#so he would know if red didn't have a code to open the thing anyway

[fbfh]

Thinking about how Miguel O'hara's brain is just a fruity lil margarita of breeding, possession, housewife, size, primal, and strength kinks with a whole bottle of pleasure dom juice. Hm.

Especially when you're ovulating. God help both of you. He can smell it from a mile away and always swears that this time will be different, he can control himself, he won't end up a slobbering feral mess that has you in a mating press all week, and every single month he finds himself in that exact position. Literally. You just smell so... sweet, and musky, and creamy, like milk and cookies. It's not his fault that you're so damn addictive. He genuinely doesn't think you can possibly get more attractive until he's actually inside you. It started innocently enough, with him asking you to sit in his lap. He lasted about 2 minutes this time before ripping off your clothes with his claws so you could cockwarm him. His cock is so big and meaty, definitely not for the faint of heart. You're genuinely surprised he manages to fit most of it inside you, it's that big. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't slowly turning you into a bit of a size queen. You're too scared to measure him properly, plus no one would believe whatever the number is anyway. But every time he works his veiny, meaty, throbbing cock inside you, every time the dizzying uncut tip catches on your pussy, slicking you up as it practically pisses precum out of the feverish, deep red slit, you SWEAR it feels like a professional baseball player's bicep is being worked inside your cunt. The imprint of his cock reaches up to your ribs, you would wonder how it's possible if you weren't already forgetting your name. And god, miguel loves that. He loves how small you are in his massive grip, how he can hold your legs open with his big meaty thighs, leaving you all exposed like that. He loves how you smell. God, the way you smell... he bends forward, using a fraction of his strength to collapse into you and arch your back as he nuzzles into your neck, rooting around until he finally finds the spot. THE spot. The sweet juicy tender spot where your addictive, delicious pheromones are coming from, and he does the only thing he can to satisfy this hunger. He bites down. He sucks that tender patch of skin into his mouth, fangs grazing and making your cunt convulse. And goddammit, you taste better than you smell. He sucks and sucks and licks at your skin with his big wet long tongue. You feel something wet dripping down your neck and realize he's salivating. This man is literally DROOLING for you. You try to squirm and wiggle completely unsuccessfully, this man has you LOCKED DOWN. Big mistake. His grip tightens, and he moves you even closer to him so you have less to work with in terms of attempts to break free. As if that didn't have your clit twitching so hard you would think she's moaning in morse code, he starts growling. It's a deep, bassy, chittering sound that vibrates through your whole body. He doesn't even know he's doing it. Whenever you move he just gets more possessive and manhandly, like trying to take away an untrained dog's favorite toy. Everything he does makes you dizzier, it makes your pussy drip until there's a puddle on the floor. If you were capable of coherent thought, it would probably be something along the lines of "wow holy fuck thank god miguel has such a good sense of smell or ovulating would be really boring"

[kingsandbastardz]

Tumblr ate the anon ask I was responding to so I'm gonna paraphrase it here:

what do mean llh gave di feisheng to fang duobing? the letter totally said something else

Yes, it did - but I didn't feel I could comment too deeply on it when it's been retranslated and people who are far more literate than I am have analyzed the contents already. -- The letter itself seems pretty straight forward.

However, what I wanted to focus on was analyzing unspoken social dynamics - so I'm gonna get in depth into my reasoning for my interpretation. And admittedly in previous posts I was playing fast and glib with my responses (they were just insomnia-fueled thoughts I typed real fast) so I wasn't really in depth or anything. Anyway~~~ That means it's time for me to get long winded.

So! First thing - this is the scene: The letter was written from Li Xiangyi and addressed in its entirety to Di Feisheng. However, when it was delivered the fisherman asked for both DFS and FDB. It was then read outloud by either the fisherman or FDB -- I assume read out loud, and loudly, because DFS never left his position by the rocks and emoted his distress at the contents. That means everyone there also was privy to the letter contents.

The letter itself is straight forward. It's addressed from LXY telling DFS that he regretfully can't make the duel and that he respects him both as a martial artist and as a person, and if he wishes, he can go to FDB who has inherited his skills and shows great promise, etc.

The thing IS - I firmly believe that this is not a message meant just for DFS.

Both LLH and DFS code switch between their non-leader selves vs Li-Menzhu and Di-Mengzhu. It's easiest to see based on what they're wearing. Li Xiangyi when he's dressed in the Sigu Sect uniform. Or the Styx flower hand-off scene where he calls him Di-mengzhu (not Lao Di or A-Fei or whatever else) likely as a reaction to his official regalia/red uniform which means DFS was showing up in an official capacity. Both of them know very well the importance of a certain.... how to say.... drama? They're both leaders and they were also very performative in their roles as leaders. They both expected that massive peanut gallery that showed up to witness the fight - the one filled with members of various sects, including Sigu Sect leadership -- because dfs was likely the one announcing it.

Imo - aside from the need to express the full weight of what he felt, part of the reason LLH was so formal in his letter is expectation that there would be other people there - influential people. The very people DFS and FDB would have to deal with in the future alone. FDB would be ok but he's largely unknown to the rest of jianghu and therefore his story is still malleable. DFS is known, but infamous and his narrative is as much of a trap as LXY's was. And now he no longer has the benefit of a sect to act as a buffer.

LLH's last act as LXY was not to save Yun Biqiu but to carve a new path open in the world for DFS and FDB:

Expresses that he bears deep emotion and the greatest and deepest respect for DFS despite a reputation of them being enemies

Informs everyone that DFS is not seeking dominion or 'the throne' but rather, is going the fighter-scholar path of studying and testing martial skill -- aka, this is message from one sect leader to all the others present. Spread the word, this man is NOT gunning for your power. None of you have reason to take him down.

Establishes FDB as his one and only successor - while also stating clearly it's entirely up to FDB to decide whether to continue down this path or not

Creates a pathway for DFS and FDB to maintain their connection with each other - and in fact lets everyone else know that there is a pre-established, legacy relationship between DFS and LLH that FDB will be inheriting.

Gently asks DFS to keep an eye on FDB's development - iterating that if dfs is the one asking, then FDB may make the decision to continue to train - aka help him see his full potential whatever his decision is.

At the same time, he silently wishes FDB to maintain connections with/keep an eye on DFS. In another reply I kinda went on about this: imagine a scenario where your friend's mom pulls both of you in front of her. And the whole time is telling your friend that they need to do, expectations, a list of goals, etc. The entire time she's only focused on your friend - but there is this silent implication that you, as the witness, is expected to act a reminder or even an enforcer if your friend isn't listening. If things go wrong, you're expected to go in there and help them to do the thing they were asked to do. This is the unspoken message I'm getting for FDB. Even though his name wasn't mentioned in the letter, it was explicitly delivered to both him and dfs. He's standing right there while an imaginary LLH talks to DFS. So if after all this, dfs disappears without another word = fdb can feel emboldened to go after him, knocking on doors until he answers. Should he decide to do so.

Entreaty - "These are LXY's (my) last wishes. Please respect my memory after my death."

Conclusion: LLH's last actions were to create a space where both DFS and FDB can make their own decision on their path in the world, without the weight of all those other people in jianghu influencing them.

Note: I also believe that on dfs' side, his clothing choices point toward his plans to publicly step down and leave the martial path with Li Lianhua. But llh sucker-punched him and left him standing on some rocks like a widow waiting for her husband who's lost at sea. They were technically on the same page, but it somehow went wrong because... well. Unfortunately that's DFS' narrative. He never quite reaches his goal without the hero either hindering or helping him. The entire drama was LLH being that karma busting fulcrum for him. But now, should he wish it, it'll be FDB's turn to step up and do the same.

[tyudearyous]

ephemeral - c.jh

pairing : jongho x reader

themes : established relationship where reader is chronically sick

genre : HEAVY ANGST with small bits of fluff ig

warnings : depictions of medicines and needles, major character death! proceed with caution

wc : 2.9k

🎵 star - heize, one of these nights - red velvet, be with you - ateez, o - leehi ft code kunst, little bit - devita ft code kunst

masterlist

...

"miss it is time for you to take your medicines, alright?" the nurse enters your hospital room with several medical equipment and syringes filled with your medicine. it has been months since your condition took for the worse. you were born with a weak heart, it was a given. despite that, you didn't expect things to escalate this fast. you were grateful still, at the very least your short lifespan was filled with more than enough happy moments.

"thank you" you replied to the nurse before she took your arm to inject your medicine and do some physical check ups. needles don't hurt for you at this point. you're just so used to being injected and reinjected with fluids that would help with your health (but you know it's all meaningless, you'd die anyway).

when you were getting your meds, the door opened to a breathless jongho running after work. you immediately laughed at that sight of him. "miss, please stay still" the nurse warned you softly. you muttered apologies before giving jongho a frown to jab on him. he smiled at your antics and began to wind down at the couch next to your bed.

"nurse, is this the last one?" jongho asked the nurse tending to you right now. the nurse nodded. "hopefully this would be the last dose for this week. tomorrow miss y/n will have a full check up again with dr. seo. remember that okay miss?" she explained before she left the room, giving you and jongho some space.

"how was today?" you asked jongho. he sat at the empty chair next to your bed before tucking your stray hair to your ears. "shitty but it's better now, cause you're here" he smiled and you slapped his shoulders. "ouch, i was being honest" before flashing his adorable gummy smile. you felt content and happy that he was here with you. despite all, jongho still stayed with you and you're happy with that.

"hey" you cupped his cheeks. jongho tilted his head. your eyes that were filled with happiness turned into something somber. this didn't go unnoticed by him. "what's wrong?" he started to get worried and took your hands in his. he started rubbing your knuckles before kissing it to hopefully calm you down.

"it hurts" tears started to fall down your cheeks, you couldn't hold it in. "hey, what hurts? what's wrong? i'll call dr. seo wait" you held his hands, stopping him. "i don't need dr. seo. it just hurts jjong, i don't know whether can i keep this up" you explained. it has been months since you were admitted to special care and you aren't even showing any signs of recovery. it just stayed stagnant, the exact same when you were first admitted. breathing honestly feels hard for you, if not for the machine helping you. walking feels tough and everything just felt hard for you.

"y/n, look at me" he cupped your cheeks. "it's going to be okay. you'll get through this. you'll recover, okay? we'll go on dates like we used to. we'll go to paris just like you wanted, come on. don't be like this okay?" he reassured you. you stayed silent before shaking your head.

"jjong, i- i can't" you broke down to tears. he tried so hard to hold back his tears but eventually his poured out as well. "i told you right? it's a given. don't dream too big about this" you pushed through your tears. "y/n. i told you to not be like this" his tone was higher but you understood it. "i don't want you to end up heartbroken, jjong" you put your right hand to wipe his tears.

"you should be ready, anytime. i feel like i can't continue living like this. all of this would only give me perhaps 2? 3? i don't know. months jongho. let's be realistic here. i'm tired" you collapsed to him, crying.

"y/n, i can't let you go like this. we can go through this together, i'm here. i'm here" he stood you up again before making you cup his cheeks but you shook your head. it was all too hard for you.

"i don't like it here. i know if i leave i won't be able to survive but jjong, i'm tired" you explained to him. "let's get some fresh air tomorrow, okay?" he calmed you down.

that night, he stayed in the hospital with you. he slept on your bed, in hopes that you'd stay strong regardless of everything. but honestly? you didn't want to. you wished to just drop everything. the only reason you're still headstrong about the treatment was jongho. you couldn't leave him, not when he's still like this.

...

the next day came and you found yourself on the beach, enjoying the smell of sea with your lover next to you. everything that happened last night became something both of you avoided. if you brought it up, you know it would devastate jongho even more, so you didn't. he was holding back his emotions even today. you could see in his eyes, how puffy they are and how they hold countless unsaid words. the trip that was supposed to be joyful became somber.

"you remember our first time going to the sea?" you broke the silence. "oh? yeah. when you first got your driving license" he laughed. it was a random weekend when you decided to bring jongho to the nearest beach to celebrate you getting your license. you even drove there but the entire drive gave jongho a heart attack, mainly because of your un-adapt-ness to the road. the way back home, he insisted on driving so he drove you back home. nonetheless, it was a memorable yet funny moment.

"i still remember you nagging me through the road" you sulked. "oh come on, you suck at driving y/n. just admit it" he laughed at you which made you sulk even more. "oh come on don't sulk, at least you have me. your professional driver" jongho cupped your cheeks before planting a kiss on your forehead.

"i want to go on more drives honestly" you admitted, eyes on the sea, avoiding his. "when you recover, i'll bring you to many drives okay? we'll explore the world together, just like what you wanted" he said while holding your hands. "hopefully yeah?" you gave him a smile.

"but" you said, creating a silence between the two of you. "if i'm gone, remember. i want you to move on. you deserve happiness, jjong. just remember me, that's all i need from you" you teared up slightly. "y/n let's no-" "no, i have to say that. you have to accept the reality. i can't stay here forever, you know that. i wish i could've held on to for like 2 or 3 years so we could get married but i can't. dr. seo told me, i only had approximately 2 months left and that is also if my body is strong enough but my body isn't, jjong. it's weak, it's a blessing that i still can be here with you today. if not now, when will i say that to you?" you cut him off, tears falling down your eyes.

"i love you, i really do. if i had the time i'd do anything for you, genuinely. but right now, let's face the reality, okay?" you held his hands, circling around his knuckles. he stood up to walk away slightly and you let him be. it was hard for the both of you and you understood it perfectly.

you prayed to the universe for more time. just maybe. just maybe.

...

ring ring

3 missed calls from ???

jongho wondered, what's with the sudden calls from an unknown number. he excused himself from his office to go to the rooftop area to call the number back.

"hello?" he opened the call. "yes, is this mr. choi jongho?" a panicked voice asked him through the call. "yes? what is wrong?" he asked.

"miss y/n's condition worsened and is now in queue for surgery, do you consent to the surgery? we tried calling her family but-" he cut off the call and immediately left work to go to the hospital. he drove past through traffic lights and just drove as fast as he could to get to you.

when he arrived to the hospital, he immediately looked for you. ultimately failing because you weren't in your room. thankfully, the nurse who tended to you were there waiting for him.

"oh thank goodness, miss y/n is currently in surgery. please pray for the best" she told him. he felt as if all air was taken out of his lungs that exact moment. he immediately collapsed in the waiting room. all he could do was stare at the ceiling, praying and hoping that the surgery would go well.

that he would be given the chance to see you once again.

...

the surgery room was hectic. the doctors tried to resuscitate you after your heart rate dropped. countless machines were used to get your heart rate up but nothing did the job. the doctors had to perform surgery to you because of this.

you felt nothing. well, you were near death at this point. only your brain was conscious and all you could think was just how you wished you had more time. sure, your short life was a great one. you couldn't have asked for a better one but still, that didn't mean you didn't have regrets.

just as the doctors tried to give your heart mechanical palpitations, your heart stopped working. it was final, you couldn't be saved.

...

"dr.seo! how is she?" jongho immediately ran to him when he saw his figure out of the surgery room. "i apologize, mr. choi. we couldn't save her." dr. seo apologized to jongho.

all he felt at that moment was pain. he scoffed before sitting down and bawled. why. why did it have to be you who suffered. why was the world so cruel to him. he was angry but he knew, can he really blame anyone? he had no one to blame. dr. seo and his team did his best and you did your best to put up with everything.

all he could do was cry and cry and cry and cry.

...

it has been 2 years since your passing. jongho has been a mess throughout those 2 years. he couldn't even handle seeing your grave during the first year of your death. he tried to cope by everything. drinking, isolating, everything. he tried to distract himself with everything. he didn't even bother removing the pictures he had of you in his apartment and cellphone. he didn't want to let you go. his friends tried to help him but it was all useless. he truly couldn't let you go. he couldn't handle seeing this world without you by his side.

but that was all during the first year. this year, he decided to pick his life back up. he couldn't continue living like this right? so he started by cleaning his apartment first. seonghwa helped him to clean his apartment that was filled with trash from his grief. jongho was grateful his friends didn't judge, he was grateful that he still had them. slowly, little by little, he picked his life back up and he's finally ready to see you again. he's ready to visit your grave.

it was the 2nd anniversary of your death. before going, he bought a bouquet of your favorite flowers. tulips, asters and several forget-me-nots with some baby breath adorning it. he was even wearing the scarf you bought him for his 20th birthday.

when he arrived to your gravesite, he saw your mother sitting in front of the grave. he stood there, waiting for her to finish. when she finished, he greeted her.

"good afternoon, mother" he greeted her. "oh, jongho-ya! how have you been?" your mother asked him. "i've been well, how are you mother?" he continued. "i've been alright, it's been hard for you, right?" she tapped jongho's shoulders. "alright, go to her. i'm sure you missed her." he bowed to your mother and left for your grave. "oh wait!" your mother called, making him stop on his tracks. "here, i'm sure y/n wanted you to see this" she handed him a flashdisk before leaving. jongho was confused but he shrugged it off, for later. he wanted to talk to you first.

when he finally stood in front of your grave, the emotions he suppressed for the past 2 years all fell out. just the sight of your grave made him cry but he tried to hold back. he didn't spend a whole year being depressed to stay like this. he placed the bouquet in front of your gravestone and he sat in front of your grave.

"hey, it's been a while huh?" he started to talk to you. "i've been a mess since you left. i'm sorry, i can't fulfill my promises to you. i don't think i can move on you know but i'll try to not mop around being sad because i know you won't like that" he laughed. "sorry for not being here last year, i just couldn't accept it. why did you have to leave me that fast? but i know. you're happier there. you're no longer in pain, you're no longer stressed. i'm fine with that. well, i'll try to be fine with that" he teared up again.

"anyway, i love you, y/n. i wish you're still here with me but i'll handle it. i love you, seriously. no one is going to replace your place." he stated before continuing to talk to you about his days. he stayed there for hours and hours before going home because it was getting dark. by the end of it, his eyes were puffy but his heart was light. he was happy he took the time to talk to you.

...

y/n's tape for jongho.

hi jjong, haha wait i'm really not used to recording these okay wait. creates hand gestures to regain composure. okay, hi. if you get this cd then i'm dead already probably, sadly looks down and throws head back to not cry. anyway, i'm glad to have met you this life time. i'm glad i had you, and i don't regret giving my all to you. i regret nothing when it comes to us. i love you, i hope you know that.

i'm sorry for being blunt sometimes, i'm sorry for hurting you, i'm sorry for being selfish, i'm sorry for leaving you. gosh, if i could i would've married you and had kids. ah why am i tearing up, sorry. yeah, i wish we had more time. i wish i could've seen a mini us, i wish we were a normal couple. i'm sorry for bringing you through this pain, i'm sorry jjong.

i don't want you to mop around after i leave. i hope you find someone that loves you as much as i do, or if you can't handle that, at least be happy for me please. i don't want you to be depressed, i hate seeing you cry you know. i hate it when you're sad. so please, be happy for me. okay, jjongie?

i remember when we first spent the night together. we made a promise didn't we that night? that we'd travel around the world and i asked you to propose to me in paris? hahaha i wish we could make that real but we can't sadly. instead, go there for me. take lots of photos, make lots of memories, be happy for me. i'd always look out for you. i'd always be with you even when you don't realize it, jjong. so don't be sad okay? wipes tears ahhhhh. i can't do this.

anyways, just be happy for me. don't cry too much. don't be sad. i love you forever and always, jjongbear. if you miss me, just visit my grave. i'm up 24/7 you know, so just find me there or talk to the sprout teddy i made for you last year. i wish you well and i love you. i'm sorry for everything i put you through. i love you truly.

video ends.

sniffles could be heard through the entire apartment. there was a boy crying over his dead lover, in the sweatshirt she loved to wear and holding the teddy bear she crocheted for him. the boy couldn't hold his tears and just let it flow. unbeknownst to him, a small blue butterfly was sitting next to the couch. when he noticed this, he was confused. he remembered not opening any windows so how did the small creature get inside? but then he remembered.

she too loved butterflies

"y/n, really" he scoffed before tearing up again but this time with the butterfly on his shoulders.

i love you truly, choi jongho

the end.

[casuallyawkardd]

Close Encounters of the Spiderkind Pt III

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Single Mother!Reader

Summary: Miguel and you get the chance to get to know one another better while on a mission

Warnings: fluff, mentions of drug use but nothing crazy, super evil villain watch out, not fluent in Spanish so lemme know if I mess up

A/N: Finally the long awaited next part of the series! Thank you all for being so patient with me and I hope it holds up to expectation 😊 Also I finally made a masterlist for this series!

MASTERLIST | TAGLIST

One thing you liked about Nueva York was that you could see the stars at night. In your universe's New York, the lights alone would drown out their natural light, something you missed seeing back in your hometown. But here, they were plain to see, sparkling down on you from the open sunroof. Maybe someone in this universe developed lights that didn't snuff out the natural light of the world, that or maybe the future was less smoggy.

This wasn't the Nueva York you were familiar with, not technically anyway. What had Miguel called it? Earth-928C? It was another version of Miguel's home, one where there were enough differences that they were their own separate universes, but not so much so that it was classified under a different number. Speaking of Miguel..

"Remind me why I was chosen for this mission?" you asked, breaking the silence between you two. The man in question gave you a sideways glance, not looking too happy with your tone.

"Because Jess is already on one with Peter B and she suggested I take you instead," he answered matter-of-factly, nostrils flaring as he let out a huff.

"And...why did Jess have to be the one to come?"

"You know, you ask a lot of questions."

"And you avoid a lot of them," you quipped back, shooting him a half-hearted glare before sighing heavily, arms crossing over your chest. "I get the whole 'mysterious leader' thing, but I don't think it's too much to ask for a little more detail-"

"I needed someone to pose as my date to this event," Miguel cut you off. You awaited further explanation, but the other spider seemed to think that answer would suffice. It certainly explained the given dress code for the mission. Miguel sporting a suit, appearing like a simple black, but was shown to be a deep red when the light hit it just right. His eyes gave you the up and down, as if just now seeing your ensemble for the first time. "You clean up nice."

"A simple 'I like your dress' would work, O'Hara," you huff.

"Fine, I like your dress, happy?" he retorts and you roll your eyes, the compliment not as sincere when you have to pull teeth to get it.

Yet another moment of silence followed as the car drove on, a divider keeping the driver oblivious to the conversation between you two. "What's the mission?" you asked finally, "I know you mentioned something with anomaly capture, but we were in a rush so..."

"Ay dios mío," Miguel pulled up an image on his gizmo. "A variant of Doctor Octavius was detected here," he pointed to the flashing dot on the map, "that building just so happens to be where Alchemax is hosting their annual charity event. Make sense?"

"Mmm," you hum, "and do you expect that they'll just let us walk right in?"

"Of course they will," he said, clicking the hologram away and leaning back against the seat, "the Miguel of this universe still works for Alchemax, he's expected to be there."

"And you plan to pose as yourself in this dimension?" Miguel nods to confirm your thought. "What if the Miguel from this universe comes too?"

"He won't."

"And you know that because..?"

Miguel didn't respond, looking out the window as the car came to a stop. "We're here, let's at least pretend we like each other."

Stepping out, Miguel offered you his arm for you to get out of the car with ease. The building before you was tall, much like the skyscrapers of your universe, only maintaining that futuristic quality most things seemed to possess in Nueva York. The lights you could see from the top floor told you of your destination, all that was left was to make your way inside.

"Why the cameras?" you asked, indicating with a nod of your head to the flashing lights and large crowd around the base of the staircase that led to the entrance.

The sight made Miguel grimace, "Paparazzi," he spat the word, "makes sense, these things usually attract that kind of crowd. Celebrities, billionaires, anyone Alchemax can sucker into funding their projects." His disdain for the company was evident, as to why he had such a deeply rooted hatred for it, you had yet to hear that story. "Come on, let's just go in. Try not to be obvious." Before you could respond, he was already leading the way; his arm linked with yours as the two of you managed to slip inside.

The way up was uneventful, one high tech elevator ride and you were on top of one of the tallest buildings in the city. According to Miguel at least. On the way up, Miguel had shared the plan: lie low and wait, plain and simple. It wasn't like his usual plans, Miguel seeming to prefer getting in and out as quickly as possible, anomaly captured and sent to HQ in the blink of an eye.

"There's too many people," he explained, "one wrong move and this building could come crashing down with everyone inside. Just act natural and let the target reveal itself to us." Just how dangerous was this variant?

You were reluctant, but chose not to argue with his plan, especially once you saw the venue. The event was being held in a ballroom of sorts, designed for events such as this one. The room was large, accented by a stunning silver chandelier. There were tables for guests to sit at on the borders of the room, many already occupied by elite figures chatting away about business and what have you. Horderves and cocktails were being distributed on metal trays that hovered about the room. The room, the people in it, all that you saw combined into a reminder of just how advanced Miguel's universe truly was.

"Miguel?" a man's voice called out, the owner coming through the crowd. He was an older man, tall like the man at your side and equally well dressed, if not more. "Well, isn't this a treat?" There was a teasing tone to his voice, offering a hand that Miguel stiffly shook.

"Mr. Stone," Miguel mused, forcing a smile to maintain the facade, "How are you this evening?"

"Well," Stone replied, looking in your direction, "And who might you be?"

"Oh, just Miguel's date," you tell him, throwing your name out there as well.

Mr. Stone smiled, taking your hand in his, "I doubt something as lovely as you is 'just Miguel's date,'" he said before planting a kiss on the back of your hand. A gesture that made you want to retract your hand immediately, but you kept with the pleasantries.

"Well...I'm-"

"My girlfriend," Miguel interjected, pulling the unwanted attention off of you.

"Girlfriend?" Stone seemed surprised by the bit of information. "Didn't know you had one. Thought you were becoming a sort of recluse."

Miguel just shrugged, despite the comment seeming backhanded, an insult hidden behind a pearly white smile. "Well I have to get out sometimes," was all he said and Mr. Stone nodded slowly in acknowledgment.

"You should spend some of that time coming into the lab. I'm sure your team's been missing you."

"I'll think about it." Before the older man could continue, Miguel placed a hand on the small of your back, gently pushing you forward and through the crowd, finding solace at an empty table.

"You know him?" you dared to ask, based on the sour expression marring Miguel's features.

"Tyler Stone," was all he said, huffing in annoyance, "He's in my universe as well, or I suppose was. This version doesn't seem to be as much of an entitled prick at least."

"Oh," was all you had to say, glancing around the party. Whoever this Stone person was, he seemed to have struck a nerve in Miguel, making him more irritable than usual. Something you didn't plan to tolerate all evening. "Miguel?"

"Mmm."

"Why the hell is everyone in every version of your universe so damn tall?"

Miguel paused, looking around confused before looking back at you, "I'm sorry?"

"I mean really, I've looked this room up and down and I'm pretty sure I'm the shortest one here. What's the average height, six foot three?"

He hummed in amusement, "Six foot one for women."

"Nuh uh."

"And six foot six for men."

"What the hell!?" you guffawed, your dramatics making a small smile appear on your partners lips. "What are they feeding you in the future?"

"Dunno, better food?" he shrugged, sitting back in his chair, posture more relaxed than it had been. "Anti-gravity tech is more normalized in my universe too. It's been proven to have an effect on the development of kids."

"And you know that because..?"

"Did a report on it in middle school."

"Of course you did."

"Keep the snide remarks to yourself," his tone hardened for a moment and you wondered if your attempt at lightening the mood had struck a nerve, but he continued on. "You know, I'm sure Vada could benefit from some anti-gravity therapy."

"Hey, my little lady is perfect at the size she is," you warned, the smile on your face keeping the conversation light hearted. "Plus, I want to savor her being small for as long as I can."

Miguel chuckled, "Ain't that the truth."

The air around you two seemed to shift with that little comment, your smile slowly fading in sync with his. You felt like you should say something, break the ice once more to relieve the somber air. "Miguel, I-"

"Es suficiente," he interjected, rising from his seat and adjusting his suit. "We need to stay focused. Start searching for the target, let's get a move on."

Complying, you rose to your feet as well, stopping after taking the first step to follow. "...No."

Miguel froze at the single syllable, turning to look at you over his shoulder, "What was that?"

"No," you repeated, his eyes now narrowing at you. "You were the one who said we needed to lay low, right?"

"...Yes, but-"

"Well," you interrupted and his jaw set in annoyance, "then we should take advantage of where we're at. Enjoy the party and all, yeah?"

"That's not-"

"If you need to get a hold of me, just call me on the gizmo."

"No, Y/N, we need to stick together," Miguel reached out to stop you, but you were already walking off, a platter of bruschetta catching your eye. Miguel let out a deep breath through his nose, "The anomaly could be anywhere, it's dangerous to be on your own."

"I'm not alone, I have you," you called back to him playfully, trying not to laugh at just how peeved he looked. "Let loose O'Hara, don't be such a stick in the mud. Is that whole wall an aquarium?"

You never knew rubbing elbows with the elite could be so...enjoyable. It seemed many found your conversation refreshing, a change of pace from the usual, high society vernacular. It helped that they had expensive taste as well. The food was immaculate and you regretted not bringing something to stash away extra. Something Vada could have tried when you got home.

Speaking of your little one, she had managed to get a hold of you through Lyla. You had been hesitant to let an AI watch over your daughter, but considering she looked to be in one piece, it looked like this little experiment worked out just fine. Vada was even ready for bed, hair washed and wearing fresh pajamas. The call was to simply say goodnight, you promising to tuck her in when you got home.

"Tell Miggy I said goodnight, too," your toddler demanded, making you laugh.

"I will. Goodnight, baby."

"Goodnight, Mama."

As soon as you hung up, the group you had found yourself in was bombarding you with questions. 'You have a daughter? How old is she? Sounds like she misses her mother, huh? Why didn't you bring her tonight? Who's her father, maybe we know him? Is it Miguel?'

"Oh no, nothing like that," you had to chime in, waving your hands defensively, "I had her with my ex, she's too young to come to something like this." When they pressed for more information, particularly about Vada's father, you provided some dodgy answers before making the executive decision to excuse yourself.

The balcony seemed to be the place most people were going to get a moment of peace. It was dimmer, the only light coming from the windows looking into the ballroom. Some were having a smoke break, while others used the fresh air to keep the alcohol in their stomachs. Miguel was among them, neither drunk or smoking, leaning against the balcony on his own.

"This doesn't seem like the place to find a Doc Ock anomaly," you teased, coming to stand beside him.

He acknowledged you with a sideways glance before looking back at the city below. "Didn't get the chance to investigate much. Too many people trying to talk to me."

"Oh no, whatever will you do?"

"You're hilarious," he matched your sarcastic tone with his own.

"It must be nice though, people seem to like you a lot here. Or.. I guess the Miguel of this universe, at least." You looked over at him, debating your next words. "Miguel, how did you know he wouldn't be coming tonight?" You could see his jaw set, eyes now purposely avoiding yours. It was frustrating to say the least. "Come on, Miguel. Why can't you just tell me?"

"It's none of your business, that's why."

"Oh, but it's yours? Cuz it's you in another dimension? Tell me, when do I get to know the 'business' of every other version of me?"

"You know what? I'm getting real sick of-" Miguel whipped to the side to face you, his shoulder bumping yours and you stumbled to catch yourself. That seemed to give him pause, Miguel going quiet once more as the two of you now stared at each other. You were trying to understand what was going through his head, but his expression was as hard to read as ever. Blinking slowly, he let out a heavy sigh, going back to leaning against the railing. "It's just personal, alright? The Miguel of this universe and I have... a lot in common."

You didn't say anything, not sure what you would say anyway. Leaning forward on the railing, your eyes focused on your fidgeting hands, looking up when Miguel continued. "He's addicted to Rapture, a disgusting drug that Alchemax developed, just like I was," reluctantly his eyes met yours, gaze softer than it had been before. "except I succeeded where he will inevitably fail. He'll perform an experiment to get rid of the addiction, but it'll backfire. He'll be dead by the end of the week."

"Oh, Miguel, I.. I'm sorry to hear that," you placed a sympathetic hand on his forearm. You bit your lip in thought, unsure what to say under these circumstances "That must be hard, knowing a version of yourself is going to... you know."

Miguel just shrugged off your touch, "It wouldn't be the first time," he replied, you frowning at how quickly he brushed it off.

"Still, I'm sorry," you repeated, Miguel only humming to show he heard you. The two of you didn't say much after that, but it wasn't awkward like the other periods of silence between you tonight. There was tension, but time seemed to help melt it away. It began to feel almost natural, the kind of quiet you were used to sharing with a select few people. The breeze came in, cool against your skin, save for the part of you that pressed against Miguel's side, welcoming the warmth he had to give. "Hey," you said, "this might be a bad time to bring it up, but Vada did want to tell you goodnight."

A puff of air escaped his lips, making a 'tch' sound, shoulders shifting in a mute laugh. "Did she now? Well that's awfully generous of her." Miguel savored the sights of the city a moment longer, letting your news sink in before pushing off the railing, standing to his full height. "Come on, we should head back in. We still have a mission to finish."

"Right," you agreed, following after him. You had forgotten how bright the ballroom was, squinting at the brightness invading your vision. After that, it was back to the mission. This time you stuck close to Miguel's side, there to diffuse the small talk as politely as possible while he continued to search the room.

"The anomaly is in this room, stay on the alert."

You nodded at his instruction, eyes peeled for any guests who might be glitching in and out of reality. However, your attention was limited, eyes drawn to the aquarium you had seen earlier. It truly was a sight to behold, Miguel had pulled you away before you got the chance to get a good look. Twenty feet in height and a blue that was equally unnatural and alluring. Decorated to perfection, because of course it was, with well placed rocks that had corals of various colors and shapes sprouting between them. The fish were just as diverse, shapes and colors that glided about the water. Some you had never seen before, while others were a familiar sight. A pair of clownfish nestling into some anemone, a whale shark swimming above the reef, an octopus with a monocle and- Wait a minute.

"Miguel," you patted his arm to get his attention, pointing at the discovery. Your eyes had not deceived you, there was indeed an octopus, sporting a monocle that was reminiscent of a cyberpunk style, the glowing green eye within darting around suspiciously. Upon second glance, you saw that this octopus also sported two mechanical tentacles, the style matching the device over its eye.

"You've got to be kidding me," Miguel groaned, "this was a high threat alert." As if to answer his question, the creature glitched, startling a school of fish that then scattered about the tank.

"Yeah, real threatening, he might take over the entire aquarium."

"Can it, let's just get the thing and- what are you doing?"

"Hold on, I want to take a picture. Vada's gonna get a kick out of this."

Tags: @l0sert0wn​ @deputy-videogamer​ @arctic4life​ @sasaleleselfships​ @autismsupermusicalassassin​ @snert-bees @qundadedingle11 @uniquelyabnormallyoriginal @fangirlreice7 @mouse-teagreat @andr3wgarfieldsupremacist @yellieeeee @thesrtuggleisveryreal @escherichiacolli @sweeteaacorner @marvelouslovely-barnes @meeom @candlewitch-cryptic​ @iwanttogohomeandtakeanap @melovetitties @ilovemycat6808 @vegas-writing-den @pippethealien @shibble @mommyhange1 @chiikasevennn @pokhouu @jenniferdixon05207 @m0sscr3ates @momos-peaches @insanelycrazyanddelusional @miggyoharaswife @justtnat @imliquidesmooth @thedevillovesflowers @mvc2019   @starrynightnight @risinglightmoon @charming4u @whitetearx @blueparadisecollection16s @idontknowwhatimgoinghere @ziyahshinez @migueloharaslxt @obi-mom-kenobi​ @allysunny​ @viriexo @futuristicpandakid ​ @louderfortheback @tomhollandisabae @itzsab @blue-pears-blog @geraskier-thots @saintskully @johnny-pie @keenzinemugstudent @rizahawkeye1380 @realalpacorn @prettylittlebrowngirl​ @leahnicole1219​ @i-feel-violated @fandom-ash @graysonshaven @qiaipia @3zae-zae3 @melovetitties @marcswife21 @the-silvercrow @erissco @stqrlightrs

[superums]

rock-star! hobie x super-star! reader headcannons

ooc!hobie (maybe). gn!reader. mentions of girlfriend one time but that it. black coded!reader but its not heavy or anything. reader was supposed to be a rapper but i like the idea of a super star instead. i wanted to make the reader like sexyy red that didn't happen. theres a suggestive part. idk how to write his accent

color coded text: hobie , you

you guys are more alike than you think. touring, getting into fights, sometimes your music topics intersect beating people down, stealing peoples partners, rebelling against the system in some way, shape or form.

but where you're different is how you market yourselfs. hobies band is more about being loud about the hate for conforming and the system. they're vocal about political issues, they almost get banned from tv multiple times for broadcasting ideas that the man doesn't like.

you on the other hand, are seen as the super star of your generation. you rap, sing dance—you're the real deal. your music is very diverse depending on what you want to go for; you could sing the most heart wrenching songs about one sided love and the next track you could be rapping about getting white girl wasted and getting ████ed in the ████ in the car before an award show (which may or may not have happened).

anyways! you two keep your relationship as private as you can. you don't really talk about each other in interviews, you have a couple songs about each other but it's not really a common thing.

theres a lot of paparazzi pics of you two together though. theres pics of you and hobie walking out of after parties together, hanging with his friends, coming back from the grocery store and many, many photos of you two hugging and kissing.

hobie has like this sixth sense that makes him always find the camera so sometimes theres pictures of him grabbing as much of your ass as he can while smirking at the camera man thats walking behind you (which you didn't know whats there btw)

and every single times he dose that theres always a second picture of you hitting the back of his head or grabbing his ear.

*click* *click* *click* "stop doing that!" your face was getting hotter from embarrassment as you turned the corner faster trying to get away from the camera man. hobie could only smirk as he caught up to you easily, putting his hand on your shoulders before pulling you closer.

bringing one of his hands to your waist as the other snaked from your shoulder to your chest. "c'mon luv, you know i can't resist..." his breath hitting your ear as he leaned in to smell your neck before being cut off by a hit to his chest. you could practically hear his smirk as he pushed your hips back into his.

your stomach started to naught as you felt it on your behind. you closed your eyes almost forgetting the situation. *click* *clock* *click* your eyes snapped open as your hear the camera man behind you.

"oh hush you just think you're funny." hobie couldn't even hold back his laugh as he watched you walk in front of him with your arms crossed. "well it is! n' don't act like you don't like it."

if you're shy & bashful he would love to embarrass you but not in a ddg/halle bailey way but in a "omgggg stop guys🙈" kind of way like why is he parading around in a 'i 🩷 my gf' shirt and making out with you on national television

hobie dose not think it's right to be controlling over his partners nor dose he believe that you should be subservient to him—now with that being said he feels sick to his stomach when you collaborate with certain artists.

you had a song about partying in the club and your male feature was talking about fucking on you he couldn't even bring himself to post the song on a ig story. he actually fell to his knees !!!

speaking of feeling sick! if you ever twerk on someone just for a performance or have to grind on someone during a dance he doesn't get super angry or whatever but in the inside he's like 'im abt to kms'. he's very dramatic!!

he hates when people try to put you in the role of just being his partner and nothing else—he will literally sit there and argue with someone if they ever try to sit there and say you're nothing but a pretty face.

he feels a certain way if you ever get uber rich. he knows thats most if not all artist want to live comfortably and he understands that you aren't the corrupt system that exploits others, hell you're getting exploited in some way.

BUT if you ever have a million dollars his would would feel a little VERY unsettled. he'd probably break up with you lol he wouldn't want to sound like a hater but he'd try to be like "heyyy how about we donate some money to a shelter or something🙈🫶🏿💗❓"

but if you're dating him he won't have to worry about that because you have to be at least a little political (and he'd have to agree with your views)

you might not be an anarchist, you don't even have to classify yourself with one political party but you have to at least be anti-capitalist, anti-establishment and pro-black.

speaking of politics he gets arrested all the time for protesting and you'll have to get used to that. like every few weeks you will have to pic him up from jail because he was arrested for conspiracy to riot or something on the lines of that.

IF you two ever collab you'll have to find a middle ground because he cannot sing (that is cannon!) and you should never try to get him too unless you want your engineer to be slaving away trying to get him to sound listenable.

he's lowkey your arm candy and he doesn't mind it at all. like if you get invited to the grammies or something he'll always come with you (his group will most likely never get nominated bc of the topics they like to talk about.) but he's never wearing a suit he just likes to dress like this:

in return you'll probably have to dress in a lot of black id you want to match or don't... he'll be like your statement piece for the night

if he's with you when you get your first award he'll literally pic you up and jump up and down with you for a few seconds before letting you go

if you normally win at award shows he just kisses you for a few seconds before letting go up to accept it

either way doesn't like to go up on stage with you hen you accept awards because he feels like he takes away from your moment but he dose walk you off and on stage. the only way he'll ho up on stage with you is if you're like crying really heavy then.

his band mates probably thought you were gonna be the hit it & quit it type because usually punks and non-punks don't last long but they were a little surprised when 1) you two lasted long and 2) you agreed with their views despite being industry.

sum sum sum idk how to end this

[randomized-sims23]

A Familiar Safe Space (Twisted Brotherhood AU ft. Nexus and Solar)

"Will it stop? If I go with you?" The celestial animatronic asked, his voice low and tired as he looked up at the taller, Lunar animatronic, his black and orange eyes meeting purple and red. Well maybe "lunar" wasn't the right word anymore. He looked more like a mad scientist, complete with goggles hanging around his neck, the same pair Solar owned before he died. Nexus shrugged then nodded a little.

"Sort of? The voices and hallucinations won't ever really stop but there's enough to distract from those things, for a while anyway."

For the last few months Solar had been hearing and seeing things, but any time anyone asked himhe'd say he was fine. He couldn't even bring himself to tell Earth everything. But this...while he didn't doubt her ability to handle heavy stuff, he didn't want to worry Earth with ALL of his problems.

A light chuckle left his lips as he realized how Ironic this was. From what he'd heard of Nexus doing Solar was doing the same things he did- hiding or lying about how he felt, bottling up emotions or even forcing himself to work on projects until he was well under 50% charge, and Jack or Earth would drag him to bed to rest. All of this certainly wasn't helped by the part of his own code that was made and intertwined with Eclipses', a familiar yet strange itch to constantly prove himself itching under his skin, insecurity and inferiority buzzing through his circuits.

He glanced up, and for a moment he stared behind Nexus, seeing Sun. But not this dimensions Sun, no.

Sunny. His own original Sun.

Sunny stood behind Nexus, silently shaking his head as if he knew what Solar was thinking. Maybe he did, even in death Sunny always seemed to know no matter what.

Then he heard a voice, raspy and familiar near his ear.

His Moon, Moonbeam.

Moonbeam was whispering to him over his shoulder.

'You should do it.'

'Go with him, Eclipse.'

'You've already lied to your family, hidden things. The same things he experienced and they think he's crazy. What will they think of you?'

'Why not say fuck it, be an Eclipse. Sooner or later you all fall to madness no matter what. And you'd be with your best friend again, too. You know I'm right.'

Again, he saw Sunny shaking his head and even mouthed 'please, don't do it Eclipse...'

Solar shook his head and covered his ears, fingers moving up to grab and lightly pull his rays, only for a moment before he felt hands gently grab his wrists and pull his hands away from his head. His eyes rose to meet purple and red, something like concern etched on his face.

"Solar? You with me?"

Solar took a few deep breaths, closed his eyes, and nodded.

"Yeah, I...I'm solid, Moon."

Nexus smiled a bit. Solar was the only one he'd ever allow to call him 'Moon' again. No one else had that privilege.

"Good. So, Solar? Do you have an answer?"

The Eclipse looked at him, then away, then closed his eyes and took a breath.

"Yes."

Moon looked at him, a wider grin forming on his face and a hint of eagerness and excitement in his voice. "Really? Even though you'd be leaving Earth? Jack?"

A twinge of guilt settled in his core at that thought, feeling a bit bad since they went through so much to have him back, but if Moon couldn't be here, neither could he.

"I'm sure."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sunny shake and lower his head and vanish, Moonbeam taking his place with a sharp grin, but he said nothing.

"I'll meet you outside then, if you need to take anything." Nexus said as he stood and handed him a small box before he teleported away.

Solar took the box and teleported to Moon's lab. At a counter he felt for a switch underneath, pressing when he found it, which opened an adjacent panel. Inside were five purple crystals crackling with energy. Putting them in the box he went home to get ready.

Solar sighed as he returned home, tucking the box and his blueprints and notebooks into a bag. He left his toolbox and clothes behind. He'd get new ones in his new home later. He left a note on the bed.

'Sun.

I'm sorry but I left. I don't think I can stay here without Moon. I'm alive but I just can't stay without him. Please tell Earth, Jack, the others that I'm sorry. Sorry for leaving, sorry for lying and hiding everything, sorry I didn't say goodbye this time. Please, don't look for me this time. I love you guys, all of you.

-Solar'

With that, he shut off the lights, closed the door, and made his way outside, joining Nexus at a portal. With one look back, he entered through with him.

Yeah, it hurt to leave his family again. But he'd rather have just Moon and no one else than everyone but Moon. After all, Moon was something extra special to him. Moon was safety, warmth. His own little safe space.

-end-

[zevdev]

Wonderend Rambles

So Wonderend 0 finally came out!!! I haven't played much of it because I'm not exactly a horror game person so the jump scares kinda get to me for now, but I can say I started to play it. [I don't think there's any spoilers because I think you would have had to play the game to recognize if it was a spoiler]

I will say the only thing I can think when I play it is that with the camera thing it's like fnaf a bit. I've never personally have played any of the fnaf games but I watched my cousin play one of them and he was on the cameras a lot so that's probably why. Game play for Wonderend has been taking over my yt though and honestly it pains me how bad some people are. I'm going to get a bit rant-y but come on people if there's a exclamation point on the spot where the camera's are you should probably check it or maybe actually read the computer so you don't constantly go to the electrical room when it says go to the music room. It also tells you to keep the red locker sealed so granted I didn't know the stickers would literally fall off but I think after the first time it opens I would probably remember to check it every now and again. Anyways rant over sorry about that. It's nice to see all the pieces come together now finally knowing 000's name, learning how harsh people were towards him, knowing he now has a canon design and no longer going off of gacha club's and concepts. I also like how you don't start at a title screen you just jump straight into the game along with the title screen being more of a place you put codes into than an actual title screen. I did one of the codes so far but I had to restart the night due to leaving it. I have two more since I accidently messed up my screenshot and closed out of one of the photos. With that all said I think it's a decent game so far I like that the style is a mix of gacha and actual drawing [compare both 000s you can see during dialogue and you'll get what I mean] Anyways because I still have gacha club I'm trying to get the 000 battle unit to see if the wonderend glitch thing is still there so wish me luck!

[merwynsartblog]

Marco angst fic thing- Reminder im not a writer im shit at writing but im trying to get better with it ^^ color codes bc i color code my shit- marco Kevin streber radford

It was supposed to be the day Marco, Kevin, Rick, Streber, and Radford to go out and hang out!! It was rare when they all could hang out together. Hell Marco was so excited and was so hyped for the day as well! Probably the most excited compared to everyone else But.. Marco wasn't feeling right today. There was no reason for it either!! Her boss didn't yell at her, there weren't a lot of deliveries today and hell she got to be dolled up for once!! Wearing a pretty teal and white dress with some fake diamond earrings with some dark red lipstick. She didn't understand why she was feeling like this. She was sitting on her couch with her black, brown, and white puppy in her lap as she looked at the clock. Her grip on her dress tightened a bit. They should be here any minute.. She couldn't go she knew she would break down in public but god her heart was racing. She never told them no before. I mean she has but this was different. She was dating all of them now. It shouldn't be that big of a deal though! She should be able to tell them no! I mean yeah Jaz never took no but they should.. ..Right?.. What if she was forced to go like how Jaz would make her. What if they try to tell her "its not that bad get up we are going" or what if- Click "Hey Marco?? Are you here?" The door opened and three men came in. Kevin who was in a white hoodie with some baggy blue jeans. His hair was actually brushed instead of the usually messy hair he had going. Radford who wore a green buttoned up shirt with a brown jacket. He had normal glasses which was surprising and some black pants. And Streber who wore some fancy black blouse you would see actors on plays wear and some dark fancy pants. They all stared at her for a few seconds which caused marco to look away and they all snapped out of it. "W..wheres rick?"

"Hes driving us."

"Oh.."

God her tone was so off.. She was so scared to tell them she couldn't go god just get the hint please don't make her say it-

"Are you ok? Do you need a minute?"

God damn it they noticed she was off. It took a minute as she felt like she was going to throw up. "I-...im fine.. Um.. would you mind if i don't go? I mean i know yall were excited but i just.."

She looked down at biscuits as she patted her. She already was ready to take back what she said. she didn't want to get yelled at anyways- "Nah its fine dude!! We can have a guys night! Besides we never really hung out with Streber!"

Wait...what? They weren't even questioning why? "Yeah we don't mind! Besides you been working a lot anyways"

"Y..you sure?.."

"Yeah!!"

Marco looked up at them and before she could say anything they took turns kissing her forehead.

"Just call us if you need anything ok hun?.."

Marco just froze.. That was something Jaz usually said when he was mad but she couldn't speak or move except nodded her head. Trying her best to look fine.. Radford went out the door since he didn't notice anything but Streber went over and hugged her. "You sure your fine?.." "Mhm.."

Streber and Kevin knew how stubborn she could be so they just gave their goodbyes and reminded her to call if they need anything before leaving and her being left alone.. she teared up a bit. They..werent going to do anything bad right.. They weren't mad at her saying no right?... She moved the pooch off her lap before getting up and checking the window to see the car was gone... They weren't upset right?.. They shouldn't be. But Jaz was sweet for a few months before being awful.. What if they were like that. What if they were waiting for her guard down to hurt her or even- ... Her mind was racing with these thoughts now she fucked up she messed up now something bad is going to happen and its all her damn fault. She went to her room and locked the door before hugging herself and crying into her knees while trying to cover herself up the most she could...

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

have this lmao

no good ending or nada @mayisgoingnuts (idk who else wanna see my writing vfhbvdhj

[pipermca]

K-9: Part 4

Start at the beginning here.

Enjoy.

No content warnings. Relationships: Barricade & Prowl, Bluestreak & Prowl, Prowl & OC

***************************************

Brainstorm gave Prowl a funny look as he poured a few nuggets of energon into his hand. "Of course not. We just cloned a wirehound spark, like I said. The frame is custom." He wiggled his wings as the drone ate the fuel from his hand. "We made a few changes to it when we heard the Watch was interested in testing it, like the lightbars and the paint job. If you don't like them, we can take them off again."

"No. They are fine," Prowl said faintly, still staring at the drone. "I must admit I was expecting something much smaller, though."

"Well, you know the military: why make a weapon when you can make a huge weapon!" Brainstorm sounded almost gleeful. Then he stopped himself. "But like I said, it's not a weapon. And don't worry about its size. It has a travel form you can order it into. It compacts up pretty well. You should be able to fit it in your cargo space."

As Brainstorm opened the cage and let the drone out, Prowl tried to imagine what his neighbours were going to think of the drone. Specifically, the grumpy old minibot who lived across the hallway. He wondered whether the drone's travel form was small enough for him to carry it in his hands.

As they walked back to the front of the storage room, the drone followed along behind Brainstorm. It seemed sluggish, as if it wanted to stay back in its storage crate, and it almost looked like it was slouching as it walked. Prowl noticed that the finials on either side of its head were pressed down against the top of its dome, and a small red antenna on its rear did not seem to be properly deployed. Instead, the antenna was tucked down between its rear legs.

"We're just going to take it over to the main lab real quick so we can do a memory wipe and get you set up as the new user," Brainstorm said. "A-6, follow." He gestured at the drone, waiting for it to follow him into the hallway. "It always acts like this when we take it out of storage. We found giving it a fresh wipe sets it back to its default behaviours. Mostly."

The lab was just a few doors down, and the memory wipe only took a few minutes. While the drone was rebooting, Brainstorm rummaged through his subspace and the drawers on the lab table. "Here's the failsafe," Brainstorm said, handing Prowl a rectangular device. "Keep this in your subspace at all times. It’s an emergency stop if something goes really wrong with the drone. Pressing the big red button will kill the spark/processor connection, and stop it dead in its tracks."

"Is that a serious danger?" Prowl asked, looking at the controller.

"Nah. But Percy is always insisting on safety and backups, so there you are." Brainstorm gave Prowl another datapad. "This is a list of all the basic commands the unit's hard coded with. It's pretty self-explanatory: sit, down, follow, stay, stop, and so on. Anything else you want to train it to do, you'll have to do on your own." He paused. "The dossier the Watch sent over said you have experience in training mechanimals?"

"No, but before coming to Iacon, I owned a flyt that I trained myself," Prowl explained. "I assume the principles for training a mechanimal are similar?"

"Yeah, it's the same, near as I can understand. Worst comes to worst, we can send over one of the sergeants who worked with the unit before to give you a crash course," Brainstorm said. "Anyway, the troops were able to train it to do things like retrieve objects, follow a target, and attack." His wings twitched again. "Err, I know that's probably not something the Watch would want to train it for, but just letting you know what it's capable of. There's probably more the guys didn't think of, so just try stuff. Be creative."

"Understood," Prowl said. He thought of his special unit's mandate to analyze the drone's capabilities and immediately started making a mental list of things to try. "Is there a reason you cannot just upload the desired commands like with a regular drone?"

"We tried, of course. But after the initial load of those first commands, the firmware started rejecting everything else we tried to give it." Brainstorm shrugged. "It was only after one of the soldiers assigned to the drone tried teaching it some tricks that we realized that standard mechanimal training would work."

Prowl nodded. "Thank you for the clarification."

Brainstorm was checking on the progress of the drone's reboot when he snapped his fingers. "Oh! And one more thing. You'll need some equipment." Brainstorm pulled open another cabinet and started pulling out items. "It needs a recharge mat, the solid energon kibble it uses, coolant, a few chamois to wipe its visor down, bowls for the kibble and coolant, its chew rods-"

"Chew rods?"

"Yeah. It likes to chew on things, strangely enough. We think that's due to the source spark. Giving it a carbonsteel stick to gnaw on will keep it from chewing on things it shouldn't, like your furniture." Brainstorm went back to the desk and pulled out a smaller container. "Oh, and it loves rust nuggets. The troops used these as treats for training, and they worked really well as a motivator."

Prowl looked at the pile of things that Brainstorm had assembled. "Is all of this really necessary? I will not be able to fit all of this in my cargo space, especially with the drone already in there."

"Don't worry about it, I've already called for a courier to take it to your place," Brainstorm said with a casual wave of his hand. He looked at a monitor on the workstation. "All right, it's coming back online now."

The drone's flat black visor sparked with a dim light. A moment later, the light brightened to a solid red and the drone raised its head. Its finials lifted high, and the lightbars, which had been pressed tightly against its back, flicked up into the air. It swiveled its head and immediately locked onto Prowl.

"Good, A-6 identified you as its new user," Brainstorm said. "Use some of those commands I gave you and see if it'll follow them."

"A-6?" Prowl nodded, and pointed at the ground in front of him. "Come here."

The drone scrabbled to its pedes and crossed the distance between them in one bound. Now that the unit was not slouching, Prowl could see that he was right. It could almost look him directly in the optics. It was a little intimidating.

"Uh," Prowl said. "Sit."

The drone just stared at him.

"You have to preface the command with its designation," Brainstorm said. "That's to let it know you're actually talking to it."

"A-6, sit."

The drone's haunches collapsed to the ground as it sat.

"A-6, stay." Prowl turned his back on the drone and crossed to the other side of the lab. When he turned back around, he saw that the drone remained focused on him, seemingly ignoring Brainstorm completely. "A-6, come."

Once again, the drone launched itself towards him. Prowl very nearly took a step backwards away from the drone, but it skidded to a stop just in front of him. It looked at him expectantly. Behind it, the tiny antenna on its aft flicked back and forth.

"Perfect!" Brainstorm said. His optics glowed brightly as Prowl walked back to the workstation, the drone at his heels. "I can't wait to see what you do with it."

 Prowl looked at the drone appraisingly. "I am looking forward to finding out its capabilities also," he said.

[mdzs-owns-my-ass-i-guess]

He's so irresistible (up-close and personal)

Title based off Irresistible by Jessica Simpson.

Lan Wangji probably shouldn't have been so happy with his current predicament. He should have been at least mildly inconvenienced, if not downright scandalized. He should have been making strongly worded phone calls and switching arrangements to fix things. In fact, everything should have been resolved by now.

But Lan Wangji couldn't find it within himself to do any of that. In fact, the moment the receptionist very apologetically told him that the room in his and Wei Ying's name would no longer be a twin bed but a double king size (due to some kind of overcrowding issue or something Lan Wangji couldn't care enough to keep in mind), he picked up his bags and walked towards the elevator with the key in hand, Wei Ying in his stead.

"Lan Zhan! You're not mad, right? I swear I didn't plan this, I can show you the reservation! I even had it approved by HR, and they wouldn't have agreed if-"

"It is fine, Wei Ying." Lan Zhan said just as the elevator pinged, and he walked in with no hurry. "We will be spending most of the day in meetings anyway."

"Yeah, that's true... but this must be uncomfortable for you, I know you never had roommates before, much less having to sleep in bed with one."

The elevator display announced arrival to the seventh floor and the door opened swiftly.

"It is fine if it's Wei Ying."

And he made his way down the corridor, not waiting to see the other man's cheeks flaring red, a little teasing smile on his lips.

---

The room was spacious and comfortable, warm, elegantly furnished, white and mahogany accents bringing together a luxurious atmosphere.

"At least it's nice." Wei Ying spoke, leaving his bags by the right side of the bed and opening the balcony door to see the view. There was a rather large urban park right next door and Wei Ying could see the autumn foliage of the many trees right underneath his window.

"Wei Ying, come inside. It is cold."

Wei Ying laughed, closing the door behind him. "Okay, mommy."

"Ridiculous."

Lan Zhan had already started unpacking, his clothes neatly arranged into the double door, mirrored wardrobe. They had to spend a whole week in town for a business conference on behalf of the Lan Corp, so he'd packed a lot of dress shirts and ties, blazers and pants, abiding by a strict business dress code. He was just putting a suit on a hanger when he felt Wei Ying impossibly close to him, peering into the wardrobe from behind.

"Leave a little room for me too, won't you? You got enough clothes for both of us yourself, I should just wear yours."

"There is plenty of space." Lan Zhan could only wonder how his voice hadn't trembled.

Wei Ying chuckled a little and put some distance between them. "I'm just teasing you. I'll go have a shower until you're done and then put my own stuff in."

And just like that, Wei Ying disappeared into the bathroom. He hadn't taken any clothes with him, or any of the neatly folded towels on their bed. The realization alone had Lan Zhan's ears burn.

--

Lan Zhan was going to pass out. Or pass away. Or both. It had been more than enough to know Wei Ying was wet and naked a flimsy wall away, but now he had called out his name to ask for a towel. Leave it to Wei Ying to be careless about such things.

And Lan Zhan had to give it to him, of course, otherwise Wei Ying would have definitely, shamelessly walked into the room wearing nothing but that perfect skin Lan Zhan could only fantasize about touching and biting.

So, he picked a towel at random, took in a deep breath, and knocked on the door. "Here is your towel."

Wei Ying peeked his head outside, smiling gratefully. "Thank you, Lan Zhan, I'm sorry I bothered you with such a stupid thing."

"It's alright. Be more careful next time."

Wei Ying shut the door and Lan Zhan went straight into the balcony, outside. The cold air served as a nice distraction - the bite of it kept Lan Zhan from imagining Wei Ying and the bathroom and how he could have not knocked and walked right in. Or joined him in the shower.

---

He entered the room five minutes or so later, and had half the mind to walk back out - because Wei Ying was, to his credit, wearing the towel Lan Zhan had given him, except this towel was... obscenely small. Wei Ying had wrapped it around his waist the best he could have, but he still had to hold it together with one hand, and the poor cloth was obviously struggling to keep Wei Ying's (very round, if you asked Lan Zhan) ass covered. And to add insult to injury, he was very daintily bent over his luggage, searching for something. Lan Zhan walked towards his side of the bed with his eyes almost closed - if he looked, he would have definitely seen more than his friendly relationship with Wei Ying allowed. (Not that he would have minded, of course, Wei Ying must have had a really pretty hol-)

"Lan Zhan? Are you okay? You're all red."

"I am fine. It's the difference in temperature."

"Oh, right, you just went outside. Any reason for that?"

"A weird sound."

"I didn't hear anything, but okay." He pulled something from his bag, victorious. "Ah, finally found it!"

And he once again entered the bathroom, giving Lan Zhan no more than a few seconds before he walked out and Lan Zhan really wanted to go on the balcony again. Wei Ying had put on a pair of grey sweatpants and nothing else. And Lan Zhan had very keen eyes.

---

They ordered room service and Lan Zhan took a shower himself in the meantime. He didn't do anything more than wash away the long trip, because he was tired and hungry and the room service lady had told him she would send in their food and drinks in 10 minutes or so, which was not nearly enough time for Lan Zhan to really do anything.

So, he got dressed (decently, mind you, although he had grey sweatpants on, he wore a long shirt over them so nothing would be visible) and barely managed to dry some of his hair before there was a knock on the door.

The room service guy looked something like that guy Lan Xichen had become close with, Jin Guangyao or something, except without the dimples and the slightly suspicious vibes.

"My name is Mo Xuanyu, I'll be delivering your room service order tonight."

"Come in."

Mo Xuanyu wheeled his trolley in, setting a wide array of dishes onto the designated table in the room, while also opening a wine bottle and pouring halfway into two tall glasses. He tried not to look at the very attractive man lounging on the bed half naked on his phone, and he also tried not to look at the other equally as attractive man that was fiddling with his wallet. Mo Xuanyu felt a bit like the first 3-5 minutes of a Pornhub Premium film. Not that he watched many of those.

"This is all." He finally said as he finished laying everything out. "I'll be leaving now, if you need anything more, please let me know."

Lan Zhan handed him several bills that Mo Xuanyu could barely believe the sum of. "Thank you. Have a good shift."

Mo Xuanyu could only nod. For that much money, he would have dropped down to his knees without a word - he made more from that ome delivery than from his past three shifts alone.

This was even better than the Pornhub Premium scenario. For sure.

Unknown to him, he wasn't the only one with such thoughts about the situation.

---

Wei Ying drank about half the bottle of wine with his meal and Lan Zhan struggled not to imagine what it would feel like to kiss those red-stained lips. He only had ome glass, allowing himself to be peer pressured by Wei Ying just because...well, because it was Wei Ying and Lan Zhan liked him a lot and trusted him not to do anything they'd both regret later.

But now, with a full stomach and just a bit tipsy, Lan Zhan felt himself be drawn to Wei Ying in any and all the ways a person could be attracted to another. Of course, Wei Ying was illegally handsome - in general, but also right at that moment, relaxed, zapping through TV channels, resting against the headboard.

His hair sprawled messily over his chest and shoulders, the contours of his abs well defined as he laid down. The veins in his hands bulged a bit as he pressed the remote control buttons, some requiring more force from the wear and tear of the many guests that visited that hotel room.

The curtains were only halfway drawn, the silver moon rays mixing with the TV lights, and, if Lan Zhan tried enough, he could imagine that they weren't in a hotel but in a private bedroom in their own little (or not so little) home, living in domestic bliss.

Lan Zhan had often imagined Wei Ying in his future. Of course, they were... friends. And that was unlikely to change because Lan Zhan had always been loyal to those he cared about no matter if platonically or otherwise.

But Lan Zhan didn't imagine his future with Wei Ying as friends. He imagined finally getting the courage to confess his feelings and them being reciprocated. He imagined kisses before work and sneaky makeouts in meeting rooms. He imagined dinners and breakfasts and proposals and a grand wedding. He even imagined a little one running around their home and then going to school recitals and graduations and family gatherings.

He imagined... being in love. No, he was in love already. He imagined that love being returned.

And now, with Wei Ying so close and so comfortable, sharing a bed with Lan Zhan like they'd always done it for years... Lan Zhan couldn't help being courageous. If things went south, he could always blame it on the alcohol next morning.

---

Wei Ying didn't mind this. He had always been a very physically affectionate person, hugging and kissing cheeks and foreheads, cuddling and sharing personal space for no apparent reason. His friends often joked that if Wei Ying used someone as a foot rest at least once, they were officially accepted as part of the group.

However, safe and comfortable as Wei Ying felt with all of that, he couldn't have suppressed the surprised gasp he let out when Lan Zhan, known far and wide for being averse to touch (except with Wei Ying, maybe, because Lan Zhan never brushed him off when he hung off his arm or patted his shoulders) suddenly closed the distance they had in bed. They were side to side, so close Wei Ying could feel Lan Zhan's body heat, when Lan Zhan adjusted so he could lean on an elbow, his free hand gently tracing up and down Wei Ying's arm, raising goosebumps.

"Lan Zhan...? What are you doing...?"

"You are always touching me. I should be allowed to do the same."

Wei Ying swallows, hard, and Lan Zhan sees it, is hypnotized by it for a second, before reality sets in and he retracts his arm. Wei Ying must have been uncomfortable with that kind of gesture, Lan Zhan shouldn't have just gone ahead and done it without consent...

Wei Ying's face painted in a light pink blush, looking towards Lan Zhan in an adorably shy way. "I didn't tell you to stop... I was just... surprised."

"You were?"

And he resumed the touching, trying not to give in to the impulse of letting his hand wander over Wei Ying's chest, to his nipples, down to his abs and underneath the waistband of his pants towards his-

"Yes. And I hope this isn't just because we've been drinking either."

"It is not."

"I'm glad." Wei Ying smiled with a bit of mischeviousness in the corner of his mouth. "Then it means I can do this now."

Lan Zhan finds himself being kissed senseless a moment later.

Too bad the alcohol and the tension had been too much - he passed out right as Wei Ying was about to get on top of him for more.

Well, plenty of time for that later. They had a whole week to share feelings. And the king sized bed.

[archiveofmiksown]

CHAPTER 2. I CAN'T STAND YOU HANGING ROUND LATELY I CAN'T STAND YOU TRYING TO SAVE ME

previous / next

              Consciousness festers like a wound; slow, red, and painful. Bubby groans as a droning buzz nips at his ears. It takes all that he is to sit there with a hand on his aching head, a low grumble leaving his lips. Memories remain fragmented, floating through the abyss of a migraine-afflicted mind.

              He had been in a room. That room. He's certain of that much. But now he feels that he isn't; there's no steel flooring beneath his fingertips or blisteringly blind lights breaking through the curtain of his eyelids. There's only him and his unfinished thoughts licking against him like flames.

              Where is he? What happened? His eyes are open but he can barely register what's in front of him. The images feel years away; like the worn surface of a fading photograph. He could almost call it dreamlike, but he doesn't dream. He shouldn't, at least.

              "...Oh my fucking god, you're actually still alive."

              The voice rises from above the haze. It is sharp and bitter and all too familiar. Bubby seizes up. He knows whose this is. He remembers. The realization is enough to jolt him from his stupor. 

              Like clouds parting, his vision clears. There he stands, slowly coming to focus, a foot tapping against the dusty, rubble-riddled floor of some non-descript Black Mesa hallway; Gordon Freeman in all his pissed-as-hell glory.

              "G-Gordon!" Bubby exclaims. He scrambles to get up. The effort kicks up the dust by his feet. His heart races. There's a surge of emotion that passes over him; the flashes of feeling unnameable save for one. Relief. Shameless of him to feel such a thing, considering everything he's done. And strange, considering his design. But he's coded to revel in security. The instinct for self-sustainment makes it so. Gordon may not be a friend, but he is familiar. A sharp contrast to the fog of half-buried memory.

              Gordon sighs that same, deep-chested sigh that he always lets out around them. "So you're awake now." he laughs, the sound hollow and disbelieving, "God, I can't believe this is real. I can't believe I'm here with you."

              Bubby flinches at the venom. He should say sorry; he wants to. But his defenses find themselves flaring up, and the hiss leaves his lips before he can stop it. "Oh, I know that tone! Go fuck yourself and die, Gordon. Do you think I wanted you to be here with you, too?"

              He kind of did. It was better than being alone. But Bubby would sooner crawl back inside his tube before admitting that.

              Gordon rolls his eyes. "Don't tell me to fuck off, man. Not when you fucking… you know—" he gestures wildly, "—chopped my hand off."

              "What? I didn't do that!" Bubby protests, "I didn't even tell them to do anything like that!"

              Gordon points an accusing finger. "Well whatever it is you told them to do, it doesn't matter. I don't have my fucking hand, and now I'm fucking alone here with you!"

              Silence falls. The last sentence echoes through the room, lingering in the air like smoke from a gun. Bubby's anger pauses as his thoughts hover around one word and one word only— alone. He frowns.

              "Wait… what do you mean alone? Where… where are the others? What happened?"

              "Huh?" Gordon blinks. Bubby's sudden turn to docility seems to have caught him off-guard. "You seriously forgot?" he hums, a thoughtfulness softening his edge. For a moment, there's a semblance of peace between the two men.

              "Well, you were out pretty cold. I was kinda hoping you'd died, but you kept screaming." Gordon's voice lowers to a murmur, "Not that I think people like you could die, anyways."

              Bubby tilts his head, blissfully ignorant of the latter part. "So I was asleep?"

              He puts a hand to his aching head. So that was all a dream. That's weird. He doesn't dream. He's not supposed to. Gordon shifts his weight from one foot to another. The aggression that steeped in the air mellows beneath the lull of their shared perplexion.

              "Yeah, man, why d'you think I kept yelling at you? I was trying to wake you up. Ugh, anyways."

              Gordon sighs, putting his hands (hand…) on his hips, "The short of it is: you begged us to let you out of your tube thing—"

              Bubby's eyes widen. Things are beginning to sound familiar. His memories, previously discarded, now surface with a renewed clarity; like a sharp intake of breath after breaching water. 

              "Oh." says he.

              "You told us to press the button—"

              Memories return. He can see it: Hands on glass, fractures on the surface, a face wrought in painful supplication. On the other side of his tube, the others in the Science Team. Staring and staring as he pleads to be freed. Their faces. The blurs. The unfinished memories. Had this really been why? 

              "...Oh."

              "—then everything kinda fucking blew up."

              Then the rapture. A white-hot, blinding return to chaos. Entropy folding unto itself and manifesting in broken glass and smoke. And a dream— one as fractured as the mind which conjured it.

              "Oh."

              "Yeah." Gordon throws his arms up, defeated, "And now I'm trapped in this side of the hall. With you."

              Bubby frowns. "You could always just leave me behind if you hate me that much."

              "God, wouldn't that be amazing?" his tone seethes with sarcasm, "But I can't. I literally fucking can't! I don't have my right hand, man, I can't fucking shoot anything with this thing! Can barely open a fucking door." he waves the aforementioned stump-remains of his hand, "You're gonna have to do it all for me."

              Realization hits him in waves, though that's not to say it's any easier for him to digest. Bubby's face transforms into a wide-mouthed look of horror.

              "...Oh god. You really are stuck with me."

              "Yeah. Yeah. You get it now? God." Gordon pinches the bridge of his nose, wincing, "Can't believe I have my fucking life in your stupid traitor hands."

              "Hey, I said I was sorry, wasn't I? I'll be better!" says Bubby.

              "You really think I'm gonna believe that?" Gordon shoots back.

              Bubby opens his mouth to respond, but can't make up the words. Guilt rises in his throat. Silence is the only answer one can give if the other party was right. At this, Gordon sighs.

              "Ugh, whatever. Let's just go. We don't have much time. And I feel myself bleeding the fuck out."

[alittlefrenchtree]

Ok I'm sending you some of your own RWRB questions: Number 1,2, 5, 7, 10, 13,14, and 19 (i had to stop myself from sending the whole list lol)

Thank you so much! Maybe I'll end up answering every question on my own anyway but it's nice starting with your selection 🥰

#1 What was your introduction to Red, White and Royal Blue? How did you become aware of it, what was your first impression of it?

I didn't know anything about it until @petitmimosa started rambling about it a few weeks/couple of months(?) ago. I think she saw the trailer on prime, read the book then watch the movie? I was only half listening (she rambles a lot about a lot of stuff) because I was pretty sure I wouldn't be interested at all (romcoms aren't really my thing).

Then FREAKING TUMBLR decided that RWRB would be the only thing I'll be seeing on my dash for days and days. So I'd say to myself, if I'm going to be forced to look at pics and gifs of these two guys AGAIN and AGAIN, may as well know what this is all about. So I've watched the movie and surprisingly had a good time. And since Internet (and algorithms) keeps showering with rwrb content (nothing else is happening in the cinema industry anyway), I've decided to roll with it and enjoy the said content. I read the book quickly after and even if it was fun, I think I like the movie better.

#2 Team Alex or Team Henry? (I know you love them both equally but choose anyway. OR choose depending of the circumstances. Like, "I’d go shopping with Alex but I’d marry Henry. Or I’d hug Alex but I’d go karaoke with Henry. I don’t know. Try something.)

Even if I like Henry and find him very precious, I think I'm Team Alex. I like how refreshing he is. You can't really be sad watching him and not only because he looks cute af. But all love to both, obviously.

#5 Choose one scene from the book to add to the movie.

I'm not sure because I don't know the book that well but I know how I felt reading this

“Dear Thisbe, I wish there weren’t a wall. Love, Pyramus”

and I wish they'd found a way to include it in the movie. Maybe not in the way of the book, because that might have not worked as best as it should but in some way. I don't know.

#7 Tell us something you like better in the movie than in the book.

Oh man, so many things. One of the main thing, I like that Alex is more freaked out by being into Henry that being into guys in general in the movie. There are important scenes following, about owning the term bisexual in front of other people but being into guys feels less a big (and long) deal than in the book for him. Which is good. I feel like the "i'm bi, so what?" is a good mood to put out there in 2023.

I know the point has been quite a debate here and there so I hope I put the right words to express my view on this.

And tell us something you like better in the book than in the movie. 

A couple of things :

I would have liked for Bea to have a bit more substance as a character in the movie.

and, and that could have been an answer to the "share an unpopular opinion", I'm not the biggest fan of the parisian night scene. Not by Taylor and Nick's fault because the shots of their faces and how they acted are very delicate but I'm very not into the directing, the blocking and the editing of this scene. If felt too heavily romcom coded for my taste (and for my french person leaving near Paris' eyes), when one of the strength of the movie (for me) is being fresh and fun with the romcom codes.

10- You’re in a difficult situation where you have only one call to get help (or to save your life), who are you calling? Amy, Zahra or Ellen?

Zahra, every day, everywhere. I wouldn't trust anyone more than someone who reminds me that much of Sam Marquez in the tvshow Las Vegas.

13- A detail you feel like it’s not enough discussed. Whether it’s a scene, a quote, a frame, a piece of acting, a decor…) Time to ramble about it!

Oh I have two actually! The first good thing I have said about the movie is how much I like the opening credits. The music is good, the visuals are good, I like it a lot.

The second has probably been discussed over and over (and my recording sucks) but

I need daily screaming about the softest, smoothest, most determined "no." I ever heard in my entire life.

14- Favorites outfit(s) in the movie? (You can pick as many as you want, from as many characters as you want. But if you reply with a screenshot of a naked person, I’m going to put you in horny jail).

I wrote the question with one outfit in mind

My only regret is that he's not wearing matching pants (there must be matching pants, right?) cause I feel like AGCD wouldn't have shy away from them. And that would have been epic.

Honorable mention for the denim look 💙 that was wasted on Miguel.

#19 is going to take me forever to answer so I'll add something later :)

Thank you again for playing with me 💜💜

All the questions here !

[hoxooster]

Payday Q&A thing! M, T, X.

M is for MASKS: favourite mask/s?

I've got a few. I gotta give some love to two masks that I made:

Full Metal Doge and 80's Cowboy. The former is actually the first mask, material, pattern, and colors that I got when I downloaded PD2 on my da's computer. I'm known by this mask, and even though I haven't worn it in a long while (I've got a personal, 'wear as many of the masks as you can' challenge that I've been working on), I still love it dearly. As for 80's Cowboy, I just really liked how it came out when I first made it--it's probably one of my best masks, design-wise.

As for untampered with masks, I love these ones:

And, for a lil' bit of fun, these are my favorite PD:TH masks:

T is for TASER: most surprising moment/thing that happened in-game?

Hm. Well, I can think of a couple things. For PD:TH, a lot of 'em are just things dealing with my buddy, Wolfee. Like, him finally agreeing to accept my friend request (after much begging on my part), that time he found out that you can get stuck inside the police transport trucks on Green Bridge (and he stayed in there so I would get stuck and would have to fight my way out, the cheeky fucker)...

... how I earned my Steam username by impressing him (Diamond, 145, me and him with bots. Went loud 'cause the code didn't work. Him and the bots went into custody. I had to survive an assault wave, then dom 3 cops to get them back. He complimented me, and thus my Steam username was created and cemented.), and a bunch of other shit that I could spend hours talking about.

For PD2, there was the time that the GO Bank vault was just open--didn't know that that was a possibility until it happened to me...

... the time Wolfee showed that he cared about me enough to threaten one of our friends with bodily harm if I was downed...

... the multiple times I messed with Emma with the artifacts on Shadow Raid (she mains Chains and had never gotten his mask in a drop, then I got one after torturing her XD)...

... and some other things here 'n there that I love to talk about as part of my 'Old Man Stories' while in-call with people. I've made a lot of fond memories in this game, and I look forward to making a lot more, ya know?

Honestly, the most surprising thing is that you made Breakin' Feds a comfort heist for me, Red. Jeezum Crow, I hate it here.

X is for XENODIAGNOSIS: would you want Bain's disease to be curable and why/not?

No, because his death needed to happen. Simon Viklund wanted to leave OVERKILL, so he left to pursue other things and hangout with his best friend, and I'm happy for him.

As a Payday fan, this is devastating. Simon defined what Payday is--and I'm not joking. His portrayal of Bain guides players from a place of camaraderie and respect that no other contractor has ever even touched, and probably never will. His Cloaker dialogue is filled with memes and jokes at the expense of the fanbase, but, ya know, sometimes we all need to be taken down a few pegs whenever we get too cocky in-game. And his music? Jesus, his music gives both Paydays a feel that cannot be replicated--we've seen the examples that have been put forward by others, and they just don't compare. Now, I'm not sayin' that those songs ain't great, but they obviously just don't feel the same. Simon was the Heart and Soul of Payday, and his loss is felt deeply by those that know and hear the difference. It actually makes me very worried about PD3, 'cause it's just not gonna feel right without him there. But, it is what it is.

As a Payday player, I'm glad that it was handled in-game, so people wouldn't be left questioning just what in the hell happened to Bain. I hate that shit when that happens in TV shows--like, when characters disappear or get replaced by different actors without an explanation. Anyway, the decisions made on how to go about it were... strange, to put it lightly, but at least something was done. And, even though I hate bodyswapping narratives, I'm not peeved by Bain's ending. It was an alright send off, for what they could do on short notice in a sinking ship. Closure's a luxury that not all games have, and I'm glad that we got it with Payday's most important character.

And, as a decent person, I'm glad that they just killed off Bain in general. I dunno everything that went on behind the scenes at OVERKILL while Bo was imploding everything, but I can make some educated guesses. It wasn't good. For anyone. There's a lot of hurt there that's difficult to come back from, and, honestly, it's probably best if the OVERKILL team and Simon (and especially Ulf) don't work with each other again. Plus, it's probably just easier, logistically.

So, as much as I will miss Simon defining Payday, and Bain in his entirety, I'm glad that his disease wasn't presented in-game as curable and that his character was given a proper send off. He's more than earned his retirement and I hope that he enjoys laying mad pipe in the Oval Office.

[wenellyb]

A Sunny day in Delacroix

A small ficlet for @samtember2022 Day 26 - Rainy day/cosy

Bucky is going on a picnic and Sam doesn't like it at all, but he has a plan and asks his friend for help.

"You need me to do what? " Thor must have missed something, because Sam sent him a message with their secret code for emergencies, and then dropped this on him.

"You heard me the first time" Sam, was already irritated with his friend because he knew Thor was going to drag this forever. Sam just needed him to do this, no questions asked, but that wasn't happening apparently.

"I did, but I'm still not sure what you meant by 'I need you to make it rain'...", Thor was pretty sure this didn't qualify as an emergency.

"Thor, I've never asked you for anything ever, please just do this one thing for me" Sam said softly.

"Sam..." Thor started.

But Sam was already interrupting him "If you can make thunder, technically, you can make it rain"

"That's not how it works Sam, you texted code red for this?? Code red is supposed to be for emergencies like an alien invasion, or half of the city being about to be blown off. Why would you need rain anyway? The sun is shining, you should be happy." Thor was still trying to make sense of this whole conversation

"This IS an emergency, Bucky just left, he's going on a date and I need to stop it", Sam said, as if Thor was supposed to understand what this meant.

"Sam, I'm going to need you to stop talking in circles, be straight with me"

"Bucky is going on a date"

"...and?"

"And I need to stop it, they're going on a picnic and I need to stop it" Sam responded.

"You're kidding me right?" Thor thought for a minute that he should pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming this conversation.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Sam said with determination. Thor was lost.

"Since when are you and Barnes an item?"

"We're not, I just don't want him going on dates with other people".

"So, what's your plan here, to sabotage all his dates for the rest of his life?"

"I haven't thought that far, I just need to stop this one before I can set up another plan."

"Sam, you do realize how insane this is, right?"

"Yes, I do. So, are you going to help or not?"

"Of course I am, Sam, I've never refused to help Captain America, and I won't start now, just know that I don't approve of this plan. But I support your nonsense for better or for worse". Thor said solemnly, being his dramatic self.

"Thank y.." Sam was only focusing on Bucky's date, he didn't care what Thor thought about his plan.

Thor interrupted him "But you owe me a dinner date, and I get to be the Best Man at your wedding if this crazy plan of yours works out".

"Dinner first, I don't know if Bucky feels the same way"

"Yeah, right", Thor said, already thinking about the Best Man outfit he would wear to the wedding.

____

Sam was sitting in the living room, when Bucky opened the door to their shared house, soaking wet, and looking better than he ever did with his wet hair.

"Oh, you're back already?", Sam asked innocently,

"Yeah, it started raining before I even got there, we had to cancel our date. The weird thing is weather forecast announced sun for the whole week"

"You know, the weather is so unpredictable"

"I guess" Bucky agreed.

"I was going to watch Rings of Power re-run, we can watch it together if you want, since you liked the Hobbit, you'll like this one".

"Sure",Bucky was looking forward to this cozy afternoon home. If he was being honest, he didn't even want to go on this date in the first place, but he needed to get over Sam, because this thing with Sam would never happen obviously.

Sam and Bucky settled on the couch and started the show.

"Do you want some popcorn?", Sam said after 2 episodes.

"Sure why not"

Sam got up and went to the kitchen to prepare the popcorn.

Bucky kept watching the show because Sam had already seen it and didn't need him to pause, but Sam's phone started vibrating on the table.

Bucky didn't mean to snoop or check Sam's phone, but a message flashed on Sam's phone and something caught his attention. His name. 

Bucky read the message quickly before it disappeared and it read "so how did it go with Bucky?" followed by a thunder and rain emoji. The most surprising thing was that the text was coming from Thor.

"You got a message" said dryly, when Sam got back.

"Oh, I'll check it later"

"From Thor" Bucky insisted.

Sam didn't say anything, and was a little afraid of checking his phone now, he didn't know what Bucky had seen exactly.

"You care to tell me why Thor is sending you texts about me, or will I have to ask him myself?" Bucky was getting irritated by Sam's silence.

"It's not what you think" Sam tried, 

"And what am I supposed to think?"

"I asked Thor for a favor, and he helped me"

"And the service involved me obviously, so I would need you to tell me a little bit more"

"I can't"

"You know what Sam, I never know what to think with you, you say we have to be open with each other and then you do this"

Bucky stood up to leave. 

"Where are you going?" Sam said as Bucky reached the door. 

"I'm going for a walk. I can't do this right now"

"But it's still raining" Sam pointed out.

"I prefer the rain than whatever this is", Bucky mumbled, he didn't know what to think and was on the verge of tears, he didn't want Sam to see him like this.

"Bucky please", Sam pleaded, but Bucky was already out the door.

Sam grabbed a coat and an umbrella and went to look for Bucky.

It took Sam a while to find Bucky. He was walking by the docks, looking like he was lost in his thoughts.

Bucky slowed down when he saw Sam but didn't stop walking.

"Bucky, listen, I'm sorry",

"What are you sorry for? Sam, I don't even know what's happening. I just know that you're keeping secrets from me when you're the one who insisted best friends tell each other everything" Bucky sighed "You talk about me behind my back and I know that you would never do that to me, but I can't help but make up dozens of scenarios about how somehow I upset you and you felt like you couldn't talk to me, and had to confide in Thor instead". Bucky took a deep breath.

"Sam. If you have a problem with me, just tell me, I can handle it, you don't have to vent to your friends, I'm not some fragile child you have to tiptoe around, just tell me and I'll fix it.

"Bucky, I don't have a problem with you, you're perfect"

Bucky blushed at that, he hated when Sam talked like that because he always ended up craving for more "Then was is it?"

"I asked Thor to make it rain"

"What?" Bucky suddenly felt like they had switched to a completely different conversation without him noticing.

"I asked Thor to use his power to make it rain" Sam repeated "I knew your date was taking you to a picnic, and didn't want you to go, it made perfect sense to me at the time"

"You don't like Dave?" Bucky asked cautiously

"I don't care about Dave, but I care about you"

Bucky remained silent, not sure he understood.

"I'm so sorry Buck, when I thought about it it made perfect sense in my mind, but I realize now that it doesn't. I wasn't thinking, I panicked, I just knew I had to stop you from going on that date, and I lost it a little"

"What are you saying Sam?"

"I'm saying I love you, Bucky"

Bucky smiled and launched himself at Sam, because he had been waiting for this moment even though he never dared to hope that it would actually happen. Sam caught him and they kissed.

"You know, you're supposed to be the normal one in this relationship", Bucky said against Sam's lip, now that he had Sam all for himself, he had no intention of ever letting him go.

"We'll see about that," Sam smiled.

They walked home, finished the show, and both went to Sam's room instead of each walking to their own room like the previous nights.

Later that night, Sam sent a text to Thor saying "You'll be my Best Man for the wedding" and ended it with a wink face emoji.

Tags: Post-TFATWS, first kiss, jealousy, unrequited requited love, Sambucky, Thor Odinson.

[leahblackk]

Do you dare?

(Thanks to @writer-in-theory for this amazingly beautiful moodboard. I can’t thank you enough for this)

Summary: Spencer visits his favourite library, but then he sees a notebook with the title “do you dare?” that catches his attention… would he dare?

Warnings: none?

Taglist: @ssavanessa22, @all-tings-diego, @doctorspenceryeet, @cance1medaddy, @hey-dw, @demigirl2007, @matthew-gray-gubler-lover, @nomajdetective, @reidselle

If you wanna join my taglist please press the notebook 📕

Disclaimer: this fic is based on the Netflix show “Dash & Lily” which is also a book, whoever it’s not as exactly.

thanks to @reidselle for being my beta reader and for leaving such kind comments!

Spencer Reid, the young genius doctor did not consider himself as someone adventurous and someone who got out of his comfort zone as much, he liked the feeling of the known, of the routine, something he already knew, something he has experienced before. The feeling of trying new things gave him bad feelings, anxiety even.

Already saying this, he got out of work, thankfully without cases and he went to his favourite library, one ha hasnt had the chance to go after being busy with paperwork and cases at work, apparently criminals did not have free days, therefore, neither did they.

He hugged himself closer, the snow falling down the sky. The winter came along with the lights of Christmas, something Spencer was excited about; He loved Christmas like a little kid would. Even though he didn't have a great childhood he had good memories from this holiday. He remembers how the city would light up and there was music and Christmas carols everywhere. 

He sighs as he sees the light outside of the window of the library, books also being there to draw attention to the people who passed by.

When he entered the place, the sweet smell of old and new books made him feel like he was floating, and now there was no cold. 

“Good evening, doctor Reid,” the girl who was in the information desk greeted Spencer. The truth is, almost everyone knew him there. He spent half of his time taking it as his second home. 

Spencer does his typical smile, “Hello.”

The woman sweetly smiles, “Something interested in reading?” 

Spencer shakes his head, “I'm not sure really. Probably gonna read the same books,” he said. 

And that was because he had read half of the books that could be found in the library, and let's say the library wasn't as small as other people would think. From the outside it seems so, but once you enter a surprise would be shown.

Spencer smiles at the girl to then go to the shelves trying to find his next reading. He takes more than one book as he reads faster than other people, but there was a red notebook, not a book but a notebook between the other informative books. He frowns, they almost never place the books wrong. He takes the notebook and makes his way to the desk, but he sees the cover and its black messy words as if they were handwritten.

“Do you dare?” 

The frown still prominent, and curiosity takes place, he opens the book, one, two, three pages blank until the actual words appear.

What is better than a clue game, don't you think? I've left some clues for you, if you want them, turn the page. If you don't… put the notebook back on the shelf. 

Spencer, captivated by the narration, quickly turns the page.

So you decided to play, an interesting choice. Shall we begin?

Spencer, again, turns the page as fast as he can. He has never felt this curiosity within him, he wants to know more. As he turns the page he sees eight blank lines, apparently he has to write on them. His gaze goes down where the instructions are.

A coded message, you can decipher with the right books, only if you can find them. Simple rule; If you bother to use your phone while playing, put the notebook back on the shelf. 

Spencer chuckles, he doesn't like the Internet anyways. 

Your first clue requires good taste. Look for astronomy, especially something that might have cosmo on their title.

Spencer slightly opens his mouth to think about all the astronomy books he has read and knows that have cosmos in their title, but then he remembers; If the notebook is in this specific library, it means the book must be there as well.

He closes the notebook and makes his way to the astronomy section, one he loves going from time to time. He looks between the variety of books until he finds the one; Calculating the Cosmos; How mathematics unveils the Universe. 

He opens the notebook again, where's the code?

96/8/1-2

Spencer knows what that means. He opens the book on page 96 he looks for the fourth paragraph and looks for the first and second word. When he finds them, he takes his pen out of his pocket and writes on the lines.

There are

He can't help but frown, there are?

Now, this one is in ancient Greece, gods wikipedia. Maybe something that has fable on its cover?

He knows, the age of fable.

He walks to where he knows that book is and grabs it.

177/4/5-6

There are too many

He's getting closer to completing the sentence and his excitement cant stop growing and growing. 

Let's keep it with the Greeks shall we? What are your thoughts on the name Homer?

The odyssey, 727/3/2-3

There are too many lonely hours

I hope you know this one. Feminism, writing, music, romance, women. Rings a bell?

Little Women 23/7/38-39

There are too many lonely hours on Christmas

And without noticing, Spencer completed the sentence, yet the frown was still prominent on his forehead. 

He turns the page hoping to get some explanation, and there is one. He sits down on the floor, his back against the shelf, and carefully reads. 

Congratulations! You successfully completed the sentence.

A few rules before I explain that sentence. If you're not a boy older than twenty, please return the notebook back on the shelf, if you have used the internet even if I said not to, return the notebook back on the shelf, and if you're a creep… obviously return the notebook back on the shelf.

Now, you're probably wondering what I meant by that. We are a few weeks into December, also well known as Christmas month. The truth is, I can't stop thinking there are too many lonely hours in this month. You get your presents, you get all the things for the special date, you decorate, but sometimes there is this void that does not fill up, not even with the most beautiful house with the most beautiful decorations. Don't get me wrong, is not that i don't like Christmas, but people call it the happiest month, but you can see the sadness in people's eyes, the pain…There are too many lonely hours on Christmas even if you spend with your loved ones, there are too many lonely hours when you've done so much and you just don't know what else to do. Don't you ever get this feeling?

When is gonna happen is up to you. Let me know your feelings about Christmas, leave the notebook on the information desk and if I like your answer, you might hear from me.

Spencer sighs, and bites his lip. He grabs his pen once again and turns the page and starts writing. 

He closes the notebook with shaky hands, hoping they like his answer. He reads one, two, three times to make sure his answer is well written and explain what he wants to say. He sighs and puts his pen back where it belongs, standing up and walking to the information desk.

“Hi,” he nervously said. 

“Hi,” the girl turns around and sees the notebook in his hand. Her smile grows.

“Uh they told me to leave the notebook here?” 

The girl nods, “Yes, yes. She's gonna be happy to read your answer,” she takes the notebook and puts it in a drawer. Spencer smiles, she.  “Do you know her?” He can't help but want to know more about this mysterious girl.

“I'm not sure if i can tell you about her… but she's nice, and pretty i promise, “ Spencer chuckles and nods.

“Okay i uh… I'll be back then,” the girl nods and Spencer waves goodbye. 

He leaves the library nervous and goes home just the same, thinking about the mysterious girl and hoping and wishing to the universe for her to answer back.

Y/n made her way back to the library excited when her cousin told her someone answered her notebook. She thought no one would even see it, but thanks to the universe everything worked in her favour. She held her cardigan closer to her body watching her converse move on pilot mode. 

She entered the library and sighed, the beautiful and usual warmth gave her a hug, taking the cold of the streets out of her bones. 

“Y/n you're not gonna believe it,” her cousin approached with the notebook in her hand, “Hes-” but before she could say more, Y/n shut her up. 

“No! I don't wanna know…” she said, grabbing the book. 

“Why?” 

“I want to get to know him through his words, through the notebook, besides it would be cheating,” Y/n explained, her cousin nodded and she smiled going to her little spot to read what he had to say.

Hello, my name is Doctor Spencer Reid… maybe it is a little unfair you knowing who I am and me not knowing who you are, but I just want you to know I'm not a creep and you're safe with me. May I mention how this might be a little dangerous to do? But I don't wanna ruin the mood. I read your words, and I totally agree. My feelings about Christmas are various. Sometimes I feel joy. I have good memories about this holiday, my mom used to read all the classic books and sing Christmas Carols to me, but since I grew up, I am either working or I don't wanna spend Christmas with my friends. They all have a family they have to return to at the end of the day. A wife, kids… I have none of that, just my books and it is rather sad, but I guess that's the life I chose to live. Sometimes it can be stressful. I hope my answer is enough for you , and for me to hear about you. 

If, i have the amazing opportunity for you to answer back, I would like for you to answer this question. 

What makes you feel less lonely?

With love and curiosity, SR. 

She smiled at his words, it felt like she could hear his voice while she read. She imagined the person he might be… a doctor. Why was a doctor reading and participating in her silly little game? She did not know, yet it excited her to know more about this mystery man. 

She remembers how she felt lonely this Christmas, how she saw her coworkers leave and brag about the perfect Christmas with their respective families…It wasn't like she was not happy about them, of course she was! They deserve the best… but didn't she deserve the best as well? 

She shakes her head and turns the page ready to answer his question, her heart squeezes with excitement because he's participating as well. 

She rants and rants on the pages explaining her feelings to this unknown man but she feels like she knows him, maybe it is the hope of finding this true soulmate she has been searching for, or maybe because he gave her the chance to open up, and she gives him the chance as well. 

“I'm gonna leave the notebook between the greek mythology books, tell him is there, okay?” Y/n says. 

Her cousin just nods, and Y/n goes to her home, laying on bed thinking about him. 

Spencer first thing in the morning goes to the library, the curiosity not letting him go to work first. His heart jumps up and down with excitement, and his hands sweat, he doesn't know why he's so nervous but he honestly doesn't pay as much attention. 

He opens the door, the girl in the information desk there as always, and Spencer makes his way, before he asks the question, she answers with a smile, “Between the Greek mythology books.”

Spencer smiles, “Thank you.”

He makes his way there, playing with the end of his satchel, and he sees the notebook. Without thinking more, he grabs it and reads through. 

Hello, Spencer. Thank you for being so thoughtful and kind to give me your name and tell me about you. A doctor, huh? I would never even imagine I'd be talking through a notebook with a doctor, is not that is bad but i just never imagine it, it makes things more interesting though. 

Your question made me very happy, I'm glad you're participating just the same.

What makes me feel less lonely?

Would you do me a favour? Maybe consider this a dare even. 

Libraries are one thing that makes me feel less lonely, so many characters and some of them you can relate to, even. My favourite books also come from Greek mythology. I might say I am a very passionate fan. There is this National Gallery of Art in the constitution ave, here in DC. They have beautiful Greek mythology paintings, you might go and once you are there answer my question.

If you could relate to one Greek god, who would it be?

Spencer happily smiles, looking down at his watch. He still has time. 

He makes his way out of the library and takes the metro, while being there reading her words over and over, looking at her handwriting. He didn't even think of profiling her, he does that all the time, it's something that's there in his brain, but no, he wants to meet her through her words, to know what she has to say. 

He still doesn't know her name, he wonders the way she would sound saying his and without noticing, he arrives. 

He goes directly to the mythology art, he looks at every single detail in the canvas, the colors, the characters. He knows about mythology, but one of the paintings draws his attention. The name of the painting is “Apollo pursuing Daphne.”

He knows Apollo, of course he does. It has been Spencer's favourite Greek god, he never knew why, but now she made him see. 

Apollo being the greek god of light, music, healing in other stuff. One of the Olympians. His myth with Daphne wasn't as romantic, rather tragic. He remembers reading about how Apollo was mocking the god of love, Eros, and the god watching him do so. He threw two arrows, one of gold and one of lead. One to Apollo, who fell so hard for Daphne, and one for Daphne, that made her hate Apollo. 

Daphne in her desperate state, pleaded to her mother, Gaea, to help her because Apollo kept chasing her, and then she became a laurel tree, which then Apollo claimed at his sacred plant.

But this one wasn't the only bad experience in the love field the god had.

Spencer felt like Apollo. Feeling like he had a bad curse in the love field, one of his lovers dying just like Apollos. 

He looked down at the blank page, and decided to write his feelings down.

“Lover boy left the notebook,” Y/n's cousin, Jolene, said. 

Y/n rolled her eyes and grabbed the book, making her way at the back of the library. His handwriting was messy, and for some reason that attracted her even more.

She opened the page where they were left. His explanation was long, making her excited. 

Apollo. That's my answer. 

I know you like Greek Mythology and I'd bet Apollo is your favourite Greek god, and he is mine. I relate to his myth, not much in general, after all how would you relate to a god, but in the lovers' part…. It's not that I dated a lot in my life, but the little ones I've experienced made me feel like I mocked Eros and he threw an arrow at me, and not the gold one. 

I don't like talking about it, but you, mystery girl, bring that part of me I don't let people see, at least not easily. Funnily enough how my coworkers of years don't know half of the way i'm feeling, and you know it almost all and i'd be honoured to tell you it all, if you let me, of course.

Now is my turn to give you a dare, if you call them so. 

Go to the immersive Van Gogh exhibit here in DC, and tell me which of his paintings you feel attracted to the most. 

With love, SR.

She smiled softly, and sighed out of love. The little detail he has of putting his initials makes her heart squeeze, and love his notes even more. 

She gets up walking to the exit with confident steps and a smile on her face, Jolene frowns, “Where are you going?”

“The Van Gogh exhibit,” she says, still walking.

“Bitch… it's midnight…”

“Oh true…” Y/n says turning back around, “Nevermind.”

Road with Cypress and Star;

I could easily have said another one a few years ago, but while being there, the painting just being there in front of me made me feel a connection, a strange attraction I cannot explain. You see, I love astronomy, you might have noticed because of the first clue on the notebook, but it just calls me in. I love Van Gogh in general, but his illustration of it in some of his paintings might be one of my favourite things. So I must thank you for the experience. I wouldn't have discovered that so easily without your help, and now is your turn.

I bet you've read Edgar Allan Poe, so, if you have, tell me the first work you've read of him, and your favourite at the moment, and if you haven't then go and read one!!

How demanding, mystery girl. So bossy. 

And yes, luckily for both of us I've read his work. The first work I might have ever known was Annabel Lee, my mom used to recite it for me but read it on my own; The Masque of the Red Death. It was beautiful however my favourite work might be The Lake. 

Hope my likes are enough for you. 

With my love, SR. 

The Lake? Burn out genius kid, are you? How does it feel to be so cool? And yes, your likes are enough for me, I also read The Masque of the Red Death for a school thing, and I ended up loving his work, and hey don't hurry up in asking me which one is my favourite! 

Oh sorry, sorry! I might ask you if you tell me your name. I want to know the beautiful name behind such a mastermind. 

With all my love, SR. 

Oh please! You're the mastermind here… Wanna know my name? You gotta earn it… with a dare. 

A dare? How exciting. I'm in. 

Yours, SR. 

Oh well, such an adventurous soul. We've been talking for quite a while, and these moments have been incredible. You've read about me and I've read about you but here is the real question… Do you know me, Doctor Reid?

Such a deep question. And my answer is; I absolutely do, mystery girl. 

Yours, SR. 

I hope you're right about that one. Because the way you're gonna earn my name is through knowing me. I've talked about books with you, but my favourite i've never mentioned, if you know me, like you say you do, then go ahead. My name is in a paper between the pages of my favourite book, good luck, doctor ;)

Spencer breathed in and out, chuckling at the same time. The air has been stolen, by no one else than the mystery girl. She had this beautiful energy, and Spencer couldn't get enough. Her dares, questions and way to write did nothing but excite him, to make him want more of her, and his feelings had been growing and growing with every letter, every period, every coma and every character in those pages. 

Her favourite book? Spencer thinks. He thinks about all their conversations, which luckily he has tattooed on his brain, maybe because of his eidetic memory, or maybe because of what he feels, but he does and he doesn't care how or why, he just does. 

Her favourite book, one she must appreciate beyond words, one she could, maybe, read every once in a while, something that spoke about her and who she was… For some, it might be difficult to decipher, but for him, oh for him, it was clearer than cristaline water. 

He walks up, where he knew her favourite book was and made his way to the shelves, his fingertips touching the margins of every book while reading their title, until he came up with hers. He took it and held it in his hands, smiling at the cover, and opening the book, a paper fell off of this o and he leaned down to grab it, turn it around to read the words. 

Apparently you do know me, and because of it, you have truthfully earned my name. Hope it was what you thought it might be. 

Truthfully yours, Y/n.

He smiles while holding the thin paper, he doesn't know why he should be happier, the fact that he does know her, or the fact he knows her name. Y/n… Y/n… it sounds so right in his mouth, and mind. 

He decides to be happy for both, and keeps the paper in his satchel, he sits down and writes to her once more.

Hello, Y/n, my mystery girl. It feels nice to know your name, finally. I might have to mention it matches your personality, or at least what you have given me the privilege to know. 

Hopefully, when the time is right, we can put a face to the beautiful name. 

Always yours, SR. 

“Come on! It's gonna be fun…” Jolene begs, once again. 

Y/n sighs, while reading Spencer's most recent words, she might have let one or two squeals while reading it, but he didn't have to know that. On the other side of the story it was Jolene, who tried to convince Y/n to go to her party, one Jolene's friends had invited her, wanting Y/n to come along. 

“I don't wanna go to a party, those are boring,” Y/n said. 

“It's not a party… it's a reunion… at a friend's house… where alcohol might make an appearance.”

Y/n rolls her eyes for the fifth time that evening, “Come on, i don't wanna be alone,” Jolene begged for the last time. 

Y/n groans, “Fine, but if I'm bored I'll let you there.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” Jolene says as she makes her way out of the library, “My friend is an FBI agent, she might even know your secret man,” she moves her brows up and down. 

Y/n doesn't answer as she caresses the cover of her notebook, thinking about him again while making their way to the car, she wishes Spencer was there with her, he doesn't like parties either. 

Spencer, indeed, did not like parties, but being Emily's welcome home party, of course he had to go. Penelope offered to drive him to Derek's house, where the party would be, and how could he say no? 

“How many people are gonna be there?” He asks as he looks out the window. 

“I don't know, a few? You know how Emily is anyways, and Derek… he invited some friends too.”

Spencer nods, and sighs. He can't wait to go back to the library and find Y/n's response, he always looks forward to her responses. And thinking about her drove him to dreamland, not noticing Penelope parking the car. 

“Ready, boy wonder?” she asks, getting out of the car

“No,” Spencer answers, more to himself.

He makes his way inside, the house almost full of people he could even verily see his friends. The huge “Welcome home, Emily,” sign on the wall, and Emily with a hat while drinking and laughing. He shakes his head and goes to her, with a smile. 

“Spence!!” She says excited, obviously already drunk, and goes to him to hug him, Spencer tries to hug her back, but she's moving too much, “I'm so glad you're here.”

“Of course, how could I miss this?” He jokes. 

Emily smiles and then gasps, “Oh there is jello on the table over there, you love jello, right?”

“Yeah I do,” he chuckles. 

“Oh that's nice, then go and eat and im gonna try to find more drink,” she says before waving Spencer goodbye making her way to Derek. He shakes his head once again and goes to the table, another girl being there. She's grabbing jello too while she seems uncomfortable. 

Spencer frowns, probably she doesn't like parties. 

He looks at her, she's stunning, but not as stunning as he thinks Y/n might be, she looks concentrated in grabbing jello and Spencer looks at her, “Not a party person?” 

She looks up at him, he's stunning. Beautiful hazel eyes and brown curls falling on his face, but surely not as beautiful as she thinks Spencer is, however, she smiles, and shakes her head, “Not really, my cousin brought me here…” She says looking around for her, “And apparently she disappeared,” Spencer chuckles looking at her, “What about you?” she curiously asks 

He scrunches his nose, and shakes his head just like she did before, “Not really.. My friend Emily just came back from Paris, so,” she nods. 

“Oh yeah, she seems really nice,” it's now Spencer's turn to nod. 

“She is.”

They both sigh, and giggle. Spencer grabs a cup and puts the jello on his cup, “Im…” Spencer was gonna introduce himself, until Derek came up to him. 

“Pretty boy…” He giggles, drunk as fuck as well. 

“Morgan,” Spencer chuckles. 

Spencer turns around to look at the girl, but she's gone. He frowns looking around but she's nowhere to be seen. 

Morgan gasps, “I'm sorry… Did I interrupt you and that pretty girl?”

The young doctor shakes his head while looking down, “No, it's fine.”

“Oh, okay. Let's go with everyone else,” Morgan grabs Spencer by the arm and drags him to his friends.

He looks back looking for the girl, but she's not there. He feels weird inside, but decides to ignore it. 

Y/n bored of the party, makes her way to the library. Luckily for her, being a family property, she could get in and out whenever she wants. She opens the door, turning the lights on while walking around and breathing the air, the smell of books and the warmth that hugs her. Memories all over that library… getting to know Spencer being one of them, and she smiles and closes her eyes. Wishing, once more, he could be there with her. She can't take the feeling of not being able to hug him, to talk to him face to face, to just even see his eyes and hold his hands. She takes the notebook, but then, a page falls off of this one. She frowns and goes to pick it up.

I don't know when you're gonna find this page, hopefully soon enough. I am currently at the Van Gogh exhibit. The painting you talked to me about a few weeks ago is just in front of me, and I just can't take it anymore. The way you think, the way you describe things… Your taste, your personality, who you are, it's making me go crazy, and I can swear at you that I've never felt this love for anyone, ever before. Some might call me crazy cause I don't even know your name! I don't know what you look like, I don't know anything about you besides what you've written. But I know your mind, and I know your soul and I know your heart and that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Like psyche loved Eros, blindly but strongly, I love you, my mystery girl. I love you and your thoughts and your mind. I love your letters and your words, I love your handwriting and taste. I love you, and I pray to the Greek god of love for you to love me back, cause I don't know what I would do with myself if you don't. Maybe he would understand because he loved like I love you… He threw a gold arrow at me, and hopefully, this time, he doesn't throw the lead one at you. I love you, and I hope you love me back. 

Always and forever yours, Spencer Reid. 

Y/n giggles, at the same time she wipes her tears. She feels happiness, she feels loved for the first time, and she wants to tell him she feels the same.

“Y/n?” A voice speaks from behind. 

She jumps in her place as the book and the page falls onto the floor, and she turns around. It's the same man from the party… she frowns, who does he knows her name? But before she can get to ask, the realisation is there. 

“Spencer..” she lets out.

Spencer smiles, knowing he was right, but taking his time to look at her. She's gorgeous, just like he imagined her… his mystery girl, his dreams right there in front of him. 

“How did you…”

“I came to the library because I was feeling weird hoping it was open, and I saw you inside, reading the page…” he makes his way to her, leaning down to grab the items on the floor. Y/n looks down at him and follows his gaze as he stands up, slowly while looking at her, “So you read the page huh? I just wanna say that…” but before he gets to talk she kisses him. Spencer is speechless but he doesn't complain, dropping the items again on the floor, and Y/n chuckles against his lips. He smiles as his hands travel to her sides, stroking softly, and kissing her back. 

They eventually pull away, their forehead pressing against each other while trying to recover their breath. 

“Gold arrow,” she whispers, and Spencer smiles as he goes to her lips again, and again, and again. 

Two souls don't find each other by simple accident.

Maybe destiny, maybe Eros. Believe what your heart wants the most.

[demonslayedher]

I lost a bet to myself and paid the price by making another demon sibling AU. Was originally just going to be headcanons and doodles, but I wound up writing the parts I felt like. The names of Tengen's siblings are entirely made up. This will come in two parts due to length.

Clicking each bone in his spine, Yogen stood to his full height, taller than Tengen remembered. It wasn't uncommon to go long periods of time without seeing his siblings when they were on their own missions, but Yogen shouldn't had changed that much. "I'll spare you. It wouldn't do for the Uzui clan not to have a head. Now you're the strongest one."

"...Yogen..."

"I wouldn't had been able to take you on, if not for the fact that you'd never have done it if you knew. You should thank me, Aniki. You know what I've spared you? Father was going to make us all have a fight to the death. You'd have done at least half of this."

"What have you done!?"

"I ate them," he laughed, something Tengen had never heard Yogen do in his adult voice. He had the most infectious laugh when they were children, and this rang with the same pleasure, however dissonant. "I was stunned too, at first. When I came to, I had eaten two of them, they were still warm in my mouth, their cells already nourishing mine. But you know what? I decided to eat the others. I was going to kill them anyway, what difference does it make that I should eat them?"

Tengen's face pearled back into a snarl, his eyes flaring.

"One, two, three... Eizen got away before I could bite him, though. That whelp would had done nothing for me. The one I really wanted to eat was the strongest," he said, his glowing white eyes shifting down to their father's fresh corpse. "And now, even he's nothing to me."

Tengen could stand no more of this. "Yogen!!" he screamed and gripped one of the swords at his back, and charged at Yogen all in one motion. A hard sickle burst out of the flesh of Yogen's arm and caught it, but when Tengen pulled his other sword down through Yogen's shoulder and chest, the sound of ripping sinews what different than it should had been. A look over to the injury revealed that the shoulder was repairing itself before Tengen's eyes. When had he learned any technique like that?

The momentary lapse in focus caught him, Yogen swiped up against Tengen's forearm. It felt too varied to had been spiked knuckles--those were his fingertips, he had grown claws. Tengen drew a sword up to lop off Yogen's forearm, and then his brother let out a shrill scream as his features lit up and revealed how contorted they had become. Yogen didn't look human anymore with how his veins bulged and burned. Burned? From what? Tengen took a look over his shoulder to the sun rising and casting light through the wide open door, and when he looked back, Yogen was gone.

---

Tengen watched the flames consume the house and the bodies of his slain family. He had combed it for any trace of Yogen, but his brother left none. Hope though he did that the flames may consume Yogen too, he knew in his gut that he was still out there.

Behind him, Suma sneezed in a gust of smoke that wafted into her face. Hinatsuru handed her a handkerchief, as she and Makio were already covering their faces in case of poison. Tengen didn't bother, he was resistent to most ninja poisons, and the scratches down his forearm were already less swollen. "You three should go back to your homes."

"No!" insisted Suma.

"We're already members of the Uzui clan," said Hinatsuru.

"Your revenge is ours," added Makio.

Hinatsuru made the most important point, they were already seen as his property. He could hear whispers and feel them all being watched; the other ninja clans knew what had befallen the most powerful family, and the Uzui name was now shunned. Even if Tengen wanted to stay, he had no place in the village, and neither did anything that belonged to him. The only thing left for him now was to track his brother down and drag him to hell.

Someone else was approaching, and Tengen reached for one sword. Uneven footsteps. One didn't have the splat of a foot, it was the thunk of wood--a cane, or two canes? A leisurely, but determined pace. Self-assuredness, even for entering ninja territory. A robust heartbeat. Who was coming?

"Well, is that what you all look like? I feel like I've wandered into one of those storybooks," said an old man. He had one missing leg, a full head of hair and moustache to rival it, a grin, and a telltale scar lining the underside of his left eye. "I had always left your kind alone, but I couldn't when I felt the presence of a demon over here."

"Who are you?" Tengen asked, stetching one arm before his wives while the other hand stayed at his weapon.

"You didn't chop its head off, did you, ninja boy? It's long gone by now, you know. It'll hide from daylight. Be even more trouble to find if it's one of your folk."

"How do you know about us?" Makio shot back.

"How do you children not know about demons? Aye," the old man huffed to himself as he set down a stool he carried. He planted his rump on it, then folded his arms. "The name's Kuwajima Jigoro, former Roaring Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corp. I figured this would be out of your expertise, so I've come to help."

Tengen felt in his gut he could trust that. He dropped to one knee and bowed his head, his wives all doing likewise behind him. Jigoro seemed to enjoy that, but insisted they do not. Instead of bowing, he'd appreciate the ladies rubbing his shoulders to display their gratitude, he said.

While Hinatsuru and Makio set about at each arm, Suma kneeled at his remaining foot with a gasp. "Aren't old people not supposed to be this beefy?"

"Can it, Suma!" chided Makio.

Hinatsuru said nothing, but could feel something was different in this man, not only in his physique. Whatever he had to say was going to change their lives more than the previous night already had. They all listened carefully as Jigoro orated about the existence of demons, how they eat humans, how they are near impossible to kill, but also the methods of those who hunt them, with specialized blades and an organization to support them. As he began describing Breath, however, Tengen stopped him. "I already know all that, that's ninjutsu basics. That's not giving me anything I don’t already have."

"Oh? I figured as much. Always made me curious about you pups. So you you've got the basics of Breath technique, huh?"

"It's beyond basic," he shot him an annoyed frown.

"I'll be the judge of that. See that tree over there? That's probably about the strength of the usual demon neck. Go hog wild on it." As much as showing off was against the ninja code, Tengen wasn't in the mood to argue and made short work of that tree, the only sound being the pop of it seperating into two halves. Jigoro gave him a clap, then stood with his cane. "Good accuracy. Spot on. Now you pick one out for me. Take some mercy, though, I'm only working at half-strength." He balanced on his foot and his peg, plopping the end of his cane in his palm to show off that he meant to use it in place of a sword. Tengen hated when other people tried to be show-offs, so he pointed to a tree a few rings thicker than the one he had cut.

The old man eyed it, then slid his good foot through the dirt, and as he leaned forward, clouds of steam rose from his lips. "Breath of Thunder, Fifth Form. Heat Lightning."

The sound hit Tengen so hard that he covered his ears, and the old man was gone--on the other side of the tree, which was not only cleanly chopped, but split itself in half vertically as it fell. A rarity, Tengen's jaw dropped. Jigoro looked back with a fierce grin, knowing he'd have left them all impressed.

Rather than one knee, Tengen planted his palms and face to the ground. "Please teach me this technique, Master."

"When did I ever say I wanted a student like you? You already said you know Breath technique, don't you?"

"You won't teach him?" Suma sat straight up, little tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I only want students with talents I can mold. You're already set your ways and would just try to make Thunder Breathing into what you want. You can't fill a full tea cup, as they say."

Tengen wanted to insist he's do anything to take his revenge, but the old man was right. As he was, he wouldn't be able to unlearn everything he always knew, it was as much a part of him as every experience and memory, like every scar, such as the ones running down his left arm.

"The true nature of Thunder Breathing would escape you, you'd get too caught up in how powerful it looks. You're too flashy!"

His cheeks flushed. "Say that again."

"You're too... flashy? I don't think a ninja should find that a compliment."

"You can't tell him all that and then not train him!" insisted Makio. "Please! There's got to be something you can do! Tengen-sama works really hard!"

"Tengen-sama works harder than anyone!"

"Please, Master. Tengen-sama can think flexibly, please give him a chance."

"I won't! I can already tell he's not the sort of student I'm looking for!" he barked back, and Suma burst out into sobs, while Hinatsuru hid delicate tears and Makio's face turned dark red. Jigoro flinched at the sight of the upset girls, then looked back to Tengen. "I--I didn't come out here to leave you high and dry, you know. I already told you about the Corp, didn't I? That's where you really need to go. I can't teach you Thunder Breathing, but if you really think you can pick up something new, there's an old scroll I've got of an off-shoot Breath. Someone like you might be able to pull it off. What do you say, ninja boy? How about I give that to you and you teach yourself Sound Breathing?"

---

From there, Tengen took much the same course as in canon. When he became a Pillar and had his meeting with Oyakata-sama, he was upfront about his reasons for entering the Corp. Oyakata-sama appreciated his frankness and assured him that the entire Corp would support him if they found any information on Yogen, but Oyakata-sama was also keen on the undercurrent of Tengen's heart; that he was relieved to leave the murderous ways of ninja, and that he wanted to live an upright life. This finally gave words to something Tengen always felt, but thought he had no right to wish for. He and his wives were moved and they swore loyalty to Oyakata-sama.

However, as time went on, there were no clues whatsoever about Yogen. Around the time they all got antsy, Makio finally couldn't stand it anymore and suggested they may never find him. "Think about it," she said. "This Corp is full of strong swordsmen. Someone might had already chopped off his head long before we got here."

While that should had come as a relief, Tengen couldn't help but find the idea frustrating. That revenge was his to take. He could think of only one person stronger than him who might had done it, so he described Yogen to Himejima one day and asked if he remembered seeing a demon like that. Himejima plainly replied that he was blind.

As they began to accept that they may never have closure, Hinatsuru proposed that they be satisfied bagging an Upper Moon. That should be enough for them to earn their peace, she said, and as much as it grinded away at Tengen's heart, he agreed.

In the course of performing Tengen's Pillar duties, they closed in on what was likely an Upper Moon in Yoshiwara. Hinatsuru, Makio, and Suma slipped in, but when he lost contact, Tengen went looking for some female Corp members to sneak in and see what was up. That's when he reencountered the boy whose head he meant to spill at the last Pillar meeting, as well as his two annoying buddies. Inosuke would had been satisfyingly flamboyant, if not for the fact that he was gross. The other whelp was named Zenitsu.

"You write that 'Zen' with the kanji for virtue?"

"Yeah. What's it to you?"

"Nothing," Tengen replied, never saying anything of it ever again. It didn't take long for him to notice that Zenitsu had ears on par with his own.

The boys managed to get in, and soon the plan went awry. Tengen's first encounter with an Upper Moon broke out, and that went awry in the most horrifically flamboyant of ways. Tengen found himself unconscious, needing to stop his heart to keep the demon poison from spreading, as it was many times more potent than any ninja or demon poison he encountered before. There was fire in the wreckage nearby, he'd be consumed if he doesn't move soon. In the odd space where consciousness was returning to him, his hearing reached into a deeper plain, where he could hear the most carnal thoughts pounding though the bodies of those around him.

Tanjiro was panicking.

No scent! No scent! Upper Moon Five--where did--but--no scent! No scent!!

Tengen could hear Upper Moon Six, in both bodies, but he couldn't hear any other demon. It gave off no sound. He struggled to look in Tanjiro's direction, and was stunned by the sight of a demon partway sticking out of the shadow Tanjiro has cast, guarding Upper Moon Six with a kunai stuck in his arm.

"Sakage!" growled Upper Moon Six. That is not the demon's name. "I don't need you here! Were you intruding on my thoughts?"

"I didn't need to. I heard the cacophony from ages away. You wouldn't had seen wisteria coming anyway."

Upper Moon Six looked to the kunai, while Tanjiro panicked that the poison had no effect on the newly arrived demon.

"Quit with all the fuss. I'd appreciate it if you hurry up and silence that Pillar over there," he turned his glance to Tengen. His eyes had writing in them, but that was Yogen. "I can't be bothered."

Yogen disappeared into the shadow as suddenly as he appeared, and Tanjiro fell forward with a stumble. He'd be a sitting duck like that, Tengen had to go save him, he pushed himself off the ground to--but--but his arm was missing--the scars were torn off-----

---

Yogen had been quick to learn some of the ins and outs of being a demon, but not all the finer details. He gathered from the surrounding demons' fear of the drum demon that the "Twelve Moons" were the most fearsome demons, closest to their progenitor, but didn't those other demons notice that the drum demon couldn't stomach humans as he ate them? That demon was weak, and Yogen wouldn't stand for it. He cut off his head.

It did not kill the demon, who screamed at him with the characters "Lower Six" in one of his eyes, but he shut up quick when Kibutsuji Muzan arrived. Despite warning Yogen that this was not how fights between demons were done and he should kill Yogen for acting without permission, Muzan smilingly decided to allow it, and instructed him to absorb the former Lower Moon Six and assume his role. Muzan did not care for how Yogen's name referenced sunlight, though. He renamed him Sakage on a whim.

Sakage went on to learn very quickly how to please Muzan, and how to climb the ranks. While not immune, he could resist wisteria poison, which Muzan was more than pleased to borrow from him and see how he could try to adopt it into his own cells. Sakage could move between connected shadows, and in spying on the Corp, he picked up on the hand signs the swordsmen used and quickly deciphered them, and openly reported so to the demons that outranked him. With hearing far more advanced that his brother's ever was, he listened to the information shared between crows, piecing apart their language to the best of his understanding.

Lower Moons Three and Two later, he used his spying abilities to identify his next target: Upper Moon Five.

Gyokko was startled by the challenge, and under Muzan's gaze, he could not refuse. Sakage made short work of him, and the other Moons all felt a chill. Akaza's chill was excitement.

Akaza wasted no time in chatting up the new Upper Moon, for Sakage likewise had a stated hatred for weaklings. While Sakage did find it a bit of a bother, especially since he knew he was a long way from ever being able to pose a real challenge to Akaza, he learned that the quickest way to stop Akaza from pestering him was to spar. Akaza loved to chit-chat even while sparring, though, and this became a useful way for Sakage to catch up on a hundred years of gossip about the other Upper Moons.

While it did feel they had somewhat of a friendship, one day they got on the topic of poison. "I hate people who use poison," said Akaza, between punches. "It's as cowardly and low as you can get."

Sakage, who could create a myriad of weapons from his cells as needed and always laced them in poison, was not offended, but disagreed. "I see no problem in being effective."

This gave Akaza pause, and an uncomfortable drop in his stomach. He excused himself, and bothered Sakage not so often after that.

Muzan was typically pleased with Sakage, which made Hantengu tremble that the ambitious demon had it out for him next. When Muzan was in a foul mood after Upper Moon Six's defeat, Sakage was likewise in a bad mood for the annoyance he encountered out there, someone who should had stayed hidden away instead of bearing free his inherently show-offy personality by joining the Demon Slayer Corp, especially since he was sure to have his ears set to the ground now for any new sign of him. He was certain Tengen witnessed him. But, for as much of an insult as it was to the Upper Moons that Gyutaro let him live, Tengen wouldn't be much of a threat anymore.

Still, Sakage knew to keep his cool. He had news to report, and he was certain of his deciphering. When he declared where the swordsmith village was located, Muzan had no doubts, and sent Hantengu alone. "Now why couldn't you find that, after all this time?" Muzan smirked to Nakime. She, not being of any rank, could merely apologize. Sakage took no pleasure or pride in looking better than a peer whom he knew he was stronger than. Muzan's mood could never be sustained for long, though, and he very soon frowned back to him. "You've brought no word of the blue spider lily."

"My apologies."

"Aren't ninja supposed to have knowledge of these things? Weren't you of a high ranking clan? Go back and order them to search."

And, at that moment, a dangerous thought escaped Sakage's inner filter, it leaked though to his mind at the same moment it leaked to Muzan's: But I can't show my face back there.

The way Muzan's face bent with disgust drove more terror into Sakage than when he was still a human and first encountered the demon lord. He felt certain of a swift death, but Muzan let him be. Sakage was still too useful. But, Sakage knew he'd have to crawl back to Muzan's graces by providing something of more use to him. He had to unveil a secret of more value.

--

Tengen, who remained active despite missing an eye and a hand, was present at an emergency Pillar meeting. Tokito and Kanroji were bandaged up, and they recounted how the swordsmith village was attacked by Upper Moon Four. With two Pillars and a few other reliable Corp members all working together they defeated him well before daybreak, but not before discovering an ancient ability known only as "the mark."

As he was now, Tengen knew he'd never attain this. What bothered him more was how the demons found the village, so hidden that he'd have to put his mind to it to have figured out where it was. He could had resorted to old tricks to figure it out, whether that be silently tracking the smiths after their deliveries or flirting with the Kakushi, but what recourse would a demon have had?

'I heard the cacophony----'

A demon may have had ears that rivaled his own, or were better!

Feeling sure of which demon it may had been, he set to thinking of what he would do next. If the demon moved in shadow, listening for the Corps' secrets, what would be a bigger target than the swordsmith village?

Oyakata-sama!

"Uzui-san, are you alright?" asked Himejima. "You seem quiet today."

"You look pale," added Kanroji.

"I'm jealous I won't get one of those flashy marks," he lief without flaw. "We all know I can't take any demons on like I used to. Maybe I don’t belong here."

"Uzui, what sort of talk is that?" Iguro looked to him with his flamboyant dichromatic eyes wide, and brows knit tight over them. "This isn't like you."

"I've got a different sort of mission to go on, I'll see myself out. You all stay here and keep each other company discussing this."

"Then I'll excuse myself here as well--"

"Not you, you've got no excuse," Uzui forced Tomioka back to a seated position by pressing on his head.

In conducting his own investigation, Tengen set his crow to work investigating from the sky. What the crow learned, tracing a few leaks and scolding the birds involved, was that their mid-air communications may had been what spoiled the secret location. This confirmed Tengen's suspicion about Yogen's hearing. He had a feeling about some other spoiled secrets too, and in following up with Corp members involved in previous mishaps, he concluded that the secret hand signals had been divulged.

--

(Read the conclusion reblog here.)