#shes not a unit except at sleeping in and being late for work. and not reading user agreements or ndas before she signs them.

[lucydoodlessometimes]

alright guys. if cringe is dead im gonna post my fnaf oc.

[kifkay]

Winx Headcanons, part 2!

Riven is a genuine fan of Musa’s music.

Musa is an early riser and annoying about it. Flora is also an early riser but is chill about it. 

Stella can sleep for like twelve hours straight and not give a damn. 

Tecna and Bloom stay up late at night, Tecna more so than Bloom. She will maim whoever wakes her early. 

Aisha loves to take naps whenever she feels like it, and sleeps like a baby. She also kicks at night.

All the Specialists have to be early risers because paramilitary school. Sorry, boys :(

Bloom and Sky sometimes fantasise about owning a menagerie of pets, if they were ever to move in together. 

Riven is genuinely a fan of Musa’s music.

Specialists vis-a-vis combat: out of all the boys, Sky has the best technique. He is also intuitive, able to read his opponent’s body language and easily predict what step they might take next. Timmy’s a short shooter, their main pilot, strategist and handler. He’s a whole unit on an actual mission, but is pretty useless in hand-to-hand combat. Brandon is the strongest, yet the most reckless with himself. He relies on his raw power and stamina to carry him through fights; a DnD Barbarian through-and-through. Riven, like Sky, is an excellent marksman. He has a knack for improvised weaponry and utilising his surroundings.

Helia is on par with Brandon vis-a-vis strength. He is agile; capable of dodging attacks and outsmarting opponents. Usually prefers to detain enemies and knock them out, and rarely engages in actual combat. When he is angry, there’s less technique, and more of self-destructive, horrifying beating.

Nabu is a warlock. He makes duplicates of himself that are capable of fighting but are glass cannons. He can detain and blind enemies, become invisible, make a fog, etc. In hand-to-hand combat, he lacks experience and stamina, but has a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Sky is surprisingly a very good cook. All of the Specialists are not half bad at cooking, except for Nabu (that nepo baby never cooked a meal for himself in his life). 

The Winx are mostly bad at cooking. Tecna is ok; she follows all recipes to a T and ends with middling results. Musa is the best among the girls and actually enjoys cooking. 

Aisha likes sleeping with the lights on.

Since Aisha and Stella room together, Stella commissioned a Solarian engineer to create quality, magic light spheres that last months. They float near the ceilings and Piff likes to try and catch them. 

One side effect of prolonged psychic intrusion on a mind is the nightmares that follow afterwards. Riven struggles with them after Darcy.

Nabu also struggles with nightmares, due to him being a warlock and having battled/spared with many other psychics. As well as Darcy. He’s more humorous and dismissive of them; he says that he cannot remember his nightmares aside from a vague feeling of emptiness and anxiety. After meeting Aisha and working against Valtor, his nightmares would become way more concrete and terrifying. 

All the Winx adore Miele, and she loves them in turn. Tecna is probably her favorite though; she just finds her “the coolest and the bravest”!

Miele definitely had a crush on Brandon and Helia, although it was short-lived. 

Helia and Saladin have a very close, very complicated relationship. 

In childhood, Helia was entranced by his “Company of Light, Brightest sorcerer of Magix” grandpa Saladin. His father Rames was a pacifist and had a strained relationship with Saladin, but didn’t want to deprive little Helia of his grandfather. When Helia’s father and mother were in the midst of divorce, Helia, under Saladin’s guidance, enrolled in the Red Fountain. Rames raised his voice on Helia for the very first time and they had a big argument, which resulted in them not talking for a few months. 

They made up, but their relationship remained strained until Helia dropped out of school and came home to his father. 

Saladin instilled perfectionism in Helia, always expecting excellency and above. Saladin, being a military man, didn’t believe in “expressing feelings” or “being pacifist”. 

Saladin truly only wanted the best for Helia, but he never understood him or his own son.

Rames absolutely adores Flora. He is the crunchy-muchy granola dad, Henry Oak style, and how could he not love an eco-terrorist icon, the gentle Flora? 

[gal-palanaeum]

Warmth by Thirstspren

Rated General, 1000 words, Akane/Yumi Yumi settles into her new life and begins to realize there's something missing.

Turns out, running a restaurant was a lot harder than it looked.  Especially when the head server wasn’t great at talking to people, the head chef had only been cooking for a single week, and all the financials existed solely in the brain of a person who was no longer on the same planet.  

(If Design even had a brain.  Yumi still didn’t know what that strange woman was, nor did her old assistants, who had thankfully stayed on to prevent complete disaster.  Except the one who’d fled when the old coatrack had come to life.  Putting up with Design’s oddities had been one thing, but no job was worth putting up with that, he’d said.)

Worse, Painter’s role in saving the city had made him a minor local celebrity, drawing thronging crowds and massive scrutiny, and a clumsy business operation coupled with furious demand was a recipe for failure.  Both feared that all their admiration would last only as long as their patience for late, cold noodles. 

“These (lowly) customers,” Painter groused one night after closing, as they stacked chairs on the tables for sweeping.  ���Please tell me I was never this infuriating.”

Yumi balanced a chair on one leg.  “I may no longer be a yoki-hijo, but that has not changed my position on lying,” she said.

Painter laughed, then leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.  The chair toppled.

He winced apologetically and put the chair back the normal inverted way.  “I’m just saying.  I’m an artist.  Why did Design think I’d know how to wait tables?”

Yumi nodded in sympathy.  They both knew he’d get better with practice, but that didn’t ease his frustration in the time being.  

In comparison, she felt a little guilty at how quickly she was improving in her new role.  

They maintained separate residences, because neither felt ready to move in together.  Ironically, sharing a body did not prepare them for sharing an apartment.  Neither could be comfortable at the other’s preferred temperature, for a start.  Fortunately, all the former nightmare painters had been permitted to keep their free housing for a year to ease their transition into a radically changing labor market, and Yumi took over Design’s former quarters in the back of the restaurant, so they didn’t have to worry about rent.

Each night, after they closed, she practiced for long hours, basking in the residual warmth of boiling broth, measuring out herbs and spices and other ingredients until she knew the look and weight of them intuitively, and she could reach for each ingredient without conscious thought.  Meanwhile Painter walked home every night, watching the walls come to life with extraordinary murals commissioned by the government to create work for the unemployed artists.  Artists who weren’t him.   He’d finally gotten his love of painting back, just in time to lose his calling.  Then they’d sleep separately, and in the morning, they’d unite for breakfast and watch a couple shows on the hion viewer at Painter’s apartment.  Yumi would cocoon herself in blankets, and Painter would do his best to snuggle her from the outside.  

It was nice.  But part of her felt like something was missing.  She no longer felt that sizzle of energy when they touched, for starters.  That had been about their condition, she discovered—it hadn’t been about them.  Without the fate of both worlds hanging in the balance and a spirit artificially connecting their souls, Yumi feared she and Painter were falling out of sync.  Like a stone that refused to balance on one side, and needed a different orientation.

Keep reading

[daydream-cement]

The Cedars Have Eyes Ch. 3

Characters: Larissa Weems x OC (Fern Rogers)

Synopsis: Life seemingly feels normal for a second.

Authors Note: Last chapters intensity was a lot guys. Let's dial it back with a healthy amount of healing smut. (Also, listen to this chapter to In A Week by Hozier. That's the vibe.)

Days had passed since your journey into the underground chamber. You were still reeling on how your physical body never left Rowan or Larissa, but you had cut your hand in the dreamscape. You still had hundreds of questions, but life was feeling more normal as of late. The sleepwalking stopped. You could fully sleep through the nights without the seizures and without leaving bed to almost drown yourself.

Larissa's mood increased dramatically as well. You attributed it to a good nights rest and the decrease in stress. After you had awoken from your journey to 'the crypt', as you called it, you shared everything with Rowan and Larissa. The plaque you brought back was evidence of the journey being more than a brain injury.

Rowan had begun doing research into the name and Larissa had been speaking to some of the elder vampire alumni about the possibility of a crypt for original outcasts. The cremation portion was tricky. While the art of cremation is ancient, records say that it was rarely used in the United States until the 1870s. In the evenings, all three of you would meet to go over information you had gathered from the day.

The communication seemed to be better as well... except for the nightmares. When the sleepwalking ended, the nightmares started. Well at least you found them to be nightmares.

In the dreams, you would wake up feeling incredibly empty inside, like all emotion had been ripped from your body. You couldn't move. You were in a box. A casket to be more specific. Your eyes were open, but those who viewed your body didn't seem to notice.

There was Rowan. She had sunglasses on, but you could see her tear stained cheeks. Then came Larissa. Her eyes seemed void of there usual sparkle, red from the crying. She wasn't actively crying, however. She just seemed numb.

A voice came from the back, "Oh, she was just too late. There was nothing to be done..."

This dream has been on repeat for three days and you found it to be more disturbing than the sleepwalking or the vines.

You had been working hard to not let Larissa know. She knew that you woke up terrified, typically pulling you into her arms and drifting off back to sleep. With how interconnected everything you were experienced seemed to be, you didn't need Larissa to know that your death could be imminent.

What she didn't know wouldn't kill her.

------

Larissa's mood had been so jovial as of late that she even asked you on a date. It was mid-March and the students had been sent home for Spring Break, so she was determined to enjoy her kid-free and girlfriend-not-about-to-die time while she could.

You were both enjoying a walk in the woods, post lunch date in the greenhouse. Larissa would rather enjoy a walk with you arm in arm while the students weren't present, but you were too busy walking stooped over, identifying the small spring plants that were waking up from their winter's nap.

Larissa only watched you with a smile, happy to see you back to normal. After a mile or so, you stopped at one of the docks by the lake, sitting there together like you had when you first came to Nevermore. You were so content sitting there with Larissa. You leaned back so you were laying on the dock, looking at the sky. Larissa even laid back with you, enjoying the moment.

You turned your head to just watch her and all her beauty. Of course she noticed your staring, turning her head to look at you as well. She isn't smiling, however. Her hungry eyes glance down at your lips. You knew exactly what she wanted on this chilly spring day.

Larissa was on top of you in an instant, her lips pressed to yours. She wasted no time slipping her tongue in your mouth. It had been weeks since you were intimate and Larissa was ravenous.

She felt you up over your jacket causing you to laugh, “Maybe we should go back home…”

———

Her lips were on when you pushed the front door open, her hands clutching the sides of your face. You slowly backed in the front door, Larissa following closely after. She even shut the door with her foot, locking it when it was closed.

You shed your jackets from one another's bodies, leaving them on the floor. That was a clean up job for future you.

After the jackets came shoes, shirts and pants, shedding them with reckless abandon. You both giggled as you felt like teenagers, grabbing and pulling at each other’s clothing. Breathing heavy, Larissa pushed you back so you landed on the couch, “I’m grabbing the strap. Finish stripping.”

As always, you do what your told, tossing your bra and underwear to who cares where. She comes back, not wearing the strap, but dangling it from her fingertips. You would be strapping her.

Larissa straddles your lap, her kiss less desperate. It was gentle and slow, like she was savoring the moment. You began a wonderfully time consuming make out session. Your hands slowly drifted from her hips to her ass, your touch loving and gentle.

Larissa breaks the kiss to look at you, the most genuine of smiles gracing her lips, “I love you.”

You thought your heart could explode if it were filled with any more love and adoration for one person, “I love you.”

The gentle, loving kisses became more impassioned. There was no roughness, just increased depth and more wandering hands. You began pushing her onto the sofa next to you, wanting to progress into oral, but she knew what she wanted, “Please just fuck me… I need this…”

She stands, finally unclasping her bra and taking off her panties. This gave you time to adjust the strap to your body and take a seat on the couch for Larissa to straddle you again. As Larissa moved to sit on the strap, she inserted it herself, allowing a long moan to escape her as she did.

She slowly sank all the way down on the fake member. There was a long pause as she rested her forehead against yours. You could tell she was enjoying the adjustment to being filled through her deep breaths and closed eyes.

Larissa began moving first, slowly sliding up and down eliciting cries of pleasure from her. Her hands gripped the top of the couch behind you, her back was arching. This gave you the pleasure of her breasts directly in your face.

Larissa kept up the slow teasing pace. Your arms wrapped around her middle, your fingers splayed on her back, holding her close to you.

You had great sex with Larissa before, but nothing came close to this slow, methodical passion. This is what it meant to make love. Minutes turned to hours.

You had changed positions multiple times. Her straddling you became missionary so you could be the one providing her with a slow and deep fucking. In this position you had the pleasure of sucking and biting at her breasts leaving the deepest, darkest love bites you ever had.

From missionary went to fucking Larissa from behind. Larissa’s back was pressed against your chest as you fucked her, one hand was around her throat as the other gently rubbed at her clit.

Larissa had lost count of the orgasms. It wasn’t about that at this point. You both were looking for proximity and pleasure. The opportunity to hold each other close and feel good.

While there had been no direct sexual acts done unto you, the wetness from your legs was dripping. You felt as though you had cum ten times over just at the process of pleasuring Larissa.

You knew you were in your final strokes when Larissa’s body was tensing up. You applied a little more pressure to her clit, increasing the speed ever so slightly. This was enough to send her over the edge for a final time.

You released her from your grasp, tenderly guiding her spent body to the couch. The room had grown dark as you took up all the time in the world tonight. You unclipped the strap from your body, dropping it to the side. Knowing you were going to spend the night on the couch together, you grabbed throw pillows from the arm chair and blankets from a basket. This allowed for Larissa and you to cozy up together, your naked forms fitting together like puzzle pieces.

You enjoyed the feeling of your cheek pressed to her bare sternum, you could hear her heartbeat wonderfully from this position. There was no speaking for a while, but you knew she wasn’t asleep from her rate of breathing.

“I can’t lose you…” Larissa choked out, you knew she was crying now. Probably thinking too much about the events from the last couple months.

“I’ll always come back to you… Even if I have to pull myself from the grave and crawl home to you.” You didn’t know if this was reassuring, but it certainly made you feel better.

Link to Chapter 4

[kpopsexstories]

NCT MOST MEMORABLE SEX – Story #17: LUCAS Pt. 2/2

A new story/member every Monday. Click here to view the posting schedule.

Story: Post-scandal Lucas enjoys a heartfelt moment with Haechan’s sister and ends up sleeping with her.

Type: VANILLA

Content: Missionary, Riding

Word Count: 6,748 (14,707 incl. pt. 1)

Members: Lucas (Former member)

Read Lucas Pt. 1 first.

Story #17: LUCAS Pt. 2 (of 2)

“Lucas!” Yangyang exclaimed, and rushed over to the door to give his long-haired friend a big hug. In seconds, Lucas was surrounded by young men who wanted to show him their love and appreciation.

Two years ago, he would have loved the attention. Now, it was a timid, quiet man who smiled softly at his old friends, most of whom he hadn’t seen in over a year.

The group had gathered in one of the common areas of the dorms in Seoul, for the express purpose of welcoming Lucas back from Hong Kong. Though he wasn't in any of the NCT units any longer, he was still working under the same company, and very much a part of the family.

Nearly everyone was there, including a couple of managers and ‘plus ones’, but with a few notable exceptions. None of the Dream members had come home yet, stuck at the studio for a late night dance practice. Hendery and a couple of others were missing too, out of town for a few days.

Once everyone had their turn hugging the man, and the initial excitement of Lucas’ visit – and imminent return – settled, they all spread out in the room. Music was playing, bottles and cups were being passed around, and Lucas found an empty spot on a couch.

The atmosphere was loud and the mood was great. Lucas felt genuinely happy as he looked around, excited to be back and thankful to have such great friends. But he somehow couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps he had outgrown them, and that he no longer quite fit in.

In an armchair beside him there was a girl who Lucas had never seen before. She was casually lounging with her legs folded under her, and sipping a drink from a straw. She was also the only woman in the room, and the only one who hadn't yet said hello. She immediately caught Lucas’ attention.

While the commotion surrounding his appearance had been going on, the girl had watched him in silence. She thoroughly enjoyed the scene. Now, when Lucas wasn’t being attacked by everyone else, she held out a hand and introduced herself.

Her name was Haneul, and she explained that she was Haechan’s younger sister. She quickly stated that Haechan wasn’t back yet, but that it wasn’t the first time she hung out with the boys without him. Though many faces in the room were new to her – including Lucas and everyone from WayV – she knew most members quite well.

Lucas smiled and nodded slowly while she spoke. He liked that Haneul did all the talking. As nice as it was to be back, he felt overwhelmed just by being in the room he once called home. As much as he loved his friends, he didn't want this attention. Haneul was a pleasant distraction, and she made him feel relaxed.

“Watch out for this one,” a voice said behind Haneul's back. She quickly turned around when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and saw Johnny smirking and towering above her. “He’s dangerous.”

He pointed to Lucas and winked. It was a terrible joke. Lucas ran his hand through his long hair and smiled back, but suddenly felt even more uneasy than he already did.

Johnny, who was drunk, went away as quickly as he’d appeared, and Lucas was left alone with Haneul again. She noticed his concerned expression.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know it must be hard for you.”

Lucas wondered how much the girl knew about him. Clearly she wasn’t clueless about his past, and the boys had probably told her everything.

They were interrupted again when Jaehyun came over, threw himself onto the couch, and started ruffling Lucas’ hair. Lucas faked a laugh, while Haenul just sat and watched the boys.

“Lucas!” Jaehyun shouted and grinned, and leaned in to give his friend a hug. “Our very first daddy. Who would have guessed? How's your son? I’m so happy you’re back!”

Lucas never got a chance to respond, because when Jaehyun let go of his body and sat up straight, he accidentally hit Lucas’ arm, which caused Jaehyun to spill his drink onto his friend.

“Fuck, I’m sorry!” he said and quickly stood up. “I’ll get a towel or something.”

While Jaehyun disappeared into the crowd on the makeshift dance floor, which had formed in the middle of the room, Lucas aired his shirt and tried to limit the damage. Haneul pulled out a tissue from a pocket in her jeans, got up and sat down beside him on the couch.

“Thanks,” Lucas said and looked up. When their eyes met, Haneul’s hand froze on his arm. There was a sudden spark between them. Haneul felt it too, a feeling she didn’t get from any of the other men in the room.

Jaehyun soon returned, and handed a towel to his friend. “Do you want to borrow a shirt?” he asked when the towel didn’t seem to do much good.

Lucas could have said yes, but in all honesty he didn’t feel like talking to Jaehyun, or any of the other drunk boys for that matter. In fact, he no longer wanted to be there at all. He’d thought he did, but there were simply too many bittersweet memories around.

Two years had passed since his old self died. He wasn't the same person anymore, yet the members only knew him from who he was, not who he had become. He suddenly hated the feeling of returning to a place and past that his mind had long since left behind.

“No, I’ll get something from Hendery's room,” Lucas said in response to Jaehyun’s offer. “He said I could stay there tonight if I want since he's away. Thanks though.”

“Alright,” Jaehyun said, but was interrupted when Yuta suddenly came and pulled his arm. Another drunk friend who felt like a stranger.

“Come dance, hyung!” Yuta said loudly. “You too, Lucas! And Haneul, dance with us!”

“I’m good,” Lucas said and leaned further back on the couch, suddenly ignoring his wet shirt.

Jaehyun laughed when he was abruptly pulled away. Haneul remained seated by Lucas’ side, and was somewhat relieved that Yuta left her alone.

“Are they always like this?” she asked and looked at the new friend she was making.

“You tell me,” Lucas said and laughed. “You’ve probably seen more of them than I have recently.”

Haneul snorted and smiled, then suddenly stood up.

“Come on,” she said and held out a hand again. “Let’s get away from these obnoxious guys and find you that shirt.”

Hendery’s room was small. It had a desk, a large TV on the wall, and two beds. For a moment, Lucas wondered who he’d be sharing the room with. He no longer knew what the sleeping arrangements were. All he knew was that his friend and former bandmate had offered the use of his bed for the night, and that he wouldn't mind if he borrowed some clothes.

Haneul opened a closet and started rummaging around. “Which of these are Hendery's?” she asked.

“That one,” Lucas said while sitting down on the edge of one of the beds. “The black one. He wore it at a show once, I'll never forget it.”

Haneul picked up the shirt and tossed it in Lucas’ direction. Lucas caught it, but otherwise didn't react. Instead, he suddenly stared absent-mindedly into the open closet.

“I'll leave you to it,” Haneul said when she felt the silence. She realized she was intruding on Lucas’ personal space.

“Stay,” Lucas said, faster than he intended to. He looked lost. “I don't wanna to go back out there.”

Haneul suddenly became concerned. “Why not?” she asked and came over to sit next to the solemn man.

“I don't know. This used to be my home but things feel… different. I don't recognize it. I'm not sure I recognize them. I guess they're the same but I've changed. I'm not the person I once was.”

“I can relate to that,” Haneul said. “When Haechan got famous, my friends started acting weird around me. Eventually we grew apart. Now I'm closer with the boys than I am with the people I went to school with, and that's saying something, because it's not that often that I see the boys at all.”

Lucas nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the shirt he was holding. “On one hand, I wish I could go back in time and change it all. On the other, I want to look ahead and just forget everything.”

Haneul hesitated for a moment. She didn't want to overstep any boundaries. But then she built up the courage to ask: “Why did you leave?”

Lucas looked at her curiously. “You know why I left. I felt like my life was over and fell into a depression. Then Chen was born. But things with his mother were… complicated.”

“Where is she now? Are you still together?”

“Still in Hong Kong. We're not together. We never were. I'm still with the company and I'm ready to start over, but that means coming back here, to Seoul.”

Haneul repeated her sentiment from before. “It must have been hard for you.”

“It was, for a long time. But then Chen made life bright again. Now, the hardest part is leaving him with his mother. But I need to get back on my feet. A year here for work, then I can possibly return to China to rebuild my career there, and be close to Chen at the same time.”

“Well, for the record, I think it's totally unfair what happened to you. The boys feel the same way. They miss you and often talk about you.”

“Don't play nice,” Lucas said and smiled softly. “I was a total jerk. I got what I deserved, nothing less. And they don't all agree. When I needed friends the most, many of them stopped calling me. When it really mattered, it was my old friends from school who knew me as someone other than NCT's Lucas who stuck with me.”

“I think that's a bit unfair. You saw the reaction today. I guess they just didn't know what to say back then.”

“Well, like I said, I'm a different person now.”

With those words, Lucas finally unfolded the shirt he was holding and placed it on his lap. Without so much as hesitating, he took the shirt he was wearing and pulled it over his head.

Haneul glared at him when he exposed his upper body. Lucas was sexy and confident, yet timid and vulnerable. He had a great body. She was attracted by the combination of traits, and for the first time she felt a little turned on by the man by her side.

“I should leave,” she said and started to get up.

“No,” Lucas said and grabbed her arm. He tossed his wet shirt on the floor, but left Hendery's fresh one on his lap.

“Stay,” he continued. “Please.”

His touch on her arm and the bare chest pumping beside her made Haneul feel excited and nervous at the same time. The spark returned. She'd definitely never felt what she felt in this moment with any of the other boys.

She sat back down and the room was silent for a moment. Only a fint murmur of thw party outside could be hears.

“Do you miss it?” Haneul finally asked.

“I do, I can't lie about that. But, you know, it will never be the same and I've accepted that. I'm ready to move on.”

Another moment of silence. Lucas stared at the floor, and felt Haneul's leg brush against his. Her hands were folded in her lap.

“So, how's your brother?” he asked.

“Oh, he's good.”

“You know, he's one of the people who never called.”

“I'm sorry,” Haneul said, not quite sure what to do with that knowledge.

“Though I didn't reach out either,” Lucas was quick to add. “I regret that sometimes.”

“Do you have any other regrets?” Haneul asked. She was happy that Lucas was opening up to her.

Lucas turned to face her. They locked eyes, and the spark intensified.

“Too many to share,” he said. “I learned a lot though.”

Haneul adjusted her position. She raised her leg and sat on her foot on the edge of the bed, and turned her chest in Lucas’ direction. Her knee leaned into his lap.

Haneul was nice to talk to. Sweet and attentive. Curious and open-minded. And the physical attraction sent a thrill through Lucas’ body.

“Like what?” she asked.

“Like, to be more respectful to the people around me. And more considerate with my actions. I was a selfish prick.”

“Well, I don't know you, I've only heard stories about you. And beside the rumors every single one of the stories tell of a funny, kind-hearted man. Is that no longer who you are?”

“I've never been funny,” Lucas said. ”That's what I strive to be, all those things. But maybe I'm not as fun to be around anymore.”

Haneul's knee pressed down a little harder on his thigh.

“I'm having fun right now,” she said. ”I mean, I enjoy this, sitting alone with you in this room. If the old you was anything like those guys out there are acting right now, I like this new you much better.”

Lucas grinned. “You don't know me,” he said with a smile.

“True, but I'm pretty good at reading people.”

As she said those words, Haneul leaned in a little closer, so close that Lucas reacted to it. His heart skipped a beat, and his shirtless body suddenly felt warm.

Haneul's hand moved from her lap and onto his thigh. Her face almost touched his. Man she's beautiful, Lucas thought.

The old him might have taken advantage of the situation. He might have read the signals in his favor, and decided that making a move for a moment's pleasure was worth it over any risks it entailed, and no matter the potential consequences of his actions.

The new him, however, did not think like that. He was not about to make a move on Haechan's baby sister.

Haneul quickly understood this, and knew two things: that Lucas wouldn't kiss her without an expressed invitation, and that he desperately wanted to. She was right about both.

That's why she – attracted by the fit and handsome shirtless man beside her, and infatuated with his sensitivity and sensibility – decided that the risk was hers to bear, and that in this moment it was a risk worth taking.

Foreplay starts here…

And so, Haneul finally closed the gap between them. Slowly, her nose brushed against Lucas’, until his big lips met hers in a gentle kiss. Her hand pressed harder on his thigh when she leaned in.

At first, Lucas closed his eyes and opened his mouth but otherwise didn't move. Then, he kissed her back, and placed a hand on her knee in his lap.

It felt good. So good. Haneul wasn't the first woman he'd been with since the scandal, but it had been a while, and she was the first one who seemed to understand him. She was just what he needed in this moment, and even though they'd just met – and even though he really should be outside enjoying his party – he was more than willing to let things turn sexual.

The kissing quickly intensified. Lucas titled his head Haneul around the waist. She raised her hand and touched his bare chest. It was arousing, thrilling to make out in secret with the other’s just a few rooms away.

When Lucas leaned closer still, Haneul quickly lay down on her back on the bed. He followed, his hip resting sideways against hers. He became hard in an instant, as his bulge rubbed against the side of her body.

“Mmm,” Haneul moaned when she wrapped her arms around the shirtless man.

“Ahh,” Lucas said softly when he started moving his hip and groin against the girl, and feeling her waist and torso.

Their kissing made suction sounds in the otherwise quiet room. The music and muffled voices could be heard outside, further down the corridor. So far, no one had come to look for them.

“We should probably lock the door,” Haneul said and pushed on Lucas’ shoulder. Despite the large number of people in the building, the person she was mostly worried about was her brother, who would return home and might come looking for her at any moment.

Lucas sat up on his knees, and Haneul jumped out of bed before he could react. She rushed to the door and turned the lock. Then she faced the horny man on the bed and smiled.

He smiled back, but was also very aware of the situation. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Haneul giggled and approached him. She stood by the foot of the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder, then pushed him down on his back. He watched with a huge grin while she pulled her top over her head.

“I'm sure,” she said and climbed on her knees onto the bed, until she was sitting on top of Lucas’ crotch.

He immediately began to touch her naked skin. Slowly, carefully as not to make a mistake, but eager and excited to feel her.

Haneul reached behind her back and undid her bra. She slid it over her shoulders and revealed her bare breasts, then let it fall off her while they maintained eye contact.

As soon as the reality of the situation settled, Lucas reached down between his legs to undo his pants. Haneul did the same to her jeans, and climbed off the man to lie beside him as they simultaneously pulled their pants down their legs.

Lucas kept his underwear on, but took his socks off when he briefly sat up to pull the pants over his ankles. Haneul raised her knees to get her pants and panties off in one go.

The room was bright, the lights were on, and they could see everything. When they were done undressing, Lucas sat next to the naked girl and admired the full length of her body. She crossed her legs and held an arm over her chest, but then uncrossed them and removed the arm, inviting Lucas to come back down on her.

He did just that. In only a pair of black boxers, he touched the insides of Haneul's thighs, and lowered his head between her legs. The lips he'd kissed her mouth with quickly found her vagina.

Haneul closed her eyes and spread her legs wide while the man kissed her folds. Lucas pouted his lips and lubricated the sensitive tissue with saliva. Then he stuck out his tongue and started eating her out.

“Mm,” Haneul repeated. “Ahh, Lucas!”

They stayed like this for several minutes. Occasionally, Lucas looked up to see Haneul's face twisting and grimacing behind her flat breasts. A couple of times, Haneul simultaneously glanced down to see the cute head going at it on her pussy, and their eyes met. A piercing, thrilling sensation rushed through them both.

Eventually, Lucas stopped eating and started kissing, making his way up Haneul's stomach, chest and eventually finding her lips again. He stretched out long on top of her, while letting his hand explore the side of her body, from the naked thigh and ass to her breast and face.

With a palm on her cheek and his ass rocking gently between her legs, Lucas moaned softly as they kissed with passion. Haneul explored his back and held his shoulders tight, and occasionally felt his ass cheeks over the fabric of his underwear. Finally, when her fingers traced the spine and Lucas was kissing her neck, she stuck her hand inside them.

This caused Lucas to thrust down hard but slow between her legs, a lustful push which sent a sensation through his shaft. The sensation beamed out into his body.

“Ahh,” he said, as the length of the shaft rubbed against the folds of X's vagina. “Ohh, yeah.”

The moans and physical push, and the feeling of the mushy skin on Lucas' ass, inspired Haneul to pull the underwear down over the cheeks. The shaft got squeezed as they stretched out, and Lucas raised his hips to reach down and grab it.

He lifted the underwear over the shaft, letting his penis free. Then he looked Haneul in the eye before he dared to lower his body again.

“I don't have a condom,” he said.

“It’s okay,” Haneul replied softly. “I'm on the pill.”

It had been a while since he last heard those words, when he made the mistake of trusting the mother of his child. But now, like then, he saw no reason not to trust the naked girl in his arms.

And so he lowered his body, slowly, while Haneul raised a knee and pushed the underwear all the way down with her foot. Lucas quickly kicked them off, and they joined the pants and the shirts on the floor.

At first, he made no effort the penetrate her. They made out, naked and aroused, while he rocked gently back and forth on top of her. But with each rocking motion, Haneul spread her legs a little wider, and Lucas slid down a little further. Soon enough, the head reached the lips of her vagina, and gradually became engulfed by them.

Sex starts here…

When the dick head suddenly slid inside it took Lucas by surprise. “Ohh,” he moaned abruptly, and Haneul let out a giggle.

“Ohh,” he repeated when he thrust forward a second time, and the head pushed even deeper.

This time, Haneul didn't giggled but joined in with a moan of her own. The head stretched her wet hole wide, and it felt great.

For a moment, Lucas became very aware of what they were doing, and of the muffled party still happening outside. Sex was the last thing he'd imagined he’d be having when he first returned to the dorm. And this was Haechan's sister. For the first time, he wondered what his former close fried would think. If he ever found out, that is.

Haneul quickly extinguished any doubts though, when she squeezed her legs tighter around Lucas’ thighs and pressed her hand down hard on his ass. The head and shaft slid deep inside her, and she threw her head back and grimaced.

“Ahh, wow, Lucas, you feel so good,” she whimpered. That was just the kind of talk Lucas loved to hear, and it made him forget all about Haechan and where they were.

Balls deep inside the girl, Lucas’ thrusts quickly picked up the pace. He rocked and panted and touched and kissed the girl, while she moaned and squirmed occasionally beneath him. She was great and playful in bed, clearly experienced, which was good because the new him needed someone else to take control, or at least to take initiative.

Haneul certainly did, but the wonderful bubble they were in burst just minutes after they truly got stated. There was suddenly a knock on the door, and someone pushed down the handle.

This caused Lucas to jump, and Haneul to curl up to cover her body when the man abruptly pulled out of her.

“Yeah?” Lucas said loudly. He sat up on the bed completely naked and uncovered, and suddenly felt nervous and worried.

“Lucas, where did you go?” a voice shouted behind the door. It was Johnny, one of the few who had actually noticed that Lucas had left his spot on the couch.

Lucas looked at Haneul. “Maybe we should get back out there?” he whisper.

Haneul quickly shook her head. “No,” she pleaded. “I wanna stay.”

Lucas turned to face the door. “Sorry,” he sad loudly “I came to get a shirt from Hendery but got tired. Let me take a nap and I'll come back later.”

“What?” the voice outside nearly screamed. “No way, come join your party!”

“I'm sorry,” Lucas repeated. “It was a long flight.

Another muffled voice was heard outside, and for a moment Johnny didn't respond. Then a final click of the door handle when Johnny let go of it.

“Alright,” he said. “Just come out whenever you're ready.”

Something had changed in the voice. It sounded happier, more cheerful, almost as if Lucas was being teased. Lucas didn't think twice about it, but sat completely still and in silence until he was reasonably assured that Johnny had left.

Haneul began to laugh, and relaxed her otherwise tense body. She stretched out on the bed and reached out to touch Lucas’ waist.

“Come here,” she said and smiled. Lucas wasn't going to turn that invitation down.

His still hard dick swayed in the air when he rolled back down and untwisted his body, to lay back down on top of his newly found sexual partner. The make-out quickly resumed. When he penetrated her again, they picked up exactly where they'd left off.

This was when Haneul took initiative again, and pushed on Lucas’ shoulder. He rolled sideways and she followed, until he was the one on his back and she was sitting on top of him.

The dick was still inside her, but at first she didn't move. Lucas rested his hands on her thigh and she felt his pumped chest with hers, while smiling down at him. Damn she’s beautiful, Lucas thought to himself.

Then, Haneul slowly started moving her hips back and forth. Lucas had his eyes wide open and took in the sight of her naked body. He grabbed her ass, and pushed and pulled to aid her movements.

Haneul started rolling her hips faster, leaned down further and reached up to brush her hair to one side. She started bouncing up and down, an elbow on either side of Lucas’ chest and arms. When their faces almost touched, Lucas lifted his head and planted his lips on hers.

The head and shaft slid in and out of her repeatedly. Lucas’ body tensed, and with a firm grip around her cheeks he started thrusting deeper into her.

“Mm, oh yeah, Lucas,” Haneul said.

“Ahh, ahh, ahh,” he panted repeatedly. The faster he went, the louder but more strained his moans became.

“Shhh,” she said and giggled.

Lucas listened and held his breath, but didn’t slow down. The mattress started shaking. Haneul's breasts shook violently with each fast thrust. But when the bed slammed against the wall, they both abruptly stopped.

“Holy shit,” Lucas said. “You're amazing! But yeah, we should probably keep it down.”

“Haechan might come home,” Haneul pointed out.

They both relaxed their bodies, and Haneul sat up straight. Her hips pressed down hard on the man, his cock sliding deep inside her.

For a while, she gently moved her ass up and down while Lucas lay completely still, merely enjoying the moment and sensation. Then they froze on the spot when a new set of voices were heard outside the door.

Several people walked by outside, talking and laughing loudly. Lucas could make out three of them: Chenle, whose dolphin-like laughter was unmistakable. Jisung, whose deep voice had matured so much over the years. And Haechan, whose voice sent a shiver down his spine.

He quickly looked up at the girl with a serious expression. She gave him a reassuring smile. Neither of them moved as they listened to the voices go by, and eventually disappear.

“They're gone,” Haneul said and unfrozen herself. She added: “Don't worry though. I don’t think he’d care.”

This relaxed Lucas, though it wasn't Haechan he should be worried about. Of course he didn't know that yet, but would find out soon enough.

When the danger had passed they resumed the activity, but both realized that they should probably finish sooner rather than later. Still sitting up straight, pressing her legs against Lucas’ sides, Haneul picked up the pace one final time.

Lucas did the same, and started thrusting into the girl while his hands explored her beautiful waist and boobs. He stared at her in amazement, briefly wondering how he got so lucky, until he felt an orgasm coming and closed his eyes hard.

“Mm, yeah, yeah,” Haneul whispered repeatedly while she rolled her hips and bounced her ass up and down.

“Ah, ah, ah!” Lucas panted, faster and faser.

His hands stopped moving around and grabbed on tight around Haneul's hips. She held on around his waist while staring at the ceiling.

“Mm, oh yeah, Lucas,” she whispered.

“Aahh, fuck, I'm gonna come, I'm gonna come,” he said in an equally low but strained voice.

“Oh yeah, ahhh, Lucas!”

“Ahh, ahh, ahhh.”

Lucas suddenly grimaced excessively. He held on tight around Haneul's ass. His touch was gentle, but the requirement to keep his voice down made his body work hard and muscles tense as he panted and came inside the girl.

Haneul loved it. She found it thrilling that she'd now had sex with not one, but two of Haechan's famous friends. As much as she liked Lucas for his sexy body and the sweet, vulnerable personality he'd shown her, there was no denying that the fact that he was who he was made her want this even more.

“Ahhhh!” Lucas groaned one last time, as quietly as possible, as a great sensation rushing through his body. He shot several loads into the girl, and it felt amazing when he came. The way his hands were tightly wrapped around the gorgeous ass and hips, and the way his shaft quickly slid in and out of the tight vagina as she bounced on top of him, felt great.

“Ohh yeah,” Haneul whimpered. She'd figured out that Lucas loved a submissive girl, and when he burst inside her that's what she gave him. “Ohh, yeah, mmm,” she moaned.

“Ahh, fuck,” Lucas said when he calmed down, and his muscles started to relax. He slowed his thrusts and lowered his ass into the mattress.

Haneul slowed down too, stopped bouncing and let herself sink onto the shaft. It felt so good the way it pulsed and throbbed inside her, and the several waves of cum filled her up.

When the act was over she smiled and laughed as their eyes met. She leaned down and collapsed on Lucas’ chest, while he caressed her warm back and steadied his breathing.

“That was amazing,” he said.

“Yeah,” she said longingly.

“Hey,” Lucas said and pushed on her shoulder. She raised her head and looked at him.” Thank you.”

“For what?” Haneul asked.

“For listening to me.”

Haneul smiled. “Oh. You're welcome,” she said.

She sat up and raised her body. The now slack dick slid out of her, and sloppily fell onto Lucas’ stomach.

She rolled off him and lay beside him, cuddling up close with her head on his shoulder and hand on his toned chest. He turned to look at her.

“Should we go back out?” he asked.

She closed her eyes. “In a moment,” she said.

“No, don't fall asleep,” Lucas said and suddenly sounded worried. “Hey, let's go back out until the party dies down, then maybe you can stay the night? If you want to.”

Haneul tilted her head back and looked at him. “I'd love that,” she said. “Fine. I guess the star of the party has to show his face more than once.”

Lucas woke up to a loud laugh coming from the hallway outside. He was on his back, and Haneul was snoring quietly beside him. Her naked chest was pressed against his upper arm. The twisted duvet covered their legs and hips but not much else.

He felt a pounding headache coming on. They had indeed rejoined the party, and it had lasted to the early morning.

Still a little drunk, Lucas yawned and stretched his arms above his head, then rolled on his side and brushed Haneul's hair aside. He was glad that she’d stayed. She was wonderful, and he smiled to himself as he admired her pretty face.

The gentle touch caused her to wake up. She opened her eyes slowly, then smiled when she met his friendly gaze.

“Morning,” she said.

“Morning,” Lucas replied. He leaned in and gave her a loving kiss.

“Thanks for last night,” he added. “I really needed that.”

“Me too,” Haneul said. “More than I think I realized.”

They started to make out, and Lucas was horny again in seconds. But they never got any further, as soon there was a loud knock on the door.

“Hey lovebirds, come out for breakfast!” It was Haechan's voice.

“Alright,” Lucas said, then looked at Haneul. They smiled at each other and began to giggle.

“See, I told you he wouldn’t mind,” Haneul said.

Lucas snickered but wasn’t fully convinced. Perhaps it was his past haunting his mind, but there might still be consequences to face.

“You were great by the way,” Haneul added.

Lucas let out a laugh. “So were you. I'm glad we met.”

They started getting out of bed, and found their scattered clothes on the floor. In silence while occasionally glancing at each other and giggling, they got dressed and ready to face reality. Who knew what mess waited for them outside, and what reactions the fact that Haneul had stayed the night had caused.

The hallway was empty, as was the living room where the party had taken place, but voices could be heard from the communal kitchen. Lucas walked ahead while Haneul followed close behind.

In the clothes they wore the night before, they joined a handful of young men around a kitchen table. The group was significantly smaller, limited to those who lived on this floor and those who had found the energy to get out of bed.

Hungover and tired, most mumbled a superficial good morning when Lucas and Haneul entered the room. Haechan and Jeno, who hadn't been there for most of the evening, were the only ones who seemed rested and energetic.

“Hello sister,” Haechan said with a grin on his face. “Didn't make it home, did you?”

“No, I did not,” Haneul replied and smirked. “Shut up.”

Several of the boys looked up and giggled, but no one said a word.

Food was on the table, and Lucas helped himself to what was served. Haneul sat down next to him, and as the group came to life people started talking and joking among themselves.

More people joined from the other floors. Memories from last night were shared, and Lucas, who was the reason for why there was a get-together in the first place, got a whole bunch of questions about the past and future.

With Haneul by his side, he didn't mind answering them. Largely thanks to her, the pains of being back had faded overnight.

The morning would take a turn for Lucas, however, when several members of the Dream team came down to join the gathering. Renjun and Chenle made an appearance and, more importantly, as did Jisung.

Jisung entered the kitchen with a big smile on his face. He was in a good mood, and unlike many of the others was not hungover. He had already eaten, but wanted to be part of the social experience, and to say hello to Lucas who had not been around in the short period Jisung was at the party.

Jisung quickly lit up in a huge smile when he saw the girl seated at the table, with frizzy bed hair and eating a bowl of cereal. It quickly went away when he realized he should play it cool. They had texted occasionally but not seen each other in person in over a year.

“Hey,” he said and she looked up.

“Hey,” she replied.

The people closest to them suddenly went quiet.

“I didn't know you'd be here,” Jisung continued.

“Neither did I,” Haneul admitted, and knew that she had to hold back her words.

“Were you at the party? I didn't see you last night.”

Haneul didn't respond at first. More people went quiet, their expressions suddenly serious and curious. Jisung noticed the silence and felt their eyes upon him. Something was off.

“I was,” Haneul finally said.

Another silence.

“She was probably in bed when you were here,” Johnny said. Yuta quickly shushed him, but others giggled quietly.

“What?” Jisung asked and laughed. He looked around the table, still standing at the edge a few steps away from Haneul.

“Hey, how was the rehearsal yesterday?” Haechan asked. It was an obvious attempt to divert attention, and it fooled no one.

“It was good,” Jisung said, cautiously suspicious. Then he turned his head in Lucas’ direction, and was met with a serious, slightly confused and solemn expression.

Haneul was sitting close to her lover, their shoulders touching, and from the reaction of the room, the expressions on their faces, and the fact that Haneul was still in the dorm at all, Jisung finally connected the dots.

“Oh,” he said, in a somewhat heartbroken voice. “I see.”

“Jisung…” Mark said, in a sorrowful and emphatic tone.

“Well, I'll leave you to it. Enjoy your breakfast.”

With that, Jisung turned around and left the room. Johnny giggled, Yuta punched him on the shoulder. Mark and Haechan locked eyes and grimaced painfully, then Haechan gave his sister a stern look. She stared down into her bowl and stired the food around slowly. Chenle and Renjun looked confused, having just walked in themselves and not made the connection Jisung was able to make.

And in the thick of it all was Lucas, who had no clue what the hell was going on.

“What just happened?” he asked.

Haechan never took his eyes off his sister. “Are you going to tell him or should I? He'll find out anyway.”

Haneul didn't respond, but sighed and produced a faint smile.

“What?” Lucas asked and laughed nervously, the way Jisung had the moment before he understood. He looked at Haneul with a curious expression. “What?” he repeated.

She finally raised he head to face him. “We had a thing once, ages ago. It's no big deal.”

“It is to Jisung,” Yuta said.

“Fuck,” Lucas said. “I didn't know.”

He looked around the suddenly very quiet group, searching for more information but afraid to ask any questions. This was apparently a sensitive subject.

Johnny saw his confusion, and decided to give him more info: “They had sex in the Philippines during a tour. But hey, it was indeed ages ago. Don't worry about it.”

“Should I go talk to him?”

“No, don't,” Haechan said.

Haneul finally decided to own up to the situation. “Don’t worry, I'll talk to him later,” she said. She turned to her brother. “I promise, okay?”

Haechan glared at her, and she added: “I owe him that. He's a sweet guy, and this was shitty of me.”

Her brother smiled reassuringly at her. Then Yuta let out a laugh, which finally broke the sour mood. One after another, the others joined in. What else could they do?

What had happened happened, and Jisung would get over it. His friends would help him get over the heartbreak. But there was no point in any of them holding a grudge against Lucas, who had been completely unaware of the situation, and no one was going to blame Haechan's darling sister too harshly.

Soon everyone was laughing, everyone except Chenle who suddenly left the room, and Lucas who remained confused and unsure of what to do.

There was nothing funny about the situation at all, and had he known he would never have let last night happen. Not even the old version of himself would do that to poor Jisung, or to any of the boys for that matter.

But it did happen, and to Lucas’ old, fragile heart which was burdened with past experiences, it became a painful memory. At the same time, his night with Haneul felt remarkable, and became a memory he cherished. Combined, his first visit to the dorm after the scandal became another bittersweet memory of the place, a place where a boy grew up and became a man.

Lucas was on the right path, but he had a long road ahead before he could redeem himself. He knew that better than anyone, and Haneul was a painful reminder of it.

Curious about the time Jisung and Haechan’s sister hooked up? Read Jisung’s Most Memorable Sexual Experience.

[twilightmalachite]

Christmas Live - Line to Line 3

Author: Akira

Characters: Hinata, Yuuta Chiaki, Tetora, Midori

Translator: 310mc

JP Proofer: Mika Enstars

EN Proofer: ryuseipuka

"Taichou-dono~ What exactly is this “Eve’s Eve Live”? The name has an oddly nice ring to it~…?"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Park’s Live Stage

Hinata: … …

Yuuta: … …

Chiaki: Ah~ Ahem! I’d like someone to explain to me what’s going on, so that I can understand!

So, ermm, what’s the situation? Those two are from 2wink, right?

They always looked to be getting along, so why would they be fighting now? Nagumo, Sengoku, please explain it to me!

When I tried contacting you guys, you were gasping for breath asking for help, so I rushed over as fast as I could…

But I can’t really intervene if I don’t know what’s going on, y’know?

I feel a little proud of you all for relying on me, though! You can all rest easy now that the burning heart Morisawa Chiaki is here! ☆

Tetora: Please keep quiet, Taichou. Anzu-Anego is sorting out the situation by asking everyone for their part of the story right now.

Please don’t get in her way by causing a ruckus.

The one we called for help was Anzu-Anego when it comes down to it… You’re somethin’ like an extra here, so I’d like it if you stepped back a bit.

Chiaki: M-Mm. Nagumo’s attitude towards me just gets drier and drier, huh…

In that case, I leave this all to you, Anzu. We’ve got our own side of things to prepare, mainly for the Eve’s Eve Live.

Shinobu: Taichou-dono~ What exactly is this “Eve’s Eve Live”? The name has an oddly nice ring to it~…?[1]

Chiaki: Mm. It’s a job; we’ll be performing a live show on a stage set up in this park.

It seems that some of our unitmates are likely to behave irresponsibly when left to their own devices, so… I asked Anzu if there’s any suitable work we could take on.

Anzu actually appears to be on break, too… But she still went around all over the place and searched for a job suitable for RYUSEITAI.

That’s when she found this one. They were just about to consider canceling the live show because another unit, who’d been scheduled to perform in the live, announced that they would not be able to participate, after all…

It turns out, that unit has a member who caught a cold.[2]

So we’re acting as their substitutes. You guys should maintain good care of your health too, alright?

Anyway, that job is known as the “Eve’s Eve Live”.

It’s apparently a live show intended to celebrate the upcoming StarFes, as well as advertise for it.[3]

The goal is to attract an audience and promote StarFes.

Shinobu: Hmm~ So it’s like an opening act for StarFes? By the way, are we RYUSEITAI not participating in StarFes itself?

Chiaki: Ah, no, all units are meant to perform there. So of course, that means we’ll also participate.

But the main performers will be a different unit, and for the most part, we plan to put on our usual performance there.

That being said, the Eve’s Eve Live will act as a good rehearsal for that, won’t it?

Our schedule was getting jam-packed with things to do as of late, though…

So if it were possible, I wanted to give you all a proper break, but… Well, I’m sure it’ll be alright. We’re all still young, after all! ♪

But today was actually meant to be a day off from RYUSEITAI activities, specifically… so you don’t have to force yourselves to join the live show, okay?

Midori: Ahh, then I’d like to skip out on this… It’s cold anyway, I wanna go home and sleep…

Tetora: C’mon, don’t say that! You’ll join us too, Midori-kun. The five of us together are RYUSEITAI! We’ve even got just the right outfits for this, too~♪

Chiaki: Ooh, what’re those costumes? Eve’s Eve Live was a sudden job, so I didn’t really have the time to prepare everything.

I was actually planning to perform with our usual RYUSEITAI uniforms, but this might change things…?

Tetora: Heh-heh. Y’see, Taisho made some outfits for Hinata-kun. Except, he made waaay too many after getting a li’l too into it, apparently…

Do you think we could use these outfits for the performance?

Chiaki: Hm, they’re Santa outfits, perfect for the occasion! If we ask Anzu to tailor it to our sizes, it should be usable! Wonderful work, Nagumo! ♪

Tetora: It’s actually all thanks to Taisho. I didn’t really do anything. There’s a variety of colors and sizes here, so I think there should be an outfit that each of us can wear~?

[ ☆ ]

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In Japanese, the name is ibu-ibu-raibu, each word ending with bu, hence Shinobu’s comment on it.

This is referring to Valkyrie. You can learn more about this in Star Festival, Holy Knights 2 and 3. Please check this masterlist for a translation.

As mentioned in a previous chapter, StarFes is a DreamFes that happens on Christmas.

[ironwoman18]

Rather Be - Part 7

Chapter 7: Yor's mission

“Next weekend will be our mission, Thorn Princess,” said Matthew Braun, looking around and whispering to her, “The party will be on Saturday night and we will act as a couple. I have already a copy of the keys and at night we will kill our objective. The gun dealer Martin Luthen” she nodded.

“Perfect, I will make up an excuse for that night. Normally, Loid and I spent our weekend nights watching a movie before bed”

He nodded and looked around. “You are lucky to have him and that little girl in your life” he said a bit bitterly.

“Hey... You are like family to me Matt” he sighed.

‘but not the way I wanted’ he thought as the taxi arrived and said “well... See you around Yor” he hugged her and got in the taxi.

Code name: Yellow Jacket.

Specialty: Long range weapons, poison, hand-to-hand combat, stealth abilities.

He was trained in military strategy and left the army as a major but could have gotten a higher rank if he decided to stay, he left normal military service but joined a special and secret unit due to his exceptionals abilities, this unit specialized in protection to high ranked politicians from the government, he killed a lot spies from Westalis and other countries, he wasn't part of the SSS. He joined Garden when he got bored of his job as a lawyer. He was train to resist torture and he has a high tolerance to pain and alcohol.

He left her house still a little angry at not being able to date her as he wished all those years ago.

“I just hope that... When we grow up we get married, Yor” he said, smiling big. His brown hair is messy and wet after playing at the pool in his house.

He had some tears as he remembered it and signed thinking he lost her because he didn't arrive earlier in her life.

‘She deserves happiness and to have someone who won't question her about her missions, and that person should have been me’ he thought looking down and signed.

He arrived home and got in bed to rest, thinking about his mission with her, next week.

That week passed without another incident. Yor did her normal things with her family and at work. However before going to sleep she read the information of her target, memorizing his appearance and the amount of guards he had. 

She also learned about the cars he used and how big is the place they will be in. Her dress was fixed and looked perfect for the occasion, her high heels were also in perfect condition and her weapons too.

What she doesn't have yet is an excuse for that evening, she hasn't told Loid she will be home late on a Saturday night. But that changed when, on Thursday late afternoon, the manager called her in his office.

“Mrs. Forger, we will be hosting a party for some special guests from our government and we will need you to go. A car will pick you up at nine o'clock then drives you back home at one thirty” she nodded.

“Ok sir. Thank you for this opportunity”

“Oh and Mrs. Forger. The party will be a masquerade ball so please get yourself a pretty one that covers your eyes” she nodded “you may leave now” she walked out of the office and straight to her desk.

Thankfully her coworkers were engaged in a conversation about the latest episode of Berlint in Love and neither of them noticed her leaving or arriving thanks to her ability to walk without making noises.

At night she told her family. Loid looked a little uncomfortable but nodded understanding the situation. 

Her Friday was normal at work and at home and finally Saturday arrived. In the morning she walked Bond with Anya then went to the supermarket and bought food for the week.

Then she cooked lunch for them as a compensation for not being there for their normal Saturday night activities.

At six Loid and Anya went to the park with Bond and Yor stayed there to start to get ready. The car will be there at nine so she took a long bath, then applied her skincare products on her body. She never uses things with strong scents but since tonight was a special occasion she allowed a little bit of perfume, a common one that won't attract unwanted attention.

Then she got out and got dressed. Her beautiful black dress with golden details around her neck and other places. She also wore her normal jewelry for her alter ego, Thorn Princess, she brushed her hair and grabbed her long hair in a tight bun, she put some makeup on and at eight thirty she was done. She took a black coat, black gloves and her purse with her weapons in it.

She walked out of her room and looked at her family. Anya was watching Bondman on the TV while Loid was cooking dinner. He lifts his head to check on their daughter when his eyes meet hers and suddenly he blushes a little.

“You look stunning, Yor” he said blushing even harder and she was blushing too.

“Thank you Loid” she was blushing harder.

Anya looked at them reading her mother's mind ‘I need to focus on my mission but Loid’s complement made me regret my decision of continuing with this job’ 

‘Mommy has a mission... How exciting!!’ thought the little girl.

Then her mind went to her father's mind ‘I wish I could be there with her, but the invitation was just for her'

“Have fun tonight and I hope everything goes smoothly for you,” he said, smiling at her.

“Thank you Loid. I will and I will be here after midnight but don't worry and don't stay up for me” she said walking to him.

“Mommy and daddy are flirting” said Anya breaking their eye contact and both looked at her.

“We are not!!!” Said them at the same time.

Then Yor checked the time and kissed Anya's forehead then she went to Loid and kissed his cheek, a gesture that became normal for them.

“I promise to return home in time and tomorrow we will have fun together” she whispered only for him to hear and Loid nodded.

“Enjoy tonight” he smiled at her and she smiled back then walked out the house after putting on her coat.

She took a deep breath and went downstairs. Thinking about her family and how this will be for them, she will keep doing this until there aren't bad people trying to hurt them.

When she arrived, a back truck stopped by and a man opened the back door for her. She got in and inside was Matthew wearing a back suit, black tie and white shirt. 

He looked at her and was in awe of her beauty. His intense stare made her blush which force him to clean his throat and looked away.

“Umm... Good evening Yor” he said blushing “glad to see you again” then he looked at her now his normal sweet green eyes, turned cold “You are the boss tonight, but the Director allowed me to create a strategy for us”

She nodded looking at him “I agree with him. He knows I'm not used to work with a partner, normally I just attack”

He nodded looking at her “perfect Yor..” he got out the map of the hall “...as you can see. The red spots are the places I put guns in case we need it” he pointed to the map “the should be here at twelve, three, six and nine” he pointed those specific points like a clock “according to mine and Mr. McMahon’s research there will be about twenty guards just in the hall” he said looking at her “We will be the Falkers, a married couple. You will be Yenifer and I will me Mark” she nodded “I will look for the right opportunity to get in his office and kill him”

“Ok, got it” she nodded and he smiled.

“We can do this” he looked at her and she nodded, trusting him.

The rest of the ride was in silence, but a nice one. Both concentrated on their mission. Yor was memorizing everything he told her.

Before they arrived they put on their mask and the moment the car stopped in front of the door of the hall, Matthew walked out quickly and opened Yor’s door like a perfect gentleman. He offered her his arm which she took and walked to the main door. All eyes on them and she can hear some people complimenting them as a handsome couple, talking about her dress or how gorgeous she looked.

“You are stealing stares, my love” he said loud enough for them to hear him. She blushed at that, even when she was aware they were a fake couple, those compliments made her blush.

Then they walked in and he whispered “you did it great” he smiled then looked around “I was right, there are five guards at twelve, three, six and nine. They are using sharpshooter rifles and they seem good using them”

“Do you think it will be easy for us to sneak in?”

“Well we are good at stealth but there should be another way” she nodded and the party began with music and the waiters walked around offering champagne “gets a cup and take small sips of it, we don't want to be tipsy while we work” she did it as he said because she knew the effects of the alcohol on her.

The night went as expected, they ate some snacks, looking around for their target but he wasn't around, so they socialized with the others.

Yor was acting pretty good as a fake wife, she thought that acting with Loid made it easier but she did things like holding hands or using pet names that she never dared to use or do with Loid.

Why was that? She wondered, why couldn't she? Maybe because every touch with Loid's hands feels like electricity or because his beautiful kind eyes made her feel butterflies. Maybe she feels more around him than with Matthew?

Then the realization hit her like a train... She was in love with him! She was so clumsy and so innocent that she never thought about those feelings until now.

At twelve Martin arrived “good evening my dear guests, I'm so glad to have you all here tonight. I would have been happy to be with you tonight but business are business and need to be attended by me and my partners” he said with a smile “but now I'm here and I would love to talk to all of you, but sadly I can't so I will give an audience to the best couple of the dance floor” he said looking at all the guests in the room “I will pick each song and will eliminate the couples I don't like. Let's begin”

Yor was nervous, she wasn't a good dancer what if they weren't good enough to win it. Matthew on the other hand was confident, he wasn't an expert but if he can guide Yor well, they might have a chance.

“Trust me” he whispered and held her hand as a waltz starter to play. Yor let him guide her and they move smoothly around.

Yor was a naturally athletic woman, just like Loid, which means her muscles can learn new sports and physical activities very quickly so she was dancing pretty good.

The song switched to a salsa, which forced them to adapt pretty quickly. During the waltz about five couples were eliminated but with the salsa the number of couples eliminated increased and at the end of the song there were only five couples remaining.

The next one was a rock and roll song. This one was able to eliminate three couples. 

“Only two couples remain. Now let's use a very difficult one” said Martin and a tango began.

Yor and Matthew cursed but he remembered some dance classes he took with an ex-girlfriend. He looked at Yor, he looked her in the eyes and he could see her determination to win it.

So they used it to create a passionate atmosphere that made everyone else intimated by the intensity. The tango was a passionate dance and if you managed to show it in your moves, others would notice it and feel it.

In the end they won the private meeting with Martin.

They were led to his office and they decided to apply plan B, which was using a poison that won't kill him immediately so no one will suspect them.

She had it in her purse and she looked at him “are you immune to these?” She whispered and he nodded.

The Shopkeeper made sure his assassins are immune to poisons, especially the ones they use.

When they arrived he congratulated them and started to talk about “their gun dealing” business. Yor made sure to pour the poison in the champagne and he poured them two cups.

They drank it with confidence which made him thrust them. They finished their conversation and left the room.

An hour later at one some guards ran in the office to find him dead. Yor and Matthew walked out after their target's death was confirmed.

A few hours early.

Meanwhile Loid put Anya to sleep and Frankie came to visit him.

“Did you investigate Matthew Braun?” 

“Yes and it's scary what I found... He was part of a secret group after leaving the official army. They called him the spy killer. He was responsible for the death of your former trainer and the former handle” Loid bit his nail.

“Dammit... That means he lied to Yor about him leaving the army at eighteen” he said sighing.

“He is a powerful enemy if your identity is revealed because his aim is impeccable”

“We have to be careful and if he lied to Yor it means she doesn't know my identity and she isn't aware of his real job”

“He actually works in that company but he is still dangerous” said Frankie looking at him “you have to be careful with him”

“Yor is surrounded by dangerous people... Her brother and now a childhood friend” he looked at his informant “luckily they don't tell her about their secrets life”

“Do you think we should have invested more of her life before meeting you?”

“This information could be difficult to find even for us... I found out before I knew that story about the wine. Well Frankie I will be careful, don't worry. Now it's time to go to bed and it's time for you to leave” 

He left the Forger's home still worried about his friend and his family. Scruffy, as Anya calls him, got attached to them and he would hate to see either of them getting hurt.

Back with Yor and Matthew hours later and on their way home.

“It's a shame we didn't get to fight but at least we completed the mission” he said looking at his partner.

“Yeah, I'm happy with the final results of this mission” he nodded “we did a great job together and I'm looking for a next mission together”

“Great, me too,” he smiled. He still has a crush on her but he's not stupid, he knows he is a friend, even after their act in the party, he could tell her heart wasn't committed to him.

The rest of their journey back home was in silence. He was looking out the window and so was she, still wondering if she was actually in love with Loid or she just felt weird around him.

They arrived at her home and she said her goodbyes to him and walked in the building and up to her apartment.

She walked in and saw all the lights off so she went straight to her bedroom and changed into her most comfortable pajamas and laid in bed.

She laid in bed and started to think about the mission and her new feelings towards her fake husband, and with those thoughts she fell asleep.

OOooOOooOO

This one was pretty long and I wanted Yor to figure out her feelings towards Loid.

Hope you liked this one.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Business AU - Working Late, Part 15

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3 || Part 4 || Part 5 || Part 6 || Part 7 || Part 8 || Part 9 || Part 10 || Part 11  || Part 12  || Part 13 || Part 14

Lots of dialogue in this one 😩 sorry in advance. Gotta have some plot points once in a while heheheh.

This chapter also features a nightclub owned by Raph, the “Scarlet Underground”. It’ll probably be featured again in future chapters, idk for now (tbh, I’m really improvising the plot of this fic, you have no idea LOL). Writing a bit about nightclub settings always brings me back to my early 20′s 💅 this mama was partyin’ hard~

ENJOY!

“You think it’s the Foot clan actin’ up?”

Mikey had lowered the black cloth covering his mouth as he asked that question, looking over at his brother Donatello. Both terrapins were at the top of an apartment building, dressed in their ninja gear as they surveilled the perimeter close to Vee’s place. The tall one lowered his mouth piece as well, letting out a sigh as his brow ridges furrowed.

“Who else could it be then? ... What Vee described only brings me to that conclusion.” He paused for a brief second. “... They’re probably trying to find a way to get through us. They want to hit close once more.”

“You did install cameras and sensors close to her apartment, right?”

Donnie brought up a holo screen up from some hardware at his right wrist, confirming the active status of a couple of devices he had left around the perimeter.

“I’ve been monitoring since last week, when I saw that presence at her unit. It’s been calm so far, with a few exceptions here and there, but right now I can’t only trust my tech for this matter.”

The young one faked a gasp, amused.

“Can’t believe I’ve lived the day to hear you say you’re not only relying on your fancy tech stuff. Leo and Raph won’t believe me!”

“Leo and Raph don’t need to hear about this. At least not now...” replied the other, still frowning.

“Well it better be sooner than later!” added Mikey, slightly annoyed. “Four pairs of eyes would’ve helped tonight, rather than two. Especially if it’s Foot related stuff.”

“Whatever,” sighed Donnie, wanting to change the focus. “Let’s move. We need to get dressed.”

Both turtles put back on their mouth pieces, suddenly getting in motion as they parkoured over and around the buildings - remaining as much as possible in the shadows. For this past week Donatello barely had any sleep, yet he’d never been this alert before. The looming menace that Vee could potentially get hurt, or worse, was chewing every thoughts in his mind. Frankly, he only wanted to bring the woman to his place and keep her there, but by doing so he’d be putting a bigger target on her back - and he didn’t want to stress her any more so.

He couldn’t help this feeling that he was being selfish on her. There was finally another chance for him to better track Foot clan activity, but it was at such a risk. And at such a high price he would hope that the reward would be great....

***

It appeared Raphael had some information regarding the presence Donatello had felt at the Lowline’s construction site, thus inviting the purple banded terrapin to his personal nightclub. Vee had instinctively been asked to join, knowing she had worked on the project as well. The woman, on her end, couldn't help feeling giddy at the perspective of spending a night out with her man. Especially when it'd be in a party setting! She had some dresses in her wardrobe worthy of such occasions, nothing too extravagant. And so she opted for a short black sequin dress, the sleeves stopping at her elbows. Her hair let loose and her makeup on point, she felt ready for the evening ahead and to get a better taste of New York City's party scene. Her phone beeped to life, then a text message from Donnie flashing on the screen telling her that he was waiting outside in his car. Vee took one last look in the mirror, adjusting her hair, then headed out. Her smile was already apparent as she saw the vehicle outside, hopping into the passenger seat. Vee's gaze devoured Donnie once she was properly seated inside. He was wearing a printed short sleeved shirt, unbuttoned to the middle so it was clearly showing the upper part of his plastron and a wooden beaded necklace. His outfit was completed by tan pants and a brown belt and shoes. Gosh he looked sexy right there and then.

“Hey there, good lookin',” started Vee with a grin.

“Speak for yourself, that dress looks hella nice,” replied the terrapin with a smirk.

Vee could only reply by inching closer to him and giving him a kiss, slow and tender.

“Well, ain't you two cute,” said a voice in the back, amused.

The woman jumped a bit, suddenly shifting her attention to the backseat and noticing Mikey. The younger terrapin was wearing dark jeans with some tears here and there, accompanied by a white t-shirt and his usual gold chain.

“Oh, I'm sorry,” mumbled Vee, sitting back into her seat. “Didn’t know you were here. I just barged in and started kissing Donnie....”

The tall mutant at her side started to laugh, alongside his brother.

“Nah, dudette!” reassured Mikey. “It's chill! As long as you two are happy together, I'm happy.”

Vee smiled, although still blushing out of pure shame. She lightly slapped Donnie's arm:

“Just drive! I'll probably stop feeling like a fool once we'll get there.”

The trio was next on the move, the mood light as Donnie was seamlessly driving around the city's streets. The bespectacled mutant did bring up a subject over, regarding this evening's focus:

“Just so we're all on the same page,” he started. “We shouldn't mention anything about the Foot clan to Raph, unless he's the one to bring it. … We have yet to know what he found out, so I wouldn't want to risk our own mission.”

Vee nodded in agreement, while Mikey commented: “Bro, not gonna lie, it does feel kinda unfair to hide stuff from him and Leo...”

“I know...” sighed Donnie, slightly defeated.

“We're a team. We stay together. We work together. Y'know what I mean...?”

“Yeah, yeah. I just...-” Donnie paused, instinctively leaving a hand on Vee's thigh as he kept his focus on the road. “I have this gut feeling that they'd get in the way of my happiness only for the sake of avoiding any incident with the Foot. … I'm tired of waiting. We're stronger, we can take them head on and not just focus on their little unorganized cells here and there.”

“For sure, but the longer we keep that away from them, the more harm it might do in the end. I'm sure they just want the best for you, just like you want the best for all of us, right?”

The tall one spared a glance to his rear view mirror, crossing Mikey's gaze. He couldn't help the ghost of a smile.

“Good food for thought, Mikey. I'll make sure to remember that...”

They sure matured over the years...

After a short while the car was parked and the group walked its way towards an entry point that led to the lower levels of a building, some red neon letters spelling the name 'Scarlet Underground'. They didn't need to wait in line in order to get in, the bouncer recognizing the turtles instantly and granting them passage into the depths. Vee could already feel deep basses rumbling through her as the trio went downstairs. She unconsciously reached for Donnie's hand, seeing that the place was already packed with people. At least the terrapin was taller than most guests around – thus very easy to spot - but she still wanted to keep close, especially with the gazes she could now feel on her. The evening already seemed at its peak, the air warm and people dancing all around with drinks in hand. This whole scene brought Vee back to a time in her life when she used to go out often to such environments back in Montréal. All while she knew it could be fun, she also remembered the senseless drama that often came along – the woman slowly shaking her head with a grin, now those memories so insignificant to her. Her attention got back to the two turtles she was accompanying. Donnie was ever so gentle and polite, making his way through the sea of partygoers with a soft touch, still holding Vee's hand all the while. Mikey, for his part, was already feeling the groove and having fun as he was going forward to their next destination. Vee did notice that many people would look their way with certain admiration, also mixed with a certain desire for some. There was no denying that those mutants were always a sight to behold and somehow a promise for something different – a non-human experience. Vee could understand their curiosity. She had quenched hers and, boy, she could never go back...

There at the back of the place was a more recluse space, first guarded by other bouncers. They gave no thoughts to the terrapins, but one did stop Vee in her tracks, Donnie feeling the push on the woman as he was still holding her hand. The mutant was quick to face the man who had stopped her, his golden gaze harsh as he simply let out: “She's with me.” The guard was quick to let Vee go, stepping aside and allowing her pass. She hurried her high heels in faint clicks against the floor as she made her way closer to Donnie. The terrapin then left his hand at the small of her back, his stature somewhat taller as they continued their walk. That brought a smile to Vee, along with a quick shiver down her spine. She knew she wouldn't get into any troubles with Donnie by her side tonight.

It wasn't long until they reached heavy curtains hiding a small room. Mikey was the first one to plunge in, already letting out an “eeyoooo” as a greeting, soon replied by enthusiastic voices. The tall terrapin and Vee next made their way in, the woman’s eyes then landing on Raphael who was sitting comfortably on one of the three sofas available, cigar in hand and surrounded by two beautiful women - some other people present as well. It wasn't a large room, but there was still enough space for a handful of guests, as well as a stripper pole for entertainment.

The large turtle smirked as he saw Donnie come in, also sharing a welcoming nod to the woman by his side.

“What, is Honor Boy also gonna pop in as well?” he asked, amused.

“Nah,” replied Donnie. “Mikey came along 'cause I just happened to be with him when you called me.”

“Ay, bro, you know that even if I'm not in the picture, I'm always down to come here!” commented Mikey.

Raph only had to say “leave us the room, please” for his guests to take the hint and head to the party outside of this alcove. One woman at his side granted a kiss to his jaw, murmuring something to the terrapin before getting up – leaving the male with a renewed smile to his face. The last souls exiting the place, Raph gestured to a liquor bar nearby.

“Please, have a drink. The night is young.”

“Don't mind if I do!” replied Mikey, already on the lookout for what to mix. “I'll get something refreshing for y'all.”

The large mutant next took some time to look over at the woman, a certain amusement in his eyes, taking a drag from his cigar.

“… Feels weird to see you in somethin' else than work clothes,” he added. “I still stand by my words; my brother got some good taste.”

That caught Vee slightly by surprise, a light blush coming on her cheeks. Donnie simply tsked, moving forward so he could sit nearby his brother.

“Stop stalling time. You said you had information about that presence in the undergrounds.”

“Woah, slow down there, Don,” gently warned Raph. “My place, my rules. Let me enjoy spendin' some time with my bros, for fuck's sake.”

Vee took place right next to the tall terrapin, tenderly holding his hand and leaning into him a little.

“There's no rush, n'amour. We've got all night.”

“See, the lady understands,” added the red banded one, satisfied. “I hope you take your time with her as well.”

“Oh stop that,” muttered Donnie in exasperation, Mikey snickering in the back.

The younger mutant soon handed his concoctions to the group, starting light with some gin and tonics (maybe with some emphasis on the gin!). Just to play on Donatello's nerves, Raph did drink slowly, sparing an amused glance to his brother. The purple clad mutant exhaled, rolling his eyes as he sat more comfortably on the couch, letting out a “you're full of shit“ under his breath, next taking a sip of his drink as well. Sometimes he could just really understand Leo whenever it came to dealing with the red brute...

“Word on the street is that the thing you're lookin’ for is huge,” started Raphael, leaving his empty glass aside. “It may even be taller than you, nerd.”

“Jeez, no wonder I kinda felt threatened when I sensed its presence,” commented Donnie, frowning.

“It appears that it mostly hangs around underground subway stations and abandonned construction sites.”

“Maybe it's just looking for work,” quiped in Mikey, jokingly.

“Well it's doin' a piss-poor job,” continued Raph. “… Some people were able to get a visual on that damn thing and it appears to be a mutant – some even say it looked like a gator.”

That took Donnie slightly by surprise, the gears of his mind already at work.

“Either those damn New York legends about alligators in the sewers are true, or it's some Baxter Stockman fucked up work,” he thought outloud.

“You think he got his hands back on some purple ooze?” questionned Mikey.

“If he was able to synthesize it in any manner, perhaps. But that must have taken him some time, and it must be bound to bring some errors or undesired results...”

“I am absolutely lost,” finally added in Vee.

The mutant trio paused, looking back at the human woman.

“... There’s quite a lot to unpack there. I’ll get you up to speed later, don’t worry,” reassured Donnie.

“All you need to know is that if that fucker Stockman we’re talkin’ about is on the loose again with some fancy shit alien juice, we’ll have to expect more problems in the near future,” added Raph.

He next dangled his empty glass to Mikey’s attention, quickly adding a “if you’d be so kind” - to which the younger brother happily complied.

“I suspect by this conversation that it’s not the first time that this guy you’re talking about has done some work with that said purple ooze?” asked the woman.

“Indeed,” continued the bespectacled one. “Years ago he turned two criminals, Bebop and Rocksteady, into mutants. The results were quite impressive, but they can prove to be quite catastrophic if in the wrong hands.”

“I personally think that this Bebop guy had a nice mowhak!” commented Mikey, giving another drink to Raph before sitting back down.

“Style aside,” cut the red one. “At least those two shitheads are behind bars, so we won’t have to worry about them. ... But now if Stockman is finally out of Tokyo and ready to unleash some hell over here, we’ll need to get on the move fast.”

Donnie finished his drink, his fingers drumming against the now empty glass, frowning as his thoughts were running once more.

“... Any idea where to start in order to find that alligator?” he asked Raph.

“You really wanna get after that thing? ... Your suicide, brother.”

“If it’s really one of Baxter’s creations,” continued Donnie, not minding the other’s comment, “its behaviour just doesn’t make sense right now. Why is it not attacking? Why is it hiding? What’s its purpose - we’re not even hiding in the sewers anymore, so there’s no need to stay underground. ... I need to see for myself on what side that mutant is on.”

“Maybe it’s scared,” added Mikey. “Where was it mostly sighted? That could give us a good idea on where its home is.”

The big terrapin softly sighed, somehow conceeding.

“It seems to mostly hang uptown. No idea where exactly right now, but I can definitely get details.”

He next pointed a finger to Donnie, his gaze shifting from the purple mutant to the orange one: “And there’s no way in hell I’m letting you two go after that gator alone. I’m tagging along and you can’t stop me.”

The two others exchanged a look, Donatello then shrugging: “I wasn’t going to object anyway. We’ll need all the muscles we can get if we have to fight that thing.”

Raph paused, not expecting to be included that easily. Relaxing his posture in his seat, he grinned after taking a sip from his glass.

“Then it’s settled,” said the red one. “One underground adventure coming soon.”

“Want Leo to tag along as well?” asked Mikey.

“If he’s not too busy bossing around, we’ll see.”

Raph next spared a glance towards Vee, noticing she had been silent for some time now. He winked at her.

“Don’t worry, doll face, I won’t ask you to come and get fightin’.”

“I can’t fight, for sure,” she said back. “But if there’s ever anything else I can do to help, I’ll be glad to.”

Donnie’s traits frowned once more, stopping himself from voicing out that she’d get into renewed trouble if she was to do so. And that look did not escape Raph...

“We’ll keep that in mind,” said the red one. “But I’ll give y’all a break for tonight. Go have some fun on the dancefloor. I’ll let you all know when I have more details.”

Mikey was already on his feet: “Hell yeah! I’ve been itchin’ to dance since we set foot in here.”

As the trio was about to leave the room, Raph’s voice did rise up once more:

“Donnie, stay here for a sec’.”

The tall terrapin stopped, Vee pausing at the same moment. Donatello’s gaze on her was reassurring, a gentle touch on her arm as he asked her to stay close to Mikey. Now finally alone with Raphael, the purple clad mutant sighed before turning around and facing his brother. And boy did he look annoyed...

“... I saw that face you did when she offered to help. I swear to fuck, Donnie, if she’s already in deep shit-”

“Everything’s okay,” cut the other. “I just don’t want her to get into harm’s way, that’s all.”

“By the tired look on your face, I’d say she already got into some.”

“I’m tired ‘cause I’ve just been working a lot lately.”

“Don’t lie to me, Don, I know you. I know your different kinds of tired. And right now this ain’t work tired.”

Donnie shrugged, vaguely gesturing in annoyance: “And your point is?”

“Are you trackin’ the Foot or not?”

Silence - except for the muffled booming of a bass boosted song in the distance - deafened the place. Raphael sighed, finally standing up.

“Look, just answer me, alright,” he added, walking towards his brother. “... I promise I won’t get mad.”

“Oh, sure,” sourly said Donnie.

“I swear.”

“Then yes,” promptly answered the purple one, hoping to rip the bandaid right away and rapidly get through the hard discussion ahead. “Since our last discussion on the subject, I never stopped. ... And lately I’ve been going harder at it since Vee spotted some of their ninjas and one even broke into her appartment.”

“Shit, for real?”

“There’s no way in hell anyone’s going to stop me in my research,” continued Donnie. “And now if I have to consider Baxter Stockman in the picture as well, I need to act fast.”

“Donnie...” Raph was about to lay a hand on the other’s shoulder, but the tall terrapin was quick to push his gesture back.

“And I don’t give a shit if you want to tell Leo. I’m done hiding. I can’t stand doing nothing, sitting at the top of this goddamn city and watching the people I love get hurt by my inaction.”

“Donnie, I get ya,” interjected Raph again. “I don’t wanna fight you on this. I wanna help.”

Donatello was now visibly surprised. He couldn’t help a renewed frown however.

“... Why the sudden change of heart?”

The other showed half of a smile: “Let’s just say some stuff is shiftin’ around in my life. I won’t tell no more.”

“And what about Leo?”

“Lemme handle the shithead. You have enough to worry about anyway.”

There was this sudden wave of relief washing over the tall terrapin, a sigh escaping him as his shoulders slouched a bit. That reaction brought a soft chuckle from Raph, next moving to the small bar in the room. He poured two shots of whiskey, offering one to the other. Donnie didn’t hesitate to drink it up, then presenting the glass for another one.

“... It must have been weighin’ on ya,” commented Raphael, pouring another shot.

“You have no idea,” answered the bespectacled mutant. “At least Mikey will be happy about that.”

Raph drank in turn, his traits hardening: “Wait, Mikey’s on it too?”

“We’ve only been patrolling around these days, nothing too big,” quickly dismissed Donnie. “He was just so adamant about us four tackling this as a team... I get his point and I frankly believe that things will definitely move faster when we’re all together. I was just so pissed that Leo would have us hold back and do nothing. I just don’t understand his reasoning.”

“I’m not tryin’ to completely defend his case, but bein’ the leader and all that shit kinda makes him anxious all the time. He can’t be everywhere all at once, so he’s just worried about our family, ya know. He’s tryin’ his best...”

Donnie smirked at his brother, drinking his shot.

“Who would’ve thought that you’d be defending Leo one day.”

“Believe me, I almost puked,” joked Raph.

They both got some more shots in their amusement, Raph then leaving a friendly tap at the other’s shell, pointing to the alcove’s entrance.

“I wouldn’t want to make your lady wait any longer. Go have some fun tonight. Drinks are on me.”

“Thanks, Raph,” added Donnie as both of them walked out of the room.

They exchanged a brotherly handshake, the purple banded terrapin then making his way towards the main floor. He did not miss however when one woman present in the room earlier had now made her way back to Raphael, the red brute’s hand already at the small of her back. Donnie smiled, starting to piece everything together.

***

Mikey’s enthusiasm was definitely bringing a grin to Vee’s face, the duo lost on the dancefloor and letting the music guide their every moves. Sensing this deep bass rumble through her body brought back some old feelings and memories, trying to hush them and focus on the moment. The ghost of lips and hands on her body, the missing warmth of a body close to hers as hips were following the lustful rhythm of the night. Feeling small, helpless, like a prey for men to feast on. The sudden boiling of her blood as she had to defend herself countless times against the most mediocre specimens known to mankind...

She started to feel actual hands on her, a presence now glued to her back and following her dance. Her thoughts relaxed as she saw the three fingered green hands, promptly knowing their owner to be Donatello. She lost herself in his embrace, her arms and hands going up, instinctively finding scales at the base of his neck to tenderly nail at behind her. In this moment they were one, Vee’s eyes closed as the terrapin nuzzled her temple - the woman noticing a faint smell of whiskey. Her gasps were lost to the music as one of Donnie’s hands slowly traveled across her abdomen, a lustful pressure kneading her form, sensually flushing her ass closer to his core. 

In an instant they were alone, away from the dancefloor. Intoxicated from both music and alcohol, there was this feverish need felt in their kiss - a hunger so surreal, letting go of one another would feel like the end of the world. In the shadows of a disregarded hallway, flashes of colored lights were creating a kaleidoscope of emotions, the continued music translating to the pulse of their hearts. Enclosed between a wall and the terrapin, Vee’s hand made its way across his clothes, remaining on his hidden erection as she continued to kiss him. At first, Donnie was absolutely getting lost in this feeling, but he was finally able to snap himself out of it and lift the woman against the wall. Prompting her to hold on around his neck, he got her legs to open, the rim of her dress slightly lifting. Getting her scent, the churr in his chest could easily be mistaken for some bassline vibrations. Without any thought, he got a hand to her core, pushing aside any garment he’d find with his finger, then sensually caressing her sex.

This renewed dance got him to unconsciously move his hips a little, both entranced by the moment. He easily started to finger her, a lovedrunk smile on his features as he witnessed Vee’s arousal. Her moans were barely heard, her hips following his rhythm in a grind that got her so close to the edge in no time. Her lips couldn’t stop kissing at his scales, going from his jaw to the corners of his mouth. She wanted so much more, yet the euphoria filling her could only satiate her current need. Donnie moved his attention to one side of her neck, lightly sucking and biting as he kept finger fucking the woman. Vee’s exclamation was not missed to him as he felt her walls pulse around his digit - letting her ride this wave as he stayed deep within her, his palm cupping her sex. He didn’t care that his hand was getting soaked. Right now and then that was the hottest thing he could experience. In a lustful manner, he licked from the side of her neck to her cheek, not skipping a beat as he simply said:

“We need to get the fuck out of here. I’m so not done with you.”

((To be continued))

[hotgirlmythology]

Dieselpunk world war one soldier oc oh yeah

this js a shameless rip off of iron harvest except it's not because everyone is not quite as happy as in that universe.

Valerie is actually one of my older oc's and in her "normal" incarnation is a cyborg femme fatale with a penchant for robbery, seducing people for laughs, dance, the occasional gardening and running a clothing page on instagram. However this is the 1920s soldiering version of her. Thus:

Born and raised in Draguignan (south of france), quite a small town. Her upbringing was boring... depressingly boring in fact. Her father was a settled soldier and had little time for a daughter, and her mother, though she meant well, was far too laid-back for Valerie's taste. Thus it was that Valerie Beaufort spent her childhood gallivanting around the countryside and generally getting underfoot. As she grew older, her striking auburn hair and unusually masculine interests started to turn heads, first in a vague interest in the unusual, and then steadily more hopeless crushes once she learned how to play the game. She did try to let them down gently for the most part, but some were slightly too persistent, and the norms of the time were very much stacked against her. She started carrying a pocket knife, more for the reassurance than any actual use.

Things came to a head when her parents forced her to give up her horse-riding, which had been her favourite hobby. This was down to a rumor one of her irate peers had put about that she was casually sleeping around (big no-no in early 20th century). She had, for all her flirting and kissing boys, never once slept with one for the precise reason that she did not want to later get blackmailed by them. After basically going under house arrest from her parents being terrified their daughter who they hadn't given a shit about for years would besmirch the family name, she turned 18 and promptly ran away from home.

late 1916, the hurried ceasefire after the discovery of Plotanium (WORKING NAME) marked Valerie's arrival in Toulon. It was lucky for her too, boarding houses were flowing out the ears with homeless soldiers and she was able to cram a lonely looking kepi over her head and bed down for the night among the similarly dusty and exhausted soldiery. In fact, it was a whole week before she got figured out as having not paid to stay there and was booted out, after having made friends with several soldiers who, disturbingly, were near her own age. Some had enlisted at 16. She took to begging in a ratty blanket and the now slightly dented kepi along with the soldiers she had made friends with, although night-time was a dangerous time for her and she relied on them to smuggle her back into the house to have a safe place to sleep (The owner knew, but didn't have the heart to turf her out again).

As the boarding house emptied, soldiers heading to resettle, Valerie had finally supplemented her savings enough to start paying for a room of her own. It took her a while to regain her previous light attitude after the dour frame of mind of the soldiers, but as she managed to blag her way into a job as a medium's assistant of all things. They were very in vogue at the time, what with the uncertainty around returning soldiers, the whispers of some of the soldiers still manning their posts and the blazingly fast conversions of vehicle factories into something very new and very alien even to those who had used to work in them. In her correspondence with one soldier in particular, a young cavalry officer, she learned that he was the only one of his unit back. The rest were still battle-ready, having received orders to keep patrolling the french-german border. This coupled with the sheer amount of distraught wives appearing at the medium's claiming that their husbands had not returned home while not receiving news of their death made Valerie smell a rat. She did not make long-term plans and kept in very close correspondence with her "friend" the officer. He had become somewhat more of a friend by this time, it is fair to say.

Sure enough, it made the news a couple of months later when a german zeppelin of unknown type was spotted leaving french airspace. It took a couple more days for news of the soldiers it had apparently deposited into french territory to reach the papers, which caused uproar. The ceasefire was on tenterhooks, but luckily there was the convenient event of new Plotanium-powered "Crawlers", developed by the British, to crow about (plotanium is just a substance that is efficiently manufacturable and vaporises efficiently and reliably - basically making it ideal for hydraulics). Thus the occasional incursions became the norm, one side attacking the other on a small scale. Very little news reached Toulon about the silent running war being fought on the old western front by the armies that, behind closed doors, were being furiously altered. Some girls she had known from the munitions factories and as reservists (in this universe women were allowed to enlist into reserves. A few made it to the front, though this was avoided) were melting away to the secret-filled factories that were increasingly said to be building new machines of war. After several months, out they came.

France had gone all-out on its crawlers. Far stockier than the British "Duck", these had six legs instead of three and a whole host more weapons. Officially named Porte-Infanterie Modèle 1918, but called "Dalle" by anyone who had the misfortune to actually try piloting one, it made a huge splash on the news when the first one made its way to the border in bits on a train. Though nobody wanted to admit it, the war was still in full swing. The situation in the overseas colonies, especially those of the British, was testament to that. The Duck crawlers had already been put to work by the territorial armies, and the hold on the colonies was stronger than ever. They had even began to attack those of historical enemies. All this considered, Valerie was expecting her officer to be called out of his home training post any day now to go and bolster his men. Accordingly, she turned on the charm a little. He grew steadily more besotted and when she asked him one night if he'd take her with him when he rejoined his soldiers, and unthinkingly he told her yes. Valerie promptly enlisted into the reserves of the regiment his squadron fell under.

Valerie had long harboured a desire to go into the military, despite the haunted faces of the men she had made friends with in the boarding house. Being able to ride a horse was qualification enough for the tired sergeant who was just happy that someone wanted to join the reserves as opposed to draining away like the rest of them. Though it would mean she would have to sacrifice her more feminine interests, she was already tired of the confines of the city, and by all accounts the new war was a far cry from the hell of the trenches. Went through training for a while, then when lo and behold her darling officer sent word that he was heading back, he didn't take much persuading to let her come too. Valerie cut an unusual figure on her arrival. The other cavalry soldiers were slightly taken aback, and more than one bore suspicion toward their officer's thought process in allowing her to come with him - suspicions that were allayed when she managed to sit her horse through its woefully frequent tripping (it had been a bit rattled by shellfire in the war and never quite recovered).

Valerie adapted to it all very quickly, accompanying the squadron as a trooper. To the others' chagrin she was often at the front of any assaulting action, the brazen attitude cultivated through barefaced lying to a succession of customers at the medium's serving her well in motivating often soggy and tired troopers, even when she was wet through herself. She proved herself time and time again, and though she was never the greatest shot or the quickest to the sword, she clung to her horse with abandon and those under her grew to dread the times she gritted her teeth and determinedly fixed her lipstick from the grubby tube in her pocket (yes she did no it wasn't practical yes it was cool). In camp and on the move her hastily stifled peals of laughter were often heard, more often than not stemming from a trooper's attempt to impress her. While it wasn't any secret that the only one to have her heart was her officer, she was loath to give up her fun. Besides, it helped her to unwind, something that was a rare privilege. It appeared the Germans had spent all of their time developing new aerial vehicles rather than land vehicles, and their parachuting soldiers were playing havoc up and down the border, and deeper in French territory. A cavalry regiment was therefore sprinting all over the place trying to keep them back.

Currently 1921. Valerie has been in active service for nearly two years. She has had her fair share of close scrapes. Now a lance-corporal after a battlefield promotion, her word carries some weight. She has gone through several tubes of lipstick, each emptied one carefully stored in her lodgings at home. She has reached an uneasy peace with her parents on her breaks away from the front. She has a handsome black mare now, who doesn't collapse at the first rabbit hole, and woe betide the cocky private who thinks he can beat her in a race. Her smile is the terror of the unit, because nobody knows if it's to flirt or receive a five page disciplinary. She has meticulously carved a rose vine onto her sabre hilt. Caring for her horse is a welcome diversion, and though inwardly she is as worried about seeing tomorrow as any of them, she finds ways to distract herself. Many have woken up with very hazy memories and a lipstick mark on their cheek, for instance (and none more than her darling officer heheheheheee).

Hot woman joins the cavalry in alternate universe world, goes kinda masculine but not quite, she likes lipstick because ummmm not sure, enjoys the adrenaline thrill of charging with a sword even if she understands that it is maybe not the greatest idea most of the time.

ALso she might be bisexual but just never worked it out because of the norms back then idk the original version was bisexual so it makes sense for her to be now maybe???? Maybe she had the hots for the medium she worked for or something.

[sacred-stanning]

Chapter 20 Part 1: Heading to Darkling Woods

After fighting off Riev at Rausten Castle, Ephraim's army chases him to the Darkling Woods, where Lyon / the Demon King is also waiting.

The woods is the place where the Demon King was previously defeated by the original heroes with their Sacred Stones, and the defeated Demon King's blood befouled the area.

"The once beautiful forest became covered in a poisonous fog."

The scene then cuts to Lyon in the woods. He runs into this guy, who asks him, "You, human, what are you doing here?" He then warns him that it's not safe for a human to be here.

Lyon says that he has come to use the power of the Demon King to save all of humankind.

So this guy reacts to that by basically saying that he can see that Lyon has been corrupted and taken over by the Demon King.

Lyon then insists that he is here of his own free will, and not because of the Demon King's influence. He says that he will save all of Grado.

But this guy just tells Lyon that he's a fool. No human can stand up to the power of the Demon King, and Lyon has been manipulated by the Demon King to do what it wants.

He introduces himself as Morva (Muruva), the dragon who guards the woods.

He tells Lyon that he must carry out his duty and "put him to sleep".

Meanwhile, Ephraim's army is entering the woods. Ephraim comments on the awful atmosphere of the place.

Myrrh tells them all that there is a "Demon Temple" for the Demon King just beyond the swamp.

Myrrh continues and tells them about how she grew up here with her foster father, who adopted her after her birth parents were killed in the war with the Demon King, and that he protects the area by destroying all of the monsters who appear.

Myrrh then seems unsettled by something, and she warns them that they are about to be under attack by monsters.

The scene cuts to Demon King Lyon and Riev.

Demon King: "Ku ku ku ku ku ku..."

And here is the deployment for this map.

18 units!I can basically bring every unit I've been using at least somewhat recently except for Rennac. There are no chests, doors, or items to steal though, so it's not a hard choice to leave him behind.

After talking to Syrene, Lute wandered back towards the Rausten castle library. She knew that the army wouldn't be moving out until morning, so she had some time to think about her next steps, as well as to get some sleep. Though in truth, she was feeling so agitated she wasn't sure how well she would be able to sleep.

She felt a strange mixture of emotions. She was excited to tell Vanessa how she felt! She felt so sure of her feelings now. But because she didn't know how Vanessa would respond, she also felt apprehensive. What if she told Vanessa her feelings and then Vanessa didn't share them? What if Vanessa didn't want to talk to her anymore as a result? Could that happen?

"I haven't ever done sufficient research on how romantic relationships start, so I just don't have enough data to work off of..." she thought to herself. "Would the castle library have books on the subject?"

But just as she was thinking this, a familiar sight grabbed her attention from the corner of her eye. She was just passing by one of the rooms that had been given over to housing the army for the night, and she recognized the mop of orange hair in one of the beds. It was Artur! Lute suddenly had an idea.

"Artur might know something about the subject, and it would be faster to ask him than to search in the library for a book that might not exist in the first place."

Lute walked into the room. Artur was in one of the beds, and she recognized Moulder in another, as well as some other monks whom she wasn't familiar with. Lute stopped at the bed Artur was in and looked down. He was asleep. Well, it was late, and they did need to get moving again tomorrow. But still, him being asleep was a problem. She couldn't ask him any questions if he was asleep.

Lute crouched down next to the bed and stared at Artur's face. It was a familiar sight, not just his face, but his sleeping face. She had often watched him as he went about his day, including sometimes when he was napping, using the same patient observation techniques she used for animals and bugs to make notes about the daily life of an Artur. That was actually what she had titled the book where she kept her notes, "The Life Habits of an Artur". Artur had seem somewhat perturbed the first time he had seen the book, when she had mistakenly left it in the open on her desk at home and he had come over. But like in so many other ways, he had accepted that Lute was going to do the things she did.

Lute leaned in, wondering if it would be ok to wake him. But as she did, something caused Artur to groan in his sleep. A moment later he opened his eyes.

"Aaaaaaaahhhh!" Artur screamed and pulled back.

Lute was so surprised that she also jerked back, but since she had been crouching, she lost her balance and fell back on the floor.

She sat up and saw Artur sitting in bed, holding his chest and breathing heavily.

"Lute!" he hissed, "You just about killed me! What are you doing here!"

"Hello, Artur! I ca--" she started to speak.

"Shhh!" Artur shushed her and looked around the room. Amazingly enough, no one had woken from Artur's scream. They were all probably exhausted. Moulder's loud snoring communicated that much. "Don't speak so loudly. I don't want to wake the others," he whispered. "Everyone was really busy after the battle."

Lute whispered back "Hello, Artur. I came here to ask you a question. It is very important."

Artur frowned. "So important that it can't wait until morning?"

"Yes."

Artur sighed, but he started to get out of the bed and to put on his shoes. "Alright. But let's go somewhere else where we can talk without waking anyone up."

Artur and Lute walked out into the hall, and continued until they were away from any of the rooms where people were sleeping. Lute looked over at Artur as she walked, and she was overcome with feelings of nostalgia. She had walked with him many times before like this. Though Artur had no interest in bugs--he was rather squeemish around them--he had often accompanied Lute on her walks in the forest near their hometown when she searched for unusual animals and plants.

Artur also glanced at Lute as they walked. Since joining the Renais army under Ephraim, he hadn't had many chance to meet up with her. But now here she was, out of the blue, in the middle of the night. But somehow, it felt appropriate for the Lute that he had known since childhood to show up at an odd hour with no warning.

They stopped near a window that looked out on one of the castle's courtyards. The moon was almost full, so it was surprisingly easy to see the horses and pegasi that were resting below.

"Ok, Lute," Artur started, "I think we can talk here without disturbing anyone. What's the matter?" His face was tired, but he gave a wan smile. "I haven't talked to you in a while! Is everything ok?"

Lute thought. "No, I cannot say that everything is ok. The reason I wanted to talk to you was because I have a problem that I need to solve. I was going to look in the library for a book on the subject, but I am not sure if the library will have such a book. And as I was walking, I saw you in that room and I thought it might be faster to ask you."

"What's the problem you're having?" Artur asked, looking concerned.

"I want to start a romantic relationship, but I am not sure how to do this, and I do not want to make a mistake and destroy my opportunity."

Artur stared at Lute for a moment.

"What?"

"I said that I want to start..."

"No, no. I heard you the first time. I just...I guess I didn't expect this..." Artur put one hand to his head and closed his eyes.

Lute waited to see if he was going to continue talking.

"Hold on though," Artur continued. "You said that this couldn't wait until morning. You scared me half to death by waking me up in the middle of the night, and it's because you want to talk about romance? Lute, we're in the middle of a war, and we need to march again tomorrow, and I'm tired!"

Lute realized that what Artur was saying was not untrue. She suddenly felt bad for having bothered Artur. "I apologize. I did not mean to wake you up, or to surprise you. I was looking at you and wondering if I should wake you or not when you woke up on your own."

Now it was Artur's turn to feel bad. Lute was looking down at her feet and holding one hand in the other as she spoke, and Artur recognized that body language. Growing up, Artur had mostly seen the confident, knowledgeable Lute when they were together, just the two of them. Lute seemed to know everything, and Artur could enjoy listening to her talk as she explained whatever it was that had caught her interest recently. But he also had seen the embarrassed, ashamed Lute many times too, usually when they were in a group with others their age. Most of the kids in their village had gotten along with Artur well enough, and they didn't usually give Lute as much of a hard time when Artur was around, but Lute never did quite fit in with the others, and sometimes, when she seemed to realize that some joke had been said at her expense, he would see her shrink like this, like she wanted to disappear.

"I'm sorry," Artur said. "I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just really tired, that's all."

Lute nodded. She tilted her head up and closed her eyes for a moment. "I understand that my inquiry may not seem very important in the context of war, but I would argue that it is precisely because we are at war and may die at any time that I am eager to act and not have regrets later."

Artur nodded. As usual, Lute had summarized the situation in a logical way that was hard to argue against. "You're right. We shouldn't discount the importance of love, even in the middle of a war. What's that line in the Book of Monk Felonius? 'Tomorrow is war...' what was it?"

Lute closed her eyes, and then recited in a smooth, slightly sing-song voice, "Tomorrow is war | so today we must love | with all of our hearts | we live our lives now" Lute immediately responded. "Chapter 9, Poem 12, in the third stanza."

Artur smiled. This was his friend, the confident Lute. He'd seen her do this so many times before, but it still amazed him every time. "As a man of the cloth, I should be the one who has that memorized, not you! You never fail to impress me!"

"I know" Lute said, matter-of-factly.

"At any rate...who is it?" Artur asked.

"Who is what?"

Artur laughed. "Who is the object of your affections? Who else would I be asking about?"

"Oh," Lute said. "You did not specify, so I was not sure. It is Vanessa."

"Vanessa? General Vanessa!?" Artur wasn't sure he had heard right.

"Yes," Lute replied.

Artur thought for a moment. He wasn't sure what he had expected. In truth, he had never really expected to hear Lute talk about love at all. She had certainly never had anything to say about it when they were growing up. But regardless, he had really not expected the answer to be this general from Frelia. And a woman! But then he remembered something he had heard from Moulder a little while back when they were talking about the differences between church duties in Frelia and Renais. Moulder had told Artur something about performing marriages for Pegasus Knights when he was stationed in a barracks up north. He had said something about one of the marriages being between two knights...right?

"Sorry, I was a little surprised that the person you said was...uh...a woman. I wasn't expecting that. But coincidently, I feel like I heard something like that from Moulder a while back. Some tradition they have in Frelia?"

Lute's face brightened in the way it often did when there was a chance to explain something. "You are probably referring to the practice of Hippolyta Marriages among the Pegasus Knights of Frelia. It seems to be a widely accepted tradition there, though it does not appear to be well-known outside of Frelia. I have been reading about Frelian customs recently, and..."

Artur cut Lute off. "Sorry, I'd love to hear about it some other time, but it is late, and we march again tomorrow." Artur didn't like interrupting Lute when she was trying to share some knowledge with him, but he recognized when she was about to dump an entire book's worth of information on him, and it was quite late.

"So let me just make sure I understand the problem," Artur continued. "You want to 'start a romantic relationship' with Vanessa, as you said, and you're not sure what to do. Is that right?"

"Yes, very good, Artur. You have understood correctly."

"Have you tried telling her how you feel?"

Lute frowned. Why was Artur's answer the same as what Syrene had said? Couldn't they see the problem? What if she told Vanessa and it didn't work?

Artur looked at Lute. Her brow was furrowed. She didn't like something about what he had said.

"I take it you haven't said anything yet," he guessed.

"I do not like unpredictability. I do not know how Vanessa will respond to me. What if she does not feel the same way about me?"

"Ah..." Artur thought, "There's the heart of the issue." He couldn't disagree with Lute's assessment of herself. As long as he had known her, she hadn't been a fan of surprises. But what could he say to her? Love was not like a magic spell where you could memorize the recitation and get the same spell every time...

"I'm afraid I don't know what to say," Artur said apologetically. "The only way to know how someone feels about you is to ask them. It can be a little scary to make yourself vulnerable like that, but...well, let's think this through. How long have you known Vanessa? And do you know her well? I'll be honest, I haven't had many chances to talk to you since joining this army, and I didn't even realize you knew her outside of..."

Artur stopped and realized something.

"Wait, you aren't following her around and observing her like you used to do with me, are you? Like with the book with the notes?"

"No," Lute said. "I got in trouble when my grandmother found 'The Life Habits of an Artur'. She told me that I should not write books about watching people. She told me that many people find it unpleasant to be observed like that."

Artur was relieved. "Ok, good. Um, so how well do you know Vanessa anyway?"

Lute thought. "I first talked to her when she came to our village and I followed her to fight the monsters."

"Ok, that's when you first talked to her. But, have you talked to her much since then? Outside of things like battle planning I mean."

"Oh, I see what you mean. Yes, I talk to her almost every day. We often eat meals together and when the army marches, she joins me and listens to me while I read books out loud for her."

Artur's mouth hung open. He was surprised, and a little hurt too. He knew Lute well enough to know that it probably just hadn't occurred to her to say anything, and it's not like they had had many chances to talk with each other recently, but still... He had known her since they were kids, and he had no idea she had made a new friend!

"I had no idea you knew her that well! I've been friends with you since we were kids! Why didn't you say anything to me?"

Lute considered Artur's question. "It did not seem relevant. I did not think that you needed that information."

"I don't need it, but I would have been glad to hear it! That's great that you two are getting along well!"

"Yes, it is," Lute nodded. "That is why I do not want to make a mistake."

Artur felt like he finally understood the problem. "I get it. You're worried that she'll reject you and then won't want to be friends with you anymore?"

"Yes," Lute said. She was glad she had asked Artur. He was rubbish at identifying insect species, but he had always had a keen eye for understanding what people were thinking!

"Ok, so like I said before," Artur continued, "The only way to know how she feels is to ask her. But, I don't think you need to worry too much about her not wanting to talk to you, even if she doesn't feel the same way. It sounds like you two get along really well, and it seems unlikely that she'd suddenly not want to be your friend anymore."

Lute looked away and twirled her hair in one finger. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Can you guarantee this?"

Artur sighed. "No, sorry. I can't. I can only make an educated guess. I don't even know Vanessa all that well. I think I talked to her once, and that was on official business. But I really don't think you need to worry. She must like you a lot too if she talks to you every day!" He smiled at Lute and put his hand up to where she was twirling her hair and stuck out his index finger.

Lute recognized what he was doing and smiled. She took the hair she was twirling and wrapped it around his outstretched finger. Artur then pulled his hand back gently and let the hair slowly unwind and fall off from his finger. It was something silly they had done when they were kids, but it was somehow reassuring to do it even now.

Lute put her hands on her hips and scowled, "Don't be so childish, Artur!" she said, in a slightly nasally voice, in a flawless imitation of Artur's mother.

"I'm just being friendish!" Artur said in a high-pitched voice, as if trying to imitate what he sounded like when he was younger.

Lute made an exaggerated gesture of throwing her arms up as if to say, "Hopeless!", again, in a perfect imitation of Artur's mother. They both laughed. It was a private joke, based on something that had actually happened.

Artur had always loved Lute's imitations of people from their village. The imitations were spot on, and captured odd little details of people's voices and gestures, and to his knowledge, she had never shown any of these to anyone but him. It was their own private, stupid game.

Lute had to admit that she felt better now. Artur was right. There were no guarantees or rules when it came to people. Lute knew that all too well. It was why she usually preferred books, spells, and creatures. But she also had to admit that Artur's argument was logically sound. The fact that Vanessa met with her almost every day did mean that she liked Lute. Lute could feel it in her chest that she wanted Vanessa to like her in the same way that she liked Vanessa, but even if Vanessa didn't feel the same way, maybe it would be ok as long as they could still be friends.

"Thank you, Artur," Lute said. "You have been very helpful."

"Of course! We've always been friends, and we always will be. You can talk to me any time!" Artur smiled. "But, we should really get to sleep. We march out tomorrow morning."

Lute felt some regret at how little she had spoken to Artur recently. She hadn't meant to, but somehow time just passed by...

Lute walked with Artur back to the room he was sleeping in. Before going in to the room, Artur looked at Lute and said, "And tell me what happens, ok? I want to hear how it goes. Not because I need the information..." He looked at her expectantly.

"...But because you would like to know and share in my emotional state as a good friend should. I understand your life lesson, father Artur," she said with a dash of sarcasm thrown in. Lute recognized the technique that Artur was using where he didn't finish his sentence to try to confirm that she had heard and understood the point he was getting at. She had seen him use it many times before with the children he had taught in the church's classroom.

"I will tell you what happens," Lute said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, and for love of all the gods, don't you dare go and start reading or something. You need to get some sleep too."

"Perhaps," Lute said in return. Artur gave Lute a stern look.

"Ok, I will go sleep," Lute said, and walked off.

Next time: Let's check out the map

[novelmonger]

Thoughts on Jedi Apprentice 15: The Death of Hope

Okay, I really don't remember what happens in this book at all - which is a bit surprising, considering that at 152 pages, this is one of the longest books in the series (I believe the only one longer than this is the first one). But my memory jumps from The Ties That Bind to The Call to Vengeance, except for one important event that I thought happened at the end of The Ties That Bind but now realize must happen at the end of this book instead.

What happens to fill all those pages? Why have I forgotten everything that happens? Let's see if we can figure it out!

Jedi Apprentice #15: The Death of Hope

Chapter 1

"'I came to see if I can bring you refreshment.' 'We'd rather have a probe droid,' Qui-Gon said." - Best out-of-context line ever XD

This book picks up not too long after the end of the previous one, with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trying to figure out how to find Tahl before it's too late. Obi-Wan is particularly worried because Qui-Gon is acting uncharacteristically worried and indecisive - for once, Obi-Wan is the one who seems to have it all together. They know Balog is behind the kidnapping, and they suspect he's working for some larger organization, but they don't know who that would be or how to find them, so they don't know where to look. Eventually they decide the fastest way to find them would be to get a probe droid to hunt down Balog. But Alani tells them that in order to get a probe droid, they need to talk to Lenz, the leader of the Workers. And in order to find Lenz, they need to talk to Irini, who runs the Absolute museum and tried to kill the Jedi in the previous book. Yikes.

Chapter 3

The Jedi find Irini at the museum and tell her that Balog has kidnapped Tahl. She reluctantly agrees to help them find Lenz and get a probe droid, realizing that Balog has betrayed their cause since he is probably the one behind kidnapping the twins and killing Roan.

Irini leads the Jedi to Lenz, who also agrees to help them. He and Irini suspect that Balog is working for the Absolutes, who must be behind kidnapping the twins and killing Roan. They also tell the Jedi about a paralyzing drug the Absolutes used to use on the people they captured. That has to be how Balog overpowered a Jedi. Prolonged exposure to the drug can be fatal, which only makes it even more urgent that they get to Tahl. Also, they suspect that Balog's reason for capturing Tahl in the first place is to get his hands on a list of Absolute informants, because his name would be on the list, which would blow his cover. Roan used to have the list, but it was stolen before he died. Maybe Balog thinks that Tahl has the list, since she rose in the Absolute ranks.

Lenz and Irini lead the Jedi to a black market arms dealer who sells them a probe droid, programs it with Balog's vitals, and also sells them a speeder and swoop. They send the probe droid off, and it comes back to tell them that Balog has left the city.

Chapter 9

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan follow Balog for a couple days, not sleeping and using both the probe droid and their tracking skills to follow him. At one point, they come across Balog's camp, but he isn't there and left some of his own probe droids to ambush them. Obi-Wan's swoop is damaged, and they have to stop to fix it before continuing, delaying them further.

At one point, they realize they're being followed. At first, they think it's an enemy, but it turns out to be Eritha, who has followed them with terrible news: Alani was the one behind Roan's death and the kidnapping of the twins. She's working with Balog, who is keeping Tahl alive but in one of the sensory deprivation units. Eritha suspects that Alani wants to rule New Apsolon, by using the people's sympathy to become governor and then bringing the Absolutes back into power.

Eritha joins the Jedi in their attempt to rescue Tahl, since Tahl was her friend too. Before they can go any further, however, they're suddenly attacked by a group who end up being Workers in a nearby mine. They thought the three were working with the Absolutes, so they attacked them. In the struggle, Obi-Wan hurts his leg, and some falling rocks destroy their probe droid. But the Workers promise to help them in any way they can, because they know about Balog and want to stop him.

Chapter 11

The Workers tend to Obi-Wan's leg, but they have to stay there overnight so he can heal. Thankfully, the Workers are able to give Qui-Gon information about the Absolute raids on their settlement, which gives Qui-Gon a better idea of where their hideout might be.

At the break of dawn the next morning, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Eritha head out again. Just when they've managed to track Balog to his campsite from the night before, one of the Workers comes up behind them and tells them that the Absolutes are raiding the settlement again, killing indiscriminately. She begs them to come back and help, but Qui-Gon is reluctant to turn back when he can feel that Tahl is so close. He sends Obi-Wan and Eritha back to help the Workers and goes on alone to find Tahl. Obi-Wan is not happy about this.

"'Master,' Obi-Wan said, his eyes locking on Qui-Gon's, 'this is wrong. You know it is. Tahl would say the same. How can you turn your back on these people?' 'Our mission is too important,' Qui-Gon said. 'And Tahl...' His voice died away, and his hand dropped from Obi-Wan's shoulder. ... His Padawan looked so confused that he relented. 'Obi-Wan, I cannot abandon her,' he said, his voice low. His gaze pleaded with Obi-Wan to understand. But he got no such understanding. Obi-Wan shook his head. 'You're wrong.'" - To be perfectly honest, I've found this book to be a little boring so far (at least, as boring as a cross-country chase can be). There's been a lot of confusion and disconnect and worry simmering under the surface, but this is the first time it's actually come to the surface with real consequences. And you know, I think this is what they're talking about when it comes to Jedi not having attachments. Because Qui-Gon has pledged his life to Tahl, she is now his priority in every circumstance, rather than victims of an attack like this, which is what a Jedi's priority is supposed to be. It's a really sticky situation to get into - especially in the middle of a mission, which is why I think it would have been much wiser for Qui-Gon and Tahl to work their relationship out afterwards.

Chapter 12

Obi-Wan and Eritha head back to help the Workers fight the Absolutes. Obi-Wan is all confused and disturbed by the disagreement with Qui-Gon, not least because it brings him back to what happened with their last big disagreement on Melida/Daan :( Interestingly, he notices that Tahl is the common denominator in both of those disagreements - in both instances, Qui-Gon chose to prioritize Tahl's safety over helping others in danger. It doesn't seem like Obi-Wan has an inkling over why this is yet, but he's definitely beginning to catch on.

"Obi-Wan was startled at how disappointed and angry he still felt about Qui-Gon's decision. The wind was cooling his hot cheeks, but not his disquiet. Would this disagreement shake their union? He didn't know. He had felt distance between them since they arrived on New Apsolon. Perhaps this would deepen it. He couldn't worry about it. He had spoken the truth. But the distance he felt from his Master saddened him." - ;_;

To my surprise and delight, as well as Obi-Wan's, Qui-Gon actually turns back and rejoins them before they get to the settlement again! "I was wrong, Padawan. Thank you for pointing it out to me. My duty lies here. No matter...what it may cost." Okay, any respect I might have lost for Qui-Gon in this whole situation has been restored. He's still a Jedi through and through.

Unfortunately, by the time they all get back to the settlement, the Absolutes have killed everyone in the settlement and stolen their explosives. The destruction is complete and horrible. Because this is still a kids' book, the details are light and brief, but once again I'm kind of impressed with how dark things get in this series. There's even one part where Qui-Gon goes into the school building and discovers that all of the children have been killed too ._.

Chapter 14

Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Eritha make it to the Absolutes' secret base, using clues they left behind as well as Yanci's knowledge of the area. Disguising themselves as Absolutes, they march right into the base without suspicion and start looking for where Tahl might be kept.

They come across a hallway with sensors across it and decide to investigate, since Tahl will definitely be kept somewhere with extra security. The Jedi are able to leap over the sensors, but Eritha can't, so she stays behind as a lookout. The Jedi find a storeroom where the Absolutes are keeping all the materials they've been stealing from the Workers, as well as enough explosives to blow up the entire base and cover their tracks. But then Eritha is discovered. She tries to pretend that she's helping the Absolutes like Alani, but they march her off to lock her up anyway.

Chapter 16

The Jedi follow the guards to see where they're taking Eritha, but there are too many sensors and other security measures, so they won't be able to follow without alerting everyone to their presence. Still, there's a good chance Tahl is being kept in the same place, so they need to get in. They decide to cause a diversion, and go back to get some explosives from the storage room and set them up in various places.

When the first explosion goes off and the base goes into high alert, the Jedi spot Balog heading in a different direction from everyone else, so they follow him. As Qui-Gon says, "When one's home is burning, one goes for the most valuable item." (Really reminds me of Sherlock!) For Balog, his most important asset is Tahl, so it makes sense that if they follow him, they'll find out where he's keeping her.

Sure enough, they come face-to-face with Balog in a room with a sensory deprivation unit. He has a transmitter that will inject more of the chemical into her system - the last bit that will kill her. Qui-Gon manages to disarm him before he can push the button, but Balog opens the door to a small hangar, letting in a flow of water, and he gets away in a small transport. Qui-Gon cuts Tahl out of the sensory deprivation unit and carries her out before the room fills with water, but she is very weak and can't walk on her own.

Chapter 18

The Jedi head for an underwater exit, Qui-Gon carrying Tahl. She says the same thing she said in the vision that started this all, so now he's filled with dread. Along the way to the exit, they run into Eritha, who managed to escape as the guards abandoned her when they evacuated. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan give their breathers to Tahl and Eritha, and they manage to swim out without being spotted.

Qui-Gon and Tahl go on ahead to New Apsolon in Eritha's speeder, since it's faster, while Eritha and Obi-Wan follow on Qui-Gon's. On the way, Tahl talks a bit with Qui-Gon, trying to figure out why Balog would have thought Tahl had the list of informers. Qui-Gon thinks maybe it was Alani who told him. Tahl mentions that an Absolute named Oleg originally helped her escape, saying he was scheduled to be interrogated, though he didn't know why, so he decided to escape while he still could. (I think this will probably come up in the next book, but we'll see.)

When they get to New Apsolon, Manex meets them at the governor's residence and urges them to follow him to his own personal med team. Though Eritha urged Qui-Gon to only trust the medics at the governor's residence, he trusts his instincts and goes with Manex instead.

Chapter 20

Aww, I'd forgotten there was a flashback to Qui-Gon and Tahl at the age of eight! There's been flashbacks of their relationship throughout this book, but somehow eight-year-old Qui-Gon is even cuter to think about than ten-year-old Qui-Gon ಥ◡ಥ It's a sweet little moment of them sneaking out to climb up a cliff in the lake room of the Temple, and then they hide when Yoda walks past (I 100% believe he knew exactly what was going on :P). I want fanart of eight-year-old Qui-Gon now T^T

The book ends with tragedy. Obi-Wan and Eritha get to the med complex, and they wait with Qui-Gon while the doctors try to save Tahl. They do everything they can, but they aren't able to save her. The damage to her organs from the drugs she was given is too severe, and she dies in Qui-Gon's arms.

The last chapter is short, but so gutting and stark. "He placed his hand on Qui-Gon's shoulder. 'Let me help you, Master.' Qui-Gon's eyes were dead. 'There is no help for me now.'"

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[harriertail]

p2 thoughts

The Last Hope

i remember distinctly coming back from a school trip overseas and my parents had got me TLH as a welcome back gift. god.

Someone's bleeding! is a cool opening ngl.

Dawnpelt murder accusations.... 2 books after the fact. Purr. I get that she was probs conflicted over this but??? Does Jayfeather even get to confront her over it??? Does Tawnypelt say anything???

The Jayfeather Briarlight friendship is nice. I see why everyone shipped them back in the day. It's brought up a few times that she starts hanging from branches to test her strength and wants to be able to climb onto low hanging branches but never brought up in later books : (

ANOTHER reminder of PO3's events and Jay/Lion/Holly's birth circumstances. Kinda annoyed i didn't keep a tally but it must be once per book, if not twice

So Willowshine (and Mothwing) know a Dark Forest/StarClan battle is coming... interesting. Mothwing moments here are good ig. I like she shows up to the Moonpool even when Willowshine refuses

I like that Brambleclaw got Hollyleaf to lead a patrol to find this random dog. That's his baby girl!!!! He trusts her!!!

Even the Hollyleaf Lionbpaze hanging out scene is plagued by fucking destiny shit and recounting the last book's events omg i litro just want them to hang out :(

Dovewing just 'wanders to the ShadowClan border' wrow. and Tigerheart is still pining for her... jfc. oh and they're meeting again

I love the Onestar scene lowkey

I'm SOOOO over Lionblaze's whole thing with Cinderheart. shut up about ur destinies omg. does he get injured fighting ShadowClan? can he turn his power off and on? what the fuck? is this the implication? he let Ratscar hurt him?

we've gone from late summer/early autumn straight into leafbare for dramatic edge. the pacing is so fucked

so the Dark Forest cats (and the sleeping warriors who wake up there) have walked through the Dark Forest trees into the living world. are they asleep or awake? is it just their spirits wandering around the forest? it can't be because they leave a scent mark and Spiderleg hears their footsteps. so you fall asleep to enter the Dark Forest but you can walk out of it? and then the patrol walks back into the DF? the rules of entering the DF make no sense because. is Ivypool asleep in her nest or walking around the forest? if she is suddenly walking around, where does her body in her nest go? usually when cats are asleep but in the DF their body is in the nest

Once again, this whole prophecy doesn't make sense. Rock blames the Three/Four for the upcoming battle and says that they should never have been born and the DF would not have existed without them - this doesn't make sense. even if you consider Firestar as the Fourth and his birth creating the DF, the DF was still around before he was born. The Ancients also blame the Three and say they have been waiting - waiting for what? (i have a rewrite theory on that)

Hollyleaf calls Lionblaze a slow slug. i have to go lie down.

i swear this is the second time Dovewing has to apologise for being 'rude' to Bumblestripe and another character tells her that he likes her.

Beeltewhisker : ( and he just vanishes as well - so i guess cats bodies are really in the DF when they are dreaming ?

the problem with the DF plan (or the Erins) is that none of the cats they recruit are actually evil (Breezepelt is the only exception but in the battle he gets his ass kicked ). the Erins seem to be against making any characters actually evil; even the villains are just reused.

I adore the Mothwing scenes. I love this version of her- pragmatic, sensible, firm. Her denial of StarClan makes more sense than in later books. The omen of the burning reed = find Flametail is a little redundant because Jayfeather's known the entire book he has to find Flametail but its a good scene.

0 to 100 real quick. united the clans and now the battles begun. the whole 'we don't know if [the dark forest trainees] will fight for the Clans' doesn't really work anyway. the DF never really turned them against the Clans for any reason, and the comedically evil ones (redwillow, breezepelt) are the only ones...

i won't lie this does get me a lil choked up tho

Tigerheart has confused me this entire arc tho. "i just wanted to know what was going on [in the dark forest]" okay.

hollyleaf :((( brambleclaw's reaction :((((( hawkfrost killed his baby :(((

MAN that does go 0 to 100. while underwhelming altogether, badly paced, not the best plot justification that fucking ending paragraph is hard i cannot lie.

Someone's bleeding! is a cool opening ngl.

Dawnpelt murder accusations.... 2 books after the fact. Purr. I get that she was probs conflicted over this but??? Does Jayfeather even get to confront her over it??? Does Tawnypelt say anything???

The Jayfeather Briarlight friendship is nice, if kinda shallow sometimes. I see why everyone shipped them back in the day. It's brought up a few times that she starts hanging from branches to test her strength and wants to be able to climb onto low hanging branches but never brought up in later books : (

ANOTHER reminder of PO3's events and Jay/Lion/Holly's birth circumstances. Kinda annoyed i didn't keep a tally but it must be once per book, if not twice

So Willowshine (and Mothwing) know a Dark Forest/StarClan battle is coming... interesting. Mothwing moments here are good ig. I like she shows up to the Moonpool even when Willowshine refuses

I like that Brambleclaw got Hollyleaf to lead a patrol to find this random dog. That's his baby girl!!!! He trusts her!!!

Even the Hollyleaf Lionbpaze hanging out scene is plagued by fucking destiny shit and recounting the last book's events omg i litro just want them to hang out :(

Dovewing just 'wanders to the ShadowClan border' wrow. and Tigerheart is still pining for her... jfc. oh and they're meeting again

I love the Onestar scene lowkey

I'm SOOOO over Lionblaze's whole thing with Cinderheart. shut up about ur destinies omg. does he get injured fighting ShadowClan? can he turn his power off and on? what the fuck? is this the implication? he let Ratscar hurt him?

we've gone from late summer/early autumn straight into leafbare for dramatic edge. the pacing is so fucked

so the Dark Forest cats (and the sleeping warriors who wake up there) have walked through the Dark Forest trees into the living world. are they asleep or awake? is it just their spirits wandering around the forest? it can't be because they leave a scent mark and Spiderleg hears their footsteps. so you fall asleep to enter the Dark Forest but you can walk out of it? and then the patrol walks back into the DF? the rules of entering the DF make no sense. is Ivypool asleep in her nest or walking around the forest? if she is suddenly walking around, where does her body in her nest go? usually when cats are asleep but in the DF their body is in the nest

Once again, this whole prophecy doesn't make sense. Rock blames the Three/Four for the upcoming battle and says that they should never have been born and the DF would not have existed without them - this doesn't make sense. even if you consider Firestar as the Fourth and his birth creating the DF, the DF was still around before he was born. The Ancients also blame the Three and say they have been waiting - waiting for what? (i have a rewrite theory on that)

Hollyleaf calls Lionblaze a slow slug. i have to go lie down.

i swear this is the second time Dovewing has to apologise for being 'rude' to Bumblestripe and another character tells her that he likes her.

Beetlewhisker : ( and he just vanishes as well - so i guess cats bodies are really in the DF when they are dreaming ?

the problem with the DF plan (or the Erins) is that none of the cats they recruit are actually evil (Breezepelt is the only exception but in the battle he gets his ass kicked ). the Erins seem to be against making any characters actually evil; even the villains are just reused + non existent as they are just unnamed dark forest warriors

I adore the Mothwing scenes. I love this version of her- pragmatic, sensible, firm. Her denial of StarClan makes more sense than in later books. The omen of the burning reed = find Flametail is a little redundant because Jayfeather's known the entire book he has to find Flametail but its a good scene.

0 to 100 real quick. united the clans and now the battles begun. the whole 'we don't know if [the dark forest trainees] will fight for the Clans' doesn't really work anyway. the DF never really turned them against the Clans for any reason, and the comedically evil ones (redwillow, breezepelt) are the only ones...

i won't lie this does get me a lil choked up tho

Tigerheart has confused me this entire arc tho. "i just wanted to know what was going on [in the dark forest]" okay.

hollyleaf :((( brambleclaw's reaction :((((( hawkfrost killed his baby :(((

MAN that does go 0 to 100. while underwhelming altogether, badly paced throughout, not the best plot justification, bland characters, the depth of a thimble, that fucking ending paragraph is kinda hard.

the battle is still p intense and hard hitting but it could have/should have been more ig? it's literally five chapters

Overall thoughts i just wanna play the adventure game : (

Omen of the Stars reread + a lot of thoughts

The Fourth Apprentice

The cover is actually the best cover in the series are you kidding me? Its so pretty. The yellow blue and dark green r so nice

Why does the TC/ShC stream drying up affect the lake water level and not the RiverClan... river? Does the Moonpool stream still run???

Every mention of Squirrel and Leaf sitting together "so close they were like kits just out the nursery" is an actual STAB in the chest. They go thru so much :((((

A flash flood seems to take out the beaver den (or its just poorly worded?) so what was the point of the journey...

Dovewings personality is snappier than i think pple give her credit for, I kinda enjoy her

Tigerheart literally does not interact with her on the mission lmao what is he on about 'I'm gonna miss you'

Jayfeather missing Lionblaze is act so painful :(

Fading Echoes

So much of the opening of these books is just recounting previous events and character arcs omg this goes for all WC books.

Hollyleaf :(

Blossompaw's siblings joke that she moons over Toadstep. Idk why fucking Thornclaw becomes her mate later on then :/

What is Tigerheart doing on the border ? he doesnt explain it? I actually thought that he was already meeting Dovepaw secretly but then hes not like what is he doing...?

Dovepaw being worried for the other Clans + her thoughts about having this power should put her above the Clan rules could be so interesting. the series back-and-forths over Lionblaze (we must protect ThunderClan) and Dovepaw (we must protect all the Clans) even though Lionblaze gets annoyed at Dovepaw for using her powers to look after ThunderClan???

The whole "being obsessed with Prophecy and what it means" is probs a part of Jay's character (as he baso became a med cat to fulfil his destiny) but it also feels like a gross misunderstanding of what a Prophecy is. All the "the dark forest is rising. This might be what the Three is meant for" is like putting the horse before the cart- a prophecy is meant to describe a situation and hint at the character/means to solve it; but PO3/OoTS has the characters/means to solve, but no conflict :/ its a bit backwards.

I like the mentions of Firestar + Sandstorm going on night hunts etc.

Blossompaw/fall's a cunt lol. Shes kinda fun but shes not nice at all especially to Ivypool.

I love Littlecloud. I love when the med cats share ideas and discuss things 10/10 makes my day everytime

The pacing is actually... not good. Ive defo always been on thr camp of "too many povs and too few chapters ruins the book" but wow FE really shows it.

So much of Doves characterisation so far is about agency and not wanting to be special and have Firestar/Lion/Jay talk to her. I wish this was not forgotten about in later Super Editions.... kittypetdovewing2k24

this battle is crazy tho. I wish more of the DF plot was about stirring up trouble between the Clans and specific troublemakers in each Clan rather than the later nebelous 'dark warriors invade the forest' battle. Ill get to that one day

Night Whispers

Picking right back up in the battle...

and again just recounting the last books events. hollyleaf death/disappearance explanation count: 3

Kinda love how many times shes mentioned. From Lionblaze avoiding the tunnel she ran into to Jayfeather finding the fur that Leafpool hid.... cute

Okay i actuallt love ShadowClan discussing the battle + tactics + training and then the chapter immediately after the TC camp doesnt mention it at all and Ivypaw is like "why arent we discussing the battle? Just because we won doesn't mean we will again!!" interesting character moments + a nice look at differences between the Clans

Ivypaw and dovepaw fighting over tigerheart????? they fight so much but then always wanna be together like jfc.

Dove n tiger have negative chemistry like it just jumps right into "no boundaries can keep us apart". I get shes using him as an escape from TC/prophecy bullshit but like.... rlly? I wish it was just like expanded on. Tbh i wish every chapter had like just two extra pages to actually delve into things a bit better.

Lmaoo lionblaze cinderheart leafpool dovepaw patrol this is so fucking funny brambleclaw u get one point for this

Tigerheart break up scene count: 1

Flametail POV. Interesting but... why? Bad things r coming we know... what was his point narratively? It was cool tho. I liked seeing ShadowClan.

Every single book Dovepaw has a character die/get really hurt and is haunted by their screams. Rippletail, Longtail/Briarpaw, and later on its Antpelt... jesus christ girlie has it SO rough

The ivypaw "nernernenerner im better than you im being trained by tigerstar" to "oh fuck hes actually a bad guy i cant believe the terroristic maniac lied to me" is so rapid shes so funny/stupid

The imagery in this book is kinda crazy. Fire and ice cats and drowning in darkness visions. Very fun.

Sign of the Moon

So the med cats are divided and split up and StarClan does not trust any other Clan cat- but when in StarClan, Barkface and Flametail are hanging out? Crookedstar offers to share prey with Yellowfang? But StarClan is super fractured rn each Clan must stand alone. Okay

Antpelt nooooooooooooooo

Idk what the mountain prophecy actually means like. Firestar was always going to lead ThunderClan into battle.... what is he gonna do that's different...

Rock: i was the first Stoneteller Five chapters later Half Moon becomes the first Stoneteller. This is egregious

Swoop death. that's the fourth death Dovewing is going to be haunted by

The Forgotten Warrior

all the hints to Hollyleaf still... its a nice throughline... the yarrow and tansy and Molepaw/Cherrypaw scenes... shes my fave. sometimes the foreshadowing feels like it could be just Jayfeather coping that she's 'defo still out there' but TFW ties it up well. especially when you get surprised by Sol coming back and its like 'oh they were convinced she was defo still out there :(' and then she's actually back!!!

also the title??? is banger. the Forgotten Warrior, with Leafpool on the OG cover??? wow. espec as its constantly brought up that Leafpool was the medicine cat but no one sees her as a warrior really.... TBH all these titles are just as good as the TPB titles in terms of meaning/how good they are.

Another fox? okay.

SOL.... okay

tunnel adventures part 3.

All this like.. Bumeblstripeing is just kinda naff. Dovewing is clearly tryna force herself into liking him. But then she's also going on about how Tigerheart used her??? NGL i do really wanna see like.. why she changes her mind in AVOS

Brambleclaw lying to protect Hollyleaf is actually like. GOD that hurts. especially when you consider Bramblestar's Storm and how much he misses her. thats his favourite

the cinderheart shit is so stupid my jaw is actually on the floor. what you do mean you've been in love with a cat you shouldn't have. is cinderheart having cinderpelt's feelings for fucking firestar and that's why she doesn't want to be with lionblaze. also they have negative chemistry they literally are CONSTANTLY having issues.

oh my god i swear the 'Sol is secretly working with WindClan' was brought up chapters ago and we are only now dealing with it okay. anyway hollyleaf moment.

its kinda weird we dont get any like. scenes of the siblings just being siblings... they only discuss prophecy/plot shit and dont get to be siblings again - which i guess fits with the whole 'everything has changed' but god it'd be so god to just have them doing like. normal cat stuff - especially when so much of this series has had Jayfeather missing her and Lionblaze

i love Dustpelt and Brackenfur building shit... its so good

Dawnpelt murder accusations. okay.... i can't wait for Flametail to suddenly be argumentative again next book

the battle we've been building to all book is one chapter. cool. Sol runs off again and it's the end of the book. cool.

[ivy-loves-chocolate]

Can you do a story or one shot about the reader and wesker ? where the reader is weskers wife and has been for a few year before he was in STARS and she had thouggt he hade died after the mansion insadint how would wesker react to her surviving racoon city? (Sorry im bad at spelling)

Note: it's ok anon I understood what you want. Hope you'll like it! Also, I know I barely posted lately and I’m sorry. I started a new job and I had to get used to the new schedule haha. I’ll upload more often no worries tho 😚🤗

Type: fluff

Pairing: Albert Wesker x GN!Reader.

Ko-fi: if you want to support or commision me, visit this link. Thank you ���

You’ve been in a relationship with him before he was in STARS. You’ve met him while he was a scientist for Umbrella. It was because of his brilliant mind and confidence that made you fall in love with him. 

Being away in the military represented a tough step for your relationship, but not one that was hard to overcome. Every letter from him was hugged and held tight before being put in a special box filled with other letters and souvenirs. 

When it was time for him to return, you prayed that he wouldn’t come back to Umbrella. You worked there, saw what they were doing, and told him every little detail, yet he decided to come back. Of course, it was about money. He was about to run a special tactical unit inside the RPD. Nothing he couldn’t handle. 

That’s what you thought, of course, but then the mansion incident happened and it made you reconsider your choices. 

You were right in the heat of the moment. You and William were watching the surveillance cameras and observing every detail, taking notes rigorously. You were planning on backstabbing Umbrella too. As you watched the tyrant break out of the capsule, you could feel your heartbeat increasing. You were scared for Albert as he was dangerously close to the beast, and your worst fear came true when the monster impaled your lover. You couldn’t watch any longer and rushed to the nearest toilet. The whole scene made you sick. 

Everyone continued their lives as normal, except you. The company looked different; the people, the environment, everything seemed out of place. Or maybe it was you. The point is, you became paranoid and you constantly felt that someone was spying on you. Maybe it was true, maybe not. The truth is, you've had trouble sleeping since Albert was gone. Something inside you was hoping to get a sign, to assure you that he was fine, but that wasn’t going to happen. You focused all of your attention on your task, which was the Nemesis project. After the mansion incident, Jill and Brad, one of the few survivors, remained in the city, and that meant trouble for the company. Not only was the project a good distraction, but it was also a nice way of avenging Albert. 

You barely slept in the past 2 months, and as if it wasn’t enough, you got another outbreak, but this time on a larger scale. The whole town was infected. BOWs were everywhere, killing thousands of innocents. Luckily, you got out of the city on one of those subways. You didn’t know how you ended up there. Your first instinct was to hide and run. Nikolai took care of you. It felt like you had some sort of guarding angel. In fact, you had one, and it was a scheming blond who wore sunglasses at night. 

When Wesker awakened, he first thought of you. In the first minutes after waking up, his foggy mind was only worried about getting you out of the mansion, then he was relieved when he realized that you were far away from the contaminated zone. 

He struggled so much during these months because he wanted to contact you badly, yet he knew that his former teammates were looking for him, especially Chris, so he chose to lay low. Wesker did what he did best: working from the shadows. He hired Nikolai to protect you along the way. Because he was assigned to take out survivors from the city, it was easy to put you on a subway. You didn’t waste any time staying in line, and you left with the first ride. There was no coming back. Racoon City was about to become a ghost town. 

Some Umbrella vehicles waited for you once you were out. From there, they took you all to one of their hospitals to be tested and to receive proper care.

Some of the doctors and nurses had a cold attitude towards you, unlike the other survivors. They knew you were one of their own, and somehow they wanted you to remain there and help contain the outbreak. 

“If you weren’t so quick to run, maybe you could’ve done something.” One of the nurses said, under her breath, that every effort to reason with them failed. You were viewed as an outcast, and you knew you hadn’t much longer. You knew that you couldn’t refuse infections and IVs forever, so when the room was empty, you snuck out to your freedom. 

Having known about Umbrella’s shady business, you packed yourself some fake IDs and money. You were about to turn the corner and leave the hospital building when a car blocked your path. The driver told you to get in. There was something urgent, he said.

"I just want to enjoy some fresh air, sir," you told the man, hoping he'd give you some room so you could flee.However, you didn’t have a choice. The driver pointed a gun at you.

Maybe it was Spencer or Sergei. Who knows? But if they wanted to take you out, why not doing it in the hospital?

The strange man drove you to an abandoned warehouse. All this effort just to kill you? It made sense. 

"So", you turned to face him, “this is the part when I say my last words?”

“No, this is the part when you and I have a new start.” You heard a familiar voice behind you that gave you goosebumps. It was a firm, raspy voice that had a very familiar accent. It tingled your ears. 

You turned around and saw Wesker in his usual attire, standing there with a big smile on his face. He was so happy to see you. He wanted to hug you right away, but he wanted to see how you would react first. Albert wanted to give you some space. 

“You can go now.” He said something to the driver, and waited for a reaction. 

“You son of a bitch." You yelled as you ran towards him. You didn't know whether to be angry or happy. He hid himself from the world for very good reasons, yet you felt betrayed as he didn’t mention anything. Still, you knew that his intentions were pure and that he meant only good for the two of you.

Wesker hugged your back and burried his face in the crotch of your neck. He kept on squeezing your body until you told him to loosen up a bit. You knew he was strong, but you didn’t remember he was this strong. Something was weird, but you didn’t care at that moment because he was finally in your arms after such a long time. 

The warehouse turned out to be just some cover for a fancy facility underneath. It had a laboratory, an observation room (a.k.a. spy room), and a small area that was designed for day-to-day basics such as sleeping or cooking. 

Everything was new. It smelled like new furniture everywhere, and some things were still wrapped. He must’ve arrived here right after the mansion incident. 

After a few glasses of wine and while hugging each other, Wesker found the right moment to tell you about his powers. You found it odd that he kept wearing sunglasses, and what was weirder was the fact that he refused to take them off. You missed the fight with him. 

He eventually told you that the only reason he survived was because he injected himself with a prototype virus given by William. It brought him back to life with some perks, such as inhuman strength and speed. That could explain the force when he hugs you. 

“Pardon me, love, I’m still accommodating with my powers.” 

You both stayed there in each other’s arms, with your heads resting on Wesker’s chest. With every sound of his heartbeat, you were grateful that he was alive. You are worried a little about the viruses that he injected into himself, but you will be next to him no matter what. Wesker was grateful too for these moments, as he missed them a lot. The happy memories of the two of you helped him get through this mess. After finding that you were still alive, he spent every second trying to find you and bring you back to him safely. Having you now feels like one of his greatest achievements so far. 

Neither of you thought about the next move. For now, you just succumbed to each other’s embrace, being grateful for finding each other after this tragedy. Bigger plans were about to come, but now you need some rest. 

[keigosbirdie]

FEMALE READER VERSION

Of all Hawks’ secrets, you are the most well-kept.

Version: Female Reader version | Male Reader Version Links: Gifset (art only) | Mood Music

NIGHTHAWK Rating: Explicit   |   Word Count: 13k  | Art: 14 animations, 2 stills (Technically no spoilers, but if you aren’t caught up on the events of the manga you’ll be missing important context. The fic takes place after Hawks’ meeting with the commission.) Synopsis: Casual was the word you used when you first agreed to sleep together. As weeks turned into months turned into a year, those quick and dirty nights blossomed into private moments that earned him little pieces of you. Warnings: Dom!Hawks, Nurse!Reader, animalistic behavior, rough sex, quirk/feather play, light bondage, biting, praise kink, hurt/comfort, secret relationship, talk of past lovers, mentions of death, panic attacks, PTSD, mention of a past, non-canon event. Spicy, then bitter, then sweet.

There was nothing exceptional about your life from an outsider’s perspective. You lived in an apartment on the outskirts of Jaku City, unmarried and childless. During the day you attended medical school where you studied for your doctorate. During the evening you worked as a nurse in the intensive care unit. Then, when you were home, you sat alone for dinner at a kitchen table meant for two.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat.

For the past year, however, an occasional tap at your sixteenth-story window would break up the lonely monotony. The tap was quite a scandalous secret, not that anyone would believe you if you let it slip. Even you still had a hard time accepting the bizarre reality of the situation; but it was real. Just as real his voice, which you could hear echoing faintly through your apartment.

You glanced up from your lukewarm dinner and dropped your fork. For a long moment, you sat in silence, listening intently until you heard it again. It was him; it was his voice. Your heart pounded against your ribs as you shoved out of your chair and jogged to the window. The part between your curtains opened, but when you peeked through you saw only the glow of city lights below a blanket of darkness.

A frown found your face, and a sigh spilled past your lips. You heard his voice; you would never mistake it for another. It echoed casually against your dim walls again, and you turned your head towards the sweet sound. The television was on in the living room. Your heart dropped at the realization. The little square thing sat on your end table and taunted you with his image. 

There he was. Hawks, the winged hero, being interviewed by a woman in a pantsuit. It wasn’t often he did interviews, so you left your dinner to go cold in favor of watching the program.

He was dressed in his hero costume, his visor lifted to rest atop his blond, wind-whipped hair, and his scarlet wings folded politely against his back. A wide grin graced his face as he exchanged charming banter with the woman. She seemed enamored with his expression, but she didn't know him like you knew him. He was smiling, yes, but the edges of his eyes were crinkled with tension. When he chuckled, his wings folded a little harder against his back. His beats of laughter were calculated. Uncomfortable, that's what he was.

He’d been that way a lot lately.

"So, I'm sorry, I have to ask- Every bachelorette in the country is wondering, is there any special lady in your life?" the interviewer asked. It was airy and friendly in intent, but your lip twitched with faint annoyance anyway. Your face fell slack and you leaned back into your chair. 

"Well, I don't know about every bachelorette," he quipped. His face was a little grainy on your old TV screen, but you could see the slight pink in his cheeks. He was cute. So, very cute. It made you miss him that much more. "But my personal life, well, how alluring would I be if I didn't keep a few things a mystery?"

And a mystery it was, to everyone but you.

Thankfully, the woman interviewing him had enough tact to know when to move on. Their conversation mercifully veered away from his sex life—your sex life—and towards his agency. The television was a wondrous thing. His voice rang through your home despite his absence. It brought sadness, but also a bittersweet comfort. Viewing him live stung your soul. You watched until his interview ended with a commercial break, and then decided not to wait up for him again. That would only lead to another sleepless night. 

Still, the window remained unlocked for him as you called it a night. The yellow glow of your desk lamp died with a click, and you climbed into your bed. Sleep was always difficult. Many nights you laid awake as you thought about your ICU patients. The things you saw in the ward were enough to scar anyone. But if it wasn’t work that plagued your mind, it was him.

Casual was the word you’d used when you’d first agreed to sleep together. It was easy to swallow when he only snuck into your apartment at night for sex. For the first few months, that was it. He’d steal into your home through the cover of darkness and you’d share a violently passionate night. Then, he would vanish out your window until he craved you again. Which, thankfully, was often.

As weeks turned into months turned into a year, however, those quick and dirty nights blossomed into private moments that earned him little pieces of you. You realized you were in too deep when it became difficult to be unbothered by the casual daydreaming of others. His face was clipped to girls’ backpacks long before you knew him, but others, covered so openly in his merchandise, began to make you a touch bitter. His sex life had been speculated about in tabloids since his debut, but to keep your mouth shut while your friends contemplated the size of his penis became hurtful and emotionally taxing.

The only one you could confide those pains in was the man who unintentionally caused them, but Hawks was too sweet. If he knew just how much it tore you up, he’d surely break things off to spare you the misery.

You cursed yourself for getting lost in thoughts of him. Bemoaning the casual chatter of others as he gracefully balanced the weight of the world on his shoulders made you feel weak. You allowed your eyes to close, your breathing slowed, and your body relaxed into your mattress. By the mercy of whatever god watched over you, sleep slowly overtook all your other thoughts.

At least until a shuffle and a squeak made you toss in your sheets. A faint light spilled into your room from the window, and a coolness settled into your bed. You shivered. It was the fresh winter air from outside. The cold wasn't the only intruder. It was him. 

The light was dim, but a dark silhouette of flared wings blocked out the moonbeams. Your heart lurched in your chest at the dominant display. It was a habit of the bird in him to fluff up when his blood was hot. His predatory energy kept you submissively silent rather than greet him.

Floorboards creaked beneath his shoes. The pulls of their zippers clicked with the movement. His breath was heavy as he moved to your bed. You caught a vision of your lover’s face. Little flecks of snow followed in. They danced around the brilliance of his wings and settled into his hair. In the blue light of winter’s night, his gold eyes looked dazzling. They also harbored a glint of violence akin to the blown-out eyes of a predator in pursuit of prey.

It was a familiar look from the strange animal. He’d seemed so open and friendly when he’d first snuck into your hospital room to talk, but he shrugged away at hugs and only laughed awkwardly when you told him he was your best friend. He didn't understand that kind of closeness.

You’d learned how deep his discomfort ran through him when the relationship became sexual. His inept understanding of touch translated to violence in the bedroom. Sex was most comfortable for him when he thought of it as a battle. He'd hold you down and force you open. You'd dig teeth into his arms and rip out feathers with your fists. To submit to his pounding was capture, but to overstimulate him until he was too weak to hold you down was victory. Extreme? Perhaps to those who didn’t understand your trust in one another.

He'd at least offer a sappy hello before he pulled his dick out, though. Not tonight. He eyed you as if expecting you to run, as if he'd give chase if you decided to. Fuck, it caused the warmest tingle between your thighs. You’d missed him too badly to try to put up a fight.

He left his jacket abandoned on the floor, which offered a much better view of his slim body wrapped in his black bodysuit. His canines dug into the leather of his glove before he yanked his hand free with his teeth. You laid silent and already breathless. It'd been far too long since you last felt him. Your body was hot with need at the sight of his rigid wings alone. His eyes swept over you as he toyed with the front of his tan jeans. He didn't come very often in uniform. To watch him fondle himself through his costume was- god, was there a stronger word than ecstasy?

“I want you,” he said from your bedside.

"You can have me..." You breathed out. It was intended to sound sultry, but your tone was more akin to a pleading whisper. Your body ached for him before your heart did, after all. Old habits were hard to break.

"You've been waiting for me, like a good girl, haven’t you?" he cooed. Cooed, quite literally. A low and rumbling song reverberated from somewhere deep in his throat. Not a bit of you was avian, but your body reacted instinctively when you heard your mate's call.

"I should reward you."

His visor glinted in the dim light as he pulled it off his face and let it land on the floor. His earmuffs, too.

You bit down your grin as the weight of your mattress shifted under his knee. His ungloved hand neglected the bulge in his jeans to tend to you instead. Warm fingertips slipped beneath your covers and found the skin of your thigh. A small sigh spilled from his lips, and your body trembled.

"You missed my hands on you, didn't you?"

You only managed a nod as his fingers slid up and beneath your pajama top.

Your body sank deeper into your covers when he moved over you. One knee landed on either side of your hips. His bare hand played with your breast while the still gloved one ran through your hair. The leather of the glove was frigid from the cold, but his body radiated warmth. The sweetness of his cologne mingled with the harsh musk of sweat. The smell of him fogged your mind.

The pads of his fingers pinched and tugged at the pink bud he discovered on your chest, which earned him a harsh gasp.

"That's it. I love it when you sing like that," he chimed. His hot breath ghosted over the shell of your ear. Wefts of his hair brushed against your face as his teeth nibbled at your throat. You were trapped beneath the cage his body made. 

"These cute little tits of yours- god."

He wasn't usually so chatty when he was about to mount you, but every grumble that reverberated in his throat added to the tingle between your thighs. He could devour you whole and you would thank him for the honor.

Your hands slid up the sides of his tight bodysuit. The inky black fabric was harsh beneath your fingertips. You traced the patterns of its gold accents around to his back and up towards his wings. He stiffened when he felt you slide nearer to them. Between the plush feathers at the base of a wing, you wiggled a finger until you found the skin beneath. Then you gave the joint a brutal squeeze.

Instinctively, that glorious wing of his outstretched and shivered. The stems of his plumes flexed against your hand as they puffed twice their usual size. The longest of them brushed against the ceiling of your room, dwarfing your bodies beneath it.

You were always in awe of the sheer size and beauty of them.

"F-fuck. Not fair," he growled, and then his teeth sunk hard into your neck in vengeance. The harsh bite only made you desperate for more, so you fisted his feathers in your hand and gave a sharp yank. He gasped a hot breath into the nape of your neck. Fuck. You couldn't take the teasing anymore. 

Your hands relieved him of their cruelty to pull off your shirt. He faltered when your bare breasts were exposed. His golden irises became thin rings as the darkness of his pupils devoured them. The tip of his glistening tongue wetted his lips.

It was your turn to stare with sharp desire as you heard the click of his belt, then the pull of a zipper. You pushed yourself up to get a good view of him working his dick out of his bodysuit. The throbbing muscle hit him in the stomach. The sensation made him hiss between his teeth, and you whimpered in reply. 

"Hhm, you must be really hungry, the way you're staring at it," he mused before he spat into his palm and ran the wetness along the shaft. He quivered at the sensation. You quivered, too.

"Please." Your cheeks were flushed, and your chest quaked with desire. "I want to feel it, please." 

"Oh, don't worry. You’re gonna have all of this. Gotta get that pretty little pussy ready for my cock, though, don't we?" he hummed.

He reached into his plumage and pulled out a long, red feather. The thing wriggled between his pinched fingers as he presented it to you. The way it moved was unnatural, but you timidly took it in your grasp. The look on your face must have been telling of your confusion because he chuckled at your expression. He gave no direction. Instead, he watched with a mischievous curiosity as you turned it in your palm. The barbs vibrated independently of one another against your skin.

Your breath heaved when you realized why he had given it to you. His hands slid down your stomach as a pair of red feathers brushed against your sides. They dipped into the hem of your shorts, then pulled the fabric, sliding them down your legs until you were deprived of them. The cold from the open window seeped into your most sensitive places as his hands caressed your hips.

His fingertips stopped over a series of divots and deformities in your flesh. They were painful mementos of the night you met, and reminders of the sacrifice you had made for him a couple of years prior. He was a stranger when you chose to forgo your own survival to shield him from death. His bottom lip disappeared between his teeth as he relived the agony with you, but placed kisses all over the scars. It felt like a plea for forgiveness, so you ran a loving hand through his hair.

A soft sound spilled from him, and then his head dipped down to drink in the sight of your bare body. You were naked beneath your shorts, so he hummed through gritted teeth when he teased your legs apart. He'd seen it all many, many times before, but the sight of your glistening pink sex brought about his cooing again. The sound was a deep and beautiful melody unlike anything you'd ever heard, but also purely sexual. It was his body's call to yours. It beckoned you like a siren.

“No panties, huh?” he murmured. His breath hitched and vibrated with his lustful song. “You’re already so wet, my god… how about you put that feather of mine to use?”

He sat back on his haunches. Those narrow eyes bore holes into your exposed body as he spat another thick glob of saliva onto his palm. His hand found his cock. His eyelids fluttered at the contact and he groaned softly as he pumped around it. His eyes drank your every movement. 

You spread your legs for his gaze and then brought the pulsing feather between your thighs. He could feel through them, in a sense. The thought alone caused you to exhale a soft moan, but it was anything but soft when the vibration teased your sex. He groaned, too, at the contact. 

Your body flexed and wiggled when you pressed it hard against your clit. The sensation made your eyes roll back. Your slickness dampened its vanes despite its semi-hard state, and your hips ground into the pleasure. He observed. His hand pumped faster with each desperate whimper his feather worked out of you. 

It wasn't long before he couldn't take simply watching anymore. 

The roughness of his stubble dragged along your breast as he closed his teeth around one of your pink buds. He suckled, and your fingers tangled in his hair as his feather jolted from your grasp. It worked your clit without your help, and hot air blew from his nose as he jerked himself off. You used the distraction to sneak a hand between your bodies. You wanted the hot skin of his cock against you. You wanted to touch and play; to taste and feel. A thick whimper spilled out of him when you ensnared his throbbing dick in your palm and squeezed.

His feather stopped pleasing you.

"I didn’t give you permission to touch, did I?" His wings flexed. The feathered limbs grew massive as their quills stood on end in a frightening display. They were beautiful and plush, but deadly weapons all the same. “Testing me, huh? You're that desperate for my cock?”

Yes, fuck yes you were. You opened your mouth to reply, but your voice cut out when he grabbed you by the wrist. He jerked your hand away from his sex, and you whined. Usually, you were a bit of a hardass. It wasn’t easy to make you crumble, so he looked so devilishly proud of himself when you’d submit beneath the weight of him.

His teeth bared in a deliciously appealing smirk. "I’m gonna have to do something with these hands of yours if you’re gonna grab at shit without permission, yeah?"

You nodded a little too eagerly. His voice was heavy and deep with a depraved need to dominate you. To sully your skin with his desire. You weren’t going to stop him.

A cluster of feathers gathered in the air around you. You had nothing to fear, but watching them circle like small predators overhead made your heart pound against your ribs like a drum. They swarmed you and ensnared your wrists. The strength of his quirk easily had you overpowered. Your hands slammed into the headboard, pinned down by his feathers which trembled with excitement. You were now at his mercy.

“You’ll get your hands back when you’ve earned them,” he informed you through gritted teeth, but you were so mesmerized by the features of his face you hardly heard his words. Beautiful, that's what he was. You'd never told him how his appearance left you breathless. It could scare him away if you said such sweet things too often, but you’d held your heart back for so long it only felt fair to let it beat this once. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” you whispered.

He trembled. His eyes widened in startled confusion, and then his cheeks dusted the faintest shade of red. God, that only made your heart thump harder. His did, too; you could feel it rattle through his chest and against your stomach.

"What was that?"

You bit your lip, embarrassed, but echoed the statement a bit more sheepishly. "I said… you're gorgeous."

Your mattress groaned as he folded back onto his knees. The flaming red limbs on his back lowered until they rested against your sheets. Something about that sweet little compliment tore into him like nothing you had ever said before. That desire that flickered behind his eyes blazed out of control. His kisses landed on your knees before he placed a gentle caress of his lips on the innermost part of your thigh. So close to your pussy that the heat of his breath made you slick.

His other glove was abandoned somewhere on the floor, which rendered both his hands bare. A low groan spilled from him as he pressed his thumbs into either side of your heat. His jaw went slack and his breath erratic as he spread you open.

"So are you," he said, but it was muttered so softly you almost didn't hear.

His head dipped down. The tendrils that framed his forehead fell over your midriff as his tongue caressed your twitching flesh. The hot, wet muscle lapped hungrily between your folds. It flicked at your clit, and your legs trembled on either side of his head. His mouth working you open like that was enough to fog your mind entirely.

“You like that?” he cooed between the slurps of his mouth against you. "Oh, I bet you fucking do."

You replied with only a strangled whimper as you tugged uselessly at the feathers that bound you. You were desperate to comb your fingers through his downy hair, to fist it in your hands and press his face hard into you. A low chuckle flowed from his open mouth and tickled your flinching flesh. Another cry tore from your throat.

“My poor baby, so desperate,” he sighed after placing a kiss against your clit.

His poor baby. He hummed that phrase with such possessive intensity. He was right. Even if it was unspoken, you and your body belonged to him and him alone.

The warmth of his palms traveled back up your stomach and squeezed your breasts roughly. “Forcing you to wait so long for me, did I neglect my sweet little Chickpea? Hmm, I better make up for it, huh?"

God, the way his husky voice reverberated against your flesh was the most delicious form of torture. You bit your lip and nodded, and he rewarded you with a finger. It slid carefully into you, and his hand caressed your insides. You cried a loud, indecipherable string of mangled words. All grasp on language left you as he curled his fingers up and flicked his wrist.

“Aw, what are you trying to say, Sweetheart?” he huffed. All the little nicknames only pushed you further into your need for him. “You wanna feel my fat cock push into that pretty little pussy?”

A sharp inhale burned your throat.

“P-please!” you choked. Your voice was cracked and pitiful when it finally tore from you, and a wonderfully wonton sound fell from him.

“Please what, huh? Please what?” he gasped.

“Fuck me! I want it- I want your cock- PLEASE.”

“Ohhhhh, that sounds so pretty comin’ outta your mouth,” came his long, low growl. As a reward for your begging, he dragged the wetness of his tongue along the length of your little pink slit.

The rough material of his jeans slid down your inner thighs as he mounted you. The shaft of his hot, bare cock pressed flush against your sex. Clusters of his feathers bunched behind the bends in your knees and forced them back, which splayed you helplessly open. You watched as he bit into his lip and rubbed himself against your wetness. You couldn't look away as the most intimate part of his body sheathed itself in yours. 

The most delicious pressure overwhelmed your aching senses. Fuck. FUCK.  He moved slowly. It may have been meant as mercy, but to your sex-starved body, it felt torturous. The ridges of his dick caught at your swollen walls before the tip of it pressed agonizingly slow into the bottom of you. 

“Hawks! Oh my god, I can’t fucking take this!” your throat jerked and trembled just like your aching thighs. Your hips pumped in desperation for friction where your bodies connected. “Give it to me, give it- I swear to god- FUCK!”

Once you gave him control of your body, he lost control of his own. The mattress groaned when he slammed into you. His teeth dug into your throat, laying his claim on you as he panted for breath. His loose belt buckle beat at your outer thighs, and your bed frame groaned in protest with each merciless thrust. His hands dug into your flesh and locked you into his jarring pumps. He pinned you down as if he expected you to play the fighting game, but you didn't resist his cock this time. You didn't want a battle. You wanted your lover. Your moaning whimpers broke and cracked as his jerking hips rocked the wind from you.

He pounded into you too fast for your mind to keep up. Your scarred body buckled and stung under his animalistic need, but the shockwaves of pleasure that rolled through your core kept you begging him for more. More. More. 

His mind was so fogged that he lost his focus on his feathers. The clusters binding you down came loose without his influence, and you easily pulled out of them to throw your arms around his neck. His wings spread out and bristled until they were pressed against the walls, puffed and massive. His forehead was against yours. His hot breath puffed in your face, and his beautiful body was pleasured with yours. 

"Fuck, fuck! Please- Let me come inside you," he pleaded. His eyes were hazy and fogged, his mouth was slack and face a deep red. His body’s cooing song was so loud you could feel it in your own chest. The familiar smell of his cologne intermingled with the musk of sex and blurred your mind. You wanted every piece of him he'd give you.

"Y-yes, please, please," you begged between the hard smacks of his skin against yours. 

Your eyes shot open as his pace quickened. His wings… they were falling apart. Those beautiful eyes of his lulled further into the back of his head with each bone shivering slap of flesh. His teeth bared and his lips twitched as he pressed your bodies roughly together. Shivers rolled through his muscles, and those fierce wings of his were reduced to twitching little nubs on his back as he came.

You ran your hands between his shoulder blades as you marveled at his feathers. They littered the air as they weaved feverishly around one another. The gentle touch of your hands brought Hawks down from his high, and his feathers slowed until they lazily spun like autumn leaves. You pulled him down into a tight embrace and buried your face into his hair. He heaved into your chest, and you watched all the little pieces of him flutter around your room in the light of the moon.

He often lost control of his wings when you made love. They'd fluff up and flap wildly when he came, which often knocked shelves from your walls and your lamp from your bedside table. That was the first time he shed his feathers, and you were in awe.

"Are you okay?" he asked. His voice was gravely and shuttered between labored breaths.

“Yeah, I’m just... admiring," you said as you stared over his shoulder. He glanced behind him, and his cheeks tinted the faintest shade of pink when he realized the pitiful state of his wings. The little red feathers spread all around your room stilled in the air and swarmed to his back, returning his iconic limbs to their full glory.

“Er, you managed to pluck me. How embarrassing,” he quipped. You were so sore and exhausted from his sex all you could manage was a little laugh. You were a gasping mess, though, when he finally pulled out of you. The loss of pressure was a relief, but it also left you feeling empty. You laid quiet and trembling as he leaned back to marvel over the mess he made of you. His thumbs spread you open again, and he let out a breathless moan as you felt his come leak from you. His head dipped between your thighs. That beautiful tongue of his flicked out and lapped at the mess on your pussy. The warm wriggling of the muscle shocked your swollen clit and made you cry out, but you couldn't bear to ask him to stop. It satisfied something in you to watch as he licked you clean of your slick and his own come.

When he was content that he'd cleaned you thoroughly, he laid his body carefully beside you in your bed. His fingers tangled in your hair as he locked you into a kiss. You could taste the sex he licked from you on his tongue. 

The sex was always feverish and ravishing, but the afterglow was your addiction. In the beginning, it was rare. To kiss and caress crossed the line into his discomfort, but the more he learned to trust you the more of his affection you earned. The man who feared human touch began to ask for hugs every visit. Kisses became frequent and pleasant the more he let you do it. Then came sex that felt less like vicious wars and more like making love. Yes, after everything you did to earn his intimacy, nothing felt as lovely as lying naked beneath his plush plumage. 

His feathers caressed every inch of your aching body. His warm mouth, still wet from the sex, pressed gentle kisses onto your face. Your head rested against his arm as your breath slowly steadied. His wing flexed and rested on your shoulder as if tucking you in beneath a plush comforter.

“Mm. You like that?” he pondered breathlessly. His fingers trailed up your scarred side until they combed through your hair. There was a ginger softness to the touch that made your heart quiver. He smiled at you, those yellow eyes pierced through the dim light and into your soul. as you reached your hand out to run your fingers under his jaw. 

“Do you need to ask?” you hummed. Your cheeks were still red and your chest quaked as you slowly came down from the high. 

He laughed. What a lovely, airy sound. You hummed in the glory of the moment. And, for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, you could breathe again. Typically, he’d spend his days off kicked back on your living room couch with a tall bottle of something hard in his hand. You’d go a week or so without seeing him when things got tense in the hero world, of course, but in the last two months, you’d had him for only a handful of nights. It was concerning, but you knew better than to ask. No matter how close the two of you had become he would never talk to you about work.

“It's been a while since you last flew in,” you noted as you got comfortable beneath his plumage. His body beside yours was the definition of comfort. Your mind could only be at peace when he was safe in your bed. “It’s nice to see you again, I was worried.”

“I know, it’s been too long. No need to worry, though, Chickpea, I’m right here,” he replied. His slow exhale tangled in your hair, and his hand's gentle touch found your cheek. He offered no explanation for his lengthy absences, but he and his crimson wing caressed you with apologies. 

You relaxed to the sound of his steady breath through the dim blue light of your bedroom. The wing he draped over you was so plush and warm you could easily fall asleep. You might have, if not for the fear of waking up without him. You scooted closer to wind your arms around his chest and bury your face in his neck. 

"I really wish you could stay," you whispered. 

To let your love get in his way was the last thing you wanted, but it was the utterance of a moment of weakness. It was uncharacteristic of you, the pathetic way it sounded, and you felt him stiffen under your arm as he soaked in your request. While there was never a confession of love, you'd tamed the wild bird with years of patience and earnest affection. He was loyal to you. It was cruel of you to ask for something you knew he couldn't give.

“Ah… I would if I could help it, you know that,” he sighed into your forehead, “but I can try to stay until morning.”

“Please. I’d like that.” It came out like the voice of a frightened child, but it was difficult to hide your need for him anymore. 

If you dwelled any further on the possibility of him vanishing, your emotions were going to get the better of you. You played with the feathers draped over your shoulder to calm yourself. A small one by your face was pinched between your fingers as you rolled the barbs around.

"Your wings are filthy," you mused. Dirt particles littered the poor things. You were sure, with some rooting, you'd find a few bugs he’d picked up in the air, too. "Actually, all of you is filthy. You got dirt all in my sheets, bird brain."

"Oh. Shit, my bad," he murmured as he sat upright. You shivered when the warmth of his wing left you.

"Hm, it's fine. Throw your clothes in the wash and I'll get a shower ready for you, sound good?"

“Sounds good.”

The bed creaked in relief when he stood. His frame was slender and small, but his wings at least doubled the weight of him. That was evident with how smothering being beneath him could feel. He kicked off his pants, though his body was still covered by the black and gold bodysuit he wore beneath them. It warmed your heart to see him carry his uniform out of your room and hear him tinker with the washer on the other side of the wall. The sound of the cloth being tossed inside followed by the creak of an opening cabinet seeped through the drywall, followed by the pop of the detergent lid coming off.

He was intimately familiar with your tiny abode. You’d made sure things stayed in the same place so he'd know where everything was the next time he'd visit. You'd been especially anal about it since he'd often be gone for such long periods at a time. When he returned, you wanted your home to feel like it belonged to him, too.

A sensation overcame you as you laid alone in your bed. The sheets were warm from the love you’d just made. Despite his tongue cleaning you off, you could still feel the faint warmth of him inside of you. His contented sigh found you through the wall and your heart burst.

To the rest of the world, he was a hero, but he was so much more to you. You'd give anything to have him completely. For his voice to echo, groggy and sheepish, against your walls every morning. To get to kiss him goodbye before the sun rose, and to welcome him home every afternoon with a warm embrace. For a ring on your finger; a crib in the bedroom. That wasn’t the kind of life that was meant for him, though. As long as he was afraid of you being hurt, those secret nights were all you’d ever have. It made sense. He had enemies, and you could only imagine how your quiet life would turn upside down if you ended up in the pages of a tabloid.

You only spent time together in the privacy of your apartment. Even after two years of being close to him, there was so little you knew about his life separate from you. What little you did know only made you frustrated on his behalf. You held out hope that it could eventually change, for your sake and his.

Preening Hawks was your favorite thing to do with him. There was something special about being across from one another in the shower, naked, warm water rushing over your bodies as your fingers smoothed and placed his dampened feathers. It took the first year of your friendship for him to allow you to touch them at all, so it was an obvious display of his trust in you. Which was understandable. His wings were an integral part of his identity. You watched as he ran his hands over his face and into his hair. His expression was in a relaxed state of bliss as your fingers picked through his plumage.

With his massive wings on either side of you like plush, padded walls, it felt like nothing in the world could get you. His laughter echoed around the small room as he told jokes and stories. It was okay if you didn't have anything to say, or if you just wanted to listen. He would talk for you when you fell short, and that's usually what got you laughing. 

Through the gentle moment, though, you couldn't help but let your emotions get the better of you. During times like those, when his visits were few and far between, your mind danced around the question of why. The possibilities bounced between him either being in danger or losing interest in you. Both were scary thoughts since he had become such an integral part of your life.

"Would you mind if I ask something?" you pondered, which accidentally interrupted a story he'd been telling about an intern of his.

"Depends what it is.”

"Well… there are a million girls out there who'd gladly do this with you," you mused, and it was true, even if it stung a little to remember. "Did you decide to do this with me because it was convenient?" 

That had been your reason, initially. Hawks spent a lot of time hanging around your apartment and he just happened to be wildly attractive. There were no feelings when he’d first asked if he could fuck you. That didn't come until later.

He laughed, and you glared at him.

“Self-doubt, huh? That isn’t like you. Me being away a lot’s really shaken you up, huh?” 

"It's not self-doubt, I'm just genuinely curious," you quipped as you pulled a feather from his wing. They'd moult if they hung around too long, so pulling out the loose ones was a help to him.

"Well… what we have going on is far from convenient," he said. "If that's what I was going for, I'd go after a pro that could keep a secret. It ain't easy to sneak away like this, you know."

So even a pro hero would have to be a secret for him? Did Hawks have any chance at all for a normal life?

“I wanted you, and if I want something, I go for it.”

You swallowed down a breath you’d been holding, but you didn’t say anything else as you watched his eyes dance around the bathroom in thought. 

"And I wanted you because… well, there were a lot of reasons. The night we met was a big one, I guess.”

You looked away. That night felt taboo to mention, considering all the guilt you knew he harbored. Your scars weren’t his fault. Several villains were on a rampage, and your hospital was in the destructive path. You were just another civilian, caught in the crossfire. His feathers tried, but they couldn’t get you out of the building. You’d been partially crushed beneath the rubble. 

“I was sure it was the end of the road for me. It would have been if you and your quirk hadn’t been trapped inside with me. You have a forcefield. You could have used it to protect yourself, but you bubbled me instead. You were gonna die. I was so sure you were gonna die and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it.”

Still, your lips wouldn’t move. You’d spent ten months in an ICU after you were crushed beneath the weight of two stories of concrete. If not for the healing quirks of EMTs, you wouldn’t have survived at all. If not for your sacrifice, Hawks wouldn’t have, either. Still, it wasn’t his fault.

 “Still hurts to know I couldn’t help you when you needed me most, but when I looked in your eyes, there wasn't a hint of fear. All I saw was determination. I never met someone who was so sure of their choices, even in the face of death," he recalled. Your emotions skirted between sadness and flattery as you heard his thoughts. If only you could live up to that selfless picture of you, now. “I know a lot of pros who could only hope to have that kind of resolve.”

“Damn, when you tell it you make me sound like a badass,” you quipped, and your laughter bounced around the shower stall.

“I mean, what are the requirements to be donned with the title of badass? I’m sure you’re overqualified. Either that or you’re fucking crazy, which is also a possibility.”

You snorted.

“I'm not crazy. My job is to help people after they've been hurt. If I bubbled you instead, I’d be saving every person you’d live to protect. Before they would need a nurse like me. It’s just what made sense.”

He was silent for a moment as he absorbed your reasoning. You tended to be rational, even in the most emotional of situations. But that borderline-robotic way of thinking was a by-product of your own miseries.

You were a nurse in a world overcome by demigods and treachery. Some of the things you'd seen in the OR would haunt you for the rest of your life. And, sometimes, those ghosts came to torment you in your dreams. That made it hard the first time Hawks slept in your bed. You would sometimes wake with tears in your eyes as your voice quivered out sobs. Your past lovers didn't understand that part of you. The broken part. The part that had been poisoned by the darker side of this superpowered world. 

That's what fostered your love for Hawks. When he had awoken early that morning to you crying beside him, he’d only reacted with a patient embrace. He adored the bright parts of you, but he also had a solemn understanding and respect for your darkness. Having that connection through your mutual suffering was a kind of bond you’d never had before him. And now that you had it, you couldn't imagine life without. 

You went back to preening. You pressed up on your knees to reach a bit higher on his wing, and he watched intently. His voice died into silence as his gaze swept over your naked form, which dripped from the steam of the shower. It wasn't a surprise. Often, he would get lost in himself as he observed you, like a curious bird. It felt like a wordless compliment, so you silently allowed his eyes to explore you. Not that his hands and mouth and cock hadn't already drawn a map of you in his mind.

"Whatcha thinking about?" you teased playfully, and he hummed in response.

"How you look at my wings… I like it."

"Everybody looks at your wings," you said dismissively. A half-smile graced your face.

"You’re right. They do. People admire me because of what they’re capable of. It's what people think of first when they think of me, and rightfully so. They're hard to ignore. But when you look at me, you look at my face first, my wings second. It's like you admire them because they're a part of me, not because of what they can do. I appreciate that." 

Your fingers in said feathers slowed to a stop as he spoke. You smiled a little to yourself as you brushed them against a feather. He shivered. "Your quirk is a part of who you are. That's why I like cleaning them for you. It feels like I get to give you something special, but wings or not, I'd still want you."

Falling in love with Hawks was the best and worst thing you’d ever experienced. The pleasure of those beautiful moments seeped into your soul like a warm cup of tea. But the anguish that followed after he flew out your window… there wasn't a simile that could correctly describe the immeasurable pain. 

Your response must have triggered a long series of difficult thoughts for the bird. His head tilted slightly, his eyes hardened in expression and his brows furrowed as he soaked in your confession.

"In the year we've been doing this… has there ever been another man?" he pondered. The question jarred you. Occasionally, he'd get a touch possessive of his time with you. He’d asked a time or two who you were texting. You knew him well enough to pick up the hint of jealousy despite his light tone, but he never asked anything so outright.

“Well, look who's got self-doubt now. You sure are eager for a lot of questions and confessions tonight. What’s gotten into you?” you asked.

He shrugged. “You asked a question, so it's my turn now. Besides, we’ve been close for a couple of years. We've been intimate for half of that. just seems a little silly to keep up the fuck buddies act. Or is it just me?”

Fuck buddies act? You bit your lip. Hard. When he was with you he was so relaxed. This seriousness was unusual, and it made your wet skin rough with goosebumps.

"It's not just you," you confessed. 

For a short while, the bathroom was filled with only the sound of the running shower as you collected your confession. 

"There hasn't been another man since you. I mean… I've gone on dates a few times, but it never got that far," you replied. The moment another man kissed you… Well, kisses felt dirty if they were with anyone other than Hawks. "I know this thing you and I have going on was meant to be a no strings attached kind of affair, but… Well, if I’m being honest with you, it feels wrong trying to sleep with anyone but you. I like what we have, and I've always got the impression that you really do, too."

He didn't say anything. You weren't sure whether or not that was what he wanted to hear.

"Have you?" you asked. "Been with anyone else?"

You’d never asked before. At first, it was because it didn't feel like your business. Then, when the thought eventually made your heart ache, you didn't ask because you didn't want to know. But now that you had come clean, it only felt fair that he did, too.

Air left his nose and his head bobbed back until his wet hair pressed against the shower stall.

"Once,” he confessed, and he sounded ashamed now that he knew you never did. “I used to have this on again, off again thing, before I knew you. I messed with her a few weeks after you and I first… well, you know. But only once, then never again.”

You’d thought it would crush you to learn he’d been with someone else, but it didn’t sting like you thought it would. Probably because you didn't know specifics. If you knew what woman had her hands on him, if you could see it, it probably would destroy you. But the apologetic way he said it put your heart at ease. He mumbled like he knew it would hurt you, and he didn’t want it to. But you weren’t wounded, and your feelings weren’t perturbed. He never promised you anything, just as you’d never made promises to him.

“Why’d you stop seeing her?” you asked as you scooted closer to smooth shampoo suds down in his hair. He only shrugged at first, then sighed in contemplation when your fingers combed along his scalp.

“I’ve never had a place I could go to, you know?” he said. “I’ve never had somewhere like this, where I can lay my head for a little while and just be…”

“Pampered?” you suggested as your hands moved to massage his shoulder blades between his wings.

He breathed out a little laugh, but shook his head. “Yeah, but that’s not what I was thinkin’.”

“Out with it then,” you teased.

“Well… I’ve never had somewhere I’ve felt safe and... cared about?” he said, though his eyes were distant and lost when he said it, as if he wasn’t sure he should have.

“I gotta always be looking over my shoulder. Gotta always have a mask on and hope no one ever sees through it. But here, everything’s relaxed. You couldn’t care less what my ranking on some chart is or how much money is in my pocket. You don't give a shit about heroing or the tabloids. You’re the only person in my life who asks for nothing other than my company. I feel human here. I didn’t want to jeopardize that, or what I had with you. That’s why I stopped seeing her.”

Your mouth went dry. While your nights were long and passionate, you’d never whispered sweet nothings. You’d never told him how much he and his company meant to you because you felt he wouldn’t want to hear it, but he kept coming back. For a year he had clung wordlessly to what little affection you gave him. If he’d told you this a year prior, you would have given him so much more love.

“So you do have deeper feelings for me. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

He was silent, as you’d expected him to be. He both craved and feared the closeness he’d formed with you. At times he’d drown you in sweet little bits of affection, but, when things got too deep, he would shut down. Through the last couple of years, you’d broken through a lot of his walls, but the cold influence of the commission would always be with him. Even if he was in love with you, he’d never understand how to tell you.

"Because of who I am when I fly out your window,” he began. The reverb of his voice against the shower stall took you off guard. You didn’t expect him to answer. "There are things I know you want from me… things that I can’t give you right now, and you deserve more than that. That’s why I never planned on telling you… Fuck. It was never supposed to be like this…”

He spoke more to himself than he did to you at that moment. There was an internal battle going on in his mind; one you'd never really be able to understand, but you wanted to try. 

"You mean you never meant to get attached?"

His silence was telling.

"It's okay," you said. "We don't have to talk about anything you don't want to." You took a hold of his hand, but he flinched away from you. He was regressing back into old habits. It had been months since he’d last recoiled to your affection. Something was terribly wrong. The recoil was fine. It was okay. Whatever he needed to feel comfortable. "I'm sorry-" 

"No, I'm sorry," he interrupted. He rubbed the wrist you had touched as if you'd burned him. His brow was knit and his mouth became a harsh line. "Sometimes it feels easy and other times it doesn't, but I'm trying."

"I know you are. Like I said, we don't have to talk about feelings." 

He stared at you, and the longer his gaze rested on your face, the softer it became, "I want to try." 

You nodded and wrapped your arms around your naked knees. The shower had been turned off long ago by a cluster of his feathers, but the soothing steam still lingered around you. 

“It's just… this is difficult. One day someone may shoot me out of the sky. The thought of you still being right here, waiting for me, when I can never come back… It... kills me." He paused, his eyes hazed over as he swallowed his emotion down. The rawness in his voice struck such an unpleasant chord that your own eyes pricked with bitter water. "That's why I didn’t want attachments like this. But I didn't mean for all this between you and me. You snuck into me slowly, I didn't even notice until it was too late."

"Is this supposed to be flattering? It sounds like you're likening me to a parasite or something- heartworm," you quipped in an effort to dispel the heavy tension. He smiled, but only for a moment before he rolled his eyes at you. 

"Just… listen to me," he said, and your eyes trained on his as your mouth closed. "If that ever happens… If there comes a day you've been waiting for me, only to find out I'm never coming back, please know that I cared for you."

He didn't use the word love, but that's very much what he was trying to convey. In a way, you’d kind of always knew. It was why he’d said it, how he’d said it, that made your eyes prick with tears at their corners. The thought of what he was implying petrified you. Hawks was so skilled, so powerful, so almighty. Despite all his power, though, he was human, just like you. The night you’d met proved how possible death was for him. Nothing could keep him safe forever, not even your forcefields.

But he’d never talked like this before. He was always so light-hearted and relaxed. His work and the dangers associated with it was off the menu of conversion topics. What had happened to bring all this darkness up now?

"You talk like you’re preparing for death." 

Again, he didn’t reply. His silence was more terrifying than anything he could have said, but trying to pry him open would only break him, it seemed. So you didn’t.

“May I kiss you?” you asked instead. 

He nodded.

You leaned forward and breathed into his ear. He shivered when you placed a gentle kiss on the shell of it. His earring pressed against your lip was a gentle and familiar feeling, but after you heard all he had to say it also felt fleeting. He always had some ulterior motive or hidden reason for every little thing he did. It's as if he said all this because tomorrow would be the day he was gone.

“I’m not preparing to die.” Your kiss gave him the courage to speak. "I have too much to live for. It’s just always a possibility- for anybody, really. But heroes especially. I just wanted it off my chest is all."

He smiled at you, but you’d seen every smile in his repertoire, and this one was faker than your stick-on-backsplash. The air never felt so tense between you. Not even the night you met, dying feet away from each other. It all felt so… heavy. The weight of it pressed hard into your chest.

“Er, this reminds me, while we're on topic, I got some things going on at the agency. I hate to say it, but you won't see me again for a little while. I don’t know how long. It could be a couple of months.” His disposition remained fake casual. His shoulders and face were relaxed as he enjoyed the steam of the shower, but his wings tensed. You felt it in your palms as you preened him.

"You're in trouble," you said. Your mouth went dry as the realization drained the color from your face. 

"Trouble? Me? Nah. Just work stuff."

He spoke with a relaxed air about him, but he couldn’t lie to you. 

"No. You've been acting off all night. You’ve been making all these confessions. Talking about death, telling me you're going away for a while. I know you better than you think I do; something big happened and you're trying to tie up loose ends in case you don't get out of it okay," you rambled, and the more you talked the higher your voice became. It trembled and wavered with building fear. 

He stared at you. That silly face of his melted into a thin line and sharp, angular eyes. Those tricks worked when no one was close enough to see through them, but you knew his genuine smile like the back of your hand. You saw right through his facade, and he was annoyed by the very determination he just prided you for. 

"Can't get anything past you, can I?" 

You didn't whimper, but your eyes became glossy with emotion. It was a strange mixture of panic, sorrow, and rage. You had no idea what he'd gotten into, but you also knew he would never tell. He placed preserving missions above all else, which made sense but was frustrating.

"I don't know what's going on, but you need to get out of it if you're thinking it's something you may not come back from." 

"Things aren't that simple. I chose this life, I gotta follow through."

"No, I chose to be a nurse when I was sixteen and understood the implications of what I'd have to go through. You were fucking six when the commission took you, and they spent all that time gaslighting and taking advantage of you-"

"We aren’t talking about that right now, don't use it against me.” 

"Use it- what? I'm not using anything against you! You’re the one alluding to death! There’s nothing wrong at the agency, there’s something else- something terrible-" 

"Drop it.”

“How can I?!”

"Because I said so." His eyes were narrow and mouth a tight, thin line. You could read him so well. He was regretting this. All of this, because now you were onto whatever suicide mission he was embarking on. But, as his lover, how could you just sit back and silently watch him throw himself into a danger that had even him shaken?

You got louder, and he got louder. You tossed bitter, confused words back and forth until he was screaming. Until you were screaming back at him. Your calm, laid back demeanor slipped through your fingers the moment you realized he could be in over his head. That, if you let him leave, this could be the last night you’d ever spend with him. Your anger was driven by your fear for his life, and his was driven by your inability to let it go. 

He was still screaming. You were still screaming. You were fighting him. He just told you you were the most important person in his life, and you were spitting venom. 

You stopped.

He stopped.

Your hand came to your bare chest as it heaved in an attempt to steady your breath. The other came up to wipe the tears budding in your eyes. He looked away from you, his brow tugged heavily downward, his jaw clenched together in shame.

"Let’s just breathe, okay?" you pleaded.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," you whimpered into your hand. "Out of everyone in the world, you're the last who needs to say sorry, so don't. It's just- it's not right, okay? You're too… I don't know, selfless? I watch all the time as that gets taken advantage of. Doesn’t it get tiring? Even your name is some dirty secret. I've been sleeping with you for a year and I don't even know what it is-"

"Yes, you do," he argued, his lip wavered with weakness for one vulnerable moment. "You know me- you know my name."

Desperation laced between his words and strung the sentence together. It wasn't easy to see your lover look at you that way, just begging for you to let pieces of him go. It was hard to accept it, but whatever name he went by prior to heroism didn't exist anymore. Neither did the once innocent child it belonged to. You tried to respect that, but it was unfair he was denied a basic human right: to have a name. 

"You're Hawks, I know, I'm sorry… it's just… how much is left of yourself that actually belongs to you? How long until there’s nothing left to give? People have taken so much from you that you’ve become numb to it; do you even know what you're missing out on? Do you even know how lonely you are? When’s the last time anybody even asked if you were okay?"

He realized, then, that you weren't angry at him.

You were angry for him.

His eyes shifted to yours, and he nibbled at his bottom lip before he muttered with the quirk of his mouth: “Well, you ask me that pretty much every time you see me.”

There it was. The crack in your voice. The crinkle of your nose and the tremble of your lip. You cried, and he sat there across from you, still bare as his wings lowered to either side of you. His expression didn't change, and, for once, you couldn't read it. You didn't want to be so upset, but knowing he was in some kind of dangerous trouble that shook even him was too much for you to bear.

"I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. It’s just… Do you have any idea how many heroes I've wheeled into the morgue? People die on my table all of the time. Every time is just as hard as the last, but the heroes- those are the ones that destroy me. Because every time someone in a cape lands on the table I know their families are waiting for them at home, just like I wait here for you.

"I saved you once, but you're so far away from me, too far for my forcefields to reach you. Hearing you say you’re going away- all I can think of is coming into work one day and finding you c-... covered in a sheet."

His wings moved up from the shower floor. The feathers were dark with dampness as their joints pressed into your back. You sat there like that as he let you cry. Really, what else could he have done? What else could you have done? Of course you were angry. You would be for the rest of your life over how his panned out. His childhood was taken from him, his understanding of human affection was still stunted, even after all the time you spent gently undoing what damage had been done. Now he talked like one wrong move would end it all.

"It's… difficult," he began, though he couldn't make eye contact with you. He usually couldn't when you had discussions like this. "Being a hero isn’t what I imagined I would be when I was a kid. And sometimes I do ask myself: 'what is this all for? There's always going to be a new bad guy. Why does it matter?' And then I think about you…" 

He went silent for a moment; you could see the little battle behind his eyes. The battle between his affection deprived confusion and his need to be closer to you. To explain himself. 

"I think about you and it reminds me there are good people who are worth fighting for. As long as you are here and there are bad people out there that could hurt you, I have to be out there, too. And, yeah, sometimes I get afraid. But as long as I have these wings, I'm going to use them to keep this world safe for you."

He’d never felt so close to you, and yet so far away. He thought even more of you than you anticipated. A part of you felt touched you'd become a cornerstone for his sanity in such a hostile world, but the other part felt sick. If he wanted to fight for you, that was fine.

But to die for you; that would be unforgivable.

The urge to argue the worth of his life weighed heavy on your heart. If you did, he would call you hypocritical, considering your own history of self-sacrifice. It wasn’t the same, though. His self-worth depended on his usefulness to others and little else, and you feared the day that usefulness ran out. What would Hawks be, if not a hero? It should have such a simple answer, like what you would be if not a nurse. But it didn't. It never would.

You leaned forward to pull him into a tight hug. Perhaps when he was anywhere else you were unable to protect him, but right there, in your arms, you'd use whatever you could to keep him safe. Your bubbles, your kind words, anything. 

"I understand," you said, because you knew there were no words that could keep him away from the hero path. It wasn't just a part of his identity; it was all he'd ever known. "Just… don't forget when the heroing is said and done, you'll always have a place here if you need it."

He hummed a small, contented coo at your kindness. Of course, you didn't have to tell him that. He already knew. Why else would he spend so much of his precious little free time cuddled up to you? 

"I'll remember," he promised as his arms and damp wings curled in to squeeze you against him. 

You and Hawks bathed in the comforting darkness of your bedroom. Your window was frosted from the bitter cold outside, but his body heat kept you warm in the safety of your bed. Or nest, rather, as Hawks tended to construct mounds of tangled comforters and wadded up bedsheets to hide in as he got comfortable. You were buried beneath the mass of cloth and the cocoon of his wings as you tried to fall asleep. It was a difficult undertaking since you didn’t know when you’d see him again. You were so tired, but you wanted to be awake to hold him for what little time you had left. 

You wouldn’t have gotten any sleep, anyway.

Often when Hawks slept in your bed you'd awaken at strange hours. Sometimes this was due to your own nightmares. The subject bounced between the traumatic things you’d seen at the hospital and the night you’d met. You'd wake to find that you’d encased your bed in your protective bubble during your sleep, and Hawks' wings squeezed you gently against his chest. Other nights, it was Hawks' anxiety that would keep you awake.

During the day, his guard was discreetly up. He carried carefree conversations as if unbothered, but those well-trained feathers of his were on constant guard. Really, he never had a moment to breathe. This was something you never would have understood the depths of if you weren't woken by his anxiety in the midst of the night. The anxiety he kept bottled during the day often let itself out in the form of night terrors. He'd mumble. Roll. His wings would twitch over you. His face would morph into an agonized expression, and he chirped in distress. A good, gentle shake was usually all it took to pull him out of the bad dream. 

That night his nerves reared their head, though in an unorthodox way. Apparently, you did fall asleep, because you awoke with a small grumble when you felt the mattress groan, followed by a heavy weight draping over your body. You let out a long whine of displeasure, but the weight just got heavier. You turned your head and opened your eyes to find Hawks, but he wasn't gasping in his sleep. He laid over you, wings puffed but flat on either side of your bed as he stared at the bedroom door.

"Hawks? You're squishing me." 

He didn't answer or turn to look at you. Those sharp eyes of his danced around in panic, his feathers raised as they sensed every small movement in your apartment. You dropped your head back onto your pillow with a sigh. 

"What's the matter?" you pondered.

"Shh," he hummed. "I felt something…"

You laid and listened for a short while, but all you could hear was the lady in the apartment above you walking across her floor.

"It's my neighbor."

"What if it's not?" 

Whether the display was the primal instruction from the bird in him to protect his mate or if it was a by-product of the harsh reality of the life he lived, you weren't sure. Either way, his calm and almost lazy facade cracked. When the world was quiet and his feathers could sense every mundane movement in your apartment, his anxiety that those small bumps in the night might be something that could hurt you overwhelmed him.

The little display was an annoyance to your sleep-deprived brain, but his first thought in the midst of his worry was to protect you. That spared him from your groggy wrath. 

"Lay down, McNugget. There's no one there," you grumbled, but he didn't turn his head away from the door. 

Feeling your hand on his face seemed to snap him back into the moment, even if just a little. He leaned into you and encased you in his wings. It felt like a protective gesture, but the warmth you found beneath them made you hum pleasantly. The fluffy white cloth of his hoodie rubbed your cheeks as he cuddled into you. Well, actually, it was your hoodie. 

At one time it was just some old thing you'd snagged from a thrift store on a chilly day. It was much too large for you, though. When Hawks came into your life later on, you'd cut holes out of the back and hemmed it up. That way he'd have a little something to throw on when it got chilly at your place. He never said it out loud, but he loved the thing. He'd go looking for it if you didn't leave it laying out in the living room. 

"I know you usually have a lot to be afraid of, but you don't have to worry about protecting me. I'm a badass, remember?" you whispered into the shell of his ear. His shoulders relaxed just a bit, and he puffed out a little chuckle. 

"Yeah, I know. I just… I want you to be safe. That's all." 

Your gaze softened, though he couldn't see it in the darkness. You didn't need Hawks to protect you. You didn't need a hero. You needed a best friend; a lover. Between the both of you, he was the one in most need of saving.

"Shh," you hummed gently. Your hair lifted from your pillow and danced slowly around your face as if gravity was lost to you. He scrunched his nose as your locks brushed his cheeks, and his wings settled flat as a ring rose from the floor around your bed. The translucent wall came together above your bodies to form a hard, bubble shell.

"You've been the hero long enough. Let me be the protector tonight,” you said. His throat bobbed against your shoulder as his arms wound around you. He settled, but you still felt his unease.

“What’s got your feathers ruffled?”

“You shouldn’t have to protect me,” he said. His voice was muffled since his mouth was pressed into your skin, but you still heard the sadness in it. “I should be taking care of you.”

You blinked as you soaked in his words. For a year you pined for such romantic things to come out of his mouth. Of course he’d wait for a night like that night to say such sickeningly sweet things. The future that used to feel so full of mystery and excitement had become dangerous, uncertain, and disappointing.

“You don’t have to be the hero every time,” you replied.

“But if I’m not a hero, what am I?”

His question was an echo of your fears. The ambient light from your window filtered dimly into your forcefield, but your eyes couldn’t adjust with tears in them.

“I don't know if I have the answer you're looking for, but... Do you remember when I was in the hospital?" you asked. "When you first came to see me you brought a twenty-piece box of chicken nuggets, and while I was trying to eat one you laughed until you were crying because it looked vaguely like a penis.”

“Vaguely? It had balls and everything,” he recalled, and you rolled your watering eyes.

“Whatever. It was stupid, but it was the first time I laughed since I was trapped in that hospital. And, well… when they said I’d never walk again you helped me out of bed. I cried myself to sleep some nights, but you were there, still trying to save me. You were trying to be a hero then, too, but you became my best friend. If nothing else, that's what you’ll always be to me.”

A sound came out of him akin to laughter. You shot him a look, then hooked your finger under his chin. You wanted to see his dumb grin when you berated him for poking fun at you. When his eyes met yours, though, they weren’t crinkled with laughter. They were red and watering.

“Oh, Hawks,” you breathed, and he tucked his face back into your arm to hide his vulnerability. He never cried before. At least not in front of you. He was always the immovable one, virtuous and strong. Moments like this reminded you just how human he was beneath it all.

“I’m right here. I’ve got you,” you assured him in a whisper. Gentle promises spilled from your lips like lullabies, and he clung to every word with heart-breaking desperation. You whispered every sweet nothing you could think of to ease his pain, but you didn’t have that kind of power. 

You had no power at all.

His world always seemed scary to you. You feared for his life every day, but the thought of him being ripped from your arms overwhelmed you that night more than it ever had before. The protective bubble that encased your bed would keep him safe for as long as you could fight sleep, but what of the morning? You’d be safe at home, and he’d be lost somewhere in the dangerous fray of his duties. Far away from your warmth and the apartment he found so much comfort in. 

This would not be the last time you held him. You had to believe that, but what if it was? What if this sleepless night was your last together? 

Tell him you love him, you thought to yourself. Tell him before you never get the chance again. 

You bit your lip as you felt his trembling breaths on your collar. You prepared your lips for the taste of the confession, but he was so vulnerable, more so than he may have ever been before. He didn’t need you to tell him about your affections, he needed you to use them.

You placed a reassuring crown of kisses along his forehead, and he gripped you so hard his knuckles were surely white. 

When you’d cried as a child, your mother would lay in your bed and sing lullabies until you fell asleep. Your voice was untrained and awkward compared to hers, but you tried your best to use it. Your off-key tune echoed back to you in the dome of your forcefield, and your cheeks pinkened with how childlike it sounded. Your embarrassment interrupted your lullaby. He stirred against your chest.

“Don’t stop,” he said. “Please, sing to me.”

You cleared your throat as you gathered the courage to start again. His eyes fell closed as your song settled into the safety of your shield. His feathers relaxed, and his face went slack as sleep slowly overtook him. You sang until his tears stopped flowing. You sang until he was asleep in your arms. For as long as you could, you laid awake. If you succumbed to sleep, so would your forcefield. So would your promise to keep him protected through the night. As time moved slowly forward, sleep inevitably began to settle into you, too. It was as terrifying and as peaceful as death.

“I love you,” you whimpered as you felt your eyes grow too heavy to fight back open. “Please… stay safe.”

Credits: 

A massive thank you to my wonderful friend and editor, @fuwafuwagem​! If you thought the fic looked especially polished, it’s thanks to her efforts!

Also a big thank you to my buddies and beta readers: @dendriticheep​ and @narcolepticroses​! Thanks you guys for being such sweet friends to me ;u;

And a huge thanks to YOU, for reading !

Authors Note:

I’d love to do a lot more fanfictions like these! If you have any suggestions or requests for animations or animated stories like this one feel free to submit it to me!

[babymetaldoll]

Stargazing (Spencer Reid/Reader)

Requested: No, but I needed some hardcore fluff

Summary: The team is “forced” to go camping, and Spencer finally decides to make “his move” on Reader.

Pairing: Spencer Reid/ Reader

Category: Hardcore fluff

Warnings: Zero

Word count: 3,2K

Masterlist

-

-

It was the first time the BAU didn't argue Strauss's decision. She had walked into the conference room and explained to the team that the FBI had decided each department had to do a workshop related to teamwork and trust.

- "You will spend this weekend camping together. You will be part of a Team-Building Training Workshop"- Strauss wasn't excited about the idea of her best team wasting a whole weekend. But she was glad her department didn't have to do the activity. She hated camping.

- "Are you telling me we have to spend our weekend in sleeping bags, singing kumbaya?"- Rossi raised an eyebrow and looked at Erin, and she didn't move a muscle- "I'm out."

- "David, I'm not asking you if you want to do it. The whole team has to be part of this activity, that includes you."

- "Come on, Rossi,"- Prentiss smiled and tried to cheer him up- "It will be a nice change from catching serial killers for a weekend.

- "Really, Emily?"- Rossi crossed his arms on his chest and looked at Reid- "Hey, kid. How many dead bodies are found each year in the woods in the country?"

- "Over 2.543 last year,"- Spencer answered. And didn't stop talking, of course- "We can not be sure they were all serial killer related cases. The most common ways to die in the woods are drowning, car accident, and suicide."

- "Suicide it is."- David whispered. He knew it was going to be a long weekend.

Even when he wasn't a person who loved camping and outdoor activities, Spencer was excited to spend the weekend with the team, especially with (Y/N). His teammate, best friend, and secret crush. Ok, it wasn't really a secret.

Of course, everybody knew about Spencer's feelings. He never successfully hid them from the team. You didn't need to be a profiler to notice each time (Y/N) walked into a room, Reid's eyes would follow her, and his cheeks blushed. When they sat together in the jet, Spencer would always be too self-aware of his own movements. He would try not to move, especially when she had fallen asleep, resting her head on his shoulder. And when they were working on a case together, he would always cover her on the field, and he would make sure she was safe, even when the unsub was already caught.

He loved her. Even a blind man could see. Except for (Y/N), of course. Because according to her own words: "There's no way Spencer Reid is in love with me. He would never look at me that way. He is perfect, and I'm a mess. He deserves the perfect genius girl."

-

- "Ok, Romeo, this weekend is the perfect opportunity for you to make your move"- Derek and Reid were alone in the SUV on their way to the retreat.

- "Sure. Because there's no better time to make a fool out of myself than in front of all my friends in the middle of nowhere."

- "What's with the attitude, pretty Ricky? Relax"- Morgan frowned and put on some music, singing along for a moment. Reid looked at him and raised an eyebrow, trying not to laugh.

- "Ok man, picture this: you, your pretty lady, in the middle of the night, gazing at the stars together, alone in the middle of the forest. The full moon is the only light."

- "Who are you? since when are you a romance expert?"

- "Hey! I can be romantic!"

- "I've seen you get girls only by raising an eyebrow"- Reid argued, and he was right. It had happened once, but that was another completely different story.

- "What I'm trying to tell you is that you have the perfect chance to tell her how you feel during this trip"- Spencer was about to start debating that idea when Derek continued.

- "And stop saying she has no feeling for you!"

Reid bit his tongue and looked at the road. Neither of them said a word for the next couple of minutes. Until Spencer whispered

- "But she doesn't"

- "She does!!"- Derek nearly yelled

- "Why are you so sure?!"

- "Because she told Penelope she is in love with you!!"

The silence in the car was as intense as the red in Spencer's cheeks. Derek knew he shouldn't have said that, but he was tired of seeing his best friend's sad eyes each time he stared at (Y/N). Someone had to do something, and he knew neither of them would make the first move.

- "Are you sure?"- Reid's mouth was hanging open- "I mean, maybe she was joking."

- "No, she was honest. So please, this weekend, make your freaking move."

-

How could Spencer ever make his move? He had no idea. He didn't even have a "move"! But something inside of him felt a little more confident now.

That didn't show on the outside at all, 'cos during the whole day, he was more clumsy than ever. He dropped his coffee. He failed the first two attempts to set up his tent and nearly fell carrying logs for the fire.

He wanted to dig a hole and hid.

But (Y/N) didn't notice any of that. Not because she didn't pay attention, but because she was oblivious to any of those things. She just couldn't stop staring: He was wearing jeans. Spencer Walter Reid was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. (Y/N) thought she was going to have a heart attack when he got out of the car.

Sure, yes, she had seen him outside work in a more casual outfit, but nothing prepared her for Spencer's camping clothing. It suited him too well for his own good.

- "Hello? Anybody there?"- Prentiss waved at (Y/N). She and JJ stood in front of her, trying to catch her attention.

- "Jesus! you look like a schoolgirl today!"- JJ teased her, laughing- "Can you be more obvious?"

- "What are you talking about?"- (Y/N) tried to look all innocent and continued setting the logs for the campfire.

- "If Spencer wasn't so clueless about your feelings, I swear you two would be already married,"- Emily joked and helped (Y/N) with the logs. The young SSA just shook her head and tried to keep her eyes from Reid for as long as she could. She successfully did it for five minutes. That day's record.

- "(Y/N), hey"- he stood by her side, and she quickly stood up.

- "Hey, how are you doing?"

- "Good... you?"- she just nodded and smiled. She really was acting like a schoolgirl in front of Spencer- "Great... hey, I thought maybe tonight you would like to do some stargazing with me..."- Emily and JJ heard him and nearly squealed. They tried to look away, but it was impossible. They needed to know what was happening. Where was García? she was going to be so mad she missed that.

- "Yeah! I'm sure tonight we can see way more stars than on your building's roof like last time."

(Y/N) answered, smiling, thinking there was nothing more romantic than being underneath a starry sky, listening to Spencer talking about constellations.

- "Ok, kids,"- Rossi's voice stepping out of his huge camper interrupted them and forced everybody to turn around- "Let's do this trust thing we are forced to do before it's lunchtime. Maybe we can manage to go home early."

-

Of course, they weren't. The whole team had to work as a unit to fulfill a series of activities an expert team the FBI had hired forced them to do. Aaron thought it was unnecessary, considering they worked on the field together, and they trusted each other with their lives all the time. But he was also sure his team needed a break, and everybody could use some fresh air.

- "Great work, team"- Hotch hugged everybody and smiled when the whole activity was done- "I think we've earned a nice dinner."

- "Please don't tell me we have to hunt our food"- Penelope wide opened her eyes suddenly and looked at Hotch- "I can eat blueberries."

- "Don't worry, kids"- Rossi shook his head and pointed to his camper- "Anyone in the mood for a nice steak?"

- "I bought marshmallows for the campfire later,"- (Y/N) said and smiled- "You are never too old for some s'more."

- "Scary stories by the fire eating s'mores? I'm ten years old again"- JJ looked excited- "I need to do this with Henry."

- "Just don't tell him your "I'm scared of the woods because I found the camp director dead" story." - Derek said, smiling.

- "You freaked out!"- JJ chuckled, remembering how she had scared her friends a few years earlier while working on a case in the woods.

- "I need to hear that story!"- Emily said- "I bet it's no better than mine, I'm sure."

- "Battle of horror stories?"- (Y/N) smiled evilly- "You two have nothing on me."

-

The evening was fun and a little terrifying. Garcia was holding Derek's arm so tight it was starting to feel numb. Rossi and Hotch had told a couple of stories that left the team completely frightened, to be fair. Especially Spencer. He had forgotten an essential part of his plan: nights in the woods are dark as pitch. And he was afraid of the dark. How would he successfully take (Y/N) to a nice spot, sit down and stare at the stars with her if he was too scared to move from the fire?

(Y/N) looked at Reid and sighed. Maybe he had regretted it. Of course, he hasn't forgotten his invitation, 'cos Spencer remembered everything. Still, he hadn't made any move or sign to go stargazing. Being alone with him in the dark was scary but in the right way. Maybe she could finally tell him how she felt. No, no way. That wasn't going to happen.

- "Ok, so... it's late, and we are out of wine"- Rossi stood up and looked at the team- "I am ready to go to my comfy bed"- the rest of the team groaned. They were going to spend the night in a tent, probably freezing, while Rossi was going to be in his warm camper.

- "I'm going to sleep too, we have trekking in the morning, and it's going to be a long walk. I suggest you all go to bed early."- Hotch stood up and waved at the team, to then walk to his tent."

- "Sweet chocolate thunder, is there room in your tent for me?"- Penelope asked, and he chuckled immediately

- "Are you still scared of the stories? they are just made up things people create to terrify us."

- "I know. But I'm also scared of bears, psycho killers, and slender man"- Morgan looked at her, raising an eyebrow. She wasn't joking.

- "Bring your sleeping bag."

- "You are my hero. I love you."

Prentiss and JJ went to bed soon after, leaving the two love birds alone.

- "Stargazing?"- Reid whispered, and (Y/N) nodded- "We should find a darker stop... or we can stay here by the fire if you like."

- "Are we going to get a nice view here?"- (Y/N) looked at the stars and tried to see anything.

- "No, it has to be darker,"- Spencer whispered, taking a look around- "There was a nice spot by the cliff, that way."

- "I don't think walking to a cliff in the middle of the night is a good idea"- (Y/N) smiled, and Reid shook his head

- "You are right..."

- "But we can walk carefully and carry a flashlight,"- she added and smiled, looking at him. His brown curls moved with the wind, and his chocolate eyes were brighter than the sparks of fire next to them.

- "That sounds good."

Spencer stood still for a second. He had a blanket in one hand and a bag of marshmallows in the other. (Y/N) put on her scarf and jacket and stared at him.

- "Are you ok?"

- "Yeah."

He wasn't. He was trying to calm himself down, thinking that walking in the middle of the dark was worthy because it meant spending time alone with (Y/N).

He kept telling himself he didn't have to worry because nothing was going to happen. He wished he had his gun with him in case of any danger, though. Maybe that could make him feel better.

- "You can't kill darkness, stupid"- he whispered to himself and sighed. (Y/N) walked a step closer and took the marshmallow bag. Then, she held his hand.

- "Let's go?"

That was all Spencer needed. He was ready.

- "Did you know astronomy is the oldest of the sciences?- Reid whispered as they walked hand in hand to a nice clear spot - "Ancient astronomers were able to differentiate between stars and planets, as stars remain relatively fixed over the centuries while planets will move an appreciable amount during a comparatively short time."

- "And when did you start learning about the stars?"- Spencer loved that. How each time he started rambling, she wouldn't get annoyed like the rest of the people he knew. Instead, she would always ask him something related to the subject. And it was usually something personal. She wanted to learn more about him and how he had ended up being such an amazing human being.

- "When I was four, mom started taking me regularly to the library. That was when I started to learn more about science. I could pick ten books each time we were there, and I decided I wanted to know everything I could about everything I loved."

Spencer confessed and smiled, looking at her. His heart was warm with their conversations. He was never comfortable talking about his personal life, especially about his childhood. But with (Y/N), it all came naturally.

- "How often did she take you?"

- "Every other day"- she chuckled and remembered the pictures Diana had shown her of Spencer when he was a little kid last time they visited her. He was adorable, with his glasses and his messy hair. It was impossible not to imagine having a family with him.

- "This is it... this is a good spot."- Spencer said and stopped walking. He moved a log and tapped on it, smiling at (Y/N). She sat with him, and he wrapped them together with the blanket.

- "So, what am I staring at?"- (Y/N) asked and kept her eyes on the starry sky. It seemed she had never seen so many stars. And they even looked closer. Spencer looked at her, and his heart skipped a beat. He was about to start a lecture on astronomy, but instead, he decided to do "his move." Or the move he could think of. He didn't really know if it was a move, but he was going to give it a shot anyway.

- "Most stargazers learn about constellations looking for different noticeable patterns across the sky"- he made a pause clearing his throat. That was it. He was going to do it.

- "That's how it all started,"- he continued- "Some of these noticeable patterns up there are still the same ones our ancestors noticed while sitting around a campfire telling stories like we did today."

- "Telling stories about the stars sounds a lot less creepy, though" - (Y/N) whispered, and the two of them smiled- "Wanna tell me a story about these stars?"

There was no way Spencer could say not to her puppy eyes.

- "Ok... let's see..."- Reid sighed and thought for a moment, looking at the constellations above them- "Do you see those stars over there that look like a cute bunny?"

- "Which ones?"- Spencer pointed at the sky, and (Y/N) nodded- "I see them"

- "Well, you'll see, there was a comet in love with the bunny, but it could only look at her from a safe distance."- Spencer finally confessed. (Y/N) held her breath for a second and tried not to get her hopes high.

- "Why?"

- "Well, the comet was afraid he wasn't good enough for the bunny"- Spencer was whispering, and his soft voice sent shivers to (Y/N)'s body- "So he stared at his favorite constellation every day and only imagined what it would feel like to hold her in his arms."

- "And the bunny never saw the comet?"- (Y/N) asked softly, while very, very slowly, she moved her hand and reached Spencer's.

- "The bunny thought the comet just wanted to be her friend because he was scared to tell her how he felt,"

(Y/N) kept thinking there was no way on earth Spencer was telling her how he felt about her with that adorable story. Was he? Really? 'cos it was too romantic, and if he wasn't and she was wrong... it would be heartbreaking. But, there was only one way to find out.

- "I think the bunny felt the same, but she thought she wasn't good enough for the comet"- Spencer's heart raced at those words, and he turned to look at (Y/N). She blushed and stared at him with a shy smile.

- "Why would the bunny ever think that?"

- "The comet is too brilliant and too amazing to settle for a simple constellation when he could have the sun."

(Y/N) was embarrassed to confess those feelings, but it was now or never.

- "But the bunny is the sun in the comet's life."- Spencer whispered and caressed her cheek with his thumb carefully.

- "Really?"- her voice was so soft, it melted Spencer completely. He couldn't answer. All he could do was to lean in slowly and kissed her as gently as he could, enjoying the sensation of her lips against his. He cupped her face with both hands and moved a little closer.

It was the sweetest kiss he had ever given. It wasn't just because (Y/N)'s lips tasted like marshmallow, but because it was filled with pure love. He could feel it, even when he still couldn't believe it. She loved him. She really did.

(Y/N) was sure that wasn't really happening. She had probably fallen down the cliff earlier and was now unconscious or dead, living a fantasy. There was no way Spencer Reid was kissing her.

When they slowly moved and looked at each other, neither of them knew what to say. So (Y/N) did what she always dreamed of doing and leaned in and kissed him again. Spencer didn't hesitate and wrapped his arms around her waist, moving her closer to him. Her hands played shyly with some of the curls of his hair, and they simply kissed for what seemed to be forever, even when it wasn't enough time for them. Spencer felt he could kiss her his whole life, and he still wouldn't get enough of her.

- "So..."- (Y/N) whispered after some minutes and looked at Spencer, blushing- "Do you think the comet and the bunny could... maybe try to be more than friends?"

He smiled and kissed her again, rubbing her lips carefully with his; (Y/N) sighed into the kiss.

- "The comet is willing to do anything the bunny asks him because he just wants to make her happy all day, every day."

(Y/N) couldn't speak. She could only kiss him again and again.

- "Bunny just wants her comet to be happy too."

- "Then would Bunny be the comet's girlfriend?"- she giggled and nodded- "Good, because I don't think I could ever live without your kisses ever again, Bunny."

- "Neither do I, Comet"

And after that, stargazing was forgotten. There were enough stars in their kisses to keep the two of them lost in their own new universe.