#to he clear the motorcycle outfit is just one outfit of many

[dyke-donkey]

Hi, question, out of curiosity and not judgement, but I'm struggling to phrase it without sounding judgemental.

Why wheels and motorcycle handles?

Cars are hot

[randomshyperson]

One For The Road - Heart Shaped Series

Chapter Summary: Wanda's first mission as an Avenger was also marked by the first time she met you.

Warnings: typical canon violence, fluff and Avengers working together but nothing major | Words: 2.501k

A/N-> This is an extra chapter (can be read separately and doesn't impact the current plot of the fic). It's just about delving a little deeper into what happened before the main story and I plan three of them in total (the other two will be their first kiss and their first time). Good reading!

General Masterlist | Wattpad | AO3 | Series Masterlist

-&-

Before.

They were there to observe. After all, what criminal in their right mind would let the Avengers attend an event where half the guests were wanted by Shield?

But even on the outside, and accompanied by Barton, Steve and Natasha who were basically the most protective members over her, Wanda was nervous.

It was her first official Avengers mission. Not only that, but she had what they called a perfect disguise consisting of an old American football team cap and sunglasses, and Wanda was having a hard time thinking that it would work. Maybe so, because she had only appeared a few times on television, and wasn't exactly the most popular Avenger among them. 

But there was also Captain America in all of his glory of an enchanted big body wearing the same outfit. So ignoring Steve's warning about keeping it on the down low, she was forced to use her skills when she noticed that the waitresses were whispering about him - One peek and Wanda could read their suspicion. The blonde among them was sure of who he was, but a little influence from the witch and that certainty vanished. She could go back to serving coffee without further doubts.

Steve could thank her later for that.

Wanda's first mission was simple. To observe, to provide support. It was more about seeing Steve in action than anything else. Learning how the more experienced ones acted or something. She knew that Clint was somewhere high up, perhaps in one of the buildings away from the main square. 

In any case, they were all surrounding the large Italian-style mansion on the edge of the island. And Tony in his iron armor was taking care of the offshore area, in case the targets escaped by water.

Everything was going well, and almost tedious to be honest, for hours on end. The gala party was happening loud and clear into the night, but Wanda and the others had the excuse of dinner time to stay at the tables in the cheap corner restaurant. 

"We have our first celebrity guest, Captain." Clint's warning over the communicator almost took her by surprise - but Wanda was paying attention to the mansion's large iron door, where she could see the movement in and out of the party. The equally bored security guards finally got something to do - Opening the door to the visually drunk man heading towards the limo waiting for him.

Steve left some cash on the table, standing up before the drunk man had even finished insulting the staff for taking so long to open the door for him. She knew the captain was heading towards the parked motorcycle to follow the car since that was the plan. But she noticed - felt - something different.

The target was an Italian mobster who had attracted Shield's attention by being quoted in a human experimentation scheme. All those involved in the Hydra project, which created people like her and Pietro, were being hunted down one by one. It was an Avengers-level operation because little was known about how far Hydra had managed to go. How many superhumans they manage to create? It wouldn't be smart to send ordinary agents who would probably be up against people as powerful as Wanda.

And well, there was another detail about the target; he had two daughters. According to the files, the girls didn't take part in their father's work. They just enjoyed the money from a crime like two foolish socialites.

Although the two figures were identical to the photographs in the files, something in Wanda clicked when she looked at what was supposed to be the mobster's youngest daughter.

"Steve, there's something wrong." She gasped into the communicator. The waiter looked surprised - he thought she was talking to him.

"Mi dispiace, signorina, cosa ha detto? (Excuse me, what did you say, miss?)" But Wanda muttered excuse me in a very bad accent and got up. At her warning, Steve hesitated and instead of going to the motorcycle, he stopped at the bar. 

The mobster didn't leave the scene either, confirming Wanda's suspicions that things were very wrong. 

From inside the mansion, two security guards ran out - they shouted that something had been stolen from the sale. And the gate was closed again.

The man, drunk and confused, was searched. The presence of a pearl necklace hidden in his jacket was enough for him to be dragged back by the thugs, who ignored the foaming protests of him and his eldest daughter, who ran inside after her father.

"What's the saying again, thief who steals thief...?" Clint joked over the communicator, clearly from wherever he was, he had witnessed the whole scene.

Although he laughed, Steve began to move forward. "Change of plans, guys. Let's break up the party." He announced, and it was no surprise that the positions of the remaining team members quickly began to reveal themselves.

Everyone left their hiding place to invade the party - Tony's armor was the first to act to hack open the iron gates. Most of the security corps surrendered on seeing the Avengers there, but there was still conflict. Steve just wanted to act quickly before the mobster they had come to capture was executed for stealing a pearl necklace.

And Wanda, well, she followed her instincts.

The mobster's daughter fled the scene - She was supposed to go after her father, but she snuck into the parking lot. Wanda had to run a little to avoid losing sight of her.

The confusion of the party invaded by the Avengers was loud enough to drown out her footsteps, and Wanda managed to hide behind some pillars when the figure reached a parked car. She thought she was about to discover that the mobster's daughter was actually more aware of her father's business than she let on when something much more shocking happened.

Before her eyes, Wanda watched the figure change completely. From the original appearance, only the coat and expensive dress remained.

A shapeshifter? What an incredible thing to witness, Wanda thought. She had only heard stories about Loki and had never seen anything other than Natasha's tools of disguise. This here was truly remarkable.

You hummed low, pulling out a closed suitcase from your coat. The Italian mafia symbol made Wanda understand the whole thing quickly - The necklace was just a distraction. The real theft was what you were carrying.

The coat was discarded on the pavement in the parking lot, but before you could stow it in the trunk, you froze. Wanda had half a second to hide behind the pillar, holding her breath and hoping you hadn't seen her.

Well, worst case scenario, she'd use magic on you.

She risked a peek, but you were no longer near the car. Gone, like the suitcase.

Wanda sighed in defeat, feeling pathetic. Her first mission would be marked with the escape of an enemy. How embarrassing.

But then she was suddenly grabbed and restrained. Wanda gasped in shock, imagining that it was one of the building's security guards. Her magic acted faster than the panic in her system - it went through her body and hit the attacker in the chest, who was thrown to the ground.

"Wow, how did you do that?" The voice that came out was definitely not that of a brute like the party security guards. Wanda turned around panting, ready for another attack, but you were sitting on the floor, back to your original appearance, looking at her as if you had just seen the most incredible creature in the world.

Wanda opened her mouth, but couldn't think of anything to say. She was sure she had been grabbed by a security guard, but then she understood: You had changed to look like one. But her magic forced you to return to your real appearance, and Wanda had to convince herself that the way her heart raced and her stomach did two flips was because of the fright, and nothing more.

Her lack of reaction didn't intimidate you. You tilted your head gently. "You're the new one."

You started to get up, Wanda swallowed dryly, taking another step away.  Her hands glowed as red as her eyes. "Stay back."

But you looked at her carefully, as if you were studying her. And you didn't seem afraid of your powers, even though a minute ago you'd been thrown to the ground for it.

"Oh, I remember you from television." You suddenly declare, a glint of recognition in your eyes. "The girl from the country who fell from the sky."

Wanda tried to steady her trembling hands. "I'll take you into custody. I know you stole something."

But you didn't pay any attention to the statement - You advanced against her and she backed away instinctively until Wanda was pressed to the pillar again. One hand against your stomach and the other on your shoulder, keeping you at a safe distance.

She could have just hit you with the magic, but she didn't. Just like you, she didn't attack.

"What... are you doing?" She gasped in a mixture of curiosity and fear, both hands controlling your distance were expelling her power. One of your hands moved up and grabbed her face gently - Wanda had to bite the inside of her cheek at the way her skin burned at your touch. Was it attraction she was feeling? No, it couldn't be. You were a complete stranger. She had to convince herself that this was fear.

You turned her face to one side and then the other, your eyes so focused that you seemed to be trying to memorize every aspect of her appearance.

"I've never met another one of us before." You say, and Wanda frowns in confusion. Your hand remains on her chin, and she swallows dryly before taking a chance:

"Us? Like... another Baron Strucker experiment?" She deduces, and you nod softly before letting go of her face.

You move your hand down and hold the one she has against your stomach. "It's so warm. What is it?" You ask tenderly about her magic. 

Wanda can feel her cheeks burning but she managed to stammer: "Hm... it’s a form of energy, I think." Jesus, Wanda pull yourself together. Well, who could really blame her for feeling out of place about the whole thing? She was literally on her first mission, being pinned against a pillar in the parking lot of a mafia party by some random thief, blushing under the worshipful gaze of that same shape-shifter while her team blew stuff up in the background. It was too much for anyone. 

She tries to gain a little control when she evades your touch, slipping to the side and putting distance between your bodies again. She also ignores how her hand is tingling, as if she was missing your touch from seconds ago.

"How did the Baron manage to give you energy?" You asked curiously but frowned in a worried way.

Wanda sighed. She really was having a conversation with a jewelry thief.

"It was a stone... um, a special kind. It may sound ridiculous, but it was a magic one. It came from outer space, the Avengers actually have a lot of work protecting them. And well, it now sits on the head of one of us and-"

But you suddenly moved - You lifted the hem of your dress just above your thigh, and pulled out a small, hidden pistol. Wanda's heart leaped to her throat. She barely had time to think about reacting, and you had already pulled the trigger.

There was still an arc of magic protecting her when she risked opening her eyes again. You were both out of breath, staring at each other before you lowered the gun.

The shot wasn't aimed at her, as Wanda realized the next second. But behind her, to one of the party guests who was trying to escape the Avengers by running into the parking lot. And well, catching one of them, off guard was quite an opportunity. The man now was writhing in pain on the ground, bleeding from the shot to the neck that you had hit him with. His own gun, loaded to shoot Wanda, rolled off his hand to the grass next to his body. 

Wanda should move. Criminal or not, trying to murder her or not, he needed help.

You raised an eyebrow at the magical protection disappearing around her. "You’re full of tricks aren’t, you?” You teased while hiding your gun again, now on your belt. “This was fun, Wanda Maximoff. Unfortunately, I must leave."

She shallows, knowing she really should move her feet. "You can't go... I have- I should arrest you."

You glance towards the man on the ground, practically unconscious now before looking at the girl again. "But he needs your help, and what kind of superhero doesn't help a bleeding victim?"

Her body reacts to your sarcastic words; she rushes to reach the assaulter and stop the bleeding. You don’t miss the opportunity to walk away to your motorcycle.

Wanda is too busy with the guest to notice you are escaping - Her magic do the hard part to patch up the bleeding and she’s stuck there with this man, at least for the necessary time for you to escape.

Wanda bites her tongue when she sees your motorcycle flee out the back exit, hoping none of her colleagues saw her letting you escape.

It doesn't even take five minutes for Natasha to find her, worried about where she was hiding during the shooting.

“What the hell happened here?” Asked the widow but as soon as she saw the gun on the floor, she assumed that Wanda was defending herself. She sighs before the witch can come up with an explanation. “Fuck, I’m just glad you’re okay, Maximoff. Pretty hardcore for your first mission, huh?” Nat jokes, and somehow, she manages a little chuckle from Wanda. The redhead gives her shoulder a soft tug. "Come on, witchy, i’ll take care of this one. Go find the others."

Natasha offered her a hand to help her up, but Wanda didn't want to take it. Her own were stained with blood.

"I think I'll go back to the quinjet." Said the brunette with a sour stomach. A lot had happened in a very short period of time. Natasha nodded quickly.

"Yeah, sure, go ahead." Said the widow, forcing a smile when she noticed the way the witch was shaking with adrenaline. "And Wanda. You did alright, okay? More than that, to be honest. You caught the hint that something was wrong very quickly. I’m proud of you.”

Wanda just nodded, taking the opposite path from all the confusion.  Completely unaware that a few kilometers away, at high speed, a shapeshifter left the motorcycle's handlebars to press against their own chest. Trying to understand why their heart was racing so much and the feeling of doing something wrong if the robbery had been a success.

[tender-rosiey]

I know I know I know! How about flirting headcanons with Nanami Toji and Gojo? They’ve caught the feelz for someone and want to express their newfound interest!

— HOW DO THEY FLIRT?

includes gojo, nanami and toji

a/n: suffice to say that I got carried away also so many people with beautiful minds pls you’re a genius

GOJO SATORU:

you must be one hell of a beautiful person inside out for gojo to catch them feels for you, my dear

so allow me to ask you on a date ;)

okay so, now gojo’s heart is undeniably fluttering and he has to make it known

he won’t even hesitate

BUT I do think that gojo’s flirting can be a bit annoying and sometimes endearing

he is the type to place your stuff on the top shelf if you are short, so he can make fun of your height

similarly, the type to place it in the most bottom drawer so you have to crouch to get it so he can also make fun of your height (even if it’s the same case for himself)

he is such a tease

okay so back to the flirting, HE IS SO ANNOYING ABOUT IT TO THE POINT IT’S JUST TEASING

exhibit a:

“GOJO, DID YOU EAT MY CHEESECAKE?!”

said man takes the fork out of his mouth and innocently stares at you; he places the plate down along with the fork, “I would never!”

“gojo, it literally said ‘y/n’s’, why would you eat it?” you huff, “you have more than enough money to buy seven of it for yourself.”

you stomp away, not waiting for a response cause, frankly, if you stayed in front of him any longer, you will hit him in the face and stab him with the fork he used while eating your precious and beautiful late cheesecake.

“aw, come on, sweets; I was hungry,” he pouts, walking after you, “would you rather I die of starvation?”

“yes.”

he whines and clutches his chest.

“this is not funny, gojo; I was looking forward to eating it all day,” you mumble and look at your foot and gojo’s heart clenches with guilt.

maybe he could’ve found another way to mess with you.

you harshly kick him in the shin which makes him wince lightly, “I am mad at you.”

“I will make it up to you, I promise,” he says before warping out of your sight.

“good riddance, asshole.”

“I am back! did you miss me?” he beams, reappearing once again but this time beside your fridge. you gag in disgust and he ignores it.

“can you check the fridge for me?” he says sweetly to you and you shake your head.

a whine escapes his lips, “I swear it will be worth your time just open the fridge!”

you sigh, irritated and stand up to walk to the fridge, “I will hit you if it’s a prank,” you murmur and open the fridge.

“I remembered that I have a mission soon, enjoy your cheesecakes!” and he is nowhere to be seen. the only thing you can see is seven cheesecakes with a note that says “sorry, sweets; just wanted to mess with you!”

he can also be very sweet and showers you IN TOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNSSS of compliments

exhibit a:

“gojo,” you sternly say, “you can’t keep getting me gifts! i mean thank you but this is more than enough!” you sigh, “you are wasting your money!”

gojo looks at the 8 designer boxes, each containing an outfit with matching accessories, then looks at you, “I don’t think I am wasting money if it’s on you.”

“I don’t need all of this!”

“but you would look so pretty in all of them, I just know it,” his glasses rest on the bridge of his nose as he winks at you.

you splutter, “s-save it for your future lover!”

“I am giving them to my future lover”

exhibit b:

“Y/NNNNNN!”

“gojo, it’s 6am please.”

“but you look super good and drop-dead gorgeous,” he grins, “has anyone ever told you that?”

“has anyone told you that your wrinkles are starting to show?” you smile— more like smirk back, but the man is unaffected.

he clears his throat before leaning on his palm, “you look like a sexy motorcycle that goes vroom vroom.”

you are caught so off-guard that you snort before you start laughing, “w-where did you even hear that?” you wheeze.

meanwhile, gojo just feels like he has completed his life goal and can ascend to heaven peacefully after seeing you laugh like this.

to sum up

gojo’s flirting mainly consists of teasing, jokes and awful pick-up lines that make you laugh

in addition to that, he becomes a little protective of you

like when you are walking in the streets, I just whole heartedly believe that he is the type to pull you to the sidewalk

and he isn’t even obvious about it

like y’all are just walking and laughing about it so he gets a little ahead of you in attempt to be more dramatic with his gestures

but when he is done instead of returning to the side near the sidewalk, he starts walking on the side near the street

IT’S THE HIDDEN THINGS

also sometimes you catch him smiling at someone who bothered you, but you can SEE that smile is nowhere near friendly

he also literally screams about his attraction to you

for example, you hug

then literally after you let go he goes, “THIS IS THE HEIGHT OF LUXURY!”

NANAMI KENTO:

your honor, @callmemirro is madly in love with him and so am I

of course, a word we connect to this man is “respectful”

and he is so respectful even in his approach about liking you

his flirting is a bit more on the subtle side like small little acts of services

exhibit a:

“good morning, nanami!” you beam at the man who just entered.

he returns the greeting with a small smile of his own, “good morning, y/n,” he takes a seat in front of you and takes out two sandwiches that look so delicious.

but you would rather die than get caught staring at the poor man’s food.

“I got you this sandwich; I noticed it had your favorite fillings,” he says putting it in front of you along with your favorite juice.

a grin takes over your face, but your cheeks heat up as you lightly protest, “I appreciate it a lot, but you didn’t have to do that though!”

“I wanted to, plus I think seeing you happy is more than a fair trade for a few yen,” he insists and you silently unwrap the sandwich.

“…thank you,” you murmur.

he hums, “it’s nothing,” digging into his own sandwich.

exhibit b:

the sun was scorching hot and you were about to throw yourself out of a window on the 76th floor just to feel the wind on your skin.

just as you were deciding which tower will you jump off it, you feel a gentle breeze on your face. you open your eyes to see nanami fanning you with a paper fan he made with the newspaper he was reading.

“feel better?” he asks.

you take another paper out of the same newspaper and make a fan as well and start fanning him. his eyes widen slightly, “are you considering this a competition?”

“no, it’s just not fair if I am the only one who isn’t suffering because of the heat,” you smile and he nods, but you can see that his movement faltered a bit when he cleared his throat, looking away.

“oh my god, nanamin and y/n are being lovey dovey.”

“gojo-sensei, please shut up so we don’t get caught.”

and with a sprinkle of quality time

nanami is the type of person you can always rely on and count on them being there for you

he is always there whenever you’re having a hard time and is a rather comforting presence to be around even if he is silent

exhibit a:

recently, a friend of yours was sent on a mission and sadly lost their life. in attempt to feel better, you went for a walk. once you sat on the bench, tears flooded your eyes.

you hear light footsteps approach you and the bench creaks. you look to your side and see nanami beside you. you lean your head on his shoulder, trying to even your breathing.

his hand hovers over your own, hesitant to hold it. you take the initiative to hold his hand and right after that, he relaxes a bit, he starts rubbing your hand with his thumb.

neither of you said anything, but being in each other’s presence was helpful enough.

ANYWAYS, this is about flirting not comforting so sorry baby boos

i also think he would compliment you but NOT COMPLETELY DROWN YOU IN THEM EVERY SINGLE MOMENT LIKE A CERTAIN WHITE HAIRED MAN

his compliments are really heartfelt too

exhibit a:

you’re getting anxious about how you look in the middle of the party. is your hair messed up? is your make-up smudged? do you look miserable?

what if nanami sees you like this?—

“nanami, see! i told you y/n would be here! hi y/n!” gojo screams and you awkwardly wave at him.

nanami looks frozen in place before he quickly composed himself and walks towards you. you both look into each other eyes for a moment, but then he looks away, “you look very beautiful,” soon he looks eyes with you, “I think the stars are very envious of your beauty.”

your cheeks heat up and you let out a quick and nervous, “t-thank you!” which makes the blonde chuckle lightly.

“ugh I am so single,” gojo whines on the other side of the room.

so, subtle, respectful and heartfelt is what his flirting is

he also remembers most of what you say, like even if you briefly mention your favorite restaurant or a place you want to visit

another man I think gets protective but like low-key

FOR EXAMPLE

let’s say you guys are eating lunch together and you drop something on the ground and bend down to get it

HE COVERS THE SHARP EDGE OF THE TABLE WITH HIS HAND SO YOU DON’T GET HURT IF YOU BUMP YOUR HEAD

LIKE KILL ME WHY ARE YOU SO SWEET

also is the type to stare at anyone who makes you uncomfortable until they get uncomfortable and leave you alone

FUSHIGURO TOJI:

hot

very hot big man

i think he might have amazing hugs

anyways

so uh

his flirting is rather straightforward

I feel like he is just the type not to beat around the bush

also doesn’t exactly flirt, he just becomes significantly softer and calmer

acts of service BIG TIME

like opening jars, having your back in a fight, squashing that one little bug that’s scaring you, and glaring at the very rude lady who you were talking to

AND SUCKER PUNCHING ANYONE WHO DARES MESS WITH YOU

exhibit a:

“all I said is that they have a nice as—“

the guy soon meets the ground harshly, to the point his nose bleeds.

toji hisses, “I suggest you go take a lesson in manners, but I don’t think you have the brains to understand anything anyways so it will be a waste of money.”

toji stares at the guy, who’s tearing up, start running away. meanwhile, you are just behind toji, completely speechless, “wow, toji; with just one punch?”

he smirks and puffs his chest until he feels you touch his bicep and looks at you, “hey— what’re you doing?”

“that’s a lot of muscles,” you say in awe, squeezing it lightly.

he coughs lightly before nodding, “there should be or my training would be for nothing.”

“can I touch your abs too?”

you think he might be embarrassed because he is looking away, but you’re probably imagining it. especially that barely visible redness on his cheeks.

also about muscle squeezing, y’all some people straight up SQUEEZE IT SO HARD OR EVEN HIT

like I was flexing mine once for my friend and she just went GRAB

anyways if we are going to talk about an instance of actual flirting then it’s probably something like this

exhibit a:

“toji, your hands are so big; what the hell?!”

he glanced at you before putting it up, “how about you compare them? maybe they aren’t as big as you think.”

you huff before placing your hand on his, “see?! it’s huge!”

he intertwined your fingers before rolling his eyes, “how unfortunate.”

you stare at your intertwined hands, and knowing that anyone from even a mile away can tell that you’re flustered.

“what restaurant do you wanna go to?” he asks nonchalantly.

you snap out of your daze, “wait— you have the money to take us out?”

he glares at you before pinching your nose, “you’re annoying; I hope you know that.”

BUT BUT HE WON’T INITIATE SOMETHING LIKE THAT UNLESS HE WAS SURE YOU HAD SOMETHING FOR HIM TOO

like at the very beginning of his catching feels era, it’s mostly like I said being softer and a bit more caring towards you

later on, the flirty actions pop up such as the hands thing above

or maybe even giving you his jacket when you are cold

and if y’all are in the pinning era then you best believe he will take your hands and put them in his pockets to warm them up

but no way is he going to make eye-contact

I feel like he will be a little shy and awkward with romantic gestures

however, in the end, the wiki page does say that he is a confident man so expect a few bold moves here or there

something like this

exhibit a:

you’re walking towards the spot you agreed to meet at. today, you and toji were supposed to stargaze together and settled on going to that really nice park you passed by once.

the closer you get to him, you notice the set up. the picnic blanket, the food, the candles, and the surprisingly well dressed man who is toji.

“I am here,” you say and he turns to look at you.

“oh finally, do you have any idea how long I’ve been waiting?…”

he is quiet for a moment before a small smirks appears on his face. he walks towards you, and tilts your chin up.

his lips graze your ear as he says, “you really are a sight for sore eyes, y’know.”

honestly, I think whenever you start liking someone, you just naturally develop the want to protect them

so once again, he gets protective, but I think his protectiveness is a lot bolder and obvious than the rest here

as we have seen in the very first exhibit, he just punches his way through life

these muscles ain’t for nothing, bby

also imagine having a 6ft bulky man glaring daggers at you and he is not even trying to hide it

all of that is being directed at the person who dared to take the last box of your favorite snack in the store

taglist: @magenta-cat-drawingss @pompompurin1028 @scul-pted @dazaisdeathwish @requiem626k @nameless-shrimp @shinys-bsd-world-1 @sonder-paradise @ravenina14 @jessbeinme15s-notebook @todorokichills @missrown @shrynkk @simplyxsinned @beautiful-is-boring @bakugossanity @izukus-gf @irethepotato @thekaylahub @luciferspen @aeanya @sweetcloudsimp @moon-catto @fiona782 @ginneko @kisakitwister @iamjustasimpxd @psychopotatomeme @dreamcastgirl99

copyright © tender-rosiey

do not copy or plagiarize or i will break your toes

[atalossofwords]

YOU TASTE THE SILVER - IvanTill WIP (Part 7)

Somehow, these two last POVs turned out bigger than I expected. I think I can keep up the one POV change per day here before I post the full chapter on AO3, but I don't promise anything.

Also, I have plans for how many chapters it'll be! Yay me.

ON AO3 - part one - part two - part three - part four - part five&six

Till was... nervous. For more than one reason.

Firstly, he was getting ready for Mizi's concert. He'd be nervous enough to go to any show, since crowded places made him antsy, but this was a meet and greet. He bought a new jacket exclusively for this, and was trying very hard not to be weird about using perfume and generally dressing up for the occasion.

Secondly, he had Navi's number. He hadn't said anything after that first exchange, too awkward to try and make small talk but he found himself... wanting to.

He refused to let Hyuna send the messages, since she was halfway ready to demand to see Navi's ID. It was awkward but then... Then Navi had said all those things, about how much he liked Till's music, how Till deserved more recognition than what he got...

It made Till's stomach swoop, his cheeks colored red.

It reminded Till of those days when he had only 100 followers, when Navi would send 100$ donations solely to max the character limit as he talked about how much he liked Till's lyrics, how his mixing made him feel, how he couldn't believe Till didn't have a record deal yet.

After that short text conversation, Hyuna had changed her "bored office worker" theory to a "disillusioned producer", and for once Till was inclined to agree.

Still meant he was far from understanding why Navi would send him so much money.

"Till, are you ready?" Hyuna calls out, startling Till out of his thoughts. He gives a last once-over to his outfit, deems it ready, and goes to greet her.

Hyuna is wearing a black tank-top, cargo pants, hiking boots and a leather jacket he's sure once belonged to Dewey when he still ran with a motorcycle gang. She rolls his eyes at his face.

"Ready to go? We need to be in the venue in half an hour if we want to get in at a good time." He nods, checking that the clear bag he's bringing has all his necessary documents.

Tickets? Check. ID? Check. His first Mizi album and custom photocard binder? Check. A handwritten letter for Mizi? Check. Extra pens in case he or other fans need it? Check. A truly unholy number of phone charms he made himself the night before to exchange with fans? Check. He makes grabby hands to Hyuna, waiting until she puts all her stuff in the bag as well before shouldering it.

"You're such a mother hen." She says, grinning. "I heard we might not be allowed in with food, so I sent Isaac to get something from the convenience store we can eat on the way."

"Oh, good idea. He's meeting us there?" He asks, perking up. He really wasn't looking forward to surviving on granola bars for the day.

They end up meeting Isaac in the car, since he and Dewey are driving them and Hyuna wanted to re-touch her makeup. Isaac gets them both sandwiches, as well as a pack of chips to eat in the queue. He also gets two starbucks packaged drinks, black coffee for Hyuna, and caramel frappuccino for Till.

Luckily, the queue isn't too big; the meet-and-greet isn't open for a lot of people, so Till spends his time waiting by chatting with fellow fans, discussing the new album, and even meets one of his own fans, Mizi's Boots, who he remembers as an occasional chatter who mostly comes for his mixing streams.

She's very flustered that he remembers, but eventually they settle into some more normal conversations, Hyuna teasing them both about bringing so many phone charms to trade. He makes sure to put hers on his phone right away, since she takes care to pick one that matches his streaming set-up.

It also reminds him that... he has Navi's number.

He should send a message, right? Just to say he's at the venue. He did a few lives since getting the tickets, and only commented that he'd be going on the last one, so as to not give his fans any time to buy tickets to search him out instead of Mizi.

Navi had said nothing to indicate he was the one who sent the tickets, a simple "I hope hyung has fun!!" was all he sent.

He decides not to overthink it, and takes out his phone to take a selfie of him, with Hyuna in the background talking to a fan of hers. He hunts for Navi's contact.

You [ 4:44 ] On the line to see Mizi. Thanks again for the tickets. [IMG.7347]

He closes his phone, ignoring the flutter in his stomach to focus on the experience at hand. It's almost time to go in.

The queue moves forward,

"Chill, Till. You've watched these events like a thousand times on livestreams, it's going to be fine." Hyuna says, after they're already seated in the auditorium. He's glad his fan was seated far away from them, since he'd feel awful if she watched him losing his cool like this.

"Okay, but what if I trip and fall right in front of her? What then?" Till frets, combing one hand through his hair. Hyuna rolls her eyes, opening her mouth to tease him some more when the lights dim and a manager comes on-stage to announce Mizi.

Till immediately forgets his nerves, leaning forward to watch better. Mizi walks on-stage already waving, a radiant smile on her face. She's dressed more casually than she usually is for shows, with her glasses on. Her long pink hair is left free, bouncing as she moves to say hi to everyone on the first roll.

Till doesn't even see Hyuna settle down, focused on Mizi. She does a little QNA, pointing at people to answer. Most questions are pretty simple, like how's Mizi's doing, what's her favorite song from the newest album, favorite snack, and so on. She even calls on Hyuna, who asks if Mizi likes video games.

(Apparently, she's an Animal Crossing player. Till is so endeared, he loves her, oh god.)

After that fanfare, she sits on the stage, legs dangling closer to the first row, and sings My Clematis with her guitar. She thanks everyone, asks for five minutes to get some water, and the fansign begins.

Till has... a vague idea of the hour or so that happened between then and his turn. He knows Hyuna leans in to talk to him, mindless chatter about their streams and their next collab, about how Luka's workflow is increasing so she's thinking of paying for another chat mod.

In the blink of an eye, he's sliding on a chair in front of Mizi, and out of the hundred times he's imagined this meeting, he'd never have though of this.

She squints at him, tilting her head to the side, and says; "Oh, you're Till, right? The streamer?"

Till's face is so hot he thinks he's going to die.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

you know it's yugo 🍌🏍🐉

LET'S YUGOOOOO

Why I like them/why I don’t: YUGOOOO god i love him so much. I think a pretty large part of why I enjoy thinking about him so much is i feel like he kind of gets written off as just Mr. Funny Sillyguy who doesn't get taken very seriously, which is a shame!! Cuz he's a really cool and brave and interesting and honestly deeply sad character! He's just some dirt poor kid trying to find his best friend and start a better life with her, he doesnt know he's a shard of The Evilest Man Alive. And then his best friend got BRAIN WORMED and KICKED HIS ASS and he NEVER GOT TO SEE HER AGAIN. ALRIGHT. I'LL BE NORMAL ABOUT IT. (and also he is absolutely hysterical. guy who says 'whoopsie.' guy with maybe 3 braincells to spare on any given day. god help him)

What I like about their appearance: I LOVE yugo's color palette, the primary colors with the white truly both evokes bruno my friend bruno but also the white is such a nice visual link to synchro summoning. Also he just really feels like he belongs in a 5d's inspired dimension, his racing suit/outfit design feels right at home next to actual 5D's characters/just that sort of turbo duel racing motif'd world in general. also his banana bangs are so fucking funny

Do I prefer their dub names or original names?: same in both, yugo through and through, and i love it! ("hugo" is also really funny. guy who is not beating the White Yuya allegations)

OTP: hey check this out *starts doing crazy aro!rin queerplatonic appleshipping maneuvers that blow your mind*

NOTP: i like. dont even Hate yugo/yuri it's just so nothing to me. the dynamic of these characters is infinitely more interesting to me through a platonic lens. stepbrothers (2008).

OT3: yugo and rin and their motorcycle outracing the cops for life!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Favourite card they use: I DO LOVE CLEAR WING A LOT such a sick as hell dragon design... I also really like his one speedroid spell card thats just a lottery Scratch Off Ticket. speedroid 7/11 gas station ass card.

Favourite moment they were in: god. so many. but i do think 'yugo thinking zuzu is dead and in heaven and he keeps bringing it up' is one of my favorites. it's so fucking funny. NOBODY TOLD HIM!!! i do also love like. every time they would cut to yugo during friendship cup duels he wasnt in and he would just be like. eating his doordash. it made me laugh every time

Least favourite moment: THE PARASITE'D!RIN AND YUGO DUEL IS SO FUCKING HARD TO WATCH. IT'S JUST MISERABLE his fucking motorcycle, this emblem of his bond with rin, gets broken, he doesnt even get to see rin truly in her right mind and neither does she. and then they never see each other again because they both DIE AFTERWARDS. IT READS LIKE FUCKING MELODRAMATIC TORTURE PORN. WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO BOTH OF THEM.

Something I associate with the character: yuya is usually my AJR discography yuboy but The Dumb Song is such a yugo song to me. college AU yugo especially. i love the idea of like...yugo being more self aware of his dumbassery than he lets on.

[silvermaplealder]

Follow The Leader Chapter 2

Y'all are going to have to deal with the POV change, I apologize. It was the only thing I could think of to make it easier to follow the characters as they switch bodies.

Story Summary: David switches bodies with a stranger, Michael Emerson, after a motorcycle accident. Michael has to take on the role of a vampire gang leader while David has to adapt to a domestic human life until they can figure out how to change back.

Chapter Summary: Michael wanted to give Sam a chance behind the wheel to teach him how to drive on the quiet back roads. This goes horribly wrong as Sam doesn't have the experience to handle bad drivers on the road. The life changing event gets a little too literal.

Word Count: 4065

“Michael?” 

The brunette boy looked over to his younger brother. Sam stood in the doorway of the bedroom. “What do you want,” Michael mumbled, throwing down the motorcycle magazine he was reading. 

“I want to go to the boardwalk, but Mom’s busy. Can you bring me?” 

Michael sighed. “Right now?” 

Sam nodded. 

He pursed his lips. He didn’t want to go. But their mother was busy unpacking from the move and he didn’t want to add any stress onto her. “I don’t want to waste the gas on my bike,” Michael said, grabbing his magazine. 

“Mom said we can use the Land Rover,” he pleaded. 

Michael couldn’t think of another excuse. He set the magazine on his nightstand. “Fine, go get dressed.” 

“I am dressed,” Sam argued. 

His older brother raised an eyebrow but shook his head. Michael would never be seen dead in that outfit, but if his brother wanted to wear it, he couldn’t argue. Michael brought his brother downstairs. “Ma, we’re going down to the boardwalk.”

Lucy was unpacking a box for the living room. “Watch your little brother,” she said. “And have fun. You boys deserve it.” 

Michael grunted in response. Sam bounced after him as he took the keys off of the kitchen counter. The brothers went to the SUV. “Can I drive?” Sam begged. “Please?” 

The older brother looked between the keys and the car. Lucy had let Sam drive a few times. He was almost old enough to get his permit. She had told her boys many times about how Grandpa had let her drive tractors and trucks on the farm long before she had her own permit. 

Michael tossed the keys over to his little brother. “Driver’s seat,” he instructed. Sam’s smile spread ear to ear as he climbed into the car. Michael took the passenger seat and made sure to fasten his seatbelt. He trusted Sam enough to drive, but there was always a little bit of fear in the back of his head about a new driver. But everyone has to start somewhere. 

The younger brother started up the engine of the land rover. Sam glanced over all the controls briefly. He knew where the gas and brake pedals were, but he wanted to familiarize himself with the gear shift and the lights. 

Sam launched the car in gear and Michael immediately cleared his throat. “Forgetting something?” He asked, tapping up onto the rearview mirror. 

“Oh, right,” Sam gave a nervous laugh and put the car back into park. He adjusted the mirrors. Michael watched his little brother looking uncomfortable in the driver’s seat. Sam wasn’t too far off from getting his driver’s permit. He never thought he’d see his little brother start to drive. It just seemed weird. He felt like he was growing up too fast. One moment he was Sam’s age and sitting behind the wheel for the first time, and now the thrill of driving has long since passed. 

Once he was ready, they pulled out of the driveway. Michael made sure to check all the lights were on properly as they got onto the main road. “Make sure to double check-” Michael began. 

“I know, I know,” Sam shot back, a bit harshly. He didn’t mean to, but the stress of driving was a lot on the younger boy. He kept a sharp eye on his mirrors and the empty street just in case something happened. 

Michael also kept an eye turned to the sides of the road. He didn’t think there was much that could happen besides a squirrel hopping out in front of the tires. “You just follow this road until we get to the next intersection,” Michael commented. “Then make a left.” 

“Got it,” Sam stated, gripping onto the steering wheel tightly. He went to touch the radio, but Michael smacked his hand away. 

“Focus on the road,” Michael scolded.

The two of them drove through the quiet road silently. The street started to curve and wind around a small descent. As they came around one of the sharper turns, Michael heard the familiar sound of a motorcycle.

Sam came around the next corner sharply, but still on his side of the road. A singular headlight popped out from the darkness.  

Michael saw it before it happened. He sat upright in the passenger seat, watching as the light casually drifted towards them. “Sam..- Sam!” Michael yelled. 

The boy had a white knuckle grip on the wheel. “What do I do?!” He shouted in a panic. He slammed on the breaks, throwing them both forward against their seatbelts. Michael tried to snatch the wheel and yank it to the side, but his hand went into the dash. 

The motorcyclist's face became illuminated by the headlights of the land rover. Even with the braking, the momentum still had them going forward. The biker tried to correct himself, but the front bumper of the land rover smashed into his back tire. 

The land rover came to a screeching halt. 

Both boys were silent. 

“Oh my god…” Sam finally managed to whisper. His death grip on the wheel tightened. “Oh my god oh my god, Michael I-” 

“Sam shut up,” Michael whispered quickly. 

“Michael, I hit him!” Sam screamed. 

“I said shut up!” Michael shouted back, burning both of their ear drums. “Stay in the fucking car.” Michael clawed at the seat belt buckle until it came free. His shaking hands could barely feel the handle of the car. His knees buckled, making him stumble onto the asphalt. His little brother just probably killed a biker. He didn’t have a driver’s permit. He legally shouldn’t have been behind the wheel. 

Michael wanted to vomit. He debated throwing himself back into the land rover and telling Sam to drive off. But he had to check on the biker. If he got hit by a car, he’d want someone to check on him. 

The boy forced himself back to his feet and across the road. The bike had spun out offroad. Michael tried to ignore the blood smeared across the asphalt, but his eyes couldn’t help but look at it. 

It felt like an hour by the time he reached the man’s body. His shaking hands reached out, pushing the biker onto his back. The boy looked lifeless. Michael gagged at the damage to his body. He had no idea how fast the biker was going. Sam couldn’t have been going very fast due to how curvy the road was. “He came onto our side of the road,” Michael whispered to himself, trying to convince his conscience that this wasn’t his fault. 

If he was behind the wheel, he would have avoided the biker. The boy would still be alive. Stupid, but alive. 

He carefully reached into the pocket of the biker’s coat. He wanted to find some sort of ID. He felt compelled against his will to know who this man was. Was he a boy Michael’s age? Hard to tell with the road burn on his face. 

Michael dragged out everything from the pocket. A cigarette carton, what looked like a strange bell, and a lighter. He put the cigarettes and lighter back, but he paused with the bell. Such an odd trinket for someone to carry. It didn’t make any noise when he shook it. 

His snooping was cut short when he heard another engine. Fear gripped his stomach almost to the point of vomiting. He bolted back to the car. He threw the driver’s side open and shoved Sam into the passenger seat. “Move, move!” Michael shouted. The second he closed the door, he launched the land rover into reverse and shot back up the road. Another motorcycle was coming, no doubt a friend of the boy they hit. 

Neither boy spoke as they flew back towards the house. Michael passed the driveway, but Sam said nothing. They drove silently through the darkness. 

Almost thirty minutes passed before Sam spoke. “Was he dead?” His voice cracked in fear. 

“It never happened,” Michael shot back sternly. “You get it? That never happened. You do not mention that to anyone, Sam, do you hear? You’ll be arrested. I’ll be arrested.” 

“But he-” 

“It doesn’t fucking matter, Sam!” Michael hissed back. “He’s dead, alright?” 

Sam went silent again. He knew better than to argue with his older brother. He was terrified about the repercussions of this. Sam was only fourteen years old, he was not ready to go to jail. And the boy couldn’t imagine what it would be like if his older brother took the blame. 

Both of their lives, destroyed in just a few seconds. 

Eventually the boys circled to a gas station. They sat in the car after Michael cut the engine. “We went to the boardwalk,” Michael stated, keeping his voice steady. “You didn’t feel good so we went back home. We grabbed gas on the way. You hear?” Sam nodded quickly. 

Michael got out of the car to fill it with gas. He wanted an alibi. He went inside to pay and then filled up the land rover. Sam stared blankly out the window. Michael could see his petrified expression. The boy was imagining the worst of the worst fate, that was for sure. 

Once the car was filled, Michael made sure to return straight home. When they pulled in the driveway, he looked to his little brother. “Just go to your room. If mom asks, you don’t feel good.” 

“I really don’t feel good, Michael,” Sam admitted, his face pale with his stomach churning. 

“I know, Sam. I know. Go to bed.” 

The brothers got out of the car together. Sam ducked his head and beelined straight for his room. Lucy caught Michael’s attention as he wandered into the kitchen. “You guys weren’t gone very long,” she commented. 

Michael turned his chin towards the stairs. “Sam and I stopped at a gas station for snacks. It upset his stomach so we came home.” He felt sick lying to his mother, especially about killing someone. 

Their mother frowned. “Hopefully he’ll feel better in the morning.” 

“Hopefully,” Michael whispered. “I’m going to go upstairs. Kinda made me nauseous too.” He turned away from his mother. She cared so much about her boys, he knew it would break her heart if she found out the truth. She’d be devastated. And if they got arrested, what would she do? He didn’t want to think about it. 

Instead, he went up the stairs and closed himself in his bedroom. He collapsed onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. He never found out who that boy was. He wondered about the boy’s family. What would they think when he never returned home? Would they be as distraught as his mother would be? 

He couldn’t help but lay awake in bed for hours thinking of the endless possibilities. Around midnight he rolled out of bed and ran to the bathroom to vomit from the anxiety. He hunched over the toilet, his arms shaking. He didn’t know what was worse, the condition of the boy’s body or the knowledge of having played a part in his death. 

His arms eventually caved and he laid on the tiled floor. His exhaustion took hold, dragging him into an uneasy sleep. 

-David -

I jolted awake suddenly. My hands grasped the tiled floor and forced myself up. “What the hell,” I mumbled to myself. A dull headache pounded against my skull. The accident, I reminded myself. I sat back against the wall and sighed. Dwayne must have brought me to a house to recover. Rude that he left me on the bathroom floor, but maybe it was temporary while he went to feed. 

I waited, listening to the world around me. I couldn’t hear much happening. There was certainly movement downstairs, but nothing that sounded like a feeding. I forced myself up. My body ached in ways I haven’t felt in a long time. My muscles were sore. “Fucking regeneration,” I mumbled. 

Something massive moved out of the corner of my eye. I spun around to find someone staring at me in the mirror. The hair on the back of my neck rose and I pulled my lips back to bare my teeth. 

And then I felt something in my chest. A heartbeat. 

The man in the mirror didn’t look like me. While I hadn’t been able to see my reflection in many years, Marko liked to draw portraits of us. And I knew I certainly did not have black, curly hair. 

I started making facial expressions. The mirror replicated everything I did with absolute precision. At first I thought maybe it was a dream, but everything felt so real. The heartbeat repeated rhythmically and continuously. I had never had such precision in dreams like this before. 

In the few times I had gotten completely obliterated and needed to regenerate a large portion of my body, I always returned as myself. Never as a stranger. 

And to add onto that, I couldn’t feel my vampiric side. I tried to force my eyes yellow and my fangs out, but nothing happened. My senses were all dulled. I leaned on the bathroom sink and stared. It was such an unfamiliar feeling, being human. 

My body felt warm. I pulled at the white shirt I was wearing. Warmth wasn’t something I was used to. I usually got my warmth from my kills or whatever radiant heat was in the area. It had been decades since the warmth was from me. 

A knock at the bathroom door yanked my attention away from my reflection. The heart beating in my chest rose towards my throat. I hadn’t felt this anxiety before in decades. It was a stronger fight or flight response than I could imagine.

“Mike?” A young voice called out. 

“Mike,” I whispered to myself. I certainly was not this Mike fellow. I cleared my throat. “What?” I responded. I furrowed my brows. My voice sounded different. 

“Are you almost done?” 

I grabbed the doorknob and paused. This felt like a nightmare, but none of these were my human memories. Either way, I had to keep pushing through. I pulled the door open and was greeted by a young teen. He looked like shit. His face was puffy from crying, he had bags under his eyes, and he barely had any light in his irises. He looked like a zombie. 

I couldn’t even form words before taking a step aside for him. He closed himself in the bathroom, leaving me alone in the hall. He wasn’t one of my boys, but I felt disgusted with the need to comfort him. Every time those damn boys of mine brought home another one who was sick, sad, or miserable I always felt the need to take them under my wing. Perhaps I was too much of a pushover when I saw sad eyes. 

I stepped away from the bathroom door and decided to investigate the house. I poked my head into every room on the upper floor, but there was no one else around on this level. I tried to delve into my memories to see if this was something I fabricated. But nothing here looked familiar. The face in the mirror wasn’t familiar, and nor was the boy. 

The stairs brought me down into the living room. I could hear someone moving around in the kitchen. I padded over as quietly as I could and found a short haired woman at the sink. I watched her grab an apple out of a fruit bowl and rinse it under the cold water. She placed it onto a plate with some other fruit. Her movements were graceful. The sunlight basked her as it flowed in from the window above the sink. 

Sunlight, I thought to myself. If being awake during the day wasn’t weird enough already, there was now sunlight. If I was my usual self, I would have burst into flames by now. 

She started chopping the fruit up on the counter. I backed away from the kitchen and started to investigate the downstairs. I came around the corner into one of the parlors and almost collided into an old man. 

“Michael! Just the man I was looking for,” the old man said to me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and forced me to walk with him. I cautiously tried to sniff him, but my human senses couldn’t tell me anything. “I could use your help with moving something out of my truck.” 

“I guess,” I responded. There was a part of me that wanted to lash out and rip into his throat. But without my vampiric powers, I was afraid of the consequences. 

Consequences. Such a human term. As a vampire I was entitled to kill. But as a human it was considered a crime, and crimes had consequences. 

The old man brought me outside to his blue truck. The truck was old and that was familiar. I had seen this truck before in town. Though, I never cared who the owner was. But I’d seen it driving on the streets. 

He opened the tailgate. The smell of blood hit me, and somehow it felt revolting. I grimaced at my own response to that. In his truck bed was a piebald doe. “Richard up the street saw this on his way to work. Hit by a car last night.” The old man looked ecstatic. “Help me carry it into the shop, won’t you?” 

I grabbed a hold of its ears and tugged it out onto the tailgate. I had never seen a piebald deer in person. Marko would have loved to capture the moment of its death. He would have sat on the side of the road with his sketchbook sketching out the broken corpse with immaculate detail. I held the doe’s face in my hands, staring into her lifeless eyes. “You and I both, huh?” I whispered to her. Only she died to the vehicle. I instead ended up in some other life. 

I got the doe up onto my shoulder with the old man’s help. I followed him to the back entrance of the house where his taxidermy shop was. He helped me get her down onto his main table. The man excitedly ran around the room for his tools. “Where’s your gambrel?” I asked, looking around the shop. It had been a long while since I had to skin out a deer. Countless decades since my own human life. 

The old man glanced over, pausing in his excitement. “Gambrel?” He repeated. “I didn’t realize you were familiar with such things, Michael.” 

“I read it in a magazine once,” I lied, giving him a smile. It was my favorite lie. Any time I slipped up with knowledge I shouldn’t have know, I slapped the ol’ “read it in a magazine” story. No one was interested in pushing about which magazine or which issue. 

His eyebrows sky rocketed upwards. “Well now! If you’re ever interested in learning more, I’d be happy to have you help around the shop. We’re not using a gambrel for this one. No, it would do too much damage to the heel. But if you’ll excuse me, I must get to this beauty first. Once in a lifetime sort of piece.” 

“Of course.” 

The sliding doors to the house pushed open. The woman from earlier poked her head in. “Michael, sweetie, breakfast is ready.” 

My stomach growled at her words. I was hungry. 

“Go wash up first after touching that thing,” she ordered. 

I headed back to the bathroom to find the young teen sitting on the floor with the door open. A big, wolf-like dog sat in his lap offering comfort. I froze when I saw the dog, the same fight or flight response ripping through my body. Boy, I was glad I didn’t have to deal with this sudden burst of adrenaline every time something happened as a vampire. The dog did not respond to me at all. It sat with the boy, never leaving his side. 

“What?” The boy croaked out. His face showed his exhaustion worse than before. 

It took me a moment to calm my nerves. The dog wasn’t attacking me, nor was it being even a tad aggressive. “I, uh, didn’t expect to see you here.” I washed my hands in the sink, but the boy didn’t move. “What’s wrong with you, huh?” 

The look of dread in his eyes told me it was something worse than just getting bullied on the playground. “I’m scared, Michael,” he whispered. “We killed a guy last night.” 

I surpressed my laughter. This destroyed, after killing a man? But the look of grief on his face didn’t falter. I sighed, drying off my hands on a nearby towel. When Paul first turned, he was very hesitant on making his first kill. Even after he fed, he retreated into the cave to sit in silence for hours. His turning did not go as I had intended it to. We rushed into it, excited to make him one of us. He drank my blood one night, and the next we took him out to hunt. He killed without knowing what he was doing. So close to his human side, it drove him mad for a few weeks. But he came to terms eventually, and now you’d never know he was so scared about being a vampire. 

I leaned against the sink and crossed my arms over my chest. “What happened?” 

The boy looked up at me. “You were there, Mikey.” 

“Well, pretend I wasn’t. What happened?” I repeated, more sternly this time. I watched him squirm a bit. I’d treat him like I treated the other boys when they were in trouble. Silence was a powerful tool when used properly. I rose my eyebrows and stared until he eventually started to cry again. 

“I killed that guy,” the boy whispered, trying to hold back his sobs. “And we just drove away.” 

I stayed silent still, watching as he wiped away the tears on his cheeks. 

“What if that was you?” he whimpered. “He was on a bike, just like you.” 

“A bike?” I repeated. “A cyclist or a motorcycle?” 

“Michael please, you were there,” he cried softly. “I don’t want to keep reliving it.” 

“A cyclist or a motorcycle?” I repeated, more sternly this time. 

“Some guy on a motorcycle,” he replied, starting to get a little angry at my questions. 

“Did you see the guy?” I asked. 

“Michael please stop-” 

“Did. You. See. The. Guy?” I demanded. I crouched down next to the boy. 

The boy looked horrified. “Mikey why are you doing this? This isn’t like you.”

“Answer my question,” I said, soothing my voice a bit to ease him into an answer. 

“His face is literally stained in the back of my mind,” the boy finally said, hugging his dog tightly. “He couldn’t have been much older than you.” Tears streamed down his face as he spoke. He pushed through the sobs. “Really light hair. And dark clothes. I don’t know what else to say.” 

I couldn’t help but smile. “And you hit him. With your car.” I leaned my head back and looked at the ceiling. For some fucked up reason, I was now a part of the life of the damn kid that hit me with his car. Was this hell? Was I cursed? I returned my gaze to the kid. “How badly damaged was the bike?” He stared at me blankly. “Repairable? Just a few scratches? Or like do I need a whole new bike?” 

The look of confusion on his face was priceless. I stood back up. “Come on, kid. Get up. You didn’t kill him. You just fucked him over.” The boy hesitantly took my hand and I hauled him to his feet. “You knocked him from one goddamned realm to the next though, so I applaud you for that.” 

“What the hell are you talking about?” The boy asked. 

I grabbed one of the small towels from the shelf. I ran it under warm water and squeezed it out. I tossed it right at him. “Wash up. You’re going to show me where this happened. Dwayne spent too fucking long fixing my bike last for it to have gotten destroyed on the road again. So let’s go.”

[cyberdenizen]

THE DRIPPING DREAM OF A RED-HEADED WHORE

This story can be found as a dedicated page on my blog: Here

This story features a number of kinks, primarily: Rape \ Stalking

===============================================

In the silence of the night, dear little Rachael dreamed. Perhaps it was of fantasy, perhaps a twist of experience, perhaps something entirely different, but she dreamed on and on…

===============================================

In a time long past, another world perhaps, resided a friendly little red-haired woman who caught the eye of all who looked her way. She was adored by many, but coveted by her caretaker, who would give anything to keep her safe, but sometimes paths can wander. Everywhere she went, this sweet, innocent red-head would don her cut-off scarlet leather jacket, an eye-catching accessory that made her shine out clear as day in any crowd. For this reason, many began calling her “little red biker girl,” though everyone knew she’d never ridden a motorcycle in her life.

As time passed, a day soon came when her caretaker placed a hand on her shoulder, saying “My sweet little Red, be a doll and take this care package to your friend across town, won’t you? I know she hasn’t been feeling well since her breakup, so spend some time with her, help her feel better.” And with that, he handed Red a small backpack, filled with a variety of treats, drinks, and other little goodies. “Oh, and do keep to the path should you cut through the park. I know you love to adventure, but it will be much more difficult to cross the creek without the bridge.”

And with that, Red was off. Down the road. Cross the busy avenue. And into the park.

As Red walked, she could feel the glances of everyone she passed. Eventually, as she passed by a park bench, she could hear a voice chiming through the music that her headphones had been pumping straight into her ears. “Hey now, long time no see, little red biker girl. It’s not often you’re out on your own.” She stopped and looked over, her eyes finding a man sat on the bench, hand in a gentle fist against his chin, eyes glaring up and down her outfit. Almost immediately she recognized him, a resident of the area who often spent his weekends relaxing in the sunny beams that flooded the park’s path. “Oh hey, Mr. Wulver! Sorry, but I can’t really talk, I need to get this over to my friend!” She bounced her bag playfully and smiled to him. “Is that so? And what’s in that cute backpack of yours, little Red?” the man inquired, an eyebrow raised. She stepped to the bench, sat down and unzipped the bag, showing him the multitude of treats stowed away under canvas protection. “Your friend wouldn’t happen to live to the South-East of the park, would she?” Mr. Wulver asked, placing his arm on the back of the bench, behind Red. “She does. The apartment complex just a block away, why?” Red tilted her head, confused as to why that mattered. “Ah… Well, you see, the Eastern entrance is closed right now, they’re repairing the arch over the gate, but some kids recently busted the fence just South of it. It’d be fastest to cut off the path and squeeze through the opening they’ve made.” His hand gestured in the general direction he spoke up, pointing between the thicker trees and brush. Red looked in the direction of his gesture, and he dropped something small in her bag. “Oh… that’s really good to know. Thank you so much, sir!” Red leaped up, and was off again, straying off the path, between the trees, and through the brush.

As she approached the creek, she remembered what her caretaker had said about the difficulty she’d have in crossing it. She glanced around and saw a fallen tree, a bridge gifted by nature, and just through the trees beyond, she could see the iron of the fence, her destination. Carefully, one step at a time, Red slowly crossed the flowing water of the creek. It may not be deep, but the last thing she wants is to get her tights and shoes all wet and muddy! Just as she reached the other end, she slipped, but instead of falling in the mud, she found herself gripped, pulled up to her feet before she’d landed. And there stood a masked man, eyes fixed on her, burning like a wolf seeking a meal.

“Th…thank you…” she stuttered, her heartbeat speeding up. “I really need to go to…” Before she finished her thought, she found the man’s hand on her throat, eyes piercing into her own as his other hand gripped her ass under her skirt. With not a word, the man groped her. Hands gripping tight. Pressing against her soft skin. Fingers pushing against her panties, pushing into her holes through the fabric as she gasped under his grip. She writhed, she clenched, she whimpered… And then… He let go.

Red’s heart was racing as the man who had been molesting her mere moments ago simply turned around and walked away, past the trees and out of sight. She collected her thoughts, adjusted her outfit, fixed her panties, feeling how damp they were, and scurried off towards the fence. “Just… get there and I can hang out with her, that’s all…” Red whispered to herself as she approached the bent iron bars before squeezing through the gap.

As Red entered the apartments, she rang the bell for her friend’s unit. The system rang. Picked up. A gentle voice answered with a soft, almost whimpering “Y…yes?” “It’s me, Jess! I’ve got a gift for you, can you let me in?” Red giggled and wiggled, excitedly pulling the straps of her bag, even though her friend could not see. Without a word, the call ended, the door unlatched, and Red hurried to the elevator.

As Red came upon her friend’s door, she noticed it was held ajar by a doorstop. “She must have propped it open for me, how nice.” Red thought to herself. In she stepped. Lights off. Curtains shut. Silence.

“Jess? You here?” No answer. “Honey? You ok?” A shuffling sound, a slight whimper. Red stepped further in, the door closing shut behind her. She flipped the light-switch, and was immediately gripped from behind.

Before her was Jess, bound snugly to one of her dining chairs. Pantyhose torn. Cum dripping from her cunt. A giddy look on her face as she drooled through a makeshift gag of her own panties.

Red felt a familiar hand on her throat, then heard a familiar voice in her ear. “What a tight little hole your friend has. So wet and snug for pumping full of cum.” Red writhed and broke free, turning around to find the masked man from before. “And what beautiful moans she whimpered, pleading for more, isn’t that right, Jess?” Jess whimpered and nodded. Red grabbed the man’s mask and pulled. Mr. Wulver. “Now, now, Jess said you’d make a perfect treat. She was begging me to make you her drippy little whore sister, if I recall.” He gripped her tight, tighter than by the creek, and forced his knee between her legs.

Red looked into his eyes, seeing only the burning desire from before, now tenfold. She saw only a wolf, drooling with hunger. He saw only a meek little sheep, ripe for consumption.

Red heard tearing fabric. Red felt herself being pinned to the wall. Red whimpered and gasped as she was stretched around throbbing cock.

Thrust after thrust. She looked aside to see Jess humping in her chair, happy as could be.

Pounding deep inside her dripping cunt. Red gripped the man who was taking her, body pulsing, nearly convulsing, as she was thrown into an orgasm. And moments later, she felt herself being pumped full.

Laying in bed… Red and Jess, side by side. Jess kissed her. Fingered her. Comforted her. And Mr. Wulver took her. Flooded her. Stretched her. Her mouth was next. Then her tight little ass. She was used, thoroughly broken, laying limp, dripping with seed as she caught her breath.

And then, the door opened, and in came her caretaker. He shook his head, looked to Wulver and said “A deal is a deal.” Red was confused, head spinning, as her caretaker leaned over her, kissed her gently and whispered “I’ve wanted this for so long.” He gripped her hair, sat her upright, and pressed his cock deep inside of Jess, gripping Red’s throat and kissing her again before continuing. “Old’ Wulver here made Jess his whore, just like you’re mine. So we arranged a little joint session of sorts.” He laughed, Jess moaned, and Red looked at her caretaker, her lover, longingly, knowing this would be the first of many experiences between the four of them.

===============================================

The sun rose, and Rachael awoke. Panties soaked through, humping her blanket as she had slept. She immediately picked up her phone and called her friend. “Jess… I had the dream again… can you please come over with that wolf of yours today…”

[the-whispers-of-death]

sarabi on an unofficial ride with biker!reader and the bike club, and biker!reader gives sarabi his club jacket under the pretence of ‘getting the practice in before he joins’ but in reality he just likes seeing sarabi in his jacket

Sarabi was parked with your motorcycle club, all of you having taken a break from riding along the roads to rest at a nice little clearing. He was still clad in his all-leather outfit and despite being the only one to have his helmet still on, he kept it on no matter how many times everyone else in the club said he could take it off.

You walked over, sitting down next to him on the grass. "How are you liking the club? You thinking of joining us?" you asked, curious.

"They're a nice group of people," Sarabi murmured, eyeing the way the president of the motorcycle club, Rafe, was joking around with a few of the biker women. "I feel like I know Rafe from somewhere..."

"Probably, Rafe's a Marine. And you're former Corps, so that's probably where," you said, waving it off.

It wasn't unusual for people in the motorcycle club to know each other previously from their time in the military, this was after all, a motorcycle club filled with active military and veterans. That was the entire reason why this motorcycle club was founded, so combat-hardened people could come together, relate to one another, and enjoy civilian life without any judgements about how hard it was to adjust to it.

You then turned back to him, shedding off your club jacket. "Here, try this out," you said, giving it to him. "Let's help you decide whether or not this club is for you by seeing how the jacket looks on you. It's important for the decision process, I promise."

"Won't I, you know, stretch it out? I'm bigger than you," Sarabi said, holding out the jacket. He seemed so hesitant on putting it on.

"If you stretch it out, I'll just give it to you to wear when you join and get a new one," you assured him, slipping in the fact that you were confident he'd join the club.

Sarabi glanced at the jacket once more before shrugging off his own leather jacket, revealing the long-sleeved turtleneck beneath.

Jeez, you thought, this guy must be feeling so hot underneath those layers.

He slipped on the jacket, it being stretched out just a little bit. It smelled like you and that made him relax before clearing his throat and looking at you. "How does it look?" he asked.

Your mouth somehow watered and dried up at the sight of him in your jacket. He looked so breathtaking and you wanted to see him in more of your clothes.

You shook your head from the thoughts that were flooding your mind. "It looks nice," you answered, smiling. "You look like you belong with us."

Just as you said that, Rafe called out that they were all planning to get back on the road for more riding. You and Sarabi both got up and you shook your head when he moved to give you the jacket back.

"Why don't you keep it on and see how it feels when you're riding?" You asked, helping him put the jacket back on when he took it off just a little bit. "In the meantime, I'll wear your jacket."

Sarabi's lips parted slightly beneath his helmet as he watched you slip on his leather jacket. It dwarfed your figure easily, but God did it do something to him.

"Fine, but you better take good care of it," he grumbled.

You laughed and walked with him back to where the motorcycles were parked. "Of course, it smells nice." You brought the collar of the jacket to your nose and took in his scent.

"Maybe I'll keep it for myself."

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and talk or request something! (SFW requests only, please and thank you)

[manawari]

ARISE Q&A (pt3)

The boys enter the room, clad in their outfits from their show — which they hadn't gotten to change due to how minimal time they had left. Particularly because of Tae-gyu messing around with his members that led to several mishaps on stage. Even though it was merely a shoot, Woo Jin-chul didn't give it as an excuse since ARISE was scheduled to answer questions at 8pm sharp.

Luckily, there are stools, which will be easy for them to settle down. Tae-gyu, Jong-in, and Yoon-ho sit on the taller stools on the back while Jin-woo and Byung-gyu sit on the front.

[ Hello again, boys! I see you have just finished your concert in Busan. How was it? ]

BYH: Tae-gyu slapped my butt.

LTG: you held your hand on your back for a high-five! And you're wearing back gloves that were the same color as your damn pants. So how am I supposed to tell which one is a hand and your butt?!

MBG: wasn't that why you ran backstage to burrow Mr. Woo's hand sanitizer afterward?

LTG: I need to cleanse my hand from the germs.

BYH: how dare you assume I have germs in my butt?!

CJI: urgh, I can't take this. . .

SJW: Yoon-ho's ass is fatter than the rest of us here.

CJI: goddamnit we came here for a Q&A and not talk about someone's ass!

[ HAHAHAHAHA! Okay, here's the first question from a fan: Choi Jong-in, is your voice really that deep? ]

CJI: oh, well, I like to think that my voice has two types. I prefer to use my normal voice and not my deep one, which I am not fond of.

SJW: if it wasn't for your deep voice, our songs wouldn't be huge hits minutes if you didn't sing deeply.

MBG: you have to thank me for that. I encouraged you!

CJI: more like you put my life into a threatening situation just so I can agree on it.

MBG: you don't have to exaggerate it like that—

LTG: not gonna lie, your deep voice outshines Yoon-ho's, even his raps, sometimes.

CJI: exactly. But I don't think I outshine him since Yoon-ho is unique in his own way, so whatever his parts are, it's his only and no one can do it better than him.

All, except Yoon-ho: awwww!!!!!

MBG: uh, hyung? You haven't spoken anything yet.

BYH: hm? Oh. *clears throat* uhm, I guess I agree with Jong-in.

[ to all: do you guys have nicknames for each other? ]

BYH: HAHA! I usually call Byung-gyu "monkey".

MBG: bruh, that nickname doesn't make any sense.

BYH: you get excited like a monkey.

MBG: *rolls eyes* if that's the case, I call Yoon-ho "big guy". Because he is.

CJI: pfft, that's your nickname to him? I call him furball.

LTG: and kitty.

SJW: *snorts*

BYH: hey! People will know that!

LTG: too late now.

BYH: screw you, Goto Ryuji doppelganger.

LTG: how many times do I have to say I look nothing like him?!?!

BYH: wait until you hear Jin-woo and Byung-gyu's shared nickname for you.

MBG: 3. . 2. . 1—

MBG & SJW: Limmy!

LTG: . . .

[ to all: can any of you drive? ]

MBG: I drive a motorcycle. But not a car.

SJW: I drive a car.

BYH: same here, though I prefer to use my truck.

CJI: I got my license when I was nineteen, so there's that.

LTG: I too dri—

SJW: but you can't even park. It took you seven whole minutes to do so! Some of us even fell asleep.

LTG: at least I can drive.

[ to Min Byung-gyu: can you swear? ]

MBG: pfft, of course I can! What do you think I am? A teenager?

SJW: I don't even know who you are when you're playing a video game.

MBG: dude, I am not as "innocent" as you think I am. I'm an adult, so obviously, I am way far from being pure and that includes cursing whenever I want. Although, not technically always.

BYH: Byung-gyu turns into a different person the second he swears. It scared the frick out of me once.

LTG: this little man is proof that you can be both kind and a total menace simultaneously, ladies and gentlemen.

[ to all: what are your hidden talents? ]

BYH: I can crack apples with only one hand.

CJI, shrugging: I can write fast.

LTG: my hidden talent is that I can mimic the sound of birds. I used to do that when I was a kid after I saw a flock of birds in the balcony.

SJW: I scare people with just my presence.

BYH: how are we even supposed to know that you're there??

SJW: that's the thing.

MBG: hm, I say that my hidden talent is how I can do different spinning tricks with my pen. It helps with coming up with lyrics and brainstorming.

[ to Min Byung-gyu and Baek Yoon-ho: based on your song 'Friends', it seemed you two have been close for a very long time. If so, how long? ]

MBG: we went to the same school when I was young. I saw him eating alone in the bench, so I decided— why not keep him company? So, I went to his side and just started talking to him.

BYH: yeah, we had known each other for a long time, though we had to part ways since I had to move to Seoul. We hadn't kept in touch, but I remember him always, which was how I recognized Byung-gyu after hearing his name.

[ aw, that's so heartwarming! ]

MBG: yup. Yoon-ho is like the big brother I never had, so I'm always thankful to have met him again.

BYH: too bad we can't be gym buddies.

MBG: I will do anything but go to gym with you, hyung.

[ another question to Min Byung-gyu: can you tell us about your non-showbiz friend? The one who used to edit your videos before. ]

MBG: oh, Eun-seok? Well, sorry, no can do. I can't reveal anything about him as he prefers to stay out of spotlight. But here's a small one— we've been best friends since childhood. Yeah, I guess that's it otherwise he'll have my head if his DMs start filling up.

[ to all: who else are you friends with? ]

CJI: I'm friends with Lennart Niemann, who designs clothes for men in Germany. We managed to keep in touch during all these years and he sometimes sends me new clothes.

MBG: Park Hee-jin. I guess people have known that already, but eh, she's the only celebrity I'm friends with outside the band.

LTG: can I say Go Gun-hee? He invited me to have dinner with his wife two days ago.

SJW: what about Lee Min-sung?

LTG: disgusting.

BYH: hm, I don't think I'm friends with anyone else. Although, I'm in good terms with most people, but I don't necessarily consider them as my friends since I am not sure if they think the same.

SJW: well, believe it or not, I'm friends with Liu Zhigang, Thomas Andre, and Adam White.

All: . . .

BYH: you're friends with who now??

SJW: Liu Zhigang, Thomas Andre, and Adam White?

BYH: you're friends with Thomas Andre?!

LTG: since when?!

SJW: I have no idea. I was walking out of the convenience store when a car pulled over and Thomas rolled the window down to invite me for a meal.

MBG: and Adam White?

SJW: oh, Adam White had approached me when we had our concert in America. He's a good guy and praised me for the performance.

CJI: . . . Liu Zhigang?

SJW: I sent him a letter two months ago, congratulating him for the success of his movie. And I guess that's it. And I've always wanted to interact with him since I was a teenager.

LTG: pfft, fanboy.

[ to Lim Tae-gyu: are you sure you are not related to the famous Olympic coach, Goto Ryuji? ]

BYH: *snorts*

LTG: geez, if I'm related to him, I'd be disowned by now.

[ but you two seem to look alike! ]

LTG: that's ridiculous. Just because you look like someone, doesn't mean you have any kind of relation to them.

MBG: what if you two are related in your past lives?

LTG: I must've been the black sheep in his eyes then.

MBG: woah! Do you dislike him that much?

CJI: it was because of Goto Ryuji's post.

MBG: oh, the rotten cow one? Okay.

LTG: I have never been so insulted. . .

[ to all: do you prefer tea or coffee? ]

CJI: both. Coffee keeps me awake while tea is perfect when it's time for me to stay idle.

BYH: believe it or not, as much as I like the taste of coffee, I drink tea more. It brings health benefits.

SJW: always coffee.

MBG: coffee.

BYH: don't you always prefer soda?

MBG: Mr. Woo banned me a few weeks ago.

LTG: coffee! So knowing that, coffee is that one thing that frequently runs out for us.

SJW: usually, it's when someone who keeps pulling an all-nighter. *side-eyes Jong-in*

CJI: none taken.

[ to Sung Jin-woo: what makes you a "husband material"? ]

SJW: I'm a what

The rest: *snort*

BYH: that must be from one of your fangirls.

SJW: . . .

SJW: uh, I have no idea? I'll leave that to your imagination. Just not where I can see or hear it.

[ to all: can Woo Jin-chul dance? ]

LTG: not to be rude, but you're asking us that question?

BYH: from what we know, he could be dancing in the inside of his office or somewhere private.

Woo Jin-chul: I am not!!!!

BYH: oh would you look at that! Yoon-ho made our manager talk for the first time in the middle of our Q&A session.

LTG: woah, now he's blushing.

SJW: it's either true or he's so embarrassed for what he did.

CJI: let's leave our manager alone, guys.

[ to all: do you share the same product, like shampoos? ]

BYH: nah.

MBG: we'd never.

SJW: although, a certain someone kept using mine without permission.

MBG: don't look at me, I am not a big fan of the brands you use.

CJI: yours seem cheap, Jin-woo.

SJW: then who used my body wash when I just bought it??

LTG: sounds like a "you" problem. And for the record, wasn't you who used my toothpaste before?

SJW: mine ran out. So what do you think I should do? Go out with a bad breath until somebody points it out?

LTG: you still used it without informing me after.

BYH, CJI, & MBG: . . .

MBG: is it me or something is coming together here?

BYH: they'll figure it out soon.

[ to all: what's the worst rumor you have ever heard about yourself? ]

LTG: I "allegedly" bullied Lee Min-sung when we were studying in the same university. It's the other way around, actually.

BYH: that I once knocked someone out. I don't think I have that in myself to hurt other people, and if anything, I prefer to talk it out rather than going physical.

SJW: me dating different female celebrities. Several of which I had never communicated in my whole life. The recent one is Yoo Soo-hyun, Jin-ho's cousin, after we were spotted in the cafe. But in truth, we were just waiting for Jin-ho so we could hang out.

BYH: dating rumors are like your biggest problem in the industry, Sung.

SJW: exactly. And at some point, I came out as a player, which is totally not what I am.

BYH: well, you know how the media works.

CJI: for me, the worst rumor I got was how I made someone resign from the company. It's very ridiculous, as I would never have a power to do so, and if there are any concerns, I'd approach Mr. Woo or Mr. Go first.

MBG: maybe it's because of your attitude?

CJI: what's with my attitude? I'm very much kind. And I know each and every one of us has a role to fulfill. I would never see someone as useless or not good enough.

MBG: yep, some people like to judge you a lot. Anyways, I hate those rumors about how I lied about my age. I am not 20!

LTG: pfft. Don't forget the one where the headline said you made a fake I.D just to get into a bar.

MBG: it wasn't true!!

BYH: welp, it's not like you're gonna blame yourself for looking younger out of all of us.

SJW: and being shorter.

MBG: Jesus Christ.

[ to all: who sleeps late and who wakes up early? ]

BYH: definitely the latter. I need to hit the gym and do my daily rounds.

LTG: I'm neither. My sleep schedule depends on my mood.

BYH: these three, however, are different breeds.

LTG: they can sleep late and wake up early.

CJI: please, Jin-woo goes to sleep at 5AM sometimes. How's that?

SJW: you do your thing and I do mine. No stepping into someone's business here.

MBG: I second that.

LTG: we never question you and whatever you do in your man cave, Byung-gyu. Last time I was about to head to the bathroom, I heard you crying in your room.

MBG: I was watching a historical drama.

LTG: good thing I was too sleepy to be scared. It sounded like a ghost begging for justice.

MBG: hey!

The rest: *laughs*

[ okay, that's all the questions for now. You guys might want some rest. ]

CJI: good. These pants are becoming itchy.

LTG: and I need to pee.

BYH: I need to take a nap.

CJI: nobody wants to hear you snore loudly, kitty cat.

BYH: then cover your ears.

MBG: I'm hungry.

SJW: yep, guess this is it.

[ end stream. ]

[infoglitch]

Nexus: ogre slayer. [1/2]

(oh hey look glitches back uploading more of his original work. Well actually it's kind of obvious that I would considering I don't just do Rwby though I am a fan of it considering the fact that I'm making a rewrite. Anyway enjoy these three pages that have all been merged into one.

[Season 1] "ogre beasts?"

After awhile Xander and Johnson headed back to their rides.

"So wait that thing was a uh..." Johnson said trying to remember it's name classification.

"Ogre beast." Xander added. "Ogre beast right duh and what are they actually?" Johnson asked. Xander sighed.

"Okay I can't explain all of your questions but I know a place where they can be answered so get on your ride and follow me" Xander spoke calmly. Johnson noded and they got in their rides, xander having a three wheel motor bike, and Johnson has his motorcycle.

They drove off. As they drove Johnson started noticing more of the city that wasn't just all skyscrapers and buildings there was also some, wildlife? Not only that, there were multiple parks with massive trees but also a lot of other plant life probably wouldn't be surprising if he find more than just raccoons roaming around the streets.

As they continue driving they stopped at a giant building with a glass dome for a roof. The outer walls shape the building into the shape of a violet's bud. It was actually rather beautiful just looking at the building.

"I present the hunter foundation one of many foundations that are all part of a something much bigger and other fancy stuff." Xander said pointing at the beautiful building. Johnson just stared in awe of it.

"Well anyway come on apparently I'm going to have to take you on a tour of the building" Xander continued as he started towards the front door then realize Johnson was still looking at the building and then promptly walked back to drag him to the front door.

When they enter they saw many people with different outfits and weapons on them, not surprising there being weapons cuz this is the "hunter foundation".

As they walked there was a giant boom and everyone in the building looked to see smoke coming from a hall as a male covered in ashes walked out trying to dust himself off with his hands.

"God dammit another Mech blew up" the male said as he got the ashes off, his Cobalt jacket showing more now after getting dusted and the male had silver hair with a similar cobalt eyes.

"You good jay bird?" One of the hunters said. "Does it look like I'm good?!" The male known as Jay retorted.

"Hey bolt!" Xander said catching jays attention, he walked over to xander "sup green bean" jay said shaking Xanders hands.

"Hey uh I got a newbie here and he has no idea what ogre beasts are" Xander said gesturing to Johnson.

Jay noded. He then looked at Johnson and started to inspect him. "Uh what is he doing?" Johnson said. "Doing a pat down. Making sure you ain't going to do something risky" Xander replied.

"Oh" Johnson spoke then jay started patting up his chest. "So....your in the clear, also one how old are you, need to make sure this doesn't come off as illegal" jay said.

"17" Johnson simply said, "oh so your younger than me and xandy boy" jay responded.

"Wait... Xanders older than me?" Johnson said slightly surprised. "Yes I am, just because I'm shorter and look younger doesn't mean I am younger." Xander spoke putting his hands on his hips.

"Wow" Johnson replied, "ok two weird question, you gay?" Jay asked which threw Johnson for a loop. "Uh I'm straight.... Why you ask" Johnson said confused.

"Just making sure you didn't enjoy the pat down~" jay said pretending to flirt and Johnson was not into it.

"Personal space please" Johnson said and jay backed off. "Sorry" jay said, Xander just chuckled at this.

Jay, Xander, and Johnson then went down a hallway and entered what Johnson assumed to be Jays mech garage.

Then again with giant mechanical body parts scattered around the damn place it'd be kind of dumb to not assume that this was a Mech building garage because it was already obvious that this is a mech building garage.

"So what are we here for Xander?" Johnson asked. "You were wondering what the hell ogre beast are remember?" Xander said.

Johnson did a "oh" and then noded. Jay then pulled out a computer and set it on one of his many tables that were just limbs of a mech. Jay opened up the computer and logged in.

Johnson simply tilted his head confused as Jay check some tabs and then closed his computer. "Was that for the ogre Beast thing?" Johnson asked, "no I just looked up a grilled cheese recipe" jay answered with Johnson just staring blankly.

"Anyway to explain ogre beasts is pretty simple basically there's this thing called the ogre virus no one knows who created it nor why it was created. All we know is that it causes a genetic mutation inside of animals causing them to mutate and get bigger and more violent" jay spoke as he fiddled with some thing.

"And it's up to people like me and Jay to hunt these fuglies down and do the good old 'off with their head' treatment" Xander added. "Wait if it's that simple why didn't you just explain it to me" Johnson asked again still confused.

"Well that's just the abridged answer to actually explain it is to go on a scientific blah stuff" Xander answered as Jay face palmed.

"Well since that's all you came here for I'll see you off unless-" jay said then looked at Johnson, "you want to see my builds cutie~" he flirted. "Once again I'm 17" Johnson said bluntly as he backed away.

Jay chuckled as Johnson and Xander left. The two entered the mess hall and sat down at a table.

"So...." Xander spoke as if he was about to ask something. Johnson looked at him "I know we just explained to you in The abridged version of what ogre beast are but uh you want to join?" Xander ask trying not to sound stupid as FuCk.

Johnson just stared.....

And stared

And stared

Xander face palmed and groaned "just answer the question" he spoke. Johnson noded "yeah... Wait does this job pay?" Johnson asked. Xander just looked at him "ya fight giant fucking monsters why would you not get paid?!" He shouted.

"Well you know just seemed like all those cartoons I watched as a tween." Johnson answered. "your a dumbass" Xander groaned out.

10 days later.

It had been awhile since Johnson joined Xander, And he learned some interesting things like for instance.

"WAIT HELL IS REAL?!" Johnson shouted at the revelation that not only ogre beasts exist but HELL ITSELF DOES ASWELL! "Yep sadly it does though you're not at a high enough rank to go there" Xander said as Johnson sighed in relief.

"Now how about some practice! I've been itching to see what you can do with that new sword ya got there" xander continued pointing at Johnson unconventional sword.

Johnson pulled it off his back the blade was thin but big and it had a strange blue glint to it. "I call it gante I had the blacksmith design specifically for me in mind" Johnson said grining.

Continuing with the appearance the reason why it was so unconventional was because the weapon itself was a two-handed saber with the blade looking like it had a razor pattern. You'd think it be breakable but it's not.

The metal was combination of titanium and surprisingly quartz aswell as some iron.

Eventually we see Xander and Johnson head to a field of red and green? roses. Once they arrived Johnson took a stance and prepared gante. Xander unsheathed his blade.

"I am xander oakgreen the emerald tide! Me and my gree gunto will smite your existence" Xander spoke as he and Johnson stared each other down.

"Well if we doing that then I'll introduce myself" Johnson said before cleaning his throat "I am Johnson purgatorio red! I am son of Nora red and Alexander red" he announced and something appeared to click in Xanders head.

Xander then shook his head and got in fighting stance legs wide swords tip facing Johnson and blade beside Xanders head, the tether was detached from the blade.

Johnson did some what the same stance except the blade was pointing up.

They stood there waiting for who would make the first move. Johnson noticed the fault in his stance and realized something.

Johnson smirked as he then rushed forward as Xander got ready, and when Johnson was just close enough xander struck the hilt of his sword, Johnson however placed the flat side of his sword on top of his head and back, his blade blocking the strike from Xanders sword.

Johnson let go of his sword and grabbed onto Xanders legs and used his entire weight to push him off balance, Xander then fell backwards.

Johnson got up and went to get gante but Xander got up and dragged him back, Johnson stumbled back as Xander got into a boxing stance.

When Johnson noticed he got hunched over as if kneeling. Xander did a small "ha" before Johnson sprang at him and tackled him.

Johnson after tackling Xander pinned him to the ground by bringing his left knee and right arm together and holding them tight.

Xander after squirming gave in and tapped Johnson shoulder. He let go and got off the brunette letting him catch his breath.

"God damn where the hell you learned that?!" Xander asked panting. "Uh I guess with my brother" Johnson said.

"Bullshit!" Xander shouted which startled Johnson, "I know you must have had some kind of training because one I finally know why your last name was familiar and two no body can wrestle like that by just wrestling with their bro" he continued.

"Wait how is my last name familiar" Johnson asked as Xander groaned and goes to a mail bin of an abandoned building, he walked backed to Johnson and opened the news paper and showed him a article about a Alexander re- wait.

THAT WAS JOHNSONS POPS!

"WAIT THATS MY OLD MAN!" Johnson voiced in utter shock as Xander covered his ears. "Maybe don't shout to the heavens please" Xander said irritated.

"Sorry, but I knew my dad was rich and all but not famous rich." Johnson spoke. "Well my amigo he is and you are son of the dude." Xander said as he wrapped his arm around the boys neck.

"Well anyway that was some good practice" Xander said, "you mean your ass getting handed to you gourmet style?" Johnson said smirking as Xander turned red with annoyance.

"Ha, ha, shut up ya toddler, atleast I get bitches." Xander said, "I highly doubt any of that" Johnson retorted. As they went to their places to stay.

[precollapsesociety]

AfterTV>> What’s the consensus on meltblown fiber masks? It’s a super convenient way to cover up a personal air filter but some folks apparently have a NetTenna up their asses and keep telling me it is inconsistent with the rest of my soft kit. Here’s a holovid of what I’ve got so far–it uses SanFrancisco Grave 8912a as a starting point but mixes a few other sources of inspiration.

VidLink Insert _ _ 

autoArchiver>>This VidLink was not archived due to KuyperBelt privacy regulations

Rainout4Raisers>> I still think that the meltblown fiber mask thing is over represented at events. They were popular during the first of the early 21st century plagues but all the evidence suggests they fell out of use very quickly

smoke-gets-in-ur-lies>> I would really only recommend them for 2020s impression, so I would not pair them with a wallet chain

66MaxwellFolger>> Look, we have clear evidence of continuous wallet chain use by motorcycle owners and user:AfterTV is clearly signaling it with the black SynthTextile and orange piping of the accessories.

AfterTV>> I special ordered this wallet extruded to mimic bison leather as well.

autoArchiver>>This image was not archived due to KuyperBelt copyright regulations. ImageDescription: a synthetic leather wallet with a chain attached to one corner; a logo is stamped on one side.

Diagonal.Stripper.LoL>> I was under the impression that motorcycle culture was not monolithic and that it varied (regionally?) between synthetic textile and animal hide garments?

XoCarhartt>> There’s also been an ongoing debate about whether SanFrancisco Grave 8912a was actually a motorcycle owner

66MaxwellFolger>> Absolutely. I admit, this is a bit of a lob, but this was a design replicated for the masses as a souvenir of a particular annual gathering, and I think this can be confidently accepted as viable for at least 50 years of impressions.

smoke-gets-in-ur-lies>> Oh, I’m not convinced about 8912a, any time you get past the last decades of the 20th century you easily get mired in questions of fashion versus subcultural membership. Nothing in that grave shows wear patterns consistent with actual motorcycle operation.

Rainout4Raisers>> Compare 9441b, with the ‘gremlin’ bell.

XoCarhartt>> We don’t know whether 8912a was affiliated with the TechBro movement or the EagleBar culture, both of which utilized motorcycle signifiers, both with and without actual motorcycles.

Diagonal.Stripper.LoL>> It’s a shame you can only rely on measurements of particulate matter in the lungs for so many decades. There’s just no point in checking after about 2033.

Network-o-Matt>> I thought the most recent interpretation of 8912a was that he was a member of the EagleBar culture since there were no signs of jeans rivets under the black-animal-hide leggings

Rainout4Raisers>> I saw that, but also we have to keep in mind that grave goods are not necessarily representative of daily life experience so much as an idealized portrait of who that person, or that person’s decedents thought them to be. How likely is it that the funerary garb was some combination checking both boxes of solemn formality and individual personality?

XoCarhartt>> This is why I like to create outfits based on landfills rather than graves, since we can look at overall distribution patterns and construct an ensemble that incorporates extremely common finds

Rainout4Raisers>> I hear you, and I agree that that is a productive line of reasoning, but also, if I see one more reproduction Nirvana shirt, I am going to scream. There were other looks in the late 20th.

Network-o-Matt>> You know, user:FossilFoolz is doing some really interesting work with HyperColor…

[the-firebird69]

In several things happening here today when is it they're sitting here stuck to him and we need to break them loose the second is they're starting to take the money and they're being aggressive with him I need to stop them and the third is it's all over him they can't get anywhere and it can't get the rent done and it's a problem we need to start to become more aggressive now and we need to do it now it is Wednesday anyway losing time so we would like to get this going soon as we can

Thor Freya

We're moving out and we have a huge number of things to do but we have to do this and we need a big force and we're calling ours and they're going to call other races and we're doing it too but we need people in here now right now this place is overrun it's not going to get anywhere going to do laundry would be a nightmare and we don't want to do that so we're moving in here and we're going to do the job and these people that got fired are all coming here and they made it here

Abomination and she abomination

I have some news for you we have a few beautiful children and you know who they are and helping you and he's thanking them and he's going to help them out and we're going to get this done we need to get going on a lot of stuff we always have projects to do. But thankfully he's saying that. I am words there's a lot of them here but we have cleared them out faster than we thought and people going at it now it's a huge huge problem here so we're going to wait a little bit and see how it turns out

Hera

They're like Divine and it's mistletoe and we cannot stand them and mistletoe it's like those big Lily pants they kind of grab onto people and wrap around them and we've had enough of that so we're going after them now very hard

Abomination and she abomination

We're going to use the law and we're going to come in here and start pulling them out I'm sick of these people give me the middle finger and telling me off and they do it all day long to he and I and a bunch of jerks wondering and all the sudden dumb stuff I'm sick of hearing from them this way too many threats from these morons they wear Miley every day and they're building up again in those spots wondering if we should be hitting them to heat up the outside areas a little bit and it does it and it's probably true and still wouldn't build up and hit him because you need to check on things there so they improve that and we're going to go ahead with it

Mac

Apparently John remillard is she can talk here and post here and all sorts of stuff but we're just simply not allowed yeah he ruined a lot of those ships really big ones and using Tommy F robots their war and having a big fight. And we issued the Trump motorcycle in Orange county choppers built the first one and we took molds from it and yesterday last night actually they found residue from mold material it's real old and it was down on the engine block on the gearbox and several other places even in the carpet just a very small amount of it and they're saying here it is right here and the Chrome is smeared and the saying this guy's been doing this I have to go stop him and we have about 100,000 octillion build we'd like to cause a little chaos in his life to shut him the hell up and it's nowhere near that many it's about 1,000 I'll tell you going to take the electric motorcycle company use the name so he is supposed to attack it and sell bikes and eventually he'll try to get electric one and if they're still around they're trying to get him their own and I'll try and sabotage it first I'm going ahead with these plans they work real well. Now Tommy f is known as the laser guy and or ship guy depending so they're buying his bike now they're making a ton of money and we're also in receipt of the Chinese motorcycles and some of them are mini bikes I'm going to put special tires on them and outfit them so there are street legal it's like a Honda Grom it's not so way up in the air and it's like a scooter they're much easier to handle and street legal and it's fast it goes about 55 and you can go right off road no preparation nothing and they handle just about any terrain just not at high speeds and they hit a mud and they handle sand it's awesome for around here and they are on off road and it is a beautiful beautiful idea and tons of people are going to buy them probably way too many. Right now we have orders with the Trump bike and when it's coming from Mac and he wants a prototype. And we're going to have to draw straws they say and we're going to do that and make is pleased. So he's going to show what we look like a little now but kind of like an Olympus drawing straws and he's going to have us do it inside one of our danger rooms that would be set up to look like New Vegas and he's kind of interested it's a good idea and we're going ahead of that now and whichever party draws the Short straw or vice versa it's going to Wheeling there first run first try prototype that has the Trump DNA on it possibly and so forth and it's going to be packaged up right there as a drawing straw meeting and will bring it in the same truck to Mac and so on time hey we're going to try this until we are out of the first run and we are not going to just close how many no we have like 30,000 but they're numbered right on the frame from each shop

Olympus

I'm there well I can't wait for the video now I see what they're saying it's not built we won't show you what it's like when it would be built in but some kind of activity like this would be like in where and they have courtyards and all sorts of things planned it's a massive facility

Mac

[imsosleepyofyourbull]

Counter Argument; Tachihara does not have a hand-me-down item at all until after he joins the Port Mafia for real.

Why?

Because it is very clear that the hand-me-down tradition only applies to those under an active mentorship or — in special cases like with Chuuya’s hat or his motorcycle — an otherwise vital relationship to a (typically older) member of the organization.

This serves two primary purposes… 1) to make sure that everyone who encounters the recruit knows that they have someone watching their back and 2) to make sure that the recruit has a physical representation of their emotional connection to the Port Mafia. The first ensures that the recruit is protected for as long as the mentor is alive, and the second is to give the boss some insurance that the recruit won’t turn traitor. Giving every new recruit something from another member would be both a hassle and diminish the artifact’s effectiveness.

Losing a low-ranking grunt isn’t much trouble, but the ones who were scouted usually have a lot of potential and are worth ten times as much in terms of man-power. It’s would be more efficient to focus on the few over the many, in that case, and Tachihara — who was good with a gun but thought to be ability-less — wouldn’t make it into the few. A fact that only changes after his identity as a Hunting Dog is thrown into the spotlight, Midwinter Memento is revealed, and his loyalty is called into question. Suddenly he’s a lot more valuable and a lot more likely to give in to another organization. Or that’s what Mori and maybe even the Port Mafia at large (depending on how much they choose to reveal) think.

Now they need to find some way to tie him down even further, and they’ve already got the perfect candidates. Gin, Hirotsu, Higuchi, Akutagawa, and Chuuya are in a position to watch over him and are basically his family.

They’d totally give him something!

Personally, I like to imagine that a lot of them give him something to cover his eyes because — in my (unpublished and unfinished) fics — his vision isn’t entirely gone… but still super blurry and super sensitive and, wow, the sun is suddenly a lot more dangerous than before. Maybe he switches between the eye coverings based on his outfit or who he’s with! Like if he’s dressing more formally like Chuuya, then he’ll wear Albatross’ sunglasses. Hirotsu’s scarf would be tied around his eyes like a ribbon when he’s just hanging out with the Black Lizard, and Gin would get him a more practical blindfold for missions. If not all of them get him a covering, then I could totally see Akutagawa or Higuchi commissioning a sword branded by the Port Mafia too!!! Maybe some guns to go with it?

So. Real talk.

Do we think Tachi’s jacket is the thing that belonged to someone else in the mafia? And do we have any guesses? Bc it’s a very albatross jacket to me personally. Maybe chuuya is the one who gives it to him bc albatross wouldn’t want it to just sit in storage somewhere. And at first, he sometimes he regrets it because he catches a glimpse of the green out of the corner of his eye and his heart jumps a bit before he remembers.

Maybe after four years of seeing Tachihara wear it every day, it no longer makes him think of albatross right away. And that’s somehow worse.

[twisted-art-wounders]

YGO AU Leviathan Rising

Yugi reunites with some fallen friends.

Chapter 23 Reunion

As Yugi rode down the rainbow road he was wondering if he was getting any closer to his destination, it seemed like it was going on forever. The hum of his motorcycle was the only sound in the void and he was starting to worry if he'd ever reach-

“Wow! what the-” He hit the breaks as hard as he could and tilted his bike to side, as it skidded across the multi coloured road  the tires made a horrible screeching sound. The bike stopped just short of the end of the road a massive drop off just at the end.

Yugi was panting tryign to collect himself a bit before looking out over the end of the road.  There a large round golden object floated in the distance, was it a sun? Or some kind or orb? No he realized what it was an eye, Leviathan's eye . He surprised but he knew it was where he needed to be. So he dismounted the bike and walked closer and closer to the giant reptilian eye.

Yugi narrowed his eyes once he reached the edge of road that stopped just short of the giant eye, he knew what he had to do. He got back up on his bike and started the engine again turning around he rode back as far as he could. Revving the engine again he took off picking up as much speed as he could build and drove towards the edge. The bike reared up as it jumped form the edge and began a slow descent into the middle of the golden eye.

Yugi braced himself for some kind of impact but once the bike and himself broke the surface and entered the orb everything on the other side felt thick. It was like he was floating in space, or more like the ocean minus the wet feeling. He looked back and could see the massive eye he used as a gate way was still there, flickering with black lighting a swirl of black and red coming from the yellow eye acting as a vacuum in this dark place.

This, this was the first thing he saw when his soul was taken.

“...this must be where Levi keeps all the captured souls...” Yugi spoke softly and turned around to face the void ahead.

Yugi noticed his bike was gone now but didn't think too hard on it since his attention was soon drawn to the atmosphere, was cold and unwelcoming. He looked around the large expanse of dark blue all around him this new void made him feel uneasy. Yugi started to swim around trying to find something in this new space, that's when he spotted them. Clear orbs that had people in them; Yugi swam towards them and could see dozens of floating orbs each with a single person inside, a trapped soul.

Yugi's heart sank as he saw numerous numbers of orbs just floating in the void, all of them a lost soul who was now at the mercy of a hungry God. He kept swimming past tons of different orbs, each one made his heart sink more and more.

How long had Dartz been collecting souls? Most of the waves of orbs had people with different outfits that seemed like they where form different eras of time. How many years? Hundreds? Thousands? He never felt so sick.

Yugi's mind now drifted towards the thoughts of his friends, What if they'd been captured now? He knew Joey and Mai had been, while his mind was fogey he could vaguely recall a piece of himself was trapped in a duel with the Pharaoh, Kaiba and Dartz. He shook his head and when he did he came face to orb with Joey!

“Jo-Joey??” Yugi blinked and swam up to Joey's orb “Joey!”

Joey's eyes fluttered awake, as he lifted his head and looked around for the source of the noise that woke him. He blinked and could finally clearly see the familiar star shaped spikes of Yugi's hair.

“Y-Yugi?” Joey said weakly before perking up “Yugi! Oh man am I happy to see you!”

“Joey! I don't believe it!” Yugi placed his hands on Joey's orb and smiled with tears running down his cheeks, he rested his forehead to the orb. “I'm so glad you're safe!”

Joey responded by mimicking the same action, he placed his hands on the orb as well and rested his forehead to Yugi's. “Same here! But uhh...where are we? I remember I was turned into a duel monster by Dartz and we where duelin' but...”

Joey looked around and could see all the orbs close to them had people he knew in them; Valon, Alister, Mai, Raphael, and even Kaiba.

“Hey you guys! Get it together we have to- urgh! I feel so weak! Whats going on?” Joey sat back and panted out of breath.

“I think this is where Levi keeps the souls that have been captured. And he drains your power here...”

Yugi responded looking around and finally noticed not too far form them was Pegasus who spoke in his more causal tone.

“Well that's a little obvious now isn't it Yugi-Boy?”

“Pegasus?!” both boys said in unison.

“The one and only~ I'm surprised your outside of your orb though Yugi-Boy how'd you escape?”

Pegasus tilted his head a bit making his hair flop over and obscure more of his face, his Millennium eye was still gone and he didn't like exposing that side of his face.

“Uh it's a long story...But we need to find away to get you all out of here!” Yugi looked around and saw that the golden eye was now absorbing a few of the orbs now. “oh no...” he whispered quietly.

“There is no escape.” A new voice called out form behind them causing all three to turn and face the new comer.

The Teal haired man floated in his own bubble, he looked quite defeated in his posture and tone of voice.

“What the- Dartz?!” Joey yelled.

“What are you doing here?” Pegasus narrowed his only visible eye now.

“Is it not obvious? I was tossed away by my God! Thrown to the side like waste...” Dartz looked down his mismatched eyes staring at nothing.

“Wait if you're here...then that means The Other Yugi won right? I mean that means the world is safe?” Joey looked to Yugi, who looked to him then back at Dartz, who let out a chuckle.

“Safe? You think you're safe here? HA! The Great Beast is alive and still hungers for souls...the duel isn't over yet...” Dartz looked at his hands.

“So Levi is dueling him now...We still have a chance then!” Yugi perked up.

“Well as along as he plays the card I gave him he should...'The Legend of Heart' will unlock the true power of the Legendary Dragons! Hopefully the Pharaoh has the power to unlock it's true potential.”

Pegasus said only to hear Dartz chuckle again, it made him narrow his eye towards him. “And what do you find so funny Dartz? In case you haven't noticed you're trapped here too.”

“Do you really think that silly card will stop him? You cannot stop the rise of my God...He'll devour this world and all of us as well...” Dartz clenched his fists now.

“It wasn't supposed to be this way...I wasn't supposed to fail. 10,000 years of work and service to feed him and he tosses me away...All because of you.”

Dartz now looked up and glared over to Yugi.

“This is ALL your fault!”

“Me?” Yugi said surprised but a little upset too. “How is this my fault!?” He yelled.

“You corrupted The Great Beast! The Great Leviathan was supposed to swallow this wicked old world and bring about a new world! One with me as ruler of a new kind of humanity! One of my own design! I was meant to bury the sins of our past! And forge a new future! A better future! But you and your wicked soul brainwashed my god! You made my god fall in love with you! And now he's forsaken me!” Dartz shouted with all the anger in his veins.

Both Joey and Pegasus were jaw dropped by Dartz's rant towards Yugi, was all of this really true? Did Yugi corrupt the old god and made it fall in love with him. Yugi on the other hand; turned to Dartz and made a motion like he just sat down in a chair floating in the void. He took in a long deep breath letting it out slowly. He closed his eyes and folded his hands into his lap before opening his large orchid coloured eyes now had a tint of red and gold in them.

“First of all Dartz, I NEVER agreed to be Leviathan's vessel. If memory serves you FORCED me into becoming his vessel. Second I didn't corrupt your God and make him fall in love with me. Leviathan is doing all of this of his own free will, he misunderstands what real love is and is going about this in the way he thinks will get him the results he wants form me. Third with the way you treat people in general I'm not surprised Levi dumped you here! When you treat people like trash don't be surprised when you end up in the dump!”

Yugi's voice was slightly morphing into a more demonic one; he clenched his fists and they shook slightly, he shut his eyes hard as he could feel his anger rising. He could feel his teeth where morphing slightly into fangs, his fingernails dug into his palms the tips where sharp and pointed which made him bleed ever so slightly.

Joey noticed this was getting slightly concerned; he knew Yugi could get very angry, not often did he knew when Yugi was hitting the peek of anger. At this point is when Yami Yugi would step in and start a duel but he wasn't here now this was all Yugi and it looked like he wasn't going to be calm at all. Pegasus was noticing this as well, he  knew the boy could get angry his eyes where always a dead give away to his internal emotions. Even with out his Millennium eye Pegasus knew this wasn't going to end very favourably for Dartz if Yugi let loose in here.  

“I was a righteous King! I ruled over Atlantis the most prosperous city of it's time! I took a vow to lead and protect my people! But my kingdom, my people they all grew nothing but darkness in their hearts! I had no choice but smite the wicked ones! I was supposed to lead a new world! New humans free form the darkness! But now thanks to YOU there will be no saving this world form it's fate...We will ALL perish, all thanks to YOU.” Dartz glared at Yugi again.

Yugi looked like he was about to blow his top at Dartz, the teal haired man was expecting it actually everyone was, but he was surprised when Yugi suddenly stopped and let out another breath and taking in another, it was like on cue his breathing was growing softer and claimer. Slowly but surely all of his tension and building rage were now gone. Yugi opened his eyes they lost the red and gold tint and held Yugi's normal purple colour again, but now they where sporting the look of empathy.

“Dartz, you only failed as a king when you decided to turn your back on humanity.”

Dartz looked at Yugi now his eyes wide in shock, how could he speak to him like this? Like he was trying to lecture him.

Yugi continued “You said you took a vow to protect and serve your people? but you didn't do that. You decided to give up on them when they needed you to most! A king- A Real King would never do that! He would give his people hope and inspire them to keep the light of hope inside of them! In the darkest of night everyone needs guidance! And you didn't give it to them!”

Dartz started to clench his fists again and hissed at the boy “Shut up! You weren't there! You didn't see the devastation I saw! The blood pouring into the streets! The screams of fear and anguish! My beloved Iona!” Tears ran down his face now his teeth where grinding slightly.

“What would you have done huh? You believe you are so gratuitous and all knowing? THEN TELL ME WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE!?”

Dartz and Yugi only started at each other now, Dartz waiting for an answer and Yugi looked into the mans eyes trying to find an answer something to say...

“Geeze with that kind of defeatist attitude I'm surprised you where a king.” Joey spoke up now making Dartz turn and glare at him.

“Great, now I get to have an ear full form you too?” Dartz huffed in annoyance.

“I may not be a ruler but I know for sure, I'd never follow a guy like you! All you ever talk about is how people are all “corrupted and evil and the darkness in peoples hearts” or whatever. But have ever actually tried to help people? And I mean REALLY help people not give them evil powers and try to turn them against humanity kind of helping.”

Dartz blinked he was taken aback by his statement, he didn't have an answer.

“Yeah I figured, You know even though I may not be a king or something I still try to help people! I may not be savin' the world- that's more Yugi's thing- But I'm still at his side ready to help! And in my option a real king is someone who actually inspires his people and gives them hope!And that can make them wanna help each other! But form what I can see all you ever do is sow fear into people and blame them for all the evil in the world, just to get what you want.” Joey shot a glare right back towards Dartz and looked at Yugi in a more gentle tone.

“And you're wrong about Yugi. He's the last person who'd corrupt anyone! Hell Yugi saves people, he's saved me tons of times! And he may not be the most physically strong person, but when it comes to heart he's the strongest there is! Now he's a King I'd be glad to follow!”

Yugi cheeks where red form the blushing he was giving off, each of Joey's words rang into his heart and gave him absolute joy. Dartz only rolled his eyes and crossed his arms turning away form them.

“Pathetic children, Continue to lull yourselves into this false sense of security and hope for they will be the only blanket of comfort before The Great Beast swallows you whole.”

“Wow talk about a party pooper...So whats the plan Yugi-Boy?” Pegasus perked up now looking at both Yugi and Joey.

Yugi looked at Both Joey and Pegasus and signed looking towards the eye as it continued to absorb the orbs.

“Right now we wait for the Other Me to win...”

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Little Bones 1

Warnings: non-consent sex and rape (series); harassment, general creepiness

This is dark! (biker) Thor x chubby!reader and explicit. 18+ only.  Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Series Synopsis: You’re a city girl stuck in a small town, but Birch isn’t as sleepy as it seems.

Sister series to Smalltown Bringdown and When the Weight Comes Down

Note: So, I’ve made some positive changes in my life. I am working away at original work, I’m drinking more water, I’m taking my dog on big walks and being more active, and I’m doing my best. So, I was struck with an old yearning to return to Birch. I’ll be updating here and there as I feel and won’t be pushing myself like I did before because I realise how unhealthy and stressful it was on me.

Thanks to everyone for their patience and feedback. :)

I really hope you enjoy. 💋

<3 Let me know what you think with a like or reblog or reply or an ask! Love ya!

Chapter 1: It gets so sticky down here

A city girl in a small town. What could be sadder than that?

In the city, life went fast. In a place like Birch, the days dragged by as if to remind you of how helpless you were beneath the unyielding and inevitable tick of the clock. The hand wound around and around as you waited for what would never happen. The dreams of your childhood eroded beneath the rolling years leaving trail of crumbs you could not follow back to the beginning.

A woman just beyond her prime trapped in an antiquated career. The empty aisles between the shelves full of books bespoke of a bygone era. The forgotten library at the far end of the main street rarely saw a new face and those familiar were fewer by the day. The staff had thinned to three of you; Melissa was older than you with a daughter nearly your age and Colin was close to retirement if not well past.

You got on well enough, as well as you could given Colin’s faulty hearing aid, and Melissa’s wandering mind. They meant well but they shared the lethargy of the old small town. 

You weren’t nostalgic for the smog or the flashing lights of the city, but there was no life to this place. Only the impending reach of death rattling closer in the roar of the motorcycles and the rumble of the old railroad that ran through the middle of town.

The air nipped at your cheeks as you approached the library. A morning of yawning had you craving a latte from the bakery and the quiet girl behind the counter cheerfully steamed the foam before handing it over. Everyone in this town was familiar, everyone knew everyone else, and yet, you still felt like an outsider.

You felt the heat of the cup through your glove and you looked up as you sensed two figures by one of the thick columns of the library façade. Melissa stood chatting with her daughter, hugging her sweater around her as she’d left her coat inside. You peeked up at the grey sky as snow threatened at any moment with the mid-November bite.

As you thought to pass them and leave their conversation uninterrupted, your name drew you back.

“I was just telling my daughter,” Mel began as she waved you over with a chatter of her teeth. “About that podcast you mentioned. She loves those old Hollywood stars.”

“Oh,” you blew the steam away from the lid of your drink as you neared, “It’s alright. The stories are worth the narrator’s schtick.”

“Yeah? I’ve been closing at the bar and I like to listen to something once it clears out.” Mel’s daughter said. “You wouldn’t mind giving me the name?”

You told her the title of the podcast and helped her find it on Spotify to follow for later. Mel shivered and stood closer to her daughter who was bundled up against the onslaught of Birch’s blustering winter. You knew about her too. 

She was friendly but you saw in her a cynicism more common to city folk. You got along but you were weary of her associations. The local club of crass bikers were neither subtle nor savoury. In the city, it was easy enough to ignore the patch and all that came along with it. The seedy figures were distilled by the broader population but not in Birch. There, the club was the town.

“Mom, you can’t stay out here.” She poked her mother’s arm. “It’s too cold.”

“Little better in the library.” You grumbled and sipped your latte. “The radiator’s broken again.”

“You mean Colin broke it trying to fix what wasn’t broken,” Melissa shook her head, “and I’m fine, dear. I’ve spent more than fifty winters in Birch and been through worse than this.”

“Yes, but you were younger then--” Her voice dwindled as she turned her head to listen to the distant roar of exhaust.

You followed her gaze and noted the way her forehead creased at the noise. She swallowed and turned to watch as a dark rider turned onto the main road from the highway. It was the man who kept her entwined with the club, the one who marked her latent authority over all others. The only one who outranked her.

She swore and looked over her shoulder at her mother. Her mother touched her arm. It was a telling and surprising moment. Her expression read of all the disgust you felt for the bikers.

At least a dozen bikes followed the first and Bucky raised his glove hand to signal the others to slow as he pulled up to the curb just before the library steps. You backed away as his breath clouded around him and he waved Mel’s daughter closer. He craned to kiss her as she bent, her fingers picking at her jeans as she did, then he nodded his greeting to Mel.

“What are you doing?” He asked tersely.

“Can’t I see my mother?” The daughter challenged and the biker scoffed.

“Of course,” he killed his engine and the others mimicked him in fine order. “I wouldn’t keep ya from her but you didn’t tell me you were going downtown.”

“You were gone.”

You listened to the conversation as you stayed close to the column, thinking of sneaking up the steps into the library before you heard too much. Your curiosity had you searching the crowd of leather jackets as their wearers tried to conceal their impatience with their boss’ impromptu halt.

Among them, a large man sat casually in his seat, his feet planted on the cold pavement as he rolled slightly back and forth. Strands of his thick blond hair were drawn back beneath his helmet into a thick braid as the rest hung around his shoulders. His patch was different from the rest, an old Norse symbol you didn’t know the meaning of. There were several others who wore the same cut, including a dark-haired woman who chatted with another golden-haired rider.

You tasted your latte again, it cooled quickly as the cold air battered the cardboard. As you sipped and sidled around the column, your eyes were caught by another pair. The very man you’d just been watching was now focused on you. You stopped, hoping like some frightened animal that your stillness would ward off his attention.

“Barnes,” the broad blonde man spoke as he finally looked away. “You’ve not even introduced me to your woman. I assume that’s why we’ve stopped.”

Bucky shifted on his bike and sighed. You hadn’t expected the man to have an accent. His voice was deep but the subtle lilt defined his tone as unforgettable. The dark-haired biker of Birch rolled his eyes before he pointed to his girl and gave her name, then to Melissa as he explained their relation.

You sidestepped around the column to the stairs of the library and turned away. You were stopped again by the same voice.

“And that one? The quiet one?”

You spun back slowly and looked at each biker, many unconcerned with conversation, as a few stared back at you or at the viking-like rider. Bucky shook his head and furrowed his brow at Melissa’s daughter. She hesitated before she gave your name coolly referred to you as just another librarian. She was trying to deflect the focus and you were thankful for it. You wondered at her own blatant spite for that breed of man.

“No one important,” Bucky grabbed his keys. “Come on, honey. I’ll give you a ride back.”

“I can walk.”

“Get on.” He said gruffly and turned the keys.

The motorcycles thrummed back to life in a cacophony. You flinched and turned back to the library doors. Your lunch was almost over as it was and the cold was starting to make your head hurt. You heard the bikes tear off as you reached the door and you turned back to watch as Melissa ran up after you.

You held the door for her and paused as you watched riders tear away. The blonde remained and watched you with a smirk. He winked as he slowly rolled after the others and pushed off. You followed Melissa inside and pulled the door shut tightly behind you.

“I’ll finish the returns,” you slipped past her, “you should try to warm up.”

“Thanks, dear,” she rubbed her hands together as she neared the curve desk you all shared, “God, that man makes my skin crawl.”

“But your daughter--”

“She handles him as well as she can,” Melissa sat and logged onto her boxy PC, “she’s stronger than me, that’s for sure.”

You sat and chewed on the thought. You just assumed her daughter leaped at the opportunity to date the most powerful man in town. What else could a girl from Birch hope for?

“She doesn’t…”

“He keeps her safe, I guess,” Melissa muttered, “I don’t say nothing against it. I won’t, for her sake as much as mine.”

You lowered your lashes and turned to the stack of unscanned books. You took the first and opened the cover.

“I didn’t mean to-- I don’t really know anything about the… bikers.”

“Hope you never do, dear,” she said listlessly. “Those men, if you can call them that, are the lowest form of humanity.”

💀

You always took the same route home. It wasn’t very far. You lived in the studio apartment above Tammy’s, the clothes shop where all the local seniors got their outdated outfits. The store itself smelled like a retirement home but you were not often disturbed by the activity below. Like everything in Birch, it wasn’t very exciting.

Your walk took you past the diner and along the stretch across the street from the town’s sentinel, The Asp. The bar was the only place in town which always seemed to be bursting with life. You had an old Chevrolet parked behind the building but you never drove to work, only on your odd trip to the city to get away from the suffocation malaise of main street.

That day as you fumbled to get your earbud back in, you heard a whistle. You got a few comments now and again about your habit of blocking out the townsfolk and the town itself with your music. In the city, you didn’t just say hi to every person you walked by and you had little inclination to change that habit.

You kept going and the whistle came louder. You heard boots hammer across the street and you stopped as the earbud once more fell out of your ear.

“Eh, kitten,” you turned to the long-haired biker. A golden hammer hung from a chain and peaked out from the open collar of his jacket. He tucked his hands in his pockets as you faced him with blatant irritation. “We didn’t get to meet properly, did we?”

You stared at him and let out a foggy breath. You leaned on your left heel and shook your head with a scoff.

“No.” You said and turned back along your path.

“No?” He repeated and his footsteps followed closely. “I’m only being friendly, kitten. I’m not from around here and I’m just tryn’ ta make a few friends.”

“I’m not interested,” you march onward and stop short. 

You realised if you went any further, you’d lead him straight to your door. You didn’t need him knowing where you lived. You veered off and crossed the street, he stayed close just like your shadow. You’d stop by the liquor store and wait him out there.

“Where are you going, kitten?”

“Can’t you take a hint?” You nearly tangled your own legs as you pivoted sharply. “I’m sorry for your luck that you’ve ended up in Birch but I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you.” You grasped the handle of the liquor store door. “Oh, and my name isn’t kitten.”

“I know your name. I remember it.” He grinned and you swung open the door. He caught it behind you and you let out a frustrated sigh as he trailed you inside. “It’s almost as gorgeous as you.”

“Do those work on the women where you’re from?”

You stared at the shelf of fruit wines and tried to ignore him. You were starting to build a real thirst for the bottles.

“I don’t meet a lot of women like you, kitten.”

“Would you stop it--” You blinked and stomped further down the aisle.

“Thor. My name’s Thor.” He offered gallantly. “But you can call me whatever you wish.”

“I could think of a few things.” You bent down to read the label of a wine from the Maritimes.

“Mmm, my thoughts run wild, kitten.” He purred and you looked up at him in confusion.

You swiped the bottle from the shelf and stood straight. His eyes clung to your ass and as you turned, they swiftly found your chest. Neither were well-hidden by your jacket, even as thick as it was. Your weight often deterred the whistles and the leers, but not this time.

“How many ways can I tell you to go away?” You hissed and move to step around him. He turned and watched you pass. He shivered as you brushed against him unwillingly in the narrow aisle.

“So, you got a man?” He questioned as again he tailed you to the counter. You grabbed a small bottle of Vodka from the rack beside it and dug out your wallet.

“Does it matter?”

He bent and leaned on the counter beside you and you ignored his attempt to look you in the face. You paid and took your change as the clerk bagged your purchase.

“To me, everything about you matters, kitten.”

You shot him a sharp look and took your paper bag. You hugged it close and glared at him as he straightened. “Stop calling me that.”

“Here,” he gripped the top of the bag, “I’ll help.”

“I’ll smash this bottle over your head,” you threatened. “Now I’ve told you to leave me alone.”

He chuckled and dipped his head. His hair slid down the leather and he scratched his thick beard.

“Don’t worry, kitten, I like to play.” 

He looked at you again, his blue eyes twinkling. You were startled as suddenly he ‘woofed’’ at you. You backed away and he kept close as is to chase you, ready to salivate like the dog he mimicked.

“Get away!” You shouted and raced for the door.

His barks turned to laughter and the bell announced your stagger out onto the street. You didn’t look back as you charged across the street and narrowly missed being mowed down by Linda Karling. You reached the other side as you heard the liquor store door clatter a second time. You sensed his shadow as you turned down a side street.

You walked until you were certain he wasn’t following. The cold blew up your jacket as you mapped out your way back. You could sneak around the back of the clothes shop and sneak up the metal escape. You peered back and forth, the old house just at the town limits nearly faded into the dimming sky and main street shrouded by brick walls.

“Hey,” a small voice surprised you as a woman neared, walking the same route as you. “Whatcha doing all the way up here?”

You stared at her dumbly. It was the woman who worked at the bakery. She hung out with the club too.

“Nothing, I…” You grabbed your earbuds and put them back in your ears. “I was listening to my music and got carried away.”

“Oh?” she chittered like a mouse. “No one comes this way. Only me to see my ma.”

You nodded at her and gave an awkward smile. “Mmhmm. Well, thanks. I probably would’ve wandered right out of town.”

“I wouldn’t blame you,” she said forlornly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“For your latte. And you always get the banana loaf when it’s on special and tomorrow’s Tuesday.”

You sniffed and rubbed your neck. You hated that. You hated that everyone knew you, that everyone knew what you did, and that they assumed they knew everything else. But she was sweet and you couldn’t hate her for never being freed from the prison of Birch.

“Oh yeah,” you squeezed the paper bag so it crinkled and pulled out your phone with your free hand, “tomorrow.”

[lightsovermonaco]

Speed and Stress: Part 2

Masterlist

Thank you to @acollectionofficsandshit for betaing, your comments on this one were unhinged gold 

Word Count: 3.1k

Recommended Vibes: “Perfect Day” by Tundra Beats

Part 1

Your brother was late. Not that anyone was surprised.

“Got the time mixed up,” he says as you climb into his absurdly tall truck. Living in Texas for three years had turned him into somewhat of a country boy, though not enough that he forgot his upbringing. He was still a blue blooded Los Angeles boy, just with a love for trucks and longhorn cattle.

“At least I wasn’t waiting for an hour this time,” you say and sling your bag to the backseat. Deciding to get right to the good stuff, you clasp  your hands together. “So! I have some news.”

Hunter grins at you. “You finally found a job?”

You roll your eyes and shoot him a pointed look. “No, dipshit. Better than that. I got us paddock passes for the whole weekend.”

“WHAT?” He jerks the wheel, horns honking at you as other drivers swerve. You grab the dash to steady yourself, laughing at his outburst. “Do you know how hard it was for me to get general admission tickets? How the hell did you get paddock passes?”

“May have met someone pretty high up at McLaren in Los Angeles,” you say, examining your nails.

“Like, Zak Brown? You met Zak Brown?” Hunter was such a fan boy, you had to laugh. His love for McLaren ran so deep he practically bled blue and orange. The only reason you watched the sport was because of him shoving it down your throat for years, but damn if you weren't glad for it.

“Daniel Ricciardo.”

Hunter choked on air but managed to stay in his lane this time. “And you waited until now to tell me?”

“I didn’t know it was him when I met him! He was on a motorcycle and I stopped to help film a tiktok and then-”

“Of course you’d stop,” he mutters, shaking his head. “You’re a sucker for bikes.”

“Yeah well, lucky that I am, cause all I had to do was flirt to get us those passes.”

Your intention had never been to take advantage of Daniel. It was more the opposite in fact; you were just living in the moment and capitalizing on the once in a lifetime opportunity to flirt with your celebrity crush. You had to admit, it turned out better than you'd ever thought it would.

“I can’t believe you seduced Daniel freakin’ Ricciardo,” he says, shaking his head. “You astound me.”

“I didn’t seduce him!” You protest.

"Sorry my bad. You charmed him. That sound better?"

You roll your eyes. "Whatever. I damn near had a heart attack when I figured out it was him but he was kind enough to let me brush it off."

"Well, thank god for your two-wheeled obsession because without it, we would be watching the prix from the nosebleeds."

You laugh and shake your head. Hunter tended to have a poor filter when he was excited and tended to spew whatever was on his mind. "Just watch your tongue this weekend, alright? I'd rather embarrass myself than have you do it for me."

Hunter gives a mock salute. "Yes ma'am."

**********

You'd stuffed five different outfits in your bag in preparation for the grand prix weekend. In theory, it shouldn't be hard to decide what to wear. But Friday morning you changed clothes so many times you lost count. No matter what combination you tried you weren't satisfied.

Finally, you give up and settle on a McLaren polo and denim shorts. Simple and comfortable, but form fitting enough to catch Daniel's eye should you run into him.

You knew you shouldn't, but you pull out your phone to text him anyway.

Thanks again for the tickets. Let me know if you've got any free time so I can properly thank you!

You hit send before your brain has the chance to overanalyze the message. You check your phone obsessively the entire drive to the circuit, only half expecting a response. You tuck your phone in your pocket when you get to the gates, determined not to let it get to you. Daniel warned you he would be busy, and you knew that responding to you was likely on the low end of his list of priorities.

Hunter gets you to the circuit a half hour before they let fans in and you have to listen to him ramble about driver stats the entire time. Normally you don't mind; guessing who's most likely to win each Sunday is something of a competition in your household. But today, you couldn't focus enough to put any thought into your prediction, instead just blurting Daniel's name.

"You're only saying that cause he's into you," Hunter says, grinning savagely. "He struggles in Austin and you know it."

"So? He's in a McLaren this year. You saw his pace in Bahrain, and that was with a damaged floor! He'll podium for sure." You cross your arms and return his grin. "Besides, he's motivated."

"Oh, is he?"

"I told him I'd buy the winner of the United States grand prix a drink. Up to him whether it's him or Verstappen."

"Oh my god you have a date with Daniel Ricciardo?"

"Dude, chill out. It's not set in stone. Honestly, he's probably forgotten that I exist."

"Has he texted you?"

You glance down at your phone and are greeted with an empty inbox. "No. Not after the initial time so I could have his number." You shrug and pick an invisible piece of lint from your arm. "But he said he'd be too busy anyway."

"Guess we'll see once we get to will call, huh? If he's forgotten about you."

"Yeah." An odd feeling rolls through you. It feels a bit like nerves mixed with hope, but you stamp down on it. You were here to enjoy yourself. The trip of a lifetime had been handed to you on a golden platter and you were wont to let something as trivial as nervousness ruin it.

Bells chime as you step into the blissfully cool will call office. A blonde woman with a bit too much blush dusted on her cheeks greets you with a smile. 

"What can I do for you?"

"Picking up some tickets that were left for me by a driver?" You try, unsure of the proper procedure. "I don't have a paper or anything."

She waves a hand in the air as if she expected as much. "All I need is your identification. They should be under the name."

"Oh uh, of course." You motion for Hunter to hand over your wallet and show the woman your driver's license.

"Great. Wait here and I'll grab those for you."

You drum your fingers on the desk while waiting for her to return. After what feels like ages she re-emerges empty handed.

"I'm not seeing anything here with your name on it," she says, her plastic smile at odds with her sincerity. "I'm afraid your tickets aren't valid until Sunday."

"Can you double check? Daniel said they'd be here-"

"So sorry. There's no record of anyone dropping tickets off for you."

You blink, holding your tongue in the face of her blunt response. "Okay. I guess ill try and get it sorted out."

Hunter breaks the tension. "Can't you call him?"

"I can't just call him, I'm sure he's busy."

"Either that or we don't get in. Just do it, he gave you his number and specifically told you to let him know if there were any problems, didn't he?"

Yes he had, but that didn't mean you wanted to disturb him. He was probably knees deep in some sort of race weekend press conference or drivers meeting and heaven forbid you interrupt.  But it was either that or you slink home disappointed and empty handed.

"Fine," you grumble, pulling out your phone with deliberate slowness. Hunter crosses his arms and tips his head to the side, a smile playing on his lips.

"Well?"

"It's dialing, you good for nothing busybody-"

"I was wondering how long it would take you to call," Daniel answers, voice radiating sunshine.

You cut right to the chase, not giving yourself a single second to evaluate how your heart skips. "Look, I don't wanna distract you on a race weekend but I'm at will call and they're telling me they can't find any passes left for me."

"Let me guess," he starts, raising his voice to be heard over the pneumatic tools in the background, "You're dealing with Jenny?"

Your eyes fall to the name on the woman's lanyard. She shifts under your gaze like she knew exactly who you were on the phone with. "Yep. Spot on."

"Kinda figured she would be a problem. She's got a huge crush on me and does this every time."

You fight back the strange sensation his offhand comment brings to the surface. "Oh, really?"

"I'll be right there. Give me ten minutes or so."

"Oh you don't have to-"

"Hey, no big deal. I gotta go that way anyway."

"Uh, okay. See you soon?"

"Yup. On my way."

You hang up and stare down at the phone, stunned.

"Well?" Hunter asks.

"I guess he's coming here to sort it out himself."

He blinks rapidly and shakes his head. "Hold on. Are you telling me that I get to meet Daniel? Like right now?"

"Can you relax?" You laugh lightly. "Honestly you're gonna freak him out."

"Uh, yeah sure. No big deal, just meeting one of my favorite drivers in the minus five minutes and I'm completely unprepared. It's fine."

If you roll your eyes any harder they'd pop out of your head. "Relax. He's laid back, but I don't want you to freak out and embarrass us both."

"Excuse me," Jenny breaks in, her distaste clear. "Please move aside if you're not picking up passes."

"Er, yeah. Sorry." You shuffle awkwardly off to the side to wait. Cheesy elevator music plays and Jenny shoots you glares until the door squeaks open and the human incarnation of the sun steps inside. Your breathing stutters when the Australian shoots you a wink and a grin before sauntering up to the counter.

"Why hello there Jen," he says, and she giggles coyly. 

"Hi Daniel." She lays a hand on his forearm, the touch light and flirty. "What can I help you with?"

Daniel leans into her, whispering conspiratorially. Whatever he says has her bold smile faltering, replaced by a mask of professional cheer. Daniel shoots you another wink as the woman retreats to a back room, returning moments later with your supposedly missing passes.

"Thank you," Daniel says sweetly, taking them from her and turning to you. "I think these are yours."

"Thanks." You take the passes and hand one off to your awestruck brother. You nudge him and he comes to his senses in time to shake the hand Daniel sticks out.

"You must be the brother," he says. "I see you're a fan."

Dressed head to toe in McLaren colors, there was no other conclusion for Daniel to draw. For once your brother is the one stunned into silence so you answer for him, "Yeah, only a little. He was crushed when you left Red Bull cause Max is his other favorite driver and now he has to split his loyalties between teams."

Dan's laugh snaps Hunter out of his trance. "I know you're busy but do you think you can sign something for me?"

"Of course. How about this?" Daniel snatches the hat from Hunter's head and produces a sharpie from his pocket, signing the brim with practiced efficiency. 

"He'll be texting the group chat about that as soon as you're gone," you tell Daniel who laughs along with you.

Heat rises to your cheeks as Daniel's assessing gaze sweeps you from head to toe. "McLaren orange looks good on you."

Channeling his easy confidence you flash him a grin. "Not as good as it looks on you."

He smooths the hem of his soft shell jacket, smile turning bashful. "Anyway. I gotta run. See you Sunday after I win!"

Your eyes follow him as he jogs back through the paddock until he's swallowed by the crowd. You sigh, shifting your weight from foot to foot. God, he was gorgeous. And he had such a big heart. It was a shame someone hadn't snatched him up yet, but then again, that meant you still had a shot, even if it was a slim one.

"So where exactly do these get us?" Hunter toys with the lanyard now placed around his neck. "It doesn't say."

"I'm guessing the McLaren lounge," you say and point to the logo on the passes. "Above the garage."

"That's the perfect vantage point for practice."

And it was the perfect view- before getting in the car Daniel walked out into the pit, suited up in his cobalt racesuit and minty helmet and glanced up. You weren't sure if he saw you or not when you waved but he gave a little salute nonetheless.

Hunter was practically glued to the bank of floor to ceiling windows for the entirety of free practice, immersing himself in the experience. You found yourself glancing at the timing tables every lap, silently hoping to see the RIC tag move up. By the end of the second session he had been fourth fastest, a few tenths behind both Mercedes and the Red Bull of Verstappen. 

By the time you make it back to Hunter's house, you're both exhausted from a full day of running up and down the paddock. The pair of you had been determined to soak up every second of it, sneaking into whatever offices you could and stealing bites off the buffets and cups of coffee. 

Saturday’s free practice and qualifying session pass in a blur of color. Daniel drags his McLaren up the ranks to qualify fourth, his best starting position so far this season. He had a decent shot at the podium- Bottas should be easy pickings and if Verstappen and Hamilton made any mistakes, Daniel might even have a shot at the win.

The excitement in the air is palpable as you both flash your badges and head back up the now familiar path to the McLaren lounge. An hour before lights out, the v6 engines rumble to life below. You venture out onto the balcony, watching and waiting for a glimpse of Daniel.

The Aussie does you one better by walking out, race suit on and helmet in hand. He chats animatedly with Michael before stopping and craning his neck upwards. Michael nudges him with his elbow but Dan ignores him, answering your tiny wave with a wink. He mimes taking a drink and you roll your eyes.

Dan throws his head back and laughs, audible over the cacophony below. He gives you one final salute before Michael drags him back into the garage.

Ten minutes later cars begin streaming out on track, Daniel taking the fourth grid place as his mechanics once again swarm him. Tire blankets are secured, keeping them warm and pliable ahead of the formation lap. Thirty seconds before the boys are released, they're peeled back off as everyone scrambles off the pavement. Verstappen leads them away down the 3.4 mile track for the formation lap. Dan does a few small power slides before taking his place on the second row.

One by one, the red lights illuminate and disappear quicker than your blink. Daniel gets away clean while Bottas stumbles out of the gate, leaving himself wide open for Daniel's overtake on his right side. Cheers erupt around you, your brother going so far as to lift you off your feet.

Maybe Dan had a shot at winning after all.

A nail-biting 38 laps pass without a change in the order of the top three. Finally, a mistake in Max's pit stop sees him return to track third, just behind Daniel. The McLaren driver puts up the fight of his life, late braking at every corner and defending his position for all he was worth. Lewis was twenty seconds ahead- he wouldn't be winning but he could defend his second place spot.

Lewis Hamilton, race winner for the seventh time at the Circuit of the Americas!

Daniel Ricciardo crosses the line second, Max Verstappen takes home that last podium step for Red Bull. An astonishing fifty six laps here today in Austin!

The box erupts around you, a roar of cheers making it impossible to hear what else Crofty and Brundle were saying. But it didn't matter as Daniel raises his fist when he swings back into parc ferme, jumping out to be congratulated by his team. It was his first podium for the papaya team and you can tell it means the world to them.

"Looks like you're taking Lewis out for a drink," your brother teases. "Told you he wouldn't win."

"He almost won," you counter. "But hey, I'm not above asking Lewis on a date. Could you imagine? I mean, he would never agree, but still. It would be a hell of a date."

If you crane your neck from the balcony, you can just barely see the podium. Everyone goes quiet for the anthems and erupts again when the champagne is sprayed. The McLaren team chant for a shoey, which Daniel obliges. He sits to unlace his mint green boot and pours champagne into it, drinking from the boot before passing it to Max who joins in on the fun. 

Just as quickly as it began, the celebrations ebb. Daniel is the first to leave the podium which seems odd, given that the PR department surely wants his first big win for the team to be well documented.

Your phone buzzes a second layer. You fish it out of your pocket, a Cheshire grin splitting your face.

"Shouldn't you be busy celebrating?"

"I am," Dan starts, sounding breathless. You can barely hear him over the sound of the crowds chants behind him. "But I want to celebrate with you. I know I didn't win, but how about you let me buy you a drink instead?"

You barely hear anything beyond his first sentence. I want to celebrate with you. Were you dreaming? There was no way this was real.

"Um, I'm sorry, you want to celebrate by going out with me instead of your team?"

"If you'll let me. Hey- just text me okay? I can barely hear you over everyone screaming my name. It may be going to my head."

You laugh, drawing the attention of the vip's nearest you. You give an apologetic smile and move further from the crowd. "I'll text you an address. See you later, second place."