#they'd probably eat each other alive

[fox-mulder-gets-pegged]

Annalise Keating and Greg House would be absolute worsties lbr.

[secondpersonpoetry]

hi! heard the released “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” (which i’ve seen you’ve heard live, if i’m not mistaken!!) this morning and i don’t know if there’s really a particular vibe/dynamic/ship hrpf-wise (personally haven’t yet been able to put my finger on it) that quite relates but the lyrics have been rotating in my head all day and i was wondering if you had any thoughts? hope you have a good one! <3

OH ANON HAVE I EVER SEEN IT LIVE!!! and the second that song came out i zoomed it straight into my fic playlist and unfortunately there are so many guys this could be. right now the one that's resonating is, of course, the golden boy and his haunted ghost themselves: mcstrome.

i am thinking about connor, specifically, after the stanley cup final. that game seven. how angry he was, how loud the silence when they told him he won the conn smythe. how close he's come before and again and again lost. there's nobody else to blame but himself. he's in the empty room and he knows why (1)

at!! your best!!! you were magic!!! oh, golden boy. connor the anointed, of course. at the very beginning of his career we always knew he was something special and who wouldn't have fallen in love with him? weren't all of us a little bit dylan strome in awe of the generational talent? we were all bathed in radiant light just by being in the vicinity (2)

don't even tell 'em that you know me breaks my heart (3). in terms of building a narrative i think i've said before there is a universe where connor/dylan were together before the draft and to protect both of them, dylan breaks up with him. connor says i love you and dylan says i don't. because he doesn't, you know? he loved connor. he loved davo. he can't be in love with connor mcdavid, first overall pick of the edmonton oilers. i'd rather be hurt forever than have to watch us try to make this work and destroy us.

and after connor mcdavid left the otters, dylan strome captained them to a memorial cup win. what a haunted home, eh? to be captain of the team you and your best friend were on, only now he's left you? don't call me to tell me about your rookie season with the oilers--we both know about your broken collarbone. don't call me to tell about becoming the youngest captain in franchise history when i stepped into the shoes of your captaincy here. don't call me. (4)

narratively: dylan's the one who broke connor's heart and his own but by god it wasn't easy. we both know what happened, you went first overall. please don't make this harder on me. please don't call.

this verse can be about the weight of dylan having to live up to connor's standards and always being measured by him. i would just like to bring up the connor stepping stone chart for absolutely no reason as well (5)

we are, at long last, at the potential future of now: dylan strome, happy, smiling, thriving on the washington capitals. connor, on the oilers. i'm not yours, dylan can say. haven't been for a long time. it took some time but i made this. please don't call and ruin this for me, stay out of my life. i don't want you or need you (6)

[p.s. this took a while because when i received this ask i was a) immediately possessed to write this verse by verse breakdown i had never thought of before and then b) immediately plagued by the idea of making you a little graphic (above the read more) and finally got to do it after banging out all the actual lyric thoughts two (?) weeks ago. emerging two and a half hours later from the fugue state of GIMP with 37 layers in this bad boy hope you enjoy!!!]

[barnbridges]

you did NOT ask but i think to the core, part of the dislike between marion and good old francis IS her job. he's seen this bitch a thousand times at the blank institutes for fucking up children. he's naturally distrustful of her. especially seeing her do his own... friend in like he's a child. it makes him question if the straights are ok, but like, unironically.

[babyleostuff]

svt with a s/o who loves cooking/ baking | ot13

the ones that cannot cook to save their life - pulling you was the best thing to happen in their life: 

𐙚🧸ྀི wonwoo, vernon, chan, hoshi

in their eyes you're the coolest person alive - how are you able to cook and bake so well is a mystery for them. nonetheless, they’d love to accompany you whenever you’d be cooking/ baking, even if they’d just be watching, while having this cute lovestruck gaze that’d follow your every move. even though they wouldn't help much with the cooking/baking, they would take care of taking away the dirty dishes and washing them, or wiping the countertops if they got dirty, so as not to be completely useless (even though having them, even if they’d just be watching, would be more than enough for you). if you ever baked something, they’d probably take it to practice too, and if anyone would ask them what they were eating, they’d shyly mention that you made it.

his cooking skills are okay-ish, he won’t burn the kitchen down (the food somehow always end up being ass): 

𐙚🧸ྀི jeonghan, joshua, woozi, minghao, seungkwan 

having a partner who can cook and bake so well feels like such a blessing for them. they’d always inhale the food you made, and mention every other second how great it was, and that they have never anything as good as this (they say that anytime you cook/bake something). they'd be a bit hesitant to help you out, worried they might mess something up, but with your encouragement, and directions on what they’re supposed to do, they’d get the hang of it very quickly, and you’d end up having such a fun time. if they took the lunch or snacks you prepared for them to practice, they'd go around and tell people that you made it and that they miss out on so much good food (if anyone asked them for a bite of the food, they’d side eye them and walk away).

the ones that would love to cook alongside you, they wouldn’t burn the kitchen, and the food would be edible: 

𐙚🧸ྀི coups, jun, dk, mingyu

cooking together equals date nights, they’d never miss out on spending quality time with you, and the fact that food is involved? they’re in heaven. you’d have the best time talking, messing around, probably making fun of each other from time to time for messing something up. it’d be so domestic, and they only word you’d be able to describe it as would be home. yep, that’s what home feels like. i’d be a bit hesitant when it comes to baking, though. they’d be like: fuck the proportions, let’s freestyle, and it’d just end up in a huge disaster (i still have nightmares from nana tour, when mingyu wasn’t able to whisk the eggs, my slavic ass is sweating). you can be sure the food would be inhaled by them in less than ten seconds, because if there’s something they love more than cooking with you, it’s eating what you have prepared. 

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[byfulcrums]

Seeing people saying that Satoru doesn't actually care about Suguru and that the only reason Kenjaku caught him was bc he was surprised to see a person he killed alive is fucking wild, man

Like. Gojo's entire life revolves around Geto. The entire series happens because he loved Suguru too much to kill him, even though he knew he would have to do it eventually. The world literally went to shit because he wasn't over him

Geto Suguru's life would be completely unimportant to the story without Gojo Satoru, and Gojo Satoru's would be completely unimportant without Geto Suguru. They complement each other. They need each other

Two male betta fishes can't coexist. They will fight and one will die. They can't see each other — even if they're in different tanks, they won't be able to live. They'd eventually tire each other out, resulting in death. The only way for Satoru and Suguru's lives to be able to continue without the other would've been for them to never have met at all. And they can't be together. Not now, not ever again. Not while they're still alive. Not after everything that's happened

The entire story revolves around their relationship. Yuuji is a boy who ate a curse('s finger[s]), and Megumi is the prodigy who befriends him. Satoru is a prodigy, the strongest, and Suguru, the boy whose technique is eating curses, befriends him. The Jujutsu Kaisen story is all about parallels and they all connect to fucking Satosugu. It's all about them

The only reason Kenjaku's plan worked is because the body he used didn't belong to some random person Gojo killed, it worked because the body he used was Geto Suguru's, Gojo's one and only, his best friend. He must be thinking “Thank god they're gay” right now lmao

Gojo fucking hesitated. He hesitated multiple times when it came to Geto. He was supposed to kill him, yet he let him go. He has the Six Eyes, he could've easily tracked him down. He probably could tell if he was nearby (he can recognize Suguru from his scent) and just didn't go looking for him. And he could've so very easily escaped the trap that was set up for him, he was going to run away from it because we see him about to take that step but then Suguru's body shows up and says “Yo, Satoru!” with Suguru's voice and Satoru freezes and hesitates

They weren't able to let go of each other even after years of being separated (like a decade). When they meet, Suguru still greets Satoru warmly

Suguru is pretty much Satoru's moral code. He was the only person Satoru took at least mildly seriously pre-Toji (and we know Satoru just didn't do serious back then). He actually took his words to heart. He was kind, of course (especially from Suguru's PoV, since he's the person that knows him most), and not a bad person, but he wasn't nice. Suguru was always the ‘nice(r) one’, the one who actually had a moral code, while Satoru was more of an asshole to literally everyone and everything (some more, some less), thinking he and Suguru were above everyone else

When Suguru finally snaps (which, honestly. Fair) and goes genocidal (not so fair), Satoru slowly starts to be somewhat nicer and starts applying Suguru's old moral code to his own being — their roles weren't exactly reversed, but now they're not together anymore, so they might as well be. And Suguru was shown for having faith in the school and its system while it was Satoru the one who absolutely abhorred the higher-ups and all kinds of authority, but then it ended up with Suguru being the one to leave and become a cult leader with the blood of hundreds on his hands while Satoru was the one that stayed behind in the same place of the people he despises so much

(Imagine someone saying something like “Sometimes I doubt you even have a moral code” and Gojo answers with “Oh, my best friend my one and only is pretty much my moral code. He went homicidal a while back but it's okay haha” ��...Actually, that explains a few things”)

Gojo doesn't have a god complex, but I wouldn't blame him if he did. I mean, he might as well be the closest thing to god human beings have ever seen. He used to put himself above everyone else, when he was a teenager. He thought that, the higher he was, the more he could do. And no one was better than him. But not Suguru. Back then, it wasn't “I'm the strongest” it was “We're the strongest and “We're the best” and “We're the ones that will beat you” and “We're the duo” and it was all about “us, us, us, us, us” instead of “me, me, me, me” like people thought it was — they were a pair. They still are

We know people thought and still think of Gojo as a weapon. As something that must be controlled, because on the moment he decides he doesn't want to be around them anymore, he could just straight up kill then without any effort (but getting rid of people in positions of power only gets other people in positions of power and it'll be a neverending story, and Gojo knows this so he's trying to do his best to fix it all through the younger generation, by letting them live). And we also know that Suguru is one of the very few people who did not believe that at all

Like their personalities and characters and stories and literally everything, their names complement each other. Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru are such similar names, I get them mixed up all the time (the amount of times I've called them “Gojo Suguru” and “Geto Satoru” is embarassing. Also, “Saturu”. “Goto”. “Gejo”. Ugh). Both of their last names start with a G, end with an O and have 4 letters. Both of their given names start with an S, end with an U and have 6 letters. They complement each other. They need each other

The only times we've seen Gojo with an expression of actual pure, raw emotion is when it's about Geto. When he finds out about what Geto did, when he realizes how thin and wrong Geto looks, when he sees him again for what we assume to be the first time in years, when he dies, when a thing wearing his corpse and using his voice greets him (“Yo, Satoru!” oh my god)

Suguru was able to fight back when in Kenjaku's control after Satoru said his name. Kenjaku himself says that had never happened before

And you don't even have to see them as romantic. You don't have to ship them if you don't want to. But you can't deny that they care about each other more than they will ever care about anyone else

[etraytin]

Emergency Preparedness On A Budget

Hey all, just a reminder that even though many of us are looking at a warmer-than-average winter this year, warm on average does not mean we won't see winter storms! In fact, warm winters can produce some really unusual weather patterns that are even more likely to produce severe storms. The best time to prepare for a winter storm, or any other natural disaster, is well before it happens, ie, right now.

"But wait," you might say, "the economy is stupid and everything is expensive! I'm afraid my survival bunker is just going to have to wait until my lottery numbers come up, which will take awhile because I also can't afford to play the lottery." First off, good job not playing the lottery, and second, preparing for a disaster does not have to be expensive. In fact, if you start early enough, disaster preparedness can be done a few dollars at a time without much of anything in the way of special supplies.

In order to not make a single post that is a billion lines long, I am dividing my advice into a few different posts and will link them together when I am done. The links will be right here: Part 2: Medicine and Power

Food and Water Preparedness

FIrst and most important: food and water. The motto of disaster preparedness is "The first 72 is on you." In a major disaster situation, if the situation has not resolved itself within three days, that's about the amount of time it takes for outside help to get itself organized and start arriving in a meaningful way to a disaster area. Objectively three days is a pretty short period of time, subjectively it is a small eternity if you are not prepared.

Preppers (people who do disaster preparedness as a hobby, to greater and lesser levels of unhingedness) spend a lot of time discussing the best types of food and water prep for long-term storage and/or end of the world scenarios. We are not going to do that. We want cheap, easy, effective preparations that we can ideally do while grocery shopping in a Walmart. The easiest, simplest and cheapest way to do your food prep is this: Buy one or two canned, jarred or tetrapacked (that waxed cardboard box pack) meal items every time you can afford it, then set them aside. Find a little space in a closet, a cupboard, a shelf, whatever, and just keep those foods there until you have three days worth for everyone in your household, including the pets.

"Fine," you might say as you look skeptically at the back of your cupboards, "but that doesn't seem very specific. There are a lot of canned goods out there!" And that is fair! The basic rule of thumb is "Buy something you will eat, ideally without heating it up if necessary, that doesn't require much prep or cleaning." For example, my family is two adults and one adolescent, none of us with major food allergens or aversions. If I were trying for a 72-hour food prep for us on the cheap with no cooking available I'd probably go with six cans of chunky soup, which I get for a dollar each on sale, three small jars of applesauce (smaller jars are better if you have no way to cool food), a box of saltine crackers, three cans of tuna, and a big box of granola bars if I could keep them out of reach of the kiddo long enough.

It's not fancy and it may not provide great long-term nutrition, but it's enough food to keep us alive for three days in a form that will hold in storage for 1-2 years without needing to rotate. Even on a very tight budget you can probably accumulate this much food in a pretty reasonable amount of time (and a lot of it is the sort of thing you might get from a food bank anyway!) For pet food, pack up three days worth of your pet's food, ideally in a glass jar but any sealed container will do, and add any cans of wet food they'd get as well.

Water is another big prepping topic that we're going to go easy-peasy on. You need, at minimum, a gallon of clean water per person per day, plus extra for cleaning and washing. Water is annoying to store and takes a lot of room, so for a quickie 3-day prep, minimizing water use is ideal. If you can scare up enough paper plates, cups and utensils to last you three days, you save ever having to wash dishes. If you can get hold of a pack of wet wipes, you reduce the amount of water for washing your body. If you can bring yourself to pee in the woods or at the very least let urine sit in the toilet unflushed, you save a HUGE amount of water on flushing.

For your water prep, you can use the bit-at-a-time strategy again. Every time you get groceries, try to bring home a gallon or two of purified drinking water. They should be very cheap, usually around 1.25 in my neck of the woods, and they last for awhile. If you have a few extra dollars, buy a flat of bottled water until you have at least three gallon containers and one 12-pack for each human member of your household Tuck them away somewhere out of direct sunlight, and rotate them regularly, taking out an old gallon and flat and replacing them with new every couple of months.

Once you have your basic setup, you can start thinking about getting fancier. There are ways to find things like camp stoves and water filters fairly cheaply, usually by hitting up garage sales or looking in the clearance sporting goods section when camping season is over, but that's basically gravy when compared to just having something to eat.

Next Time: Medicine and Power

[bambooswordwielder]

Does anyone have any SVSSS headcanons for the Peaklords/The Peaks?

Looking for potential ideas for Disciple! Era peaklords! or even better Previous Generation! Peaklords

My headcanons are:

1) Mu Qingfang is the oldest of the peaklords, not like decades older, but many a solid 5 or 6 years compared to the other peaklords. I don't know, he just gives off "Why am I an adult forced to keep app these children alive alone" vibes.

2) A previous Bai Zhan Peaklord from before Liu Qingge made a tradition where all Bai Zhan disciples are to 'raid' Qing Jing peak and grab an item of high value. This tradition began simply as a way for the then Qing Jing Peaklord to visit Bai Zhan and so they both had an excuse to meet 'to discuss discipline'. All Bai Zhan Peaklords have maintained this tradition in order to playfully prank their friend Qing Jing Peaklord or so they had an excuse to visit each other. It's only in recent times (Liu Qingge's time) that the once playful raids have turned serious, with damages to both peaks at an all time high.

3) Shang Qinghua and Mu Qingfang both have a collective supply of watermelon seeds and alcohol that they share after every meeting. No one knows how it started, just that the two will meet after the meeting, go to one of their peaks, and just eat and drink to relief their stress. Reports say that after these meetings Mu Qingfang usually has some sort of medical revelation that solves hundreds of diseases they'd been concerned over for years (Shang Qinghua is using everything he remembers from his drafts to tell Mu Qingfang how to solve the same deadly disease that wife #561 from the Moonwhisperer tribe had and the other way of curing it that didn't include PAPAPA that he half-thought up as a way to make the scene seem actually thought out and like the worldbuilding was still in one piece).

4) Xian Shu teaches its disciples ways to poison enemies with needles, how to disguise themselves in mere minutes, and disarm enemies in a quick, often described as elegant' way. This fighting style was perfected by Qi Qingqi during her disciple hood, earning her place as the Head Disciple. She teaches Liu Mingyan and Liu Mingyan uses this style against Sha Hualing. The reason (SY) Shen Qingqiu couldn't see their fight was because the Xian Shu style allowed for Liu Mingyan's attacks to be near instant at a blinding speed. However, the fighting style also teaches the disciples to know when they are outmatched, leading Liu Mingyan to surrender as she realises Sha Hualing was too strong for her at her current state. Present day Liu Mingyan can put up a good fight against Sha Hualing as she now has her spiritual sword.

5) The reason Qian Cao disciples are more respected than An Ding disciples is due to the fact that most Bai Zhan disciples have a deeply rooted respect for them, often acting as defenders for them, due to the fact that Bai Zhan disciples are often at the mercy of Qian Cao disciples during healing. It's also due to the fact that many disciples of other peaks have horror stories of suspicious sightings at Qian Cao in the middle of the night, often swearing up and down that they saw a ghost, only for a Qian Cao disciple to smile and shake their head and insist they were only seeing things. No one wants to know what Qian Cao is hiding.

(I have a few more headcanons, but I'll probably write them in another post. Maybe some of these might be disproven in Canon, but remember Canon is but a guideline and SVSSS haven't seen Canon in a long time.)

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Creeps during the eclipse

Considering this doesn't happen very often, I thought I'd take advantage of it :)

Listen, I'm gonna start this off by saying it; nobody is more excited about the eclipse than Slender. I feel like with how long he's been alive he gets really excited about being able to see another one, so he takes this event very seriously. I feel like with his money and abilities, he also takes everyone into the path of totality for this specific eclipse. I think he takes everyone to a spot on Earth to see it, instead of staying in the Underworld (I think it happens in the Underworld and Overworld too), but luckily in my canon if you have a pact with Slender and you're non-human, you can have a human form, so everyone gets to go.

I think Slender's brothers also probably tag along, and I think people like Toby's mom or anyone's partners would come as well, so everyone really makes a day out of it. I think they probably picked a nice spot, somewhere in the path of totality where not a lot of people will end up being. Slender and Tim are hard at work making a picnic for everyone so they all have plenty of food to eat, and of course they bring along some comfy blankets for everyone to lounge about on too. BEN probably makes sure to bring enough portable devices and chargers for himself and everyone else to do anything online or some gaming if they'd like to, and I feel like at his request there was a large portable gazebo brought as well for everyone to hang out under and get some shade while they wait for the eclipse to happen. They have enough glasses for everyone as well, and I feel like Slender makes sure that that everyone wears them otherwise he will, "Kick their asses into next week if they don't take care of themselves, and they can quote him on that". 

I feel like they also probably brought a football and just a regular ball to throw around, and a soccer ball to play with as well. Jeff, Toby, and Natalie are probably the ones messing around and throwing stuff the most, and they're also the ones getting yelled at the most for accidentally knocking things over and bothering people. Everyone honestly has a blast out there together though, and once it gets close enough to the actual eclipse they all settle down in the gazebo until it's time to look at it. They've all got their glasses on, and pretty much everyone (especially Slender) is trying to record it or take pictures, and it's probably the most quiet everyone is for the entire day. At least, until it's about one second after the eclipse happens and everyone is cheering and yelling about it. I think they'd probably still spend time in that spot for a few hours, enjoying their time and hanging out, catching up on things with each other, and having a lot of fun. I think Slender also probably takes a lot of group photos, and individual ones of everyone just hanging out all day, and even a few during the total eclipse. He definitely adds them all to their own specific photo album to remember the day.

[donelywell]

Gotta ask the obvious question here: Hypothetically, what would happen if Tails ever found out about his bio siblings? Or his maybe his bio siblings find out about him? Or maybe even both?

In a different world where Tails and the twins find out that they have a sibling(s), they'd want to get to know each other.

Sonic would obviously be down for going out and trying to find his kids biological siblings (and having a 'fun' conversation with his former 'parents').

Tails would be excited but scared. He would have his curiosity eat at him until he pushes his fears aside and goes looking for them. He would immediately be filled with questions like 'Do they know I am alive?' 'Why did they not look for me?' 'Did they leave me?' 'Do they have two tails too?' and what he fears the most 'Would they want to take me back? Could they take me away from Sonic and the Tornado? Could they legally do that?'

Floris and Fiona would be pissed at their parents for not telling them about their secret brother. Floris would have to be talked out of running away to find their brother by Fiona several times.

If they ever found each other, they'd try to connect, get to know each other. But they wouldn't end up seeing each other as siblings, more just friends. Floris would easily be Tails' friend with her friendly personality while Fiona would take a little more effort to get to know. They'd both probably get a communicator wrist device from Tails as a way to keep in contact with each other.

But, sadly we don't live in that world, they probably never will know (to Sonic's dismay, he really wants to knock some sense into those adults)

Thank you for the question! :D

[azulhood]

Johnny 13 accidentally gains a brother.

He didn't plan for this to happen, it just did!

He was visiting his hometown, hanging around crime alley when a street rat tried to steal his bike having not noticed him.

The kid was in the middle of trying to Hotwire his bike when he couldn't help but comment. "It's the other wire, that one sets the alarm off."

"Thanks." The kid replied distractedly letting go of the slightly glowing green wire and reaching for the faintly glowing red wire.

A quiet pause.

The kid slowly turned his head so that he was looking into Johnny's eyes. "This is your bike, ain't it?" The kid asked having realised he wasn't alone.

Johnny smiled with maybe one too many teeth but luckily the kid didn't seem phased "Yep."

The kid nodded as if it was just his luck. "Ya gonna beat me up?"

"Nah, it's not like I ain't Hotwire my own fair share." He wasn't worried that the kid would steal his bike, and if the kid managed to pull it off the bike would just return to him.

"Come on kid, let's get something to eat." The kid narrowed his eyes in suspicion as Johnny walked away, that's fine, it was the kid's choice if he followed or not.

Curiosity and hunger seemed to win out as the kid fell in step beside him.

Johnny found the nearest bat burger (they weren't around when he was alive and not something he'd ever really get used to) and got a family meal with money he had 'burrowed' from the residents of Amity Park.

"Why you doing this?" The kid questioned after devouring three burgers and starting on his fourth.

Johnny shrugged. "Just know what it's like to go hungry is all." He didn't really know, maybe it was because the kid reminded him of himself or maybe it was just Phantom was rubbing off on him.

It was time for them to go their separate ways once the meal was finished and the few leftovers hidden away.

His bike was right where he left it "hey, kid. What's your name?" Johnny asked as he started the ignition.

The kid stared right into his eyes, like he was weighing Johnny's worth. "Jason."

"Jason Todd" The kid said it slow, like each word was a mistake.

Jason Todd,huh? Johnny committed it to memory. "Name's Johnny, kid." He gave back. "I'll see you around."

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

After that it became a sort of habit to find the kid, buy him food and listen to whatever was happening in town, whenever he visited Gotham.

The other ghosts thought it was funny, one of them even jokingly said "welcome to parenthood."

But it didn't feel like Jason was his kid. It felt more like... Having a little brother.

Yeah, that was it.

One day Johnny rolled into Gotham with a crisp one hundred in his pocket, unknowingly donated by the Manson family, fullly intending on buying Jason some new clothes, probably a few books, and maybe a new lock pick set.

But he couldn't find him.

Johnny searched crime alley top to bottom, he checked the police headquarters, checked every bat burger, checked the docks.

He ignored the growing pit of worry that in his chest.

Johnny finally found Jason in a swanky mansion that was obviously owned by someone who could give plasmius a run for his money.

Jason, book worm that he was, was found sitting in the mansions library.

Really one of these days Johnny should introduce him to Ghostwriter, they'd get along great.

"Hey, kid."

Jason jumped and whatever book he was reading fell out of his hands.

He lit up once he saw who it was. "Johnny, you're here!" That excitement turned to fear and worry "You can't be here, what if you get caught?"

Johnny waved the kid's worry away. "Don't sweat it, nobody sees me if I don't want'em to." Then it was Johnny's turn to be concerned. "What happened, I couldn't find you in crime alley."

Jason's face went through a complicated range of emotions. "I got adopted by Bruce Wayne."

Johnny's eyes flashed, he knew the horror stories about adoption. "He treating you okay?" The man would never breathe again if he wasn't.

Seeing the possible murder scene, Jason eased his worries. "Yeah, he's fine, it's just a bit weird."

Homicide prevented for now.

Johnny took a seat across from the kid in a chair that was probably worth more then Johnny owned living or dead. "Alright, fill me in."

And Jason did.

Johnny learned about how he was caught stealing the wheels off the Batmobile (he couldn't tell if that was bravery or stupidity) by the Batman which somehow led to Bruce Wayne adopting him.

"I think his other kid doesn't like me much, but it ain't bad here." Jason said as he finished his story.

Johnny quietly nodded as he absorbed the information and thought about where to go from here.

He had planned on getting Jason a nice home (woulda offered his own haunt if the living could live in the ghost zone) preferably in Amity where he could meet everyone. (Kitty would love him)

Here Jason had the chance to never go hungry, get into good schools, always have what he needed.

This situation was...ideal.

Even if Johnny wasn't happy with it. "You happy here?" What mattered was that Jason was.

Jason visibly thought about it. "...Yeah...I am."

And the decision was made.

"You know you can come to me for anything, right? If you want to get out of here or just want someone to talk to." Johnny needed the kid to know that.

Jason rolled his eyes but replied. "Yeah, Johnny, I know."

So Johnny left reluctantly feeling like he was making a mistake somehow.

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

Johnny was fighting Phantom with Kitty when he felt it.

He felt Jason die.

And Johnny s c r e a m e d

–----------------

He nearly tore apart the ghost zone in his search for Jason's ghost.

There was no way that Jason didn't form a ghost with the amount of time exposed to Johnny's ectoplasmic self.

Kitty helped him search, everyone helped him search, even Phantom.

But he couldn't find his little brother.

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

Then he felt it.

He felt Jason come back to life.

He didn't know the details and he didn't care. All that mattered was that the kid was alive.

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

He tried to search the living realm for the kid, which would have been made a ton easier if the GIW wasn't shooting at him every ten minutes.

At some point he gave up looking and waited instead.

Jason would find his way home to Gotham at some point, all Johnny had to do was wait.

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

Johnny knew the second Jason stepped into the fair city of Gotham.

He broke many speeding limits and traffic laws on his way there but he didn't care.

Especially when he saw Jason on the streets, he looked different but Johnny would know that kid anywhere.

Johnny opened his mouth to call out.

But then Jason with him and his mouth snapped shut with a click.

There wasn't even a glimmer of recognition in Jason's eyes.

His brother didn't remember him.

[teal-fiend]

safe vore post?

Don't get me wrong, digestion is still close to my heart. For better or worse it can be an extreme power fantasy. The fantasy is literally just destroying someone (or inversely, being destroyed by someone)

Safe vore is more of an indirect display of power. Because there are no serious consequences (within the fantasy), it can be more nuanced.

And it might be more realistic in the sense that it mimics actual real life integration of vore. As in, you can't digest someone irl. You can pretend to, or you can simulate being eaten / eating someone. so anyway

here are some scenarios i thought of (which probably already exist, but there are no true original ideas):

a pred eating a prey just to prove that they can. And they could probably digest them too, if they wanted to. Maybe the pred is being disrespectful, by putting the prey in their stomach, treating them like nothing but food. You don't put people you look up to in your stomach, that's where your lunch goes. And maybe the pred has a sandwich after that, to drive the point home. The pred will let the prey out eventually, but the prey won't forget the embarrassment of being eaten

a prey who fantasises about being eaten, convinces their pred s/o to eat them. The pred is skeptical because they don't see the prey as food, and they don't want to eat them really. But the prey assures them that they don't need to be digested (even if they might want to be). It's enough for the pred to just pretend. The pred will swallow the prey, and then tell the prey about what a filling meal they were, and even if the prey knows that the pred isn't being genuine, they can still get lost in the fantasy of being eaten by their partner.

the classic 'we have to do vore because it's cold out' but make it that the two don't like each other. But the prey isn't suited for the weather, and they'd likely freeze if the pred doesn't eat them. And the pred is like ug fine. And if they get rescued they find the pred with a suspiciously full belly. And the rescuers are like:

'How could u? I know u didn't like them but still, why would u resort to eating them, it hasn't even been that long.'

But the pred says no, the prey is alive and spits them out. And everyone's like Aw you are so kind, you worked together for once. the end.

pred who just eats prey bc they are bored. Digesting is too time consuming, so they just eat the prey, have their fun, but release them before their body digests. The pred does it because it amuses them, it pleases their predatory instincts, they like to feel their food wriggling sometimes. and it's comforting. A recreational predator.

pred who is hired to eat people for money. But who isn't allowed to digest them for obvious reasons. Maybe they enjoy it, maybe it's just a job to them, likely a combination of the two. Especially since they make decent money off of it, they can pay for their student loans.

[artaxlivs]

Spoiler Alert - they lived happily ever after.

*Winter 1990*

“Eds, babe. I sent you to the hardware store for salt and a snow shovel.”

“I got those. And…I also got these,” Eddie grins, gently sliding the box onto the kitchen table.

“These are making noise.” Whatever it is, it’s alive. 

Eddie pulls off his black knit cap, tossing it onto one of the chairs, “I know! They were so cute. I couldn’t just leave them there. Who knows what kind of monster might have bought them.” 

Excitedly, he pulls the flaps to the box open to reveal way more chicks than Steve was expecting, all nestled together in a bed of some type of wood shavings.

Sighing, Steve drags Eddie in for a kiss, “God, you’re so lucky I’m in love with you.”

Eddie grins into the kiss before pulling back to say, “Oh! I’ve got supplies for them in the truck. Be right back!” Yanking his beanie back down over his curls, he calls, “Don’t name them while I’m gone!” over his shoulder as he runs back outside. Rolling his eyes, Steve closes the box against the chill and follows because he needs to salt the stairs before Eddie slips and breaks something. 

By the time the steps are all salted and the new snow shovel tucked away on the porch, Eddie has the kitchen table buried in supplies. Bags of wood shavings, some egg cartons, a bag of feed, not one but two heat lamps and then what looks like a kiddie pool. One of those blue hard plastic shell ones for babies to sit in during the summer.

They decide that the chicks will be staying in the kitchen since it’s the warmest room in the house besides their bedroom - because Steve had put his foot firmly down to Eddie trying to convince him that their bedroom would be perfect. Absolutely not.

With a little rearranging, they tuck the pool into a corner with an outlet, fill it with shavings and turn the lights on to warm it up.

Very carefully, they transfer the chicks over. They must have been too cold in the box because after a few minutes under the lamps, they start to wander away from where they'd been huddled together making little distressed noises.

There are twelve of them. Twelve. Steve shakes his head. “Eds, twelve? What happens when they start laying eggs?”

“We’ll eat like kings!” Eddie pronounces triumphantly in one of his D&D voices. When Steve just deadpans at him, he adds, “The kid at the store said they usually only lay one egg a day each at most and you and I can easily go through half a dozen each. Eggs are good for both our human and our wolf forms.”

Steve considers it, he’s not wrong. They can easily crush a dozen eggs at breakfast. Okay then, they’re parenting a dozen chicks.

It’s both easier and harder than either of them thought it would be. Eddie bought a book because he’s an avid researcher when it’s something he’s interested in. He read it through twice. Making copious notes and dog earring quite few pages. Very kindly, he gives Steve a Highlights Only version because Steve will never be a fan of reading.

There’s a lot of daily care that goes into it, changing the shavings anytime they get wet, feeding them just enough so it doesn’t go to waste or get knocked over, adjusting the heat down as they grow. The smell is not fantastic, no matter how often they clean the shavings throughout the day. Having them in the kitchen was probably not a great idea.

One day three, the littlest one, the one that never played like the others, that didn’t really make much noise, dies. Eddie is heartbroken. He blames himself for not keeping them warm enough in the truck, maybe it was the long ride in the too cold box, maybe he didn’t feed her enough, maybe maybe maybe. Until Steve sits down on the floor with him, pulls him into the V of his legs and holds him while he cries.

When Eddie is finally all cried out, Steve pulls back, “Eds, there was nothing you could have done better. They were at the feed store in a glass bin with no one to love them. Who knows who would have bought them and how many would have died all alone. You gave that little chickie the best last three days any chick could have asked for."

Nodding, Eddie curls back into Steve’s body, exhausted. “Can we give her a Viking funeral?”

And so, Steve learns what a Viking funeral is. They can’t push her out to sea on a boat because she’s too small for the tide to take away. The boys had decided to learn archery last summer so Eddie had, of course, learned with them. And they all know their way around a Molotov at this point. They end up binding her to the head of an arrow with strips of a cotton towel, dipping it in kerosene, lighting it on fire and then shooting the arrow and the little chick as far out to sea as Eddie’s arms can send her. 

To a stranger, it might have looked morbid but fire is cleansing for them after that last battle and burying her in the cold hard ground seemed so much worse. 

“Beth,” Eddie says when Steve holds him close. Bow dangling from his fingertips. 

“Her name?” Steve smiles. Because of course Eddie gave her a name. Eddie nods.

*Summer 1990*

It’s entirely too early for this but here he is, sitting on the porch in one of the many rocking chairs that has found its way onto their wrap around porch. They’ve got four of them at this point. The kids and Eddie keep painting them obscene colors. The one that Steve is sitting in is lime green with a field of sunflowers painted up the back of the slats.

Ted Wheeler is in the chair next to him. It’s painted hot pink with white and blue clouds all over it. Ted doesn’t seem to mind though, has gotten quite used to relaxing with his weird extended family at the beach house by now. He’s barefoot, wearing shorts and a sweatshirt, his cup of coffee nestled in his hands while he gently rocks and watches Nancy as she watches Eddie and Holly at the chicken coop.

“Alright Hols, they won’t peck or bite but we still don’t want to upset them. Happy Rocker Chicks lay more eggs,” Eddie gives her an old coffee can with a lid. "It's best to distract them with food," he tells her. When she pops the lid off, all the hens start clucking and turning their heads from where they’re sitting in their nests in the big coop.

Holly, ten years old and just as fearless as her big sister, grabs a handful of feed from the can, sprinkling it on the ground like Eddie showed her. The Rocker Chicks rise from their nests, toddling down their ramps and scurrying over to the feed. For a moment, Holly looks a little scared but Eddie doesn’t move so she doesn’t either. The girls just peck around the ground near her rubber Wellington boots.

“Why do you call them Rocker Chicks? They’re not chicks anymore,” Holly asks as she walks a few steps away and sprinkles more feed on the ground.

Taking the can when she hands it back, Eddie secures the lid and leaves it atop the coop, “Here, kiddo, take this basket,” Eddie hands her the deep, lined basket he collects eggs in. “I don’t mean like chickens. I mean Ladies. They’re all named after women from rock songs.”

When he points to the first nest, Holly glances back at the chickens to make sure they’re far away. They won’t hurt her for stealing their eggs but birds are kinda freakish. Steve gets it. He gives Ted a quick glance to make sure he's not worried about Holly but Ted’s smiling fondly at his youngest now. Nancy is watching them too, a small smile on her face.

Once Holly’s got the first of the eggs in the basket, Eddie taps on the handpainted name over the little doorway. It reads “Lucy” and has little white diamonds in one corner. He sings, “Lucy in the skyyyy with dia-monds.”

Holly’s face scrunches up, she’s obviously trying to place the song and then shakes her head.

“The Beatles? Nothing?” When Holly shrugs and moves over to the next nest to collect the egg from it, Eddie looks over at the porch, “Ted! What kind of music education are you giving your children?” 

Ted lifts his coffee cup in toast, “Aren’t you more of a Stones guy?”

Eddie just stares at him open mouthed before turning back to Holly and the Ladies of Rock, grumbling and shaking his head in disbelief as he follows behind the kid.

Steve pushes his lime green chair back to set it rocking, lifting his own mug to take a sip around his smile. Nancy snorts behind her hand and then turns to look at her dad, “Dad, how do you even know who the Rolling Stones are?”

He sighs, “Nancy Renee Wheeler. I’ll have you know that before I had kids, I was a cool dude.”

Biting his lip to hold in his laughter, Steve nods, “I don’t doubt it, Ted.”

Nancy’s shoulders are shaking from silent laughter and Steve is just thankful Mike isn’t here to hear this. There’s no way that punk could have kept from laughing out loud.

In the yard, the Rocker Chicks are all clucking and pecking at their breakfast. Eddie’s favorite, is following at his heels. Charlotte the Harlot so named for the Iron Maiden song and her harlot-like behavior. Anytime Eddie is outside, Charlotte follows him around. If he sits down, she’ll roost in his lap. Of all the Chicks, she best suits her name. 

Rhonda is a close second. Big complainer that girl. Gives Steve the chance to sing Beach Boys songs around Eddie though, which drives him bonkers.

“Eddie?” Holly starts, holding up a pale blue egg with a look of disgust.

He laughs, “Don’t worry kiddo, it’s supposed to be blue. These are a mix of bantams. We got a couple Easter Eggers who lay blue eggs, some who lay brown eggs, and Eileen who lays green eggs. And one rooster named Sue.”

Halfway to the next nest, Holly pauses, giggling, “Sue is a girl’s name, Eddie.”

Turning to look at Steve with a smile, Eddie tells her about a song called A Boy Named Sue and the poet who wrote it.

They’ve got their heads ducked together as they compare a blue egg to Eileen’s green egg when Wayne and Dustin step out from the woods behind the coop. Wayne smiles fondly at where his nephew has his dark curly head pressed against blonde pigtails, where the two look like mismatched mirror images in their overalls and Wellies. At where Holly stares up at Eddie with a little bit of hero worship, a lot like the other kids do. 

Dustin, nineteen and still barely taller than Nancy when he's in human form, lopes into the yard as a wolf, tongue lolled out like he’s been running.

Flopping down in the grass, Dustin huffs out a breath and lays his head in his paws. The hens are very used to the wolves and have no fear of them. Two of the girls - Mustang Sally and Runaround Sue - go over to roost against Dustin’s sun warm fur. He noses at them both, huffing out another breath as they settle in. 

Taking the basket of eggs when Holly offers it, Wayne heads inside. Probably to flirt with Claudia. Eddie catches Steve's eye and raises a brow. He's thinking the same thing.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, the back screendoor slams open and a blur of fur runs past. The Rocker Chicks squawk and flap their useless wings; the sudden and loud movements sending them scurrying to the safety of their coop as a big brown wolf streaks off the porch and a dash of red fur races after it. Dustin leaps up on all fours, shoulder checking Lucas to slow him down so Max can pounce on him. They scuffle in the grass, Lucas chuffing with laughter as Max growls and bares her teeth at him.

Behind Steve, the door gently opens and Will steps out, sitting himself down on the top step to watch the wrestling match with a small smile. He’s really grown into himself. It’s a wonder what acceptance and a good haircut will do for a kid.

“You know what that’s about?” Steve asks him.

“Max thinks that Lucas ate the last chocolate chip cookie,” Will says, confiding behind his hand like either of those two are gonna overhear him, “but he didn’t. He’s got one saved for her.”

Of course he does. 

A spray of water hits the three wolves and Robin - Steve's not sure when she even came out here - yawns behind her own cup of coffee, lazily aiming the spray gun at each of them as they scatter toward the tree line. “That’s right!” She yells, “Run, you mangy mutts! You’re scaring the Ladies of Rock and I want omelets tomorrow!”

There’s the loud crow of a rooster from the forest and then A Boy Named Sue comes barreling out, wings extended, eye bulging, neck tall and straight, cock-a-doodle-dooing as he kamikaze runs toward Max, Dustin and Lucas who scatter even faster than they had from Robin’s impromptu shower. Sue does not fuck around. They’ve learned the hard way more than once that he does not appreciate wolf nonsense around his girls.

Sue scratches the ground with his feet like a bull and then charges at Dustin who yelps and races off toward the woods. Veering to the left, Sue surges forward to clip his beak at Max’s paws as she races for safety. All three wolves dive for the porch, sliding in through the swinging door and sounding like they crash inside. Probably in a big dog pile.

Sue clucks loudly and aggressively. No one moves a muscle. Holly is up on Eddie’s back, arms clutched around his neck, eyes round. The rooster won’t hurt anyone normally but it’s best not to make sudden movements when he’s in attack mode like this. From his spot on the porch, Steve is pretty sure Sue’s eye is twitching as he takes up his post in front of the coop, marching back and forth, fluffing up his feathers and making chittering noises as he reminds the girls that he’s here to protect them.

It would be cute if birds weren’t the scariest animals in the world.

“Well,” Ted says, adjusting his bottlecap glasses, “I’d be mad if someone named me Sue, too.”

It’s Robin who starts it. She pulls her sweatshirt - Steve’s sweatshirt actually - up over her nose, burying her face in it, and sniggers, hissing with the effort to stay quiet. Nancy leans into Robin’s shoulder, muffling the sound of her own laughter. Will and Eddie look at each other and both burst into giggles. Holly doesn’t actually know what’s happening but she likes being included so she laughs, too.

Biting his lip, Steve pretends to sip from his long empty coffee cup. He nods to Ted, sets himself to rocking again and agrees, “Yup.”

This was a fluff sequel to "Even Flowers Have Their Dangers." It's called "Live in Between" or "Eddie's Chickens" and I really love Robin's one line in it so much that I just needed to share it. If you want, you can read part one and part two on Ao3 and find out why The Party is a pack of wolves, then stick around for the next part that I am currently working on (The sequel parts are just fluff pieces of happily ever after). The series is called "No One Is Alone" and is obviously an Into the Woods nod.

[acute-crashout-jeyuso]

Between the Ropes… a Jey Uso x Rhea Ripley fanfic.

Chapter 20: dark hair and soft skin… forever...

Jey sat in the back of the Uber, gripping his phone as his leg bounced uncontrollably. His chest felt tight, and sweat slicked his palms. The rhythmic hum of the car’s engine should have been soothing, but every bump in the road made his stomach lurch. It was like the anxiety was rolling around inside him, threatening to spill over. The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror a couple of times but said nothing. Jey could feel his throat closing up, and the desire to throw up kept crawling closer with each passing second.

"Come home to me."

The words echoed relentlessly in his head. Rhea’s voice had sounded so desperate when she said it. That final plea. He’d tried calling her three times since she hung up. Once on the way to the airport, once before he turned his phone on airplane mode, and once as soon as he landed.

Each call went straight to voicemail. Each time, her name popped up on his screen, only for her to decline. He couldn’t shake the hollow pit growing deeper in his chest every time she didn’t pick up.

That last call, the way her voice cracked when she said those four words, and the way she hung up afterward… something wasn’t right. And it was eating him alive.

"Come home to me."

Jey squeezed his eyes shut, forcing down the nausea rising in his throat. He leaned forward slightly, resting his forehead against the cool window of the car. Home.

He had no clue what to expect when he got to Jon and Trinity's place. Part of him wanted to jump out of the car and run the rest of the way, as if that would somehow get him there faster. The other part of him dreaded walking through that door, afraid of what might be waiting on the other side.

"Come home to me."

His heart pounded, each beat louder and more erratic than the last. It felt like someone had taken the air out of the car, like the walls were closing in on him. He could barely breathe.

This wasn’t just a fight. Rhea wasn’t one to cut him off like that, especially after everything they'd been through. This was something bigger, something Jey couldn’t wrap his head around.

When the Uber finally slowed down in front of Jon and Trinity’s house, Jey’s anxiety spiked even higher. He could feel it in his chest, tightening like a fist around his heart. The driver turned back and said something, but Jey barely registered it. He just thanked the driver.

Stepping out of the car, he stared at the house. It felt surreal. The lights were on, and he could see shadows moving behind the windows. Jon and Trinity were probably inside, waiting for him, unaware of the storm raging inside his head. But it wasn’t them he was thinking about. It was Rhea.

He didn’t know what he was walking into, but he had to face it.

Jey took a deep breath, then started up the driveway. Each step felt heavier than the last. His heart hammered in his chest, and Rhea’s voice kept playing in his head like a broken record.

"Come home to me."

He stopped just before the front door, his hand hovering over the doorknob. Part of him wanted to call her one last time, just to hear her voice, even if she declined again. Maybe this time she’d pick up.

He unlocked his phone, staring at her contact photo for a second, thumb hovering over the call button. Then, before he could think better of it, he dialed.

The phone rang once. Twice.

Then it stopped. Voicemail.

Jey exhaled a shaky breath. His heart sank, but he pocketed the phone and pushed open the door.

It was time to face whatever was waiting inside.

Jey stepped through the door, his stomach still twisted in knots. He could feel Jon and Trinity’s eyes on him as he entered the house, but neither of them said a word. Their conversation halted mid-sentence, replaced by the kind of silence that weighed heavy, like they already knew something was off.

He didn’t look at them. Didn’t have the energy to explain anything.

His bag landed with a dull thud beside the staircase as he made his way up, each step feeling like it would give out beneath him. His heart raced in his chest, and all he could think about was Rhea—the tension in her voice, the hurt he hadn’t been able to fix with any of his calls.

As he reached the guest bedroom, the door stood slightly ajar. He paused, took one more deep breath, and pushed it open. The sight of Rhea sitting in the middle of the empty bed hit him hard. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her eyes vacant, staring at nothing. She looked small, lost in the sea of blankets that had once felt like a haven for the both of them.

Without a word, Jey crossed the room and sat down beside her. His hands fidgeted on his knees, searching for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. The silence between them was deafening, both of them waiting for the other to say something.

Finally, Rhea broke the quiet. "Do you regret me?"

Her voice was soft, but the question was sharp, cutting through Jey’s chest like a blade. He didn’t hesitate—he couldn’t.

"No," he said firmly. His heart ached with the sincerity of his answer. How could she even think that? Regret her? Regret them? No matter what had happened, she was the only thing that felt real to him.

Rhea nodded but didn’t look at him. Her voice wavered as she spoke again, this time with a quiet edge. "Then why is it that the first time you get a night out, you go and get completely hammered?"

Jey opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. The words got stuck in his throat. He felt her eyes on him, waiting, expecting an explanation he didn’t have.

"It wasn’t like that," he finally managed to say, but the words felt weak, hollow. "I’ve just been… under a little stress, that’s all."

Rhea stood up, frustration radiating off her in waves. She crossed her arms, pacing at the foot of the bed, her movements sharp and quick. "We’re all under stress, Jey! But you don’t see me going out and drinking until I can barely stand." Her voice grew louder, each word punctuating the room.

Jey’s hands clenched into fists. He hated feeling like this, hated seeing her hurt because of him. "I just wanted things to feel normal for a little bit," he said, almost pleading.

Rhea stopped pacing. She froze in place, her back turned to him. Silence stretched between them again, this time heavier, almost suffocating. Jey felt the weight of his words hanging in the air, the sting of them settling in his chest.

She turned around slowly, her face unreadable. "Normal?" she echoed, her voice quiet but loaded with disbelief. "What part of our lives has been normal since I walked into your room that night?"

Her eyes locked onto his, the raw vulnerability behind them cutting him deeper than any argument they’d ever had. She was referencing that night—the night everything changed, when they crossed a line they could never uncross.

Jey swallowed hard, the memories flooding back, uninvited and relentless. He could still see her standing in his doorway, hesitant but needing him in the same way he needed her. The tension, the pull between them—it had felt inevitable. But now, looking at her, he wondered if it was all a mistake.

"Rhea…" he started, but the words got lost before he could finish.

"Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to your room that night," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. It wasn’t accusatory, more like a realization she was saying out loud for the first time.

Her words hit him like a punch to the gut. The truth behind them terrified him. Had it all been a mistake? Had they ruined everything—their lives, their relationships—for something that wasn’t meant to be?

"No," Jey whispered, his voice breaking. "Don’t say that." He stood up, closing the space between them, his hand reaching for hers, but she pulled away. His heart dropped as the distance between them grew wider, not just physically but emotionally, a chasm he wasn’t sure he could bridge.

"Rhea, we both know that night… It wasn’t just a mistake. It was more than that."

She shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes. "But look at us now, Jey. Is this what you wanted? Because I don’t know how much more I can take."

Jey felt his chest tighten again. He wanted to tell her it would be okay, that they could fix this. But the truth was, he didn’t have the answers anymore. He didn’t know if they could go back. All he knew was that he couldn’t lose her, not like this.

"I didn’t want any of this to happen," he said softly. "But I don’t regret you. I never will."

Rhea wiped her eyes, her expression softening, but the hurt was still there. She sat back down on the bed, and for a moment, they were both lost in the quiet of the room, the weight of everything they’d been through pressing down on them.

Jey’s heart pounded in his chest as he took a deep breath, staring at Rhea as she sat back on the bed, her eyes still red from their raw conversation. He knew he had to do this now, that this was the moment. He couldn’t let her think for one more second that he would ever walk away, that he could ever regret her.

“Whatever you do, no matter what happens, I’m not leaving you,” he said, his voice steady but full of emotion. His gaze didn’t waver. She needed to hear him, to know he meant every word.

For a brief second, his mind flickered to Jaciyah, his son. A promise he’d made to himself—to keep things steady, to focus on being a father. But this was different. This was his future, too. He felt the weight of that promise lift as he reached into his pocket, something small and hidden that had been burning a hole there since he picked it up. Breaking his promise to Jaciyah, just for this moment, Jey got down on one knee.

The sudden motion caught Rhea off guard. Her breath hitched, and she began to hyperventilate, eyes widening in shock. “Jey, what—?”

He grabbed her hand gently, grounding her. His thumb stroked the back of her hand, and he met her gaze, his voice soft but unwavering. “Demi Adams,” he began, using her real name, his tone thick with emotion. “I have loved you since the moment I saw you.”

Rhea’s breath was still uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly, but she didn’t pull away. Her wide, tearful eyes locked on him, as if she couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

“I don’t regret asking you to come to my room,” Jey continued, his voice growing steadier with each word. “I don’t regret how me and you spent these last months together. I don’t regret divorcing my ex. I don’t regret every single time I ditched an interview or missed a PR fest just to stay in your hotel room and watch scary movies with you.”

Rhea’s face crumpled at his words, tears pooling in her eyes, her free hand pressed against her mouth.

“I don’t regret risking my career for you,” Jey’s voice softened, but it was laced with intensity, every word charged with the love he couldn’t hide anymore. “I don’t regret anything. But what I do regret…” He paused, taking a deep breath. “What I do regret is not doing this sooner.”

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small velvet box. Rhea’s hand trembled in his as she gasped. Jey slowly opened the box, revealing a ring—a delicate but stunning band, intricately designed with a diamond that shimmered under the dim light. The center of the ring had a small, personal touch—their baby’s ashes, forever encased in the stone.

“This ring… contains our baby,” Jey said softly, his voice cracking ever so slightly. “Demi… will you marry me?”

Rhea was already crying, but now her sobs grew heavier. She looked at Jey with so much love, so much raw emotion, that it was almost overwhelming. Her hand trembled in his, and her tears spilled down her cheeks as she struggled to speak. But the words came, filled with all the love and hope she had been holding back.

“Yes!” she exclaimed, her voice breaking as she fell forward, throwing her arms around him. “Yes! Yes!”

Jey’s heart surged, and he slid the ring onto her finger, his hands gentle but sure. The moment it was on, they both paused for a beat, staring at the symbol of their love, of everything they’d been through and everything they were yet to face.

Then Jey pulled her closer, their lips meeting in a kiss so full of passion and relief that it felt like the weight of the world had fallen away. Rhea clung to him, her tears still streaming down her face as she kissed him, as if sealing the promise they had just made to each other.

When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested together, both of them breathing heavily, their hearts pounding in sync. The room was quiet, but it was filled with the kind of peace that only came from knowing they were finally where they were meant to be—together.

“I love you,” Rhea whispered through her tears, her fingers gently tracing the back of Jey’s neck. “I’ve always loved you.”

Jey smiled, his thumb brushing away the tears on her cheeks as he whispered back, “And I’ve always loved you.”

In that moment, it didn’t matter what they had faced, or what they still had to face. They had each other, and for Jey, that was enough.

Jon and Trinity tumbled onto the floor, practically crashing through the doorframe in their eagerness to eavesdrop, a tangle of limbs and laughter. Rhea burst out laughing at the sight, wiping away the remnants of her tears. Jey rolled his eyes, clearly used to his brother’s antics.

"You couldn't wait?" Jey asked, eyebrow raised, his tone half-amused, half-exasperated.

Jon shook his head unapologetically. "Nope. You know I had to hear how this would play out."

Trinity quickly got up, brushing herself off with a wide grin. “Let me see it!” she squealed, reaching for Rhea’s hand.

Rhea smiled and held out her hand, flashing the ring. Trinity gasped, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she grabbed Rhea’s hand to inspect the ring more closely. “Oh my God, it’s beautiful!” she gushed. “You two are so perfect together!”

Jon clapped Jey on the back, the same grin plastered on his face. “You did good, bro.”

Rhea leaned into Jey, still grinning, and kissed him again, her heart feeling lighter than it had in months. The tension that had been looming between them earlier seemed to have melted away. Everything felt right.

As the excitement settled, Jey finally asked the question that had been gnawing at him since he walked into the nearly empty house. “Okay, I get that you and Trinity are moving, but seriously—there’s no furniture anywhere.” He glanced around the bare room, gesturing at the vacant space.

Jon chuckled. “Yeah, we move the couch and beds tomorrow once the electricity turns on,” he explained. “Everything else is already packed and in the new place.”

Jey nodded, still a bit thrown by how empty the place felt. “Man, this house used to be full of stuff… now it’s like a ghost town.”

Rhea glanced around as well, noticing how stark and hollow it felt without the usual warmth and clutter of their shared life. “It’s weird seeing it like this.”

Trinity sighed, folding her arms. “Yeah, it’s bittersweet. We had a lot of good times here, but it’s time for a new chapter.”

Rhea nodded in agreement, squeezing Jey’s hand. “New chapters are good.”

Jon grinned, eyeing Jey and Rhea with a smirk. “Speaking of new chapters, I guess we’ll be expecting another wedding soon, huh?”

Jey shot him a look, but couldn’t help the smile creeping onto his face. “One step at a time, man.”

Jon just laughed, clearly enjoying every second of this moment. “Well, I can’t wait. It’s gonna be wild. You two deserve all the happiness in the world.”

Jey wrapped his arm around Rhea’s shoulders, pulling her close. “Yeah, we do,” he said quietly, his gaze softening as he looked at her.

Rhea smiled up at him, the warmth of their shared future shining in her eyes. The road ahead might still have its bumps, but they were ready to face it—together.

—

Jey stepped out of the bathroom, steam trailing behind him as he dried his face with a towel. The soft hum of the bathroom fan mixed with Rhea’s voice drifting from the bedroom.

“Don’t forget to put the stuff back, honey. We’re leaving tomorrow morning when Trinity goes to the airport,” she reminded him.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Jey replied, half-smiling to himself as he grabbed his shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, tossing them into his travel bag. He zipped it up, satisfied that everything was packed and ready to go for moving day tomorrow.

With the day winding down, he strolled back into the guest bedroom, the soft light casting a golden glow on the walls. Rhea was already snuggled under the comforter, her long hair spread across the pillow. The blanket was pulled up high, but he could still see the hint of her pink Yeet shirt peeking out.

Jey sighed and slid into bed beside her, immediately feeling the contrast between the cool sheets and her warm body. “I want some warmth…” he murmured with a pout, his voice playful as he nudged her with his arm.

Rhea smiled, her eyes flickering with amusement as she opened the blanket for him. “Come here then,” she said softly.

Jey grinned and slid in closer, wrapping his arms around her as the comforter enveloped them both. His hand gently traced the fabric of her shirt, and that’s when he noticed her matching pink boyshorts. His grin widened, his tone teasing. “Well, well… someone’s feeling frisky tonight,” he said, leaning in to kiss her softly on the lips.

Rhea blushed, her cheeks a light shade of pink as she smiled up at him. “You’re ridiculous,” she whispered, but the smile never left her face as Jey kissed her neck, sending a warm shiver down her spine.

As his lips lingered near her ear, he suddenly pulled back, changing the subject in true Jey fashion. “Hey, speaking of surprises… why is there an $800 charge on the credit card, by the way?”

Rhea giggled, the shift in conversation catching her off guard. “Oh, that? That’s just the down payment for the bedroom sets at Furniture Row,” she explained with a casual shrug.

Jey groaned, hitting his head lightly with his hand. “Oh man, I totally forgot about that. Did you at least get the Posturepedic? You know, for my back?” he asked, his voice trailing into a playful whine.

Rhea laughed, giving him a playful nudge. “Only for my old man,” she teased, making fun of the ten-year age gap between them.

Jey chuckled, pulling her in tighter as he leaned back on the pillows. “Old man, huh? Have you seen my matches? My back…” He exaggerated a wince, rubbing his lower back dramatically, pretending to be in pain.

Rhea rolled her eyes, laughing at his antics. “You’re such a baby.”

Jey smirked, kissing the top of her head. “Hey, I’m just saying… a Posturepedic could do wonders.”

Rhea smiled, resting her head on his chest as they both settled in, the gentle hum of the night surrounding them.

“Hey babe… where are the furries actually?” Jey said in referencing to Rhea’s pets.

“Jon took the liberty of driving them up to Pensacola yesterday, they are at a nice resort. Jon is going to pick them up on Sunday. I’ve been getting updates on them since yesterday, want to see?” Rhea asked pulling out her phone. Jey nodded, curious to see his step furbabies.

Tomorrow might be a bit hectic, but for now, they had each other, wrapped in warmth and laughter as they saw funny pictures of the animals.

—

Rhea stirred from her sleep, feeling the soft, familiar sensation of Jey’s lips pressing gently against her neck. A lazy smile spread across her face before she even opened her eyes. She loved waking up like this—Jey’s warmth, his affection, and the sense of peace it brought her. Slowly, she blinked her eyes open, her gaze landing on his face hovering above her.

Her smile widened as she noticed the state of his messy mullet. His hair was all over the place, like he’d been tossing and turning all night, and she couldn't help but laugh softly.

“Mornin’, beautiful,” Jey greeted her, his lips curving into a grin. “Jon and Trinity are already up, and we gotta get moving too.”

Rhea stretched beneath the covers, feeling the comfort of the bed for one last moment before their busy day began. “What time is it?” she asked groggily, still half-asleep.

“Almost seven. Movers are here. They’re taking the beds and couches to the new house today, so we gotta get ready.”

Rhea groaned softly, reluctantly pushing herself up onto her elbows. “Already?” she asked, looking over at the clock on the nightstand.

“Yeah, babe. You know how Jon and Trinity are—early birds,” Jey teased, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “Plus, the sooner we get everything moved, the sooner Jon will be relaxed.

Rhea sat up fully now, pulling the comforter tighter around her as the cool morning air hit her skin. “Ugh, okay, okay. I’ll get ready,” she muttered, still trying to shake the sleep from her body.

Jey watched her with an amused smile as he stood from the bed, heading over to his suitcase. “I already packed most of my stuff,” he said, giving her a wink. “You know, tryin’ to impress you with my efficiency.”

Rhea snorted, playfully rolling her eyes. “Oh, wow, aren’t you just the model fiancé?” she teased.

Jey laughed, his deep voice filling the room. “Damn right. Now come on, let’s get to it before Jon comes in here and drags us out of bed himself.”

Rhea smiled, finally slipping out from under the covers. “Fine, but I’m getting my last coffee bottle out of the fridge,” she said, pulling her pink Yeet shirt down as she padded towards her bags.

Jey watched her with a smirk. “Deal. But once you’re caffeinated, it’s game on.” He walked over, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before heading to the door. “I’ll go check on the movers. See you downstairs in a few?”

Rhea nodded, rubbing her eyes one last time before standing tall and grabbing her overnight bag. “I’ll be there,” she promised.

As Jey disappeared down the hallway, she took a deep breath, staring around the now mostly empty guest room. It had been a whirlwind few days—helping Jon and Trinity move into their new house, getting the arrangements for their new house, getting Jey’s car and his clothes from the storage unit in California delivered to Florida, travel schedules for the next show, it was a lot. But somehow, in the midst of it all, she and Jey were closer than ever.

—

Rhea and Jey stood side by side, watching as the movers loaded the last of the beds and couches into the back of the moving truck. The morning air was still cool, but the sun had begun to rise, casting a golden hue over Jon and Trinity’s now-empty house. There was a sense of finality as the truck door slammed shut with a loud clank, signaling that the packing was done and the moving journey was about to begin.

Jey wrapped an arm around Rhea’s waist, pulling her close as they both took a deep breath. His voice soft, though there was a hint of excitement beneath it. “Next stop: Pensacola.”

Rhea smiled up at him. “I can’t believe this is really happening,” she said, leaning into his side. “It feels so… real now. I’m so happy for Jon and Trinity…”

Jey pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s gonna be good for us too. Fresh start and all that.”

As they stood there, Jon came walking out of the house after doing a final walkthrough. He locked the door and turned to face them with a satisfied look on his face, though there was a hint of bittersweetness in his eyes. “That’s it,” Jon said, jingling the keys in his hand before slipping them into his pocket. “All packed up.”

He approached Jey and Rhea, handing Jey the key to their new house. “Here’s the key. The movers should meet you there in a couple of hours. I’ll text you the address once we’re on the road, just in case, but it’s all set. The electricity should be on, but if it’s not, call me, and I’ll handle it.”

Jey nodded, taking the key from Jon and slipping it into his pocket. “Got it, man. We’ll head out now.”

Jon clapped a hand on Jey’s shoulder. “Don’t fuck up the house before I do..” he said with a grin, though his tone was affectionate. “I will drop Trinity off and then I’ll be there about an hour after you two…”

Rhea smiled at the exchange, appreciating how close the brothers were. Jon and Trinity had been so supportive through everything, and she was grateful they’d be in Pensacola with them soon.

Jon gave them both a nod, then turned to his Mustang, where Trinity was waiting in the driver’s seat. “I’ll catch up. Safe drive, alright?”

Jey chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, we got it. Don’t break down now..”he teased, giving Rhea a wink.

Rhea rolled her eyes, smirking as she headed to her Jeep. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you in the dust… much.”

Jey climbed into Trinity’s white Escalade, settling into the driver’s seat. He tapped the steering wheel lightly as he watched Rhea make her way to her Jeep, her black hair catching the sunlight. She threw him a playful salute before sliding into the driver’s seat of her vehicle.

Jey smiled to himself, feeling a mix of excitement and anticipation, it was all starting now.

He started the engine of the Escalade, glancing in the rearview mirror to see Jon pulling out of the driveway in the Mustang behind him. Trinity gave a small honk as they began to follow Rhea’s Jeep down the road.

Jey took a deep breath and smiled. “Here we go,” he muttered to himself as he shifted the Escalade into drive and followed Rhea’s lead, the caravan of vehicles making their way toward Pensacola and the next step in their lives together.

—

2:18 PM. Pensacola, FL. Jon and Trinity’s new house.

The movers were finishing up, placing the last of the furniture in the house. Jey stood in the living room, directing them as they carefully maneuvered the large California King bed into the master bedroom.

“The Queen goes in the second guest bedroom upstairs, and the California King goes in the master,” Jey instructed, watching as they carefully followed his orders.

Once the beds were assembled and the couches were set up in the living room, Jey thanked the movers, who packed up their tools and left. He exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the move slowly lift off his shoulders. Finally, the house was starting to feel like a home, at least for now.

He glanced at the thermostat and adjusted it, setting the temperature to a cool 71 degrees, just how he knew Rhea liked it. The air conditioner hummed to life, and the cool breeze began to circulate through the house.

“It’s so beautiful!” Rhea’s voice echoed from upstairs.

Jey chuckled, heading toward the stairs. “Jon and Trinity know how to pick houses,” he said, shaking his head in amusement. He wasn’t wrong—the house was gorgeous, with high ceilings, modern finishes, and a spacious open floor plan that made the space feel even bigger than it already was.

A few moments later, Rhea appeared at the top of the stairs, her eyes still wide with excitement as she descended. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and Jey couldn’t help but smile as she made her way over to him.

Rhea wrapped her arms around him, leaning up on her toes to kiss him softly on the lips. “Just think… in a few days, we’ll be in our own house, two blocks over,” she said, her voice full of excitement and anticipation.

Jey pulled her closer, resting his chin on the top of her head as he breathed in the moment. “Yeah,” he agreed, sharing in her enthusiasm. “Our place. No more guest bedrooms, no more hotel rooms, no more airbnbs. Just us.”

Rhea pulled back slightly, looking up at him with a smile that made his heart skip a beat. “It feels so real now,” she said softly. “Like we’re really starting our life together.”

Jey nodded, running his hands down her back. “It’s all happening, babe. And it’s gonna be good. I can feel it.”

They stood there in the middle of the living room for a moment, wrapped up in each other and the quiet excitement of this new chapter in their lives. The house around them with furniture already assembled, there were boxes waiting to be unpacked mostly, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that they were here—together, building something that was all theirs.

“Should we start unpacking? Give Jon and Trinity a hand.” Rhea asked after a beat, pulling away just enough to look at the boxes stacked along the walls.

Jey groaned playfully, kissing her forehead. “I guess we should.”

Rhea laughed, giving him a quick peck on the lips before pulling away fully and heading toward one of the boxes. “C’mon, let’s get this done, and then we can relax.”

—

Jon pulled into his driveway, feeling a sense of accomplishment wash over him. After dropping Trinity off at the airport, he was finally back at their new home in Pensacola. It was a bit bigger than their place in Orlando, with the nearest neighbor about a mile away, giving them a level of privacy he hadn’t even realized they needed until now.

He parked the Mustang, got out, and approached the front door, chuckling to himself when he remembered that Jey had the only key. Knocking on the door, Jon took a moment to look around. The house was grander than he remembered from their walkthroughs, sitting comfortably on a large plot of land, with a pool out back that he couldn’t wait to show Jey and Rhea.

After a moment, the door swung open, and there stood Jey, grinning. “Finally, man! You make it back in one piece?”

Jon clapped his brother on the back as he stepped inside. “Yeah, dropped Trin at the airport. She’s excited to see the place when she gets back. How’re things looking?”

Jey gestured around the house as they walked through the entryway. “We got most of the décor unpacked and set up for you guys. Rhea and I thought it’d be a nice surprise.”

Jon smiled as he took in the living room. The boxes were mostly gone, and everything looked settled, with pictures hung on the walls and furniture arranged just right. It already felt like home. “I appreciate it, bro. It looks amazing in here. Trinity’s gonna be hyped.”

Just then, Rhea’s voice called from the kitchen. “Hey, Jon! We’ve got pizza if you’re hungry!”

Jon’s stomach growled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten since early that morning. “You didn’t have to ask me twice,” he said, following the smell of food into the kitchen.

Jey and Rhea had set up a casual spread of pizza and drinks on the counter. Jon grabbed a slice and leaned against the counter, taking a big bite. “Damn, I needed this.”

Rhea smiled, grabbing a slice for herself. “Glad you’re here. And the house? It's stunning. You and Trinity really picked a great one.”

Jon grinned through a mouthful of pizza. “Thanks. We really wanted a place that felt like home but also gave us some space to breathe.”

As they ate, they talked about the plans for the night. Jon mentioned he’d set up a grocery delivery for the morning but suggested they go out to eat later for dinner. The pizza was great for now, but he wanted to check out a local spot he’d heard about.

Once the food was devoured, Jon wiped his hands and stood up. “Have you guys seen the pool yet?”

Jey and Rhea shook their heads, and Jon gestured for them to follow. “You’ve gotta check this out.”

They stepped outside onto the back patio, and both Jey and Rhea were instantly blown away. The pool was huge, stretching across most of the yard, with a walk-in entry that looked like it belonged at a resort. It mimicked the feeling of walking into the ocean, giving it a beachy, relaxed vibe.

Jey let out a low whistle. “Damn, Jon. This is incredible.”

Jon grinned proudly. “Right? Trinity and I wanted something different. I’m thinking of setting up a few chairs out here, maybe a fire pit for the cooler nights. This is gonna be our spot.”

Jey turned to Rhea, smirking. “We’re definitely testing this out soon.”

Before Jon could chime in, Rhea laughed, poking Jey in the side. “We’ll leave the first dip to Jon and Trinity. Besides, we have our own pool to break in, remember?”

Jon chuckled, throwing an arm around Jey’s shoulders. “Yeah, man. This one’s all ours to break in first. You guys can take the second round.”

The three of them laughed, imagining the memories they’d create in the new space. The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the backyard, and everything felt perfect. It was the start of something new for all of them—new homes, new adventures, but the same solid family bond that had gotten them through everything.

“Alright,” Jon said, turning back to the house, “let’s relax for a bit before we head out tonight. We’ve got plenty of time to enjoy the pool.”

Jey and Rhea nodded, following him back inside. There was a sense of calm, of peace, knowing that this place, this house, was just the beginning of a whole new chapter.

—

Rhea finished zipping up her bag, making sure all her ring gear was packed and ready for Bad Blood. The upcoming championship match against Liv was on her mind, but she felt confident. She knew this match would be a challenge, but having Jey by her side made all the difference.

Jey was sprawled out on the bed, watching her with a soft smile. He had decided to go with her to the PLE, knowing she could use some moral support in such a high-stakes match. His presence always gave her that extra boost, the strength to push through any obstacle.

Once Rhea was satisfied with her packing, she climbed into bed beside him, feeling the warmth of his body under the covers. She picked up her phone, setting the alarm for 8:30 a.m., as they had an early start the next day. Their flight to Atlanta was booked for 10:30 a.m., and they couldn’t afford to miss it. The stakes were too high, and the journey was too important.

Jey glanced around the guest room they were staying in at Jon and Trinity's new house. “This guest room is way bigger than the last one at their old place, huh?” he said, stretching out comfortably on the bed.

Rhea laughed softly, agreeing. “Yeah, it’s huge. Makes me wonder what the master bedroom looks like. But honestly, I can’t wait for us to be in our own place in a few days.”

Jey smiled at her, turning to face her more directly. “It’s gonna be amazing. Our own space, finally. Just us.”

Rhea leaned in, kissing him softly on the lips. “I know… it feels like everything’s falling into place.”

Jey deepened the kiss for a moment before pulling back, looking into her eyes. “You’re gonna kill it tomorrow, you know that?”

Rhea grinned, feeling that familiar fire light up inside her. “Yeah, I do. And with you there, I’ll be unstoppable.”

Jey chuckled, pulling her closer as they settled into bed. “You already are, babe. I’m just there to watch you shine. By the way, how are your ribs feeling?” Jey asked.

“A little discomfort but something I can manage. It’s not as bad as the first day..” Rhea answered.

As they lay together in the quiet of the night, Rhea couldn’t help but feel excited—not just for the match, but for everything ahead. The house, their future, and the strength they drew from each other. Tomorrow was just another step toward building something even bigger, something theirs.

Jey kissed Rhea, feeling the calmness radiating from her. She opened her mouth slightly, inviting him to deepen the kiss, and he responded eagerly, cupping her face with his hands. Their lips moved together, a soft dance that conveyed all the love and support they had for one another.

After a long moment, Jey broke the kiss, both of their lips slightly bruised from the intensity of it. He couldn’t help but smile at her, the way her eyes sparkled even in the dim light of the room. He gently pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, tucking it away from her face.

“You are my angel,” he said softly, his voice filled with sincerity.

Rhea felt her heart flutter at his words. She loved how he always seemed to know what to say to make her feel cherished. “And you’re my rock,” she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Jey’s gaze softened as he looked into her eyes, the weight of their connection deepening in that moment. “I’ll always be here for you, you know that, right? No matter what happens, I will always be proud of you. You’ve worked so hard for this.”

Rhea smiled, feeling warmth spread through her chest. “That means the world to me, Jey. I don’t think I could do this without you by my side.”

They stayed in that quiet moment, basking in each other’s presence. Jey leaned in again, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

After Jey kissed Rhea's forehead, she reached up and captured his lips with hers, pulling him closer as if she wanted to merge their souls into one. The kiss was soft yet filled with unspoken passion, and Rhea playfully tugged at the band of his boxer briefs, igniting a spark between them that momentarily made the outside world fade away.

In that intimate cocoon, Jey felt a wave of love wash over him, stronger than ever. He never got tired of Rhea, of the way she made him feel, of the electric chemistry that flowed between them. Their moments together were sacred, an escape from the chaos of life, and he cherished every second they shared.

Jey adored how Rhea effortlessly blended strength with vulnerability. She was fierce in the ring, a warrior determined to conquer every challenge, but with him, she revealed a softer side that he found irresistible. It was in the way she laughed, the sparkle in her eyes, and the tenderness of her touch that made his heart swell. He loved her unconditionally, deeply, and completely—each kiss, each embrace solidifying the bond that felt destined.

As he held her close, Jey marveled at how she had become his safe haven. In her arms, he felt seen and accepted, flaws and all. He appreciated her unwavering support, how she encouraged him to be the best version of himself. Their love was a beautiful paradox—intense yet comforting, passionate yet tender.

Jey couldn’t imagine his life without her; she was the missing piece that completed him. The idea of spending forever together filled him with joy and excitement. He never wanted to let her go, never wanted to leave those intimate moments they created alone. They were a testament to the depth of his love—a love that promised to stand the test of time, to weather any storm, and to celebrate every victory together.

With that thought in mind, he deepened their kiss, pouring all his feelings into that single moment, hoping she could feel the sincerity in his heart. Jey knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together, hand in hand, united by a love that was unbreakable.

As Jey felt Rhea open her legs, inviting him to settle between them, a rush of desire coursed through him. He broke the kiss for a brief moment, their foreheads resting against each other as he hesitated. "I don't have protection," he murmured, his heart racing.

Rhea's eyes sparkled with mischief and confidence. "I got on birth control again," she replied softly, her voice laced with reassurance. The tension in the room shifted, her words creating a sense of freedom between them.

Jey's breath caught in his throat as he processed what she said. A mixture of excitement and caution danced in his mind, but the comfort in Rhea's gaze eased his worries.

He knew that they had built a strong foundation of trust and communication in their relationship, and her decision was a testament to that bond.

Feeling a surge of confidence, Jey leaned back in, capturing her lips once more, deepening their connection. The kiss ignited an inferno of passion between them, and in that moment, everything else faded away. He lost himself in the warmth of her body, feeling the rhythm of their hearts beating in sync.

In that embrace, Jey understood the significance of their intimacy-it was more than just physical; it was an expression of their love and commitment to one another. With Rhea, he felt alive, each caress a promise of trust and vulnerability. He cherished the idea of exploring this deeper aspect of their relationship, knowing they could navigate it together, just as they had faced every challenge before.

As they pulled away for air, Jey looked deeply into Rhea's eyes, his heart full. "I love you," he whispered, knowing that no matter where their journey took them, he would always prioritize her well-being and their connection above all else. Rhea kissed him even deeper, signaling her love.

In a such a hasty time, Jey had removed Rhea’s underwear and he was kissing his way down her chest, Rhea aching with every kiss. He loved tasting her and he could have the opportunity to wake her up with this, he would do it.

Jey’s tongue dived into Rhea and she let out a gasp as her back arched. Jey lifted his head up, “Don’t want Jon to hear us..” he whispered as he put his head back down. Jey moved his tongue in circles, dance, alphabet… anything really. He was savoring her taste, Rhea had her hand through his hair, she was loving every moment of it. Jey then focused his mind on her clit as he pulled it open very slightly, Rhea knew what he was going to do, Jey’s tongue flickered over and Rhea lost it as she let out a moan but Jey put his hand over her mouth. Jey kept flickering his tongue and Rhea was squirming. After a few pleasure moments he slowly lifted his hand from her mouth and he used a finger to rub her entryway. Almost instantly he felt his finger get wet.

Jey teased Rhea for a few moments and he slid two fingers in and he felt how tight she was. Jey thrusted his fingers in and out as he kept his tongue on her clit.

“You’re going to make me cum…” she managed to say breathless. Jey kept his pace, he knew not to speed up, he messed up one of Rhea’s orgasms before like that. Suddenly, her walls clenched and Jey felt her pulsating as she climaxed, letting out moan of satisfaction. Jey wiped his face as he kissed his way back up to Rhea. Rhea pulled him into another kiss as she managed to flip them over. “No babe I don’t need you to..” he said as Rhea had broke the kiss and started making her way down his chest with small kisses.

“I want to please you…” She murmured. Before he could tell her anything she wrapped her lips around his dick as she moved her head down. Jey felt that primal urge in his body as Rhea went up and down, maintaining her pace.

Jey closed his eyes as he ran a hand through her short black hair, this blowjob he was receiving was different than the ones she would usually give, it felt like she was marking her territory… a lioness almost. “Fuuuuck…” Jey said as she went down lower and lower, almost gagging herself. He couldn’t control himself… he had to fuck her.

Jey used both hands to pull her mouth away from him and with such force he got on top of her and he kissed her to muffle her moans as he thrusted deeply into her. “Jey…” she moaned as the bed started to creak a little at the powerful thrusts he was doing. She scratched his back and it only made him go deeper.

“Keep going… fuck me like you hate me..” Rhea moaned and that turned Jey on even more. Jey let out a primal animalistic moan, “Tell me you love that dick..” He said into her ear.

“I love daddy’s dick..” She said as wrapped her legs closer to him. The sex turned into an almost toxic like encounter, but for both of them it was pure euphoric love making…

“Jey… don’t stop…” The two were now into the point of exhaustion but they kept going. Rhea started to suck on his neck as Jey slowed the pace, wanting to savor the moment. Rhea strengthen her legs around Jey and she flipped them over, now completely in control, she couldn’t help herself but place her hands on Jey’s abs as she rode him.

“Rhea… you’re making it so hard..” Jey said. He was close to finishing as his hands groped her ass. Her ass. Something that was the first thing that caught his eye whenever she would do that pretzel pin as she liked to call it. He spanked her and she moaned in excitement, her pierced breasts in full view and she rode him. It was something he’d never thought he would seen in person, everything sexual about Rhea excited him so much.

“I think I’m gonna cum again..” Rhea said as she picked her pace and Jey spanked her again.

“Cum for daddy… cum for me…” Jey said, he knew as soon as she would cum, he would too. He loved climaxing in Rhea, essentially it would always get them in trouble. The late night trips to Walgreens for the Plan B, it had been became essential for Rhea to carry an emergency one. But now, now that they were out… and she was on birth control, Jey now didn’t need to worry about it.

“Jey!” She moaned out loud as she climax and Jey let out that animalistic groan as he held onto her waist, cumming deep inside of her. She moaned slightly as she slowly slid off Jey and laid beside him. The two panted, trying to get their breath in order. “A quick shower?” Jey said and Rhea smiled as she giggled. Round two obviously in works…

Author’s Note: First and foremost Happy Belated Birthday to Damian Priest! Did you guys also see that title win?! AND NEW IC CHAMP, MAIN EVENT JEY USO 🩵 any Bad Blood predictions?

[ancentient]

Things I want to see in Yellowjackets S3 that are probably a rough stretch

The 14th is nearing and I am well sat for it. Still, I have some weirdly specific scenes I wanna see happen that most likely won't.

Spoilers for S1/S2, obviously!

1. I want to see Misty to REALLYYY grieve over Natalie's death. It's not even that I want her to blame herself (she still probably will), it's just sexy when she's not psychotic, okay? 😞 (she still is when she's psychotic) Given her reaction when she thought Natalie left her—girl broke down into a little ball until she found out her girl was kidnapped—I want to see more of how their dynamic impacted her even through death.

And, AND for at least one of the girls to comfort her. PLEASE! Just one hug. That's her best friend forgodsake. I don't know about y'all but sociopaths like Misty don't get to consider just anyone their best friend.

god jackie, ur science baby is so pretty

2. Callie meets Tai. Do I need to explain, she's her godmother. Also, Callie meeting Ms. Senator to probably tell her to whack that mustache cop. Also, for Tai to give a tini-tiny comment about Callie and Jackie's resemblance to each other.

3. 8th survivor is choosing a life of peace (if they even are alive). Hey, I said far stretch, didn't I? And please let it be Akilah, because that little girl deserves to be passing her SATs and living the rest of her high school life.

4. A Mari arc, i don't know. I just really wanna see more of her before she dies. The characters outside of the known survivor are so mysterious to me, and do I love mysterious women even if they are all dead.

5. "More gore and more gay" This is what Jasmin said but honestly I think they are only pertaining to a TaiVan all-you-can-eat buffet. Which is a yknow what, hell yeah moment for sure. But I'm GREEDY and want other ppl to eat out too okay—they don't necessarily even have to BE gay.

That TaiVan scene better include all possible positions too. Bonus, if other Tai appears bc ooh she's demanding and sexy.

I hope they eat shrooms again and decide that, instead of hunting each other down, they'd actually rather take turns kissing.

[satureja13]

After eating those strange alien vegetables and fruits, Jeb left the crew mess. Jack and him are still alive. That's a relief. And it will help them to overcome the time until they are able to stock their supplies. Let's hope the cat creature likes the new diet too ö.Ö Since the communication system and some other crucial components are still not working, they just stayed on their route to Batuu. They have no access to their map data either and can't take any detours to buy what they need.

Sai was just caring for the Little Ones, when he spotted Jeb. They'd been avoiding each other since Jeb dropped the bomb that he'll never be able to properly woohoo Sai... But Sai is no one who gives up that easily: "Jeb. Wait!"

Sai: "We're not caged at the bridge anymore so we could resume our yoga practise in the 'meadow', what do you think?" Poor Jeb doesn't think at all. He doesn't even know if they are still resuming their relationship...

A little yoga didn't hurt anyone so he just went over to the meadow with Sai to meet the others. But there aren't any others... Two of them are always supposed to be on duty at the bridge and the other two are probably sleeping to be fit for their duty on the bridge... So it's only the two of them.

They silently started their practise. Silent until Skully started his record player:

'Whenever blue teardrops are fallin' And my emotional stability is leaving me There is something I can do I can get on the telephone and call you up, baby'

Sai didn't remember this song but he was delighted that Skully played something relevant and sweet for once.

'And honey I know you'll be there to relieve me The love you give to me will free me If you don't know the thing you're dealing Oh I can tell you, darling, that it's sexual healing

Let's make love tonight (Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up) 'Cause you do it right'

It's 'Sexual Healing' from Marvin Gaye! Delighted too early... Sai sighed. Why didn't they just leave Skully in that cave in the Therapy Game?!

It was hard letting go of all the thoughts and feelings that where torpeding them - just like letting clouds passing by... A new wave of Romantium permeating the air didn't make it easier either... But the Boys are practising yoga, meditation and tantra for so many months now, Sai and Jeb managed to remain in their realm of serenity even though the goats were also couriously gathering around them 🐐probably having their usual inappropriate chitchat about the Boys and their love life...

Jeb was aware that Sai also initiated a few of their tantra exercises. And so it was awkward again after they'd finished. How can Sai still want him after he destroyed his dream to loose his virginty to him? Or was it just one of their random exercise sequences and Sai didn't think anything by it? Sai: "You can shower in our quarters, I'll go over to Jack's."

Jeb was confused. Does that mean Sai moved out? He always wanted Sai to move in with him when they had their own places at their home. But Sai always refused. He needs a place of his own. And Jeb tried to understand. So it was to expect that Sai felt uncomfortable to live here together with him. Did Jeb make the right decision to start all over again with Sai. After all those times they broke up and got together again? It's all too painful for him. But how is he supposed to live without Sai? Wouldn't it be easier if both of them found someone who matched better?

If it only weren't so hard. Jeb shed a few tears and when he finally regained his composure and stepped out of the bathroom, Sai was standing there. Very close. Right before him. All beautiful and gorgeous. How could he have thought of leaving him just a few minutes before?! When he would gladly take each stab in his heart just to be near him.

Jeb: "Sai..." Saiwa noticed that Jeb doesn't call him 'Vanië' anymore for a while now, his term of endearment for him. (And the part of Sai's overly long name that means 'beauty/beautiful') Sai: "I'm sorry I freaked out. Jack and Ji Ho told me a while ago that you don't want to hurt me. I just didn't want to realize the full extent of it. But we can still make this so good for us, hm?" Jeb: "So - we don't break up again?" Sai: "What? No! I told you that I won't fail you again and we will make this work. I did everything I promised you and I improved. A lot. Look how I didn't complain once about being the captain of this crazy mission, hm? I improved." Jeb: "But I failed you. I can't give you what you crave."

Meanwhile the AC was doing a good job spreading the Romantium all around.

Sai: "Can we please stop overthinking this - us? I love you more than anything and I know you love me too. Let's just make this good for us. As good as we can. We are going to put all our effort in and be our best selves and that will do." Jeb: "Do you think this will be enough for you?" Sai: "I do and it will. I just want you. And I will show you how eager I am to make us work." Jeb was dazed. Maybe because of the Romantium. Or because Sai has this intoxicating effect on him.

And Skully turned the record player louder:

'Baby, I got sick this mornin' (heal me my darling, heal me my darling) A sea was stormin' inside of me Baby, I think I'm capsizin'(heal me my darling, heal me my darling) The waves are risin' and risin'

And when I get that feeling I want sexual healing Sexual healing is good for me Makes me feel so fine, it's such a rush Helps to relieve the mind, and it's good for us

Come take control, just grab a hold Of my body and mind, soon we'll be making it, honey I'll be feeling fine You're my medicine, open up and let me in Darling, you're so great, I can't wait for you to operate (Heal me my darling)

I can't wait for you to operate'

Sai started to kiss along Jeb's neck: "We will *kiss* work *kiss* so hard *kiss*. And it will *kiss* make us sweat."

And Jeb stopped thinking again. No thoughts about how weird it was. Sai going from 'NooooOOOOoooo!' to 'Don't worry, we will make it work' ... (You can thank Jack later ^^')

From the Beginning 🔱 Underwater Love 🔱 Latest

Current Chapter: starts ▶️ here Last Chapter: 'Here comes the Sun' from the beginning ▶️ here

📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 23-29

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: your overthinking is the reason behind everything. deep down, you know your boyfriends care deeply about you but your insecurities bring out the worst in you. seungkwan and vernon try to show you it's all in your head... pairing: seungkwan x vernon x reader genre: angst, smut, fluff; established relationship warnings: insecurities, ghosting, communication problems (but they are resolved), edging, fingering, eating out, blowjob, protected sex, soft dom!seungkwan, hard dom!vernon, pet names, praise kink (if you squint) author's note: i haven't written in ages so this is my wretched attempt at a comeback and also my first svt fic whoo! the title is inspired by taylor swift's song afterglow word count: 1.7k

You've become used to being the odd one out. Whenever you were in a friend group, whether it was with three or four people, you were always left out. It didn't hurt when your friends hung out without you, you were totally okay with that and found something to occupy yourself with. It didn't even hurt when they didn't bother to invite you to things. No, what hurt the most was being right there with them and feeling as if you were invisible. Not being able to relate to whatever your friends talked about. Not being able to add anything of value to the conversation. And them not ever asking about your interests. Like you weren't even there.

When you met Seungkwan and Vernon, your life turned upside down. The two boys had known each other for years but despite that, they made you feel as welcome as if you'd always been part of the group. They showed you care you'd never imagined possible and you genuinely felt comfortable around them. They always made sure to listen to you and give you just the right amount of attention. Your friendship with the two quickly blossomed into a romance and you were happier than you'd ever been. It seemed too good to be true. And perhaps it was.

Sometimes you would be observing the chemistry Seungkwan and Vernon had with each other. They were a perfect match. Truly, they gave you no reason to feel this shitty. But in the back of your head, a little monster kept telling you: "You're not good enough," "They'd be better off without you," "You're just getting in their way," "They're annoyed with you". They were probably much happier before they met you, you suddenly thought.

Not responding to their messages and calls for a week was probably not the wisest idea you'd ever had. But you weren't bold enough to tell them you no longer wanted to be with them. Because it would be a lie. You wanted to be with them so desperately. But your mind kept playing evil tricks on you. Maybe if you ignored them long enough, they would eventually grow sick of it and forget you. Shockingly enough, you had underestimated them.

You were huddled under the blanket, phone turned off, hundreds of texts unread, when you heard the doorbell ring. You really didn't want to leave the comfort of your bed so you decided to ignore it. It was probably an annoying neighbour who wanted to borrow flour or something. However, when after ten minutes, the doorbell continued ringing and you could hear angry neighbours complaining about the loud noise in the corridor, you got out of bed with a groan. Opening the door, you were surprised to find Seungkwan and Vernon there.

"You're alive!" Seungkwan exclaimed, relief evident in his voice. Vernon sneaked his way inside your apartment, not saying anything but judging by the look on his face, he was quite upset with your recent behavior. You gulped nervously and locked the door as the two men let themselves in.

"Are you okay?" Seungkwan asked. "We were worried sick about you!"

"I'm fine," you gave a noncommittal shrug.

Vernon continued to say nothing, giving you a taste of your own medicine. You had to admit, it hurt like hell. You tried to meet his gaze but he was determined on avoiding your eyes. Seungkwan, however, was here to communicate.

"Did we do something wrong, baby?"

"No," you replied curtly.

"Then, what's up? Why have you been ignoring us?"

"Don't wanna talk about it," you said.

"How are we supposed to fix it if we don't know what the problem is?" Seungkwan insisted.

"Some things are not meant to be fixed," you stated, even though you didn't believe in it.

"Talk," Vernon finally spoke to you in a tone that didn't allow room for arguing.

"It's just…you two are so good together," you murmured. "And like, I love that for you, obviously. But sometimes it feels like I don't belong. Like I don't deserve you. I thought that if I simply ignored you, you would eventually leave me behind."

"Where is this coming from?" Seungkwan seemed genuinely surprised, as he held your hand gently.

"It's not the first time I've felt this way. In friend groups, especially. It's always been like this," you admitted.

"It's all in your head," Vernon spoke in a calm, confident voice. "We care about you just as much as we do about each other."

Seungkwan nodded, immediately agreeing with him.

"If you thought ghosting our texts would make us give up so easily, you were severely mistaken. You're not getting rid of us, alright?"

You smiled sadly, your vision becoming blurry due to the tears you've been holding back.

"Alright," you repeated weakly.

Seungkwan ruffled your hair playfully.

"Have we been neglecting our sweet girl, hm?" he kissed your cheek gently.

"N-no, you've both been perfect," you sniffled.

"You coddle her too much," Vernon jokingly scolded Seungkwan. "So much she thinks she can get away with punishing us with silence."

"I'm s-sorry that I hurt you," you mumbled nervously.

"You're not. But you will be," Vernon vowed.

You shuddered at the thought of what he had in store for you, as he whispered something in Seungkwan's ear. Seungkwan seemed a little hesitant at first but you eventually saw him agreeing to whatever Vernon had suggested. Seungkwan gave you a pitiful look which told you a thousand words. Oh well. You'd brought this upon yourself. If you had simply been open about your insecurities instead of ignoring their messages, it wouldn't have come to this.

Vernon pulled you against him harshly and whispered in a somewhat threatening tone:

"You better not have any doubts about our feelings after we're done with you."

"I don't have any doubts anymore," you replied in a last attempt to get out of this.

"Nice try," he chuckled coldly and pushed you into Seungkwan's arms. "Hold her still for me."

Seungkwan held your wrists behind your back and positioned you to sit in his lap.

"Sorry, babe," Seungkwan murmured against your neck.

"I understand," you responded in a hushed tone.

Vernon wasted no more time and removed your sweatpants in one swift motion. He took off your panties as well and stuck two of his fingers inside you with no warning. You whimpered at the unexpected intrusion and tried to move but Seungkwan held you more tightly. Vernon skillfully moved his fingers just the way he knew you liked and soon enough you felt yourself being incredibly close. Just then, Vernon abruptly stopped moving, taking the orgasm away from you.

"N-noo, p-please, I n-need it," you cried out in frustration.

"Don't be a brat," Vernon warned.

You turned your head slightly backwards to look at Seungkwan, hoping he'll show some mercy. Usually, he was willing to do anything to please you and bring a smile on your face. But this time, you'd made both of them upset by ignoring them. So now, you were suffering the consequences for it.

"Kwannie?" you pouted.

"Be good for us, love," Seungkwan reminded you.

Barely giving you time to process, Vernon pressed his tongue against your folds, licking and sucking as if that one week of no contact had left him starved and thirsty. You were so wet you could hear the squelching sounds of your pussy and felt the urge to close your thighs and keep him there. But you knew that Vernon was strong enough to prevent that from happening and with Seungkwan following his plan, you had no choice but to be patient if you wanted to come at all.

"Please, Vern, don't stop, please," you were desperate enough to start begging. Luck seemed to be on your side and your boyfriend finally allowed you to reach your high. Your legs shook as he tried to hold them in place, while Seungkwan was still restraining your arms and abusing the tender skin on your neck with passionate kisses that would probably leave hickeys.

Vernon gave Seungkwan a barely perceptible nod and the older male let go of your wrists. He gently positioned you on all fours and you could hear the sound of his jeans being unzipped and a condom package being ripped. Soon enough, he entered you from behind, while Vernon took interest in your mouth.

"Open," he was a man of a few words but whatever he said, always made it impossible for you to deny him.

While Seungkwan was slowly moving inside you, whispering reassuring words, Vernon roughly fucked your mouth without saying anything. You were so overwhelmed by the contrast you wondered how come they were so different and similar at the same time. And yet, they made perfect sense together.

"Such a sweet girl," Seungkwan praised you. "Our precious baby doing so well for us."

You tried to moan because of the pleasure he was bringing you but your mouth was so deliciously full of Vernon that the sounds you were attempting to make sent vibrations to his cock, urging him to release. While you were trying to swallow as much as possible, Seungkwan's orgasm soon followed, filling you up completely. You couldn't hold it in any longer and came again, being surrounded by so much warmth and affection. Your knees gave out and Seungkwan pulled out of you, giving you a tender kiss.

"I'll be right back, love," he promised and petted your cheek.

You were too exhausted to make a trip to the bathroom rightaway. You looked at Vernon sheepishly, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

"I'm really sorry," you repeated.

"I know, kitten," he smiled. "Next time you feel insecure, please just talk to us, okay?"

"I don't think there'll be a next time," you chuckled.

"Even if there is, don't bottle things up. We're here for you, always," Vernon insisted.

Seungkwan returned, enveloping the two of you in a soft hug.

"I don't wanna lose this with you," you admitted, being more vulnerable than ever before.

"You won't," Seungkwan reassured you. "You're worth fighting for."

"I feel too sleepy to wash up," you confessed.

Vernon raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Oh, you thought we were done with you? Cute."

The End