#this was just a splurge of thoughts mostly on the outfits

[dizzybevvie]

Hello B!

Do you have any opinions on the character designs within the aphverse?

Example: too many characters have blue eyes, there aren't enough (x) traits, etc etc

OK I WILL GET TO THAT BUT OMG NO ONES EVER CALLED ME B BEFORE ... I LOVE IT

[Keeping this to MYS because thats what I know.]

I mean, I DO think too many characters have blue eyes. Between Dante, Laurance, Garroth, Katelyn, Zane - thats already the majority of the friend group.

I dont mind the blue hair/blue eyes combo, but Dante AND katelyn having it is a bit much 🤷‍♂️ AND they couldve kept Laurances original colour pallet :( I totally get changing the design bc of the skins, but in MYS theres no lore reason for Laur having blue eyes so at least they shouldve been green right??? Im also devastated hes not ginger but alas <\3

I think overtime the girls in the show have less variety, particularly in the hair. No different lengths or anything. I mean, just take Cadenza! She has longass hair in s1 but it eventually gets cut the same length as Kate, KC and Aph. The girl with THE most variety in character design - and probably one of the best designs imo - is Kim, and i literally couldnt tell you a single one of her character traits other than 'possessed'. Her highlights are different and I like her colour pallet.

The guys all look... kinda similar too. But they did well differing them in little ways, like hair partings and such. I do want Laurance's long hair back tho. Jess dont be a coward give us ling hair ginger laurance

I think its very funny that Laurance has ABSOLUTELY NO fashion sense, but i would like clothes to be more consistent! I like Dante's outfit with the button up/button up/shirt combo, even if it was ridiculous it felt in character - although its a shame that after Aarmau was made canon no other character could wear purple or red, because dante looked good in red!! I love Garroth's hawaiian shirt getup and they should bring that vibe back for him for sure.

I dont think there are enough brown eyes im gonna be real brown eyes are beautiful and like. way too many inbred eyes /lh

this isnt so much an issue with character designs because. minecraft. but there arent many different body types. Like, I think Aphmau and Zane are fat, and then Travis has broad shoulders (according to 1 line of dialogue in s1, and hes still buff). and everyone else is just somewhere on the sims4 slider of skinny and strong.

WHERE ARE MY SHORT KINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT EVERY GUY CAN BE 6"02U392U3837 JUST BECAUSE YOU LIKE THAT JESS. THERES NO WAY TRAVIS IS TALLER THAN KATELYN THERES NO WAY

It wouldve been neat seeing disabilities other than zane's blindness purely because of limited differentiation in design. Like, going forward into s7 I would love to see Travis keep the wheelchair bc im pretty sure he cant. recover from that. unless they pull some aphmau magic bs

All in all im torn abt Luci because I think its cute for her to be the odd one out (as i said in my If-I-Was-Tasked-With-Rewriting-Mystreet post), but thats clearly not the intention and you kinda forget shes a witch at all. Which would be cool if it was brought up? idk. Her black dress + bow was her best outfit i think. The red eyes and the bright ginger hair is a lot on the eyes and the black is a good combo for that.

TBH, the only Aph outfit I liked was the one from Season 3, but her current skin (non-mystreet) is actually very cute. I like it a lot

People have said this a lot, but one BIG issue i have with the mys designs is the colour pallets. Im a big fan of shows where one character is heavily associated with one colour, and though this doesnt HAVE to be the case for Mystreet, Id like then to be consistent. Kate's colour has always been blue, Travis' colour has always been green, Aph/Aaron Purple/red, Kc pink, zane black/grey, and Garroth is usually blue. but Dante, Laurance, Lucinda, Melissa, etc have had some super inconsistent ones.

One character design that I like across the series is actually KC. Once they know how to pair the pinks and black/white well, they do pretty well with it! Its just a lot of pink and easy to get wrong. but they do well

Travis' also isnt that bad, the outfit of his i really remember was fhe green hoodie and black trousers which felt correct.

To go back to the eye colours, Its fun to see Jess' thought process bc like. almost ALL of her love interests have blue eyes except aaron? idk. food for thought.

In conclusion,

[akutasoda]

hello akuta!!

I was wondering if you could do like proposals or wedding hcs for ranpo, poe, yosano, kouyou (all separate of course), and maybe others if you want!

can i spend my eternity with you?

synopsis - how would they propose a d how is your wedding day

includes - yosano, ranpo, kouyou, poe

warnings - gn!reader, fluff, slight crack, marriage, wc - 842

a/n: hi hi! :)

akiko yosano ★↷

↪if there were a day that she would really indulge in, it would be her wedding day. even if she sometimes thought she'd never have one- it wasn't exactly a priority of hers.

↪but upon meeting you she practically could hear the wedding bells in the distance from day one. so with every little detail, she made sure it would be absolutely perfect.

↪she wasn't into all that fancy stuff, if the two of you loved eachother then that's all that mattered. so she would mostly likely propose at a home date. it made it more special as it was just the two of you.

↪after a long day, she'd look forward to the small date you both agreed for in the evening. and after dinner was out the way you both sat idly watching tv in each others embrace. eventually she got up claiming to go grab a drink before re entering and immediately getting down on one knee.

↪her wedding? well it was a once in a lifetime thing and especially because it was with you, she'd want to be absolutely stunning (fukuzawa was more than happy to fund it). and no matter who walked down the aisle, she swore she never had been so happy seeing you.

ranpo edogawa ★↷

↪he never really thought about marriage. he either thought it was dumb or, after meeting you, thought that the both of you would stay together regardless. he didn't understand the significance of marriage.

↪but through you or someone else telling him why they were so special, he eventually decided to propose. and again, wasn't aiming for anything fancy. afterall he was always straightforward.

↪the most likely scenario would be him simply asking you and handing you a very expensive ring. or maybe he would do a bit of research and arrange ot to be not so casual but it would be really up to what he thought you would prefer.

↪and once you were engaged, he did start thinking about the wedding. he practically couldn't wait, he now finally understood why people loved it so and especially because he would see you walk down the aisle in whatever stunning outfit you wore.

↪the wedding would also be happily funded by fukuzawa, so ranpo may of splurged a bit too much - mainly on the cake for him and whatever you wanted. but at the end of the day he finally had it sink in and he looked at you with the biggest lovestruck look one could imagine.

kouyou ozaki ★↷

↪she always dreamed of her wedding as a girl. it was something she found comfort in envisioning, making up all different styles and visions for it. but never too perfect as she couldn't imagine who with. and meeting you she finally could imagine the best one.

↪fancy yet humble. that's one way to describe it. from the proposal to the wedding day. she's a classic romantic, taking you out to a fancy restaurant (perhaps the one you both first went to) and proposing. and in that moment she swore she came so close to crying.

↪she had booked a table that was rather secluded and waited for all waiters to temporarily disappear. this way it could be a moment shared between the two of you only. and when she hughed you after your acceptance that's when the wiater finally returned and so did she, never letting your hand go.

↪the wedding would be small. she only wanted people very close to her but didn't mind who you invited. and while it was small, it was extravagant. she somehow found a way to make it seem so humble yet so fancy and made it work.

edgar allan poe ★↷

↪he never ever envisioned his marriage. sure he thought about it time to time when he maybe wrote a scene in his books to add twists but not much. and he was perfectly fine with not marrying. just being with you was enough for him.

↪you'd probably have to propose. he's only proposing if you really hint at him and even then he doesn't do so well. he has the absolute best intentions, he's just nervous. very nervous. he plans it out like a classic romantic (he is a classic romantic and i will fight for this statement) but just let his nerves get the best of him.

↪it's not that he doesn't, he does very much so, it's just he's scared of being rejected or embarrassing himself. you do probably watch him drop the ring a few times but you don't mind.

↪another small marriage. he isn't one for big crowds normally so he would absolutely not want a big crowd watch him especially when he's nervous enough. but he doesn't mind if you want to invite loads, its not just his special day afterall.

↪and no matter how long you both have been married, he will stare down at the ring and smile to himself. always wondering how he ever got so lucky.

↪karl is the ring bearer and i take no complaints.

[shiawasekai]

So I've been giving a lot of thought to Nela's self-image issues, aka the cognitive dissonance that makes it so she can't recognize herself in a mirror (+ all the extra issues mounted on top of that). Because, yes, Samel's arrival knocks her out from her downward spiral and starts her on the road of Proper Mourning and Actually Dealing With Her Grief... But it does very little to cover the other side of the problem beyond unveiling its existence to others.

After all, no amount of people saying she looks good is going to help. It has never been about looking good or bad, that's the lesser of her problems.

Further disclaimer: at any point when I talk about Nela's post-game recovery, I don't mean it in a "she's fixed now" way. She IS a different person now because of what happened to her. The consequences and the baggage is something she'll carry her entire life, something that will keep shaping her choices. Especially the self-image issues, those are notoriously hard to wholly fight off.

It's also not something that gets immediately fixed. It's a long and hard process and it takes years. Sometimes it sees no progress at all in months, sometimes there are setbacks and... Sometimes there is a milestone that helps her take one leap forward in a very short time.

And what I was searching is the latter, because if I tried to have her just look to a mirror until her brain decided to accept the reflection as Nela, I would have her self-harming again. Which is fine as a setback to spice up the process, but not what I'm looking for here.

And I'm having a hard time trying to describe the scene in my head, so bear with me here.

I think most people have at some point fantasized about an older version of themselves. A dream job, maybe having that pet your family always denied to you. The key element is you fantasized about this older version of yourself.

And that's what I want to exploit.

I did establish before that Nela's family was... not rich. They did fine for the times they lived, all things considered, but they had no money to splurge. I've also mentioned often her parents were tailors, and both twins helped out at their shop and learnt the trade (mostly Samel, Nela was a terrible apprentice and ended up taking tasks like bookkeeping and cleaning instead).

The image I had is of a young teenaged Nela watching her mother work, absolutely taken by the outfit she's working on. It's not in any style the practical Nela usually likes, and yet she truly cannot stop looking at it.

Her mother notices her daughter's interest, and promises her to make it for her when she's older and a bit more civilised. They'll get the money for some good fabric too.

Nela is too much of a teenager to ever admit it and grumbles instead, but a part of her is dreaming with that day. With nice clothes in pretty colours, with the indulgence of it. Money is tight and often the choice is between food or clothes. Sometimes they even need to go out and forage, taxes have gone up again. It doesn't look like the war is going to end anytime soon.

Many years later, Nela is standing in front of a mirror in an outfit so, so similar to the one that distant day. And, for the first time ever since she awakened in Kenabres, the person looking back isn't a stranger: it's the woman she once was in her fantasies. She recognizes her.

It's not quite a perfect match. Her dream adult self didn't have that many feathers, or scars from war. Her mother never got to make it for her, but that one memory of an unfulfilled promise is now an anchor that connects the past and the present.

For the first time in years at that point, she sees herself in the mirror.

[fantastic-mr-corvid]

Character design ask for Celia: motion, wardrobe, favorite please!

Thank you Dujour!!! these were so fun to think about, there's loads under the read more! ask game here!

motion: How does your OC move? How does their clothing help or hinder their range of motion? Are they flexible, coordinated, clumsy?

Celia now moves with purpose, very coordinated and surprisingly unhindered by her choice of clothing, which can be attributed to practice- there are some benefits to wearing one type of outfit for roughly five years at a time.

Celia is not quite as flexible as she used to be, and not quite as fast [which is still pretty damn fast], but shes worked hard to keep her fast movement and agility as her body changed. when tired she can be clumsy, but usually shes so careful about accidentally damaging something with her strength or stand that her movements are all very thought through and calculated.

fighting style wise, she uses a mix of martial arts, mainly taught Kickboxing [taught by Tesoro] and Taekwondo [because i used to do it] with emphasis on speed and maximizing the force behind her attacks and targeting weak points. she used and still does plenty of kicks, which is a show of just how fast and skilled she is, to be able to use it in an actually fight, making her younger self able to use the stronger leg muscles, and her older self able to send someone flying easily.

Despite her body changing drastically, she still fights mostly the same, only having gotten stronger and more skilled as well as experienced. shes that stupidly tall stupidly jacked guy that can move silently and sprint like a demon and is annoyingly agile while built like a brick shithouse with a punch that would shatter a rock. theres a reason she fairly rarely uses Human Algebra and looks down on stand users who heavily rely on their stand, shes a powerhouse all by herself.

wardrobe: How big is your character's wardrobe? Do they wear things threadbare, or can they afford new clothes often? Are they any good at mending and repairing their own clothing?

Celias wardrobe is fairly big for someone who only really wears variations on one outfit at a time. Partially its so any damaged piece of clothing can be replaced until Celia has time to mend it.

Celia very much has a 'make do and mend' mentality towards clothes, the variations in her outfits come from thrifting through charity shops to find clothes she likes and no two being the same as oppose to choice. She spends quite a lot of time dying and altering clothes, and most of Cecios clothes are whatever managed to survive her wear & tear- and later her mothers when he grew taller than Celia [but not for long!] She likes to use metal, especially adding chains over slits, to make the clothes her own, but if it wouldn't be seen as 'girly' she would use more embroidery!

the material for her usual red & gold outfit is denim, dyed red. im sure its somehow possible to dye the 'white' threads gold and the 'blue' threads red [and if not allow me this one thing], which is how her jacket and trousers have the gold highlights on folds, its the gold colored threads showing more! she will crop the bottom or widen the back of denim jackets and alter the front using gold ribbon and red fabric, and that red fabric- also used for the straps/bandages/giant ribbons of her top- is hand embroidered with those golden crosses!

due to her working in a garage as an assistant mechanic, she got assess to metalworking tools, and that's how she shapes her triangles & belt pieces!

her miniskirt & yes jorts are cut downs and alterations of pairs of trousers that are to damaged to just patch, and the other material will be used for altering other trousers & jackets! the red fabric is dyed ruined bed-sheets [read: bloodstains finally built up] or other scrap fabric that can be dyed red and turned into strips of fabric!

anything torn or damaged can be patched in her eyes, or reused. Even when she has plenty of money she just tends to splurge for higher quality materials and still makes her own clothes. [less dyed red bloodstained sheets turned into tops] and while she has one or two very nice tailored suits in the wardrobe, as well as a nice light linen shirt and trousers combo bc she isn't always willing to suffer the Italian summer heat in denim, she sticks to her main outfit, so its just so many pairs of altered jeans and jackets and tops

favorite: Does your OC have a favorite article of clothing or accessory? What is it? What's the meaning behind it? Do they wear it all the time or do they wear it sparingly to keep it safe?

Her wrap top is not just reminiscent of babys first attempt at a binder, but also boxing/martial arts hand wraps! Tesoro often wears them and its a fun link between the twos design. Celia used to wear them occasionally but now her knuckles have plenty of scar tissue and are pretty conditioned so she rarely bothers now [she probably should!!! but she doesn't]

She has her mothers rosary<3 it is very precious and is kept safe in the shrine Celia & Cecio have for her, but Celia does have a necklace [design not finalized] of her mothers that she always wears, often under her wrap top.

There are a few necklaces her mother would often wear with her suits, fake gems and cheap metal, but a few were well made enough that they get passed down to Rametto [whos main style is an 'womens' suit with undone shirt and big statement necklace/choker] and both Cecio and Celia have at various stages worn their mothers clothing [she was also a suits women] in place of buying formal wear, but Cecio for example enjoys their mothers taste in shirts, both formal and not.

While anything of their mothers is extremely precious, if it can be used it will, so most of her clothing has been reworn or altered by Celia for her, Cecio and some stuff for Rametto [Celia quickly outgrew her mothers suit jackets and Rametto will wear them with padding do win win]

that got of track and now im emotional about reusing old clothes but Celia places important weight on many of her possessions, but wont hesitate to both use & risk them

[hazelplaysgames]

all right Blue Archive gacha pulls. like i have said repeatedly, there was a banner lined up in time with my birthday, this being the Cleaning & Clearing bunny outfits. the girls infiltrated a casino in a yacht, and maid outfits aren't up to dresscode there. mortifying, i'm aware.

and i'm particularly fond of those girls! though, yeah, i'm mostly doing this because of Neru, who i thought was awesome in the story. and, like, the JP server is six months ahead, i knew this was coming since February, and bunny Neru and bunny Karin are both limited to their own banners- point is, i plan around the pity pull in limited banners, timing just worked out great. i can talk a lot, i'm slapping a Keep Reading on this so you can just scroll past.

you clicked the shiny blue button! since Neru and Karin were both limited, i figured the obvious plan was to pull on one of theirs, as long as i could get one, i could just P-pull the other. bunny Asuna and bunny Akane aren't limited, so i could consider them lower priority.

so naturally, first two ten pulls saw me get bunny Neru. funny enough, the story this is tied to has Asuna hittin' it big in 20 pulls too.

then i had this fun idea, since the timing was a little bit off, to not do every pull on the same day. in the past, i just blitzed through all the pulls at once, but i figured to just go through it several pulls a day, maybe on different banners. i do not think it worked out.

and there's bunny Asuna in the bottom right, 104 pulls in with no 3 stars between her and Neru. right next to her usual maid outfit too.

the lowest yield pull is 9 one stars, and one two star, the tenth pull has a raised minimum. so, none of them are the literal memed weakest pull. after that though, no one new came to me. i'm keeping it phrased like that.

repeat pulls of Hoshino, Megu, and Aris on the three star front, and aside from that. ah, 16th pull is the memed 9B1Y. ninby. decent enough amount of 2 stars total, it's an all right 200 pulls right there.

that said, i was feeling a bit upset about not getting bunny Akane, i got 3 out of 4, it's like not having a full set, y'know? so i double checked the upcoming banners, and i felt like i could splurge some more gems in a hail mary. i gave it thirty pulls.

it didn't pay out. lesson learned, always plan around the pity pull, and never take unnecessary gambles.

fun number stats, not counting the pity, that is 5/230 3 stars, 68/230 2 stars, and the rest... think 157? 157 1 stars. not the best banner i've ever had, but also not the worst. i'll take it!

oh, back to somethin', i only feel like i need to accrue, like, 100 pulls within the next six months, if the JP banners to global banners is accurate. there's only about four limited banners coming up i care about, and one of them is for the anniversary event that's finally hitting, so that's a free 100 pulls on one of them. i got a lot of freemium stacked up.

i feel like playing all the gacha games i have has just kinda shown me that, for as predatory as these ones are, who i am would make Xenoblade Chronicles 2 WAY worse. like, i plan around failure here, with the pities being all that i truly expect, but XC2 is telling me that, to get a 100% file, i have to practically find, what, four or five shinies in gen 2? no way to raise the odds in the rarest case scenario? and you're tellin' me there IS a finish line?

in a retrospect idea, i actually think this whole thing's a zonk. it'd be better if i could record it, but the sum of all factors makes that infeasible right now. also, like, it might well be the case that gacha pulling only really is a fun show for those who also play a gacha game? that's a consideration i hadn't hit until now.

i've done enough rambling, i got buns. i was thinking about capping this off with a little panorama of their live 2Ds... eh, well, hell, it's for my birthday. i don't think i can get away with the full one for Karin, though.

[erwinsvow]

part two of rafe and shy reader! inspired by my lovely 💓 anon

rafe didn’t like it in the beginning. when he first met you, he thought it’d be a conquest, from the way you couldn’t even meet his eyes or would flush at anything he said. he always knew he wanted an obedient girl but you were something else entirely—painfully shy, skittish with any movement from him, eager to please. he thinks he could backhand you and you would apologize to him.

he drove you home from tannyhill, and on the drive back, he decided that you were going to be his.

you didn’t have any say in the matter. rafe told you that he would see you tomorrow, and you believed him instantly, not even stopping to question anything. the stories sarah and your other friends have told you through the past months circle through your mind—most of them involving drugs and violence. it seems so odd, because you would never suspect anything with the sweet way rafe treated you when he drove you home, reassuring you when you were crying, promising to try to not scare you again.

you come to the consensus that it’s always better to play it safe than sorry—you like the idea of being with rafe, but you can’t get involved in his life. it’ll be too much for you, and since you can hardly handle watching a horror movie, you know this is for the best.

rafe said he would see you tomorrow, so you try as hard as you can to make sure it doesn’t happen.

“are you coming over today? pool again?” sarah asks on the phone, and you lamely cough.

“not today, not feeling good. next time!”

she’s disappointed, but you think she’ll be even more disappointed if she finds out her brother wants to see you again. you think you’ve dodged a bullet, until your parents drag you to dinner on the beach. wearing your usual dress and a sweatshirt with the hoodie pulled up to cover your hair, you go with them, looking around and putting your sunglasses on to hide your face at the crowded restaurant.

you make it through most of dinner, but when you finally pull your sunglasses off to find the bathroom, you see him. rafe’s at the bar with his friends, amber liquid sloshing around in a cup in his hand. you freeze, and you think he’s seen you, so you turn around and head back to your table. you squish in between your parents and duck your head when anyone walks by, earning questioning looks from them. you finally get out thirty minutes later, sprinting past the bar with the keys in your hand to get back safely to the car.

rafe thought you would be a conquest, just not this kind. he thought he’d have a hell of a time coaxing out the shyness from you, spoiling and pampering his way into your heart until he was nestled in there forever, just like he had decided, but you were a different kind of challenge.

you stop coming to tannyhill, when you used to be there more often than he was. your pool days with sarah are replaced with trips to the beach, done at alternating times. if you even suspect one of the trucks pulling up is his, you take off in the other direction or run into the water. sarah’s confused, and you don’t feel like enlightening her.

“what are you doing? do you have a stalker that i don’t know about?”

“no,” you say, craning your neck to look behind her, making sure rafe isn’t there. “i’m just… getting my steps in. yes. that’s why i keep running off.” 

the shops that you often frequent, mostly just to window shop but every once in a while you’ll splurge and get yourself something new and pretty, are abandoned for online shopping. the bars that rafe frequents is just up the street, and you usually go alone, something you definitely can’t risk since the last time.

you had a new pair of sandals resting in your shopping bag, swinging from your arm as you stood outside the next shop’s window, staring at the mannequin’s outfit. lost in thought, you wonder how the outfit would look on you with your new shoes.

“hey, kid!” you hear from down the street. you turn your head quickly at the sound, because there’s only one boy in town who has ever called you that nickname. you see rafe a little further down, fast approaching. your eyes go wide. there’s only a few cars driving, so you take your chance with the next one and dart across the street, running down and then away. you worry about what will happen if rafe finds you with no one around—that you won’t be able to resist giving in despite knowing better.

when you get back to your car, you drive straight home. it’s only when you pull into your drive way and are about to get out that you notice the open shoe-box inside your bag. one sandal remained, and the other must have fallen on the street while you were escaping rafe.

even your nightly ice cream trips, your most sacred summertime ritual, had been disrupted by trying to avoid rafe. the ice cream place you and sarah loved was the one near tannyhill, so you had stopped going there in favor of the one closer to your own house, thinking that would help reduce your odds of seeing rafe. 

you had forgotten one small thing—the ice cream shop near your house was the one wheezie liked best. and there was always one person bringing her to get ice cream.

“can i get a medium, no, large peanut butter chocolate fudge? with hot fudge and peanuts?” the teenager behind the counter gives you an odd look, and you fight the urge to explain yourself. you pay and step aside, waiting for your ice cream, before someone behind you speaks up.

“what, you eatin’ your feelings, kid?” 

your body freezes, eyes wide, shoulders tensing up. you turn to see rafe and wheezie behind you, the little girl waving hi up at you. rafe’s laughing a little, but his smile disappears when you dart out of the door, running back to your car and pulling out. 

“rafe, she forgot her ice cream,” wheezie observes, as the girl behind the counter yells after you.

“yeah, i know, wheeze.”

you think you can make it through to the point where rafe stops caring, though it’s getting harder and harder to avoid him. after so many close calls, you make a point to stay at home, electing to sunbathe in your backyard instead of the beach.

it’s the perfect set up—lawn chair on the green grass, a cup of lemonade and your water resting next to you, your book in your hand, blocking the sun from your face while your body gets all the rays. with your headphones blasting your music—bryson tiller today—you don’t hear anything, not the birds chirping or the sound of a truck pulling up, the lock on your back fence unlatching or the footsteps getting closer.

it’s not until you set your book aside to take a sip of your drink, staring up at the sky before lifting the book open again, that rafe’s head pops into your eye-line, looming over you. 

“oh my god,” you jump up, startled. your book falls onto the grass. you yank off your headphones, setting it on the lawn chair while you look up, hoping what, or rather who, you just saw was a figment of your imagination. 

he’s not. 

you stare up at rafe, and then look behind him towards your fence, wondering how far you could get with no shoes and just a bikini.

“don’t even think about it,” he says, taking a step to cover the fence from your vision. “you know i’ll just catch you. can’t outrun me.” you flush, hands feeling clammy.

“i wasn’t gonna run.”

“yeah, right. like i believe that after the crap you’ve been pullin’ for the last week.”

“what crap? i didn’t do any crap.” 

he laughs, but you know he’s being serious. rafe crouches on the grass, at eye level with you now while you sit on the lawn chair. his eyes rake over your skin. you’re wearing the same blue bikini he saw you in when he drove you home, reading what can only be the next book in your series.

“get serious. why are you runnin’?” you feel your eyes get watery, instinctually.

“you said you wanted to see me the next day. and i’ve heard bad things. and i got scared.”

“bad things? ‘bout me? from who?” 

“i…i-”

“from who?” he repeats, and you get the sense that rafe doesn’t like repeating himself. words starting spilling from your mouth as a few tears escape. you don’t know why you’re crying, you never do.

“n-no one, i just, i know that you sell, um, drugs and that you get into fights. and you always have a new girl with you. and, and sarah said that sometimes you’re mean. and, um, well i’m pretty sensitive so, i just thought maybe this isn’t a good idea.” rafe nods, taking in your words. his hand comes up to wipe your tears away.

“and why didn’t you jus’ tell me that, hm?”

“because i knew if you got me alone i’d give in right away.”

“what’s so wrong with givin’ in?”

you look up at rafe, mind thinking a million thoughts, running through all the possibilities of what you were getting involved in, what could go wrong, what everyone would think. your head starts to hurt.

“stop thinkin’ so hard about it. you’ll hurt yourself,” rafe says, and your shoulders relax on their own at his words. you comply right away, falling into a hazy headspace.

“okay,” you agree, nodding. 

“what’re you worried about, huh? i’d never hurt you. all this time you’ve been over at tannyhill, have i ever been mean? didn’t i even apologize last time?” you keep nodding, taking in his words now, trying to fully understand the meaning behind them. 

he’s right—of course he’s right. he’s never once done anything to make you think he’s like what the others have been saying. you suddenly can’t remember what you were so concerned about. rafe’s words seem to reassure you immediately, and you think there would be nothing better than having him tell you what to do everyday.

“but if you think this—us—is a bad idea, i’ll leave now. i’ll stop botherin’ you.” he gets up, but you get up quickly too, catching his arm before he can turn.

“no! no, don’t go. you’re right. i-i was being stupid. i wanna see you tomorrow. i wanna see you everyday.”

“not stupid, kid,” he says, running a hand down your hair, holding you tight and close. you’re suddenly really aware of how thin and tiny your bikini is, how warm rafe’s body is, how butterflies are floating in your stomach and brain and pussy. “just need to stop thinking about what everyone else says. don’t worry. we’ll work on it.” 

you nod in agreement again, melting into rafe while he leans in to kiss you, hard and sweet.. you don’t know how long the two of you stand like that, only that he pulls away when you start moaning into his mouth, strings of spit connected between you two and your lips red. 

“get your shit, c’mon. takin’ you home with me. got your other shoe in the truck.”

[lovcpotions]

×  ♤ ⦂  !!!

× what does your muse smell like? what perfume/cologne are they using?

if she could get away with wearing amortentia all day every day , she would be doing that but since that sounds somewhat illegal and morally and ethically unsound , she definitely cycles through perfumes every so often . her usual go to is absolute aphrodisiac ( for the name , but also for the top notes of vanilla and amber and the slightest hint of musk ) . she tends to go for heavier scents like that rather than florals or fruits but she’s been known to spruce it up , mostly depending on the season . she likes to match perfumes to the outfit or to the occasion .

♤ does your muse have any scars? where? what do they look like? how did they get them ?

i genuinely have never thought much about it for my war vet characters ( blaise is completely unscathed , the bitch ) but yes . yes , she does . she got caught with a cutting curse right to the middle of her chest that slashed upwards and diagonally . the bottom of it begins right beneath her sternum and reaches to her left ear . there’s a small nick at the bottom of her ear that never healed close . she spent several months immediately after the war with her parents searching for anyone who was particularly talented in healing curse - made scars but she has long since fully accepted it . she adopted a tomcat that also has a piece of his ear missing because she loves a classic and a matching accessory all in one . she’ll show up to work in plunging necklines and open ended necklaces that perfectly frames the huge scar . it’s all about working with it now instead of working to cover it up ( though her mom is still holding out hope that she’ll fix it eventually )

⦂ what clothes do they sleep in?

romilda is one hundred percent the type of girlie to splurge on her pajamas . she’s a firm believer in treating herself and that includes a lengthy night routine and an excessive amount of effort put into her nighttime wear . she loves a silk pajamas or a cute little negligee or , if she’s feeling fancy , a matching set of underwear under a robe . just silk and lace and tulle at all points in time because comfort is important but not as important as feeling cute before she goes to bed . she has matching bonnets for every outfit . also , a large collection of silk pillowcases . not quite cassie howard levels of nighttime routine , but somewhere in that ballpark .

[genderfluid-insomniac]

Thought of an interesting scenario with Ei-

A shorter s/o reader where Ei coos at how her kinomos drapes over reader cause they’re too big for them and how adorable the reader looks in them-

A/N: I had so much doing this drabble! I love the idea of Ei splurging on her s/o and purposely buying oversized💕

༻Ei (Raiden Shogun)༺

You don’t know how or who put this idea into the electro archon's head but here you were dressed in light clothing as Ei shifted through her wardrobe trying to find the right kimonos for you to wear. She hummed and brought out her normal everyday kimono, a more formal faded white to dark violet kimono and finally a see through pale lavender kimono that was mostly for wearing in the evenings. Putting them on the chair next to you and wrapping her arms around your waist, lifting one of her hands to cup your face and kiss you sweetly. “Please indulge me darling, I just know you’ll look so adorable in them.” You knew the main reason was that you were considerably shorter than her and Ei knew you looked adorable in any of her clothes since she came home one day to see you starting to try on her everyday outfit, chuckling to herself and leaving you to your devices.

The first kimono you put on was the everyday outfit that Ei wore and you could tell she was holding back her compliments, opening your arms as a sign that she was free to open up. Rushing towards you with love filled eyes, she cupped your face and cooed at you, squeezing your cheeks and peppering your face with kisses. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of this sooner, you’re so cute and look adorably small in my clothes. Maybe I'll have to get more oversized clothing for you?” The archon's teasing eyes flicked to yours and you laughed, averting your eyes from her shyly, taking more interest in the bright furniture nearby.

The second formal kimono was quickly tried on then discarded when you both figured out that not only was it huge but it was pretty complicated. As much as Ei wanted to attempt it, she quickly figured out that it wasn’t worth it and went to her favorite, the translucent lavender kimono with detailing floral patterns trailing down. Slipping it on you and stepping back to admire how it hugged your figure, the blush on your face clearly from not being used to be the center of attention, especially from your lover. Ei intertwined your hands and kissed your lips passionately, leading you to bed for a lust filled night.

[sugar-petals]

can you give us more thoughts about domestic yoongles? the taemin's one (wich I love) just made me miss the cat boy so much ;o;

i have a phd in househusband yoongi so let me fire out some ideas for ya.

myg at home headcanon

🐱 word count. 1.9k | fluff, slice of life, slight nsfw mentions, x reader, bullet points

The doorbell sound is a recording of Yoongi imitating a doorbell. He’s such a meme. Ceci n'est pas une pipe.

Seemingly, he teaches himself a new recipe every week. To perfection. Yoongi is very particular about sticking to the recipe and wielding his kitchen tools in the right way. He collects knives, olive oil, and still hates cutting onions.

He separates sleep time, work time, and couple time as the holy trinity. For each, he switches his mood.

Blushes easily no matter for how long you’ve been together.

Establishes his own radio show where he DJs at one point.

Yoongi keeps an extreme track on the garbage schedule. He knows exactly what is due when. Separating the trash is a must. That includes sorting out fake friends trying to get between your relationship. Your social circle as a couple is extremely deliberate.

Yoongi deems himself a terrible host for guests. Unless Hoseok is there to drag him out, it's true he rather stays in the kitchen or at the barbecue preparing the menu courses rather than making small talk. He leaves the hospitality bits to you, however you want to go about it.

What he lacks in conversing with guests, he makes up in bed, God is absolutely fair.

He sings and hums pretty often and has his own vernacular of extraterrestrial uwu noises. It's an alphabet that you have to yet decipher but it's incredibly cute.

Self-made paintings everywhere around his house. 

Yoongi hasn't gone clubbing since grammar school. The most he does is going to a restaurant at lunch with very close friends. And always in a work context. His private life is so secluded from everything else and paparazzi just don't spot him anywhere, Dispatch thinks he must live abroad.

Very well, he does consider his big ole house a separate country. It's a living organism with a studio, gym, trophy room, small-size basketball court, and vastly equipped kitchen. A home theater as well, he likes American movies (like Inception) and Korean action genres, and you can stream whatever you fancy in there whenever you like. 

Yes, he has underwear with cute little bears on.

There's even a little pond in the backyard. Yoongi, Pisces he is, likes fishes after all. Sometimes he sits at the edge of the 'Little Ole Min Lake (LOML)' and stares into the water for literal hours with his chin parked on his palm.

His fridge is so high-tech and futuristic, even Yoongi is rendered clueless by its AI sometimes. The washing machine, too.

Yoongi watches RuPaul’s drag race. What did you expect? He finds it so humorous.

Owns lord knows how many comic collections.

Favorite holiday destination: New York.

Christmas is basically 50% you unveiling new music equipment to him in the garage and Yoongi almost fainting at the sexiness of it. The other 50% is spent holding hands and orgasm after orgasm until the new year since you loose track of time.

Goes on long rants why he’d marry you again every weekend.

Making you presents is his specialty. Always accompanied with a hand-written note. He writes a lot of things by hand for you in general. Texting, basically never. Always on paper.

No sex without a blanket and socks on. Yoongi gets cold very very easily and just doesn’t like showing skin. You buy him a heated blanket for his birthday, he even uses it in his studio chair.

Chronically addicted to making out.

Matching black outfits and glasses.

Laughs at even your worst jokes or phrases you didn’t expect you even uttered.

Yoongi owns the phoniest, most secretive-looking black car ever and nobody knows about it. Even he forgets he owns it, in fact he genuinely acts like it just doesn’t exist. Hilarious. And that guy has a level 1 Korean driver's license. Which allows him to drive trailers and busses and fucking trucks, and construction machines, let that sink in.

It's really a genius curse. Yoongi being put to the test will always deliver but he won't choose to execute his full skillset if he doesn't have to. Well, pragmatic. He's not as phony as he thinks he is, which is even more hilarious.

He uses that behemoth of a car so scarcely because he'd rather have things delivered to his doorstep and he's stingy with gas. Also, he doesn't like traffic and driving because of the traumatic shoulder accident and his tendency to space out. Translation: You drive that thing... that monster... it really is an impressive, fast, and scary machine. 

If someone devious ever even remotely manages to invade his privacy and get past the doubly-installed security system, he has enough money to deal with it no matter what.

If it concerns your privacy, he's a red belt. And owns Jin's number if a taekwondo master is required. Jimin's if it needs someone with kendo skills.

If Yoongi needs someone to go on a complete rampage, Jungkook lives just down the block. He can sprint to Yoongi's bunker I mean mansion within 45 seconds. 30 if it's very urgent. 20 if the reward is an instant ramen splurge with Yoongi's black card.

He has a sexy, glamorous sword collection hanging on the living room wall anyways, so. Who the hell is dumb enough to mess with him and his expensive lawyer in the first place.

But just in case, who knows... Yoongi settles matters shruggingly, anonymously, and with cash and he's too exhausted for violence, but don't underestimate his deter-min-ation and network for emergencies. Also, he is Agust D after all.

He will bonk a naughty burglar or kidnapper across the head with a wooden cooking spoon or take him down by throwing a basketball if the situation requires it. Damn, his reflexes are so fast, a feral cat in motion. So, lean back and sip on your drink of choice. Things are cared for.

If Yoongi is the one being kidnapped or a highly skilled stalker invades the property at night when he's fast asleep (nothing can wake this man during certain hours, strong REM right here): Don't forget that honeyboy is a Dodgers fan. There are signed baseball bats everywhere in this damn house.

In that sense, your parents visiting you here for the first time thought you were an undercover thug couple. Not to worry mom and dad, you both just like sports very much okay.

Yoongi walks around in all black clothes and the rooms are all seemingly dark. Even if you live together, you don't know his skin care routine. It's clear to you he's some sort of vampire.

Since Yoongi always forgets to remove his makeup, you made it a habit to wipe it down when he's about to pass out. He won't lie, he enjoys that kind of affection.

Holly is your resident child. You're essentially a family.

He insists to tackle this by himself, Yoongi sees his therapist monthly. Not shifting responsibility is something he's stubborn about and he pours his emotions into writing. You will do conversation about deeper stuff, but he says it's mostly up to him and his own mind. He dislikes burdening you or opening up too much and it's something to respect rather than force him about. If he wants to share a thought, he will. It doesn’t mean he can’t trust you or sucks at communicating (we know that he’s direct). Yoongi simply can’t put that much pain in such few words nor should you alleviate it for him.

Calls from the manager faze Yoongi as much as Jimin is bothered by gravity. If he’s busy kissing your body slow mo, who the hell dares to disturb his worship. 

This man had so many let-downs and interpersonal catastrophes in his life, he's super discerning with people. Because he rolls that way, during their first meeting Yoongi uses his psychology certificate on your friends. You see him squint at them, he listens very closely. After they pass the vibe check aka meow radar, he befriends them, too.

Yoongi doodles Grammy trophies everywhere to manifest them.

Yoongi shaves his legs.

All the sex toys he’s ever bought are black. Gotta vibe in style.

He spends ridiculous amounts of time in the studio but he's yours for the remainder of the night, breakfast, and he makes a lavish lunch and dinner.

Um, consider his head parked between your legs. The Hongkong line was not a joke.

Doesn’t mind you squishing his cheeks whenever and for how long you like. 

Every other weekend he gets flowers, vouchers, and gifts — not because of fans, they don’t know where his house is, but because he donates so much.

Namjoon often drops by and cleanses the area with his crystals.

Yoongi is a photography major so you can ask him to take professional, ceiling-high black and white shots of you.

Feeding each other food lovingly. Man, this guy got lips.

He set up a library just for you, in the exact historical aesthetic you like the most. Send him the link to any book you want, it's basically in the online shopping cart already. As I said, he wants to make you presents like every week.

Sometimes he sits on the other end studying English videos and vocab while you read. And yes, he's already 95% fluent but pretends being merely intermediate. He knows technical terms even native speakers have never heard of.

He collects pajamas and earrings.

Swears on the phone.

Namjoon being the horniest member is a cover-up story. Yoongi masturbates almost unreasonable amounts of times, by himself and in your arms when going to bed. Not gonna lie, it’s a sight to see his hands at work. He’s almost equally obsessed with fingering you once you ask him.

Yoongi was the one asking you to move in and almost had a nervous meltdown before meeting up with you to tell you just that. 

He’s the little spoon and of course a sleeping burrito to hold tight.

Finds you equally attractive in any state or styling. Yoongi practices what he preaches, he always reacts the same and says the same. 

Jams out to outrageous beats Namjoon sends him by dancing in the studio. You walk in on him every time. Was embarrassed at first, now you dance along.

Has bought you a life-sized Yoongi pillow and customized you a giant Shooky to hug when he’s not at home over night.

Owned a wine cellar until he quit drinking. Turned it into a piano room instead.

Only you know Yoongi has a serpent and dagger tattoo.

Scrubs the bathroom religiously.

The house smells like restaurant food and his extravagant perfumes half of the time.

Sometimes he has to remind himself he’s married to you and not his coffee machine. He shall be forgiven. You can’t complain that he doesn’t love you enough, nor is he ever not adorable when drinking his latte.

Never wears short sleeves. It can be scorching and he’ll wear a jacket. 

Tell him and the cap stays on during sex.

He grows his hair out and puts it in a low bun. The bangs remain.

Yoongi has installed the most fire-proof building in the entire city it seems. That he wanted to be a firefighter when he was young definitely shows. Figures the house has to be protected from heat: His blasting studio music and Yoongi himself are just way too sizzling.

Still melts into a puddle when you kiss his nose.

Couple sunrise watching. 

© submissive-bangtan 2017-2021. all rights reserved. do not repost or translate. all depictions fictional.

[likecometsx]

┘ event 14 *☄;  { p l o t s & s t a r t e r s }

hello my lovelies! this is a combined event starter and plot call. below the cut you’ll find more info on what all my kids wearing, doing, and open to for the halloween gala. feel free to like this post and i’ll message you privately on discord. 

i will be leaving any starters i haven’t gotten to in favor of these. if you’d like to drop an existing thread in favor of an event starter let me know. otherwise, i’ll continue normal threads after the event. 

angelina johnson {hp, 22, unaware}  (1/?) laenor valeryon, marcus flint

open for dates, platonic or romantic (arriving with laenor)

formal wear power suit, bad b energy, simple black lace mask. very cool, almost unapproachable, TALL (pinterest)

will mostly be on the dance floor, but might check out some of the mazes and games. she is open for normal plotting as well, but if you’d like something dramatic to start, maybe this is the place!

beth greene {twd, 22, unaware}  (1/?) siddiq, katie gardner

not open for dates, attending with siddiq, very nervous/excited about it

simple garden fairy vibes, elegant, sweet. tried to make her own floral mask before failing miserably and deciding to splurge on one. (pinterest)

beth is a social butterfly and despite having a date will be willing to strike up conversation with anyone. will dance with anyone if she is available. is still slightly weary because of her memories starting to return, but thought the gala would be safe from any scary zombie halloween things, and will be feeling safer with her date around.

charmain baker {howl’s moving castle, 18, aware}  (1/?) alphonse

open for platonic dates only

poor girl just decided to wear the clothes she stepped into dc in and call it a day. edwardian/victorian vibes. (pinterest)

is going to basically see what the deal is with halloween here. will not be looking for conversation, but will be receptive to it. i think once she gets inside her annoyance with wane and excitement will take over

chris halliwell {charmed, 22, aware} (1/?) pj, 

open for platonic dates only

boy threw on some slacks and a button down. cannot be bothered. bought a mask at the dollar store

will leave in 20 minutes of arrival if someone does not force him to stay (pj is forcing him but more reason is still welcome), alcohol tw will be used in most threads probably. 

rey {star wars, 20, aware} (2/?) kexing, leia, 

open for platonic dates only

she threw on the one dress she ever splurged on, a witches hat, and called herself a garden witch, FROG EARRINGS are her favorite part of her outfit. (pinterest)

loves halloween in this world. usually takes her costume very seriously, but felt she needed to dress up as best she can for something called a gala. she will be playing all the games and the mazes. is here for a good time and a long time. absolutely no ulterior motive to show up to a place where she can hide her face and try to see the president from afar. 

[queen-haq]

Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 9

Fic: A Woman Scorned - Part 9

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Rating: R for language.

Words: ~2000 words.

Summary: You’ve been sleeping with Billy Russo for a few months now. Knowing his aversion to emotional commitments, you’re satisfied with your clandestine arrangement until you catch him having dinner with Dinah Madani one night. Then it finally dawns on you. It’s not that he doesn’t want to commit, he just doesn’t want to commit to *you*.

Billy may think he knows you, but he has no idea what he’s just lost...

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

Part 9

The smile on your face was stiff and insincere as Marcus Boyd walked you back to your car. As much as you loathed the asshole, you needed him and that meant paying him a personal visit in his home in Connecticut. He was a very successful defense lawyer, on his way to becoming a managing partner in a prestigious New York law firm in a few years. Because of his career, he had access to many seedy characters which is what you were here to leverage. You needed an unregistered gun, and he had connections who could provide you one. If that meant putting up with him for an hour, you were willing to do it.

“Y/N,” he said with a slick smile, standing next to you as you unlocked your car door. “It was wonderful to see you again.”

“No, it wasn’t,” you replied. “It never is. But we do what we have to, right?”

His eyes narrowed, shifting to something menacing. “I forgot how tactless you can be.”

You gave him a mocking smile. “Here’s hoping you won’t have to see me again soon.”

“Next time you need something, don’t come to me,” he warned.

“Same goes for you.” You leveled him with a cold look. “When can I expect a call?”

“A few days.”

“Fine.” You got into your car and shut the door, feeling relieved at no longer being around the slimy bastard.

Marcus was someone you met at college in your first year. He was a rich entitled sophomore, about to flunk out. You were good at hacking into things, and had managed to get your hands on a few exams Marcus desperately needed to pass. That was the beginning of your partnership with him. You helped him graduate and he paid you a lot of money in return. Thanks to him and his friends, you were able to get your degree with minimal student loans. Although the two of you despised each other, the threat of mutual destruction meant you trusted him to keep your search for a registered gun to himself and he trusted you not to spill his secrets.

You started driving back into the city, your mind focused on the road ahead when your phone pinged. You glanced down. An unknown number was calling you. If it was like the other anonymous calls you received, they would call you a fucking bitch as soon as you picked up and hang up on you. You had no doubt that it was Adam calling, considering the calls started after he was released, which only proved how unhinged he was. A smarter man would have been on his best behaviour when out on bail but he was so filled with rage he didn’t even bother to temper his actions. You had already reached out to the prosecutor and informed them of the calls, but you doubted it would lead to anything. Most likely Adam was using disposable phones, which meant there was no direct proof he was the one making the calls. You were scared, of course you were, which was why you’d reached out to Marcus even though you didn’t like the prick. It’s not like you could rely on Trevor, the bodyguard Roger had assigned to keep you safe. He was lazy and not very bright, and even if he was good at what he did Valiant wouldn’t be paying for your protection indefinitely. All of that meant you had to take this matter into your own hands. It wasn’t going to be easy, but it was the only way for you to feel safe again.

Your thoughts turned to Billy, something you actively tried to avoid, but there wasn’t anything else to distract your mind away from him. It had been a week since you blocked him, and as much as you hated to admit it, you missed him. He’d been a part of your life for almost a year and you really enjoyed his company before things got messy between you two. If you hadn’t developed feelings for him and then caught him on a date with Dinah Madani, you guys would probably still be sleeping together – but you did, and seeing him with someone like her made it crystal clear his lack of feelings for you. The truth hurt like hell, but you’d get over it. You were a realist after all. You knew he was out of your league and there was nothing you could do to make Billy want you.

The speaker on your car piped up with a message notification. It was a text from Davina, reminding you of the girls night out planned for tomorrow night. It was a mutual friend’s birthday and the plan was for all of you to go to a new club that recently opened. You were looking forward to it, mostly as it would keep your mind off Adam but also because you were hoping to go out and meet someone new. No doubt Billy had already found someone else to fill your spot on his weekly rotation but you weren’t built like him and needed time to process your lingering feelings. You still weren’t over him, but you were ready to move on.

Now you just needed to get back home and come up with a reason as to how you lost your bodyguard in case Roger asked. Somehow, though, you doubted Trevor would willingly tell Roger about you disappearing for a few hours so you weren’t too worried. No one knew about your connection with Marcus and you intended to keep it that way.

***

The next evening you, Davina, and a few others were at Pravda, a new club downtown, to celebrate your friend Kiran’s birthday. You were wearing a low-cut black jumpsuit paired with silver stilettos, while your lips were painted maroon. Choosing to keep focus on the lips, you had ensured the rest of your make-up was light and dewy which went well with your straightened hair. It had taken a lot of double-sided tape to make sure your breasts were in check in your outfit but it was worth the effort. You felt like a proper goddess tonight, surrounded by your beautiful friends at a private table in the VIP lounge.

An hour later you were buzzed, giggling and laughing as you and a few others headed back to the private booth from the dance floor. After dancing up a storm, you guys were all parched and desperate for a drink. Davina was holding your hand as she led you through the crowds but you knew something was wrong when she stopped unexpectedly. You thought you heard her swear but you couldn’t be sure due to the loud music.

“What’s-” The words died in your mouth when you realized what Davina was staring at. Billy fucking Russo, sitting at your table, chatting it up with Kiran who was sitting next to him. The moment you saw them, you felt red-hot anger flood over you. While Kiran was a good friend, she wasn’t someone you confided in. She had no idea you’d been sleeping with Billy so you didn’t blame her for flirting with him. But Billy, god you hated him! There was no way his showing up at the same club as you was a co-incidence, which meant he was purposely here to flirt with your friends. To hurt you.

“Want to leave?” Davina asked, looking at you with concern.

“No, it’s fine,” you replied in a clipped tone.

“Are you sure?”

“He’s here because he wants to piss me off.”

“I thought you said he was cool about the break-up.”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Thought he was.”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

You didn’t answer, instead taking the lead to walk past her. You returned to your seat across from where he and Kiran were sitting. Davina came to sit beside you. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach as his molten eyes trailed down to your breasts, lingering on you. Dressed in a simple grey t-shirt, designer no doubt, and a pair of black trousers and open leather jacket, he looked absolutely beautiful with his perfectly styled hair and trimmed beard.

“Hey guys, this is Billy,” Kiran greeted, eyeing him appreciatively. “He ordered us more champagne. Isn’t that so nice of him?”

On the table in front of you was an expensive bottle, chilling in ice. You quirked your eyebrow. Apparently Billy was in the mood to splurge on your friends. “That’s nice of him,” you remarked noncommittally.

“Billy, this is Davina and Y/N,” Kiran said.

His eyes were locked with yours, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Oh, I know Y/N very well.”

Kiran turned to look at you. “You do?”

You shrugged your shoulders. “Through work.”

Billy leaned forward, his smoldering gaze holding you hostage. “Y/N and I are very good friends.”

“Acquaintances,” you corrected.

As if sensing the tension in the air, Kiran pulled away from Billy. Meanwhile, he picked up the bottle of champagne and started pouring the liquid in the empty glasses in front of him. “You’re giving Kiran the wrong idea about us, Y/N. She might think you don’t like me very much.”

“She’d be right,” you snarked, ignoring the glass of champagne he held out for you.

“I’ll take that,” Davina replied, snatching the glass from his hands.

Your friends were suddenly talking all at once but all you could focus on was Billy’s heated gaze on you. With every second that passed his eyes on you seemed to grow more wanton and lustful, and desire coursed through your blood at how he looked at you. You wanted him so badly you cold feel yourself getting wet, and you realized you needed to get out of there right away.

“I’m going to get a drink,” you whispered in Davina’s ear, making sure Billy didn’t hear you.

“Want me to come with you?”

“No. I’ll be fine.” You stood up quickly and made your way out of there, keenly aware of Billy’s eyes boring into your back.

Few minutes later you were sitting at one of the corner bar downstairs. This floor had a different ambience than the club upstairs, which you appreciated. The music wasn’t as loud and you found yourself enjoying the lounge vibe. It wasn’t long before someone crept up next to you at the bar and you turned to find a familiar face smiling back at you.

His name was Avi and you’d run into him a few times at the conferences you’d gone to. Broad-shouldered and husky, you’d always found him attractive in an adorable way.

“You just look…” he gave you a shy smile. “Wow.”

Seeing his reaction to you, you smiled. “Thank you.”

“I’ve always wanted to approach you but I didn’t want to come across as a creep, you know?” he explained. “You can also be very intimidating.”

That made you laugh. “I doubt that.”

As Avi and you continued to talk, you couldn’t help but enjoy how he was gawking at you. You didn’t fit society’s mould for what was considered beautiful, so all of your past flings were a result of the guys getting to know you and finding you hot because of your personality. It was rare when a guy you were attracted to was also into you right away but that seemed to be the case with Avi. You didn’t have to charm or work for him to find you hot. Instead, he was genuinely enamored with how you looked which was refreshing.

His phone rang with a text notification. Scanning through the message, he flashed you an apologetic glance. “Shit. I have to go.”

Disappointed, you pouted your lips. “That’s too bad.”

“Would you want to go out sometime?” he asked shyly.

“I’d like that.” You reached for your phone and scrolled through to the contacts app to add his name before handing the phone to him. “Add your number.”

After you said your goodbyes, you ordered your third gin and tonic and were enjoying your drink at the bar when someone grazed up against you. Seated on a high bar stool, you were expecting Davina to have come looking for you. Instead, you found Billy sidling up to you. He looked pissed off and angrier than you’d ever seen him.  

“Give me your phone,” he barked.

“Go to hell.”

Unexpectedly he gripped your stool and pulled you closer, throwing you off so you were forced to hold on to him for regain your balance. He perched his foot up on the bottom ledge of the stool, closing you in fully. “Unblock me now.”

‘Go fuck yourself.”

His dark eyes seemed to suddenly grow even darker, more monster than human. “Who was that guy you were talking to?”

“My future boyfriend.”

Billy’s lips curved into a sneer. “Not if he knows what’s good for him.”

“Why don’t you go back to flirting with my friend and leave me the fuck alone?”

“She was flirting. I wasn’t.”

“I don’t care. Go sleep with whoever you want, and I’ll do the same.”

Billy simply stared at you for a beat, his jaw clenched. “You’re not fucking anyone else.”

Sitting up straight, you leveled him with a hostile look. “I just met someone who was nice, sweet, and really fucking cute. And he wasn’t an asshole like you. Trust me, I will fuck him. I might even suck him off here tonight if he plays his cards right. And there isn’t a single thing you can do to stop that.”

He dipped his head towards you, leaning in closer so you were the only one who could hear him. His voice may have been flat, but his words were laced with cold fury when he spoke next. “If he touches you, he’s dead. I’ll start with his hands. I’ll break his fingers one by one for daring to touch you. Next I’ll cut off his dick, his balls, other parts of him slowly, carefully, so he feels every inch of the excruciating pain I’ll put him through. I’ll fill him with adrenaline so he doesn’t pass out from the pain. I’ll gouge out his eyes last because he needs to see that I’m the one who turned him into a mutilated lump of flesh. And then maybe, if I’m feeling nice, I might slit his throat to end his suffering.” His eyes never leaving yours, he reached for your drink at the bar and chugged it.

“You’re a fucking psychopath,” you said, your throat suddenly parched. Your heart was beating rapidly, your stomach coiled into knots. Fear should have flooded over you -  it didn’t. Instead, you were aroused.

“No one takes what’s mine.”

“I’m not your fucking possession. You don’t own me.” You closed your eyes, taking deep breaths as your emotions – and the walls – started to all swirl together. Like always, just when you thought he might have cared enough to admit he was jealous, he showed his true colours. Billy’s anger had nothing to do with his feelings for you. Rather, it was about his ego. Shit. You felt dizzy, the drinks had started to hit you. “Why don’t you go bother Dinah and her new man? Didn’t you say she was seeing someone else? Go pull your psychopath routine on them.”

He tucked his finger under your chin, lifting your face up to meet his gaze again. The emotions in his eyes played havoc with your senses as he pressed in closer, so close you could feel his warm breath on your skin.

“I don’t care who Dinah dates or fucks.”

The air was thick with tension.  It felt as if there was no one else in the bar but you and Billy, his one hand under your chin, the other pressed against the small of your back. You felt heady and light-headed with anticipation and desire, but you were also angry. Angry that you still wanted him, that he wouldn’t give you space to get over him. “Why can’t you leave me alone?”

His fingers gripped the side of your face, and you exhaled a sharp breath when he grazed your forehead with his. Temples touching, his eyes held you transfixed in place.  “Because you’re mine.” The possessiveness in his voice was unsettling, but it was the way he was staring at you – as if he could see right through to your core – that made your stomach flip-flop. “Mine.” His thumb swiped along your bottom lip, as if marking you as his. “And I’m yours.”

Billy was a player, an asshole, and there was comfort in that because it meant you knew where you stood with him, but now he was defying expectations, crossing the boundaries you’d carefully set for yourself, and you weren’t ready for that. None of that mattered, however, because you were suddenly feeling really, really sick.  “I have to go,” you mumbled. The room was spinning as you tried to jump off the chair but your knees almost gave way. Billy was there to catch you in his arms, holding you up.

“Woah, you okay?”

You pushed him off and ran.

Part 10

A/N - As always, thank you for the support, the feedback, the likes/reblogs, and the asks. I’m stoked to keep writing this because of you guys. Please let me know your thoughts on the chapter!

If you’d like to be added/removed from the tag list, drop me a note.

Tag List.

@yourfavoritefruitybitch @voyevoda-thejoy @adreamemporium @queenmalhinewahine  @gubleryum @galaxyjane  @xceafh @maralisa124 @tomhollandisabae @daybleedsintonightfa11 @lil-baby-nor @all-art-is-quite-useless  @tanyaherondale  @nashibirne  @dour-trash  @thetallassgirl @athenamikaelson  @agent-jbarnes  @primadonnasdream  @aleksanderwh0r3  @elisemockingbird @nihilismworld @archisur @nemesis729  @lysawayne @kaqua @ladyblablabla @lemasonda @advictedtohim @24-martie   @tarkanelima-blog @shinebrightlikeafanbase  @krystal-clear1 @damalseer @dontjinx-it @darkishx   @wanderlusting-about-life @thatguppienamedbae @happypepperdog @bat-revival  @sassygirl25  @consulting--heroes  @the-celestial-kitsune  @mackaywhore  @ablxssm @competitive-dust @red-head011 @exo-1204 @sunsetenigma @millieb-3199 @chatnain @licensedcheek @tinkertailor1212 @vertesalope @safetyhtom @acourtofglassandroses @eliwinchester-barnes @finnismyoriginalsin @weallhaveadestiny   @beananacake @beauty-and-the-beast97 @smurfelle  @fire-treasure-iii  @charly-0  @kestrafagnor  @pigwidgeonxo  @damagelove  @allegra-writes @pensandthings  @jad3djay  @batshitbarnes  @kashimayuki  @secretsthathauntus @odetostep  @awesome-eccia    @mackaywhore  @stories-you-wont-hear  @vvsdiamond28 @supernaturalcat7 @arieltwvdtohamflash   @iknownoqueenbutthequeeninme  @devs-stufff  @ticosas  @moodacheeks @myakai13  @carlywhomever  @fvckthisbxtchup  @its-evita-here @papapapadumb  @talesfrommycell  @bat-luna-cat    @fific7   @elluvians @dailydoseofchoices  @bigcreatorwombatdreamer  

gif-credit: @the-darkling

[andypantsx3]

BABY ARE YOU PLAYING TRICKS | 1 | KIRISHIMA x READER

SUMMARY: Dressing up as sexy Red Riot for Halloween had been embarrassing enough on its own. Then you actually run into Red Riot. TAGS/WARNINGS: romance, halloween, aged-up characters, fem pronouns + afab reader, smut, oral (f receiving), 18+ mdni

FIC MASTERLIST

It had been a joke.

Well, mostly a joke.

The fact of the matter was, you hadn’t really thought Halloween was going to be a thing this year. You’d had a time of it in college—and when you were much younger, obviously—but now that you were fresh out of your university days, several months into a job, and armed with commuter benefits and your own health insurance and everything, you’d thought that maybe your time for Halloween had passed. You were just going to spend the night in with a glass of wine and a horror movie like a certified actual adult.

That is, until your friend Yuki texted, exactly three days before Halloween.

YUKI 4:08 PM girls night with the crew at my place fri 4:08 PM we’re handing out candy and drinking until at least one of us experiences liver failure

You’d snorted as you read the text, instantly thumbing back a message. As long as it’s not my liver, then I’m in. What can I bring?

YUKI 4:09 PM any alcohol of your choice 4:09 PM also it’s hero themed, non-negotiable 4:09 PM yes u have to buy a costume 4:10 PM no i do not accept feedback, only cash or credit

You groaned, suddenly wondering if you might make up a previous engagement. Alcohol was fine, but buying a costume had not been in the budget. You’d been thinking of splurging on the upscale market a couple blocks away for your next grocery run, instead of the crumbling, budget-friendly spot you frequented. A costume meant no fancy cheese or organic veggies this week, and you’d kind of been looking forward to it.

You weighed the pros and cons, idly biting a nail.

YUKI 4:12 PM i know ur free, bitch 4:12 PM and i know ur pretending like u can’t afford a costume 4:12 PM if u back out and i see u with fancy fuckin cheese this week ur dead

You sighed. Decision made, then.

You texted her back a confirmation, smiling a little at her antics. She knew you way too well, and strong-arming you into socializing was her way of showing she cared. You’d miss the cheese, though.

This left you with the question of what to be for Halloween, however. Hero costumes were super easy to come by, considering the profession was the most popular and the campiest of nearly all jobs in the country, so it wasn’t like you needed to dedicate too much thought to your choice, or rush order anything special.

You left it until the day of Halloween, deciding you’d pick up whatever fun garbage might be left in the pop up Halloween store on your way home from work that afternoon. And that’s really how the problem arose.

What was left in your size were three choices: sexy Deku, sexy Ground Zero, and sexy Red Riot.

You immediately reached for Red Riot, not wanting to even entertain the thought of the other two longer than it took to read the packaging. Deku was too sweet and too baby-faced and it was disturbing that anyone had thought to turn his costume into something that risque. And while Ground Zero would fit even the pickiest woman’s criteria for sexy, he was obnoxious as hell, and you could only imagine the type of meltdown the explosive hero might have if he ever got wind that people were bastardizing his suit like this.

Red Riot, though, was hot and nice—from what you could tell—and his actual costume was probably even more risque than what was inside this package, so it wasn’t really like you were doing anything nuts. The dude literally walked around shirtless, not that you (or your twitter timeline) were complaining. At least this outfit appeared to come with a chest covering.

You huffed a laugh, thinking of all the ribbing you were going to get from the other girls who would presumably be dressed normally and respectably. And who had read more than one thirst tweet you’d sent about the man. But honestly, it was kind of funny. Sexy Red Riot, like the guy wasn’t already sexy enough on his own.

You paid at the register and utilized the store bathroom as a quick stop changing station, so you didn’t have to nip by your own apartment on the way over to Yuki’s. It took a fair amount of finagling and one shame-faced request for fashion tape to the bored teenager manning the counter, but eventually you managed to squeeze into the costume and secure it enough that you were certain it would hold up on the walk to Yuki’s.

The sky was darkening by the time you stuffed your work clothes into your bag and ducked into a nearby liquor store to grab a couple bottles of something dark and red. When you emerged, it was twilight, the sky painted a luminous pink that faded softly into a crimson matching your costume.

Dry leaves rustled as they blew across the street, and the air tasted icy, carrying a hint of winter's crisp bite. A group of college students decked out in what appeared to be pun-themed costumes (including one deviled egg, weilding a pitchfork and a clearly home-made foam egg suit) walked ahead of you, chattering to themselves. You listened idly to their gossip as you trudged along behind them, basking in the cool, musky-sweet scent of the night air.

It was maybe the fact that you were listening to the students that meant you weren’t listening for the nearby tread of boots as you rounded a corner. But one second you were eavesdropping on an impassioned rant detailing the many sins of someone’s roommate called fuckin' Daisuke, and the next, you were colliding with something large and incredibly hard.

You jerked back, winded by the impact, clutching your nose where you’d crunched it against the hard stone. Only, the stone reached out a pair of arms, grabbing you by your elbows to steady you.

“Oh shit, careful there,” he said, concern flecking his bright tone. “Are you okay?”

You glanced up, blanching when you caught sight of who you’d collided with. It was only his hold on your elbows that stopped you from falling straight back into the street.

Kirishima Eijirou—best known as Red Riot—smiled cheerfully back at you, his beaming expression belying the mouthful of predators teeth. His whole demeanor was friendly and open—his broad shoulders relaxed, skin warm and slightly pink with the chill of the evening air. He wore his hero costume, clearly out on patrol, and it bared an impressive set of hard abs and a pair of criminally large biceps. With the gelled horns and the ragged edges of his torn costume, he really didn’t look like someone who should be so friendly, and yet...

Your eyes darted back to his teeth. Damn, those looked really sharp in person.

“Hey, you sure you didn’t break anything?” A large hand came up to take your chin, thumb brushing over your nose where you’d crunched it against his shoulder. It might have been the instant shot of adrenaline you’d gotten that numbed you to the pain, but you didn’t feel anything other than the calloused pad of his thumb skimming lightly over your skin.

Instead, you watched him in mute shock, clocking his pert nose, keen red eyes, and sharp jawline. He was boyishly handsome up close, and your alarm over this fact tangled with your shock in a suffocating mass that choked out any words you might have spoken.

“I didn’t give you a concussion, did I? I think I might have hardened up in surprise,” he muttered, drawing his thumb back to himself, gaze growing concerned.

You frantically dredged human speech back out of the depths of your brain, panicking. “No—no! Sorry, I was just super surprised. You really do feel like stone.”

He smiled. You noticed his eyes creased in genuine pleasure. “Hey, thanks!” he said, like that wasn’t his whole quirk and you weren’t an idiot for blurting it out. “Sorry for surprising you though, I should have been paying attention.”

You almost put your head in your hands and groaned. So he really was just as nice as he seemed on TV.

“No, I was distracted, listening to those kids,” you admitted, waving a vague hand in the direction they’d disappeared. “I should have heard you coming.”

He smiled again, a flash of those very sharp teeth. His eyes picked over you, and a curious look passed over his pretty features. “Ah, I should have heard you too—I’m supposed to be on patrol. You must have a light step, are you wearing flats—?”

He suddenly cut himself off as his eyes stopped on something below your face, widening. Then his whole body froze, his cheeks going pink.

You gave him a curious look, wondering what he'd fixated on. Until a sudden, gut churning sense of horror welled up inside you as you realized exactly what he was looking at.

You were wearing a Sexy Red Riot costume….in front of literal, actual, real life Red Riot.

Shit.

Shit, this was not happening.

“Oh my god,” you said, instantly reaching for your bag to dig out your work shirt to cover yourself. Kirishima didn’t let go of your elbow, though, so you ended up just making an aborted, half-flail, waving movement, your hand grasping at nothing.

Kirishima didn’t seem to notice, still fixated on the source of your horror.

“Wow, that’s—” he finally managed after a long minute. His throat bobbed. “....I didn’t know they did that.”

You could have literally died. You prayed for a hole to open under the street and swallow you whole. In a world full of quirks and villains, was it really too much to ask that someone wiped you off the face of the earth right the fuck now?

“I’m so sorry,” you babbled mindlessly. “It was—all they had...and it—it was kind of a joke, I mean—what am I saying—shit, I’m super sorry.”

That seemed to get his attention. He jerked his gaze away from the costume that you were actually burning the second you made it out of here, scarlet eyes flicking back up to your face. “What? No! Why would you—?” he scrubbed his free hand over his face, looking for a moment like it pained him to talk. Then he seemed to recover himself, flashing you a grin. “I didn’t mean like—it’s uh, it’s cool. Really cool, actually!”

It’s cool.

It’s cool.

God, he was so nice even when he was so obviously perplexed by this whole situation. When he'd been so startled for a moment, so clearly super not into it.

“Uh yeah. I’ll just, uh, go now,” you said, making to step out of his hold.

His fingers clamped down reflexively, and you were jerked back towards him, your cheek meeting the jut of his collarbone. You had milliseconds to process what was happening, but you catalogued it all—the warmth of his skin, the faint, orange-peel scent of some body wash, the surprised noise deep in his throat—before you reeled back, stumbling over your own feet.

Kirishima stared down at you with a slightly startled expression. He slowly unclenched his fingers, his movements somewhat mechanical, finally freeing you from his hold.

“Uh, sorry about that,” he said. He brought his hand back to himself, flexing his fingers a little, like he was trying to forget the feel of you in his hand.

You cringed. You’d never seen the man look so out of his depth—and that was saying something, considering the guy fought literal supervillains for a career. It just figured that you were embarrassing enough to surpass even villains for the most trying moment of his whole life. You wanted to disappear off the face of the earth.

“No it’s—uh, it’s fine,” you said, forcing yourself to take a step back from him. “Again, um, sorry about the costume. I didn’t…uh, I obviously didn’t think I would run into actual Red Riot.”

Another bright smile wormed its way back onto his mouth. “Kind of funny, right?”

Mortifying would be a better word for it, really. It would be one thing if he’d seen you in the costume and had liked it. It was another thing entirely that he’d gone so still and so awkward, when he was known for his cheerful composure. God, this was going to keep you awake at night, tossing and turning, for the rest of your entire life.

“Um, kind of,” you allowed, trying to match his good humor. You took another step back. “Well, anyway. I, um, I had somewhere to be. Obviously. I don’t just dress like this. So—uh—“

Kirishima’s scarlet eyes followed you carefully as you backed away. His expression tightened, pretty features looking pained, and for a moment he looked like he was going to say something.

You panicked.

“Okay! So, um, bye! Great to meet you! And, uh, happy Halloween!” you shouted, startling yourself a little. Then you turned on your heel, and darted away as quickly as you could manage.

You heard something like a bewildered goodbye from over your shoulder, but you paid it no mind, focusing on disappearing as fast as you could. The sooner you were out of his line of sight, the easier it would be for him to forget what he’d just seen. And the sooner you were at Yuki’s, the sooner you could drink yourself stupid enough to black this memory out.

You slowed only when you were sure you were far enough away that there was no chance you’d accidentally cross paths with him again. You stopped, taking a moment to lean heavily against the cold marble of a finance building. You clutched a hand to your chest, willing your heartbeat to slow to a less concerning rhythm. You let out a shaky breath.

Well that had been the most embarrassing episode of your entire life. You'd be cringing about this for years to come, likely until the day you died. They were going to carve it on your gravestone, probably; Here lies Y/N, Red Riot's waking nightmare. May she rest in eternal mortification.

All you could really do now was try to put it out of your mind, and hope Kirishima eventually forgot it too.

Anyway, with any luck, you'd probably never have to see Kirishima Eijirou again.

[mssleepy876b]

Family Ties- Chapter 3

Summary: Family can be a positive and negative force in one's life. Detective Jay Halstead knows that personally and he helps a new Intelligence family member through it.

Requested? No. But promised @resanoona that I would post mine once she posted hers.

Word count: 2469

Warnings: domestic violence

A/n: Unedited Sorry for any mistakes

Family Ties Chapter 3

Jay and Hailey took Brielle to her former home first when they left Chicago Med. Hailey and Jay cleared the house using her keys to be sure it was empty before she entered. “Can I have a few minutes in my room to change?” she asked once the officers from the hospital brought her inside.

“Sure, go ahead.” Hailey said following her to the top of the stairs.

While he waited, Jay searched Michael’s study and stationed the officers who had been at the hospital to help guard the house while they were there. Hailey heard Brielle open the bedroom door a little over five minutes later. She walked down the hall and saw Brielle already with a pile of clothes on the bed. Brielle had changed into a pair of blue jeans and a cream short sleeve sweater with tennis shoes on. She had pulled her hair back into a high ponytail moving as she entered a large walk-in closet. She already had a smaller jewelry box on the bed leaving a larger one next to the dresser. Hailey saw her going through her shoes and other accessories next to be sure she had what she needed. Brielle had pulled mostly work style outfits and comfortable clothing that she felt secure in and that she liked. Hailey was surprised at the racks of clothes in the closet still full.

“It isn’t the glamourous life everyone thinks. These were loaned to me by force I would believe. I don’t know how or by whom and I don’t want that burden moving forward. My life has to change if I am to survive. I can’t take that negativity with me into my future.” Brielle said to her quietly her voice tinged with sadness. “Can we pack what is on the bed and these and I will get my bathroom things?”

“Sure, let me get a box from Jay.” Hailey said.

“Here, we can use my luggage set too. It was mine before Michael. It was a splurge when we first started dating. He would jet-set me all over wowing me. I realize how fake that is now. It was all for his work.” Brielle said her voice sounding pained, rolling a suitcase out of the closet at her side.

Jay brought up a box and found Brielle and Hailey gathering up her things from the bedroom. After they secured what Brie wanted from that room, Brielle went into her sitting room as Michael called it leading Jay and Hailey behind her. She pulled photo albums and specific books from the shelves. She also pulled pictures off the wall. “This was the only place I could have my family pictures. Michael demanded his family be center focus in the rest of the house.” Brielle said as Hailey watched recognizing Brie in the pictures.

Once finished there, They followed her to the kitchen where she grabbed a binder of her family recipes and then into Michael’s main office. She opened his wall safe using the combination in his desk and pulled out her wallet and identification papers as well as a trust her parents had for her to access since she was now an adult. Michael had taken the papers years ago and told her he would keep them safe for her. He denied her access to them later as the relationship changed as his control tightened on her life. Brie allowed Jay to search the safe and take whatever documents he chose. While he did that, she moved to a library and pulled several books that had meaning to her as well as pulling files from a desk to take with her. She then moved to a 2nd office to pull more things that she had from her parents’ home that she wanted to be sure she had. Jay had caught up with them and she let him have access to the safes in the library and the 2nd office.

She looked around as they finally prepared to leave. The two officers helped Hailey and Jay remove her belongings from the house that they had staged near the front door. She paused at the door and set down her keys and her engagement ring at a table by the back of the couch in the living room. Jay looked at her concerned. “I don’t want it anymore. It represents lies and a life that was never meant for me. I never plan to return here so I don’t need the keys either. I don’t have a car that is mine anymore. He sold off anything that was just mine so he could isolate me.” She said. She grabbed several jackets from the front closet threw them in to a box, locked the bottom lock of the front door, and closed it behind herself and Jay.

He placed his arm around her waist as they walked to the car, he had driven them in as a shiver rolled across her body. His presence helped her keep her fear down as the reality set in as his arm supported her as she walked. “He’s going to be furious. That or his Uncle Angelo will. They demanded such control and loyalty. I don’t know that I will ever be rid of them.” She whispered to Jay squeezing a coat to her chest as the officer took the box of her coats.

Jay quietly helped her into backseat the car. He then drove to the 21st District office. The officers moved her personal belongings to a storage area in the office as Jay and Hailey went to escort her to the upper stairs’ offices for Intelligence. Her fears rose as she climbed the stairs clutching her jacket to her chest. Jay felt a shiver go down her back as she came to the top of the stairs. Hailey introduced everyone and they moved slowly so that she was not afraid. Voight came up last. Hailey caught a look of recognition flash across Voight’s face as well as anger as he looked over Brielle’s face and bruises that were visible.

“This is Sergeant Voight, Brielle. He runs our Unit.” Hailey said.

Brielle looked him in his eyes and spoke. “You are brave to take on Michael and his family. I know they know of you as I have heard your name before, but they terrify me. Your name sticks in my memory for some other reason, but I can’t think of it right now.”

Hank spoke calmly after nodding his head. “Angelo and I have had dealings before. Michael is not as important to his uncle as Michael thinks. Angelo told us where he was once he saw your pictures. It will be made clear to Michael that you are to be left alone.”

“Michael is chafing under Angelo. Thinks he is old and foolish. Wants control on his own.” Brielle told him.

She shivered again. Jay caught it and spoke to Brielle. “Are you cold?”

“A little but also nervous and sore. A lot of change in less than 24 hours.” Brielle said quietly her voice displaying her exhaustion leaning slightly on Jay’s shoulder.

“We will watch out for you, Brielle. You asked for help and we are here to do that for you.” Jay said as Hank watched them.

Hank immediately led them into the break room where he questioned Brielle about everything she knew about Michael, his work, his colleagues, where he worked, who he met with, how he helped his uncle and then finally about that last argument.

“Brielle, what started the fight last night?” Hank asked.

Tears fell down Brie’s cheeks as the memories flashed back. “It was stupid, petty really. He felt I disrespected him in front his cousin. He felt I was not completing my role as his future wife. Didn’t show enough respect to him as it was his oldest cousin Carlo who was visiting that night. I had a busy day at the Charity Center that day and didn’t know Carlo was coming to visit. I was tired. The charities we work with are mid-funding cycle. They need all the activities they can to get donations. We were coordinating them all day. I came home and was exhausted. I had working non-stop. I hadn’t even stopped for lunch that day. Dinner wasn’t ready when he arrived with Carlo and I hadn’t even changed from my work clothes. He dragged me upstairs, bruising my arm here around my right elbow, and forced me to change into an outfit of his choice. He then threw keys at me to go get carry-out from his distant cousin Alonzo’s restaurant. I returned, my nerves on edge and acted as what I thought was a perfect hostess. Carlo always was one I liked of Michael’s family. He was charming, sweet almost if you didn’t know who his family was or what they do.”

She took a shaky breath and felt Jay’s hand take hers. She sighed trying to calm her fears and continued. “Once Carlo left, I immediately cleaned the kitchen and the dishes and went to prepare for today. Michael called me down from our room and ordered me into the car outside the house. It was unusual for him to do that. He would often head out without me most nights. I could tell he was mad, and I didn’t understand why. I was worried when it was the town car that he had ready. It is heavily tinted, and you can never tell who or what was inside. I jumped in and slid as far from Michael as I could as the fear filled me. I also tried to be sure that I could exit on my own if I chose. Once Freddy closed the door and the car was moving, Michael struck out at me.” She began to shake as the fear set in and felt Jay’s hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him, took a breath and continued. “He grabbed me by my hair. I had it in a ponytail by that point because I had been cleaning and didn’t want to get it dirty. He slapped me as he held me by my hair. I can’t remember what he said, I know he was saying something, but I didn’t hear it. I was in shock as the pain stung my face. He had never come to that point before where he had ever hit me before. I was stunned and confused. He had such a strong grip on my right arm again so I couldn’t stop him. He then took off his belt with one hand and proceeded to use it to hit me all over with it. It felt like he was using the buckle mostly. He focused on my mid-section, I guess from where it hurt. I felt weaker and weaker as he hit me. I begged him to stop. I tried to ask why but he just swung the belt again. He then set the belt aside and backhanded my face at least 4 times before we came to a stop. I was left in the car as he gathered himself and stepped out to enter some building just down the block from here. I heard him order his driver to stand outside the car but not to get back in until he returned. Jesse was driving that night; he was a guard who was kind of protective over me and hated how scared Michael would make me at times. I waited until I had the energy and I heard Jesse get called inside. I used that chance to get out and run. I knew if I stayed Michael would continue to hurt me. His anger could flip like a switch so quickly from one extreme to the next. He would be calm for those he met with but fly off the handle at any moment with me. I remember the fear that I had to get away. I was disoriented and confused about where I was. I just knew I needed help and needed to get to safety. I ran down the dark alley and when I didn’t hear anyone following, I turned up towards the station, I guess. I just saw the lights. Thought I could be safe here. I saw Detective Halstead and just had an instinct that he would help me. It then gets hazy for me other than I remember his green eyes and the sensation of safety once he met me mid-way.” She said as her body shivered again.

She looked up and saw the anger in Jay’s face, the deep set look in Hank’s and the tears in Hailey’s eyes. Hank reached his hand out for her. “I promise you, Brielle. He will never get the chance to do that again. Hailey will put the transcript into the computer and get it typed for you to sign. I am reaching out to some of my contacts to get you a safe place to stay tonight and then we will go from there. Plus, I known you and your parents a long time, Brielle. It has been since before Camille died that we have been together. You look exactly like your mom, but your eyes are your dad’s. You grew up as much with us as Justin did at your house with your parents. Michael will never get close enough to hurt you again, you are my family, Brielle.” He said calmly to her.

Hailey nodded and left, Hank stood and looked to Jay. “Keep an eye on her, Halstead. She is a part of this family. He made a mistake. He just doesn’t know how large yet.”

“Yes, Sarge.” Jay answered. Hank left them sitting quietly as Brie tried to calm her nerves and her body as she was still feeling the fear from the memories causing her to rub at her face. He pulled her close to him under his arm feeling her shiver still. “Hey, I’m right here, Brielle. He can’t hurt you anymore.” Jay whispered to her. She put her head against his shoulder breathing deep before she turned to face him.

She yawned as her body began to relax from the fear. “I’m so sorry. I just feel so exhausted. I feel so drained, weak. Might be the medicine too. Dr. Choi said I might get sleepy from it.” She whispered leaning against him.

“Not surprised. Go ahead and lay down in here while you wait. I will be just outside the door at my desk if you need me, okay.” He said to her. She nodded and he helped her lay down on the couch in the room and left his jacket with her as she allowed her body to slip into calming sleep feeling safe.

[honestgrins]

could you do a continuation of chapter 29/49??

I'm glad you liked Reflection and Retribution, but I think I'm done with that universe. Could I interest you in Private Investigator!Caroline hired to infiltrate a criminal organization instead?

Also, many thanks to @recyclingss for being a kind ear and a supportive voice as I try to find my writing groove again. Thanks for the love, lovely (and sorry it’s not a new chapter of Burned)!!

Wanted || Klaroline

A squeak of hinges was all she had in the way of warning. Hurrying to tuck the files she'd been snooping through back into their respective cabinets, Caroline needed an excuse for her presence in the boss's office - and she needed one fast.

To give herself a bit more time, she slipped into the private bathroom. Her purse was lighter than her usual go-bag for an investigation, but that was the peril of working undercover. She shuffled through it anyway, only to find the makeup she needed to reapply between shifts, her wallet, car keys, and Taser. Fortunately, she had learned to be resourceful, and a plan quickly formed with what she had. 

Unfortunately, the plan could go very wrong. As footsteps sounded through the door, however, her time to improvise had run out. Slathering on a fresh layer of lipstick for luck, Caroline fluffed her hair and made her presence known. "Sorry to intrude, Mr. Mikaelson, I just— Who the hell are you?”

Her winning smile had fallen flat at the stranger making eyes down the line of her mostly bare leg. True, the outfit had been meant to draw attention, but he wasn't her intended target. She'd been expecting the fastidious Elijah Mikaelson, with perfectly tailored suits and a too polite charm that just screamed serial killer underneath. This guy was far messier with untidy curls and the paint-splattered jeans. Cute, though. And that smirk.

"Mr. Mikaelson," he answered cheekily, "but please, call me Klaus." Making himself a drink from the bar cart, he poured a second glass for her. His brow arched when she refused. "Come to ask favors of the boss, but you won't drink his liquor. I assure you, he only buys the good stuff."

"I'm fine, thanks." She narrowed her gaze as he draped himself over one of the armchairs, giving her another appreciative look. "I thought the brother's name was Kol?"

His nose scrunched. "Unfortunately, there are five Mikaelson brothers. A sister, too. Nosy for a dancer, aren't you? Most of those 'Lijah keeps on the roster know to mind their business."

A mild panic took over; she was usually better at playing it cool. Now, she was going to get busted for asking too many questions. If she couldn't handle the unexpected brother, she really had no chance at taking on the mob boss himself. "Not a dancer yet," Caroline answered, aiming for sheepish with her hands tucked into the tight back pockets of her shorts. "I'm just a waitress until a stage shift opens up."

Ideally, she would be long gone before that happened, if only to avoid breaking an ankle in the heels. Not even her most rigorous pageant training could have prepared her for the skill those things took to work. That, and she needed to tidy up this case fast to get Damon Salvatore off her speed dial. And Stefan - she never would have accepted the job had he not played the friend card. Her only solace was the fact they agreed to double her usual rate for a job like this. 

The tips were pretty great, too. Even just waitressing had earned her some nice spending money to splurge on clothes and pampering. Had the high-end strip club not been a front for Elijah Mikaelson to launder his ill-gotten gains, she might seriously consider moonlighting once the gig was over.

With the way the boss’s brother was eyeing her, though, that might happen sooner than she’d like. It wouldn’t do to get found out before she could track down what Damon asked her to find, and she did not relish the idea of handing back the hefty check he’d already given. Bristling, she crossed her arms, hoping to annoy him off the scent of her subterfuge. “Can I help you?”

Klaus, however, seemed unperturbed by her attitude. “If it’s better pay you’re after, I might have an opportunity for you.” When she gave an outraged splutter, he merely waved her off. “Not quite what you’re thinking, love, though I apologize for any offense. I’m in the market for a new model.”

“For your burgeoning porn empire? No, thanks.”

“I’m an artist, I would like to paint you,” he clarified with a wry grin. Leaning forward on his knees, he lowered his voice as though letting her in on a secret. “Any wardrobe choices — or lack thereof — would be entirely up to you.”

Sensing his interest wasn’t entirely aesthetic, Caroline figured she might as well learn what she could from the cad. “Don’t try to play me. The girls at the club talk, you know. I heard a rumor the Mikaelsons were, like, connected. The whole starving artist thing doesn’t really add up, so I’ll pass.”

Again, his gaze focused on her in an assessing way, lips still curled up. He took the bait. This was almost too easy. “I do alright, family connections aside,” he joked. “Perhaps you’d like to see some of my work...” Trailing off, he left her with an expectant look.

She pretends to cover a flattered expression with irritation. “Candy.”

“And if I were to check Elijah’s meticulous hiring paperwork?”

A beat passed. “Candice,” she relented with a sigh, reminding herself to buy Bonnie something gorgeous to thank her for crafting a bulletproof identity, complete with an otherwise authentic Social Security card and active social media accounts. “Candice Moore.”

That smirk of his spread to a full smile, and she was a bit stunned to see the utter delight on his face. “Funny,” he said, standing to move closer. Without meaning to, she swayed toward him in return, only to catch herself when he gave a teasing tug to her tousled braid. All her attention snapped to the mere foot between them, then to the intense blue of his eyes. "You look more like a Caroline to me."

Rearing back, she blindly reached into her bag. But Klaus was calm and collected as he plucked the Taser from her grasp. "Now, no need to panic, Ms. Forbes. I merely want to talk."

"Bullshit," she huffed. "How—”

He sat back in his chair, watching her with obvious amusement. "You're good. The cover might have worked had your application not been flagged by my security team. Don't feel bad, they're very thorough.”

The pieces were falling into place faster than she realized they were even missing. Unfortunately, she couldn't make herself focus past the first big answer. She finally took the drink he'd poured for her and downed it in one gulp. More potent than she thought, her voice was hoarse after a bracing cough. "Your security team."

His smirk was positively evil. "You seemed determined to learn the particulars of my organization, sweetheart, though I'm sorry to disappoint that Elijah's file cabinet wasn't able to satisfy your...professional curiosity. I, however, am more than interested in your questions." 

With a snap of his fingers, the office door squeaked, and Caroline caught only a peek of the guard she hadn't even noticed lurking outside before the lock clicked into place. Alone with an underground kingpin without a weapon, she fell back into the other chair like the sitting duck she was. "I don't suppose I could distract you by accepting the modeling offer," she tried with a weak laugh.

Ever the surprise, he chuckled with her. "Always. But if you tell me what I want to know, I can offer you a far more lucrative employment. Good private eyes are hard to find, and you're the first to get this far without ruffling feathers."

"I ruffled yours, didn't I?"

If his smirk was evil, his bright smile was disarming. "Who hired you? I believe I owe them a nice thank you for this introduction."

Caroline watched him carefully, confused at the game he was playing. "My clients pay for results and discretion," she answered politely. "If you were to secure my services, with a healthy retainer fee—"

"Of course."

"—I would promise you the same. Unfortunately," she sighed with a pout, "I think this little mishap constitutes a conflict of interest. But thank you for your interest in Forbes Investigations. Can I go now?"

He leaned forward on his knees, his hands folded in front of him. "You know, I might be of some help to your current clients. Were I to assist in your investigation, there would be no conflict at all. The opposite, in fact."

Chewing her lip in thought, she shook her head and decided to cut her losses. "It has nothing to do with the business, not really," she promised. "I've been tasked with finding someone, someone I thought your brother might be supporting with some creative accounting. That's all."

"Don't tell me," Klaus groaned. "Katerina conned your clients then clawed her way back into Elijah's good graces to hide from the consequences of her own actions."

She scoffed. "Says the guy who lets the world think his brother is a criminal mastermind while he's pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Smirking, he didn't seem offended in the slightest. "Elijah's better with paperwork, but his decision-making is unreliable. I think Katerina is example enough of that."

"Fair." Caroline only met her once, but everything she had learned since Damon hired her painted quite the picture. That, and the fact she all but disappeared after he gave her an heirloom engagement ring, despite the fact she was openly gunning for Stefan throughout their entire relationship. "But it sounds like this was a surprise to you, too, so you probably can't be of much help to me in finding her."

"Reverse psychology is beneath you," he flirted. "And I've already offered to help. You're the one being stubborn."

With a roll of her eyes, she finally stood to pour herself another drink. "Yeah, I'm the stubborn one. You probably have a hundred investigators already on staff. What do you want with little, old me?"

He just smiled. "You want my secrets, you'll have to earn them, love. Now, do we have a deal?"

Oh, she was going to regret this; if only she wasn't so damn intrigued. Draining her glass, she set it on the table between them with a thunk before stretching out her hand. "Deal."

Klaus shook her hand with a firm grip, the contact distracting to say the least. Then, he just had to open his mouth. "The modeling job is a standing offer, by the way."

"Good to know."

[liunaticfringe]

(via Lucy Liu's Independent Woman - Interview Magazine)

There have been many great sidekick pairings in the history of modern literature. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, Phileas Fogg and Jean Passepartout, Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet…the list goes on. Yet, it seems there has never been a delightfully tumultuous relationship that comes close to echoing the one embodied by rogue detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful friend and assistant Dr. John Watson. Written in the form of short stories by Arthur Conan Doyle between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the opium-den loving Holmes would terrorize London with his intellectual, astute, and stubborn prowess, with Dr. Watson providing medical expertise and chronicling their entertaining exploits along the way.

Doyle’s works have now long been entered into the public domain, with many film and television adaptions cropping up every few years. Still, when CBS announced in 2012 that it would be turning Doyle’s works into an hour-long crime-drama series titled Elementary, it elicited an unusually high response—this was mostly due to the news that a woman would, in fact, be portraying Watson. Her name would be Joan, not John. And she’s now a fallen from grace surgeon-turned-sober companion and private detective, forfeiting her “Dr.” title in the process. The woman chosen to take on this exciting, contemporary role of Joan Watson was none other than seasoned actress Lucy Liu.

Liu, who’s best known for her roles as a fierce and ill-mannered lawyer in Ally McBeal, an ass-kicking “angel” in the rebooted Charlie’s Angels, and an equally ass-kicking bad girl in the Kill Bill series, certainly provides the yin to the yang of Jonny Lee Miller’s gritty portrayal of Holmes. Elementary chronicles the duo’s relationship as they consult for the NYPD on various criminal cases while living in a shared brownstone in Brooklyn Heights. Initially starting off in Season One as a substance-free friend to the fresh-out-of-rehab Holmes with a keen interest in solving crimes, Watson quickly transformed into a sharp and observant right-hand woman who now clearly has the aptitude to work on her own. And it appears she’ll be doing just that—the end of Season Two left viewers witnessing Watson’s decision to move out of the brownstone and start a new career as a solo private detective, seemingly fed-up with Holmes’ erratic behavior.

The warm and delightful Liu recently called up Interview from her home in New York City to discuss Elementary’s upcoming third season.

DEVON IVIE: Were you on set today?

LUCY LIU: I was running around like a maniac, yeah. It���s beautiful today, it started getting a little bit cooler again. But of course I’ve been bitten by the two mosquitos that are still alive in New York City.

IVIE: I know you were recently at New York Comic Con. How was it?

LIU: It was amazing. It’s such a spectator place. Not only do you get super fans, but you also get people who are curious and inventive and imaginative. It’s fun.

IVIE: Did you run into any cosplayers dressed as Joan Watson?

LIU: Oh, no, I don’t know about that. That’s funny! We did a panel with a huge audience so I couldn’t really see if anyone was wearing anything specific, but it’s an excuse for kids and adults to get dressed up and just be crazy. You know you’ve made it when you have super-fans out there.

IVIE: When you first read the scripts for Elementary, what was it that attracted you to the role of Joan?

LIU: I liked the fact that it was going to be about [Joan and Sherlock’s] relationship and their friendship, and bringing that into modern times. And I thought it was wonderful to change up the gender.

IVIE: Did you immerse yourself in Arthur Conan Doyle’s work as preparation at all?

LIU: I did, I did! I started reading the short stories. I never read them before so it was a really great excuse to read them. I can’t believe it was written so long ago, because it’s so current. The characters are so colorful, which is why I think there are so many incarnations of Watson and Holmes.

IVIE: Do you have a favorite story? I love “A Scandal in Bohemia.”

LIU: There were some pretty amazing stories. The one that stood out to me, which was a Watson story that I got to know him a little more through, was “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” He really is on his own in that. Of course it turns out that Holmes has been there all along, but it’s interesting looking into his interior.

IVIE: Yeah, the entirety of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” is narrated just by Watson. And his diary and letters, too.

LIU: Yeah, I think it’s really cool. We started incorporating that into the show, too, the letters and journals.

IVIE: Has this detective genre always appealed to you? Did you grow up watching or reading detective whodunits?

LIU: I remember more of the old school Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys sort of thing. I also grew up with the Scooby-Doo mysteries. Remember when the villain would go, “I would’ve gotten away with it if it weren’t for you rascal-y kids!” Those were the kind of the things I immersed myself in. I have to say that my mother has always been a huge fan of Columbo and Murder, She Wrote, so this show was her dream come true. I don’t think she totally understood what was going on with Ally McBeal. [laughs]

IVIE: I’ve enjoyed witnessing Joan’s evolution throughout the course of the show, starting off as a sober companion and eventually ending up as a trusty sidekick and confidant to Sherlock. What can we expect from Joan in Season Three?

LIU: When you see them in the third season, you see some friction between the two characters. Joan is now on her own, she has her own detective agency, has a boyfriend, and has been without Sherlock for eight months. She’s got her own apartment, she’s settled, and he shows back up. I think she’s a little bit hurt by what happened and how their relationship and partnership ended, which was basically his decision and his choice, and he left it all in one little note for her. I think she felt that their relationship was much deeper than that, and that he was dismissive in the way that he handled that.

IVIE: How would you define the relationship between Joan and Sherlock?

LIU: I think that it’s a really positive and good relationship, overall. They really have a good chemistry together, work really hard together, and understand each other. They acknowledge each other and respect each other, which is a really important way to have a friendship. And they can learn from each other, you know? She’s very curious about him and I think he sees that she’s a very smart person—that’s vital for him in having respect for someone, having them be intelligent and thinking for themselves.

IVIE: Do you see any of Joan in yourself?

LIU: I do to a certain degree. She’s a lot more measured and patient, for sure. She’s a very curious person, which I think I am, and I think she isn’t afraid of change. She was a doctor, and then became a sober companion, and then jumped off and became a detective. I think sometimes it’s good to make big leaps.

IVIE: You’ve probably been asked this question many times, but do you think a romance between Joan and Sherlock could ever fittingly happen?

LIU: It’s a question that’s often asked and I think it’s really up to the executives. Rob Doherty, the creator [of Elementary] really feels incredibly strongly about keeping their relationship platonic. He has already taken great strides to keep the relationship as clean as possible according to the literature, but he has also changed so much of it by changing the gender of Watson. To have them have a romantic involvement would turn the whole thing upside-down in a way that might really jump the line. [Doherty] felt really strongly about it and I think that’s the one thing he really wants to stay true to.

IVIE: I totally agree. Even on the BBC’s Sherlock, there are campaigns to get Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Martin Freeman’s Watson to become romantically involved. It’s like, enough already, no!

LIU: No way, that’s so weird! People do have that level of friendship oftentimes, but it doesn’t mean it’s physical. I think that everyone just assumes because there’s chemistry the next thing should be happening. I would vote “no” for a romance. I think for sure the creator would vote no on that, too.

IVIE: I’ve talked to both women and men who watch Elementary, and they all consistently mention how well dressed and fashionable Joan is. Do you collaborate with the wardrobe department on styling decisions at all?

LIU: That’s awesome. Yes, I collaborate with Rebecca [Hofherr], who’s the costume designer, who’s wonderful. She’s very easy to work with. One thing we try to maintain about Joan and her style is that she’s a bit wrinkled, you know what I mean? Sometimes it looks like things are really put together, but we always want to make sure things aren’t too tight and are comfortable, kind of like she throws things together. We don’t want it to seem so business-y, so we go away from suits. Chic, but not corporate. Also just to make her seem like her outfits aren’t so put-together all the time. But I’m glad that people really seem to like it, it’s a relief! We don’t splurge a lot on the show, we try to do cheaper things, like things Joan would wear a lot. She wears the same white jacket and shoes frequently.

IVIE: Will we be seeing more of the infamous Clyde the Turtle in the upcoming season?

LIU: Clyde will indeed be in it again. We have to share custody of Clyde.

IVIE: Is it true that Clyde is actually two tortoises? Pulling a Mary Kate and Ashley in Full House on us?

LIU: Yes. It’s just like having twins on a show. Just in case one is crying and screaming and passed out or something.

IVIE: You made your directorial debut for an episode of Elementary last season [“Paint It Black”]. Do you have plans to direct an episode again soon?

LIU: That was so exciting. I’ll be directing another episode again very shortly in December, so you’ll be seeing it in a month and a half.

IVIE: Where did your interest in directing come from?

LIU: I guess I was curious about it. Having been in this business for a while, you kind of see and get a glimpse of everything doing film and television. I think it seemed like a natural progression to go into directing, and I hope to explore more of it, because it’s very exciting and a really good way to collide all the things that you’ve known and experienced in the business and put them all into one.

IVIE: Is there an ideal guest star that you’d like to see on the show in the upcoming season?

LIU: I would love to see Mycroft come back. I really think there was a wonderful tension for Mycroft and Sherlock as well as the triangle that occurred when Joan became involved with him. There’s something very deep about that relationship, and I also think that Rhys Ifans is a fantastic actor. He commands the screen, but off-screen he’s incredibly lovely. A real treat to have on the show.

IVIE: I remember the first few episodes that I saw Rhys in, I was like, where have I seen this guy before? So I looked at his Wikipedia page and it became obvious: he was the crazy guy from Notting Hill!

LIU: Yes, the roommate! So good! Everything he does, he just kills it, no matter the role.

IVIE: And it’s always good to have some MI6 action on the show, which Mycroft provided. Some international flair.

LIU: [laughs] International flair, exactly, some added spice. Just throw some spy stuff in there to throw people off their game. You just don’t expect it, you know? It came out of nowhere.

IVIE: That whole three-episode arc at the end of the second season…

LIU: That was awesome. I was lucky enough to direct one of those episodes, which is more narrative in tone. It’s more fun in some ways, too.

IVIE: You’ve done a range of acting work for both television and film. Do you now find yourself preferring one to the other?

LIU: I love both of them equally. The lack of predictability with television is something that’s constantly changing what your perception of who you think your character is. Suddenly I have a father that’s schizophrenic, or I discovered something else, or I have a relationship with Mycroft. The things that pop up and change the game for you and always keep you on your toes. The wonderful thing about film is that you have something that has a beginning, middle, and end, and you have a concrete amount of time to shoot it. And the process of that can be longer, like editing and advertising and testing the movie, so it’s very different. Television you just continue going, no matter what’s happening outside of your world. You get lost in that vortex a little bit.

IVIE: It’s interesting that America is now embracing the “mini-series” format that has already been so heavily utilized overseas, where there are a set amount of short episodes, and that’s it. In a way, it’s kind of like a cinematic experience.

LIU: I like that, too. It allows you to have a freedom of creativity and at the same time you don’t feel like you have to be contracted to something for that long; you’re really working on a piece of art. And then you’re done and you move on, or it comes back, like Downton Abbey. You don’t know. Those things become little masterpieces. The thing about television is that you see a range of actors now that you may not have seen five years ago even, 10 years ago absolutely not, and I think now there’s no wrong about doing television. There’s no definitive category for what kind of department you fall into anymore.

IVIE: What’s a fun, secret fact about your costar Jonny Lee Miller?

LIU: A fun fact about Jonny Lee Miller is that he oftentimes does handstands on a wall before he does a take, sometimes with pushups, to get blood to his brain and get him geared up for a long monologue that he may have. He stays there, hangs a little bit, and then turns around and does the scene. Most of the time in the brownstone more than anywhere else. He’s in full costume and everything. That’s trivia!

IVIE: I wish I could do wall-handstands by myself.

LIU: Oh my god, I need someone to push my legs up and then hold me there. I’m a cheat!

ELEMENTARY PREMIERES THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 ON CBS.

[spencerreidshortstories]

You meet the team

Description: You have dinner at Rossi’s house so you can meet Spencer’s friends and team members

Rating: Teen, maybe even general

Warnings: None

Spencer put the car in park as he pulled into the driveway of her house. She usually drove to his apartment when they were going to spend time together, but this time he was going to drive her to Rossi's house. Rossi was planning on cooking dinner that night, and the team was finally going to get to meet her.

He'd asked her if it was okay with her and she'd given him a bright smile. "Of course I want to meet your friends," she'd said. "They're an important part of your life."

He'd warned her about Derek maybe teasing and flirting with her and that she shouldn't take it seriously. He'd back off if it made her uncomfortable at all.

He'd also given her brief descriptions of the rest of his team members so she would know what to expect. She'd been really open to meeting them and he had been relieved even if he did have a few misgivings about bringing her into the fold.

Now here he was walking up to her door and knocking on it. When she opened the door, his breath caught for a few seconds. She was wearing a black shirt, long-sleeved, tight but not provocatively so, and a black-and-white checkered skirt that stopped just above her knees. Her choice of shoes were black flats.

He must've stared too long or taken too long to respond because her face fell a little.

"Is this too much?" she asked, gesturing to her outfit.

"What? No!" He smiled shyly and said, "You just look really . . . beautiful. You look beautiful."

It was her turn to give a shy smile. "Thank you. I – I wasn't sure what to wear, so I decided nice but not fancy."

"Garcia will probably be wearing a skirt, so you're fine."

Spencer watched her close and lock the door and then they walked to his car. He stopped walking when they reached it, and she turned to him, question in her eyes.

"Uh, I don't usually drive girls around."

"Okay. I – I know you prefer walking when you can."

He sighed. "Are you – are you the kind of girl who wants a guy to open the door or are you the kind who would get offended if I open the door for you?"

"That depends. If you opened the door for me, would it be because you're babying me in any way?"

"What? No! I just – I'm old-fashioned, so –"

"Spencer," she cut him off. "I'm teasing you. You can open the car door for me. It's nice. However, I open my own door getting out because I'm too impatient to wait for someone to open it for me."

"Duly noted."

Once they were in the car, it didn't take long for Spencer to get going. He didn't have music playing while he was driving because he didn't want to get distracted, but he didn't mind when she started talking to him.

"Where did you get this car?" she asked. "It's from the 60s, isn't it?"

"Mid-60s, yes. I like the older models better. This is probably the only thing I've ever outright splurged on."

"Well, you said you were old-fashioned." She grew serious after that and said, "Spencer?"

He couldn't look at her because he was driving, but he let her know he was listening.

"There's something you should know before we get to the house."

"Okay."

"Sometimes I have a very short socialization meter. It's worse if I'm in a loud place, which is why I asked for us not to meet at a bar or a club. I can usually do a couple hours at a time and then I kind of start zoning out. I just wanted to warn you because you've never seen me that way before, because it's usually just you and me and I don't feel drained with you at all, but if I'm in groups sometimes I do get that way. I didn't want you to think I'm rude or that I don't like your friends if I suddenly stop talking as much. I'm still there mentally, I just don't contribute as much once my introvert meter is full. How long that takes depends on what kind of day I've had."

It was true that Spencer had never seen her when her 'introvert meter' was full, but he had noticed before that certain things seemed to get to her. She didn't like loud noises, especially if they were sudden. Sometimes her shoulders would draw up towards her ears if a car with a loud motor went by, and don't even get her started on motorcycles or people going by with the bass pumping in their cars.

He'd also noticed that she couldn't stand to be in bright places. She had even told him once that if it was too bright outside, the place behind her eyes would start to hurt and she would get a headache. She loved overcast days because she could go out without sunglasses.

Spencer never told her, but what she kept experiencing was a form of sensory overload. She never got irritated with anyone as some people did when they experienced it, but she did become agitated in her movements. She would start bouncing her knee up and down or she would start picking at her fingernails.

"Sometimes I have bad days too," he admitted quietly. It wasn't really something he liked talking about, but she'd been open with him. He felt he owed it to her to be the same. "With the noise and the lights. I get migraines sometimes. Sometimes the activity around me gets to me too."

He heard her let out a little laugh.

"We chose the wrong professions. We don't like commotion but you became an agent with the FBI and I chose to work at a school and a youth center. We have nothing but commotion."

"To be fair, it's probably because we deal with commotion at work that we don't want it in our lives outside of it."

"I never thought of it that way," she admitted. "Makes sense."

They kept the conversation light for the rest of the way to Rossi's house. He laughed at her expression of awe when he pulled into the driveway.

"The FBI doesn't pay this well," she exclaimed.

"I told you he was an author."

"Not all authors are paid this well either."

"You're not wrong."

They walked up to the front door together. Spencer noticed that his team members cars were already there, so they were the last to arrive, which didn't surprise him at all.

JJ was the one who opened the door when he rang the doorbell. She was all motherly warmth and bright smiles and the woman beside him seemed to take to JJ immediately.

They made their way to the kitchen, where Rossi was already cooking. The spent the first thirty minutes in there talking and getting a feel for each other.

Spencer could tell that she really liked Rossi – he had a warmth about him too, like a grandfather who likes to dote on his grandchildren – and she got along with Emily really well. She didn't seem to know how to take Hotch, which Spencer understood. Hotch could seem aloof to people who didn't know him well. She seemed overwhelmed by how excitable Garcia could get, but she was able to find things in common with her as well. Morgan behaved himself, flirted only slightly, and she seemed okay with that too.

Unlike Garcia and Morgan, the rest of the team hadn't felt the need to look his new friend up, so they were learning about her the normal way – by asking her questions.

Spencer even learned a few new things about her – mostly about her family. He hadn't asked her much about that area of her life because he wasn't really ready to tell her about his yet.

She was really close to her mom, but her grandmother had been her primary caregiver growing up. She'd picked up her love of reading from her grandmother, who had read to her as a child. She wasn't really close to her dad or her brother, but they were still a part of her life.

"Reid says you run a youth center," Morgan said. "Is that hard to do while working full-time at a school?"

"Not really. I have friends who help a lot during school hours, but most of the time it's not busy until after school. I'm mostly in charge of the paperwork part of the place, anyway. Making sure thing run smoothly."

"What kind of things do the kids get to do there?"

"Well, there's a quiet room for the ones who want to do their work or for the ones who need help with school work. There's a game room where they can play video games or pick out a movie, play pool, things like that. There's a small gym, a workout room . . . picnic area outside."

"Okay, even I didn't know it had all that," Spencer admitted.

She shrugged, but he could tell she liked talking about it. "I kind of wanted it to appeal to everyone."

"Ever had any trouble with the kids?" JJ asked.

"Not really. I mean, a few arguments here and there over little things, but nothing major. We have adults in each room, so they're supervised wherever the are. We don't have doors just as a safety precaution, for them and for us. Even though they're my friends and I trust them, there have to be at least two adults present in each room. No one adult is allowed alone with the children at any time."

"Smart," Morgan said.

"I try to be," she quipped. "Then we have the cameras spaced throughout the inside and definitely outside in the play area. With the way things happen today, I really just wanted to take every precaution I could think of."

During dinner, the conversation was more even-sided. She got to learn more about his friends and what she had in common with them. She and Garcia loved animal videos; she was a cat person like Emily; she had a maternal streak to match JJ's. She had less in common with the others.

She still didn't seem to know how to take Hotch, but she had no problem conversing with him. She was even more open with Rossi. Derek kept the teasing light and innocent throughout dinner and she just went along with it, so Spencer assumed it wasn't bothering her. She didn't seem to only be tolerating it, at least.

It wasn't until after dinner when everyone was offered a drink that Spencer found out that she didn't drink alcohol. They'd never really been in a situation where they'd been offered it before, so he'd had no way of knowing until just then.

They were all seated, spaced out around the room, and Spencer smiled when she chose to sit beside him even though she could have chosen a chair to herself.

He got to see what she'd warned him about firsthand when she started to become less responsive after their third hour being there. It was almost time to go anyway, but he noticed her answers were shorter, less enthusiastic. He also noticed that even though she wasn't as talkative she still paid attention to the others. She didn't just withdraw into herself. Maybe she would if she'd had to do this a lot longer, though.

He'd never really touched her before aside from accidental brushes of fingers when they were at the library – he still had to hand her books sometimes – but he reached out to her this time, touched her on the arm to draw her attention to him. He raised his eyebrows in question when she looked at him and she gave him a small smile, moved slightly more into his touch, and then settled back into the cushion behind her.

They apparently didn't have to leave yet.