#the other good news is that i've officially caught up on my work so even if i'm drop dead tired tomorrow

[iguessitsjustme]

the good news is that the caffeine worked and i stayed awake long enough to clean my apartment

the bad news is the caffeine worked and now i cannot sleep

[slaytheusurper]

⭑ Undercover ⭑

Well I've officially written my first one-shot, a smutty one nonetheless and I hope you like it. I noticed that there are like 0 fics/one shots of daddy Tim Bradford so I took it upon myself to write one.

summary: I used some of episode 7 season 4 where Tim goes undercover and uhm things happen between you.

Warnings: +18, MDNI, vaginal, creampie, handjob, making out, tim having a sir kink, tim being hot as fuck.

Words: 3.7K

tim bradford x fem!reader

It was the early morning of yet another exciting Monday on the job. Only this time you’re annoying yet hot training officer Tim Bradford wasn’t your training officer anymore. Finally you had freedom, even though it felt strange and almost sad even to not ride with him anymore it also felt like a weight lifted off your shoulders. You were deep in thought making your to go-cup of iced coffee when a familiar voice pulled you out of your thoughts. 

“Well good morning, you’re awake early.” Jackson grinned in the hall leading to his room. He had been your roommate for about 2 years now and after the academy, joining the LAPD out in the real world, called for a friend who knew what you went through. “Yes of course! It’s our first day of freedom. I’m planning on making it the best day ever so I’m going to be on time and prepared. I don’t want my first day to be a failure, I need to prove to Tim that I don’t need him anymore.” You responded to Jackson while pouring the hot coffee over to the to-go cup. 

“You know you don’t need to prove yourself to Tim, he knows how good of a cop you’ve become. I mean I get it but still, today will be great. I just know it.” Jackson said as he walked up to you and gave an encouraging pat on your shoulder. “So no coffee for me?” He asked, pretending to look sad as he watched you add the ice. “Sorry, sorry I’ll make some for you too.” You laughed. When you finished up Jacksons coffee as well you two walked out to your car and headed to the station. 

After changing into your uniform you headed into roll call while also pretending not to look for your ex-training officer. You took your seat, now in the second row, and talked excitedly to John about the next phase in your career. Some time passed and everyone had taken their seat, Tim as well, but you pretended not to notice his grumbley voice in the early morning. Something you came to appreciate over the years working with him. However you quickly shut up when sergeant Grey walked in. “Good morning everyone, let’s begin today with congratulations to our rookies who are now P2’s. Good job officer Nolan, West and (Y/L/N) it’s not every year that all the rookies pull through. However this new found freedom without your T.O’s does not mean that you’re off the hook, you’ll still be monitored only you now call your own shots. That would be all for this morning, good luck out there.” Grey finished and you smiled at Jackson and John who were both seated on either side of you. 

When you walked out of roll call you caught a glimpse of Tim walking behind you and joining you at your side. “Just because you’re not my boot anymore doesn’t mean that you can slack off now, understood?” Tim lectured as he looked at you sternly. “Of course sir, I wouldn’t dream of it.” You responded with a slight smile, you couldn’t help but think he needed to lecture you one last time before you went out on your own but just as you were about to point that out to him Jackson joined your “conversation”. “(Y/n) we should ride together today, already got it approved by Grey.” Jackson smiled. “That sounds great Jackson, let’s grab our gear.” Jackson agreed and you wished Tim good luck today as you headed to grab your gear. You and Jackson then set up the shop and left to go out on patrol. After a couple of calls that were fairly timid you drove yourself and Jackson to the food trucks nearby where your fellow officers were already enjoying a well deserved lunch. The day went on pretty swiftly with nothing major other than a robbery in a convenience store. When the suspect was processed you got called over by Lopez wanting to talk to you about a woman allegedly adding tiger blood in her skin care line and asking if you could join Tim in interrogating her as you were always good at getting a confession out of suspects and Tim could use a hand. 

You accepted the challenge and headed over to the interrogation room where Tim and the woman would be. The door creaked as you opened it, Tim’s eyes on you as you entered the room and stood beside him. “I’m officer (Y/L/N), I will be asking you some questions, Mrs Carter is it?” You asked the older woman sitting opposite of Tim. “Yes, but I don’t understand. Officer Bradford is already questioning me.” Mrs Carter almost sneered, clearly she wasn’t happy with the situation. “Well Mrs Carter I am here to uh... learn, I haven’t been on the job long and need some experience, so I hope you won’t mind.” You quickly answered, glancing at Tim who was standing next to you, looking a bit annoyed. “I understand that you recently started your own skin care line?” You asked her while skimming through her file. “Yes we’re a small operation but we’re growing.” She smiled proudly. “We’re hoping to get a write up in Goop.” She continued. “I-I don’t know what that is.” Tim looked at you confused. “I’ll explain later.” You told him, putting the file down. “A friend of yours gave us your night cream, she claimed that it contains tigers blood, like, literally blood from an endangered animal.” You stated. “Firms the skin right up.” She smiled, as if this was completely normal. You almost gasped at her quick confession and looked surprised at Tim before you pointed out, “Participating in the endangered animal trade could land you in jail for up to five years.” 

“You don’t understand the wellness game. It’s cutthroat. I need to stand out. How else am I gonna compete with Sloan and her vitamin business? I mean everybody knows that her B-12 rejuvenation pills are just benzos in fancy bottles.” She mused while crossing her arms. Tim gave you an astonished look, which you returned. “Um, she’s selling psychiatric drugs?” You asked the woman. “Oh, the whole ‘westside buffet.” Mrs Carter shrugged. “What’s Sloan’s last name?” Tim exhaled, knowing that this was going to be a dragging one. After some time you and Tim found the woman Mrs Carter had talked about and she was brought in the interrogation room where you two waited for her. 

“Take off your sunglasses, ma’am.” Tim sighed at the woman with the big round sunglasses while she was crossing her arms. “Do I have to? These fluorescent lights give me vertigo.” She asked, annoyed. “Okay well that could be the least of your worries. We’ve been informed that you’re selling psychiatric drugs as a vitamin.” Tim continued. “Who said that?” The woman scoffed, now taking off her sunglasses. “Doesn’t matter.” Tim cut her off. “I’m helping people. What’s the problem?” She expressed. Tim rolled his eyes. “You can’t prescribe a controlled substance without a medical license.” You told her. “My husband is a doctor, it's the family prescription pad.” The woman said as if it was obvious. “Yeah that’s not a thing.” You objected, you could feel that Tim was over it. “Look I don’t think you’re hearing me, this makes you a drug dealer.” Tim explained, now getting more irritated. “And given the circumstances a pretty high level one. You could be looking at twenty years in prison.” He continued. “What?! No, no, no, no, no. This whole thing has gotten terribly out of hand. Who ratted me out anyway?” She stuttered. “It was Aston wasn’t it? She’s been trying to break me down ever since I stole her portrait painter. Like she needs to be hung on a wall. You want a real crime to chase? Aston’s trying to hire a hitman.” She claimed almost proudly. “Wh- What do you mean?” You asked her confused. “Her husband's worth more dead than alive, so she’s been on the dark web trying to hire someone to kill him.” She smiled. You and Tim both sighed and looked at each other, this was bigger than you thought. The both of you knew what you had to do, so with permission from Grey, Tim would go undercover as a hitman to try and get the woman to say word for word she wanted her husband dead. 

After you got the equipment sorted in the van you waited for Tim to arrive in the parking lot with the Mercedes as the setup vehicle, while the van you were in was parked next to him. You heard a car arrive and opened the door of the van to greet Tim who was now parking the car. “Okay, oh... that’s your disguise?” You asked him smiling, he looked like a completely normal man, not at all like a criminal. “This is what real hitmen look like.” He scoffed as he now stood in front of you. “That is not the point. Come on, get in.” You said ushering him inside the back of the van. He sighs while stepping in the van, sitting down as you climbed in as well, closing the sliding door behind you before you took a seat close to him. “What I’m wearing is fine.” He claimed. “Okay, third rule of undercover work. Know your audience. You are not trying to fool another criminal. You’re trying to fool a woman who gets her ideas about crime from Lifetime movies. Put it on” You explained as you hold the black blazer out to him. “Fine.” He said as he almost ripped the blazer out of your hands. “Thank you.” He removed his open zip up hoodie and instead put the blazer on. “Oh my god.” He scoffed, knowing he looked ridiculous. “Yeah, that’s much better.” You smiled. “I look like an idiot. I’d pull me over in a heartbeat.” Tim sighed. “Exactly, because you look the part.” You said while handing him the earpiece. “Alright mic me up, let’s get this over with.” Tim said as he raised his shirt, revealing his toned abs. You tried to play cool but couldn’t help taking a peek as you peeled the back of the sticker part of the mic off and reached over to stick it on Tim’s chest. “It's a little too high.” Tim said as you stuck the mic on him. “I know what I’m doing.” You said slightly annoyed. You checked the mic and waited for the woman as she should be at your location soon, so Tim moved over to the Mercedes, while you moved so you could listen in and record their conversation. 

After some time the woman pulled into the parking lot and Tim stepped out of the car. She pulled up next to him, turned off the engine and rolled down her window. “You made sure you weren't followed?” Tim asked her as he leaned down near her window. “Yes. I drove around in circles for like half an hour.” She said with a smile on her lips. Tim then entered the car as you watched closely, the thought of his toned abs still in your mind. “So, how does this work?” The woman asked curiously. “Well, that's up to you. Your ad indicated you have a problem with your husband?” Tim started. “Yes. I need him to not be alive anymore.” She told him. “Hm, that’s not gonna be enough. We need her to spell it out.” You told Tim in his ear piece. “Do you want it to look like natural causes? A suicide? Homicide?” Tim continued. “Must be a lonely kind of life being a hitman.” She flirted. “It can be.” Tim tried to answer her neutrally. “So you’re not seeing anyone?” She asked. “Oh my god. She’s hitting on you.” You laughed in Tim’s earpiece. “No, not at the moment.” Tim confessed. “You see the thing is the fee varies depending on the method, so I need you to tell me what you want.” Tim tried to press on, only the woman seemed interested in something else. "Ooh. What I want changed a little when you got in the car.” She flirted while putting her hand on Tim’s that rested on his knee. “Wait, is she touching you? She’s touching you, isn’t she?” You laughed again through his ear piece, enjoying this a little too much while Tim is a bit stumped but stays in character. “Look I am down to do whatever you want.” Tim said. “Yeah you are.” You chuckled softly in the ear piece. “I just want the business out of the way first.” Tim continued. “So it’s 20.000 for a straight murder, 25 if you want it to look like suicide.” “Sexy, I’d pay you twice that to kill the bastard.” She said while leaning in a bit. “And the bastard is?” Tim smiled. “My husband obviously.” The woman smirked. “Yes, got her.” You said in Tim’s earpiece. “You know once he’s dead, I’ll be a very wealthy woman.” She smiled. “You’re under arrest.” Tim said while holding up his badge. Finally you got her, so you called for backup on the scene so the woman could be taken to the station in a police car. Tim walked back over to you, you still being in the back of the van. “Well great job we got her.” You smiled as you took off your headset and let Tim in the van. “She really was thirsty, my god.” He said while closing the sliding door behind him and getting in to remove the blazer. You sat across from him secretly watching, hoping to get another glance at his toned chest. Tim lifted his shirt to remove the mic and handed it to you. 

“What is it?” He asked you, shit he caught you. “What- Nothing I- I just waited for you to hand me the mic!” You stammered out, a deep blush creeping on your skin and on the tips of your ears. “Really? You didn’t want a show?” Tim grinned, clearly amused by your embarrassment. “No I did not! What are you even talking about!” You scoffed now looking away from him, but still close enough for him to see your blushing features. “I saw you looking earlier, I don’t blame you.” He said looking you up and down. You were in your own clothes as you weren’t on patrol and you were wearing a white sundress with pretty blue flowers all over it. You looked down at your lap shyly. Then you felt Tim coming closer and he grabbed your chin to make you look at him. “(Y/n) are you attracted to me?” He spoke softly, with his sultry voice. “What- no I wasn’t even- no I don’t- I don’t know... maybe?” You stuttered now your face was really burning, not only from the embarrassment that you were attracted to your superior officer but also from the touch of his fingers on your chin. “So you are.” Tim smirked, clearly enjoying your reaction. You however still looked away from his piercing blue eyes, knowing that once you gave in, you couldn’t look away. “(Y/n) look at me.” Tim instructed, grasping your chin a bit harsher but not as to hurt you. You gave in and looked at him, at his handsome features, his stubble, his pretty eyes and his perfect hair. He was almost too much, and the smell of his delicious cologne wasn’t helping either. 

He looked directly in your eyes as well and leaned in closer, the tips of your nose touching, lips a breath apart. You could feel your heart beating out of your chest and your breathing became heavier. After a moment he closed the gap between you and claimed your lips with his. His lips were even better than you could’ve ever imagined, soft and pillowy but slightly chapped as well, which for some reason made them even better. As you kissed him back you felt like your entire body was on fire, you moved your hands from his knees to his neck, holding on for dear life, feeling if you let go, you would lose him forever. He moved his right hand to your cheek while the other pulled you in his lap by your waist, now moving his right hand on your hips as well. The kiss got more heated and his tongue prodded at your bottom lip, begging for entrance, you let his tongue in and met his with yours. At that moment you couldn’t help but let out a tiny whimper between kisses. He softly groaned against your lips and his grip on your waist got tighter, he moved you to be right on his groin and gave your hips a squeeze as if asking you to start moving. And you did, you couldn’t not move, the moment was almost overwhelming as you started moving right on his hard on. Your underwear grew wet and you started moving feverishly against him, and then you moved right over his tip causing him to moan in your mouth. His hands moved from your hips to your ass and he started to move you harder against him, the movements alone could make you finish. The fabric of his jeans and the hardness of his erection hitting your clothed clit perfectly. But much to your disappointment he stopped you. 

“Sweetheart if you want me to finish already you should continue.” He smiled against your lips. “Let me make you feel even better first.” He whispered as you feel his hands moving from your ass to the inside of your thigh, slowly creeping towards your covered clit and moving his thumb over your bundle of nerves. You let out a loud gasp as he touched you, holding onto his biceps when he moved his fingers inside of your underwear. “Fuck you’re so wet for me. All because of me huh?” He murmured in your ear. He moved his fingers right over your clit, pressing a bit harder to see how you would react. You moaned at his touch. “Tim... please just- touch me, please.” You begged, already high off of his movements. “Maybe I won’t, maybe I like it when you beg for me.” He sighed against your ear, ever so slightly moving his middle finger over your clit. “Please just please touch me.” You continued to beg, needing any kind of release. “Please what sweetheart?” At his words you knew immediately what he wanted to hear, something that you realized he might have loved to hear you say for a long time. “Please touch me... sir.” You almost moaned in his ear. He groaned at this and started moving two fingers right over your wet clit. “Good girl, always knows how to address her superiors.” He breathed in your ear, you could feel him hardening under you even more. He then moved his two fingers inside you, your wet cunt almost sucking them in out of need. 

As he fingered you the sound of your wet pussy, your moans and pleas and his heavy breathing could be heard vividly in the otherwise quiet van. “Yes, yes, please sir, please I’m so close.” You moaned in his ear, begging for release. At your words he sped up his fingers, curling them up and hitting that perfect spot inside of you, finally giving you mercy and letting you cum. “Good girl, that’s it. You gonna come for me sweetheart? You gonna cum on my fingers?” He ranted in your ear as the walls inside you contracted while you came, trying to not scream for the whole world to hear. “Oh my god, please I need you inside me Tim.” You begged him, wanting nothing more than to be filled by his big cock. “I’m on birthcontrol so just please fuck me already.” You pleaded, moving your hand to pull down the zipper of his pants and reaching inside his boxers, giving his cock relief. “Fuck, I can’t wait to be inside you.” He groaned against you. You removed his dick out of his pants and moved your hips right above him, sliding your soaked underwear to the side so you could slowly sink down on his aching cock. You both moaned at the feeling and you almost immediately started moving after you grew accustomed to his big size. Holding on to his neck you began moving up and down the noise of his snapping hips on yours and your moans filling the van. He then moved the top of your dress down causing your braless breasts to spill out, which Tim decided to knead. After a few moments he moved that same hand to your ass, under your dress and smacked it hard.

“Oh fuck... oh fuck, you feel so good sweetheart, keep moving just like that.” He grunted, completely enthralled by the feeling of your tight pussy around his dick. “You feel so good sir, just- so- fucking- good.” You moaned as you started moving faster, feeling another orgasm approaching. Tim wanted to fuck you even harder and moved you to your seat so he could put your legs on his shoulders and fuck you deeper which had you screaming in seconds. “Fuck! Tim! Yes! Please, faster, harder please!” You screamed, holding your thighs against you chest so Tim could fuck you deeper. He did as you asked and moved faster and rougher against you, seeking his own high. “Fuck baby I’m gonna cum, you gonna cum for me?” Tim moaned, moving his thumb to your clit and rubbing it in sync with his movements which made you snap, an overwhelming orgasm overtook you as you moaned his name, walls contracting tightly around his cock. The tight feeling of your wet pussy around him caused him to cum as well, filling you completely with his seed as he moaned your name. After some seconds of calming down he moved to sit down next to you as you felt his cum dripping out of you

“Jesus Christ, we need to work together again huh.” Tim chuckled.

“Definitely” You sighed contently.

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

Well christ that took longer than I thought but I hope you liked it, let me know what I should write next!

[peachhcs]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 ʷˢ²

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will)

things become too much for the youngest hughes causing everyone around her to worry for her well-being

wc: 4.1k

some warnings incase: some mental health struggle, burnout, struggling to reach out for help

i've had this one in the drafts for awhile and i finally finished it. wanted to write some more angst of the harder side of samy's collegiate life, but luckily she's got a real good support system by her side! (also trying some new things with my titles) (p.s. heading home again for winter break in 2 days so i’ll get to everyone’s requests then!!)

au masterlist

there was a lot riding on this season now that samy was officially named 1st alternate captain. after lots of success and making it to the ncaa finals last year, the umich coaches decided to name the star freshman their alternate captain going into her sophomore year. she had proved herself with all the goals and strategies from last season and the girls on the team agreed no one else deserved the position more. samy couldn't be more grateful for the honor knowing how much her team was going to look up to her in the coming season to pull off the same thing and hopefully win the championships this year. 

being alternate captain meant that the youngest hughes was pulled up incase any of the captains now couldn't fulfill their role, so she had to be in attendance to every captain meeting with the coaches and the other girls relied heavily on her since she had the strategy. it was rewarding, but also really draining sometimes. 

on top of this, samy had a full course load to manage while also still finding time to hang out with her friends and keep in touch with everyone else. her busy schedule kept her out of the apartment most days and nights, not coming back in until hannah was fast asleep and sometimes samy hardly slept herself. her rushing around allowed little time for her to slow down and be in the present with what was happening. 

she got up early for practice, saying a half-hearted goodbye to her roommate, and then was out the door with the chance of not returning until later that night. whenever there was downtime, samy's attention was stolen away by a girl on the team needing something or calling her parents and boyfriend, so in reality, she had very little time to herself. 

it was starting to take a toll on the brunette. the sleepless nights left dark, heavy bags under her eyes and the caffeine consumption was at an all time high that just left her jittery and shaky the rest of the day. even trying to do homework and study made samy restless because she just couldn't sit still knowing everything else she needed to do. 

however, if there was one thing about the hughes siblings, it was that they never asked for help. growing up in a constantly competitive environment led the four to become extremely independent and asking for help with even the smallest things was out of the question, especially samy who worked her whole life to prove that she could be just like her older brothers. 

so even if she was struggling with balancing everything and taking care of herself, samy would not ask for help. 

will learned this one the hard way growing up with the youngest hughes and now that he was all the way in california, he had no way of knowing if she was taking care of herself. he knew she was named 1st alternate captain and the work that came with it, but the text messages weren't enough to suffice if samy was still making time for herself. will started worrying when the messages from her started becoming vague and a lot less, more so when she kept putting off their nightly facetime calls claiming she was caught up with other stuff. 

he knew she had a game in boston in two days, so will decided to reach out to the boys to make sure they seriously checked in with samy to make sure she was doing okay. 

"i'm just a bit worried about her," will explained to gabe over the phone the night before the game. 

"you know she's really good at hiding that kind of stuff. she's never asked for help when she's struggling," the darker-haired boy said which made the blonde sigh. 

"yeah, i know which is why i want you and the guys to just check-in with her and see if she's okay. i'm worried she isn't properly taking care of herself," will said and gabe nodded even though his friend couldn't see him. 

"yeah, we will, don't worry. leno and i have plans to get lunch with her before the game so we'll see how she is," the boy's words sent some relief to will's chest. 

"okay, thanks. i appreciate it. we'll talk later," the two exchanged goodbyes and will tried not to think too much about it for the rest of the night or else he'd stress himself out. 

he knew samy could take care of herself, but he just worried that with everything she had going on this semester it was becoming too much and she wasn't reaching out for help. 

with the night game, samy had time to catch lunch with ryan and gabe downtown that afternoon. she entered the restaurant they discussed meeting at with a bright smile on her face. it'd been since late july that the three saw one another, so she was excited to have the chance to catch up with them. the boys spotted her at their table near the back, excitedly standing up to greet her in hugs. the girl jumped over to them with her arms already open. 

"hey! it's so good to see you guys again," she cheered, embracing gabe first. the darker-haired boy grinned, wrapping his arms tight around her torso. 

he noticed the change first. 

as he wrapped his arms around her, she felt..different. or at least gabe thought so. he couldn't quite place what was different, but..she felt..smaller? lighter? he didn't know how to explain the change, but he definitely noticed it, especially when the girl pulled back and he saw the very obvious bags under her eyes. 

he didn't say anything though, letting her go so ryan could hug her. when the two pulled away gabe glanced at ryan, speaking with his eyes by asking if ryan noticed anything too. the brunette was too caught up in the menu though that he didn't catch his friend's glance. 

"i already know what i want," ryan hummed. 

"of course you do. i haven't been here in so long," samy giggled, perusing the menu herself while gabe did the same. 

"how've you been though? you're a big soccer captain now," the brunette hockey player roughed up the girl's arm making her flush. 

"not quite captain, but i'm getting there. i've been..good. busy, but good," samy's hesitation made gabe look up at her briefly. he tried reading her expression, but she just looked back down at the menu. 

"that's so awesome you got 1st alternate captain. what a status. you think you'll be real captain next season?" ryan kept talking. 

"i mean i hope so. our head coach really likes me and so do the girls, so it's a possibility." 

"we're excited for the game later. i think almost all the hockey boys are coming to watch you play," gabe finally chipped into the conversation. 

"aww, that's so cute. i'm excited too. it should be a good game," her bright smile made the boys smile and maybe she really was doing okay, she was just super busy. every college student hit a really busy point in the semester that caused bags under their eyes and slight weight loss. 

gabe decided not to pry now because he knew samy just wanted to enjoy lunch, so he eased himself into the conversation and listened to all the things him and ryan have missed since they last saw her. 

if the three could keep talking, they totally would, but after two hours, they had to cut it short because samy needed to be back for enough time to get ready and get to the field for warmups. ryan and gabe graciously paid (even after samy told them they didn't have to pay for her) and walked back out onto the busy boston sidewalk. they exchanged a few last hugs for now. 

"see you at the game! look for us, we'll have big signs," ryan chuckled as he embraced the brunette again. she smiled. 

"i can't wait to see them." 

gabe hugged her last, still not shaking how there was something different about the youngest hughes, he just couldn't put his finger on it. "good to see you, hughesy. we'll see you soon." 

"see you super soon. thanks again for lunch," she patted gabe's cheek making him flush. 

"of course. you're doing okay, right?" he stopped beating around the bush and lowered his voice a little. 

samy gave him a quizzical look, a flush coating her own cheeks at his somewhat personal question like he just saw right through her or something, but she quickly played it off. 

"yeah, i'm good. why?" 

"no reason, just wondering. being nosy. being protective," gabe shook his head. 

"i'm good, i promise. i'll see you guys later," samy finally said her last goodbye and they walked in separate directions. 

gabe chose to believe her because if samy said she was fine, she was fine. she did know herself better than anyone else and who was gabe to say that she didn't look good? so he let it go and would tell will samy seemed fine, just tired. 

later, at the game, gabe realized he should've poked more about his friend's well-being. 

the lady wolverines had a big lead on the eagles. they were up a whopping 5-2 in the second half with no chance the lady eagles could catch up to them. at this point, the michigan girls were just playing to see how many goals they could rack up in one night. 

the hockey boys definitely got a lot of strange looks when they took turns holding up various signs they made for samy and screamed her name as she ran up the field with the ball in boston's student section. 

"hughesy, hughesy, hughesy," ryan got a chant going to which the boys and the small michigan student section joined in on. 

"stop fucking cheering for the other team!" someone yelled in the middle of the chant, obviously annoyed that people from boston were cheering for michigan. 

"shut up! she's our friend!" aram yelled back at the stranger who just rolled his eyes. 

"they're gonna kill our girls," drew chuckled when samy's team scored yet another goal bringing it up to 6-2. 

"honestly, i saw it coming. our soccer team is kind of shit compared to michigan, no offense," fowler shrugged a bit and the other guys snickered because they knew he was right. boston's soccer program wasn't the best even though they had gotten a bit better since last year. they just needed a star player to come in and change it around like samy had done for michigan. 

the wolverines earned themselves a corner kick when the eagles rolled the ball out of line. samy hurried over to take the kick, but as she began slowing down to get into position, she felt a bit light-headed. her team worked to get into position for her kick, but the more the youngest hughes finally slowed herself down, the worse she felt. she stood in front of the ball trying to ground herself and get her bearings back, but instead, the whole field spun in her vision. 

"is she okay?" teddy wondered from behind the sophomores as they waited for samy to make the kick. 

gabe watched her from the stands and the way she swayed on her heels like she may pass out. his heart dropped and he cursed to himself. he knew there was something wrong. 

despite samy's vision spinning, she attempted to make the kick knowing the team and refs were waiting. however, as soon as she moved she went down, landing face first in the turf. 

the ref blew his whistle. people in the stands gasped and gabe was on his feet not even thinking twice as he ran down the bleachers and ignored the calls of the others. "shit," ryan muttered and ran after him. 

the two boys were down on the field a second later, not caring that they weren't supposed to be down there. the refs who didn't quite know what to do let the boys in as they kneeled down to samy's side. 

"samy? hey, samy?" gabe tried shaking the girl awake. her coach was across the field a second later while the others tried keeping everyone else away. 

"what happened? is she hurt?" coach klein asked in concern. 

"i think she passed out," gabe informed, gently tapping samy's cheeks to wake her back up. 

a full minute passed before the girl's eyes fluttered back open and a wave of relief washed over everyone hovering over her. she saw gabe first and the concern written all over his features and she knew something bad happened. 

"thank god. are you okay?" the darker-haired boy wondered. 

"w-what happened?" the brunette rasped out. 

"you passed out, hughes," coach klein informed before the boys could. 

samy's face paled even further because she knew the exact reason why and that she definitely lied to gabe earlier when he asked if she was doing okay. 

"oh," was all the girl managed. 

"let's get you up. you probably need water and some food," gabe said gently as him and ryan helped her to her feet. 

"you guys got her then?" coach asked and the boys nodded. 

they supported samy's weight as the crowd in the stands clapped that she was up and the refs restarted the game with someone else taking the corner kick. ryan and gabe led the girl into the sports facility, finding the nearest bench to sit her down on for the moment. 

"go find her some water and get her food from one of the vending machines," gabe instructed and ryan did as told. 

samy's head hung low as she avoided gabe's lingering gaze knowing what he was about to say to her. she felt him sit down beside her, "i thought you promised me you were fine?" 

his tone wasn't angry or anything, but she could hear the disappointment in it and that seemed to hurt worse. 

"i don't really know what happened," samy frowned still not meeting the hockey player's eyes. 

"samantha, come on. tell me what's going on," gabe using her full name meant he was being really serious and she grimaced at the use of it. 

"i guess..i just haven't had a lot of time to slow down and it's finally catching up with me," she finaly admitted to which the boy sighed. 

"have you been taking care of yourself?" he wondered. 

"i..i guess not really. i haven't really been eating or sleeping properly. i've been caught up in a lot." 

"you know that's not an excuse to not be nourishing yourself and sleeping right," the boy pointed out softly, not wanting to anger her. 

"i know," samy kept admitting her defeat. 

ryan came back down the hallway with a large gatorade and about five different snacks in his arms. he set it all down on the bench beside the girl and then exchanged a glance with gabe. 

"will just called me asking about what happened. i told him you passed out. he wants you to call him," the taller brunette explained. 

"i'm sure i have to call a lot of people. my parents are probably blowing up my phone right now," samy sighed, her head falling into her hands. 

the two boys exchanged another glance where they spoke with just looks, "you know we're always here for you if you need to talk or need anything, right? just because we're in different states doesn't mean we don't wanna be there for you and help carry some of the weight on your shoulders. the same goes for will," gabe said gently as he rubbed his hand across her back in soothing circles. 

"i know, i know. i just thought i'd be able to handle it and it'd become easier, but i guess it just kept piling up," the girl frowned again. 

"is it something about the alternate captain position? has that been too much?" ryan wondered. 

"it's definitely a lot and maybe i just didn't expect for it to be as much as it is. i've been kind of falling behind in work too," her words made the boys frown. 

"do you think there's someone you can talk to about this to help you manage a little better? like your coach? or one of the other captains on the team to see how they manage it all? it might be helpful especially since you might be an actual captain next year," gabe offered because him and ryan knew eamon powell had a lot to balance being captain as well, but he also wasn't afraid to ask for help when he needed it. he actually relied a lot on the team when he was looking for new suggestions. 

"yeah, yeah. i can talk to them," samy nodded. 

"we're just worried about you, hughesy. we know you don't really like asking for help, but it's not a bad thing. it doesn't mean your weak or anything or any less. a lot of people ask for help. i'm sure your brothers do too," ryan tried his best to comfort the girl as he also joined in with rubbing her back. 

"it's just so hard when i grew up thinking asking for help is a sign of weakness and i wasn't capable. like i know i can ask, but something in my brain is stopping me and i just can't do it," she leaned back against the wall, defeat clear in her system. 

"well, maybe that's what you can talk about with your coach and she can refer you to a sports psychologist or someone who can help you work through these things. i'm sure your team and coach wants you to be at your best, but they can't help if you don't reach out," gabe hummed. 

"i'm sorry i didn't tell you guys the truth at lunch today. i should've. i don't know why i didn't," samy shook her head and finally took a few sips of the gatorade. 

"don't apologize, it's okay. we just hope you'll reach out to any of us when you do need help again. we were just freaked out when you passed out like that," the darker-haired hockey player said. 

"a mix of not enough sleep or enough food knocked me off my game i guess."

"well, we're glad you're okay. try eating some more and then we'll walk back out to the field with you," ryan smiled softly which samy appreciated their soft tones. she probably could not handle them being angry with her and lecturing. 

coach kept samy out of the rest of the game just so she wouldn't overwork herself again. once the game finished, the youngest hughes called her parents to update them and tell them she was okay and then her brothers who also blew up her phone because they were watching the stream and saw her pass out. 

"yeah, i passed out, but i'm fine," she told them. 

"shit, samy. you freaked us out when you just fell like that," jack huffed. 

"i'm sorry. i guess it's just been a long few weeks and i haven't really been taking care of myself," samy explained with a frown. 

"oh shit, sorry. are you okay?" luke asked. 

"i will be. i just gotta figure out how to balance it all. probably talk to my coach and reach out to one of the sports psychologists," the girl informed the three older boys. 

quinn, who hadn't said much since calling, was the most observant sibling out of the four and he also started realizing how neither of them reached out for help when they needed it most. "hey squirt, i know we raised you thinking getting help showed you were weak, but you know that's not true right? that was never our intention. getting help when things are hard is really beneficial," the oldest hughes commented. 

"yeah, i know," samy said. 

"yeah, i mean it's been a learning curve for all of us, but we always reach out when things get to be too much. we're always here to help too. plus, mom and dad are always good shoulders to lean on if you need to rant," luke chirped up and samy smiled at their words. 

"yeah, thanks guys. i promise i'm gonna reach out to balance it all better," she nodded even though they couldn't see her. 

"good. we want you taking care of yourself, seriously," quinn said. 

"i will, i promise this time. i'll talk to you guys later, yeah?" the four exchanged heartfelt goodbyes and samy had one more call to make which was the one she was the most scared to make. 

will knew her all too well and he already knew how hard it was for samy to reach out for help until it got way too overwhelming, so she worried he would be mad at her for not reaching out sooner. 

"hi baby," will answered immediately. 

"hi will," samy leaned against the hallway. 

"are you okay? ryan said you passed out," the blonde wondered and the girl grimaced. 

"yeah, i'm okay now."

"what's been going on? has everything been okay?" his soft tone took samy by surprise and for some reason, it just made her break down. 

she sunk herself to the ground and basically started sobbing through the phone. will's heart broke hearing her cry and he couldn't do anything about it besides stay on the phone with her. he hated being so far away in moments like these that he couldn't physically be there for her. 

"baby, talk to me. you're okay. i'm right here," he tried. 

"i'm sorry will. i'm sorry. i'm just so tired and exhausted. i haven't had like any time to myself at all and i haven't been doing any studying and i already feel so burnt out from everything," it all poured out from the girl as she told her boyfriend everything that was going on. the blonde's heart tightened and twisted into a knot hearing his girlfriend sound so defeated and he was on the opposite end of the country. 

"samy, don't apologize. there's noting to apologize for. i'm so sorry you've been feeling this way. i wish there was something i could do," will sympathized with her. 

"i'm sorry i haven't been calling you either. i was scared to admit to you that i haven't been doing well and i didn't wanna burden you—"

"samy, nothing you do or say could ever burden me. you know that. i wanna talk to you. i wanna hear your problems. i wanna try and help you, i promise, but i can't do that if you don't talk to me," will cut her off. 

"i know, i know. i guess i've just never felt this overwhelmed before, but i'm gonna reach out more, i promise. i'm gonna talk to my coaches and explain how i've been feeling," the brunette wiped her eyes from her tears. 

"it's okay to feel overwhelmed, baby. no one is gonna be mad at you for setting boundaries and taking time for yourself, okay? we're all here for you," the blonde made sure he was firm so she knew. 

"yeah, thank you. gabe and ryan took care of me and made sure i ate and drank some stuff," that made the hockey player smile a bit knowing his friends were always looking out for her even when he wasn't there. 

"i'm glad they did. i wish i was there to take away your hurt and pain," the boy frowned. 

"i wish you were here too. i miss you like crazy." 

"i miss you a lot too, but i'll see you real soon, okay? hang in there for me, yeah?" 

"yeah, i will. i promise," samy managed a smile. 

"good. i'm always here for you. i love you," she heard will kiss the phone bringing a laugh from her lips. 

"i love you too. i'll call you later," samy knew she needed to get herself together to get back on the bus in a few hours. the couple hung up and the girl stood up to wipe the rest of her tears and compose herself. 

once her backpack of things was back together, she went to go find the boys who promised they'd wait up for her to continue catching up before she left. for once since the semester started, samy was gonna be in the present with them and choose not to think about anything else. 

gabe saw her first, opening his arm up to bring her into the circle. the others excitedly said hi to her and then her and gabe exchanged a knowing glance. she nodded to say she was doing a lot better now and she felt him squeeze her arm as they continued talking with everyone else. 

[lecsainz]

TATTOOED

request: could you write something with lewis or daniel where there reader is a tattoo artist and she gives him a tattoo and he starts flirting and asks her out? if not its totally okay! sending all my love

pairings: daniel ricciardo x tattoo artist!reader

authors note: I can't even, but like carolina by harry styles was totally stuck in my head while I was writing! it's like, seriously playing on loop in my brain and I can't even deal with it

✩. . . masterlist !

Daniel Ricciardo had always been a fan of tattoos, and it wasn't just for show – he had thousands of inked stories etched across his body. He had a genuine appreciation for art, relishing the meanings they held for him.

He hadn't really planned on getting another tattoo during his off-time from Formula 1 while in Miami. But there he was, stepping into a small, incredibly cool studio – at least in his perspective – though who was he to judge what was cool.

"Hey?" he leaned casually against the wooden counter. "Anyone here?"

"Hey! How can I help you?" A petite girl with a few doodles on her arms seemed to appear out of nowhere.

His lips curl into a charismatic smile, "I'm thinking about adding some more art to this masterpiece," he gestures to his arm covered in ink. "What do you think?"

She chuckles softly, "Well, I think you've got a pretty good canvas already."

He laughs, her quick wit catching him off-guard. "True that. But I've got a spot that's feeling a little empty."

"And what kind of art are you thinking?" she raises an eyebrow, her eyes curiously tracing over his existing tattoos.

He taps his chin playfully, "You know, something meaningful. Something that'll give my other tattoos a run for their money."

She nods in understanding, "Got any specific design in mind?"

Daniel leans in a little, his playful grin not wavering, "How about a cheeky smiley face? Right here," he points to an empty space on his arm.

She lets out a laugh, clearly not expecting that. "I can definitely do that," she says, amusement dancing in her eyes.

As she sets up her equipment, they fall into easy conversation. He learns that she's not just a tattoo artist; she's a storyteller who helps people etch their tales into their skin.

Throughout the tattoo process, their conversation flows effortlessly. She shares stories about the tattoos she's done and the emotions behind them, while he tells tales from his racing experiences. He realizes that she's genuinely interested in people's stories, and it's something he finds refreshing.

As she works on his arm, he finds himself studying her, noticing the way her brows furrow in concentration and the occasional smile that tugs at her lips. He's captivated by her passion for her craft.

"So, what's the story behind this one?" she asks, her fingers gently tracing a scar on his forearm.

He hesitates for a moment, then decides to share. "That's from a crash a while back. Nothing serious, but it reminds me of how far I've come."

Her eyes meet his, and he can see a mixture of understanding and admiration. "It's amazing how life's twists and turns can leave marks that become part of who we are."

He nods, his gaze lingering on hers. "You get it."

As she finishes up, he examines the smiley face tattoo with a grin. "It's perfect. Might just be my new lucky charm."

She smirks, "I'll take credit for your future wins then."

He chuckles, "Deal. But I'll need a lucky charm in return – your name."

She blinks, her eyes widening a bit. "You want my name as a tattoo?"

He laughs, realizing he might have caught her off-guard. "No, just your name. I'm Daniel."

She smiles, extending her hand, "Nice to officially meet you, Daniel. I'm Y/N."

He takes her hand, his touch lingering a moment longer than necessary. "The pleasure's all mine, Y/N."

He leaves the studio that day with a new tattoo and something more – a sense of connection and curiosity about Y/N. As he walks out into the Miami sunlight, he finds himself debating what to do next. But, as always, he doesn't back down from a challenge.

Y/N looks up from her work as the bell above the door chimes. Her eyes widen in surprise as she sees Daniel standing there, holding flowers. "Hey," he greets, his voice a bit more uncertain than usual.

"Forgot something?" she teases, her voice holding a light note.

He scratches the back of his neck, sheepishly. "Yeah, I know it might sound a bit forward, but how about we grab a drink tonight?"

She chuckles, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Wow, smooth move, Daniel."

He grins, his signature charm kicking in. "I mean, we did establish a connection over art and stories. I thought it'd be a shame not to continue that."

She raises an eyebrow, teasing. "You must really trust me if you're inviting me to a dark alley for drinks."

He laughs, the sound genuine and carefree. "Oh, I'd never take you to a dark alley. It's a rooftop bar with a view – much safer."

She feigns contemplation, tapping a finger to her lips. "Hmm, rooftop bar, huh? Well, I guess I can make an exception for a charming race car driver."

He pumps a fist in the air, playfully victorious. "Yes! You won't regret it, promise."

She grins, shaking her head. "Alright, Daniel, you've got yourself a date. But you better not show up in a racing suit."

He feigns a pout, "But I look so good in them."

"Save the suit for the track. Just be yourself," she replies with a warm smile.

He nods, his eyes locking onto hers. "I'll see you tonight, Y/N."

[5ummit]

Permanent Blacklists for AO3

Would you like to permanently remove fics with your squicks, triggers, and dislikes from all AO3 searches by default so that you never have to think about or encounter them again? Well now you can!

The ability to do this has actually been around for a little while but it relies on some new CSS functionality that wasn't supported on all major browsers until fairly recently (though you may still have to enable it manually on some). I'm not going to explain how this method works or how to code AO3 skins in general, as I've only dabbled in it a little and there are already some very good tutorials out there. If you want all of the details, check out these guides:

Skins and Archive Interface FAQ – The official skins guide created by AO3. Lots of good information but might be overwhelming and confusing for a beginner.

A Non-Extensive Guide on How to Start Creating a Skin for AO3 by ao3skin – Some good, fairly easy to understand, beginner info on CSS and specifically how it applies to AO3 skins.

Permablocking Specific Tags - Site Skin by Eli0t – Everything you need to know to create permablock lists. If your blacklist doesn't seem to be working as expected, check this for troubleshooting tips.

What I can offer though are some handy pre-made blacklists that you can use as-is or as a starting point to create your own so that you don't have to go to the trouble of figuring out how any of this works or hunting down relevant tags. Just copy the code, open AO3, go to My Preferences > Skins > Create Site Skin, paste it in the box, title it, and click Submit!

Note: The following lists are very specific to me and my own personal tastes. Absolutely no judgement if you love any of the things that I choose to blacklist. You do you. I just happen to like my fics fucked up and relatively canonical.

★ No Reader Fic – Hides all self-insert and reader fic.

★ No Alternate Universes – Hides anything tagged with the most common AU tags. There are so many incredibly specific AUs there's no way to list all of them and AU tagging is also extremely inconsistent from fic to fic so this blacklist may only catch 80% of AUs, but that's better than nothing. You could always exclude the entire alternate universe tag, rather than trying to list specific ones, but unfortunately canon divergence and other less extreme AUs would get caught in the crossfire, which is not worth it for me.

★ No Fluff – Hides anything tagged with the most common fluff and romance tags. I specifically left out "fluff and angst" though because sometimes that's used for things that are mostly angst with only a bit of fluff and I do love angst.

★ Bonus: No Dead Dove – This list is not mine (for obvious reasons) but I know some people may find it useful. Hides anything with the main archive warnings and many common problematic, taboo, or controversial tags. Some of these I wouldn't even classify as dead dove, they're literally just kinks, so I'd suggest reviewing the list carefully and removing any that don't apply to you.

Additional Notes:

This system doesn't work exactly the same as AO3's exclusion filters because you can't use top-level wrangled tags to block all subtags. It only blocks exact matches.

Once the blacklist is implemented you'll see no indication that anything was blocked (except for fewer fics listed on each search page); the entire blurb will be hidden. The tags and fic counts listed in the filter bar will remain unchanged. If you want more advanced features like whitelisting or adding something to indicate when a fic was removed, check out the permablocking guide by Eli0t.

Here's a link with info on which browsers currently support the new "has()" element, which this blacklist system relies on. As of right now Firefox for desktop still has to be manually enabled (for instructions see the section on flag enabling in the permablocking guide). Firefox for iOS isn't listed on this website but it seems to work fine for me.

There are other browser-specific extensions that let you permablock tags, such as this one and this one, that may be more a little more user friendly, but I've never tried them so I can't vouch for them and they may not work consistently between different devices. The good thing about doing blacklists via skins is that, after setting it up once, it should work automatically on pretty much any device (as long as you're logged in to your AO3 account).

[humanitys-strongest-bamf]

HEAR ME OUT— levi finally confessing his feelings for Y/N on new years

OMGGGGGGG THIS IS SO CUTE (this also ended up longer than i intended because i decided to add dialogue LMAO sorry)

i can imagine him doing it as a new year's resolution type of deal

like you'll be walking along the docks, with fireworks planned to go off across the bay. as you're watching the fireworks, he's intently watching you, his lips slightly parting as he appreciated the wonder in your eyes from watching the pretty colors, which were getting reflected off your face, painting your eyes with colors that made them seem to pop out even more to him than they already did

it's levi, so of course he'd be struggling even then over whether he should confess or not. i can see him maybe admitting it to himself a few weeks ago, but being unsure of when or how to tell you, or if he even should tell you. will it ruin your friendship? what if you didn't feel the same? what if he wasn't good enough for you?

but seeing you in those colorful lights, with nothing but innocent curiosity and awe in your eyes, gave him the resolve and desire to finally confess.

he'd be lost in you, and wouldn't even notice when you start trying to chat with him again after the fireworks show had ended and the new year had officially begun.

"what's your new years resolution?" you asked. "i'd probably say mine is trying to be cleaner at home, but i already know that's not gonna happen. you're probably going to have to come over to keep my shit together."

"you'd still be a shitshow even if you suddenly become a master at cleaning," he mentioned with a scoff.

"well?" you pressed with a head tilt, still prompting him to answer your question about his new year's resolution.

it took him a moment to respond.

"...probably be better at voicing how i feel without ignoring it."

"well, you never were good at words, were you?" you smirked as you casually teased him. "you just end up scowling at everyone, so people just think you're feeling grouchy all the time."

"and what about you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"what?"

"do you also think i'm nothing but grouchy?"

"hmm," you mumbled, thinking about what to say. "maybe 80% of the time. the other 20% seems to involve you being worried about something, usually if something wasn't clean enough or if you were going to run out of tea."

he snorted at your comment. you couldn't read the expression on his face, but it did seem like he was deep in thought, as if he was trying to formulate something to say. as you said, he was never good with words.

"well, let's start simple. what are you feeling right now?"

"...a little annoyed at how loud those damn fireworks were. a bit disappointed in how many drinks four-eyes had."

"well hange had been working their butt off trying to get their lab together after the holidays. they deserve to let a load off, even if that is being 5 shots in and playing dumb party games."

he averted his gaze as he tried to formulate his next words.

"...and probably confused," he whispered quietly.

"about?"

"there's this brat that's been pissing me off," he eventually said. "has been for a few years actually. and it pisses me off even more that part of me looks forward to it."

you raised an eyebrow at him. "you look forward to being pissed off?"

you saw him begin to shuffle around awkwardly.

"...only when it comes to them, i guess," he mumbled, still looking down towards the ground. "...kinda realized that i've grown quite fond of them, in a way as more than just friends, but that i've been too caught up in my head to really acknowledge it."

now you were the one frowning.

"levi ackerman actually having feelings for someone?"

there was a hint of astonishment and animosity in your voice as you turned to better face him, holding your hand against your waist in an almost accusatory fashion.

"who the hell is this mysterious person and why haven't i heard of them?"

he remained quiet for a moment before finally looking up, his intense, grey eyes looking directly into yours.

"you."

[the-way-astray]

what is going on

let me take you back to half a week ago, when this first started.

it all starts with a simple notification. i click on it, thinking it's an innocent ask, or perhaps an anon wanting to pick a fight with me. i am a notorious keefe hater in this fandom, after all. let's see what the anons have to throw at me this time. if only that small, innocent, little me from four days ago had known. the notification was nothing short of a snake, hiding in the grass, waiting to strike.

it was alayda. she'd dared me to write something *horrified gasp* positive about keefe. she thought me, a notorious keefe hater, couldn't possibly have anything nice to say about my least favorite guy? well, i'd show her. i typed out a truly magnificent pro keefe essay, if i do say so myself. tumblr fought me the entire time, trying to delete half of it, but i persevered, and eventually posted it.

i had no idea what was coming for me. over the next few hours, i began to get truly heinous asks, questioning my commitment to my keefe hatred, and generally slandering my reputation. at the time, i'd thought this was as bad as it could get. but, oh. oh, no, no, no. as edaline ruewen said, "hindsight is a dangerous game". now i know that it could get worse than i could possibly even begin to imagine. and it did.

that same day, i got the ask. the one that changed everything. i responded in horrified horror, terrified terror, because i knew everything was about to change. and the next day, it appeared that other anons had followed in the first anon's footsteps. it was decided that me and keefe would be an enemies-to-lovers romance. our ship name was to be strieefe. an anon went to the official poll blog, @/do-you-ship-this-book-couple. i changed my ask box title to "KEEFE WOULD NOT LIKE ME" and got an anon about it. they started going to katie's ask box.

the debate ramped up. more people became aware. people, both anon and not, began to choose sides. i began offering badly drawn sketches to people who sided against this atrocious excuse for a ship. i should probably be making those instead of typing this out. whoopsie. i fought the anons that disagreed with me with a desperation akin to a rat caught in a trap, but my thrashing appeared to only attract more unhinged anons.

i then got my first anon that made a genuine attempt to explain why this horrible ship could theoretically work. they were wrong, of course, but i appreciate the effort. as i've explained countless times, the real relationship me and keefe would have if he were real would be one-sided hatred. i would hate him with a passion that can't be adequately described by the english language, and he'd be entirely unaware of my existence.

then! a miracle! an anon sent an ask to quil about strieefe, and i can only assume they wanted quil to analyze why we'd be good together. but quil, i never should've doubted quil. the response was a fantastically constructed analysis on why i was right about how i'd have one-sided rage toward keefe. but my delight dimmed significantly when i saw that fin, someone whom i'd previously trusted, had thrown his support behind this awful ship and even drawn fanart of me and keefe. i swiftly demoted him from the spot he had previously shared with max: "favorite fintanposter".

the anons got more unhinged. i began to be shipped with non-keefe main cast characters, sometimes monogamously, sometimes not. i bravely faced the assault, tearing the anons' arguments to shreds with my logical explanations as to why i would not be a good fit for any of them. this led to me posting a poll at the insistence of one anon, which is still open.

just as the waters were looking significantly less treacherous, just as it seemed i may make it to shore without drowning, a new development occurred. i got an ask from alayda, who as you may remember, is the one that started all this. this is entirely her fault. i'd expected maybe a heartfelt apology, perhaps a plea for forgiveness. but no. her ask was but an ominous warning, one i could not make sense of. i pondered the meaning as i stared at it. and then. horror upon horrors, it appeared in my inbox. i read through it in horrified horror, and my rickety little boat was once more swept out to sea.

it was a fanfic. a terribly written, horribly wattpad-ified, y/n-ish fanfic. i tore it to shreds thoroughly, taking pleasure as the scraps of the work of the one who had brought all this sorrow upon me fell in loose tatters all around me. i dusted off my hands and left it at that.

but it continued. even as i type this out, there is a part two to that horrific fanfic sitting in my inbox, which alayda is pestering me to post. there's also a part one to another anon fanfic, which is written relatively well, which arguably makes it even worse than alayda's. then there's yet another poem written about me and keefe by emelin, which also sits in my inbox, gathering dust as i attempt to piece the broken shards of my sanity back together.

all this to say, join the correct side of this debate. we have badly drawn sketches and braincells. be on the right side of history.

[wriothesleybear]

Hewooo~ ✨️❤️This time i wanted to official ask you~ 🙈🤭 But first: how are you? I hope youre fine❤️✨️ Your writing of my request was just ....WOWW so so cute and warming~😘❤️Hgn....and it and the umbrella quote made me think of Rizzley finding us in Fontain, maybe in a small break of his, in rain holding an umbrella for us~✨️🤭🙈 hheheheehh~ please have a nice dayyyyyy/night/morning💕😘

Omg. First off, I am so sorry this took so long to finish! I had a first draft that I just didn't like as much so I scrapped it and started a new prompt. Second, I'm doing okay! I'm ready for spring break because I've been needing a break from work and classes. Thank you for asking🥺❤️ I'm glad you liked my writing for your request! I just liked your idea that I wanted to write for it and I always love hearing other people's thoughts on Wrio🥰 I hope this makes up for the long wait for this request! Maybe I'll redo the first draft I had for this prompt and post it separately but I'll have to see. Enjoy!~

~warnings: none, just fluff!

Let's say you're out and about shopping when suddenly it began to rain, causing you to quickly find shelter under a awning in front of a boutique. While waiting for the rain to stop so you could finally head home, you begin to sneeze and shiver due to your wet clothes that got soaked when you got caught in the unexpected rain. As you rub your arms to get some warmth, you hear someone call your name. You look up and your eyes land on Wriothesley. He's standing out in the middle of the main street, holding an umbrella to shelter himself from the rain. He walks over to you, curious as to why you're out in the cold. "What are you doing out her?"

"I was shopping and got caught in the rain. I didn't even think to bring my umbrella with me when I left my house this morning." You sneeze, still shivering from your cold, wet clothes. He noticed your appearance and how you had your arms wrapped around yourself as you shivered. He moved next to you under the awning, setting his umbrella down so he could take his coat off. He places it onto your shoulders, wrapping it around you. He rubs his hands down your arms, trying to help you warm up. You blushed, eyes wide at his unexpected actions. You've know Wriothesley for while now and you two were great friends. You knew how kind he was, but what threw you off guard was the intimate act of closeness. This was something you usually read about in the romance novels you secretly read in your free time. You couldn't help but blush at the thought of Wriothesley and you being a couple. Your head began to swarm with thoughts of 'Did he have feelings for you? No, of course he didn't. You two were only friends and he was just doing what any good friend would do.'

You were so caught up in your thoughts, you didn't notice that you've been staring at Wriothesley the whole time. His voice finally breaks you from your thoughts when he calls your name. "Hm what?"

"I said, you feeling warmer?" He chuckles "Oh! Yes I am. Thank you Wriothesley, but you should take your jacket back. You'll get sick in this rain." You began to slip his coat off , but he stops you by putting his hands on your shoulders. "I'll be fine. You need it more than me." He reasons while pulling the coat around you more. You end up accepting his kind gesture without further argument. You tug his coat closer to you, snuggling into it while smiling and blushing at his sweet gesture. "Thanks Wrio." As you thank him, you give him a soft look with that cute smile of yours that he looks so much.

He clears his throat, averting his gaze as he turns his head to hide the slight redness in his cheeks. "It's no issue. Come on. I'll walk you home." He grabs his umbrella , opening it to cover the both of you as you go out into the rain. He suddenly wraps his strong arm around you, pulling you close to him. You're surprised by his unexpected gesture which he notices by the look on your face. "The umbrella's not that big so you need to stand close to me so you don't get soaked again." You nod your head and move your body closer to his. Even though it was cold from the weather, you could feel the heat radiating off of his body. Not only that but you could also feel the hardness of his muscles through his clothes. You didn't know how much redder your cheeks could get. Wriothesley was also lost in his thoughts. He was enjoying the closeness of your body to his. Despite the reason he gave you, a part of him may have used it as an excuse to put his arm around you and hold you close.

While walking in silence, you decide to break it. "What are you doing up here Wriothesley?" It's a bit odd to see the Duke of Meropide on the surface."

"I had a meeting with Monsieur Neuvillette. Did you not like running into me up here?" He teases. "Of course not. I always enjoy seeing you. Plus if I didn't run into you, I probably would have freezed to death." You exaggerate. You both chuckle, but he can't help but notice the way his heart beats faster and the excitement that fills his body at your confession of how you enjoy seeing him. He plays along and continues his teasing. "I suppose that makes me your hero." You laugh as he smiles, enjoying the sound of your beautiful laugh. "My hero. How shall I ever repay you."

"How about having tea with me?" You two usually had tea together, but you couldn't help but feel that his offer was more than a tea date between friends. You ignore the feelings and accept his offer. "I would love to." You smile at one another. You two continue your walk to your home, sharing laughs and conversation as you near your home.

[theweirderstuffblogdontlook]

early draft Bob Velseb Fanfic

(im still working on a small comic to accompany this fic before i release it officially, but i would appreciate the feedback, so dont hesitate to comment as it encourages me to make more art for the au. This comic takes place after the events of this post.) For reference, the woman in this image next to bob is Mary-Anne

then in this image, from left to right (no including Bob in the middle) we have Roxy, Greta, Sparrow, Ash, Trixie, Jane (who's the bar's manager and doesn't appear in the fic), and Billie (who is the bar's bouncer)

Fic is below the readmore. And I kinda recommend looking back at the images every so often to keep track of who's who, cus there's a lot of lesbians hanging out chatting in this fic.

Hanging out in the mismatched collection of old sofas in the lounge area of the local lesbian bar, some of the bar’s regulars were having a casual chat. When another of the regulars, a woman named Mary-Anne, excitedly came up to the group with a laptop in hand. Mary: “Hey you girls wanna see my latest true crime theory?! I think I've got a really good one this time!” Sparrow: “YEEEEAAAAHhhhhhh! Lemme see it! Show us what detective work ya been up to!” Trixie: “Did you finally see if I’ve done any murders I didn't know about? You said you’d check.” Mary: “Yeah I know, and I'll get to it eventually, but I found something way more interesting…… Barbra.” Sparrow: “Barbra?” Mary: “Yeah!” She sets up the laptop on the table, the women all crowding around to get a look, as Mary-Anne puts on a dramatic, though still a bit joking, tone and pose.

Mary: “Barbra, could secretly be, the notorious serial killer…. Bob Velseb.”

Ash: “Who?” Sparrow: “No fucking way! The Halloween cannibal from that other town down south? How’ed you make that connection?”

Roxy: “Excuse me, Cannibal?!”

Ash: “That’s pretty metal actually. Wish looking into me found connections to crimes that sick.” Greta: “Ummm, isn’t that man dead?”

Sparrow: “Wait yeah good point. The news said he got caught and killed by police last Halloween night. Shouldn't that be like, disqualifying for what hypothetical crimes you think your friends might have committed?”

Mary: “Wellllll…. yeah, supposedly he even had an autopsy and everything. But It fits too well if you just ignore the whole being dead thing!”

Roxy: “Hey! Don't you buncha freaks go just comparing Barbra to people like that. She hasn't even been around that long. Don't need you scaring her off with your true crime detective mess when I know you didn't even ask if she was okay with it first!”

Mary: “But it's suuuuuuuch a good one though!”

Trixie: “Yeah lighten up, I doubt she's gonna mind. I mean it's not like Barbara is actually gonna be a DEAD criminal. And especially with those morbid jokes she likes, she'll probably think it's hilarious.”

Roxy: “Nuh-Uh! I don't care how funny it is. She's still doing this without asking! It's one thing for her to look into yalls lives like a creepy stalker when you ask her to. But don't you go encouraging her with that spying into people's business shit without permission!”

Mary: “Aww come on.”

Ash: “Okay, I'm actually gonna agree with Roxy here. I mean what if one day, I really have to murder someone? I don't need Sherlock Holmes getting on my trail ten minutes later. You could at least ask first.”

Sparrow: “Come on, that's different! I'm sure you'd have a good reason if you did ever murder someone. And she'd be more likely to help you bury the body than turn you in. We all would.”

Roxy: “Nuh-uh, I still don't like this biz. Plus, isn't Barbra a trans woman? You'd probably end up hurting her feelings more by comparing her to a dead MAN than to the whole criminal thing.”

Sparrow: “Wait, since when was Barbra trans?”

Ash: “She was kinda making it obvious with that wig she always wears.”

Sparrow: “Wait really? I thought she was wearing the wig because she had some grizzly scar or something on her head from the car crash and didn't want to call attention to it. I mean they did say she had a bad head injury. Like it's why they said she's always wearing the sunglasses even when inside. The concussion like, messed up her ability to look directly at bright lights or something.”

Ash: “...Yeah okay that's a fair point I didn't need to immediately jump to her wearing the wig being to make her pass better. But like, there's still a lot of stuff besides that. Plus Caprica admitted to it. Barbra definitely used to be a dude.”

Greta: “Doesn't really matter if she's trans regardless, since she only ever really flirts with Caprica.”

Trixie: “I'd fuck her even with a dick like are you fucking kidding me? She's hot as hell.”

Sparrow: “Oh my god same! I swear Barbra is wasted on that woman.”

Roxy: “Yeah, but like, I ain't gonna pretend I wouldn't get a massive crush too if some lady pulled my fat ass out of a burning car wreck and lemme stay at her place while I recover like Caprica did. That's like some fairytale relationship shit.”

Trixie: “Exactly! if I got my life saved all dramatically by someone who's not just gay, but gay AND single ANNND they let you stay at their house for free? I wouldn't even care if they were hot or not. You'd have to be a real big piece of shit to be getting rid of me anytime soon. I'd be grabbing on with both hands. Maybe not as hard as Barbra seems to be, but still.”

Greta: “Umm, I meant more that she's not pressuring anybody, so it wouldn't matter either way what she has.”

Mary: “We're getting off topic! I wanna talk about my cool theory!”

Ash: “Right, right, let's hear it.”

Roxy: “Let's NOT hear it! She didn't ask Barbra for permission!”

Sparrow: “Well since she's already put it together, the least we could do is go over it and let her know if it'd be a mistake to tell Barbra and hurt her feelings. Like if it is something really insulting, it would be better to act like it never happened right?”

Roxy folds her arms and grumbled, but otherwise stops complaining. Letting Mary-Anne get on with it.

Tapping on her laptop for a second before turning it around to show a PowerPoint style compilation of research and pictures, starting with Bob's prison mugshot, which the ladies leaned in to see.

Mary: “So here's what I found. So we've got this Bob Velseb guy right? Notorious cannibal serial killer, captured on Halloween night a few years ago and put in prison.”

Billie: “....Did you really make a whole presentation for this?”

Mary: “I told you, it's a really good one! And I had to keep my evidence somewhere anyway. So it's like a digital scrapbook, and I just cleaned it up some to show you.”

Trixie, with a bit of a teasing tone: “Becha wish you could make a whole corkboard setup with red yarn instead.”

Mary: “I sooooooo would, but it’s just too hard to fit that sort of thing in my car and drive it around. You all gotta come meet at my house so I can have the excuse to set up a real one!” Billie: “....Amateur detective potluck.” Mary: “Omg yes. With like a bunch of detective based desserts! Sparrow: Chalk outline chocolate cookies!

Ash: “Halloween coleslaw.” Roxy, through half muffled snickering: “Girl, the fuck is halloween coleslaw??” Mary: “We’re getting off track! Back to what I was saying…”

She switches to the next slides showing clips from newspapers and the like.

Mary: “So he stays in prison for awhile. But then last year, he escapes from prison with a few other small time criminals.

And he spends a few months killing people, like 8 or 9 bodies being found, all with the same M - O. Until Halloween night comes around again. He goes after the same family he got caught while trying to kill that other Halloween. And it leads to an encounter with the police who kill him in a shootout. Where he's brought to the morgue for an autopsy and has the cause of death confirmed…..

BUT!!!”

She changes to the next slide, which was talking about a car crash, a man found dead, and had a map with some areas marked in mspaint.

Mary: “The next day after the news report of Mr. Velseb’s death goes out, we have this weird little event happen. So there’s this man, who was supposedly on his way to a hunting trip? He's found stabbed to death on the side of the road here.”

She zooms in on the map, showing the road between this town and the weird little town where Bob comes from, and points to the marked location just past the outskirts of Bob's town.

Mary: “Now wild animals had gotten to the corpse before it was found, so it was pretty mangled, but he had definitely been stabbed. Which is a bit of evidence that could link to the knife wielding serial killer. Bob Velseb, also known as the devil butcher, so named because he used to be a butcher and ended up feeding his victims to his patrons.”

Roxy: “Oh, no, ew why'd you have to go and tell me that?”

Mary: “Well I had to give you the context that this is a guy who stabs people, so we should be looking for stuff like this where the victim was stabbed.”

Roxy: “You could've just said he stabs people!”

Mary: “Well, he also tends to butcher and eat people so we gotta keep an eye out for…”

Billie, in her slightly monotone, but firm voice: “Maybe cool it with the gruesome details.” 

Mary: “Alright alright. It's not super relevant right now anyway, since it looks to me like the guy was in too much of a rush anyway to actually butcher anyone. Because the interesting thing for us…. is this man's truck.”

She points to a location further down the road, on the outskirts of their own town/small city and close to one of the parks.

Mary: “His truck… was found here. Crashed into a ditch, blood all over the inside of it, but no body. So if it had been a regular crash, then the hunter's body should have been right here with his car, not all the way back here covered in stab wounds. So according to the evidence, he was stabbed to death here, had his car stolen by someone who looked to be pretty injured themselves, which was then driven all the way here… to our town.”

Roxy: “Guuuurl…. Shut the hell up! That is sinister as fuck! You're telling me we've got somethin coming up from that creepy ass missing kids town, to over where we live? Man I don't even care if it happened the day after some big time serial killer died. That should still be a big ass problem!”

Mary: “Don't worry, it gets even better!”

Billie: “I think you mean worse.” 

Mary: “Yeah! It gets even worse! So in the days after this body was found up until now, the number of murders went way up for about a month or so. With the bodies matching Bob Velsebs usual modus operandi. Showing up stabbed and mangled with pieces missing. With even a few cops getting killed in that time! 

And then after that, even though there weren't any more bodies being found, the number of missing persons still stayed higher. Almost like a murderer who used to work out in the open….  was now covering his tracks.”

Trixie: “That's spooky as hell! Why's this the first time I'm hearing about somebody out there killing people??”

Billie gave a bit of a knowing look as she explained: “Because what we're listening to is a conspiracy. She's not seeing the evidence and working from it, she's made a theory first and is putting together all the information that supports the theory. That's how these true crime conspiracies work. It's good for a spooky campfire story, but there's a reason why the actual detectives aren't saying the same thing and telling the local news to spread the word.”

Roxy: “Man, you're just gonna be working me up over nothing then.”

Mary: “Not REALLY nothing, this stuff has actually happened.”

She then pitches her voice low and spooky for emphasis.

Mary: “And who knows, maybe there really was a cover up with the serial killer not actually being killed.”

Sparrow: “Yeah! Don't be a spoilsport! So like, so…. Like… uhhh… so how does this stuff have anything to do with Barbra though? Like you're saying the death of this Bob guy was a cover up, but how does this connect to Barbra?”

Mary: “Well first up, their descriptions are very similar. Barbra has the right height and build for…”

Billie: “How tall did they say this Velseb guy was?”

Mary: “Uhhh….”

She flipped through the presentation back to the mugshot 

“6 foot 4.”

Billie: “Yeah, that's about right for Barbra.”

Showing her experience as a bouncer with being able to judge people's height from comparing them to their ID's.

Mary: “Right! Hair color, skin, build, even the accents match too.”

Sparrow: “Cool! That's already way better than when you tried to link me to any murders!”

Mary: “I know right!”

Greta: “Still, that's just looking like a dead serial killer. If you're only going based off of just happening to know someone who matches the description, that could still lead to hurt feelings.”

Mary: “But that's the thing, it's not only looking the same. Like for instance, think about how Barbara and Caprica said they met.”

Billie: “.... A car accident.”

Mary: “Right! And what started off this whole uptick in violent crime? This guy getting killed, getting his truck stolen, then whoever stole it crashing the truck into a ditch on the outskirts of the town.”

Trixie: “That's not the same type of accident they described in how they met though.”

Mary: “Yeah, but any good cover story has an element of truth in it.”

Ash: “So you're basically saying, that Caprica pulled somebody out of a wreck, who turned out to be a cannibal serial killer that the cops covered up the death of. And who instead of cannibal serial killing her, fell head over heels in love, and now…. what, they're like a serial killer power couple or something? So is Caprica secretly a serial killer now too?”

Mary: “Weeeeeeeelllllllll…. Kinda? Yeah? I mean, turns out, Capricas actually kinda legit been through some horrible stuff in real life. Buuuuut I'm not so sure about talking about that stuff since it, you know, actually 100% happened to her.”

Trixie: “Shit, so you're saying she actually has some kind of excuse for how trying to make smalltalk with her, makes her look like she's offended you even thought to try and speak to her?

It's not like… you know. Because of some guy…. Right?”

Mary: “No, no, nothing like that.”

Greta: “Well… you might as well tell us since we've come this far.”

Mary: “....Okay. Just a sec.”

She goes to the laptop, clicks open a web browser, and takes a moment to look up the right event.

Mary: “Okay, so over a decade ago, there was this thing that happened at a campsite near here, where this big elk supposedly ate something bad, like old rat poison from the 70s or something, which made it freak out and go on a violent rampage where it gored a bunch of campers to death.”

She steps back to show an old newspaper clipping with a picture of Caprica and a bunch of young scouts.

Mary: “Caprica was one of the few survivors, who also saved a bunch of cub scouts by having them climb a tree where the elk couldn't reach them.”

Sparrow: “Hold on, I actually recognize this one! That's the state record for the single most people killed in a single day due to an animal attack! So Caprica was one of the people involved in it the whole time? That's wild!”

Ash: “From hero to serial killer….. That's pretty brutal of her…. Nice.”

Sparrow: “Of course the lady who still dresses goth every day even though she's pushing 40 would have that be the takeaway here.”

Ash: “I know what I'm about.”

Trixie: “That still seems like a bit of a reach though.”

Billie: “I’ll reiterate. This is a conspiracy theory being made up for fun. It's going to be full of reaches.”

Trixie: “No I mean, Barbra is absolutely crazy for that girl. Like remember that one time? (comic about bob drowning his sorrows in liquor because caprica had to go to a doctors appointment and he couldn't come along.) Trixie: “It just seems disproportionate to fall that hard after a life of murder and cannibalism, to Caprica of all people.”

Sparrow: “You literally just said a few minutes ago if you were in Barbara's position getting your life saved, they wouldn't be able to get rid of you if they tried.”

Trixie: “What, am I suddenly not allowed to embellish a little? But I mean, come on, haven't you seen the two of them enough? Heck, starting out I was more worried that Caprica was like… like she didn't even want to be in a relationship?”

Ash: “I always got the opposite impression personally, like she was taking advantage of Barbra. She's always acting so mean to her. Like with us she's at least trying to be polite, but not so much with Barb. I've been trying to keep an eye for any other red flags like that, but Barbra’s never seemed to mind soooo….”

Greta: “Hey now, let's not start implying Caprica is abusive. It's clear she's done a lot for Barbra, however begrudgingly. Even coming to the bar all these times. It's clear Caprica isn't doing it because she enjoys clubbing. Barbara's always been the one having the most fun.”

Roxy: “Yeah, let's not have this get out of hand with all these accusations.”

Mary: “And more importantly, I want better feedback on my theory! I mean of all the reasons why it could be wrong, I'd hope for better than something like “Barbra is acting way too crazy to have POSSIBLY been a deranged cannibal serial killer.”

Sparrow: “That Barbra is a certified freak 7 days a week and I love that for her.”

Roxy: “Forget about Barbra, I still don't like the thought that some cannibal serial killer has come over from that town with all the spooky shit going on and is around here terrorizing people!”

Billie: “Once again, she's not following the evidence, she's inventing a ghost story and then finding scary evidence to support the narrative while leaving out any conflicting evidence or context. If it were genuinely something to worry about, this wouldn't be your first time hearing about it.”

Trixie: “Plus it can’t actually be the cannibal serial killer guy, he's super dead.”

Mary-Anne, with a bit of a mischievous tone as she leaned in back to her presentation: “.....You know, I actually found some cell phone video of the guy getting run over I can show everyone.”

To which Billie the bouncer stood up sharply and said: “Nope. Putting my foot down. New rule. No snuff films in the bar.”

Before closing the lid of the laptop.

Mary: “Awwww what? No!”

Trixie: “Killjoy.”

Ash, clearly sarcastic and kidding around: “Yeah, no watching the brutal deaths of serial killers in a bar? What are you, homophobic or something?”

Mary: “It's actually a pretty funny video without much gore or anything. The guy gets run over by a car like 4 times in a row. Like a loony toons character.”

Billie: “I don't care how funny it is, that's the sort of stuff that can get the business in trouble.”

Roxy: “But can't we make an exception this time? I'd feel a lot better for sure knowing that guy is dead.”

Billie replies as she straightens out her pants and shirt: “It's almost time for me to start my shift, so might be best to just call it quits here.”

Mary-Anne went back to the laptop to scroll through the list of images she'd gathered for people either missing or dead.

Mary: “Awww, but I didn't even get a chance to go through the list of victims yet.”

Greta: “No, she's right. I think we've seen enough. I doubt this is anything we should be letting Barbra see. Let's just stop here before…”

Sparrow: “Wait. Scroll back up.”

Mary-Anne did as asked, scrolling a bit up again and upon seeing it Sparrows eyes got wide, and she covered her mouth in shock. Prompting a few of the others to look as well. Getting a similar look of surprise.

Ash: “Oh, wow.”

Mary: “What? What is it?”

Ash: “You weren't there that day. So you wouldn't know. But that one?”

She points at a certain picture of a man on the screen.

Ash: “That's one of the guys who grabbed Caprica that day.”

The silence hangs in the air for a moment.

Mary: “This guy?”

Ash: “Yep.”

Trixie: “Okay that's spooky. But one guy going missing is a coincidence at best. Especially the kind of guy who'd behave like he and that other jerk did. I bet he's asking for a fight everywhere he goes. So let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe if they both went missing that might be a…”

Mary: “Well let's see! What did the other one look like?”

She said with a bit of excitement, scrolling through the rest of her list of missing persons.

Billie:“.... He looked like that.”

Mary: “Huh?”

Billie stepped over, and used the laptop trackpad to scroll a bit upwards, then pointed at a specific picture in the list of missing persons. The picture of the second guy who had tried to hit on Caprica that night.

Mary: “Thats him.”

The air hung still for a moment, the weight of the realization sinking in. Trixie Being the first to break the silence with,

Trixie: “..... Well shit, Barbra and Caprica might actually be some kind of serial killers.”

Another moment of silence, until

Ash: “.....Good for them.” The humor of the response breaking the tension with an indignant, though slightly giggly response of Sparrow: “Ash! Oh my god!”

Ash: “What? Am I supposed to be upset that a pair of creeps who snuck into a gay bar and try to sexually harass the shortest lesbian they could find in the club, and right in front of her girlfriend no less, have gone missing? Good riddance if you ask me.”

Sparrow looked between the women nervously before her gaze settled on Billie: “For real though, should we… call someone about this?” Mary: “What happened to helping bury the bodies?”

Trixie: “Would probably be burying Barbra if you sent the police after her.”

Sparrow: “What?” Trixie: “Seriously, what the fuck do you think would happen if we called up the police and told them that a lesbian trans woman MIGHT be involved in the disappearance of two men? And not only that, but that we’re suspicious of her being involved in their disappearance because she got into a fight with these two dudes when they tried to “correct a woman from the deviancy of homosexuality”. You might as well be broadcasting “Hey dudes! Free target practice over here! Feel free to shoot this woman as many times as you want, because no jury is going to condemn you for murdering a butch trans woman!” to almost every trigger happy misogynist dirtbag in town.” Greta: “I knew this was going to be a mistake….”

Billie let off a sigh: “Trixie is right. We could easily be putting Barbra’s life at risk based on a coincidence she had nothing to do with. Whereas it would be a roll of the dice if it even mattered to law enforcement if she were actually guilty or not.”

Sparrow: “....I guess you’re right.”

Roxy: “Man I told y'all this was gonna be a bad idea. Now yall are speculating about turning Barbra over to the police. But you know what? I’m with Ash on this one! Even though Mary-Anne’s been trying to freak us all out trying to link all these murders to Barbra, the only real evidence we have is that two wannabe date rapists who happened to get into a fight with Barbra have now gone missin. And even if Barb and Caprica did off those two, then good on em for actually being proactive in getting rid of creeps like that. Long as they’re sticking to cleaning up trash like that, and aren’t going after any of the people I care about or who have the good sense to just be minding their own business, then I couldn't give less of a shit.” Trixie: “I hope Barbra and Caprica did kill those pigs though. Fuck the cops, I wish more of them had been killed.”

Greta: “.....I think it might be best for everyone if we just change the subject and forget the whole thing.”

Mary: “........Do you think maybe Barbra and Caprica might have room for one more in their relationship though?” Sparrow, through laughter: “OH MY GOD!” Ash, also trying to stifle a chuckle: “Dude, don’t go trying to be some couple’s third wheel just because you think they might be serial killers.”

Trixie: “Yeah, what if they say yes and then you find out they’re actually super boring and you just end up being disappointed?” Mary: “A girl can dream can’t she?” Roxy, clearly not taking it seriously: “I’d be more worried about you thinking the worst case scenario here would be them NOT being serial killers.” They continue chatting for awhile about various things before eventually going their separate ways, having all agreed not to tell Barbra or Caprica about this conversation. 

[enm-enthusiast]

The Exhibitionist's Club Ch. 8 - Sebastian Part 2

A Lacy Afternoon....

Sebastian

The past week has been hell.

I've been trying to stay away from the frat house as much as possible, but the time I've been spending there lately has been so humiliating. Eric's public punishment of me has been a target on my back, everyone in that house has the right to degrade and taunt me as much as they want.

A couple of times, I've been stripped completely naked as soon as I walked in the door! and always, they always tease me about the cock cage I'm still wearing. James has been helping me, thankfully, and his plan was starting to finally take shape.

All I had to do was get the campus security guards to hire me as a student worker. Apparently, it provided a lot of protection from student-run discipline, anyone caught violating this was subject to immediate expulsion from the University if found to be true...

Thus, here I stood in the campus security building, and had been forced to strip down completely naked for everyone here, as part of their famous "initiation." The security officer who hired me on, Jack Whittle had explained, in fact he just finished his by working the entire week at the office naked....

It got me incredibly aroused thinking of the muscular older man walking around the office butt naked. He blushed when talking about it and some of the other security guys teased him too, taunting him about the thickness of his cock and I salivated at getting to possibly see it for myself.

I had truthfully explained my situation to Jack, and he seemed sympathetic, and even said that Eric had been giving the University all sorts of troubled for years now but he was careful enough to not do anything that would have gotten him in real trouble.

He said that all I had to do was finish this initiation, then I could get my 'clothing privileges' back and even give Eric an official warning from the security office. That way, Jack said, he wouldn't dare touch me or anything near me, and it filled me with a sadistic delight at seeing Eric squirm in fear and fury at his revenge being undone.

The only thing that troubled me was James, he was taking an awfully big risk helping me, and if Eric found out....well, I knew first hand how vicious the little shit could be.

But I would worry about that later, first I needed to get through this, and I was embarrassed enough that all my new colleagues were already leering at me and sizing me up.

They got a weird thrill as I was slowly stripping off my clothes, some even whistled as soon as I took off my shirt. As expected, their eyes immediately locked onto my cock cage as soon as I lowered my underwear down my legs.

"Wow dude, did you lose a bet or something?" One of the campus security guards said, stifling his laughter upon seeing my cock cage, making my face turn bright red.

"How long have you been wearing that?" Jack said.

"....about....3 and a half weeks" I said, teeth grinding as my embarrassment and rage fueled me.

The guys shared looks of shock, amusement, and a few of them concerned, Jack included. I couldn't let them get involved, me and James were so close to giving Eric some long overdue payback, so I needed to bear the shame, for just a bit longer. I put on my best poker face despite that it was surely as red as a tomato at this point.

"Don't worry about it, the guys back at the Frat and me were playing around, I lost a few bets, and here we are...can we get a move one please" I said.

Most seemed to accept this, all of them, except for Jack who gave me a knowing look, but regardless he carried on.

"Well, you seem to be in excellent condition, in fact you've put in some great work in those muscles Sebastian, must get you lots of attention around this campus" Jack said. winking at that last part.

"Not a bad backside either, you got some good glutes on you" a blonde guard named Daniel said, a hungry look in his eyes. It was hard not to feel vulnerable and exposed as all of them, in one way or another, were devouring the sight of my naked body.

It was hard not to think of Thomas in that moment, who was dealing with his own problems at the moment, some classmate of his called George was giving him trouble and I wanted to find him and smash in his face for messing with Thomas, but I couldn't refuse when he begged me not to do something so foolish, and I had to admit he was right.

Speaking of, Thomas took a...interesting perspective on my cock cage, the two of us decided to make the most of it...I allowed him to shift our dynamic in bed, the first night he took control and made me get on my hands and knees and suck his cock until he flipped me onto my stomach and made me beg for him to fuck me....god if only I wasn't wearing the cage I'd have had the biggest erection in my entire life.

I only wish I could be out there helping him instead, but foolish me thought signing up as a student worker for the security office would be a great idea. Or rather, it was James' idea.

I'm still skeptical of how they told me all workers needed to take a fitness test, especially one that's entirely in the nude....

If it wasn't for the cock cage, I wouldn't feel as vulnerable and exposed around these other guys, they all seemed to take it in and good fun and none of them poked, prodded, or even made fun of me for it, unlike the frat guys who were hounding my every step and making my life hell, I just needed to get out of that house....

"So....does that mean I'm in?" I asked.

"We just need one last thing from you Sebastian, it shouldn't be a problem for a strapping young lad like you" Jack said, his tone neutral but his expression was hiding something mischievous.

"Okay...what is it?" I said.

What he said next made my jaw drop to the floor and nearly run out of the building.

"We want you to wear these as your work uniform for the first week, consider it....your training period" Jack said, grinning wide as he held up a red lacy crop top and a matching pair of silky red lace briefs, ones with design patterns that left the backside almost completely see-through!

"You gotta be kidding me!" I say, incredulous, my face already burning bright red and I felt a shocking jolt in my crotch followed by a slight ache as my cock was unable to twitch as it used to.

"I'm afraid not, hehe you see the boys here thought you'd look incredible in these, and I agree, but its up to you kid, so what's it going to be? us....or nothing" he finished, giving me another look that just between us, said:

"You either wear this for a week in the office...or you continue to be a naked frat slave with your dick shrinking inch by inch as each week passes."

It didn't seem to be a fair choice, but I knew it was my only one, and I needed this so I could start getting back at Eric, I wouldn't take it from Jaime and I'm not about to start letting some blowhard blonde do it to me either!

"Alright....fine, I'll do it" I said. Holding out my hand and Jack gave me another wide grin as he handed over the crop top and underwear to me. He merely looked down and back up once, that hungry look in his eyes again as he waited with his arms crossed.

My face was beet red I'm sure as I pulled the top over my head, I had to admit the material felt....good against me bare skin. Next was the underwear...I had to suppress a whimper as I pulled them up my legs, the material felt so nice and smooth just like the top. This only added to my rising embarrassment, I hated how it felt so good to wear these despite how slutty and exposed it made me look.

The guys jaws all dropped as I finished putting on my new 'uniform' and Jack walked over to me with a look of delighted surprise and said: "Wow...just wow, you look great in those, and I guess we got you the right size after all, those undies really make your ass look..." he trailed off, and I shuddered as he teasingly ran a hand over my right ass cheek.

I bit my lip as he did so, the contact of his hand against the material felt so good...I was really looking forward to tonight with Thomas with how horny this was making me.

I felt my submissive side take over as I wanted my man's dick inside me so bad, and I had to whip myself back to reality as I realized that I was practically drooling after what Jack did and the rest of the guys noticed. Several of them had bulges growing in their security uniform pants....

"Alright Sebastian, so far so good, you seem to really like those, so I'll tell you what...you can keep em" he said, rubbing my shoulder and giving me a look with that same look in his eyes.

At first I didn't respond, I was shocked at first but...I knew that I'd keep them, as humiliating as it was to have to wear this in front of all these guys, I had to admit they also made me feel sexy with how everyone here was reacting to me wearing them.

I decided to wear them under my clothes later...see how Thomas will react, the thought of it made me so incredibly aroused the simple contact of Jack's hand on my shoulder was making me weak at the knees. I was in disbelief at how my body was reacting, but it felt so good, too good to ignore, so I was ready to embrace it and I gave Jack a firm nod.

"In fact, since you're being so good, you work this whole afternoon in that and I'll get Eric to take that thing off you" He said.

My eyes widened in surprise, I'd have done so regardless but now I was more determined than ever.

"Good boy" he said, giving me another firm wink and gave my ass a real hard slap as he walked behind me and said "now get to work!" he said. propelling me forward toward the other guys who all took turns lightly touching and teasing my body.

They all knew how horny it made me and took delight at teasing me so tantalizingly and yet so briefly, after that, they all filed out and left one by one until was just me and Jack, who beckoned me to follow him.

The next few hours would prove to be one of the most challenging as Jack showed me around the office, while simultaneously showing me off and parading me around the entire building like I was a zoo's latest attraction. It was mostly men around the office, but a few clerical workers were women who all did a double take at seeing me like this, yet their gaze also followed me hungrily.

Some of them even snuck in some light slaps to my ass or even a caress of my muscles across my body. It took everything I had to keep concentrating on things Jack was saying, introducing me to what I would be doing in the office.

After giving me a full tour of the office, Jack led me to the student workers office, where basically I read through student complaints and calls and forwarding them to the security officers who would be sent out to respond.

Thankfully there were only two other workers, one of them a a shorter yet average Hispanic dude named Julien and a young brunette woman named Emily. Both of them were introduced to me by Jack, and surprisingly neither of them seemed shocked at my state of (un)dress. Yet, both of them had a similar look as the others, a lingering hunger that made me full that much more exposed yet it also gave me a thrill and rush of excitement.

"I'll leave you all to it, I'll come collect you in just a few hours Sebastian...good luck" he said, then left me alone with the two of them.

'So....hey" I said, trying to break the ice.

"If you're wondering at our expressions from earlier, its because its probably tame I'm in comparison to some of the other things we've seen working here, not to mention our own...initiations" Julien said, the both of them looking away from each other at that last part.

I decided to drop the subject then.

"Alright, well regardless its good to meet some fellow student workers" I said, giving them both a reassuring smile which they took to hear, returning mine.

We spent the next few hours getting me up to speed about the job, although sometimes I noticed them looking at me in a weird way. Other times, one or both them got too close to my proximity and I swore I felt a light finger touch or two, after the first hour of that I was starting to realize they weren't new at this...

The light contact was driving me crazy, being locked in this cage for so long was making me hornier than I've been since I was a teenager. But I managed to power through it, I was determined to be rid of this thing once and for all.

After my initial training shift was over, Jack appeared as expected and he smiled as soon as he saw me. "Wow, I half expected these two to have ripped those off you by now" he said, giving my fellow student workers a look that made the both of them look away from me and back towards the computers they worked at instead.

Part of me wanted to inquire further, but I decided to cast it aside for now.

I walked up to Jack and he pulled me aside and said: "I talked to my boss and he approved as well, we both personally called Eric up at the Frat...he'll unlock that thing from you first thing when you get back to the frat, and I even took care of the other part of your punishment."

"A-are you serious?" I said, ready to jump with joy.

"Deadly. But listen kid, Eric was LIVID, he kept trying to double down on 'frat autonomy' but as soon as we threatened to take it to the Dean he backed down" he said.

"Well...regardless, thank you, Jack, this means a lot, if there's any way I can repay you-" I began before Jack interrupted with:

"Any? Well....I can think of a few..." Jack said, giving me a look that said he'd have me bent over or on my knees in a heartbeat if he had it his way.

It made my face turn as red as the outfit I was still wearing. I looked down at myself and almost couldn't believe I still had to wear this for the rest of the week at the office....but a deal is a deal, and I keep my word no matter what.

"One more thing Sebastian...I know you said James helped you out, just keep an eye on him in case Eric finds out what happened, alright? he's a good kid" Jack said.

I knew exactly what he meant, Eric was vicious and petty, and would do almost anything to get back at someone for slights both real...and imagined.

"Don't worry, I will" I said and began to talk out towards the lockers where my clothes waited for me. Before I got far, Jack gave another caress of my silk-clad ass cheeks which made me whimper just loudly enough for Jack to hear, who merely smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

I practically ran back as soon as I got away, taking off the outfit and storing it in my bag for later with Thomas, then pulling out my clothes and getting dressed. I had one last thing to do before heading to Thomas' dorm, and I smiled as I couldn't wait to see Eric's face as he took the cock cage off of me.

I left the office quickly and quietly, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes knowing they'd seen me wearing that outfit, I needed to maintain my confidence to prepare myself for the confrontation that awaited me, and sure enough, as soon as I opened the door to the frat house, the tension was palpable...

Little did I know how much more things would escalate following the moment I closed the door of the house behind me, but I also wouldn't change it no matter what.

End of Chapter 8.

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I know its been such a long time since I posted, I've been going through a lot recently but I'm back and ready to give you guys more sexy naked adventures ;)

Sebastian seems to have gotten the upper hand once more, but can he protect his friends as well as himself? We'll see in the upcoming chapters.

I hope you enjoyed the different path this chapter took, sexy outfits like the one Sebastian was forced to wear this chapter have been an background idea for a while, so please tell me if you guys liked it...if you did I'll be sure to include it in later chapters more. But until then, enjoy this latest installment!

[knightyoomyoui]

A KNIGHT'S FAREWELL.

Hello, everyone. Author Knight here. If you're reading this, then I'll be going straightforward already on what this post is mainly about:

I'm quitting.

I'll just make this one as short as I can since I know there's like probably number of readers that I can just count using my hands out there who still stayed with me for 2 years that appreciates not only my works but also me, as the mastermind behind those stories.

I'm sorry if I have to come into this. I admit, I'm not the same as I was anymore. I lost the eagerness and motivation to write, and even if I want to write one, inside of me just couldn't get affected by all of the motivations I can get to help me create those ideas on my mind into a story. I don't want to force myself too much, in fact I've been noticing it anyways that the quality of my stories never improved, and probably got even worse. So yeah, I just don't feel like writing anymore.

You could say that these are the reasons why I'm stopping: my insecurities never lessened, been very busy with the academics as it is my highest priority right now, came to a realization that fanfic readers are starting to decrease for various reasons.

Before I end this, let me just make things clear. This is not really the time I will be gone as a fully active TWICE fanfic author but rather at the end of this year. The two remaining one-shots featuring Chaeyoung and Tzuyu will be out by November and December. The rest of my books will be discontinued along with my Cry For Me series fron my TWICE one-shot book since well, I'll be honest I think I did bad and I gave it way too many breaks on each releases thats why most of my readers for sure ain't caught up with the progress of it anymore. I'm not sure yet about the "Living With The Vampires" book though, it's a commissioned one. Part of me just wants to completely rest now from these while on the other hand I don't waste the money I'll be getting in return for the upcoming chapters because it would be a huge assist to my needs also.

Thank you so much again to everyone who loved reading my stories, it has been a journey. I didn't want to end doing these, but I can't just keep forcing myself to write when passion isn't there anymore. Consider me one of the best TWICE fanfic writers out there or not, it's up to you... but what matters is that I think I fulfilled the purpose of why I named myself "Knight", to be a "knight in shining armor" for those readers who wants to read something new and interesting while at the same time, they can get to atleast imagine being paired with TWICE in many different life situations, whether for good or bad.

This is yours truly, officially signing off. Swords up!⚔️

[myimaginedcorner]

SCALES OF JUSTICE - BETA TESTERS NEEDED

Hi dear readers,

Thank you for your overwhelming trust and support. The opinions that I've collected over the past few days have finally motivated me to put aside my self-criticism and doubt, and to make the next step towards SoJ's release.

Yes, Scales of Justice is now officially in its BETA-test phase!!

If you would like to help me by being a BETA-tester for my book, please, comment under this post, send me a direct message, or message me on CoG's forum. I aim to take around 20 to 30 people, so we can have a big and productive group that nonetheless remains constructive in its feedback.

If you don't have the time or you don't want to be a tester, consider sharing this post, so it can get to as many of you as possible.

I will be working alongside the testers on improving style, grammar, and other minor details that require polishing as the month progresses. Hopefully, by the end of it we'll have an even better version of this book that will be submitted for approval to Hosted Games!

See you all very soon,

Julia xx

BOOK DETAILS:

DEMO DESCRIPTION:

Scales of Justice is a fantasy game situated in another world, far away from Earth. There are plenty of species living together in harmony, but the human race is currently split in two civilisations: the one known as Hero kingdom, which is ruled by ‘heroes’, and the one named Vannais kingdom, controled by ‘villains’. Both nations hate each other and the fight between ‘heroes’ and ‘villains’ here is something that happens on a national level. The game is focused on lore, on character development and your own perception of reality: perhaps, your MC just wants to live a peaceful life... or maybe wants to save the world.

Or even rule it, if you’re into such things.

THINGS TO DO IN THIS DEMO:

Set off on a new adventure towards Neutral Lands, to meet a mythic creature of all answers - The Visionary.

Gather up to 3 companions to help you in your quest - befriend, romance or rival them, the choice is yours.

Buy a horse - we know you want one.

Fight, conjure, support, speak or think - choose your way of handling a tricky situation.

Explore the kingdom of Hero up to Menai's shore, in search for someone - or something - to aid you in your journey.

The DEMO version of the book runs up to Chapter 5 and contains 276K words overall. I will be putting up updated versions of the first chapters as I work my way through them, so expect the DEMO version to become a polished reflection of what the final book will look like!

USEFUL LINKS:

If you want to know a little more about this project and read chapters 1-5, I'll leave the link to the game here -> https://dashingdon.com/play/myimaginedcorner/scales-of-justice/mygame/

If you want to discuss anything on CoG's forum, I'll leave the link for SoJ here -> https://forum.choiceofgames.com/t/wip-scales-of-justice-new-project-announcement-and-demo-release/101088/16

If you want to send me a more extensive feedback, here's my email -> feedbackscalesofjustice@gmail.com

Any mistakes, concerns or questions you have, feel free to contact me through Tumblr! I am very excited to share this story with all of you, and I want to make it as good as possible with your help!

RO DESCRIPTIONS:

Shoren/Seile -> Heir to the Hero kingdom's throne, right where your journey starts. Also, your old friend who's very attached to you. Likes to read and practices magic, enjoys adventure and heroic deeds. A recognised “hero”, with blonde curly hair, pale skin and a pair of beautiful blue eyes.

Robert/Reina -> Order's Paladin, defender of Hero and Knight of Fate. Brave and honourable, determined to protect the people of the kingdom. Very loyal to friends and very dangerous as an enemy. Has short brown hair, tanned skin and an athletic build.

Valerius/Venis -> An Outworlder, who was caught by cultists from the Wicked Woods. Gracious, elegant and charismatic. Has long dark brown hair with a silver streak, olive skin and golden eyes.

Arion/Aria -> Leader of Vannais, a recognised “villain” who escaped from Hero and now rules the enemy kingdom. Serious, reserved but temperamental. Prefers action over words and so is always present on battlefields and amidst negotiations, even though never in official manner. Has short blonde hair, pale skin and emerald eyes.

Be careful! These characters have their thoughts and opinions on the world and your actions: if you want them to support you, convince them or take their side… or neither. That is your choice after all!

[summer-nights19]

Good for business part 2 - Moonlit Walks

Balor x fem reader

Part 1

Part 3

The morning after you got up to the sound of a rooster. Still half asleep, you slipped on some clothes and headed outside to start ploughing the fields and planting. It didn't take you long to run out of seeds, and, as soon as you did, you decided you'd explore the village and meet its inhabitants. After all, your experiences so far had been nothing but positive. As you walked down the footpath that led from your farm to town, you caught a flash of blue with a corner of you eye.

"Hey Y/N ! Come over here," how Balor had so much energy even this early in the morning was completely beyond you. You smiled to yourself and walked up to his wagon.

"Have you already met everyone ?"

"No, only you and my neighbours," you'd adored meeting them both, particularly Celine, who had been so kind to you.

"Then you absolutely should. Before you go though, check out my wagon. I've got everything you vould ever want in here. Anything catch your eye ?" Balor winked at you and you grinned at his exaggerate salesman persona as you began to look at the goods on display. There really was everything - furniture, food, crafting material, seeds, and weird artifacts. Sighing, you looked down at your boots, which were incredibley worn down after yesterday's travels. The fact that the soles had not broken yet was a miracle.

"Well, some new boots might be nice, but I don't really have much money for now," As you said that, you noticed that all the prices listed were already weirdly low.

"Not to worry. I'll give them to you half price. You know, since you're new and all," Balor looked at you with a knowing smile and you felt butterflies stir up in your stomach

"You won't do anything of the sort. I'll earn the money myself and then buy them at the current price," you'd never been one to accept handouts, preferring to rely on your own strengths. Balor sighed in mock exasperation.

"OK Miss Independent. Will you at least let me keep them aside for you until then ?"

"That would be great. Thank you, Balor. " You met his smile with one of your own. You weren't sure why he was so keen to help out, but you just put it down to the entire city being almost overly friendly. This morning, for example, Celine and Hayden had offered you free seeds to get you started on farming. It was ... nice, living in a place where everyone seemed to care about each other so much.

"I should head off now. I have the entire town to get acquainted with after all,"

Balor grinned. "I'll see you around, Y/N. Come by the inn sometime, yeah ? I enjoy our chats,"

***

It had been a long day. You'd walked around the whole city and its neighbouring fields, learning where everything was and how the town worked. As expected, everyone else had been lovely. You'd felt particularly close to Celine and Reina, who you'd vowed to invite to your house for a picnic or something once it was looking a little less... unkempt. Only March had seemed not to like you, but you didn't let that bother you too much - his brother Olric had told you that was just the way he was. And then there was Balor, who seemed to be living rent free in your head ever since you'd first met at the bridge.

As you brushed your hair and freshened up before going off to the inn, you thought back to all the other men you'd been close to. None of them had provoked feelings that were even similar to these. Did that mean .... no, impossible ! You were business partners, and hopefully with time you'd become friends. Slamming your hairbrush down decisively, you walked out of your front door, attempting to live any and all inappropriate thoughts on the doorstep.

The inn was packed. It felt like the whole town was there, which honestly wasn't too improbable. Celine had told you Fridays were the official day for everyone to gather and socialise at the inn, but it seemed like several people did it everyday. Not that you minded. Quite the opposite in fact.

"Y/N, over here !" Reina waved at you cheerfully. It appeared she'd saved you a seat and a plate if daily soup. You went up to her and Celine, sitting down with a smile.

"Have you met everyone ?" Reina asked as you dug in.

"Yup. I even got you'd about the project to fix the bridge," you replied in between spoonfuls.

"That's so great," Reina's expression was one of total excitement.

"Y/N," A deep voice from behind you called your name, and you turned around to see Ryis, the charming carpenter you'd met earlier that day.

"Hi Ryis, how can I help ?" You asked, feeling both Celine and Reina shift their gazes onto you.

"I just wanted to tell you that if you ever need anything crafted for you farm, you can rely onl me. I'd be more than happy to teach you how it's done or to do it for you," Ryis grinned at you. "And I'm sure that despite what he says, March would also be happy to help."

At hearing his name mentioned, March turned towards you, his face slightly flushed.

"You wanna hear a secret, Y/N. You aren't actually so bad ! Oh wait - what am I saying ?"

You tried not to smile to yourself. It appeared that the closed off, sassy blacksmith was a completely different guy when drunk.

"Well, thank you both," you smiled at them. Surprisingly, even March grinned back.

"Of course. I've got to head off now, but I'll see you around," Ryis gave you a nod before leaving, and you swore you saw a red tint blooming across his cheeks.

"I think he likes you," Celine whispered as soon as he'd left the inn. You looked at her, you eyes wide.

"No, he's just being helpful because I'm new to town. Like everyone else,"

"Be serious, Y/N. Did you see the look on his face ? He barely even breathed a word to Celine and I," Reina said looking at you with both eyebrows raised. Celine nodded.

"I think you're both reading too much into it. Let's just have dinner and talk about something else,"

***

Balor's POV

Balor had watched the entire scene play out from one of the tables at the back of the inn, feeling irrational pangs of jealousy as he did so.

He'd meant to intercept you first, but Celine and Reina had beaten him to it. Oh well. It was good that you were making friends. However, his feelings quickly soured as he saw Ryis blushing and smiling while talking to you as you smiled back. Damn it, he wanted to be the guy to make you smile like that ! And now March was looking at you too ? He wasn't sure why it was affecting him so deeply when it had nothing to do with him. It was probably just the alcohol, and the fact he hadn't been with a woman in quite a while. All his last dates had felt empty and boring, so he'd simply stopped going.

The sound of your voice broke his yrain of thought.

"Well, it's been lovely, guys but I must head back," you were smiling at Reina and Celine, a gesture that made your face look like it was radiating sunlight from within. Before he'd Tully processed what he was doing, Balor walked up to you.

"I'll walk you home," he grinned confidently.

"Oh... thank you so much, but there's no need. I live so close," you cheeks were turning light pink as you spoke, a detail that pleased him more than he cared to admit.

"I insist," as soon as he'd said that, you hadn't hesitated in following him out of the hotel.

You'd walked most of the way in companionable silence before he spoke up.

"You sure scrub up nicely,". You met his gaze, eyes shining in the darkness.

"You do too,". The wind blew a stray strand of hair on your face, and he felt compelled to tuck it behind your ear with his hand. He controlled himself, settling for just walking you to your door.

"Sweet dreams, Y/N. I look forward to working with you,"

You smiled at him, your face lighting up in that way that took his breath away.

"Good night Balor, and me too,"

Masterlist

[ukulelevillainwrites]

who follows the rules anyway?

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9

complete

pairing : anthony lockwood x she/her reader

summary : y/n gets fired from Fittes and seeks refuge with George, only to find out he works with the worst guy she's ever met

word count : 3.5k

notes : this is my first fanfic ever, the set up is a little slow but bear with me, the series will be a compilation of all my favorite tropes and in general everything i love to read in l&c fanfics, it's heavily inspired by everything i've read so far so thanks to all the amazing writers out there <3, a lot more happens in the second part that i will upload right next to this one

She wasn’t entirely surprised when she heard that George Karim had gotten fired from Fittes. He did a great job on the few occasions she got to work with him, but he always seemed to take his research too far. She remembered warning him several times.

“Supervisors aren’t as open-minded as I am, you’re gonna get in trouble if you keep bringing up your theories about the Problem to every person you interact with!”

“But don’t you find it weird how research has come so far and yet the Problem keeps growing? The official story tells us that an unidentified event caused it but what if it’s still going on? Wouldn’t you want to know what that was so we could finally put an end to this?”

When he put it that way, y/n couldn’t help but agree with him.

“Sure, I guess but it doesn’t justify going up to the fourth floor when it’s clearly closed to agents still in training!”

“Keep your head in the sand if you want but I’ll get to the bottom of this, I know I’m getting closer already.” George said with a proud smile on his face.

She’d laughed. He was stubborn but she found it endearing.

He had bragged about his latest discoveries after a case the both of them had been working on. It wasn’t the first time. They got along well and took the habit of grabbing an early morning snack on their way back from work. He would mostly tell her about his most recent theory, either about the Problem or his latest obsession, which could take a few hours. But y/n didn’t mind, she thought he was good company and it helped her relax after a case. Though aside from those few moments they didn’t spend that much time together. Especially since y/n became part of Quill Kipps’ crew.

A month ago, she had gotten the good news coming back to work after a weekend visiting her parents in her hometown south of London. She was ecstatic, her roommate El too. Especially El actually. Because they had such a huge crush on him. y/n didn’t quite understand it, but she did admire his career. He had a remarkable reputation among other Fittes agents and being part of his team would certainly boost her career as well. She had her heart set on moving up to management and someday become a prominent figure of the Fittes organization. But to reach this goal she’d need to be as remarkable as Kipps, better even. She wanted him to notice her, to see how great her Touch was but most importantly how organized and responsible she could be under pressure. She needed him to think she could be a great leader and sought his attention on every occasion. Because of that she and George drifted apart, going from work friends to acquaintances that simply exchanged passing hellos at the archives or the Fittes headquarters. Before she even thought of reaching out to him, he was gone.

“Did you hear?” El had asked her as she walked into their shared room.

“Heard what?”

“That annoying guy finally got fired!”

“What George? He wasn’t annoying he was sweet!”

“You have weird tastes in friends.”

“Yes, I do.” She told them with a wink.

“But do you know what happened? Most supervisors were pissed and wanted to involve the cops!”

“What? Why?”

“Because he tried to break into an office! They caught him trying to pick the lock! How crazy is that?” El seemed to relish the drama of the situation as their face lit up with a smile that seemed inappropriate under the circumstances.

“That is crazy but as much as I love to gossip, I really need to get some sleep.”

y/n got ready for bed and set her alarm for the following day. She had to do some research at the archives with her teammate. They would join Kipps later at the client’s house. It shouldn’t be too difficult since it seemed to be a Type One but she really needed to impress him. She had to be the perfect agent: quick, focused and perfectly prepared. Even though she was always very professional she still needed some rest.

y/n was a heavy sleeper and had very vivid dreams. Ever since she was a child, she had some of her nights disturbed by complex dreams that felt so real she would wake up exhausted the next morning as if she hadn’t slept at all. It hadn’t happened in quite some time, but that night y/n wouldn’t get much rest. She found herself in the middle of the woods, barefoot, standing in a clearing. The ground was covered with an emerald green moss that felt soft beneath her feet. She looked around but couldn’t see much beside the shadows of the surrounding trees. A thick fog made it hard to see where she was. Disoriented and lost, she started walking towards the nearest tree but, a few steps in, her right foot sank in ice cold water. She realized she was in the middle of a pond, stuck and unable to reach the shore. A frog jumped into the water behind her and made her turn around. A girl was standing in front of her. Her auburn hair was slightly curled, and her bangs delicately framed her brown eyes. She was slightly smaller than she was, about the same age, her face showed no emotion at all.

“Find me.” She said in a neutral tone.

y/n furrowed her brow, not understanding what she meant. As she opened her mouth to ask her to explain the girl repeated

“Find me.”

Without moving she somehow floated above the pond and retreated into the woods. She mouthed the same words one last time before the fog engulfed her. y/n woke up with a jolt, disoriented and terribly thirsty. What was that about? she thought. She didn’t have time to ponder since she hadn’t heard her alarm and was already late to meet up with her colleague.

“I’m so sorry I’m late Bobby I hope I didn’t make you wait for too long…”

“It’s fine but hurry up. Kipps insisted on gathering as much information as possible.”

“Really? But everything indicates a Type One right?”

“The problem isn’t with the dead but with the living. Didn’t you pay attention to who our client is?”

“Mrs Overton? What about her?” Bobby had an exasperated look on his face and sighed heavily. So much for being the perfect agent today.

“Her husband owns Overton Watches and basically runs a luxury empire and she is on the board of the Sunrise Corporation. She and her husband are close friends with Penelope Fittes and we cannot screw up this case otherwise our team will probably end up at the bottom of her list next time she needs trustworthy agents.”

Oh, I’m not rested enough to deal with that.

“Okay then, let’s get to work.”

They spent the whole day at the agency’s archives. The Fittes database did help a lot to find more information about the Overtons’ house but overall, it was a pretty boring case. The house was old, dated back the 1800s, it belonged to Mrs Overton’s ancestors, one of them died because, well, they had to at some point, and felt like coming back. This great grandmother didn’t live any kind of extraordinary life and decided to haunt the place in the same unremarkable way. Y/n had trouble staying focused. The case was not fascinating, far from it. Her mind drifted and came back to her dream. In hindsight it wasn’t that disturbing. It was just her brain making stuff up. But she couldn’t shake the feeling she had felt when the girl had spoken to her. There was something magnetic about her voice and it had an intensity that didn’t match the lack of expression on her face. It bothered her. Why couldn’t she stop seeing her face?

Bobby got up to put back some newspapers and the sudden movement next to her brought her back to reality. Right, the Overton case. Everything indicated a Lurker, so y/n wasn’t too worried about tonight. She could still make up for today’s start. Plus, her talent would probably be the most useful. This unseemly case might serve her after all.

As she walked back to their table after putting a book back on its shelf, she accidently bumped into someone.

“Oh I’m so sorry!”

“It’s okay don’t worry.”

“George? Hi! What are you doing here?”

“I came by to pick up the rest of my stuff…”

“Oh right… I’m so sorry about all this.”

“Don’t be I kinda deserved it anyway. Though I still think I was right.”

“About what?”

“Mrs. Dufour stealing sources. It’s pretty obvious she can’t afford to live the way she does on a supervisor’s salary, and she always looks like she’s plotting something. She reminds me of relic men. I never liked her.”

“Well to be fair you don’t like a lot of people… it looks like I missed your last hyperfixation… but it seems like a stretch and accusing her of something like that… Was it really worth getting into that much trouble?”

“I’m not chipper about it, but I’ll be fine. I already found something else, a friend I can still work with, maybe you know him. We live in-”

But y/n wasn’t listening. Bobby was calling her, telling her that they had to get moving to get to their client’s house before sundown.

“I really have to go George I’m sorry. But I’ll miss our walks filled with your crazy theories.” She said with a smile.

“If you want to come by for tea, we’d be happy to have you. 35 Portland Row, don’t forget!”

“Sure, I won’t! Good luck!”

“Thanks, you too.”

She hurried to catch up with her colleague. She really was going to miss him even though they weren’t that close she had grown used to seeing him around. But she couldn’t believe his theory about Mrs. Dufour. It sounded like he wanted to see evil everywhere and was looking for something to distract himself with. A made-up scenario that justified why he disliked her at the same time. Nothing more.

----

“Good evening, Madam, we are a leading team from Fittes. We were assigned to make your house safe again by Miss Fittes herself.”

Kipps always had a very humble way of introducing them to their clients. As proud as y/n was of being on his team, she didn’t feel entirely at ease with his elevated figures of speech.

“Yes, I was expecting you. Penelope told me she put one of her best teams on my case. I was very flattered.”

“Well, we do not want to appear overly confident, but we will be most efficient to take care of your problem. May we come in?” she asked.

“Of course, please. I suppose your supervisor will be here too?”

“Yes, Mrs. Dufour will be here shortly.” Kipps answered.

y/n abruptly turned around to look at him.

“Mrs. Dufour? What happened to Mr. Fowler?”

“He got called by DEPRAC to deal with some details on the last case we did. You know, the one where it only took you two minutes to find the source after Bobby and I spent a half hour looking for it. It was really impressive I was glad you were here.” He told her with a wink.

She felt herself blush. She wasn’t used to being praised and certainly not by a prominent agent like Quill Kipps, even after a month of working together she still felt flustered. Maybe that last case made up for the horrible impression she gave him on her first week. And she was going to keep proving him how great she was.

The praise was so unexpected it made her forget who their supervisor was for a moment. What were the odds that on the same day George told her about his suspicions she had to work with this potential traitor? She could not let George’s wild theories cloud her judgement. She was here to do a job, a relatively easy one given their research, and she was going to make a wonderful impression on both Kipps and this high-profile client. She took the lead and went inside.

As they stepped into the house, they were greeted by a white marble entrance furnished with glass cases displaying various clocks and watches, certainly a history of the famous Overton watches and mechanisms. The sun was already setting, it hit a crystal chandelier which reflected golden light over the walls. The pieces shone behind their glass. Their client guided them through the hall into the kitchen were teacups and biscuits had been served. Mrs. Overton took a seat and the three agents followed. She seemed at ease with the situation even though the young adults she had in front of her were here to rid her of a ghost. She sat at the head of the table, perfectly in control as if this meeting was a business reunion like any other. She was in her late fifties; her hair was silver and styled in an elaborate hairstyle. She looked both serious and relaxed at the same time. She was aware of the risks but wasn’t worried about the situation, like she had total faith in the team in front of her.

“While we wait for Mrs. Dufour maybe you could tell us more about what has been troubling you?” asked Kipps.

“I believe the haunting began about three weeks ago. My husband started feeling uneasy when he got home, and I felt the same fear shortly after. We never saw or heard anything we just feel watched.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Madam.” y/n tried to comfort her.

“The research we did on your house indicates that it’s been built in the 1800’s and never left your family is that correct?” Bobby interrupted.

“Yes, I inherited it about 2 years ago, but we only moved in this year.”

“We believe the haunting might be caused by one of your ancestors, a certain Emily Abbott, could you tell us anything about her?”

“I’m afraid I’ve never heard of her before…”

“So, you wouldn’t have any idea what her source might be?”

“You might have a late night ahead of you. When we moved in, we kept most of the furniture that were already in the house. For all I know any of these pieces could be the source.”

That wasn’t good news. Hopefully with her Touch y/n could save them some time. They could start at the bottom of the house and work their way up, going from room to room as she touches different objects hoping for some result. As she organized the night in her head the front door opened.

Mrs. Dufour immediately filled the room with her presence. Mostly because she spoke at length and didn’t let the team finish asking their questions. She thanked Mrs. Overton for waiting for her, ushered her out of the house and gave them her directions for the night. Not even Kipps could object. She wanted him to stay nearby while Bobby and y/n were to explore the house to see if they could pick up anything. She felt for Kipps, this seemed like a monumental waste of time for him. But they couldn’t do much about it, agents were supposed to follow their supervisor’s instructions, they were in charge after all.

They searched the house until midnight, making rounds, going up and down the floors, looking for potential sources or trying to pick up any kind of psychical activity but came back downstairs empty handed. How was she supposed to impress anyone with a case like this? y/n and Bobby went back to the kitchen to report the lack of activity to Mrs. Dufour. 

“We’ve searched the entire house three times but unfortunately none of the objects we picked up gave any sign of psychical activity, the visitor hasn’t shown up yet and Mrs. Overton couldn’t give us more information. I’m not really sure what more we could do for now.” Bobby looked defeated. Or bored. Probably the latter, it was an exceptionally boring case. y/n was growing tired at the lack of action. It made her mad that someone could hire one of the best teams in London to take care of such a benign problem just because they had money and connections while hundreds of homes were threatened by harmful Type Twos and couldn’t do anything about it.

“Do I really have to tell you two how to do your jobs? Keep looking and take this seriously. I hope you realize who our client is, I can’t allow any mistake tonight.” Her authoritarian tone made y/n see why George disliked her. Clearly, they must have gotten into a few arguments on several occasions. But she couldn’t understand what would make him think that she could steal sources. She seemed to take her job very seriously. Sure, she was a pain but that didn’t mean she was a criminal.

“I’ve got something here! Bobby, y/n join me in the hall.” Kipps called.

They drew their rapiers and walked slowly into the hall. Kipps was looking at a corner where shadow had gathered. There was a faint, almost indistinguishable human shape lurking there. But it didn’t move, and it didn’t seem to want anything more than just stand there.

“I’m going to keep an eye on it while you two look for the source.” Kipps told them without averting his eyes from the dark figure.

“But what more can we do we looked everywhere already.” Bobby said with a sigh.

“Well,” Kipps turned to her. “y/n, got any ideas?”

She didn’t answer. She hadn’t heard them as she was lost in thought. Mrs. Overton hadn’t mentioned anything about the display cases here. But she should have. There were marks on the walls behind them, and again on the marble floor. It was a clear sign that bigger and heavier furniture had been removed to make room for new ones. That change alone could have triggered the ghost. And since they were behind glass, they hadn’t tested any of the objects on display. Though they were all Overton Watches so, clearly, they didn’t have anything to do with Mrs. Overton’s ancestors. Another dead end. She lingered in front of the central display, slowly losing hope. If such a ridiculously small case was too much for her, what was she even doing here? Sure, the two guys accompanying her weren’t inspired either, but she was disappointed in herself. She had dealt with dangerous situations without flinching, but a Lurker case was getting the best of her. That was embarrassing. She rested her hands on the case and looked down at the watches. There were four watches spread across a silk white sheet surrounding a bigger, more ancient clock. They didn’t seem that impressive. Why were people making such a big deal out of them? The clock on the other hand was more ornate and had required skilled craftmanship. The mechanism was apparent and intricate. It was still working which was most impressive. A golden crown rested delicately upon a mother-of-pearl dial, the needles moving steadily around. Right beneath the number 6 was engraved something almost unreadable. She squinted to see better. The initials EA were written in golden letters.

“I’ve found it! The source! It’s this clock right here!”

“Nice work y/n. Keep an eye on the ghost I’ll take care of the source.”

They switched position and she kept her eyes on the shadow as Kipps tried to get the clock out of the display.

“I can’t get to it, it’s locked. I’m gonna have to break the glass.”

“No! Don’t do that Mrs. Overton would be livid. Bobby go get Mrs. Dufour and Kipps don’t touch anything please.” She said with her back to them, her eyes still staring at the corner.

“Did you find the source? What is it?” Mrs. Dufour asked, suddenly in a hurry.

“We have reasons to believe this clock is the object causing Mrs. Overton trouble.”

“That’s really nice work Mr. Kipps congratulations.”

“I much appreciate your praise, but it has to go to y/n. She found the source. As we don’t have a key, I offered to break the glass, but y/n thinks it would upset our client.”

“Well thank you Miss y/n for using some common sense. We cannot break anything in this house.”

“We could drape a silver net over the case and come back in the morning to pick up the source.” She offered.

“I think it would be best. Thank you again for your prompt judgement here.”

“It was my pleasure.” She blushed. It was nice to have her efforts acknowledged, no matter how small. This supervisor might have been a stickler, but she recognized good work, it was enough to satisfy her. This case turned out pretty well after all.

[aishangotome]

Jin Grandet: Even If I Can Only Consume One Candy Per Day For Sugar...

From A Hidden Oath: King of the BEAST (2024 Election) - Collection Event

—

When I returned to my room after finishing my official duties, Emma came in with a small bottle.

Jin: Oh, is that the usual?

Emma: Yes, I thought you might be running out soon.

Jin: I'm already happy just spending time with you after work, but now I get a souvenir too.

Emma: Hehe, then I'll refill it for you.

Emma often made candies that were gentle on the body for me and refilled them regularly.

(I love all sweets, but there's no confectionery that makes me happier than the candies filled with your feelings.)

Emma sat on the sofa and refilled the stock bottle on the table with individually wrapped candies.

Watching her, I couldn't help but smile.

Emma: Oh, it hasn't decreased much this time.

Jin: Really? I've been eating them carefully, but...

(Come to think of it, maybe my candy consumption pace has slowed down since some time ago.)

(I was eating them as usual, to the point where I didn't even notice until you pointed it out...)

As I thought about it, I looked at Emma, who was tilting her head in wonder, and came to a possible conclusion.

(...Ah, I see.)

For me, candies, and sugar in general, are small joys in everyday life.

I used to have a candy in my mouth often because I felt like something was missing.

I sat down next to Emma, who was staring blankly, and stroked her cheek, and she smiled as if tickled.

Emma: Prince Jin, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?

Jin: I wanted to see your sweet smile up close, like your candies.

Even as I replied in a joking tone, my thoughts turned into conviction.

(When I'm with Emma, my heart is always filled.)

(That's why your candies, filled with such feelings, are sweeter than any other confectionery, even if they're less sweet.)

(That might be a big reason why I'm eating less candy.)

(You fill the void in my heart, so I don't need to fill it with sugar.)

(I see, this is also love.)

Jin: Being too cute is also a crime.

Emma: Huh?

Jin: Seeing your smile makes me feel excited.

Contrary to my words, I tried to hug her waist with a desire to pamper her, but Emma smiled and gently put a candy without a wrapper on my lips.

Emma: Please wait while licking the candy until the refill is finished.

When I put it in my mouth obediently, Emma's love spread warmly throughout my body, down my throat.

Jin: Well, this one is also delicious. It's a gentle sweetness filled with your sincerity.

Emma: I'm making it while imagining not only your health but also your happy face, Jin.

Jin: Thank you. I think I can be satisfied with one candy.

Emma: It's a good thing that the consumption of candy has decreased. Too much sugar is bad for your health.

Jin: It's true that if I hadn't met you, I would have ruined my body.

(Not just this candy. You never forget to tell me you love me at any time.)

(That's why I want to return more love and make you happy.)

(... Recently, thanks to you, the opportunities to feel that love is a good thing have definitely increased.)

Every time I touch Emma, I realize that my perception of love is gradually changing within myself.

(Even if I could only consume only one candy per day for sugar,)

(My love for you will not change... No, it will only grow.)

Jin: It's a freshly made candy. Why don't you eat it too?

I put a new candy without a wrapper in my mouth and sealed Emma's lips.

Emma: Mmm...

As our tongues rolled around each other, the candy melted in our hot, wet mouths.

Emma: Mmm, Prince Jin...

A sweet voice mixed with sugar spilled along with a silver thread, arousing my desire even more.

Jin: As expected, it's the sweetest and most delicious candy in the world.

Jin: It seems my body can no longer be satisfied with anything other than the sweets you make.

Emma: I'm happy to hear you say that.

The jar filled with new candies that caught her eye seemed to represent her own heart.

To pamper my sweet and lovely fiancée, I carried her sideways and took her to the bed.

Emma, her cheeks dyed rose, smiled as she pressed her face against my chest.

Emma: I'll keep making candies and bringing them to you, okay?

Jin: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

(I'm being loved too much, it's troubling.)

I laid her down on the bed as if handling a treasure, and we repeated deep kisses as if exchanging our feelings.

Thus, the night quietly deepened as we savored gentle and sweet feelings while appreciating our certain love and gratitude.

FIN

[maple-the-awesome]

The Commander and His Assistant || 1/2

Pairing: Erwin x Pixis! Reader

Words: 4,618

Requested by @malakmilli: Hello lovely 🤍 If the requests are open , this is my: Erwin x reader. When she is the daughter of Pixis and works as erwin's assistant . And during these two years of working with him they fall in love and their relationship becomes official in the survey corps , But one day erwin decides to break off this relationship because he doesn't want her to grieve over his death, so he avoids her for days, then calls her to his office to tell her that her job as an assistant is done, And she can return to the Protection Corps, But she collapses in front of him because he told her to forget what happened between them and that he has stopped loving her (He was lying because he still loves her) ... So she leaves and goes back to work with her father. Months pass, and erwin can't go on without her , He returns to meet pixis and tell him the reason ....... And he asks pixis to let him take her back, but this time as his fiancée ....... I hope my request is not too long 😭😭😭 I do not expect you to refuse 🥺🥺 I send you my greetings and thanks🤍 Oooh, I love the whole daughter-of-a-friend trope😍It's one of my favorites for angst! I got a little carried away writing, so I'm going to make this into at least two parts. Here's the first!

Attack on Titan Masterlist 🖤 Fandom Masterlist

A knock at the door demands Erwin's attention more than relaxation does, however it's not necessarily something that he minds seeing as his new title has only just begun. Although he was hoping to rest a bit after such a chaotic day of meetings, he doesn't hesitate to stand back up from the comfort of his new desk chair and opens the door with a greeting given to the young woman who waits at the other side with a perfectly angled salute.

More would've been said aside from a simple 'hello' if not for her beating him to the punch, "Good evening, Sir. My name is (Y/n), and I've been assigned to be your assistant. It will be a pleasure to work with you from here on out."

"'Assistant'...?" Erwin echoes with a raised eyebrow, yet he shakes your outstretched hand nevertheless, after all being caught off guard isn't an excuse to not be polite. You give him a firm shake, but mirror his confusion before eventually retracting your hand to run it through your hair with an exhausted sigh.

"...Well, I suppose I shouldn't find it too surprising if you didn't receive a proper orientation seeing as things have never worked very fluidly around here. Throw Commander Shadis' sudden retirement on top of it and things have been particularly chaotic as of lately..." You ramble mostly under your breath, so Erwin isn't too certain if you're speaking to him or complaining to yourself. Regardless of your intended audience, you multitask between your mumbled rant and slipping past him into the office where you promptly invite yourself to begin shifting through the massive pile of paperwork stacked on top of his desk as if it's meant for you.

"I would apologize for everything being a mess, especially with this being your first day and all, but it would probably be more effective for me to ask that you just get used to it if you plan on being commander for a while because in your current position, you'll be set to encounter more bumpy trails than smooth roads," You speak aloud this time, your voice bored with a lace of irritation, "Anyhow, seeing as no one has explained this to you yet, I am to be your assistant when it comes to the more 'administrative' work that being the leader of the Survey Corps entails. Every commander gets one and not to worry, I worked for Commander Shadis for two years, so I'm pretty familiar with my responsibilities. 

"I do the typical tasks you would imagine for an assistant. I run small errands, make sure you have everything you need to do your job, and help you do it effectively. First and foremost, I'll be in charge of organizing your schedule, particularly when it comes to meetings. Everyone is expected to go through me first before they can meet with you since you'll be very busy and won't have time for friendly visits every hour of the day. You'll also receive a lot of paperwork, much of it not needing your actual attention, so starting tomorrow, I'll make sure to have it organized into five piles every morning before you come in: mission reports, latest recruits, current statuses, budget info, and miscellaneous."

Turning back around, you take Erwin's wide eyes as a sign that nothing you just said must’ve made it past his skull - a thought that has you holding back an annoyed sigh - yet before you can repeat yourself, Erwin ends up smiling with a slight tone of admiration, "...You do seem to have this job down fairly well."

You nearly smirk at what you take as a compliment, "If there’s one thing you should learn about me, Commander Smith, let it be that I take my job very seriously and don't care for wasting precious time. Maria knows we don't have much of it with those titans clawing at our doorstep."

"That's very true, Ms...-"

"- Pixis," You do finally sigh when Erwin's eyes widen in reaction.

"Would I be wrong to assume you’re related to -?"

"- Commander Dot Pixis? Yes, he's my father," You roll your eyes and even go as far as to pinch the bridge of your nose. It isn't that you're in any way ashamed of your father, in fact you have an excellent relationship built upon years of care and respect, however it does get tiring to constantly have other people compare you to him. Oh well. That's what you get for deciding to follow in his footsteps; you should expect no less.

"For the sake of keeping this simple, please feel free to call me by my first name," Sitting in one of the chairs in front of his desk, you continue to overlook the papers in each of your hands, only parting your eyes from them to send Erwin a smile as he takes a seat in his own chair in front of you, "After all, considering we'll be spending a lot of time together, I doubt a first name basis would be too inappropriate." 

.

.

.

And that's how you both met. If looking back at it now, it really wouldn't stand out as that unique of a day, although granted, Erwin has since spent two whole years with you being his assistant and your time together has never strayed far from how it began. 

Every morning you confidently welcome yourself into his office, giving a quick greeting before explaining his schedule for the day without missing a single beat. You're always at the top of your game, making it clear that while your job is to help him, it is not to hold his hand. He's an adult in charge of the entire Survey Corps, and thankfully for your sanity, he has no problem acting like it. 

Erwin makes your list of tasks easy, remembering all the meetings you arrange for him and staying on top of paperwork instead of adding to ever-growing stacks. If you didn't know any better, you'd say he was born for this job, accomplishing everything on his busy plate without so much as a word of complaint. It's honorable, really. So many people get big heads when they make it to the highest steps within the military, but never Erwin. He balances authority with understanding, never forgetting his simpler origins and the reasons for why he joined in the first place - reasons you're well aware of by this point.

Although your respective jobs already require cooperation, Erwin and you do consider yourselves to be on friendly terms even beyond work matters. It started when you first offered to stay later and help Erwin complete his paperwork by a reasonable hour. As you assured then and ever since, you don't mind overtime nor is it like you have anyone eagerly awaiting your return back home. This became a common occurrence in no time - the two of you staying until the sky would grow dark and building quiet aside from your genuine conversations. Soon, such conversations dripped into the actual work day, it not being rare for someone else to pass you in the halls snickering over an inside joke together.

Needless to say, Erwin and you became tied to the hip both almost literally due to your jobs and figuratively through your close friendship. Perhaps what helped the most in this was your ability to bond over your similar positions in life: both raised by single fathers in an environment that fostered a dangerous curiosity for what lies beyond the Walls - a key point in your development as you would forever march forward with fierce determination to seek out answers for all your itching questions no matter the cost.

Sure, it shouldn't be strange to see the Commander and his assistant together nor to notice that they get on well, however that hasn't stopped others in the Survey Corps from placing bets on how long it will take for you to step beyond the lines of professional colleagues or even friends. It's an especially favored pass time for those within your inner group:

Hanji bet exactly three months and thirteen days, giving some explanation based on 'evidence' and the 'science' of emotions or whatnot (it's safer just to nod along when she gets into it). 

Levi said a year, convinced you're both too dense to notice the other's feelings any sooner, although he did mention that he's willingly to make an exception if a life-or-death situation were to occur and force confessions earlier. 

Weeks, months, years - Guesses have been all over the place. And then there's Mike who confidently bet that you're already in a relationship which you keep secret in the name of professionalism. His stance has brought forth many objections, but the others would be shocked to know that he actually isn't wrong. 

It took approximately a year for your relationship to turn romantic, so Levi would've been right if only he had placed his bets in the very beginning. It might further disappoint him to know there was no life-or-death situation nor dramatic build up to your confessions either. The start was as simple as Erwin casually asking if you had any plans after work one day and you having an open schedule. Provided how much you already enjoy each other's company, it just felt like a natural next step to officially begin dating.

As Mike predicted, you decided to keep your relationship quiet for the sake of remaining professional, neither of you wanting to deal with the ridiculous commotion that would undoubtedly follow anyone's realization that the Commander is dating his own assistant. The secret itself is also easy to keep since being romantically involved doesn’t change much about your workday interactions aside from the small signs of affection now laced into your daily tasks: quick kisses to your cheek before he leaves for a meeting, flirtatious whispers in each other’s ears during passing, but your favorite has to be those quiet domestic conversations shared over paperwork where business and dinner become a balanced pair.

The only person you made an effort to inform about your relationship was your father who you didn't feel comfortable keeping in the dark. Truthfully, like Mike, Pixis had already expected something deeper was going on between you both and while he can't say he was particularly thrilled when you confirmed his suspicions, nor does he exactly approve, he has never argued beyond asking if you realize the risks of dating a fellow scout. Your father isn't a fool, aware that realistically, there isn't anything he can do to change his adult daughter's decisions. He just counts himself lucky that he at least raised you well enough to know your own worth by dating a good man like Erwin and not some pesky troublemaker.

Indeed, Erwin treats you well as an equal deserving of recognition for all your hard work both behind the desk and out on expeditions. The feeling is mutual, of course. Your relationship - even before it turned romantic - has always been built upon a foundation of trust and respect going both ways. 

You admire Erwin for his leadership and strength. Every Survey Corps soldier may have a certain fire in their eyes, however your Commander is one of the few who manages to maintain its blaze. Even you must admit that you had felt afraid and discouraged when faced with titans for the first time, those very feelings festering inside after the Fall of Wall Maria, but a single glance towards Erwin is all it ever takes to extinguish your fears. Seeing his confidence and everlasting determination despite every failed mission - his refusal to simply bow his head to the doubts of others - that’s what turned your basic respect for one’s superior into love for someone’s entire being. 

Unfortunately, there’s a reason as to why Pixis asked you what he did that day you informed him of your relationship. Do you understand the risks of dating a fellow scout? Most soldiers have their significant other waiting for them back home where at least one of them is being kept safe. Your boyfriend rides by your side on the frontline, perfectly willing to risk his entire existence for the betterment of humanity. While that is something you love so dearly about him, it’s also a terrifying thought especially whenever faced with awful reminders…Reminders like what you experienced during your latest mission…

You witnessed it happen which in hindsight probably only made the situation worse regardless of how well anyone thinks you handled it. By outward appearances, you played your role to a T. You were calm, collected, and quick to secure control the best you possibly could. Reach his side, ensure you were protected by other soldiers, stop the bleeding…You maintained a straight face as you shouted orders and gave commands, but that doesn’t mean your hands weren’t shaking nor heart skipping.

Even now, you can’t seem to stop the trembling, only hide it by keeping your arms crossed behind your back. The room is quiet because no one has the strength nor will to speak. The last week has been nothing short of a disaster, at least that’s what the girlfriend side of you wants to say. 

The soldier in you would claim the opposite, insisting that humanity has gained a huge step forward in comparison to where you’ve been in the past. The Armored and Colossus Titans have been unveiled, Eren is more valuable than originally believed, and Hanji has a theory as to what titans truly are which sounds plausible based on the evidence she’s briefly ran by you…however none of that seems to stop you from worrying over Erwin who had been severely injured in battle.

‘Severely’ might be a strong word. A week ago, you watched as comrades were torn to shreds and heartlessly devoured. Erwin’s alive, likely sore and tired as he awakes from his coma, not to mention one arm less than the man who set out on that mission, but he’s alive, so at least you can be thankful for that. Regardless, such an injury might be costly. Will he even be able to use ODM gear again? Will it be reasonable for him to return to the field? There’s much to consider…

“You’ve quiet.”

You sigh, not looking directly at Erwin but rather keeping your attention turned to the window, “...I wish my mind were.”

He matches your frown, although he waits to say anything until you finally depart from the window’s side and take a seat on the chair pulled up next to his bed, “You should get some rest for yourself then. It’s been a long day for everyone…especially you.”

“Do you honestly think I’d be able to?” You almost snort, running a hand through your hair which feels knotted. You haven’t taken the time to properly comb it today. When you heard Erwin had awoken, you got dressed quickly, not wanting to waste much time in reaching his side.

You sigh once more with your head still in your hands, “...Where do we go from here, Erwin? I mean, are titans really just humans? We’ve been killing humans this whole time? Where did they come from - What do they have against us? …It seems every mystery we unravel, another two are there to replace it.”

“We keep moving forward,” He answers easily as you knew he would, “Every answered mystery is a step in the right direction - a step towards the full truth that so many of our comrades have already fallen in search of. If we stop now, we’ll never have hope of removing the blindfold from our eyes, but if we keep our progress, I know that one day we’ll succeed.”

You wonder when ‘one day’ will be. The Survey Corps has been at this for long before your own existence. Surely there was a Commander in the past who gave a similar speech only to die without ever seeing the day. While it’s nice to imagine humanity being free from this terror during any generation…

“Let’s hope we live to see it ourselves,” You reach over, placing your hand over his and giving it a gentle squeeze as you smile, “Perhaps I’m being too optimistic and maybe even a bit greedy by saying this, but I want to actually see the pay-off for our hard work. I want to be there the day this all makes sense - The day I can know our sacrifices were worth it…and I want us to be there together.”

Erwin looks to you with an expression you can only think to describe as surprise, although there might be something else there that you miss. Buried hope, burning worry… burdening guilt. Whatever it is, it goes unspoken because after some brief hesitation, he squeezes your hand back, raising it carefully to his lips so that he can kiss your knuckles delicately, “...I would like that, too.”

“You asked for me?” The ‘Sir’ dropped a long time ago after Erwin’s own insistence. Since you requested that he call you by your first name with no extra pageantry attached, it was only fair that you do the same for him although you’ll still occasionally tie formalities to coquettish words just to get a reaction.

“I did. I have something I want to discuss with you,” It had taken Erwin no time at all to return to his feet after losing an arm - and apparently back to work, too, if you’re to make anything of his ‘secret’ meetings with other soldiers and your father.

As his assistant, it’s only natural that you’ve helped set up some of those meetings, and as his girlfriend, it should be even less of a surprise that you’ve reached the conclusion that he’s planning something big. What exactly, he has yet to tell you, although you have some guesses and are eager to sit down for his long awaited explanation. 

“Well, I’m all ears.”

In typical Survey Corps fashion, nothing has slowed down since the previous mission. You’ve been busy, busy, busy trying to get everything sorted out during Erwin’s absence from official work. Cover his typical duties as Commander, organize meetings, and maintain communication with Levi’s squad - The latter of the two having been done ‘under-the-table’ as to keep unwanted eavesdroppers out of your business. No doubt Erwin’s plan has to do with the Military Police who currently hover above the Scouts like vultures and you’re always willing to entertain creative ways that could take them down a peg in their superiority complex.

“I want to discuss our relationship.”

Now you’re really intrigued. So many huge, new developments in the last few days and Erwin wants to discuss a five year romance? What could the topic possibly be? There’s no anniversaries or birthdays approaching, and even if there were, you’d hardly call them relevant. If he wanted to give you a celebratory gift, you’d be perfectly satisfied with an ordinary dinner, perhaps with a side of alcohol if you could steal some from your father’s stash…but again, there are no important dates that would warrant such a commemoration, you’re certain of that.

A lesser man may take the time to complain about your divided attention lately, demanding that you tear your eyes away from work related matters to instead focus upon him, although Erwin isn’t the type. He shares your pride towards the Survey Corps and understands your particularly packed schedule, after all, he’s partly the reason for it at the moment. Seeing as he’s mature enough to survive without his girlfriend’s constant recognition, you can’t see that being an issue either.

‘Discuss’ implies something significant where common ground must be sought. Five years is a long time to be dating; perhaps he wants to move things further along? Many couples your age already live together at this point and it isn’t uncommon for those within the military to move out of the barracks to a nearby home. Personally, you haven’t considered the idea much since you already spend most of your days side-by-side regardless, but it’s possible that Erwin could want to make things more ‘official’. Of course, for that to work, you’d also have to stop hiding your relationship, a good point of discussion -

“- I believe it would be in our best interest to terminate our relationship and remain strictly professional.”

“Huh?” Yet another surprise towards both the words said and how calmly Erwin says them. He doesn’t hesitate nor does he treat it as any grand announcement. It’s clearly rehearsed, formed in a way that makes it sound like more of a work-related matter presented before a jury of peers than a serious suggestion to his long-term girlfriend, leaving her stunned, “...As in ‘break up’?”

“Yes,” At least he shows some emotion when looking down at the table between you both, a frown etched onto his face which is twisted with what could best be called ‘guilt’, maybe even regret…but that’s all he says.

Erwin’s phlegmatic manner of delivery would usually act as the perfect fuse for an explosion on the part of even the most respectable woman - and you likely wouldn’t be blamed if you were to now leap up from your seat while tying the most abominable curses to his name - however the only sound that leaves you instead is the audible breath you suck in before fixing your posture against your chair.

“...Well, I think I have a right to ask why,” is your relaxed response, your eyes never so much as flickering away from the man sitting directly across from you. You can see the wheels turning in his head, trying hard to think of something decent to say that could possibly help this conversation land smoothly, yet he takes far too long working out the controls before you decide to take them for yourself:

“Does this have to do with challenging the government? I must admit I listened in on your conversation with my father last night, so I know what you’re planning,” You reach over, delicately placing a hand over his the same way you had days ago in his recovery room. Your voice is equally as soft, echoing your concern without any blame, “Are you afraid it will backfire on me? Because you don’t have to be. I understand pulling the rug out from underneath them won’t be easy and that the cost of failure will be high, but you know that I can handle myself, Erwin. I believe in your cause and I am prepared to stand by your side through every hardship. I could never hold any consequences against you.”

Erwin slides his hand away only to move it over your own. His touch is gentle - nearly as light as a feather - when he takes hold of your hand, giving it a squeeze that partners his sigh, “That’s not the reason. While I would hate to involve you in my plans against the King, and do worry about making you an enemy of the state - even more so than we might already be considered - that’s not the reason for why I think we should separate. Our line of work isn’t built for relationships -”

“- And yet we’ve been together for quite some time already,” You feel the need to point out.

“Barely.”

You can’t help but scrunch your nose; your first sign of irritation. ‘Barely’? Barely makes it sound as if you’ve only been tolerating each other through heaving breaths during all these years which surely hasn’t been the case, at least not through your observation and interpretations of things. No, your relationship isn’t traditional, yet you have nevertheless greatly enjoyed your time by Erwin’s side along with the little moments that have come with it. Not once have you questioned his admiration for you nor your own towards him. If anything, it gives you life, not suffocation.

“Our work is demanding. Ever since the near fall of Wall Rose, we have had little time to spend together that hasn’t been related to our assignments, and given recent developments, it’s only going to go uphill from here on out,” Erwin speaks carefully while watching your reaction, “Titans in our Walls, titans being people, spies among our ranks and a fake king…So much has happened that demands my attention. As Commander, I need to focus on leading the Survey Corps and humanity to the answers we’ve seeked for generations. I can’t risk a relationship getting in the way of my responsibilities.”

“Then it won’t. It never has before -”

“- You’re a distraction,” Erwin cuts you off, his eyes stern as they meet yours, “One I can’t afford. When I first considered starting a relationship with you, I was optimistic that I’d be able to create a balance between my priorities, but that was before everything. Now isn’t the time for me to risk any bias or reluctance towards my decisions. My priorities must lie solely with the Survey Corps without any hindrance. That being said, I will no longer have time for romance and I don’t know if I ever will again.”

“Then I can wait,” You announce, your free hand quickly moving over his, “I’m willing to wait for you until the world slows down.”

“...When has anyone in the Survey Corps had a peaceful streak to their career? When has a commander…?” There’s more stress to this point than Erwin means to let on, and you’d be tempted to believe there’s actually a hidden meaning behind it that he doesn’t want you looking into which is why he moves on so swiftly, “It would be unfair of me to lead you along when I don’t have any real intentions of a seeing a pay out for our relationship anyway. You’d be better off focusing on your own life by redirecting your own attention to someone who’s willing to give you the undivided love you’re deserving of.”

These words cut deeper than you care to admit. It feels like someone’s suddenly dumped a cold bucket of water over your head, throwing you into a disoriented state where you’re struggling to grasp straight thoughts. Usually you’re fairly good at rapid responses and quick quibs, but for once you’re left unsure of how to reply. A part of you wants to argue, another wants to cry…yet continuing to desperately beg like that isn’t worth the prolonged heartache nor your dignity. You’re both adults here. You must force yourself to keep it professional as you always have.

“...So is that truly what you want - and I don’t mean what you think is best from a logical standpoint. I mean is it what you want? You think you’d be happier if we were separated?”

“In the long run -” You can’t help biting your lip as Erwin looks down at your connected hands, “- I think we’d both be better off ending things now.”

“...Okay…” You match his tone, certain that if you speak any louder, you’ll both hear the quiver of your voice, “I -...I supposed I can’t say much to change your mind then. I don’t agree with it and I think you’re acting rashly to dispose of all our good memories so suddenly, but…If you’re certain it’s what you want…”

Your movements from there are numb and practically automatic as you stand from your chair while avoiding eye contact, “...I should get going then. I may not be your girlfriend anymore, but I’m still your assistant and as such, I’m still in charge of your work while you're confined here. There’s much I have to tend to, so I’ll, um…be on my way, Commander Smith.”

With that, you head to the door, the optimistic side of you hoping through each step that you’ll hear Erwin call out for you again with an apology after having already reconsidered his foolish decision…however that never comes. He simply watches you in silence and sorrow, only speaking as you open the door to leave, “...Goodbye, Miss Pixis.”