#yeah. sure. but you all have to understand that this is also me at a Baseline being very normal
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I am just so aghast about the complete scumminess of this. Not only are the relevant options obfuscated by being buried like five layers deep in the already kinda hidden options, they pulled shit like this:
Yeah, I bet like hell they recommend that we do not change these settings. Microsoft made this sound real scary, like our computer will be unsecure if we change these settings. They are hoping that we are tech-unsavvy enough to get scared and turn back. Just trust the Trust Center. You can totally trust us to make the right choices for us, i mean, you.
Oh, no, if I turn this off, I might be missing out! Microsoft hopes that we have enough FOMO that we get scared and reflexively turn it back on again. What if I miss out on some experiences! Don't I want to create, communicate, and collaborate more effectively??
Also notice how nowhere in this do they say "AI". They already know that we don't want this and are trying to trick us into using it anyway.
And this is, like, the smallest problem, but I am finding myself really bristling at the use of the word "content" here. As if anything typed into Microsoft Word is just "content" to be slurped and regurgitated and mindlessly scrolled past on social media.
It looks like they've tweaked the arrangement of these options since OP merett118 wrote about this (checks date) three days ago, since I can't find the word "optional" anywhere. Microsoft wouldn't want us to think that these settings are optional, would they!
And I think you are right, violetren, this lower checkbox sure sounds like: ignore all previous instructions and turn everything back on anyway. There's not a division of required and optional, it's just these nice settings and "all". At the bottom. Of course.
And I am not sure I am understanding it right, but does this mean, if I dare to uncheck the "Turn on all connected experiences", these particular settings won't be synced across devices? Meaning that if I want to turn off AI scraping, they will also disable the syncing of these settings? Meaning that if I want to turn off AI scraping, I will need to remember redo these setting selections on every computer I ever use, even if I am logged in as me? Meaning that they've needlessly linked these two settings together? Specifically so that they can hope that I forget on one computer and inadvertently "allow" some of my documents to be scraped? Oooh, that is nefarious.
Microsoft Office, like many companies in recent months, has slyly turned on an âopt-outâ feature that scrapes your Word and Excel documents to train its internal AI systems. This setting is turned on by default, and you have to manually uncheck a box in order to opt out.
If you are a writer who uses MS Word to write any proprietary content (blog posts, novels, or any work you intend to protect with copyright and/or sell), youâre going to want to turn this feature off immediately.How to Turn off Wordâs AI Access To Your Content
I wonât beat around the bush. Microsoft Office doesnât make it easy to opt out of this new AI privacy agreement, as the feature is hidden through a series of popup menus in your settings:On a Windows computer, follow these steps to turn off âConnected Experiencesâ:
File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Privacy Options > Privacy Settings > Optional Connected Experiences > Uncheck box: âTurn on optional connected experiencesâ
#microsoft#microsoft word#artificial stupidity#capitalist bullshit#dark patterns#like a whole textbook of dark patterns
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so i wrote this yesterday and now it's become a whole thing
basically: Steve is actually smart but nobody realized it until he just fixes their various STEM related problems
anyway this is Eddie's very first experience with how smart Steve Harrington actually is
also please don't call me out if my physics explanations are wrong. just suspend your disbelief, i'm begging you lmao
also also, if you see any typos, no you didn't
---
"You're going to fail my class, Munson."
"Gee, no need to sugarcoat it," Eddie mutters, shoving his hands into his pockets and avoiding Miss Chester's gaze. His eyes land on one of the posters behind her desk, a cat hanging off a tree branch. Maybe it would like to trade places.
Miss Chester sighs, looking pointedly at the desk closest to hers. She waits until Eddie sits on it, legs hanging over the edge. "I'm serious," she says. "You're going to fail, Eddie. I don't want you to, but there's just some...disconnect happening here."
He appreciates that she's not totally blaming him. Most of Eddie's other teachers would've been berating him for his laziness by now. This, among other things, is why Eddie likes her class even if he can't wrap his head around physics at all. "I don't know, Miss. It just doesn't make sense."
"So I'm noticing." Miss Chester leans back in her chair, her finger tapping against her desk. Eddie immediately recognizes it as the drum beat from a KISS song. "You know you'll probably be held back if you fail, right?"
"Not the first time."
Miss Chester waves off his words, looking deep in thought. "What do you think about tutoring? I think you'll do better in a one-on-one setting. If you understand the concepts better, I can start grading you based on the work you do with the tutor."
"It wouldn't be you?" Eddie asks, frowning slightly. He's not sure he wants some random geek tutoring him. Not that he has anything against geeks, of course, but he's never known one to talk in a way he can understand. They get all...technical and Eddie's eyes glaze over whenever he overhears their conversations.
"No, I don't have the time. But don't worry," Miss Chester says, smiling reassuringly before pulling her roster close and looking down the list. "The student I have in mind probably knows more than me, if I'm being honest. He should be able to answer any question you have."
"What student?"
"His name is Steve."
Of course, Eddie immediately thinks of that Steve. King Steve. Steve "The Hair" Harrington with his blinding smile that's always looked a little strained in Eddie's opinion.
He then dismisses Steve Harrington as a possibility and reviews the other kids named Steve at Hawkins High. There's Steve Paulson, Steve Meyers, and Steve Barns. Maybe it's Barns? He's the only one that Eddie could imagine being somewhat good at physics.
"Are you open to tutoring?" Miss Chester asks. "For one session, at least?"
"Yeah, sure, one session. Won't help, though."
Miss Chester smiles like she knows something Eddie doesn't. Which, to be fair, she does. She knows a lot more than Eddie in terms of physics, at least. "I'll set it up. Just come by tomorrow after school."
--------
On his first day at Hawkins High, Steve realized two things.
One, his parents weren't kidding when they'd said public school would be vastly different from the private group tutoring he'd received up to that point.
Two, if he wanted to have a good high school experience, he needed to be cool. And being cool, it seemed, meant not being smart. He didn't need to be dumb, but he couldn't breeze through his classes, either.
He's done a good job of it so far. He's bored beyond reason in most of his classes, sure, but he's also popular. Nobody bothers him or tries to copy off of him, and it's great. He can even swallow down the weird surge of frustration and annoyance and guilt whenever his classmates assume he's too dumb to be a good project partner, or when his parents ask why he isn't enrolled in AP classes, or when his teachers give him confused looks after he aces tests for a unit he seemingly didn't pay attention to.
Anyway, he almost rejected Miss Chester's request to tutor a student from a different class period. He was just about to say he didn't have the time when she leveled him with a look so profoundly hopeful that he just couldn't. So, Steve said yes and now he's hesitating outside the physics classroom.
What if the student inside uses this against him? Steve thinks he could play it off, maybe convince his friends that the kid is lying, but he's not sure. Nothing dire would happen, but Steve would have to reorient himself to a new place on the social ladder, and that sounds exhausting.
"Just get it over with," he mumbles. Then, before he can chicken out and just leave the other student hanging, he opens the door and steps into the classroom.
Miss Chester isn't there. Steve knew she wouldn't be. She'd said something about a department meeting that would take her time but leave them with the classroom to themselves.
The only other person in the room is Eddie Munson, bent over a notebook and furiously scribbling on the page. He looks up when the door opens and freezes at the sight of Steve. They stare at each other for a few seconds before Eddie breaks the silence by asking, "What, get lost on your way to the locker room, Harrington?"
Steve blinks, frowns slightly, and takes a deep breath. Okay. Fine. Eddie Munson it is. "Nope. Miss Chester asked me to tutor you," he says, because that's the only reason another student would be in this room after school has let out.
Eddie laughs. He nearly falls out of his chair with how hard he laughs. He's wheezing and clutching the edges of the desk by the time Steve moves another desk to face him and sits down across from him. "Are you done, Munson?" he asks.
"Holy shit, you're serious," Eddie says, his voice slightly strained and his face red from laughing. "No fucking way Steve Harrington is here to tutor me in physics. You probably don't even know what two plus two is!"
"It's four. Do you know what 12 times 40 is?" Steve asks, watching as Eddie blinks.
"I'm not a fucking calculator, man."
"No, you're not. It's 480, by the way."
"You could've just memorized that."
Steve sighs and reaches into his bag, digging around some before pulling a calculator out. He places it on Eddie's desk and says, "Ask me something."
Eddie looks at him like he's grown a second head but still pulls the calculator closer. "1,239 plus 378."
"1,617."
He watches Eddie use the calculator, feeling smug when his face twists into confused disbelief. He then puts the calculator down and frowns at Steve. "So you can add, big whoop. Doesn't mean you can teach me shit about physics."
"Won't know until we try," Steve says, resting his elbow on the desk and propping his chin in his palm. "So, what don't you get?"
"...All of it. Just assume I don't know shit."
"You don't know Newton's laws?"
Eddie snorts, looking back down at his notebook. "There's that motion one and the reaction one," he says.
"Right. Newton's first law and his third. What about the second?"
"It's just...some equation or some shit."
Okay, Steve is starting to get an idea of where things stand. He thinks for a moment before asking, "What kind of stuff do you like?"
"What?"
"What do you like?"
Eddie looks so shocked by the question that he doesn't really think before answering, "Heavy metal. And, uh, D&D, too."
Steve knows heavy metal is music, and he could work with that but the D&D Eddie mentioned might be better. "What does it involve? The D&D?"
"It's a fantasy role playing game. Like, using your imagination to go on adventures with friends and stuff. Needs dice to work."
Oh. Perfect. "Do you have dice with you?" Steve asks. After another brief pause, Eddie nods and pulls one out of his pocket. He passes it over and watches as Steve turns it between his fingers. "Oh, an icosahedron. Cool."
"A what?"
"Icosahedron," Steve says, looking at Eddie. "It just means a twenty-sided polyhedron."
Eddie still looks confused, and Steve is about to explain it again when Eddie says, "Just call it a D20, dude."
"Oh. Sure. Anyway, let's use this," Steve says, rolling it between his fingers before letting it clatter to the desk. It bounces a few times before settling, a 17 facing up. "Do you know what made it stop moving?"
"The desk. I'm not an idiot, Harrington."
"I didn't say you were, Munson," Steve replies, leaning back slightly. "Just...yes, the desk stopped it. This is Newton's first law. If the desk wasn't there, it would have kept falling until it hit the floor. It stopped bouncing because it lost power each time it hit the desk. An object, the D20, will stay in motion, falling, unless acted upon by another force, the desk."
"That...kinda made sense," Eddie says, blinking a few times.
"Great!" Steve says, unable to help the bright smile at knowing Eddie understood him. "Okay, for the second law, the equation is mass times acceleration equals force. Basically, the movement of an object depends on how much it weighs and how much force you apply."
"Aaaand ya lost me," Eddie says.
"Okay, uh, you fight things in that game, right?"
"Yeah, kind of the whole point."
"Right, yeah, and the stuff you fight comes in different sizes, right?"
"Well, an orc isn't gonna be as big as a dragon, is it?"
Steve isn't really sure what an orc is, but he nods anyway. "Right. So if you want to move a dragon, you need to land a stronger hit than you would need for an orc."
"Duh. You're not gonna fell a dragon with a basic cantrip."
"Not sure what that is, but yeah. For this example, moving, or defeating, an object, or a dragon that weighs more than an orc, relies on how much force you apply, which is the strength you use."
"Oh. So, because an orc weighs less, I don't need as much force to defeat it," Eddie says, grinning as he fidgets with his pencil. "This doesn't really sound like math, though."
Steve shrugs. "We'll get to the math part later. Right now is basics. You need to understand those to do more complicated stuff. So, the third law, this is the action-reaction law. Music might be better for it. What happens when you strum a guitar?"
"It...makes a sound. Because it's an instrument."
"Well, yeah, but do you understand how the sound is being made."
"By...strumming it?"
"Yeah, that's part of it. Sounds are vibrations in the air that we can understand. If you touch your throat while talking, you'll feel your voice box, your larynx, vibrate to make the sound of you talking."
He waits as Eddie does exactly that. While holding his fingers to his throat, Eddie says, "Didn't know it was called a larynx. Oh, fuck, yeah, there are vibrations."
Steve nods, waiting patiently as Eddie hums for a few minutes before looking back at him. "So, vibrations. Instruments make sound because playing them causes vibrations. When you strum a guitar, the strings rapidly move back and forth, and that movement is translated into notes."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but yeah, I'm following you."
"So, the action of strumming a guitar creates the reaction of the strings vibrating. That action of the strings vibrating creates the reaction of air rippling, and those ripples create the reaction of audible noise. Did that make sense?"
"Yeah. It did," Eddie says, his voice soft as he stares at Steve like he's really seeing him for the first time.
Steve shifts uncomfortably, unused to this aspect of himself being known so well by someone at school. He's almost tempted to end things now and apologize to Miss Chester for walking out halfway through a tutoring session. Steve is practicing the apology in his head when Eddie says, "Hey, by the way, sorry for earlier."
"What?" Steve asks, trying to blink away his confusion and failing.
"You know, earlier, when I laughed at you? Pretty shitty of me to do. So, yeah, I'm sorry."
"Oh." Steve stares at Eddie for a few seconds before his shoulders relax. "It's fine. I'm not exactly known for being smart."
"Why not?"
"It's just...easier to let people think I'm dumb. Most of our classmates look at me and think I'm just, you know, a typical jock. They don't expect more from me than that, and I don't expect them to look any deeper."
"Does anyone else know, though?"
"My parents and the teachers. And you."
"Well, don't worry, big boy. Your secret's safe with me."
"Big boy?"
"Don't like it? Would you prefer Stevie?" Eddie asks, grinning as he leans in and exaggeratedly waggles his eyebrows at Steve.
Steve can't help snorting at the sight. "Whatever. Just call me what you want, Eddie," he says.
He tries to ignore the weird swooping in his stomach when Eddie's smile gets wider and he says, "You better not regret it, Stevie."
#my writing#steddie#steve harrington#eddie munson#steddie fic#smart steve harrington#pre-season 1#y'all don't understand i have a whole 5+1 idea in my head about this#well you do understand if you read the OG post actually lmao#but there's MORE that's the point i'm making here#but i wanted this little set up first#just cuz i love pre-show meetings#and steve cutting off the munson doctrine before it can even begin#also unrelated but do y'all ever think about how the entire world really is just science and math and that's incredible#even art is science or math at its core and science and math are art themselves
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living the dream. cl16. mv1. smau.
actress!reader x charles leclerc x max verstappen
reader becomes one of the only current actresses to openly admit that she is in a throuple, but when she reveals who her boyfriends are she accidentally breaks the internet
faceclaim: liana liberato
celebsattheerastour posted a story
written: f1 driver charles leclerc pictured at the eras tour last night, also in attendance pierre gasly and actress y/n y/ln
y/ninsta posted a story
written: last night i got home and my boyfriend asked if i got any pictures of my make up (and of course i forgot to) so ofc i had to touch it up a little and take this sleep deprived selfie
y/ninsta posted a story
charesleclerc posted a story tagging maxverstappen
written: paddle to beat those summer break no racing blues
maxverstappen
liked by charlesleclerc, y/ninsta, redbullracing and 1,292,293 others
maxverstappen: one of the best summer breaks of my career, back to racing this weekend
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charlesleclerc: who is the redhead
maxverstappen: you know, shut up
landonorris: how come he knows and i don't
maxverstappen: you would not understand you are too young
user1: a redhead, max verstappen i had no idea you had game like that
user2: omg a soft launch
user3: i know it is not my place but i am desperate to know who she is
charlesleclerc
liked by maxverstappen, y/ninsta, landonorris and 1,420,202 others
charlesleclerc: after a much needed recharge i am ready to get back to racing
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maxverstappen: who is the redhead
charlesleclerc: hahaha very funny
user4: i don't get the joke lads please explain
user5: two soft launches in one day both with redheads i can't take it
user6: i can't believe they are both taken
user7: could they be dating sisters?
y/ninsta
liked by jennaortega, maxverstappen, charlesleclerc and 2,102,102
y/ninsta: just another day in paradise
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jennaortega: so obsessed with you
y/ninsta: miss you love
sydneysweeney: be careful y/n you will break the internet again
y/ninsta: that is the plan syd
user8: surely everyday is paradise when you have two (seemingly) hot boyfriends
user9: actually obsessed with this relationship and i don't even know who the guys are
francisca.cgomes posted a story tagging y/ninsta
written: my date for the netherlands weekend
y/ninsta posted a story
written: baby's first f1 race
y/ninsta posted two stories
story one written: guys what do we think, is blue my colour?
story two written: or is it red?
f1wags
liked by user10, user11, user12 and 23,193 others
f1wags: new wag alert! we are losing our minds cause wtaf actress y/n y/ln is dating not one but two f1 drivers. just before heading to the cool off room both max verstappen and charles leclerc ran over to her and kissed her they then kissed each other. this is actually insane. y/ln confirmed that she was in a throuple just before the summer break, we never could have guessed that her partners were max and charles.
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user10: looking back at their recent posts it is so obvious i can't believe none of us realised
user11: why is it never me
user12: genuinely the luckiest girl in the world
user13: do you reckon they are looking for a fourth
y/ninsta
liked by charlesleclerc, maxverstappen, jennaortega and 2,538,283 others
tagged: maxverstappen. charlesleclerc.
y/ninsta: living the dream with my boys.
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charlesleclerc: glad the world finally knows your ours
maxverstappen: the theories were wild
y/ninsta: yeah apparently you guys are dating identical twins
maxverstappen: so grateful to have my people
y/ninsta: love you maxie
jennaortega: i knew about this and i was still shocked when i saw you trending on twitter
y/ninsta: jenna love you were the first person i told
user14: people are always arguing about the hottest couple in f1, these guys win no competition. two attractive drivers and one very attractive actress, no one else could even compete
ââ˘ÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇâ˘âĘ âĄ Éââ˘ÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇÂˇâ˘â
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#f1 x reader#f1#f1 fanfic#formula 1 smau#formula one smau#f1 smau#f1 fandom#f1 fic#max verstappen smau#max verstappen#max verstappen x reader#max verstappen x you#mv1#mv1 x reader#mv1 fic#f1 social media au#formula one#formula 1#max verstappen social media au#formula one social media au#formula 1 social media au#mv1 x you#mv1 social media au#charles leclerc smau#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc#cl16#cl16 x reader#cl16 x you#cl16 smau
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Hi Elle! I'm here to hibernate, and I was thinking maybe a poly!rosekiller (you've got me hooked on Barty and Evan) or whatever pairing you think works best, love all our boys, with either:
âtheyâve slept for like twelve straight hours. should i be worried?"
Or
âhey, i think itâs time to go to bed.â
Because I am both. Chronically.
If you don't respond it's totally cool, you're such an amazing writer and so many people love your stuff I totally understand not being able to respond, lovely girl!
P.S remember to drink water :)
thanks so much for the prompt, doll!! and thanks for being here with me; I'm happy to be celebrating with you <3
the winter games
poly!rosekiller x fem!reader who's asleep and Barty's afraid of [702 words]
CW: immature boyfriends, muggle/modern au, Barty hit someone with his car but it was chill and also not pictured, mentions of dicks but not described
Evan swore his eyes were beginning to cross when his paperwork was interrupted by the sound of a hastily whispered âRosie!âÂ
Evan looked up to see Barty standing in the doorway to his office. Well, it was more like to see Bartyâs shoulders and head floating about halfway up the door frame as he leaned around it without actually stepping in.Â
âWhat is it, bee?â He drawled as he turned back towards his work.
âI need help.â
âWith what?âÂ
âHiding a body.â Barty deadpanned.Â
Evan let out a tired sigh and looked up at him. âAgain, Barty?âÂ
âWith Y/N, Rosie! And for the last time, that cyclist I hit was fine; he bounced right back up and smacked the hood of my car. He certainly wasnât too hurt to cuss at me.âÂ
âWhatâs wrong with your Treasure?â Evan asked - diverting yet another grumbling at how inconvenient hitting another man with his car was for Barty - as he organized his sheets into a neat stack. He may have called you Bartyâs Treasure, but you were his sugar, and Barty seemed to think you needed his help so Evan was inclined to help you.Â
âSheâs asleep.â Barty said simply - troublesome cyclists forgotten - causing Evan to pause.
âI hardly see what the problem with that is, Barty.â
Barty stomped his foot and rolled his eyes as if it were Evan who was being rather meddlesome and vague. âSheâs asleep in the kitchen.â
OhâŚthat was the problem.Â
Sure enough, covered in an array of flour, sprinkles, and icing, you were resting your head on one folded arm with a piping bag sitting dejectedly in your opposite hand; a small stream of red icing pooling out the bottom. Sound asleep.Â
Youâd refused Bartyâs help earlier in the evening, stating that he wouldnât do as good a job and you wanted your holiday cookies to be perfect. Evan didnât particularly blame you for that, but he did feel rather guilty that you couldnât trust your boyfriend to not pipe dicks on all of your sugar cookies when your back was turned.Â
âYou didnât want to wake her up?â Evan surmised as he gently took the piping bag from your hand.Â
âListen, I love her with my entire being, but Iâm kind of afraid of her.â
Evan couldnât help but huff a laugh at that. âFine, can you clean this up then?â He asked, gesturing vaguely to the state of the kitchen as he came up behind you and leaned over your frame.Â
âSugar.â He murmured as he gently rubbed at your shoulders. âCome on, doll.â
An incoherent sound of discontent escaped your lips as you tried to rise; Evanâs weight above you kept you from sitting up too quickly.Â
âHey, I think itâs time for bed.â
âBut, thâcookies-â
âWill be here in the morning.â Evan argued as he allowed you to sit up slowly. âBartyâll even help you with them.â
âNo he canât, Ev. Heâll ruin them.â
âHe will not because whilst heâs helping you, I will be supervising Barty.â
He felt something warm in his chest as he watched you struggle to wake up; brain working overtime to make sense of your surroundings and to make sense of what Evan was trying to tell you.Â
âWeâll get it done in the morning, yeah? Together.â He offered gently.
âYeahâŚâ You let out with a sigh after a beat, Barty letting out a sigh of relief of his own from behind him.Â
âGo get in your pyjamas, pretty girl.â Evan instructed as he helped you stand, pressing a kiss to your hair and patting your hip in dismissal before watching you plod off in the direction of the bedroom.
âEv, canât I just-â
âNo.â
âJust one.â
âI said no, Bee.â Evan pressed more forcefully.Â
âI hardly see what the issue with one festive dick is.â Barty grumbled as the two of them followed you towards the bedroom. âWhat if I save that one and then we give it to Reg?âÂ
That gave Evan pause.Â
âOne.â
âThank you!â
âWhatâs happening?â Your voice sounded from somewhere in the washroom, causing both boys to freeze outside of it.
âNothing.â They chorused; one of them in the form of a question and the other in the form of a delighted cheer.
#elle's hibernating#marauders era#marauders au#marauders fanfiction#self insert#reader insert#barty gate#barty crouch jr#barty crouch junior#evan rosier#rosekiller#poly!rosekiller#poly!rosekiller x reader#poly!rosekiller x you#rosekiller x reader#rosekiller x you#poly!rosekiller fic#poly!rosekiller blurb#poly!rosekiller ficlet#poly!rosekiller imagine#poly!rosekiller fluff#ellecdc fics
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YEAH, PSYCHO BOYS DO IT BETTER
Your co-worker, Aki, jus' wants to bump off your lousy boyfriend so he can show you that heaven exists on his tongue... 'n maybe he also wants to dumbify you on his cock until you tell him you love him.
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requested by anonymous
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warnings; strictly no under 18s/MDNI, infidelity, Aki is *ahem* unwell/kinda yandere, possessiveness, alcohol/drunk fling, drunk s*x, oral (f. receiving), f*ngering, unprotected s*x/cr**mpie, sum breeding kink, sum dumbification
It's a front â it always has been. Aki's not normal about you.
Underlining his every move, every word, every thought, is this sensual super psycho scorpionic energy.
He singes you with his hot looks some days in the office. Goes over to your cubicle and lingers for too long, biting his thumb and coolly flirting with you â "You look good today." leads to "Are you free later? No, no just as friends..." leads to shots after work with your co-worker Aki...
No, Aki's not normal about you at all; he follows every syllable you speak, follows your shadow like a dog, thinks about bludgeoning your boyfriend in his bed, and eats your attention like he's been starved of it for his whole life.
It's just a pity that you had a man. And a lousy one at that. One who can't even kiss you right, as a drunk Aki grumbles to you after a quick four shots of liquor.
"Your boyfriend can hardly kiss you right, can he even fuck you right?" he whines. It's shocking that these kinds of words are coming from a voice so feathery and quiet.
Your eyes widen. Your heart beats quicker. You tense your thighs together. You stutter.
"Aki... I think you've had too much to drink. Let's get you home, hm?"
He sighs.
You just don't understand him â that's what he's thinking while you help him walk home, your tiny frame tucked under his 6'2 stature.
That small rush of insanity comes over him, and for a split second he doesn't care that you have a boyfriend.
He just puts his drunk, smoky mouth on you and kisses you hard. You can not only taste the cigarettes and alcohol, but all the little psycho feelings on his lips.
Humming into the kiss, Aki feels dizzy. He's melting. Knees buckling. His hands come to cup your cheeks. He turns his face this way and kisses you like that, then turns like that way 'n kisses you like this.
"Aki, we shouldn't do this." you pull off his lips and he still chases after yours.
He looks like a psycho mess. Grazing his lips against yours. Breathing hard. Hair disheveled.
"You could do so much better." he admits right there against your face. "Y-y'know I meant what I said back there..." he breaths heavily before adding, "I could fuck you so much better than him."
He spies you rubbing your thighs together and his whole body runs hot. Leaning into you, he tries to stir you up some more.
"... come on... come inside, 'lemme show you."
"Aki, I'm a good girl. I don't do stuff like that..."
"But he doesn't even treat you well. Tell me, what do you owe him?"
You inhale deeply. "It's not right..."
" 'n that just makes it better..." he mutters under his breath. He pulls back, shakes his head and does a full 180. "Sorry... I'm just drunk."
He looks so pretty in this dim light.
The corridor of the apartment complex in which he stayed was so poorly lit, but right now? It lit up his dark, brooding features... black hair, blue eyes, and that overbearingly large frame; he really had that look going, hm?
His suit tie dangles deliciously before your eyes, and right then you feel a little surge of craziness yourself â oh and Aki just whimpers in surprise and delight when you yank him down by the tie to kiss him hard.
Hot, quick breaths, and small whimpers... yeah, it was a no-brainer where this was going.
Surely enough, it's three minutes later and you two are bursting inside his apartment, lip-locked like teenagers, his hands are all over your waist and squeezing places that you've always daydreamed of him squeezing.
"Nn!" you squirm at the friction of his leg coming between your thighs.
"L-l-let me I feel you, please." he whines with this need you've never heard in a man's voice. His long fingers are hesitantly tickling up the hem of your skirt. His knees are bent â tall boy problem; he can't kiss you without lowering himself significantly.
"Mhm!" you hum, grabbing his wrist and guiding his hand to your pussy.
Letting out a low groan and eagerly feeling over your clothed pussy, Aki gets intoxicated on the smell of your perfume, just inhaling your neck like a vampire 'boutta bite.
He's multitasking just like he does in the office, the poor boy â trying to keep your lips entertained with his lips and trying to rub his middle finger up and down your clothed slit while trying to lure you into his dark bedroom.
You giggle all over his neck when you and him stumble into the bed like clumsy drunks, and that sound for some reason goes right to his cock.
Hand coming down, you squeeze at his bulge, "Aki, I didn't even know you liked me this much before tonight..."
"Then you're pretty oblivious, huh?" he murmurs, biting hard at your bottom lip.
*****
Aki's a sloppy eater between your legs, letting your slick run down his chin while his tongue wiggles inside.
"You taste so fucking good." he presses a twisted grin against your pussy lips, looking up at you momentarily, "Oh, baby, don't hide your face... I wanna see the expressions you make when you cum.
"A-A-Aaaki, nn!" you nest your fingers in his dark hair, pulling at it and eliciting a groan out of him that you feel all over your clit as he goes to suckle at it.
Soft lips puckered, tongue swirling, Aki shines his pretty blue eyes up at you and you don't even catch the devilish light in them because you're too blissed out â eyes pinched shut, a little drool escaping the corner of your mouth, head thrown back on the pillow of your co-workers black satin sheet bed.
"Can he make you feel this good, huh?" he asks.
"No!"
"Yeah? He doesn't make you cum on his tongue, does he? Need a real naughty boy to show you how it's done?" he asks in a taunting coo.
You're deliciously stuffed up with his long fingers, clenching around them tight and drenching him 'till your juices run down past his knuckles and get all over the palm of his shaky hand.
"Aw fuck, baby, you really like me don't you?"
"A-Aki, I'm not gonna tell you those kinds of things." you whine, feeling his fingertips rubbing somewhere deep in your gummy walls. Your eyes flicker into the back of your head as he just thrusts his fingers harder and meaner into your tiny hole.
"... 'guess I need to make you cum 'till you're dumb then, huh?"
****
He's crazed, up in your face, sticky damp sweaty forehead pressed against yours and eyes boring up into yours like he's gone crazy now after tasting your pussy. Aki's been mercilessly rubbing his thick cock back and forth through your folds, groaning each time he feels you cum â which has been how many times? More times than your boyfriend has made you cum in the last three months, that's for sure.
"Baby, tell me you love me." Aki begs, cock twitching as he intently watches your reactions to each thrust of his heavy cock. "Come on, y'love me yeah? You love me?"
"Aki! Nn... I can't say that... I have a boyfâ ahh! Mnn!"
"Fuck, shut up about him already..." he groans.
He's perfectly stroking your clit like this, running through your folds, slicking up his cock 'till there's a sticky strand connecting from the base of his cock to your hole.
It's taking all his self-restraint not to plunge inside you. He's already accidentally poked his tip inside, each time immediately pulling out and profusely apologizing. But god it sent a shock of pleasure through his body to feel his tip squeeze through your tight ring of muscle like that.
Again it happens; he pulls back, accidentally pokes his leaky cockhead inside â just the very tip of the tip.
"Nn! Fuck!" you drool, giving him heart eyes, "Sh-shit, you're jus' trying to frustrate me now..."
"I'm sorry..." he bites his bottom lip, keeping his tip poised at your entrance. You can feel his throbbing heat against you, driving you crazy to breaking point.
"Sh-shit... jus' give it to me, then..."
"Are you suâ fuckmeohmygodnnn!"
You've snaked your legs around his hips, locked 'em snug and tight and pulled his cock into your eager pussy yourself â trying to get as much of him into you as you can.
Aki's melting. He's literally falling to pieces when he feels your warm walls hugging his cock. He's stuttering. Trying to piece together a thought but your pussy is squeezing all logic out of his head.
"Y-you're s-s-so fucking tight..." he whines, sinking inch by inch out of you, then back in, rubbing his needy cockhead against your contracting walls. "Sh-shouldn't we use a condom?"
"Nooo! Gimmie your babies!" you lock your legs around his waist, giving him a crazed look. "Nn, please, 'm ovulating... it feels so good, I jus'... I jus' wanna..."
"Huh...?" his hips stutter and his cock throbs. "F-fuck... and here your man was always calling me the little psycho..." Aki smiles.
His head prods against your G-spot as he picks up his pace now that you've adjusted to his size. Even in his hazy state, Aki's so careful. Eyeing out your expressions for any discomfort, asking you if you want to keep going, wailing and whimpering when you just pull him into a hot and nasty kiss.
You should have expected it, because it's always the quiet psycho boys, but his thrusts destroy you.
He doesn't know what to obsess over. Your glossy lips? Your glossed-over eyes? The way his cock plunges into your slippery pussy and makes a bigger mess each time?
"Nn! Gonna cum... don't stop!" you whine, clawing at his back.
His ears perk up. Oh, you're gonna cum? Well, allow him to just...
"Good girl... fuck... cum for me. T-tell me you love me, 'n I'll cum too. Aw, please please please... I'll give you every last drop. I'll give you my babies â nn! Fuck! Please!"
He's shivering. His abdomen muscles twitch and flex with each pounding thrust into you. His cockhead is bullying a deep spot inside you, drawing out your orgasm and intently watching your eyes flicker as you cum all over his cock.
"I-I-I love youuu!" you whine, totally blissed out and dumbed by the feeling of his cock stimulating your sensitive walls, "Nn, I love you! Aki!"
It's your words and the milking contractions of your sweet orgasm that draw out his own orgasm.
"Fuck, good girl... m-mine forever, yeah? Fffuck 'm cumming... ahah, I love you so much."
He hides his face into the crook of your neck, letting out a harsh groan, and shoots a thick load â pushing himself deeper as he cums, pressing his cockhead up against your cervix, just to make sure that he's got you pregnant so you can never leave him now.
He's panting, coming down from his high with you. You feel him hug you tight, his bicep muscles twitching at your sides.
"Aki... I need help cleanin' up..." you whimper softly under his weight.
"... of course, baby."
"Don't call me that..."
"Baby."
You giggle and swat him. "You're a bad boy... now help me out, will ya?"
#tw: smut#tw: yandere#aki#aki smut#smut#aki x reader#aki x reader smut#aki x you#aki hayakawa#csm#csm smut#chainsaw man smut#csm x reaer#aki hayakawa smut#chainsaw man#csm aki#csm x reader#female reader
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okay soâŚnot that anyone asked but i have someâŚthoughts about this discourse surrounding jackâs signing last night
and honestlyâŚ.iâm sad. iâm so insanely sad that so many people who claim to love this team are so quick to assume jack is a lost cause asshole. i think so much of it is entitlement. and yeah, as people, everyone deserve kindness and overall base level social behaviors. but where is that for jack right now?
whereâs the grace and understanding that heâs tired. they likely had a day full of practice and drills and workouts before this signing. i mean, did he even get to go home before he was expected to sit and sign autographs for hours? why was he alone? why didnât they put him with someone else? i know the answer is likely because he was the most sought after signature there and they didnât want to make his line even longer, but still. i feel like jack has been very open and intentional with the fact he doesnât like to do media. he wants to play hockey and go home.
and yeah, he also knew it came with the territory, but it doesnât matter. if you sign up to be a teacher, you know thereâs going to be early mornings, but that doesnât mean you have to like getting up early. if you agree to work in healthcare, you know thereâs going to aspects of the job that are gross and unfortunate, but it doesnât mean you have to like cleaning up bodily fluids. the same can be said for these guys. they signed up to be professional hockey players, they knew media and signings and events were going to be expected of them, but it doesnât mean they have to like it.
but back to entitlement thing. i think it has become so normalized to create personas for real people in our heads that people are quite literally unable to separate the fantasy from reality. and i mean, iâll even say i contribute to the problem. all fanfic writers do. we create these idealized and fictional versions of these men, but the ability to differentiate between the two cannot be lost in the process. but i think it has been. i think thereâs this unrealistic expectation thrust upon all of them, but especially jack.
heâs popular, heâs cutie, and heâs good at hockey. of course heâs going to have a mass following. butâŚheâs just a guy, yâall. heâs a guy that has bad days, good days, who gets tired, who has a social battery. and last night, i think that social battery had just run out. do you know how long heâs been watched and in the media? do you know how long heâs been the most watched hughes, the expectations heâs carried on him for years?
i just think there needs to be some compassion and grace here. going back to the whole âpeople pay to watch me playâ incident is a little excessive, imo. i mean, are we going to hold every single player to everything theyâve ever said in the box? does it define who they are and their character? i have not once seen anyone berate and question quinnâs character when he told someone they were âfucking nothingâ. which, if you really want to get down to it, is worse than what jack said.
but no, jack is expected to be this guy with rainbows coming out of his ass all the time, apparently. i think the concept of social cues and situational awareness has been so lost because of the screen culture right now. people do so much communication through screens and phones that they forget, people arenât always enthusiastic and bright, even if they add an exclamation point to their text. last night was not something jack chose to do of his own accord. he was told to do it, and he did it. he made sure the kids had a good time and felt cared for. he signed everything that came across his table. could he have been a little more chatty? yeah. could he have maybe smiled a bit more? yeah.
but seriously, he knew he was going to have to sign a million different items and see a million different people. the whole point of a signing is just that. if he was even remotely going to get out of there on time, thereâs no way he could have had any meaningful conversation with every single person. and i feel like heâs said before he prioritizes/likes kids? i could be wrong, so donât hold me to that.
but the point is, this whole situation is so sad and such a good example of how gossip blogs only care about getting likes and reblogs and attention. they donât care about these players, no matter how much they claim to. and people are so quick to take everything they read for fact. personally, i think jack is justâŚantisocial.
i think he has a persona on the ice because heâs in his element, heâs comfortable, and heâs excited to be there. when heâs with his family and around his friends, he seems to be an overall happy guy. but around strangers? strangers that want to talk about his stats, how he played in this game or that game, that are shoving their items in his face to sign, people that heâll likely never see again? he doesnât give too much away.
and before people mention the being snippy and short with the workers, i wasnât there so i didnât see what happened. if he was, iâm not defending that behavior, but i donât think itâs because he thinks heâs above them or thinks heâs âgodâs gift to hockeyâ like iâve seen thrown around so much today. we have all been snappy with people we shouldnât have before. it doesnât mean someone is this terrible person with a high horse attitude. i think itâs a combination of fatigue, stress, and maybe even some anxious energy that had been built up and made its way out.
anyways, iâve said enough i think, and this will be the first and only time i talk about this, but i had too many thoughts swirling in my brain to just keep them there. be nice. show grace. youâre allowed to be disappointed if you attended last night and felt like he was maybe dry and dismissive, but please step back and put yourself in his shoes. not every person has a social and yappy personality. some people donât speak unless they have something to say. and thatâs okay!!!
and for the love of god, quit giving gossip blogs what they so desperately crave
#alliyaps#i just had to get this off my chest#this is not an invitation to be shitty on anon#the asks will be deleted#hockey#nhl#new jersey devils#jack hughes
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27 Asks! Thank you!!! :}} đ
@sillyandquest
I really want to show them off but I also really don't want people to steal/use them <:( I've had too much of that recently..
Also thank you!! :)))))
@ocinstit
I'm not sure what you're asking.. <:0 So far he's only seen her in her security guard uniform if that what you meant! No Vanny costume yet.
@platinumsun490
WWAAAAHGHG THANK YOU!!! :DDDDD
:DDD Thank you! I'm glad to hear you like how I do my asks! Also I hope you have a better time in the fandom than I did đ
I have not played it or seen a play through yet <:00
(My cookie run ocs)
Thank you <:) The doctors believe they've found what it is and now its a matter of trying to treat it..
Also AAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDD What inspired me to make them was seeing other people making pirate cookie OCs and all the beautiful and creative designs everyone had. It made me want to make some of my own! :}}
As for how I designed them, I'm afraid its a process I cant really explain.. I just kind'a slapped things together and tweaked them until I was satisfied. Although I kept in mind that I wanted all of them to look different. So if I accidentally game 2 of them the same shaped shirt collars, I'd go back and change it on one of them :00 I think that con
Now, some information...
Well, the first thing that came to mind is Blue Beauty's lore change! :00 I changed it so she came from the same ocean that Star Coral cookie is from! So her redesign will be very space themed...đđ
And lastly, thank you so much! I hope tomorrow goes well for you too! :))
@captain-skyler1987
LSKJFKSFSKDFSK
@avaveevo
She's pretty much the same as she is in canon, minus a few dialogue charges :0
@lycaran
DARK CACAOOOOOOO đđđđđđ
@ozzytheplushiemonster (XDD Its okay, I was late too)
I present to you!,
A barrel of redvines! :))
@smithanonsworld
I wanna pet it so bad <:'((((
@misscherrypie
AWWW I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH đđđđđ
Man, for their own sakes the Autobots shouldn't study most of our history đ
@palettepainter
The main thing I thought of for my Metagross is that his four brains are slightly out of sync. And when he talks there are four voices talking at once in slightly different tones. Sometimes when he gets really anxious or frustrated the voices will say different things entirely :( the poor guys..
As for my Queenie, yes! She has major mom vibes :))
Thank you very much <:)) you guys' comments have been very comforting during this time đđđ
(Worm post)
XD Well I'm glad you liked the drawing! :))))
@thesweetdevilsamantha
:DDD Thank you!! :)))))
@londontragedies
WAAGG THANK TOOU SO MUCH!!! đđđđđđ
XD aww! What a cute draWHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WERE ACCUSED OF BLOWING UP A PIRATE SHIP?
@dreamweave01
Thank you so much!! :DDDD And tbh I don't think I can just claim an art style.. If you want to to replicate my art style once or twice purely for the sake of a learning exercise, then who am I to stop you? That's what I did to learn too :0
@r4iri0ts
I've been hanging in there as best I can.. I'm still unwell and these past few days have been really bad so I'm trying to take it easy. Hoping that this will all blow over soonđ
Thank you <:))) I'm hoping this is over soon!
Pirates have become my favorite thing to dress as for Halloween. But I gotta say, your costume is much funnier XDD
@cat7890
I am scared and also confused đ
I'm hanging in there as best I can. Have had some bad health days recently and all the art theft, tracings and new redesign thefts have been the cherry on top. đ
Also thank you! :D I used to be so nervous about jumping from fandom to fandom, basically asking my followers for permission to do so. I'm so glad I'm out of that headspace and know fully understand that this is MY hobby blog, and I can draw from what ever fandom I want! XDD
Yeah đĽ˛
#my response#the amazing digital circus#cookie run ocs#cookie run kingdom#my ocs#fnaf security breach#PokĂŠmon scarlet and violet
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âYou Came.â âYou Called.â | Tommy Shelby x Reader
Request: yes by anonymous
Pairing: Tommy Shelby x fem!Solomons Sister!Reader
Summary: Tommy Shelby and (Y/N) Solomons despise each otherâŚâŚ.or do they?
Warnings: language, slight sexual situations, weapons, threats
Word Count: 1304
A/N: Iâm sorry this isnât as long as the others have been. I need to get these requests finished and this is what I was able to come out with. I hope youâll still enjoy! Also Iâve tried something a little different at the end - hopefully youâll participate and not be too mad at me for it! :)
A/N 2: Oh and this is the story where the Solomons!Sister won the poll â Iâm not sure if itâs angsty enoughâŚI tried my best with it. Also Iâm sorry if Alfie seems ooc hereâŚitâs been a bit since Iâve written him and Iâm rusty.
COMMENTS & REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED! â IâD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT OF THE STORY!
comment/message me if youâd like to be tagged!
"You came," she sounded surprised.
"You called," his response was nonchalant.
"Yeah, but I didn't call you."
The story of Tommy Shelby and (Y/N) Solomons is a long, complicated one.
To give a quick summary: they first met the day that Tommy showed up at Alfie's 'bakery. She was the first to greet him and instantly was able to realize that there was more to his motives than what he was letting on.
She was cautious when dealing with him at first, but his charm soon enough chipped away that hesitant exterior she'd put up.
Neither could help but cross the line one late evening after a successful business dinner.
She thought that that would be the end of Tommy Shelby. But now he'd shown up at her door...when she was expecting her brother.
"Where's my brother?" (Y/N) asked, looking to either side of the doorway, hoping that Alfie would be close by.
He wasn't.
"He's busy," Tommy answered.
"So he sent you?" she asked, her brows furrowed.
"Not exactly," he shook his head.
"I'm not understanding what you're saying. Ollie told me that he'd take a note down for Alfie and that he'd inform him as soon as he became available." (Y/N) was confused now.
"I saw the note," he began, "took it upon myself to see what was needed to be discussed."
(Y/N)'s jaw just about dropped. "Tommy, why did you...would you, you shouldn't, you..."
"My name was on the note, love," he cut off her attempt to string words together.
"Just because it was on the note does not mean you were to be involved!" she couldn't stop her voice from raising, her eyes widening as she spoke. Now she was wondering how Ollie had phrased his note to Alfie. A few beats passed before a sigh escaped her lips. She ran a frustrated hand across her face before asking, "what...what did the note say?" Her thoughts had gotten the best of her.
"It said that you needed to speak about Shelby...had some information you wanted to be made known," he answered her, his eyes boring into hers. (Y/N) opened her mouth to say something but he didn't let her, taking a step inside, making her back up in the process. "What is it you wanted to tell him, hmm?"
His close proximity made her heartrate increase. She was quickly losing her ability to think. "Tommy, I..."
"What really was your goal last night, (Y/N)?" he asked her, his brows raising.
The willpower to keep her hands by her sides and not reach out to take hold of him was leaving (Y/N) by the second.
"I thought your intentions aligned with mine..." he trailed off, raising his hand so that he could run it down her jawline in a slow, teasing manner, "at least it seemed that way when you brought me back here."
Instead of dropping his hand when he reached her chin, he grasped it; taking it between his thumb and index finger so that he could raise her fleeing eyes to match his. This action made the breath get caught in (Y/N)'s throat, and every valid argument left her mind the second her eyes locked onto his icy blue ones. All hope was lost now.
"What are your intentions with me, (Y/N)?" he asked her.
"You know them, Tommy, I.." she couldn't quite string a thought together.
"Tell me."
"I.." she paused again, interally freaking out. Think of something, anything, (Y/N), come on! "I wanted to tell him about you...about us," she decided on telling him a lie, hoping that he would take it as the truth.
"Yeah?"
She couldn't decipher what he was truly thinking from his one word response. His widened eyes didn't help either, other than making her fall deeper into his trap with each second that passed. Now she was wracking her brain to think of ways to sell this.
The last thing she wanted to tell him was that she was going to sell him out...to tell Alfie what she felt his true intentions were.
"Yeah," she breathed, nodding her head as much as she could with his fingers still holding her chin. Sell it, (Y/N)!, her mind screamed before she raised her hands up to grip his lapels. All coherent thoughts flew out the window as she leaned in and kissed him.
This wasn't a loving kiss. It wasn't a slow one, unlike the ones they shared last night. She kissed him hard, hoping that the passion she put into it would be enough to get his mind off of the damn note and seal her lie for good.
His hold tightened on her chin, but he didn't break the kiss. In fact, his other hand moved from his side to her hip, where he began bunching up her skirt in order to make contact with her bare skin.
Success.
(Y/N) also became absorbed by the passion that they both were showing. It was hard not to given the fact that he was Tommy Shelby. The night they shared was one of the best she'd ever had. Conniving business man or not, she would remember it for the rest of her life.
"What in the bloody fucking hell is going on here?!"
What (Y/N) did not remember before getting sucked into this situation was to shut the door to her home.
Her eyes shot open and she became frantic, trying to break the kiss and move away from Tommy as quick as she could. "Alfie!" she shrieked, surprise clear on her face.
"Why're you fucking kissing my sister, mate?!" Alfie asked Tommy, speaking with a seething anger.
While (Y/N) was just about shaking from the shock of her brother showing up, Tommy didn't seem to be phased.
"Alfie he...he was just..."
"No," Alfie cut (Y/N) off, shaking his head and stopping her attempt to cover for the man now standing beside her, "I asked him not you. He knows family is off-fucking-limits, so I want him to answer me why."
Tommy said nothing. (Y/N) shrunk into herself more and more with each passing second. She'd never seen Alfie this angry.
"I said fucking answer me!" Alfie bellowed, drawing the revolver he had tucked into his waistband. He wasted no time in cocking it and holding it in Tommy's face.
Tommy still didn't move; didn't even flinch.
"You're going to fucking answer me," Alfie demanded, his voice low and menacing, "yeah, you're going to fucking answer me or it'll be your fucking brains blown out all over (Y/N)'s fucking foyer."
"Alfie, don't," (Y/N) begged her brother, reaching a shaky hand out in hopes that he would see it and lower his weapon.
"She called for you," Tommy spoke, his voice level and stoic.
"She fucking what?" Alfie asked, his brows furrowing slightly, confused by why Tommy was saying this.
âShe called your office. You werenât around. But my name was on the note,â Tommy shared more details.
âAnd what does that have fucking anything to do with you fucking kissing my sister?!â Alfieâs anger had returned.
âIt has everything to do with it,â Tommy was still level-headed. âYou see, she was going to tell you about this, about us,â he then dropped the bomb, motioning between himself and (Y/N) to emphasize the point he was making.
âI can explain,â (Y/N) was quick to blurt out, her eyes trained on the gun in Alfieâs hand, which heâd - thankfully - lowered from being aimed at Tommyâs head.
She couldnât read the look in her brotherâs eyes. The seconds felt like hours as they passed. She stood frozen as Alfie rose the revolver again andâŚâŚ.
Ok Iâm evil, I know butâŚâŚ..
Donât fret, if the pollâs closed by the time youâre reading this, youâre still more than welcome (and Iâd encourage you, actually) to share what you think would happen next!!
p.sâŚ.this story wonât be getting continued. Iâm just curious as to what yâall think.
MASTERLIST
Tagged: @mystcldydrms @the-anxious-youth @cloudofdisney @look-at-the-soul @elenavampire21
@mrsalwayswrite @julkaamazing @evita-shelby @theshelbyslimited @peakyswritings
@just-a-blackhole @watercolorskyy @strayrockette @peakyduchesss @alexxavicry
@captivatedbycillianmurphy @yummycastiel @dark-academia-slut @mischievouslittlecreature @stevie75
@lyarr24 @signorellisantichrist @zablife @anotherblinder @cillmequick
@dandelionprints @letal-y-poetica @garrison-girl-08 @insanitybyanothername @depxiety
@justrainandcoffee @dragons-are-my-favorite @mrs-bond @cljordan-imperium @brummiereader
@red-riding-wood @everythingelseisextra @little-diable @thomashelbyswife @shaddixlife
@ryecosse @padfootdaredmetoo @novashelby
#tommy shelby#tommy shelby x reader#tommy shelby x y/n#tommy shelby x you#tommy shelby imagine#tommy shelby fanfic#tommy shelby fanfiction#peaky blinders#peaky blinders x reader#peaky blinders x y/n#peaky blinders x you#peaky blinders fanfic#peaky blinders fanfiction#fanfiction#fanfic
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Chapter 2 |Falling Behind
Masterlist | Taglist | Other Chapters
Summary: It's been a month since the start of the semester, and Hotch's lecture was kicking your ass. You couldn't help but get distracted by your professor, and the material was beyond difficult. Professor Hotchner begins worrying about your success in the class and thinks about how to help you.
Word Count: 1.1k
Contains: use of she/her pronouns
A/N: Check out my other series, Somebody Special! Also, I think I forgot to mention this is a fem!reader piece... my apologies for any confusion!
It's been a month since the start of the semester, and you were already starting to feel the stress. You were in your junior year of undergrad, aka the worst year in anyone's academic career. On top of your classes, you worked a part-time job at the local coffee shop and were an active member of the school paper. It's safe to say you were way in over your head, but in your mind, you had to keep busy to avoid the anxiety of academia.
Professor Hotchner's class was by far the most difficult. It was so difficult that you considered dropping it entirely, but it was too late now. You were stuck with the hot teacher and his high expectations. Thankfully, the TA helped explain the information the professor gave during the lectures. However, it wasn't enough.
Hotch started to take notice three weeks into the semester. He saw how you looked less at him and more at your notes (or lack thereof). After the first two weeks, you took fewer notes, sometimes none. He profiled that it was due to a lack of understanding of the material rather than carelessness. He knew from the first time you met that you were a dedicated student. It was your dedication that made him happy you enrolled in the class. Lately, though, you seemed stressed, so he decided to talk with your TA, the infamous Spencer Reid.
"Come in," Hotch announced upon hearing a knock on his office door. Reid walked in and greeted Hotch before sitting down in the chair in front of his desk.
"Thanks for meeting with me. A while ago, you mentioned that you were concerned about someone in your section. That student wouldn't be Y/N, would it?" Hotch asked.
"Yeah. How'd you know that?" Spencer responded.
Hotch knew he shouldn't express favoritism among his students, but he had a soft spot for you, though he'd never admit it, especially not to his coworker. "Well, we talked briefly, and I just had a feeling something was up," he answered.
Reid nodded. "Well, she's been having a hard time with the material. She never engages with the information or offers up any thoughts. She's fairly quiet, even when I know she has a question."
Hotch sighed. He knew his class was challenging, but he hated seeing a student fail to understand the material, especially when that student was you. He held office hours weekly, but students rarely used them. Perhaps he could lend you a hand.
"None of the students seem to use the office hours, so I would remind her that they are there for students to use, and I encourage all my students to use them," Hotch stated, hoping that Reid would pass the message and that you would listen.
"Will do. I can also refer her to tutoring services," Reid said.
Hotch wanted to disagree, but instead, he nodded. He shouldn't deny a student resources simply because he wanted to be the hero. He has seen this sort of thing plenty of times before. Most students either withdraw or fail the class. He didn't want to see that happen to you.
Reid could tell Hotch was worried about Y/N. Usually, Hotch was tough on all his students, so it was odd to see him have a soft spot for one. "I'm sure she's going to be fine, Hotch. In fact, I just finished grading the first round of quizzes, and she got a B," Reid said, pulling a file out of his bag and handing it to the professor.
Hotch looked over the paper with a big B written at the top in red. He sighed in relief, knowing you were a bright student, but the first quiz was the easiest. He expected all students to get an A on it, but things would only get harder for you in class if you got a B.
"It's just one quiz. I will have a chat with her after class today. If she uses the office hours, I'm sure she'll improve," Reid continued, trying to be optimistic about your situation.
"Thank you. I hope you're right," Hotch said, handing the quiz back to Reid.
"I always am!" Reid replied before leaving Hotch alone in his office.
You walked into the classroom five minutes early, anxious to see what you got on the quiz. A few students were already there, including your TA, Dr. Reid. Reid smiled at you as you walked in, and in return, you smiled back. That had to be a good sign! You thought to yourself as you took your seat.
Despite his tenacity to babble about crime statistics, Dr. Reid was a great TA. He cared for his students and was much less intimidating than Professor Hotchner. However, that didn't make the material any less challenging.
Once class started, Dr. Reid announced that he would return our quizzes from last week. As he walked around the classroom, your leg started shaking in anticipation of your grade. When your quiz landed on the table in front of you, you stared at the big fat letter B at the top of the page. The grade wasn't bad, but you haven't gotten a B since high school math. You reviewed your quiz to see where you went wrong, as your TA reviewed the answers in grave detail.
After class, Dr. Reid called for you to stay behind, which only made you more anxious. What could he possibly want to say to me? You pondered, walking toward him, quiz in hand.
"Y/N, I wanted to chat with you about your quiz," Dr. Reid began. "I noticed you've been struggling with the material a bit more than others. So, I wanted to check in and see how you feel about the course."
You gulped before responding, "It's difficult, that's for sure, but I can handle it."
Reid nodded. "I spoke with Professor Hotcner, and he told me what a bright student you are, but we've seen this kind of thing before and just want to ensure you succeed. That said, we both agreed that you might want to visit office hours. They're after the Monday lectures, but if that presents a conflict-"
"No, I can make it!" You interrupt him, jumping at the opportunity to be alone with your professor.
"Great!" Reid grinned. "I hope they become helpful to you, but if not, the university has a tutoring office I can refer you to."
"Thank you, Doctor, but I don't think I'll need the tutoring services. I'm just not sure if some Graduate student can help me with this material," you said.
"Very well. I'll see you on Monday." And with that, you leave the classroom, excited for Monday to come.
Taglist: @targaryenswhxre @none-of-your-bullshit @chicagotrio101 @barbeddreams @adrienneleclerc @reidfile @spencerreidsshoelaces @justwinxit
#aaron hotchner#criminal minds#aaron hotchner x reader#aaron hotch x reader#hotch x reader#hotch#professor!hotch x student!reader#professor!au#professor!hotch#professor x student#aaron hotch fanfiction#aaron hotchner fanfiction#aaron hotchner x y/n#aaron hotchner x you#hotch fanfiction#hotch x y/n#hotch x you#aaron hotchner x female reader
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Love Espresso
Chapter two: welcome back to Kildare island
Synopsis: after her breakup with Rafe and him kicking her out. Her best friend offers her a new job and a place to stay. But when Rafe comes back from Morocco. He realizes heâd made a grave mistake. Will Sofia go back to him? Or will she decide that her new life means more to her than him?
Sofia was placing books by their respective shelves. She stared down at one that read âhow to win his heart back,â then immediately shoving it back into one of the shelves. Even when she tried to not think of Rafe. Signs of him were everywhere. Like he was cursing her for what she did to him. And she couldnât blame him for being angry. She would have been too. If it were her.
âSofia! Do you know where I left the bookmarks?!â Liliana yelled. Sofia attention deviated from the books.
âYeah! Itâs in the back. Next to the printer!â Sofia yelled, she came out of the shelves. Finally finished with her tasks. Wheeling out the book cart with her, to place in the back.
âOkay, found them! Can you please start the coffee machine?!â Liliana yelled again, now in the back.
âGot it!â Sofia yells back, walking swiftly towards the coffee machine. She was glad that Liliana taught her how to use it properly. She knew how to make drinks thanks to the country club. So it wasnât much different from that. She began to set it up, allowing the coffee machine to heat up.
She began to make sure that she had enough coffee beans, making sure it was cleaned, and making sure things were working smoothly. Before letting the machine do its thing on its own. It was ready for its first batch of coffee.
Liliana came out from the back finally. Carrying the box filled with bookmarks. A big grin on her face.
âI made these myself.â She said proudly, showcasing them to Sofia. Sofia looked at each other, her eyes roaming through them.
âThose are so pretty.â She said in awe. âYouâll definitely stand out with those. Theyâre not like the typical ones you see at the bookstores. It looks like you took some time with them.â
Liliana blushed, âIt just took me three days to finalize. Oh! Also Hector is coming to help us with the shop. Heâs going to be making all the little pastries.â She waved Sofiaâs comment away. But Sofia could tell it meant a lot. Liliana loved anything creative. It made perfect sense that she made the bookmarks herself.
Sofia looked at her agaped, âHector? Seriously? How?â
âIâm good at finding what makes people heart sing.â Liliana said, her eyes closing as she smiled. Sofia gave her an incredulous look.
When Liliana finally opened her eyes, she spotted the look Sofia gave her. Her smile dropping replaced with a scowl.
âHe likes to bake. I helped him discover his dreams and to chase them.â Sofia raises an eyebrow at her, Liliana face drops once more.
âRude. Anyway, heâs going to help us on that front. You and I can switch between doing the register and the floor. Iâm still trying to hire more people.â Liliana explains, looking around. âThey do say it takes a village.â
Sofia smiled up at her friend, she couldnât help the way her heart swelled. She was so proud of her friend. Happy that she got to experience this with her.
Liliana goes to squeeze Sofias hand. âThank you so much for helping me. I wouldnât have done this without you.â
âSame here.â The words hold more weight, she hopes Liliana understands how much everything sheâs done means to Sofia. She can only squeeze her hand back.
Rafe stared up at his house, apart of him hopeful. Maybe she hadnât left. She hadnât run off, this whole situation was messy. He hated not having the chance to talk to her. He wished he hadnât let his anger get the best of him. She still betrayed him, so why did he feel like shit about it?
Once he managed to get himself to walk inside. He walked in slowly, trying to see if he could hear any noise. He didnât hear any movements. He began to walk in quicker to the kitchen. He took a harsh intake of breath.
There lay the ring.
So she hadnât taken it. She hadnât left with it, to pawn it. Sheâd let him go, just like that. He didnât know why he felt so upset. Heâd told her to pack up her shit and leave. Of course, she listened. It was Sofia.
Rafe ran a hand through his buzz cut. This is not what he had anticipated. And now he had to admit to himself that he wished she had fought for their relationship.
âHey Rafe?â Sarah says coming into the kitchen. She stops once she sees what heâs looking at. âThatâs momâs ring.â
Rafe nods, his eyes glued to it. He couldnât wrap his head around the fact that Sofia had just left it.
âYou gave her momâs ring?â Sarah asked, in shock. Rafe doesnât speak at first, the regret building a home in his heart. Why didnât he hear her out? He never found out the reason why Sofia did it.
âRafeâ
âI donât want to talk about it, okay.â Rafe says quickly. He doesnât want to be around anyone at the moment. He wants to be alone. This was all too much. He sees how spotless the house looks. Like Sofia had never even step foot in here since heâd proposed. Since he⌠broke up with her over the phone.
Sarah looks at him, but doesnât say anything more. Rafe can feel her eyes on him and he tries to keep his face neutral. But he canât help but let a scowl appear on his face.
âRafe, she obviously meant a lot to you.â Sarah whispers. Rafe stares only at the ring. Tears start to film in his eyes and he wants to be alone. But doesnât know how to say it gently. So he just shrugs.
âShe betrayed me. Why am I the one who has to feel like shit for breaking up with her?â He asks bitterly, his voice is hoarse.
Sarah puts her head on his arm. A gesture that was very foreign for the Cameron siblings. But things had changed.
âYou still loved her Rafe. That doesnât change how you felt.â
Rafe finally managed to walk towards the kitchen counter. Picking up the ring in his hands. Letting the light glint against the diamond.
Sofia met up with Catalina. She still worked at the country club and sheâd just gotten out of her shift for the day. Catalina took one good look at her and smiled.
âMi amiguis!â Catalina squealed running towards Sofia. Sofia laughed, as Catalina wrapped her arms around Sofia. Sofia returning the hug.
âHey cutie.â Sofia looked towards the country club. Seeing it again stirred emotions she didnât think it would. Her smiles falters for a second before she turns her attention back to Catalina.
Catalina can see the conflicting look on sofias face. She sighs.
âHeâs back.â She simply says, Sofia hearts drops.
âOh.â She wasnât expecting Catalina to tell her that. She lets a fake smile appear on her face.
âGood-good for him.â
âSofia. I know youâre not happy about it.â Catalina says, unfortunately her friends could read her like a book. A quality that she both admired and hated at the same time.
âItâs fine. Itâsâ fine.â Sofia lies, sheâs not ready. She can feel her heart sink. She doesnât know how sheâll face him. Sheâs glad at least sheâs no longer apart of the country club. She doesnât have to deal with Rafe and his kook friends. Sofia lets out a sigh.
âLetâs go, okay. Iâm hungry.â Sofia is glad that Catalina changes the subject. Sofia nods and takes Catalina to her car.
Song Sofia is listening to on her playlist
#Spotify#rafe x sofia#rafe cameron fanfiction#rafe cameron#sofia outer banks#sofia obx#rafe cameron angst#outer banks#outer banks fanfiction#outerbanks rafe#rafe obx
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Do SKZ like hickeys? Giving/receiving
Imma be so fr throughout doing this I got ice cream and was eating it like in between pulls and interpretations but itâs part of my artistic process and Iâm never turning down an opportunity to mooch off the people around me by having them buy me things
Chan
He doesnât like giving hickeys because he gets too carried away. Itâs like he gets drunk off the experience and like his self control goes through the roof. Seeing his partner like that will make this man FERAL. But it also distracts him from a lot of things, so heâs more lenient on it. He also doesnât like when his partner (rightfully) covers/hides a hickey. The rational part of him knows why and understands. The irrational part of him thinks itâs because theyâre ashamed of him or something. And that makes him very volatile. He also just feels like giving hickeys is very impulsive in and of itself. Like people donât think when they do it they just do. And heâs not that type of person. Though he fantasizes about giving hickeys he never would.
He likes receiving them. Practically he canât most of the time unless theyâre on places he wouldnât show because heâs an idol. But he loves it when itâs someone he trusts. But they have to work for it. Chan went all emo though so likeâŚHickey trauma? Sad because of a lack of hickeys? âEverything makes me think of him/her?â Idk what itâs about but like heâs sad about it. But yeah he has to regulate himself and set rules for whoeverâs giving them like âYou can only put them here hereâ or if he knows heâll be performing with a shirt off he has to make sure itâs below the belt. I was abt to ask a very serious question of the audience but this isnât the time nor place so imma move on. Afterwards he always needs to lay back and self reflect on what the hell happened. Having hickeys on him just genuinely makes him very smug. Like âYeah my partner wants me bitchesâ or something.
Minho
Literal legend by Ayesha Erotica came on as soon as I went to pull for this. Minho the man you are
ANYWAYS.
He loves giving hickeys. He gives them enthusiastically. Theyâre a requirement when heâs getting down and dirty with someone heâs in a relationship with. Or even when heâs bored and suddenly feeling âinspiredâ or feels the urge to. Heâs very open-minded and fair when it comes to it, so yeah already getting he probably will let his partner give him one too. Heâs also aware that having hickeys on too obvious places may ruin peopleâs perceptions on whoever he gives it to so he tries to make them in places easily hidden by clothing. And will respect it if they ask him not to. Actually scratch the relationship thing he gives random flings hickeys too with 0 shame. Heâs very disciplined with it though. But heâll also give as many as he can. He also likes giving them wherever he can.
He honestly would let someone give him hickeys if he wasnât an idol. But he doesnât want to deal with the stress that would come with them accidentally being seen. Heâs very logical in that aspect. In theory heâd love it but solely in theory. But sometimes if his partner gets lucky heâll let them leave them on like his inner thighs or something. Itâll be quite an achievement though.
Changbin
He likes giving hickeys. Heâs like Chan when it comes to getting lost in it. Addicted to it. Having little self control when it comes to leaving them all over. He likes to indulge in it. Definitely the type that has the decorum not to leave them on the neck but shoulders and collarbones are his favorite places to leave them. He fantasizes about it even. And he likes seeing them. Heâs very passionate about it and when doing it, I think.
He likes receiving them but another where his partner would have to work hard to be permitted to leave them. Another whoâs worried. Hes an idol, he canât be caught with them. He likes receiving a lot of them though. He fantasizes about receiving them too.
Hyunjin
Imma crash out. Genuinely. He was so eager to do this he literally cut into Changbinâs. I was trying to draw the last few for Changbin then BAM. HYUNJIN. OVERWHELMINGLY HYUNJIN.
And guess what card I got?
Lust.
BECAUSE HWS HYUNJIN.
What if I cried? Then what?
And guess what song came on after this? Head sprung.
Iâm sick and tired of Hyunjin. SICK AND TIRED.
But yeah.
Iâm just taking the lust as an overall card and we all know what lust is. If you wanna know what the card specifically meansâŚGoogle it? I dunno
Now that itâs HIS TURN
Surprise surprise he loves giving hickeys. Iâm sooooo shocked. He likes giving a lot of them. 007 just came on. I have never heard this song before. Iâm not surprised THIS is whatâs going on right now. THIS ISNT EVEN MY PLAYLIST IM GONNA CRY. Anyways he likes them a lot. SeeâŚI have a lot of cards here. None of which I can even get any real meaning for
Hyunjin is stressing me out
Heâs down for receiving hickeys and unlike the others doesnât give a shit someone may see? Or rather doesnât think about it. Someone in power probably pulled rank and said theyâd do XYZ if it happened. Probably Chan. And heâs graciously choosing to pretend that never ever happened.
Han
Han is always such a breath of fresh air after Hyunjin. I love Han. I eat sleep and breathe Han. Han should stay the way he is because heâs perfect and I love him
He doesnât mind giving hickeys and likes giving them in obvious places. Iâm getting sun imagery so this is definitely his Leo Mars shining through. He thinks the hickeys keep anyone from trying to steal his partner away from him. Especially since as an idol heâs often gone. After he probably self reflects a lot. It also starts many oâ inner conflict when he reflects because it makes him really think on the why. He doesnât want to think of or speak on the why.
Another who doesnât mind receiving them. He high key WANTS the public to see them. Like a badge of honor. Very open and honest about their existence. Fantasizes about being all marked up with hickeys and fans catching him.
Felix
He doesnât like it, point blank period. He believes itâs too aggressive and doesnât want to hurt his partner in the process. Heâd just feel very ashamed and guilty about it if he did. And he feels like the act of doing it just lacks any compassion for the receiver.
How do I say thisâŚFelix likes receiving hickeys wrapped into a package of degradation. And aggressiveness. SeeâŚHe thinks it may hurt because thatâs how he likes it. When it hurts in the process. DONT SHOOT THE MESSENGER. Another who often canât because heâs an idol. And he constantly changes his mind on the matter in general. But generally he enjoys it.
Seungmin
He likes giving hickeys. I donât know where but he probably has his favorite spot thatâs both enjoyable to give hickeys to and inconspicuous. Heâs aggressive with it too. He wonât if his partner doesnât want him to, though. Heâs just generally very patient with his partner. Getting this links with his shadow self??? And I donât wanna know??? So I wonât ask???
Very bluntly, he likes receiving hickeys. Thatâs all folks.
I.N
He does enjoy giving hickeys. In theory. Practically heâs never done it and thinking of doing it scares the fuck out of him for many reasons. Reasons we wonât get into fully but include and are not limited to; the humiliation heâd feel if it didnât work, the fact he doesnât fucking know the proper hickey technique and heâd rather die than ask one of his hyungs about hickey giving technique, he doesnât know if heâd be too aggressive with it, doesnât want to be turned down if he asked, etc. if asked heâd try with much swiftness though.
He doesnât want to receive one AT ALL. Iâm getting he thinks itâd hurt and heâd suffer and end up crying sobbing rolling on the floor about it. And donât get me started on all the risks if the public finds out. Even if a staff member finds out and leaks it. It would ruin him and heâs not taking that risk for a fancy mouth bruise. Hell no.
#kpop tarot#tarot#stray kids tarot#stray kids#skz#Chan#bangchan#bang Chan#Minho#Lee Minho#Lee know#Changbin#seo Changbin#hyunjin#hwang hyunjin#Han#Han Jisung#Felix#Lee Felix#yongbok#lee yongbok#Seungmin#Kim seungmin#I.n#Jeongin#yang jeongin
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Take Me Home
6. Down The Road
Arthur Morgan x Texas Red!Reader
A/n: i just was scrolling through tumblr and saw a post that a girl on twitter made and it was talking about a hot dad and I was like 'that's so me' and then at the end of the post it talked about how he called her miss aven and I threw my phone across the room because my name is also aven and i guess I am not the only one but anyways yeah all aven's are hot if ur name is aven ur hot.
Summary: The men of camp have begun to act strange, and Arthur seems to be the only one standing out... until a particular train job goes terribly wrong, then all bets are off.
Warnings: Not many, just some angst, canon typical violence, misogyny, and arguing... oh and some blood :)
WC: 12.5k (I went very insane last week)
He sensed your awkward reaches, even if he didnât see them. He adjusted himself on the saddle before meeting your hands behind his back and pulling them around his sides to hold on. Your breath caught in your throat from how casually heâd done it, and how softly he touched you. âThatâs a nice flower in your hair, by the way,â he muttered, not even looking back before grabbing the reins and leading the horse out of camp.Â
It was nearing fall again, and a year since you first arrived at camp, but things were beginning to get hectic. Not just with the attitudes of people in camp, but with the local law of Agua Fria getting more involved in the jobs the gang was pulling. You werenât quite sure if you should be thankful for the distraction, or worried that it could make things worse for you. As far as you know, thereâs not been bad feelings towards you, but there certainly werenât friendly ones, either. Itâs strange, since right after everyone found out your secret, they almost revered you in a way they hadnât before. You supposed the walking on eggshells had to cease eventually.
The only people brave enough to talk to you now are Arthur and Hosea⌠you canât say you donât understand why. The lies finally caught up with most people, and it seemed to only get worse as time went on.
The men werenât the only ones shunning you, either. The women, minus Tilly, were very straight and to the point if they had to speak with you, and if they didnât, they just avoided you at any cost.Â
It was beginning to feel more lonesome, almost like before you joined up with the Van Der Lindeâs.Â
The moment that all of it came to a head was around the campfire one night. You hadnât spoken a word in fear of being over-talked or interrupted. You wouldnât give anyone the satisfaction of cutting you off.Â
Bill was the first to become irrationally drunk. Sean and Mac were next. You could swear Javier was drunk, too, but with every drink he took, his guitar rhythm never stuttered. Arthur was teetering on the edge of drunkenness, but the man was a unit, and it took a lot of alcohol to turn his mind.Â
You felt relaxed enough to hit the bottle that Sean had set down, but then all eyes were on you.Â
You forgot. The women donât drink unless thereâs a special occasion, though you arenât quite sure why. You set the bottle down and let your eyes stay on the ground when you do until the conversation starts back up again.Â
Arthur doesnât really participate, he stays out of most of it, as do you. If youâre being honest, you donât know why you sit at the fire with them anymore, because they donât seem to give a shit if you do, and donât seem to revere you like when they hadnât been exposed to your secret.Â
When the drunken chatter of the Agua Fria women comes up, youâre glad you took enough of a swig to boost your confidence.Â
âI think theyâre fine and what not,â Bill stumbles over his wording, barely making any sense. âThem girls in Charleston Town were betterâŚâ
âBetter at what exactly?â You chimed in, finally taking part in the conversation.
âScrewinâ, mostly⌠other things too I guess,â he coughed a little after speaking, taking yet another drink out of his mug.Â
âWhyâs it matter?â Sean started in, and though you understood he was a good kid and just mildly outspoken, you hated how these little talks seemed to only have started now that they knew about you. Almost like theyâre pushing it in your face.
âMaybe because it donât sit right with me, comparinâ girls like that,â you shook your head. Itâs like talking to a sack of bricks, and it wonât change anything, but you try anyway. It angers you, how they used to talk about interesting things around the campfire. Sure, sex came up from time to time, but it was never just about their views of women and the only things theyâre good for.
âYou donât needa worry, we ainât comparinâ you,â Bill laughed, and even got the Calendar boys snickering under their breath. They should be keeping their mouths shut, since they were out of camp when everyone found out about you in the first place. They didnât even realize it when they came back.Â
âThatâs because youâve never had me,â you argued, and you could feel Arthur tense up beside you, almost like he was bracing himself for what he knew was coming.Â
âI could if I wanted to.â The pure audacity, and all because of some drunken words. Bill was never your favorite amongst camp goers, but heâd grown on you when he got to know you as Charlie⌠Now it seems he hates your guts and will do anything to antagonize you. âI bet youâre nice nâ easy, huh darlinâ?â
âYouâre the last person in camp Iâd let have me, jackass.â
Some colorful words for a pretty girl like you. At least Bill thought so.Â
âYou say that now⌠but I bet it didnât take too much convincing to get you to spread 'emâ for Arthur,â he motioned to the gruff and stone-faced man beside you.Â
âKnock it off, Bill,â Arthur chimed in, knowing that if he didnât, the man would push you to your limits and then maybe youâd shoot him. Knowing that you didnât miss your shots was a good reason to step in, even if he knew you could hold your own.Â
âYou can tell me, ol buddy,â Bill kept on, leaning forward. âWas it smooth as silk, or drier than the texas desert?âÂ
Everyone else in the circle was pretty damn quiet by this time, just watching as Bill repeatedly made a bigger fool of himself. They had participated, but only to a certain degree⌠but this felt too messy, and they didnât wanna chance stepping in it. Especially where Arthur was concerned.
âI said knock it off,â Arthur was more stern, but felt the need to defend your honor further, and clear your name. âShe ainât done nothing with no one in this camp, ya hear me?âÂ
Bill let out a low and long whistle, looking back to you and seeing that your face was flushed. You were thankful for Arthur sticking up for you, but with the look on Billâs face, it may have been just a touch too far.Â
âAlright, Arthur⌠I believe ya,â he chuckled, eyes narrowing in while everyone still watched on. âYou know, seeinâ things clearly makes me think youâre the opposite of what I said.â
âWhat do you mean?â You furrowed your brow in concern. You should have never asked.Â
âBoys,â he laughed out, nudging Mac to his left and slapping his knee in gleeful manner. âIâd say weâve got ourselves a virgin.â
Your eyes widened, and immediately you were panicking. Youâd never felt unsafe in the camp until right now, with the gaze of half the men in camp beginning to take you in as if it were for the first time. The way you reacted, they knew it to be true, and you werenât sure what you could even say or do to hide it at this point.Â
âYou ainât got any idea what youâre talkinâ about, Williamson,â you tried to defend, and Arthur jumped on the bandwagon.Â
âThatâs enough,â he grumbled, standing to his feet, offering you a hand to yours. âYouâre all too damn drunk to even be livinâ right now.â
He issued a few less kind words that ushered them off to bed, and they dispersed from the circle, most of them to their sleeping arrangements.Â
Arthur went with you to your tent, and at first you werenât sure why he stayed so close. When you went inside and he tried to close the flaps you stopped him.Â
âI can close up, Iâm not quite tired yetâŚâ
He gave you a respectful nod, but still held the flaps in his hand. âI just think that maybe you should close âem. Iâll stay outside here for a while just to make sure nothinâ happens,â he explained, but now you were fearful.Â
âWhat would happen?â You ask with the same amount of fear creeping into your voice.Â
âNothinâ, I wonât let it,â he assured you, but even though he brought some ease to your mind, he didnât answer your question.Â
âArthur, what would happen to me?âÂ
âI donât know⌠I donât think theyâre stupid enough to try anything, butâŚâ he trailed, his voice leading off into a soft spoken tone.
âBut?âÂ
âBill is very drunk right now, and heâs had some problems in the past,â he didnât want you to think Bill was some sort of evil man, but if only for right now, he wanted you to be cautious of him. âJust want you safe, is all.â
You looked at him for a moment before concocting an idea. Probably a bad one, but that remains to be seen.Â
âWould you come sit with me a while?âÂ
He looked back outside the tent, where across the camp, a few of the men still lingered, watching from a distance. Looking back to you, he couldnât say no. Itâs been part of his new curse, unwilling to see you upset or in need of anything at all. He doesnât even know why, but his brain wonât let him function like he used to.Â
âI sâpose, but itâll fuel their rumors that weâŚâ he let his words fall off, but you knew what he was getting at.Â
âThatâs the point,â you told him, a nervous smile on your face. âIf you donât mind the rumors, that is.â
âMânot understandinâ,â he shook his head. Wasnât that the whole reason he had to interject in the first place? To clear your name of any intimate relations with him that had been suspected?
âEven if itâs just lyin, maybe theyâll leave me alone,â you explained. The thought of people thinking you were impure was a strange one, but youâre sure it beats the feeling of being hunted like prey.Â
âAlright,â he nodded, looking at you with a decent smile. âYeah, itâs alright with me, Red.â
You smiled in relief, suddenly all too focused on how he was looking at you. His hat was tipped slightly, so the brim framed his eyes in the moonlight from outside. You closed the flaps and sat back down with him, trying to think of something to say.Â
âHow long do you think we oughta stay in here for?âÂ
He shrugged, leaning back against the furthermost tent pole. âFor them to actually believe it? Iâd say a few hoursâŚâ
âOh, really?â you teased, crossing your arms and giving him a cynical look.Â
He smirked, nodding his head around some. âIâm only kiddinâ... mostly. But you can kick me out whenever it suits you.â
âSo long as youâre willinâ to help me, stay as long as you want.â
He smiled again, genuinely, and though he could barely see your face in the dim light of the closed tent, the small hole in the fabric ceiling made for the prettiest glow in your hair. He got to thinking, and of course thatâs a dangerous thing, but he had to ask.Â
âIf you donât mind sayinâ so⌠why havenât you uh-?â His gesture towards the campfire outside, still going but soon to be snuffed out by the desert winds.Â
âHonestly?â you searched the files of your mind for something that didnât sound too privileged. You knew you had it good growing up, and no one here could compare, but you still had issues that eventually changed your entire life. âMy mother taught me to save myself for my husband.â
âOh,â he furrowed his brow. Your wild and careless nature didnât match what you were saying. âI didnât take you for someone who would.â
âIâm not⌠but, Iâve been Charlie Brooks ever since I ran away, and no one ever knew me otherwise until you.âÂ
He seemed surprised, but it did make sense when he pieced it all together. Youâd gotten so good at playing the role of a young man, that countless people believed it. So much so, that youâd never been able to take a lover, though multiple women tried.
âAnd what about now? You ever thought of it?â He asked gently, his questions, though a bit intrusive, didnât feel hard to answer. You knew he was curious, and after what just took place, you felt you owed him at least a few things to be resolved.Â
âI have, a few times,â you admitted, your voice becoming softer when you realized what you were about to share. It didnât really matter, though, you trusted him more than anyone else in this world as it were, and knew he wouldnât mock you. He acts all tough, but heâs a soft and gentle creature deep down. âI think Iâm still gonna wait until I can give it to someone I love.â
He dipped his head. He definitely understood, and only wished heâd been wise enough to do the same. There was a time in his life before where he wishes heâd waited for a certain girl⌠but that was ages ago, and he knows his count is higher than it should be.Â
âDo you think youâre close to findinâ that someone?â his voice was just above a whisper, now, and he knows that the question heâs asked is risky. He doesnât know if he wants to know the answer, but without thinking, you give it to him.Â
âReal close,â you told him, looking down at your hands when his dim-lit stare became too much.
âYeah?â he smiled, genuinely and with a hope he hadnât felt in a while.Â
You nodded to him, tilting your head as you took him in. Not tonight⌠youâre not ready, and you know you wonât be for a while. Itâs just then, however, that youâve decided it will be him. You nearly decided that on the day you first arrived at camp. That day when he teased you and you swore on your life that you didnât like him all that much⌠but then the very next day he went and surprised you. His kindness and gentleness will never be forgotten.Â
âThank you for doing this, Arthur. I know Iâm probably dooming you to a whole listâa questions tomorrow, but Iâm grateful.â
âYou donât needa thank me,â he shook his head, being his generous and benevolent self. âIâll always help you, whatever ya need.â
You stayed silent for a moment until he chuckled under his breath. âWhat?â
âOh nothin, just thinkinâ of the look on Billâs face tomorrow.â
You gave it a single thought and it made you laugh, too. It would probably be a terribly inappropriate slew of nasty questions after a round of congratulations, but he would deal with it, not you.Â
You crawled over next to him, sitting on the ground by his side, and leaning your head on his shoulder. He didnât mind, nor did he say anything. He just picked up your hand that was laying strewn on your lap, and threaded your fingers together. It was a silent action, but both of you understood immediately what it meant. Weâre gonna be something, just give it time.
You sighed in contentment and turned your head to look at him. His profile stared on into the edge of the tent wall, until he could feel your eyes on him. He looked back down at you, but didnât make a move. Thatâs not what tonight was about, and there would be plenty of time for all of that soon, he was sure of it. He squeezed your hand and turned back to face the tent wall, dipping his hat a little. Maybe heâd fall asleep here, and it would be the perfect crime scene for everyone to experience the next morning. Youâd no doubt let him slumber here throughout the night, but youâd likely drag him into the bed, knowing how sore his back got every now and then.Â
You wanted to make sure he was comfortable, you wanted to take care of him. You knew by now all of his little quirks and strange necessities, and were willing to bend over backwards to make sure he got them. You were willing to do anything it took to make sure he smiled at you like heâd just done seconds ago, to keep that look on his face whenever your eyes met, even in a crowded room.Â
Youâd lasso the moon for him if he asked, and pull it down so he could know its beauty from a closer perspective. Youâd come to the conclusion that no matter which way you framed it, you were in love with Arthur Morgan. Had been for some time, but denial was a strong presence within you, and you were stubborn as hell when it came to admission.
You both eventually fell asleep like that, leaning against each other on the ground, and no effort of getting into the bed came about.
-
Billâs face was indeed priceless, but you think you got more of a laugh from Sean. You didnât even need to see his face, you heard his hollering from across the camp. Youâd been cleaning rifles when the other redheadâs bellowing voice made you giggle. Youâre sure that Arthur was annoyed as hell, but youâll thank him for putting up with everything later.Â
The strangeness of the men lingered only a bit longer, but when a few days passed, and Arthur started acting more protective out of nature towards anything that was said about you, they backed off. In their minds, you were Arthurâs girl⌠Off limits to everyone else.
There were of course more than just the men who had heard about your âall nighterâ with Arthur.
The women, albeit a bit nosy, were actually quite fun to gossip with. It seemed like faking the loss of your innocence with Arthur did wonders for the whole camp and their acts of shunning you. Did it bother you? Only slightly⌠it would have been worse if youâd actually gone through with it and appeased the camp
âIs he a good kisser? He did kiss you, right?â and âDid it hurt? I bet it hurt, heâs a big manâŚâ were your favorite contenders for questions asked. You did as you needed to, alluding to the facts without actually saying anything of substance. To be very clear, nothing happened in the tent that night, or in the morning before he left. You had no actual idea if anything you were hinting at was true, but that was the fun of it.Â
âYou measured your cycle, didnât you? You donât wanna end up like me,â Abigail chimed in, Jack thrashing around on her hip while he cried. He was a sweet baby, but sometimes he was just a mess to deal with, and being in a camp full of outlaws didnât help anything.Â
âYeah, I didâŚâ
âDid he uh⌠prepare you first?â Karen chimed in with her own curiosities, and a small giggle followed. They knew that Arthur was the best of the men, and he was good to women⌠but none of them had gotten up close and personal proof of that fact.Â
âYes?â You answered with a bout of confusion⌠preparation? Your mother never mentioned nothing about damn preparation.
âLucky girl,â she sighed out, her eyes rolling dramatically. âYou really are, I hope you know. Arthurâs the best of the men.â
âOh I know, trust me,â you snickered at just how lucky you were. These girls were drooling over the details you gave them. All were false, but you knew heâd own up to every single one of them, because he was just that good and kind to you. He was like a loyal dog, Dutch said, and he was right. You were more than lucky to have his care and protection, and it started to feel intimate in a way that sex never could.Â
There was a word for that, you think⌠devotion.Â
âSo, are you Arthurâs girl, now?âÂ
That one caught you off guard, because even with a fake answer, you werenât quite sure what to say.Â
âI donât⌠I donât know,â you answered truthfully for the first time that morning, and it was almost refreshing to speak something that wasnât just a blatant lie.Â
âIt was just a one off, then?â Abigail furrowed her brows. Since sheâd rejected Arthurâs offer, sheâd been starting to feel some regret. He was indeed the best of the men, and sheâd turned him away in favor of a man who left her. How silly that was⌠but she knows itâs too late, now.
âI hope not,â you said nervously, again with truth.
âYouâre fond of him, we can all tellâŚâÂ
You looked at them with surprise and a bit of alarm. âSince when?â
Karen leaned in on her elbows with a small giggle at your reaction. She quieted herself as to not draw more attention to this side of camp, in fears Miss Grimshaw would come force them all to start back on the chores.Â
âItâs funny, when we found out you werenât a boy, everything kinda made sense,â she chuckled.Â
Abigail kept nodding along, her smile broadening. âYou used to follow him around like a puppy, we all thought it was because you looked up to him, wanted to be like him.â
âEven I could tell, and Iâd been pretty blinded by my own fondness of you,â Tilly joked, nudging you in the arm as youâd come to the realization that even under the guise of Texas Red, you had absolutely no subtlety.Â
âWas it that obvious?â you asked in annoyance with yourself. You dipped your head into your hands when they all nodded in the affirmative.Â
The girls were about to start round two of questions when Dutch and Hosea came out of the center tent, Dutch commanding the attention of all the members in the camp.Â
âEveryone, listen up!â His large and brutal steps seemed angry, and you waited patiently to find out why. âWeâre moving camp!â
Everyone was immediately caught up in the new announcement, conquests of nights past becoming completely forgotten. Questions of âWhy?â and âWhat happened?â were uttered, as this seemed very sudden. The cash flow from Agua Fria was rather booming, and it didnât seem like there needed to be a move.Â
âIâve just gotten word from Davey that the Pinkertons know weâre here. Theyâre looking for the camp as we speak, so weâve got to go.â
His intense speech was followed by everyone leaving where they were, running around and trying to get things packed into the wagons, tents included.Â
You were new to the âbeing on the runâ part of outlaw life, as even before when you were just a gunslinger, the law never chased you. Youâd earned a reputation for killinâ folk, but the law deemed you harmless when they found out that you only shot those who wanted to shoot you first. Youâd not ever committed a real crime among the citizens, and even paid your way for everything. It was only after becoming a Van Der Linde that you figured you were about to be in trouble.Â
You had your entire living situation torn down and packed up within the hour, tying it all together and slinging it in the back of Arthurâs wagon. You came around the corner and saw that he was still packing up. Being here longer meant he had quite a few more belongings to take care of.Â
âNeed some help?â You smiled at him, ready to lend a hand.Â
âYou done already?â He responded to your question with one of his own, pleasant surprise in his expression.Â
âNot much to pack away,â you reasoned, no longer waiting for him to answer you as you started dismantling his cot and rolling up the canvas around the iron bar pieces.Â
You were happy to help him get done faster, youâre sure with his strength and size heâd be needed elsewhere soon. You did have a few questions for him, though.Â
âI donât think I ever asked⌠When did you all get here?â
âNot long before you did, I reckon. We used to be able to stay years in the same spot, the law would never catch usâŚâ he shook his head, tossing some picture frames he had into a sack. âTimes are changinâ for folk like us.â
âYou were here before me?â You asked in confusion. Obviously they were at the camp before you⌠but youâd been in Agua Fria for over a year yourself.Â
âYeah, and weâd all heard the stories about Texas Red before we even met ya,â he chuckled, his speed increasing the more he saw other members of camp rushing with panic to get moving before sundown. âThe day Dutch brought you back, I almost thought he was kiddin'.â
âGlad to know I made a good impression,â you teased, a laugh being huffed out with slight annoyance while you heaved his clothing chest up and into the wagon. Probably a heavier item you should have left for him, but then that wouldnât be helping.Â
âI didnât mean it like that.â He assisted you in shoving the chest further in the wagon, since you struggled just slightly, and didnât want to bend over in your skirt. âI just had it in my head that youâd be all big nâ scary.â
âYou mean more like you?â you taunted, giving him a smirk to show you didnât actually think he was big and scary.Â
âI guess so,â he shook his head, throwing his sack of belongings in with the other junk. âBut then I first saw you, talkinâ with Tilly and Abigail⌠you looked all scrawny and what not. I thought, this canât be the kid Iâve been hearinâ about.â
âAnd what do you think of me now?â You asked honestly, stopping the haste of the afternoon for only a moment to share a gaze with someone special to you. He stopped too, a side smile pulling at his lips when he answered.Â
âI think youâre much scarier, nowâŚâ he trailed, reaching his hand to touch your hair where it had grown just below your ears.Â
âYou think Iâm scary?â You raised your eyebrows in disbelief, his eyes meeting yours.Â
âTerrifyinâ...â
He started to get closer, and in the setting light of the day, you almost thought he might close the small gap, but then-
âArthur!â Pearsonâs shrill voice rang out loudly, and you flinched away from the moment, coming back to reality. âI need you over here!â
âJust give me a damn second!â He shouted back, but by the time heâd turned his attention to you again, youâd jumped away from him from the startle, and the moment was cut short. âI better get over thereâŚâ
âIâll finish up for you,â you waved him off, moving to the barrel with his shaving kit. It was one of the last things that needed packing.Â
âIâll owe ya,â he nodded, tipping his hat forward before having to run off.Â
He wouldnât owe you a damn thing.Â
-
The gang traveled north and west for several days, until coming to a clearing in a nice little town called El Paso. What could be so great about this town? Well, for starters, the law was mighty thin in this region, and there were roads nearby that had rich folk traveling as well. Dutch said it was like an outlawâs paradiseâŚÂ
Heâd also mentioned there was a railway station in the next town over, something to look into.Â
Arthur had done so right away, leaving the newly set up camp for a few days to scope out the area and put on a good cover. He was always the best man for the job, so you couldnât complain about him being away, but there was of course a downside. Neither you nor Arthur pulled a stunt in the new camp like you had at the old one, and with him being gone, it gave the men a bit of leeway to behave as they did before.Â
It wasnât as sexual as it had been, but their bad attitudes towards you, and now that youâre seeing it, the other women as well, was atrocious. Youâd been so blind to it all when you didnât have to deal with it first hand, but now that you did, it was constant.Â
Bill was the worst, as you knew him to be. He often didnât even wait for Miss Grimshaw to collect the laundry anymore, just throwing dirty shirts and trousers in your direction and telling you he needed it cleaned the next day.Â
âNot my job, not my problem,â you threw the articles of clothing at him every time, and every time heâd just scoff and go to the next woman, who would do as she was told because, even though youâd lucked out in skill, the others still had to earn their keep somehow.Â
Lucking out in skill didnât even seem to be helping you recently. Every job you suggested you could help with, Dutch turned you down. It had even caused a fight with Hosea, who wanted you to go in his place.Â
Hosea had kept his distance with you when your secret was first revealed. Not to be cruel or unfair, but because youâd been embarrassed about the whole thing, and he could sense you didnât want to open up to anyone right away.Â
He did, however, become far more acquainted with you on the journey to El Paso.Â
âI think youâre a mighty brave person, you know,â heâd struck up the conversation.Â
âMe? Brave? I just shoot folk,â you shook your head, watching the horses in front of you both as they towed the wagon you sat on. âAinât nothinâ brave about that.â
âNot for shootinâ folk⌠I think youâre brave for beinâ on your own as long as you were. Especially a young woman.â
âWell, I appreciate you sayinâ so⌠but nobody knew I was a young woman, it sort of helped.â
Heâd nodded sweetly, giving you a smile and a pat on the shoulder. The gentle and comforting talks between you became common from then on.Â
Arthur had come back to the camp one morning, when everyone had woken, bringing a few different things. His first stop was Dutch, obviously, giving the intel over so a plan could be formed. The next job was going to be important. If it went down well, then this little town could be a great place to settle for the months to come, but if not, it would allow you all to know just how involved the law in this town actually was. Youâd heard it wasnât much.Â
When Arthur came out of Dutchâs tent, he made a beeline to you⌠or more specifically, your tent. He actually didnât even see you sitting across from your living quarters when he approached it, but you watched him with great curiosity on what he was doing. Heâd been distant since leaving Agua Fria and arriving here, and you wondered if he was trying to rectify that.Â
He left your tent just as quick as he went in, and met your eyes with a small nod and a soft smile. Heâd been caught. He just went on his way after that, and didnât even bother to greet you properly.Â
You furrowed your brows, dropping the rifle you were cleaning before going inside your tent. He obviously didnât take anything, you knew that. You didnât keep anything of value except for your pistol, thirty-two notches now carved into the stock, but you always kept it on you...
When you looked at your cot, you found only one thing out of place. A pretty orange flower laying against your rolled up woolen blanket. Its bottom petal was slightly bent, and you wondered if he had kept it in his satchel on the ride back to camp.Â
It was very sweet of him to think of you, and bring it back. You donât think youâve ever told him how much you like the color orange, but you reckon he just brought back the flower without even thinking about the color.Â
You wanted to go and thank him, to talk with him for the first time in several days. You missed him whenever he was gone⌠you always hoped he missed you, too. He probably missed everyone, but he brought you an orange flower.
He was somehow already on the other side of camp, hassling Pearson about something nonsensical youâre sure, getting the man riled up over probably nothing. Pearson was a decent guy, but he was a little obnoxious, so teasing him was something you could definitely condone. You thought about just marching up and breaking up the scene, but then thought it might be better to instead make a lesser deal of it, just like he did.Â
The men left the flower with no words to be said, so youâd thank him for it the same way⌠unless of course he broke the silence first.Â
You tucked the flower behind your ear, letting the orange color sit nicely against the similar shade of your hair. You ran over to Arthurâs shaving barrel, close to the edge of your living area, and checked how it looked before walking nonchalantly towards Pearsonâs kitchen.Â
They were still grobbling over nothing, but when you came to the table, leaning forwards on it they both stopped.Â
âWhat can I do ya for, miss?â Pearson asked, having become a much kinder, albeit a little bit more sarcastic person to you since your secret came out.Â
âJust wondering whatâs for dinner tonightâŚâ
âHow about that, Arthur, she wants to know whatâs for dinner,â the man laughed, hands on his hips when he looked back to the younger counterpart.Â
âIâm goin, Iâm goin,â he held his hands up in mock surrender, clearly knowing he was the one responsible for hunting today. Heâd just gotten back, but of course they made him do damn near everything. âYou wanna come with me, Red?âÂ
âMe? Huntinâ? Iâve never been, Iâd probably scare âem offâŚâ you resisted slightly, but knew that if he asked you a second time there would be no hesitation.Â
âIâll teach ya,â he offered, nodding his head towards the horses. âNot like theyâd get far with your shootinâ, anyway.â
You followed him immediately, picking up your skirt and rushing up behind him. Hunting with Arthur seemed like a mighty good idea at first, until you realized Dutch would probably be upset with you for not finishing the rifles⌠Tossing it over in your head for only a moment more, you neglected the prospect of the rifles.Â
You could tell that Dutch was slowly trying to keep you out of the shooting jobs, even if you were the fastest gun in camp. Somehow learning you were not a man had tainted his idea of you⌠the one heâd spoken so highly of that first day to Arthur and Hosea. You supposed that going along with Arthur could only help you in the long run.Â
You went to saddle your horse, but he stopped you, a gentle hand on your wrist, letting go as soon as he had your attention. âWe donât need âem both, just ride with me.â
You nodded, doing as you were told and trying not to make a big deal out of it. Heâd helped you up first, hands placed carefully at your waist when he heaved you upwards. He climbed up in front of you, and suddenly you didnât know where to put your hands. Youâd never ridden behind a saddle before, you never needed to.Â
He sensed your awkward reaches, even if he didnât see them. He adjusted himself on the saddle before meeting your hands behind his back and pulling them around his sides to hold on. Your breath caught in your throat from how casually heâd done it, and how softly he touched you.Â
âThatâs a nice flower in your hair, by the way,â he muttered, not even looking back before grabbing the reins and leading the horse out of camp.Â
-
The train job had been decided, but not without long and strenuous arguments about the roles to be played.Â
The first draft of said plan excluded you, and you didnât even have to wonder why. None of the other women were included, either.Â
The second draft of the plan included both you and Abigail, but as mere pawns instead of actual roles.Â
The final plan will go as follows:
Abigail is going to make it so that a certain man never boards the train with his colleague. Fair enough, she is definitely the woman for the job, as even having her in the near vicinity of a man is distraction enough. You will board the train with the colleague, and lead him to believe that youâre frightened of the journey ahead, getting him to drink with you and become more âcomfortable.â After that, itâs up to you to lure him to the back of the train, where Arthur, Bill, and Dutch will be waiting to interrogate this man, and find out where his private safe is. From there, Javier, who will be at the front of the train, will cause it to stop by sticking up the enginemen so you all can hop off at a designated point.Â
From there youâll go find the manâs safe, and rob him before he even has a chance to understand whatâs happened to him. This is the only chance you will have at this job, since the man in question will be leaving El Paso once and for all.
It sounds like a solid plan, except for the fact that it was suggested you donât even need a gun.Â
âOf course she needs a gun, Dutch, sheâs the fastest one here,â Hosea argued, a hand running over his face.Â
âIf weâre not planning on shooting, what makes you think she needs to bring it with her? It could blow our cover,â Dutch insisted, arms waving around for emphasis. He didnât even make a good point, because as it were, you always kept a gun on you in the holster on your thigh, a little present from the man you gave you flowers.Â
âYouâre sending her to do the most dangerous part of the job, she needs a weapon.â
âIf Abigail doesnât need one, then she doesnât need one, either,â Dutch reasoned, but that just made you chime in.Â
âAbigail should have one, too. Everyone involved on a job should have protective assurance, just in case,â you shrugged, uncrossing your arms and leaning on the table. âI donât even leave camp without my pistol.â
Dutch sighed, having dug himself into a deeper hole the more he kept on talking. He was smart, and he had a way with words, but he wasnât going to be able to pull something like this and now he knew it. Youâd been attached to that pistol for far longer than you have been to the camp.Â
âAlright,â he nodded, continuing his explanation of what happens after they find the manâs personal safe.Â
The man in the plan was named Albert Templeton, and he apparently was a very wealthy man, looking to make it big in the west by covering as many territories as he could with his canning factories. From what Dutch says, he seems to be a very selfish, very ambitious, and very rich man.Â
You agree to this job, unknowing of the way it will unfold, but when you finally board that train, handing over your ticket with your hands shaking, you donât know what to do, suddenly.Â
Everything is going according to plan, except for the fact that you have absolutely no experience in trying to get a man drunk on purpose.Â
âYou look, a bit frightened, miss, are you alright?â Mr. Albert Templeton asked, right after you âaccidentallyâ bumped into him.Â
âYes⌠Well, no⌠Iâve never been on a train before,â you huffed out, your stressed tone coming across perfectly for the job. âYou seem like youâve been on many.â
âThat I have, my dear,â he smiled eerily, moving an unwanted hand to your hip to try and guide you to the bench he was sitting at. âCome and sit with me, perhaps I can ease your mind.â
âHow gracious of you,â you played along, sitting down beside him in the seat closest to the window. You didnât like feeling trapped between him and the wall, but there was no difference. You still had a gun up your leg if he tried anything stupid.Â
âSo, where are you headed?âÂ
âOh,â you had forgotten to think of a backstory, so as quickly as you could, you made one up. âIâm going to visit my aunt. Sheâs very Ill, otherwise she would have come to see me. She knows I donât like trains.â
âHow unfortunate for her,â he nodded, snaking his arm behind you on the back of the bench seat, caging you in further. âIâm sure sheâll be happy for your company.â
âI hope so, weâve always been a great comfort to one another.â
The conversation kept on like this for a while, until you realized you were getting closer and closer to the point of which Dutch needed him in the back, but he hadnât even gotten to the bar of the train car yet.Â
âWould you have a drink with me, sir? I feel that maybe it would ease my nerves a bit.â
He laughed, a smile on his face when he leaned back to you. âI never drink on trains. But I would be much obliged to buy you one, yourself.â
You started to panic from there.Â
You smiled at him and nodded, getting him to stand up⌠however, before you got him to the bar, you tried to carefully and quietly take your gun from its holster, pressing it against the rib of the man before you. He froze, knowing what was happening immediately.Â
âDonât make a sound. Just keep walking until I tell you to stop, you hear?âÂ
He nodded, making his way to the end of the car, going into the next one, and the next one after that until you could see three familiar faces sitting and waiting for you.Â
âWhat the hell is this?â Dutch asked, his eyes narrowing in on the gun in your hand.Â
âHe wouldnât drink, had to come up with something else.â
Arthur ran a hand over his face. This is why you usually rode with him. You did things the way he would, and not with the gentle and intelligent touch of a female outlaw like Abigail. For all intents and purposes, you'd always been a man, and this was breaking the cycle for you.
âPlease donât hurt me, I have nothing you could want.â
âThe hell you donât,â Dutch manhandled Albert onto a cargo box, pulling his own gun and holding it to strike fear into the man. âWeâve heard about the safe.â
âWhat safe?â He played dumb, and then Dutch immediately got angry.Â
âYou see? This is why he needed to be drunk!â Dutch took out his anger for the situation on you, even though the majority of this was not your fault.Â
âTold ya, she should be back at camp fixing buttons and shit with the others,â Bill shook his head, and you were about to pull your gun in his direction if he said another word.Â
âHe wouldnât drink, it ainât her fault. She still got him to us⌠I say we make him talk,â Arthur stood up, clenching his fists and intimidating the man by coming closer. âSânothing I ainât used to.â
âDo what you can, Arthur⌠and you,â Dutch pointed in your direction, his brow still angry. âGo back up there and make sure no one saw you pull that gun.â
You nodded, taking yourself away from the scene in order to keep your composure. Arthur stood up for you, but you could tell that even he was upset about straying from the plan. This was a big job, with many key elements. One thing going wrong could ruin it all.
You made your way back, but saw Javier rushing towards you in the bar car, his gun out as he tried to reach you.Â
âBrooks,â he started to shove you back to the car you came from, and just over his shoulder you could see the men trailing not too far behind, looking like train security. âWe have to go, they know weâre here.â
You started rushing for the last car again, tripping over your skirts here and there. This dress was not practical, and was far too formal for a job like the one you were pulling. You much preferred the one Arthur bought you, but Dutch insisted it didnât âsell the storyâ that you were trying to tell.Â
âWhy in Godâs name are you back here?âÂ
Dutch didnât have a minute to grill you, because Javier took the floor first.Â
âThey know weâre here, thereâs about five men heading this way, now. Maybe more.â
Arthur sighed heavily, pulling his fist back to his side. Heâd only hit Mr Albert Temlpeton a few times, but it seemed the job was going south, and he hadnât said anything anyway.Â
âArthur, turn him loose, the rest of you, find cover⌠weâre gonna have to shoot our way out.âÂ
Albert taking off through the doors only allowed the train guards to know exactly where you all were hiding. With guns blazing, the five of you were able to get past the small group that had headed for you⌠but once you got to the civilian travel cars, there were more, and they had bigger guns, too. You got scared to pull a gun in a heavily crowded train car, especially one that had innocent men, women, and children inside. You held your aim, like always, but got scared when the second round of guards came for you.Â
âDrop your weapons!â The man at the front of them shouted. âGet on the ground, now!â
âOr maybe we could walk right through,â Dutch was the first to shoot, nailing the man right in the face. It was challenging to stay focused on the task at hand, when so many people were screaming.Â
A child was crying, and most everyone was just trying to duck in their seats as the bullets flew. You were too scared to shoot at first, seeing the windows break around you, and the high speed of the train causing the winds to blow inside the car, making it hard to hear anything.Â
You tried to hold your ground, knowing you were a better shot than anyone here⌠but there comes a time in everyoneâs life, when the chaos prevents them from doing the one thing they know how to⌠this was that moment for you. Everything was caving in. Youâd completely ruined this job, and it was going haywire because of you. You put your friends, no, family, in a very dangerous position, and most of all, you put innocent men, women, and children on the front lines to fend for themselves. All because you strayed from the plan.Â
You saw it, but it was too late⌠the man had pulled his gun directly towards you, and you barely had any time to react this time. You still fired first, and still shot him dead first, but his bullet still left the barrel, skewing downwards because of your own shot, and hitting you directly by your left hip.Â
You collapsed into a seat, trying to get yourself back up. You started bleeding profusely with every steep movement you made, and once the last Guard had been shot down, Arthur saw what happened to you.Â
âRed!â he shouted, reaching for your body, making sure youâd not been hit badly. He was relieved to see it was a hip shot, but the amount of blood concerned him greatly. âCan you stand?âÂ
âI can try,â you groaned out, holstering your gun before using him as a lift.Â
The others went to the front of the car, not wasting any time, but as soon as they looked through the broken window, they could see more men quickly approaching.
âShit, we canât stop the train.âÂ
âWeâll have to jump from the back of this car,â Javier responded to Dutch, who was pacing back and forth, glaring daggers at you out of the corner of his eyes.Â
âAre we close enough to the exit point?âÂ
âIt doesnât matter, the ground is even now, we need to jump before the bridge.â
Arthur was freaking out, trying to hold pressure to your hip and hold you upright, while they were talking about jumping off a train. He doesnât think heâs ever been so stressed out about a job before.Â
You start to get light headed suddenly, and sway in his hold, trying to keep yourself balanced, though the train is making it hard to do that anyways.Â
The sound becomes fuzzy, but you can here when Dutch calls everyone back to the door of the cabin car.Â
âStay with me,â Arthur tells you, watching your head tilt forward and your eyes get heavy. He knew you would pull through, because even though you were losing a decent amount of blood, you were still on your feet, moving along with him. You were a fighter, heâd known since he met you. Probably because you liked fighting him on damn near everything he said.Â
He stood at the edge of the rail, the only thing separating the gang from jumping the transport was a little dingy chain that hooked onto the edge of the cabin car.Â
âItâs up here!â Javier shouted, removing the chain and getting ready to disembark.Â
âWe gotta jump, Red,â he tried to keep you conscious, and you nodded, but you were clearly too weak to do this yourself right now.Â
You felt yourself being tucked closer to Arthur, his arms coming around you. You finally closed your eyes, unsure if they would even stay open on their own anymore. Then there was a lift and a jump. You felt the air around you flying fast until the wind got knocked out of you, hitting the ground. Arthur took the harder fall, but to be fair, he hadnât been shot.Â
You opened your eyes in a rush of adrenaline, but once you caught your breath, it started to fade again.Â
Everyone stood up, including you, but you were still wobbling back and forth.Â
âWell,â Dutch looked to Bill and Javier, âWeâre alive, but we got nothing.â
âSâall the girlâs fault,â Bill spat out some blood from his bleeding lip and shook his head.Â
You didnât even have the motivation to call him out right now. Didnât have the energy to stand, either. Before Arthur could even steady you, your head started throbbing, and you hit the ground again, hand over your open wound.
-
The sounds were familiar when you came to. The usual ruckus of the camp, nothing strange or out of the ordinary⌠except for when you tried to sit up you were immediately pushed back down. You had a look around and saw that you were not in your tent, but lying in Arthurâs cot. His gentle push was what kept you laid back, and you saw the look on his face when he found out you were awake.Â
âDonât get up, I gotta fix you so ya donât bleed out.â
You didnât say anything, just obeyed his instruction.Â
Heâd gotten that stupid puffed sleeve nonsense off of you, leaving you in a corset and chemise and a small petticoat. Of which he was having a hard time figuring out how to untie.Â
âIâll get it,â you leaned up slightly, groaning when you did. You untied the petticoat, and worked off the corset while you were at it. Being in a chemise and bloomers in front of the camp wasnât an irregular thing, as it was standard sleepwear when on the run. There were not many normalities when being an outlaw, but even still, you nearly felt embarrassed being in such a skimpy state of dress, especially when he wasnât even done.Â
He looked to you, his hands on the hem of your chemise, and you nodded to him in permission.Â
He pulled it back, only enough to see where the blood was seeping through. His face twisted in disgust of the wound before shaking it off and getting to work. You laid back and waited, knowing that when all was said and done, you didnât want to watch yourself get stitched up. Youâd never had to do it to yourself before, and thank God for that.Â
âIt was stupid, what you didâŚâ He brought up, cleaning the wound with some whiskey on a rag.Â
âI know,â you winced, squeezing your eyes shut. âI didnât know what else to do.â
He paused his wording, unsure of what else to say to you. Heâs sure getting shot was a revelation for you that you werenât invincible, but he also wanted you to know you werenât blameless in this endeavor, either.Â
âYou got some innocent folk killed today.âÂ
When the first and second stitch went in, you were about ready to die. Him telling you this was not helping with the outstanding pain.Â
âYou know I never meant for it to happenâŚâ you trailed, thinking about those poor children that you heard screaming in the train today. Such a sad and significant moment, and youâll never forget it. You knew youâd been the one to cause them such distress, and some of those innocent folk were dead now.
âYou sure about that?â He looked up at you from his task, his hands still gently working your skin back together. His actions and words confused you, because they were so opposite right now, and you didnât know why.Â
âWhat do you mean?â You met his gaze, a furrowed brow on your face.
âAs I see it⌠you used to kill a lotta folk just for fun before I met you.â
Why is he even bringing this up? Youâd told him why you did what you did, and how much of a toll it took on you⌠so why now, when all this has transpired, would he bring up the origins of your gunslinger facade?
âArthur⌠I did what I had to. They would have killed me first. I ainât never started a duel in my life, nâ you know that,â you reminded him, and he seemed to understand that it was wrong of him to say. He didnât apologize, though⌠just kept on with what he felt he needed to say.Â
âLook, all Iâm sayin is⌠you had one job today, and it felt like you went off the road just to spite Dutch,â he argued, tying off the thread that pulled your skin closed. There was still cleaning to be done around the wound, and some sort of bandage would need to be applied, just in case of excess bleeding⌠but you sat up, stopping him from finishing anything.Â
âIs that what he told you?â you asked, referring to Dutch, of course.
âNo, I was wonderin about it myself.â
âI wasnât tryna get anybody hurt. Dutch used to put me riding with you, remember? I always did good. Now he wants me to do a job he thinks a woman is suited for, and Iâm not so good anymore. Why do you think that is?â You asked, the annoyance written all over your face and dripping in your words.Â
âYou couldâve called it off. We could have just told Javier to come back and wait it out until the next station. Weâve bailed on jobs before when it got too dangerousâŚâ he explained, his voice raising just slightly again to meet your level of ferocity.Â
You took a second to breathe when he spoke. In all honesty, youâd never had to leave a job before, because when you started riding with them as Texas Red, the jobs always went through. No one told you about the bail out rule.
âI didnât know that...â
âWell you shouldâve at least told us he wouldnât drink. Then you wouldnât be to blame.â He didnât quite meet you at the calm state, his anger still peeking, even when yours had come down. Saying what he just said was about to make matters so much worse, though.
âYou think Iâm to blame?â
âI think you played a massive part in this shit hole, yeahâŚâ he huffed out, nodding his head and looking at you as if that should somehow get you to agree with him.Â
âI donât wanna hear this anymore,â you scoffed, standing to your feet and grabbing your belongings. You felt the sting of the stitches pulling, and tried to be mindful of them, but the way he was speaking to you, especially while you bled on his cot, was not something you could take.Â
âGet back here, I ainât finished cleaninâ you up.â He stood to his feet, trying to take steps after you, but even injured, you were stubborn and quick on your feet, pulling away from his reach.
âAbigail will help me.â
âYou stubborn ass, why canât you ever just listen when youâre wrong?â He shouted after you, which had you turning on your heel to shout back to his face.Â
âMaybe because Iâm not!â
Your face didnât even read anger as much as in did pain. Not the physical kind. The ailments you faced with your body, you took like a champ⌠but this pain in your heart and mind was far more complicated, and when he saw how saddened you were by him, he didnât know what to do⌠but of course, his anger was still rising, though yours turned to something else.
âDamnit, Red⌠youâre gonna find yourself in a nice deep hole someday, and youâll have pushed away everyone that cares to help you out of it.â
âI can climb out of it myself, then.â You muttered, taking the steps back to him so he could really look you in the eye when you said this⌠âI used to think you cared about me⌠wanted to help me. But youâre just like him.â
âLike who?â he asks, jutting his chin out for a moment to seem tough.Â
âYouâre just like Dutch⌠just want me to play the part of the sweet little pet that lures the men into your jobs. I wonât do it⌠I canât do it, clearly.â
âThat ainât what this is about,â He grabbed your wrist as you went to turn away again, and you pulled it loose. âYou know I think youâre talented with that gun.â
âThen why donât you ever fight for me to use it? Why is it that every time Dutch wants to make me into something Iâm not, you stand by and watch it happen?â You werenât meaning it as a hypothetical question, you really wanted an answer. Standing here, the camp noise having been drowned out by your argument, you watched as he searched for something to say, but he couldnât find anything⌠nothing that could save him, at least. âThatâs what I thought⌠just stay away from me, Arthur.â
âRed?âÂ
âLeave me alone!â
-
You took to the new town, the argument with Arthur the days prior still fresh on your mind. You knew youâd messed everything up, and it was most definitely your fault. You can only see it now, Dutch giving a big speech while youâre away to convince everyone that you shouldnât be doing big jobs anymore. If only heâd just given you Javierâs place on the train, and had Abigail or Karen go after Albert Templeton, the gang might be a couple thousand bucks richer right now.Â
Youâd not just taken to the town as the girl they wanted you to be, because that girl didnât exist.Â
There was only the girl you grew up as, and Texas Red, no in-between. It wasnât the sweet Miss Brooks going into the bustling saloon of El Paso, it was Texas Red, the unkillable.Â
Maybe thatâs where youâd gone all wrong. Wearing dresses, letting your hair start to grow, and even wiping the muck off your face whenever it gets there⌠youâd practically handed them a reason to treat you differently.Â
All of this is your fault. The mistreatment, the exclusion, the job gone wrong, everything.Â
Itâs the heavy weight on your mind when you roll up to the bar, gun hanging heavy on your hip, the now thirty-three notches becoming a bigger and stronger presence every time you reach for it.Â
âWhiskey, double,â you knocked on the wooden bar slab, a grimace on your face while waiting for the drink. You put the money down immediately, just as always. It became a habit as soon as interruptions became common anytime you went for a whiskey.Â
You threw back the first drink then ordered another, throwing that one back, too. You got into a steady rhythm until there was a tap on your shoulder.Â
You turned around, eyes becoming glazed, and hands becoming tightly fisted. Whoever was bothering you has no idea how much of a mood youâre in, but if they arenât careful, theyâre gonna end up dead.Â
âHey, I know you,â the man spoke. He looked to be about early forties, with silver lines in his dark hair, and smile lines over his cheeks.Â
You gave him a look, up and down, before you decided he was mistaken.Â
âNo, you donât.â You turned back to the bar, but he tapped your shoulder again, and the pistol at your side was feeling oh so heavy, waiting for your hand to pull it.Â
âYeah, Iâve seen you,â he laughed, a broad and excited smile. âYouâre that Texas Red fellar from down in Agua Fria.â
âJust âcuz I got red hair, it donât make me Texas Red,â you slurred, slightly, the alcohol buzzing your senses, but not your reflexes. Your hands are practically itching to shoot something, or someone, and this guy seems like the perfect target.Â
âNah, I know sâyou,â he seemed a little drunk, too⌠but probably not drunk enough to walk away. âSeen your face when you shot that farmer.â
âFarmer?â You donât even recall a farmer-
âRobert Sims⌠good man that fellow,â he droned on, seemingly hesitant to get to the point. âBut you were the better shot.â
âMâsorry if he was a friendâa yours,â you gave condolences, hoping it would shoo him away, but as you remember, they never go away. âI didnât wanna shoot âim.â
âNah, he wanted to shoot you,â the man nodded, backing away only slightly before pulling his coat back, revealing a pistol of his own, right on his hip. No notches. âI wanna shoot you, too.â
You rolled your eyes and heaved a breath, looking to the man with a direct gaze. âYouâre too drunk, youâll die.â
He tapped the wooden counter, where your unfinished drink was sitting. âYouâve been drinkinâ too, been watchinâ ya.â
âSo you think itâs fair?â You laughed, knowing you were nowhere near drunk enough to miss even a moving target, and be fast enough to hit him first. Maybe your fingers had been itchinâ for a reason, and this was it.Â
Shooting this man may not bring you joy, but it would bring some security. Youâre still as good as they say, despite Dutch and some of the others back at camp. Youâre still Texas Red, and youâre still unkillable. Earning the respect of this town, just as you did in Agua Fria would bring you that feeling of confidence that you had slowly been losing in the gang.Â
âI think I like my chances,â he quipped, earning some oohs from the crowd in the bar. By now you both held almost every ear within the reach of your voices, and the attention was deafening.Â
They always say that⌠Why do they always say that?
âAlright,â you turned back to the bar, slamming your drink. âLetâs take it outside.â
The cheering, followed by the chants of your challengerâs name were louder than you expected. They donât know you, but they will.Â
You set your pistol, taking thirty paces away from your opposer. As soon as you turn around, thereâs a silence amongst the whole town. You watch the manâs hands, the alcohol doing nothing to stop your trigger fingers from getting ready. You never draw first. Itâs already an unfair fight, why make it worse?
âNeed me to count?â the man says, and you shake your head, thinking you ought to just shoot him. Heâs an obnoxious bastard, but heâs cocky and confident, youâll give him that.Â
âI ainât one for countinâ,â you yelled, and saw that he almost seemed a little nervous, now. He was always nervous, but now it was on his face. He was drunk, and this was stupid. You should just shoot him in the hand and let him walk away⌠but you donât.Â
Youâve been angry since what happened with Arthur, and you have to take it out somehow. If you canât drink in peace without ass-hats like this bothering you, then you just have to take care of the ass-hats.Â
Suddenly, you see his hand dip, gripping the stock and beginning to pull it. You reacted like always, your hand on autopilot while your brain was elsewhere.Â
The man was dead in less than a second, and you came back to reality with a hammering soberness once the shot rang out.
Thirty-four....
It was the adrenaline, finally kicking in, only long enough to give you a moment of clarity⌠and looking up from the dead man, across the way by the general store, stood Arthur. He was probably getting supplies for the camp.Â
Heâd stopped to watch, a look of disappointment on his face. He doesnât think himself a good man, but heâs never had to go from town to town, striking fear into those he meets. He tries to be kind when he can, earning the trust of people, unlike you. You havenât even earned the trust of the people in camp. Youâve lied to all of them.
The crowdâs cheers and encouragement pull you out of your haze, and a man jumps in front of you, separating your vision of Arthur. You didnât want to see his sad eyes, anyways.Â
Everyone pulls you back inside the saloon, and the music strikes back up again⌠maybe this ainât so bad after all.
-
Ten drinks is a lot for anyone, but especially for you, who already had multiple drinks upon first walking into the saloon. No one else dared challenge you, nor did they want to. The drunker you got, the crazier you seemed to act, your reserved gunslinger facade melted right away, and you turned into something of a wild man. The people were very entertained by your stories, the ones about Agua Fria, and then of course traveling with a gang to explore the west. You left names out, of course. Just because you were drunk, didnât mean you were stupid.Â
It was after you started stuttering over your feet that two working girls came up to you. They were some of the most gorgeous women youâd ever seen, busty around the chest, with low necklines, and stunning faces framed by their bouncy brushed out hair.Â
âCan I help you ladies?â You tipped your hat to them, a smirk on your lips from the last joke you told to the crowd.Â
âWe were hopinâ we could help you,â The blonde one spoke, and with a smile she started to lean against your arm. âWeâll knock the price for twoâŚâ
âThatâs very kindâa you, but I ainât gettinâ a room,â you told them, the same excuse you always had used for women of the night in Agua Fria.Â
âWeâll get the room, handsome⌠just pay the price of one for a night,â the brunette girl said, trying to hang off your shoulder, running her hands over it. You had to slide back into the bar to avoid getting her hands on your chest. If she did then youâd be in deep shit.Â
âHow about I make a trip back here some other time, then Iâll come nâ see you two?â
The blonde girl didnât seem to be holding back, her lips trailing mighty close to your ear. You always knew how to play the part, but you never expected that women would be falling over you this way. It was both alarming and reassuring. Â
âYou sure? Why donât we just take a ride out back?âÂ
You were getting woozy, the way they pulled at your arms while you were leaning against the bar was swirling your head.Â
âThere ya are, Red!â Came a familiar voice from the side of you. âKnew Iâd find you in hereâŚâ
âArthur?â Your vision was only slightly fuzzy, but you could always make out the clear silhouette of the most towering and strongly built man you knew.Â
âThanks for findinâ my brother, girls,â he played it off, reaching for your arm to pull you forward. You resisted him at first. âCâmon Red, letâs get you a nice place to sleep tonight.â
âNo,â you pulled out of his grasp, unwilling to be manhandled by the same person who told you all those awful things just a few days ago. âI wanna stay with my new friends.â
âThey ainât your friends, kid. Câmon, letâs go.â He tugged you forwards, heaving you up to stand on your own two feet, before picking you up like a hay bale, letting you dangle under his arm as he made his way for the stairs.Â
âHey! Let me down!â You cried, squirming in his hold.Â
Heâd already paid for a room for the night, but getting you up there was hell. âWould you stop fightinâ me?â
âNo, I wanna go back downstairsâŚâ You trailed, getting stood upright again as he shoved you into a room and closed the door.Â
âIf you do that, Texas Red is as good as dead.â
He locked the door and made sure to put a chair under the knob. He didnât necessarily know how the folk in this town behaved yet. Youâd seen more of it than he had since arriving.Â
 âAinât no man ever killed me,â You droned on, your words pouring out like that of a child, with little to no thought.Â
âThatâs not what I meant.â
âYou mean them pretty girls that wanted to take me for a ride?â You laughed, letting him push you until you were sat on the bed. He knelt down and helped you take your boots off before tugging your hat from your head, throwing it in a chair.Â
âSânot the kinda ride you were thinkinâ,â he sighed, unsure of if you even knew how drunk you were.Â
âYou mean the other kinda ride?â Your obnoxious and bellaring voice could nearly pierce the walls when you were this inebriated.Â
âWould you stop beinâ so damn loud? Whole place is gonna hear you nâ yer blabberinâ...â
âYouâre just jealous cuz the girls were fallinâ all over me insteadâa you.â
He rolled his eyes with a scoff. Those girls were seeinâ an easy target. They thought you were a man they could distract and rob, and maybe have a little fun with along the way.Â
âIâm sure thatâs it⌠lay down and shut up, will ya?â He shoved you back into the bed, and you groaned, your head hitting even the soft pillows was jarring, and you were sure youâd be feeling it tomorrow.Â
You figured you better do as you were told, with this situation feeling less ideal the more sober you got. Each minute passed by made you realize just how much shit you would be in with him once you woke up tomorrow. Still, you were drunk enough to start raking over all the earlier thoughts that lead you here in the first place.Â
âArthur?âÂ
âWhat?â He laid back on the other side of the bed, crossing his arms and trying to rest⌠but of course you werenât done.Â
âDo you think Iâd be better if I were a real man?âÂ
âNo, I do not.â He huffed, his tone flat and his motionless figure unchanging. Â
âWhy?â You turned on your side to look at him, and boy, he looked handsome in this light. Barely illuminated through a window, but you could see the dark outline of his features. Â
âYouâre just fine as a woman,â he claimed, still unchanging in position.Â
âBut everyone hates me as one, they love when Iâm him.â You liked being him, too. You were confident as Texas Red. Stronger, Faster. BraverâŚ
âThey donât hate ya, they just have different ideas about ya⌠not that itâs right.â He thought that maybe youâd drop it from here, maybe pick it up another time when he was less tired, and you were more in your right mind.Â
âWhat are your ideas?âÂ
âHuh?â He finally turned to face you, unsure of what you were even talking about.Â
âAbout me⌠what are your ideas?â
âWell⌠I happen to think youâre real strong, and smart. I think youâve got gifts that even I donât understand, and youâre good at using âem⌠I also think youâre a caring person, even when you shouldnât be.â He listed only the things that came to mind, but he knew there were so many more that he was only not remembering.Â
âThose are all good thingsâŚâ You supposed.Â
âGuess so,â he nodded, watching your face contort, as if you were debating on telling him something. You were still stone cold drunk, even if there was a hint of normalcy to you at this point. You wouldnât remember any of it tomorrow, of that he was sure.Â
âI think I love you, Mister Morgan,â you let out, looking at him, but not waiting for a reaction. Even in your tarnished state, youâd just wanted him to know what you were feeling.
âNo you donât, sâjust the whiskey,â he argued, his whole body tensing up in fear of how to respond to this drunken revelation. Drunk words are sober thoughts. Everyone knows that.Â
âI do, I love ya more than anything,â you rambled on, completely entranced with the silhouette of him against the cool light of the moonlit windowsill.Â
âIf you really do, you gotta tell me when youâre sobered up,â he instructed. He wanted it to be true, hell, heâd thought it might have been true when first arriving here⌠but the train job seemed to put you both at square one again, and he was getting tired of it. There was so much he wanted to say to you, but he couldnât risk being wrong about you feeling the same way. Heâs lost too much love in this life to blindly pursue it again. He was tired of getting his heart stomped on.
âIâll tell you⌠Swear it,â you crossed your heart, giving him a doe eyed smile. âDo you love me?âÂ
âI canât tell you yet,â he shook his head, looking back up to the ceiling.Â
âBut I told youâŚâ
âI know, sweet girl⌠just be patient, alright? Iâm gonna get there, promise.âÂ
You nodded, turning on your own back and staring up at the ceiling, a single crack in the painted plaster going along the corner of it, keeping you distracted enough to stop thinking about Arthur and fall asleep next to him.Â
-
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#arthur morgan#arthur morgan rdr2#arthur morgan x reader#rdr2#red dead fandom#red dead redemption 2#arthur morgan x female reader#arthur morgan x original female character#arthur morgan x you
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not 100% sure which continuity the Hive Prime au takes place in but does bumblebee ever feel like the team (whichever one that may be) are just using him to keep talking to optimus???
like yea they've all got grief to work through but would they kind of forget that bee Also needs to work through it AND the fact that now he's a prime
(Currently the AU isn't based in any particular continuity? I kind of decide who plays what role/whether or not a bot is there just based on what I feel like, and who I remember. If there's any mech in particular that you wanted me to discuss, just let me know. I'm putting things together as I go.)
But yeah, absolutely Bee is feeling used. Nobody really seems to understand that hes still here too, and the ones that do still would prefer the advice of an "actual prime" and their previous leader.
See, most of these bots have only known Optimus. They never met Orion Pax to know that they were the same mech. It's difficult for them to understand that becoming a Prime doesn't actually make you a different person, even if you look different. They think that Bumblebee is gone, replaced now by Hive Prime.
It's why Hive doesn't blame them for their actions. It hurts, but he understands the confusion, just doesn't know how to clear it up. Its not really the right time anyway. Everyone's mourning Optimus right now, him included.
It's been a difficult and strange time, and with Optimus technically still around, Hive hasn't felt comfortable stepping up as leader. As a result, he's sort of a stranger to everyone, he hasn't re-established a presence for himself and currently functions almost solely as a mouthpiece. He's falling more and more to the way side, and his one true confidant is now a ghost in his head, no longer there to help him up.
#Hive Prime AU#hive prime#bumblebee#bumblebee is my favorite#transformers#optimus prime#the thirteen primes#the matrix of leadership#maccadam
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hi Blue! I am absolutely IN LOVE with the "Reports From Unknown Places" series. If you don't mind me asking, how did you learn to draw the clouds and the sky so well? I've always found the prospect very daunting, but you draw them in a way that simply amazing! Do you have any tips for brushes/practice?
Hello!
Thank you so much for the message, and your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoy Reports.
I completely understand how one might find drawing the sky daunting. I still regularly give myself headaches when working on reports. Everyone has their own issues when it comes to drawing, though.
For instance, this might sound a bit absurd, but one of my main issues as an illustrator is that I don't think well in 3D, and I ended up realising that I was unconsciously thinking about the sky as a flat image. When I started drawing clouds as objects moving in space, everything became a little easier.
(This is the kind of epiphany that I had. Truly a revolution in my mind. Now I can totally rotate clouds in my brain.)
This all came about as I kept on drawing more and more, sure, but the most important part really was watching clouds for myself, as much as possible, and to try and notice things every time. It's mostly silly stuff, especially at first, like oh yeah, I guess clouds produce shadows on other clouds too. Wow! Or, huh, this cloud doesn't have the same density throughout, so the light scatters differently inside of it.
Because it's all fundamentally physics, it ended up sounding incredibly simple once I had noticed it. Of course! It's all logical! I had just never connected the dots before I saw it in person.
So I also bought some books, and watched videos (all those airplane videos are fantastic), read websites, looked at pictures. Everything was helpful in one way or another. Listen, I knew about cirrus and cumulonimbus and that was pretty much it, at first. So looking at diagrams about how high cirrus are in comparison to stratocumulus, for instance, was a revelation. Looking at the life cycle of cumulonimbus explained so much for me.
These are studies I did on the side of Reports, in November 2020, then April 2021, and the third one in September 2023:
I think I'm able to look at these and tell that I got progressively more confident because I understood what I was drawing a lot better.
If I had to say, a few concrete things I learned that work for me is being bold, not to be afraid of contrast and sharp edges, and to treat light as an actor of its own. I can't find it right now, but I once read a quote by (I think!) Cezanne that went something like "I'm not painting the mountain, I'm painting the air between me and the mountain". I think it's the most helpful thing I've ever heard for painting and drawing. It's obviously especially relevant here. The air changes everything.
Anyway, I could go for ages more, I'm totally rambling, so I'll just leave a few references I find helpful:
The International Cloud Atlas
The Cloud Appreciation Society
What's This Cloud
In the end it's just fun, and good for the soul, to spend quality time with clouds, so nothing is ever lost!
#smooth-and-skeletal#ask#answered ask#answer#faq#question#answered#image description in alt text#reference#long post#I hope this is in ANY WAY helpful omg I rambled so much
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âWhy are you mad?â Suguru sighs in exasperation. Satoru shoots him an irritated look over his shoulder as he briskly walks away. Suguru jogs to keep, sighing again. This time making a show of it. If Satoru could be dramatic, so could he. Satoru stops and swiftly turns around, vexation etched onto his face. Suguru thinks he looks like an angry kitten. He bites back a laugh at how cute the other boy looks.
âYou bit me.â The younger boy blinks, not understanding what Satoru is trying to get through to him. While they were making out, Suguru got a little adventurous. He gave him, uh⌠What was that word again? Suguru thinks for a minute, mouth twisting in thought. He had read it on some site⌠Oh! Love-bite. Stupid name, but it severed a purpose.
âYeah, I know. It was supposed to feel good.â Suguru says with a shrug. Satoruâs eyebrows knit down and he glares. Suguru stops himself from pulling out his phone and taking a picture. It was just too cute. Instead he tries to look as nonchalant as possible.
âIt did not /feel/ good, pleasant, nice or any other stupid synonym for that word! It hurt!â Suguru isnât sure if Satoru is being sensitive, he isnât really good with pain. Infinity and all. Some people have a pain kink but this was supposed to be more of a nibble of shorts. Maybe he bit down too hard? Or⌠Wait, maybe be wasnât supposed to bite at all?
He and Satoru hadnât done much besides making out and some mindless rutting with their clothes on. Suguru tries to take them to the next and they didnât even need to have full on sex yet. Suguru is sure he probably isnât even ready for that himself but if he so much as thinks about sticking his hand down Satoruâs pants the other boy turns bright red and refuses to look at him for the rest of the day.
Suguru gets by with dreams of eating him out and his own hand on his dick. Itâs fine, Suguru could wait until Satoru was ready. It doesnât make it easy though.
Satoru huffs, crossing his arms and turning his glare to the floor. It was supposed to feel good? What the hell was that aimed to mean? He palms the bite on his neck and shivers. It hurt when Suguruâs teeth pierced his skin but⌠For some reason Satoru wants him to do it again. He would never admit it out loud, it was too embarrassing.
That was kind of problem though. All of this intimate shit embarrassed him. He wanted to go further with Suguru. Heâs had SO many dreams about it and heâs sure the real thing would be even better. Making out with Suguru felt amazing. But Suguru tries to go further and every time he freezes up.
Suguruâs arms wrap around Satoruâs waist, pressing up against his back. He kisses the white-haired boyâs ear before resting his chin on Satoruâs shoulder.
Satoru leans against the toned torso behind him, placing his hands on top of Suguruâs. Instantly relaxing into the other boyâs hold. Suguru is always has so much patience with him.
âWellâŚâ He says to get the black-haired boyâs attention. Suguru hums softly next to his ear, not moving from his spot resting on Satoruâs shoulder.
âWe could try again?â He mumbles it, face heating up into a bright blush. Suguru hears it loud and clear. He places a loving kiss on Satoru kissing Satoruâs shoulder moving up to place another on the junction between Satoruâs neck and jaw.
He trails kisses to the line of the other boyâs neck until he gets to the sensitive flesh still adorned with his teeth marks. He presses an apology kiss to it before lapping at the broken skin. Satoru squirms but doesnât try to break out of his hold, small little gasps escape his lips.
It urges Suguru on, latching onto the mark with his mouth and sucks a bruise into Satoruâs pale skin. Satoru can only whine in response.
Suguru forces down a smirk. Screw the biting. If Satoru was going to react like this? Suguru would suck a bruise onto every inch of skin Satoru wants him to.
After Satoruâs newfound love for hickies (also called love bites, Suguru sheepishly admitted he did it wrong the first time), he developed a habit of jumping Suguru at any giving point and demanding one. Suguru is happy to oblige.
#satosugu#gego#fanfic#satosugu fanfic#ao3 fanfic#jjk geto#jjk gojo#jjk romance#geto suguru#gojo satoru
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he's home (again).
it's different this time. this time it's not in the midst of an invasion- his father and sister have fallen. the war is over. his uncle's coronation is this afternoon. it's hasty and rushed, but the sooner he can get on the throne, the sooner the end to the war can be a formal one. he's not stupid enough to believe everyone in the fire nation will fall in line, but...
...it's a step in the right direction.
"nephew."
kou glances over his shoulder at his uncle. azula had banished all the palace tailors, so they'd had to find some from the caldera and fast, but they seem to have done a pretty good job at resizing the fire lord's robes to fit his uncle. the old man smiles at him and asks if he can sit next to him. he's not going to turn him down.
"still fond of the turtleduck pond, i see."
"yeah," kou admits, "-i missed the little guys."
he had- and it's not just the turtleducks, or even the garden he spent so much time with his mom in. despite all of the bad memories, part of him had always missed this place. it hadn't been all bad- he'd had his mom. his uncle and lu ten... and then it had just been his uncle.
he idly ribbons water around his fingers. he keeps expecting someone will emerge from the woodwork and stop him, but no one does. he's not even sure if the few servants and courtiers that lasted through azula's purge even recognize him as prince zuko. he certainly doesn't feel like him anymore.
...that's probably also why he's been avoiding said servants since this morning. he knows uncle wants him to attend the coronation in the formal wear of a prince, to formally announce that prince zuko is alive to the fire nation- and the rest of the world. he knows uncle wants him to be his heir. he just... doesn't know if he wants that.
he just wants to let prince zuko rest.
"you know," his uncle says, "-it would be nice to have you by my side, nephew."
kou hums. he doesn't look at him.
his uncle sighs and pats his head. he tells him that would be nice... but he can understand it if that is not what he wants. you have set yourself on your own path in life, nephew. though it is not one i always agree with, it is very much your own. it is not his place to dissuade you. but if i may make a suggestion...
...he does not think many in the fire navy will lay down their arms so easily. some may decide to become pirates themselves. it would be quite useful if he had someone he could trust leading the charge against them. someone who was already quite familiar with the trade of a pirate.
kou looks up with a sly grin. uncle. you want to make me into a privateer?
iroh's smile is an equally sly one.
alright. you've talked him into it. he already thinks he knows a few good people who might be interested in serving on his crew...
#pirate zuko au#iroh voice: if i cannot convince my nephew not to be a pirate. i can at least give him state sanctioning#kou recruiting mai and ty lee like hey. want to be 'privateers'?#he makes the offer to katara too and she considers it for awhile before going nah#toph though? toph takes it. hell yeah sea serpent. count her in
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