#so. it might be a while before I get any work done fellas.

[rileys-battlecats]

me: you know, I've been pretty unmotivated to work on my art lately, but tonight I think I'll try to work on some projects! Let me just plug in my tablet to charge it up :)

my tablet: falls out of its case and fuckin shatters on the ground

[luna-loveboop]

Wanted to share some thoughts, cause I NEED TO SHARE IT. (Though it might be quite obvious, yeah...)

So, the whole thing with Warriors acting more stern with Wild lately. One could think: "Why just Wild? Hyrule can be quite reckless sometimes, and Wind is THE BABY, so why not them too?"

Well, there's one thing that they don't have, but Wild sure does...luck of self-preservation.

Wars can trust that others, even IF they let emotions take over, would still try to avoid DYING.

WILD WILL NOT. This fella uses his FACE as a SHIELD for ANOTHER PERSON, when there's NO NEED FOR THIS, while being in his "right mind".

SO WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT OF HIM, WHEN HE LOOSES HIS MIND IN A STRESSFUL SITUATION?

Wars still gave him the benefit of the doubt for a while, but after this whole fiasco with Twi's injury - Wars just can not help it, he FEARS for Wild's well-being, because "Champ" himself DOES NOT (with his whole "failure of a hero" thing, I presume).

And how does one even adress it? I doubt Wars saw many people who didn't care about their life before, he was at war, usually people want TO SURVIVE there. He's on edge cause he sees a problem and has no idea how to aproach it.

I want to preface this by saying I have a severe inability to stay on topic but yeah let's talk about it.

So you touched on something me and Jesse have both touched on- that Wars' actions towards Wild come from a place of concern and fear. I think that this is true. Wild DOES lack self-preservation instincts, and Wars has to be afraid of losing him- of the young knight earning more scars. Wild can be an idiot sometimes, but Wars saw him lose his head and attack the shadow when it was just proved to be lethal more than they knew.

There's a difference of perspective between ours and the boys tho that is important and I think contributes to people judging wars for this. See, to Wars perspective, and all of the boys, they could die at any time. An injury could be fatal and they can't see the future. We however KNOW that Wild survives, because we know he goes on to tears of the kingdom. We know Jojo has said that he is reckless and will get himself hurt but always comes out of it. But Wars has watched a billion (<exaggeration) soldiers die and is terrified of it happening again. Whereas we watch the comic from the outside, knowing for certain Wild will make it, Wars is living out that reality harshly.

ANoThER thing I think people forget to account for is Wars is not just a captain, he's a soldier but also leader in an army. I'm not the best with phrasing sometimes so I'll try to say this well- people in the army don't always get to be nice. Oftentimes armies have very harsh environments in treatment towards soldiers because when it comes down to training and life and death there is no time for niceties or feelings. Wars was pushed into the most major promotion ever pretty much to be an army leader. If he's now in the mindset of viewing Wild as a fellow knight/soldier who is not a leader... angry words and facial expressions is pretty mild to be honest.

Wars is a really nice person for all he's gone through, but fighting in a war is a very different experience than a solo journey like the others had. I think it's time to acknowledge that he was forced into far more of a role than the pretty hero, but also an armies leader, and it takes a lot of work to be a nice person through all that. Wars is a nice person who has a ton of strength to be so kind after all he's been through and his actions towards Wild make sense considering his past with what journey he came from. Thank you for coming to my ted talk- no I'm not done.

If anything I said was in any way offensive let me know. I hope my words didn't somehow come across as harsh.

Although him (in a way) treating Wild as someone who is out of line is understandable given his past, it's still not excusable. Wild isn't a soldier and he's not the leader.

Now for Wild time I'm going totally of the rails let's go

Wild doesn't. Yeah ok Wild doesn't like Wars. I've made like. Fifteen thousand nine hundred and fifty two posts on this (<big exaggeration). Wild has not really... spoken to Wars throughout the Lu storyline, tho he did in some of Jojo's starting doodles. Wild has really only spoken to Wars since it all went down when mr. stubborn got injured. I think Wild has a lot of resentment towards Wars for being the knight he was supposed to- who succeeded. Wild has flat out ignored Wars a lot of the time and honestly I'd get pretty frustrated with that too.

Also I along with the other nine hundred people want Wars to trigger an army memory in Wild. For the angst.

Wars is wrong in how he's acting towards Wild and Wild is wrong in how he's treated Wars not as someone worthy of respect. It's hard to pinpoint what's going on in Wild's head but I DO know Wars thoughts- he's terrified for Wild's life and angry that he ignored him and fought the shadow.

But yeah you're right. Wild has no self preservation instincts and Wars can't rely on him to freaking stay alive. Thank you for sending me an ask and sharing your thoughts with me!!! You matter and I love hearing from you /gen <3

Also. Let's make this clear. I love Wars so much. So very much. He's literally a fairy godmother. No hating on him or Wild on my posts. Thank :D

[heich0e]

[warning: while f!reader is not described with any specific physical characteristics, the child in this fic is described as having inherited all of Megumi’s attributes and none from reader! please read with that in mind, or pass over this fic if not <3]

Fushiguro Megumi is responsible.

He always has been, from a younger age than he ought to have needed to be. It's engrained in him now, as much a part of him as his own flesh and bone—if something falls within his scope of responsibility, he's always diligent about seeing it through.

Here's the thing about Megumi, though, the thing he doesn't even really know about himself: he's a perfectionist. Because of this, he doesn't like to be responsible for things—at least not things that he can't guarantee will be a success. Things that he knows he can execute perfectly.

But the road to hell is always paved with good intentions. Convictions, no matter how strongly-held, can accidentally falter.

Megumi has never wanted to be a father.

And maybe this all ties back to his unconscious need to do things perfectly. The pathological insistence he feels to do things all by himself, and do them right. He relies on his experience to achieve these things, and looking back on what little experience he has with fathers, he knows it's not enough—not sufficient—to properly prepare him for a similar undertaking.

And he's fine with that.

He's got enough on his hands anyway, first as a student putting himself through veterinary school, and then with the clinic he works at. The elderly vet he studied under, and who owned the clinic, retired just before Megumi turned 30, and having worked together for almost a decade—first as a part timer, then a tech, then an assistant, and finally a partner—the old man gave Megumi the option of buying the business and taking it on.

Always thought of ya like a son, the old man had said to him one evening after closing, having dragged Megumi to the izakaya down the road to get a drink. Megumi doesn't even really like drinking very much, especially when he was due back at the clinic at dawn, but he indulged the old man who ended up ruddy cheeked and tipsy about as quickly as Megumi expected, given past experience. The conversation had taken him by surprise when his mentor had announced his retirement. 'S only right I pass it on to you, if ya want it.

The offer made something uncomfortable squirm in Megumi's gut. His fear of change rearing its ugly head. His doubt that he was ready to take on such a huge responsibility. The uncomfortably foreignness of being called someone's son.

Just think about it, the old man slurred, immediately picking up on Megumi's hesitation. Yer still a young fella, Megumi, but ya won't be ferever. Gotta start thinkin' about yer future 'ventually. Settlin' down, findin' yourself a pretty girl, babies.

Ah, the future. Yet another thing Megumi hates, in all its unknowable infamy.

Megumi eventually helped the elderly vet into a taxi to get home, and then went back inside the izakaya to drown his sorrows—early shift be damned. His head was a mess, full of a terrible spiral of thoughts about his future that now looked so uncertain, and while the beer he was drinking certainly didn't help him make sense of them, he hoped, however briefly, it might help him to forget.

When Megumi woke the next morning to the alarm blaring from his cellphone, he had a splitting headache thanks to the beer and he was sleeping in the narrow entryway to his apartment with all his clothes (and his shoes) still on. But even in spite of all of that, and the smell of soap clinging to him that he didn't recognize, he felt lighter, somehow—surer about things.

The old man signed the business over to him a month later.

It's been four years since then, and while it hasn't been easy, Megumi's been taking responsibility just like he always has. He does what needs to be done to keep the lights on. He treats his staff well. He takes care of any animals that come through the clinic's door—no matter how dire, no matter how far gone, no matter how they get there.

Yuuji in particular takes advantage of this good nature—showing up frequently, sometimes even after all the other staff has gone home, with some woeful little creature he'd encountered. Sometimes it's a stray cat he'd been called at the fire station to help out of a tree, sometimes it's a dog that he'd found in the road on his drive home from work, or a little bird on the sidewalk. And he gives Megumi the same desperate look every time, the same beseeching eyes, and Megumi curses the fact that the two of them are the same when it comes to this particular responsibility—before letting him inside to examine the new patient.

It's pouring down rain one night, and Megumi has just sent everyone home for the day with a word of thanks for their hard work, when he thinks this very situation is about to repeat itself when he hears a frantic thump! thump! thump! against the glass of the clinic door. Megumi, in his office, pinches the bridge of his nose. He'd even turned the lights out in the lobby so that he could pretend he wasn't there. He knew Yuuji was on his way home from work based on the animated sticker he'd just sent him via text, before offering to pick up some beer and come over, but he hadn't replied—and certainly hadn't expected him to make it to the clinic so quickly.

Megumi sighs, pushing himself up from his desk and padding out in his slippers to the front of the clinic. It's dark out, and hard to see with no lights on in the lobby, but there's a little figure standing outside the rain-covered glass of the door. They appear to be trembling. Megumi pauses, confused, before fiddling with the lock and reaching over to flip on the light beside the door.

What he sees when the door slides open makes him freeze.

Before him is a little boy, no more than four or five, soaked through with rain and shivering in the cold. He has teary green eyes, black hair that's weighed down by the rain, and round, rosy cheeks. Megumi feels sick when he looks at him.

A mirror image of himself.

The man is so frightened that he doesn't even say anything, just stares in horror at the little boy trembling outside the door. Megumi's never heard of a ghost story like this, those were always Yuuji's thing, but that must be what this is. Some kind of spectral being who's shown up to—

A little hand reaches out and tugs on his pant leg.

"Please help me," the little boy says, his voice weak and thick with tears. "Mr. Vet, I need your help."

Megumi watches with wide eyes as the little boy opens his raincoat, revealing a small mass of fur tucked against his chest. A rabbit, Megumi surmises quickly, once he sees the ear; a bunny in fact, when taking into consideration its size. Megumi can't even tell if it's alive because the animal is so terribly still where it's cradled to the boys heart.

He feels another insistent tug at his pant leg, the boy's hand still firmly clutching it. He looks at the child, who seems more determined now, his tears still present but his gaze a little more resolute.

"So, can you help me?"

[middlingmay]

Birthday sex? Its Austin's birthday tomorrow so perfect occasion

Anon! I'm sorry this took me so long.

A while ago I asked for ideas for sexy scenes so I could practice writing them. Two of them helped me with an idea I've been kicking around for a while, and well. Here it is.

Bucky wears stockings, and Buck knows exactly how to feel about it.

It follows on several months after my Gale Cleven Never Learned to Flirt fic.

7K words of the spiciest thing I think I've ever written. Enjoy (if you're over 18).

-

It was March. The nip in the air had lost most of its bite, but it still nibbled at the tips of your fingers and ears and nose. It shot a draft up any nook and cranny it could if you didn���t wrap up tight enough. It was rarely a problem for John. The military get up was top heavy. Always had been. After the Stalag it was one of the few things that kept his feet on the ground, so to speak, when the winter came around.

But the bottom half of a fella? Protected only by wool slacks and some socks and whatever underwear you were able to fit under it? There was a reason the boys on base stamped their legs when they came in from the cold. John knew his own legs had borne the brunt of the bad weather more than once.

But today John felt pretty toasty down there. It was a delightfully unintended side affect of this whole endeavour.

He’d wanted to do this sooner. Ever since last summer when Gale had let it slip. But the logistics were surprisingly difficult, and in the end he’d had to resort to some identity theft and prayed his older sister didn’t ever come to town and need to use that particular store.

Besides, they had something special to celebrate in March, so it all worked out.

Why he’d worn them to work, John still couldn’t quite explain to himself. He’d wanted to try them on, and they had looked so seamless under the bulk of his uniform that he just…hadn’t taken them off.

He wore them as he was hailed and saluted by the junior ranks when he arrived on base. He wore them when he and the other COs had their morning briefing and shared some smokes over their morning coffee. He wore them when arguing with Vickers about the game. He wore them when he reamed out a cadet for trying to take a plane on a joyride—the very same thing he and Buck had done when they were reckless kids.

And it had…done something for him. Maybe it was just because it was taboo, and it always tickled John to push at boundaries and see what he could get away with. Maybe he liked having a secret when everyone called him an open book (he wasn’t; not since coming back state side, not to anyone but Buck). Maybe he liked the duplicity of it. On one hand, the Lieutenant Colonel. On the other, the degenerate.

Or maybe it was none of that psychological bullshit at all. John had never worn silk before today, with the exception of a tie or a handkerchief or a parachute. But fuck if it didn’t feel nice against his skin. Against all of his skin.

He’d requested an early finish today to he could beat Buck home, and it was a good thing, too. The closer it came to finishing time, the harder it was for John to keep his composure.

He and Gale had come a long way since they made that final step in their physical relationship. John had been so frightened of pushing. He had assumed that Gale needed time to acclimatise to wanting a man like that, wanting John like that. But he’d been terrifically, blessedly wrong, and Gale had been wanting for longer than John had ever realised. They never balked at asking each other to try something new, but Gale had never revisited what he’d mentioned that day he mounted John in the living room, taking what he wanted.

But John would give Gale anything. Including this. His Buck might be a little unsure, might be a little hesitant to go for it, shy about his desires, but John would get him there. John would guide Gale’s hands to his thighs so his fingers could tickle at the hems. He’d show Gale how to grip his waist without risking the clasps coming undone. He’d walk him through just how tight he could pull the straps without them breaking. He’d show him how to be gentle so he didn’t rip the silk.

He’d show him everything.

But first, dinner.

Gale was the cook in their household. Through sheer determination John had started to take up baking. He’d only just managed to make barely passable cookies, and that was because he threw a frankly scandalous amount of sugar in there and loaded them up with chunky chocolate chips that hid a multitude of sins. But when it came to making actual meals, he was hopeless. He could boil water, heat soup, peel vegetables and fry bacon in the pan. But anything more complicated than that was Gale’s far more patient, focused, and diligent domain.

But not tonight. Tonight John had the jump on him.

He pulled up outside Jenny’s. They kept in touch with Macon (and Jefferson, though he was more Gale’s pen pal than John’s, pair of know-it-all's), and it turned out he had a friend who’s wife had a restaurant out here. Her husband hadn’t made it back, but before he left he’d promised her that after the war they were going to start the restaurant they’d always dreamed of. So she’d gone and done it for both of them, and she served some of the best food John had ever eaten. It was Gale’s number one choice every time he got to pick where they went out for dinner.

He’d called ahead and placed his order, and Jenny had it waiting for him as he slipped through the door and tried to weave his way through the crush of bodies.

A server waved him down. “Got your food Mr Egan. It’s hot—Jenny just sent it through.”

Louis. A good kid. Sharp kid. John handed him a couple of dollars tip. “I don’t know how she does it, Louis. Woman’s magic.”

“Don’t I know it.”

John beat a hasty retreat and buckled the bag of food into the passenger seat. It was precious cargo, and their night was not going to go the way John wanted if he let anything happen to dinner from Jenny’s.

He got home with fifteen minutes to spare. Plenty of time to change into fresh clothes and plate up.

He was just pouring himself some wine and Gale some cordial when the man himself walked in the door. His satchel looked heavy over his shoulder and his cheeks were pink from the evening chill. John was already smiling like a goddamn idiot just looking at him.

When Gale saw him standing next to a fully laid table complete with one solitary candle and smelled that tell tale aroma, he shucked his coat and his bag with a rarely seen haste.

“Did you get dinner? From Jenny’s?”

“Mhm,” John trilled sing-song and smug. “Your favourite.”

Gale inhaled a lungful and moaned like he could already taste it from the smell alone. His hands floated to John’s waist as he looked longingly at the food, and John managed to quickly set his hands further up his ribs without him noticing the redirection.

“What’s the special occassion?” Gale pulled him close and pressed their foreheads together. “S’nice.”

John grinned wide and toothy. “Happy birthday.”

Gale pulled back, brows furrowed and tick of a smile playing at his lips. “My birthday was in December.”

Didn’t he know it. It had been miserable this year. A couple days before Christmas and right as a cold snap had hit them. It was the coldest the year had been so far, and they’d barely had it in them to celebrate. Instead they’d cooked as much food as they could, piled the fire high and burrowed themselves under blankets and pillows and each other. They’re refused to allow a single pang of hunger or chill of the cold get anywhere near them.

“Gale Cleven’s birthday was in December,” John corrected him. “Buck’s is in March.”

Realisation dawned with eyes sparkling like the sea in broad daylight from the cockpit of a B-17.

“We met in March 19—”

“1940. Happy seventh birthday, Buck.”

Gale wrapped his arms around John’s neck and kissed him slow and sweet. Warm like the glow of the fire they enjoyed in winter evenings. There was the barest, slightest hint of a pull, like Gale had to stop himself from drawing John’s lips into his mouth, into the waiting nip of his teeth.

He pulled back and set his forehead against John’s, his own smile a goofy match. “You’re a sap, John Egan.”

“Your sap.”

John got one more kiss before Gale was pulling away eagerly sitting down to their meal. To this day, watching Gale eat hale and hearty filled John with a joy he couldn’t quite describe.

Their meal passed with pleasant chatter, mostly led by Gale between bites as John tried to keep his focus on the good food and better company. But in his excitement, and a little nervousness, his leg was bouncing. And he could feel the slip of silk against his skin again.

“You haven’t paid attention to a word I said, have you?”

John’s eyes snapped back to Gale’s, who was trying not to laugh at him.

“Am I boring you?”

John licked his lip. “Far from it.”

Draining the last of his drink, Gale got up and stepped around the table to stand before John. John’s legs opened to let Gale slip between them. He tilted his head back as far as it could go as Gale stepped as close as he could get.

“Something else on your mind?” Gale’s voice was low and coy. Playful. John liked him playful.

“I got something else for you.” John tipped forward and kissed the flat of Gale’s stomach through his shirt, softer on account of their meal. “But it’s not for out here.”

That pricked at Gale’s curiosity. John wasn't one of those folks who thought sex was between them, the bedroom, and the Lord. They’d made it in every room in the house. So, for him to confine it to the bedroom tonight. Well, Gale wanted to know. Needed to know.

“Alright then. Take me upstairs.”

John obeyed the one and only command he expected Gale to be able utter tonight. They had an equal amount of give and take when it came to sex. They both liked being in charge and giving it up depending on their mood. But John knew this was going to be so far outside of Gale’s experience that he’d be the one leading tonight. And he liked the thought. Loved it, even, of being the steady hand behind Gale’s pleasure.

Inside their room, John flipped the lock and Gale’s brows kissed his hairline. But before Gale could ask the questions John could see brewing in that big ol’ noggin, he leaned against the door, hands clasped behind his back and pushed his hips out. A summons Gale had never been able to refuse.

And he didn’t now.

Gale's long, supple hands gripped his hips with a strength that always sent John into a tail spin. People saw Gale’s pretty face and often jumped to the wrong conclusions. He was wicked, sharp, fast, and strong, and more than capable of putting John down when he had to. It was a heady thrill to have that type of strength panting for you, whimpering for you. And that was John’s goal by the end of the night.

Gale swept his hands round to cup and grab at John’s ass, but John laced their fingers together before he could get there. “You missed something,” he said, drawing Gale’s hands up towards his waist.

Gale's pout was cute, and John wanted to pull at it with his teeth. But he wouldn't do anything to miss this moment. He didn’t even blink as Gale touched and traced and explored his body until he caught it. There. A deepening crease between his eyes as Gale felt something covering the thick, meaty softness of John’s waist. He watched Gale’s eyes close as he concentrated, following the line as he figured out it went all the way around. He watched Gale look down as he tried to gauge the thickness of it.

Then he watched that gorgeous fuckin’ mouth drop open and heard the sharp hitch of breath as Gale realised what he was touching.

“You didn’t think I forgot, did you?”

Gale’s fingers dug in. A couple of them slipped under the top of the garter belt, taking fingerfulls of John’s shirt with it. Quick puffs of air fell against John’s lips and Gale’s eyes were wide and unfocused as he stared at John’s waist.

“Hey, it’s okay.” John stroked up Gale’s arms until he could cup Gale’s neck and squeezed it in a soothing beat. “I know it’s new. But we don't have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. And I’ll talk you throu—”

“John.” It was said with a bolt of steel that straightened John’s spine. He hadn’t heard that voice come out of Gale since they’d last disciplined replacements together in England. It had his cock hard and throbbing behind the delicate little panties so quick he near felt dizzy.

“You’ll talk when you’re spoken to. Do you understand?”

The door clacked as John slumped back against it. He felt a fine tremor start to warm and thrum in the muscles of his thighs. He wondered if Gale could see it? The way his eyes were focused on John like Gale was some great prowling beast and John the tasty morsel made him feel like Gale could see right through John's clothes, to the treat that awaited him.

Gale dragged his fingers, still just easing past the eaves of the garter belt, over the fabric on John’s shirt, around to the divots of his waist. He grabbed a better handful and tugged, testing the tautness, the tension, and the pull. Then John was yanked forward by his waist, the belt biting into his skin and straining under the strength of Gale’s hands. The pinch of the fabric had him gasping against Gale’s mouth as he smirked at John.

“I said, do you understand. Doll?”

John’s mouth fell open and a groan fell out. He let it roll out on his tongue as he tried to slip it against the petal-like softness of Gale’s lips. But Gale saw it coming and pulled back, and John tried not to whine like a dog.

Because he didn’t understand. He didn’t understand at all. He was supposed to help Gale fulfill one of his fantasies. He was supposed to lead and guide Gale through the experience and help him discover new realms of pleasure. He was going to watch Gale fall apart because of him.

But that wasn’t the Gale staring down at him now as he leaned into John’s space and had his back arching against the door. This Gale was in charge, in control, and ready to order his subordinate at his will.

How many women had John called doll in his lifetime? How many times had he said it to Gale and watched his cheeks pinken and eyes darken?

But oh, he got it now.

John nodded so hard his head smacked against the door, and Gale chuckled low and syrupy.

“Easy, sweetheart. Need you clear headed for this. For now.”

That’ll be a fuckin’ miracle, John thought.

Gale stepped back and John went to follow until a sharp click in Gale’s throat stopped him dead. Gale retreated backwards to the bed, eyes fixed on John, thumbing open the buttons of his shirt collar until the back of his knees touched the bed.

Slowly, he sank down with his legs spread wide, almost obscene like the way young men do when they have something to prove. But Gale didn’t have to prove a damn thing. He just wanted John’s attention, and he had it. John eyed the endless stretch of Gale’s legs, perfect for wrapping around his waist, or hooking over his shoulder, or driving John were Gale wanted him as he flexed his thighs. John knew their valleys intimately, from the delicate knob of his ankle to the mouth-watering bulge of his cock.

But John didn’t see that bulge now. He stamped down the little flash of disappointment that sparked up. He’d just have to work a little harder. Gale hadn’t seen anything yet, after all.

“You said you got a treat for me?” Gale’s voice was that deep and trembling bass he got that tightened John’s skin and made his insides quiver.

“Yeah,” he barely managed to whisper.

“Show me.”

John had never been one for following orders. But he’d never balk at Gale’s. That particular command gave him some of his Egan charm and bravado rushing back. A natural born showman, he was. And his man wanted a performance.

If he knew tonight was going to go in this direction, he would have found a good station on the radio, or put the record player on loud enough to filter up to the bedroom. But as it was, the only music he had was the warm creak of well-worn, trodden-soft floorboards; the soft shushing slip of his clothes as he ran his fingers down the length of his chest, into the v of his hips, into the flesh of his thighs. His only rhythm was the hammering of his heart, the breaths that hitched and gasped no matter how hard he tried to control them, and Gale’s minute shifts on the bed that sounded deafening tucked away secret in their room.

John traced his fingers back up from his knees to his hips, and he caught Gale’s finger stroking the bedsheets as he watched. John snagged the edges of his shirt and, using the flat of his palm just like he did doing yard work on a hot day, rucked the bottom of his shirt up to show Gale a flash of skin he loved so well. There was barely a day that went by that John didn't have some form of love bite fading on the skin of his belly.

But he showed Gale much more than that. After his rough handling earlier, one side of the garter belt had risen and settle higher on his hip, and now it peeked above the band of John’s slacks. John hadn't liked the belts that looked like a bolt of stretched, shiny fabric. Instead, he’d gotten one with semi-transparent windows against his flesh that let the pale skin peek through the opaque blackness. Stiff, geometric lines ran parallel, and pierced and broke up those glimpses. Gale was going to love it.

Gale’s hands clutched the covers underneath him in bunches as he glimpsed the little peek of the belt jutting over his hip, before John let his shirt fall back.

Gale’s eyes snapped to him and John caught the briefest flash of not-quite-anger, but heat. It was John’s favourite thing: testing that famous Cleven patience until it broke. Because Gale broke good.

“I said show me, John. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

John’s cock had been straining against the lake and silk on his panties for a while now. But the edge in Gale’s voice, the demand tinged with a hint of desperation? It jerked near painfully against its delicate confines, and John felt the sticky drops of his precum leak between flesh and silk, melding them together.

Fuck, he wanted to make Gale repeat himself.

His fingers trembled as he undid his shirt, button by button. He made sure to touch and pet each inch of skin as he slowly peeled his shirt open down the middle. He toyed on the last button a little, fingered the curve of it, rubbed it against his belly, until Gale leaned forward and opened his mouth to tell John off. But John didn’t let him get there. With a flick he undid the last button, but caught the edges of his shirt before they could fall away and it stole up Gale’s breath just like it snatched away what the younger man really wanted.

Holding the bottom corners of his shirt in one hand, John teasingly drew them down his torso and dipped them into the top of his slacks. He held his hand there a second, and pulled the shirt down tighter, stretching the fabric against the width of his shoulders and the expanse of his chest which he knew Gale loved. But the temptation was too much. He’d been achingly hard since Gale got the drop on him and it was right there. John pushed his hand down further before Gale could tell him to stop and almost sobbed as he pressed into the coil of his cock stuffed into too-small panties.

“Stop, John.”

John’s laugh was breathy and high. No fuckin’ way was he going to stop at the barest hint of relief. If he didn’t give himself something, he was going to blow untouched like some green kid.

But Gale wasn’t playing, and his next words were laden heavy with warning. “I said. Stop.”

John did, but didn’t remove his hand. Gale’s eyes were dark and hard and glinting with a side he didn’t trust anyone but John with. But God, John was desperate. It was no secret that he loved attention, but being under Gale’s scrutiny like this was almost too much. Almost.

“Please, Buck,” he sighed, shameless in his need. “I can’t… I just need a little…” He trailed off into a groan as his hand cupped and caressed his cock again.

He managed to open his eyes and Gale was half way to him from the bed. He was glowering, disappointed in John, and his jaw was tight.

Christ. He was in trouble, now.

Without a word, without looking away from John’s eyes, Gale pulled on John’s wrist and yanked his hand out of his pants. The fabric of his slacks roughed up John’s hand a little and he hummed at the pleasant burn. He went to rub it gently with his other, but Gale snatched that one up too and held them tight and unforgiving.

He gently knocked his forehead into John’s and let the tips of their noses brush.

“I know you can listen better than that, John. You wanna be good for me, don’t you?”

John grit his teeth. He did. He did want to be good. He always wanted to make it good for his Buck. But he wasn’t sure he could, he was so worked up. It had been building all day, bubbling and simmering and ready to boil over with just the slightest crank in the heat.

And Gale hadn’t even kissed him yet. Not since they came into the bedroom. Had barely touched him. John dared to pant into Gale’s mouth, but no further.

“Please, Buck.”

Gale tutted, the clack of his tongue like lead shot in his belly. “Poor baby. You just need a little help, right sugar?”

God, yes. He just needed Gale to touch him, just enough. Just until his head stopped swimming and he could do for Gale what he’d been planning all day.

Gently, like he might if John were a woman, Gale kissed him. Short, sweet, feather light kisses at first. And when John pushed harder, he allowed it. He pushed John’s hands behind his back and squeezed his wrists; a silent command to keep them there. But he would. He could be good now Gale was giving him something.

Gale let the very tips of their tongues touch in the barest hint of a caress before he gentled the kiss again. John keened but drank up every taste of Gale’s lips he could get, all sweet with cordial. Gale’s hands slid up his chest and over his shoulders and dragged John’s shirt down and down. John sighed into Gale’s mouth with relief. He’d foregone an undershirt when he changed after coming home from work, and was grateful for it now. The air of the room was cool against his heated skin, and he felt it tighten with goosebumps and shivered pleasantly.

Gale kissed his way from the corner of John’s mouth along the square jut of his jaw and down the thick column of his neck. John bared it all until he felt the skin stretch across the base of his throat with a tightness that told you that was enough. Gale suckled and nibbled on John’s skin just, just, below where his shirt collars sat. He tugged and tugged and John’s shirt, and John wriggled and helped him get it down to his wrists.

And he felt the pearly hardness of Gale’s teeth against his neck as he grinned.

“Atta boy, Johnny.”

Gale grabbed John’s shirt tight and yanked and pulled and twisted. John couldn’t see what he was doing, but when he was finished, wearing a pleased, satisfied smile as he took John’s face in his hands and kissed him sweet and full, John went to draw up his own hands so he could touched the beautiful planes of Gale’s face. But they were stuck fast.

Gale pulled back and his smirk was a small and wicked thing.

“You needed help,” he said and John tugged fruitlessly at the bond Gale had made of his shirt around his wrists. “That should help you behave.”

The groan that kicked out of John’s chest was bestial. He bit down hard on his lip and slumped into Gale, who laughed at him and petted his hair.

“It’s not too tight,” he asked, kissing the shell of John’s ear.

John shook his head dumbly against Gale’s shoulder.

“Mm. Good.”

John’s stomach swooped, that pleasant, almost arousing way it did on your first flight, as Gale ducked suddenly and John was left swaying there, trying to keep himself steady. But seeing Gale Cleven on his knees in front of you, smiling like the devil incarnate with fingertips plucking at the teeth and tongue of your belt, was as far from steady as a man could get.

Gale made mercifully short work of John’s belt. His button was yanked open so hard John thought it might pop, and his zipper was thurst harshly down. Gale shoved John’s slacks over his hips, and—

And stopped.

Gale could see the garter belt now. He traced those pretty black geometric lines with his fingers. He scratched along where it met the skin of John’s torso. He thumbed the opaque segments like he was testing to see if he could really feel John’s skin through them.

Then he unwrapped John like he was the birthday present he’d been waiting for all day. Gale carefully tugged John’s slacks down so he could see the ties properly. Strips of silk with tiny delicate bows stitched on. Gale tumbled forward on his knees like he was drunk, and nosed the line they ran from the garter belt down into spaces still hidden by John’s clothing. Gale nuzzled so close that the ties pressed into his skin.

John felt his panting breaths in the crook where his belly met his groin. He felt wet heat pulse from his cock and thanked God his hands were tied, because otherwise he may have grabbed a handful of Gale’s hair and put him to work.

“S’pretty, John,” Gale whispered, reverent and adoring. John felt it like the zap of a live wire. His whole body flushed, and there was very little left on him to hide it. He’d never been called pretty a day in his life.

Gale eased John’s slacks over the sizeable curve of his ass and down his thighs, until finally John’s panties were revealed and the very tips of the stockings. And that seemed all Gale could take. He fell face first onto John’s silk covered cock with a pained, eager sound. His hands scrabbled to pull John’s trousers off the rest of the way, shoving them down to John’s ankles and cursing when he had to pull away to tear Bucky’s socks off, too.

Until finally, John stood before a worshipful Gale, garter belt tight around his waist, ties good and tight, panties straining and wet, and stockings encasing his thick thighs and strong, long legs.

Suddenly, Gale’s eyes were large and wide and shiny wet. His lips pouty and half open. Like he might cry. “I don’t…” He shook his head as he gazed at John. “I don’t know how to deserve you, John Egan. I don’t know how…”

Gale’s hands grasped desperately at John’s legs, stroking and slipping all over the silk stockings. He was untethered, unmoored, and John had the passing thought that it was good neither of the joined the navy since they both needed anchoring so bad.

John gave Gale a slow crooked smile. “Just breathe, baby. That’s all.”

Gale closed his eyes and something wild tore out of John when Gale bit at the edge of his panties and pulled at them with his teeth until they snapped back into place with a sting.

Then John was in the air. Gale grabbed John’s thighs and bolted upright, hauling John over his shoulder. John yelped at the display of strength, positive Gale could feel the way his cock throbbed against his shoulder. He felt Gale’s hands worry at the panty line on his ass and land a hard, solid smack on the exposed flesh around the triangle of silk that hardly covered his ass. Then his world was tilting and Gale threw him on the bed. When John looked up at him, bouncing on the mattress, arms still behind his back, Gale’s eyes were raw and wild.

“Just breathe,” he repeated John’s words back at him as he petted the top of the stockings. “You best remember that.”

He slipped his hands underneath John’s arms and sat him up. A few rearrangements later and John was being pushed against a soft wall of pillows so he could look comfortably down to where Gale sat between his sprawling legs.

“Comfy?”

John tugged at his bindings. They were tight but not painful. And he had enough movement that his shoulders and elbows didn’t bear the strain.

“Like a kitten on a cloud.”

Gale gave him his favourite smile, apple-cheeked and from under lowered lashes. It made John want to grab and squeeze and bite him. But he couldn’t do any of that right now and had to lie there under Gale’s weighty, considering gaze and take whatever he was about to be given.

Gale's hands smoothed over John’s chest. His fingers traced under the ridge of his collar bones. The heel of his hands pressed into the bud of John’s nipples, dragging against them in their exploration and John arched his back and pushed into it. Gale dragged his nails down John’s ribs and it made him squirm and wiggle, but with the way Gale had him boxed in and trapped on the bed he had no where to go. So he had to writhe and tremble and take it, the slight scratch of pain the only thing keeping him from losing his mind.

Gale's hands finally came to rest at John’s hips, and his thumbs rubbed soothing circles into his hipbones. And John knew what came next. If he knew anything, he knew what came next.

Gale swooped down and mouthed over soft, giving skin of John’s stomach. John moaned his relief loud and unrepentant, gratified there was at least one thing he’d been able to predict about tonight.

The bite of Gale’s teeth rained down with his mouthing kisses. A shiny, slick trail dotted Gale’s path around the proof of their recovery over the past couple of years. He sucked in mouthfuls of John’s flesh until the skin tingled and throbbed and red and purpling patches staked his claim.

“You know," Gale murmured between tastes. "Some of the guys at college brag about how tight their girls can cinch their waists. I couldn’t help but find that strange.” He wrapped his long hands around John’s waist, something pleasant rumbling in his chest when they came nowhere close to touching. “Why would you brag about your girl going hungry? Hm? Wanna keep you full, John. Want my girl’s waist nice and thick and strong. So I know I’m sating her good.”

In more ways than one, John hoped. “Please,” he hissed and Gale’s hand’s dug tighter into his waist. “You do. You do. So good, Buck. Take such good care of me. Please—”

Gale cut him off with a kiss, a good and real kiss, and John felt the wet roll of moisture falling from the corner of his eyes that he hadn’t realised had been building. He wanted to wrap his arms around Gale, to bury his fingers in his hair and trace the sharpness of his jaw, but his hands were still tied uselessly behind him. So he could only sit there as Gale tilted his head back and pressed him as far into the pillows as he could get and kissed him deeper. The tip of his tongue dragged all the way down to the crest of John’s, right at that ridge that took the plunge down into John’s throat. Gale licked the underside of his tongue on his way back, sucking it into his mouth, then nipping on John’s lips, before plundering him all over again.

John could scarce breathe. He didn’t want to, if this was how he was going to go. It wasn’t until one of Gale’s hands pushed hard down on John’s hips that he realised he’d been rutting like an animal, fruitlessly trying to get some friction against Gale but meeting air.

Gale pulled back with one last tug on John's lip and said, “I think I’d like my present now.”

John fell back with a flump. His eyes followed Gale’s hands. They moved up first to tug and yank on the garter belt a little and see how far he could lift John with it. The muscles in Gale’s forearm flexed as he tested it, and finally dropped John back down with a satisfied smile. Then his hands smoothed over the dotted mess he’d made of John’s belly. And just when John thought Gale was finally going to touch him, was finally going to bring him some kind of relief he needed so badly, Gale swerved his hands around the triangle of John’s panties to scrape down his thighs instead.

John swore and lifted his leg to kick at Gale, but he caught him easy.

“Be nice,” he drawled and pressed his thumb into the arch of John’s foot.

“You be nice! I’m dying, here.” Gale looked down to where John’s cock had made a valiant effort to escape his underwear. The flushed, red head peeked out from the bottom, pressed between his thigh, the silk, and John’s balls which had drawn tight, below.

“I can see that. But this was for me, wasn’t it?”

John bit his tongue and groaned harsh and grumbling.

“Wasn’t it?”

John sulked. “Yes.”

“Yes what?”

Another splatter of moisture fell from him and dropped onto the hairs on his thigh. “Yes, sir.”

Gale grinned sharp and toothy, and raised the leg he still held to his shoulder.

Heedless of John’s predicament, Gale turned his face, now lax and blissful, to rub his cheek against John’s ankle. Gently he kissed the bone and mouthed the silk of the stockings, catching that little piece of extra fabric that stretched between the peak of the ankle bone and the flat of his leg between the blunt edges of his front teeth. Just a bite then he let it go, before chasing it with his tongue, swirling around the bony mound and feeling the texture of the stockings.

John had never noticed before with how Gale was so appreciative of every part of him. But he was starting to get the suspicion that his fella might, might, be a leg man.

Gale’s fingers traced down the line of the seam, humming in approval at the military precision of its straightness. Resting John’s leg on his shoulder, he thumbed at the crook of John’s knee with one hand, and with the other kneaded the tense, hard muscles of John’s calf.

The noise John let out was wounded and obscene. “Holy—fuck, Buck. Oh…God that’s good.”

Gale continued to take John apart, teasing the tension out of his muscles and pushing mercilessly down on any knots he found. John was dragging air in through his teeth, whimpering and yelling when Gale locked on a particularly tender knot. And the whole time a constant trickle of viscous, warm pre dropped from his cock and collected in valley of his panties. It had built to the point that every time he shifted, he felt the sticky, squidgy mess against his balls and his taint. He was wet like a woman and Gale hadn’t even touched him there yet.

Gale pressed those lush, plump lips of his in an adoring trail up the inside of John’s leg. He licked and bit, careful not to snag the stockings. When he reached the hem, where black silk gave away to the creamy paleness of John’s thigh dotted with glossy black coils of hair, Gale moaned low in his throat and pushed his face into the crook between thigh and groin. John desperately snatched Gale up in the vice of his thighs and tried to drag him closer to his cock. And for one glorious moment, Gale allowed it. He tipped open-mouthed onto John’s satin covered cock until he could feel the lapping of Gale's tongue against the panties.

“Fuck, Gale, please. That’s it—right there.”

Gale moaned against him and the vibrations kicked John's belly to quivering and his thighs starting shaking, too. God he was going to embarrass himself but it’s be worth it. So fuckin’ worth it—

Gale tore his face away, breathing heavy and climbed back up the length of John's body. No mean feat as John, furious and choking on his own arousal, tried to drag him back down with the power of his legs alone.

But the kiss Gale gave him soothed him some, filthy and wet and slick, and with none of the finesse they’d learned over the years.

“John,” he rumbled into the underside of his jaw. “God, the things you do to me.” He rolled his hips hard against John’s, and his belly dropped so sharp he was sure he was about to come.

“Gale. I—I—”

A piercing sting nipped at the lobe of John’s ear then Gale’s voice was murmuring against him, sending tremors down his body. “You’re right there, aren’t you, John? Right fucking there. Me too, baby. Know how good you look? Fuck, me too.”

But just as John teetered on that precipice, as his eyes blurred with tears of pleasure, Gale stopped and pulled away, and John let out an embarrassing squeal.

“No! No, no, Gale, I was—I was—”

“Shh, shh, shh,” Gale soothed him, petting hair damp with sweat. “I know.” He rained kisses along his forehead. “Just a little longer, yeah. Wanna get a good look at you.”

He dropped a final kiss to John's nose and leaned back, kneeling between John’s thighs high on his waist, thumbing the sides of the panties.

“I’ll be sorry to lose, ‘em.” Gale eyed the thick band at the top of John’s stockings, lingering on where the clips bit into the fabric and pulled at them, keeping them up. They’d performed a valiant service this evening, but their time had come. “But I think you’ve been patient enough.”

With a fierce yank, the render of ripping fabric pierced the room as Gale yanked the clips out of the stockings, ripping the delicate silk. It tore another groan out of John and seemed to finally unseat Gale’s patience. He shoved the garter belt higher up John’s waist, and tore his stockings down, deepening the rips. The way Gale’s hands tightened over the split fabric, John came to the heady realisation that Gale had done it on purpose.

And then finally, finally, Gale tucked his fingers into John’s panties and pulled them down.

The air hitting his cock had John gasping and thrusting into nothing. He heard Gale choke on his own breath before he pushed John’s hips down with his palm, soothing him like he would an animal.

When John could focus enough to look at him, Gale was gazing at him with nothing short of wonder.

“Shit, look at you John.” Gale marvelled over the mess he’d made of himself. “You look like you’ve come already.” God, he might have. This whole time leaking in a steady stream of unbearable heat, maybe he’d been coming the whole time.

“Gale for God—fuckin’ please. I can’t take this. I can’t take this anymore. I’m begging ya. I’ll do anything.”

And Gale, eyes wide and brimming with something heady, something he kept banked and rarely let blaze out like this, and looking fucking ruined for it, shoved the blunt of his knee up into John’s crotch. The perfect mixture of blinding pressure and the tiniest pinch of skin, and John was writhing and thrashing, getting every ounce of friction he could take. He didn't even know what sounds were coming out of his mouth—babbling, whining, shrieking, it didn’t matter so long as Gale didn’t stop.

And thank God this time he wasn’t going to. Gale’s own crotch was mercy to John’s frantic, frenzied movement. He trembled down the length of his spine and the slender curve of his legs. His arms shook where he held himself over John. He felt his lips quiver as the heat bubbling in his gut frothed and spat and he felt the tingling at the base of his spine that told him his end was coming. But God, he’d see John there first. He would.

He weaved a hand into John’s hair and yanked his ear up to his mouth. “You’re so goddamn beautiful baby. My woman, getting all pretty for me? I nearly came at the damn sight of you. While all the fellas at college are complaining about their girls, I get to tell them how mine fed my favourite meal and served it in silk.”

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ, Buck.”

He felt the solid lines of John’s body start to lock. His back arched in a deep valley. All tell tale signs Gale knew like a bedtime story.

“That’s it, sweetheart. That’s it, sugar. Y’look so pretty when you come. Lemme see. Let me—”

For all John’s loudness, Gale had worked him past words. His mouth opened in a silent scream, his lungs ceased to draw in air, and his eyes rolled up past thick lashes as he finally came. Hot spurts of seed lashed over his belly, and Gale drooled at the thought of cleaning him up, a line of spit pooling down into the mess. As Gale kept rocking and pressing into him, John kept coming. When finally dragged in ragged gasping breaths, there wasn’t a bit of him that wasn’t shaking. Gale didn’t want to miss a bit of it, but he was barely able to undo John's bonds with one hand, so he could feel John's touch on him, before his own orgasm hit him. It felt as violent as being torn from a plane. His vision whitened and he used John's body, his jerking, twitching, vulnerable spent body to ride out and milk every last drop from himself, until he mewling, pathetic and sensitive.

John was petting his hair and whispering in his ear when he came back to himself.

“It’s okay. That’s it. I’ve got you. You did so good, Buck. That’s it. You back with me?”

Gale nodded into the crook of John's neck and snuggled closer. He powered through the flinch that rocked both of them as the sensitive skin of their cocks brushed. But nothing could pull him away from John at this moment.

John kissed Gale’s hair and without even looking, Gale could feel the grin against his scalp.

“Happy birthday, Buck.”

“Mm.” Gale felt the loose, hazy drag of sleep put weight in his limbs and on his eyelids. He let them droop shut, but before he let sleep and the warm cradle of John's arms take him, he managed: “John?”

“Mhm?”

“We’re going to need more stockings.”

[tommi3boy]

“I think you’re breathtaking to look at“| {SDV Harvey x GN! reader}

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: none

Pairing: Harvey x gn! Farmer

A/N: no name used, established relationship but not dating, slow burn confession

Summary: Harvey sees how sunburnt you’ve gotten and asks that you take a few days off from being in the sun. While you spend the day indoors, Harvey visits you and y’all do some Zumba together.

Like clockwork, you could find a handsome doctor at Gunther’s library every Saturday. This is the day of the week when you would normally come by and donate some of the relics you found to the libraries museum. Seeing Harvey outside the clinic was somehow refreshing, so you found yourself (un)intentionally picking up on his schedule. This Saturday was no different; Harvey was standing in the nonfiction section of the library, flipping through a hardcover book. He’s normally more relaxed and approachable at this time, so you went to greet him. “What’s a handsome fella like yourself doing with their face in a book?” The question slightly startled Harvey, his shoulders relaxed when he realized it was just you. “Hello to you too farmer” a soft smile suited Harvey’s face after realizing you called him handsome. However, that expression of his slowly dissipated once he studied your appearance more closely. “Your burnt to a crisp farmer! The summer UV’s are no joke, have you not been using proper sun protection?”

This interaction didn’t go how you planned, Harvey ended up lecturing you about the importance of sunscreen and said to take a few days break away from direct sunlight.

-

Because you respect Harvey’s judgement you’re now lathered in aloe vera, spending the day in your cabin. There was still daily upkeep needed on the farm so you got up before the sunrise; your poor chickens didn’t enjoy their beauty sleep being interrupted.

You were so used to running around all day with stuff lined up to do, that a break from it took you off guard. Almost like the feeling of being on edge, needing a way to stimulate that same routine of yours. This lend to you rummaging through your grandpas few belonging left in the cabin; you ended up finding an old phone book with numbers of the townsfolk. Most of the numbers were outdated; many of the names you didn’t recognize. But Evelyn and George’s home phone was scribbled out, as well as the Mayors. Unless the landlines in the townsfolk’s homes were disconnected, you bet you could eventually contact someone in the valley by going down the list on the old phone book.

-

Ring . Ring . Ring

“Hello? This is Pelican Town’s clinic, how may I help you?”

“Harvey! wow this thing really works, you’re one of the only people in town that still have their landline connected.”

“Farmer? Why are you calling the clinic, are you alright?”

“I’ve been screwed around with this phone all morning, I thought maybe it didn’t work because I wasn’t getting through to anyone but then I managed to get you on the line.”

“Sounds like an eventful morning, I’ve kept the line connected for my older clients, it tends to be easier for them to contact me with it.”

You felt like you were in an old 80s rom-com listening to Harvey speak on the phone. You imagined him leaned back in that old office chair behind the clinics counter. Was he excited to hear from you? He doesn’t sound very busy but that doesn’t mean he wants to sit and chat’ you thought to yourself.

“Alright, well I was just seeing if the phone worked, I’ll let you get back to work doctor.”

“O-, there’s not much work to be done actually, might close a little early today. How’s your sunburn? I have a good cream for burns if you need any.”

“It’s fine, I’m sure in a few days it’ll start to peel and I’ll get a fresh new layer of skin. I could use like, melatonin or something though; this lack of activity is making me all jittery.”

“Hm, well I wouldn’t recommend melatonin unless you exhibited sleep issues. Let’s see,, I normally get off in about 2 hours, but if you’d like I can do an at home visit and help you relieve some of that energy?”

Get your mind out of the gutter. This is a nice man trying to help you out, a very attractive one at that. If it wasn’t Harvey saying it you’d think that sort of offer was flirting. All your flirtatious efforts in the past directed at Harvey seem to go in one ear and out the other; he just doesn’t seem interested in that way.

“sure I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

“Alright then, let me close up the clinic and I’ll be over shortly.”

Your skin feels sort of tingly now, maybe it’s just from the sunburn.

-

Harvey arrived at your doorstep roughly 30 minutes later. He had changed from his work clothes into a more casual t-shirt and sweats; and was carrying a small tote bag. You noticed he was flushed in the face after walking all the way to your farm. When you invited him in, he pulled out an iPod and a small speaker from his bag and said “l thought you might be interested in doing a bit of Zumba with me.” ‘So that’s what he meant when he said he could help.’ It’s endearing how a few months ago he was practically begging you not to tell anyone he attends Caroline’s aerobic class, and is now asking you to do Zumba with him.

-

Once he set up the speaker, he shortly briefed you on doing either 1. You can copy him, or 2. Just make up your own groove. He then got an 80’s dance playlist on shuffle. Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ started playing, the small speaker was surprisingly loud. Harvey seemed to really be in the zone while he was trying to find his rhythm. Mostly light foot work at first, like he was warming his way up the body, then some shoulder shimmies; soon he seemed to be fully immersed in the upbeat music. It was honestly adorable that he felt comfortable enough to do this with you. You wanted to make sure that Harvey wasn’t the only dork in the room, so you quickly found your rhythm and started doing your own little thing. Out of all the people in town, you’d only let Harvey see this is side of you; by no means were you a good dancer. You didn’t feel judged in the slightest letting off some steam with him.

After 3 songs played and a lot of groofing off, you felt surprisingly winded, you hadn’t realize Zumba was this much of a workout. Once the 3rd song finished, you took a break and sat on the floor. Harvey quickly joined you trying to catch his own breath.

“God I didn’t know zumba was such a workout, that wiped me out quick”

You and Harvey laughed at the state both of you were in.

“It’s definitely more taxing than it looks, I could barely get through 1 song when I was starting out”

Harvey told you he had started going to Caroline’s classes roughly the same time you moved in to the valley.

“Were you trying to get in shape since a hot new face had moved in?” You were joking but the comment had Harvey turning his head away from you. You saw his ear turn red. The moment of silence was awkward since Harvey didn’t laugh at your flirtatious joke like he normally would.

“In all honesty, I think that might be true. When you moved in I felt more motivated to do things that would better myself. Looking back at it I wanted to catch your attention but I was never very up front about that kind of thing. I made it seem like I was solely doing it for health reasons.”

This response came as a shock to you, Harvey never really opened up to you like this. Internally cursing yourself for joking like that, you wanted the joke to be true but now that it is you’re at a loss for words. Harvey was patiently waiting for a response.

“If anyone else in this town had brought an iPod to my cabin and asked me to do Zumba with them, I’d say HELL no. You’re the only person in town I’d do this with.”

“, I’m glad to hear that farmer”

“You should try and be more up front with me about these kinds of things, I mean, I call you The Handsome Doctor like every other day”

“I can never tell if that’s a joke or not, if anything, your the one who should try and be more up front”

“I feel like calling you attractive is pretty up front”

“Alright well, I think you’re breathtaking to look at, even when you’re extremely sunburnt, so much so that I often have to not look at you or I lose my train of thought.”

You don’t know if you can handle up front Harvey. What are you supposed to say to that confession.

“You better watch out cuz you’re going to end up seeing this face a lot more now that you’ve said that” Your response sounded more like threatening than you wanted it to, why couldn’t you have said something sweet’ you thought.

“I’d love to see you more often farmer, I’m glad I got that off my chest.”

-

Harvey packed up his iPod and speaker shortly after that eventful conversation. The Zumba did in fact help your nerves, or maybe it was Harvey’s presence that put you at ease. You thanked Harvey for helping you, and he said “Let me know if you ever need a dance partner again, oh and here-”

Harvey handed you a bottle of sunscreen.

[frostythefrostedfox]

Don't you worry, you'll be to told exactly what to do I give my people the lives they need The righteous will succeed

You know what I don't like about rebel stories like Hunger Games and Divergent? That we never get the opposite, how about a compliance story?

Something that always bothered me about certain videogames is how they never ever, not even for one second, entertain the thought that you might not agree with them, they all follow the same formula

MC is respected member of [SOCIETY] > MC has encounter with bad side of [SOCIETY] > MC is told not to question things > MC questions things > MC turns sides > MC opposes and wins against [SOCIETY]

But what if I don't wanna? Why do we never get a videogame like that?

I want a game where the MC discovers the truth about the place they live in, and even with that knowledge they stand up and say "Ok and?" and carry on with their life; and that's how this fella was created

My young impressionable mind was exposed to Syndicate (2012) in 2013, the cover looked so cool and all the promo material online was great, it even had the theme song done by Skrillex, Nero, Flux Pavillion and Digitalism (for the people that likes real music and is reading this, that used to mean a lot, they were huge and everywhere for us noise-enjoyers), but the late part of the game and the ending never really... caught my attention, I always found the introduction of the game a loooot more enjoyable, before Kilo becomes a rebel and fights Eurocorp.

And that is why I created this fella. You can even call it a semi faceclaim.

Just like Kilo, born to a syndicate to serve the syndicate, except that i wasn't Eurocorp, it was Cayman Global, following their in-universe explanation that DART-6 has not been reverse engineered by any company and is propietary software of Eurocorp, Cayman decided to try their hand at it with what knowledge they have on it, and that is how they came up with the idea of Speciality Chips, or S.C, they work similarly to DART-6, with its own schizophrenia inducing voice interface and all, except that they don't enhance every single part of a 'soldier', instead they are using to make people 'better' at their jobs, depending on the role and occupation chosen for them at birth.

Fake memories of a fake family and a fake childhood, an AI prompt fed into his brain by the SC as a child to mould his personality to what Cayman needed it to be, with fake hardships to strenghten his character and fake triumphs to make him proud and happy. And every single thing he remembers doing as a child was a stage play to nurture and test his abilities, a continious selection program where only the best move on to the next phase while never aware that they are competing; every single one of those kids he beat at Spelling Bee as a child were just like him, and their failure meant their removal from the program, another job at Cayman Global will be found for them that fits their skillset, same thing for karting tournaments, academic score, everything.

His parents are just company employees told to act a certain way to incite certain reactions, records of who he was born to are probably kept somewhere, but who cares anyways, for as long as he believes those are his parents, they will do.

The only thing that makes him a somewhat rare candidate is that he is not a single child, he has a sister, also put throught the same program as him, just for another role, using a different version of the chip for a completely different purpose.

After years of serving Cayman Global and earning his Black Stripe clearance, one of his missions has his evacuation transport crash and drop him into the sea, after his chip entered power saving mode due to not consuming enough food or water, it was the first time he ever experienced fully thinking for himself, not having his thoughts molded, suggested or coerced by any company directive, and he found those thoughts to be quite similar to the ones he had before, questioning the methods of execution of Cayman Global, but not their ideals or beliefs. Why was he floating in the sea for so long? Shouldn't they pick him up as soon as his signal dissapeared? If the SC is an AI, do they all have different personalities and voices? Is his specially made for him?

Upon arriving Someplace, Somewhere in [COUNTRY], his chip came back into service, except that now they had a different set of information and ideas, his head filled with questions that the SC couldn't answer, but none of these doubts ever put his allegiance into question, so none of them got reported back, which would have ironically gotten him rescued faster.

Eventually he came across some locals, his uniform and armor damaged, no longer sporting any visible mark of his employer, they took him in, unaware of who he was; they certainly wouldn't have if they knew he was working for the exact same company responsible for making their life so miserable.

Time passed, he learned things from the locals and the locals learnt from him, all of his training was very real, and it showed, a trained agent like him could do things these guerrilla fighters only dreamed of, eventually being a prominent voice in this little tribe that nursed him back to health, he got a taste of what being in power was like, and he liked it, and his SC was taking records of it.

This sudden change in approach to a more professional and organized course of action peaked the interest of the tribe's enemies too, they couldn't have learned these things overnight, someone was helping them, their first thought was a rival syndicate, and so they dispatched a whole bunch of agents to deal with the new threat, ironically one of these agents being his sister.

The two were fated to encounter, and that is exactly what happened, just not the way they expected it, and certainly not the way they wanted it, and totally against the syndicate's wishes. Their SCs mark each other as [RELATIVE], but they don't know this other animal in front of them, how could these two different animals could have come out of the same mother, they are not the same species, she's a bird, he's a fox, he has a marksman tag, she has a bruiser tag, they look nothing alike, they are nothing alike.

Cayman Global originally thought of this as an inconvenience that should be dealt with immediately, but latter settled on exploring the possible opportunities of letting their bond be known to each other, and more importantly, the opportunity to gain an insider with access to the locals. And they had a lot to know about each other, their customs, their way of doing things, their likes and dislikes.

This only led to more question appearing on his head, why was everything at Cayman so peaceful, why can he just solve problems with his sister so easily, while the locals have all of these problems, tribes not settling in on one thing, having to constantly ask for things, changing their minds, disagreeing, fights; maybe they had so much problems with the syndicates because of their ways, if they could understand each other, things could probably be solved quicker.

But the tribes didn't wanted that, and rightfully so, they did not wanted to surrender their freedom, their land and everything they own to a company to manage and do as it pleases with, it was theirs.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks, he and his sister were raised by the Syndicate, to them these ideas the locals speak of were nonsense, all of this chaos and problems that could be easily fixed, why wouldnt you want to fix it?

And that's when his SC, for the first time in forever, came up with its own idea, not something fed by the mainframe. Betray the tribes.

And betray the tribes they indeed do, Cayman agents agreed to the plan after a lot of favours being called and some heavy bargaining in the form of his sister's fists. An easy pick for the tribes, a Helibird crashed into the desert after a sandstorm, few survivours and a delayed rescue team due to the poor visibility, the perfect chance to pick up resources; but the only thing they picked up was a fight they couldn't win.

And so he triumphantly returned to his home, Cayman Global headquarters, but his new... Ideas... were not popular with all of his superiors, but those that agreed with him were not afraid of showing his support.

That's how he met Moon, someone that has been sitting near the top for way too long, and no longer thinks the head should be doing the thinking, and she was ready to make a play for it, playing with some strings here and there to have the siblings end up under her supervision, she could train and explore where these ideas of theirs really led to, what did they meant.

He gave a new name to his SC's voice, Lightning, and she liked it, it was nice to be her own thing, not just another chip, and in return, he let her take control over bits and pieces of his brain that none of the chips should have access to.

Little by little, Moon slowly revealled what the syndicates were up to, a second syndicate war was brooding up, and it was going to be way worse than the one they had in 2049, and she remembers that one pretty well, she was still an active agent back then. She allowed him to take a peek behind the curtain, how his memories were manipulated and changed in order to fit a narrative created by the syndicate, how his upbringing was all fake, how he was monitored and sought after like a guinea pig.

And he had absolutely no problem with any of that, his mind was so deeply consumed by the company's mindset that he couldn't even begin to understand how could any of those things were bad, he never questioned his position or his role in Cayman Global, instead he just wanted more, his last adventure made him hungry for things he should have never tasted, the company's propaganda kept him docile and happy, but also kept him compliant and safe, and he wanted none of the latter, having power is great, being in charge is amazing and telling other people what to do feels good; and Lightning agreed with it, why should she be a simple voice on his head, when she could control all the other voices on everyone's head.

That is where their real 'adventure' begins, not to destroy a corrupt syndicate, not to make the world a better place, not to make it fairer, is to put themselves on top, be the one that cuts the cake instead of being the one receiving a slice.

Thank you for coming to my OC rant

[allmentalyart]

♥️Red!♥️

Weeheee! Next themed headshots! This time with the colour red! Purple is also nearly done, tho next post won't be the purple beans yet (aka I wanna have lots of variety in my feed). Anyways, the red fellas here were super fun to draw, so let's start with a little introduction for them all :3

🔥Blaze, the Firedragon! - OG designer: ilionzae_draws from Instagram

This fiery beast has been all around Draja before he appears in the main story. Mainly he belonged to a certain group of pirates - the first pirates of Draja - lead by a very famous Waterdragon princess. Blaze was all-over known as a blazing terror to the victims of this crew. His atrocities didn't stop when the crew disbanded and eventually lead him to meet Storm - the most sadistic character that will appear in Allmentaly - and marry her! (🦆No, I don't support the actions of my villains. They are evil!)

♦️ Rominion, the Fire Magewing (semi-open fantribe by morvae_draws on Instagram) - OG designer: dawgonartistx from Instagram

This lovely and goofy fella here is quite the friendly and wholesome character! Rominion is always up to help others, despite him being absolutely lost with whatever you can throw at him. To be fair, that makes him even more cute. He is really try this best! He is most notably known for his skills in crocheting! You might be wondering why a fire mage might be working with wool, but that's actually not the case! He uses his fire magic to heat up metal or glass and uses these materials to crochet unique home decore!

👑Queen Pyrope of the Skywings - OG designer: DeathhDreamerArt on TH

Finally I can show you a "face" for my Skywing Queen in my WOF AU! Pyrope was planned for a while now, but I never got time to actually design her. I am super happy I found this lovely design here! It fits her super well, so I had to get it :3 Pyrope is not only the Queen of the Skywings, but also a good friend of Queen Milky Way (Nightwing). She and Pyrope are the same age and both knew each other due to the diplomatic meetings their parents had. It's also Pyrope who later let's Moondust (cough cough the main character cough cough) live in the Skywing kingdom under a fake name after the Nightwing kingdom gets attacked. Later on however, Pyrope actually betrayed Moondust, due to the high risk for her kingdom and therefore is quite literally the reason for the plot of my AU

💣 Zeedrian, the Hellfiredragon - OG 🦆 design

Here he is, my beloved nightmare to draw! 😂 There is a reason I haven't designed his fullbody yet and why I barely draw him! It's quite the work to make all those scales. Tho, despite that, he definitely has one of my favourite designs amongst my Allmentaly cast! Zeedrian is Lumina's best friend in the A.f.K. and joins her in the arena challenge. Zee is a skilled and ruthless fighter, so everyone was sure he would get elected for the arena challenge. Well, Shadow had other plans when he picked Lumina! Lucky Zee still got his chance thanks to his best friend. I have quite a lot of story for him planned! Ironic, because he originally was planned as a side-side-side character, who would have appeared 2 or 3 times in the main story, but now is more like a main character. So lots of lore to come and to draw of this bean :D

✅Likes, shares, saves and comments are highly appreciated ❌I own the copyright to these artworks! Any usage of it without my consent is prohibited! I don't consent to the usage of my art for AI or NFTs! Stealing and tracing is obviously also prohibited!

[hrodvitnon]

(I already sent this before, but I don't know if it got eaten by the void or not, so Imma send it again just in case.)

At some point, both Godzilla and Mothra hear of how Trapper's been treating the apes (as well as other titans) for checkup, more specifically, dental care. Shin has too many overgrown teeth, and he is actually growing new ones, which causes him a lot of pain and discomfort. For some reference, imagine it's a bit like on how the Deviljho grows way too many teeth to the point that they even got teeth on their chin (yes, those aren't chin spikes, those are teeth)

So Godzilla and Mothra seek Trapper out so that he can take a look at Shin too. Though of course, they only do this once Shin fully consents to it and there's no problems leaving any time if he gets too uncomfortable.

Cue Trapper checking on Shin while in a full hazmat suit, while both Godzilla and Mothra stay by Shin's side as emotional support.

Oh, it did get sent the first time! Inbox has just been popping lately, so things will get buried, sorry! Huh, been an age since I played MHS2 but that name sounds familiar, gimme a sec... *one google later* Oh yeah, that critter!

Trapper: Oh hey, big fella! You're looking much better than the last pictures I saw of you, you're really growing into a handsome lad!

Shin: *confused noise* (What is he saying?)

Mothra: (He says you're very handsome.)

Goji: (And he's damn right!)

Trapper: Oh bugger me, that's a lot of chompers... gums and flesh are swollen... I hate to say it, big man, but we might have to put you under anesthesia to get all the excess teeth out. You might feel a pinch but it won't hurt, I promise! You'll just be sleepy for a while!

Shin: *concerned groaning*

Goji: (He's going to give you something that'll make you sleep.)

Shin: (Something... pointy? Hurt?)

Mothra: (Just a pinch. No hurt.)

Shin: (...don't want to see.)

[Mothra rests on Shin's head and covers his eyes with her wings.]

Goji: (Better?)

Shin: (...a little...)

Trapper: There's a brave lad, just like mum and pop. Easy does it now... careful... there you go. You're braver than I am, you know that? Getting lab work done still gives me the willies! Now we're just gonna let it work through the system, aaaaaand... night-night, sweet prince!

[The next thing Shin knows, he blinks and suddenly the procedure is done. In actuality it took most of a whole day.]

Mothra: (See? You did so well!)

Goji: *happy grunt* (That's my boy!)

Shin: (...ah fink fereth fomefim fummy wif mah mouf...)

[sl-newsie]

Give It A Chance (Baby John x Velma's Little Sister)

‘So basically Baby John still hasn’t got a date to the dance at the gym, so Mouthpiece has an idea to set them up, but the thing is she’s a tomboy and has never been to a dance she doesn’t want to go, but after much convincing she decides she can at least meet her blind date beforehand. Much to her surprise he’s got a nail in his ear. She offers to help, they bond and end up having a wonderful time at the dance together.’ Huzzah! Coming right up! 

Jacqueline’s POV

“Come on, Jackie! It’ll be fun!” My sister chats from the other room.

I roll my eyes. “No!”

“Social mixers aren’t life sentences, sis! Just give it a chance-”

“I am not going to a boring, meaningless dance where I will be forced to act nice to people I hate and just stand in the corner like a tossed-aside wallflower! Besides, I've already planned on fishing over in Brooklyn later. Spot’s gonna miss me!”

Fishing with Spot and the other Brooklynites sounds lots more fun than any dumb social event!

Velma storms into my bedroom and backs me against the wall. “Jacqueline Anderson, you will be going to this dance if it’s the last thing I do! You cannot just play around with boys and never go on a date!”

I gawk at her remark and sneer. “Why not? Is it hurting your image?”

“That makes you a tomboy, and I am not having any of that! It’s time for you to grow up and be a lady! What would mother say?”

“You tell me!” I fume. “You knew her better than me before she up and left us! While you’re off gallivanting with your drama queens, I’m actually trying to help dad out by doing odd and end jobs. You want me to be a lady? I���ll be my own ‘lady’ by learning how to support myself without suffering through pointless social dances!”

Velma’s reddening face shows I’m winning, but before she can yell at me again another voice rings out from the front door:

“Velma! Velma! Come quick!”

Graziella, Velma’s best friend, bursts in with a wild look on her face.

“What’s the news, Grazzi?” Velma asks.

“It’s Riff! He and the Jets were fighting the Sharks again! I hear they got roughed up pretty good! Baby John even got-!” She notices me and smirks at my confused frown. “Ooh, I forgot! You haven’t met them, have you? Don’t worry, you will at the dance tonight!”

I huff. “In case my sister hasn’t told you yet, I’m not going! So thanks, but no thanks.”

Mouthpiece’s POV

“Don’t sweat it, Johnny. It doesn’t look that bad…” I peer down at the bloody nail stabbed in the young Jet’s ear. It looks bad. 

Baby John groans. “Face it, I’m just the runt of the pack. You guys are better off without me tonight. Just leave, Mouthpiece- go get ready for the dance.”

“What ‘bout you?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, I ain’t go’n. Besides, I don't even got a date. I ain’t good with the goils like you all are.” He offers a weak smile. “My ma raised me too soft, I guess.”

“Hey, fellas!” Grazi jogs up and looks between me and Baby John. “Ready for tonight?”

“Apparently Baby John ain’t go’n,” I say matter-o-factly as the Jet in question walks away to go slump on a bench and stare at passing cars. 

“Huh. That’s 2 rejections I’ve heard today.”

“Who was the foist?”

“Velma’s sister.” Grazi chuckles. “She’s never gone to a dance and never wants to. She's more of the ‘tomboy’ type, if ya catch my drift.”

“Really…?” I put a hand to my chin and look over at where Baby John’s sitting with a smirk creeping onto my face. “That gives me a crazy idea that just might work…”

Jacqueline’s POV

Ah, dad’s workshop. The only place in this bizarre city I can be myself! I’m currently trying to get a chores list done of fixing a few household items before my fishing trip with Spot.

“Oh, Jackie!” Grazi calls in a singsong voice when she and Velma strut in. “I have returned with wonderful news! You’re still against the dance, right?”

“Still not going,” I say flatly, not even looking up from the clock I’m repairing.

“Oh really? What if I told you that I just set you up on a blind date with a Jet?”

I nearly drop the clock. “What? You’ve got to be kidding!”

Velma and Grazi giggle at my befuddled look.

“I kid you not! Mouthpiece and I worked it all out- you each need a date, so you go with each other. It’s perfect! You’ll love Baby John, he’s super cute.”

“Those Jets are nothing but trouble! Dad never wanted Velma to get involved with them, and here she is now caught up in all this gang violence. I ain’t getting sucked into that too!”

Velma ignores my repent and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Just give him a chance, please? He’s really nice, honest! Do it for mom?”

Really? She’s guilt-tripping me into this, going out with a random boy I’ve never met? But I still can’t ignore the stabbing remorse leaking out of my heart. Mom would have wanted me to at least try. And no one ever said I had to like it. I’ll just show up for 10 minutes and leave when no one notices.

I eventually let out a sigh in defeat. “If I do this, will you stop pestering me about going to social events?”

“If you do this, I’ll never make you go to another social event ever again.” Velma holds her hand up in a scout’s honor. 

I close my eyes and, before I can second-guess this once-in-a-lifetime offer, I give a stiff nod.

“Yay!” My sister does a victory dance and takes my hands to twirl me around the workshop. “Your foist dance! I’m so happy!”

I rip my hands away and kick a can across the room. Guess I’ll have to tell Spot I’m canceling. “Yeah yeah, whatever. So what do I do now?”

Grazi looks judgingly up and down at my rugged, stained overalls. “Foist off, you’re gonna need a dress.” 

Great. I’m going to love this.

In half an hour I feel like one-a those plastic mannequins in a fancy department store. When Grazi holds up a mirror I don’t exist. Instead, I see the face of a fragile goil with rosy cheeks, red lips, highlighted eyes, and brunette curls up in a too-perky ponytail. The dress Velma is lending me is a deep blue, despite my request to wear her blood-red one.

“It lets people know you’re with the Jets, Jackie. You don’t wanna be confused for a Shark goil.”

Why does that matter? But I don’t push it. Just dress up all goily-goily for one night and this’ll all be over.

“But why the shoes?” I groan when I try to stand on the painful heels.

“It helps with posture, so you don’t slouch,” Velma answers quickly before she starts yanking me out the door. “Now come on, we’ve gotta meet up with the boys! Grazi’s already headed off with Riff!”

Baby John’s POV

“Think fast, Johnny!” Mouthpiece calls.

I whip my head up just in time to catch a bottle, one that smells… funny.

“What’s this?”

“Cologne. You know, for your date.”

I almost drop the bottle when my brain processes his casual sentence.  “D- Date? Whaddya talk’n ‘bout? I told ya I don’t got a date.”

The blonde Jet smiles and puts an arm over my shoulder. “You do now, Johnny! Grazi and I set up a blind date for you and Velma’s little sis.”

Blood drains from my face and my throat suddenly feels dry as a desert. 

“Mouthpiece… I- Why would you do that?” I start panicking. “She probably expects some cool, suave guy that’ll make her swoon. I can’t even dance! I’m- I’m gonna die of embarrassment!”

The older Jet presses me against the wall and tries to calm me down. “She ain’t like that, Baby John. Trust me, you’ll like her. And if it’s any comfort she’s just as reluctant to go to the dance as you are.”

I nod and swallow. “W- What’s her name?”

“Jacqueline.”

“Jacqueline…” The name rolls off my tongue like a drink of fresh water. I haven’t even met her and I’m already anxious about this! “When do I meet her?”

“Oh, about-” 

“Mouthpiece! We’re here!” We hear Velma yell close by.

“Right now!” Mouthpiece steers me to the alley and pats my back. “Go get ‘em, tiger!”

“But my ear-!” But Mouthpiece disappears before I can get any help, leaving me to hastily cover my bleeding ear with my hand. Great, now I’ll drive her away with a bloody ear!

In all the rushed mix of confusion and fear, I swallow my nerves and turn to look and find-

Oh my God.

Jacqueline’s POV

“Do I really have to do this? I mean… he probably won’t even like me. Why torture us both?”

Velma waves it off as we make our way to the Jet junkyard. “Oh, please. He’s gonna love you, sis.” We get to a dark alley and she yells: “Mouthpiece! We’re here!”

Guess there’s no going back now.

I take a deep, shaky breath and lift my head up just in time to see- Oh my God.

The most adorable face I’ve ever seen step into the alley. Wait- can goils use that term? But he is! And when this mystery boy walks up closer with an awestruck look on his face I’m proven even further. Brown eyes, cute nose, dark hair, and a tan skin that makes me suspect Italian heritage. He don’t say anything, just keeps staring at me. Did I do something wrong?

I try to break the ice and wave. “Hey, handsome.”

The boy does a double-take to see if he heard me, then looks behind him at the empty alley and points to himself.

“Me?” He squeaks.

I roll my eyes. “No, the wall. Yes you, stupid!”

“Jackie, play nice,” Velma warns. “I’ll leave you kids to get acquainted. Meet you later at the dance!”

And just like that I’m left to fend for myself. But I gotta say, this guy seems a lot less egotistical than I pictured the average Jet. Only known him for 2 minutes and he’s never smirked at me once! But why does he keep rubbing his ear?

Not wanting to make things even more awkward, I step forward and extend a hand. “Jacqueline Anderson. Call me Jackie. You?”

The boy seems taken back by my casual way of speech and shakes my hand. “Baby John.”

“Neat gang name. What’s the real one?” I ask bluntly.

His eyes widen. “Oh, um- just Johnathon. So… you’ve never been to a dance either?”

“Nope. I’s always too busy helping my dad in the shop. I’m doing this to get Velma off my back, that way I can do what I actually like doing.”

“Which is?”

I bite my lip and cross my arms. “You’d probably think it’s stupid. I say let’s just get this dance over with, so let’s go.” Before Baby John can ask further I grab his hand and start drag him towards the street leading to the school gym, but then I notice his hand is covered with- blood?!

“Dear Lord, what did you do to your hand?”

Baby John gets a look on his face and hastily rubs his bloody hand on his shirt. “Oh, sorry. I forgot, um… I got a nail in my ear.”

“What?!” I quickly grab johnny’s shoit and bring him closer get a look at his ear. Sure enough, there’s a rusty nail lodged in his earlobe. “Ouch. That’s gotta hurt.”

He sighs. “I know, it’s gross. I- I understand if you wanna go without me.”

Is he serious?

“No way! I’m not too keen on this dance, but I ain’t just gonna leave you here with your ear look’n like that! Now sit down and shut up.” I search through my purse and pull out a handkerchief. “Here. Once I pull it out hold this on your ear and put pressure on it.” He takes it, then gets wide eyes when I pull out a small bottle of rubbing alcohol.

“What the…? Do you got a tiny murder kit in your purse or someth’n?”

“Haha. No, my dad just taught me to always be prepared. Velma carries lipstick, I carry bandages. Ready?”

Baby John takes a deep breath and holds up the handkerchief. “Ready.”

With steady hands I carefully inch the nail out, and I must say I’m impressed by Baby John’s pain tolerance. He tenses up and squirms a little, and I start to feel bad when he lets a discomfort groan slip out.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Just a bit longer- there!” I quickly remove the nail and hold John’s hand against it. “Pressure!” Now I take out anodda handkerchief and soak it in alcohol. “This is gonna sting like Hell.”

I press it to his ear and John immediately cries out. “Dammit!”

“I told you! Now just a sec-” I cup Baby John’s face with one hand and wrap up his ear with the other. “There. It’ll hurt for a while, but at least it’s disinfected. Sorry, I know it’s really humiliating for a boy to get treated by a goil in public.”

But on the contrary, Johnny actually looks grateful.

“Thanks, Jackie! It feels much better. So… you still wanna go to the dance?”

I shrug. “Yeah, why not? Mine as well since I’s already gussied up in this stupid dress anyway. Unless you’d rather back out now?”

Baby John immediately shakes his head and seems a bit geeked. “No, no! I’m- I’m actually excited. I’s never been to a dance before, so forgive me for be’n a bit of a softie.”

I chuckle at his innocence and give him a playful nudge. “Yeah, but you’re a cute softie.  C’mon!” I grab his hand and we start walking to the gym.

Baby John’s POV

Oh my God. Oh. My. God! I think I’m on a blind date with an angel! And she’s holding my hand!

Jacqueline, Jacqueline, Jacqueline… Jackie. She’s beautiful, but not in a traditional way… It’s hard to explain, but I feel as if I don’t have to worry about offending her or pretend to be cool. And she didn’t freak out about my ear!

When we get to the gym it’s super noisy and we have to squeeze through the hallway, making me press against her back and my pulse double.

“Sorry.”

She gives me a funny look. “For what?”

“Bumping up against you?”

She huffs. “Johnny, that ain’t something to be worried about with me. I’ll sooner arm wrestle someone rather than make a hissy fit about getting my toes stepped on. Just relax, ok?”

Is this goil even real?

I expect to be hard-a hearing in the gym, but Jackie’s voice doesn't keep up with the light, feminine tone.

“HEY! JOHNNY! LET’S GO OVER HERE!”

We find a space in the back corner and just stand back to watch the others dancing in the center. Riff and Grazi are having a dance-off with Anita and Bernardo with many onlookers. After a while I feel Jackie nudge my shoulder.

“Wanna dance? Or are you just here to show up too?”

In my head I can’t help but be disappointed that Jackie’s only here because she’s being forced to, not because she wants to dance with me. But I don’t wanna make her do something she don’t like- ‘it’s the gentleman thing to do,’ as ma would say.

“You don’t have to dance with me. I understand, you just wanna get this outta the way.”

Jacqueline’s POV

I notice Johnny’s spirits fall, and at foist I’m not sure why. But then I see him look’n at the odda guys dancing with goils and it clicks. He really wanted to dance with me. This isn’t just a meaningless one time thing to him.

“Say, Johnny… Do you know how to dance?” I ask noivously.

He lifts his head up with new-found enthusiasm and shuffles his feet. “Uh, no. But I’m willing to learn!”

I smile and take his hand. “Then we’ll both learn, ‘cause I don’t either!”

And so it goes, starting with a simple jig and Baby John lifting me up in the air. We do some jazz squares, in-and-out hops, and some charlestons. He’s really good! But my nerves pick up again when the music tone changes to a more slow, romantic song and couples start slow-dancing. Baby John seems to get anxious too, but we both struggle through and start swaying while trying not to fall over.

“I apologize in advance if I step on your feet,” I kid at him.

“Hey! I’m supposed to say that to you,” he points back with a smile.

“Yeah, well… These heels can stab right through your feet. Seriously, they should be classified as murder weapons!”

“I’m assuming you’s never worn heels before?”

I look down. “That obvious, huh?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you pull them off well.”

“Just one more thing I’ve failed at in my big sister’s life of being a goil etiquette.” I roll my eyes.

Baby John frowns. “You don’t act like a goil.”

Hm. I was afraid of this. Sooner or later Baby John was gonna see just how much of a tomboy I really am and then probably leave me for some other more feminine goil.

“Would you want me to?” I ask uneasily.

It doesn’t take long, just a short moment for Baby John to look straight at me with his big, brown eyes, then he shakes his head. “No. I like you, like this I mean. You’re not flirty or over dramatic, you’re just like… just like talking to a guy. B- But not in a weird way!” He quickly recovers and runs a hand through his hair. “Gee, I’m sorry Jackie. ‘S just I ain’t too good talk’n to goils, but you… you’re different.”

“Like… a tomboy, right?”

“Exactly!”

I nod and look away. “Yeah. Someone who never wanted to go on dates ‘cause all guys want is a dainty goil who giggles when she laughs, like a lifesize Barbie doll.”

“I don’t see you that way. You don’t let anyone control you, aren’t afraid to get messy. If that ain’t respectable, I donno what is. But, um, if you’s will’n to maybe give a guy a chance…” He clears his throat and looks at me with noivous eyes. “Would you wanna maybe go on an actual date? It don’t gotta be like this, maybe something outdoors?”

Baby John doesn’t care I’m a tomboy? And call me crazy, but a real date with John actually sounds exciting! Maybe dance wasn’t so terrible after all…

I can tell Baby John’s noivous, but I try to ease him up by taking his hand and using my other hand to cup his face. “Jonathon, I’d luv to!”

His face lights up brighter than the sun and suddenly I’m be’n twirled through the air.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Baby John cheers. When he sets me down he looks at me with a serious face. “I swear, Jacquline, I’ll be good to you. I ain’t like the odda Jets, I’m an honest man I swear.”

My heart melts and I take the courage to lean up and place a soft kiss on Jonathon’s cheek. “I know, Jonathan. I just… know. And I just wanna say thank you for ever want’n to date a weirdo tomboy.”

A deep red flushes over his cheeks and John gives a shy chuckle. “Thanks for give’n a skinny nobody a chance. Um… one last dance?”

“It’d be a shame to waste the golden opportunity,” I smirk.

He grins. “Let’s go!”

We walk hand-in-hand back into the dancing chaos, then begin twirling away again. Tension is still thick between the Sharks and Jets, but we don’t care. All I can think about is Baby John’s soft hands and luv’n eyes. All my life I’ve never thought any guy would take an interest, but now I think things are taking a change for the better!

“Hey, Jackie! You’re finally enjoying yourself!” My sister shouts when she and Action dance over to us.

“Zip it, Velma!” But deep inside, I’ve never been happier! We keep dancing until the Jets and Sharks start to get into a heated argument, then take the time to slip outside.

Baby John gives me a sheepish look. “Things are start’n to get heated up. Sorry ‘bout that.”

I wave it off. “It ain’t your fault. Velma talks ‘bout this kinda thing all the time.”

“You wanna get outta here?”

I shake my head. “You have no idea! Have ya ever gone fishing before? I know the best place in Brooklyn.”

“That sounds poifect, Jackie.” Baby John smiles warmly and takes my hand, leading me outta the crowded gym and out into the cool night.

“Just wait ‘til you see the harbor-! Ugh. These shoes are killing my feet!” I take a moment to lean against a crate while John seems to get an idea.

“Allow me, miss.” He kneels down and starts unstrapping my painful heels. When he’s finished with the foist shoe I stumble a bit, but John lets me lean on him to regain my balance. After I can walk normal again, Baby John stands up and plants a quick kiss on my forehead.

“Race you there?”

I give him a wicked grin. “You’re on!”

[tenebraevesper]

Sonic Cyber Revolution, Entry 43: Team Dark

''With Rouge in the fight - electric lives, change surroundings, a jewel in history. A treasure disappears – as she goes. Miss her as you look away – and no one knows. This power is a key- This power changes me!''

– This Machine by Sonic Heores (Team Dark Theme Song)

xXxXxXx

''…while you have done an excellent job infiltrating Dr. Eggman's base and copying critical information for our investigation-'' The Commander was looking at the USB stick, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the three Agents standing before him. ''I still don't understand what what it the world had possessed any of you to bring back one of his robots.''

Shadow, Rouge and Touka exchanged glances, with Shadow managing to maintain a fairly neutral expression, while Rouge and Touka had sly smiles on their lips. As for Omega, he was standing next to them and, for the lack of better words, vibing. He was content with the fact that he was finally outside the Egg Base and, after learning about Team Dark's current situation, completely fine with waiting for the right opportunity to get into action guns blazing, literally.

''Well, first of all, his name is E-123 Omega, or just Omega for short, and second, he hates Dr. Eggman, so we had figured that he might as well become a member of our team,'' Touka explained.

''Agent Sakamoto, who gave you the authority to decide who is allowed to join your team?'' Commander Williams asked in an irked tone. Touka frowned, keeping quiet as she fumed over being called a name she hated. ''Well?''

''Nobody, sir,'' Touka muttered. Rouge suddenly held up her hand, as if being a student in a classroom and trying to get the teacher's attention. Commander Williams looked at her, nodding in acknowledgement.

''If I may say something in regards to this situation…'' Rouge started, smirking as she placed a hand on her hip. ''Wouldn't it be easier for Omega to actually stay in our team? After all, we have experience with him and in the case that something goes wrong, we would take full responsibility for whatever happens. We can take the risk, especially considering how this team has one of your most powerful Agents.''

Shadow felt the Commander's eyes boring into his skull, clearly waiting for a response from him. He just nodded to show that he agreed with Rouge. The Commander's eyes narrowed as he stared at the four, and while he was not on board with this idea, he had to admit that having a robot made by Dr. Eggman work for ARMS was actually quite tempting.

''Even if you are willing to accept the risk of this Eggman robot turning against us-''

''This unit's name is Omega and I will not tolerate any slander. I am here to kill, maim and destroy Eggman, and not necessarily in that order,'' Omega said, suddenly pointing out his cannon arms at the Commander, whose eyes widened in shock, with fear gripping him at the sudden realization that the robot in question could easily end his life then and there. ''If you doubt my conviction, give me an appropriate target and I will show you. Any Badnik will be fine for target practice.''

''Calm down, big fella,'' Rouge suddenly said in a casual tone, knocking on Omega's arm to get him to lower his cannons. ''The Commander isn't the most trusting person, you know.''

''I believe that this should be enough evidence for you to understand that the only enemy Omega seeks out is the Doctor… and everyone who stands in his path of revenge,'' Shadow added in an ominous tone, glaring at the Commander.

Commander Williams took a deep breath, trying to collect himself before responding, ''Fine. The robot can stay as a member of your team. However, I want him to be examined by our technicians first.'' Touka and Rouge exchanged grins, with even Shadow sporting a small smirk, while Omega was satisfied that the Commander took him seriously. ''Agent Rouge and… Agent Omega, I suppose. You are free to leave, but Agent Shadow and Agent Sakamoto are staying. There is something I need to discuss with you two.''

Rouge and Omega glanced at Shadow and Touka, who were not happy to hear that they would have to endure another conversation with the Commander, and left, hoping for the best. Wishing that they could just join their teammates, Shadow and Touka turned their attention back to the Commander, who was staring at them intently.

''While you were away on your mission, I had an in-depth conversation with Dr. Manilla about the results of your exams. She claims that, during the BioEnergy Absorption Test, something strange had happened, resulting in not only an immense power spike that damaged the computers, but according to the data she had managed to salvage, resulted in both of you having the same energy signature. I would like an explanation for this phenomenon,'' Commander Williams said, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at the two. Touka and Shadow sighed internally, well aware that they would have this conversation eventually. Fortunately, they also knew what to tell the Commander, because they sure as hell weren't going to tell him the truth.

''Honestly,… I don't know what had happened there either, sir. I mean, I believe this may have happened before, back when we were at the Codex Research Facility…'' Touka started, knowing full well that this was something the Commander had no way of verifying. ''Although, I have issues recalling any of it. It might have to do something with the amnesia I was suffering from.''

The Commander sighed. ''That is an unfortunate consequence of Sakamoto's experiments on your memories, and I also assume that this happened before he could document them. Nevertheless, I would like to know how you have managed to recreate this power.''

''We don't really know,'' Touka replied, noting the irritated look Commander Williams gave her.

''I suppose it was on pure instinct,'' Shadow added in a calm tone, drawing the Commander's attention. ''Touka and I do have a strong bond, so this power might be a manifestation of that.''

Touka's eyes shifted towards Shadow, and she had to admit that he wasn't wrong. Chaos Surge depended on the bond and trust between them, as she was the one willingly putting her own life in Shadow's hands and leaving him to decide what his next move would be.

Commander Williams hummed in interest. ''I see. I suppose this might have something to do with your unique nature, as I haven't gotten a report about any other Irregular being capable of doing that.'' He gave them a stern look. ''From now on, you will train to hone this power. It will be useful in your future missions.''

''Yes, sir…'' Touka and Shadow muttered in unison. They felt a sense of relief once the Commander dismissed them and when they exited the office, they suddenly found Rouge and Omega standing in front of it, clearly trying to eavesdrop.

''What happened?'' Rouge asked.

''We'll tell you once we get somewhere private,'' Touka replied in a hushed tone, with the group quickly leaving the hallway. Once they were far away enough and they made sure no one was around, she turned towards them. ''The Commander knows about Chaos Surge, but believes that only Shadow and I can use it. No one else.''

''That's a relief,'' Rouge said. She knew that, if anyone at ARMS knew about the rest of Team Neos being able to use Chaos Surge, they too would be forcefully drafted into the organization or worse.

''He doesn't know the full extent of our abilities, so he wants us to train to sharpen our skills,'' Shadow added, his eyes narrowing.

''If you need a sparring partner, I am available,'' Omega offered. Shadow shook his head.

''I don't think-'' He was about to respond when Touka suddenly interrupted him.

''I think we should do as the Commander says,'' Touka said, much to everyone's surprise. Shadow cast her a questioning look.

''Why?'' he asked. Touka sighed.

''Let's be honest here, I am the weakest in this team, and my only contribution is my BioEnergy, while you're the one who fights and protects me,'' she stated.

''Touka, that's not-'' Shadow, bit stunned by this comment, tried to protest, but Touka shook her head, silencing him once again.

''No, that's my purpose. I heard it from Sakamoto, I heard it from Williams, and I heard it from Manilla. I'm supposed to be a literal Living Battery, as everyone put it, for you to use whenever you need a power-up,'' Touka said in a firm tone, only to smirk smugly. ''However, they don't know the full extent of what Chaos Surge can do, and I believe that neither of us know that either, let alone the rest of Team Neos. I want to take advantage of our time here and try to see how far I can push myself with Chaos Surge and learn whether I can go beyond the established limits.''

''I see.'' Shadow had to admit that, while he didn't want to put Touka into any dangerous situation, he was interested to see whether it was possible to bypass the current power and skill level they had with this ability. ''From what I know, using Chaos Surge properly does require some experience, else both users will become quite exhausted quickly. So long as you don't strain yourself too much, I suppose that we could try this.''

''Right!'' Touka fist-pumped, looking genuinely excited for their training. She then turned to Omega. ''You're free to join us, Omega.''

''I will accomodate you with the appropriate firepower,'' Omega said in approval.

''I assume that's code for 'I'm going to blow something up','' Rouge said in a deadpan tone.

''Correct. However, the probability of blowing up the room we'll be training in depends on its sturdiness,'' Omega explained. Touka giggled as she heard the response.

''Honestly, the way I feel now, I'd also want to blow something up,'' Touka admitted.

''I approve of you,'' Omega told her, sounding quite happy. Meanwhile Rouge sighed, pressing the palm of her hand against her forehead.

''Omega, you can't just go and blow up the training room. We're supposed to stay out of trouble,'' she said, glancing at Shadow for a helpful comment. The ebony hedgehog furrowed a brow.

''Considering we'll be working with Chaos Spear and Chaos Blast, there is no doubt we'll be putting a few holes in the wall,'' he said.

''Seriously?! I thought you'd be the one with some sense of reason here, Shadow,'' Rouge said, completely exasperated, while Shadow just gave her a smug smirk. He knew well that they weren't in a situation where they could afford to relax, but he wanted to blow off some steam. Rouge, realizing that she wasn't going to get anywhere, shook her head. ''In any case, we'll be stuck here until the your teammates get the necessary data, so we might as well find something to occupy us.''

''Is there anything you plan on doing, Rouge?'' Touka asked.

''I still need to do something about this,'' Rouge pointed at the golden ring around her neck. ''Although, I might also just get some rest. You?''

''I require maintenance,'' Omega said.

''I suppose I could accompany you to the technician,'' Touka said. ''I wanted to pick up some tools to work on the hoverboard I got.''

''Why?'' Rouge asked curiously.

''Because the hoverboard I got is really off balance. Usually, when one buys a hoverboard, it typically gets adjusted to the rider, mainly their weight and height to keep it stable. The one I got was pretty generic and I have to keep my center low to make sure it's balanced. Not to mention the fact that it's way slower than what I'm used to,'' Touka suddenly started to rant, letting out a moan of dissatisfaction. ''I miss my custom hoverboard! I worked on that for months, paint job included!''

''Too bad you couldn't bring your hoverboard along,'' Shadow said, taking note of Rouge's questioning look. ''I don't have anything on mind, but I suppose exploring more of this facility might be useful for our plan.''

''Right…'' Rouge inhaled sharply, taking note of the fact that they entered a more crowded area, and lowering her tone. ''We'll meet up again at your room. Hopefully, we'll get some good news from the other side.''

xXx

''Ho ho, finally! I've been wondering when they would start to analyze the data,'' Dr. Eggman said, grinning as he opened the file, which was supposed to be slowly filling up with stolen data from ARMS systems. However, just as he was about get into it, he was met with a different screen. ''A password?! What the hell?! I didn't put this there!'' He slammed his fist against the table, only for his eyes to narrow when he realized what happened. ''Prower and Taylor… of course, they would be the only ones capable of doing this.'' He huffed indignantly. ''Fine, I can also play this game!''

xXx

Sonic took a deep breath, exhaling as he was lying on the soft grass in Eden, staring at the blue sky above him. He had been wondering how Shadow was doing, wishing that he could've joined him and the rest of the group, but for obvious reasons, he was pretty much trapped here. He hated this waiting game, even though he knew that this was the only thing he could do.

''You don't have any news from Shadow and Touka, right?''

Sonic looked up as Silver walked up to him, holding a can with water he was using to water the nearby rose bushes. Sonic shook his head. ''I wish I did, though, but I can't even call Shadow now, since ARMS might be spying on him. I have to wait for him to call me. It's really frustrating.''

''I'm sure that they will be fine. We know that Shadow is quite capable of holding his own,'' Silver said in an assuring tone. Sonic sat up, crossing his legs.

''Yeah, you're right. Still, I wouldn't mind joining him,'' he replied. Suddenly, there was a flash on his AR Visor, with Sonic realizing that it was an incoming call from Lucas. The same happened to Silver's AR Visor, but the grey hedgehog joined Sonic as he answered the call.

''We have some good news!'' Lucas said, being on the same screen with Tails and Warren. ''Touka, Shadow and Rouge have completed their mission and we got access to the ARMS file.''

''That's geat!'' Amy said excitedly, clasping her hands, with the rest of the team also murmuring happily.

''Yeah, but we kinda ran into an issue. The file is locked under four passwords and we need to figure out what the hints mean to access the file,'' Warren said.

''Then, don't let us wait,'' Lily said. ''What's the first hint?''

''It says 'My full name','' Tails said, looking at his teammates. ''Any clue what that means?''

''Maybe it's referring to the person who wrote down the hints? How many tries do we get?'' Minami suggested.

''Only two before the file gets locked,'' Warren replied. ''Tails and I didn't want Eggman to access anything.''

''So, whose name should we write?'' Tails asked.

''Let's go with Touka Kageura. If it doesn't work, we'll have to choose between, ah-'' Warren said, a smile forming on his lips as he realized that this was the correct choice. ''Three more to go. Next one says 'What did I take from you, Guardian?' I think this one was set up by Rouge specifically for you to decipher, Knuckles.''

Knuckles' eyes narrowed as he thought about it for a moment. ''It was a red jewel.''

''Are you sure, Knux?'' Sonic asked. Knuckles nodded.

''I'm confident that she was referring to what happened at our first meeting,'' he said. Tails typed in the password, only to smile when he got to the next one. ''Okay, so this one is a bit weird. It says 'Sonic Heroes Team'.''

''That's a reference to the Sonic Heroes video game, which features four teams of three as playable characters,'' Minami said. ''Team Sonic, Team Rose, Team Dark and Team Chaotix.''

''So, which one should we go with? Team Sonic?'' Silver asked. Lucas shook his head.

''No, I think the answer is Team Dark, since Shadow and Rouge are part of that team. Not to mention, Dr. Eggman did mention that this Egg Base contains the E-100 Series of robots, and if my gut feeling is correct, they might run into E-123 Omega there,'' he explained.

''Is that a good thing or a bad thing?'' Amy asked.

''Well, in the video games, Omega wants to get revenge on Eggman, and if this version is the same, then this is a really good thing,'' Minami explained.

''Okay, last hint,'' Warren announced, raising an eyebrow. '''What is our relationship, Hedgehog?' That has to be set up by Shadow for…''

''It is rival, teammate, friend… In that order,'' Sonic suddenly said. He couldn't help but grin as he recalled his conversation with Shadow. ''We kinda had a conversation... I can't believe he would use that as a password.''

''It worked! All right, we'll sift through the data here, but it will take a while. Wish us luck!'' Tails said. The holographic screen soon closed, with Sonic and Silver exchanging cheerful glances. It seemed that things were finally working in their favour.

xXx

Shadow narrowed his eyes as he walked past a few Irregulars, taking note of their human partners who kept a careful eye on them and glanced suspiciously at Shadow. Unlike the Irregulars, who needed direction from someone due to their current condition, Shadow didn't need any supervision, and he knew that this was why the human agents were giving him a side-eye. They knew that, unlike the other Irregulars, he had all of his mental and emotional senses, and that made him dangerous. He may not have been as aggressive as a typical Irregular, but that meant nothing to the other agents. He wasn't going to make any friends in this facility, and he didn't care. After all, he wanted to leave as soon as possible and it's not like he could interact with any of the Irregulars, even if he tried to.

Shadow took note of just how submissive the Irregulars were, even taking orders from regular ARNavs. Unlike the regular ARNavs, who were treated like employees, the Irregulars were treated like tools, or rather, like weapons. As he walked past a room, Shadow took note of an ARNav and a human agent shouting at an Irregular for something, albeit he didn't know what the topic was. He could only watch the Irregular as she was staring ahead with an indifferent look on her expression, as if not hearing them. Perhaps, she really couldn't hear them… or she just didn't care. It was hard to tell.

''Hey, what are you doing here?'' Suddenly, the ARNav and human agent turned towards Shadow, whose expression remained impassive.

''I was merely passing by. Is there any problem?'' he asked.

''No. This is none of your business.'' The human agent then slammed the door in front of him. Shadow could hear muffled voices behind the door, but continued to walk. The image of the Irregulars in Team Neos suddenly popped into his mind, and he was left wondering what would've happened if ARMS had taken them as well. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Silver… A chill flowed down his spine as a dark thought entered his mind, a possibility where his teammates had also been kidnapped and treated the same as the other Irregulars in this facility, being stripped of any sense of self. His gloved hand clenched into a fist, and he could feel anger bubbling inside him, mixed with pure disgust. He may have kept a distance from his teammates, but there was no way he would ever let something like that happen. Not to the people he cared about.

Shadow rubbed his temple, trying to push that thought away. After all, this was a scenario that didn't happen, and will never happen. Instead, he focused on investigating more of the building, trying to remember where the exits were, as they would need to know that in the case of an emergency. Afterwards, he would be meeting up with Touka and Omega for a training session. He figured that letting loose through a proper battle wouldn't be a bad thing, only to remind himself that he wasn't someone who would do reckless things. As a matter of fact, he was quite proud of his ability to keep his own emotions in check, but he couldn't deny that there were times where he got overwhelmed by his own negative emotions and became a danger to himself and everyone around him.

I had changed since then, didn't I… The world I live in remains the same, though. Touka and I had our lives constantly controlled by people like Sakamoto and the Commander, and even if we escape them, there will be more like them. That's why I wanted to end things…

Shadow suddenly realized that he arrived at the garage section of the facility, where the vehicles ARMS agents were using were parked. He knew that this was another way to escape the building, and one could easily hide between the cars and vans. He also spotted the mechanic, an older man, working on one of the cars, and wiping the sweat off his forehead as he picked another tool. Shadow figured that this was a place he shouldn't be at, but he still wanted to explore a little since he had some free time left. He stopped at a section where there was a row of motorcycles parked, taking interest in them.

Admittedly, he always had an interest in motorcycles, ever since he read a book about them back when he was still living at the Codex Research Facility, and always imagined himself driving one. However, he knew that that would never happen, since there was no way that he would ever gain access to one, so he never mentioned anything about it, not even to Touka, although he had figured that she probably already knew that. Nevertheless, it didn't hurt taking a look at them.

''I'm afraid that those are a bit too big for you to drive.'' Shadow's quills bristled and he turned towards the mechanic, who took note of his interest. He shrugged, not too bothered that the hedgehog wasn't happy about his intrusion. ''Most, if not all ARNavs here aren't interested in driving any kind of vehicle, let alone a motorcycle. Do you even know what kind of motorcycles those are?''

''They look to me like street motorcycles, designed for urban riding, commuting and short-term travel. They can range from 125cc to 1800cc, if not more, and they typically have minimalist fairings, and lack luggage options or protection. They are mainly generic bikes that are easy to master and are recommended to be used by beginners,'' Shadow rattled off all of the information he knew about this kind of motorcycle. The mechanic whistled in awe.

''Huh, where did you even learn all of that?'' he asked.

''I read it in a book,'' Shadow responded in a curt tone, although he had to admit that he was proud to show off his knowledge in that field.

''Do you think you'd know how to drive one?'' the mechanic asked.

''Yes, I would,'' Shadow replied confidently.

xXx

Rouge took a deep breath, having tried to find the keycard that would grant her freedom, but the room she was sure she would find it in was filled with other agents, and she knew that, despite being the greatest spy in the world, she couldn't get past all of them without raising any suspicion. So, instead, she decided to go to the training room, just to see how much of a mess Shadow, Omega and Touka had created.

What she found was Touka dodging a missile from Omega, throwing a Chaos Spear towards the robot, only for Omega to dodge it, leaving a scorch mark on the wall behind the reformed Badnik. Rouge's jaw dropped slightly when she saw that there were a bunch of scorch marks on the thick walls in the room, turning to Shadow with a questioning look. ''Don't tell me that this had all been caused by Touka.''

''Omega and I had a sparring match after he came back from his maintenance, so most of the damage is from that,'' Shadow explained. He observed as Touka suddenly warped away, dodging another attack from Omega. The robot was quite restless, if not excited to be fighting against two opponents in a row, while Touka felt her energy slowly being drained. She had been keeping up the Chaos Surge for a while now, falling on one knee and breathing heavily as the exhaustion caught up to her.

''That's enough,'' Shadow said in a firm tone, stepping in between them. He turned to Touka. ''You've lasted much longer than usual, but I'm not going to let you push yourself too far.''

''I had figured I'd be able to keep up just a bit longer,'' Touka said.

''Your skills are above average for a weak human,'' Omega said. Touka nodded in acknowledgement, with Rouge approaching them.

''I hope you guys know what you're doing,'' she told them, examining the damage they had caused.

''If this were about some kind of gem, I'm certain that you wouldn't care if we get into trouble or how much damage we cause,'' Shadow pointed out. Rouge rolled her eyes.

''That… wouldn't be completely untrue,'' she said, placing her hands on her hips. Shadow exchanged glances with Touka and Omega, who were also slightly amused that she acknowledged that she wasn't above causing trouble. It was certainly nice to be able to find some common ground.

xXx

Shadow glanced towards Touka's bed, knowing well that she was quite exhausted from using up most of her BioEnergy and hoping that she was already fast asleep. Still, he laid awake for a few more hours to be sure, since he didn't want her to eavesdrop this conversation. After all, they had already discussed matters earlier with the rest of Team Neos, introducing Omega and telling them about the Commander knowing about Chaos Surge. Lucas, in turn, told them how he, Warren and Tails got an angry call from Dr. Eggman, who chewed them out for their stunt with the passwords, but they didn't care much. They assured Team Dark that they would sort out the data as soon as possible and cut the call. Still, Shadow had one more call to make, as per his promise.

''Shadow!''

''Keep quiet, Hedgehog!'' Shadow hissed at Sonic, peeking under the blanket to make sure that Touka was still asleep before returning back to the call. Sonic gave him a sheepish smile.

''Sorry, Shads. I'm just happy, and surprised, that you decided to call me back,'' he said in a hushed tone.

''I had a promise to keep. However, I don't have much to tell you about our raid on the Egg Base,'' Shadow replied. ''Omega destroyed all of the Badniks inside, and while we had a brief fight, Rouge quickly ended it.''

''That's fine. At least you have something to talk about, while I don't,'' Sonic replied. ''Nothing has happened today, and I feel really bored.''

''You could just leave and go somewhere to have an adventure if you feel like that,'' Shadow suggested. Sonic shook his head.

''And miss any upcoming action? No way. This is just a lull before the storm,'' he said, his emerald eyes sparking with excitement. Shadow furrowed a brow, sighing.

''I suppose that this is an answer I should've expected,'' he muttered under his breath, pausing for a moment. Sonic still had that stupid grin on his expression, and Shadow decided that it was time to wipe it off his expression. ''So, what was that about missing me?''

Suddenly, Sonic got really flustered. ''Uh… I- It's nothing! It was just a slip of the tongue.''

''Was it?'' Shadow had to admit that seeing Sonic losing that cocky attitude was quite amusing. It truly felt like another of their challenges, except this one required some proper thinking and wording to leave the other a complete mess.

''Y-Yeah!'' Sonic had no clue why he got suddenly so flustered, but he didn't like the look Shadow gave him. It felt as if the dark hedgehog was reading his mind, clearly not believing any of his excuses, and Sonic hated that he got rattled so easily. Admittedly, he was also fascinated by Shadow's ability in being able to match him not only in a battle, but also in their conversations. Any quip Sonic would make would immediately be countered by a remark from Shadow, whether it was the blunt truth or an actual quip, and Sonic loved how these kinds of conversations managed to keep him on his toes. He was also certain that, despite Shadow's aloof attitude, his rival was also enjoying these kinds of conversations and he wanted to keep them going as long as possible. Sonic then smirked, realizing what the perfect response to Shadow's question would be. ''Why are you even asking? Wait, do you miss me?''

Much to Sonic's amusement, Shadow huffed in response, clearly trying not to show that he was also slightly flustered by this question and deciding to not dignify it with an answer. Sonic, on the other hand, knew that he won this one and decided to add another layer to this conversation. ''Aww, you do miss me! I feel so honored.''

''Why would I miss someone as irritating as you?'' Shadow replied in an irked tone.

''If you actually thought of me as irritating, you would've ended this call a long time ago. But, you didn't, which means that you like to talk to me,'' Sonic teased him. Frankly, he really liked getting this kind of reactions from Shadow.

''I could end the call right now,'' Shadow threatened. Sonic's ears folded for a moment, showing that he clearly didn't want to end this yet, only for them to perk up again.

''You could… but you won't,'' he said, issuing another challenge. Sure, this one came with a risk that Shadow would actually make good on his threat, but this was just too tempting and Sonic wasn't someone who would shy away from taking any kind of risks, especially if it made him feel this excited. Surprisingly, Shadow kept the call going.

''Keep telling yourself that,'' he said. ''After all, you need me to keep yourself entertained.''

Sonic opened his mouth, only to close it again, feeling as if he was just kicked in the gut. What Shadow just said was indeed true, even if Sonic didn't want to admit it, but instead of getting riled up, he decided to take it in stride and counter attack with a remark of his own. ''Fine, I'll admit that that's true, but only because you won't admit that you also need me.''

''What are you talking about?'' Shadow responded, his eyes narrowing. He didn't like the smug grin Sonic was giving him.

''Don't tell me that you also didn't get bored without me around to keep you company,'' Sonic teased him. Shadow just rolled his eyes, but then the same dark thought from before entered his mind. He fell silent, and Sonic's smile faded as he realized that his rival got serious.

''It would be better for you not to be here,'' Shadow said.

''What's wrong?'' Sonic asked, now a hint of concern in his voice.

''ARMS knows that you and the rest of the team are Irregulars, and if they learn that you are also capable of Chaos Surge, they would turn all of you into their weapons,''Shadow told him in a grim tone. He wasn't too surprised when Sonic gave him a confident look.

''Don't worry, I'm sure that we could handle that,'' he said. Shadow shook his head.

''Not if they attempt to destroy your sense of self. Rouge and I may be exceptions, but there is no way of predicting of what they might do to you,'' he explained.

''I understand. I'm not going to be reckless unless the situation calls for it,'' Sonic said, with Shadow being genuinely surprised by his mature response. To see and hear him take things seriously for once did leave a warm feeling in his chest.

''Let's just hope that things will turn out right in the end,'' Shadow said.

''I'm sure they will, Shads,'' Sonic replied, smiling confidently and giving him a thumbs up. ''Just hold on a little longer.''

Shadow nodded in response, and he couldn't help but smile a little at the assurance he got.

xXx

''Commander Loki, we need back-up! We-''

It was late in the night when Unit Alpha, led by Loki, was heading towards a section at Souto, having gotten a call from Unit Delta about an Irregular attack. They sounded like they were in a lot of trouble, and Loki didn't want to waste any time. However, he and his Unit were met with a grisly scene once they arrived at the battlefield. Unit Delta was completely massacred, with only one member remaining somewhat alive, albeit impaled on a crystal. Everyone else were just frames of distorted data, slowly dissolving into nothingness.

''Wh-What happened?!'' Loki was in shock, realizing that there was no way of salvaging the situation. The Irregular Hunters of Unit Delta were dead, and one was barely clinging to his life. He quickly ran over to the survivor, but he was already dissipating. ''Who did this?!''

''I-I don't-'' The Hunter cried out in pain, every movement he made sending a wave of agony through his body. Loki put his hands on the crystal, wanting to remove him, but hissed in pain as his hands got burned. It was clear that there was nothing that he could do. ''Th-They said… t-to send ARMS…''

''Please, hang on!'' Loki pleaded, but the Hunter fell over, dead. His lower body started to dissolve, leaving only a distorted frame of his legs and torso. ''Damnit!''

''Commander Loki, everyone in Unit Delta is gone. What should we do?'' a Hunter from his own Unit asked him, clearly worried. Loki fell silent, feeling frustration, anger and sorrow bubbling inside him, with the dead Hunter's last words still haunting him.

''We need to find out who did this…'' he muttered, looking around for any answer to the questions that formed in his mind. I don't understand. Why ARMS?

Links:

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[illiana-mystery]

WIP Wednesday

Since I gave you a taste of my work in progress for the Dafoeverse fics I've been writing last week, I decided to give you a dose of what I have written for the Molinaverse fics that have been put on indefinite hiatus.

Because I love yall, I appreciate your patience with my ever changing phases (like I'm the goddamn moon), and I've left you on read for far too long.

Also, side note, if any of you have suggestions about how I should go about continuing any of these WIPs, please let me know in the replies, my ask box, or DMs. Thank you! 😘

---

Covert Affairs (this one goes out to @freddiefredfive)

Rafi was talking to Donnie when they walked back in and Leo was nowhere in sight. Kazia figured he was back upstairs with Jeanine, so didn't think anything of it.

But the remaining brothers were talking and laughing loudly and didn't even notice that Tadeusz and Kazia were in the room until Rafi noticed the young woman.

He was staring offly hard with his big brown eyes that perfectly complimented his baby face and reddish cheeks.

He looked like Leo, but had skin as smooth as a baby's bottom and his hair was curly and styled nicely on his head.

Kazia could immediately tell that he probably thought highly of himself, since the threads he was wearing were of high expense and quality.

"Well, hello," he said seductively before he realized that Tadeusz was standing next to her.

Tadeusz scowled at him before he nervously laughed and put his head down.

But next thing he knew, he was grabbed by his collar by the older, taller, stronger man.

"Kazia's mine, got it?" he angrily said before he plucked his head.

"Yeah, yeah. I was just playing, buddy. You know Layla is my girl. I love her so much...I just wish she wanted to marry me..."

"I don't care," he sternly said. "Now, let's have a chat."

He dragged the poor young man away, much to Kazia and Donnie's horror.

"You like them rough, huh?" Donnie teased after.

"Not usually," Kazia admitted before pushing a strand of hair behind her ear and blushing. "But Tadeusz is different."

"If you say so," Donnie moaned.

Meanwhile, Tadeusz brought Rafi to one of the backrooms and threw him down before he closed and locked it behind them.

"Who's that Rudy guy?" he sternly asked.

"Tadeusz, do you have history with him or something? Why do you care?"

"My punching fist might be out of commission, but I'll use my other on your pretty little face if you don't answer what I asked you!"

"Okay, okay," Rafi flinched. "He's just a friend of mine. Well, actually he knew Layla first. They have mutual friends and when she introduced him to me, I knew he would be a perfect fit for our familgia."

"Oh, I see," he softly said as he paced. "So we don't even properly vet members anymore. Oh, silly me. Now, tell me Rafi, why do you think you can trust him?"

"I mean I am a good judge in character."

"Yes, Layla is a lovely girl," Tadeusz sarcastically said. "But you really aren't cut out for this life. What would you do if your brothers' lives were snuffed out...one by one? What if you had no one to hold you hand?"

Rafi was about to reply before Tadeusz cut him off again.

"Because I was once naive like you. I thought seeking quick, easy money would be heaven in Belarus...but it wasn't. I was betrayed many times and every time it became harder and harder to take their lives away," he coldly said.

"Until it wasn't anymore. It was just something that had to be done. You cross me, you die. It's as simple as that. So I say all of this to say, Rafi, you better watch that Rudy fella or I'll be forced to take both of you out, painfully...very painfully. Got it?!" 

"Yes, of course."

"Good, glad we had this talk. Now come on. You didn't properly introduce yourself to MY Kazia."

"Right," he moaned as he trembled while getting up.

But Tadeusz just yanked him again and brought him back into the room by his arm. He dropped him again and the young man fell so hard it made both Donnie and Kazia jump.

"Hello, Kazia," he greeted. "I'm Raphael Scaglioni, but everyone calls me Rafi. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she softly said as he got up.

She shook his hand and then he went over by Donnie.

Kazia looked at Tadeusz confused, but he just put his hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"Nie przejmuj się. Chciałem tylko zapytać go o Rudy ' ego." (Don't be alarmed. I just wanted to ask him about Rudy), he told her. "Rozumie tylko siłę." (He only understands force)

"Nie jestem zaskoczony," (I'm not surprised), she replied back. "On naprawdę wydaje się trochę przytłumiony." (He really does seem a little dim)

"To dlatego, że jest." (That's because he is)

"Prawo." (Right)

"Everything alright, Tadeusz?" Donnie asked as his little brother still hid behind him.

"Yes, everything is fine," he softly said.

Donnie didn't believe him though. He only spoke Polish, usually to himself, when he was angry or frustrated around them. Kazia nervously giggled before her stomach started growling.

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize," Tadeusz assured with another kiss on her cheek. "Well, if you would excuse us, I'm gonna take Kazia back upstairs to eat and meet Layla."

"Of course," Donnie said before they both headed back up the secret staircase behind the replica Trevi Fountain.

The secret door closed by itself behind them once their feet touched the hardwood floor of the cafe and when it did, it startled Marla and Layla. They both jumped before they both smiled at the young couple.

Tadeusz and Kazia smiled back but Kazia noticed that Jeanine and Angelo weren't there anymore.

But there was one customer at one of the tables by the painted Union Jack that was munching on a croissant while watching videos on their laptop.

This person was wearing noise canceling headphones, so they were completely unaware of what was going on around them.

---

Jealousy

"I don't know what I want to wear," Alice whined as she frantically looked through all of her clothes hanging up in the closet.

Her husband, meanwhile, was sitting on their bed, just watching her.

He began to worry that she was gonna have a panic attack again, so he tried to lighten the mood.

"I don't see why you can't wear what you have on now. You look gorgeous."

Alice giggled.

"Thank you, Aldie. But I want to make a good first impression and an red and brown plaid overall skirt and creme shirt just isn't gonna cut it," she said. "I want to wear something a little fancier."

"I don't see what the problem is. We met Rodney before and in overalls."

"I know, but he has Shaye with him. I do want to start making some friends around here."

"She's no friend until I vet her," Alden grumbled.

"Of course," Alice quickly agreed. "I trust your judgment."

The way she said that made Alden worry again since she sounded like she was about to cry. So he got up and walked over to her, rubbing her shoulders again to comfort her.

"Alice, it's gonna be alright," he whispered. "Although we are safe, I still can't help but be cautious. I don't want anyone to hurt you the way he did again."

"Oh, Alden. It isn't that. I just...even far away from home I still feel unsafe. I hate that I can't just trust people anymore."

"Not all people are untrustworthy," he said before he moved his hands down to her midsection. "Just take a deep breath."

Alice did as she was instructed and as she did so, she suddenly felt herself being picked up and brought over to their bed.

She kept her eyes closed though and allowed Alden to put her down on the middle of the bed.

"Keep deep breathing," he instructed before he hiked her skirt up and slowly took her panties off.

Once discarded, he began to softly kiss her inner thighs before he finally went for the kill. Alice was still trying to keep her deep breathing up during all of this, but then her breath hitched as soon as she felt his tongue inside her.

She, at first, gasped before she got her breaths back up and began to deep breath again. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest as her lover kept going, teasing an amazing orgasm out of her. She tried to hold it back and tightly gripped the sheets below her, but eventually she broke and loudly moaned as she climaxed.

But she didn't just climax, she also squirted a little which amused her husband. She could clearly hear him giggling between her legs, before the sound of joyous slurping invaded her auditory sense.

"I'm sorry," she nervously apologized.

"Don't be," he whispered before he kissed her lower lips. "I haven't gotten you that excited in quite some time."

She giggled.

"Yeah, I haven't had that reaction since before...the first time...he appeared..." she realized before she started to cry. "I'm sorry, Aldie. I just...I just..."

Alden immediately picked himself up and grabbed Alice before he held her in his lap and began to sing to her again to calm her down.

"It's alright, Misu. I won't let him hurt you. I won't let him get near you ever again."

Alice didn't respond, she just kept crying with her head nudged on his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back, still singing a little to her.

But as he sung, his mind went dark...real dark.

He knew he would gain so much joy taking away the life of the man that hurt his wife so. But he had to stop himself.

He had to.

He couldn't risk going to jail. It wasn't worth it.

But yet, it felt so inticing. It felt like a sure fire way to get rid of him once and for all, but he knew Alice would be against it. It was her battle to fight, after all he was her old flame.

She never wanted to put Alden in the middle of this, but now here he was. Here he was miles away from the place he used to call home, consoling his anxious and brow beaten wife in their so-say dream home.

The man took everything from them. So was he in the wrong to want to cause him the most harm he could?

He still kept his singing up, well until Alice stopped crying and moved her hand to his cheek.

He just looked at her before she leaned over and kissed him.

"I love you so much, Aldie," she softly said.

"I love you too, Misu."

She lightly smiled and was about to kiss him again before her phone began to ring.

Alden kissed her cheek and reached for the phone that was closer to him before he handed it to her.

"Hey Nick," she greeted. "What's up?"

"I just finished watching your first local interview," he started. "I love the storefront. It's gorgeous."

"Thank you," Alden smugly said. "It makes a perfect bookstore."

"It really does. Nice taste, man," he said with a laugh. "Also I can't believe Lori Amato is your cousin."

"That's what I'm saying! I was fangirling a little too hard. But she's so nice," Alice chirped. "His whole extended family is so sweet. They've been nothing but friendly."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I also see that you have a lot of new fangirls, Alden. There are a lot of thirst comments on this video."

"I don't see why. I'm not the stern Dr. Bertanelli of Middleburg University anymore."

"So," Alice huffed. "You're still handsome and fine as hell and these girls agree with me."

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Why would I be? I don't get jealous like you do," she joked. "They can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, you're sleeping next to me."

He chuckled and kissed her nose.

"Also, I noticed that the amount of views and comments on our first video with Alden performing with us as Java Joe's has gone up by a lot."

"Really?" they both asked.

"Yep, really. We also have a lot of returning reviewers to our second performance with Alden. Most of the viewers are from Navassa, of course."

"Wow, well maybe we'll have to get the band back together...for the sake of the fans," Alden said.

"I'd be down. I'm sure Quinn would be too. Adam's a father now so it might be a bit difficult and then Mitzi and Maisie have their own band, Ungaii, now but maybe I could intice them."

---

Ring Around the Rosie

"Dinner's ready!" Sabrina called from the stairs while Otto and the actuators were setting up the dining room table and bringing the stew and the freshly-baked soda bread to the table.

As soon as Flo placed the last fork down, Rosie came down with Mallory in her grasp, while Margaux clung to her free arm.

She was giggling with them which made Sabrina smile before Rosie put Mallory down for both of the girls to greet their mother.

They both hugged and kissed Sabrina, then ran to the table and took their seats.

"They're such wonderful girls," Rosie told Sabrina as they walked to the table together.

"Yes, yes they are," Sabrina chirped before she took her designated seat.

Otto led Rosie to her seat while Harry cut the bread and Flo and Moe helped scoop the stew unto Margaux and Mallory's bowls.

"Daddy," Margaux asked.

"Yes, Rosie Posie?" he answered back while he took his seat, watching as Flo and Moe went ahead and put the stew in the adults' bowls too.

She giggled.

"What's this?"

"It's Irish Stew and Soda Bread," Otto answered. "Thom Donaghue's recipe."

"Who's that?" Mallory asked.

"My father," Rosie excitedly answered with a big smile, making the girls giggle. "And your father learned the recipe and now he's able to make it for us."

"He's never made it before," Margaux admitted.

"I wanted to make it for Rosie. To welcome her back into our family," Otto explained.

"It was my favorite meal my father would cook for us," Rosie added. "It was also the first meal he had with my parents. He was so nervous to meet them but then he and my father bonded over Tolkien."

"Who's Tolkien?" Margaux asked.

"He's a wonderful author. He wrote fantasy novels. His literature was a great escape for me when I was younger."

"He wrote The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings," Rosie added. "Are you familiar with those books?"

"I didn't know they were books. But I know of the movies," Margaux answered.

"Otto, you need to get them into the books," Rosie nudged. "Have I taught you nothing? They love literature. I'm sure they wouldn't mind sharing your love of Tolkien with you."

"How many books did you read to them upstairs?" Sabrina suddenly asked.

"Just three. But they are so inquisitive and curious. They're two bright little girls. Well advanced beyond their age."

"Thank you!" they both chirped.

"Would you be interested in learning more about Tolkien?" he asked them.

They both nodded, so he said, "Well, alright. Guess we're gonna be taking another trip to the library."

The girls both cheered.

"But until then, we can watch The Hobbit tonight if you would like. We do have Family Movie Night on Fridays. And Rosie, you're welcome to watch the movie with us."

"Where can we watch The Hobbit?" Otto asked Sabrina.

"We have a subscription with the parent company of our SmartTV. You can rent it or buy it on their website."

"Oh, well guess we have our movie for movie night!" he cheered.

Rosie giggled after taking her first bite of the stew.

"Otto, you really outdid yourself. This is really good."

"Thank you," he said with a genuine smile.

"You're welcome," she said before taking another bite.

"I suppose he used to spoil you too with his cooking."

"We would switch nights to cook, but when it was his turn. He always blew me away. I'm not surprised though. Maria was a wizard in the kitchen. She always had the best side dishes at my family's parties."

"Maria was close to your parents?" Sabrina asked Rosie.

"Oh, yeah. After his father died, she would come around all the time. We loved having her."

"How nice," Sabrina cooed.

"Sabrina," Rosie started. "I must say I love the way you decorated this home. Otto told me you picked out most of the decor and I'm impressed. Also I love the crushed flowers hanging on the walls in the guest room. It just takes me back to our old apartment and my old office at the university."

"I figured you would," she said. "We actually bought those for our old apartment when it was just us two. Otto told me how much you loved crushed flowers so I decided to get them since I love them too."

"My mother and I used to make scrapbooks of different flowers we would find around the yard," Rosie started. "I would pick them and show them to her before we would crush them and add them to the book."

"Small world," Sabrina chirped. "That's what I used to do with my grandmother back in Atlanta."

"No way!" Rosie chirped. "Well, now we have another reason why Otto fell for you."

"I guess so," she joked. "But wait, are you from NYC?"

"No, no. I'm from Rochester but moved to NYC when I got accepted to Columbia University."

"Oh, gotcha. I'm from Atlanta originally, but moved here to pursue my dreams of being on Broadway. Of course my dreams changed when I met Otto and especially when we had the girls, but I love my life. I wouldn't change a thing."

"Glad to hear it," Rosie said. "It's funny because my dreams changed too when I met Otto on those steps. I was planning on moving to Belfast and being a professor there, but then he knocked me off my feet with his science know-how and dorky smile."

"Am I that charming?" he asked before blushing.

"Don't flatter yourself too much," Rosie warned. "No one looks good with a big head."

"Fair," he moaned before taking a bite of his soda bread.

"Mommy," Mallory asked.

"Yes, Muffin?"

"Can Rosie stay with us?"

"Yeah, can she?"

"Well, I hope she can. Your father did set up the guest room all nice for her."

"Rosie?" Margaux asked with big puppy dog eyes. "Would you like to stay with us?"

"I would love to," she answered before looking at Otto. "I see she has your puppy dog eyes."

"Yeah, she's my little twin."

"Daddy, can she tell us a bedtime story tonight?" Margaux asked.

"Am I not good enough to read you a story anymore?" he asked with a whiny tone. "I thought you liked Story Time with Sailor Aubrey."

"We do, daddy," Margaux assured. "But we..."

"Margaux, how about this. What if Sailor Aubrey had a first mate? How about we have Story Time with Sailor Aubrey and First Mate Annie?"

"Anne is her middle name," Otto whispered to Sabrina, noticing her confused face.

"Yay! I like that! Can we do that, daddy?"

"Sure we can, Rosie Posie," he told her. "Thank you, Rosie."

"Of course. I hope you don't mind, Sabrina."

"Oh, no. I don't. I let Otto handle story time. I handle bath time."

"Okay, good. The last thing I want to do is ruin your groove."

"Oh, no, you're fine, Rosie. Thank you for being considerate though." 

"No problem," she said. "So what's for dessert?"

---

Jolly Ol' Saint Otto

Imag'n Toy Boutique was not too far from their Chelsea townhome, so it was a quick, quiet drive.

Their parking lot was behind the building, so Otto slowly turned the corner and parked in the empty space next to the back entrance.

He got out of the car first, taking in the crisp cool air as his breath was first taken away in a wisp of cold smoke as he took a first.

His actuators, who were once out and free huddled next to his vehicle's heater, quickly tucked themselves tight inside his big coat, jittering from the cold sensation they were forced to feel.

And although Otto was freezing and shaking in his coat, he couldn't help but adore how adorable Sabrina's reaction was to the snow.

The whole ride there she was silently humming Christmas carols while watching the snow fall, making his heart skip a beat.

Slowly, he opened her door and helped her out. She giggled and twirled around in the snow fall after she was released making her cold husband laugh in delight.

Swiftly, he joined her before she ran over and hugged him. He tightly hugged her back, enjoying the fluffinest of her coat as well as her natural warmth before he remembered the task at hand.

"We should have a snowball fight," she cooed as they walked gloved hand and hand to the front entrance.

He chuckled and answered, "After we finish shopping. I think there's probably enough snow in the parking lot to do that."

"Okay," she happily chirped.

They didn't even manage to fully get through the front door before the owner jumped out from the back to greet them.

She had a very happy attitude with a big white smile to boot. Her very curly red hair was bouncing in the reintroduced wind that the open door brought while her blue-green eyes twinkled in the bright lights about her.

"Hello, welcome to Imag'n!" she cheered before she realized who was standing in her doorway.

It was like she lost her train of thought as she stared at her customers, immediately noticing the actuators popping out of the bottom of Otto's coat to enjoy the warmth from the store's heater.

She squealed and ran over to them.

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I can't believe you're in my store. I'm such a big fan, Sabrina."

"Oh," she chirped. "Would you like..."

"Yes!" she immediately answered before she took her phone out of her pocket. "I just want a picture."

Sabrina nervously giggled and replied, "Okay."

Flo moved over by them and picked up the woman's phone much to her surprise. Meanwhile, the others came over to observe her before Otto told them to come back by him.

Reluctantly, they obeyed and Flo was able to take the pictures in peace. She took three and then handed it back to the woman, but her claw stayed opened with a faint glow of yellow.

"Ooh, these are really nice," the lady chirped. "Who knew the tentacles were this good at photography?"

All of them screeched at her comment before Sabrina pet Flo's claw and corrected her.

"They're called actuators. They hate being called tentacles," she said before the other three came by her and pet her cheeks in response.

"Wow, they really like you," she observed. "Not that I should be surprised. I watch your podcast all of the time and they're always all on you."

"You're an Actuatually fan?"

"Am I? I started watching it after I saw you perform as Giselle. You were amazing. And honestly, you two make such a cute couple. Relationship goals."

"Thank you, I think," Otto responded.

Sabrina giggled.

"Oh, where are my manners?" she jokingly asked. "I'm Elinor Whittaker. But you can call me Ellie. I'm the owner of this establishment."

"Oh, we know," Otto remarked. "I read about your grand opening in the Post."

"Funny, I thought you would have said The Daily Bugle."

"I don't read that trash," he grumbled.

"Right," she moaned. "Well, I assume you're here for the little one. I heard the news. Congratulations. You two are gonna be wonderful parents. Now if you just follow me, I'll take you to the baby toys."

"Actually, we're here for..." Sabrina started before Otto stopped her.

He insisted that Elinor take them to the baby toys, despite Sabrina's look of frustration at him.

Elinor didn't notice though and led them to the back of the store nearby the many Lego building sets that were displayed based on difficulty.

The baby toys, which were on the adjacent wall, were displayed flawlessly with each type of toy being put in a certain place.

The sensory and teething toys were right in the center of a buyers focal point while the educational toys were to the right and the plushies and dollies were to the left.

But Otto's eyes lit up when he noticed a plastic toy boat that looked a lot like the one he had as a child.

However, he reserved his excitement until Elinor finally left them alone to browse.

After she left, Sabrina started to softly tease him about the fact that they weren't there to look for toys for Margaux. But he was so fascinated with the boat that he didn't even register her teasing.

Slowly he grasped it in his leather gloved hands and just took in the amazing craftsmanship of it.

Although it was just plastic unlike the wood carved one his abuela gave him decades ago, he still could admire the beautiful paint job reminiscent of his old toy.

He hypothesized that whoever made this really want to put a nice little touch on it.

Sabrina soon noticed his fascination and the little admiring twinkle in his eye, which made her warmly smile.

Leave it to Otto to find the simple, little things in life so intriguing, she thought.

But she did admire that about him as well though.

"Starlight, we should get this for Margaux."

"Octi, we came here to shop for..."

"I know, I know," he playfully huffed. "But I want our little girl to have a piece of my childhood."

"Piece of your childhood?" she asked curiously.

"I used to have a toy boat just like this," he happily explained. "But it was handmade...wood carved. My abuela made it for me. She painted it almost exactly the same."

"Your abuela was a woodworker?" she asked in a surprised tone. She knew that his mother, Maria, was half Spanish so the fact that he called his grandmother 'abuela' didn't confuse her, but what did confuse her was how fondly he spoke of her.

He rarely talked about his family other than his mother, but it was a welcomed info-drop nonetheless.

"Yeah," he said with a bright smile as he kept looking at the boat in his hands. By then the actuators also fully crept out of his big coat and admired it too, their lights glowing as pink as Otto's pale face.

"She was a woodworker and a potter. Her mother was gifted in the work of clay and her father was a carpenter. She was the third of five girls and my great-grandfather was afraid that he wouldn't have anyone to pass the skill on to. But she grasped it real fast and helped him at his shop until she met my Opa. He was on a European tour and they met at a Cafe. They fell in love and eventually moved here. My mother grew up not too far from here."

"You never told me that."

"It never came up," he said with a chuckle. "Maybe I'll show you on the way back home."

"I would like that," she replied. "So I guess you really loved that boat."

"I did. I took it every where I went when I was little. My Opa was an boating enthusiast. He had his own boat that he would take me on all of the time and we even participate in some boat races near the Hudson. We won a couple of tournaments."

"Hmm, so that's why you're so good with your hands," she hummed. "It was all in your hereditary."

He chuckled.

"Yes, well that and many summers with abuela and opa."

---

If you haven't seen my Dafoeverse WIPs and are interested in reading them, you can read them here.

Stay tuned for some Otto & Sabrina and Alden & Alice fics that I shelved until further notice. As well as my long-overdue WIP for Closing Time!

But until then, Happy Reading!

[vanosslirious]

BBS Dialogue Prompts #367

BBS Dialogue & Sentence Starter Prompts: [ 10 ]

SMII7Y

Take that helmet off, you look ridiculous.

I feel like I brought my children here.

You have made my entire life more challenging, so I guess that works.

Pick him up, put him in front of the train.

Get down on the ground!

I forget how to play this game…

What’s he so worried about?

How did I survive that?

Wait, I don’t like your tone…when you said that.

One down, let’s find the others.

You’re also one of the hottest dudes I know.

I’m gonna fucking get it.

He needs some sleep, bro.

This doesn’t even make any sense.

He seems like a nice guy, I might go have a beer with him.

She might be a murderer, that’s what I’m getting from this.

We unlocked the mop.

Is this the guy, is this why he got upset?

I guess it doesn’t matter.

This is a good mop, I’m very happy about this.

TERRORISER

Are you going to show up to this one?

I'll be honest, I really want to play.

No, why would you do that to me?

Hey, leave me alone, man.

Why is my game frozen?

Enjoy being told what to do.

Why am I talking in game?

I didn't play that one before.

Just run, just avoid all the balls in your face.

Uh, fellas, don't get excited, but I think we can win.

KRYOZ

I see what you mean by not being able to let go.

This guy still has some kick in him.

I was gonna say we both have to lift it.

Jammed, I prefer jelly.

There's more bodies over here.

Okay, where's the rest of him?

Well, do you think I'm fucking using it while I'm up there, so in other words, no.

Was there a dead body up there like I was thinking?

Do you see what's going on over here?

I bet you drink out of plastic cups, whore!

NOGLA

I told you…

That doesn't count…

I'll fucking shoot you fucks.

We'll definitely die in this one.

It's pretty easy, as long as you're looking sideways, it makes it much easier.

Oh, my leaf blower guy's here.

How many times did you kill this man?

How did you get here so fast?

I just want to make sure he's dead…oh, no, he's definitely dead.

I like how they're whispering.

BIGPUFFER

I just drowned.

I got armor cause I suck.

I haven't gone that fast in my life.

I'm surprised you didn't do it.

Did you phone the police?

Where are you guys, what happened?

I knew you would say it eventually.

What are you talking about?

I saw that coming a mile away.

We got another fucking helicopter.

WILDCAT

You're going infertile?

Yes, that's why we're here, what do you mean, that's why we played.

I think the first version is free.

He can do no wrong and say no wrong.

It's done.

I don't know who this is.

I don't know what that means, but it's what we're supposed to do.

Okay, you're gonna have to get over here then, cause I have to use this.

I'm burning them.

Oh wait, we have it, we have it, we can do it now.

GRIZZY

Is it the same guy?

Why did you switch?

Actually, that kinda fits you.

We need to fly.

You have the awareness of a goldfish.

Why the fuck would I say that?

What the fuck is going on?

My lower back just cracked like a machine gun.

You're not a country boy.

What are we searching for?

MOO

Yeah, you cried wolf.

I'm feeling pretty anxious.

You guys are gonna hate me.

Yeah, I'm doing horrible.

We're hanging by the skin of our teeth.

I'm not great at this one.

That was something, okay.

You guys already took my spot.

They gave themselves away.

Okay, I'll let you go.

BLARG

Leave me alone, I'm busy.

Well, actually, we need four.

Why are we shit?

You know what, fair enough.

They're programmed the same!

You don't need to call that out.

I've made friends with a banana.

What are you guys doing over here?

I'm just playing volleyball with this idiot.

I'm being shot at, like, by six gangs.

VANOSSGAMING

Did you make this?

Sick, awesome, I love fishing.

What the fuck is that laugh?

And he didn't even die, how?

Oh, are you fucking kidding me, he made it out alive.

Hey, I didn't ask for this.

Yes, yes, I have leverage to build stuff, you're too scared.

That looks perfect.

Welp, you can't have everything.

I'd take a stab at it.

[hungrydogs-if]

Hi i really like that IF and i actually have a question. Can we have more facts about Nur and Bassir we know one is secretary the other treasurer but nothing else is known like did they also got arrest, they ran away? Also will their be a possibility for MC to take down Vaz (whatever methods) like wouldn't Angel like to arrest a killer while MC will take the willing rival gang members under our protection/ownership? Keno is my New dad change my mind -sarah

sarah, my darling! i had to boot up my laptop to answer this because i have things to say.

let's start with nur and basir. these two are the only two protected by plot armor, so they will always be with you. at least in the beginning; they might choose to leave due to your choices later on. at least they can't die, yay!

now, nur got arrested, but she is perfect with her words and got off without much of an sentence, basically working loopholes and getting off with a slap of the wrist. she does own a legitimate business dealing in bookkeeping, so that helped her a lot. plus lies. she could talk a shark out of biting her in the middle of a chew. she will be your greatest ally, if you play your cards right, but your greatest enemy if you cross her. she'd make a frightening law enforcement officer, come to think of it. she's the most level-headed member of the hdmc for sure, which doesn't take a lot considering how much trauma all these peeps have stacked.

basir is... a character. the only reason he didn't get arrested was because he managed a distraction (the rest of the club going apeshit basically) and just bolted, and has been lying low ever since, working a normal job. he really doesn't pay much attention to 'right and wrong' on societal standards, so he jumps between being a gang member, to holding a normal job by forging qualifications, and gets right back to being a gang member. you know that pink gun gif/meme? that's basically basir in a nutshell, personality wise. funny how a bored bankers makes the best treasurers.

on the subject of angel/vaz arrests. you will be able to take down vaz, eventually, in the later gameplay, the method depending on you choices and which storyline you're following. before that, it wouldn't be that easy because there's no concrete proof that vaz has done anything illegal, only hearsay and circumstantial evidence. there's no paper trail, no cctv footage, and no willing (read also as: living) witnesses. angel did try to pursue it at first, when there were rumors and the former president of 'his' gang died but vaz (or the gang itself, as many say) has superior half of the san maro pd in his pocket, and angel would quickly be told not to pursue anything more. if they didn't have a young child to both protect and provide for, they'd very well continue their investigation in private, but they have no choice but to turn the other cheek. for now.

you will be able to either have vaz arrested, or outright kill him. the águilas rojas will be thankful either way, and it'd solidify a strong alliance between the two clubs. unless you choose to do something else entirely.

believe me, angel would like nothing more than to toss that cretin behind bars for the rest of his life, but the system they work for is crooked beyond salvation.

also keno is everyone's dad, draw up the adoption papers. he will do a little tappy-tap on your head with a book when you're acting up. what could anyone do, throw a punch? can't even reach his face lmao. fella just gonna pick you up like a toddler. i love big literary papa, he can take me to a matinee any day.

[inaris-mage-of-storms]

" - And he wasn't happy about finding someone else in the temple, but he was so certain that his little map meant he would be able to find the artifact before I could," said Scott to his audience. The regular meeting between rulers had concluded, and while some had already left for their respective empires, a few stayed to socialize. At some point the conversation turned to how some of them had coincidentally first met years before they held any power.

"He didn't know I could see it glowing through the walls," Scott continued. "Gave him quite the surprise when I walked out of the room with the statue in hand just as he got there."

"Gave me quite the surprise when you decked me, too," said Pix. "You laid me out and took off with it."

"Well, I wasn't about to risk you getting hold of it when I'd done all the work," said Scott smugly.

"Most embarrassing excavation of my career," sighed Pix. "Outwitted by a common thief."

"Excuse you," said Scott indignantly. "I'm not common. And what's an archaeologist anyway but a thief who writes things down."

Pix laughed. "I'm not a thief at all," he said. "I'm a collector, as you're so fond of calling it yourself."

"Yes, and 'collecting' is how you learned to pick locks," smirked Scott. "A skill you picked up for only the most noble of endeavors, I'm sure."

"You punched me in the face the first time we met too!" interjected Fwhip. "Am I detecting a pattern?"

"That was your own fault," Scott reminded him. "I so graciously let you stay at my camp and you tried to steal the ores I had on me."

"Such violence hidden behind such a pretty face!" said Sausage, and winked at Scott. "Now I kind of feel left out. I think we just kissed in a pond the first time we met."

"That was definitely not what happened," said Scott.

"Okay maybe not, but we did kiss on day one." Scott rolled his eyes, and Sausage grinned.

"Wait wait wait, I think I know how Scott picks his friends!" laughed Fwhip. "He just plays Kiss or Kill with everyone he meets, and if the answer is 'yes' to at least one of them then he keeps them!"

Scott let out a heavy sigh. "I really want to argue that point, but I think you might be right," he said. "Maybe not from the first meeting, but I've definitely either kissed or punched every single one of my allies at some point."

Oli let out a dramatic gasp. "I've never been struck by your fair hand nor kissed by your sweet lips!" he cried out, clutching his chest with one hand and sweeping the other out to the side. "Are we not friends, Scott? Have my affections for you been one-sided all this time?!"

Scott regarded the bard with a bemused expression. "Oli, what affections? We don't have an official alliance," he said. "And we've barely interacted outside of these meetings."

"Oh yeah, that's true," said Oli sheepishly. "Had a bit of 'fomo' for a second, don't mind me."

"It sounds silly, but Fwhip might actually be on to something," mused Joel. "With the fellas, anyway."

"The girls get a free pass," agreed Scott. "We're automatically friends unless they try to steal my man."

"But you don't have a man to steal," said Lizzie.

"That's twice you've pointed out I'm single. Friendship revoked," said Scott, and Lizzie cackled.

"There's only one ally that doesn't fit," said Sausage. "Unless you've already dumped Jimmy and I just didn't know it."

"No, we still have an alliance," said Scott.

"My theory still works with them anyway," said Fwhip to Sausage. "Scott and Jimmy have definitely - ow."

Scott sipped his drink and acted like he hadn't just kicked Fwhip under the table, but to his displeasure everyone's eyes were already on him. He'd never been more glad for Jimmy's habit of leaving almost as soon as meetings ended instead of sticking around to chat.

"The sheriff is an exception," he said, fixing Fwhip with a stare that he hoped conveyed his silent demand for the goblin's discretion. "Gunpowder and terracotta are valuable resources to have access to. And I feel sorry for him. He's trying his best, but you lot do nothing but give him a hard time despite claiming to be his friends."

"He fired me," said Fwhip. "I'm allowed a bit of a grudge before I forgive him."

"And he's so easy to tease," said Joel. "He's always getting in someone's face at the slightest provocation. He practically begs to be given a hard time!"

"That may be so," said Scott, "but you don't have to take it as far as you do sometimes. Give the poor man a break."

He reached for the last slice of cake, but Fwhip beat him to it and clambered up into the rafters. "Too slow!" he crowed. "Mine now."

"It's cute how you think I can't reach you up there," said Scott. "You have five seconds to give it back before I come after you."

Fwhip smirked, shoved the cake in his mouth, and made a rude gesture. "Come an' get me, circus boy," he said around his mouthful of dessert, and scrambled to the next beam as Scott jumped to his feet amid cheers of fight, fight, fight! from the others.

Prev | series masterpost | Next

[gunslinginnhogtyin]

"Don't chase the rabbit" - Kairi (i sent one before this, you can answer one/the other or both if you so choose! <3)

Send me "Don't chase the rabbit" and your muse will be shown a random memory from my muse's past. // @as-above-rp

“Butch?”

Butch freezes in the midst of tip toeing past his father.

“Have ya finished cleanin’ the stables?”

Butch nods and his father glances back at him, bushy brows furrowed.

“I can’t hear yer head rattlin’, boy.”

“…Yeah, Pops, th’ stables’re clean. Can I go play with th’ baby cows now?” The child asks hopefully, wringing his hands nervously.

“Now, there’s plenty more work t’be done ‘round here… ‘sides, those fella’s are gonna be food soon enough. Best not to get too attached.”

Butch frowns at that.

“Don’t go tellin’ him things like that.” Butch’s mother, Beatrice, scolds as she enters the room, holding a large bowl of eggs she had just collected from the chicken pin.

“Don’t raise yer voice at me, woman.” Ernest sneers.

“Ain’t no one raisin’ their voice, ya bull. He’s six. F’he wants t’play with the cows, let ‘im.”

Butch smiles to himself, happy his mother is on his side but that quickly changes when his father snaps.

“Don’t tell me how t’raise my son.”

Beatrice sighs and rolls her eyes, making her way into the kitchen. “I really don’t wanna do this right now…”

“Do what? Yer th’ one pickin’ fights! You want that boy to be a WIMP!”

“Oh my lord, Ernest, honestly—yer overreacting.” Beatrice huffs tiredly, setting the eggs on the counter.

“Tch, I don’t expect you t’be showin’ ‘im anythin’ useful, anyhow.” Ernest walks over, gripping Butch’s arm and dragging him along as he walks out of the house. Butch stumbles along but doesn’t hesitate, knowing what would happen if he displayed any sort of resistance towards his father.

“Why don’t we play with the horses instead? I’ll show ya how to ride. Yer old ‘nough to learn by now, anyhow. And it ain’t a useless skill like cookin.”

The little blonde blinks in surprise and in an instant, he’s grinning excitedly. His Pops never wants to do anything fun like that; in fact, the last time he had asked, he got yelled at! He’s practically skipping alongside his father now.

Crossing the field, they come to a stop by a fence where a couple of saddles rested on one of the posts. Releasing his sons arm, he grabs one of the saddles and holds it out for Butch to take.

“You’ve seen yer ol’ man saddle up a horse b’fore. Go on.” The child reaches out to grip the saddle but when the weight of it is released by his father, Butch tumbles to the ground with it.

“G-Gosh, this’s… heavy! I don’t think—“

“F’ya wanna ride a horse, ya gotta put its saddle on! Pick th’ damn thing up.” Ernest says sternly, scowling down at his son. When his father took that tone, that’s when the fun was over.

While Butch watches his father wander off to retrieve one of the horses, he struggles to pick the saddle up. The thing weighs just as much as he does! When all is said and done, the six year old had managed to heave it onto his back, his legs wobbling with each step he takes towards the horse Ernest had led over.

“Go on.” He urges.

With trembling legs, Butch reels back and gives his best throw which actually isn’t all that great because the saddle comes crashing down on top of him, causing him to topple over with a yelp.

“Can’t ya do nothin’ right?”

Hearing a heavy sigh come from his father, he suddenly feels a lot lighter as that saddle is lifted off of him and fastened onto the horse, his father complaining all the while.

“If yer mother didn’t treat ya like a sissy, ya might actually be good fer somethin. When I was yer age…” Ernest continues to gripe on as Butch brings himself back to his feet.

He staves off the feeling of having the wind knocked out of him and moves closer to the horse, gripping the saddle just as his Pops had finished fastening it on. Then, he attempts to pull himself up onto the horse, struggling a good bit since he barely comes up past the horses mid section. He falls over more than once, losing his balance or his grip every now and again. After hearing some more chiding from his father, he manages to hop and climb his way up onto the large stallion, all by himself!

“I did it!” Butch exclaims tiredly but excitedly, carefully taking the reigns.

“Yeah, yeah—that’s th’ easy part.” His father comments with a scoff.

Giving a tug on the reigns, the horse begins to walk. A smile had found its way back on his face; he was doing it! He was riding a horse all by himself! He couldn’t wait to tell his Ma when he got back to the house!

The child’s excitement is cut short however when the horse suddenly begins to act up, as if it had been spooked by something. Neighing loudly in agitation, the stallion jerks about and thrashes, Butch hanging on for dear life and screaming all the while. Unfortunately he’s not able to hold on much longer, his fingers slip when in one rough motion, the horse bucks hard and he flies off, hitting the ground with a crack.

The moment he hits the ground, a jolt of pain runs through his body—his arm more specifically. Taking a deep breath in, the child clutches his arm and cries out, writhing on the ground in pain. Looking around frantically through blurry tears for his father, he finds his silhouette standing some ways away, just watching.

In another moment he sees his mother storming over to his father; he can’t hear any yelling over the sound of his own crying but he knows that’s what’s happening. A push, a shove, a slap, and a punch later, his mother is at his side, scooping him up into her arms carefully but quickly and rushing towards the house. He can hear his heart beat pounding in his ears and suddenly everything goes black.

When he comes to, he finds himself in his bed. His arm aches and he quickly takes notice of the splint holding his arm in place. Luckily his mother is at his side, easing his nerves with a soft song and brushing her fingers through his hair.

[sentientcave]

WIP WEDNESDAY - 141 Paranormal Investigators

BEST TIME OF THE YEAR EVERY WEEK. WIP WEDNESDAY BAYBEE Had this silly idea for a fic where the lads are like, youtube ghost/monster hunters who get accidentally stranded in a weird American town. I haven't been working on it very much because I really want to get Impound done next but this is such a fun concept I really want to revisit it soon.

I have a lot more plotted out for it than I do for Impound but I'm not really a planner so who knows what I'll keep and what I'll toss. But feel free to ask me about it if you've got questions! I went on about this with everyone's favourite black cat, Morg, for like a full afternoon so I have a lot to say.

“— And while we didn’t find any sign of hauntings in this forgotten corner of Washington state, we did get to see some truly facinating peices of America’s history during the Gold Rush.” “Thanks for watching! Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and follow us here and here for more updates on our Great American Roadtrip!”

“Not bad, Si,” Gaz said, closing the laptop with a satisfied snap. “Once we get to the motel we can upload it.” “Do ye always have to use such unflatterin’ shots of me?” Johnny asked, pouting a little in the backseat next to Gaz. “I didnae do all that much yellin’, but from tha’ ye’d think it was all I was ever doin’.” “I’m jus’ givin’ the people what they want, Johnny,” Simon said, eyes laughing. “And it’s you wet, shirtless, scratched up and screamin’ bloody murder.” “I wasnae screamin’,” Johnny protested, running a hand over his shaggy mohawk. “I was just expressin’ myself.” “Loudly,” Gaz added, helpful as ever. “And in a very high frequency.” “Awa’ an’ bile yer heid, ye fuckin’ roaster. I wasnae screamin’.” “Sounded like screamin’ to me,” Price said, giving the two younger men in the backseat a stern look through the rearview mirror. “Now settle down. I’m not listenin’ to six more hours of this.” “Might be more’n tha’,” Johnny said, leaning forward, hooking a brawny arm over Simon’s shoulder, blue eyes scouting the valley below as they crested another bump in the road. “Traffic ahead. S’never a good sign when there’s vehicles lined up in the mountains.” “Bloody hell,” Price grumbled. “Why’s this country got to be so fuckin’ big?” “Where’s that bloody map?” Simon asked, yanking the glove box open. “Maybe there’s a way around.” “Might no’ be a good idea,” Johnny said uneasily. “We could get lost easy.” “You want to sit in fuckin’ inchin’ traffic for twelve hours?” Simon asked. “There’s a road off here—” He held up the map and jabbed his finger on a side road off the main highway. “Just before that bloody mess. It’ll be on the left— Take us up and around, looks like.” “Why is no one else takin’ it then?” Johnny asked, voice gaining the extra burr it always did preceding an increase in volume. He wasn’t shouting yet, but all three of the others knew the signs to look out for. “No one uses physical maps anymore,” Gaz said soothingly. “Maybe it got unlisted. Private road? If someone stops us we can always turn around.” “I’m takin’ it,” Price grunted, turning off of the paved asphalt road and onto the narrower gravel one. “I’d rather be movin’, at least. If I wanted to sit in traffic I’d drive around London.” “Oh suit yerselves.” Johnny pushed himself back into his seat and crossed his arms. “Don’t listen to the fella that actually grew up around anythin’ bigger than a hill. Noo, wouldnae wan’ ta do tha’.” “Relax, Soap.” Price used his stern teaching voice, the one that could command a rowdy hall of college students (most of whom only took his class because they thought it would be an easy credit) to be quiet and pay attention. “If we get lost you’ll get to gloat about bein’ right, how about that?” “Rather no’ get lost, but Ah suppose it’ll do.”