin' in artwork, but even stuff by obscure artists go for hundreds of thousands of madol [thousands of thaumarks]... That's crazy high for an initial investment!

Home Idle 3: The Thorn Fairy was totally in the right to get angry. If I got denied a feast at a party, I'd never forgive that slight for the rest of my life!

Home Idle - Login: The Land of Dawning's National Museum of Art, huh... It's so biiig. I bet it takes forever to clean that they might be hirin' some part-timers at a good rate!

Home Idle - Groovy: The stuff Trey-san was talkin' about was actually pretty interestin'. Ya never know when a convo topic'll turn towards food!

Home Tap 1: Yeah, the best kinda person to work under's gotta be someone with status like the King of Beasts, what with his real deep pockets～

Home Tap 2: Can't believe this museum just passes out all these nice-lookin' outfits just to help promote the place... The Land of Dawning's just way too giving.

Home Tap 3: What's he talkin' 'bout, sayin' he remembers when this museum was still under construction...? Sometimes Lilia-san's lies are way too obvious.

Home Tap 4: He was strong enough to lift a mountain-sized bale of hay with only one hand, huh... I bet if I was that legendary child of the gods, it'd've been sooo easy for me to make a ton of money～

Home Tap 5: Wh-Why're you keepin' an eye on me like that...? C'mon, even I'm not gonna swipe and make off with any of the stuff in the exhibits, y'know?

Home Tap - Groovy: You're wantin' to go to the cafe together? If you're really hopin' to drink that super pricy coffee, here, give me some madol and I'll go get you a cup!

Duo: [RUGGIE]: I got high hopes for ya, Trey-san! [TREY]: Let's see what you can do too, Ruggie.

Birthday Login Message: Thanks for the birthday wishes! Sooo, I wonder whatcha got for mee~ Handmade donuts? Uh-huuuh. Y'know, I'm pretty particular about how my donuts taste... [chomps] Huhー this's so good...! How'd youー!? It's almost like it came from a... Ohhh, so these are handmade donuts from a pastry shop. That makes more sense.

Requested by Anonymous.

[athenaluciscaelum]

Pairing:DMC5 Dante x Reader

Rated: Mature

Words: 3134 word

Warning: unprotected sex, nsfw, talk of marriage

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Disclaimer

A constructive criticism in right tone can be welcome. But anything unkind or disrespectful or homophobic or any hate shall be deleted. I do not entertain such things and I do not mind simply deleting them. This being said I will try my best to put trigger warning rightfully in every post but if sometimes, I miss something. You can let me know and educate me on topic respectfully and I will add it promptly.

My Beautiful Bride

Summary: You and Dante have been dating for the longest time. Surprisingly, it was not you who wanted marriage, but Dante.

You and Dante had been dating for quite a while, it's been more than two years now, since you first met, and about 18 months of dating. You still remember the day you met him in the library, and you acted all weird. Later you think to yourself, 'why does it matter? If I was weird, it's not like I might see him again. But you saw him, again and again and again and again. Dante was like a sweet drug that you need in your life. He smiled, people claimed he rarely smiled. But you always saw him smiling and you loved that smile. You swear to yourself this smile is worth everything, and you swear to make him the happiest man, so no matter how hard it gets, nothing will stop you from making this man smile.

You were a little selfish, you wanted him to always smile, yet wishing that if not all, most of those smiles were because of you.

The first time you two decided to get intimate. It took time, not because you didn't crave Dante. You have wanted him since the day you understood he is all you ever wanted...yet you understand this is special, and you wanted nothing in this sacred connection you two shared to be some rushed sex on his desk, or somewhere insignificant.

You wanted it to be special. Dante was on the same page, you were all he ever knew he wanted, but now he needed. It was a soul mate kind of feeling. Though he never believed in one. And he wanted to do everything right. He got clean, got his act together, took jobs which were within his principles but also made money, he even paid attention to making space comfortable for you. All sorts of furniture in your shared bedroom, a bathtub for you, all the little decor you bought for Devil May Cry to make it home. Dante needed this to make a perfect nest for his bride. Bride? Wait. You were not his bride yet, he wanted to do it right with you. And the idea of exchanging vows to be each other. It is a perfect way to show you how much this whole thing means to him.

You both were on the same footing in most things, like the idea of humanity, how important empathy is, the idea of family, etc.

So Dante started planning. He knew he needed the whole crew to get this party started. So he got your ring size with the help of Trish. And also an idea about what sort of jewelry you like and which precious stones. You were in the shopping center with Trish...as you guys strolled around. Trish took you to a jewelry store. You didn't think much of it...just usual shopping... Trish looked at the rings, she spoke in her usual calm voice,"Anything that catches your eye, Y/N." You looked at the display and answered, "yes, this, I think you're a gold kind of girl with yellow Montana sapphire..." Trish nods trying the ring, she spoke composed, "Nice...is this what you like?" You shook your head, "No... I'm more of a platinum kind of girl.... And a ruby in the middle.." Trish raised her eyebrows, "Ruby? Huh?" You blushed, "I don't know, I wanted a red stone in my jewel for long...reminds me of Dante..." Trish smiled, her mission was a success.

Trish and Dante were on a mission. When they reached the agency, you were asleep in the shared bedroom. Dante peaked in and smiled and graced his lips as he saw your pretty sleeping form. He still remembers when he took you to his room to have your first night of intimacy together. Back then, he only had a single bed in his room, you squeezed in with him without complaining, you suggested how it meant you were closer to Dante. He held you throughout the night. He couldn't let his precious angel fall and hurt herself. And soon enough, as he spent more and more nights there, he was quick to buy a king-sized bed. You comfort was his priority. He couldn't give you all the luxury in the world, he think you absolutely deserved it. It's not like you ever complained about trivial materialistic things. But he made sure to give you all he could.

Dante went downstairs, Trish was sitting on the desk... He looked at her, "Soo?" Trish looked up at him from a magazine, "She likes platinum with ruby and I marked some design she liked in this magazine with her ring size above." Dante grinned, "Jackpot! I will ask Morrison to get me in touch with a jeweler..."

Trish smirked, "you're planning to spend a fortune on this...huh?" Dante nodded, "Best for my girl!" Trish let out a small chuckle..." So when you're proposing..." And for the first time, Trish saw Dante nervous... Trish sighed, "You ever asked her about her views on marriage or getting married." Dante was a mess, running fingers through his hair..." Not exactly..."

Trish patted his shoulder as she got ready to leave the agency, "You will figure this out." Dante sighed, sitting on his chair, his feet propped on his desk, looking at the picture of Eva on the desk, "You would have loved her.....she is not perfect, yet she is everything right in my life. A new beginning, right, mom?" Dante smiled to himself and got up to shower. He put on his sweatpants as he walked into the room drying his hair. You were sleeping, but as soon as his heavy body got deposited beside you to dip in the bed, you smiled and turned to look at him sleepy, "there is a handsome devil in my bed, I should call a devil hunter." Dante wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you flushed against his body making you giggle, you were already nuzzling his silver chest hair, you lip softly feeling his skin... Dante let out a sigh of satisfaction, "At your service...and I give discounts to beautiful babes…" He smirked as you laughed, looking up into his icy blue eyes. The room was dark and only moonlight poured in. Dante was a handsome man and this moonlit room only made him more handsome, if it was possible... you touched his cheek, your thumb softly caressing his face, he closed his eyes. You pulled yourself up a little to place soft kisses against his lips, he snaked his arms around your waist, tightening his grip to deepen the kiss, he licked your bottom lip, and you complied, as you opened your lips for his demanding tongue to come in and explore your mouth.You followed his lead. He shifted you carefully without breaking the kiss..he was above you now. He made sure his weight was not directly on you, you were so small compared to him, he wouldn't risk crushing you. You cupped his face and kissed him again and again. As his hand worked the delicate strings that were keeping your night dress tied behind your neck. Dante pulled it and started to pull the dress down, exposing your chest. He was greeted by the sight of your pretty breasts, he groaned. His hand was flat on them, feeling them taking a nipple between his index finger and thumb to squeeze it. you moaned in the kiss. He pulled away from the kiss with a string of saliva attached and lowered his head a bit, both his hands kneading your breasts. He loved how they were perfect in his hands, not small or big, just perfect, made for him. He left a trail of kisses from near your mouth to your jaw line to your neck. Now kisses turn into sucking, enough to leave marks, while sucking turned into little bites, as he trailed down from your neck to your breast. His hand feeling your curves from down the waist, stomach to your hips... keeping you firm and grounded on the mattress. He licked one of your areoles with his tongue flat, the tip of his tongue assaulting your nipple, your fingers in his soft silver hair. You moaned, as he sucked on your nipple...it was torture how good he made you feel, your core throbbing. Yet his hands keep your hip grounded on the mattress, you were flustered, he always knew how to rile you up. You let out a whine, he smirked against your nipple and let it go with a pop. He gave the same treatment to your other nipple. You tried to move your hip up for much-needed contact, but his grip was firm, he pulled up to look at your needy face, caressing your cheek with the back of his finger, "my precious angel, you're so needy..." Your eyes were full of desire, and you let out a whine, "you're such a tease..." Dante chuckled, "C'mon, babe, I just enjoy your needy face, now tell me what you want." You closed your eyes as he pulled down your dress to take it off and spread your legs, starting to rub a finger along your slit through your panties... Dante smiled, "I love your sweet noises."

Dante pressed his forehead against yours as he took off your wet panties and threw them, who knows where? His thick finger. He slid up and down your folds.....and then inserting it in as you were slick and ready, you moaned as he slowly put his middle finger in your throbbing core, he smiled, "your pussy is practically crying for me baby..." You nodded moaning, "love you so much, Dante..." Dante sighed as he kissed your lips with unadulterated love, "And I love you princess." Dante start to drag his finger in and out building up pace and making you comfortable to put second finger in..he was patients and curled his finger in as he reached your familiar spot. He was caressing your spot, making you see starts and knots in your stomach snap...as you came, he dragged his finger in and out slowly to drag out your orgasm...you were a sweaty, panting mess, hair stuck to your forehead. Dante is proud of the beautiful renaissance painting he made of you. As you were collecting yourself, Dante positioned himself between your legs, taking his sweats off, his thick and veiny cock sprung out, leaking pre-cum. Dante was big, but by now, you have got used to it. He knew how to make it all comfortable and you trusted him. He grabbed your calves, your feet on each of his shoulders. Kissing, sucking and biting the inside of your legs and thighs to litter them with his marks, same as he did to your upper body. You were sleepy and gripped onto the pillow above your head, your eyes were so beautiful, glistening, and he wanted nothing more than to get lost in them. You smiled tired, "sleep is winning." Dante pumped his cock and rubbed it against your folds to gather slick, your thighs stained from your last orgasm, Dante groaned, "Don't worry, I will leave you satisfied, and then you will be set free." You laughed but soon, he pushed himself balls deep, his eyes squeezed shut...air knocked out of your lungs as you gasped. Dante stood still cherishing how perfect your pussy felt. No matter how many times he has had you, he will never be satiated enough. He gritted his teeth and started to move, slow and deep...it was all sweet and passionate. You were sleepy, but how can you sleep when the love of your life was balls deep in you...you smiled, eyelids closing yet refusing to fall asleep..."so good... Dante...so good...." Dante picked up his pace and thrusted in and out, but not rough or fast, he wanted to feel you tonight. He will savor you. Dante snapped his hip, wet noises filled the room. He puts down your legs and lets them wrap around his waist...he leans down to entangle his fingers with yours, holding them above your head, and kiss you deeply. As he moves slowly and deep, hitting all the right spots. You came again, this time with no warning. His eyes closed as he nuzzled your face. He loved how you came around his cock, "I'm close, babe, one more for me, together?" You nodded drunk on his cock and sleepy, you were overstimulated by and aching a bit "anything for you..." With few more thrusts of his added with him cupping your face with one hand and his thumb rubbing your clit with another. You both came together. His hot cum filling your pussy, he collapsed on top of you, so satisfied. You were both sweaty and tangled, you held his face against your chest, as he nuzzled it. You softly swept his hair sticking on his forehead... He smiled and pulled out. Your pussy dripping with his and your combined fluid, making the demon inside him crave for more...you shook your head nervously, and he smiled, burying your little form against his big furnace-like body. He chuckled, "It's okay...your no is a no...my angel..." You smiled and felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

The next day, you and Trish were in the office sitting on a couch talking. You both have a curiosity about knowledge, somehow the topic of marriage came and it's technicalities. You were trying to make a comment on how marriage is, in a way no guarantee, unlike what is believed, it was seen as a safety net throughout history or said to be a safety net for women throughout history, when men benefited more out of it. It was by no means a comment on Dante, or your idea of your own life, but a general statement on how it goes with majority, in your mind, you and Dante were special. You made a hypothetical statement, "I mean think Trish. What if Dante and I were to get married? What is even the point? About the legality of it, or even church. It's not like any court or religious authority can hold him to the sanctity of marriage." Trish was shocked and quiet. You didn't understand it and smiled, "What?" You turned around to see Dante, who looked visibly hurt....but quickly tried to mask it with a smile. He grinned, "Hey babe," you stumbled on your words, "H-H-Hey, love, I-I-I-I just want to clear....." Dante laughed to cut you off in the middle, and spoke calmly, "Can we do this later, babe. I'm really missing some strawberry sundae, I'm off to Freddy's..." You were a mess and tried to grab his shoulder, "Let me come...." Your eyes pleading with him. Dante looked away keeping a fake grin, "Aren't you busy with Trish? Keep her company, I don't want to interrupt you ladies."

Dante walked off quickly, as he was away from the agency, he just walked mindlessly, his hand in his coat pocket feeling the ring. He went to his mother's grave before, his way of getting her blessings. He looked up at the sky and thought, 'What an idiot I am. Of course, why will she settle for me? Sooner or later, I always knew she would know what an idiot I am. I should cherish her, as long as she will let me have her.'

You were back at the Devil May Cry agency, but as hours passed by and Dante didn't come back, you went out. Freddy told you Dante never came. Lady didn't know, neither Morrison, nor Nero. You were so worried, you could always recognize his fake smile. You just wanted to cry, what an idiot you were, you should have never said it, even hypothetically. You have to find him and explain this to him, you can't bare the thought of losing him. Your heart pounded in your chest, the sound drumming in your ears as you ran to one place Dante would be.

You walked to the lake in the forest, moonlight glowing on it. It was a little place you both found and a secret you two share. You sat beside Dante, sitting near the lake. You wrapped your hands around his arm and put your face on his shoulder. You spoke in a small nervous voice, "Hey..." Dante sighed, "Hey." Your hands cupped his face, "I love you, I didn't mean it that way." Dante chuckled sadly, "yeah....." You wanted to explain it, "Dante...." You were blank. Dante looked at you, "You should find someone better than waste your time on me." You were shocked, hurt and eyes wide, "Dante! How can you say this!? I love you! There is no one else! Nor ever will be!" Dante looked at his reflection in the lake. He hated seeing his reflection, "I always mess up, you're right. Nothing can hold me to sanctity of marriage." Your face showed pain and guilt for making him go through this, "We all mess up, like I did today, it's only human, but we got each other..." You held Dante's hand in yours, taking off his glove, bringing his hand to your face, pressing soft kisses to his knuckles. Dante said nothing, you sighed, summoning all courage, your head pressed against his, "nothing can hold you to the sanctity of marriage, no power, except our love. And I dream of the day when I will exchange vows with you. Marriage or no marriage. I am not leaving your side." Dante melted, the word took his breath away. He kissed your lips softly, and you kissed him back .....you pulled away and smiled, looking into his beautiful icy blue eyes, caressing his face. "Let's go back home...." You stood up and dusted your dress, as you turned around, Dante was on one knee with a ring in his gloved hand. Dante spoke, clearing his throat, "Miss Y/N L/N, will you marry me?" You were ecstatic, this was perfect. The forest, lake, moonlight and Dante, you nodded and threw yourself in his arms. You kissed him deeply as he twirled you and slipped a beautiful platinum ring with a ruby on your delicate finger...you smiled, laughed, you were red, you were a flustered mess. Your stomach felt thousands of butterflies, you were trembling from happiness. You can't contain your smile, your legs feel wobbly. Dante picked you up bridal style, "My bride! My beautiful bride!"

You swear you could hear Dante's demon and see it's flash, only making you happier. "My handsome devil..."

Next day, you both visited Eva's grave together. Dante smiled, "She said yes, mom." You smiled, "Thank you for raising a kind and thoughtful man."

Tag: @marshmallows-and-champagne

[maaikeatthefullmoon]

This week I have mostly been reading...

May 20-26th, 2024

Hooray, I’ve managed it for the second week in a row! *If you have written/illustrated one of the works I've mentioned and I've not tagged you, please let me know!*

Completed works I've read this week:

Under Construction by @summerofspock Rated E – Honestly, this one can be summed up by the rather excellent tags ‘there was only one wifi’, ‘weaponized coziness’, ‘erotic woodchopping’ and ‘emotionally significant flannel’ (as in the shirt, not the miniature towel for cleaning one’s self…). It’s cosy, it’s Hallmarkian, it’s disaster puppy Crowley, and Aziraphale has a beard. 10/10 no notes.

Temporal Adjustment by @ukcalico & @vavoom-sorted-art Rated E – Written by Calico to accompany the ever-wonderful vavoom’s art, it’s a Post S1 Ritz scene which plays with time and some *very* spicy scenes. Three chapters of mild D/s content – mind the tags if you’re new to that world.

Sweet Dreams: A Companion Fic by @sixbynine-da & @vavoom-sorted-art Rated E – went down a vavoom rabbit hole, which is truly a delightful hole to go down…pun erm…not intended? But perhaps it was. Anyway. The tags initially had me hesitant to read this one (blood drinking, blood as lube) but it was a much more minor point than I was worried about and it ended up being a beautifully accepting, tender, loving story. I shed a couple of tears at this one.

You Can Stay At My Place, If You Like by AstroGirl Rated T – A lovely, touching piece about the moment A & C switch corporations/bodies and get to experience each other’s thoughts and feelings. Both POVs are written throughout the story, which adds a richness and emotion to it.

If It Looks Like A Duck, And Buzzes Like A Duck, It’s A Sex Toy by @quefish77 Rated M – Look at me bring the tone down after the last recommendation, but ho hum. This one had me weeping with laughter. Once again, the tags tell the story for me: ‘Look if you’re here for medical advice I got bad news for you’, If you don’t say WTF and laugh at least 3 times I’ve failed’, ‘Tags Are Fun’, ‘How many will you read before you roll your eyes and read the fic?, ‘Congratulations! You made it to the end of the tags’, ‘I lied there are more tags’. Yes…there were more tags. I laughed continuously throughout the entire fic, so I’m not sure if that counted as more than three times, and I read all the tags before I started reading, but I can guarantee this does not disappoint, but then none of Quefish’s work ever does if you’re looking for humour.

Aziraphale’s Diaries series by azzfell & @fellshish Rated T – This is a four-part series of humorous, fluffy diary entries written by A. 1. Empirical study on the principles of snake care – A tries to look after C as you would a snake…be ready to cringe and facepalm and giggle 2. Experiments of an angel who has read entirely too much fanfic – A finds fanfic. Tries some of what he’s read on C. Yikes. 3. How to be a demon: a brief history of the Arrangement – I can’t describe it any better than the authors’ description: “The Arrangement: the hard and challenging life of an angel who tries to make a demon do good deeds, and in turn has to perform temptations and wear devilishly sexy outfits.” 4. Adventures of a mystery shopper in the bookshop – this was by far my favourite. A puts C in charge of the bookshop…and then mystery shops. I laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Lit by @fellshish Rated T – C decides to take a Uni course on literature (for absolutely no reason whatsoever…definitely not because he wants to impress a certain angel with his literary knowledge, nope, nuh uh)…but it turns out to be slightly different to what he was expecting…and they’re discussing Good Omens. Shit.

If You Touch Me You’ll Understand What Happiness Is by locketofyourhair Rated E – It’s no secret I like a bit of angst. You need only read what I write to get smacked round the side of the head with it. This one’s got it in spades. C confesses their love for A – repeatedly – through time. To keep them safe, A erases the memory of the confession each time. But A never forgets. Ouch. It does have a happy ending, though. Phew.

Lace And Gold Braid by @elsajeni Rated M – After rescuing A from the Bastille, C went to bed for 70 years. He never actually said he was sleeping. This fic goes into lots of delicious detail about A’s slutty, slutty outfit. The imagery is really well written and it has a podfic!

WIPs which have updated this week (which I devour as soon as I get the update!)

There Is A Light And It Never Goes Out by @phoen1xr0se Rated M - A is a researcher (puffins!), C is a lighthouse keeper on the island where A has run away to to escape his problems and do his research. The author has recently spent a week studying puffins - which is the ultimate dedication, if you ask me. Ch 9/26 posted this week

Find The Light by @klikandtuna Rated E - Headmaster A and Rockstar C. The story teases out a fraught history between them whilst keeping a tension between them in the modern day. Ch 6/? posted this week.

Terminus by @emotional-support-demon-crowley Rated T - Astronaut A is guided back to Earth by controller C after 92 years in space. There are many difficulties both of them have to face and they develop an amazing rapport. Ch 16/17 posted this week.

Oddity by @tsyvia48 Rated E - Actor C is contracted by (useless) Gabriel to guest curate an exhibition at the museum where A works. After getting off on the wrong foot, can they work together to pull off this show? Ch 23/26 posted this week (note increased chapter count!)

Under The Summer Stars by @pannotbread Rated E - This wonderful fic has taught me more about physics than school ever did (mostly because I never did any physics, but...well). A & C have to share their time at an observatory because there is Only One Telescope. Not only will you learn about astrophysics, astrobiology, and astroecology, you'll also read some of the most poetically, beautifully written masturbation scenes I've ever seen. *ahem* Ch 7/13 posted this week.

Exodus2 by @tismrot Rated E – Human AU set in a dystopian future. The summary says it best, really: Ezra studies programming at the University of ha-Gan. He’s as determined as he is damaged, as fastidious as he is precise, and likes to believe he'll stop at nothing to achieve his goals. His beliefs are challenged when a new student appears late to the first Ethics module lecture - and his life is changed forever. It's the future, it's dystopian, it's cyber and it's punk. It's political, grimy and slick with tears, lube and chemical snot. TW: Sex, drugs, trauma. Ch 28/35 posted this week.

Free by well, me: imposterssyndrome Rated E - A & C meet (again?) in an acute mental health ward after both having had mental health crises. A runs a bookshop but is very much under his parents' control. C has been homeless since childhood and has struggled his entire life. They do not trust each other when they first meet, but feel strangely drawn to one another all the same. Where will this lead them? This is a passion piece for me. There is a lot of lived experience in it, and extensive research from both professionals and peers. It has been a real journey for me to write it, and as I'm coming closer to the end it's becoming very emotional for me. Ch 45/? posted this week

Want more recommendations? This is last week's list.

[yui-samidare-reborn]

Mirror Mirror  (10,000 post special)

(Interior, Castle)

As Yui stood there in stunned silence, Ryūzōji pulled out the two envelopes from his inner coat pocket. He has white hair but piercing red eyes, dressed in a green business suit, sitting in his wheelchair.

One was black. The other was white.

“As soon as you take one of these envelopes into your hand, turn around and leave the room,” Ryūzōji ordered, pointing at the closed set of doors through which we had entered. “At that moment, the new world you have chosen for yourself will manifest beyond those doors.”

White or black.

Which would be the path towards actually saving people?

Yui didn’t know.

Which choice should she make?

she had no clue.

The only thing that rang clear to her 

Was the sound of her voice.

*Yui closes her eyes and with bated breath, she picked the white envelope….forever altering destiny as she knew it*

(Two month later…)

Samidare walks into the mall, it’s busy, bustling with life. She has a task to preform. Her cold green eyes stare at the dentists office. She walks inside, but the door makes no noise. She shuffled to the back where a red haired girl is busy getting her teeth cleaned. Upon making an I.D, the dentist leaves his office and in slips Samidare. The girl is Ryoko Otonashi, future Ultimate Despair. Yui turns on the spare tank, switching the gases over her mouth. Those red eyes bolt open, yet Yui’s strong hand grabs the mask, shoving it into her. After a few moments of flailing wildly, she succumbs to the poison gas. Samidare shuts it off and walks away as if nothing had happened, saving billions of lives. She takes a pack of cigarettes out of her packets and begins to smoke one.

(Three years later)

There is no longer a woman named Yui Samidare, only Yukio Akabane.  Construction begins on a city to rival Towa, as she travels to Hope’s Peak academy to fully uproot despair. Yukio easily gains access to the building, Once there, she snoops around for the one and only person who can stop her plans. Arriving in the research laboratory, Yukio waits until all the surgeons leave for the evening before slipping in. the patient, Hajme Hinata is undergoing Talent Development. Yukio stick him with a needle, she depresses the contents into his veins before his heart rate shoots up and comes crashing down. Hinata flatlines, thus ending Izuru Kamakura before he could be born. What was once joy in her eyes was unending pain as she was forced to murder her way through her bosses enemies.

(Present day)

The massive Kuma Kasino is open with hundreds of guests filtering out per hour. Skyscrapers stretch as far as they eye can see. Yukio consolidated her power, and now has a thriving “legitimate” buisness. Bear costumed girls as far as the eye can see and a large office for the once famed detective herself. Who were you to ruin all of this?

(Outside Kuma Kasino)

An odd teleporter beeps as your muse is transported in. How will you react to this universe?

@mystery-orphans-club . @floral-samurai @human-monokuma 

This is the 10,000 post event! A what if scenario based on the Kirigiri novels, have fun!

[oleander-nin]

Horrortober Day 10- Collar(Yandere Mud Dogs x Reader)

A/N, not important: Watch this be the longest thing I post. Any criticism is welcome, constructive or not. This is supposed to be a gender neutral reader, so if I screwed up somewhere, please tell me.

-Ollie

CW: Kidnapping, dehumanization, collar, blood, picking at the skin, forced name change(?), mention of being sold, gag, restraints, yandere themes, dark themes

Words: 4342

Summary: Mickey ran his mouth and now the Mud Dogs have to deal with Big Mama knowing about you.

The ropes around your arms burn, making it uncomfortable for you to sleep. The position you were forced in was awful, your arms tied together in front of you from your elbows to your wrists, and your legs strung from your knees down. The gag in your mouth hurts your jaw, your tongue stale and dry from having the rubber holding your mouth open for so long. Your eyes lazily scan the ceiling, not bothering to struggle.

The skin on your arms was already rubbed completely raw, no need to add to your own pain and suffering. You do your best to roll your shoulders, twisting your waist until your back cracks with a loud, satisfying pop. How long has it been since they left? One hour? Three? You shake your head, unable to fully tell. Your dazed mind had lulled you into a fitful sleep moments after they left you alone, the safest you’d felt since they first took you.

They cited a meeting for their reason to leave you unattended, apologizing despite how clearly ecstatic you were at the notion. You hadn’t realized it would come with the price of chaffed arms and sore joints. Maybe that was what they were apologizing for, you muse to yourself despite knowing they wouldn’t care about such a thing. Your arms especially hurt, the perpetual hold of the rope feeling as if your arms would pop clean out of your sockets if you move.

You hear the lock of their base click, the sound echoing through the silent warehouse. Their voices quickly take over the silence however, Leonard clearly scolding Mickey over something that had gone down. It’s clear they’re trying to be quiet, their voices slightly hushed while Leonard drones on and on, Mickey snapping back every so often. The only one you didn’t hear much was Danny, but you knew he was there. He always is.

You shift your body to the best of your ability as their hushed voices grow near, your ears perking at the sounds. They never tell you anything, so eavesdropping became the only way you could get information from them. It had only taken you three times of being caught before you figured out how to do it the most inconspicuously. You close your eyes and calm your breathing, letting your heart settle so it wasn’t hammering in your ears. Their voices become more clear as they walk closer. Mickey was never truly able to keep his voice down for long.

“It’s not my fault. She asked and I answered.” Mickey growls, the clatter of the trio in the kitchen sounding through. A low murmur of Leonard's voice comes through, his voice too muffled to understand.

It’s quiet for a second, their voices depleting and being taken over by the clinking of plates and dishes. You wait for the voices to pick up again, your heart rate spiking slightly. You wanted to know what wasn’t Mickey’s fault. You wanted to know how she was, and what she asked. You wanted to know. You needed to know. You were tired of being in the dark, of not knowing what was going on until you were thrust into the thick of it.

“Leonard’s right, Mickey. There was no reason to tell her about Pumpkin.”

Danny’s voice sounds above the ambient sounds of the kitchen, the words clarifying only slightly. Mickey told someone about you, someone Leonard doesn’t want to know. Which… doesn't narrow it down much. You grumble under your breath, annoyed. You wished you knew what was happening.

They continue to talk in low voices, too quiet for you to pick up properly. Anything you could was mostly just Mickey whining about it not being his fault. You shift in the bed, sighing. Maybe they will tell you this time. You just have to ask nicely.

The door opens and your three captors walk in, a small tray of food being balanced in Leonard’s hands. Danny walks closer, pulling you into a sitting position and moving your hands down. You hiss slightly, your shoulders protesting the movement. Having them tied for so long was starting to take a larger toll on your joints. Even if they untied them, moving them would hurt for a while.

“We got you food. I’m sorry it’s been so long, but we got busy.” Leonard says softly, keeping his voice low as if he were talking to an infant. You lean away from Danny’s hold, hitting the squishy body of Mickey instead. You grimace, quickly moving back into the middle of the two and trying to stay as far away from each of them as you could in hopes to escape their imprisoning arms.

Leonard sets the tray down on a stool by the bed, reaching over to take the gag off of your mouth. His hands land on your cheeks, his eyes meeting yours for a second, the look in his eyes hinting his hesitancy to remove the insulting item.

“Don’t bite, and don’t yell.” He warns, the threat heavy in his tone. He waits for you to nod before sliding the gag off your face, setting it down on the tray that held the food. He grabs the bowl of oatmeal they had made for you, taking a spoonful and holding it to your lips. He waits patiently for you to open your mouth, as if he has all the time in the world. Mickey nudges your arm, grinning slyly at you.

“You should really eat, Pumpkin.” He says, moving his chin to rest on your shoulder. You try to shift away but he wraps his arms around your middle, his eyes flashing with a dangerous edge. You awkwardly settle down, letting him lean on you as he was.

“My name’s not Pumpkin.” You grumble under your breath, despising the literal pet name with your entire being. They decided to rename you when taking you in, trying to assimilate you into their world more. You thought it was a stupid name, one more fitting of a dog than a human. Although, you doubted they saw you as such. The way they treated you, the way you acted. You were more a child, or even a glorified pet to them. You never knew you would’ve missed free will so much.

Danny tsks at your renouncing of the name, his face curling into a sneer. He was the one to pick out ‘Pumpkin’ as your new name, and was always the one who got the most upset when you protested it.

“Just eat your dinner, Pumpkin. We need to go somewhere again soon, so we don’t have time to waste.”

You keep your face schooled into a neutral look, trying to not seem interested in his words. He wouldn’t tell you anything if he thought you might try and use it to your advantage. Whatever that means.

Leonard sticks the spoon in front of your face again, his eyebrows furrowing slightly while he waits for you to bite. He sighs, setting the bowl down but still holding the spoon.

“I don’t want to force you, Pumpkin.” He coos, his voice dangerously smooth. You know what happens next, what happens when Leonard gets impatient while you’re eating. You shudder at the memories of him prying your mouth open and shoving food down your throat until you felt sick. You open your mouth and take a bite. Leonard smiles and nods in approval, grabbing the bowl again and continuing to feed you.

You all sit in silence for a while, Leonard feeding you slowly while Mickey and Danny sit beside you lazily. Almost all of Mickey’s weight was on you, his eyes half lidded while they flickered around the small room. Fit with only a stool and a small twin sized bed, it was never meant to be comfortable. The longest you’ve stayed in here was two days, and that was when you first tried to escape. Even Mickey couldn’t argue against locking you away.

Leonard’s voice pulls you out of memory lane, your mouth full of now lukewarm oatmeal as he waits for you to take the next bite. “We’re taking you out tonight.”

The sudden news surprises you, your eyes meeting his own in confusion. You swallow the food in your mouth, opening it to ask a question, but he shoves the spoon down your throat before you can say a single word.

“I know you’re still getting used to us and all, but Mickey decided to run his mouth and now we’re in a bit of a bind.” Leonard explains, ignoring the way Mickey glares at him for the slight. “You’re going to be meeting someone very important, and you’ll need to be on your best behavior.”

You roll your eyes as you take the last bite, chewing the mush before swallowing. You doubted what Leonard was saying was as important as he made it, but it still peaked your interest. You hadn’t been outside in so long, even being shown off in a sense might be worth the trip.

Danny reaches over to your arms while Leonard kneels in front of you, both yōkai quickly undoing the ties around you. As the ropes loosen and fall off, you stretch your muscles, almost trying in relief as you hear your joints click and pop back into place.

Mickey grimaces at the noise, his face scrunched up in disgust. You don’t bother to grace him with your gaze merely staring straight at Leonard as he picks up the gag once more. You try to lean back when he moves closer, but Danny’s hand firmly presses itself into your back, stopping you from moving too far.

Leonard fixes the gag in your mouth once more, smiling down at you like he wasn’t humiliating you. He stands up and ruffles your hair, nodding to the other two. You clench your teeth down on the rubber stick in your mouth, the cylindrical shape reminding you of a horse's bit. No matter how hard you bit it or pushed on it with your tongue, it wouldn't come off. You reach up your newly freed hands, trying to claw at it in hopes you’d be free. You were tired of the ache in your jaw.

"Stop messing with it." Leonard chides, pulling you off the bed. The other members of the group follow, each standing and making their way towards the door. Danny stops for a moment and stares down at you past his snout, his nose twitching while he looks you up and down.

"Should we change them?" Danny asks, clearly wanting to but not wanting to make it any more obvious. Mickey snorts, pushing past the Rat and moving towards you.

"They look fine, Danny. Big Mama won't care much what they're wearing." He says, wrapping himself around you. Danny rolls his eyes, grumbling as he kicks the ground.

"I care."

"We know you do." Leonard says, clapping him on the shoulder. He shakes his head at his partner in crime, shaking him slightly. "However, we don't have enough time to change them. Big Mama is going to be mad if we’re late again. You can always give them your present now, though."

Danny lights up at the suggestion, rushing out of the room. Leonard turns to you, his eyes narrowing at your hands clawing at your gag. "Behave. Big Mama is important. Sit still and be quiet, and just do everything we say."

Your hands drop to your sides as you huff, Leonard nodding in approval before turning to talk lowly to Mickey. Danny returns a moment later, an object hidden behind his back. You try to take a step back, nervous for what he was about to present you, but he grabs you by the arm and yanks you forward.

“Stay still Pumpkin.” Danny says, glee shining in his tone. You didn’t know what he was doing, but it seemed like something he was looking forward to. You grimace. If it excited him, it was most likely bad for you.

Danny pulls out a small black collar from behind his back, the bell on the front tinkling and rattling as it moves. Your face drops at the sight, unable to fight back from the shock of being collared. He takes no notice of your horrified expression, quickly fitting the collar around your neck. It clips on and a familiar surge of energy rushes through you, whatever spell entwined with the fibers of the collar activating once it was set on your neck. Your hands go up to grasp at the fabric, hoping to be able to pull it off. You stare at the ground in horror, your fingers unable to even pull at the smooth material. There was no indication of where your skin ended and the collar began, only a small bump and the feeling of a smooth material alerting your brain to the alteration. It was as if he had fused it with your skin. The cool metal of the tags and bell felt like they were burning your skin. You wanted it off.

Danny looks down, his finger flicking the bell and making it jingle. Mickey grins moving over to you and flopping his body over your back and leaning over your shoulder. “Do you like it?”

You don’t answer the eel, too mortified to speak. Danny grins, still admiring the accessory he had more or less glued to your neck.

“Sorry it’s not too pretty, but Leonard didn’t want you to have anything too… Flashy. You’ll be wearing this every time you go out at the least, and to our preference at home. Now,” Danny looks back at Leonard, nodding. “Anything else? Or should we leave?”

Leonard nods towards the door and the other two follow, no one paying attention to your face that was drained of color or shaky limbs. The bell rattles with every step, the quiet jingle sounding more like gunshots to your ears. You briefly wonder how they were bringing you, considering you were human and they were criminals. They’d filled your head full of the stories of how the yōkai hated humans, and while you were skeptical of some of the specifics, you really didn’t want to chance it if they were right.

“She’s sending a car, right?” Mickey mutters, his eyes flickering back and forth. Leonard nods, and your question was indirectly answered. You reach the door of the hideout, your hope raising for a small moment. It had been so long since you had been outside, since you had seen anything other than the four walls of their lair. The thought of bolting enters your mind, but only for a moment. Pushing any limits right now would be a bad idea, especially with how tense the three looked.

Leonard wraps his hand around your bicep, keeping you close and tightening his grip every time you try to pull back. He opens the door, keeping you in front of him while Mickey and Danny both stick to your left. A small limo sits in front of the area, a pig yōkai staring at the four of you. Danny nods at him, the pig opening the car doors and allowing you in.

Leonard has you move inside and sits next to you, not letting you go until Mickey and Danny were both seated as well. The eel and rat sat across from you, the seats laid out in rows of two, facing each other. You felt small, like every movement was being scrutinized by the two in front of you. Leonard leans back in the seat, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Mickey’s eyes are locked on you, the nubs he has for hands curled like a fist in his lap.

You shift in your seat, none of the Mud Dogs speaking and letting the silence rest over the car. Mickey looks out the window while Danny stares down at his lap, tapping away on the phone he had out. Your hand finds its way to the new offending piece that was situated on your neck, your nails scratching at the bump that signaled the start of the collar. You hadn’t noticed how deep you were scratching, your mind focused on extracting the offending object from your skin. It wasn’t until you hear Danny curse loudly that you realize there’s a small amount of blood coating your fingertips.

Leonard quickly snatches your wrists, pulling your arms away from your neck and stopping you from worsening the wound. Mickey stares at your neck in slight horror, his fishy lips gaped as he stares at you.

“What are you doing?” Danny hisses, reaching over to you and taking your chin. You hiss in pain when he tilts your face up to look at the wound, his eyes narrowed.

“Why did they…?” Mickey starts to question, his eyes narrowed at the marks on your neck. You try to speak, but the gag muffles you and you feel drool roll down your cheek instead of the words falling from your lips.

“Because Pumpkin’s an idiot.” Danny hisses, taking a handkerchief from the pocket of his flashy suit. You don’t try and make a face at the name this time, leaving it be. You didn’t want to push them any further while they carried that look in their eyes. Leonard stays quiet while Danny wipes the blood from your neck, his eyes dark and grip painfully tight on your wrists. You stop struggling as Mickey also moves forward, the trio crowding around you with concern and anger mixing dangerously in the air. You shift uncomfortably, your jaw aching at the need to speak, or to even shut your mouth.

Danny leans back, the corner of his handkerchief now pink with your blood. He shoves it in his pocket, eyeing your neck. He looks at Leonard and Mickey, sighing deeply. “That’ll have to do until we get home. I don’t have any bandages or disinfectant.”

Mickey nods, staring at your neck in interest. His eyes drop to your fingers, Leonard’s hand still encasing both of your hands. The blood had dried and stained your fingers a soft red, but the blood blended into your skin too much for it to be a noticeable worry.

Leonard yanks you forward as Danny and Mickey return to their seats, everyone’s eyes now on you. Leonard stares at your hands, the pads of his fingers running over your nails. He grumbles in annoyance, turning to Danny.

“Do you still have those gloves?”

Danny nods and pulls out a pair of black cloth gloves, one you usually saw him wearing after they came home from  a heist. Leonard takes the gloves and slips them over your hands without much protest from you. You didn’t want to rock the sinking ship more than you already had. Leonard pulls them as far down as he can so they’re snug on your hands before tightening the pull string at the bottom. He lets go of one hand, but keeps the other, his grip tight on your wrist. You gulp, slumping in your seat as you fight the urge to claw at the collar once more.

The rest of the trip is silent, no one daring to say a word.

You lean your head on the window of the limo as it pulls up to the entrance of the hotel, Leonard ushering you out and towards the door. All three were still tense, but no longer looked like they would bite your head off the moment you spoke. Walking up to the entrance, the doors open as soon as you reach the top step. There were two yōkai standing at the doors, both wearing purple uniforms with brass buttons. You stare at them in fascination for a moment, neither looking down at you as they continue to face forward with their backs straight and heads high. They remind you of royal guards for a queen, more for show than anything.

Leonard tugs you through, Danny walking a half step behind as Mickey grabs your other hand. The moment the eel has you, Leonard let's go, the responsibility of holding you being successfully transferred. The trio lead you into an elevator, another yōkai in the corner to press the buttons for the rider. Danny tells the operator something you didn’t catch, and he presses the corresponding button to wherever you were heading. You subconsciously lift your free hand up to your neck again, playing with the bell hanging from it instead of trying to attack your skin. You can see Leonard eyeing you, but he says nothing to your fiddling.

You stare at the scale of the moving numbers at the top of the elevator, watching them go up in mild disinterest. You could feel the anxiety rolling around in your stomach and flooding your veins, making every small movement of the elevator feel like an earthquake.

The elevator opens and you exit, Mickey dragging you happily to meet whoever or whatever it was that they took you here for. Your eyes move to the desk in the middle of the room, a small woman sitting at it. She stands up as the trio brings you in further, your eyes widening at the sight of her.

She was so… Human. Sure, her skin was a bit of an odd color(too purple to be normal, but maybe it was the lighting), and her teeth seemed just a wee bit too sharp, but other than that? Human. Completely and safely human. Your worries melt away despite the aura of danger drifting from the woman as she walks nearer, her humanness easing every bit of panic you had. She closes the distance and looks at you, adjusting the thin blue glasses on her face with a small smile.

“Oh my, look at this little doll.” The woman says, taking your chin and moving it back and forth as she scans your face. Your eyes are drawn to hers, the cool lilac of her iris’s burning into your mind. Was she wearing colored contacts? Her appearance and clothing showed her to be a woman of high authority, and she seemed to be the boss, or main leader, of your captors. It was an odd choice for someone of her ranking, but not one you could fault. The lilac eyes looked beautiful on her.

The woman leans back, her hand forcing your face to follow. She cups your face with both hands and smiles down at you, her eyes swimming with a false security. “Wherever did you find this one, dears?”

Leonard grins, his chest puffing out as he answers the strange woman. “I found them near one of the entrances to the city a couple months ago. I couldn’t just leave them alone and lost, so I took them home.”

A small smirk is held on her face as she continues to examine you, squishing your cheeks and lifting your lips to check your teeth and gums. You nip at her fingers for the intrusion, narrowing your eyes in warning. It was the first sign of aggression you had shown to the woman thus far. She merely smiles, cooing down at you.

“It truly is a marvelous example of a human. Quite scrumptious, if I do say so myself.” She finally drops your chin, moving over to her desk and toying with a pen on the surface. Her wording confused and worried you, bringing back the earlier unease with full force. She was speaking as if she wasn’t human herself, and it worried you to no end. “How much do you want for them? I do need more humans for the nexus entertainment, and I’m not quite sure you three would take good care of one like this.”

Leonard stiffens and I rub at my chin, the smooth texture of the gloves easing the ache in my jaw. Danny snarls, grabbing me and tugging me back. My eyes widen in surprise at the sudden pull, my hands flailing for a moment as I lose my balance.

“Pumpkin is *not* for sale.” He hisses, both Mickey and Leonard joining him in a tense stance. Danny shoves you behind him, not caring for your indignant cries. You can barely see Big Mama from behind the three, their bodies blocking you from sight almost completely.

Big Mama sighs, her voice clouded in fake dejection. You highly doubted the woman even cared. “Very well. Now, I do hope you bring them along another time then. But I am a very busy woman, and my schedule is oh so scrumdiddly packed. You boys should be on your way.”

The Mud Dogs take the sendoff at face value and tug you back, quickly going through the hotel and back down to the car. You’re shoved into your seat once more, and you’re hit with the regret of not trying to hightail it the moment you stepped outside. The car moves and you watch the window. There was still one more chance.

When the car pulls to a stop in front of the Mud Dog’s base, you tense. You go through the plan in your head, trying to memorize each step and each reaction you may need to take in case something goes wrong. Leonard pulls you out, and in the transition of Mickey and Danny leaving, you knee the ogre yōkai in the stomach. His grip goes lax as he doubles over, a wheezing cough ripped from his lungs.

You yank your arm away from him and dash down the street, your arms pumping wildly as you run. You didn’t notice how mast Mickey was until he caught you, volts of electricity buzzing through your veins and tensing your muscles. You collapse into the eels arms, your eyes heavy and body spasming. With your brain so fried, It wasn’t until you saw the others' eyes that you knew just how badly you messed up.

They drag you into the hideout, not one of them caring about your muffled screams.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

July 6, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUL 7, 2023

The payroll processing firm ADP said today that private sector jobs jumped by 497,000 in June, far higher than the Dow Jones consensus estimate predicted. The big gains were in leisure and hospitality, which added 232,000 new hires; construction with 97,000; and trade, transportation and utilities with 90,000. Annual pay rose at a rate of 6.4%. Most of the jobs came from companies with fewer than 50 employees. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which is a way to measure the stock market by aggregating certain stocks, dropped 372 points as the strong labor market made traders afraid that the Fed would raise interest rates again to cool the economy. Higher interest rates make borrowing more expensive, slowing investment. 

Today, as the Washington Post’s climate reporter Scott Dance warned that the sudden surge of broken heat records around the globe is raising alarm among scientists, Bloomberg’s Cailley LaPara reported that the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act for emerging technologies to address climate change have long-term as well as short-term benefits. 

Dance noted that temperatures in the North Atlantic are already close to their typical annual peak although we are early in the season, sea ice levels around Antarctica are terribly low, and Monday was the Earth’s hottest day in at least 125,000 years and Tuesday was hotter. LaPara noted that while much attention has been paid to the short-term solar, EV, and wind industries in the U.S., emerging technologies for industries that can’t be electrified—technologies like sustainable aviation fuel, clean hydrogen, and direct air capture, which pulls carbon dioxide out of the air—offer huge potential to reduce emissions by 2030. 

This news was the backdrop today as President Biden was in South Carolina to talk about Bidenomics. After touting the huge investments of both public and private capital that are bringing new businesses and repaired infrastructure to that state, Biden noted that analysts have said that the new laws Democrats have passed will do more for Republican-dominated states than for Democratic ones. “Well, that’s okay with me,” Biden said, “because we’re all Americans. Because my view is: Wherever the need is most, that’s the place we should be helping. And that’s what we’re doing. Because the way I look at it, the progress we’re making is good for all Americans, all of America.”

On Air Force One on the way to the event, deputy press secretary Andrew Bates began his remarks to the press: “President Biden promised that he would be a president for all Americans, regardless of where they live and regardless of whether they voted for him or not. He also promised to rebuild the middle class. The fact that Bidenomics has now galvanized over $500 billion in job-creating private sector investment is the newest testament to how seriously he takes fulfilling those promises.”

Bates listed all the economic accomplishments of the administration and then added: “the most powerful endorsement of Bidenomics is this: Every signature economic law this President has signed, congressional Republicans who voted “no” and attacked it on Fox News then went home to their district and hailed its benefits.” He noted that “Senator Lindsey Graham called the Inflation Reduction Act ‘a nightmare for South Carolina,’” then, “[j]ust two months later, he called BMW’s electric vehicles announcement ‘one of the most consequential announcements in the history of the state of South Carolina.’” “Representative Joe Wilson blasted the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but later announced, ‘I welcome Scout Motors’ plans to invest $2 billion and create up to 4,000 jobs in South Carolina.’ Nancy Mace called Bidenomics legislation a…‘disaster,’ then welcomed a RAISE grant to Charleston.” 

“[W]hat could speak to the effectiveness of Bidenomics more than these conversions?” Bates asked.

While Biden is trying to sell Americans on an economic vision for the future, the Republican leadership is doubling down on dislike of President Biden and the Democrats. Early on the morning of July 2, Trump, who remains the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, shared a meme of President Biden that included a flag reading: “F*CK BIDEN AND F*CK YOU FOR VOTING FOR HIM!” The next morning, in all caps, he railed against what he called “massive prosecutorial conduct” and “the weaponization of law enforcement,” asking: “Do the people of this once great nation even have a choice but to protest the potential doom of the United States of America??? 2024!!!”

Prosecutors have told U.S. district judge Aileen Cannon that they want to begin Trump’s trial on 37 federal charges for keeping and hiding classified national security documents, and as his legal trouble heats up, Trump appears to be calling for violence against Democrats. On June 29 he posted what he claimed was the address of former president Barack Obama, inspiring a man who had been at the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol to repost the address and to warn, “We got these losers surrounded! See you in hell,…Obama’s [sic].” Taylor Tarranto then headed there with firearms and ammunition, as well as a machete, in his van. Secret Service agents arrested him. 

Indeed, those crossing the law for the former president are not faring well. More than 1,000 people have been arrested for their participation in the events of January 6, and those higher up the ladder are starting to feel the heat as well. Trump lawyer Lin Wood, who pushed Trump’s 2020 election lies, was permitted to “retire” his law license on Tuesday rather than be disbarred. Trump lawyer John Eastman is facing disbarment in California for trying to overturn the 2020 election with his “fake elector” scheme, a ploy whose legitimacy the Supreme Court rejected last week. And today, Trump aide Walt Nauta pleaded not guilty to federal charges of withholding documents and conspiring to obstruct justice for allegedly helping Trump hide the classified documents he had at Mar-a-Lago. 

Trump Republicans—MAGA Republicans—are cementing their identity by fanning fears based on cultural issues, but it is becoming clear those are no longer as powerful as they used to be as the reality of Republican extremism becomes clear. 

Yesterday the man who raped and impregnated a then-9-year-old Ohio girl was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison. Last year, after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision recognizing the constitutional right to abortion, President Biden used her case to argue for the need for abortion access. Republican lawmakers, who had criminalized all abortions after 6 weeks, before most people know they’re pregnant, publicly doubted that the case was real (Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost told the Fox News Channel there was “not a damn scintilla of evidence” to support the story). Unable to receive an abortion in Ohio, the girl, who had since turned 10, had to travel to Indiana, where Dr. Caitlin Bernard performed the procedure.

Republican Indiana attorney general Todd Rokita complained—inaccurately—that Bernard had not reported child abuse and that she had violated privacy laws by talking to a reporter, although she did not identify the patient and her employer said she acted properly. Bernard was nonetheless reprimanded for her handling of privacy issues and fined by the Indiana licensing board. Her employer disagreed.

As Republican-dominated states have dramatically restricted abortion, they have fueled such a backlash that party members are either trying to avoid talking about it or are now replacing the phrase “national ban” with “national consensus” or “national standard,” although as feminist writer Jessica Valenti, who studies this language, notes, they still mean strict antiabortion measures. In the House, some newly-elected and swing-district Republicans have blocked abortion measures from coming to a vote out of concern they will lose their seats in 2024. 

But it is not at all clear the issue will go away. Yesterday, those committed to protecting abortion rights in Ohio turned in 70% more signatures than they needed to get a measure amending the constitution to protect that access on the ballot this November. In August, though, antiabortion forces will use a special election to try to change the threshold for constitutional amendments, requiring 60% of voters rather than a majority.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[hapan-in-exile]

Volume 4 - Post #8: Baby, You're the Best

Another installment in this ongoing serialized fanfic

GIF by djo

Genre: Mandalorian x Fem! Reader

Total word count: 4K (eighth post in Volume 4)

Rating: Explicit - smut, language, +18 *NSFW*

_______________________________

VIII. Once the tin siding of your clapboard hut is within view, you break into a run despite your legs trembling beneath you. The wash of anxiety from riding the speeder bike shudders through your body in receding waves of nausea and panic, tilting the world on its axis until you have to pause to clutch at your stomach. 

Before you can steady yourself—you sink to your knees, gag, and heave bile onto the dirt path. 

The thrill is undeniable, but so is the terror. The illusion of control is just that, an illusion. Gone in an instant with one wrong sightline or shift of your shoulders. There’d been a moment when your life had flashed before your eyes, when you nearly crashed the bike into a retaining wall making a sharp left turn. And then again, dodging the pylons under a water tank. 

But you did it. Not long ago, you would have been stuck, trapped inside the TaggeCo compound with no way out, but today you got on the fucking bike, shifted into gear, and rode that bitch to freedom.

You’d happily thank the Mandalorian for his exasperated yet efficient tutelage—but seeing as he couldn’t care less about being here, this victory is entirely yours. Should it come up in conversation, you will definitely leave out the part where you got tossed over the front of the speeder, braking too hard. 

Fortunately, you didn’t crash in view of the guards. They were more than happy to nod you through the exit wearing a Tagge Corporation uniform stolen from the medical offices, along with someone’s very well-tailored flight jacket. 

Your heart had been racing so hard you could barely hear them over the pounding of your pulse against your eardrums, fearing they would recognize you as Kessen’s…escort, who had passed through the gatehouse hours earlier. But apparently, they hadn’t noticed anything higher than your tits and didn’t realize the ‘doctor’ waving at them as she left work for the day, was actually the same person. 

How would the bodyguard react when he returned to the clinic looking for you? Or when he discovers that you’d taken his speeder? It’s parked outside the same public hall where you both play Sabacc. Hopefully, he’d spot it the next time he visited the tables. 

But for now, you feel safe. However much Kessen ingratiated himself with the locals, drinking at the cantinas and playing cards, he was aligned with the Tagge family. None of your neighbors would tell him where to find you. 

Although, anything is possible with enough money…

No. No! You’re being paranoid. Johar Kessen is expecting to see you at the bonfire. You’ve got at least three or four hours before you have to worry about anything more complicated than crumpling into a ball of blankets and staring up at the ceiling. 

You wipe your mouth clean with the back of your hand and haul yourself upright.

Lakarani huts were all constructed in a circular design, with thick oilskin tarps stretched over their vaulted wooden beams to form a domed roof at the top. Inside, the interior walls, about shoulder height, divided the space into segments like the spokes of a wheel. It created sleeping stalls that afforded some measure of privacy once you’d draped a few curtains overhead. You pull them aside, ready to crawl under the covers and collapse into unconsciousness.

But for the second time that day, you find someone has left a gift on top of your bedroll. 

Humia—it couldn’t have been anyone else—had laid out a dress for you, presumably, to wear to the bonfire that night. 

It’s a silvery-blue color that hugs your body to the waist, then widens into a soft, flowing skirt. Obviously, one of her own, given the size, but you have to admit that it looks gorgeous on you, clinging to your breasts and curves. The tension in the fabric pulls tight across your wide hips, creating this little swell between your thighs where—

You tear the dress off, ripping the bodice in your frantic efforts to get it over your head. 

What had, seconds ago, seemed like a simple gesture of friendship suddenly feels vulgar and manipulative. Was she hoping to offer you up to Kessen in a pretty little package? She’d been so eager about the idea of you meeting him there.

What had she said…it’s not much of a heavy lift, surely?

With both hands, you grip the soft fabric between your fists and begin tearing the dress to shreds. It’s petty vengeance, but it feels so fucking good. 

The rage building in your chest is pure and honest. You let it guide every wrenching pull until your heart is racing. Hair swings about your face, tendrils sticking to your sweaty, flushed cheeks. You’re breathing so shallow and fast now that you start to get dizzy again and have to brace yourself against the pillows.

That’s when your fingers brush against the stiff and silky ridges of embroidery. Under your scattered pillows is a thin leather sheath decorated with crescent moons and stars and night blossoms—flowers that only opened under moonlight. The color of the embroidered thread matches the dress perfectly. Too perfect to be a coincidence. The dress and sheath are a set, and—you make a concerted search of blankets and discover—yes, a sash to wear over both. It’s Lakarani festival attire. 

Oh, you are such an asshole.

The sob that rises from your chest takes you by surprise. But as soon as it passes your lips, there’s no point in trying to hold back. You sob and howl like an animal caught in a hunter’s trap. And why not? You’re just as helpless. 

Humia, Nito, Johar, Mando…you don’t know how to fix any of it.

Alright, just breathe. Breathe, dammit. 

The origin of the dress did not, in and of itself, change Humia’s intentions. Honey is the word she used this morning, because using you as a honey pot is exactly what she has planned. However—that crude intent did not change the generosity of her gesture. Between the Hutts and the Tagge family, the Lakarani struggled to preserve their cultural traditions. Honatoka is supposed to be a week-long festival celebration, and it had been reduced to twelve hours of leave from work, granted by the people who thought of their sacred holiday as a sex party. 

Your anger at Humia might be justified, but nothing can justify your reaction. You have to make this right.  

Osram, the Echani who ran the wash house, also did some tailoring. Maybe he could repair—you glance down at the strips of frayed and puckered fabric—okay, remake the dress? In fact, that might be an ideal cover to approach him. 

You don’t have all the details worked out yet, but you’re percolating on a plan that would involve Osram combing a few of the uniforms you stole to accommodate Nito’s four arms. There aren’t any Ardennians currently working for the Tagge family on Lakaran, as far as you know, but that was the magic of a uniform and lab coat. As long as it was freshly laundered, crisp, and pristine, no one saw past it. You could even coach Nito to recite some incomprehensible monologue about creatinine clearance if he was questioned.   

Because Nito’s right. You need him to pull this off. It went against every instinct, but having him and the kid by your side might be the best way to keep them safe.

Nito is a child—they are both children—and yet he probably knew more about survival than you did. Sure, you had suffered, been ripped away from the loving arms of your family. But you had never gone hungry, never worried about where you would sleep at night. You had people who cared for you, if not about you. Love did not keep a child from starving or being murdered in an alley for the coins in their pocket. 

Nito had survived the streets of Coronet City, navigated street wars, and negotiated his way out of all of it. Mando had little patience for the Ardennian’s sardonic immaturity, but he respected Nito’s expertise. So should you.     

But getting him inside the Tower…ugh?!

Kriffing hell, what are you going to do about Kessen? There’s just no denying that crossing the skybridge on level seven of the residential tower is made infinitely easier with Johar’s help. Without him, you’ll need to come up with some compelling cover story, like maybe Nito was a specialist who had traveled to Lakaran to consult with you on a medical issue…or the Child is Ephram Tagge’s newest pet and you were both very legit veterinary professionals delivering him…

Or you could just waltz through the front door with Johar Kessen, no questions asked. 

And then what? Do you involve him in the entire plan to take over the Tagge refinery? 

Deep down you know that’s not your call to make. Not alone anyway. But you are loath to tell Humia about this. She will be ecstatic, of course. 

And then there’s telling Mando, who will be…who the fuck knows what the Mandalorian’s reaction will be.

Is there some way you can get Kessen’s help without resorting to seduction? Right now, that seems naive, bordering on delusional. Especially after he’s made his desires clear. Back at the clinic, he had been seconds away from placing your hand over his cock before the guard on patrol barged in. And you still don’t have an answer for what would’ve happened next. 

Would you have passively let it happen? Let him pull you into his arms, onto his lap. Let him take you on the exam table?

That’s what scares you most. The thought that you might recede inside yourself so he could use the body you left behind. If it meant that he would help you? If it meant you could defeat the Tagges? You were willing to sacrifice your life for this cause. Why is this any different?

Maybe you could pretend it was your choice. Maybe you could try to enjoy it.

But it wasn’t something you would choose. Not when your head is so confused with thoughts about Mando.

Perhaps the Mandalorian wouldn’t care? If he’s putting this distance between you…

Blessed mother, if you tell Mando about Johar Kessen and he encourages you to sleep with him, it might actually destroy you. 

No. The solution, as it stands, is to avoid crossing paths with the bodyguard ever again. Kessen would find some enthusiastic partner at the bonfire tonight, very eager to have sex with him in a moonlit field, and that would be the end of it. He would lose interest in you. His newfound love for the Lakarani would turn him against the Tagge family. He'd join the revolution, and it would have absolutely nothing to do with you. 

Erenada, you really are delusional. 

As you sob into the crook of your arm, you tell yourself to let it go. But it’s too much to let go of in one night. The weight of the cause, the guilt, your anger, and most of all, Mando and everything you might have been—it’s more than you can lay aside in a single bout of tears.

You do your best, though. It’s difficult to reach for your powers—particularly to wield them on your own body—when your mind is scattered to pieces. But you manage to reduce your hormone levels and blood pressure. Just enough to stop the racing thoughts. It’s not something you’d ordinarily do. To turn off your capacity for pain and anguish is to risk losing your empathy. It’s what had turned Tigran into a monster. You just need enough peace to find sleep. 

When you’re all out of tears, you lift your head from the damp pillow to crawl under your blankets. By then, your head aches from sobbing, and exhaustion drags you down within seconds, too deep for dreams.

*****

Halfway into your troubled sleep, a muffled but insistent beeping noise wakes you. You’ve never quite shaken that soldier’s battle readiness—a quick jolt of unease, and you’re immediately alert. You start patting down your rucksack when you realize the sound is coming from your communicator.

A glance toward the window tells you there must be another hour or so before sunset. The sky is still alight with the dusky haze of twilight. And yet, the usual noisy chorus of neighbors is missing.

Apart from the soft creak of the laundry line outside, it’s surprisingly quiet. You can’t sense Davik or Serenio’s presence either. Everyone must be down at the river already, awaiting the totality of sunset next to the bonfire, celebrating with music and dancing along the spiraling jetty.  

Vigilance costs nothing, so you double-check that you are indeed alone before pulling out the communicator. Holding it inches from your face, head cocked in disbelief, you see that someone has sent you their location coordinates. The signal originates from...inside the hut?

No. That can’t be right. Unless—no, you drop your gaze from the cloth tarps overhead. They’re under the hut, right below you.

Panicked at the implications, you try to focus and regain your bearings. Where are your boots? The signal remains motionless, waiting for you. It must be an emergency for Nito to risk coming here. You pray nothing has happened to the kid. You throw on the first thing you pull out of your rucksack and rush towards the door.

Remembering that security drones could be anywhere, you step onto your clapboard porch as if you’re making a routine trip to the privy, your new robe cinched around your waist. Admittedly you wouldn’t normally wear something this nice to take a shit in a compostable toilet, but that hardly seems like the most pressing concern at the moment. 

Swallowing a lump the size of your fist, you turn onto the rocky path sloping downhill between the houses with performative calm. When you step into the shadows between the cantilever beams underneath your hut, you release all the breath you’ve been holding. 

“Nito?” you whisper, directing your question into the darkness.

But it’s Mando who emerges into the dappled light, his Beskar reflecting the soft twilight haze like a halo.

“Thulani,” the low, gruffness in his voice as he says your name makes your skin flush with heat, from your cheeks to your chest, to between your thighs.

You want to go to him. You want to wrap your arms around him. You want to shove him against a wall and demand to know where he’s been. You want to kiss him or simply run back to the hut and slam the door in his face. You have no idea what you want, so you stand there with your arms crossed anxiously over your stomach until you hear yourself ask, “What are you doing here?”

There’s clearly no emergency. The Mandalorian saunters toward you with that slow, rolling stride you love to watch so much. 

Now you want to scream at him. This is such a stupid risk to take! He’s wearing his cloak draped over him, and sure, it helped to obscure the winking gleam of Beskar. But if he’s spotted by a drone or, hell, another living soul…

There’s no good reason for a Mandalorian bounty hunter to be on your doorstep. The sight of him would set off gossip and speculation that could put the entire operation in peril.

If he had just waited for you at the Razor Crest…But, look at him! Dammit, that saunter?! 

Mando shakes his head, leaning a shoulder against one of the support beams, “I came for you…” his voice trails off. “I wanted to check on you.” 

How strange, to hear someone as sure and stoic as Mando sounding uncertain.

Your brain throws up warning bells. Is this the part where he launches into an explanation about why it would never work between you? Gods, if he says something about valuing your friendship, you will run down to the river and throw yourself into the current. 

“How are you holding up?”

What are you supposed to say? That’s a bad habit you’ve slipped into—trying to think of what people want to hear instead of just telling them the truth.

But you have no idea what Mando wants to hear right now.

He seems so cool and collected. While you, on the other hand, can already feel yourself getting wet from his just… standing there, existing. He hasn’t even touched you yet.

“It’s been rough,” you say, your polite, passionless mask settling into place. If he’s going to play it cool, so can you. “But…we’ve made a lot of progress.”

“That’s not what I asked,” he says firmly.

When you don’t say anything more, you both fall into silence. Yet he doesn’t grow impatient or frustrated.

When Mando finally speaks, he sounds steady again. Strong. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

It’s clear he has no idea what “it” is. Still, he wants to protect you from the pain of it. And gods be damned, you need that steadiness and strength. More than that, you need him. 

How do you tell him that your silence feels like the best protection? Because if you don’t say another word, you might just save yourself from the humiliation of begging him to touch you. 

“I’ll be alright,” is all you intend to say. But suddenly, you can’t seem to stop yourself from talking.

“It’s just…a challenge to ground myself in what’s real when I’m constantly weighing what I say and do to get the correct response from people.” Gods, it felt good to say that out loud. “I’ve begun thinking about everyone in terms of their usefulness to me. Cold calculation isn’t something in my nature, but it’s really important for the success of this mission—” You hold up a hand before he can correct you, “Job.”

But he doesn’t interrupt. Mando stays quiet, giving you the chance to let it all out. 

“I worry that I’ve made a terrible mistake thinking I could do this. It’s so hard to keep track of who knows what. Which lies I’ve told to whom. What should I share about myself to earn their trust versus how much to withhold,” you sigh, throwing up your hands, fingers catching in the tangled waves of your dyed brown hair. “I don’t even look like myself anymore.”       

He cocks his head, studying you intently. “You’re still the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

Your gaze snaps up. Oh? And your insides melt hearing the tenderness in his voice. It’s the same soft, gentle tone he used when you were lying naked in his arms. You look at him with a sudden glimmer of hope in your eyes.

The thrill of possibility spurs you forward, and you take a step closer to him. “I was worried you might not recognize me.” 

Mando also steps forward. With one hand, he grips your chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting your head back as he leans closer. He’s so tall that he looms over you. All the ambient noise around you seems to fade away. You’re completely caught in the spell he’s weaving.

Goddess, how you miss the feel of his skin pressed against yours. Please soften his heart and make him mine.

“You still have the same fiercely intelligent eyes,” he says. “Always thinking. And these lines around your mouth,” Mando’s thumb brushes over your lower lip. “From when you smile.” 

Laughter bubbles up in your chest. You never have to worry about false flattery from the Mandalorian. 

“See?” His hand slides along your jaw, caressing your cheek. “Same dimples.”

Oh! Oh, so you’ve just completely misread the entire situation. This whole time, you’ve been thinking that he wanted to distance himself…but there was no deeper significance to his actions. It was nothing calculated or intentionally hurtful. No message he was sending you.

He needed to see Yarella to ensure the safety of his crew, and so he did. 

“Is that really what’s bothering you? I feel like there’s something you’re not telling me.”

Oh, you could fill a book with the things you are not telling him. The pain and anger. All the shit with Kessen. You aren’t going to tell him any of it.

Rationally, you understand that he can’t know he’s done something to hurt you unless you tell him. He’s never had a romantic partner before—shit, just getting him to acknowledge that his choices impact the people around him was a months-long learning process. These miscommunications will continue to happen if you don’t actually tell him when he fails to communicate. 

But getting into a long conversation about feelings is the last thing you want to do right now. Talking about talking? You can’t imagine anything less sexy.

You don't want to break the spell. It’s easier to forget the hurt and pretend everything is fine. 

And as for the situation with Johar Kessen? Let’s just cross that bridge when you come to it.

You wind an arm around his neck and sag against him. “I just missed you.”

Mando’s other hand palms your waist, and the part of your heart you’d been trying to bury all day leaps for joy. “Good,” he says from somewhere above your head, a smile audible in his voice. 

Despite your angry panic, the desire welling up inside of you at the feel of his hands is a living thing trying to burst through your chest. It’s not easy to press yourself against all that armor—but that doesn’t stop you from trying. All the hurt and nagging concerns are meaningless. You’re fucked. Just incapable of suppressing how much you want him.

The Mandalorian bends his head to get a better look at you. “Sounds like I don’t have to worry about your new job.”

“Worry? That I’m going to hand in my resignation so I can mop floors for TaggeCo? Absolutely not,” you scoff. "Though there is something deeply gratifying about using a pressure washer."

“I didn’t think princesses knew how to mop,” he teases.

And this...this is what you missed. These tiny moments when he made you laugh or placed a comforting hand on your back. When he made you feel like there was no world outside the circle of his arms.

“Well, I wouldn’t know—what with not being a princess,” you roll your eyes. “But I was a novice at the palace temple, and novices learn to mop. And wash dishes. And do laundry.”

Fourteen-year-old Thulani would've refused to believe it, but all that drudgery has served you well. When you arrived on Lakaran, Humia deeply resented your addition to her team. “I don’t need you, and I don’t trust you, so stay out of my way,” were the first words she’d spoken to you.  Then, she watched you get down on your hands and knees to scrub for ten hours without complaint, come home, and carry two heavy jugs of potable water uphill, one in each hand, from the tanker at the center of camp. She’s been considerably nicer to you ever since. 

“You’re lucky I’m not the Hapan princess, by the way,” you grin, looking up into his viewplate. “The real princess would absolutely hate you. She’d never tolerate such a snarky bastard like—”

The Mandalorian moves impossibly fast. He grips your arms tightly, then pushes you away by the shoulders, pinning you against the steel support beam. Mando slams his hands on either side of you, so that you’re imprisoned by his arms. His muscular body presses against you. You swallow hard, stunned by the speed, awakening something inside you that feels a little bit like fear and a lot like lust.

“Shhh,” he says, as two of his leather fingers slide up to cover your lips.

That’s when you hear the crunch of rocks.

*************

Continue reading - Volume 4 - Post #9: Lucid Dreams!

Back to all posts for Volume 4

[p1a9u3]

PeepHole Ch.1: Moving Day

Masterpost Ch.1 - Ch.2 Pairing: Dylan Matthews x Fem Oc

Rating: 18+ (mdni)

Genre: Neighbors/Strangers to Lovers, Smut, Angst, Fluff, Slow-burn

Summary: Moving isn't as exciting as Amoya thought, plus she may have pissed off her new neighbor.

Words: 3.2k

Warnings: (This story takes place in 2024) Mental illness (anxiety, ocd), Violent intrusive thoughts, Language, Age gap (5years), Using phone while driving

Status: Unedited

Author note: This is the first fic that I've ever posted, I've written before but I've never finished anything and published it so don't tear me to shreds, please. I chose to make an oc instead of just writing as a reader mainly because I made a whole character in my head before I wrote this so I decided to just make her an oc, if you would like a post going more into this oc of mine feel free to ask (I might post it anyway because I like her), there is no smut in this chapter btw. Please give me feedback and suggestions, constructive criticism, etc. Don't be a bitch about it though...please. I'm thinking of making this a series POSSIBLY, but I procrastinate a lot so that may never happen. To my fellow troublemakers hopefully, I do Dylan justice and my writing is at least a little bit accurate to his personality. Still, to be fair I'm a fairly new troublemaker having only found out about this man a few weeks ago, so if something isn't accurate please correct me...politely. He's become my new hyper fixation so when I saw there aren't really any fics about him I decided I should make my own so here we are. Anyway with that being said Enjoy <3. Update: Dylan is barely in this chapter

Monday, February 26, 2024 Time: 8:30AM Moving out was less relieving than you thought it would be. Having been by your mother's side for almost all your life, you'd gotten comfortable always having someone around.

'You can't live with your parents forever'

People would remind you whenever the topic of anyone's living situation would be brought up. Being twenty-seven and still living with your mother wasn't something you wanted to keep telling people, no one would take you seriously. Though your mother never pushed for you to move out, never mentioned it actually. You think you know why. You never say anything though, so you deal with the slight embarrassment, and ignore the judgmental stares you get whenever someone brings it up.

'They don't know our relationship'

More excuses you make up to justify your obstinance; and to mask the anxiety you're feeling as finish up packing your U-Haul. You had finished packing your stuff from your shared apartment and were now finishing the few boxes you had in storage. Now in the elevator mustering up the strength to carry the last two boxes back down to the truck. Grabbing the lock you had left on the floor, you place it on top of one of the boxes and stack the box onto the second one, bending down and lifting with a soft grunt. Long strides carrying you to the elevator, you push the down button with your foot. The doors open soon after, you step inside setting the boxes down as you push the bottom floor and wait. Pushing off the wall as the doors open you pick up the boxes once again, you quickly load them up into the U-Haul before grabbing the padlock from on top of the box, and then heading to the front desk of the storage building.

"Here, the unit is clean and empty." You smile at the woman as she takes the lock and keys with a thank you.

Turning on your heels you walk back to your U-Haul giving everything a once-over before locking it all up, now turning your attention to the hitch attached to the back of the Truck where your precious car is hitched too. It was a black and cherry red 1993 Nissan 240SX with a red interior, you had seen it while driving with your mom past a repair shop when you were 25, back then it had no windshield or wheels. You won't lie and say you fixed it yourself but you did invest all the money you had at that time to fix it up and color it how you wanted; you still would say it was worth it. Checking the hitch and chains attached to the bottom of the car making sure everything was set and ready.

"Everything looks good?" Your mother said making you jump

"Yah! A warning ma, please! And yes everything looks good, I packed up the last two boxes and returned the keys and lock to the front desk while you were in the bathroom." You let out a breath calming your heart from the scare you just had, your mom snickering next to you. You turn to her rolling your eyes playfully as you walk to the front of the truck, your mom following behind you.

"Good, let's get on the road." Your mom hops into the passenger seat and rolls down the window. "I wanna get home by Wednesday."

You climb into the driver's seat, buckling your seatbelt then checking your mirrors. You two had agreed on driving to your new apartment, taking turns every 5 hours, once you got there she'd help you unload and unpack on Tuesday, and your mom would then fly back to New Orleans on Wednesday. The more you think about it the more you feel yourself panic a bit.

"Okay."

Time: 9:00AM Starting the car, you let out a breath putting the car in drive and pulling out of the parking lot of the storage building. You could tell your mom was trying to keep herself calm by the way she would rub her right thigh with her right hand, it was a nervous tick she passed down to you. Unfortunately, you were just as nervous, so you decided to turn on the playlist you and your mom made while eating the night before, mixes of all kinds of genres put into one playlist to keep you both entertained during the drive. Pulling off the main road and merging onto the freeway, you glance over to your mom to see her smiling wide looking back at you. She has that look in her eyes, you know it well.

"Its happening ma." You smile back at your mom then look back to the road

Your mother places her hand on your thigh, letting out a long sigh and a soft squeeze before returning it back to her own lap. You see her wipe a single tear from your peripheral; you don't acknowledge it. She'll start bawling the second you tell her not to cry. So you pretend not to see it and start singing along to Erykah Badu, your mom turns the music up a bit and starts singing along too. You smile to yourself as you glance out your side window, watching as familiar buildings pass by in a blur, You think you'll miss this place. No, you know you will, but a part of you is kinda excited, relieved almost. You've silently always longed to live on your own, but another part of you calls you selfish for even wanting that until now

'How could want to leave your mother'

You know it's normal to want to move out of your parent's home, every grown adult has to move out at some point, and twenty-seven is a perfectly normal age to do so, You wanted to move when you were twenty-four. Hell, some people live with their parents till they are far in their thirties.

'But you know your mother may need you right'

All your brothers have moved out, they are doing good on their own, and you're the only one left. It was only a matter of time; you tell yourself. Your mom will be fine, she's dating a new man who treats her great and takes care of her. Hell he tried to hire a moving crew to move all your stuff, but you wanted to do it yourself and your mom wasn't going to let you drive almost halfway across the country by yourself.

'you could've found a place closer to her you know'

Phoenix, Arizona. You chose Phenix simply because it was affordable for you and close to LA, your mom agreed it was a good choice. There is work in LA, California is just so expensive, so you chose the next best thing. The apartment is nice from what you saw as well, one bedroom, two baths with a study. It was perfect for you.

Time: 11:23AM The drive was going well so far, your mother eating a bag of chips she packed along with all the other snacks and drinks. You were eating a Honeybun, one of your favorite snacks, and drinking water. Your mom had turned off the music and started watching YouTube with mostly commentary so you could listen and drive, Right now a video was playing talking about some ice cream drama in North Dakota. Author note: if you watched this video featuring Dylan is in Trouble, I know it's technically in the future but I don't care, this is all fake anyway. You found it interesting and kinda funny, laughing every now and then when your mom would pause to add her opinion. About two-thirds of the way into the video you glance down at the screen, there are two guys now instead of one, and one of them is wearing glasses, you glance back down looking at the title of the video 'Insane Local Ice Cream Shop Drama (w/ Dylan Is In Trouble)' You made a mental note of the second guy's name for later, his voice was nice you told yourself, he was also fine as fuck. You leaned your seat back as far as it would go, which wasn't very far, getting comfortable. You still have two more hours left to drive.

Time: 12:35PM Your mom had fallen asleep about ten minutes ago, YouTube was still playing, The next video had been the same guy as before. You looked down for a second, looking at the title of the video that had been playing for about fifteen minutes. 'Guessing Finales After ONE Episode (ft. Dylan Is In Trouble)' You smile to yourself a bit recognizing the name at the end of the title, you let the video play just listening to the guy talk for ten more minutes. You caught yourself smiling again when you recognized the second guy's voice as he joined in for the rest of the video, you took a sip of your water glancing down at the video, seeing him pop on screen whenever he had something to say

"he's funny." You mutter to yourself quietly, thinking out loud.

The video had ended and your lips fell back into their original position, as an ad played before the next queued-up video, you looked down at your GPS. 1322 miles to go; you let out a sigh.

'200 miles closer to leaving you mom'

She was helping you unpack, so you technically wouldn't be leaving her really. If anything she was leaving you since she had to fly back home. You prop your left elbow on the open window, your left hand holding the steering wheel, and your right hand comes down to your thigh, rubbing small circles back and forth.

'What happens if Devon goes back home'

Your oldest brother Devon was working at a mental facility. He was on his medication and was doing good, he managed to get a job there and has been making decent money. He was doing fine, He is doing fine.

'What if he stops taking his medication again.'

They will keep tabs on him, they know his habits, his symptoms, He is fine.

'Has another episode and gets out'

That wouldn't happen. He's fine

'He'll be there when mom gets back'

No.

"Hes gonna ki-'

-beep! beep! beep!-

Time: 2:00PM Your mom's alarm goes off, making you jump a bit. Reaching over to turn it off, your mom moans a bit as she wakes up from her short nap, stretching her arms a bit as she yawns.

"Jeste li spremni za promjenu." she yawns out, going for a sip of her water ( translation: Are you ready to switch)

Your mother's Croatian tends to slip when she's just woken up, or delirious. You nod your head looking at the next exit sign to find a gas station, spotting a Love's off the side of the freeway. Slipping off the freeway you pull up to the gas station before parking next to a pump.

"Bathroom?" You look over at your mom, she nods, unbuckling her seatbelt and hopping out of the truck, you do the same.

You both enter opposing stalls to relieve yourselves of all the water you had been drinking, washing your hands after. Your mother heads back to the truck to pump the gas as you browse the aisles for any extra snacks, spotting a honeybun you instinctively grab one, then two, and head to the cashier. You place your honeybuns on the counter and then look up at the cashier who seems to be invested in something on her phone, she wasn't wearing headphones phone volume at maybe thirty percent, you could hear what she was watching. You recognize the voice, the cashier finally looks up from her phone quickly apologizing for not paying attention.

"Oh I'm so sorry, will this be all" She quickly rings up the two honeybuns.

"No you're fine, that'll be it actually." You dismissively wave your hand pulling out your wallet to pay.

Looking down you notice her phone, she had put it on the counter, and the video on it had been paused but on the screen was that guy again, though it seemed to be a video of his own this time. You pull out some cash and hand it to the young woman behind the counter, she takes the cash, counts it, and then goes to get your change.

"No, it's fine, keep the change" Flashing a smile then grabbing your honeybuns you take another glance at the women's screen before it turns off from being left alone for too long.

Opening the passenger seat door, you climb into the seat buckling yourself in. Pulling out of the gas station your mom pulls off back onto the freeway continuing your journey. You pull out the bag you had brought for little activities, pulling out your book of choice. You had splurged at a Barnes and Noble a few weeks before you began packing, picking up a bunch of books you had either heard good things about or had been wanting to read. Red Rising was one of the books, it was also the one you were currently holding.

"I'm gonna put my headphones on, so you can listen to whatever you want." You tell your mom as you put your headphones on and pull out your phone.

You had gotten the book on Audible a while back and wanted to read and listen at the same time. Pressing play you turn to the first chapter and begin reading as the narrator spoke. Your mom seemed to have put music on, you could feel the bass as she turned up the volume and began singing along.

Time: 10:56PM Hours had passed, it was your turn now with two hours left till your next switch. Your mother was knocked out, lightly snoring as you drove in silence, you had stopped reading once you had switched. You also decide to put off reading it until you were moved in, the book had grabbed your attention, so much so, that you wanted to be able to focus on it solely; so you chose to wait. You had a couple hundred miles left to go and things were sinking in more as you drove silently. Your mind doing its usual thing, making you worry about things that most likely won't happen, even if it did, you know it wouldn't be your fault. You couldn't help but think maybe it would be though, it was a dumb thought but you couldn't help it

'What was that guys name again'

Your brain blanked for a second, random but ok, your brain goes back to the YouTube video your mom had been watching, that cashier was watching him as well. Dylan is in Trouble, you wonder what kind of videos he makes, most likely commentary. You pull your phone out glancing down and go to YouTube, you use the voice to text and hold your phone up to your mouth.

"Dylan is in trouble"

You press search, going back and forth between looking at your phone and watching the road. You look down to find his channel, press his icon, and scroll through some of his videos. Movie commentary is what you mostly see, occasionally you'd spot something different, you decided you'd dive into his channel later when you weren't driving.

Time: 5:00AM You were in the driver's seat, you had let your mom sleep more after she had been driving for about three hours. She was up now though, you could tell things were starting to catch up to her again. She was fidgeting a lot more now, well so were you, she looked very tense. She helped you find this apartment, but you assume she wants to see the neighborhood for herself, in person, wants to see how good the security is and what the neighbors are like. It's only natural, she's a mother and her only daughter is moving twenty hours away from her. You look down at your phone, your GPS says you are pulling up now, you look around the area, it was very nice, wasn't too far from the city. You spot the complex to the left, it was pretty big with multiple sections with apartments, you were building three, kind of in the middle of everything. You pull into the complex parking in front of the leasing office to speak to your landlord and to get your keys, your mom comes with you of course, sizing everything up.

"Hi welcome to Arts District Apartments, it's Amaya correct, my name is George?" An old-looking man stands from his desk, his hand reaching out to shake yours

"Thank you, George, it's Amoya actually" You reach out and shake his hand with a smile.

You two talk a bit about the complex and its rules etc. Your mom chimed in every now and then to ask her questions. Before you know it you're unloading the truck into your new apartment, you're realizing now that you didn't have as much stuff as you thought. The last thing you had left was your bed, you and your mom had been doing well with just the two of you, but after you two had gotten the mattress inside your mother's back began to bother her. Now you had your bed frame, you told your mom to relax for now and that you could get the frame up yourself. Partial lie, you previously took apart the bed frame and so there were mainly long pieces that weren't too heavy except the backboard, that thing was heavy as fuck, luckily you had a dolly at the storage building to help you carry it out, but now you have to carry it to the elevator and down the hall. You managed to get it down from the truck, and from there you lifted it and sped walked to the elevator, almost dropping the bed frame on your foot as you set it down to push the button. The doors had closed on you twice as you tried to pick the frame back up and lift it into the elevator, but alas you made it, now on the third floor and outside the elevator. You took pride in your body, you considered yourself strong, regularly went to the gym, and you would say your legs were the strongest part of your body, with that being said, you tried to make as little noise as possible since it was still early in the morning, you lost your footing. You were almost there, your door being right in front of you; but you fell. Landing on the door behind you hitting your head with a very loud thud.

"Bumbo." You whisper yelled at yourself in Jamaican as you set the frame down and leaned off of the door. (translation: Fuck)

Holding the frame upright you walk around it reaching for your door, the frame slipping from your fingers and falling against your neighbor's door again. You prayed that your new neighbor was either a very deep sleeper or wasn't home right now, though maybe you didn't pray hard enough. You lift the bed frame from your neighbor's door, getting your phone to get your mom to hold the door open for you so you can slide it the rest of the way inside. Stopping, you hear the door behind you click open. Your bed frame blocked your view of whoever had stepped out, but you could hear him.

Ch.1 - Ch.2

Updated Author note: Hopefully this was an enjoyable first chapter or part. The apartment is just a random apartment complex I saw on Zillow, everything in this is all fictional besides the YouTube videos and things that are obviously real. Anyway, I have decided to make this a series, I've gone into too much detail on little things like Amoya's intrusive thoughts and all that, and it'd be a waste to shorten and delete half of what I put and speed through everything, Amoya's intrusive thoughts and anxiety is a trait I added from myself, so you'll notice a lot of internal thinking and scenarios she makes up in her head. Hopefully, the idea is as cool as what I thought of in my head. If this does well, I will upload the other chapters one after the other, If it does bad I'll just delete everything, but please be patient I procrastinate a lot and I want the writing to be good. Please be honest and let me know how you all feel about this, if you like the writing, the main character, the pacing, the storyline, length, anything, and everything, I need criticism but don't be a bitch about it.

[sunnyrealist]

Chapter 48: Be Vulnerable with Me

The Sun, the Moon, and All Our Stars

Summary and Details…

Previous Chapter Recap/Context: Sebastian and Kate have decided to move in and officially begin their life together. He checked out of the inn where he had been staying for the final time and packed his belongings into a trunk. In this chapter, the two of them unpack, and Sebastian tells Kate all about his family as they view old portraits.

Pairing: 25-year-old, post-Azkaban Sebastian Sallow x 24-year-old Kate Mayflower (my OC), the assistant librarian at Hogwarts

Content warnings: In general, this is rated 18+, so minors should not read or interact with this story. This chapter doesn't have any smut, but there is a discussion about using an excessive amount of potions to sleep/escape trauma and recounting memories of lost loved ones.

Art credits: @hogwartslegacypics provided the screenshot in the background, and @giselsann-opencommissions perfectly depicted these mischievous little munchkins. Giselle is an absolute pleasure to work with and has provided all of the drawings for the story. I cannot recommend her enough if you're looking to commission some art!

The full chapter is available below the cut; it can also be found on AO3 (link is posted below). Please leave some feedback if possible, especially if you like what you read! 🥰

Chapter 48: Be Vulnerable with Me

It’s well past lunch time, and Kate hurriedly puts together a lunch of roast turkey sandwiches with crunchy carrots and cucumbers on the side. At the table, Sebastian absolutely wolfs it all down, and she has to put together an additional serving for him.

“Tomorrow, we’ll go to Feldcroft, yes?” Kate asks. “We’ll visit the cemetery, and perhaps you can show me where you lived.”

A sensation of panic erupts inside of him. “I don’t think we should actually go into Feldcroft. I… I’m not sure that the villagers will be friendly to me. Surely, they all know what happened to my uncle.” He imagines apparating there, watching anxiously as Feldcroft’s inhabitants begin to whisper to each other warily, close their doors quickly, perhaps even summon a local Auror out of fear. His heart couldn’t take it. “We should just visit the cemetery. It’s far enough outside of town that we shouldn’t encounter others. I don’t want to… cause a commotion or involve you in a difficult situation.”

Kate studies him and accepts his suggestion. “I guess we’ll avoid the Floo network and apparate, then.” 

The next few minutes pass in comfortable silence as they finish their meals. 

“Let me take care of the clean-up,” Sebastian offers, standing and gathering the plates.

“Thanks, dear. In that case, I’ll just be outside with the laundry.”

When Kate eventually returns, she finds Sebastian on the loveseat, engrossed in one of the books she had nicked for him from the Hogwarts library. Flicking her wrist to magically turn on the gramophone, she and Sebastian both smile as soft music begins to play. She continues on her way to the bedroom to fold the clothes and put them all away. 

“I’ll help you in a little while. I just want to finish this chapter,” he calls out.

Several minutes later, Sebastian enters the room and finds Kate a bit flustered. It was simple to put her laundry away, but she doesn’t know where to put any of his garments. Together, they conduct a magical extension charm to construct a closet, and Kate transfigures two wooden bowls into doors. He comes to a happy realization - this spell isn’t one that can be taken back, and she hadn’t had any second thoughts about creating the space for him.

Sebastian levitates his trunk into the bedroom, and little by little, everything gets placed in his brand-new closet. Some of his clothing has seen significant wear and tear, and Kate makes a mental note to try to mend some of the items when he is at work next week. 

Though he had previously warned Kate that he didn’t have much, she is still surprised to see that it was not necessary for Sebastian to magically extend it. The bulk of its contents were clothing; the rest, now, are miscellaneous items like his broom, razor, toiletries, a case filled with various potions, several dragonhide-bound journals, a quill and ink pot, and some old photographs, which Kate requests to view later. 

In the bathroom, Kate organizes the potions, adding them to her own store, organized by type. Some are new additions to her potions cabinet: his contraceptive potion, an invigoration draught, and a few antidotes for poisons and ailments. Kate is familiar with but has never seen such a large quantity of Wiggenweld potions, sleeping draughts, and Dreamless Sleep potions. She eyes them curiously as Sebastian enters the room. 

He immediately stiffens upon noticing what is left in his potions case and tries to distract her. “What shall we do for dinner tonight?”

“I’ll decide later,” she answers quickly, then studies his face as she asks, “Sebastian… do you typically not sleep well?”

The chestnut-haired man hesitates, not wanting to admit the truth - that he uses the potions as a crutch to avoid being plagued by insomnia, nightmares, and the phantoms of his past. “Well…”

“We’ve been sleeping together for almost a full week now, and I’ve never noticed you having any difficulties, so why do you have all of these draughts?” His eyes dart around, avoiding her gaze. “Seb… I need to know these things. We’re going to live together now. Someday, we’ll be married.” She takes his hand. “Please tell me. It’s alright. You can be vulnerable with me.”

Sebastian sighs in resignation. “You’re right... I should be honest with you. It’s just… difficult to talk about.” He takes a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. “I struggle to sleep. I have frequent nightmares and night terrors. When I’m alone with my thoughts and can’t fall asleep, I can’t help but relive the past - all of my mistakes, what I experienced in Azkaban, what I’ve had to do for the Kelpies… It’s so hard to manage it all. The draughts are my way of… well, avoiding further misery. I… In truth, I- I rely on them heavily.”

Nodding solemnly, she considers her words carefully. “Anyone in your place might struggle, love. You and I… together, we are going to get you some help from a Mind Healer. Using sleeping potions so often isn’t…” She trails off, unsure of how to say what she means without offending him.

“I know it isn’t healthy,” he admits quietly. “But other than sleeping with you lately, nothing else works. At least my sleep is undisturbed when I take them. I have to be able to function during the day…” He runs a hand through his hair, clearly distressed and starting to panic. His voice becomes shaky, his words spilling out quickly. “Look, K- Kate… I- I understand if you think it’s t- too much to deal with. You don’t have to stay with me - you don’t-”

“Seb, sweetheart - no.” Kate brings his hand to her chest, slipping it under her blouse and placing it over her heart. “Do you feel that - my heartbeat?”

He nods shakily as his fingers tremble. He closes his eyes for a moment, focusing on the steady rhythm of her heartbeat and the warmth of her skin.

Kate gazes into his eyes, speaking calmly and seriously. “My heart beats… for you, Sebastian. I’m here to stay. It’s not too much for me, I promise. We will get help for you. I just need you to be open to the help.”

Sebastian’s shoulders slowly start to relax, but his hand remains over her heart. “I’ll try,” he murmurs, his voice thick with emotion. “I’ll t- try to be open to help. For you. For us. I don’t want to keep living like this. I… really do want to get better.” 

She reaches up to caress his cheek. 

There is a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “Being with you… already makes me feel safer, more at peace than I’ve felt in the past decade.” He inhales and exhales slowly as a calming mechanism. “I- I’ll do whatever it takes to get better.”

“I believe you. Just remember, I’m not going anywhere. You can tell me anything.”

The two of them return to the bedroom and finally move the trunk, still containing various miscellaneous items, inside the closet.

“Now, can you show me those pictures?” Kate asks eagerly, grinning. She settles herself on the bed, sitting up and clutching a pillow against her abdomen. 

“Sure,” he replies, opening the trunk once more to fish out the photographs. He holds them close to his chest, as though they are precious and fragile. Before revealing them to her, he explains, “When I got out of Azkaban, I accessed my parents’ old vault in Gringotts. There wasn’t much there - certainly no money or valuables. Just a few mementos that Solomon couldn’t sell. I found these portraits and some journals that had my parents’ research.” He lays the pictures on the bed upside down, and then goes back into the trunk to retrieve some of the books, also placing them on the bed.

“What exactly did they research?”

Sebastian smiles, exhaling through his nose as he sits down next to his girlfriend. “Just about everything. They were experts in their fields. My da taught Magical Theory at Hogwarts, and my mum taught Defense Against the Dark Arts. They both researched heavily - especially during summers. Before they died, my mum was studying…” He grabs one of the blue notebooks, opening it and flipping through the pages. “Well, her work is quite varied. Healing Muggle children from werewolf attacks, non-traditional teaching methods for nonverbal offensive and defensive spells, and… erm… the Unforgivable curses.” He pauses, clearing his throat. His Adam’s apple bobs.

“So… your mum was also interested in the Dark Arts,” Kate notes.

“It was her job,” Sebastian quickly responds. “She had to know all about them. She… She and my da… they didn’t look at Dark magic as completely bad… just as regular magic is not always completely good.”

Kate nods, feeling as though she’s put him on defense. She tries to make up for it. “I suppose that is true.”

“My da traveled often for his research. He actually… believe it or not, studied reincarnation at one point in India. In fact…” Sebastian’s eyes narrow. “I should read his journals again, now that we know about our past lives. Perhaps I could pick up his research where he left off…” He trails off, looking thoughtful and determined, before continuing on. “My mum and da teamed up at times, too. They focused a lot on defensive magical theory and trying to find an engaging way to teach it to students. They also spent a good deal of effort… researching love as a form of magic in its purest form.” He smiles. “You know… they were… honestly, madly in love.”

Sebastian reaches over to the photographs and flips the first one over. Kate grins, her eyes scanning over every little detail. It’s clearly a portrait of his parents on their wedding day. Sebastian is the spitting image of his mother, who appears to have lots of freckles and soft curls. Her wedding gown is fashionable for the era; she wears a veil and carries a simple bouquet of roses and baby’s breath. His father has dark hair with a mustache and beard, and he holds and gazes at his wife in complete adoration. They look so cheerful.

“I remember how they would read together at night, holding hands,” Sebastian murmurs. “They’d whisper sweet words to each other, and much to my dismay as a young lad, they would kiss often. They supported each other fervently, and they loved working together. Our house in Aranshire was filled with books, and the cellar was their official workspace. Anne and I were told that if they were in the cellar, they were not to be disturbed unless there was an emergency.”

Kate reaches out to touch Sebastian’s hand. “That’s so sweet. How did they meet?”

“At Hogwarts,” Sebastian answers with a grin. “They were academic rivals. My mum was in Ravenclaw, and my da was in Slytherin. They had classes together over the years, and they were always competing for top marks. Supposedly, it all changed when they were assigned to work on a yearlong project in Potions class their seventh year, and they realized how similar they actually were and became friends… and then, it turned into love. When they graduated, they got married straight away. Anne and I didn’t come along until quite some time later.”

“Do you think their Potions professor put them together as partners on purpose?” Kate giggles. “I feel like I would do something like that if I was a teacher… just to see what happens. The drama. But I can’t imagine Professor Sharp, for example, ever doing such a thing…”

Sebastian laughs at the thought. “No way would Sharp do that.”

“What was your mum’s name?” Kate asks.

“She was Selina Ware,” he replies. “She had a brother, but he died in his twenties in a work accident, so I never met him. The entire Ware family line - they all passed away before I was born. That’s why Anne and I were forced to live with Solomon, my da’s brother.” He looks into the distance, stony-faced.

“Hey. Let’s focus on the good.” Kate squeezes his hand. “Leave your uncle out of it. Don’t let the bastard weasel into your happy memories. I’ve heard enough about him to know I would have hated him.” 

Sebastian laughs out loud, surprised by her reaction, and he leans over to kiss her cheek. “You have no idea how much I love you.” 

The next picture is one of Anne and Sebastian as young children, likely around seven years old. Kate grins in delight as she sees their coordinated sailor-type outfits. Both of them look incredibly mischievous - Anne more so than her brother. She has a cheeky smile on her face and a slingshot in hand. Sebastian carries a book - no surprise there.

“Oh gods, you were adorable!” Kate coos. “Look - you were missing a tooth! And your hair was so curly…”

Sebastian huffs out a laugh. “Yeah, my mum could never get my hair to behave. It was always out of control. Honestly, my hair’s always been like that. Now, I just keep it shorter, and it seems to be more manageable that way.”

Kate looks even closer at the photograph, examining the setting. “Where was this taken?”

“In front of our house in Aranshire,” Sebastian answers. 

“Seb… If our children are even half as cute as you were, I’ll never be able to say no to them,” Kate murmurs. “And Anne - what a beauty! And how interesting - her hair doesn’t look curly at all…”

“She took after our da,” Sebastian explains. “My mum never had a problem putting her hair into braids or other styles. It was always my hair that was the issue.”

“Did they put you and Anne in matching outfits all the time?” 

“No. They wanted us to have our own identities outside of being twins,” he says fondly. “We only matched when we were really young, when there was an occasion for it, like posing for a photograph.”

When they view the final portrait, Sebastian puts his arm around Kate. This is a family portrait, and Mr. and Mrs. Sallow appear to be more than a decade older than in their wedding photo. His mum wears her hair pulled back with a hat, and her outfit consists of a jacket, white blouse, and a matching skirt. Sebastian’s father wears a formal suit with many pieces. They stand behind the twins with their hands on their shoulders. Sebastian is wearing a collared shirt with a bow tie, suspenders, and breeches with tall stockings. He is grinning from ear to ear, showing all of his teeth. Anne is wearing a floral dress that flows just past her knees with a bow in her hair.

“How old were you here?” Kate queries, her focus fixed on all of the little details.

“Around ten years old. I remember this was taken shortly before they passed,” Sebastian recounts. “I remember that our parents were so excited for us to get our Hogwarts letters. It was practically all Anne and I ever wanted to discuss. They knew we were going to do so well in school.” His eyes soften. “Since they were professors, they were aware of the curriculum and had us read some of our textbooks in advance so that we could get as much out of our education as possible. I devoured those books - so did Anne. In fact, we sometimes fought over the textbooks. We also knew our way around Hogwarts because our parents would bring us there once in a while during summer.” 

After some time, Kate murmurs, “What a tragedy that such brilliant minds could be snuffed out by a gas leak from a lamp.”

“Yes,” he replies softly. “A silent killer. I… I wish there was something I could have done, but it was too late when Anne and I found them. If… If I had been close by, I might have heard it go silent…” He stops talking for a while, attempting to put aside his typical, go-to negative and unproductive thoughts. Focus on the good. “I… I guess for me, it’s a reminder that nothing is promised. We have to treasure all of the time we are given with our loved ones. And, Merlin, we spent so many happy years together in Aranshire. I miss them so much. All of them.” 

Kate pulls Sebastian close, kissing his hair. 

A sense of warmth and contentment fills Sebastian’s soul as she continues to study the photographs in depth. It’s been a long time since he allowed himself to really reminisce about family - at least, the positive aspects of his childhood. Seeing Kate so engaged and wanting to learn as much as she can about his mum, da, and Anne, a newfound appreciation grows within him. He relishes the moment, nuzzling into her chest as they bask in the comfort of each other’s presence. There is a profound tranquility in their connection - a sense of being understood and accepted completely. He knows their road ahead may not be easy, but he is more sure than ever before that they can overcome anything as long as they stand together.

“Do you… think they would have liked me?” Kate wonders quietly. “Or might they have envisioned someone very different for you?”

Sebastian considers her question for a moment and shifts, sitting up. “They would have loved you, Kate. You embody so many of the qualities my family valued deeply - intelligence, loyalty, an open mind… And your ability to see the best in me is… well, something truly special. They would have recognized your kindness and the way you uplift me. So… yes, I genuinely believe they would have approved of you wholeheartedly.”

Kate doesn’t respond right away, feeling a bit emotional. “I wish I could have known them.”

“I know,” he replies. “I wish you could have known them, too. They would have adored your joyful spirit and your warmth. But maybe… Maybe, in a way, they know you now. Every time we share memories and make new ones, perhaps they are with us.”

A tear slips out of Kate’s eye, despite her attempt to blink it away. “That’s… the best way to think of them, Seb. I’m sure you are right.” She finally places the portraits on the bed beside her. “We should frame these. They should be displayed in our home.”

“You’re right,” he murmurs. “They should be cherished, not locked away in my trunk.”

Kate’s eyes light up with an idea. “Let me pick out frames next week.” She looks into the depths of his eyes. “I know I will never really meet them, but it’s important to me that your family has a place here, too.”

Sebastian’s eyes are locked on her, a mixture of awe and gratitude in his expression. “Thank you, Kate. I… can’t fully put it into words, but it means the world to me that you care so deeply about honoring my family’s memory.” He places a soft kiss on her forehead.

“And we can add our own portraits someday,” she adds. “Did you know that a photographer just opened a shop in Hogsmeade?”

“I wasn’t aware of that,” he replies, his interest piqued. “Did you… have something in mind?”

Kate blushes a little. “I mean… I guess I thought it might be nice for us to pose for a portrait together.” She looks a little pensive - dreamy, even. “I might like to keep a picture of you in a locket, if I may be so bold.” 

Sebastian reaches out to tuck some hair behind her ear, his touch gentle and his smile genuine. “The thought of you keeping a photo of me in a locket… is incredibly endearing, my sun. I dare say I may like to keep a picture of you on me as well.”

“I’d like you to be near my heart always, so that I can feel your presence… especially when you’re on these dangerous missions,” she explains, lifting her hand to his cheek. “You have no idea how much I am going to worry about you.” 

“Trust me, I know your worry is genuine,” he acknowledges plainly. “And I can’t promise you that I’ll be completely safe - not with the nature of my work. But I will always do my best to come back to you in one piece. Carrying  your image with me will be a constant, heartening reminder of what I’m fighting for.”

“I just wish your work was not so dangerous. I wish… you had a choice.” She looks down for a moment, her eyelashes fluttering, before glancing back up at him again. “Sweetheart… we need to get you out of there.”

“I know, but it just isn’t that simple,” he replies, threading his fingers in hers. “The DMLE isn’t exactly keen on letting me walk away. I have a contract to honor, and they have leverage over me… because of my past.”

Kate nods solemnly. “But then… What can we do? How can we end this contract? There must be a way out that doesn’t involve you going back to Azkaban.”

“There are some possibilities,” he says quietly. “But none of them are pleasant. I don’t want to worry you any more than you already are. Just know… I’m exploring every avenue to earn my freedom.”

Staring at nothing in particular, she is silent for several moments. “I trust you, Bash. I know you’ll figure out a solution. The Kelpies must be brought to justice, and I am confident you’ll be the one to do it. You’re… cunning, resourceful, and determined - and I love you for it. You’ll succeed - I just know it.”

“I won’t lie to you, darling. It’s going to be a tough fight. But knowing of your unwavering support and faith in me gives me strength. I won’t give up. Our future together is too important.” 

“Is there anything I could do?” she genuinely inquires.

Sebastian’s heart swells with gratitude at her offer, but his countenance turns serious as he considers her question. “It’s important to me that you stay safe, first and foremost. Really, the most helpful thing you could do, Kate, is simply be here for me, provide a safe haven where I can feel comfort and solace. That alone means more to me than you can fathom.”

“Right,” she responds, looking aside and biting her lip. “I can do that. I just wish I could do more. I would do anything to help you, Seb. Truly.”

Sebastian gently takes hold of her chin, turning her face towards him once more. He leans in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “Darling, you do more for me than you realize. You give me strength and resolve and hope. And I know you would do anything for me… That’s why I have to protect you.”

Kate leans in and kisses him again, lingering. “I want to protect you, too. You’re everything to me, my moon. It just isn’t fair - I wish I could free-”

She suddenly sits up, hearing a loud tapping coming from the kitchen. “Oh - it must be an owl with a letter.”

Sebastian lets out a small sigh, carefully untangling himself from her embrace. “Stay here, love. I’ll go check it out.”

He makes his way to the kitchen, where, indeed, an owl is perched just outside the window, hooting. After opening the window, he unties the letter from its foot and watches it fly away. The envelope is addressed to Kate. When he flips it over, a flicker of recognition comes across his face as he notices the seal of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

[triviareads]

ARC Review of Give It To Me (Anthology) by Angelina M. Lopez

Rating: 4.5/5 Heat Level: 4.5/5 Publication Date: September 10th

My review:

Super sexy, gorgeously emotional, and centering Latinx love, Give It To Me has fourteen high-heat short stories and something for everyone— slice-of-life moments between long-term partners, first (and last) encounters, and a few cameos from your favorite Filthy Rich and Milagro Street characters.

First, my favorite: "Twelve Drummers" is, on it's face, about jewel thief Anna accidentally getting caught up in a magical Aztec (Mexica) orgy summoned by the beat of a teponaztli drum, joined by Juan Carlos, a museum guard she has a crush on. But it's so much more; Angelina wove in all these beautiful cultural details like the traditional attire and music of the Mexica. There is nothing fetishistic about this orgy; it's a celebration of the solstice, and on an emotional level, it's the first time Anna, a solitary jewel thief and one of the "unseen" all-Latina cleaning staff, is truly seen by someone.

"In the Stacks" also deserves a shoutout; a construction worker catches PhD student Rosalia getting herself off in a corner of the library, and he coaxes her to lean into the situation and let him watch (and more) by way of a very filthy-sweet mouth. It feels like recent contemporary romances are afraid to veer off the beaten path when it comes to dirty talk, so it just felt joyful and freeing to read a man with ZERO filter who just goes for it.

If you're a fan of Angelina's Lush Money and the following books in the Filthy Rich series, there are a few short stories that expand on that universe with romances for side characters AND we get The Vineyard Bang That Was Promised with Roxanne and Mateo, which was every bit as feral as I knew it would be.

If you enjoyed the Milagro Street series, there is a post-After Hours on Milagro Street scene that once again reminded me that Professor Jeremiah Post is a nice guy without being a Nice Guy, that nice guys can secretly be animals in the sack, and sometimes, a gal just wants to be tossed around like a sack of potatoes. And if you've read Full Moon Over Freedom, you'll remember how the summer after her freshman year of college, Gillian asked asked Nicky for sex lessons, but it was only ever alluded to in the books. Well, we finally get that scene here!

Overall:

For the people saying romances aren't political, they haven't read Angelina M. Lopez. The fourteen short stories felt as empowering and timely as they were sexy, which is no mean feat. I'd absolutely recommend this to any contemporary romance reader.

Also, here are the preorder links because look at that cover?? I'm definitely getting a paperback copy for myself.

Thank you to Angelina M. Lopez for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

[laurfilijames]

Admit It...

Pairing: Fili x female reader

Words: 2,044

Warnings: Rated E, 18+. Oral sex (female receiving). Masturbation (male). Unprotected intercourse.

Summary: After being away on Royal duties for a fortnight, Fili returns home later than promised to find you busy in the kitchen, and you make up for lost time on a meaningful day.

A/N: Surprise! I did my best to bang out something short for one more contribution for the Deano Bingo, so I hope you enjoy! My final fic will be posted tomorrow evening.

Prompts used were Kitchen Sex and "Admit it, you missed me."

(In this fic Fili and reader live in a small cabin just outside Erebor, cause you know, why not.)

---

Dough and flour coated your hands as you listlessly kneaded the forming pastry on the wooden countertop, your thoughts not at all focused on the favourite dinner you were carefully constructing, but rather on the dwarf you craved who loved it.

Having not clapped hungry eyes or needy hands on Fili in a fortnight now, your heart ached for him, missing him wholly and with every part of you that lived and breathed, and although today was not necessarily a monumental anniversary, you longed for him impossibly more.

A faint smile tugged at your lips as you recalled the day that was not all that long ago; his fingers weaving your hair into a courting braid, each passing of your strands signifying his love and devotion to you, claiming you as his One with the mark of the sigil on his bead that secured it but not more than the way his body proved so time and time again.

Sighing as you wiped your brow to try to erase the flush that was quickly reducing you into an inferno, you glanced out the window to see the quickly approaching darkness, and you wondered if you would get to see Fili at all today as had been intended when he left.

Knowing that discussions of contracts and settling on agreements took time and his royal duties were both grueling at times and chiefly necessary, you took a deep breath and prayed for patience to grace you, aware that he would be eager to return home and never purposefully neglect a day that meant so much to you.

Night soon took over what was left of the day, and after having meticulously cleaned the kitchen and did your best to keep dinner warm with still no sign of your love, hope drained from you as much as the fire had that you worked at stoking, the embers coming to life again slowly to lick at the new logs set upon them.

Wind howled against the walls of your small home, the protection of the Lonely Mountain not able to shield it from the direction it blasted, and you wondered if Fili would be caught sleeping out in the elements for another blustery night.

Heavy footsteps tread hurriedly up to the door, and in an instant his wind-burnt, reddened cheeks and tousled blond hair burst through, his smile warming you despite the cold that followed him in.

"You're late," you chided, the seriousness in your tone dampened by the grin that pulled the corners of your mouth upward, your eyebrow hooking high on your forehead to aid in selling your feigned disappointment.

Fili gave you a playful look of warning, his own eyebrows raising on his head to show his amusement in your audacious greeting. His boots and coat remained on him as he strode through to you, capturing you in a heated kiss that forced your back against the countertop and made you arch into him. Finding your face with his chilled hands, he deepened your kiss, effectively stealing your breath while making your legs feel weak, and in turn you pawed at the layers of leather that hid him from you.

With a low growl he broke the seal of your lips, his eyes dark as he looked at how he had already made your lips swell from his kiss and the roughness of his beard, your body clearly forgetting how to handle him.

"What am I late for?" he asked, squinting at you with exaggerated curiosity.

"Oh, nothing, I suppose," you drawled, shrugging your shoulders as you shifted your eyes to the left where his dinner sat waiting under a towel.

Fili tucked his lip in his teeth as he removed his hands from your face and lifted the covering to reveal what made his mouth instantly water and stomach growl with forgotten hunger.

"You made this for me?"

"I had, yes, but seeing as you were late…"

He gave a hearty laugh that made your heart leap in your chest, the realization of just how much you missed him settling heavily in your bones.

"Would you care to know why I was late?"

His head tipped to the side as he looked at you with a playfulness in his eyes, and you knew even if you were truly upset with him, that feeling would be impossible to hold on to.

Fili reached into the pack that he had carelessly discarded on the floor beside him, retrieving a fair-sized package wrapped in a material you immediately recognized that was sealed with a twine bow.

You took the parcel from him as he held it out for you, not missing the prideful, and partially smug look on his face as you carefully unwrapped it; the sight and scent of your favourite dessert awakening your senses.

"So, am I forgiven?" Fili asked, his pupils dilating as he watched you swipe your finger through the sticky topping and bring it to your mouth where you sucked it clean with an appreciative moan and closed eyes that no doubt mimicked something else.

Opening your eyes, you slowly licked your lips, seeing how your display made Fili's pulse hammer in his neck and blush rise up his chest that was visible where his tunic sat open at the top.

"I'll have to think about it," you quipped, your grin stretching across your face as he shook his head and started to remove his jacket while kicking off his boots.

Wearing just his trousers that he had already opened the laces on, Fili stalked toward you again, his hands bracing on the countertop to cage your body between his, his lips ghosting beside your ear.

"Do I need to remind you how much I love you?" His lips pressed against your neck and made you shudder, your breath hitching and heat rising through you at his proximity, and yet you stayed determined to keep your hands to yourself for now. Nuzzling your soft skin with his nose, he inhaled your scent before continuing in a raspy voice that displayed his vibrant lust for you. "...How much I missed you?"

You squirmed when he rubbed his hardened front against your core, and pulling his head away from you slightly, he peered at you with a look in his eyes you could no longer resist.

Giving him a nod that made him chuckle with amusement, you took the opportunity to soak in the sight of him, feasting your eyes on the hairy chest you could never forget, how his belly rounded out slightly just above where his trousers hung loose, able to see down them now that his cock stretched them out to reveal the hairs that darkened the further south they went.

His dimples flashed beneath his beard before he placed a quick kiss on your lips, doing his best to coax you out of your pretend bitterness.

"Admit it, you missed me," he purred, his eyes flickering over your features, effectively making you crack. You gripped his face and pulled him against you, crashing your mouth onto his where he eagerly matched your fervor, and before long you were naked and lifted up to sit on the counter. Dishes and jars of spices were knocked over as he carelessly swiped them out of the way to make room for you, the one he was truly ravenous for, making a point to kiss, suck and lick at every portion of your body from your mouth down to your center that was spread before him.

Looking up at you with heavy-lidded eyes as he reached your aching core, Fili kissed your bud gently, then slowly pulled it into his hot mouth, his tongue joining in to alternate swirling licks and agonizing sucks that made you fly your hands back to find anything to help ground you.

More items were tossed about as you were forced to lay back on the counter, including the dinner that crashed to the floor, neither you or Fili paying it any mind as he pressed his face into you even more and feasted on your slick flesh appreciatively.

You rocked your hips against his mouth desperately, your high bubbling up through you wildly due to his talent and the amount of time since you were last given such pleasure.

Fili dove his hand into his pants that were now loosened so much they were being held up only by his stiff member, and taking it out, he let them fall to pool around his feet, a loud groan resounding through you as he pumped himself and smeared the oozing precum over his sensitive head.

With a few more strokes of his expertly working tongue, your orgasm ripped through you, coating his beard with your abundant wetness, causing Fili to cry against you as your release edged him closer to his own, his hand beating his cock furiously but stopping just before he came undone.

He growled ferociously as he emerged from between your legs and licked his lips, his expression feral and unabashed while his chest heaved with panting breaths. Clasping his strong hands under both of your thighs, he dragged you off the counter, your hands sweeping a mug and plate off with you, the sound of ceramic smashing against the wood floor mixing with your laughter.

Your feet carefully landed on the planks between bits of broken items, and you smiled against Fili's lips as he crashed against you in a heated kiss, his arms snaking around your back to hold you as close to his needy body as he could get you.

"Turn around," he whispered roughly, helping to guide you to a spot that was clear of your accidental destruction, his cock bouncing against your bum when he kicked a bowl out of the way with his foot.

He bent to line up with you as you leaned forward to give him better access, his hands spreading your cheeks to make you whine longingly. His cock slammed into you, stretching your tight, temporarily unused walls in one fluid motion, wasting no time in starting a mind-numbing rhythm with his sharp thrusts.

Your breasts bounced and your whole body jostled from his force, the smile on your lips changing into an open gape that allowed your unhinged cries to pour out, the assault he put on your deepest parts building another blissful peak within you.

Fili's hands roamed your body as he bucked into you, smoothing and massaging the parts of you he had missed so much in loving caresses before finding a place on your hips to settle on hanging onto as he set to finish his barrage.

Pulling you back onto him with as much power as he slammed forward into you, he wrecked you both, sending you into screaming bliss at the same time he filled you to the brim with his reserved seed, his unbridled cries muffling against your back as he collapsed forward to cover you with his weight.

He was quick to pull out of you and spin you back to face him, lifting your legs up around his waist to seat you back on his cock that remained hard, and stumbled over to one of the chairs beside the fire.

Collapsing in it with you still encasing him, he buried his face in your neck, peppering you with kisses that spoke his silent words of desperation; the vacancy he had felt in being apart from you for too long replaced by an overwhelming sense of fullness.

"I did miss you," you admitted genuinely, carding your hands across his warm back while placing tender kisses upon his crown.

"I knew it," he chuckled, rubbing his face back and forth against your neck to tickle you until you joined him with your own sated laugh.

You turned your head to glance over at the state of the kitchen and ruined dinner with a wince, and looked back at Fili apologectically.

"I'm sorry!"

He continued to laugh, and placing a kiss on the tip of your nose and then your lips, he hummed. "I think the dessert was spared. I'll be more than happy to share that with you…but it must be in our bed and you must stay naked."

---

Taglist:

Everything: @guardianofrivendell @midearthwritings @cassiabaggins @lilith15000 @trishthedishofreis @linasofia @unbeatablecurlgirl @the-poldarkian @lathalea @enchantzz @blairsanne @legolaslovely @middleearthpixie @i-did-not-mean-to @sketch-and-write-lover @jotink78 @medusas-hairband @feeweeeee @missihart23 @fortheloveofdurin @i-am-still-bb @roobear68 @ichoosechoasandbeingqueer @legolasbadass

Fili: @shethereadinghobbit @ragsweas @faeriefics

[joanofart5]

Chapter 7!!

Wahoo! Against all odds, I posted early this week, y’all!

Overboard (25174 words) by Joanofart Chapters: 7/25 Fandom: Good Omens (TV) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Anathema Device, Gabriel (Good Omens), Newton Pulsifer, Madame Tracy (Good Omens), The Them (Good Omens), Michael (Good Omens), Sergeant Shadwell (Good Omens), Human - Character, Human AU - Character Additional Tags: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Overboard Fusion, 1980's, Slow Burn, First Kiss, First Time, Memory Loss, Temporary Amnesia, questionable medical practices, this would never happen in real life, but the movies say it can, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Sort Of, Enemies to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Human, The Them - Freeform, good omens - Freeform, POV Alternating, No Beta, questionable morals, Dubious Consent, Sex while having amnesia, Crowley Has a Penis (Good Omens), Aziraphale Has a Penis (Good Omens), Bottom Aziraphale (Good Omens) Summary: Based on the movie Overboard with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Crowely is a carpenter and a single father of four mischievous children hired to construct a bookshelf for the rich, and unpleasant Mr. Archer. After an argument with the yacht owner he gets an opportunity to exact revenge when Aziraphale takes a dip in the cold water and loses his memories. Crowely swoops in to claim him as his, with the not so good intentions of making him a house husband. Complete with cooking, cleaning, and child rearing. What he doesn’t expect is to find that maybe Aziraphale isn’t what he thought he was, and maybe, he wants him to stay. Fic is written, I just need to edit and tweak each chapter. (Chapter count may change)

[mxanigel]

fic update: Cut to the Feeling

an Attack on Titan (Shingeki no Kyojin) fanfic

[Read on AO3]

An in-progress longfic that asks the question, What if they lived?

Chapter 25: Kiss My Scars

With assistance from Orvud's Garrison, Survey Corps forces defeat the massive Titan that was once Rod Reiss. Yet a rift remains between Shion and Levi. With Hange still hospitalized, Shion expects to face the night alone. To her surprise, she doesn't.

Rating: M

Relationships: Levi Ackerman/OC, Levi Ackerman & Hange Zoë, Hange Zoë & OC, eventual Levi/Hange/OC

Additional Tags: They/Them Pronouns for Hange Zoë, Hange Zoë Being Hange Zoë, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Friendship, Banter, Swearing, Lots of Cursing, Angst, Love and Loss, Asexuality Spectrum, Levi Ackerman Is Obsessed With Cleaning, Falling In Love, Literal Sleeping Together, First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Canon Divergence, Nightmares, Torture, Blood and Injury, Demisexual Levi Ackerman, Bisexual Hange Zoë, I'm writing this because it's taken over my brain, I have spent so many hours on the wiki lol, Eventual Romance

----- preview snippet below -----

Shion throws herself into her duties for the next few hours—such as dismantling the unused set of explosives and interviewing soldiers for her report to Hange—stopping only when ordered to eat dinner. After the meal, she visits Hange’s hospital room to find them sound asleep. She leaves a scribbled summary of today’s battle with a personal note at their bedside before navigating a maze of halls and stairs to reach her assigned quarters.

Fuck, this room is excessive. Granted, this is one of the fanciest buildings in Orvud, but it’s surreal to experience that opulence, to think about how much money was wasted here instead of rebuilding Stohess or supporting refugees fleeing Titan activity.

Over a dozen candles burn in wall sconces, most of which she blows out to conserve them. A four-poster bed more than double the size of a captain’s bunk sits against one wall, far too many pillows piled on top of it. The oak dresser is as wide as she is tall; Zane would probably admire its construction. Situated on its polished surface is a washbasin, the softest linen cloths she’s ever touched, and an ornately gilded mirror.

Oh, she’s a terrible sight. She diligently brushes knots from her hair before braiding it again so it’s out of the way while she reviews her notes and begins drawing the grotesque not-face of the Titan per Hange’s request. When she can’t stare at her third sketch attempt any longer, she wearily flops backward onto the bed, exhaling as she drapes both arms over her face. She’s running out of distractions. Perhaps the best course of action would be to try to sleep, nightmares be damned—

Knuckles rap against her door. Who’d swing by at this hour? Hange wouldn’t knock. Historia’s a possibility, though her movements are likely restricted now, or it might be Sasha. “It’s open.”

Shion barely swallows a gasp when Levi steps inside. He slumps against the closing door, his head bowed, looking as exhausted as she feels. But he doesn’t speak. When she can’t stand the dead air any longer, she murmurs, “Hi.”

He merely grunts.

Distance yawns between them as silence returns. She doesn’t know why he’s here. She isn’t sure whether she wants him to be here. But it’s the first time he’s sought her out since their disastrous reunion after the Stohess ambush. This heavy atmosphere is better than being alone. Right?

-----

tag list (thank you~ like/unlike this post to be added/removed)

@poetikat @arendaes @captastra @outpost51

[darkmaga-retard]

With the election right around the corner and the average American choking on inflation, Vice President Kamala Harris has unveiled several galaxy brain policies aimed at "lowering costs for American families," which she and her teleprompter will present at a Friday speech in North Carolina at 2:45 p.m. ET - just days before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

While we know about Harris stealing Donald Trump's plan to eliminate taxes on tips (after she was the tie-breaking vote on legislation to supercharge IRS enforcement), the proposals also include;

Communist price controls to crack down on 'corporate price-gouging in the food and grocery industries.'

(Except...)

A $25,000 subsidy for first-time home buyers, under which those who have a two-year history of on-time rent payments would be eligible for "down-payment support."

A cap on prescription drug costs and the elimination of medical debt for millions of Americans

Child tax credit that would provide $6,000 per child to families for the first year of a baby's life (after JD Vance suggested an increase from $2,000 per child to $5,000)

Other items include efforts aimed at lowering the cost of rent and helping renters who are struggling financially, according to NBC News. She will also propose plans to stop data firms from driving up lease rates, as well as stopping Wall Street firms from buying and flipping homes in bulk.

As part of the rollout, Harris will call on Congress to pass the Preventing the Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, a bill introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Peter Welch, D-Vt., that they said would prevent corporate landlords from using private equity-backed price-setting tools to raise rents dramatically in communities across the country. Harris will also call on Congress to pass the Stop Predatory Investing Act, a bill introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and several other Democratic senators. The bill is designed to stop communities from being taken advantage of by Wall Street investors and distant landlords. The bill would curtail those practices by removing key tax benefits for major investors who acquire large numbers of single-family rental homes.  

Harris will also call for the construction of three million new housing units via construction tax incentives - as well as a $40 billion proposal for local governments to build or preserve affordable housing units. We're sure that won't be a giant cash grab.

Cleaning Up Their Mess?

As even the Washington Post notes - "Harris has thus far surrounded herself with many former aides to Biden, and her team had made some overtures to business leaders that they hoped reflected a more centrist approach. But the policy positions she embraced Friday suggest she will continue, if not deepen, the party’s transformation under Biden, who pushed for more aggressive government intervention in the economy on industrial, labor and antitrust policies."

Meanwhile, according to a Gallup survey taken earlier this year, just 21% of Americans say it's a good time to buy a house - while just days ago, July's inflation reading showed that shelter prices jumped 0.4% from the previous month. According to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, it might take 'several years' for the pandemic-era rent increases to abate.