#save me swank

[teddybearty]

Swanky Man 💰💕

[lostwiginity]

Wade: "And good luck, I'm sure you'll do great! I love youuu!"

On the other side of the phone call: "Yeah, whatever. Love you, too."

Logan: "Who's that?"

Wade: "No need to be jealous, babe! Russell is my little ward. The Robin to my Batman."

Russell: "I'm really not."

Wade: "I've raised him ever since he was a baby."

Russell: "I was almost 15 when we met."

Wade: "I saved him from making the wrong decisions when he was on his way down the wrong path in life. I'm his Hilary Swank in 'Freedom Writers'."

Russell: "That... is kinda true, sadly."

Wade: "He's got an important exam coming up at college, wish him luck!"

Logan: "Oh. Good luck, Russell. I'm Logan."

Russell: "I know. This lovestruck ballsack-face won't shut up about you."

Wade: "Oh, oh! Russ, you have to meet Laura! She's Logan's daughter, you guys are about the same age - oh, this is such a good idea! Well done, me."

Russell: "Er... sure? I'll visit you on winter break, anyway. I gotta go study now. Bye, idiot. Bye, Logan."

Wade: "Our babies are gonna be brother and sister now, isn't that sweet?"

Logan: "She's not my daughter and that guy's not your son, and we're not together."

Wade: "..."

Logan: "But yeah, it's sweet."

[bisexualiteaa]

Burning Love

Benny x Fem Courier Six (Smut!! Also fluff and slight angst)

CW: NSFW MDNI! Mutual pining, slight OOC Benny, slight deviation from the game, black widow dialogue, established friendship, enemies to friends then friends to lovers, flirting, dirty talk, perverted thoughts, P in V, p0rn with some plot, unprotected seggs, 0ral (male and female receiving) praise, cursing, mentions of alcohol, briefly proofread, possible grammar/spelling errors

AN: Hey everyone! I’m back with some more content! It’s a little different than the usual Cooper Content ™️ I usually put out but it’s still Fallout themed. I wanted to try my hand at writing for Benny from New Vegas and allow some of my other character hyperfixations to have a moment in the spotlight to shine! I’m still rather new to Fallout in general, and especially to New Vegas so please be kind and patient with me if I have some things wrong, I’m still learning! 🥺 I know this wasn’t an ask from anyone, and I will be getting to those as I can! Writers block has been absolutely dreadful lately so I hope y’all can understand, I’ve only just started to come out from the hole and try to write when the days are good 😭 But I hope y’all dig this piece! Enjoy, and happy reading! 🥰

Taglist: @expirednukacola

This was bad. This was really, really bad. At least that’s what he proceeded to tell himself over and over internally as he paced around his room. Just what was it that was so bad? So bad that it left Benny Gecko, the head chairman, in a bind? You. You; the courier that he executed once upon a time for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You; who just so happened to somehow actually be alive despite a bullet being discharged into your skull. You; who had come to the strip months ago on your journey through the Mojave, siding up with him and becoming his business partner. You; who not only managed to become his best friend, but now held a place in his heart as something more. How could he let all this messiness happen? There was a rule in business where you never allow yourself to get involved with the people you work with, especially when you were someone who was as powerful as Benny. Yet you were all he could ever think about. You were his inspiration and guidance in trying and gain power over all the factions, you were the reason why the Legion no longer stood in his way. You were his right hand through everything, there for his every plan, there to help in the execution of them no matter what it could cost. You were loyal, beyond that, you were a confidant and a friend.

It took him ages to finally put the pieces together leading up to this moment. To finally understand why he would feel so disgusted watching Swank flirt with you, or so angry when someone would threaten you. He knew you could handle yourself, you were your own person, independent and deserving to live how you wished. Hell there had been many occasions where, had it not been for you, he likely wouldn’t have made it out alive. When you saved him from the Legion, that’s when he finally saw it. Seeing him down on his knees before you, giving you the perfect opportunity to take your revenge if you wanted to for him killing you back then. You could have murdered him in cold blood, leaving him to the radroaches and feral ghouls like he did to you once. But you didn’t, instead you showed him mercy. You *saved* him. Something he wasn’t sure anyone else aside from his body guards, would have done for him had they been in your shoes. Since that day, it’s been all he could do to pry the thoughts of you from his brain. By day, you were always by his side, and at night you were always on his mind. How was he supposed to be able to work like this? Fuck, how was he supposed to tell you? Should he tell you? He wasn’t sure. But he supposed it was too late to back out now seeing as you were on your way up to his suite.

His heart jumped in his chest upon hearing the knock on his door, a signal that let him know it was his people coming by. “Come in” he said, finally pulling himself from his thoughts to see who was at his door. Of course, to no surprise, it was you. He let out a breath of relief upon seeing you. You had grown to become his comfort, even in a moment such as this, he took solace in your presence. “You came” he said softly, just above a whisper but his tone held something akin to disbelief in it that you were here. You spotted a rocks glass in his hand filled with a drink that was likely just freshly made, wondering what it was that was bothering him so much that it had him drinking before bed. He watched as you stepped inside his suite, closing and locking the door behind you to ensure privacy. “You called” you answered genuinely, wondering why he seemed so shocked to find you here when he had asked for you to come. “What’s wrong, Benny? You doin’ okay? I’ve never seen you so many glasses deep in one day” You asked, noting that he had been drinking earlier too, growing concerned for him and the way he seemed to be so caught up in thought. “You’ll have to forgive me, my mind is a bit mixed up at the moment” Benny said before taking a swig of his drink, watching as you sat down on his bed. He wished you hadn’t, because despite being the well-mannered gentleman he was, he was still a man with needs. Even he couldn’t help the thoughts that started to race through his mind as you sat on his bed. Thinking of what you would look like splayed out on it, free of your clothes and him on top of you. Normally he would be able to keep such thoughts under control, but with the buzz of the alcohol running through his system, he was finding it hard to keep them from running rampant. “What’s on your mind? If somethin’s buggin’ you, you know my hands can make light work of it. All you gotta do is say the word” you offered, making him chuckle. Your hands could make light work of him. What in the god damn? “stop that” he told himself, cursing himself for feeling this way towards his close friend of all people. “Afraid what’s on my mind can’t be helped that way, baby. What’s got me in a twist is all my doing” he replied, and it left you rather confused, he could see it in the way your brows furrowed in confusion as you looked at him. Your head tilted sideways a tad like a dog who couldn’t seem to understand what their owner was saying. You were so fucking cute. “Well then what’s got you all in a twist? You called me here for a reason, Benny. I just wanna help” you replied, pleading with him to give you something to work with. He could groan at the way his name fell off of your tongue so melodically. You just had to show up in uniform too, with your dress slacks hugging your thighs, your blazer really showing off your curves, and your blouse that dipped low enough for him to get a peak of your cleavage. He was eating you alive with his eyes, he knew it. He couldn’t help it, you were a sight to behold. You could tell he was lost in thought at the way he was staring, leaving you chuckling before you waved your hand to grab his attention. “Earth to Benny, you still in there?” You asked jokingly with a grin as he snapped out of it. “Maybe it’s time to lay off the booze for the night” you added with a chuckle as his eyes met yours. Everything was screaming within him to tell you, but at the same time, everything screamed at him not to. He was at war within himself on what to say. Does he tell you and risk losing you? Or does he keep it and risk hurting himself when there comes a time you fancy another man? Neither sounded great to the conman, but between the alcohol in his system and the respect he had for you to always be honest with you, he knew he had to tell you.

“Fuck it, I’m just gonna bite the bullet and hope we can still keep this in the groove, dig?” He asked, and his words weren’t slurred and he didn’t feel drunk. So why was his head spinning? His heart racing? He was a certified mess, and it was your doing. “Oh c’mon Benny, we been runnin’ this show for how long now? You know you can always talk to me! Ya got girl trouble?” You asked with a devious grin, knowing he had a new flavor just about every month if not more than that. He was almost amazed at the way you figured out what was wrong, but thankfully not down to the specifics. It was reasons like this he called you not only his business partner but his best friend. But god how he craved for you to be more than that. “I wonder sometimes if you’re a damn psychic with that prime intuition of yours, babe. Girl trouble ain’t even half the start of it” he replied, sitting across from you in a plush chair as he placed his glass down on the small table next to it. You gave a chuckle. “Ya never did have good luck in choosin’ broads, Benny. Kinda funny to see that hasn’t changed since Vegas became ours” you quipped playfully, making him chuckle. “Very funny. I think I remember calling you here for help, not to take jabs at me, pussycat” he replied, making you laugh. “Aww c’mon you know I’m just yankin’ your chain. What’s got you all in a twist then? You didn’t get one of ‘em pregnant, did ya? Because I can’t help you there with that one” You asked, an eyebrow raised at him in suspicion. “Fuck no, the Ben-man ain’t nothin’ if not responsible. Have a little faith” he said, making you playfully wipe your forehead as if you were super worried. “Whew, that’s a relief. I ain’t ready to be an aunt just yet” you joked, making you both laugh. You always were great at helping him calm down. “Well then what is it? She do something wrong? Steal from you?” You asked, killing yourself internally with each question knowing that it was another woman he was speaking of. “My heart maybe” he said boldly as he took another sip of his drink, and it was true, you had his heart in your hands at all times. But you didn’t know that. You gave a smile that hid the pain inside from his statement, believing he was speaking of another woman. You wanted him to be happy, he deserved it, and you knew when you started working with him that it could never be you that would make him feel this way. But damn if he didn’t have a way of charming himself into your own heart, making you hope that it could work. “Awww, well ain’t that sweet” you replied, trying your best to coat the poisoned words with saccharine falsity, to disguise the ache resting in your chest at the thought of another woman stealing his heart. “I said smooth, baby doll” he said, making you both chuckle. “What? A girl can’t be happy for her friend who’s in love? Sheesh. She sounds like a lucky gal” you joked, making him chuckle once more. friend. God how that word killed you. A constant reminder of what will never be, especially now. Or so you thought.

“Well, c’mon, don’t spare me the details. Who is it?” You asked, not really wanting to know the details but you could put your feelings aside for the happiness of Benny if that’s what it took. However that’s when his face turned red. He should’ve known you’d ask that question. His heart slammed against his sternum as he tried to think of what to say. He couldn’t just straight up tell you, not when he didn’t know if you felt the same way, and he’d be royally pissed at himself if he managed to scare you off. He couldn’t just not tell you either, you deserved to know. “Is it one of the broads over at Gomorrah?” You asked when he didn’t pipe up with an answer right away, making him scrunch up his nose in distaste at even the inquiry. You laughed at his response. “The Ben-man’s got taste. Didn’t know you thought so little of me, babe” he replied, making you giggle at him. “Alright I admit, bad guess there” you responded. He wondered if you would ever guess it, if you would either seriously or jokingly say yourself and then maybe it could be laid to rest easily. “Some of the frequent fliers here are a little questionable Benny…I’m starting to second guess on if I wanna know” you said with a joking grin, wishing you’d figure it out already and save your heart the pain. He shook his head no at all the ones you knew off the top of your head that frequent the casino, leaving you nearly out of options already. “Quit pokin’ around Benny and just tell me already! You got me hangin’ on the edge of my seat here” you said, making him take another swig of his drink to work up the proper courage to tell you the truth. It was now or never. “I ain’t got no other way of sayin’ this sweetheart, but the Ben-man has gone and caught a fever for the fine looker layin’ on his bed” he said, making you blink a few times as you registered just what he said. He was caught up on you? Was he drunk? Surely this was a joke, he couldn’t actually be serious…could he?

“Me?” You asked, sounding taken back by his answer. “You sound shocked, baby. Weren’t expecting to be the broad to catch my eye?” He asked, making you blush. Now this was suddenly going to be difficult on you. How do you tell a man who shot you in the head once that you’re in love with him? “Honestly no, I didn’t think I would. I figured out of all the women out there, the last one to catch your eye would be me” you replied, and how it broke him to hear you talk so little of yourself. To share in a vulnerable moment that wasn’t hidden behind false confidence and bravado. He always respected the way that you were a different woman outside of work, that you could detach yourself from the persona you had to carry with you in the casino and around the other chairmen. He wished he could be more like you, more in touch with his humanity, but he was a conman, and a good one. His work is all he’s really known until you came around. “You’re the prime article baby, ol’ Benny here ain’t ever met a broad like you” he replied, making you blush as your stomach started doing flips with excitement. It was everything you’d been dying to hear from him for so long now. It felt as if fate herself was shining down on you in this moment. “I certainly ain’t met a man quite like you either, Benny” you said with a growing grin, making him chuckle. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s a real good thing I got a case of Benny fever then, huh?” You asked with a far more confident grin as you looked at him, sat across from you with his legs spread to help ease the growing tightness of his dress slacks. “Benny fever, is that so?” He asked with a mirrored grin of excitement, making you bite your bottom lip as you shook your head yes in response. “That bullet scramble your egg? Or have you always been a naughty broad?” He asked, finding himself more and more intrigued. Not to mention hot. The laugh you gave in response was breathy, and he wasn’t sure if it was just because it came from you, or the alcohol toying with his mind but he found it sexy. “What can I say? Girls like bad boys, and you have been downright awful” you replied, sensuality dripping from your tone as you flirted with him. “You’re one sick pussycat, baby. There’s quins and then there’s…I don’t even know what to call you” he commented, making you giggle playfully as you crossed your legs in front of him. “I’m saying I dig you too Benny, have for a while now” you said, making him grin even wider at your admission. Thank god, now he could no longer worry. “If I heard “dig” from you back then, I’d have told you all I can think of is a shovel. But you got a real twisted up way of showin’ the Ben-man your forgiveness” he replied, making you giggle once more. “I can think of another way to show you my forgiveness” you suggested, making him raise a brow at you and let out a sound of intrigue and excitement. “Oh yeah?” He asked, watching you bite your lip in excitement as your body language screamed for him to get closer. “And what idea is on that wild mind of yours, baby?” He said, making you hum. “How ‘bout i put my past profession to good use and I show you how well I can…handle your package? If you let me?” you responded. Oh, he definitely wanted you to.

You weren’t sure when it all began, but the next thing you knew, you both were down to your underwear. You made a show of stripping yourself of your uniform, being sure to be slow and teasing as you slipped out of your blazer, blouse and dress slacks for him. You made a show of bending over when you took off your slacks, then moving to your bra that soon found its way to the floor to be forgotten about until the next day. “You are the prime article baby. Nice Charlie’s too! Give ‘em a shake for the Ben-man, would ya?” He asked, making you giggle as you shook them and made a show of fondling them and feeling them up in front of him to tease him. “Hellooo!” He responded as you straddled his lap, taking a seat and pulling him into a heated kiss. He relished in the way your lips tasted like the sweet bourbon cherries that rested in your drink from earlier that you shared with him while you were both still downstairs. He tasted of vodka and cigarette smoke, a mixture you’d have never found appealing had it not been upon the lips of the addicting man you were tasting it from. You hummed into it in delight as his hands rested on your hips, softly moving your hips to grind against his. You moaned softly as you felt your clit bump and rub against his clothed length through your panties, effectively working you up even more than you already were. As you opened your mouth to moan, he took the chance to slip his tongue in to dance upon yours, needing more of that sweet taste of you. Your hands rested on his shoulders, using it at leverage as you continued to grind your hips into his before trailing their way up to tangle in his hair. He moaned at the blissful feeling of your nails scraping his scalp and the occasional tug of his hair. “Fuck baby, got me all kinds of worked up and you haven’t even taken those cute panties off yet” he said, making you giggle as your lips started to migrate down his neck in search for a sensitive spot to suck on and nip at. “Gotta make you as crazy for me as I’ve been for you, baby” you replied with a grin, leaving small but dark hickies in your pleasurable wake. He groaned in response, making you giggle as you felt it rumble from his chest and in his throat as your lips were pressed to his pulse point. “Oh trust me, I’ve been just as crazy for you, pussycat. No doubt about that” he responded, making you grin as you worked your way down his chest and stomach before you were on your knees in front of him.

Your fingers hooked into the waistband of his boxers before pulling them down, watching as his dick slapped his stomach just below his naval as it was freed from its confines. You bit your lip at the wonderful sight, and it was like a dream come true in his eyes. Seeing you here, on your knees in front of him, looking up at him the way you were right now was the fuel to so many of his fantasies he had nightly of you. “Like what you see, baby? I saw those pretty little eyes light up just now” he teased, making you chuckle while your lips littered kisses along his inner thighs before working your way to where he needed you most. “Sure do sugar, wondering if you taste as good as you look” you said before licking a fat stripe from base to tip of the underside of his cock. He groaned, his fingers digging in and clenching tightly the sheets beneath him in his fists from your hot, wet tongue. You made direct eye contact as you did it, one of your hands coming up to cup and fondle his balls as you brought him into your mouth. “Shit…can’t believe this is what I’ve been missin’ out on this whole time” he said, tipping his head back some as you worked his balls with one hand and what you couldn’t fit in your mouth with the other as you started to bob your head up and down on him in a pleasant rhythm. “Can’t tell you how many nights I’ve pictured this baby. Mmm and I gotta say- fuck! You’re a dream come true, honey- oh fucckk…” he moaned, tilting his head to look down at you between his legs on occasion. If he wasn’t careful, he’d find his release too soon and he couldn’t have that. Not when the fun’s just getting started between you two. It was when he felt his tip hit the back of your throat, making your watery eyes look up at home through your lashes that he had to call it quits. “Oh baby, stop, stop, stop. Shit, you keep going like that and I’m not gonna make it to the fun stuff” he said, unashamed of admitting just how much you turned him on. You let off of him with a pop before standing back up.

“Treated me so good baby, least I can do is return the favor. Sit up here and give the Ben-man a taste” he said, lying on his back and motioning you to sit on his face. “Shit Benny, I haven’t done that before. Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt you…” you said bashfully, making him chuckle and slip you a grin. “If it’s between these pretty legs? I would die a happy man, baby. Don’t be shy c’mon, promise I’ll take good care of you” he insisted, and you had to admit, you rather liked the idea of having such control and trying something new. He watched as you removed your panties, tossing them to the side where they too would be forgotten until the next day, then as you crawled your way up his body. Your legs straddled his head as your core hovered just over his lips, his hands soon resting upon your hips and ass to pull you down and onto his face. You threw your head back with a pornographic moan as his tongue explored your cunt. “Fuck, oh Benny, baby…” you moaned almost breathlessly as his tongue trailed your slit before coming to dance along your clit. “When were you gonna tell me you’re such a tasty treat, doll?” He asked, and it was a whole different sensation receiving pleasure this way, one that left you bucking your hips in rhythm with his tongue to feel more of that wonderful friction against your sensitive bundle of nerves. “Benny! Oh my god, just like that!” You moaned, getting lost in the feeling of his tongue swirling and fluttering against your sensitive bud. Your hand came down to rake your fingers through his hair once more in appreciation of the way he made you feel. “Keep moaning my name like that baby, tell this whole joint how good I make you feel” he egged on before wrapping his lips around your clit and sucking gently, making your body jolt in response before letting out a pleased yet surprised moan. “God yes! Oh I’m so close, please don’t stop…” you begged, looking down at the sight of him between your legs as you fucked yourself on his tongue. He gave a chuckle and a moan into you at the way you were riding his face, using him for your pleasure. It made his dick throb almost painfully. “Keep using me babe, fuck your pretty self on my face. Wanna feel you cum on my tongue baby, give it to me” he begged, drilling his tongue in and out of your entrance and then back up to your clit. “Oh fuck I’m gonna cum…oh god, yes! Benny!!” Was all you could get out before his head was squeezed between your thighs, your body spasming and shaking as your eyes rolled to the back of your head from the sheer force of pleasure your orgasm sent sky rocketing through you. If he had no restraint, he’d have cum just from the sight of you, paired with the way your pussy fluttered on his tongue and the way you moaned his name like a sinful mantra.

“Holy fuck…oh my god. Oh shit!” You said breathlessly, realizing you needed to release him from the tight grip your thighs had on him as you made your way off from his face to straddle his lap instead. “Are you okay?” You asked, trying your best to catch your breath and climb back down from cloud nine. He made a show of licking your slick from his lips as he sat up before wiping his mouth. “Better than okay baby, you’re fucking delicious. How do you feel? You look like you high-fived the heavens there, baby doll. I make you feel that good?” he responded with a confident grin, pulling you into a heated kiss once again, loving the way he made you feel so damn good. “Better than good, you’re fucking dangerous with that tongue of yours” you replied into it, making you both chuckle before seating yourself on his hips once more, gliding your soaking cunt along his throbbing cock as you kissed. “Insatiable little thing, you’re right up my alley baby” he said, making you giggle and moan into your shared kiss as he fondled your tits, lavishing them with kisses and hickies. “And so gorgeous, I’m a damn lucky man” he said, making you bite your lip as your fingers laced in his hair once again, your eyes fluttering shut in bliss as he brought your nipple into his mouth and sucked. “Damn right you are- fuck…god I need you so bad Benny, please” you pleaded, making him chuckle as he flipped you both over, your back against his mattress as your hair fell around you like a halo.

“You ready, baby? Benny’s gonna show you the Tops! Hope you’re built sturdy you crazy broad” he said, lining himself up to your entrance. You hissed at the painful stretch of his length sliding into you, as wet as you were, it still burned with the way he spread you open. He felt like he had the wind knocked out of him when he slipped in even just half way, you were a tighter fit than any of the girls he fooled around with. “Almost there baby, doing so good for me. Feel so good wrapped around me like this” he complimented, leaning down to kiss you softly and sweetly to distract you from the pain as he tried to fully slip the rest of himself inside you. You both moaned in unison as the last of him slipped inside you, his hips stilled, waiting for your signal that told him he could move. “Doin’ okay, baby doll?” He asked, checking on you to make sure you were okay and not in too much pain. It had certainly been a long while since the last time you had sex. You’d go as far to say that the last time might have been before you were shot in the head. You shook your head yes in reply, scared that your voice might betray you if you tried to speak. “I won’t move until you tell me it’s alright. Wanna make sure I’m making my girl feel just as good, if not better, than she gets me feelin’, dig?” He responded, making you bite your lip as you tested a roll of your hips to feel if it was okay for him to move. He took that as his sign, but just to make sure he wasn’t going to hurt you, he slowly slipped nearly out of you completely before slowly working his way back in. He watched as you laid your head back against his pillows, your eyes fluttering shut in bliss as you covered your mouth to keep you from moaning too loud. He wasn’t having that. “None of that baby, I wanna hear you. Wanna hear how good I make you feel” he replied, pulling your hand from your mouth and testing another thrust, making you moan in response. “That’s it baby, you moan so pretty for me. Love hearing you” he said, starting to set a slow but nice pace, enjoying being able to watch your expressions and the way your breasts bounced with his movements. His hand grabbed one of yours from beside you, pulling it up by your head and intertwining his fingers with yours as a sweet show of compassion. You smiled up at him, feeling him lean forward to close the gap between you before his lips connected with yours once more. It was gentle yet passionate, just like before. Your free hand traversed the expanse of his back, needing to feel every inch of him you could against your own skin. It was intimate, intimate in a way he hadn’t been in quite a long time. One could even say there was love put into it with the way he cared for you. You weren’t just any run-of-the-mill broad, and this certainly wasn’t just any night in the sack for him, no. He wanted to show you how much he meant it when he said all the things he did, how much he cared for you and wanted you. He wanted to make it apparent that he wasn’t fucking you, he was making love to you. And that wasn’t something he did with just anybody.

He felt your legs wrap around his hips, keeping him close to you. He groaned at the feeling, how your legs pulling him into you made him hit deeper inside, pulling a delighted moan from you. “You play a dangerous game there baby doll” he said playfully, making you giggle and bite your lip as you looked up at him. “Maybe it’s a gamble I’m willing to take, sugar” you said, and it was mighty tempting for sure, a thought that grew more and more enticing the closer he was to reaching his end. “Benny…” you moaned breathlessly as you felt him nudge your sweet spot inside, making you keen and dig your nails into his back each time he hit it. “That the spot baby?” He asked, making sure to angle his hips where he would be able to hit it repeatedly, even with his slower pace. “Yes…fuck, just like that honey. Feels so good” you replied, looking up at him with your brows furrowed and lips parted as your moans filled the room like a sinful symphony. His lips trailed down to your neck, littering your neck and chest with kisses and playful nips at your soft skin. “Fuck baby…feels like this pretty cunt was made just for me with the way you’re huggin’ me all nice” he said through a groan. “Just for you baby” you replied, feeling the coil in your stomach growing tight. The mixed melody of your shared moans and the sounds of skin slapping against skin filled the suite. With the way the bed seemed to creak and squeal beneath you in time with the movements of your bodies, you wondered if anyone in passing could hear what was going on behind closed doors. “So close Benny…please, don’t stop” you pleaded, looking up at him, watching the way his eyes drank you in beneath him like this. “Cum for me baby, wanna see that pretty face all twisted up in pleasure” he encouraged, using his free hand to slip between your bodies, rubbing gentle circles against your clit.

It wasn’t long before stars filled your vision, sending your back arching from the mattress as you tipped over the edge into sweet bliss. Your nails of your one hand dug into his back, your other gripping his hand, that still lay entwined in yours, tightly as you cried out his name. You couldn’t care less about those who may have heard you in passing, all that mattered to you right now was this moment, spent with Benny. He wasn’t far behind you, pulling himself from you to spill all over your stomach with a groan. You giggled as he collapsed next to you, but not before grabbing something to help clean you both up. You turned and looked to him with a dreamy smile plastered to your face. “That was a nice bit of hey-hey girly. You’re a real ring-a-ding broad” he said, making you laugh at his compliment. “Not so bad yourself, handsome” you replied through your grin, feeling his hand come to rest along your hip as you both settled in beneath the covers. “Did ya really mean it when you say you dig me, baby?” He asked, wanting to make sure it wasn’t just something said in the heat of the moment, and that if it was he could properly detach his heart and move on. He wasn’t usually the type of man to show his hand, but now all his cards were out on the table for you to see. He wanted to be sure he hadn’t mistaken your words. “Of course I meant it, Benny. I ain’t a fink” you replied, your hand coming to rest against his cheek softly, your thumb rubbing his skin gently. His hand came up to rest against yours, smiling back at you. “I know you aren’t. I can always rely on you to be real with me, just makin’ sure I’m not betting a losing hand” he said, making you scoot closer to him. “Far from it. So long as you’re the cuddling type, and that this ain’t a one time thing, I’m here to stay” you replied, making him chuckle. “I’d be a dunce to quit you, baby. You’re as addicting as a gambler chasing the high of a winning streak” he complimented, making you giggle as your faces rested rather close to each other now. You smiled as you looked into his chocolate brown eyes. “What’dya say we give this a shot, you and me? Be my dame” He asked, and you couldn’t have been more delighted by the idea. “I’d like that” you answered softly with a smile, your eyes flickering between his and his lips, making him smile happily at your answer. “Yeah? You’d be mine, honey baby?” He asked. “About time you asked me, we’ve been dancin’ around each other for long enough. Don’t you think?” You asked, making him chuckle as he leaned in to kiss you. “See that right there? That’s what I like about you. I knew I made the right call” he said into your kiss, making you giggle once more. “Good. Now hush up and kiss me, would you?” You said playfully, making him hum in amusement as he kissed you like it was his last day he’d ever have by your side.

As you both pulled away for air, he couldn’t help but get lost in your eyes as he looked at you, feeling his chest grow warm with joy. Finally, he no longer had to worry about the way he felt, or wonder if you felt the same. He had you, and you had him, and to Benny that was the way he felt it should be. Like this, all felt right in the world. When he laid here in your arms, head resting against your chest, he felt at peace. He only hoped he could do the same for you. “Hold me, will ya? I swear you wore me out” he said, breaking the peaceful silence and making you giggle as your arms wrapped around him, your fingers carding through his dark hair. He let out a sound of contentment as you did, making you smile happily as you continued until you too fell blissfully asleep.

It was earlier that next morning, about the normal time the chairmen would meet up to discuss plans and all things business for the day. Swank, who normally stopped by your room to have someone by his side to talk to for the trip up to the thirteenth floor to Benny’s suite, was left rather confused when you hadn’t answered his knocks at your door. Normally you were either already out the door and waiting on him, or you’d be out the door the moment he knocked. He’d tried for a good ten minutes to get to you. He stood outside your door knocking at least five or six times, not knowing that you weren’t inside your room before finally giving up. He assumed you were either dead asleep and going to be chewed out by Benny later for being late, or up and there already and for some reason decided not to wait for him. Needless to say, it came as a bit of a shock when Swank knocked on Benny’s door, came inside, and didn’t already see you sitting there. Where were you? Had Benny sent you out for a personal errand maybe? Something didn’t feel right. “What can I pour you to drink, baby?” Benny asked as you were still in the bathroom, leaving Swank confused. He must have invited another girl up to his room, something he hadn’t done in a few months now that he came to think about it. You gave a chuckle, and soon his question about where you were was answered. “Interesting way to start off the morning, sugar. I can think of a far better way to start it than liquor could” you said suggestively, completely unaware of the added person in the room and only earning a chuckle from Benny in return. Swank watched as you walked out from the connected bathroom in nothing more than Benny’s dress shirt that looked as if it nearly swallowed you whole, clearly just fresh out of the shower. It was as you were drying your hair with a towel when you padded into the room to see Swank sitting in the chair across from Benny, leaving you wide eyed in surprise and red in the face. “Shit, Benny! You didn’t tell me you were having the meeting now!” You said, and both Benny and Swank gave a laugh from seeing you so flustered. “Busted. Now I know why I didn’t get an answer when I knocked on your door earlier” Swank said with a grin, eyeing the hickies adorning your neck that gave away what you were up to last night. His eyes soon dragged to the exposed skin of your legs, before coming back up and delighting in the slight peek of cleavage from the dress shirt you were wearing. His eyes soon came to the few hickies that seemed to peek from Benny’s collar, further answering his suspicions. “Warn a girl next time, would ya?” You asked, tossing your towel at the back of Benny’s chair before going back into the bathroom to change into your uniform and hopefully hide your embarrassment. “Have to say, rather jealous of you Ben-man. Been chasing her for a while. She seems like the real deal” Swank said after blowing his cigarette smoke out after a drag of it. “I take it you two had an…eventful night last night from the looks of it” he added, Benny chuckled with a grin that told Swank all he needed to know. “You sly dog you” he replied with a grin of his own and a laugh as he poured himself a drink. Once you stepped back out, this time in uniform, you made yourself a drink before sitting next to Benny, a dusting of red still lingering on your cheeks from embarrassment. “Been wondering why you’ve been holding off on your monthly flavors the past few months there Benny, guess I know why” Swank spoke, wiggling his eyebrows in your direction before taking a sip of his drink. “Don’t sound so jealous Swank, the girls over at Gomorrah got you wrapped around their pretty little pinky” you bit back playfully. “He’s just mad I stole a prime article from right under him” Benny teased back, making Swank laugh. “Well unless you’re just here to cock-block me from having a good morning, I suggest we get this meeting started” you spoke, making Swank grin at your sass being thrown his way as business ensued. But not to worry, you and Benny had your share of fun once you were alone again.

[seth-burroughs]

Rain Code characters as birds. Believe me that I am bird man and these were all very carefully thought out no matter what ok. ok

Yuma is a crow (specifically, hooded crow) because these things are just so fucking unreasonably smart even if they're considered so ordinary no one really pays them much mind. A flock of crows is also called a murder.

Makoto is a crow same as Yuma but changes his appearance so that he's looking like a slightly off magpie. Life-saving white dye.

Shinigami is some sort of griffin but I like to imagine her as a galah-leopard kind the most.

Halara is a peregrine falcon. I like the visual of them swooping down from nowhere at 360 km/h stunning every peacekeeper upon impact when Yuma calls for their help

Yakou is a pigeon.

Desuhiko is a lyrebird. Has any of you heard of lyrebirds. I feel disturbed by the fact that there are people who don't.

Fubuki is a cockatiel because it is a common pet bird (making Fubuki an escaped pet in every single au that turns her into a creature) that also fits her aesthetic.

Vivia is a raven. No explanation needed. A flock of ravens is called an unkindness. Me being forced to acknowledge him anymore could also be called an unkindness.

Kurumi is a black-capped chickadee because she's nice, she's friendly, she's curious, she's adorable, and if you hate her, you will die and go to hell. Some doctor also described chickadees as "memory geniuses", which is, huh, cool.

Swank is some seagull. He won't stop screaming and wants your everything.

Seth is a barn owl. Very quiet guy who really wants to nest in that church. Let him nest in that church.

Dominic is a cassowary.

Guillaume is one of those parrots that read your fortune by picking a card or some shit

Martina is a secretary bird. She will always be a secretary bird.

Yomi is a bearded vulture because he purposefully dyes his hair red, and also being continuously described by everyone and everything as extremely dangerous and a satan incarnate but without constantly relying on his subordinates he's honestly not really that threatening like come on guys

Fake Zilch is a black kite. Bird of prey who is also one of the three species of Australian "firehawks", who spread fires on purpose for hunting reasons.

Real Zilch can be a red kite, no one really cares about him

Dr. Huesca is a gray parrot because they're very very intelligent, look kind of old, look kind of evil,

The priest is a shrike because. because he. because. get it get i

[supercalifragipopculturevomit]

FINALLY caught up on TV shows I follow and watched new ones I’ve been meaning to check out…

Only Murders in the Building, season 4 (Hulu) – a perfect blend of crime, mystery, comedy, and heart: this is a certified comfort show. I don’t know how it keeps managing to expand the universe of such a niche podcast, but four seasons in, it’s still at it. And it doesn’t feel like a hasty expansion—something created out of popularity and demand—because all this time it’s actually been laying the ground for a much bigger arc. Steve Martin and Martin Short together are comedic gold—that’s a given; but Meryl Streep and Martin Short?? That’s an on-screen and off-screen pairing I didn’t know I needed.

Disclaimer* (Apple TV+) – this one’s difficult to discuss without spoilers but all you really need to know is it’s a psychological thriller written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón with Cate Blanchett at the helm. Parts of it feel clunky, with decisions made to force a narrative and serve a specific number of episodes, but if you can suspend your disbelief for that, it’s a meaty watch—heavy and triggering but also has you looking inwards and questioning your own prejudices. There is a gut punch of a line in the finale that will haunt you for the rest of your days, but it is worth watching the entire miniseries for.

Nobody Wants This, season 1 (Netflix) – here’s where they’re wrong: EVERYBODY WANTS THIS… everyone who was a teenager around 2005, anyway. My teen idol, Veronica Mars, with my teen crush, Seth Cohen, in a television rom-com?? 17-year-old me would have imploded from sheer joy and jealousy. Apparently, this isn’t the first time Kristen Bell and Adam Brody have played romantic partners, but since I didn’t reach the fifth season of House of Lies, this is the first time I’m seeing them together. And they are as adorable and as sexy together as you would expect them to be. The biggest surprise was how sharp the script is—this breed of rom-com is rare in this day and age.

The Franchise, season 1 (HBO Max) – this is a satirical comedy that pulls the curtain on the crazy shit a film crew—if they’re as unlucky as the Tecto team—has to put up with in the making of a superhero franchise. Would I have watched this if Daniel Brühl wasn’t in it? Maybe not. But I wouldn’t keep watching it if it wasn’t worthwhile. Created by the people behind Veep and Succession, it’s wickedly funny in a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of way. So, yeah, best watched with subtitles on.

Slow Horses, season 4 (Apple TV+) – in some ways this is your typical British spy thriller that has nail-biting action, an unexpected mole, and a tragic death but, in many ways, it isn’t. The spies are losers who aren’t easy to root for, but against all odds, they somehow always save the day. It’s ridiculous and brilliant and hilarious and I love it so much. On its fourth season, it proves that it still has much to offer—might be its strongest yet—with little seeds they’ve planted early on finally bearing fruit. Easily the most underrated show on this list.

The Day of the Jackal, season 1 (Peacock) – you know that episode in The Office (US) where they’re debating if Hilary Swank is hot or not? I had a similar one in my mind the entire time watching this—but with Eddie Redmayne on stand. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always liked him, I think he’s a phenomenal actor, but the most I would have ever described him was cute. This role had me seeing him in a whole new light though—not too different from when Benedict Cumberbatch took on the role of Sherlock. I don’t know if they’ve cast the new 007 yet but this could be the audition tape that puts him in the running. He’s SO GOOD that it’s easy to forget you're rooting for the villain. Redmayne’s Jackal has the steely precision of Jason Bourne, the disguises of Ethan Hunt minus the camp, and the sharp fashion and globetrotting lifestyle of a young and contemporary James Bond—what’s not to like? And, fuck yes, he’s hot.

[biggie-chcese]

ship ask game. points at you ominously. My Wawa

THE WAWA!!! beloved... of course my liege

(spoilers for halara's DLC and chapter 4)

Yuma - 12/10 and you may be wondering "wait this ranking is different from the yuma post" my rankings are relative and dynamic. keeps you on your toes. this is hands down my favorite halara ship they are among my favorite dynamics in the game hands down. i am just super enamored with the sides of themselves they draw out in their gumshoe gabs

Yakou - 5/10 this is one i like more platonically but like im down for it. i really love the their interactions in the DLC and halara saving yakou was really epic

Desuhiko - 6/10 i just think this one is funny. i dont see them being serious but desuhiko is definitely their side bitch

Fubuki - 8/10 this one's cute. i don't think about it much but the DLC definitely sold me on it. halara placing trust in fubuki's abilities is a pretty big thing and it's really nice to see how fubuki kinda brings out halara's softer side

Vivia - 4/10 there is something that can be said about their conflicting work ethics and philosophies as detectives, especially from the group confrontation in chapter 4, but it still doesn't personally compel me enough to brainrot over this one

Shinigami - 4/10 i like the fact that shinigami canonically said she was pretty okay with the idea of having a threesome with halara but other than that im not that interested

Zilch (Real) - 9/10 yeah these two should bond over their love of animals and i follow the "zilch's ears are organically attached to him also he has a tail" headcanon which i think halara would love. that's halara's pet freak

Swank - 6/10 picture this: halara visits the biggest casino in kanai ward and gets into a win streak in poker. they're attracting a crowd. swank is there gambling his blood money and goes to check the commotion to see halara at the center of it. their eyes meet, and there's this spark of competition. they play a long and tense game of poker- one in which halara comes out on top. swank is seething at his loss, but he also cannot deny the heat in his loins after spending all evening closely observing every detail of halara's face. halara sends him a wink, and the scene insta-cuts to them making out nasty style in a luxury suite. later that night, they both indulge in expensive gourmet foods and aged wine, bonding over the people they've swindled money out of. when the sun begins to peek over the horizon to mark a new day, halara dismisses themselves and returns to the NDA with brand new peacekeeper insider information. all according to keikaku

[yakool-foolio]

Out of all of the Amaterasu employees that we see in the game, if you had to list them from most morally good to least, how would you list them?

Obviously, they are all terrible people in multiple ways, but I'm just curious

Hmm, interesting! I haven't even really considered how much they'd be weighed on a scale for their morality. I like contemplating new ways to 'rank' characters though, and the peacekeeper higher-ups, other than Yomi (and Hitman Zilch since they basically come in a package deal in my brain), do deserve some more attention from me, so I'll give it a go! I'll just stick with ranking the higher-ups since we have the most info on what we see of them in canon, so sorry Huesca, your judgement day will have to come another time (not to mention we don't have enough info on the specifics of how bad he really was other than him 'sacrificing others for his own research' and conspiring to kill Yakou's wife, but honestly that should be enough to send him into the murky depths of the river Styx). This list will go from least morally corrupt to most morally corrupt, but I think we can already tell who's at the top.

First off, it's our lil sickly guy Seth! Poor guy honestly did the least things wrong, probably couldn't even hurt a fly if he really tried. While he did threaten to sink the sub and arrest the detectives on scene, he did give them a time limit to investigate and find the culprit. It was a very restrictive time limit, but still a chance to save themselves nonetheless. He was just doing as he was ordered to by Yomi in regards to taking money from the church, who knows what would've happened to him if he disobeyed. Guess we'll never know, sorry Seth.

Next up is Martina. I've been debating on where to put her, but honestly compared to the others, she somehow manages to scrape by as the second least morally corrupt. Most of my reasoning is due to her actively realizing that Yomi was an awful influence and resigning as a peacekeeper. No peacekeeper other than Seth had that kind of hindsight of their actions being the cause of Yomi being Yomi. Martina's above Seth on the moral corruption list cause she still actively threatened to shoot two young detectives and definitely would've pulled the trigger had she not been stopped.

Swank takes a spot right smack dab in the middle on the Amaterasu morality scale. This dude is greedy af and worked alongside Hitman Zilch to frame Yuma for the massacre on the train. And he would've gotten away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling chief! As soon as Yakou stepped into the scene, Swank's disposition took a surprising turn. He surrendered Yuma over to Yakou when he could've easily still arrested Yuma and moved on with his day. And yet, all it really took was for Yakou to say 'I'll tell WDO about your bad behavior and they'd be so mad at you >:T' and Swank took the hint and backed off. MAN DIDN'T EVEN GET BRIBED WITH MONEY! HE JUST TOOK THE L AND LEFT! That's the power of the charismatic blue father figure for ya. Honestly, Swank could've been ranked lower than Martina, but as far as we know, he never got that same sense of hindsight, so he could still be a money-grubbing, mass-murder framer to this day.

And now we move up to Guillaume and Dominic. These two are inseparable, so they shall be treated as such. I think its safe to say these guys like the thrill of hunting down Yuma and want to beat him and his allies to a pulp despite his pleas for mercy. They punch first and ask questions later. Not to mention they view all citizens as slaves, easily manipulated the power of Amaterasu. At least they gave up on harming Yuma when they were given the actual culprits, but Yuma would've easily been turned to paste if not for the detectives' intervention.

And finally, earning the top spot for most morally fucked by a landslide is Yomi! Do I even really need to go into the specifics about why this guy is so damn horrendous? Well, let's do a lightning round! Yomi hired a hitman to kill anyone who criticized or went against him (such as Yakou's wife), violently abused and almost had his 'girlfriend' killed, planned the Amaterasu Express Massacres, physically punished many of his coworkers, manipulated Yakou into killing Huesca, kicked down a dying Yakou, threatened to kill the detectives multiple times, and attempted to leak info about a militaristic experiment to create immortal soldiers to other facilities for some cash. Fuckin' bitch.

[claudia1829things]

"THE BLACK DAHLIA" (2006) Review

"THE BLACK DAHLIA" (2006) Review

Judging from the reactions among moviegoers, it seemed quite obvious that director Brian DePalma’s adaptation of James Ellroy’s 1987 novel had disappointed them. The ironic thing is that I do not share their feelings.

A good number of people – including a relative of mine – have told me that they had expected "THE BLACK DAHLIA" to be a docudrama of the infamous 1947 murder case. Others had expected the movie to be an epic-style crime drama similar to the 1997 Academy Award winning film, "L.A. CONFIDENTIAL" - another Ellroy adaptation. ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” proved to be neither for many fans. For me, it turned out to be an entertaining and solid film noir that I enjoyed.

Told from the point-of-view of Los Angeles Police detective Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert (Josh Harnett), ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” told the story of how the January 1947 murder of Hollywood star wannabe, Elizabeth Short aka “The Black Dahlia” (Mia Kershner) affected Bleichert’s life and the lives of others close to him – especially his partner, Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart). The story began over three years before Short’s murder when Bleichert saved Blanchard’s life during the Zoot Riots in 1943. After World War II, the pair (who also happened to be celebrated local boxers) participated in an inter-departmental boxing match to help raise support for a political bond issue that will increase pay for the LAPD, but with a slight tax increase. Although Bleichert lost the match, both he and Blanchard are rewarded by Assistant District Attorney Ellis Loew (Patrick Fischler) with promotions and transfers to the Warrants Department and the pair became partners. Bleichert not only became partners and friends with Blanchard, he also became acquainted with Blanchard’s live-in girlfriend, a former prostitute and artist named Kay Lake (Scarlett Johansson). Although Bleichert fell in love with Kay, he kept his feelings to himself, due to his relationship with Blanchard. Thanks to Blanchard’s penchant for publicity, the two partners eventually participated in the murder investigation of Elizabeth Short (nicknamed the Black Dahlia). The case not only led the pair to a rich young playgirl named Madeleine Linscott (Hillary Swank) and her family, but also into a world of prostitution, pornography, lesbian nightclubs and the dark underbelly of Hollywood life.

Written by James Ellroy and originally published in 1987, ”The Black Dahlia” became the first of four novels about the Los Angeles Police Department in the post-World War II era (”L.A. Confidential” was the third in the quartet). In my opinion, it was the best in Ellroy’s L.A. Quartet. I believe that it translated quite well to the movie screen, thanks to DePalma’s direction and Josh Friedman’s screenplay. Like the movie ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”, ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” turned out to be superior to its literary version. Not only did DePalma and Friedman’s screenplay recapture the ambiance of the novel’s characters and 1940s Los Angeles setting, the plot turned out to be an improvement over the novel. Especially over the latter’s chaotic finale. Despite the improvement, ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” never achieved the epic style and quality of ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. If I must be frank, I really do not care. Movies like the 1997 Oscar winner are rare occurrences of near perfect quality. Just because ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” was another film adaptation of an Ellroy novel, did not mean that I had expected it to become another ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”.

Mark Isham’s score for the film did not turn out to be that memorable to me. All I can say is that I am grateful that he did not attempt a remake of Jerry Goldsmith’s scores for ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL” and ”CHINATOWN”. On the other hand, I was very impressed with Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography for the film. One sequence stood out for me – namely the overhead shot that featured the discovery of Elizabeth Short’s dead body in the Leimert Park neighborhood in Los Angeles. Ironically, part of the movie was shot in Sofia, Bulgaria substituting as 1946-47 Los Angeles. Production Designer Dante Ferretti and Art Director Christopher Tandon did a solid job in disguising Sofia as Los Angeles. But there were a few times when the City of Angels seemed like it was located on the East Coast. And I could spot a few palm trees that definitely looked false. However, I really loved the set designs for Kay’s home and the lesbian nightclub where Bleichert first met Madeline. I loved Jenny Beavan’s costume designs for the film. She did an excellent job of recapturing the clothing styles of the mid-to-late 1940s and designing clothes for particular characters.

One of the movie’s best strengths turned out to be its very interesting characters and the cast of actors that portrayed them. Characters that included the ambitious and sometimes malevolent ADA Ellis Loew, portrayed with great intensity by Patrick Fischler; Rose McGowan’s bitchy and shallow Hollywood landlady/movie extra; Elizabeth Short’s frank and crude father Cleo Short (Kevin Dunn); Mike Starr’s solid portrayal of Bleichert and Blanchard’s immediate supervisor Russ Millard; and Lorna Mertz, the young Hollywood prostitute portrayed memorably by Jemima Rooper. John Kavanagh and Fiona Shaw portrayed Madeline Linscott’s parents – a Scottish-born real estate magnate and his alcoholic California society wife. Kavanagh was charming and fun in a slightly corrupt manner, but Shaw hammed it up in grand style as the alcoholic Ramona Linscott. I doubt that a lesser actress could have pulled off such a performance.

Not only were the supporting characters memorable, so were the leading characters, thanks to the performances of the actors and actresses that portrayed them. I was very impressed by Mia Kershner’s portrayal of the doomed Elizabeth Short. She managed to skillfully conveyed Short’s desperation and eagerness to become a Hollywood movie star in flashbacks shown in the form of black-and-white audition clips and a pornographic film clip. At first, I found Scarlett Johansson as slightly too young for the role of Kay Lake, the former prostitute and artist that both Bleichert and Blanchard loved. She seemed a bit out of her depth, especially when she used a cigarette holder to convey her character’s sophistication. Fortunately, Johansson had ditched the cigarette holder and Kay’s so-called sophistication and portrayed the character as a warm and pragmatic woman, who turned out to be more emotionally mature than the other characters. I found Aaron Eckhart’s performance as the passionate, yet calculating Lee Blanchard great fun to watch. He seemed funny, sharp, verbose, passionate and rather manic all at once. There were times when his character’s growing obsession toward the Black Dahlia case seemed to border on histrionics. But in the end, Eckhart managed to keep it all together. Another performance I truly enjoyed was Hillary Swank’s portrayal of the sensual, rich playgirl Madeline Linscott. Just by watching Swank on screen, I got the impression that the actress had enjoyed herself playing Madeline. I know I had a ball watching her reveal the charming, yet dark facets of this interesting character.

Ellroy’s novel had been written in the first person – from the viewpoint of LAPD detective, Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert. Which meant that the entire movie had to focus around the actor who portrayed Bleichert. I once heard a rumor that Josh Harnett became interested in the role before casting for the movie actually began. In the end, many critics had either dismissed Hartnett’s performance or judged him incapable of portraying a complex character. Personally, I found their opinions hard – even impossible – to accept. For me, Harnett did not merely give a first-rate performance. He ”was” Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert. One must understand that Bleichert was a difficult role for any actor – especially a non-showy role that also had to keep the story together. Throughout the movie, Harnett, DePalma’s direction and Friedman’s script managed to convey the many complexities of Bleichert’s personality without being overtly dramatic about it. After all, Dwight was basically a quiet and subtle character. Harnett portrayed the character’s growing obsession with both the Black Dahlia case and Madeline Linscott without the manic and abrupt manner that seemed to mark Blanchard’s obsession. You know what? I really wish I could say more about Harnett’s performance. But what else can I say? He perfectly hit every nuance of Bleichert’s personality. I personally believe that Dwight Bleichert might be his best role to date.

I wish I could explain or even understand why ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” had flopped at the box office. Some have complained that the film had failed to match the epic qualities of ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”. Others have complained that it failed as a docudrama that would solve the true life murder of Elizabeth Short. And there have been complaints that Brian DePalma’s editing of a film that was originally three hours ruined it. I had never expected the movie to become another ”L.A. CONFIDENTIAL” (which did a mediocre job at the box office) – a rare case of near Hollywood perfection. I really do not see how a three hour running time would have helped ”THE BLACK DAHLIA”. It was a complex story, but not as much as the 1997 film. Hell, the novel was more straightforward than the literary L.A. Confidential”. And since the Hollywood publicity machine had made it clear that the movie was a direct adaptation of the novel, I found the argument that ”THE BLACK DAHLIA” should have been a docudrama that would solve Short’s murder rather ludicrous. Since I had read the novel back in the late 90s, I simply found myself wondering how DePalma would translate it to the movie screen.

In the end, I found myself more than satisfied with ”THE BLACK DAHLIA”. It possessed a first-rate cast led by a superb performance from Josh Harnett. Screenwriter Josh Friedman’s screenplay turned out to be a solid job that slightly improved Ellroy’s novel – especially the finale. And director Brian DePalma did an excellent job of putting it all together. I highly recommend it – if one does not harbor any high expectations.

[noahl-art]

Hi!

Don't get me wrong, I don't mean it I don't like your art or anything. Really really sorry if it sounds rude, I'm just interested. So.. Are there any cis ghouls? I've just often seen you draw different ghouls as transgender.

I was just wondering about your headcanons about it and stuff..

Hey anon! 😊

No worries! As long as questions like that are asked respectfully and without bad intentions, I don't mind at all!

To be honest I don't really know 🤷 I don't have any fixed headcanons about their genders... I just vibe with it depending on what I feel like drawing! Which most of the time means they'll end up trans because that's what makes me really happy to draw!

It's more that I've spent a good part of my life drawing cis characters, and I've grown bored of it. So now, I just go full force and draw what I wish to see more represented, trans moments of joy and love, this warm feeling of community... And the ghouls just happen to be a very good vessel for these kinds of things! ✨

As always with these kind of asks I'll leave you with an extract that I love! It's by Hanneli Victoire a french transmasc author and journalist. It has been roughly translated via Deepl and corrected by my french ass so sorry if it's a bit cluncky! It's a bit long but very worth it! (link to the full french post on instagram)

The more I eat up feminist and lesbian theory, the more I understand that we don't exist. To be a man, a guy, a trans guy, a transmasculine or non-binary person is to look for yourself wherever possible, and to find yourself nowhere. Transmasculinity is a complete unthought issue in feminism, a question that is swept under the rug because no one knows what we're talking about. When you're a kid, you've got Hilary Swank getting murdered in Boys Don't Cry and not much else to tell us that being trans is shame, shit and death. Who wants to go through Preciado's or Bourcier's books to find mirrors of themselves? Who knows that Stone Butch Blues exists and that this book saves lives, even though it's far removed from activist circles? There's no space for us among lesbians, feminists, cis men or even queers. Once you've abandoned the idea of the definitive "she", and you're oscillating between "he", "they" or "it" and sometimes even a bit of "she", sexuality is a laughing matter. What are we becoming? Straight, lesbian, gay, transgender? There's nothing that really fits, and above all, we're attacked as soon as we dare to assert one or the other, because in any case, straight, queer, bi or transgender is not for us, and our bullshit erases the real holders of the title. Transmasc we're kicking up a fuss, because no one expected us to turn up in such numbers, or that we'd be in the vanguard of blowing up the hegemonic masculinities. That we'd be 1.50m tall, with huge breasts, long hair, a craving for make-up, dresses and heels, and that we'd grab the whole world by the collar and say "he" without looking down. Let's be proud of that. Of breaking down the "gender" category, and profoundly changing the face of oppression and struggle with our bodies that make everything go haywire. We're going to knock it out of the park, and we're not going to apologise. Saying, "Yes, but it's not just girls" at 100% of feminist meetings, events and speeches, and forcing people to add the cis prefix when talking about the men who ruin everything. And we know when we look like rude jerks wearing a cap, a mask or a hoodie, when we're called "sir" and we don't dare speak up because we don't want to get burnt. And we know when we have to deal T, find vial leftovers, hold hands during injections, support each other during shortages. And we know when we're sharing the names of psychiatrists, endocrinologists and surgeons to do our top surgery. And we know when it's time to start a fund-raising campaign to remind ourselves that we're beautiful, and to help each other find a new name. We know. With our non-muscular bodies, our squashed tits, our mini moustaches, our voices that go off the rails, our scars on our torsos, our outbursts when we cut our hair and our hips that are too wide. We know when we've been told to get lost, that we're scary, that we've become too masculine, that T has made us freaks, that we've joined the oppressors' camp. We know when we're in relationships with dykes, straights or fags and no one understands what kind of couple we are. We know when we date each other and no one understands, because T4T is like nothing we've ever known and we're even more exposed that way. Violence everywhere, transmasc nowhere. And yet, every time I needed help, every time I wasn't feeling well, a transmasc person was there to offer me a hand. Solidarity is in our blood, because there's nowhere else to go. Hanneli Victoire - "Transmasc, a kick in the ant hill"

[nekioka]

Seven is a lucky number - 1/5

Next

(Cut panels and ramblings (but mostly ramblings) under the cut)

Here we go, part one of this comic project! Originally I meant this to be read a bit like a webtoon, as one long comic, but since long images get blurry on tumblr I had to cut the comic to "pages". It's really bugging me that these pages are different sizes, but it is what it is!

So this part is mostly about setting things up. I needed to show Bingo doing something cruel and the fact that Benny doesn't like it. Even though the game literally starts with him shooting the player in the head I've always got a feeling that violence isn't usually his first choice.

In the end I decided to have Bingo scalp some unfortunate person. It honestly made me uncomfortable to draw it (for multiple reasons!) but in-game Swank did say this:

"Without Mr. House, we'd still be wearing gecko skins, poking around the ruins with pointy sticks and scalping people for giggles."

I'm still second guessing if I should have made Bingo do something else instead...

Other events of this page are inspired by these lines from Benny:

"We were east of Vegas when the first Securitron we ever saw rolled up on us. We junked it in a minute flat."

"The next day twenty roll up. So we listened."

Unfortunately I didn't keep my original sketches for this page, but late in the process I did change two panels from the first page. Since I had almost finished doing lineart I saved them. Here they are:

[pyropsychiccollector]

Yuma Harem: Down Came the Rain 1/7

Time to begin the third series~... I wanted to make sure to do all of the poll winners first, so that's the initial reason for spreading the love between series. :3 And now it's Rain Code's turn~...

As always, this will be an AU. Rain Code killed off... a good half of this harem. And Guillaume might as well be dead for all that she drops off the map after Chapter 3... XD So Fubuki and Kurumi are the only canon survivors. And the game ends on a pretty somber note with Yuma just leaving after regaining his memories, moving onto the next adventure. Very typical in shounen series, honestly. It's not "bad", just...

I want to fix things. (人◕ω◕) Too much death. Too much hurting the Kokohead. The Kokomelon, as some fans might affectionately call him. (人◕ω◕) And moreover, the "Yuma" we come to know "dies" as he regains his memories. Sure, it's strongly hinted that his feelings and experiences are just integrated into his original self... But we don't know the former #1 of the WDO. We know "Yuma", the amnesiac. Maybe Yuma had principles before he gave up his memories, maybe he did have morals... But if Makoto showed us anything, he was frankly a ruthlessly cunning individual that crossed any line in order to reach the truth. You can see this in how he assigned a great many detectives to Kanai Ward, and most of them died.

... I know I'm rambling, but the point I wanted to make is that I'll be focusing on the Yuma that we know. Not that the former #1 isn't interesting to think about... But Yuma has heart, you know? I wish to reward that. Reward the nice guys. Reward the goobers. (人◕ω◕) It does mean Shinigami will be sticking around, and you could count her as an unofficial member of the harem (... I mean, c'mon. What? You want Shinigami to bonk her Master silly in the Mystery Labyrinth? Perverts. (人◕ω◕) Not that I'm much better.)... But as you'll see, I've tweaked the idea of Mystery Labyrinths. If Kodaka's going to have a game just short of Persona, I'm gonna go "all the way" with those ideas. Put my own spin on the concepts. (人◕ω◕) I regret nothing.

The Beginning

To absolutely no one's surprise... Kurumi won the poll. lol I don't mind, she's essentially "Detective Chiaki". Finally, a series where "Chiaki" lives... For those who played Danganronpa, they were just brutal with her, tearing out and stomping on our hearts. Again and again. XD As a consequence, though, Kodaka killed off just about everyone else. ... He just can't let us be happy, can he? (人◕ω◕)***

But this lets me get Kurumi-chan outta the way. Again, not that she's bad... She's honestly a really sweet girl, and I won't pretend otherwise. It's just that we know Kurumi's story, know her dynamic with Yuma. And I personally like saving my dessert - that is, the girls that I most strongly support with the protagonist - for last. ... Didn't completely work out for Fate, but aw well. (人◕ω◕)

... I'm rambling again. There's stuff I gotta elaborate on. The first thing to note in this AU is that through a miracle, the train gang - the detectives that Yuma first got to know before reaching Kanai Ward - are all spared, save for Zilch. What ended up happening is that Yuma passed out in front of the detectives, fell over and bumped his head. This allowed the detectives to figure out that he was drugged - likely by the coffee he drank - and the fake Zilch was left to improvise and have Swank and the Peacekeepers deal with the detectives after faking his death to pin on the detectives.

Yuma still goes to the Mystery Labyrinth and Shinigami executes fake Zilch at the end of it. Yakou still arrives to help get the Peacekeepers off Yuma and friends' backs, and they all successfully make it to the Nocturnal Detective Agency. I bring up this background information just so there's not any confusion about Pucci's survival, later on... And why I'll be bringing up the train detectives in subsequent Chapters. XD

Chapter 1 still goes the same way. So we'll skip right to the relevant bits: the Aetheria Academy arc. Chapter 2. (人◕ω◕)

Chapter 2 is... more changes. Due to a few more detectives moving around in Kanai Ward (Pucci, Aphex, Zange, Melami), the NDA is a little more known. Which is why one of the "Aetheria trio" (Yoshiko, Waruna, Kurane) approaches Yuma first, as opposed to Kurumi. Kurane-chan wanted to desperately explore one last non-violent option to expose Karen, and avoid blackening Waruna and Yoshiko's souls. (人◕ω◕)

... I won't go into full details just yet, save that for the appropriate posts. However, I will say that Kurane's actions do wind up saving herself, Waruna, and Yoshiko from becoming killers. It doesn't all go to plan, and they do throw Yuma under the bus when crap hits the fan... But they live, and are able to atone for screwing Yuma over. The Aetheria trio still has futures. (人◕ω◕)

With all this background explained... Let's talk about Kurumi~ Because Kurane was the first to approach Yuma, Kurumi is initially unaware of who "Yumi", one of the new girls at the academy, is. She doesn't know he's a detective looking into Aiko's death (Kurane is testing him, which is why she didn't give him all the details), just that "Yumi" cares enough to ask about Aiko and what happened to her. ... And "Yumi" is rather cute. Kurumi-chan totally fangirls over Yuma's female disguise that he got from Desuhiko. Fooled into thinking he is a girl, and just another student at the academy. (人◕ω◕)

Kurumi and Yuma hit it off pretty well. For the week or so leading up to the fateful rehearsal, Yuma pokes around, trying to pinpoint the truth behind Aiko's death, whether it was a suicide or if someone killed her. Initially, Kurumi tries putting the brakes on his investigation because Yuma's a "civilian", and she doesn't want him getting in trouble with the Peacekeepers... But after Yuma half-lies and says he has connections with the new detective agency in town, promising to get them involved if Kurumi lets him investigate... Kurumi allows it, and gives her all in supporting "Yumi".

... Then the rehearsal happens, and "Yumi" stands accused of Karen's murder. Kurumi is still kept out of the loop as Yuma, Desuhiko, and Melami give the Peacekeepers the runaround while investigating the new murder case. She does what she can for "Yumi" by asking the theater club members and comforting them, but unfortunately Kurumi's not able to do too much with all the Peacekeepers locking the theater hall down.

It's not until after everything blows over that Kurumi finds out the truth about "Yumi". ... I mean, she saw him exposed as a man when Martina cornered the detectives on stage, but she wouldn't get the full story until the case's bumpy resolution. Kurumi didn't take it very hard she was kept in the dark for so long; Yuma had his reasons, and while he couldn't keep a new murder from happening he did help expose the truth and bring closure to Aiko's death. And it was a relief that her doubts about Yoshiko, Waruna, and Kurane could be put to rest. All four of them were close friends of Aiko, and it hurt that Aiko is gone... But they're able to move forward now, even if the trio has regrets and feel they need to atone in their own ways.

Kurumi helps Yuma with his investigation into Kanai Ward, filling him in on the information her grandfather uncovered before he disappeared. That Amaterasu was dabbling in homunculus research. Kanai Ward is still a broken city in dire need of hope, but Kurumi feels more optimistic now that detectives have finally arrived. The perpetual rain feels a little less oppressing~

The Middle Act

Kurumi bonds with Yuma and the other detectives in the coming weeks. (人◕ω◕) Kurane does, too, clinging to Yuma pretty hard... And Waruna and Yoshiko come around at their own paces. The bottom line is, Yuma becomes a good friend to the Aetheria girls. (人◕ω◕) He can never replace Aiko... But he fills the role she left behind. Yuma's an earnest, kindhearted young man that won't stand for injustice. Yet he won't give into despair, won't stoop to murder or similar extreme methods. The ends don't justify the means. In his unwavering beliefs and how he slowly gains confidence the more time he spends in Kanai Ward, Yuma helps the Aetheria girls to remain grounded. He helps them to have hope once more. (人◕ω◕)

Of course Yuma's got a giant target painted on his back because of the Peacekeepers running everything, but Kurumi stands by Yuma. Not just because she's the city's only informant, but because Yuma is her friend. And he helped her connect with Yoshiko, Waruna, and Kurane.

... So when Yomi still nukes the sub, a couple of weeks after the Aetheria case... Kurumi is swept up into urgency by Kurane, who's the most worried about Yuma, especially after he gets spirited away by the Resistance... It's not like there's much they can do. Needless to say, Chapter 3 is pretty rough for the Aetheria girls. While Waruna and Yoshiko are still in the middle of reflecting and bonding with the detectives at their own respective paces, and while they have varying doubts about how much the detectives can really impact Kanai Ward's situation with Amaterasu... They still didn't wish harm on the detectives. Not after being given a new lease on life. Kurumi and Kurane are the closest with the detectives, and it hurts to see the sub blown up, to not know if the other detectives are alive... To know that someone kidnapped Yuma...

And later, events go further downhill. Yuma and the detectives get pinned as bombers, as terrorists... The Aetheria girls have to be careful with the Peacekeepers suffocating Kanai Ward more than usual in their hunt for the detectives, but they can't just stand by and not help Yuma find the truth behind the new case. Marunomon District doesn't get flooded this time around, but bombs going off and killing people is still... pretty bad... Kurumi does everything she can as an informant to glean as much evidence and testimony as possible. And Kurane looks to her, emulating Kurumi in her own way. Kurane's greatest strength is that people rarely notice her, even the bumbling Peacekeepers that are so dead-set on tracking down Yuma. It's an awesome investigative power, and Kurumi's grateful to have Kurane's help in gathering clues. Waruna and Yoshiko help in their own ways; Waruna's the fiery, overprotective girl, the "muscle"; and Yoshiko has... connections. Mostly schoolmates, but she's on good terms with people outside the academy, too.

Regardless of Kurumi and the Aetheria trio's help, Yuma, Aphex, and Fubuki still end up cornered. ... And then through some miracle, all the detectives come out of the woodwork, and they're saved and the Peacekeepers grudgingly stand down when Amaterasu's CEO shows up. Kurumi's not sure what to make of Makoto, he seems like a pretty laidback guy, but there are undertones of... something more, beneath the surface. He saved the detectives, saved Yuma, but Kurumi can't help wondering what Makoto's angle is. And she's even more baffled when the CEO gives the detectives their sub back, with everything inside pretty much the same as it was before it got destroyed.

About a month flies by before they all know it, after that debacle. The detectives are all reunited, Kurumi and the Aetheria trio can still hang around them, and even the Resistance leaders are coming around now... Kurumi was a bit intimidated by the Resistance before the detectives came to the city, only really having rumors to go off of. But really, the Resistance leaders are pretty goofy, even if they're capable in their own right. They're not as extreme as the rumors would have you believe.

With all of them coming together, it really feels like they can effect change in Kanai Ward. The Peacekeepers are still wary of the detectives, still want to arrest them... Or at least some of them do. Kurumi begins noticing that some Peacekeepers are, however grudgingly, allowing the detectives to look into cases. At least the small-time stuff. ... If Amaterasu is linked at all in incidents, they're still pretty defensive and ornery. But there's a lot of crime in Kanai Ward, and Amaterasu isn't tied in everything... Just the most serious stuff.

And with Vivia's latest intel, they've been trying to locate a secret lab where the homunculus research is being conducted. To no avail, but it's the best lead they have to go on. And so a month after that last debacle... Kurumi is anxious when the detectives go straight to Amaterasu and get wrapped up in another incident. She, her friends, and the Resistance can't do much but wait for the detectives to come back, and it's an agonizing wait...

Thankfully, the detectives do make it out of Amaterasu's HQ in one piece. And they bring good news: Yomi's been arrested, and it truly seems like Kanai Ward will change for the better after this. Kurumi's glad. The detectives still have their mission of discovering Kanai Ward's Ultimate Secret... But for the first time in years, Kanai Ward seems to have a bright future ahead of them.

... To Kurumi and everyone else's dismay, however, the tragedies aren't over yet. Apparently, after they see the news of the World Detective Organization getting bombed, everyone in the sub at the time is knocked out. And when they wake back up... Yuma is gone. Nothing else was taken, no threatening note was left behind... Yuma's just disappeared.

They all have a bad feeling about this. The detectives are determined to settle this themselves, to keep the "civilians" out of harm's way... But Kurumi, the Aetheria trio, and the Resistance absolutely refuse to sit this one out. While the detectives go straight to Amaterasu HQ to confront them about Yuma's abduction, the Aetheria girls and the Resistance scour Kanai Ward, just on the off chance that Yuma was taken by someone else...

To their great horror and discomfort, however... Yuma is nowhere to be found. They investigate hard over the next two days... The detectives return with their conclusion Yuma isn't in Amaterasu, they were even allowed free roam of the Amaterasu premises by Peacekeepers and researchers alike. And... he wasn't there. The Aetheria girls and the Resistance didn't have any luck, either - no one had seen or heard from Yuma. It's like he disappeared from the world completely...

And that's around the time that the detectives decided it was time to confront the one area they'd left untouched: The Restricted Area. If Yuma was nowhere in the Kanai Ward that they knew... Then he had to be there. Determined to save Yuma, everyone bands together to bust into the Restricted Area, rules and laws be damned. (人◕ω◕) They take one of the Resistance's vans and use it like a battering ram to plow through the electric fence around the perimeter of the Restricted Area. Then they take another van and drive on through the opening, not trusting at all what might be on the other side...

The Restricted Area is unlike anything they'd seen in Kanai Ward. It was rundown, and it seemed like an older area of the city, nowhere near as bright and illuminating as the rest of the city. It was like... darkness lurked in the Restricted Area. A deep darkness that made Kurumi feel anxious and worried, but they needed to take the plunge and find Yuma at all costs... He... He had to be there. There was nowhere left. No other possibilities. Kurumi and everyone else were unable to accept the possibility that it was too late to save Yuma... that he was already gone.

After finding that the Restricted Area was not an easy place to navigate by car, and that the people roaming about it seemed... strange somehow... the "Yuma Rescue Squad" got out to explore the area on foot. Servan and Aphex would stay with the van, driving around where they could and keeping an eye out. But the detectives, Kurumi, the Aetheria trio, and Shachi, and Iruka all split up to cover the most ground. They weren't dumb enough to search on their own, not in such unfamiliar territory; they formed pairs or groups. Kurumi stuck with her friends, and bravely forged on ahead.

... It was such a spooky, spine-tingling place. The locals were gruff and unresponsive to them, and not a single teenager was keen on approaching them more closely. They vaguely knew that this area was rumored to have had a gas leak in the nearby mines, and that Amaterasu labeled this town as uninhabitable... So maybe the locals were so strange because of that gas leak. Amaterasu might not have been able to do anything for the people here.

All Kurumi could do was keep searching for Yuma... He had to be okay. He had to be. Seeing this place so desolate and brought to utter ruination... A heavy weight was in Kurumi's chest and refused to go away. If Yuma was here, there was a good chance that he hadn't eaten or slept well... But they would save him. They wouldn't leave a single stone unturned.

To their immense relief, Kurane was able to find Yuma after what must have been an hour... He was holed up in a random house, after barricading the door and windows. Yuma... Yuma was bleeding. It looked like someone or something had tried gnawing his shoulder and neck, and his clothes were all roughed up. Kurumi and Yoshiko did what they could, scrounging around for any First Aid supplies in the home, bandaging Yuma up and sterilizing his wounds. He was horrified at seeing them in the abandoned village, fearfully asking if they'd encountered anyone... If everyone else had come here.

Yuma was not that relieved to hear that was the case. When asked what had happened to him, why he was holed up here, all Yuma could say was that the people in this village were wrong... They weren't normal. Weren't sane. He even went so far as to call them zombies... Yuma wasn't sure how or why he was brought here, but they needed to round up everyone and leave. He didn't want to endanger his friends...

He didn't feel that he was worth the effort to come here. Yuma had been prepared to just die trapped in this abandoned house. But now all he wants is to just get everyone safely out of the village... go back where they came. If they have to leave him behind, so be it.

Yoshiko and Waruna gave Yuma an earful about his self-sacrificial attitude, and Kurumi and Kurane just did their best to comfort him. They'd make it out... But Kurumi came to the realization that they should investigate this place. Yes, safety was paramount... But if they just left, Yuma could get dragged back here by whoever kidnapped him. Hell, the Peacekeepers might punish them for breaking in here, or they'd just seal off the Restricted Area again... This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to find out what this place was, what happened here, and why Yuma was brought here.

... Kurane doesn't like the thought of lingering somewhere that almost got Yuma killed, but Waruna and Yoshiko uneasily agree that Kurumi's right. They can't just... leave without answers. They'll look around while searching for the Resistance and the detectives.

In subsequent events, they skirt around the locals that Yuma's deeply fearful of. They investigate an old post office, and find the order to evacuate amidst papers left behind. Soon enough familiar faces show up, and the girls have no choice but to believe the "zombie" story that Yuma fed them. There's no other explanation for seeing Karen and her father approaching them sluggishly, moaning and groaning incomprehensibly. They make a run for it, and somebody outside shoots an arrow attached with a note that explained a little bit about defective homunculi... They don't have the time to sit and reflect on it, so they keep moving, and eventually run into the Priest from the church, as well as that Worshipper. And before long, more and more familiar faces emerge from the woodwork, none of them can be reasoned with so Yuma and the girls keep running.

Gradually, they hook back up with the other Rescue Squad members, who are thankfully in one piece, if not spooked by the seemingly cannibalistic residents. They eventually reach the ominous factory, and uncover more information about homunculi and the true nature of Kanai Ward. Some Rescue Squad members are already in the factory and surrounding areas, poking around. They learn the uncomfortable truth that the meat buns of Kanai Ward are made from human corpses, and they just keep learning more and more...

The final "stop" on their tour is an old bathhouse up high. They all can see this is where the unending rain originates from, and when they turn off the equipment... everyone but the detectives pass out, and the residents of the abandon village go berserk. Makoto arrives to restore the rain, but only after Yuma "lends a hand". Right after the rain is back, Makoto and the detectives have a tense standoff, and Yuma has no choice but to access the Mystery Labyrinth one more time to resolve everything. Thankfully, however, he's not alone as all the Nocturnal Detective Agency personnel join Yuma on this last eye-opening adventure. (人◕ω◕)

The Future

Players should probably know by now how the final adventure goes. (人◕ω◕) Yuma uncovers everything, and this time he's got his NDA friends supporting him, not just Shinigami. It's an emotional rollercoaster for all of them... But they get Makoto to change his ways, to leave the labyrinth and reveal the truth without killing him.

I haven't really mentioned up until now, but the chief difference with the labyrinths from canon is that it's possible to talk it out with the culprits' souls and have them reveal the truth to everyone outside the labyrinth. There's no need to execute the culprit every single time. With the soul returning to the culprit, changed, the labyrinth fades away on its own. So essentially, Yuma and co. won't have to use Shinigami's emergency exit. (人◕ω◕) Shinigami can remain contracted to Yuma.

Of course that means Yuma won't regain his memories... But he's fine with that in the end~ Because all the mysteries have been solved. Makoto is going to tell Kanai Ward everything, and he's going to strive to open their city up to the world and allow them opportunities to leave. Amaterasu will develop innovations to help them deal with their weakness to sunlight. Hearing the truth will be hard for the citizens, especially for the Rescue Squad... But the people of Kanai Ward will endure.

And the NDA... Well... (人◕ω◕) Yakou thinks he'll be on his own again, everyone else returning to the WDO for new assignments... But he's floored when he's wrong. Yuma, for one, resolves to stay and help the NDA. Kanai Ward still needs detectives... They're at a crossroads now, with Peacekeepers receiving a major overhaul, Amaterasu coming back from years of corruption. Yuma might not have the memories, but he knows that he used to be #1 of the WDO, and as he currently is... He can't lead the organization. Yuma would rather work here, where he knows he can still make a difference. (人◕ω◕) The train gang that he came here with pretty much agree to stay, too, for their own reasons. Desuhiko, Halara, Vivia, and Fubuki will at least go back to the WDO for the election to decide the new #1, but then they'll probably come back to help as detectives~ Their time here wasn't long, but they're loyal to each other and to Yakou. It's enough to make the poor guy bawl his eyes out. He's touched. (人◕ω◕)

Kurumi graduates from Aetheria Academy soon after everything resolves, and she remains the city's informant - although with the detectives' help, she may find new informants willing to step up, to learn from her~ Yuma remained here because of his bonds with the few people of Kanai Ward that he's gotten to know these past several weeks. He has an ever-deepening bond with Kurumi and her friends, and the Resistance.

Yuma still has plans to travel the world someday... He may or may not settle in Kanai Ward forever... But he's in no rush to leave. And even if he ever does depart, Yuma will have a bunch of... buddies... tagging along. (人◕ω◕) ... Alright, they're his girlfriends. No use beating around the bush. He can't deny that he loves them all, and they love him. ... A lot. (人◕ω◕) Sure, certain girls are more competitive and greedy... But Kurumi's one of the ones willing to share Yuma. Yoshiko, Waruna, Kurane, Fubuki, Pucci... They're all good people. She wouldn't keep Yuma from them~

... Guillaume is an interesting one, but more on her later. (人◕ω◕)

Surprisingly, Kurumi is slower on the "I wanna marry Yuma" campaign... She's content to just be with him. Yoshiko, Waruna, and Kurane are more ambitious. ... Or in Kurane's case, she just... needs him. Very badly. (人◕ω◕) Pucci is ambitious, too. Fubuki more goes with the flow. Guillaume is... Guillaume. There's no rush for baby Yuma's, either. Not for Kurumi, at least. Not to say Kurumi wouldn't like having a family with Yuma; the idea is very appealing. It's just... Kurumi's deeply flustered with that intimate stuff. The really, really intimate stuff. Hugs and kisses are great, she likes cuddling, but taking off clothes and doing..... that... Kurumi's not horny. It's too embarrassing for her. In the beginning, anyway. Kurumi is beaten out by her friends in this instance; each of them having their reasons for craving Yuma on that physical level. (人◕ω◕)

Nevertheless, Kurumi does form a family with Yuma someday. Makoto was gracious enough to give Yuma and his ladies residence in Kanai Tower, and later he also helps oversee the building of a proper "home" for all of them... Of course it has to be big. There's seven of them plus Yuma. And then you throw in their kids... Yuma's life is very busy with seven lovers, but he doesn't regret loving them. (人◕ω◕) Kurumi's one of the gentler, "fun" moms. And she's second in maturity, only losing out to Yoshiko on that front. ... But that's cuz Yoshiko's used to being a mother figure, even before her children were born.

The rain never stops in Kanai Ward... But now Kurumi and everyone else knows it's there to protect them. And with the NDA alive and thriving in the new Kanai Ward... With Yuma there... Life had never been sweeter for Kurumi-chan. (人◕ω◕)

[danses-with-dogmeat]

☠️🦖 with “You only care about yourself.” For Benny?????

Dayum, yeah, this is a good one. Benny deserves some shit. I love the guy, but... yeah, he still deserves some angst.

I hope you like it! 😁

And sorry about the cliff hanger, but... I thought it was more fun that way 😈

"W-what?"

"Take care of The Tops for me," He repeated, more slowly this time, "And tell Swank no hard feelings, 'kay?"

Six's face was contorted with confusion, their head shaking mutely as Benny sheathed Maria in it's holster and wiped the dust from his iconic checkered suit jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"Well, sweet cheeks," He adjusted a cuff link as he spoke, "You made it transpicuous as a wedding rock that House is the big man on top at the strip, and that he's got more than a fat cat's share of robot goons to do his dirty, so, I'm turning tail. No other options, really, not when he knows how, ah, fond of him I am."

"But I saved you Benny, I... Even after you left me, after you refused to trust me, after we..." Six bit their lip, a heat rushing to their cheeks involuntarily as the memories of their shared night washed over them.

"Look honey, that wasn't on you." He smiled at them, almost patronizingly, "That night... it lives fond as an old friend in my cranium... and in my 'hey hey', if you know what I mean." He winked at them, an action leaps and bounds more charming than the words leaving his curled lips.

"But it just can't be done. You seen what those tin cans are capable of, and now he's got oodles of the damn things. That's not a game we can win, cherry pie."

"Not if we don't try, but... I just took down half the Legion for you." Six gestured behind them, to the plumes of smoke rising from the rubble of Caesar's tent, their eyes pleading as they tried to keep their voice firm. "It can be done, if we do it together, if you let me--"

"Toots, we're in over our heads on this one. I know you believe in us, and that's a sweet sentimentality, but it ain't ammunition, it ain't enough, baby."

His hand felt like an affront as it grazed over their cheek, the roughness of his knuckles a stark contrast to their smooth cheekbone. Six's own hand moved slowly upwards, an ache traveling from their chest up their left arm as they reached out to grasp his wrist and pull it away.

"It's not enough for you, you mean." They stared ahead, almost blankly, numbly as his words, at the memory of his actions set in and took firm hold of their conscience. "I'm not enough. Nothing is, or ever will be enough for you. You've only ever cared about yourself. All this time, I thought..."

Their hands tightened into fists by their sides, and Benny's eyes flashed down to them, fear shining there for a brief moment as he took a step back.

"You know what?" They continued, still refusing to look directly at him, "It doesn't matter what I thought. About you. About us. Because it doesn't matter to you. Nothing I say or do will change the fact that..."

Their chest pounded, another cruel ache making them flinch, making their teeth grit as they spoke.

"That you're just another asshole who thinks the world owes him something. Even after all the shitty things you've done."

"Baby..." He started, his voice more uncertain than they'd ever heard it, "You can't mean that, I... Let's not end it this way, huh? We had a good run, you an' me."

"Yeah?" Finally, the courier's gaze snapped to him, searing through his false sense of security like an iron brand. "A 'good run?' You tried to kill me, Benny, and I forgave you. I found you, slept with you, and you left me before the sun rose." Benny shrunk away as they stepped closer, feeling caged in, even among the vast bleakness of the Mojave.

"I just saved your fucking life, something you would never do in return, offered to help you take down House, offered to forgive you again for all the bullshit you've put me through, and again you try to leave me. Now you have the fucking gall to say that 'we had it good?' Are you serious?"

He swallowed hard as they glared at him, their nose less than a breath away from his as their scowl ruled his vision.

"I could kill you now." They whispered lowly, their tone frigid as cutting winter winds, icy enough to send a chill down the chairman's spine. "Return the favor, you know."

His eyes darted briefly to the prominent scar above their brow, and Maria's holster felt like solid lead upon his hip.

"Y-you don't mean that, Six." He tried, his voice shaking, "All this trouble you gone to, just to scatter me to dust. What was all this worth, then, huh?"

"Nothing." Six's furrowed glare was unyielding. "It was worth nothing at all."

[anotherprojectsekai-nah]

■□■□■□■□■

Saint Mary of the Infirmary, Maria Akeboshi - DARK STEAL (Main Story) Part 3

■□■□■□■□■

When all hopes are to be lost, a woman who's grace is undeniably blissful shall save all from salvation. But who she is, isn't what most will expect of someone with hidden motives.

Previous Part - Next Part

(Saint Spring Infirmary Room)

Woman in labcoat: Quietly humming

Step, Step, Step

Woman in labcoat: "...?"

Kuro: "Excuse me, but is this the infirmary? We got someone injured."

Woman in labcoat: "Huh?"

Woman in labcoat: "Oh dear. What happened?"

Kuro: "They tripped and almost fell from the stairs."

Kuro: "Besides, we also have some questions to you after you help that student out."

Woman in labcoat: "I see, very well."

Woman in labcoat: "While at it, do you want some tea as you wait?"

Kuro: "...Sure. Do you want some aswell Swank?"

Swank: "I guess."

...

(A Few Minutes later)

Woman in labcoat: "Do make sure to not trip, ok?"

Student A: "Yes Maria sensei. Thank you."

Kuro: "..."

Kuro: "...So."

Woman in labcoat: "?"

Kuro: "Your name is Maria? Am I not wrong?"

Woman in labcoat: "Oh, it's actually Maria Akeboshi in full, but you are correct about my 1st name."

Maria: "How exactly did you know?"

Kuro: "I listened to what the student here said while you were talking to them."

Maria: "Really? Well, you seem quite a good listener, but on the contrary, you wanted to ask me some questions right?"

Kuro: "Yes, that would be that."

Kuro: "...Ah, right. We forgot to introduce ourselves. My name is Kuro Starling, this man who is with me is Swank Catsonell."

Maria: "Kuro Starling, and Swank Catsonell."

Maria: "Hm, I see, I think I heard of one of you from the students in class."

Kuro: "Really?"

Maria: "Yes, it's quite surprising, but on the questions of yours. What did you want to ask me about?"

Kuro: "That? Well, we were asked to work on a case that had happened here about 2 students."

Kuro: "Do you perhaps know of these two individuals? Mr Kowase Tsubasa, and Miss Shikimi Kumiru. It was said that they went missing with no traces of where or reason of why."

Kuro: "Do you know anything about what happened to them?"

Maria: "..."

Maria: "...No. I actually don't, it has been several months or days or so, I have never seen them come back to school yet."

Kuro: "Is that so?"

Maria: "Yes, that is all."

Kuro: "Well then, next question, do you know any students that died? Mostly by being manipulated to do the thing they shouldn't do."

Maria: "..."

Kuro: "..Miss Maria? Is something wrong?"

Maria: "...? Oh, it's nothing."

Swank: "Nothing?"

Maria: "Yes, nothing at all."

Kuro: "Miss Maria, if there's anything you wish to talk about, just call us. Ok?"

Maria: "Ok then, is there anything else you want to ask me?"

Swank: "Yeah, I have one."

Maria: "And what is it?"

Swank: "Who was that person who made that student, you treated earlier, trip down the stairs?"

Maria: "Oh, who do you mean by that?"

Swank: "I meant by the white haired kid."

Maria: "...You mean Kinugawa, one of the students here?"

Swank: "Huh?"

Kuro: "Kinugawa?"

Maria: "Yes, that's his name."

Kuro: "I see...we will keep note on that."

Maria: "Well, is that all the questions?"

Kuro: "I believe so, for now. But there may be alot more if possible."

Kuro: "So I thank you for your assistance, Miss Maria."

Maria: "No problem."

Kuro: "Come on Swank, were gonna look around the other areas."

Swank: "Right, also the ramen, I'm already hungry."

Kuro: "Yes. Were gonna go eat ramen later, just try to stay stable please."

...

Maria: "..."

Maria: Sighs (Seems like those 2 aren't who I expected to meet.)

Maria: (I better be more careful, I had almost got myself caught.)

[kaldorei-shadows]

Opal shouldn't be drinking

Meanwhile at the Shady Lady in Stormwind...

Opal: *whispers* I shouldn't be drinking, I'm just here for the amazing--secret--Nathrezim ambience.

Balnazaar: *whispers back* Oh, of course! My lady, your husband is one of our best patrons.

Opal: I can't believe this is a swank winebar run by a Nathrezim in old Cut-throat Alley. This is Stormwind! A real dreadlord in Stormwind? Ah, that takes me back.

Balnazzar: *pours her another virgin cherry spritz* Oh? Were there many of us when you lived here?

Opal: Oh I am just flying! These are so tasty.

Balnazzar: Thank you, mistress.

Opal: I really shouldn't say. I mean I'm not drunk at all, but I just feel so good, I want to confess everything. *leans in* I used to be locked up here, in Cathedral Square. As a Twilight Cultist.

Balnazzar: Oh, that's A-list corruption! Exciting.

Opal: Opal's Bane, they used to call me. Stormwind was different then, a lot of evil thrived in the underground scene. This bar was built right over the site of Cut-throat Alley. Don't pretend you didn't know. *playful pout*

Balnazzar: Well, how could a decent dreadlord ever resist gentrifying such a choice property? *evil grin*

Opal: Back in those days, all the best cultists found me exotic. Irresistible. I was engaged to an old god. I was going to be bonded to him in ritual, as his high priestess. Well, before they caught me, dragged me here in shackles all the way from Silithus.

Balnazzar: Damn shame whenever the mortal races decide to get organized. *sighs, polishes a bar glass*

Opal: I swear I'm not bragging or anything, but I was going to be a virgin sacrifice.

Balnazzar: Cheeky! Now that's rare. No wonder you were locked away in the highest tower, as it were.

Opal: In my day, I was quite the spiteful little thing. I knew how to claw my way up the ranks. I was practically a celebrity among the cultist underground. But then, things change. You mature...

Balnazzar: More responsibilities.

Opal: A marriage, a child. I just didn't have time for it anymore. Becoming a high priestess of some powerful void entity seems so mundane now. Though, I guess it's also how Al and I met.

Balnazzar: Oh really? *finishes mixing a fel cocktail, tries a sip*

Opal: Al saved me by murdering all the cultists in this city, including the lead priest Father Benactus who turned out to be corrupt, and the the small cultist army that pursued us to Darkshore.

Balnazzar: *spits out his drink*

Opal: He's an assassin you know. He sat across this bar from you, day in, day out, and never told you that?

Balnazzar: I... I assumed a spy, but not--

Opal: Oh, he's sweet! Before all that, Al was a serial killer for, oh, near ten thousand years? After I went straight, I think I reformed him pretty nicely.

Balnazzar: *demonic face looks pale*

Opal: Now, then. You are going to stop trying to poison my husband whenever he comes in here, right? No more trying to turn him to evil and undo all my hard work to make him... Well, he's not exactly nice, but let's agree to keep him chaotic good, shall we?

Balnazzar: *sweats*

Opal: Because if I had no qualms being a virgin sacrifice to that handsome Night Elf monster instead of the terrifying old god I once worshipped, you'd better believe I'm a dangerous enough woman to handle the likes of you today.

Balnazzar: ...

Opal: Do we understand each other?

Balnazzar: Y-yes mistress. But, um, i-is this establishment within your gift? I can keep my bar?

Opal: Oh my, yes. The drinks are too yummy for that.

[booklovingpixies]

RELEASE BLITZ - The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank

I have seven days to the save the world…we’re screwed. The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank is now live! Blurb When the keepers meet for the first time, the gate will be opened.Two little rules have kept me safe since my mother died protecting me: always trust your instincts and forget everything about the curse.But when I accidentally activate an ancient catastrophe I’ve spent my life…

[zepskies]

@lamentationsofalonelypotato

I love CCR too and I don't know why, but Russell has CCR vibes for me whenever I look at him so I feel that the CCR will be a theme for him lol 😂

Yesss I love it! lol I can see that for him too actually. Gritty and earthy and "real."

Oh yes. The one that finds joy in putting other mothers in their place- the "Regina George" lol. I also watched A Bad Moms Christmas the other day and I may have been imagining Christina Applegate's character 😅 It's such a good Christmas movie though lol.

LOL yess the Mean Girl of the PTA for sure. And OMFG I was thinking exactly of A Bad Mom's Christmas!!! 🤣🤣 We share a wavelength, I stg. (Maybe Russell can play Justin's part this time. 😏)

I also relate to her on the body insecurity level. I've only written one other reader who had body insecurity in my You Call It Madness But I Call It Love series with Soldier Boy, but I thought that it would be something fun to explore with Russell. He seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't care about things like that, and really would see the reader as some beautiful "goddess" and think that he's the luckiest man in the world for getting her. I also think that he too would want to "kill her ex-husband" (lol) for leaving those kind of scars behind. I know it was supposed to be a one-shot, but I'm literally thinking about all the ways that Russell can make her forget what her husband said/did to her and to make the reader feel beautiful again. 🥰

Aww I still want to read You Call It Madness! Even more so now that the reader has a relatable aspect to her character for me. I totally agree! I think Russell could definitely be the one to make her feel as special as she truly is, and retcon all of that nastiness that cheating dipshit Lance made her feel. 💞

Plus I also may have been inspired to write another reader who is insecure about her body by your wonderful Midnight Espresso series! 🤭

Omg I'm so honored, my friend!! lol We've talked about this before, but Midnight Espresso has definitely been the series where I kind of put myself out there by writing about some of my own insecurities through that reader character, namely with body insecurity.

Especially in the 2-part story Show Me, in that series. I put my heart and soul into that one (and she deals with a trashman ex-boyfriend in that story too lol). But like you said with Russell, I thought Dean would approach that insecurity in his partner in a similar way--of trying his best to show her (pun intended 😂) that she's beautiful and loved. 💓💓💓

I LOVE THE MEG! And you know how much I love Jurassic Park LOL. No really all shark/monster/creature features are my favorite to watch- also kinda my comfort movies lol 😅😂 (Alien, Deep Blue Sea, Jaws, The Mummy, Tremors, Predator, etc.) I even like the ones that are just so over the top ridiculous with terrible acting.

The way I just binge-watched Jurassic Park 1-3 AND Jurassic World 1-3 for that exact reason! It's one of my comfort series, honestly, and I love the Mummy too!! The Core is one I would add to that list. A GREAT disaster movie with DJ Qualls in it (along with Aaron Eckhart and Hillary Swank).

I've never written for Russell before, so I was kinda nervous about this one. He's kinda like Dean, but a little more awkward, and a little like Ben, but without the toxic masculinity comments lol. Maybe 50/50?

Ooooh what an interesting observation! I never thought of it that way, but for all the Deanisms I see in Russell, there's some SB/Ben in there too! lol Makes sense, since Jensen seems to thrive in the complex action hero role. Can't wait to see what he does with Mark Meachum in Countdown too!

No it's okay! That sounds so fun! Fancy cheese and wine is NEVER too expensive- Treat👏🏻 Yo👏🏻 Self👏🏻. I can't make a charcuterie board to save my life 😭, but one of my friends is a master of charcuterie board creation and she is always automatically elected to make the charcuterie boards for parties. She gets no say in the matter lol ���

Girl absolutely. I cannot WAIT for the holidays to come.~ Aww I love that! We all need a designated Fancy Cheese friend. 🤣 🤣

Oh I know, man is trying to shoot his shot WHILE HE IS SHOT 🤣 The reader is trying her hardest, but Russell is just so distracting... Kinda seems like this reader could use a lot of distracting from Russell if you know what I mean 😉😮‍💨😏

Ooh I DO know what you mean, and I am totally on board for that kind of distraction. 😏

Again thinking about the the big worn/rough hand from manual labor and hard work from an actual man and not a boy pretending to be a man.

Oh my God, hell yeah. It's that thing of a hardworking man with calloused hands who knows how to be gentle with them. 😍😍

Again YES A MILLION TIMES YES 😍 I believe that Russell would appreciate a curvy girl- it is NOT self serving because I am also a curvy girl lol (or maybe it is because I wrote this fic lol). But I don't think that Dean or Russell would care about things like that, if anything I think that they'd want to show their significant other what they see and how beautiful their significant other really is. Again thank you so much for your work on Midnight Espresso

Oh yeah, we can agree it's not self-serving and just accept that both Dean and Russell (and hell, let's throw in Ben and Beau) would love a curvy girl. 😌 I think these guys are real men who know when they see quality. 👌🏽 And aww thank you so much, my lovely. 🥹🥹 You're making me want to dip back into the ME-verse for some more Quality Time with Dean. 🥰

Humpty Dumpty would never have been able to be put back together if Russell REALLY went in on him, GUARANTEED. Also I really just love the trope of protective male characters watching out for their girl. 🥰

Honestly I melt like butter for some protectiveness. Like yes, feminism in that we can protect ourselves, but it's nice to have a good man protect and support his girl. (Or the girl who should become his girl lol.) 💕

Oh my goodness thank you so much my lovely friend!!! 😭😊 Writing for Russell was intimidating, but I'm very happy with how this fic turned out, so much so that I am going to write a part 2! As soon as I get through some more of my WIPs... The list keeps growing 😅

As you should!! I had so much fun reading this that even though it was 10K, I was still sad when I got to the end, wanting to read more of these two. 💕 LOL I totally get it on the WIPs. I have a few ideas I haven't announced, but I'm trying to decide what to explore next when I get my 2-week winter break -- a sequel story for The Honorable Choice, exploring how Dean assimilates (or not) into Mila's tribe, or working on the last square of my Jacklesverse Bingo card (I have 2 out of 3 written that I haven't published yet lol).

I hope you get a chance to do everything you want to do! But know that I'm so down to read more of these two whenever you get the inspo and the time to work on it. A la Phoebe in Friends, the reader could be Russ's lobster!! 💕

Pairing: Russell Shaw xf!reader, Reader POV

Summary:  The last thing that you wanted was to be woken up in the middle of the night by Colter Shaw for a favor, but when he shows up toting a ruggedly handsome man with green eyes you decide to forgive him. Reader is the niece of Velma and Teddi!

Word Count: 10.3K

Warnings: I'm gonna label this one 18+ just in case I missed anything. Blood, Cleaning Out A Wound, Mentions of Allergies? Gunshots, Some Cursing, A Bit of Sexual Innuendo, Sexual fantasy/reader has active imagination, Self-deprecating Thoughts/Body Issues (reader), Mentions of Infidelity, Reader Is A Single Mom, Appearance Of Creepy-Jerk Ex Husband, Probably a Poor Description Of What It’s Like To Be A Single Mom (I tried my best, please I do not mean to offend anyone❤️), Russell Shaw might be a little bit OOC. Reader is occasionally described as "curvy."

Song Inspiration: Long As I Can See The Light By Creedence Clearwater Revival

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n if any. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite! This is my first time writing for Russell Shaw, so, please be gentle. 😅

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.

Main Masterlist

A/N: I finally watched Tracker… Could you tell? 😂

Sunday nights, in your opinion, were the worst.

It was like the last few moments of freedom before you were thrust into a busy work week, like the last few rays of light before the coming darkness that you barely survived with copious amounts of coffee and bloodied fingertips. Monday always loomed, but never as much as on Sunday nights.

The dull thud of your phone vibrating against your wooden bedside table grates on your ears and pulls you from the sweet precipice of sleep before you can fall into the void.

It felt as if you’d just collapsed into your bed and one look at the alarm clock on your bedside table as you blinked your bleary eyes confirmed it. It was 3:58 am, which meant you had been in bed for exactly three minutes.

You were still covered in chocolate cupcake batter, pink frosting, and rainbow sprinkles from the last six hours you'd spent in the kitchen making gluten free, sugar free, and peanut free cupcakes for a bake sale at your son’s school.

Even though you hadn't volunteered Stephanie Jacobson, or rather the wicked witch of the PTA, had cornered you in the pick-up line on Friday afternoon to remind you of your "duties as a parent" and the coming bake sale to support the building of the new gym. And then she’d handed you a list of student allergies and asked you to create something that was safe for everyone.

Taste be damned.

Why the school needed a new gym you didn't know, but the guilt that rose when Stephanie mentioned your "duties as a parent" was enough to make you say yes to whatever she asked you.

You had enough guilt already about raising your kids without a stable father figure, and the last thing you needed was guilt from a stuck up bitch in the PTA.

Stephanie reminded you of the girls in high school that used to pick at their food, the ones that knew exactly what to say to make you feel like a freak, the ones who dated the football players and spent their Friday nights wearing cheerleading uniforms and waving pom poms, and the ones who basically made everyone else's life a living hell.

Everything about her screamed superior. The flawless way she curled her perfect platinum blonde hair, the stylish clothes she wore than never seemed to have a wrinkle or a mashed carrot smeared on the pants, the supple breasts that she swore were real, a perfectly toned stomach that never seemed to change despite her having a child two months ago, and the easy way she handled all of her three children with a flourish of her left hand that housed a 6 karat diamond ring from her gorgeous husband that was so attentive, perfect, and rich that it made you feel sick to your stomach.

All of which anyone could read on her mommy blog that she'd dubbed "Little Mistakes Make Perfect Lessons," and the same blog that she'd created an empire from.

Fuck, you hated her.

Mostly because despite everything you tried you never had enough time in the day to look as flawless as she did.

Your hair never seemed to be as bouncy or perfectly styled, you never had time to put makeup on, you always had mashed carrot on your pants or some form of cheerio or baby food, as many times as you tried to carve out time for the gym you never seemed to make it, the small ring you'd once wore on your finger was sitting idle in your jewelry box upstairs where it had been for the past year after your husband of six years told you that he met someone else, and your stomach and your breasts… you didn't want to think about that right now.

You had two kids and you weren't going to pretend that it did nothing to your body, any part of your body. And as many times as you saw all the other mothers around you who were proud of the way they looked, you never had their confidence, especially not after the comments that your ex-husband had made each time the two of you finally had some time to be alone together.

But that wasn't to say you hated being a mom, you loved it, wouldn't change it for the world. It was just sometimes you wished you had a little help, that, and you wished that Mondays didn't exist. 

You groan as you reach for the phone that still vibrates desperately on your bedside table and flip it over to see who's calling before you answer it.

"Colter, why the hell are you calling me at four am?" You half moan, pulling the comforter up over your head as if that'll make Monday go away.

You'd been close to murder several times, first when you found your husband in your bed with his nineteen year-old secretary, second when your local coffee shop was out of espresso and you did your entire shift at the hospital with no coffee, and Colter Shaw waking you up at almost four in the morning was quickly becoming number three.

"Because I didn't want to wake up Emma or Luke. Can you open the door?" He replies, stating the names of your children, sounding slightly out of breath.

"What door?" You groan again, eyes still shut wishing that this was just a bad dream and Colter wasn't calling you because he needed your help… again.

"The front door. Please, I need you to let me in."

"Why are you here? Couldn't it wait until tomorrow? Did you try to call Teddi or Vel-"

"I'll explain when you come open the door."

"By doing that I'd have to get up."

"Please."

You hesitate. Colter didn't usually say please, let alone twice whenever he showed up needing your help.

You'd met him by accident.

Sure your Aunt Teddi had talked about the "rewardist" that she and your Aunt Velma worked with, but you hadn't been expecting to ever meet him. But when Colter got shot on a job and showed up at Teddi and Velma's home you'd helped patch him up. You'd been there picking up your six year old son Luke and your three year old daughter Emma, after work. Teddi and Velma watched them for you when your deadbeat ex Lance couldn't be bothered to give you the support you needed.

Which was all the time despite his continuous arguing that he was in their lives enough and if anything it was your fault that he didn't have more time with them.

Each time he said that it made you want to slam his head in the door of his brand new bright red BMW, the one he'd bought right after you found him in your bedroom plowing his secretary now girlfriend Crystal. Or as you liked to remember her, the girl who still believed that Santa Clause existed and that the U.S government was hiding him from the world.

But Colter had been hurt and it was just fate that you were there at your aunts home to pick up your kids.

Being an ER nurse meant that you knew how to patch Colter up and it wasn't long before he went on his way. That was about four months ago and since then you'd talked to him occasionally when he'd pop by at your aunts home or just to see if you could help him with something.

"Five minutes." You sigh.

This time you crawl out of bed, standing just to the side of it for a second shaking your head to clear the sleep, and grab the long sleeved blue colored duster/robe that was hanging on the back of your bedroom door. Navigating your way down the stairs in the dark as quietly as you can, while half asleep was difficult, but somehow you avoid falling to your death.

Unfortunate, because now you have to go see what Colter wants at freaking 4 am.

The second story home had been you ex-husband's idea, stated that the two of you needed "room to grow" and that the two of you were "investing in your future."

You frown at the thought.

Yeah, room to grow right into your fucking secretary.

As if you needed another blow to your self esteem, but looking at the skinny red-haired goddess that he'd traded you in for that was about as dumb as a rock had been enough to send you so low you might as well be navigating the Marianas Trench in a submarine with a Megalodon chasing after you.

Maybe that means I'd get to be with Jason Stratham.

That thought was welcome. Honestly the thought of any man was a comfort, especially in the dry spell you'd been having since -well- since you'd had Emma three years ago.

Not gonna think about that right now.

The smell of chocolate cupcakes hung heavy in the air as you crossed through the messy living room, wafting out through the open concept kitchen into the space. One look into the kitchen would show enough cupcakes to make anyone salivate, and yes maybe you'd eaten a few before going up to bed, but eating the chocolate didn't count if it was on Sunday night and you could always go to the gym tomorrow…

Yeah. Like that'll happen.

You open the front door. "Alright, somebody better be dying Colter or I swear that I'll-" You stop mid-sentence when you take in the scene on your porch.

Colter is standing there, looking worse for wear. His usual black jacket is gone, he's got a black eye and a scrape along one of his perfect cheekbones, but that's not who you're looking at.

Colter isn't alone.

There's a man leaning heavily on Colter, his muscular right arm is thrown across Colter's shoulders and due to the fact that the man is a little bigger than Colter, he's buckling slightly under his weight. The man is wearing a green army jacket that is soaked around his left shoulder in blood, his dark hair is falling long into his bearded face, and his skin is a few shades paler than it should be. But that doesn't make him any less handsome.

The man still manages to throw you a sly grin, brilliant green eyes shining beneath the strands of his dark hair. "I think you got your wish sweetheart."

"You're not dying Russell." Colter sighs as if he's annoyed. "Hi." He directs at you.

You do feel a little bit bad about saying that now, but you shake it off.

"What the hell happened?" You say as loud as you dare and pull the front door further open so Colter can drag the man, now named "Russell" into your home.

"Shoot out." Colter breathes. "Where do you want him?"

"Kitchen table." You say trying to reach for Russell's left arm to help Colter, but he groans low under his breath and you retract your hand.

"You've got to be a little gentle with me sweetheart." Russell laughs more to himself, but it comes out in a choked sound. "But you can have me wherever you want."

"Colter, he needs to go to the hospital." You say, following behind them, keeping your voice down. "I don't think that I can-"

"Can't, they'll report it. They have to report all gunshots, you know that." Colter grunts, helping Russell lay back on the large kitchen table. "Why are there so many cupcakes in here?"

"Bake sale at Luke’s school." You clip while waving a hand and looking down at Russell who is laying on the kitchen table.

You can't deny that he's attractive, even in this condition. Russell has the perfect ruggedly handsome features that would make the smartest girl stupid and combined with the piercing green eyes that shine beneath the hair that's fallen forward into his face, even you could see yourself being susceptible to his charm.

Fuck.

Deep down you know that Colter is right, that if he did go to the hospital they'd be required to report it and that meant police and an official report. You figured that it was the last thing that Colter wanted.

Then again the guy has so many marks on his record already. You eye the man on your kitchen table. Russell kinda looks like he would have a few marks too.

"Don't want who did this to find him." Colter clarifies.

"So instead you brought him to my house where my children are?" You cross your arms over your chest.

The fear that whatever Colter and Russell had stumbled upon following behind them to your home made a cold trickle of fear race down your spine.

"We weren't followed." Colter soothes. "I promise I'd never do that to you. And I've got Bobby doing a trace to make sure they don't come close."

He actually looks a little hurt that you'd think that of him. Colter was a lot of things, but uncaring was not one of them.

You relax, but don't apologize despite the guilt swimming in your gut. "Fine. Give me a second." You leave the room to find the first aid kit in the hall closet, the same one that you'd made for your aunts to keep at their house if Colter showed up in the middle of the night with this exact problem. You'd even been involved enough to show your aunts how to deal with a gunshot wound if you weren't there.

When you get back in the room, Colter is removing Russell's jacket, and Russell grits his teeth when it jostles his left arm.

You set down the kit and reach for the bottom of Russell's shirt to pull it up off him, and he chuckles.

"Aren't you going to buy me a drink first? Better yet we could have a few bottles of my home brew-"

"She's not going to help you, if you annoy her." Colter interrupts.

"I told you that I didn't need anyone's help, I'm perfectly fine- ow!" Russell exclaims when you accidentally yank the shirt over his left arm. "Your bedside manner is a little lacking." He grunts, but his eyes still twinkle with humor.

"Too bad. I'm tired and I've been making chocolate cupcakes for the past six hours, so you get what you get and you don't throw a fit."

"What?" Russell grins at the rhyme that you often tell your children.

You shake your head, and drop your eyes to his chest. There are two perfect circles on his right upper pectoral muscle, but not high enough to reach the collarbone and one in his left bicep where blood seeps around the bullets, but truthfully you're trying not to notice how perfectly muscular he is. There are dark splashes of tattoos against his skin, swirling around other scars that resemble slashes and bullet wounds that you wish to drag your fingertips across to study each mark, to memorize each one beneath the soft pads of your fingers.

How is he just as beautiful covered in blood?

You clear your throat to focus back at the task at hand, examining the current wounds. "Okay. The good news is that the one on your arm is through and through, but these two," Your hand hovers over the two on his right upper chest. "I've got to extract the bullets. Which means that this is going to hurt."

"Been through worse sweetheart."

Your eyes scan the rest of his scarred muscular chest thoughtfully. "Yeah, you have." You murmur it more to yourself than to Russell, but he still grins.

Colter's phone rings shrilly in the kitchen and he groans. "One second. Try not to make her want to kill you Rus."

"No promises little bro."

Oh, so this is Colter's brother.

You'd heard little bits and pieces about Colter's brother, mostly second hand from your Aunt Velma. One of the best things about going over to Teddi and her home was sitting in the living room and hearing Velma gossip about everything she heard from Teddi while drinking wine and eating fancy cheese that you could never afford.

Russell Shaw was no exception.

"Alone at last." Russell says with a wink. "I didn't think he'd ever leave."

"I'm going to get some water to clean these with." You reply, ignoring him, but when you turn away the end of your mouth quirks up into a smile.

He wasn't what you were expecting based on all the rumors that you'd heard from both of your aunts, in fact, you thought he was kind of charming.

You roll up your sleeves and wash your hands before turning back to Russell. He's sitting up on your kitchen table, hands braced on his sides, with his legs spread wide apart. He doesn’t look like someone with three gunshot wounds, and you wonder if this is a regular day for him. Colter certainly didn't get shot that much.

"So are you a rewardist too?" You ask standing between his legs and trying not to focus on the warmth of his breath against your collar bone.

"Naw. I work for a private security contractor." He breezes.

"Oh." You swallow, looking up into his green eyes for a minute. They're even more beautiful up close, green with flecks of gold around the iris that flicker in the light like stars. "Is it okay if I touch you?"

"You don't gotta ask me that sweetheart, the answer will always be yes."

You flush and brace your hand on his left shoulder, before pouring water into the two wounds on the right side of his chest, trying to clean them the best you can before you extract what's left of the bullets. His skin is warm and smooth beneath the palm of your hand and it's difficult to focus.

Just pretend you're in the hospital and you're treating a patient. You take in a shallow breath. He's just a patient and he's not that good looking.

You know you're lying to yourself, but you were trying your best. It probably didn’t help given the current dry spell you were in or the fact that he even smelled good. Something like gunpowder, leather, and a hint of something spicy that you bet was his shampoo. It prickled under your nose, and activated something in the back of your mind that was having a hard time being quiet. You hadn't been this close to a man you found attractive in a long time.

"Okay. This is going to hurt." You say as you look through the small medical kit that you'd grabbed from the hall closet for the tweezers, trying to calm the thudding of your heart.

"It's okay." Russell replies. "Do what you have to baby. I won't stop you."

You weren't prepared for the warmth that bloomed in the pit of your stomach when he called you baby in the wonderfully rough rumble of his voice.

A voice like that could convince me to jump into a pit filled with alligators with no regrets. Fuck. I'd bet that a voice like that could make me- FOCUS. I will focus. He is Colter's brother and he just got shot. He doesn't need you lusting over him.

Extracting the bullets is as painful for you as it is for him. Watching the way his face scrunches up in pain hurts you more than you thought it would. His hands grip the rim of the wooden kitchen table so hard that they're turning white, and Russell's jaw is clenched so tight that you're afraid that it's going to snap.

You squeeze his left shoulder to give him some comfort. "Almost done." You murmur, searching for the second bullet.

Russell lets out a breath when you finally fish out the other bullet and drop it into an empty cup with a resounding "ping" just as Colter walks back into the room looking worried.

"What?" Russell asks him, looking over your head at his brother.

"That was Bobby. He said that the trace we put on the phone just got a hit a few miles north of here." Colter states. "I'm gonna go check it out."

"Alright, I'll come with." Russell starts to get up, but you push him back with your right hand that you've still got pressed against his left shoulder. Difficult given the fact that he was almost twice the size of you and broader than anyone you'd ever seen. And also difficult because of the way you were trying to ignore how good it felt to feel the pull of his muscles beneath your hand.

"No. You still need stitches and I haven't finished patching you up." You clear your throat, but it still sounds a little hoarse.

"Baby as much as I like you ordering me around-“

"It's alright Russell, I've got this. Just stay here and let her take care of you." Colter interrupts.

Russell frowns at his younger brother. "I'm fine."

"You're not." Colter rolls his eyes. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up." He turns to look at you. "I'm sorry that we woke you up-"

"It's okay." You shrug. "But you owe me."

"Just add it to my bill." Colter smirks.

Honestly, you weren't as angry as you were when you answered the phone. Something about Russell was different and you didn’t mind helping him at all.

He wasn't like anyone that you had ever met, certainly not in the circles you ran with.

All the dads from your mom friends were blue and white collar workers who worked in the big office buildings downtown, wore suits to work and were more straight-laced, but there was something refreshing about Russell.

He was mysterious, sexy, and his had this aura of self-resilience and survival that you found immensely attractive. Especially when compared to your ex, who couldn't survive without his mocha-caramel double shot latte or wifi.

Russell was the exact opposite of him and you found yourself wanting to know more. More about the almost beautiful scars that curved over his muscular body, more about each tattoo that he’d chosen, and more about him.

He seemed like the kind of guy that hid his trauma under easy smiles and jokes, the kind of person that shrugged off anything that seemed remotely serious with a well placed joke, but you could feel that there was something deeper beneath that he didn’t allow many to see.

And you wanted him to show you.

You weren't sure where any of this was coming from. Russell probably was about as stable and consistent as his brother, and you liked consistency. Spontaneity and surprises tended to make you anxious. But not with Russell.

Though the stability might have been an issue. You were a single working mother, which meant that you didn't want to introduce some random guy into your children's life just to have them get attached and him to bail with no strings attached and-

Calm down. You just met the guy, it's not like he's asking you out on a date.

When Colter leaves and after you’ve cleaned around the wounds the best you can with some alcohol, you realize just how quiet it is in your kitchen.

“You know, I think I’ve seen you before.” Russell says breaking the silence while you search for a needle and thread in the medical kit.

“Really? Where?" You ask looking up.

“In my dreams.”

“Wow." You smile at him. "That line is pretty cheesy."

You shift your right hand over to begin to sew up the wounds on his chest. Russell doesn't even wince when you push the needle through, almost as if he didn't notice it at all.

It made sense, given how many scars and tattoos covered his body. You remember what he said about "being through worse" and it made you feel bad for him, to worry about him. Odd given the fact that the two of you had just met.

"Well I'm a little distracted at the moment sweetheart. It's not often that I get such a beautiful woman to take care of me."

"I thought you didn't need my help?" You smirk.

"Maybe I did." He admits sheepishly.

"Mhmm."

"So how do you know my brother?"

“Why?”

“Trying to see if you’re off limits or not.” Russell tilts his head to the side and flashes a charming smile.

You laugh at his boldness. You’d never met someone so upfront before, it was refreshing. Most of the men you’d meet occasionally at work tended to beat around the bush and made you want to give them a map to get to the point. "We met when he got shot a few months ago."

"Oh so the two of you aren't-" He wiggles his eyebrows and you snort.

"No."

"Huh."

"What?"

"I was just wondering why not?"

"What?"

"Well, you're gorgeous, you're smart, and you're not scared of blood or gunshots. Colter really seems to be dropping the ball."

"Colter doesn't exactly have a stable lifestyle. And I'm kind of complicated."

You were, there wasn't any way around it.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I've got two kids."

Russell blinks in surprise. "Really?"

"Mhmm." You hum continuing your task, not phased by the blood at all.

His eyes trace your figure for a minute, making a shiver travel down your spine. It was the first time in a long time that you were okay with someone looking at you like that and to be honest, the first time that you wanted someone to look at you like that in a while.

After everything that happened with your ex-husband and his secretary you were more inclined to sit on your couch with a glass of wine and read away your troubles with a steamy romance novel that did more for you than any of your ex-husband's attempts to satisfy you. It also didn't help that you had no interest in going out with your few friends and meeting someone at a club who probably would never call you again and probably wouldn't be as enthusiastic to learn that you were a mom.

You'd only been on one date since you'd broken it off with your husband with your aunts accountant Jerry, and the date stuttered to a halt when he learned you had two children and weren't interested in having an open relationship.

"I wouldn't have guessed that."

“Really? The mountain of chocolate cupcakes wasn’t a clue?” You arch an eyebrow with a smirk, while gently tying off the string to close the first wound before moving on to the second.

“I thought you just really liked baking. And I’m okay with coming home every night to a mountain of chocolate cupcakes if it means you’re there too.” He winks.

“Not sure you want any of those.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because they’re gluten free, sugar free, and nut free.”

The horrified look on Russell’s face makes you feel like you’d just told him that hot dogs do in fact contain trace amounts of dog.

“Why on earth would you make them like that?! They're not even cupcakes anymore!" He exclaims.

You found it funny that he seemed more upset over the mutilation of the chocolate cupcakes than over being shot.

Maybe he's always like this?

"I know. I'm a monster." You sigh. "But Stephanie Jacobson said I had to." You let out a frustrated sigh with her name.

Bringing anything other than what she asked for was a suicide mission. The last person who did that was Gale Smith in the great Fourth of July Cook-out calamity of 2021. In Gale's defense, no one though that the bushes would catch fire so fast, but Stephanie had a memory like an elephant so Gale decided to transfer her children to the school one town over. The last thing you wanted was for your name to go down in history for the Cupcake Catastrophe of 2024.

Russell leans forward and lowers his voice like it's a secret. “Is Stephanie your imaginary friend?”

“No!” You laugh. “She’s this other mom at my son’s school who said I wasn’t living up to my ‘duties as a parent’ and that I needed to ‘participate.’”

"She sounds great."

"Oh yeah, we're practically best friends." You continue to work on the other wounds in the silence that follows.

"I bet you're a good mom." Russell says watching you with an unreadable expression. He's leaning a little bit towards you still, making the smell gunmetal, leather, spice, and just a hint of mint come through the space between the two of you.

Damn he smells really good.

"Uh-huh. You've known me for ten minutes and you haven't seen me with my children-"

"I can tell."

"Is that your superpower or something?" You reach for a bandage to lay over the wound in his chest smiling to yourself. "All the other useful superpowers like being bulletproof got taken?"

"I don't think it's useless if it makes you smile like that when I say it, sweetheart."

Your eyes flick upwards to Russell's face. His green eyes are shining in the light of your kitchen, his dark hair still hanging over his forehead, and he is still just as ridiculously handsome as he was the moment Colter dragged him through your front door. You don’t remember why you were so mad at Colter anymore.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too smooth for your own good?" You raise your eyebrow.

"No ma'am." Russell cracks an even wider smile and it makes you loose all feeling in your legs. He was just so effortlessly handsome that it made you want to do something stupid, like have sex with him on top of the same kitchen table that you serve blueberry pancakes to your children.

"Hmm." You bite the inside of your cheek. "Well, now you know and maybe now that you're aware, it could prevent you from getting shot."

"Are you saying I got shot because I'm too smooth?"

"Maybe."

"Because usually it has a different effect."

"Huh. Well in that case, maybe try using some of that to smooth things over and you'd avoid getting shot." You begin to wrap another fresh bandage around the bullet wound on his arm, bracing your free hand against his chest, trying to ignore the way his skin is warm and chiseled beneath your palm.

He had the kind of body that you'd never imagined actually existed. Russell Shaw looked like he walked out one of the romance novels you loved so much.

Hell, they should use pictures of him to make the book covers.

"I'll remember that next time." Russell pauses. "But then it means I wouldn’t get shot and I wouldn't get to have you patch me up."

"I guess not."

You didn't think that you'd smiled as much as you had in the past twenty minutes with him than you had your entire five year marriage. Not to mention that it was nice to talk to someone who wasn't trying to convince you why they should be allowed to have a cookie before dinner.

A charged silence passes through the air between the two of you, his eyes locked on yours sending goosebumps over your skin. You weren't sure if anyone had ever looked at you like that before. You'd noticed that most gave you the obligatory skate over, but Russell didn't. He looked at you as if he was studying you as if he were genuinely curious to know more. 

Your eyes trace his broad shoulders, toned abdomen, and muscular arms, noting that he's the kind of strong and broad that was made to handle someone a little more curvy like you. And you'd be lying if you said that you hadn't thought about it more than once since Russell came through your front door.

You felt your mind sink into the fantasy of Russell pining you to the kitchen table and feeling the warmth of his rough hands against your body-

Snap out of it. The guy is bleeding, he got shot. He needs to rest.

"I think you'll survive." You smile pulling back from him to clear your head. It was much easier when you couldn't smell him as strongly. "And if Colter isn't going to be back for a few hours you can crash on the couch. It's not the most comfortable but-"

"I'm sure it's fine." Russell shrugs and stands from your kitchen table.

You try and fail to ignore how his muscles pull with the movement as he reaches for his shirt and you step forward to help him put it on, knowing that it might hurt with his injury. "Okay." You clear your throat, that has become thick all of a sudden. "And if you're hungry I've got plenty of cupcakes-"

"Please don't call them that. They're an disgrace to the cupcake name."

"Yeah, but the ones in the microwave are actually cupcakes. I had to make a few that were edible." You gesture with your hand and laugh at how quickly Russell goes to get one.

He doesn’t even bother to pull away the wrapping before he takes a bite and he audibly moans. Russell looks at you awestruck. "Holy shit, you made this? Where have you been all my life?"

"Shut up." You roll your eyes at him.

"I'm serious, this cupcake is my reason to keep living. Here I thought putting sriracha on French fries was the height of cuisine, but damn."

You could feel yourself blush bright red at his compliment. You weren't used to a man going out of his way to compliment you on something other than how you looked, but everything about Russell Shaw was refreshing and nothing like you expected.

"Thank you." You wait another second, watching him eat more of the cupcake and smash icing and flecks of chocolate over his chin. You laugh at him and hand him a paper towel. "You're worse than my three year old."

"Your three year old is a lucky kid, if she’s got a mom like you to make stuff like this for her."

It's like he wants me to fall in love with him. How can someone look so unbelievably cute and sexy while covered in chocolate cupcake?

Don't answer that.

"Sometimes I think I'm the lucky one. I love my kids-" You say before you can stop yourself. You hesitate afraid that it would send Russell for the hills when you brought up the fact that you loved your children.

"Yeah?" Russell's smile brightens as he wipes his face with the napkin.

"Yeah." You blink mildly shocked. Of all the people in the world to talk about your children with, you never expected someone like Russell Shaw. “I do."

Again he was surprising you, and talking to him was just so refreshing and it made you feel like your head had finally cleared, like your chest was lighter and you could actually talk to someone for real without putting out this together image of yourself you thought you had to when inside you were crumbling from the overbearing expectations of the people around you.

The silence is back, filling the kitchen with a palpable energy that you wonder if Russell can feel, but you shake it off.

"I guess I'll see you in the morning. It was nice to meet you Russell, but I'm sorry that you got shot." You smile.

"I'm not." Russell smiles. "I got to meet you."

"Alright Casanova, I need to go to bed, because my kids will wake me up in about two hours." You frown over at the couch. "There's a pillow and a blanket down the hall in the bathroom closet." You gesture with one hand. "I'll see you in the morning." You repeat because you're not too sure what to say.

"Yeah. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

You turn and walk up the stairs to your bedroom, feeling the thin blue robe swishing around your ankles as you do.

And as you fall into your bed all you can think about as you start to drift is the ruggedly handsome man downstairs, with the brilliant green eyes that crinkle with his smile, and the large hands rough from hard work, that seems to be more than what meets the eye.

The alarm clock on your bedside table might as well be employed by the devil for waking you up and the idea of smashing it to bits with the heavy metal table lamp that sits beside it crosses your mind. You weren't sure how many hours you'd gotten in, only that they weren't enough, and you were in desperate need of coffee.

You roll over on your back, looking up at your ceiling as you blink your eyes open, following the familiar sweeps of the paint brush that were left behind.

The memory of the night's events come back in full color and you stiffen remembering exactly why you'd gone to bed so late. Images of last night flash through your mind. Colter dragging a bloodied Russell through your front door, Russell sitting on your kitchen table looking much too attractive covered in blood, him flirting with you with a wide smile that made you feel warm from the inside out…

Oh fuck he's still on my couch. How am I going to explain that to my kids?

You dress in a flash and stumble down the stairs as quickly as you can, tripping and falling into the living room, but when you look you realize that Russell isn't on the couch. The pillow and brightly colored quilted blanket he used are neatly folded on one of the plush cushions, but he's nowhere to be found.

I guess Colter came to get him.

You weren't expecting the wave of disappointment that comes with that realization, but as you turn to go back up the stairs to ready yourself for the day, you hear your daughter’s voice.

"Mommy!" She says. "Look! Rus is making pancakes."

What?

You turn to investigate your spacious kitchen. It was still covered in an alarming amount of cupcakes, but that’s not what’s surprising, what’s surprising is Russell, standing at your crowded stove with a spatula in his hand, sliding a perfectly golden brown pancake around in the bottom of a pan.

You blink your eyes to make sure that you’re not imagining it and make sure that you’re not asleep.

"Hey gorgeous." Russell flashes a wide grin. "How'd you sleep?"

"Um-" You glance at where your daughter is sitting with your son, both eating stacks of pancakes at your kitchen table, the same kitchen table that you were fantasizing about Russell and you-

Nope. Not going there.

Honestly, any fantasy you had about him was blown away by the sight of him standing in your kitchen making pancakes for your children. Something so domestically wonderful that turned you on even more than the image of him shirtless sitting on your kitchen table.

This was something even your husband refused to do, cook. Any day that you tried to get him to, he'd said that it was your "job." And here Russell was standing in your kitchen looking even more effortlessly gorgeous cooking for your family without being asked.

"I sleep good. How did you sleep?" You ask taking a hesitant step towards him.

"Good. Better than I have in a bit actually." He turns back to the pan and flicks his wrist, flipping the pancake inside.

Emma claps happily and Luke watches Russell with a look of absolute awe on his face, while you try not to have impure thoughts about Russell in front of your children.

"You didn't have to make breakfast-"

"I did." He plates the pancake and holds it out to you. "I wanted to thank you for patching me up."

"It wasn't a big deal." You shrug, but take the pancake from the plate, rolling it up like a taco before you take a bite.

Russell cocks his head to the side studying you for a moment. "It was to me." His green eyes are just as hypnotic today as they were last night, tracing over your body in a way that makes pins and needles tickle over your skin. "Plus, wanted to make the kids something that wasn't gluten free, nut free, and sugar free. Emma sure can put away some pancakes."

It was odd to see someone so eager to make himself comfortable in your house, especially a man you barely knew and who you owed absolutely nothing to. Not to mention that Russell genuinely seemed happy to be making breakfast for your children as if he belonged there.

It was so different from every other man that you'd ever met, and you wanted to get used to it. You wanted to get used to having a man around again, to having Russell in your home and in your life. You'd never been spontaneous or wanted to jump headfirst without looking at the pros and cons, but watching Russell standing at your stove, with the sunlight coming through the windows behind him and illuminating his broad shoulders and sifting through his dark hair, you saw absolutely no downside.

"Yeah she's always had a good appetite."

"Hope she doesn't lose that. I hate it when women don't eat." Russell shrugs his shoulders and goes back to make a pancake for himself. "Plus Luke needs to bulk up. He said his dad is going to sign him up for baseball."

You stiffen at the mention of your ex, not sure if you should supply the information, or if you should let it slide. Russell's eyes flick down at your left hand for a half-second, so quickly you could have missed it, but you understood what he was doing.

"He's my ex-husband." You murmur low enough so only Russell could hear.

"Good." Russell replies with a knowing smirk. "Means that I don’t have any competition."

You roll your eyes at his reaction and walk over to where your children are eating. Luke is covered in maple syrup as per usual. He had always been a messy eater, but because he insisted on having his hair cropped short, it never seemed to be too much of a problem.

Just as Emma looks like your ex-husband, Lance, Luke looks like you. He has the same eyes and same colored hair, but he'd always been a little short for his age. Lance usually picked at him for that, but you didn't know what Lance was expecting, Luke was six years old, he'd grow!

"Good pancakes?" You ask, trying to wipe at his face with a napkin but he pulls away with an exclaimed "Mom!"

"What? You're covered in syrup." You laugh, raising the napkin again, but Luke dodges your hand.

"Mom!" Luke says again.

"Alright, fine. But go get dressed, your dad will be here to pick you up any minute." You say, urging him with a hand against his shoulder.

Today Lance was taking Luke to school and picking him up after for a baseball game, before staying with him at his apartment. You’d told your Aunt Teddi and your Aunt Velma that you'd help them plant a garden today, and Emma had been looking forward to it as much as you had.

Velma had been talking about it all through last week, and you’d gotten the day off specifically off for it. Emma was also excited about it because Teddi had bought flowers specifically for butterflies and your daughter loved them more than life itself.

You were looking forward to working out in the sun, feeling the healing rays against your skin, listening to the sounds of the world outside your aunts familiar home soothe you, play with the dogs for a little bit, and finally go inside for a few glasses of wine while Velma, Teddi, and you talked about the book of the month. Book club nights were especially special for Emma as well. Velma always poured Emma's apple juice into a plastic pink wine glass that she'd bought for Emma so she could feel included.

This book had been really good and you couldn't wait to share what you'd thought while eating expensive cheese and cupcakes and while the dogs circled below like raptors.

You loved being at their home. It was always such a comfort to be somewhere where you felt that you could be yourself especially after Lance left you. Your mother had died when you were a kid and your dad had never been equipped to handle things like that so your Aunt Teddi had picked up the slack in your early years and now after she'd married Velma, you had another person in your life who supported you and made you feel like you could be yourself. Both of them had been furious when they learned about what Lance had done and sat with you while you cried into a box of tissues.

It had been difficult to talk them both out of killing Lance. Surprising since your Aunt Teddi was usually the voice of reason.

Luke sighs, but listens to you, getting up from the table to make his way upstairs. You can hear his footsteps as he walks down the hallway above and into his room.

Despite his reluctance, he was looking forward to today as well. Sometimes you thought that he felt left out when you all went over to your aunts house. You knew that Luke longed for the attention of his father, and something broke inside of you each time your ex-husband made him feel forgotten.

You turn to look at your daughter. "Good pancakes?"

"Yes!"

"Did you tell Russell thank you?"

"Thank you Rus!" She sing-songs with a wide smile, before moving her plastic fork back into the pile enthusiastically.

"You're welcome sweetheart." Russell says from the stove, picking up the pancake in the skillet bare handed before he puts a generous stripe of maple syrup along the inside and rolls it up just like you did. "Do you want another one?" His gaze turns to you, warm and open.

Fuck, why is he so damn attractive?

"No I'm-"

The knock on the front door interupts your answer signifying the arrival of Lance. When he'd moved out of the house you'd changed all the locks and then refused to give him a key. Something that he'd pouted and stomped about worse than your toddler, but you'd held firm. You didn't want him in your house and you definitely didn't want her in your house either.

"Daddy!" Emma squeals and before you can stop her, she leaps from her chair like she'd been shot from a cannon and runs down the front hallway to open the door for your ex.

You sigh out a breath to prepare yourself for what comes next. Talking to Lance was always tense and as much as you tried to be civil, Lance didn't. He didn't pull punches, and often lacked the common decency that everyone else had.

Russell's studying you again, his easy smile slipping into a frown when he notes the change in your attitude.

"Stay here. This shouldn't take long." You force a smile, but it lacks the enthusiasm you’d had whenever you talked to Russell before.

Sometimes just the thought of your ex took the energy out of you, as if you were on a space ship and all the air got sucked out into the cold silent vacuum.

Lance is standing on the front step hugging your daughter with one hand while the other holds his phone behind her head, his gaze intently on the screen while Emma chatters in his ear. He's not paying attention though. He never was and never did.

His black hair is slicked back over his head and cropped shorter than the last time you saw him. Now it barely touches his collar but hangs long over the top of his head. His brown eyes glint an amber in the light of the sun, and he’s wearing a tailored blue suit with a dark patterned tie.

“Hey.” Lance clips to you as he stands, releasing Emma who is still trying to talk to him, but he ignores her.

You grind your teeth together. “Hi.”

He sighs audibly sensing the tension, as if it’s you that’s done something wrong.

“Emma, why don’t you go finish your pancakes?” You smile down at your daughter and pat her on the head. “We’ve got to go soon.”

“Okay! Bye daddy!”

“That’s nice honey.” He says absentmindedly, still typing furiously on his phone, while Emma rushes back down the hallway and into the kitchen, that is hidden from view of the front door.

“You know you could put the phone down for once. The world won’t implode if you wait a few seconds to answer a text.” You say.

“Don’t start.” Lance rolls his eyes.

The BMW idling at the curb catches in the early morning sunlight and you see a flash of red-hair. Crystal is in the passenger seat, her auburn hair piled on top of her head effortlessly, her lips painted a dark colored red, there’s a pair of heart shaped sunglasses over her eyes, and she’s wearing black dress low cut enough that her ample breasts spill out through the wide V.

She peers at you from where she sits in the car, her phone perched in her lap, and you watch her dark colored lips twitch into a knowing smirk when she catches you looking at her.

Each time you saw her was like taking a punch to the gut.  It made you pull your oversized sweater a little tighter over your chest self-consciously.

“I’m not starting anything. I’m just saying that you should pay more attention to-“ You begin, but Lance interrupts.

“I don’t want to do this with you. I have a deposition due today and I have to finish sending this email.” He snaps.

“Fine.” You sigh, trying to remain calm. You hated when he did this, when he made it seem like no one and nothing else was important except his job. “Luke is getting ready. I have to box up these cupcakes for a bake sale at the school. All you have to do is drop them off and tell-“

“Oh sorry babe. Can’t do the thing today.”

You bristled when he called you babe. You weren't his, not after everything the two of you had been through.

“What do you mean you can’t do the ‘thing’ today?” You plant your hands on your hips trying to comprehend what he's saying.

“With the kid. Sorry. Crystal made plans for us at some fancy restaurant or whatever. Supposed to be the best in the city-“

“What?”

“I can’t take the kid today.” He repeats slowly, this time looking up, but he doesn’t bother to apologize, and his gaze barely meets yours before he drops his eyes back to the hand clutched in his perfectly manicured fingers.

“But you promised Luke that you were going to take him to a baseball game today after school. That he was going to get to spend the night with you and-“

“Sorry.” The apology isn’t sincere and you know it, despite Lance’s attempts to drop his smile into a sympathetic frown. It comes across as more condescending.

Crystal honks the horn of the car as if to tell Lance to hurry up, and it takes a very large amount of effort for you not to flip her the bird.

“No. Luke has been looking forward to this all week! Not to mention I had to ask off for today specifically-“

“And I’ll apologize to him too.” Lance goes back to typing something on his phone. “This dinner means a lot to Crystal-“

“I don’t give two shits what means a lot to that red-haired bimbo!” You snap, the rage and frustration building in your chest. “You made a promise to your son to take him to a baseball game and actually spend time with him and that’s exactly what you’re going to do!”

Lance looks up from his phone, his eyes narrowing. “You always fucking do this.”

“Do what?”

“Pick a fight.”

“I am not picking a fight Lance. All you’ve done since you’ve shown up here is ignore your daughter and tell me that you’re backing out of the one thing I’ve asked you to do in months!”

“I told you that I have a meeting and a deposition due today! Damn it, what do you want from me? To quit my big job that pays for this house?” He steps forward towering over you. Lance was taller than you, but he had always been lanky and thin, unable to gain too much weight or muscle at a time. “Why do you find the need to make me feel like my life isn’t important?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t say anything about your life! I’m talking about our son’s life-“ You shout incredulous.

“This is exactly why I got out when I did. Because you always try to control every little thing. You’re so damn OCD that if I did one microscopic thing that wasn’t apart of your ‘special plans’ you’d spontaneously combust! You never just shut your big mouth and let me just fucking live my life! You never let me feel like a man! And Crystal understands-“

“Crystal can’t even understand that pickles were once cucumbers! I doubt she can understand whatever warped reality you’re living in Lance.” You spit. “But I’m sorry that me asking you to be a part of our children’s lives is too much for you. That it’s such a chore for you to make them happy.” The frustrated tears had begun to burn against your eyes.

You didn’t know why you expected anything different. Lance had been doing this since your son was born, putting his career above everything else, working late, schmoozing whoever he could, being so damn selfish that he was willing to throw everything the two of you built together for the woman sitting in the car on the curb watching the two of you go at it with a sick satisfaction.

“Don’t fucking do that!” Lance roars and this time he slams his hand against the door frame so roughly that the glass inside shakes and you flinch. “I don’t know why I even try to talk to you. So why don’t you get your big ass up those stairs and-“

“Is there a problem?” Russell’s voice interrupts whatever Lance was going to say, his body sliding into the space behind you so suddenly that you didn’t hear him walk up.

But it felt good for him to be there, to feel the warmth of his body through the air at your back.

He places his hand on the door to open it up a little wider and to seem a bit more intimidating. Russell is easily taller and broader than Lance.

Lance looks up at him confused, puffing out his chest to look more intimidating. “Who the fuck are you?”

 “Maybe you shouldn’t use that kind of language around the kids-“ Russell says with a tight lipped smile.

“They’re my fucking kids. Don’t tell me how to talk.” Lance’s gaze flicks to you. “Who the fuck is this?”

“I’m Russell.” He replies before you can. “And if you know what’s good for you I’d take a few steps back from her.” Russell’s large hand gently presses against your waist, a comforting weight that you weren’t expecting, but welcome, nonetheless.

It made you feel a little bit bolder.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Lance snarls. “Is this your boyfriend? Really? You finally decided to go out with someone and that’s who you pick?”

“Look buddy, if you keep talking to her that way, we’re going to have a problem.” Russell sighs. “And I don’t want to get any blood on your fancy suit.”

“I’m not your buddy. And trust me she’s not worth the fight.” Lance sneers at you, giving you a once over that makes you want to crawl into a hole and die.

Russell’s jaw clenches tight and he takes a step forward, but you hold out your arm to stop him.

“He’s not my boyfriend and even if he was, it’s none of your business who I date!” You snap back.

Lance only shakes his head, ignoring what you’ve said. “I’m serious pal you don’t want to get involved with her. She’s fucking crazy, not to mention nothing special when it comes to se-“

The next words are lost in the sound of Russell’s fist landing against Lance’s face, the sharp crack followed by the inhuman scream of Crystal at the car. Lance stumbles back off the front step clutching a hand to his face while blood streams through his pinched fingers and over his chin.

“I warned you. Now if you keep talking, I'll make your eyes match.” Russell growls, flexing his hand.

I hope he didn’t rip his stitches.

“You son of a bitch.” Lance sputters, his hand still holding his broken nose. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer!”

“It’s worth it, if it shuts you up.” He replies unfazed.

Lance’s eyes narrow with hate as he looks at you one more time, before stumbling back to his car where Crystal has begun to wail over the amount of blood coming from his nose. The car squeals down the street and out of sight, leaving Russell and you standing on your front porch. Thankfully Emma was still in the kitchen eating her pancakes and Luke was upstairs, you didn't want either of them to see Russell punch their dad.

But that didn't mean that you wouldn't mind seeing it again.

You groaned when you thought about your son. You didn’t know how on earth you were going to explain to him why his dad wasn’t going to pick him up or take him to the game.

But at the same time there was a sickening amount of pleasure that bubbled beneath the surface at the thought of Russell breaking Lance’s nose.

“Are you okay?” Russell asks turning to look at you. There’s anger still simmering beneath the surface. You’d never seen him angry in all the time he’d stayed with you. All you’d seen was the funny, easy going, guy with the gorgeous smile, but to see him like this and especially to see him angry over what had just happened…

Just when I thought he couldn’t get any more attractive.

“Yeah. I’m sorry-“

“Don’t apologize for that asshole. He shouldn’t have talked to you like that.” Russell hesitates. “Does he always talk to you like that?”

“Pretty much.”

“Damn, should have knocked a few teeth out too. He’s got to learn how to speak to a lady, especially one as beautiful as you.”

You felt your cheeks flush. You couldn’t remember the last time that someone called you beautiful and before you can stop yourself you say:

“I don’t think you’re too bad looking yourself.”

“Oh I know. You couldn’t keep your hands off me last night.” Russell’s grin makes you smile and roll your eyes at him.

Again you’re struck by how charming he is and how kind. He didn’t have to do any of the things he’d done today, but he did anyway. He didn’t have to make breakfast for your children, he didn’t have to step in when your ex-husband got mouthy, and he didn’t have to punch Lance in the face, but Russell had.

He'd done more for you in the past few hours than your husband had done in the six years you'd been married to him.

Behind where Russell's standing, Colter’s truck pulls up to idle on the curb in the same place that the BMW had been sitting moments ago, and you raise a hand in a half-wave to greet him. Colter shoots you a grin and waves back.

“Guess my ride’s here.” Russell says glancing back at his brother over his shoulder before he looks back at you.

“Seems so.” You nod. “Are you sure you don’t want me to check your stitches for you one more time before you go? I mean you probably ripped them when you punched Lance."

“Sounds like you just want to catch another peak of me without my shirt on.” Russell laughs, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Shut up.” You roll your eyes and hit him on the arm.

“Ow.”

“You’ll survive.”

“Maybe.” He’s studying you again, the sunlight turning his hair a honeyed brown and his eyes into a sharp jade. The light catches his broad shoulders and traces along his strong jaw that is covered in a healthy amount of stubble that makes him look rugged and more handsome than any man you’d ever met.

You bite the inside of your cheek. “It was nice to meet you Russell. And again, I'm sorry that you got shot."

Russell shrugs. “It was worth it. I got to meet you and I got to punch that asshole in the face so win-win.”

“You didn’t have to-“

“Yes, I did.” Russell’s jaw tightens. “You didn’t deserve any of the things he was saying about you or about the kids.”

“True.” You hesitate.

Should I ask him for his number or is that too forward?

“I’ll see you around.” Russell smiles at you one more time before making his way to his brother’s car, just as Emma joins you on the front step.

“Did daddy leave?” She sounds sad.

“Yeah. He did.” You take her small hand in yours.

“But why does Russell have to go too?” She whines.

“Because he’s going home.”

You felt a twinge in your chest watching him get into the car, knowing that you probably would never see him ever again. It made you sad to know that. You'd been interested in him and you thought he was interested in you, but he hadn't asked for your number.

Maybe he's flirty and charming with everyone.

You hide the frown that comes with that thought. Emma waves goodbye with her freehand, and Russell smiles from the passenger seat, waving back at your daughter, before he raises his gaze to yours again and winks.

Or maybe not.

When you go back inside the house, Luke is still upstairs, and instead of going up to tell him about his father, you turn to go back into your kitchen to clean up. As you near the stove, you notice a bright green piece of paper under one of the magnets on your refrigerator, fluttering slightly in the air-conditioning.

You pull it down to look.

In case you want some more pancakes or if you bake any more of those life changing cupcakes. Give me a call. -Russell.

His phone number was written under his name, next to a smiley face that made you laugh aloud to yourself.

Sunday nights were the worst, but not this time.

A/N: Alright, I had so much fun with this one! I just had this urge to write Russell with a reader who had children and a trash man ex because why not? And I know I said it would be a one-shot… but my mind is already thinking of all the possibilities lol. Mostly because we all know I can’t really write just a one-shot 😅😂

As always thank you so much for reading! Reblogs, Likes, and Comments are not required but are always appreciated. I love hearing what y’all think!

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