#we're not going into details but it's there

[smutoperator]

Home Office Holidays

Park Jihyo, Kim Sejeong, Kwon Eunbi x Male Reader

Tags: big tits at work, facefucking, foursome, grinding, home office, missionary poundings, piss, Samantha and Rachel, shower sex, squirting, (lots of) titfucking, tits, tits, a lot of tits

Word count: 5083

The end of the year was looming. You, as the boss of the Milk Factory, started to panic about the goals not being met, leading you to announce a drastic decision.

"We are going to work on the holiday season," you said.

Safe to say, the factory workers were very mad and decided to assemble to stop your plan. Guided by their leader, Ms. Park Jihyo, they vowed to make the holiday shift as difficult as possible for you.

."We are not letting him get away with it," Jihyo said, detailing the plan to the other girls. They were going to derail the holiday shift as soon as you woke up, using their most powerful weapons: their big boobs.

You were taking a shower, ready to go to the company to start the shift. As you were too distracted, a short woman with big tits took her clothes off and entered the shower box without you noticing.

Jihyo gave a little pat on your back, making you turn around. "WHAT THE FUCK?" you screamed, looking at your coworker completely naked in the shower, your hard morning wood already pointing in the direction of her big tits.

"Shhhhhh," Jihyo said. "Boss, I'm here to tell you we're not going to work on the holidays; you're going to work for us," she continues. "And what are you doing in my house wearing no clothes?" you ask. "I'm here to start your home office holiday shift," she replied.

Jihyo advanced in your direction and started kissing you, letting your big shaft rub her thighs while doing so. she slowly moved her hands on its direction and started stroking your cock really hard, before you dropped her on her knees. Jihyo quickly started using her mouth, doing a great work on your cock that soon made you groan, taking it deep in her throat and massaging your balls.

You always knew Jihyo was a tough girl to deal with and wanted to punish her for being so insubordinate, so you grabbed her hair and started fucking her face. But that's exactly what she wanted, loving the way you worked your cock hard in her mouth until she gagged.

Jihyo got back to sucking your cock hard, diving deep into your balls as her huge tits bounced a lot while she did masterful work on it. You tried to tame him with more facefucking, but it didn't take you long to move into her main asset. "Come here, you fucking bitch," you said, wrapping your cock between her massive boobs, which were built for titfucking. You grabbed her neck and soon slid your shaft up and down those massive honkers, enjoying each time your throbbing tip popped out of them.

"Yes, yes, fuck those big titties," Jihyo said, enjoying your cock massaging her udders. She knew for a long while you were very horny for them, always staring at her cleavage each time she arrived at the company. She loved how loud your cock was clapping against them, coming to suck it, only to get pinned against one of the shower's walls and facefucked again, much to her pleasure, and even better when you shoved your balls in her filthy mouth.

You decided it was time to punish this big tit bitch even further, grabbing Jihyo's neck and pinning her against the glass box. "Oh my God, fuck," she moaned as she felt your massive cock promptly sliding in her pussy. "Yes, please, fuck me, boss," Jihyo moaned as her tits now smashed the glass walls of the box and her pussy got plowed hard. You grabbed one of her huge udders, enjoying how they bounced with each deep thrust you gave in her pussy.

"Oh my God, yes, give me that cock," Jihyo moaned as she enjoyed her big tits bouncing hard like pinballs. "HOLY SHIT," she said as you choked her further, before taking her out and fucking her face as the shower water dropped all over her head. "Come taste that fucking cock, bitch," you said. "Oh yeah," Jihyo said, getting out of breath as you took it deeper and deeper in her throat, making her gag on it to the fullest. If it depended just on you, you'd kill this big tit bitch by cock asphyxiation, but little did you know there were more girls waiting to take a turn on this big dick.

"I see you're already choking on this dick, typical Jihyo," another girl appeared and said as she saw you fucking her best friend's face. It was Sejeong. "You are going to share this cock with me," an angry Sejeong said, taking her shirt off and displaying her pair of udders that were so famous they had names.

"Boss, meet Samantha and Rachel," Sejeong said, shoving her big boobs right in your face and joining Jihyo in the shower as she took her clothes off as well. "This looks so good; hope you don't mind I have a taste of it," Sejeong said as Jihyo handed your cock straight to her best friend's mouth. Sejeong could already taste Jihyo's pussy on it. Since it's been nearly a decade since they knew each other, they also know the taste of their holes to the fullest. "Such a horny girl already getting fucked by that big cock, typical Jihyo," Sejeong said as she finished sucking your cock for the first time.

"I see you enjoy choking on that cock," Jihyo said as it was Sejeong's turn to get her face plowed. She drove her friend's head against your shaft while she played with Samantha and Rachel. Noticing it, you picked up the shampoo and poured it all over Sejeong's tits, leading Jihyo to rub hers on her best friend's, you still fucking Sejeong's face while enjoying watching that big tit rubdown.

"Share that dick, worship it," you commanded as if you were their boss, as Jihyo and Sejeong kissed each other while grinding their mouths on your shaft. "Her tits are so heavy, you should fuck them too," Jihyo said as she praised Sejeong's udders as they took turns worshipping your big dick.

You turned your attention to Sejeong, fucking her boobs next as the shampoo covering them made it even easier for your cock to slide. Jihyo lined up behind you and cleaned your asshole with her naughty tongue. "Stay there," you said, grabbing your cock and pushing it in Jihyo's direction for her to taste her best friend's milky udders and hot mouth on it. Jihyo loved it and bobbed her head hard on it as you moved back to Sejeong for another round of titfucking while Jihyo kept rimming you before you suddenly came back to your senses.

"I can't do this; it's so morally wrong having sex with my coworkers at my house," you said, getting away from their grasp and leaving the shower. Jihyo and Sejeong chased you. "Come back, boss," they said, but as you arrived at your bedroom ready to get your clothes for work, another woman approached.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" you screamed as you saw a naked Eunbi already laying in your bed. "Well, boss, you told us we were going to work on the holidays, and we took issue with it," Eunbi said. Seeing your cock already throbbing, she quickly bent over and dove her head on it. "Hmmmm, I can already taste Jihyo and Sejeong on it," the big-tit mommy said. "Holy shit," you said as Eunbi stayed focused on your cock before Jihyo and Sejeong arrived. "He's not going to leave this bed anytime soon," Jihyo vowed as she was the next to dive on your cock, Sejeong soon joining them as well.

"Now we're working," Sejeong said as the girls started a triple blowjob on your shaft, the two 95 girls taking on your balls while Jihyo deepthroated your shaft, leaving Eunbi and Sejeong elated. "Girls, this dick is so amazing," Sejeong said as she took her turn sucking it while you started moving your hips and pushing it up her throat. Jihyo then sat on your face as the other two girls shared your cock. "Oh yeah, work that tongue in my pussy," she said, grinding it on your face and letting her big tits freely bounce. Sejeong soon sucked them as Eunbi stroked your cock.

"I think he was looking at our tits way too much at the office; now let's see if he can handle them," Sejeong said. Jihyo was the first to use hers, tilting her body forward as she bounced them sideways on your shaft. "Hmmm, he's already clinging to my pussy to cope with it," she said. "Look at how hard he's getting," Eunbi says as she grabs your shaft while Jihyo keeps using her boobs to fuck it.

"He's a naughty boy; the more I moved her tits, the more he ate my pussy; now I want to see both your titties bouncing on them," Jihyo said. Sejeong followed suit, trapping your shaft between her Samantha and Rachel and giving it a sexy massage. Eunbi followed suit, moving her massive boobs really fast on your cock, with you meeting her speed with fast thrusts up her udders while Jihyo licked her pussy. "So that's what big-tit asphyxiation looks like. Oh fuck," Eunbi says as you try to react and fuck her tits, but Sejeong steps in and grinds her pussy on your face.

Eunbi sucks your cock hard while Jihyo plays with her pussy and leads Sejeong. "Keep grinding on his face," she says to her longtime friend. "You started it all; wanna sit on that dick?" Eunbi asks Jihyo as she jerks your cock off. "Yes, I'll fucking sit on it," Jihyo says with a big smile on her face as Eunbi grabs your cock and leads it into her pussy. "Let me see it," Sejeong says as she goes back to watch Jihyo impale herself on your cock.

Sejeong and Eunbi massage Jihyo's clit as she starts bouncing on your cock. "Oh yeah, that cock is so good in my pussy; let me grind on it," she says as she spins on your cock. Eunbi sits on your face, and as soon as she does, you pump Jihyo's pussy hard from down low. "Oh, bad boy wants to fuck that pussy hard; give it to me," Jihyo says under Sejeong's watchful eye. Jihyo opens her legs and lets you freely pound her cunt, while Sejeong massages your balls and then jerks it off. "Oh, I love the way you jerk it off in my pussy; it's so fucking sexy," Jihyo says as she resumes bouncing on it.

Eunbi returns and massages Jihyo's clit while also sucking her tits. "Keep fingering; it feels so good," Jihyo tells her while Sejeong comes on the other side to suck her melons too. "GIVE IT TO ME, FUCK ME HARDER," Jihyo rises her voice and commands to you as you keep pushing up and down her pussy. You push Jihyo's mommy body in your direction and pump her in a pearly gates position while Eunbi and Sejeong entertain themselves with her big tits. "OH MY GOD, GIVE IT TO ME, GIVE IT TO ME," Jihyo begs. "Fucking give it to her," Eunbi commands.

You indeed decide it's time to amp things up a bit, pushing Jihyo's body into the bed as you grab it and fuck her in missionary with her legs fully up. "Give it to her, come on," Eunbi continues to push.

"YES, FUCK," Jihyo screams as you wrap her legs and pound her at full speed. Eunbi and Sejeong just watch. It seems like you really hate this big-tit bitch, fucking her like your life depended on it. "HARDER," Jihyo commands as her legs get pressed against your big tits and you push your whole weight against her body. "Cum all over his fucking cock," Eunbi orders while Sejeong licks her best friend's feet. You choke Jihyo and then hit her face, but shortly after you kiss her. Sometimes you hate that bitch, but in the end, you can't deny how sexy she is.

As you pull out of Jihyo's pussy, you, Eunbi, and Sejeong team up to eat it. "Holy shit," Jihyo exclaims as all three tongues pass around her fuckholes. "Holy fuck, that's so fucking fast," she says as you three spit on her holes, Eunbi paying special attention and massaging her clit while you eat her ass and Sejeong licks her folds. "Oh yeah, put that tongue deep in my ass," Jihyo says.

You pump Jihyo a few more times, massaging her jiggling tits in the process and hitting her a few more times until she cums. "Let's taste that dick," Eunbi says as soon as you're done, feeding it to Sejeong while jerking it off. But Eunbi is another hungry slut, as it takes just a little spitting from Sejeong for her to feel comfortable taking her turn sitting on your cock.

Eunbi's pussy gets pumped hard from the start, while Jihyo and Sejeong line up behind her and take turns massaging your balls and licking Eunbi's asshole, respectively. "I want to taste that fucking pussy out of that cock; give it to me," Jihyo says as you keep pounding Eunbi while Sejeong jerks your shaft off.

Sejeong pops your cock out of Eunbi's pussy, feeding it right into Jihyo's needy mouth, who bobs her head on it like a maniac as soon as she gets the chance to taste Eunbi's pussy on it. "Put it back on," Sejeong says, quickly ending her friend's fun as Eunbi wants more poundings in her pussy. "So fucking sexy watching her get fucked like that," Jihyo says as she bends to eat Eunbi's asshole. Sejeong follows, and the two kiss each other. "Hmmm, she's got a very dirty ass," Sejeong tells Jihyo.

"AHHHH FUCK," Eunbi screams as you fuck her harder than ever, sucking your tits like a baby as well while her body tilts in your direction. Jihyo and Sejeong give her some relief as they stop your pounding to suck your cock a little bit, but that doesn't last long, as Eunbi's mommy cunt just keeps getting obliterated, and Jihyo keeps going wild, moving toward Eunbi's big tits and sucking them herself. "FUCKKKK," Eunbi says as Jihyo now motorboats her tits and your cock keeps pushing. "Fuck her deeper," Jihyo whispers in your ear, and you oblige.

Eunbi decides to grind on your cock, making Jihyo and Sejeong get very excited as they help her and massage her ass. "Grind on it, bitch; take it, take it, take it," Jihyo orders as Eunbi spins all over your cock. "That's a good girl," Sejeong says as she pats Eunbi's ass.

It's time for Eunbi to receive the same treatment you gave Jihyo, as you push her into the same position as the Twice leader minutes ago. "Her tits are so fucking beautiful, don't you agree?" Jihyo asks Sejeong. "Oh definitely, we should name them later like I did to mine," she answers.

"Keep worshipping those beautiful tits," you command Jihyo and Sejeong, who suck Eunbi's melons while you fuck her. "Ahhh yeah, I love it," Eunbi says as she's overwhelmed by all three of you turning your attention to her. "Let's make her squirt," you say, reaching your hands into her clit and massaging it, Jihyo quickly moving to taste the juices Eunbi bursts out while Sejeong now has both of Eunbi's boobs all to herself.

"Get on top of her," you tell Sejeong, as you line your cock up to fuck her from behind. Eunbi loves it as she gets to grab Sejeong's famous Samantha and Rachel, which jiggle quite hard as you fuck her pussy. You and Jihyo lick Sejeong's neck while Eunbi stays at the bottom of the pile enjoying Sejeong's huge tits.

But Sejeong is a naughty mommy and wants to bounce on your cock as well, telling you to lay on the bed as she starts moving up and down your shaft. Jihyo immediately follows her and sucks her tits. Meanwhile, Eunbi stays in her position but brings her pussy closer to your crotch and starts rubbing it on your balls while Sejeong sits on your dick.

Sejeong is a really fast rider, loving having her Samantha and Rachel bounce freely and hit Jihyo's mouth. Eunbi rubs her clit down low, her juices slowly covering the bottom of your cock. Jihyo decides to rub Sejeong's clit as well, and soon she and Eunbi are locked into a squirting battle. "Oh my God, yeah, rub my pussy, make it cum all over that fucking cock," Sejeong says as she bounces at bed-breaking speed, Jihyo following her moves. Eunbi masturbates herself harder to match Sejeong's crazy ride, while Jihyo, now switching sides and helping Eunbi, gushes out more squirt from her pussy as she massages it. But Sejeong is determined to win this battle, unleashing her maximum bounce prowess, turning Samantha and Rachel into a pair of pinballs until she squirts so hard it catches both Jihyo and Eunbi by surprise.

"I'M GONNA CUM," Sejeong announces as she squirts so hard her juices land all the way into Eunbi's tits. As Sejeong starts to orgasm, you push your cock faster and deeper in her pussy. Jihyo comes in and licks her best friend's pussy. "Oh yeah, lick me like that, so good, so good," Sejeong says. Jihyo kisses and sucks Rachel before getting back to Sejeong's pussy, licking it like crazy and ready to taste her juices at any second.

As Sejeong squirts all over your cock, you use her juices to quickly slide back inside Eunbi. "Let's make her cum next," you say, opening her legs while Jihyo and Sejeong massage her tits. In a matter of seconds, Eunbi also releases her juices, as Jihyo now seizes the opportunity to bounce on your cock again. Sejeong and Eunbi push Jihyo's body up and down your cock and spank her ass. "Take that dick," both girls say. "More, more, more, bounce, bitch," you say. Jihyo does it like that, riding your cock while Eunbi rubs her asshole. "Yes, yes, yes, massage my ass," Jihyo tells her. "Look how deep he's going inside her," Sejeong says as she joins Eunbi. Jihyo turns into a messy scream machine. "AHHHHHH, FUCKKKKK," is all she can say now, turned into your personal cocksleeve and Eunbi and Sejeong's spanking bitch.

"Let's taste it," Sejeong tells Eunbi, both putting an end to Jihyo's fun. "OHHHH YEAHHHH," Jihyo is still screaming even with your cock out of her pussy. Sejeong and Eunbi taste your cock together, the former I.O.I girl taking your balls while the former Iz*one leader sucks the tip. Both bring their tits together for a double titfucking session while a needy Jihyo begs for more. "Please, I want it back in my pussy," she says.

"You want it, then there it is," Eunbi says, releasing your cock from the grasp of her tits for Jihyo to ride once again. Both her and Sejeong grab Jihyo's ass as the Twice girl squats on your dick and massages your balls. "All the way, grind on that cock," Sejeong tells her. Jihyo does it until she cums, with Eunbi quickly taking her place on the top of your cock for a pearly gates pounding. "Let's suck those big tiddies," Sejeong says to Jihyo as you fuck Eunbi hard and massage her clit while Jihyo and Sejeong suck on mother Eunbi's tits like they were her daughters.

"FUCKKKK," Eunbi moans as your cock and the girls's mouths overwhelm her; the way her tits bounce is a thing of beauty, especially when her hardened nipples make contact with the naughty tongues of Jihyo and Sejeong, who now press Eunbi's tits against each other as if they were playing a game with them.

"Come on, girls, you better suck this dick again if you want to be free for the holidays," you tell them. Jihyo quickly jumps on your cock as she's in desperate need of a vacation. "Yeah, let's share this cock," she says, then handing your shaft to Sejeong as the two kiss each other while licking your tip together and Eunbi licks your balls down low. "Oh my God," is all you can say with three girls fighting hard for your big cock.

"Stroke it, stroke it," you ask them as they jerk your cock off. Jihyo moves up and down your cock, letting Sejeong and Eunbi handle the jerkoff. All three girls are so strong and muscular that you fear your cock is going to snap in half with the way they jerk it so fast. "You really thought you could handle three of us?" Sejeong asks, bragging. No, you couldn't.

"I bet you didn't think you'd be working from home like this," Sejeong continues to say as Jihyo now is in your balls and Eunbi massages your prick. "Put it between your big tits," you tell them. The girls get very excited as soon as they hear those words. Jihyo quickly hits the inner side of her boobs on your shaft before letting Sejeong use her Samantha and Rachel to fuck and squeeze your cock while Eunbi spits on it to help with the grip and grabs the bottom of the shaft.

"Suck it, suck it," Sejeong tells Jihyo as she dives her head to taste your cock between Samantha and Rachel. "You want more?" Sejeong asks as Jihyo takes her place, moving her tits sideways before bouncing her body up and down really fast in a very aggressive tit-fucking and cock-sucking. Eunbi is next. "Oh my God, her tits are so fucking huge," an impressed Sejeong says. This time, you squeeze her eunbigs and fuck them yourself, pushing up and down her massive melons, Eunbi diving down to deepthroat your cock while you do it. "Ohhh, that's good; I think you deserve to sit on my dick again for this," you tell her.

Eunbi quickly follows it, and you go back to thrusting up and down her pussy. "Oh, that big dick looks so perfect inside me," she says while Jihyo and Sejeong watch and suck her tits and rub her clit. "Bounce, bounce," you order Eunbi, who starts grinding sideways before squatting on your dick. "Like that, like that," you approve of her. "Oh, I just love those big tits hitting my face," Jihyo says as Eunbi's bouncy boobs hit her, and she enjoys it.

"Your turn, Sejeong," Jihyo says. "Yes, give me your cock right there," Sejeong says and starts bouncing in her frenetic way. "OH, OH, SHIT, FUCK," you groan as Sejeong hits your cock very fast, Jihyo sucking Samantha and Eunbi massaging Rachel as they move up and down really hard. Sejeong keeps moving aggressively. "I'm so fucking wet," she says. "Rub her pussy," you tell the girls, Eunbi rising up to the task as Sejeong slowly loses her breath. "Nice and deep, nice and deep," she commands.

Sejeong moans as Eunbi massages her clit really hard, her legs trembling as she closes them and lets you pound her pussy while Jihyo and Eunbi suck Samantha and Rachel. "AHHHhhh FUCKKKK," an out-of-breath Sejeong still manages to scream. "Keep going, keep going," Jihyo and Eunbi tell you as their tongues get entertained with Samantha and Rachel while Sejeong cums all over your cock. "FUCKKKKK," the Gugudan girl screams as she squirts again.

"I think it's my time," Jihyo says as she cleans Sejeong's juices from your cock. "Come here," you tell Jihyo as Eunbi also fights for your attention and gets on all fours. "You want to stack?" Jihyo asks. "Nah, let's do something different: eat her cunt while I fuck you, bitch," you say to Jihyo, shoving Eunbi's ass in her face and then spreading her legs to fuck her. "AHHHHH FUCKKKK," Jihyo screams like a whore as you love it. "Yes, scream all over that pussy," you say to her as you relentlessly pound Jihyo's pussy while Eunbi grinds her ass in her face.

"YEAH, YEAH, FUCK, GIVE IT TO ME," Jihyo says as you. Fuck her while thumbing Eunbi's asshole, the former Iz*one member now leaning to eat Sejeong's pussy on the other side of the bed while resting her body on Jihyo's. "Oh my God, those big tits are right in my face," Jihyo says as Eunbi's boobs hit her forehead.

Jihyo is pounded hard as her body gets suffocated between yours and Eunbi's, who enjoys savoring Sejeong's pussy. You decided to savor Jihyo's yourself, all the while Eunbi sits on Jihyo's face, and she and Sejeong start scissoring each other and dumping their pussy juices on Jihyo's.

"I want to watch your pretty face while you cum," Eunbi says as she locks Jihyo's face between her legs. Despite her very tanned skin, Jihyo's face is now fully red as she's completely suffocated, Eunbi's clit right in her neck as the former Iz*one girl keeps squirting on her face while you keep pounding Jihyo. "AHHHHH, YEAHHHH, FUCKKKK, SHITTTT," Jihyo screams as she cums. "Good girl, that's so fucking hot," Eunbi says. You come to Jihyo's direction and suffocate her further, shoving your cock in her mouth with Sejeong's help for her to taste her own juices.

Jihyo coughs on your cock and then eats Eunbi's pussy while massaging her tits, enjoying more juices in her face while Sejeong bobs her head on your cock for another round. "Oh shit," you groan, already close to cumming but still holding it. But before that, you put Eunbi's face down and her ass up, fucking her pussy under the watch of a wasted Jihyo. "OH MY GOD," Eunbi moans as you pump her pussy like crazy. "Oh yeah, hit it deep in my fucking pussy like that," Eunbi says.

"Stick it all the way down in her pussy," Jihyo says. "That's so fucking hot," Sejeong completes as both enjoy Eunbi getting pounded and lubricate your cock with their spit while also licking Eunbi's butthole. Jihyo is a mad girl, almost as if she's looking for revenge on Eunbi to suffocate her moments ago. Eunbi closes her eyes and opens her moaning mouth, getting close to cumming again as Jihyo and Sejeong keep licking her fuckholes. "AHHHH, FUCK," she moans.

You get on top of Eunbi as Jihyo slides her face just below you to lick your asshole and balls. "Oh my God," Eunbi moans as she feels you pumping her even harder while your ass rubs all over Jihyo's slutty face. "OH GOD," Eunbi moans as she's also very close to getting wasted.

"On your knees, bring your pretty face," you orient Jihyo. "Come here, bring your fucking pussy," you say to Eunbi. You dig your fingers inside Eunbi's cunt, and Jihyo already knows what's coming. "Yes, please, that's what I fucking want: make her fucking squirt all over my face," she begs as your hands get deeper and deeper in Eunbi's pussy. "AHHHHHH," Eunbi screams as she starts to squirt. "I fucking love that," Jihyo says, licking Eunbi's squirting pussy.

"Stay there; there is more coming," you say to Jihyo as Eunbi kneels and turns around, squirting all over Jihyo. "OH MY GODDDD," Eunbi screams as her cunt gets juiced, with Jihyo tasting it and rubbing some of it in her boobs.

As both girls play with each other and Eunbi keeps squirting on Jihyo's face, you turn your attention to Sejeong for a grand finale, mounting her in a prone bone position and pressing her Samantha and Rachel against the bedsheets. "Fuck, fuck, fuck," the Gugugan girl moans. You then switch to the same position you fucked Jihyo and Eunbi before, giving Sejeong the rough missionary legs-pressed-on-tits treatment.

"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK," Sejeong screams as she gets drilled hard; on the other side of the bed, Jihyo licks Eunbi's pussy; soon, you're pile-driving Sejeong, her big tits hitting her face at each thrust you give her. Jihyo chills in and massages and sucks Samantha; Eunbi takes Rachel as you spread Sejeong's legs and destroy her pussy. "I'M GONNA CUM, I'M GONNA CUM, I'M GONNA CUM," she says as she squirts on your cock.

Jihyo licks the juices of her best friend as you lay back in the bed. "Come here, make me cum," you order the girls. Sejeong tastes herself and jerks your cock off as Jihyo dives into your balls. "Give us that fucking cum; that's what we want," Eunbi says.

"Let's milk that cock with our milkers," Jihyo suggests. Soon, your cock disappears under three pairs of big tits, all of them squeezing it hard as they rub against each other and move up and down your shaft. "Oh, oh, oh, oh," you start groaning, sensing that you're going to burst at any second. Ditto. Your cock explodes all over the mommy milkers of Jihyo, Sejeong, and Eunbi, covering them with your white milk for each girl to lick and taste.

"That's so much cum, I think we need to head back to the shower," Jihyo says. Eunbi and Sejeong follow her while you stay on your bed, trying to process what just happened as the girls laugh and taste your cum from their big boobs. "That was quite a workout," Eunbi says.

The girls head to the shower, rubbing their big tits against each other. As you watch them pour shampoo all over their boobs, you give them one final condition.

"I'll give you three a holiday vacation, but first I need to do one more thing to those sexy bodies," you tell them.

"What?" Jihyo says.

"This," you answer as your cock starts peeing all over Jihyo's tits. Sejeong and Eunbi also receive a hot dose of piss to clean their big tits. Soon, you move your cock upwards and feed their throats with the golden liquid. Lucky for them, you have enough in the tank to pee for a whole minute, meaning each girl gets a healthy load of piss in their mouths.

"That was so hot," Jihyo says as she gargles the piss and swallows. "I think more girls are going to want some of that home office. boss, would you mind if you worked again tomorrow?" Eunbi asks.

"Who else?" you ask.

"How about my other friend? She also got some big tits," Sejeong says, showing you a picture of Somi.

"Ohhh, bring her here tomorrow."

[cometconmain]

I have someone who comes to groom my dog because I physically can't keep up with it. He's extremely good at his job.

He also thinks Trump isn't all that bad a guy, the Democrats are the anti-human rights party, had no idea the Supreme Court was a thing/is controlled by Republicans and that's why so many human rights are being rolled back in America, refuses to actually use his privilege of having a preferential voting system to not have to vote for the two major shitty parties because he insists on believing nothing good has been done despite numerous proving points to the contrary in his own life let alone others' lives, thinks climate change is a hoax and can't wrap his head around why university studies need to be checked for a donor list and a fossil fuel company supported 'study' isn't reliable actually, hasn't even learned the most basic empathy concept of "you not suffering from a problem other people suffer from doesn't make that problem less important/you should care about people whose lives you don't experience", outright said with his full chest that maybe we should racially segregate the Olympics again actually, and a number of other toxic to downright rancid things I would have just written him off and slammed the door in his face for last year let alone a few years ago.

Don't get me wrong. Talking to him is fucking EXHAUSTING and I feel physically disgusting afterward having to just calmly listen to all these things he spouts which have historically resulted in entire groups of people being targeted for genocide and numerous other human rights abuses when left unchecked and allowed to fester at the societal level.

BUT HE LISTENS WHEN I CHALLENGE HIM.

I can see him actually seeing me as a human being worth listening to. He's older than me and definitely been down way too many right-wing rabbit holes for me to pull him onto the surface any time soon. But I'm giving him things to chew on and hopefully if we're lucky I've planted some seeds which will eventually grow into some semi decent human being plants one day. He's really ignorant and clearly under-educated and that itself isn't his fault and biting his head off isn't remotely going to make up for that gap and is only going to drive him further into the arms of whatever fucked up extremist conservative groups he's been listening to.

He is reachable. He's just also a very long project I only get to work on for an hour at a time every 6 weeks.

And some of the things I've said which I think were part of what got through to him involved showing empathy for him being a single father(? I may have mixed that up with someone else but I think he is) with a disabled kid. He shows empathy for disabled people because he's the father of one (and probably is neurodivergent himself I believe but unsupported and doing his best to give his son the support he didn't get from the sounds of it).

But yeah.

Listen: you don't have to take shit to the face if the person is solely malicious and trying to hurt you. No one is obligated to meet that with kindness and anyone saying otherwise can get fucked. There is a limit to how much bullshit someone can cop while the bullshitter acts like any emotional response to their bullshit is unreasonable/out of nowhere and that is valid on the part of the person copping the crap.

However, if you a) can handle coping long enough to break down those walls with unexpected kindness/it isn't dangerous for you to try that method (VERY IMPORTANT. PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE DETAILS. DON'T TRY THAT ON SOMEONE WHO IS ACTIVELY THREATENING/DANGEROUS TO YOU), or b) can tell it's soft bigotry/general ignorance driving the otherwise yuck things being said, do give the compassion and patient education route a try.

I've had numerous instances of me holding shitty ignorant beliefs I had no idea were actually harmful. The people biting my head off didn't get to me. The people who took the time to see I was just ignorant and under-educated on the matter (and hadn't yet developed the empathy for a group I didn't belong to) taking me aside and patiently dealing with my idiocy long enough to explain things to me in a way that got through my skull (and eventually into my heart as well) were the ones who fundamentally improved me as a person. I still have plenty of things I always have to work on. But I can tell you now I would be much MUCH worse without those patient, kind, educational interventions by people who could tell the difference between malice and ignorance.

The same applies to everyone else.

Human beings are human beings. All of us. Re-humanising each other is the last thing any of the politicians and extremist groups want us to do BECAUSE IT WORKS. IT BREAKS THE WARPED MODEL OF THE WORLD THEY PORTRAY AS REALITY TO DIVIDE US AND KEEP US ALL AT EACH OTHER'S THROATS INSTEAD OF CUTTING OFF THE FOOD SOURCE FOR THEIR WEEDS AT THE ROOT.

When we remind a hurting person that we are a person too, not the bogeyman the extremist groups paint us as, it shakes their warped worldview to the core. It makes them think. It makes them QUESTION. It makes them look at the flower the 'evil' Pride-pin wearer gave them because no one gave them flowers when their mother died and their hate begins to crack at the seams.

The things the world teaches men hurts men too. Teaching them they DON'T have to subscribe to that mentality all the way down to the roots of the patriarchy weed is the best and most effective way of cutting that mentality off at the source. Even if you struggle to empathise with men because you've been hurt; ok, valid. But it is demonstrably more effective, sustainable and long term changing to just get rid of all of it by addressing their pain and showing them how much healthier and happier they can be just in their own life let alone others' lives by casting off the system that hurts them too.

I'm pretty sure I'm just rehashing the same points here, sorry, but the concept of deradicalisation as a healing and long term change tool has been my social justice special interest this year so talking it out helps it solidify in my own head too. (And gives me strength to deal with bullshit because it reminds me it's worth copping what I can personally handle in order to get someone to think, change and grow, one exhausting person at a time).

part of the reason i love how bell hooks talks about masculinity is that she shows real compassion towards men suffering from the effects of toxic masculinity. she was conscious of how we need to unlearn the ways we talk about men + masculinity just as much as we need to unlearn the same for women + femininity. so many times ill see someone talking about toxic masculinity like (hyperbolizing here but only slightly) “these FUCKING STUPID BABY BITCHES won’t MAN UP and go to a therapist!!!” and like. i get the anger. but you see feminists recreating patriarchal manhood by only promoting good behaviors through patriarchal frameworks. any use of the term “real men” is bad because it reifies the idea that manhood is a special title you must earn, and it is something possible to fail and fake. & as important as it is to promote sexual equality + the pleasure of non-cis-men, lots of people are essentially still working with the idea that men need sexual prowess to have worth but just shifting it slightly so there is more emphasis on women’s pleasure. but I want cis men to think about their partners’ pleasure because they care about their partners, not because they need to check a box in order to keep their man card. and don’t get me started on small dick jokes– and the absolutely pitiful excuse people will use that “well, I don’t believe it, but misogynistic men get upset when I say it, so it’s okay!”

basically bell hooks is so fucking right. in order to create loving men we need to love men, simply for being alive, whether or not they are performing. as much as we need to actively unlearn misogyny (and we do), it’s equally vital we unlearn patriarchal ways of seeing manhood. we can’t just assume that taking a feminist perspective automatically means there is no work to be done there.

[kaybug88]

Katsuki Bakugo x Wife!Reader

December 23rd:

Katsuki Bakugo x Wife!Reader

Note: Use of (Y/N) + Newly weds

“What if we made our actual house!?”   “Hell no, that's stupid.”

TW: Swearing

WC: 1.2k

・┆✦ʚ♡ɞ✦ ┆・

“(Y/N)! Time to go, we're gonna be late!”

Katsuki calls From downstairs. For some context, you're going to Mina and Ejiro's house to hangout before everyone starts going out on missions again. Tonight was, and will be the only night your whole friend group can take off for a while. You're planning to make Gingerbread houses, watch movies, drink hot cocoa, and exchange presents.

“Coming!”

You call from your bedroom before stepping out and closing the door. By the time you're at the front door, he's in his black Ford F150 Raptor with the engine Running and his playlist Blasting out the open windows.

You roll your eyes with a grin before walking over and getting into the passenger seat with a small huff.

“Need a hand, princess?”

Katsuki says with a shit-eating grin while you send him a half-assed glare.

“No, I'm just fine On my own.”

You counter while buckling in and he begins to back out of the driveway, his arm slung over your seat.

-

Upon arrival, you notice you're not the only couple in matching pajamas. Kyoka and Denki are in pajama pants with polar bears and white hoodies. Eijiro and Mina are in Batman Hello-Kitty pants with pink long sleeve shirts. You and Katsuki are in red and black plaid pants with black shirts. 

“Hey y'all!”

You excitedly say while walking towards your bestfriends while Enjiro and Denki start up a conversation with Katsuki.

“So, how're you, Mrs.Bakugo?”

Mina chirps while dragging out your new last name.

“Yeah, how's it feel to finally take the Bakugo name? Feel angry 24/7 yet?”

Jiro chuckles while giving you a hug, Which you happily accept. Mina joins in the hug, which makes you smile.

-

“No, you absolutely cannot make our house a pile of rubble. It's a Gingerbread house, not Gingerbread house rubble.”

You say, smacking his hand lightly, earning a small scowl. You playfully roll your eyes as you reach for white frosting, in order to decorate the house before putting it together. . . As one would, right? Apparently that's wrong.

“Nope, I'm doing that. Can't trust you to make it not look like shit. Pick out the candy or somethin’.”

Katsuki said, sliding all the Gingerbread house pieces toward him, and away from you; turns out Kirishima’s ‘genius’ idea to make this a competition wasn't so ‘genius’ after all.

“Denks-!”

Jiro panics as Denki’s elbow misses their house by mere inches. Kirishima and Mina are so concentrated they don't even notice what has happened, causing you to snicker to yourself before going back to the candy selection.

“Kats! What if we made our actual house!?”   

You suggest excitedly as you show him green gumdrops that could work perfectly as the bushes in your front yard.

“Hell no, that's stupid.”

He protests while carefully putting the Gingerbread walls together with white frosting that looks upsettingly neat.

“Whatever. . .”

You groan, picking out some pretzel sticks to use as a path up to the front door. You stick one in your mouth, leaving the salt treat hanging from between your lips. You set down little piles of candy you could use for decorations, and can't help but notice the way Katsuki Eyes your lips.

You raise a brow at him before he grabs your chin and leans in to take his own bite of the pretzel, his lips brushing against your own for a split second. You sit there wide-eyed as he smirks at you with hidden intent. Nobody else noticed what he had done, but you sure as hell don't regret him doing it.

Hoping that blush isn't too visible on your face, you pass him a small bowl with little red ball sprinkles before glancing at his face. His brows are furrowed in concentration while his tongue is peeking out from between his lips.

Noticing how concentrated he is on the larger details, you secretly grab a few green gumdrops, lining the yard with them. Every few seconds, you glance over at him, trying to hold in the goofy smile hiding behind your lips. 

“The hell are you doing? If you want shit lining the house, use those.”

He says while pointing to a bowl of green and red candies that probably taste like diabetes. You bite back a frown at your failed attempt to add secret little details from your own house and try to think of more subtle details. You could casually suggest. Your mailbox would be a good idea, but you would probably need Katsuki to help you, so that’s a no. 

Instead, you think of the arches by your doorstep. Katsuki is absolutely loaded with money and refused to, in his words, get some small, shitty house that doesn't have room for future plans.

You reach for a small unopened box of candy canes striped with vibrant greens and reds, pulling out a few and dumping the rest out into an empty bowl. You hold back a giggle as Eijiro sneakily takes one, unwrapping it and sticking it in his mouth. Rolling your eyes at the action, you place two of the candy canes next to Katsuki, clearly suggesting that he use them. 

He nods lightly and begins to form icicles along the edge of the roof, which you have to admit is quite a smart idea. Noticing black licorice, you can't help but imagine it as a chimney. You show it to Katsuki with a grin.

“Hey! What If we use this as a chimney?”

You suggest with a cheery tone, holding a few of said licorice and he gives you a smirk.

“Hey, so you do have good ideas in there.”

He teases, flicking your forehead. You know he's teasing you, and completely unaware of the glare he's receiving from Mina.

“What!? She's got great ideas in there!”

Mina says with a bit of sass and lightly hits him on the head, her yellow eyes narrowed into the glare only a mother could muster. Scary.

“Get the hell off me, Raccoon eyes! It was a joke, she knows she's smart and I wouldn't have married some damn idiot!”

You bite back a chuckle at the look Katsuki has on his face. He's clearly not mad, and there's hints of adoration and love sparkled into his dangerous red eyes.You smile when he looks over to you without a hint of Annoyance or anger, and  a pinch of wonder of how he landed someone so wonderful.

“Aww, Kats.” 

You say, leaning your head on his shoulder. His face flushes as he hunches back over to continue building the house. So adorable. You grab the licorice, arranging it to make a cute little chimney on top of the house. 

“Ta-da!” 

You nudge Katsuki, gesturing to your little chimney, which sits at an awkward angle. He laughs, a genuine, sweet one, and adjusts it carefully. Now all you two need to add is a door. Easy. 

You grab a piece of gingerbread, carefully outlining a door and breaking it out. Handing it to Katsuki, you grab a bunch of mini candies. He carefully frosts the top of it, and sticks it to the front of the house. You lean in, rimming the little door with the candies. 

“Alright, we’re finished!” 

You say, leaning back and stretching. Katsuki does the same, wrapping one arm around you and pulling you closer. 

“Ya’ know what? We rocked this.”

He said with a small chuckle as he presses A kiss to your head. He pulls out his phone and snaps a photo of your house made from pure hard work.

[call-me-rucy]

Professor Layton spoilers are illegal

Great! Now I have your attention. It wasn't a lie though.

TL;DR: Level-5 legal document says they will take down videos that show just the cutscenes of the games and videos edited with the purpose of listening to the games' music, among other legal measures.

The official Professor Layton twitter account published this tweet: https://x.com/L5_layton/status/1872196972142366916

It links to something called "guideline". I thought "Hey, finally, a rundown of all the games so new people know when to watch ED and..." It wasn't that. At all.

It is a legal document detailing what images and videos of the Layton series can be posted online without risking Level-5 breathing on our necks. Anyone else feeling like L-5 got a lawyer recently?

To be fair, it is extremely unlikely that they will come check Tumblr of all places for copyright infringement content but Im assuming that you all have lives outside of Tumblr, like in YouTube, Twitch, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok, and those places they will check.

So, here is what I understood from the rules:

Rule 0: These all apply to CV, DB/PB, UF/LF, LS/SC, MM, AL, LBMR, LMJ and PLvsPW:AA; all versions, including the trilogy on mobile and LMJ for switch and MM+. It does not apply to NWOS, which will have different rules explained later.

Rule 1: You can totally upload gameplay and still images from gameplay to social media, but if it's not directly captured from the console using console software they ask* that it has running commentary over, or opinions (basically something that makes it clear you're a fan and it's not an official video).

*This "ask" sounds like "we're not going to legally persecute you but please do us a solid".

Rule 2: Please put spoilers warnings before videos.

Rule 2.5: Don't post videos of the credits songs nor the first voice acting of LMJ. (The anime voice acting is fine).

Rule 3: It is prohibited to post videos that are just the animation scenes or videos and images that are just puzzles and solutions. If it's in gameplay it's fine, but the editing scenes together is not allowed.

Rule 4: Don't post videos or images to pages that you have to pay to enter. However youtube monetizing and similars are allowed.

Rule 5: If you post to a video sharing site you have to include a copyright notice like ©2007 LEVEL-5 Inc. The format depends on the game, look up the chart.

Rule 6: Third party rights are your problem.

Rule 7: Don't post anything that may make people think you are part of Level-5.

Forbidden things:

Anything that is ilegal

Anything that violates third party rights

Anything discriminatory

Anything that harms the image of L-5

Anything with cheats/glitches

Using the videos or still images to sell stuff (commercial purposes)

Editing movie scenes, audio, puzzles, or music from this series for the primary purpose of listening to them!!!

Using the images/videos for religious/political stuff.

And the kicker:

We may take measures such as deleting or suspending the distribution of videos, still images, etc. from this series that we determine to be in violation of these guidelines.

So yeah. Take care my friends! Enjoy the cutscenes and music compilations while they last and maybe don't look into Youtube downloaders.

[what-is-this-car]

Nope.

So let's find some!

How To Identify Cars

(even if you know nothing about cars)

I should first start by noting that I've already written a guide on telling cars apart, but that's different from identifying them - chiefly because in that context concluding "this is not any car that I know" is a success, since it means you've told it apart from the ones you do know. If you work out what car it is every time that happens, that will eventually lead to enough knowledge and experience to identify cars at a glance. But gradually learning cars as you go through life is rather different than having a specific car (or worse, a shred of it) that you NEED the name of harder than the guy from the memes wants pictures of Spiderman. Hence, this guide.

Properly going over the topic requires me to once again flaunt my studies in perceptual psychology like it isn't the one exam I failed and twice at that recapping what actually happens when you recognize something. That is, your mind analyzes the shape it's looking at, scanning it for traits and features, compares what it notices with items in its database, and identifies a match.

Experience helps with all aspects of that.

It improves analysis, because it trains you to parse the shape and scan it for distinctive traits. Where one may see this...

...I saw this.

It also may mean, with good luck, already being familiar enough with the car in question to recognize it instantly. Or without that luck, as per this case, using the aforementioned details to narrow down the possibilities. For example, the transverse engine indicates a front wheel drive car, and the round, aerodynamic but unfussy styling is clearly from no sooner than the early 90s (not that the custom shaped headlights didn't already give that away) and no later than the late 00s. This narrowed the search quite significantly, and pointed me to potential suspects, like the Ford Falcon's sixth generation (known as AU)...

...though this couldn't be it because the lower edge of the side window is rounded and much lower than that of the windshield. But hey, that's one more detail to note!

So how about the Honda Civic's sixth generation (known as EK)?

Not this either, since the top of the fender follows a gentle upper curve along with the windshield, where in our car the top of the fender's flat, and the door's frame falls beneath the front pillar of the roof (known as the A pillar), where in our car it stretches over to conceal it (trait first introduced in 1980 by the 🇮🇹Giorgetto Giugiaro🇮🇹-designed Isuzu Piazza, btw).

But that's two more details we've noticed!

Then what about the Chevrolet (/Toyota) Cavalier?

See? Now I don't even need to explain why not, because noticing the discrepancies in the cars above taught us details about the car we're looking for and taught us where to look, and thanks to that experience we spot discrepancies here!

This to say, where the experience can't manage it, sheer trial and error fills in the gaps. It's what many people will tell you about failure: try long enough and, if you'll keep learning what worked and what didn't, you'll ultimately end up knowing what you need to. So armed with all the knowledge we've gone over, I went about ruling out a lot of other cars, like the fourth generation Honda Prelude or the Saturn SL1.

But some may not know those cars to begin with. And I must assume they'll be delighted to find out that at one point I just googled "90s sedan" and just checked all images for potential fits one by one. Again, sheer trial and error. Well, not really, since I already knew to look among 90s cars, but again that could come with trial and error if you had a keen enough eye to notice older cars' lines were too flat and newer cars' were too... more.

But even then, the terms were way too wide, and even needing just a lightning's span to assess each picture still presented an insurmountable task. So I used that which is not just my greatest strength, but every single human's, even those delusional enough to believe otherwise:

my brethren.

Yep. Surprisingly enough, even despite my use of light mode the friendly people in the things-about-cars-in-posts Discord server were people willing to help me.

And it was a daunting task, largely due to the heartbreakingly cruel combination of crop and resolution. Lights and front bumper, which as I've gone over previously are the most distinctive elements of a car, are just shy of featured, and the badge on the front is just shy of sharp enough to be parsed. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say that with 10 more rows of pixels I would probably have clocked it in 10 seconds. But as it was, thanks to the power of multiple perspectives and knowledge bases, theories flew in every which direction, from the Hyundai Tiburon/Tuscani (nope, exposed A pillars) to the Ford Mondeo (same as above and flatter lines) to the Escort (the Ford, not me. Neither was it.)

We stumbled in the dark for over six hours, until the legend that is friend of things-about-cars-in-posts and member of this blog @brick-enthusiast came in clutch and finally released us from the torment:

And yes, I reacted with my trademark gratitude.

In my defense, my brain kept rightly insisting it was a 90s Chevrolet but stopped just shy of remembering the Lumina.

And now you can appreciate just how mean the crop was. I think a single row of pixels would have clearly shown the wheel well to be that close to the fender crease, which would've been a useful element.

Oh well. We've made it now. It's the second generation Chevrolet Lumina.

And this is a brand new collective blog for car identification whose point is precisely that, instead of replying with behemoths like these as I do in @things-about-cars-in-posts causing me to take months to provide a simple answer, the posts will just be a couple of lines about what model the car is and, if relevant, how one can tell. And you can be part of the people involved (pretty please) by joining the aforementioned Discord and asking about the cult. Er, the cult. Er, what-is-this-car.

So for the sake of ceremony, allow me to state:

This car is a second generation (1995-2001) Chevrolet Lumina.

See: the fender's crease and its flat upper edge, the windshield pillars covered by the edge of the door, the windshield's bottom line lining up with the front window's.

[bubblegumgothglados]

Aftercare should generally involve the opposite of the things a scene involved, it should balance the "negative" physical and psychological impact of the scene.

This is a fairly neat summation and simplification of a very complex and nuanced topic. But it's a good place to start if you're new and don't quite understand the concept of aftercare or if you're experienced and trying a new type of play. It's a simple framework to build upon as you learn more about your individual needs and the needs of your play partner(s).

So what are the physical and psychological impacts of a scene. (Do note we're specifically talking about those impacts we don't want to last past the end of a scene, puppies don't want to be told they're not puppies as aftercare)

I'm not going to separate these because what effects you psychologically is also going to effect you physically and vice versa. These things are not separate.

A good example on the more psychological side might be degradation which damages a submissive's self worth, self image, ego, etc. To balance this aftercare should focus on affirmation and rebuilding /healing those things. Similarly fear play damages a submissive's sense of safety/ wellbeing, aftercare for which should involve being made to feel safe, comfortable with their dominant, and st ease.

Having said that, a good example of this balance on the more physical side is replacing lost energy. Basically no matter what type if play you're engaging in you will burn a lot of energy, so to balance that you should replace that energy. I write about this in much more detail HERE.

Getting a little more complicated; sub drop. Coming 'down' from a submissive headspace, especially one that includes pain play, can be very unpleasant. The neurotransmitters released during a scene fade away, this feels something like the crash after an adrenaline spike, and can leave a submissive feeling lethargic, empty, sad, etc. To balance this aftercare should involve things the submissive enjoys to bring those neurotransmitter levels back up a little and alleviate some of the withdrawal symptoms. This can include but shouldn't be limited to; cuddles, kisses, warm snugly things like blankets and stuffies, their favourite snacks, their favourite movie or TV show, etc

"Top drop" is less a neurological thing and more of a social thing. Although the top headspace also includes it's own share of neurotransmitters which also drop off it's almost always to a much lesser extent. The most common major effect of top drop is guilt; hurting someone you care about is something deeply ingrained as bad and even if they like it, even if they're begging for it, it can still effect you really deeply. Aftercare for this should involve affirmation that the bottom isn't hurt beyond what they want to be, that they still care about and trust their dom, etc.

This is an infinitely nuanced topic, I could write until the character limit and still not cover all the ways that aftercare could go. But I have to draw a line in the sand somewhere so let me make one final point. Don't worry too much about getting this perfectly right the first few times, you'll figure out what you need and what your play partner(s) need. The most important part is the "care" half of "aftercare" show them you're willing yo put in the effort to make sure they're OK and you can't go to wrong

[tartagliove]

IN GOOD COMPANY kinich x reader ✧ 1.1k words

"when there's no saurians to hunt, i take on other jobs too. i guess that means we're in the same line of work."

tags ✧ fluff, no pronouns used for reader, clumsy reader, reader and kinich are childhood friends but have feelings for each other.

note ✧ dedicated to @hanaeriin, from your @pixelcafe-network secret santa! i hope you're doing well and are taking care of yourself! i decided to not go down the wintery route for this since i know you don’t celebrate the holidays—hopefully you'll like this little kinich fic ahhh

a huge thank you to @fandomsuggestions for betaing this!

Three sheets of paper hang limply from the commission board. They flutter weakly as a hot breeze blows, which offers little relief from the scorching summer sun and the stifling humidity. You wish you were relaxing at home or cooling off in the river far below the tribe, but you have expenses that need to be paid, so you’re scanning the few available commissions and debating on which one you want to take.

Two of the commissions are straightforward and easy—a package delivery and hilichurl camp clearing—but the reward offered is nowhere near enough to cover your monthly expenses. You look at the third paper, skimming the wall of text that details a long and arduous commission. However, it also displays a reward of Mora with enough zeroes to make your eyes widen. That money would last you through most of next month as well.

It appears as though you will have a lot of traveling and fighting ahead of you. You normally are excited for a commission like this, but in the summer heat? Sighing, you reach for the commission.

A flash of green darts across your vision, snatching the sheet of paper out from beneath your fingers.

You whirl around. “Hey! Give that back, I was– Ajaw. Of course it’s you.”

“That’s Almighty Dragonlord K’uhul Ajaw to you, puny human! How many times–”

Tuning out the floating dragon’s usual rant, you look beyond him at the approaching Saurian hunter. A smile lights up your face. “Kinich!”

The bright sun makes the blue and green shine to his hair more obvious. His gorgeous eyes seem to glow from within as they look from his companion to you. “Morning,” he says, nodding at you in greeting.

You try to ignore the way a shiver runs through you at the sight. “It’s good to see you! Are you looking for a commission to take on, too?” you ask him, pointing toward the commission board that now bears two lonely pieces of paper. “The options aren’t very good.”

“Except for this one!” Ajaw flies between you two, waving the commission you were looking at in front of Kinich’s face. “It’s perfect—days of scaling the sides of mountains, fighting some dangerous creatures, not to mention, I can feel a storm brewing!”

You frown at Ajaw, knowing full well why the dangers of the commission delights him.

Kinich, however, swats the Saurian away with the back of his hand. “Were you planning on taking this?” he asks you.

You nod slowly, but then wave your hands in front of you. “You can take it if you want though! There are two more on the board, I can do those without a problem!” But even the combined pay of those commissions won’t be enough. You wince at the thought.

Kinich catches the expression that flashes across your face. “What is it?”

You hesitate for a moment, but under his steady gaze, give in and confess, “Those commissions don’t offer enough of a reward to cover what I need—even if I take both.”

There is no judgement on his face as he listens, only understanding. He nods when you finish talking, then says Ajaw’s name.

The Saurian darts over, still holding the commission. “You’re gonna pick this one, right? That puny human can’t handle this anyway–“

“Shut up,” Kinich growls, the harshest you’ve heard him in a while. He yanks the paper out of Ajaw’s grasp, then grabs the dragon and chucks him into the sky, where he vanishes with a furious yell.

With Ajaw temporarily gone, Kinich’s face relaxes as he turns his attention back to you. “Here,” he says, handing you the commission. “You had it first, you take it. I know you have the skills to see it through to the end.”

His vote of confidence warms you from within, washing away any sting Ajaw’s words had evoked. “Thank you, Kinich.” You accept the paper from him with a soft smile. “I hope you’ll find something good to take on yourself.”

He nods, strands of hair shifting from the movement. “Don’t worry about me. Focus on your commission.”

“Yes, sir!” you respond with a giggle. “Well then, I need to get ready for the job. When I’m back, we should catch up sometime! It’s been a while since we’ve hung out. I missed it- missed you,” you add on, a bit shy at the admission.

“That would be nice,” Kinich says. By his tone, you can tell he is sincere, so you can’t stop the grin from growing across your face.

“Alright then, I’ll see you around! Bye, Kinich!”

You turn and walk away, leaving the Saurian hunter to peruse the remaining two commissions on the board. Glancing down at the paper in your hand, you read it over once more to take in the details. When you get to the final line, you stop in your tracks.

The smallest string of words say, “Two or more adventurers recommended for this commission.”

Your lips part. What if- There’s no way. It wouldn’t hurt to ask, right?

“Kinich!” You shout his name as loudly as you can, running back toward the commission board. When you’ve almost reached him, you step on the back of your own sandal and trip, a noise of alarm escaping your mouth. Bracing for the impact of the ground, you are instead caught by warm hands and a steady frame.

You blink in surprise at Kinich, who keeps his grip on your upper arm and lower back until you regain your balance—and even then his touch lingers for a moment before he pulls away.

His eyes seem to pierce through you as you look at him and breathlessly ask, “Would, um, would you like to go on this commission with me?”

You hold out the paper, finger trailing along the final sentence.

Kinich huffs out a wry laugh. “Of course Ajaw didn’t mention that detail. Are you sure you want a partner for this? I know you could complete it alone.”

Swallowing, you manage to ask, “And what if I don’t want to do it alone?”

A soft look appears on his face. “Then you have someone willing to do it with you.”

You laugh in delight, and can’t help bouncing on the balls of your feet. “Alright then! I’ll be in good company.”

“And so will I.”

[wilhelminyard]

compilation of nice/sweet things the foxes said to neil because even though they're a bunch of assholes who'll insult anyone in their vicinity they all just love him so damn much (part 2) :

ANDREW :

"I'm not here for your entertainment" "but as expected you are talented enough to multitask"

"you are neil josten and I am still the man who said he would keep you alive. I don't care if you use this phone tomorrow. I don't care if you never use it again. but you are going to keep it on you because one day you might need it. on that day you're not going to run. you're going to think about what I promised you and you're going to make the call."

"I'm not afraid of you" "that's why you're so interesting"

DAN :

"don't thank us, remember us. we're your teammates. we're here to help you with whatever you need."

"you've got us now"

"that was perfect. but don't do something that reckless again. we can't replace you. hear me?"

"neil, you can use the girls' shower while we're busy"

MATT :

"just try not to think about it until we get there. you won't do yourself any favorite if you spend the ride stressing out about things you can't change."

"if you don't have anywhere to go, I'll drag you home with me"

KEVIN :

"if you get hurt out there, you do something about it. you take it easy, you have coach pull you, you ask abby for help - I don't care. if you ever say 'I'm fine' about your health again I will make you rue the day you were born"

"neil has no place in riko's games. he is a fox."

"run. it's the only way you'll survive"

"you should be court."

"will you still teach me?" "every night."

"I will watch you. if you want to drink tonight. I won't let you say something you'll regret." "you'll be drunk inside an hour. then who'll stop me?" "I would stop drinking."

"you're not going. do you know what he'll do to you?"

WYMACK :

"why did you pay for stalls coach?" "maybe I knew you'd need them one day"

"neil, if you can't be here say so. abby can take you elsewhere until it's time to leave. get out of here and get some fresh air."

"what can I do?" "I don't know" "when you know, tell me"

"sometimes the world feels so big but then I'm reminded how small it is" "big or small just remember you're not alone in it."

"if riko really was behind it somehow, the blame is all on him. he chose to take out his petty rage on seth. he chose to cross a line. you didn't. you hear me? you didn't. don't ever blame yourself for seth's death. that it too dangerous a road to walk down. you keep your eyes on your own path and keep moving forward"

"neil" "I'm fine" "be fine inside where it's warmer"

"look I know I've always told you all to take your personal problems up with betsy or abby. I've said it's not my place to get into anything outside the court. I hope you've figured out by now I'm just blowing hot air. I'm not real good at being a shoulder, but I do have a working set of ears."

"help me" "let me"

"this doesn't mean anything. I'm still a fox." "of course you are."

NICKY :

"kid you're killing me. why do you always get that deer-in-headlights look when someone does something nice for you?"

"you worry about neil's career. I'll worry about his personal happiness."

"I didn't really get into the gritty details last time because those aren't reallt dan and matt's business, but you're family, so I can tell you."

"there's obsession and there's dysfunction. you can't make exy your end-all be-all. this won't last forever, okay? you'll shine bright, then you'll retire, and then what? you gonna spend the rest of your life at home alone with all your trophies? you can't be just this, neil. this isn't enough to live for."

"thanks for taking one for the team, neil. you're a real friend."

"are we? friends?" "you are going to be the absolute death of me. yeah, kid. we're friends. you're stuck with us, like it or not."

"I only see that look on neil's face when someone tries to do something nice for him, but we all know kevin's as bratty as they come. what did you say, kevin, and do I need to defend neil's honor or what?"

RENEE :

"I am not the girl I once was but the shade of my old life will always existe inside of me. that is what helps me connect with andrew. I am hoping it will help me connect with you."

"I do not know your story. if you've trusted andrew with anything, he hasn't shared the details with me and he never will. but if you are as like us as we first predicted you to be, perhaps one day you can also come to see me as a friend."

"if either andrew or I can help you, please know we are here."

"and you neil? are you all right?"

[cherryblooom]

Enchanted — OP81 [introduction]

Summary: After being forced of moving mid-year of school, the least thing you expected was getting a crush in a cute boy who loves karting and actually being corresponded. I mean, you have always wanted to have a romance like the books but forgot all the struggles and challenges that comes with it.

Pairing: Teen!Oscar Piastri x Teen!Reader

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Warnings: period shaming, bullying, reader has some questionable thoughts and self-contempt, animal abuse (no details). mostly narration.

Author note: This is my very first work ever, please be nice and reblog if you liked it!

Everything felt very surreal. You can feel your eyes stinging, fighting not to let out those tears that you had been holding in since before you left the house.

There wasn't much traffic, but you weren't sure if that was a good thing or if you just wanted to delay the impossible. You knew it was necessary but couldn't help feeling guilty for your parents for having to move across the country and leave everything they knew behind. Your father had lived his entire life working and building his company from scratch and thanks to endless nights, you and your mother were just beginning to see the fruits of his hard work, of course, before all the shitshow happened. Your parents had done everything they could to make you understand that their anger was not your fault and not directed towards you, it was actually the opposite, but you couldn't help feeling resentful and like a freaking failure.

You played with the apps on your phone in a failed attempt to distract yourself but couldn't help to grimace when you opened the Instagram app and saw your now private profile. You followed some famous people but you only had 10 followers as all the others were deleted by your mother.

''I'm sorry for making you move and leave everything behind. Dad, the company...''

''Honey, no. Stop it!'' your father replied after lowering the volume of the radio while your mother, who was in the passenger seat next to him, turned around with a look of concern. ''We already talked about it, you're not guilty of what happened and we're not angry at you. We should have protected you and been there for you but we realized it too late but I promise you that we are going to leave all this in the past and although you don't want to believe it now, we love you and we always will.'' She was right, you couldn't believe her. Your mind was going down a somewhat dark path and you were sure that if your mother had even the slightest idea of what was going on in your head, she wouldn't hesitate to send you to a psychologist. ''Plus, you will love the new house! It has a beautiful patio and a pool where you can practice in case you want to join the swimming team at your new school.’’ She told you slightly excited, trying to pass on the feeling to you but you didn't have the heart to tell her that it wouldn't be possible, so you just nodded and looked out the window again.

You could feel your mother's gaze on you, perhaps waiting for an answer or even a smile but you didn't have the energy to do it or even fake it.

You had become what they call a ''bookworm''. Despite having access to technology and internet, you had developed a great love and appreciation for physical books and the smell of a new book excited you more than what is perhaps ''normal'' but thanks to the fact that apparently not many people shared the sentiment, the library was empty most of the time (at least the one located in the junior wing of the school, you didn't know about the one in the senior wing, but you have heard that it has like three floors and a private cafeteria).

You were reading one of your favorite books again and even though you practically knew the story by heart, you couldn’t stop laughing and feeling your heart flutter at the thought of how it would feel to be loved like that. Would you ever be able to find someone who would love and admire you just for being you? Just for existing? You had a love/hate thing for romance books. You read about how the characters were loved, cared for, how they could let go and turn their brains off to just…be. Exist. You knew you had just turned 14 and that according to your parents and the logical part of your brain, you have a whole life waiting ahead of you, but you can’t imagine that someone could love you like that. You couldn’t even make friends, how the hell are you going out to dates? No idea, but you didn’t want to think about it and fall down that rabbit hole. You turned the page, excited as you were only about 10 pages away from your favorite part but decided to leave it for later to read in the comfort of your room.

The alarm distracted you from your book and with it, you knew that you only had 10 minutes left of lunch (you weren't a big fan of the cafeteria, lots of people and noise so the library was always a good choice) and that you had to go to the biology lab, not forgetting to stop by your locker to look for the essay that you have to hand in today. When you reached for your backpack, you felt a strange tug in your stomach that you didn't know how to describe, you had never felt anything like it before, so you were quite confused, but you ignored it since you knew you didn't have much time left.

Then you saw him. A boy your age was entering the library but you turned around facing away from him, so he was unable see you. You barely saw him for a few seconds but boy, was he cute. Is this what you always read about? You didn't even know the boy's name, but you noticed his short brown hair, his rosy cheeks and how tall he was. Was this your first crush? It’s dumb! You watched him for a few seconds but apparently that was enough to make you fantasize what it would be like to talk to him or what his name would be, if he was nice or a jerk like the rest of the boys in your class (which would be a bummer). All of the other girls in your class have no problem talking to boys or making friends in general but here you are, covering your face with your hair so the cute boy you saw for two seconds doesn’t notice your presence.

You walked out of the library with your coat hanging on your backpack, it wasn’t cold so you didn’t need it at the moment. You had 5 minutes before Biology started so you headed to your locker and you always walked close to the walls, that way you drew as little attention as possible. Apparently, old habits die hard. Up until now, you had done a pretty good job of being a regular girl and not drawing attention to yourself. The girls in your class dangerously reminded you of the girl responsible for you having to move and change schools mid-year and the boys in your class are jerks, is the best way you can describe them. There was no way you wanted to run into any of them. You wake up, go to school, go home, do your homework and then go to bed. Same routine, every day. You watched on social media as your other classmates went out, had fun, went to the mall, bought makeup and clothes, posted photos and videos in groups, laughing, and as much as you wished you didn't care, you felt envious. Why can't you be like that? Why do you have to be the little weirdo who always goes unnoticed, and no one pays attention to?

You had to take one more turn to get to your locker when you heard giggles behind you. You turned your head slightly and saw two boys who were a grade above pointing at you and laughing; your chest started to hurt and you felt like there wasn't enough air to breathe. Anxiety, you felt anxious. You ran to your locker as the laughter intensified behind you and you just knew that you were the reason for it. Suddenly, you felt that same tug at the bottom of your belly.

''Oh no, no, no, please don't...'' you whispered almost on the verge of tears. You felt something hit your head and then fall to the ground. You wanted to die when you looked down and saw a sanitary pad that someone had thrown at your head which made the laughter louder.

''Oh no, the weirdo is bleeding out! I hope she has another skirt because yikes.''

''Hey! You're staining the floor, how fucking disgusting!''

''If I was the janitor, I'd make her clean it up. How disgusting.''

''Hey, honestly, how did you not notice? Didn't you feel your vagina wet or smelly or shit? Fuck, I have to get my book, but my locker is next to hers, imagine if it smells. That will be so gross!''

''In case you prefer to put things inside rather than a pad, weirdo'' Someone had thrown two tampons at your head, one of which had gotten tangled in your curls. At this point, you were already sobbing, not being able to hold back the tears and humiliated, all the while you were still turning your back on everyone with the locker open, with fear and shame eating you away.

Suddenly, you felt someone's presence which brought you out of the little dazed status.

''Honey, come on, I'm going to take you to the infirmary. Come on, you're okay, let's go.'' You could tell by the softness of the voice that it was a woman. She was the school's duty nurse. Apparently, someone was kind enough to call her while the others were scoffing. You let yourself be guide towards the infirmary and could distantly hear the nurse demanding them to stop laughing. At this point, you didn't care anymore, you just wanted to get to your bed and cry, that's all.

5 Months Later

You were in the south courtyard of the school, the farthest of all, with your third sketchbook finishing what would be your second attempt at drawing your mother. It would soon be her birthday and although you had already bought her a gift at the mall, you wanted to give her something that only you could do. Besides, she was the number 1 fan of your drawings and she bragged to her friends that her daughter was a great artist. Sometimes it embarrassed you but at the same time you felt good knowing that you had someone on your side, supporting you. With each stroke, you felt your confidence increase and, you had even opened an Instagram’s account for your drawings, and you felt good knowing that there were people who recognized your talent and encouraged you to continue learning, even if they were strangers. Maybe you were not totally alone.

You felt stuck. You couldn’t draw the hands, and with each attempt you only felt like you were screwing up more. Before you got more frustrated, you decided to take a break and continue in the comfort of your bed after eating. When you were about to start packing your things, your notebook fell open right on the last page that always made you blush. The boy from the library, who you now know also plays on the school soccer team (not that you’re stalking him at all) was looking back at you in an unfinished drawing in your sketchbook. You had only seen him passing by the halls and you couldn’t admit out loud that you unconsciously tried to match your schedule with his, like when he had his sports class. Oscar, that was his name, and you knew it thanks to the fact that he was apparently the star in the games and his name was always shouted by the people in the audience. Apart from seeing him in sports class, you didn't get the chance to see him much since he was in a grade above yours.

It was Tuesday, 3:40 PM according to the alarm you had set. School had ended 10 minutes ago but the alarm reminded you that in 5 minutes the soccer practice, Oscar's soccer practice, would start. Pathetic? Yes, but it wasn't a crime to want to appreciate your crush from afar, right?

Before you could leave the courtyard, you saw out of the corner of your eye a cardboard box which was dirty and you swore that it moved for a second. It looked like trash, but it couldn't be since the school has a zero-tolerance policy regarding that and you can literally end up suspended for throwing trash outside the trash bin. They were really strict about that. You approached it with some caution and jumped a little in shock when you saw that it did move and that it wasn't part of your imagination. Your heart stopped when you heard a small sound...a kitten? You approached more confidently, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw that the box didn't have any holes in it and was in fact sealed with many pieces of tape.

In a hurry, you threw your backpack on the floor and took out your scissors to cut the tape. You could feel the adrenaline and fear of what you might find inside if it turned out to be exactly what you thought but still, you carefully but firmly cut the tape. If they turned out to be kittens, you were going to start crying. You took a deep breath and opened it, feeling your eyes water. There were 4 kittens that looked like they couldn't be more than a few weeks old. One was completely white; another was almost completely black but with a few white spots while the last two were a combination of orange and white. One of the orange kittens, unlike its siblings, wasn't meowing and was just lying there barely breathing. You felt your heart break. They looked cold and hungry, so tiny and defenseless. You have always been a cat person, kittens being your weak point. Quickly, you grabbed your backpack, hooking it on your shoulders so you could carry the box without dropping it and you couldn’t run but did your best to walk fast. When you got to the school gate, you called your mom to come pick you up telling her about the box you found and that you wanted to take them to the vet. Your mom knew there was no way you were going to leave them abandoned after finding them so after 10 minutes you were already on your way to the vet with four beautiful kittens with you.

---------

Your Instagram account dedicated to your drawings has gained 1,000 followers, which was a great achievement for you, but you decided to take that opportunity to post that you had 3 kittens up for adoption. It destroyed you knowing that you couldn't keep the 4 kittens, but your parents had already let you keep Cotton (cliche because the kitten was completely white, you knew it, but you didn't care).

You were appalled while looking at your notifications. Oscar. Yes, that Oscar was messaging you and after checking a little more you realized that he had been following you for a while and you hadn't even noticed. You could feel your cheeks turning red, but you took a breath and remembered that he was only doing that because he wanted to adopt a kitten, you were of zero importance.

my_cherryblossom

Liked by Oscar_piastri and 57 others

A few weeks ago I found a box sealed with tape that contained 4 kittens inside. It's obvious that the intention of whoever put them there was for them not to survive but I found them just in time. Sadly, I can only keep one, which is why I am giving up the other 3 for adoption! They are so cute and playful.

If you're interested, write me.

P.S. These kittens are my life so if you give me weird vibes, I won't give you one lol

view all 10 comments

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

Radio Check: As mentioned above, this is just the first part of what I hope will be a series telling Oscar x Reade's story. If you'd like to be tagged, let me know! Please Reblog and like!

[obsidiannebula]

How to Spot AI-Generated Reference Texts

This morning I celebrated a lovely Christmas with my family. My 3 year old was ecstatic, I made my brother tear up, it was a good time. But I received something that at first, seemed like the kind of thing I would very much like to own... until I started actually looking through it. I quickly realized that this book is unmistakably AI-generated slop and should not be used or trusted as an actual reference guide. Having not been written by an actual expert in the field or even compiled by an actual researcher citing sources and synthesizing information, these books are at best three hundred pages of reading the first couple of sentences of a search result for each topic, and at worst full of dangerous misinformation that can get people killed, as with the rise of AI-generated mushroom foraging books. These are in no way reliable reference guides for anything, but especially for anything with potential health risks like ingesting plants and their compounds.

So today I'm going to try and get some good use out of this book I now own by using it to demonstrate how to spot AI-generated scam books.

The first red flags jump out at us right from the cover. This is "The Home Apothecary Full Collection: Your In-Depth Holistic Guide with Natural Herbal Remedies for Long-Lasting Wellness and Optimal Health." Yeesh, what a mouthful. A soulless, artless mouthful, I must add. But hey, maybe this author is a very clinical or verbose type. Except a quick search for the author's name, Megan Morren, quickly makes it clear that this is not a real person. There is one bare-bones Facebook profile for a Megan Morren, and no social media beyond that. No LinkedIn or Pinterest or mentions in an article, nothing. Every other result shows her books: this one, and two others nearly identical to it, with slightly different names but the same "1500+ Remedies/Extra Content" claim in the same corner, utilizing the same fonts and each with a very similar AI-generated background.

That's right, we've got a pretty bog-standard AI-generated image for the cover of this book, showcasing a variety of vaguely herbal plants and jars as well as several nonsensical non-objects.

Okay, so the cover was definitely made by AI, but maybe this author is writing under a pseudonym and visually just not very creative. Let's open it up and took a look at...

Oooookay so that's how we're getting the "40 books in one" claim touted on the cover. What most people would call a chapter is here billed as an entire book, with each subtopic considered its own chapter. There's not more than two or three "chapters" per "book" and most of the chapters are only one or two pages long, which is some James Patterson-ass shit. At least if Patterson had written this book there'd be a little character to the narration and an attempt at wit, but as we'll soon see, the actual writing is... wanting, to say the least.

Obviously the first observation here is that formatting is for the BIRDS. No paragraph breaks or indents, and the paragraphs are all of roughly similar length. Furthermore, the writing reads like a copy/pasted Wikipedia page. Scratch that, I went ahead and typed "history of herbal healing" into a search engine and found the actual Wikipedia page for "History of herbalism," which actually does provide more detail on the topic as well as FIFTY-FOUR ACTUAL SOURCES and some recommended further reading, making it vastly superior to this slop. Because there's not a single source cited in this entire book, nor is there an author bio here or online that remotely suggests that the author might have some experience and expertise from which they are drawing to write or even fact-check this book.

On top of that, there is truly no authorial voice whatsoever. Even if you wanted to be very academic about it and avoid using first-person in your reference book, there should at least be some synthesizing of sources and information, expanding on the ideas presented and combining them to draw new conclusions or illustrate points. But everything here is incredibly surface-level, like someone copied the first sentence or three from the first Google result and stuck it there and then moved on to the next bullet point in the outline.

Seriously, this whole book is just page after page of walls of text. It's a nightmare to try to read if you have any sort of reading-impairing disorder like dyslexia or ADHD, and it's also just kind of ugly. And in a book supposedly about herbalism, there is not a single image or diagram. That's wild to me. There is nothing in here to aid with plant identification or demonstrate the tincturing or decocting processes or anything. I've never read an herbalism book without a single picture or diagram. Granted, I've only read a handful, but still, it seems very strange to me. And god did these endless blocks of text need SOMETHING to break them up.

Also these introductory paragraphs just scream "obligatory" to me. They're all a single paragraph of approximately the same length, providing a perfunctory and colorless overview of the subject matter. I mean, seriously? We're starting off "uplifting herbs for depression" with "Depression affects millions globally. It is characterized by x and y. While it is conventional treated with medication and therapy, there are also some herbs that can improve mood." It's so bland and robotic and uninformative. I think most fifth graders could write a better introductory paragraph, as long as we didn't penalize them for spelling or grammar.

I'd really like to get back to spending the holiday with family, so I'm going to leave it at that. It's just so frustrating to see books like this pushing legitimate texts written by real people with real expertise or at least personality out of bookshelves and searches, propagating useless or even dangerous information in place of sharing real knowledge and traditions. I had to rant a little bit and get it off my chest.I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season, and all the best for 2025. Everyone, that is, except "Megan Morren." Whoever you really are, I hope you step on Legos every day for the rest of your life. It's the least you deserve for publishing trash like this.

[lamentationsofalonelypotato]

@zepskies

Merry Christmas to you too my wonderful friend!🎄💗

Aww poor Ben. I love how we start with shading in his past Christmases compared to what he's starting to experience now with the reader. We come at it from the same angle of headcanon, that Ben's mom was the only person who truly loved him in his family. So it was such a good detail that after she died, Christmases became just more of the same toxic/apathetic atmosphere with his father, compounded by the impact of his mom's death.

Thank you! I love this headcanon and I really hope that in the prequel series "Vought Rising" that we're able to see a little more of Ben's relationship with his father and hopefully let us learn more about his mother. I know that this headcanon is a little "dean-like" but I think it also kinda plays into the "angel in the house" phenomenon that started in the mid to late 1800s. But the headcanon to me, makes sense. Ben has so many issues with his dad and I honestly don't think that if his mother was around that Ben's father would give him such a hard time or allow Ben to grow up in that kind of enviornment.

I also wanted to give Ben some "happy" memories from his childhood that he could compare what the reader was doing for him to something that was familiar and something that resonated with him😊, something about Christmas that was "familiar."

Lmfao come on, Ben. Let's not take this out on others. 🤣

He is the KING of taking it out on others LOL 😂 He also takes it out on Hughie in this fic and I felt so bad doing that to Hughie, but it is so in character for Ben 😒

Wow, that's so interesting. Taking a trip literally through Memory Lane and walking through his family's mansion. I've never thought about that before, but I imagine it would be one of those things that Ben, for the longest time, couldn't bring himself to sell, but also couldn't visit. Like a mausoleum of his old life.

I use this headcanon in my other series Madness, (same with Ben's mother), but to me it seems to make sense. That Ben would have a family mansion somewhere that is full of terrible memories from his father being a total jerk to him and never wanted to set foot inside. "Like a mausoleum of his old life" EXACTLY! It's just a big drafty old house that Ben can't go into because even though he says he's not afraid of anything, he can still feel his father's disapproval and disappointment, and going "home" to where he grew up would only make it worse.

Ben doesn't know what a home is because of what his father did, and now the reader is slowly showing him what it means. I also low-key wanna write the fic of her and him coming back to his house and him being hesitant and her just wandering around in complete shock. 🤔

You're killin' me, friend!! 😭😭

Girl, I'm so sorry 😭😭😭 I had to 😂 It's really just pouring on the hurt and he just really loved his mom 😭

Lmaooo deeply relatable. I feel like it would be oh so funny to intentionally getting on his nerves (knowing he wouldn't hurt you). 😂

I knoooowwww. 😂 I love that about your BMD reader, that she isn't afraid to tease him and he just absolutely HATES it, but he loves her so he can't do anything about it and she knows it. I'll bet that he thinks the real problem is that she knows it LOL 😂

Oh, it's because he actually cares. 💗

He does, man is a total SIMP 😊

People want to think there aren't any good aspects to "traditional/old-fashioned" men, but for the men who are actually good men, traditional doesn't necessarily mean outdated or toxic, so thank you for including this tidbit.

Thank you! 😊 You're right, I think that there's a disconnect about the idea that a "traditional/old-fashioned" man can't be respectful and is always labeled "sexist" or "toxic." And it's wrong, because you can find a man who is respectful, forward thinking, and who has those "old-fashioned/traditional" values (CHIVALRY! 😂) that really translate into putting their girl first, being respectful of what she wants to say, trying to protect her (not because they don't think she can protect herself, but because they want to), and doing things for her (again not because they think she can't do it herself) but because they genuinely care about her. It's the difference between a man and a boy tbh 💅🏻

Her gift to him was so very sweet!! Of course she made him something heartfelt, and he appreciated it because it was a genuine "first" for him, having someone give him a hand-made gift from the heart. 💚💚💚

I know 💗, I really wanted the reader to make something for him, just so that he could again be reminded how much that she loves him and isn't staying with him just because it's convenient or because he's attractive or because she's settling. Also I like that you picked up on the "first" thing again, because that was exactly what I was trying to do lol 😊. It's hard to find firsts for a guy who's over 100 years old 😂

And his gift to her was absolutely perfect. 🥹 A keepsake from his mother? Him basically saying he wishes she could've met his girl? I'm dying of happiness from the sheer fluff. 😭💗

This one was extremely fluffy, but so fun to write! Ben getting her a gift that meant something so intimate to him that he wouldn't have given to anyone else in the past, really just made me melt when I wrote it 🥺 Because he's never wanted to share those pieces of himself with someone else and now he has the reader and I'm just *crying*😭. AND yes! Him saying that he would have brought her home to meet his mom just destroyed me 😭

This was a beautiful addition to the Take a Chance story, and kind of feels like an epilogue in a way, even though I know you're working on that one too. I loved this, friend!!

Thank you so much my wonderful talented friend! 🥰 It really does read like an epilogue and I did not notice that lol 😅

Pairing: Soldier Boy x f!reader, Reader POV, Soldier Boy POV and Reader POV

Summary:  All Soldier Boy wants for Christmas is to find the perfect gift for you and all you want is for your boyfriend to have the best Christmas he has in forty years. Reader is a supe with plant powers. (Takes place in my Take A Chance On Me Series- 4 months after they get together, but can be read as stand alone!)

Tropes: Established Relationship, First Christmas, Age Difference (Reader is in her 20s), Soft Ben/ Soldier Boy, Protective Ben/Soldier Boy

Word Count: 8.5K

Warnings: I'm going to label this 18+ because Soldier Boy (he's a warning and everyone knows it), Swearing, Mentions of Sex, Sexual Innuendo, Illusions to Sex, Fluff, Soft Soldier Boy, A little bit of self-deprecating thoughts, Soldier Boy is Mean to Hughie, Mention of drinking/drugs, Ben/Soldier Boy might be a little bit OOC.

Note: This is told from Reader's perspective. Any references to the reader is made using you or your. There is minimal use of y/n. I tried my best to proofread, but nobody's perfect. If you don’t like, don’t read, but if you do like, you’re my favorite!

Internal monologue is in italics and is in first person.

Take A Chance On Me Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Song Inspiration: Little Things By ABBA

A/N: I know I should be working on the epilogue of "Take a Chance on Me," but @zepskies wrote a lovely Christmas fic called 'Twas the Night for Dean Winchester, and it really just got me in a mood to write some Christmas Fluff! 🥰

Soldier Boy POV

Ben frowned at the delicate necklace laid on the black velvet cloth in front of him, the 10 carat diamonds catching in the brilliant lights that lined the ceiling of the jewelry store. It was the eleventh piece of jewelry that he'd asked the woman behind the counter to remove from the display case, and it still wasn't right.

Ben had waited until the last possible moment to go Christmas shopping. It wasn't because he'd forgotten or because he'd been so busy he hadn't had time to shop or because he'd been called away on a mission, but rather Ben kept putting it off because he didn't want to think about it.

It was his first Christmas back in the U.S, and it was already proving to be one so different than the ones he'd known before.

Christmas for him in his youth when his mother was alive was filled with light and joy. Each room of his family's mansion strung with tinsel, adorned with holly and festive wreaths, and a Christmas tree so large that it put all others to shame and sent the smell of pine wafting thorough the large home. He remembered the lavish parties his mother threw with women in gorgeous gowns and men dressed in suits taking crystal glasses from silver trays, remembered the warmth in the kitchen as his mother baked and rolled fresh pastry, remembered the taste of the hot chocolate on the tip of his tongue that his mother made him before she sent him to bed on Christmas Eve, and remembered her tight embrace and the smell of her floral perfume on Christmas morning when he'd run down the stairs into the living room.

Ben's jaw tightened.

Christmas without her was different, the large mansion where he lived with his father was cold and dark. The hallways desolate and frozen in the winter months that lead into spring, the kitchen no longer heated by the warmth of the oven or infused with the smell of gingerbread, the parlor no longer tinkling with the sounds of glasses and the laughter of guests, the living room no longer housed a Christmas tree so tall that it made the Eiffel tower look like a trinket, and there were no longer Christmas parties where people danced into the wee hours of the morning and poured themselves into bed smelling of champagne and eggnog.

All that was left was the drunken stupor of his father, the harsh words that echoed down the long hallways, and the urge for Ben to find the nearest bottle and drown himself in it.

Ben spent most of his years as a supe trying to forget the years that followed his mother's death and also his Christmases as a supe washing away the memory of the ones that seemed to be infused with the magic of Christmas in his youth.

Ben spent them at Legend's Christmas party with his woman of the hour clinging to his arm, making painful small talk and waiting until the party turned into a hedonistic thrall of sweat and skin as so many others had. And the next morning when he woke up from the fog, he turned back to the little white line that promised to make him forget and the amber bottle that did little to ease the reality that started to sink in.

But this year was different, because he had you.

You who loved Christmas more than anyone he'd ever met, you who was slowly reminding him how much he used to love Christmas as a child, you who'd dragged him to go Christmas tree shopping before Thanksgiving, you who had encouraged him to help decorate the small apartment the two of you shared with so many Christmas lights it was blinding,  and you who had planned something Christmas themed every week for the past month whether it be baking Christmas cookies or watching Christmas movies while drinking hot chocolate on the couch. And in each moment, you'd found some way to include him in it.

Ben wasn't used to that.

He wasn't used to someone wanting him there with them and someone like you going out of your way to include him in everything you did.

If a person had tried to tell him in the past that he'd ended up with someone like you, someone who smiled easily, someone who always put other people first, someone who actually gave a shit about him, someone who was always so damn warm and welcoming, someone who included in him everything you did in a way that didn't make Ben feel like an old grump, and someone who tried their best to make sure that Ben remembered every day that you wanted him around, he would have laughed in that person's face.

And yet there you were.

Truth be told Ben knew that the old version of him probably wouldn't have let someone like you close to him, let alone fall in love with them.

Ben hadn't met anyone else like you in the numerous years he'd been alive and he really didn't want to fuck it up. He'd fucked up so many other things in his life and he hadn't cared, but if it involved you, he wouldn't dare.

Hence, the current dilemma of him standing in the crowded Tiffany store at 8 pm two days before Christmas with you waiting at home for him to exchange gifts. Ben wanted to pick the perfect gift for you, but nothing felt right.

He'd never given much thought to what to buy someone for Christmas. In the past usually an expensive piece of jewelry, a handbag, a dress, or a car would have made any of Ben's many escapades swoon, but not you. Ben had tried to give you jewelry before, expensive jewelry that would have made any of those other women drop to their knees, but you were different.

And as much as Ben loved that about you, it was only making this worse for him.

The one time that he'd tried to give you a gift outright, a beautiful diamond and emerald drop pendant with earrings to match, you hadn't been impressed. Sure, you'd thought that it was beautiful, but you'd told him that you liked gifts that "meant something."

Whatever the fuck that meant.

And he knew for a fact that the 10 carat diamond necklace on the velvet pillow in front of him would mean nothing to you.

"Fuck." Ben murmured under his breath, and the saleswoman stiffened.

"Still not quite right?" She asks, adjusting the sleeves of her navy blue blazer. "We have some bigger jewel-"

"It's not the fucking size." Ben snaps frustrated.

He was running late.  He knew that you were waiting at home for him to bring back dinner and to give him his present, the one that he was sure would be thoughtful and perfect for him because you were always so damn caring.

The other shoppers were pushing and shoving their way to the counters where other salespeople stood in identical navy blazers and white button down shirts, the tension and buzz of two days to Christmas electrifying the air, while Christmas music that Ben couldn't recognize played in the background.

His supe hearing made it worse. Sometimes it was a bit overwhelming and as much as Ben pretended that he didn't have PTSD, he did. Being surrounded by this many people was not helping. It was in moments like this when you were there, would hold entwine your fingertips with his and brush your thumb gently over the back of his hand to ground him as if you could sense his discomfort.

Ben hadn't ever had someone care enough to notice things like that. Another reason why he wanted to find you the perfect gift, because you put up with all his shit and didn't ask for anything in return.

"Ben?" He hears a familiar voice ask, hesitant, and he turns to see Annie standing a few feet inside the open doorway. S

he's wearing a black puffer jacket and her hair is hidden under a red stocking cap, while Hughie holds the door for her. Hughie's arms were laden down with bags while Annie's remained bare. The winter wind blew in through the space, flecking bits of snow onto the rugs that had been laid out to avoid the customers sliding through the sludge.

"Hey." Ben grunts, not quite smiling.

He wasn't good at talking to your best friend or her boyfriend. Personally he thought that Hughie was a fucking pussy and that he didn't have the balls to tell Annie no, but the one time Ben had told you that, you'd only rolled your eyes and told him that Hughie "loved Annie."

Ben loved you and he did have the balls to tell you no, but Ben thought that sometimes it was better to keep his mouth shut and do what you asked. Not to mention Ben hated saying no to you when it was something that could make you happy. Ben liked making you as happy as you made him. 

He flinched at the thought. The self-deprecating monologue was beginning to seep in, the one that told him you were turning him into a "pussy" and that he should cut and run. The same monologue that made him make a mistake and run back to Vought a few months ago when he should have run to you.

Ben shakes it off.

"What are you doing here? I thought you two were going to leave this morning for Illinois?" Annie asks in surprise used to Ben's grouchy demeanor.

Your grandmother turned Christmas into a two day extravaganza, complete with a Christmas Eve and a Christmas Day party. And although Ben and you were supposed to begin the 14 hour drive to Illinois this morning, your grandmother had insisted the two of you catch a flight first thing tomorrow.

"Decided to catch a flight tomorrow." Ben replies.

Ben was secretly happy, because flying meant that he wasn't going to have to drive 14 hours in the snow. The two of you had driven to Illinois once before, and Ben hadn't minded it. You’d been more upset with him for not letting you drive, but Ben liked driving. Driving meant that he was in control and in an emergency situation he wouldn't have to reach over the console and yank the wheel to save the two of you and driving meant that you could relax in the passenger seat and work on whatever it was you were crocheting.

"Like us!" Hughie flashes Ben a wide smile that Ben doesn't feel the need to return. “You should have told us. We could have all traveled together!”

Ben's frown deepens at the thought at being stuck in a metal tube for hours with Hughie and he knew that if you were here you would probably elbow him in the side and tell him to "be nice." If anyone had ever tried to do that to him in the past, he would have ripped their arm off, but not you.

"Last minute shopping?" Hughie asks trying again.

Ben dragged his eyes over the numerous bags hanging from Hughie's arms. "Yeah. You too?"

"Mhmm. We just finished." Annie replies. Her gaze drops to the diamond necklace on top of the display case that the saleswoman is fiddling with. "Is that for-"

"No. Of course not!" Ben says sharper than he means to, shoulders tensing. But him standing in this store when he knew that you were waiting at home for him to celebrate Christmas made him feel like Annie and Hughie had caught him red-handed. "She doesn't like jewelry." He adds referring to you as he takes a step back from the counter and the sales associate who looks confused.

“But sir-“ The woman begins to say, but Ben waves a hand to shut her up.

"Why do you think that?" Annie asks interrupting the woman.

"Because she yelled at me when I bought her that diamond and emerald necklace!" He shouts so loud that some of the other customers turn to stare at him. "This was a fucking mistake, I have to go-" Ben starts to stomp out the door and past Annie not sure where he's going, but she shifts to stand in his way. His eyes narrow in annoyance, thinking about all the ways that he could move her.

He only put up with Annie because she was your best friend and he knew that if he did anything to her then it would upset you, and Ben didn't like upsetting you.

Well, he did think that it was cute when you got angry with him. Your eyebrows scrunched together, your cheeks turned a cute shade of pink, and your eyes seemed to glow with the force of your anger. There were few people who had the courage to tell him off, but the more you did it, the more he started to like it.

But this was different, and now thinking about you only reminded him of his current dilemma.

"Ben, wait a minute." Annie says.

"What?" He snaps

He could practically feel the seconds ticking away until he had to go back to the apartment. It was the first time that he'd ever dreaded going home and seeing you and fuck he hated every single moment of it.

"She does like jewelry." Annie's mouth drops into a sympathetic smile.

Ben tried not to get more angry when he saw the pitying look in her eye. He didn't need her pity, didn't need anyone's pity! He was still Soldier Boy damnit!

"Then why the fuck did she-"

"She doesn't like this kind of jewelry." Annie clarifies. "She like vintage stuff, simple, refined. Hell, I have to practically drag her away from the display cases at Atomic Archives."

"Atomic Archives?" Ben asks hesitantly. He had no idea what Annie was talking about. You'd never mentioned that place before.

"Yeah, it's our favorite antique store. It’s about two blocks over from where the plant shop used to be.”

"Can you show me where it is?" Ben says it before he can stop himself, his heart surging with hope at the possibility of finding the perfect gift for you.

"I mean I-" Annie begins to say, but Hughie interrupts.

"Babe, didn’t you say that the owner was closed this week because she went out of town?" Hughie asks her, throwing a sympathetic look in Ben's direction that made him bristle.

"Oh, right." Annie sighs.

Ben felt the hope inside pop and deflate like a pricked balloon, but the longer he stood there in the crowded shop, with the ostentatious jewelry twinkling under the lights, the buzz of the chatter of other shoppers, and the ridiculous new-age Christmas music that grated on his ears, he began to have an idea.

"Come on." Ben might have said it as a suggestion, but it wasn’t open for debate. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he needed Annie and unfortunately that meant that Hughie was going to tag along.

"What?" Annie sputtered.

"Come the fuck on. I don’t have time for this." Ben snaps back and stomps out the doorway past Annie and Hughie into the snow.

"But what about-" Hughie begins to say and Ben whirls around to glare at him, eyes narrowing. "Okay you got it. Lead the way buddy." Hughie nods his head in agreement.

"I'm not your fucking buddy." Ben sighs under his breath.

Soldier Boy POV

"This place is really murdery." Ben hears Hughie whisper to Annie from somewhere behind him. "Do you think Ben is going to try to kill us? Should I call Butc-"

"I'm not going to fucking kill you!" Ben snaps, pulling out his keys, the jingle of the metal echoing down the long hallway. "And I guess you really can't make a decision without that British fuck can you?”

The storage unit warehouse was desolate, but that was to be expected, it was after all two days to Christmas and most were more focused on buying things to put in their storage units than moving things out. The lights along the roof of the steel gray hallway flicker and throw long shadows over the navy blue doors of the units doing little to alleviate the creepy aura.

In hindsight Ben did agree that this particular storage space was "murdery," but it was the only one that he could get close to the apartment last minute. The same apartment that Ben has been trying to convince you to move out of.

It wasn't the safest neighborhood, and Ben hated the thought that you'd lived there as long as you had, walking home at night alone before he moved in. Now it wasn't a problem because Ben never let you walk by yourself. And as hard as you'd fought him not to live in a "big fancy apartment" all Ben wanted was to live somewhere where he could imagine staying permanently. Not in a small one bedroom apartment where he had to stoop in the shower, the bed barely fit in the bedroom, and seemed too small for one person let alone two.

He knew that he was wearing you down, but he still had a long way to go.

"Why are we here then?" Hughie asks.

"You're here because your girlfriend wouldn’t come without you.” Ben rolls his eyes as he fits the key into the thick padlock.

He was getting tired of listening to Hughie’s whining. He heard enough of that when he was stuck on missions with him, but he was tolerating him, for the moment at least. He had to, because if he didn't then he was never going to be able to find the perfect gift for you.

The interior of the storage unit isn't anything special. Ben didn't have much that he wanted to keep from his old life, as a supe or from his childhood. The things inside this storage unit were the only things that Ben had left that didn't cause him to be reminded of how his father chastised him or the drafty home that Ben returned to each time he got kicked out of another boarding school.

The mansion that had been in his family for decades had sat abandoned and locked up, hidden from the main roads so it was undisturbed after Ben's father died. Ben had gone to Philadelphia a few months ago to get things in order with the bank and prepare it for sale, but had been surprised when you told him you wanted to come.

He didn't think that you'd want to be involved in something so tedious, but it was almost as if you could sense how hard it was going to be for him, and you'd insisted.

Ben had no intention of setting foot inside, but you were curious and even though it made Ben's throat tight to walk down the dusty cobwebbed halls, the wonder on your face as you walked through made the cold memories of the world he knew before he was a supe fade into the background.

And this storage unit was all that was left of that life.

Ben located the old steamer trunk with ease. It was a faded gray now, but Ben remembered the day his father bought it for his mother. When the grayed sides were a soft supple black, the metal lock and edging were a polished gold, and the rose patterned fabric that lined the inside was soft and covered in bright pink flowers.

When Ben opens the trunk, he catches the smell of the floral perfume his mother used to wear and after all these years it makes him remember the tight hugs she'd give him the moment she sent him off to bed and the tight hugs she'd given him when he rushed down the stairs on Christmas morning.

He didn't like thinking about her or talking about her, but sometimes he would think of her when he was with you. Whenever you did something caring without being asked or whenever you took the time to check in to see how he was doing. Not that you were motherly, just that Ben hadn't had anyone in a long time care about little things like that.

The only other "relationship" he'd tried to have was with Crimson Countess and she didn't do any of the things for him that you did. There wasn't any comparison between the two of you as far as Ben was concerned.

He shakes off the memory the way he always does and moves some of his mother's clothes for the cherry wood carved box that he knows is in the bottom.

He opens it slowly, extracting a small velvet box from within, one of many inside that Ben probably should have taken to the bank ages ago for safe keeping. Ben's father had a tendency to buy things for his mother whenever he "messed up" and the small velvet boxes inside were proof of that.

Ben turns back to where Annie and Hughie are watching with curiosity at the door of the storage unit. "Here."

"Here?" Annie says hesitantly looking at the velvet box in Ben's hand.

"You brought us out here for a box?" Hughie huffs.

Ben narrows his eyes. "No. And if you tell anyone about this I'll turn you inside out, ass-wipe."

"Why do you always have to be so-" Hughie begins to say, but Annie nudges him in the side.

Ben wondered briefly if Annie and Hughie also tried to tolerate him the same way that he tolerated them for you.  

"Wow." Annie says, her voice hushed and reverent when she opens the box with strands of her blonde hair falling out around the hat.

"You think she'll like it?" Ben clears his throat, trying not to wince at the question.

He hated that he was relying on Annie for this or relying on anyone in general. Ben would have rather taken a long walk off a short pier than anyone for help, but he was just so desperate to make sure that the first Christmas the two of you spent together was perfect.

You deserved that and Ben wanted to give it to you.

"She will."

"Good." Ben takes the box back, but decides to bring the wooden box with him back to the apartment just in case. His eyes narrow as he looks over at Hughie. "If you tell anyone about this, I'll shove your head up Butcher's ass. Then again, you two would probably enjoy something like that."

"You're welcome." Annie raises an eyebrow.

"Whatever." Ben mutters.

Reader POV

Ben was late and you were starting to worry.

Not that Ben was always punctual. The man was about as punctual as the White Rabbit, but rather Ben was sure to let you know when he was running late. Not to mention Ben was rarely late to things that he knew were important to you.

And tonight was special or at least you wanted it to be.

You look at your phone again to check the time, noting that it was nearing nine and Ben had told you he was going to be back at eight. You were trying not to think too much about it, busying yourself with other little things, like packing for your trip to your grandmother's home in Illinois. Something that you would have ended up doing about an hour before you had to go to the airport, but you knew that would only annoy Ben.

But you liked annoying him.

Ben's nostrils would flare, his jaw would flex, and the green of his eyes would darken in a way that sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine, but tonight you were too anxiety ridden at how late he was to care about making him annoyed.

Ben and you were supposed to leave this morning to drive the 14 hours to your hometown in Illinois, but you'd called your grandmother a few days ago and asked her if Ben and you could fly in instead.

You wanted the two of you have a Christmas alone before you dragged him back home and made him sit through the two holiday parties your grandmother threw. So you'd planned a quiet Christmas at home where the two of you could drink eggnog, watch some holiday movies, and exchange gifts before Ben was subjected to every single person you'd known since you were six.

But Ben didn’t seem to mind any of that.

Regardless, you were going all out this Christmas. It was Ben's first since he'd come back to the States and you wanted it to be perfect and it was the first Christmas the two of you were spending together as a couple.

The anxious energy that thrummed through your veins reached out into the numerous plants in your apartment, that shifted and stirred as your powers coaxed them forward. The vines that crept along the walls shook with an unnatural breeze, the Christmas tree grew an inch taller, the mistletoe hanging above the front door grew another few shimmering berries, the blackberry and raspberry vines that hung over your refrigerator fidgeted and wove together into a curtain while the tomato plant in the garden box above your sink dropped bright red fruit onto the counter, and the orange/lemon tree that sat behind your kitchen table blocking the view of the alley beyond shook it's branches for a moment. You could feel everything alive in your apartment leaning towards you as if waiting for your silent command.

Rex, the creature you'd created from broken vines and trampled leaves four months ago, flicks his eyes over to you sensing the same disturbance the rest of the plants inside could.

You bite the inside of your cheek fighting your urge to check your phone even though you know that less than a minute has passed since you'd last checked. Instead you fiddle with the ribbon on the lumpy wrapped gift that is perched on your lap.

Shopping for Ben had been difficult to say the least.

You weren't sure what to get your 104 boyfriend who'd lived as a hedonistic playboy for most of his life and you didn't like giving gift cards (you didn't think Ben would understand the concept) or giving people meaningless trinkets that they used once and then threw away (the Grinch was right about some things). You liked giving gifts that you put time and effort into that you were sure the recipient was going to love.

And you were sure that the package on your lap contained the perfect gift and you were excited to see the look on Ben's face when he unwrapped it.

Your cat Bean purrs where he sits beside you on the couch and Rex your, for lack of a better word, Dragon was watching the multicolored lights on the Christmas tree in the corner blink on and off.

It was bigger for your apartment than it should be, but Ben had insisted on getting it and you couldn't complain. Not when he genuinely seemed to be happy to stand there in the snow picking out a tree with you.

And after when no Uber driver agreed to pick the two of you up because of the tree, Ben had carried it on his shoulder fifteen blocks while you begged him to let you help. When you'd tried to take some of the tree, Ben had shifted it to his other shoulder and taken your hand instead, which wasn't what you meant when you reached out towards him, but you didn't let go, not when it was cold and Ben's hand was warm.

The one jammed into the corner of your small living room didn't have a leaf out of place or any signs of decay. You'd fixed that with a flick of a finger.

You'd gone all out with decorations.

Every plant in your apartment had lights of their own and ornaments that swung just out of reach from your pets. Christmas lights were strung down the hallway and there was a wreath on your bedroom door. Strands of mistletoe hung over every doorway in your apartment and there was one taped to the wall above your bed. That one was Ben's doing, but you couldn't complain, not when it felt so damn good to kiss him.

Ben hadn't spoken about the Christmases he spent in the past, but he'd listened to you talk about your Christmases growing up when the two of you decorated the tree with ornaments you'd collected over the years.

He might not have been big on sharing, but your boyfriend was good at listening. Not just pretending to listen, but actually being quiet and wanting to learn more about what you're saying. You'd thought it was odd when you became roommates and you realized just how much Ben listened and remembered what you told him, but now it was one of the reasons that made you love your boyfriend more.

You sighed, a happy smile on your face. You didn't think that you could feel this way about anyone, let alone someone you hated for so long, but you did. Ben was changing the belief you had about what relationships should look like, and you were sure that you were doing the same for him.

You hear the jingle of keys and the fumble of the doorknob as Ben slowly opens the front door and you leap from the couch.

"You're home!" You exclaim as your body hits his full speed, but he doesn't move. It was difficult for you to produce enough force to move him, difficult for anyone really.

Ben chuckles "Miss me Petals?"

He moves the plastic bag of Chinese food to his left hand so he can hug you back, his right hand fitting comfortably over the small of your back to hold you tighter against him.

You could remember the first time you hugged him, when all he did was stand there with his hands at his sides awkwardly while you held on to him as tight as you could. This was better. Ben's embrace is warm and strong, unyielding, but full of the love that he’d had such a hard time admitting.

"Yes." You squeeze him hard, smiling into his jacket that's flecked with melting snow, cold against your skin, but the warmth of his body soaks through the chill and into you. You sigh, nuzzling further into him. "I was worried-"

"Why?" Ben's voice rumbles through his chest, against your cheek.

"Because you weren't home yet." You pull back to stare up at him. His brilliant green eyes catch in the multicolored strands of Christmas lights, strung through your apartment. There's snow caught in his dark hair, turning to water and dripping down into his face in the warmth of the apartment.

Ben frowns. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. You're here now." You smile arching up to kiss him. Ben groans into your mouth, his grip on you tightening as he deepens the kiss, pressing the hand on the small of your back just a little more to secure you against his chest.

You sigh softly, content in living in this moment with him for another few precious seconds. The heat of his body transferring into you the longer you stand pressed against him, soaking through your sweatpants and chunky sweater in the best way.

You'd never felt this way about anyone in the past. There hadn't been another boyfriend who'd treated you the way Ben did, no other boyfriend who'd cared about the little things, and no other boyfriend who you were so in love with. Even your first love so long ago faded into the background, the one you thought you'd never get over, and all that was left was Ben.

You're too excited about giving Ben his gift to eat. You sit cross-legged on the plush gray couch so close to him that your knees are touching the outside of his thigh as Ben places the boxes of food onto your coffee table. The anxious energy tingling in the pit of your stomach and buzzing in your chest so much that it's difficult to sit still.

And before Ben can give you your chopsticks, you thrust the lumpy wrapped package onto his lap with a wide smile.

"You first!" You say.

Ben shakes his head. "It should be ladies first."

“I’m not a lady Ben. We both know that-“

“Sorry sweetheart that’s the way it goes.”

“Don't be so old fashioned Gramps. It's 2024.” You roll your eyes at him, laughing at the cute frown that pulls at his lips when you use the nickname. Ben never liked it, but when you'd first met, Ben hadn't told you his real name, and you'd assigned him the nickname and it had stuck when you realized how much it annoyed him.

That was when he did everything in his power to annoy you as well, so it seemed like a good fit.

In all honesty, you didn't hate how old fashioned Ben was, if anything it was a relief, a reprieve from the way the modern boys treated women. It was nice to finally be with a man who actually gave a shit about you and cared what you wanted.

"And I really want you to open yours first." You plead as you lean towards him. "Oh, and this goes with it."

You reach down behind the couch to grab the small golden barrel cactus, avoiding the sharp yellow spines, and place it on the minimal space left on the coffee table. You'd crocheted a dark green sleeve to go around the terra cotta pot.

"You got me a cactus?" Ben snorts.

"I mean, I have so many plants in here and I thought that you'd want one that was yours. Plus, you'll never have to water it." You gesture with one hand to the numerous plants around the room, the ones bathed in the multicolored lights from the Christmas Tree, the ones with bright green leaves that unfurled towards the light, the others with hanging vines that trailed to the ground so thick that you couldn't remember the color of the wall, the apple tree with ripe red fruit, and the numerous herbs in the garden box that hung over your kitchen sink. "And I gave it a sweater."

"Why did you give it a sweater?"

"It’s used to a warm climate and because I had some yarn left over."

"From?"

"You're just going to have to open your gift and find out." You shrug, but can barely contain your excitement.

Ben shakes his head at you, but a smile twitches on the corner of his lips. You knew that your boyfriend loved you because you were different than anyone he'd ever met, and you reveled in that. You liked that even though Ben was older than you,  that no matter how many other experiences he'd had in his life,  you were a first for him just as Ben was a first for you.

He rips through the paper carefully, trying hard not to ruin what was inside, the sound of crinkling and tearing blocking out the Christmas playlist for a moment that you'd put on before Ben had come home, but you can hear the ABBA song clear as day.

For a moment he stares down at the gift not quite comprehending what the lumpy mass in his lap is, but then he picks it up.

It had taken a month for you to pick out the perfect dark green yarn that was soft but not too soft, green but not too green, and another two months for you to finish it when Ben wasn't home, but you were proud of the sweater that you'd made your boyfriend.

He stares at it for another few beats, holding it up to the light, and it makes you worry that maybe you should have bought him something at the mall instead.

"You made me a sweater?" He asks, there's something on the edge of his voice that you can't place, some traces of emotion that you're not able to identify.

"Yeah. I wanted to make you something." You clear your throat, worried. "I mean- you don't have any and I know that you keep saying you run a little warm, but I figured we're going to Illinois for Christmas and it might be cold."

Ben doesn't say anything and you start to feel the self-doubt come roaring in.

Why did I make him a sweater? I should have bought him some cologne or something.

"And you complained when Butcher sent you on that mission to Alaska last month and I just thought that-“ You press your lips into a tight line, shoulders drooping. “If you don't like it I can keep it for me-" You fumble, but before you can finish, Ben yanks you into his lap.

His hands cup your cheeks as he kisses you so fiercely that it wipes any doubts from your mind. You make a surprised sound in the back of your throat, but sink into the kiss.  “Don’t you fucking dare.” Ben mutters against your lips.

Your blush burns against your face. “You like it?”

He nods. “ No one’s ever made me anything before.” His voice comes out a little bit gruff, as if he’s embarrassed to admit it, but it makes you smile.

“I figured and I wanted to change that.” Your fingertips dance over his forehead, brushing away the hair that’s fallen forward before your hand drops to cup his cheek, feeling the scratch of his beard against the palm of your hand. “But you’re sure you like it?”

Ben kisses you again, his large hands settling on your hips with an encouraging squeeze. “I do.”

“Good. Merry Christmas.” You wrap your arms around the back of his neck to hug him for a minute, sinking into his embrace with a happy smile.

"Merry Christmas doll." Ben murmurs into your hair, affection lacing his words.

Again, you send a mental thank you to your grandmother for understanding that Ben and you needed a day to be together and celebrate the way you wanted to before coming to stay. Not that you didn't like the Christmas Eve party or the Christmas day party, but you wanted to give Ben this. You noticed that Ben still had a hard time being in places with a lot of people when the PTSD came roaring back, and you wanted to show him what Christmas meant to you and hopefully show what Christmas would look like between the two of you as long as you were together.

“Sweetheart you gotta open yours now.” Ben’s voice rumbles, the warmth of his breath on your ear. It makes a pleasurable shiver thrill skate down your spine when you think of all the other times the two of you have been this close.

“It’s okay I can wait.” You hum into his throat, content, but Ben won't give in.

He pushes you back gently from his chest shaking his head. “Too bad. It's your turn."

"Fine." You start to move back to the space beside him, but Ben's hands catch on your hips to stop you.

"I didn't say I wanted you to move did I?" His smile turns more smirk.

"I-"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I like having you on top of me?" Ben purrs, kissing under your jaw, his beard scratching in a way that makes your throat tight.

"Keep doing that and the only thing I'm going to unwrap is you." You sigh in a half-moan, fingers curling into the hair at the base of his neck.

"After." Ben leans back to reach into his coat pocket and pulls out a small black velvet box that fits in the palm of your hand.

You hesitate to open it.

It wasn't that you didn't want jewelry for Christmas, it was that Ben and you had done this song and dance before after he tried to make you wear a diamond and emerald necklace with jewels bigger than your index, middle, and third finger put together. The whole time you wore it the only thing you could think about is how many groceries you could have bought with the necklace, how much you were afraid that it was going to break, and how much you feared that you were going to lose it or someone was going to try and steal it.

Maybe that was ridiculous, but extravagant gifts never appealed to you. You liked gifts that meant something, gifts that were heartfelt and thoughtful, gifts like the bookshelf Ben had gotten you months ago before you were dating because he noticed you needed one. Not to mention you loved just spending time with Ben. If he hadn't gotten you anything you would have been content with just sitting with him on the couch and watching a Christmas movie.

But you smile, because you don't want to hurt his feelings and because it's his first Christmas in forty years and you wanted it to be special.

It's Christmas and I will be thankful and happy with whatever he got me, because Ben was thinking of me when he bought it.

You think to yourself as you open the box.

The first thing you notice is that the box isn't as new as you thought, the inside of the lid is printed in ancient script that's a little faded, worn against the aged white silk that lines it. Your eyes drift to the piece of jewelry nestled on the pillow. It's a silver locket, hexagon shaped, and about the size of your thumb. The face is printed with weaving ivy leaves and roses that reach to a simple plain border.

Simple, stately, and completely you.

Ben is uncharacteristically quiet, but he breaks the silence first. "Do you-" He clears his throat, "Do you like it?"

He asks it hesitantly, as if he's afraid to hear your answer. It was unusual for Ben to look so nervous.

You can only nod, any words you had stuck in the back of your throat. Your fingernail finds the seam between the two pieces of metal and you gently unlatch the locket to see the picture inside. There's a piece of glass protecting a yellowed photo of a little boy who looks no more than five standing in a small black suit. You didn't think that they made suits for kids that small. He's smiling and one of his teeth are missing, but he looks oddly familiar.

"Who is this?" You ask. The more you look at the photo the more you think that you've seen him before.

"It's me." He says it quiet, almost a whisper.

"You? But-"

"It was my mother's." He clarifies and you inhale sharply in surprise.

"Really?"

He nods once, looking uncomfortable. By now you knew that moments like this usually made your boyfriend uncomfortable no matter how many times that you'd told him that he didn't have to be uncomfortable about being vulnerable. He was getting a little better, slowly, very slowly.

"Oh Ben I don't know if I should-" You shake your head, afraid to touch something so old.

Ben didn't often speak about his mother, but when he did, it was always reverent and respectful. You could see in his eyes how much he had loved her and how much he had cared about her. His father, Ben also didn't like talking about, but Ben never spoke of his father with the kindness that he'd spoke about his mother.

And you didn't want to take something like this away from him, something that meant so much to him, because of how much he loved his mother.

"No. I-" He clears his throat and Ben's hand tightens on your waist. "I want you to have it."

"But-" You stutter.

"What else am I going to do with it Petals? Can't exactly wear it myself." Ben chuckles, but the humor doesn't quite reach his eyes.

“Yeah, but it’s your mom’s and I-“ You trail off still looking at the photo of Ben as a little boy. He had the same mischievous twinkle in his eyes that you loved, the same unruly dark hair, but there was something different about him. He looked happier. It was the same look that Ben had when it was just the two of you together, the happiness that you wanted Ben to feel the rest of his life when he understood what it was like to be loved and cherished.

And it made you understand that the last time Ben must have felt loved and cherished was when his mother was still alive. It broke your heart to know that Ben had lived all these years without her and missed that in his life.

The locket was beautiful and the fact that Ben remembered what you said about liking gifts that “meant something” made your heart flutter.

Because this meant something. Ben taking the time to go through his mother’s jewelry and pick something out just for you that was special to him that he wanted to share with you, meant more than the emerald and diamond necklace he had tried to give you months ago.

There were tears burning behind your eyes the more you look at the photo of the little boy.

Ben is watching you. “Well-“ He shrugs. “I'm an only child. Which means I don't have any siblings who have wives to fight over this stuff so, I figured that if anyone was going to get it, it should be you. If you don't take it, it'll sit in that fucking storage unit. Seems like a shame."

You don't answer.

"And-" He hesitates, "I think my mom would have wanted you to have it. Hell, she might have given it to you, if I'd brought you home to meet her."

Your cheeks flush.

Ben studies you for another minute, before you watch his smile twitch into a frown. "Fuck, I knew I shouldn't have gotten you jewelry.  Annie said that you liked jewelry, but I told her you didn't and now the bitch is probably having a good laugh with that pussy of a boyfriend! Forget about it sweetheart, I'll go get you something else right now-" Ben tries to take the box from you, but you swat his hand away.

“Don't you fucking dare!” You shout, using the same words that he said to you when you tried to take his sweater away.

"But you don't like it-"

"I do!  And knowing how much this means to you, makes it better."

"Really?"

You nod, a wide smile wiping away any uncertainty in his gaze. "Will you help me put it on?"

"Sure." Ben says gruffly. His voice has lowered a little, and you know that it's a mixture of pride and love mingling in the tone. It made something break open deep inside and flood your ribcage with love.

You turn your neck to the side, pulling your hair away from the skin as Ben hooks the chain together at the nape of your neck.  The cool metal of the necklace against your skin and the weight are unfamiliar, but you already knew that you wouldn’t be taking it off anytime soon. "It's perfect!" You pull Ben in for a kiss, threading your fingers into his dark hair.

Ben smiles into your mouth, holding you tight against him as if he never wants to let you go and you don't want him to.

It was odd to think that you'd only been together for four months, but you couldn't imagine your life without him. It seemed ridiculous for you to think that Ben was it after such a short time, but he was. You'd never rushed into anything in your entire life, but then Ben was there shattering every expectation that you had, enough to make you throw your inhibitions to the wind and jump feet first into the unknown if it meant he was with you.

The kiss is softer than the one the two of you shared at your front door, filled with more emotion than Ben usually let the world see, but he was opening up bit by bit, learning that you wouldn't judge him for that and it made you feel sky high.

This was the relationship you'd always wanted, and you never thought that you'd have it with Ben, but now that you were here you wouldn't change a thing, because it wouldn’t have put you in his arms.

"You can change the picture." Ben murmurs into your lips.

"No way. I don't have any kid photos of you. And I'm pretty sure you'll see all of mine this week.”

“I bet you were cute.” Ben smiles, raising one of the hands from your hip to push your hair from your face. “Hard to imagine you being any other way sweetheart.” 

"Debatable." You sigh, nipping at his bottom lip in a way that makes Ben pull you back to him.

And when the kiss turns hungry, with you gripping his hair so tight you'd be sure that it would hurt anyone else, and with his fingers pushing up the bottom of your t-shirt to feel the warmth of your skin against his hands and find the dips and curves of your body that make you moan into his mouth, you can't help but think that this is the best Christmas you'd ever had.

"I do think it's later sweetheart." Ben's eyes shine with mischief, mouth pulling into the familiar smirk that makes your knees weak.

"Good. Because I have one other gift for you." You moan as Ben's mouth trails down to your jaw, his beard prickling against the sensitive skin, in a way that drives you mad.

"It's not another plant is it?" He bites just under your jaw and you tighten your hands in his hair, gasping softly.  "Fuck, I love those sounds you make baby." Ben murmurs.

"No." You've lost all ability to form sentences, not when he's so perfectly warm and the trail of his hands working up your abdomen consumes you.

"Give it to me later." Ben's eyes flash a startling green. "I want to unwrap my favorite gift right now."

"Keep going the way you are, and you're gonna find it."

Ben hesitates, before he raises his hand to feel the end of the brand new lingerie that you'd bought special for tonight, his eyes darkening with the realization. "Well then, Merry Christmas to me."

Ben's mouth falls against yours, but before he goes further, he pulls back just for a moment, his hand coming up to gently cup your cheek. Your eyes widen in surprise.

"Ben?" You question. 

"Merry Christmas Petals." He whispers, dragging his thumb over your cheek, and nudges his nose against yours in a gesture that warms your heart. He didn’t do things like that often, but whenever he did it always stood out to you, because it added on another layer to the man you loved with all your heart.

"Merry Christmas Ben."

A/N: I thought that they deserved a little Christmas fluff. I'm hoping that I have time to drop a follow up to this before Christmas, because I kinda want to write what happens when they go back to Illinois, but we'll see what happens! ❤️

As always thank you so much for reading! Reblogs, Likes, and Comments are not required, but are always appreciated! I love hearing what y'all think 🥰

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[kaija-rayne-author]

Woof. The amount of copium I'm seeing people huffing about DAV today. Yikes.

Sorry, peeps. There are so many retcons in that game I probably couldn't list them all. And yeah, I could prove it with sources. (Will I? Nope. I've far better things to do with my time. Unless someone wants to pay me, in which case I'd be quite happy to debunk all the retcons with sources.)

It's cool if you liked it even with the retcons. I'm honestly happy for you. But, and this is just a thought, maaaaybe listen to the Lore fiends on the topic of retcons rather than blowing so much smoke up your own ass you float away?

It's not like most Lore fiends haven't spent weeks to months to years marinating ourselves in the Lore. Maybe we know a bit about it? Just... y'know, maybe?

The problem with any sort of fiction? If it's not shown in game/on screen/on page (or somewhere else in whatever media we're discussing) or in supplementary materials? (Official books/comics etc.) Or it's shown differently from previous series media entries? It just didn't happen. It doesn't exist. It is a retcon. Which stands for retroactive continuity.

Anything else you come up with is a headcanon. (Headcanons are fine! I've got plenty of my own, but that's all they are.) It's not proof or an actual rebuttal to the problems endemic to DAV. And, uh, when attempting to rebutt a purported retcon, maybe get your details correct?

Anything the devs/writers say on social media/interviews etc., especially after the fact? Yeah, that didn't happen either and also doesn't count. If it makes you feel better, go for it. But when we're talking editorial critique and media literacy? (Which is what you're talking about when you deny retcons) it just didn't happen if it's not in the published material. Shrugs.

I personally refuse to do the heavy lifting of the story. That was the writers' job. They didn't do it very well. And all the imagination and headcanons and copium isn't going to change this simple fact.

Nor the fact that you sound completely uneducated when stretching so far to try to deny a retcon to anyone who knows more facts. I think I almost rolled my eyes hard enough to roll them out of my damned head at the last one to cross my dash.

[softspeirs]

I've Got Dreams (But I Can't Make Myself Believe Them)

Pairing: Lewis Nixon x Original Female Character Summary: Henrietta Murray keeps showing up at the most inopportune times, surely, Lewis Nixon thinks, just to drive him insane. Author's Note: Merry Christmas, @quillandink22! I'm your Secret Santa! I've had so much fun over the last month messaging you and getting to know more about you. I hope you enjoy this and have a wonderful week! Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Henrietta and the plot. Title comes from Homesick by Noah Kahan. I wrote some of this on my phone so please excuse any spelling mistakes!

─ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──── ♡ ─── ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ ──

The thing about Lewis Nixon is that he is not a humble person. He's good at his job, and he knows it. He takes pride in the fact that other people know he's good at his job.

His rank and his position are things he's worked hard at, things he's earned, which he's not ashamed to say isn't the norm for him. While he's sure his last name and his upbringing helped him get through OCS relatively unscathed, there was no one there to pave the way or line anyone's pockets. He did it with nothing but his intelligence and his aptitude behind him, and he was proud of that.

That's why it makes him so infuriated when he's questioned - not even because he doesn't think he could ever be wrong, he's not that egotistical - but because the woman standing in front of him, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed, has never, ever taken him at his word.

Henrietta Murray has a habit of breezing in and out of active combat zones like she's going on a picnic, and that alone drives him absolutely crazy. She also has a habit of listening to what he has to say, and then, in a blase tone, saying "interesting", like it's so cute that he thinks he knows what he's talking about.

One of these days, he's going to say something to her that he'll regret, so he fights every instinct in him, every punch to his ego she dishes out, and shoves the reports into her hands.

"The details are all there. All the reports we have from the other battalions say--'

"Captain Nixon, I'm sure your reports are correct. We don't need to go over the details. Local intelligence is important to consider. That's why I'm here."

Yes. That's why she's here. Tossed around between the OSS and the SOE for months, she has seemed to land here with the Airborne as liaison, and while she has got them out of some scrapes, he's not convinced that they wouldn't have figured it out on their own.

It's unfathomable to him that she's here, in the middle of the godforsaken Ardennes forest, too-big helmet askew on her head like she's not going to get shelled at any second. The anticipation of the next fight is buzzing under his skin, and the thought of her stuck here when it happens - because it's not if, it's when - makes him want to vomit (he also doesn't want to dissect that reaction too closely).

"Why they signed off on you trudging in here, I have no idea." He grumbles, stamping his feet to try to get his circulation moving.

"It's been bad." She says. It's not a question, but her brow furrows.

"That's one word for it."

The heat seems to leave her eyes, and he thinks he sees a glimpse of fear take its place. It’s the first time he’s ever seen anything but confidence in her expression, and it unsettles him.

“I’m sorry.” She says.

He frowns. “What are you sorry for? You’re not the one firing at us.”

Something in her expression seems to signal defeat. She sits on an overturned crate in the CP and he realizes suddenly that she’s just as tired as the rest of them.

"You know--" She starts, "In town, they're just as terrified of us as they are of the Germans."

Nixon makes a face, but she continues before he can say anything.

"The kids... war is the only thing they've ever known. The color of the uniform doesn't matter. All they know is that as long as we're here, the bombs will keep falling. The shelling will continue."

The tone of her voice is different than anything he's heard come out of her before. It takes a little bit of the fight out of him.

"You've been in there too long." He says, blunt.

Her eyes flash. "You think I need to be pulled out?"

He shrugs. "Maybe if you get a break, when you come back you won't argue with me so much," he offers, smirking.

She rolls her eyes. “I don’t argue with you.”

Nixon’s mouth drops open, incredulous. “All you do is argue with me—“

A loud, high-pitched whistle overhead interrupts him. Murray’s eyes fly to his, their gazes locking as the color drains from her cheeks.

“Get up.” His tone is harsh.

Yards away, the bombardment begins, the sky turning bright before everything explodes.

“Now!” He shouts, and he’s shoving her towards a foxhole before he can think about what he’s doing. “In. In, get in.” He says. He realizes she probably can’t even hear him, but his heart is pounding so hard at the thought of her being caught out in the open that his words are more for himself than for her.

He jumps in after her, ducking down when a shell explodes what feels like only mere feet away. Her eyes are shut tight as she curls in on herself, as if she can wish all of this away.

He doesn’t say another word as he crouches at her side, sinking as low into the earth as he can, and he drags her with him. She goes willingly, her body trembling with fear against him, and he takes a minute to say a prayer to anyone listening that she’ll make it through this.

Somehow the thought of her fire, her light being snuffed out as quickly and meaninglessly as this— it feels impossible.

“It’ll be alright.” He says in her ear. He has no idea if she can hear him. “Just hang on.”

It feels like hours go by but it’s likely only a few minutes before the shelling stops. The sudden silence around them is chilling, and he has a terrifying feeling that the worst has happened. He has nightmares about this - that he crawls out of his foxhole to find he’s the only one left.

Soon, Dick’s solid form is above them, brows pinched in worry. “Nix?” He calls.

Nixon feels half deaf. “I’m all right.”

“Murray?”

She’s still shaking like a leaf.

“Henrietta.” Lewis says her name firmly. She would never forgive him if he treated her like a wilting flower.

She blinks rapidly, seemingly coming back to herself. “I’m—“ she looks around, down at herself, and back up at Winters. “I’m okay.”

He nods. “Need to check the lines. Don’t go far - that might not be the only barrage. We’ll call for your transport as soon as we can.”

Nixon realizes he still has a tight grip on her shoulders, and he backs away slowly, giving her some space. The sight of her wide, terrified eyes makes something ache inside of him, but he pushes the feeling away.

“You need to get out of here.” He says quietly.

“That’s not up to you. Or me.” She replies. Her voice is steady now and he sees the familiar fire return to her eyes as she gears up for another argument.

“At least do me a favor and stop showing up here unannounced.”

She smiles. “Don’t like knowing there are things you don’t know, is that right, Captain?”

Yes, it sets his teeth on edge that the nature of her work is partially a secret. Yes, it makes him furious when she shows up whenever the whim strikes her (though he knows that’s not a fair assessment- she has intel when she has intel. It doesn’t run on a schedule) and usually the whim strikes her whenever things are about to go to hell.

“I wish you’d just get the reports via courier like everyone else. What do you need a hand delivery for?” He grumbles.

“Maybe I just like your company, Nix. That sunny disposition.”

They sit in silence for awhile longer, both of them trying to calm their racing nerves and hoping the other one doesn't notice.

"It's Christmas Eve." She says suddenly, voice morose. "Everyone in town was hoping for a ceasefire."

Nixon snorts. "It'll come an hour too late." He gestures around them. "Who feels like celebrating Christmas at a time like this?"

He's very aware of her calculating gaze on his face. He doesn't like it. She sees too much - it's why she's good at her job, though he'll never tell her that.

She reaches into her pack that, somehow, wasn't blown to bits as they had flung themselves headfirst into the foxhole. She rummages around for a second and then thrusts a small package at him.

"What's this?"

"What does it look like?" She asks, impatient.

"I don't know, that's why I'm--"

"Jesus Christ, Lewis, will you just take the goddamn present?" She asks, voice rising.

He stares at her, uncomprehending. "What?"

"Do you not celebrate Christmas? I thought for sure--"

"No, I mean-- what-- when did you have time to think about this?" About getting something for me?

"I just saw it and it made me think of you and how much you love when I show up and talk your ear off, so--"

"I didn't get you anything." He says, stupidly, as if they're having a normal Christmas shopping conversation.

She tilts her head, bemused. "I figured. That's not the point. Open it."

Inside the hastily wrapped package is a small, leather-bound notebook. Pocket-sized. It's the perfect size to shove in his jacket and he runs his fingertips over the cover, trying to understand why it feels like the world is shifting under his feet.

"There's a man in town who makes leather goods." She pauses, frowning. "Used to. I-- well, anyway. He gave me a good deal and I felt bad showing up all the time for messages. God knows what would happen to him and his family if they're caught." She's rambling, but it makes him smile, so he lets her.

"Don't look at me like that." She says, eyes narrowing as she catches his expression. "I just figured--" She huffs, cheeks reddening, embarrassed as his smile grows. "You're always forgetting important details, so now you can write them down." She says heatedly.

He laughs. "Thanks, Murray."

She ends up staying there through the night. It's too dangerous to move and if the ceasefire for Christmas does come, she can get out then.

He watches her sleep. He doesn't mean to, but he can't help it. She looks softer, younger in her sleep. He wonders how long she's been here. Wonders how many of her civilian contacts she's gotten close to before she learned not to get attached. Wonders how and why she ended up here, in this job.

He wonders why he's wondering about her so much.

Shoving the thoughts away, he closes his eyes. He can hear the Germans singing. It sounds like Christmas music.

He falls asleep to the sound of her breathing.

[autumn-kouhai]

just a reminder that it is not that curly didn't want to see the abuse him and anya went through, he CAN'T see it.

if he didn't want to see the dead pixel, why did he say he'll go bonkers looking for it? why did he even attempt to look in the first place if he didn't want to see it? while he tries to make sense of this by saying he's used to looking at the bigger picture, he doesn't even deny it's there. he looks anyway because he cares about anya, and values her input.

anya, on the other hand, reads to me as a detail-oriented person. once she sees the intricacies, she can't unsee it(that's what makes her capable of being a good nurse). she knows how curly is, but she doesn't understand why he can't see it. she doesn't blame him for that either by the way, anya just asks him what he would've done for something that already happened. just like she doesn't blame him for not seeing the dead pixel, she even starts the conversation that she still likes the night time window screen.

we, the player, could've already picked up the truth of what happened before curly does. and even when curly is told, he doesn't deny her once. we're not even given what curly's plan actually *was,* just that curly wanted anya to wait for him. he was only given a full day from the moment anya told him she was pregnant to anya telling jimmy, then jimmy crashing the ship.

there's just so much nuance behind curly's state of mind, i'm not even including the abuse curly went through at the hands of jimmy and the shitty working conditions of pony express deteriorating him. the people that say he knowingly turned a blind eye on anya don't recognize the multi-faceted reasons and what he actually did/didn't do. the truth is that curly is human. his actions are neither good or bad, just human.

[jjkfanfic]

The room is a whirlwind of activity, with each of the guys bring thier own unique flair to the blanket fort's construction.

Satoru's insistence on grandeur has everyone laughing as he throws blankets over chairs with the finesse of a Broadway director on crack. Gojo's blue theme is everywhere, from the blankets to the cushions he's piled in the corner, and his eyes sparkle with excitement every time someone says "fine" to one of his ideas.

Suguru is the master of the fort's layout, his eye for detail making sure that every fold and drape is perfect. He taps his chin with his finger, a thoughtful expression on his face as he considers the placement of each pillow and cushion. Geto's idea of adding windows add a whimsical touch to the whole affair, making the fort feel less claustrophobic and more like a cozy retreat from the winter storm outside.

Nanami, ever the perfectionist measuring and calculating, ensuring that our fortress of solitude doesn't collapse in a heap of fabric. He nods in approval as the structure starts to take shape, his hands deftly tying knots and securing the base. His insistence on the reading nook is met with a chorus of agreement, and it's clear that this fort is going to be a masterpiece of comfort and functionality.

Yuji, the life of the party, is in charge of snacks. He's already raided the kitchen, filling a basket with our favorites. His enthusiasm is infectious as he jumps around, throwing pillows into the mix with wild abandon. "This is gonna be the best blanket fort ever!" he exclaims, his grin wide and his eyes gleaming with mischief.

Megumi watches the chaos with a small smile, his hands busy tying knots and adjusting the structure. He's keeping everything from collapsing into a heap of fabric and poles, his movements precise and calculated. His focus is intense, but every so often, he glances over at me, his gaze lingering just a little longer than necessary.

Yuta, ever the perfectionist, adds his own flair with fairy lights, weaving them through the blankets to create a magical glow. He's meticulous in his placement, making sure each corner is illuminated, and the overall effect is nothing short of enchanting.

Toge, for his part, is...well, Toge. He's not exactly Ĺcontributing to the physical construction, but his suggestions for improvements are as entertaining as they are random, using food metaphors that only he would understand. "More like a sushi roll, less like a burrito," he says, pointing at a particularly bulky section of the fort.

The guys laugh, and the tension that had been coiled tight in my chest starts to unwind. For the first time in a long time we're all working together on something that isn't about survival or keeping secrets. It's just about having fun, and I realize that I've missed this.

As the fort takes shape, each secret glance makes me flush. And as I watch them all, their faces flushed with excitement, I know that I am falling for them, for all of them.

Chapter 4 uploaded! Check out the full chapter here!

[velvetvexations]

Since we're talking about forcefem, here're most of the forcefem-related asks I've had in my inbox, some of which are a few days old on account of technically going in the vexatious tag if not exactly kink asks. I wanted to answer one from today on it's own which I'll get to later but I wanted to get to the older ones and also get to a few of the others from today while I was at it.

i just saw a post where a trans guy was showing some messages where someone was (unconsensually) basically roleplaying forcefemming him. despite him telling them that he did not want that and that it was very much transphobic, and he atill got a message boiling down to "you're not a man, silly, you're a girl :D" and. to be honest. this was the thing that stopped the brainworms of "what if the whole concept of transandrophobia is actually transmisogynistic and i am entirely wrong" bc at least some of these people will just say the most bog standard transphobic shit to trans guys and not register it as transphobia. so why the fuck would they be right about anything transmascs experience also on that note thank you for being so outspoken in favour of transmascs getting to discuss their oppression. it's really helpful to see trans women stand with us here, especially when it comes to aforementioned brainworms

congratulations to that transphobe for creating a new transandrobro

the 'forcemasc isnt revolutionary' shit is the most annoying iteration of stupid tumblr discourse. like im going through the tag trying to read some horny shit and oh look. theres someone being stupid and hypocritical. in my horny tag.

people are getting tribalist about kinks and it's depressing

Every time people are saying that trans men & mascs cannot possibly fathom being objectified & fetishized, I think on all of the posts I’ve seen that did that exact same thing. And yeah, some of it might have been kink, so no hate no judgement I dabble in that tag too, but I’ve also seen “get in the dress” type posts that seem to be genuinely calling for trans men to be more feminine, untagged & in the wild, enough where I’m like — am I just imagining this? Like am I crazy? Am I missing something, or was that extremely detailed post about why I MUST stay feminine — or become more — for someone else’s benefit being 100% serious? And, again — if it’s kink, all the power to them, I love that for them, I even occasionally love that for me. But I have encountered enough people who were dead serious that I sometimes want no one but trusted friends & advisors to ever witness me again. And then I look at statistics & feel genuinely ill. And yeah, I’m gnc — and there’s the rub, because while I feel genuine joy being fem as well as masc, I want it to be a Choice, not something forced upon me.

people need to be fucking normal

Yh like ik a lot of shitposts don't have any tags but people have. Really gotta tag forcefem. I've blocked a large amount of people making these jokes + filtered their names n I still see it

I'm sorry, anon. <3

Fuck thank you so much for talking so openly about forcemasc. I’m so dumb I thought there wasn’t a name for that kink that I’ve been into for years, albeit my version is way more weirder. It would be like a… forcemascfem??? Like first it’s forcemasc and then it turns into forcefem and then right back to forcemasc…. And then back to- Idk my gender is weird and my kinky fantasy for that is weird

Cross as many boundries as you want, that sounds rad. Forcefem has a lot of infrastructure to jump off of.

“I’m doing a kink in a non kink way so it’s not kink blog!” Sorry this pisses me off It’s still a kink. Like. If someone made an I-suggest-BDSM blog and tried to claim it wasn’t a kink blog I’m sure more people would see how silly this is but because it’s the transfem approved virtuous forcefem they just let it slide??? Like. You are engaging in a kink and thats fine. You can say there won’t be anything explicitly sexual! But it will still be a kink blog because it’s a blog about a kink! A kink blog if you will! It doesn’t matter if you’re not getting off to it, it’s still a kink! That you are participating in! On your blog about that kink!

It SHOULD piss you off! It's extremely fucking scummy!

what the hell? for like one solid minute(longer than that but i like saying it this way) all the forcefem on my dash was tagged and i could blissfully not have to see it every other post and then just today i had to unfollow a buncha people for an assload of untagged forcefem :/ like im transmasc i think its understandable that i do not wish to see that anyway hope your day is goin well miss velvet

yeah it's praxis to not tag kink anymore

trfs are perfectly aware what the "force" bit means when forcemasc comes up in conversation

strange how that works