#we know about the normal timeline and we added extra years so that she has the time to acquire more problems

[mantisgodsart]

We have finally finished this project, and thus, The World's Worst Dating Sim is finally DONE! Just in time for April Fools Day. Now, with our six new contestants, choose, uhh... who's dateable? Or not dateable? This last batch was determined almost entirely by People Telling Us Who To Add, contains multiple AUs, and is... hmm. "Unconventional" may be a good term? Half of these are probably undateable but you can still shoot your shot.

As previously, it can be a platonic date if you want, you just can't be neutral. Deadlander Lambda belongs to @cordycepsbian and has been moved into our studio for duration of this poll. Profiles below the cut.

(we're linking the first poll here)

Deadlander Lambda - Maybe - Deadlander - Good question - At least a little bit

This, uhh...

...is this safe? We don't think this is safe. ..."Already had kids before"? What do you mean it's a parent?

...well, we can't get it out of the studio, so it's an option now? We guess? This... really doesn't seem like a good idea.

Rogu - He/him - Ant drone - Very rude to ask a gentleman that, don't you think? - I wouldn't worry about that.

A charming mystery from somewhere only described as "a faraway land", though he wasn't quite scheduled in this lineup, we think we can make an exception. This silver-tongued bug seems to be able to say just what's needed to get under your skin... and from the look of it, he's angling to take you somewhere private.

...come to think of it, haven't we seen that face before? On a poster, maybe? Well, it's not a surprise he's been modelling for things, he's certainly got a pretty enough face for it, but why do we feel... nervous, all of a sudden?

Carmina - She/(scribbled in)it - (illegible) - (illegible) - (illegible)(scribbled out with "No longer relevant" written in its place)

...where is she? She was meant to show up hours ago. What on earth could have held her up this long?

Pebbles - He/him - Moth ("iterator") - Juvenile (estimated) - Unclear

Right out of surgery, this one. While we're not sure if it's entirely responsible to include this one, and we certainly don't speak whatever language he's speaking... he's cute, isn't he? And looking for a home? Well, maybe if you're the sort of person who might want to rescue a domestic moth in a bad situation...

Wereweevil Vi - It/its (wereweevil form) - Wereweevil - 19 - Aro

Pre-existing hangups mean that you can only date this one in wereweevil form. Good luck.

Kina - She/her - Mantis (big) - Haven't asked - Also haven't asked    

Well, we assume that you can do less lethal than the bandit who people mostly know thanks to her former job as a corpse disposal unit, but some people might be into that sort of thing, honestly. Are you, perchance, also a mantis?

[reincarnated70sbaby]

linger

listen before you read!

robert plant xfem!oc

warnings : drug use, swearing, trucklot of angst ;)

word count : 2.1k

an: was listening to ‘linger’ by the cranberries and I couldn’t pass up this angsty idea I got 😎 timeline is off but yolo ig...

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

Sloane leaned down to the table to take an extra line for her pre-performance nerves. She felt a little more nervous today, this particular concert being one of the largest yet. She was the front woman of The CAPs, who were opening for Led Zeppelin for their summer of ‘69 tour. This was exactly the break the band needed, finally getting recognition for all their talent and hard work over the last two years.

She applied a little powder to her face, and patted on her classic red lipstick to her slightly chapped lips. Securing the clasps of her platform red heels, she shook her body in hopes of shaking away her anxious jitters. Once she had finished her body-shaking ritual, she walked out from the wings of the stage.

As she walked across to centre stage, wind blowing through the holes of her white crochet dress. The crowd cheered loudly as the band waved to them.

“How’s everyone doin’ today? It’s so hot today, my boobs are sweating off!” She greeted the crowd with her bubbly nature. Adjusting the mic stand to her height, she continued to address the huge crowd. “Today’s set list will have a slight adjustment to it, we’re starting off with a new song I wrote just last night. It’s a little softer than our other music, so just sit back- or should I say lean back on the person behind you - and relax. This is called ‘Linger’ "

While she was speaking to the crowd, a teenage roadie ran onto the stage and placed a stool, for Sloane to sit on, and disappeared again in a heartbeat. The crowd, didn’t even take notice of the young boy, entranced with the tawny blonde singer as usual.

Sloane sat down, crossed her legs and nodded toward Rory, to begin. Rory started picking a simple guitar melody on his trusty Gibson acoustic, the first guitar he ever picked up. Sloane swayed lightly to the rhythm, eyes on the horizon above the crowd. Soon after, Marshall joined in with quiet, but strong beat on drums. At the same time, Oscar added the baseline to the song.

Taking a deep breath, Sloane began the song.

If you, If you could return, Don’t let it burn, Don’t let it fade, I’m sure I’m not being rude, It’s just your attitude, It’s tearing me apart, It’s ruining every day

I swore, I swore I would be true, But honey so did you, So why were you holding her hand? Is that the way we stand? We’re you lying all the time? Was it just a game to you?

Sloane sang gently, her eyes closed with a pained look on her face. She thought back to the day before, when everything fell apart.

———

“Sloane, honey, please tell me what’s wrong! You’re being so closed off with me today!” Robert pleaded, grabbing her hand while she was walking away. Sloane yanked her hand away and walked towards an empty storeroom in the hotel corridor.

“Don’t get any ideas, we need to talk privately” Sloane commanded as she entered into the storeroom. It had barely enough space for both of them to fit, being crammed full with towels and bedsheets.

“Please, love, jus’ tell me what’s bothering you, I wanna make you happy”

“Oh fuck off Robert, you’re so fake and a liar. These past couple of months have all been a lie!”

“What’re talkin’ about? I have never lied to you once”

“Seriously? ‘I’ve never lied to you’? Are you actually for real right now? Do you know what I just found out Robert? You’re fucking married! And she’s coming here tonight! You didn’t think I would deserve to know that!” She yelled, ignoring her previous statement about keeping this private.

“I didn’t tell you because I was scared okay? I have never felt like this before with anyone else. All the groupies were just for sex, but when I met you I had fallen for you Slo, you make me a better person in every way”

“I don’t care how I make you feel, you’re still married! With kids! How would they feel if they found out their father was in a relationship with a woman other than their mother? I can’t believe you did this to me willingly, even after I told you what happened with my parents. That messed me up, seeing my father with another woman, and leaving my mother for her. Never seeing him again, choosing his new family over me and my siblings. That hurts me the most Robert, you knew my history and you ignored it!” Sloane cried out, tears falling freely on her face, running her dark eye makeup.

“I never meant to hurt you love, you mean so much to me. I just didn’t think- I never fuckin think, but I my feelings were so strong for you, I never thought about Maureen, I’m shamed to admit it” Robert plead, guilt weighing on his conscience. He reached out to wipe her tears away, but Sloane turned her head, the same pained look on her face.

“We’re done. I can’t stay with someone who could forget about their own wife and kids, and forget to tell their girlfriend that she’s actually a mistress. Goodbye” Sloane said, pushing her way out of the cramped closet, before running to the elevator at the end of the hall.

———

But I’m in so deep, You know I’m such a fool for you, You got me wrapped around your finger, Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to? Do you have to let it linger?

Sloane sang emotionally, a single tear escaped her tear duct. She took the break for guitar solo to take a couple deep breathes, and to calm her heightened emotions down.

Oh, I thought the world of you, I thought nothing could go wrong, But I was wrong, I was wrong

If you, if you could get by, Trying not to lie, Things wouldn’t be so confused, And I wouldn’t feel so used, But you always knew, I just want to be with you

———

Sloane sat at the large round table, sipping her wine. The two bands had just completed all the concerts in France, and were having a celebratory dinner for the night. The lights were dim in the fancy restaurant, but Sloane could still see the heartbreaking sight of Maureen and Robert cozying up to eachother. She longed to be the one Robert was dedicated to, to be his Maureen, to be the one who sipped on his beer instead of her wine for a change, to rest her hand on his knee. She wished to be the one who would sleep with him in bed each night, without a worry of cheating or unfaithfulness. Her heart was also broken for Maureen, she was so inlove with Robert, as was he with her. She was also probably the greatest mother out there, being a single parent for a lot of the year.

Sloane switched her focus from the smitten couple, to Marshall and John Bonham's discussion on gongs, congas and all exotic drums.

Everything had been going so well, the concerts each night going to wonderfully, the bands got on great together. Even all the touring crew and management got on well with eachother. It was like one, big, slightly dysfunctional family.

Sloane wished she could vent to one of her bandmates about her case of ill fated love, but she knew if she told any of the CAP boys, tension would arise between the bands, and she simply couldn't bear to break the harmony.

“I’m sorry everyone, but I feel a bit ill and I think it would be best if I went to my room” Sloane announced, rising from her chair. She briefly locked eyes with Robert, before averting her eyes that threatened to fill with tears.

“Are you sure you’re okay Slo? I can come up and look after you if you feel faint or anything?” Rory asked genuinely, concerned for his little sister, he noticed she had been a little less bubbly than normal today.

“I’m fine Ror, I’ll think being on the go and travelling for the last couple of months has caught up with me. I’ll call you if I need you. Love you” she said, hugging him tightly.

“Love you, stay safe sis”

A chorus of goodbyes were heard as she left the table and walked out of the brassiere restaurant.

As soon as she entered her large room, she decided to clean up her stuff in order to distract herself. She folded all her clothes, tucked all her shoes into her suitcase, and cleaned up her makeup station on the vanity, placing the assortment of beauty products in the black makeup bag she owned.

After she was done cleaning, she ordered a couple bottles of wine, with some croissant from room service, taking advantage of the readily available French delicacies.

Lowering herself into the warm bubble bath she ran while waiting for her room service, her mind wandered to the whole situation, creating lyrics in her head. Luckily she brought her songbook, so there was no need to get out of the bath in search for it. She poured her heart out into the lyrics. After finishing the lyrics up, she soaked for a little longer, until she felt herself pruning and wrapped the fuzzy bath robe around herself.

She was about to turn off her bedside light to sleep, when she heard a light knock on the door. Her head scrambled, trying to figuring out who it was. Must be Rory checking up on me she thought. Opening the door, her heart skipped a beat at the visitor.

“Sloane let me-“

“Robert, please, I told you we were over”

“Will you let me speak, I need to talk to you”

Sloane stepped aside from the door, letting him in. She guided him to the seating area of the room, not wanting to risk being near the bed.

“Uh, d’want tea or something?” Sloane asked the blonde man, the air heavy with awkward tension.

“Yeah sure, love. That’d be great” Robert answered warmly.

“So, what do you want to say” Sloane asked, pushing his tea on front of him.

“Sloane, I’m sorry. I still do love you and I hate that I fucked everything up. I was just so infatuated- I still am, and I regret that I made you feel upset. I just want to say sorry”

“I- I still love you too Robert, it wasn’t just one sided, I really thought you were the one”

“Sloane, I don’t know what to say… If- if you ask me to, I will. I want you. I want to be yours.”

“Robert- I. I can’t do that. As much as I want to love you and be with you, I can’t be a homewrecker. I’ve seen the way you are with Maureen, you love her. I know in my gut that you’re better off with her. She loves you and deserves you 100%” Sloane’s face was wet with tears.

“Uh, okay. I’m sorry love, I really wish I didn’t fuck up our relationship. I really hope that one day we can be friends again, when you’re ready” Robert got up to leave, but was stopped when Sloane grabbed his hand.

“There’s a part of me that will always love you Robert. This was wonderful while it lasted” She spoke with a sad smile on her face.

Robert squeezed her hand in agreement, before exiting the room.

———

And I’m in so deep, You know I’m such a fool for you You got me wrapped around your finger, oh, Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to? Do you have to let it linger?

Oh I’m in so deep, You know I still have love for you, My love has wrapped me round your finger, oh, Do you have to let it linger? Do you have? Do you have to let it linger?

The CAPs finished their song, and Sloane stood up to thank the crowd.

“Robert, darling, there you are. Was that singer at the dinner last night?” Maureen asked warmly to her husband, joining him in the wings.

“Uh, yeah, but she left early because of travel sickness y’know the sort” Robert answered absentmindedly, his deep blue eyes trained on the lead singer, who was preparing for the next song in the band’s set list.

“I must have missed her. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? I love that song she just sang, great voice” Maureen mused, admiring Sloane’s confidence , akin to her husbands.

“Yeah, yeah she is. She’s a beautiful person, inside and out”

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

my first Robert fic!!! I’m more of a Jimmy girl, but I love the golden god too (Leo men <3)

as always, any criticism/ideas are welcome in my inbox or comments 🤍

tag list : @dreamersdrowse @rebel-without-a-zeppelin @princesspagey ask me if you would like to be added!!

[lils-writes-stuff]

Seattle

spencer reid x reader 

Best years part six | part five | part four | part three | part two | part one

Summary: in a spree killer case in seattle, the reader is injured and meets up with an old friend.

warnings: normal criminal minds things, mentions of psychological torture and abuse

A/N: based on season 7 episode 17; also this part satisfies my dream of a grey’s anatomy x criminal minds crossover lol

 Y/N sat in Hotch’s office, right leg shaking as she watched the man read over all the notes she had received over the last 4 months. His eyes scan over the words of each note, some being longer than the others. 

 Finally, he looked up after what felt like an eternity.

 “How long has this been going on?” He asked her with a raised brow. 

 “The letters, or me and her?” Y/N asked back. 

 “Let’s start at the beginning then,” he said. 

 Y/N took a breath, “Okay, it started in my freshman year of college. Caroline took me under her wing and I trusted her. She was seven years older than me so she became like a big sister at first, but than she would try to get me to do things I wasn’t comfortable with doing. When I said no to doing these things she would get angry a-and hit me, so I started distancing myself from her.

 When I gained new friends, I guess she became jealous and she would come over when they were there and just psychologically torture me and them. Yell at us, use the power of suggestion and hurt them, she’s really good at mind games and manipulating people. She would convince them it wasn’t her that hurt them, but them who told her to do it or that they fell and hurt themselves, and there was nothing I could do to stop her from hurting people I loved. She said if I told anyone she would hurt my family. So I never let myself have friends, she was the only one I talked to, and she would hit me and scream at me until I was nothing but a shell of who I was.” Y/N wiped the tears on her face that she didn’t even realize had fallen. “I’m- I’m sorry-” 

 “Y/N it’s alright, it’s a time in your life that was very traumatic,” Hotch said, letting her feel comfortable again after she felt embarrassed. “How did you get away?”

 “In my junior year, I decided I wanted to stop people who wanted to hurt others, like how Caroline was doing to me, so my senior year I applied for the academy after I graduated. I guess she found out and then she disappeared, but she would send me notes just like this up until my 25th birthday.” 

 “That’s when she went to prison for assault,” Hotch said as he looked over the timeline Penelope had pieced together.

 “Yeah,” Y/N said.

 “What does the bird mean?” Hotch asked. 

 “I don’t know, she’s always liked it, I guess it’s her signature,” Y/N answered. 

 “Who all knows about her?” 

 “My mom, my best friend who lives in Seattle, Spencer, and Penelope,” Y/N said. “And of course you, now.”

 “Alright, I don’t know what all I can do to help, but thank you for telling me Y/N,” Hotch said with a small smile which made Y/N feel better. 

 “Thank you, sir,” Y/N said and stood up to exit the room, wiping under her eyes to clear the mascara before she faced the music of those in the bullpen. 

 She walked down the four steps from Hotch’s office and reached the floor of the bullpen. Spencer looked up from his desk to see Y/N, his heart aching seeing the same tear-stained face from when she told him a couple of days before. 

 Spencer completely understood fully why she didn’t tell him about this. She didn’t know about his problem with Dilaudid until one night they were together on the plane a little while after she joined the team. The rest of the team was asleep but the two insomniacs were wide awake, talking quietly and getting to know each other better. That’s the night Y/N developed feelings for the boy wonder. 

 “Alright, what’s one of the hardest cases you worked?” Y/N asked in a whisper as she looked over at Spencer in his chair. 

 “Uh, for me personally, or just a genuinely hard case?”  

 “Both.” 

 “Well, I guess they go hand-in-hand,” Spencer began. “We-we were working these home invasion cases in Georgia, and we thought that the unsubs were more than one you know? Anyway, JJ and I went to one of the suspect’s home and I was kidnapped-”

 “Spencer you don’t have to-” Y/N tried to tell him he didn’t have to tell her this, seeing that it was hard for him. 

 “No, no, I want to,” Spencer interrupted. He wanted to tell her because he trusted her. He continued to tell the story of how Tybyus Heinkel was all the unsubs in one, having a multiple personality disorder. How he was drugged and tortured for two days, and how he had a drug problem after too. 

 “Spencer, I’m so sorry,” Y/N said, reaching over and placing her hand on top of his. 

 “For what? You don’t have anything to be sorry for. Anyways, it’s over now, so what’s your hardest case?” Spencer said reassuring her, trying to turn the topic away from him. 

 “Well, from the ones I worked with before the BAU…”

 “How’d it go?” Spencer asked as Y/N approached his desk. 

 “As well as it could have gone,” she said with a sad smile. She was glad that she finally told Hotch, knowing this was probably better than just keeping it to herself. 

 She sat down at her own desk and began to get back to work, but her mind couldn’t focus, the only thing she was able to think about being the last note she got. 

--------

 “Okay, Kevin, seriously, I got a meeting I gotta get to,” Derek said to Kevin while he stood outside of the round table room. 

 Y/N stood with Penelope, both of them watching with curiosity as Derek and Kevin talked. Well, Kevin talked while chasing Derek. 

 “Derek, please, come on, bro-- this is important,” Kevin pleaded as Derek walked into the room. 

 “Oh, this should be interesting,” Y/N said as she watched Penelope approach Derek. 

 “Um, hi, yeah what was that about?” Penelope asked, knowing that Drek and Kevin never just chit-chat together.  

 “Oh uh, he just wanted to talk,” Derek responded.

 “About what?”

 “Guy stuff.” 

 “Me?”

 “Garcia,” Hotch said interrupting the two’s conversation. “Let’s get started.” 

 “Oh- yes, sorry, uh. Two couples were found shot, uh, to death in the Delridge neighborhood of Seattle, Washington,” Penelope said beginning the case. “The first was Mark Daniel and Ben priestly, they were found dead in their living room. The second was John and Heather Miller, they lived 4 miles away, and they were found last night dead in their hallway.”

 “Their daughter found them?” JJ asked. 

 “Yeah, she had snuck out to see her boyfriend, when she got back, they were dead,” Penelope answered.  

 “Two double homicides must be rare in that area,” Rossi stated. 

 “What makes it weirder is that there was no sign of robbery or sexual assault,” Penelope said. 

 “The shooter used a 22,” Derek said looking up from the file.

 “Shot them execution-style,” JJ said. 

 “He’s experienced enough to use a pillow as a silencer, “ Hotch added.

 “Don’t wanna wake the neighbors,” Emily said. 

 “You know,” Spencer began turning to the screen with the crime scene photos on it. “These crimes seem to lack the emotionality that we typically see in personal cause homicides.”

 “Most executions are criminal enterprise related,” Y/N said looking at Spencer next to her. 

 “But the probability of these couples being involved in the exact same illegal activity is kind of low,” Spencer countered.    

  “There’s no way these were random victims of opportunity,” Derek said looking over at Spencer. 

 “Garcia, no sign of forced entry?” Hotch asked the woman next to him. 

 “None that the authorities have found, no,” she responded. 

 “So it’s a home invasion,” Hotch said plainly. 

 “Or-” Y/N held her pen up- “the unsub is using a ruse,” she said pointing the pen at Hotch while she spoke. 

 “Either way, they’re calculating and dispassionate,” Rossi said. 

 “They have no appreciation to chenille throw pillows,” Penelope said looking at the pillows n the photos.

 “Well, the violent and targeted nature of these crimes suggests that there could be more,” Derek said leaning forward on the table. 

 “Wheels up in thirty,” Hotch said dismissing everyone. 

 Everyone began to walk out of the room, and Y/N walked swiftly to catch up with Derek before he got to his office. 

 “Morgan,” she whispered loudly as she followed behind him. 

 “What’s up, Pretty girl?” Derek said turning around to look at Y/N. 

 “Was Kevin talking to you about him doing something extra special for Penelope? Maybe like a proposal?” Y/N asked with excitement. 

 Derek raised a brow in surprise, “How did you know that?” 

 “Well you two have never just ‘talked’, and he was over-explaining things with his hands. It’s also what my best friend’s boyfriend did with me before proposing to her,” Y/N explained. 

 “He did, but I don’t know if that’s even what Penelope wants,” Derek said, trying to give a reason as to why he avoided Kevin’s question earlier. 

 “I mean, I get it, you didn’t want to give him false hope, but you and I both know she’s going to try and find out what’s going on now, right?” 

 Derek laughed nodding, “Yeah, she probably will.”

---------------

 “Alright, let’s go over victimology,” Hotch said, bringing the attention to him.  “Each of the victims is a professional.”

 “The domestic partners were lawyers and the millers worked at a tech company,” Rossi said looking at Hotch. 

 “But P.D. couldn’t find any overlap,” Emily added. 

 “Both couples were really enjoyed by their peers, neighborhood watch, volunteered in community groups, you name it,” Penelope said, her voice coming through the laptop speaker. 

 “This was a straight-up execution,” Y/N said looking at the file in her hand. “The kneeling on the ground, placing a pillow behind the head.” 

 “Seems ritualistic,” Hotch said. 

 “Or simply taking precautions,” Rossi argued. 

 “Some of the vics were shot in the leg,” Emily said, almost a question but more of an unknown statement.

 “They probably were trying to defend themselves, and this was the only way our unsub could them to the floor,” Rossi said looking at Emily.

 “Well, the scenes pretty clean, except what’s left on the floor and the pillows,” JJ said. 

 “Garcia, how are each of the couples’ financials?” Hotch asked the woman on the screen. 

 “Yo, I wish mine were this good,” she responded. 

 “What about the Millers’ daughter Abby?” Rossi asked.

 “Yeah, she sneaks out to see her boyfriend, that seems oddly convenient,” Y/N said looking at Rossi in agreement.

 “P.D. confirms her story, a neighbor saw her kissing her boyfriend in his backyard during the times of the kills,” Spencer said, taking the theory of the daughter being apart away. 

 “Romantic,” Y/N said with a chuckle at what the teenagers had been doing.

 “You guys, something just happened,” Penelope said, bringing the attention to her frantic voice. “Another couple, the same area, shot to death in their house.”

 “This is turning into a spree,” Derek said.

 “Targeting potentially unrelated couple,” Emily added. 

 “And the time between the murders is accelerating,” Spencer said.

 “Prentiss, you and JJ go talk to Abby. Dave and I will go to yesterday’s crime scene, Y/N you, Morgan and Reid go to the newest,” Hotch ordered. 

--------------

 Derek pulled into the driveway of the latest victims’ home. The three filed out of the car and met the detective outside the house. 

 “Hi, I’m Agent Morgan, this Dr. Spencer Reid, and Agent Y/L/N,” Derek said shaking the detective’s hand and introducing the two beside him. 

 “Nice to meet you guys, follow me,” the detective said, leading the three inside.  “I mean, we get our occasional DWI, a few kids egging a house on Halloween, but people shot like this…looks like one of those cable shows.”

 “Well again, there’s no sign of a break-in,” Derek said from his spot in the doorway. 

 Y/N left Spencer’s side and began to look around the room, inspecting the photos and paintings. Trying to get a sense of who this couple was. 

 “But all the windows were unlocked, so who knows?” The detective said, the question rhetorical. 

 Y/N then turned her head and looked at the blood spots on the floor. “They were killed right here?” She asked turning to the detective while she pointed to the spot. 

 “Yeah,” the detective responded. 

 “They still had their keys out,” Spencer said pointing out the keys that were laying on the ground. 

 “So they were caught off guard,” Derek said. 

 “The house is childproof,” Spencer said, noticing all the childproof items around the room. 

 “Yeah, it must have been a relative or neighbor’s kids,” the detective said. 

 “They didn’t have any kids?” Y/N asked, prompting the detective to shake his head in response. 

 Y/N and Derek followed Spencer as he wandered into the living room of the house. They looked at the table noticing the soda can sitting on the table. 

 “The unsub probably sat right here,” Derek said pointing the armchair beside him. 

 “Had a soda-” Spencer pointed to the can on the table- “we should pull the cans for prints.” 

 “The reading light is on still, the unsub was probably looking for something,” Y/N said after noticing the light was still on.

 “But there aren’t any magazines or newspapers around, which means it’s important enough to take him out of killing mode,” Spencer said looking at Y/N. 

 “For someone on a spree, this unsub sure is patient,” Derek said. 

 “If he’s so patient what is it that he’s waiting for?” Spencer asked, looking between Derek and Y/N. 

 “Maybe the unsub though they had something he wanted, and when they didn’t, he killed them,” Y/N said as her eyes looked back to the spot where the couple was killed. 

 Once the three had finished in the house, they thanked the detective and headed out to the SUV. The damp air made Y/N pull her navy jacket around her tighter as the air gave her a chill. 

 “Y/N, doesn’t your best friend live here?” Spencer asked her as they got into the vehicle. 

 “Yeah, she’s a surgical resident at some hospital,” she answered as they pulled out of the driveway. “I would go visit her but I think she’s a little busy, as well and me.” 

------------

 “The Millers and the Gilberts both participated in our foster program, it’s a local joint venture we have with the community center,” the pastor said to Y/N and Spencer that sat across from him at his desk. 

 Hotch had sent the two to the church after they discovered that two of the couples attended the same one. 

 “That could be the same community center our first victims volunteered at,” Y/N said looking at Spencer who sat next to her.  

 “Well that explains why the homes were childproof,” Spencer said looking to Y/N. “They sometimes had kids in their custody.” 

 “Yeah but if they were foster parents, it would’ve come up when Garica checked their backgrounds,” Y/N said. 

 “What happens if you get a child who needs a home immediately but no foster families are available? Is there some sort of emergency list or something?” Spencer asked the pastor. 

 “ Yeah, they can take the kids for just for a night or a weekend, and -uh- both couples were on that list, too,” the pastor answered.

 “We’re gonna need a copy of that list,” Y/N said to the pastor. 

 “We also need the names of anyone who would have had access to it,” Spencer added. “Our unsubs following that list,” he whispered to Y/N. 

 “Let me go get that list for you,” the pastor said before exiting the room.

 “Thank you,” Y/N said. 

 The pastor returned a moment later with the list. Spencer and Y/N thanked him once again before they left the building. 

 “Our last couple had a baby in their possession two days ago,” Y/N said as she pointed to the name and date on the list. 

 “That sheds some light on the 22, that gun is easy to handle,” Spencer said as the two walked through the church courtyard. 

 “And it’s not very loud,” Y/N added, pocketing the list in her jacket. 

 “You know, add that to no forced entry, I don’t think the pillows were used to minimize sound, they were used to stay clean. Which means this unsub might be a woman,” Spencer said as his brain put the pieces of the puzzle together.

 “She probably had a connection to the foster system,” Y/N said as she caught on the train Spencer was on. 

 “Or she simply wants a kid,” Spencer countered. 

 “But then why wouldn’t she just snatch one off the street?” Y/N said, her voice coming off defensive as the two stopped walking.

 “This is a maternal desire, these couples took in babies. Maybe she lost her own or can’t conceive,” Spencer said. 

 “So she killed those people because when she got to their home, they didn’t have a child,” Y/N said, her theory she said back at the crime scene becoming true. 

 “She’ll keep killing until she finds one,” Spencer said as the two began to walk again. 

----------

 “We believe the unsub we’re looking for is a white female. Who, based upon the organizational level of the crimes, is in her late 30s to early 40s,” Hotch said. 

 “We also believe that something in the last few days has triggered her to think that killing was the only she was going to be able to obtain a child,” Emily explained. 

 “Consequently, the foster families that did not have a child in their care when she visited, became her victims,” Y/N added, her eyes looking over the officers in front of her.

 “Because all these families recently had children in their homes, we believe our unsub is motivated by maternal desire,” Rossi said. 

 “Maternal desire is the profound emotional need to mother a baby, this stems from either a tragic loss of her own child or the inability to have one at all,” JJ explained.    

 “This unsub my also fantasize that someone else’s baby belongs to her, and this emotion feels beyond her control,” Spencer began as he stood up from his chair. “A woman who miscarries sometimes projects onto someone else’s baby and then sets out to take that child.”

 “This may cause our unsub to do something drastic. Like commit a cesarean abduction or kidnap a random kid,” Derek said. 

 “The speed that the kills are occurring suggests that our unsub is frustrated and devolving,” Y/N added.  

 “This is causing her to go on a spree, which usually ends in a very high body count and suicide by cop,” JJ said. 

 “So we should look at anyone who was pregnant and suffering from postpartum psychosis,” Derek explained looking at the officer around. 

 “We also need to check those who worked for or had access to the local foster system,” Rossi added. 

 “Thank you, any questions?” Hotch asked looking at the officers. 

 Almost every officer in the room raised their hands. Hotch began to call on people and answer their questions, but Y/N was pulled away as her phone rang. 

 “Hey Penelope what’s up?” Y/N asked after she answered, walking away from the group. 

 “What were Derek and Kevin talking about yesterday, I know your nosey butt found out so tell me,” Penelope said, her voice gritting at the end of her sentence. 

 “I can’t do that Penelope, it’s not my place,” Y/N responded, not wanting to spoil the surprise. 

 “Ugh, fine I’m just gonna keep calling Derek till he answers,” Penelope then hung up the phone, making Y/N chuckle as she went back to the group. 

 After they had finished answering questions, the team separated and began to work on case details. 

 Y/N sat next to Spencer as he wrote something down while he formed the geographical profile, while Hotch talked to Penelope on the phone. She looked at Spencer, silently admiring his face, his upper lip tucked under his bottom as he focused on his writing. 

 “Another woman’s been shot,” the detective said, bringing Y/N back to reality. “Three blocks from here.”  

 “She has a fairly limited comfort zone,” Spencer said as he looked at the spot the woman was just shot at on the map. 

 “Alright, Reid, you and Y/N work the list, I’ll take Rossi and Prentiss with me,” Hotch said, quickly exiting the room.

 “You know, you’re not gonna get any work done if you keep looking at me working,” Spencer said, feeling Y/N’s gaze on him as he sat working. 

 “It helps me think,” she responded. Spencer chuckled and continued to work.  

-----------

  “Okay, here’s the dealio and stay with me,” Penelope said over the phone. After Hotch, Rossi, and Emily visited the scene, they discovered that the woman that was shot had a baby. She was in the process of adopting him and they needed to find out the birth parents that were sealed by the state. “Ben, formerly known as Johnny, was born to Margaret Hallman.”

 “Where is she now?” Hotch asked. 

 “Well, she should be at the Fallbrook women’s correctional facility, but she was released four days ago due to overcrowding,” Penelope answered. 

 “We thought it was a mental institution,” JJ said. 

 “But if she was released, why kill to get your own kid?” Rossi asked. 

 “Her maternal rights must have been terminated,” Spencer answered. 

 “Yeah, that happens when you have sex with one of your high school students two years ago,” Penelope said. 

 “Ew,” Y/N said out loud, the word just slipping out from astonishment and disgust. 

 “Uh-huh, his name is Thomas Brown, AKA Tommy Brown, and he is little Johnny’s baby daddy, like for real,” Penelope explained. 

 “Teacher love syndrome,” Hotch said. 

 “She gave birth to Tommy’s baby in jail, and then when Tommy’s mom refused to raise it, the baby was put in foster care.” 

 “Okay, so we were right, the baby did spend time in each of the victims’ homes,” Derek said.

 “Oh, you betcha,” Penelope responded. 

 “That would explain the spree and the maternal desire,” Emily elaborated. 

 “She’s trying to put her family back together,” Y/N said. 

 “Garcia, we need the Browns’ address,” Hotch ordered to Penelope. 

 “On its way sir,” Penelope responded.

 The team piled into the SUVs and made their way to the Browns’ residence. The tires came to screeching stop and they piled out of the vehicles and made their way inside.

 “Please....please help!” A girl laying on the ground spoke. 

 “Female down,” Derek said passing her and heading into the next room. 

 Y/N and JJ kneeled beside her. 

 “We need an ambulance at 1986 Homer Street,” Hotch said into his wire. “Is Margret Hallman in the house?” He asked the girl. 

 Y/N and JJ began inspecting her injuries, seeing a gunshot wound in her back. 

 “No, she took Tommy,” the girl answered breathing heavily. 

 “Hey, you’re gonna be okay, sweetie,” Y/N said, hoping to comfort the girl on the ground. 

 “What’s your name?” JJ asked. 

 “Julie Parker,” she answered. 

 “Julie, do you know where they went?” Hotch asked her.

 “No,” she cried. “It hurts.”

 “Alright, hey, it’s gonna be okay,” Y/N comforted the girl.

 “Let’s put this on it, okay,” JJ said, grabbing a rag and holding it against her back.

 “Are you Tommy’s neighbor?” Hotch asked, continuing with his questions. 

 “Yes, Ms. Hallman had their baby with her, Tommy took all his stuff,” Julie explained, her voice trembling from the pain. 

 ��The place is empty,” Emily said entering the room. 

 “It’s clear here too,” Derek said entering from the kitchen. 

 “We need to find all we can on Margret Hallman,” Y/N said looking at Hotch.

 “There are probably other victims in her past,” Hotch agreed.

 The sounds of sirens were heard allowing Julie to sigh in relief. 

 “JJ, stay with Julie until her parents get here, we’ll call Garcia and find out what we can about Ms. Hallman,” Hotch said, exiting the room with Derek, Emily, and Y/N. 

 “What you got baby girl,” Derek said answering the phone while they stood outside the browns house.

 “Okay, Ms. Hallman had an exemplary record in jail,” Penelope explained. 

 “What was her interaction with the outside world like?” Y/N asked. 

 “Um- well, she had limited computer use, and she used all of that time searching for a… Johnny Lewis,” Penelope said, her voice questioning at the end. 

 “Her baby?” Derek asked. 

 “No,” Penelope began. “Johnny Lewis is one of her former students from Lake Forrest School. His parents charged her with molestation, and then they dropped the charges.” 

 “When was this?” Emily asked. 

 “Three years prior to meeting Tommy,” Penelope answered.

 “So she had a baby with Tommy and names it after the first kid she molested,” Y/N said with astonishment. 

 “Yeah, and according to the prison’s hard drive, she wrote dozens of emails to this Johnny Lewis,” Penelope explained. 

 “Maybe Tommy’s a surrogate for him,” Emily said looking at Y/N beside her. 

 “Garcia, we need to talk to the Lewis’,” Hotch said. 

 “Mm, their phone is disconnected,” Penelope answered. 

 “What about an address?” Y/N asked. 

 “They’ve moved around a lot. Oh- wow, okay it’s like they’re off the grid.” 

 “Well, who lives in their old house now?” Derek asked. “Maybe they could help us get info.” 

 “Uh, it’s changed hands a lot. Oh, snap, crackle, and pop goes the lady weasel. You’ll never guess who bought it,” Penelope said. 

 “Ms. Hallman,” Y/N and Emily said together, having no surprise or question in their voices.

 “Mm-hm, it was picked up by her sister a year ago, and then it was transferred to Maggie’s name yesterday,” Penelope explained. 

 “Send us the address?” Hotch asked.

 “Already sent,” Penelope answered. 

---------

 The sun had just set as the team rolled up to Margaret Hallman’s house. Local police followed in cars behind them as they stopped in the street in front of the house. 

 Y/N, JJ, and Derek walked up to Hotch and Emily as they got out of the car. 

 “Take the front, Prentiss, and I will take the back,” Hotch said. The three nodded, taking their guns out. 

 The three walked up to the front of the house and watched as Tommy walked out, a gun in his hand. 

 “FBI, drop it!” Derek said when he noticed the gun in the teen’s hand. 

 He lifted the hand with no gun in it up, the other staying by his side. “Just-- Just move, move-- move back,” Tommy spoke with a scared voice. 

 “Tommy, drop the gun,” Y/N said, her own gun pointing at the boy. 

 “Just-- just get off our yard,” he answered, his hand motioning over the yard in front of him. 

 “You don’t want to do this,” JJ said with a stern, clear voice. 

 “You don’t know me,” Tommy said. “My--my girl and kid are in there-” 

 “She’s a predator, Tommy,” Derek tried to reason with him. 

 “No, she’s not an animal. We love each other,” Tommy tried to explain. 

 “No, Tommy this isn’t love,” Derek said. 

 “Tommy this is a woman who’s been taking advantage of you, she molested you,” Y/N tried to explain. 

 “No, I--I knew what I was doing,” Tommy replied. 

 “Did you know there was another kid exactly like you from another school?” JJ asked. 

 “Shut up!” Tommy exclaimed.

 “You weren’t the first, Tommy,” Y/N said. 

 “No, no, They’re lying!” Maggie exclaimed as she walked out, pointing at Y/N and JJ. 

 “Tommy she wrote letters to him, too,” Derek explained. 

 “That’s not true,” Maggie said with a sickeningly sweet voice. 

 “And she’d tell him that everything happens for a reason,” Y/N added.

 “Be quiet!”

 “She said that he was the love of her life, that she loved to sneak out to see him,” Y/N continued.

“That’s it!” 

 “Tommy, she wrote that to another boy, who lived in this exact same house,” Derek said.

 “What are they talking about?” Tommy asked looking at Maggie.

 “She even named your son after him,” Y/N said. 

 “Answer me, damn it!” Tommy exclaimed looking at Maggie, who was covering her ears with her hands. 

 “Without you, my life would be empty, and that’s why nothing is going to keep us apart, and I mean nothing,” Maggie said. 

 Tommy then dropped the gun in his hand, not wanting to believe Maggie anymore. 

 Maggie then quickly grabbed the gun Tommy dropped and shot, hitting Y/N on her upper left arm. 

 “Ugh!” Y/N exclaimed as she grabbed her arm in pain, blood covering it. She looked up and saw Maggie herself lying down in pain. Hotch could be seen through the screen door of the house, gun still pointed at Maggie.

 “Maggie!” Tommy exclaimed, falling to his knees next to her. 

 “Y/N are you okay?” JJ asked as she kneeled beside her. 

 “Yeah-- yeah, I think so, I might need to go get it looked at though,” Y/N said, looking at the wound on her arm.

 “We need paramedics of the front porch, suspect it down and a federal agent has been wounded,” Hotch said into his wire.

---------

 When Y/N arrived at the E.R. of the hospital with JJ, she was directed towards a bed before someone would be with her.

 “Y/N?” A familiar voice said as they approached. 

 Y/N looked up from her wound that she was inspecting to see her best friend standing, holding a tablet in her hand. 

 “London!” Y/N said with excitement as her friend walked towards her. They hugged each other tightly, London avoiding the part of her arm that was hurt. “Oh, I’m sorry JJ, this is London, my best friend,” Y/N said introducing the two.

 JJ shook London’s hand introducing herself.  

 “Hi I’m Dr. Wilson, I’ll be taking care of you today Mrs. Y/L/N,” a brunette doctor said approaching the three. 

 “Oh, Wilson, if you don’t mind, I’ll take this one, and it’s Agent Y/L/N,” London said, correcting her younger peer. 

 “Oh-- right sorry,” Dr. Wilson said before walking away timidly. 

 “I get to do that, she’s an intern,” London said, making Y/N and JJ laugh. 

 London began looking at the wound on Y/N’s arm, telling her it would need some stitches seeing that it was a clean entry and exit wound. 

 As Y/N and JJ sat while London patched up her arm, they chatted about life and all the things that were happening. Their attention was soon brought away from their chat as a frantic Spencer Reid entered the room. 

 “Is that him?” London asked, referring back to all the times Y/N told her about Spencer on the phone.

 “Yeah,” she responded. 

 “You always had good taste,” London chuckled. 

 “Y/N, oh thank god you’re okay, all that Derek said was that you got shot, and didn’t explain--” Y/N cut him off. 

 “Spencer, I am fine,” she said with a reassuring smile.

 “Oh, okay good,” he said with a sigh of relief. 

 “Spencer, I want you to meet someone, this is Dr. London Ryan, London this is Dr. Spencer Reid,” Y/N said introducing the two. 

 “London? As in your best friend London?” Spencer asked. 

 “Hi, Dr. Reid it’s nice to meet you, Y/N has told me so much about you,” she said, finishing up Y/N’s last stitch. 

 “Likewise,” he responded smiling at the doctor. 

 “Alright, you’re good to go Y/N, you’ll have to have those taken out in a couple of days,” London said before her attention was called away to another doctor. 

 “Ryan! Where are my post-ops?” A shorter, African American doctor in darker scrubs asked her as she approached. 

 “I finished them an hour ago, Dr. Bailey, they should be in the chart,” she told the doctor. 

 “London, I have to go, thank you so much, I will take care of my arm I promise,” Y/N said getting up from the bed. 

 “Whoa, you can’t just get up like that and go she has to discharge you,” Dr. Bailey said to Y/N, not wanting her student to be trampled on by a patient. 

 “I have, and she can, she’s a federal agent, she has to go catch serial killers,” London said to the other doctor. 

 “Bring me my post-ops,” Dr. Bailey said, pointing his finger at her before walking away. 

 “It was nice to meet you, London,” Spencer said and JJ agreed, before Y/N and London hugged, and the three agents left. 

---------- 

 “I will never understand this teacher-lover thing, I can barely deal with a grown man,” JJ said as her, Spencer, Y/N, Rossi, and Penelope walked towards the elevator of the office building. 

 “What’s interesting is if it had been a male teacher and a female student, he’d have gotten 20 years and none of this wouldn’t have happened,” Rossi said. 

 “She could get life plus 20 for all the murders she committed,” Y/N said.

 “You know what’s funny if she wasn’t so pretty, she probably would have never been released in the first place,” Spencer said looking at Y/N beside him. 

 “What?” Penelope said confused. 

 “It’s true, unattractive female predators serve a longer prison sentence than their attractive counterparts,” Spencer explained.

 “Wow that’s ridiculous,” Penelope said astonished. 

 “For real,” Y/N agreed.

 “It’s primal, there’s a hierarchy to everything. Including sex offenders,” Spencer added. 

 “Okay, well, who’s ready to get breakfast?” JJ asked, seeing that they had flown in early that morning. 

   “Me,” Y/N said, Spencer and Rossi, giving thumbs up as they began to walk over to the elevator.

 “I can’t, there’s something I gotta take care of,” Penelope said noticing Derek coming down the hallway. 

 “Have fun,” Y/N said knowingly. 

 Penelope smiled at her and walked over to Derek. 

 “What is it about?” Spencer asked as Y/N entered the elevator. 

 “Oh, Penelope and Kevin, but it’s not my place to tell though, so ask her later,” Y/N answered wanting to respect their privacy. 

-

 Y/N sighed as she entered Spencer’s apartment, the smell of him filling her nose. 

 “Spencer, I really don’t have to stay here until I get my stitches out, I will be fine,” she tried to protest, but secretly she wanted to stay. 

 “I don’t want you to rip them, or do anything that might get it infected,” Spencer said, taking his coat off then pulling Y/N’s off of her since her left arm was in a sling. 

 “Would a kiss get it infected?” She asked puckering her lips. 

 Spencer laughed and placed his lips on hers in a sweet kiss. She smiled as he pulled her over to the couch to cuddle.

Tag List (let me know if you want to be added!!):

@throughparisallthroughrome​ @word-scribbless​ @nintendumbfuck​ @confused-and-really-hungry​ @justine-en​ @andiebeaword​ @itsarayofsunshine​ @baby-i-am-fireproof​ @abitofeverythinggg​ @nanocoool​ @marceline-is-my-spirit-animal​ @fancyfaucet​

[hitsuackerman]

Unpredictable (Overhaul x Reader) pt.24

a/n: last of the fluff before we head back to the main arc :*

warnings: this cannot be read solo

Links: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11, part 12, part 13, part 14, part 15, part 16, part 17, part 18, part 19, part 20, part 21, part 22, part 22, part 23, part 23.5, part 25

Masterlist to my other fics: here :)

Overhaul’s waiting list: @jjk-biased @infinite-universe-love @dirtypride @blackymomo03 @azzie @purple-rabanito​ @meximorrita @awesomeee19​​ @celestial-kanzakii​ @laure-lo​ @team-wang-puppy​ @aydience-world​ @choros-main-hoe​ @colorseeingchick​ @o-dragon05 @but-kairis-not-that-smart (i cant seem to tag again :( hope this lands in your timelines!)

“I’ll be back in about 30 minutes.” Chisaki said as he stood up from your bed. Pressing his palm against your forehead, he felt your fever had only worsened. The vomiting had stopped, which he was more than thankful for, but it was now replaced with fever and chills. Though Gei had stated this was normal and that you should be fine within a day or two, he was still advised to stay till the end of the week.

“You don’t have to, Chisaki.”

“It’s fine.” He waved off. “I have something to do as well.”

Which was true. Hearing that you were craving for onigiri that only that store sold, he took that opportunity instead of having to sneak out. With Kurono now on his way, the quicker they settle things the better. Grabbing his surgical mask, he put it on before stepping into the hallways.

Being extra cautious, he exited your building as if it were something he did often. The security guard merely tilted his hat as a bow before opening the doors. Checking the surroundings, he took out his phone and made his way toward the shop.

It only took about 10 minutes to reach Onigiri Atsamu. When he entered the small establishment, he was greeted by the cook and saw the white hoodie of his right hand man. Before taking a seat he ordered what you had been craving for and took a seat.

“The bullets are ready for testing.” Kurono said with his voice low. Reaching into his pocket, he placed a prototype between them. “Mimic also reported that the heroes are wondering why activity has been low lately. Overheard them saying they might send in more heroes to keep watch.”

“Good. Things should be back to the way they were next week.”

“How is she, by the way?” Kurono took a calculated risk. Strike up a conversation to make things look normal. Though, he was genuinely curious for the turn of events. Especially for that minute second where Kai’s eyes widened. “A pain in the ass?”

“On the contrary, things have been moving quite well.” He shrugged and stared at the man making his order. His black cap hung low enough to cover his face. “Recovery is fast and her friend would be more than pleased at the results.”

“Hmm…” Kurono nodded and quickly eyed his boss. “Aight. Well, that’s it for me. I shall take my leave.”

“Sit.” Overhaul spoke up.

Not expecting that sudden outburst, he sat back down and stared at the man across him. Was there a request he forgot to fulfill? Or was he not truly satisfied with the report he had just given? Every single fault he could have missed ran through his mind till a steaming plate of onigiri was served on their table.

“Order up ya two. Hope ya like it. Added a bit more ingredients since I’m already closin’ up shop.” The cook said as he fixed his hat. His droopy eyes complimented his dark hair.

“Eat up.”

“Eh?” Kurono’s eyes went from the rice ball to Chisaki and back to the rice ball. “I’d rather not. You have more than earned my respect but I do not like to be tested.”

“What are you on about?” Chisaki commented. His face morphing into disgust. “You like onigiris, right? Or have your taste buds changed these past few years?”

“You’ve gotten soft.” He had to comment before grabbing one and savoring the goodness. “Shit these are good.”

“Take your time. I’ll be taking my leave now.” Grabbing the to go bag, he adjusted his mask and left a rather confused but contented arrow-haired man. Recalling that rather shocking moment from last night, he cringed at the memory and exited the shop.

True to his word, he came back within his stated time frame. Expecting to find you still in bed, it was a confusing surprise to find the kitchen filled with sounds of chopping and the speaker softly playing music. Taking a look at the entryway, he saw your back busy with whatever it was you were doing. Putting the bag down on the dining table, he proceeded into the kitchen.

“You’re back~” You finished rolling the last of the sushi. “And right on time too.”

“You’re supposed to be resting.” He leaned on the counter and took his mask off. Tossing it to the counter, he looked at you once more. “What’s with the sushi? We already had dinner.”

“I, uhh, I made these for you.” You lowered your head in an attempt to cover your reddening cheeks. “As a thank you, for taking care of me. I know you were forced to do it but… I appreciate it. I could’ve done it myself and do just as fine b-”

“You’re rambling, problem child.” Tucking in your hair, his touch was as soft as the word could get. Seeing how you jumped a bit at the sudden contact made his chest tingle. It was weird, the sensation, yet your reactions were always worth it. “Don’t bother hiding your flustered face.”

“You can’t just command people to show courage.” You huffed and took a piece of sushi. It was rolled just right and the stuffing placed perfectly. Offering it to him, your heart picked up pace when he leaned down and ate it from your hand.

“One of the best. Not bad, problem child.” He smirked before heading out to take out the onigiris.

Blinking yourself back to life, you cupped your heated cheeks and shut your eyes. You didn’t take any medicine but these past few days, yet you’ve been bolder when it came to your advances.

Recalling the conversation you had with Gei (Of course you called Gei when he left to get those onigiris), your best friend had ushered you to make the most out of your time. If it meant making the move, then you should make your move because it’s the modern times. Nothing but his usual speech when it comes to luring men.

Except this person wasn’t just any man. He was Overhaul.

Then again, the way he casually takes his mask off or comes out of the guest room wearing a shirt and sweats will forever be sketched in your mind.

Arranging the sushi on a plate, you walked to the dining table and caught sight of the onigiris. Putting the plate down and sitting across him, you said thanks and immediately grabbed one. The taste of Atsamu’s Onigiri was always the best. The consistency of the rice was perfect, the filling just right, and the nori thick enough to sustain the weight of savory goodness.

“By the way, I’m feeling much better now. I guess it’s fine if you take your leave tomorrow. I’ll handle Gei. Don’t worry.” You spoke up after the last grain of rice had been devoured.

“Alright.” Chisaki replied as he observed your fingers fiddling with each other.

For a moment, the air between you two grew rigid. Not a single eye contact made. When you told him that you would take care of the dishes, he found himself walking to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

As he was brushing, he couldn’t help but think. It had only been a few days but he had adjusted rather well to your company. Sure, he still managed the Shie Hassaikai but it was with your knowledge and you respected it.

Finished with everything, he headed back to your room and stopped when he saw your figure waiting by the sofa. The faint tint of red on your cheeks made him question your motives. But mostly due to the hideous pink hairband you held in your hands. Taking slow and careful steps forward, he furrowed his brows and crossed his arms.

“What in quirks name are you planning to d--” He was cut off when you hopped a bit and slid the hairband onto him so easily. His breath did a mini hitch when you pulled him down to your height and adjusted the band to pull back his hair.

“Keep your mouth shut, Chisaki.” You were beaming.

“And why should I?”

“Because I’m about to give you the best ‘thank you’ gift you’ll ever receive~” Before he could protest, you took a hold of his hand and dragged him to your bedroom. Pulling him in front of you, though he almost lost balance, you held on to his shoulders and pushed him till he found himself sitting on the floor by your bed.

Not sure what was bound to happen, he observed as you jogged towards your bathroom and came out holding a rather large sachet of something.

Sitting with a bit of distance, you opened the sachet and asked for him to turn around.

“What exactly are you planning, (y/n)?” He let out a sigh but followed instructions. With his back facing you, he did a small jump when he felt his body being pulled down. Realizing that his head was now resting on your lap, he couldn’t help but smirk at the circumstances. “Well, aren’t you unpredictable?”

“What can I say? Gotta keep you on your toes right?” Putting the mask on, you had to admire how long his eyelashes were. Not even Gei was blessed with that kind of length. With his eyes closed, you smiled to yourself. He looked so peaceful and much younger like this. “Give me your hand.”

“Not scared of me overhauling you?” He peaked and lifted his hand. Savoring the heat of your palms as you began to massage. He could get used to this, he kept to himself.

“Why should I be? You’ve fed me, saw my vomit, damaged and fixed my unit, and a whole lot of other shit. I trust you enough.” You replied effortlessly as your fingers kneaded his palms. “Besides, you saved my life. It’s the least I can do.”

Silence hugged the both of you for a few good minutes. By the time you finished massaging his other hand, you asked him to sit down and turn to face you.

“You can overhaul the face mask if you want, I’m gonna be throwing it anyway.” You told him and he did. This would have to be the third or fourth time you’ve seen his quirk in action but it still mesmerized you. “May I?”

“What will you do now?” He squinted his eyes but his actions showed something different. It had not occurred to him that he had scooted closer. When your hands cupped his cheeks and began to gently rub the remaining oils into his skin, he let out a long sigh.

“Stressed?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.” Once again, the foreign sensation hit his chest. The way you were massaging his face, the soft and careful movements you made, clouded his judgement. Seeing how your eyes widened when he held onto your hands was electrifying. Taking a deep breath in, he saw how your eyes landed on his lips… Not knowing that he mirrored your action as well. “Why?”

“Why, what?”

“You know nothing good will ever come between…” The want to say the word ‘us’ had never been stronger, “This.”

“You’re right.” You looked away. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t indulge from time to time, right?”

Knowing this would lead nowhere, you slid your hands away from his and stood up. If there was one thing you needed, it was space and a good splash of cold water to your face. He was right. Nothing good would come whatever the hell was going on between you two.

“Heh.” You chuckled to yourself as you wiped your face. Rubbing your face as you stepped out of the bathroom, you opened your eyes to Overhaul sitting cozily on your bed. Fingers typing away in his laptop. The pink hairband still showing his pretty face. Glancing at the bedside table, he had also prepared your remaining medicine.

“I have made my decision.” He closed the laptop and put it away.

“Which is?” You adjusted your position and faced him. He was still seated but not too long before he too lay down.

“I’ll take my leave tomorrow.”

“Alright.” You gave him an earnest smile before turning around.

“Do you want me to stay?”

“It all depends on you.”

“Just say it.” He moved closer to your body. The mattress dipping behind you.

Facing him once more, you were met with blazing gold eyes that seemed to shimmer in the dimness of your room. Closing your eyes, you welcomed the brushing of his finger against your cheek. When you opened your eyes, blood came rushing to your cheeks at the closeness of his face.

“I want you to stay. But, my intuition tells me I have visitors tomorrow.”

“I can always come back when they leave.”

“I can’t risk them cornering you.” Taking his hand, you intertwined your fingers with his. Surprisingly enough he didn’t protest. “I think video calls will do the job.”

Pulling you closer, the small yelp that filled the room was music to his ears. Having your chests pressed against each other, he was sure you could feel the rapid beating of his heart. The fact alone that his heart was reacting this way only solidified his need. But you were right. The plans have been postponed, any more delays and things could go to waste.

“Okay. I’ll video call you.” Smirking at your widened eyes and red cheeks, he pulled your head to rest on the crook of his neck. “Good night, (y/n).”

 - - - - -

-we have reached the final fluff chapter so be we will now be going to the Shie Hassaikai Arc :') -this story is now reaching 50% completion! -i hope you guys liked the drawing <3 lmao -thank you all so much <3 me and my fam are doing much better! we're scheduled for a swab test later in the day and our results will arrive 3 days from now! :')

[skellebonez]

Smoke, Flasks, and Unfinished Tasks: Chapter 5

AO3 Link!

Chapter 1 Link! , Chapter 2 Link! , Chapter 3 Link! , Chapter 4 Link!

Summary: There’s nothing that brings opposing sides together like a mutual enemy, though who that enemy is...

Warnings: None for this chapter.

Author’s Note: I wanted to take a short break after THE SPECIAL to retool, replan, and rewrite some stuff in the next few chapters and make sure they would fit with what I have already posted, as well as wait for the last episode to be subbed so I could double check what I had in this chapter before posting. This fic is already canon divergent (and now a full on AU) so that helped a lot. All you need to know now is that in SFAUT another year is added in the timeline and 1 New Year has already passed. I will provide spoiler warnings for any chapter in the future since some stuff in the special will be relevant to this fic now. (There are none in this one! No Spoilers Inside!)

Chapter 5: Gladly, your journey ends here with me

“Come on, come on Jin... Ah ha!” Yin let out a triumphant yell as the two Calabashes finally connected remotely, one hidden tucked away where their now unwanted business partner hopefully couldn’t find it, and he quickly closed out and hid all the windows he could on the computers that would give away their plan. It was a long shot... but hopefully this would work. He just had to trust that his elder could handle this on his own.

----------

“You weren’t kidding when you said everything smelled dull,” Mei said with a frown. They were walking around the city looking for anything that could possibly help them get out of here. So far no luck, everything appeared to just be as normal as normal could possibly be. MK had even tried breaking something with his staff on “accident” and only got a slightly angry but forgiving shopkeeper once he paid for the broke table out of it. “Now that I’m really paying attention to it I can’t help but notice it.”

“It’s bizarre,” Red Son chimed in with a growl, true frustration having long since started to bloom in his expression. “Nothing’s happened! No one is attacking us, no one is trying to make everything perfect. It’s just... Normal!” The last word was screeched out, his hair flaming up before he took a breath and calmed back down. “I don’t think this is Jin and Yin anymore. It’s too different from what you described to us.”

Despite not wanting to, MK couldn’t help but nod in agreement. “I think you’re right... this has to be a Calabash, I’m sure of it! But unless they got really good at making more than two step plans really quickly, someone must be helping them.”

Though who that could possibly be they had no clue. As far as the three of them knew the Gold and Silver Demons weren’t really affiliated with anyone specifically. They seemed to run around doing their own thing for the most part.

“There’s got to be some kind of clue around here about how to get out, nothing technological is perfect!” Mei chimed up with a wide smile. “Who knows, maybe the solution will just hit us when we least expect i-”

“WATCH OUT!”

The trio jumped in surprise at the yell, voice familiar but sounding just off enough to startle them. They looked up as a cloud barreled down and ducked right before it flew right into an alley behind them, a series of yelps and crashes and curses being let out by whoever had hitched a ride on it.

“God bloody damn it how does he even fly this stupid thing?” They heard from inside, and they all carefully stepped into the alleyway. MK pulled out his staff, Mei her sword, and Red Son lit his hands on fire in preparation.

“UH...” MK lowered his staff just a bit when he caught sight of the figure in front of them, turned away from them and brushing dust and dirt off his clothes with his tail swiping madly at the air like he didn’t exactly know what to do with it. “M-Monkey King?”

“Monkey King” tensed, turning quickly with an uncharacteristic look of surprise and... fear? Fear on his face. “Uh... you’re sorta right, MK.”

“Ok, you are definitely not Monkey King, he NEVER calls me MK and he definitely does not have an accent like that,” MK said as he raised his staff back up with a raised brow. “And you are definitely not the fake Monkey King we just left who did call me Bud and Kid instead. Who the hell are you!?”

The new fake Monkey King raised his hands in a sign of surrender, laughing awkwardly. “Whoa, whoa! No need to attack, I’m here to help you! Surprised you don’t recognize me already, do we really sound that much alike?”

“Wait a- JIN!?” “THAT’S Jin?” “But how?” MK, Red Son, and Mei all shouted one right after the other, looking between the Jin-Turned-Monkey-King and each other.

“Change back!” MK shouted, extended his staff just enough to poke Jin in the chest. “Stop looking like that right now!”

“I can’t,” Jin sighed out, taking a step back and away from the staff jutting into his rib cage. “I mean, I can if I try for a minute, but it’s not safe! I need to be disguised and apparently using this digital form already made up with your info this is the best disguise the program decided for me.”

“AH HA I was right this is a Calabash!” MK shouted in victory before realizing this just confirmed what they had already agreed to. “Ahem... OK... why do you need to be disguised? And why did you say you were here to help us? Isn’t this one of your plans?”

Jin winced at the questions and looked away, rubbing one of his arms. It looked... bizarre and wrong to see on the Sun Wukong’s face. Sure, MK had seen the ancient being look vulnerable before but it was never anything like this. “Yin and I were... tricked into helping someone we shouldn’t have. She’s got control of everything right now, except an extra Calabash Yin has me in that I’m remotely connected to you from. I can help you get out of here if you just trust me for a bit.”

“Oh, like we’re just going to trust you like that!” Mei growled, taking a step closer. “How do we know this isn’t some kind of trick? That this isn’t part of your plan?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna admit that me and Yin aren’t really that good at plans,” Jin deadpanned with a frown. “I mean, we’re pretty smart! We made an entire virtual reality system that can hold multiple people shrunk down with magic and replicate anything from their own memories after all! But we’re not really good at more than 2 step evil plans.”

“He has a point,” Red Son interjected. “We fought them 2 months ago and even then their plan was ‘take control of the city water supply, fight Monkie Kid’. They didn’t have a plan aside from just... holding the water and hoping they’d win.”

“See, bad at plans!” Jin pipped up with a wide awkward smile, and that felt more natural if a little exaggerated to see. “But! We’re good at tech, and the problem here is tech we personally made. So I can help you!”

“Again, why though?” MK asked, lowering his staff cautiously. “Why help us? Wouldn’t whoever you’re working for getting rid of us be good for you?”

Jin frowned again, looking down at his (Sun Wukong’s) hands. “... It was my idea. A week or so ago... A woman came by asking for a job, told us to just call her Vapor, learned real quick that wasn’t her name after she dropped her disguise... We needed the extra cash to fill a tech order for another demon and it sounded easy enough. Make a Calabash convincing enough to trick the Monkie Kid’s senses so that he couldn’t get out from the inside. And it was easy, we already had everything being worked on ourselves! But then...” He scoffed, crossing his arms and looking away. “She started to want to get all three of ya. Started talking about wanting it to be ‘worse for him, more painful’. We didn’t know what she was talkin about, but we knew from context clues that whoever ‘him’ was wasn’t you.”

MK let his staff down entirely but didn’t put it away, earning odd looks from Mei and Red Son. He shook his head, gesturing to Jin and then their weapons to urge them to stand down for the moment.

“Then she started to get frustrated,” Jin continued. “She pushed us to work harder, faster, and when we tried to cut off the deal she... she pulled out this kind of smoking pipe and I don’t know what the hell she has in it but that stuff knocked us out harder than any drink ever did. When we woke up we were... stuck.”

“Stuck?” MK asked. “Wait, you work for other demons?”

“Yeah yeah, we make tech for other demons, that ain’t the point right now!” Jin cleared his throat, continuing his explanation. “She had some kind of... of sealin charm on the building. No demons gettin in, no demons gettin out. ‘cept for her, she’s got some kinda charm around her neck that lets her leave whenever she wants. We’ve been stuck in our little hidden HQ ever since and whenever we get too rowdy or annoying she just puts us to sleep again. I don’t know how much more of that we can breathe in before it starts to actually hurt us, and whatever she has planned wasn’t for you. You’re just some kinda-a pawn. To hurt someone else. That’s why I want to help you, she’s hurtin my brother and as much as we want to take you down the Gold and Silver Demons will not be used as pawns in other’s schemes.”

“So it’s a pride thing,” Red Son said as he crossed his arms. “You’re helping us because this Vapor woman hurt your pride.”

“Yeah, and what of it?” Jin crossed his arms in turn, glaring at the fire demon. “Need a better reason or do you not want my help?”

“We want your help!” MK jumped in with a sigh. “Any help, even help from pride alone, is probably needed right now.”

“Great!” Jin smiled wide again, and the quickly changing expressions he was showcasing on the Monkey King’s face were starting to give the trio tonal whiplash. “Should be simple enough, she’s out and about right now so all we gotta do is get to a little something Yin and I added in while she wasn’t looking before she gets back.” He smirked, prideful and eager to brag. “An emergency access hub. Didn’t have time to program it to pop up on command, but once we get to our hidden HQ we can access it and force this Calabash to just spit us out! You probably could have found it yourselves... eventually...”

“That’s... surprisingly easy and simple,” Mei said, but smiled after a moment. “But worth a shot I guess. If you’re lying we can just kick your butt and get out of here the old fashioned way!”

This caused Jin to laugh nervously again, raising his hands up. “No lying, promise! Just follow me-EAGH!” When he took a step he stumbled, righting himself as he flailed his arms and sighed. “Stupid tail, how do you balance with this thing?” He took another careful step, then another, and after a moment he just grabbed his tail and yelped at the sensation and wrapped it around his wrist before walking normally. “This is bloody weird.”

“I’ll say...” MK muttered as he watched Jin step out of the alley and wave his free hand, the air in front of him glitching in a familiar way before a digital floating map rested before him. “... ok, that’s kinda cool.”

Jin paused, looking back at them with a bit of a flushed tint on Monkey King’s ears. “Uh... thanks? Just follow me, this will tell us if anything pings the system to alert it that I’m here or she comes back.”

They followed Jin for a moment, fake people staring at the full form of Sun Wukong in awe. The same way MK and the others would have expected them to in real life.

“Wait, hold on!” Mei piped up after a moment. “You said you found out Vapor wasn’t this mystery woman’s name, but you never told us who she was! What’s her real name, maybe we already know who she is!”

“Yeah, if we know who she is we can plan on how to kick her ass!” MK agreed.

Jin shook his head. “I don’t know if even you three can fight her at this point, she’s strong. Way stronger than I already knew she could have gotten over the years. You’re gonna need more than a little help to take her down.” He turned to Red Son.

“What?” Red Son questioned, tips of his hair sparking as he tensed in confusion and worry. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because Vapor was-AAAAAHHHHH!”

And Jin fell to the ground screaming.

----------

“And to what do we owe the.... honor of your visit,” The Demon Bull King growled lowly, arms raised slightly at his sides as Princess Iron Fan stood on his shoulder. Her own glare was even more formidable than her husband’s.

“Brother Ox,” Sun Wukong greeted as he bowed in respect. “I-”

“We stopped being brothers in name long ago, Sun Wukong,” DBK growled low again. “Now state your business here before I lose my patience and we continue our last fight.”

“I’m surprised we aren’t already fighting...” Pigsy whispered to Tang. “This is weird...”

And Pigsy was right, the situation was weird. They had snuck in, Wukong ready to fight and get them out of there if things had gotten out of hand. Instead, they were greeted with a very annoyed but subdued Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan who looked ready and willing to murder all of them if given half an excuse... but for some reason were holding themselves back.

“Demon Bull King,” Wukong corrected himself with a small frown, holding his bow for an extra moment before straightening himself. “I have come to ask for a temporary truce... and your help.”

DBK grit his teeth, leaning down until he was nearly nose to nose with the Monkey King, PIF holding onto his horn on her side to remain stable. “And what makes you think I would ever agree to that?”

“The reason I am asking for it,” Wukong continued, not even reacting to the snorted breath in his face. “MK, Mei, and your son were supposed to join me on Flower Fruit Mountain this morning. We... have not been able to find them.”

This immediately got both parents attention, DBK narrowing his gaze dangerously as he stood up straight so fast PIF had to hold on tighter to not fall off. “What are you implying?”

“MK, Mei, and Red Son are missing. We want your help to find them.”

[undertale-in-writing]

Undertale In Writing: Page 2

You feel as though years have passed while you stood there, staring at the flowers. Though it's only been one heavy moment.

You take a deep breath and kneel down to pluck a flower from the ground. You tuck it behind your ear. You stand and turn to gaze into the darkness. Something warm fills your chest, not entirely unlike when Flowey revealed your SOUL. Just to be sure, you look down. There's no glowing, only calm... fullness. Stubbornness. DETERMINATION.

You felt something like this when you woke up before, but it was uncertain, confused. Now, it's fully taken root. You turn and begin to follow the path you took previously. Not like there was any other path.

Flowey appears again in a blink of light. You take note this time. He seems to be glowing. It's magic. All magic has a slight glow, and all monsters have magic. I can't think of any flowers down here that glow like a monster, though; echo flowers glow, but those are bioluminescent. And he doesn't smell like a normal flower.

The familiar face is still for a moment, then he breaks into a grin. “Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower! Hee hee hee...” He tilts his head slightly, humor in his voice now. “Why'd you make me introduce myself? It's rude to act like you don't know who I am. Someone ought to teach you proper manners.”

You frown, because you're still not sure what happened. He killed you, didn't he? Was he the reason you were placed back at the start? I feel like it's more than that, but how come he remembers you?

No time to dwell on it. The golden flower begins following the same script as before. He opens the battle stage, refers to your heart. “That's your SOUL,” he says, as if you hadn't heard this before. He introduces LOVE, and he pulls out his bullets. “Down here, LOVE is shared through... little white... 'friendliness pellets.'”

You frown. Why is he telling you all this again? You know it, and he knows that you know it, and he should see from your expression that you know he knows you know it. Your lips purse. You want to say something, but you can't bring yourself to speak in this moment. The energy required is currently being used to prepare for what comes next.

“Catch as many as you can!”

You jump the side. The bullets dart by you and dissipate in the air a few feet back.

Flowey's expression changes. He holds onto the smile, but now it's challenging. Almost taunting. “Hey, buddy, you missed them. Let's try again, okay?”

You ready yourself, mind racing over how you might get out of this. Maybe you can outlast him?

The bullets shoot into you, and this time you can hardly react. They make contact. Your heart pulses, your feet slide back an inch, there are holes in your sweater and blood and bruises and it hurts.

But you're not in pieces. The wounds are shallow. You try to stand tall in defiance, but there's a pain in your shoulder that makes you wince, and you realize that you're very weak.

Flowey laughs. His face contorts into an evil smile that frankly does not belong in 3D space. “You idiot,” he cackles.

Your mouth opens in protest; a sound comes out—a soft, “I'm not—!” but you have to clamp it shut. Your face reddens.

Flowey continues. His voice is different. Somehow, he's made it sound like he's speaking through a crackly intercom. He says, “In this world, it's kill or BE killed. Why would ANYONE pass up an opportunity like this?”

A chill runs down your spine. This flower... isn't a monster. Monsters aren't like this. Monsters aren't evil.

“DIE!”

A ring of bullets form around you and come flying at your tiny torso. All you can do is yelp and curl into yourself. You're going to die again. You're going to hurt again. He's going to tear you apart.

There's a crackling sound, and a fwoosh. You glance up. A ball of white-hot fire hits the flower in the back of the head, and his roots are torn from the ground as he flies off into the darkness with a small “eep.”

Suddenly, you're alone. It's dark. You're confused. Disoriented.

Annoyance floods your brain. You'll probably be nonverbal all day now.

You push yourself to your feet, flinching when a shallow cut on your stomach pulls sideways. The battle stage is still there, but you can't feel Flowey's presence anymore. Something else looms from where the flame originated. Fiery red eyes bore into you from the darkness. A shape emerges, tall and fuzzy. A pair of small, sharp horns curl up from the top of a long-eared head. A snout exhales with annoyance.

You see the monster's dull claws at eye-height. The sleeves of a strangely familiar robe fall over one paw as it's drawn to the monster's hip.

“What a terrible creature,” she scolds, “torturing such a poor, innocent youth.”

Her voice is gentle. Familiar. Comforting. Motherly. You tilt your head again to look into her eyes, and she bends down to bring herself on your level. Now that you see her face head on, she doesn't look scary anymore. Her ears are soft and floppy, her horns small, her smile friendly, her eyes kind. She looks like a concerned goat mom, if goats were... What's the word..? Anthromorphic?

“Do not be afraid, my child,” she says softly. “I am Toriel, caretaker of The Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down.” She pauses, and you realize that the battle stage is gone. There's color in the world again, and your heart is in your chest where it belongs.

Toriel smiles and stands suddenly. “You are the first human to come here in a long time.” Her robe flows loosely as she reaches down with one paw. “Come! I will guide you through the catacombs.”

You don't take her paw. Toriel isn't fazed by this. She turns ninety degrees and gestures into the darkness. “This way.”

Page 1 — Page 3

 [End page]

We made this blog almost two years ago and never followed up, so here’s page 2. We’ll try to continue it indefinitely, even if it takes a while. It’s still very much something we’re interested in.

Rules:

This is an interactive Undertale adaptation, not an AU. All actions taken must fit into the game. Obviously I’m taking little liberties with the reset system, but nothing is changing. If you want your response to be included, it shouldn’t change the plot. It’s about informing a player character’s decisions and, to an extent, Frisk’s personality.

You don’t need to follow some kind of format or command system. Your response can be in a comment, a reblog, a reblog of another’s reblog, a comment continuing another’s comment… It can short or long. It can be a suggestion or a narration.

The readers, together, are the player character.

Some time will pass, and we will take all responses as a vote. Common actions will become “canon,” and the story will continue. Influential commenters will be tagged, and anything we directly quote will have credit immediately after the section.

Commenters last round: @thesuperduckling24​, @finallycrawledoutfromundermyrock​, @thepotatoreader, and @arireblogthat​

If threads form of various players writing out their own alternate timeline, that’s fine too! There are no restrictions in how you respond. No need to limit yourself to what you think I’ll write down.

Headcanons that we’re using to include as much flavor from the game as possible:

We’re running with the Chara as narrator interpretation, because the tone of the narration is a major part of the experience. It may come out more in the future, but we’ll never name them. We will also adhere to the canon that their personality going forward is influenced by the player character’s decisions.

The one thing we’ve decided about Frisk up front is that they are semi-verbal autistic. Nothing extra will be inserted; it’s just a framework we’re using because it’s a consistent guide to explain some very video-gamey behavior -- like the sparse implied dialogue, the fixation on smells, and apparent disregard for low HP. (We’re autistic ourselves and will be pulling from our experiences.)

I’m adding these under each page so that you can use these narrative frames if you want. Happy writing.

[imacrowcawcaw]

A Lover With A Red Hot Thong -- Duzzy -- Ch. 1

Author (as known on various sites): luluthechoosingcrow - AO3, theladylovingcrow - Wattpad and Deviantart, lady lover - Rockfic, @insannywestan - Sanny shipping blog, @gretavanfleetconfessions

Fandom: Guns n Roses

Pairings: Duff McKagan/Izzy Stradlin (Duzzy)

Tags/Warnings: Fluff, like extreme fluff, attempted humor, airports, Duff has anxiety, Izzy is really good at comforting him, cuddling, sharing a bed, romance, dates, friends to lovers, adorable giggly boys, kissing

Summary: Duff dressed like a stripper from Arkansas that had discovered the Sex Pistols last week, drank more vodka in a month than most people did in a year, baked amazing blackberry streudals, sang Prince in the shower, and made out with his friends when he was lonely. Izzy was pretty sure that he was in love with him. Something certainly comes out of it when they end up spending a rather romantic week (totally not a honeymoon) in New Orleans because somebody (the very Duff of his longings) always loses their passport.

Taglist: @brianmaysclog @love-n-my-heart-4-n-army-apart @1800endmeplease @tymeconsuming @satans-helper @ageofkiszka @karrotkate @therealswanqueen @mountainofthesunn @onlyan-angel @lantern-inthenight @love-philautia @ubernoxa @kill-fear-the-power-of-lies (reminder that I just remade my taglist and organized it as best as I could, but if you either don’t want to be tagged in something (like GNR) or want to be added, just let me know!)

Author's Notes (aka disclaimers): 

1 - Don't own the people or places 

2 - It's a combination of real and made up (to my knowledge) places for this story. Don't use this as a fucking tour guide, I've never been to New Orleans and I don't have memories of anywhere east of Lake Tahoe

3 - The timeline of this is also completely made up. I like to bend reality to my will because I am a lazy writer

4 - I tried my hand at writing a character with anxiety. I'm trying my best with the info online and my own experiences, but please let me know if something is wildly inaccurate and detracts from the story 

5 - I mean no disrespect to the band. I try my best to be a humorous writer, and I think that I have a pretty healthy view of them, seeing both the good and poking fun at the bad. Some of this might come off as mean, but I’m not really trying to be. I just want people to laugh

6 - Trying that thing where I port my WIPs to get motivated. We’ll see if this works!

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

Monday, September 15, 6:46 AM, New Orleans Louis Armstrong National Airport 

"Duff, what exactly do you mean you don't have your passport?" Axl spit, breathing hard in an effort to diffuse combustion. He was not exactly the happiest camper this early in the morning, especially when some people's forgetfulness interrupted the sleep he had planned on getting as soon as they boarded the plane.

The man being questioned gazed at Axl nervously through wide, panicked eyes. 

"I don't know, man! Er- I mean, yeah I don't have it... I'm pretty sure the last time I saw it was at the hotel when we checked in. I'm sorry! We just got up so early and it was still dark and I kind of have a hangover from last night so I just shoved my stuff in my bag and went downstairs so we wouldn't be late, but now we're going to be late shit I'm sorry I don't-" 

"Hey, hey. Duff, it's okay, just breathe," Izzy soothed, speaking his first words of the day besides a 'fuck off' to Steven, who'd been tasked with waking him up. He settled a coffee-cup-warm, pale hand on Duff's shoulder and turned to speak to Axl.

"It's fine, Bill, we'll figure it out. None of us function well in the morning, do you have your snakeskin belt, hmm?" He asked, knowing that the beloved item was still hanging from a lamp in the hotel room they had checked out of at 4 AM.

Axl's mouth shut with a clack as he glared at Izzy and his damned know it all face. He huffed out a breath and made a big show of rolling his eyes and changing his expression to one of fond exasperation.

"Fine, then, you can figure it out. Don't expect any help from us, though!" 

Izzy snorted at his friend's drama and his statement; Steven was currently trying to convince an off duty captain to let him fly his plane, Axl was Axl, and Slash was still dead to the world behind his hair -- very helpful.

"Okay, well, we'll meet you there as soon as we can. Enjoy your flight, don't become members of the mile high club without us," Izzy replied, pulling Duff up and swinging his backpack over his shoulder.

They walked away, arms brushing with every step, to the sound of Axl screaming at them to bring back his belt, and the disgruntled looks of other early morning airport commuters whom they ignored. Izzy followed the overhead signs back to a check in desk with Duff in tow, hoping that everything would work out and that they could be in Amsterdam with the rest of the guys by nightfall.

No such luck, of course.

"I'm sorry," the lady said with a completely uncaring smile, "but the next flight to Amsterdam, commercial or private, isn't until next tuesday. I can book two tickets for you, Mr. Stradlin, but there's nothing more I can do." 

Izzy sighed, but nodded. He sorted through bills in his wallet, mocking the lady in his head all the while. 'I'm sorry, but your daughter is going to die from a wrench to the eye socket. I can give you a bandaid, but there's nothing more I can do.'

Duff, though, having woken up on the walk over, was looking closer to an anxiety attack than the mild annoyance Izzy was feeling. 

He quickly excused them and grabbed Duff's wrist, pulling him a few feet away for the false illusion of privacy to calm him down.

"Shh, shh, take a deep breath," Izzy whispered, hands gripping Duff's shoulders to force them to look straight in each other's eyes. "Everything will be alright. We'll find your passport, hang out in the city for a while, then go meet up with the guys. Easy, no problems. Relax babe, just try to relax and breathe."

Duff tried to steady his breathing as he clung to Izzy, pulling the man into a hug. He wasn't sure what he would do if Iz wasn't here -- his friend was usually the only one who could stop his incoming anxiety like that.

They stood there for several minutes; Duff regaining a normal breathing pattern, and Izzy slowly rubbing his back. As they pulled away from each other, Duff spotted a hippo in Mardi Gras attire glaring at them in disgust. He smirked rather weakly, still a bit shaken and queasy from his panic but back on the track to his usual self.

"Hey, Iz, it looks like we have an audience, and he's not very pleased."

Izzy grinned back at him, relieved that the Duff he knew was still kicking. Besides, this was their favorite game. 

Every once in a while, the boys were subjected to odd stares and the occasional slur. Usually, it was just for dressing like Dolly Parton while shoplifting, but occasionally, it was because they got pretty close. Sometimes they were drunk, sometimes they were just talking to each other or hugging, sometimes because they were blatantly trying to piss off as many people as possible (sometimes the "people" included Axl).

Izzy moved his hands from Duff's shoulder blades, one wrapping tight around his waist and the other getting a firm grip on his delectable ass. 

Duff snorted and cupped Izzy's face in his large hands, angling him upwards slightly so that they could lean their foreheads together. He bit his lip to stop from giggling, and Izzy brushed his own mouth against him for a split second, getting a quick hint of teeth and coffee-breathe.

Out of the corner of his eye, Izzy saw the man visibly shudder, his beady eyes grimacing. 

A fake blond, middle aged woman Izzy assumed was his wife laid one hand on his polo shirt, as if in an effort to calm him down. It had the opposite effect. The man grunted and skewered his mouth to the side, squinting even more as if a giant rainbow spotlight was being blasted into his eyes.

Izzy smirked, though it was barely noticeable against Duff's mouth. 

Duff murmured something about 'making a scene', but Izzy knew he was referring to their audience and not themselves. Neither of them cared who saw this, though if it was printed in any magazines Axl might try to suplex them out of a window. "Try" being the key word -- the little red terror was too chicken to actually try that with Izzy, and too short to get enough leverage on Duff. 

Somewhere behind him, Izzy heard the woman whine, "Oh, Charles!" like she was getting the worst rimjob of her life. 

"It's disgusting, Carol! I won't stand for it!" 

"Time to get going?" Duff whispered, pulling back an inch.

Izzy gave him one last searing kiss and an extra probing squeeze to the ass then nodded, breaking away. They quickly picked up their suitcases and high tailed it out of the building, leaving dust, stares, and a purple and green, mouth breathing, homophobic fatman in their wake. 

Duff laughed as they came to a stop in the middle of a group of Japanese tourists. They all turned to look at him as he barked, panted, barked, and then wheezed with his hands on his knees.

Izzy was looking at Duff too, a rare - though not as much as some people would think - smile on his lips. He patted his friend on the back and pulled out a cigarette, then offered one to Duff. It would make the wheezing worse, but a smoker cares none about that. 

They lit up from Izzy's lighter as the tour grouped streamed past them, completely nonplussed at the disgruntled - or awed, recognizing - stares they received. Once they had the stretch of sidewalk to themselves, Duff stacked their suitcases one atop the other and sat down while Izzy hailed a cab. His long arms soon garnered them a ride and they hopped into the sedan after tossing their bags into the trunk. 

It was blue, with a peeling leather interior and a hand stenciled logo on either window; the usual black and white checkers ran a wobbly circle around the outside of the car. The driver glared at them from underneath bushy brows as they smoked their cigarettes, and Izzy smiled at him politely, meeting his eyes in the rearview mirror, until he finished and put out his cig on the door's plastic. 

Duff's mind was in some far off place and he didn't notice any interactions taking place. Izzy wondered if he was thinking about how to find his passport, or what to do in the city, or about girls -- or, the bleach blonde head rolling onto his shoulder could have been asleep. The snores more or less confirmed it. 

"Where to?" The driver asked after a minute. 

“Marriott on Jackson,” Izzy answered, turning his torso minutely to get more comfortable.

Etta James’ smoky vocals floated out of the speakers, half of the tone quality getting lost in the maze of beads hanging down from the cab ceiling in a curtain between driver and passengers. Izzy sighed and shifted; the leather creaked; Duff snorted and drool ran down his arm. He smiled down at the man asleep on him and brushed some hair back from his sticky mouth, fingers slowly tracing Duff’s jawline. 

Michael Andrew Mckagan was a unique specimen, that was for sure. He was laid back and welcoming, yet had enough energy to rival Popcorn, at times. He was loving and affectionate to his friends, and scathingly rude to those that hurt them. Duff dressed like a stripper from Arkansas that had discovered the Sex Pistols last week, drank more vodka in a month than most people did in a year, baked amazing blackberry streudals, sang Prince in the shower, and made out with his friends when he was lonely. Izzy was pretty sure that he was in love with him.

The engine of the cab coughed, and suddenly the vehicle was rolling to a stop outside the hotel they had left only an hour or so ago. Izzy gently shook Duff awake and went to pay the man while Duff got their bags back out of the trunk. 

“That will be forty dollars,” the man said, staring Izzy down from beneath his fuzzy caterpillar. Interestingly enough, that was the only facial hair he had; perhaps he’d shaved off his mustache and glued it, hair by hair, onto his brow bone. 

“Really? It was half that to get to the airport two hours ago. What’s your game, man? You think you can scam us?”

Izzy didn’t like being scammed. It was damn near impossible to get one up on him - let alone very rare someone even dared to try - so this guy was about to get it if he thought he could. 

“You ruined my interior. Smells like smoke. I need to clean it now. I know you have the money,” the man glared, narrowing his eyes. The caterpillar hunched down too, like it was trying to curl up on itself to avoid getting eaten by a hawk-nosed Stradlin. 

“Is that so?” Izzy snorted, fishing out another cigarette just for the hell of watching the man get angrier. 

“Here, forty dollars. C’mon Iz, let’s go.”

Duff handed the man a fold of two twenties with a sigh, his other hand subtly resting on Izzy’s lower back for a moment before removing itself again. He wanted to fight it - there was no way that guy should be getting away with charging them double price, fuck that! - but Duff was tired and the money was already handed over. Izzy knew that physical signal from Dff, too, the hand on the back: it meant “leave it”. 

With a final huff and a not so subtle bird, Izzy grabbed his carpet bag from where Duff had lain it on the asphalt and followed his tall friend through the hotel’s front entrance, cigarette dangling from his mouth all the while. 

They made their way over to the front desk, explained the situation, and then they were back inside the mirrored elevator armed with the suite’s key card, going up like they had never left in the first place. 

“Hmm, wonder what it would be like to make love in this elevator?” Duff mused, staring upwards at his reflection in the ceiling. 

Issy followed the bold line of his profile, from Adam's apple to nose to messy hair, before he finally glanced at the ceiling, too. 

“Interesting, certainly. I’ve done it in front of a mirror, but not in a whole box of them.”

“Yeah. Hey, we should come back here and incorporate this into our next video!” Duff exclaimed, grinning at him. 

“Izzy snorted. “What, you wanna come back here a third time? This place got like a magical draw or some shit?”

They both cracked up.

[factoffictionwriter]

Tiva Fic Amnesty #14

More from Chaval Extras. Things to know: Ziva has 2 Aunts back in Israel whom she took Tony to meet. The Aunts are friends with Shmeil as well. Oh, and Tony and Ziva are totally a thing. Like a thing thing.

“Wait a second. So I wasn’t imagining it? Ziva really did have a motorcycle?” 

Shmeil nodded enthusiastically, “My Ziva had a motorcycle before she even learned how to drive!” 

Tony chuckled to himself, “That explains a lot, actually.” 

“What explains a lot?” His beautiful Israeli asked as she breezed into the room, delicate looking teacups in either hand. She carefully handed one of them to Shmeil before crossing the room to take a seat next to Tony on the couch. 

“I was just telling Anthony about your, shall we say, preference for dangerous modes of transportation.” 

Her eyebrows came together as she wracked her brain for what he could possibly be talking about. But when she saw Tony’s smug little grin beside her, she put the pieces together. 

“The motorcycle?” She asked. 

“Oh yeah,” Tony chimed.

She eyed him warily, “Remember what I said about stories being exaggerated? Keep that in mind.” 

He just laughed at her. 

“What is so funny, Anthony?” Nettie asked as she too emerged from the kitchen, her two sisters trailing behind, each with their own teacup.

“Ziva was just about to tell me about her motorcycle.”

“Oh, goodness. Why would you want to hear about that horrible thing?” Adina asked as she settled into the couch across the room. 

“Because he is a man,” Shmeil laughed, “And men like two things: hot women and fast vehicles.” 

Tony nodded, “And this story promises to have both.” 

“Very well then,” Nettie sighed as she sipped on her tea.

“We do not know where she managed to get such a horrible contraption, much less how she managed to keep it secret for so long,” Hinda was giving Ziva a disapproving look, “But somehow she managed to drive that thing to school every day for an entire year before we even knew it existed.” 

“She parked it a few spaces down from her father’s car in one of the neighbor boy’s spaces. Lord knows how she convinced him to let her have such a coveted spot,” Nettie shook her head. 

“I can think of a few ways,” Tony whispered to himself, but Shmeil managed to hear it. 

“David women can be quite convincing,” the old man winked at Tony, causing his smile to grow wider. 

“Anyways, we never would have even known about it if she hadn’t gotten in that accident.” 

“Which was not my fault, by the way,” Ziva added. 

“They never are,” Tony remarked, sending her a look of such pure adoration that she couldn’t help but forgive his jab. 

“Okay, but this one really was not. The man should have looked over his shoulder. Even I look over my shoulder when changing lanes.” 

“And how fast were you going, dear?” Nettie asked, the stern look on her face telling him she already knew the answer.

“That is not important. He still should have looked.” 

“I seem to remember the officer telling us you were going 110 mph… in a 45 mph zone,” Adina provided helpfully. 

Tony let out a long whistle before pausing, “Actually, I’m not that surprised. That does sound like something you would do.” 

She rolled her eyes, biting back a tiny smile. 

“She was thrown clear across the highway. A couple more feet and she would have rolled right off the cliff and into the sea below.” 

Ziva just shrugged, “I walked away with a few scratches.” 

“If by scratches you mean 3 broken ribs and road burn up your entire left side,” Hinda corrected, “But yes, you were able to walk away. You were very lucky.” 

Tony leaned into the couch cushion, slowly sliding his hand over to rest it on her side, right where he remembered seeing a long patch of scars, mostly faded until they looked like delicate white flames dancing across her skin. 

She nodded slightly in his direction as if confirming that the marks were, in fact, the remnants of this exact accident. 

“Tali would not go near the thing,” Nettie spoke, breaking up the moment between the couple on the couch. 

“Of course Tali wouldn’t go near it. She was smart. She understood the concept of danger,” Hinda acknowledged. 

Ziva let out a quiet huff as she leaned back against the cushions, and inadvertently his arm. 

“Yes, but I understood the concept of fun.” 

Tony let out a hearty laugh at her comment before smoothly transitioning it into a cough when the aunts shot him disapproving looks. 

“You only truly understood how to piss off your father. Let this be a lesson to you, Anthony. When you have children, do not rule with an iron fist, lest they turn out to be anything like their mother.” 

“Doda!” Ziva cried, sending Adina a truly incredulous look. 

---

“Did you ever get the chance to meet Eli, Anthony?” Nettie asked. 

He felt Ziva stiffen beside him, and took that as a sign to proceed with the utmost caution. 

“Yeah, I did. A couple of times, actually. He… wasn’t a big fan of me.” 

“Nor you of him, I assume,” Hinda offered. 

“I think Eli David was a complicated man… in a complicated situation. It’s really not for me to judge. I will never understand exactly what he was going through.” 

“It is quite alright, Tony. You are surrounded by fellow Eli-haters here. I am sure there is nothing you can say about the man that Ziva has not already heard from one of us,” Shmeil assured him. 

Ziva’s shoulders heaved as she let out a long sigh. 

He watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye as he spoke, “I obviously don’t agree with many of the decisions he made, particularly in regards to his children. But at the end of the day, I think he was doing what he thought was best. He just happened to be wrong.” 

“He just happened to be wrong?” Hinda spat. 

“Doda…” Ziva warned. 

“No, Zivaleh. I am tired of listening to Eli’s excuses. He may have brainwashed you into believing them, but I will not let you bully Anthony into believing them as well.”

Tony sat forward, sliding his arm out from behind Ziva and resting his elbows on his knees, “She hasn’t bullied me into anything. Well - she has - but not with this. I just think that I’m coming at the situation from a bit of a… different angle than the rest of you.” 

“How so?” Shmeil asked. 

“Well, for starters, I didn’t meet Ziva until after Eli did a number on her. I can sit here and listen to you guys tell stories about her tending to a garden or flying off a motorcycle, but I’ll never fully understand what she was like back then.” 

“All the more reason you should be upset,” Hinda grumbled. 

Tony shook his head, “How do I explain this…” 

He looked around the small living room for a few seconds, trying to find some sort of inspiration for-

“Star Wars!” He exclaimed. 

Five heads all turned in his direction, their eye brows furrowed in confusion. 

“A movie. Really?” Ziva asked from beside him. 

“Not just a movie. A series. 7 movies. Filmed and premiered out of order. 3 movies, then 3 prequels, only to return back to the original timeline for the new one.”

“I do not follow,” Adina sighed. 

“Okay… it’s like you guys are watching the series in chronological order, and I’m watching them in the order they premiered. And you,” he pointed a long finger at Ziva, “are Darth Vader.” 

She looked confused, “The guy with the mask?” 

“Exactly,” he brought both his hands up to cover his mouth, creating a deep echoing sound as he pulled out his oldest and most adored character impression, “Luke, I am your father.” 

She had to focus hard to keep the corners of her mouth from curling up into a small smile. They both knew that she would never admit it, but she liked his little impressions. She thought they were cute, even if they were annoying. 

But then she remembered the single Star Wars film he had forced her to watch after one of his million references went over her head, and her face fell a little, “He is the bad guy, yes?” 

“No. Well, yes. But no. That’s just what they want you to think. In the original series, he’s portrayed as a total monster who betrayed his friends and killed his father. It’s not until you get to the prequels that you realize, hey, this Darth guy isn’t so bad. In fact, he was just a normal Jedi until his master took advantage of him and made him a monster.”

“And as the series comes to a close, he gets one of the most epic redemption arcs in movie history when he realizes that he had been duped into using his powers for the wrong side and then kills his master to save his son,” he turned back toward the Aunts, “So, if you guys watched the prequels first, then you would have already known that Darth was actually a good guy before he joined the dark side, making his fall all the more dramatic. But when I watch it in the order that the movies were made, I can’t help but think about how different the story would have been without that corrupt Jedi Master.” 

“And this changes your perception of Eli… how?” 

“Well, when I met Ziva, she was already a Mossad super spy. And yeah, the more I learned about the way her Dad treated her, the more I started hating the guy. But I will never be able to see him the way you guys do because without him, I likely would have never even met her.” 

“Because without what happened in the prequels, there would have been no need for the original series,” Adina nodded along as she slowly made sense of his convoluted explanation. 

“Exactly!” he flashed a dazzling DiNozzo grin at the older woman, thankful that at least someone had been able to follow his train of thought. 

[luv4fandoms]

Earth Angel (GabrielXOFC) Part 2.1

Part 2 is finally here!! I had to split it into 2 parts because of Tumblr's limit but the link to the 2nd part can be found below.

I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this story! I loved all of the comments and asks I got on the last chapter ❤. Sorry this one took so long to get out, my mom and I are trying to kinda start a small business so that has been my focus lol. But as I say in all the chapters...

This doesn't fully follow the Supernatural timeline, somethings have been changed (like Gabriel's death in the au world cause it was stupid and I refuse to accept it lol) so just a heads up. This is also inspired by @askpsychocas 's Angel Courting Ritual post (which I use in my story. Askpsychocas if you want me to take those parts out let me know and I will). This story also has a Scott Pilgram vibe lol.

If you would like to be added to the story taglist let me know

Part 1...Part 2.2...Masterlist

Pairings: Gabriel x Original Female Character, (hint at Destiel)

Warnings: Killing, Adultery, Gabe being a charming/fluffy lil sh*t

Word count: (total) 8,724 (this part) 4,199

https://ko-fi.com/luv4fandoms

(From @askpsychocas 's Angel Courting Ritual)

Step Two: Make your intention known.

Sometimes your intended will not recognize your intent straight off. There are a number of ways angels would seek to subtly inform their intended.

Making eye contact is essential.

Make sure your intended recognizes your impressive plumage and strength.

Personal space must be intruded on as often as possible.

If all else fails an angel might simply tell their intended.

Traditional courting outlines this, and if the intention is accepted you may proceed to the next step. An angel may also receive a courting trinket as a sign of intent and goodwill if they accept the courting. Angels can only court one other at a time. Neither the wooer or the wooed are allowed to accept advances, or give advances to another.

Modern courting is more direct, in which an angel would simply ask to go out on a date, perhaps with a smile. Smiling and good humor are not necessary for any courting, but most are apt to use it when trying to woo a human, as they get confused without such things. Exclusivity is not necessary.

Earth angel, Earth angel, the one I adore

Love you forever, and ever more.

I'm just a fool, a fool in love with you.

I hadn't planned on living with the boys, stay a few days sure, then back on the road...But here I am, a week in, still at the bunker and helping them look for a new case. It was actually really easy living with them, growing up with older brothers probably helped, that and the fact Sam and Dean were just easy to get along with. I had met their friend, and Gabriel's brother,Castiel a few days into my stay, a very quiet guy who would randomly appear out of nowhere, which I noticed Gabriel did often as well. The thing was-Castiel didn't have wings,or at least if he did, he didn't show them off like Gabriel. I also noticed that most of the time when Cas would show up, Gabriel would be gone, and if he did show up Cas would excuse himself quickly. Speaking of Gabriel, he had been acting...odd? Or maybe it was normal for him? I noticed that Cas often stood extremely close to Dean a lot, so maybe invasion of personal space was just a family thing? Either way I noticed Gabriel seemed to always find a way to be very close. Reading some lure in the library? Gabriel plops himself in the seat next to me. Looking up some cases on my laptop while on the couch? Gabriel appears out of nowhere right next to me, causing me to almost throw my computer.

One time I was even baking a pie as sort of a thank you to the boys and when I turned around Gabriel was right there, causing me to jump and almost fall backwards, and of course him making a joke about me "falling for him" when he caught me. Another thing was the fact that Gabriel was always the first one to help if I needed to get something out of storage for the boys that I didn't realize would be as heavy as it was, or anything needing a lot of strength really. I would have joked about not being a damsel in distress, but it seemed he already knew that as he would only help when he knew I would really need it. He also seemed to be almost flaunting his wings more, or at least happily stretching them often, I had noticed that they seemed much fuller than they did back on the hunt, they were still the same beautiful golden color, but they seemed...Healthier? They were impressive really, but I tried not to get caught looking at them, I still didn't know what the custom was since no one talked about them. Another thing Gabe did was a lot was eye contact, which for someone like me who usually never held  eye contact for long, it was different-or maybe it was cause Gabriel had such pretty eyes that one just had to look away from them or you would be lost forever. Either way when I spoke I always seemed to have his full attention,which, after growing up around guys that would just brush you off cause you were both a girl and the youngest, was nice. It took a couple more days before we got a new case, a bunch of women being killed by their boyfriends, fiance, husbands, all of who claimed they didn't remember doing the killings. The case came in from the boy's friend Jody in Sioux Falls,so right away we were loading up our cars and heading out. Jody had emailed the police reports to Sam who in turn emailed them to me, which Gabriel read while I followed the boys. 

"So, first up we have the lovely Mr and Mrs Tucker. Married for thirty years, two kids, and a dog...Is that just the thing to do? Kids leave the nest, the house is empty,it's finally you and your wife again after eighteen plus years and you think, what do we do now? I know! Let's get a dog!" Gabriel laughed.

"One, dogs are awesome" I started with a smile

"Oh don't get me wrong, I love them, used to have a little Jack Russel myself, but it just seems to be what people do" Gabe added

"That is true...I wonder why that is...Dangit Gabe now you have me wondering why old people insist on pushing their love onto animals instead of focusing on this case" I laughed, which caused him to chuckle as well before he turned back to the computer.

"Always ready to be a distraction sugarplum"

"So what did the lovely Mr Tucker have to say for why he slaughtered his wife?" I asked.

"Well, it says here that he said, and I quote, I don't know what came over me, I loved my wife, she was my everything, sure we had our problems but doesn't every couple?" 

"Not problems that are bad enough to kill over"

"Says he doesn't remember the act, just before and after the deed" 

"And all of the men say this?" Gabriel quickly scanned the files before replying

"Yup, everyone is a blank" 

"So we have how many couples?"

"Six, three happily married, one engaged, and two dating" I thought about it for a moment, couples that seemingly had no problems but the woman always ended up dead, at the males hand.

"I can see the gears turning in that pretty little head of yours" Gabriel spoke, breaking the silence of the car.

"Come on" he added, closing the laptop and giving me his full attention. I looked over for a moment and almost wished I hadn't, there he went with the eye contact again-had they always had an almost gold color to them? Like they could match his wings? As if sensing my fascination a grin spread on his face before he spoke again.

"Like a buddy cop movie, you can be the serious one who's all about the job"

"And which one are you?" I asked with a smile, finally able to break my gaze away.

"The loveable comic relief of course!" He smiled.

"Now come on Sugar, you're already thinking something"

"Well for one, these couples weren't as happy as they said they were"

"Duh"

"And it's the men who kill the women"

"Correct"

"As subconsciously I bet, a brutal way to get out of said problemed relationship.

"Ok, I think I am picking up what you're putting down"

"What is probably the number one thing that can put the final nail in the coffin on a man  ending a relationship?" 

"A beautiful woman"

"Exactly my lovely partner, throw in a little supernatural flair to that and we may have men forgetting just what they were doing"

"Don't let anybody ever tell you that you're just a pretty face" he smiled.

"Oh Sweetheart I am so much more than just a pretty face" I replied with a wink, watching as his wings ruffle a bit at the action.

"I also have enough issues to fill Texas" I laughed, watching as he laughed as well, one which I hadn't seen before, this one looked far more..Relaxed.

"Don't we all Sugar, don't we all"

A couple of gas stops later and we were parking outside of the Sioux Falls police station. I had changed into more of a "detective" style outfit consisting of a white button up top, black blazer, black pencil skirt and black heels at the last gas stop. Though keeping my focus on the road after that was hard since Gabriel had also changed, and boy did he pull off a suit. The black button down tucked into black slacks and partially hidden under a black blazer and tie, ZZTop's words never rang so true until that moment, every girl really was crazy about a sharp dressed man. I tried to keep my eyes on the road as much as possible, especially after getting caught twice by those golden honey eyes, but if the extra confidence in his walk on our way into the station said anything it was that he had noticed every glance. 

"There you two a--" a woman's voice spoke behind us but stopped suddenly, I turned towards the sound, noticing a woman who appeared in her late thirties, or maybe early forties.

"Jody, this is Liz and Gabriel" Sam told her while making his way over to her, followed by Dean.

"Oh right, yeah sorry you mentioned them on the phone, it's been a crazy week" she sighed.

"You ok?" Dean asked, his hand resting on her shoulder, she smiled at him and patted his hand.

"Yeah, just...I knew these people, they were all happy...Normal" 

"Nothing out of the ordinary?" Sam asked

"Unless you count Jamie not going to the bakery the night before she...she was forever bugging Cathy about how her wedding cake was coming along" 

"That's why I called you guys, it doesn't look like it's up your alley, but something's not right here" 

"And Claire?" Dean asked sternly

"I told her to stay out of this one but you know how she is" 

"Alright well we're gonna need to talk to the husbands" Sam told her.

"Well we have three of them here, the other two were cases Donna sent over"

"So this thing started someplace else?" I asked, seemingly making the trio remember Gabe and I were still here.

"Over in Hibbing Minnesota" Jody replied before smiling.

"Sorry, I'm Sheriff Mills, Sam and Dean told me about you two" She added, shaking both of our hands.

"Pleasure to meet you Sheriff" Gabriel smiled, and I couldn't stop myself from looking over at him. He really could go from playful to professional if the situation called for it couldn't he? 

"Right well, come on there are already two of the men in the interrogation rooms" she told us before leading the way. Dean and Sam took Martin Cowell, boyfriend to Stacy Young. While Gabriel and I took Jason Smith, fiance to Jamie Wilde. The man seemed regretful enough upon first glance, around mid thirties, black hair partially hiding brown eyes that were red from crying. 

"Hello Mr.Smith I'm Agent Rose and this is my partner--" shit, I realized quickly, Gabriel and I hadn't talked about his fake FBI name.

"Agent Speight" he added, seeming realizing just as soon as I had. 

"I think you may already know why we're here" I stated as we both sat on the other side of the table.

"Because of what I did to--I didn't mean to,"Jason stated, soon falling into tears.

"We just want to understand, we need you to tell us what happened," Gabriel explained,easily falling into his role. After a moment Jason started talking.

"We were out with our wedding planner, she was showing us a venue, this really fancy mansion, hell, it almost could have been a castle" he stopped to collect himself before continuing. 

"Jamie always wanted to be a princess, so this place was perfect, even if it was expensive. We booked it and made our way home--We ate, went to bed...Jamie was still talking about the place" he laughed, seeming to remember how excited she had been.

"The next thing I know, I'm standing over her body..I don't…I don't know what happened" he trailed off into a whisper.

"Did you ever become irritated by Jamie wanting expensive things?" Gabriel asked calmly.

"I mean, she could get crazy but...I guess I kinda knew what I was getting into, Jamie came from a well off family...They always said she was too good for me...Guess they were right"

"Did you ever think about leaving Jamie?" I asked 

"No never I-I mean…"

"Never looked at another woman? Never thought maybe life would be easier with someone else,maybe someone with a cheaper taste?"

The room went quiet for a moment before he sighed.

"There was once, Jamie had been getting crazy with all this wedding stuff..I just...I needed a break. So I said I was going to have a guy's night, and I went out of town, alone. I went to a bar, and met a girl there and...I'm not proud of what I did ok, but I would never have killed Jamie, if I didn't want to be with her I would have just left."

Before I could say anything a knock sounded at the door, Dean peeked his head in and motioned for us to come out.

"So do you think I'm guilty?" Jason asked when we stood up.

"Of killing your fiance, I can't share that. Of being stupidly unfaithful simply because times got hard, yeah, you're guilty of that" I stated before walking out, Gabriel following. 

"You ok?" He asked as we made our way to Dean and Sam.

"Yeah just-long story" I sighed.

"So what were you able to find out?" Sam asked.

"Well he doesn't remember doing the deed as far as killing Jamie" Gabriel told him

"What do you mean as far as?"

"Well he did confess to getting it on with a random girl at the bar one night" Gabe added

"Really?" Jody asked, shocked. 

"They seemed so happy"

"Martin confessed to cheating on Stacy as well" Dean added 

"So we have two unfaithful men" Gabe stated

"I wonder if the others were able to keep it in their pants?" I wondered out loud.

"Right, why don't Dean and I go talk to Larry Tucker, Jody, if you could call Donna and ask them if there is any way to find out if their two cases were ever unfaithful or if anything odd happened before the killings?" Sam asked.

"Yeah I'll get right on it" Jody nodded before heading to her office to make the call.

"Jason had mentioned checking out a venue the day he killed Jamie, maybe we could check that out?" Gabriel asked with a shug.

"That's actually a good idea, maybe someone there saw something or someone suspicious" I nodded, before looking back at the boys who nodded as well. I stopped one of the officers who was walking past to get directions to a mansion in town that could pass as a castle like, lucky for us there was only one. Willington Manor, a spacious 20 bedroom 10 bath home that had a pool,hot tub, tennis court, large outdoor garden, and an extra 20 acres of green grass.

"Ever feel like you're in the wrong line of work?" I asked as we parked in front.

"If only you could have it all right?" Gabe asked as we stepped out.

"If only" 

"Would you really want something like this?" He asked while we walked up the stairs.

"Eh, maybe not this, too many rooms to clean. But this much land would be nice,"

"You seem like a farm girl" he smiled before knocking on the door. 

"Grew up with chickens and stuff but sadly never on an actual farm" I laughed before we heard the door opening, an elderly woman standing there.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She asked

"Hello ma'am, I'm Agent Rose, this is Agent Speight, FBI, we were wondering if we could ask you some questions about a couple that came here a few days ago, they were looking at your home for a wedding venue"

"Oh yes I remember them, such a lovely couple, terrible thing that happened, they seemed so happy" she told us as she stepped aside for us to enter.

"Yes is it, so nothing seemed...Off about Jason while he was here? Nothing that would have raised any flags?" Gabriel asked while glancing around before his attention rested back on the woman, who seemed to blush under his gaze.

'Welcome to the crowd' I thought.

"No he seemed perfectly lovely, seemed very compliant with everything his soon-to-be wife wanted, and between you and me, boy did she want a lot" she told us. 

"Do you employ anyone ma'am?" I asked.

"Oh yes, I have a chief,a butler,  two maids, and two grounds keepers," she replied, her eyes never leaving Gabriel, even as he looked over at me.

"And who all was here when Jason and Jamie was?" Gabriel asked her.

"Everyone was" she told him.

"Is everyone here now?" I asked

"Yes of cour-actually no, one of the maids that worked then I had to let go" 

"Let go? How come?" Gabriel asked.

"Well I caught the little hussie trying to steal some of my jewelry, they were my great grandmother's, priceless heirlooms" she explained.

"You wouldn't happen to have employment papers would you? Or a name and description?" I asked

"I don't have papers, but I can tell you her name was Delilah"

'Probably a fake name' I thought

"and she was about five foot seven, long red hair that she kept up in a bun, pale skin. She was quiet,kept to herself but I noticed her often trying to make advances towards both of the grounds keepers...didn't work for her of course" 

"How come?" Gabriel asked

"Their both gay" she chuckled.

"That will do it" I smiled

"Well thank you for your time ma'am" Gabriel smiled.

"If you think of anything else please contact the sheriff, she knows how to reach us" he added, charmingly, making the old woman grin like a teen.

"Most certainly Agent" she replied watching as he headed towards the door. She stopped me when I went to move.

"Are you two...You know?" She asked, stunning me for a moment.

"Ah, no we are strictly-"

"Well then, don't be afraid to send him my way dear" she replied with a wink, I let out an awkward laugh and nodded before heading over to the door. Once outside I couldn't help but laugh and shake my head while we headed to the car. 

"Care to share with the class sweetheart?" Gabe asked once we got in.

"You are never to be left alone around old ladies" I chuckled.

"Oh? Did I not play the part well?" 

"She asked me if we were together, and when I said no she told me not to be afraid to send you her way" 

"Sharing is caring" he laughed

"No thank you" I replied with a small laugh.

"No threesomes?" He chuckled.

"Na I'm good, I don't like other people touching what's mine" I replied, glancing at him when I heard him inhale sharply. His wings seemingly wanted to stretch out but he held them down. 

"Never pegged you as the possessive type" even his laugh sounded forced right now.

"Not possessive, like I wouldn't tell a guy what he could or couldn't do, I just draw the line at sharing him with someone else" I explained as we pulled up at the motel Dean had texted that he got two rooms at. 

"Can you honestly say you would be completely fine with sharing a girl with another guy?" I asked as I shut the car off.

"Well I mean-" he started, wiggling his eyebrows, which only caused me to roll my eyes.

"If you really loved her, like head over heels"

"If she wanted to-"

"Never mind what she wanted, would you be comfortable watching another man put his hands on the woman you love?"

"No" he answered quickly, the gold color coming back to his eyes for a moment, before it was gone.

"See, we all have that in us, that feeling of wanting someone that is yours, just yours-"

"A mate" he answered quietly, almost as if he didn't mean to say it

"Yeah, a mate...I bet all these women thought they had found theirs...They never would have thought they would get cheated on and later killed by the ones who supposedly loved them so much" 

"If they loved them so much, would they have fully given in to whatever influenced them?" 

"No, I guess they wouldn't have" I sighed.

"This is why it's always us women who end up with a broken heart" I added while getting out of the car, missing the odd look Gabriel gave me. I knocked on the boy's room door, announcing myself, and waited only a few seconds before Sam opened the door.

"So what were you two able to figure o-" I stopped when I noticed a young blonde girl sitting on the bed looking beyond done with the boys.

"Ah Liz, Gabriel, this is Claire" Sam explained.

"Ooooh this is Claire" Gabriel nodded, leaving me completely clueless aside from remembering that the boys mentioned her while talking to Jody.

"Claire was working the case even though Jody told her not to" Dean replied while giving Claire a stern look.

"Ok and what have you all figured out?" She asked, but all of us stayed quiet, unsure if we should share information with the young huntress.

"How about this, tell us what you know and we'll tell you what we know" I stated.

"Liz" Dean started.

"She's a rebellious teen who is gonna work this case whether anyone likes it or not, at least this way she won't be running in blind" I explained, Sam and Dean shared a look, both not wanting to get Claire involved but knew I was right.

"Well it seemed Larry wasn't too faithful either, said he needed something exciting in his life since his marriage had gotten stale" Sam started. 

"Did you talk to Peter Jones? He was Becky Davis's boyfriend, dude was a total creep" Claire added.

"He didn't try to-"Dean started but Claire just rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't anything I couldn't handle, trust me"

"Ok so all of the men were unfaithful, that plays into my theory" I sighed, sitting next to Claire.

"Theory?"Sam asked.

"Sweetcheeks here pretty much hit the nail on the head before we even got to the police station. Theorizes these men weren't happy, subconsciously wanted a way out, and something influenced them to find a way out" Gabriel explained, biting into a chocolate bar he made appear, I had noticed he did that a lot. He handed both Claire and I one, at first she seemed hesitant but then took it with a nod. 

"So you think some supernatural babe is convincing these guys to kill the women they're with?" Dean asked.

"Does it seem that far fetched?" I asked 

"Not compared to some other things we've faced. 

"And I think we may know what she looks like, if she's not some sort of shifter anyways." I stated before eating some of the chocolate.

"The Madame of the mansion our lovely engaged couple were looking into, had recently fired a maid that had been working the day Jason was visiting. Said she was about five foot seven, red hair, and pale-Oh and kept flirting with the male employees" Gabriel told them.

"Wait that sounds like the woman people said they saw Peter flirting with the night he killed Becky" Claire stated

"Yeah it matches with what Jody just sent me too" Sam added while looking at his laptop.

"The two from Donna, both had been unfaithful in the past, and both had witness accounts of them talking to an unknown red haired female the day and night before each of them murdered their wives." 

"So a chick who can influence guys, siren?" Claire asked.

"That would fit," I nodded.

"Not with what Jody just sent, this was found in Larry's house, I bet there is one in each of the houses" Sam stated spinning his laptop around to show us all.

"Is that?" Claire stated.

"A hex bag" Gabriel finished.

"Man I hate witches" Dean sighed.

"Should we call Rowena? Ask her if it's someone she knows?" Sam asked but Dean just shook his head.

"At this point after what she's cause, I don't care if Rowena does know her, she has to be dealt with"

"So how do we lure her out?" I asked

"Well she goes after couples right? Where is there a lot of couples right now?"Dean asked

"The fair is in town right now"Claire started

"But more people show up at night"

"Looks like we're going to the fair"Dean nodded, looking over at Sam who looked terrified.

"Don't worry Sammy, I'm sure it's clown free" he chuckled, earning a bitch face from his brother. We each went our ways after that to prepare. Jody picked up Claire, stating she would meet us at the fair later. I went to the room the boys got me to take a quick shower and the boys seemed to have the same idea.

Once night fully fell we headed out to the fairgrounds, hoping we could find this witch fast and end the case before someone else got hurt. But once we got there Gabriel turned to me, a smirk on his lips before he proposed his question.

"Why don't we up the ante? Try to lure her out ourselves while we're here?" 

"What did you have in mind?" I asked.

"Let's make this a date"

I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! It only gets better from here. And as I said before you can find the link to the 2nd part of this chapter

Here

Also some little facts, I gave Liz the agent name "Rose" because if I would have been born a boy my mom wanted to name me Axl Rose because she was a GNR superfan lol.

Also here is Gabriel in his suit for your viewing pleasure ~_^

Taglist

@sydknee624 @studentdoctorstark @ilearnedthatfromethepizzaman @ambivertedcroissant @sunny-shine44

[tearsofthemis]

Tears of Themis : Chapter 2 “Unbearable Love“ Part 11

[Previous Part] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part]

▌Location- Hotel Room 1817

MC: “Alright, then Miss. Jiang, let’s start the interrogation.” ~~Interrogation Start~~

[About work overview]

MC: “Miss. Jiang, how long have you worked for Venus Fashion? When did you start as CEO Shen’s secretary?”

Jiang MingYue: “I have worked at Venus for five years, from the moment I was hired. I became CEO Shen’s design assistant and secretary.”

MC: “CEO Shen must have trusted you to give you such an important role in her company.”

Jiang MingYue: “CEO Shen truly trusts me, but in the beginning, I wasn’t her only secretary. I had two other coworkers.”

MC: “How busy was the company for Shen Xi to require three secretaries?”

Jiang MingYue: “Not to that extent. I was originally responsible for organizing CEO Shen’s business schedule. My two coworkers would handle hidden matters in CEO Shen’s private life. On paper, their roles were secretarial, but in reality, they were more like her life assistants. They left one after the other and CEO Shen didn’t hire anyone to fill the role ever again.”

Mo Yi: “Why did the other secretaries leave? Was it of their own volition?”

Jiang MingYue: “This…”

(Jiang MingYue looked startled as if she had never anticipated that Mo Yi would ask her that question. She took a nervous glance at Mo Yi and then lowered her head again.)

Jiang MingYue: “One of them didn’t renew their contract with CEO Shen and left, and the other was fired due to violations of CEO Shen’s privacy.”

[Banquet Events]

MC: “Did the banquet last night go without a hitch?”

Jiang MingYue: “You could assume so. But we would’ve never imagined that CEO Lu would actually attend.”

MC: “Didn’t think Lu JingHe would attend? Were the invitations not vetoed by you guys?”

Jiang MingYue: “We did invite CEO Lu, but Lawyer, you must have heard about the failed negotiations between PAX Group and our company… And in this fashion week, we outshone PAX Apparel and took the gold prize, so… The invitation for CEO Lu to attend was more of a demonstration than anything else. That’s why we thought CEO Lu wouldn’t attend.”

MC: “Did Lu JingHe’s appearance at the banquet have an impact on the banquet’s itinerary?”

Jiang MingYue: “No, CEO Shen just added a small thank you to CEO Lu at the end of her speech. When someone came to propose a toast and mentioned CEO Lu, CEO Shen made a show of opening the box of chocolates and eating one.”

MC: “CEO Shen ate the chocolates Lu JingHe gave her in front of others, was she not afraid that other people may misinterpret their relationship? That’s to say, was CEO Shen hoping for people to see, and if so, does that imply the fake news about CEO Shen and Lu JingHe’s engagement was leaked by your company?”

Jiang MingYue: “No no, absolutely not. CEO Shen would never do that! Although CEO Shen used the PAX Group negotiations as exposure for our company, she would never use her personal relationships to achieve it. She ate the chocolate to prove that the two companies were on good terms - that Venus and PAX didn’t have any bad blood beyond a failed negotiation.”

Mo Yi: “Chocolates are a common banquet gift and do not necessarily imply romantic interest between two parties.”

(After hearing Mo Yi’s comment, Jiang MingYue let out a sigh and her shoulders relaxed. I can’t understand why Mo Yi would help Jiang MingYue find a way out of the topic. However, after seeing how stressed Jiang MingYue was, I think I can imagine why he did it.)

MC: “...”

MC: (We won’t be able to get anything out of her if she’s too anxious. I gotta hand it to Dr. Mo for handling the pace of the interrogation.)

MC: “Then it seems like the entertainment news outlets were once again making something out of nothing in order to pull in readers.”

Jiang MingYue: “That’s right.”

[About the Rash on Her Wrist]

MC: “Miss. Jiang, what happened to your wrist? Do you require medical attention?”

Jiang MingYue: “It’s not urgent, I just had a minor allergic reaction. It’ll be alright after applying some ointment.”

MC: “That’s good to hear. I have a coworker with a mushroom allergy. It must be so uncomfortable when it hurts and itches at the same time.”

Jiang MingYue: “I’m allergic to chocolate. Last night, a server carrying a tray of chocolates bumped into me. I’m diligent about not being in contact with it and normally wouldn’t be like this.”

MC: “Chocolate allergy exists? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Jiang MingYue: “It’s rare. When I eat or touch chocolate, I’ll break out in a rash. The first time this happened, I was quite young and ate so much chocolate that I went into anaphylaxis. I now avoid touching chocolate whenever possible.”

[About Work Stress]

MC: “Miss. Jiang, after the other two secretaries were fired by CEO Shen, it must have been really hard to handle three people’s worth of work right?”

(I looked at Jiang MingYue’s ill-fitting clothes and followed up with another question.)

MC: “Are you often really busy?”

Jiang MingYue: “It’s been alright. CEO Shen hasn’t had others handle her private business, so my day to day tasks have pretty much stayed the same in terms of handling her external affairs. CEO Shen is generous with our salary, and I’ve never had to work during vacation days. Even if it gets a little busier, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

[About Her Relationship with Shen Xi]

MC: “When CEO Shen gave you the box of chocolate from Lu JingHe for safekeeping, did she know that you were allergic?”

Jiang MingYue: “She knew. Since I’m not sensitive to the smell of chocolate and they were in the box, I was safe. Most times, CEO Shen is quite a considerate person…”

Mo Yi: “Most times? That’s to say, CEO Shen has lost her temper with you?”

Jiang MingYue: “We had been working together for five years, moments like that are sure to happen. Which employee hasn’t seen their boss lose their temper?”

Mo Yi: “Is it solely because of work-related issues? For CEO Shen to know that you’re allergic to chocolate, you two must have had a lot of interactions in your everyday life.”

Jiang MingYue: “N-no. CEO Shen and I only have a boss and secretary relationship. We really don’t have anything more than that. I understand that you suspect me because I was holding onto the box of chocolates, but I didn’t do it.”

Mo Yi: “Oh? If it’s nothing more than a work relationship, then your actions do not correspond with your claim.”

[About Last Night’s Rooming Arrangements]

Mo Yi: “Usually during business trips, the secretary will choose to stay in a room near their boss’, to facilitate communication. Why did CEO Shen stay on the 18th floor, while your room was located on the 17th floor, Room 1713?”

Jiang MingYue: “The hotel had no other vacancy because it’s fashion week, so I booked a standard room on the 17th floor.”

Mo Yi: “Is that so? But the suite 1718 connected to 1717 on the 17th floor, was vacant last night. When you booked accommodations for Shen Xi, why didn’t you pick rooms on the 17th floor? Unless the rooms on the 18th floor are special? Both floors have the same pricing and considering Shen Xi’s net worth, I suggest you avoid using the excuse of how ‘the 18th floor was discounted.’”

Jiang MingYue: “When I was booking rooms, there really were no other open rooms… Maybe someone canceled their reservations afterward…”

Mo Yi: “That’s valid, you have a point.”

[About Her Timeline]

MC: “Do you remember the exact time CEO Shen ate the chocolate at the banquet?”

Jiang MingYue: “It should be a quarter after seven, I think.”

MC: “And you’re sure?”

Jiang MingYue: “Yes. The fashion week’s organizer’s speech was scheduled to start at 7:20 PM, so I was watching the time.”

~~~Flashback~~~

▌Saturday Night, 7:15 PM

Jiang MingYue: “CEO Shen, the organizer’s speech is about to start, you…”

Shen Xi: “Got it, go find Chairman Zhang and remind him.”

(Shen Xi spoke while unwrapping the box of liquor chocolates in Jiang MingYue‘s hand.)

Shen Xi: “Although CEO Lu’s got a ways to go when it comes to doing business, he sure has a good eye for chocolate.”

Lu JingHe: “As long as CEO Shen likes them. Please enjoy those at your leisure, I’ll take my leave for the night.”

(Shen Xi’s fingertips were capped with melted chocolate. Just as she was looking for a napkin, Lu JingHe made his way over to her. Shen Xi, holding one hand in midair, felt awkward as to whether she should bring her dirtied fingers back down to her side. Just then, a server passed by Lu JingHe, who plucked a tissue off of the tray and handed it to Shen Xi.)

Shen Xi: “Thank you, CEO Lu. You’re a busy man, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

(Shen Xi accepted the napkin and wiped her hand without causing extra attention and raised her brow at Jiang MingYue.)

Shen Xi: “MingYue, send off CEO Lu in my place. I’ll go and inform Chairman Zhang myself.”

(Shen Xi nodded and turned to leave.)

Jiang MingYue: “CEO Lu, CEO Shen is quite busy tonight. Please don’t mind her attitude and allow me to see you off…”

~~~Flashback Ends~~~

MC: “Then when did the banquet end? Excluding the time when CEO Shen was eating the chocolates, did you have the box in your hands at the time?”

Jiang MingYue: “The banquet ended at 8:30 PM as scheduled, but I didn’t hold the box of chocolates for the entire time. After I saw CEO Lu off for the night, CEO Shen mentioned that the chocolates were a little melted when she ate it and told me to bring the chocolates back to her room’s mini cooler.”

Mo Yi: “What time did you stop by?”

Jiang MingYue: “It was around 7:30 PM, although when I was coming back from her room, I ran into an accident.”

~~~Flashback~~~

▌Saturday Night, 7:40 PM

Server: “Ah! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry! Miss, are you alright!”

(Jiang MingYue finished placing the chocolates in the fridge. On her way back to the banquet a server carrying a tray collided into her.)

Jiang MingYue: “What are you carrying? No way it’s....”

Server: “It’s chocolate sauce.”

Jiang MingYue: “Shoot!”

(Jiang MingYue hurriedly grabbed napkins from a table and scrubbed at the chocolate sauce spilled on her wrist.)

Server: “Miss, are you okay? Do I need to escort you back to your suite?”

Jiang MingYue: “I’ll head up myself. If the hotel has any rash medication or creams, please send it up to room 1713.”

~~~Flashback Ends~~~

Mo Yi: “After you cleaned up and finally returned to the banquet, what time was it?”

Jiang MingYue: “It was almost 8:00 PM when I returned. After the server brought me the medicated cream, he took my soiled dress for dry cleaning. If you don’t believe me, you can check their records.”

MC: “After the banquet ended, what did you do? When was the last time you saw Shen Xi?”

Jiang MingYue: “I was with CEO Shen when she saw all the guests off. I returned her room key to her, and left to rest in my room. We parted ways when the elevator reached the 17th floor, around 9:00 PM. That was when I saw CEO Shen last.”

Mo Yi: “Shen Xi’s room key was in your possession?”

Jiang MingYue: “That’s right. CEO Shen doesn’t like to carry purses or clutches at banquets so her room key and her phone were in my bag. After I changed my clothes and returned to the banquet hall, I never left CEO Shen’s side.”

[About anyone with access to the chocolates]

MC: “Miss. Jiang, lastly I need to reaffirm that, besides CEO Shen and yourself, was there anyone else who was able to come into contact with that box of chocolates last night?”

Jiang MingYue: “Let me think…”

(Jiang MingYue looked down in contemplation.)

Jiang MingYue: “After thinking about it, no, there’s no one else. There was only CEO Shen and me. Of course, if CEO Lu was able to unwrap the box and then repackage it, I can’t say for certain.”

~~~Interrogation End~~~

MC: “From the police, I heard that you were the one who found CEO Shen this morning?”

Jiang MingYue: “It was me. The overseas fabric manufacturer had urgent matters to talk to CEO Shen about. Around 7:40 AM this morning, I picked up their call and went upstairs to find her, but I couldn’t reach her cell phone nor did she answer me when I knocked on the door.”

Mo Yi: “So by the time you found the hotel staff to open the suite door, that was when you discovered Shen Xi’s body?”

Jiang MingYue: “It’s as you said…”

MC: “Alright, Miss. Jiang, that’s all the questions I have for you.”

(After we finished the questioning, Jiang MingYue stood up and saw that there had been officers standing behind us all this time.)

Jiang MingYue: “Can I head back now? After everything that's happened, CEO Shen’s family is still uninformed and there’s a lot of things I need to handle.”

Officer: “Sorry Miss. Jiang, you’re still a suspect in the case and we’ll need to take you back to the station with us.”

Jiang MingYue: “It’s not me, it’s really not me…”

Mo Yi: “Sorry, if it’s possible without obstructing protocol, may we have a second look at the crime scene before you detain Miss. Jiang?”

Officer: “Dr. Mo, you did not finish questioning the suspect?”

Mo Yi: “There are a couple of things I’d like to ask and verify. But I can see that Miss. Jiang is already exhausted, I would like her to rest for a bit before we continue. In the meantime…”

(Mo Yi looked at me, his eyes seemingly allowing me to finish his sentence and decide our next step.)

MC: “Officer, in the meantime, please allow us to see the crime scene again.”

Officer: “Alright, follow me.”

(The officer halted Jiang MingYue as she was trying to follow us out.)

Officer: “Miss. Jiang, I ask that you cooperate and remain in this room for the time being.”

(Jiang MingYue returned to sit at the office chair, held the cushion to her chest and sobbed quietly. As Mo Yi and I left the room, a hot breath tickled my neck. Mo Yi’s calm voice spoke into my ear.)

Mo Yi: “Just then, she was lying.”

——-

[Previous Part] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part]

——-

《CREDIT》 Translator: Humi​​ Editor: @cL QC: @hallowsivy​ 《未定事件簿》Tears of Themis is a 2020 Chinese otome game by 米哈游Mihoyo. All original credits go to 米哈游Mihoyo.

《 VOICE ACTORS 》 Mo Yi | Jiang GuangTao: https://weibo.com/jiangguangtao Lu JingHe | Yang Tianxiang: https://weibo.com/u/1745507755 Yan Wei: https://weibo.com/lengquanyeyue Jiang MingYue | V17-Vila: https://weibo.com/u/7360408881

[welcometothebookreport]

In 2020, I read 40 books (with maybe a few more to be added after I post this) after discovering my love of reading all over again. I am not a very hard reader to please, so it will be rare for me to rate a book with a low score, so I doubt you’ll ever see any criticism from me. So, here we go!

A few things before I start: There are three series in this list (but technically only two, because I’ve only read Serpent & Dove so far) but I’ve limited myself to no repeat authors. That must have been the hardest part for me. Since Jessi went the extra mile and ranked them in order, I’ve decided to make myself suffer the same. And while most of these were not published in 2020, they were read in 2020.

I am (sometimes) a picky reader, but any book that is on this list, I have loved. I chose not to rate them because honestly, they would have all been high. I give ratings easily, and try not to pick things apart even for books I truly did not like.

Please keep in mind that I do my best to add trigger warnings, but you should always check for certain triggers before reading. Triggers vary for everyone.

10. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Warnings: There’s a male character that’s a creep and you’ll spot him as soon as you crack this one open. This tale deals with Peyton being sentenced to prison, and their mother practically glossing over what he’s done by victim blaming.

I have read Dessen’s books since I was 13 and I truly still enjoy her stories as much as I did then. While this was a re-read for me, it’s a tie for my favorite book of hers. It’s tied with Along For the Ride.

Sydney is left in the aftermath after her older brother, Peyton, is sentenced to prison after a drunk driving accident that paralyzes a boy. Formerly in his shadow, Sydney struggles to discover what it is she wants, and how she wants to be seen as her own mother seems to gloss right over her. It’s a YA read that always feels like more than the romance that originally interested me.

9.  Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin

Warnings: Misogyny. The church and religion plays an extremely heavy part of this plot, which was hard for me to get into. It’s clear that some characters do not value women in their actions and words toward Lou. It made me uncomfortable in spots because I just wanted to get past it, but I plan to read this one again since I know that it won’t bother me this time! Still, there is: violence in parts, religious zealots (in case that’s something that makes you uncomfortable like it did me), derogatory slurs toward women, and again, misogyny.

I finished this one two days ago, and I sincerely cannot wait to dig into the sequel. Lou is a witty, snappy character that was such a breath of fresh air from the normal. You usually see the male lead that’s a bit crude, a bit quick to pull the trigger, and the one that’s harder to crack. Is that what happened here? Absolutely fucking not. Shelby Mahurin took something I loved, enemies to lovers, and kicked its ass. Forced marriage? UM YES. A witch and a witch-hunter? Mortal enemies? Characters that can never possibly love each other? DONE DONE DONE.

It’s hilarious in parts. Serious when it needs to be. A bit spicy too, while not a lot, which I certainly appreciate. Reid’s character development is a wonder to watch, at least for me, and by the end of the book, I am so in love with him that I don’t know what to do with myself. I have so many annotations for this novel.

8. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Warnings: There’s a fair bout of murder. Women are expected not to take lovers before marriage while men are not held to the same standard. Gross. Allessandra is continually underestimated so let me say: let the women do the work.

It’s called the Slytherin romance we’ve been waiting for, and I agree. While this is a shorter read, and a standalone, I was pleased with it. Both characters are incredibly ambitious, but it’s Allessandra that steals the show. The plan? To enter the palace, woo the king, and then kill him in order to take his kingdom. She’s wicked in all the ways I love.

I loved this book, and each page, but this was the line that will make me return to it: “I’m not a trollop,” I announce to the empty room. “I’m a sexually empowered woman, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

The Folk of the Air Series by Holly Black

Warnings: Aside from murder, there’s nothing that stands out to me as a trigger.

A series! The first! There’s something interesting about this series for me, and it’s that I didn’t fall in love altogether, all at once. It was gradual, like wading into water until it went right over my head. By the final fourth of The Cruel Prince, I was fully invested in this world and I absolutely needed to know how Jude and Cardan would become, well, Jude and Cardan.

As a YA series, I was not expecting the sheer amount of mystery, political intrigue, and plot twists that came with this series. However, I never knew what was going to happen, and if I did guess what was coming, Black had at least two more twists to send me for a loop. The Queen of Nothing was likely my favorite book of the series, with The Wicked King as a close second.

6. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Warnings:  Discussion of attempted non-con assault, forced disclosure of sexuality

I laughed until my eyes watered and I nearly cried in this book. Delightfully funny, and snappy, RW&B delivers on everything I didn’t know that I needed. I had never read a book where LGBTQ was represented in such a positive light. As someone raised in a more conservative household, I’ve known my own sexual orientation for a long time, but this book made me feel like I could relax in my skin because this story was stunning.

Alex and Henry left me with so much hope that it’s impossible to ever put the lid back on. I’m so happy I read this.

(oh, god, we’re in the final five.)

5. The Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber

Warnings: Physical and emotional child abuse.

I could dedicate multiple posts to this series. Maybe I still will. While this is at number five, it’s my favorite series I’ve ever read. If I could only have one series to read for the rest of my life, I would choose this one. Hands down. Full stop. These characters live in my head constantly and I would give an obscene amount of things to read it all over again for the first time. I actually read this with two of my closest friends in our many book club, and we all loved it.

Doused in magic, this world is unveiled to us with excellent descriptions. Truly, Garber owned my heart within a few chapters. Scarlett is the elder sister, Tella the younger, and if you don’t love Tella by the end of Caraval, I promise you will. I know because I was skeptical, but here I am. I’ve said it to my friends, but Scarlett is the one who holds my hair while I have a hangover. Tella is the one that helps me start the bar fight.

With non-stop turns, and magic, everything comes to life on these pages. And the romance, the romance. Please, please give me my great love in this style. It’s not too much to ask for, is it?

4. Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Warnings:  loss of sibling, loss of parent, alcoholism, mention of infidelity, mentions of previous physical and emotional child abuse.

Mae sent this recommendation to me, and I devoured all of Kemmer’s books post-haste. Declan and Juliet fall in love without knowing who the other is, while also not liking the real version of their penpal. Juliet has lost her mother, and she’s treading water, but not well. Declan has suffered in the years that follow a family tragedy, and he’s not adapting to life with his new step-father.

But he opens with CemetaryGirl (Juliet) and it’s raw in the best of ways, and the openness between them that eventually moves from their bubble to reality is one of the most pleasing things to read. I’ve read it twice this year. I will read it again next year too.

I also read this twice this year and will for sure be reading it again in 2021.

3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Warnings: Child abuse.

This was another novel that I fell in love with as I went, and that’s definitely because of the non-linear narrative. It was a little confusing, but I’m going to read it again someday since I know everything now! I read this to follow-up to Caraval with my book club pals, and it’s just what I needed to leave Caraval behind. Marco and Celia are incredible and I absolutely believe that the ending of this novel is one of the best endings I’ve ever read.

My book club has not finished this book entirely this so I’m not sharing any spoilers, but I would like to share one of my favorite quotes. “What did you wish for?” “I wished for her.”

2. Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

Warnings: Cuba is in the middle of a revolution, and it’s tense in parts. There are some bittersweet elements and I think the parts of the ending are like the punch in the gut you need in order to wake you up and remember to live.

This was my first read once I really dug back into this hobby in August. It was picked by Reese Witherspoon for her book club, and she always picks good books. This is a dual timeline romance, and mystery. It’s an absolute stunner of a book. It’s a dear favorite to me now. I’ve never been to Cubs, or heard stories, but Cleeton manages to make you feel like you’re right there feeling saltwater spray across your face.

The romance made me feel breathless, but truly it’s the strong familial ties that make this such a beautiful gem. It leaves you with hope even in the dark and with love in the absence of it. I could scream about this book for the rest of my life, which I absolutely intend to do.

Favorite line? “You’re going to be difficult to walk away from, aren’t you?” “I hope so.”

1 In A Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Warnings? There are none that strike me. This is a lighthearted read that pulls at the heartstrings, but it’s by no means short on the laughs. And, I’m sorry for the long wall of text below.

In A Holidaze is the story of a woman stuck in her ways of never going after what she truly wants until a stray wish lands her in a time loop over the holidays. It's only after repeating the same day a few times that she quite literally says "fuck this," and starts living for HER. I really expected this to just be a Hallmark kind of read, but it was SO MUCH MORE. You should read it, even if it's after the holidays.

It's witty, and heart-wrenching, and it's just everything I didn't know I needed. Mae is snarky, and brave when she figures out that there is nothing stopping her, and the romance is - GODDAMN. Andrew. I need an Andrew and a fan.

It's not quite a love triangle, which was what I expected and I was so pleasantly surprised. I have grinned like a goddamn fool all day. I have giggled all day in front of customers, and my co-workers. I have nearly CRIED in my bedroom when my heart fell out of my ass and landed somewhere near my ankles, because hello, it's gonna get you.

This is going on my yearly re-read list for the holidays.

In the two days since I’ve finished, I’ve convinced my two friends in book club to read it, convinced Jessi to order it from Book of the Month Club, convinced another friend to read it, and bought it for Mae on Christmas day because her library had a six month hold and that was simply unacceptable.

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

I am of the opinion that PQ2 should have been released AFTER P5R

Tbh PQ2 is placed where it is because of the 3DS' life cycle. I'd place it farther but the PQ series working on Switch(+maybe other places) is most likely reliant on the/an EO's switch game (to help adjust the formula). If it wasn't for that, I'd probs slowly remake/port P1-4 while spewing out more/different P5 spinoffs before we get to PQ2. (so I don’t disagree, there’s a couple of ways they could’ve gone about it, but even tho it’s speculation it’s fun, none of it matters cause we probs got the worst timeline ;w; anyway time to just ramble about related stuff 8U) (but I would love to hear your opinion as to why you think that’s the case!)

Word vomit word vomit~! Under the cut cause I can’t reply like a normal person 8U ;x; (don’t mind me the gears started-a-turning aklfjdsakl)

Tho tbh, from what we got with PQ2, I dunno if Adding Sumi and Jose would be good. PQ2 is pretty directionless with it's cast imo, like it has something to say but half the time they feel like mouthpieces and not actually......the characters we know being involved. It already has a handful of b/c/d/f plots and it barely even dives deeper than a kids wadding pool with them orz I'd say what's the harm in adding Sumi/Jose since it already can't handle the cast it's been dealt it won't hurt having two more, but do I WANT Sumi/Jose (and possibly Takuto) to suffer for that? Nah. I'd rather we get a PQ3, were we can focus on the implications of Sumi having just awakened and the team side eyeing Joker/Mona for not telling them and all those implications. Her bonding with the team would probs be drowned out by Hamu and Hikari (when they actually feel like giving them some focus that is), plus Goro's stupid bullshit just.......listen.... PQ1? Chars can be a biiiiit mean at times, and are flanderized, but damn do they all feel involved and still have some remnant of their original personality (they aren't flanderized all the time and not all chars are flanderized) but man did they feel important to the game. DX I’ll take it over the clustered bullshit that is PQ2 orz

Anyway, tbh, now that I think about it, P5R should’ve been released in 2021ish time. For a PS4/PS5 release. Would’ve given the PS5 another flag ship game, and justifying it on another console as well (plus a 4 year gap feels a little more justified than a 3 year gap, esp when there’s a new console involved). It also doesn’t help we got two horrible failures of spinoffs in between P5 and P5R (one is the P3/5D and yes I’m counting them as one game, and PQ2 who is at best a slog and at worst is one of the biggest thorn in my side lore wise since P5 sauntered onto the scene...that being said I mostly blame the failure of that game on the dead console it was on). A remake and/or Scramble honestly should’ve been the next game right then and there (oh hey where have I seen that before? Oh right, P4. And it worked, we had about 3 remakes/enhanced ports before our Arena/sequel but still it worked). Not “cash grab the game” or “let’s just set the poor thing up for failure” the game. Like PQ2 would’ve been ok to fail if we at least got a remake and P5S (and I really don’t give a shit about P5S, but it def should’ve been there early on). 

And an extra bonus with P5S releasing early is that, after P5R released, we could have a P5S re-release with a tweaked storyline maybe involving Goro/Sumi/Jose/yadda yadda on the PS5! Is that a bit cash grabby? Maybe. Is it at least cash grabby with a purpose? Yes. We want purpose. Purpose is good. Purpose, means they have our interests in mind. 8U

*inhales* tbh....the PQ2 we got....could’ve/would’ve worked better without the P5 cast. I KNOW, Silly hates-a-the-P5, but.....at this point it’s not even that. There is one char that really tries hard to relate with Hikari that isn’t the shut in bullshit (yeah sure let’s give Futaba more screen time, it’s not like she didn’t have enough of that, nothing against shut ins, just P5/Q2′s writing). And it’s Hamuko. regardless how you feel about the FeMC, the B plot of “I am all alone, I am separated from my loved ones, the same loved ones I see look the same but aren’t them (oh hey another Tatsuya parallel 8U), and to top it off some stranger is in the role I’m supposed to be in. Am I replaceable? What’s the point of my existence if I’m not the only one who can fulfil this role?” have an entire game based on that existential crisis. We don’t even need the same setting/cast (Hikari/Nagi/Doe), actually I’d keep the Climax Theater but I’d lean HEAVILY into the P2 references/themes and such (Hamu already has a lot in common with Tatsuya, this just adds to it even more!). That B plot with Hamu could probs carry a game itself, or her issues can easily tie into the A plot of that game (like how Rei/Zen’s did with PQ1). Don’t delegated it to a watered down B plot that PQ2 gave us. jfjsadfj hell this probs would’ve been a better time for Sumi to be involved instead. Instead of the P5R new char, she’s the new PQ char and hey they can bond over that (sure we can do that in the current PQ2 game, but we can’t fit it in that well cause we have to tell the P5 cast how cool we think they are! even tho they haven’t really done anything but breathe! >8U)

It’d be a good follow up to PQ1 esp if released not long after, with it being a P3xP4 crossover, it’d 1) feel almost like a direct sequel, 2) riding the coattails of PQ1′s success at the most timely of times, 3) connected with 2 but it’d be at the hype of the 3DS, 4) we don’t have to worry about fans not knowing who they are since that cast is still relevant, 5) it gets Hamu’s thing out of the way so that PQ3 can allow the P5 kids to shine! Cause I’mma be honest, the PQ2 we got doesn’t really make them stand out, outside of the Kamoman dungeon. Plus it’d allow us to give more screen time to juicier B plots that people probably wish for with a P5 involved PQ game (such as Goro, I know y’all thirsty for him, this benefits you guys!)

Ah sorry you probs didn’t want a rant klasdjfalf just tired and the gears started turning and ahhhhh orz Anyway, again, I don’t disagree with you anon, I def think they could’ve done things differently and done it a lot of different ways too. XU And btw I’d love to hear more why you think that! 

[keep-them-close-series]

maleficent/ mal backstory

all this is kinda stuff thats implied referenced and stuff and you can kinda piece together (to a point) from the stuff thats already posted (or going to be posted) but i figured i’d make a full explanation/ timeline since this is the most AU backstory 

Minor spoilers for one of the early chaps of “you bruised the apple, you made it rot” and “past, present, future” but not huge ones. Probably will help since it’s vauge af in the fics lol

- so. I’m using kinda a combo of dif things.

- if y’all have seen the maleficent movie (the remake w/ her as like a protector of the forest) it kinda takes that setting 

- but maleficent isn’t good lol 

- it’s not quite known how she became queen of the moors, but she had been as long as anyone could remember 

- when she became queen she started draining the magic itself from the moors and the creatures that live there. the moors started to wilt and die over the next few hundred years, because they’re absolutely ancient  and have been storing magic for centuries 

- all fae come from the moors, which are great and vast lands, but most have left over the past few hundred years that maleficent has been queen 

- they’ve started living among humans, using the little amounts of magic they have left to give gifts to those they think need it 

- fae arent the only magical creatures that left, but most sort of had to stay there bc they wernt accepted by humans the same way that fae (who were already very human like) were 

- but around the time (a few yrs/decades b4) aurora was born the moors began to get worse 

- before they were just wilting, getting sick, but now they were starting to die 

- malifect was draining so much of the magic that she was killing it 

- she didn’t care about the moors, but she did care that her almost infinite magic was weaning 

- asp she relizes that she can just.... take human fear and turn that directly into magic. so.... thats not good for the humans.... 

- so.... she started venturing out into the lands of others. just kinda... doing w/e tf she wanted in search of magic to steal, or w/e she thought was interesting. tracking down fae who left, or just destroying villages and fucking w/ humans bc she hated them and thought they were weak 

- eventually she finds aurora and curses her bc she hates flora fauna and merriweather 

- they were sorts of fae priestesses before they left the moors, and the fact that they’re blessing a human child is something malifecent considers a huge insult. especially since they refused to bless her and her reign as queen 

- so yeah. she curses aurora, and everything happens pretty close to the movie. the kingdom falls hidden and into a cursed sleep for 100 years, after aurora grows up away from her family 

- philip has kinda an extra reason to go searching. besides the fact that he actually met aurora/ fell in love w/ her when they were both like 15 (like in the movie) he’s also caught in the cursed sleep for exactly 100 years. 

- exactly when the 100th year hits he awakes, fights maleficent and kisses aurora, which wakes the rest of the kingdom 

- maleficent is greatly injured but not killed, and retreats 

- unfortunately when philip was trapped in the curse sleep w/ the rest of aurora’s kingdom his own kingdom was left leader-less bc his father could never have another son and eventually died.... :( 

- and during the 100 years maleficent continued doing w/e tf she wanted including terrorizing other kingdoms and just random ass towns (especially in her dragon form) and helping other villians to either get more magic 

- so philip and aurora try to get their shit together. they get married and combine their kingdoms to protect them / bundle resources to defend themselves 

- flora fauna and merriweather leave to see if they can find a way to defeat/ contain maleficent for good 

- eventually meets up w/ FG, merlin, and beast/belle. they’re already working together trying to find a solution to the large amount of villains currently growing in power, and the three are kinda like ‘hey we need to figure out smthn Fast bc this may be the only time we can acutally take malifecent down’ 

- they decide on the isle, and FG and Merlin work together to create the barriar 

- malifecent is captured and stuck there, w/o any of the magic she. literally killed for 

- she’s pissed, especially since w/o all her magic she’s starting to age at the rate of a normal human. she’s been (physically at least) early 20s for a long fucking time 

- she spends a few years trying to escape on her own, b4 she realizes oh shit i actually might never escape 

- she decides to have a child to like... continue her legacy. slash as a pawn/useful tool. 

- ends up just... seducing some random man on the isle. (not hades, sry y’all. as far as i’m concerned he’s not actually on the isle in this universe bc... he’s a literal god and i’m adding more restrictions to magic in this universe)

- he’s just a normal, nameless human. a murder or smthn that was sent to the isle when auradon started sending random criminals there. 

- as soon as she knows she’s pregnant she kills the guy. she doesn't want anyone else having control over mal 

- all of it is super calculated. she wants mal to exsist to continue her legacy and sees her as nothing more as an extension of herself. some might think she ‘lowered’ herself to have a child w/ a random human but to her humans are like.... nothing. she basically sees it as if she and noone else created mal, and that bc of that/ bc she created her she owns mal 

[mymarvelbunch]

Be Your Own Hero - Steve Rogers x Reader (part 9)

Masterlist

Summary:  You’ve lost all your family and most friends in The Decimation. Refusing to believe their deaths are permanent, you dedicate years to find a way to reverse it. Upon finding something that might help, you search for the Avengers’ help. It’s Steve Rogers x Reader, but in reality it’s mostly Badass!Reader. Also, Non-American!Reader

Warnings: mild language.

Note: Y/Co = your country. Y/Ci = your city; Y/N/L = your native language.

Previously: All exhaustion from the day (God, it all been only a day) overwhelmed you as Steve took you to... a room. Your eyes couldn’t keep themselves open enough for you to see if it was yours or not. You felt yourself being laid down on a bed, but couldn’t bring yourself to let go of Steve just yet. He was so warm... “Y/N?”, he prompted. “You’re warm”, you said simply. “Warm...”, and darkness came again, but this time you welcomed it.

Part Nine

You woke up in the middle of the night with an urgent need to pee.

Your mentally cursed your bladder. There you were, in the dreamless sleep you had so desperately longed for, and now you knew you wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep unless you went to bathroom. Sighing, you tried to stand up, only to find yourself stuck by a pair of arms. Only then you realized your heard wasn’t rested on a pillow, but on someone.

That someone being Steve Rogers.

Your breath quickened. How did that happen? You barely remembered what happened after arriving back on your own timeline, only that Steve had been the one to take you. You couldn’t remember falling asleep at all, exhausted as you were.

Well, you were still too tired to think. Careful not to wake him up, you disentangled yourself from him and crawled out of bed. Fortunately, the room you were in was attached to its own bathroom. You didn’t want to wander around the place.

Relief washed over you as you finally managed to pee. Silently as you came, you left, crawled back to bed and rested your head on an actual pillow. As much as Steve made a great fake one, you wouldn’t dare to use him again, no matter how much you wanted to.

.

When you woke up again, the sun had already risen, and Steve was no longer there. You instantly felt yourself colder, but before you could mentally scold yourself, Steve showed up from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty”, he greeted, and you were positive you were blushing.

“Is that movie even from your time?”, you teased instead of actually replying. It was crazy; you had gotten used to tease Captain America of all people.

Then again, you two spent a month training together for almost 24/7, and shared a bed now. Teasing shouldn’t be surprising.

“The Disney movie? No, it isn’t. But you do know Sleeping Beauty is an old fairy tale, right?”, he replied with a grin.

“Oh, I forgot”, you said sincerely. “My brain hasn’t completely woken up yet.”

“Mine either, to be honest”, he said, yawning. “Woke up twenty minutes before you, and almost couldn’t get out of bed. God, yesterday was exhausting.”

“Yeah.” You yawned back. “Pretty sure that day lasted more than 24 hours for us. Haven’t been this tired since I got out of my mom.”

He snorted and laughed at that. You giggled, unable to restrain yourself. His laugh sounded like music to your ears, as cliche as that sentence sounded.

“I don’t think even pre-serum me has ever felt this tired”, he replied. “But my super solder stomach woke me up begging for food. Want me to get something for you?”

You shook your head. “I just want a couple more hours of sleep. Can I stay here?” Now that your eyes were fully open, you could attest this wasn’t your room. (Or rather, Scarlet Witch’s.)

“Of course you can. See you later”, that said, he left the room, closing the door. A part of you wanted to melt at his kindness, but the rest of you just wanted to close your eyes and fall back asleep, and so you did.

.

Intermission: Steve’s POV

When he got in the kitchen, only Bucky was there. He had faintly heard the others arriving back the Headquarters, but he didn’t muster the energy to leave his room to greet them. You had fallen asleep still in his arms, and he laid down to try to disentangle you from him so he could sleep on the floor. However, he had underestimated his exhaustion; he fell asleep as soon as he felt the mattress on his back.

Not that he was complaining. It had been the best sleep he had gotten in years, and he was pretty sure your presence had something to do with it - even though you were no longer in his arms when he woke up, he smiled like an idiot upon seeing your sleeping self, wondering what it would be like if he woke up every morning like this.

Calm the fuck down, Rogers, he thought to himself. He was being almost as worse than he was with Peggy after two years knowing each other. He had met you a month ago, for fuck’s sake.

“Is everyone still sleeping?”, he asked his best friend, who was eating a pair of toasts.

“If you mean everyone who stayed here, yes”, he replied. “All aliens went back home, including the Asgardians, which seem to have moved to... Norway, I think?” Steve nodded to indicate he guessed right. “Anyway, T’Challa, Okoye and Shuri went back to Wakanda through the wizard’s sling rings. Asked if I was going too, but I decided to at least wait for you.”

“I appreciate. I’ve missed you, buddy.” He side hugged his friend, who returned the gesture.

“Wish I could say the same”, he said. “But I didn’t even know three years had passed when I woke up. It felt like I had tripped and got knocked out for a couple minutes.”

Steve frowned, trying to remember how exactly did Bucky vanish. Then he snorted. “You fell face on the floor when you got dusted”, he said.

“Woke up facing the mud”, Bucky groaned. “Yeah, laugh all you want, you punk.”

“Jerk”, he replied immediately. “Anyway, what happened in Asgard after I left? You guys took a whole minute to come back. I heard.”

Bucky took another bite of toast before answering. “We managed to get rid of the rest of Thanos’ allies, either by killing them or just kicking them out of the planet for good. When everyone was about to leave, Loki and the green woman - Gamora, I think - asked to come to 2021 with us. Someone - not Tony - had the idea of bringing extra suits in case of failure, so we wouldn’t have a repeat of what happened to Y/N, and gave them to the two. But Thor told Loki that he had to stay and help his past self to defeat their sister Hela, who would come after Odin’s death to seek revenge and destruction. Loki then summoned Odin somehow, and they asked who wanted to help destroy Hela while Odin was still alive. I didn’t, so I came back, along with Sam, Rhodey, Tony and others.

“Some of the magically powerful ones stayed, and came back a few seconds later than us. Long story short, Hela was killed for good, in a cruel manner if you ask me - I’d rather spare you of the details the Asgardians so proudly told us -, Odin took the throne back, someone brought past Valkyrie to be trained for King, and Loki and Gamora came here. Thor is really happy, and Loki is worried by his brother’s looks, I think.”

“He had gone through some hard times, Buck”, Steve defended his teammate and friend. “It’s hard to describe when you weren’t here to see.”

Bucky nodded, and silence fell between the two. It was short-lived, though. “So, you got a girlfriend while I was away?”

He sighed. “Y/N is not my girlfriend, for starters, and I met her a month ago. You heard about it in the debrief before we went to rescue her.”

“Oh, that was a bad summary”, he complained. “I want the good quality content.”

Steve sighed, and told him all about the month spent with you, all while trying to keep his heart rate down and prepare his breakfast.

“You’ve got it bad, my man”, Bucky said in the end. “You should try to make a move, though. If you managed to fall for her in the span of a month, she might have at least a... what do they call now? Ah, a crush.”

“I might”, he replied after taking his first bite of food. “When we are all rested. I’m still not entirely sure if it’s a good idea, though. She is most likely going back to Y/Co to reunite with her family. That was the reason she came here, after all.”

A short silence. “You could follow her”, Bucky suggested quietly. “Personally, I think it’s about goddamn time Captain American retires, regardless of where you end up.”

There was no possible reply to that, so Steve kept his mouth shut and ate his breakfast.

.

Back to reader’s POV

According to an old digital clock in Steve’s room, it was nearly noon when you woke up for good. Your stomach seemed to agree it was lunch time.

After trying to make yourself minimally presentable, you headed to the kitchen, hoping to find something there. A lot of people were gathered inside, seemingly trying to cook lunch with varying degrees of success.

“Hey, Y/N!”, Natasha greeted you, holding a frying pan. “Lunch will be ready soon, make yourself at home!”

Steve smiled and waved at you. Stark, Potts, Barton, Danvers, Scott and Rhodes greeted you normally, while others introduced themselves: Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon), Hope Van Dyne (aka the Wasp, though you didn’t know that), Maria Hill, Nick Fury (who was just sitting around, actually), Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man), Wanda Maximov (aka Scarlet Witch) and... Bucky Barnes?

“Uh, with all due respect, weren’t you dead?”, you said bluntly.

He frowned. “I thought my identity was public knowledge”, he replied innocently.

“It might be the case in Wakanda”, Steve said, “but the files Natasha leaked don’t have any mention on the Winter Soldier’s civilian name.”

“There were theories on the internet”, you added, “but no one gave them credit, to be honest. Even after finding out HYDRA had developed the serum, nobody believed they had run tests as early as in World War II.”

“It makes sense”, Barnes said after a while. “They did try to strip me of my identity. There was no reason for my name to be written down. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Y/N Y/L/N. My buddy here has told me all about you.”

There was a glint in his eyes you couldn’t read into. “I hope all good things”, you replied. “Where is the rest?”

“Bruce is at med bay”, Natasha answered. “Taking care of his burnt arm. We still don’t know if it’ll heal.”

“Thor and the Asgardians went back to Norway”, Danvers added. “And the Guardians of the Galaxy took their spaceship and went... somewhere. I might leave soon too, after I visit some friends.”

“Strange went back to work”, Stark said. “Guy never rests. And Morgan is with a nanny Pepper hired at last minute. Did Happy already go to get her?”

“He left fifteen minutes ago, sir”, the disembodied voice you knew as FRIDAY answered.

“Great. We have a lot to celebrate after lunch.”

“And a job”, Steve replied. “Someone has to get the Infinity Stones back to their timelines.”

“True”, Scott agreed. “Who’s going to do it, by the way?”

.

That job fell into yours and Steve’s hands in the end. Or rather, it fell into Steve’s hands and you offered yourself to go along, not only because you wanted to travel across time and space once more, you wanted as much time as possible with him.

Working with the Avengers had been wonderful. Not only you successfully brought everyone back, you got to meet a lot of heroes from Earth and from space. There was a minor setback (okay, maybe the threat to your life wasn’t ‘minor’) but everything worked out in the end.

But you supposed it was time for goodbyes. You weren’t really suited for a hero’s life; you just wanted to go back to normal, with your family and friends by your side. However, you couldn’t say you wouldn’t miss the friends you had made.

Especially Steve. Your feelings for him only grew in the past weeks, and you were half sure you were in love. You were certain you weren’t meant to be, though. Steve was a man out of his time, and many of your talks showed that he still missed the past deeply. He carried a compass with Peggy Carter’s picture inside! If that wasn’t proof that he longed for the life he lost when he crashed the plane, you didn’t know what it was.

By nighttime, you two were suited up, carrying three Stones in each hand. The Mind Stone was back to the Scepter, the Time Stone was held inside a pendant, and the Power Stone was inside an orb, but no one managed to rebuild the Tesseract that held the Space Stone. Soul and Reality didn’t need anything else with them.

“Okay, let’s review one last time”, Stark said as he turned the time heist on. “Mind and Space Stones go back to New York in 2012. Time goes back to 2017 Strange, also in New York. Power is sent back to Morag, 2014. Soul and Reality to 2018. We all agree it’s too dangerous to send them back to Titan, right? So we take Soul back to Vormir and Reality to Knowhere.”

You and Steve nodded. Once again, you carried extra suits, timers and Pym Particles. Better to be safe than sorry.

“Okay, then. On 3... 2... 1...”

Stark Tower, 2012

The main hall was nearly empty. “Where is everybody?”, you asked Steve.

“Anywhere but here”, he replied. “Everyone got busy after the battle. HYDRA’s trying to retrieve the Scepter and the Tesseract, SHIELD agents are doing the same while evaluating Loki, and we are wrapping everything up.”

You nodded. The Scepter was in your hands. “Are we sure we should hand both of these back? From what you guys told me, these Stones will only bring more problems in the future.”

He turned to you with a thoughtful expression. “What do you suggest?”

You took the Mind Stone out of the Scepter. “Let’s switch Stones and throw Mind in the elevator shaft. It barely glows, so it will take quite a while for them to find it.”

You turned to him to get the Space Stone. He had a mischievous smile on his face. “I like the way you think, Y/N”, he said, handing you the Stone. You placed it on the Scepter. Then, as the elevator doors opened, you threw the other down. You and Steve were quietly laughing as you got in and waited to arrive at the floor the Avengers would be at.

When the doors opened, things were way more chaotic than you expected. Grinning, you simply threw the Scepter on the floor. “Let’s just suit up and go”, you suggested. He nodded, and you both left.

New York, 2017

This looks like a mansion”, Steve commented while standing in front of the Sanctum.

“The Sanctum in Y/Ci is much more modest”, you replied. “It was disguised as a tarot reading shop. Anyway, let’s get in. Strange must be waiting for us.” You knocked. Steve was the one holding the pendant with the Time Stone, ready to show it when needed.

It was Wong who opened the door. It was odd to see him and not be able to greet him like you would had you saw him in 2021. This Wong had never met you. “Oh, you came with the Eye of Agamotto”, he said. “Come in.”

Strange showed up soon after, coming from a random room. “Captain Rogers, Miss Y/L/N”, he greeted. “Thank you for returning the Stone to me.”

Steve handed him the pendant. “Before we go”, you said, “may I use the bathroom?”

“Of course”, Strange replied politely. “Captain, I have something for you in the meantime.”

After coming back from the bathroom, you tried to ask Steve what did Strange give you, but he simply waved it off. “I’ll tell you when we’re done.” You bid your farewells to Strange and Wong, and activated your suits.

Vormir, 2018

You could smell death all around the planet. “What kind of planet is this?”, you whispered quietly to yourself.

“Let’s just deliver the Soul Stone and get out of here”, Steve said, probably just as tense as you were.

“I was thinking”, you replied. “We could let the Reality Stone here too. Buried under the sand, like we plan to do with the Power Stone.”

He frowned. “Why?”

“It’ll make it harder for Thanos—or anyone else—to find it. People come here to find the Soul Stone. Nobody will think of looking for another.”

He nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but a voice stopped him. “Y/N, daughter of [your father’s first name]. Steve, son of Sarah.”

You both turned to see a floating red creature wearing a black robe. “Red Skull?!”, Steve exclaimed. “What the hell are you doing here? I thought the Tesseract had absorbed you.”

‘The Tesseract had what?’, you thought incredulously.

The red-faced man answered, “The Space Stone cast me out, banished me here, guiding others to a treasure I cannot possess. But it seems that you came to return it, instead.”

“Yes”, you replied, ignoring the fact that Steve apparently knew this guy. “We have no more use for it.”

“Alright, then”, ‘Red Skull’ said. “Follow me.”

And so they did. He led them to a cliff. “Normally, this is where you sacrifice one which you love to acquire the Stone. However, in your case, it is where you will return it.”

“I knew it!”, you mumbled. A sacrifice was needed to get the Soul Stone, and this was how Thanos had killed Gamora.

Without hesitating, you threw both Stones down the cliff. “What have you done?”, Red Skull asked, his voice tone unreadable. “The Reality Stone cannot be acquired through the sacrifice.”

“That’s the point, Sunburn”, you replied with a grin.

“Well, it was nice seeing you again, Schimdt”, Steve said with a tone that pointed it hadn’t been nice at all, “but we have more work t—“

He was interrupted by an orange glow. Something floated up to them and fell on the cliff’s edge. When the glow faded, you immediately recognized Gamora.

“A soul for a soul”, you heard Red Skull say as Gamora stood up. “It seems that the deal goes both ways.”

“Where am I?”, Gamora asked. “Who are you?”

“You’re on Vormir, and we are allies”, Steve replied. “We’ve met your friends. Guardians of the Galaxy, right?” She nodded. “We can take you to Earth. Rocket and Groot  are there.”

She frowned. “What about the others?”

“On Titan”, he said. “They were fighting Thanos last we saw them, and it’s too dangerous for us two to be near him. They are supposed to go to Earth afterwards, though.”

It took a couple minutes, but Gamora eventually agreed.

Morag, 2014

You dropped Gamora on 2018 Earth and quickly proceeded to your last destination. Past Peter Quill was no longer there, but none of you were really bothered. You two knelt and buried the orb near the temple it originally was. “At least this is a timeline with no Thanos”, Steve commented quietly. “Let’s go”, he said as you finished burying the Stone.

“Wait, Steve”, you said as you stood up. “You don’t have to come with me.”

He frowned. “What?”

You sighed. This was hard, but you knew it was the right thing to do. “You have extra Pym Particles. We both do. Steve… I know you never really moved on from the past. You still long for the life that was taken from you when you fell on the Artic. You don’t feel like you belong in our present, do you? This is your chance to rewrite your story, Steve. Go to 1945 and dance with Peggy. Find Bucky while he still hasn’t turned to the Winter Soldier. Get rid of Zola and HYDRA before they take over. Make everything right. You’ve fought for so long, you deserve to rest.”

His eyes widened, but he said nothing. You took that as an agreement on his part. “Go be happy, Steve. You deserve it more than anyone I know.” You suited up and proceeded to turn your timer on. Before you could go back to your time, you had an idea. It was entirely impulsive, but it was your only chance. “May I do something? You can push me out at any time.”

He nodded slowly, seemingly still processing what you had told him previously. Gently, you placed your hands on both sides of his face, stood on your toes, closed your eyes and kissed him on the lips. It was brief, nothing more than a peck—you didn’t want to stay enough to find out if he’d kiss you back or not—but it was everything you ever wanted. You backed out fast, and activated your timer. “Thank you for everything”, you said.

Your last thought as you entered the Time Heist was that you never got to know what Strange had given him.

Avengers Headquarters, 2021

You opened your eyes to see Steve looking at you with a small smile. You frowned. “What?”

He let out a quiet laugh. “I think we need to talk a bit, huh?” You nodded, still shocked to see him there, looking exactly like he did when you saw him. “Let’s go to my room.”

You waved to Stark and followed Steve to his room. There, he sat on the bed and gestured for you to sit beside him. “I thought you were going to follow my suggestion”, you said quietly.

He smiled. “I kind of did. I did go to 1945, but not to Peggy’s home. I went to the Arctic, shortly after the plane crashed, and rescued my past self.

“After he came to his senses, I told him I was from the far future. I gave him a notebook Strange gave me when we were in 2017. He said the notebook had showed up at the Sanctum with my name in it. When I opened, waiting for you to come back from the bathroom, there were notes regarding Peggy, HYDRA, Bucky, the Starks, the Avengers and many other things. When you suggested I should go back, I understood what I truly had to do.

“I told past me to go fix my timeline, and live the life I hadn’t been able to. When he seemed to understand, I helped him find a way to go back to US.”

You bit your lip. His story was clear, but there was still something you didn’t understand. “But why didn’t you do it yourself? Why did you gave it to the other Steve?”

He reached your face and tucked a lock of hair behind your ear. “For someone so smart, you can be really oblivious sometimes.”

You blinked, heart rate increasing. It couldn’t be, could it? “What do you mean?”

He grinned wide, hand rested on the crook of your neck. “She wasn’t my Peggy, he wasn’t my Bucky. That timeline didn’t belong to me. You were right in a way. That Steve I saved will surely be happy now… but I wouldn’t.”

He turned in your direction. “Once upon a time, Peggy was the love of my life. But I’ve moved on from her. Yes, I missed her. Yes, I wish Bucky and I had gone back from the war and had peaceful lives. But I made a life for myself here, a good one. I have friends, a nice home… and I found someone new. Someone to love.”

You gulped. He kept on, “I was afraid she wouldn’t like me back. After all, I was the idiot who fell in love after only a month of knowing her. But then… she kissed me, can you believe it? Right after telling me to go chase another woman. She wanted me to let her go after kissing me, but I couldn’t. Not when I had a chance to be with her.”

You were sure you had stopped breathing. Steve had just said he fallen in love with you. You. It couldn’t be real.

“Me?”, you whispered, afraid to speak any louder and wake yourself up from that dream—because that had to be one. “You… love me?”

“Don’t look so surprised, Y/N”, he said softly. “A beautiful woman shows up at my home one day, offers me a chance to get my friends and half of the universe back to life after spending three years devoting herself to find said chance—years that could have been spent on chasing her own dreams—, gives emotional support not only to me but to other members of the team, treats me as a person instead of a hero, nearly sacrifices herself so Thanos wouldn’t go after us, is worthy of wielding Mjölnir and shows to put everyone above herself. Not to mention she’s funny as hell, has good taste in film and music and gives the best hugs of the century. How could I not fall in love?”

Your breath returned, but quicker than it should be. He was looking at you as if you were his whole world, and there was nothing else to look at.

You still couldn’t understand how and why someone as wonderful as Steve fell for an ordinary woman like you, but you’d be damned if you let him go. “You know, I’m really relieved to hear that, because I fell in love with the most amazing man I’ve ever met. I think you might know him. Steve Rogers. He’s pretty handsome for a centenary man, and his smile makes me want to melt on spot. Not to mention he’s always been kind to me and laughs at my bad jokes. Oh, and he’s a hero, did you hear? Captain America, paragon of virtue and a moral compass for an entire nation. You’d think the guy would have an ego twice his size, but he’s actually really humble, and lives up to his reputation. He makes me want to be a better person, every day, and look, he’s Catholic like me, meaning my dream of getting married at church is still within reach...”

Yes, you were rambling in an attempt to hide your nervousness. He didn’t seem bothered by it, though. When you stopped talking to take a breath, he asked, “May I kiss you? You didn’t gave me the opportunity to kiss you back in Morag, and I really, really want to show you how mad you were to think I’d leave you for Peggy.”

Unable to answer that with words, you nodded. His lips reached yours, and everything else faded away.

Epilogue

-------------------------------

Happy holidays, everyone! Now there is only an epilogue missing. It’s going to be cute, I promise!

Taglist: @autobotgirl15-blog​ @starstrucknature @cheeseburgersstuff​ @aamzter2013 

[mxliv-oftheendless]

The Mysterious Disappearance of Heather McMann

I have... no explanation for this story lol. Well, actually I do: I was thinking about how Heather quit the band, and I suddenly thought about how in the eyes of the general public, that have no idea of who she really is or what really happened, this would be incredibly weird. And since I’ve been Buzzfeed Unsolved trash for a while now, this made me consider the possibility of there being an Unsolved video about Heather. And... that’s how this came into being lol. It also serves as a way for me to figure out Heather’s Earth timeline a little. Enjoooy! 

Commentary text:

Ryan

Shane

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

[camera opens on Ryan and Shane sitting at their desk in their office set]

“This week on Buzzfeed Unsolved we take a look at the case of Heather McMann, a former member of the band KISS who played with the band for only three years before disappearing without a trace. This will also be the first time we look at a case involving a famous rock band.”

Shane nods. “Very famous. KISS—everybody knows KISS.”

“Yeah. Honestly, they’re not my preferred type of music, but I did listen to some of their songs while doing my research, and they’re pretty good.”

“They’re very good! I mean they’re pretty iconic, I think. I will say, though, I have never heard of Heather McMann.”

“Not many people have. She’s kind of this forgotten fifth member of KISS.”

“Well, I’m interested. Let’s hear about it, Ryan.” [Ryan opens his case file, and the camera cuts to the slideshow. Music begins as Ryan narrates]

“In 1980, KISS was beginning to rapidly decline in popularity. Although they still had a massive fanbase, they were facing problems. The original drummer, Peter Criss, had left the band after filming the music videos for the singles off their album Unmasked, and was replaced by Eric Carr. In following KISS tradition of having makeup and a stage identity, Eric Carr became the Fox, replacing Peter, who had been the Catman.”

yeah this was the thing that always interested me about KISS, that they had these alter egos and their heavy makeup

yeah that’s

it’s very cool

you don’t usually hear about a band going that extra mile ever

“Remaining KISS members Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, and Ace Frehley decided to introduce Eric Carr as their new drummer during their television appearance on the show Kids Are People Too. And it was also on Kids Are People Too that they would surprise everyone, by introducing their recently-added fifth member, Heather McMann.” [with narration: stock footage of Heather McMann in full costume stepping out onstage, smiling and waving as she goes to sit with the band]

they introduced her, and no one knew it was going to happen?

yeah. the way it happened was, they brought out Eric Carr, the Fox, and then they were suddenly like, “there’s one other person we need to introduce.” and then they brought out Heather McMann.

oh. that’s kinda cool. did she have a stage persona?

yeah, she did. hers was the Black Dahlia.

nice. reminds me of the murder.

it probably reminded a lot of people of the murder

“The unexpected introduction of a fifth member came as a shock to the music world, as well as the KISS Army. Their inclusion of a fifth member, who also happened to be a woman, quickly received criticism from fans. An article of Rolling Stone on the event said, quote, “This will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for the KISS Army. First KISS turns to disco for their album Dynasty, then pop rock for Unmasked, then Peter Criss either quits or is kicked out, and now they introduce two new members at once, one of whom is a girl. KISS has made many blunders, but this is by far the worst. It is the opinion of this author that KISS will be long gone within five years.” End quote.”

now that’s a bunch of bullshit.

eheheheh, I know.

“oh no! a woman is playing rock music! she’s insane! this is the end for KISS!”

hahahahahahaha

joke’s on that guy, ‘cause KISS has been around for how long now?

over forty years, I think

thought so. get rekt, asshole.

“Though, KISS mostly ignored the criticism, and regardless of it, Heather McMann was introduced into KISS as the Black Dahlia, their self-appointed “harmony guitarist.”

I didn’t even know “harmony guitarist” was a thing

heheh, yeah, neither did I

that’s kinda cool

but it is indeed a thing

“While on the Unmasked tour, Heather would work well with the band. Fans who went to shows on the tour felt that the band’s sound was enhanced with Heather playing with them. One fan said, quote, “I’ll admit I was on the fence about Heather being in the band. But the show was amazing. Her harmony playing mixed in with the rest gave the sound something extra that I really liked. It was mind-blowing.” End quote. Also observed was the close friendship of Heather McMann and Paul Stanley. Though many gossip magazines would claim they were romantically involved, both friends denied the claims, sometimes even laughing outright at them. [screen shows footage from an interview, of Paul Stanley and Heather McMann in makeup, laughing together]

Stanley himself said of McMann, quote, “She’s one of my oldest and best friends. We’re practically siblings. I really think that if Heather hadn’t been there to encourage me and my music, there would be no KISS.” End quote.”

gotta be honest, it’s pretty great that they were such good friends

yeah that’s really sweet

it is

are they still best friends?

well I don’t know, because she disappeared

oh yeah (wheeze) I forgot about that

you were so wrapped up in how lovely their friendship was

(wheeze) that for a moment I forgot what we were doing here

heheheheh

“Other than Stanley, many others who knew McMann described her as a friendly, likeable person. Gene Simmons once described her as, quote, “an incredible woman who will call you out and then help you be better,” end quote. Ace Frehley has praised her as well, saying, quote, “She’s the kinda woman who’ll say she’s okay even when she’s great, but then bash you over the head with her guitar if you give her any bullshit. She’s a force to be reckoned with.” end quote. Heather McMann would play with KISS for their Unmasked tour, and was reportedly also a guitar player on their 1981 album, Music of the Elder. Though KISS made many promotional appearances for the album, McMann included, in the end, there was no tour for it.”

why wasn’t there a tour for it?

it did really bad. like really super fucking bad.

oh

like, it tanked

is it that bad?

I dunno, I’ve never listened to it.

we should listen to it after this

“Ace Frehley would leave the band in 1982 while they recorded their next album, Creatures of the Night, and although he appears in all promotional aspects, he didn’t actually play on the album itself. Most of the guitar playing on the album was done by McMann and Vinnie Vincent, who joined the band as their new lead guitarist and adopted the persona of the Ankh Warrior.”

if he wasn’t on the album then why did they do that?

I don’t

seems like a waste of time, honestly

I don’t know. maybe his contract had something to do with it… I really don’t know.

weird decision to make

“It was during the Creatures tour that McMann began to show out of the ordinary behavior. During interviews, she would be completely quiet and not say a word unless prompted to. Paul Stanley would often sit beside her and try to engage her in the interview. People who encountered her often said she looked troubled about something, even depressed. She would also stay off to the side during shows, and according to online accounts would actively try to stay out of photographs. Heather would play with KISS as the Black Dahlia on the Creatures tour up until February 23rd, 1983, when KISS played a show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan. And then, Heather McMann was never seen or heard from again.”

she didn’t even last until the end of the tour?

nope, she did not

I mean they’re just asking us to investigate this at this point

(wheeze) they might as well just hold up a sign that says INVESTIGATE US

HEY GHOUL BOYS, WE’VE GOT A MYSTERY FOR YA

hahahaha

I love it

but in all seriousness, it is very odd to just drop out of the band you’re in halfway through a tour

yeah, Ryan, it is very odd

“Since Heather McMann was only a member of KISS for three short years, and since no one has ever seen or heard any sign of her, she has since her disappearance fell into obscurity. However, that being said, there are many debated theories on what happened to the former member of the hottest band in the world. The first theory is that Heather McMann suffered a mental breakdown, quit the band, dropped out of the public eye so she could recuperate, and simply never came back. Proponents of this theory point to her odd behavior during interviews while on the Creatures tour, and how she seemed troubled and depressed about something. According to one source, during the night when KISS was staying in their hotel in Syracuse, New York, a cleaning lady was walking down the hallway when she encountered McMann, who was, quote, “sitting out in the hallway with her face buried in her knees, looking like she’d been crying,” end quote. The cleaning lady also claimed Stanley was outside with her, with an arm around her shoulders and appearing to be comforting her. Though, this is from a known tabloid magazine, in the context of them claiming McMann had been dumped by a supposed boyfriend, so take this was an enormous grain of salt.”

regardless of whether or not this theory is true, it is nice that Paul was willing to comfort his best friend like that

yeah that is very nice of him

that’s a true friend right there

like the saying goes, “if you don’t love me at my worst, you can’t love me at my best”

deep

yeah, I know

“That being said, however, critics of this theory point out how, when she was engaged in conversation and when she was onstage with the band, McMann behaved normally. The second theory is that Heather was fired. Proponents of this theory cite her odd behavior during the Creatures tour, and how she would appear to get into arguments with the other band members onstage. Footage recorded of the show in Atlanta shows Heather in the background with Vinnie Vincent, seemingly in a heated discussion. People also point to the story of how, a week before the show that would be Heather’s last public appearance with the band, she and Paul Stanley had a violent argument, yelling back and forth at each other and even insulting one another. People claim that this argument and her odd behavior supports the possibility that Heather was simply fired, and out of respect to the band decided to never appear again.”

wait, what? the best friends were arguing?

yeah, apparently they were

aw man… that’s no fun

“Though, this theory has been criticized, with many people pointing out how these alleged “arguments” cannot be confirmed as such, and that Heather’s behavior could also be simply pressure from the long and intense touring. Accounts of her argument with Paul Stanley also vary in what happened, and were mostly found in tabloid magazines. This theory is also criticized by members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, who have both individually stated that Heather parted ways with them on good terms. Of the argument, Stanley said, quote, “There was yelling and there were insults. But the idea that it has anything to do with why Heather left is not true. The fact is, she didn’t want to be a burden, she couldn’t be in the band anymore, and asked us if she could quit. And while it was sad to see her leave, it’s what she wanted to do, and I would never make her stay when she wanted to leave.” End quote.”

I can see why people would believe this theory

yeah it definitely is a solid theory

also because from what I could gather, KISS seems to have a history of ambiguous departures

ambiguous how?

well you’ve got Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, and Vinnie Vincent, who all left one after the other, and either they were kicked out or they quit. it’s unclear what actually happened.

you mean like one person’s like “they were kicked out” but then another one’s like “they quit”?

yeah it’s like that

I suppose that’s true. my only hang-up here is that she seemed to get along so well with all of them.

yeah, if she got along so well with all of them, it doesn’t make sense for her to suddenly be fired

they probably would’ve been willing to work with her to figure out any problems, instead of just straight-up firing her

“The third theory is that Heather continued to tour with the band, even after she quit. Former roadies of KISS claim that throughout the 80s, up until 1988, there was a woman with long blonde hair travelling around with the band. One of these roadies stated in a KISS Army forum, quote, “She was a woman who looked like she was in her early thirties, with long blonde hair. She would volunteer to help us load in or load out equipment, and some of us would see her hanging out with the band backstage. One time I even saw her watching from backstage. None of us ever learned her name, because she would always answer with, “It’s not important.”” End quote. There are also pictures from the 80s of a blonde woman interacting with the band. Many people think she was simply a groupie, or a girlfriend/wife of one of the members. Others, however, think that perhaps this woman is Heather McMann.”

I don’t believe this theory

why not?

because it just—if I’m a person who was in a band, and then quit for whatever reason, I’m not gonna continue to travel around with them. I’m not homeless. it doesn’t make sense for her to travel around with them.

that is true. it doesn’t make sense that she would do that.

no, it doesn’t.

then again, it also doesn’t make sense that she would disappear halfway through a tour.

(wheeze) well I guess that’s also true

“The fourth theory is ridiculous.”

hahahahahahahah

hahahaha

right out the gate, you say it’s a ridiculous theory, that’s great

well it’s a pretty fucking ridiculous theory. even for the internet, it’s a pretty ridiculous theory.

well keep in mind, people on the internet believe lizard people exist and that Tupac is still alive

well that’s true

“A handful of fans on the Internet have supported the theory that Heather McMann, as well as all the other members of KISS, are superpowered intergalactic beings who came to Earth to form KISS. According to this theory, Heather McMann is really a witch as she claimed to be, and that she left KISS to return to their true home, which explains why she seemed to disappear without a trace. Now, as to my opinion of this theory? No fucking way.”

yeah, no shit.

(wheeze) it’s so stupid. this theory would only be believable in one of their comic books.

KISS had comic books?!

(wheeze) yeah, they did. they’ve got a ton of weird merchandise.

I mean I knew that, everyone knows about the KISS merch, but comic books?! (wheeze) they know their brand.

hahahahahahah

also, did you say she claimed to be a witch?

yeah, their thing is they have these backstories for their personas. hers was that she was a witch from an intergalactic coven.

I mean… that’s kinda cool. but maybe she shouldn’t have said that

(wheeze)

if it’s going to make people on the internet say “she’s an intergalactic being who went back home to her home planet… Jupiter!”

hahahahaha

what is this, Jupiter Ascending? c’mon now

“Although she was only in KISS for a short period of time, Heather McMann’s mysterious and unexpected departure continues to confound members of the KISS Army. Though Heather McMann has been forgotten by the world, save dedicated KISS fans, many questions still remain: who was the woman fans knew as the Black Dahlia? Why did she suddenly leave the band? And why has she never been seen since? For now, and perhaps forever, these questions will remain… UNSOLVED.”

WHAT UNSOLVED MYSTERY DO YOU WANT TO SEE NEXT?

[we cut back to Ryan and Shane in the office set]

“Final verdict,” Ryan asks, “which one do you think it is?”

“I definitely think the first theory is the most plausible. The rest just don’t make sense.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Though I’m still not certain about the third theory…”

“I still love the fact that she and Paul Stanley were such good friends.”

“Yeah, that is really nice.”

“They were bros,”

“Yeah. Well, Heather, if you’re watching this…”

“Ya got us! We’re stumped. We don’t have a clue what happened to you.”

“Also KISS, if you’re watching this, hope we didn’t offend you in any way.”

“Yeah, that too. I think I’ll go listen to some KISS, actually. They’re a good band.”

“They are a good band. I’ll go listen to some KISS with you.”

“They are, after all, the hottest band in the world.”

-KISSTERIA-

“No, Gene, I’m serious, get on YouTube and put in ‘buzzfeed unsolved’. It’s a new episode, it should be at the top. I swear I’m not making this up!... Did you find it? Okay. Watch it, then call me back. Okay. See you later.”

Paul got off the phone and went over to Heather’s couch, where she was sitting and grinning widely at her laptop, which had been set up on the coffee table. On the screen was the most recent episode of Buzzfeed Unsolved, entitled “The Mysterious Disappearance of Heather McMann.”

“Now, as to my opinion of this theory? No fucking way.”

Heather burst out laughing, falling back on her couch. “Did you—Did you hear that?” she guffawed. “That’s so funny…”

“What’s so funny?”

Heather sat up and rewound the video while Paul sat down next to her.

“A handful of fans on the Internet have supported the theory that Heather McMann, as well as all the other members of KISS, are superpowered intergalactic beings who came to Earth to form KISS. According to this theory…”

Paul’s eyes went wide. “What?!”

Heather giggled. “I know, right?”

Paul shot to his feet. “I need to call Gene.”

“No.” Heather’s hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve. “You don’t need to call Gene. Sit down, and watch the video.”

“If they legitimately think this theory has enough merit to go into their video, then that means we have a problem,” Paul argued.

Heather snorted. “It really doesn’t, Paul. You all have been claiming you’re intergalactic beings since you formed KISS, and no one, apart from fanfic writers on the Internet, has taken you seriously. Relax. Do you want me to rewind the video so you can watch it?”

Paul was silent for a moment, then sighed and sat back down. “Fine…”

Smiling, Heather paused the video and rewound to the beginning. When Velma had messaged her about the video, she’d admittedly been apprehensive of watching it at first. But as she watched the video, her enjoyment of it only rose.

They would no doubt have a postmortem for this episode, Heather thought to herself. She smiled as she wondered what would happen if she got a YouTube account and left a little comment for the boys to read…

[reversemoon255]

So Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise has been going on for a month now, and I’ve been quite enjoying it, and I’ve got to do a Fifth Review for this month, so I thought I’d talk a bit about the Gundam Build series. I feel like I’ve always been more into the Build stuff than a lot of other fans I’ve talked to, which I attribute to me being more into the technological aspects of the meta-series as a whole. So, as Gunpla’s kinda my thing, I thought we’d talk about Gunpla. I’ve been interested in doing some Top 10 stuff, and thought it might be fun to go over some of my favorites from the series. I won’t be including Re:Rise since it’s not complete, but I will be looking at all the custom Gunpla from GBF, GBFT, GBD, and their associated manga and choosing the ten that fit my fancy:

Number 10: GF13-17NJ/B Gundam Shining Break

This is probably lower on this list because I haven’t been able to find Gundam Build Divers Break, but I still love the idea behind this unit. I went over it when I reviewed the kit, but the reason the Builder chose the Shining Gundam as a base was because of its wide range of articulation as a martial arts inspired Gundam, but then removed all the things that let it do martial arts techniques and slapped a big ol’ gun and shield on it and gave it an MA conversion. He basically turned it into the WIng Gundam.

And I think that’s really cool. Taking a unit that you like for one reason and completely changing its fighting style and gimmicks to better match that of a unit you mesh with from a control perspective. I feel like most people would just take a unit that was their favorite or already had a fighting style they liked and would just choose that as a starting point, so it’s cool to not see a unit give into that compromise.

Number 9: NYA+MBKF-P02 Nyaia Astray

The Nyaia Gundam is probably the first MS in the GBF canon that we see get a total overhaul, transforming a Gundam with a quadrupedal MA mode into a cuddly cat. And like the Bearguy III, it spawned several copycats that all have cutesy MA transformation... It’s just none of them got actual kits.

Of that particular cast of characters, the Nyaia Astray is my favorite. The successor to the Nyaia and Nyaia Leone, the Nyaia Astray is one of the few cute MA to not have an MA Mode to start with, similar to our previous entry. It’s just another cool bit of inspiration, giving a unit an alternate mode when it originally didn’t have one, and also building outside the preconceived notion of sticking with in-universe canons.

Number 8: 最強機動 Gundam Tryon 3

I love Super Robots. I have not been shy about telling people that. And here we have a Gunpla inspired by Super Robots. Enough said.

Number 7: GN-1001N Seravee Gundam Scheherazade

Y’know, I just now noticed that it’s call sign is 1001N, as in 1001 Nights. Clever.

The Scheherazade is an excellent example of adding an original gimmick to a Gunpla. Its Booster is capable of transforming into a weapons pack similar to the original Seravee’s typical loadout, but also has a secondary mode built for close combat. Plus it can itself be used as a weapon. That’s four different ways a single Booster can be used, leaving the base unit free to worry about its own articulation, weapons, and performance without having to integrate any abnormal parts that might get in the way.

Number 6: RMS-117G11 Galbaldy Rebake

While it was mostly an excuse to slip some Iron-Blooded Orphans in due to licensing issues with other TV stations (the same reason 00 didn’t appear in GBF until the second season), the Galbaldy Rebake is still an excellent Gunpla. While it doesn’t do anything particularly interesting like the last few entries on this list, it still packs an amazing amount of imagination. It takes the Galbaldy, a Universal Century unit, and changes its style into that of a Calamity War unit, giving it equipment to match. The idea in and of itself is amazing, it’s one of only a few units to it, and it arguably does it the best.

Number 5: XXXG-01S2龍虎狼 Gundam Jiyan Altron

The Jiyan Altron combines several aspects we’ve seen in previous entries on this list. It takes an After Colony timeline unit, not to mention one built for midrange combat, and changes it into a close combat unit with aesthetic and combat elements taken from Gundam Fighters. It utilizes its existing parts in interesting ways, has unique new ones, and even incorporates unseen ones like the golden Hyper Mode.

Also gets a lot of credit for going with the series Altron rather than the EW version. Though, now that I think about it, most of the units based on Gundam Wing seem to utilize the show versions, which is odd considering how popular the Endless Waltz versions appear to be. I wonder if there’s a reason for that?

Number 4: MBF-PNN Gundam Astray No-Name

I’m honestly surprised that the No-Name ended up so high on this list. I know I like the Astray, but not that much. I think that’s just a testament to how interesting the design is. Despite being from GBD, the Astray No-Name feels like the ultimate culmination of the philosophies of GBF and GBFT. As the unit was more and more damaged through actual battle, the Builder continually built upon and reinforced it until it became what it is now. It’s construction out of necessity, rather than how Gunpla are typically built in GBN where it’s based on pilot experience and data. It’s cool that there was at least one Gunpla in the series that hearkened back to it.

Number 3: PEN-01M Momokapool

Gunpla is Freedom! The fact that this is even higher on the list than the No-Name is even more surprising. But the Momokapool is just, like, one of the most unique units in the series, partly because it’s built weaker than its base unit. What really sold me on this was the instruction manual of all things. It gives so much extra detail about the construction of this unit that you miss during its debut episode (though it is a decent episode). Momoka even wanted to remove the finger guns, but only kept them because Koichi was helping her build it and insisted she have some kind of weapon. The Petitkapool is also another great example of an original gimmick, though in this case even though it takes up a lot of space it’s still seamlessly integrated into the design.

I also like the name. It’s Momoka’s Kapool so it’s the Momokapool. Cute.

Number 2: SD-237 Winning Gundam

You may have noticed that most of the units on this list are from GBD. As the series’ have progressed the designers on the series have gotten better and more imaginative, so it’s not surprising that the newer units would incorporate more of the technical stuff I like in comparison to older units that were mostly recolors with new heads.

However, the Winning Gundam, despite its age even within its own season (eventually being replaced by the Star Winning Gundam), stands out as one of the most imaginative units the series has ever produced. Most SD Gundams are themed, normally around Romance of the Three Kingdoms due to most SD Gundam shows being based on it, but the Winning follows the typical schemes of most MS. Not only that, but it has a Booster Mode, it’s head can separate from that to form a smaller Booster, and it has multiple weapons and parts that can combine together for different situations.

But the best thing it does? It’s able to integrate with Real Type MS. The first to do so. It even inspired an entire, though to my knowledge brief, line of SD Gundams capable of doing the same. It’s thinking outside the box at its finest.

Number 1: XXXG-01Wf Wing Gundam Fenice

And the only Gunpla from GBF ends up being number 1 on the list, but not for the same reasons as everything else. It has a few new gimmicks, but nothing amazing. It has a few additional weapons, but nothing as intense as other MS in the series. It has some unique design elements, but doesn’t utilize any spectacular ideas in its build. And it’s green.

But what it does do is tell a story. Like the No-Name, it’s been bashed and beaten through years of Gunpla Battles, and has been repaired and upgraded each time. Unlike the No-Name, however, you can actually tell by looking at it, with its asymmetrical design, broken head components, and heterochromia.

And its upgrades are great, too. It has a personal vehicle that utilizes some of the missing components from the Wing Gundam base, the Meteor Hopper. When it’s eventually destroyed in its battle against the Qubeley Papillon, its successor, the Gundam Fenice Rinascita, takes many cues from this unit while reincorporating the MA Mode from the Wing Gundam and has new combinable weaponry likely inspired by the Wing Gundam Zero. And on top of that, its final incarnation, the Gundam Fenice Liberta, removes the previous MA Flight Mode in favor of a ground-based one reminiscent of the Meteor Hopper the first Fenice utilized.

All in all, the Fenice may not be as bold and flashy as some of the other Gunpla it fought or those from future series, but it makes up for it with sheer charm and design quality.

And that’s my favorite Gunpla to have come out of the Build Series. I’m pretty sure most people won’t agree with a lot of my choices, but I know what I like. I’m not trying to be objective; I’m just running on gut feelings here. And to bring things back around to Re:Rise, I’m excited to see what new Gunpla we’ll be getting in the future, and am happy with the ones we’ve gotten so far. And I’ll talk more about that tomorrow...