#this team is haunted by his out of pocket comments

[ratatatastic]

"is barkov just a total rockstar when hes walking around town?" "he is [...] heard hes kinda like a god up here [in tampere] 😃" sasha dear beloved son of tampere is a rockstar? no! hes a god!

normal things to say about your captain, more news at 11

2024 nhl global series finland postpractise interview | 10.31.24 (x)

[earthtooz]

x : NO FEAR :*+ﾟ i wanna love you with no fear !

in which: itoshi rin rejected you, so why isn't he handling your avoidance well?

warnings: 5k wc, fluff with minor angst, jealous!rin, food cw, swearing, reo is reader's best friend, COLLEGE!AU, gn!reader, non-canon complaint

a/n: happy valentine's day !!! shoutout to @ryekoo for finally giving me inspo on what to do for the rin fic of my event - u rly saved my life <3

↳ 5K EVENT MASTERLIST ༉‧₊

you:i’m going to end you. <reo3: i’m too pretty to die ._. you: and you told me i was too pretty for itoshi rin to reject!?!?!?! <reo3: oh... <reo3: i’m sorry. <reo3: condolences fr.

with a disappointed sigh, you pocket your phone, decidedly ignoring the next few messages that reo sends as you wait for your bus. he owes you a million yen for the amount of grief and distress he’s currently putting you through, especially with the way he shattered all hopes you had with your love life.

well, hopes that you were stupid enough to feed into because this was itoshi rin you’re talking about; possibly the most standoffish, calculated, and devastatingly gorgeous man you’ve ever met in your life. yet, despite his detestable personality, you still found yourself falling hook, line, and sinker for the man, despite his insults, cold comments, and dismissive attitude.

maybe it’s masochism. 

now that you look back on it, rin’s rejection seemed almost inevitable. even if you lead yourself to hope with all the times you caught him staring at you, the prompt replies to your messages, and willingness to somewhat tolerate you during group projects, it was rather obvious that this would be the outcome to your heartfelt confession. 

‘i don’t see you like that’.

it’s cringeworthy simply thinking about it. now you’re going to have another memory that’ll haunt you for the rest of your life.

recalling the expression he made after your confession; eyebrows scrunched and lips tugged into a slight frown, was traumatising enough for you to wish for the ground to swallow you whole. his face will plague you for an uncertain amount of time because today truly, was so very humbling.

the sight of your bus approaching your stop rouses you from the crevices of your thoughts and after you jump on and settle yourself into a seat in the relatively empty carriage, you bring your phone out to text reo again. he’d sent four messages since.

&lt;reo3: this doesn’t make any sense we all thought rin was into you &lt;reo3: like DOWN BAD into you<reo3: everyone on the team has literally made bets on you two <reo3: i’m sorry :c r u okay?  you: yeah. just gotta take the L and move on you: hey at least i’m free for valentines <reo3: LET’S GOOO we’re definitely doing something <reo3: i’ll be a better valentines than r*n you: you’re sexier too babes xoxo <reo3: duh!

maybe you’ll let reo see another day. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

your university schedule was never the same after the ‘itoshi rin’ fiasco.

it was never an amazing schedule to begin with since a few classes were quite inconvenient, and there’s only so much to enjoy out of your seminars. the fun part about them was being able to sit beside rin and talk to him whenever you could without getting waved off, but since his heartless decline of your feelings, acting ‘buddy-buddy’ wouldn’t be acceptable. so you resorted to sit by yourself in a section of the space you’ve never really occupied before, busying yourself on your phone as students walked in to class.

despite the temptation to look at the door to see when rin would come in, you do not budge one bit, eyes glued to your phone screen (which had nothing entertaining on it). this meant that you couldn’t see the confusion on his face when he didn’t see you in your normal spot and how it merged further into a look of offence when he instead spots you across the room.

reluctantly taking his usual seat, rin’s gaze lingers on you, hoping to meet your eyes at least once. but upon your insistence to pretend your phone was more important than him, he sits down, practically flopping onto his chair with his backpack cushioning his fall. 

sitting here feels a little empty. rin can’t help but think how it used to be much better when you insisted on being next to him.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── 

&lt;;reo3: you can come now rin isn’t here yet

you: kk b there soon

the trek across campus towards the university’s soccer field, although long, is harmless enough, especially since you were doing a favour for your best friend by bringing the soccer guards and water bottle that he left at your dorm. the harmful part was the looming threat of itoshi rin’s presence and your fear that you would encounter him on your way. 

all you needed to do was drop in quickly and leave. 

when you get to the field, nagi’s the one who sees you first from where he was lounging on the bleaches, changed in his soccer gear. 

“oh, y/n,” he mumbles, sitting up. “hello.”

“hey nagi. are you trying to nap before practice or something?” you ask.

“yeah.” 

“won’t that drain you though before practice starts? you’ve got like… five minutes.”

“still classified as a power nap. wanna collect a power up before startin’.”

amusing as ever, he is. “sure. hey, you know where reo is?”

“he’s changed, probably warming up with isagi and bachira and whoever else.”

“shouldn’t you be doing that too?”

“not until reo forces me to.”

as if on cue, a friendly and very familiar voice calls out nagi’s name and you’re delighted to see the purple-haired in question. you can finally give him his stupid stuff back; the ones you’ve been holding in your hands this entire time like an idiot.

“come on nagi!” reo exclaims, jogging over. a smile appears on his face when he sees you. “yo! y/n! thanks for bringing my things.”

“‘s not a problem. next time i’ll burn them so don’t leave them again,” you counter as the purple-haired takes his things from you with an eye roll. “i filled up your water bottle for you.” 

he places his things down before sitting beside nagi to put his guards on. “so considerate even whilst terrorising me.”

“of course.”

“seriously though, thank you for bringing my things.”

“not a problem. i’m gonna head back to my dorm to study so i’ll see you later. bye reo, bye nagi,” you wave at the two, fixing your backpack strap before turning around to leave the field, only to bump face-first into someone.

the apology that surfaces on your tongue quickly withers away when you lock eyes with a pair of steely, teal ones, partially hidden by strands of dark hair. he looks at you like he has something to say.

but you’re not ready to hear it. 

“uh, hi rin! gotta go!” you squeak before stepping to the side and running away, leaving rin to stare in bewilderment after you.

part of him has the urge to run after you. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

<reo3: isagi’s invited a bunch of us to the on campus screening of spirited away

<reo3: wanna come?

you: ykw why not

you: not like i have essays to write

<reo3: FUCK THEM ESSAYS! 

you: YOU’RE RIGHT SPIRITED AWAY IS BETTER !

if you knew that this would lead you to be seated (uncomfortably) between reo and isagi, who acted as the only barrier between you and an-unnamed-man (rin), then perhaps you would’ve dedicated yourself to your essay rather than a fun opportunity to hang out with your friends. 

1500 words sounds better than having to pretend like there wasn’t an icy cold stare penetrating the back of your head every time you turned to talk to reo, or isagi trying to keep his interactions up with rin so the latter wouldn’t try to talk to you.

you owe isagi a vending machine drink after this because a ‘thank you’ will never suffice. 

it’s easy enough to forget about rin when the movie plays and isagi begins whispering little pieces of commentary to you from time to time, eliciting giggles from you that you try to suppress to not annoy those around you. however, each sound that slipped past your lips was enough to make the dark-haired boy scrunch his face in disgust, an ugly, green monster climbing up his throat when he catches a glimpse of how happy you seemed with someone that wasn’t him. it kills him to see how easily it is for you to just ignore him like your friendship never existed.

since the campus movie was scheduled during a cool but bearable, autumn dusk, you severely underestimated how cold the night would get. heating wasn’t the best in the gymnasium so the committee had instructed everyone to bring their own blankets and warm covers, yet in your haste, you couldn’t bring adequate layers.

so after a while of trying to warm yourself up and convincing yourself that you were warm enough with a measly sweatshirt, rin notices from the corner of his eye how you kept rubbing your arms. 

he doesn’t hesitate to take off the fleece jacket that he was wearing over his university jumper. sure, it will be significantly colder without his outer layer, but rin’s willing to suffer as long as you were okay (when has he ever been this considerate?), except he stops when he sees nagi handing you his very oversized jumper. you accept it with a gracious smile and the white-haired boy merely shrugs before going back to watching the film. rin, on the other hand, feels a cauldron of rage brewing within him.

the sight makes his chest twist, wringing him dry as he stares dejectedly at how snug you seem in someone else’s clothes. the green monster inside of rin bubbles in contempt, a being that makes him want to rip the hoodie off you and replace it with his own for you to wrap yourself up in. he wants you to be content with him- happy because of him, not because of another.

you confessed to him only two weeks ago- barely even two weeks ago, so how could you so easily forget about him and move on? pretend like his rejection didn’t shatter you and him when he saw a devastation like no other on your pretty face?

rin doesn’t know how much longer he can live like this. 

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

the following tuesday, you’re already seated in your new spot for your seminar, busy setting up your laptop in preparation when rin walks in. you see him from the corner of your eye, backpack slung around his shoulder, hands tucked unassumingly in his pockets as all 185cm of him saunters towards the seats. however, when you notice that he bypasses his normal spot and walks even further out of your peripheral vision, alarms blare deafeningly in your head.

you freeze when you hear someone take the seat behind you.

there’s a hard gaze on the back of your head, one that roots you to your spot and wills you not to turn around.

sneaking out your phone from your bag, you hide it so that rin can’t see it from his angle. 

you: RIN IS SITTING BEHIND ME OH NO

you: terrible start to valentines day smh

<reo3: WHAT!??!!???!???! fr.

you: THIS IS AN EMERGENCY I’M GOING TO DISINTEGRATE RIGHT NOW

<reo3: maybe *don’t* do that???? 

<reo3: WHY’S HE SITTING BEHIND YOU?????

you: FUCK IF I KNOW IT FEELS LIKE HE’S THROWING DAGGERS AT MY HEAD

<reo3: WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?

you: CRY???????????? IDFK???????????

you: oh fuck class is about to start

you: i’ll let you know if anything happens

<reo3: STAY SAFE 

you tuck your phone away with fear and dread looming over you, personified through the form of itoshi rin, who sits so indifferently behind you, head propped on his hand. you hear his pen click behind you and you don’t even need to see him to know that he’s taking out that stupid notebook of his since he preferred to take notes by hand. you want to turn around and rip said book into shreds.

as the professor starts the class, you try your best to shake rin out of your thoughts, wanting to leave him behind in the depths of your mind so you can concentrate on this damn elective. none of the notes you were typing onto your document made sense and it felt like everything the professor was saying went in one ear then out the other. curse rin for having this effect on you. 

at least you get to gossip with reo after this.

though your seminar was only 60 minutes, it might as well have been 60 years because of how significantly older you feel at the end of it. the weight of rin’s stare was heavy on your shoulders when you hurriedly grab your things and make a dash for the exit.

well. you try to make a dash for the exit because somehow, rin gained the ability to teleport and beat you there, grabbing your wrist unceremoniously before pulling you into the hallways. you fumble with your phone, hurriedly texting reo.

you: UHH MAYDAY I MGHT NEEE TO SKIP OUR PLANS

<reo3: WHAT’S HAPPENING?????

you: RIN IS DRSGGING ME SIMEWHERE IDK WHERE

you: MY LOCARION IS ON LIFE360

you: I LUV YOU STUPID WHORE

<reo3: WHDJFWIJAIDJFAWHAT THE FUCK????

“hey!” you exclaim, helplessly being pulled by rin’s long strides, shutting your phone off as you try to match his eagerness. he could at least be a little more considerate and lighten up that grip of his on your wrist. “rin- what? where are we going?”

“you’ll see,” he responds gruffly.

your mind blanks despite the hurricane of questions that circulate your mind. how did you get here? is the delirium finally hitting you after countless sleepless nights? you stayed up until 2am last night to make valentine’s chocolates for your friends so maybe it’s the sugar and the sleep deprivation. 

as rin pulls you through the hallways, you think about how weird it is to allow him this close to you again- well, you didn’t exactly allow him, he kind of just… invaded your personal space. but after a whole week of not talking to him, responding dryly to his texts, avoiding your regular hangout spots, and overall pretending like he doesn’t exist, being exposed to his intimidating presence once more is… exhilarating? unreal? 

“wait, can we stop for a second?” you demand, breaking out of your funk when you step outside as if the harshness of the sun’s rays woke you up. “i’m so confused right now. where are we going?”

“we’re going to have lunch together at that café you’ve been wanting to try out,” he tells you with a serious expression, not breaking his usual aloof and stern personality. 

rin doesn’t give mixed messages: no, he gives messages that have completely been lost, fallen astray somewhere along the path of communication.

shifting your weight between your feet awkwardly, you tell him: “well, i kinda had valentine’s plans.”

his mask of coolness and uninterest cracks, exposing all the emotions he’s been withholding from surfacing for the past weeks; jealousy, envy, greed, they all manifest through the helpless scrunch of his face. “with who?” asks rin, tone a lot harsher than he had intended, matching the crease of his eyebrows and the frown he was wearing.

it’s the green monster in him talking.

if you were going out with someone else, someone new, rin’s not too sure what he’d do. determination and pettiness can only take a man so far before his resolve cracks and you have the power to crush his heart with a single stomp, extinguishing his flames in one, swift sweep. 

“with reo,” you confess. the dark-haired relaxes again, his face returning to a neutral expression.

“okay. ditch him then.” his audacity is baffling.

“i can’t just do that!” 

“why not?”

“cause that’s a shitty thing to do!” you say, before murmuring under your breath, “not that you’d know the first thing about being polite.” 

“i don’t care, it’s reo, you two hang out everyday. tell him to give me a turn.”

“you’re a horrible person, rin,” you murmur, ignoring the butterflies that erupt in your stomach.

he doesn’t say anything in retaliation, merely eyeing you expectantly, waiting for your next step. huffing, you reluctantly take out your phone as a sign of surrender under his suffocating pressure, muttering complaints under your breath as you find reo’s contact - literally your most recent one, to send him a quick message. almost instantly, your best friend responds with a thumbs up paired with a smirk and you almost want to block him then and there. 

“done.”

“perfect,” rin goes to grab your hand again but you retract from him just in time. when you look up to meet his gaze once more, you see his unimpressed expression whilst he keeps his palm extended towards you expectantly.

“i don’t need your help walking places,” you grumble, not liking how fast your heart was racing.

he gestures to his open palm once more. “i know.”

after a moment of silence, you give in, hesitantly placing your hand in his. with a small grin, rin intertwines your fingers before pulling you to his side. without another word, he begins walking, leaving you to merely follow the brutally fast pace he’s set.

you must’ve looked ridiculous to other people. being dragged around by an 185 cm man, how humbling.

the place rin led you to was not too far from campus; a totally manageable distance for the two of you to remain in silence during the walk. you try to bypass the awkwardness of it all by focusing on other things, like how warm rin’s hand is and how you hope he doesn’t mind your sweaty hands. he seems to be content from what you’ve observed, happily walking beside you whilst sparing a few occasional glances over; ones that you pretend you don’t see whilst admiring the cityscape around you.

there are various valentine’s decorations hung up around the insides of the cafe that made you cringe slightly. although they were very cute, you feel humiliation climbing up your throat, serving as a reminder that you were currently spending a day of love and romance, or whatever, standing beside the very man who rejected you. 

this is the cruellest version of a sick joke.

“welcome!” a cheery voice greets, breaking you out of your thoughts. “table for two?” rin nods. “perfect! are you here for valentine’s day because couples get access to a special menu on top of our regular one.” 

when you open your mouth to reject her offer, rin beats you to it. “we’ll take the valentine’s menu.”

“okay, right this way,” the waitress guides you to an empty table for two that was right by the corner. the atmosphere of the place was cozy with various candles and statement pieces to really bring it together, but you have no time or brain space to appreciate the aesthetic of the café. 

it’s not until the waitress leaves that you speak up, utterly confused. “why’d you get the valentine’s menu, we-”

realisation hits you like a truck. 

“-are we on a date right now?”

rin’s unmoving, save for the purse of his lips as he stares at you. you feel a little foolish right now.

“yeah, we are,” he answers, curtly and concisely.

alarms are blaring in your head, the earth is tremoring below you, there are distant screams somewhere in the back of your mind and all you can manage out is a simple ‘oh’. 

“get what you want, i’ll-” rin begins before you abruptly cut him off.

“-no, hold on, i’m so confused right now,” you rub your temples, staring at the stupid valentine’s day menu decorated with pink and hearts and chocolates. “why?”

“why what?”

“why are we on a date?”

“because it’s valentine’s day?”

“well- i know that part,” you murmur under your breath. “it’s just, y’know, people celebrate this day when they like each other.” and not when one party is miserable because the other rejected them. 

“we do like each other though.”

there are no words to describe the shock you feel. really. not even an anvil dropping on your head could wake you up from whatever dream you are conjuring right now. 

“no, we don’t! i like you, you don’t like me.”

he looks away, the tips of his ears turning red. “that’s not true,” he murmurs, no louder than a whisper, yet your jaw drops all the same at his confession. “i do like you.”

“a week ago you didn’t!” 

“a week ago i wasn’t ready to get into a… relationship… or whatever.”

“oh,” you fix the strap of your bag, feeling slightly awkward. “and you’re ready now all of a sudden?”

“yeah.”

“i don’t believe you.”

“the fuck? why?” 

“you don’t really seem like the type of guy to turn around on yourself like this. what changed?”

rin won’t ever tell you about how much he missed you during these two weeks and how it was his jealousy and greediness that spurred him to act on his feelings. instead, he simply slides the menu to you, pointing to a milkshake-‘lover’s brew’, and since the menu was decorated with pictures on the side, you could see what the concoction consisted of. whipped cream, heart sprinkles, topped with a caramel heart and fairy floss. 

“the milkshake?” you ask, trailing off towards the end. “you hate sweet things and this especially looks like it could give you diabetes.”

the dark-haired shrugs. “so? i thought you’d like it.” 

“sure, but it is kinda pricey for a milkshake.”

he shrugs again, putting his elbows on the table which causes his sleeves of his turtleneck to roll down a little, exposing the shiny silver of his, no doubt expensive, watch. “i’ll pay for us, it’s fine.”

“hold on-”

“i’m paying. end of argument.” 

it’s an offer you can’t really reject. being a university student and all, funds are limited, so wherever you can, you want to avoid withdrawing money out of your account. that said, it doesn’t mean that you don’t feel the slightest bit guilty about draining rin’s, but with how long you’ve been friends, you know that once he’s set his mind to something, it’s hard to change it.

“if you insist,” you grumble, straightening up your spine as you awkwardly fiddle with your shirt. you feel so scrutinised under his gaze, even as you reach for the jug of water and pour two cups of water. “what else should we get?”

the waitress then comes around to take your orders and when she’s gone, conversation flows easily, reverting back to how things were between the two of you (to rin’s relief). he listens as you talk animatedly about the unfortunate series of events you had with your professor the other day, how cute your encounter with the campus dogs were, and the really unfortunate run-in you had with a guy from your shared tutorial classes.

(the dark-haired boy makes a face when you mention another man’s name before his usual face of indifference melts back in.)

“here’s your milkshake,” the waitress says, placing the drink in the middle of the table before walking away, “you guys are really cute by the way.”

“thanks,” rin says calmly, a stark contrast to your flustered reaction.

two straws stick out from the milkshake and when you put one in your mouth, you almost choke when rin takes the other one, causing your noses to bump in the middle. the look he gives you is nothing short of mischievous before pulling away, a knowing smirk playing along his lips. 

“ew. that is really sweet,” he mutters before leaning back, crossing his arms. 

“yeah,” you cough. “it is really sweet.”

recovering from your embarrassment, the rest of lunch goes by quite seamlessly. he goes to pay for everything with a confident tap of his card, causing you to stand awkwardly behind him, keeping all complaints to yourself as it goes through. thanking the waitress, you leave the café hand-in-hand once more. 

“thanks again for paying,” you repeat and rin gives a hum of acknowledgement whilst you two walk aimlessly on the path. “what do you want to do now?”

“i don’t know. do you have anything you want to do?”

“i might have an idea.”

leading him in the direction of a nearby store that just opened recently, you come to a stop in front of a shop that had neon-lights illuminating its inside and claw machines filled with adorable plushies lining along the walls. 

glancing at him, there’s a glimmer of amusement in rin’s eyes as his lips turn upwards into a small smirk. “really?” he asks, looking over at you.

“really. this’ll be fun!” you promise before walking in, the dark-haired following suit as you stop in front of a token-purchasing machine. 

from the corner of your eye, you can see him taking out his wallet already and you immediately put your hand on your wrist, ceasing his movement.

with just one glance, a whole conversation passes between you two. “if you pay for me i will sock you.”

“i’d like to see you try,” he deadpans, quirking a brow before pressing the ‘20 tokens = $19’ button on the machine, “but i’m paying.”

then the sound of his card meeting the reader and the transaction being approved rings through the air, followed by the deafening noise of coins clashing against metal. the look he gives you is nothing short of proud. 

“come on babe, bet you won’t be able to get any prizes,” challenges rin as he brushes past you, the pet name causing your stomach to churn as insults rest on your tongue, offended by his declaration.

he’s gracious enough to give you half of the coins, allowing you to play four games each. you only manage to win on one of them and even then, you were astonished at your own achievements, excitedly grabbing the plushie and hugging the stuffed toy to your chest protectively. rin, on the other hand, comes back to you with two in both hands and the gawk you let out was completely against your will.

“how did you do that?” you ask, a little stupified at the sight (it was kinda hot though). although at this point, you shouldn’t really question how itoshi rin works since he takes the meaning of ‘march to the beat of your own drum’ to a whole other level. 

instead of answering, he hands them over to you and you have no choice but to take them, your arms now overloaded with three stuffed toys. 

before you can even open your mouth to ask if he broke into the machines, your phone buzzes with a notification and the second you open it, you’re met with a familiar ‘⚠️bereal’ banner, one that makes you excited over the impeccable timing. rin raises an eyebrow at your sudden surprise.

“bereal! quick, pose!” you demand and rin obeys, raising a peace sign with a slight smile before the camera turns around to you and the many stuffed toys you’re cuddling. 

how adorable you are might just kill him. 

the dark-haired shakes the thought away before taking out his phone, instructing you to smile. you pose for the photo, hugging all the plushies closely to your chest whilst rin gives his usual deadpan stare into the camera. he then gives you his phone to check if it was okay to post and when you approve, you press the ‘post >’ button for him.

shutting off his phone for him, it’s at the same time that the bereal notification pops up again, this time detailing how one of his friends had posted but that’s not what caught your attention.

it’s a certain photo that made your heart thump loudly in its ribcage.

“am i your lockscreen?” you ask, pride and flattery swelling in your stomach, manifesting through the warmth of your cheeks. 

the slight widening of his eyes give you all the answers you need. “you weren’t supposed to see that.” 

nothing could stop the slow grin from erupting on your expression. it’s ridiculous to say so, but it almost feels like a weight is being lifted from your chest, the pains of the last few weeks erasing themselves completely with this one detail. 

that’s how you know rin was meant for you.

“out of all pictures of me, you chose this one?” you question, gesturing to the selfie that you once sent him during your study sessions. your hair was messy, there was a semi-crazed look in your eyes, but at least the moisturising lip gloss you had reapplied then made you look somewhat put together. 

looking at his phone once more, you feel a little warm.

“i like it,” he mutters shyly, unable to look you in the eye. despite his embarrassment, his statement fills you with endless relief, providing gratification for your relationship with rin that you didn’t know you needed. 

though you’ve been friends with him for quite some time now, you feel as though you don’t really recognise the man in front of you. past perceptions you’ve had of him has now been shattered by his flustered gaze, the relentless blush coating his cheeks, and the uncharacteristic way he slumps, as if defending himself from any judgement you might throw at him. 

luckily for him, that’s not what you’re interested in doing.

unlocking your phone, you hand it to him. “take a matching selfie so i can make it my lock screen too.”

at least you have all the time in the world to get to know him all over again.

(rin will never tell you that he only has been active on bereal so he could see what you were up to. except it backfired every time because instead of satisfying how desperately he was longing for you during your two weeks of no contact, it only made him want you more. he wanted to be there with you through your intense study sessions, he wanted to be going on walks with you, he wanted to be there with you when you were watching one more episode of your favourite tv show before going to bed, he just wanted to be there with you.

now he has all the time to make sure he is.)

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──

[@y/n’s BeReal]

@ karasu69: @fruityninjaotoya YOU OWE ME TWENTY BUCKS 　　→ @fruitninjaotoya: Shut your micropenis up

@ yocchan: Y/N WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS 　　→ @ nagixxxxxxxxxxxxx: ratio 　　→ @ yocchan: DON’T RATIO ME RN

@monsterbachira: omg are y’all 😍❤️😍 rn 　　→ @y/n: wut. 　　→ @itshrin: Yes 　　→ @monsterbachira: y/n rin is actually a good kisser 　　→ @y/n: thanks for letting me know meguru! 　　→ @itshrin: i’m going to end you. 

@bbgreo: i’m glad y’all had fun but no itoshi rin on our platonic date pls! 　　→ @y/n: would never dream of it luv <3 　　→ @itshrin: Sleep with one eye open, Reo 　　→ @y/n: that’s my best friend :( 　　→ @itshrin: You don’t need him 　　→ @y/n: reo and i are one you can’t separate us 　　→ @itshrin: Ok fine 😒 　　→ @bbgreo: yay! 　　→ @y/n: yay!

<reo3: told you you were too pretty to reject xx

[strawbeerossi]

August || Chapter Five

Pairing: Fem!Reader x Spencer Reid, fem!reader x Emily Prentiss 

Description: After a conversation with Emily, Spencer drowns in a sea of regret and guilt. That’s when JJ gives him a harsh reality check.

Content/Warnings: Spencer/JJ centric chapter, friendships are threatened, drama, emissions of guilt, regret, Spencer thinks of you and Emily to a deep degree, a break up ensues, one use of Y/N. 

WC: 2.1K

Y'all know the drill. 450 notes for next part!

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The sound of the ceramic shattering on the ground had you looking at the floor first, the overly sugary coffee surely going to make the floor sticky and give everyone’s shoes that annoying sound of them getting stuck to the ground.

“That’s going to be a pain to clean up.” Was all Emily could say, unphased by his reaction. Truth be told, he had no reason to react the way he did. He had made his bed the moment he got with JJ, losing every chance that he had with you. “Pick up the pieces, don’t need anyone getting hurt.” She added.

“So this is what you two do whenever you're supposed to be working? Not very professional.” Spencer huffed, kneeling down to pick up the remains of the navy blue coffee cup, his head shaking. 

“Everyone is entitled to a lunch break for an hour every workday. What anyone else does outside of this office is absolutely none of your business.” The unit chief countered back while she was heading over to the bullpen doors. “When you’re finished, come to my office. We need to talk.” 

You were looking between Spencer and Emily, hands pushed into your pockets while the both of them had their little back and forth. “Can we all just calm it down? There’s no need for any more drama than this team already has.” The voice of reason. How fitting.

“I am calm. I just find it shocking that you’re kissing our boss in the elevator.” He commented, the shards rested in the palm of his hand as he pushed himself to stand up straight.

“You have no right to be mad and you know that.” You countered, deciding against furthering the argument as you approached the doors to the bullpen. How dare he act angry at you after what he did. He had no logical reasoning to act like a child over your decisions.

You knew that this was him lashing out, showing that deep down, he really is bothered and has noticed what he lost out on. That could’ve been you and him kissing in the elevator instead of you and Emily, the both of you could be going out to lunch together… He knew where he went wrong and this was going to haunt him. 

Spencer was always dramatic in that way, needing to see just what he lost before it was hitting him like a freight train. It was something he did with JJ, then he got with her and things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing in the department of their relationship.

He felt immense guilt, especially whenever JJ and Will had to make plans for the boys to visit with her. She should’ve been home with her children, not with him. Although it was seemingly too late, he highly doubted Will would take JJ back. 

He made it known on several occasions that she made her bed and she had to lie in it, to suffer from the loss of a loving marriage. In a way, it made Spencer feel dirty. What would Henry think of his beloved uncle when he got older? What would Michael think? In their story, as well as yours, Spencer was the bad guy. 

Those thoughts were in his mind all day after that. Even whenever being scolded by Emily, he just wasn’t present in the conversation. All he could think about was how happy you seemed with her, the way you looked at her. It made him feel nauseous. 

He knew Emily would take care of you at the end of the day but all he could do is think about what he lost. Emily was the lucky one, the one who didn’t break your heart into a million pieces. She got to hold you, to kiss you, to bask in your love and presence. 

His mind wandered farther, the idea of you two being intimate together. The idea made jealousy tug at his heart. She would be the one to worship you, to bring a rush of euphoria over you so strong that you wouldn’t dare think about another person in the same manner. 

It made him irrationally angry, upset at Emily because she was lucky enough to step in to the relationship that should’ve been shared between you and him. 

“Are you even listening?” Emily’s voice made Spencer look over at her, his eyes searching her features. She was angry at him, the comments he made earlier being the driving force behind it. He understood why, however this talk was unnecessary. 

“Yes. I’m listening. I just think this is all a waste of my time and yours. I’m sorry for making the comments I made but you have to admit, you are our boss at the end of the day. If you can’t handle what I have to say, imagine hearing what other people will say.” He stated. 

“I can guarantee you that nobody would care as much as you do. There will have to be a tedious paperwork process done for this to continue, but I don’t mind it.” It was a wonder how Emily kept her composure despite Spencer’s shitty attitude. “I am just asking you to stop with the comments and quite honestly, you need to grow up. The Spencer that I know would be happy for his coworkers who are also his friends. He wouldn’t be throwing a hissy fit over jealousy.”

“Look. I am happy for you, for her. I’m not jealous either.” Debatable. He didn’t care to admit things like that. “I just don’t like how I didn't know. She used to tell me everything!” 

“And then you ruined that for yourself. You know that I love you but you’re acting foolish. I don’t want to constantly have battles between us, alright? Just take this time to reflect and realize what you did wrong and then let all of that built up anger go. Now, go and wash your face. Get your shit together.” 

That was the end of the conversation, the male slowly pushing himself to stand before making a slow retreat from the office. Washing his face was good, would clear his head, settle his nerves.. So, he made a b-line straight for the men’s washroom. Although unbeknownst to him, JJ was hurrying out of the bullpen right behind him.

“What happened in there?” She made her presence known as she grabbed Spencer’s arm, startling him in the process. “What are you trying to pull now?”

“Trying to pull? Are you serious? Emily wanted to have a private discussion with me. I suggest you mind your own business, Jennifer.” He spat, the built up aggression causing him to breathe heavier thn usual, his face red. He needed to get to the bathroom now. 

“Woah, hold on. You think you are allowed to get rude with me because you don’t know how to leave things alone? Spencer, don’t be ridiculous.” She began although the male’s hands were raised in self defense as he looked in her direction. He had no time for this.

“I know how to leave things alone. I’ve proved that enough these past few weeks. You just don’t like that all the attention isn’t on you for once. Nobody really cares what you have to say in regards to this situation. I don’t care. You don’t like the way I carry myself and that is your problem. I can’t change myself just to make you approve.” 

“Are you crazy? I’m just telling you to leave them alone.”

“Yeah, well how about you leave me alone?” He spat, now turning on his heel to get to the bathroom. He knew taking out his anger on JJ wasn’t fair but she just always poked and prodded at him. He hated that. 

As he made it to the bathroom, he was staring at his reflection, the man in the mirror being someone who he could barely recognize. The old Spencer would’ve never taken things this far. He would’ve been too afraid of backlash, would’ve pulled away entirely once he saw the hectic nature of what his decisions could unleash.. 

With the sink water steadily running, he was leaning down to splash some cold water on his face. He just needed to calm down, to think through this situation and what his options were. His brain was amazing with conjuring up ideas and theories, although it was like as of late, he was lacking.

“Get your shit together.” Spencer spoke to himself, his eyes closing to avoid looking at himself, at who he became over the years; a man who broke someone’s heart, broke a family, and broke a team dynamic. Hell, he might’ve even broken himself in the process.

The sound of flowing water coupled with his breathing was all he could hear, blocking out the rest of the world as he was bringing himself back down to a more calm and collected state. His decisions have never haunted him like these past few ones have. 

Once calm, his hand was turning off the water, his eyes watching a steady pour slow down to nothing. Alright. He was alright. 

Upon exiting the bathroom, JJ was still there, arms crossed as she was waiting patiently for him to come out. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me.” She stated, looking up at the man in front of her.

“I don’t want your help. I just- I feel like this isn’t working. I don’t like this relationship or whatever we have anymore. I can’t keep up with it, I just can’t.” He blurted out, heart beating like a drum in his chest, threatening to burst out of his chest cavity.

A tense silence came over them as JJ pursed her lips together. “After I left my husband to try and make this work?” She asked, not giving the man time to answer as she took in a breath. “Fine. Maybe you’re right. You can’t do this anymore. Because now you’ve realized the weight of your decisions. I always wanted you to reflect and realize what you did wrong, to take accountability. I just didn’t expect it to lead to this.”

“I just can’t do it. I can’t look at Henry or Michael without feeling immense guilt. I broke up the dynamic they were used to, at least contributed to it. We’ve both lost important things to us. The only difference is, you’re lucky enough to have your children. You could salvage a cordial relationship with Will. I’ve lost everything.” 

“You’re unbelievable!” The blonde stared at the taller male in disbelief. “You are throwing a pity party for yourself because suddenly you feel the need to be jealous over what Emily has? After this whole experience, I can tell you that Y/N is much better off with her than she is with you.”

The ugly truth that hit Spencer harder than a train derailed from the tracks.

“I have to agree that this needs to end. You also need to leave those two alone. If anything, take my advice on that. Let them live. Let them be happy.” She frowned while bringing her hands up to tiredly rub at her face. “She doesn’t love you and you need to realize that.”

Those words stuck with Spencer, even whenever he made it to his apartment later that night. He was pacing around his living room, arms over his chest, as he really had time to think about everything. The silence never did him any favors, but he couldn’t even ignore his thoughts with a book like he usually could. He tried. 

Every conclusion that he conjured up was the same; he needed to leave you alone. Not that easy, though. You knew him better than the others did. You two talked and shared a lot in the time frame of knowing each other.

He got a horrible idea, one that he knew he shouldn’t have had, but it was an idea. 

With his hand digging into his pocket, he was eventually retrieving his phone, getting into it before getting to his contact list.

There wasn’t much scrolling that had to be done, eventually finding a familiar name. Your name. He was silently outweighing his options. You could answer, you could block him, or you could flat out ignore him.

So, throwing caution to the wind, he hit call, slowly sitting in the middle of the floor as he patiently waited for an answer.

[fiapartridge]

🌊 will smith ur fav

i love u he's my fave boy ever

You saw him everywhere. Every newspaper, every post on Instagram, every poster strewn across stone walls haunted you with pictures of the man who could’ve been yours if you had just let him in.

“What’s happening, Y/N?” Will stood at your doorstep, his hands tucked away in the pockets of his black coat, the cold air engulfing his red nose in a hug. “Please, if something’s happening, you can tell me.”

You shook your head, your eyes willing themselves not to fill with tears. You hadn’t answered his calls, or texts, or emails, or DMs, or anything. You completely shut him out and he had no idea why the girl he was beginning to fall for was icing him out. You didn’t even give any warning signs. You just—stopped trying.

Truth be told, you saw the comments on Instagram. The comments left in your DMs and the way you had to private your account because you were tired of being compared to more beautiful girls, getting called a slut and a puck bunny, that you weren’t pretty enough for him. And a large part of you knew that that was true. He must be blind, right? Something must be wrong with his brain to look at you rather than the millions of prettier girls that walked across campus clad in his jersey and having no hesitation to tell him that they should be together.

Which brings us to the inevitable question: if the relationship was going so well, if you felt like you could trust him, like he could be the one, why the hell were you icing him out? 

You were embarrassed. You were embarrassed that their comments were getting to you, that they were true, and that if he saw them, maybe he’d think they were right. Because why was he with you? It just didn’t make sense—to anyone.

“This was a bad idea,” you whispered, hiding yourself under the hood of your hoodie, willing yourself not to look at him but rather the wooden floor beneath you. 

His brows pulled in. “Don’t say that.” He wanted to see you, to see that pretty perfect face he had grown to love so much, but you wouldn’t let him. You were scared that he’d see the millions of flaws you saw on yourself. His hands dipped out of his pockets, trying to pull your hands to his, but it was as if you were like water, slipping out of his fingers like they were the last thing on earth that you wanted to touch. “Baby, please. Please just look at me,” he pleaded. 

Your tears managed to escape as you sniffled, running the back of your hand against your wet nose and back into the expanse of your long sleeves. “I can’t do this. You shouldn’t be with me.”

You knew that this was the best thing to do, even if you hated every second of it. You knew Will was tearing himself apart right in front of you, but it was the best thing for him, too. No more you, no more hate comments, no more bad press. He could go back to how he was before you, the way things should’ve stayed.

“Just let me in, okay?” his eyes were red and this was like torture to you. You didn’t want to hurt him, which is exactly why you were doing this. You saw the way his shoulders slumped after every game, the way he closed himself off to the boys whenever you were near, the way the team side eyed you at every social event. You were the problem. And the only way to make the problem go away was to subtract the numbers. “You’re not telling me everything, I know that. We can work this out, baby. Come on.”

You bit your lip so hard you swore you drew blood. “I’m sorry.” And you knew your next words were gonna hurt the both of you, but you also knew that it was something both of you had to hear, no matter how badly it was gonna sting. “But I can’t do this. I don’t want to be with you, Will, and I think you should leave.”

He felt his heart beat out of his chest. There was no way you were saying that; not after everything that’s been going so well. Had he been imagining it? The laughter, the kisses, everything you told him—had it all been some sort of lie? He doubted everything, but at the same time, he knew you. You hated liars almost as much as you hated spiders. So why were you doing this? Why were you wrecking everything you two had created these past couple of months?

“Baby,” he stepped closer as you mirrored his movements, taking a step back and watching his hopeful spirit die. “Everything is nothing without you. You’ve gotta believe me. If there’s something happening you can tell me—you can tell me anything, okay?”

“I don’t want you anymore.”

[footballerimaginess]

Fluff Alphabet | Jude Bellingham

Halloween fluff alphabet Jude Bellingham This took me so long, please reblog and comment on it and I will do more fluff alphabets. Hope you like it!! Word Count: 2,300 AUTUMN - Autumn was your favourite time of the year, you loved the cold weather and getting to curl up on the sofa with a good book, a hot chocolate in your hands. With Jude laying beside you as you cuddled up whilst he was watching TV. BLACK CATS - "You know black cats are unlucky if you see them" you told him as you were watching the tv show which had black cats in. "Is it? I thought that was a joke"he laughed. "Well I'm pretty sure it is, unless I made it up" shrugging away. "No it is true, just googled it. It is unlucky, so let's not get us a black cat. I don't fancy being unlucky"

COSTUMES - You and Jude were invited to the local Halloween party, you wanted to have matching costumes with Jude. You decided you would dress up as the characters from IT. "You look amazing, we do make a good team. Look kind of sexy you know" you blushed under your red face paint. "Judeeeee, shhh" you let out a giggle as you walked into the party with all eyes turned to face you. DARKNESS - You hated the darkness, you were always so scared of it especially at night time when you were going to sleep. You always had to have a light on or having a gap in the curtains open so you could have some sort of light coming in which Jude usually disliked. "Jude it's so dark in here, please have a bit of light in here" you sighed as you made Jude turn the lights on. "Are you expecting the monsters to come in at night, I can protect you" Jude wrapped his arms around your waist as you breathed in his aftershave. EYEBALLS - You were in the mood for pranking Jude, you had created some fake eyeballs after finding an amazing tutorial on how you do it. "These eyeballs are disgusting" you grimaced as you put them in his coat pocket. "So ready to go out?" he asked as you slipped your shoes on as he put his hand in his coat pocket. "What the fuck?- no I'm gonna be sick is that slime. AN EYEBALL??! you are for it you know, wipe that smirk off of your face" you laughed as he held the eyeball in his hand. "Oh am I? like my masterpiece I made these and you'll find them all around the house" you teased. "You better not have put one in my shoe" you shrugged. "Have to find out won't ya" you winked. FILM NIGHT - You had so many Halloween films that Jude had yet to see, you had told him that he needed to be educated in films. “If they are scary I’m going” he laughed as you got the popcorn out ready to watch all the spooky films for the evening. "Just wait and see, we have a whole day to watch them" you grinned as you snuggled up and watched film after film. GHOST - Sitting in the house on Halloween night, the house was quiet and alone as Jude was in the opposite room playing FIFA as usual. Whilst you were reading your book, you felt a cold breeze coming in as you shivered, slightly confused as there were no windows open whatsoever. Next thing you know is you felt something touch you, as you screamed and threw the book up in the air Jude ran in the room. "What's going on? are you okay?" he asked you as you shook your head. "There's a ghost here" you shouted as Jude bit his lip and tried to stop himself from laughing. "You are joking I promise" he teased as you rolled your eyes straight at him. HAUNTED HOUSE - Dragging Jude to the local haunted house. "It is freezing in here, hold my hand tightly so you don't get scared or get lost" you laughed as you knew Jude was worried just as much as you were. You held it tightly as you got jumped out yet again by the staff at the haunted house. "Needs to stop doing that" you laughed as you clutched your chest as you were scared. "We aren't coming to this again, my nerves can't take it" you smirked.

INSIDE - The house was now looking all spooky, you had fluffy pumpkins everywhere as well as the ones you carved. The house was looking amazing. "I love the mini ones, they are cute" Jude smiled as you carried on putting the final touches to the decorated house. It was looking absolutely perfect and just how you wanted it.

JACK O'LANTERN - You had finished putting the final touches on the jack o'lanterns, they were looking absolutely perfect now and you had put the small candle tea lights in the pumpkin as they were lighting up. "I love them, you are so creative" you grinned as you put them out the front door as you wanted the children to see them and hope that they would look inviting to the trick or treaters.

KILLER CLOWNS - "We are not putting that clown film on right now, don't expect me to sleep a wink tonight" you screamed out as you hid your face with the pillow as you could hear the theme tune. "NO NO NO" you screamed as Jude touched your arm. "You love the clowns darling, I'll protect you" he tried to flirt with you. "No we aren't doing that as I will not be watching this" you screamed out as he tried to flirt his way out of trouble as he turned the film back over.

LANTERN - The house was pitch black, the worst time for the power to be going off. Luckily you had a lantern from a while back and you decided it would be the best time to use it. "Pass me that, I need to go and see if I can get the lights back on" he asked as you handed it back to him. "Be careful, I don't trust you to do all that shit. You aren't grown up just yet" you smirked. "Good job I can't see that smirk on your face" you rolled your eyes. "And that eye rolling too" he screamed out as he walked away with the lanterns.

MAZE - "No not that way, that way" you pointed forward as Jude stood with his hands on his hips. "No it is that way surely?" he laughed as he pointed in the opposite direction. "We are going to get so angry because we aren't going to get out of this maze if we carry on" you laughed as you wandered around yet again. "Yeah I don't fancy sleeping in the maze because we have murdered each other as we can't find our way out" you teased. "Yeah let's try and get out" you smiled as you headed out, well attempting to get out.

NIGHT - All you could hear was little children screaming as they were running around as they played out in the streets all dressed up. "This is so lovely, like a dream to be here with you and I just can't wait to do that with our little one whenever we go and have one" you smiled as you cuddled him as tight as you could. "I can't either, this sounds so perfect" Jude grinned.

OWL - You were laying in bed, seeing the bright moon as you couldn't get to sleep. All you could hear was a bird, it was playing on your mind and that was all that you could hear. Jude was peacefully sleeping beside you whilst you were wide awake, you huffed as you looked outside and heard the owl making the noise you'd heard all night. "What's up?" Jude whispered as you moved in the bed as you heard the owl making the noise. "I can hear an owl all night and it's super spooky" you mumbled as you tried to rest your head down again.

PUMPKIN PICKING - You had told Jude so many times how you wanted to go to the pumpkin picking patch, he moaned each and every time you mentioned it. You just knew you had to get that annual yearly photo even though you didn't need or want a pumpkin. But it was tradition, to make Jude put his shoes on and listen to him get all muddy for a matter of five minutes. As long as you got a cute photo you put up with his moaning.

QUEEN - "You are the queen of Halloween" you turned around as you saw Jude smiling as you had completed your 30th Halloween makeup look. You had started so many looks, you were just so excited at how this one turned out. "Aww thank you babe" you smiled as he had to pull his phone out as he took a photo of you as you were dressed as queen of hearts. "You are just incredible" he muttered as you took some more videos to upload to social media.

RIP - The amount of films you watched, the more you didn't get scared. But whenever there were gravestones involved, you hated it. You got so scared. "Why do you put these on when you don't even watch them babe" Jude asked as you rolled your eyes without even lifting your eyes off of your phone. "I am, I don't like these scenes you know I hate it" you muttered. "Halloween sometimes is just a little scary and throws me off a bit" you whispered as you gulped loudly. "Oh I am sorry you feel like that. let us put something more cheery on" he mumbled as he paused the film.

SPIDERS - Whenever there was a spider in the house, you tried to get Jude to get them down and out of the house. But Jude didn't like to tell that he absolutely hated spiders as well, hiding his pain as you both ran around the house as the spider was practically tormenting you both in your own home.

TRICK OR TREATING - You and Jude were going out with some of the boys children, Jude was desperate to take them trick and treating. Think he was more excited than they were. “You know those sweets are supposed to be for the children and not you, not sure you can get away with being a child” Jude turned and shrugged. “With my boyish young looks, I’ll always get away with it. Anyway I have to test them out just in case they are poisonous you know” he smirked. “Oh course you do” you laughed as he ran along with the children.

UNEASY - Halloween sometimes made you feel so uneasy, you were slightly nervous about going to this party as you absolutely hated the theme for some reason. "You'll be okay I promise angel, I am here with you" he whispered as he held your hand as tightly as he could as he could sense how you were feeling.

VAMPIRE - "I want to suck your blood" Jude whispered whilst you were making your dinner. "Don't be doing that whilst I have a knife in my hand because you most certainly will be doing that" you clutched your chest dramatically as you dropped the knife. "Rude babe, right shall I make dinner?" you nodded at him as you turned and faced him realising that he had fangs in. "Where do you get these things?" you laughed as he leaned in and kissed you as he tried to bite your lip with his fangs.

WAND - "Where did you get that?" you asked him as he waved his wand at you. "Oh you have always wanted to wave your wand at me" you winked. "You saucy devil you" he teased. "So why do you have that?" you asked him. "When I went to Harry Potter world I bought it, so I am going as a magician when I have our next party" you simply nodded as you just ignored him as you still had no clue he even had that wand.

XYLOPHONE - As you walked through the maze you heard the music being played. "No that is too much" you cringed. "I feel like we are in our own film that is so creepy" you laughed as you held his hand tightly. "That is so strange, I don't like it" you grabbed his hand as you tried your hardest as you made your way out of the maze as fast as you could before you could go and grab some food.

YOU - Your fourth Halloween with Jude, getting to experience one in Birmingham, Dortmund and now in Madrid. You were so lucky that you got to explore with your favourite person, you were just so happy with him. "I love doing this with you" you kissed his cheek as you posted pictures of you in all your Halloween costumes throughout the year. "I do too baby" Jude smirked as you got ready to come for your next party.

ZOMBIE - "Do you believe in zombies?" Jude randomly blurted out as you were driving him to training one morning. "Huh?" you turned to face him as the lights were changed. "Do you?" he asked again. "Not something I really think about on a normal day to day basis to be honest Jude, but i don't think I do" you replied. "Oh right? well I do and I think I'll come back as a zombie" he smirked. "Oh shit, I better say that I believe it now. I don't fancy getting taken away by a zombie" you teased him. "You do come out with some strange shit" you giggled to Jude.

[crazy-pages]

A) If this reporting is correct, Harris turned away from economic populism because her brother-in-law, Uber's chief legal officer with a $60,000,000 net worth, told her it was needed to win CEO support.

B) Biden's team things he would have won if he'd stayed in because he would have been more explicitly dismissive of trans people.

We need. To fucking eat. The Democratic establishment.

Earlier this fall, one of Joe Biden’s closest aides felt compelled to tell the president a hard truth about Kamala Harris’s run for the presidency: “You have more to lose than she does.” And now he’s lost it. Joe Biden cannot escape the fact that his four years in office paved the way for the return of Donald Trump. This is his legacy. Everything else is an asterisk.

In the hours after Harris’s defeat, I called and texted members of Biden’s inner circle to hear their postmortems of the campaign. They sounded as deflated as the rest of the Democratic elite. They also had a worry of their own: Members of Biden’s clan continue to stoke the delusion that its paterfamilias would have won the election, and some of his advisers feared that he might publicly voice that deeply misguided view.

Although the Biden advisers I spoke with were reluctant to say anything negative about Harris as a candidate, they did level critiques of her campaign, based on the months they’d spent strategizing in anticipation of the election. Embedded in their autopsies was their own unstated faith that they could have done better.

One critique holds that Harris lost because she abandoned her most potent attack. Harris began the campaign portraying Trump as a stooge of corporate interests—and touted herself as a relentless scourge of Big Business. During the Democratic National Convention, speaker after speaker inveighed against Trump’s oligarchical allegiances. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York bellowed, “We have to help her win, because we know that Donald Trump would sell this country for a dollar if it meant lining his own pockets and greasing the palms of his Wall Street friends.”

While Harris was stuck defending the Biden economy, and hobbled by lingering anger over inflation, attacking Big Business allowed her to go on the offense. Then, quite suddenly, this strain of populism disappeared. One Biden aide told me that Harris steered away from such hard-edged messaging at the urging of her brother-in-law, Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer. (West did not immediately respond to a request for comment.) To win the support of CEOs, Harris jettisoned a strong argument that deflected attention from one of her weakest issues. Instead, the campaign elevated Mark Cuban as one of its chief surrogates, the very sort of rich guy she had recently attacked.

Another Bidenland critique takes Harris to task for failing to navigate the backlash against identity politics. Not that Harris ran a “woke” campaign. To the contrary, she bathed herself in patriotism. She presented herself as a prosecutor, a friend of law enforcement, and a proud gun owner. But she failed to respond to the ubiquitous ads the Trump campaign ran claiming that Harris supports sex-change operations for prisoners. She allowed Trump to create the impression that she favored the most radical version of transgender rights.

Biden, allies say, never would have let such attacks stand. He would have clearly rejected the idea of trans women competing in women’s sports. Of course, he never staked out that position in his presidency. But it’s true that Harris avoided the issue, rather than rebutting it, despite the millions of dollars poured into those attack ads. And in the end, those ads very likely implanted the notion that Harris wasn’t the cultural centrist she appeared to be.

A sour irony haunts Biden aides. In the coming months, Trump will use executive power and unified control of Washington to wreck many of the administration’s proudest accomplishments. But the ones he doesn’t wreck, he will claim as his own. Biden helped build the foundations for economic growth, with the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS Act, and the infrastructure bill. Because the investments enabled by all three of those bills will take years to bear fruit, Biden never had the chance to reap the harvest. Despite Trump’s opposition to those pieces of legislation, the benefits of those bills could bolster his presidency. Biden will have passed along his most substantive legacy as a gift to his successor.

[playbucky]

Thick and Thin.

You’re apart of the 141 and go through the thick and thin of having Graves hunt the team down. Characters – Ghost, Reader (Pluto), Gaz, Price, Soap. Word Count – 2.4k

‘Lt.’ You greeted him, he dropped the chair down and looked ahead, the smoke from the cigarette spilled into the air. ‘Can I help you, Sarge?’ He asked, his voice gruff as you walked up to his side and noticed the small strip of skin was showing. ‘You got another smoke?’ You asked, looking out to the rare view you got from the safe house. ‘Yeah.’ He leant to the side, which revealed more skin as he pulled the packet out his pocket before he flicked the top open and held it out. You grabbed on of the cigarettes and placed the end in your mouth before he produced a small light, he pressed the trigger and the flame appeared. You bent at your hips and cupped the flame and placed the cigarette into it. ‘Thanks.’ You mumbled as you balanced the cigarette between your lips as you straightened. ‘Didn’t know you smoked.’ He said, you shrugged your shoulders as you closed your eyes and exhaled. ‘Smoke when I’m bored.’ You commented, he shook is head. ‘Bored?’ He quizzed, you hummed before you inhaled. ‘I can’t sleep, I guess the moons aren’t aligned.’ You joked as you motioned to the clear sky with the burning cigarette and glanced at him to see the corner of his lips quirk up. ‘Take if you didn’t sacrifice a lamb on the full moon?’ You asked. ‘Nah, was too busy with the haunting people.’ ‘I’ve told your to set an alarm it’ll help.’ You commented, he scoffed as he exhaled the white wisps of smoke before the pair of you feel into silence as you smoked, when you and Ghost were together you didn’t really need to speak, you had always found comfort in each other. You glanced down at the last of your cigarette, the ambers had reached the bottom, you pressed the hot end into the metal pole before you rolled your shoulders. You spared one last look out at the view. ‘I should head back, thanks for the smoke.’ You told him as you placed your hand on his shoulder and have it a squeeze as you passed by him. ‘See you bright and early Sarge.’ ‘Of course Lt, gotta bet Soap at the push ups.’ You reminded him as you opened the door and stepped inside.

‘Lt.’ Gaz said, he nodded his head as he walked over to the group and took a seat as he watched you and Soap do push up. Soap had a layer of sweat across his face and the back of his shirt was damp between his shoulder blades and with every exhale he sprayed swear off his nose. Where as you had a small sheen over you face but were going up and down smoothly. ‘What’s the score?’ Price asked, he lounged against the doorway. ‘Soap, fifty three, Pluto, sixty.’ Gaz informed the Captain, who looked amused. ‘Tenner on Pluto.’ Ghost said, Price and Gaz looked at him. ‘Just a tenner?’ You asked as you looked at them through your eyelashes, Soap grunted next to you. ‘Do you want to add to it?’ He asked, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his hands between his thighs. ‘I get a thirty minute shower, no interruptions.’ You grunted out, the muscles down your back strained as you looked up at Ghost, making eye contact through the small holes. ‘What would you do for the remaining twenty?’ Gaz almost asked innocently, your brows furrowed as your pushed yourself up then down before answering. ‘This girl has needs that none of you can suppress.’ You commented, Soap froze in a plank as they all turned and looked at you and as you continued. ‘You really think I’m gonna get off when your all in the building?’ You quizzed, Soap muttered something before he continued on with his push ups. ‘I can take my time and get ready instead of rushing, do you know how long it’s been since I’ve did my full routine?’ You asked them, your voice sounded strained as pushed yourself up again.

Ghost stood outside the door, the corner of his lips quirked underneath the mask as he heard you hum some random tune, he raised his fist to knock on the door. Three times he did it, silence was on the other side before a ranging heat came from behind the wooden door. Ghost was flung back, his back collided with the wall before. He rolled onto his side, his ears ringing as Price and Gaz quickly ran over, Price bent down and helped him up onto his unsteady feet. ‘What the hell happened?’ Soap quizzed, he kept his pistol aimed into burning room. ‘We need to go.’ ‘Pluto.’ He motioned to the room. ‘Ghost, she didn’t -,’ Soap said, he turned back from the room that was completely engulfed in flames. ‘Johny don’t.’ His voice came out gruff as he shook his head, trying to steady his spinning head, Soap passed Price as he entered the living room with Gaz. ‘Ghost.’ Price said, his hands landed firmly on his shoulder. ‘We’ve been compromised.’ Price stated, Gaz appeared at the bottom of the hallway, bags draped over his shoulders, weapon held tightly as Soap showed up at his side.

‘Task force 141,’ the familiar voice said through the radio, ‘it’s seems like we’re at an impasse, with me having Pluto and you the flash drive.’ Graves said, they stood in a crescent moon shape as they waited. ‘I’ll give you thirty seconds to agree to hand the drive over before I…’ he trailed off. ‘Exterminate Pluto.’ He said, they looked at Price, who glanced at Ghost whose eyes were narrowed and had darkened. ‘We can’t.’ Gaz said, everyone looked at him. ‘Not with the information that’s on it.’ He added, quick to explain himself, ‘and I don’t have a enough time to create a fake.’ He said, his brain coming up with all solutions but none that would get you out. ‘Too slow.’ Graves said, then the loud bang made its way over the comms, they could also hear it from the building that they watched. Ghost tensed up, his gaze focused straight ahead as the others dropped their heads. The static filled the comms from your end before it went silent, Soap looked back at Ghost before he turned and marched away. ‘Ghost.’ Soap called out, he didn’t stop and Soap looked to Price. ‘Simon.’ Price said, Ghost froze as he clenched his jaw and turned back to the three men that looked at him. ‘We can’t leave her in there,’ Ghost said, he briefly closed his eyes, ‘Even if it’s just her corpse, she deserves a burial.’ He said, Price closed his eyes and sighed before he nodded.

‘Sarge?’ Ghost called out. The group moved into the room with their weapons raised, they looked over the room and noticed the chair toppled back, legs dangled over the side. They hurried over to it and Gaz inhaled when he saw the blood that had pooled under your head. ‘Pluto.’ Gaz breathed out, he dropped down and swung his weapon behind him. He automatically placed a hand on your neck, his fingers slid with the blood before your eyes snapped open and your hand grabbed his. You flipped him over and straddled him, your arm raised to punch him. ‘Sargent, it’s us.’ Ghost said, your shoulders tensed as you looked down to Gaz, the fear in his eyes was evident. You quickly stood up and wobbled, you gained your balance before the pain down the side of your head made you reach an arm up. You pulled your hand back and looked at the blood that coated it. ‘You need to -‘ ‘It’s fine.’ You snapped, then you caught Price as he looked at you, ‘I’ll clean it at the safe house or are we being picked up?’ You asked, but it didn’t matter you would be with them either way. You glanced around the room, the blood, your blood stained the floor and your noticed your weapon discarded on the ground. Parting from the group you walked over and picked it up, you checked the barrel and the clip before you lifted the strap and draped it over your shoulder. You could fell Ghost’s dark eyes on you as you joined the group and fell into step behind Gaz, his back stained red from when you flipped him over.

You had just finished cleaning the wound, giving the deep scrape a deep clean and watching your blood stain the water pink before it swirled and disappeared down the drain. Now thanks to how hard you were clenching your jaw, your jaw and head were sore, the missing skin and chunk of your ear didn’t help either. You ignored the door as it was opened when you cleaned the mess up and washed your hands, now on your search to find some painkillers to dull the pain. ‘What the hell we’re you thinking, Sarge?’ His voice bounced off the walls, aggravating the pounding of your head, you closed your eyes but were quick to open them as his heavy footsteps sounded at the smaller doorway. ‘He couldn’t get the drive.’ You commented, you pinched the bridge of your nose as you swallowed. ‘And what about you?’ He quizzed, you dropped your hand and looked at him. ‘My life for all theirs? Seems like a good deal.’ You commented, you went to walk away but his gloved hand grabbed your bicep and pulled you back. ‘You believe that little in yourself?’ He asked, you stared at him. ‘No, I know my assets but I also know when other things should be put above me.’ You to him truthfully. ‘So please Simon, let go of me before I put you on the ground.’ You snarled, he held eye contact with you for a few more seconds before he let go and walked off.

‘What’s happened between you and Ghost?’ Price asked as he dropped into the seat next to you. ‘A lovers quarrel?’ Soap quizzed, you rolled your eyes at his joke. ‘We’re the furthest thing from lovers.’ You said, Soap arched an eyebrow as he took a large bite of his sandwich, Price watched as you looked down at your watch then to your half eaten sandwich. ‘Here.’ You offered it to Soap, he looked at it confused, ‘I need to go train the newbies.’ You explained as you stood up, the chair slid along the mixture of sand and gravel. As Ghost rounded the corner, the group watched as you gave each other a nod before you walked away and Ghost walked over to them. Soap and Price looked at each other, confusion took over when Ghost’s large figure dropped into the seat across from them. ‘What have you done to piss her off?’ Price asked, Ghost lifted his head. ‘Nothing.’ He grumbled, Soap scoffed. ‘No?’ Soap asked, Ghosts eyes moved to him. ‘You aren’t talking like you normally do. Your conversations have completely disappeared and now you just nod at each other.’ He pointed out, Ghost narrowed his eyes. ‘What, I do pay attention.’ He commented, Price rolled his eyes as Soap kicked back and rested his feet on the plastic table, the chair and it creaked. ‘Fine,’ Price said, ‘the pair of you won’t admit it but don’t let it affect us out on the field, we know the pair of you have this connection.’ He said, Ghost looked down.

‘Sarge.’ His deep voice said, your hand dropped from the missing part of your ear and dragged along the scar on your cheek before your hand dropped to your lap. ‘Lt.’ You replied, listening as he walked over and took the seat next to you. ‘How are the recruits?’ He tried to make small talk. ‘Cheeky and cocky.’ You replied. ‘Reminds me of someone.’ He commented, you hummed and closed your eyes as you fell into silence. ‘I don’t like this.’ He broke the silence, you pursed your lips together. ‘Don’t like what?’ You asked, he moved in the seat. ‘Not talking to you.’ He said, your forehead crinkled as your brows dropped. ‘I know I pushed the barrier.’ He continued. ‘You didn’t Ghost.’ You replied, scratching your nails across the tough bit of dirt that was attached to your trousers. ‘I made you think that you’re just a part that we can change out, we can’t.’ He said, you shook your head. ‘You can.’ You told him. ‘No, no one would be able to put up with Soap. Price wouldn’t have a level head and Gaz wouldn’t be able to ramble on about the games and shit.’ He explained, the corner of your lips quirked slightly before you dipped your head. ‘And what about you Ghost?’ You asked, making eye contact, ‘does our friendship mean nothing to you now?’ You added, he looked down which gave you your answer. ‘You know what, I understand.’ You said, you tapped your knees before you stood up and stepped to walk away. ‘I can’t lose you.’ He admitted, you stopped and rested your hands on your waist as he looked up at you. ‘When he pulled that trigger my heart shattered, and then the blood-’ he trailed off, his hands clenched into fists on his lap as he looked down to the ground, finding the dirt suddenly interesting ‘I can’t lose the only one thing that is good from my past.’ He said, your hands dropped to your side as you looked at the man in front of you, seeing the young boy you had first meet. ‘Simon.’ You whispered, he looked up at you. ‘How do you think I feel every time you’ve disappeared and shown up with a new scar?’ You asked. ‘We, well I read the contract that we signed many moons ago and now that we’re in the one four one, we agreed to put our lives on the line in order to save the innocents back home.’ You explained, moving to sit next to him on the bench and took his hand, his fingers tightened around your smaller one. ‘I just-‘ he trailed off, your squeezed his fingers. ‘I know.’ You replied before you both leaned closer to each other, your heads rested against each other as he sighed. ‘I’ll live as long as you do.’ He said, you scoffed and dropped your head to his shoulder before you gently whacked his thigh. ‘What do you mean I was cocky and cheeky, that was you.’ You said recalling his earlier comment, he chuckled and wrapped his arm over your shoulders and pulled you close.

[bleach-your-panties]

🥀⛓️like you mean it⛓️🥀 ----- 𝖘.𝖐𝖆𝖎𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖆🩸🔪

🥀written from prompts chosen by the wheel of misfortune created by @/cyancherub

🥀includes: dub-con, cucking, 69, stranger sex, & mirror sex. mdni! 18+. dark content warning. horror warning.

🥀banners made by me on canva/pic collage. images from pinterest. blood divider from google.

🥀4.5k words

🥀B/n = boyfriend's name

🥀october 31st, 2023

The sounds of cheerful laughter, concession machines whirring, and parents screaming for their children to 'stop running' rang throughout the periphery of your hearing while you stood with your boyfriend in line for the cotton candy.

Halloween night, the night of your first official date after you accepted the proposal to be his girlfriend.

He's a fairly handsome fellow: tall, athletic (you already knew that he played on the soccer team and ran track at your university, courtesy of your nosy roommate), neatly shaven face, with a dazzling white smile; bright, chocolate brown eyes, and a robustly defined body.

Being with him on this cool, spooky night (the spookiest night of the year, no doubt) caused a tingling euphoria to race down your spine and ignite your nerves.

Yes. You'd never had a boyfriend before starting university.

You were the quiet, smart girl in school. Not popular, but also not a total outcast. So, as you stood in that line with your boyfriend, whose looks could rival that of any male model, you felt good.

Proud even.

Not to say that you're unattractive - no! Not at all! You just never pictured yourself standing beside someone who looked so....well-put-together. So perfect.

"You look zoned out. Not trying to think of a way to ditch me, are you?" B/n smirked while outstretching his arm to hand you a bouquet of wiry, blue fluff.

Quickly shaking your head and smiling, you accepted it and brought it up to your mouth to steal a bite.

"Not at all. I wouldn't even dream of ditching you out here. All alone and cold on a cloudy, October night with no telling of what could be lurking in the shadows. I hope you don't feel that I'd be that cruel."

He let out a loud chuckle,

"I certainly hope not. You're too beautiful to be cruel."

That comment made you blush and push a breath through your lips as you felt your face heating up.

He thinks I'm beautiful.

"Aww, shucks. Now you're going to ruin my cool kid facade and make me blush."

"I'm sorry, but I don't see any cool kids around here. Only a hottie that really knows how to make a university sweatshirt look like something off a New York Fashion Week runway show."

"Hottie? Are you a Megan the Stallion fan?" You giggled.

As the two of you talked, you moved further away from the crowd and bright lights and more towards the carnival rides.

You didn't think your outfit was all that special: your maroon and white band sweatshirt, black washed out-denim miniskirt, black tights with random holes cut out of them, and shiny, maroon Doc Martens.

With a simple shrug of your shoulders, you continued to eat your cotton candy.

Squealing like some ditzy fangirl at every compliment thrown your way is definitely not how you want to present yourself to your new beau. You have to play it cool.

Before the handsome man could retort, however, your cell phone buzzed.

emergency alert: escaped inmate. all citizens to be on high alert. more updates as they become available.

B/n was tucking his phone back into his pocket when you looked over at him.

"Well, that's certainly disconcerting. Though, it is Halloween. It could just be a prank to scare people." You announced with confidence laced throughout your tone.

He couldn't help but chuckle at you: you looked and sounded so cute, he'd drink up whatever you said and proclaim it as fact. 

Moving closer to your side to engulf you in a side hug, he pulled your body snug against his own, making sure to keep you shielded from getting tousled by the groups of teens and adults alike headed towards the haunted maze.

"You don't have to try and be brave for me, sweetheart. It's my job as the man to protect you after all."

It might come off as rude for you to scoff, but the blush brewing on your cheeks would contradict that action anyway; you're liking this attention that's being bestowed upon you.

"Oh, why do I have to be trying, why can't I just do it?" You giggled.

The two of you passed by what looked like a group of university students. Some of them were wearing sweatshirts similar to yours, but colored a deep navy blue with red and white detailing.

A straggler trailed behind the group, typing on his cell phone. 

Average height and normal, modest build, he doesn't stand out too much. Dark brown, shaggy hair and black, languorous eyes.

Unlike the others in the group, he's wearing a black sweatshirt with a white overlapping UA design, baggy black jeans, and black platform Converse.

He's not ugly by any means. Just…

Unremarkable.

He's not paying attention to where he's walking, too absorbed into his phone, when he slams into your side.

He would've knocked you off of the path if your boyfriend didn't have a tight grip on your waist.

"Sorry!! I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking, I-"

"She's good, man." 

The look on Sen's face reflected his confusion. He didn't think that he'd overstepped or done anything that could be perceived as disrespectful.

"Right. Sorry again." 

He awkwardly moved along, trying to catch up to the group, which you assumed were his friends.

B/n's grip tightened on your waist and you noticed the way his forehead wrinkled just slightly in irritation.

"Fucking nerve of that guy." 

You were just a bit taken aback by the aggression in his tone, but wrote it off of him just being protective.

"Yeah, that was kind of weird, but look! The line for the maze isn't that long yet; let's hurry!"

Gleeful screams and laughter are in abundance as you and B/n approach the maze's entrance. 

The whirring of a chainsaw somewhere nearby makes you squeal in delight as two middle-school aged children rush past you, holding hands and giggling uncontrollably. 

"Oh wow, they really went all out, didn't they? Chainsaw killer and creepy, dark stone maze? They made sure to pull out all the stops." You smirked.

Chuckling and moving you along with his hand on your lower back, B/n seems quite pleased that you're enjoying yourself.

"Yeah, they did. Despite its creepiness, though, it'd make a great place to make out, don't you think?" He smiled at you with a teasing lilt in his voice.

You snorted. "Hmph, maybe." 

Is he implying that he wants to make out? 

Your cheeks warmed up; you're not prepared for this. 

The maze gets darker and darker the further you two walk in; the moon now hides behind dark, wispy clouds. 

It's like the temperature suddenly drops twenty degrees, making you feel the biting cold even through your thick sweatshirt.

The laughter is starting to sound farther away, but the chainsaw is still loud as ever. The sound sends chills down your spine and causes goosebumps to rise up all along your arms.

"You alright? Hey, look at the vines. Aren't they pretty? Imagine how this place would look in the daytime, with the roses blooming on the hedges." 

B/n is fantasizing about your next date. It would probably be a picnic in a flower garden with multicolored roses surrounding both of you. 

He can't wait to spoil you and give you all the nice things that you deserve.

You're about to respond when suddenly the sound of the chainsaw is right behind your ear. As you let out a surprised shriek, you're pulled harshly by your sleeve.

Sneakers slap against the stone pathway as you and B/n run for your lives away from the paid actor wielding the highly dangerous power tool.

He's laughing as sweat drips down his forehead even in the cold air. You can hear him asking you if you're having fun.

You're not sure anymore.

"L-look, that might be an opening up ahead!" Your finger points towards what you hope is the end of the maze. The exit.

Your male companion nods and your direction shifts towards the metaphorical light at the end of the tunnel.

Something is shining down there, even though the night is so gloomy and you're completely enclosed in this stone fortress.

Your footsteps slow as you get closer and realization dawns upon you.

It's not an exit.

Instead, a long mirror is situated right in the center of the stone wall. The sliver of moonlight glinting off of it gives it the illusion of an open doorway. 

Only reflecting the path in front of it, the one which you'd just come down.

"Fuck…how the hell are we going to get out of here?" You curse.

B/n hums thoughtfully. You both stand and stare at your reflections in the mirror. 

The sound of the chainsaw started up again, but it sounded further away this time. That made you squint your eyes in confusion.

In the next moment, footsteps are running in your direction. Rubber soles squeak and slide against the cobblestone and before you know it, that same kid from before is practically running into you again.

His face has a light sheen of sweat, the perspiration dampening his hair, beading on his forehead, and slowly slipping down his nose.

“You again…” You say as you just stare at him. He drops to his knees, his breaths coming out in short puffs.

“I-I got separated from my friends back there...The chainsaw guy came at us full force, we split up and ran in different directions...”

Both you and B/n are looking at him now. 

“What do you mean? The chainsaw guy was just behind us…I heard it, loud and clear…”

Sen slowly cranes his head upward to peek at your face. His cheeks grow a pink tint, as your tight-covered thighs are right in his line of sight.

He begins to rise to his feet and you realize that he’s a few inches taller than you, though several shorter than your boyfriend. 

“That’s not possible, unless there were two of them instead of one. Usually they’d mention something like that at the entrance before letting people in.” Sen places his hands into the pockets of his black sweatshirt.

“Right, well we should keep looking for the way out. We don’t want to-” B/n is cut off by the loud screeching that you remember from earlier. It’s coming from all three of your cell phones.

The emergency alert system.

“escaped prisoner sighted on or nearby local fairgrounds. exercise extreme caution and awareness! vacate premises immediately if-”

BRUM-BRUM-BRUM-BRUM-BRUMMMM-BRRRRR!

“HOLY FUCK, LOOK OUT!”

Bursting from your left, a masked person wielding a large chainsaw with a rusty blade lunges towards you and B/n.

“Fuck!” Sen stumbles backwards and falls, landing harshly on his side as your weight on top of him sends both of you sprawling across the ground. B/n had pushed you out of the way just in time to prevent you from being decapitated.

The psychopath grins maniacally and revs the machine again and swings it towards B/n. He’s quick to duck out of the way, no doubt his years of running track, combined with adrenaline, contributing to his remarkable speed.

“Leave him alone!” You shout as you attempt to scramble away from Sen, but the dark-haired male quickly pulls you back into him by your arm. A surprisingly muscled arm tightens around your waist and keeps you pressed against him.

"What are you doing? Get off of me! I have to help him!" You pushed against Sen once again, but he held you even tighter. 

The chainsaw's engine revs again and this time it's pointed right at your face.

"You'd do right to listen to him. Make another move and I'll slice right through your pretty face." 

You could feel every drop of blood in your veins turn to ice as all the color drained from your face. Not just at their words, but upon closer inspection, you can see that the chainsaw's blade is not rusted.

It's covered in dried blood. 

H/c hair swayed from side to side as you shook your head, eyes clenching shut in utter horror and disbelief.

That chainsaw is definitely real, but maybe this person just really knows how to play their role. Maybe the blood is fake. 

"Hahaha, what's the matter, sweetheart? Can't believe this is happening to you? Well it is! This ain't no goddamn skit; it's the real fucking deal." 

Sen keeps his arms around you in a protective hold, but you wish it wasn't him. 

You wish it was your beloved boyfriend holding you close and protecting you much like how he was earlier.

Before your perfect dream turned into a complete nightmare right before your eyes.

"Open your fucking eyes!" 

They snap open on command. You don't want to take the risk of making this person any angrier than they already are.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want from us?" It's B/n speaking up.

Internally you're screaming for him to shut up, to not say another word that may result in his serious injury or, worse, death.

The perpetrator quickly turns on him with the deadly weapon. He falls back on his ass and yelps in pain.  

You crane your head around the tall, imposing figure to see your boyfriend clutching his ankle. He must've landed on it the wrong way. It's clearly twisted and possibly broken.

"Oh, what a shame. Looks like you won't be able to run from me anymore. All three of you are stuck at my mercy, how delightful!" 

Sen decides to speak up then. He tries to keep his voice from wavering. He has to be the strong one in this situation. 

He has to be the man and protect you now.

"What about my friends back there? Did you…did you murder them?" 

Loud, psychotic laughter is his answer and Sen drops his head regretfully.

"What an idiotic question to ask a serial killer! Now, as much as I'd love to hear you three beg me for your pathetic lives, I've thought of something much more interesting."

The three of you wait in silence, neither of you daring to ask what they had in store for you.

They take the chainsaw and held it over your boyfriend's head.

"PLEASE, NO!"

"QUIET!"

You whimper sadly and Sen strokes your hair gently, bringing your head to rest on his chest.

"I won't kill him, yet. Before he dies, why don't you give him a show, huh, little one? I want you..," They point a long, black-gloved finger towards Sen, whose eyes widen,

"..To fuck her while he watches." 

His jaw drops and you can feel his body shake in fear.

"I-I can't…I.."

The engine revs once again. Louder and more menacing than the other times.

The sound echoes inside your head and you look up at Sen.

He looks down at you, his dark eyes conflicted.

"Do you…?" 

You just look at him blankly. He can't tell what you want, but you're not explicitly telling him no.

He's going to hate himself for this, but if it's the only way for you all to make it out of this alive…

"I'm sorry about this, but I really don't want to fucking die here.."

You don't know what to say to that, but your body shivers when Sen begins to move his hands down your sides.

His fingers play with the hems of your sweatshirt and T-shirt, ghosting over the flesh of your tummy just barely.

The chainsaw-wielder clicks their tongue.

"No, no, this won't do at all. He can't even see you."

Another startled yelp from B/n; they've got him yanked up onto his knees as they begin to drag him closer to you and Sen. His injured leg trails behind him pitifully and he's propped up against the stone wall to your right.

"Turn around, face the mirror."

The mirror, you'd completely forgotten about it.

Effortlessly, Sen picks you up and situates the both of you to where you're now staring back at yourselves in the tall slab of glass.

It's dark, but the clouds have moved away from the moon so its light can illuminate the dastardly deed that you're about to commit.

You're about to cheat on your boyfriend on your first date.

Right in his face.

"Get to it, then. Don't keep him waiting. If you do a good enough job I might let you all live." 

An evil chuckle and then the chainsaw is powered off. They look at you and Sen expectantly, B/n doing the same.

You can see him out of the corner of your eye, watching you in the mirror with a neutral expression. 

He doesn't know what to feel; his ankle is throbbing in pain and his girlfriend is in another man's lap. Not to mention his life has been threatened more than once in only a single night.

Sen's lips tremble as he trails them along your shoulder, pulling the collar away from your neck so he can reach the s/c skin underneath.

One of his larger hands rests over yours, squeezing in a show of support.

He's sorry, oh so sorry that he's putting you and your boyfriend through this, but he can at least make the experience somewhat pleasurable for you.

Make you feel comfortable with him.

A soft moan escapes your cold, slightly chapped lips causing Sen's cock to stir in his jeans.

He shifts his legs and opens them wider so you your ass can sit flush against his crotch.

Even through your own jean-clad bottom you can feel him getting hard for you.

"Y-you're enjoying this…is this what turns you on? You're sick…"

You whisper to him, a stinging edge to your tone that makes Sen's ears burn in embarrassment.

And lust.

"I-I'm sorry…I can't…can't control it. You're so soft and you smell so good…" 

How long had it been since he'd had a girl sitting on his dick, and one as pretty as you, nonetheless? 

His hormones are going into overdrive, causing his movements to grow bolder.

Sen takes his hands and places them on your knees so he can spread them apart. 

He wants to see your panties, but your tights are in the way; so, with one hand he grips the offending material at your crotch and tears a hole right through them.

Heat licks at your neck despite the cold, and Sen's tongue does as well.

The warm, wet muscle provides a pleasant contrast to the biting cold. He leaves a slimy trail of saliva all the way from your neck down to your collarbone.

Shivers run down your spinal column and your cunt moistens through your royal purple panties, much to Sen's delight.

Though the only reason you're letting him do this to you is to save your lives, he can't help but get excited at the image of you getting wet for him.

A complete fucking stranger.

Sen apparently isn't the only one getting turned on from this situation.

You look from your reflection in the mirror back to B/n and a soft gasp leaves your lips.

He's palming his dick through his pants. Perfect white teeth clamp down on a juicy bottom lip while his brown eyes watch your pussy through the mirror.

"Looks like somebody's enjoying himself!" The killer laughs cruelly.

This is what they wanted: to completely embarrass and humiliate you three.

Tears begin to sting your eyes, but what can you do? It's either let this stranger fuck you or you all die.

Sen's fingers on one hand move to push your skirt up while the other hand rips the hanging material of your tights the rest of the way off.

He reaches under your ass to get to his belt and quickly unbuckles it to free his hard, throbbing dick.

You can't see it in the mirror from the way you're sitting on him, but when he shifts to line himself up with your panty-covered cunt, you can feel the head brush against your clit.

"Ohh…" The moan leaves your throat on its own accord.

Sen is encouraged by this and he moves his head to rest against yours.

Kisses are planted on your cheeks and temples while he strokes his cock with one hand and pulls your thong to the side to reveal your wet pussy with the other.

"Shit, you're so wet…don't worry, I'm gonna make you feel so good, make you even wetter for him to see…" He coos into your ear then nibbles it. Your back arches against him.

He chuckles softly and slides his dick through your folds, lubing himself up.

"Such a pretty pussy. What a lucky fucking guy…"

Is the last sentence the dark brunette speaks before thrusting his hips up and burying his dick deep inside you.

"F-fuck! Ahh…so thick.." 

Your mind turns hazy when Sen starts fucking up into you at a quick, but steady pace.

His dick isn't the longest, but it's girthy and there's a few veins along his shaft that massage against your inner walls oh so deliciously.

"Shit, it's so warm and tight. You like it, huh? Like my dick? Look at how you're starting to cream on me already, baby."

 

He's telling the truth because when he says it, your eyes move down your reflection to where the two of you are joined and you can see the white froth coating his dick as he moves it in and out of your hole.

"Ahh…feels so good…fuck…don't even know your name.." 

"It's Sen…oh my God.."

His balls smack against your ass cheeks as he moves one arm around your waist so he can bounce you on him harder.

Your head is thrown back and your nails scratch at the material of his jeans.

You and Sen's combined moans further spur on B/n, who's jacking his dick faster and faster while Sen fucks you. 

"Look at that, he's so fucking hard watching another man stuff his girl's little cunt. Fucking perv. Bet he can't wait to get you in his bed tonight so he can….haaah…fuck my fucking cum deeper in your little hole. Shit!" 

Sen's dirty talk only added to the pleasure that he was making you feel with his dick. Noticing how you had started watching B/n jack off through the mirror, he grew a bit jealous and turned your head so he could kiss you sloppily on the lips.

"Oh yeah, that's the way to do it, you fucking scumbag. Fuck her like you mean it." 

The killer's laughter echoed all around you making you jolt back into the reality of your situation, though it didn't stop the orgasm from building in your lower region.

"Fuck Sen, I'm going to cum!" You moaned, eyes squeezed shut while said man fucked you harder and faster, wanting to make you feel good, to make you cum on his dick before you could on your boyfriend's.

"Come on, baby, cum on my dick. Make your boyfriend cum, too, from watching you get fucked." He palmed one of your ass cheeks, lifting you up slightly before slamming you down on him, hard.

Your body started shaking, making Sen curse under his breath and speed up his movements.

"That's right! Dick got you fucking shaking! Cum all over me baby, let it go….oh fuck." 

Just as he told you to, you came hard and squirted all over Sen's dick. Your squirt splashed up onto the mirror, making his tired-looking eyes widen.

"Goddamn, you sprayed the whole mirror almost. Shit that's hot." 

His voice was laced with exhaustion now, all traces of fear and apprehension seemingly gone.

Now fired up from watching you squirt, Sen maneuvered himself up onto his knees and caught you by the hips.

Confused, you tried to look back at him, but you understood when his softening cock was now bobbing in your face.

A mewl left your throat when that slick tongue swept through your folds and began collecting the remaining drops of your squirt.

"S-suck it…suck his dick, baby…come on.." B/n moaned while feverishly pumping his dick. 

Your pupils enlarged once you saw how long and thick it was and your pussy drooled on Sen's tongue at the thought of B/n fucking you next.

With your little hands, you began pumping Sen's dick at the same pace as B/n, making sure to make eye contact with both of them the best you could through the mirror.

"Awww, fuck yeah. So sexy, baby. You're so fucking sexy, the perfect girl." B/n moaned as he watched you engulf Sen's fat dick in your mouth and hollow out your cheeks.

"Oh, goddamn…unhh.." Sen's head fell away from your cunt and his body shivered this time.

You may have never had a steady boyfriend before, but you'd had a few flings the summer before university started, so you knew your way around a dick quite well.

Sen thrust his hips forward, making you choke and gag on his fat cock. Saliva ran down your neck to his balls while they slapped against your chin.

"Fuck, where'd you find her? Fucking slutty ass pussy and mouth. Oh God…" He said to B/n.

The night air was filled with the sloppy sounds of you gagging on Sen's dick and the wet sounds of B/n jacking off.

Sen tried to keep eating your pussy, but your head was just too fucking good and he couldn't stop himself from moaning.

"Shit! You ready to take my fat load in your mouth, baby? Be a good girl and swallow it all for me, okay?" 

You nodded best you could and started sucking him even harder, triggering his orgasm. 

"SHIT! Oh my fucking God!" 

Sen almost dropped you on your head as he knelt down on his hands and knees to gather himself after you swallowed all his cum.

"I'm…I'm coming, shit, that was so sexy…ahhh.." 

Hearing this, Sen quickly grabbed you by the hair and moved your face into B/n's lap so he could spray his nut all over it. You looked up at him with the most adoring and innocent look in your eyes, which almost triggered a second orgasm from him.

"Damn…that was the best sex I think I've ever had in my life…" Sen sat back against the wall and sighed heavily.

Slow clapping started and the three of you looked up to your captor.

Silently you pleaded to yourselves that they'd let you all go now since their wish had been fulfilled.

"That was very good, but…." 

The thrum of the chainsaw started up again. You weren't fast enough to move in front of him before the blade came down on B/n's head, splitting it wide open and spraying both you and Sen with a fountain of blood.

"Not good enough." 

The sound of the chainsaw's blade and blood splattering against the mirror echoed throughout the walls of the stone maze.

[poisonheadcrabsalesman]

leave a trail of burnt things in my wake (every single place I go)

For @bloodgulchblog - this work is also on ao3

Smell can trigger memories and tap into long buried emotions. John is an expert at burying emotions, but he hit his limits months ago. An introspective piece inspired by discussion of the smell of cigar smoke and old friends long gone.

It's late when John heads back to Blue Team's quarters. Briefings, reports, responsibilities; all the things Team Leader is used to shouldering seem to weigh a little heavier these days. Bad news pours in from all sides and allies seem fewer and far between these days. There are new lines on everyone’s faces. Tightness in the way they move, smiles that don’t reach the eyes. It feels like the whole ship is holding its breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for things to get worse, the next tragedy in the domino line of tragedies that humanity has been fighting for three decades.

Moving helps, he knows hypervigilance will be a drain in the long term, but thinking long term is new. It’s strange for aches to fade, scars to heal, joints to be sore and not in ignored agony. Living is a new kind of pain John is fighting to tolerate. It’s not something he’s sure he’ll get used to.

Restlessness is not a luxury he can usually afford, but aboard the Infinity is the closest he's felt to safe in a long time. The strange feeling coming from being surrounded by Spartans again. It still means he'll patrol if possible. It might garner him some extra looks from his team or even the captain when the man is able to corner him while they’re all aboard. The back to back missions dwindled only because John was overruled. He’s being watched - he knows it - spooks, Spartans, the brass, and anyone and everyone who recognizes the armor. His existence is an example, a beacon, and a warning.  

Yet they don’t stop his nighttime haunts. An olive branch perhaps, or maybe letting him have space - letting him walk through the nights with his ghosts. Even among his team, John doesn't want to spend any extra time in small rooms, and there's always work to be done.

He's not alone as he travels silently down gunmetal gray halls, but by this time most of the crew is changing shifts or used to Spartans moving. John's aware of how they look at him; the IIs move differently than the IVs but to the techs on their way to the hangars he's just another 7ft tall, 350 lbs of muscle to stay out of the way of.

Funny how being out of the armor helps him stay invisible.

There's movement down an auxiliary hallway that catches his eye, but he dismisses it when he sees troopers huddled together. It’s a familiar scene, one he’s witnessed time and again over his career in troop bays and shadowy corners, the handing off of contraband and the like. John pauses and notes the cameras, the vents, and the blindspots. Not amateurs then, though it's hard to tell these days. 

They all look so young.

John stills in the shadows and watches. There’s talking in low voices with some sporadic good natured bickering that gets shushed quickly. One of them shoves another off-balance; arms pinwheeling before they push back with a grin. His eyes catch flashes of packaging before it's shoved into pockets or down shirts and the group disperses. Tobacco gum, self-lighting cigarettes, and other nicotine sources disappear along with nondescript datachips and small flasks. They don't notice him - he would have lost his touch if they had - and the group splits off, nonchalance a little too forced. 

He'd make a comment, spook em a bit while he's this nameless Spartan who caught them. Pale as a ghost, mangled worse than some corpses. The old model, patched up over and over again. Some old, ugly sonuvabitch with weird eyes, too many scars popping out of the shadows wasn't a fun encounter, or so he'd been told.

At least he would have, if he didn't freeze in place as someone lit up and the too familiar smell of a Sweet William cigar hit his nose for the first time in over five years. 

The pungent odor - old boot-sock smoked over a dung-fire - hit him full force even if the marine smoking it was down the hall. The odor sat in his sinuses, and the scar on his chest hurt as he jerked away. It never felt like the skin grew back right, but then again it had never gotten the chance to fully heal; the Ark, the Dawn, and then everything after. 

It was like no time had passed. 

The squeak of the light cover flipping back, their thumb on the wheel. The ancient knowledge passed down to him that matches preserved the flavor more, but were hard to find and keep. Lighters were common - ceremonial - passed between brothers in arms or from father to son. John could still see Johnson’s engraved lighter in his mind’s eye.

He had known several people to have smoked those cigars - most of them were dead now. And with his luck, he was there when it happened.

There were a lot of memories tied up with that scent. Johnson, of course. He had always seemed to have them on him, always smoking so much John often considered commenting about him giving away their position with the stink of tobacco. He would have liked that; Johnson always liked when John pushed back. He’d smile around the cigar and raise his eyebrows, hum his approval, then return fire with a comment of his own. 

It was a scent that was tied to the man's presence, be it in a dropship, on the ground, or stopping by to drop off a tank. The first time John himself had tried one of the cigars, he had been 15 years old and ended up coughing so hard from the first draw that he reopened his neck wound. Butterfly bandages breaking under the strain as John wheezed and Avery laughed and took the cigar back, holding it away from his own oxygen cannula.

Johnson had shown him how to be a leader then - had backed him up and nodded when he got it right. John had carried those lessons with him for the rest of his life.

The smell of tobacco and dried flower was burned into his memory. Sweet William cigars had popped up throughout John’s service. Mendez had smoked them too, and Captain Keyes. 

Mendez had them in his desk drawer in his office on Reach. Halsey hadn't liked them, and like with most things, she would make her opinions clear. But that had been a lifetime ago. John didn't like to dwell on how he became what he was today. It was necessary, but the reminders of the human elements, the smoke drawing up old memories, made him uncomfortable.

He'd lived his whole life around foul-mouthed, paranoid, contraband-using marines and ODSTs. He had been honored to serve with those men and women. Tobacco was passed around as often as MREs no matter the campaign. It was familiar even after all this time.

Even Captain Keyes had his pipe, the lingering scent of tobacco on the bridge of the Autumn. Cigars weren't his main staple, but John had come to associate him among the men who smoked them.

It had been forever and only a few short months since he had been in the presence of a lit Sweet William.

His chest burns, something more than regrown skin over the burn scar. He leaves - as silently as he arrived.

The crewman continues to enjoy his contraband, smoke rising into the vent above, going to be scrubbed and recycled back.

[getting-messi]

Argentina's players acted EXACTLY like every other winning team would have.

Do you all really actually believe that if the french had won they wouldn't have had chants about argentina? Of course they would! That's what happens when a team wins, and as far as I have seen none of the argentinian players have said anything racist about M'Bappé or the french player.

Racism in futbol and from futbol fans isn't an inherently South American problem, in fact most of the racist abuse I have personally seen comes from European fans. And the reason why so many people are having a field day with M'Bappé are his comments on South America and futbol. He is the least qualified individual to be making comments and criticisms about that. He's never come to South America, he's never played in South America. And THEN he goes and looses and World Cup final against a team from the continent he considers to be beneath him? 😂😂😂😂😂 Of course everyone is having a field day with that.

Like. What were you all expecting? I said I was gonna be an insuferable bitch about M'Bappé's comments because as a South American it pissed me off.

You truly said it perfectly.

France literally sang songs about beating Messi back in 2018. And EVERY team acts like this when they win. Remember Spain doing a CONGA LINE RIGHT BEHIND the German players when they were doing a press conference after the semi final in 2010????

Like THIS IS SPORTS!? And yeah, racism is universal in football, like it’s bad regardless of where it comes from but people are acting like South Americans created it like🤔

And Mbappé’s words came to haunt him, like he probably knows now he was dead wrong for saying out of pocket comments like that and going forward, he won’t insult an entire continent like that ever again🤧🥰

[dramamelon]

Constructicon Week is here! @constructiconweek

I'll be posting them here as well as reblogging with an AO3 link because they're all short pieces. :)

What Once Was

Day 4: Scrapper | Free Space Rating: T Tags: Minimal Editing, Canon Blender of IDW1 & IDW2, Snippets of Larger Story, Abandoned & Destroyed City, Haunted Houses, updated as necessary Fic Summary: In a moment of peace that was either the End of the War or a Temporary Truce (no one was quite sure where they stood yet), the Constructicons claimed the shattered remains of Crystal City as their own. So far, no one else had raised a fuss, leaving them free to rebuild as they wished. Chapter Summary: The oddity of Devastator's reaction left the team twitchy for all of a moment. Scrapper, in particular, was quick to resume his place of unflappable team leader.

Made wary by Devastator's unusual reaction to that section of the city, even Scrapper watched the darkened corners of the building a bit more closely. It was an action quickly subsumed, though, on seeing precisely what had fallen into their hands.

Upon first sight of the treasure trove Scavenger found, Scrapper had nearly let slip very disastrous words. He was a smart mech. Much too smart to give Scavenger free reign in his wanderings. While his last jaunt had found them the near fully intact medical facility his team currently explored, Scavenger without a leash might just leave them in a much more awkward situation, a much more dangerous situation, with no prospect of help outside their own hands. The longer they could go without having to reach out to other Cybertronians, the more likely they would be in the better bartering position when the time came.

Thus, when the annoyed comment from Hook filtered over the gestalt bond—::If you don't come do something about Scavenger right now, I won't be held accountable for the results of my actions.::—Scrapper knew he had no choice but to act.

"Bonecrusher," he called across the courtyard, catching the big mech in the midst of shoving a large load into the back of Long Haul's alt mode, "I need you and Mixer to head inside and give Hook a hand in setting up the new storage units. He's about to throw Scavenger out on his aft because the kid can't stop pocketing stuff."

The grin on Bonecrusher's face was evident despite the dusty blast mask and visor he wore. "You got it, boss," the mech replied, big hands settling on his hips. "Want we should send Scav out here with you, instead?"

Scrapper sighed and rested his own visored optics in the palm of one hand. He dragged that hand down over his blast mask before dropping it to his side and gave Bonecrusher a little shrug of his shoulders. "If I thought I could get away with saying no, I would," Scrapper said, letting a touch of the self-deprecation in his field reach out to brush over his teammate. "Unfortunately, we're all better off if Scavenger is out here where I can watch him."

Bonecrusher's grin turned into a hearty laugh that rose from the tips of his pedes, growing thicker as it bounced through his belly and left it to escape his intake. "Oh, just wait'll I tell the kid what you—"

Stopping him before he could finish the comment, Scrapper sliced both hands through the air to cut off the words he knew were coming. "Enough!" he demanded, doing his best to push forth an air of authority—he'd been working with his team long enough, though, that it was a difficult thing to accomplish. "Knock it off and just go get him, will you? And don't forget to take Mixer with you, all right?"

The response he got was an amused snort and a half-afted approximation of a solute. "Whatever you say, boss."

Then the big mech turned and headed toward the side room where the team chemist deliberated over a variety of minerals he'd found in one of the lower level rooms. Scrapper rolled his optics and tried to remember what he'd been doing before the interruption.

…what had he been doing?

[mysteriousangels]

Flashback Para (Ada/Della): On my Doorstep

Ada had plenty as soon as Waylon expressed any concern about Della knowing about things. Of course, when he sidestepped her assumption about giving out information, she knew she had to be right. And the little comment about haunting her, as much fun as it would be, suddenly gave her quite the loose lips. 

Ada applied her makeup outside of the building as the sounds of gunshots calmed down. She hummed softly wondering if they could take one or two back, just to see if she could build her homunculus but that mostly depended on the fact that Della didn't shoot where all the vital organs were. But knowing how her friend operated that was exactly where she killed them. If anything, Della was precise in her work and maintained the cover and lifestyle she chose. Because it was either that or die for being a traitor, hell even more so now since had actively killed other agents. Ada knew about it all and it didn't bother her she respected that Della would go to these lengths.

Once everything had calmed down, Ada walked into the building, her steps quiet as she walked over a few dead bodies and paused at one. "He was cute, she could've kept him alive. " She patted him down and raised her brow before clearing her throat and taking his ID card out of his pocket. The building was small and remote, strictly a mid-waypoint for active undercover spies working on cases that dealt with people like Ada or Inessa. Ada sighed and pouted. "I have to throw away these heels, blood is hard to get out." She mumbled to herself. As she quietly walked through the building trying to mentally calculate where exactly Della would hide. She decided to check the fourth floor since that was a midway point and out of sheer laziness, she took the elevator. 

Riding up the elevator Ada hummed to the elevator music and leaned down to pretend like she was having a conversation with the slump dead body next to her. “Nice weather we're having huh? You know, my lethal gas killed way more people than this. But this is just so messy, totally not my style unless you/re the fucking Queen of England. Fuck that bitch, I have a poison just for her if I ever get the chance to kill that whore. Oops, lost my cool there for a moment. Well, this is my floor, nice chat. Someone should really close his eyes, like god he’s so creepy.” Ada walked out the elevator only to be met with the sound of a gunshot and excruciating pain in her thigh. “FUCKING HELL DELLA, YOU SHOT ME? IN VERSACE!” She screamed and then covered her mouth remembering where they were. A painful wail came from her as she fell to the ground trying to focus on anything other than the pain, she was in.

When Ada screamed at her Della came out of her hiding place and looked at Ada in shock before running over to the girl and immediately started to try and do first aid. “Shit shit shit. Ada what the hell are you doing here, I thought you were another agent?!” Della said as she quickly took out the bullet in Ada’s leg and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. At the time she didn’t even remember that she had coated the bullets with poison. Ada let out a muffled scream as Della got the bullet out and glared at Della.

“I came because Waylon is a dumbass and from what I assume accidentally helped Sadie expose your sister’s whole team. He wanted you to know that he’s dumb and thinks with his dick when it comes to attractive people younger than him.” Ada embellished a bit and flinched as Della bandaged her up too tight for her liking.” I want to keep my limbs, Della.”

“Violet got exposed because of Sadie. I’m not surprised this was the outcome. You could tell Sadie was a bit off her rocker, but it is what it is now. Even if I was around, she wouldn’t have listened to me, but I am still upset about what happened. In fact, I’m livid at everyone involved in that cluster fuck of a problem but I have no right to get involve or voice that anger at Violet and them.” Della said on a deathly calm voice, it was voice of any real emotion. Della was taking in the news, and she knew how she what she was saying was her feelings, but they weren’t her current feelings since she couldn’t actually process anything right now. After bandaging Ada up. she stood and held a handout to Ada. “You’re so smart but so dumb, you should have sent Inessa.”

“Inessa got herself locked into a magical legal contract that she can’t break. Although I’m not sure she wants to break it since it means she gets to spend time with mermen and octopans.” Ada took Della’s hand and stood up, she stumbles slightly but took no notice of it since she just assumed it was from the fact that she had just gotten shot. “Buy me an expensive fugu dinner and I’ll call it even. Also, that way we can say you didn’t kill me if I die.” Ada joked and Della rolled her eyes.  They left the building together after Della finished doing a thorough check of the building, but as they were walking Ada gasped in pain and fell to the ground as her vision stared to blur. For a moment, she was confused and couldn’t think, then she remembered a few years ago after the first fire Della coming into her room. They had talked and Ada told her about the poison she had made for the Queen and Della asked if she could use it for traitors to the circus. Of course, Ada said no, but she would make a similar version that had an antidote. Damn her own hatred for the Queen had come to bite her in the butt, but she couldn’t help but be proud because she was certainly wishing for a swift death instead of the pain she was in now.

When Ada fell Della got concerned all over again and checked Ada pulse and forehead. She didn’t understand what was happening until she saw Ada mouth poison. Fuck. She had totally forgot. She carefully picked up Ada and put her on her back sending Waylon a quick text. She was mentally calming herself down trying to keep herself from getting overwhelmed with everything that was happening right now. It was all too much, she was only 22 and everything she had ran from 5 years ago was all landing at her doorstep and bombarding her with a life and obligations she didn’t want.

[everlaesting]

❛ — s - seeing him ?! ❜ the expression startles her , and it takes a second for love to realise cameron doesn't mean it like that . of course he didn't , why would he ! nevertheless , she can't keep from blushing at the mere thought , promptly proceeding to turn her away in attempt to hide her rosy cheeks . ❛ i - i mean , seeing you both at the same time would be , uh , not ideal and maybe even unprofessional but ... i guess i could see one after the other ? ❜ she'll comply , especially if it distracts him from her little slip . she rolls her eyes at his comment on vasha , ❛ she's the best in the team , you'd be in good hands ! and i wasn't talking about now , i mean in general ! if there's a line , you'll have to stay in it like everyone else ! i sure wish there were ghosts in the qz ; hopefully they'd haunt and chase you away from the tent . ❜ her attention returns to him as he tells her to stop looking for things , and though love keeps a blank expression on her features , it isn't long before a devilish grin takes over her lips . ❛ you're a big scaredy cat , ❜ she points out before reaching into the pocket of her coat , pulling out a pair of tweezers . ❛ want me to get you something to bite on in any case ? splinters can hurt a little . ❜

❛ a nuisance is more like it ... ❜ love muttered to herself , well aware of how unprofessional it would have been to say such a thing out loud but still ! it was difficult to keep composure when cameron took pleasure in pushing her buttons . a sigh escapes her lips , she was going to regret this . ❛ well , you can pick a primary care physician but ... i - i'm already busy with atlas and others , you'd probably be taken better of by vasha or- or anyone , really ! ❜ that wasn't entirely a lie . ❛ you live in the qz , don't you ? i thought someone of your status would be more attentive to societal rules , officer . unless you're actually about to die , i'm not letting you cut in line . ❜ even if he was one of fedra's big guys . when cameron showed her the splinter , love had to stop her delicate hands from curling into two furious fists . after a few seconds , she turned her gaze to the guy's face once again , her expression calm . ❛ we need to chop it off , ❜ and so , she proceeded to start looking through her belongings as if searching for something to assist with the fake task . ❛ it's the only way . you'll lose your finger , but at least then we'll know you're not infected . i'll give you something to bite on . ❜

[storiesofsvu]

Squad Halloween Headcanons

Y’all. I FUCKING LOVE Halloween, and for me, (because of my Disney life) it starts in mid August…last year was the first time in 9 years I wasn’t in a Disney Park to celebrate with all their amazing entertainment and delicious snacks and I was SO SAD, I was planning to go back this year but #1: I’m not an idiot about to travel rn #2: our border is still closed #3: they cancelled MNSSHP this year. Also this took so fcking long cause I got SUPER hyped up/distracted jamming out to MNSSHP JAMS.

Anyways….

***

Imma start with the team going through a haunted house cause that’s what the anon asked for originally 

The squad ends up going to some Halloween festival down at Coney Island as a way to brush off some steam and have some time together outside work

It’s definitely Rollins who suggests going through the haunted house, the kind with actual actors inside that jump out of you along with creepy/gruesome scenes and rooms along the way (I’m thinking Halloween Horror Nights type thing)

Kat’s the first to agree, grabbing Amanda’s hand while the two gleefully run towards the entrance (hopped up on sugar or alcohol you choose). They’re giggling and yelping the entire way through having the time of their lives

Carisi’s definitely the one screaming like a baby around every corner, actually terrified, which naturally Amanda is laughing at him for, making plans on how to prank him around the precinct more often

Amaro’s the one who nearly punches one of the actors out of pure fight or flight instinct

Barba thinks the entire thing is childlike and ridiculous, he’s only here because Olivia showed up at his apartment and dragged him down there herself.

Casey finds herself jumping more often than she’d thought, brushing it off with laughter

Olivia & Alex end up jumping together and don’t even realize they’re holding hands until they’re all the way out and someone else points it out which they both get super flustered about, blaming it on being scared

Fin definitely makes some comment about how this is “white people shit” and he’ll never understand why something like this is supposed to be fun.

Melinda is hands down going over every gruesome scene with a groan, complaining how inaccurate it is, wapping Carisi’s arm as he’s trembling over the gore being all “it’s not even real, calm down!”

Sonya’s the one with the flask in her pocket…duh…

Halloween in general:

Olivia wasn’t super big on the holiday originally, but once she adopts Noah it becomes more of a regular thing when he’s old enough to actually enjoy it. She always makes sure he has the cutest/best costume, and is sure to take him trick or treating with Lucy (so that if she has to leave he doesn’t have to stop getting candy). She lets him gorge on candy that night, but is sure to keep it limited over the next few weeks. They do all the cute family Halloween things, carve pumpkins, roast the seeds, watch things like It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, in the month leading up to the holiday

Rollins LOVES scary movies, and uses Sept/Oct as an excuse to bust them out, we’re talking all the Friday the 13ths, all the Halloween’s, all  4 Scream’s, Nightmare on Elm Street, the Strangers, the Purge collection, the Chucky movies, ALL of them. She drags Carisi into it despite the fact that he HATES them, especially the jump scares, laughing at how panicked he gets during the tense scenes. After having kids she softens up a little bit, obviously she can’t show a 4 year old those movies (she’ll wait til after bedtime for that). She’ll usually join Liv in trick or treating, making the night a little more enjoyable for both of them. She also is 100% guilty of eating at least half of the girls candy after they go to sleep for the night and DEFINITELY hits up the stores Nov 1st for all that sweet, sweet discounted chocolate. She definitely has a costume for Frannie, who puts up with her bullshit long enough to get a couple of pictures before tearing the thing to pieces. 

Carisi loves doing all the cute fun fall things with his family. Like, he’ll be back in Staten Island raking the leaves in his parent’s yard just so the kids can dive bomb into the pile before filling those big jack’o’lantern garbage bags for decorations. He goes costume shopping with them, or spends hours going through pattern books at the fabric store because his Ma is clearly making all the costumes herself just like she did when he was a kid. He’ll spend hours carving pumpkins, chaperoning various relatives friends groups while they trick or treat, various parties of the kids, laughing along with them while they play games. Is definitely helping his sisters make witch finger cookies, or those tables where they turn the lights off and you touch peeled grapes pretending they’re eyeballs and the like. Seriously cannot wait to have his own family/kids to experience it with, cause, duh…it’s our soft sonshine bean.

Alex doesn’t care much for the holiday, this bitch comes from wealth and class and you simply cannot tell me otherwise. She’s much more a Christmas/New Years Eve type holiday celebrator. She’s glad she lives in an apartment where there aren’t many trick or treaters or kids in general, she MIGHT leave a bowl of candy outside her door if she knows there’s kids in the building, but catch this girl probably still at the office not even realizing it’s Oct 31st. As for fall in general, she prefers it, getting to spend more time snuggled up with her s/o, using the chilling weather as an excuse, especially if PDA’s involved. “I’m only holding your hand cause it’s cold” kinda thing

Rafael is 1000% still in his office the entire night, has no reason to celebrate and finds everything oh so childish, though he probably will bring Noah a little packet of candy (and probably a tooth brush, cause, no one likes cavities). He hates the whole “pumpkin obsession” that everyone goes through, ESPECIALLY with coffee, how anyone can drink that sugary sweet shit is far beyond him. Plus it brings hoards more people into the coffee shops and makes him late for work if he doesn’t start leaving the house earlier. He appreciates the cooling weather thanks to regularly being in 3 piece suits though, cause that’s no fun in the humid heat of summer.

Casey’s not super into it, she might throw up a decoration or two on her apartment door for the spirit of things, but she’s not going out or celebrating, and definitely not dressing up. She’s a girl that belongs in summer, warm air, outdoor sports, the ability to bike ride through the city rather than deal with rain/snow. I feel things like 4th of July are her jam, outdoors, a barbecue, the warm summer air, sports, obviously softball.

Melinda: (it’s canon she’s married and has a kid so I’m going with that here). She gets WAY too into it in terms of setting up her front yard into a horror zone, like, the MOST realistic decorations, organizing skeletons/organs/brains/etc into the most realistic & disgusting scenarios. Loves to freak out trick or treater’s with it while her kids younger, when the kid is older and hosting parties, she’ll have a long trail leading to the back yard, a little haunted house type display with all the medically accurate terrifying thing before the guests get to the door. She definitely takes notes of the most disturbing deaths she’s seen all year just for this moment. There is 100% fog machines and creepy soundtracks throughout the entire thing. 

[whousesheartsanyways]

[HUNTLOW] [SONGFIC] right where you left me

Friends break up, friends get married

Strangers get born, strangers get buried

Trends change, rumors fly through new skies

But I'm right where you left me

Amity Blight and Luz Noceda  cordially invite you to their wedding. 

Willow walks over the table and sits awkwardly waving at everybody. Her gaze doesn’t stop to look at Hunter who’s right next to her. Shivers go through her spine as she remembers that the last time they were at the same table everything kinda fell apart. 

Matches burn after the other

Pages turn and stick to each other

Wages earned and lessons learned

But I, I'm right where you left me

"Willow you look so pretty “Luz’s mom says and she smiles politely back at her. 

“Total bloom!” Amity’s sister comments “I still remember when we were all at school and you were just a little sprout.”

Emira doesn’t mean it in a bad way, but it’s still rude and they all notice. Willow dismisses the comment as if it was nothing. Hunter clears his throat.

“She was the captain of our senior year roller-derby team. Plus, top student. How does that make you a little sprout again?”

Help, I'm still at the restaurant

Still sitting in a corner I haunt

Cross-legged in the dim light

They say, "What a sad sight"

“Willow… I’m going to NY. I just got the letter today.” He says. Her body stiffens. 

“Congratulations” She says, putting her glass down. Feeling suddenly too young to have a glass of wine in her hand. “That’s what you wanted. I am happy for you”. 

Her gaze gets blurry. 

“Why don’t you come with me? I’m sure you’ll have a bright future no matter where you go. “

“I can’t, Hunter” She looks for the waiter. Maybe they should just leave. This place is too fancy for them anyways. 

“Yes, you can. I’m sure your dads will support your decision. Willow, I’m getting a scholarship. I know I could work too, come with me, we’ll figure it out, but I know this will work. We could even… ” He stars looking for something in his pockets. He looks so dazzling with his hair combed backwards and his cheeks blushed. 

“I don’t wanna leave my hometown” She lies. She’s just too scared that things don’t turn out well for both of them. He’s brilliant. He’s handsome. He’s got dreams. She just has him. She’s gonna miss him so much when he’s not here anymore. 

I, I swear you could hear a hair pin drop

Right when I felt the moment stop

“This shouldn’t be this ways” He says. 

He’s crying. 

“Willow you’re making me choose”.

“You’re wrong. That’s exactly what I would never do” She pleads. “I’ve made out my mind for a while, Hunter… this is going nowhere. You will be leaving anyway. We better spend this last summer apart.” 

She runs to her home that day. She was kind of expecting he would come around, but he did not. That’s good , she thinks. 

Glass shattered on the white cloth

Everybody moved on

I, I stayed there

Dust collected on my pinned-up hair

She cries all summer. She doesn't see her friends. She is too scared that anyone could persuade her to go back to him. To accept, just to end up in an even sadder ending. 

And months goes by. 

She can’t help it. She goes to his house the night before he left. 

They talk, but he’s too hurt to look at her in the way she would like. Willow can’t blame him. 

They say their farewells. He’s gone. 

They expected me to find somewhere

Some perspective, but I sat and stared

Right where you left me

Willow goes to NY. One year later she’s been offered a scholarship that she’s eager to accept. 

She walks the streets every day wondering if that would be the day they finally meet again. 

You left me no, oh, you left me no

“Willow… I ran into Hunter the other day” Gus says on the phone after they have been talking for almost an hour. Her heart stops. She’s been here for almost a year. 

“Really? Woow … Haven’t heard of him for ages. How’s he doing?” She says casually. Keep it cool. 

You left me no choice but to stay here forever

“Good morning beautiful” He says with a smirk next to her locker. She pecks him on the cheek.

“I made notes for your presentation today” She says, handling the cards at him, and he kisses her on the lips.

“Have I ever told you how amazing you are ?

“Not today” she sings.

“You’re the most amazing girlfriend on Earth, Miss Willow Park. And I am the luckiest bastard to have you. See you at the library later?”

You left me, you left me no, oh, you left me noYou left me no choice but to stay here forever

“He seemed fine” he says… “He said it’s been crazy here…and… “

“...And?” She repeats.

“He… he’s seeing someone, Willow. I saw them together. I’m sorry”. 

Did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen?

He’s got a new girlfriend. Someone new to love. Willow cries her eyes out that night. 

Time went on for everybody else, she won't know it

She's still 23 inside her fantasy

How it was supposed to be

“Stalking your ex again?” Skara, her roommate asks her as soon as Willow shuts the laptop when she enters surpresively in her bedroom. 

She has tried several times to check on him. Sober and drunk. Mostly drunk. She even tried to have Skara befriend him on facebook one time when they were both tipsy.  She didn’t acceppt, though. 

Did you hear about the girl who lives in delusion?

She sees him, crossing the street. A red scarf around his neck and his hair has grown longer, but suits him. She panics and goes back to the shop where she was buying a new book. Waits for him to pass the windowshop. When he’s gone, she still waits inside half an hour. She gets late to work that day.

Break-ups happen every day, you don't have to lose it

She's still 23 inside her fantasy

“You look so beautiful tonight” The guy in front of her is saying. She can’t get a single word of what he’s blabbing. Her eyes are focused on Hunter, who’s about to take a seat two tables far from her with a blonde girl. When he sees her, he waves at her so happy that she feels she’s passing out. His smile hasn’t changed a bit since they were 17. 

He looks dreamy. He’s coming over.

But he notices she’s not alone and walks backwards. 

The blond girl rubs his neck and takes him to a farther table.

The flashback takes her to the day they had their first date. 

He was too nervous to even look at her. She rubbed his hand that time and they both smiled. Then kissed. They dated for two years. The best two years of her life.

And you're sitting in front of me

At the restaurant, when I was still the one you want

Cross-legged in the dim light, everything was just right

I, I could feel the mascara run

You told me that you met someone

Glass shattered on the white cloth

Everybody moved on

“I’m sorry” she mumbles  “But I’m feeling unwell”. She grabs her purse and runs out of the restaurant. She never hears from Hunter -or the other guy - again.

Help, I'm still at the restaurant

“Willow, I love you” He whispers. He’s too nervous. His face is  two centimeters from hers.

“I know” She smiles. “I love you even more” and kisses him hard, feeling how his weight covers her and fills her and makes her feel complete.

Willow goes over the memories one hundred times, and they never fail to shutter her heart into pieces. Time goes by, but she can’t move on. 

Still sitting in a corner I haunt

Cross-legged in the dim light

They say, "What a sad sight"

His fingers feel tight around her waist and his mouth on her neck. The world is spinning around. He’s moaning her name, hot waves going all over her body as they make out in his car.

She kisses him again and again, and feels blessed for loving him so much and for being loved in return. 

 I, I stayed there

Dust collected on my pinned-up hair

I'm sure that you got a wife out there

Kids and Christmas, but I'm unaware

'Cause I'm right where

“So… “ he talks to her in lower voice when dessert in being served. The brides are already dancing. Amity and Luz look beautiful and she tries to think on them to keep her eyes apart from him.  “How’s life going, Captain?

Her heart races. Goddamned Hunter and those nicknames that would melt all her bones.

They chat. After the awkward first five minutes they get into it as if seven years were just seconds.

“I wasn’t sure if you kept living in New York” He admits after he has finished his second drink. She can tell he’s not drunk, not even tipsy. He just wanna play the cool guy part. “Luz told me some time ago”.

“Oh, so you guys talk about me?” She jokes. He doesn’t laugh. 

I cause no harm, mind my business

If our love died young, I can't bear witness

“Yeah…I’ve been there for a while. I used to live with my roommate but now I’m on my own. Finally independent” She says, a little pride in her voice.

“I’m glad. ” He replies. He’s honest, she can also tell that. 

“What about you?”

“Same. Used to live with some friends but I recently decided that I wanted my own place. I'm renting an apartment here…” He shows the place on google maps. She goes pale at the discovery they are almost neighbors. 

“Wow that’s crazy” he says “I guess life doesn't want me to move on…” His voice sounds bittersweet. 

He looks at her and smiles. Offers his hand to dance.

And it's been so long

She breathes in and accepts. They dance, and it seems time is frozen as she can only look at those beautiful eyes again. He asks her to be honest and tell him if she had ever regretted what happened. Because he does every day.

But if you ever think you got it wrong

“I even tried to have a friend get your address once, because I knew he was from your same school” He admits. She bursts into laughter.

“Because Willow… Time has passed, and we have grown up, but… when I close my eyes I still remember the day you were everything to me and I was everything to you. I can’t move on, no matter how hard I try."

I'm right where you left me

You left me no, oh, you left me no

You left me no choice but to stay here forever

They leave the party together and he drives her to the old court they used to go to after school.

They are kissing in his car. She runs her fingers through his hair and it remains as soft as the last time she did so.

He kisses her cheeks multiple times.

“You have always been the most beautiful woman on Earth to me” he whispers. 

Her heart is in her throat. She has dreamt about this so many times that it is still hard to process. 

But he’s being honest. You can always tell when Hunter’s being honest. 

“I missed you so much” She said at last. And they kiss again. 

You left me

You left me no, oh, you left me no

You left me no choice but to stay here forever

Amity gets the mail that morning. Her eyes scan the envelope and when she reads the card, goes running crazy back into the house, calling for her wife.

Willow Park and Hunter Wittebane cordially invite you to their wedding. 

Lots of time skips over here

[concussed-to-pieces]

The Chance And The Change; Part Six

Fandom: Boku No Hero Academia/My Hero Academia

Pairing: (Eventual) Villain!Mirio/AFAB Shie Hassaikai!Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

A/N: Welcome all, welcome to our next installment! Enjoy!

Tag List: @hijackser @nonstop-haikyuu @zombiexbody @buttons-beads-lace @moonchhu @swift-omg-no @ectoplasmictoast @tartimaar-bloggeth

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains depictions of financial insecurity. Stay safe!]

The young man currently darkening your doorway filled your chest with a frantic array of emotions. Oh of course you had seen the news! Of course you had read the stories. He had been lauded as a hero for his impressive undercover work. There had even been a documentary for the true-crime fiends, 'Eyes Inside The Hassaikai'. 

Mirio Togata had clearly done well for himself. He was obviously on the straight and narrow, obviously through with the life he had led before. 

So why was he here now?

You stood awkwardly at the top of the steps for a moment, your hands clutching your lone reusable grocery bag and your jacket still dripping with the autumn rains that poured outside. He hadn't noticed you yet, staring down at his phone. The latest model, you realized with a touch of jealousy. Your phone screen had cracked ages ago, but you hadn't been able to set aside the funds to fix it yet.

You finally cleared your throat pointedly and Mirio flinched at the noise, jamming his phone back into his pocket. "It is you!" He practically shouted, that grin just as broad and guileless as before. "I had a real time tracking you down after you changed your address, but luckily with all the break-ins there was new-"

"Why are you here?" You interrupted him stiffly.

"I…I wanted to see you?"

You cringed, expecting a police escort to come sauntering up behind you. Maybe they would crash through the roof, like a SWAT team…

"Hey, what's with that look?" The blond man asked gently, taking a step forward. "I'm glad you're in one piece, y'know?"

"Did you come alone?" The query came out much sharper than you intended, almost a bark. 

Togata paused, his brow furrowed. "Well yeah, of course. Who else would I have come with?"

"Are you sure?" You pressed, peering back down the dark staircase you had come up. 

"I swear, I'm the only one." He replied, his tone earnest. "I promise."

You exhaled, reluctantly giving him a visual once-over. "You look good, Lemillion."

His smile threatened to blind you. "So do you! You been working out? Gettin' in shape? I know this great twenty-four hour gym closer to the center of town…"

…

You were gaunt and you looked scared. Not dangerously so, but enough that he noticed. Mirio wanted to kick himself for having taken so long to enquire after you once you were discharged from the hospital. It had been a mess of red tape just to get access to your account so he could update your coverage, forge the backdate and pay it off; his last act of what he would consider illegal behavior. Once that had been accomplished, however, his hands were clean. Togata had really 'shaped up', according to anyone who felt the need to comment on it.

It had been what you wanted. What you told him to do. 

You've got shit to do! You can keep the kid safe. You can be the hero she needs right now!

Don't let this shit be for nothing.

And so he had worked on himself, worked tirelessly to bring that future to fruition. Remembering your expression, your eyes when your Quirk was fading out and all you could do was hold your wounded shoulder and reassure him, with you even going so far as attempting to smile…it had been absolutely haunting. It was more than enough motivation to really buckle down and stop messing around with his gray area activities.

"Can I get you anything?" You asked, your tone wry while you unpacked the minimal groceries you had obviously just picked up. "I have tap water and tap water that's been sitting in the fridge. Splurged a little on a filter pitcher to liven things up."

"Oh I'm all set, thanks. I actually wanted to know if you'd like to…uh, get dinner." Mirio offered, and he was uncertain if he'd felt more awkward in his life. "I know it's kind of miserable out though, and I know I came by sort of unexpectedly, so it's totally fine if you don't want to…want to get dinner."

You squinted up at him, clearly suspicious. "And why are you trying to get me dinner?"

"I…" Mirio didn't really have an answer for that, stammering momentarily and then falling silent.

You made a noise of annoyance, shaking your head. "You feel bad for me, don't you?"

"No," he began earnestly, but you weren't done.

"Oh? So what's the reason for dinner? You always reconnect with old work pals over some tasty noodles from down the street?" 

"I've missed you." The words were out before he could stop them and you had the grace to look stunned. "It's been nothing but hero stuff, all day every day for months." Mirio rushed to explain, feeling embarrassed heat creep up the back of his neck. "I'm happy for the opportunity, don't get me wrong! It's just hard to be around constantly, that's all. I feel like I'm working uphill."

Your laugh was unexpected, the noise boisterous and honest. "Ha! Schoolboy having a tough time fitting in with the general populace?"

"You have no idea-" Mirio erupted enthusiastically, only to be cut off when the lightbulb over his head flickered and went out. In the dim twilight from the window he saw you groping towards another light switch, and the swears you unleashed upon flipping it to no avail had him grinning in spite of himself. 

"I don't suppose that offer of dinner still stands?" You finally asked with a sigh. "Guess the electric company wasn't fucking around. Nice of them to wait until I got home."

"Absolutely. Recommend me a food spot you like." It was either a testament to his preexisting nature or a confirmation that this hero stuff was rubbing off on him, because it was on the tip of Mirio's tongue to offer you a spot on his apartment's couch. His roommate probably wouldn't have any objections, and it would only be for a few weeks or so. Just until he could catch whoever was behind the break-ins–

Dinner, idiot! he chided himself. One thing at a time. Sir left it to my discretion!

"When I have the money for it, there's a place about a block away." Togata could only just see that you were raising your hands, like you were about to fend off an objection. "They're not expensive! The food is good, and they have huge portions. I'm a little broke at the moment as embarrassing as that is to admit, but I'll be able to pay you back in–"

"Absolutely not." Mirio interjected firmly. "I'm the one imposing on your time, after all. Of course dinner is on me!" 

…

"I'm really sorry about all this, I've been behind for a while." You apologized as you locked the apartment door. You were weirdly alright with this turn of events, you couldn't even lie. If you'd had to open your fridge, Mirio would have no doubt seen that the only thing in it was a cheap filter pitcher of water and a half-empty can of tomato paste. Being behind on a bill or two was easy enough to admit, but revealing that you subsisted on microwave noodles, peanut butter and water might raise a few red flags. 

Specifically in the sodium department.

Mirio towered over you in the dim, cramped hallway, his gelled hair practically brushing the ceiling. "Cozy place, huh?" He remarked, bluntly dismissing your apology without a word. "Built in what, 1912?"

"I'll have you know it was 2013," was your tart reply, and he laughed again. You had missed making him laugh, you were realizing to your chagrin. "I can't believe you got to be in a documentary about those fuckwads." Togata sputtered a bit at that, clearly embarrassed, but you pressed on. "Was it cool? Or just a pain in the ass?"

"Both, sort of! It was a lot of work, but really exciting to see forensic science in action. Sir was instrumental in taking down the Hassaikai, and he…" Mirio trailed off. "Oh wait. Uh, so you probably don't know this, but I'm one of Sir Nighteye's trainees now! I was voluntarily incarcerated for around three weeks while they figured out what to do with me, I'm in a probationary position now."

You squinted. "Oh, with what's-his-name? Started with a D."

"Deku!"

"Yeah, how are things going with him?"

"Really well! He's a hardworking guy and he doesn't mind partnering up to get things done, which is great for surveillance details."

"And what of your plans of sweeping reform, Schoolboy? Put any of those in motion?"

With his infectious good mood washing over you, you were nearly able to ignore the cold, needle-like rain still coming down during the five minute walk to the little hole in the wall eatery. Mirio insisted on loaning you his umbrella, stating that his hair was so aggressively gelled the rain just slid off onto his coat instead. He laughed when you pointed out the droplets clinging to the tip of his nose and you were really getting a little concerned over how much you had apparently missed making him laugh–

His enthusiasm continued into the meal. The soda he ordered sat untouched by his elbow as he relayed (without using her name, you noticed) that Eri was well on her way to recovery. Her Quirk, while not fully understood, was being studied quite intently and…

"...there may be a way to reverse what happened to you." Mirio finally offered carefully through a mouthful of soft-boiled egg, his eyes on your face as if to gauge your reaction. 

A noodle escaped from between your chopsticks and landed back in the bowl of broth with a soft splat.

You were at a loss for words. Hope and fear, gut-wrenching and total, warred inside you. "Mirio…" you hesitated, taking a bracing sip of your tea in an attempt to gather yourself. "There isn't a place for me in this kinder, gentler world you're making." You kept your attention firmly on the steaming mug in your hands. "There never really was, even when I had my Quirk." 

"That's not true," Mirio started to protest, pausing when you held up a hand. 

"Schoolboy, someone like me is expendable at best and invisible at worst. I'm not gonna' sob over the crap that I went through before…" you hesitated, glancing around and then lowering your voice. "Before the boss, if you catch my drift. It won't do me any good to dwell on it. What I'm doing now is going okay, and that's more than I've had for a pretty long time."

"Except your power is being turned off." Togata pointed out, his tone incredulous. "And that bunch of break-ins!"

You bristled at his interjection, recalling only now how annoying it could be to talk to him sometimes. His lacking ability to pick up on social cues was one of his more irritating qualities and, while his assumptions were not incorrect, it was much harder to explain away with him across the table from you. "The power thing was just a mistake on the electric company's part. I haven't had the time to fight with them over the phone." You lied, lowering your gaze to your tea again. "Plus, a lot of places got broken into, not just mine."

A hand slipped beneath your chin, raising your face. "Let me help you." He murmured.

Maybe it was the gentle tone of his voice. Maybe it was the blatant, honest kindness in his expression. Maybe you were just tired of fighting on your own.

No matter the reason, your eyes welled up and you felt tears start to stream down your cheeks. Mirio made a sympathetic sound in his throat, reaching for one of the paper napkins next to your arm. "I've got you." He soothed. "It's okay. I'm here to help. Come crash on my couch for a while, you'll be safe at my place. I promise." His smile threatened to really make you lose your composure and you hid your face in your hands, finally nodding.

"I'm so embarrassed." You whispered.

"You're not asking for help, if it makes you feel better." Mirio replied softly. "I'm offering help. And not because of my line of work, but because it's the right thing to do."

"What if your roommate doesn't agree with your choice to bring me in?"

"Pfft, Tamaki? He's a great guy, he'll be totally fine with you staying over!"

Part Seven