#tank bo free fire

[izzabela]

Hello! I was wondering if you could do something involving the bros taking care of a reader with an allergy to biting/stinging insects? I am allergic IRL, so it would feel nice to have someone do treatment or aftercare through the itching, burning, and whole hives/swollen throat crud I experience.

Survival of the Fittest - Lin Kuei x GN!farmer!reader

in which the great Lin Kuei assassins tackle allergies

a/n: what's better than one hot brother? TWO! what's better than two hot brothers? THREE!

also i had to google about allergic reactions to bugs (i didn't know that was a thing)

ship[s]: tomas, kuai liang, bi han x GN!reader

warning(s): polyamorous

"Delicious," you sigh happily, rubbing your belly happily.

Tomas, Kuai Liang, and Bi Han look you with warm faces, content with their lover's full belly.

"I am pleased you enjoyed," Kuai Liang said as he pats your head.

Tomas nods in agreement, "I couldn't agree more."

Bi Han just nods, taking some money out for Madam Bo when she comes by.

All three Lin Kuei inheritors, your lovers as well, brought you to Fengjian to have a taste of Madam Bo's cooking. Curious, you said yes (who would say no to free food?), and you were not disappointed.

You ate rounds and rounds of beef, pork, rice, and stir fried veggies, and anything else you could fit in the blackhole you called your stomach. By the time you were done, you had six plates stacked by yourself.

The boys didn't care how much they spent, as long as you were fed and happy.

"Happy little thing, aren't you?" Madam Bo quipped, smirking as she slaps the bill down.

You nod, making light conversation with her about the food as Bi Han pulled out more money to pay for the food. Afterwards, the Madam counted up and nodded, happy with the money she pocketed.

"Thank you once again, Madam Bo," you say with a bow.

She shakes her head and throws her hands at you, "You're quite welcome, dear. One more person I enjoy cooking for."

Getting up, you four say your goodbyes as you head to the door. Before heading out, though, Kuai Liang taps your shoulder with a bottle in his hand.

"Do not forget your repellent, darling," he says as he shakes the bottle.

You sigh and put your arms out and spread your legs shoulder-width apart. You had joined them for dinner in the clothes you wear for the harvest: thick, wide-legged pants with leggings underneath, short sleeves with a tank underneath, closed-toed tennis shoes, and a hat.

The brothers pass the bottle around and spray the parts of your body that were exposed: Bi Han at your neck and collarbone area, Kuai Liang at your shoulders and arms, and Tomas at your ankles where the leggings didn't cover.

Why? Because you're the weakest link.

Kidding, you're allergic to mosquitoes.

While it is unfortunate, it isn't death-causing. Modern medicine is to thank for that, but it is annoying that you have to carry repellent, your epipens, and to be careful of your surroundings.

After each brother is done spreading the repellent all over your exposed body parts, you four walked out the door happy, taking your guys' time in the village of Fengjian.

As you walked, your hands were taken by Kuai Liang on your left and Tomas on your right. Bi Han was behind you, not too far but close enough to smell the scent of your perfume.

"It is a beautiful evening," Bi Han notes, "Seldom do we have such time together."

You nodded in agreement. The farm life takes up a lot of time: herding the animals, feeding the animals, harvesting the greens, so on and so forth. Same for the brothers, except they were busy running the elusive Lin Kuei and protecting Earthrealm.

As you four walk, Tomas swats away any bugs as they come by you. With scary precision, he'll clap his hands together to kill the mosquitoes that frequent the warm, humid air.

Kuai Liang follows, except bits of fire from his fingertips act as a fly swatter.

Bi Han also protects you, flicking bits of ice in the direction of the mosquitoes.

However, despite all of their attentiveness, you feel a feathery touch, then a light pinch on the back of your neck. You get the bug, and you look at the deceased mongrel in the palm of your hand.

"Agh, bit," you announce as you brush the dead bug off your hand.

Bi Han roughly takes your hand, "You got bit. Where?" he gruffly asks.

Kuai Liang and Tomas look all over your body, and Tomas finds the spot smack dab in the middle of the back of your neck. He immediately asks Kuai Liang for cream and your medicine, but you decline.

"I'm fine, boys, really," you reassure them.

Letting go, you walk ahead of them, humming as you continue to take the sights in. They don't believe you, but for the sake of you, they stop their nagging. However, it doesn't stop the worry as they note how you begin to worsen.

First, it swells at an alarming rate. Like a volcano about to erupt, it's red and the "magma" is puss. But you tell them it doesn't itch.

In a couple of short seconds through the walk, you begin to touch at it, gently scratching it as there is mild discomfort. Tomas notices this and stops your hand from touching it some more.

"Honey, you can't touch it," he said as he applies some anti-itch cream, "It'll get worse."

Kuai Liang nods, "Correct he is. Hold our hands, Bi Han will cool it down."

His elder brother nods and hovers his palm over the swelling and aching area. Despite his cooling efforts, he mentions that it feels a bit warm.

"No," he deduces, "You, dear, are feeling warm."

You shake your head weakly, bits of sweat trickling down the side of your head as you can feel your throat tighten up. It's getting a bit hard to breathe, but you wheeze out a small "I'm fine".

You four finally make it to the portal, but your eyes become bleary, vision blurred as you stumble over your feet. All three pairs of hands manage to grab a hold of you before you hit the ground, but it's much too late.

Refusal to take any medicine left you dizzy and weak, your throat tight and swollen, and the bite practically about to burst. Tomas feels your forehead, and you're about as hot as Kuai Liang's fire.

Okay, not humanly possible, but it's pretty damn close.

"Bi Han! They're burning up!" he cries worriedly, and the mentioned brother scoops you into his arms.

"I will cool them myself, you two get the necessary items for their comfort."

They charge through the portal with you quietly moaning and groaning in pain. In the palace, Bi Han takes you to his bedroom, where a huge California bed lays, and lays you down. He quickly fixes up the pillows so you can lay your back against the headboard without discomfort.

It's nice and soft, but you're so warm still. Your arms reach for Bi Han, catching his garb as you gently pull it. He notices, and sits behind you and puts you in his lap, hugging you from behind as he emits a nice chill with his powers.

Kuai Liang and Tomas enter, the former brother with some water and towels, while Tomas has an epipen, some allergy meds, and an anti-inflammatory cream. You remember stashing some away in their rooms since you frequented their home.

Kuai Liang holds your head as you lean forward to expose the bitten area, and he wipes the anti-inflammatory cream all over the blistering wound. While it helps, it can't help your swollen throat.

"You'll need to use the pen, Tomas," Bi Han says, motioning to the medicine in that the European man holds.

He nods, but he sets it down on the nightstand. He's at your waist and he looks into your eyes as he gently explains what he's going to do.

"I will be removing your pants and leggings, but only down to your knees," he says calmly, with worried lines etched into his forehead.

You nod as you lean into Bi Han, relishing in the chill he provided. You feel Tomas's hands as he pulls your pants and leggings down. As promised, he stopped at your knees.

He takes the pen in his hand and removes the safety cap at the top, the orange piece to your thigh as his thumb is on top of the button.

Thumb to the sky, orange to the thigh, you had taught that to them just in case- thank the elder gods you did.

You whimper, little drops of tears streaming down your face as you look at him worriedly.

"Hold onto my brothers, dear," he prompts as he places each of your hands in his brothers.

Your left is in Kuai Liang's on the bed side, while your right is in Bi Han's as he hugs you from behind.

"On the count of three," Tomas says, "One... two... three!!"

The needle pokes your thigh in a quick pinch, and you blink away more tears that come through. However, you can feel your body begin to relax and cool down, and your eyes flutter to a close.

"Sleep," Bi Han says, a scarce softness in his voice.

You listen to the grandmaster, falling asleep to the rhythmic beating of Bi Han's heart as his brothers gather around you.

=====================

You awake in the same position you left off, except this time the three men lay resting.

Bi Han is hugging your waist as his head rests on your shoulder, while Tomas and Kuai Liang are in your lap at each side, the warmth of their breathing felt on your leg.

You try to stretch quietly, but it's no use as all three of them wake up at the smallest movement of your body. Like little toy soldiers, you commanded their every movement.

They were that madly in love with you.

Kuai Liang holds your cheek, "Are you alright?"

You hold onto his hand and nod, nuzzling into his tepid hand.

"Yes, quite," you say confidently, "Though, a bit parched."

Tomas grabs the water that stood on the nightstand, holding it to your mouth as you practically chugged the cool liquid in one fell swallow.

Tomas then gets in between your legs and holds your hips, head nuzzled into your belly as he explains what happened.

From the first symptom, to your passing out, to the administering of medicine. Yes, you technically saw it, but allergies made you delirious. The recounting of the story moved you.

"You boys did that for me?" you ask tenderly, voice shaky with emotion.

Bi Han nodded in your shoulder, head not lifted as he spoke into your skin.

"Frivolous woman..." Bi Han scolded you lightly, "To worry us so..."

You chuckle as you pat his head, "Yes, yes, I know. Listen to you next time. Got it, mother."

He growls as he mumbles some curses, but they're empty threats as they all cuddle up to you again.

"Sleep once more," Tomas says as he pars your thigh, "You are still weak."

You nod, listening to them this time as you four fall into peaceful slumber.

While you would not put yourself in this predicament again, it was nice to have someone (in this case, three hot brothers) care for you in a time of need.

=====================

googled so much about allergic reactions, epipen usage, and even asked my siblings what it feels like when their allergic reactions get bad

if i missed anything or got something wrong, lemme know so i can edit!

btw my cali trip is finishing up, which means we're back to our regularly scheduled program!

i hope yall enjoyed, and i'll see yall in the next fic!

[phantoms-lair]

50

((Yeah, still trying to plug away at these)) Dc Comics x Video Game Is it cheating if the video game already takes place in DC comics? Maybe. But I make the rules. ~ Tim Drake had a lot of things. Money. Power (from being CEO of Wayne Enterprises), a wonderful boyfriend, intelligence, enough stealth skills to spy on Batman in his prime, and a mastery of the bo staff.

There were two things Tim didn't have. A spleen, and a lot of free time. Not much could be done about the spleen thing, aside from a rigorous antibiotic regime, but his free time was precious. Free time he got to spend with Bernard even more so. Which is why he had to strangle down a scream when in the middle of the best lunch date he'd had in mouths, his phone went off.

"You could ignore it?" Bernard half heartedly suggested.

"Not with that particular ringtone," Tim said ruefully.

"Of course you have different ringtone for different emergency levels, Bernard teased fondly.

And it was true. But this emergency was less 'company stock tanking' and more 'possible end of the world'. He clicked the answer button and held the phone to his ear, ruefully mourning the end of his date.

"Brainiac is launching a full invasion of Earth with the intent to digitize it all into data which will then either be kept or deleted." Batman's voice came with not preamble, no asking about security or whether Tim could be overheard. "In at least one timeline this was successful. The Lex Luthor of that timeline has implemented a plan to ensure Earths survival by increasing the number of Metas-"

"Tim look out!" Tim dropped his phone as Bernard pulled him out of his seat, and out of where a piece of alien tech had been about to crash down. A BZZZZT of energy flared and a wall formed, trapping anyone who hadn't fled inside. Tim looked up. Brainiac's troops were beginning to swarm the arm. "

We need to go."

"But those people-" Bernard looked at the entire city block that was encased in energy.

"We need to find the Bats." Well, they needed Oracle, which Tim could no longer do without his phone. Or Bernard's, which he could still see resting on the outdoor table next to the pylon that had almost finished the job Widower had started.

Bernard nodded. Tim was right, they needed help for this. "It's daytime, so Signal?"

"Signal's a good start." Tim agreed. He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting so the people trapped could hear. "We're getting the Bats!"

"And the Justice League!" Bernard added.

Tim doubted that. If Brainiac was doing this worldwide, the League would be spread thin. Gotham was in the hands of it's own protectors. He grabbed Bernard's wrist, pulling him along. "Let's go!"

~

Tim and Bernard both pulled each other away from their former lunch spot, all too aware of the screams of fear they were leaving behind. Everything in Tim that was Robin wanted to go back and help those people trapped in the forcefield, but he couldn't. He needed to get to Oracle, he needed to get Bernard somewhere safe so he could switch over to being Red Robin. He needed-

New screams interrupted his thoughts. Oh this was the LAST thing they needed right now. A giant hulk of a man wearing joker face paint and with burning hands and clothes torn at the seams was lifting up a car and looked to be smashing it on woman shielding a small child. He moved without thinking, letting go of Bernard and dashing forward, pulling the two out of the line of fire. He heard the crunch of the car behind, them. Too close. Much too close.

"Aw, someone want to be a good Samaritan." The Joker-hulk sneered. The fire in his hands sparked and he sent a blast towards them.

Tim needed something. A shield, his staff- suddenly he felt a familiar weight in his hands. Without thinking he spun his staff to block the flame and was rewarded by hearing it sizzle out. Bernard's jaw was dropped. Okay, first things first, he needed to deal with this guy and then think of an excuse for his bo staff proficiency with Bernard.

Fire clown was coming in again. He landed a solid strike to the guy jaw, knocking him aside but his flaming hands grazed Tim's sleeve setting it alight.

"No!" Bernard cried and started to glow. Light seemed to overtake him for an instant and his form changed to include two large wings sprouting from his back. In an instant the light faded and Tim could see the wings were blue. Bernard reached out and thick vines burst from the ground, holding the assailant down.

"What the heck-?" Tim whispered.

"Oh you're one to talk Mister 'Summons a bo staff from water'." Bernard sniped.

What? Tim finally payed attention to the weapon his hand and realized as Bernard said, it was made of water. And not ice, but like...flowing water. He dropped it and it lost it's form splashing to the ground.

"You just started glowing and then you made that and your hair grew out."

"You started glowing and you got wings." Tom countered.

"I what?" Bernard turned to look at his back. "I have wings!"

The Lex Luthor of that timeline has implemented a plan to ensure Earths survival by increasing the number of Metas Was that what had happened to them? Was that where fire clown had come from?

"Are you two superheroes?" The child they had saved asked. The mother pulled her closer, not trusting even if they had saved her. Clearly she was from Gotham.

"For today at least." Bernard said brightly. He knelt in front of the child and made a beautiful flower appear. "But you and your Mom should get to safety. It's going to be a bad day even for Gotham."

"He's not wrong." Tim re-summoned his staff (how was it so easy?). He brought the end down on the fire clown's head, knocking him out before he could burn through the vines. "We're going to find Signal and get the Bats help. You two get home if you can and hide if you can't."

The woman was already leaving, which good for her.

"So we're superheroes now?' Bernard said.

Tim sighed. "We seem to have powers and..." Yeah he couldn't say anything after he jumped in to save those two. "We don't know if they're permanent though."

"True. But I bet we can find Signal faster from the air."

"We don't even know if those wings work." Tim pointed out, but Bernard wasn't waiting for an answer, scooping up Tim Bridal style in his arms.

"You're not afraid of heights are you?"

"N-no." Oh gods he was blushing. He was blushing so hard. Was this how Lois felt?

"Then here goes." Bernard's knees bent and wings flared out and suddenly they were in the air. ~ Tim did not have a photographic memory, but it was close. And right now he was imprinting the image of the the wind ruffling through Bernard's hair as he flies them around Gotham as hard as he can. Maybe these powers are permanent and Bernard will always be able to do this. But odds are just as good these powers will be gone in an hour. He wished he had a camera to capture this forever. Maybe make one built into a contact lens so he can take pictures of whatever he sees-

"Any sign of Signal?"

Right. The mission. If this was permanent he was going to have to ask Lois how she focused on anything when Clark was carrying her like this. Maybe exposure therapy. He'd have to look into that. Now where was Duke supposed to be this time of day.

Thankfully they were all adept at navigating patrol routes from above thanks to needed to use the batplanes. Following the patrol route..."There!"

Bernard swooped down to where he pointed to where Gotham's daylight defender was finishing with a group attacking him.

"Is that Intergang?" Tim wondered out loud. "I thought they were more based in Metropolis?"

"Manners," Bernard chided gently. "I'm Bernard Dowd, This is Tim Drake. The city block where we were eating has some kind of force-field over it and people were trapped inside. Also we somehow got super powers and we want to help!"

"We're not the only ones." Tim pointed out grimly. "Joker doesn't tend to go for metas in his group-doesn't want anyone who can upstage him. And the tears in his clothes indicated he wasn't that big this morning. So we maybe dealing with a super power epidemic."

"So you'll need all the help you can get." Bernard restated.

Outwardly Signal just seemed to be taking it all in. But Tim could his metaphorical eyebrow twitch and knew what going through his head. Technically there was protocol for civilians approaching them to go vigilante too. And that protocol was to shut them down. Redirect them into things like evacuation if you have to, but whatever you do don't encourage them. But there were two problems with this scenario. One was his knew Tim was a skilled vigilante with more experience than him. The second was between a Brainiac mass invasion, a superpower epidemic, and apparently an Intergang moving to Gotham, they were extremely short handed and did need all the help they could get.

So Duke did the only thing he could. "Signal to Watchtower. Batman come in. I've got a lead on the Intergang case, but Brainiac has started his invasion. I've got two newly meta'd civilians -Tim Drake and Bernard Dowd who want to help. And apparently already fought a meta Joker goon."

Good, letting Bruce know he was alive while hiding it in a mission report.

"Okay, copy." Signal took two little earbuds Tim recognized as comms and handed them to each of them. This must be desperate times indeed if Batman was even entertaining the idea.

"This is Batman." Bruce said once the comms were in their ears. "I would normally never condone this, but it's an emergency. The Justice League is stretched thin with Brainiac's global invasion."

Tim watched Bernard pale. He knew this already, but Bernard was now realizing this wouldn't be a 'heroes swoop in and save the day.' event.

"What are your abilities and level of training?"

"I've trained in martial arts and I'm at least good enough I could manage the members of the Cult of Dionysus before my powers. Also I can now fly and can create and control plant life." Bernard answered confidently.

"He also has increased strength and stamina." Tim added. Bernard gave him a look. "Love, you picked me up like I weighed no more than a plushy and flew me all over Gotham. That takes way more strength and staying power than you would think."

"Oh," Bernard rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I've also trained in self-defense, though I've never had to put it to the test." Thankfully Bruce knew how a big a lie that was. "And I seem to have some for of hydrokinesis. I can summon water and form it into weapons."

"Hmm." Bruce sounded thoughtful, but Tim was easily able to translate it to This sucks This sucks This sucks.

"If we're going to be sending civilians into this mess, they'll at least need some protection." Oracles modulated voice cut in over the coms. "And a mask as Tim Drake is a well know public figure. We have the assets we seized from the harbor a few days ago, we can let them use that."

Ah, he'd almost forgotten. They'd done a bust on a guy calling himself 'The Tailor' who was supplying uniforms and gear to villain crews. It wasn't quite Bat-Quality, but was still some pretty high end protective fabrics and equipment.

"Right. We'll have Spoiler take them-"

"Negative." Oracle cut Batman off. "I have Spoiler on a mission. Send Batgirl."

"Negative. Batgirl's skills are imperative right now. Whatever Spoiler's doing-"

"Hood's comm broke and Spoiler's the only one who can enter his territory with impunity." Which was because she lived there and he couldn't very well prevent her from going home. "We need all hands and clear communication on this." Oracle brooked no argument.

Personally Tim was relieved. Bernard had only met a few members of his family in passing. But Steph he'd hung out with. If she and Tim fell back into their usual dynamic, Bernard might figure it out.

"If I may," A new voice broke in over the comm. "For our newcomers, I am Agent A. I mostly work behind the scenes, but as Oracle is handling most of the coordination, I am available for the outing."

This was perfect. He and Bernard had only reconnected after he moved out of the Manor. Bernard had never actually met Alfred.

"Get it handled. I'll be coordinating with Batwoman and Nightwing about taking out that forcefield." Batman cut off his comm.

"I know you've got a lot to do, but if you give us coordinates to the location, we can save time by meeting Agent A there." Tim knew where it was, of course. But he couldn't say that.

"Warehouse on Exter. There's a marking like this on the roof." Signal drew a small emblem in light before it faded away. "Sorry, but I need to get back to the Crime Cult."

"Crime cult away." Bernard said chipperly as he picked up Tim again and Tim felt a flash of relief that it was Duke there and not any other of his brothers.

[drunkenskunk]

Time for more Drunk Skunk Lore

So, I've just been reminded that tomorrow is father's day.

I don't speak to my father. I mean, I don't speak to any of my family, and haven't for just over 4 years. But my father in particular is an asshole. He's a real piece of work. I will forever be ashamed of myself that it took me so fucking long to cut them both out of my life.

Like, the man freely admitted many times over the years that he was "socially liberal and fiscally conservative." Which is just Blue No Matter Who Liberal code for "I think the problems of this world are very bad, but the causes of all those problems have been very good for me, personally and financially. But I don't want to admit that out loud. So I'm conflicted!"

When I think about my father - something I try not to do as often as I can - I think about three specific moments that really encapsulate the man. These are by no means the only things he ever did (go ahead and search through the #drunk skunk lore tag if you're in a particularly good mood today and would like to ruin it) but these three moments will probably give you the best grasp of the kind of shithead he is.

The first that springs immediately to mind was the time I tried to explain the concept of the Fuel Rats to him. For context: in the video game Elite Dangerous, there is a player run organization called the Fuel Rats. Their mission is simple: if you're playing the game and your starship runs out of fuel anywhere in the galaxy - and, for reference, Elite Dangerous is meant to be a 1:1 to-scale recreation of the Milky Way - you can contact the Fuel Rats, and they will come to your aid, and fill up your gas tank, free of charge.

"So what's in it for them?" I remember my father asking, after I explained. "It's not like they're really doing this for free. There must be some kind of incentive. So what are they getting out of it?"

This went on for several minutes. I kept trying to explain, and he just couldn't grasp the concept. He could not wrap his head around a person - much less a group of people - deliberately operating at a loss, simply because it was the right thing to do. It wasn't possible for him to conceive of a scenario where someone would do something for someone else that wasn't inherently transactional.

Then there was that one time I tried to show him The Business Card Scene from American Psycho. Because I thought it was funny, and I knew that he was an executive himself before he retired, so I thought he might also find it funny.

He watched it... and then he looked at me, like I'd grown three heads. He didn't understand what was funny about it. He didn't know what the jokes was supposed to be... because for him, it wasn't a joke. That was just the kind of thing that would happen all the time between executives at his job.

Another time I remember was when my parents and I were at a restaurant having lunch. Can't remember where, but it was a place with TVs everywhere, and Office Space happened to be playing. It was the part of the movie where the Bobs were interviewing people, to try and figure out who they could fire.

This prompted my father to share an anecdote when something similar happened at his work. His office hired someone to go through the list of everyone working there, to see who was "superfluous," so they could downsize. And it all culminated with a meeting where my father, his boss, and the "efficiency expert" were going through all his findings. And once all was said and done, and they had the list of who they were going to fire, my father's boss nodded, looked at the guy, and said "You've done good work here, but there's one more name we need to add to that list. Pack up your things, you're fired."

I was horrified by literally everything he had said, but he just started laughing. He thought it was hilarious. That was a funny anecdote for him.

How the fuck did it take me 32 years to realize he was such a shithead? I really don't know.

The signs were all there, if only I had bothered to look.

[u1gamer]

30 KILLS || SOLO VS SQUAD || NEW RECORD FIRST TIME IN FREE FIRE ON FIRST VIDEO || RECORD BREAKER

[june-girl-86]

Chapter 44

Ahsoka was rescued after the attack on her. But her abilities since then disappeared. Who or what can help her find them again?

Pairing: Din Djarin x OC Female!

ReaderRating: Mature/Explicit (+18)

Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence / Love / Action&Adventure / Blood&Violence / Drama & Romance / Slow Burn / Fluff&Smut

As Ahsoka opened her eyes, feeling the pressure on her face through the mask, liquid around her, panic rose in the Togruta. Her hands sped upward but didn't get far, touching the cold glass and pushing upward in a futile attempt to reach freedom. Her hands clenched into fists, trying to break the glass, but the pounding against it only echoed loudly in her ears. Her battered consciousness did not realize that she was safe, that the Bacta tank was healing her. Her whole body struggled to break out of her supposed prison. She could detect movement beside her, perhaps she was finally being freed. Sure enough, a crack opened in the lid and she reached her hands out. But instead of helping her, a cold, mechanical hand touched her. She tried to free herself here too, but the more she wriggled, the weaker she became. The droid had injected her with a sedative through the cannula in the back of her hand. Ahsoka's breaths slowed, her body falling back into a dreamless sleep of healing.

Flies buzzed over the fishpond and every now and then a frog's tongue darted out and snatched its meal. Ahsoka sat in the shade of a tree in the grass and watched the hustle and bustle, and yet her thoughts were not here. She didn't notice how the butterfly landed on her shoulder, paused for a few wing beats, and then rose back into the air.

It had taken her a while to get here from the stone building that lay behind the bamboo grove. After her stay in the bacta tank, she had had just enough strength to get up from her bed to get to the table where her food was. Likewise, getting to the bathroom and back had felt like a forced march. Her body healed very slowly and she was not used to this. Likewise, she lacked the strength to connect with her environment. It was as if someone had cut this bond that had always belonged to her. Hadn't Bo-Katan killed her with that explosion, but robbed her of her power?

"You think too much. Your mind needs to heal too!"

Startled, Ahsoka flinched; she hadn't heard Luke coming, much less felt him. The took a seat cross-legged beside her and touched her comfortingly on the arm.

"How did you find me?"

Ahsoka had been here for some time now, but other than R2-D2 and other droids, she hadn't seen anyone. But it had been immediately clear to her after the sighting of R2-D2 that she must be in a domicile of Luke.

"In which I followed your deep footprints. They show how weighed down your body still is!"

Ahsoka had actually meant something else, and Luke knew it.

"Morai led me to you. Without her and the neti, you wouldn't be alive!"

The Togruta bowed her head. Had she left the planet before Bo-Katan reached her, but it happened at Dar's request. Who knows how the future would have changed, by one wrong action.

"You did the right thing! Let's take a few steps!"

Luke stood up and extended his hand to help her up. Slowly, at Ahsoka's pace, they walked into the bamboo grove, but a different direction than to the building. Birds chirped and a small mouse scurried across the forest floor. Again and again they stopped, Luke let Ahsoka catch her breath. Then the forest cleared and Ahsoka noticed the young trees. As she approached them, she felt a brief tingle in her fingertips. She looked first at them and then at Luke questioningly.

"I took as many as I could of those that survived the fire. The others sacrificed themselves for your life!"

Ahsoka closed her eyes and felt the tears coming away.

"You are one of them now!" smiled Luke, crouching down in front of a small tree and gently stroking its leaves. He could feel the life and gratitude.

"Hey, Snips! Wake up!"

Ahsoka blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her Master stood leaning over her, smiling at her.

"We're here!" he informed her, walking toward the open ramp. Ahsoka blinked again, she was confused. Where had Anakin taken her?

"Where are we?" she asked absentmindedly as she followed him. It was night, only a thin crescent moon could be seen, disappearing again and again behind the clouds.

"I notice you haven't been listening to me at all, Snips!"

Ahsoka shrugged her shoulders in embarrassment, trying to keep up with her master. He had activated his blue lightsaber and was leading her across the dirt path. Somehow this path seemed familiar to Ahsoka, as if she had walked along it just yesterday. Past the pond, the row of trees and behind them appeared a village. Next to the well, where several buckets were stacked, they stopped. The outside lights of the huts were on, otherwise it was quiet in the village. Only the croaking of frogs from the pond reached their ears. Anakin's lightsaber went out and he looked to her.

"Do you remember?"

Ahsoka swallowed and nodded. She was home. Could remember the moment she had accompanied her mother to fetch water, played tag with her playmates before leaving home to study. She did not understand why her master had brought her back here. When she tried to ask him, he had disappeared. Searching, she looked around until she felt the cold coming on. Goosebumps formed on her arms and she also felt cold inside. And then she heard the static sound. With every breath... She could perceive the black figure between the huts activating the lightsaber. First that beautiful blue blade came out, but it was only a blink of an eye, then the red one had won.

"No!", Ahsoka groaned in shock as she understood where he was going and who he was. He was heading for her home and she could feel his hatred. She started walking, but her steps were so slow, as if time was working against her. She could hear the creak of the wooden stairs he was going up. How his lightsaber slid through the wall of the door to get inside. His breaths and the crackle of the lightsaber. And then a force pulled at her body, yanking her across the way, into the room where her parents slept. Her mother had opened her eyes, presumably awakened by a noise. And the last thing she saw was the fiery red beam of the lightsaber hovering over her before it touched her body and then her husband's, ripping them from their lives. Then that black figure raised its head and the dark mask stared at Ahsoka....

A dull thud made Ahsoka's eyes open with a gasp. She felt the hard floor beneath her, the pain spreading through her limbs as a result. She had fallen out of bed. Her clothes were wet with sweat and her body shook and trembled. She rolled onto her side, tightened her legs and continued to lie there. She didn't want to get up again, she didn't want to go back to sleep and she didn't want to dream about how her master had killed her parents. It was not the first time. He had sent her this dream when she was mentally weakened after her escape. He had clearly sensed through their former bond as Master and Padwan that she had survived Order 66. But instead of hunting her down, he made it clear to her that he was killing others close to her to do so. She could still remember how agonizing that sight had been the first time. Her screams had pierced the forest where she was hiding. Now she would like to scream again, but she lacked the strength.

The days passed, the physical condition improved, but Ahsoka felt mentally quite drained. The dream still gave her a headache that would not go away. She also went Luke out of the way, but she was drawn to the pond in the shade, felt how even inside her, a shadow laid on her.

But on this day, she was not alone. Grogu was on a rock in the water, floating lightly above it. He seemed very concentrated and not as vulnerable as he had been the last time they met. He had chosen his path.

When she had awakened in the morning, both of her lightsabers had been on the table. If she was honest with herself, she hadn't missed the weapons at all. Now they lay before her wrapped in a blue silk. Carefully she opened it and stared at the lightsabers. Her fingers slid over the silver hilts, the fine nicks in them made by fighting and other incidents. Her hand clasped the longer saber and activated it. She felt the slight vibration and heard the mechanical hum. But no whispers entered her ears, as they usually did when the weapon spoke to her. No tingle that traveled up her arm and made her feel she was not alone. Ahsoka closed her eyes and squeezed them tightly shut. She called out in her mind for the saber, but it remained silent. Instead, the image of the red saber killing her parents reappeared. She opened her eyes, reached out with her arm and with a loud desperate cry threw the saber away from her. The weapon flew over the water and stopped in midair just before it dipped into it. Grogu blinked in irritation from his position and held his small hand towards the saber. Slowly, it floated back and landed in front of Ahsoka on the blue silk where the smaller one lay.

"He misses his father every minute, but his will to learn is strong. And his faith that one day he will see him again and he will hold him in his arms!" said Luke, noticing Ahsoka twitching. Just as she couldn't make contact with her lightsabers, she still wasn't able to sense him. Something else for that.

"I sensed evil a few days ago, and you can't get rid of it!"

Ahsoka nodded.

"He sought her out. He was in Shili!"

She didn't need to say more, Luke knew what she meant and he looked back out at the lake.

"Displacement is wrong. You've carried that pain inside you all these years and that baggage has grown and is pushing your soul down!"

Ahsoka lowered her head, wrapping her swords back into the silk. Her hands lingered on it as if to apologize for what she had done.

Luke had never seen the Togruta so vulnerable, and now he had to show her the reason why she failed to heal mentally. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin looked pale as well.

"Morai is not well!" sighed Luke and Ahsoka looked at him, startled. She realized that besides her weapons, she hadn't thought about Morai either. Not once had she considered where the Convor might be.

"I wanted to spare you the sight, but by now I understand that you are too connected!"

Ahsoka followed Luke, it was not to the stone building, but through the dense forest. The path became narrower and narrower until they reached a small cabin. When Luke opened the door, the sunlight shone on the straw-covered floor. And in the middle of it sat Morai. Ahsoka gasped in horror and held her hands over her mouth. Morai looked as horrible as she felt. The plumage, which otherwise shimmered gloriously green and white, was brown-gray and ruffled. But worst of all was when Morai opened her eyes. There was a blankness and weariness in them. Ahsoka sank to her knees and heaved a sob. Luke stepped behind her and put his hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"You two need to get better. Morai used all her energy to contact me and help the Neti. The trees formed a cocoon of their roots and branches to keep you alive. But they were weakened, so Morai did her best. When I arrived, their lives were hanging by a thread. Since you possess a powerful bond, your recovery, kept them alive!"

Morai opened her beak and beeped. Ahsoka's hand trembled as she touched the convordame's head. She tilted it and beeped again as she enjoyed the contact. Then she closed her eyes and the slow breathing showed Ahsoka that Morai had fallen asleep.

@rain-on-kamino

[gallickingun]

the space between || b.k.

SUMMARY: It’s been a long time since Bokuto has had a Saturday morning off, and you plan to use it to your full advantage. 

PAIRING: Bokuto Koutarou x Fem!Reader RATINGS: T+ WARNINGS: mentions of nudity, emotional cuddles, etc. WORD COUNT: 4.2k+

Author’s Note: This was supposed to be a cute, quick little fic about cuddling in the nude with Bokuto and here we are, four thousand words later. I hope you guys like it, my first Bo piece! 💕

The plush of the mattress jostles and you find yourself stirring from the realm of slumber, eyes still glued together with the sleep that fogs your mind. You are living in a haze, a mixture of your sleep deprivation and the boneless way your body lies within the sheets, joints and muscles aching from the tortuous pleasure you’ve been put through by the man you love most.

You want to stretch and open your eyes, to crack open your lids to find him sleeping next to you, a divot in the duvet where his hefty body has taken residence. But it is too difficult and too tiring to even think of putting forth effort at this point, your appendages practically creaking with the gentle movements you attempt to make. And so you settle for nosing yourself further into the down of your pillow instead, drinking in the warmth and the smell of his shampoo off the sheets.

“Sleepy head,” his voice is just a touch too loud for you to find enticing this early in the morning, despite how ravenous you were to hear it only a few hours prior, “s’time to get up, c’mon.”

You whine, screwing your eyes shut even further to the point where your vision throws speckles of fire against the backs of your lids. Every one of your muscles aches and you cannot force yourself to do anything other than lie there and take whatever verbal or physical assaults he chooses to instill upon you.

It starts with his palm, warm and expansive, running up your thighs. You clench the muscles as you feel his weight settle between your knees, his body still above the covers, your bare skin still hidden to him from the neck down. He chuckles and the baritone of it makes your spine shudder, your toes curling in anticipation, the build up before the burst.

With Bokuto, there is always a burst.

A gentle kiss is pressed to your navel, the bow of his lips finding the dip in your skin despite the barrier of a high thread count between the two of you. In response, you turn your head so your cheek is pressed into the pillow, embarrassment flooding your body in the form of a heated flush, singeing his fingertips as he roams your skin above the sheets. You’re too attuned to his ministrations, and everything that he does sends your body into a flurry of desire, as if your atoms were built to suffer until he brings a soothing balm of his own to you in the form of his fingerprints.

“Not ready yet, Bo,” you reach for him with one wavering hand, futile save for the fact that he longs for your skin nearly as much, if not more, than you long for his. Your thumb finds his bicep and it allows you enough of a guide to flatten your palm against the muscle, mapping out he curve along his deltoid, where you hook your middle finger to keep yourself steady, anchoring yourself to him like he was some sort of lifeboat, “Come back to bed.”

Your voice is slurred enough to make even the strongest of men weak, Bokuto thinks. The lilt each syllable carries, the way your eyes roll behind translucent lids, it’s all too much for his flimsy form. He can spike at what feels like one hundred miles per hour, but when he’s this close to you, his muscles atrophy and his heart stops beating.

You are a force to be reckoned with, and his heart always begs for just another whirlwind of you.

Bokuto is laughing again, this time nuzzling the apex of his face along your abdomen, counting out your ribs with the tip of his nose. It’s almost as if he’s making sure that you’re still all here, like he might have lost bits and pieces of you in the night. His breath is warm against your skin, adding to the heat the your body is accumulating from the promise of what is to come if you prove yourself tantalizing enough.

His hands pull the covers down to pool around your hips, gooseflesh pin-pricking your skin at the sudden change in temperature. Bokuto loves watching your body react, each inch of your seized up and stone cold, and he full-well intends to satiate your need for warmth. He kisses the bone of your right hip, nose trailing along the swell of your belly until he kisses the hollow of your navel, a gentle sound resonating in the soft space between your soul and his, “I’m right here, baby doll.”

You pout, forcing yourself to crack one eyelid open so you can half-glower down at him, even though the look has no malice or intent behind it. Bokuto pushes himself upward to snag your lower lip between the bite of his teeth, playfully nipping at the fullness of your skin. The closeness allows you the opportunity to slip your boneless arms around his neck, arching your back upward until your chests are flush with one another. You leech from his heat, begging to be enraptured by his body and stolen by his affections.

Bokuto’s body complies, his blood coursing scorching tendrils through his veins, making his skin sear against yours, a stark contrast to the coolness of your own. He appreciates you for a moment, eyes drinking you in, the way that your body pebbles beneath him, cool and compliant, awaiting his touch. He knows that he has you underneath his thumb, that he could have his way with you in any version of this that he wanted. He has your trust entirely, which is why when he leans down to kiss you square on the mouth, your frame molds to his own, and he is not sure where he ends and you begin.

The melding of your mouths has yet to cease his heartbeat from quickening, time after time. He does not grow weary of your tongue and gums beneath his own muscle, licking at the seam of your lips so he can devour you whole. You welcome him, of course, prying your teeth open so you can feel his heat extend to your own skin even further than before.

Your fingertips wind into his hair, tugging at the dark roots before you allow one palm to stray, trailing down over his shoulder. Bokuto is clad in a tank top, indicative of his morning workout, but it is thin enough that you can feel the corded muscle underneath the fabric, and you take full advantage of the diaphanous clothing to explore the range of his back and shoulders. The tactile difference between his shirt and his tresses forces you to focus on something, allowing you to keep your mind on this plane of existence rather than ascending to another. You moan when you feel the curve of his tongue prodding against your lips again, your knees trying to break free from the pinned position he has you in so you can bare yourself entirely to him.

Bokuto reaches upward to brush his knuckles along your jawline, abandoning your ribs for something closer to your heart. He is smirking against your mouth as he pulls away before he can become too enraptured in your taste and familiarity, “I’ve already had my morning jog and you’re still in bed, babe. I should punish you for being so lazy.”

Your backside throbs at the mention of punishment, still raw and angry from the memory of the long night that has hardly even passed, given the position of the sun outside the window. You feel the warmth of the rays trickling through the shades, golden light creating a tanned hue on Bokuto’s bare skin. You trace the thin beams that have formed shadows against his neck and shoulders, your fingertip finding his jugular and pressing down firmly to feel his pulse shudder under your touch.

The both of you flush with a lustful heat, your ears and nose changing color in tandem with one another. Bokuto can feel you trembling, knows that your mind has wandered to what his hands that are currently gentle and soft can truly do. He nudges his cheek against yours to feel the warmth of your embarrassment collecting there, the shade of your skin different now.

“You have the weekend off, no practice,” your hands flex against the back of his head and his shoulder, “and you seriously don’t want to just stay in bed? You’re always talking about how you don’t get enough sleep!”

Bokuto runs his hands over your torso, circling your waist with his expansive palms, sending a trail of blazing heat in his wake as he maps out the contours of your abdomen. He is laughing again, shaking his head so those silver tendrils fall in his face, obscuring you from his vision, “I guess you are pretty tired, huh? I wore you out last night.”

“Bo!” You reach up to smack his arm, gripping onto his bicep afterward. Your entire body sings with the remembrance of the way he folded you practically in half, his fingerprints ghosting against your skin now in the form of bruises, a tangible memory of his impressive brute strength.

He scrunches his nose as he grapples your forearm, circling his fingers around your wrist so he can pull your hand towards his face, kissing the innermost part of your arm as if he were planting a garden with the ministrations. His lips find your pulse point and he runs his nose along the grain of your arm, running the tip of it up to your wrist before he cracks his eyelids open to fixate onto you with that warm, golden gaze.

“What, did’ya already forget? Do you need a reminder?” Bokuto slips one palm underneath your thigh to grip the globe of your backside, squeezing the flesh harshly. It stings on impact, your hips canting forward to meet his with uncontrollable fervor. You have to bite down on your tongue to keep a moan from slipping between your teeth, the salacious feel of his hand against your ass doing little to quell the fire bubbling up within your belly.

“Koutarou, you little shit,” you’re growling out the syllables under your breath but he knows you have no follow-through, there will be no promise of anger or punishment. Another garbled set of words tries to flee from your tongue but you cannot focus on them because your mouth is otherwise occupied.

Bokuto hitches your leg upward, the sheet falling down from your knee so your thigh is now bared to him. He shivers at the sudden change in texture, from silken fabric to supple skin. It’s difficult for him to concentrate on your mouth when your leg is brushing against his hip in such a way that drives his mind mad. And yet, somehow he finds a way, silver lashes brushing against the tops of his cheeks as he closes his eyes, narrowing his focus to the taste of your tongue and the curve of your gums. He is enraptured by you, nothing but a heap of broken bones begging to be pieced back together at the mercy of your hands.

And you oblige him, just as you always do. Your fingerprints are the key to his soul, pressing firmly against his skin and opening him like no other.

You search him, pulling out those groans of ecstasy and aborted thrusts as his hips stutter against your waistline. Bokuto’s mouth draws downward, creating a line of open-mouthed kisses that leave behind a damp trail, as if it were gasoline, clear and slick along your skin. You beg him for the match as you moan his name, your skin matching his in heat now that he has engulfed you like a flame, threatening to light your whole body to a raging fire if you let him linger long enough.

“Maybe you’re right,” he gasps against your jugular, practically wanton in nature as he hovers over your body.

Leaning back, Bokuto reaches for your leg, tugging your calf upward so your ankle rests against his shoulder. He angles his head so he can kiss the bone there, a thin layer of skin keeping your barest parts from him. He chuckles and the warmth of his laughter spreads through your limbs like a raging bonfire, searing just beneath the surface.

He turns so he can look you in the eyes, “Maybe I will come back to bed.”

The smile that graces your lips makes it all worth it.

Bokuto allows you to strip his torso of the offensive article of clothing, the fabric added to the pool of your clothes on the floor beside the bed. Your hands waste no time in mapping out his torso, pectorals and oblique muscles receiving extra dotes of attention. He nips at your collarbones, admonishing you from allowing him to continue to strip down so the both of you are evenly matched, full patches of skin on display so neither of you can hide from one another.

Even bare, his frame no longer hindered by bulky clothes, Bokuto still proves to be a massive man. Bulging muscles and thick bones that pave the way for his thick extremities and loitering weight. When his knees dip into the mattress, you find yourself rolling towards them, the slope of the bed changed with his added weight. You giggle as you try to hold yourself upright, eyes squinting shut when he reaches across the space between your bodies to grip your rib cage. His hold on you is gentle but firm, keeping you in place without bruising you.

The two of you settle into one another as if you’ve been doing this your whole lives, falling into a position that leaves the both of you comfortable and close. Your head is tucked beneath his neck, your chin on his collarbone as you lie still, his breath warm as it dithers into the crown of your hair, your mouth open as you breath against his throat. The tanned flesh sprouts goosebumps and you can’t help the laughter that piques your voice, your nose nuzzling his jugular as his apple bobs when he tries to breathe.

“C’mere,” he murmurs against your forehead, kissing you shortly after the word is spoken. Bokuto’s palm runs down your side, gentle as he hooks his three middle-most fingers around the curve of your thigh, “you feel so good, baby, so warm and soft.”

You roll your eyes and lean back to look up at him, “Just what every woman wants to hear, Bo, that I’m soft.”

“What the hell is wrong with that?!” Bokuto gently bumps his forehead into yours, successfully hitching your leg up over his thigh so your waists are now flush with one another. You hook your ankle around the backside of his thigh reluctantly, narrowing your line of sight until your irises are but slits hidden behind half-hooded lids.

He scoffs, “I swear, you find something wrong with everything I say, woman.”

There is no true frustration behind his words, but you tilt your head upward to kiss him anyways. Your affections usually bring about some form of amnesia, as Bokuto is too enticed by the taste of your tongue to remember you admonishing him only moments prior. His fingers press harder against the muscle of your leg, trailing down so he can trace the dip of your calf and ankle, like he might be mapping out your anatomy so he could memorize it for later.

“I’ve missed you,” you manage when you pull away from him, ducking your head so your forehead bumps his chin. Your whole face is coated in an embarrassed heat, eyes beginning to water at the memory of too many nights spent alone in this bed while he travels the world to play out his dreams on the court.

Bokuto can feel the shift in your demeanor, and he pulls you closer to him on instincts alone. Your chest presses into him and you swear your heartbeats are in time with one another, the slow rhythm like a song that plays for only each other to hear. His hands try to find any part of you that he can touch, your skin calling to him in the quiet of your bedroom, begging to be praised and flourished with affections. He pulls the sheet up to your waists, allowing you some form of privacy despite it only being the two of you who live in between these walls.

“I think about you every day,” he murmurs against the shell of your ear, his voice an octave lower than usual. Your chest tightens at the sound of his downcast tone, and you know that those usually bright, amber eyes have lost their golden hue, turning a sad, sallow shade in favor of the standard color. Bokuto nudges his nose over your cheek, sporadic kisses pressed against your skin as he speaks, “I always go back to the hotel room, thinking you’re going to be there by some stupid accident. I look forward to your good morning texts and every time I get to call you, it’s like it’s just you and me, alone in the world. Does that make sense?”

You have tears streaming down your cheeks, but he was too wrapped up in his own range of emotions to notice. Once he recognizes the dampness plaguing his collarbones has nothing to do with his own natural sweat production, Bokuto is tilting your head up with a knuckle underneath your jaw, his thumb gently pinching your chin, “Hey, sweetheart, wh-did I say something wrong? I swear, I’m so fucking stupid with words, I just-”

His rambling musings are cut short by your lips surging forward, swallowing him whole with a simple gasping moan. You dig your nails into his body, sinking into whatever patch of skin is closest. You need this tactile comfort, to remind yourself to come down from this high that he has created by stringing together a few simple syllables.

“I love you,” your voice is haggard and slow, but it does not matter, not in this moment, “I love you, Bo.”

The palms of his hands sear into your shoulders as he runs the heels of them along the curve of your body. He rubs up and down, creating a friction that warns you that you might catch fire if he does not show you distance. You welcome the heat, welcome the burn, because the ache that it leaves behind when he is gone is so much more intense than if he were to keep you at bay. You look up at him, eyes wide and begging for some form of solace in his gaze, “And I’m proud of you, for doing this. Pursuing your dreams.”

“Nah, baby doll,” Bokuto pushes your hair from your face, fingertips lingering on your cheek, held there by some existential force that he cannot fathom, “you’re my dream, yeah? S’all you.”

He angles your head upward again, tilting his wrist as he cups your face, kissing you gently for what feels like hours on end. Your mind slips into a sort of haze, gentle colors passing behind your lids as he prods and tugs at your lips. You feel euphoric, champagne bubbles drifting upwards from your stomach, effervescent and unrelenting. He is a high you would dare to chase for the rest of your life, even if he sits just out of reach. You don’t mind getting drunk off of his love if it leaves you with this overwhelming sense of adoration that warms you from the inside out, leaving your fingertips buzzing with the promise of what is to come next always being better than what has come before.

“Volleyball isn’t forever,” he whispers like he does not want it to come true, but knows it must despite his reluctance, “but you? I’ve got you for life.”

You cannot help the tears that swim down your cheeks, creating glittering rivulets of saltine droplets, sticking into your hair and onto the pillowcase. Bokuto chuckles as he swipes at the sticky skin, brushing away any evidence of your emotions. You want to refute him, to tell him that he can make volleyball something he could do forever if he just worked hard enough. But you know that isn’t true – he is but a mortal, despite your thoughts otherwise, and mortals break, they wither into nothingness. He can not spike like a twenty-something year-old athlete forever, and even if he chooses to coach, it may never bring about the fulfillment that the sound of squeaking his sneakers on a court can.

Bokuto is gentle as he kisses you, a simmering heat spreading from your lips to your toes the longer he stays connected to you at the mouth. His hands fawn all over you, searching each dip and cord of muscle and bone and skin as he does so, mapping out your frame like he has not done this a dozen times and will not continue to do it for the rest of his days.

The hoarse phrase of, “I love you,” is whimpered into the spaces between your teeth, where your soul and his collide. Your heart rolls from within the cage of your ribs, knowing full-well that if it were possible, if you were to look hard enough there would be a bruised outline against your skin from where the organ were beating so quickly that it might look as if it were trying to escape.

As if sensing your thoughts, Bokuto’s hand against your cheek drifts downward, ghosting over your throat before resting against the left side of your chest. His thumb brushes along the swell of your breast, but you know the action is far from sensual in nature, the heel of his palm digging in just enough so he can feel the thumping of your heart underneath your skin and bones. He breathes in slowly as the organ thuds under his touch, taking you in moment by moment, unwilling to miss even the slightest movement or sound.

Your hands find his cheeks, holding his jaw gently in your hands as your lips volley back and forth, soft, audible smacking echoing from your mouths as you kiss. The way his thigh slides between your knees has you clenching around him, your own body trying to accommodate the sizable appendage as he slots himself closer to you.

Bokuto has always been desperate for your affections, from the beginning of your relationship to now, nothing has changed. He wants to be as close to you as possible, practically suffocating you with his proximity and even though you feel like you’re drowning within his hold, you would never come up for air again if it meant being with him. There is little space between you now, bodies melded together underneath the thin sheet, warmed by the golden rays of sunlight beaming through the window. You wonder how ethereal this must look – sunshine on your skin, golden hour in your hair. You two must be the picture of intimacy, wound together and unable to be separated, two bodies become one in the moment of heightened grace and poise.

“Bo,” you manage to breathe his name as he relinquishes your mouth in favor of your throat. Your hands latch onto his shoulders when he leans in closer, rolling his body upwards against you. The hard wall of muscle that ripples when he moves is enough to bring any woman to her knees, let alone one so weak for him such as you.

He lands a kiss to your collarbone before angling his head so he can look you in the eyes, “Yeah, babe?”

You don’t want the tears to fall, but you can’t help it with the way your eyes are watering and when you blink, a fresh set of salted pearly drops are dripping down onto his skin , “Will you hold me?”

Bokuto is wrapping you up into the tightest embrace you think you could handle before you can wheeze out your final syllable. You are warm all over, completely wracked in heat as he holds you closely, your head against his chest so you can count out his heartbeats until your own rhythm has settled. You curl your arms around his shoulders until your palms are flat against his contoured muscles, finding solace in the burning planes of skin there, his body heated from a mixture of lust and adoration that fuels his very being when he is closest to you.

“Of course, baby,” Bokuto is ever the sturdy one, keeping you sane despite your attempts to turn otherwise. He kisses the crown of your head as if he were planting a flower bed, gentle petal-like pecks along each lock of your hair. A light, airy string of laughter is huffed along your forehead, an open-mouthed kiss placed soon after, “I’ve got you, I’ll take care of you. Don’t you worry about a thing.”

You believe him, because Bokuto has always been there to piece you back together when you want to fall apart, crumbling to the ground like shattered and tattered pieces of the person that you are. His strength is unparalleled, and you do not wish to search for anyone who might come close to him because not only would it be futile, but it would be a waste of your time.

After all, how could you ever find someone who so perfectly fits into the spaces between you like he does?

[theriverpersonshadow]

Lamia Drama Part 7

As always, the species depicted in this belong to @vex-bittys 

FINALLY TROUSLE IS HERE! >:D The only ACTUAL bitty of the bunch XD

It ends with friendship, but warning, this chapter’s kinda sad at the middle. Poor boy...

< PREV | BEGINNING | NEXT >  

         Trousle was doing circles in the Papython enclosure up from, making sure his scales were extra shiny for everyone who came to look! His armor was polished, his posing practiced, and bones an excellent shade of white! Admittedly he’d cheated a little bit and stolen some whitening toothpaste to roll around in (plus it made him smell minty!), but he had to show off the best he could with his looks!

           Because he didn’t have a voice.

           No, that wasn’t fair to say. The nice people at the shop had gotten him a little phone and speaker so people could hear him, and he had gotten positively great at the art of typing! But he couldn’t quite live up to the chirps and “Nyeh”s of his breatheren…

No, that’s silly! They’d just gotten chosen first! He’d get his time! Eventually! Sure, not many went for Papythons when they wanted a nice, quiet companion, but that just meant he had to work a little extra! Even if he had been here seventeen years already, that surely meant his time was soon! Right? Any day would be the day! It’d never be the day.

           A little girl walked up, eyes wide as she bounced on her feet. The other Papython greeted her with a chorus of “Nyehs” and curious chirps. Well, those that weren’t too busy chasing a little ball around the enclosure or “hunting” a teddy bear. Trousle himself slithered to the front as well, typing on his little keyboard until an electronic “Hello small human!”

           But it was drowned out by a chorus of the rest:

           “Nyeh!”

           “Oh! They small! I small!”

           “We’re all small!”

           “I didn’t know hair could be red!”

           “You match my tail!”

           “So so cute!”

           “Cute cute friend!”

           “Hello human!”

           That said, the little one’s eyes – big, brown eyes – were locked on him and his little keyboard. Trousle’s soul flipped in his chest and he tried again, typing into his phone. “Hello small human!”

           “Oh! She likes you?”

           “Great!”

           “Congratulations!”

           “Nyeheheh!”

           His friends, the other Papython, backed off enough to give him a little space to show off. They knew he’d been here a while, and all but the youngest (who hadn’t gotten the hint and had to be dragged away) backed off a little so he could show off. Trousle pressed to the glass, waving hello and letting out a breathy attempt at a chirp.

           “Hehehe! Mommy look! This one’s got a little computer!” The kid said. She put a hand to the glass and Trousle eagerly pressed his head and hands on the other side. “Can I say hi?” The child said, looking at her mom.

           Chris, one of the up-front workers, came over and smiled, “You’re interested in Trousle? I’m sure he’s happy to hear that, aren’t you?”

           Trousle nodded enthusiastically, trying his best to reach up out of the tank, but of course it was made specifically so they couldn’t just get out and run everywhere during the day time – briefly they had tried that model, but the Mambas complained it was unfair that some bitties could roam free and not others, and when that happened they had to give several shots of antivenom over the next month while they tracked down all the more poorly-behaved bitties; the person who decided that letting all the Mambas and Corals roam free was a good idea was chewed out by Nikolai and promptly fired, but everyone had to stay in tanks while the shop was open after that.

           The child’s mother came over and looked at Trousle. Trousle, hoping to please, puffed himself up and waved hello before rolling onto his back all cute-like, wiggling his tail. A bit infantile perhaps, but there is no harm in a bit of silliness! The little girl giggled and stuck her tongue out. Trousle flicked his out too and she giggled. So cute!

           “Which one is that?” The mom asked.

           “That’s Trousle. Would you like to hold him? He’s very friendly.”

           The mother nodded and Chris lowered his hand for Trousle to wrap around, lifting him so that the mom could hold him. Trousle wrapped around her arm – not too tight of course – in a big hug, nuzzling her hand. “Well aren’t you sweet?”

           “Oh oh oh! You’re sooooo cute! I’m Mia!” The kid, Mia, said, hopping up and down on her little feet and making grabby hands for him.

           “Can you say Mia?” The mother said in that little baby-voice.

           Trousle’s soul sank and he glanced over at his abandoned phone. He couldn’t just say no, but he literally couldn’t say anything.

           Chris came to his “rescue” by saying, “Ah… Trousle’s mute I’m afraid.”

           “Ah. Shame… Poor thing,” the mother said, something cold and disappointed in her voice. She gave that all-too familiar sigh that made his soul run cold. He tried hugging more, but she was already scanning the other Papython.            “Can we keep him?” Mia said, little curls of ginger hair bouncing.

           Trousle uncoiled, trying to reach for her, but the mother was already moving, putting him back with the rest.

           “You don’t want that one sweetie. He wouldn’t make much of a companion, being all quiet and always on that phone. Why don’t you say hi to one of the others? Or maybe the Pygmys, I’ve heard they’re playful!” There was a bit of fuss from Mia, but her mother brought her to the Pygmys, not sparing a glance back.

           “Are you alright?” Chris asked. “Sorry, but…”

           “It’s okay.” Trousle typed, even though it very much wasn’t. But it’s not like it was the first time, just the first in a while for him. He’d been so close. But no one looking for a Papython wants a quiet companion or one that’s on the phone a lot. If they want something more quiet, there are Honey-Bos, Cornies, Chains, and some of the Kings even, but not Papython. But, of course, those looking for a quiet bitty to just play games with probably couldn’t handle his levels of excitement and activity.

           But oh well. There were worse things. The shop was mostly good, and he’d been here so long it’d be absolutely weird to leave at this point.

           The other Papython gathered around him to try to cheer him up, but he just wanted to be alone after that, maybe nap for a little bit. Before he could settle in though, one of the other workers came to scoop him and his little system up, Gracie.

           “Nikolai wants you lil dude,” Gracie said. “I think they’re doing some DnD stuff? A bit of a weird time for it, but the boss man was insistent, and I ain’t gonna tell him no.”

           Nikolai belonged to the owner, but she was getting older. In her absence, Nikolai… Well, he wasn’t officially in charge, but he’d been there longest, knew how it ran, and had venomous fangs and a long, powerful tail, two traits most people wouldn’t argue against even if he’s a caring person at heart. He didn’t quite wear his heart on his sleeve, but it usually didn’t take too long for it to show through. It was more like he wore his heart on his undershirt or something – you had to go through a layer or two, but it wasn’t the best hidden.

           Trousle hid partly in her sleeve as he was brought to the back. While he was used to humans and their general size, something about being surrounded by big lamia he didn’t know was a bit nerve wracking. Nothing was sized for him back here, but his friends would never leave him behind! He just has to get to them first.

           Nikolai was sitting in the break room, sipping a hot cup of extra-spicy chai tea while Keith had a Mountain Dew next to him. Gracie sat Trousle on the table, and Keith slid a shotglass of hot chocolate with marshmallows his way.

           “Where’s Hux and Liam?” Trousle typed, head quirked to the side. If Nikolai had coffee, Keith had Mountain Dew, and he was getting hot chocolate, it was clearly a DnD day, even if it was wildly off schedule – they usually didn’t play during work hours, given that there was, well… work. Also, Keith had some player manuals on the table and his DM screen among them.

           Speak of the devil…

           “Where’s the broad?” Hux huffed as he slithered in, arms crossed.

           “Just listen a second,” Keith said… and then said nothing else.

           Trousle was, naturally, confused, and Hux visibly was too, but then he heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice: “Warlocks are one of my favorites – patrons are basically built in lore – but Druids are a mood and Martials can be fun too. Sometimes you just wanna smash stuff with a big hammer, y’know?”

           “Her voice carries,” Nikolai said.

           Keith chuckled, “She’s just excited I bet. I’m pretty sure you, Mister works with literal babies all the time, are the last person who can’t handle someone being a little loud.”

           Nikolai chuckled, rolling his eyes, “I wasn’t complaining. Just a statement.”

           “Anyways, Glitterass wants to meet her at his enclosure first. Y’know, like a drama queen,” Hux said. “He’s pretending he can’t get out still.”

           Almost in unison, Keith and Nikolai said, “We’re coming.”

           “Me too?” Trousle typed, then made “pick me up” hands.

           Nikolai lowered his arm for Trousle, “You too.”

           “I’m getting my freaking coffee,” Hux said. No doubt he’d get it with half a scoop of sugar, make a quarter of it milk, add two servings of cinnamon, and then a tablespoon of chocolate. It was his favorite.

           “C’mon then,” Keith said, leading the way with his hands tucked in his pockets like he always did when he was either nervous or excited. Trousle wasn’t sure which, but agreed with him either way.

[troublecominghq]

character name(s)/alias/etc: kaz brekker / dirtyhands

character age and date of birth: 21 // year 100

character's pronouns/gender identity/romantic & sexual identity: he/him, he sold his gender for like ten kruge years ago, bisexual/romantic but leaning into the demi zone.

character faceclaim: freddy carter

oc or canon + which fandom affiliated with: canon, grishaverse

currently located: ketterdam

moral alignment + people/groups etc they are aligned to: chaotic neutral. leader of crows/dregs.

tell us about their personality/the kind of character they are/what kind of goals etc they have: kaz brekker doesn’t need a reason. that’s the thing various citizens of ketterdam would say. they are wrong. most people see kaz brekker as a soulless, and even somewhat demonic being, with no morals and no loyalties except his own greed and benefit. they aren’t entirely wrong. kaz does think that any means justify the end if the reward is big enough. he likes to pose his greed for money alone as his primary motivation, thus masking his real goals. in general, kaz is a master of deception and manipulation, he likes to stay a couple of steps ahead in any given situation, and hates losing control. he acts like he doesn’t care about other people, and is convincing enough to sometimes believe it himself. despite this, however, when someone does earn his trust, loyalty and affection, which is not an easy feat, he looks out for these people and is willing to do almost anything for them.

his ability to forge relationships is hindered by his severe ptsd and haphephobia.

currently, his primary goal is to take full advantage of pekka rollins and jan van eck being moved out of his way, securing the now vacant positions in the city for his dregs.

he also wants justice for his crows, and, although he might rarely admit it even to himself, he does genuinely care about their future past his own profit.

biography: kaz brekker was born in ketterdam’s harbour, birthed by the city, its greed and the cruel hand of queen’s lady plague, a monster born from monsters.

of course, there is a story to precede this. a story about little boy named kaz rietveld, who came to katterdam with his older brother after their father’s death, with money they managed to get by selling their farm near lij, a little and naive boy, who trusted his equally naive brother too much. two little pigeons, ready to be plucked by whomever came first.

two little pigeons, left on the streets to starve by the kind hand of jakob hertzoon, whom most of ketterdam knew better as pekka rollins, the king of the barrel.

kaz rietveld died on the reaper’s barge, in the fire of the plague’s fever. kaz rietveld died in the water’s near ketterdam, clinging to the ice of his dead brother’s flesh.

kaz brekker was born, and soon the barrel named him dirtyhands, because where kaz rietveld had been soft and childish, kaz brekker was broken, but only stronger because of it.

the dregs didn’t choose him as much as kaz chose them, and over the years he accumulated enough skills and knowledge to turn them from nobodies into one of barrel’s most influential gangs. officially he was still a lieutenant to per haskell, their glorious leader, but in reality it was kaz who hired his own people, it was kaz who brought money to the slat, and it was kaz who struck down those who wronged them, causing fear left and right.

still, kaz’s goal wasn’t just to secure himself a little cozy spot in the criminal underbelly and call it a day, no, he had followed pekka rollins for years waiting for the chance to sink his teeth into his throat. bring him down, brick by brick.

when the job to kidnap the alleged sun summoner came to his doorstep, promising the reward of one million kruge, kaz saw his chance and didn’t hesitate to reach for it.

it all went quite wrong. oh, he did cross pekka, rather delightfully, did get his small crew across the fold not once but twice, found alina starkova and even got convinced about her indeed being the sun summoner, but after the dust settled, he didn’t have his million, didn’t have starkova, only his battered crew and a pile of jewels worth a small fortune, but not big enough to take off the bloody mark that was now hovering over them all as they returned to ketterdam.

but he was kaz brekker, and he had a plan.

universe seemed to show him some fortune, bringing his crew together with a heartrender he knew he would need for a successful return to his city, and so the crows and nina zenik worked together for the first time. it took a couple of months, blackmail, bribery and some minor property damage, but kaz managed to get dreesen of their backs. it helped that the word of sun summoner’s death had spread by that point.

pekka rollins was more complicated, but he was temporarily sated by their failure and watching the dregs suffer to regain their property and positions. but kaz knew that it wouldn’t last forever, that he had to strike first.

the next opportunity came to him completely unexpected, in the form of another merch, this time jan van eck, who approached him just as the money from jewels had almost ran out covering the damages, getting back the crow club, freeing inej from the menagerie. and, oh, kaz would have been wary after the last time, the bitterness still poisoning his every breath, but this time the final offer wasn’t just a million. it was thirty millions, and he just couldn’t refuse that.

all he had to do was break into one of the most secure prisons in the world and safely extract the scientist holding the secret of making a drug that could turn grisha from dangerous to nearly unstoppable.

so he gathered his crew of people possessing both the right skills and desperation, and set out to fjerda, to ice court. this time his plan worked out slightly better than the one in little palace, if he ignored some details like breaking out from ice court in a tank, destroying the fjerdan holy tree and nina being forced to use parem to save them all. his biggest concern was that the scientist they managed to rescue wasn’t bo yul-bayur, but his son kuwei yul-bo. but kaz figured that it could be the merch’s concern.

one thing he hadn’t foreseen in enough detail was that jan van eck wasn’t working for the merchant council at all, and had no intentions of paying them their thirty million and making sure that the secret of jurda parem never got out to the world. instead, he wanted to seize it for himself, and simply dispose of their crew.

kaz and his crows managed to escape with their lives, albeit with inej taken hostage, but they were forced to hide in ketterdam’s old graveyard, low on resources and hope for success. all odds were against them.

there was only one thing jan van eck hadn’t taken into account. he hadn’t crossed just another bunch of barrel rats. he had crossed kaz brekker, the monster that crawled out of ketterdam’s dark waters, and now the monster would come to devour him whole.

his plans weren’t perfect by any means. they managed to get back inej, crafted a plan to discredit van eck by messing with his sugar silos, but then encountered a setback after setback, an obstacle after obstacle. first it was nina wanting to help katterdam’s grisha escape, to which he had to agree not to lose inej, something that he couldn’t afford. something that he couldn’t bear. then came pekka rollins, and with his help van eck cornered them all, flooding the city with stadwatch and barrel grunts.

and so kaz had to craft a new plan, the most daring and mad he had ever made.

that was exactly what he did, and after the dust settled, ketterdam having witnessed one of the largest indenture auctious, appearance of ‘the council of tides’ and even being temporarily frightened by the promise of a new plague, the crows stood victorious.

jan van eck was in prison, his property now in the rightful ownership of his son wylan, pekka rollins had fled the city forever.

now kaz could do whatever he wanted. build something new, burn it to the ground. and, perhaps, not burn some things. like the wonderful laughter his wraith now gave him more often than ever before.

for those writing canon grishaverse characters particularly from the s&b trilogy, please outline any instances of divergence you wish to include within your portrayal, even if it's already been mentioned in the biography: I'm cool with everything in the show and books, but wouldn't mind discussing possible changes in the details if future crow writers wanted to bring in something new.

[bedlamsbard]

I feel weird about not being particularly productive right now (wrists, school, world, politics, brain), so: here are the last three paragraphs of my two titled WIPs and the concepts that I’ve worked on since March.  (If it’s from a chaptered story it’s from the last compiled chapter, rather than the last in-progress scene, since with Crown especially that particular scene has been in edits for over a year.)

Down in the Devil’s Lair (sequel to On the Edge of the Devil’s Backbone)

Neso slapped his palm down on the controls, freezing the hologram on a close-up of the Twi’lek fighter’s face.  Even through the grainy quality, Xiaan could see that he was young, not more than a few years older than she was, with what seemed to be orange skin and the unmistakable line of a male curial caste tattoo along the side of one lek.  Xiaan slipped off the side of the desk so that she could walk around and get a closer look.

“That’s one of us,” Neso said slowly.  He made an abortive motion, like he was thinking about grabbing for his datapad, but there were only three missing curiate males from the Syndulla clan, and only one of the right age.  Both of them knew that.

Xiaan closed her hands into fists.  “That’s Nury,” she said.  “Neso, that’s Nury.  That’s my brother.”

The Starry Crown (first four chapters on AO3)

It put both hands down on the floor, opened its beak, and screamed.

Sabine flinched back. She fired again for all the good it did, Zeb adding his bo-rifle to her blasterfire.  Another series of harsh croaks came, this time from one of the other creatures still unfolding themselves from their hibernating shell-shapes, and the glowing forms of at least two more appear behind the first.

Sabine exchanged a single panicked glance with Zeb, and then, without pausing to discuss it, both of them broke and ran.

concept: other side AU (first seven parts on Tumblr)

“I’d hope not.”   He wrapped an arm around her waist and took another deep kiss from her as Hera put her arms around his neck.  She felt pleasantly shivery in his arms, but nowhere near satisfied, not yet.  She pressed her hips meaningfully against his, catching her lower lip briefly between her teeth as Kanan moved his hand down from her waist.

“For the record,” Hera breathed against his mouth, “I’m not having sex on the floor when there’s a perfectly good bed, even if we have to go up a ladder to get to it.”

Kanan grinned, kissed her again, then drew back enough to take her hand in his.

concept: accidental roommates AU (first two parts on Tumblr, podfic on AO3)

Kanan kissed her again, a light brush of his lips over hers, and started to undo her jacket.  He got it open and Hera helped him push it back over her shoulders, tossing it aside.  She shivered as the cool air hit the bare skin of her shoulders and arms; she was wearing a tank top beneath her jacket, which wasn’t anything Kanan hadn’t seen her in before.  It still left her feeling more exposed than usual, though Kanan’s gaze never moved away from her face.

She put her hands on the front of Kanan’s shirt.  He tensed a little, but he didn’t step away, his gaze fixed on hers.  Hera drew his shirt free from his pants, taking a deep breath before she slid her hands up beneath the fabric.  The first thing her fingers touched was scar tissue.

She looked up at Kanan, startled, and saw the fear in his eyes.  Hera took a breath, then slid her hands up, over the scars and across smooth, hard muscle.  Kanan dropped his head to hers to kiss her, his hands settling on her hips again.

 concept: field AU (part one on Tumblr)

He wanted to cry with relief.  Then he shifted and felt the ache of his recently-broken ribs and the constant, unbearable connection to the Hunter, stretched thin by distance but still unmistakably there.  Not a dream.

He could have screamed.

Breathing hard, he untangled himself gently from Hera.  She made a soft sound of protest but didn’t wake up, her fingers catching in his shirt until he coaxed her into releasing him.  He leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead before he left the cabin, barefoot and silent.

concept: good timing AU (part one on Tumblr)

Hera didn’t ask why, just climbed out of bed and reached for her clothes.  Kanan’s instincts were usually good – better than they had any right to be, in fact, but since it was always to her advantage Hera had never bothered to question it.

Kanan came back to her and put the blaster down long enough to pull on a shirt, then switch his pajama pants for his regular ones.  He buckled on his gun belt before pulling on his boots.  He was reaching for his fingerless gloves when he stopped abruptly, hand still outstretched.

“Love?” Hera said again.

concept: nightmares AU (not previously posted)

“I love her,” Kanan said.

She was silent in response.

Kanan turned his gaze down, unwilling to look at her any longer than he had to.  “Some nights I wake up,” he said haltingly, “and I’m in her bed, in her room, with her sleeping beside me, with her scent on my skin. And I can’t remember anything else.”

[itzagothamcitysiren]

Welcome to the Family

I finally have a day off and I’m planning on working this all day since what else is there to do lol. I really liked this chapter, it was a lot of fun to write..

There's a Web That You Have Wove pt.3

           The thin line that Halley Wilson’s lips formed could match that of Batman’s as she sat at the kitchen counter trying to peacefully eat her cereal. But according to the boy sitting across from her, having a peaceful breakfast wasn’t in the playing cards today. She was used to pestering, Sam doing enough of it to her during the week that she knew how to ignore it, up until a certain extent of course. Sam pushed her buttons and she’d normally say no one could do that as well as she could but Jason Todd was slowly but surely getting to that point.

           “No,” she stated, for the fiftieth time in the last twenty minutes.

           “Why?” he asked, this time playfully slamming a fist on the counter.

           “Because, I don’t want to go!” She mimicked him, making her cereal bowl shake. “Now stop asking me before you really piss me off!”

           Jason tapped his fingers against the counter, his bowl of bran flakes long forgotten as he let his head rest in the palm of his other hand. He looked around the kitchen as if waiting for the all clear to test the waters again. He pointed at her, his mouth open to speak. He closed it when he saw a death glare reach him from the girl. Slumping, he let out a laugh, sounding almost bewildered as he flung out his arms in annoyance.

           “Oh, come on,” He exclaimed, “Why don’t you want to go? Haven’t you ever wanted to go to a high school party before?”

           “It’s never even crossed my mind.” She spat just as she about to take another bit. She jabbed her spoon at him, accusingly. “Why do you want to go? I never pegged you as the type of guy who wanted to go to a stupid party.”

           “Normally no, but Bruce is away on Justice League stuff this weekend and free booze, so,” Jason shrugged, as if it was obvious.

           “Oh yes, sounds like a great time.” She rolled her eyes at him. “No, I’m not going.”

           “Come on, pleeeeaassssee,” he whined, dragging out his words. He puffed his lower lip out, quivering it like he was a scorned child.

           Halley rolled her eyes standing up from her spot, no longer hungry. She just wanted to go downstairs and train so she could burn off the irritation he just gave her. Walking over to the sink with her bowl she dumped the rest of the contents down the garbage disposal. Rinsing out her bowl, she felt Jason now hovering behind her. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck as he reached around her so he could dump out his bowl as well. When she was finished rinsing her bowl out, she reached for his and did the same.

           He moved over as she finished, using the dish towel dry her hands. He leaned his back against the counter looking down at her with his arms crossed against his chest. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

           “I highly doubt that, Jason.” She shook her head, slightly laughing at his persistence. She tossed the towel on the counter next to the sink looking up at him. “Would Bruce even let us?”

           “Bruce isn’t home.” Jason reminded, pushing off the counter to follow her as she began to leave the room.

           Shaking her head again, she corrected herself, “Would Alfred let us?”

           “It’s Saturday night and Bruce is gone; Alfred will be in his room after dinner to catch up on Downtown Abbey.” Jason laughed, knowing that when Bruce was away for business Alfred used the time to catch up on his guilty pleasure.

           “I don’t want to sneak out on Alfred,” Halley gasped. She respected the butler and didn’t want to disobey his trust. “Jason we’ll just have a movie night or something. We’ll marathon Impractical Jokers, you love that show.”

           “Yeah and I’ve seen every episode over a hundred times.” He said, now backing her up to a wall. He waited until her back hit the wall, placing both hands on either side of her hand, trapping her. Bringing his head close to hers he spoke again, “Look how about this, we spare and the winner decides what we do tonight.”

           Halley chuckled, shoving him away from her. He knew he didn’t stand a chance against her and she wouldn’t go easy on him either. She liked to push him, make him work for it. He was cocky when he fought and she loved the look on his face when she slammed him down on his back. Smirking she began heading towards the library. “You got yourself a deal, Todd.”

           Within the next hour the pair were locked in an intense deadlock. The position could’ve looked somewhat questionable to anyone else, but to them they were in a battle for victory. It didn’t take long for them to get into this position either. Halley quickly disarming Jason, using his bo staff against him easily. But Jason wasn’t completely defenseless against her. He did manage to get some harsher jabs in, using his muscle against her and slamming her down on her back after some quick punches to her sides. She almost was impressed.

           She stretched up with her legs, wrapping them around his waist at he put her down, bringing him down with her. She draped her legs up and over his shoulder, pushing him back so that he was now the one resting face up. She followed him back, straddling his waist, holding his arms down. Smirking, she knew she won.

           Jason took in a deep breath, refusing to let her win though and jerked his body forward, falling back down but using the momentum to lift his legs up and hook them on Halley. He tugged his legs back down, bringing her back down with them. Her arms where now trapped underneath his legs, as his legs crossed around her neck to pin her down. His arms pushed himself up, holding her legs in place against his chest. Her knees bent at his shoulders, trying to squeeze tightly to choke him but his hands reached them quicker and held them apart. She huffed in discomfort from the pressure of being bent at this angle and glared up at him, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Okay, now she was impressed.

           Jason smirked down at her, giving her knee an encouraging pat. This only caused her to let out an annoyed growl. There was no way she was going to that stupid party. Taking a deep breath she jerked her knees back, breaking free of his hold and gave his chest a kick. She ripped his legs off of her. Tucking her legs underneath her bottom and pushed herself at him from their sitting position.

           It was at this point they were more clumsily wrestling than actually training, both wanting to win but becoming more playful. She wrapped her arms around his waist as she push him backwards but he pushed back, her landing on her back again instead. She let out a frustrated grunt as he jumped on top of her, sweat dripping down his forehead and he felt himself grow exhausted. He laid all his weight on her, burring his head in curve of her neck, letting out a deep sigh. She squirmed, feeling claustrophobic as she couldn’t move out from underneath him. Trying to give him one more push, she gave up with a huff.

           “Do you give up?” His voice was muffled as he kept his face buried against her. “Come on I have you trapped, there’s no escape.”  He teased. Unseen by her but he wiggled his eyebrows as he spoke.

           “No,” her voice sounded strained from the weight on her chest, her hands still trapped against his chest from trying to push him off.  “I’m just taking a break.”

           He chuckled, his breath tickling her neck. She shuttered, her skin getting goose bumps. Jason opened his eyes, as if curious. He blew on her neck again, feeling his lips brush against her skin, ignoring the voices in his head asking him what the hell he was doing. He felt intrigued as her body shook again, a small gasp and giggle escaping her mouth.

           “Are you ticklish?” He asked, pulling his head away to look down at her.

           “No,” she said a little too quickly and defensively.

           Jason squinted at her, not believing the girl. He buried his head in her neck again, repeating the same action he just had, but this time digging his fingers into her sides. He felt her jerk forward, gasping again before exploding in a fit of giggles as his quickened his fingers pace. He stopped for a second never hearing that sound come out of her mouth before. He’d heard her laugh before but this was so high pitched and almost girly. Why did he find it adorable? He went back at it after pushing himself up to straddle her hips. His fingers swept across her sides as her tank top had ridden up in their tumble.

           Her eyes closed as she couldn’t stop the sounds from leaving her throat, her face red with embarrassment. Reaching her arms out, they shook as her hands grasped at Jason’s forearms, trying to pry him away from her. She begged him to stop, opening her eyes to glare at him with hatred.

           “Admit I won and I’ll stop.” Jason teased, amused at her discomfort.

           “Ja-aason,” she groaned pushing on his chest now, willing him to get off. She couldn’t breath and was self-conscious.

           “Come on, Halley, you can do it.” He teased even more. He leaned back down, now blowing raspberries against her neck, not even caring how ridiculous his actions where. He was fighting dirty. “Admit I won, and you’ll be free.”

           “I hate you!” She cried, feeling hot and grossed out by feeling his spit now on her neck. “Fine, you win! Now get off!” She pushed on his chest again,

           “Yes!” He cried out, sitting up and standing. He pumped his arms in the air in victory. “I beat you! Fair and square! I can’t wait to tell Bruce.” He shouted, back off of the matt.

           “Oh yeah, totally fair and square. I’m sure Bruce will be proud.” She spat, rubbing her neck profusely. She stood up and straightened her top out, walking away from the matt to go take a shower. She felt like her cheeks where on fire and her stomach felt all knotted. She felt as if Jason’s hands where still resting on her waist. “That was fighting dirty!”

           “Aw, come on, don’t be such a sore loser,” Jason faked concern, placing his hands on his hips as he watched her head towards the stairs. “My middle name is fighting dirty,”

           “You’re middle name is Peter,” She glared, turning her head around for a moment and shooting him the finger.

            His eyes followed her as she stepped up the stairway. Shouting up after her, “Make sure you’re ready by seven! And make sure you were something that doesn’t make you look like a complete dork!”

           Halley cursed the boy as she locked herself up in her room for the rest of the day, to ashamed to come out. She’d only left when Alfred called her down for lunch. Her hair was still slightly damp from her shower, prolonging it for as long as the hot water would last. Her nerves already began to set in about the night. She really didn’t want to go but she made a deal with Jason. Though, they didn’t shake on it or anything, she didn’t technically have to go; she could just not go.

           The pair ate in the kitchen as Alfred cleaned up around them. He made them a light lunch of pasta with garlic sauce and it was delicious. They ate quietly, the sound of the sink and dishes the only sound heard. Halley looked down at her food, trying to ignore Jason’s smug smile that he kept shooting towards her. It was really starting to tick her off, and before she stopped herself she answered Alfred honestly when he asked if they had any plans for the night.

           He didn’t expect them to answer him with anything besides lazing about the manor and he stopped his movements when Halley spoke up, “We were actually thinking about going to this party a girl from our school was throwing,”

           Jason shot her a glare that could match her own deadly one, letting his fork fall onto his plate. He gave her an ‘are you serious’ look, before trying to play it cool for Alfred. He looked up at the butler, almost giving him a pleading pout. By this look Alfred knew that they hadn’t asked permission from Master Bruce to go. Alfred picked up the leftovers so he could put them away properly. “And I’m assuming this is you asking if you may go?”

           “Alfred please!” Jason jumped to respond first, shoving a hand out towards the butler.

           Halley looked up at the elderly man, shaking her head as Jason had he back turned from her. Alfred’s expression was clear as he looked at the two kids. One looked ready to explode if he said no, whereas the other looked like they might cry if he said yes. Jason had never gone to any parties for school unlike Dick who often went to them.  Just from past experience from Dick’s teenaged years, even if they had asked Bruce, Bruce would’ve just asked Alfred what he would’ve thought; the man was helpless when it came to making simple decisions like this.

           Alfred knew why Halley didn’t want to go. She wasn’t the most social person after all. Alfred thought it might be good for them to go. He was an advocate in letting them have some sort of normalcy in their lives. When Bruce had brought home Jason for the first time, he almost considered threatening to spill his secret identity to the world if it stopped him from bringing another innocent child into his mission to save Gotham. He saw the toll it took on Dick and wasn’t sure if he wanted to watch another child brought into it.

           “I think it’s an excellent idea, Master Jason.” He nodded, placing the plate of pasta in the fridge after wrapping it up. “What time shall I drop you off?”

           “HA!” Jason shouted, pointing at Halley as she grunted at her failed plan to turn Alfred against him. “Thanks Alfie, we should head there around seven.”

           “Don’t make me resent my decision, Master Jason,” Alfred warned, at not only the nickname but for his taunting of the sulking girl.

           Jason apologized, finishing off his plate. As he got up to leave, he wiggled his eyes at Halley. When the room now just held her and Alfred, she shoot the man a look, “I thought you liked me.”

           “I do, young miss, and because I do, I believe this will be a good experience for you and Mr. Todd.” Alfred nodded, taking her empty plate from her and going back to his work.

           Halley groaned excusing herself to go back up and hid inside her room. Walking past Jason’s room she thought about barging in and giving her a piece of her mind but decided against it. She wanted to enjoy her last few hours of silence before being forced into a house with her classmates outside of school hours. Letting herself fall backwards onto her bed and stared at the ceiling blankly,

           She hated Jason ‘fighting dirty’ Todd.

[the-mic-drop]

Shonen Jump Rap Cypher by Rustage

Lyrics below the cut

If anyone wants to break down some lines that you think not everyone will get, please feel free!

Monkey D. Luffy- One Piece (Performed by Rustage)

Starting with the number one, hey

How’d a pirate get this long, hey

‘Cause I eat the gum-gum, see them run run

when I hit that gun, hey

Sailin’ I’m taking no breaks when my crew’s on the move as we pillage the grand line

Looting the treasure we can find

I’m blowing up like a landmine

Going gear second, I reckon that I’m a weapon

I’m wrecking up those who threaten in messing with my own brethren

Stay reppin’ look where I’m headin’

No question the Yonkos sweatin’

I’m bettin’ in words I’m yellin’

I’m the king and there’s no forgettin’, UH

Gon Freecss- Hunter x Hunter (Performed by Fabvl)

I’ll jump the competition, really there’s no contest

Channeled future Nen and most of y’all ain’t even bomb yet

It’s nonsense

Pro exams completed as a child

Hisoka, I think these clowns are living in denial

So don’t make me power up, I’ll call the thunder at my right hand

If you want the strongest Shonen, then you called the right man

They might stan

Treat you all like Pitou, it won’t take long

Name is Gon and this time, I’mma make sure that you stay gone

Naruto Uzumaki- Naruto (Performed by None Like Joshua)

Oh, better believe it’s Naruto

Who’s the best hero? All of you know

My legacy is happening, I got a type of running named after me

while you’re slow

Can’t keep up with my chakra flow

Except Hinata, I’m her Ho

Kage

All I did was call her and I told her to come over ‘cause my parents are not home

Out of these ninjas, you can watch my dub

Even all my filler is so far above

When it comes to Boruto, why y’all givin’ up

like I did with simpin’ on Sakura?

Killer B’s rapping, but I get the encore

With the power that I bring, I don’t really want yours

‘Cause I came from the swing, everybody shunned more

Now you’re looking at the king of this Jump Force

Yami Yugi- Yu-Gi-Oh! (Performed by Connor Quest!)

I’mma master, you be

practice newbies

That’s a doozy

for Yami Yugi

Puzzle did something like a hadron tunnel

‘cause now I got Atem through me

Champ of the match see fans fawn, no matter what hand’s drawn

I’m kicking up dust, metal tanks in land form

When we d-d-d-d-duel there’s sandstorms

Cards are flippin’ I need an answer quick

and I might find my Dark Magician

If I wish, and believe hard enough in the heart that’s in ‘em

(Heart of the cards)

I see Seto’s fear

Pull the fifth part of Exodia

Guess it’s all came to a head, so clear

that your deck’s gonna get X’d, oh dear!

Asta- Black Clover (Performed by Eddie Rath)

Welcome to the magic

It’s a tale that’s tragic

Filled with a pain that’s harder than plastic

especially when you discover you don’t have it

When I started I was less than amazing

But now that I’ve been chosen by the Grimoir, I’m rising to the occasion in a blazing flame of

Magic

Ain’t no Hocus Pocus and Abracadabra

Not a wizard you joke with

This is not Gandalf the Grey, but you shall not pass hopeless

Better be ferocious

Was the poorest orphan living in darkness

but now that I’m focused, I be thanking all my hardships

Ichigo Kurosaki- Bleach (Performed by IBDL)

Uh, hittin’ back with that Bankai

Got that power like I came out of the Dangai

Pops passed the torch; now I’m the fam’s Don guy

Think you Aizen, but you lookin’ like that Don guy

Y’all like Soifon, your raps barely sting

My bars are Getsuga Tensho, got that masterful swing

They say, it ain’t over til the fat lady sings

But you’ll know it’s really over when that black lady sings

Koro-sensei- Assassination Classrom (Performed by CDawgVA)

Mach speed

Blow up the moon and now I’m making these children write essays

Comin with tentacles teach you a lesson in why you don’t mess with the sensei

I amaze

Used to be the Reaper, now I run this class

I can turn a loser to assassin, do it real fast

Light Yagami- Death Note (Performed by Zach Boucher)

I think I’ve been out of my head

Gift was given, made some poor decisions, that I wish I didn’t, but I’d do it again

Feeling different, I was on a mission to achieve my vision with a page and a pen

Sit and listen to the words I’ve written

I ain’t even finished ‘til I see that they’re dead

Don’t even try to pretend

There’s no malicious intent

Stay in my thoughts, stick to the morals I’ve got,

and kill everyone who is not

Just never get caught, ‘til every criminal rots

They’ll consider me as a god

At whatever cost, that’s how I excel

Cannot be stopped, even if I fell

I’m taking them off if you couldn’t tell

I gave up a lot to give you this L

Shoyo Hinata- Haikyuu!! (Performed by Shwabadi)

Yah, here comes Hinata

When I’m on the court the enemy has got their guard up

Never gonna fall off, bet I’m gonna pop off

Way short, but I’m packing punches like a sawnoff

Hot like a sauna, this ball of fire don’t know nada

but I’m gonna chase desire to go farther

every jump will take me higher

They put walls up, so I had to learn to fly

Putting up points, spiking it, or clearing the way

Best decoy, got a little something to say

to anyone that doubts that I’m here to stay

Only got one goal, that’s to play the game

Underestimated, I’m the ace, you just wait

when I spike it past the net, you might take it to the face

Izuku “Deku” Midoriya- My Hero Academia (Performed by Divide Music)

Coming in with 100% of me

I got you all trembling

Oh just with a flick of a finger

put you back where you’re supposed to be

I’m not, holding back

I got you so calculated. I’m

one step ahead, One for All gon’ be demonstrated

Get it? Got it? Good.

Nothing better and you should know

Started at the bottom

but I made it to the top so

Step aside, I’m climbing to great heights

with All-Might by my side

Reppin’ U.A. with pride, oh

Yusuke Urameshi- Yu Yu Hakusho (Performed by GameBoyJones)

Giving you the finger, Spirit Gun

Send you off with Botan, then you done

Hit you with the stick, and I didn’t need a grip when I’m pulling from the hip, then click!

Because I’m, locked loaded, the clip is ready to go

Got a, shotgun in my hand that’s ‘bout to blow

Cause I’m hittin’ you quick fast

givin’ you whiplash

wearing these Spirit Cuffs

You could be human or demon, cause honestly, I just don’t give a fuck

If you’re looking for the best, just know there’s no other

‘cause I’m flexing out here like I’m the youngest Toguro brother

Gintoki Sakata- Gintama (Perfomed by Shao Dao)

They call me, Gintoki, slim not stocky

Lemme Shonen Jump on your leg and your body

Odd Job Gin, don’t mess with my possee

If you touch my hair, then you will be sorry

Ne, boge (Hey, bloke)

Nanikore, uruseena (what is this? Not good.)

Cause you’re way too sloppy

Got a silver soul, Shiroyasha

Swing my sword and Amanto scatter

Gintama, not Kintama

Tell Shinpachi we need money

If Kagura or Katsura bring more trouble, we keep running

Pay rent? That’s a waste of time

That weather girl, I will make her mine

You can beat me up and that’s fair and fine

But if you hurt my friends, then prepare to die

Tanjiro Kamado- Demon Slayer (Performed by DizzyEight)

Look, slayin’ demons that’s what we do

If you filled with evil, then my blade is highly lethal

If you comin’ at my people, pray to god I never meet you

Ever mess with Nez, you KO’d when I see you

I’ve grown stronger from that fateful day they found me

I trained hard to hone the skill, the progression so astounding

My style like breathing water, that mean you can never drown me

Whirlpool, that mean I’m slicin’ everything around me

Emma- The Promised Neverland (Performed by FrivolousShara)

E-M-M-A 63194

Listen to what I’ve gotta say

The others walked, seems now we’ve gotta run away

Don’t you talk, adults are the enemy

You can break every bone in my body, I won’t falter

and if the plan fails, the idea simply alters

Ah, these demons scheming, but they ain’t the only monsters

Our combined IQ breaks the safe, strength in numbers

Now we’ve woken from the slumber

Never ending perfect Summers

Across the farm, you can’t help but wonder

Soma Yukihira- Food Wars! (Performed by DiggzDaProphecy)

See I’m the anime Raekwon

The chef baby, stay calm

You can’t stand the heat

Stay out the kitchen, get a day job

Word, and the finale’s superb

I take a sec, put on my band, an’ I’ll be happy to serve, uh

So ma, tell me what you like and I can hook it up

Ya boy’s got them recipes the best couldn’t cook it up

And she gon’ bust from the taste of my meat

Chef, boy are these boys always cookin’ up heat

Jotaro Kujo- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (Performed by Dreaded Yasuke)

It’s my go, they call me Jotaro

Don’t get me mad, I’mma go fat only with jabs you go through silos

Got that drip from Cairo, girls will simp my silhouette

I know think it’s a typo fighting with a platinum psycho

None of y’all is a threat

What you gotta say in your breath

Better speak with a bigger chest

Now you lyin’ down with my pet,

while Iggy piss on your neck

All types of disrespect, what you expect?

Go against a vet, better get your techs

wanna get swept through the complex,

now who is next?

Bobobo- Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (Performed by BassedOlaf w/ ThighHighSenpai)

Bobobo making the foes stare

Call me the master of nose hair

Look at the hair on the heads of these anime characters,

brother, it’s no fair

But I’m better than these guys, don’t you understand?

I came second place at screaming face-to-face with desk fans

Afro is full of surprises, look at my power’s immense

Leaving beauty screaming-

(Bobobo, that makes no sense!)

Hunting hair hunters, Saitama, I’m coming for you

Don Patch a better Super Saiyan God than Goku

Son Goku- Dragon Ball (Performed by DaddyPhatSnaps)

Oh they went and called Kakarot

had to be danger

Leave em flat-footed like they in the gravity chamber

I’m just looking for a challenge, can you battle me stranger?

Shonen legend in the saddle and the power is major

Level up on the track, flow Ultra Instinct

Bye bye bye fusion dance is always in sync

Wink

And they wonder why I’m last on the song

‘Cause when all of y’all were talking

I just formed a Spirit Bomb

[acidproofnotebook]

One-Punch Man Chapter 84, Update 125

As published online

Date:

Translator: u/hdx514

Rough page by page translations for those who don't want to wait. I'm skipping most pages with only sound effects.

Title page

Not lonely, but a solitary one

Pages 2-5

Bang wrecking Garou

Page 6

Genos: perfect moves that combine attack and defense into one

Ge: even though both use the same water stream rock smashing fists, the difference in master is night and day

Ge: the battle about to reach its conclusion

Page 7-11

Garou continues to get wrecked

Page 12

Garou: w…what is this

Ga: these vicious attacks are nothing like damn geezer’s style…

Page 13

Ga: bad…this is bad

Ga: my consciousness is…

Ga: it means…death…

Ga: Ahhhh

Page 14

Bang: what is that strange movement

Ba: where did he learn it?

Ba: he’s moving like a beast

Ga: I’m not done yet!

Page 15

Ga: if I use the fallen heroes as hostages, there might still be a way out!!

Bomb: I won’t let you

Page 16

Monsters get sliced up

Page 17 Bomb: Bang, we finished the monsters from the hole in the ground

Bo: it’s just Garou now

Page 18

Genos: life signals from monsters still remain

Ge: not sure why, but I cannot accurately assess their location or numbers

Ge:if we go down that hole, will we find the Monsters Association hideout?

Pheonix man: The Monster Association members were all killed? Damn, they really are unreliable.

Page 19

Phoenix man: even though we deployed significant forces to capture Garou alive

Ph: that Demon Cyborg…the power he possesses is unbelievable

Ph: even Silver Fang is here, there’s no chance we get Garou away from here

Ph: but if I leave empty handed after this crushing defeat, I might get eaten by Orochi

Page 20

Ph: regardless, I can only hope Garou can escape on his own …

Ph: ...what a desperate situation… Ph: does this mean I have to plan an exit strategy from MA…?

Ba: (referring to Bomb) if you were this badly injured, could you still be standing?

Bo: …if I were 60 years younger, I might be able to tough it out

Bo: …maybe

Bo: we’re almost there!!! Let’s finish him before the other heroes arrive!

Ba: roger

Page 21

Ga: can’t even move my wrists…

Ga: attacking your former number 1 disciple when he’s at his weakest, how despicable of you, Bang

Page 22

Ga: this other geezer, isn’t he Bomb, master of the whirlwind iron cutting fist?

Ga: to think the two reclusive masters of the martial arts world would gang up on me, shameless

Ga: even if I pretend to beg for my life, Demon Cyborg still won’t spare me

Ga: If I want to survive this crisis, I have to kill all three

Page 23

Ga (or Bang?): it’s impossible

Ba: do you know how much pain you have caused my number one disciple Charanko

Ba: Garou!!

Page 24

Garou flashback

Kids: let’s play a hero game!

Kids: you too, Garou

Kids: c’mon let’s play

Garou: huh, sure

Page 25

Kid: drum roll~~

Kid: justice man is here!

Kid: justice kick

Kid: aah it hurts!

Page 26

Ga: hey that’s dangerous

Kid: huh?

Ga: I feel bad (for the kid playing monster)

Kid: …how about you play the monster

Kid: justice cross

Ga: waa (steps out of the way)

Kid: what’s wrong with you?

Ga: s…sorry, Tatsu

Kid: I almost had you

Kids: what’s your problem, you’re a monster, you’re not supposed to do that

Kids: let’s pin him down

Kids: okay-

Page 27

Kid: justice man kick!

Kid: monster Garou defeated~

Ga: what is this, pre-death flashbacks?

Ga: these memories disgusts me

Ga: that kid…right, I remember him…Tatsu, that popular kid

Page 28

Kids: hey, what’s going on? Why are you fighting?

Kids: shall I call the teacher?

Kids: Garou is being violent

Kids: we were only playing, but he got mad! What’s his problem

Ga: I….I can’t take it any more!

Ga: come Tatsu, me vs. you, let’s figure it out

Tatsu: ha? What are you talking about, I thought we were just playing

Page 29

Ga:  I DON’T want to play monster! It’s no fun at all!

Ga: let’s duke it out, if I win you stop bugging me, that’s the deal!

Tat: Sabu, Yotsu, hold Garou down

Ga: despicable….stop…let go! I…

Ga: aah…damn it!

Kids: he’s crazy, let’s call the teacher

Kids: run Tatsu

Kids: pin him down, pin him down!

Kids: what happened?

Kids: you guys should come and help

Kids: Tatsu was being nice and Garou took advantage of him

Kids: he’s the worst

Kids: Garou got serious with Tatsu all of a sudden while playing the game

Kids: what’s this guy even thinking

Kids: I feel so bad for Tatsu

Page 30

Tatsu is a king among the kids, Tatsu is a bully, Tatsu is nasty

I’m in the dark, always alone I have no friends

Tatsu is a good athlete, Tatsu is popular

I despise the popular ones

not sure of the order of the following dialogue

Teacher: why did you get violent?

Te: I heard you got mad while playing a hero game, is that true?

Te: can you not even tell the difference between a game and reality!

Ga: no teacher, it’s because Tatsu is so popular that everyone is badmouthing me

Te: you were the violent one, weren’t you? What if a window got broken, how are you going to pay for that!

Ga: Tatsu always…always treats me like a monster

Ga: NO!

Page 31

Ga: I don’t dislike playing the monster

Ga: am I holding a grudge against Tatsu for playing the hero?

Ga: no, that’s not it either

Ga: it’s just that playing the hero game has made me realize how absurd it is

Ga: the one who’s popular can bully the one who’s hated however he wants

Te: you are in the wrong, apologize now

Te: call your parents

Ga: this is not just bullying, this is a faithful, real life adaption of a kids’ game that is accepted by the public.

Ga: you are free to choose your role, but the ones who ends up playing hero must have the support of the people, how could that ever be me.

Ga: naturally, the script in which the one playing monster scores the victory doesn’t exist in the first place. I was destined to lose.

Page 32

Ga: what is justice! What is evil!

Ga: at the end of the day it’s just following the will of the masses, and the masses wants me dead!

Ga: unforgivable! There is no logic!

Ga: I can’t explain the reason behind it, but it makes me mad!

Ga: I will make you understand! Ga: I will deliver my punch on behalf of the disenfranchised!

Ga: and I reject your notion of good and evil!

Page 33

Genos: he fell

Bang: it’s over

Page 34

Ga: no way it ends at a place like this!

Page 35

Garou shatters earth

Page 36

Bang/Bomb: what?!

Page 37-39

Garou lifts tree and swings it

Bo: this is bad, his body…

Ba: what’s with this burst of power?!

Page 40

Bang: don’t you realize it yet Garou!

Ba: if you keep going like this, you really will die!

Ge: Bang, above you!

Page 41-42

Phoenix man lands and grabs Garou

Page 43

Bo: more monsters!?

Ba: there’re still a few left!!!

Page 44

Ba: !

Ba: Genos-kun

Ge: Bang, you saw that just now, didn’t you

Ge: that thing has become monster, it even befriended one

Ge: I trust that you won’t object if I shoot both of them down

Page 45

Phoenix man (calling to Elder Centipede): Can you hear me!!?

Ph: I have Garou

Ph: just finish these guys off!

Ph: I’m leaving the rest to you!!

Bo: ???

Page 46-47

Ge: spiral incineration cannon

Ph: Elder Centipede

Page 48-50

Elder Centipede emerges and tanks Genos’ cannon fire

Page 51

Bo/Ba/Ge: What was that!?

Page 52-53

Elder Centipede breaking ground

Page 54-55

Disaster level: dragon

Giant monster insect Elder Centipede

Page 56

Bo: w..what…

Bo: is this a living thing!!?

Ba: damn, we must protect them (the fallen heroes)

Page 57

Ba: up you go

Page 58

Bomb using whirlwind iron cutting fist to save the fallen heroes

Page 59

Ge: those life signals must have been caused by it…

Ge: it’s not that I wasn’t able to pinpoint its location, it’s simply too massive

[very long -- rest under cut]

Page 60

Ge: completely unharmed after taking the cannon fire

Ge/Bo/Ba (not sure who said it): an opponent that can easily break my wrists…

Garou (I think): that centipede…

Page 61

Ga: why did you come here?

Ph: don’t worry, Elder Centipede will handle the rest down there

Ph: that guy is a literal natural disaster that swallows everything

Ph: his indiscriminant power of destruction is truly shocking

Ph: an anti-climactic “hero hunt” as usual, wouldn’t you say?

Ph: you  can’t just knock them out, they must be eliminated permanently

Ph: heroes who are knocked out will be always come back bouncin’

Page 62

Ph: …you just rest easy

Ph: Elder Centipede will end it all

Ga: ! (starts struggling)

Ph: stop wasting your energy

Ga: those heroes are my prey

Ph: yo yo, stop moving!

Ga: damn you, let me go! Unforgivable!

Ph: hey hey, don’t get angry

Ph: it’s your fault you didn’t finish them off after all

Ph: plus, this is a golden opportunity for us to off 2 S-class heroes

Ph: the S-class heroes are the biggest threat to the Monsters Association

Page 63

Ph: you experienced it firsthand, didn’t you

Ph: there is such thing as battle compatibility

Ph: if our advisor Gyoro is right, in the entire Hero Association, there are only four who could take on Elder Centipede

Page 64

Ph: The wielder of unparalleled supernatural power, “tornado of terror”

Ph: The sole commander of a military force that’s beyond even HA’s control, “metal knight”

Page 65

Ph: The strongest human “King”

Ph: And…the one who almost killed Elder Centipede, the strongest hero, “Blast”

Page 66

Ph: Elder Centipede is working with Monsters Association in order to seek revenge against Blast

Ph: he just can’t wait to lure the hermit Blast back onto the battlefield

Ph: unfortunately…those two down there (Bang and Genos) do not possess the power to turn the tides in their favor

Ph: Silver Fang has obtained unmatched power through martial arts, but that only works on opponents of a similar size

Ph: Demon Cyborg’s capabilities are terrifying

Ph: but he carries nothing on-board that will threaten a monster of this size.

Ph: He cannot go beyond the destructive firepower of his weapons

Ph: that is the limit of Demon Cyborg

Page 67

Ph: with a lineup like that, they are surely doomed

Ge/Bo/Ba: It’s coming!!!

Page 68

Page 69-70

Elder Centipede charging against the three

Page 71-72

Ba/Bo: Whirlwind water stream air-blasting sky-splitting fist

Page 73-75

Impact, Elder Centipede cracking, Bang and Bomb posing

Page 76

Ge: what a technique (flashback of Bang and Bomb talking about their technique: it’s a killing blow, but it has openings, my understanding is they needed Genos’ attack to act as decoy in order for their combo to land, because it’s not yet perfect)

Ge: it even shattered such hardened shell…

Ge: this must be

Ge: the pinnacle of technique/skill

Page 77-78

Ba/Bo: it’s not over yet x 10

Page 79

Elder Centipede pushes Bang/Bomb back

Page 80

Ba: ouch…that was careless

Bo: but we got it

Bo: the impact will ravage its body

Bo: turn into powder, monster

Ba: for two old folks like us, using this grand technique once is our limit

Ba: great thing we landed

Ba: a little help, Genos

Page 81

Ba: it’s over

Page 82

Elder Centipede molting

Page 83

Ba: it can’t be

Page 84

Ba: this guy just molted!!!

Ba: and it’s even bigger than before!?

Ba: how could this be

Page 85

Bo: we cannot defeat that thing…!

Bo: and we need to protect the unconscious heroes…

Bo: what shall we do!? Bang!

Ba: it’ll catch up to us if we tried to run

Ba: this forest park is just outside the city limits …

Ba: if we leave we’ll get civilians involved

Page 86

Ge: Bang, I will fight it

Ge: try my best to lure the centipede over here

Ge: you guys grab the injured heroes and get out of here

Page 87

Ba: Genos kun

Ba: you want to go alone

Ba: can’t say I agree with this plan…

Bo: I know there’s little chance of success, but don’t be reckless

Bo: the future belongs to the youths

Genos’ flashback of Dr. Kuseno: whatever you do Genos, don’t be reckless

Page 88

Ge: am I really going to…

Ge: leave this monster be

Page 89-90

Ge: That is not

Ge: possible

Page 91-92

Genos fighting Elder Centipede

Page 93

Ba: this is madness

Ba: cannon fire cannot harm it

Page 94

Ge: whether it’s this thing

Ge: or the monster from yesterday (Gouketsu)

Page 95

Ge: or Garou

Ge: they’re all part of the Monsters Association

Ge: this fight

Ge: is unavoidable

Page 96-97

Genos attacking Elder Centipede from above

Page 98

Ge: Dual Blade Rush

Ge: that’s what you have to do to fight them

Page 99

Ge: I’m participating

Ge: destroy

Page 100

Ge: if this is me being reckless

Ge: !

Page 101

Ba/Bo: Genos kun!!!

Ge: at this rate, I’ll…

Page 102

OUT OF THE FIGHT

Page 103

Genos recombines

Page 104

Ge: Jets drive arrow

Page 105-106

Genos kicks Elder Centipede tooth, which cracks

Page 107

Ba/Bo: he’s inside its mouth

Elder: it’s over…

Page 108

Ge: ! digestive acid

Elder: I’ll melt you in a few seconds

Ge: it’s you who are going to melt

Page 109-110

Ge: Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 111

Aftermath of Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 112

Bo: …!!!

Ba: he finished it!!

Page 113

Elder Centipede tanks the hit, is fine

Page 114

Ge: at the end…

Ge: I am unable to…defeat…

Ge: nor able to protect…

Page 115

Ba: let’s get out of here

Ba: Bomb!

Ba: grab the rest of them!!

Elder: futile struggle

Ph: what’s the matter

Ph: you were still responsible for taking out half of the heroes, it can’t be that bad

Page 116

Ga: not like that!

Ga: This is not what I had hoped!!!

Ga: I…I wanted to beat them with my own strength!

Ga: only then I can be a symbol of terror…!!

Ga: that’s the purpose of the hero hunt!!!

Ph: symbol of terror? You? Hahahaha…

Ph: in your current state, if you went back there, you’ll just end up getting trampled to death with the rest of the heroes

Ph: right now, you do not possess the strength to disobey Elder Centipede or executive members of the Monsters Association

Page 117

Ga: crying…

Ga: sooner or later…I’ll show you what I’m capable of…

Ge: how could I…

Page 118

Ge: what am I missing…!?

Ge: are there several others like that?

Ge: in front of those monsters…

Ge: what can I do, besides look on with envy…?

Bo: Bang! This is bad

Bo: at this rate it’ll get outside the forest park!

Bo: there will be casualties in the city!!

Page 119

Bo: at this rate…I won’t be able to walk

Bo: how old do you think I am

Ba: I’ll leave it to fate…

Ba: brother

Page 120

Ba: for the last time in my life, I’ll give it my all

Page 121-122

King: Elder Centipede~!!!

K: yo! Pest!!!!!

K: I’ve brought your target – “Blast”!!!!

Page 123

Ba: !?

Ge: that voice…King!!?

Ge: Blast!?

Ba: what…!

Bo: !!!? Look!!

Bo: it’s stopped chasing and is going towards another direction

Page 124

Elder: Blast…?

King: thaat’s….riiiight!

K: the very one that beat the crap out of you and made you wet yourself, the hero Blast!!

K: if you want to fight him again, come over here!

K: why are you so scared you can’t move?! Straighten up!!! Hey, if you’re about to shit yourself you should go home!

K: a bug like you, you must want to run back underground and suck on your mom’s tits!!!!

Page 125

Association staff: King arrived at the location near S city where Elder Centipede has reemerged!!!

Staff: thank god! It’s King, he’ll have a solution…

Staff: …there are several other heroes onsite

Staff: when I warned him their battle might cause collateral damage and injure the innocent, he told me “I hope you could give me information that can provoke Elder Centipede”

S: he might have wanted to lure the monster to him and fight it one on one.

Page 126

Staff: it sustained grave injuries at the hands of Blast in the past, but escaped with his injuries underground

S: it would be great if we could finish it off this time…

S: even though it’s top secret information, I still told king the past between Blast and Elder Centipede

S: and explained to him if the battle were to become dragged out or increase in scope, it might causegreat disaster for the surrounding areas …

S: what did he say?

S: he just said “understood”.

The roar of the King Engine……

Page 127

K: luring it here so no one else gets involved…

K: finish it off with one shot before it escapes underground

K: damage must be contained…blowing it back into the city is not an option…

K: there’s very limited time to make your decision

K: that’s it

Page 128

K: …

K: …Saitama?

Page 129

K: Saitama~!!!?

K: it’s about to

Page 130

Shot of Elder Centipede charging

Page 131-138

SERIOUS PUNCH

Page 139

Saitama: ah

Page 140

Sai: Genos, is that you?

Page 141

Sai: you really are here

Sai: just like King said

K: by the skin of my teeth…that was a close call…

Sai: it’s all good, we’re here aren’t we

K: huh? Saitama, you sound…happy?

Sai: I feel awesome for some reason

Page 142

Sai: it’s a great stress release after getting owned by you in video games

K (thinking): it’s still bothering him …

K: that’s not it…I thought I told you it’s because of your inflexible, singular approach towards battles

Ge: Saitama sensei, can I ask you a question

Sai: what?

Ge: what am I missing?

Sai: huh

Sai: power, I guess?

Page 143

Ge: …!!!!

Ge: thank you very much

K: aaaaaaahhhhhh…that’s no good Genos…

K: you cannot use Saitama as reference

Ge: sensei has guided my path with his battle

Ge: the symbol of great strength, that is my goal…

Ge: I will be there

Page 144

Ph: Garou…he has finally lost consciousness

Ph: rest easy

Ph: we’ll soon be with Orochi

END

[ramblinganthropologist]

Writober 2020 - 18 (photograph)

Extra, extra, read all about it: someone’s about to fucking die. As they should, because who the hell honestly believes that Commander Shepard and Commander Shepard are straight anyway?

(ME1)

---

“Do you think either of them know they were seen yet?”

“Doubt it. Definitely explains the last name thing, though. How long do you think it's been?”

“Can't have been more than 5 years, they both did N7...”

Alistair was starting to get tired of people whispering. Didn't they know it was rude?

Ok, maybe his nerves were still a little frayed from the whole touch the Prothean beacon, figure out Saren is trying to kill everyone, become the first human Spectre thing. Nobody could blame him that he was a little cranky that morning as he left his office to get the Normandy where it needed to go. The fact it was actually his ship definitely didn't help either. After years of being enlisted or an officer, having free reign was... deeply uncomfortable.

He'd probably get over it, but... yeah it felt weird.

Still, even in his terrible mood it was impossible to miss the stares and the whispers from the crew whenever he walked by. Part of him had wondered if it was them gossiping about how he'd gotten the Normandy off Admiral Anderson, but... it didn't feel right. Professional whispering from the ranks was one thing, but this felt... oily. Salacious, maybe. Definitely something personal, which just amped up the gossip even more.

Now, had he been in a better mood, Alistair probably would have ignored it. The thing was, he wasn't. So he would have to be forgiven if he took a right when he should've gone straight and walked straight behind the two gossiping crew-mates. Neither of them noticed him, of course. He was quiet like that.

“What was that about N7?”

He shouldn't have enjoyed just how much air the two men cleared when they jumped out of their skins, but forgive him if he wasn't feeling just a little petty that morning. They were both 3 shades lighter as they turned to face him, and the sweat was really starting to pour down their faces. On his scale, he'd call that shit terrified.

Good.

“C-Commander Shepard, sir! W-we didn't see you there!”

He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. “Yes, that tends to happen when someone comes up from behind you. Now, to reiterate. What was that about N7? Have either of you been asked to join the training program? My congratulations if so, it's an honor even to be asked.”

He would know – he had it tattooed above his ass. And he definitely knew nobody on his ship was in active training at the moment. It was one of the perks that came with being the Normandy's CO. The other was getting to see moment like this transpire before him.

The larger of the two was sweating bullets as he tried to figure out what to say. “N-no... nothing like that, sir.”

“Just...” the words failed the smaller one. His face screwed up as he seemingly gave up whatever he was holding back. “How long have you been married to XO Shepard?”

…

Alistair blinked slowly. “What?”

If he hadn't known better... someone had just asked if he was married to his XO. His XO, Commander Bo Peep Shepard. His XO, Commander Bo Peep Shepard, his best friend and probably the closest thing he had left to family.

What the entire fuck?

Big one rubbed the back of his neck as his face began to take color again. “It... was on the extranet a few days ago. Pictures of you two together. It implied that you two were married. We thought it would explain the shared last name and all...”

Alistair let a sigh leak from between his teeth as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “A tabloid with nothing better to do, I assume.”

He let the pinch go, shaking his head. “Mind sending that site to me? I think I need to do some correction next time we dock at the Citadel.”

The two were already racing for their omni-tools, but he could tell the question still loomed in both their eyes. After all, he could just be trying to quash the story to keep his so-called marriage quiet. These crew, lovely as they were, didn't know he or his XO well enough yet.

Maybe that was why he rolled up his sleeve to expose his tattoo. “And by the way, I think this should clarify your questions.”

He tapped the wing colored in the gay pride flag for emphasis. The other, shaded in trans pride, went without saying. Years later, he was still glad he had gotten it during pride, even if it had been somewhat of a spur of the moment choice. Ironically enough, he had gotten it with Bo – she had the lesbian colors around her ankle.

You know, because she was a fucking lesbian and he was gay as hell.

“O-oh... yeah I guess it would.” Someone's face was turning red. “Sorry, Commander...”

“Just don't spread it around anymore.” Down went his sleeve. “Now, I'm going to go see where this website is hosted...”

With that he left them, the details blooming to life on his omni-tool screen. Once they got back to the Citadel, he and Bo were going to have to take a little trip...

---

“I'm going to murder them when I get my hands on them.”

“Don't worry, I won't stop you.”

The port hissed as Bo and Alistair left the Normandy's decontamination lock and entered the Citadel docking bay. It had been a few days since the discovery on ship, and now they were at the heart of the matter. Someone was about to get their clock cleaned, and it wasn't going to be mechanically.

'Don't forget ,you two, you don't have to testify against each other in court since you're married and all~!'

Al shot a glare back at the Normandy as he pressed the communicator in his ear. “Joker-”

'Just kidding, commanders. I know what teams you two play for. I guess we'll know you found them when we see the blood spurting.'

“You better fucking believe it.” Bo's eyes were practically glowing with hostility as she stomped down the walkway that connected their ship to the dock. Around them hummed the activity of the Citadel proper. Ships sailed above their heads, people went about their business... and somewhere, a tabloid was about to get the unholy shit kicked out of it.

Alistair checked the details on his omni-tool as they began to walk. “I traced the website's ISP to a building in the Wards. Chances are, they're there.”

“If not, they're going to tell us where the fuck they are.” Her knuckles were white as she slammed them together. “Damn straights and their height kink. How the hell could anyone think I was straight?”

Yeah, that was his question – she was built like a tank and had pink hair. How the hell could anyone read that as straight?

“I mean, they thought I was straight somehow, so they don't have a great judge of character.” Alistair tapped at his omni-tool. “It would be faster if we got a taxi, but walking is an option too. Up to you honestly.”

Bo didn't answer him. He realized why once he figured out he had lost his handy patch of shade. The other Spectre had left him in order to go storm over to a nearby newsstand where people were whispering. Given a few were running...

Well, he ran over to make sure nobody died.

“I can't fucking believe this!”

She pounded her fist on the counter, and Alistair felt like doing the same once he saw it. A new story had popped up, front cover with a picture that definitely wasn't photoshopped. Bo was front and center, chatting with a rather lovely lady. Anyone who could read body language could guess the two were probably flirting, which is probably why someone had been so quick to take it. Above the photo, a bold headline proclaimed “Commander Shepard: Newlywed in Bisexual Affair?”

Oh boy... whoever took that was a dead man.

Bo rounded on him, fire in her eyes. “Taxi. Now.”

Alistair didn't need to be told twice – they were soon in the back of a cab, headed towards the Wards. To say a burning silence fell over the back was putting it mildly. Bo was gearing up to kill someone, and he... well he didn't want to be next in the tabloid.

The cab driver unfortunately didn't have the sense God gave to rocks as he surveyed the two. “Trouble in paradise, huh? Well, there's always divorce court.”

Alistair grabbed for Bo before she could crash the cab. “We're actually going to clear up we're not married!”

“Ah, that's a shame. You two make a cute couple, being the first two Spectres and all. You could've made some wicked strong biotic kids.”

“Sir when I tell you I'm the only thing keeping you alive right now, please believe me and keep driving.”

By the time they were dropped off in the Wards, Alistair was pretty sure he had lost 10 pounds keeping the cab driver alive. His arms were killing him as they stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of a nondescript office building. It had a listing on the side, telling the different businesses inside. Their next stop was on the fourth floor... so if anyone got tossed out of a window, they would probably live.

“Alright, so let's figure out what we're-”

He didn't get to finish his statement. Bo was already walking in like a woman on a mission, leaving him in the dust. All he could do was chase after her, eventually catching up on the stairs to the second floor. All the while, a receptionist chased after them.

“Excuse me, you can't just-”

Bo turned back to face her dead on. “Spectre business.”

Their tail shook a little, but... Al was pretty sure it was because she was kind of into that. She was definitely blushing a little as she backed up. “R-right... fourth floor is what you're looking for, ma'am.”

Alistair sighed as he held up his hand in an apologetic gesture. “Sorry, we'll be done quickly. Thank you for your information.”

And then he was chasing after Bo again as she took the stairs two at a time. Before long, they were standing on the fourth floor's landing. There was only one door here, labeled with a sign that called themselves Citadel Daily. They were one of many tabloids that supplied the Presidium and Wards with the lack of news people loved, and no doubt they were one of the more popular ones. After all, they were creating quite the buzz about humanity's first two Spectres.

A buzz that was about to be repaid with a lot of violence if he didn't mediate.

He managed to grab her wrist before they went in. “Let's just... try talking first.”

“It's not you they're calling a cheat, Al.” She tugged her arm away. “I'm handling this my way.”

And then she pushed the door open, probably burying the knob in the wall. All motion stopped on the other side as she stormed into the room, coming to a stop at the heart of it. All Alistair could do was enter after her pulling the door out of the wall as he did. Yep... the handle went straight through. That was going to require a patch.

Bo glared at the room filled with desks and people. Someone was reaching for a camera, a device that abruptly died as her eyes glowed red. She might not have been good with technology, but she knew how to break it just fine. No more devices came out after that – they were smart.

“I'm only going to say this one, who the fuck is John Jacobs and when are they getting the fuck out?”

Nobody moved at first. Alistair could hardly blame them as he scanned the room. Mostly, he just saw shocked wanna-be journalists and gossip columnists who had never expected this kind of treatment. After all, they weren't printing anything particularly hard hitting. Of course, their mistake had been printing about the Shepards... which was a bad idea to say the least.

He spotted someone twitching in the corner of the room. Rather than alert Bo, he began to pick his way over. Nobody would look at him, but that was fine. He had his eye on the man trying to hide behind his desktop, looking at though he might piss himself.

And as he should – from the looks of things, he was working on his latest article.

“'Commander Shepard spotted coming out of a bar with-'” He shook his head, sighing. “Mr. Jacobs, if you were even half a journalist you would know I can't drink on my medication. That's just sloppy work right there.”

The man definitely pissed himself as he backed up in his seat. “C-Commander Shepard!”

“One of them, anyway.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Bo, found him.”

Maybe that was mean, but the photoshop job on that picture had been particularly atrocious. So maybe he didn't feel bad that hell on wheels was storming over, ready to put her fist straight through this guy's head. At least he'd stop it if it came to murder...

Maybe.

Bo came to a stop in front of the desk. His desktop fizzed and died as she loomed over him. Alistair definitely smelled piss and something else as the full weight of his crimes fell upon him. And of course, nobody was dumb enough to take pictures. After all, they were Spectres and about ready to prove what happened if you tried to smear them.

Though... was it actually a smear if they did make this guy's life a living hell?

“John Jacobs?”

His answer came out shaky. “Y-Yes, that's me. I didn't expect the story to get so big, b-but-”

Too late. He was already out of his seat by the collar of his garish shirt. Bo had him at eye level, and Al was there to avoid the pants region as he watched the carnage unfold. Someone nearby had a camera up  - a blue-eyed gaze quickly put a stop to that. Bo wasn't the only one who knew how to break technology.

“What the fuck was going through your demented little fucking head?” She brought him closer. “You got some kind of height kink, you nasty fuck?”

John was sweating bullets. “N-no! I just... a lot of people think you two are married! It's the same last names!”

Yeah, Alistair was doubting the lack of height kink, but at least he was trying to be honest. He was still probably going to get the shit beaten out of him, though. He kind of deserved it, what with insinuating they were not only married but... ugh...  straight.

Really, how the hell did anyone think that of them?

Bo's eyes said murder and her fists were willing to comply. “Let me put it to you this way, that receptionist down there is more my type than this manlet will ever be.”

“Hey, I'm a maligned party too, don't take out your frustration on me.” Alistair rubbed the back of his neck anyway – talking about his height was a sensitive subject. “Anyway, we're very clearly not married.”

“Or straight.”

He nodded. “Or straight, yes that's kind of important. So maybe you should print a retraction on those articles and apologize so you don't get thrown out a window. You'd probably survive, but it would sure hurt a lot regardless.”

Judging by the grip on his collar, he wasn't going to get out of this without some form of damage... but maybe they could keep him from getting tossed out a window. Besides, if he pissed himself anymore he was going to start leaking on the floor. Talk about gross.

John's eyes traveled from Shepard to Shepard. “T-this is cen-”

“Oh come the fuck on, she's ready to murder you do you really wanna complain about censorship? Read the room, man.”

Normally, Alistair didn't swear. However, this man clearly didn't have sense in his head, so maybe shock methods were needed. At least he shut his mouth that time as he thought the offer over. Maybe he should think a little faster.

Bo started to move to the window. “Well, he had his chance.”

“No, wait, stop!” Both his fists couldn't fit around her wrist. “I'll print the retraction!”

She stopped a few feet from the open window. “And you'll stop writing about us. No more Shepard stories, understood?”

He started to look like he wanted to argue, but... that window was pretty damn close. Sweat dripped down his forehead as he considered his options. Then he got inched a little closer, and the decision was clearly made.

“U-Understood... I won't print anymore.”

And then he was dropped to the floor in a sad, soggy heap. Bo wheeled around and glared at the entire room. Alistair stepped forward as well, feeling much more pleasant as he surveyed the terrified reporters sitting before him.

“I hope you all understand, that goes for anyone here. Nobody gets a free pass out of defenestration, understood?”

And then his eyes glowed as another camera died. “No story about this either, by the way. I've added you guys to my omni-tool news feed, so don't think just because we're off saving people that we won't hear about it.”

Given everyone else looked like they might need a change of underwear once they left, that was another pact sealed. With any luck, they wouldn't get too stupid about their stories. Of course, if they did... it wasn't like they were going to move buildings.

“Good talk.” Bo was already throwing the door open. “Let's get the fuck out of here, it smells like piss.”

Alistair was already following her out, sighing in relief as the door shut behind them. At least nobody had died, or even been really bodily harmed in the process. As far as missions went, this was one of their more successful ones.

Then again, Bo hadn't gotten to work her frustration out, so...

“Want to hit up the Alliance training course to work out that energy before we go see Anderson?”

“Fuck yes.” Bo was already heading in that direction. “I still should've thrown him out the window. Damn your sensibilities.”

Eh he could take her being mad at him if it meant nobody died. Dissatisfaction was part of being a commanding officer.

---

Retraction on previous stories concerning Commander Bo Peep Shepard and Commander Alistair Shepard

The Citadel Daily would like to publish a retraction towards two stories it printed. Along with this, we extend a heartfelt apology to-

“Well, I guess they got the message.”

Joker was chuckling as the message read over Alistair's omni-tool. All three were gathered in the cockpit a few days later, after a successful mission on a nearby planet. The news had come in as they were on the shuttle, and he had been waiting to listen.

Bo nodded as the message finished. “They fucking better... still don't know who took those damn pictures. They're lucky I didn't find them...”

Alistair nodded as he killed the feed. “Oh, speaking of. Turns out they're a freelancer. I think I have a beat on them-”

No doubt he was starting another hunt for some poor sap, but... well, again, he didn't feel bad. After all, they had thought he was straight. Someone had to pay for that grievous misstep. And with any luck, maybe this one wouldn't wind up out a window either.

You know, maybe being the CO wasn't so bad after all. He got to schedule time for defenestration duties. Talk about a perk of running the show...

[jjbafanstands]

Beauty from Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, please!

Stand Master: Beauty

Stand Name: White Rabbit

Basis: White Rabbit, by Jefferson Airplane

Appearance: White Rabbit is a white and pink humanoid Stand a head shorter than its user, dressed neatly in a dark blue vest and carrying a cyan pocketwatch that never seems to tick. It also has two bright pink rabbit ears growing out from its head that always seem to twitch.

Abilities: White Rabbit can access two differing pocket dimensions by tapping the ground with its foot and opening up a hole, and these dimensions are referred to as the Safe Place and the Not-so-Safe Place respectively. It can swap between which it opens up by pressing the top of its pocketwatch. The first is a flowery meadow with butterflies and other peaceful wildlife that will simply stay around, not trying to escape when White Rabbit opens the hole. This makes it a great place to keep its user secure, especially since White Rabbit is always considered in range while she’s in the Safe Place. As for the Not-so-Safe Place...it’s unknown what it looks like, mostly because things start breaking loose from it as soon as White Rabbit opens an entrance. Fire, sharks, tanks, nosehair needles - whatever the Not-so-Safe Space unleashes when White Rabbit opens a hole to it, it’s guaranteed to give the person on the receiving end a good amount of pain. Last but not least, it should be noted that White Rabbit is sapient and completely able to act on its own, and thus often fights of its own accord by forcibly putting the user into the Safe Place and then tormenting the opponent with the Not-so-Safe Place.

Stats:

Power: C

Speed: B

Range: D (although this doesn’t really matter when the Safe Space is involved)

Durability: B

Precision: D

Developmental Potential: A

~~

Want a Stand like this for your favorite character? Feel free to send a request!

~~

[Hope you’re satisfied, @gaignunkukai!]

[ - Mod Gold]

[snarkwriteswrasslin]

FFT: discount chocolate day

Notes:

So this is an anti-valentines prompt sent to me on the main by @schizoauthoress​ and I have to say, given that I’m not the biggest valentines day fan, I really enjoyed it. So, I gave it a space here on this blog. Definitely want to write more for these two.

Summary:

Two anti-Valentines grouches just kind of awkwardly and resistantly starting the process of falling into love. This is the beginning. Bantering and bickering. Fluffy af if you squint.

Warnings:

anti - valentines, alcohol tw - mentions of it, fluffy bantering and bickering between two grumpy people and that’s about it.

Pairing:

Curtis Axel x OFC, Nicolette

“Happy…” before Alexa could even finish what she’d been about to say, Nicolette had her fingers in her ears, humming so loudly that Alexa couldn’t finish. Almost the instant that Nicolette had taken her fingers out of her ears, Alexa tapped her foot and asked in a huff, “Are you done now? Do you feel better?”

“I’ll feel better tomorrow.” Nicolette shrugged, offering no further explanation. Everything around her was decked out in red and an almost unsettling shade of Pepto pink and people were being so utterly adorable together that quite frankly, Nicolette was just sick of the entire holiday. It was a commercialized sham to begin with, were people really too stupid to see?

“Why not today, I mean it’s..” again, as soon as Alexa went to mention Valentine’s, Nicolette started to plug her ears and hum. As soon as Alexa’s mouth was closed, Nicolette took her fingers out of her ears again and Alexa glared at her. “Grouch.”

“Not a grouch, merely a realist. This entire sham of a fucking holiday is just a convenient way for corporations to make money.” Nicolette answered in an even tone, her gaze flitting around the backstage area in sheer boredom as she did so. “Honestly, half these people who are sucking face now won’t be next week.”

“Some of them are married, Nic!” Alexa rolled her eyes; exasperated with her friend at the moment. Nicolette shrugged. “It’s not my fault they don’t calculate risks before taking them.”

“So that’s your real thoughts on Valentine’s Day?”

“Umm, yeah. Yep, pretty much. There’s honestly no point in a holiday where the suicide rate hikes up at least ten percent. I mean, the pressure itself is enough to drive someone insane. Everything has to be perfect this one day.. People seem to forget there are also 364 additional days in the year in which they could show a person they love them too. But no, let’s just focus on the train-wreck fuckery of this one fucking day.”

“You have to be lying. If a guy came up to you right now and gave you candy or a bear or roses..” the wheels in Alexa’s mind were turning already, but they were subsequently ground to a full stop when Nicolette shrugged mildly and opened her locker, holding out a card. “I got something. And I still strongly dislike this farce of a holiday. Care to try again?”

“You’re just being contrary now.”

“It’s my prerogative.” Nicolette shrugged and turned to dig through their shared makeup kit, grabbing for her favorite MAC shade and it’s corresponding lipliner. “Wait a minute. You haven’t even opened this!? Why?” Alexa’s question had Nicolette rolling her eyes and shrugging.

“Because knowing my luck, it’s probably a glitter bomb or something. Thing will probably explode, spraying glitter everywhere. I mean.. I’ll richly deserve it because I put Icy Hot in Mandy’s bra, but yeah. I’m 99.999 percent certain that this is some kind of stupid prank… Just like..” Nicolette trailed off and added silently, every other time someone’s ‘had a secret crush on me’, to herself. Alexa was still gaping at her.

“Aren’t you even like… a little curious?”

“Nah.”

… liar, liar, pants on fire, her brain saw fit to taunt her, but she ignored it. Just like she’d been ignoring it all damn day. Just like she was hell-bent to continue ignoring it until she got good and damn ready to do otherwise. Oh, she was beyond curious as to what the envelope might hold. But she wasn’t planning to indulge that curiosity either.

“Well, if you’re not opening it, I am.” Alexa grabbed the red envelope and tore it open and Nicolette found herself torn between watching it happen and pretending complete and total disinterest and continuing to apply her makeup.

“WHAT THE FUCK?” red glitter clouded around Alexa almost as soon as she had the envelope fully open and all Nicolette could do was shrug and smirk at her friend. “I did try to warn you, Alexa.”

“You enjoy this.”

“Maybe just a little?” Nicolette stopped laughing for a second or two. The let down she felt at being right wasn’t something she felt like dealing with, so she pushed it out of her head. It didn’t matter anyway. She’d rather not focus on being right again and it’s implications or her deepest hopes.

Alexa grabbed for Nicolette’s favorite black lace tank top and wiped at her face, swearing again when all the glitter didn’t just come right off. She stomped her foot, whining and tugging at her pigtails. “Now I have to wash all this makeup off and redo it.”

“I’ll do it. I think I can actually lean into this whole glitter whore aesthetic you’ve got going on tonight. Did you learn a lesson though?”

Alexa flipped her the bird and sank back into the chair sitting in front of the vanity as she grumbled aloud, “Okay, Ms. Know it all. But I saw that disappointed look on your face when you were actually right.”

“That was more or less a look of disgust. You got glitter on my Louboutins, bitch.” Nicolette grabbed for her favorite black and red makeup brushes and set to work after priming Alexa’s face and fanning it so it might dry a little quicker.

At one point, she happened to glance down as the light caught on little flecks of red dotting her cleavage and she rolled her eyes in disdain. “Could you have gone elsewhere to open the damned card, Bliss?” with a pout.

Alexa gave a giggling shrug and shook her head no as Nikki Cross peeked in. “Thought ah ‘eard yellin.”

“It was Bliss. I told her to leave the glitter bomb card in my locker alone. She refused. Now we’re having to redo her entire face and not even ten minutes before the three of us all have to go down to the damn ring and face against Bayley and Sasha and their mysterious third.” Nicolette rolled her eyes and laughed softly, giving her friend a fond smile as she finished up with Alexa’s makeup.

“You’ve got glitter on your titties.” Alexa nodded at Nicolette’s cleavage and smirked at her friend.

“I noticed.” Nicolette replied dryly, grumbling as she grabbed for a makeup wipe and tried to get the sparkly red flecks off her skin.

Their theme music hit and the three of them made their way down to the ring, trying not to laugh about the whole incident as they did their promo against Bayley and Sasha and their mystery partner for the night.

–

“So, wot are yer big plans for t’night?” Nikki asked Nicolette.

“Well, as soon as we get back to the hotel and I’m out of these shoes, I’m going to change and go to Target.” Nicolette was already wiggling her feet free from the heels and giving a sharp hiss as she raised her foot and flexed her toes to give them room to breathe at last. “I will never.. And I mean ever.. Wear a brand new pair of heels without breaking them in first. Regardless of how good they may or may not make my ass look.”

“Oh come on! Come out with us.” Alexa was trying again to talk her into going out to a nightclub but Nicolette just wasn’t feeling it; especially not on  Valentine’s day. No, she’d really rather not.

“I’d really rather not tonight…” Nicolette shrugged and Nikki eyed her, smirking.

“She’s got ‘erself a date.”

“If by date you mean Silence Of The Lambs, a bottle of wine and discounted Godiva chocolates, then yeah.. Yeah I do have a date.” Nicolette gave a smirk as Alexa eyed her. “You really hate Valentine’s day. This isn’t just a way to be contrary, you genuinely dislike it. Why though?”

“Because it’s bullshit. If you can’t love someone the entire year, why make a big fucking deal out of one day?” Nicolette shrugged as their SUV pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the hotel. She got out, stretching and grabbing her luggage from the back of the SUV, starting her walk towards the hotel lobby.

About halfway across the parking lot, she heard her name being shouted. She ignored it, kept walking. But just as she got to the doors, she felt a strong tap to her shoulder and she turned to find herself surrounded by Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel and Heath Slater.

“Boys. Hi.” Nicolette looked from man to man, her gaze lingering a second or two longer on Curtis as she gave hints of a teasing grin.

Curtis felt Heath nudging his elbow into his side and he cleared his throat, smirking as he held out a pair of bright red lace and a black lace bra. Heath snickered and Curtis spoke up. “These fell out of your bag. Fancy.”

“Oh my god.” Bo palmed his face and shook his head. Heath snickered at Curtis and Curtis gave a shrug, flashing that smirk at Nicolette as he held out the panties and bra to her. Nicolette reached for them, her hand brushing his and quickly pulling them free from his grasp. “Well they better be, I mean they’re fucking Agent Provocateur.”

Curtis chuckled and shrugged, gave her a blank look. “Either way, they fell on the pavement.” he raked his hand over the top of his head, biting his lip as he found his eyes fixed on her eyes. An almost milk chocolate-colored, he could’ve easily stood there staring at her all night, but somehow, he got the sense that she’d only be annoyed by it and that to an extent, she was used to it and hated it. “Happy Valentines Day.” he muttered the words and she gave a roll of her eyes.

It had him curious. She had him curious, actually. He’d never particularly paid her any certain amount of attention before, but right now? She had his full and undivided attention. At the very least, she seemed to be of a similar mindset to him in regards to Valentines.

“Discount chocolate day is better.” Nicolette quipped, biting her lip as she found herself kind of lingering her gaze on his mouth. The feel of his hand against her hand a few seconds before had been.. Unexpected but not entirely disliked either. She’d die before admitting it, of course, but the fact remained. Now that she was up close and personal with Curtis Axel, the man did have her intrigued just a little bit. “Is that all, Curtis?”

“Yeah.” Curtis managed to cough out the word because it suddenly hit him that at some point during their little exchange, she’d stepped closer and so had he and somehow, neither of them seemed to notice. However, he couldn’t help but notice that the second she did, she quickly stepped back and straightened herself up.

It made him smirk a little because that little flash in those eyes of hers told the tale clearly. He’d done something, he’d had some sort of effect on her.

“Well, I’m going in now.” Nicolette turned on her heels and slunk away and Curtis stared after her almost to a point where Heath reached out and lightly smacked him right in the back of his head. Bo cleared his throat, gesturing at the doors to the lobby. “Well?” Bo asked with a curious gleam in his eyes, “Aren’t you going to at least go say something else?”

“Nah. I got shit to do.” Curtis shrugged it off.

“Right.. Your plan of going up to your suite and shutting yourself in.”

“Still say you oughta come out with us, buddy.”

“I’d rather not.. Not tonight. Too much syrupy sweet shit. I don’t wanna bear witness to it.” Curtis rubbed his chin in thought, still staring intently at the lobby doors.

–

“Okay, let’s see here. I’ve got the wine.. I’ve got all the stuff to make myself fettuccine alfredo, I’ve got myself my favorite gelato, now let’s see if they have the chocolates marked down..” Nicolette turned the corner of the Valentine’s clearance aisle and smirked as her eyes settled on the Godiva chocolates on the top shelf. In her distraction, she managed to push her cart right into another cart.

Curtis grumbled and looked up from the box of dark chocolates he’d been thinking of buying, prepared to glare at whoever rammed him. When he saw Nicolette standing there, scrolling through her cell phone, he smirked to himself.

She’d changed clothes. Gone was the little black leather mini skirt and the low cut white v neck blouse. And gone were the heels.

… she’s so fucking tiny… the thought crawled across his mind lazily and he smirked just a little more.

He cleared his throat and spoke up, flashing her that smirk the entire time. “We have got to stop meeting like this. People are going to talk.”

Nicolette eyed Curtis with a raised brow. She smirked just slightly, shrugging. “Let them talk then. I’m just here to get stuff to cook tonight.”

“And wine, apparently.” Curtis chuckled.

Nicolette’s eyes settled on the case of beer and the juicy porterhouse steaks in his own cart and she felt her mouth-watering a little. Suddenly, just having fettuccine Alfredo, wine and chocolate was not nearly as filling as she’d originally thought.

“I mean speak for yourself, you’re the one who has a case of glorified horse piss in their own cart.”

“Beer is not that bad. It’s not fruity.”

“Exactly. It’s bitter and gross and it smells like an old gym sock.” Nicolette teased, her eyes darting over him while he was rifling through the boxes on the shelf in front of them. Her own eyes settled upwards, towards the top shelf chocolates.

The Godiva white chocolate truffles, to be precise.

Rather than ask for help, she gripped the shelf above her head and stepped onto the lowest shelf. From beside her, Curtis happened to glance up from the box of Hershey’s dark in his hand just in time to see her trying to reach for the box of white chocolate Godiva over her head. He snickered and stepped up, one hand bracing her lower back and the other reaching up, grabbing it lazily.

“Your overpriced glorified vanilla.” Curtis quipped as he held it out to her and watched her do it again, step away from him a little too quickly while staring just a little too long and biting that pouty little lower lip. “It’s not vanilla. I mean, at any rate, it’s better than Cella’s.”

“Oh god, anything is better than Cella’s. Cella’s is disappointment in a box.” Curtis spoke up quietly, stepping closer all over again, mostly just to see what she’d do. She stepped away, giving him a raised brow. But she smirked and nodded.

Her eyes settled on his steaks for a third time and he just wasn’t the kind of guy to not at least offer, so he spoke up. “You’re going to starve with all those empty calories, princess. How about you let me cook you an actual meal, yeah?”

“My name is Nicolette.” Nicolette made a point to say it, even though she was more than a little affected by the nickname.

“Oh, but I think you’ve made it blatantly obvious princess suits you better.” Curtis was stepping a little closer again. She backed away, eyeing him, her mouth opening and closing. Clearly, she wasn’t used to a man holding their own against her little tactics.

“I did no such thing!” Nicolette was doing her best to seem offended. Even as the heat rose to her cheeks and she felt her thighs clench tighter than if they’d been bound by molasses.

Curtis caught that little look in her eyes and smirked, his eyes flickering over her body and an amused gleam in his own eyes. “Just save us both the hassle and give in. No catch. No expectations. Or are you too scared, hm?”

“Oh, I’m not scared at all. Fine. I accept your dinner proposal. Only if you let me make the Alfredo I was planning to make too. Hell, I’ll even throw a little culture into the mix for you in the form of this red wine.”

“You can honestly keep your wine, princess. But I will let you make your alfredo.”

Nicolette was left gaping as soon as he walked towards the register, stopping at the end of the aisle to wait on her, chuckling to himself.

How the fuck had he gotten her to agree to a dinner date?

“Hope he knows I am not getting dressed up all over again… Okay, maybe just a little.. My silk pajamas..” Nicolette mused to herself as she started to push the cart to catch up to him.

“You’re something else, sir.”

“Sir, huh?” Curtis stopped pushing his cart towards the self-check lane to look back at her. “It’s Curtis.”

“Well, Curtis. Are you opposed to Silence Of The Lambs? Because I always watch that on.. This particular hell day.”

“It puts the lotion on it’s skin or else it gets the hose again.” Curtis chuckled as he quoted the line from the movie. Nicolette gave a quiet giggle and added, “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”

“This is going to be an interesting night, I’m guessing?” Curtis remarked as he rang up the steaks, his chocolates and the pint of rocky road he’d gotten himself and the case of beer. Nicolette rang up her own purchases and after a few seconds, she had to agree. “I think so. It’s better than me, picking apart the movie all by myself I suppose.”

“You’re just not willing to admit that maybe it’ll be fun, huh?” Curtis smirked as he met her gaze.

“Ask me after it’s all over.”

“Noted.”

[ameryth74]

Louis **** Title Generator Tool

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Two letter words:

There are 107 acceptable 2-letter words listed in the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary, 6th Edition and the Official Tournament and Club Word List:

AA, AB, AD, AE, AG, AH, AI, AL, AM, AN, AR, AS, AT, AW, AX, AY, BA, BE, BI, BO, BY, DA, DE, DO, ED, EF, EH, EL, EM, EN, ER, ES, ET, EW, EX, FA, FE, GI, GO, HA, HE, HI, HO, ID, IF, IN, IS, IT, JO, JU, JY, JZ, KA, KI, KO, LA, LI, LO, MA, ME, MI, MM, MO, MU, MY, NA, NE, NO, NU, OD, OE, OF, OH, OI, OK, OM, ON, OP, OR, OS, OW, OX, PA, PE, PI, PO, QI, RE, SH, SI, SO, TA, TE, TI, TO, UH, UM, UN, UP, US, UT, WE, WO, XI, XU, YA, YE, YO, ZA

Two letter contractions: I’m, I’d

Four letter verbs:

abet, abut, abye/aby, ache, alit, ally, ante, arch, aver, avow (10).

baby,  bach, back, bade, baff, bail, bait, bake, bald, bale, balk, ball, band, bang, bank, bant, barb, bard, bare, barf, bark, base, bash, bask, bate, bath, bauk, bawl, bead, beam, bean, bear,    beat, beck, bede, beef, been, beep, bell, belt, bend, bent, bere, best, bias, bide(archaic usage), biff, bike, bilk, bill, bind, bird, birl, birr, bite, bitt, blab, blat, blaw, bled, blet, blew, blip, blob, blot, blow, blub, blue, blur, boak, boat, bode, body, boff(vulgar usage), boil, boke, bomb, bond, bone, bong, bonk, boob, book, boom, boot, bore, born, boss, boun, bowl, brad, brag, bray, bred, brew, brim, buck, buff, bulk, bull, bump, bung, bunk, bunt, buoy, burl, burn, burp, burr, bury, bush, busk, buss, bust, busy, butt, buzz (117).

ca-ca, cage, cake, calk, call, calm, came, camp, cane, cant, card, care, carp, cart, case, cash, cast, cave, cede, cere, chap, char, chat, chaw, chid, chin, chip, chop, chow, chug, chum, cite, clad, clam, clap, claw, clay, clew, clip, clog, clop, clot, cloy, club, clue, coal, coat, coax, cock, code, coif, coil, coin, coke, comb, come, comp, cone, conk, conn, cook, cool, coop, cope, copy, cord, core, cork, corn, cosh, cost, coup, cove, cowl, crab, cram, crap, crew, crib, crop, crow, cube, cuff, cull, curb, curd, cure, curl, curr, cuss (90).

dado, daff, damn, damp, dang, dare, dark, darn, dart, dash, date, daub, dawn, daze, deal, deck, deed, deem, defy, deke, dele, demo, dent, deny, dial, dice, died, diet, dike, dine, ding, ding, dint, dirk, disc, dish, disk, diss, dive, dock, doff, dole, dome, done, doom, dope, dose, doss, dote, dove, down, doze, drab, drag, draw, dray, dree, drew, drip, drop, drub, drug, drum, duck, duel, duet, dull, dumb, dump, dung, dunk, dupe, dusk, dust, dyke (75).

earn, ease, echo, eddy, edge, edit, emit, envy, espy, etch, even, exit (12).

face, fade, fail, fake, fall, fame, fard, fare, farm, fart, fash, fast, fate, fawn, faze, fear, feed, feel, fell, felt, fend, fess, fete, feud, file, fill, film, find, fine, fink, fire, firm, fish, fist, fizz, flag, flap, flat, flaw, flay, fled, flee, flew, flex, flip, flit, flog, flop, flow, flub, flux, foal, foam, foil, foin, fold, fond, fool, foot, ford, fork, form, foul, fowl, frag, frap, fray, free, fret, frig, frit, fuel, full, fume, fund, funk, furl, fuse, fuss, futz, fuze, fuzz (82).

gaff, gage, gain, gait, gall, game, gang, gaol, gape, garb, gash, gasp, gast(obsolete), gate, gaum(US), gave, gawk, gawp, gaze, gear, geld, gibe, gift, gild, gill, gimp, gird, girt, give, glad(archaic), glom, glow, glue, glug, glut, gnar, gnaw, go by, go on, goad, golf, gone, gong, goof, gore, gown, grab, gray, grew, grey, grid, grin, grip, grit, grow, grub, gulf, gull, gulp, gush, gust, gybe, gyre, gyve (64).

hack, haft, hail, hale, halo, halt, hand, hang, hare, hark, harm, harp, hash, hasp, hast, hate, hath(archaic), haul, have, hawk, haze, head, heal, heap, hear, heat, heed, heel, heft, held, helm, help, hent(obsolete), herd, hewn, hide, hike, hill, hint, hire, hiss, hive, hoax, hock, hoke(slang), hold, hole, home, hone, honk, hood, hoof, hook, hoop, hoot, hope, horn, hose, host, hove, howl, huff, hulk, hull, hump, hung, hunt, hurl, hurt, hush, husk, hymn, hype, hypo (74).

idle, inch, iris, iron, isle, itch (6).

jack, jade, jail, jape, jazz, jeep, jeer, jell, jerk, jest, jibe, jilt, jink, jinx, jive, join, joke, jolt, josh, juke, jump, junk (22).

kayo, keek(Scots), keel, keen, keep, kept, kern, kick, kill, kiln, kilt, kink, kiss, kite, knap, knew, knit, knot, know (19).

lace, lack, laid, lain, lair, lake, lamb, lame, land, lard, lark, lase, lash, last, lath, laud, lave, laze, lazy, lead, leaf, leak, lean, leap, lech, leer, left, lend, lens, lent, levy, lick, lift, like, lilt, limb, lime, limn, limp, line, link, lisp, list, live, load, loaf, loan, lock, loft, loll, long, look, loom, loop, loot, lope, lord, lose, lost, loup(Scots), lour, lout, love, lube, luck, luff, luge, lull, lump, lure, lurk, lust, lute, lyse (74).

mace, made, mail, maim, make, mall, malt, mark, marl, mart, mash, mask, mass, mast, mate, maul, maze, mean, meet, meld, mell, melt, mend, meow, mesh, mess, mete, mewl, miff, milk, mill, mime, mind, mine, mint, mire, miss, mist, moan, moat, mock, moil, mold, molt, moon, moor, moot, mope, moss, move, muck, muff, mull, mump, muse, mush, muss, must, mute (59).

nail, name, near, neck, need, nest, nick, nigh, nill(obsolete), nock, nose, nosh, note, nuke, null, numb (16).

obey, ogle, oink, okay, omen, omit, ooze, open, oust, over (10).

pace, pack, page, pain, pair, pale, pall, palm, pang, pant, pare, park, part, pash(Austral), pass, pave, pawn, peak, peal, peck, peek, peel, peen, peep, peer, pelt, pend, perk, perm, pick, pike, pile, pill, pimp, pine, ping, pink, pipe, piss(vulgar), pith, pity, plan, plat, play, plod, plop, plot, plow, plug, pock, poke, pole, poll, pond, pool, pore, port, pose, post, pour, pout, pray, pree, prep, prey, prim, prod, prog, prop, puff, puke, pule, pull, pulp, pump, punt, purl, purr, push, putt (80).

quad, quip, quit, quiz (4).

race, rack, raft, rage, raid, rail, rain, rake, ramp, rang, rank, rant, rape, rase, rasp, rate, rave, raze, razz, read, ream, reap, rear, reck, redd(dialect), rede(archaic), redo, reed, reef, reek, reel, rein, rely, rend, rent, rest, re-up, rice, rick, ride, riff, rift, rile, rill, rime(archaic)/rhyme, ring, riot, rise, risk, rive, roam, roar, robe, rock, rode, roil, rolf, roll, romp, roof, rook, room, root, rope, rose, rout, rove, ruck, ruff, ruin, rule, rush, rust (73).

sack, said, sail, sale, salt, sand, sass, sate, save, sawn, scab, scam, scan, scar, scat, scud, scum, seal, seam, sear, seat, seed, seek, seel, seem, seen, seep, sell, send, sent, sewn, shag, sham, shed, shim, shin, ship, shit, shoe, shog, shoo, shop, shot, show, shun, shut, sick, side, sift, sigh, sign, silk, silt, sing, sink, sire, site, size, skew, skid, skim, skin, skip, slab, slag, slam, slap, slat, slay, sled, slew, slid, slim, slip, slit, slog, slop, slot, slow, slub, slue, slug, slum, slur, smut, snag, snap, snip, snow, snub, snug, soak, soap, soar, sock, soil, sold, sole, solo, soot, sorb, sort, soup, sour, sown, spae(scottish), spam, span, spar, spat, spay, spec, sped, spew, spin, spit, spot, spud, spur, spurn, stab, stag, star, stay, stem, step, stet, stew, stir, stop, stow, stub, stud, stun, suck, suds, suit, sulk, sung, sunk, surf, swab, swag, swam, swan(brit), swap, swat, sway, swig, swim, swob, swop(brit)/swap, swot, swum, sync (155).

tabu, tack, tail, take, talc, talk, tame, tamp, tang, tank, tape, tare, task, taut, taxi, team, tear, teem, tell, tend, tent, term, test, text, thaw, thin, thud, tick, tide, tidy, tier, tiff, tile, till, tilt, time, tine, ting, tint, tire, toil, toke, told, tole, toll, tomb, tone, tong, took, tool, toot, tope, tore, torn, toss, tote, tour, tout, tram, trap, tree, trek, trim, trip, trod, trot, trow(archaic), true, tube, tuck, tuft, tune, turf, turn, tusk, twig(Brit), twin, twit, type (79).

undo, urge (2).

vade, vail(archaic), vamp, vary, veal, veer, veil, vein, vend, vent, vest, veto, vide, view, vine, visa, vise, void, vote (19).

wade, waft, wage, wail, wait, wake, wale, walk, wall, wane, want, ward, ware(archaic), warm, warn, warp, wash, waul, wave, wawl, wean, wear, weed, ween, weep, weet, weld, well, welt, wend, went, wept, were, wert(archaic), wham, whap, whet, whid(Scottish), whip, whir, whiz, whop, wick, wile, will, wilt, wind, wine, wing, wink, wipe, wire, wise, wish, wisp, wist, wite, wive, woke, wolf, wont, wood, woof, word, wore, work, worm, worn, wove, wrap, writ(archaic) (71).

x-ray (1).

yack, yank, yard, yarn, yaup, yawn, yawp, yean, yell, yelp, yerk, yeuk, yock, yoke, yowl, yo-yo(informal), yuck (17).

zero, zest, zinc, zing, zone, zonk, zoom (7).

IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT IT

(yes there are 28 ITs)