#sorry/youre welcome for more shirtless men

[crowleychimera]

girlies

[dandelions-143]

Three’s Never A Crowd

Chan x Y/n x Seungmin

Pairing: Chan x f!reader x Seungmin

Genre: Nothing but Fluff, Fluff, and more Fluff.

Warnings: None whatsoever

Wk: 1570k

A/N: So sorry for any typos, this is not edited at all. It’s just a little fluff piece. I am not so good at Sweet fluff but I felt like my page needed something sweet sprinkled on it. Enjoy!! Let me know what you think! Also reblogs are very much welcome!!

Masterlist

So warm and cozy. That was the thought that ran through your head as you snuggled into the warm body next to you. Long arms shifted to wrap around you, pulling you in close to him. You could hear his heavy heart beats as your head rested on his muscular chest.

You lifted your head a little to peer up at Chans peaceful slumbering face. He looked like a child when he was sleeping. Call it creepy but you liked to watch this man sleep. His deep steady breathing, like a rhythm you couldn’t get enough of. Chans eyes lids fluttered in his sleep as well. It made you wonder if he was dreaming and what he was dreaming of.

Chans full lips twitched and memories from last night flooded your mind. Hands and lips in all over you. The slowest and most attentive sex you had ever had. Chan had taken his time with you and so did the second man that shared your bed last night.

Your hand went to feel for Seungmin on the other side of you but, there was nothing but cold sheets. You bit your lip remembering how gentle Seungmin had been with you. How soft the men had been with one another.

The three of you were regularly intimate with one another but, you and Chan were the only ones that had made your relationship more than sex. You had steadily and then heavily fallen madly in love with Chan but Seungmin secretly had your heart too. You had told Chan about your feelings and he confessed to his own feelings for Seungmin as well.

You and Chan were hesitant to talk to a Seungmin about the mutual feelings you both had for him because the man was very independent and he was never one to be tied down.

You were brought out of your thoughts by a soft clang on the other side of the bedroom door. You slowly got up as to not wake your sleeping boyfriend. You pulled on one of Chans over sized shirts and made your way as quietly as you could into the small kitchen.

A very strong smell of bacon hit you first before you rounded the corner and your eyes landed on a shirtless Seungmin standing at the stove, various pans and skillets in the middle of cooking eggs and pancakes and bacon.

You watched him with a soft smile on your face as he concentrated on his task. His brows furrowed and his hair a mess hanging over his forehead. When the bacon popped a bit too much and burned his chest causing him to jump back with a soft curse you couldn’t help but giggle out loud.

This caught his attention, deep brown eyes met yours and you swore you saw them soften just a bit at the sight of you. “Uh, sorry if I woke you. I just thought it would be nice for you and Chan to wake up to full table of breakfast.” He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. You walked up to him and smoothly wrapped your arms around his lean waist, standing on your toes to peck his lips in appreciation. “Thank you very much and you didn’t wake me.” His round puppy dog eyes lingered a moment on your lips before sliding up to your eyes.

Your lips parted to speak up about him and the possibility of this thing you and Chan had with Seungmin turning into something so much more than late nights of tangled limbs, soft moans, and mind blowing threesomes. “Breakfast.” Chans sleepy voice came from behind you. He leaned in and kissed the top of your head then kissed Seungmins cheek as if this was how mornings always went between the three of you. It just fit..it felt right.

You saw Seungmin smile sweetly at Chans show of affection and suddenly bringing up a real relationship with him didn’t seem so far fetched. “Yeah, I just thought it would be nice and kind of a thank you for last night.” Seungmin cleared his throat and stepped back so you could fill your plate up with food.

A comfortable quiet fell over the three of you as you and Chan filled your plates and Seungmin poured everyone juice. You nudged Chans arm as he stood beside you grabbing many pieces of bacon. “Sorry, I don’t get to eat bacon often.” He mumbled and began to put some of it back. You shook your head, “no no, I think I’m going to talk to him about possibly being with us..being our boyfriend.”

Chan watched Seungmin step into the bedroom to find his shirt, “You know I’m down for that. I love you and I could see myself falling for him as well but, do you think he will reciprocate that though?” You bit your bottom lip and slowly began to nod. “I think he wants to but maybe he’s afraid since it would be new to him. There’s only one way to find out.” You put a piece of toast on your plate and walked over to the small table just as Seungmin walked back in to sit across from you.

Your boyfriend came to sit next to you and you all began to eat. You and Chan kept watching Seungmin, he was the cutest when he ate. Big bites but he would chew slowly, really enjoying his food. Seungmin noticed you two staring and leaned back in his chair, “Are you two okay?” He asked as he wiped at his mouth with a napkin.

Chan smiled, his dimples showing, “Seungmin, have you ever thought of being in a relationship before?” The lean man crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side. His eyes shifted from Chan to you then back to Chan. “Um, actually I have but, I don’t think it’s a possible thing.” You leaned forward a bit and spoke up between bites of food, “Well why not? You’re gorgeous, you could be with anyone you wanted to.. even us.” You casually slipped that in there hoping it didn’t make things weird.

That seemed to catch Seungmin off guard, his eyes grew a little wide and he looked a bit nervous. His mouth opened and shut then opened and shut again. Like he was trying to find his words. “What do you mean?” He finally spoke, his eyes bouncing back and forth between you and Chan.

Chan licked his lips and reached over gently grabbing Seungmins hand, holding it where it rested on the table. “You know we’ve been doing this sexual dance for a while now. We love it, we enjoy it but,” Seungmin looked down at his lap then and nodded, cutting Chan off he pulled his hand away, “You guys want to stop. I get it. I don’t ever want to make things hard for the two of you. I really care for you both so we can just be friends if it would suit you two better.” You got up and walked around the table to him.

There was just enough space for you to sit on his lap and you draped your arms over his shoulders, “Seungmin, we don’t want to stop…” You looked over at Chan before continuing, “We want more of you, not just sex but everything that would come with being together, in a relationship. You, Chan, and I.” You held your breath, waiting for him to take it all in. Waiting for him to process it.

You watched Seungmins eyes light up with relief and happiness as he scanned them over your face then moved them over to Chan. “I thought I was going insane. I’ve never wanted two people at the same time. I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you two.” His mouth kept moving, confessing his feelings for you both. You cut him off as he began to ramble with a soft kiss. Pressing your lips to his, kissing him slow and sweet.

You carded your fingers through his thick soft hair, tugging at the glossy strands a little as you both pulled back, a mirrored smile on both of your lips. You heard a chair being pushed back and Chan was by your side. He knelt down and took Seungmins face in his hands, pulling him closer. You watched Chan kiss him deeply and you only felt happiness. It bloomed in your chest at the sight of the man you were completely in love with and the man you were slowly falling for come together.

Seungmin pulled back and left a light peck on your nose before consuming your lips again. The three of you feeling more at home with one another than you ever had before. Resting his forehead against yours and Chan leaning his head on Seungmins shoulder, your new boyfriend asked, “Does this mean dates and actual couple things?” You laughed softly and kissed at his soft cheeks, “Of course silly.”

With that Seungmin easily lifted you up in his arms as he stood, Chan following his lead. “I think we should get started on those couple things right now.” You squealed as he moved you over his shoulder, Chan grinning from ear to ear as he placed his hands on Seungmins waist and followed him into the bedroom for round two of last night.

Tags: @moonndustx

[fic-heaven]

Lmao you are one of the reasons I joined tumblr. I was wondering if you had planned to write something about Reyes. (Reyes from COD not overwatch xd)

I saw long ago you talked about having planned something for him and I was wondering when you’d upload it

Sorry this took so long lmao i actually lost the first drabble and ended up making an entirely new one yesterday night so here you go lil chickie

Also THE HONOR XD welcome to Tumblr uwu

Make it a twenty

Enzo Reyes x Reader (NSFW)

🐥Short AF sorry

Being surrounded by big buff men every day since the moment you joined eventually took a tool on you and your repressed need for a nice fuck. Meeting Enzo Reyes did NOT help one bit.

I DIDN'T EDIT SHIT SORRY I'm one lazy fuck

Reyes was the most infuriating man you have ever met.

His mood swings paired with his need to look tough and cool around others were a headache at times. But that was precisely what attracted you to him in the first place.

His revelious nature often caused him to get yelled at and punished by superiors, and that quickly turned into a game between Nova, Gus and you. You three would throw bets here and on about how long it would take the Canadian to get his ass spanked, by whom and even which punishment he would get. He obviously didn't know about this, if he did you were sure the man would burry your asses in a blink.

It all started when you caught Gus and Nova overlooking the field laughing about a freshly yelled Reyes who was caught sneaking off training. You admired the man for having the balls to actually try to scape Lieutenant Ghost's wrath, it was funny to think Reyes actually believed for a moment he could skip training but it was even funnier to see him get chased by Sargeant Soup by Ghost's command.

Two weeks later the dumbass tried to to exactly the same and got punished accordingly resulting in you winning the bet of the time in which he would get punished, and Nila winning both bets of who would punish him and how.

You remember it like it was yesterday.

It was the middle of June. You enjoyed the view of him running laps shirtless under the summer sun, the man was sweating galloons and your two idiots of friends swapped their betting prices to you. You didn't pay much attention since the view of Reyes legs' muscles flexing, the sweaty locks of his growing dark hair pressed to his forehead and his heavy panting plus a murderous glare towards anything and everything made you squeeze your thighs in hopes of suffocating your need to jump to the training field and fuck him right there under a few other recruits, Gus and Nova's praying eyes.

Your partnership with Reyes was... Professional.

You knew he was a forward guy who always spoke his mind (often getting in trouble for it), you two had interacted a few times, nothing special... But it was enough for you to know that he never liked to dance around topics specially ones that involved him. He loved sincerity and straightforwardness, so that same night after diner you gave him exactly that. A piece of your mind you had kept since your very first interaction.

It was nine thirty five PM. Reyes just got out of the shower and was hanging out with you, Nova and Gus at the mess hall. The two latter left a while back to God knows where to do "whatever" and "would be back in no time", the rest of the rookies left as well, some to dine others to rest. So you knew then you had to make your move. It was now or never.

"What does a girl need to do to get fucked properly around here?"

The usually smug guy raised his brows in shock looking at you like you said the most out of character thing. Reyes grunted out a chuckle and smiled knowingly eventually breaking from the shock, but less than one second later he somehow seemed bored or was he nervous? His eyes jumped to look over where you guys were sitting checking if anyone was still around then looked back at you a little more serious one of his hands absentmindedly messed with the ripped sides of the couch cushions, a nervous tick for sure. The amount of expressions he showed in that moment would have made you laugh but you knew better than to anger and/or annoy the cocky man.

"Feeling bold tonight, girlie? What's with you getting your panties wet all of a sudden?" He said almost sounding bored and unimpressed. You knew better.

You placed your elbows over your knees leaning closer to his side, both of you never breaking away from each other's gaze. You paid one last quick glance at the entrance to make sure you two were out of earshot. "I thought I was being obvious-"

"You mean when you were eating me with your eyes a while back?" He cut you abruptly smiling like the smug bastard he was now openly looking down your lips. "What if I say that I liked what I saw?" You knew he was trying to make you flustered and you were NOT going to back down.

Reyes leaned downwards mirroring your position. You could feel his body heat so close you felt like you were on fire. His beard lightly tickled you earlobe when he whispered in a low tone a growl that could have made your knees buckle if it wasn't for your current position.

"There is much more to see than my bare torso sweatin' under the bloody sun."

"Is that an invitation?"

"You feeling that curious?"

Your nod pleased him for the moment, you had been uncharacteristically forward enough for him to forgive you for not verbally stating your answer and he was already still processing he was having THIS conversation with YOU. Did you even know how horny your mere presence made him feel? Specially wearing those comfortable shorts that drove him mad trying not to look at your thighs.

"Then come closer. I promise none of this fuckers will give it to you as i will."

You barked out a laugh trying to push his buttons a little "is that right? Had plenty of girls here to practice? I'm surprised i'm really the lucky one to have caught your attention." Maybe some insecurities did come to light then, you feared your comment had messed the whole thing up. Reyes looked at you displeased, his hand that previously messed with the couch took a firm hold of your thigh. Your heart skipped a beat.

"I'm not one for one nightstands but that's up to you... Whatever you want to make of this." He wasn't lying, he hadn't had the time nor the wish to indulge in quickies with strangers since... Well, since you. You weren't lying either, he wanted you since the moment he met you and he would be a fool to deny you.

You looked away a little embarrassed, the previous bravery scaped your body thanks to the now awkward situation. Reyes wouldn't have it, his palm took your cheek and gently directed your gaze to meet his, dark brown eyes stared at you with badly hidden concern.

"Not shying away from the truth, we don't have to put labels on this. And trust me sweetheart, the things I want to do to you are better shown than spoken." His mouth spoke filthy promises but his eyes showed a different side of him. Softness... Confort. He didn't want you to feel expendable but he also didn't want to push you to make a big deal about all this if you didn't want to. Reyes was many things, but he was not going to force you to do shit you didn't want. You both stare at each other carefully looking for something, for that little push of confidence to come back to your bodies now that you were inches from one another. This time it was your call to voice your answer.

"I desire you..."

That broke something in him. His eyes turning glassy full of lust and affection, an expression so foreign in Reyes it knocked the breath out of your lungs. You desired him? You little idiot...

Your hand acted before you could think and went to take him by the chin pressing your lips together into a desperate kiss. Unbeknownst to you even as the kiss begun turning lustful and messy full of teeth and tongue, even when his arms firmly wrapped around your waist to press you against his chest to deepen it, he never closed his eyes. You obviously didn't know because yours fluttered close as soon as the first kiss was sealed, Reyes didn't want to look dumb or creepy for looking at you as he all but devoured your mouth, truth is he feared that if he closed his eyes all of this... This dream of a night, would be exactly that. A dream. Another lustful dream to add to his collection of thoughts and fantasies he had about you whenever he was alone. But he would never admit it.

Your body hovered over his when you sat on his lap caging him between your thighs. Reyes almost caved in letting you guide your lustful dance but at the third lazy roll of your hips grinding down his hardening cock he reacted. He nipped down your lip teasingly pulling it back and letting go with a pop and a grin, his lust-filled eyes drunk of your taste.

"This is hardly the place, you know." Reyes huffed taking a hold of your hands. On that much you agreed.

There is a pounding in your chest much stronger than the one you got the first time you met him, stronger than that one time he carried your wounded body through the chaos of the battlefield to a safe hideout and guarded you there without complain calling for medical as he tried to keep you awake and lastly, much stronger than the time a silly dark joke you muttered during a tense operation was able to crack the asshole of a man into a muffled fit of laughter. You two got yelled at then, but honestly? To hear Reyes laugh like that was worth it. Who would have ever thought you'd get to have him like this right now, to hear the noises that came from de deepth of your shared pleasure, you couldn't even believe it yourself.

His growls and heavy groans along with your moans and broken cries of his name, his real name Enzo, were loud inside your private quarters.

The SpecGru operator was chocking you with his bicep while burying himself mercilessly deep into your womb. Reyes - no ... Enzo, was losing his mind. You looked godly under the dim light of the cheap lamp on your desk with your soft skin shining tiny droplets of your combined sweat, you laid there downwards, your ass up bouncing against him with the force of his movements as he fucked you raw. “You like that, angel? Fuck, does that feel good?” he tried to sound taunting, but the way his voice drips with need... You were certain he’s begging to hear the answer. 

"F-fuck yes... Yes! Just give it to me, En... Fuck me-" Enzo was sure you didn't know about the grasp you had in him right now. To hear you moaning his real name and now even calling him En in that endearing way? His hips were quick to pick up the pace, the clapping sound of your bodies colliding was getting so loud you were sure you'd get interrogated the next morning. But honestly? Fuck it. You are too tired of pretending you didn't want to have this man fucking you into a puddle.

Your hands clawed at his muscular bicep, he relaxed it fearing he had hurt you but against his thoughts you pressed his arm a little tighter to your neck giving that additional pressure that had you drooling and constricting the ear oh so deliciously. Enzo laughed like it was the funniest thing he had ever seen that day, your eyes rolled to the back of your skull, his thrusts never stopping as he fucked his way into trying to hear your choked moans break from the constricting pressure of his muscular arm choking on your delicious-looking neck.

"Y-YES UGH YES FUCK!" His other hand rush to cover your mouth roughly and you could almost have laughed, the man tried to quieten you not even realizing HE was the one screaming. "Your pussy is driving me fucking nuts... Keep squeezing my cock like that and I'll fill you up like a fucking turkey on Thanksgiving, y'hear me!?" Enzo's voice was mean and threatening it had you squeezing your walls tighter around him, he grunted at the sudden squeeze. His hair and beard lightly tickled your sweaty skin as he slowed the pace and deepened his thrusts. His mouth kissed, licked and bit down your skin leaving marks all over your neck.

You whined back trying to reach for his lips with your own mouth desperately seeking for a kiss. He grunted for you to stay still and as a retort you tried to thrust your hips backwards and squeezed him tighter making the man over you whimper and pant a little louder in surprise. He loved this rebellious and bold part of you but it was starting to affect him.

Enzo didn't have time to feel embarrassed about showing this whiney side of him to you, he was too preoccupied about the again loud clapping sounds of your conjoined bodies meeting each other in an aggressive rythm shacking your bed and ruining your messed up mattress when he picked up the pace once more. He fucked you like an dog in heat, chasing an end seemingly so hurtful to reach his whimpers and moans morphed into painful-sounding groans he was desperately trying to muffle down biting on your shoulder. Not only did he do this out of embarrassment but also so he to hear your pleasured cries and begs much clearer. Enzo's hips started to slow once more, his stamina running out quickly after spending almos half an hour crazily fucking you into oblivion. "F-fuck woman... Look what you've done to me..." That earned an awful attempt of laughter from you.

You were totally gonna be the death of him but he wasn't complaining. If only you knew how long he had been waiting for this, almost as long as you have, maybe a little more. And now he had you where he always wanted... He felt whole.

Enzo flipped your body like a pancake positioning you into a missionary pose with your legs resting on his shoulders, he lowered to rub your noses in an overly sweet show of affection, your pants mingling in the air as you took a few seconds of break. His fat cock was pushed inside of you when his lips molded with yours, your tongues danced into a lazy pace on contrast of his powerful thrusts that had you seeing stars. It almost looked like you weren't fucking but making love instead. Specially with the way his eyes seemed to get lost in your every expression.

It was all too sweet but the painful friction of his thrusts lubricated in your combined fluids and sweat was leaving hurtful burns in your thighs and pretty much everything under your waist.

"F-fuck not so fucking rough you fucking asshole!..." Your pussy burned from the friction, his short half-shaven trail pinched you as his relentless thrusts kept rearranging your insides. His hand shot to your clit, two fingers pinching and circling your sensitive bud making a yelp scape your panting mouth and eventually distracting you from the sting. "Oh yeah? Why don't you say that again, you slut? Go on tell me to stop." Your head shakes from side to side, the pleasure blinding you to the point of silencing the slight burn you felt before. The change from the love sick look he gave you at first to the pussy-drunk psycho one he was giving you right now made your hole constrict and weep of desire.

You could feel your end nearing when Enzo's hand fell off of your clit to fist your bedsheets, his thrusts becoming sloppier and off-tempo. You both panted onto each other's mouths trying to kiss each other in an attempt to muffle the upcoming shared orgasms. He growled his and you whined yours, your lips fully pressed, your arms embracing and your legs tangled as his load shot to stuff you up like a turkey, exactly like the bastard said.

You didn't take a shower, you didn't speak a word, you two simply held each other into the now dead quiet night, your panting soon turning soothing enough to make each other sleepy and relaxed. Reyes' arm rested under your head the other one circled your waist possessively as he big-spooned you.

"Guess it's a good night then..." You whispered humorously breaking the quiet.

"You want me to stay?"

He sounded so frail. You could have mistook him for an entirely different person. But you knew your Reyes, you knew your Enzo, the moment he looked at you so full of warmth and somehow gratitude before the lights were shut down.

"Always." You said with no hesitation. And that's how you two spent your first night together. The first of many to come.

Morning came by. You woke up alone, the residual warmth of his body still present in your bed and the sweet yet manly aroma of Enzo's shampoo was plastered on your pillow. You inhaled it with a dreamy hum.

You knew better than to feel bad about waking up alone. Knowing the Canadian he probably left early so he wouldn't look suspicious to the others coming down the small kitchenette alone. Your fingers felt your skin down your neck feeling the strong mark his teeth had created the night prior, now it was a dull ache, but it felt so sweet, so real... The proof of your nightly adventure.

After a shower you went to join the others, the tables were pretty crowded and when you sat down to enjoy breakfast with your usual trio with an exhausted look, Reyes was already sitting there with a cup of coffee and a smug smile staring up at you with a mockingly sweet "morning, sleeping beauty" you flipped him the bird with a smile of your own. Gus and Nova greeted you as well and later shared a look when their comrade placed his mug to the side allowing you a fair space to place your breakfast pretending to ignore how your body slightly leaned a little to his side as he sneaked his hand down to affectionately squeeze your thigh.

"You slept alright? Could see you practically skipping a step or two coming to the table, (Y/n)." Gus said trying to soften his enormous smile.

The bear of a man got glared up by you, flipped off by Reyes who muttered a "My brother, cierra la puta boca." and eye rolled by Nova who slapped a twenty on the table and the Rican happily took it with a gremlin-like snicker. "Yeah yeah, take your money. Being smug is Reyes' thing don't be an ass!" Nova said fake fighting Gus who was now doing a happy little dance with the bill he just took from his friend.

You couldn't help the chuckle that scaped you at their antics, Enzo couldn't get his eyes off of you seemingly entranced with the sound of your laughter. He felt things for you he was still not ready to mouth... Yet. But you'd be patient, after all you had to figure how you truly felt for him as well.

But now it wasn't the time nor the place to think about deeper feelings. So you had to focus more on how now you two became victims of Gus and Nova's bets. How fun. You could mentally slap yourself, this explains why they left you two guys alone the night prior... Those two idiots were planning to bet on how long it would take you to bed each other. How original.

[taylorkellyreporting]

i hope no one minds if i liveblog this bitch: ncis: hawai’i s2 from ncis 19x21

since the first ep back is a crossover with ncis i just decided to watch those eps first. if this is their way of getting more ppl to watch the og…it’s working lmao

— ncis 19x21 + ncis hawaii 2x01

roman’s hilarious

“salted or unsalted?” “i…did not taste them” lmao

i don’t like this deputy director at all

parker’s ex wife is definitely lying and probably setting him up

“if i’m the sucker, consider me licked” 😭

*pretends to be shocked*

lmaooo they got the commander good in that diner

at least parker is suspicious

WHAT???

hm. i wonder if the commander is the raven

damn this storyline is insane

jane and nick would be such a hot couple why lie

oh wow it’s the prisoner

kate and lucy are so cute

“don’t worry, you’re gonna get to know the inmates, believe me” pls

oh they got played

bombside manner 😭😭

i love bam-bam she’s hilarious

“screw you, torres!” “you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” skjfhghcjjs

IT WAS A SETUP

i’ll never get tired of ocean shots

this crossover was SO MUCH better than the first one omg

— ncis: hawai’i 2x02

kate wants to tell her boss about lucy so she can meet her team 🥹

he was shot in the face?? how horrific

ernie gossiping 😭

“first off, it’s a movie about family” dkfjgjfjdn

mai tai o’clock 😭😭

that’s a lot of blood

i love that kate’s venting to jesse

NOT THE CROWBAR

that chase was cool as hell

“i don’t have friends, i got ohana” lmaoo i love them

“it’s like a trilogy, right?” lmfaooo

“i’ll be right here, with ya” aww

“welcome to the fbi family” 🫶🏻🥹

THEY’RE SO CUTE

— 2x03

why is this woman so nervous…

oh shit they cut her brakes

“i’m like half your size!” 😭😭

oop not lucy coming at her with her full government name

“well now you’re just trying to turn me on 😏” LUCY CLAPPING TO GET HER TO FOCUS PLS 😭

SHE FULL ON BODY SLAMMED HER ICB

wait, what??

this audrey looks like she’s wearing a really bad wig

bam-bam doesn’t remember jesse lmao

“but mostly, we spoke the language of love” 😭

“ohhhh i see it now!” hours later lmao

oh redhead looked like she saw a ghost when she saw kate for the first time

“open yourself up to more mopping” plsss

oh shit this is intense

“my love” 🥹

“being with you has changed everything” i love them y’all i really do

— 2x04

a backup shoe 😭

hell no i would never think to cook in someone’s house when i’ve never even met them before

i do not like cassandra at all

they were all scared to death…what a terrible way to die

“their fear is his high” how evil

no fucking way it’s the ranger who was helping them earlier

PIKE??????

THAT WAS INSANE

jane lying and saying she likes cassandra pls

besides the season premiere, this was my favorite episode of the season so far

— 2x05

oh my God

lmao that kacy scene was so awkward

i can’t wait to find out who this aj person is

all of these construction men are hot…assholes but. hot.

kate really put her foot in her mouth with that financially responsible comment

not him blaming ben + the team for what’s happening as if he didn’t get into bed with them in the first place

this ep was frustrating but really good

i don’t trust aj at all. he’s probably the one who had the brothers attacked.

that was such a beautiful ending

— 2x06

i’m on daniel’s side with this one sorry

God this is making me never want to leave my house again…fentanyl scattered all over the beach are you fr

“if the devil got into the drug business, fentanyl would be his product of choice” so true

“it’s not every day i get to spend time with my little buddy” the smile on kai’s face when he thought ernie was talking about him is making me lose it

i’d like to thank the writers for gracing us with shirtless kai scenes

bam-bam and ernie beefing is hilarious

oh my God i really thought jesse was gone

kai really threw down that bag so he could hug jesse jdjgjvjdhsvc

alex getting a job at kai’s dads restaurant oh wow 😭

“your dad doesn’t know what he missed out on” i love their friendship so so much

stella knows there’s something wrong

well that was unexpected

i want more annoyed kate

jesse’s insane

lucy “my love” tara and kate “my sweet” whistler you are so adorable

the tear ☹️

i get the writers needed an excuse for yasmine being gone but lucy deciding to spend four months on a boat in the middle of the ocean is so out of character

— 2x08

kai is such a SWEETHEART

not jesse being a theater kid omg?

“the pirate queen” “no, just stop. you’re embarrassing yourself” the way kai just nods 😭

mcu mention oh this is hell

alan’s an idiot

ernie 😭😭😭

okay a movie shoot was not expected

lucy needs to come home NOW

“walk away” he is very much not going to do that

not at all important to the plot but charlie’s neck is so freaking thick lmfao

cassandra needs to pack her shit and go already

jane is such a badass i don’t care if what she did was a stupid move

they did alan so foul

oh shit kai’s dad took money from those men???

CHARLEMAGNE 😭😭

oh jane’s gonna kill alex

[eyes-of-rock]

Picture This

Rick Savage x OC {Casey Spencer}

Part: I

Plot: Casey Spencer is an aspiring rock photographer, who just got the chance of a life time as the photographer for Def Leppard new picture book. What she didn’t expect is to find love along the way.

A/N: Comments are always welcome!

Casey’s POV

I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I can’t believe I’m actually doing it, that I’m here. That me, Casey Spencer, a rancher's daughter, is taking photos of Def Leppard. It’s been my dream my whole life to be a rock and metal photographer. I know it’s an odd dream for someone who grew up around cowboys and country music. Yet I've loved metal and rock since I first heard it as a kid. The first time I heard those screaming guitars, I was hooked, then I picked up a camera and realised my dream.

Of course I was born at the end of the 20th century, so unfortunately for me it’s not like you can exactly make a living off that alone. It’s not like people are scrambling for photos of old rock stars. So to make money I do wedding photography and other things on the side. I still go to tons of rock concerts and post the photos I take on my social media. I have a pretty large following, and I sell a few prints on my website as well, but I’m far from massive or well known.

I think that’s why it came to me as such a shock when I got the call. It was hard to believe I was chosen as the photographer for the Def Leppard photo book they plan to put out, and that I’d be with them for a whole tour. It almost feels like I’m back in the 80s, and I’m nervous as hell about it.

I know I can take pretty good photos, but Def Leppard are rock legends, good isn’t good enough. They need to be the best thing I’ve ever done, I want to impress them, after all this is a huge break for me. Not to mention def leppard is one of my favourite bands ever, I grew up with posters on them on my wall. I’ve seen them live like 4 times, and own all their records. I have to do them justice. I mean sure they’re all in their 60’a but they all still look good, and therefore deserve to be captured in the most beautiful way possible.

I take one final deep breath as I knock on the door of the dressing room, this is where I meet the band for the first time and my assignment begins. I’m supposed to get more than just staged photos and live shots, also some more candid photos of them backstage and offstage as well. It’s supposed to show all of the tour experience.

I smile as the door opens, and there stands Joe Elliott himself in the flesh a foot away from me. He looks a little shocked to see me standing there at first, but once he spots the camera bag hanging off my shoulder and the crew pass hanging off my neck I think he puts two and two together.

“I’m Casey Spencer, the photographer.” I say, just to confirm the conclusion he’s most likely already come to on his own.

“You’re a woman?” He says, sounding shocked and it’s not that surprising to me. Casey happens to be a unisex name, and it’s definitely more popular for men in my neck of the woods, so this has been happening to me my whole life.

“Last time I checked.” I say, looking down my shirt for an added effect, “it’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, I’m Joe Elliott.” He says, moving aside. “Come on in, and I’m sorry I was just expecting a man because of your name.”

“Thanks, and don't worry about it.” I say walking into the dressing room, stopping dead in my tracks as I look to the left and see Rick Savage, standing there shirtless.

I can feel the blush creeping across my cheeks. I mean sure I’ve seen him shirtless in photos, but it’s a lot different to see it in person. It almost feels like it’s something I shouldn’t be seeing, considering the fact I just kind of walked in here and he probably isn’t expecting me.

Clearly he feels the same because the moment he notices me he grabs for the nearest shirt pulling it on over his perfect chest. I quickly look away as I feel his eyes meet mine, I’d rather he didn’t know I was just gawking at him. I mean I haven’t even officially met him yet.

“I’m sorry about that, love.” He apologises giving me a smile and I can’t help but notice how beautiful his smile is in person. I mean yes in photos it is gorgeous but in person it’s even more so. “I’m Rick Savage, and you are?”

“I’m Casey Spencer, I’ll be your photographer for the tour.” I tell him, doing the typical Montana thing of offering up a handshake when you meet someone new.

“It’s nice meeting you, love.” He says with a smile, accepting my handshake. Just as Viv, Phil and Rick all round the corner. Phil of course is shirtless, showing off his perfectly toned body, but unlike Sav it’s not overly shocking. If he was wearing a shirt it would probably be more shocking, and he’s not really my type. I prefer men with a little chub on them, someone more like Sav.

“Hey, guys. I'm Casey, the new photographer.” I tell them, giving them all a friendly wave.

“Lovely to meet you.” Phil says, giving me a smile.

“I’m Vivian. It’s nice to meet you.” Says Vivian, returning my wave.

“Rick and it’s great to meet you.” Rick says last, giving me a friendly smile.

“I promise you guys I won’t be in the way.” I tell them, making my point by moving to the side of the room. “And if I am, please tell me.”

The last thing I want to do is be a hindrance in any way. I try to be the least annoying person alive. So I hope to keep to that, I’ll be taking lots of photos but I’ll be doing it in the least invasive way possible.

“You won’t be in the way, love.” Sav informs me, “and even if you are we expected you to be a bit.”

“It doesn’t matter if you expect it, just tell me anyways, I don’t mind moving.” I tell him, “I better get going on these photos.”

“Do you want us to pose or anything?” Joe asks.

“No, I want some more candid shots.” I tell them, as I begin setting up my camera and adjusting the setting correctly for the lighting. “I’ll take some staged ones after the concert.”

“Alright works for me.” Joe shrugs, going back to whatever he’s doing.

I pick up my camera and peer through the viewfinder at my first target Phil. He’s sitting a few feet from me doing crunches or pulls up or something. I don't know the terms for workouts. What I do know though is I’m sure these are the kind of photos his fans would eat up, so I line up the camera making a few adjustments before snapping a bunch in a row.

That’s the key to making sure you at least get one keeper, taking a lot of photos. It's especially true when you aren’t staging a photo and therefore can’t manipulate the outcome.

Once I’m finished, I take a quick look through them on the screen and decide I have a couple of keepers and that’s good enough for me. I was nervous but the moment I met everyone and I picked up my camera all those nerves just melted away. I love photography and I’m doing exactly what I’ve always dreamed. I couldn’t be happier, and yes this will be a long assignment but I couldn’t be more ready for it. It’s a bonus they’re all nice as well, which makes working with them a lot easier, because believe me I’ve had some not so nice clients in the past. I think everyone will work out nicely.

_____________________________________________

Sav’s POV

I glance at Casey from the corner of my eye, she’s lazer forced on Phil taking photos of him. Who as per usual is working out, all shirtless and sweaty, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little jealous he’s getting all her attention.

She’s striking, with copper hair and bright green eyes. She has delicate beautiful features, yet her colouring makes her stand out. Casey is gorgeous.

It was surprising to find Casey was a woman, I remember months back when we picked her, we assumed she was a man based on her name. So when a beautiful woman walked into the dressing room I was a bit shocked. If we were back in the 80s I might not have been, back then the dressing room was usually crawling with beautiful women.

It’s not the 80’s anymore and we aren’t young men, women aren’t exactly flocking to us. So now whenever I see a beautiful younger woman I assume she’s someone's guest.

In one way I’m lucky she’s not, I feel less guilty thinking of her the way I am, but in another I’m not. I could never act on those feelings because for one she’s working for me technically, and she’s got to be half my age, maybe even a quarter of it. There is no way she’d possibly want anything to do with an old man like me, especially not in the way I’m thinking of her. It would make it a lot easier to push those feelings aside if she was related to one of the blokes or something, but I’ll just have to fight it.

I quickly pretend to be flipping through my wardrobe as I notice her point the camera in my direction. I’d rather she had no idea I was just looking at her, I don’t want her to get creeped out by it or something. Though I’d love to pose for her, or maybe show off a bit, she instructed us to act like she’s not here. Which for me is clearly an impossible task, after all I’m standing metres away from the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Something tells me this tour will be a long one.

[emerals]

the lads but it’s cards against humanity

some of these are funny most aren’t lmao

prompts are bolded!!

OZZY - - Seeing my father cry; kid-tested, mother-approved. - Step 1: A sorry excuse for a father. Step 2: Vehicular manslaughter. Step 3: Profit. - What's my secret power? Fucking all my dad's friends. - What's that smell? Poor life choices.

JUNIPER - - Excuse me, straight man, but all the different kinds of lesbians isn't for you, STRAIGHT MAN. - Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, we called you because we're concerned about Cynthia. Are you aware that your daughter is throwing grapes at a man until he loses touch with reality? - Girls. High five, bro. - A romantic candlelit dinner would be incomplete without getting serial killed.

XIMENA - - I never truly understood hot people until I encountered your mom. - But before I kill you, Mr. Bond, I must show you vigorous jazz hands. - That's right, I killed heteronormativity. How, you ask? Bees? - For my next trick, I will pull science out of a Bop It.

WHITTANY - - I drink to forget being rich. - Uh, hey guys, I know this was my idea, but I'm having serious doubts about breaking into song and dance. - I got 99 problems but crumbs all over the god damn carpet ain't one. - Hey guys, welcome to Chili's! Would you like to start the night off right with kissing grandma on the forehead and turning off her life support?

ASH - - Arby's We Have completely unwarranted confidence. - When I am President, I will create the Department of a bitch slap. - Hey Reddit! I'm judging everyone. Ask me anything. - I'm LeBron James, and when I'm not slamming dunks, I love two Xanax and a bottle of wine.

VIVIAN - - YAAAAAAS! You are serving me daddy issues realness! - Dude, do not go in that bathroom. There's men in there. - What's the best metaphor for our political system? 30 shirtless bears emerging from the fog. - 50% of all marriages end in listening to her problems without trying to solve them.

EVERETT - - In the new Disney Channel Original Movie, Hannah Montana struggles with the patriarchy for the first time. - What are my parents hiding from me? Saying "I love you". - As the mom of five rambunctious boys, I'm no stranger to a little boy who won't shut the fuck up about dinosaurs. - If you can't love yourself, how the hell you gonna love committing treason?

KIWI - - Mamma Mia. Here I go again. My! My! How can I resist giggling like an anime girl? - Kids, I don't need drugs to get high. I'm high on sunshine an rainbows. - TSA guidelines now prohibits wizard music on airplanes. - My fellow Americans: Before this decade we will have Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson on the moon!

DEAN - - I get by with a little help from self-loathing. - I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure what you're suffering from is called "being fucking pathetic". - Your dreams are one click away! Learn more at Hope.com. - What's the most emo? A lifetime of sadness.

NIX - - Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's menstrual rage. - The class field trip was completely ruined by whatever straight people do for fun. - It's a pity that kids these days are all getting involved with unfathomable stupidity. - Old MacDonald had dark and mysterious forces beyond our control. E-I-E-I-O.

HUNTER - - Howdy neighbor! I couldn't help but notice you struggling with getting into a pretty bad car accident. Need a hand? - Why can't I sleep at night? Dead parents. - When I was tripping on acid, BATMAN! turned into therapy. - I'm Tony Robbins, and over the next sixty minutes I'm going to teach you how to harness the power of the Kool-Aid Man!

DOTTIE - - What's there a ton of in heaven? Some god damn peace and quiet. - What's a girl's best friend? Solving problems with violence. - I'm going on a cleanse this week. Nothing but kale juice and silence. - IF you like sipping kombucha like a smug piece of shit, YOU MIGHT BE A REDNECK.

ADEN - - Check me out, yo! I call this dance move "establishing dominance." - White people like drinking gasoline to see what it tastes like. - Just saw this upsetting video! Please retweet!! #stopmyinnerdemons - Why do I hurt all over? A mistake.

SYLVIA - - Designers! For this week's challenge, you must make a dress designed for telling Heather she can't pull off that top. - Daddy, why is mommy crying? Toxic masculinity. - And the Academy Award for complaining goes to the careless cunt who left a water ring on my credenza. - Why am I sticky? Soup that is too hot.

LOUIE - - Instead of coal, Santa now gives the bad children PTSD. - We're here! We're doing crimes! Get used to it! - Today on Maury: "Help! My son is being a motherfucking sorcerer!" - Premiering tonight: NBC's new heartfelt family drama, This Is an old guy who's almost dead.

MARSHALL - - I'm sorry Professor, but I couldn't complete my homework because of some guy. - What never fails to liven up the party? Being on fire. - Well if you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I have a date with kayaking with my sluts. - Here is the church. Here is the steeple. Open the doors and there is a messy bitch who lives for drama.

[heartsoulspiritelite]

Jack Perry x Darby Allin

Summary- Darby was having one of the best dreams of his life, until he was awoken by some loud ass knocking at 3:00 am on his hotel room door.

He silently cursed who ever was at the door and wished for them to go away. But they did not so he drowsily walked to the door getting ready to lecture the hell out who ever woke him up until he seen who was outside his door.

Jack Perry- who was drunk?..

 

       

  Drunken feelings

Darby was having one of the best dreams of his life, all sprawled out on his comfy bed, shirtless and cuddled in between his pillows, his mind at peace after being stressed all week- that was until he was awoken by some loud ass knocking at 3:00 am on his hotel room door.

He silently cursed who ever was at the door and wished for them to go away. But of course they did not. So Darby got up, put some pants on and drowsily walked to the door getting ready to lecture the hell out who ever woke him up until he seen who was outside his door.

Jack Perry.

his half lidded eyes opened in surprise.

He was crying..? what. It gave him a weird feeling, like his heart dropping, Jack was swaying unsteadily, his usually vibrant eyes clouded with tears, and his perfect curly hair a mess.

"H-hey darby, you're so cute did you know that?" He giggled through his tears, His giggles didn't last long because his face dropped and a new set of tears ran down his face

He smelled strongly of alcohol.

Oh he was drunk. Well damn now he has to let him in, or... nah he'd be a dick to leave him out in the hall drunk. Anyways he wants to hear more about what drunk Jacky has to say.

"Jack its three in the morning, what the hell are you doing here?" He asked crankly

The boy must have been a very sensitive drunk because he teared up even more at that.

"I-Im sorry, i don't-hiccup- know wha myy room nuumberr is" Jack explained while slurring his words. He seemed very small in this present moment, very vulnerable and worried.

"How'd you know mine?"

"I dont know, i didn't know where else to go, im sorry"

"Well damn. Fine come in" He welcomed Jack in

Jacks cheeks were a bright red and still had tears running down them. This really concerned Darby, He doesn't know Jack to well but their paths had crossed quite a bit in AEW, and he knows jungle boy enough to know that he rarely drinks especially like this.

He led Jack to the couch and grabbed him some water and pills to help calm himself down.

Jack gladly took the water and downed it along with the pills.

"So..." Darby started

"I hate you, I hate you so much" Jack rambled on while sobbing again

What?

"What'd i do?" He asked confused

"Why do you always have to get into peoples heads? Why, I could've won that belt. I could've took it away from Max. But no i couldnt. I couldnt hit you with that belt. I just couldn't bring myself to do it! Its all your fault!" Jack almost yelled frusterated

"Well tell me Jack, why? Why couldn't you hit me with the belt?" Darby stated boldly while standing infront of jack staring him in the eyes.

Jacks gaze went down and he stated picking at the sheets beneath him while sniffling

"I-i dont know, i didn't want to cheat and i-i didn't want to seriously hurt you, yknow? I would have felt awful, i couldn't do that to you. For some reason you mean a lot to me" He whispered softly while still looking at the ground with his hair covering his face.

The skeleton boy's heart fluttered at this confession and his gaze softened

He crouched down a bit to be a jacks level and moved the crying boys hair out of his face and lightly raised his chin and looked him in the eye.

"You mean a lot to me to Jack, i dont know why i really dont. But i can't get you out of head" he whispered with a small chuckle

Jacks eyes slightly widened

"Really?.." He asked sobering up more

"Yeah.."

Both men smiled and slowly leaned in until their lips met in a small, gentle, kiss they both needed.

With these new found feelings both boys slept in Darbys bed all cuddled up and warm. Both happier then before. Jack may forget many details in the morning but Darby would be happy to re visit them in the morning.

~

~Cross-posted on wattpad & ao3~

[joaquinwhorres]

gazes (joaquín torres x reader)

SUMMARY ››››› It's become increasingly apparent to Sam and Bucky that you and Joaquin cannot take your eyes off each other. Unfortunately for them, you two have decided to be Professionals and that means keeping your eyes, hands, and lips to yourselves. No matter how difficult it is.

WORD COUNT ››››› 3,716

WARNINGS ››››› sexy times implied

A/N ››››› Ok so these headcanons y'all have been sending me are incredible. I read these two back to back and I just had to write something connecting them.

The kid had no tact.

Sam wasn't exactly sure why he expected more from the guy who'd led into his theory that Steve was on the moon by referencing vague internet rumors, but even despite that, he'd assumed Joaquin possessed some sense of subtlety.

Instead he was over at the leg press trying and failing not to stare at Y/N as she bent over at the middle to help Bucky push deeper into the stretch.

"You know she could hit you with a harassment claim for staring at her like that."

Joaquin jumped, the weights dropping suddenly with a loud clang. Across the gym, Bucky laughed as Y/N whipped around to face the two men. "Everything ok?" Her voice sounded genuinely concerned, and Sam couldn't help but smirk as Joaquin turned towards her, giving a little wave.

"Foot slipped," he answered, and she nodded, turning back to Bucky quickly.

"Foot slipped," Sam mocked.

"Dude, you scared the shit out of me."

"If you paid half the amount of attention you give to Y/N to your surroundings, you'd have known I'd been standing here for three minutes."

Joaquin gave a defensive scoff. "I wasn't staring at her--I was just--" he stopped, searching for an excuse, and Sam raised his eyebrows.

When it was clear Joaquin couldn't find a convincing enough lie to end the sentence, Sam shook his head. "You know, if you talk to her, she might actually let you take her out."

"I talk to her," Joaquin protested.

Sam shook his head, uncrossing his arms. "No, I mean talk to her. Chat her up. You've gotta have some game, right?"

"I've got game..." His sentence trailed off as he turned to look in her direction, finding her standing over Bucky's feet with her hands on her hips. "But like, we're co-workers, you know? I don't want to make things awkward around the gym or the compound or anything."

"Joaquin," Sam said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "You're already making things awkward."

"He's staring at your ass again."

"And you're trying to get out of stretching again," you quipped, moving Bucky's leg closer to his chest. The super soldier tilted his head as if to acknowledge the legitimacy of your accusation.

"Doesn't change the fact that I think you're about to give him a heart attack."

"I highly doubt he's worried in the slightest about my ass. He's probably zoned out."

"He's definitely focused in...on--"

"On my ass," you finished, shaking your head. You might have given Bucky's claim a little more credence if it weren't for the fact that Joaquin Torres had been anything but the consummate professional towards you. He was friendly and upbeat and welcoming, and one of the few genuinely good guys you'd ever had the pleasure of working with.

You'd never caught him staring once, and it's not like the boy was exactly known for subtlety. Last time Bucky had asked him to cover for him so you couldn't come down and teach him the right way to train his body, he'd told you that Bucky had left the compound to get you a thank you gift for all of your hard work. All while staring at the gym door.

The heavy sound of weights falling against each other echoed throughout the gym, and you spun around to face the sound. Sam hovered over Joaquin's shoulder, the latter no longer working the leg press but instead looking as if he'd just received the scare of his life.

Bucky broke into laughter, and you smacked at his leg.

"Everything ok?" you called out, and Joaquin smiled, giving a sheepish little wave at you. "Foot slipped."

"It's a good thing he wasn't at the bench press. You might have killed him."

Your head snapped back to Bucky who was giving you a shit eating grin.

"You're an asshole."

"I'm right."

"Do you think if I ask nicely Wakanda will take you back?"

"So you know I'm right."

You chanced a glance back at Joaquin who was still talking to Sam before turning back around and placing your hands on your hips. "I'm calling Ayo."

You were running early.

Not to any event in particular, but just for the general course of your day. It was rare for you to wake up to your first alarm so completely refreshed, and with a fully awake brain, you found it much easier to navigate the morning. You were able to get dressed without crawling back in bed for a few more minutes, and didn't have to battle with sleepy indecision when choosing what you wanted to eat for breakfast.

One thing after another just continued to roll your way, leading you to the gym much earlier than usual.

And that's where the luck stopped.

Or maybe it didn't stop. But it definitely took a turn. Because while you fully expected someone else to be in the gym already, you hadn't expected just one person to be in the gym. And even if you had, you wouldn't have guessed that that one person would be Joaquin. And if, for some reason, you'd had the foresight to sense that, you definitely never would have pictured him to be running on the treadmill shirtless.

You stopped in your tracks, eyes falling to the bouncing dog tags on his chest and then lower to the well defined abs you'd somehow never seen before.

It felt like you'd seen just about every man in this compound shirtless. At some point, they all seemed to strip in the gym or during one of your group training classes you ran for those who weren't field agents. Bucky was shirtless half the time you worked together. It was so normal, you hardly even blinked an eye anymore. Seeing Sam without a shirt was more rare and quite the sight, but it'd never caught your breath quite like seeing Joaquin. Joaquin, who had never so much as worn a tank top in the gym, Joaquin.

And now here he was, chest bare and heaving, feet pounding rhythmically against the treadmill, hair still messy from his pillow and sweat. Your brain couldn't seem to function correctly, offering you images of the sight before you, only closer. Much closer. Hovering inches over your stretched out body as the headboard behind you rammed into the wall with the force of each thrust--

"Hey," Joaquin greeted, noticing you standing off to the side. You blinked, heat rushing to your face as he turned the treadmill down to a more leisurely pace. "Something wrong with my form?"

It was tempting to lie and offer to "help him fix it." Or to be completely honest and tell him you'd never seen a human form as perfect as his.

But neither of those responses were professional or even appropriate, and you needed this job.

You swallowed, shaking your head. "No, I was just wondering why you were wearing those," you said, gesturing to his dog tags, and allowing your eyes to fall to his chest once more. You followed a bead of sweat as it rolled down his body, heading to the waistband of his shorts. Joaquin reached to touch his tags, causing them to jingle together once more and pull your attention up to him.

"It's hard to let them go," he smiled, ruefully, hitting the button so the belt slowed even more. "I'd say it's a habit, putting them on, but at this point they're just like a part of me."

You nodded, wishing you'd taken this conversation anywhere but to the idea of dog tags and what they stood for. It wasn't so much a mood killer but a guilt inducer because instead of you feeling embarrassed and somber, all you wanted to do was grab them and pull him closer to you.

He must have read the conflict on your face because he gave a crooked smile. "Yeah, sorry, it's kinda morbid."

"No," you shook your head, clearing it of the daydream induced fog. "I probably shouldn't have asked."

"No, nah, it's cool," his smile grew into grin, as the belt came to a stop. He leaned his forearms against the console, staring at you as if waiting for you to continue the conversation. Which you were not equipped to do with a smiling and shirtless and sweaty Joaquin Torres right before you.

"Well, thanks for being cool about it," you said with a nod.

My God, something was wrong with you. They were just abs. And sure, maybe the abs belonged to the man who not only found the time to moonlight as a superhero but star in your increasingly dirty dreams of late, but it was just a body party that you'd seen a million times.

But never on Joaquin.

You blamed everything your brain was doing to you on Bucky and all of his stupid comments about Joaquin's supposed fixation on your ass. You wondered what he would say if he could see you now. "And I thought I was half machine. I could practically see your brain short circuiting." or "If that's what you're like when you see him half-naked, how are you ever going to--"

"Yeah, of course," Joaquin said, still smiling, his eyes lifting up over your shoulder as the other door to the gym opened and Sam came in. "Hey," he greeted with a jerk of his chin.

"Hey," Sam said, drawing closer, his eyes on you. You forced a smile on to your own face, and lifted a hand, not trusting anything that was coming out of your mouth.

"You're here early," the other man said, stepping onto the treadmill next to Joaquin's, and putting his water bottle down next to the machine.

Both of them were looking at you now, and it's not like you could handle staying in this gym any longer. "I came down looking for my water bottle. I think I left it here yesterday."

Sam raised his eyebrows glancing around the gym, and Joaquin stepped down off of the machine. "Do you want help looking for it?" he asked, and your whole body seemed to tense up at the idea, your brain transporting you to a future scenario where the two of you wandered around the room, Joaquin next to you or behind you, so close you could feel the heat radiating off of him, all the while searching for a water bottle that was sitting on your dresser.

"No." Your voice came out too high, but you tried to play it off, shaking your head. "I've already interrupted your workout enough. It's either by the weights or not in here."

"Alright," he nodded. "If you need any help looking around the compound though, let me know."

"Thanks," you said. And then you gave another stupid wave and beelined it for the weight racks because you had to get out of here.

You made a show of looking next to each section of weights, even bending over to check underneath of them as if it could have been knocked under somewhere. After you felt an appropriate amount of time had passed to be convincing, you straightened up, empty handed. You turned back to Joaquin and Sam, both watching you rather than continuing their workouts as you might have hoped.

"Not here," you called back with a shrug and then left the gym and headed straight up to your shower.

He was nothing if not predictable.

The minute Y/N bent over to check behind the weight rack, his eyes were glued to her. Or perhaps more accurately, the bright teal spandex shorts she wore. As she pulled herself back up from searching for her water bottle and turned to them, Joaquin quickly looked to Sam as if the two had been talking the whole time and then "casually" returned to her.

"Not here!" she said, shrugging and then walking out of the gym, her footsteps quick and purposeful as she left through the door Sam had just entered by.

"So, what'd I interrupt?"

Joaquin looked up at Sam as if remembering he was there. "What?"

"You know, when the two of you were sitting by this machine making eyes at each other? Did you actually say anything to her or….?"

Joaquin shook his head. "No, she just came in and, uh, we chatted for a second, and then…" he trailed off, as if not fully remembering any of the past ten, twenty, however many minutes.

"You just chatted," Sam repeated, the disbelief on his face edging into his voice.

"Yeah," Joaquin nodded.

"Anywhere in this chat you finally ask her out?"

"Nah, it didn't feel right."

"It didn't--she was practically taking off the other half of your clothes with her eyes," Sam sputtered, gesturing to Joaquin's shorts.

The kid laughed and shook his head as if Sam didn't know what he was talking about. Joaquin moved to exit the gym as well. "I'll see you later, man," he said, leaving a very exasperated Sam behind.

Bucky Barnes was a motherfucking liar.

"Let's grab a drink on Friday," he said.

"Consider it me making it up to you for being such a pain in your ass," he said.

"I'll buy," he said.

Mothefucker.

This wasn't just you and your favorite co-worker getting a drink. This was a goddamn set up. Because one hour and three mojitos into the night, Sam and Joaquin walked in the front door.

"I fucking hate you," you said, glaring up at his stupid smug face.

"Well, what a surprise, he grinned, as you shook a finger up at him.

"I told you in confidence I'm a flirty drunk."

He snorted, giving you a look out the side of his eyes. "You told me you were a flirty drunk after you sent me several highly inappropriate drunk text messages about what you wanted to do to a certain Lieutenant, who," the self-satisfied smile was back on Bucky's face. "Is making his way over to us right now."

"When I get home, I swear to God, I'm buying you a ticket to Wakanda."

Bucky quirked an eyebrow. "You're not going to do it now?"

"I didn't bring my credit card because you said you were paying," you huffed.

Before Bucky could respond, Sam and Joaquin were next to the two of you, greeting Bucky with hand slaps and one armed hugs. Sam came around and wrapped an arm around you first before sliding into the seat next to Bucky, and Joaquin came forward, giving you a quick hug.

Which was a first.

More than the feeling of his back underneath your palm, or the way he seemed to emanate warmth, you were done in by how absolutely incredible he smelled. But before you could fully identify whether it was his shampoo, a cologne, or just him, he pulled away and took the only other available seat near the group--the one next to you.

"I see you started without us," Sam said, raising his eyebrows at the assortment of glasses that sat before you. Most of them were Bucky's as he downed beers faster than should have been humanly possible.

"Hard drinker, huh Y/N," Joaquin teased, shooting you a smile.

"Pfft," you dismissed. "Only three are mine."

"Three?" Sam asked, leaning forward to better look at you. "How long have you been here?"

"An hour," you said, completely unnecessarily leaning forward too.

Bucky shrugged. "I got the time wrong."

"Guess we better catch up then," Joaquin said, and you sank back into your chair, narrowing your eyes at him in challenge.

"If you can."

They did.

You were outpaced fairly quickly against the two soldiers and one super soldier. The rum-induced fuzziness around the edges of your brain was compounded by having Joaquin so close to you. At some point he'd pulled his chair a bit closer to yours so that he could better hear the conversation, and you don't remember when it happened, but his arm had also slid around the back of your chair. To your relief neither Bucky nor Sam seemed to acknowledge this. In fact, Bucky was positively quiet and normal all things considered. Everything was going better than you could have expected.

Until the music kicked up.

Sam was the first to be dragged onto the dance floor. He was Captain America. Of course he'd been targeted by the stunning girl in the red dress who'd only had to come up and ask "Does Captain America dance?" to succeed in pulling him off to the dance floor.

Bucky was next. Although he wasn't tugged onto the dance floor by his hand the way Sam was. It was the sight of the person in the tight black number that did him in, luring him away to the dance as if drawn by a magnet.

And then it was you and Joaquin, sitting at the bar. Alone. Together.

You looked up from your drink, pushing the straw down into the ice to stir up the clinking sounds, and he took a swig of his beer before putting the bottle back down on the bar.

"Alright, let's dance," he said, nodding with his head towards the crowd, and you let out a disbelieving snort.

"I don't know how to dance. I mean, I can dance," you attempted to clarify, although you had a feeling words were failing you at the moment. "But that's real dancing, and I can't do that."

"I guess you're lucky you have a really good teacher asking you to dance then," Joaquin grinned, holding out a hand. You looked down at his open palm, hesitating only for a second before you slid your hand into his and jumped down from your chair.

He led you out through the moving bodies expertly, dodging couples who were clearly more into the dancing than each other and couples where the complete opposite was true. The small bit of space he found you was closer to the center of the dance floor than you'd usually feel comfortable with, but when he turned towards you with that look on his face, any of your residual anxiety had vanished.

"Ok, come close," he said, and you took a small step closer to him, causing him to laugh. "Closer." He gestured, and you moved forward some more, Joaquin's hands finding their way to your hips and pulling you even closer. His hands rose, one finding its way to your mid-back, pushing your elbow up to rest on his, as the other took your hand and placed it over shoulder.

"This ok?" he asked, eyebrows raised, and you nodded, trying to keep your attention on him, his instructions and his words, and not the way that you could feel just about every part of him from the way he was angled against you. His right side was flush against your left, and his knee pushed between yours.

"Just follow me," he said, his head bent close to yours. Before you could even respond, he started to move, pulling you along with him through the dance. It was smooth and rolling and you'd never seen a guy able to roll his hips like Joaquin. He seemed to know exactly how to guide you, moving his body to push and pull yours along whenever you hesitated or felt lost, coaxing waves and movements out of you that you didn't know you could do. Each success was met with a small word of praise and a brilliant smile, as his hands shifted to hold you closer, and you wrapped your own hand around his neck to better feel and predict his movements.

It felt as if a fog had rolled in over the dancefloor, obstructing all else from view so it was just you and Joaquin, eyes locked to each other as you moved together, occupying the same space.

The song faded into the next one, and Joaquin stopped. You went to move backwards, to give him space and have him move on as many other of the more skilled dancing couples seemed to do, switching partners amongst each other. But he kept you close to him, hand sliding down to your waist.

"Now you can really dance," he teased, his eyes shining as they stared into yours.

"Only with you." It was supposed to be a self-deprecating joke, but it came out too quiet and earnest. Joaquin licked his lips, and your eyes followed the gesture, flickering between his mouth and his eyes.

You don't remember making the decision. You only remember, moving even further into his arms, and pushing yourself up to reach his lips with your own. He bent down to meet you, pulling you even closer and pressing his hard body into yours. His lips moved as slowly and sensually as his hips had, drawing you in and guiding you through a careful rhythm that promised much, much more.

Sam sat with Bucky at the bar. Joaquin and Y/N had disappeared somewhere amongst the dance floor, hidden amongst the crowd.

"You think it worked?" Bucky asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam.

"If it didn't we're screwed," Sam shook his head, taking a swig from his drink.

As if on cue, the two emerged from the swaying bodies, hand in hand, sweaty and much happier than they had been when Sam had left them at the bar.

"We're gonna head back to the compound," Joaquin said with practiced casualness.

"Yeah?" Bucky asked, and Sam swore there was mischief literally glinting in his eyes.

"Yeah," Joaquin nodded too fast and too many times. "Yeah, Y/N forgot about something there…"

"What'd you forget?" Bucky asked, turning to Y/N with a wolfish smile.

"Nothing. We're going to have sex," Y/N said, flatly, causing Sam to nearly spit out his drink. "And if you say one more word, I know a pilot who will fly you to Wakanda himself. No ticket needed."

Bucky mimicked zippering his lips into a smug look, and she rolled her eyes before tugging Joaquin out of the bar by his hand. And he followed. Eyes glued to her ass.

[milliumizoomi]

𝐼𝑆 𝑇𝐻𝐴𝑇 𝐻𝐸𝑅?!

TodoBakuDeku x Black FEM! Reader

AGED UP!!

Warnings: Fluff to Angst to Fluff, cursing, confused boyfriends, tw,, racism mention and hidden talents.

A/n: my motivation be dropping really fast but we back😩✨. also i got a lil lazy at the end so that’s mbb😭.

✗ 𝐎𝐇 𝐆𝐎𝐃, you knew that this wasn’t supposed to happen. They weren’t supposed to find out like this and now they're calling and texting you trying to find out where you are and what exactly it is that they just saw on literally one of the biggest billboard TVs in the city.

✗ But I should backtrack and say what lead to this.

✗ It started about 4 days ago.

You came home from work to an empty house, as usual. You were used to this. Your boyfriends were pro heroes so this was normal. You walked to your shared bedroom and dropped your purse on the bed. You sat down on the same bed and slipped your heels off. You then flopped down and let your body relaxed. “Ugh.. today was stressful. Ima go take a shower the wait for the boys to come home” you said. You then got up and stripped. You then picked up your shower cap off the dresser and walked to the bathroom. You pulled your lace front into a bun and put your shower cap on and turned the water on then hopped in the shower.

20 minutes later, you got finished with your shower. You stepped out and grabbed your (f/c) towel and dried off. You then also took the chance to peel the shower cap off of your head. You set the shower cap on the shelf and wrapped the towel around your body and walked out of the bathroom. You got to the bathroom and grabbed your lotion off the dresser and started to apply it to your body. After you were done, you threw on a big t-shirt that you had bought some time back.

You walked into the living room to see none of your boyfriends are back. You shrugged this off and decided to make dinner. Today you thought you make ackee and saltfish. You knew that your boys enjoyed your food. Especially since they weren’t used to food like that. So you got to work.

About an hour later, you hear the front door jiggling. And then the sounds of gruff voices could be heard. ‘They’re home’ you thought as you covered the pot and walked to the front door. When you got there, you saw all of your boyfriends leaning on each other as support for taking off their shoes. “Welcome home,” you said to them. They all looked up, stunned. They didn’t even notice you were there.

“Oh hey angel sorry you startled us. Are you ok?” Todoroki said as he stood up and hugged your much tinier figure. “Yes, sweetheart I’m ok. And how are my other boys?” You asked teasingly. Bakugou grumbled and stood up and leaned down towards your shoulder. You could tell he was stressed. “Ease up ‘Suki babe I need to my hair outta the way,” you said as you felt Bakogou’s head resting on your hair. He lifted his head for a second and allowed you to move your hair then dropped his head right back onto your shoulder. Midoriya then walked up to you and snuggled his head into the top of your head. “Hi pretty baby.. you ok?” He asked as he continued to rest his head on you. “My baby m’ok but y’all look tired.. rough day?” You asked as u were still supporting all of these huge men whom were all 6 foot and over. He nodded his head in your hair, answering your question. You stayed like that for a while until you remembered. “..Did I turn off the stove?” All the boys perked up at you at your question. “WHAT THE HELL?!” Bakugou yelled as he bolted to the kitchen. “Oh crap..!” You said as he managed to turn it off before anything bad happened. “I can’t believe I totally forgot..” you sighed. “Well boys go clean up I’ll share your plates,” you told the boys. They nodded and headed to the bedroom.

‘They were off.. what happened today..?’ You thought. You had realized that their behavior was slightly off as soon as you walked up to the door and inspected them. Their body language was a little different. ‘But why didn’t they tell me..? Do they not wanna talk about it?’ You continued to ponder. You decided that you would ask them later. You shared their plates and placed them on the table. You then shared your plate and sat down. They all emerged out of their bedroom in their casual clothes. And by casual I mean shirtless with sweats on.

They came and sat down at the table. “Thanks princess, it looks delicious!” Midoriya praised. Bakugou grunted in approval and Todoroki nodded, indicating he thought the same. You all then started eating in silence. It felt awkward. You decided this would be the best time to talk about what may be bothering them,, so you asked. “My loves?” You started. They all looked up and you, letting you know you have their attention. “Did something happen..? I mean! The reason I was asking is that you guys seem to be deep in thought about something” you continued.

You watched as all three of the men looked at each other then looked back down at their food. You sat there confused. Where they not going to tell you? You opened your mouth to say something but Bakugou cuts you off, “Don’t worry about it Y/N.. it doesn’t concern you anyways” he grunted. This surprises you. You all had been keen on communication in this relationship and yet here they are shutting you out. “What does that mean Kastuki? Y’all know that we communicate in this relationship. I want to help you with whatever it is that is bothering y’all but how am I supposed to when you won’t even tell me?” You said, having your english slowly beginning to break because you were getting a little upset.

“Drop it Y/N. This isn’t something we wanna share ok” Todoroki said calmly. “But why? We’re supposed to be open about this stuff” You answered back. You weren’t going to drop this so easily. You wanted answers all while trying to stay rational, calm, and patient, but that was slowly dwindling. “At least explain to me why you don’t want me to know and I won’t push it! You aren’t giving me any answers here! How am I supposed to feel seeing the three people I love so much walk through that god damned door looking frustrated and shit huh?!” You say getting even more frustrated.

“STOP FUCKING ASKING! IT’S NOT LIKE YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND OK!” Bakugou yelled. “Now I don’t know who the fuck you raising your voice at ‘cause I know it ain’t me,” you said, trying to maintain your calm state of mind. “Yes! I am talking to you” Bakugou grunted out. “No the hell you not y’all know I don’t take disrespect from nobody,” you said while leaning your hand on the table and resting your face in your palm.

They stayed silent. “And why don’t you think I’ll understand?” You continued. They didn’t answer. “Well?” You questioned. You scoffed. “Wow ok, no answer tough crowd I guess..” you said, rolling your eyes. You looked over at Midoriya who was silent the whole time. You could see he wanted to say something by the look on his face.

“You got something to say don’t you Izuku? Go ahead say it. ‘Cause right now I’m trying to understand” you told him. He froze up at the sound of his name. You didn’t really use their real names much so it was a shock to not only him but the other two men as well. “B-babe.. well I— I just—“ he started. He then sighed and started again. “It’s something you wouldn’t understand because um..” he said and then mumbled something at the end. “Ima need you to speak up please ‘cause you mumbling and I ain’t hear what you said” you said. He froze for a second then said it again. “Because your not...” he mumbled again. “Izu I still can’t hear you” you told him. “BECAUSE YOUR NOT A PRO HERO!” He blurted out. Your eyes widened and you froze. We’re they seriously not gonna tell you what’s bothering them because of their job?

“Are yall fucking serious..?” You mumbled out. “We’ve lived together for so long.. we’ve been dating for so long and y’all trying to tell me the reason y’all can’t explain what the hell is bothering you is because I don’t have the same fucking job..!” You stated getting angry. “What does that even have to do with anything?!” You said, fuming.

And they just sat there. Staring down at the table. “I don’t give a damn about your job all I want to know is what’s wrong so I can help you!” You yelled out. “You should give a damn about our jobs.. all you do is leech off u—“ Bakugou started but stopped as soon as he heard what he was saying. The other two men looked at him wide eyed. They all turned to look at you. You stood there in shock. You then laughed, but there was no humor behind it.

“Wow.. this all started because I was trying to be a good girlfriend. And then the people I call so called boyfriends wanna tell me that I’m LEECHING OFF THEM?! THAT THE REASON THEY CAN NO LONGER TALK WITH ME IS BECAUSE IM NOT A FUCKING BIG SHOT LIKE THEM?! UNLESS YOU FORGOT I GO TO WORK TOO! I DON’T LEECH OFF NOBODY FOR SHIT!” You said, seeing red. How dare they. They know the shit you go through at your workplace. Having to deal with racism and things of that nature. You stood up from the table with the food that was barely touched. “Eat your food I’m going to bed.. do whatever the fuck y’all want ion care,, I won’t ask no questions no more. Thanks for telling me the reason though” You said as you walked off to one of the guest bedrooms to sleep.

They boys sat there in silence. They knew they were wrong for what they did and no doubt they felt horrible. “Fuck” Bakugou started, leaning down to hit his head on the table. “That was the worst conversation ever..” Midoriya said, pushing his plate away. “I feel really bad.. all she wanted to do was help” Todoroki chimes in. The guilt settles with them. “She.. she didn’t deserve that..” Bakugou said feeling extremely guilty. “Why did I say those stuff.. I’m a fucking idiot!” He continued. “Don’t say that Kacchan! Granted we didn’t act the best but..” Midoriya trails off. “We should go talk to her..” Todoroki says as he gets up. The other two men get up as well and they all walk towards the room you were in.

They stopped in front of the door when they get there. Midoriya knocked softly. “B-babe..? Can we come in?” He said silently. There was no answer. He looked back at the two males behind him then spoke a little louder. “N/N can we come in please we’re sorry.” Still there was no answer. Todoroki moved in front of him to test if the door was unlocked and it was.

He looked over at Midoriya and Bakugou, then looked forward and pushed the door open. The room was dark, with only a soft glow coming from your phone. Your back faced away from the door so you couldn’t see the boys when they came inside the room. “B-babe..?” Midoriya croaked out. You didn’t answer. “Babe we’re sorry please face us..” He continued. You stayed silent, not moving a muscle. The boys looked at each other and sighed in defeat. They moved to leave since they knew that when your mind was made up about something, there’s no persuading you.

“Hey..” you called out to them before they left the room. “Yes?!” Midoriya called out first. The three men turned around quickly, facing you. “Say that to me again.. and I won’t stay here..” you said as you turned to face them. Your eyes were red and your face was tear stained. You cry when frustrated.

The three men stiffened. The my knees what they did was wrong, but they had no clue it affected you so much. “Do I make myself clear..?” You asked seriously. “Y-yes babe.. we’re sorry.. just please don’t leave.. please” Todoroki said as he leaned down next to your bed and hugged you. You put your hand on his head and reassured him. “I’m not, I’m not. I trust you guys. You have me your word. I love you. All of you.” You tell them. Bakugou and Midoriya stood there, probably too overwhelmed with the situation. “Come on you two. Get over here.” You smile at them. The all laid in your bed together and fell asleep, the dinner forgotten on the table.

You woke up the next day to a cold bed. ‘Oh they probably went to work already..’ you thought. It was Friday. “Well.. time to get up” you yawned. You got up out of your bed and stretched. You took a shower, put your clothes on and made breakfast. You realized the dishes from the dinner you cooked yesterday were washed and cleaned already. You smiled at this and continued to finish getting ready for work. You finished your preparation and went to your car. You started the car and drove off to work.

When you pulled up, you got a text from your friend since middle school.

✗ Messages

[???]

— hey y/n! how you been?

[you]

— hey … ! ive been good,, hbu?

[???]

— ive been doing alright,, but i need to ask you a favor

[you]

— a favor?? what kind of favor??

[???]

— remember what we used to do in high school >:)

[you]

— lemme think abt it ok

[???]

— alr but lmk soon ok

[you]

— np xai yk i will

Read at 8:43 a.m

You spent the whole morning considering what your long time best friend asked of you. You really wanted to, but you weren’t sure. ‘It has been a while.. and I’d like to catch up. I wonder if they still act the same,, knowing those bitches they haven’t changed” you rolled your eyes and laughed.

A few hours pass and you get off work and get home. You slip your shoes and jacket off and walk to your shared bedroom with the boys. ‘Ugh..my head is killing me..’ you thought as you sighed and plopped down on the bed. You took your phone out of your back pocket and looked at the messages again. You really weren’t sure whether or not it was a good idea. You decided to take some more time to just think it over.

You sighed as set your phone down on the bed. You payed there for a bit just to relax. After a couple minutes you decided to go take a shower. “Ugh.. time to take a shower. Damn work took it outta me today. Wonder when them niggas getting home today..” you stretched and said. You laughed to yourself as you thought of how many times you’ve called the men you live with different names. It’s funny because they don’t mind it at all, so you get to basically call them anything you want. You shook the thought from your head and headed to the bathroom to take your shower.

After you finished, you walked out with a towel on and headed back to the room. ‘Ok I needed that..’ you thought to yourself. You made sure to dry your skin properly and continue to do your night routine. ‘Finally finished for the night.. god I’m tired but I still have to cook’ you thought.

You made your way to the kitchen to prepare dinner. You chose to make some fried chicken with rice and a homemade sauce you created a while back. You got the pots on the stove and started cooking. Like clockwork, the 3 men you shared your home with came through the door at roughly the same time as the day before. Right now, it was 8:39pm. You heard the front door and the muffled voices from the kitchen. You smiled to yourself knowing that they made it home safely. Being a pro hero does not mean you living to see tomorrow is guaranteed, so you were grateful. You heard their heavy footsteps and muffled voices coming closer towards you. You turned away from the stove to greet them.

“Hey how was work?” You questioned as you were putting a knife down. “Stressful” Bakugou said running his had over his face. He walked over to you and wrapped his arms around your waist, trying to look at what you were cooking. “Hey babe” Todoroki said sitting at the table. “Hi Sho. I’m guessing your day was just as bad as Katsuki’s huh?” You snickered. Todoroki shook his head with a soft smile on his face because of your antics. “How ‘bout you Izu how did the job go for you?” You said teasingly. He groaned and leaned up next to you on fridge. “It was stressful today that’s for sure..” he exasperated.

You couldn’t help but laugh at them. They look so out of place and annoyed. “Awe come on babe cut us some slack. Some of these people really know how to get on my nerves ok!” Bakugou groaned. The two other men nodded in agreement. You let out a final laugh before calming down. “Okok I will. I’m sorry” you said, still trying to calm down. The three men looked at you then smiled. This went unnoticed by you since you had shifted your attention back to the stove. Your mind was still lingering on the day before with the events that took place. You shook you’re heading to try and shake off the feeling since you opted to try and not think about it and got back to cooking.

“Oh by the way N/N, we have some plans we have to look over for the weekend ok? So we need to focus because apparently this new mission is a big job” Todoroki said. You nodded. You knew by the tone of his voice that he was serious, plus, you had no energy to say anything otherwise. “Dinner’s ready!” You said as you placed their food on the table. You could see that they’ve already started talking about what they had to do.

Suddenly a light bulb went off in you head. “Aye.. y’all.. I actually have something a friend wanted me to help them on this weekend. They didn’t say what it was but apparently it’s some sort of project” you tell them. You decided you were gonna help your friend since the boys are gonna be extremely busy. And that meant you were most likely gonna get ignored unintentionally, which is something you weren’t looking forward to anyways. And since they already started planning out what they were going to do about the mission, they just waved you off. You rolled your eyes and went to your shared room and grabbed your phone.

✗ Messages

— i’ll be there,, and expect me early cuz i may be leaving tonight or early tomorrow

Delivered

You put your phone down and started to pack a bag full of stuff you may need. ‘Should I leave a note when I’m going?’ You thought. ‘Naw whatever I’ll text them that I’m gone’ you decided. You continued to pack your overnight bag, making sure to put all the essentials in it. You look at the clock to see it was already past 10.

“Damn that took longer than I thought..” you said as you leaned up to stretch your back. ‘Where are those overworkers anyways? I thought they’d come in here and see me packing or sumn but I guess not’ you thought as your mind traveled to your boyfriends. You walked out of the room and into the kitchen to see they were already done eating. You rolled your eyes. “Of course those niggas are already working. Guess I’ll leave tonight. Got nothing to do anyways” you said to yourself.

You went back to your room and changed your clothes. After you were done, you made sure to grab your purse and put everything that may be needed in it. You wrote a note and stuck it the one place you knew they would all see it. The fridge. After you were done, you took all your stuff and grabbed your car keys. You walked out of the big doors and opened your car to drop all of your stuff on the passenger side of the car. You walked back around to the driver side and jumped in. You started the car and drove off, already knowing the address to the place you needed to go.

You arrived at the big house that was blaring with music. ‘A music video.. I knew it’ you thought. You and your friend, which was a well known musician. A famous one at that. And he wanted you to be in it since well, you’re a dancer and sometimes you sing too. ‘This was the project huh..?’ You thought as you shook you’re head and laughed silently.

“N/N YOU HOE YOU MADE IT!” Your friend, Xai yelled as he hugged you. You hugged him back. “Shut the fuck up bitch, yes i'm here. Now tell me what I have to do nigga” you said teasingly.

He rolls his eyes at you. “You know exactly what to do don’t act” he says walking away. You laugh. “Yeah yeah I hear ya. Now where’s my outfit. This is gonna be so fun” you said with excitement.

A few days later•••

And that is how you ended up with your situation. Apparently you went viral in that music video. You were one of the dancers and one of the background singers. You were dancing with your friend, who’s stage name was Xailli, in a scene and people found you captivating. So now your face was on some of the biggest billboards in the city. And apparently they, meaning your 3 boys, saw you and is now blowing up you’re phone.

“XAI! WHAT THE HELL! I DIDN’T KNOW THAT YOU WERE ACTUALLY PLANNING ON RELEASING IT SO QUICKLY!” You yelled at him on the phone. “I DIDN’T KNOW THEY WERE RELEASING IT EITHER!” He said frustrated. “Oh my god.. and now their blowing up my phone” you said. Right now you were hurrying to drive home.

“Omg I’m gonna get a fucking earful when I get home. And I honestly thought it was supposed to be a rough draft” you sighed. You never told the boys about your secret talents and now you were pretty sure whatever conversation that’s waiting on you wasn’t gonna be a pretty one. “Wait are they planning on releasing the rest?!” You asked expectantly. Xai scratches his head. “You know I’m not even sure no more I’d have to ask but since they can pull shit like this I wouldn’t put it past them..” he answers very frustrated. “Fuck..” you sighed.

“When I see your producers again they getting they ass beat. And why did they make us sign that NDA?” You asked. “Honestly I have no idea. I feel like they tryin to hide sumn but I don’t fucking know” he answered, visibly stressed. “Ah whatever.. I just pulled up outside the house so I’ll talk to you later ok” you said to him. “Alright laterrrrrr” he answered in a singsong voice. “Byeeeeee” you answered as you hung up.

‘Ah fuck..' you thought as you got out of the car and made your way to the front door. You walk up the stairs and go to open the front door when it swung open. You froze. ‘shit! shit! shit!’ You thought. You head was tilted down so all you saw were their feet. You were pretty sure they were starting down on you so you didn’t move an inch.

“Well?” Midoriya said. You didn’t even shift. For some reason you were so nervous that you didn’t even realize you were holding your breath. “Get your ass inside. We need to talk about something that I’m pretty sure you know about” Bakugou said, turning around. The other two men turned around and walked inside the house.

‘Why the actual fuck is this happening right now’ you thought as you walked in the house, head still facing the ground. You put all your stuff by the door and took you shoes off, then just stood there awkwardly. The three men stood in front of you, towering over your body.

“So.. you gonna start explaining? Because we sure as hell would love to know what we saw on the billboards all over the fucking city" Bakugou said. “And look up at us when we’re talkin’ to you” Midoriya says.

‘This is gonna be a fuckin' pain..’ you thought. You stood up straight and look at them dead in the eye. “What do you wanna know?” You asked. They all looked down at you knowingly. “We for one, why the fuck were you on a billboard today?” Bakugou asked. You sighed. “Ok I left you a note saying that I was gonna go to my friend’s house to help them with a project, given I had a feeling it was gonna be a music video but I wasn’t 100% sure” you said honestly. The three men looked at each other, then back at you. “Ok.. so then why didn’t you text us to tell us that’s what you were going to be doing when you found out?” Todoroki questioned. “I couldn’t. For some reason I had to sign an NDA, which I don’t normally have to do” you replied.

“They made you sign an NDA?!” Todoroki asks, concerned. “And you said they usually don’t make you do that..? Does that mean you’ve helped or does these types of things before?” Midoriya asks. “First yes Sho, I’ve been in helping in the music industry and in all my years of doing that I’ve never had to sign an NDA. And secondly, Yes Izu, as I said before I have been helping in this industry for a while.” You answered honestly. The three men stood there bewildered.

“So you’ve been helping with these kinds of things and never told us?” Bakugou asked. “Well yeah I guess.. it really wasn’t a everyday sort of thing. Whenever they called me to help I’d either tell them yes or no.” You answered. “Ok.. so what about the NDA?” Todoroki asks. “Well.. we did multiple videos, meaning music videos, and the producers released the video you saw today without Xai’s permission so I’m not sure what their gonna do now” you answered.

“WAIT THERE’S MORE?!” Bakugou yelled. “Uh.. yeah??” You answered in clear confused. “And they made you sign an NDA?!” Midoriya questioned. “Uhh yeah I’m sorry I don’t get it” you answered back visibly still confused. You looked at the three men who looked at you then looked at each other.

“Yeah we’re going down there NOW!!” Bakugou said, grabbing his jacket. “Wait wait WHAT HOLD ON I DON’T GET IT!” You yelled in confusion. Just then, your phone started ringing. You looked at the caller ID to see it was Xai. You answered it quickly. “Hey what’s up? You good why you calling again?” You asked. “No time to explain but you need to get over here quick. It has to do with the NDA. Turns out the producers and some people on my teams’ been pulling some shit behind the scenes,” he replied. You’re eyes widened at this and then mumbled a quick “thank you” then you hung up.

“They tried to fuck us over.. let’s go” you said as you rushed to the car. The three men looked at each other then proceeded to follow you. “I’m driving” Todoroki said as he took the keys from you. You all jumped in the car and he drove off. After you gave the directions and he got there, there was a spectacle outside. There were news reporters and paparazzi crowded outside. It was the house you shot the music video at, not Xai’s actual house. “For fuck's same how’d they find out already?!” Bakugou yelled. You sighed.

“I’ll handle this” you said as you got out the car. You walked up to the door but before you could get there, there were flashing mics and cameras being stuck up in your face. “Can you please get that away from me?” You asked as you tried to push forward but to no avail. “Excuse me but I think our love said to move back thank you,” Midoriya said, coming out of absolutely nowhere.

And the reporters just stood there in shock. Then the questions started bombarded all of you. You all managed to push through the flood of reporters, granted with Bakugou yelling curses for them to get out of your face. You all managed to get up to the front door. “XAI LET US IN! THESE REPORTERS OUT HERE ALL UP IN OUR FACE!” You yelled over the noise the door swung open and Todoroki pulled you up and walked inside the house with Midoriya and Bakugou quickly following. “Sho why’d you pick me up?” You asked. “I wanted to” he said nonchalantly. You rolled your eyes as he set you down.

“So where’s this Xai person and where can we find his management and team?” Midoriya said seriously. “No shit, they’re not getting away with this” Bakugou said. “I’m Xai and I’m talking to them right now, you can come along if you want to you know,” Xai answered. “You stay here” Midoriya said. “I ain’t staying nowhere,, let’s go,” you said, following Xai. The boys shook their heads at you and followed your lead.

✗ Eventually they got all the information they need and filed a lawsuit. Apparently what was happening was that Xai’s management was trying to squander the resources they have for this project they were currently doing for another. Basically copyright. And therefore they’ve made all who were there sign an NDA so that if this came out to them and those workers realized what they were doing then they wouldn’t be able to say anything.

✗ They got sued of course and Xai had to find new management. And you won the case and everyone was paid the money they deserved. You, on the other hand became a well know singer and dancer after that, with the help of the boys’ support of course. You were happy and so were the boys and you could honestly say that things couldn’t have turned out any better.

©Property of Miashimaa. Please don’t rectify, repost or modify without my permission. Plagiarism will NOT be tolerated.

Taglist: @develith @uniquabackyardigans @unfazedrose @kiribis-confesion-page @darylthekidd @gm4176 @blackweebtrash @erensbbg @shamwizzy @kloudyisdepressed @namjoonswifeyy @cosmiclvsh @bakuhoes-bxtch @morosis-haze @aracynthos @dukina (Open ! click here to be added!)

[ramblesanddragons]

Every year around this time the town hides. No one dares to go out at sunset for fear of hearing the call. They say it sounds like sweet music. They say you smell savory foods cooking over the fire. They claim you can feel sin in the air.  

This gathering is to be avoided at all costs. Those who fall for the call wander into the woods and never come back. Official records always say they pass in their sleep. Small quick private funerals are held for the gone because they must be dead. Why would they leave the haven of our community? A town with righteous people who live righteous lives. No one would leave of their own accord. It would have to be magic calling them into the woods, but that can’t be so, we’re too pure for magic to affect us. Our pastor can repel such evil spirits. Yes, there are witches and demons out there, but no good citizen of our community would be pulled in by such wickedness.  

That’s what we all say when asked on the matter. Of course, mothers still warn their children of this night, especially young girls. They are weaker spiritually so they could be swayed. Yes, this was a night to stay home and work and pray.  

Not for me.  

I stood at the edge of the woods. I could hear the sweet music and could almost taste the meats and pies and other goods cooking. It pulled me forward and I let it. My choices were to try my odds in the woods or be married in a week to a brute of a man. I tried my hardest to be happy with my match, but I couldn’t. I was scared of the woods, of the witches that lived there but I dreaded my wedding more. Maybe the witches would help me. Maybe they’d kill me. Whatever the outcome, the woods felt like my only choice now.  

I followed the sound of music. The shadows of the trees grew longer with each step until I could no longer see the lights of the town. I was scared but too terrified to turn back now. How my father would react if I were seen coming out of the woods that night, I don’t want to think about. I came to a large iron fence that stretched as far as I could see in the dim light. As I tried to figure how to climb it, I heard rustling in the trees, so I hid in a nearby bush.  

It was a local man, Toby. He was walking the fence with an iron rod in his hand. Earmuffs covered his ears. I knew some men in town had a special summons on this night by the pastor, was this what they were asked to do? Try and stop people from following the call?

I waited for him to pass, my heart pounding in my chest so hard I though he was bound to hear it. He always had an interest in me and when I was first matched with the man who was to be my husband, I was relived it wasn’t him. That relief didn’t last long.  

Once I was sure he was out of sight I climbed a nearby tree and used the branches to reach a tree on the other side. I could hear the branches cracking under my weight, but I made it to the other side. Then I broke into a run towards the music.

Firelight flickered through the trees as I grew closer to the noise. I stopped on the edge of the wood. Just beyond was a large clearing, a bonfire roaring in the middle. I’m certain my jaw hit the ground as I took in the sight.  

Women were dancing! They danced freely with each other or by themselves or with men! I could see their shoulders and legs and even a few of their stomachs in the clothes they were wearing. Some of the men were shirtless!  

I was so distracted by the dancing I didn’t notice the small dog come towards me. It began to bark at me playfully, wagging its tail. It wouldn’t listen to my commands for it to shoo and a woman followed the barking to my hidden spot in the woods.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” The woman called into the night.  

I froze. What would happen to me? A thousand images of what they could do to me ran through my mind, but I knew I had no other choice. No turning back, only forward. I stepped out from behind the trees.  

“Oh! You must be from the other town. Goodness you must be so tired and cold it’s a chilly night. Come. Let’s get you something warm to drink. Don’t worry, Sugar doesn’t bite.”  

The dog I assumed was Sugar barked happy again and ran around my feet as I stepped out. The woman took my hand and led me closer to the fire. It was a welcomed warmth on my cold skin. She sat me on a log as other members of this dance waved to me.  

She left and returned with a drink in hand. Steam floated gently out of it. I took the cup with shaking hands and stared at it.  

“It’s not poison. I promise,” she said with a smile.

“A-Are you a witch?” The moment the words left my mouth I regretted it. Luckily the woman laughed.  

“No, I’m not. Some of the people here are. Some of them are of other faiths. Some have none at all. Nobody will hurt you here though.”  

“I’m sorry,” I whispered lowering my gaze in my shame. The woman gently tilted my head back up to meet her eyes. Her wrinkled smile was gentle.  

“It’s okay. Believe me when I say you’re okay now. You’re too young to remember me but I was just like you once. Running from that place. Things aren’t perfect here but I’m freer than I ever was there. You will be too.”

My eyes widened and she laughed again. “Come enjoy the harvest festival. We’ll worry about getting you settled later.”  

A harvest festival. That’s all it was. No magic or demons. Just people celebrating. I sighed and took a sip of my drink. It was warm and sweet.  

The streets are empty and there are whispers about a gathering in the woods. Have courage and follow the sounds of the sweet music. This gathering may just save your life.

[chadillacboseman]

The Job Offer

Summary: Alex made some enemies. Oops. Warnings: Language, mentions of injury and violence. A/N: Art of my MK OC, Alex, by @u-so-silly

--

"Put 'im down. Right there."

Alex felt his knees hit something hard-

Concrete? Maybe.

The men holding his arms released them and he toppled forward, his bound hands unable to stop him before his chest and chin connected, unceremoniously, with the floor.

"Take the fuckin' bag off, for christ sake," a loud man with a drawling accent shouted the orders-

Australian-

Maybe New Zealand?

Someone hauled Alex back to his knees and ripped the bag from his head; the brightness of the room made his head throb as he took stock of his new location.

He was in what looked like a warehouse, surrounded by shipping crates and under glaring fluorescent lights. In front of him, a broad, shirtless man stood, arms folded, glaring down at him. Alex blinked and the man's face swam into focus-

He was missing an eye-

No-

Where his left eye had once been, there was a halo of metal and a glowing red cybernetic eye in its place.

"Hello, Alex," the man crouched down so he was at Alex's level and sneered, "My name is Kano, and you're in the Black Dragon compound."

Kano...Black Dragon-

Alex felt his heart take residence in his throat.

"Ah, so you know who I am, eh?" Kano chuckled, "You cost me over 2 million dollars in that little stunt at the arms exchange."

Alex didn't speak. Behind his back, he pulled, hard, at the ropes that bound his wrists.

They didn't budge.

"You also killed two of my field agents," Kano continued as he rose to his feet, "and put four more in the hospital."

The Aussie pulled a knife from the sheath on his waistband and fidgeted with it absentmindedly as he paced in front of Alex.

"Feelin' a little naked without your explosives, mate?" Kano gestured with the knife toward a table on the far side of the room, "I had my men take 'em off'a ya when they picked ya up."

"If you're going to kill me, get it over with," Alex straightened himself and stared into Kano's glowing eye.

"Kill you?" The Aussie laughed, an ugly and grating sound that echoed around the room, "I ain't gonna kill ya."

Alex felt nauseous. If the Black Dragon's reputation preceded them, he was about to be tortured until being killed was a welcome mercy.

Behind Kano, a man in a gas mask stared, pointedly, at him. The skin above his mask was gnarled, twisted, like he had been burned. His exposed arms bore the same scarring. In his hands, he clutched two metal swords that ended in vicious hooks; Alex swore he could see the glint of blood on the blades.

"Kabal, get the kid out of those ropes."

Alex watched as the man with the swords stepped forward and moved behind him, brandishing his blades to cut the ropes.

When he cuts you loose, just make a break for it.

Alex glanced around for the exit and tensed his muscles as he felt the ropes loosen.

"I know what you're thinkin, mate," Kano's eye radiated a threatening warmth, "But you won't make it ten feet."

The ropes dropped to the floor and the man called Kabal returned to his place behind the Aussie, his eyes never leaving Alex.

"Look- the people I work...worked for wanna kill me too-" Alex was blabbering, desperately trying to buy time before Kano buried a knife in him.

"I know they do," Kano interrupted, "A botched deal like that is no good for business."

"See, that shipment was supposed to be an easy intercept for my men. In and out, no trouble. But then some fuckin' drongo blew the whole place sky high."

Alex swallowed, hard, and stared at the floor at Kano's feet. He hadn't meant to destroy the place- he had only wanted to make a distraction.

How was he supposed to know a gas main ran under the place?

"Now, your employer- I'm sorry, former employer, might have found that to be a killable offense-" Kano sheathed his knife and knelt in front of Alex once more, "But I wanna offer you a job."

Kabal made a noise that filtered through his mask- an incredulous scoff that made the Aussie turn and cock his head.

"Got a problem, burn unit?"

"No." Kabal returned his blades to the scabbards on his back and folded his arms.

Alex glanced from Kano to Kabal, his mind racing.

This had to be a trick.

It had to be.

"How about it, kid?" Kano's glowing eye never wavered as he stared at Alex, "All the fuckin' semtex and C4 you could ever want- you just have to answer to me."

"And what about-"

"Your old boss?" the Aussie interrupted and waved his hand dismissively, "We'll make sure you disappear from their radar entirely."

Alex chewed the inside of his cheek, considering Kano's offer.

It wasn't much of a choice, really. The illusion of free will.

If he said no, the Black Dragon would simply kill him. And if he managed to escape, the Fedorovs would kill him.

"We're all eagerly waiting," Kano sneered.

"I'll do it."

The Aussie clapped Alex on the back and hauled him to his feet; once upright, Alex loomed over both he and Kabal.

"Jesus, what were those Russkies feedin' ya?" Kano lead him to the table where his belongings were scattered haphazardly- fuses, wires, a block of C4.

Alex stared warily at Kabal as he retrieved the items from the table; the mercenary's eyes followed his every movement, brimming with mistrust.

Kano extended a broad hand and Alex took it hesistantly-

"Alex, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful fuckin' partnership."

[booksarelife-stuff]

Godric’s Hollow’s 286th Annual Lawn Competition

My entry for the August Jily Challenge! @jilychallenge

Prompt:  my mother hired you to mow the lawn but can you put your shirt back on its distracting me, and omg stOP grinning at me like that I’m swooning (I did not follow this at all)

Between adjusting to her new town and the hot rude neighbor, Lily is determined to prove herself in Godric’s Hollow by winning their annual lawn competition. Featuring both shirtless Lily and James. 

My partner was the amazing @joyseuphoria, whose creativity and ideas really helped me write this fic! She came up with so many fun ideas and was a great partner!

Word Count: 5,075

Read on Ao3      Masterlist

When Lily opened the door to her small cottage to the outside, she took in the fresh air. 

Godric’s Hollow was so different from her and Marlene’s old apartment back in London. She could open her door and find a bright blue sky and fresh air instead of the stale smell that the hallway had reeked of. It was a nice and welcomed change.

She pulled the door behind her, taking a second to lock the door. Just as she turned to walk down her small concrete path to the sidewalk, she heard a sudden exclamation. 

She whipped her head around just as the words “Dibs!” left the tall man standing on his own walkway right by some overgrown bushes.  

He was looking right at her. There was no mistaking what or who was talking about. His eyes widened dramatically as Lily met his eyes. The man’s friend in front of him doubled over with laughter. 

“Did you just call ‘dibs’ on me?” she asked, anger coloring her voice. 

“No…” The man said, his tone culpable. His friend shook his head, still holding back laughs. “Well okay, yes, but not in the way you’re thinking!”

Lily didn’t want to hear whatever half-assed explanation the man was going to stammer out to her. She just rolled her eyes and continued on her way to the sidewalk, not paying attention to whatever the man was saying to her. 

As Lily stomped her way to her first day at her new job, she hoped she would lose the bad attitude and that man was not her neighbor. 

But of course, Lily’s hope meant nothing. 

That very night, there was a knock on her door shortly after she just got back from work. Lily groaned slightly, pulling herself off her couch and navigated through the maze of boxes she still hadn’t unpacked. 

She stubbed her toe on her entryway table and was holding back curses as she opened the door to see four men standing on her stoop. One of which was the man from the morning. 

“Hello,” the shortest man said, smiling. He was pale blonde and seemed to have not lost the baby fat on his face even though he had to be at least Lily’s age. “We’re your neighbors and we wanted to introduce ourselves after the little mishap this morning.”

Lily’s eyebrows shot up. 

“And we want to know what to call you besides Dibs,” the man with shoulder-length wavy black hair said. He had a smirk on his lips that Lily knew just meant trouble. The dibs man, who was trying to hide in the back besides being one the tallest, smacked him lightly on the head. 

“What Sirius meant to say is that we want to welcome you to the neighborhood. I’m Remus,” the tallest of the group with a light white scar across his face. “This is Sirius. Peter’s over to the right. And the one who called dibs is James.”

James groaned. “You guys said you weren’t going to do this to me!”

“And you trusted us?” the blonde, Peter said, innocently. 

“The last time that I do,” James said, glaring at Peter. Sirius rolled his eyes and Remus’s smile didn’t waver. 

“Are you guys just going to bicker on my doorstep?” Lily asked, leaning in the door jam, her arms crossed. Three pairs of eyes flickered back to her, James looking at the ground. 

“No, sorry. We really are here to make introductions,” Peter said, smiling. 

Lily assessed the men for a second. Her eyes stopped for a moment on James. She took in the large square frames and his curly hair. She moved on when she realized that she had spent a moment too long on him. 

She took a deep breath and made her millionth introduction for the day. 

“I’m Lily,” she said. 

“Well, it was nice to meet you. If you ever need anything, just call ‘Dibs’ really loudly and James will come running,” Sirius said, his smile seemingly sincere. 

“Man, fuck you guys. I’m getting new flatmates!” James said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. 

The ribbing on their mate brought a smile to her face, but the man was far from forgiven.

~~~

Lily wondered if her own small town had oddities like Godric’s Hollow. From the people to some of the town events, there seemed to be something that broke her brain a little bit. 

Like Bathilda, the sweet old woman who came into the library where Lily worked every day. 

Bathilda would come in, walking faster than Lily did, but with a walker, to where the new movies were placed. Ever since Bathilda found out Lily wasn’t from Godric’s Hollow, Bathilda would tell Lily all the town history she knew. From claiming there was magic or a coven of witches here to what the last mayor did to get impeached, Bathilda told Lily all of it. 

Like a true customer service worker, Lily just smiled and nodded. She enjoyed Bathilda’s stories but she didn’t really believe them. 

“Ah, it’s summer!” Bathilda said, giving Lily a bright smile, a stack of movies balancing on her walker as she approached the circulation desk. “The lawn competition should be starting soon.”

“Lawn competition?” Lily asked, reaching forward and grabbing the movies when they were in reach. 

“Aye,” Bathilda said, her white hair that was in a bun moving as she nodded her head. “It started right after they burned all the witches here. To bring back nature to the area.”

Lily just nodded, not knowing what else to say to Bathilda. 

“You best be planning for it. Some folks here take it really seriously,” Bathilda warned. 

Based on everything Lily knew about the population here, a lawn competition is exactly something the people would take seriously. 

Lily didn’t think much of the lawn competition until she got home and saw a colorful flyer on her doorstep with her newspaper. 

Godric’s Hollow’s 286th Annual Lawn Competition- Bringing native plants and beauty back to the Hollow.

Lily frowned as she inspected the poster. She needed to pay closer attention to Bathilda’s stories. 

She heard the jingle of keys coming from the boy’s house and she looked to see if it was Remus. 

Unfortunately, it was James leaving. He had his running clothes on, shorts, and a fitted t-shirt. He had a sweatband holding back his bangs. 

She had come to like her neighbors in the month of her being in Godric’s Hollow. She was particularly fond of Remus, but being fond of him meant that a fondness had grown for the others as well, even with their stupid nicknames for each other. 

Lily was even fond of James too. Just a little bit. The dibs incident wasn’t forgotten and though he apologized, he never fully explained what it was really about. 

He was better with his friends, in Lily’s eyes. With his friends, he was goofy and outgoing. He could make the whole group laugh to tears. But whenever he and Lily interacted alone, it was painfully awkward and he almost always managed to insult Lily in some way. 

She sighed and called out anyway just as James was putting his headphones on. 

“Hey, James!” she yelled. James jumped and turned, pulling a bud out. 

“Hello, Lily,” he said, politely. “Need something?”

She waved the flyer and James' eyes followed it, trying to see what it was. Even with his glasses, he was still blind as a bat. 

“What’s this all about?”

“The lawn competition?” he asked, walking across his small yard to the waist-high fence that separated their land. 

“So it’s a real thing?” she asked, frowning. James nodded as he leaned against the fence. 

“The old tale here is that it started after the last witches were burned,” James said. Lily blinked at him in disbelief, but James looked as neutral as ever, so she decided to just move on. 

“What do you do for it? Water your grass or something?” Lily asked. James let out a breath of air like a silent laugh. 

“No. It’s all about bringing plants native to the area back. And in the last decade or so, it’s kinda turned into a competition of who can do the most ridiculous things.”

“You’re fucking with me,” Lily said, rolling her eyes. “Ridiculous things like what?”

James looked amused, his hazel eyes sparkling. “I think the winner last year made some constellations out of corncockles.”

This town was crazy. Grade A, certified crazy. 

“It’s optional though. You don’t have to participate,” James continued. “People here spend years planting to just win one year. You’ll have some stiff competition.”

Lily felt the flare of anger at his words. “So you don’t think I can win?” she asked, crossing her arms and crushing the flyer. Lily knew she was being a bit competitive, but everything to do with James set her on edge. 

James seemed to have picked up on Lily’s temper flaring. He stopped leaning the fence and straightened up. 

“I didn’t say that. I just said some people spend years planning to win,” James reiterated.

Lily narrowed her eyes. 

“Well, I’m going to win,” Lily said. James huffed. 

“Good luck with that,” James said, turning away and popping a headphone into his ear. 

Lily let out a noise. “I’d like to see you win with those overgrown hedges!” 

James turned around and smiled brightly. “Those are for the competition!”

Lily stared at his back as he started off in a jog down the street. Once he was out of view, she took a survey of her yard. 

There wasn’t much. Just grass and a small tree. She looked back to the boy’s yard and it did look like it had a lot more potential than Lily’s. Greener grass, some shrubbery, and window boxes that have yet to be filled. 

Lily headed up to her front door, determined to spend the night researching plants and grass. And why witches getting accused and burned would start a lawn competition. 

~~~

There was a plant nursery in Godric’s Hollow. There was no website, no place for her to browse the catalog before making any purchases. Just a Facebook page that got updated once a month with grainy pictures. 

It was better than Lily expected when she finally dragged herself there after work. There were a few people browsing, one man had a large cart filled with pallets of various plants. Like a lot. Lily wondered if he was the corncockle constellations guy. 

Google only took Lily so far with her research, so she looked in the gardening section at the library and had found out that someone had written a book about native plants, specific to the region; The Southern England Guide to Native Plants and Shrubs by Euphemia Potter. She had that open in her hand as she walked around the nursery. 

She did a quick walk around, trying to identify what plants were in the book. Most of them she could find, but based on the care instructions, her yard wouldn’t be good for them. 

She paused in front of a plant labeled “Pitcher Plant”. It looked weird, but she supposed it would do. She was flipping through the book, trying to find out what the care instructions were when she felt someone beside her. 

“Don’t use that plant,” James said, making Lily jump. She glared at him as she rightened herself. 

“And why is that?” she asked. 

“It’ll discount you from the competition,” he said, touching one of the stems. “It’s an invasive species.”

Lily tore her eyes away from James, back to the plant. 

“This plant also eats insects,” he pointed out. “Bad for the bees.”

“Oh,” Lily breathed. “Yeah, I don’t want that.”

She closed the book and sighed, and looked back at James to see him staring at the book in her hands. 

“Nice book,” he said with a small smile. She looked back down to it and made the connection. 

“You wouldn’t happen to know Euphemia, would you?” she asked, her eyes trailing the Potter after Euphemia on the book cover. 

“I knew her very well,” James said, his eyes turning soft for a quick second. “I think there’s a section in there, around page 203. Most of those plants work with our yard type.”

Despite the sincerity in his voice, her eyes narrowed. She took in his lanky form and his hair that was getting frizzier by the second thanks to the humidity. 

“Why are you helping me?” she asked, crossing her arms. James laughed and ran a hand through his hair, making some curls stick straight up. 

“I just don’t want you to start an invasive plant plague here,” he said, smirking. “It would ruin my lawn too.”

“I wasn’t going to use it if it wasn't in the book!” she pointed out. James gave her a look and Lily rolled her eyes. “I’m not some saboteur!” 

“Yeah, I didn’t peg for the type,” he said, frowning. “I was just trying to be nice.”

“Your nice is rather pointed and mean if you haven’t noticed.”

James just let out a laugh. “Only to you, Evans.”

~~~

The sun was hot and beating down on Lily’s shoulders as she was on her knees, squinting at a piece of paper that was just getting dirty as she tried to dig the appropriate depth for the honeysuckle bushes she bought. 

She still had no idea what she was doing with her lawn, but she figured she could just add in some plants to spaces anyway to liven up her yard. 

It was kind of relaxing, she had come to realize. All the research aside; she was able to just dig and place a pretty thing down in her yard. Tomorrow she could look out the window and admire her work. 

And it was something to preoccupy her time. Normally, her weekends had been full of just sitting on the couch, reading, or watching something on the television. Boredom would creep in usually, or the overwhelming feeling of missing her friends. 

But so far, gardening had kept her preoccupied. She didn’t feel that same loneliness creep in as she neared the two-hour mark of her being out there. 

She also talked to Remus a bit, telling him about the newest book she read. She shared a wave with Sirius as he hopped onto his obnoxiously loud motorbike. 

It wasn’t until her fourth honeysuckle was in the ground, that she looked up at the sound of humming and instantly regretted that decision. 

There was James, headphones in his ears and humming away. He had an assortment of his gardening tools with him and tons of flowers all spread out in plastic containers along their walkway.  

But what made Lily regret her life was the fact that he was shirtless. 

It wasn’t a secret that James was the most attractive out of the bunch at his house, though Sirius did give him a run for his money. With his curly hair, infectious smile, and his ability to make everyone laugh. You could look over his lanky limbs and knobby knees. Marlene, after she had come to visit one weekend, had even made Lily admit that if it wasn’t for the whole “dibs” business, she would have probably fancied him. 

It was true, but it was rude of Marlene to point out. 

He wasn’t buff or had any defined abs by any stretch, but Lily thought he was still well sculpted. His arms looked nice too, as she watched him unspool the garden hose. 

She tore her eyes away and tried to focus on her honeysuckle.

Lily stole a few more glances but overall was dedicated to her honeysuckle plant. 

Just as she patted the last of her dirt down around the roots, she suddenly felt the blast of cold water rush down her head. 

She let out a yelp and quickly raised to her feet as the blast continued to drown her newly planted honeysuckles. In the field of her vision, she saw James scrambling with the other end, trying to pull it towards him and out of where Lily was in the line of fire. 

It sprayed her one more time before James finally got it to stop. He ran over, an apologetic look in his eyes. 

“Lily, I’m so sorry. I forgot the handle is stuck on the nozzle and I didn’t know you were over there,” he said.

Lily sighed deeply as she pulled her t-shirt that was sticking to her skin away from her body, the fabric heavy. 

“It’s fine,” Lily said in a defeated tone. “Why was your hose over here anyway?” 

“I was making sure there were no tangles before I watered the hedges,” James said. 

Lily barely registered his words and she pulled her shirt off, not wanting to deal with the heaviness on her while she tried to garden. She threw her wet shirt on the ground next to her, leaving her only in her black sports bra. She looked up, running both hands through her shoulder-length hair to stop it from sticking to her face. 

James was rooted to his spot on the other side of the fence. His gaze locked onto her face. It was only then that Lily realized she had just casually thrown her shirt off in front of him.

“It was an accident,” she said. “You didn’t point the hose at me with intention, unlike the dibs. At least you watered my honeysuckles for me.”

James let out a laugh that could be mistaken for a sigh of relief. 

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m still sorry. For this and the dibs incident.”

She laughed. “I think you’re going to have to apologize for that as long as we’re neighbors.”

He smiled, amused, and nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m never living that down. Doesn’t matter that it wasn’t actually what I was doing.”

Lily tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. “What were you actually doing?”

“The truth is only slightly less good,” he admitted, his smile falling a bit. “I—Well, no we—No, I. I noticed you when you were moving in and I did make a comment—” Lily’s eyebrows raised. “—A respectful comment!”

“What’s a respectful comment?” she interrupted. 

“I said ‘I think our new neighbor is beautiful’,” James said, a hand coming to the back of his neck. “That’s respectful, right?”

Lily’s heart decided to skip a beat and she felt a blush start to rise on her cheeks. She played it off with an eye roll. 

“Anyway, we happened to be leaving at the same time and Sirius turned to me and told me to make a move ‘before someone else did’, were his exact words…” James said, making a face. “And then I said ‘What do you want me to do? Point at her and call ‘Dibs’?’”

Lily started laughing. “So all I heard was ‘dibs’.”

“Yeah… I probably shouldn’t have yelled it for emphasis,” he said. 

She shook her head. Her opinion of him changed slightly, but not enough to be okay with the way her heart was racing as she looked at his shirtless form again.

~~~

The summer seemed to breeze past. Lily spent almost every moment of her free time working outside after she had formed her plan for her entry to the lawn competition. 

There were a lot of times where James was outside too and they would talk sometimes. Most ribbing each other like petty housewives about the state of their various lawns. It brought a smile to her face more than she would like to admit. 

They had some nice normal discussion too. Lily had walked to the fence, holding the library’s copy of The Southern England Guide to Native Plants and Shrubs by Euphemia Potter. She wanted to ask James a question about one of the ivy species that was mentioned. 

He had gotten that same soft smile on his face when he saw the book and Lily had to ask again. 

“Did you know the author?” she asked, looking into his hazel eyes. 

He nodded. “My mum. She was a botanist. She came to Godric’s Hollow to observe how the competition was helping with local pollinating numbers. Met my dad, that year’s winner, and ended up staying.”

“That is so sweet!” Lily said, smiling a little before it fell. “Are your parents still around?”

He shook his head. “Dad passed away during my first year of uni. Mum passed away last November.”

“My dad passed away in sixth year,” she said. “It gets better, but it still hurts.”

They continued on, both talking a little more but still refusing to disclose what they were doing for the competition, even though Lily’s was a little more obvious with every passing day. James seemed to just be doing normal landscaping, besides his overgrown hedges. 

Lily began to notice a lot of things about James. Besides his tendency to speak without thinking, his heart is always in the right place. It caught Lily off-guard most times. 

Something shifted in her over the weeks as they worked on the lawns. 

It was two days before the competition when Lily got home to see James outside, hedge clippers by his feet as he examined his four very tall and overgrown bushes. 

“I hope you’re not planning to win with those,” Lily called. 

James smirked over to Lily. “Just wait until I give them a trim.”

“Nicely trimmed hedges aren’t going to beat my lawn.”

James looked at the monstrosity of Lily’s yard. There were lines of primrose flowers snaking through her front lawn and turning to the back. 

Lily had spent back-breaking hours and an embarrassing amount of money to make a maze of her yard. It wasn’t like a true maze, you could see every aisle because the primroses didn’t get very tall, but it was the end that really made it worth it. 

Lily had converted her small back patio to a fairy garden. She used hanging planters, climbing ivy, and lights to really make it special.

James hadn’t seen it yet. She was going to show him once she had won the competition. 

It wasn’t until the morning of the judging that Lily saw that she actually had competition. 

Standing proud at the edge of his lawn were four perfectly cut hedges in the shape of a deer, a dog, a wolf, and a large rat. 

Lily stood in awe by her window as James was taking small scissors and cutting more details and cleaning up lines. 

She opened up her front door and walked to her fence. James turned and met her with a smirk. 

“How did you do that?” she asked. 

“Good morning to you, too,” he said. “I watched a million Youtube videos.”

Lily brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she inspected the hedges behind me. “What’s the inspiration?”

“Have you heard Sirius call me Prongs?” James asked. 

Lily had heard their stupid nicknames in passing. She thought Peter was the worst but all of them were stupid. 

“Your stupid nicknames, yeah.”

“So I’m Prongs, Sirius is Padfoot, Remus is Moony, and Peter is Wormtail,” he said. Then made a sweeping gesture back to the hedges. 

She blinked in confusion as she looked back at the hedges. 

“I’m a little lost,” she admitted. 

James sighed. “So, I’m Prongs because Peter once told me the way my hair stands up looks like antlers. Sirius is Padfoot because he is the king of sneaking around. Remus is Moony because he exclusively wore those weird shirts that have wolves howling at the moon when we were 12.”

Lily let out a loud laugh, picturing a small Remus in those kinds of shirts.

“Peter?” she asked in-between laughs.  

“We were sworn to secrecy for that story,” he said. “He would actually murder me if I said it.”

Lily laughed and James joined in. 

The judging wasn’t until the afternoon, so Lily did some last-minute weeding and watering. She made sure the lights in the secret fairy garden still worked and made sure there were no dead leaves insight. 

James was standing on his lawn, talking to two of the most oddly dressed people Lily had ever seen. 

The woman was dressed in what Lily could only think of as a robe. It was a bright blue, with belled sleeves. The man was in similar clothes, but a blinding yellow with a long white beard. They both had hats that looked like top hats, only decorated with flowers. They also had clipboards in hand. 

Yet another town oddity that Lily would just have to brush off. 

James caught sight of Lily and waved her over. 

“This is another competitor. She just moved here about three months ago,” James told them as she neared. 

“Hello, I’m Lily,” she said upon arrival. 

“I’m Albus Dumbledore,” the man with a smile and twinkle in his eye. 

“I’m Minerva,” the woman said. 

Lily shook both of their hands. 

“We’ve been judging this competition for, what? Forty years, now Minerva?” Albus said as Lily raised her eyebrows, impressed. 

The woman pinched her lips and nodded. “Twice as long as these two have been alive.”

Lily, James, and Albus laughed. “Pleasantries aside, let’s get to judging.”

James and Lily stayed behind as they went and started looking at James’s hedges, inspecting it with great detail. 

“Still using those silly nicknames?” Minerva called, as she began writing down on her clipboard. 

“Of course,” James answered. “I would have put a mouse for you, Minnie, but we ran out of room.”

Lily nudged him as Minnie shot him a glare. “Unwise to insult the judges, James Fleamont.”

James frowned and Lily laughed. “Fleamont?” Lily asked. 

“That was my father’s name,” James replied. “And I got stuck with it as a middle name.” 

“I take it you know Minerva pretty well if she’s using your middle name?” Lily questioned. 

“Yeah, she was one of my mum’s best friends,” James sighed. “And before you think that means I have some kind of advantage, don’t. She’s going to judge mine ten times harder.”

It took about ten minutes before Minerva started snapping pictures and Albus stopped writing on his clipboard. 

“I think we’re ready to move on,” Albus said smiling. 

They came around the gate and Lily looked at them to the entrance of her lawn maze. James hopped the fence to join them and Lily laughed as she heard Minerva call him a showoff under her breath. 

“This is a maze made entirely out of primroses,” Lily said before stepping away from the entrance. “See if you can get to the end.”

“Normally, it’s customary not to be able to see all the different paths,” Minerva pointed out, looking across the tops of all the lines of flowers she had made. 

“Ah, but most can still get lost with directions in front of them,” Albus said, wisely. “Let’s see if we can win, Minerva.” 

They started off, Albus in the lead, who turned left towards the dead end. Minerva tapped him and made him go in the right direction, following her lead. 

Lily stayed by the entrance with James. He turned his back after a few seconds. 

“I want to do it by myself later,” he said. 

It took them about ten minutes before Lily saw them take the path that led them back to the secret fairy garden. She smirked at James when she heard Minerva’s surprised gasp and Albus’s appreciative chuckle. 

It took another ten minutes to take notes and pictures of it before they were saying their goodbyes. 

They were down the lane before James turned to Lily. 

“I’m doing the maze now,” he said, his eyes shining with amusement.  

Lily wandered behind him, laughing as he took the wrong turn that led him to exit that made him start all over. 

But eventually, he got it. And suddenly it was just her and James on her back patio, surrounded by ivy and twinkling lights. She even found a used metal patio furniture set that she placed.  It smelled good too, from the extra honeysuckle she placed back there. 

“Pretty nice, Evans,” James said, looking around. “And really good for your first year.”

Lily’s stomach swooped with praise. “Thank you,” she replied. “Your hedges are pretty nice too.”

It was shady in her garden area, so she invited James to sit until they announced the winner.

James told her the story about how he ruined his family’s competition entry by squishing a whole patch of Lily of the Valley’s because he thought they would be comfortable. Lily told him that her sister’s name was Petunia and that her mother was Violet. 

The hours flew by as they sat there and talked. Around six is when a moment of bravery came to Lily. 

“Want to go get dinner?” she asked him. 

A bright smile appeared on James’s face. “Like, just the two of us?”

“Yeah, just the two of us.”

“I’d love that,” James said, a hand coming up and raking through his hair. 

They stood up and were about to leave when James’s phone pinged. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked down before gasping. 

“It’s Minnie!” he exclaimed. 

“With the results?” Lily asked, taking a step forward and invading James’s space. 

He didn’t seem to mind. “Yep… it looks like… Oh! I'm the runner up!”

“Who won?” she asked, frowning. 

James unlocked his phone and pocketed it. He looked at Lily with a soft smile. “Lily’s Maze and Enchanted Garden.”

“Really?” she asked, stepping closer. James nodded and their eyes locked. 

In the heat of the moment, Lily stood on tip-toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. 

Lily could have sworn that the world had slowed its rotation for a minute as pulled away and their eyes met again. It definitely stopped when James cupped her jaw and pulled her in for a real kiss. 

They both were smiling when James pulled away. She didn’t know how long they stared at each, smiling like loons until she found her voice again. 

“So, uh… Dinner?” she asked. James let out a breathy laugh. 

“Yeah, dinner.”

They just entered the maze again when Lily stopped and turned around. She got close to him again and he smiled, thinking she was going to kiss him again. 

Instead, she put a finger to his chest. 

“Dibs.”

[the-slasher-files]

Coming Home to Sleepy Slashers - pt 3

INCLUDES BO

I absolutely adore this man and writing for him is a blast :) I recommend reading this after a long day, it will hit different trust lol... hope you enjoy🔪💕

MASTERLIST

The caliginous road ahead of you challenged your gaze, hiding the turns, hiding the deer and small creatures from you until the last dying second, teasing you to ruin Bo’s truck and leaving Lester with something to clean up in the morning. The yellow and white stripes were like razors in the dark night, sharp and smooth leading you home. The eyes of the truck and yours were calling for the marker, the one Bo left for you years ago to single the turn off to Ambrose. It was a large piece of concrete with a little bit of crooked rebar sticking out of it dangerously, other drivers wouldn’t dare look at it in fear they would ruin their tires, but to you it was a warm sight, only half a mile left to the turn. To home.

Driving Bo’s truck honestly made you apprehensive about everything, it was his baby and sometimes you thought he loved it more than you. If you wrecked it there was nothing stopping him from losing himself in a fit of rage and strangling you dead. But it held you steady and guided you home like a comforting spirit; almost an extension on Bo; protecting you, watching over the surroundings, holding you and pushing as far as you would let it. The absence of the blaring rock music almost made it feel like it wasn’t his for a second, but the smell of cigarettes, gas, grease and his deep cologne was unmistakably Bo.

Turning on the gravel road the truck roared, almost warning Ambrose that it was back home. Your body was growing tired and desperate for your bed and the addictive kisses of your lover. A long drive and even longer day pounded your head, praying that the hidden town would show itself soon so you didn’t have to strain any longer.

A glow approached, and the town was lit up luring you in and any other strangers looking for hope or a warm meal. These nights really made you not blame lost travelers for coming to Ambrose, it was picture-esque but mysterious, beckoning people to come closer until their ultimate demise. So deadly, so silent, it slipped away seamlessly into the wilderness.

The truck conquered the “wash out” like it did one thousand times before, and you could see the dimly lit gas station and your truck out front that Bo had been working on this morning, but you could tell it was all locked up. Not a soul in sight you drove up to the house and stepped out into the Louisiana cadence; crickets, frogs, and water rushing all made it so peaceful, it betrayed the secrets and pain that lied here.

Pulling your spent body into the house, the warmth of the yellow lights and cheap air conditioning welcomed you home. No one was in sight and it was eerily quiet, you usually heard Vincent’s classical music dulled against the walls or even Bo’s yelling, but there was nothing. Just silence. It was a bit unnerving to the seasoned vet you had become, fearing that the men were killing or were injured.

Tossing your jacket and bags carelessly on the pool table, making the balls roll and clink together as you set your sights for the upstairs bedroom. Dragging your languid body up the creaky steps, you found Bo’s hat at the top of the stairs and his shirt discarded in the hall not far behind. Picking up his belongings as a natural reflex now, the smell of him filled your lungs and your body eased.  

Faltering to the bedroom the painted wooden door was wide open, and you could hear his broken snoring from the doorway. Sighing, you leaned against the frame just observing the scene in front of you. Beer bottles littered the floor and nightstand implying it was a bad night, when you were gone he often had bad nights, you were his rock and the light in his life, without you he fell into his insecurities and his fear of you leaving him for someone else, someone better, someone that didn’t drink, someone that didn’t kill. You would always come back to him but try telling the demons inside his head that.

Bo laid face first into his pillow with his dark curly locks falling where ever they pleased, his large arm was draped over your pillow, clinging to it as if it were you, while the other was aimlessly hanging off the mattress. He was shirtless but still in his mechanic pants that were probably staining the sheets with grease or oil, like it did to his nails and ring. His scarred muscular back rose and fell, twitching every once and while most likely from being in a nightmare he had repeatedly.

Turning off the light and closing the door, you threw his shirt and the clothes you were wearing into the closet, cleaning it up in the morning. You gently placed his hat on top of a brown glass bottle on the nightstand beside Bo. Crawling into bed just in your bra and underwear, moving his heavy arm to his side accidentally grabbing his maimed wrist, his blood shot blue eyes opened with force and his body tensed in your grasp. Letting go of him, he pushed himself up and rolled to his side, meeting your eyes with his. A snarl turned into a gentle smirk as you pushed his hair out of his face and your scent warmed his lungs and comforted his body.

“It’s ok... I’m here now” You quietly spoke. Words Bo would never get tired of hearing. “Sorry, they wanted me to stay late,” making yourself more comfortable under the sheets, he tossed his pants off and got under with you. Pulling you close and kissing your lips; there was that taste you craved, cigarettes, beer, gas and him, it was home.      

"Never tell em' that your fine stayin’ late again" he chuckled against your skin with his southern accent more prominent than usual, clinging to your body like it was his life line. He needed you.  

[nursegracecreates]

Sound Effects and Overdramatics- Pt. 22

A/N: sorry for the long wait, readers. I got lost in Sally Face land but I'm back! If you like this, you can find the whole series here, and I'm currently holding an Ask Toby event, where you can ask the Toby from this series questions. Fic below the cut due to length

I woke the next morning to Toby's cloudy eyes, sleepily looking down at where I was snuggled between his left arm and his shirtless chest. His right hand was combing fingers through my hair.

"Morning" I said, causing Toby to startle, and I rolled onto my stomach so I could look up at Toby better, "Have you been awake long?"

"Nah" Toby said, "Just a few minutes." His eyes went distant like they did when he was listening to mind speak, "Give us time to wake up, Brian, damn! Not all of us like waking up at the ass crack of dawn!" Toby flinched and looked down at me, "Sorry, Brian's in the kitchen with Tim. They want to see us."

I sighed, forgetting how Toby acted with people other than me. From what he'd told me, Brian and Tim were a little older. Tim had always had a rocky father-son relationship with Toby, with Tim basically acting like Toby's dad but also trying to pull rank due to his older age. It had always been a bone of contention and worsened when Tim's other side, Masky, came out. Brian was more like a close friend and peer, a brother in arms. His other side, Hoody, was the model soldier, treating Toby's word as Slender's. 

"And Brian's a morning person?" I asked, "What time is it anyway?" I felt like I'd been asleep for days, not hours, and the gears in my head were turning slowly. 

Toby looked to the clock, a glaring blue digital on his beside dresser, "Nine twenty-three."

I shot Toby a look meant to tell him he was being overdramatic as I sat up, pulling my pajamas straight, "I mean, it's early. But not that early."

"Grace" Toby protested.

I was already standing, stretching my arms over my head until my spine popped, "I can not stay in bed any longer. I'll start getting all stiff and achy."

Toby was silent and I glanced his way to fins him smirking as I pulled a camisole from the dresser. He sat back against the pillows "I'll give you-"

"No" I laughed, "no dirty jokes!" I tossed my camisole at him, aiming for his face. It hit his chest and his hands grabbed at it reflexively. He smiled at me crookedly.

"No?"

"Come on, just get up. I know you just don't want to people, but I'm excited to meet your friends."

Toby sighed, "Fine, but they're gonna have questions. They normally do."

Toby got out of bed and joined me in getting dressed. He chose dark blue jeans and a black sweater today, a more casual look, and I followed suit with black jeans and a soft gray sweater. We slid our boots on by the door as Toby ran a brush through his hair, then mine. He threw the brush on the bed and I followed him through the door.

We came out in the kitchen. Two men sat at the table next to a window that showed the forest, soft with morning light. 

One of the men stood. He had dark blonde hair, cut short and brushed to the left. A wispy mustache grew in the same color.  He was muscular in the way Toby was, and looked very friendly in a good ole boy way. He wore blue jeans and a yellow hoodie. He crossed the kitchen in four long strides and grabbed Toby, pulling him into a man hug.

To my surprise, Toby hugged him back immediately, his fingers squeezing the other man's upper arms. "Brian" Toby's voice said, all business. But he stayed in the hug instead of pulling away. Brian clapped Toby on the back and pulled away first, so Toby wouldn't have to, taking a few steps back. 

"Good to see you made it back" Brian said, smiling widely as he turned his attention to me, "And Kate's already told us about your old lady. She's cute, Tobes. I'm Brian, welcome to the family. Tim?"

Tim was obviously the other man. He was bigger, as in more bulky, but I could I tell it was more muscle than fat. Tim was solidly built and carried a tired air about him. His hair was dark and a matching scruff of facial hair covered his cheeks and jaw. Dark eyes peered tired from under heavy brows and he sighed as he stood. He slowly walked up to us with hands stuffed deep in his pockets. All three men were around the same height. 

"Thought you weren't coming back this time" Tim said. Both Toby and Tim's postures were stilted, like dogs getting ready to fight. Surely they wouldn't...

Tim started chuckling and Toby joined him a moment later as Tim stuck out his hand for Toby to grip. "Good to see you, man" Tim said, smiling though he still managed to look tired. He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shook out one and put it to his lips. He lit it a second later with movements that looked almost hypnotic. Tim had the well practiced motions of a chain smoker.

"Good to see you too" Toby said as hugged Tim quickly, a step in, squeeze and step out. Tim returned to his chair next to the window, which I now saw was cracked open to allow the smoke out. Toby followed him with wary eyes as he pulled me with him. Brian was rattling pots and pans in the cabinets, gathering some skillets. 

"I figured we could do a briefing. We know something's up, Toby. Slender and Kate seem preoccupied, but aren't saying shit" Tim said, "There's people showing up dead everywhere. The weather out there has been fucked." Tim pointed with his cigarette towards the window with its peaceful forest view, but I knew both Toby and I knew Tim meant outside of the forest.

"We just want to know what's up" Brian said calmly as he pulled a tray of eggs from one of the refrigerators, "That and how many eggs I'm cooking."

"Brian likes to cook breakfast for us while Tim pumps me for info. This is how briefings with them usually go. Brian cooks. Tim bugs me, and then Brian feeds me, which puts me in a better mood, so I talk."

"And it works like a dream" Brian said, "Eggs?"

"Four" Toby said, then looked at me,  "Grace? How many for you?"

"Um, one, I guess?" I said, still in shock at Toby's request for so many eggs. He was doing better about eating regularly, but still wasn't much for breakfast. Toby picked up on it moments later and rubbed my knuckles with his thumb, "Brian's breakfasts are always amazing. I take advantage of their plan sometimes."

"Every time" Tim corrected and then he put out his cigarette after lighting a new one with the ember of the already lit one. And then he started asking questions. Toby started telling them everything from his confinement in Pueblo to now, first joining Brian at the counter to make motor oil coffee, then coming back to the table with the whole pot. Tim lit another cigarette as he sat back, listening. 

Granted, Toby didn't have to explain who Zalgo was. Tim and Brian knew who he was and acted accordingly, dismayed that Zalgo was trying to rise to power. But walking through the past few months still took a good amount of time. 

"I think that Nina is finally afraid of Jeff" Toby said, "And he's definitely more… agitated."

Brian sat a steaming bowl of scrambled eggs, followed by a plate laden with sausage, ham, and bacon. Next, Brian brought a cast iron skillet full of hashbrowns over, along with a plate of hotcakes. One more trip back produced warn biscuits and a caddy full of jams, jellies, syrups, and honey, along with fresh butter, cream cheese, and orange juice.

Toby got up to get plates so Brian could sit. He was beginning to limp and when Brian sat down he looked to Tim. They must have been using mind speak because when Toby came back with the plates and silverware, Tim said, "We need to start rounding up an army." He pinched the bridge of his nose at the thought. 

Toby glared at Tim for a moment, "Nice of you to decide that, Tim." He sighed,  "Sorry, I agree." We started serving ourselves. 

Brian said, "I'll track down Skully, Habit and the others."

Tim nodded, "I'll go see a few more. I have a few in mind."

"I was going to take Grace to meet Jane. She'll be valuable when it comes to Jeff's movements. And then see if I can find Helen, maybe Jack."

"EJ or LJ?" Brian asked, a spark of amusement in his tone. 

"EJ… Grace, are you afraid of clowns?"

"Wha- Why?" I asked, wondering why it was relevant. 

"It'll decide whether I talk to LJ, or if one of these two assholes will do it" Toby grinned

"No" Tim said in a very final way, looking up from his eggs. "I am not hunting down that clown in his damn carnival."

"Me either" Brian grinned, taking a bite of the hotcakes he'd drowned in syrup. "You're the one who can't feel pain, Toby."

"I guess it doesn't matter if I'm a fan or not" I sighed, "I'll go with you anyway."

At least the breakfast was delicious.

[darkesttimelinestuff]

Summer of Love

My submission (as a sub) for the X-Files Alternate Universe Fanfic Exchange (2021) is now on Ao3!

For @greekowl87

Chapter 1

San Francisco, CA

July 21, 1967

3:08pm

It was a summer of change and upheaval and Agent Mulder stood on the corner of Haight and Ashbury. The hilly San Francisco district had become the center of the counterculture movement, with musicians and artists lining the streets just outside their apartments. The 1950s Beat generation had sought out the quaint and cheap housing of the underpopulated district, and by the 1960s, the anti-establishment movement had grown and morphed with the rise of the Vietnam War.

Mulder stood in awe of the color that surrounded him. Reds and yellows, greens and blues swirled like a life-sized tie-dye shirt. It was a stark contrast to the shades of grey and black that roamed the streets of Washington D.C. Life was teeming, and everyone seemed friendly, or at the very least accepting, of everyone else.

As Mulder admired a young woman skating by on roller skates, her long brown hair blowing behind her, his thoughts were interrupted.

“What are we doing here, Agent Mulder?” Agent Doggett’s gruff voice came from beside him.

Doggett’s patience was wearing thin and they’d only just arrived in the Golden City. He knew damn well they were searching for a murderer.

Mulder had gone to their subterranean office Monday morning, wound up with too much caffeine and not enough food in his stomach. He’d been up half the night studying their potential new case: a man who liked to abduct women and hack them up. Not all the victims’ body parts were found, but Mulder had noticed a clear pattern surrounding the killings, a possible motive that transcended purely killing for pleasure. There was premeditation, and Mulder was certain that all the killings were connected to a single killer.

“Staking out the place,” Mulder replied, his eyes searching up and down the sidewalk for a potential starting place. All the bodies had been found in the Haight-Ashbury District, likely by someone familiar with the area.

“The entire neighborhood?”

“Fine,” Mulder relented, “we’ll get a feel for the area. Let’s see what connections we can make. You never know where one person might lead us.”

The sun beat down on the suit-clad agents and Doggett took a long sip of his coffee, turning his head to a mob of people crossing the street together. “We stick out like a sore thumb.”

Doggett had reluctantly agreed to fly out west with Mulder to investigate the mass murders - four women so far - and hopefully apprehend the sick bastard leaving dead hippies carefully posed near dumpsters and in back alleys. Mulder was grateful for the help and the backup.

“It’s all happening here,” Mulder had insisted, arms spread, gesturing to the cityscape before them. “Every single one of those bodies was left within a quarter mile radius on this cross street. He lives here. He picks these women at rallies or in bars, courts them, earns their trust, and then takes them back to his house to seduce and then kill them. Of that, I am certain.”

“And we’re sure they weren’t raped?” Doggett asked.

Shaking his head, Mulder replied, “There is no indication of rape from the evidence. The women had sex willingly. It’s only after the seduction and intercourse that the women were murdered.”

“Alright, Mulder,” Doggett said, “but the one thing I don’t understand is why these women are all dolled up. Too much makeup for the so-called hippies.”

“I’m not sure why yet. Something in the way this sicko operates, playing out fantasies maybe.”

“I sure hope you’re right about this, Mulder.”

“Me too,” Mulder replied, a stone sitting heavy in his gut at the thought of all the cut-up bodies.

Mulder had presented the senior agent with plane tickets and that is how they had ended up in San Francisco chasing down a murderer at the height of the Summer of Love.

Both men hoped Mulder’s hunch would lead them to their suspect and not on some wild hippie chase.

“There.” Mulder said, pointing in the direction where a large group of people, mostly hippies, were making their way to a gathering. Cheers erupted as a guitar strummed. “Looks like we found ourselves at a peace rally.”

Doggett acknowledged this with a curt nod and the two men made their way across the street, weaving their way around people, to the very center of the crowd. A shirtless man with stringy hair played guitar, singing about peace, love, and acceptance.

The song ended and the man tucked a long strand of hair behind his ear.

“Let’s all have a moment of silence for our fallen heroes,” he said, bowing his head.

“This is so damn touching,” Doggett sarcastically muttered to Mulder, who could not suppress a grimace. These young kids had lost fathers and brothers, and even sisters, to the war. But Doggett was not wrong. Optimistic crowds could sing about peace, but little would improve without extreme policy change. The United States was too invested in the war, had too much at stake.

The crowd collectively bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Some placed their hands over their hearts; a quiet fell upon the street.

“Do you see any possible suspicious people?” Mulder whispered.

He and Doggett took the opportunity to scan up and down the street. People had gathered not just along the sidewalk, but spilled into the street, blocking the road. No one seemed to mind, though, and the peace rally continued to grow in size.

Through the sea of bent heads, a woman caught Mulder’s eye. She was rather small - he would not have noticed her had it not been for the bent heads  - with a halo of red hair among the brown and blonde. But that wasn’t what stood out to him. Those blue eyes, clear as a summer’s day, were not closed in a silent prayer but looking right at him. She ducked her head when she noticed him.

“Thank you,” the singer broke through the silence.“That was truly groovy. I felt all of your love coursing through me. I’m sure that our fallen brothers felt it too.”

“Let’s get the hell outta here,” Doggett said. “We’re not gonna find him now. We’re looking for a hippie in a haystack.”

The crowd swayed in unison as music resumed playing, and the two agents, frustrated that their suspect didn’t jump up and present himself, pushed their way through the masses. As they neared the end of the mess of people, an older, long-haired, scraggly man grabbed Mulder’s arm.

“The end is nigh! You have to believe!” he yelled in the agent’s face.

“I want to believe,” Mulder returned, not unkindly, while attempting to pull his arm away. The man was clearly down on his luck.

But the vagrant pulled Mulder in closer. He smelled of booze and body odor.

“NO!” he howled. “Trust no one!” Then turning to the crowd, he yelled, “Look at this one! He’s one of them! He’s the Man!”

The two agents felt the eyes of all the crowd turn and stare at them as they were singled out. Some booed and hissed at them.

But from the throng came a voice over the microphone announcing, “Friends! Brothers and sisters! ALL are welcome.” People whooped and hollered back, others clapped at the call for acceptance.

Mulder tried harder to extricate himself. The bearded man had surprising strength and put up quite a fight, resulting in a tug of war with Mulder’s arm. Eventually, Doggett came to the rescue, gripping the assailant’s fingers and prying them off of his partner’s arm. Backward inertia from the opposing pulls forced Mulder to suddenly fall onto some of the rally attendees.

High-pitched screams came from beneath him. Mulder struggled awkwardly as he realized at least a couple of women had broken his fall. He winced as his head collided with something and very suddenly realized that Doggett’s firm grip pulled him to his feet. He immediately turned to offer his sincerest apologies. They had not intended to call attention to themselves so publicly.

As Mulder brushed himself off, he recognized the face of one of the women - the redhead with the piercing eyes. They were even more magnificent up close and he momentarily lost the ability to form words at his surprise, instead offering his hand, which she accepted.

Meanwhile, Doggett had offered the two other women - a tall brunette with a sharp face, and a lovely redhead with long wavy hair and kind eyes - his help, ensuring everyone’s safety and well being.

“Our apologies, everyone,” offered Doggett. “My friend here has a knack for getting himself into trouble. I hope nobody is hurt.”

“Yes, sorry,” Mulder chimed in, remembering his manners, his eyes glued to the smaller of the redheads.

She held out her hand to him and gave him a genuinely warm smile. “I’m Dana Scully.”

@today-in-fic

[janedoe-eyes]

Neighbors in a Mask

This is my Secret Santa gift for @theatreandcomicfreak - I hope you like it! I had the help of a wonderful Beta who made this infinitely better😂. Merry Christmas! @maribat-secret-santa-2020 -  I’m also posting it on ao3 😁

“Ok - ok, you can do this! This is just a friendly introduction, what could go wrong? New town, new place, new start.” A wet nose nudged her hand in agreement with her little self-pep talk, and she smiled at her furry companion. Marinette squared her shoulders and knocked on the apartment marked ‘655’, the mantra ‘new town, new place, new start’ ran on repeat in the back of her mind. She fidgeted listening for signs of life on the other end of the door.

She jumped when the door suddenly and silently opened to reveal a man her age - half-dressed, extremely attractive, and wearing the least welcoming glower she’d ever seen.

“Yes?” He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

“I… uh… next door… chest moved in… shirtless - I mean!” She sputtered, face resembling a tomato and she barely managed to grab the plate of macaroons she’d lost her hold on while  she flailed. Holy hell, I haven’t sputtered  this much since…

That thought sobered her right up, and she shook her head to clear the nervous clutter. She took a big breath and started again.

“Sorry - I just moved in next door,” she jerked a thumb to her left, indicating the other condo in the pair. “I wanted to bring these over and introduce myself - I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and this is my dog Squishy.” She gestured to the cream-colored Pit Bull, and he glanced down for a half a moment. “I just moved here from Paris! I’m a fashion designer and novice gardener-”

“Look, I have a lot of work to do,” He cut her off with an exasperated sigh. “I am not interested in whatever you are selling - whether it is a product, business deal, or yourself.” Her jaw dropped. “I do not socialize beyond what is forced upon me by my family - so you have wasted your time. Good day.” He nodded stiffly at her and shut the door.

What the fu…

She stared at the same spot on the forest green door until Squishy whined and nudged her hand. She looked  to see the dog leaning on her leg and slowly wagging her tail.

“Squish… did you hear him say what I think he said?” She asked, looking at the door. She received  another nudge, this time from her purse on her other side.

She peered down to see Tikki’s blue orbs looking at her  with  concern. Marinette  smiled in reassurance.

“I’m fine Tik -  just rebooting.” A small giggle sounded from the bag, and Mari’s smile grew. She gave the door one last look and huffed.

“Oh well,” She shrugged. “Might as well head home.”

She stepped off his stoop and strolled over to her own, her deep red door already decorated with a spring wreath - little ladybugs hidden throughout. She shut the door behind her and caught  the plate  for a  second time when  a black blur zipped right in front of her face.

“Hey Bug, I overheard your  little exchange… want me to phase over and cataclysm his TV or something?”

“Plagg! What have I said about startling me? You’re gonna give me a heart attack!” He ignored her, floating in lazy circles near her ear. She continued to grumble about the cat as she continued to the kitchen - Tikki flying out of Mari’s purse to join her other half.

“No cataclysms!” The Luck God scolded him, crossing her paws. “We can’t risk anyone becoming  suspicious of where the guardian is - anyone who knows  the temple returned will be on the hunt!”

“Please,” Plagg scoffed. “I can pop  in and out without him noticing and not leave a trace - it’d probably at least annoy the hell out of Mr-stick-up-his-”

“As much as I’d like to get him back for his rude  comment - seriously, where does he get off?!” Marinette interrupted with a sigh and a small smile. “Tikki’s right, and it wouldn’t be very guardian or Ladybug-like of me besides.”

“Fine - but the offer still stands.” The little floating cat huffed, flying over to where Squishy cuddled  in her bed by the window, watching her owner for signs of needing her.

It was odd how well the dog and cat god got along - Plagg refused to acknowledge he was fond of the Pit Bull, but they were found more often than not sleeping curled  together on Mari’s bed at night, and Marinette suspected he snuck  her treats.

“As long as we don’t see each other much beyond going in or out of our places - it shouldn’t be a problem.” She shrugged, popping a cookie from the plate in her mouth and handing one to Tikki who happily accepted. “With how ‘busy’ he alluded to being - it shouldn’t be hard.”

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

Turns out -  easier said than done.

She saw him the next day in line at a coffee shop accompanied by  a man a few years older than him who looked as if  death had warmed over. Mr. Grouchy made eye contact with her and scowled before turning away with a tsk.

She rolled her eyes and focused back on the barista. “Hello,” she smiled as much as she could manage at the buttcrack of dawn. “It’s a longshot, but do you happen to have any ‘Black Insomnia’ or ‘High Voltage’?” The blonde behind the counter paled.

“Not another one.” She whispered, her eyes darting over to the man being tugged along by her neighbor.

Marinette tilted her head in question, and the barista seemed to shake it off.

“We are well stocked with Black Insomnia, what size will it  be and how would you like it made?” She asked, her customer service smile  strained.

“The largest you have - as black as you can make it.” She smiled back and took her receipt, walking over to a booth, overhearing her call out for a “Suicidal Wayne” just as another worker called out for the same drink.

The older boy, the one who looked in desperate need of a good night's sleep, leaned on Mr. Pissy as if he was the only thing keeping him upright - but at the mention of the order, his eyes snapped over to her. He gave her a small wave, and she returned it with a quirked brow. He looked close to  moving  over, but Sir Scowls-a-lot stopped him with a hand on his arm. He spoke in a low voice, and the tired man’s face melted into a mix of disappointment and exasperation. The man shot her an annoyed look and turned back to the front.

She wanted  to go over and demand to know what he could  possibly say   having met her once for five minutes, but the barista called out three names - hers, ‘Tim’,  and ‘Damian’. She walked  up before the two could move and grabbed her cup, thanking the woman, before brushing past ‘Tim and Damian’ on her way out. She was in a rush - there was a show coming up next week and she had fittings all day, she didn’t have time to deal with her asshat of a neighbor and his friend with good taste in coffee.

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

As the days passed, they continued bumping into each other. Their dynamic well-past talking, favoring annoyed glares and eye rolls. He wanted to scare her off (the Wayne lawyer way or Robin way - he hadn’t decided yet), but his father and brothers refused - insisting she hadn’t done anything deserving of any kind of action.

Yet. His mind supplied.

There was something off about her - the sixth sense he’d acquired through his life was never wrong, and she set it  off like fireworks whenever she was near. He couldn’t get a read on her intentions, but he wasn’t one to wait for the other shoe to drop - he planned to keep his eye on her.

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

He saw her again on patrol a week and a half after she first knocked on his door.

He was in costume uniform tailing a group of five men who  had recently left a warehouse that  belonged to  the Penguin. Red Hood stationed  across the street following parallel to him.

The men turned the corner on Hood’s side, and Robin signaled he would wait until they were out of earshot before grappling over. Hood nodded and continued trailing them.

Robin waited for a beat, then shot his hook out to grab the highest ledge available.

“Shit.” Hood’s voice through his comm made his hand jerk and his grappling hook missed the mark. He released his own curse and reshot as soon as the cable  fully retracted.

“Report, Hood.” He snapped, flipping at the arc of his swing and sailing over the first building.

“They’re targeting a girl - she looks  your age, tiny, at least partially Asian,” Hood grunted lowly.

Damian groaned.

“Acquaintance of yours, Demon Spawn?” Red Hood teased.

“No names in the field, Hood.” He hissed. “And it’s  my new neighbor - she keeps popping up like a bad penny.”

“The one you said tried  to butter you up with cookies, and drinks the same motor oil as Replacement?” Hood asked. Robin landed beside him, leaning over the ledge to watch the girl’s progress as she leisurely strolled down the street with several shopping bags.

“<Tt>, idiot,” Robin muttered under his breath. “That’s her.” He glanced at Hood who nodded.

“You know - I still say you might have misjudged the situation - Timmy said she didn’t seem the cozy-ing up type and seemed  kinda openly pissed at you.” Red Hood mused.

“No. Names. In. The. Field. Hood.” Robin grit out, tired of this conversation - he’d had  versions of it with his family ever since the coffee shop incident.

Everyone insisted the  Dupain-Cheng girl was trying to be nice - but he looked through her records, and found  an unprecedented amount of bullying accusations against her in high school, and she’d quit her job at ‘Agreste’ with no warning - but that was oddly heavily-guarded information. He had been locked out of many of even the simplest social media accounts and public records - especially anything to do with the Agreste brand founder. A  familiar itch on the back of his neck told  him he was onto something big - and his suspiciously friendly neighbor was connected.

Hood took a breath as if to continue the conversation when Robin put a hand up and signaled downward.

They both looked to see the tiny girl turn sharply across the road and into a dead-end alleyway. She’s even stupider than I assumed , Robin mentally groaned as he and Red Hood scrambled to follow.

They dropped to street-level and ran over to the alley, prepared to find the young woman in need of saving, only to see three men passed out near the entrance.  A dented trash lid resting nearby.  The small girl, who looked like Red Hood could lift her with one hand, flipped  a fourth over her shoulder with ease.

“Holy Mother-” Hood gaped at the scene and  sidestepped  the flying body - it landed behind him on top of the others.

Robin didn’t flinch as the man sailed past and ruffled his cape. His eyes were fixed on the girl as she high-kicked the last man under the jaw - knocking him out immediately. He couldn’t stop the words ‘almalak almuharib[1]’ from slipping past his lips in an awed gasp. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in all his life.

He shook himself, scowling at the foolish thoughts that rose unbidden. Perhaps she is a shaman or spell caster. That is it - this must be a  spell. He reasoned to himself.

He watched, still unable to move, as the girl dusted off her clothes and reached into her bag.

“Are you two gonna help, or do you plan to stand there with your mouths open like a couple of fish.” She asked as she turned around with a handful of zip ties, eyebrow quirked.

“You have  one hell of a kick, kid.” Red Hood broke the silence, moving forward to grab a few of the proffered zip ties (even though he had plenty of his own).

“It was nothing.” She brushed off the complement with a wave of her hand and a light rose dusting on her cheeks.

Red Hood scoffed, “Whatever kid, that was the most badass take-down I’ve seen in a while - and I know Wonder Woman.” He extended his fist for a bump.

Her smile fell  from her face as if she’d been slapped - her eyes fixated on the proffered fist and starting to water.

“Uh…” Red Hood lowered  his arm, “I ain’t trying to hit you kid… you guys have fist bumps in Europe, right?” He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck.

“I… It’s nothing - you just... reminded me of a friend.” She whispered, taking in a shuddering breath and turning  sharply to secure the last guy she knocked unconscious.

Robin shared a look with his brother (an odd thing to do through a helmet, but they knew each other well enough for  it to work) and shrugged, before taking out his own zip ties and turning to the pile of three large men.

As they finished  with the other four, Marinette walked past them with her bags and a quick “I’ll leave them to you, then” - and left the alleyway, disappearing from sight.

“That… was weird, right?” Hood said, staring after her. “Shouldn’t we make her stick around to give a statement?”

Robin shook his head slowly. “I think… it would be best to let her go... this time. We have both seen that look before.” In the mirror every time we lost a teammate in battle, he glared   where he’d last seen her retreating figure, and puzzled  over the new information.

“Wait, wait, wait, I agree she can fight  and all, but are you really saying that the little pipsqueak...” He choked out in surprise, Damian could tell his eyes were bugging under his mask.

“I’m not sure, but she’s certainly no average civilian.” He cut his brother off with a shake of his head. “I suggest we keep an eye on her.”

“Hey, if you two have finished your little intrusion into the poor girl’s life and traumas, the police are  a minute out.” Barbra, or rather, Oracle’s voice sounded from their earpieces.

Damian took one last look at where she’d disappeared to before turning away with narrowed eyes and a “<Tt>”.

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

Marinette withdrew following  the encounter in the alley - barely acknowledging her surly neighbor, Squishy refused to leave her side, and Plagg and Tikki often needed to call her name several times before she’d respond… The  Kwamii were worried.

“Tik… we only just pulled  her out of the slump she was in back in Paris after…” Plagg’s normally light and expressive face fell, his tail, ears, and whiskers drooping.

“I know… It’s never easy to lose one.” She whispered with a pained wince, past memories flashing in front of her eyes. She floated over to her other half and pulled him into her, petting the back of his head as stuttering purrs overtook  his shaking.

“If she continues to relive it, we’ll lose her too - remember  Keket.” Tikki shuddered at the reminder of the young girl.

“No… we can’t let that happen again,” Plagg growled, the memories of the long lost kitten painful even all these years later. They couldn’t let that happen to Marinette. Tikki nodded firmly into his shoulder.

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

Marinette stretched out under a large oak tree in the city gardens, her sketchbook open on her lap and Squishy laid  over her legs - keeping guard. She stared at the blank page with unfocused eyes, memories swimming  in her head out of order and distorted.

“*Sniff* Mommy... Daddy…” A small voice sobbed, pulling her from her musings. She closed her book and set it aside. Squishy took that as a signal to get up and look around, her ears swiveling alertly.

“Where is it coming from, Squish?” She reached  to rest her hand on the dog’s back, Marinette stood  and looked  around intently.

Her dog gave a soft *wuff* and tugged on the leash. Marinette turned and allowed the Pit Bull to direct her. As they neared the bushes the sound came  from, Marinette stopped  short at the sight of a familiar well-kept head of dark hair and moved her and Squishy to peek around them to the bench beyond.

From her position, she saw  her prickly neighbor crouching next to a boy of about five or six whose cries turned into soft giggles as a Great Dane licked at his face, tail wagging wildly.

“Alright Titus, let the boy breathe.” The man grunted, tugging lightly on the large dog’s collar. “Now, have you calmed enough to tell me your name?” He asked in a surprisingly gentle voice, turning his attention to the boy. The kid nodded, sniffing and reaching out to pat the dog - who happily leaned in.

“E-Ethan… My name’s Ethan Sorensen, Mr. Wayne.” He said shyly.

“Ah, you recognize me?” The younger boy nodded, still stroking the dog.

The Wayne Heir returned the nodd. “Good - at least you didn’t talk  to  a complete stranger. You should be more careful though, the world - and this city especially - are dangerous places for someone  young and inexperienced.” He scolded with a frown.

The boy shrunk in, and Titus nudged further into the boy, whining slightly. The temperamental man sighed and hesitantly put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“I do not mean to be harsh - I am merely  glad I found you first.” He gave the boy a strained smile and it received a laugh from the kid. His eye twitched in annoyance.

“<Tt>,” He groused, pulling back and taking out his phone. He tapped a few times before placing the phone against his ear. “Gordon, I have a boy named Ethan Sorensen alone in the Southeast end of Robinson Park, have there been any missing child reports?” He nodded at whatever response he received. “Good, let your father know we will wait  for them on a bench... Yes, of course I plan to remain with him! He is no older than six!... Yes, yes, I will stay behind to issue a statement to the officer… Goodbye Gordon.” He hung up the phone and returned it to his pocket before turning back to the boy.

“Your parents are on their way, would you like to play fetch with Titus until they arrive?” He received a shy nodd in return and handed over a yellow batman-themed ball which was enthusiastically chased  once thrown.

Marinette watched a few more throws before retreating to the tree where she had left her bag and packed up.

“So he can be sweet,” she mused to Tikki under her breath.

The Kwamii poked her head out of Mari’s pocket and giggled. “Though he didn’t seem super comfortable with the situation, he went out of his way to be kind to the boy. He stepped  up when needed.”

“Yeah, I guess our grumpy-goose next door can act like a human - now and then.” Marinette laughed, turning toward the park’s exit, a light flutter in her chest  after watching her awkward frenemy do something kind.

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

That night, Marinette seriously considered  donning her mask for the first time in over a year.

She couldn’t explain why, but watching Damian’s secretly sweet nature peek through had  lifted her spirits. She felt more like her old self than she had in a long time.

The dark and handsome man was obviously out of his comfort zone in interacting with the boy, but his desire to help another person outweighed his own discomfort. Mari’s guardian senses could see the effort it took to overcome the deep-seated parasitic darkness that latched onto his being. .

Her bones buzzed with an energy that had been absent for  a year. She didn't call for a transformation though - her Guardian duties came first, and she needed to understand the city as a healer before she could take on an active protector role.

Using the recovered energy, she took back up a project she'd been working on - knitting hats, gloves, and scarves with needles Wayzz helped her infuse with a warming charm. She planned to give them away at the shelter she volunteered at on weekends when the weather turned in a few months.

She had four sets of mittens done and adjusted the needles to start on a fifth when a loud crash sounded from the other end of the wall. She jumped up and grabbed the retractable baton she stored in her crafting room, sliding into a crouching position. Tikki and Plagg flew over from the cushion they were lounging on to hover next to her.

They waited in suspense  - listening for clues as to what was going on beyond the wall.

After a few moments, a pained groan sounded along with another, smaller crash.

Was it… her surly Wayne neighbor?

She shared a glance with Tikki and Plagg, and the three nodded. Plagg phased through the wall, and Tikki flew to Mari’s shoulder. An anxious minute later, Plagg returned, stifling laughter with his paws.

“Oh yeah - he’s gonna need some help,” He snorted. “And what is it with you attracting all the weirdos?” He cackled, flying over to the mini-fridge she kept stocked with Kwamii food and phasing through.

“You’ll want to bring the first aid kit,” he continued, exiting the fridge with a small wheel of cheese and taking a large bite before continuing. “Probably keep the baton with you in case there’s trouble - the kid may not be much help  watching your back.”

That snapped her to attention, and she rushed off to her bathroom to grab the enormous first aid kit she collected over  years of hero work. She pulled on a coat - Tikki slipping into a pocket - and shoved her feet into her deep red combat boots, quickly tying them before rushing out her front door and over to the stoop she’d glared  at in passing for weeks.

Marinette  took a deep breath to calm herself before testing the door - which was of course locked. She huffed and pulled out the lock-pick set she stored in the inner lining of her boots. She unlocked  the door after two frustrating minutes - it seemed her neighbor wasn’t satisfied with the standard locks that came with the condos and installed his own.

Once inside, she closed the door behind her and re-locked it  - noticing a blinking red light on a small black box along the side of the door.

Probably a silent alarm, she mused, No matter - I’m here to help and have no intention of harming… Oh geez, I don’t even know his name - what will the police think when they arrive  here?! What names did the barista say  at the coffee house? - Tim and… Damian? Gah! It doesn’t matter - he still needs help! She shook herself and continued along the hallway with the first aid kit in her left hand and the baton in her right - raised and ready for trouble.

“Um… Hello?” She called out, deciding it was better to alert any robbers than to scare her injured neighbor. “It’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng - your neighbor next door? I heard a crash and someone in pain, so I let myself in…” Having cleared the first floor, she turned to the stairs at the back of the house past the kitchen. “Mr. Wayne?”

A pained grunt sounded from the top of the stairs and she tensed further, not foolish enough to rush  ahead after the warning Plagg gave  - even if it wasn’t bad enough to insist on coming himself.

“Is that you, Mr. Wayne?” She called, narrowing her eyes as she reached the top of the stairs.

“I...in here...” A deep male voice coughed from the last room to her right, and she heard a low growling as she entered the room.

“I’m going to turn on the light.” She called a moment before she did.

Muttered cursing sounded at the light and drew her eyes to the floor under the window where the young Wayne lay on his side, clutching a gash over his chest, and surrounded by glass. The  man was dressed in a ripped Robin uniform she’d become familiar with due to all the merch that littered the city.

“Oh…” Marinette  whispered, Plagg’s comment on attracting weirdos now making sense. She heaved a deep sigh.

“His name is Titus, right?” The dog twitched at his name, and his master nodded stiffly. “Will he  let me take a look at your injuries?” She retracted the baton and set it on the ground slowly with the kit, keeping her movements slow, and returning to a standing position with her palms empty and up.

“Titus, hda[2].” The dog slowly relaxed his tense position and looked back at the boy on the ground behind him. “Rahab[3].” The man said,  nodding toward her, wincing as it pulled at one of his many injuries.

Though she didn’t understand the language of the commands, their meanings were obvious - she sank to the floor again and turned to her side, slowly offering her hand for the great black beast to sniff. He cautiously approached her and watched her body language intently as he snuffled at her hand - leaving a cool trail behind, which would have made her giggle in  another situation.

Finally deciding to trust her , he licked her cheek and released a whine - tugging her jacket sleeve over to his injured master. She reached back to grab her kit and allowed the dog to pull her forward.

“Where are you hurt most severely?” She asked, kneeling beside him, ignoring the few pricks of glass in her legs as she did so.

“The gash on my chest is the only one that needs looked at immediately... the others are superficial.” He wheezed lightly, his voice strained.

“Was your head or spine injured to your knowledge?” At the slight shake of his head, she carefully slid her arms under him and gently lifted him into a princess carry. He let out an indignant and surprised manly squeak and she tried to hide her smile.

“Your partners, do you want me to contact them?” She asked, entering the connected bathroom and flipping the switch with her shoulder.

“My communicator and tracker are busted - though if you came through the front door, they were alerted and will send someone to check when  I do not respond.”

She nodded and set him into the tub as gently as she could, shooing Titus away from sticking his head in as close as he could get it to the man. She set her kit on the floor and pulled out a pair of scissors. He snorted at the sight.

“Those will not even make a scratch in -” She grinned at his stunned silence as she nearly glided through the material, snagging  a few times on previously patched parts.

“...” He stared at the scissors as she shifted to cut the sleeves. “This is the highest grade kevlar… how in the…” He turned to meet her laughing eyes and quirked an eyebrow.

“I have my secrets,” She gestured to the suit she was tearing into. “And you have your’s.” He pinned her with a look, but she raised her own brow as if to ask ‘you don’t actually expect me to tell you, do you?’

He scoffed and turned to the wall.

She laughed and moved the last of the material out of the way - turning back to her kit to gather her supplies.

“I don’t suppose you’d let me give you any Lidocaine?” He gave her a ‘what do you think?’ look. “That’s what I thought - want something to bite on?”

“I’ll be fine.” He grumbled, turning away again.

“Alright tough guy, I’m gonna just dive in - if you need a break or want to change your mind, let me know.” He nodded, and she threaded the hooked needle, glancing at him once more before starting in.

She was amazed at how little he reacted - a few face twitches at most - and she made sure to get through it as quickly as possible. After tying it off, she cleaned around the wound and taped gauze over it, and nodded to herself in satisfaction.

She turned  to grab more alcohol swabs, only to find the injured hero unsteadily climbing  to his feet.

“Just what do you think you’re doing?” She asked, exasperated.

“The rest is livable - I will be fine. Thank you for-”

“Thank me when I’m done patching you up, you stubborn fool.” She rolled her eyes, pushing him back down.

“How are you so strong?!” He huffed. “I don’t know of many civilians who could lift a grown man without an issue…” He left the statement trailing like a question, and she laughed.

“I grew up in a bakery - I’ve been lifting bags of flour my whole life.” She shrugged, taping up his finished arm and moving onto another gash.

“Sure…” He scoffed, not believing for a second that was all there was to it. She shrugged in response.

They sat in silence until she finished , tapping on the last square of gauze.

“Alright,” She helped him to his feet  and over to his bed. “Is there anything else you need?”

He shook his head, giving a soft ‘Thank you’ - reaching out to catch her hand as she began walking over to retrieve  the baton she’d left by his door.

“Truly - I… I would have been in trouble if you had not found me when you did. The others are in the middle of a fight and my beacon was broken before I could activate it… there might  still be  time before they worry.”

“Happy to help.” She smiled, patting his arm. He nodded, breaking eye contact again and patting Titus who jumped on the bed  to snuggle  the man.

“By the way…” She started. “What is your name? I know your last name is Wayne - that’s what the boy at the park said anyway, and I think it’s either ‘Damian’ or ‘Tim’ - because those were the names the barista gave at the coffee shop…”

“Wait,” He stopped her. “You… don’t know who I am?”

“Um… should I? The way the boy said it made it sound  as if you’re well known here - but I’m only familiar with Parisian celebrities.”

“Oh, then… I believe I may owe you an apology.” He scratched the back of his head, still avoiding eye contact.

“Yes, yes you do - but what are you referring to?” She started with a irked look, and he had the decency to look abashed.

“When you first came to my door… I thought it another instance of someone trying to get in my good graces because I’m a Wayne. My father and brothers have warned me against social climbers, and I find it best to avoid encouraging them by making my disinterest known right away.” He still refused to meet her eyes and she reached out to touch his shoulder.

She waited until he met her eyes before speaking. “I appreciate and accept your apology, and  I understand. ” He raised a disbelieving brow.

“No,” she chuckled, “Really. Back in Paris, I had a few friends who suffered from  the same problem - an Olympic fencer, a model, a rock singer…” She shrugged. “I get it… but I’d also like to start again if you’re up for it?”

He stared at her for a moment, taking in her sincerity, before he slowly nodded and extended his hand.

“Hello… I am Damian Wayne.” She grinned and grasped his hand.

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

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

Dick burst into the apartment moments after Marinette returned to her own home - leaving her phone number behind with strict instructions to call if he needed anything. He explained what  happened - causing Dick check for a concussion when he openly admitted to misjudging her - and was taken to the cave.

Alfred was impressed with Marinette’s stitch job, and only needed to re-bandage the wounds he’d checked. His father had interrogated him for several hours when he found out a near-stranger  knew at least Robin’s identity. He was talked down from all-out kidnapping the girl for answers only because Damian insisted on it - and he rarely stood up for his family, let alone strangers. So, they decided to keep a close eye on her when she went out (Damian living directly next door kept them from over-bugging the outside of her home).

They discovered she worked  in a small boutique in the Fashion District, and volunteered  at a shelter. When she wasn’t at either of those places or running errands, she wandered the city for places to sit and sketch. They had the sneaking suspicion she knew of their presence , but hadn’t caught her looking directly at them yet.

They were all  wary of her but eventually  eased up on their suspicions the more they were around the little - but strangely strong - ball of sunshine.

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

A few nights later, Damian awoke to the sounds of muffled cries. He instinctively jolted out of bed and reached for the sword next to his nightstand. Listening, he found the sounds came from Marinette’s apartment. He popped open the door to his balcony located  on the same wall as hers.

Leaping over - narrowly avoiding knocking over one of the many pots strewn on  every surface - he slunk over to her door and peeked inside, expecting  a struggle and looking for the best opening to intervene.

What he saw was his small neighbor (friend?) curled  on her bed, tangled in her blankets, with tears streaming down her face. She thrashed, a whimper loud enough for him to hear through the glass slipping through her lips.

He sighed and set his shoulders - he’d seen enough night terrors from his brothers, the Titans, and even members of his grandfather’s League to know he wouldn’t leave her to suffer, but not looking forward to explaining how he entered .

Working on  the simple lock, he slid the door open silently, and closed it behind him, leaning his sword against it where she wouldn’t notice it unless she paid attention. .

A whine halted his approach, and he paused, noticing the butter-colored Pit Bull at the foot of the bed - having obviously knocked off in her mistress’ movement - and reached a hand out. The dog sniffed hesitantly, her tail stuck firmly between her legs, and her ears flat against her head in worry.

“It’s alright, girl, I am here to help.” He soothed, rubbing at her ears until her tail uncurled and began to half-heartedly wag.

“NON!... CHAT!” The girl on the bed sobbed, her arms flailing as if reaching for something.

He was at her side in an instant, grabbing her arms and readying himself in case she fought him.

“Mari!” He called, shaking her none too gently, “Mari! It is a dream! You need to wake up!”

It took several tries, but soon her eyes shot open.

She sat up, latching onto the first thing she found, and as he still held  her wrists, (and her dog was on the floor) he found his arms full of a sobbing Marinette. She gasped, muttering in French  how sorry she was, how she should have been stronger, how it was her fault…

He held her, as his brothers did for him for months after he came back from the pits and awoke from his own nightmares. He started to rock back and forth - smoothing her hair, and she cuddled in closer, her cries pittering out.

The city’s ambience filled the room - interspersed with the slight creaking of the bed at Damian’s continued rocking motion.

“Do you wish to talk about it?” He asked after what felt like both a moment and an eternity.

She hesitated, before starting in a small, frail voice.

He learned  what  transpired in France with the villain the League had been forbidden from interfering with. She told him of  the emotional trauma - having to police your own emotions, watching loved ones be used, watching them die horribly, only to have them come back with no memory of the fact.

And then - she told him about Ladybug.

She didn’t swear him to secrecy or threaten him if he told anyone - it spilled out with everything else.

She had been alone.

As a civilian, she was isolated, and as a hero - she had no one to lean on, especially once  entrusted with the Guardian title. She had only her Kwamii (whatever that was - she made it seem like some  all-powerful sprite) who knew her identity, and she couldn’t properly vent for fear of becoming ‘akumatized’.

She told him about the final battle. How it turned out to be the father of a friend who terrorized  everyone, how her partner had nearly fallen apart in grief - as it was his father - and how her partner, her friend, had died saving her from his father’s blade. The blow caused his own power, a "cataclysm" to defensively implode, destroying everything in the vicinity - even the bearer of the ring. Marinette's saving grace was her own power, the ultimate balance to destruction, which shielded her from the blast.

She sobbed into his shoulder after the tale was done until she eventually fell into a deep sleep.

He set her back into the bed gently and covered her with the blankets. Moving to the chair in the corner he  slumped down,  head in his hands,  absorbing  the emotion and information her story had left him with.

A wet nose nudged his arm, and he looked down to see her dog slowly wagging her tail and giving him sad puppy-eyes. He gave her a small smile.

“It’ll be alright…” He shifted to search for a tag to find  her name - not remembering it from Marinette’s initial introduction.

“It’s Squishy.” A small, high voice called. He jerked his head up to watch a red fairy-bug…thing float down to rest on the dog’s head. “Mari found her rooting through some trash in an alley a week after the final battle - they’ve been inseparable  ever since.”

They eyed each other for a moment before he broke the silence.

“...Tikki… right?” That was the name from Marinette’s story. She nodded, her big sky-blue eyes analyzing  his soul.

“I am Tikki, Kwamii  of Creation and good luck. Thank you for helping my chosen tonight - Plagg and I couldn’t wake her.” She drooped. “This one was particularly bad.” He nodded, and another sprite floated over, this one pitch black with a tail, small pointed ears, and ancient, acid green eyes.

“I’m Plagg - Kwamii of Destruction and bad luck - and I won’t hesitate to cataclysm you into oblivion if you hurt my Bug with the info she trusted you with tonight - or at all, for that matter.” It should have been impossible, with all of his experience, to be frightened of such a tiny being, but Damian found himself shuddering at the fierce protectiveness all the same.

“Understood.” Damian nodded.

“Good.” And just like that, the eyes were half-lidded and looked bored. “Do you have any fancy cheese at your place? The Bug cut me off from the good stuff after I tangled  her  expensive yarn or whatever.” He rolled his eyes and crossed his ‘arms’.

“Plagg! Can you not think of your stomach for once?!” The red sprite cried, exasperated.

“I spent the whole night watching Spots and trying to wake her when the dream started, then I threatened the birdboy - that’s a long time!” He pouted, and Damian huffed in amusement at how much the tiny cat reminded him of Todd’s bottomless pit of a stomach.

“There’s blue cheese and brie in the fridge.” He pointed down and to the side where his kitchen lay, and was shocked as the cat passed directly through the wall without a word.

“Sorry about him ,” Tikki said with a fond sigh. “He’s worried about Mari, and pretending he doesn't care is how he copes.” She took on a serious look and pinned him with it.

“I know you’re  a hero and used to keeping secrets, but the miraculous are the most powerful artifacts in the world. We existed  before the dawn of man, and we will far out-live your kind.” He stared at her, the ancient power from the cat now pulsed  from her, telling him she wasn’t to be trifled with.

“Mari is all alone in this, and we planned  to convince her to seek help from your “league of heroes” soon, so this is not entirely  inconvenient - but she trusted you. She is  gifted with excellent instincts - both as a Ladybug and a Guardian - I don’t oppose her choice, but I warn you - should you cause any harm to befall her, you will answer to me.” Damian shuddered for the second time that night - the second time in years - and nodded solemnly.

“I understand.” She searched his eyes for another minute before her own softened.

“I see  you do. You’ve  endured your own trials.” He looked at the lump on the bed to avoid her stare. “I think you will be good for each other.” She mused, rising from Squishy’s head and floating over to the wall connecting his home to Marinettes’.

“I’m going to make sure Plagg hasn’t eaten everything you own.” She giggled, and phased through the wall.

He released a shuddering breath and slumped down from his stiff position - reaching over to pet Squishy’s head as she leaned in and began to thump her tail against the floor. He smiled softly at the sight and sunk further back into the chair with a deep sigh.

He leaned back, staring at the ceiling, trying to sort through how to help the neighbor he’d assumed was after his money and name. He winced at his previous misconceptions. He  needed more practice at  learning to accurately read people - perhaps he could convince Cass to coach him in nonverbal cues.

He shook his head, helping Marinette build  a support system was top priority. He’d always bemoaned his family getting in his way - but at least he’d never been left alone. From her story, it seemed like she’d run  the entire Paris operation on her own the four years Hawkmoth had been at large.

The first step was to involve  his Father and siblings  - they’d know how to execute a plan  - but he felt it had to come  at her own pace. From what she said, she’d had no choice but to play catch-up during her entire battle - since she was twelve.

He continued to chase his thoughts  in a dizzying dance until he eventually succumbed to sleep, not noticing when the kwamii crept back and snuggled in alongside Marinette.

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

Three months later - a tiny girl in a dark red and black ensemble was spotted running on rooftops alongside Robin, Red Hood, and Nightwing, her light, bell-like laughter ringing out into the Gotham night.

The local media pages blew up - the people of Gotham fell  in love with their ‘Ladybird’ and her sweet nature which  opposed the stoic and gruff bats. It was interesting for them to see her banter and fight alongside the other members of the team -  especially Robin, who became  her shadow, rarely leaving her side.

She had several blogs dedicated to her feats and theories about the miraculously healed injuries and repaired battle sites. It didn’t take long for people  from France to find the numerous articles, and start the rumor she was once their ‘Ladybug’, but there was no solid evidence. The two looked and acted completely differently.

Ladybird was free-spirited and light of heart, whereas Ladybug was serious and professional. Many speculated the  Ladybug miraculous  traded hands, but, as there was no supernatural Cat seen, it  remained an unlikely theory.

Unfortunately for the bloggers, it was hard to snag  a good look at the bats, as they thrived in the darkness. Others  commented on Robin’s costume change, but Ladybird’s appearance  took the spotlight.

If they had caught a closer look, they would have found Robin’s red and yellow colors gone , and the forest green was replaced with a more muted-toxic tone. Thankfully, his hood hid the most significant changes as he now sported two small velvet ears that reacted to sound and emotion, and his usual katakana now had a pitch-black blade with green detailing on the hilt.

In completely unrelated news,  the youngest son of Gotham’s resident billionaire was  in the news frequently as he’d taken to hanging around a petite Asian-French girl who was rumored to be a famous designer from France. She was photographed numerous times on outings with Damian and both their dogs - who got  along even better than  their owners.

Due to her kind nature and enchanting  smile, she quickly gained the  nickname  ‘Sunshine of Gotham’ and the tag trended frequently  on Twitter.

During an interview with a fashion magazine, she was asked if she’d ever leave the city of crime, and the answer she’d given was proudly displayed in the Gotham Gazette the next day.

“The people of Gotham have heart and spunk which  can’t be matched - I was welcomed here after a difficult time in France, and I don’t see myself growing tired of being challenged and cared for in the way only Gotham can.”

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[1] Almalak almuharib - ‘Warrior Angel’ in Arabic [2] Hda - ‘calm’ in arabic [3] Rahab - ‘greet’ in arabic