#she lives here. he lives in another state. originally the plan was for him to move here

[florida3exclamationpoints]

Crazy development in my life

[thewritetofreespeech]

Gale x Tav

WORDS: 1994

RATING: E

PAIRING: Gale x Tav (post game pairing)

SUMMARY: Gale's perspective on how his lovely little ring went while he was all alone, watching Tav through his projection's eyes (part i part ii)

TAGS: magic sex (literally. but also metaphorically), f/m, voyeurism, Gale using magic for naughty reasons, masturbation

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Some of the most gifted, magically academic minds were in this hall right now. And all they could do was argue about table settings.

Gale sighed and stood up from his chair with his drink. Already tuning out the lively debate about Faerûn midcentury design and how one professor could tell that its wood was clearly Zazesspur from the pre-capital era, while another professor stated she was clearly being absurd as the lines in the wood were obviously from a wood in a much more norther region like Neverwinter.

He left his wife home alone for this?

Gale left the company of his fellow academics for his quarters. No one seemed to notice. There was a time when Gale himself would have been immersed in the lively debate along with his other book beaters. Sparing wits and parring with obscure contextual footnotes for no other reason than to prove they were the smartest in the room. It all seemed so trivial now.

Once you’ve brushed against death, not once but twice, and fought the destruction of the world with your bare hands, academic strife seemed…pointless. Absolutely pointless. Like the rest of this week had been.

When he originally received the invitation for the summit, Gale had been overjoyed. Honored, more like. To be recognized as a man of distinction at the school he held so dear, in education in general, for only just starting was a great achievement for him, he felt. Now he wonders if it was just that no one wanted to go, because it was so boring.

He wished that he could have just projected his consciousness here, like Tav suggested, so he could be home with her now. With his much better wine and much less blow-harded company.

The door to his quarters clicked into place behind him and Gale sighed at the quiet. Enjoying it for just a moment, until he opened his eyes and saw just the small desk, by his small bed, in his small room, with his small window. Oh to be home…..

Gale took a seat at the desk as he wasn’t quite ready for bed. He sat his wine down. His magic lighting the few lamps in the room for him to see as he debated about reading or reviewing the agenda plan for tomorrow in want of something to do.

Then his eyes caught a glint of the ring resting on the oak (or was it Neverwinter ashe?) and picked it up. A gift from his wife. One of those spontaneous, no reason, ‘I was down by the market & I thought you would like it’ kind of gifts. Gale smiled wistfully at the memory of her giving it to him. And he thought he was the romantic out of the two of them.

His thumb brushed against the smooth silver. Admiring it, like he wished he could be admiring her right now. This was the longest he and his beloved had been apart since they got married. A few days here and there, but nothing this consecutive nor extensive. Gale doesn’t like it.

He tries not to be obsessive with his love, but when Gale loves he loves passionately. And Tav has been a big part of his life ever since she pulled him out of that misbehaving portal. They’ve built a life together. She’s the first person he wants to tell everything about his day, and eager to hear what she’s been up to when they were apart. And at night...well, let’s just say that it was a good thing this place had the option for bracing cold baths in the morning.

Gale examines the ring further as his teeth pull in his bottom lip. ‘I wonder if it will work’ He mused to himself as he pondered on a spell he had created a few months back but never put into practice.

It started out purely from an academic standpoint. He wanted to make that very clear! Just a simple…trans configuration experiment on magically linking two objects together and see what the effects would be. He hadn’t intended for it to turn into a sort of randy parlor trick, but he had impulse control issues.

Setting the ring down, Gale recalled the simple incantation and gesture needed for the spell. Focusing his magic and the Weave to press not just into the ring but also link to his beloved. He hoped Mystra had her back turned for a moment while he cast this one.

Spell incantation done, Gale picked up the ring and gave it a small nudge. Nothing happened. He supposed that should be obvious. The effects would be on the other side of the link and not here with him. Gale tried it again, hoping to feel some kind of magical sense of confirmation, but still nothing.

Humming to himself in befuddlement, Gale looked over at the clock in his room and did some quick math. It was almost 2:30 in Waterdeep. Which meant that it was almost time for his normal office hours at the academy. Perfect. If Tav was there, which he was certain she would be as she was dutiful to a fault, then Gale knew exactly where they were, and he could see if his ‘gift’ was working out well for her.

Calling on the Weave again, Gale focused his consciousness and perception to separate from him and fly back home to Waterdeep. Silently wishing it was that easy for him. When his projection landed, and the mental link between them righted into a clear picture, Gale’s mouth went slack as he saw Tav. "Gods above...." Her cheeks were flushed. Her breath panting. Her body in clear stages of pleasure as her hands braced herself on his desk. Gods! What he wouldn’t give to be there right now to make love to her on that definitely Sword Coast mahogany.

“Hello there!”

Tav’s head jerked up at his projections greeting, and Gale groaned at the wild look in her eyes. Surprise first, but then bridled arousal. Just waiting to be unbridled and throw her into loss, but his dutiful love was well aware she was still in public and in a school.

When she spat an accusatory remark about him doing this to her and Gale touched the stone of the ring now on his hand. He watched Tav’s knees quake in response. It worked. Oh....goody.

He moaned in tandem with her image but then told his specter to tell her what was going on. Gale didn’t want to leave her in the dark. Tav seemed to accept this, but then asked about all the practicalities of him doing this at work and getting caught. Wouldn’t that be a shame?

He tells his image to tell her about his office hours and the locked down, then moaned along with her as her hold finally became unbridled and she fell into his chair. Limbs asunder as she just accepted what was happening to her and gave into the pleasure.

Gale continued to touch the stone with one hand, while the other went to his belt and quickly undid it. He’s been hard since he first saw her against his desk. Now seeing her give loose to the pleasure, Gale might cum in his pants like he was a novice back in school and Gods could you imagine if he had someone like Tav for a teacher?? He’d still be in his Active Principles of Elements & Arcane lectures.

His hand stroked his erection with the same speed as his massaged the stone. “Tell her I’m happy she likes my present.” He orders his projection. Watching her through their eyes. It did as it was told and Tav opened her eyes to stare right back into them. Gale moaned. The heat in her eyes, the desire, that cheeky grin coiling on her lips almost make him double over against his own desk.

“My present, eh?” Tav answered back, and Gale bit his lip so hard he nearly tasted blood.

“Yes. Of course. I did this for you.”

The projection relayed his response, but that doesn’t seem to convenience Tav. “Just for me?” Gale watched, transfixed, as his beloved began to open her blouse ‘in front of him’.

He whimpered at the sight as his thumb brushed over the aching red tip of his cock. He had to swallow the drool collecting in his mouth before he could respond with, “yes” for his projection to repeat. But the damn thing went rouge and blurted out his secret, so he pressed his thumb harder against this stone to distract Tav from its honesty.

Soon, Tav was begging him to fuck her. Desperate and needy. Mewling like a wanton kitten; or maybe that was just him. She asked if his projection was anatomically correct like last time and before it could fully answer, Gale ordered, “no!” He didn’t want to watch an illusion of himself make love to his wife. It was silly to be jealous of a projection of himself, that he created, but Gale wouldn’t have it.

If he couldn't have her, no one could. Not even his illusions.

Tav whined and looked ready to just do it herself. Gale gulped as he watched her hand move to the front of her pants, prepared to slide down and--Gale gripped the base of his cock to stop himself from cumming. He wants them to cum together, but it seemed rude to have Tav finish herself off.

Conjuring all the magic he could, Gale used the mind’s eye of his projection to summon Mage Hands. They touch her everywhere he wanted to, all at once. Tav seemed delighted, although overstimulated. He would have to remember that for later. Her delicate sweet hands gripping the armrests of his chair as her body arched and bucked against the hands. Gale watching it all as he jerked himself closer and closer to the edge. “Tav…!” He knew she couldn’t hear him, but he had to say it. Almost a reflex at this point as he came.

His hand was a mess. Portions of his desk splattered with it too. Cold baths only negated the symptoms, not the cause. So he was quite backed up since coming here.

“Did you enjoy yourself?”

Gale and Tav look up at the projections ask. Taking it upon itself to check in on her. What a good little ghost.

She told it yes, and Gale felt his cock twitch at the look in her eyes. Perfectly sated and happy, but still that glimmer of ‘more’. He tells the projection to let Tav know that the door would be opening soon, and she should get righted with herself; lest they be discovered. She made a very clever retort about him deciding to do this here if he was so concerned, which made him smile and love her all the more.

Gods how he missed her.

“Ask her if she would like to do this again tonight. When we're at home, and a little more private.”

The projection did as it was told, and Gale groaned as Tav bit her lip before giving an enthusiastic yes. Then, Gale severed the link, and he was alone again. Alone with only his hand and his memories.

He cleaned himself off and thought about going back downstairs for a final nightcap, as he was too riled up still to sleep. But when he opened the door, and heard the architecture debate still going on, only now they had switched to stone, Gale closed the door and rested his head on whatever cheap wood this terrible door was made out of.

He had to get out of here. He had to go home.

So he spent the rest of the evening coming up with a clever plan and semi-lie about how his wife needed him. “Emergency. Unavoidable. Must get home before my wife spontaneously combusts…without me. Should probably leave that last part out.”

[miniy00ng1]

Die With A Smile

Five Hargreeves x Female!Reader

wc: 1447 (not proofread)

warnings: swearing, death, lmk if i missed anything!

find my masterlist here

hiii lovelies! i absolutely love the song die with a smile and felt it fit super well with tua, so this is the outcome. i actually had two separate ending ideas for this fic, so if you'd like me to release the alternate ending (it's a happy ending) lmk in the comments. as usual pls ignore any grammar errors and i hope you enjoy! thank you <3

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The Hargreeves Siblings and their families are gathered in the broken down Umbrella Academy. After fighting the giant hybrid monster, Ben and Jennifer, that is consuming everything and everyone in its path, the siblings are trying to come up with a plan of action. 

Five, your husband, has disappeared back to the subway station where he spent several years trapped with you with little hope on finding a way back home. He left in hopes to find something that he might’ve overlooked, a solution to the cleanse. He left you behind to help care towards his injured siblings and in hopes that you could be the brains while he was gone. 

“How the hell do we beat a thing that keeps getting stronger and bigger everytime we try and fight it?” Diego asks in exasperation. The siblings pace the living area trying to figure out how to beat the monster. “It’s only a matter of time before it consumes everything and the world ends…again.” Viktor states matter-of-factly.

At this time, Five blinks into the living room and his eyes immediately finds yours–there’s a look in his eyes of realization and acceptance. You get off the couch and make your way to him, interlocking fingers and giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

“I went back to the subway station and had a very long and strange conversation with me…well multiple mes. But anyways, we are the reason why all of this is happening,” Five continues to explain to his siblings how they should have never existed but they do and that they have caused a shattered timeline. “That must’ve been what Ben was trying to show me back at the department store, he showed me the original timeline. He was trying to tell me that maybe, the cleanse isn’t a bad thing.” Viktor says, recalling the serene scene that was the original timeline. 

Five recaptures his siblings’ attention, “We have to let the Durango merge with the Cleanse. It’s the only way to fix the timeline…” “And what happens to us?” “We cease to exist.” Five replies to Diego’s question, leaving everyone in the room too stunned to speak.

“Absolutely not Five,” Your words come out shaky, “There’s got to be another way.” “Yeah! I’m with Y/N. It turns out, I don’t actually like dying all that much.” Klaus says agreeing with you. Five looks at you with hurt in his eyes, he would never willingly leave you but there’s no other way to save the world. “Y/N, I’ve been through every possible outcome, there’s nothing we can do to stop this. My siblings and I should’ve never existed in the first place. We don’t belong here, we never did.” Your eyes well up with tears, “But you guys do belong, you’re my family, you’re my love Five. If you’re not here, I don’t belong in the timeline either.” Five shakes his head at your words.

“What about our families Five? What happens to them if we cease to exist? Diego asks glancing towards to other room where his children reside. “I’m not sure.” Five says defeated while tightening his grip on your hand. The siblings look at each other unsure of what to do. Allison sits up from the couch, still clutching her stomach from her injuries, “What about that train station? Can you bring them there? Y/N could go with them and make sure they’re safe since she’s been to the station before.” Before Five can answer, Claire enters the room, rushing to her mom.

Five brings you to the side of the room for a little bit of privacy. No words are exchanged as he pulls you into his embrace, his face in the crook of your neck, holding you tight as if you would disappear from his arms. You feel your neck dampen, this is your breaking point. Tears stream down your cheeks as you push your face into Five’s chest, trying to get as close to him as possible. Sobs rack your body, you begin to hiccup as your breathing becomes uneven. 

Five tries to pull away to get you to breathe. You sob harder pulling him tighter, “Just hold me for a little while longer. Please Five, just hold me.” Five responds by cradling you in his arms, placing a gentle kiss on you head, “I’m so sorry Y/N. I love you so much. I wish there was another way.”

The Umbrella Academy is a mess of emotions as the siblings say goodbye to their loved ones and accept their fate. You stand with Claire and Lila and Diego’s family waiting for Five to blink you to the subway station. You wave to the siblings that you have grown to know and love so much. Five grabs your hand and blinks the group out of the house. 

“Okay everyone, follow me onto the train, we’re going on a little trip!” You try to put a fake smile on your face to ease the nerves of Diego and Lila’s children. You guide the group onto the train, ensuring that everyone got on before you. After stepping on you turn to face the train door, Five is standing there with a sad smile on his face. The only thing separating you two is a solid yellow line on the platform. The strange announcement that you’ve heard a number of times before goes off over the PA system. You’re heart begins to race, the doors are going to close any second now and this will be the last time you ever see Five. He continues to stare at you.

The doors begin to make noise, signalling that they’re going to close. Your eyes quickly glance between the closing doors and Five. Five’s eyes widen as he realizes what you’re about to do but it’s too late to stop you. Five instead catches you as you stumble into his arms, “What did you just do Y/N?” “I told you earlier Five, you’re my everything. Wherever you go, I’ll follow. If you’re not with me in the original timeline…what’s the point? The world is ending, I want to be next to you.”

Upon your return to the Umbrella Academy, the Hargreeves are shocked to say the least. “Are they safe? Did they make it?” Lila bombards you with questions. You nod in response and she wraps you in her arms, thanking you. “So…what do we do now? Should we say our favorite moments with each other?” Luther asks awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot as nerves surge through his body. Everybody shoots down Luther’s ideas and elects to just sit and wait. 

You and Five are seated on a couch, he holds you tight. He wouldn’t say it but he was scared shitless. You read him like a book and bring your lips to his ear, “It’ll be okay Love. I’m right here with you and I wouldn’t change my decision.” He turns his head to look at you and gives you a kiss that says everything he needs to. 

Suddenly, a shrill screech and crash can be heard outside the house. “You guys! I think he’s coming and I don’t think he’s happy.” Luther calls out while looking at the large monster approaching. Five grips your hand and stands up at the announcement. You and the Hargreeves move away from the window and form a circle on the other side of the living room. The monster hybrid’s tentacle-like appendages bust throught the glass window by the front door first. Then the window by the main stairway. In no time the tentacles were approaching the siblings from every angle.

“Relax and just let it do what it wants.” Five calls out to his siblings as the tentacles begin to reach their feet. Five looks at your intertwined hands and smiles, “I know I was a hardass, but I really do love you guys, as much as you do drive me crazy.” “Ew Five, I know we’re dying or whatever but don’t get all sappy on us now.” Lila says with fake disgust. “Thank you for letting me be in your crazy family. I love you guys so much.” You chime in, a tear slipping down your face. Lila reaches out to grab your left hand. Tears are now streaming down everyones faces as they hold hands with one another. The tentacles now enveloping up to their stomachs and climbing higher and higher.

You turn your head to look at Five and he mirrors your movements. It is now up to your chin and before you world goes dark, you’re able to make out Five’s final three words–said with a smile.

taglist:

@ohmyitsfaith @clairoscharm

[moog-rt]

GO TO HELL [ch. 5]

[Lucifer Morningstar x Fem!Reader]

Previous: Chapter Four

➨ Chapter Five

Next: Coming Soon...

Premise:

You love your friends. You really do. But sometimes it needs reminding when one of them accidentally sends you to Hell.

Despite falling into the hands of Hell’s loveliest princess, finding a way back to the world of the living proves difficult as you tiptoe around its king.

A/N: Hold onto your britches, this chapter is chock-full of our Big Boss of Hell! Also, my sincerest apologies for the slight cliffhanger last chapter. Fingers crossed it doesn’t happen again!

If you'd prefer to read on Ao3, here is the link:

Otherwise, enjoy!

♡ ♡ ♡

CHAPTER FIVE

You didn’t dare take your eyes off of him.

The man took a step forward and you promptly launched a ladle at him, backpedaling behind the couch as he dodged it. You huffed when it only missed by a hair.

A plethora of household items were strewn about the hardwood floors of the foyer. Books, spray bottles, spoons (you broke into the crate containing the unpacked kitchenware in search of more ammo), etc. were scattered further and further away from their original home as you used them as a way of keeping him a safe distance from you.

“Please, put the skillet down,” he said, inching closer and closer to you, hands outstretched.

If he thought he could trick you into giving up your only form of defense, he was sorely mistaken.

“Stay back!” you hissed, grabbing a wrought iron skillet you had chucked at him earlier. He could try all he wanted to get at you, eat you, skin you, auction you off on the black market… You simply refused to let him have you without a fight.

“I’m not—” He was taking another step towards you but paused as you readied your weapon. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

You eyed him for a moment before taking a long, deep breath. Seeing that as a sign that you were trying to settle down, he carefully came closer.

Thunk!

A single swing of the skillet sent him toppling over.

He may have been your newfound friend’s father, but you were not going to roll over and show your belly in the face of potential danger. Being a parent did not make a person automatically worthy of your trust.

“Okay,” he said in a pained tone, slowly sitting up with a slight sway to him. “That’s fine...”

He crawled onto the couch, slouching over and cradling his head where you had made contact. Without lowering your weapon, you put yourself on the other side of the couch, standing at the arm and watching him very carefully.

The two of you remained silent as he rubbed at his growing welt.

It was awkward…

Why were you actually starting to feel bad about defending yourself? The guy had jump scared you and wouldn’t leave you the fuck alone when you were clearly panicked. He just kept following you, insistent on getting you to calm down but giving you no good reason to.

Honestly, what kind of logic was that? That’s like pelting beach balls at a child with a crippling fear of spherical objects and expecting them not to flinch just because you said it won’t hurt them.

If he wanted you to feel less threatened, he could have just planted his ass on the ground and waited for you to come to him like a stray cat.

“You weren’t supposed to arrive until this afternoon,” you stated.

“Right…um,” he said, looking off to the side, “You know, I just didn’t have much planned this morning, and it worked a bit better for me to come earlier—”

“Charlie told you she wouldn’t be here.” Your eyes narrowed. You knew he was making shit up, and you wanted him to know that you knew. If he wanted to beat around the bush, you would be delighted to become more proficient with the skillet.

“Right again!” The hand that cradled the side of his head moved to rub at his eyes as he sighed. After retracting his hand, he turned to face you, propping an elbow on the backrest of the couch. His eyes ran up and down your body, fully taking you in without your costume, which caused you to shift uncomfortably. Whether or not you were recognizable to him as the ‘demon’ he had already met was still to be determined. “You’re an odd duck, you know that?”

You shot him an incredulous look.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” he said, jerking his head in your direction. “Showing up all caked in makeup or paint or whatever it is you people wear nowadays. You and Charlie were being painfully suspicious!”

“So, you decided to sneak in when you knew she would be away? To snoop?” you asked, putting a hand on your hip. “You know that’s breaking and entering, right?”

“I am her father,” he scoffed.

“And that makes it okay? If I called to tell her you let yourself in, you think she’d be fine with it?”

“You’re going to snitch?!” his voice went a pitch higher, and he scooted to the edge of his seat.

You took a step back, tightening your grip on the skillet.

“Maybe.”

You had no way of ‘snitching’ on him to Charlie. Your phone was fried, and even then, you weren’t too sure that your provider would have coverage in Hell. And to top it off, you didn’t even have her number…but he didn’t need to know that.

He rolled his eyes, grumbling something to himself as he crossed his arms.

“Why didn’t she just tell me you were human?” he asked no one in particular, throwing his arms out. “That is what you are, correct? In all my years, I have never seen a sinner nor hellborn look as human as you do.”

“Yeah, well…Charlie thought you might freak out if you knew,” you said.

He looked taken aback by that explanation before beginning to sputter.

“Freak—freak out? Because you’re human? I married a human. Her mother was a human!” His hands were waving around as he gestured along with his words.

“We didn’t really want to take any chances…” you said slowly, head tilted away but eyes still locked onto him. “The last time a demon saw me, I was nearly torn to shreds…or eaten alive… I’m not sure exactly what they had planned for me, but it didn’t seem like it’d be pleasant.”

“No, I can’t imagine it would be,” he sighed as he straightened out his hair.

This guy didn’t give two shits, did he?

He snapped his fingers and, with a plume of sparkling smoke, his top hat appeared in his hands. It had previously been about ten feet away on the floor from when you had knocked him upside the head. 

“Now just how did you stumble into Hell without the minimum requirement of death?” he asked as he brushed invisible dirt from his hat before placing it back on with a few adjustments.

“That’s a great question,” you said with a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes. “I’ve got a friend who thought it would be a good idea to try to summon a demon. Obviously, they screwed up, ‘cause it sent me here instead.”

He cackled, and you stood there with a blank expression, cheeks growing hot. Why you were feeling embarrassed over something you had no control over, you weren’t sure.

Well, come to think of it, you did have a bit of control over whether or not Devon had the essential, hard-to-acquire ingredient needed to make the whole thing happen in the first place. Maybe it was karmic justice for your pulling unethical shenanigans in the workplace.

“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, so they say,” he said, shooting you a shit-eating grin.

You rolled your eyes and turned to walk away. 

“No, wait–don’t leave!”

You ignored him. Since he was there, you might as well give him his shit back. You would have preferred it to be under different circumstances, such as those where you still had your disguise as a buffer or Charlie returning them in your place (because you’d be back home safe and sound). 

But there was no better time than the present, so they say.

You put down the skillet and grabbed the stack of books by the front reception area where you left them after being thoroughly disappointed by their contents. It appeared that Charlie’s father followed you over, as you turned around to find him looking over your shoulder to see what you picked up.

Lord have mercy on your heart.

“Okay, you have to stop that!” you scolded, taking a quick step back.

“Stop what?” he asked with a look of pure innocence.

“Popping up behind me and shit! Somebody needs to put a bell on you or something. Every time you show up out of nowhere, it gives me a goddamn heart attack,” you said, shoving the stack of books into his arms. “Here.”

“What–”

“The books you lent me. We were hoping to find something that could help me get back home but they’re all kinda…not helpful for that,” you explained, toying with a strand of your hair.

“That’s why you and Charlie were there?” he said, looking down at the books with an unreadable expression.

“Well…yes.” You tilted your head. “She thought that’d be the best place to look.”

He sighed before tossing the books up just for all of them to vanish into thin air. You blinked in surprise.

He must have been a magician when he was alive.

“I don’t understand why she didn’t just ask me,” he stressed, throwing a hand up. “I mean, I’m her dad. You’d think it would be instinctual for her!”

“She probably wasn’t sure how you’d react,” you said, looking off to the side. This felt like it could easily spiral into a family therapy session, and even if you were qualified, you did not sign up for that.

“I just have to prove myself to her!” he said in a determined tone, throwing an arm over your shoulder to walk you back over to the couch, “I’ll get you home lickety-split!”

You stiffened at the unexpected contact but conceded to his will, nonetheless.

“Like, now? I could be home today?” you asked, eyes alight with hope.

“Ah…I don’t now about that. It’s been quite a while since I’ve gone to Earth so my skills may be a little rusty, but it won’t take me too long to brush up on them,” he explained as he plopped you both down on the couch. “I’ll have a portal open and ready for you to hop through in no time!”

“It–It’s that easy for you?” you asked, aghast. If Charlie knew he could do that all along, she should have just bit the bullet and asked him. Daddy issues be damned!

“Hah! I used to be able to do it with my eyes closed!” He leaned into you as he emphasized his words. “Usually, I’d charge a sacrifice or something of the sort, but you’re no sinner. You shouldn’t have to be subjected to this hellscape until you’ve earned it.”

“That’s–uh–very kind of you,” you said, smiling and nodding along whilst looking longingly at the front door of the hotel. It was generous of him to offer his services to your cause, but a social buffer would be appreciated considering your circumstances. You hoped Charlie and Vaggie returned soon.

The man continued to converse with you on the sofa for the next hour, and slowly, you felt your anxiety begin to fade. He turned out to be quite the chatterbox, and his commentary was mostly light-hearted and humorous.

 Occasionally, he would stand up to poke around the entryway, commenting on anything that wasn’t quite up to his standards. That left you to come to your hostess’ defense whenever you could. After all, the hotel wasn’t technically up and running yet seeing as you weren’t an actual guest and Angel had yet to move in.

After getting all the parental nosiness out of his system, he settled back down beside you and began asking you about your life on Earth. You had to tell him again what you did for work–he apparently wasn’t paying attention the first time–and what all went into it.

The conversation jumped from topic to topic but left little room for you to ask much about him. His interest in Earth and humanity’s accomplishments was overwhelming.

When Charlie and Vaggie finally returned, they were greeted by the sight of the two of you chatting away and sipping on tea, which had been manifested out of thin air. You were highly skeptical of it at first but had decided to drink so as not to spite the one person who could get you back to Earth. You were pleasantly surprised by its flavor and relieved that it didn’t appear to be poisoned or drugged.

“Hey, Dad…” Charlie drawled as she walked up to the couch. It was clear that she was surprised he had beaten them home. “I thought you were going to come, like, an hour from now.”

“I had some free time this morning, so I decided to swing by a little earlier,” he said after standing up to nudge his shoulder into her, “Can’t put a price tag on extra time with my darling daughter.”

“Right…” Charlie said with a strained smile, looking off to the side where her eyes landed on Vaggie. She perked up and pranced over to her side, grabbing her hand to introduce her.

Her dad was ecstatic over getting to meet her girlfriend. You thought he was overbearing when you met him, but that was dwarfed in comparison. He was even more touchy and fumbling over his words.

Vaggie did her best to be polite.

“Haha…so–uh, have you been given a tour of the hotel yet?” Charlie asked, glancing over at you.

“I poked around this area a bit–-didn’t want to intrude too much,” her father chuckled with his hands propped up on his apple staff.

“I thought it would be better to leave that to you,” you said as you stood up to join the group, teacup in hand, “I still struggle to find my way around.”

The night prior, Vaggie had caught you wandering aimlessly on the fourth floor after attempting to find your way to your room on your own. They offered to walk you there since they understood the halls could be a maze sometimes, but you had decided to be stubborn, insisting it was straightforward enough. Clearly, you had overestimated your skills.

That being said, it was a miracle you were able to make it to the foyer that morning.

Vaggie chuckled a bit as she recalled the memory.

Charlie smiled at you knowingly, as well, indicating that the story had been relayed to her. She looked back at her dad for only a moment before her eyes darted back to you, eyes widening as the smile dropped from her face.

“Oh–Oh my god!” she squawked as she rushed to your side. “You’re not–Why aren’t you…” she waved her hand in circles as she tried to find the word she was looking for before leaning in to whisper, “...you know.”

Your eyes narrowed as they rolled over to look at her father.

“I barely rolled myself out of bed when he came knocking,” you explained, “Believe me, I tried to avoid being seen, but…”

But you were hunted down like a mouse running from a fox. Even when you thought you were in the clear, it seemed like he knew exactly where you were and where you would go next.

That man was scary.

“But you can’t hide something like that forever~” he sang, wrapping an arm around your shoulder to pull you against him. “However, I never imagined it would be this darling little human.”

He jostled you slightly as he spoke, and you could feel your face warming up from both his actions and his words. However, he had no right to be calling anybody else ‘little’ considering his stature.

“We really need to get her a new phone,” Charlie said to Vaggie, “If she could have called or texted us, we might’ve been able to intervene.”

Charlie’s father scoffed.

“What kind of sinner do you take me for? I’m not an animal, you know––” he began to argue but paused to turn his attention on you, retracting his arm. “You threatened to call her earlier, but you don’t even have a phone?”

Your lips twitched into a guilty smile, and you took a step closer to Charlie.

“You’re a filthy little liar!” He jabbed a finger in your direction.

 “You were breaking and entering!” you pitched back.

“I am her–”

“Okay!” Charlie tucked you behind her and put a hand up in front of her dad. “How about that tour then?”

She put one hand on your back and the other on her father’s as she began to lead the group of you through the hotel. You were secretly glad you were getting another chance to look around and get a grasp of the layout.

When you dared to glance over at her dad, he was already eying you bitterly, and the only thing you could think to do was shoot him a sheepish smile in return.

The childish part of you wanted to stick your tongue out and blow a raspberry, but you knew better. He made it clear he had some level of magical abilities, and to what extent, you weren’t sure. That last thing you wanted to do was learn the hard way. Besides, you needed to be on his good side so he’d help you get home.

As the tour progressed, he thankfully dropped his spiteful demeanor towards you in favor of soaking in as much of Charlie’s attention as he could get. You could tell that he was just happy to be near her.

It was sweet.

There were a few times where he exchanged some words with you lightheartedly. It reassured you that you hadn’t managed to say or do anything to genuinely piss him off. Rather, it seemed he was just the dramatic type.

You made it back to the foyer, and when Charlie was finished explaining her ideas for redeeming sinners, she waited eagerly for her father’s thoughts. She was disappointed that he had more opinions on the hotel’s appearance than its purpose, but she didn’t push the subject.

She would have a better chance pitching the idea to him once she had a few successful patrons to use as evidence that sinners could, in fact, be redeemed.

“I can certainly help you spruce the place up a bit,” he said as he waved his stick around the room, “After filling this place up with furniture and maybe adding a bit more light…I’m sure it will look wonderful, honey.”

He sent her a prideful grin, which she subtly rolled her eyes at.

“Thanks, dad… I really appreciate it,” she said as she pulled him into a hug. His face lit up before he shut his eyes and melted into her embrace.

When they parted, he made a gesture at you.

“I was also telling your friend earlier that I’d be more than happy to get her home. I just need some time to warm up. Don’t want to accidentally drop her off in the middle of Antarctica,” he said whilst nudging her and chuckling at his own joke.

“Oh! Well, I don’t really think we need your help with that…” she said, looking away.

You sent her a baffled look.

“We already found some people–today, actually–that can get her home,” she stated with a firm nod of her head. “So no need to worry about that! Sending over furniture is more than enough, which, again, I really appreciate!”

“Nonsense, this is what good fathers do! Besides, I highly doubt they could be more efficient than me,” he huffed before turning to grin at you. “I promise to have you home in no time.

♡ ♡ ♡

Tag List: @spookysisters @for-hearthand-home @crescent-z @mixplara @juskonutoh @tinywolfiegirl @lafy-taffy @glowinthedarkbones1150 @froggybich @darling-angel222 @preciousbabypeter @itzabbeym @mrspepper1885

[nym-wibbly]

A Bed of Thorns - the ending

I've answered a few Asks recently about the state, fate, and ending of my 12-year-old Belle/Rumple WIP, A Bed of Thorns.

I don't have it in me to admit that this thing defeated me (Once Upon a Time is all about not giving up hope, after all, so that would be silly) but I think it's time to put the ending out here for anyone who'd like the closure to find. It's not a huge secret. I've been sharing details of the ending and epilogue with anyone who asked privately since a couple of years into writing it, and I've never asked those people not to tell others.

As with all my works, anyone is welcome to snag my ideas and original characters for use in their own non-profit fanworks, so if my planned ending doesn't float your boat, by all means create your own! Of all my stories, I know that A Bed of Thorns was, is, and always will be so much bigger than myself. I lay claim to nothing but the words I've written. Even if I'm never able to complete it, the story lives in my head and heart, and the privilege of touching something once-in-a-fannish-career special still leaves me humbled (and more than a bit intimidated!)

Don't click the 'keep reading' if you don't want to know how the story ends!

Rumple eventually lets the Dark Curse (and Regina) go, trusting Belle to find a way to reunite them with Baelfire. A way that doesn't rack up the cosmic debt and devastate more lives. Belle finds the way, because there was always another way—multiple other ways to move between the Enchanted Forest and the Land Without Magic—Rumple just couldn't access those solutions by using dark magic, distrust, or dealing. And, having let Baelfire go all those years ago, he couldn't see the flaw in his approach until he had love in his life again. Magic bean, plot, then Rumple hesitates at the portal, afraid to go through and become powerless on the other side. Afraid it won't work. Afraid that Bae won't forgive him. Afraid he'll fail as a father again. Belle just holds out her hand and waits patiently for him—trusting him to make the right choice for Bae, not doubting for a moment that he will. She's so excited for the big adventure of this strange land without magic. They step together through the portal into Victorian London. In the brief epilogue Rumple and Belle finish up an anxious search by knocking on the Darlings' door, finding young Bae before he's taken to Neverland. Before it's too late for them to be a family.

If you love A Bed of Thorns even a fraction as much as I do - thank you.

Nym - September 2024

[imagining-in-the-margins]

S.R. Series Recs (Completed Works)

Hey friends! I’m back with another fic rec list for Completed Series! If you have any other recommendations not included here (including your own work), please send me a DM! I would love to add it.

SFW S.R. Series

Valkyrie by @illegalcerebral: Unsub!Reader. You live two lives, one where you protect and serve and one where you hunt. You have always had control over the two sides until the BAU are brought to your doorstep.

Shifting Narrative by @/illegalcerebral: The BAU are called in on a case. Complicating matters is a tenacious filmmaker making a documentary on the case and Reid’s residual emotional trauma from being in prison.

Flight Risk by @brywrites: In which a pilot and a profiler become closer than originally planned when Reid finally meets one of the elusive individuals flying the BAU jet.

NSFW Series Below...

NSFW S.R. Series

Here to Misbehave by me: Spencer meets a girl he can’t get enough of at the nightclub, then quickly realizes she is not supposed to be there.

Phoenix by me: Spencer Reid had a secret, and now you have a funeral to attend… and your own secret to keep. Or not. Rewrite of the Emily/Doyle arc with Spencer taking Emily’s place.

Lily of the Valley by me: Unsub!Reid. Spencer was found guilty but mentally ill after the torture and murder of several men. He finds solace in his psychiatrist at the institution.

26 Things by @foxy-eva: Spencer Reid is determined to help his girlfriend check off everything left on her bucket list - even the explicit parts.

Pretty Please by @mercy-burning: Reader hears something surprising from her next door neighbor, and it throws her off.

January 16 by @aperrywilliams: Reader and Spencer Reid share the most intimate part of their lives through the years around a fateful date.

Virginia Kisses by @twentysomethingloser92: Every single time Spencer and Reader kiss.

The Most Natural Thing in the World by @dontshootmespence: An experienced Dom and a Virgin meet in a bar. Can he introduce her to a world she’s always imagined but never known before? Sequel.

Lock and Key by @/brywrites: Prison is a tough place to find hope in. But when Spencer Reid stumbles upon a GED class, the teacher makes him think it might not be so hopeless after all.

Say Something by @fortheloveofwonderland: In which Spencer and Reader are in a toxic relationship trying to navigate through the intrepid waters of love in a depressive state.

Losing So Much Time by @/fortheloveofwonderland: Fifteen years is a long time to be in love with someone you only see once a year. But when you live on opposite ends of the country and once a year is all you get you just have to try and make the most of the time you get.

Teach Me Something by @homoose: Spencer meets Michael’s kindergarten teacher and finds he still has so much left to learn.

Thanks, everyone! Happy Reading!

[bitchinbarzal]

https://www.tumblr.com/bitchinbarzal/736733295226896384/do-it-lets-fuck-some-shit-up-cole-anon

At this point she was already pregnant (baby Luca) but she didn't know it

Mama Hischier was ready to raise this baby alone and in secret, i need drama

😮‍💨 oh bestie the angst. I know this doesn’t really fit with the original storyline but I’m going to make it because it’s too good.

Nico was in Switzerland for the summer with Naomi. You were supposed to fly Iris over half way through the off season before joining your girlfriends on a beach vacation in Greece then coming home to jersey.

However, plans change. You were sick, so severely sick.

You’d ended up calling Nico three weeks into the off season

“I need you to come back to jersey and get iris”

“What?! She’s not supposed to be here for another-“

“Nico, I can’t get into this with you can you do it or not? I can’t bring her there anymore”

You had it out on the phone, him accusing you of being difficult assuming it had something to do with Naomi being there or what he’d told you before he left.

It wasn’t, there was someone else you were too focused on.

Luckily, Timo’s girlfriend had shows in California so they were still in the states and they’d agreed to come to jersey after the shows were finished to get Iris and take her back to Switzerland with them.

You thought it best to let her go to her dads before it got bad.

Iris however was constantly watching you throw up, scared something was wrong. She was so worried.

You knew you were pregnant. Mom's intuition. And you were terrified.

You were scared, the fear from before was coming back up. Everything you’d been through four years ago was sitting at the forefront of your mind.

You were pregnant with Nico’s baby and he was trying to have a baby with someone else.

You hadn’t told him, after your conversations about him and Naomi you decided very selfishly, you’d do this alone.

In Switzerland, Iris was lapping up the love from her auntie, uncle, oma and opa.

All of them had watched her over the week and how Naomi interacted with her.

About a week into her trip, Iris was in bed ready to sleep when her grandma headed up to say goodnight. She stopped when she heard the little girl speak

“Is daddy coming to read to me?”

“No, your dad is busy. He doesn’t want to see you” Naomi snapped and his mom frowned listening to her tone “and Iris, I know your mommy sent you here to ruin our summer but please sweetheart just leave me and your daddy alone this week ok? You’re really bothering us”

She could hear the quiver in Iris’ voice “but mommy’s si-“

“I don’t care. she’s a pain in my side and so are yo-“

“Enough!” Iris scrambled out of bed to her grandma’s arms while Naomi tried to stumble out an excuse for what she’d clearly said.

“I think it’s best you leave Naomi, you’re not welcome in our house any longer”

They made off downstairs, Iris sniffling and Naomi yelling behind them about how they couldn’t kick her out, this wasn’t fair.

“Woah, what’s happening?” Nina asked, stopping the conversations she was having with her brothers and dad in the living room to focus solely on her distraught little niece.

Nico’s mom stared at him in a way she hadn’t since he was a child

“I want her out of our house, now”

He nodded, up out of his seat and straight towards Iris who shifted her head so she wasn’t looking at her father. Nico’s heart broke, he had no idea what was going on.

He left the house with Naomi and didn’t arrive back for almost two hours, by this time Iris was fast asleep in her uncles lap.

When he did come in the family were all waiting for him just as he’d left. He didn’t care about them, or what they had to say. He cared about Iris.

He approached her sleeping form and crouched down infront of her, kissing her cheek before lifting her up into his arms and taking her up to his bed.

He held her all night, still fully dressed in his clothes he’d worn all day. He just had to hold his girl.

When the morning came and Iris woke up she had to gather her surroundings before she saw Nico and cuddled into him some more

“Morning princess”

“Hi daddy”

He sucked in a breath before saying “You want to talk?”

Iris contemplated it for a minute before she said

“Are you and mommy fighting because mommy’s sick? Is that why Naomi doesn’t like mommy?”

Nico frowned “Mommy’s sick?”

Iris nodded "We went to the doctors home and she was crying" now Nico is internally panicking, a million thoughts running through his mind of what could be wrong with you.

"But the doctor lady gave mommy a present to take home and she was smiling after”

“What did she get?” He asks and Iris jumps out of bed, leaving the room momentarily before coming back in holding something.

He takes it from her hand and he is instantly relieved, it's just her sonogram. It takes him a moment before he quirks his head. That's not Iris. He knows her picture, it's in his stall, he sees it everyday.

Then he sees the name and date at the top.

You were pregnant.

Nico has a wave of emotions fall over him for a moment, anger, jealousy, hurt before he turns to Iris

“Mommy’s gonna be okay, ‘ris I promise”

She hums, still stuck into his side before she says

“Daddy?”

“Yeah squish?”

“I wanna go home to mommy”

“Yeah, me too”

So they travelled back to Jersey that night, the two of them needing your comfort.

You were in the middle of watching a movie when they came through the door, startling you

“Mama I’m home!” Iris shouted, jumping up onto the couch and into your arms

“Hi babygirl, what on earth are you guys doing back here?”you were looking at Nico to answer that.

He sat down next to you, pulling the blanket you had over him too then put down the sonogram on the coffee table infront of you both.

The smile on your face dropped and you looked at him, panicked.

“I hope it’s a boy” is all he says before grabbing your hand and squeezing it.

He knew. He knew it was his baby.

You squeezed his hand back “Not the baby mom you’d hoped for-“

“Hey” he grumbled “You’re the best mom and if I get the choice you’ll be the only mom to all of my kids”

“Neeks…”

“We’ll talk when she’s in bed ok?”

You nod, letting it go for now while watching Iris cuddle into your side to watch the movie and Nico’s hand spreads out across your belly.

He had everything he ever wanted under that roof

[phantomwitch16]

So I just learned the Nanbaka ending. Safe to say that it was not what i expected and I wanna talk about it :,)

Warning to the many people who have not been able to make it past chapter 192 or only watched the anime, the majority of what i know is from TikTok's, the comments of the vids and what i've pulled together by myself and what i've seen on Pinterest. Plus, despite my like for the series, I don't know much, its been a few years since I've done anything with the series , there is a cut off point with the manga and even then i don't know if it was in any particular order.

When i first started the series, I felt like i had a good idea of where the series was going. Like as the series would progress, we learn the pasts and motivations of the main cast, like Uno, Rock, Nico and the others, while seeing Jyugo learn about the shackles and the man on the scar. Then at the end, some shenanigans results in our main cast of idiotic prisoners being released early or finishing off their sentences in around a year or two. but because they either grew attached to the prison or liked the perks of working there (annoying Hajime, anime and food), they decide to go back and become guards of building 13. With Jyugo possibly doing something like this each day.

But that didn't happen. Instead we get something a lot more different than what I originally imagined.

In the end of the series, we learn a lot about Jyugo's backstory, how he and the boys first me and more about the man who shackled him. As it turns out, Jyugo was never friends with Uno, Rock and Nico. They met him but they weren't friends, I think. Initally, I didn't think that he even met them before the start of the series until finding some of the fan translated pics of the manga on Pinterest (Search Nanmaka manga ending Jyugo and you should find something, just find one and keep on scrolling). All the memories that Jyugo had with them were fake ones that were inputted by the clone of the man with the scar/his biological grandfather, i.e. this guy, Hiiro, I think is his name. Hiiro with black hair, scar guy with white guy down here 👇

I'm not entirely clear on what they were planning initially but Hiiro was the one who inputted the memories and orchestrated him going to Namba and becoming friends with the three, who possibly have at least met them individually at tone point. From what I am aware, Jyugo was the clone of Mashiro Mutsuki's (Scar man), grandson who alongside his daughter's, Touko, Jyugo's mother. She died while she was pregnant with Jyugo and Mashiro kept her body so that she could be cloned and give birth to Jyugo.

There were bit and pieces of Jyugo's childhood, with him and Hiiro. And Jyugo was nothing like how he was during the series. He was serious, had no general emotions and all that and i think his clone body was falling apart or he was sort of shapeshifting. He only became somewhat normal and acts similar to how he does to the series when he put the shackles on.

But the shackles had another function and it was to repress his memories and powers. Specifically his memories with Hiiro, the scar man and what his friends did to him. Uno, Nico and Rock were brought in to teach Jyugo how to live in order to be released from prison and gain their freedom. And kill him some time before the series started. This was part of Hiiro’s plan but I’m not too sure about his reasoning. They did that, and when the shackles are gone we see the evidence of it on Jyugo's neck.

All this makes looking back on previous adventures quite differently. In short they were never his friends for a time but did grow close in the time afterwards and began to feel guilt for what they did to him. They eventually come to talk to Jyugo about it and apologise but at this point, it was too late. Jyugo remembers everything when the shackles break and is practically reverted to his previous state. And it leads to a bitter confrontation that leaves the three shaken. As seen below 👇

I'm not sure to what degree of involvement Nanba Prison and the staff there had. By all accounts, its seems that Hajime and the other guards were just as or even more in the dark than Jyugo. Upon finding him, Hajime treats him like he's always has.

The only moderately positive thing and relatively Jyugo related thing that the reverted Jyugo does is that he has a brief interaction with Hajime’s cat who he says goodbye to.

In the end, Jyugo disappeared from the prison with a splatter of blood left behind, leaving apparently with his grandfather. Then that's it. A very WTF kind of ending for a comedic series. It...honestly not what i expected. Beautiful art stuff, yes. WTF moments, yes. Hilarity, yes. A very bitter ending with barely any sweetness in it…neat.

[0heartangel0]

Pt. 3: YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!

We're skipping to the aftermath of Alice's defeat; all of the desires are brought back to their rightful owners, Alice has a change of heart of her own and apologizes on live television over what she's done, and Ann feels remorse for her, since Alice is gonna be suffering a fallback that might take a long while to recover from. However, questions still hang in the air on how Jails work, or how Alice was able to do what she did with EMMA. If only they could get into contact with her to look into her phone and see for themselves-

GASP

IT'S OUR ☆~QUEEN~☆!!!

After Futaba starts one of the funniest running gags in this game,

Zenkichi congratulates the thieves on a job well done, citing the intel he gave them as part of the reason for it. And so, because of it, he comes in today expecting to get something similar back in return - the response to the deal he offered about three days ago (once again, they don't owe him anything in return for something he gave willy-nilly, but whatever. Gaslight away, my man). He even tosses in "a lil' bonus" to his offer, which is getting answers from Alice for them.

(This dude, I swear... even after the thieves pop in from another alternate reality, he still manages to find and eavesdrop on them. Alternate title to this arc is 'Man Stalks A Bunch Of Teenagers For Three Days Straight'.)

The PT point out that this deal is unnecessary, because they've already cleared their names, for Alice has confessed and is going to pay for her crimes.

It is here, where Zenkichi finally reveals to the Thieves - and us the audience - that he has tricked them, he has decieved them, and, most assuredly, he has bamboozled them.

As it turns out, Alice isn't an isolated incident, for this Change of Heart epidemic is happening "aaaall over the country."

This is where I finally reveal the plan that I've been foreshadowing for two posts now.

If you recall when I told you to put a pin on the whole Alice interview incident, I'm pulling the pin off, and presenting it to you now.

Back when Zenkichi was first talking about this epidemic with the thieves, he was only referring to the stuff going on with Alice, and not any other incident outside of Alice that would still relate to the epidemic. He intentionally left out this detail to throw them off, and think that they're only dealing with the one case with Alice. And even then, he only mentions the interview incident, and not any of the other weird behavior from other people that involves Alice (buying out her stock, obsessing over her, etc.).

And he knew there were other cases prior to Alice, for we hear about them in the opening scene in the police meeting. And Alice wasn't even a talking point during that meeting. In fact, Zenkichi arrives in Yongen Jaya the day the interview happens. We know this, because right as you're leaving for the interview, Zenkichi is seen (and heard) at the booth eating curry!

Why the Hell would he intentionally leave out that detail? Was it to put them into a false sense of security, thinking this wasn't gonna be as big of a deal, so they'd just go about their usual thievery? Probably, because he then reveals soon after that their calling card for Alice only made them look even more suspicious to the police, especially since, as was stated, this is happening everywhere.

So, in just letting the thieves do this, Zenkichi made it so the police now are more gung-ho to arrest them, forcing them to come crawling back to him. Thus, explaining his little smirk during the calling card sequence.

It's perfect. It's downright genius.

Let's also not forget that when telling them about the whole Alice thing, Zenkichi claimed that it was the police who were suspecting the thieves originally. He, however, states that he doesn't believe that they're the culprits, even after dropping the other shoe that is the Change of Heart epidemic. He even claims that to be the reason he's making this deal in the first place.

BUT, looking back once again at the police meeting scene, when the men in the room are questioning the logistics behind all of these cases of people going looney, it is Zenkichi who pipes up, and brings up the PT as suspects, with the presenter confirming that he might be right on that suspicion.

So, while Zenkichi says it's just the police that are suspicious of the thieves, and not him, we know that this is total horse-honkey. This is just a further tactic of him trying to get them to work with him, because while the police as a whole don't seem trustworthy, he is!

He even tries to scare them a bit by giving them a weird wake-up call to the situation by saying:

He's practically stating there's no choice in the matter when it comes to taking his deal, because it's the safest option to make. Any other one results in their arrest. He kind of left them with no other alternative.

After he puts down his suspicions of there being another culprit, the gang kick Zenkichi out for a bit to discuss (bet you ten bucks he was still eavesdropping). Long story short, as I've pointed out, they have no choice in the matter. Even Futaba looks through the web and finds that Zenkichi really wasn't lying about the Change of Heart epidemic after all. The only real problem that they can't avoid is having to explain to Zenkichi how they do what they do. It's here where Makoto suggests just taking him to the Metaverse physically. They reluctantly agree, since there's no other way around it, and Joker's freedom is on the line here. The thieves invite him back in, and take him to the bridge in Shibuya, while also explaining the Metaverse to him on the way there.

By the time they get there, Zenkichi is all but convinced that they're on drugs. However, the thieves, Makoto especially, aren't having any of it and drag him into the Metaverse. What proceeds is one of the funniest moments in the game, where we get to watch a middle-aged man lose his God dang marbles, somehow never falling off the building in sheer shock and horror.

I think the best part about this scene is us the players finally getting the satisfaction of watching Zenkichi getting taken down a peg for the first time. All throughout this arc, he's been nothing but smug and thinking himself above you. He even seems to be a few steps ahead when you think you got a running start. So, getting to watch him finally being put in his place is nothing short of gratifying. And funny.

I love this game.

Also, he says this:

This just tells me two things:

He's confirmed to drink alcohol.

Apparently, after the Alice calling card, he proceeded to go out to drink for some reason, and doesn't remember to what extent. Interesting.

So after successfully traumatizing the poor man, they take him back and have him ruminate on this life-altering knowledge for a hot second, where he says he'll "strive to understand."

A little detail I love is that when Makoto brings the topic back to their deal, Zenkichi immediately switches back to his cool and collected demeanor, almost like he's blocking out what he just found out, and is grasping for anything that he can at least wrap his head around.

Zenkichi then lays out the deal, saying this:

This is the part where I tell you to put another pin on this. A big, GIANT pin. This is gonna be on the test.

Afterwards, you have some optional responses to this, and while everyone picks the last one, because it's funny ("Get along with the talking cat"), I'm more interested in the middle response ("If you screw us on this..."). The reason is due to Zenkichi’s response to it, which I've always found fascinating:

There's so much to unpack here with that line alone. The way Zenkichi immediately jumps to that conclusion, assuming the thieves would have no qualms doing something like that, his delivery sounding less terrified, and more-so just stating it matter-of-factly, and most interestingly, something he ends up admitting to himself later on at the end of this arc that I will cover (so add this as another pin (somehow relating to the other pin)).

Zenkichi goes on to explain that the thieves will be meeting with him in Sapporo on the 8th, since one of his main suspects won't be back until then. In the meantime, they can't use public transportation out of fear that since they've made it public that they personally took down Alice, other Monarchs might be scrambling to try and take the thieves down by potentially brainwashing one of their drivers (I always found it interesting how Zenkichi immediately clocks in on that, despite admitting his confusion on this "cognitive mumbo-jumbo"). Zenkichi himself can't provide a ride either, since that could potentially link back to their deal, and he can't have anyone knowing about it or the case.

And with that, Zenkichi leaves, while muttering that "this is real, Zenkichi..."

I'll be concluding everything in the next part, so get hyped!

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 4

[dedicatednotobsessed]

alright, I was wondering if could maybe do an ewan x fem!reader where reader is a fairly new actress but some of her roles have garnered massive attention. she and ewan star in a movie together and soon fall for eachother on set. it's really sweet and nice and they just absolutely adore eachother. please?

(side note: loving the tom glynn carney fic so far, so good!)

Of course you may! 🥰🥰 I hope you enjoy!! 💚💚 If you ever have any future requests, my inbox is always open 😌

Star Crossed Lovers [Ewan Mitchell x Fem!Reader One shot]

Other HOTD stories [requests open]

Summary: You are an up and coming actress, already becoming popular through some major roles. You have gained a recent role in an upcoming movie, your costar being Ewan Mitchell, another up and coming English actor. Throughout your time filming, the two of you becoming closer and possibly something more….

You pushed your sunglasses on the top of your head while walking onto the set of your latest project, a romance film. You may have been a little late because you slept in and you also decided coffee was more of a priority than showing up on time. It was only about ten minutes so you believed it wasn’t a big deal.

You were a big and upcoming actress in England, already having a few roles under your belt that caused your stardom to rise. You were young and beautiful, your manager stating that those two features combined with your talent, you were going places.

“There you are!”

You turned hearing a voice and smiled wide seeing the director. “Hey, Robert!” You greeted, waving.

As he walked closer, a chuckle leaving his lips seeing the coffee in your other hand. “Was the traffic bad?”

“Oh, so bad,” You joked walking closer with a smile. “But I am sorry, I will be on time tomorrow.”

“You better be,” Robert said chuckling and began to walk with you. “At least your costar was nice enough to be on time.”

“Oh, you mean Ewan?”

“The only other costar you have.”

You giggled at the attitude he gave as he led you to a building where you would be doing a quick table read. Your costar was another up and coming young actor by the name of Ewan Mitchell. He was mainly known right now for his big role on the show, The Last Kingdom. You watched it and thought his character, Osferth was the sweetest one ever.

You walked in and smiled seeing the brunette boy turn to you. “It’s about time,” He teased laughing. “Where’s my coffee?”

You smirked and shrugged. “You didn’t ask,” You replied with a small smirk and walked closer, setting your cup down before giving him a tight hug. “It is so good to see you again.”

Ewan smiled, returning your hug. “You too, love.”

Robert clapped his hands together when you released the hug. “So, as the two of you know this is supposed to be a six month long project. Possibly seven.”

You nodded as Robert continued to explain what he wanted the next six months to entail, taking a sip of your coffee.

“Now, your chemistry test was the best, but the best way to be a convincing couple is to get closer,” Robert began to explain. “How about you take a pretty lady out to dinner, Ewan?”

Ewan chuckled a bit and smiled. “I mean, I would love to, but my mum isn’t here.”

You gasped and smiled up at Ewan when he gave you a cheeky smile. “Does seven work for you?” You asked softly.

Ewan nodded a bit. “Seven works perfect, love.”

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You looked in the mirror, fixing your hair a bit. Ewan had texted you to wear something casual and that is exactly what you were planning on doing. You only really dressed up for premieres and interviews. For your original screen test, you wore a plain t-shirt and yoga pants with minimal makeup.

You hummed lightly to the music blasting through your phone, fixing your eye makeup quickly before walking out. You lived in a small two bedroom apartment with one and a half beds. It wasn’t too big but it was perfect for you. You did imagine having a family soon enough, but first you needed a boyfriend. Your mother always said you should get married before having a child, but you needed a boyfriend in order to get married.

You looked down, hearing your phone go off and smiled seeing Ewan’s name come on the screen.

“I can’t really find your flat,” Ewan spoke on the other side.

“First off,” You began with furrowed brows sitting on the couch after grabbing your favorite pair of boots. “Are you on the phone while driving? That is dangerous, sir.”

“No,” Ewan replied laughing. “I’m pulled off to the side, but I’m wondering where your flat is.”

“How can you not find it? I sent you the address.”

“So hostile,” Ewan said jokingly.

“How about we just meet at the restaurant?” You suggested giggling, putting your phone on speaker so you could put your shoes on.

“Now that is not very gentleman like,” Ewan replied with a smirk. He glanced at his phone looking over his maps and furrowed his brows. “Wait, I think I found it. I’ll be there soon.”

You rolled your eyes, but the smile stayed on your lips. “Okay, Ewan.”

About fifteen minutes have passed since Ewan’s phone call before you heard a knock at your door. You opened it and smiled wide at the sight of your costar.

“It really took you that long to find my place?” You questioned with a raised brow.

“Yes!” Ewan exclaimed. “It was so damn confusing,” He said chuckling while running a hand through his hair.

“Well,” You began lightly punching his arm. “I give you a bronze star.”

“What?” He asked, shocked. “Not even a silver?”

“Nope,” You replied with a small smirk while grabbing your purse.

“Rude,” Ewan mumbled but he chuckled, leading you down after you locked the door and opened the passenger door for you.

“Awe such a gentleman,” You said while smiling lightly as you got in. “But you’re still not getting a silver star,” You added with a wink.

The two of you went to a diner not far from your house, sitting across from Ewan. You twirled the straw of your tea, smiling lightly as the two of you just talked.

“So, what made you want to get this role?” He asked after a moment.

You looked up at his blue eyes, smiling softly. “I was interested by the story,” You admitted with a nod. “Something different too from what I normally do,” You added. “What about you?”

“Same for me,” Ewan replied with a nod and a small smile. He took a sip of his water. “I just wanted to try and get more projects, get out there.”

“Well, you are on that show. I love your character by the way,” You said with a wide smile. “Osferth is just the sweetest character ever.”

Ewan laughed a bit. “Well, thank you.” He glanced over you a bit, a small smile on his lips. “I have seen a couple of your projects as well. You’re a wonderful actress.”

“Thank you,” You said with a small smile looking down noticing the way he was looking you over, a small blush creeping onto your cheeks. “It means a lot to me.”

You glanced up when you saw the waitress coming over, setting your cheeseburger and fries down in front of you. You thanked her, watching her leave after a moment and lightly picked at your fries.

“How do you feel about the bedroom scenes?” You asked after a moment.

Ewan shrugged a bit. “I think I’m going to be okay with it,” He replied with a small smile. “It’s easy to do those scenes when your costar is gorgeous,” He said casually.

You laughed at that, your face turning a darker red. “Thank you,” You replied, tilting your head. “I agree with you on that though.”

Ewan chuckled, glancing down at his own food as the two of you went silent while you ate. You noticed the little glances he was giving you causing your heart to flutter a bit. He was really handsome, but you knew he was only flirting with you to get closer, as Robert’s instructions.

Within a month of filming, you and Ewan seemed to have grown extremely close. Other costars have teased the two of you about the little flirting you had going on, yet you still denied any feelings you had for him.

You yawned being on set early, running a hand through your hair. You were there earlier than normal, having promised that you would try to show up on time since you have still showed up late quite a few times.

“Wow, you actually showed up on time,” Ewan teased walking over to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

You rolled your eyes and giggled. “I did sacrifice my coffee of course,” You said with a slight pout.

Ewan snickered at that. “Well, if you go into your trailer, you’d see that someone has gifted you a coffee from your favorite place.”

You furrowed your brows at Ewan. “How did you know—“

“I pay attention,” He replied with a shrug. “I noticed you always got the same coffee from the same shop every day so, I found it and brought you a coffee.”

“Awe, Ewan!” You gushed, walking into your trailer and there sitting on the table was an iced caramel macchiato from your favorite coffee shop in London. “You really are the best fake boyfriend ever.”

Ewan laughed at that. “I try my best,” He said with a smirk, kissing your cheek before letting you go as you headed inside.

You smiled, taking a sip of your coffee while Ewan leaned against the doorway. He had a small smile on his lips as he looked over you, turning away when you caught him.

“You know,” You began, crossing your arms as you fully turned towards your costar. “You’re pretty adorable when you’re nervous,” You teased.

Ewan’s cheeks heated up, chuckling a bit. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Y/N.”

“Mmm-hmm.” You set your coffee down and walked over, wrapping your arms around his neck, smiling when you met his blue eyes. “You are still adorable, Mr. Mitchell.”

Ewan placed his hands on your waist, looking over you once more. “Well if you insist on me being adorable, I think I know someone who’s more adorable.”

“Oh really now?”

“Yep,” He replied, rubbing your side lightly.

“And who is that?”

Ewan smirked lightly. “I don’t feel like telling you right now.”

You audibly groaned. “I take back my compliment.”

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You blew out a breath, having a plush white robe wrapped around you. You stood beside Ewan, who was wearing a matching robe, while an intimacy instructor went over the scene for the day. There weren’t many intimate scenes, but they still made you nervous.

You nibbled on your lip lightly, a nervous habit you have had since you were a child. You didn’t even realize you were bleeding until you felt something lightly run down your chin.

“Are you alright?” Ewan asked you softly.

You looked up at him, giving him a small smile while furrowing your brows. “Y-yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Ewan reached over, lightly wiping the blood off of your chin. “You gave yourself a bloody lip, love.”

You turned away while wiping at your bottom lip, making sure it was okay. You looked down with a small smile and shook your head. “I’m okay, Ewan. I promise.”

“We can use body doubles if you’re more comfortable with that,” Robert spoke up.

You shook your head, smiling softly. “I’ll be okay.”

“Me too,” Ewan replied, nodding a bit.

Robert nodded a bit before he began instructing how he wanted the scene to start. You reached over, your hand lightly touching Ewan’s before he intertwined his fingers with yours. When he squeezed your hand, it gave you comfort, even when Robert instructed the two of you to take your robes off.

You kept your eyes on Ewan as you slowly untied your robe, him doing the same. The two of you were wearing padding in your most intimate parts for some of your modesty. You could feel the butterflies in your stomach as you began to run through the scene, leaning up and kissing him lightly on the lips.

You never really rehearsed the scene with Ewan, Robert having wanting to make it as real as possible between you and your costar. You felt Ewan push you back onto the bed, the camera following every one of your movements, your lips never leaving his.

The scene got heated rather quickly, a small laugh passing your lips when Robert called cut. You quickly covered yourself with the sheet, looking over at Ewan seeing his cheeks heated red.

“What did I say, you guys?” Robert laughed. “The two of you have some real chemistry.”

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“You know, I think you’re supposed to dine a woman out before you decide to fuck her.”

Ewan laughed, his cheeks never really fading from the red color since the bedroom scene. “Well, I never said I was a full on gentleman,” He joked with a wink.

You laughed, looking over him with a soft smile on your face. You tilted your head while furrowing your brows a bit. You were about halfway done with the project and every day, it seemed to be something new between the two of you. The glances and the way he wraps his arms around you to keep you warm. It always made your stomach do somersaults and you were slowly understanding why.

“Is everything okay, love?”

You blinked a bit, Ewan’s voice pulling you back into reality. You looked at him and nodded, laughing a bit. “Sorry, I get lost in my own world sometimes.”

Ewan chuckled a bit and rubbed the back of his neck. “You are truly more adorable than me,” He said, smiling more.

You giggled a bit. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious,” You said jokingly.

When Ewan looked at you though, he wasn’t laughing with you. “You remember when I told you there was someone more adorable than me?”

You nodded a bit, furrowing your brows. “Are you saying I’m more adorable than you? I thought we just discussed this,” You said, laughing a bit.

Ewan laughed a bit. “That’s not what I’m saying, Y/N,” He began, reaching over and taking your hand gently. “In the short amount of time that I’ve known you, I have fallen so much for you.”

You smiled lightly. “Where are you going with this?”

“Where I’m going with this is….” Ewan took a deep breath before he continued. “I wanted to know if you would be willing to go on a proper date with me.”

You stared at your friend, a bit shocked. You never expected this from him. You looked down, nodding a bit with a soft smile on your lips. “I would love to go on a date with you, Ewan.”

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The first date turned into two dates which turned into four quickly. By the time filming was over, you and Ewan became an official couple. It was the last day on set and you had your arms wrapped around Ewan’s neck as he carried you around on his back.

“You know, I’m going to miss working with you,” You said with a pout.

“You act like I’m never going to see you again,” Ewan stated with furrowed brows while chuckling. “We have literally been dating for four months now.”

“Yeah, but,” You whined and laughed when he whined with you.

“We’re still going to see each other every day, love,” He said kissing your cheek lightly when you jumped off his back and wrapped an arm around you.

You looked up at Ewan, wrapping your arms around his waist. “Until we have to go off to do our own projects.”

Ewan laughed and smiled lovingly down at you. “Guess, you’ll just have to come in my suitcase when I’m off filming,” He said with a wink.

You smiled and leaned up, kissing him gently on the lips. You never expected to fall for your costar, but you were head over heels for Ewan and it seemed as though he was the same way. You couldn’t ask for anyone better though or anyone sweeter. It was as though it was meant to be that you were to do this project with Ewan and you were to meet him.

[desiresiwant]

𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐦-𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫

word count: 4k~

warnings: strong language, eventual violence, a pretty much tamed 1st chapter…for now

a/n: this is the 1st chapter of my au longfic based off the The Originals (what if the child was a teenager/YA throughout the show duration and not at season 5?). If there’s a warning I skipped let me know.

MASTERLIST | NEXT ->

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗲 | 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗢𝗿𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀

𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐒.

It wasn't how Deena imagined it to be the moment she stepped off the smelly bus onto the gravel sidewalk, with a packed bag hung across her shoulder and an old black suitcase covered in band stickers she used to listen to years ago.

She came a long way from Le Havre, France. Spent about seventeen hours on a plane and another two hours riding two buses to get here, stuck next to an annoying older woman spilling her lifelong secrets.

The sunny sky was touched with a gloom and many buildings looked as if they came out of the 1700s in American films with a modern touch to fit today's society. There were many interesting stores that had caught Deena's eye as she traveled down the sidewalk with no plan in mind. She enjoyed the urban touch of the city through the people and how together they were which was much different back home. Also, it was very much diverse compared to the small area she lived in.

She felt comfortable. At home.

Off the side of a group of friends passing through, Deena pulled out a picture of her beautiful mother in the arms of a man that's to be her father—Klaus Mikaelson.

Her mother was happy in this picture. They both were. In a black shirt hanging off her shoulders, ripped tights under a pair of shorts, smiling at the camera with a drink in her hand and her curly hair almost taking up half the photo. The man—her father, Klaus—sat leaned into her mother, kissing her ear with an arm thrown around her waist. He wore a basic leather jacket with dark blue jeans. Dirty blond hair, dark blue-greenish eyes, and a killer smile. The table in front of them covered in empty red cups and half-filled liquor bottles. They were both young, in college, and in love.

"I want to find him," Deena said to herself in a soft voice. "I need to find Klaus Mikaelson."

But the problem was if Deena ever found her father, she didn't know what she would tell him. She practiced what to say when meeting him, but it was all gibberish and uncompleted sentences that made no sense. She feared a lot of things about her father; him being married with kids and she would come into his perfect life and ruin the happiness he made for himself, no knowledge of his other child he had created across the globe. Or he was a dead-beat with nothing going for his life. Or he has long passed away.

But whatever truth lies in his life, she just wanted to see him. From afar, if needed. To see how he lived. And if he cared enough to know that the woman he met in this very city before she moved to France years ago, was now dead. But she selfishly wanted him to know that she existed.

...if she knew where he was. Or where to start.

The city was so big, nevertheless the state and because Deena wasn't from around—this was her second time ever in America—it was difficult for her to navigate or read the English signs she never learned. But she grew hungry and entered the nearest restaurant.

"Hey, welcome in! Take a seat anywhere," Greeted the waiter, passing by with both hands filled.

Most tables were filled as Deena searched for an empty spot.

Sensing the panicked teenager, the waiter stood before Deena after she finished serving a table. "Must be your first time here, so welcome. Just join a table with someone, anyone, but choose wisely; some people can talk more than they chew." She was picking at the older customer sitting at the counter who obviously heard what she said and sent her a squinted look with pursed lips. "That's the motto of the restaurant; To Meet A Stranger Along The Way. Eating alone doesn't mean you have to be alone. So sit anywhere and I or another waiter will be with you soon."

Deena sent the nice lady a smile. "I understand, thank you."

She pulled along her suitcase looking for a place to sit down. Most tables were occupied and many shared engaging conversations of their own that Deena didn't want to intrude, until she noticed a brunette sitting alone with a book in her hand reading quietly.

"Can I sit here?"

The girl looked up from her book and gestured towards the empty chair. "Go for it," she went back to reading.

She took off her backpack and placed it in the empty seat next to her before sitting down. The girl was young, or at least she appeared to be. Had to be around the same age, and she was very pretty.

That part Deena will keep to herself.

As if the girl felt Deena's complimenting stare, she tore away her gaze as the girl lifted her head from the book, but it was already too late since she was caught. "Have you read it?" She started. "Romeo and Juliet?"

"Who hasn't?"

"I know right? It's for some stupid class, so the teacher's forcing us to read up to five chapters and come back to a pop quiz. Which, I know I will fail."

Both girls shared a short laughter.

"I'm Deena.” She introduced. “I'm new around here."

The waiter then came to take Deena's order while also setting down a grilled turkey sandwich with extra avocado and a side of fries for the girl. She finally placed down her book, giving thanks to the waiter before digging into her food.

The mouth-watering scent made Deena's stomach grumble. I’m so damn hungry.

"Davina," while washing down her fries with lemonade. "Not new here. But I noticed the accent. Where are you from?"

"France. More specifically, Le Havre." Deena replied. "You?"

"Born and raised. Also, don't hate me but the only place I know of France is Paris, but I'm sure Le Havre is a fun place to visit and live at."

Deena shrugged showing no offense to Davina's knowledge of France. She didn’t blame the girl since she knew nothing of the US besides New York, California, Florida, and Texas. They were normally the most talked about and the most used location in films. Also, it seemed a lot always happened in those states.

"It's cool. I actually didn't know Louisiana existed until a few days ago." Deena admitted.

"But here you are!"

She gave a small smile, agreeing. "Here I am."

Some moments later, the waiter delivered Deena's food; half cut Cuban sandwich with extra pickles and a sweet tea. She dug in without question.

Davina was a cool person to chat with. Easy-going, funny, and there was something about her energy Deena felt oddly connected to. Davina also felt an odd connection to Deena but brushed it off as she stuffed her mouth full.

There was a long list prepared for the day, but realized it was quite small and she had no starting point. I came here on a whim. With little to no planning, and childish hope.

But remembered Davina was from New Orleans. There's a possibility she might've ran into her father or seen him around somewhere. Or visited a store he owned. Or attended school with one of his kids. Or visited his grave.

"So, I was wondering since you're from around if you knew this man?" Deena wiped the oils from her fingers before reaching into her front backpack's pocket. Pulling out the photo of her mother and Klaus, she held it in front of Davina to inspect.

Davina noticeably froze upon viewing the photo. She had blinked a few times to make sure the man she saw wasn't just some random person she's misjudging but a man who was famously known throughout the streets and the supernatural world.

She pulled back from the table and picked at the grilled bread. "What do you want with him?" suddenly, she got hostile with Deena despite her pure intentions.

She knew him.

Deena sighed with relief. Davina obviously knew her father, but the cold tone she used when responding made her nervous. He must be married. With kids. Or nothing but a dead-beat. Or worse. Dead.

Deena returned the photo back into her backpack pocket with a shrug. "So you know him?"

"Yea, Klaus Mikaelson. Anyone who's done him bad or crossed his path on accident knows of him and his notorious siblings—"

"He has siblings?" Deena interjected.

"—oh yeah. Elijah and Rebekah Mikaelson and whoever comes back to life occasionally." She continued, slightly confusing Deena but she was happy to hear there's more than her father alive. "Terrorizing the city and the people who live within. Any person with a sense of mind would tell you to stay the hell away. You don't want anything to do with that psychotic man and his troubling siblings. His family is a curse to this city, to the communities, and they care for no one else but themselves. I'm sure the woman in that photo was killed by the hands of Klaus Mikaelson himself." She sneered.

Deena, not knowing this man nor his siblings personally, felt offended by Davina's harsh words because they were her family. And even worse, she accused her father murdering her mother. A beautiful soul who raised Deena with everything she could give her, found locked in her car with a letter admitting how unhappy she was with her life.

The smile on Deena’s face faltered to a deadpan glare as Davina bad-mouthed the family she had ties to. She noticed the change of her expression, but she thought nothing of it since she assumed she was doing good by scaring the curious French girl away from Klaus and far away from this cursed city.

Deena abruptly stood from her seat already gathering her belongings.

"W-where are you going? You haven't finished your— "

"The woman standing next to Klaus is my mother. And the man next to her, Klaus Mikaelson, is my father. And she wasn't murdered by him, she hated her life and everyone within it so she did the job herself." Deena vividly watched Davina grow with shock upon hearing Klaus was her father and was filled with sudden guilt from all she had said about her parents before. "But you are right about one thing; we are troubling. At least it keeps people away. So thanks for nothing. I'll find him my own damn self."

She wasn't sure how much the meal cost altogether and because the currency was slightly different, she left a big amount on the table which included a tip. She was out the restaurant in no time. Her head felt dizzy and she was hot all over heaving out steam, suddenly impacted by the overwhelming emotions she thought she had pushed back.

A month ago, Deena's mother passed away.

Her death made no sense. She was a cheerful woman who often hid away in her art studio painting and sketching for hours until it was time to pick Deena up from school. Students were often jealous because while other parents nagged on their child's grades and permitted curfews, Deena's mother never hovered over her shoulder about her grades and trusted Deena enough to be home within a reasonable time. And while other parents came dressed in their finest most classiest clothing for teacher conference nights or the school performances Deena was a part of, her mother came dressed straight out of a Fruits Magazine.

She was stressless, free, a kindred spirit, and an amazing mother. Sometimes Deena would forget her mother wasn't a close friend or an older sister despite having her at a young age. She was vocal about her problems and told Deena since a young age that "anger should never be placed into a bottle. Let the world hear you even if they say you scream too loud. They don't like Black girls expressing themselves in any manner if not with their heads down, so you must do it for the next little Black girl who's taking notes.".

But still, it made no sense.

The morning before she died, Deena's mother showed no signs of distress. She made banana pancakes, sent Deena off to school, and when she came home, her mother was working on a late piece for an art exhibition a friend in town invited her work to. She then left after dinner and was never seen for two days until Deena received a call from the police station. But it was questionable and she didn't understand it.

Why was she unhappy with life when she expected so much out of it? Why would she leave when she promised me the world? Why wasn’t she vocal with her depression in the same way she taught me to be vocal?

"Deena, wait!" Davina called out after placing down her half of the pay and rushed out the doors. She knew she was wrong for what she said and she felt terrible. "Look, I'm sorry! I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to offend you or bring your mother into this; I was only speaking from a personal experience which is no excuse at all. Next time, I should watch what I say. But..."

Deena kept walking. She struggled to drag her suitcase with her speed. The old wheels looked as if they were about to break off at any second, but she somehow managed to keep going.

Davina huffed annoyingly. "But I know where he is, Klaus Mikaelson," Deena halted her steps, facing the girl. "And I know where you can find him."

As Deena studied her face to find any spec of bluff hidden in her tone or written amongst her face, she saw she was telling the truth. She knew where her father currently hung around or lived, and of course, she wasn't going to question why or how she knew that kind of information.

"Where is he?" Asked Deena.

"The Abattoir. I can take you there since you might get lost. Also, you might want a travel buddy traveling in that particular area."

Deena sized the girl down. "Why? Will Klaus murder me too?"

"Again, I'm sorry about that." With her eyes narrowed, Davina apologized again. Deena still felt offended by what she said but since she genuinely felt sorry for it, about her mother at least, she decided to cut her some slack. She doesn't need an enemy on her first day in New Orleans. "Look, you're not from around and I'm sure you don't know about..."

Taking in Deena's blank stare, Davina then shook off the conversation and reached down for her suitcase. "Never mind, let's go."

Deena's hand was still on the handle, able to hold her grip from slipping it out her fingers and asked, "I don’t need your help. I can carry it myself." She tried pulling back but Davina somehow had the suitcase fully in her hands.

"It's about to break, I'm practically doing you a favor." She noticed the band stickers on her suitcase and claimed to have listened to some of them when she was thirteen.

Deena allowed her guard down and quickly followed behind Davina across the street before the main light turned green. She continued on about the particular bands she knew and who she used to stan and asked Deena about the bands she was unfamiliar with.

Somewhere during the conversation, "Thanks," it was soft but Davina caught it

She offered a soft smile. "You shouldn't thank me. I might not particularly like Klaus, but if he truly is your father, I wouldn’t live with myself by keeping you away from knowing him. At least then, hopefully, you might run away once you do."

"Is he really that bad of a man?"

Davina was quiet at her question. To her, Klaus wasn't just a bad man, he was terrible, and he almost killed her multiple times if it wasn't for Marcel having to save her. She wished she could tell Deena these things in hopes she would stay away, but no one wants to hear the bad of a man you've never met. Especially when he was your father. Family. It also wasn't her place to kill the image she might have of him.

Then she shrugged. "I will let you be the judge of that."

━━━━━━ ━━━━━━

𝐁𝐎𝐓𝐇 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐀 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐎𝐋𝐃-𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄. It was well kept for the most part but it was obvious this house had been through hell, Deena definitely thought Klaus was a deadbeat. This wasn't a family home, but it was a pretty big property. Maybe a rich deadbeat?

Together they stood staring up at the white doors ready to be knocked upon. Davina stared at the door with fear. Every witch sense coursing through her blood told her to turn away and run.

She knew she wasn't allowed here—that witches weren't allowed here, but she came to protect Deena.

Deena wasn't aware of the supernatural world or the fact that her father was a ruthless millennium-old psychotic hybrid, and what lies within the compound was an 'army' of hungry blood-sucking vampires who were already aware of their presence. Vampires who were too scared to leave Klaus if not slaughtered after the gruesome war against Marcel's army and enemies, and whoever they could rally up if Marcel hadn't got to them first.

Nevertheless, Davina watched her new friend lift her hand to knock on the door. Sucking in a deep breath, her knuckles were seconds away from alerting the vampires before something churned in her stomach. She quickly lowered her hand and hurried away.

"I can't do this." Deena panicked.

Davina lingered a bit longer at the door before rushing after her. "Where are you going? He's right inside." She shouted, dragging along the suitcase.

"I can't do it." She breathed heavily. "I-I don't know why I came here in the first place. And I hate myself for being curious, but I don't think I can do it. I should go home with the money I have left."

There was so much roaming through Deena's brain all at once. She thought she was ready to meet with him, but she wasn't, or at least she was convincing herself that she's not. But after losing the only family she had, Deena had grown lonely and desperate for someone to care about her and love her as much as her mother did. That's why she went through her mother's things. She trashed her mother's room, the kitchen, the attic, even her own room in the process. She didn't know what she was searching for until she discovered the letter.

It was meant to be given on her 18th birthday, a couple of months early.

But now that she was here, she didn't feel as pumped as before. Maybe she should've thought a bit longer on the idea before hopping on the next plane to New Orleans? Maybe she was getting too ahead of herself? Maybe this wasn't the right thing for her to do?

Davina grabbed Deena just as she was about to cross the street and tugged on her arm so that she was facing her. "Just breathe." She attempted to calm her down.

Deena rolled her eyes. "I am breathing."

"No, you're not. You look like you're about to pass out." Despite her annoyance, Deena forced herself to calm down. Once seeing she had, Davina narrowed her gaze before speaking. "I have no words to comfort you. Hell, I can't even comfort myself, but I can tell you, that you will regret not meeting him and him not knowing you. You have a chance that many kids don't have; I don't even know whether my dad is alive or not, but you do. And you should take it."

"I feel like I'm gonna ruin his life." Deena admitted.

Davina scoffed with a dragged 'please'.

"I'm serious. How would you feel living a life of your own for however many years and suddenly a seventeen-year-old kid comes knocking at your front door claiming to be your daughter? I would close the door in her face and continue my show!"

"If I was Klaus Mikaelson, I would be pretty damn blessed to have a kid with my blood in their veins at my doorstep. You never know."

"He must be a pretty famous man the way you speak of him."

She shrugged. "You can say that. But look," She took hold of Deena's hand. "Go meet him. Let him know who you are. And if you regret it, you can take the first plane back to Le..."

"Le Havre," she completed.

"Right. Le Havre. And I will be right here supporting you."

Davina was right. At least she had a chance to get to know her father while many don't and she shouldn't let the opportunity pass by. She sucked in a deep breath and began making her way to the white doors, but just as soon as she took her first step, she was stopped by Davina's stretched arm hitting her chest. She appeared focused, waiting for something to come.

She pushed away Davina's arm from deep within her chest, but she stopped her again.

Deena rolled her eyes with a huff. "You give me some go-for-it-speech and now you don't want me to seize the moment while I'm ready?"

"Something isn't right," Davina eased out with worry.

Deena would've guessed the brunette was another spiderman from an alternate universe the way she peered around her surroundings like a guard dog. Or spidey senses, she'd call it. She didn't see nor feel what Davina was and there was no one within their proximity when glancing around to catch what she caught, so she wasn't sure what had her on edge.

"You are right," Both girls jumped at the deep voice of a brown-skinned woman who spoke with a slight thick accent. She wore a green tank-top with dark blue jeans and she had to be around thirty years old, and she was looking at Deena as she came forward. "Something isn't right."

Despite the weird look, at least Deena knew she wasn't a stranger judging by Davina's calm expression and her tensed shoulders releasing.

She removed her arm from Deena's chest with a sigh. "Zoeè? What are you doing on this side of town?"

"I could ask you the same, harvest girl?"

Davina doesn't respond.

"I sensed someone—" Her brown eyes flickered to Deena. "—special entered the city and came runnin' soon as I could. And now that the cloaking spell has worn off and the prophecy is clear, all that I need to seal the deal is standing right in front of me."

Davina stepped in front of Deena in a protective manner once putting together two and two. "I don't know what this is about but let's not do it here. You and I both aren’t safe in this area—" merely glancing back. "—and she has nothing to do with this. This is between me and you."

Deena was clearly confused. "I'm sorry but who is this?"

"Don't matter who I am. What matters is what you gone do to our kind once the Mikaelsons find out you're alive."

Whatever happened, happen so fast that Deena was unable to process absolutely nothing. After Davina screamed out, she pushed her back and lifted her hands in a wizard-like manner before she was thrown against the building wall with no effort.

Deena followed the invisible force to the woman, Zoeè who's smiling back at her and scattered away. She would have ran after Davina, but her first instinct was to get herself to safety first and take a moment to digest what the hell just happened.

"Solem," With a flick of a wrist, Deena failed to cross the road before she found darkness and the cold ground.

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐊 𝐘𝐎𝐔

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆

If you like what you read and wish to read more of this fic, you can read here

[tumblingxelian]

Honest question, what do you think a well-written "Jason lives" story would look like?

Like, if Death in the Family still happened, but Bruce saved Jason before it was too late, then odds are there would still be consequences resulting from how BADLY the Joker brutalized him.

Hmm, OK so with your starting premise and utilizing my knowledge of comics to come but also the fact that if Jason lived then certain ideas and plots would be nixed... While all still colored from my perspective, here is my general take:

So, first, rather than Bruce saving Jason I'd say Jason actually manages to save himself, either because he released his mother or managed to half talk her through disarming the bomb.

I know the original splash page has Bruce pulling him from the rubble but that makes zero sense even by comics standards, he and Sheila should be charred corpses.

So, the bomb is disarmed or they managed to get out cos he released Sheila and Bruce arrives to whisk Jason away to medical treatment with Sheila keeping his head above water.

The exact next sequence is harder to make sense of at first, but here's the thing. The original comic could let Joker get away with learning who Jason was behind the mask because he 'died' soon after and then 'came back'. He also initially mistook Tim for Jason. So, given his state of mind it can be... Tacitly tolerated that he never deduced or used Bruce's identity.

Here, that's a bigger issue and so I will say that to keep the tracks covered as much as they can...

Sheila is kept in custody because while Bruce is furious with her, she did keep Jason alive & separating them seems like a bad idea, though she is to be closely watched by Leslie & Alfred.

Unfortunately, the intel she gave him on Joker's plan was slightly false and she used her time to slip away to go after the clown herself, intent on a redemption arc.

There's messages, misunderstandings, truths revealed and another arrest that doesn't last, before Joker is once again in a helicopter trying to escape but this time with Sheila who shoots him, but he shoots her back as he lays dying and the helicopter crashes.

They cannot find Joker's body but Sheila stayed above long enough to die later, musing on where her life led her, the importance of getting a chance to do something, and that Jason is a real good kid, better than she or Bruce deserve.

This is deeply tragic, mostly conceptually and philosophically, but still.

This is enough to make Bruce sort of ease up on Jason, but at the expense of becoming more overprotective in general. Which is hard to argue with as Jason is doing physical therapy and Dick has a broken leg.

So the drama for the ensuing period is Bruce trying to bench key allies and family ETC, so he can keep them safe while still running himself more ragged, but not quite as terribly as his suicidal spiral in canon.

He also has ideas on sending Jason to a semi boarding school to try and keep him out of super heroics. If he succeeds, this plan will still fail and likely ends up forming the nexus of Jason's own mini team with Eddie and Rose. But also would fail to keep him out of Gotham sufficiently. Still he may be at Brentwood some of the time so one can justify solo Batman stories & some more school time adventures for Jason.

But before all that happens, we have a new player in the field.

The Spoiler!!!

That's right, into the arena is the one, the only Stephanie Brown. She's here to spill the tea and kill her dad, and maybe protect her community on the side.

Best part?

Bruce either does not know who she is at first, or has zero jurisdiction over her and can't gain any without revealing his identity or attacking a teenager for trying to help and she is slippery regardless.

Basically, one of the people who helps crowbar Bruce back into tolerating help is Stephanie basically keeping her original give no fucks about Batman attitude and doing her own thing.

Their relationship is likely a bit contentious and back and forth, far more hands off, not quite mentoring, but also less outright toxic than canon.

She & Jason probably have a thing and bond over some shared and different history stuff, but I don't see it being the mainstay relationship.

Young Justice is likely found eventually under similar circumstances, though Stephanie likely gets to be a member this time, as do Eddie & Rose.

I think the team would be less, Kon, Kid Flash & Robin and more like a cycling mass of active or present members, dealing with an overseer.

Basically a comic series to throw lots of different personalities power sets and problems together and see what dynamics emerge as popular.

After that, less sure.

My ideal is Jason goes to university or maybe has to stay with Young Justice or some other area full time and adopts his own hero persona while Steph gets a run as Robin alongside Cassandra as Batgirl.

Otherwise most major storylines, save one's reliant on Jason being dead, still happen. Steph likely has a less horrible time as Spoiler, but is also maybe always and forever more overtly on the outs so she might not get Robin as she might not want it. (Though maybe during No Man's Land...)

See what I mean about the plot drift?

War Games may still happen but probably with a very different, though not inherently better cos Bruce's plan was dumb, resolution.

Also Joker does return, sadly, and there's always likely a hovering question as to whether he knows the truth of their identities but its never confirmed, or isn't until he dies again.

[randomfoggytiger]

Collector's Edition: Cars and Conversations (Part I)

Mulder and Scully have traveled a lot a lot a lot during their years in the basement-- surely, they had pretty cool conversations on the road?

Loose chronological order below~

@wexleresque/hellsteeth's

stars

As he climbs into the passenger seat of his father’s Lincoln, Fox yawns. The dashboard clock reads 5:03 AM and the smug tilt of his mother’s lips suggests that the early hour is the result of considerable negotiation. The tires crunch on the driveway and his mother waves at him absentmindedly from the porch as they depart. She doesn’t make a habit of smiling, but in the dark, Fox thinks something close might be on her face.

The drive is quiet this morning, save for the news on the radio and the whistle of the wind through the cracked window. Sunflower seeds sail over the glass and Fox takes a few out of the bag, chewing on them for something to do.

“How’s work, Dad?” he asks as they pass Fall River.

 Young Mulder is tossed back and forth by his begrudging parents.

the fbi basement bulletin board - Chapter 5 (Tumblr)

“Hm. Well you probably don’t need a medical professional to tell you this, but if you keep moving it around, it’s going to take longer to heal. You need to rest it.”

“Noted, doc. And you just missed the turn, by the way.”

S1 Mulder is bad at directions-- especially with a sprained wrist.

Local Radio (Tumblr)

Driving out to a little town in Indiana hadn't been in the original plan, but the business of Memorial Day weekend had removed flying as an option. They needed to reach their destination within 24 hours. So here they were, en route to another place that didn't even warrant a dot on the map (you've seen one, you've seen them all, he sometimes thought to himself).

Mulder is amused at a crazy radio station (and at Scully's reaction.)

Christine Leigh's (Alt. Ao3) Maybe?

"Okay, here we are." Maggie said this as she pulled off the highway and onto the road that would take them into Democrat Hot Springs. She was surprised that there wasn't more traffic. This town, if she remembered right, was supposed to be some sort of a resort area. Five more minutes, and they were in the parking lot looking up at the familiar sight of the neon arches, and that's all that mattered. 

Captain Scully is back from deployment; and Maggie senses something is off with her youngest daughter.

@thatfragilecapricorn30's (Ao3) Tell Me You Love Me - Chapter 1

“How do you know where I live?” he asked.

Scully’s cheeks reddened; she was hoping he wouldn’t notice or find her actions inappropriate. “It was, uh, it was in your personnel file. I wrote down your address after you called me at home after the last case. I figured I may need it at some point.”

Mulder smiled. “Just trying to see if you’ve been spying on me.”

Post Deep Throat Scully can't shed her keyed-up nerves after driving Mulder back home.

@scullywolf's (Ao3)

Eve

Her eyes narrowed. “How far up north?”

“California’s a big state, Scully.”

“I’m aware of that. How far?”

He decided there was probably something very interesting over in the corner that merited staring at while he answered. “About 300 miles. Give or take.”

Eve Mulder sheepishly wakes Scully.  

Red Museum

Sure, the old man wasn’t a member of the church, and similarities between him and Brother Andrew were all but nonexistent, but the cryptic “There’s something I’d like to show you,” with no further explanation, was enough to set her mental warning bells chiming. She was a grown woman, with a gun, but that didn’t mean she loved the idea of jumping into some random stranger’s truck after only the briefest of exchanges. Mulder joined her at the truck’s window, an unspoken question on his face.

Red Museum Scully communicates her anxieties to Mulder without a word.

Demons

The car company rep agreed to come and pick her up, and she sat down on the curb for only a minute or so before getting up again to pace off her nervous energy. A hundred horrible scenarios played themselves out in her head; at least ninety of them involved Mulder getting into car wrecks of varying degrees of seriousness. In order to keep herself from panicking, she tried to focus on the task at hand, which only made her angry that she was even in her current position in the first place.

Demons Scully has to call in a new rental car.

Drive

“All I’m saying,” she said pointedly, “is that it could be worse. We could be crammed in a room right now with a bunch of other agents, and instead we’re at least driving around through what you have to admit is some fairly scenic farmland.”

Mulder spared a moment to mourn their lost office. 

Drive Scully appreciates being out in the field with Mulder again.

Dreamland II

"...Mulder, I’m not proud of how long it took me to realize what was going on. I was about ready to drag you in for an MRI. Some sort of delayed-effect brain trauma from your trip out to the Queen Anne was the only thing I could think of to account for your dramatic change in behavior. Only it wasn’t you at all–”

“Well, you believe it now, and that’s all that matters. Now how do we fix things?”

Dreamland II Mulder and Scully catch up before heading back into the fray.

@cactustree's (Ao3) Fast Times and Slow Drives

She startles when she feels a warm hand on top of hers, and her eyes snap open as though jolted by an electric shock. She looks over to find Mulder studying her, his eyes darkened with concern.

“Watch the road, Mulder,” she murmurs, pulling her hand away from his.

“What’s wrong, Scully?”

Post Genderbender Mulder banters away Scully's apology with facts.

@h0ldthiscat's (Ao3, Alt. Ao3)

Survivor

She swats him away with one of her small hands when he touches her head and helps her into the car, but the look she shoots him lacks her usual antagonism, and the purse of her lips doesn't quite convince him that she's annoyed.

"Do you want another one of these before we hit the road?" He shakes a half-empty bottle of Gatorade at her as he slides behind the wheel, but she shakes her head once, firmly, and presses her lips together in a thin line, making them even whiter than they are.

Post Darkness Falls Mulder drives them home.

7. things you said while we were driving

She shoves the sunshade back up and clears her throat. “Can we go?”

He notices for the first time that her eyes are wet, that her chin is quivering despite her best attempts to control it. Remorse and guilt wash over him as he remembers an offhand comment from earlier in the week that explains her makeup, her nicer-than-usual suit, the set of her jaw. 

Post Never Again Mulder's remorse soothes Scully's feelings.

Can I ask for a fic tonight? :)

“Was the drive okay?” she asks.

Mulder jerks his head back to the still open door and says, “Ask your son, he drove.”

William appears in the doorway, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, tawny hair in his eyes. “It was fine, Mom.”

“Good,” she says, shooting daggers at Mulder with her eyes, daggers that say she can’t believe he let their son drive in a snowstorm....

AU-- Revival era Scully is not pleased Mulder let college age William drive back in a snowstorm.

@crossedbeams’s (Ao3) I-Spy

‘I love this song!’ I explain, whizzing the twizzler I have pilfered from Mulder’s junk food haul around in some vaguely rhythmic pattern. I love music I just lack the skill set to express that love very elegantly.

Mulder chuckles at my enthusiasm and cranks up the volume, ‘I never would have had you pegged as a Clapton fan’.

S1 Scully tells Mulder about her family road trips.

@slippinmickeys's (Ao3, Gossamer)

Prompt Drabble Collection - Chapter 25 (Tumblr)

The thing was, it was next to impossible to see out the windshield. 

Scully loved thunderstorms. Having spent a large portion of her youth in San Diego, they were still a novelty, even after years on other, more weather-prone bases and college campuses, and if she'd been home, she would have pulled up a chair next to her window and curled up there with a mug of tea, watching the light play in the sky and the water ping sharply against the glass. 

However, as a driver she was cautious, and with Mulder, well, she had a reputation to uphold: He was the engine. She was the brake. 

S1 Scully drives through a storm, donuts and a dozing partner included.

@brownies-and-tea/browniesandtea's Collect Call

“Mulder, it’s too late.” Scully sighed and leaned against the rain-streaked window of the car.

"I can't believe you're thinking fondly of that awful motel."

"I'm thinking fondly of a decent night's sleep." she stretched across the passenger seat.

S1 Mulder pursues a lead with Scully, from car to phone booth.

Ten's Learning to Breath (1/2)

In the elevator the women leaned him against one of the walls and kept talking to him, worried that otherwise he would go back to sleep and start sliding to the floor. Dana asked him questions, like his name and address, to keep him alert. She was relieved when she received the correct answers.

They got him into the backseat of Maggie's car, careful not to bump his head. Dana immediately raced around the car and got in the back herself. She fastened his seatbelt and watched as he leaned back against the headrest. He was asleep again before Maggie turned the key in the ignition.

AU-- Post One Breath Scully, Maggie, and Melissa are shocked at the state of Mulder's apartment.

J. C. Sun's Car Ride

My partner is next to me, as he always is, but for the first time in months, he's wearing his glasses. They make him look like an owl: a giant, somber six-foot owl perched in the driver's side seat. However, I doubt any owl has ever rolled his shirtsleeves up to the elbow and cradled a book in his lap, or chased the paranormal for a living. Nor do I think any owl has ever looked quite like him: the slightly twisted nose, the clear hazel eyes and the annoying, annoying little lock that, even now, droops across his forehead. It takes a wrench of will to resist the urge to reach out and to smooth it into place.

Post Firewalker Scully is bonded to Mulder now.

@seek-its-opposite/seek_its_opposite's

transient luminous events

He is still just standing there, the sleeves on the turtleneck he didn’t need to wear pushed up at the elbows. She is suddenly, vividly aware of the car, of the hot metal and the smell of rubber in stagnant humidity. Duane Barry’s trunk smelled like a spare tire. Her mouth goes cloth-gag dry.

“Can we?” she asks. She waves her hand at the road ahead and wonders how she’s so sure of this: He’d have known what she was asking even if she hadn’t.

“Sure,” Mulder nods. He looks relieved. He grabs their flashlights from the glove compartment and hands her one, and the flood of Pfaster’s headlights behind her eyes softens and clarifies into two beams that will never outrun her. And they walk.

Post Irresistible Scully confronts Mulder on his bubble-wrap method of protection.

if you weren't so

She tilts her chin up at him, at the usual angle, and finds that the geometry between them is the same.

“I need to talk to you,” she says. “Something’s happened.”

Behind him, his not-wife drags a recliner over the threshold in reverse, yelling at the houses that all look like hers.

“I have to talk to you alone.”

She says “alone” like she always says it and wonders if she meant to do that. There are days when she’s sure she could leave him in the dirt and still wind up in a room with him at the end of the world. As they slip behind the truck, she's gripped by the idea that to Joanne Fletcher, she is the woman Mulder shouldn’t be with.

AU-- Dreamland II Mulder and Scully try to find a way back to each other.

theramblinrose's Irresistible - Chapter 5/Chapter 6

“I didn’t know when I’d hear from you,” Mulder said.

“I’m at the airport,” Scully said. “I’ve got a car. I’m driving in. I just wanted to call before I left.”

“Anything wrong?” Mulder asked.

“No,” Scully said. “Honestly—everything’s feeling pretty right, Mulder.”

AU-- Irresistible Mulder and Scully are juggling their new relationship, a surprise pregnancy, and the fallout from the nefarious Pfaster.

eponine119's Same Old Fight

-Turn it back, he'd insisted, his knuckles white on the steering wheel with the effort of keeping the car on the narrow twisting road, This is making me jumpy.

-I don't know why I let you drive.

-You didn't have any choice.

-Mulder, pull over and let me drive.

-No.

S2 Mulder rescues Scully after their blowout fight almost ends with an explosive conclusion.

Sneakers/sneakers's

Walter Skinner's 'From Left Field

"But I don't see why Skinner should care about the book. It didn't mention *him*, and it didn't even use our names." Scully stood in front of the bookcase, scanning the shelves. "We didn't divulge anything classified; I'm sure the reading public thinks the whole think is a joke."

"But they had the nerve to claim I ate *twelve* piece of sweet potato pie!"

She pulled the book down. "Skinner's going to complain about your eating habits?"

"But I *hate* sweet potato pie, Scully. You know that, remember? I turned green at the gills last Thanksgiving, when your sister-in-law offered me some."

Post Jose Chung's From Outer Space Skinner has his thoughts on the book.

Sweet Home D.C.

"But the reception . . ." She looked out the window at the 1 AM darkness. "I think we both need to get some sleep. Turn the radio back on if you want to."

He did.

<< . . . Sweet home, Alabama . . . where skies are so blue . . . sweet home, Alabama . . . Lord, I'm coming home to you . . .>>

"That guy's got something wrong with his head, Scully."

Mulder and Scully, switching songs and swapping gum.

Evil_Little_Dog's

Cassadaga Bound

Dana squinted out the car window. "I don't think there's enough room in this town for all the witches, or demons, or devils in Florida, let alone the world."

S3 Mulder detours he and Scully to a fortune teller's.

Travelogue

“We’re not lost.” Mulder shot her a look then turned back to the road, correcting for the drift. “We’re directionally challenged.”

Making a guttural noise deep in her throat, Scully glanced out the window.

Mulder, the car, and a ditch.

@sunlightscully's (XF Writing Challenge - Food)

They have perfected the art of car eating. The driver orders and pays and hands the greasy bag over to be unpacked. The passenger unwraps the driver’s burger. They share fries.

When he pays she asks for the bare minimum and nothing too expensive. He orders extra large milkshakes and pretends he doesn’t see her stealing sips. They compensate for each other. Ketchup has not been spilled in years.

Mulder realizes he loves Scully.

Starbuck's (FFN) Wake Me When We Get There

"Shouldn't be much longer, Scully."

She made no acknowledgment, lying her head upon the seat once again. He continued driving as she drifted in and out of consciousness. White line. White line. Yellow line.

"Wake me when we get there, Mulder."

Mulder keeps the volume down so his partner can sleep on the long drive home.

@wtfmulder/@momdadimpoppunk's (Ao3) drabble; pay no mind

Scully paces around the car, branches and leaves snapping quietly under her weight. But she’s not angry, not at all, or nervous. She occasionally bends down to steal a sunflower seed from him and pauses to crack it before continuing her little loops.

Mulder and Scully find their own ways to entertain themselves when the rental car breaks down.

@incidental-ao3/incidental's Febuwhump 2023: The Truth is Out There (And the Fic is In Here) - Chapter 18

“No, Mulder, I should be keeping you awake, you’re the driver.”

“But I am awake,” he argued reasonably. “So there’s no reason for you to torture yourself when you could catch another few hours’ rest.”

“Don’t be dramatic, it’s not torture,” she scoffed. He smirked.

“Could’ve fooled me,” he said. She scowled sleepily.

Scully tries not to fall asleep, and Mulder ruminates on life before lights.

@mulderbabe77's Taco Stands and Regrets

He pushed down a little harder on the gas pedal.

“Are you gonna throw up?” He gulped, hoping to hear a no.

“Nope,” she answered and for a moment he almost sighed with relief. “The other thing, I think,” she finished, grimaced again and held a hand to her cramping stomach.

“I’m on it!” He sped the car up a little more.

Ten minutes later they could see the exit just ahead. Mulder was shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Mulder and Scully both get food poisoning while on the road.

@hamster-on-fire/fade_into_the_dusk_with_me’s For The Sake Of Driving (Ao3)

They’d do this sometimes. Drive. They were always driving, it seemed. But when it was dark like this & he was scared like this, or tired like this, or just utterly numb like this, it was different. The curve of the road up ahead could feel like a whole conversation; the silence, an opening, & they’d both sit there, like staring at a sterile wound.

Mulder and Scully help each other decompress on long, long car drives late into the night.

Timemeantnothing's On the road again

“We helped keep the Germans from getting Thor’s Hammer.”

“Mhmm,” Scully hummed, turning the corner.

“It was Einstein, Scully. We protected Albert Einstein.”

“That was very good of us to do.”

Mulder and Scully, driving: hot ladies, aliens, cheek kisses, Triangle rambles, and Millennium contentedness.

Thank you for reading~

Enjoy!

**Note**: I am a "separate the art from the artist" person through-and-through; but my lists will no longer be featuring writers that have blocked me-- tooooooo much drama has been kicked up over that issue.

[northoftheroad]

I know I just gave you an ask and you must be super busy, but what do you think abt Dickory vs Dickbabs?? Personally, I think Dickory is way better but in Tom Taylor’s run and the current runs, Dickbabs is the main ship. Anyways, I just wanted your opinion on it :D

Also thoughts on Tom Taylor’s run? I thought about it and I kinda have mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s great for fanservice and has some super cute and funny moments. On the other hand, the characters and their relationships are kinda one dimensional. Thoughts?? Take your time and thanks if you answer! <3

Hi, As I've said before (and I'm going to quote myself from older posts here quite a lot, if you happen to come across them 😉 ), I'm fine with both pairings as long as it's well written. I guess a lot of fans lean towards preferring what they grew up with and such like. I'm old enough to have started reading Batman when the idea of another Robin than Dick Grayson was ludicrous, and read the NTT in my slightly older teens. So I definitely have a nostalgic feeling for Dick/Kory.

I think they worked well because they were so different; they each learned from the other and grew as people. Being with Kory helped Dick become more emotionally open after some ten years of growing up with Bruce and Alfred. In NTT # 26, he talks about how he is too introspective and that Batman taught him to be guided by his head, not his heart. And in turn, I'd say Kory learned not always to be ruled by her emotions, and Dick helped to ground her on Earth. They had their fair share of problems, one obstacle was their different approach to relationships and sex. While Starfire is fine with being married to another guy, for reasons of state, but live with Dick, it takes Dick quite some time to come to terms with that he loves Kory enough to get over that. Dick and Kory were one of the most stable and loving couples in DC for over ten years. Now, in superhero comics, writers and/or editoral make the rules. There were plans to let them get married, but as far as I remember a change of editorial led to that being scrapped. We got Dick being raped by Mirage instead, and eventually, the couple split up. Disregarding that, I think you could very well see them growing apart. They were young when they started dating. I guess they were a couple for two-three years? At that age, it's not unreasonable to think they developed in ways that made them decide to go their separate ways.

If Dick and Kory were good because they were poles apart, I'd say Dick and Barbara are more alike. They have both worked with Batman; they are originally street-level detectives and athletes; they are used to work in similar ways. I could see them as a slightly more mature couple than Dick and Kory, being more in sync and relaxed with each other because they have similar backgrounds and shared experiences. (Which, of course, could make them a more boring couple in fiction…) I'm not a fan of the retcon that they've been friends since school, but they did work occasionally together as youngsters, so it can still make sense to write them as really good friends, imo. I honestly think Dick and Kory have been written as a good couple more than Dick and Barbara. Maybe things had been different if Devin Grayson had got the chance to tie up her long arc with Dick in Nightwing vol 2. Not that I think her run was without its problems, but it would presumably have been better if she had got the opportunity to finish what she started. The ending (or rather the absence of a decent ending) of her run, and the fact that the first Nightwing stories after Infinite Crisis were downright cringeworthy, has soured my impression of her writing of Dick/Babs. So I guess editorial decisions have ruined both Dick's most important relationships…?

I don't know if you're new to the debate about Dick/Kory vs. Dick/Barbara? Because it's sometimes a heated discussion, with people claiming he doesn't deserve either of them, he mistreated one or the other etc.

(Here's what Barbara herself had to say about Dick, by the way. In Birds of Prey # 71. By Gail Simone, art Ron Adrian and Rob Lea.)

I can definitely work myself up too much about fictional characters myself, but there are a few things I try to keep in mind… Fictional characters have no agency. Creators and editoral use them to tell stories (and sell stuff…). Don't get angry at fictional characters or, even worse, real people who love them. Also, reading comics is a lot about filling in the blanks between panels, and different readers can put a book down with very different pictures of what has happened. You can absolutely find examples where Dick has been written as behaving badly against both of them. Sometimes, it's a reasonable part of the writer's long game, sometimes it actually is bad and out-of-character writing. (And if you look, you can find examples where the women have been written as behaving badly against Dick too.)

Honestly, the most important thing for me when it comes to Dick and relationships is that he takes them very seriously indeed. Dick has not had a lot of one-night stands and is on record as saying he's not comfortable with casual sex. When he had one with Helena/Huntress, he wanted to talk about starting a relationship just because of that. When he (fake) married a girl to try to expose her as a murderer, he still avoided to sleep with her, and then he offered to stay with her when the case was closed, because he felt bad for deceiving her. Outside the blasted annual, I don't know of any time he was written as (knowingly) having sex with someone while he's in a relationship with another. Girls tend to break up with him, not the other way around. I'm sure other people have different ideas, and it can vary between writers and eras, but I think you can read Dick as someone who likes to be in a relationship, to be intimate with someone – but who's not into casual sex.

When it comes to Tom Taylor's run, I pretty much agree with you. I don't hate it, as some people seem to do, but I think the art has been the best part. It's mostly been pretty meh, TT has at several times spoken about how Nightwing is an A-lister among DC superheroes, but I don't think he shows it. And here and there he produces some really nice panels/pages (sometimes it's up to debate whether the characters are out of character or not). We're heading towards the end of his and Bruno Redondon's run and they've hinted he's going to stop being Nightwing. As if we need a third period of Dick not being Nightwing in ten years… 🙄 The best writer of Nightwing vol 4 was Sam Humphries, in my opinion. Unfortunately, it was very short.

Ok, this post has definitely gone on long enough... but if you want to go deeper into the rabbit hole, here are some earlier posts.

[snowyh2o]

Anyone else notice how after Alastor introduces himself to Adam, Adam makes a comment on his voice and then somehow immediately makes the leap in logic that Alastor likes or is connected to jazz?

Like, all Alastor said was his name, and while we the audience know he likes jazz, nothing about his name should clue Adam in on that information.

Even if Adam recognized the name Alastor as the Radio Demon’s (considering he did recognize Angel’s name lol), I doubt the rest of hell would know about Alastor’s music preferences. Which would be where Adam should be getting his information from if it’s just General Knowledge about the popular figures in Hell.

Adam also knows Alastor’s connected to radio, which isn’t really obvious considering Alastor’s character design doesn’t lend much to the radio aesthetic aside from the filter on his voice and the transatlantic accent he uses. And none of the powers he was using during the fight were even radio related.

Which leads me to suspect: Adam has never met Alastor before, BUT he’s heard of him from someone else. Someone who knows enough about Alastor that they told Adam about his music preferences, his connection to radio, etc.

And another thing, Adam had every chance to finish Alastor off while he was panicking/recovering from the first hit. Adam would’ve had all the time in the world to kill him if he wanted. Which, I don’t think Adam did since he literally watches Alastor retreat into the shadows and lets him go. (<- I originally thought Adam didn’t deal a killing blow on his first hit on purpose, because he totally could’ve, but rewatching the clip slow-mo I noticed that Alastor actually notices Adam’s attack and tries to dodge, he leans backwards right before Adam’s attack hits. This supports Alastor’s song bit about escaping death by a hair, if he hadn’t leaned back when he did, there’s a good chance he’d have actually died.)

(Not to mention the suspicious lack of angelic weaponry when Alastor confronted Adam, though jury’s out on if that particular happening was due to arrogance, stupidity, or some unknown plan he had up his sleeves which evidently failed.)

I’m not really a subscriber to any theories on who Alastor has made a deal with, BUT the evidence here, the connection between Adam and Alastor, only points to one other character right now.

We know Lilith made a deal with Adam. We know that Alastor disappeared around the same time she did. We know Adam has never met Alastor in person before, but there’s strong evidence to suggest he’s heard about Alastor from someone who knew him well. We see Alastor choose to not bring any angelic weapons into his fight with Adam, and Adam in turn choose to not follow or kill Alastor when he’s distracted and lets him escape.

I think this points towards both Alastor and Adam being aware on some level of each other’s connection to Lilith, and then independently deciding that they won’t kill the other because of said connection. And I say independently because while Adam lets Alastor escape, Alastor’s reaction to his near death experience is genuine— he fully believed that Adam would’ve killed him if he hadn’t run.

There’s some holes in this idea that I’ll point out here:

Firstly, Adam was gunning to kill Alastor. Alastor only lives that first attack by leaning back just as he got hit. Adam suddenly deciding to let Alastor go could also be his way of mocking Alastor. Because the guy talked big but then ends up running away, and I think Adam’s the kind of guy who’d find that funny. (His little “Bye bitch!” And wave while leaning on his axe guitar)

Alastor not bringing an angelic weapon to the fight can be, as stated earlier, for a multitude of reasons. He’s under orders not to kill Adam, he decides he shouldn’t kill Adam, he thought he could kill Adam with his own hands, the plan wasn’t to kill Adam but to keep him distracted, etc.

The Lilith Knows things about Alastor and then telling that stuff to Adam implies that Lilith would’ve had to have known Alastor long before they went missing 7 years ago. Or specifically, that 7 years ago Alastor didn’t disappear due to a deal he’d just made, but potentially one he made ages ago. This also implies that Lilith and Adam could hold a cordial conversation long enough for Lilith to mention details about the people she knows without the two of them clawing at each other’s throats.

The implication that it has to be Lilith who passed the information onto Adam. Technically, it’s possible that any of the big contender’s (Roo, Eve, Lilith) could’ve passed the information onto Adam, Lilith is just the most likely candidate given what we know. We know that Adam personally attends every extermination, that’s ample opportunity to confront him for a chat. Probably how Lilith got her deal with Adam in the first place.

This entire theory hinges on it being very odd for Adam to make the leap from “radio voice” to “liking jazz” in the time it takes for Alastor to introduce himself.

[hornsbeforehalos]

Anytime, Sweetheart (Remastered)-Part Three

Pairing: JDM x OFC (RPF)SERIES WARNINGS: (not specific to each chapter): violence, implied sexual assault, drug use, drinking, smut, murder, cursing, age-gap relationships, power dynamics, angst, slight slow burn, cheating... will update warnings as needed. AUTHOR'S NOTE: this is a rewrite! I originally wrote this, which can still be found in my master list, years and years ago and finally have decided to spruce it up a bit. This will be in third person POV and updated to be less... cringy as the original. Please let me know if you would like to be tagged. I haven't written anything serious in years so this is me dipping my toes back in :) Face credit for OC is Taylor Momsen :) Tag List: @coffee-obsessed-writer @kazosa @lovealways-j @lovetusk @sorenmarie87 @smoothdogsgirl

Kylin spent the next four weeks in Austin. The first week, she barely left her bed, and barely ate. The second week, after most of the bruises had healed and only a minor scar remained above her right eyebrow, she ventured into the living room and out into the backyard. The third week, she had been so grateful that no one had brought up what happened, that she began to talk again. By the fourth week she felt almost better and decided that it was time for her to go back to Dallas. Jensen had insisted that she could stay, of course, but he also understood her need to move on and get past what had been the last three years of her life. He lent her enough money to find a new loft in one of the sub cities in the metroplex, and by the end of the second month, she had gone back to bartending. She had been in the industry before Anthony had stopped her from working, and the job came naturally to her. She was only working for the gentleman’s club for two months when she was given the promotion to bar manager. Her life was actually somewhat normal, and she felt her start to become a version of her old self again.

“Kylin, hun, I need your help tonight,” John, one of the floor managers, asked with his hands formed in a steeple before him. He was a large man with muscles on top of muscles, who was constantly sweating,  and looked absolutely ridiculous begging her for anything. 

“I’m not dancing again, John, stop asking,” Kylin smirked as she scraped the barcode off another empty bottle before she threw it in the trash.

“What? No. Not that. Well, that would actually help, too…Nevermind, stop distracting me, “ He grinned, walking around the edge of the bar.

“Then what? Kinda busy here, babe.” She replied with a sigh as another ticket appeared from the printer. She started working on the order as she waited for John to continue.

“Lucy called in sick, and there’s supposed to be this huge group of people tonight. Apparently there’s a comic convention or something in town and a few of the celebrities chose here to after party.” John stated as he wiped the never-ending downpour of sweat from his brow, “They literally rented out the entire VIP section.” 

“Okay, so? Don’t give yourself a stroke, big man. I’ll handle it.” Kylin replied with rolled eyes. She gathered the other bartenders and together they came up with a game plan. John stood back with an obvious relieved look on his face. The poor man was constantly a nervous wreck. 

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The managers had banned together to rearrange the VIP section for more privacy for the special guests while Kylin worked at cleaning and stocking the bar for the interesting night ahead of them. By the time the guests had arrived, though, the wait staff was running around like decapitated chickens and the floor bosses were doing what they could to put out the fires in their wake. John was helping Kylin behind the bar at the same time as attempting to run drinks for Andrea, another one of the bartenders, and was honestly doing more harm than good after his third broken bottle of Scotch.

“God fucking damnit, John. Get from behind my bar! Go find me a real damn barback!” Kylin screamed as she pushed him out from the area with a huff. He quickly ran and hid at Andrea’s well area. He knew better than to be in Kylin’s way when she was overwhelmed. 

“Fucking hell, I thought that was you.” Came a deep, rough chuckle from the other side of the bar. Kylin’s skin prickled instantly, recognizing the voice. 

She turned slowly around to see the handsome man leaning over with his arms crossed on the bar top, empty glass in front of him. He was wearing a worn leather jacket, black tee, and his thick rimmed glasses. A smirk played on his lips as his eyes danced over her. Her uniform of a small black tank top and itty bitty shorts left little to the imagination. 

She gave a cringey smile of embarrassment and scratched the top of her head, “Err, Hey, Jeff. Uh, sorry about that.” 

“Ha! Hon, that was adorable. You made him run away like a baby!” He barked out a laugh as she walked over to where he was to refill his glass. 

“Still drinking whiskey?” She asked, changing the subject.

“Yup. Get yourself one too, while you're at it.” 

“Thanks, I need it.” She smiled and pulled out a shot glass for herself.

As she filled the glasses, her favorite dancer, Cali, threw herself onto one of the barstools towards the end of the bar. Kylin turned her attention to her after taking the shot. The pretty blonde sighed in exhaustion and laid her head on her arm draped across the bar top. “This place is ridiculous tonight, how is your bar so empty?”

“Pssh, It’s not. You see this printer? Hasn’t stopped.” Kylin nodded in the direction of the computer as the next three receipts emerged. 

Kylin made the orders and dropped them at the well as the waitresses lined up to grab them. She had almost gotten completely caught up when she heard Cali shriek.

“Holy crap, you’re Negan!” 

“Why, yes mam, I am,” was Jeffrey’s reply, and Kylin instantly winced as she faced them. 

“Christ, Cal, reel it in a bit.” Kylin glared as she watched the younger woman make her way over to where Jeff was sitting.

“Holy fucking shit,” Cali said, ignoring her completely as she perched herself on the stool next to the man, “How are you doing tonight, sir?”

“Doing good, how about yourself?” He replied, an amused smirk on his face. He proceeded to entertain her for a few minutes as Kylin got back to work. The constant flow of tickets distracted her until she heard Cali’s high voice pitchup again.

“Kylin! You didn’t tell me you know famous people!” She screeched, leaning over the bar on her elbows with her knees in the stool.

“I know famous people, I guess?” Kylin shrugged, which made Jeff laugh. Kylin refilled Jeffrey’s glass again and gave Cali a redbull. 

“Can I get some vodka in this?” The girl mumbled while she poked a straw through the tab. Kylin glared at her with her hand on her hip. 

“Whatever,” Cali replied as she leaped from the seat and turned to Jeff, an innocent look on her face, “Wanna get some dances?”

“Not tonight dear, sorry,” Jeff replied with a shake of his head, secretly earning him an internal sigh of relief from Kylin. He pulled out a few twenties from his jacket pocket and handed them to her. She smiled widely and looked to Ky, then back to Jeff, then back to Ky again and wiggled her eyebrows with a wink. Kylin replied with a roll of her eyes and went back to work.

Jeffrey stayed at the bar the rest of the evening, making small talk with her when she got a moment to come refill his glass. About thirty minutes before closing, while she was starting to clean up, a second loud voice finally joined the bar.

“There you are, God damn, you fuckin’ disappeared!” Kylin turned to see Norman Reedus clutch Jeff on the shoulder and drunkenly lean against the bar beside him. He looked towards Kylin and purred, “And who do we have here?”

“Norm, this is Kylin. Jensen’s baby sister.” Jeff answered, sarcasm covered the word ‘baby’ with a mocking tone. He gripped Norman’s shoulder a little tighter in warning, “I met her in Austin a few months ago. I told you about her, remember?”

“Oh yeah. Well, that makes sense as to why we haven’t seen you all night.” Norman teased. He winked at Jeffrey and flashed a grin before turning his attention back to Ky.

“You’re a cute little thing, What you weigh? About a buck?” Norman asked as he lit a cigarette.

“Jesus, fucker. Have some couth.” Jeffrey barked with wide eyes and an embarrassed laugh.

“Soaking wet.” Kylin smirked. She cocked her eyebrow as she watched Norman’s eyes roam her frame.

Jeffrey huffed out another laugh as Norman choked on the smoke in his lungs.

“I like you,” Norman replied with narrowed eyes. He pointed to her with the fingers holding his cigarette in a knowing gesture. He nodded to Kylin as he stepped away from the bar and started back towards the small group of people nearest to them. He looked back to Jeff and gave him a knowing look, eyes still squinted. 

Jeffrey shook his head as he turned back to Ky and propped his chin in the palm of his hand and elbow on the bartop, “What are you doing later?”

“It’s two in the morning, babe. I’m cleaning this bar and then going to bed.” Kylin answered, gesturing to the area behind her. 

“Hmm, well, I suppose I’ll let you get to it before I miss my ride,” He glanced over to the group of his friends that were making their way out of the small section and towards the exit. 

He pulled his phone out from his pocket and placed it on the bar in front of him, open on the ‘Add Contact’ screen. Kylin looked at him as she picked up the phone and quickly tapped in her number and name before giving it back to him. He grinned as he opened the camera and gestured for her to take a picture with him. She let out a breathy laugh as she climbed on top of the freezer and leaned over to get into the frame. Jeffrey clicked the button with a big smile on both of their faces. 

“Send that to me?” She asked as she hopped down. 

“Of course,” He replied, a grin still playing on his face as he rose up from his seat.

“It was good seeing you again, girl. Glad to see you’ve been taking care of yourself.” Jeff said as he watched Ky walk around the side of the bar to give him a hug. 

“Thanks, Jeff. That means a lot.” She replied with a squeeze. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight and kissed the top of her head. His scent enveloped her and she breathed deep as the butterflies danced in her stomach.

“Anytime, Sweetheart,” He said as they pulled apart from each other, “Text me when you get home?”

Kylin nodded to him with a smile as he gave her another wave and turned to catch up with his friends. 

‘Holy fucking shit.’ was the only thing she could think.

--------------------------------------

   The next day, Kylin awoke to two new text messages. Both from Jeffrey. One was a picture from the night before, the other asking what she had planned for the day

“Nothing that i know of, today’s my day off FINALLY, lol.” She replied before she crawled out of the comfort of her bed.

“You should come to the con. I can leave you a pass.” Came his response moments later.

“I guess I don’t have anything better to do today ;)” She sent back, hoping he registered her teasing tone. 

“Well good ;) Come hang out with some old men.” 

Kylin shook her head with a laugh as she made her way to the bathroom to ready herself for the day.

Jeffrey sent Kylin the details that were needed while she stood in front of her closet to try and find something to wear. She found herself in a pair of shorts, (even though it was October, it was Texas and still in the 90’s) and a Family Business Beer Co shirt that was cut to hang off her shoulder. She also laced up her converse and tied a flannel shirt around her waist, in case she found herself out late enough that it got chilly. She did some basic makeup of lashes and a dark lip, wanting to avoid the possibility of it getting messed up.

Anxiety and nervousness started to sit in as she pulled into the parking lot of the convention center. Sure, she had hung out with actors before, and had been to numerous cons, but not without the safety blanket that was her brother and his friends. She grinned at the thought of how pissed she knew Jensen was going to be when he found out that she had gone against his obvious wishes and hung out with Jeff. She figured her excuse would be that she was a grown woman and allowed to do as she pleased, and after three years of hell, she deserved to have a little fun. Plus, they were just going to be hanging out as friends, right?

She entered the convention center and found the front desk where Jeff had told her her pass would be. She gave the receptionist her name, who lifted her eyes and asked to see her ID. She showed the lady her card and was handed over the gold pass and itinerary before being pointed to the direction of the lounge. She texted Jeff to let him know she was there, and he responded that he would meet her soon. Once she found where she was supposed to be, she sat herself at the bar and ordered a Bloody Mary while she waited. 

A side door that she hadn’t noticed before opened up and Norman popped his head out, “Psst, Ackles, over here.”

It was obvious that Norman was trying to avoid being seen by the few fans in the vicinity, so Kylin quickly grabbed her drink and scurried over to him. He opened the door wide enough for her to fit though and led her down a small hallway to the green room.

“Jeff got called to a photo op real quick, so he sent me to get ya. I’ve gotta get goin’ myself, though, but just wait here and he should be back in a sec.” Norman explained as they stepped through the door. The small room was filled with couches and tables adorned with snacks and drinks, and Kylin nodded in response while taking a sip of her drink. 

She was scrolling through social media and chewing on her straw when the door opened a few minutes later and his voice was heard, “ Thought you were a whiskey girl.” 

She looked up at him with a snort and shrugged, “Breakfast of champion.” She raised her glass in salutation.

Jeffrey chuckled as she stood up and stepped towards him. He opened his arms and she settled into them in what was only a semi-awkward embrace. 

“Thanks for comin’, hon. It’s good to see you again.” He drawled, looking down at her with his arms still wrapped around her shoulders.

She peered up at him and let a small smile creep across her face, “Good to see you too, Mr. Morgan.” 

They sat on the couch, close, but not uncomfortably so. He put his arm across the back of the sofa, his hand near her shoulder but not touching it, and turned towards her with a grin.

“How’s the con going? I haven’t been to one of these things in a while.” She asked as she drained her glass of the remaining tomatoey drink and placed it on a nearby table. She shifted slightly to look at him better. He was wearing his leather jacket, dark shirt, and glasses again. 

“It’s alright. Not the worst, but still pretty chaotic.” He started with a sigh, “They oversold everything and everyone’s squeezed in here like fuckin’ sardines. The line for autos was so long they had to start going by section because the fire marshal almost had a fit. People are pissed. Norm almost fought someone over a damn cigarette break.” He shook his head and lifted his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Sounds like a shit storm,” Kylin replied, a sympathetic look on her face. She knew how stressful cons could be, and when one thing didn’t go right, a lot of other shit usually didn’t go right either.

Jeff had about an hour break before he had to get back to photo ops and autographs, which the two of them spent catching up some more. He commented again on how he was happy to see that it seemed she was doing better, and she thanked him for it again. The topic then changed to the horror stories that had been his past few conventions, and how he and his most recent girlfriend had called it quits.

“That’s the reason I was at Jensen’s that weekend. Crazy broad followed me all the way down there trying to ‘fix shit’ after I found her in bed with some Estonian male model.” He huffed. He shook his head to rid the memory and mumbled something under his breath that Kylin wasn’t able to make out.

“That’s fucking horrible, dude. I’m sorry.” Kylin sympathized, and reached out to touch his hand that was resting on his knee. He let his eyes linger there for a moment before looking back up to her.

“What are you doing tonight?” He suddenly asked with an intense gaze.

A blush creeped up along her neck and she moved her hand away to fiddle with her phone in her lap, “I don't have anything planned.”

“Come out with me. We’re going to the bar district here and it would be nice to have a tour guide.” He reached over and grabbed her hand back from her phone, returning her attention to him.

She thought about it for a moment before answering. What’s the worst that could happen? “Sure, what time?”

“Prolly around ten-ish. Can you meet us at the hotel? We’re supposed to be within walking distance of the bars.” He asked before telling her what hotel they were all staying at.

“Sure, that’s not that far from me,” She replied, taking her hand back to check the time on her phone. It was near six. 

He looked at his watch before he cleared his throat and rasped, “Damn sugar, it’s time for me to go back to work.” 

He twisted himself off the couch then reached down to give her a hand up, “ You can stay here if you like. No one will fuck with you. Or you can go explore, whatever you wanna do.” 

“I think I’ll go explore a bit before heading home to get ready. Any preference on attire?” She replied, still holding onto his hand that swayed back and forth between them.

“Oooh, sweetheart. I’m sure you’ll still be the most gorgeous girl in the room with anything you wear.” He said smoothly. He ran his tongue over his top teeth and flashed her a wolfish grin. 

She looked away with another blush, “I guess I’ll see what I can do.” 

The handler came in seconds later to escort Jeffrey to his next task. He gave Kylin a tight squeeze and kissed the crown of her head again before he sauntered away and out the door. She stayed in the greenroom for a few minutes while she gathered her thoughts around what had just happened before she slipped out of the room herself. 

--------------------------------------

After walking around the vendor area for a bit and looking at everything, Kylin headed home. She showered and got ready for the night while her anxiety continued to drive her crazy. She had blow dried her hair to perfect straightness and redid her makeup, though this time she added dark eyeshadow and left her lips nude. She slipped herself into a form-fitting black dress with black pumps to match, and adorned her wrists and fingers and neck with various pieces of jewelry. Jeffrey had already sent her the details on where to meet him, and so as soon as she was done she headed back out the door.

She sent him a text when she arrived, and he replied back with his room number. She made her way up the elevator to his floor, nervously fidgeting with a ring on her finger. She wasn’t as nervous once she actually got to his door, and she even smiled as she stepped up and knocked.

Jeffrey answered the door quickly, and his jaw dropped as his eyes took in her appearance. She felt a ping of panic flare again, and it seemed as though her body was having a similar reaction to his. He was wearing a deep blue dress shirt under a black blazer, and nice jeans and nice shoes. He had abandoned his glasses for contacts and his eyes seemed brighter than she remembered.

“God damn, baby girl, look at you.” He breathed, and jokingly clutched his chest as if to stave off a heart attack. He held his hand out for her to take as he escorted her into the suite.

“Everyone, this is Kylin,” He said cheekily, wrapping an arm tight around her waist and pulling her into his side, “She will be our tour guide for this evening.” 

“God bless Texas,” was called, which made Kylin flush in embarrassment.

Jeffrey introduced Kylin to everyone, and they all gave her smiles, waves, and handshakes. She found it relieving to be able to partake in their conversations easily while they waited on a couple members of the group to finish getting ready.

They soon departed from the hotel and walked in a group down the streets of Dallas for the few blocks it took to get to the bar district that was known as Deep Ellum. The guys all admired the graffiti artwork and murals that adorned a few of the buildings and Kylin pointed out all her favorite ones. JEff stayed by her side the entire time, occasionally throwing his arm over her shoulders and reeling her into him. They stole glances back and forth as they walked through the streets. 

They had made it to the fourth small dive bar sometime around one-thirty, and by that time everyone in the group was slightly intoxicated, though some more than others. Kylin was just tipsy enough to be a little more daring and flirt with Jeff. They were sitting in a booth towards the back with everyone, just joking and laughing. She was happy that she fit in so perfectly. 

“Isn’t she fuckin’ beautiful?” Jeffrey rasped as he interrupted Andrew and his tirade of something that Kylin seemed to be listening intently to. She flushed, eyes going wide as she turned to see Jeffrey shamelessly staring at her. He brought the arm behind her around to play with a piece of her hair, and a grin rose to his face as he watched her face continue to redden at his praise.

“You’re not so bad yourself, Mr. J,” Kylin replied slyly, her southern accent peaking through due to the alcohol. He gave her a smirk and a wink as he wrapped himself around her a little more.

She had been so captivated by Jeffrey that she hadn’t even noticed that everyone had turned to look at the both of them. Until, of course, Norman let out a mocking, “awhhhh” and everyone joined in making kissing sounds. Kylin leaned into Jeff’s side and hid her face with an embarrassed grin. Even with the teasing, it was the most comfortable she had felt in such a situation in a long time. The odd sensation of fingertips touching her skin didn’t make her skin crawl, and she felt like she could speak openly without being ridiculed. She didn’t feel the need to make herself seem small. Kyin lifted her head and looked up to Jeff, the whole group distracted back to their original conversation. She could see something in his eyes that oddly looked like adoration. He cupped her face with his hand that wasn’t wrapped around her, and gently stroked her cheek. He let his thumb run over the scar above her eyebrow, and she felt her lips part as she sucked in a small breath of air. She subconsciously leaned into his touch. 

Being the gentleman he was, though, Jeffrey moved his hand away and put a bit of space between them. Kylin was relieved, but also sad at the loss of contact. He cleared his throat as he straightened us both up, moving his arm back to its original place on the back of the bench. Kylin sat upright and took a sip from the glass of water in front of her to wash away the fog in her brain. It was only a few minutes after that the house lights brightened, signaling it was time to pay their tabs and head out. 

With it being two in the morning, the October chill had finally begun to set in, and Kylin shivered as they walked down Pearl Street and back to the hotel. Without her even asking, Jeffrey shrugged off his blazer and placed it over her shoulders.

“Thank you,” She said as she tugged the warmth closer to her. The smell of his expensive cologne mixed with his natural musk flooded her, the scent just as intoxicating as the alcohol in her system. 

“Anytime, Sweetheart,” Jeffrey replied with a deep chuckle when he caught her burying her nose into the collar. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder again as they continued to walk down the street, just a little bit behind the rest of the group. 

When they arrived back at the hotel, Kylin slowed herself down in the parking lot and Jeff told everyone he was going to walk her to her car.

“Sure you don’t wanna come up darlin’? You good to drive?” Jeff asked, a hopeful look in his eyes, once they approached her vehicle.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea,” She replied with a chuckle as she looked down to fiddle with her keyes, “I’m good to drive.” 

“Well, alright, then.” Jeff said with a disappointed sigh, “I guess text me when  you get home, then. You forgot last time.” 

“I’ll try to remember,” Kylin smirked up at him through her lashes. He gave her a huff of a laugh as a smile filled his face. He opened his arms and she stepped into his embrace. She curled her arms around his waist as he enclosed her shoulders and placed another kiss on the top of her head. She stepped back after a few moments and shrugged his jacket off in an attempt to return it.

“You keep it for now, gives me an excuse to see you again,” He said as he held up his hands in refusal.

“You wanna see me again, Mr. Morgan? Kylin asked, raising an eyebrow as the smirk still played on her lips.

“If you wanna see me, Ms. Ackles,” He answered, raising his own eyebrow at her. 

He opened her car door for her, and she threw his jacket and her purse into the passenger seat before she turned back around to him. She looked at him for a few seconds before she leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, “I’d love to.” 

The smile that appeared on his face was the sweetest thing she had seen in a long time, and it actually looked like he was blushing a bit. It was strange for her to watch him bashfully back up with and stuff his hands in his pockets as she climbed inside the car. He had always been known for being smooth with the ladies, and was acting like she made him nervous.

She rolled her window down and smiled up at him, “I had a really nice time, Jeff. Thank you.”

He nodded back at her with a grin, and gave her a small wave before turning back to the front of the hotel.

She remembered to text him when she got home.