#we're back and look at these garbage idiots!

[inkskinned]

actually, i love you, so you cannot be ugly to me. sometimes i think i have no idea what you actually look like. i know we've been friends for like a while but if someone asked oh who's that i'd talk about how funny you are, how charming. about how i have watched you grow as a person, about how you often choose kindness where i would honestly choose a feral violence. i know you keep a tally of your mistakes and they run around your brain - but in mine? i think they never even make it past the front gate. when i think of you my heart swells up with all the weird shit we've done together and how you've talked me through heartbreak and how i've held your hair back and how we both are like, in therapy, and totally above gossiping, but also like, are going to spill the work tea.

i know! i know you feel ugly. i know you hate that you show symptoms, that you're not normal. you said once - i'm afraid to show others the real me. but i see the other things - about these little quirks that are so, so endearing to me. how you are gentle to strangers. how you stand by your friends. how comfortable you make everybody. how you say hey, did you get home safe? even when it's like 6 feet i'm walking.

i love you. yesterday you spent an hour liveblogging the episode of owl house that you're on and i was like - this person is so fucking amazing. last night you said sorry for infodumping. as if you have anything to apologize for. as if part of the reason we're friends is because i love it when you do this, i love listening. i love you, idiot. i love you so fucking much. i want to stick you in a cage so you stop getting random injuries. i want to throw you into a garbage disposal every time you send me that one specific meme. i love you, i love you, i love you. you mean absolutely everything to me.

[vespertiliosworld]

Shivani

Damian Wayne x Reader

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

You were playing with the little Robin keychain that came with the menu you got at BatBurger. "Aw! That's so cute, I didn't know Robin could be so cute." You spoke while admiring the toy.

Robin was glaring at you like he had been doing for the last twenty minutes. He didn't like the toy, nor the way you played with it.

"So stupid." He grumbled before eating his veggie burger. You were all sitting together on the roof of one of Gotham's tall buildings, eating your burgers.

Superboy laughed at his situation with food scraps on his face. "I got Batman!" he said, holding up the keychain. He drank his coke while shaking Batman.

"Next time I'll get Red Hood." you said in an excited voice. Red Hood was your favorite, but you couldn't get him first while Robin next to you.

Robin felt enraged. "Why? He's such an idiot." he said in a disgusted tone. He had finished his burger and was waiting for you and Superboy.

You giggled slightly and rolled your eyes at him. "He's not! He's so cool! He never runs away from a fight, he's so cool, his body is so good, he's got muscles and oh my god I wish I could meet him!" You squealed with admiration and listed a bunch of things in one breath.

Robin looked at him with disgust on his face. He didn't understand why you liked Jason. To him, Jason was a total loser.

It seemed a little silly, but Red Hood was your favorite hero. "Well, I wonder if he's handsome?" You talked to yourself while picking up the garbage from your burger.

Robin grimaced and stood up. "He is not, he is very ugly." We all know that's a lie, right? Without waiting for you, he jumped off with a bat-hook towards another roof and jumped away.

"I don't understand what's wrong with him!" you said, rebelling.

Superboy shrugged and rose from the ground. "I think he's jealous." Then he winked and followed Robin without another word.

Not understanding, you quickly followed them. "Hey!" Night flights were very good. Especially with your friends. Your flying races with Jon, imitating Robin while he's bossing you around, eating burgers after long chases, and running around to warm you up in cold weather. It was all fun.

When the patrol ended and everyone started to disperse to their homes, you wanted to wander around for a while longer. You take every opportunity you have to use your powers freely.

As you flew over Washington, the houses with their lights on below looked like stars. The view was interesting, but you had to get back home before it was too late and Diana got worried. You stayed above the clouds to avoid attracting attention as you flew home.

When you got home, you noticed that Diana was getting ready to go somewhere in a hurry. She moved from room to room and you followed her. "Where are you going?" you said curiously.

Diana paused for a moment and turned to you. "Void, he's back. We're going to stop him with the team." she said quickly.

"Okay, I'm ready anyway." You said and held your sword.

Diana shook her head and put a hand on your shoulder. "You're not coming, his goal is to catch you anyway. It would be better if you stayed here." she said and turned to get ready.

You slumped your shoulders in disappointment. "You're right, okay." you said meekly. Of course you won't stay at home, you will follow.

When Diana hurried away, you silently followed after her, keeping some distance between you. She was too thoughtful and focused to notice you.

So it wasn't much of a hassle to follow her. The place where she met Batman and Superman was like an apocalyptic scene. Void's soldiers were everywhere, blood, severed organs, and dead people were scattered like decorations. As if Void was enjoying this, he was watching what was happening from above with satisfaction appearing in his black eyes.

You hid in the clouds to keep yourself away from it, but Void looked right at you, sensing the energy radiated by the relic you wore. You swallowed and hid further into the clouds, but he stared at you with bloodthirstiness, absorbing the dark energy emanating from dead bodies and scared people.

Feeling like you couldn't hide any longer, you pulled out your sword and gripped it tightly. When Void sent a large fireball towards you, you split it in half with your sword and quickly attacked him. When Void quickly retreated, you swung your sword at him once again. This time he caught your sword and smiled. "Hi dear."

You turned your eyes at him and tried to press your sword harder, but it didn't work. Void shattered your sword into pieces, this time he is very powerfully. While you didn't have time to pull away, he grabbed you by the neck and squeezed you. “When someone says hello to you, you have to say hello back, dear.”

When he threw you like dirt, you hit the ground and were dragged away. He screamed in pain with laser beams when he came at you and tried to attack once more. When you looked back in surprise, Robin jumped in front of you and stabbed Void in the eye with his katana. Just like you did before.

When Void stepped back, Robin came to you and extended his hand. "It must be hard being this powerless ." Even though he used a condescending tone towards you, you were happy.

You took his hand and got up. "Thanks." you said gratefully. Superboy landed next to you, punching one palm with the other. “Let's take this bitch down!” Robin grinned when you shouted loudly.

Although Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman saw you, they were too busy to help. There were Void's bloodthirsty soldiers everywhere. Wonder Woman turned to you as she shattered another one with a single punch. "Shivani! Be careful!"

You turned to her for a second and smiled. Your sword was broken, but you didn't necessarily need a sword. As you lunged forward and swung your fist at Void, he turned to you. Superboy took advantage of this by getting behind him and shooting lasers with his eyes. Before Void could realize this, Damian cut off his arm with sword.

You quickly jumped into the air and brought your fists together to deliver a solid blow to Void's head. Before he understand what was happening, you smiled proudly as Void broke the ground and created a dent.

"We did it! We won!" Superboy looked around, see the disappearing Void's soldiers.

You smiled and entered the rift, reaching for Void's necklace, which glowed black. "What's this?" The black stone was shining as if it was drawing you in. You reached up and took it off Void's neck and held it in your hand. It was an heirloom just like yours.

"I think I found something." As you looked hypnotized at the stone that pulled you in, you called out to the other two. Robin quickly jumped down and reached for your shoulder, but suddenly your body started shaking in pain. "Fuck!" You fell to your knees and whimpered in pain.

You screamed in pain as black veins of unknown origin appeared on your body. “Y/N!” You wanted to turn to Damian's shout, but everything suddenly went dark.

[blueberrypancakesworld]

A hope for recognition and deceit

Sir Pentious x fem!reader

warning : fluff, comfort, hug, mention of violence and death (it's hell so yeah)

Summary : After another defeat at the hands of Angeldust and Cherri Bomb, Sir Pentious finds himself in the garbage of hell where he is surprisingly offered help that doesn't suck?

Info : So this cute fluffy one-shot is for @thatsthewrongwallcraig it was very nice to write for him very gladly more and again. Have fun with our little sweet sir snake and everyone else too ;)

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

The loud beeping and noises of little creatures running around could be heard, smoke was coming out of every place where the bullets of the guns had destroyed the airship and flames covered the airship like a second layer.

The home-made technology was going crazy, not reacting as it should and the ship was about to hit the bottom of hell in a few minutes.

But in this chaos stood Sir Pentious with folded arms and a disdainful expression, who neither listened to the questions and shouts of his little helpers nor seemed to be aware of anything and seemed to be done with all this. ,,Boss! We're about to crack like an egg!" shouted one of his little helpers, shaking his superior's coat and trying to convince the snake demon to get out of here somehow.

The serpent's tongue came out from between the lips behind which were the long fangs, an annoyed hiss that became a weary hiss. The ,,Well then, all of Boord's men…a new plan is coming!" he exclaimed, striking an almost heroic pose and grabbing his little egg-like subordinates before dashing for the exit. But as bad luck would have it, just as he was about to jump out, the airship collided with the ground and he hit the ground with a thud, directly onto something soft and smelly.

,,Oh no, we're dead," he heard the first wail of his egg boys, who apparently in their naivety thought they had died, and with a sigh the demon stood up and looked disparagingly at the garbage dump.

,,No, you idiots, we're still in hell…let's go back to the-" he venomed and was about to go to his airship when it made one last explosion and a cloud of smoke came towards him, coloring him completely black. Just as he was about to let out a frustrated scream, he suddenly heard footsteps and a friendly voice asking him, ,,Do you need help?".

A question that almost made him laugh out loud and couldn't have been more inappropriate. This was fucking hell and not a mercy seat where everyone got a cookie for every shot.

,,No, I don't," he protested and was about to slap her hand away when he tripped over a bin liner and landed at her feet, making her smile. ,,I think so, come on, it looks like you need a shower," she said and pulled him back onto his snake tail, seeing his astonishment and simply dragging him behind her.

Pentious shcien was confused and wanted to get away but the demoness with the twisted horns like a goat and the poisonous green eyes wouldn't let him.

,,You really insist," he muttered and saw her nod as they walked through the streets for a moment and Sir Pentious recognized the district they were in. ,,Thank you misss" he mumbled not knowing why it felt right to say thank you and felt his snake tail bob slightly.

Far away from the hotel but probably better for the moment. ,,Miss, that's not necessary, I-" he tried enruet but by then she had already pulled him in and pushed him into her apartment. ,,Not at all, I'm happy to help," she said and he saw her smile behind the slightly pointed teeth that looked like his.

A glance at his helpers, however, let him know that they were comfortable and were already looking at the furnishings and having fun. ,,Please, I'll make some tea and you freshen up there, how about that?" she asked, tilting her head slightly and for a moment he thought he saw her green eyes light up.

,,Please, I'll make some tea and you freshen up there, how about that?" she asked, tilting her head slightly and for a moment he thought he saw her green eyes light up.

He thought for a moment but when he still smelled the burnt smell on him, which was actually topped by a more sublime odor, he also knew it was time. ,,Thank you and a herbal tea if you can miss" he asked giving her something like a small smile that made his fangs flash before the snake demon disappeared into the bathroom and water could be heard.

While the demon went under the sporadic shower with a towel that seemed halfway unused, the water boiled on the demoness's hand, who simply heated the kettle with her power and looked curiously at the little eggs while the opening and closing of a door was not heard by anyone.

When the tea was slowly ready and the tea bags were giving off a dark, slightly greenish color, the goat-like demoness was already blowing and was pleased to see her guest emerge from the bath in much better shape.

,,Now you're back to your old self," she said and handed him his cup, which he took somewhat reluctantly, his claws touching her hand and it seemed somehow hotter than any hellfire.

,,Thank you, yes, the shower was necessary," he admitted to her, blowing lightly and they both drank the first sip, which turned into a pleasant sigh. ,,Now you look like a true lord again," she admitted after a brief moment of swaying and he saw her turn away from him but could feel the warmth she gave off.

,,Well, I am, you saved the one and only Sir Pentious, my dear," he said and placed his claw on her hand for a moment, a brief moment between them before he hastily withdrew his hand, surprised and embarrassed at what he had done, and they both drank their tea again.

An ongoing conversation here and there about his actions, her kindness and the place in hell. But the time was good, so much so that she suddenly, embarrassed, pulled out a photo, ,,I took this when you attacked the brothel-could you…sign it?" she asked and Sir Pentious felt proud to have such an admirer in his chest. That she admired him because she perceived that there was someone who cared about him.

,,But of course, miss, I'd love to," he had replied with a smile before taking the pen she had drawn and leaving his sweeping neat handwriting on the picture, seeing how she smiled and was glad to have a fan, an admirer and another nice one.

,,Thank you that means a lot to me," she said and the snake demon smiled for a moment before looking out the cracked window to see that another "day" was dawning and hell would soon be plunged back into chaos worse than the last.

,,I think I should get going…an airship doesn't build itself, does it?" he asked to his helpers, who moved their heads in different directions and Pentious rolled his eyes.

She took the cup from him and made an inviting motion towards her door, ,,My door is always open…for the biggest demon in hell," she said and he nodded, putting his hand on the knob as he felt her embrace, brief yet fervent, which he returned almost reflexively.

,,And my airship for a round trip and a few good pictures misss" he waved goodbye to her as the door closed behind him and the demon walked down the street with his little helpers.

Not hearing the giggles as the green-eyed demon simply took the purse in her hands out of his jacket in a hug, another robbery of thousands but even if it was worth it her gaze softened and a warmth stole into her gaze as she saw the photo and hugged it to herself...maybe she wouldn't rob him the next time they met, a shared airship ride would be all the nicer.

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

[sashaisready]

Chapter Twenty-Four - Yeah, idiot

Bucky Barnes Mob AU x Femme Reader

You're hard at work in Pepper's Bakery when notorious mob boss James 'Bucky' Barnes darkens your doorway one typical afternoon, and life is never the same again.

Warnings: Sexual references, references to panic attacks, tooth rotting fluff

18+ - see Masterlist for full list of warnings

Chapter 25 Series Masterlist

Steve had been entertaining you with stories from the past. You'd been screeching with laughter as he told you about what he and Bucky got up to as kids in Brooklyn, terrorising the local bullies and getting up to mischief. Steve was apparently a scrawny, sickly kid and didn't fill out until much later in life, so Bucky kept an eye out for him. You saw a lot of yourself in Steve's memories of Bucky - a headstrong kid jumping into fights he couldn't always win just to help his friend.

You were happy to learn more about Bucky's past, but also grateful for the distraction to keep your mind occupied and not be left to think about last night.

"Seems like we're having fun in here" came a gruff voice from behind you.

Bucky had walked into the kitchen. Dressed impeccably as always in a perfectly tailored navy suit. You felt a short flurry of butterflies in your stomach upon seeing him again, his eyes sparkling as they landed on you.

"Hey Buck" you greet him shyly.

He smiles and approaches you, giving you a kiss on the cheek. Then he carefully inspects the cut on your face, moving your head gently with his hand.

"This seems to be healing alright but I might ask Banner to check it out to be sure it won't scar - he has some medical training".

"I think it looks kinda cool" you retort.

Steve and Bucky exchange amused looks.

"Did we eat?" Bucky asks.

"We did" replies Steve. "Greedy over here was like a garbage disposal with those eggs".

"Hey!" You squeak at his teasing.

Bucky smiles. "Good. Glad to hear it". He paused to pull out his phone and stare thoughtfully at the screen.

"Thanks Steve" he continues. "Can you go find Sam and have him fill you in on this morning".

Steve nods, flinging his jacket on and heading for the door. "Nice hanging with you, cupcake".

"Thanks for breakfast, Stevie".

He shoots you a mock salute and a big grin and disappears out of the kitchen. Bucky moves to the kitchen island, pulling up a chair next to you.

"...Cupcake? Stevie?" He questions, the tiniest hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Mm. We hit it off. Do you know if he's single?" You wink.

Bucky rolls his eyes. "Don't do that..."

"What?" You ask innocently.

He smirks back at you before becoming more serious. "So, how are you feeling? Honestly?"

You squirm in your seat a little and grip your coffee cup. "Fine. A bit tired. But fine".

He cocks his head at you and it's clear he's not buying it.

"...I mean I did have a panic attack in the shower" you relent. "But other than that..."

Bucky smiles at you sympathetically, kissing your temple as his arm protectively finds your waist. You lean back into him, savouring his touch.

"And how about you? How did it go with your men?" You ask.

He grimaces. "Everyone is a bit shaken up, of course. But okay. They're pleased we got you out and didn't lose anyone from our side – a few injures and scrapes but that's all. We've got some guys on the road making sure we didn't miss anyone from HYDRA and I'm making progress on finding the rat".

You nod. He says it all so casually but it spooks you slightly as you consider the implications for those two things. It's not likely to be a friendly chat for anyone involved.

You look at the time on your phone, it's early afternoon now. You start to mentally make a list of all the things you need to do - call Wanda, clean your apartment, think about what you'll be making at the bakery this week...

"I should probably head out" you tell him. "I need to rest up for work tomorrow".

"Obviously you aren't going to work tomorrow" he scoffs.

You frown. "What do you mean? I'm back on the schedule for tomorrow".

He rolls his eyes in annoyance. "After everything you've been through? You can't just pretend everything is normal, Doll. You need to rest. Just stay here a few days, let yourself recover. You don't want to have a panic attack while you're with customers". His tone is light but there's a real scolding beneath it.

"Oh c'mon Bucky" you huff. "I'm not a weak little sick person who needs you and your men taking shifts to babysit me..."

"I didn't said you were..." Bucky warns.

"Well you had one guarding me last night and one cooking for me this morning. It's sweet but not necessary. You can't keep me locked up in your house forever".

Bucky turns to you, clearly furious. "You're not locked up. Why do you have to fight me on everything, Doll? It's exhausting. Can't you just relax and let me take care of you for a few days?"

"I don't need to be taken care of...." You fire back, aware of how petulant you sound.

"I know that!! I'm painfully aware. Hell, the first thing you did when I found you was hit me across the face...I'm very aware that you can look after yourself. I just want to..."

He's practically shouting now, you can see the fire in his eyes as he tries to keep himself calm. He gets out of his chair and paces aimlessly through the kitchen.

"Why do you even care so much?" You yell back at him as you get to your feet.

"Is all this just because you feel guilty? Are you trying to absolve yourself or something?" You spit.

"No idiot, it's because I'm in love with you!" He yells.

The word hangs thickly in the air as you both stand in silence. Your mouth has fallen open in surprise and your eyes are wide. He's turned away from you, clearly embarrassed that it managed to escape from him.

"You are...?" You ask. Your voice is much softer now, any annoyance extinguished by his accidental declaration.

"Yeah" he admits begrudgingly as he looks at the floor tiles.

You approach him cautiously, taking him by the shoulders and spinning him to face you. He doesn't meet your eye but you take a second to drink in his beauty, practically vibrating as you take his face in your hands.

"I love you too, Buck".

His eyes shoot up to yours, his face softening into an expression of relief and joy. "Yeah?" He asks.

"Yeah, idiot" you grin.

*

You and Bucky had gone another round in the kitchen after both dropping the L bomb. He'd kissed you hard against the sink and before you knew it you were bent over the counter screaming his name. Funny how life goes.

You had relented and agreed not to work tomorrow. That second orgasm may have made you a bit more agreeable. You knew he was right, but didn't want to admit that to his face. The fact was you weren't feeling yourself and were anxious about having another panic attack while at work, and you knew it was too soon.

As luck would have it Pepper actually called you rather than the other way around. Tony had filled her in after Bucky had asked him for help and she was just so relieved you were okay. She was surprised to hear you were involved with James Barnes (but then so were you...) although she trusted your judgement – and was pretty impressed with his philanthropy. She suggested you had a week off to rest and recover, she'd hired that new assistant baker anyway so would have her start early. She told you they'd miss your expert eye but they'd make it work, and you feeling more like yourself was the most important thing. It was a relief for you, one less thing to think about.

Bucky had gone back to work while you called Wanda and filled her in. She was aghast, horrified and extremely worried to hear about what happened with HYDRA but like Pepper was mainly just relieved you were okay. She was surprised about your date with Peter but admitted he sounded like he'd be fun to hang out with one day. She was more surprised about your update on Bucky, but not too surprised, as she pointed out she had essentially watched the two of you fall in love over in front of her over the last few months. She was nervous about your adjacency to his business though, and the risk that posed to you (as HYDRA had proved).

You had responded that you were nervous too, but trusted Bucky to keep you safe. You didn't have all the answers right now, and of course you had your doubts too, but this felt right to you and you needed to explore it. Wanda trusted you, she just wanted you to be happy. You'd agreed to meet up with her this week as she wouldn't see you at work.

The next few days passed in a blur. You had moved from the guest room to Bucky's room, stopping at your apartment briefly to pick up some clean clothes and toiletries. Bucky had asked that you spent the next few days at his place just so you were close by and he could keep an eye on you. It initially made you feel antsy but you'd agreed under the condition you were free to come and go throughout the day which he accepted. You didn't want to be under house arrest. Compromise seemed to be the way forward.

He worked a lot in the daytime so you were left to your own devices. You hadn't been away from the bakery for this long in a while so it was nice to catch up on your reading, take baths (that copper bathtub was as good as you'd imagined), let your body and mind heal. You sometimes played cards with Scott or Mario Kart with Thor which always made you laugh. You made yourself at home, quickly becoming part of the furniture. Bucky would come and check on you when things were quiet, a constant game of hide and seek as he'd try and figure out which corner of the huge house you were in.

You had been texting Peter and made plans to go for a drink as friends with Wanda, and he was going to bring Drax and Rocket too. Bucky wasn't super keen on joining the party himself for obvious reasons, but wanted you to have fun.

Your panic attacks crept up on you and were debilitating in the moment, but you were getting better at coping with them and when Bucky was around he'd help you through and soothe you until you calmed down again. You'd have nightmares too, so Bucky insisted on sleeping close every night so he could be there when you needed him.

You mostly saw Bucky in the evenings, he always ringfenced dinner with you as 'your time' and made sure work was cut off for then. He would order take out or you took turns cooking and you'd chat and drink wine. Sometimes Steve or Sam would join, or even others if Bucky was feeling generous. He didn't go into too much detail about his work and you knew not to ask. Sometimes you'd squabble like old times, but it felt domestic and comfortable now – not constant one-upmanship and game playing. You had started to accept that Bucky just infuriated you and that was a fact, but you loved him all the same.

One afternoon you had commandeered the kitchen to make cupcakes. It had been days since you'd baked anything and you were itching to have a wooden spoon back in your hand. You'd made a grocery store run and returned laden with ingredients, bags straining with the weight of your haul. It must've been a strange sight to see Bucky's men part at the entrance of the well-known mob boss' house to allow the safe passage of edible glitter and pink cake cases.

It was instantly therapeutic. Mixing, stirring, pouring. You didn't even need measuring equipment as you knew the recipe like the back of your hand. You flipped on the radio and sang unselfconsciously along to the songs. It was a beautiful ballet lead by your hands, you glided around the kitchen and savoured the expanse of the space. You even whipped up some brownies once you get in the zone. You couldn't believe how much more like yourself you felt.

Some of the men popped their heads in once they smell the unusual aroma coming from the kitchen, shocked to find baking going on. You gladly send them on their way with brownies and before you know it you were out and making a new batch. Steve came and chatted with you, leaning on the counter with a brownie and a coffee as you laughed and put the cupcakes in the oven. It felt good to be baking and feeding people again, this is what you do.

Later, you're deep in concentration finishing the frosting when an unexpected visitor arrives in the kitchen.

"It's much easier to track you down when you make the kitchen smell this good, Doll" Bucky growls in your ear as his arms wrap around your waist.

You flinch violently and nearly drop the cupcake you're holding when you notice he's there. There's a flash of panic in his eyes when he realises what he's done.

"Oh fuck, Doll I'm sorry – I didn't mean to sneak up on you like that" he pleads.

You smile warmly at him, he knows you're still jumpy. You lean back into him and stroke his cheek affectionately.

"You're fine" you whisper soothingly before he gives you a quick kiss.

"You keeping my men fed, huh?" he asks.

"Mmm. It was meant to be just a few brownies and cupcakes but it snowballed somewhat..." you mutter as you look at the endless racks of cakes cooling.

Your eyes move to the mess of mixing bowls and spoons next to the polished finished product and you grimace.

"Sorry Buck I know I've made a mess...I'll clean it up..." you tell him anxiously.

You move to the sink to start cleaning but he holds you tightly. "C'mon Doll, you know that I don't get upset over stuff like that".

He presses a kiss to your temple as you smile and enjoy the feeling of his body on yours.

"Hit me" he tells you.

You break of a piece of brownie and feed it to him. He moans with pleasure and closes his eyes.

"Yep. You've still got it" he says with a mouthful.

"I gotta say..." he begins as he swallows down the last bite. "When I came in I could see how happy you were, just in your element doin' your thing. I love to see you like that".

You turn into him and beam, pushing your head into his shoulder.

"It's my favourite place to be...Well, one of them at least..." you wink and look at him lewdly.

He grins back. "Don't tempt me Doll..."

He pulls you flush against him and moves his mouth to your ear.

"And I also love seeing you like this because it reminds me of when we met" he purrs. "All covered in flour, teasing me in those overalls..."

You giggle, kissing him softly as his hands travel along the curve of your waist.

"Wait...you didn't try the cupcakes..." you interrupt.

You slide away from him and lean over to grab a finished one from the rack. You break a bit off in your hand and move to feed it to him like you did with the brownie.

He smiles and parts his lips in readiness but at the last second you smash the rest of the cupcake into his face, frosting first. It covers the entirety of his nose and top lip in a glaze of thick pink frosting and for a moment he can only stare at you in horror.

Your amused grin drops when you see his eyes darken.

"Oh...I see" he says calmly as he reaches for a paper towel.

"Bucky...I'm sorry...it was a joke..." you tell him softly, your attempt to be solemn immediately overshadowed by the threat of a smirk as you watch the frosting slide down his chin.

"Imagine how dead you are?" he sighs mildly.

You go to run but he's too fast for you, he has you pinned to the kitchen tiles by his metal arm before you can even make it a few feet. You shriek as he straddles you, fruitlessly trying to push him off as you giggle helplessly.

He manages to pull the frosting bowl off the counter and mashes his flesh hand into it, rubbing big streaks of it in your hair and across your face as you squeal. He leans over and kisses you amongst the mess.

You could get used to life with him if it's like this. You understand him better now, you know how to communicate and compromise. And you're never going to be fully on board with his work. But that's alright. There are some things you just won't talk about. Maybe in time you will have the capacity for more, when your panic attacks have faded and your nightmares are occasional blips rather than nightly occurrences.

For now you will enjoy your time with him, unpeeling his layers and learning more about who he is, who you are when you're together.

He's flawed, but so are you. You find a way together.

And that's what love is.

[distinguishedwitchparadise]

Main Six Incorrect Generated Quotes

Gov, rubbing their temples: I am not proud of what I am about to say, but someone get me a cigarrette.

Texas: But Gov, we don't smoke.

Gov: Cut the crap, Texas. I'm not an idiot. I know that one in five people smoke.

Gov: *points at california * One! *points at New York * Two! *points at louisiana* Three! *points at Florida* Four! *points at Texas* Five!

Gov: Now, I am going to close my eyes, and when I open them, there better be a cigarrette between these two fingers!

Florida: *puts a cigarrette in Gov's hand*

Gov: Thank you. ...Light?

The Squad: *all simultaneously pull out lighters*

Gov: I CAN'T DO IT!

New York , laughing: I CAN'T EITHER!

Gov: I CANT FUCKING DO IT ANYMORE

louisiana: WELL I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, YOU CAN EITHER GIVE UP NOW, OR YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT. BECAUSE WE CERTAINLY CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT YOU, AND WE KNOW YOU CAN'T DO IT WITHOUT US.

Gov:

Gov: I appreciate it,

Gov: BUT LOOK WHAT WE'RE DEALING WITH-

california: Gov-

Gov: YOU GOTTA DRAW THE LINE SOMEWHERE!

Texas: Gov we gotta-

Gov: YOU GOTTA DRAW A FUCKING LINE IN THE SAND.YOU GOTTA MAKE A STATEMENT.

Gov: YOU GOTTA LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF AND SAY 'What am I willing to put up with today?'

Gov, motioning to Florida : NOT FUCKING THIS

*Everyone is standing around the broken coffee maker*

Gov: So.Who broke it? I'm not mad, I just wanna know.

Everyone:

california : ...I did.I broke it.

Gov: No.No you didn't. louisiana?

louisiana: Don't look at me. Look at Texas.

Texas: What ? !I didn't break it.

louisiana: Huh, that's weird. How'd you even know it was broken?

Texas: Because it's sitting right in front of us and it's broken.

louisiana: Suspicious.

Texas: No, it's not!

Florida : If it matters, probably not, but California was the last one to use it.

California: Liar! I don't even drink that crap!

Florida : Oh really? Then what were you doing by the coffee cart earlier?

California: I use the wooden stirrers to push back my cuticles.Everyone knows that, Florida !

New York : Okay let's not fight. I broke it. Let me pay for it, Gov.

Gov: No! Who broke it!?

Everyone:

california : Gov...louisiana's been awfully quiet.

louisiana: REALLY?!

*Everyone starts arguing*

Gov, being interviewed: I broke it.I burned my hand so I punched it.

Gov: I predict 10 minutes from now they'll be at each other's throats with warpaint on their faces and a pig head on a stick.

Gov:

Gov: Good. It was getting a little chummy around here.

*Squad reactions to being told 'I love you'*

Louisiana: Thanks fam!

Gov: Oh no.

Texas: *cries* I love you too.

New York: Sounds fake, but okay.

california: *A flustered mess*

New York : Can I get a refund?

Gov: Croissants: dropped

New York : Road: works ahead

louisiana: BBQ sauce: on my titties

Florida: Shavacado: fre

Texas: Miss Keisha: fuckin dead

california :

california , grumpy: I didn't understand a single word of that and I hate every single one of you.

Gov: Just be yourself.

california :Really ? Gov, I have one day to win over New York's parents.

california : How long did it take for you guys to like me?

louisiana: Couple of weeks.

Florida : Six months.

Texas: Jury's still out.

California : See Gov? 'Just be yourself,' what kind of garbage advice is that?!

Gov: You know, when Texas comes over, Florida can get a little…

New York : Psycho?

louisiana: Scary?

california : Drunk?

Gov: All three.

Gov: *Posts a super low-quality image to the group chat*

New York : If I had a dollar for every pixel in this image, I'd have 15 cents

Gov: If I had a dollar for every ounce of rage I felt in my body after I read this text, I would have enough money to buy a cannon to fire at you

california: Actually I did the math, New York would have $225, not $0.15.

New York : Fam I'm right here....

Florida: If I had a dollar I would buy a can of soda :)

Gov: while you're there could you buy me an apply juice please?

Florida: Sorry I only have a dollar

Gov: :(

california: Hey I just realized my friend is right, New York would have $22, 500 because it's a dollar for every pixel, not a cent

Florida: If I had $22, 500 I would buy a can of soda and an apply juice

louisiana: You can buy anything you want with $22, 500

Texas: Yeah and they want soda and apply juice

louisiana: Apply juice to what

california : Directly to the forehead

Gov: Great chat everyone

[spinnysocks]

tlg outlanders as daz quotes

inspired by this tiktok :)

Sumu after watching Scar's Army get blasted away by the Lion Guard: ALRIGHT THEN! Moving out immediately! Kenge, grab your bag!

Tamka: When you come and meet me on a date I'm all romantic and shit! I'm in the corner like *strums guitar* Would you like a steak?

Scar's Army after every battle: Jesus Tapdancing Christ, I need a drink.

The Idiots: Oh my god, where are we? We're stranded in a land I've never seen before! Where are we? Wait, is that our friend's house?!

*Scar's Army arguing*

Ushari: You need to back off!

Janja: No one needs to back off, someone needs to explain the SCORPION!

Bunga to Kion: Don't ask your grandpa for help! What's he gonna do? Have a stroke in front of Scar?!

Kion: Look at the state of the Pridelands... You couldn't get much worse could you?

*Scar setting Pride Rock on fire*

Janja: We might actually win over the Pridelands!

*Gets absolutely blasted by the Roar*

can i just say the entirety of his cooking simulator series screams outlanders chaos to me, especially kenge vibes hgfhdh - i suggest watching it it's hilarious

bonus not-daz quote

Kiburi, pointing at Makuu: What kinda GARBAGE is that?! Oops, my anarchy symbol

[autosadist]

Hi, I’m admittedly a total idiot and I understand it is NOT your job to educate me, but I’m curious what about “estrogen person” or “testosterone person” is offensive? I really don’t mean it in any kind bad way just really want to understand (blame the autism) bc it does seem like the reasoning for this phrasing is due to the hypothesis that it is the higher levels of the hormone that relates to paraphilia. It seems like maybe it would be better than saying “man” for t people and “woman” for e people. Obv there’s something lacking in my understanding here and it’s making me feel sooo ignorant tbh

i don't mean to be short/unkind here but i can't afford to mince words and don't have some carefully-structured response like usual so i'll just talk straightforwardly: associating someone's sexual fantasies with their hormones is textbook bioessentialist garbage, it comes from the same line of thinking that has kept many trans women gated from countless "women's events" by defining them by their penises and defining those penises as a sort of symbol of violence/potential threat, it's just a way of recategorizing people back into two distinct categories of biological sex but this time it's ! woke ! because now we're saying "testosterone-people" and "estrogen-people" and surely that accounts for trans people, right? but it doesn't, not in any useful way. it still very plainly reduces people down to blood tests and body parts and what we believe those blood tests do or don't say about what they might do with their bodies. at the end of the day, language like this is going to be used to other trans people and transfems specifically. imagine for a moment a trans woman who cannot get access to hrt - or doesn't want hrt - being called a "testosterone-person" here, and imagine for a moment what the crazy shit being said about testosterone and paraphilias might further imply about those women. It's just yet another avenue to frame transfems as violent predators, and i understand that someone looking at the phrases "testosterone-people" and "estrogen-people" who knows and cares about trans people might find that odd because you might be inclined to say "well, naturally a trans woman is an estrogen-person," but (1) most people will not try to be so charitable with language like this and (2) some transfems aren't on estrogen and some transmascs aren't on testosterone and these terms ultimately have things to say about those of us who aren't on hormones. sorry that this is kind of disjointed, maybe i will try to write a clearer post about this after some food and coffee

[anulithots]

Nobara realizes that Itadori isn't really a hoodie guy.

And she cannot stand for that.

*intro music starts playing*

~JJK fashion show episode~

Nobara drags him and Megumi along for a shopping trip to find Itadori's sense of style.

(Technically Megumi and Itadori always join along with Nobara's shopping trips. Itadori goes along for fun of it + knick knacks + food and ends up having to carry all of Nobara's bags.

Megumi silently goes along, looks at a few things, shies away from attention as much as possible, before strolling through the pet store and buying nothing. Itadori often takes a break and joins Megumi for a little while before the trio meets up again.)

This time she had to drag along Itadori, and she told Megumi he had to help.

Insert an entire fashion montage. (If you know more about fashion than I do please let me know ideas)

Itadori eventually has to deal with his indeciveness, making a decision for himself....

... or he pretends to like whatever Nobara recommends after a lot of 'I don't see what's wrong with hoodies!' (depending on the trajectory I guess... if this is cannon compliant it would be this option.)

Nobara huffs. "Gojo picked your uniform, that's what's wrong! We're not letting that idiot chose your style." She pauses. "Chose something for yourself for once."

Itadori, not wanting to confront this, not minding others making decisions for him, never wanting to acknowledge his own decisions... or lack of them, randomly picks a hawaiian shirt.

Nobara scoffs. "That?!"

Itadori sighs. "I thought you said I could chose?"

"That...is actual garbage. Itadori, I will not be associated with actual garbage. Have some self-respect."

(Sukuna laughs, somewhere in the recesses.)

__________________

Megumi narrowly avoids getting a fashion show himself after buying a shoes to appease Nobara ('I'm using Gojo's credit card so we're all getting something! Even you Fushiguro!")

Itadori hides from Nobara with him. "She isn't satisfied with anything because 'I'm just going along with what she's saying'"

Fushiguro nods, looking at rabbit treats. "You did this to yourself."

Itadori wants to change the subject, almost asks Fushiguro why he comes to pet stores without buying anything....

Nobara bursts through the doors, and the store seems to darken with her entrance. Itadori yelps and tries to hide behind Fushiguro. Fusiguro is also trying to hide. A lot of hiding. None of it sucessful.

(Itadori isn't used to being on the receiving end of this. Usually him and Nobara tease Fusiguro together. He kind of hates this switch of dynamics.... He's supposed to help people. Not be helped.)

Nobara drags Itadori (and Fushiguro has to follow along because now people are staring.) back to the stores... where they bump into none other than:

"So my credit card didn't get stolen. Great news!"

(Gojo knew since the beginning and just came along now because he's having a rough - *cough* lonely and thinking about Suguru *cough* - day)

and from here......

I'd imagine that there would be another 'episode' where Gojo offers to help Nobara find the Bakery Saori liked (because he's the 'self-certified expert on sweets and sweet places').

Meanwhile Itadori and Fushiguro get to have some ~quality bonding time~ (I really really like Itadori and Fusiguro's morality dilemmas, so probably something about that... and maybe they get a bunny or smth. Just saying.)

Let me know if that's something you'd like to see and/or if you'd like me to write this in actual prose.

_________

hi! @mylee-sketches, @justrustandstardust, @bygeto. I'd like to know your thoughts/ideas for this rough sketch if possible, thanks <3 /not forced.

[memes-in-a-half-shell]

Driving Lesson

Just a quick something I had in mind about Donnie teaching one of his brothers how to drive. Have some Leo and Donnie bonding moment, GO 👏

(and yes it's gonna be the van from the 2014 movie, not the garbage truck. BABY STEPS!)

In the dead of the night, under a bridge, a lone van was stopped. Its glasses were tinted, yet the faint glow of green fairy lights inside was giving out the shape of two souls sitting inside the vehicle.

Leo was trying to make himself comfortable in the driver's seat, frowning as his hold fiddled lightly against the steering wheel. He looked at the rear view mirror, adjusting it slightly. Damn, why did he feel so cramped in here?

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" he voiced out, looking over to the passenger seat - where Donnie was now sitting.

"What? Teaching you how to drive? Of course it is," answered the bespectacled terrapin with a quick shrug. "If there's a time during a mission that renders me unable to drive, I need you guys to know how to do so. It's only logical."

"I dunno, man," muttered Leo, looking back at the meters and levers and whatsnot. "Looks like a bunch of nonsense right now."

Donnie smirked.

"Raph's doing it pretty well."

Leonardo paused, his lips forming a thin line.

"bitch," he mumbled under his breath, then shifting the van's stick into its driving position.

There's no way Raph was going to beat him at this. He wouldn't want to hear that damn brute boast for any reason... The leader's first instinct was to push hard onto the right pedal, the vehicle roaring into life and accelerating to an alarming pace. Both terrapins yelped as the van was moving fast between the underbridge's columns, soon heading towards one. Donnie was able to overcome his initial fear to shout: "HIT THE BRAKES!"

"HUH?!"

"THE LEFT PEDAL, IDIOT!!!"

Leo's foot finally moved to the next pedal, slamming it just in time before hitting the concrete column in his path. The sudden stop brought the two turtles to hit the van's dashboard, Donnie lowkey scared it would bring the airbags out - yet relieved when they did not. A second passed as they took their bearing, the purple banded mutant then glaring at the driver:

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"Trying to drive!" answred Leo, similarly annoyed.

"We're not racing, don't speed up like that!"

The leader glared at his brother.

"How should I know, I've never driven something before!"

"For fuck's sake, and you thought that was the best idea at first?!"

Both sulked for a short moment, Donnie leaning into his seat as he pinched his nose bridge under his glasses, Leo lightly drumming his thumbs against the wheel, thinking.

The younger brother sighed, his free hand vaguely gesturing in the air as he said: "What, is it because I mentionned Raph and how he's already good at this?"

He slightly opened an eye, looking at Leo who was trying not to show he was somehow defeated.

"...No."

"Uh-huh," noticed Donnie, unconvinced.

"Whatever," dismissed Leo. "I'm sorry. ... I- I was just eager to start."

"Uhhhh-huh," reiterated the other.

Donnie moved, then shifting the stick into its reverse position.

"It's okay...," he started, trying to sound comforting. "Mistakes happen, .... although we don't want them to happen too often when it comes to driving."

Leo half-smiled at that.

"Let's start by backing up, then we'll start from the top. Alright? Nobody's perfect on the first try." added the purple one.

The leader nodded, readjusting his seated position again, now slightly more confident. He paused. Looked back at Donnie.

"... How do I back up?"

Oh it was going to be a long night...

[iamthecomet]

Having thoughts again.

But I'm thinking about chronic pain buddies Mountain and Dew.

Mountain's got back problems, and Dew's whole body is out to get him, but they're both very stubborn about getting help for their problems.

Dew's always spreading himself too thin and running low on spoons, which is why he always seems kind of annoyed, and Mountain doesn't like having to lay down, even though he knows the longer he avoids it, the longer he's going to have to recover.

It's never gotten so bad that they can't just... deal with it.

But at some point, Mountain wakes up and his back hurts so bad he can't get up, and Dew's got a headache so bad it's making him sick, so they both wind up in the bathroom.

Because the floor is cold, and it's weirdly soothing (I speak from experience), and, also, that way they can kind of keep an eye on each other, but that's when they realize.

Maybe.

Maybe they shouldn't be letting things get this bad.

So now they call each other out on not taking care of themselves.

Mountain will remind Dew to take his medicine, and Dew reminds him to get up and do his stretches.

And it kind of helps them be more open about their pain in general.

But it also means they have someone else to make stupid jokes to about it with.

Like they send each other that horrible smiley face from the pain scale meme, or Dew will take pictures of Mountain flopped on the floor with different captions like, "Oh, balls, he's dead."

It's how they cope lol

Oh. Oh this is so sweet I love it. I love the though to them both laying on the bathroom floor just like exhausted and in pain and feeling like absolute garbage. Their fingers brushing as they both lay sprawled out in various versions of misery. And them just suddenly starting to laugh about how dumb they are to continue to let this happen. That they both know it's happening so why do they let it get so bad every time? Laughing hurts them both but they can't stop. Mountain's shaking his head going "god we're idiots"

and Dew is groaning, curling in on himself and trying not to laugh because it makes everything worse. They look out for each other because they have an acute understanding of each other's pain. If anyone can't find them--it's a guarantee they're curled up together somewhere, sleeping it off, or helping each other out. The two of them sinking into a bath together, the bathroom filled with herbal-scented steam. They are very happy to have each other--not that either of them are going to readily admit it.

[askfriskandcompany]

Am I the only one who thinks that maybe Chara was controlled by us? The player? Because during the story, Chara is all the sudden good? they are now a skelton and Asriel is back as well. What is the cause of that? Why is Chara all the sudden good? Is there a plot twist waiting to happen? I'm sorry I watched Miamouse's videos and this was in my head for a while. I might have to watch them again. Lol.

Chara wasn't suddenly turned good. They've changed wildly over the course of their life and un-life and re-life. But the change was never all at once. It was a series of large and small shifts. It was like...

Before falling underground: Humanity is cruel and horrible and I no longer see the point in living.

After falling underground: Monsters are good and wonderful and I would do anything to help them. Also, the only way monsters can live in peace is if all of humanity was killed off first. Asriel doesn't get it now, but he'll understand when he sees their cruelty firsthand.

After dying: Asriel betrayed me. Asgore is a murderer now, and Toriel has forgotten about both me and Asriel. I realize now that both humans and monsters are equally messed up. I'm so upset.

Frisk first appears: Oh! A person who am somehow connected to. They're naive and helpless. They'll clearly die without my help. I'll help them fight for their survival.

Genocide Run Happens: *EXP-induced manic murdermode happens*

After Genocide Run: Wh-What? h- ...What the hell's going on??? Frisk! How dare you! (Frisk suddenly can't hear them) Stop ignoring me!!

After Pacifist Run: I now realize that there is a small but not insignificant chance that I'm wrong. I also respect Frisk now because of all they accomplished. So I will not reset the timeline. In fact I will make sure nobody ever resets the timeline again.

Red Echoes: Ah! Frisk! We meet again! Time for you to stop running from the reality of what happened in the Genocide Run. I fully expect this to break you. Oh wow now Sans is here. Well I'll just possess him cause I can do that now. This is a great idea I won't quickly come to regret AAAAAA!!! Okay Frisk, that was weird, but I think it's only a matter of time before you realize I'm right and the world sucks. It didn't work with Asriel but I think it'll work with you because..... Hey why is Flowey talking like Asriel? I hate that! I'm leaving!

Goopster Arc: So we're connected to another world for the time being. I'm going to find my other self and compare notes. They brought Lucida back to life, so maybe I can come back to life too? That's what I'm secretly hoping anyway. I'm also still shook because of Flowey acting weird.

MWSIH!Chara: You're an idiot and I'm embarrassed on your behalf. Asriel's soul is inside yours and you don't even notice you dumbass cringefail.

Maverick Appears Arc: Now another Asriel is here. I had a conversation with him and now I'm realizing how deeply I miss Asriel. Oh well, my new Calalied persona is prepared and now I'll be able to secretly hang with Frisk and........??? profit.....?? Anyway I'm definately doing this for an evil plan and not because I secretly want to be a normal kid who goes to school and has friends. >.>

Drunk Chara Arc: Another me. Time to compare notes again. ...Wait now they're unknowingly confronting me about my insecurities. Time to fall back into my old pattern of being scary and threatening! How dare they act like they're better than me! ......Okay now I'm reliving my deep dark traumas. .......Okay now I'm pretty certain that I'm an actual piece of garbage. I wish I could just forget it all...

Monsterland Arc: Hi I'm Calalied, a skeleton with no trauma. :D ...................................... Wait ....... Oh ... Nevermind I remembered the trauma again. ........ASRIEL???

Now: Okay, looking back at all that, I've come to the conclusion that people are actually a mix of bad and good. I've been given a rare chance at a new life, and I don't want to waste it. So I'm going to try my best to be happy, and to not cause harm to the people around me. Sans will probably never forgive me, and I'm frankly scared of him, but I also don't really blame him. But at least Asriel's here. I'm very happy about that.

...And that's the progression of Chara. XD

-TQ

[drvirgus]

Itzy´s Manager

Ryujin X fem! Reader X Yeji

Description: You are Itzy's manager and are always by their side. But what happens when your responsibilities undergo a complete change, and now, especially for Yeji and Ryujin, you do everything to ensure their satisfaction? What do you do if they suddenly fall in love with you?

Warnings: Smut, Ryujin and Yeji G!P

Chapter 6:

I bit into my inner cheek. My eyes narrowed, and my forehead creased. I crossed my arms over my chest as I glanced at the stage from the side.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. But it was impossible. How the hell can they ask such questions?

Angry, I pulled out my phone from my pocket and immediately called my boss. I've never felt this angry before. I moved a bit further away so that if I were to raise my voice, it wouldn't be heard.

I didn't give a damn that it was probably late at night in Korea. I just kept calling my boss. Even if I had some authority issues, this was about Itzy!

My jaw was never so tense as I continued to take deep breaths, trying to calm myself down. I didn't have the power to make decisions, but these questions were just disgusting!

Why did most interviewers treat K-pop idols like garbage? What was going on?!

"It's 3 a.m.," I heard my boss murmur into the phone. I cleared my throat to avoid being too loud, but I must have failed a bit.

"I'm going to end this interview now!! I just wanted to inform you," I said angrily. My boss could probably hear my anger. I heard some rustling and her strained groan. She was probably sitting up.

"What's going on?" she asked as I heard her yawn. My hand clenched into a fist. I took another deep breath.

"The interviewer has been harassing the girls the whole time. He's asking questions we didn't agree on beforehand, sexual questions, and questions they weren't supposed to answer! But he's forcing them to. Ryujin is already furious, and even Jisu (Lia) is about to jump at him," I replied. My eyes narrowed. "He keeps touching the girls and making them uncomfortable. He even insinuated that Itzy hates their fans, the Midzys, and they're only in it for the money! And that they probably slept with the CEO since their songs aren't anything special! He doesn't even let the translator finish speaking."

I angrily bit my lip. I had never been this angry before! My heart pounded wildly in my chest. "I'm going to end this interview now! If you want to fire me afterwards, that's fine! But I won't let the girls go through this," I said angrily.

"Stay calm. Is it live?" my boss asked as she probably ran her hand over her face to wake herself up a bit.

"No. I'll shove the recording up their asses!" I exclaimed, and shortly after, I heard my boss giggle. But she cleared her throat shortly after. "Good. End the interview," she said, and I hung up almost immediately.

With quick strides, I made my way onto the stage. There were few audience members, but none of them had a phone in their hand. At least, I hoped so.

My eyes narrowed even further as I saw the man touching Jisu's knee, a smile on his face. But I immediately grabbed his wrist and removed his hand from her knee.

Ryujin, Yeji, Yuna, Jisu, and Chae looked at me wide-eyed. None of them had ever seen me this angry. They probably didn't expect me to come on stage and interrupt the interview. Even the translator looked uncomfortable.

The older man looked at me, somewhat shocked, but then became angry as he stood up, towering over me. "What's your problem?" he asked, glancing around briefly before looking back at me. "Translate, you idiot," he said to the translator.

My jaw clenched. "The interview is over! We're confiscating the recording, or there will be a report of sexual harassment and abuse of power," I said, my eyes filled with anger.

I felt someone trying to take my hand, but I pulled away from the contact. I looked at Yeji, who stared at me with wide eyes. "Go to the others," I said, and Yuna was the first to listen.

Once the members finally left, I redirected my attention to the interviewer. His eyes met mine. "Sexual harassment? I was just doing my job," he replied, breathing heavily.

"And I'm doing mine. So give me the recording," I demanded, my voice as calm as possible. After what felt like an eternity of staring each other down, the cameraman approached me and handed me the recording.

I looked at him. "There are no copies," he immediately said, raising his hands defensively. My jaw still tense, I turned to the older man.

"It's a wonder your show still exists... hopefully, you'll learn something from this," I said, and I was about to leave. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder, turning me around. And then, I was struck in the face.

He had actually hit me.

Loud gasps could be heard from the audience. No one had expected that.

My eyes widened as I felt a trickle of blood rolling down my cheek. His wedding ring... he had hurt me...

Almost immediately, the security personnel arrived and held me back. I huffed and laughed. My face twisted with anger. "Let me go. Unlike your boss, I don't hit people," I said.

After a short while, I looked at him again. He seemed shocked himself that he lost control. I laughed again.

"Good luck trying to salvage your image now," I said, walking off the stage. I wiped the blood off my cheek so that the others wouldn't see it.

I reached them. The other staff members tried to calm them down, but only two of them could speak English. My jaw still tense.

Unbelievable...

I put on a smile as I looked at the girls, but anyone could see that I was still angry. They immediately came to me.

My hand landed on Yuna's cheek as I looked at her. "Did he touch you too?" I asked, my forehead creased. But Yuna shook her head. I immediately looked at the others. I knew he had touched Lia and Yeji.

I immediately looked at Chae and Ryujin. But both of them shook their heads. I nodded understandingly and gestured for them to leave the building. However, I still held Yuna's hand. Or rather, she held mine.

Once we arrived at the van, I immediately opened the door, and everyone got in, except for Yeji. I looked at her. "Get in. I don't want a passenger right now," I said, quite serious. I still tried to smile.

Yeji swallowed nervously. Then she nodded and got in the back as well. I closed the door and looked at the interviewer through the window. Immediately, I flipped him off and then got in.

———————————————————————————

"What exactly happened? I could hardly understand anything, but... it was still very uncomfortable," I heard Yuna say. She looked at each one of us, curiosity written on her face.

"He used heavy English... even for me, it was hard to understand," Ryujin suddenly said. But despite that, she understood him. I knew it...

"Jisu Unnie?" Yuna asked, looking at Lia for her to answer. But Lia looked at me, and I immediately shook my head, pointing to the recording next to me on the passenger seat.

"You're bleeding," Yeji said, and I immediately wiped my cheek again. Honestly, I didn't even respond. But I could feel all the gazes on me.

At a red light, I glanced at the mirror. Everyone was still looking at me, so I sighed. "I'm sorry it took me so long," I said. My jaw still tense.

Lia immediately shook her head. "No. You came at the perfect time," she reassured me. Her hand on my shoulder since she sat right behind me. I flinched at the contact.

"Don't touch me... I'm... quite jittery," I said, and Lia removed her hand from my shoulder. Yeji swallowed again. She had been staring at me the whole time, just like Ryujin.

"Shall we grab a drink tonight?" Lia asked, making me laugh. My body relaxed a bit. "Definitely," I mumbled quietly as I continued driving.

———————————————————————————

So we were all sitting at the hotel bar. There was only one bartender visible, but we had chosen a very dark corner. Everyone was gathered around the table as the bartender brought over some drinks.

I immediately grabbed my glass and took a few sips. "You seem like an experienced drinker," I heard Lia say next to me, and I smiled shortly after.

"Yeah, you could say that... alcohol just helps me relax after a long day," I replied, and Lia nodded with a smile. She immediately held her glass in the middle, and we all clinked our glasses together.

Yuna looked at me, still somewhat nervous, as she finally started sighing. "So, are you going to explain to us what kind of questions that guy was asking? I've never seen you so angry. You're actually scary when you're angry," Yuna said, and she even laughed a bit.

Chaeryeong immediately nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was shocked to see you like that too. It makes me hesitate when I annoy you, Y/n," Chae said and smiled at me shortly after.

I laughed and shook my head amused. "I could never truly be angry with you all. Sure, you can annoy me and tease me a lot... but really angry? I've never been that way with you," I replied, and Chae sighed in relief.

My expression became more serious. "We're in America now... something like this will probably happen more often," I said, and each of them nodded to indicate that they were listening.

"No matter what minute or second it is, if you feel harassed or uncomfortable, let me know, and I will end the interview," I said, and Chae rested her head on my shoulder, smiling gently.

"Y/n?" she asked, and I immediately turned my head to her. She smiled. "Thank you," Chae said softly, and almost instantly, my body tensed. My forehead furrowed in anger.

"Don't thank me! It's because of me that you had to encounter that bastard in the first place... I should have done more research, I'm sorry," I said, my eyes fixed on the table as I truly felt guilty now.

Yeji, sitting right across from me, looking at me. Her lips pressed together as she silently took a sip from her glass.

————————————————————————————

Laughing, I tried to high-five Chae, but we both missed each other's hands, which made us laugh even more. Lia simply smiled as she watched us. She was probably only slightly drunk so far.

I was already well into it. It might have been because I hadn't eaten anything and was drinking quickly. Chae was also quite drunk. I was having the most fun with her.

Yuna just laughed because she found us really funny. She was sober since she couldn't take a sip of alcohol. Of course, I let her taste my drink once, but she didn't get her own.

An idea popped into my head, and I grinned widely. "Hey, should we burn the recording?" I suggested, and each of them looked at me with wide eyes. Ryujin was the first to start nodding and agreeing.

"Where do you want to burn it?" Lia asked, raising an eyebrow. It seemed that she liked the idea. Grinning, I looked at her. "On the rooftop!" I said excitedly. "I want to burn that bastard," I added, and now Yeji stared at me with an open mouth.

Suddenly, Yuna burst into laughter, and we all joined in.

"Okay, then let's go. Y/n wants to burn something? Let's go!" Yeji exclaimed as she stood up immediately. My eyes looked up at her as she held out her hand, and I immediately took it. She pulled me up onto my feet.

"Wow, I'm drunk," I said, laughing, as I felt a bit unsteady. Yeji's hand on my hip kept me close to her. "Then hold on tight," she replied with a slight smile as she looked at me.

Ryujin looked at me and then at Yeji. Her eyes narrowed, and her jaw tensed slightly.

"Then let's burn that bastard," Chae said loudly, jumping up as well. Laughing, we high-fived each other again.

[firewolf111]

Welp. I'm in a predicament. Of my own making of course.

So I'm making a cosplay for an event, and while my brother bought a pre-made one, I though "I want to make my own so I can customize it to comfortability and because the cheap ones look....well...cheap." nothing wrong with them, they just didn't fit my imagination for this cosplay.

Which is fine, I always dreamed of making my own cosplay, but like usual, I procrastinated.

Made worse by the fact that this is my first cosplay. (I'm such an idiot).

And as you could expect, things aren't going to plan. I am failing back on plan b's that I don't even know if they'll work and with little time to make it happen.

Not to mention, I'm pretty sure it's going to look much different than how I imagined it going and will probably look poorly made.

Even worse, my brain decided we're b.s.ing sewing. I don't know how to sew, but my brain is set on doing it so...

And I'm pretty sure it's too late now to back out of DIYing it.

(Hehe. My anxiety is sky rocketing)

Too late to ask for advice, So any tips for damage control? (Or words of encouragement for this garbage fire)

[beeben]

Wish the day ( the twilight/night time part) lasted longer ( i mean extra hours not get dark sooner) so i could have more time to myself.

I don't get an ounce of privacy until everyone is asleep and I cant stay up as late as i used to bc i start work so early. I really cannot stand it here lol this is turning into it vent post cus ive been having a really bad time lately and when i try talking about it everyone just goes "well i feel the same way but i just put up with it" i dont want to put up with it anymore i hate most of my family i hate my house i hate my life no i dont feel spoiled im always out of money because i have to pay for everyone's shit because my dad is an idiot whos been chasing a spot in football hall of fame since he was 12 even though now hes 50 and 300 pounds and cant hold a job more then than a year because he picks fights with people and is a bigot trying to work with mostly black people. Like it's fucking ridiculous i live in a fucking fantasy world where people think im crazy for saying things aren't okay. Maybe I am suicidal what then? I get an eye roll i get "everyone is suicidal im suicidal too" like? And we're supposed to be okay with that? Ive had such a shit month man idk i have to meet up with the hr people at work tomorrow idk if im traumatized or something im like terrified they're gonna spin some shit around and get me fired man im literally so sick and tired of people walking all over me i honestly don't care if i come off as an asshole anymore i deserve a little self importance idk why its such a shocking thing. I stayed over at my boyfriend's house the other night and people acted like i burnt a building down saying how out of character it was for me cus hes a man what the fuck ever. I don't even give a shit at this point he could've assaulted me and i would've come back just to spite them. Idk where im going with this im pissed off and i dont have anybody to tell because they either heard it already or would leave if i said anything. Nobody gives a shit and i don't mean shit and if i do mean shit to somebody they assume im normal like them and im not i feel like such a piece of garbage and i live with a bunch of idiot slobs who keep me on a leash so they have an extra wallet to use when getting school supplies or whatever else my dad refuses to pay for or as a fucking unpaid therapist when he abuses them and they feel sad about it :'(. Im really worthless lol i kinda just wish someone was honest and said it to my face instead of acting like its fine and everyone feels this way cus i know it's not and i know its not normal. I was born to be an accessory in my dads life to make him look more virtuous in the eyes of the church. My mom would've been better off if she had miscarried and he divorced her for being infertile or something at least then shed have a fucking life to live. This is ridiculous.

[gracethyomen]

"Loose Tongue"

Hello again. It's me. The prophet. Welcome back to two idiots dancing around each other. We're getting into some violence so watch out. This bit is mostly Matt's point of view. I'm not a man and I'm not blind so I'm doing my best here, but please bear with me. Also, my favorite canon character in this series has finally arrived. Mommy Claire, I love you.

Warnings: Emotional instability, violence, mention of violence, catholicism, mentions of blood and injuries. Matt being a major simp. Injuries, blood, sewing wounds, wound care, medical procedures, Matt being a little obsessed with Natalie.

"Daddy!" A small voice, a little boy's voice. Punches being thrown, the squeal of tires around a corner. A knife in his side.

The smell of a garbage dumpster, the numbness spreading from his legs up...

He woke with a sharp gasp, arms flailing at the hands holding him down.

"Hey, it's okay." A voice told him, soft, female. She was calm, she's done this before. She smelled like latex and antiseptic. There were dirty scrubs in the next room. She's had medical experience, a nurse if he had to guess. "We have to get you to a hospital."

"No." He repeated, trying and failing to sit up. He was lying on a hardwood floor, no, a rug between him and the wood. He was probably bleeding all over it at this rate. "They'll kill everyone."

"Who?" She asked, leaning over him to try and keep him from moving.

"They'll kill everyone in the hospital to get to me." A sigh but she put the phone away, sitting back on her heels. "Where am I?"

"You're in my apartment."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the lucky girl who pulled you out of the garbage." She said snidely and confirmed when he asked if she'd seen his face. "Your outfit kind of sucks, by the way." She moved back to grab something.

"Yeah, It's a work in progress." He said, trying to sit up again.

He was stopped by a firm hand on his chest. "Okay, I really wouldn't try to move too much." She scolded, "You've got two or three broken ribs, probably concussion, some kind of puncture wound and that's just the stuff I know about." He felt her pull his eyelid up slightly followed by the near-imperceptible warmth of a light on his face. "And your eyes, they're unresponsive to light, which isn't freaking you the hell out, so either you're blind or in way worse shape than I thought."

"Do I have to pick?" He tried to joke but was cut off by a cough. Damn, his chest hurt.

"You mind telling me how a blind man in a mask ends up beaten half to death in my dumpster?" She asked, poking at the wound in his side.

"The less you know about me the better." He insisted around a groan of pain, stiffening a little on the floor.

"Knife wound?" She asked, shining her light on it to get a better look. He nodded in confirmation as she tended to it, trying not to move too much while she worked. "I think I got the bleeding stopped, but I can't tell how bad it is internally without a series of x-rays, so-"

"No hospitals." He reiterated.

The woman sighed. "This is my night off. I'm really not looking for some guy to die on my couch." She sighed. "You got a name?" Silence. "Yeah, I didn't think so. All right, I'll call you Mike." when he raised a brow she forced a laugh. "Guy I used to date. He liked keeping secrets too."

"Thank you..." He waited and she murmured her name. "Claire."

"Rest." She tapped his chest gently and stood. "We'll figure out the other stuff after." He didn't bother to nod in agreement. Not as the darkness started to take him.

He woke to the feeling of sharp tugging on his side.

"You opened some of your stitches in your sleep. You tried fighting me."

"I'm sorry." He murmured, stopping his pained shifting to let her work."

"I didn't take it personally." She reassured distractedly, focusing on the stitches. "Who's Natalie?" Claire whispered, not looking up from where she was stitching him back together. Matt immediately had to fight the urge to tense up, feeling his mouth go dry with nerves. 

He coughed a little, scrubbing a hand over his face. "What do you mean?" He murmured, thoughts going to the scent of jasmine flower and ginger. The smell of her shampoo that always clung to her hair. The feel of her skin under his fingertips when goosebumps raised at his touch. He stomped that train of thought, closing his eyes to try and clear them.

"You were calling out in your sleep," Claire replied, still focused on her task, but undeniably curious. "You woke up a little and asked for Nat, too."

"She's..." He sighed, at a loss. "It doesn't matter." Lie. That was a lie. Of course, she mattered. She always mattered. She mattered the most. But he never let that train of thought get too far along. Even if his heart turned a little at his own words. 

"I see," Claire said coyly, smirking faintly. "So she's the girl." He heard her giggle a little, tugging a little too hard on the stitches, making him wince. "Let me guess," She continued. "Tall... dark hair... pretty blue bell eyes..." 

"Hazel eyes." He blurted without thinking, fighting the urge to kick himself. Instead, he let out a shaky breath, fidgeting with the blanket draped across him. "Her eyes are hazel." 

"So you're a psychic now." Claire joked. "Fascinating. But I was right about the rest?" 

Matt shook his head. Unsure of why he continued talking. "Her friend told me. I wanted to..." He swallowed. "I wanted to buy her a scarf. For her birthday. I didn't know what color." He fought a smile at the memory of asking one of the shop attendants which colors would go best with what Foggy had described her as. "She's short." He said flatly. "Her hair's not dark either." 

"And what is it?" Claire snickered, and he felt her tie off his stitches before wiping away the excess blood. 

His lips quirked in the beginnings of a smile, eyes turning fond as he answered. "Strawberry blonde. Too dark to be true blonde but not quite fully red either." He admitted. He didn't want to tell her that he'd pictured Natalie in his mind many times. Trying to arrange features he thought would fit her voice... Her movements... Her. Just her. Vague guiding touches and friendly descriptions only gave a few pieces to put together.

"Does she know..." Claire paused. "About your-" She broke off. "Hobbies?" He laughed lightly at the word, groaning as it pulled at his fresh stitches. 

"No." He said firmly. "No, she doesn't know." He sat for a moment, trying to close his mouth to no avail. The tiredness and the pain made him weak. "I'll make sure she gets home. Stay on the roof of her building until I hear her keys in the lock." He confessed, remembering many nights atop the bricks of her apartment building, waiting to hear her distinctive footsteps on the stairs. "There's a bistro right across the street, Marquette's, the owners know her by name, I bring her leftovers when she forgets to stop for dinner the night before."

"So..." Claire interjected, hands clearing away the mess of her makeshift E.R, tidying the space. "What's the deal? Relationship? Situationship? Burning passion?"

Matt tilted his head back against the sofa, reminding himself why he kept his distance in the first place. Engraving those reasons into his mind. 

"It..." He shook his head. "Nothing would ever work between us." A sigh blew out from between his lips, only to be cut short by a quiet realization.

Claire noticed his change in demeanor and carefully sat back, brows furrowed. "Mike?"

"Someone's coming." Matt whispered. "There's someone in the building, a man, going from door to door."

"How do you know that?" Claire asked incredulously.

"Ssh." He hissed, sitting up with a soft groan. "He's on the third floor already. Smells like Prima cigarettes and discount cologne."

"You can smell a man on the third floor?"

"He really likes that cologne." He said by way of explanation. "You'll smell him soon enough." He paused, smiling softly. "You're looking at me like I'm crazy, right? Seems the appropriate response. There are some things I haven't told you about me, Claire."

She snorted shakily. "You haven't told me anything about you." She crossed her arms, the squeak of her gloves on the skin of her elbows hitting his ears. "All I know is you're very good at taking a beating."

"That part I got from my dad." He nodded his head thoughtfully. He tilted his head, then indicated the knife set on the counter behind Claire. "This all you got?"

Claire sighed but grabbed one of the bigger ones, studying it. "Yeah, it's for vegetables, not a knife fight."

He carefully lifted it from her hands and started limping towards the door, snatching his mask from the sofa. "He's at your neighbor's door."

Claire sprung into action, "You kidding me! Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey!" She stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "You can barely stand up right now."

"That's what the knife is for." He reasoned.

"Wait!" She pushed at his chest gently, trying to put distance between him and the door. "Don't do this. Not in my home. Okay, nobody has to get hurt. Just stand over there on the side and be quiet. I'll get rid of him." Matt pressed his lips together, but nodded in agreement, slipping behind where the door would open.

He listened carefully as she lied to the dirty officer, putting herself in the line of fire for him in a way similar to how Natalie often did. Unbidden, he found his thoughts wandering back to her. Fuck, Claire reminded him so much of her. A little more free, a little more quick to speak, but cut from the same cloth nonetheless.

"See?" Claire sighed, closing the door loudly behind her. "No reason to get all stabby." She wrinkled her nose as she walked past him. "Boy, were you right about that cologne."

"He didn't believe you," Matt growled, slipping his mask on and entering the hallway, snagging a fire extinguisher from the wall and walking to the banister, dangling it over the edge.

"Mike!" Claire whisper-shouted. "What are you doing?"

He held up his free hand to stop her, listening carefully to the heavy footsteps on the stairs before letting the extinguisher go, colliding with Foster's head and knocking him unconscious.

"Shit!" Claire gasped, "What do we do now?" She groaned, gripping her head with both hands.

"There's someone else," He tilted his head towards the floor up from them. "One floor up, watching us. He's young. He's scared."

"Santino?" Claire peeked up around the banister at the teenager, swearing under her breath. "He's the one who found you in the alley."

"He's seen my face too?"

"Yeah."

"Claire." Matt said gently, "Go upstairs and get him. We're gonna need help carrying Detective Foster to the roof."

"This is way past what I signed up for." Claire sighed, pacing back and forth on the rooftop and intermittently glancing at the tied-up man near the edge.

"What exactly did you think that was?" Matt shook his head, hands on his hips.

"Do you really want to get into this in front of him?" Claire snapped back, pulling on her makeshift mask.

"He's out."

"He could be faking?"

Matt tilted his head towards the detective, counting the space between his heartbeats. "No. He's not."

"Okay, that's what I'm talking about." Claire pointed at him accusingly. "Okay, I find a guy in a dumpster who turns out to be some kind of blind vigilante who can do all of this really weird shit like smell cologne through walls and sense whether someone's unconscious or faking it." She flapped her hands around as she talked, finally letting some of that pent-up stress get out. "Slap on top of that, he can take an unbelievable amount of punishment without one damn complaint!"

"That last part's the Catholicism." He listened carefully. "He's awake now. Stay back and don't do anything unless I tell you to." He instructed, "Please. It's safer that way." He turned away from her to stalk towards their prisoner, dropping his shoulders and readying his fists.

"Here's how this is going to work." He started, voice low and dangerous. "I'm gonna ask you some questions. You're gonna answer them. If you're lying to me, trust that I will know and I will be unhappy." He leaned into the detective's space, pinpointing his heartrate and measuring it carefully. "Where's the boy?"

"Dead." Without hesitation he shot his fist into the man's stomach, aiming for that soft spot where the last few floating ribs lived. The satisfying crack was music to his ears.

"This is what unhappy looks like." He snarled, feeling the blood start to roar in his ears, adrenaline taking over. "Where's the boy?"

"What do you care?" Foster groaned, squirming in his binds uselessly. "If he's not dead yet, he will be."

Matt ignored him. "Why did you take him?"

"Figured you'd come running."

"And after I was dead?"

"Sell the kid. Like all the others."

Claire's breath hitched at Foster's words, and Matt's jaw clenched. Without pausing, he landed two quick punches to the man's jaw, drawing a scream out of him.

"I was telling the truth on that one!" The man gasped, blood pooling in his mouth.

"I know." Matt panted, holding himself back from landing more blows just yet. "Where's the boy?"

"So you find him. So what?" The man laughed darkly. "We'll take another. Kill me, somebody takes my place. As long as people are buying, we'll be selling. Nothing you do tonight can change that." The man spat blood onto the asphalt of the roof. "But go ahead. Keep hitting me. Let's see who drops first." He sneered menacingly, and Matt opened his mouth to respond but was stopped by Claire tapping his shoulder.

"Try stabbing him in his trigeminal nerve." She offered.

"Where is it?"

She guided his fingers to the space between his eye and his eyebrow. "That's the supraorbital foramen. You want to go in right under there." He nodded and leaned in close to Foster, pulling a knife from his belt with one hand and holding his head still with the other.

"Hold still," He warned with sinister pleasure. "I might do some serious damage if you squirm." He turned back to Claire for a moment. "How will I know when I find it?"

"He'll tell you." Claire said, and her voice had taken on something darker than was there before.

Screams erupted around the rooftop, feeding that ugly monster in Matt's belly. The monster that thrived on listening to a man who inflicted untold harm on children voice his unending pain.

"You're right what you said before." He taunted, digging his finger into the wound he'd created. "I kill you, somebody takes your place, but they'll all end up back here. Just like you. And sooner or later, one of you is gonna tell me what I need to know." The man thrashed madly but Matt held him fast. "Ssh! Listen, I need you to know why I'm hurting you." He hissed. "It's not just the boy. I'm doing this because I enjoy it." With that, he wrenched the man from his bonds and marched him to the edge.

"No, no, no!" The man pleaded, blood dripping around his eyes and nose. "No, no, no!"

"Where is he?" Matt shouted, shaking him over the edge so he felt the air beneath him.

"Underneath the Troika restaurant!" Foster cried. "Eleventh and forty-fourth!" The man took a few deep breaths and then continued. "If you're lucky, they'll kill you before they start in on the boy. It would be a shame for you to watch what they do to him!"

Matt tipped him over the edge, cherishing the sound of his screams.

He had a little boy to find.

a/n: Hefty dose of plot for this chapter. We're getting to the point where the one-shot I posted earlier comes into play, and as both parts are part of whole chapters, you'll likely see them reposted in the larger storyline. We finally got some Daredevil Daredeviling.

Thank you to everybody leaving notes on the various parts of this story, I love you guys.

As always this story is dedicated to @abucketofweird, without whom this story wouldn't exist.

If you enjoy this story please consider leaving a note or following for more! It means a lot to me when you do!

-Sybil :)

[astralisbelle]

Dead Man's Hand 2 - What's The Catch?

Dead Man's Hand Masterlist tags: tags: engineer!reader, gambler!reader, loose canon timeline, eventual smut, fluff, action, casino aesthetics, touch starved reader, touch starved din, reader and din get on each other’s nerves, also they’re idiots, defrosting ice king din, cinderella vibes, everybody loves grogu

chapter summary: Mando learns of a sabacc tournament with a lucrative prize... and a costly catch.

note: no reader in this chapter, but we're setting the story up!

gif by starsallhavenames

The Mandalorian tosses the three pucks onto the white marble desk before him. “Just delivered the bounties to your men,” he says.

He addresses the wealthy man sitting behind the desk, older but well kept. His gray hair is neatly combed back, his fingernails have nary a speck of dust, and the gold robes that wrap around his shoulders and body are perfectly fitted.

The casino owner flashes a practiced smile, cold and purely for ceremony. “You work fast, Mando,” he says, snapping his fingers. “Bring the Mandalorian his money. And a small bonus, as a treat!” The butler at his side bows and excuses himself from the room. “While you’re waiting, Mando, I was hoping to tempt you to stay for a couple of days.”

“Another job?”

“No, not exactly.”

“Not interested.” The butler returns with the small chest of credits, handing it to Din. Just before he can turn and leave, the owner raises his hand to make him wait.

“Hear me out, friend.” Din bites on his tongue to keep himself from saying anything, but he is ready to reject the owner again. “I’m holding a sabacc tournament here in a few days. The buy-in is exactly the amount of your bonus.”

Din sighs, hoping the modulator masks the irritation in his voice. “I don’t gamble for credits. I hunt.”

The owner laughs. “And that’s where it gets interesting. The grand prize isn’t credits.” He fans his fingers together, making a bed for his chin as he leans forward, that empty smile turning into a sinister smirk. “Five ingots of beskar steel.”

That turns Din’s head and makes his heart start. One ingot of beskar was already something of a small fortune, but five? He hadn’t seen that much since he met Grogu. Imagine the armor he could make for Grogu, or donate for the foundlings. He had to get it; this is the Way. “How much?”

“I’m sorry?”

“For the beskar. How much? Or what’s the job?”

The owner bursts into laughter, sitting back in his chair. “Sorry, Mando. Not for sale. If you want that beskar, you’re gonna have to win it. Oh, and… one more thing about that. If you do decide to enter the game, you won’t be able to wear your helmet. That would be cheating.”

Din is thankful in this moment that the casino owner cannot see the look of pure vile that colors his expression. His muscles tense and his fist curls, tightening the leather around it. For a few moments, he weighs his options. Even if he was willing to remove his helmet… he unfortunately knows that he’s garbage at sabacc. Perhaps he could steal it, but robbing a Canto Bight casino would require a whole team that he trusted and more planning than he had time to put together.

He needs time to think. Without another word, he takes the credits that he’s owed and turns on his heel, walking away. The casino owner says goodbye, but Din ignores him.

What to do…

When he settles back into the pilot seat of the Razor Crest, he looks over at Grogu sitting tight and waiting for take-off. “You know how to play cards, kid?” he asks. Thankfully, at this point, Grogu is used to his sarcasm and respond merely with a wide stare. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”

Though, he supposed finding a stand-in for him wouldn’t be the worst idea, if he found someone he could trust.

---

“You know how to play sabacc?” Din asks Greef.

Sitting across from him, the High Magistrate strokes his chin in thought. “I’m decent,” he says. “I can win a couple hundred credits on a good day.”

“How would you feel about entering a tournament in Canto Bight?”

Greef pauses for a moment, blinking in disbelief. Then, he tosses his head back and cackles, causing Grogu to tilt his head in confusion. When Greef notices that Din isn’t laughing with him, his smile drops. “You’re serious?”

Din wishes that he could massage his temple right now. “The grand prize is five ingots of beskar. But I need someone that isn’t me to win it.”

“Why’s that?”

“No helmets are allowed.” He pauses. “...And I’m lousy at sabacc.”

Greef clicks his tongue. “I’d be wiped out clean in a few turns at a tournament like that.” He sits up. “I might know a few people who could potentially help you.”

“Do you trust them with your life?” he asks point-blank. Quite the confrontation, he knows, but obtaining the beskar is a matter of life or death for him. Greef makes a thin line with his lips, hesitating.

“No.”

Din stands up with a tired sigh. “Then it’s fine. Sorry for taking up your time.”

There just has to be someone else. He knows that he isn’t the most popular man around, but there has to be one person that he trusts and is good at sabacc. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be enough overlap in those two. Maybe, he could let the tournament play out and then steal it from the winner? No, too risky.

Then, it hits him.