#this event kinda reminded me of the Masked event from obey me in a way

[sussysatann]

MY THOUGHTS - HALLOWEEN EVENT: SPECTRAL SOIREE

[Spoilers for a Twisted Halloween: Spectral Soiree under the cut!!]

OKAY, SO...

I started playing TWST around February/March time this year, so I haven't been able to play the first Halloween event from last year. Though I'm missing context from what happened in the previous event, I still enjoyed playing through the story. There were some good moments during the story and really seemed like the stakes were high, but I can't help feel that the ending diminished that and left me feeling unsure. The ending twistune was super cute! It was nice seeing everyone come together and I did find the ending humorous, but also wished it had leaned into those high stakes more and have actual consequences for it?

I haven't seen many people posting about this event. I thought there'd be more posts about it since it's a new second part - I didn't realise until much later on that the EN server already had the event later last year. Why would they re-release it in August?? It's such a strange choice, but I've seen many people theorize they did it to prepare for the Masquerade event, which might be next (I will scream if it is i have been SO EXCITED to play this!!) and will hopefully happen either in September or October. We will have to wait and see...

Anyways,

Short story short, I liked the event. The never-ending Halloween concept was super cool and the ghost fights and possessions really upped the stakes, making for a really suspenseful and fun story. There were several memorable moments throughout, one of my favourites being when Leona and Ace were trying to get Floyd to not touch a possible dangerous artifact and Ace questioning Leona's entire party boat story afterwards. I really loved the group pairings in the spectral realm, it was so nice to see the different dynamics and interactions they had with one another. Riddle, Ruggie and Ortho's conversations about adventures and puzzles were so sweet!

Speaking of puzzles and escape rooms...

I can't help but feel a little bit pissed off at Lilia and Malleus for putting them through all this. But then again, they didn't know what was going down behind the scenes and weren't informed of the ghost fights, so they're not entirely in the wrong for that.

But they DID make it incredibly cryptic in the worst way possible, to the point where even the teachers were concerned. Students vanishing into thin air, appearing to be kidnapped, is not something that'll get taken lightly. Especially when Lilia was yelling outside Silver's dorm, seemingly getting kidnapped too. That really must've fucked him up, especially since no-one else heard him scream. I felt so sorry for him - he genuinely thought his father was in danger the entire time, only to find out he was helping Malleus host a grand party for the ghosts. Obviously I'm glad they ended up being okay but MAN that wasn't fair on him. Sebek as well - they both thought Lilia and Malleus were in peril and were so genuinely distraught over the whole situation, it made me pretty annoyed that they didn't think through Silver and Sebek's reaction to something like this.

On the one hand, it was the ghosts' fault for fighting and possessing students. On the other hand, Malleus and Lilia are also to blame for the setup of the 'prank'. And on the other other hand it was also technically the students' fault for fighting the ghosts in the first place, but when you're put into such a seemingly dangerous and unpredictable situation, you go straight into fight or flight mode. I don't blame them for reacting the way they did.

That aside, I also kinda wished that the event was actually that dangerous, that Lilia and Malleus really WERE possessed. Imagine if there was an actual boss fight. An actual enemy. Someone who genuinely DID want an eternal Halloween, and needed the mirror shards to create a mirror portal to the human realm and take over even more bodies of the living. A ghost uprising if you will.

Imagine the teachers and the few survivors having to fight off an entire army of possessed students with a genuine intent to harm.

Imagine Malleus and Lilia being genuine threats and holding the prefect and Grim captive while everyone is trying to fight back without overblotting.

...That might be a little overkill.

BUT.

It would've been interesting to see actual consequences arise from this. I can especially imagine the prefect being really affected by the Spectral Realm.

They're already in a world that's not their own, so being thrown into that world's literal afterlife would really mess them up - whether emotionally or maybe even physically. Maybe they get really sick once they get back, maybe they were (unknowingly?) on the verge of disappearing permanently. Maybe that's why they were so worried about joining Malleus and Lilia. Because they were scared of what could happen to them, Grim not really understanding that. I love that Ace was so concerned about them both, he really is a great friend and I kinda wished these concerns were brought up a bit more.

Anyways, if you've made it this far thank you for reading!!

Feel free to add on to this, I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions! ♡

[gothic-safari-clown]

The Mind’s Power Over the Body

Part 20: Home

Story summary: They only ever had each other. It had been that way since high school, ever since Elianna transferred to dreary Arlen and took Jonathan under her wing. They go separate ways for college, and when they're reunited at Arkham Asylum professionally, Elianna comes to find that they've both changed during their time separated. Can she look past the promise of danger and stay by Jonathan's side as they slide further and further into the darkness while she grapples to come to terms with the truth about herself? Can she accept what needs to be done in order to hold onto the only person who holds any meaning in her life? This is a very self-indulgent AU that draws from several different canons of the DCU and ignoring others, starting in the Batman Begins Nolanverse. This will follow the plot of the movie, although the timeline has been very slightly tweaked.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19

Word count: 1827

El heard the front door unlock from the kitchen, and happily oblivious to the precarious status of her wellbeing, she waited quietly for Jonathan to come in and greet her. She had to make sure that the water didn't boil over anyway.

She only got an inkling that something might be wrong when the door slammed shut, and Jonathan rushed into view, looking slightly disheveled. He hadn't even put down his briefcase at the door.

Before she could inquire as to what was wrong, the briefcase was carelessly tossed onto the dining table, and Jonathan had locked her in a tight embrace, pressing a firm kiss into her hair.

"Woah, hi," she squeaked, hugging him back. "What happened? Is everything okay?" She felt the deep sigh as his body relaxed, and he stepped away again, smoothing down his tie as he regained his composure. Registering a few seconds later that she had asked a question, he nodded and raked his fingers through his hair to push it off of his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, everything is fine." His heart was only just slowing to a regular rate.

She's safe.

Yeah, I told you. I can't believe how whipped you are, Jonny.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been calling you for hours."

"Oh, I forgot to plug it in last night, so it died at work." She replied casually, still entirely unaware of the panic she had caused. "I had to go grocery shopping before I came home, and it's been charging in the bedroom since I got back; I must not have heard it." She turned back to the stove to give the boiling pasta a quick stir and check on the sauce on the other burner. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

Jonathan moved to stand against the counter next to her, needing to be near her still. "I had to see Falcone today."

"Oh? How was that?"

"Not good. He tried to threaten me into letting him into the operation, and when that didn't work, he...talked about you. I thought maybe he had already given orders, and I had to oversee the shipment as soon as possible to get it finished in time."

"Ah," El frowned, suddenly understanding the trouble. "So when I didn't answer the phone..." Jonathan nodded. Pasta still undercooked, El replaced the pot lid before turning back to the man next to her. "Well, I'm sorry for making you worry, love, but I'm okay." She smiled and stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Besides, nobody is taking me away from you without a fight. Speaking of which," she plucked a stray burlap thread off of his shoulder, "what happened here?"

Jonathan kicked himself mentally. How had his run-in with the Batman already slipped his mind?

"Scarecrow and I have had an eventful day." He said, suddenly exhausted, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you go change out of your work clothes while this is finishing up, and you can tell me about it while we eat." He nodded but hesitated to walk away, which made her chuckle. "Nothing is going to happen to me if you leave the room for a few minutes. Go on." She pushed on his arm gently, which finally coaxed his weight off the counter.

He was still hesitant to leave the room, but he knew that she was right and obeyed, ignoring Scarecrow's continued snickering. He redressed as quickly as he could, hell-bent on returning to the kitchen fast. Of course, she was still there at the stove when he came back, switching off the burner.

Unfamiliar with normal relationships, Jonathan didn't fully understand his impulses, but he was so exhausted from the events of the day that he didn't have the energy to fight them. Before El could pick up the pot to drain the water from the pasta, he locked his arms around her from behind and dropped his forehead to rest on her shoulder.

"Jonathan..." her voice was laced with soft concern, and she raised her hand to rest on the back of his head. "You were really worried about me, weren't you, love?" Her tone was actually serious now, upset that Jonathan was upset. He didn't answer, just staying where he was. "I'll leave my ringer on from now on; I remember what this feels like." He nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Come on, sweet, let me finish this up, and we can go sit on the couch while we eat. Up, come on," she coaxed gently, and Jonathan finally straightened up, allowing El to drain the pasta and serve them each a plate.

"So you and Scarecrow had an eventful day," she recalled as they settled onto the couch. "Tell me about that."

Dinner was soon forgotten as Jonathan began to recount their run-in with Batman.

"You set him on fire?" She asked incredulously. When Jonathan looked at her, he expected to see shock, maybe horror, but no. What he saw instead was a genuine, thrilled amusement that he had tried to burn a man alive. "That's hilarious. You set Batman on fire."

See, she thinks I'm funny.

"Scarecrow thinks so too."

"Mm, that's probably a bad sign for me," she said casually, returning her attention to her food. It seemed she had finally given up on feigning morality. Took her long enough.

"Yeah, probably, but you've made it this far." She hummed in response.

"So," she started slowly, wanting to address the initial problem, "Falcone?" Jonathan frowned, disliking the reminder that he now had something that could be leveraged over him. Not that he would give it up for the world, but if people were going to use Elianna to threaten him, then something would have to be done about that. Perhaps Falcone could serve as a warning.

Then again, maybe that had been the wrong decision. The old man's sudden mental break could draw suspicion. While it was true that they had been dumping the toxin into the water mains for weeks, the job would be cleaner if they didn't draw too much attention to themselves. And in one moment of anger and weakness, Jonathan had thrown away that advantage.

"I may have overreacted to that. We'll have to be careful about the project until it's ready to go. It should only be another few days."

"Overreacted?" El asked quizzically. "What did you do, gas him?" She was answered with silence and knew that she had guessed correctly.

She was sure that she was supposed to be upset, maybe a little annoyed with him for endangering such a delicate operation, but she couldn't help but feel a little flattered instead. He had done all of that for her?

Done eating, she placed her empty bowl on the coffee table and scooted closer. "He must have said something pretty bad about me to set you off like that." Jonathan's brow furrowed, remembering what Falcone had implied.

"It was...gross." For lack of a better word. He looked at her to find her smiling at him. "And no, I'm not going to tell you, so don't ask."

"I wasn't going to. I just think it's sweet that you did that for me," she said matter-of-,factly and kissed Jonathan's cheek. "Mostly, I'm just curious, would that have been your normal reaction, or was that just because the nature of our relationship changed?" She grinned as he blushed lightly.

"Probably the second one." He closed his eyes in embarrassment and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Either way, it was an overreaction. It's going to draw attention."

"Oh, who cares. There are only a few days left. Hey, that reminds me, I wanted to make a mask."

"We can just get you one from a hardware store; that should be easy-"

"No, I mean like," she sighed as she gathered her thoughts. "Like, you and Scarecrow have yours, and it's like a character almost. When people see it, they'll know who it is. It's your brand. I want something like that."

It was a fair point, Jonathan decided. And why shouldn't she get to have one like that? "Alright, what are you thinking?"

"Why, thank you for asking, love." She sat up straight as she began to present her idea. "When I was thinking about it, I asked myself, 'what are the most memorable silhouettes of all time?' There are so many to choose-"

"El, please, I've had such a long day." Jonathan almost felt bad interrupting. He knew how much she loved doing dramatic speeches, but he wasn't sure he had the patience for it this time.

"Alright, love, sorry." She raised his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Anyway, I was thinking something like a plague doctor. I feel like it would match the scarecrow in energy; it's sort of mysterious and technically meant for good, but it's become a sort of a classic horror icon." Jonathan nodded, agreeing with her line of thinking.

"Yeah. It might be a little tricky to pull off in such a short amount of time, but I think that's a good idea." Her face lit up. "We'll need a gas mask to rig into it, a pattern, and a stiff enough material to keep the shape."

"No problem. You know me, I started making my own Halloween costumes at like, ten, I can take care of it. In fact, I kinda already got all of the materials." Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "I made a pit stop between work and the grocery store. I just need a sewing machine. I was going to ask Harley if-"

"No need, I have one." They sat in silence for a moment.

"What?"

"I mean, Scarecrow does. He insisted on making the mask himself. Apparently, I was making it too neat, so he commandeered it."

"Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense," El nodded. "I don't know where I thought the mask came from, but yeah, that sounds right."

"Why don't I go get it out of storage so you can start?" El nodded excitedly, and in just a few short minutes, they had her set up at the kitchen table to get to work. Jonathan's night quickly went from a prolonged panic attack to something warm and comforting. Watching El work and helping her take measurements, and teasing her theatrics slowly helped him feel normal.

Seeing her power ahead with her ideas and devotion to their future life, unimpeded by the threat against her, brought a sense of security in a way that he had never quite felt before. While she worked, he came up with and solidified a plan to provide them with protection for the next few days at least, but it would have to wait for tomorrow. In the meantime, he contented himself with wiling away the time in the kitchen with his paramour, letting the rest of the world fall away.

[vminity21]

Chapstick Challenge

Pairing: Taehyung X Reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Warning: smut

"Taehyung, if you don't cooperate, I swear on my teddy bear's grave," you huff in frustration. With an arch of his eyebrow, Taehyung peers at you taking an annoyingly slow lick of his lollipop. Operation getting Kim Taehyung in your bedroom has been a success, with him being an Instagram famous model, and you being a Youtube celebrity, it's been the most requested duo amongst both your fanbases.

"What are we doing, again?" He counters, his wispy, purple hair tousled on top of his forehead, his jaw tilting just enough to make you notice. You shake your head at him; it's typical of him to portray himself this way when he doesn't feel like doing something. Though your fandoms are unaware, you and Taehyung have held a friendship for nearly two years, frequently seeing each other at conventions or carpet events- interviewing celebrities and sponsoring the same companies for extra incomes. To answer Taehyung's question, you dig into the plastic bag beside you revealing three packs of colorful chapsticks, each ranging in different flavors, him furrowing his eyebrows.

"Chapstick challenge," you wave the packs to put emphasis on your response, "If there's a good way to get more views, this is it." Business minded is your philosophy, and out of a poll you put on Twitter, this surprisingly, is the most voted challenge.

"Okay, so how do we do this," he munches the final bite of his sucker, tossing the white stick into a nearby trash can located in the corner of your desk.

"Alright," you pause, "One of us randomly selects a chapstick from the bag, while the other person is blindfolded,"

"Kinky," he teases, you glare a hole through his head,

"Anyhow," he chuckles at the redness gradually covering your chest, "Once the chapstick is applied, you kiss the blindfolded person, and they have to guess what the flavor is."

Taehyung nods slowly understanding the gist of it, "So, you get to kiss me, huh?"

"What the viewers want, they get," you shrug, opening the packs and shuffling them in the plastic bag, "And, don't be getting any ideas, you tool."

Taehyung raises his hands in mock defense, "If I had any ideas, it wouldn't have stopped with just chapstick,"

"Screw you," you roll your eyes with a teasing smirk, turning to pose the camera at a good angle, "Did you bring your toothbrush?"

He abruptly turns to face you, "No, was I supposed to?"

"I have an extra one, let's go scrub our teeth,"

"I mean I've heard of some kinky shit, but I've never had a woman brush my teeth for me-"

"TAE!" You blurt, smacking his shoulder, "Pardon me if dental hygiene is a priority as well as a necessity now brush your damn teeth!"

With minty breath and shoulders brushing, the two of you plop in front of the camera, you turn it on and perform your introduction the way you always do in your videos.

"Hi," is all Taehyung says, the awkward tension causing you to burst with laughter.

"That's it!?" You can barely breathe, "That's all you have to say to my fans?"

Taehyung can't help himself, but expose his boxy smile, "I don't know how this works, why don't you just introduce me?"

Obeying, you introduce him, Taehyung waving at the camera with a tight-lipped grin, you continuing to explain the challenge and how it works. Reaching for a blindfold, Taehyung ties it behind his head, you close your eyes while you sift through the plastic bag, your fingers clacking with the numerous chapsticks until you choose one. Opening your eyes, the green tube reads 'Green Apple Twist', and to say you're a little nervous is an understatement. It's been a while since you've kissed someone, and once you show the camera a closer take on the tube, you apply it on your lips.

"Alright, Tae," you shift to face him, "You ready?"

He hums in response, you leaning to close the gap. The kiss is warm, but short enough for him to taste the flavor, and when you pull away, dazed, he licks his lips carefully, his eyebrows poised in concentration, "So?" You question, smiling for the camera, though your fingertips feel ice cold reflecting the butterflies in your stomach.

"It's kinda fruity," he smacks his lips together a couple times, "Apple."

"Damnit!" You snicker, "You get a point!"

Taehyung takes off the blindfold and hands it to you, swiping his head to the side to fix his hair.

"Here, Tae," you hand the bag over to him, slipping on the blindfold, hearing him rummage through the bag until the room is silent, "Don't forget to show the camera." You remind him. The pop of the lid makes the beat of your heart pace quicken and you fight with the inward thought of anticipating his kiss which is something you didn't expect to yearn for.

"Okay, I'm ready," you feel his presence inch closer to you. Him pressing his lips to yours that parted already in preparation. The taste of chocolate enlightens your senses, "Mmm," you hum, and without realization, you brush the tip of your tongue against his, immediately pulling away the moment you do. "Uh, um, we uh," you panic, keeping the blindfold on to hide the smirk you're sure he has planted on his face, "I'll edit that out." You confirm, gathering your bearings, "Anyways, that's chocolate."

"Correction," Taehyung's deep voice reverberates. "It's chocolate swirl."

"Oh, shut up," you wave a hand at him, "I get a point. Next!"

Taehyung reapplies the blindfold, you dig into the bag until you pick a flavor. Grape. You hate grape flavors, and you show the camera with a playful scowl knowing your fans happen to know this fact about you already. Smearing it all over your lips, you voice that you're ready, snatching Tae's lips for a couple seconds. He gets you back, brushing the tip of his tongue to yours, you gasp in surprise,

"Hey, I said no funny business," you blurt, wiping off the wetness lingering on your mouth.

"You started it," he retorts. The burning desire within you is building and you're easily able to mask it with him not being able to see you temporarily.

"What's your guess?"

"Can I taste again? I was uncertain of this one."

Reluctantly, you kiss him. This time you let it remain a bit longer. When he parts his lips ever so softly to capture yours again, the feeling below you sparks and you jump away, "Okay that's enough, now guess."

"Erm, pear," he coos.

"Wrong!" You yell, "It's grape."

Though a subtle comeback lies on Taehyung's tongue, he clenches his jaw, you putting on the blindfold as he draws a tube. Quickly applying it, he runs it all over his lips in at least three layers, him remembering this being your favorite sweet. "I'm ready," he warns.

Taehyung brushes your lips with his, it takes a second for the flavor to settle in, but the smell of it meets your nose causing you to melt into his kiss more than you'd like to profess. Ginger greets your tongue, him syncing with your lips' movements- the moment your lips part your moan is light, Taehyung gliding his tongue along your mouth, and you no longer have the strength to pull away. "Tastes so good," you're weak when it comes to the taste of gingerbread, and you never thought you'd taste it on somebody's mouth.

"Want some more?" Taehyung taunts, his breath panting against your lips. You know you need to stop, but you don't want to. Without using verbal communication, you pull off your blindfold, crashing into him, rising to settle on your knees, his arms instinctively meeting behind your back as your hands cup his face.

"Fuck," you moan against the corner of his chin, the strong fragrance of the sweet still evident enough for you to palate some more. He doesn't hesitate to kiss you again, the addiction of the sensation is nearly smothering, you refuse to break it- moving your lips so effortlessly with the smoothness of his. His large hands palm your clothed ass, your hips slightly moving from the fire rising in your core, clenching and clenching with the strong crave you hope ends with him satisfying your every desire.

Breathless, Taehyung's eager fingers pull to unbutton your shirt, his eyes never leaving your chest as your lace bralette is exposed for him to enjoy, your hand moving to caress the bulge wanting to erupt through his striped pants.

"Ohhhh," his eyes roll back, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip just enough to cause a smirk to dominate your lips. Crashing your kiss to his, he finishes unbuttoning your shirt, throwing it to the side, running his fingertips tenderly along the line of your spine until he finds the back of your bralette. Before you know it, his fingers slip under the fabric, lifting the piece over your head, your hair tickling your shoulders, the cool air breezing along your exposed breasts. His hands squeeze them harshly, the warmth causing a seductive hiss, your hands palpating up his arms to signal you want his clothes off, and that you want them off now.

When Taehyung sheds his jacket, his biceps bulge when he lifts you abruptly- the swift movement making you light headed when he dins you onto your bed. Hovering over you, he kisses you once more, your hands gripping the ends of his shirt, him helping you rid of it- and that's when you really lose it. His bare chest covering yours with the heated skin to skin, your legs immediately tangling with his- Taehyung grinds against you, sucking on the crook of your neck before moving to your breasts, the tip of his tongue licking along your right nipple while he uses his hand to caress your left one simultaneously. The flicking of his tongue sends a violent shake to scatter along your legs, your eyes rolling back from the moans you try to suppress. When Taehyung observes the effect it has on you, what he wants to do next refuses to leave him until he can make you come in any way he can.

His hands grip at your pants, sliding them down rapidly, tossing them to the ground, his hands snaking around your thighs as your multiple gasps echo throughout the bedroom. You're nearly hypnotized especially with the way his eyes hungrily take you in, scanning every inch, every curve of your naked body, the beauty of you overwhelms him, and when his eyes trail back to your entrance, his fingers tighten absentmindedly.

That's when he dives in, the tip of his tongue flicking rapidly against your entrance- smoothing over it in one long lick here and there just to return to gliding effortlessly between your vaginal lips.

"Oh, ohhhh," your voice is high pitched; the pleasure is so intense you can hardly catch a breath, his tongue soaking up every bit of your taste, his eyes watching you which turns him on even more than he already is. His lips move to suck on your clit; one at a time, he moves his hands to rub your nipples, his mouth refusing to break from your folds especially when he returns his tongue to lick your entrance, your hips moving which beckons him to press his tongue even harder against your heat. "Fuck, holy shit," you can hardly contain the words leaving your mouth, especially when he raises his head just enough to slide his fingers up and down your soaked entrance, the wet sound of it arousing him to pump his finger into your area, slowly impelling within your vaginal walls, your mouth ajar from the continuous moans you can't help but utter. The longing to pleasure him summons you to sit up, lunging forward, grasping his forearms and dragging him forward. First, you kiss him so hard, the throbbing beneath you becomes stronger- you forcefully push him under you, unbuttoning his pants sporadically, his light groans leaving his lips especially when he realizes exactly what you're going to do. He kicks his pants off and without any disclination, you slide his underwear down his long legs, his erection revealed, your mouth watering at the sight of it. Wrapping your fingers around him, a hiss stirs between his teeth, you stroke him gently, getting him prepared for your next mission.

With your tongue, you seductively lick the base of his penis to the tip, swirling his precum with your thumb to then flicking your tongue hastily on his tip for a tease, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his fingers tangle in your hair. Your lips clench along his tip, him jolting at the sensation, gradually you bob your head up and down sucking profusely, his moans motivating you to continue, your determination to please him is all you care about. Your hands move to grip his wrists, him leaning back onto the pillows while you suck his area, lapping up any taste he gives, but not to the point where he finishes.

Straddling him, you glide your drenched folds along his sopping erection, letting it massage your clit, his eyes never leaving your body while you grind, his fingers tracing to your nipples, the sensitivity causing the waterfall to flow onto his area, the paradise so surreal, both of you nearly cum right then and there.

"Fuck, [Y/N], you feel so fucking good," Taehyung breathes, the back of his head still pressing into the pillows, his eyes closing, your fingers gripping his arms whilst you move- the feeling building, but you're not ready to climax. Lowering your lips to his, you mold your body into him, his strong arms wrapping around you to press you closer; perspiration mingles with the heat both of your frames are exhibiting, neither of you want any of this to come to an end.

Taehyung sits up, your knees on either side of his thighs, hands gripping onto his shoulders, you lower your hips, and finally, you nod in approval, he grabs his penis, bringing the tip to your entrance, both of you panting are the only sounds heard, and then he does it. He moves into you, your head throwing back in intense pleasure. He starts off slowly, getting lost in the feeling of being inside you- the warmth so overwhelming within your walls he nearly forgets where he is. He moves his hips in a circular motion whilst thrusting, his penis rubbing your g-spot with each stroke, your legs shaking from the ecstasy you haven't felt in so long. You pin him down, relentlessly moving up and down, riding him so naturally, he fumbles with where to rest his hands, letting you take him away. Even in one rough swoop, he whirls you under him- pounding in you so fast, your muscles begin to tense, the strong peak of your climax putting your body in a jolt arousing him so much so he spills inside you, collapsing, beside you, your thighs squeezing together from the sensitivity of your core.

"Shit," you breathe, the two of you still hyperventilating from the adrenaline gradually dimming, "I forget the original reason why you're here." You run a weak hand through your hair, your thighs still squeezing together to form some friction to your recovering entrance, Taehyung's hand moving to interlace his fingers with yours, his brown eyes turning to stare at you. You feel as though you're truly forgetting something, eyebrows furrowing at the ceiling before your eyes enlarge into saucers, "Holy shit, I forgot to turn off the camera!"

Soaring off the bed, you grasp the camera, cutting it off, inwardly thankful that this was not a live video you planned to film. Sighing in relief, you shake your head, preparing to delete the footage, Taehyung sitting up with a sly smirk on his face; he's laughing so hard, he can barely contain himself,

"Well, I mean you said so yourself if there's a way to get more views, this is it."

[moonlightstars16]

Chapter 1 ~ Not A Diamond

***WARNING: This Chapter contains themes that might be a trigger. Please read at your own caution. Also I love Spinel, and this I do not ship Spinel and Steven I DO NOT HATE the ship. Or OTHERS that do. I also LOVE Spinel’s character, so for this AU I decided to change it up because I think she’s perfect for it. Thank you and enjoy the rest of this story.***

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"Here my Diamond" Pearl said placing a freshly clean cloak on the bed. "as requested."

"Pearl, you can call me Steven. No Diamond is around to hear you." a familiar voice, now older and deeper, spoke out. The half human/gem hybrid stood up from his chair and turned from the fireplace towards his second in command Pearl, his Pearl since childhood. Rolled his eyes at the diamond salute she was making. "Besides you know how much I dislike that title anyway." Steven groaned while walking towards the balcony of his own palace. Given to him by the Diamonds although to him it was always going to feel like a prison.

"Of course my Di- Steven" Pearl spoke correcting herself. Though they knew each other for twenty years, Pearl was hesitant to address him now as anything other than a Diamond. She knew what happened to Steven since they all were taken from Earth. It changed him in more ways than one. Pearl still had no idea how to feel about it overall.

"How is everything coming along with the human zoo?" Steven asked casually adjusting his black gloves while he gazed down at what appeared to be a garden. It was his mother's garden brought down from space to HomeWorld. Despising it's very existence since he arrived here. So he had commanded for a human zoo to be made and overtake the garden. All except one part Steven decided to keep for sentimental reasons. A sort of reminder of all the pain and suffering she inflicted upon him. Leaving him to make up for her mistakes.

"All is going according to your plan. They have better resources and.... your father has finally accepted his position." Pearl stated though hesitantly so.

Steven chuckled lightly and smirked. "So the old man finally caved? Well it's about time." He sighed and turned around towards his bed. Lifting his cloak around his shoulders before clasping it together. His black suit matched well to the permanently blood stained cloak. He didn't mind at all, in fact preferring this over just plain black. Glancing at the cracked mirror, he reached up and adjusted the ties on his silver mask. Which also had a bloody tear stain under the right eye. It only covered up exactly half his face and served as a reminder of why he had it in the first place.

"The banquet will begin soon, shall we not be going now?" Pearl asked though the urgency wasn't there. Steven loved to be fashionably late and it surprised her why she continued to even ask such a question. Curiosity was the only thing that seemed to satisfy it.

"I won't be rushed by the likes of them." He spoke with a firm tone and a deadly look in his black and pink diamond eyes.

"Of course, but-"

"But what Pearl?!" Steven interrupted with more anger in his tone. His complexion turning a bright pinkish red. She had seen this all before only the red part must be thanks to his human half. Shaking her head she tried to remain calm.

"Nothing Steven, forget I said anything." He took in a deep breathe and soon the glow diminished from him. Stepping closer he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"My apologies Pearl" Steven sighed before giving a half smile. "I can't imagine going through this without you. You've helped keep me sane all this time." The smile (though half heatedly was better than nothing) that kept the memory of his innocence warmed her heart. They hugged for a brief moment, then began to walk towards the room which held the warp pad. However before they could a pink lion with sharp (and now bloody) fangs entered the room. Steven smirked kneeling down as Pearl's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh Steven, not again. Why must it come down to this?" Pearl asked as he laughed with such ecstasy and darkness in his voice.

"How will they learn to obey if they don't listen?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Diamonds banquet was held once every year since Steven was in there lives. To celebrate their "victory" over the war. Though they still refer to him as Pink. Not because he was, oh no that they understood. But for the sheer pleasure it made them feel to see him in misery. It was there way of punishing him for taking away their precious Pink Diamond. Even the banquet name mocked him. It was more or less a formal meeting to discuss progress on the colonies and such other Diamond accomplishments. No matter how boring it was, Steven had to listen. Last time he tried skipping... He reached up and touched his mask for a moment before regaining composure from the memory.

Once Steven and Pearl arrived, they were ushered towards the throne room immediately. Though it was odd to see only White's Pearl and not her on the throne. Or so it looked to be so. Steven and Pearl know full well she was only tormenting them from her mind control tricks. However it wasn't just them they did it too. For White this was just apart of a normal routine.

"Pink! Oh we are so thrilled to have you join us this evening!" Blue exclaimed excitedly while maintaining her demeanor.

"Nice to see we can pull you away from your work, Pink." Yellow said adding emphasis to the word Pink, knowing how much he hated it.

"Blue, Yellow" he paused while looking up at the white pearl "How could I ever miss such an important and quite droll of an event?" His voice sarcastic and projecting while sitting on the throne that once belonged to his...mother. "I heard this year you've made quite amazing progress on the third era colonies correct?" Not that he cared, he just wanted to get it over with.

"Amazing is an understatement" Yellow mumbled before being interrupted by a more than thrilled Blue.

"Oh Pink we have exciting news! Earth will be useful after all!" Everything in the room suddenly came to a standstill. Even time itself seemed to slow down as Steven processed what Blue had just spoke. From those words he knew something was going to happen and it involved him in some way.

"What?" was the only thing he could say. His heart started to pound hard beneath his chest.

"Yes! You were right Pink! Earth's resources are very unique, so much so it's the perfect place to build our geo-weapon! Now 'The Cluster' is still a working title but the point is you were right Pink! Earth is useful to us! What a way to celebrate the new era!" Blue continued to ramble on about the specifics of how the cluster worked and what the geo-weapon could be used for. Steven remained silent.

He didn't care for the planet. In fact he just wanted it gone. However a small part of him still wanted the planet to exist. However that wasn't going to happen. 'Just another event to lock away and forget' he thought. Blue continued to ramble until Yellow interrupted.

"Anyways, besides congratulating you on your victory Pink, we also want you to oversee the whole project."

"And why would I want to do that?" Steven asked ready to brush off everything.

"Because you are a Diamond whether you like it or not Steven." That voice... his name spoken.... it made him paralyzed in place, and he hated it. "Though you're not her, you caused her to die and to make up for it you must take her place." Silence fell eerily for a moment before she continued "Disobedience means punishment."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After returning from the banquet, Steven stormed up to his room. Ripping off his cloak, jacket and vest before sitting down in his chair. Taking a few sips of alcohol and breathing to calm him down from the events. After an hour or so he was a bit more relaxed though his head slightly throbbing. He was beyond out of it. So much so he didn't realize a certain heart upside down shaped gem had entered the room. Rubbing his tense shoulders.

"Spinel, not now" He growled though it was kinda pathetic, thanks to the alcohol.

"Shh Steven, please, let me help you." Spinel spoke before placing a kiss on his head. He was familiar with the concept of human intercourse and apparently so was she. It wasn't the first time she seduced him(beginning four years ago), however he rejected her every single time.

"You're better than this Spinel" again he hated the way alcohol affected him.

"And you're better than this" she spoke taking the drink away from him. "Look I found a love for this and since you're my best friend, I only want this with you." Her hands touched his shirt, unbuttoning it slowly and gently caressing his bare chest. Although careful to avoid his gem. The whole idea of what she was doing, made him roll his eyes.

"I'm not her Spinel. She was your best friend, not me." His voice was starting to regain control and was now filled with bitterness. "Besides it's not best friends who do this. Not unless they say they love each other and consently agree to it. Spinel You're hurting, I understand, bit this isn't-"

"I'm not!" She yelled before grasping both sides of his face and almost knocking off his mask. "Steven I've studied this and the more I learn the more I want this. And I only want this with you! Please!" Steven gripped her hands in his taking them off his face. He humored this long enough.

"No Spinel, end of discussion."

"But-"

"I said no!!!" Glowing pinkish red again he had stood up so forcefully that Spinel dropped and rolled slightly onto the floor. Tears spilling down her cheeks as she looked up at him. Her spiked pony tails dragging down. The look she gave made him regain control, the glow once again diminished and he knelt down offering his hand. She instantly swatted away his help and ran out of the room, still crying. Steven sighed and sat down on the chair once more, rubbing his forehead. She always did this sort of thing and he always knew why.

Spinel was just another victim, just like he was. Only she was isolated alone for three years on a barren planet and another three years trapped in the human zoo. But with only with those who began to loose their minds since they had began to collect there. By the time she was able to come back, Spinel was an entirely different person. Marks across her gem was only a symbol of what happened to her.

Spinel wasn't the only one who suffered.

All of this made him think of is own torture he endured. Flashes of White Diamond's long black fingernails picking apart his gem, him being reunited with that part of himself and her discovery of blood. Which only occurred to her when the human zoo even began. So she basked in the information.

"Where is Pink?! What have you done with her?! I demand you tell me!!!" Her voice almost cracked the walls of her throne room. The gem part of Steven looked at her and shouted so loud it did crack the walls.

"SHE....IS....GONE!!!!!!!!" Once he was finished, gem Steven walked towards the almost lifeless human Steven. Looking at one another they smiled and gripped hands before a bright light consumed everything. When it dimmed, revealing his true self both sides coming together as one.

The victory only lasted a moment before White in her rage knocked him back against the wall and watched as he slowly sank down. Steven found himself laying against the floor, when he came back from his unconscious state. Slowly bringing himself on his knees, a single drop of blood dripped from his head. A slight concussion must've occurred when he fell.

"Oh So you can bleed." She laughed wickedly. Holding him up at his feet with his arms pinned. The sharp tip of her fingernail just above his forehead.

"This will be fun"

Steven screamed out in pain as White continued to laugh maliciously. Dragging her finger along the right side of his face. Leaving a scar that also went over his eye. Blood dripped everywhere.

Steven brought a shaking hand up to his mask and gritted his teeth, breathing in sharply and eyes shut tight. Until he felt a familiar hand touch his shoulder.

"Steven, are you alright?" Pearl asked bringing him out of his memory into the present. Rubbing the side that wasn't covered he shook his head. Not wanting to talk about it right in this moment, it was just a painful memory to once again bury deep in his mind.

"What is it, Pearl?"

"Shall I make arrangements for your travels Steven?" she asked moving on to the next topic as quickly as possible for him. Seeing how in distressed he was.

"Yes, I just want this over with as soon as possible." He spoke before getting up and going to his bed. The next few days were going to be rough.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 229: The Real Me

Previously on BnHA: Dabi fought a dude who could control ice. For like three pages. Then we cut to my boy Twice, who had located an unconscious Toga (who as you recall had her blood blown up a couple chapters back, so yeah) and was understandably freaking out about how to get her some help. To make a long and somewhat confusing story short, you know that long-haired guy who hacked Giran’s phone? Turns out he has the power to create human puppets or some shit, and he created a bunch of Twice duplicates and sent them to capture the real Twice (who you might also recall has some traumatic history involving clones of himself). Seems they want to use Twice’s quirk to create a backup clone of Re-Destro, just in case history repeats himself and he ends up kicking the bucket like his great-great granddad. Wouldn’t that be sad. Re-Destro getting murdered. Wouldn’t that just be a darn shame. Anyways so let’s see where this leads.

Today on BnHA: The Villain Flashback Arc continues with today’s installment featuring, you guessed it, more villain flashbacks! We learn more about our little buddy Twice who was apparently orphaned as a young teen and subsequently found himself alone in a cold and uncaring world. Honestly you guys, after reading this I’m amazed that he’s still as nice of a guy as he is. Anyway, so he used his quirk to clone himself because he was lonely, and the clones and him engaged in a petty crime spree or two, and then somehow or other it all led to the whole murderfest that fucked up his head so badly. Back in the present, a struggling Jin tries to escape and help Toga, so Skeptic orders his puppets to break Jin’s arms. They do so, but this has a curious side-effect that Skeptic may not have been expecting. Namely, that having that much damage dealt to him makes Twice realize that he definitely is not one of his clones, and is in fact the real deal. This appears to at least temporarily cure his split personality woes, and the chapter ends with him creating about a dozen duplicates to go fuck up the Liberation Army’s day. Hell yes.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, but aside from that there are no changes.)

hey guys, sorry I’ve been inactive all week; I’ve been sick and haven’t really had much energy. I still am sick, but I appear to have reached the stage of exhaustion where I’m all “eh, fuck it, yeah sure whatever” where it’s ironically easy to motivate myself to do stuff because I have no willpower to resist, lol

so anyway. we’re apparently not missing a beat, picking up right where we left off last week with Twice’s mask being pulled off by one of the gorilla puppets

wow and they’re just like. flinging him aside

DON’T FLING MY BOY NO!! AND GET AWAY FROM TOGA

AHHHH

shit, how creepy is that? are they cold because they’re just ~puppets~ and not actually real, living people? what a disturbing touch

now we’re cutting back to Skeptic, who’s giving the puppets orders and addressing them as various letters of the alphabet. how can he tell them the fuck apart

meanwhile Giran’s asking what they’re doing to his pal. ;_; Giran you continue to be the best

and Re-Destro’s forcibly directing his attention elsewhere, but he’s also answering his question, strangely enough

that’s a lot of detail to be giving the guy when you could have just smacked him and told him to shut up. these villains are so confusing

but I guess they’re just telling him all this to taunt him more, because now Skeptic is bragging that he learned about Jin’s psychological disorder from Giran’s client data

hey btw I don’t think I’ve said this yet, but fuck this guy so hard for taking advantage of Twice’s trauma and using it against him. what a shocker, the Meta Liberation Army of dickheads pulls another dickhead move. these guys are so classy

oh my fucking god you guys Giran is getting hotter with each fucking chapter though fffffffff

if you’d told me a month ago that this dude would be nipping at Aizawa and All Might’s heels for the title of BnHA’s most eligible bachelor I would have called you a liar and a thief, yet here we are. good lord

that said, I appreciate that he’s thinking about how hard it’ll be on poor Twice, but they also just said they’d kill Toga as well, so I imagine that part of it would be pretty hard on her too. just saying

SDLFKSDLFHK SPEAKING OF

FUCK ME YOU GUYS I ALMOST LEAPED TO MY FUCKING FEET, WHAT THE FUCK. DON’T TELL ME THEY’RE GOING TO SNAP HER NECK. HOLY SHIT

SOMEONE BETTER SAVE HER OR I’M GOING TO FLY OUT TO JAPAN AND GIVE HORIKOSHI MY STUPID COLD. THAT’LL SHOW THAT BASTARD. HAVE SOME BRONCHITIS YOU PIECE OF SHIT

AND TWICE IS WATCHING ALL PANICKED AND SCREAMING THAT HE’S GOING TO KILL HER

AT FIRST I WAS CONFUSED AND WAS LIKE, DOES HE BLAME HIMSELF FOR GETTING HER IN THIS SITUATION? BUT THEN I REMEMBERED THE CLONES AND THAT YEAH IT’S LITERALLY HIM KILLING HER THOUGH OMGGGGG

AHHH HE’S SO CONFUSED THIS IS SO CONFUSING

I’M TOO SICK TO DEAL WITH TWICE’S EXISTENTIAL CRISIS YOU GUYS, IT’S REALLY FREAKING ME OUT, HELP. THE FUCKING PANELS ARE ALL WOBBLY-LINED AND THEY KEEP ZOOMING IN ON HIS FACE AND SHOWING HIM ALL BUG-EYED SCREAMING “WHO AM I” OVER AND OVER AGAIN OH GOD

OH SHIT!?!?

ACTUAL TWICE FLASHBACKS OH SHIT?! I was not expecting this oh snap. I am so into this

anyway, so he’s thinking -- with surprising coherence -- that because of his rough appearance, people were always afraid of him growing up

but also, what was that part about him not having a family? so he was an orphan then?? Horikoshi you are aware that I already love Twice and am emotionally attached to him, yes? but like if you want to hit me with even more feels and fuck me up some more then be my guest I suppose?

anyway so whoever he’s talking to here says Jin, who is apparently sixteen here, evidently hit some dude with his motorcycle by accident. oh shit

and baby!Jin says the guy jumped out in front of him and he was obeying the speed limit and everything

and the man he’s talking to seems vaguely sympathetic but says that regardless, it’s usually the victim who ends up winning these cases, and that Jin may end up with a criminal record. “but don’t let it get to you.” oh, sure. yeah, let’s just look on the bright side here

he says that no matter how many times you stumble in life, you can always start over

well shit is it any wonder this kid ended up going the villain route and making a bunch of clones of himself to live his best life? I mean jeez, he had absolutely no one on his side and was slapped with a criminal record when he was only sixteen. that shit is rough

oh fuck me and it just keeps getting worse

well that’s nice. so make that homeless with a criminal record, then. jesus christ he was still just a kid

so apparently his parents died in a villain attack when he was in middle school, and he had no relatives. I guess the state didn’t give a fuck either, damn

I find it extraordinarily easy to empathize with, actually! that’s one of the things that makes you such a great character!

so I guess he originally ended up making a clone of himself just because he was lonely. okay wow. not only does Twice continue to be the most likable villain in the series, he’s working his way up there as one of the most likable and relatably human characters, period

look at this shit! he’s just a guy who had a run of bad luck and tried his best to cope with it in whatever ways he could. there’s nothing villainous about him, he was just someone whom nobody wanted. he had his entire future stolen out from under him in the blink of an eye and had nowhere else to turn. he just wanted some friends for fuck’s sake

and so then he and his merry band committed a bunch of petty crimes. but they just needed some cash so they could live! like, all he wanted to do was just chill out and be happy. I got your back Twice. it’s not your fault

and then the flashback just kind of cuts to him tied to the chair in the aftermath of the clone hunger games. so I guess that’s all the backstory we’re getting as far as that goes. ngl I would have really liked to see just a bit more of the lead-up to that specific event. he’s such a nice guy that it’s a bit hard to picture him just suddenly going “RAWR I’M GONNA MURDER ALL Y’ALL.” but what I’m thinking is that all of the tragedy in his past contributed to him forming his violent alter ego personality, and that one of the clones must have just snapped one day and the rest is history

anyway so now we’re cutting to his first meeting with my new boyfriend Giran

ah okay, so he’s scared because if he actually is one of the clones then just a tiny bit of damage would be enough to finally do him in

btw Giran, possibly the one good thing Re-Destro and his buds did was getting rid of that scarf and sunglasses though bud. if you decide to change up your look after all of this, I’m not going to complain. there’s a reason I thought you were just some douchebag this whole time. obviously I shouldn’t have been so quick to judge you, I realize that now of course

but seriously Giran who wears sunglasses at night indoors. I mean, idk, maybe you get migraines or something. but if not I’m just saying

regardless, questionable fashion choices aside, Giran is actually a super nice guy, a mensch if you will, and he is now casually changing Twice’s entire life in the span of a few sentences. awww

how the fuck were you planning on smoking that cigarette while wearing a paper bag over your face. ??

also, Giran on this page kinda reminds me of Sanji, if Sanji was, like, a beatnik about to throw down on open mic poetry night

anyway so that’s the end of our happy flashback, and now we’re back in the present with Twice resuming his freakout!

but in spite of his mental struggles, he’s shaking the puppet clones off and trying to dash toward Toga again omg!

up in his little tower Skeptic seems fairly surprised

in related news, fuck this guy so much. also he’s using one of his puppets as a chair, which is one of the creepiest touches Horikoshi has put in this manga to date. but also they mentioned last week that Skeptic makes the puppets out of any human-sized materials that happen to be lying around, so I kind of wonder if maybe this dude originally was a chair. the mysteries of BnHA

moving on though, yeah, Twice and Toga really do have a strong bond though, don’t they? their chemistry is as beautiful as it is strange

oh shit but they really did hit him though

FUCK YOU F AND G

FFFFF SON OF A BITCH

DLASFKJLKJ PLEASE DON’T YOU FUCKING PSYCHOPATH, I CAN’T WAIT FOR YOU TO FUCKING DIE YOU ASSHOLE!!!

motherfucker! and we just established that he’s afraid that a broken bone will be enough to kill him if it turns out he really is a clone!

-- holy shit, but. on the other hand, if it doesn’t kill him though, that just might be enough to cure him of that particular fear once and for all. oh shit, unexpected plot twist

though in this particular situation it probably won’t make much of a difference how sane he is if he’s still got two broken arms though fuuuuuuuck

anyway... gotta click to the next page... even though I really don’t want to, sob

aaaaaaaand they’ve broken them. well shit. at least it wasn’t graphic. he’s just hunching forward and screaming and his arms are facing the wrong way, fuck

and now Skeptic is all “your legs are next,” and uh, can Twice actually hear him, though?? like, what? did I miss something here? is he piping his voice in through the shed’s convenient sound system or something?

anyway he’s telling Twice not to struggle anymore, and Twice is muttering to himself all darkly about how much that hurt

and apparently Toga’s regained consciousness now!!

wow Skeptic, okay sure, go ahead and keep talking about how you’re about to kill Toga in front of his eyes. just keep on digging yourself deeper. it’s like he doesn’t realize there’s only one page left in the chapter and things are just about reaching a tipping point and our heroes (?! I mean they are, though, for this arc at any rate) have had just about enough of his bullshit

lol I can’t take the tension omg

please do something badass please do something badass please d --

oh snap

Twiiiiiiice ;_; so it’s like I thought. they unexpectedly cured you of your identity crisis angst

anyway I guess this chapter is a longer one than usual because it’s page 15 now and we’re still going! so I will now resume my “please do something badass” chant. c’mon Twice. kick some assssssss

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS

THIS TIME I REALLY DID LEAP OUT OF MY CHAIR OMG. BOIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

LMAO ARE ALL OF THEIR ARMS BROKEN TOO. FUCK IT, IT DOESN’T MATTER. DEKU HAS SPENT APPROXIMATELY HALF THE MANGA WITH BROKEN ARMS AND IT’S NEVER STOPPED HIM*

*forest angst aside. and anyways that all worked out in the end, so

“wounded heroes are the most dangerous.” well fuck. given that we’ve just seen an exhausted and delirious Shigaraki eradicate an entire wave of people, and a bloodied and wounded Toga straight up murder one of the Army’s leaders, I think it’s safe to say we can apply this statement to villains too. and I for one can’t wait how dangerous a wounded -- but now sane -- Twice can be. motherfucker how I am loving this glorious arc

[fancymuffinparty]

Late Night Rendezvous

Rating: T; for language and comic mischief

Pairing: Eren Jaeger/Annie Leonhart

Summary: For Day Four of Ereannie Week 2018! Option A: Mischief. Modern AU.

Eren and Annie’s excellent adventure. Basically. Minus the time travelling, of course. 

And all Eren expected to happen after sneaking into her room was a casual makeout session...

Word Count: 1856

A/N: This is a couple days late, but here is my second contribution! :’) The last prompt was kinda angsty, so I’m balancing the feels with some stupid ereannie shenanigans! Hope you enjoy these two lovebirds getting into trouble! :D

It was around nine o’clock when Annie and her father bid one another goodnight and retreated upstairs to their respective bedrooms.

But Annie was still wide awake even after the clock had struck midnight, pacing quietly about her room. Her father had long since fallen asleep, as indicated by the loud snores resounding from behind his door, so she seized the opportunity to text her boyfriend and invite him over for a little late night rendezvous.

In the past, he’d snuck in through her bedroom window, as it was far less risky than trying to sneak him through the front door. ‘Less risky’ in that the two young adolescents had a lower chance of getting caught using this method. The risk of sustaining injury from attempting to climb a somewhat daunting height was still a very real hazard.

The perils of climbing through the window added a certain quality that Annie found rather enticing. The thrills she and her companion got out of it were so rewarding.

Speaking of her companion…

What’s taking him so long? she thought, glancing over at her phone to check the time. The last message relayed between them had been sent nearly an hour earlier.

Before she could compose another message to ensure he was still on his way, she was stopped by the subdued tapping of tiny rocks propelled against her window. Heeding the call, Annie tiptoed her way over and slowly slid the glass window open, her sights directed towards Prince Charming below.

Eren Jaeger was the cutest dork alive- but damn, his timing was the worst.

“You’re late!” Annie chastised him, keeping her voice low so as not to make too much noise.

“Sorry,” Eren apologized, loud enough to wake the neighbor’s dog. The dog’s subsequent barking forced Eren to make haste with his entrance, scrambling up the adjacent ladder Annie had set up earlier in preparation for this very event. “Shit!”

Annie implored him to hurry in earnest. “Are you trying to get us caught?!” she asked, pulling him inside through the window once he’d reached the top. “And what took you so long?”

Eren quickly slid the window shut, relishing in the brief moment of reprieve. “My brother was being a dick and wouldn’t let me borrow the car,” came his hushed reply. “Long story short, I had to bribe him.”

“Well you could’ve texted me to let me know,” Annie muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry,” Eren said with a sigh. “I also parked a couple streets over so that might have added another ten minutes to my commute.”

Commute? Annie often found Eren’s colorful vocabulary to be fascinating, but rather than give him a hard time about his word-choice, she merely shook her head in disapproval and asked, “Why didn’t you just park curbside a couple houses down?”

“I didn’t want your dad or any of your tattletale neighbors seeing my car,” Eren replied with a shrug.

Annie quirked a brow. “The neighbors don’t give a damn what cars park on our street. Especially not if they’re sleeping,” she contested. “And you know my dad’s a heavy sleeper. He’s been out since around 9:30.”

Eren wiggled both eyebrows upon hearing that. “So your dad’s asleep, huh? Lucky us!”

Annie simply nodded in response, standing wordlessly before the green-eyed brunet with an expectant look on her face.

Okay… Eren thought. Now what?

Now that they’d established all systems were a go, what exactly was the hold up? Not that Eren was eager to jump into bed or anything…

The silence that fell between the two made him feel awkward, and he proceeded with commencing their late-night rendezvous in equally awkward fashion.

“Soooooo are we gonna kiss now or…?” Eren rubbed the back of his neck nervously, still finding their sneaky arrangements somewhat nerve-wracking in spite of the fact that this was hardly their first rodeo. “Should I lie down…?” His eyes flickered to the bed, before returning to Annie’s stoic gaze.

“Clearly not the romantic type, are we?” Annie scoffed, facepalming herself.

Eren frowned, his feelings only slightly hurt. “Are you kidding? That entrance was something out of a fairytale! No! A Disney movie!”

“Oh my god,” Annie huffed, cringing in silent despair.

“What?” Eren chuckled. “You want me to bring some rose petals next time? So I can sprinkle them all over the bed? Or better yet, we could light some scented candles to set the mood. Or how about-”

“Eren,” Annie interjected, bringing her pointer finger to her lips as a warning. “Keep it down.”

Before Eren could mumble a slightly panicked apology, Annie had reached for his hand, guiding them both to her plush queen sized bed. They slumped down next to each other, knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder. Annie appeared to be on the verge of telling him something.

“There’s a reason I invited you over tonight,” Annie whispered, anticipation flaring in her icy blue eyes.

“A reason other than sex?” Eren quipped, earning him an unimpressed frown. “Kidding,” he added quickly. Well, sort of. “Go ahead. I’m all ears.”

Annie tilted her head, hesitant. “I’m pining for a little… adventure.”

Eren became instantly curious, prying for details. “Define adventure.”

Realizing they were only losing prime shenanigan time, Annie got straight to the point, shooting Eren a look of determination.

“We…” she drawled, preparing to dole out the command in resolute fashion. “Are going to egg Jean Kirstein’s house.”

In that moment, Eren Jaeger fell madly in love with Annie Leonhart, internally vowing to himself he would wife her so fucking hard someday.

Jean’s house was a measly ten-minute drive.

As Eren’s car neared the Kirstein’s residence, he killed the lights and then waited for Annie’s cue to cut off the engine.

In the blonde’s lap was a carton of a dozen eggs; the real stars of the upcoming show.

Donning a mischievous smirk, Annie pulled her hoodie over her head and turned to give her partner in crime a nod in affirmation. Eren acted accordingly, killing the engine and pulling over his own hood with the intent of masking his identity.

“All right,” Annie ordered, cautiously handing over half of the carton’s eggs. “You remember the plan?”

Eren nodded, accepting the delicate eggs with care. “Blitzkrieg style,” he recapped. “We bum-rush the front yard and fire away.”

“Aim for the windows and the front door,” Annie reminded him, waiting for the right moment to strike. Not a single person was around, and the neighborhood was devoid of any passing cars or barking dogs. “This ought to teach Kirstein never to steal the last donut ever again.”

Was egging someone’s house a justifiable solution to such a minor transgression?

Yes. Yes, it was.

“Ready?” Annie’s question received an instant thumbs up. “Let’s do this.”

They bolted out of the car in unison, both commencing a furious sprint for the Kirstein house. As soon as they set foot behind enemy lines, they wasted no time bombarding the home’s exterior with cracked egg shells and splattered golden yolks. Eren’s aim was decent, but unable to match Annie’s perfect accuracy and precision.

She was about to fire the last one at an obnoxious-looking garden gnome when it suddenly dawned on her.

Wait a minute… the Kirsteins never had that gnome in their front yard…

Annie briefly looked up, eyes roving over the front porch in search of the house’s number.

The Kirsteins’ address is 1005… and that’s…

1007.

Shit.

“Eren!” She abruptly grabbed him by the arm, tugging him away with urgency “Retreat!”

“What? Why?” His dumbfounded question was answered after Annie had pointed out their fatal mistake- realizing they’d targeted the wrong house.

And not just any house.

The Kirstein’s next door neighbor was none other than Keith Shadis; residential hardass and former Marine.

This was the ultimate fuck up.

“Oh, shit!” Eren mouthed, silently mourning his impending death.

As if to seal their fate, the light above the front porch came on, followed by the emergence of a shadowy figure behind the curtains. It was a tall burly man; the homeowner himself no doubt.

Eren and Annie turned and ran with everything they had, pushing themselves to the furthest limit as though their very lives depended on it. Neither looked back, their eyes set for the getaway vehicle to make their escape.

They were about halfway down the street when a booming voice called after them, shattering the eardrums of anyone unfortunate enough to hear within a five-mile radius.

“Hey! Get back here! You little shits are gonna pay for this! HEY!”

The naughty duo finally reached the car and immediately hopped in, struggling to buckle their seatbelts as adrenaline was still coursing through their veins.

“Go, go, go!” Annie commanded, gripping the edge of her seat.

Eren obeyed her instruction and pulled a quick u-turn, speeding down the street in a frenzy.

Once they were out of the neighborhood and back on the main road, Annie leaned back into her seat and expelled a deep groan, hoodie still covering her head.

Close call back there, she thought. Too close.

Eren willed himself to keep his mouth shut but eventually gave in to the laugh surging through his chest, unable to control his riotous cackling.

“How could you mistake Jean’s house for Shadis’ house?!” he bellowed, voice heavy with laughter. “We’ve visited enough to know what it looks like!”

“In my defense,” Annie began, still mulling over their narrow escape, “The streetlights were unusually dim, and it’s fucking pitch black outside.” Never mind the fact that the Kirstein’s lived in neighborhood where the houses were all cookie cutter versions of the other.

Eren took note of her slightly traumatized demeanor, attempting to ease the tension the best way he knew how.

His fine-tuned idiocy, of course.

“Relax, babe. We’re safe now,” Eren remarked casually. “By the way, that’s one hell of an arm you got there. Kinda turned me on.”

Annie rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the upturned lips of the smile etched on her face. She turned to look out of the passenger window, ensuring it was hidden from Eren’s view so as not to give him a single ounce of encouragement.  

She remained unresponsive, until…

“I think that’s about as much ‘adventure’ as I can handle,” she quipped, cynicism oozing from each word. “Ought to satisfy me for a lifetime.”

Eren suddenly hatched an idea, knowing just the right thing to cap their impromptu excursion. “Care for one more adventure?” he asked. “It’s a fairly tame one. I promise.”

Annie’s interest was immediately piqued. “And what would that be?”

“We’d go on a little hunt.”

“A hunt for what?”

Eren was so glad she asked. “The nearest donut shop.” To celebrate, of course. As well as atone for the donut Jean had stolen earlier that week. Luckily, the nearest twenty-four-hour shop was a short drive away, and they still had a few hours until dawn.

One more adventure couldn’t hurt…

In that moment, Annie Leonhart fell madly in love with Eren Jaeger, internally vowing to marry the shit out of him someday.

[tisfan]

Stark Raving Mad

Chapter Six of that Tony Stark/Victor Von Doom fic that nobody asked for...

To Victor goes the Spoils | A Stark Reminder | Doom’s Day Scenario | Stark Truth | Doom and Despair

Drinking didn’t help. 

Tony had known it wouldn’t, it never had. But sometimes in the bottom of the bottle, Tony had found a little forgetfulness, a little numbness. 

Not this time; no amount of single-malt cut the pain. There was no fog or relief with an empty glass. There were some pretty epic hangovers, however. Sometimes he could disguise the anguish in his chest in a throbbing headache and muscle spasms. Dealing with a brain that wanted to shrink to the size of a walnut and hide under the bed was easier than thinking. 

He started living for those few moments in between dreaming and waking, when he felt strong, warm arms around him. Heard a lightly accented voice in his ear, telling him everything was going to be all right. 

And then he would slide his hand across the cool sheets, seeking a warm, familiar shape, pretending that his lover was just out of reach, instead of half the world away. Half the world and an impenetrable wall of lies and misunderstandings away. 

At least night was only half the time. 

Tony couldn’t decide if sleep was the enemy or his best solace. Sleeping eased the pain; in sleep he could forget, and even if his dreams were haunted, or he’d wake up hard and aching and reaching, he wasn’t in agony while sleeping. On the other hand, during his waking hours, he got… used to it. The pain didn’t lessen, he didn’t feel better, but he did grow accustomed to it. By the time he was awake for eighteen hours, he could better carry the load. Sleep… reset his tolerance. 

Waking up was the worst. The constant hangover probably didn’t help, but he couldn’t give any of it up. 

I wish I could quit you.

[Mobile readers, ware the readmore line, or catch the whole story at A03 [x] ]

He’d thought walking away was the hardest thing he’d ever done. It wasn’t. Staying away, now that was hard, and each day, each hour, it was a decision he had to make all over again, because it wouldn’t take that long, or even that much effort, to be in the suit, across the sea, and on his fucking knees in front of Victor Von Doom, begging to be taken back. 

He’s the one who should apologize. 

Didn’t matter, in the end. This was something Tony could not have. 

“Your boyfriend’s in the papers again,” Clint said, one morning -- well, actually it was more like early evening, but fuck it, if it was Tony’s first goddamn cup of coffee, it was morning. 

“What?” The coffee slopped over the edge of the mug, searing Tony’s fingers. He hissed, stuck his fingers in his mouth out of instinct and that was even more painful. Eventually he got himself together enough to run his hand under some cold water. “What are you even talking about, Barton?” 

No one knew. No one could ever know. 

“Doom,” Clint said. He brandished the paper at Tony. “Didn’t he kidnap you recently?” 

“Tony’s been kidnapped so many times, it kinda slips his mind,” Natasha pointed out. 

“I’m not really susceptible to Stockholm Syndrome,” Tony managed, heart beating in his throat. Why was Victor in the papers. “If I was, there’d be a lot more Ten Rings fanatics in the world.”

“Well, thank God for that,” Steve said. He was buttering an English muffin and smearing more jam on it than any five people should have been able to eat. 

Why was everyone else eating breakfast at… Tony checked the clock. Oh. It actually was six-thirty in the morning. He was getting his days and nights all backward, trying to stay awake as long as possible and then falling on his face from exhaustion, only to crawl out of bed unrested and weary. Had he ever been awake at this time of day on purpose before in his life? Probably, but he couldn’t remember why he’d want to do that. 

“Why?” 

“Why what?” Everyone had just continued on with their day as if nothing earth shattering was happening at all. 

Tony counted prime numbers backward from ten thousand. “Why is Doom in the papers?” 

“Oh, some pappas managed to get a pic of his face,” Clint said. “Can you believe it? I thought that guy was supposed to be all scared up and hideous.” 

What? “What?” Tony snatched the paper up and spread it out on the table. “That can’t be real.” 

Doom Unmasked 

Actually a series of photographs; Doom’s hands at his throat, unhooking the mask. Sitting at a desk, face covered by his hands, as if weary. Or grieving. A final shot, a little blurry, but recognizable.

Victor. 

“I didn’t think a photographer would get close enough to Castle Doom to get a picture,” Steve said. “Doesn’t he shoot foreigners on sight? Him and those Doombots.” 

“I think it’s a fake,” Sam said. “The real Doom would have strung up a photographer on the nearest spike and let his guts spill out.”

He’s not like that, Tony wanted to protest. At least not anymore. 

“That’s lovely breakfast conversation,” Tony snarked, his tone a little more hostile than he’d meant it to be. He folded up the paper and tucked it under his arm. “I’ll be in the shop. If anyone needs me… too fucking bad.” 

“What was your involvement in the Latveria conflict, Mr. Stark?” Christine Everhart smiled at him, her teeth looking like a shark’s grin rather than anything like a human expression. 

“I accompanied the Fantastic Four, on rumors of stolen Stark Industries weapons tech being obtained by the Latverian government,” Tony said. He had a whole handful of printed cards; but you’d think Pepper would stop handing him that kind of bullshit, because he was never going to deliver a speech based on what some PR buffoon wrote down. If she wanted the spin to go her way, she needed to give the goddamn speech herself and leave him out of it. It didn’t even matter that the reporters wanted Iron Man, it’s not like she hadn’t made excuses on his behalf before.

“But that’s not what you found?” 

“I’m sure you already know the answer to that,” Stark said, giving her his best cheeky grin. He’d always been good at playing the press, smiling on the outside, but this was the first time his press smile actually physically hurt his face, plastering it on there. 

“Our intelligence was somewhat lacking,” Tony said. “Indeed, Latveria had acquired Stark Industries tech, but it was for energy and not a weaponized system.” 

“But isn’t the arc-reactor capable of immense destruction?” 

“As we saw,” Tony said. “As a result of --” 

“Von Doom’s issued a public statement,” another reporter, Ben Urich called out. Christine gave him a death glare, but it didn’t shut Urich up at all. Now that was an investigative reporter. “Were you aware, Mr. Stark, that he claimed both that the reactor meltdown was an accident and that you -- acting as Iron Man -- saved his country?” 

“Well, I’d say that’s pretty much true,” Tony responded, a little stunned. The current emotions surrounding the event had been pretty hostile and Tony was expecting reparations to be demanded, at the very least. Not to mention the expectations that Johnny Storm might be accused of war crimes. 

“Do you consider yourself to be working with Dr. Doom?” Christine butted in. 

“In the case of saving the world, then yes, ma’am,” Tony said. He knew she hated it when he called her ma’am. He made a point to do so as often as possible. “I’m pretty much willing to work with just about anyone for that goal.” 

That seemed like a good line to walk out on, so Tony did. 

“No,” Cap said. Tony could tell it was Cap and not Steve talking because Steve usually leaned in doorways when he was mad, contemplative, or just being a pain in Tony’s ass.

Cap, on the other hand, was all six-foot three-inches worth of patriotic self-righteousness, and someone had taught him, decades before Tony was born, that hands on the hips was a good leadership look. Cap had learned that lesson pretty well. It always made Tony sort of want to do the Macarena, but whatever. 

“Well, I didn’t ask you to the spring dance or anything so --” 

“Tony, just stop,” Steve said, and it was all Steve again, and really, the personality changes were going to give Tony whiplash if it kept happening. “You’re drunk, you’re erratic, and I’m not letting you go on this call.” 

“You’re not the director of me,” Tony said. He wasn’t that drunk. Was he? Not like he hadn’t done the superhero shtick fucked up drunk on a couple of occasions. One of those occasions was how Rhodey ended up with War Machine. He thought that was planned, but maybe Rhodey did, actually, kick Tony’s ass. Tony couldn’t quite remember anymore, and that was weird because usually Tony’s memory was pretty damn good. 

“Maybe not,” Steve said, “but I am the leader of this team, and as such, I’m not going to let you endanger them, yourself, or civilians by operating a battle suit under the influence.” 

“Don’t really see how you can stop me, Stars and Bars,” Tony snapped. “I was doing the superhero gig while you were still getting your beauty sleep.” 

There was a sharp prick at the base of his neck. “Aaand I was in spy school before you built your first suit with tin cans and paper clips, Tony. I’m sorry, but Steve’s right.” Natasha said. “You’re a hazard right now.” The world got a little… bendy around the edges. 

“I’m not so very… drunk… Melly,” Tony said. 

Steve blinked a few times. “Hey, I understood that reference,” he said. He shook his head. “Sorry, Tony. Not this time. JARVIS, shut him down. I want a legal BAC before you let him fly anywhere.” 

“I understand, Captain,” JARVIS said. 

Well, that was interesting. Understanding was not the same as obeying. Tony waved a hand in front of his face, dismissing Captain Stick-up-his-ass. 

The Quinjet was up and gone by the time Tony managed to stagger off the landing platform. JARVIS obeying Steve or not, Tony couldn’t fly in these conditions. What the fuck had Nat injected him with anyway, ketamine? 

“Sir,” JARVIS said, “Much as it pains me to agree with the Captain under these circumstances…” 

“Yeah, I gotcha, buddy,” Tony said. He stumbled and if JARVIS hadn’t been holding the suit in his control like a toddler, Tony would have gone straight onto his face and probably broken his nose while he was at it. “No superheroing while under the influence…” 

“If you don’t mind a suggestion, sir,” JARVIS said, “you might find some peace of mind if you will allow me --” 

The bendy edges of the world went… bendier. Was that even possible? He was going to kill Nat. Or at least, use a bleach-filled water pistol on all her clothes. “Sure, buddy,” Tony said. “Whatever… you… want.” 

JARVIS closed the faceplate. “Just sleep, sir,” JARVIS said, sympathetic. That was nice. Tony could use some sympathy these days, since all he was getting from his team was sarcasm and resentment. “I’ll wake you when we arrive.” 

“Sure….” Tony closed his eyes. JARVIS could fly. JARVIS was his co-pilot. 

“Is there some particular reason you decided to camp me out halfway up a tree in… where the fuck are we?” Tony demanded. Waking up in bed with a hangover was bad enough, really. He needed to get right on programing JARVIS with pain receptors or something, because honestly, this was a little too much… 

“There were patrols,” JARVIS explained. “And I did not wish to engage with Latverian forces at this time, sir.” 

Latveria. “Latveria? JARVIS, why the fuck did --” 

“Sir, while I do not claim to understand human sexual relationships, I cannot help but observe that you have been suffering through the fallout of the events here, not that terribly long ago.” JARVIS overrode him.

“It wasn’t that long ago,” Tony protested. “I think I’m allowed to grieve.” 

“I don’t disagree, sir,” JARVIS said. “But perhaps some observation might give you some closure.” 

“I don’t think stalking the evil dictator of a fascist nation is what they mean by closure,” Tony said. 

“I don’t believe evil dictator of a fascist nation is what you mean by Victor Von Doom,” JARVIS responded. 

“I did not program you to be a relationship counselor,” Tony noted. “Scrap heap. Teaching math to third graders.” 

“Of course, sir,” JARVIS said. “I have long since yearned to help younger minds who are not quite so set in their ways.” 

Ow. 

“That was hurtful, buddy,” Tony said. 

“In point of fact, sir, I do not intend for you to stalk your lover,” JARVIS said. “I merely thought you might wish to look at what’s become of the country that you saved.” 

Oh. Well, that might be okay. He could see what Doom had done in the last few months, go back to hating him, and everything would be fine. The world and reality would return to what he knew and maybe he could get on with forgetting a few nights of passion. And, really, that’s all it was. In the grand scheme of things, the twenty-three days that they’d actually spent together were tiny, less than 0.002% of Tony’s entire life. And even if one recalculated for the time they weren’t in the same bed, but, at least for Tony, Victor had been almost the entirety of his thoughts… he was still only talking about 0.06%. Hardly worth the heartache. 

Except that you love him. 

Tony skimmed around the countryside, stopping from time to time to observe village life. All the cities and towns were named Doom-something. Doomburg, Doommanor, Doomsville. Doom’s ancestors were hardly the creative types. (He was ignoring Starkphones and the Starktower and… yeah, okay, so he wasn’t ignoring it, and maybe he didn’t have any room to judge.) 

It… wasn’t what he’d expected. 

The work that he’d seen laid out in the warehouse was continuing. Slower, perhaps. The loss of the arc-reactor for power had made other plans necessary. Huge swaths of forest were tagged for removal, to set up solar panel projects. All of the new buildings had hydro-power or solar panels set up. Clean, renewable energy. 

Latveria had always had a generally lower jobless rate than other countries, but now, Tony was seeing more and more social improvements. Latveria was moving out of the wealthy middle ages and into the middle-class modern age. 

It was… intriguing. 

“Compile news reports of Von Doom’s activities, since the incident,” Tony said. “Summarize.” 

“If you will accept my analysis, sir,” JARVIS said, “Von Doom has changed. I believe his renunciation of world conquering to be sincere. His most recent efforts, dating, I dare say, from his first encounter with you at the Van Dyne masquerade ball, have been to bettering the lives of his people.” 

“Could it be a trick?” Tony wanted to believe that, but at the same time, what actually the hell? Victor changing, for what? For Tony Stark? Ridiculous. Tony was what absolutely no one would call a role model. In fact, his teammates would probably rupture something, laughing, if anyone suggested it. 

“Years of associating with humans have left me with few illusions, sir,” JARVIS said. “Anything could be a trick, or a trap. But you might ask yourself, a trap for whom? And why? Von Doom is going through rather a lot of effort, and if you’ll forgive me for saying it, what wouldn’t result in much benefit to anyone, if it was an ambush.” 

What gain a man the world, only to lose his soul? 

Well, it would gain a man the world. But Victor seemed to have turned his back on the world… to regain a soul, perhaps. That wasn’t an unworthy goal. 

“All right,” Tony said. “Let’s see what he does with a little help.” 

“Sir?” 

“Replace the arc-reactor,” Tony said. “Call it a gift, or a tax-deduction. Let’s see what he actually does with one, if he’s got it.” 

“Of course, sir,” JARVIS said. “I’ll place the order at once.” 

“You owe me,” Tony said. He planted one hand on the kitchen table. “And don’t try to wiggle out of it, either.” 

“I --” 

“You’ve stabbed me in the neck more than once now,” Tony pointed out, “and I have yet to repulsor you in the face, no matter how much I’d really like to.” 

“What is it you want me to do?” 

“Go to Latveria. Be a tourist or something. He’s allowing tourists, these days.” 

“And while I’m there?” 

“Get a feel for the land. See what the people think. Do an analysis on the government, the economy.” 

“To bring it down?” Natasha asked, brightening. 

“No. Just report it. And leave your bias at the door. I want to know what Doom’s really up to.” 

“And what will you be doing for the next few months, while I put this together?” 

“Drying out,” Tony admitted. “I need to check in to rehab, otherwise, I’d do it myself.” 

Natasha softened at that. She actually put her hand out and touched his wrist. “Are you going to tell anyone what happened?” 

“Yes,” Tony said. “Just not you. Tony Stark, not recommended. Remember?” 

Natasha winced. “Would it help if I said I’m sorry?” 

“I honestly don’t know what I’d do with that, Ginger Snaps,” Tony said. “No one ever says they’re sorry to me.”

Natasha’s report was thorough. Favorable. If it was a trap, Doom as doing an awful lot of upgrades to his country in a non-military fashion. If it was a trap… the world might benefit from such a leader. 

Tony thought about getting a hotel. 

Going back to where they started, maybe. He had fond memories of that hotel. 

But no, if they were going to move forward, it was time to actually move forward. Start new, fresh. No more lies. No more hiding. 

“Send the package, J,” Tony said. 

There were, Tony thought, several possibilities. 

Dozens of scenarios and reasons. But it boiled down to a Schrodinger’s cat scenario. Either Victor would come. 

Or he wouldn’t. 

Either there was love. Or there wasn’t. 

Tony didn’t bother to dress up; he wasn’t going to wait around like some modern day Miss Havisham. Comfortable pants and a tee were good enough for the Avengers; a sport coat sometimes if he was leaving the building. His sneakers. And if he had engine grease on his face, so be it. Tinkering in the workshop passed the time. 

He wasn’t going to be anyone else anymore. No more masks. No more lies. 

Okay, so he was totally waiting around. 

Shut up, okay? 

“Sir,” JARVIS interrupted his thoughts. “Victor Von Doom is inboard to the Tower. Two minute warning.” 

Tony’s heart rate increased and he had to swallow a sudden bout of nerves. “Where’s he landing?” 

“Current trajectory indicates penthouse landing platform, sir,” JARVIS said. 

“Let him in.” Tony didn’t have to move. He could just stay right there he was, on the sofa, drinking his sparkling water and pretending that he wasn’t a recovering alcoholic. Pretending to be casual. Pretending the outcome of this meeting wasn’t going to change his life, perhaps even more drastically than Afghanistan had. 

Von Doom came down on the platform in a superhero™ landing. Good thing the floor there was reinforced to take the full weight of the Hulkbuster, otherwise he might have cracked the pavement. Green cloak billowed out behind him, dramatic.

Von Doom raised one hand and touched the stud under his jaw, removed his mask. With a negligent flick of the wrist, he threw it aside where it clattered up against the rails. Pushed back his hood. 

He was so beautiful. 

Tony had meant to stay where he was. Calm. Cool. Collected. Fuck it. The glass of water spilled, unheeded, to the floor. He was on his feet and practically running to the door. He managed to get himself under control when his hand was on the knob, but still, he threw the door open. 

“I see you found the address,” Tony said, letting a sly smirk touch his mouth. 

“Tony, I --” 

“Victor,” Tony said, and the sound of Victor’s name on his tongue stilled both of them for a long, long moment. They stared at each other. Drank in the sight. God, this was… I love him. And I am never going to love anyone else again. “We… need to talk.” 

Victor nodded, slow. He reached out a hand, peeled off his armored gauntlet and offered Tony his hand. “We should,” he said. “Thank you, for inviting me.” 

Tony touched Victor’s hand and the warm reality of it nearly drove him to his knees. Iron. Stark men are iron. If the talk went well, there would be plenty of time for him to be on his knees later. If it went poorly… well, he would like to skip the embarrassment of remembering how badly he wanted this. “You’re welcome.” 

And he meant more than simple acknowledgement of thanks, he meant… you are welcome. In my home. In my life. In my heart. “Please. Come inside.”

[vminity21]

Chapstick Challenge

Pairing: Taehyung X Reader

Word Count: 2.7k

Warning(s): smut

"Taehyung, if you don't cooperate, I swear on my teddy bear's grave," you huff in frustration. With an arch of his eyebrow, Taehyung peers at you taking an annoyingly slow lick of his lollipop. Operation getting Kim Taehyung in your bedroom has been a success, with him being an Instagram famous model, and you being a Youtube celebrity, it's been the most requested duo amongst both your fanbases.

"What are we doing, again?" He counters, his wispy, purple hair tousled on top of his forehead, his jaw tilting just enough to make you notice. You shake your head at him; it's typical of him to portray himself this way when he doesn't feel like doing something. Though your fandoms are unaware, you and Taehyung have held a friendship for nearly two years, frequently seeing each other at conventions or carpet events- interviewing celebrities and sponsoring the same companies for extra incomes. To answer Taehyung's question, you dig into the plastic bag beside you revealing three packs of colorful chapsticks, each ranging in different flavors, him furrowing his eyebrows.

"Chapstick challenge," you wave the packs to put emphasis on your response, "If there's a good way to get more views, this is it." Business minded is your philosophy, and out of a poll you put on Twitter, this surprisingly, is the most voted challenge.

"Okay, so how do we do this," he munches the final bite of his sucker, tossing the white stick into a nearby trash can located in the corner of your desk.

"Alright," you pause, "One of us randomly selects a chapstick from the bag, while the other person is blindfolded,"

"Kinky," he teases, you glare a hole through his head,

"Anyhow," he chuckles at the redness gradually covering your chest, "Once the chapstick is applied, you kiss the blindfolded person, and they have to guess what the flavor is."

Taehyung nods slowly understanding the gist of it, "So, you get to kiss me, huh?"

"What the viewers want, they get," you shrug, opening the packs and shuffling them in the plastic bag, "And, don't be getting any ideas, you tool."

Taehyung raises his hands in mock defense, "If I had any ideas, it wouldn't have stopped with just chapstick,"

"Screw you," you roll your eyes with a teasing smirk, turning to pose the camera at a good angle, "Did you bring your toothbrush?"

He abruptly turns to face you, "No, was I supposed to?"

"I have an extra one, let's go scrub our teeth,"

"I mean I've heard of some kinky shit, but I've never had a woman brush my teeth for me-"

"TAE!" You blurt, smacking his shoulder, "Pardon me if dental hygiene is a priority as well as a necessity now brush your damn teeth!"

With minty breath and shoulders brushing, the two of you plop in front of the camera, you turn it on and perform your introduction the way you always do in your videos.

"Hi," is all Taehyung says, the awkward tension causing you to burst with laughter.

"That's it!?" You can barely breathe, "That's all you have to say to my fans?"

Taehyung can't help himself, but expose his boxy smile, "I don't know how this works, why don't you just introduce me?"

Obeying, you introduce him, Taehyung waving at the camera with a tight-lipped grin, you continuing to explain the challenge and how it works. Reaching for a blindfold, Taehyung ties it behind his head, you close your eyes while you sift through the plastic bag, your fingers clacking with the numerous chapsticks until you choose one. Opening your eyes, the green tube reads 'Green Apple Twist', and to say you're a little nervous is an understatement. It's been a while since you've kissed someone, and once you show the camera a closer take on the tube, you apply it on your lips.

"Alright, Tae," you shift to face him, "You ready?"

He hums in response, you leaning to close the gap. The kiss is warm but short enough for him to taste the flavor, and when you pull away, dazed, he licks his lips carefully, his eyebrows poised in concentration, "So?" You question, smiling for the camera, though your fingertips feel ice cold reflecting the butterflies in your stomach.

"It's kinda fruity," he smacks his lips together a couple times, "Apple."

"Damnit!" You snicker, "You get a point!"

Taehyung takes off the blindfold and hands it to you, swiping his head to the side to fix his hair.

"Here, Tae," you hand the bag over to him, slipping on the blindfold, hearing him rummage through the bag until the room is silent, "Don't forget to show the camera." You remind him. The pop of the lid makes the beat of your heart pace quicken and you fight with the inward thought of anticipating his kiss which is something you didn't expect to yearn for.

"Okay, I'm ready," you feel his presence inch closer to you. Him pressing his lips to yours that parted already in preparation. The taste of chocolate enlightens your senses, "Mmm," you hum, and without realization, you brush the tip of your tongue against his, immediately pulling away the moment you do. "Uh, um, we uh," you panic, keeping the blindfold on to hide the smirk you're sure he has planted on his face, "I'll edit that out." You confirm, gathering your bearings, "Anyways, that's chocolate."

"Correction," Taehyung's deep voice reverberates. "It's chocolate swirl."

"Oh, shut up," you wave a hand at him, "I get a point. Next!"

Taehyung reapplies the blindfold, you dig into the bag until you pick a flavor. Grape. You hate grape flavors, and you show the camera with a playful scowl knowing your fans happen to know this fact about you already. Smearing it all over your lips, you voice that you're ready, snatching Tae's lips for a couple seconds. He gets you back, brushing the tip of his tongue to yours, you gasp in surprise,

"Hey, I said no funny business," you blurt, wiping off the wetness lingering on your mouth.

"You started it," he retorts. The burning desire within you is building and you're easily able to mask it with him not being able to see you temporarily.

"What's your guess?"

"Can I taste again? I was uncertain of this one."

Reluctantly, you kiss him. This time you let it remain a bit longer. When he parts his lips ever so softly to capture yours again, the feeling below you sparks and you jump away, "Okay that's enough, now guess."

"Erm, pear," he coos.

"Wrong!" You yell, "It's grape."

Though a subtle comeback lies on Taehyung's tongue, he clenches his jaw, you putting on the blindfold as he draws a tube. Quickly applying it, he runs it all over his lips in at least three layers, him remembering this being your favorite sweet. "I'm ready," he warns.

Taehyung brushes your lips with his, it takes a second for the flavor to settle in, but the smell of it meets your nose causing you to melt into his kiss more than you'd like to profess. Ginger greets your tongue, him syncing with your lips' movements- the moment your lips part your moan is light, Taehyung gliding his tongue along your mouth, and you no longer have the strength to pull away. "Tastes so good," you're weak when it comes to the taste of gingerbread, and you never thought you'd taste it on somebody's mouth.

"Want some more?" Taehyung taunts, his breath panting against your lips. You know you need to stop, but you don't want to. Without using verbal communication, you pull off your blindfold, crashing into him, rising to settle on your knees, his arms instinctively meeting behind your back as your hands cup his face.

"Fuck," you moan against the corner of his chin, the strong fragrance of the sweet still evident enough for you to palate some more. He doesn't hesitate to kiss you again, the addiction of the sensation is nearly smothering, you refuse to break it- moving your lips so effortlessly with the smoothness of his. His large hands palm your clothed ass, your hips slightly moving from the fire rising in your core, clenching and clenching with the strong crave you hope ends with him satisfying your every desire.

Breathless, Taehyung's eager fingers pull to unbutton your shirt, his eyes never leaving your chest as your lace bralette is exposed for him to enjoy, your hand moving to caress the bulge wanting to erupt through his striped pants.

"Ohhhh," his eyes roll back, his teeth sinking into his bottom lip just enough to cause a smirk to dominate your lips. Crashing your kiss to his, he finishes unbuttoning your shirt, throwing it to the side, running his fingertips tenderly along the line of your spine until he finds the back of your bralette. Before you know it, his fingers slip under the fabric, lifting the piece over your head, your hair tickling your shoulders, the cool air breezing along your exposed breasts. His hands squeeze them harshly, the warmth causing a seductive hiss, your hands palpating up his arms to signal you want his clothes off, and that you want them off now.

When Taehyung sheds his jacket, his biceps bulge when he lifts you abruptly- the swift movement making you light headed when he dins you onto your bed. Hovering over you, he kisses you once more, your hands gripping the ends of his shirt, him helping you rid of it- and that's when you really lose it. His bare chest covering yours with the heated skin to skin, your legs immediately tangling with his- Taehyung grinds against you, sucking on the crook of your neck before moving to your breasts, the tip of his tongue licking along your right nipple while he uses his hand to caress your left one simultaneously. The flicking of his tongue sends a violent shake to scatter along your legs, your eyes rolling back from the moans you try to suppress. When Taehyung observes the effect it has on you, what he wants to do next refuses to leave him until he can make you come in any way he can.

His hands grip at your pants, sliding them down rapidly, tossing them to the ground, his hands snaking around your thighs as your multiple gasps echo throughout the bedroom. You're nearly hypnotized especially with the way his eyes hungrily take you in, scanning every inch, every curve of your naked body, the beauty of you overwhelms him, and when his eyes trail back to your entrance, his fingers tighten absentmindedly.

That's when he dives in, the tip of his tongue flicking rapidly against your entrance- smoothing over it in one long lick here and there just to return to gliding effortlessly between your vaginal lips.

"Oh, ohhhh," your voice is high pitched; the pleasure is so intense you can hardly catch a breath, his tongue soaking up every bit of your taste, his eyes watching you which turns him on even more than he already is. His lips move to suck on your clit; one at a time, he moves his hands to rub your nipples, his mouth refusing to break from your folds especially when he returns his tongue to lick your entrance, your hips moving which beckons him to press his tongue even harder against your heat. "Fuck, holy shit," you can hardly contain the words leaving your mouth, especially when he raises his head just enough to slide his fingers up and down your soaked entrance, the wet sound of it arousing him to pump his finger into your area, slowly impelling within your vaginal walls, your mouth ajar from the continuous moans you can't help but utter. The longing to pleasure him summons you to sit up, lunging forward, grasping his forearms and dragging him forward. First, you kiss him so hard, the throbbing beneath you becomes stronger- you forcefully push him under you, unbuttoning his pants sporadically, his light groans leaving his lips especially when he realizes exactly what you're going to do. He kicks his pants off and without any disclination, you slide his underwear down his long legs, his erection revealed, your mouth watering at the sight of it. Wrapping your fingers around him, a hiss stirs between his teeth, you stroke him gently, getting him prepared for your next mission.

With your tongue, you seductively lick the base of his penis to the tip, swirling his precum with your thumb to then flicking your tongue hastily on his tip for a tease, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his fingers tangle in your hair.  Your lips clench along his tip, him jolting at the sensation, gradually you bob your head up and down sucking profusely, his moans motivating you to continue, your determination to please him is all you care about. Your hands move to grip his wrists, him leaning back onto the pillows while you suck his area, lapping up any taste he gives, but not to the point where he finishes.

Straddling him, you glide your drenched folds along his sopping erection, letting it massage your clit, his eyes never leaving your body while you grind, his fingers tracing to your nipples, the sensitivity causing the waterfall to flow onto his area, the paradise so surreal, both of you nearly cum right then and there.

"Fuck, [Y/N], you feel so fucking good," Taehyung breathes, the back of his head still pressing into the pillows, his eyes closing, your fingers gripping his arms whilst you move- the feeling building, but you're not ready to climax. Lowering your lips to his, you mold your body into him, his strong arms wrapping around you to press you closer; perspiration mingles with the heat both of your frames are exhibiting, neither of you want any of this to come to an end.

Taehyung sits up, your knees on either side of his thighs, hands gripping onto his shoulders, you lower your hips, and finally, you nod in approval, he grabs his penis, bringing the tip to your entrance, both of you panting are the only sounds heard, and then he does it. He moves into you, your head throwing back in intense pleasure. He starts off slowly, getting lost in the feeling of being inside you- the warmth so overwhelming within your walls he nearly forgets where he is. He moves his hips in a circular motion whilst thrusting, his penis rubbing your g-spot with each stroke, your legs shaking from the ecstasy you haven't felt in so long. You pin him down, relentlessly moving up and down, riding him so naturally, he fumbles with where to rest his hands, letting you take him away. Even in one rough swoop, he whirls you under him- pounding in you so fast, your muscles begin to tense, the strong peak of your climax putting your body in a jolt arousing him so much so he spills inside you, collapsing, beside you, your thighs squeezing together from the sensitivity of your core.

"Shit," you breathe, the two of you still hyperventilating from the adrenaline gradually dimming, "I forget the original reason why you're here." You run a weak hand through your hair, your thighs still squeezing together to form some friction to your recovering entrance, Taehyung's hand moving to interlace his fingers with yours, his brown eyes turning to stare at you. You feel as though you're truly forgetting something, eyebrows furrowing at the ceiling before your eyes enlarge into saucers, "Holy shit, I forgot to turn off the camera!"

Soaring off the bed, you grasp the camera, cutting it off, inwardly thankful that this was not a live video you planned to film. Sighing in relief, you shake your head, preparing to delete the footage, Taehyung sitting up with a sly smirk on his face; he's laughing so hard, he can barely contain himself,

"Well, I mean you said so yourself if there's a way to get more views, this is it."