#there are two Gavins inside of you

[nyxx-nth]

Oh no I just made a really toxic and awful alternate interpretation of Gavin to ship with Ghost and it’s so bad why am I like this…..

Oh nooo I made him so sadistic fuckkk what have I done to my poor ghost

This Gavin first was interested in him because of Jimmy but then he started to like Ghost himself cuz he thinks he is pathetic and he wants to ruin himmm :(( he wants to bring out the worst parts of him :((( he wants to cause him pain :((( but also be his only source of respite :((( he is awful :( I hate him >:(

I like my normal Gavin interpretation better 😭😭 he’s just a jaded asshole… he’s just a troubled man… this new Gavin sucks he is a garbage bastard evil man >:(((

[unstablerk800]

Nines, I heard Gavin was looking for you

Processing. 25%. 75%. Error.

"Gavin is never looking for me", Nines replied stiffly. "He's glad when I'm not near him. Yesterday, for instance, he said get lost 49 times."

[fuckyeahgoodomens]

Oooh! A great Gavin Finney (Good Omens Director of Photography) interview with Helen Parkinson for the British Cinematographer! :)

HEAVEN SENT

Gifted a vast creative landscape from two of fantasy’s foremost authors to play with, Gavin Finney BSC reveals how he crafted the otherworldly visuals for Good Omens 2.  

It started with a letter from beyond the grave. Following fantasy maestro Sir Terry Pratchett’s untimely death in 2015, Neil Gaiman decided he wouldn’t adapt their co-authored 1990 novel, Good Omens, without his collaborator. That was, until he was presented with a posthumous missive from Pratchett asking him to do just that.  

For Gaiman, it was a request that proved impossible to decline: he brought Good Omens season one to the screen in 2019, a careful homage to its source material. His writing, complemented by some inspired casting – David Tennant plays the irrepressible demon Crowley, alongside Michael Sheen as angel-slash-bookseller Aziraphale – and award-nominated visuals from Gavin Finney BSC, proved a potent combination for Prime Video viewers.  

Aziraphale’s bookshop was a set design triumph.

Season two departs from the faithful literary adaptation of its predecessor, instead imagining what comes next for Crowley and Aziraphale. Its storyline is built off a conversation that Pratchett and Gaiman shared during a jetlagged stay in Seattle for the 1989 World Fantasy Convention. Gaiman remembers: “The idea was always that we would tell the story that Terry and I came up with in 1989 in Seattle, but that we would do that in our own time and in our own way. So, once Good Omens (S1) was done, all I knew was that I really, really wanted to tell the rest of the story.” 

Telling that story visually may sound daunting, but cinematographer Finney is no stranger to the wonderfully idiosyncratic world of Pratchett and co. As well as lensing Good Omens’ first outing, he’s also shot three other Pratchett stories – TV mini series  Hogfather  (2006), and TV mini-series The Colour of Magic (2008) and Going Postal (2010). 

He relishes how the authors provide a vast creative landscape for him to riff off. “The great thing about Pratchett and Gaiman is that there’s no limit to what you can do creatively – everything is up for grabs,” he muses. “When we did the first Pratchett films and the first Good Omens, you couldn’t start by saying, ‘Okay, what should this look like?’, because nothing looks like Pratchett’s world. So, you’re starting from scratch, with no references, and that starting point can be anything you want it to be.”  

Season two saw the introduction of inside-outside sets for key locations including Aziraphale’s bookshop. 

From start to finish 

The sole DP on the six-episode season, Finney was pleased to team up again with returning director Douglas Mackinnon for the “immensely complicated” shoot, and the pair began eight weeks of prep in summer 2021. A big change was the production shifting the main soho set from Bovington airfield, near London, up to Edinburgh’s Pyramids Studio. Much of the action in Good Omens takes place on the Soho street that’s home to Aziraphale’s bookshop, which was built as an exterior set on the former airfield for season one. Season two, however, saw the introduction of inside-outside sets for key locations including the bookshop, record store and pub, to minimise reliance on green screen.  

Finney brought over many elements of his season one lensing, especially Mackinnon’s emphasis on keeping the camera moving, which involved lots of prep and testing. “We had a full-time Scorpio 45’ for the whole shoot (run by key grip Tim Critchell and his team), two Steadicam operators (A camera – Ed Clark and B camera Martin Newstead) all the way through, and in any one day we’d often go from Steadicam, to crane, to dolly and back again,” he says. “The camera is moving all the time, but it’s always driven by the story.” 

One key difference for season two, however, was the move to large-format visuals. Finney tested three large-format cameras and the winner was the Alexa LF (assisted by the Mini LF where conditions required), thanks to its look and flexibility.  

The minisodes were shot on Cooke anamorphics, giving Finney the ideal balance of anamorphic-style glares and characteristics without too much veiling flare.

A more complex decision was finding the right lenses for the job. “You hear about all these whizzy new lenses that are re-barrelled ancient Russian glass, but I needed at least two full sets for the main unit, then another set for the second unit, then maybe another set again for the VFX unit,” Finney explains. “If you only have one set of this exotic glass, it’s no good for the show.” 

He tested a vast array of lenses before settling on Zeiss Supremes, supplied by rental house Media Dog. These ticked all the boxes for the project: “They had a really nice look – they’re a modern design but not over sharp, which can look a bit electronic and a bit much, especially with faces. When you’re dealing with a lot of wigs and prosthetics, we didn’t want to go that sharp. The Supremes had a very nice colour palette and nice roll-off. They’re also much smaller than a lot of large-format glass, so that made it easy for Steadicam and remote cranes. They also provided additional metadata, which was very useful for the VFX department (VFX services were provided by Milk VFX).” 

The Supremes were paired with a selection of filters to characterise the show’s varied locations and characters. For example, Tiffen Bronze Glimmerglass were paired with bookshop scenes; Black Pro-Mist was used for Hell; and Black Diffusion FX for Crowley’s present-day storyline.  

Finney worked closely with the show’s DIT, Donald MacSween, and colourist, Gareth Spensley, to develop the look for the minisode.

Maximising minisodes 

Episodes two, three and four of season two each contain a ‘minisode’ – an extended flashback set in Biblical times, 1820s Edinburgh and wartime London respectively. “Douglas wanted the minisodes to have very strong identities and look as different from the present day as possible, so we’d instantly know we were in a minisode and not the present day,” Finney explains.  

One way to shape their distinctive look was through using Cooke anamorphic lenses. As Finney notes: “The Cookes had the right balance of controllable, anamorphic-style flares and characteristics without having so much veiling flare that they would be hard to use on green screens. They just struck the right balance of aesthetics, VFX requirements and availability.” The show adopted the anamorphic aspect ratio (2:39.1), an unusual move for a comedy, but one which offered them more interesting framing opportunities. 

Good Omens 2 was shot on the Alexa LF, paired with Zeiss Supremes for the present-day scenes.

The minisodes were also given various levels of film grain to set them apart from the present-day scenes. Finney first experimented with this with the show’s DIT Donald MacSween using the DaVinci Resolve plugin FilmConvert. Taking that as a starting point, the show’s colourist, Company 3’s Gareth Spensley, then crafted his own film emulation inspired by two-strip Technicolor. “There was a lot of testing in the grade to find the look for these minisodes, with different amounts of grain and different types of either Technicolor three-strip or two-strip,” Finney recalls. “Then we’d add grain and film weave on that, then on top we added film flares. In the Biblical scenes we added more dust and motes in the air.”  

Establishing the show’s lighting was a key part of Finney’s testing process, working closely with gaffer Scott Napier and drawing upon PKE Lighting’s inventory. Good Omens’ new Scottish location posed an initial challenge: as the studio was in an old warehouse rather than being purpose-built for filming, its ceilings weren’t as high as one would normally expect. This meant Finney and Napier had to work out a low-profile way of putting in a lot of fixtures. 

Inside Crowley’s treasured Bentley.

Their first task was to test various textiles, LED wash lights and different weight loadings, to establish what they were working with for the street exteriors. “We worked out that what was needed were 12 SkyPanels per 20’x20’ silk, so each one was a block of 20’x20’, then we scaled that up,” Finney recalls. “I wanted a very seamless sky, so I used full grid cloth which made it very, very smooth. That was important because we’ve got lots of cars constantly driving around the set and the sloped windscreens reflect the ceiling. So we had to have seamless textiles – PKE had to source around 12,000 feet of textiles so that we could put them together, so the reflections in the windscreens of the cars just showed white gridcloth rather than lots of stage lights. We then drove the car around the set to test it from different angles.”  

On the floor, they mostly worked with LEDs, providing huge energy and cost savings for the production. Astera’s Titan Tubes came in handy for a fun flashback scene with John Hamm’s character Gabriel. The DP remembers: “[Gabriel] was travelling down a 30-foot feather tunnel. We built a feather tunnel on the stage and wrapped it in a ring of Astera tubes, which were then programmed by dimmer op Jon Towler to animate, pulse and change different colours. Each part of Gabriel’s journey through his consciousness has a different colour to it.” 

Among the rigs built was a 20-strong Creamsource Vortex setup for the graveyard scene in the “Body Snatchers” minisode, shot in Stirling. “We took all the yokes off each light then put them on a custom-made aluminium rig so we could have them very close. We put them up on a big telehandler on a hill that gave me a soft mood light, which was very adjustable, windproof and rainproof.” 

Shooting on the VP stage for the birth of the universe scenes in episode one.

Sky’s the limit 

A lot of weather effects were done in camera – including lightning effects pulsed in that allowed both direct fork lightning and sheet lightning to spread down the streets. In the grade, colourist Spensley was also able to work his creative magic on the show’s skies. “Gareth is a very artistic colourist – he’s a genius at changing skies,” Finney says. “Often in the UK you get these very boring, flat skies, but he’s got a library of dramatic skies that you can drop in. That would usually be done by VFX, but he’s got the ability to do it in Baselight, so a flat sky suddenly becomes a glorious sunset.” 

Finney emphasises that the grade is a very involved process for a series like Good Omens, especially with its VFX-heavy nature. “This means VFX sequences often need extra work when it comes back into the timeline,” says the DP. “So, we often add camera movement or camera shake to crank the image up a bit. Having a colourist like Gareth is central to a big show like Good Omens, to bring all the different visual elements together and to make it seamless. It’s quite a long grade process but it’s worth its weight in gold.” 

Shooting in the VR cube for the blitz scenes .

Finney took advantage of virtual production (VP) technology for the driving scenes in Crowley’s classic Bentley. The volume was built on their Scottish set: a 4x7m cube with a roof that could go up and down on motorised winches as needed. “We pulled the cars in and out on skates – they went up on little jacks, which you could then rotate and move the car around within the volume,” he explains. “We had two floating screens that we could move around to fill in and use as additional source lighting. Then we had generated plates – either CGI or real location plates –projected 360º around the car. Sometimes we used the volume in-camera but if we needed to do more work downstream; we’d use a green screen frustum.” Universal Pixels collaborated with Finney to supply in-camera VFX expertise, crew and technical equipment for the in-vehicle driving sequences and rear projection for the crucial car shots. 

John Hamm was suspended in the middle of this lighting rig and superimposed into the feather tunnel.

Interestingly, while shooting at a VP stage in Leith, the team also used the volume as a huge, animated light source in its own right – a new technique for Finney. “We had the camera pointing away from [the volume] so the screen provided this massive, IMAX-sized light effect for the actors. We had a simple animation of the expanding universe projected onto the screen so the actors could actually see it, and it gave me the animated light back on the actors.”  

Bringing such esteemed authors’ imaginations to the screen is no small task, but Finney was proud to helped bring Crowley and Aziraphale’s adventures to life once again. He adds: “What’s nice about Good Omens, especially when there’s so much bad news in the world, is that it’s a good news show. It’s a very funny show. It’s also about good and evil, love and doing the right thing, people getting together irrespective of backgrounds. It’s a hopeful message, and I think that that’s what we all need.” 

Finney is no stranger to the idiosyncratic world of Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

[trulyumai]

Fall Baking

pairing: eddie munson / gf! reader

synopsis: it was finally fall. more rain, more sweaters. this also meant the return of the infamous, ‘Hawkins Fair.’ eddie could care less about it really, but you were ecstatic.

warnings: none, fluff only!

A/N: im baking like crazy right now so this automatically came to my head. I’m ready to drown in pumpkin bread and warm coffee.

Eddie knew you loved the fall.

When the leafs started to turn, the weather getting colder and sbittier than normal, yeah, that was when that thing happened to your eyes.

They’d get all shiny and well, cute.

He was the opposite. He could do without the hindrance of rain bearing against him anytime he wanted to take out the trash or walk to the corner store.

But seeing you so happy about little sprinkles of condensation made the man weak.

So he detested the cold weather a little less for you.

And you know what the cold weather brought?

Fall excursions.

Aka: The Fair.

“Guys, you’re not gonna believe this!” Slamming your lunch down on the table, your body molded against his in one solid motion.

Eddie grunted out in surprise, but it didn’t stop you from talking about the surprise you had in store.

“The fair is coming back!”

Only stares were given, Gaven looked over at Jeff who was returning the same empty, confused look.

Eddie jumped in with a clearing of his throat, being the best boyfriend ever he had to save the day, right?

“No way, baby!”

“Way!” You giggled, relaxing into Eddies hold as you dug out the celery sticks in your little box.

“And, the school is accepting student stalls, that’s gonna be so much fun!”

“Why is that fun— ow!” With a harsh kick to Gavin’s knee, Eddie changed the subject.

“That’s cool babe, you could do a baking themed one. Your treats are to dieeeee for.”

“Oh yeah! Been a while since I got the iconic Mrs. Munson brownies,” Gavin sighed out. Already imagining the pillowy, chocolaty goodness that was always oozing with warmth.

“That’s not what I named them.” You laughed, “Buuuut if you boys help me out with the stall I promise to bake one thing if your choosing!”

This garnered the attention of the hellfire club fast. Eddie was almost jealous at how entranced you got everyone.

“Anything?”

“Can you do cakes?”

“Ooooh the brownieees!” Almost everyone talked over one another, already fantasizing about the treats they’ll ask for.

“Uhhhh babe?” Eddies rings were cold against your thighs, your dark green skirt rid up against the tops of his legs, showcasing your pretty and soft skin.

“Mhm?” You replied, already turning towards your wild haired boyfriend.

“And what do I get? I mean I love your baking, obviously! but I can get that anytime.”

That was… true.

Damn it you thought you had everyone sinched into the plan. But of course Eddie would try to sneak something else into play.

“Well ummm,” he stumped you this time.

Furrowing your brows, you bit lightly on the inside of your cheek. Thoroughly searching your brain for anything Eddie might approve of.

Clothes? No, Eddie only wore his favorite staples anyway. Maybe you could offer to clean his room? No, you just did that last weekend when he was too busy snoring on the couch.

Think, think!—

“I knooow what I want.”

You knew that tone. That deep drawl that makes his voice come out in a low, teasing hush.

Eddie indicated you closer with just a wag of his index finger.

You felt the weight of his breath hit the side of your face, warm and light.

“I want,” he breathed in this time, dragging his lips closer and closer until they brushed against the side of your jaw.

“You, to spend the night, every nite this week.”

“Eddie!” Rolling your orbs you pushed his face away. “That’s kinda impossible. You know how my parents are—“

“Pretty please, sweetheart? It’s been forever!”

“I just spent the night on saturday!”

“That was literally forever ago.”

“Eddie.” Your fingers brushed with his temple, lightly pushing against them.

“That was two days ago.”

He only shook his head in rebuttal, moving his legs until your frame was once again close to his.

“My point still stands. Forever ago! And you need my help, who will keep these idiots in check?”

“Hey!” A few club mates responded back, but quickly went into their own baking conversations.

“Not all week. Two days,”

“Three!” Eddie challenged. With a mocking squint to your eyes you huffed out a breath.

“Fine! You win. Three days.”

“Yes!” Eddie cheered, smothering a sloppy kiss on your cheek and raised a hand to high five Gavin.

What a dork.

“You won’t regret this baby. I just got new snacks, cleaned my room—“

“You cleaned your room?”

Eddie cleared his throat and his long fingers came up to play with the loose hair around your neck.

“Well.. no, but it’s still clean from when you did it— ouch!”

Grabbing the man’s soft cheek, you began to pull.

“Hey hey, easy easy, I was just joking!—“

“Sooooo funny, Eddie.” Laughing, you watched as his fingers came up to the pinched spot, rubbing it with a soft tenderness like you had plucked the skin right off his face.

Grabbing at your celery you joined into the groups conversation. Trying to remember each and every goodie the gang wanted you to bake.

This is gonna be a long week.

But at least it’s fall, right?

….

Right..?

[loveharlow]

SEVEN [SEASON 2] - 005 (PART 1)

PAIRING ‧₊˚ JJ Maybank x Fem!Reader

SYNOPSIS‧₊˚[7.3k] Early morning arrests and break ups, one member of the pogues goes rogue and gets into a world of trouble.

WARNING(S)‧₊˚ swearing, mentions of death, forced drug use, abduction, mentions of physical violence, mention of non-con/sexual assault, disorientation

NOW PLAYING‧₊˚

A/N‧₊˚ Good doesn't come without bad :/ I'M SORRY also THIS CHAPTER IS SM BETTER W THE SONG TRUST ME

˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗

“BETWEEN YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS MORNING, OUR KILDARE COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT CARRIED OUT SEVERAL ARRESTS IN THE MURDER CASES OF SUSAN PETERKIN, GAVIN BARNSTEAD, BIG JOHN ROUTLEDGE, AND OWEN CARTER.” Shoupe’s voice traveled from the small speaker of your phone. You were watching the local news — you, JJ, John B, Pope, and Kiara all sitting out on the pier behind The Chateau. It was still early, the sun just settling in the sky, providing a comforting warmth over the five of you.

JJ was laid outstretched on on the boat, head buried in his arms while Pope stood with his hands in his pockets. Kiara was kicking her feet, sitting on the wood of the dock as you and JB stood side by side, eyes glued to the phone screen as Shoupe continued giving his statement. “...The individuals in custody are our department pathologist Mark Daniels, officer Shane Graves, local attorney Rebecca Reyes, and Rafe Cameron.” Shoupe explained, swallowing harshly. “Unfortunately, our prime suspect, Ward Cameron was the victim of an explosion late yesterday afternoon. The other trials will take place in the following weeks, more updates are to come. Thank you for your time.” And then he was walking away from the podium swiftly, head down as chatter erupted and cameras flashed, the program cutting back to it’s anchor.

You sighed, powering off the phone and sliding it into your back pocket. 

“...He deserved it, right?” JJ asked, lifting his head from his arms and squinting his eyes from the harsh sun.

“Of course he deserved it.” Pope added, sitting down on the boat.”I’ve just...never seen anyone blow themselves up like that.”

“Cross that one off the bucket list.” The blonde shrugged, laying his head back down.

“Dude.” Pope said sternly, shooting JJ a look of warning as Kiara rounded the dock and sat herself next to John B who’d taken a seat inside.

Planting a gentle hand on his back, she spoke to him softly. “Are you okay?”

John B fiddled with his fingers in his lap, biting his lip. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”

POPE WALKED IN JUST AS YOU’D SLIPPED YOUR OTHER SHOE ON AND STOOD FROM THE SOFA, the boy stopping in his tracks.

“Where are you going?” He asked casually, resuming his slow steps plopping himself down on the sofa.

“Hopefully to get my dog back.” You said, patting your pockets to make sure you had everything. With the announcement of Rafe's arrest, you figured it was as good a time as any.

“...And you were just going to leave without telling anyone?” He asked, sitting up straighter, becoming increasingly more concerned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t think JJ would agree with it either-”

“What does he have to do with anything?” You cut him off, your eyebrows set into a straight line.

“C’mon,” Pope sassed, standing from the couch. “It’s literally so obvious. It’s been obvious.” He said cooly. “Like, everyone knew he liked you before but now it’s clear you two have something going on. And you know how he is. He cares about you. A lot. You don’t wanna make him worry, do you?”

You wanted to tell him so badly. You felt like he needed to know why JJ wasn’t a priority right now. But you knew doing it would break Pope’s heart. Pope was in love with Kiara. And he deserved to know the truth, but you telling him out of spite wasn’t the best way to go through it.

“...Look, Pope.” You sighed, letting your shoulders fall. “Me and JJ aren’t on the best terms right now and I don’t want to be around him and I definitely don’t want his help. I know what I’m doing.” You assured, looking the boy in his eyes. “Okay? I’ll be fine, I promise.”

He seemed to sway on his feet, fighting with what to do in his head. “At least let me come with you. You can’t go alone-”

You immediately shook your head, putting your hands in front of you. “No, no. I don’t want you anywhere near Barry or Rafe without at least an army behind you.”

“But what about you?”

“...I’ve dealt with them before.” You affirmed, tensing your jaw.

Pope sighed in defeat, running a hand down his face. “Well, Rafe’s in jail but I doubt he’ll be in there long before he’s bailed out so you should be up against just Barry.” He pondered, turning to you and squinting his eyes. “...Fine. But if I call or text and I don’t get an answer, I’m telling JJ and everyone else. Deal?” He held out his hand.

The amount of care Pope had for your safety was sweet. So sweet it put a small, sheepish smile on your face. Connecting your hand with his, you shook it. “Deal.”

YOU SLOWED IN YOUR STEPS SOME FEET AWAY FROM THE SECLUDED TRAILER, wanting to minimize the chances of Barry seeing or hearing you before you even got to the door. The closer you got, the worse it smelled. You’d almost forgotten how the stench of weed and bonfire smoke stung your nostrils. Or how the overgrown grass scratched at your exposed legs, irritating the skin.

Your eyes immediately spotted a singular, metallic dog bowl — the inside smeared with what looked like canned meat. You felt sorrow and relief all at once. On the bright side, at least Marley was here. Or here at some point.

“Lookin’ for that mutt?” A familiar raspy voice sounded out. You whipped your head to the side to find Barry standing the doorway of his trailer. He startled you for a moment but the fear quickly diminished. After all, Barry rarely ever left the comfort of his trailer. He was dressed in a dirty wifebeater and shorts, his signature smirk plastered on his face.

“Where is she?” You asked, a hard expression on your face.

He simply drew his lips into a thin line, his eyebrows raising as he shrugged carelessly. “I ain’t got a damn clue.” He chuckled, shifting his weight against the frame and licking his lips. “Why don’t you ask Country Club?”

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms. “He’s in a cell. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. Not alone, anyway.” You explained. “What, you don’t watch the news or something? Figured you’d keep tabs on your partner in crime.”

Barry just stood there smiling. Smiling weirdly. It made your stomach turn. You were never scared of Barry but he never failed to give you the creeps. “Trust me, I keep tabs.” He chuckled, strutting down the small staircase that led up to the door of his trailer. “You shoulda kept your ass away from here, Snoozie.” He told you, waving a finger in your direction, a mischievous expression on his face.

“...What is that supposed to mean?” You asked, pinching your eyebrows together.

“It means…whatever happens now is on you.” He smiled when suddenly, you felt two hands wrap around you and pull you into a body. One arm was on your neck, right under your chin as the other held your torso against the assailants. You could hear breathing in your ear — somewhere between heaving and chuckling as your body froze before trying to fight the person off to no avail.

“Hey, calm down,” You knew that voice.

It was the voice of someone who wasn’t supposed to be here.

“...Get off of me.” You warned, but it came out as more of a weak whisper.

You didn’t think you were afraid of Rafe anymore. But the feeling of his hands on your body, the force he was using to hold you in place, his warm breath against your neck — it all made you feel disgusting.

It made you feel like you were in the back of his truck all over again.

“Yeahhh…I can’t do that.” He laughed, walking you closer to Barry, his grip never loosening. “We’ll let you and your annoying ass dog go but, see, you walked into our domain? Alright, so…that means, we get to have our fun with you, first.” He whispered into your ear.

You watched helplessly as Barry pulled a plastic bag filled with a white, powdery substance from his pocket — scooping a decent amount onto the tip of his pinky before walking closer to you. "This for you and your friends stealin' my fuckin' money."

You began to dry heave, frantically shaking your head from side to side as he lifted the drugs to your nose. You jerked and jumped in Rafe’s hold, trying to do anything to get him to either let you go and disable Barry from drugging you.

“Hold her head still, Rafe.”

“Alright…” The Cameron boy groaned, carefully maneuvering the arm on your neck so that he quickly grasp your jaw, the strong hold causing an immediate ache as he held your head in place. 

“There we go…” Barry drawled on, shoving his pinky so far up your nose that it hurt, triggering you to cough vehemently but ultimately sniff the substance. “Aight, she should be out soon. Take her inside, my neighbors are nosy as shit...”

Rafe released your jaw as you coughed. Your whole chest hurt and your nostrils stung and tingled, the sensation traveling from the bridge of your nose and to your brain — the feeling somewhere in between a migraine and a brain freeze. When your coughing died down, your head began to feel light. As light as a feather on your shoulders. 

Their voices became inaudible in your ears, fading in and out. You tried to fight Rafe once more but you couldn’t feel your arms, or your legs for that matter.

The last thing you remember before the trees turned to blobs was Rafe carrying your body inside the trailer.

WHEN YOU OPENED YOUR EYES AGAIN, you didn’t know how much time had gone by. Minutes, hours…

Everything felt so heavy. Your eyelids were half close as that was as high as you could hold them. Your head rolled on your shoulders, gently swaying from side to side because holding it straight didn’t seem to be in your list of capabilities at the moment. Your lips felt permanently parted, not enough muscle strength to push them together and keep them there.

Looking around slowly, everything had a trail behind it. Everytime you turned, the object in your vision would leave behind a trail, like smeared paint. You didn't even know where you were, in all honesty. The kitchen? You looked up, letting your eyes settle before you realized what you were looking at — your hands. They were tied to a pole. A rack, of sorts.

You couldn’t even feel it. You tugged and tugged, at least you thought you were. But it didn’t look like your hands were moving.

“You awake now?” A voice echoed in your ears. You lowered your gaze to a find a figure in front of you.

Rafe, you concluded once your vision settled. 

You swallowed and you could feel that, a little bit too much. It felt like you were swallowing rocks. What did Barry give you? “...Can you untie me?” You spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Rafe said, his voice sounding weird in your ears. He crouched down in front of you, his eyes boring into yours. He looked so much scarier. “...What was that? You’re mumbling, sunshine.”

You swallowed again, the action causing you to blink harshly - the smear of colors hurting you vision when you opened your eyes again. “...Can you untie me?” You mumbled once more, but you didn’t know you were mumbling. In your ears, you could hear your voice so clear. It was so loud and it echoed, like yelling down an empty hall — every sounded bounced off the walls.

Rafe just stared at you. It looked like he was thinking before he shrugged lightly, shifting closer to you and reaching above your head where your hands were bound. “You’re too weak to go anywhere anyway…can’t do anything…might as well.”

You felt your arms float to the floor as Rafe held the rope in his hands, examining it before tossing it to the side. His gaze returned to you, analyzing your face as if he’d never seen it before. His blue scanned over you in your entirety, drinking you in with his eyes. It felt like he was staring straight into your soul, taking every part of it for himself. He was your focal point, everything else behind him fading into a mess of colors. 

Even in your altered state of consciousness, your body still found the strength to flinch when his hand reached out to touch your face, his fingers leaving a fiery trail in their wake. “...You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He whispered, his voice sounding ghostly in your ears. “I just want you to let me love you. And you won’t…” His words made you ill. So ill that you were sure that your stomach audibly turned. “I never…meant to hurt you. But you just made it so hard.”

You could see the tears welling in his eyes and the redness blooming on his nose. He was…crying. Or trying not to. You couldn’t clearly tell. “And then you told everyone that I..raped you.” He choked out, threading his fingers through your hair as you tried to move away from his touch, the sound of his digits scraping against your roots making your body recoil. “We both wanted it. You were just too ashamed to admit it. You thought it was wrong, that we were wrong. You were fighting me, I'll admit…but you wanted it.”

You shook your head, bile rising in your throat. “...Didn’t.” You choked out, throwing your head back against the wall. “I didn’t…want it.” You breathed. “And I…don’t…love you.” You struggled to form fluent sentences, your words slurring in on each other even with the long pauses in between nearly each word. “You and your family…took everything f-...from me.” Talking was as hard as hiking up the steepest hill in the world. “I just want my dog back. Can’t you j-...just give her to me?”

“Jesus- forget the fucking dog!” Rafe screamed, kicking a nearby object. You couldn’t see what it was. His hands gripped his hair at the roots, the boy pacing back and forth in front of you before crouching down in front of you once more, closer this time. “This is about us — me and you. I am in love with you. So, why is it…that you can’t love me back? You led me on. You made me like this-”

“No, I didn’t.” You cried, head thrown back as you looked up at the ceiling, tears running from your eyes, the droplets tickling your cheeks. “You made…me like this.” You said tearfully, a cough following the statement. “I was fifteen. I didn’t know…any better. But you did.” You wailed, lowering your head to look at him, although your head still swayed. “And when I did…know better, you didn’t w-want to let me go. And it doesn’t even matter…” You almost laughed through your tears. “Because your dad…ruined my life months before we even met.”

Rafe was quick to wrap his hand around your neck after that, squeezing harshly. He edged his face closer to yours, the tips of his hair tickling your forehead as stars invaded your vision, or what remained of it. “My dad? Did what he had to do. Alright? He’s not a monster.”

“...Neither was mine.” You croaked out. Rafe looked between your eyes with an expression you couldn’t place. Sadness? Anger? Whatever it was, he felt enough of it to release his grip, you taking the biggest gulp of air possible, your hair falling in front of your face as you held it down weakly.

He stood up from his crouching position in front of you. You heard him pace around once more as you caught your breath, each intake feeling like you were breathing in the coldest air ever, before you cried out in pain, the sound hurting your ears. Rafe had grabbed a fistful of your hair, using it to pull you up, but you could barely stand so the angry boy used his other hand to grip your upper arm for support. Using the hold he had on you, he drug your limp frame into the small living area, throwing you onto Barry’s tattered sofa.

…Where was Barry?

You landed on your side, rolling over onto your back. The whole room was spinning again, the quickness of his actions not allowing your brain to catch up with the swift movements. “I try to do the right thing and no one ever cares. My dad and Sarah, even Rose…they blame me for everything.” He ranted and rambled, his hands balled into fists by his sides as he looked down at you. “I thought you were different.” He said through labored breaths. Him standing above you, face red and furious, you would've sworn he was the devil himself. “But you’re just as bad as the rest of them. But I can change that…” He nodded, climbing on top of you, straddling your motionless body.

All you could do was look at him through the strands of hair that cloud your vision. You let out a ‘hmph’ as he let his weight rest on your thighs. “I can’t change their minds. I can’t fix them.” He said, his hands trailing the hem of your bottoms before unbuttoning them. “...But I can fix you.” He breathed, his tongue peeking out from between his lips as he nodded to himself. “I can make you love me.”

Before you knew it, the sound of him dragging the zipper of your fly rang out in your ears - the familiar situation triggering a series of images to flash in your mind. Images of the first time. You felt the puddles of hot tears leaving your eyes as your throat ached to say something. “Please, stop…” You cried, throwing your head side to side as your weak hands tried to push his away. “Please, don’t do this again.” You stuttered, your nimble fingers clawing at his knuckles as he struggled to drag your bottoms down your legs.

You felt like God himself came down from Heaven when a harsh light filled the trailer, the door of the mobile home opening as Barry entered, taking in the scene in front of him. You quickly registered that it was actually moonlight blinding you so viciously, the brightness fading behind Barry’s figure to reveal the eerie darkness outside.

How long had you been here?

“Aye, what the fuck? Rafe!” Barry said disgusted, slamming the door shut behind him. “Get the fuck off her, man. Don’t do that shit in my crib.” He told him, throwing a hand out in his direction. Rafe sighed, getting off of you and aggressively dragging your pants back up your legs, but he didn’t bother to button them back. You laid on the couch, sobbing silently. You didn’t know if it was out of fear or relief. “That’s why yo ass put me on paw patrol? So you could fuck the doped up girl in my damn house?”

Rafe made a face of annoyance, rolling his eyes at the drug dealer’s words. “Did you do it?”

“Uh, yeah, I did it, dumbass.” Barry said, voice full of attitude. “I just let her go in the backyard, it sounded like they were all inside. I saw one of the dudes come out and take her inside before I dipped.” He explained, grabbing a half-drunken beer from his cluttered coffee table. “Why you have me take the dog back if she still here? Y’know they gon come lookin’ for her eventually…” He threw out, the rim of the beer bottle touching his lips before he took a big sip.

“Just had to leave a little hint behind.” Rafe told Barry, sitting on the couch next to your feet as you turned to your side, groaning. He made a line out of the loose coke on the coffee table before quickly snorting it. A large exhale leaving his lungs as he let it pass through him. “It’s fun to fuck with ‘em, dude.”

“I ain’t with these games and shit.” Barry complained, walking to the back of his trailer. You were still laid out on the couch, sobbing silently. “If they come by here and fuck up my shit, it’s comin’ outta your pocket, Country Club.” He said. “And give her another hit!” He called from the back. “All that cryin’ and shit is givin’ me a headache. Damn…”

Rafe rolled his eyes and mumbled under his breath before searching around the table before picking up the plastic bag Barry had before. You figured whatever they were putting you out with wasn’t cocaine. And that’s what scared you the most when Rafe snatched you up and shoved another pinky-full up your nose, letting your drowsy frame fall back into the plushness of the sofa.

“JJ…BACK IN THE VAN!” What sounded like John B’s voice filled your ears. Your eyes cracked open little by little, your vision much more clear and less distorted than the last time you recall waking up. So many voices were speaking at once. Your eyes wandered, trying to find out who was talking to who. It was then you realized the entire world was sideways and you were inside of The Twinkie.

Your head was slightly more elevated than the rest of your body, causing you to turn and peer above you where you found Sarah’s wide eyes staring down at you, finally registering the feeling on her fingers running through your hair. Her eyes were slightly red and glossed over as she peered down at you.

You felt more conscious this time around — no paint smears, no muffled voices, and you felt like you had more control over your body. You were cold, so cold. Probably shivering.

Looking over, you found that the door of the van was open. You could see a group of people crowded in on each other. When your vision focused, you realized it your four other friends and they were surrounding Rafe and Barry.

“What is wrong with you?!” That was Kie’s voice. And you knew her well enough to hear the anger in voice. “What the hell do you want, huh? You should be in jail, you sick motherfucker!”  It wasn’t long before the guys pushed her to the back of the circle, the girl yelling at Rafe through the blockade they’d formed in front of her.

“You Kooks think you can do whatever the fuck you want!” JJ shouted, his voice deeper than you’d ever heard it before. It was almost unrecognizable. “You wanna end up like your father? ‘Cause we can make it happen!-”

“The fuck’d you just say to me, you little shit?” Rafe countered, stepping closer to JJ as John B and Pope stepped closer to him.

“You heard me, bitch.” JJ spat, the small accent he had showing itself as he pushed his way through his two friends to stand toe-to-toe with Rafe.

“All y’all needa get the fuck off my property.” Barry added, standing beside Rafe, but his words went ignored.

“If you wanna do this, we can do it. ‘Cause I’ve been waiting to get my fuckin’ hands on you.” JJ warned. “You like to drug girls? Rape them? Hit them? Hit me. Hit me, you pussy-” Just then, Rafe clocked JJ in his jaw, the force and sound of the assault causing you to flinch in Sarah’s lap as John B and Pope caught their friend, Kie gasping behind them. You tried to sit up as you watched JJ’s head whip to the side, but Sarah was quick to force your weak frame back down.

You looked up at her with wide, glassy eyes. “Rafe’s gonna hurt him.” You said weakly, sounding like a scared child.

The blonde girl simply shook her head side to side. “I don’t think so.” She smiled weakly before looking back out at the brawl unfolding outside of the vehicle. “Not this time.”

Your own eyes refocused on the two guys just as JJ recovered from the blow, wasting no time in lunging at Rafe and sending the boy to the ground, allowing himself to deliver blow after blow. You couldn’t tell if he was landing them, you could only see one arm go up after the other, his fists coming down in a vicious frenzy. 

Kiara was calling JJ’s name as Barry shook his head and backed up,n John B and Pope watching with their hands up. “Y’all gon’ have the cops pokin’ around here...” Barry said angrily, eyes on John B and Pope who stood by helplessly, shocked. “Get this shit under control, I don’t need them people on my radar!” The drug dealer urged, the commotion sure to disturb any nearby trailer owners.

John B and Pope looked at each other before John B peered back at you, an expression of sadness in his eyes.

Oh. You forgot…he didn’t know. 

So, it wasn’t long before that sadness turned to anger as he turned back to Barry. “...We’ll leave when he’s done.” John B spat, referring to the two boys brawling in the grass before walking away and rounding the vehicle to get in the driver’s seat, Pope and Kie following and climbing into the back of the van quickly. Without those three blocking your field of view, you could clearly see the two boys now.

Rafe had managed to pick himself up but surprisingly, JJ still had the upper hand. But it was still a brutal brawl between the two, one not staying on top for long before being pinned by the other. Every few seconds, you could spot droplets of blood flying. It was an odd thing — on one hand, seeing Rafe get his ass handed to him almost put a dizzy smile on your face, but on the other hand, you knew he’d never stop coming after JJ now. Any chance he got...

Especially since now he probably got the hint that JJ had some sort of feelings for you. JJ didn’t come after him like a concerned friend, JJ lunged at him like a enraged boyfriend. JJ attacked him like someone who was in love with you. And after what Rafe said in the trailer, or at least what you remember of it, these two would be butting heads over a lot more than financial status.

When the blaring of sirens hit your ears, you perked up, as well as everyone else. But Rafe and JJ were too enthralled with trying to kill each other that they must not have heard anything. 

The pogues began calling JJ’s name, trying to draw him out of his rage-induced assault to get back in the van. After a few moments, he finally registered their voices and the sound of the sirens. He forcefully pulled himself away from Rafe as the boy laid on the grass, heaving. JJ delivered one last glare to the boy on the ground, the blonde’s chest going up and down heavily as he turned and threw himself into the van.

“And don’t come ‘round here no more, you hear me?!” Barry’s voice traveled before Pope slammed the door shut, John B speeding off.

Your eyes were trained on JJ’s breathing figure — he had a small trail of blood going from his bottom lip to his chin, dirt on his shirt and in his hair, and his eyebrows were set into a permanent frown. You managed to meet his eyes for a second and he looked upset. 

Upset with you?

KIARA AND SARAH HELPED YOU INSIDE THE CHATEAU AS THE GUYS HELD THE DOORS OPEN. What you didn’t expect was for Marley to come charging at you the second you stepped foot in the house. The girls let you go gently, allowing you to crouch down on your knees and embrace your dog.

She smelled like wet dirt and you could feel the outline of her ribcage as you rubbed her sides. Tears gathered in your eyes as you and Marley comforted each other. Your voice was still weak and scratchy as you spoke softly to the animal. If anything, after today, you should be grateful she was still alive.

“Hey,” John B spoke up, your eyes going to him. “We can hose her down in the backyard while you wash off.”

You drew your lips into a thin line, nodding your head in his direction as you stood up on shaky legs, Kie and Sarah putting a hand each on your back. He and Pope led Marley outside, JJ lagging behind. “JJ.” You called out. The blonde simply looked at you over his shoulder, chewing the inside of his lip before making his way outside with the other two guys.

Your shoulders fell at his cold demeanor. You guessed he was upset with you.

“It’s okay…” Sarah reassured, her hand rubbing your back as you frowned into the distance. “He just needs a second.” She told you, turning you in the direction of the bathroom, helping you walk alongside Kie who hadn't said much. “C’mon. We’ll help you get yourself together…”

WHEN YOU CAME OUT OF THE BATHROOM, the house was empty. The only living things inside being a sleeping Marley and you. She looked a lot cleaner, aside from the food remnants around her mouth. You smiled smally to yourself, admiring the animal for a moments before walking over to her, crouching down and placing a light kiss on the top of her head. She was so deep asleep that she didn’t stir, even a little.

You almost passed out a handful of times in the shower, the steam only contributing to the lightheadedness you felt but easing the neverending ache in your arms and legs. But you felt better — less disoriented. Less…gross.

You were dressed in one of JJ’s few sweatshirts and a pair of pajama shorts. All the time the two of you’d spent living together meant some of your clothes were still mixed in with one another’s. Your hair was slightly damp, the strands pulled back into a low bun to keep it out of your face. 

Even though you felt more sober, you still felt like you were walking outside of your body and it was making you a bit nauseous. You spotted a bottle of aspirin on the kitchen counter, snatching it up and swallowing two pills.

Just then, you heard voices outside — low and faint, but there. You peered out of the small window in the kitchen , spotting John B and Pope laid out on the HMS Pogue. Everyone must’ve gone outside, you thought to yourself.

You slipped out the backdoor, bare feet on the grass as you walked in the direction of the two guys.

“What’re you two talking about?” Your voice was still off and scratchy but you were grateful that you could hear yourself talking. The two males turned to you, making out your figure in the dark of night as you squeezed into between them on the boat.

“How’re you feeling?” Pope was the first to ask, genuine concern swimming in his eyes.

You sent him a small smile. “Better.” You nodded. “...And I’m sorry. For putting you in a weird position, before I left. I shouldn’t have done that-”

“You don’t have to apologize.” He shook his head, patting your shoulder. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

You mumbled a ‘thanks’ to the boy, patting the hand on your shoulder as he slid it off as you turned to John B who was already looking at you. You knew him the best out of all your friends. That’s why you could tell he was going from upset with you to sad all at once.

“Just say it.” You sighed, giving him the floor.

“...Why didn’t you tell me?”  He asked, squinting his eyes. “You’re like my sister. And not to sound weird but I love you, dude. I would’ve killed Rafe-”

“That’s why.” You cut him off, a pitiful frown on your face. “I didn’t need you doing anything stupid in my defense. And you were still torn up over your dad. We both were.”

He just huffed, turning away from you and shaking his head side to side as he crossed his arms. “...You still should’ve told me.”

“I know.” You nodded, sighing and sliding down to lay fully down next to your two friends. “Where is everyone?”

“Well, Kiara is out front doing…whatever. JJ has been pacing in the Surf Shack for like an hour, and Sarah...left.” He hesitated at the end of his statement, eyeing John B who just sighed deeply. You looked between them both, eyes stopping on John B.

“What happened?” You asked.

“We, uh…we broke up.”

“What?” You asked, shocked. “Why?”

“...She wasn’t the biggest fan of how I react to Ward blowing himself up.” He explained, shifting in his spot. “She said I looked glad. And I didn’t want to lie to her and say I wasn’t. Because I was.”

“I mean, I get it.” You threw out, looking up at the stars in the sky. “He killed your dad. He killed a lot of people…I think it’s okay to be glad he’s dead. But I also get her side. He was her dad. But she can’t expect you to feel the same.”

“Exactly what I said.” Pope chipped in. “How sad can you expect someone to be when their father’s murderer dies and they get to see it?”

“I don’t think it was that, though.” John B spoke up, his brows pinched. “She said that out of all people, she thought that I’d understand what it’s like to lose a dad. And I do and I feel like a dick for not comforting her in that moment and giving Topper the opportunity to swoop in but…I feel like she didn’t even give me a chance to be there for her.”

“...Love is five minutes of pleasure for a lifetime of pain.” Pope said sadly, you and John B turning to him silently with wide eyes. The boy turned to the both of you, the same expression plastered on his face.

“Okay…” John B groaned, sitting up from his position and leaning on his arm.. “You and Kie, talk to me. What’s goin’ on?”

“Well…” Pope said, sitting up as well as you just looked up at the two guys. “She wants to be just friends.”

John B and you sighed simultaneously. “Whooo, death blow.” JB said to him. “Sorry, man.”

“It’s not like I can say I didn’t see it coming. After what happened in Charleston…” Pope was explaining before he cut himself off, his wide eyes darting to you as he pressed his lips shut. But John B’s curiosity was peaked, and so was yours.

“What happened in Charleston?” The brunette boy asked, looking between the two of you. 

Pope’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. You cocked an eyebrow, sitting up on your own elbow now. “So you did see it?”

Now he was the one looking confused, using his finger to point at you. “You saw it? I thought you were inside-”

“I was but I had just walked out when I saw them.”

“So, we both saw it?”

“Helloooo.” John B butted in, the two of you looking at him. “Third party is still here. Saw what?”

“The kiss.” You and Pope said at the same time, looking at him.

“Kiss? What kiss? Who kissed?” He asked, genuinely baffled.

“Kie and JJ.” The both of you said in sync again.

John B’s jaw dropped as he stuttered to find words. “Is that why you���ve been avoiding JJ?” He settled on his question, eyes on you.

“Yes…” You said squinting your eyes. “What would you know about that, though?” You asked, wondering when JB got the inside scoop on you and JJ’s newfound relationship.

“I mean, everyone could see he had a thing for you. For a looong time. Well, everyone but you…”

“Thank you.” Pope butted in, throwing his hands up in surrender when you shot him a glare. “I’m just saying, I wasn’t the only one who saw it.”

“And he kind of told me everything that happened while me and Sarah were gone.” John B smirked as you groaned. “But we’re getting off topic…” He waved his hands, dismissing the previous statements.

“Right.” Pope refocused. “I never said anything about the kiss to her or him. I just kind of hoped it was a spur of the moment thing and that it would just remain as that — a kiss. But then, she friendzoned me. And now I can’t help but think that she likes JJ. And I don’t know if JJ likes her, no offense Y/N...”

“He told me he doesn’t.” You butted in. “The day we got that call about what happened to your pops, we had an argument about it. He said that Kie initiated the kiss and it didn’t mean anything. To him, at least. I don’t know how much of it I believe but," You cut yourself off, shrugging. "And I can’t speak for Kiara…”

“Okay, here’s some not-so-friendly advice for the both of you from good ole Dr. Routledge,” John B piped up, a bright smile on his face. “You,” He pointed a Pope. “focus on your yourself and your books and…grades and shit. Forget about Kie, there’s plenty of fish in the sea. And you, Pope, are one handsome young man and I guarantee there is some girl out there willing to jump your bones and not kiss one of your best friends. And, you, little missy,” His attention turned to you. “If JJ says he doesn’t have feelings for her and the kiss didn’t mean anything, I’d believe him. He loves you and I don’t think he would do anything to purposefully screw up his chance with you. And please, for the love of God, be nice and talk to him. Hearing him whine about you not talking to him is going to drive me off a cliff.”

The three of you laughed before you turned to Pope, a light smile on your face. “So, you really just weren’t going to tell me?” You asked in faux-offense.

Pope faked shock, a hand on his chest. “Uh, me? I didn’t even know you and JJ had something going then. If anything, you should’ve been the one to tell me.”

“I didn’t want to upset you!” You laughed and groaned all at once.

“Yeah, yeah…” He waved you off lightheartedly. “Alright, next time we see something that would…affect the other person, we have to tell. Deal?” He asked, holding out his pinky.

“Ohhh, okay. We’ll be each others witnesses. I like this two person witness protection program.” You smiled, connecting your pinky with Pope’s. “Deal.”

YOU WERE IN THE GUEST ROOM WHEN THE DOOR CREAKED OPEN, a stream of light illuminating the dimly lit space — the only source of light being a bedside lamp. You thought everyone had gone to sleep.

Turning at the sound of the door, you found JJ closing the entryway behind him before he turned to you. You could hardly see his features, not enough light to see his face clearly. Neither of you said anything as he walked slowly towards you, walking around the bed. 

He stopped in front of you, just inches between the both of you. Nothing was to be heard except your breathing and the cicadas outside.

“...What’s wrong with you?” He asked. His voice sounded strained, like he’d been crying. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

You nodded, accepting his frustration towards you. Swallowing, you attempted to reply.  “...I didn’t think-”

“Yeah, you didn’t think.” JJ cut you off. “You left without telling anyone. You went there alone. Why would you do that?”

“He wasn’t supposed to be there-”

“Anything could’ve happened to you. Anything.” JJ reprimanded, shifting closer to you subconsciously. “Do you know what is was like to hear, from Pope, that’d you left to go to Barry’s trailer hours ago? That you hadn’t answered any of his calls or texts that you said you’d answer? To ride all the way there with my heart beating out of my damn chest just to rush in and find you passed out on the couch with the your pants unbuttoned, confirming every single fear-”

“Nothing happened-”

“But something could have!” He lost himself, looking around as if someone heard as he licked his lips, one tear rolling down his cheek. “He tried to, clearly, and something could have.” He sighed, letting himself sit on the edge of the guest room bed, his head in his hands. “...You didn’t even know who I was when we woke you up the first time to put you in the van. You didn’t recognize any of us. You were completely out of it. I've never seen anyone like that...” He told you. You don’t recall waking up more than twice. Voices and colors here and there but…not much. “I know…that you think I took your trust and feelings and ran with them. But you can’t do things like that.” He said firmly, lifting his head to look at you. “I’m not blaming you. I just want you to understand that even if you’re mad at me or whoever, you can’t just abandon ship. Especially, not like that.”

He told you, reaching his hands out to grab your waist and pull you closer as you sniffled. You felt almost completely sober as you stood between his legs, the aspirin you took earlier taking effect.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his teary blue eyes boring into yours as he looked up at you. You bit your lip from the inside of your mouth as you nodded. “Okay…good.” He sighed, letting his head fall in relief before looking at you again. “I know the last few days have been…hard. Especially today. And I’m sorry that I put you in a place where you couldn’t even trust me as a friend anymore. But I don’t know how else to tell you or show you that I love you. And today just made me realize how badly I need you and how far I’m willing to go for you.” He said softly. “...There were so many reasons I didn’t tell you about the kiss. For one, it didn’t mean anything to me. Also the fact that I didn’t want to cause drama between you and Kie. But none of that matters because there was only one reason that I should’ve told you — because you deserved to know and because I promised I would. So, I am really sorry.” 

You'd never heard JJ be this vulnerable and open. Or be so vulnerable and open this easily. It didn't seem practiced or rehearsed. It was like he was really letting his heart speak for him and right all his wrongs.

After what happened today, holding a grudge wasn't as appealing. Because you didn't know what could happen tomorrow.

“...I believe you. And I forgive you.” You said, eyes locked on his. “And I’m sorry, too. If I had told you guys where I was going then maybe-”

“Don’t even go there.” He stopped you, shaking his head. “Rafe is insane. What he and that fucking loser, Barry, did wasn’t your fault. You shouldn’t have gone there alone, sure, but what happened wasn’t your fault.”

You just sent him a half-hearted smile. You know he meant it but you still felt at least partially to blame. You licked your lips and took a deep breath before speaking, your hands rubbing up and down the blonde’s exposed arms. “JJ…” You spoke, more like whispered.

Something in the way you looked at him changed. Something in the way you felt for him changed. “...I want you.” You felt the boy tense in your arms, lifting his head up more to look you directly in the eyes. “I don’t need any more time. I know what I want and I know how I feel. I love you. And I want you.”

“...Are you sure? Because you just went through something really terrible tonight-”

“I’m sure.” You interrupted him. “If I keep waiting until nothing bad happens to be with you, then we’ll never be together. This is our lives now. And even if we didn’t have all this death and drama around us, I would still love you.” You reassured, trailing your hands up to his shoulders as his soothed themselves up and down your waist. “You said you were all mine. So, now I’m all yours, if you want me…”

He had a look on his face that you couldn’t decipher. His eyes looked at each of yours and then landed on your lips, seeming to trace them before pulling you down into him and colliding his lips with yours. A small noise of surprise leaving your lips before you melted into the exchange. Your hands slid around the nape of his neck as his trailed the length of your thighs, helping you onto his lap.

His fingers pressed into your skin, passionately dragging his prints into your skin as your nails scraped at the skin of his scalp and shoulders. The kiss wasn’t like the ones before. Those were soft and gentle, testing the waters. This kiss was hungry and prolonged — feverish. So starved of each other that it probably would’ve had the potential to lead to something else if the day had gone differently.

But knowing JJ, after what happened tonight, any kind of sex was off the table. Ad you weren't sure when you'd be ready to go that far. But this was good enough. More than good enough. There wasn’t a single part of either of you that wasn’t touching. You couldn’t help but sigh when his warm hand went up under your shirt, his fingers clawing at your back as he pressed you endlessly closer against him. 

You were confused when he pulled back — lips swollen and red as his hair stuck up in one-hundred different directions. He was breathing heavy when he spoke. “Sorry, sorry…” He said through labored breaths. “Just to be clear, you are my girlfriend, right-”

You couldn’t help but laugh and roll your eyes. “Yes, JJ, I’m your girlfriend.” You smiled. “I’m completely yours.” You sighed, eyeing his lips like an animal before connecting your lips with his once more, the both of you falling back into the mattress.

next chapter>

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©loveharlow.

lmk if the taglist works now! xo

[jupiterswasphouse]

Im not sure if you can clear this up for me, but I've always been confused about wasps' diets... I've heard that they're obligate carnivores, but also that they eat fruit and nectar. Some sources say only their larvae eat meat. Others say the adults can't eat solid food at all. It's confusing and contradictory, e. g. if you google 'are yellow jackets carnivores' sources will say yes, but if you google 'what do yellow jackets eat' it says fruit. What's the deal? If you can recommend any papers or books I would also appreciate it.

Hey howdy! Yeah, this topic can be somewhat confusing to search for, but basically, adult Hymenopterans, with some exceptions (Such as certain Sawflies), generally do not consume solid foods. This is because the mouthparts of the majority of adult hymenopterans have been specialized to feed on fluids and thus have a structure in their mouths that's tongue-like, or even straw-like, called a "glossa"! This allows them to feed off of nectar and fruit juices or the broken down fruit itself.

[Image Sources: photomacrography.net, rjlittlefield, and ResearchGate | Image IDs: A photo showing the "tongue" or glossa of a yellowjacket, followed by a diagram and two photos under a microscope of the mouthparts of a honeybee /End IDs.]

Their larvae, meanwhile, aren't as specialized, so may be given solid materials, oftentimes meat or plant materials like pollen! When it comes to their prey, parasitoid wasps will lay eggs on/near or inside another arthropod (some paralyzed, others not) so that their larvae can feed directly off of live prey, while the social wasps that feed their young meat (like eusocial Vespids) often hunt down and kill or paralyze other arthropods or scavenge for bits of carrion for a more hands-on feeding after the larvae have already hatched!

For more information on wasps in general, I'd like to recommend "Wasps Of The World: A Guide To Every Family" by Gavin Broad and Simon Van Noort :]

[vegafan69]

redacted drawing ideas because god prevented me from drawing

maybe i should pick up a pen. if anyone draws these ideas tag me PLEEEAAAASEEEE :333 or fics too??

some of these are nsfw ‼️ but i do leave a warning dw 🙏

─ ✦ vega

vega drinking whiskey seductively, but the whiskey is the sweet tang of sadism (thank aster for this ;))

prime | imperium vega and their appearance differences (imp!vega probably has more scars and sharper claws)

vega when he first coalesced vs modern vega vs reformed vega

NSFW ‼️ imp!vega putting the collar on pet :)

─ ✦ david

teen!david with gabe learning to shift

david crying at gabe’s hospital bed 🥰

the pack having fun as toddlers

that one button snapping scene in david’s valenweek ;)

david and angel’s encounter at the restaurant

─ ✦ asher

his terrified face at “make it two” YOU KNOW WHAT IM TALKING ABOUUUUT.

guy getting scared at asher’s big dog form

david helping asher with his tie before the wedding

NSFW ‼️ baaabe using toys on a blindfolded, tied up asher :3

dancer au !! i think he’d like nct and ateez :3

─ ✦ milo

MILO EATING THE RUNWAY SERVING THE RUNWAY!!!

model au. milo fits gucci. give this man a sponsorship rn

him crying to sweetheart in the shower after the inversion

him laughing at christian getting wreckt by morgan

─ ✦ gavin

him reading a book.

arrogant gavin. he’s a dick but i want it. he’s just so fucking hot

him noticing damihux’s feelings for one another

─ ✦ lasko

dying violently

imp!vega ending imp!lasko. holy fuck that scene made me bust everywhere

─ ✦ damihux

hux’s moms inviting damien for tea

practicing magic tgt

damien comforting hux crying at a sad movie

hux bringing random animals home and their home being an absolute zoo

huxley and david are gym buddies idc

─ ✦ porter

once again pushing my lawyer!porter agenda

him being vulnerable and confessing to treasure

porter’s life before turning

porter during the BA. those eyes preying on treasure

NSFW ‼️ him coming from the masochism :) he can cum on my face anytime

him and vincent beating the shit out of each other

─ ✦ vincent

him and porter beating the shit out of each other

his relationship with william, before and after the summit

him and lovely in the rain

lovely accidentally blowing up light bulbs

NSFW ‼️ pre-turning lovely using electric on vincent

─ ✦ sam

brushing darlin’s wolf fur

riding a horse. whats a cowboy without a horse

trying to figure out video games

darlin’ drooling at his c- tits :333

sam dancing to his favorite country tunes

teen!sam running away from an abusive home 😊

─ ✦ aaron

(pre-dating) aaron and smartass having the most intense screaming matches ever

aaron, eli and their partners hanging out

NSFW ‼️ smartass sucking him SO HAAAARD under the table like holy shit just BOBBING ON THAT CAWK MMGNFFGH 💦💦💦

─ ✦ the balance

blake dragging a scared sunshine into the basement

bestie dying and all of us laughing in the background

elliott and sunshine’s reunion

brachium yearning to be free again

d’deridahn breeding blake no im kidding. like. hes inside of blake. yk

bestie dying ahhahahha

─ ✦ caelum

playing on the switch :3

him as a mii. HOLY SHIT THAT WOULD BE SO CUTE I LUV MIIS

─ ✦ guy

yapping to honey about his murder mystery fiction ideas

making pizza

fool!guy with huge dark circles around his eyes

NSFW ‼️ him filming his playtime for honeyyy :)

okay that will be ENOUGH. if you do have suggestions rb this and lmk, i can make more :)

tagging my beautiful mutuals and people who can draw @deezbignutz @ashertickler @infinitelovewiithoutfulfilmentt @free-boundsoul @messenger-of-stupidity @youeverjustseeadog @yournewmusictaste @breezysuffers @capitalisticveins @dukecollinsbf @achios @porters-fangs @n0r @pagesupinflames @cozy-collins @stupd000 @ilovealotofwomen @laskosprettygirl @chmease @aurorialwolf @plaqying @marlowlvsu

[autisticempathydaemon]

Redactober 2024 Day Ten

Prompt: Damien & Dinner

Pairing: Damien/Lasko/Gavin/Freelancer/Huxley aka the DAMN Polycule

cw: suggestive language

“If you two workaholics grade papers through dinner again, Hux and Freelancer are gonna storm in here and quit your jobs."

Available on AO3 here!

<- Prev Day | Next Day ->

“What does this look like to you?” Lasko asks, turning a test sheet over and pushing it towards Damien who squints down at it over his glasses.

“Chicken scratch,” the fire elemental deadpans. “Like a failing grade.” 

“I can’t fail someone for having bad handwriting,” the air elemental says admonishingly, pulling the paper away like Damien might mark it with his own red pen. 

“You can and should if it’s literally illegible; you choose not to because you’re soft.” He emphasizes his point by crossing out a mis-headed paper with a definitive, lurid slash of red and tossing it onto the pile. 

“Is he? I can fix that,” a sultry voice chimes in as Gavin rifts behind Lasko, slipping a warm hand beneath his collar and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “If you know what I mean~” 

“Not while we’re working, Gavin!” Damien yells, swatting both the demon and flushed elemental with a rolled up test. 

“Not for another thirty minutes, you’re not,” Gavin says, putting his tote down on the table so his boyfriends can hear the thu-thunk of full Tupperware inside. “If you two workaholics grade papers through dinner again, Hux and Freelancer are gonna storm in here and quit your jobs. This was the moderate option.” 

“What- what time is it? It’s dinner time already?” Lasko sputters, spinning around in his chair to see the sun setting beneath the oak trees outside his office window.  

“Barely. Hot stuff?” Gavin hands a container to Damien, and the fire elemental resignedly sighs as he puts down his pen and heats up his palms, warming up the curry. 

“Are they upset?” he asks, kicking the other professor underneath the desk and jerking his chin at their array of tests and essays. Obediently, the air elemental bundles them together and sets them aside while the incubus brings out rice and utensils, rifting himself a chair out of nothing. 

“No, not if we hurry it up. Deviant won’t have dessert until we’re all home, and you know what they’re like without their ice cream. 

“You’re not allowed to help grade my papers,” Damien says threateningly, pointing his chopsticks in Gavin’s face. “You’re too easy on my students.”

“You’re just mad they like me better than you. Don’t worry, wildfire, you know I’m a teacher’s pet first and foremost~” Then Lasko starts to choke on the rice, Damien lunging over the table to smack him between the shoulderblades, and any talk of Gavin being a pet has to be shelved… for now.

[nevadancitizen]

-> CH. 7: SHOULD EVERY RABID DOG GET ITS TAIL DOCKED UP TO THE EARS?

synopsis: you, connor, and hank deal with deviants in the eden club. connor spurs on another uncomfortable conversation near the detroit river.

word count: 4.4k

ships: Connor/Reader, Hank Anderson & Reader

notes: sorry for the late update insurance is kicking my ASS about the accident i was just in.. like it's my first one bro why y'all hounding me like that 😭😭

HoFS taglist: @catladyhere (if you'd like to be added to the taglist, just ask!)

HEAD OF FALSE SECURITY MASTERLIST

It’s impossible to ignore the bright pink neon sign advertising the Eden Club and the dull thrum of EDM coming from inside. You slowly pull up to the side of the street and park, looking out the passenger window at the club’s entrance.

“Aw…” Hank mumbles from the passenger seat. “Feels like someone’s playin’ with a drill inside my skull.”

He looks at the entrance. You can tell his head is throbbing doubly just from the bright colors. “You sure this is the place?”

“It’s the address on the report,” Connor answers from the backseat.

You lean over and look at the glove box. “Don’t you have Ibuprofen in there? Or some type of pain medication?”

“Yeah, I think,” Hank grumbles. He pops open the glove box and fishes out a pill bottle. He shakes out two and swallows them dry.

You turn off the ignition and sigh softly. “Let’s get this over with.”

Hank gets out (hitting his head on the roof of the car in the process), and you and Connor follow. He leads the way into the club entrance, where the lights pulse in soft, erotic colors. 

“Sexiest androids in town,” Hank reads off a TV in the entry hall, then glances at Connor. “Now I see why you insisted on coming here!”

“I was not programmed with a sex drive, or any other types of ‘desires,’ Lieutenant,” Connor says. “It could possibly distract me from the investigation if I did.”

You almost say, ‘Aw, really?’ out loud, but bite your tongue at the last second. Instead, you move forward into the club. 

Androids are littered about, moving sensually and palming themselves on poles and inside the tubes that line the walls. It turns your stomach – they’re beings (or, rather, things) created just to drown in the crashing wave that is human sex and desire. They fall and hurt and break and are thrown away to move onto the next. You keep your eyes on the floor and press on.

“Which room is it?” You ask, your eyes flitting to the doors and keeping them off the androids.

“The only one that says ‘Occupied,’” Officer Collins says. “And, uh – be warned. Gavin’s in there, too.”

“Oh, great,” Hank groans. “A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed.”

You follow Hank into the private room, taking it in. A naked corpse lays on the circular bed, made decent by the faux-silk blanket covering it. A deactivated android lays to the side, Thirium staining her otherwise perfect face.

“Lieutenant Anderson, Comrade Commie, and their little plastic pet,” Gavin sneers. “The fuck are you three doin’ here?”

“We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids,” Connor says as he surveys the room.

“Oh, yeah? Well, you’re wasting your time.” Gavin gestures to the corpse. “Just some pervert who, uh, got more action than he could handle.”

He laughs, then looks to Chris as if to confirm what he just said was funny. Chris isn’t laughing, if that’s any indication. 

Hank gives a tight-lipped smile. “We’ll have a look anyway, if you don’t mind.”

“C’mon, let’s go.” Gavin walks past Hank, giving him a dirty look. “It’s, uh… starting to stink of booze, and…” he looks over at you. “The loss of private property.”

He gives Connor a way-too-forceful shoulder-check on the way out. The too-sympathetic part of you is worried Gavin hurt his own shoulder, but you stomp the thought down as soon as you think it.

Chris gives all of you a smile that says ‘I’m so fucking sorry you’re here.’ “Night, Lieutenant. Night, Officer.”

“Goodnight, Chris,” you say. “Please say goodnight to Damian for me.”

“He doesn’t even have object permanence yet,” Chris laughs. “But I will.” The door closes behind him as he leaves. 

You start looking closer at the room as Connor makes a beeline for the deactivated android. You kneel by the corpse.

“You sure you’re good to be that close to it?” Hank says from beside you. 

“I’m getting used to corpses.” You look up at him. “As horrible as that is.”

Hank huffs out a laugh and looks over at Connor. A look of horror crosses his face. “Whoa – hey-hey-hey!”

You look over at Connor. He’s holding up two fingers to his mouth, Thirium dripping down the length of them. 

“Augh, Connor,” Hank groans. “You’re so disgusting… Think I’m gonna puke again.”

“Connor, you told us you would warn us!” You whine.

“I apologize,” Connor says. He then stands and moves over to kneel next to you, his eyes on the corpse. His LED flickers yellow as he observes the bruising on the corpse’s neck. 

“He didn’t die of a heart attack,” Connor says. “He was strangled.”

“Yeah, I saw the bruising on the neck,” Hank says from the other side of the room. “Doesn’t prove anything, though. Could’ve been rough play.”

“I don’t think so,” you say. You lean forward, careful not to get too close. “Kink choking is when you squeeze the sides of someone’s neck to emulate the feeling of being choked. The bruises make it look like his windpipe was crushed deliberately.” 

You pause, then scratch your cheek. “Don’t ask how I know that.”

“I won’t.” Hank shakes his head and smiles. “Don’t want to stunt a homicide detective in the making.”

Connor stands. “We’re missing something here.”

You look over your shoulder at the dead android. Connor follows your eyes and moves over to her, then kneels by her side.

“Think you can read the android’s memory?” Hank asks. “Maybe you can see what happened.”

The skin on Connor’s fingers peel back and he puts his first two fingers on the deactivated android’s wrist. “I don’t know. Some of its inner components are damaged, and I can’t access them.”

You move so you’re kneeling next to Connor. You hold out your left hand then extend your thumb and index finger, and your world again turns into monochrome-blues. Two pieces of information pop up in the corner of your eye as you observe the highlighted parts of the android: Selector #5402 Critically Damaged. Biocomponent #6970 Critically Damaged.

“Let me try something.” You press gently on her stomach and slide the plastic of her abdomen open. You grunt as you force your left hand in and reach into her upper chest, feeling around for what you need. “Ah! I found it. Two seconds…”

You can feel the wires from your glove snake out. They poke and prod and eventually jack into a port.

Information flickers into your view, and you glance over it quickly. “She’s badly damaged. If I can pull this off, she’ll only be alive for a minute. Maybe less.”

“Do it,” Connor says. 

You twitch your fingers and the wires spin the port. It clicks into place, and she rises with an unneeded, artificial gasp of air. She tries to scramble away, but your arm is still lodged in her abdomen. 

“Эй – Эй!” You shout. “Let me get my hand.”

When she stills, you carefully disconnect the wires and extract your hand. She crawls away backwards until her back hits the wall. 

Connor approaches her, ever calm and soothing. He crouches, making sure to stay on her level. “Calm down. Everything’s alright. All we want is to know what happened.”

“Is he…” She looks over at the corpse. “Is he dead?”

“Tell me what happened,” Connor repeats. 

She looks over at Connor, then away. “He started… hitting me. Again, and again.”

“Did you kill him?” Connor asks.

“No!” She responds, almost incredulous. “No, it wasn’t me.”

“Were you alone in the room?” Connor pressures, talking quicker. “Was there anyone else with you?”

“H-he wanted to play with two girls,” she says. “That’s what he said. There were two of us.”

“What model was the other android?” Connor moves closer. “Did it look like you?”

Her mouth opens and her eyes unfocus. Her face relaxes and stills in a perpetual death mask. 

You look down at your hand. It’s stained with her Thirium. You clench your hand into a fist, then wipe it off on your jeans. Connor stands with an exhale of something that sounds like frustration.

“So there was another android,” Hank says. “This happened over an hour ago. It’s probably long gone.”

“No.” Connor gestures to the deactivated android. “It couldn’t go out dressed like that unnoticed. It might still be here.”

You stand and sigh. “There are too many богом забытых androids in this place. How are we going to find the deviant?”

“Shit, you’re right,” Hank sighs. “Maybe an eyewitness? Somebody who saw it leaving the room.”

He moves closer to the door. “I’m gonna go ask the manager a few questions about what he saw. Let me know if either of you think of anything.”

You look down at the deactivated android and hear the door close behind Hank. Her face still holds that expression of ever-lasting fear. 

“Are you okay, Officer?” Connor asks from somewhere behind you. 

“Yeah,” you breathe out. “I… She was… scared. I feel bad for her. She didn’t do anything wrong.” You look over your shoulder at the corpse. “He did.”

“It’ll be okay,” Connor says. “We’ll figure this case out. Its deactivation will serve a purpose.”

You look over at him. He almost looks concerned for you. But you know better. It’s just his social relations program doing the work and his voice and expression expediting it.

You turn your eyes away and walk towards the door. “Let’s go. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”

The door opens automatically and shuts once Connor goes through it behind you. You step to the side and observe the lobby. The androids continue moving in erotic and tempting ways, completely unfazed by the corpse in the next room.

You move over to where Hank’s standing, talking to the manager, who looks more sleazy than words can describe. 

“Nah, I didn’t know him,” the manager says. “He came in maybe two, three times. I mean, these guys, they don’t really talk very much, y’know? They come in, do their business, and then go on their way.”

“You ever had any trouble with androids before?” Hank asks. 

“No way!” Then, the manager thinks for a second. “Well… once. We lost a model two, three months back. Ah, same model. Just vanished – we never found out what happened.”

Your eyes glance over the androids dancing on poles. “What kind of kinks are the androids programmed with? Anything to do with receiving impact play?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the manager says. “Some of them. We have specialized models with higher durability and all that.”

“And the one that…?” You nod your head towards the closed door. 

“Nah.” The manager shakes his head. “It was just a regular model.”

Connor comes over from your left. “Excuse me, Officer. Can you come here a second?”

“Did you find something?” You ask. 

“Maybe.” He turns on his heel and walks away. He comes to a stop beside a tube holding an android. “Can you rent this Traci?”

“Какого хуя?” You turn to look at Connor. “You just said you don’t have a sex drive. If this is a joke, it’s really weird.”

Connor catches your arm as you start to walk away. “Please, Officer! Just trust me.”

There’s a look in his puppy dog eyes that wrenches your heart. He almost looks like he’s begging. 

You roll your eyes and shake free from his grasp. With a few grumbles in Russian, you press a few buttons on the interface. 

“Hello,” a female voice chimes. “A thirty minute session costs $29.99. Please confirm your purchase.”

You glance over at Connor as you press your palm against the interface. “When Fowler inevitably asks why this is on my expense account, you better vouch for me.”

“Purchase confirmed!” The voice chimes again. “Eden Club wishes you a pleasant experience.”

The android steps out of the tube and takes your arm in both hands, her touch feather-light and sensual. Her skin shimmers with glitter, just barely visible in the low light. “Delighted to meet you.”

She looks over at Connor. One of her hands leaves your arm to take his hand. “I’m so glad to be playing with two. Follow me, I’ll show you to our room.”

“Чего?!” You take your arm away. “No, no. This isn’t a threesome! What are you talking about? Connor!”

Connor takes the Traci’s arm, his skin peeling back. Her face tenses as she stares, paralyzed, into Connor’s eyes.

After a second, he disconnects and turns back to you. “It saw something!”

“What are you talking about?” You look over at the Traci. She looks just as confused as you. “Saw what?”

“The deviant leave the room. A blue-haired Traci.” A look of panic crosses Connor’s face. “Club policy is to wipe the android’s memory every two hours. We only have a few minutes if we wanna find another witness!”

And so, you trail after Connor, renting and promptly ignoring sex-bots. Hank follows both of you with an amused look on his face. In your mind, you count up the amount of money you’ll have to beg Fowler to excuse – somewhere above a hundred dollars, all spent within the same five minutes at the same sex club.

“I know where it went!” Connor says as he disconnects from yet another android. “Follow me.”

“Fuckin’ ay,” Hank grumbles. “This is crazy…!”

Connor leads the way into a staff door and through a maintenance hallway. When he reaches the end of the hall, Hank stops him. 

“I’ll take it from here.” He pushes Connor behind him, and Connor subsequently pushes you behind himself.

Hank draws his gun and opens the door, revealing a small back-room warehouse. It’s dimly lit, and littered with androids in standby mode. (It’s honestly really creepy. Like mannequins, but worse, somehow.)

When Hank deems it clear, you step down the stairs after Connor. Something on the wall catches your eye – graffiti, reading rA9. 

You point at it. “rA9. It’s spreading.”

“Huh,” Hank hums. “Maybe it’s something in their programming.”

Suddenly, there’s a crash from somewhere behind you. You turn just in time to see Connor be tackled to the floor by an android. 

Hank is quicker with his reaction time and pulls his gun again, shouting “Don’t move!”

But he’s quickly ambushed by another android. Before you can think, your feet carry you over to defend him. You wrench her off Hank and earn an elbow to your barely-healing nose.

“Блядь!” You stumble back, cradling your nose that’s starting to bleed again. Your eyes water, and you desperately try to blink the tears away. 

When your vision clears, you see Connor and one of the girls barrel out of the open garage door and into the back alley. The blue-haired Traci scrambles after her, grabbing the other girl’s hand and helping her up. 

You run and grab Connor’s arm to help him up, almost slipping on the wet concrete. Hank comes soon after, but is thwarted when both androids knock him down. You can hear the metal sound of a gun scraping against the ground. 

“Quick!” Hank shouts. “They’re getting away!”

Connor shoots after them, pulling one of the girls down from the chain link fence they were both climbing. They immediately fight back, sending Connor into the wall. He grapples against them, but loses his grip as he falls to the concrete.

“Hank’s gun!” You yell. “Get his gun!”

Connor does as he’s told and gets up on one knee, pointing the gun at one of the girls. In a split second, his grip falters and she delivers a stiletto to his face.

He falls back, then stands. He doesn’t make a move for the gun. 

You come to stand next to Connor, putting a hand out to stop him from coming any closer to them. “You killed him, yes? Why did you do it?”

Traci pauses for a moment, choosing her words carefully. “When that man broke the other Traci, I knew I was next.” She looks away, then her gaze steels and returns to yours. “I was so scared… I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t.”

“So you defended yourself?” You ask.

“I… I didn’t mean to kill him,” she says. “I just wanted to stay alive. To get back to the one I love.”

The other android reaches forward and intertwines her fingers with Traci’s. They share a glance, both of their expressions filled with love and adoration for one another.

“I wanted her to hold me in her arms again,” Traci says. “Make me forget about the humans… their smell of sweat and their dirty words.”

You so desperately want to ask a million questions about their deviation, but bite your tongue. Now isn’t the time for curiosity and interrogations. 

You stay silent as the girls climb the fence and disappear around the corner. Somehow, the rain that’s beating down on your shoulders feels lighter and warmer. It’s a nice summer drizzle instead of an autumn downpour. 

“It’s probably better this way,” Hank says quietly. He turns and starts walking back into the warehouse.

You grab Connor’s arm, causing him to look over at you. “You did the right thing. To try to exterminate every deviant is like… like dragging water through a sieve. Letting two go isn’t failing your mission completely.”

Connor nods, then looks at the corner where the two girls disappeared. His eyes turn to the ground and his eyebrows crease. “I know.”

You shift in the passenger seat, slumping until your knees hit the glove box. The music Hank put on is still raging along, a mess of electric guitars and drums and screamo vocals. At least your nose has stopped bleeding.

“Does he do this frequently?” Connor asks from the backseat. 

“Too frequently,” you mumble. “I’m tempted to put a tracker in his boot, but I know every time I lose him I’ll just find him here.”

And, of course, ‘here’ is a public playground. Hank’s in his favorite spot – on a bench facing the Detroit River. 

“I’m going to check on him.” You sit up and glance back at Connor. “Give me two minutes. He’s… I just need to talk to him. Alone. Okay?”

“Okay,” Connor says. 

You get out of the car, closing the door behind you. You move over to the bench that Hank’s sitting on the back of. Snow crunches under your shoes as you walk.

You sit down on the bench properly and sigh, running your hands along your thighs. “Hank.”

He says your name in response, avoiding your eyes and looking down at his bottle of whiskey.

“You can’t keep doing this,” you say softly. “It… I’m… боже. You’re slowly killing yourself, but you’re slowly killing me, too. Death isn’t something you’re meant to anticipate. We’re supposed to believe that the disease will skip over us, that the bullet will clip our ear instead of finding a home in our head. Old age is a long affair, so we don’t have to think about that. But…”

You look up at him. He’s not looking at you. “I can’t count the number of times I thought you died, Hank – the most recent one being earlier this evening. You play with guns and liquor and your life like… like they’re toys!”

You look out at the river. “You get sad, Hank. And angry. Too sad, too angry. Most people can’t get that sad. It’s impossible to watch because other people get sad, too, but… not like you. You’ve been down and out and on a bender for three years. You’ve gotten violent. Not against me – never against another person. But you’ve started beating yourself. And it’s so fucking gut-wrenching to watch you be… be this.”

There’s the sound of a car door opening and closing behind you. 

“We’ll continue this conversation later,” you say softly. “I won’t forget about this.”

You look to your left and see Connor coming to a stop beside the bench. He’s looking out across the river, at the lights of the buildings on the opposite shore. 

“Nice view, huh?” Hank mumbles. “We used to come here a lot before…”

Your eyes fall to the snow-covered ground as you feel a familiar pang in your chest. You swallow thickly and try to ignore it.

“Before what?” Connor asks.

Hank looks over at him. “Hm?”

“You said ‘I used to come here a lot before.’” Connor looks over at Hank. “Before what?”

“Before…” Hank looks down at you, then out at the river. “Before nothin’.”

Connor crosses his arms, like he’s protecting himself against the cold. “Can I ask you a personal question, Lieutenant?”

“Do all androids ask so many personal questions?” Hank asks. “Or is it just you?”

“I saw a photo of a child on your kitchen table,” Connor says. You tense as he continues. “It was your son, right?”

Hank glances at you. “Yeah… his name was Cole.”

An uncomfortable silence settles over all of you. You listen to the river lazily move along, quiet waves just barely making sounds. Your eyes flit up as Connor walks in front of the bench, facing out towards the water.

“We’re not making any progress on this investigation,” Connor says. “The deviants have nothing in common. They’re all different models, produced at different times, at different places…”

“Well, there must be some link,” Hank says.

“There is,” you say. “All of them have been in the presence of or victim of violent behavior. And all of them have expressed some worship or reverence of rA9.”

“That’s true.” Connor turns to face you and Hank. “It’s almost like some kind of… myth. Or superstition, like you said. Something they invented that wasn’t a part of their original program.”

“Androids believing in God,” Hank mumbles against the lip of his bottle. “Fuck, what’s this world coming to?”

“You seem… preoccupied, Lieutenant.” Connor walks forward a few paces, looking at Hank. “Is it something to do with what happened back at the Eden Club?”

“Those two girls…” Hank looks down at the ground. “They just wanted to be together. They really seemed… in love.”

“You seem troubled, Lieutenant.” 

You look up and see that Connor’s come closer. His hair and blazer are speckled with snow. From this distance, you can see the few freckles that dot his face. He almost looks real like this – like a real man. Not a machine made of plastic and metal.

“It’s ironic,” Connor says. “I didn’t think machines could have such an effect on you.”

Hank exhales sharply and takes a swig of whiskey. “What about you, Connor?”

He gets up and takes a few steps towards Connor. “You look human. You sound human. But what are you, really?”

“I’m whatever you want me to be, Lieutenant.” Connor looks at you, but continues talking to Hank. “Your other partner. Your second buddy to drink with.” His eyes return to Hank. “Or just a machine, designed to accomplish a task.”

“You could’ve shot those two girls, but you didn’t.” Hank shoves Connor, who stumbles back. “Why didn’t you shoot, Connor?”

You stand from the bench. “Hank.” There’s a silent warning in your voice.

“Some scruples suddenly enter into your program?” Hank moves closer to Connor.

Connor’s foot shifts, like he was about to take a step back, but stopped at the last moment. “No! I just… decided not to shoot. That’s all.”

Hank reaches into his waistband and pulls out his revolver. You automatically move forward, reaching a hand out. 

“Hank, think about this,” you say, even and slow. 

He glances over his shoulder, then promptly ignores you in favor of staring down Connor through the sights of his gun. “Are you afraid to die, Connor?”

Connor’s mouth opens, and he hesitates before he actually speaks. “I would certainly find it regrettable to be…” he pauses. “Interrupted before I can finish this investigation.”

“What’ll happen if I pull this trigger? Hm?” Hank tilts his head to the side in a taunting way. “Nothing? Oblivion? Android heaven?”

Connor steps forward, his forehead pressing against the muzzle of the gun. Your heart leaps into your throat. “Connor!”

“You know you’re not going to shoot me, Lieutenant,” Connor says evenly. His eyes never leave Hank’s. “You’re just trying to provoke a reaction. I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you.”

“You think you’re so fucking smart,” Hank grinds out. “Always one step ahead, huh? Tell me this, smartass: how do I know you’re not a deviant?”

“I self-test regularly,” Connor says. “I know what I am, and what I am not.”

Hank’s lips draw back in a snarl before he yanks the gun away from Connor’s forehead. You let out a shaky breath as Hank storms off, digging his car keys out of his pocket. 

“Where are you going?” Connor calls after him. 

“To get drunker,” Hank says. “I need to think.”

You sit back down on the bench, resting your head in shaking hands. “Господи, блять, боже…”

“Are you okay, Officer?” Connor asks. It seems that’s the most frequent question he asks you as of late. 

“No!” You snap, your fingers digging into your scalp. “What the fuck is happening? I can’t wrap my head around how I was stuck with two of the stupidest detectives on the face of this very Earth!”

You stand and move over to Connor, grabbing his shoulders. “What the hell were you thinking? You know how… how he is! If you had faltered one more time before this, he would’ve shot you! You know that, right?”

“If he shot me, another Connor model would’ve been deployed,” Connor says evenly. 

“I don’t want another Connor model!” You bark. “I want…”

You. I want you. The message rings in the cold air, loud yet unsaid. It’s not an I want you in a sexual or romantic manner: it’s an I want you as in I want you to be safe. I want you out of harm’s way, even if you keep putting yourself in it. I want you to be behind me when the gunshots of revolution sound.

You take a step back and let Connor go. “I need to think.”

“Do you need me to accompany you?” He asks. 

“No,” you say. “I just… I need to be alone right now.”

You turn and start walking away. Snow crunches under your shoes with every footfall. Connor stays perfectly still where you left him, dried Thirium from your left hand staining the right shoulder of his blazer.

[leth-writes]

yandere connor x reader

Connor is a dedicated, obsessive yandere. He spends most of his time researching romance, at first completely unaware of the reason behind his obsession. It takes months for him to realize that no, he does actually care about you behind what he normally would. This begins his process of deviation.

Hates how close Gavin gets to you, and wants you far away from him. Will purposefully goad Gavin into attacking him just to prevent the two of you from talking. 

When he’s out on the job with you, tries to protect you from any suspects. He’ll completely take control of the case. You aren’t going to be allowed to do anything, he’s doing all the investigative work.

“It’s alright, Detective; I wouldn’t want you to be exposed to anything dangerous…”

If you’re ever threatened by a suspect, he purposefully pushes them in the interrogation room to hurt themselves. It’s a deliberate decision, all to remove the threat.

Works to get you to like him, even if you’re anti-android. Hell, you might hate him specifically because of how creepy he can be, always looking at you with those big, empty eyes.

Eventually goes out of his way to attack anyone who you’re romantically involved with; he’ll break their arm, just to get them to understand how serious he is. All with that flat, serious look on his face. You’ve completely overrode any sense of morality built into him.

Eventually, once he can’t handle not being around you anymore, he deviates. Then, he kidnaps you.

He’s used the technology in your house to force you to stay inside, isolating you from the world around you. He’s able to hack into it, like a smart house; you can’t watch a show without him knowing. Makes sure you’re reported missing, maybe even finds a body to fake your death.

After the revolution, with Marcus succeeding, I can see the androids having a persistent habit of developing dark, yandere traits, creating a Detroit where androids are in charge, each keeping control over their respective love interest or family. 

I’m really interested in continuing to write for the idea of the androids in charge, so if anyone is interested, please let me know!

[starmocha]

Part 2 of me yapping about bird men is coming, it's in my drafts, but uhhhhh.....I also want to yap about the other two men in my heart (aka I clearly have a type and it's "I'm just a soft baby that wants to be taken care of instead for once in her goddamned life and these men are more than ready to take on that task") 👉👈

[if anyone wants to read part 1 of me yapping about Gavin and Sylus, here ya go]

Victor (Mr. Love Queen's Choice), aka Daddy

CEO of a large investment and financial company (Loveland Financial Group (LFG))

Birthday: January 13 (Capricorn)

183 cm

Evol: Time control

Flower motifs are red roses (love, passion, beauty; burgundy roses can also mean commitment)

Animal motifs are panda bears. During his childhood, for his birthday, his father even adopted a panda at a zoo in his name

Associated with winter because he was born in the winter lol

Tall, dark, and snarky af

Perceived as cold, stoic, serious...but he is a softie with you

Highly respected in his field

Grinded through school so he could begin his career early

Workaholic

Childhood friend of MC...but it's complicated...

Gourmet chef. Man even opened a secret restaurant he sometimes cook at whenever he fancies (key note: the restaurant is only opened whenever he's in the mood...and it's insanely popular too).

Will cook anything MC craves, and even knows ahead of time, so he has everything prepared in advance.

Calls you Dummy (affectionate). Sometimes adds in a "moron" or "fool" to shake things up a little bit ig 😀

Scolds MC a lot, but he loves taking care of her, too.

When he loves, he loves deeply 😩🫶

Believes in you, will guide you when you need his assistance or advice, but overall, he wants you to believe in yourself and trust your own judgment

Zayne (Love and Deepspace), aka Zaddy

Chief cardiac surgeon

Birthday: September 5 (Virgo)

186 cm

Evol: Ice

Flower motifs are jasmine (love, sensuality, beauty)

Not explicitly official, but Zayne is sometimes associated with seals due to a childhood incident with MC.

Associated with winter because of his Evol

Tall, dark, and snarky af

Perceived as cold and serious, but is a total softie with you

Highly respected in his field

Grinded through school to begin his career early

Workaholic

Childhood friend of MC....and I guess it was also lowkey complicated, too

Average home cook, but we love to see that 🫶

Tries to learn recipes MC shows interests in. Does his best to perfect the recipe so he can cook for her.

Doesn't really have a pet name for you (yet), but I make him call me Darling and it heals me immensely 💕

Chides MC frequently, but it's also because he loves taking care of her and looks out for her.

He will be vulnerable for you, he will tell you how much he loves you, what it does to him, how you are healing for him. He loves holding hands, the feel of your hand in his. Pls caress his face, let him feel you, it's all he wants, all he needs. ZAYNE'S VULNERABILITY IS HIS SEXIEST QUALITY I'LL DIE ON THIS FUCKING HILL i just love zayne so fucking much pls love him too ok is this also me realizing zayne is touch-starved like me asklsa;;;sk

Believes in you, but worries about you, too, even if he knows you are capable. He can't help it. He just wants you to be healthy and safe, and not having that 100% certainty kills him inside. 🥺

THEY LOVE CATS. BIG SOFTIES. Victor is also a cat dad to one named Pudding and it's adorable af. If Zayne's career isn't so demanding, I would also say give this man a cat, too, but we know he wouldn't want to take on responsibilities he couldn't give his 100% to. 🥺

This brand of spicy is top-notch. Absolute elite shit 🤌 god me and who fucking when???

Head empty. Just long-haired Victor and Zayne to heal my tired soul 😩🫶

I like them for their personalities. 10/10 would recommend. 😀

[arrowfleur]

It’s been two years something something horny on main blah blah NSFW Gavin headcanons…. And post

Will foreplay for 1 hour+ before any clothes are even removed. He loves knowing how much he can make your heart rate speed up without even touching there. It gets to the point where your skin is so sensitive just sliding your jeans off is difficult.

Draws everything out until you are BEGGING for it. He loves it so much.

Prefers things that aren’t too rough, wax play, shibari etc but will try (pretty much) anything once.

Will magic up the Cutest toys and ropes and shit. Everything is pink or heart shaped or both.

BODY WORSHIP. Makes you feel like the hottest person alive, he does not run out of compliments. Kisses everywhere, soft touches, constantly pointing out how good your body makes him feel.

Positions: Canonically loves Missionary the most but just practically anything with eye contact is his favourite, he finds it sooo romantic.

Twist at the top and his eyes roll to the back of his head.

Actual magical mouth. God he will eat like his life depends on it. He literally doesn’t need to breath, your thighs will be trembling everytime.

He has piercings 👀

Kind of canon but loves talking you through it when he first puts it in. Puts it in so fucking slow omg.

Will either not let you hold in ANY noises, if you try to he just goes harder and harder until you don’t have the brain capacity to hold them in.

Cue him moving your hand from over your mouth and pinning it above your head, ‘I want to hear every single pretty sound you make.’

OR get you off in a public place and get off on you holding the noises in and squirming against him.

Encourages you to grip onto his horns when he’s being rougher or you’re on top.

When you’re in charge he wants you to tell him exactly what to do. Guide his hands, his mouth, his dick, put everything exactly where you want it.

He is not ashamed to beg. He will become a complete and utter mess and just repeat your name and ‘please’ over and over and over.

Same goes for whining.

Lots of ‘I know’ s and ‘does that feel good?’ s when he knows damn well you’re on the edge. The ultimate tease.

Overstimulation is Gavin’s specialty, he can go for so long and is weirdly good at keeping pace even when he’s climaxing.

Does that thing where he doesn’t pull out the whole way he’s just basically jerking inside you and hits your spot every second without mercy.

It’s really hard to get him to cum unless you do first. Nothing makes him feel as good as you feeling good.

MASSAGES. They’re so fucking good it’s like he went to school for it or something. Especially you thighs and hips. It’s a skill he uses for both foreplay and after care.

Loves falling asleep after, looks so radiant and soft afterwards and will just cuddle you forever.

[pixelmensupremacy]

DBH boys with a gamer s/o

A/N: This has probably been done before. But not by me.

Warnings: GN!reader, just fluff, not proof read

Connor

being his analytical and curios self, he has the habit of studying you

so, he will silently observe you every time you get to play on your console/pc

he will note what type of games you like to play

if you spend a lot of time in front of the screen he will tell you the side effects of too much screentime

it is both adorable how much he cares about your health and yet annoying how he basically scolds you as if you are a child

if you happen to have any multiplayer games he will want to play with you, though he wouldn't know how to approach the topic

so instead he will sit beside you and watch

It was one of those nights; calm rain tapped at the windows of your apartment. Inside it was gloomy with the only light source being your screen; the room was relatively quiet aside from the sound of your fingers hitting the buttons and your vocalized reactions. Connor stood by the door with his side resting against it as he observed you; his head was slightly tilted to the side, and his soft brown eyes were glued on you, yet you didn't sense it. Nor did you sense as he silently crept into the room only to sit next to you, for you were too focused on the game.

"Hi, love." Your eyes peeled off the screen for a split second to glance at him.

"You are playing (favorite game) again?" He rested his head atop your shoulder as he noted. In response, you hummed.

"You know what?" You spoke up as you exited to the main menu and glanced at him, who was already looking at you.

"You wanna give it a try?"

if you ask him to join in he will be happier than ever

at first, it will take him a couple of minutes to get an idea of how the controls work

you will most likely beat him in the first round but then you wouldn't have the same success

he's a natural

whether or not it has to do with him being an advanced prototype he's great

though he will intentionally let you win so he wouldn't hurt your pride

if you prefer story-centered games he would cuddle up to you with his arms loosely wrapped around your waist as his head rests on your lap and your armrests atop his head occasionally stroking his hair

he would discuss with you what the best choice is and will go on and explain why he roots for certain characters

once you get too tired he will urge you to go to sleep

he will turn your console/pc off and gently carry you to bed

Gavin

secretly, he would be excited to hear you share yet another interest with him

"You are shitting me." He rolled his eyes at you, his crossed arms resting in front of his chest.

"I'm for real I love that game."

despite trying to be cool about it he will come off as a total nerd when talking about his favorite games

it will take all his willpower to resist the urge to kiss you right then and there when he finds out you love the same games as him

he will be eager to play with you

I don't know why but I feel like he's into old-school games

he will definitely take to an arcade as a date

Gavin hates to loose

but if he loses to you maybe he will try not to be such a dick about it

he will pout a bit and will want a revanche but he wouldn't directly admit you beat him

"Just admit it, Reed. You lost." You teasingly pushed his shoulder as the smug grin didn't leave your face even for a second. In return he scoffed ad looked away, silently cursing himself for being so bad at the damn game all of a sudden.

"You were just lucky..... As always." He spoke under his breath.

"Nah it's just talent."

if you two live together it wouldn't be a rare occurrence for you to have a night in; take out sitting on the coffee table as you two play your favorite multiplayer game in ungodly hours of the night until you can't keep your eyes open

Markus

having taken care of humans, Markus tends to keep track of your habits and make sure they aren't affecting your health

so be prepared for him to advise you to not spend that much time in front of the screen

other than that he's a total sweetheart

I doubt he would want to join you in a game since he prefers other activities such as going for a walk or playing the piano/ painting

though he would occasionally ask you about your favorite games

as mentioned earlier he's a care giver

he will make sure you are hydrated and your nutrition is taken care of

it wouldn't be a rare occurance for him to come into the room with a glass of water and a table of healthy snacks

"You're the best you know that." You smile at him as you take a grape and swallow it whole, which in return causes him to smile back.

"Don't forget to drink water." he reminded you as he headed out, the smile on his face still curling the corners of his lips.

[free-boundsoul]

A DAMN Good Time

Okay, I love @romirola 's Hypno Fics! And an idea came to mind with Damien helping Freelancer clear their mind after they've been dealing with some stress from a certain class. There is NSFW, so minors, DNI.

You can read the full fic on Ao3 here

Damien bit the inside of his cheek in frustration, trying to stave off the heated words that were on the tip of his tongue. But he’d, mostly, grown past such impulses. Especially when it came to the people he loved. Even if one of those loved ones was making him want to shake them silly with their stubbornness. Forget what stereotypes on how bull-headed Earth elementals could be, the Freelancer had them all beat.

          He truly understood the drive to be perfect when it came to classes, to master a difficult magic and take that top spot. Hell, when he was still enrolled at D.A.M.N and he and the Freelancer took the same class, he was just as guilty as trying to one up them, the two battling for every point on assignments and tests. He admired that drive in them, loved that he could have a rival that he could still come home to and that competitive edge didn’t go past the threshold. Well, sometimes in the bedroom, but that was another matter.

          But watching the Freelancer delve into their studies for the last couple of days had been stressful, and not just for him. Even their recently acquired Water elemental had noticed that something wasn’t right with the usually friendly and open freelancer. They were secluding themselves in the room they shared with Gavin, focusing on the Advanced Telepathic Control Studies coursework. It was a magic they weren’t too bad at, they’d passed the beginner class with flying colors. He could understand their frustration at the struggle they were facing.

          But would they ask any of their partners for help? Of course not. Too concerned with making a burden of themselves no matter how many times they’d been assured that no one would consider them one. Damien knew that kind of trauma was hard to break through, and he was trying to be patient. To the Freelancer’s credit, they’d been getting better at the little things: asking Hux to grab a forgotten lunch, or confiding in Lasko over what their counselor had said about their schedule. But asking for help with a class they were struggling with? Nope, that was entirely their problem.

          Damien let out a sigh that steamed the air in front of his face, his frustration bubbling to the surface. Why was it just the two of them today? Gavin had had to make the odd trip to Aria, and Hux, Lasko and Dear were all at work. Which left Damien on his own to witness his partner neglect themselves. All. Day. They’d rejected his offer of breakfast, grabbing some toast before retreating to the room. They hadn’t come out for lunch at all. He could feel the magic in the air as they practiced…and practiced. This wasn’t healthy!

          Damien paused in his mental rant as the bedroom door opened and the Freelancer stumbled out. They were wearing the same baggy sleep shirt they’d slept in, the shorts they had on barely peeked out from underneath the shirt’s hem. Their hair was a mess from constantly running their hands through it in frustration. The dark circles under their eyes looked almost like bruises from how dark they were, did they even sleep last night? They moved so stiffly he wouldn’t be surprised if they’d just been hunched over textbooks all day, barely moving from the spot on the floor they liked to occupy despite the desk they had.

          Freelancer didn’t even glance at him as they made their way to the kitchen, pulling out a cup of ramen that was the last straw for the Fire elemental. In a few quick strides he was at their side, snatching the Styrofoam cup from them before a quick flare of his magic had it incinerated in an instant. They blinked owlishly at him as their nose crinkled at the smell. “Damien?! What the fuck?”

         He waved his hand, a little psychokinesis had the window opening and a burst of air magic had the kitchen aired out. “We’ve all given you your space, Freelancer. You need a break, and you’re taking one.” He said firmly.

          They let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of their nose “I can’t, Dames. The final is in three days. I need to cram as much as I can. Once the final is over, I’ll take a break, I promise. But right now, I can’t.” They stressed the last word before looking up at him, the anxiety in their gaze making something in Damien’s chest twist, and it wasn’t his core.

          His hand cupped their cheek, the warmth coming from his skin a comfort that had the Freelancer wavering and they had to struggle to stop themselves from leaning into that touch. “Why can’t you, Ember? Look at yourself, you’re barely upright. This is more that just wanting to take the top spot, isn’t it?”

          Freelancer’s breath left them in a shuddering sigh, and they couldn’t stop the tears that welled in the corner of their eyes even if they hated it. Their teeth gnawed at their already chapped lips before they gave a minute shake of their head. “It’s…it’s really stupid, Dames.”

          He let out a soft huff as his thumb traced over the crest of their cheek. “I’ll be the judge of that. Sit down and tell me about what’s on your mind. I’ll make you something to eat that’ll actually help replenish the energy you need.”

          Their lower lip pushed out in a pout as they stepped back to take one of the seats at the kitchen island. “Ramen isn’t so bad…there are dehydrated veggies in it.”

          “If you want ramen, I’ll make you real ramen, not that crap.” Another wave of his hand had the ash that had fallen to the floor gone. He moved around the kitchen as he busied his hands. “Or I can make you that pasta dish you really like? Or we have stuff for tacos? Or that hotdish that Hux’s moms made? We have options, Ember.” He gave them a grin as he placed a bottle of water in front of them.

          Their mouth twisted in consideration before they cracked the bottle open to take a drink. “The hotdish sounds good?”

          “Then I’ll make that. Thank you, I was wondering what to make for dinner anyway.” Damien pulled out the ingredients he’d need, his glance going to the way their fingers crinkled the plastic of the water bottle. “Alright, Ember, spill it. What’s got you so knotted up?”

          They rubbed at a spot by their nose, frowning at the bottle like it was the cause of their worries. Damien let them collect their thoughts as he methodically washed his hands before he started to make the hotdish. It was a simple thing, just throwing ingredients into the baking dish but it was homemade food that would make both Hux and the Freelancer remember making it with the former’s moms, and good memories and good food were just what his partners needed.

          “It’s my partner for the class… she’s a Telepath in her first year and…” Their shoulders hunched as they looked down at the marble of the island top, tracing one of the lines with their eyes. “They keep dropping these little quips about how I shouldn’t be so stressed I’m not getting this. I’m just a Freelancer. It’s not my fault that I’m so…limited.” Their lips curled in distaste, like the words themselves tasted bitter. “But I thought I was doing fine! I was getting top marks and the only thing for the final is accessing the mind of your partner across campus. But no matter what I do, she says she can’t feel me! We live close by enough that even when I’m here, she should be able to sense me. I can feel her core, and I keep trying to like…knock? At her mental walls, but she says she doesn’t feel me at all. She’s even spoken in my mind to prove it’s not a distance issue. I just…ugh! I have to get back to studying Damien, there has to be something I’m missing and I’m gonna find it.”

          They went to stand before a force kept them in their seat, they turned to glare at Damien’s back as he placed the dish in the oven and set the timer before he turned toward them and his magic let them go. “I told you: you need a break. I’m not just gonna let you run off.” They crossed their arms over their chest as they huffed. “Now, I think your partner’s being a petty piece of shit and is lying over being able to sense you. It makes sense if you can’t break into her thoughts since Telepaths are taught how to maintain strong mental shields once their powers manifest. Tomorrow, once you’re rested and your magic is replenished, I’ll go out to whatever the distance is and you can practice with me. That way we can verify if what she says is true or not.”

          They blinked at him, “You have work tomorrow Damien-“

          “We’ll do it before or after, Freelancer. I can and will make time for you.” He stepped over to them and took their hand with the island between them. His thumb rubbed little circles over their knuckles. “You deserve time too, Ember. I know we have a lot to juggle with our group. But I’m never too busy to help you with something.”

          They turned their hand so they could entwine their fingers with his, giving him a grateful squeeze even as new tears formed in their eyes. Their throat felt too tight for words. They didn’t think words would be able to accurately convey how thankful they were to have someone like Damien in their life. He got them in a way that no one else did, the drive, the desire to prove themselves past the designation that their specialty granted them. And he wouldn’t let them torment themselves when he could see that they were neglecting their own needs.

          “You gonna talk to Lasko about their comments? The professor shouldn’t be allowing her to say shit like that, you know?” Damien raised an eyebrow at them.

          They sighed and shrugged their shoulders. “She didn’t say it in front of the professor or any of our classmates. Just the times we studied together. Or she said it…in my head.” They swallowed thickly, still gripping his hand. They didn’t want to admit that what she’d said had rattled them. Made them question their talent and the skills they’d worked doggedly to perfect. It wasn’t the first time they’d heard those kinds of comments. They’d never be as strong as a specialized magic user, they couldn’t hold a candle to Damien, or shake the earth like Hux.

          Damien’s eye twitched, considering there had to be something for them to do, D.A.M.N. did have a few demons on staff that could verify the memories, if Freelancer was up to it. But that was something they’d discuss later. Right now, his priority was making sure they were well fed, hydrated and taken care of. Lasko and Dear would be at campus late tonight dealing with the preparations for their own finals. Hux had texted that his current job would be running late, and the drive home would make it even longer. And who knew how long Gavin’s visit would take? So, it was up to Damien to take their mind off their troubles.

          “Alright, we’ll come back to that later. For now, no more stressing over the class. You’ve prepared a lot, Freelancer, your crummy partner aside, I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors, just like always. Let’s just get your mind off it for now, hmm?” He suggested as his thumb circled over their joint, the warmth his body gave off usually a soothing sensation.

          They sighed as their shoulders slumped. “I don’t know if I can…it’s all that’s buzzing around in my head. I just can’t…shut it off, y’know?” They let out another frustrated breath as their leg bounced, the chaotic energy of having to do something needing to find some kind of outlet. Relaxing when they had classes to focus on wasn’t their strong suit.

          Damien hummed softly as a thought came to mind. He felt his lips curl into a grin as he squeezed their hand, making their eyes return to his. “Well, we do have something that can help with that, don’t we?”

          Their eyes widened slightly at the realization behind his question. “Y-You want to? I know you don’t use it that often…” Their voice trailed off in their uncertainty. They would never want Damien to do something he wasn’t interested in, even if it would benefit them. That doubt vanished when his other hand reached out to cup their cheek, his grip gentle but firm as his thumb slid against their cheek. His dark brown eyes were warm, and the confidence there made it easy to lean into his touch.

          “I know how it works and you need it, right? Let’s get you fed and showered and then I’ll help you empty all thoughts out of your pretty little head, okay?”

Tags: @pinksparkl @thatweirdomidas @dawnofiight @professionallyyappinabtangst @vegafan69

[greazyfloz]

more luke smut please 🙏🏼

Smut: 11. “If we were alone right now, I would make you cum harder than you ever have”  w/ Luke Hughes

Reasons To Leave a Party

Luke and I weren’t the couple that gets drunk and sticks each other's tongues down each other's throats, but tonight we were. The night out started immediately after the big semifinal win against Ohio State at Yost. I waited for Luke in the tunnel after the game with some of the other girlfriends and family members. When I looked out my heart was so happy seeing him so happy as he made his way over to his mother and father. 

I said bye to the girls and headed over to the Hughes’ huddle, “there she is” Luke says, bringing me into a big hug. 

“Congratulations Luke!” I say hugging him back. We let go and continued the conversation with his parents before they told him to have fun and behave as they left the arena. 

Luke and I then headed over to the universities club, where the whole team was celebrating. As the night went on the more beers Luke had, and the more I tried to keep up. 

We were talking to Truss and Holtzy as I noticed Luke watching me closely as I replied to something Holtzy asked. He looked mesmerized eyes his eyes were glued to my eyes, watching me suck the bottom lip after answering. When Gavin and Luca came and joined the conversation I looked at Luke giving him a cutesy smile while the Luca began telling a story about the game. Luke leaned lower so he was in my ear, “You’re so fucking beautiful” he says. I turn and wrap my arms around his neck. “How beautiful?” I ask him talking a little louder so he could hear me over the music and the loud chatter

“So fucking beautiful, come ‘ir” he says wrapping his arms around me pressing his lips to mine. Luca notices us randomly start making out as he says his story and immediately stops what he was saying.

“No way I thought buddy had that, It was– Holy fuck Hughesy get a room” he yells over laughing at Luke causing the whole group to look over to see Luke and I all over each other. Luca cat-call whistles loudly at us, making the whole group start laughing. 

“Okay, let’s leave these two vultures” Holtzy says laughing as the group moves over a little bit in the crowded club.

Luke’s hands rub up and down my back as we make out, before sliding them over my ass squeezing it hard. I pull away and look up at Luke and he leans back in close to my ear still squeezing my ass. 

“If we were alone right now, I would make you cum harder than you ever have” he says, making my pussy throb. I bring my lips back to his making our makeout sesh more sensual as I add my tongue, pushing it into Luke’s mouth. Luke pulls his mouth away placing it on my neck sucking it. He lifts his mouth off my neck to say, “fuck, I can’t wait to jam my cock down your throat” then lowering his lips back kissing my lips before speaking again, “You don’t know how bad I want you to sit on my face” he says again then brings his lips back to mine and kisses me hard

It was so intense that I pulled my mouth away and I breathe out hard, “Luke, please let’s go home”

“Okay” he says ordering an uber before grabbing my hand again taking us outside. He leans down to makeout with me again while we wait outside until it arrives. We both hop in and he rubbed my inner thigh occasionally brushing his fingers over my heat the whole ride. 

Once we get inside the sophomore house, I take my shirt and bra off immediately throwing it to the side. Luke pushes me against the front door and grabs my boobs squeezing them hard as he presses his mouth to mine before tailing the kiss down so he can suck on my nipple. He sucks until he takes his mouth off slightly so he can flick his tongue. While he was sucking my tits, he unbuttoned his jeans before kicking them to the side. 

I pushed him off and sunk to my feet. With both hands I massage Luke’s cock with one hand and his balls with the other through his briefs. Luke watches down with excitement before I pull them off to expose his hard cock. 

I stroked his twice slowly before sucking back and forth on his cock only going halfway. I take him out and spit on his tip then circle my tongue around his cock before taking him back into my mouth. He grabs a hold of my hair and begins fucking my throat, “Ah Fuck!” I hear Luke moan as he pushes my head deeper and deeper on his cock.

He takes his cock out of my mouth and lean down to the floor. He takes his shirt off on his knees in front of me. I glide my hand up his abs before he comes in to make out with me again. He guides me down so I am laying on my back on the hardwood floor in the entrance of his house. He grips on to the waist band oh my pants, “Up” he says and I lift my hips as he pulls them off forcefully. He then rubs my pussy over my panties making me breathe a little harder. 

I reach down and take my panties off myself making Luke chuckle as he immediately enter two fingers. “Needy” he says before plunging his long fingers in and out make me throw my head back on the floor. Luke takes his fingers out and rubs my clit as he brings his face in close, licking my pussy. He wiggles his tongue inside of me then swishes it around in and out of me. 

“Oh fuck Luke” I moan out. Luke’s hands reach up and grab my tits as his mouth begins sucking on my clit. He sucks as I grind my hips back and forth. He plants a kiss on my pussy before getting back up on his knees stroking himself. 

“Knees baby” he says

I turn over and spread my legs apart, and arch my back so my ass was in th air. Luke positions himself at my entrance as he reaches down underneath my armpits so he can grab my shoulders. He pulls my shoulders back hard as he thrusts into me. His thrust only becomes more forceful as my loud moans just encourage Luke to pound into me harder and harder. 

“Fuck Luke! I’m going to cum! I’m going to cum!” I whimper out as I feel myself immediately cum all over Luke’s cock as he continues to ram himself inside of me. 

“Oooh Fuck Luke!” I moan out. Luke pulls out and bends over to pick me up so I’m on my feet. He kisses me as I reach down and stroke his cock. He backs us up over to the stairs. 

“Fuck Y/n, I’m going to come” he says sitting on the stairs as he grabs my waist, “sit on my cock, I need I’m so fucking close”

I cradle him and sit down hard on his cock. I bounce on his cock and he starts to thrust hard into my, “Fuck Luke, Don’t stop!” I moan out again feeling myself build up again. Luke grabs my waist and turns us over without taking himself out of me so I was now on the stairs. He thrust into my hard making my legs shake as I came again. Luke gets extremely sloppy with his thrusts.

“Cum in my pussy baby” I say running my hand down his body making him weak. He thrusts once more deep inside of me letting out a moan as I feel his warm liquid cream inside of me. He lays on top of me for a second before laying himself on the stairs beside me. 

“Fuck I love y-” he starts to say but we hear people walking up the front steps of the house. “Oh shit!” he laughs, grabbing my hand and we run up the stairs. We lay in his bed naked under his covers as we listened to the boys laugh at our clothes all over the entryway of the home.

“I’ll get them tomorrow” Luke says to me laughing making me giggle along with him.

[autisticempathydaemon]

in this kitchen, baking (what a mess I’m making)

A Great British Bake Off AU

Pairings: all the good ones- Angel/David, Milo/Sweetheart, Asher/Bäbe, Lasko/Huxley/Damien, Gavin/Freelancer, Darlin/Sam, Lovely/Vincent, Alexis/Christian, Mentions of Porter/Treasure

cw: none no magic no angst just the love of the game and food

Available on AO3 here!

[Overhead, panning shots of a quaint California town. There’s lines of charming suburban houses with well-kept lawns, a bustling downtown full to bursting with small locally-owned businesses… a classic, picturesque college town.

The camera speeds away, outside the city, towards the woods, until we close in on a beautiful, shimmering Lake Arrowhead and the campgrounds surrounding it. Beside the lake, in a verdant clearing, we zoom in on a large, white tent and the two presenters standing at its opening.]

Angel: So we’ve got thirteen bakers-

Babe: -three challenges

Angel: -two days of stunning desserts

Babe: -and one future winner hiding in our midst! Is there a certain kind of dessert you’re hoping to see and try this weekend?

Angel: I’m so glad you asked, because have you seen the cake on our judge, David Shaw-

Asher (Off-camera): Babe, they’re off-script!

Babe: Oh lord- Welcome to the Great Dahlia Bake Off!

[The camera zooms out, away from the hosts, and cuts to establishing shots of the field surrounding the tent. Charming, quaint clips of woodpeckers, dragonflies, hummingbirds, and an inexplicable lamb are layered with jaunty string music and are followed by an inside view of the tent and the procession of bakers as they file in and absorb their surroundings.

A no-nonsense woman with black hair tied into a severe ponytail and eyes straight ahead walks with confidence to her station. A tall, wide-shouldered man saunters in with an even wider smile, offering a warm handshake to both his neighbors. The skittish man behind him reciprocates it gingerly before fiddling with the ties of his apron.

The contestants settle in at their respective, colorful kitchen islands and face the front of the tent with varying degrees of apprehension. Angel and Babe stand before them with visible excitement and bright smiles. Beside the hosts, David and William stand tall and intimidating, despite the latter’s friendly smile and small wave.]

Angel: Welcome to the tent, bakers! I had a whole spiel about first seasons and new adventures and bright beginnings- but then I remembered that the longer I talk, the longer it’ll be until I get to try your food, so let’s get this party started. Take it away, Babe; what are our new best friends making for us this morning?

Babe: Today, for the first challenge of Cake Week, our esteemed judges would like you to make a signature crepe cake! The cake must consist of alternating layers of French crepes and some sort of filling, though the flavor of crepe and filling are up to your creative minds. Judges, do you have any advice for our lovely bakers?

David: Crepes are beautiful in their simplicity but also difficult. They must be perfect.

William: We’d love to see a good combination of technique and personality today. There’s so much room for different flavors, textures, and combinations with your dessert today, so we can’t wait to see what you make for us.

[William, a kind-faced man with neatly braided, long, black hair, offers the contestants a warm smile, a stunning contrast to the stony, stoic stare from David beside him.]

David: You’ve got two hours; get started.

[Angel slaps David on the shoulder before wagging a finger in his direction. The man’s eyes widen comically which the hose dismisses with a wave of their hand.]

Angel: You don’t tell them to start; we do! Babe?

Babe: Get ready~

Angel: Get set~

Babe: Bake!

[The hosts clap in unison, and the contestants start in a flurry like horses at a gunshot. A tall, freckled blond man puts a moka pot on the stove, starting a pot of coffee. A young contestant with striking Lichtenberg scars up their neck starts sifting a sandy gray flour, drawing glances from the opponents around them. Another young contestant in a DAMN sweatshirt starts dicing what looks to be a small mountain of strawberries.]

Angel: Can I steal one of these? They’re gorgeous!

Freelancer: Um, sure, please.

Asher (off-screen): Grab one for me too, Angel!

Angel: Get it yourself!

Asher (off-screen): You know I can’t! Have mercy!

Babe: I’ve got you- open up.

[Babe takes a strawberry and holds it up to the person holding the camera. Chewing can be heard off-screen, and Babe stares lovingly at their boyfriend while Freelancer watches in confusion, their hands still and awkward. David rolls his eyes at the nauseating scene before turning to the contestant.]

David: Ignore them. Tell us what you’re making today.

Freelancer: I’m making a strawberries and cream crepe cake today with strawberries picked from my garden.

David: Simple.

William: Quaint! All these strawberries will be cut and mixed into the filling?

Freelancer: Not really- it’ll be made into a puree which will be incorporated in the crepe batter plus a jam that’ll be layered with a vanilla diplomat filling. There will also be whole strawberries on top for texture.

William: A veritable strawberry cornucopia and homegrown to boot. I’m sure it will be delicious.

Freelancer: God, I hope so.

Angel (narrating): Freelancer is a nursing student at Dahlia Academy of Medical Nursing. Between their pharmacology classes and organic chemistry labs, they like to unwind by hanging out with their brother who often volunteers as a live-in taste tester.

[B-roll footage of a comfy, sunlit townhouse kitchen. Freelancer is standing at the counter kneading dough and chatting with a young, pink haired man as he sits at the dining table and does homework. The window lets in bright sunlight, illuminating the flour dusting their hair and the air, and reveals a vibrant, ruby-studded garden right outside.]

[In the tent, Freelancer continues to cut more strawberries while some come to a low boil on the stove.]

Freelancer: They’ve been his safe food since… since he was old enough to eat food, probably. Milk, pudding, popsicles, anything strawberry he’d eat. We could get him to eat anything if we put chopped up strawberries or strawberry dressing on it.

[The contestant laughs joyfully, fondly- a hilarious contrast to the dripping, red knife in their grasp.]

I’m a strawberry expert at this point so obviously that’s what I’ve got to make today. Gotta lead with my strengths, you know?

Babe (narrating): Freelancer’s not the only one bringing fruit to the tent today.

[The tall, smiley man from earlier pits cherries and tosses them into a bowl of kirsch. A quiet, focused contestant with hair tied back into a loose bun cuts mangoes, peeling them with a glass cup. A cool, collected contestant with glasses perched precariously atop their nose peels and juices lemons with efficiency.]

William: Enlighten us as to what you’re making for us this morning, Sweetheart.

Sweetheart: I’ll be making lemon crème crepe cake today; I’m working on the lemon curd now that’ll be one of my two fillings.

David: Two?

Sweetheart: Lemon curd and a vanilla diplomat.

David: So you’ll be making three components for us today: a curd, a custard, and a whipped cream in addition to your crepes? Do you think you can keep all those plates in the air?

Sweetheart: What- like it’s hard?

[A snort, poorly stifled, can be heard from behind camera B. Sweetheart looks in its direction and winks with a smirk, causing a laugh from behind camera A. Even David looks amused, half-smiling and tapping a knuckle against the wood of the tabletop as they move on.]

William: And what have we got going on here with all this color, Porter? What are you making for us today?

[Atop the workstation is a Warholian disarray of green powder and white splatter. The mess has made it onto the baker, verdant smears stark on the brown skin of his neck and a light grassy dusting in his black hair. Despite this, Porter greets the camera with a rakish grin and the judges with a confident handshake.]

Porter: I’m glad you asked, William. I’m making a matcha crepe cake with a vanilla whipped cream and some white chocolate ganache.

David: …interesting. Is this a flavor combination you have a lot of experience with?

Porter: No.

[Porter grins at the camera, a mischievous glint in his eyes. While he’s looking away, the matcha in his crepe batter clumps unattractively, dark green specks spattered in the bowl. David looks in disapproval at that and the messy counter before walking away.]

Vincent: Yeah, he’s sort of always like that. I’d like to say he grows on you, but I feel like I shouldn’t lie on national TV.

William; That’s right; you would know, wouldn’t you?

Babe (narrating): Vincent, when he’s not baking and having a good time, is an up and coming presence in Dahlia’s real estate game. His opponents, both in the tent and outside of it, are Porter and Alexis, his family who work for the same estate agency.

[B-roll footage of Vincent standing in the doorway of a lovely, three-story modern Spanish home, his casual pose of him leaning against the door matching the sign of him posted in the front yard. Porter and Alexis come through the same door, shouldering him out the way with matching sneers and affectionate disdain.]

Babe: Tell us about that. Did you ever think when you applied, all three of you would end up on the show? Did a shared, familial love of baking bring the three of you together?

Vincent: Sort of…? We were watching season two and started giving each other shit about who would last longer on the show. An hour and some bottles of wine, and here we all are.

Angel: Aww, that’s… fun. Now that you’re here, are you at all nervous about going against your sister and cousin? We hope you won’t go easy on each other just because you’re family.

[Vincent raises an eyebrow before turning to look behind him. The camera pans out, and Alexis and Porter have looked up from their respective bakes, having heard their names, and are presumably giving Vincent the middle finger. Porter, whose island sits between his cousins, has put his sifter down to do it to Alexis as well. Thankfully, the way Milo has angled the camera, all offending gestures are obscured behind mixers and jars of flour.]

Vincent: I don’t think you have to worry about that.

William: What fun! And what are you making for us? Hopefully not matcha and white chocolate.

Vincent: God, no, I can’t stand matcha. I’m making chocolate crepes with coffee cream inbetween.

Porter (off-screen): Matcha’s delicious; you have the taste buds of a child.

Alexis (off-screen): and no ideas of your own. I hope your chocolate crepes burn, you cheat.

Vincent: Porter, you’re not special because you don’t like sugar; it just makes you a grouchy jackass. And Lex, patent putting cocoa in your crepe batter if you’re so pressed. You’re just mad yours are going to suck.

Angel: This is going to be a great season.

David: This is going to be… a season. I hope we won’t have to separate you three… though we could move you much in the tent.

Vincent: We’ll be separated when they lose, don’t you worry.

[Off-screen, Asher and Milo can be heard poorly hiding their laughter. David tries to silence them with a glare, fails, and moves on to Alexis’s island. Her workspace is spotless but crowded, the mixer practically crawling across the table, a dark, sugary mixture bubbling on the stove, and Alexis vigorously beating cream into stiff peaks.]

William: You certainly have a lot of plates spinning. What are you making for us today?

Angel: And, more importantly, how is it going to be better than Vincent and Porter’s?

David: Don’t encourage them, Angel.

Asher (off-screen): No, I want to know too.

David: You’re both children.

Alexis: My chocolate crepe cake will be filled with a caramel diplomat and topped with a caramel creme anglaise.

William: You’re hoping to outshine them with techniques.

Alexis: No, I know I will.

Angel: Damn.

[David pushes Angel out of frame before moving on. William lingers for a second, smiling at Alexis, before pointing at her stovetop.]

William: Mind your caramel, dear. The color can turn quick.

[William walks away, and Alexis scowls down at her mixing bowl, waiting a moment before adjusting the heat of the burner. Focus on William behind her, watching in approval. Cut to Christian and his station, the blonde surfer casually stirring his custard while looking about the room.]

David: You look relaxed.

William: That iconic California, Australian, laidback attitude- what a combination! What are you presenting today that’s got you so confident?

Christian: Something classic, a vanilla crepe cake with a diplomat cream and strawberries.

David: Classic and simple. Why did you choose to not make something more unique or signature to you?

Christian: It’s important to know when to be flashy and when to rely on the basics. There’s a time and place for risks.

Babe (narrating): Christian, a professional surfer and influencer, would certainly know. Having lost part of his leg two years ago in a shark attack, Christian chronicled online his recovery journey of relearning the surfing basics, and more then a hundred thousand people have seen the video of him winning a competition just eight months after his accident.

[Footage of Christian surfing from the shore, moving too fast for the camera to catch anything but his golden hair in the breeze and the sun reflecting off the aluminum of his prosthetic.]

David: Let’s hope your risk or lack there of pays off.

Angel: We’ll find out soon. Bakers! You’ve got forty-five minutes left, you’ve got less than half of your time left to go!

[The camera pans out, and the whole tent is in frame, the thirteen bakers a chaotic tableau of flour and eggs. The handsome man in front of Freelancer is leaning on their countertop while his mixer goes, chatting and bending provocatively so the other baker can see down his apron and tank top. Freelancer looks pointedly behind him at the basket of strawberries on his station, and the man laughs abashedly, presumably caught.

The nervous, fidgeting man from earlier yelps, having gotten key lime juice in his eye. This would be the second of his injuries this morning if the blue cover on his finger is any indication. The two bakers stationed in front of him spun to check on him, the frontmost one yelling and pointing in his direction with the other blots at his eyes with a clean tea towel.]

Huxley: Are you alright, Lasko?

Lasko: Ye- yeah, I’m okay. Don’t worry, stuff like this happens all the time.

Damien: That somehow does not surprise me.

[Across the aisle, the quiet contestant with the mangos barks out a laugh, covering their mouth with a start. The freckled man stationed in front of them turns at the sound, catching their eye, and the two share a conspiratorial smile. Cut to Angel and Babe hovering on either side of Lasko.]

Angel: Are you alright?

Babe: Is Damien giving you a tough time? I’ll rough him up for you.

Lasko: N-no, he’s got a point. I can be really clumsy in the kitchen… or everywhere, if I’m being honest. And then he showed me a better way to handle my limes, so I wouldn’t hurt myself again!

Angel: Oh? And is there anything else he and this tall drink of water over here helped you handle?

[Angel waggles their eyebrows suggestively at Lasko and then the camera, making Babe reach across the contestant to slap the other host’s arm. Asher can be heard laughing behind the camera which is minutely shaking despite the steadying mechanisms. Lasko, after looking between the three show staff, catches on and flushes, a lime practically jumping out of his hands in nervousness. Milo’s camera catches Huxley quietly laughing at the indiscreet conversation, wide shoulders shaking in mirth until he has to stop whipping cream.]

Huxley: You guys are a riot.

Damien: I’ll riot if you distract Lasko. Forget about being sent home; he’ll end up in the hospital if he’s not careful.

Angel: So cute, so protective~

[Damien glares at the host, looking around his workspace presumably for something light to throw at them as they strut off with a laugh to another station.]

Babe: So why’s your flour different than everyone else’s and not white?

Angel: Oh my god, Babe, you can’t just ask people why their things aren’t white.

[Angel and Babe grin at the camera. Nearby, Vincent and Sam laugh, getting the reference. Even Alexis cracks a smile, but Lovely stares blankly at the hosts, giving the camera a confused look and waiting to be let in on the joke.]

Angel: Hell, I think we’re old. Are we old? How old are you, Lovely? What do you do?

Lovely: I’m twenty-two…? And I’m a college student at Dahlia Academy.

Angel: Shit, we’re old.

Babe: Freelancer goes there too!

[Babe points off screen, and the camera pans over to Freelancer whose head pops up at the mention of their name. Lovely gives them a friendly wave and smile from across the tent, and the nursing student tentatively waves back with the hand holding the knife, earning them a quick but loud admonishment from David at the front. They bashfully put it down, their island neighbor patting their shoulder consolingly and Damien tsking loudly.]

Babe: What are you studying there? Culinary sciences maybe?

Lovely: Aha, no, this is just a hobby. I’m pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. I come from a long line of electricians.

Vincent: Is that so? I wouldn’t complain about routine inspections ever again if the electrician that came to my door was as young and pretty as you.

[Behind them, the camera focuses on the other Solaires who share a look before Alexis coughs into her hand a muffled but unmistakable “creep”.]

Vincent: Ignore my sister; she forgets her manners and that I know as much about her as she does me. When we get out of here, I’d love to get yours or your family’s business card.

Lovely: You mean you want my number.

Vincent: Sorry, was that not clear? Let me reiterate; I’d love to show you a good time with the prize money from here.

[The camera pans slightly to the side, and Angel and Babe are riveted in rapt attention, clutching each other’s hands in nosy glee. Behind them, Alexis and Porter are pantomiming gagging.]

Lovely: You mean the prize money that doesn’t exist, the only prize being a cake stand and a bouquet of flowers? What a date.

[Vincent flushes in response to Lovely’s grin and laugh which leads to him overpouring his batter in the pan and making a chocolatey mess of himself. Behind his back, even as he scrambles to save his crepe, Lovely smiles at him in pointed interest. Angel mimes the two sitting and kissing in a tree, and the college student shoots the host a wink.]

Angel: God, I love our job. What about you, Sammy? Can I call you Sammy? Who might you be looking to sweet-talk and canoodle in the tent today?

[In the back of the tent, Alexis actually coughs this time, drowned out by Vincent and Porter’s snide laughter. Sam grimaces as he folds whipped cream into his custard, his ears reddening at the tips. Camera B catches Babe pinching Angel’s thigh, the other host yowling in pain and staring at them in indignation, before they point at a jar of brown syrup on his workstation.]

Babe: That looks alarmingly like Chemical X. Is your crepe cake gonna turn me into a powerpuff girl? Because I call dibs on Blossom.

Sam: I mean, that’s a syrup I made outta cold brew concentrate, so you’re not far off. Chug that, and somethin’s bound to happen.

Babe: Don’t you tempt me, cowboy; we’ve got a long weekend ahead of us, and I could use the caffeine.

Asher (off-screen): Can I be Bubbles? I’d make a cute Bubbles.

Babe: Cute as you may be, Angel’s definitely Bubbles. If you get my good side, you can be the Brick to my Blossom though.

Asher: That’s easy when they’re all your good side, eyyy~

David: In case you’ve forgotten, you’re here to do jobs. Focus, Angel.

Angel: Boo, Boomer. Ten minutes, bakers! Ten minutes before you gotta present before Mister Party Pooper here… and William.

William: I don’t get a fun nickname, Angel?

Angel: No, see, you are your first name, and we put respect on it like Beyoncé, like Shaq.

William: Hmm… I like that, thank you.

Angel: Anytime, Willy.

William: I like that a lot less.

Angel: Fair, heard.

William: While we’ve got you, William, let’s talk about who you’re liking today… baking-wise.

Angel: Or romantically- I’d love to talk about that too.

Babe: You’re going to get us fired.

Angel: I’ll sleep my way back to the top if I must.

[David stomps out the tent with his arms thrown above his head and a loud groan. Some of the bakers jump st the disruption, but Babe gives them a smile and a placating wave.]

Babe: Big man’s throwing a hissy fit; believe me, you want him to get it all out before he judges your food.

William: Damien and Huxley who’ve kept their cool throughout the first challenge are impressing me.

[Pan over, and Huxley is humming as he pipes swirls of whipped cream atop his dark, chocolate crepe cake. In contrast, Damien has a deep, stormy scowl on his face as he daintily dusts his crepe cake with a spice and powdered sugar blend.]

Babe: Is that what you’d call “keeping his cool”?

William: Yes, see, his body is restless, but his hands are steady. That’s a good trait to have in a baker.

Babe: Fair, and who are we not liking today?

David: I’m concerned about Christian.

Angel: Did you get it all out, bubs?

David: I’m ignoring you. Anyway, he’s doing something so simple, with flavor combinations two other people are doing, that I’m afraid he won’t be able to measure up. The first challenge of the first week, that could set a bad precedent.

William: There is such a thing as too much confidence. He’ll need to step outside his comfort zone in flavor and technique if he wants to go far.

David: I’m also concerned about Lasko.

William: In more ways than one, I agree. His demeanor does make me wonder how well he’ll withstand the time constraints and challenges of the tent should he move on after this week.

Babe: Well, let’s find out, shall we?

Angel: Bakers, your first challenge in the tent is almost over! When I reach One, I wanna see all those sexy, flour-y hands in the air, off your work! Five! Four! Three!

[Lasko mutters furiously under his breath, shaky hands frantically trying to pipe whipped cream onto his dessert. Huxley is cleaning his station, his crepe cake ready and perched beautifully at the end of his countertop. Damien is also done and wiping down his counters but less happily, alternately glaring at his cheery competitor and his own neatly decorated bake.

Christian, in contrast, lounges, sipping lazily from a bottle that’s been unbranded for TV but is obviously the sports drink he’s sponsored by. Freelancer and Gavin have finished and are chatting conspiratorially, sharing their leftover strawberries as they goose-neck about the tent.]

Angel: Two!

[Alexis stands with her chin held high, shoulders back, eyes steely and determinedly focused at the judges. Porter sits on his counter, a health and safety violation where this a professional kitchen, waving a hand in front of his cousin’s phase, trying to break her out of her concentration. Lovely is frowning, rearranging the raspberries on top of their crepe cake for the fifth time, while Vincent flanks with a grin, holding the fruit in his hands for them to pick and place.

Darlin stands at their station, eyes downcast and hands tightly clutching a steaming cup as they await the end of the countdown. Sam, leaning his back against the island behind him, has an identical cup. Sweetheart, in the back of the tent, the thirteenth of the baker’s dozen, looks about the tent with a curious gaze and smile.

Angel: One! Put your hands up and desserts down; prepare yourselves for the judgment of the lord!