#why my coworkers get a masters and get worse at their job like?????

[mtjester]

I’m tired of my coworkers not finishing the work they promised and leaving the team scrambling to create curriculum last minute I’m tired of doing the brunt of the work for three different courses when my coworkers are only teaching the one course I’m tired of my coworkers using the work I created and the data I compiled on their gradwork that’ll justify an increase in their pay when I get no pay increases for my own work I’m tired of the workload I’m tired of the hypocrisy I’m tired of the lack of compensation I’m tired of the burnout of education

[terri479]

✩•.My cute little psycho.•✩

(yb Peter x (f) reader)

☆.。.：*・゜☆.。.：*・゜☆

Another Tuesday of me working at the local coffee shop. Could be better, could be worse, I always say. It keeps me going. My friend T/K keeps me company here. We've been friends for some time now and I can't imagine how my life would look like without him. He was the first one to take the first step. We eventually started to talk more and more, building great friendship between us as coworkers. It's good to have someone by your side when costumers can be quite rude. Somehow we always tries to make fun of it.

This day was pretty busy at the shop. High temperature from the sun shining outside made everyone sweat and me with T/K as well. Of course that almost no one ordered a hot coffee, that would be a suicide in this weather. Instead people wanted milkshakes, lemonades and cold stuff like that.

Mine and T/Ks part of the job was to take orders from costumers and deliver their products to them. The rest of the people working here were hidden at the back, making desserts, drinks and other stuff we sell. Lucky them, there was air conditioning in the back, so they didn't sweat there like we did. Sometimes T/K and I also went to the back to cool off, but today there was almost no time for that.

It gave us both a shock when we saw a guy walking into the store wearing a dark blue t-shirt with a black sleeveless hooded sweatshirt. I was terribly hot for him. I was almost unable to breathe from the heat in my light blouse and work apron. There was no way he could be cold! I exchanged glances with T/K and went to attend to the customers at the register while T/K went to serve the veiled man.

After a while he came back saying that the man had not yet chosen what he wanted. I shrugged it off and both of us went back to work. In two minutes he went again to try to ask what the guy would like. Just like before, no answer from him. So I offered to try to serve him myself.

As soon as I got to his table, he took off his hood and looked up. The fact that he was bald didn't scare me in any way, I calmly and smilingly asked if he knew what to order now. „Strawberry milkshake, please." he spoke quietly, maybe even shyly. „Right away, sir." I wrote his order down and left. T/K watched me with his mouth open as I returned with the order. „Ain't no way." He said with a look of annoyance. It made me chuckle. „Did you see that?! He said what he wanted to you without hesitation-" „Well I guess I am much more trustworthy and certainly nicer." I teased him playfully. „Yeah right, miss trustworthy." he rolled his eyes and kept doing what he was doing.

I made the decision that I would bring him the milkshake myself too. When he finished it, he paid and left me a tip before he left. It was my first tip of the week, which made me truly happy. But by the end of the day, I was still asking myself why he was wearing such warm clothes in this terribly hot weather.

☆.。.：*・゜☆.。.：*・゜☆

Another hot day at work, sweating like crazy and slightly getting pissed off by irritating people. Me and T/K were passing out from the everyday heat... Yet there was this guy in a sleeveless hoodie who seemed unbothered. As he sat down to his table like yesterday, I made a bet with T/K, that he's not gonna be able to serve him again. He accepted the bet, probably out of boredom, and went to the bald customer. Exactly as I expected, T/K returned defeated and without his order. "Watch and learn from the master," I said and confidently left.

„Good afternoon, sir. What will it be today?" I took out a pen with a paper to write on. „Good afternoon miss, I would love to order another strawberry milkshake." a warm smile appeared on his face while he was talking. „Alright sir, anything else?" I returned the warm smile. „Uhh... I.. um.. Well-" He looked stunned and started stuttering. I didn't want to make it worse for him, so I spoke to his embarrassment. „What if I get you your strawberry milkshake and when you finish it, you can decide whether to order anything else? " After a moment of silence and staring at me, he spoke again with a smile. „Ah yes, that would be wonderful."

Once I got back behind the counter to T/K, I set my hand. After a while he handed me five dollars without a single word and went on to work again defeated once again. 'easy money' I thought for myself.

Just like yesterday I gave the guy in the hoodie his milkshake and kept concentrating on my work. That wasn't easy though. There was this old aggressive man who purposely made troubles for his entertainment. I suspected he had dementia, but I think almost everyone around me has lately. He liked to drag his family to our cafe and apparently liked to show off in front of them. He thought that he probably owned the cafe and that he could afford almost anything.

„Hey! you- maid or whatever you are.. Milk!" I slowly turned to him with disbelief in my eyes. „Excuse me? Is there a problem, sir?" I asked diplomatically stepping forward to him. „Someone's deaf, huh? I. said. MILK." How arrogant I thought... But I'm about to keep my cool. „I see, okay sir. Now please tell me what you want me to do with the milk." „The fuck you mean? BRING IT, MORON!" his yelling made me jump and step back. T/K helped me out of the unpleasant situation by bringing a glass of milk. After that he pulled me to the side so I could calm down from the shouting. I hated to deal with him almost daily, but it's what I get paid for.

After a few minutes I felt good enough to work again. At that moment, the man wearing the sleeveless sweatshirt appeared at the register and handed over an empty milkshake glass. „Thank you very much for your services. The milkshakes you make here are lovely!" His words somehow made me happy and put a smile on my face. Blood began to rush to my cheeks, making my cheeks slightly red. „Anything else I can do for you?" I asked politely. „There is actually one thing, yes..." I strained my ears to hear his wish. „Y-your name.. May I know w-what your name is?" He scratched his neck at his question. His handsome smile didn't fade for a second as he was looking at me. I took his glass from his hand and answered. „It is Y/N L/N, mind telling me your name?" It seemed that he shivered a little, it took him about two seconds to answer, but he eventually did. „I'm Peter." „Well, I'm glad I could serve you Peter, again today! Will you visit us tomorrow too?" „Depends if you'll be here as well." „I'm here from Monday to Thursday." „Well, that answers my question. Oh and I almost forgot..." Suddenly he showed me a red rose. I have no idea where he kept the rose the whole time. „Here, Y/N... This is your todays tip." I accepted the flower with open lips. It was beautiful. „I love it, Peter! Thank you very much, this made my day!" If we weren't separated by a counter, I would have hugged him for sure. I had a reason to look forward to the next day.

☆.。：*・゜=time skip=☆.。.：*・゜☆

Thank god that todays Thursday is a bit cooler than the days before. Pleasant wind flew through my hair when I was heading to work. I was there first surprisingly, it doesn't happen very often. I put on my work apron and turned on the ice cream machine. And because I deserve it, I made myself latte that I of course paid for. I quickly wiped down the tables and eventually the rest of the staff arrived. I greeted T/K with an offer to make him coffee, but he refused, saying he was saving money for a new joystick or something like that.

The cafe was quiet today. Suspiciously calm. Then I realized that the old man didn't come today. I was relieved that I didn't have to deal with him today. I didn't even wonder where he was. I didn't care as long as he didn't make trouble around me or insult me.

This afternoon none other than Peter came in, the hooded man in the black sleeveless sweatshirt. As soon as he sat down at his table, I went to serve him. „Good afternoon, Peter, let me guess... Strawberry milkshake?" I smiled, caughing him off guard. Blush appeared on his cheeks as he stutterly spoke. „Ah, hello Y/N! H-how did you know?" „Well.. You had the same twice so I figured out you'd go for it again?" „Well, you are absolutely correct. I would love another strawberry milkshake!" and so I made one.

„Would you mind joining me?" He asked, pointing on the seat opposite to him. „Sorry..." a said „I'm still working, management wouldn't like it." „I can pay for whatever you'd choose." „That's kind of you, really.. Still I gotta say no." He looked so upset I pitted him. „But um.. Tomorrow's my day off. We could maybe..." that was the moment where his eyes almost popped out of his head. He looked like a child on Christmas day. „YES!" he unexpectedly yelled and drew attention on both of us. „UHM I'm mean.. I'm sorry heh.." looking embarrassed he apologized. „So.. tomorrow? Afternoon?" He agreed and started to drink his milkshake happily.

The only thing that startled me was T/K, piercing  me with his gaze. „What?" I asked confused. „What, you ask?! What was thaaat-" „What was what?" still not getting the point of his. „Are you seriously going out with this creep?" „Who are you calling a creep, huh? He's actually nice." I pouted at him. „Wow, I didn't know you are into guys that look like they are addicted to drugs or alcohol." „Hey, you can't say that when you don't know him!" 

I stood up for Peter. „And you do know him?" T/K argued back. „Well... I'm about to." T/K broke the silence between us. „Be careful, Y/N." „I will T/K, thanks for caring. Just remember, I'm adult too."

Meanwhile Peter drank his shake and went to the counter to pay. „There you go, pretty lady. See you tomorrow." Peter handed me the money and smirked. I took the money with a kind smile. I also noticed that T/K and Peter stared at each other almost deadly. Hmm, I wonder why, or not? „Whatcha staring at, man?" I couldn't believe my eyes that T/K was the one that said it. „You wanna know what I'm staring at? I'm staring on idiotic face, blocking my view." „Oh yeah? At least I have some hair, bald head." They roaster each other for like a whole minute that seemed like an hour. I was just standing there, watching like a female doe looking at two stags fighting with their antlers. I gotta admit it was quite funny to watch them till they involved nudging and physical signs of pushing. A few things fell of the table separating them, which made me act. I pushed them both away from each other, giving them warning glares. „I better go." Peter looked at me with apology in his eyes. „Yeah, sorry for T/Ks behavior." I replied, not meeting T/Ks eyes at any cost. „Then Peter turned and gave me a smile in the entrance door, walking round a corner.

„I'm disappointed, T/K." I said, picking up the fallen things off the ground. „Whatever... You'll thank me later." He scoffed, going to serve someone just to show he doesn't care about what happened. While picking up the things that fell I noticed a black lighter with a picture of a black and white colored heart. I thought for a moment... Wait up, PETER has the same heart on his dark blue T-shirt! He must've dropped it while trying to hurt T/K. I rushed out of the shop, running the way I saw Peter going a moment ago.

Peters pov:

That bastard makes me look stupid and dangerous to Y/N. Funny, he ain't wrong by saying I'm dangerous, but I would never hurt Y/N. And I wouldn't let anyone else hurt her. Or insult her, just like the old man on Thursday did. Good thing I dealt with him, he's not going to say shit to anyone, including my darling, again.

I went to an alley between some shops a few meters from the cafe. That jerk was getting on my nerves, always hanging around my Y/N... And so I pulled out a cigarette to calm myself down. But- oh shit.. I can't find my lighter. Then, an angel appeared in front of me.

Y/Ns pov:

„Peter! There you are..." I gasped for air, happy that he didn't go far. „Y-you forgot your lighter, um.. There you go." I handed it to him and watched his shocked face. „Wow- you chased me just to give me my lighter back?" „Yeah, I guess so." a tiny moment of silence appeared, however it wasn't feeling awkward at all. „Thank you Y/N." Peter smiled at me and lighted up his cigarette. „Oh." I said slightly socked, „hm? what?" „N-nothing! I just.. didn't know you smoke, that's all." I didn't want it to sound like I was being disgusted. „Oh- sorry." Surprisingly he put out his cigarette right away. „You didn't have to do that! I mean, we all deal with our problems somehow, one way or another." His eyes widened and I kept on talking. „I don't care what T/K says about you... I will make my own opinion on you and I'm looking forward to it."

Peters pov:

I couldn't believe my eyes... Y/N was so perfect. They are willing to get to know me. They are so kind. They are so precious and pretty and... Oh god. I'm mumbling to myself again. „Ehm- thank you, darling." „Darling? Well, that's new." Crap- I called them 'darling'- I mean, they are, but- Shitshitshitshitshit-!.. „I like that nickname." they said right after. Wow. Did I mention I fucking love them?! CAUSE I DO!-

„I gotta go, I still have stuff to clean and people to serve. See you tomorrow, Peter!" That was the last sentence they said to me today.

Fuck I'm obsessed.

[zwolfgames]

Hi, I humbly request. MHA a oneshot.

Bakugo gets his first job working at Mcdonalds, he has the shittest attitude but doesn't get fired cause of his romantic relationship with his manager who has a huge degradation fetish. Pure chaos co workers love him because when there is a difficult customer they call him. He has been guilty of beating people up in the parking lot and pissing in their coke.

(I seriously doubt this was a 100 procent serious request and I could not write this in a serious way for the life of me but I found this too good of a challange not to do. Also sorry for it being late, I saw this request and had to rethink my life's choices up till now <3)

Requested: latee20s

Warnings; Cursing, bakugo

(3rd person POV)

Finally.

He finally did it, Katsuki Bakugo has gotten himself a job even with his shitty attitude!...

Mostly because he made out with the manager... But hey, a job is a job!

And that manager was in the bag! It was insanely easy, as the loser loved degrading...

And Katsuki was a master at that!So here he stands, at the cash register. Stopping his eye from twitching as some fuckwad before him can't make up their mind.

"Can i have a... uh... a coke? No... a fanta. No nevermind that, id rather have a Sprite. No no wait-" The customer has her eyes narrowed at the menu above.

"Can you make up your mind already?" Katsuki growl out, clenching the screen of the register too hard, making a small crack appear in the screen.

"Excuse me?" The woman gasps in offense.

"You're excused. Next!" He huffs and shoves the woman asside to serve the next customer.

A little giggle is heard from in the kitchen by two of his coworkers, after seeing Bakugo handle things harshly again. But they honestly couldn't care. It wasn't their job to regulate him. The manager didn't even do that.

The day goes on way too slowly, Bakugo may hate his life right now, but it gets even worse when his coworker comes ask him to handle a customer again.

Ah, drunk man again.

Lovely.

"Hey- no i don't want to speak to this twat! Het lady! Come back, we weren't done- don't ignore me you slut!" The drunken creep calls to Bakugo's coworker thar just sped away from there.

"You are to be removed, asshole." Bakugo snarls in annoynace and starts to lead the weirdo outside.

He doesnt get far trough the parking before the drunken loser wants to catch hands."I'll show you what a silver fox like me can-"

The man didn't get to finish his cringey threath as Bakugo had kicked him into his unfertile nuts.

The man sinks to the floor with a weeze and gets kicked over again.

Bakugo spits on him, sticks his middle finger up and power walks back inside like the badass he thinks he is.

Now there's only... 5 hours left of his shift. Amazing...

Bakugo takes a kitchen shift now but it doesn't last long as the manager angrilly storms up to him.

"Katsuki, we've gotten another complaint about you beating up a customer! To my office, right now." The manager huffs. Bakugo scoffs and follows along. When the door closes behind the two the manager gets more timid.

"A-After so many complaints.. i think its better if we let you go." The man says bravely. Bakugo isn't taking this shit and pins him to the desk.

"You'd like to fire me, huh? Pathetic excuse of a man. Why don't you go cower in the corner a bit more like the crybaby you are. Its not as if you can fire me, you wouldn't want to miss this, right?" Bakugo raised a brow before roughly making out with his manager.

Leaving the man on his desk as a flustered mess.

"R-Right... you can keep... working..." The man giggles like a drunken school girl and Bakugo huffs. Stuffing his hands back in his pockets.

Tough when he comes back out of the office, he's met with a wall of foam.

"What. The. Fuck?!" Katsuki yells angrily.

One of his coworkers responds from somewhere in the foam."

A kid spread soap everywhere and pulled down the fire alarm..."

"You've got to be kidding me..." Bakugo regrets all his life's descicions and starts wacking at the foam to get atleast somewhere.

He makes a tunnel to the exit and his coworkers do the same.Just as they all think they're fine. One of the people thats usually in the kitchen gasps and yells that he left the fire on.

Some other worker pales and says she left the gas on.

Moments later, the McDonalds explodes.

Bakugo lets a single tear fall as his manager hadb't gotten out yet, so the single tear represents his new relation status.

That was the end of Bakugo's first- and most likely last job at a fast food place.

No more pissing in rude people's drinks.

No more adding crack to milkshakes.

No more beating up weirdos.

And worst of all, no more degration kink manager.

Maybe he schould get back into the hero buisiness.

[whumpster-fire]

#bartimaeus#simpkin#idk it just feels like why i do think bart's relationship with his humans#is different than simpkin and pinn and ammet and khaba#you do definitely get a bit of self-hatred and maybe even guilt over being sort of a species traitor from bartimaeus#that ends up shaping his opinion of simpkin and ammet for the worse#though i think it is interesting to note that bartimaeus talks about how queezle had some decent masters#and he doesn't think of her or her experiences derogatorily at all

I still need to get to Golem's Eye in my rereading of the series and never got to Ring of Solomon but: I think Barti's hatred of Simpkin is partly because he must mentally be like "Why are you giving this guy all this respect and admiration. He's nothing like Ptolemy, he's just some everyday jackass magician." And partly because Simpkin let it get to his head and acted like his privileged position over other spirits was something he'd earned by being the bestest little assistant and this made him better than others.

And if memory serves, back in Prague Bartimaeus knew that Queezle was "only" 1500 and more importantly only had two previous masters, which is so insanely young and inexperienced compared to him, but it doesn't seem like she tried to lord it over other spirits or had delusions about the nature of servitude, she was just less emotionally closed off from her colleagues.

It's like, comparing it to a human workplace, Simpkin is the guy who happened to get picked as the boss's favorite and worked his way up to a high position by sucking up but acts like it's because he's the smartest, hardest working etc. when really he's just as disposable as everyone else, and Queezle is the new kid whose only prior job was mowing the lawn of a nice elderly neighbor who paid her way above market rate to be nice, and is friendly with coworkers in a naive "hasn't been traumatized by the toxic culture of this industry yet" way, but is fully able and willing to join on making fun of Management behind their backs.

WRT Barti's relationship with Nathaniel, both Bartimaeus and Simpkin have high opinions of themselves and their importance to their masters but Simpkin looks up to Pinn and Barti looks down on Nathaniel. Simpkin is like "My master is a wise and generous man for relying on me and recognizing my talents," Bartimaeus is like "My master is a dumbass loser kid who can't even dress himself without committing crimes against fashion. He would be lost without me and his only good decision aside from the rare occasions when he actually listens to my advice was summoning me, and even that I'm chalking up to beginner's luck the first time. He is reliant on me over other spirits because I'm not afraid to call him an idiot to his face."

Unpopular opinion-

Simpkin deserved better.

[nanagoswife]

Regret

Summary: You haven’t seen Nanami for years. Not since he left Jujutsu Tech. He left everything behind and that included you. So, when he appears at the bakery you now owned, you have a hundred different questions for him and a truth you’re not sure he should know.

W/C: 5.6k

Warnings: mention of death, heart break, regret, angst?, breakup, hurt/comfort

A/N: So, I’m not sure if I will but there could possibly be a spicy scene added for this. I don’t know if I’ll write it but, if you guys want it, let me know and I’ll write an extra little part for it!

- - -

You were frozen in place. Why? Because the man that you never thought you would see again just walked into the bakery you owned. Was it because of this man that you now have this business? Possibly. However, he didn’t know that. He didn’t need to know that. Especially when you hadn’t seen this man since he left the jujutsu world years ago. He doesn’t deserve to know that this all existed because of him.

Nanami Kento looks different. A good different. He had already cut his hair to a similar style as he has now, but this is a mastered look. The suit he wore made his more defined features look even more handsome than ever before. Then, there were his eyes. Unlike all of those years ago, they look tired, exhausted, and drained. You can’t help but wonder what caused it. He left so that he could live stress free and not have to worry about the dangers of the job. Most of all, he left you. There’s nothing that he could've gone through that was as heartbreaking and difficult as you did during that time. So why does he look so unhappy? 

What should you do? Pretend like you don’t know him? No, that wouldn’t work. Especially not with the history you have with him. Do you escape into the back, leaving your friend alone to deal with the man that you used to love so much? No, you can’t do that either. Both because he’s now caught sight of you and because a part of you still loves him and doesn’t want to entirely waste this chance. Well, it would also be because your friend would catch on in a heartbeat and drag you back to the front.

So, resigning to the fact that you have nowhere to run, you pretend to busy yourself with something; bending below the counter to wipe something down that really doesn’t need to be when Nanami slowly makes his way over. Your employee/store manager/friend, Akane, notices how you’re acting. She looks at the man then back to you a few times with a look of confusion. However, that look doesn’t stay for long when she sees your scrubbing at nothing.

“Good afternoon,” she greets Nanami as he gets to the counter you’re still crouching behind. It’s pitiful and embarrassing that you’re hiding from him. It’s even worse looking at the way you decided to do so. However, you don’t know exactly how you would feel if you were to meet his eyes. There’s so much running through your mind that it’s practically short-circuiting. “What can I get for you today, sir?”

The fact that you guessed his exact order, a casse-croute, had your cheeks heating up in embarrassment and frustration. You’ve been trying to forget this man over the last few years. Weren’t things supposed to change? Shouldn’t he have given a new order that you should no longer know? Weren’t you supposed to forget the little details?

At the same time, you can’t help but notice how he doesn’t quite sound like himself. He was never one to stumble over words, but he was now. Even saying something so easy and something that’s so routine and stumbling over those words? It has you peering up for a moment, thinking you see his eyes snap back up as he swallows. It would be a more amusing sight if the frustration wasn’t starting to settle in from the memories of the past.

“Of course! I’ll get my coworker to whip it up for you,” Akane states as she looks down at you. 

You whip your head up and glare at her. This was not what you needed right now. Especially since you don’t know whether you want to simply punch Nanami or straight out murder him. Either way, you school your features and act like nothing is wrong as you stand. You don’t look at him and instead smile at your friend as you make your way to the back, chirping out a bubbly-sounding, “On it.”

So, maybe Akane actually was helping. You had to make the sandwich in the back where no one could see you. That meant you wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Nanami any longer. Well, at least not until it was ready and you had to bring it out to him. Perhaps you could get Akane to grab it from you so you don’t have to show your face until after he leaves.

Once you disappear behind the corner, you sigh as you lean your back against the wall. You wanted to take a moment to gather yourself but memories and complex feelings come screaming into focus instead. There’s so much that you don’t know what to do. You don’t know whether you want to scream, cry, punch him out, run away, or all of the above. 

You also wonder why he didn’t walk out of the store when he saw you. It was him who left in the first place, the one that broke your heart when he said he was even leaving you when he left the jujutsu world. He was the one who said he couldn’t handle the risk factor of the job. He was the reason why you no longer had a reason to keep fighting curses and that led to where you were now.

When you opened this bakery, all you could think of was Nanami. It wasn’t too long after his decision to leave. There was still a large part of you that was him and it seeped into your thoughts and what you chose to do. Sure, you had always daydreamed about opening a place like this even though, at the time, you were convinced you’d never be able to. When Nanami came along, though, his love of baked treats and his favourite bread pushed those dreams along further. So, you chose to make it your career with the memories of you and Nanami sitting under a tree together, resting your head on his shoulder while you both fantasised about it in between reading. 

Those were days that you never thought would end. Not leaving the jujutsu world and definitely not your relationship with Nanami. It didn’t matter how much Gojo tried to plead you to stay, to, “Carry on Nanami’s work,” as he put it at the time. That, though, was the exact reason you couldn’t stay. You couldn’t go through all of that without Nanami there with you and you found you couldn’t think straight when fighting curses. So, you left. That way you could at least fulfill one dream. Even if it wasn’t the exact way you wished it was.

Once again, you sigh, willing all of those memories away. Right now you have a job to do. It doesn’t matter that this is for the man you viewed yourself being with for the rest of your life. You can’t let this small encounter bring all of it back. You don’t want to go through all of that again. You worked so hard to try and (unsuccessfully) forget about it all.

Taking another small moment to try and clear your head, you squeeze your eyes shut before pushing off of the wall. The longer you take, the more he may question your prolonged absence and you don’t want to give him a reason to speak to you. 

Unfortunately, that’s not something you can avoid. One reason is because there’s a lot he could talk about. Especially when it comes to what happened and why you’re in this bakery instead of helping out Gojo at the school as a teacher like you originally planned. The second reason is because, as you had just finished putting everything on the sandwich, you saw him standing at the entrance that led to the front counter.

Maybe Akane isn’t as good of a friend as you thought. That or it was because of how long you were taking. Or it could’ve even been Nanami who convinced her to let him back here-

No. No, that can’t be it. Why would he suddenly want to talk to you now when he’s had years to do this.

Still, you can’t help but notice the way he seems to study you. He seems frozen in place just like you were when you had first seen him. When he had first spotted you, you didn’t let him have the same chance that you had to study how the years have changed him. So, you see him study everything about you while you notice he looks even more exhausted than you originally noted. It makes you wonder how he’s even able to stand. 

That exhaustion isn’t the only thing you can see, either. There’s a small hint of… sadness? It’s something that’s weighing him down more than fatigue ever could.

“You look good,” Nanami suddenly mutters, his eyes finally ending their search at yours. 

“And you look like shit,” you retort. 

It isn’t really that true. He looks amazing. He always has and the passing years have only worked to prove that. What you’re really acknowledging is his eyes. They convey the amount of stress he’s been dealing with and you’re honestly surprised you don’t see any grey in his blonde hair.

“Why are you back here?”

Nanami takes a slightly larger breath, almost like he’s steeling himself before answering with, “I wanted to see you.”

His admission is soft but pained. It sounds like he’s trying to plead with himself so that he can talk to you and try to forget everything that’s happened. You know he doesn’t want to skip over it, he just wants to bask in the moment for as long as he can. Why do you know that? Mainly because this is how he was after one day that you got seriously injured partially due to his mistake and again after a fight the two of you once had. Those were moments he was sure you would leave him and never come back. Now, though, that fear would be more real for him now than it was during those instances.

Now, it’s much more than those two combined. This was worse than any injury or fight you could have with him. You don’t know, like those two experiences, if you’ll be able to heal and become stronger. So far it’s only made you weaker and there’s never been a sign of moving on. Like it or not, there’s still a large part of you with Nanami but you’re not sure if you can ever get that back.

“Well, you’ve seen me,” you almost snap, turning from him to wrap his sandwich. “Now,” you continue as you finish wrapping it, walking over to him and pushing it into his chest while you try to not let your voice tremble, “I would appreciate it if you left.”

“Wait,” he calls out, grabbing your wrist as you try to walk past him. 

You glare at him when you’re forced to stop, pulling your wrist from his grip. It pains you to do so. That momentary touch of his hand brought back memories that now only caused pain. However, it also reminded you how that same touch was what had comforted you for so long. It was a touch you had been longing for for nearly four years now. Now, though, you can’t let him see that you actually still care.

“Why should I listen to you now when you could’ve talked to me years ago? Apparently what we had was not important enough to keep so why, Nanami? Why now?” You couldn’t help the way your voice finally cracked with that outburst. Nor could you keep the tears from building up in your eyes. They may not be falling yet but they’re there nonetheless.

Nanami doesn’t shy away from you. The only reaction you saw was a small flinch when you said his last name rather than his first. It had been even longer than the few years since he left that you called him anything but Kento. Now, he doesn’t deserve to be called anything but that. 

Instead of shying away, he looks to the ground. “I… I wanted to,” he admits in a small voice.

“Then why didn’t you? Do you know how much pain you would’ve saved me from if you had even just simply texted me hello? I was worried about you, Nanami. What hurt most was that you had still kept in contact with Satoru for a while. That was my only way of knowing you were even still alive.”

You watch the way Nanami shuffles a bit as he looks back up at you. His regret is so clearly written across his face that it pushes those tears over the edge. Even though you know you didn’t mean nothing to him, it still felt like it with how easily he cut you out. You wonder if there’s a piece of him that he left with you just as he has that piece of you. 

There’s a pang of hurt that crashes into Nanami’s chest when you use Gojo’s first name. He’s sure that, although you also left, you still keep in contact with the sorcerer. Is there something more going on? No, he knows there isn’t. You never thought of Gojo like that and he doubts that you would change that. 

Nanami goes to say something but you raise your hand, stopping him before he can start. “I don’t want to hear your excuses,” you let out quietly, wobbly, as you cross your arms over your chest. “Please, just leave.”

“Okay,” he says just as quietly. However he doesn’t move right away. “I’ll leave now but, please, can we meet somewhere so that I can explain. I know I should have done it years ago. I wanted to but I didn’t. Will you let me now?”

If you weren’t so desperate for answers, desperate to see him again, you would’ve said no and escorted him out of the store yourself. Instead, you’re nodding, taking a piece of paper out to write down your address and a time. Wordlessly, you hand him the paper, not meeting his eyes for any of it. When he goes to walk back to the front, you notice how he hesitates. You’re sure he probably wanted to say something more but he knows you don’t want to hear it. So, he leaves.

You wait until you hear him leave, wiping the tears from your face, before going out front. Akane looks worried when she must see your red eyes and tear stains. Instead of telling her what happened, though, you continue on with the day without saying a word about it. If you’re going to tell her what happened, it will be after whatever conversation you were going to have with Nanami tonight. That, and it definitely won’t be a discussion had at work.

-

Just as expected, Nanami showed up early. Well, the time you wrote compensated for that. So there really isn’t that much that’s changed about him at all, really. You can’t help but wonder why. Wasn’t that the reason he left? To change himself?

Nothing is really said as you let him into your apartment. The only exchange being where he can hang his coat. That and when he paused at seeing tea all set at your livingroom’s coffee table.

“You made tea?” he questions when he sees they’re both already fully prepared. He knows which one’s yours and which one must be for him. You had always liked a bit of milk and sugar in yours. For him, he only ever put a dash of sugar in his. A small flicker of hope trickled into him at the thought you remembered something as small as this after all of these years.

“I may be upset but that doesn’t keep me from having some common decency,” you retort. It’s not too harsh but it’s enough to get your point across.

He stays silent as he settles in the seat you put his tea in front of. Before any talking begins, he takes a sip from the drink and that flicker of hope grows when he finds that you did put the sugar in it. Yet, he shouldn’t be surprised especially when you, he’s assuming unknowingly, even put a light layer of butter on the sandwich you made for him. Maybe, just as he knows he left with a piece of you that he’s never let go, you kept the piece of him that he left with you.

Nanami looks up at you as you stay silent, finding more interest in the plain coffee table than him. He needs to start this off somehow. So, he decides to start off a little light. Especially since he knows it won’t last at all.

“You own a bakery now.” It’s both a statement and a question. 

You nod slowly. “I got to live my dream afterall,” you say quietly as you don’t meet his eyes but look in his general direction. “Well, not entirely.”

The fact that Nanami knows exactly what you mean makes his heart ache. It brought back all of those days snuggled up under the tree when you would talk about it. Why did he ever leave those moments behind?

“This job,” you quietly start again after a moment of silence, “this dream, it was supposed to be shared with you.” You pause, looking down at your tea in your hands. “Well, to be honest, the dream was supposed to stay a dream. That way my real dream could’ve come true.”

“I wanted that dream to,” he admits quietly.

Your eyes shoot up to meet his. The frustration and anger begins to build up again. Worst of all, you feel the tears begin to build up again as well. However, you tried your best to keep yourself as calm as possible as you ask, “Then why did you leave me?”

That sadness that you saw earlier came back at full force in Nanami’s eyes. It made him look even more tired than when you first saw him at the bakery. Now you know exactly what the cause was. It was almost liberating knowing that what happened three years ago was weighing on him just as much as it was as it was on you. Meanly so but it was nice to know you weren’t the only one struggling through all of this. 

Now, you watch Nanami’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallows thickly, slightly adjusting his position. And then, “It was because I was afraid of losing you too. I thought that leaving everything and everyone was what was best so that I would never have to deal with that kind of loss ever again.”

“I never knew you could be so selfish,” you mutter as you meet his eyes again. “You weren’t the only one who went through that loss, Nanami! It’s not as if you were the only one close to him!” 

You stop yourself when you notice your tone continuing to raise in volume. This isn't how you wanted this to go. Sure, you were angry and upset but letting those emotions take control is not the route you should take at all. Especially since you want answers and you don’t want to risk not getting them after all of these years. That and a small part of you wants to resolve this. You want the man you love back.

When you see the way Nanami’s eyes seem to look even sadder, you try to backtrack.

“I’m sorry,” you nearly whisper, “I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“No. It’s fair. You’re right. I was too cowardly to try and get through it and in the process I shut everyone I knew out no matter how much I didn’t want to.” Nanami pauses for a moment, his jaw working as he considers his next words. A breath and then, “When I left, I was going to ask you to join me.”

“Then why didn’t you? Why did you have to cut me off completely? Did you not realize you caused more pain with leaving than if you were to stay?” 

You can hear how desperate your voice is getting. Normally you would try and keep yourself calm but you’re letting it all out now. This man was the one you thought you had a future with. He was the one you imagined having everything with that you never used to want. When he left, it broke you so badly that you couldn’t do anything that you used to. Gojo had tried to help you but his efforts were in vain because the love of your life had acted as if you meant nothing to him with how easily he left. 

“When you left,” you continued before Nanami had a chance to reply, “you didn’t just simply leave. You took a piece of me that I’ve never been able to gain back on my own. It was a piece that belonged to you and no matter how hard I tried, I could never do anything without having you in mind.” 

There was no way to stop the tears anymore. The more you let out, the more you feel the emotions of the last three years come crashing in. It was too much and not enough to show Nanami just how much you’ve been affected. Yet, you continued as everything you’ve wanted to say; every question you’ve had for him comes pouring out.

“The bakery? Leaving jujutsu? Everything I did was because of you, Kento. I loved you. I still do because I’ve never been able to let you go. And, now that I look at it, everything I did was to nurture that piece of you that lived in me. That’s why I couldn’t let go. I wanted to know why you let me go so easily. I wanted to know if you even tried to reach out to me. Was Satoru the only one you talked to? Was he more important than me? Did you envision the same future with me as I did with you? Was I part of the reason you decided to leave? Did you leave a part of yourself that you couldn’t get back just like there’s a piece of me I’ve never got back? Did you find someone that replaced me? Most of all, I just couldn’t forget you, Kento. That’s why no one was ever able to replace you in simple things like asking for me to stay. That’s why…”

There’s an almost tense silence that spreads out through your living room as you trail off. All that could be heard was your tears as you struggled to keep yourself together; to not break down into the sobs you really want. 

So, to try and keep that from happening, you squeeze your eyes shut as you dip your head. Your hands clench the material of the couch as you attempt to will away the tears. However, the more you tried, the harder it got. Not to mention how you were trying to fight the way you wanted to fall into the comfort of Nanami’s arms just like years ago. 

That thought was only making it all worse when you knew you couldn’t do that. His plan was to leave everything behind; to move on and forget it all. What if, unlike you, he’s actually been able to move on? Was there someone else in his life? Did he even care about what the two of you had anymore? Did you mean anything to him still?

Before you know it, the dam bursts and there’s no longer any possibility to keep your tears in check. You hold your face in your hands as you let it all out, finding it difficult to breathe while you at least try to hold back the way you want to cry out. In fact, you’re so lost in that effort along with everything you’re feeling that you don’t notice the way the couch dips beside you. You don’t realize anything has changed until you feel a hand on your shoulder. 

It has a weight and warmth you thought you would never feel again as it pulls you into its owner. Even though a part of you wants to pull away, the larger part of you, the part of you that’s always been centred around Nanami, pushes you in further. You’re burying your face into his chest, effectively creating a wet spot on his white dress shirt. It’s almost like your hands instinctively find themselves clenching the material of his shirt at his back as nothing at all is held back anymore.

Nanami’s welcoming and warm embrace provides you with a sense of security that you haven’t felt for so long. It brings back memories of how he would hug you after a long day and just hold you. The one mission the two of you went on where he shielded you from an explosion with his own body. Most of all, all of the nights the two of you spent with each other just simply snuggled up, your back to his chest, his grip protective even in his sleep. 

At the same time, that fact makes it all hurt more as you feel that security once again. Why is he doing this? How were you supposed to try and move on like he did when he’s offering what you could’ve had in these last years? It all just makes the tears flow harder and his grip on you becomes just that small bit tighter.

Next thing you know, you can feel his lips pressing into your hair. There was no hesitation like he had earlier when just simply trying to talk to you. Now, you could tell, all he was trying to silently convey was how much he still cared for you. He’s providing that same comfort that he did whenever times had become rough for you. It’s just like how he held your crying figure close when you found out your friend was unable to survive from a curse attack.

Then, with his lips still lingering where he pressed them, he whispers, “I’ve never stopped loving you, either.”

Those words sent both a wave of relief and resentment. If he had just said that all of those years ago and kept you in his life, moments like these would never have happened. However, you’re just happy that you have Nanami back like this. 

It isn’t until you’ve finally calmed down that he continues to mutter everything into your  hair, not letting up on how he’s embracing you. “I’ve never had a single day where I felt genuinely happy since I left. I was so stuck in what I thought was my ideal, following my head over my heart. It was a moment of weakness and I was a coward for running away. I was an even bigger coward when I never let myself try and reach out to you. The thought of you having moved on kept plaguing me.”

You shake your head into his chest, moving your arms around to grasp at his back. Like this, you pull him in as close as you can. “How could I ever get over what we had?”

“I don’t know,” he softly admitted. “However, you were always so much stronger than I was. Whatever you had put your mind to, you chased it even if it seemed impossible.” 

He paused for a moment, allowing you to finally enjoy his arms wrapped around you as your flow of tears finally stopped. You allow his words to sink in, finding yourself forgiving him despite all of the questions you had weren’t all answered. You find yourself adjusting your head until it’s more comfortably placed in the spot where his shoulder met his neck.

“For me,” Nanami started again after adjusting so his cheek was resting against your head, “there was also a piece of me that I left with you. I could never forgive myself for leaving you and it scared me when I thought you may not have been the same. It was selfish of me to want and it only made me feel worse when I heard you say it.”

“I also wanted you to feel the same. So, I guess we’re both selfish, huh?”

You can feel the way Nanami smiles against you. However it falls as he pulls away enough so that you can look at him. “That didn’t answer all of your questions, though. You weren’t in any of the reasons as to why I left. Letting go of you was the hardest part of leaving and a part of me was wishing you would ask me to stay,” he admits, pressing a kiss to your head. Then, he continues, “I know why you didn’t, though. You would never keep me from doing what I felt was best for me. One of the many reasons I still love you to this day.”

Another pause stretches out as he kisses your head yet again, letting this one linger. With every answer he’s willingly giving you, a weight lifts from your chest. You’re sure that, by the time he’s finished, that weight will be nearly gone.

“I wanted to reach out to you. However, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to keep to my decision if I did. The only reason I was only messaging Gojo was so that I could know how you were doing and so that he could pass on how I was to you. That man is nowhere close to being more important than you.” A small huff of laughter. “Especially when you know he drives me insane.”

You laugh with him for a moment before burying your face back into the crook of his neck. Now that you had him, you wanted to regain the knowledge of him back. The way he felt, the way he smelled, the way he sounded as the vibrations from his chest transferred through to yours. You noticed how tightly your hands grasped into the back of his shirt but you weren’t letting go. If it meant you were going to lose him again, you didn’t want to. However, with the way he didn’t seem to mind, that worry could be set aside… in a few moments.

A hand of his comes up to brush some of your hair from your face, his no longer calloused fingers brushing gently across your forehead and causing you to bury further into him. Then he continues, tone and expression sincere and expressing how much he wants you to know all he says is true, “I loved you so much then, Y/N, I still do. Before I met you, I never imagined a future that would be shared with someone else.” Nanami pauses, using his hand to guide your face so your eyes meet his beautiful chestnut ones. “Don’t think I forgot about the one day we talked about that future instead of the bakery. I truly wanted all of that with you. I wanted that dream to be the only one that came true. I never wanted that with anyone other than you. I never wanted to see someone romantically if it wasn’t you. A part of me will always be with you and I never could forget you.”

For a few moments, you watch as he studies your eyes. It reminds you of the days when you were first getting to know each other and how he terribly hid his feelings through those motions. The way his chestnut eyes would search yours shamelessly gave it all away.

A smile creeps its way across your lips as you slide a hand up to brush away some hair from his forehead, your fingers threading through the soft strands. All you want right now is to savour the moment and possibly rekindle what the two of you had. There was going to be a lot of catching up but, for now, the only thing you really needed to know was said; how both of you had the same struggle through all of these years. There is one question, though, that you want to ask now.

“Is there anything else you would like to ask me?” Nanami’s voice is gentle, genuine curiosity flowing through his words. You watch the way his eyes never leave your face as he leans into your touch.

“Only one. For now,” you answer quietly, allowing yourself to notice how his eyes have gained the brightness that you once knew back. It may not be exactly the same as before, but it was something else added onto the familiarity you missed so much.

“And what is that?” he breathes out as he looks at you as if you were the one that his life orbited around. It always amused you how he viewed you as the centre of his orbit when you thought he was yours. 

Nanami smirks as you begin to lean closer to him. “Will you come back to me, Kento?”

His smile grows, leaning in the slightest bit more until your lips are a breath away from his. “Of course, my love.”

- - -

@where-fantasy-meets-reality @thereluctantherosrose @fiona782

[shigarakis-cumdump]

Needy Mission

https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shigarakiscumdump/works

(If you like what you read, consider supporting me on Ao3!)

Summary:  You were siked to hear that your new mission was to hunt down the League of Villains. Maybe Shigaraki would want your date to be early that day? You haven't seen your boyfriend in a minute, anyways.

Cw: dubcon, exhibitionism 

Word Count: 1.7k 

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*..✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*..✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*..✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

There was an important mission you were grouped up to do with your coworkers: find and hunt down the LOV. It wasn’t easy, of course, but as a pro, you had to take on tasks like this. You and a few other pros left the commission earlier and split up to find their hideout. You aimlessly walked around town, pretending as if you were looking for this place that you had actually gone to every other night for the last 5 months. If word got out that you were dating the leader of the League of Villains, you would be locked away for sure. You forget how you got so infatuated with Shigaraki. The USJ attack was probably it. His recklessness just to get what he wanted; he was a lot like you, and you liked that. When you “captured him” during that fight, you told him to pull something to be able to get away- that you wanted to save him. He didn’t really understand, but the second he knew you were being honest, he fell in love. After that day, he stalked you for a bit. It would be weird if you started to randomly mention him during meetings and such, so you waited for Shigaraki to come to you.

“Someone miss me already~?” you hear from behind a building. Your face lights up and you hurry back to not be seen.

“We’re actually trying to find you guys today. I’ll lead them in the other direction, don’t worry. No one’s taking you or your league today, my love~” you kiss him on the cheek when he slaps your ass.

“There’s my obedient girl. Can’t get enough of this villain cock, huh? You might even lose your job if they find out. But my stupid bitch couldn’t care less..” he chuckles. You smile and nod, happy to please him. He gropes your ass, pulling you in tighter to smell your freshly washed hair. You used his favorite scented shampoo, in hopes you’d see him today. He trailed small bite marks from your ears to your neck, leaving some visible ones.

“Shiggy, you can’t make them noticeable..I’m supposed to be working right now, it’s not professional..” you lecture him. Shigaraki sighs and grabs your chin with his hand.

“Since when has any of this been professional? I’ve harassed your coworkers and students, yet you still seem to love me. Maybe I should fuck you right here so everyone can hear and see how much you love being my “heroic” little cock sleeve.” he said, crimson eyes staring into your soul. You hated when he used the word ‘heroic’ in a condescending tone like that. It made you feel like your line of work was for nothing. You took a deep breath and averted his gaze, whispering a small sorry. “What was that, slut? Might have to speak up, I don’t think anyone could hear you,” he lifts your chin up harsh-fully.

“Sorry, Shigaraki!” you shout, afraid you were too loud.

“Good girl, let them hear you submit to me..” he said, shoving you down to your knees. You watched him as he quickly pulled his pants down and let his cock out free. He tapped your cheek with it, and you opened your mouth like he trained you. He shoved his cock down your throat, immediately making you gag around his large member. He grabbed the back of your head and forced himself further down your throat. He throatfucked you for what seemed like forever, only letting you breathe every minute or so. Drool, sweat, and tears coated your face.

“Let’s paint that pretty face of yours, huh? Then I’ll ruin your pussy so you can barely walk the rest of the day~” he groans, taking his dick out of your mouth before releasing all over your pretty face. You scrunch your eyes shut as you feel his hot load trail down your face, getting caught in your eyelashes. You hear a phone camera shutter, and the flash turns your eyelids red. “Such a filthy girl, really,” he scoffs, and you wipe the cum from your eyes to look up to him. Your glossed over eyes shine up at him and he caresses your face. “Get up.” he tells you. You swiftly stand on your feet. Shigaraki throws you around like a ragdoll, turning you over so your ass is up in the air. He slaps it harshly a few times, loving the pathetic whimpers you let out. He lines his cock up to your wet hole, and without warning starts fucking into you mercilessly.

“Shigaraki- please! Someone will come back- ah! Here!!” you cry out, trying to cover your own mouth to muffle yourself.

“I thought you wanted everyone to see you look like a slut for your master?” he bucks his hips into your ass, rough enough to leave bruises.

“Master, please!! It’s too much!!” you whine. He shows no signs of stopping before he cums inside of your tight cunt, not soon after his first on your face. Anyone could walk behind the building to see this wanted villain fucking the pro hero who’s supposed to catch him. It could ruin your career- it could ruin your whole life. So why were you getting wet to the thought of someone finding you bent over like this? Shigaraki could feel your spongy walls clamping down around him, trying to milk him for all he’s worth.

“Calm down, baby, I’m not going anywhere~” Shigaraki chuckles. You hear a group of people walking close to the alley and you try to pry Shigaraki’s hands off of your waist. His grip only tightens, and to make it worse (or better) he slams into you, another involuntary shriek coming out of you.

“What was that?”

“Not sure, but hero’s are lining the streets, someone will help her.”

“Hear that? No one cares about you getting fucked by the most dangerous villain; but I’m sure my slut wouldn’t care..” he said, slapping your ass. You mewl out, feeling your release coming.

“Shiggy, I can’t!! Fuck I’m gunna cum..!”

“No you’re not,” Shigaraki never slows down his pace, but he grabs the small radio you have stationed in your pocket and says, “I think I found one of your little friends, she’s a real cute one; It’d be a shame if anything happened to her~” you hear your coworkers from the other end call your name and ask if you’re okay, but if you open your mouth, something other than words will come out. Shigaraki drops the radio and pounds into you a few more times before you feel his cum filling your dripping cunt once again. He quickly pulls out and starts to walk off, leaving you exposed and needy in the alley.

“Good luck explaining this one to them, honey~ see you soon..” he finishes before a warp gate appears for him.

Your coworkers rush into the alley to see your tear and cum soaked face, speechless. God, you loved Shigaraki’s games.

[beelsnack]

I know this happens to plenty of people. You work in fast food or retail and your just trying to make a living. Whether your saving to get out of a crappy household ASAP, no matter the job, paying for college, or any other reason and you WILL have shitty jerk customers (At my first job and first day, I was asked if I spoke English because I couldn’t understand him with the mask and there’s a glass in front of the food. Buddy, shush. Didn’t help that I’m sensitive, ended up crying the moment I got home. These jobs are ones where you learn to really respect these workers cause of the crap they go through when you have it as a job)

In this request, the boys visit MC in the human world when they have the chance. So, my request is how would the brothers and Diavolo (the limit was 8 right?) react to coming to the human world one night to visit MC and they see them just crying and just frustrated in general due to shitty asshole customers from work?

I feel it's necessary to let you know that I actually started working on this request while on my break at my retail job.

I'm sorry you had to deal with that, friend. Pour one out for the retail workers out here busting ass during a global pandemic.

Thanks for being patient with me, friend, I know I don't really have a consistent upload schedule.

-----

Lucifer: In hindsight. he could have planned this out better.

Perhaps his own pride was to blame. He had planned to surprise the human by showing up unannounced after their shift, but he had gotten so caught up in the thought of them jumping into his arms out of sheer joy that he never considered that it might not be a good time.

"Hush now, my dear," Lucifer sat down next to where they had slumped against the wall of their living room. The carpet was slightly stained and part of him wanted to recoil, but there were more important things to worry about. "Those wretches aren't worth your tears."

He brought his arm around their shoulders, tugging them against his side and letting his cloak drape over them like a blanket. They snuggled into him almost instinctively, and he couldn't help but preen a little bit.

"I know," they hiccupped, burying their face in the crook on his neck. "It's just...sometimes it's hard not to focus on it, y'know?"

Lucifer didn't, but that didn't mean he lacked sympathy. The demon placed two gloved fingers beneath their chin and tilted their head upwards.

"Then how about you focus on me instead?"

Mammon: Turns out every Realm had its Karens. Who knew?

When Mammon had first popped into the human's place and seen them face-down on the kitchen table sobbing, his initial reaction had been violence. He wanted to find whoever made his human cry and wring the reason why out of their throat. But, after the initial bloodlust subsided, he realized that he had something way more important to worry about.

He sat down on the chair next to them, taking one of their hands and gently running his thumb over the bumps of their knuckles as they choked out what had happened. Mammon had worked his fair share of part time jobs, he was no stranger to the specific torture that was retail. So hearing that his human had to go through that made his heart break a tiny bit.

Not that he would show it, of course.

"A'ight, human, the Great Mammon is here to help." he grinned, standing up. "I know just what you need."

He strode over to their kitchen like he lived there, flung open the fridge and pulled out a bottle of alcohol.

"Mammon," the human rubbed at the dried tear tracks on their cheeks. "Not that I don't appreciate it, but...how did you know where I keep my liquor?"

"Minor details, human!"

Leviathan: His first instinct was to panic.

The human was flopped face first onto their couch when Levi showed up, and his specialty had always been jumping to conclusions. He almost took himself out on their coffee table in his haste to make sure they were breathing.

And then the human almost took him out because the logical reaction to someone suddenly bursting into your home and getting right up in your face was to a) scream and b) punch.

After the comedy of errors skit was over, the two of them were sitting upright on the couch. The human looked exhausted, both emotionally and physically, as they filled him in on their day from Hell.

(Except not because their actual days in Hell were a lot better than working retail, but that was beside the point.)

"...so not only did I have to interact with people, which is already more than enough, I got screamed at because this old lady didn't like the price of something! Yes, Helen, I personally made the prices higher just to piss you off, you've figured out my master plan!"

"Ew, no, do not want." Levi winced in sympathy. "My personal remedy is playing beat-em-ups."

"Your solution to everything is video games, Levi."

"Shh, no thoughts, only Smash Brothers."

Satan: He had so many questions.

What happened? How long had the human been sitting there stewing in their own misery? Where was he going to hide the body?

Satan was a pro at suppressing rage. So even though he wanted to go rip out the vocal chords of every soccer mom with a let-me-speak-to-the-manager haircut within a five mile radius, he reigned it in enough to settle himself down on the couch next to the distraught human and rub soothing circles on their back while they tried to tell him what happened through their sobs.

"Next time, summon me and I'll kill them for you."

"I don't think corporate would appreciate me summoning a demon in the middle of a department store."

"I don't appreciate corporate telling you that you have to stand there and be verbally abused by a wrinkly old hag who couldn't figure out what the word 'expires' meant." he huffed. The human let themselves flop heavily against his side, and when he looked down at them he noticed that the corner of their mouth had twitched up in the barest hint of a smile.

"She was, like, thirty, Satan."

"She was a wrinkly old hag in spirit."

Asmodeus: "Oh, darling, what happened?"

Usually Asmo preferred to be on his knees for a different reason, but the human was refusing to look up, so kneeling in front of them was his only option to be able to see their face. He reached up to cup their cheeks, wiping away a few tears with his thumbs. "Shh, it's alright, I'm here, darling. Tell me what happened."

They sniffled, a few fresh tears spilling over when they blinked. "I-I'm sorry, Asmo, I - "

"No need to apologize, darling." he moved some of their hair behind their ear. "Just let it all out. Bottling up all of those negative emotions will make you break out."

After a few more minutes, they finally calmed down enough to recount the torture that had been their retail shift.

"Ugh, honestly," Asmo shook his head. "Hearing those kind of stories just makes you wonder. How do people get so entitled like that?"

He stood from his kneeling position, reaching down to hold their hands. "I refuse to let any of those awful people contaminate your beauty, darling. You," he let go of one of their hands to boop them affectionately on the nose. "Need a spa night."

"A spa night?"

"Mm-hm!" Asmo hummed, already on his way to the bathroom. "You let Nurse Asmo was all of those icky feelings away."

Beelzebub: They hadn't even made it fully into the living room.

When Beel stepped through the portal into the human's apartment and saw them curled into a ball near the doorway, he was immediately on high alert and checking for danger. Only after he realized that he didn't smell blood and had made sure to inspect all of the places for danger to hide did he lower his hackles.

The human was watching him through watery eyes, and Beel realized belatedly that he hadn't even greeted them. Well, bit too late for that. He crossed the living room in a few long strides and crouched down in front of them, lifting their hair out of the way to check for injuries.

Satisfied that there was no immediate danger, he scooped them up into his arms and deposited them on the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"

They shrugged, wiping furiously at their eyes. "Just...people at work were being jerks, is all. I'm probably just being a big baby about it."

"No you aren't," Beel sat down next to them. "You're allowed to be upset if people are being hurtful."

That only brought on a fresh wave of tears, and Beel felt a little guilty. He pulled them closer until they were practically in his lap and tucked them underneath his chin like he could physically shield them from all of the awful things in the Three Realms.

"I'll make us some dinner. Everything's worse when you're hungry."

Bephegor: They started nap time without him.

Well, that's what it looked like when Belphie first popped through the portal. But, upon closer inspection, he noticed that the lump under the blankets that was the human was definitely not sleeping. Their breathing was quick and staccato, interrupted here and there by low, hiccupping whines.

They were crying.

Well that wouldn't do. Crying yourself to sleep just gave you a headache.

"Hey," he peeled back the protective layer of blanket to look at the human. Eyes red-rimmed and puffy, with a little wet spot on the pillow where their tears had landed. They sniffled, trying to shrink back into their blanket burrito, but Belphie held first. "Let me in."

He wiggled his way into the cocoon until they two of them were snuggled together, with their head against his collarbone. "Wanna tell me what happened?"

"Humans suck."

"Didn't we solve this issue already?" Belphie snickered when they pushed weakly against his chest. "Why in particular do humans suck?"

With a shuddering sigh, they recounted the events of the day. How they had been screamed at by customers, then scolded by their boss when said customers complained, then treated like actual garbage by their coworkers when the boss took their anger out on their employees.

"...Yeah, humans suck." Belphie tugged them in a little closer, burying his face in their hair. "But you've got your favorite demonic nap buddy here, so you don't have to worry about humans, okay?"

Diavolo: He felt powerless.

It was not a feeling Diavolo experienced often as the Crown Prince of the Devildom, and the few times he did experience it, he didn't like it.

If they had been in the Devildom, he would simply order whoever had made the human upset to be tortured for a decade or two - well, actually, he would have them brutally killed, revived, and then killed again, but the human was a merciful soul and likely wouldn't let him. But this was the Human Realm, where the only influence he had was the intimidation factor of his height and size. So all he could do was hold the human as they sobbed against his chest.

"This isn't fair to you," he mumbled into their hair as they sat on the couch. "You should be in the Devildom, treated like the noble you are. You shouldn't have to deal with these ingrates who think they're better because you're on the clock at that particular moment."

They whimpered softly as Diavolo murmured sweet things to them. Even if it was merely a fantasy, it was nice to think of a world where they wouldn't have to put up with all of the bullshit of retail.

Maybe one day they would take Diavolo up on his offer.

[thermodynamiclawyer]

yeah, this is gonna be a trainwreck. here’s @bandagegirl ‘s and my GHS headcanon masterpost. our goal was to have at least 3 per character, if not more. we kinda had to group the last few characters together in the end, though. it’ll be split up in categories between the characters in the Game, then Anime-Only, and then overall Worldbuilding at the end as for easier reading.

Game Characters

Gregory

the Lost World/Gregory House is Gregory’s own manifestation through loneliness and envy. (see Worldbuilding)

he’s WAY older than a grandfather of James. he’s more of a great-great-great-great grandfather, but it’s easier to just call him grandpa.

he’s been long dead in reality for years. always constantly dreaming and manifesting his Lost World and eventually never woke up.

there is almost 0 records of him from reality. because of this, there is no clear time period he originated in, unlike the guests.

he’s a collector. he loves historically significant antique items to put on a shelf and learn all about.

as taken from the manga, his favorite historical subject is War.

he suffered from frequent night terrors as a teenager, making it difficult to sleep before the manifestation of the Lost World.

while he usually tries to set up a weekly chore schedule for the residents in the hotel, he usually ends up doing everything himself (both because the guests throw in the towel very quickly and that Gregory wants to do everything right).

his magic abilities include teleportation and immortality, but he’s still very prone to injury.

Gregory Mama

she’s actually a manifestation within the Lost World that Gregory used to cope/punish himself with.

has the tendency to adopt new guests as family members only to eat them/their souls later. this also applies to Gregory attempting to manifest new family members in the past, to which he stopped after Gregory Mama has shown to steal their souls each time.

obviously, she’s not Gregory’s real mother, rather a personification of the abuse Gregory suffered in reality.

as young children usually don’t use their parents real name often, she doesn’t have a real name.

James

he’s a child who escaped reality after discovering a forgotten family member (Gregory) in very old family photos; having little to no relation to the rest of the family.

plus, hearing rumors of a hotel that only appeared during moonless nights only encourage him to take on a challenge.

since he’s related to Gregory (even if it’s very distant), his monster transformation was a lot faster, becoming a full rat in little under a month.

he LOVES horror movies, especially slasher films. he might be a little too influenced by them.

he owns a large range of weapons, from toy water guns to actual chainsaws. that doesn’t mean he’ll use them responsibly, though.

he’s a very smart kid, even to the point where he can be manipulative to both the kids and the adults. he’ll even convince other kids to take the blame for him whenever he starts problems.

his parents from reality miss him very much.

Catherine

in reality, Catherine was a German nurse in the 1940’s during WW2.

as a human, she was actually afraid of the sight of blood and would get lightheaded whenever she had to treat a soldier’s wounds. however, as a determined nurse, she tried her hardest to become tolerant of blood. tolerance became fondness and fondness became obsession to the point where she was hurting her patients just to see blood again.

she is attracted to both men and women, however she experiences internalized biphobia. due to this, she’s desperate to find true love with a man while specifically trying to avoid romantic relationships with women.

she knows how to take care of children.

she molts her skin during periods of time, you know, since she’s a lizard.

she didn’t gain magic powers along with her transformation, but instead gained physical strength.

Cactus Gunman and Cactus Girl

both originated in the Mexican revolution, especially around 1910.

Gunman had been shot in the chest a few times in his life and surprisingly survived each of them.

Gunman’s personality completely changed once he arrived in Gregory House with his sister, becoming a paranoid coward from the brave “hero” he made himself out to be.

they both grow seasonal flowers in the springtime. Gunman grows one large red flower on his head, which he hides with his hat in the spring time. he prefers to only show to his potential lover. Cactus Girl grows smaller white flowers in her hair.

Gunman is in dire need of glasses.

Gunman is quite fond of gardening, and loves to talk about flora. sometimes, Lost Doll will accompany him in the courtyard while he weeds.

they would die for each other, so don’t cross them.

Cactus Girl can shoot better than Gunman, but prefers her lasso and other melee weapons. she’s sworn off using guns after the revolution.

Cactus Girl has the ability to spawn in zones in smaller closed areas, such as turning her hotel room into Cactus Land; sort of like a pocket dimension. it’ll disappear as soon as she leaves the room.

sometimes, they both don’t need to eat due to the occasional Photosynthesis, and can go a long time without water.

Hell’s Chef

he worked as a highly regarded chef in Russia at a fancy restaurant, with mixed European family origins.

him and Mirror Man were coworkers of some sort.

he came from a long line of wrestlers, but broke family tradition to cook as a passion and career.

he died after the restaurant went up in flames.

his throat is still scratchy and rough from the incident, so he isn’t much of a talker. not to mention the language barrier and that he’s still attempting to learn the language everyone else speaks in Gregory House.

while the appearance of his meals look absolutely irredeemable, Chef’s cooking is actually very tasty; so much that you almost can’t taste the poison. he prefers making meals that are hearty and savory, rather than “looking good”.

he prefers to do all the food shopping and butchering. nobody knows the best ingredient selections like he does.

like Catherine, all of this “magic ability” went to his incredible strength.

most, if not all of his body is made out of wax, with vein like wick all throughout the body, giving him general bodily structure.

Neko Zombie

(see Worldbuilding)

Clock Master and My Son

My Son was a stillborn in reality; the death of him and his mother gave Clock Master an alcohol addiction and depression.

1960 is the year My Son and CM's wife died, making it when time stopped for CM. he’s sort of “stuck” in 1960 in a way, which is why the year is plastered on both of their foreheads.

My Son was technically "born" in Gregory House.

when Clock Master came to Gregory House, an infant My Son was already waiting in his room. Because the child died before getting a name, CM referred to him as My Son.

while CM's time abilities are getting worse with age, they never were great to begin with due to the Lost World's unusual flow of time.

My Son's time abilities on the other hand have the potential to be the most powerful ability out of everyone's when he gets older, being able to play multiple timelines at the same time and even rewriting reality. this is due to being born in the Lost World, so his ability has adapted to Gregory House’s “time” system.

Judgement Boy + Gold

instead of a singular character, Judgement Boys are classified as a “species” considering there are multiple of them, with more being produced in the Judgement Factory daily. there is not a singular JB.

the Judgement Factory in Gregory House is a sub-factory of a much bigger Core Factory, where it branches off into different zones and other manifestations. There are countless Judgement Factories in existence, all with numerous JBs being produced and trained.

Judgement Boy Gold is an individual one-of-a-kind model, however, there are more in the “Metal” series similar to him in different factories with a variety of training jobs.

JBs came into existence after a lawyer in the early 2000’s won a court case that suppressed the rights and safety of these assembly line workers in a Toy Factory, which caused hundreds of workers to be injured or even killed. realizing the consequences of his actions, he spiraled downwards into insanity and ended up in Gregory House, rarely leaving his hotel room and eventually manifesting the Factory.

most models or designs of a Judgement Boy are based off of toys; one of the very few things reflected from the lawyer’s fatal court case.

the standard JB’s appearance is a bastardized caricature of the original lawyer, only with added cages and robotic features. the lawyer began transforming into a red monster with sharp teeth and claws, but never saw the results as he disappeared into the Core Factory one day, never to be seen again.

see @ask-factory and the #extended factory tag for a more extensive story.

Mummy Family

Mummy Papa, Mummy Dog, and Mummy Mama originated somewhere in the 1980’s.

the reason they’re in Gregory House is an overlap of death and the fact that Mummy Papa was unintentionally poisoning the 3, leading to ending up in the hotel as a “punishment”.

they’re Bloodhounds.

Mummy Papa loves to collect weapons and owns a saber collection, especially older historically significant ones.

Mummy Dog enjoys morbid facts and likes to tell the other children about death.

Mummy Papa has Münchausen Syndrome by Proxy, which is triggered when the sword shifts in his head. because of this, he keeps himself and the rest of his family sicker with unclear motives, perhaps to have the ability brag about their ailments. (more details here)

Mummy Mama suffers from more immune-system based illnesses and anemia while the other two deal with physical and phantom pain, which they all pass off as colds.

the plant in Mummy Mama’s head is a parasite, and needs to be fed directly to continue living if Mummy Mama gets too weak. (the plant prefers blood)

TV-Fish

one of the few characters classified as a species.

TV Fish have a wide variety of fish or other sea creatures they can be. the TV Fish in Gregory House are much smaller.

some TV Fish don’t even have to be TVs. some can be other electronic appliances just as long as they’re combined with a fish skeleton.

they can be found across other Zones and places besides the Lost World, some with localized and native species differing from what we already seen.

TV Fish are an invasive species in the Lost World.

they’re attracted to people with better memory. a person more intact and in touch with their memories could attract an entire school of TV Fish!

Roulette Boy

practically a God, Roulette Boy has reality bending powers.

however, since he follows his own rules strictly, he sets limits on himself as to only use them for his games, and won’t apply them to himself since he’s the Game Master.

nobody knows what the “rules” he follow are, but he restrains himself on what he can do while hosting a game. though, once you’re in his game, it’s almost a free-for-all and he can change you to be whatever pawn he sees fit until the game is over.

while RB prefers traditional board games, nothing’s stopping him from hosting RPGs or other turn-based video games (as seen in Lost Qualia.) he also loves gacha games and gambling.

when not hosting a game, he likes to roleplay.

Angel/Devil Dog

she is not a guest in Gregory House, neither a manifestation of the Lost World. she is a messenger from an entire separate outside world/reality, and she’s always been Angel Dog.

her, Death, and Gregory have been around equally the longest.

her and Gregory have a long history of rivalry. she’s always meddling in the Lost World and trying to let souls out a backdoor. whether she’s doing it to free them, or just to piss off Gregory, depends on her mood.

Angel Dog has a solid grasp on reality, however, her reality is different from the guests. it’s why her and Neko Zombie get along.

she doesn’t have a split personality disorder, as she chooses to become Devil Dog whenever she feels like it. her decision making is very emotion-based.

she’s a Dachshund!

Devil Dog likes soccer, and Angel Dog likes american football.

Lost Doll

ever since coming to the Lost World, she has either stopped aging altogether or she ages very slowly, as most object-based guests do.

she’s a wooden marionette with the ability to change her size.

in reality, she belonged to a very poor family who could only afford a few outdated wooden toys, which is why Katie was so special to her.

she’s good friends with James, even if she’s usually the one falling victim to his pranks. sometimes, when Katie takes over, it can be the other way around.

she has poor volume control and tends to shout when she’s excited or provoked.

she’s the youngest guest.

Death

Death, like Gregory Mama, is a manifestation of a part of Gregory's life.

he was created from Gregory’s favorite comfort movie, The Seventh Seal.

Death used to work in Gregory House as a doorman, welcoming the guests and wishing them goodbye, but fleed when Gregory Mama appeared and got rid of all other "manifestations".

his goal is to free Gregory's soul and end the Lost World, which is only possible if Gregory is the only person left.

Anime Characters

Dr.Fritz

Dr.Fritz is also German like Catherine, but came a little later in time.

back in reality, his body slowly stop responding, so he illegally tried to build himself a new body. that new body wasn’t fully ready yet when he decided to transplant his own brain when he was wheelchair bound and starting to lose arm control, so it was a very long process.

because of his condition, doctors either didn’t treat him correctly or flat out ignored his problems, so he has a strong mistrust to other doctors, which is why he wanted to operate on himself. the other doctors said there was nothing they could do, but he had other plans in mind.

he was there for the Berlin wall falling, and still has a piece of it as a keepsake.

he falls apart easily and has to re-sew body parts or snap his neck back into place. Catherine helps put him back together (in return, Fritz helps her shed.)

Catherine calls him Fritzchen on occasion.

he documents the species of the patients he treats out of curiosity and hopes to help them better. his treatments may be considered “unethical” but he knows for certain that if it’s to cure or treat the patient, he’ll go great lengths to break any rule in the medical field.

Mono Eye Wizard + Frog Fortune Teller

both are canonically married to each other, i just wanted to make sure everyone knew :]

Mono Eye Wizard wears a helmet, and he’s also an amphibian with one eye underneath his robe.

both are very interested and knowledgeable in the Magical and Paranormal side of the Lost World.

both held onto their souls for longer than most people, but lost them in the end.

Wizard is normally very powerful, he just SUCKS at summonings. (plus, he’s a little bit of an idiot)

on the other hand, Frog Fortune Teller isn’t very powerful, but she is very smart (and stubborn). she’s almost always right, especially if it’s a bad thing she predicted.

Wizard, and other characters such as Musha Dokuro and Egypetit all worship the same Dark Lord.

the little horned skeletons in Wizard’s cult are also classified as a species. sometimes, he allows in other interested members.

Wizard is fluent in latin.

Second Guest

the Second Guest, as shown at the end of the season two, has the silhouette of a rat. that’s her actual form; a shadow.

her “job” is to eavesdrop on other guests to go and report to Gregory Mama.

she’s very fast, quiet, hard to catch, and a big snitch.

the others call her “Hello Sister” as a title, while Gregory Mama calls her “My Lovely Daughter.”

her cigarette embers still glow on the wall, which is one of the only signals she’s in the room, especially in a poorly lit one.

usually only Gregory, James, and Mama can “hear” what she’s saying.

Chef strongly dislikes her and Lost Doll avoids her like the plague.

Prompters

a pair of indistinguishable twins, escaping reality after being rejected of their dream to become famous theater actors. both young adults.

they work multiple part time jobs, including helping out in the Judgement Factory in the hotel and Kabuki's theater, along with Poor Conductor’s performances.

they share drinks at the bar. their favorite drink is a raspberry/strawberry milkshake with two cherries. don’t forget to give them two straws!

they’re both learning how to cook with Hell’s Chef. so far, they can dice onions very well. :]

Public Phone

he’s in the Lost World as a punishment for being a greedy thief in reality.

he can create fake alibis, passports, various cards in addition to faking voices.

he’s drinking pals with Clock Master.

he takes any currency, just nothing fake. only HE can be the swindle here.

he’s a perverted little bitch.

Various Species

Haniwa Salarymen are classified as species, created from overworked businessmen in reality. The occurrence of them are very common, and season 1 happens to focus on one of them.

Black Ducks are a species, specializing in working kiosks, amusement parks, and other booths. Speed Mouse is never seen without a team of Black Ducks. Street Vendors sometimes accompany them.

Musha Dokuro are an invasive species to the Lost World.

Trap Mice are a (rare) artificial species built in the Lost World.

Dead Bodies are also classified as a species. they are the result of Death freeing an individual’s soul, leaving a husk/empty body behind.

species like these show up in reality to those who are close to their visit in the Lost World, appearing in the background or the corner of their eye, replacing real people.

individuals in all of those species are not visible/noticable until you interact and get close with them. they’re like NPCs.

Others

Wooden Lizard was Captain Wood’s favorite keychain that came to life.

Fat Chicken is an omnivore. He can and will eat anything.

(see here for Pig Gentleman and Mirror Man.)

Mirror Man can summon his own pocket dimension.

Kinko and Inko know more than they lead on, and Kinko is definitely much more powerful, but he can’t be bothered to do anything about it. he’s lazy.

Inko smokes cigars, but hates cigarettes.

Earth Man (from Lost Qualia) is non-verbal. he’s also very eco friendly!

Hell’s Taxi is a manifestation of a false sense of hope to escape the Lost World. it can also manifest in Reality to pick up new guests.

Egypetit’s head is made up of Gold, a strong conductor of magic in the Lost World.

Poor Conductor was powerful enough to manifest his own room into the Lost World, rather than checking into the Hotel himself.

Unbaba is semi non-verbal and cannot remove his mask. he’s definitely powerful enough to make guests lose their souls.

Bonsai Kabuki needs to water his head frequently or else he’ll be drained of energy, and be unable to open his third eye.

The Rainbow Dragon fossils, which Bonehead is after, are cursed, and uses his wife’s voice to compel him into seeking after them to claim yet another victim.

Toilet Baby may not be as powerful, but he can still summon dangerous attacks related to pocket dimensions.

Sleepy Sheep is used as a vessel in his sleep for those who are powerful enough to enter dreams.

Worldbuilding

Gregory House was a real place back in Reality, and it originally belonged to Neko Zombie and his loving family.

However, years and years of built up envy and hatred from Gregory, a person who didn’t receive the same love and luxuries as Neko Zombie, manifested the Lost World as a way for him to cope with the things he didn’t have in Reality, bringing the house down with him.

The remains of the house in Reality is now a mere rumor in the town, but its influence spreads across many zones to this day.

Neko Zombie is the final remaining member of the original owners of the house.

Him and Gregory are LONG forgotten for generations in Reality.

Zones are a loose term in the Lost World, which could mean alternate realities, different dimensions, etc. The Lost World is a zone with its own manifestations.

Another Zone could have its own origins and realities. Reality is not a zone, if that makes sense.

A Zone itself can manifest as a single individual or object being the Core that keeps the zone existing. (See The Core Judgement Factory that branches off Sub-Factories into different Zones.)

The Lost World is a very large Zone that reaches and branches off into other Zones, pulling in individuals.

Because of Zonal shenanigans, time moves a lot differently in the Lost World.

awful hospital does a better job handling zones better than this, actually. we took a little bit of inspiration from it. see here and here for a better grasp on what i’m trying to say.

[angsty-omi]

pull the trigger.

CEO!Akaashi x Agent!Reader

synopsis: You were assigned to kill one of the richest businessmen in Japan, Akaashi Keiji. How? by getting close to him. By pretending to be an innocent, naive little girl. By pretending you actually enjoy his company. By pretending that you actually loved him. The plan was simple enough, and if you were successful, you’d be rich enough to retire for yourself and your future grandchildren. So, what happens when you couldn’t pull the trigger? Even worse, why didn’t he flinch?

“Agent Y/N, you’ve been assigned.” your boss notified.

It’s been so long since you had been assigned. After you accidentally blew up the evidence last mission, your boss hasn’t been to keen depending on you. This was music to your ears, so what did you do? Jumped gleefully and instinctively squeezed your boss. You realized what you were doing and how unprofessional it was, so you slowly latched off of her. Your boss just coughed awkwardly before she began, “This assignment is a big one, meaning there must be no flaws to this plan. One mistake and you’re done for, literally.” ending with a slit-throat gesture. You were confident in your skills, and aside from that one mission, everyone depended on you. No wonder why your boss came to you for this. You glad-fully shook her hand, in which expressed your disparity for a new high.

To start, you had to change your look a bit. See, you researched Akaashi Keiji, from his likes and dislikes to his convictions. Every conviction he got away with money. Dirty bastard. Every single job left you guilt-less because you knew these people were corrupt and somehow reasoned that your job was ethical. First, you started with a trim. Your split ends would’ve definitely caught the eyes of the girls from his front desk. Then, you used the budget money for this mission to buy luxury items. From Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, was this really for the mission or for yourself? No one really knows. Finally, and most importantly, you had to snatch a job as his personal assistant. The organization already falsified documents for you. After today, you go by ‘Akiyama Ami.’ As you walked out of your office, your coworkers couldn’t even recognize you. One even put a gun to your head, and having to state who you are.

You smirked, “Matsuda, I am deeply saddened if this is how you treat your advisor,” whispering in his ear. 

“Senior Y-Y/N?,” he stuttered, putting his gun away immediately. You grabbed his arm and forcefully pushing it to his back, “please make sure you never make that mistake again,” you stated. 

“Y/N, leave him alone already,” a voice joked.

You knew that voice. It was your long time partner, Atsumu. From when you both were rookies, you guys worked cases together quite often. Never more than that. 

“Atsumu, this is my first case without you... aren’t you going to miss me?” you pouted. 

“Don’t give me that look, idiot. Be safe out there okay? I can’t always save your ass like from that time you exploded our only evidence.” he shook his head in disappointment.

You punched his shoulder, and he ‘over-dramatically’ ached in pain. “I’ll be fine, Atsumu. Plus our person literally looks like a prissy privileged boy, doesn’t he?” you pulled up Akaashi’s Business Insider profile. For the next ten minutes, you guys were bullying the hell out of him. Until finally, you had to go. Your cab was already ready for you, so you hugged Atsumu goodbye. Platonically, you always thought you’d get married to him. He was handsome, strong, and witty. And he knew your job situation, so you never would have to feel judgement from him. 

From the cab ride, you got to fly in a private jet. There, was your boss, two intelligent analysis, and a linguist. This was your team, and who’d you tell your intel to. The whole flight consisted of breaking down the plan, even down to what time you have to walk in the elevator. The destination was in Tokyo, where Akaashi’s main headquarters lived. 

“I’ve made an appointment for your job interview,” One of them said.

“Here’s your resume,” The other said.

As you skimmed through, you spit your drink.

“I can speak more than five languages?!” your eyes widened.

“壊れた日本語で話せます” you quoted.

“What does that mean?” your boss asked looking at you surprisingly.

“It means I can only speak broken Japanese,” you nervously scratched your head.

“It wouldn’t matter, the job application is asking for english-speakers” the linguist stated.

As the plane started to screech, due to the wheels contact with concrete, you knew it was your time to shine. You practiced all your lines during the flight, so confidence soared through your body. On sight, there was a limo waiting for you. You waved goodbye to your team, and entered the lanky vehicle. 

The condominium the organization gave you was luxurious, their budget must’ve been high-grade. Broad birched doors, huge window panels that let in a lot of natural light, and a master bedroom. Your first move was to jump on the feather-light bed. Your feet sunk deep into the mattress every hop. Leaving you tired, you went straight to sleep. 

Today was your job interview. Even though everything was fake, you couldn’t help but feel nervous. If you didn’t go down the agency path, is this what you would’ve felt as a normal person? While the coffee was brewing, you decided to look at your grand closet, not knowing what to wear. There was already an outfit set out for you. With it, there was a note:

Good luck! ;) -Atsumu

As you read it, you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. The outfit he picked wasn’t even that bad. It was an emerald green two-piece, with a pale blouse underneath. 

“Not so bad,” you thought, while looking at yourself in the mirror. 

There, stood the building where the infamous person lived worked. Heels tapping the black marble, you stood in front of the front desk. The girls that worked there looked roughly young, around their early 20s. As they stared at you up and down, you could feel their judgement. 

“Welcome to Fukurodani Headquarters, how may we help you?” One girl asked.

“Hi, I’m Akiyama Ami, I’m actually applying for the personal assistant job. Where could I meet my interviewer?” You warmly asked.

The girls bursted into laughter. What was so funny? Did you miss out on the joke?

“Excuse us, its just... that’s one way to call Akaashi Keiji,” 

“Akaashi Keiji... is the interviewer? That’s even more stressful than a random person. It does make sense though, as a personal assistant there should be a close relationship,” you sighed.

“Close relationship? Please, you’ll be lucky if you can even give him coffee. Get in line.” The front desk scoffed in agreement with each other. 

“That’s enough,” a voice commanded.

“Are you Akiyama Aki? I’m ready for you.” 

Your face went pale. As you slowly turned around, there he was. The man himself, Akaashi Keiji. As an agent, you’ve went through strenuous training, so from the outside you looked relaxed as ever, but on the inside the butterflies in your stomach started awakening. He was a very attractive man after all.

“You must be Mr. Akaashi, let’s begin!” you enthusiastically smiled, while following him into his office. 

“So Akiyama, tell me about yourself?” Akaashi read off a list.

“Well I was born in the states, but my parents are foreign. They enforced me to take a lot of language classes, hence why I know quite a lot.” You were dying inside. It was a half-true statement though, you were from the states and your parents are foreign.

“It says you speak French, Aimez-vous boire l'eau des toilettes?” He smirked. 

You had no idea what he just said. The silence was deafening, so you just laughed it off. You’ve been told your laugh is very contagious, so you used that to your benefit. Your laughter increased, his did too. 

After you both calmed down, he continued with his next question, “Out of all of the candidates, why should I hire you?”

“Well I guess my stats match up with everyone else, but what’s not on the textbook is my characteristics. I am dependable, calm, and honestly easy to work with. I will do my best to help you any way I can, and keep your stress levels at ease.” You smiled with confidence. 

“Any way huh?” Akaashi whispered to himself. You acted like you didn’t hear his whisper. As an agent it was also one of your many talents to keep an ear out for anything. 

“Akiyama, congratulations! you’ve gotten the job.” Akaashi put his hand out.

“R-r-really? That was only two questions” you tilted your head to the side. You could feel his glare as a response.

“Well, thank you anyways! My parents will be pleased.” you gushed as you shook his calloused hands. Parents? Please, more like your boss. You swore you could hear a ‘cha-ching’ sound effect in your head.

Over the next couple of months, you’ve been working under Akaashi. If he was staying up til’ 2 AM at the office, so were you. Continuously brewing coffee, while also printing papers, and keeping him company. 

However, one day the routine changed. Prior to this day, your boss had just kept you up for the next order, so you were extremely tired. During the 2 AM session, your eyes slowly started to drift off, feeling the wave of drowsiness pound into your head. Akaashi walked into your office and was going to ask you for copies, until he saw you sleeping head down on your desk. At first, he was going to viciously shake you awake, but seeing your dainty face in the moonlight he couldn’t bring himself to. This was the first time he saw you vulnerable. Typically, when he would ask if you were tired, you would just shake it off with a bright smile. However, he knew. He could tell that you were pushing for him. So, he draped over his blazer around you, in hopes to insulate some warmth and went back to his office. Minutes later, you jerked yourself awake. You felt a strange piece of clothing around you, so you pinched at it while analyzing. Does it look like a weapon? No. Does it have any toxins? No. Could this harm you in any way, shape, or form? It honestly just looked like a plain blazer you thought. As you checked the shoulder pocket, there was an ID. 

“Akaashi’s jacket huh?” you said to yourself, not even noticing the smile that crept up on your face. As soon as you caught yourself, you immediately slapped your face. Oh no. Quickly, you sent a picture of the ID, so that the agency can create a replica for future secret documents and shoved it back inside. 

Knocking at the entrance to his office, he looked up at you with bagged eyes. His sleepiness radiated off of him, so you did what you promised on the first day-- relieve his stress levels. You pulled down the shutters of his clear office so no one could look in. In addition, setting up the couch to where there was a pull up bed under it.

“Miss Akiyama, if you’re trying to seduce me you could’ve just said so,” He flirtatiously grinned. You rolled your eyes in response, and grabbed him to the bed.

“I like where this is going, Ami, I didn’t think you were so bold.”

“Just shut up and get some rest, I’ll appoint some things out so your projects aren’t due.”

As he opened his mouth, you anticipated that he was for sure going to deny. However, no words came out of his mouth, instead he grabbed your wrists and pulled you onto the bed with him. 

“I’ll accept, on the conditions that you, too get some rest.”

Too tired to argue, you complied. As you both fell asleep, with his arms wrapped around you.

a/n: i was planning on making this a one shot but i feel like this might be a multiple part-er(?)

[professorsnape394]

The Potions Master’s Apprentice

Chapter Seven: Potions Lessons

A/N: This is the seventh part to my fanfiction ‘The Potions Master’s Apprentice (Severus Snape x OC)’. Chapters 1-16 can be found already uploaded on Wattpad under the same name. Feel free to leave requests in my inbox for anything Snape related you want me to write. Leave a comment below if you wish to be added to my tag list.

Pairing: Severus Snape x OC (Dumbledore’s Granddaughter)

Summary: A talented young witch is employed as an apprentice professor at Hogwarts, but who will she be working under? Severus Snape is not best pleased with his new responsibility of taking on an apprentice, however she is relentless to create a friendship between them. Will she be successful? Or might the friendship just go a little two far? With the eyes of her grandfather constantly watching over them, an attempt at a relationship might not be in the cards for Aria Dumbledore and Severus Snape.

Word Count: 2831

Warnings: n/a

Credits to Gif Creator

The orange glow emitting from the floating candles lit the room as the dark star lit sky twinkled above. A distant rumble of thunder filled the Great Hall as the row of Professors sat awaiting the students arrival. Professor Dumbledore sat positioned in the middle of the top table, hands clasped in front of him, a subtle smile resting on his ageing face. On either side of the Headmaster sat the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Slytherin House, while his granddaughter nervously clicking her heel under the table next to the former.

"Don't worry, my dear, you'll be a great professor." Minerva whispered to her colleague, clutching onto her hand.

With a simple double clap from the Headmaster the grand entrance to the hall slowly opened to reveal a clamorous horde of students; from all years and houses. Just as quick as he had summoned them, Dumbledore silenced the crowd immediately after everyone had found a seat. Moments later a small cluster of first year students rushed into the hall, their faces a sea of shock and amazement, almost all of them turning their heads to view the exposed sky above them.

Teachers sat patiently while the children were sorted into their respective houses, the rest of the students however quickly became rowdy, cheering for the students that became part of their house and jeering against those who weren't; particularly the young Slytherins. Aria shook her head disapproving at the clear separation of the student body, wondering why the professors allowed for the other houses to discriminate against the Slytherins.

"I wanted to apologise for last night." Minerva spoke in soft tones. "I was a little merry from all that wine and the excitement of being back at Hogwarts. I was out of line, I should know better than to provoke Severus."

"Don't worry about it Minerva" Aria whispered, reaching out to clasp her hand again, reassuringly. "It was kind of funny when you think back on it. Besides you never done anything wrong, Snape completely overreacted to the whole thing, I mean It was obvious it was meant to be a joke ."

The two witches exchanged a comforting smile and squeeze of the hand, before turning to enjoy the feast.

When everyone seemed full enough from the feast Albus rose to his feet, stepping out to a podium at the front of the hall. He started with the same old reminder to the first years that the dark forest was off limits as was the village of Hogsmeade to all students below their third year. Aria had almost begun to zone out when she was brought back to reality by a loud groan from the students as Dumbledore announced the Quidditch inter-house cup would be cancelled this year. Straight away Aria's attention was pulled to the red headed Weasley twins sitting off to the left of the hall, heckling the headmaster, devastated they would be missing out on playing there favourite sport. Aria chuckled to herself, glad to see the boys again.

The objections from the hall soon came to a halt, not by Dumbledore's upcoming announcement, but by a deep rumble of thunder filling the room, followed by the screams of students as a bolt of lightning pulsed through the sky. Another fork of lightening shot through the sky, illuminating the wounded disfigured face of a suspicious man who had just hobbled into the room. Aria could not take her eyes off the dark silhouette of the man, the only part of his body visible in the shadows was the large unnerving electric blue glass eye which shot about in his head aimlessly, the stark contrast of the fake eye only emphasised when his small black beady one was revealed in the candlelight. The man limped towards the Headmaster, every eye in the room on him.

"Perfect timing." Dumbledore grinned. "May I introduce to you, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody. And on that note I would like to also present, My granddaughter and your new Potions Assistant, Professor Aria Dumbledore." Aria stood for a second, smiling to the crowd and gave a small curtsy before once again taking her seat. Less than enthused by his introduction, Moody immediately took his seat at the end of the top table, allowing Professor Dumbledore to continue with his speech.

"As I was saying, the Quidditch inter-house cup will not be taking place this year due to Hogwarts having the honour of hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Dumbledore proceeded to explain the details and rules of the tournament before introducing the competing schools; Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. The excitement among the students only picked up as the opposing schools joined the great feast, each conducting a small show for everyone to enjoy. Aria's nervousness had long passed and she was now thoroughly enjoying the meal with her newfound friends and coworkers. However the silence between Aria and Severus remained as a thick air of tension settled over the Professor's table.

*

First period the next morning Aria was set to assist Snape in teaching first year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw's. She stood at the front of the Potion's classroom, her presence commanding but not intimidating. Aria couldn't help but grin as she watched the new students excitedly chatting away in hushed tones, enthusiastically awaiting their first ever class at Hogwarts. She felt sorry for them knowing their expectations were soon to be let down. Rocking slightly back and forth on her heels, Aria took one last look over the days schedule. She was determined not to give Severus a reason to criticise her today. Speaking of which she was shocked to find the man late for his own lesson.

Just as the thought entered her mind, the loud crashing of the door opening caught the attention of the entire room. The billowing cape of Severus Snape dramatically wafted behind him as he rounded his way around the children's desks and towards the front of the class.

"There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." He commanded, the velvety monotone of his voice silencing the class. Aria took a step back, not wanting to risk getting in his way as he begun to scribble on the chalkboard behind his desk. "For the select few of you who possess the appreciation for the subtle art that is potion making I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death." Snape enunciated.

Aria continued to stay out of the professors way, waiting for her cue to participate in the lesson. A cue which never came. She stood off to the side, her feet burning from standing so long in the one position, a feigned smile painstakingly plastered on her face, trying her best to keep up appearances for the sake of the students.

It was clear from the look on their faces they were enjoying today's lessons just as much as she was, her heart ached for them, their dreams of having a magical Hogwarts experience was crushed in their first hour of lessons.

Snape continued to teach for the rest of the day pretending like Aria wasn't even there at all. Aria chose to stay silent. Snape's rude demeanour giving her the perfect excuse to report him to Dumbledore for not carrying out his duties as her mentor; allowing her to participate in the teaching of his classes. Not giving him the satisfaction of her arguing she simply walked away at the end of the teaching day, leaving him alone in the class wondering why she simply gave in to him.

This was made clear to him when he was called to Dumbledore's office that evening to discuss the days lessons. Both Dumbledore's sat looking smugly as the Potions Master entered the Headmasters office refusing to take his seat next to the young woman when it was offered.

"I thought I made it abundantly clear Severus that Aria is to assist in all of your lessons." Dumbledore begun, not entertaining the man's supercilious act.

"I thought I made it clear, Headmaster, that I will not work with this woman. I respect she is your granddaughter and you felt the need to give her a job but I will not compromise my teaching for her childish demands."

"Severus, this is your job." Dumbledore said, his tone sharper than usual. "If you will not abide my commands then I shall have to take action into my own hands. Until you chose to cooperate, Aria will teach all potions lessons alone. You will have no interference or participation in any class until you agree to work in partnership with her. That is all I have to say on the matter." He finalised.

"Thank you, grandfather." Aria shot Severus a self-satisfied look, and rose from her seat, pleased with the outcome of her enquiry. Severus seen no point in objecting in fear of making the situation worse. The glare on his face simply intensified. He made to leave, just as did Aria. The two as stubborn as each other refused to stay behind and so they left side by side, the ever growing tension between them more apparent than ever.

"So that's how it shall be, will it?" Severus seethed through gritted teeth. "I do something you don't like and you go running to Granddaddy?"

"It worked didn't it." She chirped with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "Besides, there wouldn't be a problem had you not chose to ignore me all day. I do not want to step on your toes Severus, but if you refuse to work with me, I will do everything in my power to change that. I'm here to assist you, to help you. Utilise me! Stop thinking of me as your biggest enemy and start thinking of me as an asset. We could accomplish so much together." The witch pleaded. Severus shot her a look of confusion and slight disgust. "Professionally speaking." She finished, clearing her throat, making it clearer what she meant.

Snape huffed, in response, continuing to walk on, though they both kept a steady pace, remaining side by side all the way to the Dungeons. Showing no sign of stopping for the final word as he reached his private quarters, Severus huffed to himself in a rage of malcontent. "See you tomorrow." Aria called to him, her tone dripping in sarcasm.

And with that Severus slammed the door to his chambers putting a final end to the conversation.

*

For eight days Aria was left to her own devices, happily teaching potions her own way to the students. Depending on his mood Severus would either sit at his desk, muttering irritably to himself in disapproval. Other days he would be feeling more confident and he would consistently make snarky comments regarding her teaching style. And sometimes he wouldn't even show up to class at all. It didn't take Aria long to suspect what he might be doing during those long days he sat alone.

On the ninth day Severus had had enough. He couldn't take it any more. He hated feeling idle. He hated not feeling needed. He hated that students loved the way she taught. And he hated that one day Dumbledore might come to his senses and realise she was just as capable of teaching as he was and he would no longer be needed at Hogwarts.

That night after the Great Feast Severus went to the Headmaster's office and quietly gave in, agreeing to work in partnership with Miss Dumbledore. Aria was impressed by Severus' decision and could not wait to gloat victoriously when she saw him at breakfast the next day.

However when it actually came time for Aria to proudly shove her successful accomplishment in Severus' face, she didn't have the heart to humiliate him. It had been a good few days since she had saw him last and it was clear the time alone had not done him any good. Though he usually had a look of exhaustion about him the dark bags under his eyes were worse then ever, the lines across his face deeper and his general aura was less dangerous and intimidating dungeon bat and more exhausted sleep deprived man. He almost seemed more human to Aria now he was more reserved and timid than his previously obnoxiously arrogant self.

She let him lead the lesson and done as she was asked when she was asked. Snape was happy to use her skills to his advantage and was glad he had an extra pair of hands to take on the physical aspect of the lesson when he became too tired to move from behind his desk. The pair managed to maintain a professional dialogue for the whole day, with little to no arguments as Aria kept her mouth shut and Severus respected her position as his assistant.

By the end of the teaching day Severus was practically falling asleep behind his desk as he made his way through the stack of paperwork he had collected throughout the day. Struggling to keep his eyes open Severus ran a hand through his hair, resting his head in his hands and let out an painful groan of exhaustion. As Miss Dumbledore finished collecting in the small pewter cauldrons she took the opportunity to have a real conversation with the man in front of her.

Letting out a sympathetic huff, Aria couldn't help but give him a sad sort of smile. She pulled a seat over to the desk and waited for Snape to notice her. Although she hadn't known him long, and of course it was clear to everyone he was not the most well balanced human in terms of sleep and work, she could confidently say he looked to be at his worst. A small scruff of a beard threatening to form had appeared from the past days of forgetting to shave and the man could barely keep his heavy eyelids open.

"Can I help you, Miss Dumbledore." Severus grumbled, slowly moving his hands from his head to look at the young woman. "What is it you want?"

"Are you okay, Severus?" She spoke softly, genuinely concerned for the man.

"I'm perfectly fine, Miss Dumbledore." His slightly slurred words saying differently. "Not that it is any of your concern." He mumbled, once again turning to his stack of paperwork.

"What happened to you." Aria muttered more to herself than Snape. The professor looked up at the woman, who had now become preoccupied with straightening out her skirt. Snape let out a final sigh and sat his quill to the side, ready to fully invest in the conversation with the woman.

"What are you mumbling about, woman." He asked, though his tone was not as harsh as it could have been.

"I am truly, truly sorry, Professor." She confessed. "I knew you were unhappy about my being here but I hadn't realised how much it would have took a toll on you. I mean sure I wanted to mess with you for a bit just to give you a taste of your own medicine, but look at you."

"Despite what you may think, you are not the sole reason for my lack of sleep, Miss Dumbledore." He spoke softly, his captivating gaze catching her own. He seemed to be reassuring her more than doing it for the thrill of proving her wrong.

"I'm not?"

"You are not even half the reason. Though you can take full credit for the sudden peak in my blood pressure." Aria couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, and she could have sworn a brief smile flashed across Severus' face too.

"Do you want to talk about what's got you in such a state." The woman pried.

"Not even slightly." He droned, breaking eye contact, once again picking up his quill.

"Clearly its bothering you, I don't imaging keeping it bottled up will do much good."

"I said I don't want to talk about it." He replied curtly. "Now if you could please take your leave, your assistance is no longer required."

Aria thought it best not to aggravate the man more given his current state and chose to obey his command, giving a small nod before heading for the door.

"Miss Dumbledore." Snape called out, just as she made to leave, forcing to spin on her heel to face him. "I'll be okay." He assured, giving her a comforting nod before immediately turning back to his work.

Speechless Aria could only smile in return. Not only had they both had a successful day of teaching and a perfectly civil conversation but Snape had even gone as far as to reassure her, knowing if he hadn't she would have blamed herself for his deteriorating condition.

The soft click of the door closing felt as if it had been amplified a thousand times as the feeling of loneliness engulfed Severus.

Taglist:

@ayamenimthiriel​

[honorable-wanderings]

Word of Honor - Episode 1 Part 1- It Begins with a Ballet

20 years ago a bunch of dudes came together to make Wan Shi Tong's Library from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

And in order to open it one must obtain the mystical shiny!

Not sure why they couldn’t dig or something. Is it reinforced on all sides? 

And making a key out of glass seems like a bad plan IMO but I’m not a martial arts master in Ancient China so what do I know?

----------

Oooh we starting with a roof-top assassin mission right from the off? Well hot damn!

Are they freaking out because of the lanterns though? Or because they noticed him?

Calm down! He’s just here to celebrate Rapunzel’s birthday with y’all!

This is a nice shot but it does kinda make me think he got there via hot air balloon which is always fun.

Oooh! These guys would be great at protecting Romani Ranch from “Them”!!

Bullseye!

OMG THEY DID COME IN VIA HOT AIR BALLOON I forgot most of the first part of this episode. Lol

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

Local Man shocked to realize that he probably should have started his letter about the royal assassins going around killing officials of the court a bit sooner as the royal assassins who are going around killing officials have arrived to kill him, an official of the court.

----------

Cut loose Footloose Kick off the Sunday shoes

----------

Young man with a bit more skill than the others requires main character to get his own hands dirty. if this were any other story he might have been the protagonist.

Lookin fly in that assassin hat tho.

----------

No thank you I just shaved this morning.

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

Leg

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

I suppose this is one of the down sides to this otherwise ‘nice sword’.

Which is now a boomerang? What were you gonna do if he didn’t deflect it and like just dodged instead? Run after it? Call time out and chase your yeeted blade?

----------

Tryin to make us think our man in blue is getting the upper-hand now. But look at our MC. Look at how bored and unimpressed he is. He’s already dead inside.

----------

Nooooo his hat!!! rip

----------

I, for one, always appreciate when the main characters come with their own labels. It honestly helps me and I wish more movies and shows in like every country did that. I know here it’s like added flair for the drama. But you don’t understand how bad I am with names! You don’t understand!

----------

“I’m here to see Officer Li off.” Yeah off of this mortal plane

----------

----------

*oven ding noise because your goose is cooked, Son.

Called it

----------

Oop! He Zoomin!

----------

Tensions are high but just LOOK at that air time! Now that’ll be one for the books.

----------

“Gross”

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Sweeping villain theme while his cloak billows in the glow of the lanterns and the moon. This is quality villain posing and I’m HERE for it.

----------

“Zhou ZiShu, what you do to others will be inflicted on you later.” Bitch Imma do it myself

----------

He felt bads about it but tath was his duety

----------

Question, did she lay this out herself or did she ask someone else to do it so that she could be sad in style?

----------

I see you there settin’ up that there symbolism.

----------

Hello. We’re calling about your car’s extended warranty.

----------

Hi. Everyone you know and loved is dead by my own hand on made up pretense. Thanks for bringing me the body of the dead people *I* loved. For that I’ll let you kill yourself instead of running you through with my bendy sword.

We’re still cool, though, right?

----------

I’m thinkin this is the first of many instances of “Twisting the Screws” as it were.

Look! He’s silly! Playful! You can almost see the light of hope in his eyes!

----------

*Pouting intensifies*

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

That awkward moment when you find out you just killed your beloved shidi’s girl.

Oops

----------

X Gon Give it to Ya

----------

Okay so I know what has happened and what is about to happen is so much worse than this but like don’t you think it’s just adding insult to injury to make this guy slow-burn end his life while having to sit in the damn snow?

you’re indoors! Close the sun-roof! Move the chair! Something!

----------

When people say “Screw this job!” they don’t usually mean it quite so literally.

----------

When do you think was the last time this poor bastard smiled?

----------

Yeah I’m gonna go with “ow”

----------

Hmmmm I guess no job is safe from those two gossipy coworkers that always seem to exist

----------

And then there’s this asshole

“Why hasn’t he come to see me? Is he still injured? How?”

“It seems he is suffering from “sad bitch” disease, m’lord.

----------

WHO’S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSES RED??? WHO DARES TO TAINT WITH VULGAR PAINT THE ROYAL FLOWER BED?

----------

And so he decided to make the “sad bitch’ disease a permanent condition.

----------

“Don’t do that”

A little late there buddy.

----------

Look at him! He’s laughin! He’s having a good time!

----------

“I kinda sucked ass as a leader, didn’t I?”

---------

Man’s got pretty shoulder blades, nice and toned from carrying the weight of his sins.

----------

Thanks for coming! You look like shit :)

-_-

--------

It is admittedly some kind of power move to strip down to your skivvies instead of just explaining that you would like to die now pls.

Say what you want but Zhou ZiShu certainly has a flair for the dramatic.

----------

I would like to quit via slow and painful death now pls. May I pls have permission to die a slow and painful death now pls?

----------

This man speedrunning the 5 stages of grief. Shit we’re already at bargaining

----------

“I wanna get nailed before I die.”

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“In three years I’ll ascend the throne and that’ll show you!!!” “Bitch I don’t CARE.”

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

“When my fortune said I could expect an unexpected promotion I didn’t quite expect it to happen this way.”

----------

Peace Out

TBC...

[hollyhomburg]

(reposted au- because i deleted it on accident)

(a special thanks to @atulipandarose without who i would literally be lost without <3 seriously you're a lifesaver)

 I have this little idea in my head where like hybrids are allowed to come into work with their owners. New company policy and at first Jungkook is like great! Awesome! He can bring you (a cute tiger hybrid or something like that) into work and you’ll just sit and play on your computer or your phone while Jungkook spends the day coding sometimes you’ll lean your head on his lap and just purr- all and all like his favorite way to work honestly you’re his favorite person.

And then things change when the coworkers who he’s had a crush on forever starts to pop by his office more to see you and Namjoon’s always been so self-assured with miles of dimples and honey skin that Jungkook daydreams about kissing

and his partner hoseok, jungkooks boss, is only worse for jungkooks concentration. He’s always being quietly dominant over Jungkook, pulling out his chair for him at meetings or bringing him a cup of coffee in the mornings in exchange for his hard work.

Both men have take sort of an interest in you, petting you and complementing the dress that Jungkook picked out for you today, and of course, you know about jungkooks crushes and send him a shameless smirk as you whine and scent mark them much to their chagrin and jungkooks expense- blush lighting all the way from his collar to his hairline.

you’re always rushing over yourself saying things like “oh you have to come to lunch with us! There is this awesome ramen place across the street That Jungkookie loves” and of course Jungkook just blushes when Namjoon and hoseok turn their eyes on him and say “of course we would love to if you don’t mind kookie” Namjoon teases while hoseok gives his partner a wink

and Jungkook pulling on your tail and hissing at you while the two man gather their coats to leave “why are you meddling baby?” And you just giving him a feline grin and saying “just getting you that date you’ve been wanting for the last 2 years kookie”

and of course like, maybe hoseok and namjoon have a hybrid of their own- maybe panther Jimin who growls the first time he meets you and goes full on possessive because you’re his mate and now he won’t let you out of his sight and won’t let you leave their apartment, and maybe Jungkook is all blushy and shy and namjoon and hoseok really don’t know what to do because like honestly Jimin isn’t like this normally and he’s not even close to his rut like at all, but because of that he sleeps over at hoseok and Namjoon’s penthouse and like- their relationship buds from there or something.

Okay slight addendum to this that was triggered by a comment from @kamen-tenshi!!

What if I stead of a tiger hybrid the reader is a house cat hybrid or even like a teacup variety like extra small and fluffy and cute and Jungkook found her when they were young and mad his parents adopt her and has always called her ‘catcat’ since he was small. And it’s kind of a cutesy nickname he has for her, when they cuddle at night when they kiss sleepy and drowsy in the morning's hands itching under clothes so that they can get even closer. Her tail twines around his wrist and she calls him ‘bunbun’ all the time.

And then maybe Namjoon and hoseok pick up on this and tease him about it too, but they just can’t resist how he always blushes whoever they call him bunbun too even though they’re kind of starting to date like imagine they’re all shy at first kinda spoiling both you and Jungkook.

And maybe like!!! What if we through tiger taehyung into this too, and say that like Namjoon and hoseok have grown to like expensive things and that means their hybrids, who are both bespoke exotic breeds, are both reflections of that as well as both being dominant alpha hybrids who are as possessive of their masters as their master are of them, though there is a fair amount of love in their relationship as well like- oh, sometimes when hoseok gets stressed out he’ll just get attacked by grooming tongues determined to get all the yucky smell of anxiety off of him and namjoon will just smile and set about making hot chocolate for the four of them and they’ll cuddle on the couch together until Hoseok starts to feel and look more like his in control self.

Of course it was because of their two hybrids that hoseok and namjoon made the new policy for a hybrid friendly work place, because while Jimin does have a fairly lucrative job working as a model for a luxury brand that has a special line for hybrids, taehyung doesn’t have the most enriching life and wants to come by more and see what they do when they leave the hybrids at home all day.

And at first- neither tae or Jimin go in to visit the company because like Jimin is suddenly busy with a photo shoot during the day but when they come home they’re both kind of curious because- what is that strange super sweet smell coating their humans necks? And why does it make both of their tails stand on end and goosebumps erupt on their forearms and tempt them to lick and bite wheerever you happen to have rubbed your sweet scent on that day. Like they might recognize jungkooks scent a little (kind of like oranges and cream- like a cream ice pop) but yours in just- intoxicating and might trigger a rut in both of them the verry first time they both smell it in hoseok and namjoon.

Both hoseok and namjoon put two and two togeather and reach the conclusion that your first irl meeting will probably be notable at least if their hybrids are already going crazy for just your scent- because seeing you irl is 100 times more sweet and they know that- Namjoon can’t resist giving you pets or scooping you up in a hug when he sees you by jungkooks desk, and hoseok is always stopping by for just a chirpy purr in delight from you, your head suddenly shooting up from jungkooks lap before you get up to greet hoseok on you tippy toes to rub a cheek against his neck. And he’ll just chuckle and run a hand though your hair while he asks Jungkook how the project is going, used to the way that cat hybrids both big and small greet people they like.

when Jimin and tae finally meet you it’s just after dinnner when the four of you come back to hoseok and Namjoon’s apartment a little tipsy Jimin and taehyung just pounce- literally on you. And the humans are kind of shocked and too drunk to handle it- and it’s not like Jungkook didn’t know that Jimin and taehyung didn’t exist like- he’s seen pictures and everything. But this, both of them cageing you in their tails swishing back and forth and both of them growling when you take a step back- your ears pinned back against your head- is exactly the opposite of what he’s expecting and all you have to do is whimper before Jungkook gets you out of there while hoseok snares both of their hybrids by the collar when they try to follow and namjoon apologizes profusely.

And of course, Jimin and taehyung are suddenly very interested in coming into work with Namjoon and hoseok, but they know enough to have Namjoon surpervise a lunch visit where you can all be formally introduced.

It progresses from careful sniffs to purrs as each of you get better reads on your scents as Namjoon and Jungkook enjoy an intimate lunch on the roof of the company, their hands brushing over the top of the table and both of them giggling as jimin moves his chair so he can sit closer to you and get one of your hands in both of his and Taehyung continues nuzzling his nose acros your neck until he gets to your ears and nibbles and both Jungkook and namjoon have enough sense to chide “be gentle tae” before they look at each other in suprise, blush, and giggle.

There are other moments where Namjoon mentions a vintage store and coffee shop that Jungkook is curious about, and takes you and Jungkook on a spontaneous not date- date where you and taehyung fall asleep in the window of the shop while Namjoon and jungkook sit closer than they should and Jungkook listens to Namjoon talk about his obscure interest in old fashion love letters his heart beating so rapidly as He recited his favorite at jungkooks urging and finds himself enraptured.

Later, Jungkook startled apart from him when hoseok stops by to meet them after a late board meeting. And you blush when hoseok stops to press a kiss to taehyungs forehead and then yours, Jimin cuddling up to your side before he even takes his jacket off to a suprised squeek as both the tiger and the panther start to lavish you in their scent (a process that they repeat on Jungkook when your two groups part later on)

And Jungkook dosent want to assume anything at first but then Namjoon and hoseok treat both you and Jungkook to like a spa day (because hoseok lowkey loves being pampered- and like he’s loaded because he owns the game development company that Jungkook works for as well as runs it) and he says “really just come with us, we have enough vouchers because Namjoon and I go like every week- it will be fun”

but like Jungkook has looked up the prices and they’re like- expensive af, but he lets Namjoon and hoseok take the two of you and Jungkook has to admit that it’s super lovely to see you all comefey and well cared for getting your nails done while another woman rubs a softening treatment into your ears. He watches Namjoon air next to you getting a facial, take a video of your purring for both of the larger cats that wait at home (who are both firmly against being wet for any prolonged period of time) but will enjoy the videos and squeal over their Mate being happy when he sends it to them.

“haha you know if you keep doing things like this for us you know where going to take it the wrong way right?” And jungkooks bashful and joking and looking down and he glances over, and all of a sudden hoseok is all infront of him and they’re both in like those robes you put on for the sauna and suddenly Jungkook realizes how undone hoseoks has gotten and hoseok has a hand on either side of jungkooks head and is leaning in close murmuring into jungkooks was

“what if we where trying to romance you? Trying to spoil you for as long as you let us,” hoseoks lips brush against jungkooks neck with his words and it feels almost as sensitive as it does every time you scent mark him but almost more...forbidden. “What would you say to that jungkookie? If we wanted to make both of you ours? Would you let us?” And Jungkook is bright red before hoseok pulls away and tells him to think it over.

Jungkook of course has to talk it over with you first but really, why wouldn’t you say yes?

adding a little bit to this! based off of an ask i got a few days ago, I got to thinking about like, Jimin and Tae and Hoseok and Joon bringing Jungkook and the reader to some fancy meet and greet for Jimin’s hybrid modeling line. Joon and hobi buy you a beautiful dress and a matching-ish tux for Jungkook and end up complementing both of you enough you tuck your face into Jungkooks shoulder and Jungkook just kinda- melts.

And some like fancy snow leopard hybrid who Jimin has modeled with before in the past drops a snide comment about the reader being too drab for him, like a housecat hybrid, with no pedigree and a mixed breed. a hybrid whose obviously not worthy of the two golden boys one of which is the highest paid hybrid model in the industry and both of which have immaculate pedigrees. The slur of “mutt” carries a heavyweight.

And Taehyung and Jimin just like- go a little feral and defensive, with a loud rippling growl and sudden gnashing of teeth, putting themselves in front of you before anyone has a chance to throw down some claws. The room goes still, and suddenly you crumple further under the weight of everyone's eyes, your tail wraps around your waist and you hide your face in Taehyungs wide shoulders.

The snow leopard hybrid’s owner is quick to step close and urge her to apologize to you, which you stutter and accept, much to the ire of Jimin’s and Taehyungs dark-eyed possessiveness. Before you know it you’re getting pulled to sit sideways in Taehyung’s lap his arms possessively wrapped around your waist, hand tightening on your hip and rubbing in a slow pull while jimin feeds you spoonfuls of creme Brule, both of them relaxing a little when you perk up a little, tail swishing, whining a little for more. you feel warm all over as Taehyung runs his hands up and over your arms and shoulders. especially since one hybrid feeding another hybrid is like- some sort of declaration that you will provide for them, one of those old fashion instinctual things that have long fallen out of fashion.

All the while, the humans get a little too drunk to be attentive to the drama that’s going on with their hybrids. Jungkook is all leaning into Namjoon’s shoulder and giggling while Hoseok’s hand tightens on his knee- and Jungkook will be all like- shocked because while the two men tend to be a little intense sometimes but they also make Jungkook laugh so much. There is never a moment that they’re not together where Jungkook isn’t smiling.

That night is probably like the first time he realizes just how happy Hoseok and Namjoon make him- but they’re not even like together yet. and it scares him really, how much he’s grown to depend on them- especially when maybe at the party Jungkook meets someone that used to be in his position- that both Namjoon and hoseok had dated before.

And maybe Jungkook starts to pull back- starts to worry about getting hurt like he has in the past, because Hoseok and Namjoon are together and they might not need Jungkook- there’s a nasty insecure voice inside of him planted there by people who didn’t treat Jungkook right that suspects he might just be a plaything for Hoseok and Namjoon- and it only takes a few days of Jungkook giving them wishy-washy responses and canceling on dinner once for Namjoon and hoseok to turn up in his apartment.

and when ask what’s wrong, plead with Jungkook to tell him what they did to set him off- what happened, he bursts into tears. and Jungkook feels like it might just be because he’s feeling like he’s coming down with a cold (has felt nauseous and headachey all day) or the fact that his computer crashed today at work and he lost a few days worth of coding. But all of a sudden it’s just too much and he holds out his arms for them.

and of course, Namjoon and hoseok spend the next few days taking care of Jungkook when he gets the flu, cooking him meals, and lying with him and stroking his back the few times he vomits. And it’s entirely unglamorous, Jungkook feels less than his best, and will no doubt look back on those days with no small amount of embarrassment. But they never stop looking at him with anything other than aching fondness and worry. And a few days later when you and Namjoon get sick as well, Jungkook and you go to stay at their apartment so that the hybrids and the humans can take care of both of you.

and maybe after that- you and Jungkook only go back to your apartment for one or two days a week- and move in with them.

(after a near death experience with this au i think i will turn it into something more lasting- maybe soon! idk! let me know what you think! 

[aesthbaby]

Her Secret

Summary: We’re all aware of Emily’s untold secrets that she took to the grave with her but what about Lauren? The one thing both woman have in common is you, and the memories they took with them in both of their deaths

Pairings: Emily Prentiss x Reader

Prompt/request: None, just an idea I’ve had in my head for a while.

Warnings: Cursing | Death

Wordcount: Almost 4k

Master List

AN: Time line might be a little spotty because the show did not give many details but I promise its still comprehensible.

Its beautiful for a sad event. The white flowers are such a stark contrast to her personality. The color reminds you of a time before, before they knew her and before all of this happened. One of your eyes feels kind of funny so you reach for it, pulling back to examine the small drop of water on your finger. You compose yourself and push the large, black, sunglasses up your nose. Maybe you shouldn’t be here. You were dressed in all black with a black umbrella. Despite it being a sad day, it was unnecessarily sunny.

You spot her team making their way down the walk way. Three men carrying the dark coffin with one Caned man in the front and the women in tow. You take a step back into the shadows as they near the podium. As the service progresses the amount of speeches and tears are--overwhelming. Images of Emily, once known to you as Lauren, flash across your mind as you hold back any and all emotions associated with this event. 

You knew she wasn't really "dead," she couldn’t be. Emily Prentiss is invincible and would never go like that. You saw the woman known as "JJ" glances your way but she says nothing about it. Probably assuming you were another one of Emily's secrets taken to the grave.

Emily’s not dead. Emily wouldn’t die like that. 

You kept repeating it in your head.

Italy - 2004

The violets surround the mansion like a protective field. Their peaceful existence mocking your volunteer imprisonment. You only took this job because you and this other agent were the only ones who spoke fluent Italian. She was supposed to take it and you were the understudy or whatever but then she got knocked up so here you are. Being mocked by fucking flowers. Your thoughts are interrupted by Doyle approaching you with his brunette arm dealer on his arm. You turn away from the balcony upon his approach.

“Lauren deve restare qui mentre scappo. Per favore, tienila d'occhio.” Lauren has to stay here while I run out. Please keep an eye on her.  He’s always been so bossy, and for what? To make himself seem more powerful than he actually is? We’re all aware of the danger working for him provides.

“Si signore.” Yes sir. You turn to acknowledge the woman in front of you but she speaks first.

“Perché? Non posso venire con te?” Why is that? Can't I come with you? She whines.

He gives her a look and she backs down. The Captain heads out with his guards behind him, leaving you alone with his lover.

You’re not sure what to do with her. Is this a form of  babysitting?

She clears her throat. “I know.”

Hearing her speak English was a surprise but it makes sense, there was always something different about her. You arch an eyebrow and reply, “Sai...che cosa?” You know....what?

She holds up a finger for you to give her a moment. She turns around and sticks her head out the door; then closes and locks it. “You’re not really from Tirana, are you?” Who is this woman? You maintain a neutral face while she continues. “The fact that you never eat with us was a dead give away. You’re always held up in this room.” She gestures to the large room filled with files, records, and books. “Like you’re trying to avoid something. I’d also like to point out how you rarely present any Albanian customs.” Where are you going with this Reynolds... “At first I thought, ‘Maybe they’re one of Doyle’s assassins that I’m not supposed to know about.’ But then I started paying attention and realized you’re nothing like that.” You let out a sharp breath. “Its okay.�� She takes one of your hands. “I won’t tell Ian. There’s already enough death in his life and I wouldn’t want to see you be one of his next victims.”

You’re stuck in the moment and words are hard to form. All of your training is slipping through your fingers. For all you know she could be bluffing, trying to get you killed. You go with your safest option because you don’t know this woman at all. You pull your hand from her and take a step closer. Peering into her eyes for any sign of fear and when you find none, you proceed. Leaning in as close as possible to her. “Non farei acquisizioni così pericolose se fossi in te.” I wouldn't make such dangerous acquisitions if I were you. You whisper. You could never be sure if your suspicions were correct but this, this was all the confirmation you needed. What’s that old saying? Takes one to know one. “Agente.” Finishing off that last word you brush past her.

Virginia - present

 Being back in The States with Doyle still running around is unnecessarily risking. Emily’s defeat is the only reason you’ve come back. To watch her team grieve over the coffin is saddening but having to hide is the shadows is unfair. Am I not allowed to publicly grieve? Are my tears not worthy? The grip on your umbrella tightens. She’s not dead. Emily doesn’t loose. Emotions are running high and the speeches are getting long. Last time you talked, she claimed to be alone. No family and no fiends but clearly she was wrong. What you’d give to be laying under a plum tree on a wool woven blanket with her head in your lap. Eating pastries you raided from the kitchen and telling the Captain that you needed her to help analyze costs. What a fool.

You were so entranced with the memory that you didn’t notice when the pale, dark haired agent approached you. Aaron Hotchner, the unit chief if I’m not mistaken. “Agent.” He acknowledges.

“Sir?” You mumble.

“Your profession was easy enough to guess, though I’m not sure of your name.” Those knitted brown sweaters and golden, dainty necklaces. The short chestnut hair with soft curls that smelled of honey shampoo. The way she’d nudge your foot during dinner while casting discreet glances. Its all gone. “Agent?” He calls again. “Are you alright?”

Before you say anything you make sure your voice is clear. “Tell me Agent Hotchner, did she suffer?” That question didn’t need to be answered but you just had to know. A favor was called in on your behalf by Lieutenant Parks, he gave very few details about her death but you’ll take that over nothing at all. This was the one question you didn’t have an answer for. With nothing but silence from the man, you have your answer.

Reaching for your pocket there’s a small clear box; inside of the plastic is a handful of pressed violets. Without looking you hold the slim box out to him. “Please, make sure she gets them.” After he takes them you make one last note of the sight in front of you. All of her friends, family, and coworkers gathered in one place with Emily’s grave as the centerpiece. You turn to finally face the man, tilting your shades so he can see a bit of your eyes. “Dead or alive.” And then disappearing in to the back of the cemetary.

Italy - Spring of 04′

Two months ago you were staring off of Doyle’s Spanish-styled balcony thinking, “What would happen if I called it quits?” You had enough evidence and entail for him to never see freedom again. So what was stopping you?

Her. She was making you second guess.

After having her call you out for being a spy, you were very careful about what you did and said around her. Its not like she had any definitive proof but at the same time neither did you. What you said that day was a total bluff. Its a miracle you’re still alive. You were left with only two conclusions: one was that she herself is a spy, or two, she’s one of the smartest people Ian has ever brought home.

Then came a day where the boys went out to wherever and it was just you, her, and the maids. Most of them are Russian and speak poor Italian so they usually keep to themselves. You’re at the dining room table pretending to run numbers since that’s literally your job- well that and vetting backgrounds of sellers and buyers. Essentially a secretary with dangerous patrons. The position is mind numbingly boring but it does allow you to remain invisible while observing the operation. Think about it, who’s going to notice the secretary while discussing millions? They’re idiots. They allow you to sit in on every single meeting because you’re just the person who runs numbers. A debatable perk to this job is the amount of free time you posses. Usually its spent digging around the operation, sending information back to HQ, or actually enjoying small aspects of the city. That brings you to right now where you’re doodling random shapes on the bottom corner of the paper.

Lauren is on the couch wearing a button up satin dress, quite short for Ian’s taste so you’re surprised to see her wearing it. She’s read something you’ve never heard of, not that it matters. With no idea why she’s in here with you, you retreat back into your own mind.

“The maids have left.” You suddenly hear beside you, nearly jumping out of your skin.

“You scared me!” At the realization of your chosen language you gasp and watch as Lauren smiles widely. You shoot to your feet repeating no over and over. Actively trying to take back your words while she looks rather amused.

“I knew it!” She points at you all accusingly and shit. You keep shaking your head no and trying to get her to be quiet. “I was right about you!” And here’s the perfect time to have a maid to walk in. Lauren says something to her but you’re too wrapped up in your head to translate. All your years of training, expierence, undercover work has just been thrown away over your stupid mistake.

They’re going to kill me. They’re going to have my head on a stake in the middle of the garden for the world to see- or worse! I’ll be tortured for my crimes by one of Doyle’s men.

You’re pulled out of your thoughts by the brunette waving her hand in front of your face. “Don’t worry,” She say softly as you notice the house keeper is no longer with you. “I told her they could take a break...” At your confused face she continues. “So now we can talk.”

Virginia - present

To say you had no idea where you were going, was an understatement.

You hadn’t been to Virginia in years so everything felt unfamiliar. You took quick peaks at your surroundings as the rented porshe pushed through the traffic. Everything hurt, not the traditional pain you experience over a broken toe but the emotional kind that coursed through your entire body.

Is this what a broken heart feels like?

You kept telling yourself she wasn’t dead; couldn’t be. Not your Emily, the woman you know is a fighter. She’s fucking invincible and would never let herself die at the hand of that monster. If she was really dead, wouldn’t you feel it? Wouldn’t you feel your connection to her sever?

At the reorganization of the build ahead of you, you pull the car into the left lane.

Italy - Spring of 04′

She is so fucking clingy. Always starring at me when no one is watching and going on less missions with Doyle. Speaking of him, the man likes to take her everywhere; calls her “Ho il mio portafortuna” his good luck charm. She usual goes out with him whenever he’s traveling but lately she’s been making little excuses on why she wants to stay for the day. Instead of spending the day recuperating from a headache (like she’s told him) she’ll bother you.

That accent and the way she pronounces her R’s makes you wanna melt, but then she starts asking you a million and one questions. What’s your favorite food? When’s your birthday? Have you ever broken a bone? Do you enjoy reading? Its always something with her. I think she’s trying to annoy me. So far you’ve been answering her questions in Italian to insure that you don’t fuck up again.

Doyle is none the wiser, he still sees you as a secretary and her as arm candy.

But you must admit that Lauren is growing on you. She hasn’t said anything in English to you lately or exposed you to Doyle. You’re rarely ever alone but when you are, she gives you one of her finished books and sits in the room quietly. Its comforting. Today she’s given you Niccolo Ammaniti with a note scribbled in pencil on the 5th page, “Hang in there.” Smart woman, writing it in light pencil so I can easily erase it without leaving a trace...also paranoid woman but rightfully so.

Virginia - present

You adjust your shoe so as not to slip before going into the building and suck the shades into your pocket. The giant letters, I. O. D. S. stare back at you in Ariel font.

Maybe I shouldn’t be doing this. Just accept her death and move on.

Inside of Investigations of Death Services you nod to the secretary, an ex of yours, and continue on to your destination. While in the elevatored your vision feels blurry but now isn’t the time for tears. Arriving at your floor, you spot his office and walk in without so much as a knock or invitation.

“One second,” he speaks into the phone. “Can I help you?” His dark eyes look angry, like he doesn’t recognize you. You take a step forward, offering your closed palm to him. “What? What is this? A fucking magic trick?” You slowly open your palm towards him, revealing the silver clover pin. The suited man looks like he’s just seen a ghost. “Shane, I’ll have to call you back.” He hangs up the phone, then reaches from you hand. “Where did you get this?”

Snatching you hand back and putting the silver back in your pocket. “You really don’t remember me, do you?”

He narrows his eyes on you before answering. “Can’t say I do.”

“Back in 03′ you knocked up Carin and proposed I go on assignment. Granted I was the only person who was fluent in Italian--or so I thought. Come to find out there were five other agents who could’ve been assigned there. You chose me because I was up for your job.” Your anger is boiling over quickly. “You were a shitty employee and they were ready to fire you.” You take a daring step forward. “Until you proposed infiltrating Valhalla with one of the foreign operative agents. You told them there were only two fluent agents. Back then we had never met but I knew who you were, Hell, we all knew how much of a screw up you were. Guess you don’t recognize me anymore? I mean in your defense its been years and I’ve lost a few pounds due to the stress you caused me but that’s for another day. How about we go back to 2003.” For a man with toxic masculinity issues, he looks pretty scared. “You couldn’t just out right suggest me so you have to offer up someone else. Coincidently Carin got pregnant right around the time she was starting her training, by you I might add, and could no longer go.” A wide smile starts to grow on your face. “Bet you were counting on my death, huh?” Awe poor baby seems to be shaking. “No...you’re too much of a pussy for that. I bet you were hoping I’d go to Italy and screw things up for the whole operation.” Now you’re toe-to-toe with him. “Mess up so bad that they’d have pull me out and demote me. Or! Reveal myself and hope Doyle’s men killed me or I’d go sprinting home with my tail between my legs.” His silence is starting to irritate you. “So which is it, Mark? Hmm? Cat got your tongue?”

“I’m sorry!” He yells with a reddened face. Out of the corner of your eye you see his co-works looking through his glass walls but you couldn’t care less. “I’m sorry, y/n. What do you want from me? I’ll do anything!” Now we’re getting somewhere.

You push the pin into his face “Where is she, Mark?”

“Where is who?” He’s still fucking shaking.

“Asking me another stupid question and there will be hell to pay.” You’re not really going to hurt him but considering the circumstances, this is justified. The man put your life on the line over some stupid position, a bit of threatening wouldn’t hurt.

“Okay okay. All I know is that after you left she was taken by ALPHA and later faked her death. When Lauren Reynolds died, Emily Prentiss got to go home and Ian Doyle went to a North Korean prison.”

“And now...”

“Last I heard she was working for the Behavioral Analysis Unit at the FBI but was recently killed under suspicious circumstances.” At your expression, he continues. “We know she died during a scuffle with Doyle and there was a funeral but we are yet to have a death certificate on record. Sometimes it take anywhere from a week to a month for us to receive proper records on agent deaths. I thought that-”

“Stop, talking.” You cut him off through gritted teath.

Italy - Autumn 04′

“What is your problem, Lauren?” You’re out on the patio in front of the pool on a warm day. Lauren has a four course meal on the table, courtesy of the chefs.

“Nothing...” She shrugs with a mouthful of strawberry.

“You want me to leave.”

Another fucking shrug.  

“Be serious.” You’re trying to stop yourself from stomping your foot.

She puts down her food and clasps her hands together. “Yes I want you to leave.” You watch as she gets up and smooths her skirt; taking your hands in hers. “Your time is thinning and you’ve been her a lot longer than me.”

“And leave you here alone? No way, I know you’re invincible but even Superman had his down fall.”

“Superman?” She loops you in closer. “Why not superwoman? Awfully sexist of you.”

“Oh, shut up.” You nudge her back a bit. “But wouldn’t you miss me?”

She gives you one of her wide smiles. “Let me show how much I’d miss you.” She leans in for a light kiss against your lips.  You pull away quickly so as not to be seen. El, like the letter, picked out a blind spot that’s covered partially in shadows. “I have to leave in 15 minutes but until then...” She trails with a very telling expression.

“Where?” You laugh. “Not in the second floor bathroom again because that was...tight.”

Her perfectly plucked eyebrow arches upward,  “And you were loud!”

You hop past her to sneak a grape. “Hey! You do know that was mine, right?”

“What are you going to do about it, Superwoman?” You turn to grab another grape, while doing so you feel her presence behind you. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, L.”

“Oh why not?” She lightly trails down your backside. “It’ll be so much fun.”

You turn back to her. “Ten minutes?”

“In the library?” She smirks and you nod along.

Virginia - present

This four hundred dollar airplane ticket is going to serve its purpose but paying it back is going to suck. Your government salary was nice and all but $400 is still a lot.

Just two days before, you rushed around you place to pack all of the essentials for a quick flight to Paris; charger, hygiene, two outfits, and the pin all tucked into a stylish backpack.

That brings us here, standing in the streets of downtown Paris alongside the buzzing mopeds weaving through the streets. In front of you is the little café Elle would go on and on about, naturally this is the first place you could think to look.

You didn’t even know what you were looking for. The woman you fell for was a brunette with light curls and bangs.

You were looking for Emily. The woman Lauren introduced you to. The woman you grew to love in the same way you love Lauren, but Lauren is dead. Has been for awhile, now its time to find Emily. Your Emily.

You find nothing, no one who even slightly revels Emily on your first day there. So you find a hostel to lay your head in and continue on the next day. Again and again with the same routine for five days straight.

You wasted all of your time here for what? A memory? A dream? Two woman who no longer exist on the same astral plane as you?

That’s when you see it, a head of dark brown hair a few tables ahead of where you’re standing. With all hope lost you almost think its a mirage. 

You sit a few tables ahead of her, careful to keep your face hidden. When the waiter comes around to take your order you give him very specific instructions.

Emily’s POV

Being a dead woman is lonely and isolating...at least the coffee is good. The waiter who dropped off the hot beverage not too long ago has circled back with a cheese croissant in hand. That’s odd, I hate cheese croissants. “Cette personne là-bas m'a demandé de te livrer ça.” That person over there has asked me to deliver this to you. He points over his shoulder to a person who’s face I can’t quite make out. “Ils m'ont également demandé de vous donner ceci.” They also asked me to give this to you. He reaches from his front pocket and softly places a silver clover pin that I haven’t seen in years, and a pressed Violet. I can feel the air drain out of my lungs at the objects in front of me. “Merci beaucoup.” The only person who knows what these objects mean are Doyle and-

At the sense of being watched my head shoots up at the source. At first there’s nothing there but then I spot the familiar figure. Its been weeks since I’ve actually seen them, it can’t be. I must be seeing things. Closing my eyes and taking in a deep breathe, I open them to see that they’re gone.

“Boo.” I hear in my right ear; looking up to see y/n standing beside me with a bright smile.

“You scared me!” Realizing how loud I am, I take a breath.

“Miss me Elle?” I left you behind, twice. I died twice without letting you know. You’ve had to start over too many times and its not far.

“Y/n, how did you find me?”

“Really, Elle. Did you really think I’d fall for that party trick you pulled at the BAU? I’m not dull, and besides,” Y/n/n gently puts their hand over mine on the coffee mug. “You’re my Superwoman, you’ll never die.”

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･**･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*˚✧₊⁎ ⁎⁺˳✧༚ ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･ﾟ･*:.

@beyondprincess @confused-and-really-hungry @millipop18 @supercorp8388 @groovygoob  @emilyprentisswife@covetedcoven @justaghostmonument @rabid-wild-misfits @nomit16 @afuckingshituniverse @mys2425  @fanfictionfangirl04  @aaron-hotchner187 @lisztomaniacalice @thestrawberrygirl  @miidguardian-exe @criminalmindsmoodrn @ssacandice-ray @davidrossiismydad @garcias-batcave @ssaemxlyprentxss @andreaxxg13 @emilyprentissistoocute @mortallythoughtfulgurl @iamyouknow-yours @aesthbaby​

[ladyloptr]

•Part-Time•

Request: twt@LUSTFORLOKI. To sum up this one, Reader is a college student who took a part-time job in the Avengers tower as a sort of housekeeper/maid/butler. Steve, for all of his self-righteousness, doesn’t know how to treat a housekeeper/maid properly in the 21st century. Thankfully, Loki shows up, and as usual, has a plan for everything. (I’m such a Steve-anti. Poor Steve.)Lots of angst, some fluff.

Fandom: MCU AU

Pairing: Loki x College!Reader.

Warnings: Angst, Abuse, Violence. OOC Steve, Major Steve bashing, so any Steve-stans, please look away.

{————}

You need this job.

That’s the only reason why you’re here, and why you tolerate some of the insanity that you’re forced to endure.

You saw the advertisement on the internet, it was hard to miss. Big, bright and attention grabbing, just like your employer, Tony Stark. He was looking for a butler basically, but also sort of a housekeeper. Someone to help keep the tower in order, but also to help the Avengers if they ever needed anything.

Surprisingly, for all of his melodrama, egotism and childishness, Tony Stark is a great boss, and his wife, Pepper, is an even better boss. They’re both always pleasant to you, they pay you well, they pay you on time, they’re never rude (despite Tony’s jokes sometimes being a little-uncalled for), and they never really ask much from you.

Sure, your job is to help keep the 90-something tower “in order”, but you, interestingly enough, don’t do much cleaning. As Tony once said “I have people I pay to do all of that.” Your job is mostly centered on making sure that Tony’s physical files are organized, that the training room has all of the practice weapons properly locked up, and to make sure that the kitchen and main lounge/living room isn’t a hot-mess-express.

So, the only thing you really ever have to clean up is the kitchen, and on occasion, the living room. The Avengers don’t typically leave behind much of a mess.

Really, the insanity isn’t Tony, or Pepper, or cleaning, or the pay, it’s helping the Avengers when they “need something”.

Oh-correction. The insanity is helping Steve Rogers when he “needs something”.

The Avengers are all grown ass adult superheroes (minus Peter), and you’re a college student taking a part-time job so that you can take care of yourself. Most of them find it uncomfortable to ask you to do meager things for them, so they mostly ignore you, and do things for themselves like functional members of society.

Except for Steve Rogers.

You are unsure of what you did, but the moment you started working here, he’s been nothing but cold and mean to you. He asks you to bring him a drink, to bring him a snack, to bring him a napkin, to bring him his breakfast, lunch and dinner. It’s gotten ridiculous. He’ll even ask you to make sure his bedroom is neat after he wakes up, and to make sure his bathroom is cleaned every few days.

This is behavior you expected from the Asgardian princes, Thor and Loki, but definitely not from Captain fucking America.

Then again, as Captain America, perhaps his behavior rightfully represents what a lot of Americans are; entitled.

(I’m American also, lol, no hate plz.)

He’s nothing like what he was supposed to be. On camera he was gentlemanly, kindhearted and appreciative. It was a shock to you when you found that Loki, of all the people in the tower, acts more like Captain America, than Captain America.

Which was truly bewildering to you at first. Just think about it for a moment...

The guy who tried to take over the whole world and enslave mankind is the one who greets you with a smile everyday, and offers to make you tea on Saturday and Sunday mornings (which are the only mornings you can work-you got those 7am college classes, RIP). He even helps you with your studies, homework and college essays if you find yourself falling behind. It took some time to get used to his kind gestures, which sometimes bewildered even Thor at times.

While Loki got familiar with you, your relationship with Steve Rogers, on the other hand, ended up only getting worse.

It turned abusive, sometimes violent, and the only reason you never went to Tony is because you know that the two are close friends and coworkers. You could go to the other Avengers, but you’re sure that their relationship to Steve is similar, as well.

Bucky Barnes is another person you know is close with Steve. Those two go way back-before you were even born.

One day, you were careless in leaving your house. It was a Saturday morning, you were tired and you hadn’t noticed that both of your arms had begun to bruise from Steve’s super soldier strength.

He had hit you a few times in anger yesterday. You can’t really recall why.

“What are those on your arms?” Loki asks, within seconds of seeing you. “What’s happened?”

“Nothing.” You say.

“I’m The God of Lies, my dear, you’ll have to do better than that.” Loki says, looking over your arms, carefully. “Is someone harming you?”

“No. I fell.”

“Try again.” Loki challenges, looking up at you sternly.

“I’m fine.”

“Who is harming you?” He asks, narrowing his eyes. “Is it someone in here?”

“Loki...”

“Is it an Avenger?”

Loki catches the subtle change in your eyes, the spark of fear that lit up when he asked whether or not it was an Avenger.

He growls. “Who is it?”

“Loki, please, I don’t want to talk about it.” You plead, getting rather uncomfortable now. “Can we just... play chess or something?”

Loki frowns at you for a while, before sighing in defeat. “Fine, alright.”

He doesn’t bring it up for the rest of the day.

You make sure to wear long sleeves to cover the bruises on your arms for the next couple of days, at least until the bruising goes down.

“What did I tell you about leaving my bedroom a mess?” Steve demands. “It’s a simple request. I’m not asking you to teach a dog to sing.”

Steve has decided to now confront you in an empty hallway about not tidying up his room yesterday.

“I’m sorry...” You mutter. “...Tony wanted me with him all day yesterday.”

“You couldn’t have come do it before you left? You just went home knowing my bedroom is a mess?” Steve asks, quickly getting upset.

“Tony clocked me out himself, so I was already off shift. Besides, it’s not like you can’t clean your bedroom yourself.” You answer.

Wrong answer, apparently.

He grabbed your arm and held it in a bruising grip, once again reminding you that he’s no ordinary human.

You let out a whimper and try to pull away, which proves no use. You’re not surprised when he slaps you. You’re surprised by how a super soldier serum can make a simple slap so painful. You’re even more surprised when your nose starts bleeding.

He must’ve inadvertently popped a blood vessel or something.

He raises his hand again, and you close your eyes, prepared for a punch or something worse, but it never comes. You open your eyes and see Steve looking at something behind you. You turn around and see Loki standing at the other end of the hall, his hands behind his back, an indifferent look on his face, but his eyes tell a different story.

You’ve known Loki long enough to realize that if you want to know his true emotions, you read his eyes, not his face. He’s a master at using his face to guard his true feelings.

And his eyes currently hold a barely contained storm of rage inside of them.

“I apologize for... interrupting...” Loki barely managed to keep his voice steady. “But dinner is ready, and I was wondering if (Y/N) would be joining us tonight.”

You nod, frantically. Steve releases your arm, and you rush over to Loki’s side.

“Loki Laufeyson, master of perfect timing, always ready to save the day.”

“Actually.” Loki corrects. “It’s Loki Odinson, master of sorcery, always ready to put ignorant Midgardians in their place.” He smiles a very unpleasant smile. “But yes... I suppose you’re also somewhat correct.”

“No one will believe you.” Steve says.

“Perhaps you’re correct.” Loki drones. “I am not here to hold a conversation with you, however, I am here to take (Y/N) to dinner.”

Steve snorts derisively, and walks by Loki, intentionally bumping shoulders with him.

Well, Steve was bumped, Loki didn’t move even a centimeter.

“Might want to clean her up first.” Steve says, as he retreats. “Wouldn’t want everyone to think you were beating up on her before dinner.”

Loki clenches his jaw. You look away, nervous about what he’s going to say.

You’re startled when he tilts your face up by your chin, and then slowly uses his seidr to heal any damage Steve has dealt you, including the bruises on your arms. He checks you over multiple times, making sure you aren’t still hurt.

Once he’s finished, he takes both of your hands and makes eye contact with you. He’s still upset, but the anger has tapered down to a manageable level.

“How did you know he was hurting me just now?” You ask, in a hushed tone.

“The same day I inquired about your bruises, I forged a... connection of sorts.” Loki explains. “Today, I felt that you were in danger, so I went looking for you. I have a similar connection with Thor, otherwise that oaf would’ve perished long ago.”

You nod, it makes sense, somewhat. You blush as he kisses your cheek and then your forehead.

“I am sorry.” Loki squeezes your hands, gently. “I wish I had noticed earlier. I would’ve killed him in that moment, would it not result in me being casted back to Asgard. The last thing I want, is for you to be left here to deal with all of this on your own.”

“Well... there’s nothing we can do about it now...” You murmur.

“I believe that to be untrue...” Loki’s eyes slowly shift up to the security cameras. “...Rogers appears to have forgotten about the many eyes this tower has.”

Your eyes widen. “The security cameras...!”

Loki smirks. “Stark will review the footage if you ask him to. I could accompany you to his lab tonight after dinner, if you so wish.”

“Yes, I’d love that.” You wrap your arms around Loki as tight as you possibly can. “Thank you!”

“You’re most certainly welcome.” Loki chuckles. “Time to cook up a scandal...”

A/N: SORRY STEVE STANS, I TAKE ALL REQUESTS, NO REQUESTS LEFT BEHIND.

Also, I wrote this while struggling with depression (it’s been two weeks, and it seems to not be improving, and this crap can last as long as a couple of months, so I wrote it anyway. Better than waiting a few months to finally get on this), and I’m not sure if y’all have noticed, but my storytelling feels weird in this one. My ability to produce a thorough, flowing storyline appears to be sort of hindered right now. I’ll try to update it if I can.

[srose-foxfire]

Damirae - Vet AU

A/N: Hi! Welcome to my page this is my first ever Damirae fanfic, so I hope you enjoy!

-- -- --

“Thank you again for what you did for Titus, Dr. Roth.”

“It’s my job Mr. Wayne. Please stay safe. You be a good doggie, okay Titus? You were the best patient I ever had.” Raven knelt down to pat the great black Dane on his head, he barked at her happily before his owner Damian Wayne click his tongue to signal Titus to follow him. Raven looked up to the young man dressed in a fancy black suit as he gave her a small smile. Both dog and owner exited the clinic.

Not turning her back toward the two girls that worked the reception desk Raven crossed her arms over her chest, “can I ask why his paperwork was thicker than what our patients usually sign after discharge?” Earlier when Raven had come out of the examination room to say her farewell to Titus, she found that Damian was signing off the discharge papers, but he had a bigger stack than what was usually the norm. She eyed the two girls, with a stern look letting them both know she wouldn’t like whatever they were going to say.  

“Girl, we all just added some blank papers with a signature box in the bottom for him to sign!” Roxy exclaimed unashamed she cost the young man much valuable time.

“What for?”

Roxy only gave Raven a dumbfounded look, like she couldn’t understand why Raven would be surprised at her actions, “what for? What for? Girl, he is Damian Wayne! Like the hottest, most eligible bachelor in Gotham! His dad is Bruce Wayne, one of Gotham’s multi-millionaire and owns Wayne Enterprises. I can die happy having the chance to be in front of a god like Damian!”

The second receptionist, named Mayra only snickered before looking up to Raven, “don’t mind her Rae, she just one of those crazies calling themselves a member of the ‘Damian Fan Club,’ but seriously you never heard of the Wayne family?”

“I’m not much for social media or newspapers articles, besides the last nine years I have been focusing on completing my veterinary degree.”

“Well now’s a good time to get out then,” Mayra stated, really hinting on the idea that she should get out more.  

“Sounds fun, but I rather focus on my patients right now.” Raven said as she left them both to go back into the procedure room and look at the animals they were caring for. She had entered the room and looked through various folders they had on the counter, she found the one belonging to Titus. Raven opened the folder and reread his report for what felt like the hundredth time.

Damian had brought his three-year-old dog in an emergency, Titus was shot during a drive by. The poor young man was devastated that his animal friend had gotten hurt and didn’t know what to do. Raven who was on duty when Damian came in holding Titus in his arms, took Titus from him and reassured she would do everything in her power to care for his dog. Luckily the bullet only managed to graze over the dog’s shoulder. There wasn’t too much damage, all she needed to do was clean the wound to prevent any infection and help him get out of his state of shock. As a precaution Raven held Titus for two nights to observe him and make sure there wasn’t any other dangers. Now three days later Titus got to return home with his master. It warmed Raven’s heart that she was able to reunite them again.  

-- -- --

It’s been over a month since Raven met the infamous Damian Wayne. Well Raven hadn’t really spoken to him personally since Titus was discharged. One of the main reasons she kept hearing the young man’s name so often was thanks to Roxy who couldn’t stop talking about him. She would speak of the countless rumors the media had written about him. The girl sounded she was under a love potion of sorts, speaking of her fantasies she had on Damian. Immediately, Raven would leave the lobby of the clinic whenever Roxy would start her fantasizing lectures. To make matters worse Roxy had the audacity to build a small little altar with Damian’s picture cut out from a magazine article with pink hearts doodled around him.Of course, this didn’t bode will with Raven, this was a pet clinic and if their patients ever saw Roxy’s little corner of honoring the young Wayne; let just say they would be losing some credibility that the staff took their job seriously.

Raven was in one of the examinations room, cleaning the counters and all the surfaces to have it ready for their next patient, when she heard Roxy literally scream. “Oh my god!” Raven dashed out of the room as quickly as she could wondering what the hay Roxy was screaming for this time. Thankfully when she reached the lobby room, the clinic was empty, today they didn’t have as many patients as other days. “He’s here!” Roxy squealed.

“What’s wrong with her?” Raven asked, she didn’t care that her voice sounded very irritated at the moment. She wanted to make her point across to her coworker that this behavior wasn’t acceptable at the clinic.

“Damian is back. He is just been standing there for over half an hour.”

“What?”

Mayra who had her arms crossed over the reception desk shot Raven a look before motioning with her head towards the door. “Yeah, I thought he was going to come in and have us check his dog or something since he brought his pooch along. But they are just standing there. See for yourself.”

Raven cautiously moved behind the receptionist counter and shot a quick glance through the glass door to find Damian, leaning up against a light pole looking down at his phone, while his dog sat beside him. Damian was wearing a black turtleneck, paired with a dark grey jeans. God he was very handsome. Raven couldn’t help but continue to stare at the young man, as he glances away from his small screen to kneel before his dog and pet him lightly on his head. A smiled crept up her face when she saw Damian give his dog a most genuine smile, before Titus moved in to lick his master’s face. Raven could see how much the young man loved and cared for his dog. This is why she choice this career, she wanted to be someone to help and care for people’s animals’ companions because these beautiful creatures are part of a family. It brought Raven joy to see Titus was doing well, he will live many years to come along his benevolent master.

Raven sighed and looked back at Mayra and Roxy. “Well pay it no mind, we have work to do. For all we know he could be waiting for someone and that just happens to be the meeting spot.”

“You don’t think he is out on a date?!” Roxy practically yelled; thankfully the glass was thick enough to minimize her cry or else Damian could had heard her.

“Why should we care if he’s out on a date or not? Roxy go back to work and leave the poor man alone.” Raven added.

“As member of the ‘Damian Fan Club’ it’s my responsibility to make sure no harm comes to Damian and make sure whoever becomes his wife is right for him!”

Raven couldn’t believe this girl, she raised an eyebrow at her, “Seriously?”

“She’s serious.” Mayra who was keeping quiet during one of Roxy’s little fangirl phase. “It’s actually a thing. The club exists and all, bunch of crazies like Roxy here that want nothing more than to go to bed with Damian.”

“You witch! We take our role as Damian’s fans very seriously!”

Raven couldn’t help but feel flabbergasted at the little brunette, “Roxy, I have heard you speaking of the fantasies you have about him.”

“Well Raven, we are allowed to dream, aren’t we? Besides I know very well I am not meant for such a handsome prince like Damian Wayne.”

“Go back to work, I am gonna go finish up room 3 and 5. Then check on the animals we have staying overnight.” Raven said as she looked back out the door and found heat creep up to her cheeks when she noticed Damian catch her gaze towards him. Quickly she turned around and walked towards the door that led to the examination rooms.

-- -- --

It was now 6pm and everyone had already left for the day. Raven was busying herself making sure she jotted down any new appointments on her agenda. Afterwards the young vet made her rounds around the kennels. There were a few animals staying overnight at the clinic, she pulled out their files and adjusted them on a shelf organizing so the overnight staff knows which patients needed more attention depending on their case. There was a back door the overnight staff used to enter from. Soon enough Garfield Logan, the supervisor of the night shift had arrived; Raven went ahead and handed him the full reports on their overnight patients. After she discussed what they were monitoring in each of their patients, Raven went inside the staff’s locker room and changed from her work clothes to her civilian clothes. Raven finally called it a night and said her goodbye as she went for the front door with her shoulder bag.

Once exiting, Raven found Damian was still leaning up against the pole, she was grateful he hadn’t noticed her due to the fact he had his gaze pinned to his phone. Though Titus recognized her, as he stood up and started wagging his tail. Raven quickly turned around; locking the glass door, afterwards she then reached for the metal folding security gate and pulled it towards her to lock the clinic. Unfortunately for her, this gate was due for some maintenance and sometimes instead of smoothly sliding along, the bottom part of the gate would always get stuck. Today of all days the damn gate decided to mock her and really give her a hard time as Raven kept tugging the gate; mentally begging it to obey her. She cursed under her breath, giving in to her defeat. Raven pulled out her phone and was about to call Gar to come help her with the damn gate.

“Here allow me to help.”

Her finger was about to press the call option, when Damian stepped from behind her. She looked up to him and just realized how his eyes were a beautiful emerald color, they held so much warmth in them. Damian gave her a soft smile, before handling her Titus’ leash. Raven had to blink a few times to remember where she was before grabbing the leash, as the young man before her stepped up and gave a good hard tug onto the gate sliding all the way across the door. Needless to say, Raven was impressed how strong Damian was, she noticed how his black turtleneck was tight and his tight muscles were begging to be free from the cloth containing them. A light blush managed to creep onto her cheeks at the idea of a shirtless Damian. What was she thinking?! Raven shook her head a couple of times to get these wild thoughts far away from her mind, she then looked up to Damian gesturing with her head to allow passage towards the thick key lock. Damian side stepped, taking back Titus’ leash as he allowed her to open the lock and passing it through the slotted area to secure the gate.

When Raven finally locked the gate, she looked up to the man beside her and gave him a small smile, “thank you, Mr. Wayne.”

“Please call me Damian, Dr. Roth.”

“Then you may call me Raven, what brings you here? Is Titus unwell?” Raven asked as she bend down and patted the dog’s head, he responded back her gesture by licking her hand. His tongue was very ticklish that Raven couldn’t help but giggle, she looked up to find Damian was smiling down at her. She looked away from him when she could feel heat worm it way towards her cheeks, she prayed her face wasn’t flushed that Damian would notice.

“No, he is doing well. Actually…” Raven looked up to find Damian was looking to the sides as he rubbed the back of his neck. It looked cute nevertheless to Raven, she couldn’t help but snicker very silently at the very nervous young man before her. Finally, Damian turned too face her and extended his hand towards her to help her stand up. “I was wondering if we could invite you out to dinner? As a thank you for what you did for Titus. There’s this restaurant down the street that offers outdoor dining… I mean if that’s all right with you and if you aren’t busy tonight?”

“Actually, I had nothing planned for the evening. I would love to join you both.”

- -   - -  - -

That was five years ago when Raven had gone out on her very first date with a guy. The sun was coming up over Gotham’s skyline as she looked out the window thanking the universe for the life she had received. Raven had gotten up just a few minutes before the sun was even up, she was wearing a light blue tank top, with a pair of cotton navy blue very short shorts. Just then she heard a stir come from the bed, Raven turned around to find her husband was moving in his sleep. The covers covering him had slipped down his body, exposing his sculpted chest and abdomen, gosh he was so handsome. He was even more beautiful under the sun’s morning light as it highlighted his perfect face. Even after all this time Raven couldn’t help but blush whenever she saw him naked. Her female coworkers -especially Roxy- at the clinic wouldn’t like to admit it but they were jealous that the fact Raven didn’t even try but manage to bag Gotham’s most eligible and hottestbachelor.

Closing her eyes, Raven turned around again to stare out the window as she continues to hear Damian stir in his sleep. Still keeping her back turned she could hear him groining and moving the sheets to the side as he steps closer to her. Damian walks behind her, placing his strong muscular arms around her waist, then pecks her on her cheek before resting his chin on her shoulder. “Good morning Mrs. Wayne,” he says into her ear as Damian begins to trail the tip of his tongue along her neck down her shoulder, just the way Raven liked it. She couldn’t help but blush at how he addressed her. They been married for over two years and she still felt like their relationship was still new to her, exactly like how she felt five years ago. “How long have you been up?”

“Mm…not too long,” Raven answered him as she turned to face her husband and wrap her arms around his neck. She looked him up and down seeing he was only wearing his black cotton boxers’ briefs. Raven then met his emerald gaze she was so entranced with. He gave her a warm smiled before leaning in and placing his lips softly onto hers. 

The kiss was soft much like their first kiss, when Damian had come to her apartment to pick up Titus after she dog-sat for him while he was away on a business trip. He was acting very nervous and after being decline of receiving the payment he was offering Raven for her service. He muttered something under his breath in another language and leaned forward to steal her first kiss. Afterwards Damian confessed to having feelings for her since the moment they met and asked if she would give him a chance. Raven answered him she started developing feelings for him as well, before she could say anything more Damian captured her lips once again. One thing led to another that they made love to each other that night. Since then Raven knew she wanted nothing more than to spend her life with Damian.

Now coming back to the present Raven pulled away from their kiss and lightly trail her fingertips over his bare chest; tracing a scar that was over his heart. Damian mentioned to her that as a child his grandfather would make him train day and night just to teach him self-defense. Some trainings were very brutal that most of his scars came from his own grandfather’s hand. It saddened Raven the least to know Damian has been hurt by members of his own family. All she could do for her husband now was kiss his healed scars and hope any painful memories could be covered by her love for him.

Raven wrapped her arms around his waist, then buried her face onto his hard chest; slowly pushing Damian towards their bed. When he was stopped by the foot of their bed, Raven let go and took a small step back before pushing Damian to fall on the mattress. Her husband sat up giving her a sly smirked she so loved. Raven then moved closer to him swaying her hips very seductively. She placed her hands on her hips before finding the waistband of her shorts, Raven never once let her amethyst gaze leave her partner’s emeralds. Keeping her movements very slowly Raven pulled down her shorts. Stepping out of them she walked over to Damian who reached for her waist and bringing his wife down onto his lap. Raven rested her knees on either side of his hips, she then gave him a devilish smile before she pulled her tank top off, now only wearing her cobalt blue lace undergarments before him. Raven could see Damian’s eyes were filled with hunger and desire, he started trailing hot messy kisses just beneath her collarbone. Lightly leaving bite marks to signify she belonged only to him, which Raven didn’t mind at all. Damian then lightly started kissing the top of her plump bosom, she knew she was playing with fire when she was seducing him a few seconds earlier now as punishment Damian was teasing her. Raven didn’t know how much longer she could last.

“I love you beloved,” Damian whispered as he continues to caress her skin with his lips. His hands were running circles on her bare back, before resting and gripping her hips.  

Raven let out a moan, before grabbing either side of her husband’s face having his emeralds looking into her amethysts. “I love you too, Damian.” She said softly as she pulled his face to have their lips meet once more. Raven felt an immense happiness consumed her as she shared these moments with her husband. She thanked whatever universe or destiny had made their paths crossed five years ago.

She couldn’t imagine her life differently.  

__________________

A/N:

Hello!! If you reached this far first all… THANK YOU!!! I found many amazing completed fic and ongoing fics here on tumblr and wanted to try my hand with my own ideas to show my love for Raven and Damian. I am currently writing two other fics for a separate fandom but will probably start sharing one-shots of Damirae here on tumblr. I have a couple Damirae fics that are on the longer side, those will be posted on my Wattpad page under my user: s03Rose .Those fics are still in development because they will have a plot line to follow so when I get halfway the storyline I will post little snippets here.

On the side note, I started writing fics for my own enjoyment because I want to be a writer, I have original ideas already started but first things first I must practice my writing to see first if it makes sense and if it’s entertaining to read. Also this was my first ever writing a fic filled with some small ‘smut’, I read fics that were on the mature side and wanted to try my hand at writing these sort of scenes. Again I am no good but practice will aid me. I don’t know when I will upload another Damirae fic since I have work and other ongoing personal projects. Please bear with me but do know I will try to update every second week. Till next time!

--Simona R.

[ethanlivemere]

Half-Life²: Anticitizen - Chapter 3

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

_____________________

Chapter 3

Trespass

The true citizen knows that duty is the greatest gift.

The true citizen conserves valuable oxygen.

The true citizen cooperates with his Civil Protection team.

The true citizen’s job is the opposite of slavery.

The Consul’s brief messages echo across the pavement, each one followed by a hollow chime. It has an almost hypnotic effect, as I find myself staring up at the cluster of screens hanging over the intersection. It’s an Orwellian sight to behold: the citizens going about their day while the Consul’s watchful gaze looks down from above.

The true citizen embraces the Universal Union.

I think back to my encounter with the Vortigaunt. It had been a shock to hear English words coming from the mouth of the alien. Its voice was guttural and rough, and it continually made insect-like hissing and clicking sounds, but it spoke English nonetheless. Quite eloquently, even. Vastly different from Black Mesa, where the hisses and clicks had been the only components of their communication. But perhaps the bigger shock in seeing the Vortigaunt was not what it said, but the way it spoke to me. Like I hadn’t killed dozens of its kind in Black Mesa after seeing them slaughter my coworkers. After such hostility, I expected this Vortigaunt to charge up a bolt of green energy and attack me, and my instincts wanted me to reach for a weapon I didn’t have. The last thing I expected was for it to greet me as an ally.

“Your presence gives us hope, Freeman,” it had said. “As you saved my kin in the border world, so shall you save us again on this miserable rock. For now that the lesser master lay defeated, the greater must also fall in time.” Ah, so that’s how it is, I thought. When I killed the Nihilanth, I freed the Vortigaunts from their enslaver, and now they expected me to do the same once more. I remembered the slave camps and factories on Xen, where, for just a brief moment, they didn’t attack me – until the Nihilanth’s Controllers arrived and forced them to fight. They must have realized I was their one hope for freedom. A freedom which, ultimately, was very short-lived.

The Vortigaunt then walked to the contraption that held another one of its kind in its dark liquid. It placed its two-fingered hand against the glass and, despite its alien features, I could see sadness fall across its face. “The Vorti-cells drain power from my kin to support the Combine’s machinery. Those who enter them seldom emerge. The few who do are weakened almost to the point of collapse. Truly, it is a fate far worse than the shackles I bear.” The shackles were different from the ones worn by the Nihilanth-enslaved Vortigaunts. Instead of shining green, they were a dull gray. Their design remained very similar, though. Wrist bracelets, a collar, but also a sort of codpiece that I didn’t remember seeing on the Nihilanth’s slaves. Apparently the Combine deemed it necessary to cover the Vortigaunts’ loins – even though they housed no visible organs of any kind.

The Vortigaunt proceeded to grab a broom from against the wall and told me it had to resume its duty or suffer punishment. It seemed rather ironic, almost comedic even, that an alien race powerful enough to power factories was also being employed to sweep the streets. Recalling the instructions Jeremy had given me, I asked the Vortigaunt if he knew how I could get to the Manhack Arcade, where Barney was supposed to meet me. “Ah,” he responded pensively. “The Manhack Arcade. The hall of the unwitting executioners.” He proceeded to give me clear directions. I was to go to a place he called the Stenographer’s Chasm and then continue in a straight line. I wondered what he meant by ‘unwitting executioners’, but before I knew it, he had already said his goodbyes and disappeared around the corner.

The strange encounter had left me confused and a bit shaken, but I resolutely continued my journey and followed the Vortigaunt’s directions. I had a hard time imagining what this ‘Stenographer’s Chasm’ could be, but I could never have imagined what it turned out to be. An enormous, Combine-modified warehouse consisting of one long room that extended far into the ground, filled with rows of workers perched on stools behind desks, frantically typing on typewriter-like machines. But the stools and desks weren’t on the ground: they were mounted onto single, suspended rails that ran across the room. There were multiple levels of these rails and desks reaching all the way to the ceiling and down into the chasm. The workers had nowhere to go. My guess was that at the end of their shift or when their quota was fulfilled, the rails transported them to a place where they could safely dismount their stools. Until then, they could do nothing but work. I didn’t know what it was they were doing. What kind of paperwork could the Combine have? They didn’t seem like the type to bother with those kinds of things too much. Then again, an intergalactic empire is bound to have some unavoidable paperwork. Probably keeping track of resources and the like.

More disturbing sights awaited me, though. It all began at a building that produced a continuous sound of whirring and chugging, like a giant steam engine. Looking through the window, I saw a black and white tiled hall that was filled with enormous, diagonal pistons moving back and forth. At their base, people were working on the large engines that seemed to drive the pistons. I then realized that the engines weren’t just large, the figures knelt at their base were also small… they were children. Children, no older than twelve, were working on heavy machinery under the watch of Metrocops. And that wasn’t the only factory where children were being forced into labor. A bit further down the street was a smaller brick building that housed a large furnace. More children were stationed at a conveyor belt that lead into the furnace. They took white, ellipsoid objects from barrels and placed them onto the conveyor. They weren’t being burned in the furnace: they reemerged out of the side, attached to the ends of poles, and were transported into another machine. I had seen the white objects before on the brown-robed, flamethrower-wielding beings in the station and on posters that Jeremy had referred to as ‘Cremators’. These were Cremator heads. I tore myself away from the windows and continued my way through the industrial area. I never looked through another window again.

The factories eventually made way for a busier commercial district, which is where I find myself now. It’s the busiest place I’ve seen in this city, apart from the military parade. This must once have been a street with many successful shops, but now most of the display windows stand empty. One of the buildings still in use houses the same ration dispensers I also saw in the station. Another one showcases multiple television screens, all of which display the Combine logo.

“Can you believe it? Free TVs!” says a citizen gazing through the window.

“Don’t get too excited,” his companion replies in a cynical tone. “Those things only have one channel: the Consulcast.” He points over his shoulder at the cluster of screens overhead, where the Consul’s many faces are still naming the values of a true citizen.

But the Consulcast nor the free TVs are the reason why there is so much traffic on this street corner. In fact, I’d wager the Combine strategically placed those here so that as many citizens as possible would be exposed to the propaganda. The real eye-catcher everyone seems to be here for is across the street: the Manhack Arcade. It’s a large building that forms the corner of the street. Completely Combine-made, no recycling of old buildings. The people in the street flock towards the wide entrance on the corner, which is flanked by two Metrocops. Above it hang a number of yellow posters and banners and even more screens, all showing Combine logos and imagery.

I wonder if I should go in. Jeremy told me Barney would meet me at the Manhack Arcade, but it’s unclear if that means outside or inside. It seem risky going into a Combine facility, but it doesn’t seem like the citizens get scanned like they did at the checkpoints, and I could probably slip by the two guarding Metrocops unnoticed by hiding in the crowd.

I wait a little longer, hoping Barney will show himself. The clouds have gotten darker still, and before long a light drizzle starts pouring from the sky. Not only am I not dressed for rainy weather, I also want to avoid getting into too much contact with this water, which, judging from the greenish color of the clouds it originates from, could have all kinds of toxins or undesirable pH values. And so, when an exceptionally dense group of people approaches the entrance to the Arcade, I join them and walk past the Metrocops without either of them giving me a second glance.

Inside is a corridor that leads to the main room. Like the Stenographer’s Chasm, it’s long, tall, and extends down into the ground. Instead of rails with desks and tired workers, this room is filled with catwalks leading to strange machines. Citizens queue in front of them and when it’s their turn, they step onto a pedestal in front of the machines, grab hold of two control handles and lean forward to place their heads in some sort of virtual reality display built into the arcade.

A screen above the player allows bystanders to follow the game. A citizen near me has just started: at first, the screen shows only a grid of red lines in a black void. Then, the grid bends and reshapes itself into a three-dimensional environment that resembles a ruined building. Several humanoid shapes appear in yellow and orange tints, like heat vision, but with a clear red outline to them. The player navigates the environment, seemingly flying, and moves towards the outlined targets. The targets start moving around, trying to evade the player, but eventually he catches up to one. It’s not clear what happens, but when the player bumps into the target, the red outline disappears and a score of one hundred appears in the bottom right corner of the screen. “Ha ha, got one!” the player exclaims. Another nearby player is already at a score of eight hundred, when one of the targets suddenly rushes at him, holding up some kind of long object. The screen goes black and the words ‘GAME OVER’ appear on the screen. “Damn it!” the man shouts. “I was almost at my high score!”

Something’s not right. The way the targets move – it doesn’t look like a video game character. Much too erratic and lifelike. And from what I’ve seen of the Combine so far, I doubt they would put effort into providing ground-breaking AI technology for their panem et circenses. The Vortigaunt’s words echo through my mind: ‘the hall of the unwitting executioners’. I can put two and two together, but I don’t want to. I refuse to believe that what I fear is true. People slaughtering their own, cheering while they do it – and without ever realizing what they did. Or, at least, I deeply hope they don’t.

I don’t want to stay here any longer. Watching these innocent people enjoying the Combine’s twisted games turns my stomach. I have to find Barney. But how can I simultaneously hide from the real Metrocops and try to get Barney to see me?

As I pace through the room, I notice a Metrocop eyeing me. It’s hard to tell with the gas masks, but it seems like his gaze is following me. Is he Barney or a suspicious guard? I try to act inconspicuous and wait for a signal. Suddenly, the Metrocop turns away and walks towards a door. He interacts with the locking mechanism and it opens before him. He throws another prolonged glance in my direction before stepping through, out of sight. I wait. The door doesn’t close behind him. I cautiously make my way to the door. It leads to some sort of backstage corridor, clearly a ‘staff only’ area. I can’t see the Metrocop. I look around the Arcade one last time, but none of the remaining guards seem to notice me, so I enter the corridor. It’s cold and dark, and my footsteps are loud on the metal floor. I arrive in a small room with one of those Combine consoles. The wall is lined with a rack containing dozens of small, deactivated drones whose purpose I can’t discern. I hear the door I entered through close.

“Hey, you!” I hear from one of the neighboring corridors. A Metrocop – the one I followed in here – enters the room. “Do you have your identification?” He menacingly steps towards me. Seems it wasn’t Barney after all. Tough luck. “You are not supposed to be in here. I need to see your identification.”

Well, I seem to have gotten myself into a sticky situation. The Metrocop is trying to drive me into a corner, drawing his stun baton. “Overwatch, restricted incursion in progress in sector 8. Permission to enact civil judgement?” he says to seemingly no one. There’s a short blip and a burst of static following his question. I’m not thrilled about the prospect of ‘civil judgement’, so I decide not to wait until he gets his answer from whoever Overwatch is. I place my hands on my head, feigning surrender, while I scan the exits. The corridor back to the main Arcade hall is sealed and I can’t tell where the others lead, so I’ll have to trust my instincts.

Either the Metrocop has received his permission from Overwatch, or my eyes darting around the room have made him suspicious, because he suddenly swings his stun stick at my head. I try to duck and the blow lands against my elbow, sending a shock through my entire arm as blue sparks fly from the weapon. In response, I kick at his shin as hard as I can. He grunts and loses his balance, and I take the opportunity to dart down the nearest corridor. I hear the Metrocop’s heavy boots give chase behind me as he mumbles a status report to Overwatch. I round a corner, praying I won’t run into a dead end. I see a T junction ahead. Suddenly, I hear a deafening bang behind me, and the sound of a bullet hitting metal. Damn. He has a gun. I have to reach the junction as fast as possible. No time to look which way to go. As the echo of the gunshot fades out, I speed off into the left corridor just before another bullet plunges itself into the wall.

Suddenly, my surroundings open up into a larger room that’s two thirds Combine architecture and one third concrete rubble, remainders of whatever building was here before they installed their Arcade. I could get out through the collapsed walls and floors, but I’d be an easy shot. There’s also what looks like a Combine elevator with a bright red button inside it. I have milliseconds to make a decision. How far behind is he? Can I pull it off?

I slam my fist into the red button, rush back out of the elevator and then dive behind a half-collapsed wall. The doors close and the elevator starts to rise as I flatten myself against the concrete, bent rebar poking into my shoulder. My left arm is numb from the shock of the baton. I hear the Metrocop charging into the room. I hold my breath and pray he falls for my trick. It’s a trick as old as time. He stands still and I wait, my heartbeat ear-deafening.

“Subject is headed for top floor, secure perimeter around elevator.” I have to keep myself from sighing in relief. He isn’t gone yet. In fact, he seems to just stand still in front of the elevator. He must be waiting for the elevator to reach its destination. If he waits for the top floor units to report an empty elevator, my cover is blown.

“Copy,” he says. My functional right hand grabs hold of a loose chunk of concrete near me. I hear him walk a few steps, and then a couple of beeps. “Elevator power disengaged. Heading to your location.” With that, he walks out of the room, and I can finally breathe again. They don’t know the elevator is empty yet. They think they have me trapped in an unpowered elevator. Now to finally get out of here.

Easier said than done, as it turns out. The ruins are a concrete maze, and I constantly have to watch my step. It doesn’t help that the rain that seeps down through the broken ceilings makes everything slippery. The downpour has changed into an outright storm: the water beats down loudly on the concrete and every now and then a roaring thunderclap tears through the sky. Meanwhile, I guess the Metrocops discovered I wasn’t in the elevator after all, because I suddenly hear the cold, disembodied female voice – Overwatch, I assume – echo through the air once more: “Individual, you are charged with anti-civil activities: 63 criminal trespass, 148 resisting arrest, 243 assault on Protection Team. All local Protection units: code alert: locate, contain, prosecute.”

I spot one of the lambdas painted by the resistance group on a pillar. It leads the way down a slope of collapsed floor into a sub-street level area. Knowing the Metrocops are looking for me again, I try to speed up my pace a little while heading down – a mistake. The wet rubble gives way and I lose my footing. The world spins around me as I slide and tumble down the slope. I try to shield my head with my arms. I roll over the floor after reaching the bottom before coming to a stop.

I lie on my back as my surroundings come back into focus. I’m in some sort of underground sewer chamber: I see a ladder on the wall leading up to a manhole cover and there’s a grate in the ceiling through which light and rain pours down in a small waterfall, though the ground I lie on is thankfully dry. I do a quick damage report: my palms are chafed and I’ll undoubtedly have a few bruises, but no lasting damage. I’m lucky I didn’t hit my head on any of the protruding edges of the concrete.

I become aware of a sound, just barely audible over the storm. It sounds like a fire – no, more like a flamethrower. At the same moment, I notice the dancing orange light on the brick wall, and my nostrils are assaulted with the stench of burning flesh. I immediately jolt up. Pain shoots through my back at the sudden movement. I look around and immediately spot the source of the sound: there’s a Cremator standing on the opposite side of the room. The two lanky, leathery-skinned arms sticking out of its brown robe carry a heavy flamethrower which, I notice for the first time seeing one up close, is connected to a spherical fuel tank in the middle of its stomach with a thin tube. ‘Flamethrower’ might be an incorrect word, however. Instead of producing flames, it shoots the green particle jets I also noticed being used to clean trains in the station. It must be some sort of corrosive liquid that only affects organic matter. The source of the orange light on the walls turns out to be a burning pile of charred flesh being sprayed by the Cremator. The flesh is being set ablaze by the green particles, but not only that: where the jets hit the flesh directly, it seems to blacken and disintegrate. Despite the fact that the corpses have turned black as coal and have been turned into an amorphous, ever-shrinking pile, I can still make out just enough to see that these were once people.

The Cremator stops what it’s doing and turns its white, oval head towards me, alerted by my sudden movement. Its tiny, expressionless eyes lock onto me. I hear mechanical breathing from the Cremator’s mouth-tube as it steps closer. It tilts its head like a curious animal before it points the nozzle of its weapon towards me. I could try to run, but I doubt I could get far enough to evade the scorching cloud. I briefly wonder if I should not have moved an played dead. It probably wouldn’t have saved me from being disintegrated.

“Cremator! Stand down!” A Metrocop charges in and stands between me and the Cremator. “This prisoner is property of Civil Protection and is to be transferred to Nova Prospekt for processing.” The Cremator tilts its head again, then turns around and returns to its previous work. The Metrocop turns around to face me. I should be worried, but I’m not. Despite its distortion, I have already recognized his voice. I once again hear the click of the mask detaching and am greeted by Barney’s smug grin. I’ve never been happier to see that stupid grin.

“So Gordon, is this what you call ‘not drawing any attention to yourself’? You’ve got practically every Metrocop in the sector looking for you!” He reaches out and grabs my arm to pull me onto my feet. The numbness from the stun baton is almost gone, though it now hurts from the fall instead. As I rub my elbow, I glance at the Cremator. It seems to be minding its own business, but I don’t feel comfortable hanging around near it much longer, and I wonder if it’s a good idea for Barney to unmask himself and be so friendly with me in its presence. Barney follows my gaze and says “Don’t worry about him, he won’t bother us again. They’re not too bright, these Cremators. Mindless synths. They were made to be janitors, primarily. Destroy biological waste, contain the Xen infestation…” He looks down at the charred corpses grimly. “… clean up after the Civil Protection patrols.” He beckons me and starts walking. “The reason he was about to disintegrate you is because you are not a registered citizen or Combine unit. So to him, you would have to be either a Xenian creature or a very lively corpse. Either way, you were considered ‘unauthorized biological mass’ and had to be disposed of.”

We enter an underground utility tunnel. The sounds of the storm fade away as we follow the cables and pipelines down the dimly lit corridor. “You’re lucky I found you,” Barney remarks. “Those Immolators of theirs can give you a nasty burn. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to meet you at the Arcade, I was held up by unforeseen complications on my shift. I had just gotten back to Dr. Kleiner’s lab when I heard the local CP units go crazy over some guy causing trouble at the Arcade.” He flashes me a smirk. I tell him what happened at the Arcade, with the Metrocop I had thought was him. “You got baited,” he replies. “Some CPs will bait citizens into breaking rules, like trespassing, just so they can enact some civil judgement.”

We march through the underground network in silence for a while before I cautiously bring up Jeremy. Barney sighs sadly and lightly shakes his head. “Yeah, I heard what happened.” He doesn’t say anything for a moment, seemingly choosing his next words carefully. “Listen, Gordon… don’t worry about it, okay? I can probably pull some strings to make sure he turns out okay.” He doesn’t sound all that certain. “Either way, don’t blame yourself. Each of us knows the risk in what we’re doing. We’re all prepared to... go all the way for our cause.” I get an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Barney is being uncharacteristically serious and grim. This is not the same man I knew before Black Mesa. Then again, the same goes for myself.

His face lightens up again and he slips back into his usual grin when we go down a side tunnel with another lambda, at the end of which is a short staircase with a metal door. “Well Gordon, looks like we’re finally here.” He opens the door and the sound of machinery pours out. Not harsh, loud and aggressive, like the Combine factories, but light beeps and clicks over a soft hum. A familiar sound that invites me inside. The sound of science.

_____________________

Consul screens

Stenographer's Chasm

Piston hall

Cremator factory

Manhack Arcade exterior + Citadel

Manhack Arcade interior

Cremator

Underground

And for the first time, there aren't just images for reference, but also sound: here is the original Vortigaunt voice.

As always, really excited to share this new chapter of Anticitizen with you. We've finally reached Kleiner's lab, so from now the story will start picking up pace. And as always, please let me know what you think :)