#ship; dakota

[secretobsessionstuff]

Alright lately i’ve been having really bad migraines and I just started thinking about how good it is to read about light sensitivity when it comes to them— So i was wondering if maybe you’d write something with Dakota having a really bad migraine, light sensitivity and all that good stuff, and he’s trying to convince blair it’s not that bad but then he gets sick from the pain and well....she’s not so convinced anymore. I hope you’re doing good!!✨✨

Thanks for the request, I had a lot of fun with it! A while ago I wrote a fic with Dakota and Blair on a cruiseship, and this is the same trip. Takes place on a cruise :)

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When Blair returned from the bathroom, she found Dakota with his head on the table. He wrapped his arms around his head as a pillow and appeared to be sleeping. But he wasn’t sleeping. His back rose and fell quite rapidly from his heavy breathing. From within the cave that he created, he tried to block out the noise of the room. The music and chatter was overwhelming.

They were in a club-like room with a few tables against the wall and a dance floor in the center. It was loud and the lights were set up to beam around the space. Dakota stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the other vacationers who were laughing and grinding up against each other. It would have looked fun if Dakota were able to even spare a glance at the scene.

Blair put her hand on Dakota’s back. His shirt was damp with sweat which wouldn’t have seemed out of place if Dakota had gone up to dance at least once. But nope. Not long after arriving at the club, Dakota guarded their table with his life. He never left his seat even when Blair asked him to dance. “What’s wrong with you, Kota?” Blair raised her voice to be heard over the music.

Upon feeling a hand on his back and hearing his girlfriend’s voice, Dakota shot up. He had only planned on resting his head for a minute while Blair went to the washroom. The plan certainly wasn’t to look like a buzzkill when Blair came back. And the plan definitely hadn’t been to rest his head and forget about time and space. But that’s what happened. As soon as Dakota found a semblance of darkness within his arms, he started to drift out of his body.

He dragged his hand down his face and tried to pump life back into his body. The strobe lights made him wince as he spoke to Blair. “I have a bit of a headache.”

That was one hell of an understatement. Dakota felt like all the blood in his skull was pooling right behind his forehead and pushing against his eyes. With each sharp slash of the lights across his vision, he wondered when the blood was going to start bursting through. Already his eyes were bloodshot with how much he’d been rubbing them.

Dakota wasn’t usually prone to migraines, but he felt this one coming on even before they got to the club. But Blair wanted to try all the activities that the ship had to offer, so he let the man stamp his hand and walked into the rave. At the beginning, he hoped that the pain would go away. Now he just hoped that the pain wouldn’t get worse.

Blair seemed to wait a moment before speaking. Her attention got snagged by the song that started playing. “Uh…I might have…ibuprofen back in the room.”

“No, that’s okay,” Dakota said quickly. He could see that Blair wanted to stay. She hadn’t even sat back down at her chair because there was too much energy in her limbs. She’s so cute, he thought. He wanted to join her on the floor but the thought of getting up made his stomach turn. “Go dance. I’m going to get us something to drink. What do you want?”

“I want you to dance with me.” Blair was slowing inching closer to the center of the room. She took the question seriously when Dakota’s face remained neutral. “But I guess I’ll have whatever you’re getting.”

“I’m getting water.” There was no chance that Dakota would be drinking anything else. His stomach would surely team up with his aching head. Though he suspected that that was already happening.

“Oh…you sure? They have some pretty cool drinks here.”

Dakota didn’t have the energy or the mental capacity to have this conversation. “…Blair.” It sounded more exasperated than he wanted but there was nothing he could do. There was only so much fake-it-till-you-make-it that he could muster.

Blair’s face dropped. “Okay fine…get me a water too.” A pout came across her face for a second before concern took over. Dakota was already gone, but she knew that he felt worse than he was letting on. He wasn’t acting like himself. For the time being, Blair danced but it wasn’t as fun.

The lineup for drinks was extremely long. Dakota stood there for as long as he could. At one point he closed his eyes to get a break from the flashing reds and yellows. It wasn’t until a stranger tapped him on the shoulder that he realized that the line had moved forward. He was still so far away from getting the drinks. Eventually, Dakota gave up because every part of his body hurt. He felt his blood pumping in his ears in tune to the music. A wave of dizziness washed over him, but he managed to stagger to the bathroom.

As expected, many other people were in the washroom. Dakota wanted to splash water on his face but there were too many people at the sinks. There was an available stall however, so he hid in there for a while. The thumping of the music could still faintly be heard, but the lighting in the washroom was dim.

The momentary break from the light and noise was welcomed. Well, it was good until the lack of stimuli made Dakota realize just how bad he felt. His stomach was in turmoil. It churned in time with his heartbeat that could be felt under every inch of his skin. The most pressing throbbing came from his eyes. He felt a band of pulsing pain wrap around his head.

Dakota wanted to stay in the stall longer, mostly because he felt sick to his stomach, but people started knocking on the door. With no time to feel better, he swallowed a wave of nausea and left. It took a few minutes for him to gather the willpower to walk back into the club. The music and the lights got ten times worse now that he had a taste of silence.

By some miracle, their table was still free! And that miracle was Blair. She sat all alone, looking sadly towards the crowd of dancers. She perked up as Dakota joined her. She noticed his empty hands. “Where are the drinks?”

Dakota was just too happy about having a place to sit that the question didn’t register in his mind. He rested his elbows on the table and put his head in his hands.

“Kota?”

“What?”

Blair was going to repeat her question, but there was a more important one to ask. Actually, it was more of a statement followed by a question. “You don’t look so hot. Are you sick?”

“It’s just a headache.” His voice was muffled by his hands. “The lights…” he gestured around the room as if Blair could somehow have missed the seizure-inducing lights.

He didn’t bother with the rest of the sentence because the need to burp took precedence. He let out a long, wet belch that made him press his fist against his mouth. The food in his stomach sloshed around inside of him, making him shiver with nausea. Maybe it was time to ask Blair if they could leave.

“Hey, babe can you look up for one second?” Blair grabbed his arm and gave it a little shake. She was tired of looking at the top of his head all night, and trying to make sense of his mumbling.

Dakota moaned from the movement. Just then, a harsh hiccup caused his stomach to jump into his throat. A heave escaped his mouth just before a gush of vomit splattered onto the table. In his disorientated state, Dakota barely had the idea to lean over and let the next wave of puke hit the floor.

“Oh God, Dakota!” Blair jumped up from her chair, removing her arms from the table just in time. She came around to Dakota’s side and held onto his large frame. He was practically falling out of his chair with the force of each retch. “Okay, alright…you’re okay.”

Dakota squeezed his pounding eyes shut as his stomach contents splashed across the floor. He feared that if he opened his eyes, he would find himself hanging upside down. The world flipped onto its side, and Dakota no longer knew which way was up. His poor belly was getting rid of everything he ate that day. By some sick joke, the noises of the club were drowned out in his current state. Most of his senses abandoned him except for touch. He could feel Blair firmly rubbing his arm.

“I’m right here,” Blair said. “Don’t worry about a thing.”

Blair wanted to move Dakota out of the club, but there was no stopping the flood of sick from pouring from his mouth. With another gurgle and groan of pain, Dakota coated the floor.

Even when he had a moment to breathe, Dakota didn’t dare open his eyes. He did righten himself though because he came close to falling in the mess he made. He slowly sat up, only to let his head fall into Blair’s arms. “Everything hurts, Bee.”

“Oh baby, I’m sorry,” Blair cooed as she brush his hair away from his face. “I’m getting you out of here. Can you stand?”

Dakota didn’t feel confident about standing, but no one would stop him from trying. He held tightly onto Blair’s arms for support as he planted his feet on the floor.

“Alright…” Blair mumbled nervously. “Let’s see if we can get back to the room without you crushing me.”

It took some getting used to, but eventually Dakota managed to walk in a straight line. He felt drunk, hungover, and possessed at the same time.

“We’re almost there,” Blair assured him as they turned down the hallway to their suite.

They were so close, but Dakota stopped. He braced himself against the wall and threw up again. “Ugh fuck…my head.��� He burped which dislodged the last small wave of sick. It was a thin stream of stomach acid and bile. When he was finished, Dakota’s legs began to give out.

Blair felt the added weight of her collapsing boyfriend and accepted it. “Okay, okay this is a good spot.” She lowered them both to the ground, a few feet from the puddle of sick.

Once sitting against the wall, Dakota opened his eyes again. He hugged his middle and squinted. As he remembered all that just happened, a deep sigh escaped him. “Did I just puke everywhere?”

Blair couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah, you just puked everywhere.” She covered her mouth with her hand, but it didn’t stop the laugh. “And we just fucking left.”

Dakota half-heartedly chuckled at the thought, then he winced in pain and put his hand on his forehead. “I hope that never happens again.”

“Yeah, that was a migraine,” Blair said while looking back and forth down the hallway. “They aren’t fun.”

“No kidding.”

“Does your head still hurt?”

“Yes.” Dakota cursed at the lights in the hallway. At least they weren’t as bad as in the club.

Blair stood up. She reached out a hand to help her boyfriend. “I’ll give you meds to knock you out so you can hopefully sleep it off.”

Dakota sighed as he became upright. “You might just have to decapitate me.”

“That’ll be plan B.”

[whx-m]

The Indian Adoption Project was a federal program that acquired Indian children from 1958 to 1967 with the help of the prestigious Child Welfare League of America; a successor organization, the Adoption Resource Exchange of North America, functioned from 1966 until the early 1970s. Churches were also involved. In the Southwest, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints took thousands of Navajo children to live in Mormon homes and work on Mormon farms, and the Catholic Church and other Christian denominations swept many more Indian youngsters into residential institutions they ran nationwide, from which some children were then fostered or adopted out. As many as one third of Indian children were separated from their families between 1941 and 1967, according to a 1976 report by the Association on American Indian Affairs.

“People have heard of the boarding-school era and know it was bad, but they don’t know our adoption era even exists,” said White Hawk, who was taken from her family on the Rosebud reservation as a toddler in the mid-1950s. “A few small studies of adult adoptees have been done, and we’re just learning how to talk about what happened. We need think tanks and conferences and scientific research to explore what occurred and how it affected us.”

Then, White Hawk said, that information can inform current Indian child-welfare cases. “When experts take the stand to testify in a child-welfare hearing [about placement of a child or termination of parental rights, for example], they need academic backup to explain the relationship between, for example, suicide and being disconnected from your culture,” she explained. “The courts want Ph.D.-level research to back up what we tell them.”

A paper by Carol Locust, Cherokee, describes Native adoptees suffering from what she calls Split Feather Syndrome—the damage caused by loss of tribal identity and growing up “different” in an inhospitable world. Lost Bird is another term researchers have used to refer to the group, recalling one of the earliest Indian adoptees. A Lakota infant who survived the 1890 massacre at Wounded Knee sheltered by the frozen corpse of her mother was claimed as a war trophy by a general who named her Lost Bird, according to her biographer, Renée Sansome Flood in Lost Bird of Wounded Knee.

Thanks to copious newspaper coverage of the massacre and its aftermath, Lost Bird became her generation’s celebrity adoptee, but fame did not save her from a fate that was a harbinger for too many Native children. She endured intolerance and isolation, and when she rebelled as a teenager, was shipped back to her birth family, where she no longer fit in. After a stint in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and the loss of three children—two died and she gave away the third, according to Flood—Lost Bird was felled by influenza in 1920, at the age of 30. “Throughout her life of prejudice, exploitation, poverty, misunderstanding and disease, she never gave up hope that one day she would find out where she really belonged,” Flood wrote.

At the summits and other events White Hawk has organized or spoken at since 2003, modern-day adoptees have recounted their dramatic life journeys, sometimes for the first time. “The stories vary from the most abusive to the most beautiful, but that’s not the point,” she said. “Even in loving families, Native adoptees live without a sense of who they are. Love doesn’t provide identity.”

“I never felt sorry for myself,” said St. John, “but if I ever got hurt, it wounded me to my soul, because I felt no one was there for me.” In recent years, he has found his birth mother and connected emotionally with his adoptive parents. “They were so young, in their 20s, when a priest convinced them to adopt four Sioux boys from South Dakota. It was too much—for all of us.”

During the adoption era almost any issue—from minor to serious—could precipitate the loss of an Indian child. Two Native people interviewed prior to the summit said they were separated from their families after hospital stays as young children, one for a rash, the other for tuberculosis. A third was seized at his baby-sitter’s home; when his mother tried to rescue him, she was jailed, he said. A fourth recalled that he was taken after his father died, though his mother did not want to give him up. A fifth described being snatched, along with siblings, because his grandfather was a medicine man who wouldn’t give up his traditional ways. As in St. John’s case, no home studies or comparable investigations appear to have been done to support the removals. “Indians had no way to stop white people from taking their kids,” said yet another interviewee. “We had no rights.”

Eighty-five percent of the Native children removed from their families from 1941 to 1967 were placed in non-Indian homes or institutions, said the Association on American Indian Affairs report. The aim, said White Hawk, was assimilation and extinction of the tribes as entities, as their younger generations were removed, year after year—just as it had been with the boarding schools.

“We can’t be afraid to use words like genocide,” said summit participant Anita Fineday, White Earth Band of Ojibwe, managing director of Casey Family Programs’ Indian child-welfare programs and a former chief judge at White Earth Tribal Nation. “The endgame, the official federal policy, was that the tribes wouldn’t exist.”

[allieinarden]

Do you have any thoughts/ideas about how the Zalissa and Milanda relationships will move forward in (hopefully) season 3? Also, I love your little drawings of these ships eeee so cute <3

AHHHHHH MILO MURPHY’S LAW QUESTIONS HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS JUST THINKING YESTERDAY ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE ZALISSA.

Okay, so Milo and Amanda are essentially already an item insofar as two thirteen-year-olds can be an item. They set up a situation in Season 2 where she’s managing Just Getting Started, which strikes me as a good way of keeping her in the loop. The band is pretty squarely on the “mundane kid plot” side of the “things that happen in Milo Murphy’s Law” equation, which is fine, as far as that kind of episode went she almost became the fourth main character, but still, wouldn’t you love to see her get tangled up in all the action happening on the other side? I mean, of course you want the episode where Milo goes to her house to have dinner with her family, but she already kind of knows what she’s in for with the Murphys at this point so the next level on her end would probably be an episode where she’s enlisting Dakota to help her travel back in time and fix something that went wrong in her perfectly-organized band schedule.

Also, not saying I want a love triangle but can we get some followup on this?! Dang, it’s not just chaos this kid is attracting am I right I could see a situation where Milo gets so wrapped up in the Arc Plot of the Week that Amanda assumes she’s been not-quite dumped after they were not-quite dating, like maybe he’s just trying to be a good friend and show that cute alien gal around the school, and she’s like:

On the Zack and Melissa side, they could just snap right back to normal, but also, Milo Murphy’s Law never snaps back to 100% normal (plant arm) and it would be great if there could be a little endearing awkwardness there. Maybe some more direct stuff on about the level of Milo and Amanda last season. Honestly, Zack and Melissa already have The Banter so I don’t really care what they do, they’re just fun to have in the same room. I feel like the issue of whether running to Slushy Dawg with Milo, Amanda and Melissa is technically a double-date if they don’t explicitly call it a band meeting is something that would stress Zack out for at least 11 minutes. 

...I also have great ideas about Melissa being involved with LOVEMUFFIN and Zack having to deal with his crush being evil but that’s neither here nor there. 👀👀

[janisarkisian]

Time Makes You Bolder, Even Children Get Older

thanks @immaturefairy for the prompt: Luz and Amity kissing. Of course, the offer was too tempting to decline and i wrote it right away. Well, here it is. I hope you enjoy!! Also im gonna write all the other prompts you guys gave me

Word Count: 1,029

“Welcome back to the Good Witch Azura book club!” Amity watched Luz hold up a wooden spoon that was most certainly from the owl house, and pretend to be a game show host. She laughed, honestly, it was hard not to.

It was either laugh or blush, and Amity had to choose to laugh. They had decided to host their secret book club in Amity’s library hideout, which was a huge mistake on her part. The fairy lights hanging made it all too romantic. And almost impossible for her to hide her huge crush on Luz.

Once, she had accidentally spilled her thoughts about Luz to her diary as well, and that had been a mistake. Amity knew Luz would never look through her diary on purpose, but it was stored on the shelf right next to them. What if it fell off the shelf? What if a page fell out and the hologram told Luz everything she felt. Of course, she wanted Luz to know, but she just didn’t want her to find out like that. It needed to be real.

Luz continued speaking into the spoon, “Now, last time we gathered, it was just to discuss our plans, as well as the first ten chapters of The Good Witch Azura Part One. Today, we will be talking about chapters eleven through twenty. Now, who’s ready to get started? I’m going to call on someone from the crowd to give us their best Azura impression. Hmmm. Amity Blight! You are the chosen victim! Come on! Give us your best Azura impression!”

A blush rose onto her cheeks and refused to leave. “Luz!” she said jokingly, “Let’s just talk about the chapters.”

Luz set the spoon down and grinned, “Fine. Because I am an ultimate shipper, Let’s talk about chapter nineteen, when Azura confesses her feelings to Dakota because no matter how many times I re-read this book, that scene gets me every time.”

Great. The only scene Amity hadn’t wanted to talk about with Luz.

Amity loved reading because she could relate to the characters. Azura was much too relatable. Her relationship with Dakota, in the beginning, nineteen chapters was exactly how she was with Luz. The only problem was that she didn’t have Azura’s bravery. She didn’t have the bravery she needed to tell Luz she liked her more than a friend. It just wasn’t there.

She felt her face going red again, “W-hy that chapter? Why not a different chapter? Why does it have to be this chapter? Is this chapter relatable to you? Why this?”

“Amity? Are you alright? I already told you I wanted this chapter because I was an ultimate shipper. But if you don’t like this chapter we can pick a different one.”

A nervous laugh accompanied her blush, “N-no. This chapter’s fine.” Why could she never say no to Luz?

“Okay! So, I’ve never been in a book club before and I don’t know if we’re supposed to talk about the actual content or like what we were feeling. Do you know?”

She shook her head no. It was true. Luz was the only person she had ever really tried talking about books with before. When she was little, she had tried talking to Emira about Azura, but she had never listened. No one had.

Luz was the first person to truly listen to her.

“Are you okay, Amity? You haven’t talked much.”

“What? Oh yeah, I’m totally fine. Maybe you’ve changed and that affects how you see me. Maybe I’m not different at all! Maybe-”

“Okay calm down. Sorry for prying. I know you’re not used to opening up.” Luz sighed and turned back to the page, “I love Dazura,” she sighed.

“I love you,” her face went red as a tomato, “I-I mean love Dazura. Yeah, Dazura is totally what I meant to say! Are you doubting me? I don’t even l-like you. Don’t doubt me!”

“I wasn’t doubting you,” Luz looked confused.

Amity sighed. Could she have been any more obvious? Luz was still completely oblivious, and it was getting on her nerves. Why couldn’t she have noticed the very obvious signs she had been leaving around? It was so annoying!

No. She couldn’t think like this. If she wanted Luz to know how she felt, she needed to tell her. Relying on her obviousness wouldn’t get her anywhere. Luz was in total oblivion.

It was at that moment she realized how close Luz had sat next to her on the floor. Maybe she really did like her.

Today was the day. Today was the day she was going to tell Luz how she felt. How hard could it be?

“Amiittyyy,” Luz appeared in her face. She was so close Amity wanted to kiss her, and she almost did. “Are you thinking about your crush?” Luz went into her shipper tone. Amity had it memorized, “You know,” She carried on, “The person you wanted to ask out to Grom?”

Against all better judgment, she squeaked, “Yes.”

“I knew it! You’ve been distracted all evening! Who is it? I already ship you two so hard!”

She didn’t know how it happened. It just did. Luz was never meant to know. She had just planned on getting over her eventually, but now it would never happen. Against all the odds, she whispered, “You.”

Her face went redder than it probably ever had when Luz took practically five steps backward. “M-me?”

Had she forgotten how to speak? God this was so embarrassing! How could she fix this? It was clear Luz didn’t return the feelings that she had. Scratching her neck, Amity tried to play it off, “Y-yeah. It was you, but just, pretend I didn’t say anything. Let’s just have things back the way they were-”

Suddenly, she wasn’t able to speak. Suddenly, Luz’s lips were clashing with hers, and she didn’t know what was happening. Finally, it processed. Amity kissed her back.

The kiss was much shorter than Amity wanted. When Luz pulled away, she laughed nervously, “I mean, if you want things to go back the way they were, then that’s fine I guess.”

“I have a better idea.”

[musingsofsaturn]

Tell Me

Fandom: Star Trek The Next Generation

Ship: The Enterprise Riker/Troi

Words: 2,800+

Rating: MA for some shameless smut

Summary: “Circling him in the chair like he was some kind of meek prey, she idly played with something in her hands. In his mind, he felt her pressing into his conscious, her energy passionate and hot as she stated simply ‘I’m going to enjoy this.’”

[Please skip this oneshot if BDSM and kinky stuff makes you uncomfortable!]

Author’s Note: Honestly guys this is just some absolute filth that I 100% wrote for my own self satisfaction. It’s funny that in my previous smutty fanfic I was very honest about how embarrassed I was, and now I’m just gonna be very honest and tell you that I’m a little bit kinky and not in the least bit ashamed. That’s a lie and if anyone judges me for this even a little bit I will change my name and move to South Dakota. Enjoy!

~ Saturn

[Pictures pinched from captainsbloggsupplemental (and I came here for Riker-bashing)]

“I demand that you let me go!” Will struggled uselessly against his restraints. She had his arms fastened tightly behind the back of a chair, and his ankles tied to either of its front legs.

She laughed coldly. “No. I don’t think so. Not until you’ve given me the information I’m after.”

The room was dark, and cold. He realised that the coldness may have been a result of his nudity, but maybe it was genuine. He could barely see his captor by what dim light there was, but if he could have seen her he would have recognised her expression. He was in trouble.

“We could stop this from escalating, Commander. I do loathe torturing my informants. Give me an answer, before this goes any further.”

Will raised his head cockily, fixing her with a hard gaze. “Never!”

Slowly, she stepped towards him. He recognised a glint of something devillish in her eyes as she emerged into the light. “Very well.”

Circling him in the chair like he was some kind of meek prey, she idly played with something in her hands. In his mind, he felt her pressing into his conscious, her energy passionate and hot as she stated simply ‘I’m going to enjoy this.’ Then, standing behind him, he felt as she trailed the soft suede-like strands of her favourite flogger across his shoulders. As it moved over his skin, it tickled the back of his neck and raised goosebumps on his shoulderblades.

Suddenly the sensation was gone, only to be replaced by a sharp sting as she brought it down hard on his toned back. The low hiss that escaped his mouth made her chuckle darkly. His muscles tensed as she brought the flogger down on him again. At the edges of his consciousness, he felt her basking in the pain she had caused him to feel. She had been right, she was enjoying this.

“Are you ready to tell me now?” she whispered into his ear. He felt her dark curls tickle his neck and shoulder, and a shudder ran through his body.

“It’ll take a lot more than that to get me to tell you what I know.”

Her teeth grazed his earlobe before she replied, “I was hoping you would say that.” She placed a soft kiss to his neck, oddly tender given the menacing circumstances, before withdrawing to walk back around to his front. Her change in demeanour had left him reeling, unsure of what to expect, although he knew that he would quickly learn.

Again, she trailed the flogger over his body. He tried not to reveal to her just how pleasant he found the sensation, particularly when the heavy fabric dragged across his chest. However, he could tell from the way she was smiling against his mind that she was well aware. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that she was in front of him now. This time he could watch her - anticipate the blow - as she brought it down fast towards him. He barely had time to react to the first sting to his chest before she had brought it back down on the other side of him. His breathing grew ragged as she alternated sides, flogging him four, five, six, more times in quick succession.

When she ceased her actions, Will allowed himself a heaving sigh. He fought hard not to flinch as she traced the red lines that were appearing on his chest and stomach with a long fingernail. A smile crossed her lips as she admired her handiwork. Her finger came under his chin, lifting his head to meet her gaze.

“Are you prepared to give me an answer, Commander?”

Wordlessly, his eyebrows lowered slightly into an arrogant glare. He pulled his head away from her fingers and turned away. His resolve was far stronger than she realised.

Another dark laugh rippled from his captor at his silence. “As you wish.” A metallic thud echoed in the room as the handle of the flogger hit the floor.

A jolt of surprise and pleasure ran through him as she took his cock in one hand, using the other to lightly stroke up the underside in a way that made him long for more. Instinctively, he tried to move his arms, but the restraints held fast. A subtle laugh in his mind revealed that she had noticed him struggle, and enjoyed the sight. ‘I love you like this. So helpless.’ The words were like a breath across his consciousness, so soft that he almost wasn’t certain that they came from her. That uncertainty quickly vanished when she pressed further into his mind, and he could feel just how much she loved having him in such a vulnerable position.

The sensation of her arousal coupled with his own. It was already intoxicating him as she stroked him with practised ease, sliding a closed fist over the length of him over and over again. Helpless to her attentions, Will released a reluctant groan.

‘You know, I could just get the answer out of you this way.’ Her hand slowed as she allowed him time to process the words, before he felt her pressure in his mind again, diving deep towards a place he was trying desperately not to think of. He would not tell her the truth. Not without a fight.

Summoning all of the skills she’d taught him about telepathy, he quickly blocked her mentally. He barely had chance to register her surprise at how abruptly he’d walled up his mind before her consciousness had been knocked out of his own completely. He felt empty, bereft, afterwards. But he knew that it would be worth it if he could keep this up.

“Very impressive,” she whispered appreciatively.

Slick with lubricant and his own precum, she continued her actions, raising her other hand to scratch red lines into his thigh with her fingernails. The pain of it cut through the pleasure that was clouding his focus, which only made it all the more tangible. As she continued stroking him, squeezing and twisting at his shaft in a way only she ever could, his pleasure was no longer hazy. It was sharp and all-consuming.

He hissed and groaned again, feeling his release rising fast. He strained against the bindings at his wrists and ankles, desperate to move even a little bit in the hope that it might relieve some of the tension in his limbs. Writhing urgently, he felt his muscles tense, his cock twitch, and knew he was close, so close. One more stroke and he’d-

She stopped.

Her hands were gone, and he gazed at her incredulously as she stepped back. “Um?” was all he managed to say to her.

Amusement was evident all over her face. “Something wrong?” Still reeling, Will stammered out something useless before she went on. “Only my informants who actually inform are permitted release, Commander.”

As he huffed out a frustrated sigh, Will felt his release retreating from him just as quickly as it had seemed to arrive. Resigned to the fact that an orgasm was long gone for the time being, he muttered, “That is not a civilised way to get information.”

Her voice was thick and sultry as she said, “I’m so sorry my methods disagree with you, Commander.” It wouldn’t have taken an empath to know that she was not sorry in the slightest. It also wouldn’t have taken an empath to know that the methods didn’t disagree with him at all - in fact he was quite enjoying her display of dominance, no matter how frustrating it could be.

Once again, she moved around his chair slowly, like she had all the time in the world. Maybe she did. Spellbound in his arousal, his head followed her as she walked, until she was too far behind him for him to see her any more.

It quickly didn’t matter where she’d positioned herself. Whatever light he’d been able to see by was snuffed out completely when the fabric of a silken blindfold was placed over his eyes and tied tightly at the back of his head.

“Perhaps you’ll be more inclined to share when you’re less distracted.” Her breath, hot in his ear, caused goosebumps to rise on his skin once more. He fought to keep his mental blocks up, lest she creep back in to dig for his secret.

He felt her lean into his back, and the back of the char, as her soft hands trailed over his chest, down his stomach, and back to his cock, which was still hard. Despite his best efforts to remain silent, he sighed softly at her touch.

The blindfold amplified every sensation. The closeness of her, her intoxicating scent, the waves of twisted enjoyment coming off her (even without their telepathic link), and of course the feeling of both hands working away at his cock.

“You know,” she whispered into his ear, pressing seemingly even closer than before. “If you tell me, this won’t have to stop.”

“I’ll... never tell-” His words were interrupted by a treachorous moan as she twisted her hands, adding another layer to the pleasure that was already coursing through his veins.

“Never?” There was a mischevious tone in her voice. She knew he was close.

“I am... trained to protect secrets.”

He let out a quiet curse as she swirled her palm over the head of his aching cock. “And you’ve done such a good job of protecting this one.” He could all but hear her smile as her teeth nipped at his neck lightly. “No one would blame you if you gave in now and let go.”

The tone in her voice was so sultry, and the feeling of her hands on him so delightful, that he almost gave in. Almost. It took all of his resolve to tell her defiantly, “I’m not telling you anything.”

Her actions didn’t cease, as she palmed the head of him again. Briefly, he considered that she might just have mercy on him and let him come anyway. After all, she was maintaining a steady pace on him as though he’d said nothing. He allowed himself a moan for good measure as he felt himself getting closer once more. If she just kept that up, it would all be over, and he’d have survived without surrendering his information.

Under the blindfold, his eyes squeezed shut, and he knew that he was chanting her name like a prayer even if he was too far gone to hear it. Mounting pleasure rippled through him as she squeezed carefully up the length of him, before resuming that steady pace from before. He was quickly losing every ounce of his self control, and he found himself not caring in the least.

Abrupt pressure at the base of his cock caused him to release a groan of aggravation. She laughed, actually laughed at him, squeezing her thumb and forefinger into a tight loop as his body tried desperately to climax. He tried to buck his hips to force any kind of friction, but she held fast.

“You-” he growled. She released his cock only to slap his thigh harshly at the suggestion that he might dare to insult her. He hissed at the sting, feeling his climax fleeing him yet again.

“Careful, Commander. It’s your choices that got you here.”

Will thought he could have burst with the frustration he felt as he heard her moving around the chair. He tried to listen, to move his head with her movements, but he was still taken by surprise when she unexpectedly took him in her hands once again.

He had barely come down from the last time, and it took her no time at all to get him almost right back to where he was. This time, he didn’t even try to suppress the moans and curses that fell from his lips as she stroked him deftly. It wasn’t worth the energy it took to hold them back.

Knotting in his stomach convinced him that he was close once again. He tried to give her no indication, tried to trick her into sending him over the edge accidentally, but of course it was no use. She knew, she always knew.

“Would you like to tell me now?”

All he could do was shake his head frantically. Honestly, he wasn’t sure that he would be able to speak even if he did want to give up the secrets he’d been holding onto so well. He sent a silent prayer to any deity in the galaxy that was willing to listen that his torturer would take pity on him.

A guttural groan escaped him as it seemed his prayers were answered. His limbs were shaking as waves of pleasure ran through his entire body from top to bottom. He felt his release in hot spurts that covered her hands and his stomach. No longer caring about not giving her the satisfaction of his moans of pleasure, he rode out the high as she kept up her steady movements, coaxing his release to continue for as long as possible.

Slowly, he felt his senses return to him. But she didn’t stop.

He grunted slightly. “That’s... that’s enough.” Delicate hands continued to stroke and twist at his cock, which now felt uncomfortably sensitive from the overstimulation. “That’s enough!”

“As soon as you tell me the truth, I will stop,” she promised cruelly. Her amusement at his predicament was so palpable he could all but taste it.

For perhaps the thousandth time that night, Will cursed the bindings that held him in place. He could buck and jerk all his liked but there was no way to get away from her. He writhed in the chair, trying desperately to squirm away from her wicked touch. Wrestling against the restraints, Will finally resigned to his fate. If he endured any more of this torture, he thought he might die.

“Alright-” he gasped out, “Alright-”

Her movements slowed, but she kept one threatening fingertip on the head of him, circling exactly where he was most sensitive. It was a clear signal that she could - and would - resume her torture at a moment’s notice.

He took a deep breath before finally sharing the information she’d been torturing him all evening for: “Yes, I cheated. You talk with your hands; I saw your cards. I took advantage of that.”

“I knew it.”

Satisfied with the answer, she finally moved her hands away from his cock, instead moving to unfasten the restraints at his ankles. Relaxing, Will muttered, “I can’t believe you put me through all that just to prove that I cheated in one game of friendly poker, Deanna.”

“And I can’t believe that you endured all that just to keep up your cowardly lie, Will,” she retorted. She moved behind him to release his wrists, pressing a soft kiss to the inside of each one before letting his arms drop to his sides. Finally, Deanna moved back in front of him, sat herself in his lap delicately, and slid the blindfold over his head. Playfully, she mussed up his already tousled hair as his eyes readjusted to the light. “Are you okay?” she asked softly.

Will’s hands moved to her hips, and he placed his forehead against hers, sighing into her hand as she gently caressed his cheek. “I am. But you are quite the torturer, Imzadi.” They shared a quiet laugh. “A rather sexy torturer, that is.”

She returned his grin. “And don’t you forget that the next time you want to cheat at poker. And lie about it to an empath.”

He choked out a laugh at that; it didn’t matter how well he’d masked his thoughts from her. She was his Imzadi, and she had known the truth the second he made his initial denial. For a quiet moment, they stayed in the dark, holding each other and relaxing into each other’s company as Will let down his mental walls and invited her back into his mind. Her presence was familiar, loving and warm, and he embraced the sensation of her in his consciousness with open arms.

“Come on,” Deanna said at last, climbing off him and holding out her hand for him to take. “Let’s get cleaned up.”

“You know something?” A mischevious quality in his voice caused her to turn back to him as he took her hand. He took the opportunity to puller her closer, grazing a fingertip over her spine teasingly. “I think there are a fair few secrets that I would love to torture out of you.”

“I’m sure there are,” she replied, smiling enigmatically. “But first, Commander, I think you should remember that this evening was just my search for information. Now that I know the truth, I know that you deserve a punishment of some sort.”

In spite of himself, Will couldn’t suppress the excitement that ran through him at the prospect of what Deanna’s depraved ideas of punishment might entail.

[thebisexualdogdad]

Being Claudia Donovan's brother and dating Steve Jinks

Co written with @inhumanshadows

· You didn't start dating Steve until a year after he joined the team 

· For one reason you thought dating a co worker was a bad idea 

· And more importantly your sister was his best friend

· And that was another can of worms.

· However after a year... you decided to talk to her about it.

· And by talk you meant “frantically run to her room shouting ‘crisis!”

· "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

· "I uh.. Want to ask Steve out on a date" 

· "Well finally" 

· "You knew i liked him?" 

· "Everyone knows dude, even Pete figured it out"

· “Wow... that’s uh... kinda sad honestly...”

· “Yeah... so go ask him out.”

· You asked Steve and out and he happily said yes 

· There isn't much to do in south dakota so your first date was just to a dinner in town

· The date was pretty nice. You guys just sat there and tried not to talk about work. But with your job kinda the only thing.

· Then Steve wanted to know about the other cases you guys had before he came along.

· You spent hours telling him all about the dumb shit Pete got into before Steve joined

· And how Claudia accidently magnetized herself to the warehouse

· “Wait wait she what?”

· “Oh yeah. Alessandro Volta’s lab coat. Then there was the time the place almost exploded cause of silly string.”

· You end up kissing him goodnight outside his bedroom at the inn and Pete see's who tells Claudia

· You definitely heard someone scamper down the hall.

· but you didn't care, you just wanted to kiss steve again

· You made out in the hall until Myka left her room to find Leena and stumbled upon you guys 

· "Oh come on Myka don't ruin the mood" Pete yells from down the hall

· "Great Pete you ruined our cover" Claudia then yells 

· "Claudia, Pete knock it off," you yell at them

· Said guilty parties pop up from around the corner.

· “Really? Really what are we 5?” You ask.

· “It was Pete’s idea!” Claudia points

· “What!!”

· You guys go on a few more dates and eventually have the are we officially boyfriends talk

· You’re laying in your room, away from the nosey coworkers and family.

· “So... boyfriends?” You ask. 

· Steve nods. “You know Claudia had a pot going for how long it would take you to ask me out?” 

· “I’m gonna kill her....”

· Nobody ships you guys more than Pete not even Claudia 

He's always trying to set up cute moments for you two 

· Like putting up the mistletoe on christmas

· “Haha very fun Claudia...” you say, pointing to aforementioned plant.

· “Wasn’t me I swear. You guys are cute but I don’t need to see my brother and bestie sucking face.”

·"Where's Pete" 

· "Damn i was so close"

· You shake your head and give Steve a quick peck. 

· Pete: “aww I missed it.”

· One of the perks of dating another warehouse agent is getting to see the world with him

· Granted most of those involve artifact related high jinks and chaos. Of course you claudia and Steve are a team.

· Which means many times your delightful sister has gone “hey lovebirds! Artifact!”

· Claudia now makes Artie book her a room on a separate floor after the incident where she could hear you guys going at it next door through the thin hotel room walls

· Josh is very nonchalant about his younger siblings dating 

· When he met Steve it was just alright cool and that's it

· You look to Steve “Relax. He’s telling the truth.”

· double dates with Myka and HG often

· Going out for drinks and having to help HG carry a tipsy Myka home

· Or HG casually dropping that she knows whatever historical figure Steve brings up

· She’s like “[insert historical name here] Very homosexual. Revolving door of men.”

· Arties like a dad, the moment he sees you kiss even just a peck he looks away

· You wear Steve’s jacket and artie is like “is that new?” Pete and Claudia : “it’s steves.”

· Or having to hurry to get dressed in the morning for a mission and not realizing you're wearing each other clothes until later

· You guys have a break and you realize you got your pants right but shirt and jacket and even your underwear once got swapped

· You and Claudia tried to throw a surprise birthday party for Steve and it was a disaster

· There was screaming and flying cake. but it did end in laughter

· And Steve pretended like he didn't know but he secretly got Pete to tell him days ago

· You find out while you and Steve share a shower. “Pete Really told you....”

· “Yes. But I appreciate the effort.”

· You and Steve are always trying to set Claudia up on dates

· You also debated tracking down Todd

· "I do not need help finding a boyfriend" 

· "And how long have you been single for again?" 

· "Shut it"

·  “What was that? T-t-two years?”

· “I’ll murder you...”

· You and Steve end up getting a dog who becomes the team dog

· You guys come home and announce “trailer has a brother!”

· You got him mainly because you were jealous that Artie was trailers favorite

· He’s a corgi named Max

· You guys spoil him, he has so many toys and everyone always sneak him treats

· He’s your little loaf. And myka wants to steal him

· He's a bandana boy with a rotating attire 

· He even has a pride bandana that Pete got him 

· "What kind of gays are you not even getting your pet a pride outfit"

·“We have you pete. We knew you’d do something.”

· “Oh yay! Points for uncle Pete.”

· When you get hurt Steve drops everything to nurse you back to health

· He’s a mother hen and goes a bit overboard but it comes from places of love.

· Max's new home is your chest when you get hurt

· "Did i just get replaced by the dog?" 

· "Babe there's enough space for both of you" 

· He's such a cuddler

· Claudia Totally secretly plans a wedding

· And denies the hell out of it

· "Claud, Steve and i aren't planning on getting married for many many years" 

· "You can never be too prepared bro"

· Pete: “especially in our line of work!” “See pete gets it!”

· Oh boy. Steve’s mom meeting you.

· She won't stop telling Steve how handsome you are

· And she’s just so happy. Steve is blushing and hoping she doesn’t bring up any stories

· And she sneaks Steve the family ring

· "For when you're ready dear, I know you're gonna marry that man one day"

· Meanwhile you’re over by the family photos. “Is this you in high school?!? You had BLUE HAIR??!”

· "The teenage angst was real in high school" 

· "Oh god i can't believe you had a nose ring"

· His mom is like: “he had his he combat boots and eyeliner too...” “ma!!” “Please go on!!” Steve: “what have I done...

· You feel bad so you share some of your own embarrassing stories from high school

·“I once got caught making out with the coach's son

· "No way" 

· "Yeah i got banned from the locker room"

· “What else?” 

· “Um... can’t tell that one in front of your mother... oh I once made got into class through a three story high window”

· "You could have gotten seriously hurt" 

· "I was 16 i wasn't thinking"

· “Unbelievable.” 

· “Oh come on. You have to have done stupid stuff

·"I guess i did ride a skateboard into a pool once..."

· “A full pool” His mom tacks on.

· “Ma!”

· Vacations with Steve are tough because he's constantly checking his phone for an artifact sos

· You helped Claudia build more tiny artifact ping things and have them on your person.

· "Steve we're on a beach in the Bahamas, they can handle the warehouse for one week without us"

· “I know... I just... you know?”

· “I do... and I get it. But right now you and I are on mandatory vacation so let’s enjoy it.”

· You make Steve turn his phone off and take a long walk along the beach

· That walk is empty enough for the occasional ass grab from you.

· Once Steve truly starts to relax you guys explore the island taking in all the information the tour guides give you

· You guys spend the rest of the first day getting ideas on what to do. Now you’re back in the hotel room. You decide to shower, now covered in sand.

· one of the days you found out there's a hot surfer giving paddle boarding sessions

· After your paddle boarding lesson you returned to your room both you and Steve blushing about how hot the guy was

· “Can I just say that instructor was very hot!! Not as hot as you Steve but...”

· "That was one gorgeous man, think we should try to set him up with Pete?" 

· "Honey Pete is straight" 

· "You sure about that?"

· You think for a minute. “Well... now that you mention it....”

· You keep that idea on the backburner as you grab the phone to order some room service 

· "Tomorrow's the last day what do you want to do?"

·  “Honestly? Let's relax here maybe get a massage and then order in.”

· The next day you do as Steve suggests and just relax

· You sleep in and have lunch 

· Get a couples massage and end the day with one last walk on the beach

· At the end of the walk Steve stops you before you return to the room 

· "Y/N there's something i want to talk about" 

· "What's that?" 

· "Us"

· “Okay... should I be worried?”

· “No! No! Nothing like that.

· "What is it then?" 

· "You know i love you and i want to spend the rest of my life with you" 

· "This is sounding like a proposal Jinksy" 

· "Don't worry I'm not proposing, we're not ready for that right now but one day I want to"

· You smile. “I’d like that too... one day... that isn’t today.”

· “I love you Y/N.”

· “Love you too Jinksy”

·  "Wait till Claudia finds out" 

· "I'm more worried about Pete, he's been waiting for the engagement since our first date" 

· "We really need to set him up with the hot surfer" 

· "Yes, yes we do" 

[subjectsix]

Ghosts That We Knew

47 had always known the memory of his past was still there. It was never fully gone. He could never grasp it-- like a shadow you see in the corner of your eye and turn only to find it gone, his memories slipped through his fingers anytime he tried to reach them. Sometimes sounds, smells, sights, certain words-- they caused an itch that almost haunted him.

This is your gift. Your gift, and your curse. Touching lives only by ending them.

(1,434 words. Crossposted from my AO3 account, KipRussel)

47 had always known the memory of his past was still there. It was never fully gone. He could never grasp it-- like a shadow you see in the corner of your eye and turn only to find it gone, his memories slipped through his fingers anytime he tried to reach them. Sometimes sounds, smells, sights, certain words--  they caused an itch that almost haunted him.

His job was easier when he ignored it. His job was easier when he believed all the answers and questions died with Ort-Meyer. It was easier to not risk the chance of emotional involvement, of reminiscing, of remembering. After all, he had no emotions. That’s what everyone had said. That’s what he had always said. It was easier to believe that. He did believe that. Didn’t he? He ignored the itch.

The itch never left.

The picture of himself as a boy made him face the questions. In Romania, they grew louder.

As he pushed forward through the dilapidated building, eyes darting from doorway to doorway, it felt… familiar. But he had no time to face ghosts of the past when his job was to catch a ghost. Lucas Grey was here. His job was nearly done. He wouldn’t fail.

And then, it was different. The shadows of his past were clear.

His questions were answered-- he knew who he was.

He knew he was home.

He knew what he was going to do.

Remembering had been both sudden and slow. There were years of memories to uncover and find. The antidote from Ether hadn’t uncovered them all-- it simply unlocked the door. It was up to 47 to move forward and unearth each memory.

Lucas had been more than helpful. He was worried about his brother. About what it would be like, to relive it all. He knew how his own past haunted him, and now that 47 was back after all this time, he wanted to be there for him. Make up for lost years. Remembering their past while also getting to know each other again.

It was… odd, for 47, to say the least. He knew and trusted his brother deeply, he was familiar and close-- yet he was so distant and unknown and unfamiliar. Simultaneous. A very different situation to navigate. There weren’t many people on this Earth he felt comfortable being open with, and despite the strange circumstances, Lucas was still one of them. 47 was not one to… converse , but he didn’t need to. There was something unspoken between them, the way they understood each other. Very few could do that.

They reminiscenced, in an odd way, in those two months preparing for their mission on Sgáil. 47 would confirm the fuzzy details of a memory with him, while Lucas would bring up their other times together to see if 47 had remembered.

It was… nice. In the midst of the quiet stress of planning, researching, organizing, and settling the weight of their plans, they could always find each other, to share a comfortable silence. To finally have someone who understood their shared past.

It was how Lucas found himself pulling up a chair to sit across from his brother on the lower deck of the ship, after making a sweep to make sure everything was running correctly, all crew members adhering to their deal. 47 worked in silence, patiently taking apart his pistols, focused, until he caught Lucas’ eye and set them down. The silence was heavy with hesitation before 47 cut through it.

“I’m having a hard time remembering some details.” Lucas nodded, waiting for his brother to continue. “A hit we did together. A car bomb. The late 80s. Early 90s.  It’s… unclear.”

Lucas leaned back a little, eyes drifting to the ceiling. “A car bomb… 1980s… was it England? Surrey, England?”

47 mulled it over a moment. “That sounds right.”

“I remember that. It was in a cemetery, of all places.”

“Poetic justice?” 47 asked, a hint of a smirk in his voice. Lucas grimaced.

“You remember me saying that, I see,” Lucas cringed a bit, thinking back to his younger self. He sat back up, resting his elbows on the table. “No. This wasn’t justice. It was a Providence ordered hit.”

47 nodded slowly. Was anything they ever did justice, he wondered? He reached for one of his silverballers, putting it back together.

“I can’t remember who for. A company of some sort. Something to remove people they deemed problems, as normal,” Lucas continued, watching 47 pick his guns up again, piecing them back together. He dug through his memory, sorting through a childhood he’d tried to forget parts of. Tried to forget most of, really. So many hits, names, companies, organizations, corporations...

“Blue Seed, that was it.” The name felt like a cold knife to the chest. It gripped 47 and it did not let go. Lucas continued, unaware. “A company called Blue Seed. Still around as well. Still rooted in Providence.” 47 blinked, still piecing his gun back together in a form of muscle memory. His mind was a million miles away. His mind was in Surrey, England. 1989. Where it had happened. Where he could see Diana. He hadn’t known her name yet. Burnwood. He knew that name. The Burnwood girl, standing at a grave. With two more to headstones to join it, in the future. At their hands. At his hands.

Their comfortable silence continued, but the weight on 47 did not leave. He set each silverballer on the table, and he stared. He took a deep breath and let it all settle. It wasn’t often that he felt stunned.

“I’ve checked on most of the crew,” Lucas started, pulling 47 out of his thoughts. “Everything’s going well. They aren’t asking questions. I’ve talked to Olivia already. I’m going to check in with Diana next,” Lucas said as he pushed his seat back and stood to leave. “The contact on the island confirmed the Constant has arrived. The plan is to leave at sundown.”

“Diana joined the business because her parents were killed,” 47 responded, voice even.

Lucas paused in the doorway, caught off guard, confusion flashing across his face. 47 looked up from the table to his brother, and watched as the penny dropped, Lucas’ face betraying his realization.

“I see. …I’ll… I’ll ask her about it.” He hesitated, giving 47 a forgiving look, hurt more than evident, then turned to leave. 47 was alone. Trying to sort his emotions. Trying to settle the weight. Of two lives. Two deaths.

“Your gift and your curse.”

His ally. His confidant. His closest friend. Nothing in his life seemed to escape the shadow of the institute. All this time, and Diana had never known. He had never known.

Was life easier when he didn’t have to fight with his emotions? If he was honest with himself, he wrestled with them often. He just never called them what they were.

(“But I like to think… no one’s untouchable.”)

He’d been told most of his life to be emotionless. He told others he was.

(“You feel it, don’t you? Unlike him, you feel it all. Everything you’ve done.”

“It’s a dangerous thing… having a conscience.”)

But he carried that weight. He held it differently than Lucas. But he carried it still. It was always there, in the back of his mind. The shadow always loomed. It seeped into him, permeated him. And he wrestled with it. He fought hard with the branding Ort-Meyer had given him. The purpose he had tried to assign him. At the church in Sicily. In Hope, South Dakota. It was always easier when he tried to ignore it.

“What is your purpose?”

Ort-Meyer never considered that his favorite ‘son’ might choose a different purpose. Reject Ort-Meyer’s dream.

He never considered that 47 may find a family.

Or had he? The desperate attempts to stunt his emotions, to erase his memory, to rein him in. The fear that 47 would make his own decisions. Providence’s grip had tightened around him. Trying to keep him from slipping through their fingers.

And now.

Now he carried that weight. And soon, Providence would be ready to fall at his hands. At their hands. He had a choice. He’d always had choices.

He could do it for himself. For Lucas. For Victoria. For Diana.

But first, they needed to get The Constant.

They would leave for Sgáil at sundown. 47 stood and holstered his pistols, pushed in his seat, and headed for the upper deck.

It wouldn’t be long now. And he needed to be ready.

[kennypurrson]

Calce  Fair Misshaps

@loving-loving-loving  Here is your fluff :3 I hope you like it 💙

Fluff Ask # 39 “Stop wandering off! I keep thinking you’ve gotten abducted or something. I swear I’ll put you on a kiddie leash. Don’t tempt me.”

Ship: Calce (CalXAce)

Words:1948

Genre: Fluff

Extra: Cal belongs to @loving-loving-loving Ace is my Oc

While being a demon the Devildom is still a dangerous place. Ace knows this fact very well yet the demon can’t help but be drawn towards the sparkling lights and loud sounds of the fair.

A fair was a big new event for the denizens of the Devildom. Many booths of games, and food, rides all around them. Going out as a large group the residents of the House of Lamination and Purgatory  went in a large group before breaking off into pairs or small groups to explore the grounds. Simeon  and Solomon went with Luke to go play games. Beel, Belphie, Mammon and Dakota went to get food. Logan and Lucifer went off to do their own thing, while Satan, Levi, and Asmo went to check out the rides.

That left Ace and Cal alone. The pair began to walk along together, looking at different booths and rides as they passed. Ace even won a few stuffed animals for Cal when they stopped and pointed at a fluffy bear and then a small cat. The demon smiled as they won the games, and even more so when Cal jumped in excitement of getting the large prize and holding it to their chest.

‘It’s almost as big as them.. Cal’s so cute’ The tall demon thought to themself as they watched Cal.

The pair continued down the row looking at things starting to reach the more shopping part of the fair. Small knickknacks and clothing were being sold. Cal’s eyes widened as they ran over. Their bicolored eyes scanned over everything.

“Lets see I need seven, nine, eleven…” They began to count under their breath of how many items they would need to buy for their friends. They wanted to get something special for each of them, something that reminded Cal of them.

Ace followed Cal looking around a bit.

“Ace! Go look over there and see if you can find something you like!” The angel said looking up at the demon. They knew what they were getting for Ace but didn’t want the demon to be there to see it.

Ace chuckled as they nodded and went to look over at the t-shirts. This lasted for a moment before something shiny caught the demon’s eye. A wandering merchant going around the fair with a bag full of bracelets and other shiny jewelry.  Ace gasped when they saw a beautiful necklace hanging from the bag.

“Cal would love that. Something that pretty belongs to be worn by a beautiful angel.” They mutter to themself as they began to follow after the merchant.

Cal didn’t notice until after they finished paying for the presents. They turned to where Ace was last but couldn’t see them. They glanced around and didn’t see them anywhere. The angel began to panic, tears pricking at the corner of their eyes. They held the bag and stuffed bear close to their chest as they began to hurry to try and find Ace or anyone. While their mind was running with thoughts of where Ace could be and what could’ve happened to Ace.

Lost in thought they let out a small sound as they ran into someone’s back. A small sniffle left them as they looked up to see Lucifer and Logan turned around looking at them, the two moving apart from each other not standing as close when they noticed it was Cal.

“Sunshine what’s wrong?” Logan asked as she stepped closer to them, a frown on her face as their eyes scanned Cal over to check for what was worrying them.

“A-Ace they.. They..” Cal stuttered out as tears threatened to fall. They lost Ace. That was the thought that kept going through their mind, they lost them and let everyone down.

Logan frowned more and drew Cal in closer. “Hey it’s okay. We’ll find them. Ace probably just saw something. Where’d you see them last?” Logan asked as she glanced over at Lucifer. The raven haired demon nodded and left the angels as he began to hurry through to try and find the lost demon or anyone else to help look for them.

“The shopping.” Cal said through a sob as they held on tightly to Logan. 

The taller angel rubbed their back as they began to steer them back towards the shopping area. “I promise you Ace couldn’t have gone far. Maybe you just overlooked them. Demons do look a lot alike especially in a big coward. I know I got lost a few times already.” They said with a laugh as she looked down at the angel in their arms.

Cal nodded softly mostly hiding in Logan, their wings out now and drawn around them. 

Logan bit her lip as she turned ahead again to search for Ace. Looking for those pink eyes and bright smile out of everyone in front of them. They pulled Cal closer as the angels went by to keep them safer.

Once back at the shopping the two moved apart slightly to look around for the demon. Logan asking if anyone had seen Ace go by or where they went. They came up empty with answers, no one had seen the demon go by. The angels began to walk back down the path to see if they could find Ace on their own.

Ace had followed the merchant all the way to the other side of the grounds. They didn’t even realize how far they went. Ace only had one thing on their mind, get Cal the necklace.

Ace was walking back with the silver hummingbird in hand, looking down at it as the pink gem flower the hummingbird was holding onto twinkled in the lights. They weren’t paying attention until they heard their name being screamed at them and arms around them hugging them from behind.

“ACE!” Cal cried as they ran up behind Ace and wrapped their arms around them and pulled them close. Tears pricked at their eyes again but this time out of happiness. 

Ace was confused and looked back at the angel, quickly hiding the necklace in their hand.

“C-Cal what’s wrong? Did something happen? Logan? What are they doing here?” Ace asked confused as they glanced between Cal and Logan.

The taller angel smiled as she stepped back pulling out her D.D.D, giving Lucifer a call to tell him they found Ace and everything was okay.

Ace turned back to look at Cal as they moved back and frowned up at Ace.

“Stop wandering off! I keep thinking you’ve gotten abducted or something. I swear I’ll put you on a kiddie leash. Don’t tempt me.” Cal scolded them, frowning up at the tall demon with wet eyes. Their face and eyes starting to turn red.

Ace’s heart ached as they saw Cal had been crying. They were just trying to do something nice and didn’t realize how hurt Cal was by them wandering off.

“Cal I didn’t mean it. I was getting a present.. I wouldn’t get into trouble I promise. Please don’t cry! I’m here now!” Ace quickly said as they turned to pull them into a hug, pulling the angel as close as they could.

Cal easily returned the hug, hugging Ace tightly as they buried their face into Ace’s chest. They needed to hold him for a moment to make sure they weren’t going to be gone again soon.

Ace didn’t pull away, accepting the hug. They smiled as they held Cal close. A small blush creeping onto pale cheeks from the embrace and being able to hold Cal like this. Small things like being able to hold them or even just their hand made their heart flutter and feel all warm. 

Cal stepped back as they looked up at Ace. “You said you went to get a present?” The angel asked curious now about what Ace went off to get.

Ace’s blush darkened as they stood back. “Close your eyes.”

The demon waited as the angel did as told, trusting the demon. They then reached into their pocket and pulled out the necklace. They reached around and clipped the necklace onto Cal, brushing their hair out of the way. The demon’s hand brushing against their cheek as Ace stepped back.

“Okay look.” Ace said with a smile as they watched Cal.

Cal let out a gasp as they opened their eyes and saw the charm hanging in front of their chest. They reached down and picked up the charm turning it to look at it. A large smile formed on their lips as they looked it over before looking up at Ace. They threw their arms around the demon again.

“Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you! This is really special Ace, I love it!” Cal said happily as they glanced up at Ace.

The demon smiled as they hugged the angel back and listened to their words.

 “I saw it and thought of you. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything.”

“It’s okay. I’m just happy you aren’t hurt.”

While the two shared their moment Logan watched from afar and was soon rejoined by the eldest brother.

“Thank Diavolo they’re alright.” The demon muttered as he glanced Ace over.

Logan smiled as they turned to Lucifer, “Ace got Cal a necklace. They went off not realizing they were worrying Cal. Everything is okay now.”

Lucifer nodded before glancing back at the two, surely they had to know how hard they had fallen for each other.

“The fireworks are about to start. We should bring them back to where the others are.” Lucifer said, glancing back at his angel.

Logan nodded, walking away from him to the happy pair.  “Hey, Lucifer says the fireworks are about to start.”

“Fireworks!” Ace and Cal cried at the same time, both excited by it.

“Let’s go!” Cal giggled, grabbing Ace’s hand to pull them along.

Logan chuckled as they headed out, Cal waiting for her and Lucifer to take the lead and show them the way to where the others were.

Once back with everyone, commotion went about as the large group was reunited. Until they were silent when the first firework went off, lighting the dark sky in color. Everyone turned to the sky to watch the display.

Ace pulled Cal closer, wrapping an arm around their waist as they sat on a wall looking up at the sky cuddled up in each other's arms. Cal had a hand resting on the charm while the other was around Ace as well. The two smiling as Cal rested their head on Ace’s shoulder, looking up at the colors bursting in the sky.

The night ended after the long display of color. Sleepy demons, angels, and humans walked back towards their homes. Some pairing up while the others walked and joked in a large crowd.

Ace and Cal near the end, only Logan and Lucifer behind to ‘um make sure no one gets left behind’ was Logan’s reasoning. Neither questioned it as they were happy to be walking alone together, hand in in hand. When nearing the split path Cal pulled Ace with them towards purgatory. The demon smiled as they followed, swinging their hands.

The pair settled in, exhausted from the long but fun day they shared playing games, going on rides, Ace’s small scare, and the fireworks they watched together. All the time alone they had was nice and something they don’t often get. Now as they laid ready for sleep, smile were still on their lips from being in each other’s company and spending a great night together. The last thing on either of their minds was the other as they drifted off, cuddled up close.

[mintytrifecta]

Someone That I Used To Be chapter 2

Chapter 1:https://mintytrifecta.tumblr.com/post/618489689649840128/someone-that-i-used-to-be-chapter-1 AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22818781/chapters/55016005#workskin Guess I messed up His first mission was to stop something dubbed "The Mississippi Purchase". Apparently the Spanish treaty to put their goods and trades in the area outraged enough people that a war started over the area. Napoleon made a move to protect land sitting on what is now known as Mississippi and caused even bloodier battles. Yellow fever mixed with bloodshed mixed with hate and distrust led to greater wars and much less development in technology. Dakota was part of the group sent in as undercover agents to be seated in Thomas Jefferson's governing party. He was the one who brought up the idea of offering the purchase and in turn, less bloodshed. Which surprisingly worked and went successfully. Until it didn't. Coming back into the fixed future, Dakota scanned in to find records of his mission, but none were there.The Agency he was part of never existed. Which means, neither did he…Dakota freezes for a moment before regaining himself.Well, no matter. This could be a clean slate! A new beginning. Dakota did the best he could to ignore the weight on his chest. Guess I made a bad call Dakota had been in the Bureau for a few years now. Gave himself a complete makeover and change in personality.Yet he couldn’t find himself removing his glasses. The only artifact left from his timeline that he possessed. It wasn’t particularly special, just another pair of sunglasses he got during one of his missions and decided to keep, he told people. He doesn’t know why it means so much to him. He heard his stomach rumble. 'Enough thinky time more feedy time.' Vinnie ended up wandering into the time vehicle operations facility. Wasn’t today the test for new recruits or something? Eh who cares he’s hungry and wants a burrito.Upon entering a vehicle he found it was occupied. The person sitting there looked suspiciously familiar. And had terrible taste in lollipops. But I have no idea After a shortcut through some dinosaur ages, Dakota and the person in the car he was in arrived at their destination.Twenty first century Danville. His food-buddy started ranting about how what he was doing broke code and rules for how time vehicles should be used and how he should follow these rules as if anyone working for the Bureau gives a damn about the rules aside from rookies and judges. And then he found kids in danger. Well we can’t have anyone dying when we’re nearby now can we?(It wasn’t until he met the kids, years into the future, that he realized why the boy’s smile had been so hauntingly familiar) (it puts a weight on Dakota’s chest) What I could have done different Turns out his food-buddy is his new time travel partner. Dakota inwardly cringes at his first impression. God, this won’t end well for him. Surprisingly, Food-buddy er- Cavendish doesn’t rat him out. Dakota opens his eyes and shakes hands with his new partner. One little choice Dakota sits up in his bed, early in the morning. One small action He realizes where he knows Cavendish from. One coincidence of thought He killed him. And the lights went out. Dakota fumbles with his glasses in his hands, unable to bring himself to go back to sleep. He stands atop the Bureau roof, watching the pale glows of electrical illumination below him.  If he were in his original time, something of this magnitude would even be imagined.The brightest of people would have never seen this beauty.Yes, to one from a world like this one it would pass as a regular night.  But in a world unlike this, the glow of the lights and technological wonders seem almost like magic. How fortunate, Dakota thinks, that humanity has the gift of imagination. The eerie darkness of the stars above give comfort, as well as doubt. No matter what timeline, the stars never change. If Dakota tells his child self he finds comfort in stars, why he’s sure the child will laugh at him. But he can’t help it.The stars served him as a constant reminder to keep wonder in his life. To never go back to living carelessly. To have empathy. Dakota sighs. What if, he thinks, what if one day he travels back in time; what if one day the stars go out. What will he do then? He’ll be left unguided, alone, with no light left. He doesn’t want to be who he was. He’s changed. Or so he hoped. I never thought Dakota did his job without a second thought. Who cares who got hurt as long as he finished the mission. Things really die As Dakota did more and more time traveling missions, the heavier he felt. It never really dawned on him what he's done. Oh how he wishes he could take it back. Not in real life Dakota remembers how he and his friends would try to fantasize a better land for themselves. One where they didn't have to cower in fear, one where they could all be happy together. So why does he feel so agonized now that he's there? In real life He avoids Cavendish for a week after they met. He couldn't look at him anymore. It makes him want to vomit. There's no such thing as ghosts. Dakota can't touch firearms anymore.The mirrors know this and mock him with familiar faces. I am not a hero Dakota tried hard not to mention anything to Cavendish during their time together, but he found it progressively harder to keep his mouth shut. I am not a movie star Dakota smiled at his partner going off on another tangent about how famous they'll be once they complete a big mission. Vinnie lets his smile fall for a second after he realizes that Cavendish was famous before the timeline changed. He took that dream away from him. Dakota brings his smile back after Cavendish asks if he's okay. I am not a genius, I know Ask Dakota and he'll tell you Cavendish is the brains of the duo. He's figured out things much faster and better than Dakota ever could.Ask Cavendish and he'll tell you Dakota is much smarter than he lets on.  I am not a monk Dakota seldom finds himself getting mad. He considers himself even-tempered and flexible.So when Cavendish and Milo almost get caught by the pistachions, Dakota does what he rarely ever does. He snaps and tries to attack. He'll deny any accusation of breaking down the night after. I'm not special Dakota doesn't know why he does it. Why keep sacrificing yourself for just one person over and over again.He tells himself, Its Cavendish what're you gonna do? He tells himself, Anyone else would have done the same.He let's his mind drift off to the Island. Do any of the Dakotas there regret what they've done? I'm the same as anybody else Dakota screamed at the judges. In his fit of blind rage he let's it slip he's changed the timeline without authorization .

Dakota and Cavendish are sent back to the 21st century. The weight on his chest is back. You and I Dakota and Cavendish.Cavendish and Dakota.That's how they're remembered. Their friends think they're inseparable. Dakota thinks they're fragile. We were always a mess The day Cavendish left him to find the alien ship was one of his worst days. He didn't know why he left. Or to where. A creeping feeling in the back of his head told him that Cav found out.

Dakota didn't sleep that night. Drinking our bourbon The day they came back from Octalia was one of his proudest. They found Cavendish and helped save an entire planet for God's sake. The party they had lasted for hours.Dakota didn't leave his side. Screaming in the streets. They went back to their jobs at P.I.G. and tried explaining what happened. Block only laughed and sent them back on their mission. Dakota has never heard Cavendish as angry as he was then. When I saw you coming It gets close to the date he killed him. Ice and rage in your eyes Nightmares and anxiety seize him day and night. I put on my Armour and my shield Dakota wasn't going to be deterred. Cavendish had enough to worry about anyways. And raised up my sword He shut himself in and cried.  Not once did he tell Cavendish why. I am not a hero He killed people! I am not a movie star How unforgiving is that! I am not a genius I know Why did he go through with it?! I am not a monk Dakota screams. I'm not special The weight on his chest gets harder and harder. I'm the same as you Tears spill. And you Cavendish bangs on the door, demanding to be let in. You were there too  You drove that train Dakota grabs his hair. Right through my heart Blood splattering on the ground. You Pale dead eyes. You were there too Dakota dries his tears. You drove that train He comes out and they don't speak about it. They don't say a word until the next day. They pretend everything is normal. He wants to scream. Right through my heart Dakota leaves their shared space for the day. But I guess it's time He comes back late at night. To put that to bed He enters their house without knocking. But I guess it's time Dakota sighs. To let the dead be dead "Hey Cavendish? We need to talk."

[fracturedxhopes]

Head Canon | Isabella

Isabella and Dakota [ x ]

Who is the little spoon? Most often, Izzy, but sometimes Dakota

Who sings in the shower? Izzy

Who plays pranks on the other? Both

Who is the one who listens to pop music? Izzy

Who brings the other a random cup of joe? Both

Who picks the cheesy movies for date night? Izzy

Who is more likely to feed the other in public? Both

Who gives the other random little compliments? Both

Who is always stealing food from the other’s plate? Both

Who is more likely to let the other borrow their car? Apparently Dakota’s not allowed to drive...so...neither

Who makes the list before they go grocery shopping? Dakota, but Izzy puts in suggestions

Who makes sure the other takes their meds when sick? Izzy

Who watches sports and has to teach the other the rules? Neither

Who pulls the other to their feet for a dance in the living room? Dakota

Who has to keep reminding the other to hurry or they’ll be late? Dakota

Who is the one most likely to get a tattoo with the other’s name? Neither

[vickisventures]

Did you know...

True fact: that scenes from Armageddon were filmed in the Badlands?

I took some time off from blogging while we were at Yellowstone.  I plan to write up a travel blog for our trip to Yellowstone and the Tetons in the future for anyone who might be planning a future trip there.  That will come later on…  

Fridge update:  We were supposed to get our fridge fixed before we left for Yellowstone and then it got moved to after we returned to South Dakota and then it got moved again since the part had still not shipped.  We were really frustrated because the story changed as to why the part hadn’t shipped yet.  BUT finally, we have good news.  Saturday, Steve got an email with a tracking number!!!  Yes, the cooling unit has finally shipped.  As of today, it is in Kansas City headed our way. I am waiting for Steve to call and find out when we will be able to bring our RV in next week to get it installed. Maybe we’ll finally have a working fridge…but I still have a small fear that we’re still going to have problems with it.  I guess it’s because this “fix” has taken so long.  But here’s to hoping!

We have arrived at another holiday.  I used to look forward to holidays because it meant time off.  Now I dread them because it means more work.  We agreed to work this Thursday (instead of Saturday) and Friday to help out another workamping couple so they could take a short trip. Thursday will be easy but Friday, last I checked, we have 29 arrivals!  (And Jen and Bill decided to take that day to celebrate Bill’s birthday, so they’ll be gone most of the day.)  Luckily the other couple will be on duty as well so hopefully it won’t be too chaotic.

Our “special” guest of the week arrived last Friday and said “This place isn’t going to work.  It’s too rustic.”  (Did no one mention to them that they were in the Black Hills!?! That’s what you come for.)  They had come with 3 other couples so I’m not sure what they planned on doing if we’d told them they could leave without penalty. They griped that there was NO WAY they would get their motor home level without even seeing their site.  I think they were judging it on the fact that there’s a hill as you enter the campground.  I think they are just “one of those people.”  Entitled…and guess where they were from?  Yep, Florida!  Not a shocker there!  Finally they realized that we were going to charge them for their stay whether they stayed or not and they headed on up to their site.  Bill said, they’ll be back and he was right.  We had them on a 30 AMP site and they had a 42 foot motor home with 3 A/C’s and wanted 50 AMP service.  I told them that we were full and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. He tried to argue that there was no way they would have booked a 30 AMP site but the problem is, they didn’t book it. A friend of theirs booked their site for them.  So, next they said, that “we’ll just have to run our generator if it gets cold.”  I explained generators were not allowed here and that they might be asked to leave if they did that but that they should talk to the owner since it was his campground.  He agreed to let them use it as long as no one complained about the noise. As far as I know they didn’t come back with more complaints and they may have actually had a good time.

We have some people we met in Arizona here for a bit.  We have gone to eat with them and Dennis a few times so far.  We were talking the other night about snowbirds from Canada. I knew that the border was supposed to open mid-August, but they extended that time to September 21.  I also didn’t realize that Canada is making it hard for their citizens to come here like they normally do.  Apparently, their health insurance will double and they may make it difficult for them to return to Canada in the Spring which would mean they would lose their insurance altogether.  At first, I thought, that’s going to be tough on some having to winter in Canada.  Then I realized that it was bigger than that. Many Canadians leave their RVs in the U.S. instead of bringing them back and forth. Therefore, those that left theirs here will have to pay for their site (RV park) even though they will not be here and for many that is between $4,000-5,000 for the season.  Others own/rent park models that they will pay for but not get to use. There’s a chance that things may change (after the election…), we will get back to normal and people can travel again like they used to.  I hope so for everyone’s sake.  

We realized our “America the Beautiful” National Park pass was going to expire at the end of August and that meant we needed to go to the Badlands.  Glad we can say we have gotten our money’s worth from that pass.  I was a bit worried when the virus hit.  So, on August 31, we drove the 2 hours to Badlands National Park.  It reminded me in a way of Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo.  One minute you are looking at flat plains and then, BOOM, there are spectacular views.  (All of my photos on this blog are from our trip.)  We drove the loop, checked out several overlooks and hiked the Notch Trail and Windows Trail (both are fairly short and highly recommended).  We saw some wildlife as well: bighorn sheep, coyote hunting for prairie dogs, and pronghorn.  We spent around 4 hours in all visiting the park.  It was a nice, cool day and we really enjoyed it.  Afterwards, we went into Wall, SD to see the Wall Drugstore.  I had heard of it for a while (partially because they hire workampers) and I wanted to see what it was all about just once. Once is plenty.  It covered almost a whole block and it was mostly a big souvenir shop and café.  I think I was more impressed by Buccees!  But at least now I can say I’ve been there.

The weather is starting to cool down here some.  We have had to use our heat a few nights.  There’s one night next week that’s supposed to get down to 27 degrees.  But it’s fantastic August/September weather for hiking and sightseeing which we have more to do.  We are down to our final month here and my list of things to do/places to see is still rather long so, we better get on it!

[bi-nick-carraway]

Colors

Note: this was the result of me wondering what Gatsbys favorite color might be and, ofc, applying that to natsby. So not exactly a prompt, but I hope you enjoy :)

Sitting on Jay Gatsby’s pier, I vaguely remembered that I hadn’t been there since before the night George Wilson shot Gatsby by the pool. It’s something I tried not to think about. The wound had only just healed. I was trying desperately to keep the incident out of my mind, but Gatsby was sitting next to me in that horrible, beautiful pink suit that served as a garish reminder of that day. There was nothing to distract me from the memory other than the cold, mid fall wind coming off of the water and making me wish I had brought a jacket with me.

    “You look a little cold, old sport,” the man next to me said, perhaps even teased, and he playfully bumped his shoulder to mine. Apparently the shivering had not gone unnoticed.

    “It’s just the wind,” I responded, refusing to look at him and instead looked out at the water. The sun was setting, and the sky was dripping orange and pink over the dark ocean.

    I could almost feel Gatsby avert his eyes from me and look out towards the water in the same fashion I was. A few moments of silence passed between us, and I stole a glance at Gatsby. He looked golden in the light. In the moment I wouldn’t have ever been able to find a better way to describe Gatsby -- golden. If a man could be made out of gold, it would be Gatsby. It was just a few months before that this man was a complete mystery to me. Now I knew all of his secrets, everything about his past that he chose to hide from the world. And yet there were still things I couldn’t figure out about him. I had yet to discover how he felt about Daisy leaving him behind without so much as a call, and the news of it hadn’t devastated him in the way I had expected it to. I didn’t know why he still bothered staying in contact with me, although I was thankful he did, and I didn’t know why he still occasionally hosted parties. It had all been for Daisy, and Daisy was gone, so it was a mystery why Gatsby continued any of it.

    “Say, old sport,” Gastby started, almost hesitantly, “it’s a beautiful evening, isn’t it?” I was sure that wasn’t what he meant to say, but I was glad that he hadn’t yet caught me staring.

    “It is,” I said shortly, still trying not to let the cold air affect me. Another pause of silence, just listening to the water.

    “Blue,” he said suddenly, in a soft voice. “You see how dark blue the water is? It’s beautiful… We didn’t have a lot of ocean in North Dakota, but there was still water. I spent a lot of my time on the beach, I told you that’s how I met Dan Cody, didn’t I?” I stayed quiet and let him speak. “It’s been the only constant in my life. When I got shipped off in the army, we spent a lot of time out on the water. Then I moved here, of course, and the ocean’s right outside my front door. Blue’s a magnificent color, my favorite, actually.” I let the words fill up the space between us until he was finished, and then I had to take a moment to realize all that he had said.

    “Your favorite color is blue?” I couldn’t disguise the surprise in my voice. Gatsby finally looked over at me with a stunning grin on his face.

    “What else would it be, old sport?” his voice sounded like bells, musical and filled to the brim with amusement.

    “I always figured it might be green…” I could feel my ears turn red at the reveal that I had in fact pondered what Gatsby’s favorite color might be. “Like the light.” There was yet another pause, and I couldn’t help but wonder at how other people would react to such a stilted conversation.

    “Oh… Ah, well,” there was no question as to whether or not he was hesitating. “Like I said before, old sport, water has been a constant in my life. Daisy… She wasn’t even… Old sport, I’m not sure if she was ever really a constant for any part of my life.” Yet another pause. “It was just a light after all.”

    It’s difficult to know how to respond to that. How to respond to a man realizing that the dream he had chased for so long was never attainable, although I suspected Gatsby had accepted this some time ago, perhaps even the night he was shot when there was no phone call from Daisy.

    “That blinking light didn’t have any real purpose before you saw it,” I reasoned in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. “I’m sure it’s thankful for that.”

    A laugh came out of Gatsby, and I wasn’t sure if anything else I had done in my life was as significant as making him laugh that evening.

    “If a light could feel thankful, I’m sure it would, old sport,” Gatsby said, and all the sadness Daisy had brought into his voice was gone. “I’m sure it would.”

    The sky had almost completely darkened, with stars twinkling above us. The green light across the bay was just barely visible at the end of a dock. The wind picked up, the cold air making my face feel like pins and needles. Gatsby stood up next to me, hands in his pockets and still looking out at the water.

    “Let’s go inside, old sport,” he said and offered me his hand. I obviously didn’t even have the option to refuse, so I took it and he helped me up. His hand was noticeably warm compared to the brisk air, and I found myself not wanting to let go. “It should prove to be a cold night. Stay for dinner. You can tell all about your favorite color.”

    “I’m sure it’s the color of that awful suit you’re wearing,” I quipped and Gatsby scoffed with that smile I have so often described.

    “I thought you liked this suit,” his voice was playful despite the feigned offense. 

    “That suit? Mr. Gatsby, I apologize for having better taste than that.”

    “That’s an interesting way to express your love for it.”

    “Anything you wear is awful, you can’t change my mind,” I responded, entertaining his unusually cheerful antics, and ignoring the fact that we were still on the pier together and that he hadn’t let go of my hand.

    “I’m sure you would know, my friend, seeing as you dress so handsomely,” the sarcasm didn’t stop my face from heating up. “Although you didn’t find wearing a jacket appropriate for a reason I’m not aware of.”

    Instead of responding to his good-natured, provoking comment, I squeezed his hand gently and smiled at him, in hopes that would communicate how much happiness I was feeling in that moment.

    “It’s still a horrible suit,” I said finally. “It would look completely hideous on anyone other than you.” 

    This time it was Gatsby who looked flushed. His cheeks were tinged nearly the same shade of pink as his suit, and I couldn’t ignore the satisfaction that not even Daisy was ever able to do that.

    “Yes, well,” Gastby stuttered, and I could feel myself beaming, “It’s getting late, and you must be cold.” 

    “Alright, then,” I said, feeling absolutely smug and loving the embarrassed look on Gatsby’s face. He looked perfect, as he always did. “I’ll stay for dinner.”

    Then we finally went inside, with Gatsby leading me by the hand. A warmth bloomed in my chest, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was what love feels like.

[bamby0304]

Apple of my Eye- Ch.22

Series Masterlist

Summary: When Sam and Dean were pulled back into their world, you were left behind. Stuck in the hustle bustle of Hollywood life, you have no choice but to play along, leaving almost all of your old life behind. Seven years later, when a rip in time and space opens up, you are finally able to go home… but you don’t go alone.

Warnings: Angst. Fluff. Violence.

Bamby

The three of you had managed to sneak into a car on the ship. You were lying along the back seat with Jody, while Donna was in the front. It was a tight squeeze, but your choices were limited.

Outside, the monsters were snarling, searching for you all. Every time they moved towards the car they would hit it, causing the rust bucket to shake and creak. You squeezed your eyes shut, trying not to make a sound, and preying they would ease up and continue their search somewhere else so you could escape.

“If we make a run for the truck, we’re dead,” Donna noted, keeping her voice low.

“If we stay here we’re dead,” Jody countered.

“Alrighty then.”

Suddenly the car began to shake as one of the things jumped on the roof of the car.

Donna was quick to move, lifting her gun up to shoot at the ceiling. Unfortunately the drew the attention of another monster, who slammed itself against the door you were leaning on.

“Get down!” Jody yelled as she aimed her gun at the window above your head.

Before she could shoot, however, before she could shoot a bright glow came from above your head, along with heat against the door.

Turning, you managed to see the monster just before it ran off… on fire.

Climbing out of the car, confused, the three of you looked by the entrance of the ship and spotted Alex, Kaia and Claire- who was carrying a flamethrower.

“I called, you didn’t answer. We worried.” Claire shrugged.

“Where’s the other one?” Donna asked, adjusting her hold on her gun.

“It probably bolted,” Claire noted. Looking you up and down, she reached into the back of her pants and pulled out a gun, here.

Reaching out, you took the gun with a short nod. “Thanks.”

As Claire put the flame thrower down her attention was caught by the buzzing from the portal upstairs. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted the glowing light. “Is that the door?”

“Claire,” Jody started, but before she could say anything else Claire was already running, with Kaia right behind her. “Claire! Claire, please wait! Oh hell.” Sighing, she followed her daughter.

As the others went to the portal, the rest of you stayed downstairs to deal with whatever might be still lingering.

The sound of one of the creatures screeching caught all of your attention then.

“Oh there he is.” Donna turned in the direction of the creature. “Hiya buddy.” Before she could take a shot, however, more monsters appeared.

You did a quick count and felt your stomach drop. “I’m seeing at least six, Donna.”

She nodded tightly. “Upstairs. Move.”

Not needing to be told twice, you and Alex started for the stairs and run up, knowing Donna wasn’t too far behind.

“Jody! A little help,” Donna called as she hurried up to the next level. “Jody!”

Making it to the top of the stairs, you and Alex waited until Donna passed before you reached for a heavy metal cabinet and pushed it down the stairs.

“Let’s go!” you called, hurrying further into the ship.

As you made it to an open room, Jody came around the corner and joined your little group. Claire and Kaia weren’t with her.

“They’re gone?” Donna asked.

The only answer she got was a small nod from Jody. As much as she didn’t want to let Claire go after the brothers, she knew her options were very limited. She did was she had to… but that didn’t make it any easier.

“Okay, anything gets in here we take it down,” Jody noted, aiming her gun at the only way in and out of the room.

Your hands shook as you did the same, raising your gun to get ready.

“Hey.” You looked to Donna who smiled at you. “You got this. We’re gonna be okay, and you’re gonna get back to your little girl.”

Taking a deep breath, you nodded, tightening your hold on your gun. “We’ve got this.”

Down the hall, you could hear the snarls of the monsters getting closer.

“Alright girls,” Jody looked to each of you, “let’s go to work.”

...

You weren’t sure how many of those things had charged into the room, but somehow you’d all managed to keep them at bay. Whether by killing them, or wounding them enough to scare them away, you’d all managed to fight them off.

A burst of bright light behind you, coming from the adjoining room, caught your attention. It drew your eyes from the only way in and out of the room you were in, and subsequently the next room.

“No!” Claire cried out.

Neither you or Jody hesitated before you ran to the next room. She needed to check on her daughter… you needed to see if she’d failed or succeeded.

Hurrying around the corner, you came to a stop a sudden stop.

Jody ran to her daughter as she lay on the floor, crying, reaching out towards the spot where the portal had been moments ago. Standing a few feets from them… were Sam and Dean.

“Oh thank God!” Without a second thought, and without wasting another moment, you ran towards Dean.

He was quick to react, catching you as you threw yourself at him. With your arms around his neck, and legs around his hips, you crashed your lips against his and cried.

Kissing you back, he held you close, snaking his arms around your waist to hold you against him. The moment was a little inappropriate considering everything else going on, but it was needed. You’d been so worried you were never going to see him again, now that you had him in your grasp you never wanted to let him go again.

“I love you,” you breathed against his lips. “God, I love you.”

Carding his fingers through your hair, he pulled you closer, deepening the kiss.

A second passed before he suddenly pulled back. “Dakota-”

“She’s okay,” Alex reassured him as she and Donna rounded the corner. “She’s with Patience.”

Dropping back down to the ground, you looked over at Jody as she held onto her sobbing child. It broke your heart to see Claire so hurt… but it reminded you that your own daughter needed you.

“We should go…”

Jody nodded, understanding. “We’ll meet you back at my place. We just…” Her eyes dropped to Claire. “We need a moment.”

As you offered her a sympathetic smile, you felt Dean slip his hand into yours. Looking up at him, you knew it was time to go. He needed to see Dakota just as much as you needed to see her.

…

Arriving back at Jody’s, you got to work cleaning up after the monsters. They’d thoroughly trashed the place, breaking a lot of her furniture.

Patience had did as you asked and had kept driving, but that meant it was going to take awhile before she got back into town. Dean was on edge, trying to help out but too worried about Dakota. It had been too long, he needed to make sure she was okay.

Jody and the others made it back before Patience. The sheriff thanked you for all the work you’d already done on her house, before the rest of them quickly joined you and the brothers.

When you heard the sound of another car pulling up outside, everything slowed.

Dean moved first, practically running out the front door. You and Sam weren’t too far behind, making it outside just in time to see the moment Dakota spotted him. What happened next shocked everyone.

“Daddy!” A wide smile spread across Dakota’s face before she sprinted across the lawn.

Getting to his knees, Dean opened his arms as she threw herself at him. He pulled her close, holding the back of her head to him as he buried his face in her neck and let out a relieved breath.

Your feet moved on their own, leading you to the two of them as they embraced.

Seeing you approaching, Dakota pulled back to smile up at you. “Are the monsters all gone?”

“For now, yeah.” You nodded. She looked so proud then… but there was just one thing you didn’t quite understand. “Dakota… what did you call Dean?”

Pausing, she looked down sheepishly as she shrugged. “Daddy…”

“How-”

“I wasn’t asleep in the car, Mummy. I heard what you told Aunt Jody.”

Your heart swelled. Not only did she see the Winchesters as family, and the bunker as home, but everything else was falling into place, too.

“Can we go home, now?” she asked, looking down at Dean. “We still need to eat pie and talk about my day at school.”

He chuckled, nodding. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”

Bamby

[cecilspeaks]

147 - The Protester

Hot singles in your area are staring into the forest and grinning absently. 

Welcome to Night Vale.

Astronomers are frantically trying to determine why a chunk of the moon is missing. Ragged and greedy like a slice removed from a pie by hungry hands rather than a civilized serving utensil, the gap in the moon has been baffling professional sky gazers for weeks. Fun fact: did you know a group of astronomers is called a commotion?

Astronomers believe the moon could be eroding, because people have stopped believing in it, like ancient Roman polytheism. Others have theorized that the moon was damaged by enemy ships in the ongoing Blood Space War. But people on the internet have countered that this is part of the mandala effect, and that that piece of the moon has always been missing and we’re collectively misremembering. Like how those beloved picture book bears that we all remember as the Berenstein Bears, have by all physical evidence always actually been spelled “The Dog Pound Boyzzzz”. Boyz with a Z. Because of the 2016 city ordinance that proclaimed that anything can be true if you say it loud enough, astronomers are forced to consider all sides.

I don’t know any astronomers, but I do know a scientist! My husband Carlos has been the leading scientific mind in Night Vale since we started dating, almost six years ago. Carlos says that he has been studying and interesting meteorite he found out in the sand wastes and scrublands beyond Night Vale. He believes this particular rock is a piece of the moon. Standing before a giant wall of blinking lights, flickering screens and intermittent beeps, Carlos determined that this piece of the moon broke off only one month ago. But this is impossible, because no one can remember seeing the moon breaking apart in the sky. Well, maybe we were all asleep when it happened, I told Carlos as I dabbed away a small crumb from a cheese Danish that had gotten stuck in his beard. Oh, fun fact: Carlos grew a beard! And I have never liked beards on men, but now – I do. It’s got two thin silver racing stripes down the chin, and the hair is so soft. We’ve been married over two years and every day, I fall more in love.

Oh right, the moon, OK good God, always with the moon. [mutters] Yeah, yeah… Carlos has been studying an unusual number of empty homes and businesses about town. He noticed that the houses on either side of us are completely empty, but he didn’t remember them being empty before. He remembers us having neighbors, but he couldn’t name a single thing about them. He believes this might be related to the damaged moon. Whatever happened a month ago to the moon immediately caused us all to forget it, because something in our timeline changed. Carlos said: “Perhaps we are not forgetting people and events, perhaps they never existed at all.” His eyes were cloudy with pensive thought, and I touched his furry cheek and said: “You’ll save us, hon. I know you will.” He smiled and asked if I’d be willing to reach out to archeology professor Harrison Kip again. Carlos, uh, had been communicating with Kip about this very issue, but now emails to Harrison keep bouncing back, and his phone number is no longer in the phone company’s database of working numbers. I laughed and said: “Carlos, I don’t know who Harrison Kip is!” Carlos looked worried, and said he wasn’t sure he did either. But he felt like he should.

Protestors have organized a sit in in front of city hall, demanding an end to the Blood Space War. The city council, seeing the crowd of about 150 people gathered around the front entrance of their building, took immediate action. They announced they would be taking a long planned family vacation to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota, until this whole protest thing runs its course. “We don’t believe South Dakota actually exists,” the single-bodied, multi-voiced council said. “When you look at a map, it seems like it exists, like it’s just right there when you look at it and it’s between two other identical states, so it would make more sense for it to be there than not. Anyway, this feels like a great time to take the kids to see Mount Rushmore.” As the city council said this, several small childlike heads emerged from the city council’s singular body and screamed in happy unison. Or terrified unison. Mm, it’s hard to get an emotional reading on screams.

The organizer of the protest is 20-year-old Night Vale community college student, Basimah Bishara, whose father Lieutenant Fakir Bishara returned home from the Blood Space War three years ago. Basimah greeted her father’s return with joy, but that joy has since been replaced by confusion and pain. Let’s hear Basimah’s story in her own words.

Basimah: Time no longer works correctly for my father. I understand time does not work correctly for many people in Night Vale, but it had always worked correctly for him before the war. In December 2015, he returned home after 11 years of serving our city, our country, our planet in a war that still makes no sense to me. I was six when he volunteered for service, he was 30. 11 years later when he returned home, I was 17. My father was 19. He did not remember joining in the war nor having a daughter nor meeting his wife. He is a teenager, like I was. I no longer am a teenager, but my father still is. He has stayed 19 years old. Time no longer works correctly for him.

My mother Tahira raised me. She expressed reticence about the band I started, the music we played. She grounded me when my grades slipped and shouted at me when I told her I had a girlfriend. But she came to love Marina and more, my mother came to understand as both as people, as women. Not as rivers to be damned or levied.

My father’s return has been especially hard on her, because she is 45 and her husband is a 19-year-old stranger. You probably know what it’s like to have a father, to have a man much older than you who changed your diapers or watched your diapers being changed. Who taught you to speak or ride a bike, who helped you develop as a human from an animal from a larva from the simplest, squirming wad of meat into an adult. That father will always be a father, not a friend, not an equal, a father. You probably do not know what it’s like to see a father at your age, to talk with your father when he is also barely an adult. To have your father lonely and inquisitive think of you as his only friend in the world, while you look to him for guidance and love. But he is incapable of both, at least not in the way you need to be guided and loved.

It took two years for Fakir to open up about the war and it still makes no sense to him nor me. The Blood Space War requires constant shifts through time, through worm holes to change lost battles into won battles, to undo what has already been undone thousands, millions of times over. The future does not look like a blank page, it looks like a tattered sheet of paper, grayed and frayed from countless transcriptions and erasures of history. Battles are won and then undone through time travel. We lose our lives and then regain them by traveling backwards and fighting again. We are winning the war by perpetuating the war. Last month, the Polonians attacked our earth, I am sure of it. The only evidence is our broken moon. I believe the general undid this attack with time travel and this has changed our reality, changed who was born, who ever lived in the first place. People are disappearing because they will have never existed.

People think we’re crazy for protesting. I’m 20 and my father is still 19. I’m not crazy. My mother Tahira is not crazy. We are angry.

Our next protest is scheduled this afternoon at the corner of Earl and Somerset by the Dog Park near the Ralphs.

Cecil: Not sure what Basimah was referring to. That’s an empty lot by the Ralphs. There was word for a dog park to be built there many years ago, but it never materialized.

[clears throat] Let’s have a look now at local news. Earth sciences professor Simone Rigideau announced today that she is scrapping all text books and lesson plans at the community college in favor of organized prayer to a god named Huntokar. Several students and parents argued against such an extreme divergence from core curriculum in favor of French religious practices, but college president Sarah Sultan supported her staff member by saying: “Cut Simone some slack. She doesn’t even teach classes. She’s a transient who lived in a storage closet inside the earth sciences building for 20 years. The only reason she has the title of professor is because of antiquated squatter’s rights laws.” Rigideau donned rabbit furs and an old bicycle frame wraught into the shape of antlers, and began spray paintin the Fibonacci sequence on the cars in the college parking lot, all the while singing a ballad about clocks.

The intergalactic military headquarters released their first quarter earnings statmenet this week. Investors were displeased to see that each of the board members of the privately own space defense contractor had purchased a 125-foot yachts and NFL franchises. But those fears were quickly allayed by the announcement of layoffs of more than 5,000 employees. Stock prices for the intergalactic military soared to an all time high this afternoon, at 490 dollars a share. Senior strategic advisor Jameson Archibald said the intergalactic military has no actual earned income. 100 per cent of their gross is from venture capital. Archibald said: “Some investors keep asking how we plan to monetize our military, which is a stupid question, man! I mean, look at this Patek Philippe watch I bought. It’s encrusted with 10 pounds of diamonds, and the watch face was made using an actual piece of the Sistine Chapel. We are doing fine.” Archibald added that the intergalactic military is developing an app and a subscription service that allows people to engage in celestial war fare any time they want for only 12,99 a month.

Alright, listeners, I heard back from Basimah, and she said I was right. There is no dog park. Of course I was right. If I knew there was a dog park being built in this town, I would have reported it immediately. Carlos and I have a dog. His name is Aubergine because he’s purple and European, and Auby is adorable and we love him dearly. I mean, I wasn’t into the idea of having to care for a dog, but Carlos strongly urged this case one morning over breakfast when he said, “I think we should get a dog”, and 20 minutes later, we were leaving the SPCA with our adopted pet. [clears throat]

Basimah said she was positive there was a dog park next to the Ralphs, but when she arrived at the corner of Earl and Somerset, it was all empty lots. To be honest, I don’t remember her mentioning a Ralphs before, because I would have corrected her. There’s never been a Ralphs affiliate in Night Vale. This is what Basimah had to say. Um, hang on, let me just insert the tape I used to record her. And there we go.

Basimah: If a person never exists, did they disappear? If you never knew them, can you miss them? My father spends most of his days playing basketball with friends he made at the rec center. He is 19 years old and trying to escape a decade of inescapable drama from warfare. Asked him who my mother was. I grew up with only my uncle Omar and did not know my parents until my father returned from war. Fakir did not remember my mother. He did not remember his marriage or my birth, because it has not happened yet in his timeline. Asked what if mother didn’t exist at all. What if the general’s time traveling has altered our lives so much that my mother was never born and you can never meet her. My father, the teenager said: “If I never met a woman, I do not know I will not miss her. But I’ll meet another woman.” I asked: “What if I was never born?” My dad said: “Basi?” He hid his tears and then he hugged me, but it was not the hug of a father and daughter. It was the hug of a son and mother. He buried his head into my shoulder and sobbed, repeating: “Basi! Basi!” And I comforted his heaving head with my palm. I said: “Father, Fakir. I think I shall no longer exist soon. [voice fades] I think I-

Oh OK, sorry for the dead air, listeners, I was playing a recording of an interview I did. Wait, nope. I just checked, there’s no tape in the player at all. I thought I had been talking with… Ugh. Aah! Who have I been talking to? Maybe it was my husband Carlos reporting on his findings about the damage done to our moon or, mh, or maybe it was nothing at all. [clears throat] Well, let us forget that we forgot, and go now To the weather.

[Shake” by Wednesday’s Wolves https://www.wednesdayswolves.com]

We have an update on the Blood Space War, Night Vale. John Peters says his brother has returned home again. When he left a month ago, James Peters was 22 years old. But he is now in his seventies, which is the age he should be. John held his brother tightly, crying in gratitude and relief that his own family could return to some kind of normalcy. James at first was heartened to see John again, to see his home again, and to learn that he and the general had thwarted the Polonian attack on our planet. But his tearful smile drifted slowly downward, an evening shadow overtaken by night. Upon James’ face now was the sudden knowledge that he had made a grave error. James looked around Night Vale seeing empty lots and homes, abandoned buildings and sparse streets. According to James, thousands of people have gone missing from Night Vale, because they never existed or never moved here in the first place. The general had leapt in time to successfully stop the Polonians from ever reaching Earth, but the change in the timeline caused Night Vale to change too.

Listeners, this may seem strange, but perhaps there are people you once knew, family you once lived with, places you were in, all of which are gone, and without your knowing. I have tried hard to think of any memory of any experience or person I have lost in the last month, but I can think of none. I told James Peters that perhaps the change in timeline did not matter if no one knew what they had lost, if no one noticed any change. James said: “Cecil, I just don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe if we had a scientific perspective on this, we could better understand how this is affecting us as a community.” And I said I didn’t know any scientists, not personally anyway. There’s the strange woman who lives in the storage closet at the community college, I suppose we could ask her.

The important thing is that we are safe, and that another veteran has returned home, and it is another beautiful day in Night Vale.

Stay tuned next for “Conspiring to Love”, our new relationship advice show, which as a lifelong bachelor sounds like something I should check out.

Good night, Night Vale, Good night.

Today’s proverb: “Nothing lasts forever” is a phrase with two meanings, and they’re both true.

[spndystopiabang]

SPN Dystopia Bang 2019 masterpost all stories and art

The 2018-2019 round of the SPN Dystopia Bang has finished. We've had an amazing crop of stories and art this year and we invite you to check out the following story and art links below to see for yourself. (Find the AO3 collection here.)

Until next time. ~ hit_the_books and Enoliel

here at the end of all things

Author: chestercbennington / remy Artist: blueeyesandpie / sunny Rating: teen Length: ~40k words Pairings: gen Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, torture and its aftermath

AU from Season 12 onwards. The British Men of Letters win in the USA,  and slowly manage to establish their bases and authority over the whole   country. They also capture Sam Winchester and keep him prisoner for   eleven months, experimenting on him regularly before wiping his memories  so that he has no idea what has been done to him. Even after   Dean rescues him and they begin planning to get revenge once and for   all, the niggling doubt at the back of Sam’s head remains – what did   they do to him? Why won’t his anxiety get better? And what is it that   he’s missing?

Link to fic Link to art

Lebanon, Postilla

Author: smalltrolven Artist: kuwlshadow Rating: Explicit Length: 11,679 Pairings: Sam/Dean Warnings: None

After the Great Deluge, the Postilla, or the Afterward begins. In   2030, Sam finally has the time to write the story of the end of their   world and what came next. The Winchesters manage to find some solace in   what they’ve long denied themselves. Cas and Jack are presumed gone in   the Deluge, but then tales reach the brothers of approaching beings   killing with only their voices.

Link to fic on AO3 or LJ

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The Melancholy Waters Lie

Author(s): anyrei & mugglerock Artist: Hitori Alouette Rating: Explicit Length: ~90k Pairing(s): Castiel/Dean Winchester; (Jessica Moore/Sam Winchester) Warnings: Minor character death, Attempted Rape/Noncon, Drowning

Merifi had always been the guardians, the angels of the sea. The balance in their world, the light to the sirens’ darkness. As with time and   industrial growth, humans became aggressive, dangerous, uncaring in   their endeavor to put all life in the sea at risk. Unable to combat it,  the merifi and many other creatures went into hiding within their   kingdoms.

That was, until the fateful period in which humans  created such mass destruction, pollution, and chaos; the earth warmed  and the sea levels rose.

Humans who survived were forced to reside  in Teloah; the City of Death, and the sea was returned to its rightful inhabitants. Despite the shift, merifi of the Kingdom of Basgim were instructed by their King to never venture to the surface. But Castiel,   the youngest of the King’s three sons, had never been good at listening.

Fascinated by humans and the things they created, Castiel too often found himself   nearing the surface in curiosity, but never drawing too close, never   interfering in the affairs of humans on ships. That was, until a fateful night during a terrible storm, when a handsome human was flung from  the  safety of his ship.

It wasn’t like saving one human could possibly change his life. Right?

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Under the Nothing Sky

Author: malmuses Artist: anyreiart Rating: Explicit Length: 78k Pairings: Dean Winchester/Castiel (Background Sam/Eileen and Gabriel/Kali) Warnings: Minor Character Deaths (No Winchesters or Castiel),  Homophobic   Society, Canon typical violence, Torture, Imprisonment, Angst  with a   Happy Ending, Spaceships, Big Explosions, Drinking and Dancing.

Welcome to the Glass City.

Its   citizens live perfect, orderly lives. Controlled by the barcodes upon   their arms, they are quietly assigned jobs, spouses, accommodations…  whole lives. Some families rank above others, but that is just the way   it is. The way the Council demands it to be.

Lieutenant Colonel   Castiel Novak is the shining star of the Glass City’s Academy, mere   weeks away from graduating and being titled Commander of his own ship,   his own crew.

Castiel is very good at obeying.

Until he meets a man with green eyes, a cocky smile, and no barcode.

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I Will Always Find You

Author: Hunter Kin Artist: amberdreams Beta: jdl71 Word Count: 31,217 Rating: Explicit Pairings: Dean/Sam Warnings: barebacking, swearing, violence, spoilers for Season 8

When Sam realizes that his brother had been blasted to Purgatory after   killing Dick Roman, he takes a back door through Hell to save Dean.   Only  his brother won’t leave without Castiel. And as each day passes,   it  becomes more and more clear that the angel just doesn’t want to be   found.

Link to fic: LJ | AO3

Link to art: LJ

Not Without You

Author: jscribbles Artist: bees-are-awesome Rating: Explicit Length: 57,000 Pairings: Dean/Castiel (a little of Castiel/Hannah, a non-con Meg/Castiel) Warnings: various non-con   situations, dub-con situations, cruel and unusual punishment, graphic   depictions of assault and violence, humans put in solitary confinement,   forced ejaculation, drugs and substance abuse, use of barbiturates,   imprisonment, mentions of forced breeding, torture, sexual situations,   eugenics, emotional and physical abuse by authority figures

There’s   a virus spreading across the globe, rendering 80% of men infertile. In  a  rush to contain the spread of the virus as a viral hotspot arises in   South Dakota, the government implements forced fertility testing for  all  men, and a mandatory breeding program. The borders close, all   communication both interstate and across borders is shut down, and a   state of national emergency is put in place. The fertile   twenty-percenters are being redistributed to breed with society’s elite   women—moguls, celebrities, geniuses, CEOs. The eight-percenters are   being sent to work on farms or sent back to their regular jobs,   distributed via lottery. Dean and Castiel are not one of the lucky ones.

Victims   to cruel medical procedures, routine sexual assault, and other   atrocities under The Facility’s authority, Dean and Castiel quickly find   comfort in each other. They—especially Dean—scheme and plot their   escape with the help of Dean’s laywer brother, Sam, who is states over   but somehow instrumental in their plan. They find strength and love in  each other, but how long will they live in a facility that executes   rebels, and how long will they last when Naomi discovers that separating   them makes them weaker?

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Moon-kissed

Author: FogsRollingIn Artist: MidnightSilver Rating: Mature (for dark themes) Length: ~28,000 Pairings: Sam/Dean (unrelated) Warnings: Dark themes, slavery, mentions of past abuse, graphic violence

Leviathans   led a successful global assault on humanity twenty years ago. The  resistance is made up of surviving humans and Luna-borne creatures such  as weres. Dean, a Marrow Pack werewolf, runs missions to take down   leviathan strongholds and rescue those imprisoned and enslaved there. On   this particular mission, Dean is shocked to discover one of the young   slaves is a werecat, a species so rare that most weres thought them   extinct.

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I Dreamed A Dream

Author: MidnightSilver Beta: wendibird Artist: Angel Rating: Gen Length: ~21,000 words Pairings: none Warnings: Canon level violence, some gore, angst, despair, child death - minor characters,

Six beings stand alone as the world crumbles and gasps it dying breath  -  a world of death from sickness and starvation; a world where  monsters   walk the day without fear; where the living wait for death  only to find  Death is no comfort.

Above this world sits the  Archangel who was  its architect. Below it waits the Vessel who could  not let go - who  laughed as it burned. And somewhere unknown is a man  lost to his family.  He fights, though his strength is almost gone. The  one who was looking  for him is broken - his hope destroyed. And the  last Angel is not  enough. He was never meant to stand alone.

This world is nightmare - but when you are alone in the terror of the night who can lead the way to salvation?

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Between Promise and Purgatory

Author: CR Noble Artist: hit_the_books Rating: Explicit Pairing: Gen, background Ketch/Gadreel Word Count: 26K Warnings: Major   Character Death, Dystopian AU, Human trafficking, self-harm, graphic   depictions of violence, imprisonment, uneducated!sam, resistance, caste   system, torture, noncon, medical procedures, eugenics, minor character   death (multiple)

In a post-apocalyptic   world where the rich have control of everything, including the people,   and the poor don’t even own their own bodies, people with superior   genetics are sold as breeders for the Gentry to keep their immortal   bloodlines growing.

Dean has lived in Purgatory his whole   life, trying his best to protect his younger brother from the hideous   truths of their existence, especially since their parents died while   they were teenagers. So, when Sam is taken to be sold as a breeder, Dean   doesn’t have a choice.

With the help of the underground society known as the Network, Dean must face impossible odds if he is to save his brother.

The risks are great, but he’ll do anything to save Sam. No matter what it costs.

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