#shes protective of others too. its due to her nature and her job. but her longtime friends? extreme

[superwingscentral]

blank version below the cut so you can do it with your fave

[sykoangels]

RING RING

kinktober prompt : phone sex!

pairing: fem!reader x emily prentiss

warnings: praising / masturbation / established relationship

author note: happy kinktober!! also should I do more criminal minds fics let me know please!!

Being married to an FBI agent comes with its own unique set of perks and challenges. From the constant protection and occasional vacation days to the intriguing yet sometimes disturbing stories that come home with them, there's never a dull moment. However, being married to the unit chief of the behavioral analysis unit also brings its own set of responsibilities and considerations.

Agent Prentiss is a hardworking woman you met on a case in Seattle. You thought she was pretty cute, but it wasn't really clear if she was into women. After the case ended, which was pretty gruesome, you kept in touch and started learning more about each other. This blossomed into romance, then marriage, and now you're living in Washington DC with her, taking care of your kid named Sergio, who is just her cat.

Ever since you and Emily tied the knot, her frequent case trips made her feel like a stranger at times. In the early days, it strained your relationship as it seemed like you hardly ever saw each other. And when she did come home, she was often too worn out from her unavoidable challenging cases to engage in much else. You understood the demanding nature of her job and admired her dedication to making a difference, but you couldn't help but long for your wife's presence.

Currently, Emily is on a case in Baton Rouge. I’m trying to solve some mysterious death that happened in that area. She was supposed to be coming home today, but unfortunately, due to the severity of the case, she has to stay there an extra week with the team. It was an ideal and was kind of heartbreaking in your opinion. All he wanted to do was spend time with your wife, but there was this overwhelming feeling that you had for the past couple of days while she was gone. The feeling of desire deep inside of your core. It didn’t help that your house smelled like Emily, especially on her side of the closet. You would go wear her shirts from time to time taking in her scent that lingers behind.

As night fell, you carefully closed up the house. The lights in every room dimmed and then went out, leaving only the gentle glow of the bedside lamp in your bedroom. The entire house was immaculately clean, with every surface wiped down to a pristine shine. As you moved from room to room, you noticed the faint scent of red wine and rich mahogany, mingling with the cool draft of air from the vents.

You chose to ring up Emily as usual, especially since it was getting late. This was your customary practice whenever she was involved in a case. The night in Baton Rouge was serene, with the moon casting a gentle glow over the tranquil neighborhood. Its soft light filtered through every window and seeped through the gaps in the hotel curtains, bathing the surroundings in a serene glow. Emily heard the vibrations of her phone, praying and hoping it wasn’t work. She just wanted to rest for a little while, but a smile appeared on her face when she realized it was her lovely wife. She immediately answered you can almost feel the smile on her face through the phone.

Emily’s voice crackled through the speaker, a mix of relief and exhaustion. "Hey, babe," she said, her tone warm but tinged with fatigue. "I was hoping it was you." "Miss me already?" you teased, trying to lighten the mood. The silence on the other end of the line was punctuated by the rustle of sheets as she shifted in bed. "Always," she replied softly, the smile in her voice unmistakable. "How’s Sergio? Did he eat his dinner?" You chuckled, glancing at the cat lounging lazily on the windowsill, bathed in the moonlight. "He’s fine. Just enjoying the view. But seriously, Em, how are you holding up?"

There was a pause, and you could almost see her running a hand through her hair, the same gesture she made when deep in thought. "It’s been tough," she admitted. "This case… it’s one of the worst I’ve seen. But hearing your voice helps. It really does." You leaned back against the pillows, the warmth of the bed enveloping you. "Then let’s make it worth your while," you said, your voice dropping to a sultry whisper. "Tell me what you need, Emily." Her breath hitched, and you could hear the faint echo of her heartbeat quickening. "God, I need you," she whispered back, her voice thick with longing. "But I can’t… not right now."

"Then let’s do this," you suggested, your heart pounding in your chest. "Close your eyes, imagine me here with you." "Alright," she murmured, the mattress creaking as she settled back. "I’m closing my eyes… and you’re lying next to me, your hand on my thigh."You closed your eyes too, picturing her silhouette under the dim light of the bedside lamp. Your hand drifted down your own body, mimicking the movement you knew she longed for. "Good girl," you breathed, your thumb brushing over your nipple through the fabric of your shirt. "Now, tell me what you want." "I want…" she hesitated, her voice breaking slightly, "I want to feel your touch, everywhere."

You bit your lip, the sensation sending a jolt of arousal through you. "Describe it to me, Emily. Tell me where you want me to touch you." "My neck," she said quickly, her voice trembling. "Kiss my neck, baby. Feel the pulse there, taste me." Your mouth watered at the thought, your fingers trailing down to your damp panties . "And then?" you prompted, your voice husky. "My collarbone," she continued, her words coming faster now. "Let your lips slide down, trace the curve of my shoulder… oh God, I can almost feel it."

"My breasts," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Lick around the edges, tease the nipples… make them hard for you." You groaned, your fingers circling your own clit, mimicking the motion of your tongue. "And what about down here?" you asked, your voice shaky. "What do you want me to do to you?" "Touch me," she pleaded, the vulnerability in her voice making your stomach flip. "Slide your fingers inside me, feel how wet I am for you… please." You didn’t need any more encouragement. Your fingers found their way past your folds, pushing inside with a gasp. "Oh Emily," you moaned, the sound echoing in the quiet room. "Are you touching yourself too?"

"Yes," she gasped, the word torn from her throat. "I’m stroking myself, just like you told me to. God, it feels so good." "Not as good as you’ll feel soon," you promised, your fingers curling inside you. "I’m going to make you come, Emily. Just like this." "Please," she whimpered, the desperation in her voice fueling your own arousal. "I need it… I need you."

You moved faster, your thumb pressing against your clit in rhythm with your thrusts. "Tell me what you see," you demanded, desperate to lose yourself in her fantasy. "Paint the picture for me." "I’m lying here," she panted, her voice strained, "my legs spread wide, waiting for you. Your hands are everywhere, teasing, touching… driving me wild." "And then?" you pressed, your own orgasm building with every word.

"Your face between my legs," she said, her voice breaking. "Your tongue… oh God, your tongue sliding inside me, licking, sucking… making me scream." You cried out, your climax crashing over you like a tidal wave. "Emily, I’m coming," you gasped, your whole body shuddering with the force of it. "Me too," she sobbed, her voice raw with emotion. "Oh God, yes… right there…"

You collapsed back against the pillows, your breathing ragged, your body still humming with aftershocks. The line went quiet, the connection between you both still humming with the intensity of the moment. You lay there, your heart still pounding, the memory of her words echoing in your ears. "Wow," she breathed, her voice filled with wonder. "That was... intense." "Mmhmm," you agreed, your own body still humming with residual pleasure. "We make quite the team." She laughed softly, the sound warming your heart. "Yeah, we do. Can't wait to be in the same room again." "Neither can I," you admitted, your voice filled with longing.

"Agreed," she said, her tone serious. "Love you, Y/N .""Love you too, Emily," you replied, your heart swelling with emotion. "Sweet dreams.""You too," she whispered before hanging up.

You lay there, staring at the ceiling, the memory of their shared moment still fresh in your mind. The taste of her words lingered on your lips, the scent of their mutual arousal in the air, and the thought of the warmth of their bodies pressed against each other. It was a perfect night, one that would be etched into your memory forever.

[hidden-poet]

Commander Snow

Summary; Under the advice of Dr Gaul Coriolanus returns back to district 12 where without blinding light of lucy-grey he could see you.

Warnings; dead dove to do not eat, stalking, unrequited love, breeding kink, violence, possessive!Snow, unco/dubco, sexual content, she/her pronouns.

Previous chapter

Chapter 2

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The next day you move yourself and your mother to a friends house. Where you both sleep on the floor in the living room. It costs you half a panem a night but it was still a better living arrangement then laying awake until the yearly hours of the morning wondering if a peacekeeper would knock down your door.

You keep your head down. Going straight from work to the house. It seemed to pay off. Your neighbor had reported that the parcels had stopped after a peacekeeper had noticed it was the community and not the intended taking it.

You don't hear from Commander Snow. There was no summons or arrest order made for you.

It leads you to relax bit. He had probably moved on to another after realizing that you would not sell yourself for a pardon and a weekly box of food. You knew many others would, and you wished them the best of luck with their endeavor with Commander Snow. But your nature pushed away such opportunities. You couldn't even tell him you weren't interested to his face. Fear only played a part in that decision.

It was late now as you walked home from you job. Later then usual as your boss had offered you overtime to clean and organize the cold room. You gladly accepted with the added cost of your stay at your friends house.

Four shiny coins had been placed in your hand before you had even done the job. You couldn't believe she was willing to pay this much for such a simple job. You wondered if it was repayment for all your years of hard work for her.

You were never late, always made sure your jobs were done to a standard of excellence, you even stayed back to help train the new people.

All your hard work was finally being rewarded. You made sure to leave the space the best it had ever been.

The money was at least a month's work.

You hadn't written to your brother in so long due to the cost of the paper and shipping fees but now with your extra cash you could reach out.

You make the journey to the stationary store, getting in just before close and go around the back of the building. Using the flat wall as a writing pad.

Your brother had gone to district 8 after influenza swept through killing half their work force. They had asked for volunteers to relocate. Many young men offered. The pay was higher in district 8 as the Capital had a great need for the fabrics and manufacture that it produced. Your brother was picked being effortlessly strong and healthy.

The day he left was the worst day of your life. You miss him terribly, only communicating through letters which were expensive and took ages to find its way to its destination.

You tell him how much you miss him, and worry about him over at district 8. That your mother is well, and prays for him every night before bed. You thank him for the money he sends when he can. Telling him of your own good fortune with the coins, and how he was to spend his half on a cold drink if he could get one, and a night out on the town.

Your pen stills as your thoughts turn to Commander Snow. Should you tell your brother of the strange officer. He was always protective. Would he try and come back to district 12 for you. would they even let him.

You decide not to. It would only worry him, and in his worry he would make rash decisions. You would not be responisble for his harm.

Instead you reiterate how much you miss him, and warn him to write back soon.

You drop two of the coins and the pencil back into the envelope, sealing it shut and stuffing it in your pocket. It was too late to ship it off. You would have to wait until tomorrow.

You felt scared walking back to the house with the money as if people could sense it in your pocket.

You remind yourself your being silly as you walk through the road dividing the streets. There was no one else out at this time. Only you, and you were nearly to the safety of the house.

There was no street lamps in the districts. The only light coming from the houses you pass. You try to remain in the light but sway slightly into the shadows as you reach the steps of your accommodation.

You scream as you feel hands upon your skin. One going around your mouth to quiet you and the other pulling you back against the house.

"Sh sh, Its just me. It's just me. You're safe".

You feel your kness tremble as you pin the voice to a face. Commander snow stood before you, using his body to press you up against the side of the house. His chest pushed against your shoulders, his leg pushed between yours and melded to the wall behind. He kept his left hand on your right shoulder to keep you still and only removed his right hand from your mouth when you went mute. Who would you scream for that could do anything any way.

With his body pressed against yours in such a tight manner, he had free use of his hands.

You weren't getting out from under him, even you realized that. You looked for guns or knife on him but found nothing in the light the moon and surrounding houses offered. He didn't wear his official Capital issued Commander uniform. Instead he dressed down in high waisted black pants, and a long sleeved cotton shirt. He still wore his dog tags and army boots.

'So this is were you've been hiding, hm?". He ran his knuckles along your cheek bone, and you shuddered from his touch.

"No, Sir".

"yes, Sir. I left boxes at your house like a fool".

You could tell he was upset with you.

"It's fine. You'll be back there tomorrow to take the food in. Did you go through my first box i sent?"

You nod your head and a smile appears on his lips.

'What did you have first?". He pushes back a loose strand of hair behind your ear.

"My mother had a apple" You torn it from her after her first bite.

"i asked what you had first". He pressed his body harder against you.

"We haven't touched the box otherwise, Sir. We can give it back to you. We can compensate for the veggies and the fru-"

He was not happy with your answer, cutting you off.

"Ungrateful brat".

"Sir, we never asked you for it and we don't have money to pay for it"

"You're welcome" his pointer runs along your nose, "I can't have my partner in crime going hungry. Now can I".

You shiver from the familiar way of speaking. You did not want the Commander of district 12 to have a nic-name for you.

"I ought to go inside. They are waiting for me".

You try and move away, thinking he would release you. His cover would be blown if they take to looking for you.

He does not, choosing to place his hands around your neck. Not showcasing his great strength but resting in warning. His thumbs press gently into your throat.

"i think they can wait a few more minutes. Don't you?".

You nod as much as his hold would allow you to. You felt as if he was all around you. With his body wedging you flat against the wall, you felt as if you were sharing the same breath.

"you're ok" He repeats, "i am not going to hurt you".

"Perhaps it would put me at ease if you stepped back a bit, sir"

He shakes his head, "You have a habit of running away".

"You have a habit of appearing out of no where".

You can see him grin under the dim light. That was intentional, He always wanted you to feel as if he was always watching and could turn up at any moment.

"Can you make me some more of those oat bars?"

"Ye-yes" you stutter.

"Do you have the ingredients?"

"yes" you repeat.

"Good. Bring them to my office the day after next".

"Yes, Sir. Can I go now?"

"I haven't seen you for nearly two weeks and you're so quick to run away?"

"'Sir, please I Have to get inside". away from you.

"Why were you so late getting home?" he ignored your plea completely.

His thumbs circles on your throat.

"I had to work back" you admit.

"And then?". He already knew that wasn't the full story so you confess you brought some paper and took some time to write a letter.

"A letter?" he asks, "A letter to who?".

"My brother. He went to district 8 for work".

You gasp as he releases you. Giving you a least two feet of space.

"Lets see it" he demands.

With shaky hands you pull the crumpled letter from your pocket. He grabs it before you could hold it out to him.

He rips it open, and pours the two silver coins into his hand, tossing them around.

"My coins".

"My coins" you state, taking a step forward, "For my over time"

Surely he wouldn't find it appealing to take your coins from you. He was commander Snow he didn't need any money in district 12. He could just take. There would be no one to stop him.

"And where do you think your boss got the coins to give you for your over time. Where's the rest of them".

It was a set up. Not hard work and luck that gave you a few extra coins. But an odd infatuation from the officer.

You pull the rest from your pocket showing them to him.

He scoffs, "i gave her eight , she gives you four. I expected her to take two, but four. Does your district know no limits to their greed".

He mentally leaves his sweet girl out of the picture. She had received four and was willingly giving 2 away. He was sure you would also give your mother one and spend the rest wisely. Tigress always brought him new clothes with her overtime. Using old curtains to fashion her own.

You hold out your hand for him to take the coins back.

Much like his tigress, You were giving what you had to him.

"If I had known" you start.

"The point was that you didn't know". He snaps.

You still hold out your hand for him to retrieve the coins.

"Keep them. You earnt them".

You pocket the change. You had really earnt them.

He balls your brothers coins in his fist and moves out more into the light to read your letter. You were so glad you decided to leave Commander Snow out of it.

he reads fast, flipping the page and going on to the next in a matter of seconds.

He nods satisfied that it was in fact a letter to your brother and not a lost lover, before he folds the letter back up and places the coins back in the envelop.

"I'll mail it for you" he offers but you protest at the thought.

'I'd prefer to do it, Commander".

"You don't trust me? After everything we've been through, and the secrets we share".

"No-I-" you were thankful he interrupted you again, unsure of your own sentence.

"We're friends, right?"

You nod having the feeling it wasn't truly a question.

"Friends do things for each other. Let me to this for you".

"It's too big of an ask" you try again. You reach for the letter but he pulls it back.

"You could", a step forward had you going back, " do something for me to ease your conscious".

He moves towards you again until you were once again pressed up against the wall.

"What?" you breathe.

His hand cups your face, and his body braces itself against yours before his lushes lips capture yours.

The kiss is deep and hard, Barely moving off before coming back for more. His tongue licks at the bottom of your lip, sucking gently when you don't let him in.

He repositions his head to a tilt, keeping his top lip pressed against your bottom as he does. He comes back with full force, your head knocking softly against the wall from the force.

"that" another small kiss presses against your lips. A quick peck to your sealed lips.

You turn your head in case of another one, and his hand on the side of your face follows.

He digs into his pocket, pulling out two coins and pressing them into your hand.

"Take the coins. Buy yourself a new dress"

"I don't want-"

He sh's you.

"take the coins, buy the dress and stop avoiding me".

"Thursday" you remind him, the day after next.

"Yes, Thursday. Don't forget. Tomorrow if you can".

The house across the track opens its door and an middle aged women appears throwing a bucket of dirty water over the terrace. Coriolanus shrinks into the shadows until she return back inside.

"Go inside" He demands, stepping back. You rush away from him not looking back as you run into the house. But you feel his stare upon your back.

The next morning two peacekeepers knocked on the door to drive you and your mother back to your house, leaving you with a large basket of food.

'What have you done?" Your mother asks you behind closed doors.

"I am not sure" you reply honestly.

-----------

You make the worst batch of oat meal bars you've ever made and deliver them to the compound.

You were almost sure you were going to be shot as you approached the gate but they must have been expecting you, opening the gate as you neared.

You had tried to just give the basket to the Peacekeeper but he demanded that you go inside with him. You follow him through the large estate.

Peacekeepers old and new were everywhere. Some without their uniform giving them an almost human look. They eyed you as you passed.

They thinned as you reached a stunning white building made of stone. Everything else was structured out of metal so you knew that the building only housed the most important people.

It wasn't any less busy as people ran about you with stacks of paper. It was loud inside the walls. People talking to each other as they walked, some yelling down a telephone. None of them even glance at you or the peacekeeper you followed.

He leads you to a large oak door, twice the length of you, and he knocks three times.

"Come in" you hear Commander Snow call.

The peacekeeper opens the door but makes no attempt to enter the threshold. You do, and the door is immediately closed behind you.

"You couldn't make it yesterday?" he asked crossing his desk to join you in the center. You hold your basket like a protective shield.

It kept you distanced as places his hands on your shoulders.

'i had to go to work" You explain and you push the basket to his chest, attempting to rid his hands from you.

He does take the basket with a small hmm before returning to his desk. He places the basket down and digs for a oat bar. As he bites down you could tell he could taste your lack of effort.

Still he eats it without complaint as he pours coffee from a tray into two mugs. He motions for you to sit down but you were itching to go.

"I should go" you state.

"Sit" his mouth was full with the oat bar.

You do sit but don't drink the coffee offered. You notice that he had better looking biscuits on his tray.

He leans against the desk next to you and takes another big bite of the bar. His eyes wonder down to you where you sat anxious twisting your ring.

"What's that?" he points with the oat bar down.

It was only a small metal ring. Thin pieces of twisted metal in a circle. So small most people never even noticed it.

Your brother had given it to you on your nineteenth birthday as a congratulations for not being selected for the hunger games.

He obviously knew it was a ring, and you obviously knew he was really asking who gave you that.

"A gift from my brother before he left". You stop twisting it to draw attention off it but it was too late.

He finished his oat bar, dusting his hands clean from the crumbs before standing up to full height.

"Give it to me".

You shake your head no. It was the last thing you had of him.

Still Coriolanus held his hand out expecting.

"It's very dear to me, Sir".

"I'll take very good care of it".

You look up at him with pleading eyes, his softens but he doesn't relent.

"You can give it to me or I can take it", he warns.

You almost cry as you twist it off your pointer finger and place it in his palm.

He flips it around his pinky finger, and wedges both hands between his knees.

"There's sugar there if you want it".

You stand up angry.

"I don't want it. I have to get to work".

You attempt to storm off but he catches you with a firm hold on your upper arm and a hand wrapped around the side of your face.

Under his strong fingers you remember your anger could get you killed.

"Don't be upset with me" he pleads.

"I ain't upset" you remark although you eyes brim with tears, "They dock my pay half if i am even a minute late. I have to go".

"I'll walk you to the gate". You wait for him to take the lead.

You find the walk back less busy as people avoid the Commanding officer. He twists the ring in the same anxious manner that you did. He wanted to say something. Offer something in return but could think of nothing that would compensate.

It's too late by the time the journey ends. He pulls open the gate and the Peacekeepers facing forward don't turn.

You could feel his hand on your back and it shoots you forward. He remains at the gate watching you flea from him.

No one asks you why you're crying at work. So long as you are doing your tasks they don't care.

----------

On Saturdays you have a stall in the markets selling your baked goods. Your friend helps you when she has the day off for a portion of the profits.

Today it was sunny. Hot but with a nice cool breeze. People flooded through the stalls. Your cakes sold great, even better with the fresher ingredients from Coriolanus box.

You could sell the oat bars with chocolate on top for nearly double. Chocolate was rare in the districts. Most people had never even tasted it before.

Coriolanus was doing his rounds letting a younger officer with great potential shadow him for the day. He freezes when he saw you.

He had walked these markets two or three times before, Had you always been there? He must have walked past you and your stall and never even noticed. Fate has a mysterious way of working. He was now certain that it pushed you into the compound due to his ignorance while on duty.

You looked beautiful in a white top and tight blue jeans. You had your hair covered in a bandana again and wore your normal work boots.

He put his helmet back on in case you looked over and saw him. He was sure you were still upset about Thursday, and he didn't want to spoil your good mood.

The young solider followed suit. Hiding from sight without question. He might survive district 12.

You laughed with your friend who sat on a milk crate to eat her apple. At her feet lay a brown sack filled food. She quickly closed it to avoid being robbed but Coriolanus had already seen it.

He tightened his hold on his rifle. No doubt it had come from you. from Coriolanus to be more correct. He agreed to feed you, even if that meant feeding your mother too, but he did not agree to feed your friends.

Your next box would be smaller.

A school group blocks his view of you as they pass, and Coriolanus refocus to his surroundings. He sees a young boy, no more then 6, dilly dallying behind the rest of the group. He goes up to each stall looking at what they had to offer before slowly making his way to his class.

He was going to be left behind at his current rate.

"you see the young boy in the red shirt?'' Coriolanus asks his soilder.

"Yes, Sir". The boy flexes his shoulders as if the child poses a threat.

''When he reaches that cake stand, I want you to push him over".

He pats the boys shoulder urging him to go. He looked confused but followed command going over to a nearby stall to yours and pretending to look at something.

The young boy skips two stalls to come directly over to yours. His eyes go round at the sight of the chocolate oat bar.

Your smile gets wipped off as the boy is knocked to the ground. You glare instead at the Peacekeeper who made a lap back to Coriolanus.

The boy screams and crys at his scrapped knee. Coriolanus ducks behind a large pillar as you round your table to pick him up.

You were talking to him, soothing him as you rocked side to side. He reacted positively wrapping his little arms around your neck.

Coriolanus bangs his head against the piler. That was the reaction he was hopping for. To see you in a nurturing state as you consoled the boy.

"is that what you wanted sir?" his solider stood in front of him, and he pushes the boy out of the way. He had blocked the view of you carrying the child and setting him on your table.

You reach behind the crying boy and offer him a chocolate oat bar. His crying almost immediately stops.

"yes. Good. Go back to base and have the rest of the afternoon off solider".

The solider is ecstatic at the news, and with a "thank you, sir" he was pushing himself back through the crowd.

You were talking but he wasn't sure if it was to the boy or to your friend. He wished he knew what you were saying.

You had taken off your bandana and wet it with you water bottle to wipe the blood off his knee.

It was so natural for you, he thought, to care for others. Once you got comfortable enough, how would you care for him, he wondered.

Would you baby him as you babied this child if he got hurt.

he shuffles back realsing that he had itched forwarrd as you picked up the child again. You gave him another bar to eat. He was certain you were talking to your friend this time, looking squarely at her before you took off after the school.

The primary school was located at top of a large hill. Away from the noise and violence of the district.

The young boy clung to you as you walked. His chocolate hands getting over your white top as he licked the icing off.

Coriolanus followed you out of the markets. he waits until you were away from the crowd before picking up his pace to you.

The young boy catches Coriolanus' eye and begins to struggle in your grip, pointing at him. The big scary peacekeeper was coming your way.

You tighten your hold and spin to face him.

You looked shocked to see him.

"Commander Snow, sir"

A formal greeting to someone who had you pinned to the side of a wall four night ago.

He smiles at you. Trying to distract you so he can move closer to you.

"I saw" he says, "and I've come to help you return the lost boy"

"I'll be fine on my own, sir"

"I insist. You never know who lurking around. My job to keep you safe".

Coriolanus was not speaking from his station as commander.

"Do you want me to carry him?" Coriolanus offered looking at the large hill.

"No, no" the boy begs, but Coriolanus reaches for him anyway.

You turn away, curling your body around the child.

"No. It's ok. I've got him".

Coriolanus was sure you were going to struggle getting up the hill with the extra weight. If the boy was only a sack of potatoes, he would have just yanked it from your grip. But you looked so good with a child on your hip.

You could always swap half way if you wanted.

"It's ok, darlin'" you rub soothing circles on the boys back, making Coriolanus jealous, "we're gonna get you back to class".

We're. we. us. The partners in crime.

He bucks his chest out with confidence.

You begin your journey up the hill, and Coriolanus was right. Not even half way up and you had to shift the child around to your front to distribute the weight. Coriolanus goes to take him but you reject his offer once again.

"He's alright" you insist.

The child rests his head on your chest, his eyes staring at Coriolanus as if to say ha ha.

He was about to suggest you perhaps just let the boy walk, but you beat him through the silence.

"Are you following me?"

"i was showing a new candidate the patrol routes. I just happened to have seen you with the boy, and wanted to help you get him back to class as per my duty".

Close enough to the truth.

"And lydia's? how did you know i was staying there?"

His unclips his helmet and attaches it to his rifle.

"I asked around". Threated your neighbors.

You fall into silence again and this time it was Coriolanus who brecks it,

"Are you going to share everything I give you with others?"

You scoff at his words, ''saw me with the child, hey?'".

He grabs your arm to turn you causing the boy to wail again.

'You might find I am a lot more closed fisted if I can't be certain it's actually going to you".

You tear free and bounce the boy in your arms.

"shhh baby. It's all ok'' You smooth his hair back, cradling him to you.

You step away from the scary peacekeeper as you and the boy talk. You soon compliance him back to a settled temperament, and Coriolanus steps back over to you.

He doesn't mention the sharing again. He would wait for the journey back. He found himself childishly annoyed when your attention went all to the small boy.

You huff as the boy gets heavier in your arms but Coriolanus doesn't offer to take him again. He'll let you struggle.

"Why do you feed people you don't know?" the boy sucks on the remainder of the oat bar, slopper getting all over your shoulder.

You don't answer. He calks it up to the physical labor.

"The prisoners, the boy" he pushes. He leaves himself out of the list. You both feed each other because you innately knew each other. You were partners in crime and partners in crime look after one another.

"Who's to say I don't know em".

"I assure you after I was done if the prisoners knew you they would have given you up. They didn't know".

He half regretted his sentence seeing you tense up. But he was sure he left a impression of a strong, powerful man. You just needed to get over your guilt first to see it.

"We look after each other in District 12. It may not seem like it to you but these are good people here".

You looked after people here, he wasn't so sure that they had the same loyalty back.

He had seen enough flips and crumbles to know that for the right price they would feed you to him.

He wanted to tell you this. To set you straight, and show that he was the only one looking out for you. But he knew the information would upset you and he had already done that once this week. He would save it for another time.

You struggle up the hill, puffing out gratefully as the small school house came into view. A large tree marked the boundary, upholding a wire fence around the small metal huts.

You turn to Coriolanus, "I think the gun might scare them".

He take his large rifle off his shoulder and leans it against the tree. Your face still read of your displeasure.

"it might just be best if i go on with him".

He looks to you and then back to the school. He could still see you if he stayed underneath the shade of the tree.

'' I'll wait for you here then''. The gun is slung over his shoulder and he takes its place against the tree.

The boy watches Coriolanus over your shoulder as you walk with him.

You call out to the teacher frantically recounting her children.

"hey, I think you're missing one!". You place the small boy on the ground and wave goodbye to him as he runs over to his teacher, complaints of his sore knee spilling from his mouth.

Turning back to Coriolanus, your smile disappears and your pace that was slow with the child picked up to a near sprint.

He straightened up as you came near but you walked straight past him without looking.

"Do you want children?" He matches your pace

"No" you spat, "never".

Maybe if you met the right man, he wanted to say. A man who could protect them.

But he swallowed the words. This situation was new to him too. He didn't want to make promises he would later not plan to keep.

"You should reconsider" he says instead, "I think you would make a good mother".

You were naturally a very warm and loving person. While others walked around the crying boy you picked him up and nurtured him.

Coriolanus remembered a time in the war he had gone out alone in search of food. He found only hungry dogs, who chased him through the ruined city.

"Help!" he cried, looking back at the fast approaching beasts.

His foot catches a large pothole in the ground and he is thrown upon his face. Sure he was going to get eaten he calls out for Tigress but it is a large man that appears at name.

He bangs the lids of trash cans together and shouts angrily at the dogs, scaring them off.

A savior, he thought. But dropping the lids and turning to Coriolanus, the man didn't cradle the boy to his chest as you had but reached for his axe under his coat and swung it down.

He had managed to roll out of its path and get to his feet just in time.

The man was slower than the dogs, overcome with starvation. Coriolanus could disappear between the buildings. He remembered as he hid in rubble while waiting for the man to pass, how sacred he was.

It was one of the core memories that haunted him to this day.

oh how he wished that someone like you had found him instead, but he wasn't sure people could be like that anymore. He wasn't sure how through all the misery and pain you could remain so soft. He wanted to sink his teeth into your flesh and have a taste.

"What would be the point. Loving someone only to watch them get killed in the hunger games".

You feet come down hard, channeling the anger you couldn't express.

"The chances are small. There are over 300 families in district 12".

He just wanted to hear you say you would like children. The picture of you big and round while rocking a boy the same age as the lost child seemed to be getting hazer as you resisted.

"You should ask Milly May, or Harrison Flint if their chances seemed small".

This years tributes to the Hunger Games. They both died the first day. Milly May the first hour.

"Motherhood looks good on you. Natural" he tries again.

You stop in your tracks, turning to face him.

“I can’t give you what you want. No matter how much you try and sweet talk me or buy me. It won’t be given”.

It didn't matter, was the first thought that appeared in his head.

"I don't want anything from you. In fact, it's been me that's been giving. Food. Protection. All to have it spat back in my face".

Your eyes float down the hill. The beginning of Town was still a little while away.

"I understand, sir. Perhaps your efforts would be appreciated more else where".

It was a gentle let down but resulted in a harsh strike.

His hand came down upon your cheek, almost knocking you to the ground. You stumble off balance, looking up at him.

The anger on his face morphs into disappointment. Before he could reach out for you, you take off running down the hill.

You might be beaten for your rejection.

You feel his hand brush against your shoulder as he tries to grab you but you avoid it.

Pushing yourself down the hill as fast as you could go. But it wasn't fast enough.

He tackles you to the ground, crawling on top of you and securing both your wrists with one hand.

"I am sorry, I am sorry" he holds the side of the face he stuck, smoothing it over, "I shouldn't have done that".

You trash under him, screaming.

His soft hand retracts from your face to take off the rifle from his shoulder, he sets it down next to you.

His dog tags had made their way from under his shirt and now dangle over your face. You can see he had added your ring to the chain.

''Let me see" his hand returns to your jaw, forcing it to the ground on the other side so he could inspect your cheek, "only a little bruise".

He lets your head go back to its normal position, and you're left looking in his eyes.

"What I do, I do for you. Okay? not your friends, and not for anyone else. Do you understand?".

His hand reaches up going to your palm and enclosing your curled hand with his. He held himself up with his hold on your wrists, and with the other now pressed over yours, all his weight bore down on you.

The weight upon your hands hurt.

"Yes, Sir".

"If I find out you've been sharing again. I'll hang them for thievery".

You give two little nods.

"I understand, Sir. It won't happen again. Please, let me get up".

He hops off you. choosing to crouch at your feet as you sit up. He notices your shoe lace untied and begins to pull the laces tight and loop the knot back up.

You sit there stunned as he picks up his gun and rises. Offering you a hand you take it and he pulls you up.

The journey down the hill begins again. His hand reaches out to keep you in pace with him when he feels you propelling down.

You reach the bottom in a comfortable silence and stop at the foot of the hill.

"We can't be seen going back together. It will put a target on my back".

You were right. The district scum might harm you if they thought it would get back at Coriolanus.

He nods in understanding.

"You go ahead. I'll follow". He gestures forward.

You go quickly back to your stall. He tries to keep focus on you but your short stature gets momentarily lost in the crowd.

You reach your stall and go straight back behind it. Your friend is standing next to you talking in a worried hush tone when Coriolanus reaches the table.

You don't look at him as he takes one of the chocolate oat bars and continues walking back to the compound.

It tasted dry in his mouth, he didn't like that you were still baking for others, you were going to have to shut down your stall.

-----------

Coriolanus stood upon the platform at the hanging tree, having it checked for bombs twice.

The gate was swung open for the public, and every available peacekeeper was present and armed.

The convicted all formed a line. Being hung one by one for dramatic effect. The families of the dead being forced to stand at the front of the audience so they could grab their sons/brothers/ cousins shoes as Peacekeepers dropped him and restrung the rope.

Coriolanus forbid traditional burial for traitors of the country. Families would have to settle for burying the shoes of their deceased love one while their bodies are cremated and sent to Dr Gaul's office as decoration.

"Phineas Hightower. Sentenced to death for consorting with rebels and making plans of an attack. Disturbing the peace of the district".

Coriolanus read into a microphone that fed through the town.

A young man approaches. 30 at the most. He didn't look scared as the others did. No tears or pleas of innocence. Coriolanus almost respected him.

The man kicks off his shoes as he steps upon the box, and a loud cry of grief overtook the space. The mockingjays echoed it out.

Peacekeepers were on the old women, presumably his mother, fast. Focus must be kept on the fate of the traitor, and not on the cries of mothers.

The old women reaches for her sons shoes but is shoved before she could reach them. She pleas with the officers taking her to the back, but they are like statues as they manhandle her away.

Coriolanus could now see tears spring in the eyes of the young man. A befitting end for a capital traitor.

He gives the order to continue the show. They ready the man for execution.

More commotion is heard as the crowd readjusts to let someone through. He looks to see you making your way through the crowd to the front.

Had you come to see him. Watch him as he took life. Does the power fill your belly with excitement to know that the same hands that caressed you now commanded death of another.

You wanted to make yourself known to him. To let him know he had a friend in the crowd. You had dressed pretty for him back in your clothes you wore for your vaccination. A nod to your secret bond.

You left the bandana off, letting your loose hair fall around your shoulders.

But no. You don't come to his side of the stage. You rush to the soon to be dead man.

You grab the shoes, just as the box is kicked. You squeeze your eyes shut and bring them to your chest.

Coriolanus steps back to the guards behind him.

He nods in your direction, "Take that girl to my study. Make sure she doesn't leave".

Coriolanus hears the body drop, and the Guard move to catch you.

You hadn't moved since the rope stretched. You stood there eyes closed and shoes to your chest until you felt hands upon you telling you to move.

You look back at Coriolanus on the stage to see him looking down at you.

The rage in your eyes matches his.

---------

Coriolanus makes a trip to the bathroom to wash his face and make himself more presentable. He takes off his official hat, and unbuttons the top of his jacket.

You had been waiting for him for nearly an hour and a half. Having to wait for the rest of the hangings to finish, the crowd to go home, the peacekeepers to sweep the area and the final report from all leaders to Coriolanus before he dismisses them for the night.

He untucks his chain from his neck and holds your ring in his hand.

You were still his girl. Just unshaped still.

Placing the hat under his arm he makes his way to you in his study. The Peacekeeper stood guard at the door.

"You can leave" he tells the man, before entering.

He sees you shoot up from the chair as he closes the door behind him.

You had been crying. He could see the tear lines still wet on your face.

"What were you doing at the hanging?". He storms over to you. He was giving you an opportunity to satisfy him.

I was there to see you but the women upset me. He wanted you to say.

"Leave me alone. i have to get these shoes home" You try and push past him but he shoves you down into the chair. Resting his weight upon the arms of it as he leaves over you.

"I've told you once, associating with rebels will get you hanged".

"his mother won't have a body to burry. She will have his shoes".

It was the first time you hadn't called him Sir in a conversation.

He wanted to slap you until you did.

But his hands were busy taking the shoes from you.

"Now she won't have shoes either. She can burry a memory".

You push the chair back to escape him. He could tell you wanted to hit him. Your fists balled and your stance was ready to swing.

"Come here" he demanded. It gnawed at him that you were upset with him. He was only doing his job.

"Give me the shoes" you demanded.

He drops the shoes to the ground.

"come and get them" he taunts.

You seem hesitant but you do, bending down at his feet to retrieve the shoes.

He grabs your jaw once your knee height and you struggle against him.

"Tell me I am taking good care of you" He pushes down as you try and get up. "Tell me how handsome I am".

You weren't truly mad at him, only overcome with emotion, he assured himself. But he too felt heavy after hanging days.

he had wanted to rest in your arms, similar to the boy with the scraped knee. But you offered him no comfort.

This time you do strike him across the face. He shoves you away and you scramble far, taking one shoe with you.

He begins to laugh, would every comfort be denied to him. No, not you.

"Don't you ever touch me again. You stay away from me from now on".

He was going to make you regret ever saying those words to him. You were going to give him every drop of kindness you held even if he had to wring it from your body. he deserved it after everything he had been through. You were his reward for it all, and by god he was going to have it.

But not now. Now he opened the door for your freedom, watching you run out.

He would make sure you came crawling back. Telling him you wanted his great care again. Telling him how handsome he was.

He would have you all. How much pain you wanted to go through first was entirely up to you.

[in1-nutshell]

How would the tfp react to the sparkling beans

I have another work that has the TFP Cons reaction to the sparklings you can visit. Now its time for these beans to meet up with the Autobots.

Hope you enjoy!

Autobots reacting to finding a pod full of sparklings

SFW, familial, platonic, Cybertronian/ Bot reader

TFP

For the sake of this writing, the pod crash landed outside their base after a meteor shower. Optimus and Ultra Magnus go out to retrieve the pod. Bulkhead has his wrecking ball out just in case it was another scraplet trap. No one is expecting this pod to be filled with sparklings.

Optimus Prime

Confused sparkling noises

“My children.”--Optimus

“Optimus they all can’t—”--Ratchet

“My. Children.”--Optimus

Oh, he is not expecting this. But this is a pleasant surprise. He is in love with all these little beans. He helps them out of the pod with the help of the other to make sure they are okay in the med bay. Optimus is hypervigilant of each sparkling while Ratchet is checking up on them.

Due to the amount of sparklings, and his lack of more servos, he came up with a new guardian system for the team to use for the beans.

No one is going to say no to this idea.

Prime has a habit whenever he is in the base to pick up a sparkling or two and keep them around while he does work. That doesn’t mean that work is the only thing he does around the sparklings. He finds himself telling them stories he remembers from his days as Orion Pax in the halls of Iacon.

Has given the beans a ride in his alt-mode from time to time.

Ratchet

Giggling sparkling noises.

Mother hen mode activated.

Oh, his stress levels have skyrocketed.

Not only does he have to worry about his team doing dumb things and getting hurt, now he has to worry about a bunch of literal sparklings. He needs a break, but not now, he has sparklings now.

He checks up on every single sparkling making note that they were all right and healthy. Since he spends the most time at the base, he naturally spends more time with the sparklings.

He is thankful for anyone who stays with him at the base to help with the sparklings. His back kibble sub space is usually filled with the beans. It’s easier to make sure to know where they are. Ratchet endless patience with the sparklings.

Has taken some of the sparklings around on ambulance rides when he picks up Raf when Bumblebee can’t .

Bumblebee

Beeping sparkling noises

Mimicking same beeping noises

He isn’t the youngest anymore!

He is enamored with the sparklings. He is often found cooing at them and picking them up.

Protective of his little friends. Bumblebee is the first to introduce the sparklings to the kids when they come back. Which was a story all on its own.

He takes his job as guardian seriously with the sparklings, especially if Raf is around too. It makes him one of the best babysitters on the team.

Has taken some around on rides on his alt-mode, does speed up from time to time but usually sticks to the speed limit and smooth driving.

Arcee

Sparkling noises

“…Oh Primus…”

She is having a time.

Is mentally stressing about the sparklings safety. The war is still going on and the base can only be safe if they keep it that way. Doesn’t even want to think about the sparklings getting hurt.

She isn’t the best at comfort.

But she does her best in keeping the kiddos in check and safe.

Gets Jack to help her with them. Jack is just happy to help, because he is sure that Arcee might have a mental breakdown if one of them got a tiny scrap on their knee.

Due to her vehicle mode not beginning the safest for sparkling travel, she makes up for it doing piggyback rides.

Bulkhead

Sparkling noises

“Oh, thank Primus it’s not scraplets…”

He is so relief they are not scraplets.

He wants to be around the sparklings but at the same time wants to keep his distance. Bulkhead has a track record of accidents that happen due to him being a klutz.

Thanks to Miko’s help he does find a way to keep an optic on the sparklings and still being safe around them.

The first on is that he has to sit down with his backside against the wall and have the sparklings around his lap. That way he can tell stories and act as a jungle gym at the same time.

The other option is having them inside his alt-mode while driving.

He takes caution with the sparklings inside, meaning no dune bashing.

Wheeljack

Sparkling noises

“I want this one.”--Wheeljack

“Wheeljack—”--Ratchet

“Meet Jackie jr.”--Wheeljack

He likes sparklings.

Might have come as a surprise to the others but it wasn’t at the same time. Wheeljack has had experience with kids in the past and he is a good babysitter. One of the best in the entire team.

Reason 1, he knows his strengths and won’t accidentally step on one of them. He gets a lot of ‘uppises’ requests.

Reason 2, he can entertain the sparklings for hours with fun harmless science experiments. They have to be runned by the Doc first. The last time he didn’t do that he ended up with wrench marks at his helm as he was teaching the youngsters how to make a grenade.

Reason 3, he has plenty of stories to share, while keeping them all G rated. He is not dumb enough to tell them what actually happened, he still wouldn’t tell them even if they were older.

Wheeljack has been known to steal certain sparklings and take them out on trips in the Jackhammer or in his alt-mode.

Smokescreen

“Hi there little guy!”--Smokescreen

“Smokescreen you’re holding them upside down!”—Ratchet

He is too excited to see the sparklings.

He had never seen a sparkling before, so this was a special moment. Smokescreen is always the first to volunteer to take care the sparklings.

Loves the feeling of being looked up to and lives for it. He wants to be a good role model for them and tries his best.

He does sometimes forget where he might have put a sparkling here and there but that usually happens when he takes too many sparklings that he can handle. Thankfully for the most part he does remember in the end where he put them, or Bumblebee finds them before he can.

Why is it always Bumblebee who finds them, not even he knows why.

He is banned from taking the sparklings out in his alt-mode after speeding too much.

Ultra magnus

Sparkling noises

“I am going to read the entire Autobot code to them when its bedtime.”—Ultra Magnus

He has done this. Wheeljack walked in on him doing this and claimed to the others that he was torturing them with cruel and unusual punishment.

Magnus is not amused.

He is one of the best babysitters on the team besides Wheeljack and Bumblebee. Magnus knows how to be gentle and careful with smaller beings. After all he has had a lot of practice due to his tall stature on Cybertron and on Earth.

He can get the little beans to sleep faster than anyone else. Does not matter if they had a tiring day or are still full of energy, he can make them fall asleep in record time.

He likes to talk to them as if they were fully grown Cybertronians and has held interesting conversations with them. Secretly has a data pad full of the things the sparklings like and dislike.

He has taken a few sparklings out of the base at night and driven around the base to help them sleep better.

[your-local-crypt1d]

Here's a bunch of Wither Rose Alliance headcanons I've had rattling around in my brain

I love the idea that fWhip is still a vampire on Empires it's just either common knowledge and not brought up or it's never mentioned because no one knows.

More specifically, though, Gem and fWhip are dhampirs, which are the offspring of a vampire parent and a human parent.

Dhampirs are on a spectrum between human and Vampiric, fWhip sits on the very far end of the vampire side (the only thing distinguishing him from other Vampires being his tan skin and blue eyes), meanwhile Gem sits very close to the human side of the spectrum, the only hint that she's not human being pointed ears and little fangs.

fWhip is also allergic to sunlight like most other Vampires, the difference between them and him, though, is his sister is the headmistress at the Crystal Cliffs Academy. Gem enchanted a Redstone pendant (another kind of conduit for magic) with mild fire resistance, so when fWhip walks in the sun he won't automatically burst into flames.

To me, Sausage is their brother but adopted and Pearl is a family friend that's basically their older sister just not by blood either.

Sausage came from a formerly noble family that fWhip and Gems parents were close with, but they quickly adopted Sausage after it was found out his parents were abusive. That's where the formerly part comes in, the twins' parents stripped Sausages' parents of all their titles as part of their punishment.

As mentioned, Pearl was never adopted but fWhips mother was her godmother, as her and Pearls parents were close. Pearls mother was also a head guard stationed in mythland, so by nature of her job she knew there might be a day where she won't return home.

Pearls mother was named Opaline, Moon is their surname. That's who Pearl gets her fighting prowess from.

For some political headcanons, Mythland, the Grimlands, Gilded Helanthia, and the Crystal Cliffs used to be one massive united empire known as the Wither Rose Dynasty. The Grimlands and Mythland were the two original kingdoms in the Dynasty, then the Grimlands set up a colony of sorts in the mountain range nearby as there was a high concentration of magic up in the Cliffs thanks to all the amethyst, making it much easier for people to learn magic, so the Academy was established.

It eventually grew to be a colony and then its own separate governed nation because the students who graduated from the academy would most often stay just below the academy in a lower part of the mountain, using magic to construct their own homes and harnessing the power from the amethyst geodes.

I liked the ideas in this post for Gilded Helanthia and I want to give credit where it's due on that, my only expansion would be that Gilded Helanthia in their first decades of independence were part of the Wither Rose Dynasty for protection against the Overgrown, and so technically the Emperor could step in on political issues if he so chose, but he was pretty hands-off and allowed them to govern as they wanted.

That Emperor was fWhip and Gems father, AltairMay. It's a tradition in high Grimland society to name your firstborn after a constellation, and while fWhip and Gem are twins, she's technically older by a few minutes. The name "FailWhip" is more or less a poor translation between Mythic and Common (aka English), in Mythic it's meant to mean someone who keeps getting back up after being knocked down, taking blows and always prevailing.

fWhip and Gems mother, MelodiaRose, passed away in childbirth. AltairMay was a vampire and he'd been Emperor of the Dynasty for hundreds of years, and watched his loved ones pass away, but the death of his wife left an irreparable hole in his heart. It's believed by historians that her death was the first domino that would lead to the fall (split) of the Wither Rose Dynasty.

20 years later, said event occurred. AltairMay was too exhausted to run four separate kingdoms and decided to split the empires up between his children, Pearl to be coronated as Queen (chosen by her people in a vote) a month after the split, Sausage to become king of Mythland, the headmaster of the Crystal Cliffs academy to also take over as head of state (again a voted thing), and for him to simply just be the "Count" of the Grimlands from then on. He Intended for Gem and fWhip to start taking on some of his responsibilities to lessen the work load, then for Gem to take over as countess when he died, but that's not how things worked out of course.

Gem ran away to study at the Crystal Cliffs academy, leaving fWhip behind to take over as count. I haven't really decided why Gem ran away yet so if any of y'all have any ideas please share.

I do like the idea of Gem meeting Scott through Xornoth during her time at the academy, the elven princes becoming her closest friends at the time when she basically had no one else.

One final headcanon to finish this post off, Bubbles is an eldritch horror who plays dog and you cannot change my mind

[love-overdrive]

One Piece OC Introduction

What it says on the tin! This is my One Piece OC. Below are arts I’ve commissioned of her (please do not use or steal these, I do not give permission for these to be used elsewhere) and her profile.

Name: Mariam/Mary

Age: 35 (Pre-Timeskip) / 37 (Post-Timeskip)

Hometown: Alabasta

F/O: Sir Crocodile

Familial/Platonic F/O’s: Dracule Mihawk and Buggy the Clown (Coworkers), Nico Robin (No ill will towards her… feeling isn’t really mutual), Alvida (Best friend in Cross Guild), Galdino/Mr. 3 (Appreciates his art)

Devil Fruit: Genie Genie no Mi- the power to become invisible or shapeshift as one sees fit. When awakened, this fruit allows the user to manipulate the minds of others and charm or induce fear into them, rendering them vulnerable. Due to its rather broad nature, it is classified as a Paramecia because it does not truly meet the criteria of a Zoan or Logia.

Position: Once a young woman juggling many odd jobs, she works beside her husband, Crocodile, in Alabasta to find any useful information while also keeping up appearances. Using her skills and resources, she plays the part of a doting wife and upstanding lady of the community to get others to spill their secrets. Her contribution allows Crocodile to get what he needs while continuing to convince the population he’s a respectable man.

After the disbandment of Baroque Works and formation of Cross Guild, her job has largely stayed the same, save for the extra work on influencing the community. She tends to do some extra paperwork and keeps the lower ranking members in check should the need arise.

Relationship with F/O: Originally, Mariam had met Sir Crocodile to plead or work out a deal to spare his wrath against her father for not paying his debts to Crocodile. Initially annoyed with her constant badgering, the Warlord became amused by her anger and her insistence on helping her father despite his supposed idiocy.

This interest led to him offering her a deal to ‘test’ her- pretend to be his wife to give him information and a good reputation, then he’ll lower or remove the debt entirely. Although frustrated, Mariam had agreed and thus, their relationship as a “married” couple had begun. Despite their marriage starting out as a fraud, the two eventually fell for each other naturally and became true lovers.

Even though Crocodile is taller and stronger than her, she tends to lecture him or talk back if he gives attitude. It’s a fight he knows he’s not winning, especially with how stubborn she is. Oftentimes, she just teases Crocodile whenever he’s in over his head or refuses to admit he needs help with anything. She knows he’ll ask for it in a bit.

Favorite Food: Bazella

Pets: She helps Crocodile take care of the Bananawanis and was gifted three of them for herself. Their names are: Mawz (Banana), Mishmish (Apricot), and Ruman (Pomegranate). She loves them lots and they’re very protective of her, too.

Favorite Pastime: Despite keeping up appearances being exhausting, Mariam has always loved tea parties. Even after her and Crocodile left Alabasta during the formation of Cross Guild, she still continues the habit of making them. She also likes to read in her spare time to unwind.

(And a last piece of art I’ve Commissioned for Ramadan <3)

[sfblah]

The Cleanup Crew - Chapter 3

[Previous Chapter]

[Next Chapter]

Finally it's time to get dangerous. This is almost twice the length of the previous chapters, which is like fine, but I was originally hoping to keep installments in this series on the shorter side. I guess you can take the writing out of the blah but you can't take the blah out of the writing.

Female sneezes - Feathers

cw: Guns, Violence

Operation "Porcupine"

All things considered, Bucket’s first day at the cafe wasn’t terrible. Not too many customers, and she spent all of her time shadowing Duster and Mop anyway. It was like the first day back in school, when all your teachers just make sure you have all your stuff and don’t even assign any homework.

That evening, however, was like the second day back in school.

The four maids gather around the table in the staff room, where Kerchief had laid out several stacks of papers. The manager pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose and glances around at her subordinates, then she turns her attention to the documents below.

“We’ve received a request for turndown service,” she says, her voice flat and serious as always. “A straightforward retrieval mission, which should also serve as a fine opportunity to show Miss Bucket how we do business after hours.”

Bucket’s eyes unfocus and stare into the middle distance. Time for actual work.

“Our client is an engineer with the ExTech corporation who has been leaking information regarding dangerous products to various journalists over the past several months. He was recently outed as a whistleblower, and has already been taken into protective custody. However, he was forced to leave several important items behind at his apartment, and it’s our job to collect them.”

“Sounds easy enough,” says Duster, grinning as she manages to somehow rub a finger under her nose but in an arrogant sort of way.

“Due to the sensitive nature of the situation, we will only be told what to look for once we arrive in the client’s apartment, but we have also been assured that there won’t be anything we can’t carry on our persons.”

Bucket realizes she’s zoning out and tries to resume paying attention. It wasn’t even a conscious choice on her part, it was like her mind had a mind of its own and would simply switch off if she wasn’t thinking about video games or food. Whatever. Hopefully nobody noticed.

“Miss Duster, Miss Bucket, and I will enter the building as cleaners and make our way to the client’s apartment on the eleventh floor. We’ll go in light and quick, with concealed equipment only. Miss Mop will provide surveillance from this nearby billboard, where you’ll have a view of our client’s apartment’s windows. Let’s…”

Kerchief trails off, closing her eyes with a deep breath. She pushes her glasses up her nose once more before continuing.

“Let’s try to keep collateral damage to a minimum, please.”

Neither Duster nor Mop give any sort of response, standing stock still. Bucket blinks. Just what kind of collateral damage are they expecting?

“Any questions?” Kerchief concludes, looking around the table at her maids.

“Um, yeah. Hi,” interjects Bucket, shakily raising a hand. “Was I supposed to, um… Bring my own guns? Cuz, I, er… Kinda don’t have one.”

Kerchief gives a hand sign for the others to move out, and then she leads Bucket over to the weapon wall. Part of her hopes she’ll be allowed to pick her own, but she buries any urge to complain when the manager selects a diminutive, blocky pistol.

“Here, this should suit you nicely. Glock 19, compact nine millimeter.”

“Thanks,” Bucket mumbles as she accepts the gun, hoping she doesn’t sound ungrateful. She kinda is, but she hopes she doesn’t sound like she is. After checking the chamber and holstering the weapon under her ruffles, she skips after Kerchief to avoid being left behind.

For better or worse, the apartment building is a relatively short van ride away. Duster holds a one-sided conversation with Mop as Kerchief drives, and Bucket silently spaces out all over again. The rookie maid is jolted from her trance when the van stops early and Mop climbs out alone, SRS precision rifle in tow. Bucket briefly wonders how Mop can use a scope with her hair covering both eyes before deciding to spare her remaining functional brain cells.

“Oh yeah, almost forgot,” says Duster as the van slows to a stop in the parking lot. She holds out an earpiece to Bucket, who accepts it and slips it into place after a nod of thanks. After a brief pop of static, she hears what she assumes to be Mop’s voice over the radio.

“I’m in position. Approach looks clear, no sign of movement in the client’s apartment.”

“Thank you, Miss Mop,” Kerchief replies, coming in differently through each of Bucket’s ears. “Keep us apprised of anything unusual.”

Kerchief’s voice is flat in a stilted, socially awkward sort of way, while Mop’s is flat in more of a ‘can I go home now?’ fashion. Bucket assumes they each simply have their gimmicks. Duster’s customers at the cafe probably want her to lift them off the ground with a big hug, and Mop’s want her to step on them.

The three maids hop out of the van, showing nothing to set them apart from any other group of housekeepers. Kerchief casually flashes a key fob to open the building’s front door, and Bucket takes a detailed mental image of the patterns on the carpet as she follows to the elevator. The ride up to the eleventh floor is silent aside from Duster cracking her knuckles. No pre-battle elevator music or anything. Maybe this really would be an easy in and out. Surely there’d have to be thematically inappropriate and royalty-free jazz if they were about to walk into a gunfight.

Nothing out of the ordinary in the hall either. The door to each apartment was neatly shut, with no trash or bodies strewn about, no ninjas waiting in the rafters, and no rafters in which ninjas could be waiting to begin with. Kerchief unlocks unit 11-38 and the squad slips inside without incident.

“Don’t shoot, Mop. It’s just us,” teases Duster, giving a casual salute in the direction of the nearest window.

“Tempting,” Mop drones, though the glass remains unpunctured.

Kerchief brings a hand up to her earpiece as Bucket takes a look around the room. It’s a small, simple suite apartment. Decently sized living room, and a door on one side that presumably leads to the bedroom.

“We’ve arrived, Master,” Kerchief says into her radio. “What would you like us to retrieve?”

“O-oh, right, of course, thank you,” comes a nervous voice that Bucket hasn’t heard before. Time to walk out of here with an armful of classified documents that will surely get her disappeared in the coming weeks.

“It’s, um… My limited edition commemorative Boom the Porcupine plushie.”

Bucket’s head jerks up to stare across the room at Kerchief. The bespectacled maid’s glasses spontaneously slip down her nose just a smidge.

“...I’m sorry?”

“I-it’s the most important thing I own! Only ten were ever made! P-please, find it…”

Neither Bucket nor Kerchief give any sort of reaction. The manager’s eyes darken as she stares vacantly into the middle distance, but still she says nothing.

“Um… M-miss Maids? A-are you there?”

”heh… HRESHoooh!”

A sudden thundering sneeze startles both maids out of their stupor. Bucket looks in the rough direction of the noise to find the door to the bedroom wide open and Duster nowhere to be seen in the living room.

“hh-hhh-! RAAHshooh! Uh. I think I found it.”

Duster’s scratchy, nasal voice sounds even scratchier and nasally-er than usual. Bucket and Kerchief follow into the bedroom, and while the living room seemed completely untouched, the domicile appeared to have been completely torn apart. Papers and broken drawers are strewn across the floor, and the pillows and mattress are ripped open and covered in loose feathers. Duster stands beside the bed, a green plush toy held limply in one hand as her head tips back toward the ceiling.

“HAESHHoo!”

A few feathers stir at the disturbance, and the stuffed animal falls to the floor. It rolls toward Bucket, at which point she picks it up and turns it over in her hands.

“Looks okay to me,” she says, unable to find any obvious damage. Her eyes briefly flick up to Duster, who is busy frantically rubbing two fingers back and forth under her nose. “Gesundheit, by the way.”

“Please forgive Miss Duster,” Kerchief interjects, leaning over to inspect the plushie herself. “I’m afraid she’s allergic to feathers.”

“No I’m dot!” protests the boyish maid. “It’s just sobethig id the eh… heh… HERSHHoooh!”

“Care, care. Another van is pulling into the parking lot,” comes Mop’s voice. “Will keep- Get down, get down!”

Before Bucket can react, she finds herself being yanked into the bedroom closet. The sound of breaking glass just barely reaches her ears as the door slams shut, plunging her and the others into darkness.

“Talk to me, Miss Mop,” Kerchief half whispers.

“At least six unidentified contacts, and they’re… They’re climbing the side of the building.”

“They’re what!?” snaps Duster, prompting Kerchief to clap a hand over her mouth.

“Hold fire and keep me updated,” commands the manager. “The apartment has already been searched. We’ll let them see that for themselves and they should pass us by.”

“Understood.”

Silence falls once more. Bucket ponders pointing out that whoever these people are, they’re definitely going to check the closet. But surely Kerchief already knows that, right? Plus, with eleven floors worth of wall to climb, she and the others would probably have time to simply go back the way they came.

“First unknown entering the window now,” Mop says. Okay, that was a lot faster than Bucket expected. Sure enough, the crunch of someone stepping on glass shards soon follows. In spite of the apparent danger, however, the maid begins to tumble down another mental rabbit hole. In the sliver of light coming around the closet door, Bucket spots a little scrap of feather fluff stuck to the plush porcupine. She casually plucks it off and flicks it away, leaving it to flutter about in improbable aimlessness until it comes to rest right on the upturned tip of Duster’s nose.

“hh… heh…”

The muscular maid’s reaction is immediate, and Kerchief’s is only slightly behind. The manager presses an outstretched finger firmly against Duster’s nostrils, silently urging her to hold it in. 

“hegh… ghh…”

Duster shudders, unable to suppress the occasional hitchy wheeze. The footsteps in the bedroom continue, sometimes moving closer, sometimes away. But, if someone else had already turned the apartment upside down, why were they-

“ah-ahh-CHOOOO!!”

Bucket doubles over with a sudden screamed sneeze, leaving Duster too stunned to finish her own. The closet door flies open and the maids find themselves facing a white, featureless… Face? A pair of glowing blue eyes stare out from behind what Bucket can only assume is a robot’s plastic outer shell. She sheepishly rubs her nose as the machine regards her and each of the maids, but none of them offer any reaction. Finally the robot settles on the stuffed animal in Bucket’s arms, and its eyes blink in seeming recognition.

“Attention, female. Surrender the porcu-”

Kerchief quickdraws her Sig P229 sidearm and delivers two rapid shots from the hip to the robot’s torso, then she takes a split second to aim before putting a third bullet through its head. She strides out of the closet without missing a beat, checking for danger in both directions before turning in the direction of the window and firing again. The maid takes her finger off the trigger, raises her weapon slightly, and looks back to her subordinates.

“Time to get tactical, ladies. Miss Mop, weapons free.”

Bucket blinks a few times before fumbling to draw her own pistol.

“Uh. Yeah. Yeah, sure,” she stammers, awkwardly stepping into the bedroom. A grappling hook had pierced through the window and secured itself to the wall below, giving the robotic attackers their means of ingress.

“ehh… hHRESHHoo!”

Bucket jumps as Duster heaves out another explosive sneeze. By the time Bucket can turn to look, her snuffly companion has already produced and readied a Scorpion Evo 3 submachine gun. Where she’d been hiding it all this time remains a mystery. With a harsh sniff and a firm rub under her nose, Duster walks up to the fallen robot and gives it a kick.

“ExTech,” she grumbles, pausing to mash her nostrils upward with the palm of her hand. “And they’re really here for this heh… ehgh… HESHH-hooh!”

“Porcupine,” Bucket amends, assuming Duster was trying to sneeze her way through ‘hedgehog.’

A distant POP interrupts the banter, and a moment later the sounds of crashing and clattering issue through the window.

“Remaining climbers dispatched,” says Mop. “Doesn’t look like they survived the fall. Are they… Robots?”

“ExTech drones, here for the same thing we are,” Bucket mumbles. “I didn’t think stuff like this existed, but I’m a maid with a gun, so I guess anything’s possible.”

“Oh, more good news. ExTech helicopter inbound,” Mop alerts. Kerchief’s hand flies up to her earpiece.

“Hold fire, there’s no way to control where it’ll crash.”

“I hope you can make a quick exit, then. They’re headed for the roof.”

Bucket looks around at her companions, bristling slightly as the sound of beating rotors draws nearer.

“So, uh… Elevator? Do we have to take the stairs cuz it’s an emergency?”

Kerchief and Duster each remove a climbing descender from under their ruffles. Bucket twitches.

“H-hang on, what are those? I don’t have one.”

“Just hold on to me,” says Duster with a grin, clipping her device onto the rope the robots had courteously provided. Not wanting to be left behind, Bucket immediately hops onto her back and clings for dear life. She squeezes even tighter as Duster braces against the windowsill, forgetting all about the porcupine plush as it gets squished in between them.

“Wait, can this thing hold two people?” Bucket screeches. Duster glances back at her with a wink.

“Only one way to find out!”

Duster kicks off from the window, and the pair begin to glide down the rope toward the parking lot below. Bucket lasts a whole two seconds before starting to scream at the top of her lungs, but she runs out of breath before they reach the ground and manages to silence herself.

“So, how’s this for your first day of work?” Duster shouts over the rushing wind. Bucket does her best to shrug without letting go.

“Beats retail, I guess!”

“Damn straight! I think you’re… Y-youre… heh… eh-hehh…”

Their descent becomes a touch choppy as Duster’s breath starts to waver. Filled with a renewed sense of panic, Bucket tries to maneuver one hand to put a finger under her lifeline’s nose, but…

“heh… hEH! HRESHHHoooh!”

Completely consumed by her sneeze, Duster loses her grip on her descender. She and Bucket plummet to the ground, a treacherous two feet of remaining distance. Both maids lay on top of each other on the pavement in silence for a few stunned seconds before starting to moan and groan.

“Gesundheit…” breathes Bucket, reaching between herself and her companion as she remembers the flattened plushie. Duster snorts inelegantly and rubs her fingers in a rough circle under her itchy nose.

“Yeah… Sorry. You break anything?”

“Nah. Just your fall.”

[magixfairyix]

Something I added into my fan fiction (SSS), and I think that makes sense, is that all faries and witches have a main emotion they use for their magic.

Sort of like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The emotion that most easily fuels your magic is the one you use most, therefore you revert to it often during fights, and with how much that emotion is used faries/witches show that emotion a lot when they’re not fighting especially when things are stressful—they revert back to the emotion that protects them during fights.

It doesn’t fully influence their personality (witches can still be happy as hell) but it is what they revert to when under stressful situations unconsciously, which is also why witches have a bad reputation even though it’s not really something one can control or change.

A main emotion can be changed, but your magic would still want to naturally drift towards it especially if the emotion and one’s magic has the same ‘vibes.’ Some elements are more powerful with certain emotions, and come more naturally with certain emotions when that emotion is used to cast a spell.

Different elements can share emotions, some just drift towards others more naturally.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Main Emotion Head-cannons

~Stella: Love for her friends and family. Light as an element naturally wants to brighten up people lives, and Stella is shown to care a lot about her freinds and her parents. In my mental head cannons sometimes she cares too much

~Bloom: Pride for herself and for where she comes from. The Dragon Flame and the fire element in general is a very bright element that is valued a lot across all planets, not just Domino. Bloom has pride for Earth where she grew up, Domino, and where she comes from because they made her into the person she is

~Musa: Protectiveness. Music as an element more so versatile-y drifts towards people, caring for people, etc, because music influences people. Musa is protective towards her friend’s wellbeing, though a lot of that also has to due do her mother’s death and the loss of her connection with her father. Hers and everyone else’s are sort of both nature and nurture

~Flora: Empathy towards everyone around her. Plantlike elements (not necessarily nature, cause our girl Stormy exists) thrive on care, since they need care to grow (I know, revolutionary.) Flora is clearly very empathetic and caring towards others in the show, and that’s why sometimes in the show she hesitates to attack because empathy and magic only really works the best if the thing/person being attacked deserves it, so not angry sea creatures

~Aisha: Loyalty to those she is close with. Water leans towards a lot of elements since lol water, but mainly very ���set’ emotions (loyalty, determination, vengeance, etc). Water exists and has a mind of its own. Aisha is very loyal to her friends and would do anything to preserve their well-being (ie, Musa in season 2) and to her family as well. Such as Queen Lushea in season 3 when Aisha saved her instead of taking back her sight

~Tecna: Determination. Technology as an element wants to get things done and is ‘productive’ as an element. It has a job to do and it does it. Tecna is determined to get things done, make plans, and make sure things go smoothly. She is headstrong on that as well

~Icy: Ruthlessness. Again, witches use more objectively negative emotions and faries use objectively positive. I know it’s cliche, but ice is naturally cold and hard. It doesn’t have much mercy especially to those who don’t understand it/underestimate it. Icy is cold and ruthless in the show, but that doesn’t mean she’s completely cold. Ruthlessness is just the emotion she uses for her magic and the one she reverts to when things are stressful, hence why she is closed off quite a bit of the time

~Stormy: The need to cause chaos. Not really an emotion, but the emotion can be a set emotion or a need for an outcome (a need for chaos, vengeance, peace, etc). Gurl controls storms, thunder, and tornadoes so that’s an element that is very unpredictable. She is shown to be impatient and (lol season 1 when she is just lighting trees on fire) just overall chaotic

~Darcy: Control, and apathy. Psychic magic naturally drifts towards the need to have control of another’s actions, thoughts, etc. This also leads to a need to control situations, oneself, or circumstances. This is also why (in my mind) psychic faries/witches sometimes get a bad reputation, because of the emotions their magic gravitates to.

The element of darkness that Darcy has on the other hand (she gravitates more towards psychic magic though) gravitates towards more ‘hurtful’ emotions such as apathy, vengeance, suffering, etc. The darkness/shadows don’t have mercy to those who don’t deserve it. Though with her using both elements (because of being Lilith’s descendant) she has a more of a controlled apathy, still mainly leaning towards control

~Iorda (my OC and whatnot cause she’s in the story this head-cannon is cannon in): Fulfilment (positive) & vengeance (negative). She for most of her time with the Winx was a fairy and uses the emotion of fulfilment (starting from season 2 after starting at Alfea) towards her destiny as the Fairy of Dark Arts (the Trix’s magical balance, and shares the same magic as Darcy).

Her fulfilment was her way of using an emotion that her magic wanted to use (uses darkness magic mostly and rarely uses psychic, and only actually tries to harness it after the events of SSS) by having a sort of apathy towards herself, turning that apathy into a positive emotion for the need to fulfil her purpose (positive emotion as a fairy.)

When she does eventually become a witch (Lilith’s magic became too strong for her to stay a fairy, and Iorda started to automatically use negative emotions after season 6 due to emotional damage caused by le Trix, which fairy no like-y) she uses the emotion of vengeance that her darkness magic gravitated towards in season 1 when she didn’t care about using positive emotions as a fairy. She also uses this emotion during season 7 and 8 cause honestly she has a lot of vengeful feelings towards the Trix at that time, and halfway through SSS when she tells everyone that she is becoming a witch

When she still used positive emotions she was very dedicated to her purpose, and then with vengeance she became more ruthless to those who deserved it

[remember-digimon]

Now it's Sora's turn!

Every friend group needs a Mom Friend, and for this group it's definitely Sora.

From the very beginning she's always checking up on everyone else, more worried about her friends than herself. I'm sure if she had been more prepared for going to the Digital World, she would've brought more than a first aid kit.

I have thoughts on the things each kid brought with them into the Digital World, but I'll do a separate post for that. For now, Sora has a first aid kit because she is the kind of person to plan ahead and be ready to help.

Early on, she has a bit of trouble relating to Biyomon. Her Digimon is super cuddly and even a bit clingy with her, which Sora isn't sure how to deal with. She isn't annoyed, she just doesn't know what to do with Biyomon at first.

Like Matt, Sora has a strained relationship with her mom, but for entirely different reasons. Mrs Takenouchi is a master at flower arrangement and a very traditional Japanese woman. She wants Sora to follow in her footsteps, but that isn't what Sora wants. Sora thinks her mother doesn't understand her at all and has no desire to understand her.

When Sora wants to go play soccer, her mother forbids it. This is because Sora has an injury and her mother is afraid that playing in the soccer game will make it worse. But Sora sees it as her mother being opposed to her playing soccer at all, not caring how much it means to her.

Of course, eventually, Sora realizes why her mother didn't want her to play that day. Her mom wanted to protect her and just went about it the wrong way.

Later, during the Odaiba raid, Mrs Takenouchi comes to Sora's rescue and gives her the chance to get away. It takes a lot of convincing to get Sora to leave her mom, showing her need to protect those she cares about.

Having these expectations of being a good daughter to a very traditional Japanese woman has certainly taken its toll on Sora. She seems to be rebelling against the idea of femininity in general, or at least the apparent need for her to perform it.

Sora was always marketed as a tomboy in early promo stuff; I don't know if the concept is purely western or if they also have that in Japan, but regardless, Sora just resists the idea of womanhood that her mother portrays.

Sora doesn't want to arrange flowers, she wants to play soccer. She wants to be an integral part of the team, not someone expected to wait behind because she's a girl. She is fierce and brimming with passionate fire.

Tai is associated with fire, too, but I think the two differ. Tai is a wildfire, or a huge party bonfire, or one of those controlled prairie burns when he's older. Sora is the fire of a hearth, a quiet campfire, the warm glow of candles. Tai isn't necessarily destructive, at least not on purpose, but he is a good representation of the wild, energetic nature of fire. Sora is the other side of that coin; the fire that has fed humanity since our beginning.

Matt is usually thought of as the kid who cooks, but he does that out of necessity due to his home life. Sora makes food for those she cares about because she wants to provide for them, make sure they're fed and taken care of.

She has a soft spot for the younger kids, particularly TK. He even mentions how she is family to him while they're away from home, standing in for his mother.

Being the designated Mom Friend means stressing about your friends and trying to make everyone happy. It isn't an easy job. Even when Sora is away from the group she tries to make sure everyone is okay; she helps Tai and TK avoid the forgetful mushrooms, she helps Mimi realize she's being selfish, and she helps Joe and Matt by stopping a pallet of potatoes from falling while they're working at the diner. And she does all of this from the shadows, not expecting the others to sing her praises for it.

She does it because she loves them, and since she loves them she wants to keep them safe and happy.

Also let's not forget that she has her own Dark Cave experience. Tai has charged her with finding the other kids and bringing them back while WarGreymon keeps Piedmon busy.

The weight of this responsibility weighs so heavily on Sora that she is lost in anxiety, worrying that she won't be able to find the others in time which means they'll lose the battle, which means they'll lose the war, which means THE END OF THE WORLD. That's a lot to expect of an 11 year old girl.

It really shows that she wants to help, she needs to make sure her loved ones are okay, and she forgets about herself in that process. Thankfully Matt and Joe are able to help her realize that she isn't alone in this huge world-saving task, and as much as she wants her friends to rely on her, she can rely on them just as much.

[aequitas-if]

Genres: Superhero Fiction, Action, Mystery, Romance

Rating : 16+ for depictions of violence, drug use, mature themes and language.

[[DEMO]] [[RO Character Profiles]] [[Other Characters Profiles]] [[Timeline]] [[Pinterest]]

Aequitas. There was a time when it was a household name (...or there was six years ago). There was no way the team could have avoided attracting attention. A group of heroes, let alone a group of teenage heroes, was always going to attract the world's attention.

Whether it was stopping crimes, combating villains, or protecting civilians, heroics added a sense of completion that other things could not.

It is inevitable that all good things in life come to an end, including the group that once protected Metanoia.

Although the name has lost its renown, a part of you still feels a slight sense of pride whenever the name of the ragtag group of young heroes is uttered. On some level, you assume that's to be expected.

After all, you used to lead it.

• Play as a former(?) vigilante that is suddenly thrown back into the world of heroics. Once the (superpowerless) leader of an unstoppable group of heroes, you are now job-hopping in order to stay afloat.

• Train a new group of (unskilled) new young (far too young) heroes (not at all against your will)!

• Customize your MC’s current personality (their past personality is a different story…) and appearance!

• Reunite with your former teammates and look back on what exactly led to your team disbanding (and try not to repeat your past mistakes).

• Form bonds with new friends and rebuild bonds with old ones.

• Reminiscence on your past and remind yourself what led you down the path of heroics in the first place.

• Romance your former (friends) teammates

• Defeat the villains and save the world (again). Obviously.

The (Original) Team [ROs]

Alexandria “Alex” Andeno [She/Her]

Alias: Elysian

The former co-leader of Aequitas, Alexandria Andeno is a force to be reckoned with. With her tactical mind as well as her unbeatable strength and stamina, Alex acts as the perfect warrior as well as the perfect protector to both civilians and her fellow heroes.

With her diplomatic and compassionate disposition she easily fell into the role of the team “big sister” and it was a title she wore with pride. She is someone that had always given great advice so it is unsurprising that she went on to become a therapist. However, there seems to be shadows of discontentedness hiding in different aspects of both her personal life and career.

Napoleon Jasper “Jasp” Walker [He/Him]

Alias: Momentum

Your (former?) best friend. Loudmouthed and snarky, Jasper’s mouth runs almost as fast as him (a remarkable feat truly). Due to his (self-given) role as the goofball (moron) and prankster of the team, Jasper was not only a thorn in your side but also everybody elses.

Despite his rashness, Jasper is incredibly skilled and intelligent- a fact that is made abundantly clear from the awards hanging on his childhood bedroom wall as well as his job as a scientist at one of the most technologically advanced labs in the world. However despite his flaws you can always count on him to have your back (or that’s how it used to be).

Zhiuxzoe “Zoe” Smith [She/Her]

Alias: Onism

An alien from another planet, Zoe is truly an interesting being to be around. Despite her overly naive attitude, her bubbly and kind disposition make it truly difficult to be mad at her.

The most (openly) upset about the team disbanding, she is the only one who has went out of their way to keep in contact with all of the former members. Her overly inquistive and curious nature led her to journalism which she does exceptional job in despite it putting her in a position where her out of this world nature being revealed is at risk.

Rowan Parker [He/Him]

Alias: Kalon

Rowan Parker is the human embodiment of a forest fire- intense, pretty from a distance, and will 100% burn you if you get too close.

The former “bad boy” of Aequitas and currently a mechanic, his hot-headed demeanor is what led to him being the first to leave the team and was the main factor in his (initially one-sided) rivalry with you. Rowan is the only other (former) member of Aequitas that still fights crime, of course now and days he’s leaning more towards “anti-hero” then hero…

Vesper ??? [They/Them]

Alias: Lacuna

The kid that (forced) got you back in the game. An individual made up of all knowing smiles and snarky remarks, Vesper is an enigma that nobody can truly solve. They usually put up a hyperactive and occassionally “ditzy” attitude…although sometimes if you look close enough you can see something else lurking in the depths of their eyes.

Leonardo “Leon” Cabello [He/Him]

Alias: Curio

Compassionate yet uncertain, Leon is quite clearly the newest to the heroics business (of course that might be because of the ancient artifact forcing him into it…). With managing both schoolwork and heroics as well as being the only one on the team with any common sense, Leon has his work cut out for him.

Juniper “Juni” Kent [She/Her]

Alias: Apricity

Loud, hyperactive, and a bit obnoxious, Juniper Kent is about everything you would expect a teenage superhero to be. You’re more likely to find her playing on her phone then patrolling the city but behind her somewhat childish and excitable personality lies a truly kind and selfless indvidual that wants to help others.

Lenora “Nora” Croce [She/Her]

Alias: Moira

Painfully timid and incredibly kind, Nora is one of the most selfless people you will ever meet which is saying a lot considering she is in a group of other heroes. She would give you the clothes on her back and more if she needed to. Just make sure not to get on her bad side…

Sebastian Barrere [He/Him]

Alias: Calamity

The human version of the anti-christ, Sebastian Barrere is bratty, uptight, and just a little bit petty. Wanting nothing more than to prove himself both to the world and his mother, Sebastian focuses all his time on getting stronger. However there might be something kinder lurking beneath the surface of his prickly attitude.

[kibblemode]

oc for cpcs info under the cut

cecil davis, he/him, cis + gay, 26, mixed (white/hispanic), prims older brother + main protag | battle theme

cecil is the main protag of the game, he lived in the underworld w/ his mom annie before she sent him to live with his uncle seg in the surface world. externally hes very serious n can be stern sometimes but hes a good guy overall ^_^ he has a younger sister who he'll protect with his LIFE they love each other lots. in fact sometimes he can get a little Too protective lol. he befriends jona and his friends bc seg accidentally shows his true nonhuman form to him while cecil and prim are with him so cecil makes a deal w jona in order to protect their identities (jona is an aspiring paranormal journalist) and thats how the game starts out LOL

prim davis, she/her, cishet, 18, mixed (same as cecil), cecils little sister | cutscene theme

prim is cecils little sister abd the secondary protag of the story. she was also sent to the surface world by haven to live with seg, since she hasnt seen cecil in person for over 9 years. shes very kind and good natured, but she can have moments where shes a little hotheaded. she loves her brother dearly and has a great relationship w him :] she also has a boyfriend in the overworld and is Not happy w her dad that shes separated from him

jona chen, he/him, trans + bisexual, 25, chinese, cecils friend | cutscene theme

jona is cecils first and closest friend in the surface world. hes a human but knows that cecil is Not due to seg accidentally revealing their nonhuman forms in front of him. hes an aspiring paranormal journalist and investigator, so hes Suuuuper interested in learning about cecil and prims respective cultures. he also gets permission from cecil and prim to let his close friends see them as they truly are. he ends up being super close with cecil and even asks him out near the end of the game, whether or not cecil accepts is up to the player tbh

gulliver hitchcock, he/him, cis + bisexual, 28, white, jonas friend

gulliver is one of jonas friends. hes very country and lives in the middle of nowhere. him living so far from the city means cecil and his friends spend a lot of time there. he unknowingly saves his friends from an escaped underworld beast of some sort by hitting it with his truck. hes the second of jonas friends to be introduced in game

daisy evergreen, she/her, cis + bisexual, 30, ugandan, also jonas friend

another one of jonas friends. daisy is the first to find out about cecils true identity after jona, but thats mostly because she figured it out on her own. shes pretty even tempered and cool in the face of danger, her friends usually go to her for advice. in game she is the first human introduced, cecil walks her home after she gets lost in the towns neighboring woods

seg janson, he/him, cishet, 56, white, cecil and prims uncle | battle theme + cutscene theme

seg is a rich conman who jointly owns a banking company in the city. before the start of the game hed never met his niece and nephew, but after meeting them he cares for them deeply. he gives cecil a job to protect his identity but accidentally allows jona to see their nonhuman forms like i said earlier. he lives in the middle of the small town jona and his friends live in, in an abandoned church he made into a mansion. later in the game its revealed that he lives in the surface world because he preferred it to the underworld, and he prefers living with humans instead of preying on their weaknesses

misty goodman, she/her, cis + lesbian, 25, white, ALSO jonas friend

yet another friend of jonas. shes a blogger who lives in the city, and is the last to find out about cecil. she can be pretty rude and blunt about most things, but she also has a rare kinder side. despite her personality she loves her friends and would do Anything for them, even is she doesnt say so. she helps jona with his amateur journalism by using her talent for photography to provide him with pictures to use in his articles. basically his partner in crime

radon, he/him, trans + het, 33, white, weird guy + resident fucked up scientist | cutscene theme + battle theme

radon is somewhat of an urban legend around the town. hes a chemist who studies radioactive materials in his free time (which he has a lot of) in his lab under his house. he tends to experiment on himself a lot, since he ran out of """test subjects""". he rarely leaves the lab, usually injecting himself with chemicals snd documenting the results. cecil winds up in his lab by accident, and witnesses radon inject himself one too many times, which causes him to turn into a gross monster that cecil kills in self defense

haven davis, he/they, cishet, 52, hispanic, cecil and prims father + main "villain" | battle theme + cutscene theme

haven is basically god, and rules over the overworld with an iron fist. he can be pretty emotionless and serious, but is still a good dad overall. he is the final boss of the game, his need to protect his family results in him trying to erase jona and friends' memories of everything they weren't supposed to see. this leads up to him being the final boss of the game, cecil stops him by defeating him in a heated battle. hes not a terrible person per se but he definitely does some fucked up shit to humans he considers a threat to the secrecy of both the overworld and the underworld

annie janson, she/her, cishet, 49, white, cecil and prims mother | cutscene theme

annie is cecil and prim's mom and shes like. literally the devil and is considered head of the underworld lol. shes divorced (her ex husband haven lives in the overworld with prim, meanwhile cecil lives in the underworld with annie) i dont have much character wise but i like to think shes a bit of a hothead but still a decent mom to her kids

[innocent-cat]

I saw the Vox Machina with an Eda like reader and liked it, can I get a platonic one for Reader who is like King?

Not human thinks they are something related to monsters (but it turns out they are powerful creatures), are basically like a kid who gets frustrated when something doesn't go right and releases a squeak of rage, and is on a journey to find their family.

Waitttt I actually love this idea?

HEY!!! YOU!!!! my comms r open!! please request me!!

PartTitan!Reader x Vox Machina

HEADCANNONS

warnings - none

"Temper Titan", Titan!Reader x vox machina

everyone at once (devil emoji)

Nobody really quite KNOWS what you are, but they know you're part.

Referencing to the title, Percy has said he thinks your part titan, but due to advancements, there is no way to know for sure.

Because of that, Vox Machina had become known for having a "Temper Titan."

It's kind of embarrassing, at first when you heard of it, but you are pretty terrifying when you're mad.

Much like King and other titans, when you stomp or yell, the ground shakes and often things that should be strong enough to be stable such as a boulder, break.

Vox Machina also calls you this… but.. at least they accept you?

Anger issues goes crazy as a titan. you're real sensitive, but you can often end up sad instead of angry when they try to wind you up mid-battle.

Scanlan often tries to make fun of you during a battle but instead he just tugs on your strings and makes you cry.

A little upsetting when it happens, and you end up not talking to Scanlan for a while.

called you a whole loser dude

He was MEANNN man.

Of course, your cries are just as powerful if not more powerful than your stomps and yells.

he likes to pretend you couldn't drag him with and without magic

Sadly, when you do have a temper, Keyleth can feel it through her plants.

Its a downside, so when you're going nuts, Keyleth is down and coping with the fact the ground and plants are in pain.

its also a battle field issue a lot.. thankfully Scanlan's bard magic can always lift them up, but, it makes them a big, chunky target.

You being a little kid they don't want to be up too long without you.

Percy is especially careful about this.

Vex and Vax on the other hand could not care LESS.

swim or drown in their little world.

Keyleth scolds them about their carelessness for you, but when it comes down to it, they are the first ones to dive in and save you.

Vax especially.

They both see you as a younger sibling.

They try to keep your temper under control, but it doesn't work out sometimes, and you guys end up having to run away while in public

Like.. literally mid tantrum they'll just pick you up and put you on trinket.

sent away for poor behavior!!!

Vax buys you literally anything you want and its crazy..

its not even because he doesn't want you to be mad, its because he wants you to have what he didn't in his childhood, but Vex has a different view, and still wants you to grow up and be a responsible person.

BUT ANYWAYYYYYYY MORE KEYLETHH??? YES MORE KIKI

she often likes to take you out to nature just because

her connection to it makes her feel you have one too because they all think(know) you're a titan.

its really nice because you'll literally just lay there and you'll feel vines and grass growing around you comfortingly

like a big ol' blanket

Sometimes, you'll go out to her little spot without her, and you'll literally just be there for HOURS.

You gave Percy a heart attack.

he kinda scolded Keyleth for it so you started crying.. and.. titan tantrum.

he kinda just sighed and picked you up and brought you home with Keyleth

Grog is also low-key protective of you???

a lot like how he is with Pike

Pike might have told him to protect you, but either way, he is quite the man for the job.

consider him a body blocker

PIKE WILL MAKE YOU FUCKING MEDITATE WITH HER

not for religious reasons, just to help you calm down sometimes.

She's super sweet to you man.

mama pike

usually the one cooking for you because she strongly believes you should not be eating all the crap Vox Machina eats because they're all raging alcoholics with mommy or daddy issues(most of the time both)

[jgroffdaily]

Excerpts from the article (which appeared online as cast and crew were traveling to their first rehearsal today):

On a chilly day in early February, Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez are huddled on a couch in a photo studio in Queens. Not three weeks after Merrily We Roll Along ended its off-Broadway run at the New York Theatre Workshop, gathering again for a photo shoot has made all of the actors cry. (An amused publicist thinks it was the sight of their old costumes, by Soutra Gilmour, that set everyone off.) “It’s just really settling in that we’re taking this to Broadway,” offers Mendez, a Tony winner for Jack O’Brien’s 2018 revival of Carousel. “It’s a big dream for us to get to shepherd this piece, which means so much to so many people, and yet has never gotten its proper due.”

“To hear the overture on Broadway…?” Groff adds. “I’m gonna die.”

In the Broadway production, which begins previews this September at the Hudson Theatre, Groff stars as Frank, ​in turns slickly handsome, roiled with conflict, and sparky as a golden retriever; Radcliffe as an endearingly neurotic Charley; and Mendez as Mary, whose wide smile conceals great depths of longing (namely, for Frank).

For Groff, doing Merrily felt fated. “I had just reached this point in my life where I was really looking back and reflecting on relationships that I suddenly realized were almost two decades old,” he explains. He later learned that Radcliffe and Mendez had done their own “first big New York shows” (revivals of Equus and Grease, respectively) at around the same time. This was no small thing, as they approached a story as concerned with the vicissitudes of a career in the performing arts as anything else.

“The people that start young and then stay in it well into adulthood tend to love it,” Radcliffe says. “They tend to be doing it because there is something in their bones that makes them want to do this. And I think we all have that.” Adds Mendez, “There’s an unspoken-ness between us. There’s a lot of trust, and a lot of teamwork.” (When I ask Friedman about her stars’ touching natural chemistry, she tells me that in Merrily, Sondheim has “written love songs. He’s written about losing love, wanting love, missing love, despair, all the things, but it’s all around love.” So, in the year that she spent building her New York cast, “I looked for loving people.”)

For all intents and purposes, the Broadway revival is the same show that ran at the New York Theatre Workshop. Not only do both productions share the same actors—including Katie Rose Clarke as Frank’s estranged first wife, Beth; Hamilton alumna Krystal Joy Brown as his glamorous second wife, Gussie; and Reg Rogers as Joe, the producer behind the first hit show that Frank and Charley write together—but the same creative and production team, too. “We had a big break between the New York Theatre Workshop and going to Broadway, and every single person has come with it. They all took other jobs in order to be able to do this job,” Friedman says. “It just cast a spell over us all.”

As they move into the Hudson—which Friedman selected for its intimate-feeling scale (of Broadway’s 41 active theaters, it’s one of only nine that seats under 1,000 people)—she is keen to protect that enchantment. “I am absolutely determined not to do anything different,” Friedman says. “The piece is the piece; it speaks for itself. And as long as we keep the integrity of that and the joy and the warmth and the love and the storytelling—it should sing.” This has more or less been her line from the beginning. “One of the things that Maria has said from day one is, ‘I have not changed a lyric of this show or a word of the script. I am doing this show as written,’ ” Groff says. “It’s not like she’s doing a take on Merrily. She really believes in the piece itself without adding any sort of flashy concept.”

Then as now, her deepest regret is that Sondheim is not alive to see the production, but she knows that he would have delighted in Merrily’s return to Broadway. Her only hope is that after all these years, audiences are ready to receive it. “It’s a profound piece,” Friedman says. “If it gets you, it stays with you and makes you ask questions. And if it doesn’t get you, it’s got some great tunes.”

PIANO MAN

Groff wears a Gucci jacket. Pants from The Row. Grooming, Amy Komorowski.

In this story: hair, Ilker Akyol; makeup, Francelle Daly for Love+Craft+Beauty. Produced by The Canvas Agency. Set Design: Viki Rutsch.

[chocoblep]

#30: That Stag, Doe

Prompt: Two Heads are Better Than One

Shev hadn’t been on a job like this one in a while. For starters, they’d been asked to trap an animal. In the Shroud. It seemed like it would have gone against whatever the Seedseers and the Wood Wailers alike wanted, but they had been called in by the latter for this job–or, rather, Kismet had been called in, and Shev had been dragged along as a measure of protection while Kismet hunted. The Lavender-haired viera after he had made an offhanded comment about his time as a Wood Warder when he’d been drinking with one of the captains, and somehow it had translated to him being asked to assist in trapping a massive stag that had some sort of necrotizing disease while the Wailers pursued a band of poachers in the woods to the north. Well, Shev had no complaints spending time with Kismet, even if they were silent most of the time due to the nature of the task.

They’d set a few traps already with the sort of bait that the deer native to this area would be drawn to. They’d also split up for a while to cover more ground, but now they circled the territory, checking the traps periodically to see if they’d been visited and searching for signs of this particular beast.

Shev was about to spook off the single deer that had taken the bait at one of their traps when Kismet’s hand came to rest on his arm. He looked at him, and the silent conversation that ensued didn’t need words. Kismet slowly moved his hand off to their right, and Shev leaned back slowly, peeking around the tree trunk. It was there that he saw, standing in one of the many shafts of sunlight permeating through the canopy, a hulking stag. He squinted, trying to see any of its distinguishing features, and when he realized the dark spots on its hide were patches of dead, wasted skin and open wounds, he slowly drew in a breath. Then Kismet caught his attention and motioned to the deer that had approached their trap. It was a young doe, and as she twisted her neck to look behind her at the approaching stag, he saw the other side of her head.

There were dark spots there, too, one of the wounds on her neck weeping slightly.

Whatever was happening to the stag was spreading throughout the population.

Shev flared his nostrils in concern, and Kismet looked at him, his eyes imploring his silence and stillness. He complied, waiting as he watched the doe resume her feeding. The stag moved closer still, but soon enough the doe stepped into the trap, and Kismet twisted a ring on his finger. The doe’s head came up again, her ears perked, and she looked around. She was on alert, which was expected if the trap had sprung, even if Shev and Kismet couldn’t see it. After a moment, she turned to bound off into the bushes, only to run head-first into an invisible wall. The sound and her surprised grunt caused the stag to stop and tense, and as Kismet readied a length of rope, the stag bolted.

“Shite,” Shev swore, and Kismet shook his head.

“She’s got it, too. If we can take her back, we’ll at least have something. Let me get her bound up and we can take her back so they can figure out what this is. We might not have to capture him.”

“If he’s th’ worst off, don’t ya think ‘e’s th’ one they’ll want? What if th’ illness’s got some sort ‘a phases to it?”

“Then they’ll send us back out,” Kismet said.

“I think we’re gonna need ‘im,” Shev said, and then stood up. “I’m gonna find out where ‘e went. At least tha’ way we’ll ‘ave an idea where t’go if they send us back. You good alone with ‘er?”

Kismet hesitated for a moment, and then nodded, standing as well. The doe started running along the perimeter of her trap, testing the walls. “I’ll wait until she calms down a bit and then get her bound. Be careful? We don’t know what this disease does to them. Reports said he attacked a couple.”

“Aye, I’ll be careful.” Shev bent to kiss Kismet’s temple, and then set off through the woods to track the buck. He followed its trail for a while, and spotted him again when he came close to a clearing. Sinking behind a tree trunk, he let his gold eyes roam the space, looking around for anything he could use to trap him. He did his best to remain perfectly still, though he knew he might be upwind of the creature if the wind shifted slightly. Luckily, only a few scant fulms away from the deer was one of their traps. By some miracle, it was untouched, but he wondered how he could lure the big buck into it. Perhaps he could sneak around and spook it in the direction of the trap? That was unpredictable at best; there was no telling which direction the stag would run.

As he was contemplating, something rust-colored caught his eye across the clearing, streaking toward the stag. It was a fox–a massive one, if its size at a distance was any indication, and it passed the deer, heading straight for the trap. The stag, startled, started running in the same direction as the fix, and he watched as the fox bounded right into the trap. The stag bounded in just after, and Shev frantically twisted his own ring. He saw the stag crash into an invisible wall and scream. The fox, on the other hand, passed right through the barrier, stopping and turning to look directly at Shev’s hiding place.

He felt a tug in his chest, as if the animal was pulling on a string that was attached to him. He wanted to stand up and go to it and run away from it and–gods, it was large, and it had changed direction, and was now trotting right toward him. As it got closer, he squinted his eyes and noted that it didn’t seem to be entirely there; parts of it were translucent, almost as if it were made of stained glass, the world behind it blurred. Was it some sort of illusion? He looked around for a mage, or some other presence, and when he found no one else he looked back toward the fox. It was standing on the other side of the bush from him, and as he rose to his full height, it simply stood there and watched him.

I have aided you. Now, you must aid me.

He couldn’t make out whether he’d had the thought or whether it had been foisted upon his mind. He didn’t have time to contemplate that, though, because the creature gathered itself and flexed its haunches. He barely hit the dirt in time, and as it leapt over him, it disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a little shimmer of gold that blew away on the autumn breeze. A little rattled, Shev looked around for the thing, and once he was sure it was gone, looked to the stag in the trap. It was still thrashing, but secured. It would likely take both of them to get this one subdued.

As he backtracked to find Kismet, the words that had echoed in his mind felt like an itch he could not scratch; there, bothersome, but so deeply embedded in him that there was no hope of relief.

I have aided you. Now, you must aid me.

What did it mean? What was that creature? Was his mind playing tricks on him?

He found Kismet finishing up with the doe and securing her to the cart they’d brought with them. He’d sedated her somehow, and he was grateful for that. 

“I found him, he’s in a trap about a malm that way,” Shev said as he walked up.

“Oh, great! Let’s go grab him and finish this job, then,” Kismet said, and then grinned, hopping up to direct the chocobo that was hooked to the cart. Once he’d turned it in the correct direction, he nodded to Shev. “Lead the way.”

Shev turned to do just that, stopping when Kismet gasped and called for him to wait. The other viera hopped down from the cart, stepping up to him, and then round behind him, and grabbing his shirt to yank it upward.

“Shev… the fox tattoo on your back is glowing,” he said, and then dropped Shev’s shirt.

“Wha’ th’ hell?” Shev replied, turning around in a circle as if he could see it if he was fast enough. “Kismet, a giant fox scared th’ deer into th’ trap. Then it came up to me an’ I heard a voice, an’ it disappeared.”

“What did it say?” Kismet asked, moving to get back up into the driver’s seat. Shev started off in the direction of their other catch.

“Uhh, tha’ it had aided me, and now I had t’ aid it.”

Kismet was silent for a little bit, and when Shev turned his head to look at him, the violet-haired viera had a strange look on his face.

“I can’t believe my boyfriend is haunted,” he said, almost too casually, and Shev laughed.

“I don’t think it was a ghost, Starlight.”

“Well, whatever it was, I’m sure you’ll see it again soon enough.”

[koffeesfancy]

Defend Ch. 3 | Bodyguard!AU | Koffee x Reader

Summary: You're a district attorney that has been placed under 24/7 security during the investigation of a prominent member of a local gang. You believe the whole situation is blown out of proportion and resent the imperious woman you are entrusted to. Partly due to her teasing, cocky nature, you struggle to take the short-statured woman seriously. Eventually, you not only find yourself seeking her protection but also solace in her company.

Genre: slow-burn romance, fluff, angst

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2205

Taglist: @lyfeofbilly @prettymrswright

The heavy wooden door swung shut behind you with a resounding thud, echoing the anger pulsating through your veins. The assistant district attorney, Alecia Grey, sat casually at her desk, a forkful of shrimp lo mein poised halfway to her mouth as she glanced up from her lunch. Curls of her auburn afro fell over her eyes, giving her a devil-may-care appearance that only fueled your frustration.

"I’mma call you back bae," she murmured into her phone, the words dripping with insincerity as she clicked the red button and set it aside. She leaned back, feigning innocence as if nothing was amiss, before casually folding her hands in her lap.

"Good afternoon, ma’am," she began with mock politeness, her tone oozing with condescension. "Did you go for lunch yet? I believe there’s still some donuts in the breakr-"

"Cut the shit, Grey," you snapped, your voice cutting through the air like a knife. Alecia's raised eyebrow was a challenge you couldn't resist as you continued your tirade, finger pointing in accusation. "You went behind my back and whined to the police chief and your uncle down at the courthouse and went forward with the charges knowing I wanted to wait to hear back from Thomas’ ex-wife first. Go outside and look at the name on those doors, jackass. This is the district attorney’s office, and you work for me, not the other way around."

Alecia's response was infuriatingly calm as she rose from her seat, her heels clicking against the linoleum floor like the ticking of a time bomb. She circled her desk slowly, picking up the snowglobe beside her and shifting it from hand to hand in indifference.

"You’re right, ma’am," she replied, her smile twisting into something sinister. "This is the DA’s office. Too bad I don’t see one around here.” She glanced dramatically around as if to search, her curls bouncing as her head moved.

The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to suffocate. Each word spoken added fuel to the fire burning inside you, igniting a rage that threatened to consume everything in its path. But beneath the anger, there was a sense of betrayal that cut even deeper. Alecia was more than just a subordinate; she was supposed to be an ally, someone you could trust to have your back. And yet, there she was, undermining you at every turn.

As the confrontation reached its peak, you felt the weight of your authority pressing down on you, a reminder of the power you held in that office. But Alecia's defiance was like a slap in the face, a challenge you couldn't ignore. With every fiber of your being, you were determined to assert your authority and put Alecia back in her place.

"I knew you were a cheap hustler the first time you double-crossed me," you continued, your voice seething with venom, "but I didn’t think you were delusional on top of it all."

Alecia's facade faltered for a moment, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her features before she quickly regained her composure. She tilted her head, the movement almost mocking as she regarded you with a cool detachment.

"Is that so, ma’am?" she replied, her voice laced with thinly veiled amusement. "And here I thought I was just doing my job. Silly me."

Your fists clenched at your sides, the urge to lash out almost overwhelming. But you knew better than to let Alecia see you lose control. Taking a deep breath, you forced yourself to rein in your emotions, to hold onto the last shreds of composure you had left.

"You're playing a dangerous game, Grey," you warned, your voice low and dangerous. "But mark my words, it's a game you won't win."

With that, you turned on your heel and stormed out of the office, leaving Alecia behind with nothing but the echo of your words ringing in her ears. The anger burned hot inside you, a fire that threatened to consume everything in its path. But amidst the flames, there was a determination, a resolve to fight back against those who sought to undermine you. 

Lieutenant Simpson rose quickly from her seat in the lobby at the sight of you departing. The tails of her long black trench coat flapped behind her.  You could hear the loud slap of her oxfords on the linoleum as she trailed you. You ignored the sound of her voice, your mind racing with plans and strategies, each one more ruthless than the last. You knew you couldn't let Alecia get the upper hand, couldn't let her think she had won. No, you would fight tooth and nail to protect your position, to uphold the integrity of the office you had been working so hard to build.

After making it all the way down to the parking garage, a sinking feeling washed over you as you realized your keys were nowhere to be found. Panic clawed at the edges of your mind as you frantically searched your pockets, but it was no use. You had left them sitting on your desk in your haste to confront Alecia.

Cursing under your breath, you made a split-second decision and bolted out onto the street, hoping to catch a cab before you lost your zeal. But as you stepped out into the bustling cityscape, you felt a firm hand grasp your arm, pulling you back with surprising strength.

"Yow! Easy nuh!" Mikayla exclaimed, her voice urgent as she tried to steer you back towards the bureau. But you were beyond reason, your mind consumed by a single-minded determination to confront Chief McNaughton and assert dominance.

Ignoring Mikayla's protests, you shook off her grip and continued on your path, your anger driving you forward with reckless abandon. Your breath came in quick, sharp bursts, and your heart pounded in your chest. The city streets buzzed with activity, but all of it faded into the background as you focused on finding a cab.

You stepped to the edge of the curb, thrusting your hand out to hail a taxi. The heat of the day pressed down on you, mixing with the fire of your anger, making your skin prickle with irritation. The noise of the traffic and the chatter of pedestrians barely registered as you scanned the street for a cab.

A black truck turned the corner, its engine growling. Something about it caught your attention, a sense of unease prickling at the back of your mind. The truck slowed as it approached, the windows tinted so dark you couldn’t see inside. You frowned, still keeping your hand out, hoping for a cab to appear.

Suddenly, the truck’s window began to roll down. Your unease flared into full-blown alarm, but before you could react, Mikayla’s arms wrapped around you with surprising strength. Her grip was firm and unyielding, her muscles tensed with a readiness that spoke of her training and resolve. She tackled you to the ground in one swift, fluid motion, her body shielding yours.

As you hit the pavement, the impact jarred your senses, but all you could focus on was Mikayla's presence enveloping you. Her arms were like bands of steel, strong and unyielding, but there was also a gentleness in the way she held you, as if she were cradling something precious. Her fingers pressed into your shoulders with a fierce protectiveness, their warmth seeping through your clothes and into your skin.

Her body molded to yours, her chest pressed firmly into your back, and you could feel the rapid rise and fall of her breath. It was erratic, yet comforting, a reminder that she was right there with you, sharing the danger. The warmth of her body against yours contrasted sharply with the cold, hard ground beneath you, creating a cocoon of heat and safety.

The feel of her curves against you was both a revelation and a comfort. You could feel every contour of her form, from the softness of her breasts pressed against your back to the firm, toned muscles of her legs entwined with yours. Her embrace was all-encompassing, wrapping you in a sense of security that was almost intoxicating.

"Stay down!" she growled in your ear, her voice urgent and commanding.

Her breath was hot and ragged against you, each exhale a mix of exertion and determination. The scent of her skin, a mix of faint cologne and something uniquely her, filled your senses, grounding you amidst the chaos. Her presence was overwhelming, her power wrapping around you like a lifeline.

In that moment, the world outside ceased to exist. There was only Mikayla’s touch, the heat of her body, and the fierce determination in her hold. The sound of her heart pounding against your back, her strength, and the protective cocoon she formed around you created a surreal sense of security.

Then, the sharp crack of gunfire shattered the moment. Bullets whizzed overhead, striking the ground and nearby cars, sending sparks and shards of glass flying. The acrid smell of gunpowder filled the air, mixing with the scent of hot asphalt and your own sweat. 

Screams filled the air as people scattered in every direction, the street descending into pandemonium. The chaos was overwhelming, each second stretching into an eternity as you felt the vibrations of each gunshot through the ground beneath you. Mikayla’s body shielded you from the violence, her presence a barrier against the chaos.

The truck sped off, tires screeching as it disappeared around the corner. The gunfire ceased, leaving an eerie silence in its wake. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

You tried to rise, but Mikayla pushed her weight against you in a way that felt unexpectedly sensual, her body pressing intimately against yours. "Wull on, mama… Mi nuh think it safe yet," she murmured, her breath warm against your ear. You stayed on the ground, feeling the tension in her muscles as she remained alert, scanning the surroundings for any further threats.

After what felt like an eternity, Mikayla slowly eased up, her vigilance not waning. "Now," she whispered, her voice a blend of caution and assurance. She helped you up, her touch lingering, her hands gentle yet firm. She wrapped your arm over her shoulder and gripped your hip to lean you against her for support. Together, you hurried back inside the building, moving away from the vulnerable glass windows.

Once inside, Mikayla frantically checked you for injuries, her hands moving over every inch of you. Her touch was electric, sending shivers down your spine as she worriedly asked, "Yuh aright? Yuh nuh feel nuh pain? Yuh hurt?"

Her concern was palpable, her warm brown eyes wide with fear and care. You were entranced by the intensity of her attention, feeling a profound sense of being cared for like never before. Her hands moved over your shoulders, down your arms, across your back, and around your waist, her touch both clinical and tender.

"I'm fine, really," you managed to say, your voice shaky. "Thanks to you."

Mikayla's hands stilled on your shoulders, her eyes locking onto yours. "Yuh frighten mi," she exasperated, her voice filled with emotion. The sincerity in her words and the warmth in her touch created a moment of profound connection. “Yuh gwine tek tings serious now?"

Your heart raced as Mikayla's words sank in, her accent adding a raw, earnest edge to her plea. The chaos of the past few minutes contrasted starkly with the intimacy of the moment, leaving you reeling.

"I—" you began, your voice faltering as you met her intense gaze. Her eyes held a mix of fear, concern, and something deeper, something you couldn't quite name but felt acutely.

You took a deep breath, the weight of her question pressing on you. "Yes," you said finally, your voice steadying. "Yes, Lieutenant Simpson. I will. I know I need to."

Her hands remained on your shoulders, grounding you. The anger and adrenaline from earlier were replaced by a different kind of intensity, one that connected you to her in a way you hadn't anticipated. You placed your hand over hers, feeling the warmth of her skin against yours.

"I didn't realize how much I was risking," you admitted, your voice softening. "But I do now. And I promise, I won't take this lightly again."

Mikayla's expression softened, a hint of relief washing over her features. She nodded, her grip on your shoulders tightening briefly before she let go. "Good," she whispered, her voice barely audible. She laughed softly adding, "Cah mi cyaan lose yuh yet."

The sincerity of her words and the way she looked at you created a moment of profound connection. You realized then that this wasn't just about the danger you faced—it was about the infatuation you were starting to develop that was growing stronger with each passing moment.

As the sirens of approaching police cars began to wail in the distance, you realized just how close you had come to disaster. The danger was real, but so was the support and affection you felt from Mikayla. In that moment, you knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, having Mikayla by your side was a blessing you couldn’t afford to take for granted again.

Previous chapter

[mournin-glory]

lotf genderbend/country au dump (on personality)

raleigh/ralph- she's from very deep in the south, so much so that the other girls (despite the fact that they're all from the same state) have trouble understanding her. a little more opinionated and short tempered than her male counterpart. she still gets voted to be chief due to the conch, but she has a lot of problems with the hunters and the way they treat their animals. she was raised with hunters, and hunted for her own food in the past, but she was taught always to respect the animals and kill them as quickly as possible. shes 100 percent her daddy's little princess. at first, she looks up to the hunters (pageant girls) because she thinks they're pretty and she likes how fancy they are, but later she realizes how mean spirited they really are.

jolene/jack- the head of the pageant girls, she's obsessed with winning and being in charge. she wins pageants all the time, but despite that she's extremely insecure about her looks and will do anything to bring the other girls down. (the pageant girls have a very toxic friendship, they all view each other as competition) she was raised in a very religious household, and all her life she was taught that she needed men to protect her and she was useless as a woman. so, when she gets her first chance to live outside of that, she goes wild. when she hunts, she kills just to kill and does it in a violent way. she wants to hurt. and yes, she's named after the song.

susannah/simon- she's one of the pageant girls, but she's extremely shy and quiet and almost never wins. the other girls make fun of her because she passes out and has seizures frequently and call her suzie sundown behind her back.(sundown as in the sun goes down in her brain and she falls asleep) she doesn't understand why they don't like her, but she also doesn't make an effort to become close with them. she likes raleigh a lot because she's the first person to really acknowledge susannah and reach out to her. besides her fainting/seizures, she has a lot of mental problems. the pageant girls know this, and when she has a breakdown from the stress of the island, they make it worse for her. she eventually goes near completely insane, and raleigh makes it their responsibility to take care of her. (they don't do a good job)

peggy/piggy- a lot more insecure about her looks, especially because its constantly commented on at home. pretty much everyone hates her, except for raleigh. raleigh makes fun of her, but its more lighthearted, and if anyone else tries to insult peggy, she's defensive. especially because peggy is very smart. they understand that she's smarter than them and that she could help to get them off the island, but that doesn't stop anyone. they're very quick to insult her, especially ruby. (more on that later) they call her piggy because it sounds very close to her name, and they like to taunt her with the idea that they might kill her like a pig. her prized possession is a pair of earrings that her mother gave her before she died.

ruby/roger- she's an extremely jealous person. before they met peggy, ruby was very excluded within the pageant girls. they make fun of her looks, her family, and her race. she hates doing pageants and she doesn't ever win, but she's forced into it by her mother, who desperately wants her to be the perfect american daughter. the only reason that the pageant girls accepted her is because she's very naturally mean and quick with insults. she pretends not to know about her own culture around the other girls. the reason she targets peggy is not only because she thinks she's ugly, but because she became friends with raleigh. (raleigh is, to her, the perfect american girl). she loves hunting, but she tends to take it way too far. she also finds animals to take her anger out on. also, she wants peggy's earrings. a lot.

sally and edie/ sam and eric- very similar to their male counterparts, only differences are that they love gossip to an extreme amount and are always talking about someone, and that they get into petty fights with each other very often. the fights aren't bad and they don't last long, but they love to argue. they also like to braid their hair together, which means they're never not touching. the other girls refer to them together as 'sadie'

priscilla/percival- the sorriest little girl anyone's ever seen. she's very dramatic and cries very often, and it's over nearly everything. she's shocked when the other girls on the island don't entertain her meltdowns. most times, they just ignore her and she stops. susannah tries to comfort her, but that has a reverse effect and it just makes her cry harder.

side characters: the other pageant girls, are mary grace (maurice), harper (harold), betty (bill), starla (stanley), wilma (wilfred), wren (walter), rosemary (robert), and hope (henry). the little kids are julsie (johnny, no one could get her full name), pearl (phil), and the little girl with the montana shaped birthmark (they call her montana, except for hope)