#she also INTENTIONALLY tries to keep her hiding spots secret and so your not looking. recently learned that too. also does it at night

[hatterladz]

With every new skill my cat learns is another day I wonder if my cat is actually a cat or either a supernatural creature I allowed into my home or a human spirit reincarnated as a cat because she is too damn smart for her own good

[otomestatus]

Hello hi.

Any headcanons with Hakkai that has a tall gf (as tall as him)?

And he's also hidding his relationship from the gang because he doesn't want her to get involded with all that, but Takashi finds out and spills tea.

hello!! this was actually such a cute request i got really excited when i read it and immediately started brain storming LMFAO i wrote a lot more than??? i anticipated???

you gotta be in this for the LONG HAUL because we all know how nervous hakkai gets around girls. yuzuha is definitely the wingman in this situation at first without intentionally trying to be

i personally think hakkai would have a thing for tall girls and that isn’t to say he wouldn’t date someone who is short because what matters the most to him is that you both love each other and support each other, but i can definitely see the fact you’re tall being a bonus to him. and he especially loves that you’re the same height as him.

you wanna wear heels? don’t matter to him because he wants you feeling happy and confident.

if you’re someone who is insecure in your height, he likes to encourage you to do things you normally wouldn’t because of your height even though you’ve always wanted to.

you might be the same height as him, but his clothes still fit a little big on you too.

he’s always telling you that you could model and he’s surprised you haven’t tried to and he admits MAYBEEEE he’s a little bias but you’re also just so gorgeous. a total package

the only person who really knows about you two is yuzuha and it’s because it would be next to impossible keeping something like a girlfriend a secret from her, but she respects that hakkai doesn’t want anyone in toman to know. she’s incredibly amused that he isn’t even telling takashi even though it seemed like that would be the first thing he would’ve done

he makes time for you as much as he can because you make him smile like no other and there’s relief to be found in your presence

you honestly didn’t think twice about keeping your relationship extremely private because he’s always so attentive. he makes mistakes along the way and sometimes there are moments where you feel a little weird and insecure, but he tries his absolute best.

it’s definitely not going to be a forever thing either. keeping your relationship a secret is just temporary. he wants to know there is no chance you’ll end up getting hurt because of what he does with toman.

there were a few instances where you two were out on a date and had to hide really quickly because he spotted someone from toman. it always felt really silly and funny and there was a sort of thrill to sneaking around like that like you were playing hide and seek.

luckily you never have to worry about girls flirting with him when he’s with his friends because he’s just not gonna talk to them or look at them. or probably even breathe near them because they make him anxious.

he talks a lot about his toman friends to you though so you learn about them through osmosis. especially about takashi and takemichi. sometimes when you’re out with your friends or alone shopping you’ll recognize one of the major members he spoke about, but it’s not often. it is a little funny that you know them and they have no idea who you are. you feel like some sort of undercover agent.

HOWEVER, your relationship cannot escape takashi for long. you both had a good run for awhile there, but something is off. something is just not quite right and takashi cannot put his mf finger on it.

it all starts when he comes over to drop something off that hakkai forgot at his house the other night. only supposed to be a short little errand and yuzuha lets him because this is the most normal thing in the world. he attempted to meet up with hakkai first but he was being very adamant about not meeting him and just having yuzuha grab it for him. that was the first alarm bell.

what takashi didn’t need to know was that you both had planned out a date that day and would be out most of the day.

takashi asks yuzuha why hakkai was being weird and even showed her the messages, but yuzuha ain’t spilling shit. she keeps it casual. she’s telling him hakkai is always weird. so takashi hits her with the “where is he” and she’s trying not to sweat. what the fuck does she say… girl is maintaining eye contact, she’s not snitching, but she’s gotta come up with smth QUICK

“bowling.” yeah that sounds about right

takashi accepts this answer, but he knows something isn’t right. however…ain’t his business right?

that is until he steps into hakkai’s room to drop the item on his bed and LEAVE ( he does not leave ). there’s something in hakkai’s room that just…confirms his suspicion that something IS suspicious

there’s an earring on the floor. AN EARRING. it could be yuzuha’s, but why would it be? something is telling him it’s not

next time he sees hakkai he’s trying to see if he can subtly get some information out of him. he’s asking where he was the other day and blah blah blah. doesn’t mention the earring. hakkai seems to have his alibi all planned out though because he’s answering these questions easily. he was not gonna let takashi catch him slipping

he offhandedly mentions the earring to draken and draken isn’t entirely convinced it could belong to anyone BUT yuzuha because they’ve all seen how he acts with girls. draken jokes pigs would fly before hakkai manages to get a girlfriend. takashi isn’t convinced though. the math ain’t mathin.

however he gets a break in the case when he’s out grocery shopping. you, unfortunately, also happen to be there because you’re picking out snacks for the at home movie night date you planned with hakkai that evening. you’re both in the same aisle and out of the corner of his eye he notices something familiar. it’s the mf earring.

now this isn’t damning evidence by any means. lots of girls probably have the same pair, but the coincidence has him shook.

you, on the other hand, had recognized him IMMEDIATELY and you’re currently sweating your ass off right now because you have to act casual but this is takeshi mitsuya. this is the guy your boyfriend talks about who also doesn’t know about you just yet. you just wanted to have a peaceful and quick shopping trip but his presence is just so overwhelming

takashi takes this moment to compliment your earrings. you hesitate even answering, in fact, you stumble of your words a little trying to get out that thank you. and just so you don’t seem weird or awkward you add in the little fact that you had thought you lost one of them last week until your boyfriend returned it.

now THAT feels like damning evidence, but not quite. there’s nothing totally concrete, but he is feeling 100% confident that his suspicions are correct because thats too much of a coincidence. hakkai shinba has a mf girlfriend and he’s going to confirm this one way or another.

he’s sharing all this with draken (who doesn’t believe him) and mikey (who doesn’t know what’s going on) and he knows this sounds like a conspiracy theory BUT GUYS— HEY GUYS HEAR HIM OUT

meanwhile you and hakkai are blissfully unaware of all this happening. you do tell him about running into takashi at the grocery store and hakkai just kinda laughs about it. you both joke about how takashi ran into you, his girlfriend, and just had no idea about it. was completely clueless.

i know you’re all wondering when does takashi finally figure it out… and it‘s pretty anticlimactic. he spots you two before you even have the chance to spot him. you’re both at a cafe just chillin and takashi is walking by with his sisters and everything finally starts to fucking click. he’s getting the full picture.

actually he is quick to take a quick picture and send it to draken and gloat about how he was actually right all this time.

next toman captains meeting is intense. hakkai has no clue that just about all of them know about you now. he’s walking in blissfully unaware. takashi had spent a lot of time filling the guys in about how hakkai has a girlfriend and she’s as tall as him and really pretty ( these are boys we know that was a question that was asked ). honestly they were all shocked to find out he managed to get a girlfriend because he malfunctions when a girl even breathes near him.

mikey does not hesitate bringing it up. they’re all tryna be sneaky about it and make him nervous, but mikey is straight up like, “so, how’s your girlfriend!”

that’s when hakkai’s blood runs fucking cold. they’re all staring at him smirking and shit and he’s like oh fuck they know

regardless they are all impressed and congratulate him on finding someone because they didn’t think he had it in him.

[parental-unit-of-chaos]

Lines drawn in Charcoal : Jason Todd x Male Reader.

This will be the frist writing I've ever posted online, so I hope at least some one enjoys this. @n0cturna1-m3 here ya go!

Cw: mentions of scars, childhood truama, past truama in general, body image issues and self image issues.

Living in a safehouse with Jason has a roommate had it's ups and downs, no matter how many years you've know Jason. It was no secret he had been through a lot, only a small drop of that pain he's shared. Most he keeps in his head, if to remind himself he is still alive or to torture himself to stay in control. You were never sure.

That's what made scenes like this sobering, reminding you that he's still the sweet Jason under all the walls he built up. The Jason that no matter how much he tries to hide it, to cage it, he has a heart bigger than himself. This morning, Jason choose to spend in his favorite reading spot. Slumped in the red padded chair that caught his eye, while walking past the antique store. The thought of leaving the chair or even moving an inch, melted away has soon has your fluff ball decided to join him.

The cat had falling asleep purring hours ago; Jason's attention was only focused on the book that he was half way through. And where were you? You were sat on the couch with your sketchbook and charcoal pencils, capturing each soft and rough line of the handsome man.

Making sure to get every detail and proportion right; his sharp jawline, the soft lines of his lips, his brows knitted in concentration. More importantly how relaxed he was, where he wasn't on edge and paranoid. That the next corner he turns someone will be someone with a gun pointing at him, or worse, someone he cares about.

During one of the times you were looking down at your sketchbook, Jason finally pulled out of the fantasy world he was so engrossed in. Probably from the not so subtle sound of the pencils dragging in short or long strokes on the paper.

' Whatcha drawing now?' he inquired, with his own hypothesis that you were drawing the fluffy croissant in his lap. 'Just my world' you replied causing a sign to leave Jason's lungs at how cryptic the answer was. Sure it still could very well still be the cat, you drew the little whiskered demon everytime she was still. With the vague answer though, it could be a sketch of the city, to your favorite food.

' Ya gonna give me any hints or am I gonna have to geuss on my own?', Jason knew you loved when people tried to geuss what you were drawing. He also loved the weird ass guinea pig like noise that came from your throat, when someone didn't geuss correctly. 'the sketch is of a living thing' now you were intentionally being vague to draw out the game.

' Let me geuss, is it the ball of fluff in my lap? That for some reason, you took one look at, and named spleens??', Jason interrogates with a humored toned. The unique chuckle coming from your vocal cords, was he needed to hear to know he was wrong. 'for the record I explained why I named her spleens, when I first brought her home with me. And Nope! It's a human, a handsome and strong one at that'.

Handsome and strong? Jason had to think harder with that answer; my world, handsome and strong. Was it a trick answer and you were referring to poetry? 'Atlas??', he replied, perplexed. His answer was met with more of a laugh this time, he assumed he got too far away from the answer. You laughing frustrated him,' Fine, enough of the game. I give up, who are drawing?'. He didn't care about winning anymore, just wanting to know the answer.

' It's you', the answer and smile you gave was so simply, but it cut through Jason deeper and with more weight than of of the League of assassins' blades ever could. Him? Your world? Handsome and strong? Jason couldn't see where you were coming from, or more so his insecurities wouldn't allow him too.

This had to of been a sarcastic answer and you actually drew someone else, it has to be. He's seen himself in the mirror, he knows he's not anything but disgusting. He's not handsome, his body looks like a living corpse, all the damn scars that covered his body. The walls felt like they were closing in, there was ringing in his ears. His image, his face, his body changing in the mirror being distorted. Taunting him, proving that no matter how much he tries to move on from what joker did to him, he'll never be anything more than what Joker made him. The memories of his biological father screaming about how much hates him, Batman -

' Jason!', your worried voice and your gentle hands touching his face, with the other on his arm brought him back to the present. He hadn't realized he had been shaking or the panic that exploded out of his chest. 'Breathe, you're going to past out if you don't. Focus on me, follow my pace of breathing.', he did has you said syncing his breathe with yours.

Once Jason finally calmed down fully you asked why he just had a panic attack, 'You don't have to share all of it, you can just give me the cliff notes'. He doesn't know what he did to deserve someone so understanding. 'When you said those things about me, my thoughts got the better of me. Reminding why I can't be any of those things', he stated still a little shakey.

'Do you want to see what I see you had?', he was hesitant, no he was scared to see it, but your voice sounded so reassuring. He trusted you,' If you think it would help, then yes', you gave him the finished sketch. His mind didn't allow him to believe fully that someone could see him like this, he looked normal, he looked so happy. You held his hand and flinched, like he was still on fight or flight.

'When I see you, I don't see you has your trauma or a victim. I see you has a survivor. You aren't who you are, because of joker or anyone else. You made yourself who you are, despite what happened to you.', you took a breathe giving that chance to look him in the eye.

'I read somewhere that in some Asian cultures, when a plate breaks they mend it back together with gold.', Jason felt like he couldn't breathe, he didn't know what to say. 'You aren't something that needs to be fixed has if you were brand new, that's not how truama works. But if let me, can I help mend those wounds with gold? To help build you back up?' Jason couldn't stop the tears that welded up and fell down his face. He pulled into the strongest hug he could muster, he never knew he need to hear those words, until you said them.

You let him cry has long has needed, he's been holding those emotions in for so long. He finally answers the question in a shaky voice, so small you almost didn't hear it.

'yes'

[r-eatyourfriends-n]

Secret Services I — Leon x Ashley.

pairing: Ashley Graham/Leon S. Kennedy

tags: nsfw +18 only, smut, porn without plot (there's a little bit of plot), vouyerism (light), masturbation, leon being an idiot, slight p in v sex.

wordcount: 4k

READ NOW ON AO3

warning: this is not set in the RE universe. also this is purely self indulgent with no regard for the real world so if you think "it doesn't work like that" you're probably right tbh.

special thanks to my best friend rafa who I can't tag but he was the one who beta read and edited this fic and this basically wouldn't see the light of day if it wasn't for him ♡.

summary: Being done with a life of politics, Ashley Graham decided to get her own apartment to finish her university studies away from her father's work. Her wishes would be met under one condition: Ashley must have a bodyguard with her at all times.

Ashley had a bodyguard. Or was about to. 

      Ashley had been wanting her own apartment for a while. President Graham offered to let her live alone and pay for it while she finished her studies. It was a comfortable deal, until he laid out his one condition: surveillance, which meant bodyguards, and Ashley absolutely hated the idea, so she refused on the spot. However, days passed and they turned hectic and Ashley just couldn't take the amount of men in suits yelling at each other about easily solvable problems. She dreamed about screaming at them to shut up. 

      It got to the point where she woke up one day and knew she was going to leave. She was sensitive, it was her finals week, there was no way she would keep going through this. So she went up to her father and tried to pout and whine her way out of the bodyguard rule. Ashley was trying to run away from men in suits, only to be locked up with more? 

      She didn't want to be. She had tried to convince her father she didn't need it, that she could take care of herself. His only answer had been, “It's not like I'm gonna fill up your apartment”. Two people already felt like way too much, though. So Ashley begged and begged until she annoyed him into complying. It violated his policy, she knew. But, as his only daughter, her plan worked perfectly; she whimpered, teary-eyed, about how stressed these people were making her, then tried to hide her smile when he agreed. 

       President Graham made the arrangements and got an apartment for Ashley close by. It was a nice, two-bedroom apartment with a city view; nothing flashy. That day, she met Leon S. Kennedy; suddenly, the whole bodyguard thing didn't sound all that bad. Actually, it was a splendid idea. 

      What a gorgeous, gorgeous man he was. And she hadn't even seen him smile yet. He and Ashley shook hands in a formal manner, and her cheeks began to burn. He felt as strong and firm as he looked. His voice was husky, she could see his throat vibrate the few times he spoke. Tall, blond, blue eyes—he had everything the average woman could want and, god, did she want him too. 

      Leon was supposed to be with her at all times, granting her, of course, her due privacy. The president was really adamant on the “all times” part. Leon had basically turned into her roommate, and probably her chauffeur as well. Only difference was probably the gun in his belt and the knife inside his brown leather jacket. Ashley hoped and prayed he wouldn't take it off yet, she didn't know what would be of her if she saw his arms. 

     He was perfect, too. Sort of quiet and calm. The first few days, Ashley would forget he was there at all, so when she heard him moving, she would get startled. When she went out to check, she'd just find him sitting on the kitchen table. The amazing thing, at least to her, was that she never got him to jump out of his seat. It's not like she intentionally tried, but she was curious. Her attempts-that-weren't-attempts only lasted for about a week until she just gave up. Ashley thought it had been by far the most interesting thing happening to him, because she swore she at least saw him chuckle. A small grin with no sound and if she didn't know better she would've kissed him. 

      Ashley's two week vacation period was the most stressed she had ever been, because not going to college meant she was now stuck with Leon full-time. She looked at Leon from the bathroom door as she brushed her teeth, barely awake. Leon, on the other hand, was always up early. It hit her that, even though he was going to be with her for a good while, and that it had been almost a month since he had been with her, they've never talked. Just the usual good morning and goodnight. She had made him coffee once or twice, but not the other way around —to be fair, his coffee was so strong she didn't know how he even enjoyed it. 

     She did her hair and changed into some comfortable clothes before walking out to her living room where Leon sat murmuring something, probably to her father. He checked in almost daily. 

     “Are you bored?” She asked when Leon finished talking. She stood behind him to avoid his gaze. “Do you ever get bored?”

      “This is far more entertaining than a corporate job,” Leon scoffed. She couldn't really figure out if he was messing with her or genuinely insulting her. She dismissed both options, hopeful. 

      “I can't see you working at a desk, although this might be the closest.” 

      Leon chuckled. “At least my ass won't get flat from all the sitting.” 

     Ashley blushed, her eyes quickly checking him out. It would definitely be a shame if butt like that disappeared. 

       This was good, she thought, she had made him laugh and gotten some words out of him. 

      “I wanna go shopping for… stuff,” she lied. It was such a miserable lie she mentally slapped herself twice. She did not want to go out on a Sunday, no one liked going out on Sundays! Ashley was almost one hundred percent certain she pretty much had everything she needed. “Feel like going out?” 

       What? 

      It certainly didn't matter what he felt like doing, he was getting paid to do it anyway. In fact, talking to her was, most likely, what he was getting paid for as well. Leon turned to see her, staring for a moment before grinning. 

     “I could definitely use some time outside.”

     He stood up and went for his jacket. Ashley caught the way the muscles of his back moved under his fitted shirt as he slid the jacket on and reached for the keys. She tried not to think too much about it, but she really liked that jacket. Dark colors really suited Leon, although she couldn't really come up with something that wouldn't suit him. Hell, he might even look good in bright yellow, and no one looked good in bright yellow. Also, those pants could barely fit his butt. 

     They went to the car and got inside. She played some music instead of putting on her earphones like she usually did. Leon softly bopped his head to the rhythm. He didn't look like the type to enjoy pop music, and Ashley bet she herself wasn't the type to like whatever she thought Leon listened to. Ashley would bet money that it was either noisy rock or music that made you want to kill yourself. 

      The mall wasn't that far away and was quite empty as well. It was Sunday morning— Ashley wanted to smack herself—she had gone shopping on a Sunday morning and she had dragged Leon with her. This was her gotcha moment to her father, though. Had I not been given a bodyguard, she giggled to herself, no one would have to put up with this. 

     Ashley looked around, nervous, trying to find something. From a distance, she spotted what looked to be perfumes. The store looked new, with lots of flashing lights and big posters of beautiful models to stand out and try to lure people in. If Leon went to the bathroom, Ashley thought, he would quickly spot her unused fragrances, and know that the plan to go out had all been just a whim. But the pink lights were truly, truly a good bait, and she found herself heading towards it, getting a few steps ahead of Leon. 

      To be fair, Ashley didn't feel as uncomfortable walking in silence with Leon next to her now that she had made small talk, nor was she uncomfortable when they walked into the store together and he stood behind her as she searched through the shelves full of bottles of body wash and perfume. Now that she was there, she might as well actually buy something. Leon seemed to be eyeing the selection as well. Ashley watched when he picked one up, smelled it, and put it down with a scrunched nose. He did it a few times before he handed one to Ashley. The packaging was transparent, and the liquid inside of it was a very light orange, almost like flavored water. 

      “You look like you'd like this one,” was all he said, before heading to the men's section. 

      Ashley took it as a compliment when she smelled it. It was such a simple choice, too. Just a plain pumpkin smell with a hint of coffee. She imagined herself putting it on, along with her orange top and square patterned green shorts and it was the perfect fit so she almost ran to pay for it, more excited about the fact that Leon chose it than anything. Her other perfumes could wait. Leon walked up to the register and paid for his own after Ashley. His bottle was a transparent square, the liquid was transparent as well. Very simple like him. 

       She reached for Leon's bag and he handed it to her. Ashley took it out and the smell hit her before she could even open it, and it got her blood soaring through her veins. To her, it smelled just like he looked, there wasn't another way to explain it. Nothing too flashy or out of the ordinary, definitely not old man perfume like her father's collection. Something like lemon and citrus but also very sweet, honey, perhaps. Either way, it was so fitting they should've just named the fragrance Leon S. Kennedy. 

      “It definitely suits you,” Ashley commented, giving him back the bag. 

    

      She took out her own bottle to smell it again. 

      “Yours is good, too,” he said, then quickly added, “not because I picked it.”

      “Why that one?” She asked, still with her nose against the bottle. It was about to be her favorite for sure. 

        “I just liked it. Reminded me of a girl I met in a club once, I couldn't stop wanting to be close enough to smell her.” 

       The image of Leon leaning into the crook of a blurry-faced woman's neck intruded into her brain. Ashley imagined in great detail the sensation of warm breath onto her skin, blond hair grazing her shoulder. She flushed a deep red. 

     “C-can't imagine you in a club,” she stuttered.

     Leon chuckled. “Can't see me doing boring jobs but can't see me having fun either?” 

      “You just don't look like you'd have fun at a club!” 

  “You're right. That's because the fun comes after the clubbing.” 

      Ashley's cheeks, at this point, were burning. Something in her chest twisted and she had to laugh it off. There wasn't anything overly scandalous about his statement, just a joke with a little deeper meaning told between acquaintances. She was embarrassed to get so shy over something so silly and meaningless. 

     Was the post-clubbing fun girl also the pumpkin-smelling girl? Or were they two different girls? She didn't take Leon as a player—he could be, with that face and that voice and that body that had women staring at him, but Ashley just didn't think he had the time. And he was either way too professional to give into the attention, or he wasn't aware of how much people were drawn to him. If anything, Ashley seemed to be the one noticing it. How men and women eyed him equally, head to toe. But he walked alongside Ashley, arms to his sides, ready to pull out his gun, aware of his surroundings like an FBI agent would be and not at all like a normal person. 

     FBI, CIA, Secret Service, whatever. It wasn't that she didn't know how each of them worked, it was that she didn't care enough to remember in detail. 

     They went through a few more stores before they left. Ashley bought stuff she knew she did not need, but had a good time regardless, even Leon seemed to be smiling more—if a slight rise of the corner of his lips counted as one. Ashley went home with a few new markers and sticky notes and lotion with a packaging so pretty she wasn't sure she bought it for its “hydrating properties”. She also went home with various images of Leon in various situations that flashed behind her eyelids every time she blinked. 

        While in the car on the way back, Leon looked at Ashley a few times as she just stared into space. He never said anything, but him constantly turning his head towards her meant what are you thinking about? or are you okay. Yes, she was okay. No, he didn't want to know what she was thinking about. 

      She ran inside and locked herself in her room the moment the door opened, feigning excitement, pretending she was going to try on her new perfumes. In reality, she just needed something to separate her from Leon, at least for a moment. She stood with her back against the door for a moment, panting. 

      Ashley wasn't stupid. She knew she was far from that, her father knew she was far from that, her classmates knew she was far from that. She knew what sex was, how sex worked and how to do it; that people did it casually. Ashley was twenty-one, for God's sake. And, of course Leon S. Kennedy had sex, he had to. With that face and that voice and that body, and his stupidly charming personality, and how his looks made up for the fact that he absolutely sucked at flirting, like any pretty boy did these days. 

      The problem was, fundamentally, that when she tried not to think about something she ended up thinking about it anyway. So, logically, she thought about Leon having steamy, noisy, hot sex with some random woman in god knows what hotel. Vividly. 

      In her imagination, they— Leon and the nameless, faceless woman— did it in missionary. Ashley didn't think he was the type to do anything too elaborate, or maybe the girl wanted to see his face. Either way, he was on top, shirtless, sweaty. His body glistened under cheap lighting, and his panting echoed inside the room. She shook her head, it was getting too real. It was feeling too real. 

      That particular feeling of arousal was there, one that she couldn't just let pass. Only the pressure of her fingers would do something about it. She walked to her bed, unzipping her skirt and kicking off her shoes. Ashley almost ripped it all off, her panties sticking to her was beyond uncomfortable. 

       Ashley laid on her bed. As soon as she closed her eyes, Leon's face appeared before her once more. All too suddenly, the nameless, faceless woman she had just been imagining was Ashley herself. Leon smiled down at her, his arms at each side of her head. “Spread,” he commanded; it came out breathy, like after kissing. She did, slowly, like Leon was actually there, ordering her. 

       Her hand finally met her core. She rubbed circles onto her clit, slowly, as if Leon was carefully pushing inside of her. The thought itself felt good, of Leon's pelvis against hers. Her fake Leon shuddered. He straightened up, gripping the back of her thighs for support before dragging himself out of her. “Leon” rolled his hips softly. Had it been real, Ashley would've felt every inch.

     “Leon,” she moaned. She increased her rhythm. Ashley swore she could feel the warmth of Leon's fingers against her skin while, in her head, he went harder. Strong, calculated thrusts that could've made her bang her head against the head of the bed. His name slipped past her lips once again. It slipped a few more times, and each time felt more embarrassing than the previous. 

       But his name sounded so good. It was such a nice name, and it would be a shame to have such vivid daydreams without the real deal. 

        Leon—the impostor— leaned down. Ashley wasn't sure she was able to imagine a kiss, but she could very much imagine Leon kissing her neck, biting down on it. The bites weren't supposed to be painful, but they were aggressive, because Leon was trying to muffle his groans of pleasure. Not that Ashley minded that he was making sounds, she just thought it was something Leon would do. 

      Ashley's hand quickened on her clit, fingers pressed softly against it. Her hips began to twitch and raise from the bed. Something light was starting to warm up near her pelvis, there wasn't much left before she came. 

     “Cute,” he said. 

      The voice took her out, it dragged her out of her thoughts. Leon, the real flesh and bone, Leon, was standing against the door frame, arms crossed on his chest. Then Ashley was too conscious about her messy hair and her ruffled-up shirt and how she was directly in front of the door with her legs wide open. 

      “Why are you… ”

      “You called,” Leon explained. 

       Ashley didn't know what she should focus on first; the fact that he heard her or the fact that he must've known what type of call it was, but then she'd need time to think about the implications of that, and that was time she didn't have, because Leon was right in front of her. She closed her legs. 

      “I'm sorry,” Ashley murmured, using her knees to cover her face. “Jesus, I'm so sorry,” was all she could say. And apologizing was all she could do. 

      “I'm flattered, I think,” he chuckled. Ashley didn't believe that he could laugh in a situation like this. Although as an agent, it probably wasn't the worst thing he had ever seen. “But don't let me interrupt you.” 

       Her eyes widened “What?” 

     “Keep going,” Leon said. 

     “Now?” she asked. The stupidest question that came out of her mouth. She was almost shaking, she just didn't know whether it was embarrassment or anxiety. 

      “If not now, when?” he smirked. “Unless you want me to go, then I can just leave you to it.”

       She thought about it. Ashley had the very man she was fantasizing about in her room asking her to get herself off for him. For him to watch. Leon stood there, waiting for her answer. She knew what she wanted to do the moment Leon made his suggestion, however, no words seemed to come out, not even when she could hear herself saying it in her head. 

      Ashley took a peek from between her legs; he was still looking at her, breathing heavily. His own arousal showing through his pants, and the sight would've been enough for her to finish if her body worked like that. She took a deep, long breath and decided to make it worth it. 

       With that in mind, she spread her legs in an excruciatingly slow motion, trying to get used to the feeling of being vulnerable and observed. Ashley let Leon take a good look at her, at the proof of her mischief, of her endless thoughts and attempts to brush their arms together or make their knees touch under the table when they had breakfast at the same time. She slid her hand down her abdomen, watching as Leon's dilated pupils followed her hand to her folds. Ashley spread them, wanting to show Leon what he had caused her, how wet she was, how much she desired him. She sighed, the warmth of her own hand a relief. 

      Leon bit his lip. She caught when he dug his nails into his biceps. His lip would bleed if he continued, Ashley thought, then she could stand up and lick it off. 

     Her body felt like the sensation of putting your arm too close to a candle. It came from inside her skin, radiating from her bones. She was only now starting to feel the sweat pooling under her fringe, her hands sticky. The slick on her fingers barely let her aim them properly onto her clit, but feeling herself, slippery and wet, made her even more aroused. 

     Throwing her head back, she moaned “Leon” and it quickly turned into a sigh. Maybe having an audience wasn't all that bad, after all. “Leon,” she moaned again, and it came out desperate, her hand quickening. It was messy. Ashley wasn't sure where to put her other hand; she clutched the sheets, ran her nails across her stomach, gripped the pillow. Nothing was enough. 

      The sound of velcro ripping pierced through the room, and Ashley watched Leon drag his glove off his hand with his teeth through half-lidded eyes. He unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down along with his boxers just a little below the hip, enough to get his cock out of his underwear. The erection must've been painful, because Leon hissed when he wrapped his hand around it, slowly stroking himself. Still looking at her, like he was saying 'you did this'. 

      He soon met her pace, quick and needy. The gloved hand held onto the door frame. His head was hanging down, his dark blond hair falling onto his face, but Ashley still met his gaze, and realized he was following her movements. She slowed down and so did he with a low whine. It stayed like that for a moment before the speed came back up, only to go down a few seconds later. 

      “Dammit, Ashley,” Leon grunted. It was the first time she heard him say her name, and the sound she made was so pathetic she wanted to cover her mouth. 

      Ashley thought that, under different circumstances, she would've teased him until the end of the world. She wanted to make him come on slow strokes so that his knees would buckle, but right now, she wouldn't handle it, so she opted for going faster. Leon sighed, going along with her. She, sometimes, got glimpses of how Leon's muscles flexed and tensed. The veins on his arms were so prominent they might as well just burst. His breathing echoed in the room, almost as loud as Ashley's whimpers and cries for him. 

        It was over way quicker than she wanted. Her orgasm came in waves, her hips rolling against her hand, burying her head into the pillows. All of her movements were involuntary, all while looking at Leon. He smirked as she came. Ashley didn't halt her movements until her hips started to twitch and then after that it was just painful. 

    

       She laid there in silence, trying to stabilize herself, eyes still on Leon and Leon's eyes still on her. They ran all over her, from her hair to her face, to the curves of her body, her legs that were still open. 

     “I want to see you,” she muttered. Ashley didn't have the courage to say the rest, reality was to hit her soon and she couldn't see herself being so bold anymore. What she meant was still pretty obvious. 

      Leon came silently, only gasping as he spilled onto his hand, and a barely audible Ashley slipped past his lips. Seeing him shudder and sigh had to be one of—if not the hottest thing—that Ashley had seen in her entire life. 

        He took out a handkerchief from his back pocket and wiped his hand with it, then put his cock back into his boxers, and fixed his clothes. 

        “Let me know if you need anything,” Leon said, leaving the room and closing the door behind him. 

       Ashley didn't have time to say anything. She was left alone to her thoughts sooner than she had expected. That was it? He just left? 

      Calling him back into her bedroom clearly wasn't a good choice nor was it a good look. Ashley groaned, standing up reluctantly to take a shower. She made sure to be as quiet as possible, although Leon probably heard her drag her feet to the bathroom. 

     She was never going to leave her room again. Ever. 

[sarah-dipitous]

Hellsite Nostalgia Tour 2023 Day 198

Sharp Teeth/Hide

“Sharp Teeth”

Plot Description: Garth is in the hospital after mutilating a cow and being hit by a car, but Garth runs away — with a dark secret in tow

Would I Survive the First Five Minutes??: look, if Garth is barely surviving running through the woods, getting shot at, and hit by a car…I don’t know if I have it in me

I forgot that they split up…

Sam…don’t. slap. Garth.

He was HANDCUFFED TO THE BED. HOW DID HE GET UP??

What is this episode??? Garth ran away, stripped down naked, and stole a car. What were you doinggggg???

Dean…why are you lying to Sam again???? You have photos of Garth (not naked…but just boxers. Wouldn’t have taken him for a boxers guy) oof. That’s probably the quickest one of their lies has been found out

Omgggg, Deeeeean stop with this whole “we can’t hunt together because I’m poison” thing. I hope to for that this doesn’t last too much longer

Excuse me?? Does….Garth’s a werewolf now?? And he has a werewolf girlfriend??

MARRIED?!?! He met this girl just after becoming a werewolf and within two months MARRIED HER? They’re…kind of grossly cute together

This is the least cool werewolf pack I’ve ever seen. No one’s even asking anyone where they’ve been, loca

Aww, they cooked the food for Dean. That’s nice

Noooooo, Garrrrrrth. I know you couldn’t know but…don’t bring up Kevinnnn, not to Dean

Wait…the cop is a werewolf TOO?? Uh oh…he’s part of the pack (or was….before Dean threw a silver knife into his chest)

I’m guessing there’s something fishy with Garth’s wife’s stepmother…I think she’s behind the whole dark underbelly of keeping the image of the pack squeaky clean (because this is supernatural and it’s pretty misogynistic)

Oh this is interesting…it’s not a pack, it’s a CULT trying to bring about Ragnarok and also eradicating human beings (whether feeding on or turning them)

Yeah. I knew it wasn’t the reverend who took over this weird group, he was bitten…it has to be his fourth generation werewolf wife whose father was the old reverend

Yeah, this was very predictable. Didn’t know she had a brother who was killed by hunters, but that would make the more recent interest in werewolf dominance more understandable

She really had to get her villain monologue out, ruining any chance she had at pulling off her scheme

Yes, Garth, don’t let Dean think he’s the only one who let Kevin down!! Take some of that weight off his shoulders

I do wish we had gotten just A Kevin and Garth episode (or a Kevin, Mrs Tran, and Garth episode, really)…Garth called Kevin his friend

Please stop pretending that you don’t miss each other.

Dean…I know that’s basically your catch phrase “we’re family” but like…you’ve now betrayed Sam’s trust…probably as badly as he did yours back in season 4

YES, Sam, set that boundary!

“Hide”

Plot Description: something haunts Caliburn House and the Doctor finds himself part of the ghost hunt

It took me just the tiniest bit too long to get the “I’m the doctor” “Doctor what” “if you like” joke

It’s kind of fun that he came here INTENTIONALLY to ghost hunt

Is this just an episode to parallel this ghost hunter dude and his assistant with the Doctor and Clara? Both pairs are flirting so awkwardly, it’s nauseating

I would like to carry a candelabra through an old mansion just ONCE…but no ghosts (my phone tried to autocorrect that to ‘no gojo’ or ‘no ghostfacers’. Brilliant)

You know, just as I was about to say that I was bored, things got interesting, and we’re REALLY digging into these other characters AND the ghost

Omgggg. I hate this. The girls are strictly talking romance while the guys are talking about war and death and guilt….

Oh, Clara. But like….I get where you’re coming from. It IS overwhelming to be able to see the whole life of Earth from the same spot in snippets. Yes, the TARDIS is amazing but…it has the potential to be such an easy way out, such a shortcut for the Doctor instead of taking time. He LITERALLY just takes and takes and takes time, and it feels like he doesn’t care

Well, that certainly isn’t terrifying. You don’t KNOW? You know the ghost you’ve been hunting is actually a time traveler stuck in a pocket dimension but you don’t know the thing she’s running from??

Sure. We’re just going to pop into pocket universes like it’s nothing, now…

I miss when this show was low budget :/

Oh no… he’s stuck there…

My bet’s on the thing being sympathetic. It’s HIDING from the Doctor

Another Clara?? Oh the TARDIS interface thingy. Man, the TARDIS REALLY hates Clara

Please don’t tell me he leaves and Clara gets stuck instead. You can’t do this twice

K. NOT sympathetic, just playing with him

This mansion and its grounds are gorgeous in the daylight

Oh, the monster IS sympathetic I guess?? It was looking for it’s lost love

This episode was really…….weird, and not in the normal cool way

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Rocketear

The Rocketeer is a 1991 Disney movie set in 1930's America where a test pilot gets a jetpack and uses it to fight Nazis and— Wait, what? “Rocketear”? Oh, damn it!

Let's get into the eleventh (chronologically the seventeenth) episode of Miraculous Ladybug's fourth season: Rocketear.

We start off with Carapace and Cat Noir struggling to hold back some T-Rexes brought back to life by a scientist Jurassic Park style. Seriously, they reference the movie in the same scene.

Why wasn't this the plot of the episode again?

After managing to tame the dinosaurs with a whistle of all things, Ladybug notices something's wrong with Nino after he gives the Turtle Miraculous back to her. Apparently, he's wondering why Rena Rouge (who he knows is Alya) wasn't recruited with him today. Ladybug tells him that he was the only help she needed today. In reality, it's because Alya has adjusted to her new role of supporting Ladybug behind the scenes in her new form, Rena Furtive.

And I'm not a fan of the new form. I get the camo, but it doesn't really help her blend in when her suit is bright blue. I think it's based off the arctic fox, but that animal is able to camouflage itself because it's fur matches the snowy environment. I'm sure a bright blue jumpsuit won't stand out when she tries to blend in at all. Also, the fact that Alya can just change her hero form gives even less excuses as to why Ladybug's new form is only when she uses her Lucky Charm.

Alya is struggling to keep this a secret from Nino because they don't have a lot of secrets in their relationship. Marinette says she can kind of get it because she had to keep her identity a secret from her friend and has to keep keeping her identity a secret from everyone else. Basically, she's telling Alya to suck it up because this is what being a superhero is.

So the next time she sees Nino, Alya tells him she's no longer Rena Rouge, but not about Rena Furtive, which troubles her. The very next scene shows Alya showing Marinette pictures she took of her new costume and asking her which version looks better.

You could always try reviewing Akuma fights. I heard there's one blog that does it when they're not criticizing the famous director Thomas Astruc on social media.

Yeah, in case you can't tell, Alya was only able to rent her brain for a few episodes because she really doesn't seem as understanding about being a superhero as she was in earlier episodes. In episodes like “Optigami” and “Sentibubbler”, we saw Alya use more strategy and show discretion as Rena Rouge, seemingly taking her job more seriously, but then this episode just had to go and piss it all away. I also love how the first time the animators made Alya's skin the same when she's transformed is in a single frame for a joke.

Alya thankfully deletes the picture, but Nino overhears her talking about struggling to find more content for the Ladyblog, and decides to go to the movies with her to help take her mind off things. Nino, in turn, proceeds to give the same reaction to the in-universe Ladybug movie that Astruc gives to the PV.

Apparently, that movie's already getting a sequel and it has a teaser. So was the sequel animated at the same time as the original like Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III?

Nino gets pissed the next movie in the Ladybug Cinematic Universe will feature Rena Rouge and not Carapace... even though Rena Rouge debuted first. The teaser then shows Rena Rouge falling for Cat Noir (yet another creative liberty taken by the writers or something Astruc's self-insert threw in himself), and takes it like it's the real thing. Dude, the first movie said Ladybug was afraid of cats, and the director yelled at the person it was based on for judging it. He clearly has a hard time distinguishing fiction from reality.

Alya leaves Nino early so she can go on patrol, but Nino sees Cat Noir heading out as well. He then watches a video on the Ladyblog where Alya praises Cat Noir which is totally not Astruc projecting or anything.

I don't know what your definition of a prince is, Alya, and I honestly don't want to know.

So Nino takes this as evidence that Alya is in love with Cat Noir and decides to tell Adrien, who naturally laughs him off. And just before you think we have an episode where Adrien plays the straight man, Adrien decides to visit Alya because he's afraid he accidentally charmed Alya.

Yes, because Cat Noir is so charming, girls are just fighting over him, aren't they?

We then cut to a black and white film noir monologue by Nino (dressed like a detective with a fake mustache), who decides to spy on Alya. When Cat Noir asks Alya if she is attracted to him, she naturally laughs him off, though Cat Noir is thankfully a good sport about it, even giving her a hug to apologize. Unfortunately, Nino took this the wrong way.

The next day at school, Nino takes Adrien into his “office” (it's really an excuse to reuse the boiler room setpiece), and shows him the picture of the hug. Adrien says that Alya would never fall for Cat Noir because she's always dedicated to finding out the truth and telling her boyfriend everything. What's Nino's retort?

Okay, several problems with this bit. First of all, why would Nino even tell Adrien any of this? What would it accomplish? Why not say all this to Alya while confronting her about her alleged unfaithfulness? Second, Ladybug didn't give Nino and Alya their Miraculous at the same time until it was an absolute emergency. She outright said in “Hero's Day” that she didn't have time to recruit Nino and Alya separately.

Ladybug: I'm sorry for what I'm about to do. I know I'm revealing your secret identities but I don't have time to find a good excuse to give them to you separately. Rena Rouge and Carapace, I need you both!

Nino and Alya kept their identities secret from each other until then, with Alya even keeping the fact she knew who Carapace was a secret as well. Nino didn't find out because “they don't hide anything from each other” (which I plan to talk about later).

Other than that, I actually liked Adrien in this scene. It was really investing to see him try to justify the whole secret identities rule while Nino blatantly said there was an exception. This is the kind of stuff I wanted to see when it came to Adrien doubting Ladybug, not him destroying things in his anger.

While Nino rants about how Cat Noir “stole” Alya from him, Shadowmoth sends an Akuma his way, turning him into Rocketear.

And the design he has is just boring. It's just a blue jumpsuit with some black spots that look like teardrops, a teardrop-shaped head and a visor. I think the reason this season's been relying more on past Akumas and using more Sentimonsters is because DQ is terrible at character designs. I mean, compare this suit with Aigraon from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger (his Power Rangers counterpart is Wrench from Dino Charge).

The design does so much more with the teardrop motif, giving him a perpetually miserable face with tear lines going all over his body. Add that to a more diverse color scheme, and you have a much more visually stunning design. And this was created in real life, not rendered on a computer. I'm not sure if this is a budget thing or a laziness thing, but if it's the former, you really need to do better, animators.

The powers are meh, giving Nino the ability to fling explosive tears at enemies. It's a clever idea, and it makes sense he gets a power that parallels Cat Noir's, but I think maybe it would have been more interesting if he couldn't control the tears at all. Like, imagine if he was constantly crying like Blue Diamond, and with every tear he shed, Rocketeer could send it at whoever he felt was causing him misery, mainly Cat Noir, all while serving as a metaphor for people who blame others for their own personal issues. Better yet, make him look like the detective outfit Nino wore for the second act. It would have made him more unpredictable instead of making his tears generic projectile weapons.

Marinette and Alya see the fight and transform into Ladybug and Rena Furtive respectively, the former summoning her Lucky Charm, a projector. Is it just me, or has this been happening with Ladybug a lot recently?

Back to Rocketear, we get a good moment where Cat Noir intentionally lets the Akuma hit him so he can get a chance to resolve things diplomatically. See, this is a moment where Cat Noir's self-sacrificing nature feels heroic and not selfish like when he does it without Ladybug's permission to spite her. Unfortunately, it doesn't really go anywhere as Ladybug shows up and plays the recording Nino took (Alya found his phone earlier), while Rena Furtive uses her Mirage to give the audio to what actually happened that night.

Rena transforms back into Alya and embraces Rocketear, who apologizes to her for his behavior. And then he just... rejects Shadowmoth's power while looking like it wasn't that much effort.

At least when Chloe and Alya did it, we saw them struggling for a little longer. I guess maybe it's because Nino is motivated by his love for Alya, but I think it should have been fleshed out more. So Ladybug purifies the Akuma, gives Nino a Magical Charm, and Cat Noir is still unsure about his feelings for Ladybug at the moment, though they still pound it.

Back in his room, Adrien ponders why Alya and Nino get to know their identities while he and Ladybug can't, but Plagg points out it's because she's the Guardian. It's brief, but I do like seeing Adrien start to doubt Ladybug's judgment, and it looks like it'll foreshadow future episodes. This is a problem I've had since “Hero's Day”, and I'm glad the writers are finally acknowledging this double standard. I just hope they don't end up blaming Marinette for whatever happens later on.

Marinette, of course, apologizes for what happened between Alya and Nino, and I have to say... yeah, no. It's obviously Nino's fault here.

Nino really pushed personal boundaries in this episode, much like Marinette's friends in “Gang of Secrets”. Yes, honesty is a valuable trait, but sometimes, people have secrets they want to keep to themselves. Nino's idea of “not hiding anything from each other” is somewhat controlling, like he's demanding Alya tell him everything whether she wants to or not. The fact that he immediately assumed Alya was cheating on him without giving her freedom to make her own choices doesn't make him look good. Let's be honest, a more realistic outcome would be Alya choosing to break things off with Nino or at least lecture him about how she can do what she wants and keep the secrets she wants. But instead...

And that's how the episode ends.

Okay, Marinette just said she trusted Alya to make the right decision, but I highly doubt she meant this. Marinette strictly said Alya had to keep Rena Furtive a secret, and now she's telling Nino this despite the risk? The whole reason Marinette and Luka broke up was because Marinette had to keep her secrets from Luka, but now it's okay for Alya to be completely honest? How is this not a double standard?

This episode was just dull, and there’s not even much I can really say about it.. There were a handful of standout moments, and the stuff with Adrien was somewhat compelling, but Nino's behavior was just insufferable and dragged the episode down. The Akuma fight was weak, only lasting about four minutes at most, and while the Lucky Charm was more creative this time, the plot was just frustrating. It's really one of the weaker episodes this season.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to watch the better Rocketeer.

[piercingbonez]

the dance || thomas shelby x reader oneshot

platonic john shelby x reader and some tommy shelby romantic tension with you

warnings: alcohol, swearing, minor angst if you squint

word count: 1.4k

a/n: let me know if you’d prefer reader oneshots to be in third person rather than first!

-

You entered the ballroom with John by your side, a smirk on his face as he handed you champagne as a busboy passed them. "Thank you." You leant over and kissed his cheek, giggling when it left a red mark.

"Ay, down sweet." He teased, prodding your side. "Let’s dance." He held his hand out and you took it with a grin, allowing him to lead you onto the dance floor.

Their dancing was full of laughs and stupid twirls for almost the entire night. You’d also had a few dances with Arthur, though they were more sweet and gentle, his hands on your waist as you swayed softly in time with the music.

"You seen Tommy?" Arthur asked as they danced, looking around.

"Not yet, maybe the king of Small Heath decided not to show." You giggled, resting your forehead on his shoulder. His hands squeezed your hips comfortingly when he noticed some men staring at you, knowing it helped you calm down.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Arthur snorted, swaying and spinning the pair of you around so you could subtly spot the Shelby in the crowd. He was hard to miss, people moved to the side as he walked through the ballroom.

"Lookin' like a right git, as usual." You snickered, spinning you both around again as you danced across the floor. You wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, pulling him close when you saw the way men were staring at your body.

"Oi, my turn." John grabbed his brothers shoulders and pulled him away, Arthur rolling his eyes.

"I better have you again later." He winked, kissing your hand before walking off to smoke, presumably.

"You seen the king?" John chuckled, holding your waist and spinning you at a fast pace, you struggling to keep up with his movements as you laughed. You stumbled a few times and he rolled his eyes. "You 'ave two left feet." He teased. "Stand on mine." You sighed and rolled your eyes back at him, placing your feet on top of his so he could guide the both of you. "There we go." One hand held your lower back securely whilst the other was interlocked with your own in front of you. The touch made your face heat up rapidly.

"'e's eyeing you up." John smirked, watching the way his brother was smoking and staring at you two.

"Probably never seen me in a dress before." You giggled. It wasn't often you wore dresses, usually ditching them for a similar attire to the men, button down shirts, braces and suit trousers.

"Hmm, I must say, it does flatter your figure." He spoke playfully, making you blush again, shoving your face into his neck to hide your embarrassment.

"Shut it, Johnny." You teasingly kissed his neck, knowing it would leave a lipstick stain.

As the song ended John let go quickly, sending you stumbling off his feet. "Git!" You snarled, smacking his chest as you tried to steady yourself.

"Watch out, Kingie is on 'is way." He smirked and nodded to his approaching brother, chuckling when your eyes widened.

"John!" You hissed as he walked off with a cheeky grin and a wink.

"Sophie." A hand was on your waist suddenly and you were forced to spin around.

"T-Tommy." You cursed at the way your voice skipped nervously, looking up at his smirking face.

"Care to dance, darling?" He said smoothly, making you face heat up. Normally it was just Y/N, no nickname, certainly no darling. Normally Thomas didn't care much for you, he treated you the same way he treated any of his Peaky men.

"Th-Thats new." You mumbled with a small smile, taking his outstretched hand. He used the hand on your hip to pull you into his chest, your cheeks hot as you looked up at him.

"Hmm, felt it would be fitting, you look gorgeous." Thomas' gruff voice never failed to make you melt, especially with what he was saying and how close your bodies were. "Never seen you look like this before." You wrapped your arms around his neck as his other hand made its way to your hip as well, lightly squeezing the skin there in a comforting gesture.

"I-It's John's doing." You said quietly, looking over to the snickering boy watching the two of you sway to the music.

"Remind me to thank 'im later." He chuckled deeply, one hand sliding to the dip of your back, pulling you ever closer so your chests were pressed together.

Thomas kept the dance slow, not only because he'd been watching the way you tripped and stumbled with John, but it meant he could keep you close to him. He wanted to make sure that everyone in the room knew that you were with them, with him.

"We thought you weren't gon' show." You mumbled, peering up at him, your doe eyes meeting his.

"And miss your birthday?" He raised an eyebrow. "Of course not, sweet." The nickname that was so natural out of his brothers mouths made you blush, it was different coming from him.

"John did a wonderful job plannin'" You smiled, Thomas nodding in agreement.

"I'm glad you're 'avin a nice time." The two of you twirled gracefully, though you didn't notice the glares and threatening stares he was sending to any men who's eyes trailed downwards.

"So does John treat you well?" Thomas' asked casually, swaying you to the music as it slowed. You nearly choked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Wh-What?" Thomas raised an eyebrow. "He-He's a good friend?" Your comment came out as more of a question, Thomas smirking.

"Friend? I always thought you two'd end up together." Your cheeks flushed at his statement, you and John had actually had a secret relationship at one point but they broke it off as the boy had been nervous about putting you at risk. Granted, that seemed stupid now you were working with them.

You sent a glance to John who just winked and blew a kiss to you, Thomas chuckling above you. "You sure there's nothin'?" Deep down he hoped your answer would be no. He'd had his eye on you for a long time, though no one ever noticed. Your desk was definitely not intentionally placed in front of his office window and he often found himself in a gaze looking at you.

"No." You mumbled, looking down awkwardly.

"Hmm, and does that mean you're free tomorrow?" The question caught you off guard, was Thomas asking you out? You shook your head quickly and his hand went to hold your jaw softly, tilting it up with his thumb on your chin. "I'll pick you up at 9:30. Bring a coat." You nodded, your brain swirling with so many thoughts that you felt somewhat lightheaded. "Happy birthday, Y/N." He dipped down and kissed the corner of you mouth, barely giving you enough time to react before he smirked and walked away swiftly.

John practically ran towards you, grabbing your shoulders. "The fuck was that, ay?" He chuckled with a smirk, your eyes wide.

"I 'ave no fuckin' clue." She giggled in disbelief, Johns hands sliding to her hips to spin her around. You couldn't help the heat that rose to your cheeks with his touch, no matter how much you tried to tell yourself you didn't have feelings for him anymore, his gentle touches always made your face heat up.

"That dress is doing wonders for you." He winked, eyeing you up and down again. Deep down he still felt the same tug at his heart when he saw you with another guy, but he knew how his brother felt, and god forbid he tried to get in his way.

"Thanks Johnny." You stood on your toes to kiss his cheek again, sending sparks through the both of you, John laughing and spinning you around again before pulling you into a dance.

The best friends spent the rest of the night dancing together, though Arthur stole a couple more. John made a, as you called it, legendary toast in your honour before lifting you onto his shoulder, Arthur holding you up as well. Thomas surprisingly made a speech too, though it was short and sweet and made your cheeks go heat up, John sending you a wink.

You couldn’t have imagined a better birthday.

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

IUI - The Way I Love You

bear with me here folks

I know the Idiots are usually soft af. but my lovely spouse/fiance/soon-to-be-fiance and beta @dani-dandelino hit me with an idea and I added a dash handful of angst bc i couldn’t help it

Warnings: feelings of inadequacy, fear of breakup (no actual breakup I promise), miscommunication, drunk af Geralt, past shitty relationships, happy ending tho I promise, there’s tears but they’re happy I swear.

______________________________________

Geralt only ever got sloppy drunk when Jaskier was the DD. It wasn’t necessarily that he didn’t trust anyone else, it was that he didn’t trust his drunk boyfriend not to goad him into something stupid. 

The last time they’d both gotten fucked up outside of their apartment they woke up with three traffic cones and a “Speed Hump” sign in their living room. When they asked Triss what happened she sent them a video of them giggling as they tried to fit the sign into her trunk.

After hanging the sign in their apartment, they decided it may be best to take turns. 

This particular instance, they’d dropped Triss and Yen off and were on their way home, Geralt’s head lolling against the window as he fought to stay awake. 

“I’m not carrying your perky ass upstairs,” Jaskier laughed, snapping his fingers near Geralt’s ear. 

Geralt grumbled but sat up straight and leaned into Jaskier’s outstretched hand, “Radio.”

Affectionately rolling his eyes, Jaskier pulled his hand away and flipped on the radio. Geralt immediately gasped and started singing along off key and slurred. The first time Jaskier heard Geralt scream along to Taylor Swift he’d been shocked, if extremely endeared. 

“BUT I MISS SCREAMIN’ AND FIGHTIN AND KISSIN IN THE RAIN! IT’S TWO AM AND I’M CURSIN’ YOUR NAME! SO IN LOVE THAT WE ACTED INSANE, AND THAT’S THE WAY I LOVED YOUUUUUUUUU!”

Jaskier turned the volume down to a reasonable level when Geralt cranked it so loud his ears might start ringing. He rolled his eyes when Geralt started singing it to him, taking the shortcut home and trying to ignore the little pit forming in his stomach. 

When the song ended Geralt turned the radio down and picked up his hand not gripping the steering wheel, “Jask?”

“Mhm?”

Even in the car, Geralt glanced around conspiratorially before whispering, “I have a secret.”

Fear flared in Jaskier’s chest but he took a deep, calming breath, reminding himself who he was talking to. His boyfriend thought secrets were fun. Mostly because Geralt’s version of a secret was keeping what he made for dinner a surprise until Jaskier got home. He’d even felt guilty not telling Jaskier he was seeing a therapist when they’d started dating. For all his gruff exterior and suspicion, Geralt really was an open book with those he loved and trusted. Jaskier had a very different idea of what secrets in a relationship meant. 

“What’s that, love?” 

Geralt giggled as he traced the edges of a magnolia on the back of Jaskier’s wrist, “That is the way I love you.”

Luckily for Jaskier’s car, they were rolling up to a stop sign. He had time to loose his breath for a moment and fight back the initial feeling of shame and anger with himself before he pulled his hand away and gripped the steering wheel as he punched the gas. 

Through gritted teeth, he said the gentlest thing he could think of, “We don’t kiss in the rain.”

Geralt frowned, almost pouted at him, “I still love you.”

A part of Jaskier wanted to scream at Geralt, another part wanted to pull over and make him walk home, thankfully the loudest part reminded him the idiot was just drunk. He didn’t know what he was saying and he thought he was being sweet. There was also a good possibility he would cry himself to sleep in the passenger seat if Jaskier yelled at him and last time he tried to carry Geralt to bed his back hurt for a week. 

“I love you too,” Jaskier sighed as he pulled into their parking spot. 

He didn’t sleep well that night. Not because his sweaty, smelly, and fidgety boyfriend clung to him in his sleep, but because he couldn’t stop thinking about the ride home. 

Jaskier had lived in relationships like that for most of his adult life. Hell, even in his teens. They were nothing but all consuming passion with no connection to support it and left both parties jaded and lost. When he left his mentor he’d sat in Yen’s chair for hours and hours, until his arm had gone numb, and the only thing he could think was ‘never again’. 

And now Geralt thought he was being cute. The ridiculously meticulous and serious man was only ever sappy when he got drunk and now instead of reveling in it like he’d like, Jaskier was staring at the clock on his nightstand calculating how exhausted he’d be in the morning as the minutes ticked by. 

Turns out, he was at least in the land of the living by the time Geralt shuffled into the kitchen with his hands in his hair and a pained expression. 

“Feel like shit.”

Jaskier hummed in agreement as he sipped his morning tea and shifted in his seat to see better out the window. 

After popping a few anti-inflammatories and nibbling on a cracker before giving up on food, Geralt lumbered up behind Jaskier and draped his arms over his shoulders, “What’s wrong?”

“S’nothing. I’m just being… touchy.”

Geralt pressed a light kiss over the hellebore tattoo on Jaskier’s neck, “I doubt it.”

Tears threatened to spill from his eyes as Jaskier laid his hand over Geralt’s arm across his chest, “I don’t want to lose this.”

“Why…? What makes you think you would?” Geralt was a little slower on the draw hungover, but he knelt next to Jaskier’s chair and rested a hand on his knee as he waited for a response. He only ever looked so worried when Roach had an abscess and it broke Jaskier’s heart. He didn’t want to say it and ruin everything. 

After a deep breath in, he mumbled out his answer, “Do you really love me like that song?”

“What song?” Geralt breathed, his thumb brushing back and forth over Jaskier’s knee.

“The uh, Way I Loved You one.”

Geralt searched his face for a beat, the crease between his eyebrows only deepening, “Of course I do.”

“Fuck,” Jaskier breathed, biting his lip to keep it from wobbling as he forced all the air from his lungs in the hopes it would do something to stop the tears from falling. When it was clear he would lose the battle he leaned forward with his elbows on the table, hiding his face in his hands.

“You… don’t want me to?” Geralt sounded close to tears himself, but he didn’t take his hand off Jaskier’s thigh. 

“No- yes! No?” Jaskier sniffed and wiped at his face but didn’t lean back to look at Geralt, “I- Geralt I can’t just fill a hollow relationship with lust. We ha- I thought we had more? But if you want the- the fights and the hate fucking- I don’t- Geralt I don’t want that. Not with anyone but not with you. Ne-”

“Hey, hey,” Geralt tugged at Jaskier’s arm, gathering him to his chest when the brunette melted into sobs, “I don’t want that. That’s not what I meant. I’m sorry, love. I’m so sorry I let you think that.” He cradled Jaskier’s head to his shoulder, pressing kisses into his hair between softly spoken apologies and reassurances. They stayed there until Jaskier’s tea went cold and his sobs were closer to little gasps. 

Eventually, Jaskier lifted his head and met Geralt’s eyes, “H-how do you love me?”

Geralt licked his lips, his voice barely above a whisper, “Not- It’s not hollow.”

Jaskier squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead to Geralt’s, “Please?”

One of Geralt’s hands came up to cup Jaskier’s cheek as he took a deep breath, “I’ve never loved anyone like I love you… I never wanted to be romantic with anyone until you. You… You make me feel… safe. I’m never bored of you or numb or sick of you. This is the first relationship I’ve had where I bother to fight, Jask. I love you so much it makes me do things I never thought to do and I’m glad and I never want to change anything about us. Never.” 

A shiver ran down Jaskier’s spine as relief flooded his whole body. His throat ached from crying and his shoulders were sore from holding all that tension in a way they hadn’t for years, but he’d never felt so good. Geralt loved him. Him. Not some tumultuous relationship or the sex or the drama of it all. Someone finally loved him for him. 

It hadn’t really hit Jaskier till then. They’d said ‘I love you’, sure, but he hadn’t really believed Geralt, just like he’d stopped believing the string of selfish lovers before him. 

“Thank Mellitelle,” Jaskier laughed, just on this side of hysterical as he tightened his grip around Geralt’s shoulders, “I fucking love how boring we are. And you. Fuck I really really do love you.”

“Even when I smell like my regulars?” Geralt teased, intentionally huffing a little extra and dosing Jaskier in his horrendous hangover morning breath.

Jaskier wrinkled his nose but smiled and kissed him anyway, “Of course.”

“Mhh,” Geralt pulled away for a moment, brushing his thumb over Jaskier’s crows feet in a silent request for him to open his eyes, “Can we go back to bed?”

“The crying does it for you, huh?” Jaskier chuckled, his voice was still weak but his laugh was genuine.

“I’m so dizzy, Jask,” squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head ever so slightly, Geralt plopped back onto his heels. If Jaskier hadn’t witnessed just how much he drank he’d say he was lying, but Jaskier was truly surprised he’d even climbed out of bed this morning.

“Mkay, up. Back to bed then.”

They settled under the blankets and tangled themselves back together. Geralt hummed, closing his eyes and squeezing Jaskier a little tighter.

New, happier tears threatened at the corners of his eyes but he pushed them down, opting to trace the corner of Geralt’s buttercup tattoo peeking out of his shirt, “I love you.”

Geralt took a deep breath in before he sighed out a rumbling, “I know.”

“No, Geralt. Really,” Jaskier laid his hand over the yellow and green ink, “I’ve said these words more times than I can count but I don’t think I ever really understood them until you.”

“Jaski-”

“I love you,” Jaskier’s interruption was far smaller and far more fragile than he had intended. His words just continued to spill out, “You’re steady and calm and I’ve never had that. I don’t know what it’s supposed to be like and I’m constantly scared I’m gonna fuck it up…”

Comforting fingers ran through his hair as Geralt murmured his reply, “Me too,” Jaskier just squeezed his shoulder in a bit of solidarity and a bit of selfish comfort, “But I think we’re doing alright…”

“Why’s that?”

“Well,” Geralt started, shifting so he was practically engulfing Jaskier, “we both still love each other, and...” his boyfriend pinched him when he trailed off, pretending to fall asleep in a way that always mad Jaskier giggle, “Ow- and you use the hooks by the front door.” 

“I do, don’t I?” Jaskier sniffled, “And you used your words.”

“I’d use all the words for you.”

“All of them?”

Geralt really was drifting away this time, his words coming slowly as his arms relaxed and Jaskier felt their full weight over him, “Not well, but I would...” 

[cowboy-eddie]

Tumblr Exclusive: Chaotic at the best of times

Maddie, unable to find her brother for babysitting duty, stops by his apartment. She’s not even slightly surprised but also- she didn’t need to see that much of Eddie Diaz.

Shouldering Jee-Yun’s diaper bag, Maddie knocked on Buck’s apartment door again and glanced down to her daughter.

“I think your Uncle Buck is still asleep! Should we go and wake him up? What do you think?”

Jee-Yun gurgled in her mother’s arms, clearly no idea what’s going on, and Maddie smiled as she reached into her back pocket, pulling out her keys.

 There’s two details she missed when she entered; one is the extra pair of work boots on his boot rack at the front door. The second is the duffel on the couch, still zipped shut… but with military dog tags attached to the handle. Placing Jee-Yun on the couch, Maddie reached for her phone and checked to see if Buck had texted her back. When seeing there wasn’t anything, she glanced at the stairs.

“Wait here, okay sweetie?”

Jee-Yun didn’t move, as expected of a baby, so Maddie headed upstairs. She made sure her footsteps were gentle, just in case her little brother was sleeping, and paused at the top.

“Hey, Evan, are you-“

 ~~~

 There was Eddie Diaz, sound asleep. The only way Maddie could tell it was him was the tattoo on his tanned arm, the one she’d spotted when he’d been helping Chim put together the changing table and he’d pulled up his sleeves. Buried under the blankets, he didn’t look like the Eddie Maddie knew. She knew the sassy, slightly snappy, always on guard Eddie. In her brother’s bed, he looked… peaceful. She didn’t know if it was cute or terrifying.

“Hey, Eds, you should probably- holyfuckingshit!”

 ~~~

 Buck bolted back into his bathroom and Maddie slapped her hand over her eyes, undoubtedly waking Eddie who stretched out like a cat. It took him a second to register Maddie, but the second he did he hit the ground with a thud as he tried to scramble out of the sheets.

“Uh, hey, Maddie, long time no see.”

“Hey, Eddie, you too- please put some pants on.”

“Oh, right, yeah, definitely.”

At that moment Buck emerges from the bathroom, fully dressed, and the blush on his cheeks is permanent.

“What are you doing here, anyway?” He asked and Maddie gestured downstairs.

“You promised you’d babysit-“

“-fuck, I forgot, I’m sorry Mads. I got caught up-“

“-clearly.”

Buck blushes harder, but he can tell from Maddie’s smile that she thinks this is hilarious. Eddie has gathered enough of his clothing and put it on- Maddie doesn’t have the heart to tell him he’s wearing his shirt backwards- and slipped downstairs.

“I’ll call you later!” Buck yelled after him, getting that hardened Diaz glare that doesn’t make Buck flinch but Maddie winced anyway.

“Yeah, so that happened. Can I leave my daughter here, or is Eddie coming back?”

“I-“

Buck shut his mouth, rolled his eyes, and gestured downstairs.

“Is Jee-Yun here or did you let her get kidnapped?”

“Jesus, Buck, Eddie is definitely rubbing off on you.”

The innuendo is not lost on Buck, who groaned.

“Look, it just- it was spur of the moment. I don’t- we’re not-“

“-mmhmm. Sure thing. Listen, Buck, I won’t- I won’t tell Chimney. He’s awful at keeping secrets.”

Buck’s face relaxed and he went to hug his sister, but she put a hand on his chest.

“You might want to tell him soon, though. His bet was this week.”

“Of course it was,” Buck huffed, “it’s Eddie’s birthday on Thursday.”

“Right. Anyway, I should get going. There are bottles in the bag, and diapers as well as cream and wipes. If you need anything-“

“-I know, Maddie. Go, I’ll see you later.”

Maddie finally hugged her brother, pressed a kiss to his cheek, before she pulled back to hold his shoulder.

“Finally.”

Then she’s gone, and Buck headed downstairs to greet his niece.

“Hey, Jee-Yun, can we keep it a secret between us that Eddie has been here almost twice a week for the last month?”

The baby giggled, smacking her hands on Buck’s and he grinned at her.

“Thanks. You’re way better at keeping a secret than your father.”

 ~~~

 The next time Maddie’s at the firehouse, she can’t look Eddie in the face and to be fair, he can’t look at her either. He disappeared to the trucks soon after she got there, and then to the bunk room. Buck nudged Maddie’s shoulder gently.

“Not subtle,” he whispered. Maddie raised her eyebrows.

“I’m not subtle? You’re not exactly hiding that you and him are- are…”

Buck’s face pinched, before he let out a sigh and headed for the bunks too. Maddie watched him go, before turning to see Bobby right beside her.

“Are they-“

“-yeah.”

Bobby exhaled.

“Finally.”

“Thank you!” Maddie exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly and Bobby chuckled.

“Don’t worry, the secret’s safe with me.”

Maddie’s eyes widened- Bobby Nash was just that good, he’d managed to pull it out of her in seconds- but he just waved off her panic.

“No complaints from me here. They’ve been nothing but professional, so it’s none of my concern.”

 ~~~

 A week or so later, Maddie heard a knock on her front door and opened it to see Eddie Diaz.

“Oh, uh, Eddie! Chim is out at the moment, but-“

“-I actually… I wanted to talk to you.”

Maddie stepped back to let him in, but Eddie kept his mask on.

“Just in case,” he said in way of explanation.

“So… what did you want to talk about?”

“The fact you caught me literally with my pants down and we haven’t spoken about it.”

Maddie had never known Eddie to be direct- granted, she didn’t know Eddie very well aside from a few meetups with the 118- and she blinked.

“Oh. That. Right.”

“Maddie, I wanted you to know… I wouldn’t ever intentionally hurt Buck. He’s, god, he’s-“

“-he’s Buck,” Maddie finished and Eddie looked like he knows Maddie gets it.

“Yeah. And I know that, uh, you might have some reservations about Buck and me-“

“-yours and Buck’s relationship is none of my business. Of course I’m going to be worried about my little brother, but he’s 6’2 and clearly competent of making good decisions. He’s got you, hasn’t he?”

Eddie smiled under his mask, and Maddie hesitantly reached out to squeeze his shoulder.

“Thank you for coming to me, though, instead of just letting it slide. That being said… make sure Buck puts a sock on his door next time, or leaves something on the couch, okay?”

And Eddie blushed, but Maddie could tell he wasn’t quite uncomfortable. Nudging his shoulder, she smiled.

“Go and be with him. Tell him I’ll kick his ass if he ever hurts you.”

Then Eddie was gone, and Maddie let out a breath. God, her brother and Eddie were chaotic at the best of times.

Catch me on my ao3: CallMeG :)

[sodone-withlife]

enough

yay this is my first fic in over a month, and as per usual, there's not much proofreading. all mistakes are my own. also, this isn't as whump-y as my past works and includes a number of my headcanons

@yourlocalheartbreaker here's over 2k words of a rather OOC Criminal Minds fanfic based on your post :) I've intentionally made the ending a bit ambiguous, so let your imagination run wild. the case is also based on what happened in Boston.

here’s a post that clarifies some ambiguities

warnings: alcohol, mentioned character death, mentioned canon typical violence. also, I love all of the characters, but for the purposes of this story, this will come across as everyone (except Hotch, Morgan, and Strauss) slander. don't like it, don't read it.

word count: 2.2k words

“I really am sorry I couldn’t do more,” Strauss said quietly.

Hotch shook his head, staring into his whiskey. “You’ve already done so much,” he said equally quietly. He hesitated, wondering if he should give voice to the thought that had been nagging at him since the last in a week-long series of grueling questioning and testimony.

Fuck it, he thought, dowing the last of his whiskey.

“I think we both knew it was coming,” he said, looking at his now-former boss unflinchingly. To her credit, Strauss didn’t try to hide that she shared his thoughts as they shared a knowing look. “Too many minor bureaucratic infractions, a few major fiascos,” he continued, shaking his head ruefully, “it was only a matter of when.”

Strauss remained silent, swirling the last of her own drink in her glass. It was a longstanding tradition between the two of them to go out for drinks after especially taxing cases and bureaucratic nightmares, one that started weeks after Gideon stepped down and went on leave.

Finally, she broke the silence. “Why did you lie? You and I know very well you had nothing to do with it.” She turned to face Hotch fully, a hint of confusion appearing in her expression. “Why take the fall?”

The answer easily came to Hotch, but it didn’t erase the bitterness with which the words came out. “The leader is replaceable, but the team isn’t.” He looked pained, avoiding her incredulous stare. “Same reason as always.”

He could understand her exasperation; it wasn’t the first time he had discussed the issues within the team with her. Over the years, she tried again and again to get him out, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he did. She eventually accepted his refusal to leave, but it didn’t stop her from dropping hints of disapproval here and there—and they both knew some secret part of him agreed with her disparaging comments, much as he tried to ignore it.

The team dynamics had never truly recovered from Boston and Adrian Bale, and that had carried over to the newer members of the team who joined after the fiasco. His standoffish, laconic nature certainly didn’t help. Eventually, even Gideon was ignoring the cracks in the foundation of the team,

Out of all of his coworkers, only Strauss and Morgan remembered (and still sometimes saw) the less-guarded agent with surprising idealism that he had been before everything went to shit.

Now, after years of leadership under his belt, he didn’t know how to be anyone else but the sharp, authoritative unit chief.

Especially after Haley.

(As he had stood in front of the freshly dug grave, he swore that his family would never meet SSA Hotchner, Unit Chief, Agent No-Smile Hardass, if he could help it.)

(The moment he stepped through the front door, he would only be Dad.)

(And in front of a select group of people, he would be Aaron, the man who was just barely toeing the line between profiler and unsub in his jaggedly broken, near-unhinged protectiveness.)

And so he received each act of insubordination from the team, no matter the magnitude, with unflappable calmness, even as he stayed late and went to work hours early to deal with the towering stacks of paperwork that joined the already existing piles of budget expansion requests and case consults.

He trusted their judgment, even if that trust didn’t go both ways.

“You’re very respected, you know that?” Strauss suddenly commented. “It’s the only reason you’ve been able to cover for your team for so long.”

That was something Hotch knew very well. Much as he hated it, he often found himself in the midst of political maneuverings that embroiled his higher-ups, aided especially by his upbringing and law school education. In these circles, where everyone knew everyone wore masks to hide unsavory secrets, there was some degree of grudging respect for everyone, no matter their placement on either side of the aisle. Even those who came from money had to have special acumen in order to make it this far in the cutthroat world of DC politics.

Hotch had gained quite the reputation as a prosecutor in DC, and not just because his father had been a well-known attorney with high-profile clients. Coupled with his meteoric rise through the ranks of the bureau, helping out the right people and collecting numerous contacts and favors along the way, it was no wonder that he had managed to keep the team out of the line of fire for so long.

More and more often, however, he was questioning his decisions to reject each opportunity to move up the chain of command, to instead stay with the team as a field agent. Even though he could almost always understand the reasoning behind each act of insubordination—hell, he even encouraged it sometimes—he couldn’t help but want for things to be different, especially with every night he went home too late and every time he pulled out the concealer he had always had near him since childhood to cover up the bruise-like eyebags that found a permanent home on his face.

But in the end, Hotch didn’t even have a choice.

(But a small part of him knew that this was always how he was going to go.)

Really, he understood why they did what they did. Ten years ago, he would have done the same thing himself.

Now, however, he couldn’t afford to put Jack’s safety and wellbeing on the line.

Some might say that Jack was his weak spot, and they wouldn’t be wrong—he would wholeheartedly agree with them.

He couldn't find it in him to feel guilty about putting his family ahead of all else, but what JJ said when he called them into his office after the fiasco had cut deeply.

You of all people should understand, JJ had spat in his face, and every harsh word he was about to say himself, reprimanding them for callous insubordination to the highest degree, died on his lips. He wasn’t sure how much time passed as he just stood there in silent, pained shock, but it didn’t take long for JJ, Prentiss, and Reid to leave his office with an air of vindication, not sparing him another glance.

Hotch had spent the rest of the day fielding call after call, trying to piece together the exact course of events and fending off the sharks smelling blood in the water.

The bloody chunks of flesh of the three agents who died immediately in the blast, the two who didn’t even make it into the operating room, and the one adult hostage who couldn’t far enough away in time.

Now, sitting across from Strauss and staring into his empty glass, he wondered if things would have been different if he had gotten there faster, adding his own input in formulating a negotiation strategy that factored in the variables he only knew to take into account because of his combined years in prosecution and SWAT and because of Boston.

Especially Boston.

(He already considered all of the what-ifs. He knew that short of suddenly gaining time travel or teleportation abilities, he couldn’t have done anything.)

But maybe he foresaw his current situation the moment he saw Strauss’s emailed request for an urgent meeting the morning after he worked late into the night trying to control the fallout.

Just budget meetings with the higher up of higher-ups, he reassured Morgan when they bumped into each other as Hotch and Strauss made their way out of the Academy offices towards the parking garage. He knew Morgan didn’t believe him—he was wearing the suit that he reserved for black tie events and meetings on the Hill, for one—but there was a reluctant acceptance and a hint of knowing in his eyes.

(Of course, Morgan had an idea of what was going on. No one in the country was ignorant of what had happened yesterday afternoon. As he was looking through the news coverage, confused and horrified as to how something like this could have happened, memories of Boston rose to the forefront of his mind, and he knew that this would end in blood.)

(Then Hotch called him in a frenzy, apologizing profusely for bothering him on his weekend off while all but begging for him to look after Jack for the rest of the day. It was an easy decision. Morgan took Jack to the movie theater, helped him with biking, took him out for ice cream, whatever it took to keep Jack happy and occupied while he himself worried over the state of things at the office.)

(It was well past midnight when Hotch finally fell into a restless sleep in bed next to Morgan, who had a standing invitation to stay overnight and was trying to help him loosen up his tensed muscles.)

“I’m coming into the office tomorrow to tie up loose ends,” Hotch suddenly told Strauss. “I’m not going to pull a Gideon. They don’t deserve that.”

He said as much next day as he stood in the bullpen, looking out at the agents he had worked with for years as he made his announcement.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to retire from the BAU,” he ignored the sounds of shock that rippled through the crowd, “and with my retirement, I am cutting all official ties with the Bureau.”

He carefully avoided looking at the team as he continued. “Please respect that I would prefer to not discuss the details of my retirement at this time, but I will say that this recent case had a lot to do with my decision,” he swept a stern gaze around the room, ignoring the pang in his heart and sudden burning in his eyes when he accidentally made eye contact with a devastated-looking Garcia.

Hotch quickly looked away and continued with his goodbyes before he managed to find an out to retreat to his office, where he picked up the last box of his belongings. It’s surprisingly light, he thought distantly as he took in the stripped office for the last time.

Oh, right, Strauss had helped me pack everything else and bring home the law books and framed certificates after we went out for drinks last night.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened, and Strauss stepped inside, shutting the door behind her and closing the blinds to give them some modicum of privacy from the profilers waiting in the bullpen with their barrage of questions.

“This is it, then,” she commented, eyes on the badge and gun that was left on the expansive desk.

Hotch nodded. “I’m sure the suits will be sweeping through my reports and cases soon enough. The team will find out then.” He turned to meet her gaze, an unreadable glint in his eyes, “But I daresay we will be seeing each other quite soon, however.”

They grasped each other’s hand firmly, something unspoken passing between them. There was a beat of stillness, then Hotch let go. He opened the office door and swept past her, past the team, and into the elevator with his phone already next to his ear, his professional mask back as he left this part of his life behind.

Strauss walked out onto the catwalk, looking out into the bullpen at the profilers sitting at their desks, shell-shocked at the man’s sudden (and all-too-final) departure.

Truthfully, Strauss didn’t know what he meant when he hinted that he would be seeing her (and presumably the team) again soon, but she assumed it had to do with the closed meeting he was pulled into the moment he arrived at the office this morning. She may not be trained to notice the details in human behavior, but she could tell there was a peaceful ease to Hotch’s goodbye that shouldn’t have been there, in addition to the strange lack of the bitterness she knew had been there last night when they went out for drinks.

“Erin, what the hell was that about?” Rossi’s voice shook her out of her thoughts. She turned to the approaching agent, game face back on and preparing to finally unleash the full scope of what had happened over a week ago onto the remaining profilers, who had been shielded from the consequences by Hotch’s presence and tireless negotiations alone.

Whatever Rossi was about to say next was suddenly cut off by an outraged “What?” coming from Morgan, who had been all but interrogating Prentiss, JJ, and Reid about the guilt was practically painted all over their expressions. Now, he ran out of the bullpen, chasing after Hotch and ignoring the calls of his name behind him.

Strauss watched all of this calmly; Hotch had asked that one of the team be made unit chief after his departure, but there was no way she was letting that happen on her watch. Especially based on Morgan’s determined chase after the now-former unit chief, she imagined she would be having two open positions to fill.

It was about time those two got their heads out of their asses, she thought, smiling internally.

May you find your peace, Aaron Hotchner.

[wordsandshawn]

Secret | Part 1 | #ShawnMendesWritingCircle

A/N: I’m so excited to get to be a part of this writing circle. Thank you @saysweartogod-og​ for coming up with this amazing idea. This fic is a little spin off of a secret billionaire trope, and I can honestly say I’m so excited to see where some of the amazing writers participating in this decide to take it. I hope you enjoy this first chapter, and feel free to send feedback or thoughts about the chapter and where you think it might go, because my guess is as good as yours, and I’d love to talk about it! 

WC: 2.6K

~

From the moment you met Shawn six months ago, you knew that letting yourself get involved with him was a bad idea. It took you about three seconds to come up with a handful of reasons why you could never let yourself fall for him, but it only took him one night to make you forget them all.

You stepped into his condo, spotted him, and knew who he was immediately before the words, “Hey, I’m Shawn,” Even fell from his lips. You told yourself you’d never come back here before you spoke a single word to him. You also vowed to kill Brian and Alicia the second you got them alone.

Brian is dating your roommate, which is how you wound up here in the first place. Alicia knows you rarely ever go out because you’re either working or studying, so when she found out you weren’t working for the first time on a Friday night, she practically begged you to come with her. She said she was meeting some of Brian’s friends for the first time and didn’t want to be alone. Despite you telling her that she’d obviously have Brian there, she refused to give up, and finally, you reluctantly agreed to go. You had no idea that Brian’s “friend” was Shawn Mendes.

At first, your only focus was getting through the party and out of the condo without anyone posting a photo of you online, knowing that photo would be circulated within minutes if it had Shawn in it too, and that’s the last thing you’d want. You didn’t expect it to be too difficult to avoid being in a photo with Shawn considering the condo was not small by any means, and there’s no reason for him to take any type of notice of you.

Even though you regretted accepting the invitation, you still decided to make the most of the night. Since you rarely let yourself go out, you were determined to enjoy the one night you had. You’re still nursing your first drink, despite it already being warm. As time passes, you watch as everyone around you becomes more and more inebriated. Phones are out, as they often are at parties like these, and you’re tired of hiding in the darkest corner you could find, so you slip outside. You’re not outside for even five minutes before you hear the sliding door open, the music drifting out from inside.

“Y/n, right?” Shawn questions, stepping outside, and you try to hide the shock on your face over the fact that he remembered your name.

“Mhmm,” You respond intentionally looking away from him.

“What are you doing out here?” He asks, taking the spot beside you by the railing so the two of you are standing shoulder to shoulder, except his shoulder is about five inches above yours.

“I could ask you the same thing.” You respond, not wanting to give him the real answer to that question.

“They’re all taking a lot of pictures in there.” He says, as though that’s an answer to the question, but it’s not.

“It’s your party, why wouldn’t you want to be in the pictures?” You question, surprised. You know why you don’t want to be in them, but you can’t seem to fathom why he wouldn’t want to be in pictures with his friends at his own place.

“Don’t want people to know where I am,” He says with a shrug. “What about you, why’d you slip out just now?” He asks again since you avoided the question the first time.

“Needed some air,” You lie, keeping your eyes trained on the city lights.

He doesn’t press the topic anymore. You’re expecting him to wander away, back inside to the party, but he doesn’t. Shawn asks about how you know Brian and you explain that he’s dating your roommate. To be polite, you ask him the same question and he shares that they met when they were six and on the same soccer team. For some reason, conversation comes easy with him, and you almost let your guard down. Almost.

After a talking for a while, he asks, “Can I get your Instagram?”

Suddenly you remember the promise you made to yourself earlier. “I don’t have one.” You say before slipping past him and heading back inside in search of the bathroom. You don’t need to see his face to know he’s wearing a perplexed look. When people hear you don’t have an Instagram, they look at you like you’re from outer space. That’s how ridiculous they think it is, and then they think you’re lying because you’re not into them. Even though you’re not lying, you never really cared if that’s what they thought.

By the end of the night, you’re just glad to make it out of there. Alicia is drunk enough that you drive her car back to your apartment, and the whole time, she’s mumbling about how she thinks Shawn likes you and about how Brian told her that he thinks you two would be good together. You tell her she’s talking nonsense, and Shawn would never like you like that, but deep down, you knew you already liked Shawn more than you would want to admit.

Brian gave Shawn your number, and you texted for two months before moving beyond friendship, even though you both knew it was heading in that direction from the very beginning. It took that long for you to finally be convinced that he was a safe person to be with. Shawn knew from the very beginning, before you even got together, that you did not want to go public with the relationship. He knew that you were completely off of social media, so it made sense that you wanted to keep your life private, and he agreed that it would be for the best. 

Even after you got together, he was rarely ever in Toronto. He was busy traveling for work, and you were busy with work and Uni, so it was mostly a long distance relationship with a lot of texting and facetiming, but you’ve managed to make it work and treasure the small amounts of time you have together. 

Shawn’s finally back in town, and you spent most of the day lazily hanging out. When night hit, a bunch of Shawn’s friends came over, including Brian and Alicia. This party feels a lot different from the last one. In that one, you were keeping to yourself, mostly in the corner or outside. Tonight, you feel like you can let your guard down, at least a little bit. Shawn had made it clear that his friends couldn’t post any pictures with him in them because he was supposed to be in Miami and his management would basically kill him if it got out he slipped away to come home to Toronto. Shawn was determined to come home for the weekend. He missed you, so he made a promise to his management that no one would find out he was here.

It worked out better for you because you felt like you were safe from worrying about pictures posted online. What you didn’t realize was that his friends never promised not to post pictures at all, just that they wouldn’t post pictures of Shawn. You’re standing around the kitchen island, laughing about something Alicia is saying when you spot Brian looking down at his phone. Out of curiosity, your eyes fall on his screen to see you and Alicia. He clicks post before you have a chance to say anything. In a second, you’re standing in front of him. “Hey, what did you just post?” You ask him.

“Don’t worry, it’s a nice picture.” He says, shrugging.

“Brian, delete it.” You say. He’s already drunk, and you’re starting to wish you had more than one drink because of the anxiety raising up within you. “Please, you have to delete that. Delete it right now, please.” You swallow your anxiety and fear, trying to keep your emotions from getting the better of you. It’s only now that you realize that you were basically screaming, and all the other conversations going on stopped because everyone is focused on you.

“Chill,” Brian says, but when you make it clear that you’re serious, he finally concedes. “Fine.” He deletes it, showing you his phone as he does so.

“Thanks,” You mumble before pushing past everyone still standing around staring at you and disappearing into Shawn’s room, slamming the door behind you. You pace across the room a couple of times before you hear a knock on the door.

You don’t say anything or make a move to open it. You’re still trying to calm your breathing and remind yourself that nothing happened. The picture was only up for no more than a few minutes. Everything’s okay, and you’re just being paranoid, at least that’s what you tried to tell yourself.

The door opens, and you turn to see who it is. Shawn’s standing in the doorway, questions swimming in his eyes, but he doesn’t ask any of them right away. You sit down on the bed, taking a deep breath, readying yourself to face him. He steps inside, closing the door behind him. “You okay?” He asks.

You swallow hard to keep your emotions down, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry about that.” You nod toward the door, but you don’t offer an explanation.

Shawn takes a seat next to you, “That wasn’t just about us keeping our relationship a secret, was it?” He questions softly. He’s putting the pieces together. Shawn wasn’t even in the Instagram story, and even though you know Shawn’s fans keep track of his every move and watch all of his friend’s stuff, you’re not delusional enough to think that if you’re in one story everyone will know about you and Shawn. But as soon as you realized that Shawn’s friends get tens of thousands of views on their stories, it worried you. You’re worried that someone would see it, someone who you didn’t want to see it.

“I’m sorry I freaked out.” You respond. “But you should get back to your friends. I think I’m just going to go.” You say, starting to stand up.

Shawn reaches out for you, taking your hand in his. “Please don’t go.” He says. “I just want to know what’s going on with you. Whatever it is, you can tell me.” He seems concerned. Even though you’ve only known him for a couple of months, you already trust Shawn more than you’ve trusted anyone else. But with all of his friends here, along with knowing he’s already had a few drinks, you know now’s not the time to talk about this.

“I really think I should go. I’ll see you later, okay?” Shawn doesn’t try to stop you again. He’s already made it clear that he wants you to stay, but if you want to go, he’ll let you.

You get into your car and drive back to your apartment. When you arrive, you see that Shawn has texted you a few times. He asks you to text him when you get home safely. He also lets you know that if you want to talk about what happened, he’s there.

You text him back, letting him know you made it home, but you don’t say anything about the picture. After replying to Shawn, you turn off your phone and get ready for bed, trying to fall asleep before you worry yourself sick.

The next morning, when you wake up, you’re surprised that you don’t see a message from Shawn. He must still be sleeping, you think to yourself before getting out of bed. After brushing your teeth and putting your contacts in, you start walking toward the kitchen in search of breakfast. You stop short as soon as you step out of the hallway because you see Shawn sitting at your dining room table. He looks up from his phone when he sees you.

“Hey, Alicia let me in.” He explains before nodding toward the donuts, “I brought donuts.”

“Thanks,” You whisper, pulling out a seat and sitting down.

“Can we talk about last night?” He asks, hesitantly.

You knew that you would have to tell him sometime, but you were hoping you could avoid it for at least a little while longer.

“My dad’s really,” You pause, searching for the right word, finally saying, “Controlling.”

Shawn’s eyebrows knit together, and he watches you closely. He doesn’t know where this conversation is going, and you don’t blame him.

“Both of my parents wanted me to go into the family business, but I didn’t want to. They didn’t want to hear it or even consider letting me do anything else. When I turned eighteen, I left. I got a scholarship to a university they never knew I applied to. I deleted all my social media’s and I moved away.” You haven’t spoken those words aloud to anyone, ever, and you didn’t realize they would be so difficult to say.

“You ran away?” Shawn questions, his voice barely above a whisper, and you know that he’s just trying to wrap his mind around all of it. It’s a lot, so you don’t blame him.

“I’m not a teenaged runaway. I’m not a missing person.” You respond, knowing how it sounds. “I was eighteen. I told them I was moving away to go to University. I just didn’t tell them which one because I didn’t want them to just show up or think they could buy their way back into my life. I needed to do it on my own.”

He’s not quite understanding how you could just cut your family out of your life, and you know it’s a difficult concept. “Buy their way in?” He asks.

“Yeah, knowing my dad, he’d do something like buy a building on campus or something and then make a whole show of dedicating and opening it, or find some way to show up and manipulate their way back into my life, and I just didn’t want that.”

“So, what does your dad do?”

“You ever heard of Ardes Corp.” Shawn’s eyes widen. Everyone’s heard of Ardes Corp. “My real name is Y/n Ardes. I started using my middle name as my last name, so people wouldn’t know.”

“Okay, but why go through all these lengths to still not be found by them? You clearly did it all on your own, putting yourself through Uni and everything. Why would it matter if they saw a picture of you online?”

“You know how I said I told them I was leaving, so I didn’t just run away?”

“Yeah?”

“Well it wasn’t the best conversation. They kind of disowned me, and I kind of don’t want them to find me and confront me or tell me I’m living my life wrong or do whatever they might do if they change my mind and try to drag me back home.” That may not be the full story, but you think it’ll be at least enough to satisfy Shawn for the time being.

When he nods, and hands you a napkin, you take it gratefully.

“I guess that’s why you won’t even step outside with me, huh?” He questions, opening the box of donuts.

You bite your lip, meeting his eyes and nodding.

He nods back, a silent understanding passes between the two of you. Even though you just threw a lot of information about your past at him, he doesn’t seem to be put off by it, instead, he took it all in stride.

“Thanks for buying the donuts.” You say, as he motions for you to choose first.

“You’re welcome.” He says with a smile.

You choose the twist and Shawn takes one with chocolate on it, and the two of you eat in comfortable silence. You have no doubt that Shawn has more questions, and there’s a lot more that he deserves to know, but he’s only here for another day, and you’d much rather focus on this delicious donut and the idea of some quality time alone with your boyfriend instead of rehashing your past.  

[shessoparticular]

Headphones - s.m pt ii

This is a (much longer) follow up to my first blurb headphones, which can be found here. Enjoy some more dad! Shawn x

Shawn had braced himself for the aftermath of his random and public announcement of his daughter. He knew that the two of you hadn’t discussed ever talking about her publicly, and definitely not on a whim as Shawn had. He knew that you wanted to maintain anonymity at places like the grocery store and the park with your daughter and the thought of him jeopardizing that made him upset at himself.

You couldn’t be mad at him; you knew he adored Frankie with every ounce of his being and would never do anything to intentionally hurt her or you. Heading backstage after the show only confirmed this. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me” Shawn started as you sat down in the greenroom. “I was just in the moment and when I spotted my two favorite girls in the crowd I wasn’t thinking and just started talking about her. I’m so sorry” He apologized while taking a sleepy Frankie from your arms. “So good dada!” Your daughter exclaimed, hugging into her daddy’s shoulders and nestling her face in his neck. “I put on my best show for you and mommy” He replied, leaving wet kisses all over the girl who was not as sleepy anymore, giggling up at her daddy. “I’m not mad Shawn” You replied, hugging into his side as he tried to calm Frankie down. “I know it probably wasn’t the ideal way for us to announce the existence of this silly girl, but it was bound to happen one day, plus it was super cute” You explained, never being able to stay that mad at the gentle giant.

Playing in New York City had its perks, like staying in a 5-star hotel for a few days far away from the cramped busses with your loud daughter and a bunch of crazy touring boys. Frankie loved all her uncles, but you knew everyone needed a break from each other sometimes. It also meant Shawn spent most of the first day off doing press and you knew that Frankie would definitely be bought up by interviewers because of her dads out of the blue announcement at the show the night beforehand. You couldn’t hideaway for a few days and just hope it would all blow over this time.

“Babe I promise Elvis is super respectful, I’ve known him since I was like 16 or 17, its safe for you and Frankie to come along” Shawn promised, smiling next to you in bed while your daughter played on his chest. “Me come dada?” She asked raising her head to look up at him, clearly understanding that her dad was trying to get her to come along to his first interview of the day. “Let’s see what your mommy says hey?” He laughed, brushing the curls out of your daughters eyes. You knew that she was obviously going to be a topic of conversation for quite a while. “Okay, but she’s not in front of the cameras under any circumstances okay? I like Elvis’ show so it’s probably a good way to start” You responded, trying to get used to what you assumed would become the new normal. “I’m gonna try and be as truthful as possible if that’s okay? There’s no point in lying about it now” He replied as you nodded your head in agreeance.

“For the 100th time it seems, please welcome Shawn Mendes to the Elvis Duran show” Elvis Duran exclaimed. He one of Shawn’s favorite interviewers and you knew that this was probably the safest show to do straight after the announcement. “Happy to be back. You guys know that this is my favorite place to come to every time I’m in town” Shawn replied sincerely. “Don’t start that with me Mendes, we have to discuss something serious with you after last night” Elvis sassed as you grimaced watching from behind the screens with Shawn’s press crew. You knew that Frankie would be bought up eventually, but you were given no time to prepare as she was about to be Elvis’ first topic. “Ahh yes, I knew this was gonna happen after my slip up last night” Shawn laughed, trying to be as truthful as possible as you’d previously discussed. “You have a daughter!” Medha, Elvis’ cohost exclaimed loudly. “When did this happen, Shawn?” Elvis asked, allowing Shawn to try and explain himself. “It’s a long story” He laughed before continuing to explain. “My wife isn’t in the public eye and we’ve tried to keep it that way for a long time. She shouldn’t have to deal with stuff like being harassed and followed in public because of my career so we decided pretty early on that I’d keep that side of my life pretty private” He continued, making eye contact with you as you blew him a kiss through the window of the studio. “Frankie came along around 18 months ago and it was extremely hard for me to not talk about her. That’s why I didn’t tour for a little bit, I wanted to be there for every step. I found it extremely hard not to talk about them though or show them off in public” He started to tear up. “I always talk about how I have the best job in the world when truthfully being a husband and a dad has far surpassed it for me. I love my job but when I saw her for the first time, nothing else even mattered and I just knew I would give up everything for her and her mom” By this point he was in full blown tears with Elvis passing him tissues. “You are such a dad Shawn” Danielle, Elvis’ other cohost laughed, clearly touched by what he was saying. At this point of the interview you were crying like a baby as well, your heart swelling from the affectionate words from Shawn.

“God I just love her so much and I’m so lucky. I know my wife agrees that she’s a total daddy’s girl and man, she has me wrapped around her little finger. I don’t think I’m now gonna turn into a full-blown Instagram dad but I’m really glad the secret is out in the open now. I know I’m gonna have to show you guys the 3 million photos I have of her on my phone after this. Man, I’m such a dad” He laughed, wiping away his tears. “I didn’t expect this outcome for the interview in the briefing yesterday Shawn. Did you and your wife plan the announcement on stage last night?” Elvis laughed. “Absolutely not. I thought she’d be raging but she understood that I was just in the moment and it just came out” He replied, listening as Elvis replayed the fans clips from the show. The show continued, discussing the tour and new music as you and Frankie stood outside the studio watching him with pure love.

As soon as the recording light turned off, Shawn rushed outside to grab the two of you to introduce to his trusted media friends. “Holy shit Shawn, did you just clone yourself but into a female version?” Elvis laughed as you handed your daughter to Shawn, who wrapped her hands around her daddy’s neck while hiding from the unfamiliar people. “She’s pretty cute hey” He laughed, wrapping his right arm around you, introducing you to everyone. “Missed you dada” Frankie sighed, hiding her face. “Missed you more, superstar” He replied before peppering her face with kisses as she lit up the room with her giggles. “Lights up the room, just like her daddy” You sighed with content, watching your two favorite people in the world.

Later that night, with Frankie cuddled up in the middle of your large queen sized bed, the two of you discussed the events of the day. “Do you think I should just post one photo of her, just so the media backs off for a bit?” He asked nervously. “I think that’s a great idea, I have the perfect photo” You grabbed your phone off the nightstand, showing him that photo of Frankie in a giant tour shirt, her daddy's face in the center, massive noise cancelling headphones and the famous Mendes smile from the night before. “This is perfect” He laughed, posting the photo with the simple caption of “My Frankie❤️” before turning off his phone, ready to sleep.

“You know Shawn if you want to keep referring to me as your wife in interviews, you better hurry up with a ring honey” You teased, as he cuddled into you from behind, being careful to not squish your daughter. You were completely unaware of the diamond weighing down his suitcase.

[dreams-of-the-arcana]

I’ve had the mental image of Fae Cleo in my mind for days so here’s a short fic ❤️ loosely a sequel to this:

Forget-Me-Nots in Our Secret Moment

If you asked any of the villagers out in the Vesuvian forest edge, they’d tell you that the forest did seem more... alive. No one could quite place their finger on the exact changes but something was different. Gatherers seemed to come back with more in their baskets than before. Their known spots for edible fruit or plants almost regrew faster than they had only a short time ago.

Of course, the older residents whispered amongst themselves that it must be Fae influence. Who else could? But they knew that Fae didn’t help for nothing and a growing concern spread amongst them on what was being taken in exchange.

The elders had forbidden their children from going into the forest to seek the Fae.

“The price is always more than you expect!” They warned their offspring from a young age.

“Stay in our part of the forest, leave the Fae to theirs.”

Most listened, some didn’t, it was expected that a few would push the boundary intentionally or not.

What was the threat of a story to a small child faced with a test of courage? What did they expect when the boundary was so vague? When a young person went looking for something and noticed the fruit or flowers over in one area seemed so much better than those closer.

Sometimes they’d wander back after a time, confused or restless. A spark had been lit in their eyes that nothing the small village could match. None of the Fae-Touched, as they were called, stayed in the village for very long.

No one had gone missing though and nothing seemed amiss. So rumors and concern were kept hushed and the elders waited.

Muriel of the Kokhuri might have laughed if he knew what knots the elders were tying themselves in trying to discover the reasons behind the change. But he never did spend much time in the main village.

Lately, he didn’t even spend as much time at home. Khamgalai didn’t ask where he spent his days now, after being sick for so long she assumed he’d found ways to keep himself entertained. A bit of suspicion entered her mind but she trusted that Muriel would talk when he was ready. Because she could see it in his eyes, the touch of the Fae.

Muriel didn’t want to talk about her though. His visits into the woods felt like a secret that he didn’t have to share with anyone. He’d never had a secret before and somehow it made him protective over these rendezvous. Once someone else knew, he’d have to share her and he wasn’t ready for that.

The way through the forest past the boundary had grown softer under his many journeys. A path began behind his little hut in the dense green trees with ferns littering the ground. The big leaves made perfect covers. This part of the forest was darker as the thick trees blocked out most of the sun. The path moved through them and into a less crowded part of the forest. Flowers grew on the floor here and he’d pause to collect a few most days. The little blue Forget-Me-Nots were his favorite but he’d also bring daffodils, or tulips, or rock cress. On good days, he found roses. Beautiful white roses with thick petals and flowers almost the size of his palm.

Today he stopped by the rose bush and found one flowering perfectly, while the rest still waited for the right moment.

Once his small bouquet was in hand, he followed along the small stream towards a clearing. A large weeping willow hung over the stream and beside it laid a small meadow. Red capped mushrooms drew his eye to the circle in the middle where he hurried over to.

Softly he placed the bouquet in the middle, careful to only put his hand in the circle. Then he waited.

Gentle breezes rustled the ground and brought the smell of wisteria to him. In a blink, there she was.

The Fae was called Cleo and looked fairly human in her proportions. That made her inhuman features all the more noticeable. Long red curls fell to her feet and defied gravity, her hair floated around her it seemed. Muriel had never seen skin so pale and under the sun it sparkled. Her ears were long and pointed away from her head and those eyes were impossibly green. Most of that felt like nothing though in comparison with the two curly horns growing a top her head and the pupils of her eyes were slits like a cat.

“Mm, how lovely, Muriel~”

Her voice sounded like music from an instrument he could only dream of.

“The roses you like had a bloom.”

Cleo pulled the rose to her nose and smiled.

“Indeed, it’s beautiful.”

Muriel tried to hide his own smile by reaching into his bag.

“I brought the dessert we talked about last time, the Boortsog. Khamgalai taught me when we settled here. We try to keep the old traditions alive.”

Muriel blushed slightly as he offered the cloth containing the treats to Cleo. She seemed to bounce in excitement and gently took one. A blissful look took over her face once she ate it and she closed her eyes to enjoy the moment.

“... what do you taste?” Muriel absently asked out loud before blushing deeper.

“It’s just that... you always seem to... uh...”

Cleo grinned and let him stumble over his words a moment.

“I taste the sun on the growing grains,” she began. “The earth from where it was born. I can taste the first gentle breeze on the cow’s face. The flowers where the bees gathered pollen to make the honey. In this bite, I taste the energy you put into making these for me. Your hopes that I would enjoy it. It taste like life to me, a life made better with you in it.”

She stared into his eyes with such intensity that Muriel couldn’t dare look away.

Slowly he leaned towards her and she happily met him at the edge of the circle.

When he pressed his lips to hers, he tasted the sweetness of the honey from the boortsog. Muriel’s hand reached up to slip into her hair and rest at the base of her head. Idly he wondered if this was the real Fae food the elders had always warned him about because once he’d tasted Cleo’s lips he never craved others.

Cleo’s kisses were playful and passionate, she gently nipped his lower lip and they both smiled.

Muriel pulled away first, he always had to. Cleo tried to move with him to prolong their contact but stopped at the end of the red caps. He dragged his hand slowly from her hair to cup her jaw where she then twisted to press a small kiss into his palm.

All around them, little blue flowers sprang to life from the earth. In a moment the entire meadow filled with the gentlest forget-me-nots as the lovers shared their secret time.

[mickmarstookmyheart]

Secret of a Guitar(ist) pt 2

Mick Mars x Reader, High Shool!Mötley

Read Part 1 here!

Summary: The Crüe keeps haunting (Y/N). A guardian angel tries to protect her while her friends don’t understand her moves and secrets. 

When you got home you straight went to your room and laid on your bed thinking through what has just happened today. The canteen, the guitar lesson, and the fact that the school's best rock band met you. You came back to reality when you heard a knock on your door. "Come on in!" You said preparing yourself to tell about your day for. Your mother's peaked in the corner of the entrance.

"Is everything alright, honey? I don't want to disturb or anything."

"Yeah, I think." You murmured.

"Well, that didn't sound too good. Want to talk about it?" She asked stepping in the room. When you nodded she closed the door behind herself and jumped on your bed with an excited face. "Tell me everything!"

"Ahh, mom! Don't so that face, it's fucking creepy." You groaned into one of your pillows.

"Language, little lady."

"Alright. So nothing unusual happened. I was clumsy as always and then I embarrassed myself in front of the whole canteen so nothing new."

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry."

"No worry, mom. At least, the fact that I did it next to the best rock band in the school just makes it even better." You were quite a sarcastic person. And you loved it.

"Sounds good. And what about the lesson? Was it good?" You raised one of your eyebrows while showing her your blue and green and also swollen wrist. 

"Then what did you do? You came home pretty late."

"Actually, I had my first lesson today." You almost blushed thinking back how kind and understanding Mick was. "And it was quite... useful. The tutor is kind."

"He or she?" Your mother smirked recognizing your face.

"He." You sighed.

"Now I understand everything."

∆

"I see, your hunger came back yesterday," Simon observed watching you eating two sandwiches in 5 minutes.

"Phrovlemh?" You asked with a full mouth glaring at Simon. His answer was just a shrug though his face was still puzzled.

"And I can't see why we have to enter from the other side of the canteen when came in!" Emma complained, eating her salad. Tommy and the others were all sitting at their spot and the drummer was telling about his new ideas for the concerts. Nikki and Vince were all ears though Mick didn't pay much attention. He pretended to be writing his homework though his mind was on yesterday's events. Your passion for music and your caring personality, since you haven't told anyone about the lessons. Mick was just hoping that you would keep your words and so it was a pleasant disappointment. You were sitting with your back to him making things easier. He couldn't make it what you and your friends were talking about but he could see that Simon. More like Simon's look in his eyes, something Mick was friendly with. He knew that look.

"Mick!" Nikki kicked his friend under the table.

"What?" Mick groaned from the pain.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Have you even listened in the last 15 minutes?"

"He was probably daydreaming about (Y/N)," Vince said to Tommy with a smirk. This time it was Mick's job to kick the singer. "So, we were...were talking about a party next Friday, at our place. Damn, man!" Vince pouted rubbing his ankle.

"I don't care."

"That was fast. Are you sure you don't want to come?" Nikki inquired. He knew Mick was not a party animal but sometimes it would be good for him..to socialize from time to time.

"I have never been more confident in a decision more." He said taking a sip from his juice. He wished it was something stronger.

"Hey, Sixx!" Vince leaned closer to his bandmate and whispered something in his ear so quiet Mick couldn't hear. But from the look on Vince's face and he gesturing towards at your table, Mick knew that the singer was planning something he won't like.

"I don't know, man. I don't think it's a good idea. She doesn't look like someone who is used to these things."

"At least you could apologize. Properly, if you know what I mean." Vince was grinning like a mad man but Nikki just shook his head.

"Okay. I will ask but we won't persuade her if she resists." He put his finger up as a threat.

"Alright. Understood."

"That girl has already suffered because of us." Nikki sighed.

"Hey, Mick did you understand the second task? I can't figure it out." Tommy has been struggling with a math problem since coming up with the party idea.

"Tommy. Tell me one task you understand. That would be easier." Mick snapped, closed his book, and stood up from their table.

"What did I say?" Tommy asked, a lot of question marks flying above his head. Mick was walking towards you but you couldn't see it, neither that he would push your books from the table.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Mick bend down and picked up your books from the ground. Emma smirking while Helen was waiting for your reaction. "Let me pick you up." After he gathered most of your books without a word he left.

"What the hell was that?" You asked trying to find a reason.

"Didn't you see his face?" Emma was already annoying and you knew if she has planned something there was nothing that could change her mind. If she was sure that someone was in love with you then it was hella true, at least according to her.

"Why would've we watch his face?" Simon asked.

"Boys." Emma sighed and continued her meal, occasionally glancing at you with that evil smirk on her face. "Speaking of, look who are walking in our way!" You turned around to see those guys. Again! You tried to make yourself smaller and smaller but you didn't manage to. What would you give if you could become invisible!

"Khm. Hey, guys!" Nikki greeted.

"Hello. How can we help you?" Emma was so helpful as always. Helen barely said a thing today and it was bothering you.

"We were wondering if...you.." Nikki started. He never had problems asking out somebody but he was ashamed of himself.

"If (Y/N) and you would come to our place next Friday! What do you think?" Vince helped out his friend pulling him in a sideways hug. You glanced at Helen who shook her head slightly along with Simon whereas Emma was already nodding. "(Y/N)?" Vince turned to you.

"I don't know. I-I have to ask my parents." You mumbled rubbing your arm.

"I think what she meant that we are going. Just tell us the details." Emma handed a paper and a pen to Vince who accepted it happily and jotted down the address and his number just in case. He put it down at the table and giving you a final look he left with Nikki.

"What's just happened? Again?" Helen asked still in shock.

∆

"See ya later," Simon said before running to catch up with Emma and Helen leaving you at your locker. You needed some books for the next class and more time to process all the things that happened not long ago. You promised that you will never eat again there. It was too much now. Not only the boys but that all eyes in the canteen were watching you and Vince and Nikki. They couldn't imagine what you were talking about and the reason why they would even talk to you and your friends. They were popular ones. They don't talk to peasants. You put your math book in the closet but a piece of paper landed on the ground. While picking it up you looked around to see if anyone was watching.

Don't go. -M.

That's all. Who the hell would...? Oh. Mick must've inserted the paper when he pushed your books down, now, intentionally. You put the paper in your pockets and headed to class. It has already started and the teacher gave a death glare to you while you mumbled a shy sorry. You quickly took a seat next to Emma and leaned closer to her.

"About that party..."

"What is it?"

"I don't think I'm going. My parents won't let me..." You tried your best to sound honest.

"(Y/N), you have the coolest parents of the four of us, they will let you come to the party. And I don't want to hear any more excuses to avoid this party with the Crüe. You are coming."

"But what if I don't want to-" You couldn't finish your sentence because your teacher, Mrs. Jackson, stopped talking and was staring at your with crossed arms. You lowered your head and started to write down the things you wanted to tell Emma. "I don't want to go. I'm a party animal. And especially with those guys. They don't like me." You handed the paper to Emma who groaned reading it. She angrily wrote down her answer and tossed the paper back to you.

"I said NO EXCUSES! What are you hiding?" You placed your face in your palms and took a deep breath.

"Is there a problem, (Y/N)? Do you find it boring what I'm telling?" Mrs. Jackson asked stepping in front of your desk.

"No, Mrs. Jackson."

"Not that you arrive late, but you don't even pay attention in my class. You disappointed me. You will go to extra classes after school today." She said and write your name in her notebook. You hated her along with her stupid tasks. She and her freaking 'x'-s. Get a life! Emma gave you a sympathetic look and write in your notebook.

"Library after class."

"So what do you think of a test next lesson?" Mrs. Jackson cheered. The answer was a quote big no. "You don't know fun.”

∆

When you found your usual spot in the library you saw Helen and Simon there, too. You didn't want to include them as well, you don't want to drag them. You cursed in all the ways possible but went to your table.

"So mind telling us what the hell is going on with you?" Emma asked looking up from her book.

"What do you want to hear? Cause you clearly already know what you want to hear!" You hissed through your teeth. Emma angrily closed her book and smashed in on the table.

"For example, you said that some Gavin Smith held the guitar lesson. I did a bit of research and I found out that there is no guy with this name in this school. For fuck's sake, not even this town." Emma was pretty pissed off, you could tell.

"She must've had the reason to keep this as a secret, Emma. Calm down." Helen snapped at her friend.

"Oh, of course. She and her creepy secrets." She spit. If she wasn't your friend you would totally punch her. She has been quite irritating nowadays.

"And why don't you want to come to the party?" Simon spoke up. He cared about you truly, but he didn't like that you always were in your room and didn't do any fun.

"I have reasons." You mumbled leaning back in your chair. If Mick advised you not to go he must have the reasons. He knew those guys like his own brothers and he looked like if he cared about you. He wanted to defend you from whatever those guys are capable of. Not to mention that you didn't like parties. Halloween and Christmas party at the school, okay, but you haven't been to any house party yet. You really need to find a good reason why aren't you going.

"Really. It isn't because you are afraid of other people?! You aren't able to socialize, that's your problem. We are just trying to help you!" Emma ranted. This was the last drop.

"If you really think that why are you talking to me. I clearly suck as a company." You stood up and left them there and headed to the room where you will spend your extra lessons. Cool.

∆

"Can you tell mom I will arrive late?" You called your brother from a phone booth in the hallway.

"What did you do?" He laughed. He wasn't the sympathetic one.

"Mrs. Jackson." You lowered your voice not to let anyone heard that name.

"Does that woman still teach there?! How I hated that woman, damn!"

"Yeah, I understand somehow. So will you pass my message?"

"Yes, you rebel." After you hang up the phone you ran to the classroom. At least this time you weren't late. You looked immediately at the teacher's desk to see who will supervise you but he hasn't arrived yet. You let out a deep breath and looked around in the class. Your body tensed when you saw them. This can't be true. Luckily they haven't noticed you so you quickly put your hoodie on and turned your back to them. Maybe this way they won't notice you. You cautiously put your books on the desk not to draw any attention at you.

"Good afternoon!" The teacher said when he entered the class. He didn't bring anything but a book with himself. He sat down and looked at the Vince and Tommy in the back and chuckled. "What a surprise. What did you guys do this time?"

"It wasn't my fault. Tommy was the one who scratched 'Mötley Crüe' on the desk with a knife." Vince mumbled while glaring at the drummer.

"It was your knife, Vinnie. And you said that we should promote our band. I just did what you told." Tommy said with a calm tone. You just rolled your eyes.

"And who are you? I haven't seen you here." The blood froze in your veins and you wiped your wet palms on your trouser. You cleared your throat and you told your name at a very low voice so only the teacher could hear. "Sorry, can you repeat it? I'm such a deaf person." He joked.

"(Y/N)." You groaned.

"(Y/N)? That name sounds familiar." Tommy mumbled. You glared at your teacher who looked puzzled.

"You idiot, that's the chick who fell at the canteen!" Vince said while standing up and walking to you. He sat down next to you and leaned closer. "Hello, (Y/N)." He smirked. These two hours will be longer than you expected.

∆

Next chapter

Okay, this wasn’t much but I wanted to connect and prepare things. Things will fasten up.

Tags: @leatherandheels​ @littlemisscare-all​ @karrotkate​ <3

[secret-engima]

( @sparklecryptid Someday I want to do an xover with Aeon or something, but I apparently love to torture Ace more, so have a Crabby Bookshop Owner meeting a Baffled Bar Owner. Hope this helps your boredom!)

-Cyra is not a fan of today. Susurrus has been screeching all day about things she can’t understand or help with, things like “walls thinning” and “bloody freaking Astrals” and really, Cyra is fully prepared for her day to go sideways somehow. She’s packed extra medical and food things in her armiger rather than her books and she’s ready for something Dumb to happen.

-It’s been like this all day and so far nothing has happened. It is almost closing time and Cyra is just prepping her shop for closing and tentatively starting to wonder if maybe Susurrus’s screeching is about something too far away to effect her.

-Just to prove her wrong, her ENTIRE FREAKING BOOKSHOP gets moved. That’s the only way she can explain it. She can feel strange magic wrap around the entire block and the world blinks and there’s a rattle like something just casually dropped the entire shop and when she opens her eyes she just … KNOWS that she’s not in the right place anymore.

-While Libertus clatters down the stairs to ask WHAT JUST HAPPENED, Cyra yells back that she has no idea and then follows Susurrus’s prompting to go check the backroom.

-Why is there a door in her backroom.

-There was no door there five freaking minutes ago. That wall of the backroom connects to a large and empty storefront that she’s been thinking about buying to expand her store and by extension her apartment but she hasn’t yet and now there’s a DOOR there that really shouldn’t be.

-Cyra sighs, pulls out the kukri Nyx forged for her as a wedding anniversary present, and dares to push the door open.

-A loud thump and cursing on the other side lets her know that she just smacked someone with the Door-That-Shouldn’t-Exist. Cyra calmly steps through into a …

-A bar.

-There is a bar connected to the backroom of her bookshop.

-If ANYONE comes near her books with even whiff of booze on their soul she is going to start with busting kneecaps and work her way up from there.

-It takes a moment to realize that there is an entire audience watching her brood in the doorway-that-shouldn’t-exist and a moment after that she realizes that she KNOWS most of the people staring at her in equal confusion.

-Cyra looks down at her feet and sees Tredd sitting there, clutching his nose and blinking at her without recognition and suddenly remembers that pretty Lucis Caelum girl with a prosthetic leg who had been all to happy to inform her that she was from another universe. That barriers were wishy-washy at best and it was really easy to slip between if you knew what was going on.

-Somehow Cyra doubted the barriers between worlds were wishy-washy enough to warrant moving her ENTIRE SHOP.

-Someone did this intentionally. Susurrus snarls Bahamut’s name and Cyra makes a mental note to kick the Astral’s tail later.

-For now, to deal with the befuddled and borderline angry glaives in the bar that wasn’t there before, “Hello,” she says mildly, “it would appear someone has moved my shop. Can someone tell me where I am?”

-Amidst the general hubbub that breaks out of WHAT and ARE YOU NUTS LADY, a very pretty man with silver eyes and black hair steps out from behind the counter and hesitantly tells her the address. Funny, it’s the empty storefront she was thinking of buying. At least the Astrals were nice enough to keep the general locale the same. Cyra nods, leans on her cane with one hand and fiddles with the kukri in the other (she can see the Bar Nyx blinking at it with wide confused eyes, probably wondering how his handiwork got in her tiny hands), “Lovely. Excuse me, I apparently need to go yell at someone-.”

-She senses her husband enter the backroom and sighs as he appears behind her. There’s no hiding him. He’s too freaking tall. And he’s hardly being subtle as he asks what just happened, why there’s a bar here now, and why everyone’s hanging out in the bar without telling him.

-The silver-eyed bartender jerks back from the sight of Libertus like he’s been slapped and a moment later a SECOND Libertus shoulders his way through the crowd of glaives to stand there bristling at her Libertus over her head.

-She listens to the snarling of Angry Bullheaded Males for five seconds longer than she needed in her life before she calmly starts smacking kneecaps. Order partly restored and only her husband’s kneecaps spared, Cyra turns to the only other reasonable person in the room and smiles, “I’m Cyra Ostium, I do believe I and my shop are from a parallel dimension. And you are?”

-The man blinks, sighs, mutters something about his uncle being at fault for this somehow and replies, “Call me Ace.”

-Cyra nods calmly and flicks her kukri back into her armiger, “Alright then, Ace. No last name or do you just prefer not to flaunt Lucis Caelum around these parts?” Ace’s expression shifts rapidly between surprise at her use of magic and exasperation and there’s a loud WHAT from multiple parts of the bar and Cyra grins without sympathy, “oops. If it helps I’m one too.”

-Behind her, her husband sighs something about “so much for secrecy” but REALLY between her hair and Ace’s facial features was there ever any doubt as to their unwanted blood?

….

-Ace would like to know why his life keeps going sideways please and thank you. Is this a side-effect of being his Uncle’s heir? This feels like it might be Ardyn’s fault somehow. Or possibly the Astrals, they’re jerks enough to do this.

-The tiny alternate dimension wife of Libertus (how had THAT happened) who is also an illegitimate LC like him (thanks for blowing the secret lady) seems to have no issues with the sudden addition of a bar as her neighbor. She also seems confident she can resolve the issue soon.

-He has to admit, underneath his surprise and annoyance, that it’s pretty fun to watch her take out kneecaps whenever the glaives (read: Tredd, Nyx, and Sonitus) give her problems. It’s even funnier to watch his Lib gape at the definitely overprotective husband Lib.

-He offers her a drink, she calmly drags her Libertus over to a seat and then clambers in his lap and accepts on the condition it’s non-alcoholic.

-Ace tries not to flinch when he spots a child Prompto scooting into the bar in curiosity and claim the stool next to Libertus, his Ostium braids swinging and clicking faintly but noticeably and HOW HAD THAT HAPPENED?

-Nyx settles on Married!Lib’s side as something of a buffer between the two Libs, “So …. Married.”

-Married!Lib narrows his eyes, “That a problem, Nyx?”

-Nyx holds his hands up placatingly, “Nope! Not at all, big guy, just … curious. How’d you meet?”

-It was Cyra who answered as she idly patted Prompto’s hair, “I run a bookshop with a cafe inside. He came to my shop looking for a replacement for a book that SOMEONE,” cue a meaningful look in Nyx’s direction, “set on fire. After that he became one of my regulars.”

-Libertus still looks a little too shell-shocked to speak, so Ace asks for him as he slides the drink over to Cyra, “And why did you decide to marry?”

-Cyra smiles over the rim of her drink, “Libertus’s fault. His idea of a first date pickup line was something to the order of ‘hey let’s spite your horrible, controlling relatives by getting married, that way they can’t boss you around’. Obviously, I said yes.”

-Nyx burst out laughing while Libertus gaped at his counterpart and Luche choked on his drink.

(so as some background to this, the Astrals of Ace’s dimension are jerks, and they realized there was a Seer LC in the neighboring universe, so they were like “imma steal that” and snatched the bookshop. Cyra calls down her Astrals and her Astrals have a stern talking to with Ace’s Astrals and she, her husband, her kid, and her shop all get sent home fairly fast, but it’s still enough time for some shenanigans between Ace and the Generally Crabby Joint Pain Cyra. Also Married Lib and Lib staring awkwardly at each other as one tries to figure out what to say and the other struggles to wrap his head around the fact that his counterpart PULLED A NYX. MORE THAN THAT. HIS COUNTERPART PULLED THE VERSION OF A NYX AND AN ACE ALL AT ONCE. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING.

Also probably at some point Ace’s Cor comes sniffing around because of the magical disturbance of displacing an entire bookshop into another dimension and Cyra puts up with his nosiness for maybe twenty seconds before she notices Ace looking a touch panicky and Cor beginning to notice how Ace looks like young Regis and so she proves that Immortal He May Be, Fast Enough To Save His Kneecaps He Is Not and that is a very good distraction from the silver-eyed barkeep thank you.)

[miraculouscontent]

You mentioned a one-sided reveal for the LadyBugOut AU. I’m both intrigued and apprehensive about how that would go. I also would like to know how Master Fu feels about all this in regards to Chat Noir/Adrien. You mentioned that he wouldn’t be very supportive of a ChatNoir blog but not much beyond that. If it would help to break up this post into two separate ones that works for me, I just really want your thoughts on my thoughts.

Well, by this point, you guys know that Chat yelling at Ladybug ended up being live-streamed.

Fu heard it, and he... wasn’t very happy about Chat’s behavior.

As Miraculous Ladybug spread over the city, Ladybug waved as the bee heroine whisked off the former akuma victim into the night.

This left only her and Chat, as the area they were in had been thoroughly cleared of people due to the akuma’s powers.

Ladybug glanced over at Chat, but he avoided her gaze. He’d been doing so ever since the “yoyo recording” (as people had been calling it) had been streamed for all of LadyBugOut’s followers.

Her followers knew it hadn’t been Ladybug’s fault. Even Miraculous Ladybug had been selective in its healing before. People were honestly happy that Ladybug’s powers were looking out for her.

But that didn’t leave Chat in a good position.

Ladybug sighed. It was fine. The lack of flirting had honestly been a relief; gave her more time to focus on the task at hand.

She could deal with it. She–

“Chat Noir.”

Ladybug stiffened, then jerked her head back. Standing only a few meters away from there was Master Fu, who was staring unwaveringly at Chat.

“Master?” Ladybug and Chat asked in unison.

They looked at each other–a first in a long while–then back to him.

Chat blinked. “Is something wrong?”

Master Fu said nothing, but he certainly wasn’t smiling. He glanced at Ladybug. “I’d like to talk to Chat Noir alone. You may go.”

Chat may not’ve seen it, but Ladybug noticed the way Fu’s eyes briefly darted over to a nearby alleyway. She got the message.

“Um–yes, Master.”

Ladybug turned, hopping off to the roof of the nearest building. She felt Chat’s eyes on her, but the feeling left as she disappeared among the rooftops.

When she was sure Chat had thought she’d gone, she dropped down into the alleyway Fu had directed his gaze towards.

“Tikki, spots off.”

Her transformation fell, Tikki taking form in front of her.

Slowly, Marinette peeked out of the alley, knowing it was safe since Chat wasn’t looking her way. Tikki followed suit.

“I don’t get it,” Chat said. “Don’t you usually visit me when I’m at home? Is there an emergency or something?”

“You could say that, yes,” Fu mused. He looked away, taking a breath, then glanced back at Chat. “Return the cat miraculous.”

“W-what?!” Instinctively, Chat covered the hand with his ring. “Why?!”

Master Fu closed his eyes, looking as though he’d expected this. When he opened them again, his gaze was stern. “Because I have clearly made a mistake in choosing a holder,” his voice lowered as he added somberly, “again…”

“B-but–” Chat shook his head, unable to process this. “–what did I do?”

Fu gestured to him. “That response is exactly the problem. You have been woefully oblivious to the feelings of your partner. You have neglected Ladybug and brought her into meaningless debates over your own feelings, whether intentionally or otherwise.”

Chat was clearly trying to remain polite around Fu, but his words fumbled out anyway. “What about Ladybug? Ever since she made her blog, it’s made me look bad!”

Fu just stared, unblinking. “That is not, nor has it ever been, Ladybug’s fault. All of this has been your actions and your actions alone. Do not blame another for what you yourself have done.

“Your life does not exist within the confines of what has been put online for everyone to see. The good that you do does not erase the bad, and whether or not the public has seen your behavior, I still cannot allow you to hold the cat miraculous any longer.”

Chat opened his mouth to protest. “I–”

It happened in an instant.

Fu reached out.

Chat jerked forward.

A bright green light engulfed Chat’s feet, slowly moving up Chat’s body. Orange and white shoes appeared where Chat’s boots once were.

Fu’s fingers closed over a ring that was slowly turning white. A black blur flew out, taking the form of a cat kwami.

From their hiding spot, Tikki whispered, “Plagg…”

Marinette could only watch, mouth dropped open as Chat’s de-transformation moved all the way up his body.

Adrien is Chat Noir.

Adrien was Chat Noir.

Fu said nothing as Adrien looked down at himself, then at Plagg, then back at Fu.

“I don’t get it,” Adrien said, a mixture of upset and offended. “I did–”

Fu held up a hand, silencing him. “I’m not finished.”

He sighed, looking regretful. “Admittedly, I gave you the ring because I wanted to give you a chance to be free. I saw what your life was like and thought that the ring would be beneficial to you.”

“It was!” Adrien interjected. “I loved being Chat Noi–”

“But, there is more to heroism than being an effective hero or even tending to the lives of civilians.

“You have to be able to communicate with your partner. You have to respect your partner’s boundaries.” Fu’s gaze hardened. “You have to be prepared to protect civilians, even if you felt you were being treated unfairly.”

Adrien straightened. “What–you mean–Syren?”

“Plagg,” Fu said, keeping his gaze locked on Adrien. “How did you feel as Adrien was about to relinquish his miraculous over a secret that was not yours to tell?”

Adrien looked up at Plagg, eyes practically begging Plagg to side with him.

Plagg didn’t. “I… I-I mean…”

“Plagg.” Fu was patient.

“…Pretty bad, yeah,” Plagg admitted.

Adrien’s face fell.

Fu continued, addressing Adrien, “I was willing to let you keep your miraculous then due to the perilous state the city was in. Ladybug trusted you wholly and completely, so I tried to do the same.

“However, it seems that Ladybug has been mistaken, or is at least too forgiving for her own good. A reckless cat is normal, but every time you have not thought ahead and been taken control of, you have left Ladybug to fight on her own.”

Adrien tried to speak up, but Fu talked over him.

“And yes, perhaps your love for Ladybug has blinded you, but ladybugs are not meant to be left alone, just as cats are not meant to be left alone. They are meant to work together, balancing each other in the act of creation and destruction. Miraculous Ladybug may heal the recent damages caused by the victims of akuma, but you chose to become distracted and allow Ladybug to take on the task of leader.

“Your downfall was seeing Chat Noir as a different person; someone that was free to do as they pleased. I gave you the cat miraculous to allow you to feel the freedom of the outside world, not to feel the freedom of having nothing affect the one underneath the mask.

“And even then, you have failed to be a hero as Adrien. I’m not aware of everything, but I know you have ignored poor behaviors and not stood up for the right people. You allow your relationships to blind you, leading you to neglect those you should be protecting.”

“Who?” Adrien asked, not even coming close to understanding. “I’m always trying to do a great job, with or without the mask!”

“Are you?” Fu challenged. “Or are you only enabling those with ill intent, in fear of inciting conflict amongst your peers? You remain passive and devoid of conflict as Adrien Agreste which only causes aggression as you transform into Chat Noir.”

Adrien’s mouth remained open, clearly in the midst of planning a response.

He had nothing. Instead, he glanced hopefully to his kwami. “Plagg?”

Fu remained patient, but his eyes were sharp. “Do not ask for sympathy from a kwami that is no longer by your side.”

Adrien recoiled at the command. He then threw his hands up, eyebrows furrowed. “Well, how was I supposed to know any of this?” he asked, clearly desperate and grasping for anything he could to save himself.

“When you were told. When you were shown,” Fu answered. “You react as things affect you or when they relate to you. When your partner is uncomfortable, you do not notice until you are told. You joke when it is a time for comfort. A hero is meant to be aware of the emotions happening around them, and you merely choose which emotions you pay attention to.”

The streetlight nearby flickered. Plagg said nothing, almost looking as if he knew this was inevitable.

Fu stored the miraculous in his pocket, then placed his hands behind his back.

For one final time, he met Adrien’s gaze. “My decision is final, Adrien Agreste. I hope you might one day realize the error of your ways.”

Fu turned, then walked the other way. “Come, Plagg.”

Plagg gave a fleeting glance back at Adrien, then followed after Fu.

Adrien stood there. Silent. Unmoving. He was like a statue.

The streetlight flickered again. Finally, Adrien looked to where Fu once was, then turned around, ready to go home.

His eyes locked with Marinette’s. She’d stepped out onto the sidewalk without thinking.

Adrien’s eyes went wide. His expression said it all: you saw that?

After an agonizingly long second, his mouth moved. “M…marinette?”

Marinette turned, immediately running in the other direction.

She didn’t look back, and Adrien didn’t chase her.