#to build with their partnership - is broken and will never return

[bomber-grl]

౨ৎ‧₊˚ ⋅ 1k Follower Celebration ! .°˖✧

-> ❤︎₊ ⊹ Thank you!

I just want to start off with thank you! I can’t even put into words the immense appreciation I feel for your continuous support and honor I feel whenever I’m complimented on my writing. I know I tend to have commitment issues and difficulties with completing reqs but the fact that you’re still here proves that I’m somewhat tolerable. (Lol) again, thank you so much for everything that amounted to this moment and I’ll never stop feeling grateful for the attention my hard work gets. I hope you enjoy this event, and if you have any suggestions for possible future ones then I’d be more than happy to hear them!

──── ୨ৎ ────

-> ❤︎₊ ⊹ Request requirements

When requesting all you need to do is include the trope you would like to be written, the character, the reader’s gender (e.g. Gn!), and preferably your expectations with the writing. If you’d like me to take creative liberties, then I’d be glad to do so!

NO Nsfw

-> ❤︎₊ ⊹ Character Writing List!

Click Here To View!

-> ❤︎₊ ⊹ Trope Prompt List!

Note: If there are any tropes you’d like me to write that aren’t here, please say what trope it is and explain it.

- Extra! Multiple tropes per fic are permitted, only if they’re applicable and don’t contradict one another, as well as if the requester explains how they’d like them to be applied (if more complex)

1. Enemies to Lovers

(Two characters start out as enemies or rivals but slowly develop romantic feelings for each other over time.)

2. Friends to Lovers

(Characters who have been friends for a long time eventually realize their romantic feelings for each other.)

3. Fake Relationship

(Two characters pretend to be in a romantic relationship for various reasons, only to find themselves falling for each other for real.)

4. Soulmates

(Two characters are destined to be together, often with a mystical or supernatural bond that cannot be broken.)

5. Opposites Attract

(Two characters with contrasting personalities or lifestyles are drawn to each other despite their differences.)

6. Slow Burn

(The romantic tension between two characters builds up gradually over time, often without them acting on it immediately.)

7. Billionaire/Wealthy Love Interest

(One character is incredibly rich and often powerful, while the other might be a commoner or an underdog.)

8. Love Triangle

(A character is torn between two potential love interests, leading to tension, drama, and often a difficult decision.)

9. Second Chance Romance

(Two characters who have previously been in a relationship get another chance to be together after some time apart.)

10. Hurt/Comfort

(One character is emotionally or physically hurt, and another character comforts them, leading to a closer bond.)

11. Amnesia

(A character loses their memory and must rediscover relationships, often leading to romantic confusion or misunderstandings.)

12. Time Travel

(A character is sent back or forward in time, leading to alternate timelines, paradoxes, and often romantic twists.)

13. Alternate Universe (AU)

(A story where the characters are placed in a different universe or reality, often leading to drastic changes in their personalities, relationships, or world dynamics.)

14. Royalty/Forbidden Love

(A character is involved in a relationship with someone deemed inappropriate due to their social status, often leading to secretive or dangerous liaisons.)

15. Revenge

(A character seeks revenge, either as a primary motivation or as a subplot that drives their actions.)

16. Bad Boy/Girl x Good Boy/Girl

(A rebellious or “dangerous” character falls in love with someone who is more wholesome or law-abiding.)

17. Arranged Marriage

(Two characters are forced into a marriage or partnership for political, social, or familial reasons, but over time they grow closer.)

18. Unrequited Love

(Unrequited love is one-sided romantic affection, not returned by the other person.)

19. Reincarnation

(Characters are reincarnated into new lives, often with memories of their past lives or relationships.)

20. Rags to Riches

(A character starts out poor or oppressed and eventually rises to wealth, power, or status, sometimes with a romantic subplot.)

21. Childhood Friends to Lovers

(Two characters who grew up together eventually realize their romantic feelings for one another as adults.)

22. Secret Identity

(A character hides their true identity (hero, royal, rich, etc.) from the other characters, leading to tension, humor, and eventual revelation.)

23. Bodyguard x Client

(A bodyguard falls in love with the person they’re protecting, often leading to intense drama and a danger-filled romance.)

24. Secret Admirer

(A character anonymously admires another, often leading to confusion, misunderstandings, or the eventual reveal.)

25. Supernatural/Paranormal Romance

(A character falls in love with a supernatural being (vampire, werewolf, ghost, etc.), leading to forbidden love and danger.)

26. Love at First Sight

(Two characters instantly fall in love upon meeting, often leading to a whirlwind romance with challenges to overcome.)

27. Falling for the Villain

(A character develops feelings for the antagonist, complicating the typical good-vs-evil dynamic.)

28. Tragic Romance

(A romance with a tragic or bittersweet ending, where love is unrequited or one character dies or sacrifices themselves.)

29. Insta-Love

(Two characters fall in love extremely quickly, sometimes without much buildup, often a point of tension or humor.)

30. Kiss of Death

(A kiss, typically from a villain or cursed character, has a fatal or dangerous consequence for the person kissed.)

31. Angst

(A story characterized by emotional conflict, often involving pain, sorrow, or inner turmoil among characters, usually leading to growth or resolution.)

32. Secret Relationship

(Two characters are in a relationship but must keep it hidden from others, often leading to tension and secretive behavior.)

33. Identity Swap

(Two characters switch places (either physically or metaphorically), leading to comedic or dramatic moments and a deeper understanding of each other.)

34. Love After Loss

(A character falls in love again after the death or departure of a previous lover, often dealing with grief and healing.)

35. Betrayal

(A character is betrayed by someone they trust, leading to emotional fallout, revenge, or character growth.)

36. Damsel in Distress

(A character (often female) is put in a vulnerable or helpless situation, where a hero rescues them, typically leading to a romantic bond.)

37. Beauty in the Beast

(A twist on the classic "Beauty and the Beast" where the "beast" is a misunderstood character or situation.)

38. Forced Proximity

(Don’t feel like giving description)

39. Only one bed

(Don’t feel like giving description)

+ Any More You Want To Request (see Request Requirements for more info)

—

[harmonyrae]

Power Couple

CHAPTER 8 - Just Dinner

It's time for the tour... You & Sylus finally meet and begin your partnership to find the mysterious protocore. But is it a business dinner or a date? Even you can't tell anymore...

Visuals: https://shorturl.at/3XOoh 

Sylus shows you the house, going into detail about every room. Stopping at every painting in the entryway to tell you about the artist and which pieces were custom made. Every vase has a story. Stories of the countries Sylus visited where he went to a night market and bought a piece from a local artist as a souvenir. Even the chandelier was made by a glass maker in Linkon who never takes new clients. But they dropped everything to make a single chandelier for this house.  

The kitchen was fit for custom marble countertops. Two huge ovens and a massive walk-in freezer. There is even a wine cellar, and Sylus’ collection is impressive. Right off the kitchen is a dining room with a table that could seat 20, easily. 

Up the stairs Sylus shows you a bathroom with a huge round tub with a waterfall shower head above it. His and hers vanities line the walls with matching walk-in closets on each side. 

The bedroom has a massive bed with a mountain of pillows. A small sitting area in the corner facing the floor to ceiling windows. A peculiar stand sits next to a fireplace across from the bed. You hear the familiar CAW behind you and you duck to avoid Mephisto hitting you in the back of the head. Mephisto lands on the stand and flaps his wings enthusiastically. Sylus enters pets Mephisto affectionately. Sylus motions for you to come in. You hesitate but enter and join him next to the fireplace. 

“Open the door to the left.” Sylus motions to a door past the bed. 

You slowly approach the door and open carefully. Beyond the door is a walk-in closet that has been transformed into a small arsenal. Guns of all sizes, most are missing pieces or are broken. You look over your shoulder to Sylus with a grin.

“Impressive.” You enter the room and look through the gun displays. You run your finger along an impressive rifle. Even though the metal is rusted you can tell it is cleaned regularly to avoid dust building up. 

“These are my favorites. A reminder that just because something’s broken doesn’t mean it’s not beautiful.” He leans on the door frame and watches while you examine the guns. You look over your shoulder and give him a warm smile. Was anything he said real? Or was he just trying to butter you up?

“They are. Beautiful, I mean.” You sip your wine slowly, maintaining eye contact. He backs up to let you pass him and re-enter the bedroom. Your eyes linger on the bed. Professional. Remain professional.

There are multiple guest bedrooms, an office, a gym and a fucking library. The house is amazing. From the design choices to quality of the build, this house does not belong in the N109 Zone. Yet here it is. And it’s so cozy. 

Sylus leads you back to the dining room where the first course of your dinner is already set on the table. Like a gentleman out of a storybook, Sylus pulls your chair out for you. You sit and take in the food before you. The chef refills your wine glass while introducing the first course, an Autumn Fritto Misto. The scent of the mushrooms and apples blend perfectly together. The taste is even better.

Before you knew it, the chef brought in the main course, a fragrant Lobster Risotto swimming in butter. Then the dessert, a Coconut Panna Cotta with Passion Fruit. The wine paired perfectly with every dish. Not to mention the conversation was effortless. Sylus asked about your hobbies and favorite things. You returned the favor. The questions may be relatively surface level, but now Sylus wasn’t just a pretty face. And you had more in common than you care to admit.

“When you’re not running an empire, what do you like to do to relax?” Sylus keeps his eyes on you. Watching you swirl the wine in your glass as you think of your response.

“I’m a fan of baking. I wish I had more time to do it, but like you said, my empire awaits.” Sylus smiles and nods his head toward the kitchen.

“Maybe you can bake here? Take one of these nights to indulge. Put me on clean up duty.” Your cheeks are starting to hurt from the smile plastered on your face.

“I noticed you prefer vintage guns and your music tastes are… old school. Is there a reason you prefer vintage over modern?” Sylus wipes his mouth with his napkin. The slow methodical swipe across his lips… They look so soft. No, stop… focus.

“Modern weaponry and music is only what it is today because of how the ‘old school’ styles forged a path. And I appreciate timeless beauty.” He stares at you intently as he says the last sentence. You take a deep breath, trying to steady yourself.

“I see what you mean. Does that preference for vintage carry over to movies too?” 

“I keep up-to-date with new films, but yes, older movies tend to be more straight-forward. Bad guys are bad, good guys are good, lovers… They don’t play games. They say what they feel. I appreciate that.” Your stomach tightens, is he hinting at something? 

The chef brought coffee and began clearing the plates. Sylus looks at his watch and sighs. 

“I’m guessing Luke and Kieran didn’t find anything in the shipment?” 

“I don’t believe they did.” 

“I’m sorry.” Sylus looks up at you with a smile, clearly trying to mask his disappointment.

“It’s a good thing there’s an event coming up that might have a better outcome.” He pushes his chair back and crosses his legs keeping his eyes on you. You lean back, raising an eyebrow.

“An event?” You have a feeling he brought this up on purpose.

“An event I would very much like you to attend with me.” And there it is.

“Is this an addendum to our original deal?” Sylus chuckles before finishing his coffee in one sip.

“No. It can count as next month’s meeting.” You lean forward, placing your elbows on the table. You can’t deny your curiosity has peaked. 

“What kind of event?”

“A charity masquerade. There’ll be an auction, well, two auctions. One official and one not so much.”

“And you think this rare protocore will be available at the not so official auction?” Sylus nods.

“It’s next week. So, will you go with me?” You sip your coffee and stare at him for a long time. 

“I’d love to.” 

Sylus has been very composed tonight. In fact, he has very rarely faltered during any interaction you’ve had with him. But when you tell him you’ll attend this event with him, the smile on his face is undeniable. He couldn’t even keep eye contact with you. He looked down at his now empty coffee cup.

“I’ll send you the details.” 

Ding

Your phone buzzes and you look from your phone to Sylus. 

“That was fast.” Sylus chuckles at your joke. You turn your phone over and see messages from Dorian.

(Dorian) Out front. Ready when you are. (Dorian) Unless you’re having too much fun on your “date”.

You scoff and flip your phone back over. Sylus looks at you, his brows raised.

“What’s wrong?” You stand. Sylus follows suit. 

“My rides here.” 

You look up at Sylus. His eyes burrow into you and you don’t turn away, even when your cheeks feel flush. You know Dorian was just trying to rile you up. This was not a date. It was enjoyable and, sure, you wish Dorian had gotten stuck in traffic or gotten pulled over for driving like an asshole. Just a little more time with Sylus would have been nice. But this was NOT a date. 

Keep trying to convince yourself of that. 

Sylus walks you to the door and you stand in the doorway together, illuminated by the moonlight. You see Dorian in the car, staring at you once again. You turn back to Sylus and realize he is much closer than a second ago. He takes your hand and brings it to his mouth, touching a soft kiss to your knuckles.

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you, kitten.” You hold his stare. 

The distance between you continues to close until your forehead almost touches his. That smile. That goddamn smile. You bite your tongue and your breath catches. Sylus leans in and you close your eyes. His lips press the whisper of a kiss to your cheek. Not at all what you were expecting. Your eyes fly open and you pull back slightly so you can see him better. You might be seeing things, but it definitely looks like his cheeks are just slightly flushed. You’re probably seeing things. 

“Speak soon.” He releases your hand and steps back into the doorway. You nod at him and flash a small smile before heading to the car.

You’re not even in the car fully before Dorian is peppering you with questions. 

“Did he just fucking kiss you? You can’t say this wasn’t a date after he pulled a stunt like that. Are you going to call off the deal? Did he even find the protocore he was looking for? Or did he tell you anything else about what he is looking for? Are you going to answer me or just sit there looking like a smitten teenager?” That last one hurt a bit.

“Dorian, shut up. For one fucking minute. Okay?” You lean your head back on the headrest. 

“I’m sorry. I just… I want to know if all this is worth it.”

“Do you remember what I told you when we made our first deal and solidified Himitsu in the zone?” After Dorian doesn’t reply you continue.

“We spent four months building a connection and forging a relationship, we secured a partnership that set Himitsu apart. That client is still loyal to us 5 years later. You were just as impatient then as you are now. You tried to rush me and you nearly lost us that contract. So do not rush me now. Understood?” Dorian leaned back in his seat, slightly surprised by your tone. He nods. 

The ride home was silent, which you were grateful for. Dorian was right and you finally admit it to yourself. It was more like a date than a business dinner. But you weren’t upset about that. You are genuinely excited for next Saturday. Maybe things don’t have to be so complicated after all.

Tag List (comment if you wanna be added!): @trishiepo0 @not-so-quite-human

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1: https://shorturl.at/Bx95C Chapter 2: https://shorturl.at/3PwTi Chapter 3: https://shorturl.at/a7xnF Chapter 4: https://shorturl.at/fKYgX Chapter 5: https://shorturl.at/7YtTh Chapter 6: https://shorturl.at/cMCj7

[azukiel]

Nightfall Heir Chapter 6

🔞 MDNI 🔞 NSFW

Warnings (as a whole): Explicit sexual content, Graphic descriptions of violence, PTSD, Angst, Blood kink, Kidnapping, Pregnancy and Childbirth

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

⭐Here is the story on Archive of Our Own ⭐

Summary: Two years have passed since the events surrounding the destruction of the Absolute. Baldur's Gate is slowly rebuilding itself from the rubble, and you and your companions have established yourselves within the city to help in its restoration.

You and your vampiric lover, Astarion, had been nigh inseparable since coming back together. Yet a certain turn of events saw to your kidnapping and then... to your unexpected pregnancy.

🔥Comments and reblogs are much appreciated! 🔥

Regrettably, Astarion had important tasks to complete and couldn't join you on your journey back. Despite your offer to keep him company at the Halls of Justice, he knew he would just want to keep riding you to oblivion after what had just occurred. He assured and promised to do so upon his return home. That had brought a deep blush to your cheeks, which only caused him to smirk and laugh.

“How long do you think it will be before you’re done?” You asked, sending him a telling gaze.

“Well,” he grinned as he fiddled with the ring on his finger. “I intend to make quick work of my reports.”

You grinned deviously. “Hurry home as fast as you can. I’ll have dinner ready,” you offered.

“We don’t need dinner, my love.”

You shook your head, chuckling, “You may not need food, but I do!”

“Oh, I know, but I intend to devour you entirely. Make sure you're well fed before I return.”

“Is that an order?” You fluttered your eyelashes bashfully.

“Yes!” He gave you a quick, teasing slap on your backside. “So when you get home, make sure you rest. You're going to need your energy tonight.”

“So ravenous,” you purred.

“Only for you,” he smirked.

“So you’ve told me,” you grinned, and brought him in for a hug and a last deep kiss.

“See you later,” he murmured, his ruby gaze fixated on your eyes.

“Try to hurry home,” you reiterated, staring back intently.

“I shall see what I can do.”

As the two of you unlocked your loving hold on each other, you rose to the tip of your toes and gave him a peck on the cheek. “My heroic magistrate, off to do the law’s bidding.”

His smouldering gaze was all-knowing, but he chuckled anyway, rolling his eyes at your banter. “Off you go.”

And so you did, taking his advice and making the long walk back to your humble abode. Your mind lingered on the pleasant events that just transpired. Gods, there was something so pleasantly filthy - raunchy - in what you had both just done.

The memory made you nibble on your bottom lip and shiver from his promises. You needed to get home and rest, for he was going to utterly devour you. The events left you utterly depleted, and your mind continued to speculate on his recent insatiable appetite. The sudden occurrence happened even before menstruation, so there was no room for complaint. You resolved to discuss it with him at some later time. Perhaps he was just content to finally being free to control his own life; finally free to feel the true warmth of being loved and needed. Of being wanted. For many years, it was something you had desired. Astarion's fall for you introduced you to a love you had never known. The elusive feeling of a true love's kiss and the longing embrace of someone who truly desired you had always been out of reach. You had only ever known pain. You were grateful that the two of you could find such euphoric joy in one another. The partnership may not be seen as appropriate or respectable by everyone, but you felt no shame in his arms. With him by your side, you felt you could accomplish anything.

If the city was still in one piece, your walk would have not taken so long. Due to numerous collapsed buildings and broken roads awaiting repair, you had to take a longer route. With main roads still crowded with repair crews, merchants, and people going about their daily business, you chose the quieter back streets that had been cleared. With the many dilapidated structures, homeless people seeking shelter could find reprieve against the elements.

Your heart went out to those poor, innocent people. It agonized you to see the destruction that had been done by the Absolute.

Continuing on your way, you offered a couple of gold coins to the desperate people who approached you. Giving up a few coins for the greater good didn't bother you. Making Baldur's Gate a pleasant place to reside was necessary. Sighing, you continued on your way, reaching narrower and less populated alleys. You were heading into the bowels of the lower city now.

Your Drow senses quickly detected that you were being followed. The sensation of being spied on caused you to quickly look back, but there was nothing unusual in sight. Squinting your eyes, you sped up your pace.

You couldn’t hear the footsteps running up from behind you, for their movements were far too light for mortal ears to detect. But you felt them. The cold fury that surrounded your pursuer was like icy teeth latching onto your skin. Spinning on the spot, your magic arced up your fingertips in eager anticipation of a fight. You were not known to be cowardly, and neither did you like the idea of getting caught unawares.

You steeled yourself to counter any form of attack, whether physical or one of a magical nature. Yet, no matter how hard you scrutinised, there were no visible signs of any potential opponents. At first, you were confused and concerned. Were you just being paranoid? Had the many nights with Astarion clouded your senses?

Deciding it was just your nerves or your own imagination playing tricks upon you, you turned around, intent on continuing home. Only there was a subtle, melancholic humming in the air, as if singing a sad ballad. It sent your senses on a tingling wave, for the tone of it reminded you of the soothing murmur of the brooks and streams from home, deep within the Underdark. A home that, in truth, you did not miss.

Ignoring the musical notes dancing along the back of your neck, you continued on. Though you did so, your feet felt heavier with every step. A sinking feeling began in the pit of your stomach, a sensation that told you something was terribly wrong.

Glancing over your shoulder once more, you felt a chill breeze snake its way through the folds of your skirts. It made you shudder, and the melody seemed to hum louder, beckoning you into the unknown. Your senses were screaming at you.

Suddenly, your entire body stopped. Though it did not physically strain from the opposing force, the invisible chains of whatever spell that had been woven around you seemed to tighten their grip.

Despite the painful seizure of your body, you twisted your head around enough to see the figure a short distance behind you, cloaked in shadows. Through gritted teeth you muttered an incantation, and the twisting of the invincible chains vanished as the figure screamed, clutching the sides of their head. You knew it was wise not to linger and went to chant an invincibility spell, but no sooner did you open your mouth to mutter the words did you feel something being pulled over your head and tightened around your throat. The tingling of the weave which coursed through your veins vanished.

“No...” Items that could subdue your powers were virtually unheard of.

Your knees abruptly gave way, and you toppled to the ground. You felt every ounce of your breath being squeezed from your lungs. The cloaked figure, who previously tried to subdue you, approached while still holding their head.

“Mistress’ orders. She is not to be harmed.” Came the gruff male voice.

You heard a female scoff. “I know! You needn’t remind me! We need to bring her back immediately. She is fighting the collar. I do not know how long it will last.”

All you can remember is the blunt pain of a fist connecting with your skull.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

May 12, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

MAY 13, 2024

I write a lot about how the Biden-Harris administration is working to restore the principles of the period between 1933 and 1981, when members of both political parties widely shared the belief that the government should regulate business, provide a basic social safety net, promote infrastructure, and protect civil rights. And I write about how that so-called liberal consensus broke down as extremists used the Reconstruction-era image of the American cowboy—who, according to myth, wanted nothing from the government but to be left alone—to stand against what they insisted was creeping socialism that stole tax dollars from hardworking white men in order to give handouts to lazy minorities and women. 

But five major stories over the past several days made me realize that I’ve never written about how Trump and his loyalists have distorted the cowboy image until it has become a poisonous caricature of the values its recent defenders have claimed to champion.

The cowboy myth originated during the Reconstruction era as a response to the idea that a government that defended Black rights was “socialist” and that the tax dollars required to pay bureaucrats and army officers would break hardworking white men. 

This weekend, on Saturday, May 11, Paul Kiel of ProPublica and Russ Buettner of the New York Times teamed up to deliver a deep investigation into what Trump was talking about when he insisted that he must break tradition and refuse to release his tax returns when he ran for office in 2016 and 2020, citing an audit.

The New York Times had already reported that one of the reasons the Internal Revenue Service was auditing Trump’s taxes was that, beginning in 2010, he began to claim a $72.9 million tax refund because of huge losses from his failing casinos.  

Kiel and Buettner followed the convoluted web of Trump’s finances to find another issue with his tax history. They concluded that Trump’s Chicago skyscraper, his last major construction project, was “a vast money loser.” He claimed losses as high as $651 million on it in 2008. But then he appears to have moved ownership of the building in 2010 from one entity to a new one—the authors describe it as “like moving coins from one pocket to another”—and used that move to claim another $168 million in losses, thereby double-dipping. 

The experts the authors consulted said that if he loses the audit battle, Trump could owe the IRS more than $100 million. University of Baltimore law professor Walter Schwidetzky, who is an expert on partnership taxation, told the authors: “I think he ripped off the tax system.” 

The cowboy myth emphasized dominance over the Indigenous Americans and Mexicans allegedly attacking white settlers from the East. On Friday an impressive piece of reporting from Jude Joffe-Block at NPR untangled the origins of a story pushed by Republicans that Democrats were encouraging asylum seekers to vote illegally for President Joe Biden in 2024, revealing that the story was entirely made up.  

The story broke on X, formerly Twitter, on April 15, when the investigative arm of the right-wing Heritage Foundation, which promises to provide “aggressive oversight” of the Biden administration, posted photos of what it claimed were flyers from inside portable toilets at a migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico, that said in broken Spanish: “Reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States. We need another four years of his term to stay open.” The tweet thread got more than 9 million views and was boosted by Elon Musk, X’s owner.

But the story was fabricated. The flyer used the name of a small organization that helps asylum seekers, along with the name of the woman who runs the organization. She is a U.S. citizen and told Joffe-Block that her organization has “never encouraged people to vote for anyone.” Indeed, it has never come up because everyone knows noncitizens are not eligible to vote. The flyer had outdated phone numbers and addresses, and its Spanish was full of errors. Migrants who are staying at the encampment as they wait for their appointments to enter the U.S. say they have never seen such flyers, and no one has urged them to vote for Biden.

Digging showed that the flyer was “discovered” by the right-wing video site Muckraker, which specializes in “undercover” escapades. The founder of Muckraker, Anthony Rubin, and his brother, Joshua Rubin, had shown up at the organization’s headquarters in Matamoros asking to become volunteers for the organization; they and their conversation were captured on video, and signs point to the conclusion that they planted the flyers. 

Nonetheless, Republicans ran with the story. Within 12 hours after the fake flyer appeared on X, Republican representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Dan Bishop (R-NC) brought posters of it to Congress, and Republicans made it a centerpiece of their insistence that Congress must pass a new law against noncitizen voting. Rather than being protected by modern-day cowboys, the woman who ran the organization that helps asylum seekers got death threats.

The cowboy image emphasized the masculinity of the independent men it championed, but the testimony of Stephanie Clifford, the adult film actress also known as Stormy Daniels, in Trump’s criminal trial for falsifying business records to cover up his payments to Clifford to keep her story of their sexual encounter secret before the 2016 election, turns Trump’s aggressive dominance into sad weakness. Covering Clifford’s testimony, Maureen Dowd of the New York Times yesterday wrote that “Trump came across as a loser in her account—a narcissist, cheater, sad Hugh Hefner wannabe, trading his satin pajamas for a dress shirt and trousers (and, later, boxers) as soon as Stormy mocked him.”

In the literature of the cowboy myth, the young champion of the underdog is eventually supposed to settle down and take care of his family, who adore him. But the news of the past week has caricatured that shift, too. On Wednesday, May 8, the Republican Party of Florida announced that it had picked Trump’s youngest son, 18-year-old Barron, as one of the state’s at-large delegates to the Republican National Convention, along with Trump’s other sons, Eric and Donald Jr.; Don Jr.’s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle; and Trump’s second daughter, Tiffany, and her husband. 

On Friday, May 10, Trump’s current wife and Barron’s mother, former first lady Melania Trump, issued a statement saying: “While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments.” It is hard not to interpret this extraordinary snub from his own wife and son as a chilly response to the past month of testimony about his extramarital escapades while Barron was an infant.

Finally, there was the eye-popping story broken by Josh Dawsey and Maxine Joselow in the Washington Post on Thursday, revealing that last month, at a private meeting with about two dozen top oil executives at Mar-a-Lago, Trump offered to reverse President Joe Biden’s environmental rules designed to combat climate change and to stop any new ones from being enacted in exchange for a $1 billion donation. 

Trump has promised his supporters that he would be an outsider, using his knowledge of business to defend ordinary Americans against those elites who don’t care about them. Now he has been revealed as being willing to sell us out—to sell humanity out—for the bargain basement price of $1 billion (with about 8 billion people in the world, this would make us each worth about 12 and a half cents). 

Chief White House ethics lawyer in the George W. Bush administration Richard Painter wrote: “This is called bribery. It’s a felony.” He followed up with “Even a candidate who loses can be prosecuted for bribery. That includes the former guy asking for a billion dollars in campaign cash from oil companies in exchange for rolling back environmental laws.”

The cowboy myth was always a political image, designed to undermine the idea of a government that worked for ordinary Americans. It was powerful after the Civil War but faded into the past in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s as Americans realized that their lives depended on government regulation and a basic social safety net. The American cowboy burst back into prominence with the advent of the Marlboro Man in 1954, the year of the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, and the idea of an individual white man who worked hard, wanted nothing from the government but to be left alone, was a sex symbol, and protected his women became a central myth in the rise of politicians determined to overturn the liberal consensus. 

Now it seems the myth has come full circle, with the party led by a man whose wife rejects him and whose lovers ridicule him, who makes up stories about dangerous “others,” cheats on his taxes, solicits bribes, and tries to sell out his followers for cash—the very caricature the mythological cowboy was invented to fight.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[deathbind]

THE GUARDIAN OF ETERNITY.

We speak now of Refhremmit, the Great Spirit, the Guardian of Eternity, the Grand Embalmer. They who are in the embalming house, who prepare the houses of eternity, who keep the cities of eternity, who stand at the threshold. They, bearing the cradle of stars, who were weaned on Eruti's blood, who wash the burial shroud in the shining waters. All souls would be lost without them; may their vigil never be broken.

REFHREMMIT WAS FIRST THE SPIRIT of a lakeside fishing village in western Meket. Though the people's lives were humble, their needs were met. They respected the land, respected its spirit, and always gave back a portion of what they'd earned. In return, Refhremmit kept their nets full and their gardens flourishing. Why the kheprer chose that place to appear, not even Refhremmit can say.

Some theorize the lake is a pool of Eruti's blood, spilled when the One Above cast them down, and it is from that blood the kheprer were born. Others say it was the site of a great killing in the most ancient of times, and the kheprer were the souls of the dead rising to claim vengeance. Whatever the case, the kheprer devoured all fish in the lake, drank all life from the land, and spread east into the rest of the country. This panicked their neighbors who were certain the village must have transgressed Heaven to be so punished. They burned the village in hopes of preventing the kheprer's spread. They succeeded only in ensuring there were no survivors. Refhremmit, grieving the people they had loved well, wove a shroud of preservation over the village. Houses did not rot; bodies did not decay. They sat a mourner's vigil for over a decade.

None dared entered that forsaken place — until Serot. He had found a way to control the kheprer. He was limited in how many he could command and for how long. What's more, he had nowhere to keep them that would not do further harm. Thus he sought their very source, believing he would find there a permanent solution. He was not so focused on his goal, however, that he forgot all compassion. He uncovered every body he could. Heard the final words of the dead, accepted their last requests, gave them the rites they had so long been denied. Even those who had no information of use — it did not matter. He gave them what peace he could and laid them to rest.

Refhremmit was moved by this. They had been wary at first. Perhaps this was some foul looter or defiler of dead. But, he showed more decency in a month than anyone else had shown in years. Refhremmit guided with signs in the world at first. Led him to the dead, helped him fulfill what last requests could be fulfilled there. Then they spoke to him on the winds, came to him in dreams. Finally, they came in flesh to Serot's fire. He, without surprise, as if greeting one who belonged there, offered them food and drink. That was the first of many nights they'd share.

As they worked together enough trust was built for them to bind their souls that Serot might have the power to command the kheprer and Refhremmit might have the power to keep them. It required the further cooperation of every ghul lord Refhremmit could muster, but it was done. Their partnership continued in the founding of the Anactaci and the building of the City of Eternity, from which all cities of eternity derive their name, over the village where the kheprer were kept. A magical bond was not all that kept them together but genuine love and companionship. They were as two ends of the scale.

Which is why it pained Refhremmit more than any other to watch Serot deteriorate. All who draw from the Plane of Death pay a price, and Serot drew more deeply from that well than any other. This, combined with the griefs of life, wore him down early. By his early-forties, his health was so poor that he looked cadaverous. Even the Manthu, drawing directly from the Plane of Life, could not counter it. Refhremmit could not watch him wither away — certainly could not bear his soul to be consumed. They proposed that their bond might offer an alternative. If Serot came willingly, they might embrace each other so closely that they become one and the same. There would be eternal rest in each other's arms, and Serot's arms would be Refhremmit's, and Refhremmit's arms would be Serot's, and there would be no difference between them. They would keep eternal vigil over the souls of the dead.

Serot came willingly. They were bound in a rite mimicking both marital and funerary rites — but the result was not as they'd expected. They did not merge, but they were wound inextricably about one another. Serot has reincarnated continuously through the centuries, and Refhremmit has greeted each new life. Refhremmit has taken them all into their arms as they passed death's door, and walked hand-in-hand with them down the deathless paths to a new incarnation. Never has there been a more constant lover or friend.

But, Serot is not the only soul under their purview. Refhremmit became steward of the greatest House of Eternity which was Serot's tomb and the guardian of the City of Eternity, which was the necropolis that held it. Each house and each city properly hallowed comes under their aegis. Thus their influence is felt throughout all Meket. The Anactaci know them as patron and protector. They are in every embalmer's house and at every tomb's threshold. The sanctity of these places is in their hands. Any who transgress that, transgress against them.

[the-nysh]

So what do you think 240 and 241 redraws and Void's power display

For now, I'm willing to wait and see where the redraw's new direction takes us, since it's still a bit early BUT my immediate reaction was that incredulous blinking guy gif - like OH this is something completely different right out of left field. The last time we had such a huge, direct attack on the hero hq building itself feels like back during the Boros chapters, and now boom suddenly Blast has to make massive dimension-hopping portal maneuvers for the entire building to literally evade it (not even tanking or parrying) or else - like OH ok, now that's something that's never happened before, with the implication being that everything (and everyone inside) would've been instantly annihilated if Blast (not Saitama) hadn't had the luxury of being in the right place at the right time to counter-save it. Even if Saitama was there too, doing that is not something he could have saved or prevented, which ok, is very...*blinks*

But I'll be honest and say that these types of flashy power displays, just like all the cosmic Jupiter stuff inserted into Garou's fight too, are not something I really need to see (since those things aren't what I read the series for anyway) so what I AM hoping for at least, is how this new direction displays and develops the broken dynamics/partnerships between Blast-Void and Sonic-Flash. That's what most important to me. The other being that, given Blast's willingness to see his old partner return human again, we get to discern whether Void is truly another victim to god's control/corruption - if he's someone in need of saving like Garou was OR if the Void guy is a complete monster who willingly chose to be an empty puppet this way - that'll be the difference here to compare/contrast to and make any parallels to what we've seen before. And if god tries to target Flash again like before, I still want Sonic to be the one who saves him from falling victim to that mental trap, as a testament to their real bond that god can't hope to emulate. Now that's what I hope stays intact from the previous route here too.

[mionedray]

Ho ho ho! Secret Santa here again!

Thank you for such a vibrant and detailed response—I absolutely adore your enthusiasm (and don’t worry about the delays; life gets busy, and exams are no joke!).

Now, onto the fun stuff! I’ve come up with a few ideas that hopefully hit the vibes you love. Let me know what jumps out at you, or if you want me to expand on anything! 🎁

1. Killian’s Past Comes to Light After the CS movie, Emma and Killian return to Storybrooke, but someone from Killian’s past—maybe a vengeful ally or an old flame?—follows them through the portal. This person is determined to stir up trouble, revealing secrets even Emma doesn’t know and forcing Killian to confront old mistakes. Drama, redemption, and lots of Captain Swan teamwork to save the day!

2. A Christmas Fluff-a-palooza meet Hallmark Killian and Emma are co-workers at a quirky bookstore café. Both are recovering from heartbreak in different ways: Killian trying to rebuild after losing his hand in an accident, and Emma struggling with trust issues. Through small acts of kindness (he always saves her favorite pastries (bearclaw FTW!); she fixes his broken bookshelves), they build each other up, slowly realizing they’ve found something special.

3. Underworld Redux (But Better) Emma finds herself in a mystical underworld after an accident (maybe saving her family or realm?), and Killian is the rogue guide she must rely on to find her way back. His motives seem questionable at first—does he have his own agenda? Is he truly trying to help her? Along the way, they navigate magical traps, hostile spirits, and increasingly personal revelations.

4. Captain Duckling Origin Story Picture this: Killian is a fresh-faced lieutenant (or ambitious deckhand) tasked with escorting Princess Emma on a diplomatic mission. She’s fiery and independent; he’s sharp-witted and secretly infatuated. When pirates attack, they have to work together to survive, uncovering their mutual respect (and feelings) along the way. Swashbuckling action + tender moments = chef’s kiss.

5. Soulmates with a Twist What if Emma and Killian have been destined for each other all along but never knew it? They touch a magical artifact (or cross into another realm) and start seeing flashes of their past lives—pirate escapades, modern AUs, you name it—where they always find each other. The ultimate “we’re meant to be” love story, with snippets of angsty separations and heartwarming reunions through time.

Don’t worry, Neal and August are not invited to this party.

Also, we’re going for partnerships of equals here! None of that teacher/student or step-sibling storylines here!

And even if there’s a bit of angst, it’ll only make the happy ending sweeter! No tragedy here!

Would you like me to expand on any specific idea or detail? I’m happy to tailor things further—after all, Santa loves delivering joy! 🎅✨

Dear Santa,

I am heartbroken, you've given me such lovely options and you expect me to choose 😭. I literally kid you not I've changed my mind everyday. But how are you Santa...do you want a fanta- yeah no.

Ahem so....its between 2, 3 and 4 but 5 5 5?? for me but the underworld one just seems so mysterious. I think I'll go for 3. Istg you're so creative too! I apologize for taking so long exams and me being indecisive lol. Stay safe and hydrated Santa. If you ever wanna talk or simply ho ho ho do visit!

PS: I will love anything you make so don't worry just write what you feel like writing too :)) I can't wait to see what brilliance you come up with XD.

[theunseenlibrary]

The Unseen Library

The three rules of the Librarians of Time and Space are:

Silence;

Books must be returned no later than the last date shown; and

Do not interfere with the nature of causality.

Lucien Flores

Met you once, saw you thrice: The first time, he kissed you. the second time, you found yourselves in a bathroom. the third time, well, the third time. [M, smut, fingering aka hands go inside underwear under a tree. not-friends to not-lovers. tension. lots of references to past debauchery. slight mention of lucien's sobriety. lots of plot for some sexy rewards.]

Jack Daniels

Private eyes: You're a private detective hired to stalk Jack Daniels. [M, voyeurism (reader watches jack), masturbation (m & f), reader is a private investigator, gratuitous descriptions of my fav cowboy stroking his big cock, dub-con a little? reader masturbates in her car but there isn't anyone around so public but private]

Javier Peña

Like a fever: You got stuck with Javi in the files room [E, heavy smut, teasing upon teasing upon teasing, lots of mentions of heat/sweat, perfect use of ice in a situation like this, oral (f receiving), unprotected sex, public-ish sex]

Let me : reader is inexperienced, javi helps you out. you know, like a gentleman. [E, unprotected p in v sex, masturbation, fingering, oral (f receiving), loss of “virginity,” soft!javi, also rough!javi, smoking, alcohol, choking if you squint, mentions of torture (oops), also mentions of drugs]

Ezra (Prospect)

On the Green (masterlist): Crash landing on an inhospitable planet with a dead father, a pod that needs repair and no harvesting skills to your name, you are forced into a partnership with a stranger. Seemingly without morals and soft spot for you alone, he teaches you his own brand of navigating The Green...while also guiding you through everything else you’ve been curious about. [E,forced proximity, age gap but not specified, innocence lost, teacher/student dynamics, threads of female rage and revenge on the world, harvesting violence, very explicit in later chapters]

Marcus Acacius

Broken vows : When Marcus receives word that he is to be sent to the arena, he must decide where his true loyalties lie. [E, Possessive, Breeding Kink, Mention of Pregnancy, some hunter/prey dynamic]

Joël Miller

Knucles deep : Joel fingers you for the first time in his truck. [E, no physical descriptors of reader. fingering (pussy and ass). heavy ass play. Joel being a fucking menace]

Just a graze : Joel comes back injured, and while you patch him up the tension that's been building for several months threatens to break. [E, dirty talk, explicit content, language, injury detail (not explicit), sexual tension, PIV, oral (F receiving)]

Like real people do : a temporary arrangement leads to permanent feelings that joel can’t seem to shake — for you. but do you feel the same? [E, post-outbreak, jackson!joel, age gap (28/56), smutty thoughts & happenings, jealous!joel, angst, pining, reader has curves & wears joel’s jacket, masturbation (m), typical canon violence & weapons, graphic description of wounds, cursing, blood, food, alcohol, unprotected piv]

Stiff : As Joel's getting older, his body isn't working the way it used to. Luckily, you're happy to help him out. [E, erectile dysfunction, age gap, anxiety, Joel is old (affectionate), m masturbation, oral sex, p in v sex, reader is able bodied but not described, moth never uses y/n]

Knuckles deep : Joel fingers you for the first time in his truck. [E, hysical descriptors of reader. fingering (pussy and ass). heavy ass play. Joel being a fucking menace]

Never made it as a wise man : Joel solves your car troubles for free, and you try to return the favor with a homecooked meal. When you accidentally interrupt his jerkoff session, you take a chance and help him out. [E, AU no outbreak divorced Joel x f!reader, Sarah is not mentioned, but Ellie is your adult coworker, reader is clueless about cars and so am I, gratuitous smut and horny thoughts, implied jorkin’ joel but no witnesses, hand job, fingering, premature ejaculation, touch starved kinda loserish but hot divorced dilf joel, he’s a real tiddy guy in this one and idk why it just happened, pwp]

[explorer-of-art]

Varius & North's Friendship

The two are each others' first friend in NRC. They're in the same class so it was only a matter of time before they interact and get close.

Long post under the cut.

On Day 1, North was the first Ignihyde student Varius saw outside of class time. And Varius was the first student to talk to North. So the two get attached over the semester.

Varius wants to become an engineer like the first and youngest Royal Engineer from a certain kingdom long ago who he happens to resemble. So outside of school hours, he works on his many projects. He never had a beta tester, partner, or someone he could ask for help. This becomes relevant later on.

By the way, one thing to know about North is that she is from another world. She has seen Disney media, including "Tangled: the Series" which means Varius reminds her of Varian A LOT in appearance and personality. She knows they're separate people but it's like seeing a ghost. She does come close to calling him "Varian" a few times but he doesn't notice... yet.

Anyway, the days roll on, classes go by, time passes. The two gradually become friends and study together. During Alchemy and Potions classes, Varius does fine on paper but has a hard time with labwork. He makes many mistakes which is why Alchemy and Potions are not his best subjects. In pair work, he has a doesn't work well with most students but does fine with North, and the two always gravitate toward each other when able to choose partners. Crewel notices this but he lets it happen because there's always less explosions when they're together.

They become partners after Varius messes up one too many times doing labwork in Alchemy class and gets chewed out by Crewel. He goes to North and they have a talk. Varius tells her his problems, and eventually mentions the Royal Engineer he resembles along with the projects he has been working on. Because of how attached they are and work together, Varius asks her to make a promise. North, remembering the one time his look-a-like had a promise broken, goes "NO. NO PROMISES. OR ELSE I'LL BREAK IT RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. YOU CAN'T BREAK A PROMISE IF YOU NEVER MAKE ONE IN THE FIRST PLACE". So they don't make a promise. They make an agreement that North will be his partner/confidant. Part of it is that she helps him with his projects that he does outside of school hours by critiquing them, helping build and test them, and other things. Varius has a lot to gain from this while North doesn't directly gain from it but having Varius improve is enough for her. Varius does return the favor but indirectly.

Their close bond is what causes Varius to invite North to go with him to the Floating Lights Festival several months later. Story-wise, the event is where we learn about Varius' background and how much he has developed when juxtaposed with his current state.

In a not yet fleshed out what-if where Varius overblots, their friendship plays a role in his despair. On Varius' end, he feels that he is too dependent on North which piles onto his self-doubts. To North, she feels that despite how much he has improved with her help, she is hindering him by having him rely on her to the point of being overdependent. Like idiots, the two don't talk it over. Varius instead doesn't call her for help and tries to work on his own. North notices the radio silence so she attempts to reach out only for Varius to dodge the question. When Varius does overblot, yes, North beats him up. And heals him after hopefully without anyone noticing. They remain friends but take a break from the partnership and projects for some time.

[xasha777]

In the year 2348, Earth had long since moved beyond its terrestrial boundaries, colonizing distant planets and forging alliances with alien civilizations. Among these new allies were the Threxians, an advanced race known for their mechanical prowess and intricate robotic designs. Their greatest creation, the Vex-Bot, was a small but formidable spider-like robot used for reconnaissance and combat.

Captain Alya Voss of the United Earth Fleet had just returned from a successful mission on the icy planet of Nyx when she received her next assignment. She was to lead a covert operation on Mars, where an insurrection had broken out among the human colonists. The rebels had taken inspiration from the ancient Numantine War, a historical event known for its fierce resistance against Roman forces.

Mars, now a bustling hub of interplanetary trade, had a sector named Numantia, mirroring the ancient city’s spirit of defiance. The rebel leader, Marcus Decius, had fortified Numantia with advanced technology, making it nearly impenetrable. The United Earth Government feared that if Numantia fell, the rebellion would spread to other colonies.

As Alya prepared for her mission, she was introduced to her new companion: a Vex-Bot. The small, spider-like robot had a sleek black exoskeleton with glowing red sensors and multiple articulated legs capable of navigating the most treacherous terrain. Despite its ominous appearance, the Vex-Bot, affectionately named “Skitter” by the crew, was an invaluable ally.

Alya and Skitter infiltrated Numantia under the cover of darkness. The city’s streets were a maze of narrow alleys and towering skyscrapers, illuminated by neon lights and holographic advertisements. Skitter’s sensors scanned the area, detecting hidden traps and surveillance devices. Together, they moved silently through the city, avoiding patrols and security drones.

Their objective was the central command tower, where Marcus Decius coordinated the rebellion. Skitter hacked into the tower’s security system, disabling alarms and unlocking doors. As they ascended the tower, Alya couldn’t help but admire the determination of the Numantine rebels. They had managed to hold off the Earth Fleet for months, much like their ancient counterparts who resisted Rome.

At the top of the tower, Alya confronted Marcus Decius. He was a charismatic leader, his eyes burning with the same intensity that had inspired his followers. “You think you can crush our spirit?” he challenged, his voice echoing through the chamber. “Numantia will never fall!”

Alya knew that a direct confrontation would only lead to more bloodshed. Instead, she used her diplomatic training to negotiate a peaceful resolution. She appealed to Marcus’s sense of honor and his love for his people. “Your fight is noble,” she said, “but continued violence will only lead to more suffering. Let’s find a way to coexist and build a better future for Mars.”

Reluctantly, Marcus agreed to a ceasefire. The United Earth Government promised to address the colonists’ grievances and grant Mars greater autonomy. As Alya and Skitter left Numantia, the city began to heal, its people hopeful for a brighter future.

The Vex-Bot had proven itself an indispensable tool, but it was Alya’s empathy and diplomacy that ultimately won the day. The story of the Siege of Numantia was reimagined in the stars, a testament to the enduring human spirit and the possibility of peace in even the darkest times.

In the aftermath, Alya and Skitter became legends, their partnership a symbol of unity between humans and their mechanical allies. The memory of Numantia lived on, inspiring future generations to strive for harmony and understanding across the cosmos.

[starshipsofstarlord]

There was never another Steve Rogers - Helmut Zemo x reader

Masterlist Link

5123 words

Summary; still mourning the departure of Steve, some words of comfort come from none other than your captive, and a state enemy that had broken your family into two armies that fought.

Warnings; angst, mentions of death, past steve x reader, smut, oral sex (f->m, m->f), fingering, handjob, unprotected sex, penetrative sex

How time had passed, it felt like it was yesterday that you were evading the claws of the government, struggling to succumb to your privilege of freedom. Time. It was a cursed thing. The lines of it had shifted, as everything that you knew and loved crumbled, because of those dammed stones. It was difficult to find comfort in anything, for the one person who had stuck with you through thick and thin had left you abandoned, and to your own devices in the new world that now followed a new order.

Steve was free from enduring the aftermath of his actions, it wasn't just his country that he had betrayed, but Bucky was at a loss without him. You weren't sure how to describe your own predicament; you were angry, confused, hurt. The only reason you continued to fight was so that you could feel something, whether it be a literal kick in the face or the sting of losing a battle, it brought some life back into the one that you had a lack of enthusiasm to live. Once you had prided off the notion and rush that saving lives gave you, but you no longer felt like a hero.

You couldn't have been so great if Steve had left you without so much of a thought, running back into the arms of his lost love, giving you a short dismissal, saying that he would return. And he did, however not as the man that you knew. Instead the sight of a white haired patriot clouded your vision, the commitment of a gold band laced around his ring finger. He could not have let her go, he never had, and that made you realise that you had never been enough, never been the one that he was dependant on.

Steve had remained attached to the memory of the strong woman whom had first captured his heart, carrying around that picture of her on every mission and vendetta. He never abandoned it, but he did you, and that was unforgivable. Though it was impossible to not still feel wounded by his selfish departure; if he'd at least been honest with you, then perhaps you wouldn't be so hurt about the ordeal. But he had went on his mission, and returned betrothed to another woman, albeit she had died many years prior, but he had gave up his life with you for one with her.

That was the icing of the cake, after the agony of bringing everyone back, he left, leaving the rest of you whom had survived with the consequences of the shifted reality. And who could believe it, out of all people you were inclining a partnership with Zemo? Zemo of all people! It was absolutely insane, and had you reeling your mind, searching for sanity. In honesty it was all thanks to Bucky's hypothetical, yet it wasn't so much of a plan as it were a done deed.

He was one figure that did not believe in the stars and stripes bullshit, the heroism in history, the concept of super humans scoured upon the earth. They did not belong in his Sokovian eyes, and currently, you were questioning if his opinions were indeed correct. All their shadow in your life had caused you had been endless amounts of pain, breaking you up and building you up again, creating a pattern out of such scenarios. You certainly didn't trust the man, nor the world outside, the only person that you could have faith in was yourself.

A clatter of porcelain jingling against the curves of each other peeked to the sense of your ears, making you spiral your head from where you were sat on a window ceil, watching the streets conspire with human nature, that prowled and took every beauty that it surpassed. It was the home wrecker, content in the warmth of a robe, as he plodded towards where you were sat, a blank expression fixated on his face. He was certainly attractive, but to an extent, that being the fact that he had murdered many people and destroyed the only family you had ever had. Aside from that, he'd have been a god in your eyes, built to appeal to all men and women's tastes.

"I see that you are not getting much rest." His accent flittered across, gaining your attention as you stoically looked up at him, shuffling up the window bench to make room for your escapee hostage to sit down. He accepted the brooding silence that you engaged him with, understanding as to why you were treating him so. It wasn't as though he were trying to befriend you however, it was much more to do with the fact that he, a once prisoner in a confinement of dangerous people, craved some normal human interaction.

Years had passed by, in a literal sense, since he had been condemned to be nothing more than a man in a box, or a flurry of ash for five very short years. Everything had came and gone without a blink of an eye, life had trailed past him, and it was not in his best intentions to waste anymore moments being poised silently in captivity, his speech and luxurious analytics to freedom was one of the bare things that he condemned himself to concur in whilst proceeding to help you and your friends on attempting to make the world a better place.

Your methods were much diverged from how he would portray a cleansing of the flag smashers; the intention that Sam had was to speak and convince Karli that there were other ways to go about enforcing a better influence in the new age, and that no one had to get hurt in the excess. Yet, if Helmut were to be in charge, as he had addressed countless times, he'd simply kill the young woman and all of her flurry of followers. They wanted to be heroes for those that had delved into the realm of poverty after the blip, being pushed out of their homes and left to fend for themselves. And all Zemo saw was the evidence that superheroes should not have been allowed to exist.

"Rest is for the weak." You snapped back, squinting your eyes towards him, not wishing to open up to him of all people, however he was the only one that would not defend Steven Grant Rogers and his selfish choice. "So that does not explain why you are here, in your ditsy robe, deafeningly awake and checking on me, being a lathering bother in my life." A huff fell from his chapstick wearing lips, as he brought his teacup to his mouth, enduring the warm whisk of a cherry blossom running down his throat.

"So grateful, considering that I am allowing you to stay in my residency." His sarcasm had a  hint of narcissism to it, as his seductive accent probed a tinge to the end of his words, causing you to dramatically roll your eyes at his jab towards you. "But... however, you appear to be consumed with a grievance of some sorts. By floating chance, does it have any confirmation with the prospect of Steve having left you all?" At his suggestion, your nose crinkled at the name that he used, hurt by hearing it, angry to be reduced to the fact that Zemo was the one saying it.

"Do not say his name." You bitterly muttered, turning away from him to steer your eyes out towards the see through exterior of the window. "You didn't now him, nor are you aware of the pain that I am enduring. He made the choice, with no jurisdiction swaying him, to leave me- I mean us. For the entire time that I knew him, he stood by us, directing us onto a better path, and now his has ended; happily, whilst ours continue, but not in such a peaceful, American dream notion." Yes, you were still bitter with Steve and his choice, he had chosen not another woman, but the original row of his time.

"I know of a similar, deeper pain; my wife and children were killed during the fall of my country. I am sure you remember the worldly instance, since you were there, fighting with your team." Whilst Zemo's words were somewhat resentful, the tone that he used with you was soft, as though he were trying to spare you the struggle of looking back on that time, whence you were happy with the captain. "They died, and I still feel a void in my chest, it's as though their parting split me in half. And that is why I am hellbent on digressing every hero from existence, they do nothing more than cause problems, no offence y/n."

"Perhaps I'd have been offended if you were speaking with me seven years ago Zemo, however I am not that same person. These super soldiers have my last wit in regards to stopping their revolution, they're the bad guys. Steve was never deterred down that path, and watching them undergo the same fathoming that he did in the forties strikes me, and hard. On every mission, or uncovering of this new turning of an age, all I am reminded of is that blond haired, blue eyed son of a shield. A part of me hopes that these kids will choose to make the same decisions as he once did, with the prospect of not abandoning each other through the struggle. They give me a rendition of not wanting to be a hero anymore."

Helmut sent an almost keen smile towards you, as he placed his teacup and small platter for it on the cement of the windowsill, lightly, his contact in contrast with a feather, touching your thigh. "There was never another Steve Rogers." It was an agreement, silent to everything that you refused to say, and supportive of everything that he was saying. "Although from your experience it does not seem that he is everything that he was hyped up to be. He went against his own country to support you, but could not withstand the intrigue that a woman of his past indented upon him, like he were a Turkish delight in a child's mouth."

"How did you-" he had read you like a book, presumably it was very common for men to leave their lovers for the adventure of something new and exciting. Peggy Carter was in no way a recent household age, she was from back in the good ol' days, but her name was well known, as was her face. Steve had always carried around that image of her, staring at her face when all hope seemed to be lost, or when he felt alone. In those moments, it was simply like you did not exist, that you were invisible to they eye and nothing more than a paper towel that could be thrown away. "I can't believe that I'm having this conversation with you, of all people."

Your hand grasped your forehead, as you sighed out a short laugh. "Why not me?" Zemo countered, giving a gentle squeeze to the flesh of your leg that had sparks igniting through your body, making your breath nervously hitch. He was too close; you couldn't trust him, yet you could not find it in yourself to move away. The strange magnetism that he lured you with had your pulse racing, as though it were a steed at the drawings of rich men's polls, flitting past expectations that had been made of it. "We are, in a resolute, working together. You may be something that I despise, a hero, but I can tell that that trait of emotion is well reciprocated."

Despise was not a strong enough word, it were a grave understatement that beggared the position that you were tied to. He had conducted a war, made two sides to a battle that was masked beneath his kill squad hands, coincidentally imprisoned some of Earth's mightiest warriors in a raft that was designed to be practically in the middle of nowhere upon the vast and endless sea. "More than." You admitted, your jaw rising up as a breath stuttered from your mouth, as Zemo swirled the pads of his fingers in a sensual circle, rising up the tender rim of your bed shorts. "I hate you."

"As I can tell." He rendered agreement, dispersing his hand away as your chest felt heavy from expectancy. "And if you were to think differently of me, I would ask you back to my quarters, to be concealed in privacy for a stride of intimacy, a laying together in silken sheets and feather pillows. But if you hate me so, then that will not be appropriate, would it?" One side of his lips was turned up, as he gouged your reaction. There was a projection of intrigue poised in the fortification of your irises, delightedly swirling around in your y/e/c goblets. With a stern momentum of inhaling, you finally responded.

"Now, I would hate that." You exaggerated, being deterred by the thought of things that you had once loved. It was calming to be gazing rigidly into the opposing pigment of stone blue eyes, and whilst Zemo's eyes were significantly darker, they somewhat rose a comfort through you. "And if we were to make a headline for the quality upon your bed frame, I would be utterly appalled by those circumstances." Inherently, your face had drifted towards his, your lips only millimetres apart. The sweet aroma of his traditional cherry blossom tea swiftly darted across your lips, like a love potion lulling you in, making his advances to close the gap irresistible.

The second that his mouth gently collided with your own, you were collaborated into a free fall of irony. You hated him, he hated what you idly stood for, it was truly a perception of opposites attracting. Your hands darted behind his neck, deciding to tug him further towards you, as he amorously descended his hands from being burrowed in the shroud of your hair, to cup your chin, as his tongue swept entry into your mouth. "Would you like to be appalled?" He honestly queried you, brushing the humps of  his teeth against your bottom lip, darting the slither of his tongue out to wet it.

There were multiple instances in which you had been disappointed so. Steve had made that emotion a tendency in the constance of your life, and that was why you were so prepared to kneel down before Helmut's offer. "That is the subject that walks beside me, maybe I no longer want to follow that road before, I'd rather surrender, and be laid down." You gave in, a wisp of a whimper surpassing from you as he temporarily neglected you, going to stand, reaching his hand out to aid you up. The tea, albeit still filled with steaming contents, was long forgotten, Helmut Zemo had a vastly differentiated craving; and that was you.

With lack of thought, you accepted his hand, allowing him to lead you to his personal chamber, that's journey to was elongated by the mass of steps that it took to reach. There were two expansive doors dawning down upon you, and thus when he pushed them to a revelling open, you were met with an assortment of cream sheets and a large, juridical headboard. For a moment you felt sick, remembering all the times that you and the first Captain America tended to share mature relations. He was always soft and gentle, a part of you hoped that Zemo would be drastically polar with his treatment of you.

You didn't hunger for that level of care, you wished to be used, for you'd be doing the same to him; hard and fast, you succumbed to the thought of being ravished, the imagery in your mind alone had your legs spin sling with arousal. "Are you certain that you wish to proceed with this exchange?" Zemo asked you, bracing his hands upon your elbows, ushering you into his personal space. A nod apparently did not suffice, he wanted you to speak, to give him access to verbal consent. He ran his scruff outlined lips along your neck, making your lean it back, allowing him further priority with consuming your skin to his fresh kisses.

"Yes, I want this. Want you." Wanted him for nothing more than physical affection, but in all the same meaning, what you had said was correct either way. You steadied his chin in your grasp, directing his lips upon your own, as you fumbled with the laden fabric of his robe, the eggshell grey cotton adorning your fingers with a supple softness that contrasted against his heavy and rugged persona; you'd never guessed he was royalty if he hadn't the tendency to inform you with every chance that he got. "Take it off."

He complied, dropping the casual shawl from his shoulders after untying the comfort contraption, leaving him to be clothed in nothing more than a pair of boxers and a blank top. If you were to suppose any differently, you'd suspect him in the moment to be nothing more than a causal man, you'd never suspect that he was a criminal, nor the fact that he rather enjoyed ending the superior race of experimented beings that had it entrapped in their minds to do some good with their enhanced advantages. Your hands began to unzip your modern blouse, tossing it to the ground, as your bra clad chest was obscured by the pivoting focus of his whiskey eyes.

Surprisingly, you did not feel nervous to be so bare before him, less so as you prowled against him, helping him pull his shirt from over his head. He wasn't ripped, which was a nice change from what you had gotten used to, though his body still held the correct portions and slight muscle that was still blissfully attractive. Next to leave were your shorts, you kicked them from around your legs, leaving the pair of you in nothing more than underwear and each other's arms. If Sam or Bucky were to presently visualise you in this situation, you were certain which one of you that they'd kill first.

Probably the captive that liked to think that he had some leverage. He had a tendency to get into the minds of others, and he was quite good at it. For all you knew, he may have done the same to you, but that was one of your last concerns. All that you were mobilised about was getting him out of his tighty whities and getting him inside of you. And thus, to move your inhibitions along, your ran your tongue over the bone structure of his shoulder, pressing a peck upon the firm skin, as your hands tugs his underwear down, leaving his cock to bob up and rise to attention.

You were relieved that he was not as big as Steve, sometimes that stretch hurt. Zemo was massive by no means, you'd suppose that he was just over average, and if anything, that was better. He had quite a bit of thickness, especially given by the fact that he was uncut, and you could merely see his tip peeking out from the coil of foreskin that protected it. Without much thought, you sunk down upon the joints of your knees, grasping him from the base, and directing his fat prick towards your mouth, salivating as it finally tapped against your open lips.

A content hum surpassed from your lips as you took his tip in, swirling your tongue around the sensitive skin, licking at it which paraphrased subordinate grunts out from the enemy. His hand scaled down the back of your neck, stroking the skin before he delved into the bed of your hair, toying with the roots as you took more of him into the containment of your mouth, delightedly humming from the source of precum that hit your tongue. "You're very good at that." He praised, the skin on his chest growing red as he felt the blush crawl over the expanse of his entire body.

Your free hand cupped his balls that had the purchase of slight stubble upon them, stroking them with the pad of your thumb and between, causing the pretty man above you to lean his head back. It felt as though you could remain on your knees forever, however his thoughts projected a difference as he pulled you from around him, enforcing you to let him go with a lewd pop, turning to digress upon his flouncy bed. He followed after, discarding erotically of your panties as he threw them within the puddle of clothes that had grown upon the quality carpet, pushing your legs to be posed upon your chest, as he too fell to the ground, widening the span in which your legs were at.

The most intimate parts of you were on display to his judgemental gaze, though he seemed to have no complaints as he placed a design of kisses on your inner thighs, before reaching the gold mine that excerpted the most pleasure for both of you. And then, without much warning, his lips descended, as he paved his tongue through your slick exterior, getting a patch of your wetness upon his tongue. He appeared to enjoy the taste as he continued to go in for more, pulling elongated moans from within you, as he puckered his mouth, enduring the right suction around your rosey bud.

That was what had you seeing stars, reeling your head back into the bed comforter, as you found yourself lost in midst of pleasure. With one of his hands, he teased your entrance with his rough fingers, slipping them inside of you as he grew aware of what it seemed that you liked sexually. Your hips ground upwards towards his face as he only attended harder administrations upon your clit, causing your brows to anatomically furrow as you felt an internal budge pry at your abdomen. The finish line was near, and you were not the only one that realised that, for Zemo continued to one up himself, sliding in another couple of fingers.

That pressure had you climaxing, coating his digits with your heavenly essence. He continued to thrust them until you had completely rode out your high, only to remove them and enter them into his own mouth, humming at the taste. "That was pleasant for the both of us." He spoke, watching as you shuffled back onto the bed, making room for hun to join you. And he did, sliding onto the overdressed mattress, complying his weight to lean over you, as he entwined your tongues, gifting you with a taste of yourself. "Do you want to go further?"

Out of all people, he was the last on the list of ones that you knew that would be so considerate with your consent. Even Steve would never ask so many times if you were fine with it, however you were not resentful against it. It were a nice contrast against his wanted man demeanour, and it only made you want him inside you furthermore. Your hands raked down his shoulders and biceps, mapping out the strict structure of his muscles, as your eyes shut, your breath fanning over his upper lip as he continued to devour your mouth as though it were a pomegranate; forbidden yet undeniably luscious.

"Helmut." A whim of accordance danced in his eyes from you using a first name basis in referral to him. "Get inside of me now, or I will find someone who is better to complete the task of making me cum again. I'm not joking, there are two men in this building that I will have no problem getting more than friendly with." Leverage, what a beautiful thing. And thus this time, it were not him rotating it in his hand, spindling the odds in his favour, instead it were you, using such a power move to control your own selfish desires, and boy did it make a change.

The emotion in his eyes flickered, the strange kindness disappearing as a grief of annoyance struck around his determined pupils. He released an insulted grunt, as he pinned you down, grasping his shaft, taking no reluctance to push into you, and filling you to the brim with his length. He didn't wait either for you to adjust, he instead began to hammer into you, using your shoulder to push his thrusts off from, causing tears to sparkle in the corners of your eyes. "Ze-mo." You felt like a broken record, spinning at a loss for words, being used to produce the sounds that the owner wanted to hear.

And you fulfilled Zemo's every fretful wish. There was a cave of sweat shining with luminance from his forehead, capturing your attention. With a shaky hand and a matching breath, you swept the hair that had caught in her he moisture away, and to the side of his deceptive face. You were yearning for more, to which you advanced to mewling and clawing hurriedly at his back as you received such treatment. "That's not my name, hero." It was as though he were degrading you for your job title. No, that was exactly what he was doing. Never before had you got off to the thought of fucking a villain, however, in the future you could see that changing.

There was an exciting rush that dawned over yourself as you proceeded to try and writhe against his movements within you, what you were doing would be looked down to be wrong, but man, did it feel so good. You had no regrets falling into Zemo's offer, there were many things that you'd be missing out on, like the bruises that were surely forming upon your shoulders, and the ravenous collision of your hips. Both sounded spiteful, however that was not the only degree that they exhumed, they pivoted you towards a height, standing atop of a peak, and with his sly hands slithering down your body, the tips of his devious fingers brushed your clit.

"Fuck!" You yielded as he traced an oval over the bud, finishing around him, though he did not stop, he continued to raise a reaction out of your body, as he focused on not only his own pleasure, but an encore for your own. His fingers did not stray from their destination, rather they pinched the swollen bud, rubbing harshly upon it to make you eventually release once more. "Helmut." It sounded like a prayer from your lips, and said man knew that he would not last long, and so he pulled out, your hands reaching over to attend to his erection, stroking his hardness, until he sighed, and a patch of warm ivory spilled over your stomach.

Steve had always had a tendency to finish inside of you, and from the thought of him, you grew sad. He was gone, he had gotten married and procreated a child. You were truly alone, this should not have been your escape, but it was, however you doubted you'd ever venture away from the thought of him. He'd always been a presence in your life, hovering over your shoulder rather than pressing down upon them with his knuckles, and he was on the moon, as some people liked to think. The truth was, he was even further away than that, he was a stranger to you, a man that returned to his losses than revelling in all that he had gained.

A swipe upon your stomach strung you from your thoughts, and as you looked down, you saw Zemo with his shirt, cleansing his mess from your skin. He grasped his robe from the floor too, but rather instead of shrugging it onto his own shoulders, he held it out for you. With a soft and pained smile, you accepted, amazed at how caring he was as he covered your nude body with the night gown, tying a precise bow around your waist so the material would not stray from hugging your body. "You may stay here tonight, if you so much wish." He was considerate, not all men were, especially after they had a meaningless fuck.

Licking your lips, you shortly nodded your head, welcoming the invitation to remain. "There was never another Steve Rogers." He spoke, and it was not the first time that he had spoken those words. "However, as good as he may have been, he still brought pain to some people; people who did not deserve it." He stroked your cheek, making you lean into his touch. "You deserve so much more than that, I do not like heroes, as you well know. But I can see that you want to dismiss yourself away from this life and disappear. I can help with that you know, I have some people who owe me great favours."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Out of paranoia, you brushed your fingers under your eyes, ridding the presence of any fall tears from your tormented face. "I'm fine. Steve's fine." Stupidly you questioned yourself as soon as those words were spoke. You weren't. You were Steve's leftovers from his time in this age, ones that he had allowed to stew in his empty house once he had left. Zemo could see straight through your defensive demeanour, and he too blinked away the repercussion of tears as he thought of everything that he had had been dismissed off.

"My wife used to deny her true feelings." He revealed, being heavily reminded of her as you asserted a pitiful expression upon your template. A tear fell, but he allowed it to descend; showing pain was not a weakness, it were a strength. "If you ever want me to make that phone call and make all this anguish disappear, just give me the signal. I would be happy to give you the privilege to start over, I may be no Tony Stark, but I have influence in the darkest borders. Perhaps I shall even stow away with you, so that we don't have to be a duo of hero and villain, we can simple be a man and woman trying to survive in this cruel world."

[peachsayshi]

Chapter 7 - Games

Gojo Satoru x Female Reader

Tags: Friends with Benefits, Teasing and a little bit of Fluff.

Summary: Trying to make sure the two of you stay out of the bedroom, you suggest playing a game of Twister and Gojo's mind starts to wander.

A/N: Sorry if there are mistakes! I don't have a beta and get tired rereading the chapters over and over again. This is a little short but we have some fluff and feels and we get a little insight on how Gojo has been feeling. I'm building up to something, I promise!

- - -

“Okay, left foot on green…”

With his right foot remaining on the red circle, Gojo spread his legs wide to place his left foot on the green circle towards the end of the mat. Things were easing up on his end when it came to work and he decided to take advantage of that by spending his free time with you tonight. What he didn’t expect was for the two of you to be in the middle of your living room playing board games instead of the usual physical activity that you both have grown accustomed to partaking in.

“Is this really how you want to spend our evening together?” he asked, taking the spinner from your hand as he proceeded to flick the arrow with his thumb and index finger.

You nodded your head, “We need to keep ourselves out of the bedroom. Otherwise, we will never leave...”

Gojo rotated his neck from side to side before replying, stretching to prepare himself for the awkward positions he was about to hold, “you’re making it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

“Listen, game night is going to make up for movie night which never happened because we wound up doing it on your couch instead...”

A smug grin spread across Gojo’s face, thinking of your failed plan to have a scary movie marathon with him. You were hoping to catch the sorcerer squirm but what you didn’t expect was him teasing you thirty minutes into the film that inevitably resulted in you being fucked senseless on his couch.

“You’re really going to put the blame on me for that? If you were paying attention you wouldn’t have succumbed to my advances so easily,” he retorted defensively.

“You had your hand up my skirt!”

“Now, I told you what that skirt does to me,” he jokingly snapped, pointing his finger at you sternly before shrugging his shoulders. “I couldn’t help myself…”

“Okay, well how about the night we were supposed to go out for dinner but missed our reservation because you decided to rip up my dress on the car ride over…”

“Let’s not get too dramatic, I merely broke the zipper and I did buy you another dress.”

“Okay, how about last night?”

Gojo parted his lips, pausing to think how the two of you wound up naked in the shower instead of going to the karaoke bar with Rina and her friends.

“Last night... wasn't my fault,” he pointed out, arching his brow at you as he recalled the way you teased him into submission.

“Oh, yeah. That’s right…” you shyly replied, biting your bottom lip as you scratched the back of your head. “So, uh, what’s my next move?”

“Quick to change the subject, I see?” Gojo answered with an easy smile, “Put your left hand on the blue circle…”

With your feet on the green and yellow circles, you leaned your body forward to put your left hand on the blue sphere. Meanwhile, Gojo dropped the spinner on the ground beside you, suppressing a laugh as he watched you struggle to spin the arrow and call out his next round.

“The point here is...” you grumbled as you tried to adjust yourself back into a comfortable position, “...the two of us are getting carried away. I just think this little break might do us some good.”

“I don’t think working up a sweat is a bad thing,” Gojo insisted.

“Well, we can burn calories after I kick your butt,” you added on, waiting for the arrow to land. “Right hand on green...”

“For someone trying to make sure we keep our distance, you sure picked an interesting game tonight,” Gojo teased, finding his new posture which brought his face close to yours.

“I know for a fact that you can’t cheat playing Twister,” you reminded, before glancing up at him from under your lashes and inching forward to peck him on the tip of his nose. “Besides, I never said I wanted space, I just thought I’d change things up for the evening.”

Gojo’s smiled into your lips as he gave you a soft kiss in return, “if you think you can distract me by being cute, you are absolutely wrong .”

“We both know how much of a sore loser you can be,” you answered back, “I just hope you’re ready to throw yourself a pity party by the end of this because I am definitely winning.”

“Mhmm, whatever you say. Right hand, blue…” he continued, trying to pay attention to the game and observing you reach your arm slightly underneath him to place your hand on the circle.

He couldn’t explain when things became this comfortable with you. If he had known that hooking up with you would bring you both closer together as friends, he wouldn’t have rejected your offer that easily.

You’ve both already broken one of your rules. However, Gojo didn’t mind forgoing the “drinking” rule to decide whether or not the two of you wanted to hook up. You both no longer needed the excuse anyway, after a while it became painfully clear that regardless of what the plans were, things always resulted in the two of you tangled up in someone’s bed sheets.

The sorcerer spent a majority of his spare time alone, unaware of how much it bothered him until you came along. He thought about the way you described yourself when you were in a relationship with your ex-boyfriend, and wondered if this felt similar in any way. Not that he considered you as anything other than a friend...but he was curious .

You both were different in many ways but often clashed when it came to your perspectives on love. You believed that there was a person out there for everbody, that there was nothing like falling in love with somebody who looked at you as if you were their whole world.

Granted, those were your opinions when you were in a happy and loving relationship but Gojo always disagreed with you because he was convinced that relationships were messy and only brought unnecessary drama to the table. That’s why he had his own personal rule that was standard practice when it came to his “love” life.

He never hooked up with somebody more than once.

Rumors about his womanising ways only stemmed from the fact that he did actually have plenty of lovers. However, he could barely recall their faces and didn’t even remember their names. Sometimes they recognized him on the street, and foolishly attempted to strike up a conversation with the handsome, rich stranger who paid for their company.

Gojo would politely brush them off every time. His stone cold reaction broke the hearts of those who were lucky enough to even be in his presence. He surely didn’t need to pay for the escorts or call girls but the act itself was easier and he had the money to spend anyway. These acquaintances never asked him any questions about his personal life, which benefited him greatly because it left very little room for anything other than small talk. Once both parties were satisfied, Gojo would leave every encounter without ever looking back. Sex was a routine way for him to blow off steam or merely take care of his natural urges. However, you didn’t know that you were the first person who he consistently kept as company in the bedroom.  

Up until this moment, he had been suppressing his desire for you. Now that he has you, the sorcerer could tell he was getting greedy. He respected your wishes when you asked him not to see anyone else on the side but surprised himself when he realised that he had no interest in seeking out the strangers that used to keep him company at night.

Even though you both insisted that this new partnership had no influence on friendship, Gojo was observant enough to see that it was not the case. Little things were starting to change here and there, and he was carefully making note of it every time it happened.

For example, whenever he was off fighting curses, you started habitually checking up on him to make sure he was okay. One night when he was unable to answer his phone, he received a string of unusual text messages from you to find out what happened. He remembered calling you right after, teasing you to ask if you were worried about him. You surprised him with your fear, how you easily believed that something was powerful enough to harm him despite him repeatedly telling you that nothing could touch him. When you responded to his question with a sincere yes, an unexpected sensation spread across his chest. If he wasn’t paying attention to how much you cared about him before, he was more aware of it now.

To ease your worries, he made it a point to shoot you a text whenever he could just to let you know that he was alright. Although, he did sometimes forget which resulted in you panicking on the phone with him. Only this time, Gojo never made fun of your concerns.

In turn, he realised how fiercely protective he became of you and it killed him whenever he had to deflect your questions when you asked about his life. There was so much you wanted to know and so much that he wished he could tell you. However, he had every intention of maintaining this invisible boundary. The last thing he wants is for you to get caught up in something that you couldn’t understand. If he were to invite you into his whole world, that would only lead to you facing dangerous threats that loved to lurk in the shadows.

He would never forgive himself if something were to happen to you.

A few more rounds passed, and the two of you were intertwined in the most precarious situation. You were in a reverse tabletop position, looking like a crab with two hands and feet on the blue and yellow circles. Meanwhile, Gojo was in a plank position above you, his palms pressed on the red and green circle by your side, with one foot next to yours on a blue circle and another on a yellow circle.

You were shaking underneath him, desperately trying to maintain your awkward stance while Gojo appeared bored holding his own position with ease.

“Okay, I didn’t take your strength or height into consideration…” you groaned with a pout.

A chuckle escaped his lips, “give up, yet?”

“No…” you groaned, eyeing the spinner by your side as you reached for it with your right hand. You lifted your head slightly, your neck straining as you tried to call out the next move. “Left foot, green…”

Gojo picked up his leg but as he stretched himself out he realised that he couldn’t bend himself properly in that particular way.

Your eyes widened, watching him shake as he tried to rotate his body without lifting himself completely up off the mat.

“Or maybe your height is actually a disadvantage?” you questioned, ignoring the way your arms burned from holding yourself up as your heart raced with anticipation.

“Shhh, I’m concentrating...”

Gojo kicked his leg out one way and then the other, the comical image of his tall body in motion only made you laugh at his reaction. He tried his best to ignore the sound of your voice but knew that he could barely maintain his balance as he tried to find the green circle. However, he miscalculated the gravity of his own weight when he shifted to the left side of his body, his elbow buckling underneath and causing him to collapse.

“Yes!” you exclaimed, raising your arms up in victory, paying no attention to his body pressed on top of yours.

His face was buried in the crook of your neck, breathing in deep to inhale the scent of your soap. He felt your hand pat the back of his head lightly, indicating that you wanted him to get off from on top of you. He slowly unraveled himself, irritated by his own misfortune as he rolled onto his back to lay down beside you. He tilted his head to look at you, noticing you turn so you both were making direct eye contact with each other.

Gojo always knew you were beautiful. Nothing in this world could convince him otherwise but he never paid attention to the details of how pretty you actually were. Little things about you that made the gears in his head turn, from the gorgeous mane that sprouted on the top of your head, to the way your eyes sparkled whenever you were excited or how the curve of your lips was your secret tell to let him know exactly what you were feeling when you couldn’t find the words to explain yourself.

Why me? He thought to himself, if you wanted to fuck around with somebody then why did you ask me?  

A kiss on his lips snapped him out of his drawn out thoughts, he felt the pads of your fingers along his cheek, slipping lightly underneath his blindfold to reveal just one of those blue eyes.

“Ready for another round?” you questioned.

Gojo softly smiled, thankful that you haven’t grown bored of him just yet. He lifted himself up, bringing one of his hands to cup your face as he pulled you in for another kiss. His tongue parted your lips and he allowed himself this one indulgence as he trailed his hand to the back of your neck.

Whatever thoughts that were running through his mind, he chose to ignore. There was no reason for him to consider such trivial things anyway. You were spoiling him with your body, playing out the fantasies that plagued his mind. He was aware that his greed fueled his lust for you and honestly did not know what he would do if you were to ask him to stop.

He deepened the kiss, allowing the frustrating thought to play out in passion instead. You shifted your position, your hand falling to his chest as you gripped onto the collar of his tee. Still holding onto the kiss, Gojo lifted himself upright so he was seated and as much as he would love to take advantage of this current situation, he chose to pull himself away instead.

“Best of three?”

“That sounds good to me!” you replied as you circled your arm around his neck, before returning to kiss him again.

Gojo gave in for only a second, before cheekily breaking away and tapping you gently on the forehead with his index finger.

“Oh no, you aren’t doing this to me again...” he said, his hands moving to your waistline as he gently pushed you away from him. “You wanted to have a game night and we are going to see it through.”

He leaned across from you to pick up the spinner, before settling back down and holding it in between the tiny space that separated you both.

“Winner goes first.”

- CHAPTER 8: HEAT - 

[writerwithfluffysocks]

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https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8186135/1/A-Lotta-Heart

An Aggregation of Maladjusted Companions by Jazzyproz (M, 43 chapters, 250k words)

Suffering from a declining solve rate following their returns to DC, Booth and Brennan are forced to attend a team-building convention. Neither of them think they need the workshops or exercises, but it's apparent to everyone around them that if they don't do something, the whole team will soon be falling apart. Can they fix their broken partnership?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11132403/1/An-Aggregation-of-Maladjusted-Companions

An Unexpected Outcome by BB-loverr (M, 5 chapters, 8k)

Before she could do anything Booth had her pinned. He made sure most of his weight was on his elbows so he wasn't crushing her. Someone is after Bones & Booth is protecting her. Set in early season 5

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5590619/1/An-Unexpected-Outcome

Becoming One by nelliesbones (M, 21 chapters, 83k) 

He is handsome, she is beautiful, and somewhere in between… they have made a baby. Warm-hearted and M for a reason. Slightly spoiler-y AN's, the story itself is spoilerfree.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7012130/1/Becoming-One

By Any Means Necessary by Heather Wyatt (M, 45 chapters, 433k, DARKER FIC)

When an overseas trip for Brennan leaves her in terrible danger, Booth does what is necessary to save her - even if what he is forced to do has the potential to drive her away from him forever. Set in season 5, pre-100th; Inspired by the movie "Taken".

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11549096/1/By-Any-Means-Necessary

Can You Save Her, Agent Booth? by Jazzyproz (M, 62 chapters, 464k)

Booth receives a disturbing text in the middle of the night aboout Bones - will he be able to find her in time? Or will he lose her forever? Will this guy really kill her, or is it just a bluff?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7723263/1/Can-You-Save-Her-Agent-Booth

Coitus by willgirl (M, 5 chapters, 4k)

After a date, Brennan finds herself unexpectedly at Booth's door. B&B, Rated M for Smut!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4126515/1/Coitus

First a Dream by Firstadream (M, 17 chapters, 53k)

"I don't want you to move on..." Post 5x16 story. What should've happened between Booth and Brennan.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5900783/1/First-A-Dream

For You, I’d Bleed Myself Dry by coffeehelps (M, 1 chapter, 11k)

The night that Booth took a bullet for Brennan in front of that karaoke stage was forever ingrained in Brennan's mind. Every year, on the anniversary of that night, Brennan experiences those volatile feelings all over again… and they help her realize just how much Booth means to her.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13382298/1/for-you-i-d-bleed-myself-dry

Learning to Fly by Shelly (T, 3 chapters, 8k)

It was never his intention to hurt her. And, yet, she was sitting on the edge of the tub, his bathrobe consuming her small frame, tears cascading down her cheeks. He didn't know how to fix this. Post "The End in the Beginning."

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5231358/1/Learning-to-Fly

Recklessness and Repercussions by Nothing But Bones (M, 7 chapters, 29k)

Booth overhears one of his colleagues crudely reliving an intimate rendezvous with Brennan, and his ill-conceived reaction threatens to end their partnership on a permanent basis, leaving their emotions running dangerously high.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4605409/1/Recklessness-Repercussions

This Secret Dance by ALottaHeart (M, 14 chapters, 43k)

But this secret dance, it goes on. This. This is for them, between them, and they're not ready to share that with the world. Not yet. They've waited too long. Booth/Brennan. Spoilers for 100th episode.

CASE FICS

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6062651/1/This-Secret-Dance

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Bone of Contention by Mochi-girl (M, 15 chapters, 33k)

During a murder investigation, a man from Brennan's past returns, and spins her relationship with Booth in a new direction.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5558981/1/Bone-of-Contention

Case File 2010c by lexeb (M, 1 chapter, 40k)

Booth and Bones face their worst case to date. Will our duo catch their man? Dark themes and imagery. Note rating. Written as an episode. Most characters appear.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5789374/1/Case-File-2010C

Crimson Catastrophe by Dangereux (M, 5 chapters, 24k)

Booth and Brennan work a case that pushes them both to their limits, and into each other's arms.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5929308/1/Crimson-Catastrophe

Fear and Faith by Some1tookmyname (M, 35 chapters, 59k)

When a suspicious note is discovered in an unexpected place, Booth and Brennan fight against an unknown enemy to protect the life they've built together.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7981371/1/Fear-and-Faith

Getting Clean by blc (M, 1 chapter, 11k)

Brennan feels soiled after catching a serial killer. Booth helps her get clean again. Long Angst/Romance

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4621793/1/Getting-Clean

Hearts in Overdrive by Christi Whitson (M, 22 chapters, 136k)

After stumbling upon the suspicious deaths of two men from Brennan's past, she is determined to learn the truth about how they died. Booth and Brennan deal with the emotional fallout of their discoveries as the events of S3 unfold.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12190876/1/Hearts-in-Overdrive

The Effects of the Fan by gatewatcher (T, 1 chapter, 9k)

Someone is stalking Brennan. Will Booth be able to keep her safe? What will the effects be from his attempt?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12568373/1/The-Effects-of-the-Fan

The Gentleman in the Club by TheModernLeper (M, 11 chapters, 10k)

The team tracks a serial killer to a popular night club. With Brennan as bait, can Booth and the team keep her from becoming his next victim?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4764864/1/The-Gentleman-in-the-Club

The Remains in the Rain by forensicsfan (T, 45 chapters, 70k)

What starts out as a trip to Seattle to promote Brennan's latest book turns into much more as secrets surface in flood waters and Booth and Brennan find that a few of their own secrets surface in the process.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3934573/1/The-Remains-in-the-Rain

The Two in One in the Park by ShaViva (T, 17 chapters, 80k)

Brennan and Booth are called in to investigate the remains of two victims arranged to portray a killer's twisted vision of a romantic forever. As they close in on the culprit they find themselves closing in on each other as well. AU early season 6. B&B

AU FICS

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6054481/1/The-Two-in-One-in-the-Park

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All My Yesterdays by cardiogod (M, 36 chapters, 134k)

Booth has been taught since early childhood that a wise man builds his house on rock, not sand, but it isn't until the ground starts shifting under him that he realizes he never learned how to tell them apart.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7801702/1/All-My-Yesterdays

Burdens Which Allow Us To Fly by Mis Chi Evous (T, 1 chapter, 9k)

An alternate universe, where Brennan's parents are both killed, and Russ is in the Army with Booth. A study in how some things are meant to be.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6290511/1/Burdens-Which-Allow-Us-To-Fly

Desert Storm by Alonzo Anonymouse (M, 12 chapters, 13k)

Operation Desert Storm: Sergeant Seeley Booth was captured and tortured. His first assignment back is to stand guard over an Anthropology professor and his grad students, sent to identify bodies. One of those students is Temperance Brennan.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6032735/1/Desert-Storm

Hostile Takeover by F.H. Blake (M, 22 chapters, 70k)

Booth is a billionaire businessman hell-bent on buying Bones' club, The Lab. Bones is hell-bent on keeping Booth as far away from her club as possible. The two worlds collide one night over too many shots, and Booth and Bones soon realise that enemies don't constantly want to rip each other's clothes off.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12538952/1/Hostile-Takeover

Killing Two Birds by dmnky (M, 34 chapters, 171k)

After six months in Maluku, Brennan is summoned to Afghanistan to identify remains from a military helicopter crash and assist Sgt. Maj. Booth in investigating the cause of it.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7710873/1/Killing-Two-Birds

The Couple in the Alternate Universe by perscribo (M, 12 chapters, 22k)

Booth and Brennan are not who we know them to be. One is on the right side of the law and the other isn't. Their love story under conflicting circumstances.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12583235/1/The-Couple-in-the-Alternate-Universe

His by Athena Alexandria (T, 40 chapters, 99k)

AU. Post The Critic in the Cabernet. Booth struggles with his decision to let Brennan raise their child alone after she uses his sperm to get pregnant.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6660822/1/His

The Opportunity by BtrixMcG (M, 8 chapters, 49k)

AU: Seeley Booth is the CEO of a prominent communications company and one of the most powerful men in the industry. Temperance Brennan is a brilliant young analyst who comes into his employ and gets far more than she bargained for.

COLLEGE/HIGH SCHOOL AU FICS

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6582371/1/The-Opportunity

/

Follow You Down by ButterflyWhisperer (T, 26 chapters, 85k)

The year is 1989 and our favorite group of crime fighters meet 16 years prior to 2005. Temperance Brennan is a lonely foster kid that just moved to D.C while Seeley Booth is battling demons from his past. What happens when this unlikely pair of teenagers & their friends end up trying to solve a murder their favorite teacher was framed for? And will love blossom?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10640406/1/Follow-You-Down

Healing Two Souls by cmol8806 (M, 43 chapters, 146k)

Temperance Brennan is almost eighteen and entering her last foster home after barely surviving her last one. Seeley Booth is just returned from war, with new nightmares. What happens when they meet?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6867582/1/Healing-Two-Souls

Purak: A Less Cheesy Way of Saying You Complete Me by boothaddict77 (T, 35 chapters, 163k)

14-year-old Tempe Brennan, recently abandoned by her parents, moves into a new home with her brother and his friend. Of course, the young man they will be sharing a roof with is none other than Seeley Booth.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7764189/1/Purak-A-Less-Cheesy-Way-of-Saying-You-Complete-Me

White Knight by LordLanceahlot (M, 17 chapters, 52k)

Temperance 'I-don't-know-what-that-means' Brennan. At a fraternity party. Drinking heavily and being mauled by some punk frat boys. Booth scowled at the thought. His freaking forensics tutor. Time to go play white knight.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5785872/1/White-Knight

Beginning of Forever by JulesSC (M, 37 chapters, 301k)

Chicago, 1988. Tempe, 14 year old foster child. Seeley, 16 year old jaded junior. Can these two help each other and change each other's lives?

SMUT HEAVY FICS

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6346762/1/Beginning-of-Forever

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Any Way She Wants It by sleeplessinatlanta (M, 7 chapters, 33k)

When Booth's prodding makes Brennan snap and reveal the extent of her frustrations, he offers to help her out. He thinks, he can handle it, but nothing is ever that simple.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6343873/1/Any-Way-She-Wants-It

Bad Excuses by Pereybere (M, 4 chapters, 7k)

Brennan and Booth are using work stress as an excuse to get naughty.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4134057/1/Bad-Excuses

Breaking All The Rules Tonight by sleeplessinatlanta (M, 25 chapters, 57k)

Brennan tells Booth she has a sex date and he doesn't take it very well. He's determined to show her why she should be his.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5303079/1/Breaking-all-the-Rules-Tonight

Silent Surrender by sleeplessinatlanta (M, 25 chapters, 27k)

Brennan shows up at Booth's house needing only one thing: him. One silent night could never be enough but it's months later and they still find themselves going crazy at night and pretending during the day. How much longer can they keep silent?

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5398682/1/Silent-Surrender

Exercise in Self Restraint by sleeplessinatlanta (M, 8 chapters, 30k)

B&B are in an established relationship and Brennan has a naughty proposal for Booth which involves tons of frustration.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5617523/1/Exercise-in-Self-Restraint

Fighting Words by sleeplessinatlanta (M, 26 chapters, 71k)

Collection of one-shots. Some heated words, an argument, and tons of B/B hotness.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5448139/1/Fighting-Words

Hours by Dispatch22705 (M, 25 chapters, 47k)

A look at 24 different sexy times between Booth and Brennan. One post for every hour.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7506156/1/Hours

Colors by Dispatch22705 (M, 12 chapters, 50k)

12 separate one shots: each one based on a color idea.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5845810/1/Colors

Rooftops and Invitations by Space77 (M, 5 chapters, 17k)

You can’t stop thinking about him, you can’t stop looking at him. So do something about it.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4516879/1/Rooftops-and-Invitations

Talk to Me by SSJL (M, 31 chapters, 118k)

All he wanted was a moment of honesty from her. All she wanted was to be able to give him this.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/3458085/1/Talk-to-Me

Morning, Nooner and Night by Dispatch22705 (M, 1 chapter, 9k)

A 'one shot' so to speak, of a few firsts between Booth and Brennan. He made love to her in the morning, had sex with her at noon and broke a few laws with her at night.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7239541/1/Morning-Nooner-and-Night

Only Between Us by sleeplessinatlanta (M, 100 chapters, 142k)

Collection of one-shots, some really short, others longer. Some funny, some angsty, some sweet. But ALL should be steamy/sexy/sweet. ALL revolving around B/B and their smoking hot dynamic.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5329849/1/Only-Between-Us

Alphabet by OrigamiFlower (M, 15 chapters, 22k)

A whole load of one shots of Booth and Brennan dedicated to the Alphabet.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6088489/1/Alphabet

Alphabet Recurrences by Dr Madness (M, 25 chapters, 51k)

The Alphabet means a lot to Booth and Brennan. It captures every single romantic, hot, steamy and dirty moment between them.

ONE-SHOT FICS

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5666368/1/Alphabet-recurrences

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A Family Business by nelliesbones (M, 14 chapters, 20k)

A story of one-shots and scenes around the beautiful and highly anticipated season seven of Bones.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7449862/1/A-Family-Business

An Epic Before Bed by eitoph (T, 1 chapter, 3k)

She's written this life and she's lived this life, and now she knows which one she prefers. 4.26/6.22/6.23 and how they all fit together.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7037787/1/An-Epic-Before-Bed

Anything by CupcakeBean (M, 1 chapter, 3k)

“I’ve flown across the country, pulled strings, broken the law, risked my career, risked my life, *lost* my life - all for her." Booth and Brennan realize how much they mean to each other and give in to their attraction.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4961754/1/Anything

Don’t Mess With Booth by Aisho9 (T, 1 chapter, 2k)

Caught in the middle of someone else's battle, Brennan is hurt. The perp is in hot water enough, but now he's got a pissed off Booth to deal with, too.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5869658/1/Don-t-Mess-With-The-Booth

Ferocious Love by rhyme time (M, 1 chapter, 1k)

Booth is feeling possessive of his wife.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9789714/1/Ferocious-Love

Lies and Life by Tadpole24 (T, 1 chapter, 1k)

“I’m not this person who can’t tell if it’s reality or fantasy and I’m not this person who shows up on someone’s door step, crying at 3 am. This is something Bren would do, not something Bones would.”

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5693685/1/Lies-and-Life

Pray for George who offends Booth and Brennan by Hannah Taylor1 (M, 1 chapter, 6k)

A cautionary tale for those who would cross Booth and his lady love.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5890044/1/Pray-for-George-who-offends-Booth-and-Brennan

The Finally in the Holding by carol204 (M, 1 chapter, 5k)

Booth appears in Brennan's house on a rainy night with unresolved issues. She's pushed him too far and now they've reached their breaking point.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6630976/1/The-Finally-to-the-Holding

The Standard by RositaLG (M, 1 chapter, 1k)

"Tell me again." He said, his voice strained with anger and his jaw ticking in restraint. "Tell me that you don't need me."

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7421321/1/The-Standard

We Belong Together by Dispatch22705 (M, 1 chapter, 5k)

While Booth is away, Brennan goes to a crime scene. Booth is furious when he finds out. When he calls her on it, it's in a place he wouldn't have expected, but is all so familiar to both of them. Angsty, angry sex but with a resolved B&B ending in bed

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5846725/1/We-Belong-Together

You With Me by mia101 (M, 1 chapter, 3k)

Takes place after Booth's fight in Vegas. Brennan is tending his injuries and recalling how it felt to watch him fight, wondering what it would be like if she were the kind of woman she's been pretending to be.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4224265/1/You-With-Me

[adamruz]

Thinking 'Bout You

Summary: a fic inspired by this song. What if Kim moved to San Diego with Roman?

It had been almost half a year since Kim moved to San Diego with Roman. At first she loved the idea because she was in a relationship with a man she loved and was starting over in a new city with no reminders of her ex-fíance. But the relationship lasted only 3 months in the new city after she realized what a jackass Roman was when he drunkenly admitted one night to purposely screwing with her and Adam's relationship because he just wanted to sleep with her.

She missed her friends, her coworkers, patrolling the streets of Chicago, the wind off of the lake, and even though she wouldn't admit it to anyone who'd ask, she missed Adam. The only contact she had with her old life was occasional texts to and from her first partner, Kevin. It took her an entire month to tell Kevin her and Roman broke up because she was afraid to admit she made the wrong decision so soon and that he'd judge her for it.

I messed up. was the text she sent to Kevin.

With Ruz or Roman?

Adam.

Call him.

Kim didn't need Kevin to tell her that. She's thought about calling Adam everyday since the break-up, hell since the first day she arrived in San Diego. But she's the one who ended things, who gave back the ring, all because of her jealous partner who couldn't watch her be happy with someone else. She knew Adam was an amazing guy and some lucky girl was probably already dating him. She had drafted many texts to him, but they never got sent including a happy birthday one, but she just wasn't ready to admit her mistake.

Meanwhile back in Chicago, Intelligence was down a member after Antonio left and everyone knew that spot would've gone to Kim, but she was no longer there. Detective Hailey Upton was brought in and Voight mixed up the partnerships, putting her and Adam together. On the outside, it looked like Adam was holding it together ever since him and Kim broke up and she moved away, but he was falling apart inside. Kevin and Jay tried to get him to join them at Molly's a couple times a week, but Adam always refused. He wasn't in the mood to laugh or have a good time while dealing with a broken heart. Adam had brought up Kim's contact information so many times he lost count, but he could never go through with hitting the call button, not even on his drunkest nights. He was too stubborn and too full of pride to go crawling back to her even though she was still the last thing he thought about at night.

An undercover gig popped up on Voight's radar and he asked the unit for any volunteers. Adam immediately jumped at the opportunity. "I'll go boss." Maybe this would take his mind off Kim, get out of the building where so many of his good and bad memories with her happened. "It's yours Ruzek," Voight said.

Two weeks had passed since Adam went undercover when Jay received a call from his brother at Med. "Jay, Ruzek just stumbled in here with a bullet wound to his left shoulder."

"What's his status, Will?"

"He's ok. Lost a lot of blood, but he's stable. The bullet just missed hitting the bone."

"Ok, we're on our way." Jay rounded up the rest of Intelligence and they all headed to the hospital.

Adam barely remembered what happened, but it was a drug deal gone bad and somehow he had worked up enough energy to walk his way to the hospital. Now, he was lying in an uncomfortable hospital bed, on pain meds, and the only thing he could think about was Kim. What if he had died without her knowing that he was sorry for how things ended and how much he still loved her. He reached for his UC phone and started dialing the 10 digit number he still knew by heart, but then his nurse appeared with some familiar faces.

"Geez Ruzek, did you miss us so much you had to get shot before your assignment ended," Al joked.

"Haha very funny, Al." The team took turns giving Adam a hug and saying how glad they were he was going to be ok.

Dr. Halstead interrupted the reunions, "Adam, you're going to need to stay overnight for a few days, but then you can go home and recover. I recommend 2 weeks off of work and then you can return to desk duty. After that we'll do another check-up and see where you're at." Adam knew it was coming, but he still rolled his eyes.

"Thanks for coming guys, but I think it's best I get some sleep." Kevin handed Adam over his regular cellphone and mouthed "call her" before walking out the door. Kevin hated being the middle man between his two friends, but he just wanted them back together and knew how they each felt about the other.

That night before bed, Kev texted Kim - Adam was shot today on an UC assignment. He lost a lot of blood, but he's gonna be ok.

OMG Kev. How is he doing really?

Just call him Burgess. You know you want to.

Kim couldn't believe it. Adam was shot and she couldn't help but think it was her fault. Maybe if she wouldn't have broken up with him, dated Roman, or moved away, he wouldn't have put himself in this situation. What would she even say if she called him. Sorry didn't feel like enough she thought. She mulled over it for the next 3 days until she decided to just go for it.

It was Adam's first night back home and Kevin and Hailey had come over to help him get situated along with some pizza and beer. Adam's phone buzzed on the table and a familiar, but unexpected name popped up on the screen. Kim. He couldn't believe it. He picked up after only the first ring. "Hey stranger." Crap, Adam thought. He should've let it ring a couple times and not make it seem like he was desperate and longing for her call. And stranger? Really? He thought long and hard about what he wanted to say to Kim when they talked again and that was not it.

"Hi Adam. I know it's been a long time, but I heard you got shot and I just wanted to make sure you were ok."

"I'm doing ok. It hurts, but I'm home now and resting up until I can go back to work. How are you? How's San Diego?" He refused to ask how things were with the piece of shit Roman.

"G..g...good," Kim stumbled as she didn't want to say she ended things with Roman just yet. "Adam, I'm s..," she trailed off as she heard a female laughing in the background. "Oh am I interrupting you on a date?"

"Haha no," Adam chuckled. "That's my new partner, Hailey Upton. She replaced Antonio."

"Adam, you don't have to hide things from me. You can date whoever you want." Kim was trying to keep it together, but she wasn't shocked he had already moved on.

"Kim, I'm serious. She's just my partner. I wouldn't lie to you."

"Uh sorry, I gotta go. Sean just got home and we have dinner plans. I'm glad you're doing ok though. Bye." Kim hoped he hadn't heard her breaking down because tears were streaming down her face before she hung up. Why didn't Kevin tell her Adam had started dating? That would've been helpful information.

Why didn't you tell me he was dating? Kim texted Kev.

He's not Burgess. She really is just his partner. If you want the truth, he's still hung up on you.

Shit. Not only did she mess things up with their engagement and when she moved away and cut off all contact with him, but now again. Tonight of all nights, after he had just been shot a few days ago. How would he ever forgive her.

The two week recovery period for Adam had passed and he was so eager to get back to work, even if it was just desk duty at first. He needed something to keep him busy and his mind off of Kim and that awkward last conversation over the phone. To Adam's surprise, the day absolutely flew by and he was exhausted. Who knew you could get so tired just answering phones and doing computer work all day, but he had to get back in the swing of things.

"Ruz, you coming to Molly's tonight?"

"Yeah Kev, I'll meet you there!"

Adam packed up his stuff and headed down the steps and out into the parking lot. He noticed a shadow hovering over by his driver's side door. It was dark and he couldn't make out who it was at first. Was it someone coming to finish the job from his UC gig? As he got closer, he recognized that smile and the long brown hair.

"Hey Adam."

"What are you doing here? Where's Roman?"

"We broke up, almost 2 months ago."

Adam bit his tongue to prevent the biggest smile he wanted to appear on his face. "Oh, but you said just two weeks ago..."

"I know, I lied because I thought you were dating someone and I couldn't bear the thought of you being with someone else and didn't want you to think I was alone."

"I haven't even thought of dating someone since that day in the locker room. But Kim, you broke things off. You're the one who moved on first."

"It was a mistake," she muttered as she moved closer to him. "It was all Roman. The push test, everything. He just wanted to be with me. I should've talked to you, my fíance, instead of talking to him. I'm sorry." Kim's eyes quickly filled with water.

Adam was so full of rage at Roman and what he did to screw up the best relationship he ever had, but he could tell Kim was hurting and he didn't want to lash out at her. "Come here," he pleaded as he wrapped her up in a hug. All he wanted to do was feel her lips on his, but it wasn't the right time for that. The smell of her shampoo would have to be enough for now.

"I don't know if you're up for it, but would you want to go to Molly's tonight and catch up with everyone?"

"I'd love that actually," Kim said as she backed away from his grace with a slight grin on her face.

[heliads]

Of Sorcerers and Spiderwebs Chapter Five: Investigation

Y/N L/N is a Master of the Mystic Arts, trained by Doctor Strange himself. When she first meets Peter Parker as they fight side by side against Thanos, she isn’t expecting for their brief partnership to blossom into a love that could last a lifetime.

previous / series masterlist / next

Your friends look troubled. MJ leans forward. “What do you mean, ‘something bad’? What did you see?” You can’t seem to do anything to stop the panic from pounding through your veins. You shake your head frantically. “I don’t know-I don’t know. I looked everywhere, and it seemed like it was coming from the basement, and I went down, and then I saw-”

Peter cups your face in his hands, finally allowing you to calm down. “Breathe, Y/N. It’s alright. Start from the beginning.” You hold on to him for a heartbeat or two, then speak once more. “I felt like something bad was coming from the basement, so I went down there. When I went through the door, it’s like I was seeing something that no human was ever meant to see.”

“The room was broken, almost destroyed. Everything was being slowly drawn towards this, this thing in the center of the room. The ceiling was black with smoke and the floor was broken in channels leading to the middle of the room. There, the ground had completely fallen away except for one place in the very center. It was like there was this pit with a single space remaining intact in the middle, which was drenched in blood. It was dripping off of the sides into this empty space beneath the school. There were runes drawn on the ground around the pit, too. Peter, I think they were drawn in blood.”

Your breathing is slowly returning back to normal, and you are able to stand on your own once more. Your friends look horrified. “You saw all that in the basement?” MJ asks, and you nod. Next to you, Ned furrows his brows. “You’re sure that’s what was there?” You nod fervently. “Positive.” Ned glances from you to his phone screen. “That’s weird, because according to the security cameras, there’s nothing there.”

He holds up his phone, which is displaying the live footage from all of the rooms around the school. Sure enough, the basement is empty and looks perfectly normal. You step closer, unable to understand what you’re seeing. “That’s impossible. I’m sure it’s there.” Peter puts an arm around you supportively. “We believe you, Y/N. Maybe it was something that could only be seen if you’re astral projecting?” 

You nod slowly. “That could be it. Tell you what- we do have to get to class. How about after school ends, you all come with me to the Sanctum and we can see if any of the books there have something on weird chasms and blood runes appearing out of nowhere?” MJ nods. “Sounds good. I’ve always wanted to go there- I have a thing about visiting places no one else is supposed to go to. Will that Dr. Strange guy be okay with us visiting?”

 You smile. “I’ll send him a note. Also, Ned, I do have to ask you- how did you get access to the security cameras? I feel like that’s not easily given out to most students.” Ned just grins. “I felt it might come in handy. Besides, all the teachers keep talking about making sure you have the right tools to solve a problem, right? This is just my select tool.” Peter sighs. “Yeah, but I think they were talking about internships or calculators, not security feeds that you had to hack into the school’s mainframe to set up.” You can’t help but laugh at that, and head to class with your friends.

After school, you meet up with your friends and head over to Bleecker Street, where the New York Sanctum awaits. When you push open the door and head inside, your friends stand in the main entry, gawking at all of the artifacts and relics housed in the Sanctum.

Ned is the first to speak. “This place is so cool! You really live here?” You laugh. “Yeah, I guess I’m pretty lucky.” After everyone’s gotten their fill of the artifacts, you guide them to the library. When you first file in, Stephen is standing at the shelves, book in hand, but he turns when everyone enters.

“You must be the friends I’ve been warned about.” He says with a raised eyebrow, and you do your best to stifle a laugh. “Yeah, they already know that Peter’s Spider-Man and that I’m a sorcerer, so they’ll be fine here.” Stephen doesn’t reply to that, but strides out. You can’t help but notice that he gives Peter a sidelong look as he goes.

MJ watches him leave. “I don’t think he likes us very much.” Peter nods emphatically. “Especially me. Did you see that glare?” You just smile. “That’s how he is with everybody. He’s just wary of regular people in the Sanctum.” Peter shrugs. “Well, I’m glad we have you to let us in.” With that, everyone heads to the shelves and you start pulling books that could be of use.

Once you’ve gathered an armload of books, you set them down on a table and your friends take some to read. MJ holds up one book in confusion. “This is in a language I’ve never even heard of before. And I’ve heard of a lot.” You take the book from her, smiling. “It’s mainly spells, so you’d only be able to read it if you were a sorcerer. I’ll get that one.”

After a while of paging through the musty old books of the Sanctum, Peter turns to you with a shout of discovery. “I think I found something! Is this it?” You lean over the book. “Calamis..the Shadow? Formed when other dimensions intersect with this one and causes a rift between the worlds. Yeah, the drawing looks the same. I think that’s our monster.”

Peter steeples his fingers together. “So how do we take this thing down? All it says is that you have to close the rift, which will weaken it. I think that’s easier said than done.” You nod slowly. “It’s our only option at this point. I guess we just try to approach it and see what happens?” Ned looks at you. “That sounds like the most dangerous plan in the history of plans, but I guess it could work. Try it tomorrow?” You shrug. “Sure, why not? It’s probably best to get this thing out of the way before it attacks anyone.”

The next day comes around before you know it. To be honest, you’re not sure how you feel about seeking out this mysterious Calamis. You barely know anything about it, and you’re hesitant to put your friends at risk.

Yet you find yourself arriving at school early the next morning, silently meeting up with your friends and trudging down the stairs to the basement before school starts. Your breath catches in your throat as Peter reaches for the door knob. Nothing happens.

“It’s locked?” “I could break the lock.” Peter offers, but MJ steps forward. “I hate to say it, but there’s no need for unnecessary property damage. I have keys to the building.” She rummages around in her bag for a second, then pulls out a few keys all attached to the same faded keychain. 

You, Peter, and Ned look at her in confusion, and Ned is the first one to speak up. “So it’s weird that I have access to the security cameras, but you literally have the keys to the school and that’s fine?” MJ nods. “Yes.” Peter bites back a laugh and tries the door knob once more. This time it opens, and you and your friends walk into the basement.

Instantly, you freeze. The room emanates that same heavy horror as before, but this time even more intense, if that’s possible. The runes painted across the floor and walls appear to have grown in number, and you can practically watch the ground cracking away. The small island of ground in the center of the room that has not fallen away to nothingness still remains, and blood pours from it like a deadly waterfall.

Beside you, Peter, Ned, and MJ seem oddly unmoved. “I can’t see anything.” You look at them in surprise. “What are you talking about? It’s right there.” Ned just shakes his head. “No. It’s just an ordinary basement.” You think for a second, and then it hits you. “It must be a sorcerer thing. Here, I can make you see it.” MJ frowns. “What are you going to do to us?” You wave a hand dismissively. “It’s a very basic spell. It just allows you to see past invisibility spells like this one.”

Peter nods. “I’m down. Do your magical thing, Y/N.” You smile and wave a hand in front of his face, watching his eyes flash gold briefly before returning to their normal color. He blinks once, then his eyes go wide. “What is that?” He points at the room. “The walls, the runes.. Why is the floor gone?” You sigh. “It’s the rift between dimensions.” Peter just stares, shocked. “Wow.” You project your spell onto Ned and MJ, who have the same horrified reaction as Peter.

The four of you stand there, gazing upon the mystical mess that is the basement of Midtown High. “What do we even do to stop this? I mean, how can we patch up this type of thing?” You shrug at Peter’s words. “I don’t know, but we have to find out before things get too bad.” Overhead, the bell rings once, signaling that the school day will start in five minutes. “I guess we figure it out in class.”

Luckily, the four of you share first period today- chemistry. Peter is partnered with Ned, and the two of them are one row in front of you and MJ, who are also paired together. This allows you to have muted conversations during work time about what you’re going to do about this Shadow problem.

When the ground shakes the first time, you’re not sure you felt anything. The second time, you think you’re just imagining it. Then, the tremors truly start, and you look at your friends in fear as your desks and chairs start rattling on the moving ground. Overhead, the lights flicker and then go out. Above the din of the classroom, the teacher shouts in an attempt to calm down her panicked class. “It’s just an earthquake! Please, go back to your work!”

Yet there’s a sound growing from outside of your classroom. It starts off quietly, and then grows in volume. It sounds like a roar of sorts, and it’s joined by the terrified screams of students down the hall. You realize in horror that it’s coming from the direction of the basement.

When the rest of your classmates hear the students screaming, all hell breaks loose. People run out of the room and into the halls. You take advantage of the mad rush to grab your friends. “I think Calamis- that shadow monster from the other dimension- is causing this. We have to do something.” 

Peter nods in agreement. “I’ve got my Spider-Man suit in my bag, I’ll meet you by the stairs to the basement. Ned, MJ, you have to get people out of here.” MJ raises her hands in protest. “We can stay around! You need all the help you can get. You shake your head. “Peter is right. This is an otherworldly threat, and we’re the ones best suited to stop it. The best way you can help us is by getting people out of the way and into safety.”

MJ and Ned don’t look happy to leave you, but they agree and run out of the room. By the time you make your way through the panicked throng to the stairs leading to the basement, you’ve changed your school clothes into the robes of a Master of the Mystic Arts, hood pulled up to hide your face and pure magical energy coursing around your hands in preparation. Peter’s already in his Spider-Man suit, and the two of you exchange a few words for a plan before heading down the stairs.

The basement doors are flung open. One is bent almost in half, and the other is lying on the ground a distance away from the doorway, having been ripped off its hinges. You draw up a shield of magical energy in front of you and Peter, and the two of you step through the doorway.

Inside, you can see the true form of Calamis. He looks just as the book described- a somewhat humanoid silhouette, composed of pure shadow. He seems dark enough to snuff out the lights of an entire civilization, which is actually what he was born to do. When the two of you approach, he raises from his seated position on the blood rock in the center of the basement to stand and face you. He doesn’t have to say anything, just raises his arms and shadow pours from his hands, flowing across the chasm towards you like thick black smoke.

Instantly, you can tell that this shadow stuff won’t be safe to touch. You grab your sling ring from the chain around your neck and open up a portal in front of it, causing it to disappear somewhere deep in the pit below the school. Hopefully, it’ll end up in Calamis’ dimension and won’t bother you any longer.

Calamis twists around in rage and spreads his arms once more, causing the ceiling to shake and rain rubble around you. This time, it’s Peter’s turn to act. He slings the largest chunk of plaster and concrete towards the Shadow using his webs, and it actually hits the monster with some sort of impact. Unfortunately, all this seemed to do was make him mad, as Calamis finally steps off of his position on the rock and rushes toward you.

When he first hits you, he knocks you several feet down the hallway. You and Peter are forced to engage the Shadow in a desperate fight, you forcing back pools of darkness with spells and Peter using his webs to go on the offensive. You think you’re doing a pretty good job of holding him off, but eventually Calamis grows tired of the fight and summons one massive wave of darkness that knocks the ceiling down on top of you.

From the second his blow hits, your vision fades to almost nothing. Distantly, you feel yourself knocked backwards, and your body hits the ground with an impact that should hurt more than anything but is barely noticed. There’s a slight coppery taste in your mouth; it could be blood but you can’t sense enough to be sure. Overhead, you can distantly hear the sound of someone shouting your name, and then there’s the sensation of someone holding you in their arms.

When you finally come back to reality, Peter’s carrying you. He appears to have swung out of the basement and the two of you now stand in a deserted hallway, one lined with rubble from the fight. You must not have gone far. 

Peter notices that you’re conscious once more, and he breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank God you’re okay. I managed to get us out of there, but I’m not sure where Calamis went.” You nod slowly, still not entirely thinking straight. Your hand unconsciously travels to your neck, and your eyes fly open in a panic when you realize that the chain is empty. “Where’s my sling ring? It’s gone!” 

Peter hands you something. “Don’t worry, I picked it up before we left. It’s alright.” You breathe out, feeling your heart rate come back to normal. “Thanks, Peter.” You slowly stand up, stretching as the injuries you sustained during the fight start to make themselves known. You wince as you flex your wrist. Peter looks at you, troubled. 

“Just promise me you won’t do anything like that again. I thought you were going to die, Y/N. You took a pretty hard hit. I know-” He cuts himself off, turning his head to the side as he struggles to find the right words. “I know I don’t mean a whole lot to you right now, but please, please tell me you’re going to stop risking your life like that. I can’t take it if you die.”

You look at him, shaking your head softly. “Peter, I do care about you. What are you talking about?” Peter sighs. “I know you said that at the beginning, but god, Y/N, you’ve barely spoken to me in weeks. You’ve stopped doing patrols, and then you’re saying you want to leave all of this behind, leave me behind? Maybe you can’t say it yourself, but you’ve made it pretty obvious that I’m not anywhere near the top of your priorities.”

You stare at him for a second, then break out into an incredulous laugh. “I don’t care about you? Peter, I’ve done all of this for you. You’ve been on my mind this entire time, from the second I met you. Why do you think I did patrols with you? Why do you think I watched all of the Star Wars movies so I could have talking points with you and Ned? Hell, why do you think I moved to Midtown? It wasn’t just so I could excel in school, Peter, it was because I loved you. And the worst part about loving you is that I’ve had to watch you choose MJ over everyone, and it hurts me more than I thought possible. You’re the most important person to me, but I am not the same to you.”

You breathe out slowly. Why did you say all that? You do have to admit that it feels good to let all of those words out in a rush, to finally get everything off of your chest. For once, all of the secrets you’ve kept bottled up inside of you have been let out.

Peter is silent for one second, two seconds, three. Then he walks over to you, and for a heartbeat you think he’s furious. Then his arms are wrapped around you, and he’s kissing you. You can’t do anything but stand there, stunned. Peter laughs quietly. “You thought I was in love with MJ? Y/N, I kept spending so much time with her because it was the only thing I could do to stop staring at you.” 

You shake your head slowly, letting a smile cross your face. “Really?” “Really.” He kisses you again, and for once you’re not thinking about malevolent Shadows, or overbearing teachers, or any of the thousands of troubles that have made their way into your life. All you can think about is the fact that the boy you love is standing close to you and that he feels the exact same way about you.

tag list: @dude-were-getting-the-band-back @xroselights​ @idiotic--punk​ @caswinchester2000​ @namoreno​ @justafangirlduh​  

[zeppelin-and-unicorns]

so i’ve read your entire fanfic recs lists and thank you so much for making it!! it introduced me to some of my fave fics like I Think It’s A Real Waste by Jaded Angel and That’s My Baby by kezztip (not including your works of course because i love them all). but now i’m at a lost of what to read. do you have any current fics or fics you would add to your lists?

p.s. so excited RYLH is gonna be updated soon!!! i am seriously in love with that story that it’s my pick me up fic

I'm glad my fanfic recs post was useful to you!! I spent a lot of time making that and I love ALL the stories I recommended.

[do you have any current fics or fics you would add to your lists?] -- Oh hell yeah, a lot of new fics came out after I made that post, and I've found a few more old ones. I'll list them all below (this is going to be LONG):

Multichapters:

all that glitters by SparklingSoul (canon divergence s3):

After getting into some hot water, Jackie and Hyde find themselves thrust into an unlikely partnership-- a partnership where in the lines of morality quickly become blurred as they lead each other down a questionable path to cope with their less than ideal home lives.

This story is a WIP.

Y'ALL, please trust me and read this one, it's amazing. The first chapter was posted yesterday and I'm already addicted.

Rated T.

6k words, one chapter so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Fez/Kelso, and Eric/Donna.

Baby Blue by crimsinsky (s7 fix-it):

Zenmasters being Godparents.

This story is complete.

Rated T.

4k words, 5 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Kelso/Brooke

Friend of the Devil by glittermila (AU):

An AU where Hyde's a girl, and falls for Jackie anyway.

Btw, everyone's gay in this story and I love it, lol.

This story is a WIP.

Rated T.

65k words, 26 chapters so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Buddy, Eric/Donna, Fez/Kelso.

He Let Her Go by kezztip (canon divergence s7):

Jackie runs away to her wealthy grandmother in New York after the midseason 7 breakup. Will absence make Hyde's heart grow fonder? What happens when Jackie returns for a secret visit?

This story is complete.

Rated T.

17k words, 17 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

I Think I Was Blind Before I Met You by TeaTimeAllOverTown (AU):

He’s 14 and she’s 13 and he finds her crying outside the prison doors and, not that he would ever admit it, hearing her cry makes his skin itch.

This story is complete.

Rated T.

15k words, 2 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Just Ask Santa by heatherlea75 (post s8, Christmas fic):

This is a two part Christmas story featuring JH from Cliches and Things They Say. Sometimes, adults should believe in Santa Claus, too.

This story is complete.

Rated T.

10k words, 3 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Miracle by B_August (AU):

To Pam Burkhart, Jackie is the abnormal child that her husband dragged in during their vacation in Hawaii. To her peers, she's the smart and stuck-up princess that graces the school halls. To the Basement Gang, she's the annoying brat that infiltrated their ranks. To Jackie herself, she is a super powered freak who just wants to do her best. But to Jack Burkhart, Buddy Morgan, a pair of higher life forms, and those who she would later help, she is nothing short of a miracle.

This story is a WIP.

Rated T.

47k words, 33 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna, Fez/Buddy

My Best Friend's Girl by the bohemian flow (AU):

What if Hyde had a crush on Jackie instead of Donna?

This story is a WIP.

Rated T.

2k words, one chapter so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, temporary Jackie/Kelso

perfect matches burn (and baby, so do we) by deartangerine (AU):

One year after their break-up, Jackie and Hyde have finally pieced themselves back together, on their own. Jackie's in school. Hyde's sober. But one fateful weekend stuck together at their best friends' wedding might be all it takes to tear them down again.

Or maybe, just maybe, to build something new.

Another fic where Hyde's genderbent, and it's great! I highly recommend reading the prequel, our fingers intertwined (just like our hearts).

This story is a WIP.

Rated M.

24k words, 9 chapters so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna

Play With Fire by ShinyBo0ts0fLeather (s8 canon divergence):

After Hyde comes back from Las Vegas, Sam comes into everyone's life and thus ruining the very last chance he had with Jackie. Instead of the moping around, Jackie is now fueled with fire and a sense of determination to move on and make a life for herself as a strong, independent woman. Instead of turning their back on Jackie and siding with Hyde, Eric, Donna, Kelso, Fez and even Laurie remain loyal friends to Jackie. Hyde is completely broken, but isn't a complete asshole to Jackie. The gang doesn't turn their back on Hyde, but instead support him yet hold him responsible for his actions instead of sweeping it all under the rug. While Jackie is set on moving on, Hyde is set on getting Jackie back and changing his ways for both her and his sake. Whatever it takes.

Eric never left to Africa, and Kelso is in Chicago with Brooke, but is still around. Donna sticks to her feminist values like in the early seasons and is a better friend to Jackie. Jackie is close to the Forman's as well, and her relationship with her father will be prominent and better here as well. Overall positive with some angst.

This story is a WIP.

Rated M.

30k words, 15 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna

Something Unexpected by crimsinsky (s1 canon divergence):

What if Jackie wasn’t quite so heartbroken over Kelso kissing Pam Macy?

This story is a WIP.

Rated T.

15k words, 11 chapters so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Red/Kitty

Spirit In The Night by springsteenicious (s4/s5 canon divergence):

Jackie and Hyde are in the midst of a passionate- and secret- fling. When Kelso's sister lends the six of them her cabin by a lake for a few days, they have to be even more secretive. But secrecy proves to be a difficult thing to maintain, especially when they can't seem to get enough of each other's presence. (Inspired by the Bruce Springsteen song).

This story is funny as hell, and it's a WIP.

Rated T.

4k words, 2 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Eric/Donna

Take The Money and Run! by MinaSeraphina (post s7):

This here's a story about Steven Hyde and Jackie Blue. Two young lovers with nothin' better to do...

Complete.

Rated M.

29k words, 12 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

The One That Wasn't Canon by samcaponi (AU):

Basically, this is an AU where Jackie never dated Kelso. It's not set in a specific season but will take different aspects from each season.

This has to be one of the cutest stories I've ever read in my life.

This story is a WIP.

It doesn't have a rating.

11k words, 9 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna

Things Fall Apart by leoasc (s8 canon divergence):

On one night in a motel room in Chicago, Jackie and Hyde learn a valuable lesson about love and life: Things fall apart. People get hurt. Hearts get broken. Over the course of nine months and a series of events no one saw coming, they learn how true that really is.

Prepare yourself because your heart's going to be crushed, but the author guaranteed that they'll fix it so I'm trusting them.

This story is a WIP.

60k words, 9 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Too Late by brokenrussiancrawl (s8 canon divergence):

Hyde was not stalking her. It was just, after months of not seeing or hearing from her, finally spotting her in a bar made him realize how much he truly missed her. The only problem is, the tiny brunette wants nothing to do with the gang...even more so him. But he couldn't stay away.

This is angsty. Very, very angsty. But it's great!

This story is a WIP.

Rated T, but the author said that might change later.

23k words, 5 chapters so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Jackie/OC, background Eric/Donna

We're Not Broken, Just Bent by SparklingSoul (post s8):

When tragedy strikes and Jackie and Hyde are forced to live up to their godparent duties, they need to overcome their differences and work together. Along the way, they realize that maybe their relationship isn’t broken beyond repair after all...

This story is one of my favorites, I love it so much!! Please read it.

This story is complete.

Rated T.

67k words, 24 chapters.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, background Eric/Donna

When Did This Happen? by QueenBookBuff (post s8):

Hyde is stunned when he finds out Jackie and Eric no longer hate each other, and he finds he hates the idea of her having a soft place to land that is not him. What he hates even more is the idea that Eric is protecting Jackie from him.

Angsty and beautiful story, I'm loving it.

This story is a WIP.

Rated M.

46k words, 13 chapters so far.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

One-shots:

Anything For You, Doll by icanseeformiles (missing moment):

One-shot, takes place during season 5. Jackie is sick while staying overnight with Hyde in the basement, and Hyde has to take care of her. All fluff.

Rated T.

2k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Five Years by johnnycakewasgolden (idk, it wasn't specified):

It's been five years. Fluffy fic. Sappiness. H/J.

Rated T.

1k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

He Cared by johnnycakewasgolden (missing moment):

After Hyde tells Kelso that he's a tool for trying to get out of Brooke's pregnancy. Hyde's thoughts drift to Jackie and everything between them.

Rated T.

1k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Here I Go Again by Tandy (I think it's post s8 but I'm not sure):

Life had not turned out like Jackie had planned. She wasn't rich, she had no maid, no mansion, and no husband. (don't worry this is fluffy).

Rated T.

5k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song by springsteenicious (s5 canon divergence):

"Every time the time was right all the words just came out wrong, so I'll have to say I love you in a song..."

Hyde isn't sure how to tell Jackie he loves her. Then he finds the perfect way, and it's a song sung by Jim Croce.

Rated G.

1k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

I LOVE YOU by PrettyinPink33 (I think it's s5 canon divergence but I'm not sure):

"Why can't you say it? It's three words. Eight letters! Why can't you say it?" Hyde doesn't want to use the L-word. A sweet little fluffy J/H oneshot

Rated T.

839 words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

is this the place that i've been dreaming of? by SparklingSoul (missing moment):

“I’m mostly over it now,” she continues, “but sometimes I can’t help but worry about that same thing with any guy. So tell me, would you break up with me, too?”

Jackie has some leftover relationship insecurities from when she dated Kelso and Hyde is there to remind her that she doesn't have to worry anymore.

Rated T.

1k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

It's a Hyde Thing by not.so.tragically (AU canon divergence):

It became a Hyde thing. She had part in one of his Hyde things, and for some reason, he was okay with it.

Rated T.

2k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Magic Man by ShanghaiLily (missing moment):

Just a sexy little 'missing scene' one-shot that takes place after Donna returns from California and she and Eric catch Jackie & Hyde together on the couch but before Kelso finds out about the affair. After a naughty afternoon together, they admit to themselves & each other they don't want to break up.

Rated M. Very M.

2k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Nice To Meet You by crimsinsky (AU):

What If Jackie and Hyde met without Jackie and Kelso ever dating?

A loudmouth girl meets a troublemaking knight in shining armor.

Rated T.

2k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Now you're looking pretty in a hotel bar by MissRaichyl (post s8):

Hyde and Jackie meet after a long time apart and find comfort in each other that they thought was long gone.

Rated M.

2k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Old and Grey by zpplnchick (post s8):

After a busy day of shopping, Jackie and Hyde make one last purchase: new boots. Post-finale. Told from a 3rd-party perspective.

Rated T.

1k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

One Special Morning by marirable (missing moment):

If anyone caught him at this hour and in this situation, they would be inevitably buried in the Formans' backyard to maintain his burnout image and not lead it towards the worst. Towards the gang thinking that Hyde got himself a heart.

Rated K.

643 words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

She's a Rainbow by trobedisons (AU? idk):

"she comes in colors everywhere, she combs her hair, she's like a rainbow."

as with everything, jackie is the opposite. they're polar opposites. the rich girl; the bad boy. archetypes that should clash, but they attract. it was as if his calloused hands were crafted to mold into the curve of her hips.

hyde notices jackie’s affinity for rainbow sweaters. hyde also notices he likes jackie. so what happens when she needs a date?

Rated T.

1k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

The Big Toy by JoyfulHeartEO (missing moment?):

When Jackie and Hyde get bored at the Drive in with their friends...where will they go? And what will they do? ;D Read and find out what happens.

Rated M because this has a lot of sex, but it's well written and funny.

3k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

Where Did You Sleep Last Night by QueenBookBuff (s8 canon divergence):

Would a married Jackie ever break her vow to be faithful?

I love ALL of QBB's stories, but this one has a special place in my heart, I don't know why.

Rated T.

This work is part of a series, so there's a sequel.

4k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde, Jackie/Kelso

Why Didn't You Tell Anyone? by zpplnchick (missing moment):

The gang talks about their first kiss, and a surprising revelation is revealed… Set shortly after 4x20.

Rated K+.

6k words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

You Give Me Fever by crimsinsky (missing moment):

Jackie is sick, or is she? She claims she is, but Kelso says he saw her not too long ago. Who is Hyde supposed to believe, and what does he do about it?

Rated G.

5k worrds.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

1983 by antrazi (post s8? idk):

Somebody comes back and watches Hyde's life from the outside.

Rated T.

731 words.

Pairings: Jackie/Hyde

*

I think this is it! I probably forgot some fics because my brain is weird, but yeah. I've read all of these, and they're all amazing. I think you'll love them!