#that's so easy. you just aim and pull the trigger. you can be like 100 ft away

[bandedbulbussnarfblat]

Maybe it's just because I'm smacked af, but I think I want to write like, a stupid wattpad type mafia au. Except not au. But original fiction. Because I thought of fun characters. And I don't have a plot, but I know there's fancy ball with like guns and pretty dresses and suits. Except I don't support guns, so maybe something else? Like knives, knives are so much more intimate.

[jupiter-va]

Omg I also never thought of Abby with a gun play thing but now it has me thinking thoughts as well…I need to hear yours!!

Okay I've had a nap and I'm a bit more energized so here we go. These are SFW and NSFW btw (This got long I'm sorry, also, I'm better at dirty talking than I am at writing about sex lol)

✧˖° ‧Abby and her Guns ✧˖°

CW: talks of guns/consensual gunplay, mean!abby, degradation (kinda)

||MDNI

❥I completely agree with the ask I got earlier saying that Abby has sort of a fixation on them. Not in a weird way, she just kinda likes knowing how they work, how each part connects to the other, etc.

❥I'm not much of a gun girly, but I am southern and a lot of people I know have guns so based on my limited knowledge, I think her gun of choice is like a hybrid of a Glock and another pistol, can't recall the name (canonically, it's just called the "Military Pistol" in the game, correct me if I'm wrong but that's what it looks like). But I'm thinking she like's compact pistols for everyday use in general cus they're smaller than a full sized handgun, but they pack a punch and are easy to conceal which is useful for obvious reasons

❥I imagine she keeps them in the best condition she possibly can, of course she does, she needs them almost daily

❥It's one day when she's taking guns apart and cleaning them that you notice just how good she looks doing it. She looks good doing everything, but with this, the look of concentration on her face, combined with how swiftly she takes them apart and puts them back together without fumbling or breaking a sweat. The confidence and precision in her movements is enough to make you squirm and she notices

❥She's quick to break her concentration for the sole purpose of teasing you, asking you to come closer as she rattles off her knowledge about each separate gun to you.

❥She innocently "shows" you the best places to aim for when shooting someone. Slowly dragging an (unloaded) pistol from the waistband of your pants to your midsection, and applying a slight pressure to your stomach with the barrel of the gun

❥She'd notice you squirming/whining and honestly, I think she'd be a little mean about it

"You're sick, you know that baby? Making those pretty sounds for me, all because I've got a gun to your tummy?"

"You do realize how fucked up it is that you're into this, right?"

❥You're more than aware of how fucked up it is, but as she drags the gun from your midsection to your chest up to your neck, until she finally stops, resting the pistol up under your chin, you honestly can't bring yourself to care

❥Someone brought up the idea of Abby fucking you while holding a gun up to your stomach and honestly, whoever it was ate with that, I agree wholeheartedly, however, for the past 20 minutes I've been thinking about her having you get on all fours while having the gun to your back. You can't see it, but you can feel it and you hear the click each time she pulls the trigger and it just ups the sensation you feel by 100

❥Of course, the gun isn't loaded, but that doesn't stop Abby from taking you from behind and dragging the pistol down your back, stopping every so often to pull the trigger. It can't hurt you, but each click of the gun sends chills down your spine in the best way

❥Despite how fucked out and overstimulated you get, it's almost like Abby can't help but to fuck you harder, making sure she drags this out for as long as she can. She loves watching as each click of the gun jolts you back into reality and listening as your now incoherent murmurs grow louder and more desperate with each thrust.

Yeah, this is gonna have to be an audio lol, I have more things I wanna say but I'm much better at articulating them when I'm speaking as if I'm actually in the scenario rather than writing it down.

[seoafin]

honestly if i could change anything about stampede it would be that vash and knives are already so resolute in their convictions that their characters come off as a bit static. do you know how insanely difficult it would be in order to maintain pacifism in a place like no man's land for over 100 years??? in the beginning of the manga, literally in the first couple of chapters, vash is still....while not unsure of whether or not people are worth protecting, wondering what about people makes them worth it. time and time again the bulk of vash's internal conflict comes from the from the fact that he could take the easy way out. he could kill. it's the struggle of knowing that even the smallest slip of his aim could result in a human life. that it's so easy. he knows better than anyone that reprehensible people exist but the second he kills, he won't be able to come back from it. on several occasions he even points a gun, but he doesn't pull the trigger. it's a moral code he spent ~150 years nurturing. it's not something you can just easily break without evoking some kind of extreme mental stress. it'd do world shattering damage on your psyche.

even knives on some level has something taken away from his character on the account that he was originally one desperate for human approval, he was the one who memorized the names of the cryosleep passengers on the ship and often greeted an empty vast chamber. he was the one who asked vash whether or not it was possible to peacefully co-exist with humans. nai is the one that faints after the truth of what happened to tesla is exposed while vash tries to kill himself and then stabs rem!!! like i said nai is the one internalizing his emotions while vash worked everything out with rem. i guess the manga format lends itself to being able to understand character thoughts and motivations easier since you can actually read characters' thoughts but i don't think stampede should've left it out. since they were going full backstory in the first season i actually think they should've established their childhood differences earlier but it seems that stampede is forgoing that route altogether interestingly enough

[acevenoms]

I haven't been told this directly by anyone, but I'm pretty sure that a lot of the meaning is lost from the rhetoric that "liberals hate guns because they've never shot a gun" even tho it's usually true. The problem in fact is that it's true in so many ways. Many have not because they think the police will protect them, you see that excuse a lot. But in a more like concrete way you have stuff like this:

Where the plaintiffs are claiming that AR-15's don't require any experience or training to use. I think they're being careful with the wording here to avoid claiming that you can use an AR effectively without any training but they're still implying it and if you've ever been with someone the first time they shoot one you'll know how dumb that is.

The thing is, the plaintiffs are right about most of the other stuff. Mechanically speaking AR-15s are just about the pinnacle of firearms technology. They're light, they have good triggers, the multi-lug rotating bolt lockup is extremely precise, and the inline recoil makes it very easy to handle. The DoD has spent a chunk of that absurd budget most years since adopting AR-15 type rifles trying to replace them but nothing really returns on the investment.

But there is a truism you will hear from people who do know guns; any modern firearm will out shoot most people. It is not hard to make a gun these days that can hit within an inch or two from the point of aim at 100+ yards every single time. It is much much harder to make sure that point of aim is the same every time you pull the trigger.

People joke that modern guns are just point and shoot but every time I've been at a firing line with someone where it was their first time, they approach with confidence and are immediately confronted with the reality of a modern sporting rifle. It has all sorts of buttons and levers and gizmos on it that are not the trigger, it has an internal state that they now realize they haven't been paying enough attention to know, and once you notice that you can also watch it dawn on their faces that this is a tool for killing, powered by explosions. It's like... kinda scary once you're actually next to it. (I've shot dozens of guns, thousands of rounds, in all sorts of weird ways, and I'm still just a bit nervous for the first few shots of the day!)

The specific combination of those factors that make it such that shooting a gun effectively is entirely on the shooter isn't very obvious to people if you just call them "confirmed for no gunz". You kinda have to experience that yourself and I know that convincing people who are anti-gun to just come to the range once isn't easy but we can at least be a bit more clear in our rhetoric.

At the end of the day, anyone who's done even a little bit of competitive shooting will tell you that better gear will never make you a better shot and that's why feature and model bans are dumb, but far before that we still know that there is the much larger problem of a capitalist, white supremacist, and settler-colonial state.

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

The Sommelier (Hannigram x Female!Reader) pt. 22

Hannibal and y/n arrive at Camp Big Brother and receive an unusual greeting.

@dovahdokren @deadman-inc-bikeshop @lov3vivian @wisesandwichshark @scpdragon

Trigger warnings: guns, threats of violence, cult stuff, brief mention of North Korea 

The car ride up to the mountain introduced you to a new feeling. You thought it similar to that of prisoners on their way to be executed. The comfortable numbness of accepting your rapidly-approaching demise. 

The road only brought you so far. It turned into a dirt path, which then turned into just the imprint of tire tracks. Your car wasn’t equipped for mountainous terrain, so you had to get out and walk. You weren’t ill-prepared for a hike; you made a point to change clothes before leaving the house, and your work shoes were worn-in enough to withstand a trek through the forest. You only feared losing one of your gloves.

It was Hannibal you were worried about. You’d never seen him in anything but a full three-piece suit and today was no exception. He’d taken off his jacket and vest, but having to hike in suit pants and dress shoes was far from ideal. 

You were in the middle of a game of ‘how many 12 gauge bullets can I fit on my person’ when you heard the rumbling of an ATV coming down the track. You loaded a shell into the gun and watched it turn the corner and stop in front of you. Hannibal stood behind you, looking dignified as ever. 

The driver dismounted the vehicle and took off their helmet. The woman beneath the helmet looked like she’d either lived a hard 20 years or an easy 50 years. You didn’t pay much attention to her face. She looked nourished and had a head full of hair, so she wasn’t one of Chase’s slaves. 

“Are you ‘prefect’?” You asked, squinting at her from behind the gun. “Or ‘Aunt Lydia’?” 

“You must be [F/N] [L/N].” The woman said. “Vanguard sent me to pick you up, but didn’t say anything about a guest.” 

“What’s to stop me from blasting your head off, taking that ATV and going up there myself?” You spat. 

The woman disregarded your question. She pulled a walkie-talkie from her belt and clicked it on. “Vanguard, [L/N] is here and she brought a friend.” 

The device crackled, then Chase spoke. “Is it a cop?” 

The woman scanned Hannibal up and down. “No.” 

“Let her off with a warning, then.” Chase instructed. “She knew the rules.” 

“You heard the man.” She pulled a pistol from her holster and pointed it at Hannibal with full intentions to shoot him dead. He put his hands behind his head, but didn’t seem at all fazed. 

You aimed the gun at the woman’s head. “I don’t think you want to do that.” 

“Don’t waste your ammo, love.” Hannibal said to you. “She’s obviously bluffing.” 

“You want to find out?” She pulled the hammer back. 

“Hannibal, she’s not bluffing!” Your voice started to shake. 

“Yes she is, darling.” He insisted. “Nobody would be stupid enough to fire off a shot this close to an active naval base.” 

She lowered her pistol. “What are you talking about, there’s no military base up here.” 

“Of course there is.” He refuted. “Camp David is within a few miles of here.”

For a moment, she looked genuinely fearful. You thought you saw her cult mask begin to slip as she remembered that there was a world outside of the one Chase cultivated. 

“Oh.” Hannibal feigned surprise. “That is, unless, Chase Mulvaney didn’t tell you.” 

The woman narrowed her eyes. “I’m his right-hand woman, he tells me everything.” 

Hannibal clicked his tongue. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but it seems he sees you as just as disposable as Catherine Miller. He sent you down here to kill anyone [F/N] brought along with her, catching the attention of the military personnel on base and ultimately throwing you under the bus.” 

“He wouldn’t.” She snapped. “Chase loves me like a sister.”

“I’ll bet that’s what he tells the other girls.” You commented. 

Judging by the look on her face, you were right. And you struck a nerve. 

“But, if you are so inclined to do Chase’s dirty work for him,” Hannibal said, loosening his collar. “At least try not to get blood on my suit pants.” 

She held the gun out for a few moments, then dropped it. “He would want to kill you himself.”

“That’s more like it.” You said, mounting the vehicle with your gun slung over your back. 

“Vanguard doesn’t mind two armed strangers on his property?” Hannibal asked, having to yell over the revving of the engine. 

The woman scoffed. “It doesn’t make any difference. Bullets don’t work on Vanguard.” 

You furrowed your brow. “What?” 

“Vanguard is blessed with the armor of Christ.” She said, with 100% conviction. There wasn’t a trace of irony or sarcasm in her voice. “No bullets can pierce his earthly flesh.” 

“Do you actually believe what you’re saying, or is this all some kind of fucked-up extended metaphor?” You asked. 

“Vanguard proved it in chapel.” She insisted. “He fired a gun at his chest and it didn’t puncture him! The bullet just crumpled against his chest.”

“Wow.” You said, flatly. This person’s rationality was so scrubbed away, she could be fooled by even the lamest of magic tricks. 

“The people of North Korea believe that Kim-Jong Il is responsible for inventing the hamburger.” Hannibal whispered to you. “Because they don’t have access to any information that proves otherwise.” 

“Yeah, we’re about to ‘prove otherwise’ alright.” You muttered back with a smile. 

After a few minutes, the outline of a building appeared. As you grew closer, you saw a cheaply-constructed cabin made for quantity, not quality. Next to it was a chapel, but it was only identifiable as such because of the massive cross. With industrial metal siding and no visible windows, it resembled a bomb shelter. 

The woman unceremoniously dumped you both off the ATV at an opening in the razor wire fence.

"Morning devotional is at eight." She explained. "You'll hear the bell ring. You'll be expected to attend, of course."

"I don't give a shit what you expect." You shook your head. "I don't owe you fucks anything."

"But you owe Jesus everything." She said, matter-of-factually.

“What in the Midsommar fuck is this?” You said, squinting in the early daylight. 

“Come on.” Hannibal took your gloved hand in his. “Let’s find our Will.” 

The sun was just beginning to rise over the mountains off in the distance, coloring the sky as red as the blood on Chase's hands.

"It's going to be light soon." Hannibal whispered. "We only have so long before people start to wake up."

"So where do we check first?" You asked.

"At eight, the chapel will be full and the cabin will be empty." Hannibal pointed out. "That gives us fifteen minutes to search the chapel until people start filing in."

You nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

You snuck towards the entrance to the chapel and crept inside without a sound. One look and you knew you had a lot of ground to cover in only fifteen minutes.

The chapel looked like the inside of a shipping container. You knew that growing up Catholic gave you a certain image of how church should look, but this was hardly a structure, let alone a place of worship. Much like the outside, the only feature that identified this building as a church was the massive cross, which was not even mounted on the wall or suspended from the ceiling. It just laid lazily against the back wall. A couple of folding tables with some linens draped over them made up a bare-bones altar, decorated with nothing but a couple of candles. The high windows gave the chilling feeling that the room was underground.

"You'd think with ninety million dollars, they could afford some real chairs." You commented, looking disgustedly at the rows of folding chairs.

"This isn't a summer camp." Hannibal observed. "This is a military base."

Your foot hit a loose tile on the ground. You took a knee and grabbed it. A whole patch of tiles lifted with it, revealing a small secret door. 

“I think you might be on to something.” You said, looking up at Hannibal. 

You slung your gun over your back and carefully descended the ladder while Hannibal kept watch. 

“It’s dark down here.” You called up. You heard the striking of a match and Hannibal handed you a lit candle. You were about to thank him when the sharp tones of a bell cut through the silence. 

“Shit.” You cursed. “Hannibal, close the hatch.” 

“I’m not going to leave you.” Hannibal’s voice hardened. 

“This bunker is narrow as Christ’s asshole.” You said. “I can handle it. You need to investigate the cabin.” 

“Darling-” 

“Go to the cabin. Now.” You demanded. “I’m not asking.” 

Hannibal smiled down at you, feeling a sense of pride. He knelt down beside the trap door, and reached for your hand. He removed your glove and pressed his lips against your skin. “Godspeed, my indulgence.” 

You saluted. “And also with you.” 

[berriusagi]

Stomach Bug Ch7

Family Bonding: Jason

It’s my birthday so thought I’d give everyone this chapter early! I hope you all enjoy it I look forward to any comments or suggestions you have for the future chapters.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

If anyone was to ask Marinette how she found herself standing in a private gun range with a heavy pistol in hand aimed downrange at a cardboard cutout of a deranged clown she would have no idea how to answer. Jason was standing behind her leaning down to show her how to properly aim, fixing her grip and stance before holding her shoulders.

“Alright Pixie whenever you’re ready just pull the trigger.” Jason nodded straightening up once he was sure she was ready.

Marinette nodded, taking a slow deep breath before pulling the trigger. A loud bang sounded through the room as Marinette gently set the gun down. She turned looking up at Jason as she took her earplugs out. “How’d I do?” she asked.

Jason hummed squinting his eyes trying to see, “I don’t know if you hit it,” he said, stepping around to walk on the range to get a better look at the cutout. “Yeah sorry pixie doesn’t look like you hit it,” he shouted heading back to stand behind her.

“I told you I’m not that familiar with guns. It's next to impossible to get a gun let alone shoot one in Paris.” Marinette said putting her ear plus back in as Jason picked the gun up.

“That’s why I’ll teach you to shoot,” Jason grinned, fixing his safety glasses before unloading the clip into the cutout. Marinette watched as small groupings gathered around the forehead, heart, and groin. “It just takes a bit of practice and a steady hand and you’ll be a natural in no time.” He smiled as he fired the last bullet before setting the gun down.

“I’m just not sure if guns are my thing,” Marinette said as Jason walked onto the range again to pick up the cut out and bring it back so they could examine the groupings, “I never took an interest in firearms, though most weapons are illegal in Paris.”

“Really? What about self-defense?” Jason asked looking down at Marinette.

“Most people would have pepper spray but it had to be less than 100 milliliters.” She shrugged, “I usually had a small can in my purse just in case luckily I only ever had to use it once.”

“Oh?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, “What happened to make you do that?”

 “The heroes back home were sociable. Ladybug would give interviews and Chat Noir liked to joke with the public. Chat made a habit of dropping by my room to hang out and just talk; sometimes it was just chilling, other times he wanted advice. He was a great guy really it helped break up the routine you know.” She smiled leaning on the wall, helping Jason load bullets into the clips, “Eventually he started just coming into my room through my skylight and hung out on my chaise lounge until I got home if I wasn’t there.”

“That’s a red flag if I ever saw one,” Jason muttered, setting a clip down.

“Yeah well, I was lonely at the time my class was shunning me so any social interaction was a welcomed one. I didn’t mind though I did find it annoying when he’d try and bug me to get into Ladybug’s good graces.” She sighed rolling her eyes, “I managed to set up an interview with Ladybug for one of my ex-friends and Chat thought we were such good friends so I could put in a good word for him. I told him I wouldn’t and that Ladybug probably just wasn’t interested and he should respect that.”

“I’m guessing no one ever taught him to take no for an answer?” Jason asked looking over at Marinette as she just shrugged.

“I guess, he had it stuck in his head that he and Ladybug were soulmates because of their miraculous’ no matter how many times I or Ladybug explained that it didn’t work like that. Everything came to a head after the fall of Hawkmoth. He was publicly revealed along with Mayura, his partner, both were arrested and their families suffered from the fallout.” She set down her finished clip and crossed her arms over her chest, “Chat Noir paid me a visit about a month or so after, he… he wasn’t looking too good.”

Jason set down the gun he was working on and moved to stand beside Marinette placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I told you he had a habit of just coming into my room to wait for me,” she said her voice going a bit soft as she glanced up at Jason, “My room was a converted attic space with a balcony that you access through the skylight. To get into my room you climbed a ladder and entered through a trapdoor, it’s a good space for privacy but it’s not so great if you have to escape.”

Jason tightened his hold on her gently pulling her into his side rubbing her back arm.

“When I came up I saw my skylight was open so Chat had to be in there but I didn’t see him, that made me a little worried but I chose not to listen to it and came up anyway. Once I was fully in he closed the door and trapped me inside, he… he looked different less… stable his eyes, which normally because of the Miraculous were a toxic green, looked bloodshot like he’d been crying. He wasn’t moving with the same playful easy steps he looked unbalanced. Everything just felt wrong like this wasn’t going to end well.”

“I reached for the pepper spray I keep in my bag and had it at the ready just in case and I tried talking to him. I asked him what was wrong, I asked him why he looked so unsettled, I tried just talking to him to get a response, but he wouldn’t even look in my direction. It was like it pained him to even look at me. Eventually, he did look at me and he was just crying, he was apologizing over and over and his words made no sense. I was terrified. He made me feel like he was going to do something awful. It was like he wasn’t anything like the same person.”

Jason slid down the wall to be eye level with Marinette squeezing a bit tighter to give her comfort as she tried to find the words to continue.

“He looked at me, no he looked through me it felt like and just lunged at me. I was so scared I just sprayed him without thinking and quickly jumped out of the way. I remember hearing him scream in pain and rubbing at his eyes as he cried. It’s burned into my memory he looked at me with such pain and sorrow on his face I felt awful for what I did. The pepper spray just fell from my hands and without thinking I grabbed a scrap of fabric and some water and started to clean his face. I just couldn’t stand and watch him suffer.”

“You’re better than most Pixie,” Jason muttered, patting her shoulder.

“Chat revealed himself,” She said before quickly rushing to correct herself when she felt Jason’s body tense, “Not like that! I mean he took off the mask he showed me who his civilian self was. He dropped the transformation and revealed himself to be a boy I knew quite well and he was the son of Hawkmoth. It made so much sense then, he… he was suffering so much having to fight a war against his father. Then when the war is over he still has to fight to prove his own innocents, it had to have just been too much.”

“He took off his miraculous and gave it to me, told me to give it to Ladybug. He didn’t think Ladybug would want anything to do with him if she saw who he was. If she knew he was the son of the man they were trying to take down, he said it would break him worse to see her hate him or worse pity him.”

“So he gave his miraculous to you, someone who has some connection to Ladybug, to get it somewhere safe.” Jason hummed leaning his head back against the wall, “How is he doing?”

“A few weeks later he left Paris and moved in with his aunt and cousin. He was a good guy just mixed up with the wrong people, he was very sheltered and was raised to be seen not heard. I debate some days on reaching out to him, seeing how he’s doing, maybe catch up and rebuild the friendship we had. He’s dating one of my friends and she occasionally gives me updates about him that she thinks I need to know.”

“Well, Pixie if you ask me I say shoot him a text. He trusted you enough to unmask himself and show his most vulnerable side to you. If there’s one thing I know is that you keep those loyal to you close, I don’t know the full story with this guy. He might have hurt you, he might not have but he came to you at his weakest and trusted you enough to help him.” He said straightening up and pulled her into a firm hug, “I know you’ll make the right choice for you, I feel like you got a good handle on making the right choices.”

“Thanks, Jay,” she smiled hugging him back, “You have any other guns we can shoot, maybe I’m just not good with handguns.”

“I like the way you think Pixie.” He grinned pushing off the wall and went over to the gun cabinet opening it wide for her to see the array of handguns, rifles, and shotguns for them to choose from, “Alright pixie, pick your poison.”

~.~.~.~

“You make absolutely no sense you know that right Pixie?” Jason asked watching as Marinette grinned up at him after landing a headshot on another deranged clown cut out with the shotgun. “I mean the kickback alone on that thing should be sending you back.” He said as Marinette set the gun down giggling at Jason’s confusion.

“Well with shotgun it doesn’t have to be as accurate right?” she asked, rubbing her shoulder, “It’s scattershot so it makes it more forgiving.”

“I guess but let’s call it on that before you bust up your shoulder or bruise it.” He said taking the shotgun storing it away in the gun cabinet as Alfred came in to check on them.

“Master Jason, Miss Marinette are you two having fun?” Alfred asked, noticing all the empty shells on the floor.

“Yeah, Jason just showed me how to shoot a shotgun.” Marinette smiled, “Though my shoulder is a bit sore now.” She said rubbing it a bit harder wincing at the deep ache.

“Perhaps you two should call it quits for today and do something less… explosive.” Alfred offered, “All this gunfire can’t be good for the baby let alone quiet. I heard the shotgun from the other side of the manor.” He added before leaving.

“Well,” Jason hummed, closing the cabinet, “We should run.” He grinned picking Marinette up and broke into a dead sprint out of the gun range and through the winding halls. Marinette held on tightly a surprised shout echoing through the halls as he skidded around a corner before running for the other side of the manor.

“Just how big is this place?” Marinette asked looking around wide-eyed as they raced through the halls.

“I don’t know but I’m like 80 percent sure if someone broke in here it’d take them a week to find their way out.” Jason joked as he slowed down to a large set of double doors gently pushing the doors open before closing them tightly behind him before gently setting Marinette down on her feet, “We should be safe here for a little while though at least until Alfred comes to find us for dinner.”

“Where is here?” Marinette asked looking around a soft gasp coming from her mouth as she saw all the books lining the shelves.

“Welcome to my favorite place, the Wayne Manor Library.” Jason smiled walking to one of the shelves and plucked a book off before finding a comfortable plush chair to relax in, “Have a look around, find something to read, or if you want there are puzzles and board games in that cabinet over there.” He added motioning to a cabinet in the corner.

Marinette wandered around the shelves looking over the books, she noticed some were much more loved than others as they have visible use while others looked to be brand new. She eventually settled on a well-loved adventure book and carried it back over to the chairs and took a seat near Jason as she curled up to read.

The following few hours were much calmer than the previous bonding activity, instead of a loud bang to hurt the ears there were jokes and laughs about the antics the protagonists in their books got up to. Marinette smiled from her position lying upside down on the chair with her head hanging off as she read lines from her book. 

“Before you leave Gabriel may I offer you some key advice before you go to visit the Sirodanes?” Marinette spoke her voice lowered and accented to sound like a Viking man, “Take a larger cart they value strength as well.” she finished before bursting into giggles.

“So wait,” Jason chuckled looking over at her, “Gabriel and Eclipse are leaving the Vryhuns with a big cart just full of presents, and the Thane is telling them they need a bigger one?” he smiled.

“Yeah from what I gathered the Vryhun are really big on strength and bravery which Eclipse had in spades so everyone was trying to court her, so they all gave her presents. It’s rude to just turn them down or throw them away so instead they’re taking them with them.” Marinette giggled sitting up and closed the book setting it aside, “Though if the Sirodanes are the same I feel a bit sorry for Eclipse she’ll never get any peace from the suitors.”

“I don’t know, maybe she likes the attention I mean, she stuck around Gabriel and all he seems to do is fawn over her and shower her in praise.” Jason said, closing his book and set it aside, “Who’s to say she isn’t using all these presents to make Gabriel jealous.” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrow.

“Oh what a semi-immortal woman can’t hang around an eccentric man who is determined to explore some hidden islands in the middle of uncharted waters?” Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow, “Not everyone has to date you know, and besides I don’t think Gabriel could handle Eclipse in a romantic setting.”

“Eh you got me there she seems really dominant.” Jason chuckled leaning back in his seat, “Though which did you like more sitting here reading or shooting?”

“Hmm I like both; this was a nice way to wind down after the shooting and I got to find a new book series to read.” She smiled looking at the book, “Do you have the others?”

“Probably unless the author is still working on them.” He shrugged, getting up from his seat and grabbing his books, going over to the shelves to put them away. Marinette relaxed in her chair taking a deep breath as she sunk into the plush cushions further the calm and quiet helping to lull her into a semi-conscious state.

Jason came back after a while noticing Marinette barely awake and smiled grabbing a blanket and set it over her before taking his seat again and picked up another book nearby to keep reading. The library fell into a soft silence with only Marinette’s gentle breathing and the occasional rustle of paper as Jason turned the pages.

~.~.~.~

“Now tell me why you thought it would be wise to leave Todd alone with Marinette.” Damian grit out through clenched teeth as he gripped his sword tightly. “In what world is it ever a smart idea to leave Todd alone with anyone?” he growled.

“Now it can’t be that bad Little D.,” Dick said, keeping his hands up in a calming manner as Tim stayed behind him, “I’m sure everything is okay.”

“We all heard the shotgun, Grayson.” Damian snapped, advancing only stopped by a loud clearing of the throat.

All three turned and looked at Alfred standing in the doorway, “Master Damian please refrain from causing your brother’s bodily harm in the house, blood is quite hard to get out of antique rugs.” He said looking at Damian as he lowered his sword still glaring at the other two, “Now I’ve come to inform you that Miss. Marinette and Master Jason have vacated the gun range. I do believe they are now hiding out in the library so rest assured they are no longer doing any dangerous activities.”

“Thank you, Alfred.” Tim nodded as Damian visibly relaxed knowing Marinette was no longer alone with Jason and firearms.

“Now I must go begin preparations for dinner, please do try to not harm each other.” Alfred nodded before making his way out of the room and down to the kitchen.

Once Alfred was far away Damian looked over at his two brothers with a cold death glare, “If anything is out of place on Marinette thanks to you allowing her to be alone with Jason unsupervised for hours. I will make it my life’s goal to make you regret ever entering this manor.”

“She’s fine Jason isn’t that bad,” Dick said, trying to calm Damian down.

“He cut Tim’s throat.” He snapped.

“It was an accident!” Tim shouted before getting a pained expression, “Maybe, look, it was house rules not to bring up shared traumas.” He glared.

“Okay, how about we all calm down and go to the library and just see how everything is doing? What could they possibly do in the library but read or play a card game.” Dick said trying to placate his two youngest brothers.

“Fine.” Damian glared putting his sword away stalking out of the room.

Dick and Tim exchanged glances before following behind him keeping a few paced behind to not receive his wrath once more. They silently made their way through the halls until coming to the double doors of the library. Damian pushed the doors open looking around until his eyes landed on Marinette curled up in a chair with a blanket over her and Jason seated near her reading.

Jason looked up and waved at them putting his book aside, “Hey guys Pixie’s just taking a quick nap.” He smiled keeping his voice low.

“Todd, care to explain why we heard gunshots.” Damian glared as he quickly headed for Marinette.

“Hmm could be because I showed her how to shoot.” Jason shrugged grinning wide, “She’s a natural, she shot Joker's head off like three times.” he chuckled.

“You let her use the shotgun?!” Dick gasped looking horrified, “Jason she is five foot and pregnant what made you think that was a good idea?” he hissed.

“Can you all keep it down?” Marinette groaned, blinking her eyes open, “this is a library.”

“Habibti, are you okay? You’re not bruised or burned anywhere right?” Damian asked, trying to look her over.

“I’m fine Dami, just a sore shoulder but I’ll live.” She yawned shifting around to sit up properly, “It was a lot of fun but don’t know if I’ll keep up shooting it’s really loud.” she hummed.

“How about you do not do any more shooting until after the baby is born and you’re all healed up,” Damian said sitting in the chair with Marinette pulling her to sit across his lap.

“Fine no more guns,” Marinette giggled rolling her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. Damian nodded content with that and relaxed back in the chair. They all fell into comfortable chatter talking about what they were all getting up to; however, it felt more like an interrogation for Jason about just what he was having Marinette shoot.

Marinette watched on in amusement as the three eldest seemed ready to go to war over letting her shoot some guns. All too soon the library doors opened as Alfred entered calling their attention, “Dinner is ready young masters.” He said bowing before exiting the room making his way down to the kitchen.

“Well, I think today has been a lot of fun.” Marinette smiled climbing out of Damian's lap stretching her back out, “I might actually get a good night's sleep tonight.” She added before she made her way out of the library the boys following behind her like overgrown ducklings. Soon everyone was taking their seats at the table and settled in to enjoy their dinner.

Everyone was eating and having fun chatting about different topics, Jason couldn’t stop talking about Marinette’s skill with a shotgun, Dick had to make sure he praised her on her flexibility, and Tim just noted her keen eyes and how perceptive she was. Marinette blushed and smiled at all the praise trying to deflect as much as possible. At some point Bruce had snuck in and watched all the children eat and share stories, he smiled softly just enjoying the chatter and pleasant atmosphere.

All too soon dinner was over and everyone was going their separate ways for their evening routines, Marinette made her way to Damian’s room and gathered her clothes before heading in to take a shower. She set her clothes down on the counter as Tikki reappeared stretching out as she layout on top of Marinette’s pajamas.

“Sorry to keep you locked up all day,” she said as she turned the shower on and waited for the water to warm up, “We can’t risk the others seeing you.”

“I know Marinette at least now I can stretch out and relax.” Tikki hummed relaxing on the soft fabric, “when you bake in the morning can I get white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies?” she asked looking up at Marinette.

“If they have the ingredients to make it then yes,” Marinette smiled and hopped into the shower to clean up from the day taking her time to gently wash her hair and scrub off all the sweat and grime from the day. Once she was cleaned and wrapped up in a fluffy bathrobe she was nearly asleep on her feet as she took her time to blow dry her hair until it fell in gentle waves down her back.

Tikki had fallen asleep during Marinette’s shower so she gently picked her up and set her down on a few folded towels so she could get dressed. Marinette gathered Tikki up and carried her out to her purse and gently laid her down placing a handkerchief over her like a blanket before gently kissing her forehead and moved to lie in bed and get some much-needed sleep.

Damian came in not long after Marinette had turned in for the night and smiled before going about his own evening routine and climbed into bed giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead before laying back pulling her to his chest as he fell asleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

@myazael @beautiful-disasters-sunshine @moonlightstar64 @moonlitceleste @stainedglassm  @casual-darkness @mochegato @ultimatetornshipper @heemsanddamemes @nathleigh @qualitypeacepainter @raven-frost-21 @maskedpainter @demonicbusiness @dood-space @trippingovermyfeet @emimar7 @indecisive-mess-named-me @changelinggarden @zerotosiki @alysrose-starchild @s-and-n @wolf2118 @athena452 @jjmjjktth @eliza-bich @solangelo252

[it1776]

Xbox Series X Pro Controller Hex Blade Pro Controller Review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQUxVg75v2Y

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Too Much Tech.

And in today's video, we're going to be reviewing

this controller that I have from Hex Gaming.

This is the Xbox version of this controller

and obviously will work with Xbox One, One X, Series S,

and Series S.

Why Microsoft name of that?

Not entirely sure.

I actually don't have the new consoles myself.

I have an Xbox Series X, but I primarily use this

on PC.

So what, that's what most of my experience is going

to be on.

Obviously, it's an Xbox One controller

like all the functions you know, what not worth the mic.

This whatever port that nobody ever really uses.

And it does have Micro USB,

just like a regular Xbox controller, because that's what

it's based on.

But, I do wish that Microsoft would like update

to USB Type-C. Sony did.

Sony did.

So, Microsoft, you're next.

But, not necessarily in regards to this controller,

because obviously they're just modifying the ones

that Microsoft has.

And this one I think is an incredible value

for what it is.

And it's really easy to use, other than like maybe

like swapping the panels and whatnot,

but we'll talk about that a little bit later.

So first up, let's go ahead and talk about

the unboxing experience. So, I think the box

actually looks really clean.

It's got a controller just so that you can easily take off

the thumbsticks, and then the two paddles,

or buttons I should say, that are on the back

of the controller.

The Hex Blade tactical gaming controller

for Xbox One and PC.

Designed for esports through Hex Gaming.

Blah, blah, blah.

I will leave Hex Gaming's link in description below,

because they did send this controller out to me

a couple...

No. Two, three months ago I want to say, in January.

And it's pretty clean.

They do give you a few different thumbsticks in the box,

so they give you a domed medium, a domed long,

a concave long, and a regular thumbstick.

And then, obviously you have the ones that come

on the controller. Two remappable buttons

on the back, and the trigger control mechanism

basically you have trigger stops.

So, really nice I would say.

The controller, the feel in the hand is pretty premium.

But let's check out this carrying case

that they give you as well, because this is not

a bad value at all.

So, you have a quick start guide right here,

which is just going to show you, you know,

how to use the controller and whatnot.

And then, on the back, obviously you know,

you have your rear button setup that we'll get

into in just a bit.

Actually, let's go ahead and talk about that right now.

It is also really nice as well that they give you

a six-month warranty for defects with the controller,

but if you have any issues, I would just hit them up

on social networks. And then you just have

like these little, little storage compartments

very similar to an Elite controller for your additional

thumbsticks and whatnot.

And taking off the thumbsticks is really easy.

You just pull it off, and then you just have

to line it back up to put it back on.

And that's it.

Super duper easy. Personally, I have been using

the two convex thumbsticks, the shorter ones.

I wish that there was a medium length thumbstick

that came in the box that was convex.

That would be perfect for aiming for me,

because this does feel a tad short.

But, otherwise, you know, I think it's fine.

And it is decently grippy as well. I would say it's a bit

more grippy than the thumbsticks that Microsoft uses

on their controllers.

Okay. Getting down to the controllers.

So, the controller obviously is extremely comfortable.

Some of the options that I selected myself,

because they did allow me to customize the controller myself.

I just went with the black back buttons,

and then this white back here,

the side grip I believe only comes in black

if you want this kind of texture.

But I think that it looks pretty cool.

And then, the best thing about this controller

is the different face plates that you can get.

Now, these you can't really, you know, swap them out.

You just got to pick it when you decide to get

your controller, but these face plates

are really cool and they do have themed controllers as well

that you can pick from, but I would just customize

my own personally.

I like this little swirl that they got going on.

I just think it looks really cool and very novel.

In terms of like the performance and whatnot.

You do have trigger stops here, so you do have

a full trigger press.

You switch that down and now you've got

a half trigger press, which I think is very useful

for shooters.

Three step trigger stops I don't really think

are fully necessary.

Two steps I think are fine. It's nice to just have it,

but if you did have one additional step,

what I found one some controllers that usually have

those multi-stage trigger stops sometimes it just comes off

and then it doesn't even...

It's not that it doesn't work,

but like if you hit it too hard, sometimes they just

get disengaged, so I feel like the one level of trigger stop

is fine.

Now, in terms of the batteries and whatnot,

you know, it's not rechargeable or at least I didn't opt

for the rechargeable battery pack.

This is more of an Xbox issue.

The battery life is just however long your AA batteries

are going to last.

So, performance wise, thet thumbsticks

are extremely smooth. I would say that these

are comparable to the PowerA controller

that I reviewed a while ago which, those I like quite a bit.

Those are extremely smoooth.

This is very similar.

Maybe...

If I have to quantify like 10% slower-ish.

But I mean, you know, controlling it wise,

is perfectly fine. I do think that these thumbsticks

are very good, very grippy as well.

D-pad it's just normal.

You know, it's just a regular D-pad

from an Xbox controller, just recolored.

But, it is fairly tactile. Controller does feature Bluetooth.

I usually just paly wired, but otherwise,

it's a very, very good and premium feeling

Elite style controller for the Xbox platform.

And this is also now probably going

to be my favorite controller to use as far

as having controllers on Windows.

Reason being, I just really enjoy the placement

of these back paddles here. Like this is just so easy

and natural to hit quickly.

And it doesn't really,

you know, take much effort to actuate it.

And there's no weird placement that your thumb has to

basically learn like you do with a Scuf.

Like having a Scuf, you got to kind of learn

like a weird placement to use these back paddles.

But, using this Hex Gaming controller,

it's very easy. Like it's very natural.

Nothing that you have to relearn.

Your hands just naturally rest right where

those buttons are.

And I feel like that's the most important thing.

If you're going to be using a Pro controller,

it should feel 100% natural to you.

So, if you're looking for the most natural feeling

Pro controller for the Xbox platform,

I will look no further than this.

And then, and also, this thing is extremely customizable.

Like I mean seriously, it's like insane.

So right now we are on Hex Gaming's website,

and you know, you can view all the available controllers

that they have.

But personally, I will go right to making my own.

But I mean, it looks like they got a sale going on

right now where some are between $35-ish to $45 off

which is very good.

I mean that's pretty insane.

And then, also they do have PlayStation controllers

available as well, but I believe these are

for PS4.

The case, honestly for me, looks a little strange,

so I don't really know if I would check out

a PlayStation controller from them.

And obviously, the PS4 controllers...

PS4 controllers are good and you can use them

on PS5. But more or less, you're only going

to be using it on PS4 games.

Like if the game is not PS4 compatible,

your controller doesn't work on PS5 which kind of sucks,

and I wish that Sony would change it,

but I'm pretty sure they aren't going to,

because obviously they want to sell their new controllers.

So, I hope that Hex Gaming is going to get

PlayStation PS5 controllers in soon

that are also just as customizable.

As we can see, they are indeed planning on it as well,

so for your PlayStation guys, be sure to stay tuned,

because I'm pretty sure they're going to be coming out

with something and I will probably

review it when it comes.

But back to the topic at hand, the Blade controller

so you can make your own. We're going to click that.

And I mean look at just how many face plates there are.

Is this...

I don't think that's the one that I picked.

Let's see here.

I got this origin of chaos.

This one looks so clean to me. I absolutely knew

that I had to have it when I seen it.

I mean you got a blood splatter.

Weeds. You know, if that's your thing.

Like you know, whatever, dude.

Oh, they got a couple of them. There are a couple of it.

If you're a cannabis enthusiast, you know,

they got you covered.

And they got chrome.

Chrome cy... That's kind of clean. That chrome cyan,

chrome silver.

Okay. You know. Just depends on what you're into.

Clear. Even if, you know, if you're after the Game Boy

retro vibes.

Well, they got this...

What is this? Like a translucent, where it's not exactly

as transparent. That's kind of clean.

D-pad, they got a ton of different options.

I believe I went for the matte white.

And then, they got some chrome options as well.

ABXY, you know. They just have a ton

of different options in all the different categories.

Different base colors and whatnot for your thumbsticks.

RB buttons you can change as well. You can get a little wild

with them.

Even the buttons on the back, you can also change

the color of these two. So I mean,

It's pretty cool. I think that, you know,

by the time you get one of these all the way out,

you know, you get up to about that $200 price point.

I think it's a pretty fair deal. I mean, right now,

I mean this controller looks pretty insane.

And we haven't like added anything functionally

to the controller, you know. We could have went

with the barebones controller for $140 which is pretty nuts.

But, you know, once we start to customize it,

add on a few of those things, it's only like, you know,

$40, maybe $50 max if you're really pushing it,

but I don't even think it'll let me go that high.

I mean it really only added like an extra like $35.

And we had a pretty fully kitted custom controller.

Hex Gaming...

I don't know guys. That's a really good deal.

You know, Scuf is very easy to go.

$200 plus.

I think that this is a very good and fair price

for, at least an Xbox controller. I'm curious

what the price is going to be

on the PlayStation 5 controller.

So, you know, I'm pretty sure it's going to be a bit more.

If it's similarly priced to this,

I would say it's incredibly fair.

Even topping out at about $200.

I think that's pretty decent.

You know, spending $200 on the controller,

especially like after I'm kind of past the whole

controller phase at the moment,

it's just a little, it's just a little much for me.

$150, $170 is quite a lot.

But at the same time, you got the Elite 2 controller

which is pricey as heck, but this is a lot

more customizable.

So, I don't know. I don't know.

But for now, this controller is definitely my favorite.

Huge shout-out to Hex Gaming for sending this out as well.

If you guys are interested in it for yourself,

I will have Hex Gaming linked in the description below

so you guys can check them out.

But that is going to be it for this video.

If you guys enjoy, feel free to drop a like,

subscribe, if you guys are new to the channel as well.

And thank you again for watching.

Join the Discord, follow me on Twitter,

and I will see you guys on the next one.

[undercooked-ravioloni]

— milestone special || hoodie x reader

hi bbies <3

i promised you a little fic using the “100 smut dialogue prompts” list, so here we are. i hope i did a good job delivering jdewhd enjoy

@creepy-bi-day, @freaky-farfalle, @the-acolytes-collection, @fekst-fucker @the-not-so-wise-sage [sorry if you didn’t wanna be tagged hhh]

prompt 1: "Are you sure that's what you want? I could really hurt you." 

prompt 2: "You don't have to be gentle with me, I don't break easily." 

[warning] hoodie, long-ass essay fic, sum badly-written action ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

The whole way to the checkpoint, you could feel Hoodie’s eyes on you as he filled in your steps in the muddy terrain. A few times, you swayed your hips teasingly, turning your head ever-so-slightly so to spare him  a view of the slightest of smirks on your lips before turning to face Toby’s back again. You’d occasionally feel Hoodie reply to your teasing with the ghost of a touch travelling up your arm which made you all the more eager to get payback.

The four of you - three proxies and yourself - single filed past the dense treeline until Masky came to a stop at a small clearing. He dropped the bag onto the ground. Toby eagerly began to unzip it and pass out the equipment: masks, guns and ammo. You weighed your weapon in your hands before glancing at your boyfriend. His eyes went up to meet yours as he took his gun from Toby. He pulled his mask over his face, a few strands of hair sticking out in odd angles from under his hood. You grinned, walking over to him. As your hand travelled up to fix up his hair, he leaned in.

“You better tell me you’ll have more protection on when we actually give this a go.”

“Oh come on. If you guys don’t wear any then I won’t either. I’m no coward. Plus, it’s only fair.” You mumbled back. Hoodie put a hand on your waist, thumb gently rubbing circles on the fabric of your jacket.

“Are you sure that’s what you want? We could really hurt you.”

Your palm came into contact with his forehead, giving it a small shove in annoyance. His head tilted back and you could hear him huff through his nose. 

“You don't have to be so gentle with me, I don't break easily,” You said, rolling your eyes. He eyed you and leaned in to press his forehead against yours.

“Mm, careful what you wish for, baby.”

“This baby’s tougher than you think,” You grinned. “Trust me. I got this. And if I get hurt, you get to carry me, you lucky boyfriend, you.” 

He smiled slightly at your words. 

“Then this is permission to go all out on you? I won’t hold back.” 

His warning only made your grin widen.  

“I’d want it no other way~”

You leaned in to kiss him, hand slowly trailing down his chest but you got interrupted by Masky clearing his throat loudly. You both turned your head to the man in the tan jacket who stood there, with arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently.

“If you two are done grossing us out, we’d like to get started.”

You patted Hoodie’s chest and pulled away, pushing your own mask down over your face.

“Yes Masky sir!”

The proxy groaned in response and gestured for everyone to get closer. Holding out his arm, he pointed at the watch on his wrist.

“You’ll get 30 seconds of a head start. When this time’s up, it’s free-for-all, no mercy. No breaks until you’re dead. Got it?” Hoodie, Toby and you nodded in union. “Good. Now, ready, set, go.”

The small group burst into four separate pieces as each person ran back towards the treeline. From the corner of your eye, you watched your boyfriend and the direction he took, making a mental note of it for further down the line.

As you hopped over roots and small bushes, you tried to think of a strategy but the blood rushing through your head, fully charged with adrenaline, made it a bit difficult. Your fingers clenched and unclenched around your weapon in excitement and fright. 

You finally opted to perch out on a tree, waiting for prey to come stumbling your way. The foliage provided enough cover and it had enough branches for you to make your way up its trunk without much trouble. 

You remained there, gazing over the narrow trail in hopes of catching a glimpse of one of the boys, preferably one in an orange hoodie. You stayed and stayed and then stayed some more, but after what felt like several painful hours later, you decided that maybe it’d be better to try your luck at a more active approach. You tossed your gun onto a patch of grass and quietly climbed down, feet hitting the ground almost soundlessly. A small, proud smile on your lips, you picked up your weapon and started to make your way back towards the clearing. Surely, you had outlasted at least one person. With some luck, the other three had turned on each other. 

You crept through the shadows, eyes darting around for any sign of life besides yourself.

By the time you spotted a flash of Masky’s jacket somewhere to your left, it was too late. His shot smacked against a thin branch right next to you, snapping it off clean with the sheer force. 

A loud curse rang out before you could stop it and then you were darting, suddenly very aware and terrified of the threat behind you. Seems that between fight or flight, you choose flight. You dodged any obstacles in your way while trying to keep an eye on the enemy that seemed to be closing in on you. You recognized the scenery changing as you got closer to the starting point and between the death wish that was the openness of that terrain and the uncertainty of the woods to your right, you chose to take a sharp turn towards the latter. Now you just had to pray Hoodie wasn’t where he had initially gone off to. 

You slowly began to notice that you were putting quite a bit of distance between yourself and Masky, but you didn’t dare stop. A moving target was probably harder to hit anyway so you said your screw-you’s to your stamina and a logical way of approaching the game and decided to keep on with your run. You risked a look over your shoulder and realized the masked man had disappeared. A rustle from the front caught your attention however and another apparition, this time in the form of your boyfriend, stood merely a few feet away from you. He aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

The shock of the paintball sent you crashing into the ground, your hands flying to your masked face as you hollered. You rolled onto your side, spitting out that god-awful mix and slurring out curse words. You then got to removing your mask, dragging out your groan of pain. Your face felt like it was on fire. The pressure of the shot had etched the mask into your skin with deep red lines, outlined with the dark blue of the paint. You couldn’t even touch it so you rolled side to side on your back and thrashed your legs while your hands hovered over your closed eyes helplessly. 

“I hate you!” You shrieked out as your brain started to process the background noises to your suffering - your boyfriend and his friends’ laughter.

“Says th-the first one out.” Toby commented smugly.  

“Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” Masky chimed in and you could see, in your mind’s eye, the high-five he exchanged with Hoodie.

“You said I had permission to go all out,” Hoodie defended. “No mercy, remember?”

“Shooting me in the damned face from less than ten feet away was not part of that!” You let out another drawn out yell, both from frustration and the soul-sucking burning of your face. Hoodie kneeled next to you, slowly taking one of your hands and you squeezed back as hard as you possibly could in cold-blooded revenge. He huffed softly, a small smile on his lips and he poked the tip of your nose. You swatted his hand away with a frown on your features. 

“I’m sorry,” He said softly. “I guess that was a pretty low blow.”

“You think!?”

“Alright, alright,” He gripped your shoulder as he helped you sit up carefully. “You can get me back for that.”

Hand still in his, you tugged on his arm and proceeded to very gently wipe your face on his sleeve. You could hear him inhale, wanting to protest, but he decided to shut his mouth and let you do as you pleased. When you finished, your face was still smeared in blue, but at least it was now on his hoodie too. He tugged slightly at your hand to get you to stand up.

“Oh no,” You pulled back harder. “You’re not getting away so easy.”

Abruptly pulling him to you, you leaned up and pressed your lips against his for the span of a few seconds until he pulled away. You opened your eyes to find him spitting and wiping his mouth.

“You taste filthy.” His face distorted in disgust.

“Thanks to my suck-ass boyfriend.” You commented as you punched his shoulder. He chuckled meekly as he leaned in and started to wipe away the paint from your face with his clean sleeve with all the care he could muster.

“Yeah, well, he’ll carry you home,” He smiled apologetically. “Maybe that’ll help you forgive him just a little bit?”

“Maybe.” You replied vaguely. You tried to offer him a small smile, but quickly stopped when you felt a twinge. 

“I’ll make it up to you [Name], promise.”

“Oh Christ. Come on Rogers, they’re at it again.”

You let out a muffled laugh as you got up with Hoodie’s help. He grabbed your weapon off the ground, clicked the safety into place and intertwined his fingers with yours. He started to follow his two colleagues, but not before you jumped on his back and clenched to him.

[quitsmokingin10days]

Best Tips for When You Quit Smoking In 10 Days 2021

We all want this quit-smoking attempt to be the quit—the one that lasts us a lifetime. We're looking for permanent freedom from nicotine addiction when we stub out the last cigarette and begin to heal our bodies.

Luckily, there are many tips and strategies that can help you quit smoking and make it stick. By learning what you should (and shouldn't) do when trying to quit, and educating yourself about what happens when you stop smoking, you can ensure you are successful in your smoking cessation plans.

Take Care of Yourself

Early smoking cessation is a time when you should be taking extra care to make sure all of your physical needs are met. Taking care of your body, especially as you move through early cessation, will help you minimize the discomforts of nicotine withdrawal.

The following list of tips will help you weather nicotine withdrawal more comfortably:

Eat a well-balanced diet. Your body needs good-quality fuel now as it works to flush the toxins from cigarettes out of your system.

Get more rest. Chances are, nicotine withdrawal will leave you feeling fatigued for a few weeks. If you're tired, don't fight it. Sleep more if you can. Nine times out of 10, you'll wake up feeling 100% better the next day, and when you do, you'll be grateful to still be smoke-free.

Drink water. Water is a great quit aid. It helps you detox more quickly and works well as a craving buster. By keeping yourself hydrated, you'll feel better overall. Exercise daily. Exercise benefits both physical and mental health, and it's another good way to manage cravings to smoke. Walking is a low-impact aerobic workout that is a good choice3 for those of us leading inactive lives. Be sure to check in with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.

Take a daily multivitamin. Cigarettes deplete our bodies of many nutrients,4 so give yourself the boost that a good multivitamin provides for the first few months of smoking cessation. It may help you regain your energy more quickly.

Avoid Alcohol

Alcohol and tobacco go hand-in-hand, with studies showing high relapse rates in people with alcohol use disorders.5

Even if you just drink occasionally, putting yourself into a social setting where you're tempted to drink alcohol too soon after quitting can be dangerous. Don't rush it. New quitters are tender. The time will come when you can have a drink without it triggering the urge to smoke, but don't expect that to be within the first month, or perhaps even the first few months.

We're all a little different in how we move through the process of kicking nicotine addiction, so relax any preconceived notions you might have about how long recovery should take. Instead, focus on your own situation.

If there is an engagement coming up that involves alcohol and you feel nervous about that, take it as a signal to proceed with caution. Consider postponing until you're feeling stronger. And if that's not an option, work out a plan ahead of time for how you'll manage the event smoke-free.

Find Ways to Manage Stress

We've talked about taking care not to neglect our physical health while going through nicotine withdrawal, but our emotional well-being is every bit as important. Stress and anger are probably two of the biggest smoking triggers we face, and they can build up and threaten our quit programs if we're not careful.

Early cessation creates its own tension, and that can be overwhelming when paired with the stresses of daily life if you let it be.6 Don't let yourself get run down to the point of exhaustion, and take time every single day to relieve stress with an activity that you enjoy.

Here are a few relaxing activities to try to help you better manage the stress of quitting smoking:

Take a warm bath. Enjoying a bath is a great way to de-stress and distract yourself from thoughts of smoking. Light a few candles, use some scented bath salts, and sit back and relax. Go for a brisk walk. Lacing up your sneakers and heading outside for a brisk walk (even if only for 15 minutes) can help reduce edginess and stress. Try visualization. Take a few minutes to close your eyes and visualize a relaxing place (real or imaginary) in your mind. Get comfortable, take a deep breath, and go there when you feel the stress building up.

2021 Best Program On How To Quit Smoking In 10 Days 

Stay Positive About Your Progress

It's been said that the average person has approximately 66,000 thoughts on any given day and that two-thirds of them are negative. It will probably come as no surprise that we aim many of those negative thoughts directly at ourselves. Face it, we're almost always our own worst critics.

Quitting is a process, and staying positive can help you endure the ups and downs as you work to reach your quit-smoking goals. Here are a few stay-positive strategies to add to your quit-smoking toolbox.

Practice quit-smoking affirmations. Find a few positive messages or mini mantras you can repeat to yourself to help you stay the quit-smoking course, like “I am strong enough to beat nicotine,” or “I choose my health over cigarettes.” Keep a gratitude journal. Maintaining a gratitude journal makes it easy to get in the habit of focusing on the positive in your life while also reaping the stress-management benefits of journaling. Find help in humor. Seeking out sources of humor, whether a silly video, hilarious sitcom, or funny friend, can help lessen your stress and enable you to think more positive thoughts. Be kind to yourself. Start paying attention to your thoughts, and banish those that don't serve your best interests,2 including lamenting the things you can't change, such as the years you spent smoking. Focus on the positive changes. Look at past quit attempts not as failures, but as experiences you can learn from as you work to create positive changes in your life by quitting tobacco now. If you affirm the positive changes you are making in your life, action will follow more easily. Put yourself on "ignore mode." You will have bad days. Expect and accept that. Such is smoking cessation, and such is life. On those off days, vow to put yourself in "ignore mode." In other words, don't focus on the negative atmosphere of your thoughts.2 Instead, do what you can to distract and ignore your bad mood. Reframe negative thinking. Take notice when you begin to think negative thoughts like "I can't do this another day" or "this is too hard," and make an effort to replace them with something more positive like "I'm trying each day," or "this is challenging but necessary for my health."

Focus on the Present

Nicotine withdrawal plays mind games with us early on in smoking cessation. We think about smoking all of the time, and we worry that we'll always miss our cigarettes.

For the new quitter, it can be paralyzing to think about never lighting another cigarette. Thoughts like this, if left unchecked, can easily lead to a smoking relapse.

If you find yourself feeling panicked about your smoke-free future, pull out of it by focusing your attention only on the day you have in front of you. It takes practice and patience to stay in the here and now, but it can be done, and it is a great way to maintain control over your quit program.

The next time your mind wanders ahead or back, consciously pull yourself out of it by narrowing your attention to the moments you're living right now. Your power to affect change in your life is today, and always will be. You can't do a thing about what happened yesterday or about what is yet to come tomorrow, but you sure can control today.

[dameronsgalaxygal]

hello,,,it is your fellow angst enthusiast with “Baby you’ve never known me.” i will love absolutely anything you do and congrats on 100 lovely you deserve it and so much more

HELLO MY LOVE AND FELLOW CO-WRITER. Thank you love. Here ya go, it doesn’t hurt as much, but this is what came to mind for me. I hope you like it!

Maddys 100 Follower Celebration - Requests Open!

Warnings: Language.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

You weren’t supposed to get caught. You and Poe were a team, a smart team. He was a commander, you a captain. He knew his way around obstacles. He always did. But for some reason this was one you couldn’t get through.

You and Poe were searching for the spy in the first order in hopes of finding something, anything that would help lead you to victory against Ren. You and Poe had turned a corner to find a line of stormtroopers standing with their blasters as if they were waiting for you to arrive the entire time.

They led you down a corridor and into a dark room. It was humid and the only noises that could be heard were the violent footsteps of stormtroopers and knights of Ren. You weren’t sure how long you two would be stuck or what was going to happen, but at least you were with him.

You pulled on the metal restraints that kept you sitting and let out a groan.

“Fuck, Poe. What the hell are we supposed to do now?” You shot him a glance.

He was sitting comfortably with his restraints, “I don’t know.” He sounded defeated.

You let out a deep sigh, “Where’s Rey? Can she do some of her force magic and trick them to let us go?”

He shook his head, “It’s not that easy.”

You furrowed your brow, “What happened to Mr. Optimistic? Always knowing how to get out of these situations? You don’t even seem phased by this!” You pulled on the restraints once again and let out a tiny whimper.

Poe was your best friend, the love of your life. You met him the day you started training to become a pilot, and he could hardly take his eyes off of you. He admired you. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was jealous of how well you flew. Some would even say you intimidated him. But when it came to missions, he was always ahead of the game. He always knew what to do and what to say in a sticky situation. It was part of the reason you fell in love with him.

Poe sighed and looked at you sadly, “Unfortunately I can’t get us out of this one, sweetheart.”

You tilted your head in confusion. He wasn’t like this.

Two stormtroopers interrupted your conversation by bursting inside, walking to release Poe from where he had been restrained.

You looked at him in confusion as he stood up and nodded at the white-armored men.

“Poe? What’s going on?” You looked between the white-armored figures and the man you loved. “Is this one of your tricks? Are Rey and Finn under those helmets?”

He shook his head and turned to you, “You know, you’re such a smart girl, Y/N.”

“What? Poe what are yo-”

“I really thought you would have caught on by now.” He walked towards you, kneeling in front of you as the storm troopers followed and stood behind him.

“Caught on to what?” Poe wasn’t making any sense, you thought maybe the first order had brainwashed him the minute you two were captured. But why would they brainwash him and not you?

“All my late nights out. Going to random planets for ‘meetings’. Me, the best pilot in the damn resistance, wanting to get together with the second best pilot.” He pushed the hair out of your eyes.

You went through the last couple months in your head. Poe had been returning to your shared quarters way past midnight almost every day for the last month. He claimed it was for work and that he was gathering information to help lead the resistance to victory.

He was right about gathering information and leading to victory. It just wasn’t on the resistance's behalf. Your face dropped when it struck you.

Poe was a member of the First Order.

“No..no, that’s impossible.” You whispered as you shook your head.

“Nothings impossible, sweetheart.” He shrugged.

You felt your breath catch in your throat, “When..how...why?” Your heart began to break.

He shook his head once again, “None of that matters right now. What does matter is that I did my job. I led us here. Us, meaning the face of the resistance. It’s over, as long as you join me.” He gave you an unsympathetic smile.

“No. No, Poe. They’ve manipulated you. I don’t know when, but they did. This isn’t you! I know you!” You struggled against the restraints, begging him to remember who he really was.

“Baby, you’ve never known me.” He chuckled lowly.

You continued to pull against the hard metal that had been keeping your hands in place, “Yes I do! You’re commander Poe Dameron, commander of the Resistance! Born on Yavin 4.”

He sighed and stood up as you continued to speak, “You have a droid! BB-8! And..and your best friends, Rey and Finn!” You were shaking now. There’s no way your boyfriend had turned to the first order and it had been months.

“Listen,” He sighed, “You can make this easy for me, and you, and you join us. Because, honey, there’s no way around this. If we can’t have you, nobody can.” He reached to his back pocket, hand on his blaster.

The man you had spent years with, the man you loved, who you thought loved you, was going to kill you.

“Poe..” You watched his hand, “Don’t do this. Think about us.” You begged.

You noticed his jaw clench and you had hoped that maybe, just maybe, he would change his mind. He blinked, pushing himself out of his thoughts and he looked at you again.

“Join me.”

“No.”

He fully gripped his blaster, pulling it out of the holster and aiming it directly at you.

“Join. Me.” He gritted his teeth, “Don’t make me do this.”

You remained silent, swallowing hard and turning your head away from his gaze.  

If you joined him you could be with him and continue to love him. Continue to feel him. Even if it had all been a lie, you wanted to be near him. But you would be betraying your home. You’d be betraying yourself. The First Order would take over the resistance, and you would have no way of ever getting it back. You really didn’t have a choice.

You looked at him with glassy eyes.

His finger fiddled with the trigger, “Y/N.”

You closed your eyes and allowed your tears to fall.

“Okay.” You whispered.

Poe relaxed. “Okay?”

“Okay. I’ll join the First Order with you.” You looked up at him.

And you did. Even if he had threatened to kill you, you joined the First Order for one reason and one reason only. You would do anything for him. Anything for Poe Dameron.

[peonyneko]

Dodge This! | Katsuki Bakugou x Reader

| Prompt:  Reader and Katsuki are the last two surviving players during dodgeball

Going above and beyond for a mere school game isn’t something that is common. Whether you win or lose, the game is just a game, right? Well, trying telling that to the competitive bunch at U.A High School. The last duo standing? Katsuki Bakugou was definitely expected. But you? Completely capable but definitely not expected. Are you going to dodge this or lose?

| Warning: Violence but not really, and cursing. Mentions of falling to the ground from a slightly high height (if that possibly triggers anyone).

| Word Count: 4,000+ (Sorry!)

Reader’s Quirk: Air Manipulation

How it works: Using their body and the air around them, the user is able to pretty much use the element to their advantage. For example, they are able to create winds, levitate, fly, and so on.

Drawback: Overuse can make them dizzy and breathless. User can pass out from exerting more than their body can handle. The manipulation can prove to be fatal for the user and/or others if the actions are not carefully handled. 

-----

This was it. No one expected this to be the final line up. Katsuki versus Izuku? Highly expected. Katsuki versus Shouto? Also very expected. That, however, was definitely not the case, right now.

“Alright, the showdown that determines which team wins. Bakugou Katsuki against L/n F/n,” Mr.Aizawa calmly spoke. Cheers can be heard throughout the entire gym. No one in the class thought this is what the last round would be. 

“I’m about to absolutely destroy your chance to win,” Katsuki snarled, tiny sparks emitted from his hand.

“For fuck’s sake,” I mumbled. How on Earth did I not get hit? I fought as best as I could but to survive to the last round was surprising. 

“What did you say?” his brows were furrowed. The pair of red eyes were set on me, displaying a certain emotion. Not anger, but rather immense excitement to win. I shook my head in return.

“Good luck! Win for us, y/n!” Mina yelled from the gym bench. I turned around and offered a small, hesitant smile.

“We’re counting on you, Katsuki!” Denki called out waving his hand in the air.

I noticed how empty the rectangle was. No one besides Katsuki and I were standing. Everyone was out. As if it weren’t obvious already, it hit me. Oh no. I’m alone fighting this lunatic. A lunatic that I had an odd fondness for.

Why did it come down to this? Why did it have to end up with only him and me?

-EARLIER-

“Okay, class. Settle down. As usual, you are free to use your quirk. However, be aware that this is not a life and death situation. Do not to harm one another for any reason other than what is appropriate for the game, otherwise, you will be eliminated. The assignment will be graded based on participation. You all will be split between the two groups. For the assignment, the losing team will get 50 points while the winning team will get 100 points,” Mr. Aizawa looked tired, as usual. Hmm... I did hear that he stayed up trying to prepare papers for a future assignment. The class was quite excited because it has been a while since we got to do these activities. As usual, we wore our hero attire to use our powers to the best of our abilities. I sigh as I pull up my pants for the ninth time.

“Heck, yeah!” Denki yells out startling a few others around him. 

“Group A will be on the right side of the line. Group B will be on the left side. After you hear your name, go stand on the correct side,” Mr. Aizawa pointed at the middle of the humongous gym.

“Group A consists of Bakugou, Iida, Asui, Ojiro, Koda, Tokoyami, Shoji, Kagakure, Yaoyorozu, Aoyama, and Kaminari. Group B consists of Midoriya, L/N, Todoroki, Sero, Jiro, Sato, Mineta, Ashido, Kirishima, and Uraraka,” chattering can be heard throughout the gym. Both groups motivated to defeat the other.

“Damn, looks like I’m an enemy this time, huh?” Eijiro smiles towards Katsuki, only to ‘tch’ in return. Hm, now that I think about it. Eijiro and Katsuki rarely worked against each other.

“Don’t expect me to hold back,” he replied glaring at the entire opposing group.

“Oh, I forgot to mention,” the class settled down after hearing the teacher’s voice once again.

“There will be two rounds. The first round will be a normal group effort. However, the second round is one on one. The second round will only begin once each group has a single surviving player,” as soon as those few sentences left Mr. Aizawa's mouth, many were left confused. What are the chances of there only being one on each team?

“You must be wondering, how that is possible, right?” the class collective nods in return.

“Well, there are chances of two or more against one. I am taking that into account. In those situations, to make the game easier, I’ve decided that any balls that hit the single player competing against two or more players will not be counted. Does that make sense?” Mr. Aizawa tried to make the instructions as short and clear as possible.

“Also, the last person to survive in each group receives an extra 50 points. In short, you should play to survive until the last round,” those two sentences were enough to make everyone consider their teams as individuals to defeat, indirectly that is. 

Both groups had a new goal: save your group but with the intention to survive until the end.

Mr.Aizawa turned around to sit on the lowest bleacher row. He should take this time to sleep but I’m pretty sure he needs to monitor us. Once again, I  reach down to pull up my pants.

“Ha, I’m gonna beat every single one of you until I’m the last to stand in here,” Katsuki challenged, pointing at the rectangle we all stood in. 

“We’ll see about that,” Shouto responded, already preparing ice on his hand.

“Y/n!” Izuku called out with his left hand in the air. A hum leaves my mouth to indicate I’m paying attention.

“I hope this doesn’t sound too weird but I noticed you were having difficultly with your pants earlier. Are they a size too big?” he questions.

“Oh, yeah. I grabbed the wrong pair in a hurry. These are from the very first design so the size is incorrect,” I sigh. It’ll be hard to focus on the game if my pants keep slipping. 

Izuku mumbled a little to himself before walking up to Momo on the opposite side. A small conversation continues between the two before Momo hands him a black object. Is that a-

“Here! Momo was able to create a belt for you!” he cheerily claimed.

“I... Thank you! You didn’t have to do that,” the belt lands in my hand. Rather than a normal belt, it was a long cloth-like belt that I’m able to tie down to adjust to my waist. Good thinking, Momo. 

“Not a problem at all. It’d be hard to have fun if you had to focus on your pant uh... not falling. Since the experience counts, none of us should hesitate to move because of our outfit,” I smile at his kindness. Managing to gain Momo’s attention, I mouth a ‘thank you’ to which she happily nods.

“Deku! Quit playing around before the game even starts!” small explosions could be heard blasting out of Katsuki’s hands. 

“Huh?” both Izuku and I claimed while we turned around to face him.

“Oh, I know. I wasn’t playing around Kacchan,” Izuku looked at him with determined eyes.

“Don’t expect me to hold back,” he continued. I could feel the energy running coursing his veins.

“You better not,” Katsuki turned his back to us before walking off. 

“Quiet down. When I say go, you all are free to start,” Mr. Aizawa was sitting on the bench

“Ready? 3, 2, 1...”

 “... Go,” Aizawa signaled the start of this round.

“Fucking die,” the glowing heat barely grazes my pants. I was stunned. One more foot and it could’ve burnt off. My pant isn’t fireproof like the rest of my outfit. I didn’t even get the chance to think before a ball flies towards my chest. I duck down while simultaneously grabbing the nearest red ball. Quickly! Think. Think! 

I raise my arm launching the ball in the air. It lands about a foot from the left corner of the rectangle. Hm...

“Damn it. I missed,” I somewhat halfheartedly whined. Please work...

“Are you even trying?! Of course, you’ll miss if you throw it like that,” he flings another ball at me. However, this time it was on blazing with fire. Oh, heck no. 

A grunt leaves my lips as I reverse the ball towards him. The gust of wind spirals the fire in the air. He easily dodges it with a light explosion. I levitate, with the air underneath me to support my feet. My ground wasn’t too far beneath me. My body standing two feet above the flooring. I pull five spheres towards myself before looking at where Katsuki was standing. This definitely won’t be easy. But I am not willing to lose. Easy. Don’t lose it. Concentrate.

I take a deep breath and launch two near his leg. One barely grazing him while the other was far left.

“Missed!” he snickered. Yeah, I missed. I looked down. An aimed look of disappointed pasted onto my face. 

“Don’t be sad! You can do this!” Eijiro shouted from the bleachers with his toughened fist. As soon as I smile back at him, a red object zooms past my vision. I flinch back at the quick action.

“Focus. I want to win this with your full effort involved,” he looks straight up into my eyes. Is it that seriou- Well, yeah... It is. 

“Same here, dude,” I respond while controlling the levitating spheres in the air. Not giving him the chance to pick up any more balls, I push the remaining three of mine towards his way. One floats past the left shoulder. Another flies above his head. The third paces beside his left knee.

“Missed again, floaty,” a chuckle leaves his lips. Floaty? Floaty??

A visible sign of confusion plants on my face. My eyes don’t leave the balls on the palm of his hands. 

“I manipulate the air. Floating comes with it for free,” I swing to the left, avoiding the pair he aimed at my shoulder.

“Aimed too slow. Missed me,” I managed to return his words at him.

“Tsk. Not for too long,” both his arms rise. Two explosions take place, surrounding almost all exits possible. The heat fills up around me, leaving me in a vulnerable spot. I can’t see him or anything else.  Look for an exit, dummy. There! For all I know, Katsuki could be waiting for me to get out to hit me out. However, I’ll regret not getting out when I had the chance. I lift off the ground, quickly flying out the right top patch that had a closing hole. Not making it entirely on time, my bottom right leg catches on fire. I place myself back on the ground, hissing as I feel the burning heat.

I blow the spreading fire away with small consecutive winds. The burnt cloth scent fills the area. My right leg is now visible. My pants are burnt an inch beneath my knee along with a section of the belt. Luckily, it did not fall apart. Not wanting to distract myself, my eyes search for the blonde boy. My attention sets on where Katsuki was standing - slightly ahead of the middle of his portion of the rectangle. Not yet. 

“Try not to expose my lower body. I don’t want any comments from the guys. You know the ones I’m talking about,” I grabbed two balls with my hands and fling them at the blonde male. Hm. It’s okay. Continue.

“Idiot, you keep aiming too far away. Are you even trying to win? And I’m not a pervert, you know,” he angrily shoots out another ball encased in fire. My fingers rush to gain control of it. It flies past the middle line and glides far from him, landing at the right corner of the rectangle.

“Dammit. I am trying. You’re fast so the aims miss.”

“And I know that you aren’t,” I bend my knees to lower myself but didn’t properly grab another ball while talking.

Noticing my mistake, Katsuki grins and throws the ball in his hand towards me with bare brute strength. My eyes widen in shock but I crawled backward from my position. The ball soars straight past where my figure previously was. If I stayed there, I would have crashed flat onto the ground. My heart hammers against my chest at how close and dangerously fast that was. A furious grunt escapes from his mouth.

Pushing myself up, I lift off the floor to place myself higher than him. The cool air brushes against my body. It felt incredible after the amount of physically exhausting actions taken.

“Are you sure you want to do that?” he smirks before aiming three consecutive red balls at my leg. Luckily, my reflexes kicked in quickly enough. I successfully lift myself above all three aims. To avoid any contact I jump higher and higher in the air. To avoid any misses he fires faster and faster. Both of us were ready to fight it out till the end. The same actions of rising and aiming continued a little longer for our separate benefit. It might be a mere game but that’s why it’s fun to make it crazy, right?

Similar to the beginning, I rise five balls and place them near me in the air. I blast all quintet of them in a spiral. Katsuki blasts himself to the right, easily skipping away from every single one. I groan, disappointed at the scene.

“Take this!” he sneers loudly boosting himself in the air and blasting the same amount of ball at my chest. I rise higher to the far right, setting another significant distance from the floor and I. Focusing too much on my placement, I barely noticed the four blazing red spheres heading towards me.

Before I can gain control of another proper footing, a second of dizziness blurs my vision. A gush of wind tickled my body. My body felt heavier and the ceiling looked further away. A single shout of my name from a familiar voice enters my ears. Katsuki? It was a beautifully scary few seconds of excitement. Sadly, it didn’t last long enough for me to catch myself. I harshly dropped down 10 feet onto the floor. Thud! A short scream emits my throat. My voice echoes throughout the wide room. Everything stilled for a second. Katsuki, the class, and Mr.Aizawa frozen at my sprawled body.

The class collectively shouts my name, shocked at my dangerous fall.

“Do we need to stop here?” Mr.Aizawa called out, sounding slightly worried about any broken bones. 

“No!” I hastily grunt out. Painful thumps course through my body. Luckily, I don’t feel any actual damage. 

“I’m fine. Just lost my step there,” jumping back onto my feet I prepared myself for the hectic game.

“You good there?” Katsuki looked serious. The pair of red eyes bored right into my figure. Was it at the game or my fall? Nope, that’s just him. I nod to reassure my safety.

“There were many horrible falls I’ve experienced. This is just an addition to my collection.”

After rolling my shoulders, I reach out for the red ball to my side. For now, I need to take a break from my quirk. Otherwise, it’ll be hard to complete important movements.

“Alright then, get ready,” sparks form on his hands as he rises above me. Once again, he blinds my field of vision with an explosion. I turn my head, my arms in front of me, trying to avoid. Not wanting any surprise hits, I ran randomly on my side of the rectangle.

“Running is the only choice, huh?”

He looks down at me, setting a fiery explosion in front of me while simultaneously hurling a ball at me. His entrapment was almost successful. I step forward, my back inches away from striking me. Running back and away from the blaze, I sling the ball at his legs. It flies between his legs, landing a few feet behind him. 

Setting himself down, he grabs another ball and blasts it towards me at high speed. I flinched and sway to the side. With a successful attempt in grabbing the nearest rubber ball, I project it on his right side. This is fine. This is enough. Right?

At this point, I stopped running and tried to catch my breath. My arms bent and my hands resting above my knees. It’s only been 15 minutes yet it felt like an hour.

“What? Tired?” he mocked on his feet.

“No, not really,” I was on-guard, prepared to dodge anything that comes my way.

“But you might be,” my smile causes him to frown in confusion.

Ignoring my words, he blasts fire with his right arm. A hiss leaves my lips as I feel the intense heat, especially near my naked leg. I step further away from the middle boundary that separates us. Katsuki foolishly steps forward, ready to shoot continuous pockets of blazing rubber balls. This is it. He is where I wanted him. One foot closer to the middle line could’ve made this easier but this is good. A small chuckle left my lips. I’ve been waiting for you to stand there, Katsuki.

I raise my arms, quietly raising all the balls I’ve purposely landed on all sides of the rectangle. Each attacked I “missed” was made to fool. To fool everyone so even Katsuki ignored the fact that there were seventeen balls placed behind him in various positions. My silent trap to capture the fuming dragon.

Admittedly, this could’ve flopped immediately if there weren’t so many balls surrounding me. I made sure to leave many of them around me so my actions weren’t obvious. Luckily, my acts of disappointment from “missing” seemed to have helped.

Once again, I float into the air creating further distance between the two of us. A safety step to ensure I do not get blasted and knocked out by any explosions. My vision was clear, all the red balls were where I can see them. All positioned pretty much where I wanted them. 

“Great game, Katsuki!” I say. Our expressions begin to contrast a great amount. My face shows satisfaction, delight, and hopefulness. Katsuki’s face shows confusion, frustration, and fury.

Lifting a spare single ball near his side, I rapidly tug the ball towards him. He swiftly turns sideways blasting at the decoy. I smile at the false trap I placed him in. Luring him in, grabbing his attention away from the official entrapment, and then closing all possible exits. That’s how I wanted to beat the strong and intelligent male in front of me.

“Got ya,” this time I actually lift all seventeen balls into the air. Some high in the air and some low to the ground. Some close by and some far to the sides. A surge of energy, nervousness, and excitement travels through my veins. My heart beating rapidly, wishing this trick successfully works. The fuming dragon stepped into the snare himself, not acknowledging that I had the rope in my hand the entire time.

“Sorry!” I shout out, once again grabbing his attention. 

“Try and dodge this!”

As soon as I reach my hand out, grabbing “strings” in the air, realization strikes him. It strikes him a second too late. One by one, hit by hit, the red spheres crash onto his figure. Hitting his shoulders, arms, legs, back, and sides. Thumps of the fallen balls echo throughout the room. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump... Thump... Thump. The last red ball stops bouncing and that was it.

Silence. 

No one speaks.

I felt breathless from the successful mission. Eye widened at the red spheres on the ground surrounding his body. I felt breathless at his intense red gaze. Surprise builds upon my face. It... It worked. Wait. Did I win? 

“Y/n! You did it!” Izuku was the first to shout out in victory. His eyes gleaming with happiness. The rest of my group shouts out in glory. Rising from their seats, they make their way towards me.

“We won? You all, we won,” I tell them, shocked. It worked?

I quickly look at Mr.Aizawa, wanting to know it was a guaranteed win.

“Y/n representing Group B wins,” he calls out. Groans from the other team contrast the cheers of mine. 

Mina and Kyoka tackle me into a hug, congratulating me on the group’s win, along with my win. It felt amazing to win. Especially winning against someone as strong and capable as Katsuki, it felt as if I were the luckiest person on Earth.

“I didn’t realize you had that plan up your sleeve until I noticed the placement of the balls. You even acted sad every time you’d miss so many of us got worried,” Izuku looked at me with his green sparkling eyes. Hm. I wonder who would’ve won if Izuku and Katsuki were to battle.

“Yeah, I decided to go with it shortly after the game started. I didn’t know what else to do so I took my chance. Didn’t think it would actually work though,” a small embarrassed chuckle.

“It’s good that you went along with your plan. It did work out and that’s what matters,” Shouto spoke out, standing behind the Izuku. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I smile at his comment. Our small celebration and conversation were cut short when Mr.Aizawa raised his hand to gain our attention. 

“Everyone, go back to class. There are 15 minutes left but I have been called by the principal,” Mr.Aizawa said before heading out the door. 

I turn around, looking for Katsuki but couldn’t find him. Is he okay? I hope it didn’t hurt him. Then, I managed to see Katsuki running after the teacher. Since we have lunch after this, I’ll try to check on him then. After all, we do sit a table or two away from each other.

The class slowly walks back to the room. Speaking away about the extreme and we just played. It was a basic participation grade, so none of us lost.  

“Hey.” I turn back at the familiar voice. He was standing with his hand in his pocket.

“I asked Mr.Aizawa for permission to go to Recovery Girl. Follow me.”

“Huh? Why?” I was confused at the sudden requirement.

“You really don’t notice your bruises and the blood on your back?” he asked. I realized what he meant right when I touch my back. I hiss on impact, feeling the bruise and possible wound that could have formed from the fall.

“Oh, I guess the adrenaline got to me.”

He starts walking towards the nursing room and I tag along with him. A slightly awkward silence roams around us as we enter the destination.

“Are you okay?” he lifts his eyebrow at my question.

“Of course, I am. Other than the bruise I gave myself, the balls were completely harmless.” 

“Oh, okay. That’s good,” I felt relieved to hear that he didn’t get any major injury.

+

“I don’t know how many times I’ve told you this but be careful when you’re floating at a great height. So far, you didn’t get any major injuries. I can heal you as much as I can but you’ll have to learn to quickly re-activate your quirk when falling from blur and dizziness. It’s hard but once you learn that, you definitely will have another advantage to count on,” Recovery Girl hands me a pack of ice for my back. Sliding off the bed, Katsuki and I get ready to leave for lunch.

“Well, you’re both good to go. You’ll feel tired so make sure you get enough sleep today,” we both nod and thank her as we exit the door.

Katsuki walks next to me. Both of us were the only ones in the hallway. I turn my head to look at him. He looks back at me.

“Next time, if we play the game and you and I are left. Come at me with all you’ve got. I know I’ll beat you,” he grins.

“I was just lucky, this time,” I shrug. He frowns at my comment and halts.

“Bullshit. I’m not saying this to make you happy. You went along with a plan that suited your quirk and won. That’s that. If it was sheer luck, you wouldn’t have worked hard to make it work,” his words felt heavy and helpful.

“And besides, I already know I would win if it came to a real battle. Until then, keep improving, floaty. If you’re unhappy with the results, keep working. Though, I’ll keep rising so don’t think you’ll win against me.”

“O-oh. Well, thanks. I didn’t think you’d uh say that to me,” I respond. My neck felt hot from embarrassment. I hope nothing is noticeable.

“I didn’t have a big place to practice until I came here and moved into the dorms,“ Katsuki was attentively listening to what I had to say. I still felt nervous at his gaze but tried to compose myself.

“Well, practice and practice as much as you’d like. You’re trying to be a hero for a reason, right? You can’t count on luck to save people. You have to count on yourself,” he starts walking again.

“I know. Now, I’m practicing as much as I can. Whenever I can. Being a hero comes with a dangerous cost but you’ll just have to go for it. Save as many as you can. Save anyone who looks for help,” I say, unknowingly walking ahead of Katsuki.

“Oi!” he shouts and I turn around. He had a wild look on his face.

“Dodge this,” my eyes widen in confusion at the small ball in his hand. How? Where did he get that from?

“Wha-gh,” a weird sound leaves my throat as I bend down. My hand sticks out, stopping the ball mid-air. Deactivating the stop, the ball falls onto my hand.

“To improve your quirk’s re-activation, you’ll have to stay in the air longer, right?” I nod at his question.

“Well, practice that throughout the day. Try throwing a ball into the air, stop it in mid-air, fly after it, and continue that process while floating. This trick could be helpful when saving many people,” his voice sounded calm and soothing.

“Oh, thanks for the idea! But the only downside is possible injuries. I don’t want to break any bones. And I don’t have a trampoline or something soft to catch me,” I was slightly lost in thought before a small idea hits me.

“Um, if you don’t mind. Can you practice with me at times?” he only looked at me in return. I begin to panic a little bit.

“Well, you don’t have to. It’s just you have very quick reflexes and what not so it’ll be helpful for me. And-” before I can continue he cuts me off.

“Fine.”

“Huh?”

“Do I need to repeat myself?” I shake my head, my mind shocked that he agreed.

“Alright, come on. I don’t want to miss lunch because you’re taking too long to walk,” he walks faster than before. I scramble on my feet trying to catch up. 

+

Before you knew it, you both began practicing together. Before you knew it, you fell harder for him.

Before he knew it, you both began walking together. Before he knew it, he fell for you.

But now you both secretly knew it, you’ve fallen for each other.

-----

This is the first post on my writing blog. How is it? Is there anything you recommend or want me to improve on? 

[akaluan]

Ooooh, for the ask meme - let's see. Erich/Kisuke, 51, 100.

(51: accidentally married, 100: accidentally saving the day)

Erich’s day starts off normally enough, except for the fact that he has to spend time sorting through the mess that his grandson has made of the Quincy supplies. He needs specific tools and books to continue his education of Uryuu and Kurosaki, but Ryuuken has thrown everything into one cramped room and locked the door behind him.

Armor and books and bows are shoved willy-nilly into a space much too small, with ginto and seelie schneider and random ancient Quincy relics scattered about without rhyme or reason. It’s a mess, and a hazard, and Erich really wants to have words with his grandson about the proper care and storage of an entire people’s worth of supplies.

Even worse, Urahara decided to tag along; Erich hadn’t thought it much of an issue at first – he’d thought it would be a quick sweep to find the things he needed – but now… now he was regretting letting Urahara into the room with him. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the relics had been stored properly, but they weren’t, and relics were notoriously finicky even when properly cared for, and these weren’t, and Urahara was a curious man at heart–

“This is certainly pretty,” Urahara announced, something jingling as he pulled it free of the clutter. “Impractical, but pretty. Hey, Rerugen-san, what’s this one?”

Erich sighed and straightened up, turning to see what Urahara had unearthed this time. “Wh–put that down!” His heart sank at the sight of the interlinked bracelets in Urahara’s hand and a sense of dread settled in his stomach.

(What were traditional marriage bracelets doing laying loose amongst everything else?!)

(He was going to have words with Ryuuken after this!)

“Maa, what’s so dangerous about a couple of bracelets?” Urahara asked as he lifted his arm higher, the movement making the bracelets chime with a high, clear sound.

“Those aren’t normal bracelets–”

“Well, no, they certainly can’t be worn, can they?” Urahara peered at the relic, running a thumb over the part in his hand, likely in an attempt to find the catch that Erich knew wouldn’t exist. “So what do they do?”

“They’re marriage bracelets.” He didn’t know the specifics, and that terrified him. The Quincy had so many marriage bracelets, each with their own purpose and rules, that it was impossible for Erich to recognize any of them on sight.

“Eh?” Urahara gave Erich a puzzled look and jingled the interlinked bracelets again. “I thought you were supposed to be able to wear anything related to marriage, and these aren’t very wearable, are they?”

Erich ignored Urahara’s question and lunged, aiming to grab Urahara’s wrist so he could force the man to let go before something unfortunate happened. But Urahara leaned back. Lifted his arm higher. Gave Erich a smug little smile and–

Erich’s hand closed over the free bracelet, and he had just long enough to stare in resignation before the relic yanked on his reiatsu and light flared out to engulf the both of them. The metal in his hand dissolved and a band settled around his left arm, its presence terrible and familiar and infuriating in all the worst ways.

(Married to a damn Shinigami of all things!)

(God damnit!)

He staggered back and rubbed the spots from his eyes, hands trembling in reaction and rage, and took a steadying breath. Another. Unbuttoned the left sleeve of his dress shirt and rolled it up–

The metal band sat against the skin of his wrist, one edge gleaming green like his own reiatsu and the other gleaming red like Urahara’s. He could feel the minor draw on his strength, feel the strange press of unfamiliar power against his soul–

He shoved at the band. Slid it effortlessly up to his elbow before it refused to move further. Grabbed it tight and slammed it back down his arm, wincing at the way it jarred against his wrist–

(He hadn’t expected otherwise but… fuck!)

(Married to a god damn Shinigami!)

“Woah, hey, I don’t think hurting yourself is warranted,” Urahara said as he caught Erich’s right wrist and pulled his hand away from the bracelet.

Erich ripped his hand free and stepped back, chin rising and scathing, vicious words crawling up his throat–

Nothing came out. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t shout his fury aloud, couldn’t even step closer or raise his hand. His body was frozen, the bracelet warming against his skin–

“Rerugen-san?” Urahara murmured, concerned-worried-troubled and the incongruity of it… hurt.

Erich took a step back, relieved that the bracelet’s control allowed him that freedom. Rage burned hot-sour-cloying in his chest but he breathed through it, tamping down his fury and turning his gaze to an open box of armor pieces.

(He’d almost– if the bracelet hadn’t–)

(He’d never been an abusive man or given to rage. For the bracelet to label his reactions violent enough to violate it’s anti-abuse clause…)

He swallowed back bile and turned away, shivering as the enforced control faded from his limbs. “Help me find the book on marriage bracelets. It should be somewhere in this damn mess.”

“Of course.”

Erich very carefully refused to look at Urahara as they dug through the boxes, even when the man paused to hand him potential books for him to flip through. It felt like an age passed before they find the book he needed, and the minute they did he gestured sharply for Urahara to follow and left the room; he’d not found what he needed for the teens, but the bracelet issue overrode that.

(He wanted it off!)

Urahara trailed after him, silent the whole way back to the Shoten except for a murmured ‘you can use my lab if you want’ that Erich barely acknowledged in favor of retreating to the room Urahara had given him. He needed to find what type of marriage bracelet they had accidentally triggered, which would tell him how to remove it and what its conditions and clauses were.

Anti-abuse was common to all Quincy marriage bracelets, but there were so many other clauses that could be applied, and so many ways for a marriage to be considered ‘permanent’…

He didn’t want to risk anything.

Erich studied the book, barely acknowledging Urahara whenever the man knocked to check in on him. He was too busy, too on edge, to exercise more than absent politeness.

(He didn’t like what he was finding. Didn’t like the suggestion that he was currently wearing a peace-marriage bracelet, only breakable by actions that neither of them could do.)

(They had no clan elders to declare the marriage dissolved, and the only other way out was for one of them to attack a member of the other’s Clan with intent to kill and that…)

(Erich refused to offer that up as a suggestion.)

Urahara’s reiatsu trickled through the bracelet and into his soul the whole while, an enforced connection that let him sense the man’s emotions more clearly than he’d ever before managed. It wasn’t an unknown sensation – he and Alexis had been married the traditional way, after all – but it was an unfamiliar one; it had been decades since his own marriage broke with death, and the presence of another person’s power tucked against his soul was disorienting.

Worse, it meant he couldn’t continue to properly hide his reactions from Urahara; with such a direct connection between them, suppressing his reiatsu was worthless, and Erich knew of no healthy way to scrub emotional impressions from his reiryoku. He didn’t know how skilled Urahara was in reading reiatsu but he suspected ‘very’ as the answer, which left his only available option being deliberate emotional focus in order to drown out responses that he didn’t want Urahara to sense.

Which only made things worse.

(It was one thing to stand before a person and connect words and deeds with emotions. It was another entirely to sense things out context.)

Part of him wanted to give in to the inevitable, to accept that there was no way out except to make peace with his fate. Part of him despised the very idea of it, despised that he would even consider it, and the tangle left him sick with nerves and self-loathing.

(Some nights he threw the book aside, drowning his helplessness with rage.)

(Some nights he dug his nails into his skin. Tried to pry the bracelet from his arm. Didn’t notice the blood until Urahara knelt before him and gently-gently-gently coaxed him down, pressing a healing kido into his wounded arm.)

(Those nights were the worst, were the times when he wanted to give in so badly that it ached like a broken bone and when he drowned that longing for comfort in the self-loathing that burned like bile at the weakness he was displaying.)

Urahara’s actions didn’t help. The man was careful and cautious and helpful at every turn. He never pushed, never teased, never touched him and–

Erich missed the casual contact more than he expected.

(He was so weak!)

The onset of war was almost a relief.

(Coward!)

Erich strode into battle with Urahara at his side, the marriage bracelet meaning the two of them couldn’t part ways like he almost wished they could. But fighting alongside Kisuke was… easy, his emotions settling for the first time in weeks and the cold chill of war-death-kill taking their place.

He felt a brief flicker of hope at seeing Quincy standing across from him; if he held back, let Urahara strike the first blow, then surely, surely the bracelet would register it as attack against his Clan, but…

Erich saw the moment when one of their foes caught sight of the bracelet on Urahara’s wrist. Saw the moment the man’s gaze swung to him with a sneer, spitting ‘traitor’ and ‘whore’ and ‘worthless’ in his face.

Ice settled in his chest.

(Peace-marriages were sacred things.)

(They didn’t know it was accidental, didn’t know that Erich was futilely searching for a way out.)

(To deny the meaning, to throw it back in his face like that–)

(These were no Quincy no matter what they proclaimed.)

He carved through the enemy army without remorse, Urahara at his side. Followed the traces of Quincy through the distorted Seireitei. Found one of the only tolerable Shinigami staring at the sky, shadows twisting across his body and–

Erich yanked at Urahara’s strength through the bracelet. Reached out and severed whatever technique Ukitake was building.

“Leave him to me,” Erich told Ukitake coldly. “Don’t throw your life away for something so meaningless.”

“He’s going to–”

“I know.”

He didn’t wait for Ukitake to respond, just turned his attention to path he could feel carved through the ether. It was closing in Yhwach’s wake, slowly but surely, but there was enough of a gap left–

“Don’t let go,” he ordered Urahara as he dragged the man closer, fingers digging into Urahara’s bicep as he latched onto Urahara’s strength again and pulled–

He launched them up-up-up, seele schneider in his hand and Urahara’s strength bolstering his own. He carved through the healing defenses. Harnessed that freed power and used it to send them higher and–

They landed in the Soul King’s Palace with a thump, and Erich immediately absorbed free reishi to replenish his stores. Sent more down the connection to replenish Urahara’s stores. Ignored the man’s curious noise and strode forward, following the traces of Yhwach on, ever on.

(This shame of the Quincy fell to him to correct.)

(He could no longer stand aside. Would no longer stand aside.)

The remains of the palace guards fell before him; he no longer had the patience or the time to deal with them diplomatically. Whether they survived or not was not his concern.

(He could feel Urahara’s twisting emotions, concern-curiosity-determination tangled into an unwavering knot.)

(He had no time to deal with that, either.)

Yhwach greeted them in the throne room, standing before the strange, idol-like figure. He turned, lips shaping a name that died before he could give it voice, and swept his gaze over the two of them, the tiniest hint of surprise visible in his expression.

“How fascinating. I’d not expected the two of you to greet me,” Yhwach mused. “But that’s neither here nor there. Dealing with you won’t be–”

Erich launched himself forward, seele schneider in one hand and revolver materializing in the other. He slashed at Yhwach’s neck and–

Froze.

His body turned towards the idol against his will, sword raising to strike.

He struggled to control his actions, struggled to reclaim his agency, clawed desperately at whatever outside force was forcing his hand. The bracelet warmed against his skin, forcing his body into stillness, and he once more yanked at Urahara’s strength. Threw everything he had behind the bracelet. Bit his lip as the metal heated and his skin burned and everything narrowed down to resist-resist-resist–

Yhwach snarled. “Paltry treasures like that won’t avert your fate. I am the source of your strength, the Father of all Quincy, and your will is mine!”

Something snapped in his mind–

A sword protruded from Yhwach’s chest.

Metal clattered against the stone floor.

Erich staggered. Spun. Drove his seele schneider through Yhwach’s head and ripped–

Yhwach howled. Clawed at reality with his powers, trying to unmake it all.

Erich dragged the seele schneider down. Tore through Yhwach’s core and ripped at the severed power. Absorbed some and scattered more and felt something in his own soul come undone–

He staggered back. Held onto his weapons by instinct alone. Fell to his knees and curled forward, left arm aching and mind reeling. He felt dirty, felt used, betrayed by a legend and almost forced to betray his friends and family.

(The bracelet’s control had been one thing, freezing him in place and enforcing peace the only way it could.)

(Yhwach’s control was another, stealing his agency and turning him into a passenger in his own body.)

A hand settled on his shoulder. Pulled him over–

Erich snarled. Twisted. Lashed out–

Urahara caught his wrist in a gentle hold. “It’s alright. He’s dead. We’re safe.”

Erich stared blankly at Urahara as the man pressed healing kido into his left arm. Felt for the man’s presence against his soul and found… nothing.

He was alone. Empty.

(Waking up in a strange place, Alexis missing from his awareness.)

(Alone for the first time in decades.)

(Alone-alone-alone…)

His eyes found the bracelet on the floor, metal darkened from heat and color fading away. Flickered over to Urahara, wondering if… but no, Urahara seemed unconcerned, unbothered by the change.

(Just like he should be.)

(This was what he’d wanted.)

(This was what he’d wanted!)

“Hey, you alright?” Urahara asked softly, pale eyes concerned as he let his kido die and cradled Erich’s hand gently in his own.

It was too much. He wanted too much. Wanted Urahara to do… something, anything, to make him forget the sour taste of fear and the terrifying helplessness of Yhwach’s control–

Erich took a breath. Shook his head. Pulled away from Urahara and stood, letting his revolver fade and sealing the seele schneider once more.

“Let’s get out of here,” Erich muttered as he scowled at the damaged bracelet and the pile of ash where Yhwach once stood. He turned away. Left it lying there.

(He didn’t need a reminder. Didn’t need the evidence of his failures.)

Urahara flickered away. Returned to Erich’s side. Smiled soft-kind-proud and said, “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go home.”

Erich swallowed against the knot in his throat. Rubbed at the smooth patch of skin where the bracelet had sat. Kept his reiatsu carefully tucked away even as he desperately wanted to reach out to Urahara to fill the cold emptiness in his soul.

(Home?)

(Was the Shoten home…?)

(He didn’t know.)

He strode from the throne room without looking back.

(He’d deal with it later.)

(For now he just wanted to be somewhere safe where he could lick his wounds in peace.)

(Everything else could come later.)

[exodusmc]

criminal

Genre: Criminal au(to be real I don’t really know)

Words: 2968

Paring: Criminal Hoseok x cop reader

Warning!: Death, hostages, yandere themes, manipulation, guns 

a/n: It’s not as dark as it seems. The italic parts are flashbacks :)

Gif is not mine 

A satisfied smile spread over your face, body aching after the long day. You were still at the station but it was slowly getting to the time you could go home, wine waiting in one of the cupboards. Thoughts went back to the day you had, how much adrenaline you had, how dariend you felt now.

“I’ll go in!” a voice said yes in your ear, boot clade feet running with smack against the concrete. 

You were shaking, breathing fast as you turned a corner. There were hostages, there were people to save, and you felt it weigh on your mind. You were starting to get tired of his games now, how it put everyone in danger. Slowing down, you went on a stealthy as you could. He couldn't know you were coming or it would be trouble. Your team had been searching and hunting down him for months, just for him to show up. It made you uneasy. Through an ajar door could you see down on the big open space. Five people were tied, sitting down in a circle. They were the ones you were after in the moment, even if it would be a real boost to your confidence if you could catch the criminal.

“I’ve located the hostages, five people, tide..”you whispered, gun tight in you hand. All you had to do was walk in there and save them, the hunt that bastard down. But time ticked and no one answered you.”Sir?”

There was a spark in your ear, then a laugh. Your whole body tensed, fingers turning white as they held tighter to your weapon. He walked out from the shadows, hair dark and smile insane.”Fuck”

“Y/n!” Mr Walls walked out with a big grin on his face but you saw the nerves in his eyes, sweat forming on his forehead. Something was fishy and in your tired state were you sure you would dislike it. 

“Yes sir?” sitting properly, your eyes scanned him. You had worked hard today and you hoped to god your boss wasn't going to ask you to do anything more this day, or rather evening. 

“I-I-I’m sorry to say this and I know you’ll hate it but..”his face grew red, gaze slipping from your frowning face. Of course would this happen.”..I need you to be handcuffed to the prisoner..”

“What!? Handcuffed?!”you shot up from the chair, staring and sure he was out of his mind.”Do realise who we are talking about?!”

A device was between J-hope’s fingers, blinking with an ominous red light. He smiled wider as the people before him started crying, shaking in fear. 

“I’ll press this thingy and one of you will feel so much pain, death would be better…”he laughed out the words, walking around like a predator staring down its prey. 

You bit your lip, sweat running down your spine. It would have been different if you had connection to your boss or someone from your team by your side but you were alone and it meant that it was all up to you if the hostages walked out alive. Cursing under your breath, you decided it was better if you could get J-hope’s attention and get him away from the people, but you needed a plan, something which would help you.

“1 2 3…”you cursed again, gaze snapping out to see the man leaning over one of the girls, thumb close to the button. He grinned wider as her sobbs echoed through the walls.”..4 5 6”

You had no time to think, gun loaded and ready to go. Taking one last breath, you crawled out from you hiding spot, fingers trembling as you aimed for the device or his hand. Time slowed down, seconds becoming minutes. You swallowed, pressing the trigger and prayed for it to hit. When you opened your eyes again was he standing with his back towards you, destroyed metal a meter from him. You had managed to hit the device. A sigh escaped your lips, unknowing of the smirk on his lips. Someone screamed for help, thrashing in their rope and for a second were you afraid that whatever torture the device set of had begun, but relaxed when you realised that nothing happened, they only got new hope. It pushed you to dash away from where you were laying, gun in hand. J-hope turned slowly, staring you down with orbs so crazy it made your stomach upset. He was unfazed at the barrel pointed at him, grin unwavering. 

“Well hello there officer...It’s nice to meet you..”his voice was too cheery for your taste, licking up your skin. A huff escaped you, fingers ready to fire.”..But I’m afraid you’ll have to catch me before we can talk some more..”

With a cheeky smile was he running away, disappearing back into the shadows. You jerked forward to chase after but stopped. It was a trap. You opted to save the hostages instead, muttering to your earpiece that the civilians were safe. 

“Get out of here...Have your arms raised when you get to the front..There will be officers there to help you..”everyone cried or shook, scrambling to get away. You knew it was a bad idea to follow him, play right into his game but you had to because this was a chance you couldn't miss, never knowing when he would show up again. 

“I’ll get you, bastard…”

“I’m sorry Y/n but he’s too much of an flight risk and you’re the only one fit for the job…”Mr Walls sighed, sitting down with a huff, glancing back up to your fuming face.”You can go home and rest for a while but I need you back by 7 am..”

You were about to argue back when you saw him turned serious, something Mr Walls never was. His eyes dropped and you could make out some more wrinkles from stress. 

“I’m sorry but if you won't do it I’ll have to fire you…”your mouth screwed shut, frow pulling at your eyebrows. How could he threaten you with your job? It was a dirty move but reluctantly were you nodding yes.

-

Staring at your wine glass, you felt even more upset. You for the love of God caught one of the most searched for criminals and it still didn't mean shit. Water slipped down your body as you stepped into the shower, shivers running all over you. Something happened when you were chasing down J-hope, something which you didn't tell anyone but probably should have, something which made your nerves grow. It had been too easy to catch him and you started to feel like hell would break loose. 

You weren't stupid, you wouldn't just follow in his steps, that would be idiotic, so you instead took a side path. Adrenaline rushed i  your veins, blood drumming in your ears. You were so close to catch him, gun before you incase he would come at you. It was awfully quiet as you made your way further inside the warehouse. A pillar became your hiding spot, eyes scanning over the room, every nerve you had in your body tensed as you saw him walk through the middle, orbs locked forward. You swallowed, staring him down from the side. He had to know you were there, he was playing with you. The smile never left his lips when he started walking again. You stood and waited for him to turn up, to try and surprise you and he was close to succeeding. A small sound, barely noticeable made your swing around in one second, gun raised and pointed between two  eyebrows. 

“Oh you caught me!”the maniac giggle back at you, not even glancing down at the weapon a mere inch from him. 

“Hands up!”your voice sounded too stressed, like he had power over you and it made the man smirk.”I said hands up!”

J-hope listened, raising his hands with no concern in his eyes. You were trembling slightly when you went to grab the handcuffs. 

“Against the pillar”you snagged down his arms behind his back, grabbing both wrists to lock him down.  Soon would he be behind bars and out of your hair.

“You’re so cute!”it happened too fast, him changing spots with you. The gun you had held like your life depended on it was thrown away, caressly. He was standing close to you, breathing down your neck. “..and naive..”You fought back, just to have him turn you around, hands wrapped around your wrists and his leg between your own.

“You shouldn't look like that because of me sweetheart, I’m the bad guy”J-hope leaned forward, breath fanning over your reddening face. You were angry and desperate, slowly falling to his control.

7 am. Your eyes were falling, sleep begging you to go back but your office were bustling with life or rather nerves. Everyone seemed like they were walking on their toes and none of the would have to actually be locked with the prisoner. 

“This is a really stupid idea...sir.”your eyes stared down Mr Walls in his work clothing.”Who says he won't hurt me? Kill me?”

“I don't think he will and I don't even think he will get away but you are the only one who has been close to him, seen him work..”your eyes could have rolled to the back of your head in the annoyance you were feeling.

“Whatever..”Mr Wall sighed at you, looking through papers while you stared empty before yourself.

“It will be okay Y/n, I promise..”

Your arms hurt, J-hope smiled wider at your struggling, liking the way your eyes got desperate but he had a plan. One perticaly hard kick to his legs had his grip faltering and your escaped in reach. You used every ounce of strength and pinned him against the pillar, panting hard as you forced on the handcuffs. His eyes scared you when you glanced up again, they look satisfied and not worried. 

“Oh my Oh my...Didn't know you were into this”he chuckled, leaning forward again until his breath licked over your lips. You were fast to push him around, almost crying in relief as your earpiece sparked to life.

“Y/n! Y/n! Are you there!?” the voice was frantic and you had never felt so good hearing it. 

“Y-yes and I have him..”you panted out the words, not realising the man you were pushing down heard your name or how his smile grew wider. “..I have him.”

“Okay, everyone listen up!”the buzzing around you stopped, tension so thick you could cut it.”This is going to be one of the most important things we have done so I want everyone to be focused and a 100 %. Got it?!”

The room erupted in a loud yes sir but the uneasiness grew in your stomach. It had been so easy to fight him, caged him. Multiple feet marched across the floors, leaving you to walk after your boss and to your doom. The car which would take the two of you to a prison with better security waited by the back, surrounded by your co-workers. Everyone were waiting for something to happen because everyone knew it should and the glances of pity you got had you even more angry. Why in the world did you have to do this? Why did you have to do any of this? You worked hard to keep everyone safe, rid the city of danger, but got nothing return. Thinking back to the people you had chased made you frown. Some of them weren't even half as bad as the higher ups, with all their money and power to suffocate the less fortunate. 

“You can do this Y/n..”Mr Walls broke you from your spiraling thoughts, earning just a mere nod. 

Staring down into the holding cell, your eyes immediately found the sitting in the middle. Dark lock fell neatly over his forehead, heart lips pulled in a smile when he noticed you coming. His arms were cuffed but it didn't stop the guards with big guns to stiffen when he stood up to greet you. 

“Hello there sweetheart to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”he looked sick, out of his mind as deep brown orbs burned through you. Mr Walls made some sort of sound, signaling the others to open the door. J-hope smiled wider as you and your boss went in. 

Chills ran over your body as the man only had eyes for you, ignoring the words leaving Mr Walls. Your prisoner looked content with the whole ordeal, raising his wrists as if he knew what was about to happen. You had missed when Mr Walls told J-hope about the plan, lost in his drawing eyes. Cold metal snapped around you and you were now locked to him, a feeling you had before slipped around your veins. It felt like when you first caught him but it was mixed with dread. You were ushered to move, surrounded by cops and guns. Heat radiated of off J-hope, forcing your body to grow warm. His gaze never left you, calculating every move of your face, sensing your discomfort, it made him grin. All Hoseok had to do was whisper in your ear, confuse you a little more, then everything would be in its place, you in his arms. The car door shut hard to your side, a feeling of being vulnerable spreading through you. You had no way of defending yourself and the others were not close enough for your liking. Mr Walls were somewhere else, keeping an eyes on everything but not by your side. The driver and person beside him were not paying attention to you, nerves making them fidget around and play music. They didn't do their job, ultimately putting you in danger, but you didn't blame them. They were scared, like you, only J-hope relaxed against the seat. 

“So how has my little sweetheart been? Has she sleep well? Getting a pay raise?”the man to your right mused with a smile, pushing at buttons which brought back agner.”I mean you caught me, a super criminal!”

He grinned wider as your orbs flooded with conflict, burning with anger. Hoseok had you around his finger without you knowing it, pulling you closer to him and away from what you were. 

“They didn't do anything for you, right?”you gritted your teeth, head slowly starting to hurt from all the thoughts in your head. J-hope had moved closer to you, fingers gracing over your own.”Isn't that just awful?But your good people have a tendency to forget their people.”

“Stop talking..”you muttered out and it was all Hoseok needed. He was inside your brain as well as your heart, coaxing you to see something different, to fall against him. 

“Life is a lot more grey, sweetheart, than you want to believe..”

-

The music screamed, loud voices turning in your head. It was getting difficult to think and somewhere along the line was J-hope’s words blurring with your own. You didn't like it at all, wishing the car ride would just be over. But it didn't stop, the wheels kept turning, the world kept flashing by. You were tired, angry, and it made you feel numb. 

“Don't worry sweetheart..It will all be over soon..”J-hope breathed close to your ear, making your gaze snap up at him. He was smiling and his fingers took yours. 

Your eyes widened when the sound of shutting handcuffs reached you. Hoseok grinned down at your cute expression, raising both arms to show you his freedom. You had been frozen in shock but soon came to your senses and opened your mouth to scream. J-hope had already planned it, grinning as you fell into his trap. Your lips parted and involentarly took a breath, a breath of the chemicals on the rag he held against your mouth. Black dots began forming in your sight and your struggles started to weaken. All you had to do was alert the other, then everything would be okay but the criminal didn't move, only smiled lovingly at your fading eyes. Hoseok had what he wanted and when your body finally fell limp was he reaching for the guns hidden by non other than Mr Walls. J-hope cocked the weapons, laughing at the way the other men turned to stare back at him. 

“Sorry it’s not personal, I just have what I want..”a clear shot and the first man fell forward, followed by the driver. 

Hoseok climbed to the front, pushing away the body without much thought. He maybe pitted the two men for the betrial they faced but he didn't real care. He got you and fooled the fool all at once. An insane smile spread over his soft lips when he remembered the talk he had with Mr Walls, how the man had believed him when he told him all he wanted was you and then he would leave the city alone. Your boss had been fast to betray you and his men, all for fake peace and a pat on the back from the rich. Hoseok glanced back at your unconscious form, smiling. Just like you had been after him for months had he been after you. He still remember the first time he saw you, determined to catch him. You were easy to read and Mr Walls was easy to fool. No one else would have you now and you would follow him as he caused chaos. All his. You would fight what you once slaved under and it made him grin.  

[cajunroe]

196 for Lipton/Speirs and for 100 Nat/Brad

196. “Let. Her. Go.” | AO3

Marriage isn’t easy. Anyone who tells you otherwise is either full of shit or trying to sell you something.

And for Ronald Speirs, his marriage was a little more complicated. It’s true when they say you can’t help who you fall in love with. So, six years ago, when Speirs moved from Chicago to Boston and walked into the first bodega nearest his apartment, he never suspected he’d meet his future husband…or that his future husband was a mob boss.

Still, as he watches their daughter open her presents on Christmas morning, he can’t help but think it’s all been worth it.

As far as mob bosses go, Lip was relatively tame. The movies get it all wrong. Most mobs are businesses and as such their bosses are businessmen. It just so happens that the businesses they run are through…less regulated or legal means. Still, Lip is a pillar in the community. Everyone knows his name and knows the warm smile they’ll be greeted with when they meet him. He runs several local stores, church every Sunday, sponsors local little leagues, donates to the food banks every week, and even walks Mrs. O’Leary home every night like clockwork. All of this is because he wants to, not because he’s putting up smokescreens. Lip was a good man and Speirs doesn’t know how he even got so lucky and knows he doesn’t deserve the life he’s been given.

He can tell he’s getting self-deprecating and wistful, but the glare that Lip is leveling him with over the top of their daughter’s head.

Oh yeah, there’s that. Despite his inherently good nature, the mob was the mob and Lip didn’t get in his position through smiles and handshakes. Sometimes bad things had to happen to make way for better things. And it was through Lip’s glares and intimidating silence that most of it was achieved and he skyrocketed through the ranks. He’s seen bruises on Lip’s knuckles before and it’s through the insurmountable amount of trust and love he has for Lip that he just kisses them and grabs an ice pack. Lip never used violence unless absolutely necessary and Ron knows that Lip carries those bruises around long after they’ve faded.

“I think Papa’s upset he hasn’t opened anything.”

Ron’s face falls into what Lip likes to call ‘fond and annoyed’ and he hears Lip laughed loudly.

“Why don’t you go get what we made last week after school?” Lip suggests and gathers the mountain of paper left in their daughter’s wake as she skips upstairs to grab the gift.

“You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?” Ron grumbles as he helps load the wrapping paper into the recycling bag.

Lip looks up quickly and smiles warmly and Ron curses his heart for racing slightly.

“If wasn’t insufferable, you never would’ve married me.”

Ron laughs, “I don’t know, you have other…more redeeming qualities.”

Lip raises his eyebrows, “Like?”

Ron smiles and pulls Lip in by his hips, fitting them together perfectly as they’ve always fit.

He leans in closely, lips tracing along Lip’s jaw until he reaches his left ear.

“Your wallet.”

He laughs as he just narrowly avoid being slapped upside the head by Lip.

“You’re such an asshole.” Lip laughs and settles beside Ron on their couch.

“But you love me?” Ron asks, linking their fingers together.

“I love you.” Lip declares, serious and sincere as he looks into Ron’s eyes.

Lip leans in to kiss Ron…

“Papa! Papa! I have a gift for you!”

Ron’s face scrunches up like it does when he’s denied something he really wants, and Lip laughs again, happy and content.

Ron turns to their daughter with a bright smile though as she bounces up and down with excitement.

“A gift for me?” He asks, voice heightened in only slightly exaggerated excitement.

“Daddy and I made it after school when you went to work!”

“Thank you, Lily!” He pulled their daughter into a bear hug and sat her beside him with a gentle tickle.

“Papa open it!”

Lip had been recording the entire exchange, much to Ron’s amusement. Lip was never without his phone taking pictures and videos like it were his job.

Ron gently takes off the wrapping paper, building the suspense and when he finally sees the gift, his heart feels like it’s going to burst from his chest.

It’s a small popsicle stick frame, colored with markers and glitter, and inside it is Ron’s favorite picture of them.

It was from the last Fourth of July. They’re all on their deck, Lily on Ron’s shoulder, gripping his face to force him to smile while Lip stares at them with pure, unconditional love.

Ron doesn’t realize he’s crying until a drop his the glossy picture.

“Oh no! Papa it’s okay!”

Tiny hands wrapped around his neck in an attempt to comfort him and Ron sniffles before pulling her tightly into his arms.

“I’m okay, sweetheart. I was just so surprised. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received, Lily.” He strokes her hair as he stares at Lip who stares back. It’s a testament to just how in sync they are that Lip neither expects nor asks Ron what he’s thinking.

Lily pulls away much too soon for Ron’s liking and yawns.

“Can I take a nap?”

Lip frowns, “You still have gifts to open, darling.”

“I will open them after a nap.” She demands.

Lip just laughs fondly. God their daughter was so much like Ron sometimes.

“Go grab your blanket and you can sleep on the couch while we make dinner sweetheart.”

She jumps up and runs back to her room.

Lip stands and pulls Ron up off the couch.

“Merry Christmas, Ron.”

Lip kisses him gently and after all these years, Ron’s face still flushes when he’s kissed like that.

“Lip, I ne-.”

“PAPA! DADDY!”

Lily’s screaming has them sprinting to her room.

Lip gets there first with Ron closely behind him, gun in hand.

There. In their home. In their daughter’s room. Stood the lieutenant of the rival mob with a knife to their daughter’s throat.

Ron aims his gun at the man instantly. He doesn’t know him, but he knows Lip does which is the only reason he doesn’t take him out instantly.

Ron’s move from Chicago to Boston wasn’t intentional. Back in Chicago, he was a cop. SWAT. A rising star. Then he accidentally shot a civilian while attempting to prevent a robbery and that was it. It was either leave the force or transfer out and start over again. So, he left. He cashed out his pension and moved to the first city on a random list. Then, he met Lip, fell in love, got married, and adopted Lily. It was all worth it. Ron would rather be a husband and a father than a cop. And now some piece of shit was threatening to take their daughter away from them. Not on his watch.

He knows though, his rage is nothing compared to Lip’s.

They knew something like this was on the brink. Gio, Lip’s rival, had been making moves across town trying to shut Lip out. They were going to amp up security after the holidays, figuring that Gio was a man of honor and wouldn’t make any moves until after the holidays. He guessed wrong and Lip felt like it was all his fault and despite Ron’s expertise and Lip’s own skillset, any wrong move and they could lose their daughter…their world.

Lip makes eye contact with her first, knowing Ron has his gun trained on the skittish intruder.

“Lily, you remember when me, you, and Papa were playing secret spies?”

“HEY! Talk to me here. I’m the one in charge!” The man demands.

Lily, still looking at Lip, tries to nod but the knife against her throat makes her cry out.

The piece of shit holding their daughter hostage was going to die…slowly if Ron had anything to do with it.

“Don’t move sweetie. Remember playing spies. Remember how you save Papa.”

Lip looks into Lily’s eyes to make sure she remembers and understands.

“Don’t try anything,” the man pulls Lily closer to him and further away from her parents, “I’m in charge.”

Ron’s grip tightens, “Let. Her. Go.”

He’s seething and itching to pull the trigger, but knows he can’t, not yet. If it weren’t for the situation at hand, Ron would be insanely turned on at the calm and collected way Lip is handling himself right now.

“Not a chance!” The man screams back. Lily has stopped crying and forced her face to remain cool as steel. Ron’s going to buy her a real goddamn unicorn when this is over, he’s so proud. God their daughter was so much like Lip sometimes.

“You’re in charge, then. What do you want?” Lip asks, hands folding in front of him.

“I know you got a safe in here. Gimme everything in it.”

Lip takes a small step forward, gauging the man’s reaction. The man remains in place and Lip smiles inwardly.

“I do. There’s around half a mil in cash. Is that what you want?” Lip asks, maintaining eye contact with the intruder.

“Yes!” The man nods his head.

“So, you want money. Anything else?” Lip asks gently, taking another small step forward. Ron still has his gun trained on the man.

“Yeah!” The man replies.

Lip raises his eyebrows and stares at the man.

“Well? What else?” He asks and Ron can see that Lip is very steadily losing his cool. Lily is looking between them, waiting for her signal.

“Jewelry. All your jewelry.”

Ron looks to Lip and notices Lip put his left hand behind his back and hold a finger to the middle of his hand.

Lip knows he only has a few moments before the man’s patience runs out. So, he signals Ron on the plan behind his back.

“I just have one question. Did Gio send you?” Lip asks, voice stone cold.

“Course he did. Said you wouldn’t expect it because you’re too soft.”

Lip laughed and started the countdown to Ron behind his back.

He made eye contact with Lily and smiled.

“Airborne.” He speaks and in a split second three things happen.

Lily screams suddenly and jams her foot into her captor’s knee as she slides smoothly out of his grip.

At the same time, Ron aims and shoots clean through the hand holding the blade.

Lip tackles the intruder to the ground and immediately lays into him. Fist after fist connecting to rapidly bruising and bleeding face of the man that came into his home and threatened his family.

“Daddy!” Lily cries.

Lip is panting, fists bloody and sore. The intruder is unconscious, knocked out after the third fist to his face.

Lip wipes his hands on his pants covered with snowmen and now blood.

With Lily in his arms and glued to his neck, Ron grips Lip’s arm and pulls him up and out of the room.

In the warm hallway of their home, the family of three hold onto one another tightly for a long time.

“I’m so sorry. I love you both more than anything. This is my fault.”

Ron kisses Lip roughly to quiet the ramblings that wouldn’t do any of them any good.

Lily moves to hug Lip’s neck and Lip holds her tightly.

“It’s not your fault Daddy. He was the bad spy and we ‘rested him and saved the world.”

Lip smiled against her forehead, counting his blessings that, for now, she was traumatized.

“That’s right, baby girl. And you saved us!” Ron exclaims, eyes shifting from on the unconscious body in the other room to his daughter.

“I always save you!” She claimed.

Lip looked at Ron and kissed him again. He always knew Ron would do anything to keep them safe, but something about seeing him in action made Lip’s heart swell.

He pulled away, Lily still clinging to him.

“Lily, earmuffs, okay?”

She rolls her eyes but puts her hands to her ears anyway.

Ron looks to Lip before he starts on clean up and retaliation.

“I know, Lip. Take a deep breath first. We’re safe. She’s safe. I love you and I’m ready for anything you want. I trust you.”

Lip smiles and kisses Ron again, adrenaline steadily lowering and bringing heavy exhaustion with it and he sends a quick prayer up above for bringing Ron into his life and letting him love and be loved by him.

“I love you so much, Ron.”

Ron kisses him and when he pulls apart, he nods, ready to begin.

“Toye and Luz are closest. We can have them do the transfer of that piece of shit to the warehouse.”

Lip nods, “Lily will be happy to see them as well and that’ll be good for her. I want Martin and Bull to work a rotation schedule for a perimeter around the clock until I deal with Gio.”

Ron nods, “I’ll help. The boys will be itching for the job.”

“And I want Babe and Roe as Lily’s teams. Babe always asks to babysit because I know they’re itching to adopt, so it works out best. Sometimes I think Lily loves them more than us.”

Lip smiles as Lily starts to fall asleep against his chest, once again sending a prayer up above for all that he has. Ron and Lily are family, but so is every man on his crew. All protectors of them and their daughter.

“When are Joe and Web due back?” Lip asks, shifting slightly as Lily officially falls asleep.

“Tomorrow.”

“Good, I want them working intel with Skip, Malark, and Grant. Anyone who knew anyone who knew about this is dead.”

Ron nods in agreement. The silent power and coldness doing nothing to deter his love and admiration for his husband. It’s not uninitiated violence. It’s revenge. Retaliation. And Ron is more than happy to contribute.

“Dick and Nix are going to lose their minds. You know how much they were trying to prevent this war.”

“Well, they may be police chief and commissioner, but they made it clear that they were her godfathers first and foremost. And once they find out, they might kill Gio themselves.”

Ron laughs, “Boston blood thicker than water?”

Lip smiles, “Something like that, smartass.”

Lip kisses Ron again and the intensity in the tenderness of the kiss makes Ron gasp.

“I love you and I’m so goddamn thankful for you every day, Ron. You and Lily are my world. I will stop at nothing to keep you safe.”

Ron grips Lip’s hand tightly.

“I’m telling Father Donovan you took the Lord’s name in vain.”

Lip laughs loudly and Ron’s cheeks warm with love.

Ron pulls his family into his arms, Lily shifting seamlessly to readjust.

“I love you too, Lip. You’ve given me everything I thought I could never have. I will do everything I can to protect you both and everyone else in our family now and down the line.”

Lip jerks his head up, “Down the line?”

Ron smiles, no longer scared to voice his plans for the future, knowing nothing could every scared Lip away.

“After we win the war, I want to adopt again. Lily hasn’t stopped asking for a sibling since her fourth birthday and I know you always wanted a big family. So do I.”

Lip kisses him again.

“We’re gonna need a bigger house.” Lip posits with a sharp smile.

Ron laughs, “Guess we are.”

They’re brought of out their embrace by a groan from the other room.

Ron looks at Lip, both sets of eyes burning with reignited fury.

Lip nods toward the room, “Your turn, officer. I’ll call the men in.”

Ron kisses Lip’s cheek and moves toward the room, rolling up the sleeves of his ugly Christmas sweater.

“Try not to kill him.”

Ron turns to Lip at the doorframe of their daughter’s room and frowns.

“You’re no fun.”

Lip laughs as he heads to their bedroom to lay Lily down and call in his men to lay down the plan for revenge.

Good thing he’d done enough shopping to feed an Army for dinner.

It’s was going to be a long night. A longer war.

But for now, his family was safe. He was loved.

And with Ron and Lily by his side, Lip knew he could survive anything.

send me one of these with a pairing and you get a fic

[idolish7rabbitchats]

Yaotome Gaku: Wonderful Octave Rabbit Chat Part 2

Tsumugi: Everyone, thank you for gathering! I was thinking that we could collect requests for Yaotome-san’s “RADIO STATION Twelve Hits!” here.

T: Continuing from Kujou-san’s turn, I’ll manage the chat. Please take care of it!

8: Thx. I’m looking forward to the requests.

Anesagi: Takanashi-san, thanks as always. Everyone, please take care of it.

10000: Us, the managers, will be attending too.

Okazaki: Please take care of me.

T: The requests gathered from everyone will be, like it has been up to this point, decided by a raffle pull in the show. I’m looking forward to what kind of requests will be chosen!

10: So it’s Gaku’s turn huh! I’m looking forward to what kind of requests will be collected.

8: Why are you looking forward to it? (lol)

10: Is it weird?! I’m always with Gaku and Tenn, so I might be exaggerating it, but you are like my family, so I’m interested. 

8: Ryuu...

9: I’m not interested much tho.

3: You are chilly huh, Kujou!

2: Friendly TRIGGER mode was totally severed huh. (lol)

10: But, Tenn was worried about having to decide on a request before this huh! Don’t you wonder what the others have come up with?

1: He was worried that other people could see it huh.

7: Tenn-nii, if you were worried you could’ve consulted with me though!

9: Ryuu, don’t exaggerate. 

100: Tsundere’s dere activated where you can’t see it~!

1000: He’s at a high level huh.

8: Geez, you’re not honest at all huh Tenn.

8: OUUUCH! He stepped on my foot!!!

9: Don’t smirk while Rabbit Chatting. 

9: I just won’t let TRIGGER’s leader do something weird. 

10: Because you worried a lot, maybe you came up with a nice request?

9: Don’t raise the hurdles Ryuu.

T: I’m also curious about the requests everyone thought of seriously..!

T: So then, I’ll ask for the requests now. This time we’ll also start from the youngest, Tamaki-san please!

4: K

4: Who’s Gakkun’s favorite in IDOLiSH7?

7: Ahh! I’m curious about that too!!

2: I definitely want to hear that (lol)

8: No no no, saying that now is embarrassing!

8: I mean, we are this close, there is no favorite and such.

3: What is that, don’t be embarrassed. lol

1: Who’s song you like or who’s dance you are attracted to or something, you would have it a little right.

8: Even if you say that, everyone has different strengths. Is it bad to say everyone?

4: Definitely bad!

5: But, it’s hard to pick one person. People become unit-oshi because they like the unit...

5: Of course they love each of the members but, the songs and atmosphere that they’ve created are special. The concept of being a unit-oshi is one of the goals that fans would reach at one point.

8: Ousaka, that’s deep (lol).

5: S-Sorry! I mean...

6: I only choose Kokona tho?

100: Single-oshi and unit-oshi’s problem is the hardest subject (＞д＜)

8: It’s difficult from the beginning, but I’ll casually think about it. 

4: Not casually, think seriously!!!

T: As the Manager of IDOLiSH7, I’m also curious about Yaotome-san’s favorite!

T: Next, Iori-san please!

1: From me it’s “Please tell me a project you would like to try with IDOLiSH7.”

1: We sometimes have opportunities of having lives and variety projects together. If Yaotome-san has a preference or request, I wanted to hear it. 

8: TRIGGER and IDOLiSH7 together?

1: Yes. But I also don’t mind if it’s just Yaotome-san.

8: If we’ll do it, I want to do it with TRIGGER. We can do anything.

10: That seems fun! How about an air hockey tournament?

9: That’s as expected of Ryuu who likes sports but, didn’t he want to ask about Gaku’s wish?

10: Right lol

1: No, Tsunashi-san’s opinion will also become an important reference.

8: Reference?

2: Meaning you wanted to study about the projects if you will be there right, Ichi?

1: That’s right.

8: When you said that, I realized that shoots don’t dragged on when I’m with Izumi-otouto. I’m always impressed by seeing you nicely adjust the schedule depending on the show’s progress.

1: Thank you. 

1: You don’t get confused even if any unexpected incidents happen during the show. I was also impressed by your courage to get over things without showing confusion.

8: Somehow it’s embarrassing to be praised by Izumi-otouto. (lol) I have to learn from you too.

3: My little brother’s amazing right!

100: I’m jealous over the younger people~! Let Re:vale join in (°ω°)ﾉｼ

1000: Elder people can be useful too.

100: Like a grandma’s recipes☆

1000: Like a walking dictionary in show business?

Anesagi: What are you guys saying while having baby smooth skin.

100: I got praised by Kaoru-chan. (ノ≧∀)/

T: It seems it would become a fun job with everyone huh!

T: Next is the request from Riku-san please! 

7: From me it’s “I want to see Yaotome-san do a comedy skit”!

8: Comedy skit?!

7: Yes! Yaotome-san is always cool and sexy so I can’t imagine you doing something comedic… I thought I wanted to try seeing it!

8: You are asking the most absurd request with excitement.

7: Waah! Was it bad?!

7: Yaotome-san, you’re a frank and funny person so I thought you’d be good at comedy...

7: I’m sorry!

1: Yaotome-san, there is no right of rejection in the request corner.

9: If you are a man, just give your consent.

8: I get it already! 

8: If I pull it, I’ll answer Nanase’s request.

7: Really?! Yay!

7: Thank you. I’m looking forward to it!

5: But, even if you say comedy, there are many kinds of comedy.

T: Certainly..! What kind of comedy Yaotome-san wants to try?

*T: Definitely a cross-talk comedy when you say comedy?

8: If I do it alone, will it be a comic chat? I’m not too good at talking but it seems it would become a good experience so I might want to try it. 

Anesagi: About the subject, I’ll carefully check it beforehand.

2: So it really does have to be checked by the manager huuh.

8: Eating really hot food seems fun. When I see it on TV, I somehow keep watching it.

Anesagi: Rejected!!!!

8: How about a hot bath?

Anesagi: Where do you plan on going…?

T: Yaotome-san’s new field, I’m interested about that as one of his fans!

T: So then, next can we hear a request from Kujou-san?

9: From me it’s “Heal the listeners with nice words.”

9: It’s seems Gaku’s radio might end up with him talking enthusiastically if I leave him, so I thought a refreshing request would be good.

8: Do I talk that much?

9: That’s something you wouldn’t understand about yourself huh.

7: Yaotome-san is nice!

8: THANK YOU!

100: Gaku, you seem happy. \’’(*´∀｀*)/

10: Gaku widely has a manly image so we want a lot of people to also know the gentle, friendly side of him.

10: Right, Tenn?

9: Well yeah.

9: It’s hard for Gaku’s kindness to come across so it’s important to show them intentionally.

8: So you requested it while thinking about that huh...

9: Not for Gaku’s sake, it’s also for TRIGGER’s sake tho.

8: Even so, I’m happy. Thanks!

T: That’s a wonderful request thinking about Gaku-san! I could feel TRIGGER-san’s bond...!

T: Next is Nagi-san please!

6: So finally it’s my turn huh. I thought of an exciting and very fun request.

6: From me it’s “Free talk from the vocabulary on a chosen card”!

8: What do you mean?

6: Here I have a bunch of cards I’ve written on. Yaotome-shi will pick a card and talk from the word written on it.

4: Amaziiing! Somehow it’s like a game!

2: Heeeh, even if you’re picking it yourself you don’t know what vocabulary will show up huh.

5: That’s seems full-scale and fun!

6: I choose special words. All words are amazing and worth talking about.

6: I’ll give you a hint. The first character is “Ko.”

6: Oops, to know more than this, looks forward to pulling the request. :-))))

3: It’s Kokona lol

100: Kokona huh!

10: Kokona-chan huh!

8: That’s too easy to understand.

6: You don’t though? It could be “Kokoyashi” though. [T/N: Kokoyashi means Japanese way to say Coconut]

8: Who wants to hear me talking about coconuts (lol)

6: ♪(´ε`)

T: I’m really interested in what follows the “ko” but we will move on to the next request! lol

T: Next is the request from Sougo-san please!

5: Yes. 

5: Um, about the request, this would be rude to you so, it’s fine only if you could do it so...

2: Somehow you are making long preliminary remarks (lol)

8: If you are that stiff, that makes me nervous (lol)

5: Right, I’m sorry! So then, allow me to suggest...

5: Would you teach me the knack of voice percussion?

8: You wanna know about voice percussion?

5: Yes. The other day, I heard that Mitsuki-san and Tamaki-kun were excited over doing voice percussion with you. 

5: I heard you were really skillful, so I wanted to aim to be the same level as Yaotome-san…!

8: Since you were so nervous I was wondering what you would ask but it’s just that huh. I did that for fun, it’s not like professional tho?

3: No no, Yaotome, it was seriously good though! Like you could master it if you practice it!

8: It was quite nice when the three of us did it huh?

4: With everyone we always just said underwear though.

5: While doing voice percussions ? Why underwear?

6: Tamaki… It’s because you forgot to wear it huh.

4: It’s nooot! If you say underwear underwear, it will turn into something like a voice percussion!

4: [Huffing Pudding Stamp]

2: Aaah, it became popular that one time huh. If you say the tongue twister, it turns into a voice percussion. 

2: Don’t you know the “Hattsuku Pantsu ka Hittsuku Pantsu ka Kuttsuku Pantsu ka Mukatsuku Pantsu ka” one? When you go drinking, there’s a person who does this one right.

1000: Yamato-kun, you participated in a flirty drinking party huh.

8: That’s so flirty (lol)

2: No no, I don’t want to be told that by you guys. Anyways, aren’t all drinking party like this?

10000: It was popular before huh. I’m quite good at it too.

1000: Ban is too flirty.

100: Flirty Ban-san is also handsome! 

7: Iori, let’s try it too!

1: I won’t do it. Do it yourself.

7: Eeeh!!

1: Shut up.

10: Hmmm, it’s difficult huh. I think I’m not good at it… I get stuck at the “Kuttsuku pantsu” part.

9: Ryuu you’re saying it too fast. It’s fine to slow down a little more. 

8: I’ve done it just for fun before this but I’ve gotten a request so I really need to practice huh...

8: I can’t just say pantsu if I pull the request. (lol)

Anesagi: You really hate losing huh.

5: Thank you..! I’m so grateful!

9: Sorry, can we take a quick break?

9: Ryuu bit his tongue so hard while doing the tongue twister.

8: It seems he’s not seriously hurt but his eyes are watering...

8: He’s saying his fine but it seems it hurts so much he can’t Rabbit Chat.

5: Tsunashi-san, I’m sorry! It’s because I did this kind of request that...

9: It’s not Ousaka Sougo’s fault, is what Ryuu said.

9: Probably.

8: His voice is gone so we can’t really understand though.

T: Let’s take a break! Tsunashi-san, even if you’re not hurt, please don’t push yourself too hard. ><

T: I’ll talk to everyone after the time has passed. It’s a short break but please spend it relaxedly.

[kpopersanonymous]

Love Shot - Mafia!Exo

Suho/Junmyeon: 

You had known from the start that being with a mob boss wasn’t an easy feat. It wasn’t all fancy parties and gorgeous attire paired with fine wines. It was also armed bodyguards, armored vehicles, the constant knowing that your life could easily be in imminent danger. But that didn’t stop you from loving Suho, you trusted him with your whole heart, soul and life. You knew he would never let anything happen to you, that he would destroy anyone who tried to harm you. Which is why it took you by surprise when a member of a rival gang kidnapped you on your way to your house, barreling through your bodyguards with unusual ease. 

Suho was furious when he heard the news of your kidnapping. They have lost their minds if they think they can take what’s mine and get away with it, he thought. He began tracing down the rival gang and have his own members search for possible spots they could be keeping you. A few days later he got a call from their leader, saying he would return you if Suho handed over his relations with some of the top politicians and businessmen of the area. He simply laughed and hung up. You meant the world to him but he wasn’t going to give away everything he worked for.

No. He had a different plan, a better way to get you back and destroy the enemy. And he called it “Operation: Love Shot”. What his rival didn’t know was that Suho had one of his own members in his hands, and his men had already been torturing information out of him. He knew which house they were in, he knew in which room you were being kept, he even knew how many men were watching over you. 

Suho had the element of surprise in his hands and he worked with it. He drummed up his best men and set out to save you and teach his rival a lesson. His snipers took out the main guards on the outside while his stealthers cut off all power to the house. Then Suho and his men entered the house, using the confusion of the others to their advantage. They worked in the dark, relying only on their ears and instinct. 

Suho strode with dedication straight to the room you were being kept in and broke down the door. One of his men shined a light into the room and Suho was amazed at what he saw. Only two bodyguards were left to watch you amongst the chaos and one was knocked clean out by a blunt object to the head. The other was kneeling on the floor, clutching a bleeding shoulder while you were holding a gun to his head. Blood was slowly dripping from your arm but you remained strong. The sight filled Suho with a sense of pride. 

He walked over to you and knocked out the other bodyguard. He took the gun out of your hands and threw it into a corner and started to inspect you for any more damage. Once he was satisfied to see that you were, apart from the bullet wound in your arm, otherwise intact, he took you in his arms and held your slightly trembling body close to his. 

“You broke free all on your own?” he muttered into your hair, amazement hinting in his voice. 

“Well... being with a mafia boss… you learn a few things about breaking out of bonds and ambushing people,” you smiled.

He put you at arms length, pointing at your wound. “I AM, however, going to have to give you a refresher course on how to handle guns,” he said, seriously. 

You chuckled and nodded in agreement as he led you out of the house and into the safety of his car.

Chanyeol:

���Let’s play a game,” Chanyeol whispered into your ear. He didn’t give you time to answer, leading you straight into one of the studies in his house. On the table you saw a revolver. You strode towards it, then turned around to look at Chanyeol.

“What is this?” you asked. “Are we gonna play Russian Roulette?” 

To say things with you and Chanyeol were tense would be an understatement. You knew that, he knew that, even his bodyguards knew that. Which probably explained why you felt like you were being watched at almost all hours of the day. You probably loved him at one point in your life, but now you would’ve given anything, done anything, to be rid of him. Even kill him, you admitted to yourself. 

“Something of the sorts,” Chanyeol smirked. “I like to call it ‘Love Shot’. You play it the same way though. Except there’s a blank in there instead of a bullet. I’m not an idiot, you know. It’ll hurt, maybe even draw blood if you aim it well enough, but it won’t kill me.“

“And what about me?” you asked, leaning up against the desk.

“Oh, I won’t be pointing the gun at you. You’ll be pointing it at me,” Chanyeol started. “You see, I know you don’t like it here. I know you pretty much hate my guts. And I get it: the mafia’s a tough job, I gotta be a tough guy and my methods of handling things are… pretty unorthodox.” You scoffed at that understatement but Chanyeol continued, ignoring your interruption. “I’m giving you a chance with this game: the chance to leave. If you shoot the revolver and the blank gets fired, I’ll let you go. I’ll see that as fate’s way of saying goodbye.”

“What if I shoot and there’s nothing? What will happen to me then?” you asked, dreading the answer.

“Then fate wants you to stay here. And I’ll be forced to take on... drastic measures to enhance your love and obedience towards me,” Chanyeol said coolly, a sadistic gleam in his eyes.

You felt goosebumps forming on your skin, but you forced yourself to stay strong and cool, turning whatever fear you have against that outcome into loathing. “You’re crazy if you think I’ll turn into one of the mindless zombies that the other members call their partners. You think I don’t know how Sehun or Baekhyun got their ‘lovers’? You think I don’t know what your men are creating? Because none of that even comes close to love. It’s all manipulation, Chanyeol.”

He stared at you for a few moments, taking in all of your passion, your hatred, everything. He loved all of it so much and it pained him a small bit to have to take it all away from you, but he knew there would only be benefits afterwards. “There’s really not much you can do here. You can either take the risk and win, or face the consequences of losing. What other options do you really have?”

You weighed the possibilities against each other. You hated the risk but the freedom was tempting. You took the gun in your hand. I’ll probably never get another chance like this again, you thought. You looked up at Chanyeol, aimed for his heart, and shot.

But nothing came out. You pulled the trigger again in disbelief and still nothing happened. Then Chanyeol grabbed the gun out of your hand before you could try a third time. He signaled for two bodyguards to come into the room as he stared down at you.

“You tried two times and still failed,” he growled. “I guess fate really wants you to stay with me.” You started to tremble as the bodyguards grabbed your arms, pleading wordlessly with him. “You had a third option you clearly disregarded: you could’ve refused to shoot me. Then I would’ve been much more lenient with you,” he gave a devilish smile.

You opened your mouth in response but no words could reach your lips as the bodyguards dragged you out of the room.

“Don’t worry!” he called out. “The treatment won’t hurt a bit and you’ll be feeling much better afterwards!”

Kai/Jongin:

Kai walked up to apartment #203, where one of his boss’ clients lived. The guy owed him a large sum of money and was overdue on his payment. Kai knew him pretty well: never pays on time but always says he’s good for it, huge gambling addiction, always trying to weasel himself out of debt. Kai was interested in seeing what kind of game he was going to play with him this time to buy himself some more time. Of course, his games never work but that doesn’t stop him from trying. 

Kai signaled to one of the bodyguards to bash down the door. He heard one voice scream in fright while another spewed out a string of curses. He stepped inside just in time to see his client jump out of a nearby window. Kai smirked as he strode deeper into the living room, towards a small bar table and poured himself a drink. He turned around toward a couch on which you were sitting on, shaking slightly but otherwise putting on a brave face. 

His heart skipped a beat when he saw you. He would often see you with his client, hearing him call you his “good luck charm” when he went out somewhere to gamble. Other times you would come visit Kai personally and pay some of his bills. He knew it was your own money and it pained him to see you being treated so poorly. He would always give you back $100, saying, “Go treat yourself to something nice. Preferably a new boyfriend.” Even though he tries to shrug it off, he can’t help but admit to favoring you. 

He sat down next to you and sipped on his drink, waiting for his bodyguards to drag his client back in. A couple of minutes later he heard pathetic cries getting louder and saw two of his bodyguards carry the man in by his arms, his feet flailing a foot above ground. He fell onto his knees in front of Kai and began to fidget around with his hands. Kai just stared at the man in disgust.

“Listen NiNi,” he began, calling Kai by the nickname he chose for him. “I know I’m a little late with the payment-” 

“It’s been three months. The boss has been more than patient with you. He wants his money back. ALL of it. 15 grand. Now,” Kai interrupted, still sipping his drink.

“15 grand?! How am I supposed to get that kind of money?” he asked.

“You’re the gambling expert,” Kai replied sarcastically, earning himself a small chuckle from you.

“How- how about a game? If I win, I get some more time to gather up the money,” he offered.

“And if I win?” Kai asked.

“I’ll uhh… I’ll give you Y/N,” he said, making you gasp in surprise.

“You’re betting me?!! For fucks sake, am I that disposable to you?” you asked, outraged.

Before he could reply, Kai said, “They’ll do. But I have another condition: if I win, you stop asking the boss for more money. I’m sick of having to deal with you and, quite frankly, so is he. Now, what’s the game?”

He scowled, but stood up, rubbing his hands together, and said “The game’s called ‘Love Shot’. Quite simple, really. It’s a knife-throwing game. Whoever manages to hit the center of this wooden heart the closest wins.”

He dug something out of the cupboard nearby and hung up an old wooden picture frame on the wall opposite Kai. It was without glass but it still contained an old picture of you and him in it. Kai stood up and took out a knife from one of his leg suspenders. He signaled for the client to go first. 

The client got out a knife of his own and went to you, who was glaring at him coldly. He ordered you to kiss the knife for good luck and after a few seconds of death glares and silence, you complied. The sight struck Kai’s heart but quickly shook it off. The client threw his knife and it just barely struck the outer ridges. He celebrated a bit too loudly and threw a look at Kai, as if to say “beat that”. 

Kai kept it short and sweet, he could throw knifes blindfolded, so this would be a breeze. He lined up his shot and sent his knife flying, hitting the heart dead center. Even the picture split in half, which Kai found oddly fitting. He turned to see the devastation in his client’s eyes and yours staring wide-eyed, unable to really process what just happened. 

“I think we’re done here,” he turned towards the door, signaling to his men to take you with them. He heard some pleas from his now ex-client but tuned them out, uninterested in what he had to say. He walked to his car, you following a few steps behind him. The two of you sat in silence for a few minutes before you asked, “So.. what are you going to do with me?”

Kai smiled at you and answered, “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe from guys like him and treat you better than he ever did. I’m a pretty good guy once you get to know me. Just like the other members back home.” He winked at you and drove off into the night, content that he got the best prize imaginable. 

Xiumin/Minseok:

You and Minseok were both pointing guns at each other, just waiting for the other to shoot. Your eyes were cold and full of loathing towards him. All Minseok wanted to do was hold you tight and never let you go again. He never expected it to turn out like this. He didn’t want this to be the end. 

He thought he had lost you months ago. You had gone on a trip together, trying to get away from all the drama wrapped around the mafia business. It started out peaceful but took a very sour turn when members of his most hated rival attacked the two of you. You were kidnapped and Minseok was left badly injured. He had ordered his bodyguards to search for you while he recovered in the hospital, even though he would’ve rather done it himself. Weeks afterwards, once he had recovered, he found the trail to be cold. It was like you had disappeared into thin air.

In the back of his mind he feared you were dead. Doubt was nagging at him as he tried to pick up the trail. But he knew you couldn’t be dead, you had to be somewhere out there, he couldn’t just lose you like this. 

And now here you were, standing right in front of him. But at the same time, it wasn’t you. Being with his rival had changed you. Your eyes were duller and full of hate, the corners of your mouth were turned into a scowl, the positive energy you once radiated was all but gone. You were a shadow of your former self. 

Minseok had a hunch of what had happened to you, but he decided to ask you, in hopes of opening you up, getting you to talk to him and maybe figure out a way how to reverse it. 

“You don’t look so good, Y/N,” he tested the waters. “What did they do to you?”

“What did they do to me?” you sneered. “They opened my eyes and showed me the real you. The power-hungry mogul of the east, who has more blood on his hands than he does in his body. Do you know how many people you’ve terrorized, how many lives you’ve destroyed? Because I do, Minseok. That’s what they taught me.”

“The mafia’s not exactly a place where we all hold hands and sing songs about peace but...” he shook his head. “They’ve been feeding you lies, Y/N. I’m not perfect but I’m no monster. If anything, the people who brainwashed you are more sadistic than I am. And I know deep down inside you know that too.”

“How do I know you haven’t brainwashed me? Maybe this is the way I’ve always been and you led me to believe I was happily in love with you,” you retorted.

“If that’s the case, you would’ve shot me the second you saw me. But you didn’t and still haven’t. Which leads me to believe the real Y/N is still in there,” Minseok said, lowering his gun.

You fell silent, pondering his statement. For a second, Minseok saw a glimmer of your old self in your eyes and decided to press on. 

He threw his gun aside, causing you to cast your attention to him once again. “I’m not going to shoot you, Y/N. If I did, I wouldn't be able to live with myself anymore. I love you too much for that. If you’re going to kill me, then kill me, because I don’t want to live in a world where the person I fell in love with doesn’t exist anymore.”

You brought your gun up and aimed for his chest. For a second, Minseok thought he was going to die and he accepted his fate. But then, you started shaking and tears started trailing down your cheeks. Minseok took a few steps forward as you lowered your gun. He reached for the gun and took it out of your hands, you not putting up a fight.

“I....” you choked. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I-I can’t kill you, I don’t want to kill you. But I should, they told me I should. The thought of hurting you... hurts me. Why is this happening?!”

“That’s good, my love,” Minseok encouraged. “Fight against it.”

You looked up at him with bloodshot eyes, confusion and disarray clear on your face. “Minnie?” you breathed out your nickname for him. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t want to be here. I want to go home, our home.”

Minseok wrapped you in his arms, comforting your trembling body. He stroked your hair and whispered into your ear, “Don’t worry, my love. You don’t have to listen to them any longer. We’ll work against the brainwashing and get you back to normal in no time. I promise.”

He leaned back to look into your eyes and found himself looking at you, the you he fell in love with all those years ago, the you he thought he lost. It filled him with hope and strength to see you breaking through the shadows of his rival’s creations, all because of the deep love the two of you have for one another. 

Sehun:

Sehun stared at you from across the dimly lit bar. You had been racing through his mind for months, ever since he saw you in the back of some dealer’s car. You had a look of betrayal written all over your face, the kind that screamed “You promised me you wouldn’t do this anymore and yet you’re back on the same bs” while Sehun made deals with the lowlife you chose to hang out with. He knew at first glance that you were too good for any of this. He also knew that he had to have you. 

He handed the bartender a small vial and told him to make you a drink, nodding in your direction. Sehun knew you wouldn’t acknowledge him in any way, shape or form, so he had his research team concoct a love serum, guaranteed to make you putty in his hands. He smiled as he saw you look in his direction when the bartender gave you the drink. You stood up, drink in hand and walked over to him. 

“Don’t I know you from somewhere?” you ask, eyeing him up and down.

Sehun shrugged, “I’m constantly somewhere all the time, so you might have seen my face before.” He studied you carefully as you squinted your eyes at him, trying to remember where you had seen his face before.

“I see you got my drink,” he nodded, changing the subject. “It’s called the Love Shot. Legends say that if you drink this in the company of someone else, you fall madly in love with that person.” You chuckled at the thought, making Sehun grin. “It’s all folklore really, but it’s a pretty tasty drink,” he added. 

You eyed the drink once more before giving in and taking a sip, realizing that it was indeed a very delicious drink. You looked up at him and your eyes softened, seeing him now in a different light. 

Hours after you had finished the drink you found yourself walking home with Sehun, clinging onto him as if your life depended on it. Every touch sent a spark through your body, every glance made your heart leap. You had never felt such intense love and desire before, and Sehun made sure it stayed that way.

Lay/Yixing:

Lay was aware of your heart drifting away and finding a new lover. But he had tolerated it up until now. He knew he had been away for some time, working late and going away on “business trips”, as he so often called his assassination appointments. It’s not that he didn’t love you anymore, he just couldn’t be bothered to hunt down some plaything of yours, especially if you snuck out at night to see him. 

Finding the two of you in your shared bed together, however, made him see nothing but red. 

You gave a startled gasp as Lay turned on the lights to the bedroom, illuminating you and your lover tangled up in the sheets of your bed. You brought the covers closer to you, feeling a wave of shame hit you as you looked up at Lay’s face, a mixture of devastation and betrayal, of anger and disgust hinting beneath his cold exterior. For the first time since you started cheating on him, you started to question your motives. Yes, you were lonely and in need of attention, but was this toy worth losing someone you used to love unconditionally, someone you still love deep down inside? 

“Lay,” you whispered, “I’m so deeply sorry you had to see this. You were never supposed to-”

“So this is the idiot that doesn’t give you the time of day anymore huh?” your lover interrupted you. “He doesn’t look all that badass to me. I could take him out in one shot. You sure he’s in the mafia?”

Your mouth fell open in shock at the audacity of their words. Don’t they know who they’re speaking to?

Lay mirrored your expression as he turned his gaze to your lover and whispered, “I could kill you in a heartbeat.” His eyes lingered a few moments longer as his muscles twitched at the thought. Then with a wave of his hand he discarded the thought and directed his attention back to you.

“I don’t know what I’m more disgusted by: you in someone else’s arms in our bed, or your complete lack of taste in sexual partners. I would’ve expected someone with manners and common sense... or at least someone with half a brain.”

“Hey!” your lover shouted. “I’m great in bed, and a better partner than you will ever be-!” Lay pulled out a gun and pointed it at them, silencing them.

“Lay, please don’t do this!” you said, getting out of bed and pulling on your robe. “I know you’re hurt but they don’t deserve this! They mean nothing to me, I swear it. You’ll never see them here again, I promise.” You clutched at his arm like your life depended on it.

“I know I won’t,” he started. “Because you’ll be killing them.”

Your face blanched at that statement. “What??”

“If you truly mean what you say, if they mean nothing to you, then you will kill them for me. Prove to me that you love me,” Lay said low, his eyes dark.

“I-I-” you stuttered. “I can’t... you’re crazy. I’m not a killer.”

Lay brought his face close to yours, his forehead touching yours. “If you don’t do as I tell you to, I’ll make sure your life becomes a living hell. So much so that you’ll wish I’d have killed you as well.”

The thought sent shivers down your spine and you knew very well that he wasn’t kidding, so you complied to his sadistic task. You took his gun into your hands and stared your lover in the face, who was unable to move due to the shock. Lay steadied your shaking hands and told you to pull the trigger. You closed your eyes, knowing full well that Lay’s aim wouldn’t falter, and pulled the trigger. The sound filled the air and you didn’t dare open your eyes before Lay pulled you out of the room and placed a kiss on your cheek, words of praise coming from his lips. 

Baekhyun:

You’ve been with Baekhyun for as long as you could remember. Although that wasn’t saying very much, you couldn’t remember a majority of your life before him. Baekhyun said it was because of a bad car crash you were in years ago, resulting in brain trauma and amnesia. You couldn’t remember any crash but that wasn’t unusual for trauma patients, or so you’ve been told. You didn’t mind not really knowing your past most of the time, you lived a happy and content life with Baekhyun. Even though he was in the mafia, you lived a relatively normal life because he kept you sheltered from his business. 

He always made sure to leave the mafia behind him when he came home to you. You loved the little rituals you had together: he would pick you up and kiss you as soon as he came home, you would cook dinner together, have cute Sunday city dates together. He would even call or text you good morning and good night when he’s away on business and remind you to take your medication. That was the only time you ever really thought about the mafia, when he mentioned your medication. Baekhyun had told you that his friends in “high places” had created it for you so you could live a normal life. You took his word for it and you generally don’t question what’s in the medication or why you need it. You just trust him, even though you don’t know why. You’ve just... always trusted him. 

You felt different when you didn’t take your medication on time. You would get dizzy and lightheaded, sometimes even a bit nauseous. Once that first wave of dizziness subsided, you were able to think clearly and remember faces of your past, probably friends or family members. You enjoyed how deep your thought process could get when your medication started wearing off because you usually had trouble concentrating and your mind would drift often. Maybe that was why you sometimes tried to test your boundaries and purposely skip your meds.

Just like today.

Things were going smoothly, you were fighting off the nausea with some tea and you managed to hide the dizziness well. You were writing down all of your thoughts in a journal, hopeful that you would one day make sense of them. You wondered how long you would get away with it this time, how long it would take Baekhyun to notice before he forced you to take your medicine. Even though you were in a clearer state of mind, you felt wary, even paranoid around him. Sometimes it drove you to lash out at him if he came near you. You never could understand why you felt such rage and terror at the same time towards him, especially since he was always so nice and caring towards you. 

Suddenly, you heard a voice behind you say, “You didn’t come to greet me when I came home today, darling.” A cold shiver ran down your spine and your heart began to race with anxiety. Damn it, you thought, so much for keeping my cool.

You got up and turned around to face Baekhyun. “I’m so sorry my love. I must have lost track of time,” you flashed him a smile and stretched out your hand to invite him into your arms, all the while trying to steady your breath. He picked you up and spun you around as usual, giving you a sweet kiss before holding you tight. You started to slip out of the embrace but he just brought you in tighter and you felt panic build up inside you. He knows, a paranoid voice told you. You have to get out, you have to run. 

Right as you started searching around the room for a weapon, Baekhyun brought you at arms length, his eyes staring intently at you. “Is something wrong my dear?” he asked, tilting his head as you shook yours. “You forgot to take your medication again, didn’t you?” he whispered low. 

Before he could say anything else, you grabbed the nearest object, your journal, and slammed it into his head, knocking him onto the ground. You started to make a run for the door but Baekhyun tackled you, pinning you underneath him. You cried out and started hitting him, but he was unfazed as he pulled out a small case from his pocket and opened it up. He took out a filled syringe, saying “You know what happens when you get like this, dearest. I have to give you your love shot. Now hold still, it will all be over soon.” He inserted the needle into your neck and emptied out its contents into your bloodstream. Your cries became weaker as your head grew fuzzy, the panicked frenzy leaving your body and being replaced with a feeling of warmth. 

You felt Baekhyun’s hand caress your cheek and heard him say, “That’s much better, isn’t it? Rest up now my dear. I’ll be back with your favorite food once I deliver some important documents to the boys in the lab. Thanks so much for giving me your journal, by the way. It’s greatly appreciated.” 

You wanted to curse his name, but all you felt were butterflies when you thought of him as you curled yourself up into a ball and fell into a dreamless sleep. 

D.O./Kyungsoo:

Kyungsoo was afraid that this day might come. The day when you find someone new and leave him. He knew something was off, the way you would stay out all night “hanging out with your friends”, the increased number of text messages, the very faint smell of a cologne he didn’t own lingering on your skin. It was enough to make him aware of the imminent heartbreak that your sudden departure didn’t capture him by surprise.

It did, however, fuel his lust for revenge on the person who stole your heart. 

It wasn’t hard to figure out who you ran off with. Kyungsoo had known even before you turned cold that he was going to be trouble. He was a rich wannabe gangster who likes to drive fast cars, party hard and take recreational drugs on a daily. He was all fun and games with a hint of danger whereas Kyungsoo worked on hard operations in the mafia. You wanted to pick the fun route, so Kyungsoo decided to have some fun himself with a little game called “Operation: Love Shot”. 

He waited in a building across from your lover’s apartment, the window giving him perfect view of the living room. He had observed both of your patterns for the last few weeks, so he knew that it was soon time for his rival to pass through the living room to go make himself some coffee. He picked up his sniper and positioned himself. Around five minutes later, he saw your lover peek into view and fired without any hesitation or remorse.

After that, Kyungsoo packed everything up and prepared to meet you outside of the building of the apartment. He knew you wouldn’t call the cops, the sight of a dead body would be too much of a shock for you to handle. He smiled as he saw your silhouette getting closer, your clothes and hair disheveled while tears of fear streamed down your cheeks. You stopped in your tracks as you recognized Kyungsoo, his arms now outstretched, inviting you in for a hug. A wave of emotions ran through you: shock, confusion, happiness, understanding, horror, ending with acceptance. You closed the distance between the two of you and embraced him, new tears forming in your eyes while you promised him you’d never leave again. Kyungsoo locked his arms protectively around you, stroking your hair as he smiled in satisfaction.

Chen/Jongdae:

Jongdae loved you with all is heart, so much so that he would die for you. Another thought never occurred to him when he heard the news that you had been kidnapped. He was devastated and worked endlessly to track down your kidnappers. When he finally tracked his enemies down, he got a call from the leader, telling him to trade his life for you. 

It was like they had planned it: have him search for days, maybe even weeks for a sign of where you might be, make him exhausted, anxious, paranoid. All so that that phone-call would seem like a blessing and he would be more willing to accept the deal. 

His members, his brothers tried to talk him out of it. They said there had to be another way, and that they would figure something else out. But he tuned them all out, intent on saving the one person that meant the world to him. 

He went alone into the woods, to the destination point his enemy sent him. He was well-armed but only planned on using his weapons if they hurt you. Even though he was about to be giving his life away, he felt strangely calm. All he wanted to do was see you one last time, safe and out of harm’s way. 

He came up onto a clearing, where a jeep was parked behind his rival. They had agreed to meet in private, no over-excessive guards, no fighting, just a simple trade-off. 

“Where’s Y/N?” Jongdae asked, stopping about 10 meters in front of his rival. 

He snapped his fingers and two bodyguards came out from behind the jeep, dragging you along with them. You were scared and irritated but otherwise unharmed. Jongdae gave a sigh of relief. 

“Tell your men to release them. I will go with you as promised, but I want Y/N out of the way first,” he said.

“Jongdae you can’t possibly be serious! You can’t-” you cried out, a bodyguard knocking the wind out of you to silence you. Jongdae felt a flare of anger hit him and his fingers itched to grab his gun and shoot him. But he kept his cool, making a mental note to take care of him later. 

The rival gave a signal to the guards and they released you. You dropped down to the ground, seeming to catch your breath. Then, you jumped up and rammed one of the bodyguards into the ground with one swift, surprise kick. Jongdae reacted just as swiftly as you, pulling out his gun and shooting the bodyguard that punched you just as he was about to attack you. You pulled out a gun from the knocked-down bodyguard’s holder and aimed it at your enemy, who was standing in shock as he was trying to register the few seconds that were playing in front of him. Jongdae aimed his gun for the other bodyguard who was struggling to get up. The two of you fired at the same time, both perfectly taking down your opponents. 

The two of you stood in the middle of the scene, taking in the silence around you, letting everything sink in. Then, you dropped your gun and walked over to Jongdae, who was still staring at you in disbelief. You brought him in close for an embrace and he wrapped an arm around you.

Finally, Jongdae broke the silence. “Where did you learn that?”

“The fighting? I learned that from you, my love,” you said, putting a hand on his cheek.

“No, I mean.. I know that,” he started. “I meant, where did you learn to shoot?”

“Oh,” you trailed off, thinking about his question. “I didn’t... I guess it was just luck.” You shrugged your shoulders. 

Jongdae broke into a smile. “Or maybe it was a love shot,” he said, pressing a kiss onto your lips before leading you away from the scene and out of the woods.