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fintan-pyren · 27 days

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Sometimes, life is busy. You shouldn't let that stop you from enjoying a good book, but who has the time to read the same words over and over again?

For your enjoyment and convenience, I have removed all duplicate words from the first Keeper of the Lost Cities book.

blurry fractured memories swam through sophie’s mind but she couldn’t piece them together tried opening her eyes and found only darkness something rough pressed against wrists ankles refusing to let move a wave of cold rushed as the horrifying realization dawned was hostage cloth across lips stifled cry for help sedative’s sweet aroma stung nose when inhaled making head spin were they going kill would black swan really destroy their own creation what point project moonlark then everblaze drug lulled toward dreamless oblivion fought back clinging one memory that could shine tiny spot light in thick inky haze pair beautiful aquamarine fitz’s first friend new life ever maybe if hadn’t noticed him day museum none this have happened no knew it’d been too late even white fires already burning curving city filling sky with sticky smoke spark before blaze miss foster mr sweeney’s nasal voice cut blaring music he yanked earbuds out by cords you decided you’re smart pay attention information sophie forced open not wince bright fluorescents reflected off vivid blue walls amplifying throbbing headache hiding sweeney mumbled shrinking under glares now staring classmates pulled shoulder-length blond hair around face wishing hide behind it exactly kind went way avoid why wore dull colors lurked blocked other kids who at least foot taller than survive twelve-year-old high school senior perhaps can explain listening your ipod instead following along held up like evidence crime though probably he’d dragged class natural history balboa park assuming his students be excited about all-day field trip didn’t seem realize unless giant dinosaur replicas came started eating people cared tugged loose eyelash nervous habit stared feet there make understand needed cancel noise hear chatter from dozens tourists echoed fossil-lined splashed cavernous room mental voices real problem scattered disconnected pieces thoughts broadcast straight into brain being hundreds tvs different shows same time sliced consciousness leaving sharp pains wake freak secret burden since fell hit five years old she’d blocking ignoring nothing helped never tell anyone wouldn’t you’ve above lecture don’t give asked pointed enormous orange duckbill center how lambeosaurus differs dinosaurs we’ve studied repressed sigh flashed an image card front display glanced entered photographic recorded every detail recited facts twisted scowl classmates’ grow increasingly sour weren’t fans resident child prodigy called curvebuster finished answer grumbled sounded know-it-all stalked exhibit next over follow thin separating two rooms block muffled grabbed little relief nice job superfreak garwin chang boy wearing t-shirt said i’m gonna fart sneered shoved past join they’ll write another article child teaches lame-o-saurus still bitter yale had offered full scholarship rejection letter arrived few weeks allowed go parents much pressure young end discussion so attending closer smaller san diego college year fact some annoying reporter newsworthy enough post local paper chooses ivy league complete photo freaked wasn’t strong word more half rules unnecessary front-page articles pretty worst nightmare they’d newspaper complain editor seemed unhappy story run place on arsonist terrorizing trying figure mistake bizarre white-hot flames smelled burnt sugar took priority everything especially unimportant girl most ignore or used caught sight tall dark-haired reading yesterday’s embarrassing black-and-white looked seen particular shade teal smooth sea glass beach glittered flickered expression gaze disappointment decide shrugged leaning closed distance between smile belonged movie screen heart did weird fluttery thing is pointing picture nodded feeling tongue-tied fifteen far cutest talking i thought squinted brown uh yeah sure say reason felt conversation accent british somehow crisper which bothered know are suck words soon left mouth course boys cute made mushy perfect returned told hulking greenish standing albertosaurus all its lizardesque glory me do think that’s it’s absurd

isn’t see saw small t rex: big teeth ridiculously short arms fine laughed i’ll get meet turned leave just classes kindergartners barreled fossil crushing screaming knock step whole realm pain kids’ stinging high-pitched needles many once angry porcupine attacking hands darted rubbing temples ease stabbings skull remembered alone reaction locked forehead pained imagined seconds hushed blood drain mean created plenty racket shrieks squeals giggles plus sixty individual chattering away gasped solved earlier everyone boy’s distinct accented speaking totally completely silent possible whispered widened moved whisper telepath flinched skin itch gave can’t believe backed exit reveal total stranger okay holding sort wild animal calm afraid froze my name’s fitz added stepping name searching sign part joke joking thinking wobbled spent seven find someone else world tilted sideways steady here looking twelve we better question: want air jerked bolted door stumbling shaky legs rhythm sucked breaths ran down stairs burned lungs bits ash flew ignored wanted space strange come shouted picked pace raced courtyard base steps wide fountain grassy knolls sidewalk got inside because poor quality footsteps gaining wait pouring energy sprint fighting urge glance shoulder halfway crosswalk sound screeching tires reminded both ways terrified driver struggling stop car plowed right die second blur swerved missing inches jumped curb sideswiped streetlight heavy steel lantern cracked plummeted instincts hand shot pulling strength somewhere deep gut pushing fingertips force collide falling gripping extension arm dust settled floated feel weighed ton put familiar warned bringing trance shrieked dropped without hurtled watch yanking split crashed ground impact knocked tumbled body broke fall landed chest stretched flurry questions swirling coherent idea sat replaying sense need witnessed miracle tighten panic let’s overwhelmed plan resist street reached intersection north zoo where crowd during firestorm running missed hearing changed terrifying scenarios involved government agents throwing dark vans experiments watched road ready bolt anything suspicious zoo’s massive parking lot relaxed outside milling cars happen witnesses slowed walk breath promise sincere easier opened hesitated supposed am trust won’t considered father sent specific age observe report always talk frowned disappointed himself does means expected threw what’s wrong touched eyelids suddenly selfconscious figured again awe us stopped whoa hang ‘one us’ frowning spotted fanny-pack-wearing within earshot deserted corner ducking green minivan there’s easy we’re human stunned speak hysterical laugh escaped repeated shaking riiiiiight insane trusting kicked stomped telling truth minute last listen plea humans vanished gone reeling leaned argued taking clear set pole minutes ago almost three managed finally saying alien erupted laugher cheeks grew hot also relieved compose elf hung foreign object belong visions tights pointy ears danced giggling expect guess stick wavy spikes rock star good crazy agreed refused serious frodo ring save middle-earth toys hid corners showed oh ought folded slender silver wand intricate carvings etched sides tip round crystal sparkled sunlight magic asking rolled actually pathfinder spun latch top dangerous you’ll faded depends take concentrate matter happens proof prove whisk land curious harm someone’s willed palms sweat fingers laced stupid tingled everywhere scanning warning look scowled bit tongue concentrated racing seriously become those silly girls counted raising facet beam refracted tightened grip forward warm tingling million feathers swelling underneath tickling giggle melted goo keeping oozing blanket warmth wrapped faster blink eye might squeaked stood edge glassy river lined impossibly trees fanning emerald leaves among puffy clouds row castles walt disney throw rocks kingdom golden path led sprawling elaborate domed buildings built brick-size jewels each structure color snowcapped mountains surrounded lush valley crisp cool

cinnamon chocolate sunshine places exist less appear forgotten released realized hard squeezing unable castle towers oddly our capital call eternalia heard shangri-la lost cities you’d stories rarely ridiculous things elves burst quiet gentle breeze brushing soft murmur traffic hammering unspoken very silence rising tiptoes view streets ghost town building towered others stones emeralds banner flying tribunal progress everyone’s watching proceedings council basically royalty holds broken law they’re deal laws well shook wrap cringing question funniest glared funny regained control try cling remaining strands sanity sun casting ray onto leaping hitched ride headed impossible infinite travel haven’t theory relativity stumped dumbest i’ve albert einstein huh dumb argue confident unnerving harder waited feather sensation dryer scattering directions until rubber band later shivering ocean whipping glowed carved moonlight failed passed bring herself true science book read confused observed ‘hey learned smug grin best minds begin comprehend complexities reality elves’ ahead slowest trump proper education shoulders sagged sank four scenery blurred whether tears entire lie nudged hey fault believed taught i’d done works bells chimed large gateway floor-length velvet capes draped tunics emerged followed creatures marching military formation rocky pants muscles prominently flat noses coarse gray pleated folds armadillo goblins signed treaty hating trembling dressed forbidden lumenaria worlds gnomes dwarves ogres trolls mentioning focused motioned farther squatting betrayed ancient councillors intelligent rule planning war ancients violence disappeared forbid any contact devices working defend race famine problems chilled frigid wind licking who’d known must’ve after eventually evolved myths simple yes peeked glowing crucial identity clicked spinning thousand loud clang gate stepped shadows sleek cobalt home jolted mom bus bland boring stole incredible blinding swept smoky fresh surprised recognized plain square houses narrow tree-lined house ask lived coughed handle putting pollutes planet these aren’t normal chemical smells usually wildfires smell barbecue melting cotton candy burn rain arsonists admitted pocket hoping notice dad wants knows neither important meant mystery he’s happy careful please shown today thank act family doesn’t suspect squared courage telepaths special ability rarer ones thirteen six months corrected liking youngest manifest start reverberated scanned positive waking hospital moment forget hooked kinds machines hovering shouting barely separate hold happening group adults haunted worry brows narrowed doing extra private keep wall weak hated bossed answering concerned action worked imagining stretching shadow mine blurted pale process hardest worries live fumbled answers long trouble knees link amazing will tomorrow panicked battered cluttered living phone she’s receiver having reeled daggers calling wandering worried police sorry stammered convincing horrible liar scared mom’s anger concern nervously curly guy realizing lies based freaking walked trolley train teacher guard ugh complained closing adult rubbed wrinkle appeared stressed upset safe stand weirdo understood dangers teased tormented bullied deflate wish trailed close rest sister slipped pin painful tight hug welcome honey dinner ten amy upstairs kitchen unease twist stomach worn linoleum pastel tacky knickknacks ordinary glittering kissed cheek shabby briefcase table how’s soybean wink baby apparently pronouncing thousands times lid simmering pots garlic cream filled handed silverware turn crackin’ scooted plopped usual chair nine role mastered opposite lower average grades popularity sisters wondered definitely powers lowered breathing: inhale exhale repeat care nickname dizzy must lay should eat skipping acting fettuccine night favorite rich sauce sudden nausea tug eyelashes chewed bite swallow fork official thanks great homework sprinted bed hiss shattered marty pounding fluffy cat sitting tail slunk settling lap marty’s purring

confront downstairs settle explained blonde chubby brunette screamed throbbed deeper ripped apart blinked related change lots adopted poked brought e l fudges plate cookies milk getting sick palm fever tired cookie stumbled routine crawled blankets wrapping pillow dreams kissing tucked tradition breathe ella yep elephant stuffed sleep tonight um guys hugged tighter hours labor endured switched birth daughter doubt wondering anymore dreamed keebler perfected recipes liked oreos drown vat fudge woke overrated morning quick shower jeans shirt buttery yellow stripes item closet self-conscious wear gold flecks admit clipped toyed lip gloss snuck check crept yard blinking stuck contained next-door neighbor perch middle lawn forkle rearranging garden tableaux nosy checking effect beady bored hers loved sentences complaining 911 obligated gnome fraction inch gives headaches yapping interrupted ball fur streaked barking spandex jogging shorts chased grabbing dog leash clumsy lunge kneeled stroking wild-eyed panting creature drew growled strained mad sister’s hates displaying several halfmoon wounds bleeding scar suppose willing carry blocks seems winked piercing certainly yelled jogger guy’s louder chaos wonder grab drag should’ve trick react stopping tracks side man straightened height quite intimidating ordered glowered promised snorted grumbling moving explaining whenever appearance waiting incident eyewitnesses frustrating confusing bell rang lurking scream demanded loudly heads bad flashing cocky rush blush unanswered tries creepy snatch slow replayed scene remember growling forkle’s quietly quieter we’ll we’d eyeing suspected impending mischief leap english ditch yesterday strangle pull disappearing fail willingly use telepathy brushed whispering pushed further test tested permission assignment frustrated matters invading offense scrunch nod movement nearby oak drowned could’ve sworn jogger’s campus gestured tree either imagine adjusted shouldn’t anyway who’s committee sidelong heat breaking automatically furious enjoyed caused determines grinned future shield surveyed surroundings metal nearly everglen leading doors absorbs directly likes privacy stressful doubted king kong faint click swung inward striking clearing growing midnight cape fastened clasp diamond-encrusted wings lean vibrant resemblance alden introduced bow curtsy shake greet shy pleasure prominent kidding unusual flush smiled embarrassed fire alden’s injury muttered son shared kidnapping considering such might’ve paranoid has touch rude assure love kidnapper searched reassure kindness agree placed gently jacket ticked indeed fascinating sounding triumphant perfectly specifically nexus forgot covered dug cuff coat clamped bracelet wrist twisting fit snug comfortable accessory single jewel rectangle symbols letters spelled gibberish odd decorate finality safety precaution break particles carried concentration circumstances bare early fools overestimate skills fade cautious answered lose yourself able fully reform pulls forever goose bumps dimple cleared throat prefer reproving send mission collect long-lost guests wiped blooming red pink purple rainbow perfume flowers dizzying testing qualify foxfire paused fungus insulted prestigious academy named represents glow darkened comes ‘fungus’ strongest talent kiss goodbye excuse proud attend accomplishment earliest levels develops abilities continue studies elvin sneak work knowingly chills mixed night’s troubling revelation sickening councillor bronte difficult impress feels upbringing lack disqualify surprises existed miffed votes squat brown-skinned huge tended fairy tale plants slantways shuffled carrying basket twinkling fruit guessing pictured men hats statues servants stare choose safer gardens enjoy privileged taste gnomish produce lunch treat dig slimy tubers slugs hoped menu peeled meadow elegant manor entirely intricately numerous turrets gables rose tower resembled lighthouse braided foyer prism widest hallway fountains spouted streams colored water hall dead-ended encrusted jeweled mosaic

diamond unicorns amethyst spoke wealth squeezed formal dining sheer silk curtains drawing chandelier waterfall shimmering crystals platters fancy goblets figures jewel-encrusted circlets plush thronelike chairs surrounding curtsied necks clasps keys horribly underdressed fabrics except disguise kenric oralie football player toothy princess rosy ringlets met smallest cropped features finger pairs floor laughter squirmed joined pleased shape it’ll transformed noticing autorepeat: scooting oralie’s one’s died yet hurt immortal trace sorrow bodies aging reach adulthood wrinkles belongs yourselves guest uncovered grimace strips glop goop tasted juiciest cheeseburger stuff mashed carnissa root umber leaf tastes chicken animals tone ate toxic waste squirming grimaced vegetarians horror vegetables cheeseburgers tells swallowed mouthful thud discussing openly respond kenric’s jaws dry remembering warnings stay begun eight pass mentioned learn relax bronte’s icy gust common announced jaw flushing chagrined incredulous impenetrable key sentence ‘almost breached guilt conscience sounds infallible thinks likely exceptionally lift weight telekinesis recovering embarrassment shrank goblet accident raised lifting invisible scoffed unimpressed limitations unlike physical confidence clue giving blew pretending imaginary extend sharper worth saucers applauded excellent praise couple glasses determined stronger ounce core empty collective gasp including breathed celebrate cramped strain knocking thunderous collision open-mouthed shock hollered sealed clapped language guys’ enlightened leaped instinctive interesting babbling teasing noisy gripped ‘soybean’ mispronouncing blushed chuckled beside dusting waved insisted sighed suldreen stretch line rare species bird puzzle solve uncomfortable coincidence convince decision barked shoving moonlarks vote otherwise fight favor final fragile lovely empath emotions extended grasped delicate fear confusion sincerity describe azure settles revisited till adjust invoke demand probe planned arranged quinlin busy decipher fun training looks iffy ‘bothered’ dad’s reluctant emptiness exploded choked saving colder implications ditched stall punishment atlantis nowhere patch white-capped waves signs seagulls screech poop hardly continent tide pool triangular slip slick shoes match gown begged status noble members nobility offices empire waist beaded neckline dress costume seeing clothes: tunic embroidery edges pockets sewn sleeves exact size sit boots completed thankfully knowing biana comparison changing subject ledge engineered catastrophe compartment revealing bottles label bottle whirlpool uncorked flung blast whipped faces roar churning ladies suggested worse gulped maelstrom beneath salty sprayed jump push count dignity drowning flailing idiot formed tunnel dipping weaving craziest waterslide starting launched vortex sponge licked toe pack kittens minus kitten sprang cushion smoothed wet incoming rocketed slightly squishy packed sand gleaming metropolis dome beyond soared skyline bathing radiating spires network canals interconnected arched bridges pictures venice modern clean despite bottom underwater muted hum background seashell ear build stores power precisely amount changes plated reflect firelight illuminate sink wandered shops renaissance fair women’s gowns shifted advertised two-for-one specials bottled lightning fast approval spyball applications strolled hybrid chicken-lizard invented main canal hailed carriages floating almond-shaped boat rows high-backed benches elbow-length steered bench reins skimming surface eight-foot-long scorpion deadly pincers reared curled sting eurypterid stroked shiny shell eurypterid’s slice emitting low hissing petted harmless carriage quinlin’s yours fiber mutant insect doom probed gritted pressing hideous sonden’s office thrashed heebie-jeebies commute while secure needs protection file highly classified business district windows tracing bearing names treasury registry interspeciesial services unreadable random strings runes nonsense writing

alphabet clueless chin jumble nah affected gap kid option country tests dropping member broad kelp ornamentation precise read: sonden: chief mentalist cube swiped elbow ping assurances humiliating bypassed receptionist dim damp stone desk dark-skinned chin-length seat ceremony unique understatement squirm handing lick dna unsanitary tiniest hologram center: rotating unearthly breathing prentice sacrificed double helixes sacrifice reasons fears hundred seventy-eight murmured began pacing invaded she’ll greatest keeper older midstep record share trained charge protecting currently hidden karaoke game sing off-key notes clearly eavesdropping strip slid winding stairway climbed oval footage brush projected chill aerial southern california lines circle area images deepened valleys ruled reflections note interrupting communicate waving warn turning overreacting glancing shuddered desperate kidnapper’s threatened easily implied nameless faceless entity quickly threatening authorities would’ve shivered accelerant chemicals leads lighting spilling oil blowing investigate council’s position here: takes visit babysitter decent equally spying steam secrecy existence discovered hoax search updated slight bypassing distracted evillooking matches keepers lagoon glint shimmery dunes lake west shore statue topped hollow iridescent film shimmered loop apparatus resemble bubble lifted clung shrieking levitate forming touching bubble’s rumble coming geyser shoot eleven crash below bobbed where’s scary pure joy popped whisked glaring gates flash strode olive contrast youth shone nerve summoning personal shorter intimidated difference sooner exiled clench fists backward tiergan aware opinion summoned convinced tiergan’s fierce crumbled crossing expert inventory widening whatever foxfire’s newest mentor puppy officially weirding becomes provide retired given persuaded return resentment mixture surprise hone assistance reasonable restrictions pretend opportunity silencing bet terrible mood mumbling mostly irresponsible manage choice benefit stares notify dame alina returning kept bruise meantime session listed remedial schedule lessons dummies correct assumption warmed tuesday brilliant panel everglen’s grounds sessions study student subjects one-on-one nerves one-onone succeed mention level grade relearning self-doubt heavier fragmented disappear explanation aside pleasant dis arguing overstuffed armchairs woman squealed snickered wife della pinched gesturing dear vanishers smiling musical hint della’s beauty tossed pursed heart-shaped parents’ combined gangly troll interceded borrow errands frumpy files requested denied request approve grady edaline case torn radiant parcels strobe unwrapped packages clasped cord neck choker pendant elf-y anytime fund’s activated fund register money standard dollars lusters laughing luster dollar crinkled ew insult afford differently limited seventy eighty makes sad curved window overlooking silvery floor-to-ceiling aquarium wingback facing piled books scrolls anxiety remind stacks newspapers circled crossed news removed drawer theories irritation super stuttered discuss faced solution allow ours they’ve effective immediately too-simple accept kick constant discovery longer unbearable loneliness friends grasping overwhelm areas access severely restricted dead deciding gravestones became vivid: grave tearstained draw suffer struck complicated relocated jobs erase tear obvious believing shutting function erased armchair scrubbed forbade sob occurred risking twenty alert plans clothes sees wiping focus bent unshed horrors cringed buried trembled bouncing busted eavesdrop grounded hugging worrying pouted pettiness bratty obnoxious pain-in-the-butt embrace struggles play daughters mouths senses hook hurry daze rememorize room: dusty available quilt mother tripped furry crouching releasing pathetic meow disk sleeping gas release drugging physically ill backpack slung giggled elizabeth clutching anywhere couch fingered ordering thirty crumpled burying recognize crouched smearing drool snot drugged sobs

overcame jerk washers bags regret bear slept finish hawaiian family’s limp determination taken fourteen cried assured stranglehold haunting gets hope personally oversee relocation flared wrung guardians title selected enthusiasm strangers elwin’s blue-crystaled temptation shiver raked bones orphan conservatory lead backyard security choosing saved ache suffering gift raise ended abandoned wipe elwin physician medical hate doctors brave regular nightmares brief stays struggled dragging direction drop free implying biana’s glare escape punch bathed gigantic glued cushioned cot syringe goes fidget spectacles scientist snapped painless orb flasher manipulate skilled orem vacker show eclipse biggest celebrations traditions damage permanent tensed food chance innocent cells dashing depending orbs squinting lenses stunningly lit dramatic expecting toxins research rifled satchel vials liquids major detox braced medicine syrups nectar unknown fruits tingly drink youth legends enzymes essential health refreshing downed contents gulp drank medicines list follow-up checkup whistled sometimes heated lame stinky stegosaurus shame horrified production wimp doctor phobia jumping needle strap bunch shots allergic how’d concrete nine-one-one unconscious genes kicking trigger bedroom canopied chandeliers room’s gotten deserve ruined chanting mantra shut pajamas tuck asleep belonging alive twenty-five catch breakfast clock shop furniture detoxes materializing clutched ghostly exotic heartbreaker fitted glamorous shopping explosion behold wardrobe outfits extras pick beat-up sparkly casual packing leaked days unpack hungry knotted sadly dampened preserve havenfield exciting jolie deny loss wonderful booming fenced-in pastures spread scrambled versions rehabilitation centers sanctuary protected trap nessie artist endangered gorillas lions mammoths extinct thriving herd woolly colonies saber-toothed tigers slack exists rob qualities provides thrive feeding hunt diet steep cliffs caves flower-lined using ropes lasso lizard neon beast protest drama queen husky male commanded beast’s heave feat twice snaarrll bucked guardian lunged tangled writhed losing balance verdi tyrannosaurus comments meeting jaculus winged serpent feeds support contain bloodsucking snake claws snout tremble lowering fangs glinted slobber motioning glimpse dinosaur-riding chiseled feather-covered james bond robin hood balding relate handsome feathery banged pet rub rex’s stayed docile unblinking separated verdi’s wound plugged slime death rot tuna fish combination kelpie dung bites jar swear edaline’s grady’s wary compared palatial estate mansion standards columns cupola roof entryway central upper floors cascaded ceiling wispy fabric turquoise amber curls similar circles fluff presentable rex picking playing rodeo cowboy nope wash staircase sadness lingered tea mallowmelt insist gooey cake fresh-baked chip soaked ice frosting butterscotch dripping hasty slices served nook grazing linens painted china homesick woken lushberry juice pop possessed conjurer form teleporting objects coolest unfortunately scraggly slurps burps letting friend’s ached grieve fished imparter simply strangled pounded reassuring deafening third star-shaped dangled glittery weaved carpet scent canopy occupied dressing bookshelves brightly volumes bathroom bathtub swimming biting awesome assumed jolie’s tour awkward delicious soupy pizza unpacking wrinkled scrapbook wherever welled remnants dried sixteen sunrise streaks blending mirror darken awake finishing hovered doorway interrupt riser shades clap bruises conjured bowl spoon banana bread tempted impose sloppy handwriting upside symbol corner: bird’s beak tickled babble scare extremely documents cipher moisture particularly believable prescribed drawn eager fidgeting ruffles simplest bought hi kesler groaned island mysterium identical mold vendors spices sweets buzzed crowded sidewalks working-class social rank ‘talent simpler correspondingly unfair born lesser lives type designed village avoiding whispers ruewen pretended different

store crooked nursery rhyme burps: merry apothecary belched maze shelves pills laboratory beakers bubbling burners rainbow-colored lab skinny tousled strawberry periwinkle blob tubes add amarallitine dex tongs vial experiment poured beaker sparked plume dirty gag concoction exclaimed hello ‘hello impersonation sludge eda scrap sheet kesler’s brother-in-law nephew practically monday al freaks dimples burped beanpole hooded cloak vika annoyance handiwork written girl’s bald scalp meanwhile stina ’cause twitched battling sell solutions sasquatch dent bony appendages children throttle hairoids stock week wailed ogre wicked misses responsible friendly rage here’s spat helping customers potent hat flinch useless buy countered retort stina’s oooh slammed fist timkin heks helps situation traditional absolutely brings stuffy nobles happier grinning mess tweak supplies armful worktable sneaky beard dex’s evil mortar pestle teach tingle attempt fifty-seven solo property collapse practiced checked displayed sliver percent chose he’ll hawk mentors monitor weakness expelled pushes transferred exillium swallowing bile mounting attack messy juline riveted gossip interruption interest hilarious bookshelf mounted cover camera summer flipping pages naked mouse suit disneyland dizznee photos honestly movies outlets flipped technology solar powered rifling sir conley’s luck lady galvin highest rate rig calming flooded seventeen gadgets chimes arrive uniform skirt leggings shirt-vest-cape combo laceup jerkin long-sleeved slacks waist-length superhero captain blueberry rescue meaning order demonstrate rid wimpy halcyon mastodons mascot birds storm mastodon ceremonies costumes glad idiots appealing crest triangle heart: scarlet eagle soaring talons chemistry equipment theirs adopting adoption adopt temporary enrollment manticore themselves parties dies span cope calmed orphans wylie whose recover connection blames wylie’s hanging leapmaster 500 lucky authorized 250 tons rotated five-story pyramid sharply angled u stained seventh amphitheater extensive fields grass hopelessly prodigies uniforms building’s finding ducked starts orientation principal reads announcements attendance collar track peal close-up stunning porcelain caramel-colored foremost whoever reekrod weekend mark punished fullest extent threat dangle continued detect ah spotlight hissed viper’s nest ssssssophie hole crawl concludes today’s nearest exception divided wing banners bore midflight halls quad throughout sparkling sapphire chatted doorways lining atrium spectacle creating marked rune locker mirrored lock uses gross faculty picks flavors pepper sneeze croak yelped stench rotten eggs dash diaper muskog wheezy snicker whirled towering mass frizzy cackling hags stalking hairs shave earth serum friday retorted raven swishing behavior phasers ashamed apologize obviously spend detention alexine stinks beet minions kinda frog fumes catching jensi rapid-fire speech talked buckets redder instructed honest ‘human girl’ ‘sophie’ whim elementalism pride backtracked twists turns drops warped wooden session’s zapped ‘zapped’ thunderclap eighteen tray electrocuted quiver conley hitting fluted botched sending tornado tornadoes mastering elements entering foods series stalls court mall recognizable eaten tables cafeteria whom discourage joining verge perceptible message clear: focusing bigger jensi’s acne braces fairly slicked greasy ponytails drooled setting bang c’mon dude unison ‘e’ duh drooly volunteered singed universe daunting exaggerated messing ‘dude’ killing explode cough pixielike rescuing tossing petite balled braids suicide overeager marella mare nicknames obeyed enemies honored pucker licorice lemon fan prettypants rather grumpy brat brother’s dreamy willpower copying sip looped defending dizznees triplets says ‘bad match’ genetically incompatible inferior aunt uncle superstrange celebrities famous vackers superimportant marella’s sympathy grandma heartbroken helpless veins hopeless cases guarantee scooping mammoth shudder awful afternoon feared astronomical

learning astin whispery complex maps planetarium effortless excelled hour survived approaching dragon hateful invited feelings letters: extinguished stuffing fill animosity deck ‘nice uncanny royal highness bothers remembers talented ‘deck beaming nineteen thursday disaster goal sandwiched colosseum pe vanity near door: sneakers ponytail owned ship slap reply lasted compare redek squish may fool stops idle threats grouped twos tromps manifested fifty-fifty manifesting mysterious remark required variable reign terror ‘everyone’ impressive jolt supervise caton titan god informed channeling supereasy channel parts body: heights speeds normally unimpressive attempts threes bumped defense appetite startled spaceship unremarkable studying superintently snapping scraping probing concept unsettling establish forcing eighty-seven puckered brow assume cheerful scraped intended drained steadying suggest ethics attached meganeura exercise annoy fidgeted cocked wanna buzzing dived vulture-size dragonflies patted freaky-looking bug blown gargantuan proportions creepiest disco balls grown monster enclosure phys ed intense emergency weirdest part: proven trustworthy receive assignments lectured responsibility detecting discover elite avoided mesmer nauseated wow sheesh inflicting curiosity won causes dara lecture: pyramids tidal army hairy hollowing himalayas strangest mumble creeped exile interested dying supertalented fundamental guilty underground eternity ruin fluke churned abandoning illegal washer alter dump brother secluded sorted reminding effort flavored flumes spritzed shove disturbing failing smirked alchemy pupil encouraging cracking melody ominous ingredients trophies gilded items pointy-toed suspiciously midas milky liquid dancing rushing rustle red-brown updo hunter silky decorated patterns swished slightest alkahest universal solvent stored itself dissolves wood flesh taxes substance alchemist wise teaching masters tincture poultice basic serums yellowed box flask jars iron transmuting metals recipe formula labeled instructions fiddled rechecked mistakes plunged whip fizzed rumbled jelly galvin’s exquisite dissolved luxurious damaged salvage welt healing ma’am murder retrieve afterward muttering incompetence flunk sprawled hallways stark ditching keefe gulon disheveled untucked popular belva crush blame 90 certain paid accidentally cue epic alina’s ugly crying treated whiter phobia consisted rooms: treatment beds brewing physician’s paperwork slinky scurried bullhorn demented ferret banshee adorable fellow dramatically wanting seize mmm-hmm acid mimed effects destroyed salve measured whap wash present laughs clarification confirming twenty-one embellished version destruction joked bottling anwen multispeciesial 324 faxon metaphysics complimented requests brown-eye create overnight granted incredibly challenging explosions occurrence unlearn lifetime knowledge levitating rainbows constantly messed highlight skill effortlessly amazed unwanted transmit else’s psychic photograph needing patient plague suspicion snotty maruca i-hate-sophiefoster club reaching growl jealous prettiest bedlam subdue chasing rabbits antlers swinging trunk lump verminion pen boosted mammoth’s trumpeted earthshaking squeal ringing mound timid twig hiiiissssssssssss uncurled rodent bulging hamsters rottweiler-size hamsterzilla trample japanese hamster cooed snaarrrlll impressed chase steer dashed catches fifty stupidest clod mud nailed grooowwwwllll fatal flaw pinned grunted press snarling squeeze verminion’s unlocked assortment spewed whined pile gloves shed trade trudged oversize squirrels rats identify burlap sack quivering snarl steeled shriek batlike heaved wool scratches leg outbuildings carefully organized veterinarian’s laid sterile spreading limbs smeared eyedropper dripped creature’s rewarded squeaky rumbling crackly purr smiles cage barrel soapy chain-sawesque snores vibrating brattail tuber sausage imp guessed six-inch venomous stings snoring vicious describing tame yetis outnumbered conked chipper iggy strand swell

generous hugs touches gestures glistened dubious trails twenty-two sharing congested warthog roommate snuggly sleepless spoil caring ultimate splotching championship sacks cheered sympathetic secretly celebrating partnered naturally teamed splotcher splattered loses winners person wins marks smugly win splotch splat deserved colorful prize contest pardon hopes wonderboy gagging rounds beat opponent knots backing aim ow raw telekinetic flushed compliment disqualifies pumped victory hotter cheering opponents experience duel beginner’s talents mighty competition grumblings battle odds experienced evidently four: sixes trella dempsey paired hopeful muster bested winner fluttered appears competitors betraying butt preference keefe’s chant ladies’ float clenched adrenaline surged audience back-up splotches rebound phenomenon weightless collided simultaneous fate collapsed twenty-three placing compress wincing muscle injured whermiwhahapped worse: laying banshees mortal danger stirred lucid winced stiff glands zinged collected rebounded bounce specialized hammered controls actual mix matched draining practice evenly awfully sidelines wobbling auditorium applause teensy annoyed copied blushing elbowing ribs tie protested declared excused lesson rejoin splotchers acted delivered p congratulations confirm bath lathering bathers soggy instinctively besides creased drive twenty-four meter one-third younger that’d wonderboy’s precious midterms score seventy-five recommend nissa tutoring consider tutor projection gagged flavor yell daily tore prattle chewy caramel peanut butter pouch cracker jack horse mane prattles’ unicorn pins collection examined digital 122 185 number eighty-five super-rare bitterness vaguely compute unexpected development century too-little-too-late branch other’s replaced beeline simultaneously sniff aw stuck-up snob wasted invite humiliate walking ambush capable teeniest details clanged cricket chirped embroidered satin sash wringing exhaled seeming makeovers wrestling polite fortunately braid flutter dirt pitter-patter eh sayin’ shooting quest grateful team jealousy guarded raid questers tagged sentry tabs isolate general nail targets listened softer instantly presence tremendous connected forest thundered vision racked credible crashing bushes partner deceive insists hasn’t secrets toes staying chain apologizing visitors sulking funk snipe wagged there’ve weekly jokes havenfield’s defied exams panicking passing guide narrowing shipped exam brass copper transmutations ideas challenges thwarted spilled gashrooms reek pored frozen cause shattering cheated accomplished cheat ideal dreading twenty-six tri-angular apex streamed pane angle reflection examining confessed forgave neutral violated ethical regulations expulsion suggesting argument ruling obey flourish bother violating reporting stifle closely icily respect authority advises wedding flapped nor pointless cheating tolerated huffed regrets confess serve minimum assigning becoming theme slipping unnoticed what’d gloomy atmosphere desks thumbs-up siren song appreciation art nature clapping earsplittingly shrill whine whale nails chalkboard toddler uncover broadening horizons claiming repentant company brand torture ballroom belva’s sirens dances edwardian claimed valin ponytailed promenade dancers valin’s sweaty chime stars shined brighter spit wickedly slobbery octaves fanned hmm irritated flattered scored points empathy forked smirk ironing holes stack detained increased practicing leaps eyebrow empaths powerful mundane purification vein easiest transmutation lockers traded twenty-seven banging annoyingly caps disqualified chorus groans nonstop cap smurf amalgam telepathic integrity wrote essay betrayal over debate automatic 100 last-minute mentally repeating tips negative vibes stress ethic claim fame skipped skip supportive doubting brag mercifully stalled magenta berries rusty discipline chosen purify ruckleberries fifty-five nasty impurities elderly human’s alchemists methods dive knife pierced berry dribbled pinky haggard glacial quarters

deducted mediocre performance forth whirlwind crack exhausted brutal slamming slumped that’ll public hooks presents spine cards schools hassle babysitters edged obstacle tugging stressing rigid suitable gifts jewelry charms charm twenty-eight unrecognizable streamers shrub toilet-papered tinsel confetti bubbles prizes popping appointment teal-wrapped package uglier hurrying plowing regain literally prying trademark smirks spoken sapphire-encrusted navy-blue intently hairstyle contrasted pristine infamous deflated wilted father’s oily insincerity resigned flame cassius lord performing unremarkably radiated apologies fos er disappointing scores fake critical said: creeps prize-filled prattles dwarf lollipop topple snappy comeback comment loser fails organize overflowing half-empty month misunderstanding shushed slim parcel chiming signaled parent-mentor conferences celebration feast unwrap snatching self ‘dear dance sometime vice president boyfriend rattled reader tease ribbon tapped gadget fingernail speaker thingies coloring dunno disbelief variety edible glosses speckled spider snapper plant fed spiders riddler writes riddle miniature violet thanked showing misty seventy-nine improvement range sensing tomato congratulated comfort sobbing partying included sneer party note: f snap k sugarplums boy-craziness necklace cuffs wristbands vanisher platter customs gelled perfection gym ornate immaculate alvar talks often rumpling fizzleberry wine juggling girlfriends hero beamed piddly quicksnuff emissaries tend conspiracy possibility myself pieced undivided swan’s curve pattern term replied active recently unauthorized investigation frustration twenty-nine alternate spending smelling clues accomplish consumed trapped counting resumed vacation finals received eighty-one eighty-three unacceptable prepared chorused poufy thrown towel drooped oven roasted frosters transmitting charts transmitted peed suffered rested cryokinetics freeze manipulating pyrokinesis mesmers inflictors monitored pyrokinetics inflict fire’s unpredictable truly forbidding pyrokinetic library surely three’s librarian banned archives libraries bust problem: section dire wolves peek promising bins mountain littered haphazardly spaces scan unrolled flip papers helpful lacy dulled childhood: strung lanyards dolls framed bone picture: breathtaking tragedy drinking leftover junk trunks piles unopened bin disturbed murky midterm roll scroll shelf sample starlight moonglade: fireflies flickering stellarscope upside-down spyglass view’s billions wad tag amaranthis memorized fourth lambentine bag spout wider scope knobs cluster dials stiffened lever thumb clinked rubini orroro azulejo cobretola indigeen scratching spectrum rearranged indigo zelenie isolated this’ll bluff scrounging elementine adjusting fidgety hummed shining teared welts frantic thirty-one blackish-purple blisters pot burns sprinkled powder adventure soaking numbs balm miserably regulate temperature palace crown nicer handful roots mutilating blades destroying bashing stubbornness reappeared ointment knelt furrowed fingertip rags longest hottest soapiest griffins discreetly boring-looking firecatching bode bundle solid downright incoherently darkly quintessence fifth element myth truest conditions blow metallic-toned bronze wildly flamed audible unmapped locations merit thirty-two platform thrones remotely procedure involving throne cushions tourmaline sturdy polished dotted onyx heard: clarette velia terik liora emery ramira darek noland zarina flicked mere evacuated three-thousand-year task undisclosed location trial salivating convict straighter dozen marched stationed bodyguards swordlike weapons belts fanfare blasted crowned amateurs seated sapphires shall world’s ungraceful consuming detector fuzzy lying endlessly jell-o hobbled astin’s honesty assigned emery’s argento auriferria pennisi merkariron styggis achromian slower plotting map cowering submit lists convenient judgment frightening hardened remained expressionless mediates telepathically consensus united aspirin unanimous

rise violates actions intentional accountable foster’s involvement addressing agreement millionth wished exchanged dimpling kiddo thirty-three banks sienna bark paintbrushes purfoliage palmae calls pures filter pollution freshest crispest tinge fuzzed hesitation observant instruction lurched sunset farthest councillors’ steadied emerald-encrusted circlet bowed pleasing honor beg refuse descryer response delightfully potential clamoring backfired speaks beginning optional 327 sensed crane sweeping peacock log dream softly regularly useful one-armed fiancé’s projecting vividly replace album dinner’s stroke retracted apology hurting tricks arches replica model thirty-four planted curl plotted page difficulties rivaled protect quieted los angeles hollywood trash conspicuous spider-man batman posed mann’s chinese theatre blended beams issued ‘forgot’ oblivious ourselves stubborn softened unwillingly seeped ‘got of’ ant pavement explore warring hurried consequences captured pleaded mercy prentice’s behalf oversaw shatters society metaphor insurgents rebellion kindest whatever’s decisions encouragement revelations ability-detecting exercises cornered superbusy insistent significant elf-ish onetime played envy tracked master tracking switch spots conspiracies investigating headway ignorance ever: permanently jarred conservation legitimate scientific principle nagging elixir nogginease limbium mineral supposedly resisted bike wheels giddy week’s supply unnaturally syrup absorb nauseating unfastening vest skin’s collapsing allergy dimmed cradling thirty-five fluttered chafed sandpaper wildhaired soothed sensations spectators cleaned vomit upright moaned allergies wits bullhorn’s trite soiled airtight vomiting swollen blotch-free humiliated undershirt noticeably absent dazzling alvar’s raptor disgusting decade spare injected steroids tied budge scolded showers heels crisis ushered deathly tough disasters blankly rests brothy soup elsewhere shadowy comforting yawn snuggled thirty-six squealing hundreds eagle-size pterodactyl somersaulted screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech stability rein speed momentum gained screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech torch pasture dispersed uncannily fried engulfed birdbath sparks jerking possess flareadon fire-resistant replay triggered animal’s cares octave higher killed resting flareadons volcanoes occur gildie strayed ‘flareadon female correcting wade debacle breaks wrestled socks shredded apparent vague emotion animals’ distances qualified lightened results defined iggy’s gildie’s paw tummy reward downy fury paled out-of-breath aura recoiling imperative vital violate risk humiliation fled her: cooperate freezing peered railing partial drifted bars errand thirty-seven mush nights begging blend processing forgetting tearing fluorescent locker: insider’s librarian’s timing shoe absolute librarians plastered sinking confirmed dog-ear chapter everblaze: unstoppable blind thirty-eight paper-strewn something’s ‘everblaze frissyn x stands detailed extinguish overruled excluded unheard indecision warred babies hatch extract unregistered code name: egg cast conventional purpose determine pregnant fertility posing implanted embryo manipulated outstanding retain discovering affects genetic anomaly renegades weapon ‘prodigy illegally forgiving messages suffocating choke word: controlled puppet issue triggers twilight proudly soothe facade crumble table: throaty fix drove wedge messenger delivering seal reseal rampaging limits chaise skimmed bead luminous nonluminous generated lumenite drilled clarify rip grubby paws riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip chunk possession skittered treasure retrieving tattered assess rug glue document accordance canceled thirty-nine heartbeat scrubbing choked-back muffle misery acknowledge gaping owe regardless charade obeying command churn yeti ricocheted ooooookaaaaaaay slinking acknowledging attempting library-appropriate slothlike triple-check echoing phew scrutiny shrug candleshade overhead clipping playlist jarring numbness bass mature speakers bands sarcastic tune swirled seeping cracks triumphed

tiptoed rustled creaked padding crawling lonely forgive forty cheer stricken envelope headline: claims victims scrawl announcement corridor stark-white gulps sneaking suggestions weigh resolve admirer flood applying replacement heal eased uncertainty brothers recent discoveries recording spy undetected textbook dreaded licensed pathfinders restriction threatens ‘everblaze’ accusation fintan pricked balefire fintan’s requires fuel supported cosmic ‘fire ignite conclusive example surveillance ruining depths former dealing approved overrule objection trusted phantom rebels snatched emissary citizen confidential duly noted digging forty-one partly imprisoned sorting reminders pity tension distant lately preparing prejudice megacrush cave commands successful method unwrapping names: connor kate natalie freeman apply permit huddled thinner echoes evacuee note’s unquenchable abandon supporter afar forty-two stashed drawers ‘you threaten chaperone global dumped significance supplied clothing resistant fly willful punish facets stagger hills screeched tying pried displays seals survival glinting corneas swoop thickest raspy coughs locate singeing shift current overcome coughing inferno ouch thrashing clouded watery beads capped treats paced treating scorched angrier contorted squatted pee severe scalding plunked sticky-sweet healthy grim balled-up yelling homes camped affairs mesmerized desperation launching steal dumping tenderness justified reacts offer unintelligible agreeing concerns forty-three relatively illness actress w-what admitting lifeless freaky dumber connections traitorous resisting grasp peace decency furball storm’s appropriate cliff reveling shard clatter soothing relishing pulverized smithereens boulder violent frightened irrational fallen possibly smothered meaty cloaked swooped sickeningly nostrils sedative cursed rallied scuffle scuttled captor circulation rasped viselike lolled rescued forty-four bonds staging unfortunate complication fog scrambling muddled funerals pendants vise sweetness blackness necessary loomed constricted heaving choking gruff hyperventilating suffocates coated hacking nods croaked relocate stolen grunt syllable drugs mist strapped bound shivers eerie breathy wheeze venom trail gumption predicament footfalls disposed disappearance guts throb ignorant cackle toy reserve widen contorting poison ple clarity struggle overwhelming happiness rocked jostling rescuer foggy occasionally elevator altitude delirium parted flimsy fumbling promises caress weary forty-five searing heightened awareness sensory overload barrage cigarette butts alley surveying hideout interrogation kidnappers scoured alexandre desperately operates anyone’s him: upcoming rounded apologized broom peeking roofs yards landmark eiffel gaped graceful paris france french indian saris currency exchange robbing bank machine atm watches account measures ‘make work’ cameras covering buttons alarm bills robbed technopath froster internet café sandwiches cheese once-living boxy computers navigated web browser googled number-one result pont iii bridge seine lanterns shopkeeper sped excitement decorations horizon lamp nexuses lasts mathematics applied dawn forty-six melder stun evening strolls cloaks leader obscurer bends distortion coil rope goons goon pathways underestimate wire enhanced wishful swirl severing rapid duck whizzed seizure dusted flailed gurgling blank forefinger crescent shaped jagged cowl stumble scarred heft frenzy hatred writhing strengthened pumping pulse heavyset figure’s hideouts options battering crushed nearing tug-of-war lessened allowing glorious drift fading surrendered mind’s imagination funeral weariness overtaking hazy snow labored conscious sparkle freedom sweep forty-seven brightness peaceful wove persisted appeal surge newfound pooled aches splintered clearer enveloped strawberry-blond-haired numbing sedated tingles luxuriating gulping wetness numb shhh sniffled recognizing propped girly seasons faltered proves meaningful floppy snickers emergencies conversations flirting scratch

blasts streaking injuries concentration’s cell half-drained gaunt fleeing canceling flitted nuzzling scratched there’d yawned lights forty-eight covers washed sandor goblin bodyguard inflictor paralysis semiconscious incapacitated dormant trauma latent polyglot languages advance interrogated sandor’s bunny seven-foot-tall buffed-out overtime blindfolded seared monitoring proved arrested custody awaiting deaths tragic innocence error motivate condemning madness reluctance single-handedly now’s crescent-shaped recalled epiphany overweight swells digest explains operative guarding subliminal advantage activate developed who’ll address database detectives arson reigned supreme wisest greater questioned decades measure influential amok globe rejected imprison devastated uprooted supporters initiative resign outspoken recruited activity satisfied handled poorly kidnapped prisoner resolved disposal stamped justice voiced revenge birthday birthdays indefinite spans thirteen-year-old crushes plots rebellions grown-ups understands teenager accepted bargain relented insisting uncertain responding arrange forty-nine pedestal charges bylaws sub-bylaws committed transgressions minor tortured regal express safely accused drafting addressed firmly murmurs debated arguments raging attitude disrespectful rebellious overlooked gratitude however static rulers experiences inappropriate assign ‘already served’ sang admission din bursting provisional basis due aforementioned cannot proceed suggestion issues seats smoothing occasion fancier signaling require records indicate provided remain appreciated despised gladly nicely dipped textbooks someday squash toughest earn deserves murderous successfully fingering justifiably displeasure smirking retake propose alternative state events revealed therefore practical prudent career prospects shifting internal logical volatile qualifies majority erupting directing registered cuddly earned oneon-one immediate tangle concluded gathered twirling nudging trades sidestepped congratulate surviving multiple tribunals swirls diamonds feminine unlatch decides woven triply journey

#kotlc

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mrwavellswaps · 9 months

Text

Power and Authority

(A gift for @authoroffantasies ❤️)

Just before this story begin I want to take a moment to say how proud I am of this story in particular. It started as a just fun story experimenting with a few AI images for a friend and somehow turned it into something even more fun and amazing along the way! It’s a long one but I hope you all stick around to give it a read because I think it’s one of my favourite stories yet! - Wavell

~~~~~~

Jason sighed as he lent back in his office chair. He couldn’t help looking at the work he’d done with a feeling of dissatisfaction and pointlessness. Like it wouldn’t matter if he completed the task he was given with exceptional speed and quality or if his work was average at best. It didn’t feel as though it made a difference anymore as no matter what he did, he never seemed to go anywhere. No matter how well he worked or how much he contributed, he never seemed to move up the ranks in the workplace.

Was it because he hadn’t done something so groundbreaking that it shook the foundation of the workplace? Was it because he didn’t work ridiculous overtime at the office? Was it because he simply looked like your average Joe and not one of those stupidly hot guys he’d seen getting promotions who looked as though they’d been ripped right out of a modelling magazine?

All his life Jason believed that if he just worked hard at his job then he’d slowly rise up the ranks and eventually would maybe even gain some notoriety and authority. As someone who’d always been forced to follow the commands of others, it’d always been a deep seated desire for Jason that one day he would gain that kind of power. The kind of power that would demand attention and respect from his subordinates who would do anything he asked without question. The kind of power that would have people looking up at him as a shining symbol of success. The kind of power that would no doubt make him filthy rich with his employees throwing themselves at his feet and begging for just a small slice of his success up at the top.

He shook his head. At this point a life like that seemed like nothing more than a fantasy. He’d worked his ass off for years now and all it’d gotten him was a slightly above average paying job. Now he was in his thirties with a bit of a belly starting to form and it didn’t look as though he’d be going anywhere fast. If he was lucky he’d maybe get another half decent promotion by the time he was forty…

Jason turned his head to look at a portrait across the office. It was a massive portrait which was impossible to miss and it was of none other than the big man himself. The CEO of the company who of course stood at the pinnacle of the pyramid that Jason had once longed to ascend. He was an older gentleman with a distinguished look that radiated confidence and authority. His silver hair was perfectly styled and matched with a thick well groomed beard that framed his face, both of which looked equally as immaculate in person. And then there were those eyes. Such a bright and dazzling blue colour that made it feel as though he could see right into your soul. To top it all off the portrait perfectly captured his stern expression, one which he wore almost exclusively. Below the portrait itself the frame read ‘Robert Jefferson’. That was him. The big boss of it all around here.

As he was rather low in the rankings Jason had hardly ever seen Mr Jefferson in person but he knew from the few times he had seen the man, big boss was certainly the best way to describe him in more ways than one. Not only was he the top man around here but he was also known for being a rather portly man as well. Being the CEO of the company meant Mr Jefferson was a very busy man, usually sat in his luxurious office doing paperwork meaning he didn’t get a whole lot of free time and it showed. He’d gone up many suit sizes over the years as the big boss himself got only even bigger, packing on the pounds with how much time he spent sitting in his office. Despite that his growing size didn’t do a thing to knock the man’s confidence, if anything it boosted it! Mr Jefferson had always been on the slightly shorter end of the scale height wise so getting a little wider and fatter in a way gave him that bit extra he needed to make up for it. And slowly but surely a huge belly would start to form which would soon become impossible to miss as it continued to stretch out his shirts and waistcoats no matter how many times he went up a size. He even stopped bothering to do up the buttons on his suit jacket after a while. A suit jacket that of course would almost always match whatever right pair of suit pants he was wearing, no doubt clinging tight to his thick legs and fat butt. Not to mention those always shining Italian leather dress shoes he wore with style. Lord only knows how many pairs like that he owned.

On the few occasions Jason had seen the man in person, he had mixed feelings. On one hand he was practically green with envy. Jefferson had literally everything Jason ever wanted. Power, status, authority, respect, money… the list goes on. That man was living his dream! It was infuriating! Yet at the same time he couldn’t bring himself to be truly angry about it because he kinda had a thing for big ol Robert Jefferson at the same time. Jason had always thought larger, well dressed men of a mature age were extremely attractive and the fact that he embodied everything Jason desired to be only made him seem hotter. He was practically Jason’s walking wet dream at this point!

The average looking 30 year old found himself groping his bulge through his pants as he continued to stare at the portrait of his boss from across the room, wishing he could’ve had all that. Maybe in another world, another lifetime, that could’ve been him. All the way at the top of the food chain.

“He seems like a rather excellent man doesn’t he?” Said a sudden voice which almost gave Jason a heart attack.

“W-what!? I wasn’t-I was just-…” Jason scrambled for words as he feared he’d just been caught touching himself inappropriately while staring at a picture of the CEO of all people. Spinning around in his chair he found himself face to face with yet another admittedly very handsome man. One that seemed to be older than himself judging by the salt and pepper hair. Though looking at his attire he didn’t seem as though he worked here? His clothes were fancy for sure but also tasteful in a way that he didn’t think anyone who worked on this floor would bother with.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to report you.” The man reassured, emailing confidently. “I can certainly see how a man like that would ignite a little something in you… you’ve jerked off to him quite a few times as well haven't you.” It wasn’t even a question. It was as if this man were stating a fact. And by the embarrassed look that crossed Jason’s face, it didn’t seem as though he were wrong. “Hey there’s no need to feel shy. I get it. A handsome powerful man like that? I’m sure there’s many others working in this office that feel the exact same as you, whether they’d admit it or not.” He claimed. “I’m Christopher Wavell by the way. But you can just call me Wavell.” He outstretched a friendly hand towards Jason.

With a moment of hesitation and uncertainty, Jason cautiously took the mysterious man’s hand. “I’m… Jason.”

Wavell gave Jason’s hand a hearty shake. “It’s nice to meet you Jason.” He said kindly while pumping his persuasive aura into the air around them. “Now, if I may ask, could you tell me what it is exactly about Mr Jefferson that pulls you towards him?”

“I’m jealous.” It was that simple. “He has everything I’ve ever dreamed of having. Being the head of a huge company. Having so much authority over the people around him. Owning a huge house and a fancy car. Owning all those incredible suits which he buys with he practically endless supply of money. And he’s just… so fucking hot…” Jason’s crotch bulged a little once again as he listed off all those things. “I just wish I could’ve had a life like that… but I guess not everyone is that lucky.”

“You’re right. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a life like that.” Wavell agreed. “But what if I told you that I could make you one of those lucky few.”

Jason looked up at Wavell, eyes full of confusion. “W-what do you mean? How?”

The mysterious stranger didn’t answer. Instead he simply placed a hand on Jason’s head and before Jason could even ask what Wavell was doing, a surge of powerful energy rushed through his body. Imbuing Jason with an incredible power he was not at all familiar with.

“What the hell was that!? What did you do!!?” Jason screamed, almost falling off his chair.

“I granted you a tiny bit of my power. More precisely I’ve placed a spell on your body that’ll allow you to steal the life and body of anyone who’s shoes you wear. However it’s a one time only spell so I suggest you choose carefully.” Wavell explained though he already had a hunch on who he expected Jason to go for.

Of course to Jason this sounded like crazy talk. There was no way something like that was possible right. Yet for some reason, there was something about this Wavell guy that just made him feel so… trustworthy. “But… How the hell am I supposed to steal someone’s shoes? I can’t break into someone’s home and I don’t think I’ll get very far trying to pull them off someone’s feet.” He pondered.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already got you covered.” Wavell reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a necklace with a gorgeous looking pendant that hung from its golden chain. The pendant was only small but shone a beautiful violet colour that immediately caught Jason’s eye. “This right here is infused with a fraction of my own power. Wearing it won’t allow you to do all the same things I do however it will grant you an ability that I naturally possess. As long as you have the pendant hanging around your neck, everyone around you will be forced to bend to your will. To do exactly as you say. To agree to everything you want them to. No ifs, ands or buts. They just won’t be able to help it. Kind of like you right now.” Wavell graciously offered the necklace forward. “Here. Take it.”

Jason hesitantly reached out and took the necklace, looking down at it with awe. Was it really legit? What Wavell had said wasn’t exactly wrong. For some reason he had found himself just agreeing and going along with whatever Wavell told him. Could this necklace really have that much power?

“Now seeing as we both already have a pretty good idea as to who you wanna be, how about we take a little trip to the top floor? What do you say?” Wavell smirked.

Jason gulped before pulling the necklace over his head and allowing the pendant to rest softly on his chest. Ordinarily this would sound like an insane idea but being with Wavell made him feel like this could actually work! He glanced over at the portrait of Mr Jefferson again before clenching the pendant tight. “Yeah. To the top floor.” He said with determination.

———

The building itself had a total of 51 floors. Jason usually worked on the 4th floor which already tells you all you need to know about his position in the company. To get to his target however, he’d need to ascend all the way up to floor 51. A task which would usually be impossible for a nobody like Jason but now he had a little something extra that would help him get there.

There were multiple elevators in the building but there was only one that went all the way up to the top floor. However that elevator had some heavy security that would normally be impossible to get past unless you had express permission from the big man himself. But with a little magic now on his side, that wasn’t going to stop Jason.

If you weren’t logged into the system as someone with a fingerprint ID, the only way to access the main elevator was with a temporary pass which would be impossible for Jason to get under normal circumstances. But today wasn’t a normal day. Jason made his way downstairs with Wavell following curiously behind him until they reached the front desk. Once there he simply told the receptionist that he had a very important appointment with Mr Jefferson and that she needed to fetch him a pass right away, not noticing the pendant glow slightly as he asked. And surprisingly enough she did exactly that with no questions asked. Going into the back for a moment before re-emerging moments later with an elevator pass in hand. Jason thanked her, trying to keep his excitement hidden as he realised everything Wavell told him was actually real! Before long both Jason and Wavell found themselves stood in the ornate elevator together, smiling deviously at each other as the doors closed.

“Wait… I just realised something.” Jason turned to Wavell after pressing the floor 51 button. “If you have the same powers as this necklace then why did you give it to me in the first place? Couldn’t you have just gotten us to the top floor?”

Wavell chuckled a little. “Of course. But once this is all done and finished I’m not gonna be by your side anymore. Not for long anyway. But with that necklace you won’t need me to be. You’ll be able to effortlessly assert your dominance over anyone you please all by yourself.” He said, giving Jason a pat on the shoulder.

“Hold on. You mean I get to keep this thing? Forever??” Jason reached down and grabbed the pendant hanging around his neck, thinking of all the potential he had with this thing

“Of course. A gift from me to you.”

Jason’s excitement shot even higher now as he watched the elevator numbers go up. He was just your average dude until now. Was meeting with this magical stranger like a way of the universe rewarding him for all of his hard work over the years? Either way he couldn't help being thankful beyond words as finally the elevator rang, reaching the 51st floor.

Immediately the two were met by a pair of bodyguards who were quick to ask why they wanted to see Mr Jefferson. Jason smirked as he looked the two men up and down. Both were extremely tall and practically bursting out of their suits with muscle. One was bald with an almost Viking-like beard that was thick and imposing while also well maintained. The other had short ginger hair with stubble that coated his sharp jawline. Needless to say, both guards were absolute hunks. For a moment Jason thought about the power Wavell had given to him. He could use the Pendant and force one of these men to give him their shoes instead. He could become a massive muscle stud with a very high paying job… but even then he wouldn’t be at the top.

“Move aside gentlemen. Your new boss is coming through.” Jason stated confidently, now knowing for sure that his little gift really does work.

“Y-yes sir?” Both guards say in unison, confused as to why they were obeying this random nobody, before stepping aside. Allowing Jason and Wavell to pass.

The pair walked directly through the lobby area of the 51st floor and straight up to huge embellished double doors at the far end. Doors Jason had never imagined he’d get the privilege to stand before. And yet here he was. Ready to take exactly what he was owed.

With a deep breath and a reassuring look from Wavell, Jason grabbed one of the fancy handles and opened the door. What he saw was an office that was nothing short of magnificent. It was massive for a start, seeing as it took up over two thirds of the floor. It had a completely different vibe to the rest of the building with expensive wood panelled walls which were lined with all sorts of paintings. One of which was of Mr Jefferson himself. Along with them there were also plenty of certificate plaques hung around to show off the bosses many achievements. Not to mention the shelves worth of trophies and antiques. To add some extra green into the room, there were also a few plants scattered around, looking very kept. The floor was made of a similar wood to walls that would make the most satisfying tapping sound if you were to walk across it in dress shoes. That is unless you were to step on the fur carpet to the left side of the room which housed a glass coffee table and curved two black leather couches around it. There was just so much to say about it that Jason couldn’t comprehend it all at once!

“Oi!” A deep rumbling voice came from across the office. “Who are you? I don’t have any appointments today. Who let you two in here!” Of course it was none other than Robert Jefferson himself, who sat behind his giant mahogany desk with a scowl on his face after the sudden intrusion. Jason couldn’t help but notice the massive full wall window behind Mr Jefferson as it let in tons of natural light while also giving a beautiful view of the bustling city below.

“We let ourselves in sir.” Jason replied in a somewhat snide tone. “Because this office along with this entire company is about to belong to me.” He added confidently, taking a few steps closer to the desk across the room.

For a moment Mr Jefferson sat frozen in mix of confusion and bewilderment at the statement this random employee of his had just made. That is until he burst out laughing! “Okay okay… I have no idea how you managed to get up here but that was a funny joke.” He was practically wheezing at the very sudden and bold claim. It was almost strange. Whether it be in person or online, Jason had never seen Mr Jefferson laugh beyond just a small chuckle. “But in all seriousness I have work to do. Now if you wouldn’t mind, kindly leave my office so I may continue to work in peace.” He asked as his expression gradually returned to usual stern look.

“Sorry sir but I’m not going anywhere.” Jason stated. “You on the other hand are going get your ass up off my chair and march your way over here for me.” Such a statement that under normal circumstances would almost certainly get him fired but Jason had faith in his new friend as the pendant subtly glowed once again…

Of course Jefferson’s first thought was to call security to get these two clowns out of his sight but instead of reaching for the security buzzer, he instead found himself pushing back his chair and getting up off his ass just as Jason had told him to. He had no idea why he was doing it but the next thing he knew, Jefferson was walking around his desk before making his way over towards the two men. “What?… why did I…” The cogs in his brain slowly turned as he stood at attention before Jason, puzzled as to why he’d actually done what this random nobody had told him to do.

“Good job sir. Already learning your place.” Jason was definitely letting his new ability go to his head a bit. As his eyes glazed over the once big and scary CEO now stood helplessly before him, he couldn’t help imagining all the hot and embarrassing things he could get the big boss to do. “Do a dance for me.” He ordered.

Ordinarily Mr Jefferson would’ve been outraged at such a request being made in his own office. And yet as soon as the order was issued, the CEO began dancing around his office in a hilarious display. Jumping and twirling around in his expensive suit while showing how surprisingly well his portly body can move as his thick belly jiggled against his waistcoat. It was a sight Jason could never have imagined he’d get to see from the manly boss he’d always admired but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t enjoying every second.

As much as he loved seeing Mr Jefferson embarrass himself in such a hot fashion, Jason thought of something even better as a devilish smirk crossed his lips. “Now get back over here and twerk for me.” He demanded

In an instant Jefferson stopped his little dance performance before marching back over towards Jason and turning around. He bent down slightly and arched his back before pulling up his suit jacket a little and what Jason saw blew him away. He watched with wide eyes as his boss began shaking his huge ass. To see that the older man was capable of throwing it back like that forced Jason’s already semi-hard cock up to full mast in an instant. Wavell, who’d gotten himself settled on one of the black couches, couldn’t help sniggering a little as he watched the hot scene before him play out. “God… I can’t wait for that ass to be mine.” Jason mumbled before winding up and giving Jefferson’s ass a hearty smack!

“W-whoa… What the FUCK AM I DOING!?” Mr Jefferson roared as the smacking of his sizeable rear must’ve brought him back to reality. “I don't know what’s going on but you two need to get the fuck out of my office! NOW!” He demanded, his face having gone beet red at the realisation of what he’d just been doing for these men.

Jason only laughed at the rich older man’s demands, frustrating Jefferson even further. However before the CEO had a chance to say anything more, Jason made his own demand. “Yeah we’re not going anywhere so instead how about you just do as I say and take off those nice shiny brown shoes for me.” The words rang through Jefferson’s mind. Even if he didn’t want to obey this man, his body just couldn’t help itself. Before he knew it he was bending down past a large stomach and untying his laces before slipping out of his fancy dress shoes. Jason did the same, taking off his cheap work shoes and picking them up.

“Now. Give me those lovely looking shoes and I’ll give you mine.” Jason grinned. Jefferson, as expected, did as he was told and offered his shoes to Jason who was quick to snatch them up before shoving his old ones into the boss’ hands. He looked down at the pristine leather oxfords with an almost maniacal look on his face before glancing over at Wavell of whom gave him an affirmative nod. This was it. All of his wishes were about to become a reality.

“Now. I want you to put on my shoes while I slip into yours. After that, if what my friend says is true, then something truly magical is going to happen.” The thrill of what was to come was written all over Jason’s face as he spoke those words, watching as once again Jefferson followed his order and began pulling on the cheap shoes. Then, after a deep breath, Jason bent down and began putting on his boss’ shoes, sliding his feet inside them and immediately feeling the difference in the luxury material used for them. From soft, inviting soles to the snug Italian leather that would no doubt fit even more perfectly in a few moments. He made sure to tie the laces back up again before standing back up straight. He looked over at Mr Jefferson. Eyes scanning over every inch of his thick mature body under that suit while wearing a mismatched pair of cheap office shoes. “All mine…” he murmured to himself.

There was a short moment of silence before a gust of magical energy crackled to life around them. Waves of pure magic flowing through the air, creating a glowing purple vortex around their bodies that slowly began to lift both Jason and Mr Jefferson up off the ground until they were helplessly floating before one another.

“What’s… happening!?” Jefferson is just about able to say through the chaos with fear in his eyes.

Jason was quick to respond. “I’m taking everything I deserve! Everything you have. Everything you are. It’s all gonna be mine!!!” He shouted back in an almost crazed manner just as the spell began to do its work…

Both men let out startled grunts as their feet began to change, reshaping themselves to fit their new footwear until Jason’s feet now fit perfectly inside his boss’ expensive shoes. Like they always meant for him. Simultaneously Jason’s hands grew thicker and more weathered, implying decades worth of hard work. Looking over he could see that Jefferson’s hands had shrunk down to what his hands used to be. It really was happening.

After that Jason could feel the magic flowing over his arms and legs. Transformative energy flowing through his veins and quickly taking action. His legs shortened slightly, reducing Jason’s height down to about 5’10. Despite that however, his legs quickly began to chub out with fat, and a tiny bit of muscle, particularly around his thighs causing his jeans to become rather ill fitting. However, as his shorter legs plumped themselves up, his jeans started to undergo a transformation of their own. Starting at the bottom they began changing into a very familiar pair of grey suit pants more befitting if the fancy shoes Jason was now wearing. They were becoming Jefferson’s suit pants! And while all this was going on Jason’s arms received a similar treatment as they too became slightly shorter but made up for it by packing on some decent fat. All the while his cheap white shirt followed the same sample his jeans were setting as the sleeves began morphing into that of a much more luxurious dress shirt with the sleeves of a suit jacket beginning to materialise over it.

Looking up again Jason saw how the opposite had been happening to his boss. Jefferson’s arms and legs had gotten longer and leaner while his overpriced suit was gradually morphing into the average office attire Jason had been wearing. “Yesss moreee! Give me more!! Make me Robert Jefferson!!” He shouted greedily.

At last Jefferson started to realise what was happening as he watched both Jason’s and his own body change. “No! Stop!! You can’t do this! Please!… Urghhhh…” The CEO grunted as he felt a strange rumbling in his stomach only to look down and see that it was… shrinking?

Immediately Jason’s new hands flew to his own stomach as he felt the same rumbling sensation. Then out of nowhere he let out a satisfying groan as his small belly began to inflate. Years of nothing but sitting on his ass doing paper work and business meetings while gorging himself on fancy meals everyday were swiftly fattening him up, causing his belly to expand like a balloon as the fat piled itself on while Jason’s body grew older. That fat soon began spreading itself out, causing his chest to grow two big bearish tits. The only way Jason could explain it was like he was suddenly being stuffed full of all kinds of fattening foods that were instantly processed to make him bigger. As if every ounce of fat from Jefferson’s body was being transfered over to him! Even his face started feeling chubbier and he loved it! All the while his hips and waist being forced to widen along with his ever growing belly. And one would think with all that extreme weight gain Jason’s clothes would’ve been ripped apart but in reality his clothes had done a good job keeping up with their own transformations. His new shirt having increased many many sizes to accommodate his growth while the grey suit jacket had now fully formed around him. Not to mention a fitted blue waistcoat had also wrapped itself around Jason’s stomach underneath the jacket along with a baby blue tie appearing around his neck to finish off the look. All clothes of which had been worn by Jefferson mere moments ago.

Speaking of Jefferson, he was now looking rather lean compared to before. His jacket, waistcoat and tie having disappeared completely in favour of a simple white shirt and nothing more. Not only that but he was starting to look much younger than he did before.

Back over to Jason, he was rubbing his giant belly through the waistcoat that held it in place as its expansion finally came to end. Leaving him with a massive gut that would lead most to believe he was quite the foodie. Some would be self conscious about having such a big belly but Jason relished in it, loving how large it made him feel. But the spell was far from over as Jason let out another grunt, feeling even more fat packing itself on in a different area. His ass. Without warning Jason’s once flat ass started inflating just like the rest of him had. His butt shook a little as it grew into two massive heavy globes that would jiggle with every step just as much as his new belly would. And of course as it grew, his new suit pants completed their journey up his legs and over his butt, leaving just enough space for his massive rear end to stretch out and not a trace of the $9 jeans left on his body.

By this point Jason was looking a hell of a lot more like Mr Jefferson than well… Mr Jefferson! Who as of right now looked both bewildered and terrified by the transformation taking place. Good news is, for Jason anyway, the switch was nearing its end. There were only a few things left un-transferred at this point but it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

Jefferson’s face filled with even greater despair as Jason’s eyes lit up with even more excitement than before as both of them felt exactly where the magic was moving next. Their crotches. And it didn’t take long for the warm feeling of transferal to begin down there. Right away Jason knew all of his assumptions about Jefferson dick size were correct as he felt his average dick starting to thicken just like the rest of him had. Gaining some extra length that pushed him up to about 8 or 9 inches while also packing on some extreme girth that was already creating a noticeable bulge in his expensive new suit pants. And to top it all off, his bulge grew even bigger when his balls expanded into giant bull balls, hanging lower and brimming with cum! All while a brown belt wrapped itself tightly around Jason’s waist to secure his larger dress pants. No wonder Jefferson was always so confident with a cock and balls like these swinging between his legs!

Well he did anyway as since Jason’s genitals had grown, Jefferson’s had of course shrunk down to much more modest size. A size that felt tiny to him after having lived his whole life with a monster like that in his pants. A monster that Jason now owned. But he had no time to cry about that because final change was already on its way!

Due to the aging of his body, Jason’s face had already changed a little. Gaining a few wrinkles along with plenty of silver hair yet he still looked like himself with some extra chub. But that was about to change as his facial features began twisting and contorting. One would think it’d be painful be really it felt more like his head was cramping in a way. The bone structure of his face reorganised itself to shrink or enlarge certain features. His nose for example grew more prominent while his eyes became more deep set than before. Speaking of his eyes their colour brightened to that of a piercing blue. And to finish things off a couple more wise wrinkles made themselves known as his lips plumped up while any trace of brown left in his hair was replaced by a mix of grey, silver and a snowy white.

With that their bodies were complete. Jason had become a perfect replica of the large and powerful CEO while Jefferson looked like the average employee Jason once was. However the vortex continued to spin around their floating bodies and that was because there was one last transfer needing to be made. The mental one.

By this point both of their new faces had already gone completely slack as the mental transferal began. All the memories and knowledge on how to run a huge company such as this were ripped out of Jefferson’s mind and implanted into Jason’s. Along with it personality traits such as Jefferson’s unwavering charisma, confidence and determination to push his company as far as it’ll go were all traits that were pulled from him and transferred right into Jason’s head. Quite literally everything Jason needed to become the new Robert Jefferson was being given to him all at once. Expanding his mind to an even greater level of intelligence. Only once all of that was finally transferred did the purple vortex finally begin to disperse.

Moments later the two men find themselves with their feet back on the ground as they come back around.

“Bravo! Now that was a wonderful performance!” Wavell clapped from across the room as the pair finally gathered their bearings.

Immediately Jefferson began to scream and panic as he found himself in the smaller, but slightly taller, body of the man who’d barged into his office! “How!? I-I… my body! It’s… it’s… How!? What did you do!?!?” He stumbled for worlds as his hands traced along his body in an almost terrified manner before looking back up at the other man whose body he now owned. “Y-y-you look… just like me!?”

An evil smile creepy across Jason’s stolen lips. “I think you’ll find that I look nothing like you.” He stated, already loving the deeper, husky tone to his new voice. “You’re just a skinny office boy wearing a cheap suit. I on the other hand am a distinguished older gentleman with a strong heavy body who built this company from the ground up.” He fixed his jacket a little before bringing his hands underneath his massive gut and giving it a hefty shake. “I am Robert Jefferson and we are nothing alike I’m afraid.” He added with a shit eating grin before giving his belly a big satisfying smack through his waistcoat.

“N-NO! PLEASE!” Jefferson screamed as he scrambled over towards Jason before grabbing onto his jacket. Looking into his own eyes now they were no longer his own almost made him wanna puke. “You can’t do this! That’s my body! This company is my legacy! You’re stealing MY life!” He begged, almost on the verge of tears as he clutched Jason’s suit.

“What do you think you’re doing!? Get your hands off me!” Jason shouted sternly. With the necklace being the only item of clothing that didn’t transfer as it was now tucked underneath Jason’s shirt, its power came to life yet again.

“S-sorry sir…” Jefferson stammered, immediately letting go and taking a few steps back. It was just like before. He didn’t want to obey but he felt as though he had to somehow.

Jason fixed himself up again. “I bet you don’t have a single clue how much a suit like this costs.” He taunted. “A whole lot more than someone on your salary can afford I’ll tell you that much.” He continued as he glared across at the meek looking man who was once so powerful now cowering before him. “Now how about you get down on your hands and knees when you’re in my presence. I am your boss after all, right?”

“Yes sir… you’re my boss.” Jefferson replied in a deflated tone as he dropped to his hands and knees just like he was told.

“Yes sir who?”

Jefferson didn’t want to say it but he knew exactly what the man who’d stolen his body wanted to hear. “Yes sir… Mr Jefferson.” He corrected, calling the imposter by his own name.

The new CEO smirked triumphantly. “That’s better.” He commented before raising one leg and placing one of his brown oxfords firmly on Jefferson’s back in a glorious display of his dominance. “Now if you don’t want me to fire your ass then I suggest you start kissing my shoe.” He added, pushing Jefferson even further down under his foot and forcing his face closer to the shoe that was still on the ground

With a truly defeated look, Jefferson did as he was ordered. Without a moment's hesitation he pressed his lips to the expensive leather of Jason’s shoe. Planting kisses along one of the very same shoes that’d been his not long ago. All the while his former body looked down at him past that big gut from above, watching with a satisfied look on his face as he groped at his fat bulge. Making sure he was being properly worshipped like he deserved to be.

“And don’t forget the sock.” Jason added as he tugged up one of pants legs a bit to reveal one of his new sheer socks underneath. Jefferson didn’t argue. Simply obeying and kissing along Jason’s ankle and lower calves as he worshipped the sock just the same as he had Jason’s expensive Oxford.

“Good. Now the other one.” Jason took his foot off Jefferson’s back but it was only a moment's relief for the weaker man as soon he was being pressed down again by the shoe he’d just been kissing. Knowing he had no other choice, he reluctantly continued to kiss the second shoe. Deep down he felt as though he should hate this. That he should be protesting against it with all his might. That he should be trying to take his body back! But the more he kissed his new boss’ shoes and socks… the more he started to enjoy it.

A good few minutes of worship later, Jason finally decided to have mercy. “Alright you little boot licker. That’s enough. Get up.” He barked in the deep baritone he loved so much while stroking his beard a little. Being released from under the powerful shoe that’d been holding him down, Jefferson quickly scrambled to his feet once again. Fixing himself up as best he could to look somewhat presentable in front of his boss. His will to fight against was Jason’s new authority swiftly fading.

“Now I suggest you get your ass outta my office and back downstairs where you belong.” He berated harshly. “Maybe if you’re lucky I’ll bring you back up here again some time to worship me and kiss my shoes again. I can tell just by looking into your eyes how much you’d love that. But in the meantime you’d better keep your head down and do your work like a good little bitch. You got that?”

“Of c-course Mr Jefferson… sir.” The former Jefferson could hardly look him in the eyes as he responded.

“Good. Now get out of here.” Jason motioned towards the door and Jefferson quickly scurried towards it, looking incredibly flustered. Meanwhile Jason couldn’t help letting a genuine smile spread across his face as he realised he’d done it. With the original Jefferson leaving the office with his tail between his legs, Jason had truly secured himself as the one and only Robert Jefferson!

“Now that was a display almost as spectacular as you stealing that body! Well done!” Wavell praised as he hopped up from the couch before sauntering his way over towards the new owner of the building they were currently standing in. “Forcing him onto his knees like that and making him kiss your shoes and socks was perfect! Though dare I say you might be enjoying all this new power a little bit too much.” Wavell laughed as he glanced down at the massive tent that’d formed in Jason’s grey suit pants and was bulging obscenely.

“Oh. Apologies Mr Wavell. It’s just… with this body. How big it is and… these incredible clothes and everything else that comes with it… I just can’t contain myself! This is truly incredible!” He ran his hands along the thickness of his large body once again. Every touch sending sparks of pleasure through his entire being which only made him hornier. “Please. If there’s anything I can do to repay you I’ll gladly oblige.”

Wavell smirked. “Oh I think I know exactly what I want in return.” He reached around Jason’s large waist until his hands finally rested upon the new CEO’s massive bubble ass. Wavell’s hands groping the fat cheeks greedily. He then leaned in before whispering “I want to be inside that.” before giving it one big squeeze.

The old Jason would have blushed very hard at such a bold move but now he was able to keep his composure. “Well Mr Wavell… I was planning on being a more dominant man from now on…” He claimed, stifling a groan as Wavell went to town on kneading those massive globes Jason now called an ass. “But… I suppose I could make an exception for you. As long as you promise to do me one last little thing afterwards.” Jason gave in to the warlock, not being able to ignore how good it felt to have his giant ass groped.

“It’s a deal.” Wavell confirmed before reaching down to Jason’s thighs and picking the massive man up off the floor! It was an incredible feat that Jason wouldn’t have thought possible. Sure Wavell looked to be very fit under those clothes but to be strong enough to pick up a man as big as Jason was now? Only then did Jason remember he was dealing with a normal man as Wavell’s eyes glowed the same purple as his magic, using said magic to increase his physical strength no doubt.

With little to no effort at all, Wavell carried Jason over towards one of two couches before allowing the pair of them to fall onto it. All the while kissing deeply, allowing their tongues to explore each other's mouths as their beards rubbed together. While they made out Wavell flicked his wrist to increase the size of the couch a little to accommodate them both properly. It was gonna need to be big if it was gonna handle what was coming next.

They rolled around in each other’s arms for a moment, totally absorbed into feeling up each other's bodies. Naturally they thought of getting undressed but they decided to make things a little kinky and keep their clothes on instead, loving how it felt to run their hands across one another’s body through their expensive clothing. Holding themselves close as they kissed with a hot passion, hands roaming and crotches rubbing together. Jason might’ve had an impressive cock now but Wavell’s was just as jaw droppingly huge judging by his own bulge.

But of course they already knew who was gonna be on top as soon enough Wavell was able to roll Jason over onto his stomach. Finally getting a good view of that giant ass he’d been hungering for as it was barely contained by those suit pants. Wavell made sure to give a good smack and jiggle through the pants while trying not to salivate at the recoil of it. What a gorgeous fat ass this man was now blessed to have and shake at will. “Don’t worry. I can fix these with a little magic later.” Wavell said seemingly out of nowhere.

“Fix what up?” Jason questioned but he soon got his answer when a loud ripping sound filled the room. Wavell had grabbed the back of Jason’s pants and without a second thought had ripped open a hole so he could get to that ass.

“Mmmm there we go…” Wavell murmured before plunging his face into the rip and between Jason’s colossal ass cheeks. “And a nice bit of fur too…” Wavell commented before ploughing his face in deep, on a mission to find that delicious hole he wanted to fuck so badly and it certainly didn’t take him long to find. Before they knew it Wavell was digging his tongue deep inside Jason’s hole and in doing so he made quite the discovery. “I can’t believe it.” Wavell said after coming up for air. “This hole is a virgin. The original owner of this ass never used it once! How can someone be born with an ass this beautiful and never put it to good use!? Not even one time!?!”

Jason shrugged. “That’s straight men for ya.” He joked a little before shaking his butt a little for the warlock. “Luckily I’m as gay as they come. Though in fairness I plan on being top from now on but as I said… you’re a special exception.” His ass continued to wave back and forth hypnotically until Wavell couldn’t stop himself from diving back in for more. Gorging himself on a huge serving of ass that Jason was happily offering up.

Lord only knows how long Wavell had his face sandwiched between those ass cheeks before he finally had the strength to pull away. All they knew for sure was that Jason's virgin hole was as ready as it was ever gonna be to take some fat dick. And that’s exactly what Wavell was serving. The warlock undid his zipper and reached into his pants before finally pulling out his thick veiny cock, already bucking with excitement and drooling precum from the tip.

The warlock couldn’t help using his big dick to tease Jason a little. Smacking his massive length against those cheeks he’d been enjoying so much before sliding it between them a little. Brushing over that sensitive hole a couple times which, judging by the muffled sounds Jason was making, was definitely setting off some unfulfilled desires of his new body. “Now. I think I’m ready to receive my thank you gift.” Wavell said as he lined his cock up with the hungry hole he’d prepared. He didn’t even give Jason a chance to respond before plunging his cock inside.

Suddenly the office with filled with loud groans. Luckily Wavell had soundproofed the room so they would be disturbed because otherwise they’d have had security busting in wanting to know what the hell was going on. And they’d certainly be surprised when they saw their boss getting his fat ass pounded by the big dicked warlock himself. But luckily they would have no such intrusion, leaving both Wavell and Jason to moan as loudly as they wanted. Something Jason certainly did. Partially because he loved hearing his new voice rumbling in pleasure but also because his hole was struggling against all hell to adjusted to Wavell’s giant member. In reality it would’ve been better starting off Jason’s now inexperienced hole with something a little smaller but that just wasn’t how Wavell rolled. After all his dick gave off so much pleasure to the recipient of it due to the magic it was imbued with that anyone he was fucking usually didn’t care about the pain. As was the case right now. Despite as much his hole was stretched, Jason couldn’t stop himself from begging Wavell to fuck him deeper and harder. Luckily for him, the warlock was willing enough to oblige.

The thunderous clapping of cheeks was almost loud enough to rival the groans. Wavell wasn’t holding anything back as he jackhammered himself inside Jason as per the portly man’s request. Jamming his cock as deep as he possibly could inside that hole before pulling back and doing it all over again. Balls swinging back and forth with every thrust as they were winding up to shoot another fat load like always. And Jason was ready for it. He wanted it. To be bred for the first time in his new body. He was practicing shouting at Wavell to just let go. To drain his balls completely inside him. And those pleas were music to the warlock's ears that he just couldn’t ignore.

A few minutes of powerful thrusting and ass slapping later and Wavell was just about ready to blow. He could feel it in his balls. “Oh fuck… get ready I’m GONNA-” before he could even finish his sentence, he let out a deep roar which would’ve been familiar to anyone who’d been lucky enough to have Wavell inside them before. It was a roar he only made when he orgasmed but Jason didn’t need to hear it to know that. He could feel the flood of cum filling up his insides, coating the inside of his ass with the warlocks seed.

Wavell pulled out a minute or so later, some of his cum squirting out of Jason’s hole as he did with how much he’d overfilled it. “Damn that was amazing! One of the best fucks I’ve gotta from a ‘client’ in a long time.” He praised while tucking his dick back into his pants. “Oh. I also have one last thing to give you before I forget.”

Jason turned to look at Wavell properly with a puzzled look. “What else could you possibly wanna give me?”

“Just wait.” Wavell smiled before gently placing a hand on Jason’s forehead. He concentrated for a moment. Focusing on a certain enchantment before flowing some of his magic inside of Jason’s body.

“Woah! What the hell was that!?” Jason remarked, feeling a surge of energy.

“I stopped your body clock.” Wavell responded nonchalantly. “Temporarily of course. For the next 50 years your body won’t age a day. It’ll stay in the exact condition it’s in right now for the entirety of that term. I thought that since you lost quite a few years of your life in that swap, you’d maybe want a little extra time to live and enjoy your new form.” He explained much to Jason’s astonishment. “And don’t worry, nobody around you will question why you’re not aging. They’ll all just think it’s normal so just roll with it.”

Jason stayed silent in shock for a moment before finally responding. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

Wavell stroked his chin for a moment. “Hmmmm… nope. Don’t think so.” He chirped humorously.

“God you are incredible… you wouldn’t happen to be single would you?” Jason tried his luck, still feeling Wavell’s cum dripping from his ass.

Wavell chuckled. “Sorry. Taken. I’ve got a boyfriend.”

“A boyfriend huh? And he doesn’t mind sleeping around with other men like me?” Jason asked, curious to know the answer.

“Nope. He knows exactly who I am and what I do. Sleeping with other men comes with the job. Sort of. Besides… whenever one of us sleeps with another guy, we make up for it by having sex for hours on end, constantly recharging ourselves over and over until we’re both finally satisfied.”

“That sounds hot.”

“It is hot.”

The two laugh before cuddling in each other’s arms again for a while, allowing the post sex glow to wash over them. That is until Jason decides to bring up their deal from before…

“Now. You promised you’d do one last thing for me…” Jason said with a devilish smirk.

———

Hours later, Robert was now sitting at his new desk going through some of the paperwork that the former Mr Jefferson had made a start on but didn’t get a chance to finish before being… demoted. It was some pretty important stuff though most of it seemed simple to him now. Like filling out this kind of paperwork was nothing more than second nature to him now. It only made sense considering he had decades worth of experience beamed into his head. But just the fact that he was now the one writing up all these papers and making decisions for the company made him feel beyond amazing. He’d finally achieved his life’s purpose. To be at the top of the pecking order. And now he was Mr Robert Jefferson, the man who answered to nobody but himself and ruled over his company with a fair iron fist. The man who everyone wished they could be. Who everyone aspired to be like. The man who everyone respected both when he was present and when he was not. Because how couldn’t they respect a man of such high status and authority? He might’ve had quite a bit of weight on his hefty frame but he carried that weight with such dignity that it only served to make him sexier. The way his ass and belly wobbled with every step he took was a now staple of who he was and why people considered themselves lucky whenever they got a chance to see him in person.

After finishing one pile of paper, Robert decided to take a quick break and with one of his deluxe cigars. He stuck the huge things in his mouth before grabbing a lighter and lighting up the cigar. He took a nice long drag before exhaling delicious smelling smoke. He hadn’t been much of a smoker in his former life but now that he was Robert he thought why the hell not. He had to play the part right? This was only the second one he’d had since taking this thick new body but he could already see why the old Robert loved these things.

“You’re doing a good job down there Mr Wavell.” Robert said as he lent back in his chair slightly to get a better look under his desk. Underneath was none other than Wavell himself, the powerful warlock who’d not long since fucked Robert’s ass to oblivion, now with his pants around his ankles and his ass in the air. Wavell’s hole of course being stuffed full with Robert’s thick daddy cock which was poking out through his zipper. Oh how the tables had turned. “Just try not to rock on it too much. Remember, you’re just my sexy cock warmer. I don’t plan on spilling my load inside you until the end of the day. Until then, your only purpose is to keep my cock warm and hard. Got that?” Robert’s new commanding tone really came through as he took another drag of his cigar.

All Wavell was able to get out was a muffled “Mmhmm…”. Most of the time Wavell was more of a dominant character in most situations but right now he found himself really enjoying the feeling of being used in such a way by Robert. Being treated like nothing more than a hot piece of daddy ass for Robert to keep his dick stuffed inside all day long while he works. Being so submissive like this for once just felt so damn incredible! Maybe he’d have to try it a little more often because right now being a good cock warmer for Robert was giving him far more joy than he’d anticipated.

Of course Wavell planned on returning to his boyfriend at some point soon but for now he could just enjoy the feeling of being stuffed completely! Eagerly awaiting the end of the work day when Robert was finally ready to give Wavell the fat load that was no doubt churning in those giant balls. But until then he was happy doing as he was told for once and staying under Robert’s desk as he thought of how he was going to tell all this to Dane when he got home.

Potential Epilogue in the future?

If you love my stories then please consider supporting me on Patreon as well!! ❤️

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ghost-proofbaby · 10 months

Note

modern!steve harrington + mine cause i just KNOW he’d love that song and daydream about a future with his girl listening to it 😭💜

mine (steve's version)

warnings: hurt/comfort, my fingers slipped and put angst

wc: 2.1k+

an: okay i completely goofed here and made this far angstier than you wanted, and did not realize until AFTER it was done. 😭 i'm gonna apply the same logic as miss swift does with surprise songs - since i technically messed up, if you'd like a redo with more sweetness, let me know and i've got you haha 😭 i also just processed you wanted him to listen to the song and that image broke my brain so basically what i'm saying is this one will definitely get a redo haha sorry nonnie <3

It had all started over a stupid fight. A fight that he didn’t even recall how it had started. That’s how stupid it had been.

Steve had been tired, coming home from a long shift at the diner. It had been a shit show for the entirety of the twelve hours that Steve had been there, instantly making him regret pulling a double to cover one of his coworkers who called claiming they had a fever, but that he’d definitely seen posting on their stories about being out for drinks very late the night before. But he wasn’t going to tell his boss that — he’d been there. One too many beers on one of his rare free nights with friends, and he too would call out, claiming something along the lines of food poisoning.

He wasn’t fully lying. That much alcohol probably had poisoned him considering the way he felt like death the next morning.

The coworker wasn’t what had him in a sour mood, though. Nor was it the one elderly couple that had kept trying to have terribly long conversations with him when he knew he had food to run. Nor was it that obnoxiously large group of preteens that seemed to have no self awareness as they’d reeked absolute havoc on the diner for the final hour before closing. No, none of that really phased Steve anymore — he was just tired. He was tired, a bit too easily irritated, and just wanted to sleep.

His plans for the night had been crawling into bed with you, watching some TV show or movie he wouldn’t pay attention to with his head in your lap as your fingers would scratch soothingly at his scalp. His plans for the night didn’t include this fight. If he could have stopped, God only knows he would have.

“They’re going to shut off the water, Steve,” you stress, on the verge of tears at this point. Steve didn’t know if they were from stress, exasperation with him, or if you were hurting from how flippant he’d been since he walked through the door. Regardless, it didn’t matter; seeing you misty-eyed twisted the knife in his chest all the same, “What the fuck are we going to do if they do that? This isn’t something to talk about tomorrow.”

“They’re not going to turn it off tonight!” he shouts right back at you, throwing his hands into the air in defeat, “Fuck, I- what do you want me to do about it? What can I do about it tonight?”

You snap your mouth shut at that, lips pressed tightly to avoid any quivering.

“I just worked twelve fucking hours, I just wanted to come home and relax, I’m not in the mood-“

“You’re never in the mood,” you flatly interrupt him, tone a stark contrast to all the overwhelming emotions prominent on your face. Your voice doesn’t even waver — he knows that whatever you’re about to say, it’s been on your mind a while, “It’s always we’ll talk about this tomorrow, or we’ll figure it out. But we never talk about it. We never figure it out, Steve. We can’t just- You don’t think I’m tired, too?”

His heart breaks a little. You’re right. You’re standing there, still in your scrubs from your own twelve hour shift, and fuck, you’re right.

Things hadn’t ever been easy. Back in high school, there had been the issue of Steve’s parents. After graduation, it had been the terrible decisions of what now. When you two had decided to pack up and get the Hell out of town, it had been the stress of finally dealing with all the uncertainty, all while desperately trying to keep afloat amongst stacks of bills and adult responsibilities neither of you had expected to drown in. Things had never been easy, but Steve didn’t care about easy — he just cared that you’d always been there, by his side, on his team.

Right now, it didn’t feel like you and him versus the world. For the first time, it feels like there’s only you two in the boxing ring.

“This isn’t a competition, we’re… we’re supposed to be on the same side.”

There it was — your voice cracks, and the moment the first tear falls from your eyes, you’re quick to reach up and swipe it away, pretending it never happened. Pretending that one tear wasn’t ripping Steve apart from the inside out.

“It’s not a competition! But Jesus Christ, I feel like I’m suffocating-“

“I’m suffocating you?” the tears are falling more freely, and you make no move to erase them.

That’s not what he meant. At all. He’s only making it all worse. So, so much worse.

“I-“ he starts, but he doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know how to make this better.

He doesn’t know how to fix this.

In an instant, his hands go from threading and angrily tugging at his hair to flaring at his side as he suddenly walks sharply down the hallway. He’s making a beeline for your shared bedroom, doing the only thing he can think of to fix this for you. For tonight, at least.

You’re quick to follow, only two steps behind him, “Where are you going?”

“I’m-“ he pauses, yanking a random drawer open to the dresser, finding himself staring at a pile of your clothes rather than his own. He huffs through frustration and his own building tears, “I’m gonna stay at Eds’ tonight. Give you some space.”

“Give me space?” you laugh back in disbelief, not daring to take any more steps closer to him, “You’re the one who’s being suffocated-“

“You’re not suffocating me,” he stops all movement, hand still on the knob of his drawer. He turns to you suddenly, a new found confidence, “That’s- That’s not what I meant, okay?”

He can’t make this right, but he can’t leave you thinking that’s what he meant. You could never suffocate him — and even if you tried, he’d find it to be the most heavenly way to die. But you didn’t know that, not in this moment, and that was what was currently killing him.

You take a deep breath, one step forward, before asking quietly, “What did you mean, then?”

One last chance. An opportunity to make this right.

“You could never suffocate me,” all the shouting and the frustration has vanished, only softness and hurt left in their places, “Ever. Don’t you ever think for one moment that it’s you. It’s not, okay? I love you. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, you are-“ he chokes up, looking into your glossy eyes. He can still recall the way he felt all those years ago when they’d first laid eyes on him. He’s memorized the way it felt, because every time you look at him, it still manages to feel like the very first time, “You are everything to me. You’re- Fuck, honey, you’re my entire future. When I think about the future, all I think about is you.”

You take another step forward. Steve’s own tears now track his own face, his heart racing painfully.

“I love you so fucking much, it’s crazy. And I just- I feel like I’m fucking all of this up. You deserve more than this, and I try to give it to you, but I can’t-“

“That doesn’t all fall on you, Steve,” your hands shake as you lift them, finally close enough to touch him. Each palm rests delicately on his chest and you can’t look him in the eyes, “I don’t want you for your money. Never have, never will.”

He laughs wetly. You’ve more than proven that. When his parents cut him off completely, you hadn’t blinked an eye.

“I want you because I love you. I’m in love with you, Steve Harrington. Okay? I’m so in love with you, I followed you across the goddamn country.”

“Eddie and Robin did too, to be fair,” he reminds you, almost jokingly. All the tension from the fight is quickly fading. His hand drops from the drawer.

“They did, but I guarantee I love you more than them,” you scrunch your nose, almost grimacing before adding, “No offense to them, of course.”

“Of course,” he echoes, slowly reaching up and holding your hands that had been pressed to his chest. You don’t pull back.

“I’m just- it’s stressful. We’re both stressed. Neither of us were prepared for this,” you look him desperately in his eyes, “I meant what I said, though. This isn’t me versus you — I never want it to be us fighting each other. It’s always us versus the problem, okay?”

He nods when you wait patiently for his response, “Okay.”

“And I want you here,” you continue, “I want you here, in our home and in our bed. I want you here, even screaming back and forth with me, as long as you’re here. With me. Go to bed mad at me, I don’t care. Just… don’t walk away.”

You smile through the residual tears, squeezing his hands that hold yours.

Steve thinks about all the examples of love he’d ever been shown. His parents, in a castle of ice. The way the fights always ended in separate rooms, sometimes separate houses. His father storming out to spend the night in a hotel rather than having to be around his mother a second longer. He remembers the way that even with an abundance of money, they were never happy. They never loved each other. A marriage of convenience rather than love. Lasting only out of obligation, not dedication.

He didn’t want that with you. He couldn’t ever imagine what the two of you have being reduced to that.

When he looks at you, all he can see is happiness. All he can feel is that love bursting from his chest. Images of the two of you by Lover’s Lake, the way the waves of the lake had sent shattered and sparkling flares of light across your cheeks as you’d laughed at him as if he was the funniest person in the entire world. All the nights spent over the phone, talking about nothing and everything, desperate to just fall asleep to the sound of each other’s voices. The ridiculous nerves he’d felt on the first date, King Steve shaking at the thought of putting his arm around you because for the first time, he was truly scared of fucking this up.

You made him a better man. You saw everything inside of him that was broken, that he had spent so long trying to hide, and you’d simply sat down beside him with glue in hand, prepared to spend as much time as he needed to piece it all back together.

Go to bed mad at me, I don’t care. Just… don’t walk away.

“I can’t do that, sweetheart,” he finally sighs. Your face starts to fall, but he’s quick to clarify, “I can’t go to bed mad at you. Ever. And we can fight, us versus the problem like you said, all we want but… I don’t want to go to bed mad. I don’t want… I don’t want that. Whenever my head hits that shitty pillow every night,” you both break to laugh, because God, you both really did need new pillows (and a mattress, if you were being honest), “All I want to know is that you’re mine and I’m yours. Sound fair?”

You smile, and it’s the best thing he’s ever seen. It makes all the long shifts worth it as you nod slowly, “Sounds fair to me.”

“Good,” he guides the two of you to the center of the room before he drops your hands from his, sighing and letting his shoulders finally drop, “Then in that case, I’m staying.”

Even with crying tears on your cheeks, you’re still the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. You’re still the best thing Steve Harrington has ever had the privilege of calling his, “Yeah?”

“Yeah. So if we’re gonna fight — let’s fight, baby.”

He puts his fists up comically, and you only giggle and grab at them, shaking your head.

“I think we've fought enough for one night,” you mumble, bringing one fist to your mouth, kissing each of his knuckles gently.

Once you’ve placed your final kiss, he quickly placed the hand beneath your chin, lifting your lips to his. He kisses you in quick succession, and between each one, he repeats the sincerest I’m sorry he can muster.

He only stops once you’re smiling too wide for him to continue.

After his lips leave yours one last time, pulling back slowly as he savors it and you, he finally sighs, “I am curious, though — what the Hell are we going to do if they do shut off the water?”

You shrug, “Like you said, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

“Or we can use Eddie and Robin’s shower.”

As it turns out, Steve Harrington was wrong — when it comes to you, he can always fix things.

"brace myself for the goodbye, 'cause it's all i've ever known. then you took me by surprise, you said 'i'll never leave you alone'."

#speak now (ghost's version)#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington blurb #stranger things #steve harrington

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milosirlgf · 10 months

Text

a guy/honey drabble :3

note: this is set pre-confession! think maybe a couple weeks before the events of the valentines video :3 also, my headcanon is that honey's a wolf shifter so that might make more sense in the last couple paragraphs :3 also, i wrote the last bit at 2am, forgive me, its shit. not proofread. lowercase intended!

warnings: none! pure fluff :3

the clacking of your keyboard in the room across from his could very well have driven him insane. his eyes leaped between the image of his slightly creaked open door, and the hallway; contemplating exiting his den of serenity for the first time in what felt like years. he’d already received a, long, winded, well deserved lecture on the ethics of disturbing his favorite roommate’s focus in regards to their ever-so important essay. he had then, of course, argued the ethics, and, to put it in his words, the point of starting an essay three weeks in advance, which earned him quite a…terrifying glare.

guy’s mind wandered for, ten, maybe fifteen minutes, pondering whether to interrupt his cherished friend’s self-inflicted torture. friend. had they considered him a friend? would they ever even think of, perhaps, being.. more? he hadn’t even noticed when the excruciatingly loud typing had long halted. the fumbling of the doorknob across him interrupted his thought process. a rather, show stopping pair of eyes met his. his breath hitched.

“hi” guy was grinning, as usual, (his voice had always skipped an octave up when he was around them.)

“hi. sorry for.. uh. sorry for yelling, earlier, i mean.” they whispered, looking down at the bleak carpet below the two.

“oh?!” he chipped, “well, you’re forgiven, though you’re still very, very mean, i hope you know.” his smirk sent butterflies through their stomach, electric currents through their veins. he eyed the smile (which they’d tried to hide) creeping onto their gorgeous face.

“hey, guy?” their voice was like honey.

“mm, w. what?” he stumbled, voice wavering. eyes dancing up from their lips.

“wanna watch a movie? um. with me?” their hands fidgeted with the thread of their shirt. “uh. kayla’s at her boyfriends place for the night.. i was just, you know, wondering if you wanted to. no pressure.”

guy smiled, warmly,

“aaoow… how romantic!” his giggles bounced off the walls, filling their ears with nothing but sweetness.

“urgh.” they sighed with utter exasperation, “yknow what. nevermind.” they rolled their eyes, turning to face their bedroom, defensively.

“NO nononono no. no!” he whined, grinning through his words and grabbing their hand, giddily spinning them back around. “i’d love to, honeyyy!” he teased. his nimble hands began to tug them towards the living room as they groaned, heavily, at the petname.

“oh, come on.” they groaned, “that’s not even what werewolves look like, not even close!” facepalming, they leaned backwards, pushing guy’s shoulder against theirs. his breath caught, not focusing on the poorly edited, skinny, man-like ‘werewolf’ displayed charmingly across the tv screen.

“how would you know? you’ve never seen a werewolf before.. for all that you know, that COULD be an accurate representation.. you don’t know!!” his smirk was almost engraved into their mind.

“well, howdya know i’m not a werewolf?” they murmured, their face dead straight, not a sight of humor behind the phrase.

“i don’t.” he spoke, definitively, “buuut it wouldn’t surprise me.. you’ve got the grumbly, dare i say, emo.. attitude to back it up.” he uttered, “OW! owww shitshitshitshitshit stoooop!!” the pitch of his voice stepping higher as they hit him, forcibly with the largest pillow in reach.

“you’re just proving my point, sweetcheeks!”

#this is bad #im HORRIBLE at dialogue sorri guys #also first fic on tumblr !#woah!#crazy!#could u tell i was watching harry potter #redacted audio #redacted asmr #redacted guy

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imagine-a-life-like-this · 10 months

Text

Always Him : Chapter 18

Word Count : 1.6k

Warnings : swearing, drinking, drugs, mentions of cheating, mentions of sex, mentions of a toxic relationship, name calling, fighting

Y/n met Jeongin when they were still kids playing on the playground. She remembers being pushed by another boy when Jeongin came out of nowhere, pushing the boy that pushed her, and helping her to her feet. He kept asking if she was okay. Their friendship quickly blossomed. With linked pinkies, they promised to always be by each other’s side, and he vowed to never let harm come her way.

By junior high they were inseparable. Wherever she went, he was close behind, and vice versa. He was the one she would turn to when it felt like the world was crumbling in. And she was the one he turned to when he felt like he wasn’t good enough. They protected each other. They saved each other.

Jeongin was her only friend by the time they reached high school. Other friends had left her, betrayed her, broke her heart, left her crying in Jeongin’s arms. It was his least favourite sight, seeing her stain his shirt with tears.

When Kayla and Mae came along, taking Y/n under their wing, Jeongin was skeptical, glaring at them whenever they joined them for lunch, or after school hang outs. But Y/n would always assure him that they were different than girls in the past. They truly cared about her, loved her unconditionally. I’m glad you found that kind of love, lovey. She remembers him saying, petting her head, a smile on his face.

She remembers when he confessed, taking her for a picnic as he always did during summer weekends. Mae, an aspiring chef, helped cook all her favourite foods. Flower petals were laying on the picnic blanket, and she couldn’t help but tear up at the sight, at all the hard work he did for her. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Kayla, I don’t think I ever would have known I was in love with you. He chuckled. But I think apart of me always knew. From that very first day on the playground.

Falling in love with Jeongin wasn’t something she expected, but as she listened to his confession, it was all she could think about. Somewhere along the way, she fell head over heels in love with her best friend.

If you asked anyone that knew them in high school where they’d be today, they would tell you without a doubt they’re married and starting a family. Jeongin and Y/n were end game. Childhood friends to lovers. They knew the best and worst of each other and still loved each other anyway.

First year of university, after two years of being together, the cracks began to show. He began to get more possessive, glaring at any guy that came near her. He would even glare at Mae’s boyfriend at the time, Jisung. The two boys were best friends, meeting in high school when him and Mae got together. The two couples would go on double dates all the time. He knew that Jisung wanted nothing from Y/n but friendship. Yet Jeongin glared every time he was around.

He started accusing her of cheating, screaming at her, threatening to kill her if he ever found her with another guy. She would cry, sob to him that he was the only one. Sometimes she would silently beg for him to hit her. Mark her with his hands so she’d have a reason to walk away. So she could reach out for help and have everyone believe her.

It wasn’t until she walked into their shared apartment, seeing Jeongin naked on top of another girl, that the first spiral began. She covered it up by saying it was first year party fever. Mae and Kayla were none the wiser, joining her every night. They watched first hand how drunk she would get, flirting with anyone and everyone to get free drinks.

She would sneak out with Jisung to get high with him. He asked no questions, just happy to have a smoking buddy since no one else he knows smoked. It helped her forget momentarily. Forget the image of Jeongin fucking someone else in their shared bed. Forget all the words he spewed at her. Slut bag. Attention whore. Filthy cunt. Every time the words echoed in her mind, she would take another hit. Or she’d take another drink Whatever was closest.

She knows she should have left him. Should have walked back out the door when she caught him in bed with someone else. But he had her so wrapped around his finger that she stayed. She blamed herself. Maybe if she was a better girlfriend, loved him the way he needed her to, he wouldn’t have cheated.

So she tried her best to be the best girlfriend she could be. But still he cheated. Still he called her names. Told her he was only sleeping with other girls because she was sleeping with other guys. Eye for an eye. She tried to tell him she wasn’t cheating, but it never worked. He was convinced. But he still loved her, so he would forgive her every single time.

He’s the reason she woke up in a hospital bed after having her stomach pumped. Driving her so far down her spiral that she couldn’t stop drinking. Well over her limit, she kept drinking, trying to numb the pain in her heart.

Mae stopped him at the door when he tried to visit her in the hospital, telling him he’ll be the next one to wake up in the hospital when she beats his ass if he doesn’t leave Y/n alone. We promised we’d be by each other’s side no matter what! Kayla held Y/n’s hand, wiping away her tears with her free one. She did her best to keep her calm, keep her from taking Jeongin back, while Mae tried to get rid of him.

So why was she back in his arms? Sitting on his lap in this club, him whispering in her ear about how beautiful she is, pressing soft kisses to her neck. It was wrong, but it felt so right, being with him like this. Like they were back before all the fights. Before the cheating. Back when it was just the two of them in love, thinking about forever.

Before she fell in love with Hongjoong.

“I need a smoke. Coming?” She stood up from his lap, holding out her hand for him to take, which he happily did. He wasn’t letting her go this time. This time he would keep the promise he made on the playground where they first met. “Do you smoke?” She held out a joint for him to take.

“I’ll try it.” He smiled, taking the joint from her fingers. She stepped closer to him to light it for him. “You are so beautiful, lovey,” She looked away from the lighter and looked up to meet his eyes. He was studying her intently, as if she would disappear when he looked away.

“I’ve missed you.” She said softly. “More than I’d like to admit.”

“Then come back to me. You know we belong together.”

“Likely story ass town.” Jeongin turned to see Mae standing behind him. And soon they were surrounded by people trying to separate them. “I told you to stay away from her or I’d kick your ass.”

“I know that’s just an empty threat.” He laughed and then Mae punched him. “What the fuck?”

“Yeah. She doesn’t do empty threats.” Wooyoung chuckled as Mae punched Jeongin again. She kept attacking him while Kayla took Y/n into her arms.

“I am so glad you’re okay. I was so scared.” Y/n pushed her away, catching the fight out of the corner of her eye, and stormed over to break it up.

“Seriously Mae? You can’t just go around beating people up for no reason!”

“No reason? Y/n do you not remember what this dick pickle did to you?” Y/n was holding Jeongin in her arms, assessing the damage Mae caused, whispering apology after apology to him. He took her hands in his, promising that he was okay.

“Whatever happened is in the past, Mae.”

“Jeongin you know she deserves better than you.” Jisung spoke up. “You said you would get help but you haven’t. You’re just going to hurt her again. If you love her, you’ll let her be with someone that won’t hurt her.”

“Y/n, this isn’t the way to cope with whatever happened with Hongjoong.” Seonghwa said. “We can get you help. Therapy, rehab, whatever you need.”

“I’m fine.” Y/n spit back. “I’m not fucked up. I’m not a charity case or a baby that needs babysitting. Stop treating me like a fucking child.”

“Then stop making dumb decisions!” Mae yelled. Y/n stared at Mae, seeing the tears in her eyes. She’s only seen her like this one other time. Waking up in the hospital after almost dying. Something about the tears on Mae’s face snapped her out of it. She could feel Jeongin’s grip tightening on her, but she looked at him, pleading him with her eyes to let her go.

“I’ll get the help I need and then I’ll come back to you a better man.” He told her softly. “We promised forever and I intend to keep that promise.”

“We’ll talk when we’re both better.” She smiled at him, pressing one final kiss to his lips. “I love you, Jeongin.” He tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

“I love you so much more, lovey.”

back to masterlist

@mxnsxngie @maeleelee @lethallyprotected @choisoorin @berryblog @anyamaris @nebulousbookshelf @junebug032 @jaydebow @halesandy @okkkcausewhet @dandycharmer @aestheticsluut @the-anarchist-public @kpoprhia @hanschimpmunk @itsmeeekai @grayscorner @weird-bookworm @minhoino @ibedreaminghighupinthesky @kpop-in-new-albion @felixmainacc @yunstarz @writersun

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underforeversgrace · 11 months

Text

shattered saviors

DannyMay2023 Day 21: Shatter

title: shattered saviors

words: 2475

Complete

Summary: Danny gets a horrifying glimpse into the intense negative reaction of Amity Park, and especially his parents, when Dani is accidentally revealed to be half ghost and is taken into GIW custody. (Courtesy of @danphanwritingprompts post here.)

AU: None/pre season 3

Warnings: Minor Character Death

Beta: @probably-dead

~~~~~~

“In other news today, the Guys in White have released a statement on the hybrid they recently discovered, dubbed Danielle Phantom for her striking similarity to our own Danny Phantom.” The image of the reporter faded, instead showing a picture of a document against a blue screen, various sentences digitally highlighted in yellow as she read them. “Today, the experiment known as Danielle Phantom was successfully Faded. We were able to confirm the hybridism found in ‘Danielle’ was unique and unable to be replicated, there is no fear of other hybrids at this time. We thank the people of Amity Park who have supported us despite the small group of teenage protestors. We hope peace can return to the city, now that the creature has been disposed of. Its connection to Danny Phantom is still unclear, but we will continue to study the remains in hopes of discovering it.”

The image of the reporter reappeared, easily sliding into the next topic - something about the upcoming holidays - but ice began to creep up the screen.

“Danny?” Tucker asked at his side, shivering at the chill coming from his best friend.

The halfa turned to Tucker and he tried to rein in his ice. Tucker was only human, after all. Before Danny could say anything his phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket, not even checking the caller ID before answering it. He knew who it was.

“I didn’t get her in time.” Vlad said, regret and guilt in his voice.

“She’s gone? She’s really gone?” Danny asked, too numb to even cry.

“I was able to confirm that via my connections, yes. They got me in to see her too late.”

“Okay.” Danny said, ending the call.

His entire being felt disconnected from reality. Danielle was dead. Caught in a trap meant for him. They’d been holding protests for two weeks, trying to insist she was human enough to be released, to not be tortured. Almost all of the youth of Amity had stood behind her, even Wes, who had stopped trying to expose Danny as soon as he heard what happened to Ellie.

But the adults were louder, more able. And they insisted that Ellie was dangerous and needed to be contained. A ghost who could pretend to be human? What havoc could they cause and then fly completely under the radar? The negative influence on the youth of Amity, who were already too pro-ghost to begin with?

Even Vlad had tried to save her - though Danny still was unsure if it was because he genuinely was afraid for her or just that the GIW had a halfa in their custody.

Danny couldn't remember the rest of the night. He just existed, too numb to hurt or think or do anything.

Days passed in that fog. He went to school. He pretended to learn. He stopped ghost attacks. He tried to sleep. Every night, he just faced the same nightmares. Danielle, experimentally tortured until she died screaming, alone and in pain, wondering where her brother/cousin was, maybe even wondering where her father was.

It should have been him. The trap was meant for him. He should be the one dead.

Vlad somehow got Ellie’s body. She had left behind a human corpse, not a pile of destabilized goo. Vlad had tried to check her, to see if maybe she had somehow survived, maybe this was some sort of protective hibernation state. But Vlad looked and he found her still heart, found her shattered core. He and Danny buried her body in the back of Vlad’s mayoral mansion. They didn’t know what else to do. She wasn’t human. She couldn’t get a headstone or a human grave. So instead of being mourned properly, she was placed into a shallow grave, only the other halfas present. No one else had ever met her.

Well, no one else had ever met her who loved her.

No one who had ever met her who hadn’t hurt her, a sin even Vlad and Danny were guilty of.

Still, Danny went to school. Pretended to learn. Fought ghosts. Slept only for nightmares to haunt him.

The other students had looked bad for the first few days. It was hard not to, everyone had seen Danielle’s human side, seen a terrified twelve year old girl who’d fallen two stories after being shot by a power nullification weapon only to be held at gunpoint by government agents while she cried. Eventually, though, even the high schoolers returned to normal.

It should’ve been Danny. Danny should be the one rotting in the ground. Not Danielle.

Not Danielle.

Danny didn’t listen to his parents in the month following Danielle’s death. They wished they had gotten the chance to study her themselves, see how hybridism was even possible. Run their own battery of tests, torture her themselves. The parents didn’t understand why he and Jazz were pulling away from them.

The numbness didn’t let up until six weeks later. A weekend patrol and he’d stumbled across an animal ghost attacking a human on the edge of town, the person hiding under a personal ghost shield of Fenton creation on their wrist.

Danny didn’t even have to fight the animal, it was low level enough he could just trap it immediately in the Thermos. He was about to fly away when the human stopped him.

“Oh thank God, Phantom!” He said, turning off the shield.

Hmph. They didn’t even feel the need for a shield around him, a full ghost for all they knew, yet had damned Ellie to hell under a scalpel. Danny wasn’t going to even respond, just leave, until he recognized the man’s face.

“I know you.” Danny said, the numb mask he’d hidden behind starting to fracture.

“You’ve saved me a few times!” The man said, a relaxed grin on his face.

“You were an organizer for the pro-GIW protests.” Danny responded, ice beginning to form on the ground far beneath his feet, his words cold and devoid of any happy emotion.

The man paled slightly, taking a step back. “Uh… she was dangerous!” He tried to excuse pitifully.

“And I’m not?” Danny asked, drifting closer to the man, less than six inches from his face as Danny’s mask of numbness shattered under the force of his anger, not even blinking. “I’m not?”

“You’re not…” the man gulped anxiously. “Your obsession is protecting us. You wouldn’t hurt us.”

“Obsessions. Aren’t. Real.” He hissed, grabbing the man’s wrist and squeezing until the man screamed. Danny didn’t even know the man’s name, just that he’d been a very public organizer in the campaign to keep Danielle in the government’s hands.

“Stop! Please!”

“Do you think my sister begged?” Danny growled. “For them to please stop as they tortured her, murdered her?”

“Sister?” The man repeated weakly.

“Sister.” Danny confirmed, danger in his voice. Danny had been numb for over a month and a half at this point and now his anger had cracked through the numbness and he found himself understanding Dan a little bit better.

“You’re a hybrid too?” The man realized, visibly shaking in panic, desperately trying to pull his wrist from Danny’s ironclad grip.

Danny felt the grin creep onto his face. He felt like he should probably care that he was delighting in this terror, in what he was about to do. “I am. But I can’t risk the Guys in White learning that, can I?” He finally answered. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he squeezed harder on the man’s wrist, shattering both his bone and the personal shield he wore.

The man screamed in agony, collapsing to his knees as soon as Danny released him. Danny had never enjoyed hurting anything and had never hurt a human before, but this was downright elating. “I’m sorry!” The man yelled, looking up at Danny’s angry, unblinking, glowing green eyes.

“I’m not.” Danny answered, uncapping the Thermos and releasing the ghostly animal. The man tried to scramble backwards but Danny summoned a shield, trapping the three of them within it. The animal looked to Danny, submitting to the more powerful ghost, before glancing at the trembling human, whose hand was rapidly turning purple, though the animal did sit, deferring to Danny once more.

Danny hadn’t really looked at the creature before trapping it so he took a moment to study it, the man beginning to sob. Maybe a coyote or wolf? It looked too big to be a dog - not that it really mattered, he supposed, considering Cujo. It didn’t help that the animal hadn’t held its form very well, its edges too wispy and curvy for any real animal. Wolf, he decided.

His study of the wolf done, he returned to the man, staring directly into his eyes. The man flinched at the anger, the rage he saw. “Please…” the man tried to beg, crying. “I have a family.”

“So did she.” Danny said, turning to the animal. “Sic ‘em.” He ordered.

The wolf, despite being unable to truly understand Danny’s words, understood his intent and read his aura. It stood, growling as it slowly approached the human.

Danny had always thought the screams of someone being hurt would rip into his very being, a failure for his self-appointed job of protecting Amity.

But he didn’t feel bad. Human blood had already been spilt here and it hadn’t been by a ghost.

If the humans didn’t even care… why should he? Why should he give a damn about human life?

For the first time in two years, a human had died to a ghost. And Danny didn’t care. They were lucky he bothered to catch the wolf at the end of it, petting its cold head as it licked blood from its muzzle.

The next day was when Danny learned the man’s name. Edward Canton, leaving behind a widow and two young children. Still, Danny didn’t care, even as he heard snippets of conversation at school.

“I can’t believe someone actually died.” An underclassman whispered.

“I didn’t think any of the ghosts would ever actually hurt us.” Another said in hushed tones.

“Are we in danger?” Someone else wondered.

The thing he heard the most, the repeated question.

“Where was Phantom?”

“How could Phantom let this happen?”

“Doesn’t Phantom always protect us?”

The questions were echoed in the news, by the adults, even by his parents, wondering if this death would finally destroy Phantom from his ‘failure’ to save the human, ‘failure’ to sustain his Obsession.

For a city who had let a child be tortured to death for being only part ghost, they were awfully reliant on a suspected full-ghost.

“Are you… the death, are you alright?” Sam asked.

“I can’t always save everyone.” Danny said, feigning sadness.

“How are you holding up?” Tucker asked later.

“I’ll be fine. I can’t be everywhere at once.” He’d answered, still pretending to be sad.

He couldn’t tell Sam or Tucker. They’d never understand his decision to let the man - the man who didn’t even deserve a name, as far as Danny was concerned - be killed. To watch and do nothing. To take pleasure in the screams. They’d worry he was becoming Dan. He wasn’t, though.

Danny tried to put his mask back on after, to be engulfed in the comfort of numbness, but the mask was gone and left only anger behind. He could no longer access the fog that allowed him to drift through life.

More weeks passed, now nearly three months since the announcement of Danielle’s death. Danny had at least found a routine… though it wasn’t his old one. He still went to school and pretended to learn. Still struggled to sleep and battled nightmares of Ellie’s screams. But the ghost fights?

Well… the ones who deserved to be saved, he still saved. Children and teens, people who’d joined the protests, who were too young to protest. But no adult had joined to try to save her. No adult was innocent. Whether through action or inaction, all were guilty of her death.

So he would watch the joy and relief on their faces when they saw Phantom come to save them, only to turn to terror and panic when he trapped them, when he simply stared at them and watched them die. When he grinned at their screams, when he asked them if they thought Ellie begged for her life the way they were begging for theirs.

When they realized their savior was not bound to protecting them and they had pushed him too far.

“Aren’t you going to save them?” Vlad Masters asked, watching people run from the opposite direction, a commotion they couldn’t yet see from the restaurant the two sat at. They’d begun to bond after Danielle’s death, Vlad’s guilt finally soothing out some of his more evil edges and Danny growing more tolerant of what was still there.

“I save innocents.” Danny answered, shrugging, poking at the food in front of him. His appetite still had not returned.

“So the rumors from the Realms are true. You’ve stopped saving people.” Vlad stated, taking a sip of his nearly boiling tea. Heat didn’t hurt him like ice didn’t hurt Danny.

“If they aren’t innocent, yes.”

“Who’s innocent?”

“The ones who tried to save Danielle and anyone who was too young to help.”

“So, what? All the adults of Amity are guilty?” Vlad asked, a smirk sliding onto his face.

“Of either encouraging the GIW outright or of the same thing I am.” Danny confirmed.

“Which is?”

“Watching and doing nothing because it isn’t my problem.”

Vlad chuckled. “You’re becoming more and more like me, little badger.”

Danny paused as he realized Vlad was right. He was making decisions based on who he felt had slighted him or Danielle, decisions with potentially fatal consequences. Again, he sought a feeling of guilt.

Again, he found none. “If they wanted a ghostly hero, they shouldn’t have been so obvious in their ghost hatred.”

“How are your friends and sister taking that?”

“They think I’m ashamed. That I care about and mourn everyone I don’t save. Maybe the town will earn their hero back. Until then?” Danny paused, pointing across the street where an adult woman was cornered, cowering under the glare of two humanoid ghosts Danny couldn’t place a name to. She screamed as their claws dug into her. “Until then, it isn’t my problem.”

“How would they earn you back?”

Danny shrugged. “That’s their problem to figure out. An apology to begin with would be nice. But they’ll never do that, will they?”

And the topic moved to more bland conversations even as the woman’s dying screams echoed around them.

But it was fine. Danny wasn’t actively killing anyone, so he wasn’t becoming Dan, and that was all he’d promised.

#danny phantom #grace writes #dannymay2023 #Day 21 #Shatter #danny fenton

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extremewritersblock · 1 year

Text

Drabble in which Dramione are set up on a blind date - which happens to turn into trivia night

A/N: I can’t stop writing ridiculous Drabbles please someone stop me

“This has got to be a joke.”

“I’m going to kill Zabini.”

Hermione and Draco both stood, dressed to impress, in front of the same single table for two at Diagon Alley’s best - and only - upscale restaurant.

“You’re my blind date? I showered to come meet you?” She hadn’t meant it to come off as rude as it sounded but, come on. She’d shaved her legs for this.

“Charming. One would hope that you shower regardless of who you’re going out to see.” She noticed his, exceedingly obvious, glance up and down her body and was suddenly very conscious of her choice to show as much cleavage as this dress revealed.

...What? It’d been a while since her last date...

“My shower habits are none of your concern, Malfoy.”

“Do you want them to be my concern?” he asked, taking a step towards her. “I have pretty minimal criteria when it comes to the women I’m willing to shower with..”

A brief image of herself in a shower with him flashed through her mind before she shut down that nonsense immediately and sat at their table in a huff. “I was told my date was some smart, handsome Ministry executive.”

“All of which I am, Granger.”

He wasn’t wrong, per se - in the years since they’d seen each other, Malfoy's looks had become better with age. He’d grown out his hair, which was gelled back neatly tonight, though he left a few playful pieces resting on his forehead. His entire ensemble screamed 'money’. She hadn’t known he’d grown so successful in his job.

She scanned his body as he had hers - his physique looked strong underneath his blazer, which caused her to begin wondering about his gym routine...

Which brought her back to the shower image...

But she couldn’t let him know she was having any of these thoughts, so she just asked -

“So…what do we do now?”

“Well, I expect you think we should just go our separate ways?”

Malfoy’s smile turned smug, as if he knew she indeed was about to suggest that they part ways. But because, even as adults, she wanted to wipe that smug look off of his face, and before she could regret her decision entirely, she said -

"Let’s eat.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Malfoy said, sitting down in the seat opposite from her, “because I’m starving and the tab is being picked up by our miserable friends.” He opened the menu, “So I intend to overcharge their card with at minimum two appetizers and a bottle of their finest,” he peeked over the menu, “do you prefer red or white wine?”

“Red,” she said. “And make it fancy.”

“One fancy red wine, coming up.”

After a quick chat with the waiter and a surrender of the menus, Malfoy folded his hands under his chin and regarded Hermione, curiously.

“It’s been.. a while.” he said.

“Five years,” she agreed.

“So tell me Granger.. are you still a complete know it all?”

Without missing a beat, she rebutted, “I don’t know, Malfoy, are you still a complete git?”

Malfoy chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender. He was handsome when he laughed. “Okay, I guess I deserved that. But, I asked my question for a valid reason.” He nodded over towards a standing chalkboard in the front of the room, on which read the words: TRIVIA NIGHT.

As if summoned, a stout wizard with a comically large mustache muttered a ‘Sonoros’ charm. With his voice now amplified, he addressed the crowd.

“Good evening, and welcome to our weekly trivia night!” A smattering of applause came from the tables around them, which, Hermione assumed, meant that everyone else in the restaurant was aware of the night’s activities before sitting down at their tables, unlike themselves.

“Our friends are dead,” Malfoy muttered.

“So dead,” she agreed.

“We’ll start the night by confirming your team names.”

Along with their glasses of wine, they were handed as small slip of paper. She rummaged through her bag for a quill to write with. With it, she found a note that she didn’t remember seeing a few hours before.

She unfolded it and read the familiar handwriting.

Try to enjoy the date - he asked to be set up with you. Don’t let him know that you know. xx Ginny

So he’d asked to be set up with her? She thought he hated her. Perhaps he was bored of his usual one night stands and opted for some hate sex?

“What’s this for?” Malfoy asked, pointing at the blank parchment they’d been given.

Hermione was startled back to reality. She stuffed the note back into her bag and closed the clasp.

“Oh - uh, each table is a team. We have to compete against the other tables. But first, we need a name for our team.”

“Oh, I’ve got this.” Draco stole the paper and her quill, jotted something down and went to hand it in to the host. He wore the grin of a child on his face when he returned to their table.

Hermione glared at him, accusatorially.

"What did you write?”

He merely shrugged. “You’ll see.”

The host announced 7 other teams before he finally got to theirs. He cleared his throat to reveal their team name, but after reading their slip of paper, became hesitant. He whispered something to his cohost, waving around the small parchment exasperatedly. After a brief discussion, the mustached wizard returned to the crowd with an annoyed look, like he suddenly despised his job.

“Let’s welcome our final team - Hiss Hiss Motherfuckers,” he said, but the curse came out as more of a mumble. His face had turned a shade of red that rivaled the color of Hermione’s dress.

Horrified, Hermione whipped her head back to glare at Malfoy. “Malfoy, what the hell was that?”

“Oh, come on. He didn’t even say it right!” But he was laughing joyfully as he said it.

Damn, he really was handsome. Maybe his intentions for setting up this date didn’t matter. She came to the realization that it would take very little convincing from him to get her to follow him.. anywhere, really.

She took another drink of her wine, trying to ignore her date’s...unexpected allure.

“Everyone, ready your buzzers and let the game begin!”

The host flicked his wand towards the ceiling, which caused every candle in the chandelier above to dim its light. The atmosphere became subtly more romantic, but Hermione barely noticed. Her mind was now too focused on the competition.

“So, what’s our strategy?” Malfoy asked.

“To win,” she replied.

“That’s - that’s it? The great Hermione Granger has no strategic plan to trivia night?”

She shook her head. “Just, whatever it takes for our team to win.” She pointed at a table near the hosts’ podium. “I’ve just seen they’re giving out trophies to the winners and I want one.”

...What? She had a thing for trophies. So, sue her.

He regarded her for a moment - taking one more obvious glance at her chest - before leaning closer into the table. “What do you say we make the game a bit more - interesting?”

Intrigued, she mimicked him, closing the distance between them. “What did you have in mind?”

“How about we keep score of which of us can come up with the most answers first? A separate little competition between you and I? Unless - unless you’re scared that I might win?” His eyes glowed in the dim candle light. She suddenly wanted to do anything those lips asked her to.

“Okay. Deal.”

“Winner gets to ask the other for a favor.” He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. “Any. Favor.”

Hermione nodded her agreement.

Just as their food was served, the first question was displayed.

She scoffed. It was an easy one: “What year did the Quidditch World Cup hold its first game?”

She took a chip from her plate, just about to comment on the ease of the question, when her date slammed their buzzer and blurted, “1473!” With a sly wink at her, he marked the answer down on their score sheet.

“Draco - one. Granger - zero.”

The next question: “A bezoar is an antidote to most poisons, the one exception being what?”

-buzz- “Basilisk Venom!”

Hermione returned his wink sarcastically, which made him laugh. She found herself laughing along with him.

“How many possible quidditch fouls are there?”

-buzz- “700!″

Back and forth, they answered questions they knew until, finally, they reached the end of the night and the final question:

“Name at least 3 ingredients of an Amortentia potion.”

“Oh, I know this one - ”

-buzz- “Ashwinder eggs, powdered moonstone, and rose thorns,” Malfoy said.

“Been brewing a lot of love potions these days?” she asked.

“No, no. I prefer to entice women using - other techniques.”

She could only imagine the other techniques he was referring to.

With the game finally finished, the host tottered back up to his podium. His face was red again.

“Thank you for joining us for another night of trivia! The winners, who won tonight’s game by a landslide, are - are the - Hiss Hiss - dear merlin, please don’t make me say it again,” the host pleaded, pointing to their table.

“We did it!” Hermione laughed. She stood and, so overcome by the joy of their victory, grabbed Malfoy in a celebratory hug.

She liked the way his arms fit around her waist. Then, she realized who she was hugging and promptly let her arms fall.

His hands lingered around her waist for a moment before he, too, dropped them to his side.

She cleared her throat apologetically, “Sorry. I - I was just so excited that we won.”

He chuckled - there was that tempting smile again - and he walked away from their table momentarily. Seconds later, he returned holding a very large 1st place trophy.

She saw on the front, it’d been charmed to display the words ‘1st Place’ then change to read ‘Hiss Hiss Motherfuckers’.

"How about I let you keep the trophy - it may make you feel better about losing our bet.”

“What?” She grabbed the paper he was holding out, upon which held their tally marks next to the number of questions they’d answered:

She tossed the paper back to him. “Fine, a deals a deal - what’s your favor?”

“I want a second date.” His gaze was piercing and unfaltering. He was serious.

Wanting to appear confident and sexy and not at all surprised that he’d want to go out with her again, she said, “Name the time and place.”

He grabbed her hand that wasn’t clutching her 1st place trophy.

“Well, it looks like they hold this trivia night every Thursday so - this table. Next Thursday. 7 o’clock. And you better brush up on your trivia knowledge - or don't. I’ve got a lot more favors in mind to ask of you.” His lips grazed her hand gently.

Surprisingly, she was incredibly curious about what other favors he could come up with.

She may just let him win again next week.

“You’re on, Malfoy.”

#does an upscale trivia restaurant exist?#idk #but I guess it does in Diagon Alley #dhr drabble #dhr drabbles #dramione drabble #dramione #hp #harry potter #draco x hermione #Draco Malfoy #Hermione Granger #Dramione fic #dramione fanfic #hermione x draco #trivia night

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haywire-hetfield · 2 months

Note

Can you please write something sweet between Jason and James where James is insecure about his body image, like his weight I notice seems to fluctuate at times, and Jason is comforting him? - a fat reader who loves your work.

Aw, thank you so much! And yes, absolutely. I hope you enjoy.

Warnings: Body image issues (including detailed descriptions of those), insecurity, angst, hurt/comfort.

Words: 1,905

It started small. The first time Jason noticed anything was going on, they were all gathered around and looking at old pictures.

Most were from before Jason had even joined the band and he tried not to feel a bit left out. More than anything, he enjoyed looking at his friends when they were younger and the experience was easygoing. Everyone was drinking a bit, laughing and passing around the photos Lars had managed to dig up.

“Oh my god. Look at your hair,” James laughed at the first picture Lars showed the group. It featured James and Lars when they’d first met, sitting in Lars’ bedroom and smiling together.

Jason couldn’t help the grin that broke across his face. They both looked so young, so unlike themselves. They hadn’t grown into themselves yet, but the foundation was there like the first sprout before a flower bloomed.

“I was growing it out,” Lars insisted loudly. Jason realized suddenly that maybe they were all a bit drunker than he’d initially thought, but that just made it easier. More photos were passed around and they laughed at each of them, pointing out how different and ridiculous they looked.

“You two were always so gross,” Jason added when they got to a photo of Lars and Kirk sitting together. Lars was sitting on his lap, head turned enough so they both could stick their tongues out and touch the others’. “Get a room,” He teased and Kirk blushed a bit, shaking his head and smiling.

There was one of Ron standing in a dingy kitchen, holding up two objects that none of them could quite make out. James and Lars both gave different recounts of that night, what he was holding, who took the picture, and Jason imagined the truth was somewhere in between both their recollections of it.

He shared a knowing smile with Kirk as they listened to them divulge into full-on bickering about it. Kirk broke first, pulling out another photo to distract them.

James and Dave were together in bed in this one. They were clearly drunk and wrestling each other, although it seemed James was losing. His back was pressed tight to Dave’s chest and one arm was locked around James’ neck, holding him in a headlock.

Despite the position, James was laughing in the photo, completely unperturbed by the situation. It was hard to tell behind the mess of red and blonde hair, but Jason swore Dave was also smiling. It made Jason feel a little sad, he couldn’t remember a time when he’d seen Dave smile lately.

The next picture made him feel equally sad. It was an old picture of Cliff, a bass in his hands and head down as he focused on what he was doing. He was smiling a bit and his hair was messy.

“Oh, God. That was the night Corinne tried to braid his hair, do you guys remember that?” Kirk laughed suddenly and Jason honestly hadn’t expected such a happy reaction. Normally, Cliff was a sensitive subject and he got that. It made him smile to hear Kirk talking so fondly and openly. “And it came out looking like a rat tail instead,” Lars and James both laughed at that as well.

“Yeah ‘cause he wouldn’t stop moving around,” Lars added, snatching the picture from Kirk to examine it. “Look at that, Newkid. Look at the back of his head,” Lars encouraged as he passed it to Jason. He looked at the photo, noticing the mess of dark locks at the back of his head. He could tell it was supposed to be a small braid in the back of his hair, although the word braid was very generous.

“Holy shit, yeah. That’s not great,” Jason gave a short laugh of his own, handing the picture to James a bit hesitantly. He hoped it wouldn’t upset him. James just smiled, though.

“He was being such a big baby about it. Getting your hair braided doesn’t even hurt that much,” James said and it filled Jason with a sense of relief. He was glad it wasn’t upsetting to James.

The next photo couldn’t say the same thing. It was a beautiful photograph of James at the beach, sunglasses on and wind whipping his blonde hair around. He leaned back against a wooden railing on a boardwalk, wearing shorts and a shirt with the sleeves cut off.

It showed off his long limbs, all lean muscle at the time. He looked so young there, although he couldn’t have been much younger than he was now. James was smiling a bit in the picture, although his mouth was closed.

“You were all limb, man. Like a blonde spider,” Lars commented and James didn’t say anything. A look Jason couldn’t quite identify flashed through James’ face before he forced his expression to be unreadable. He focused on his beer, taking a few long drinks from it. The photograph was soon forgotten in favor of another one that was getting passed around.

***

James stared at himself in the mirror, examining every feature and taking a mental check of it all. His acne had subsided a lot over the years, but it had left scars in its wake. He couldn’t notice anything else on his face, eyes always being drawn to those blemishes.

All of his features felt weird to him if he was being honest. His teeth were too big, he smiled too wide and with too much gum. Eyes were too sunken in and too close together, nose and lips not seeming to go together well. His cheeks had always been too round, too soft, and they’d only gotten softer lately.

His eyes finally pulled away from his face to look at the rest of him. He frowned deeply as his eyes scanned over himself. His limbs were too long, he thought, he’d always been gangly. Lately, his stomach had filled out and he was far softer than he’d ever been. His weight had never been steady, but he’d definitely gained more than he had before.

There were stretch marks on his skin once again and he was no stranger to them. When he’d hit his growth spurt, he’d had stretch marks all over and his thighs were the worst for it. He hated them, he always had. There was a long time when he avoided looking at his body at all until they faded from that dark pink and purple color.

He could still see them when he looked closely, but they weren’t as glaringly obvious. Now, they were prominent once again.

This time, he didn’t even have the payoff of being tall to blame them on. It didn’t make too much of a difference to James, he would’ve traded being tall for not having stretch marks. His fingers now ran over the marks appearing along the curve of his belly. They were slightly raised and the tangible feeling made it worse. He could taste bile rising up in the back of his throat and he wanted to throw, he wanted it so bad and-

James flinched when there was a knock on the bathroom door. It had to be Jason, he couldn’t imagine it being anyone else.

“Can I come brush my teeth?” Jason called through the door and James grabbed his shirt, tugging it on. He didn’t really want Jason to see him like this.

“Yeah, man. Come on in,” James replied and pretended to be busy with brushing his hair. It could use it anyway, there were knots filling the blonde strands. Jason stepped inside not even a minute later and was smiling brightly as he did, closing the door behind himself.

“You’re going to make your hair all frizzy,” Jason warned, watching James brushing his hair out like it was the most entertaining thing in the world. “It looks so pretty,” Jason praised easily, the words falling from his lips naturally. Like James was someone who was obviously pretty, the words coming as nonchalantly as they would if Jason was simply pointing out the grass was green.

James avoided looking at him, trying his best not to blush. He could actually agree with Jason a bit on that, he’d always enjoyed his hair. He’d worked hard on growing it out and making it look cool, and it helped that he could hide behind it when he felt too vulnerable.

“Shut up,” He murmured back at Jason, but there wasn’t any real bite behind his words. Not too long ago, James had been nothing but bite. He’d gotten more comfortable with not only himself, but also Jason and he thought they were both happier people because of it. “Aren’t you supposed to be brushing your teeth?” He pointed out, hoping it would be a good distraction for Jason. No such luck.

“Do you think I need to brush my teeth?” Jason asked and was suddenly very in James’ personal space, kissing him. James could feel Jason smiling against his mouth. He could taste beer and rum hanging to Jason’s mouth, but neither dissuaded him from kissing Jason back.

“You’re a fucking pest,” James huffed once the kiss broke apart. “Grab my tie for me,” Jason was quick to comply, reaching to grab the black hair tie that James had taken to wearing during the night.

“Let me do it for you,” Jason was already reaching out to take the brush away from James, not even getting confirmation first. He was gentle as he brushed James’ hair back and tied it carefully, making sure it wasn’t tight enough to hurt or yanking James’ hair at an uncomfortable angle. “See? You’re so pretty,” Jason cooed as soon as he was finished, looking at James in the mirror.

James didn’t say anything, unsure of what to say. Part of him wanted to protest, part of him wanted to tell Jason to shut up again, part of him wanted to break down and tell Jason everything he’d been feeling. He chose to just make a noncommittal noise that only seemed to encourage Jason.

“I’ve genuinely never met someone more gorgeous than you,” Jason was quieter now, pressing closer behind James. He tossed the brush onto the counter to free up his hands, slipping them to hold James’ waist. “Every part of you is so fucking attractive,” He sounded in awe of James and that made the blonde’s chest tighten up.

It was a weird feeling so desired. He couldn’t understand how Jason thought he was attractive, but there was no denying Jason genuinely thought it. His hands slid around James’ body, pressing beneath his shirt and rubbing over his stomach casually. Like it was the easiest thing in the world, like it hadn’t made James want to crawl out of his own skin like a crab that had outgrown its shell.

“Hey, it’s all okay. What’s wrong?” Jason asked, sounding concerned suddenly. James looked at himself in the mirror and saw his eyes were red, tears welling up there. He hadn’t even noticed he was starting to cry until Jason pointed it out. “Nothing’s wrong. I just,” James’ voice trailed off as he tried to find the proper words. Jason was patient with him, not rushing him to say anything and just awaiting what he would say. “I just really needed that,” James said finally as Jason’s hands continued touching him as though he was a piece of art.

#jameson #james hetfield x jason newsted #jason newsted x james hetfield #james hetfield #jason newsted #metallica #rpf #asks

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lovesickletters · 2 years

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💜Cookie Run Yandere Alphabet💜

I asked my friends to randomise some yandere alphabet prompts for some random cookie run characters <3

Affection | Frost Queen

How do they show their love and affection? How intense would it get?

To put it bluntly, not at all. She would act frosty cold to her darling, she’s not really one for acts of affection. With the exception of an icy kiss to the forehead once every blue moon.

Blood | Raspberry Cookie

How messy are they willing to get when it comes to their darling?

Raspberry Cookie is no stranger to bloodshed, while she may grieve for that spilled of her compatriots, when it comes to her darling anyone is an enemy. She is not afraid to draw her sword, whether challenging someone to a blatantly unfair show of swordsmanship at dawn or ending their life in the moment in an alleyway away from prying eyes.

Darling | Red Velvet Cookie

Aside from abduction, would they do anything against their darling’s will?

Red Velvet would try his best to refrain from making his darling do anything they didn’t wish to, but if push came to shove he would not be afraid to resort to less savoury methods to make them do something against their will.

Jealousy | Dark Choco Cookie

Do they get jealous? Do they lash out or find a way to cope?

He tries not to show it but he does, quite a bit in fact. He is of the mindset that his darling is so much better and purer than him, so he has no right to be up in their face all the time, but the least he can do for them is protect them from any possible threats, the raw intimidation of his latched line of sight as he grips his sword is enough to send any friendly cookie looking to have a conversation with you running!

Love Letters | Kumiho Cookie

How would they go about courting or approaching their darling?

Kumiho is excellently trained at the art of charisma, and has no trouble sidling up to her darling and striking up a conversation even if she’s a stranger to them. With flirtatious words and devilishly charming actions she’s confident she can charm her way into their heart.

Mask | Affogato Cookie

Are their true colors drastically different from the way they act around everyone else?

Affogato’s mannerisms are so incomprehensible nobody can truly tell what he’s thinking, and he’s not afraid of other people noticing his affection for his darling. If anything, he capitalises off of it.

Oppression | Parfait Cookie

How many rights would they take away from their darling?

None at all!!!! She prizes being pure and honest above all things, she would encourage truthfulness from her darling and build absolute trust between you two, gifting you things and writing you songs with the utmost earnestness! Your happiness is her priority, how could she help that if she took things away from you?? That simply wouldn’t do!

Regret | Twizzly Gummy Cookie

Would they ever feel guilty about abducting their darling? Would they ever let their darling go?

Absolutely not, Twizzly doesn’t have a remorseful bone in her body. She would find glee in her darling’s captivity if anything, and would never ever let them go. Not without multiple trackers, just for the thrill of the hunt of course! They’d never actually get anywhere but their fear makes her excited! Regret is for people who go soft and mushy, and she is nothing if not sharp and dangerous.

Unique | Espresso Cookie

Would they do anything different from the classic yandere?

Precise temperature, precise quantity, precisely perfect darling. Espresso is a perfectionist in every manner of the word and this carries over to his beloved. They must be perfect, no matter what. No order ignored, no feature flawed, no mistake overlooked. If they’re not, he’ll shape them into his image of perfection with an outlook similar to that he uses when teaching, the carrot and the stick. No matter what, he wants his darling to be impeccable.

Vice | Blackberry Cookie

What weakness can their darling exploit in order to escape?

It would be very hard to escape the careful and calculating Blackberry Cookie, but if it came to it, her attachment issues relating to Adventure Cookie and her duty-bound outlook on life. If you brought up Adventurer Cookie there would likely be some old wounds you would be pouring salt on, enough so to put her into a right state. If you used her selfless outlook against her by requesting something, she would do her best to comply if she thought it wasn’t dangerous.

Wit’s End | Madeleine Cookie

Would they ever hurt their darling?

By the light no! He’s honestly too dense to be worked to the end of his tether, if you insult him or push away his affections he’s likely laugh it off and pull you into an embrace regardless. Not to mention the thought of anything harming his darling would send a chill up his spine. He’s here to protect you!

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beefromanoff · 3 months

Text

Going Under Ch. 31

summary: Gianna moves on with her life, Nat and Wanda stage an intervention.

characters: Bucky Barnes x OC

soundtrack: Never Tear Us Apart - INXS

warnings: fluff, pop star fantasy x love story, set in an AU where the Avengers reunite after Civil War, pre-infinity war, slight angst, hurt/comfort, lonely reader/OC.

author’s note: so sorry for my slower posting schedule, I've been so so busy with work that I'm pressed for time but I really wanted to get a chapter out for Valentine's Day! we're getting somewhere good, guys! thank you for reading and reviewing, ilysm!

chapter list/links - xo

_________________________________________________

Bucky

“Five minutes to landing, Captain.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY.” Steve’s face was riddled with concern as he buckled the chinstrap of his helmet. “You sure you’re up for this, Buck?”

The only sound was the hum of the Quinjet’s engine as Bucky seemed frozen in his seat. As they’d begun their ascent a little over an hour ago, his phone had pinged with a notification that would derail the entire morning.

‘E News Exclusive: Gianna Cruz and Sebastian Stan Get Cozy Before Valentine’s Day’

The team had gotten word of the circulating paparazzi photos and decided no good would come from Bucky seeing them. That consensus didn’t extend to the SHIELD agent who decided to forward it to him this morning, right before their departure for a mission. Fortunately, it was strictly intelligence and recon, something both Steve and Bucky could do in their sleep. That didn’t mean it was pleasant for Steve to fly in silence for an hour, his friend’s turmoil almost palpable in the seat beside him.

“Beginning descent now.”

Bucky braced his hands on his knees and stood, snapping out of his stupor. “I’m fine.” He rolled his neck and reached for the weapons holstered to his legs, doing a silent count.

“You sure? If you’d rather hang at the jet and keep watch, it won’t take -”

“Steve.” Bucky met his eyes. “I said I’m fine.”

The Quinjet touched down in a thick, overgrown forest. As the ramp began to extend with a hiss, Bucky took one last look at his phone. The image wounded him more than any weapon had in battle. The photo, clearly taken from across the street, showed Gianna looking happier than ever. Her latte, which he could still smell as clearly as if it were in front of him, sat half drunk on the table, lipstick print on the side. She was laughing, really laughing. He could tell by the way her eyes crinkled on the outside. This wasn’t for show. It wasn’t one of the laughs she’d perfected for evening show interviews and fan meetings. This was real.

Across from her sat the man responsible for making her laugh. Dark hair peeked from below his baseball hat, slightly shorter than Bucky’s, but not far behind. His hand was wrapped around a coffee cup with no lid, the other hand gesturing as he told the story that was so evidently hilarious. The man rumored to be playing none other than Bucky himself in the movie about his life. The one he’d signed off on years ago after encouragement from Steve and Tony, guaranteeing him he’d have a say in how the movie portrayed him. He could be as involved as he wanted to be. They reminded him it would help his reputation following the pardons, and help public opinion swing his way. Plus, the paycheck wasn’t bad either.

Now, years after signing those damn documents, he wanted nothing to do with the damn thing. Not if he had to sit and watch someone who was supposed to portray him live out life with the one person he wished he’d never let go. Fuck the movie. Fuck the actor. Fuck the agent who sent him these photos in the first place.

Admittedly, he knew he would have seen them anyway. His feeds were still full of Gianna from the days he’d spent reading fan posts and theories about the two of them together. The days when he was in the photos going viral. Now, he wasn’t doing much to change it, considering he still paused to stare every time her name or photo appeared on his screen.

The thing that really got him about this photo wasn’t the fact that she looked so happy and so carefree while he felt like a shell of himself. It wasn’t the fact that another man sat across from her, either. Both of those things felt like a kick to the gut, but they weren’t the worst part.

The worst part was that he knew that coffee shop.

This was one she refused to go to unless she wanted to be seen, be photographed. It was a paparazzi hotspot. She knowingly avoided it for that reason. The fact that she was there, with that man, was no accident. She wanted to be seen.

She wanted him to see.

Gianna

Three Days Prior

Gianna’s stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

“Hey, thank you again for meeting me.” Sebastian’s eyes were genuine, kind. “I really do appreciate it.”

She smiled, cheeks sore from doing so much of it over the past half hour they’d sat at this table. Her favorite shop these days, quiet and private. The few sips that remained in her coffee had gone cold, but she didn’t care. It was a beautiful day in the city and she’d forgotten about her pain, her loneliness, for just a little while.

“Of course. I appreciate you asking me.”

“Yeah, well…I wasn’t sure what you’d say.” His eyes were sheepish. “I know things aren’t, well, I don’t know. I’ve heard things aren’t the best right now, but --”

“It’s okay.” She cut him off with a gentle smile. “Things aren’t, well…they aren’t right now. At all. But no matter how I feel or how it ended, his story deserves to be told the right way. I respect you for wanting to do that.”

Sebastian sighed in relief. “Thank you. Seriously. My agent keeps reaching out to Pepper, but she said ‘Sergeant Barnes has no desire to be involved in the project at this time.’ I have a feeling she gave me the watered down version of what he actually said.”

Gianna laughed. “Yeah, that’s probably true.” She shifted in her chair. “I’m not overly familiar with the uh…process. What do you need from me?”

“Not much, hopefully, I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I just want to get it right, get him right.” He leaned onto his elbows. “The story, of course, but also him as a person. His mannerisms, his voice, his mind. I want to understand him.”

“Yeah, get in line.” Gianna murmured before catching herself. “I can help.”

“Perfect.” He grinned, looking enough like Bucky that her heart jolted. “Of course, I have a whole team of people to help me look more like him physically. That’ll take some time. He’s not a small guy.” Sebastian mimed growing his biceps.

“No,” Gianna laughed. “He isn’t. I’m sure a Super Soldier workout program is out there somewhere.”

“I’ll leave that to the professionals.” He waved a hand. “They just tell me what to do and I do it. For now, can we meet again? I don’t know how long you’ll be in the city, but I’d love to meet a few times a week until I feel like I’ve got it right.”

“I’ll be here for a while. We’re still figuring out tour dates and everything, so I’m in the city for the foreseeable future.”

“Great. How’s Friday? Coffee, again? My treat, of course.”

“Friday is great.” She smiled. “But let's meet somewhere else this time. Do you have a problem with meeting more…publicly?”

He grinned again, raising his empty cup. “Not at all. All press is good press when you’re making a movie.”

Gianna gave a wry smile, raising her cup to his. “Then let’s make headlines.”

Bucky

Wanda stormed into the training room, followed closely by Natasha. Bucky was deep into a sparring session with a punching bag, sweat glistening on his forehead. The recon mission had been easy, getting them back relatively early in the day. He decided to skip dinner and let off some steam instead, the image from earlier still burned into his mind.

"Bucky Barnes!" Wanda's voice cut through the thuds of Bucky's punches, echoing through the empty room.

He paused, looking at them with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "What?"

Natasha crossed her arms. "We're tired of your brooding. Enough is enough. We're having an intervention."

Bucky raised an eyebrow. "An intervention?"

Wanda nodded. "Yes. You're coming with us."

Before Bucky could protest, they each took one of his arms and practically dragged him out of the training room.

The common room was suspiciously empty.

“Where is everyone?” Bucky raised an eyebrow.

“They flew into the city for a basketball game. They’ll be back tomorrow. Steve didn’t mention it?” Natasha gave a coy smile.

“No. He didn’t.”

She grinned. “Good.” Natasha pointed to his bedroom. "Go shower, put on something comfy. We're having a girls' night."

“A what?”

“Just go.” She gave a light shove towards his door.

Bucky scoffed but complied. When he returned in sweats, the atmosphere had changed. The living room was warm, inviting. In the dining room, Wanda and Natasha were setting up what appeared to be a cozy dinner. Candles were lit, and a bottle of wine was breathing on the table. The smell of marinara wafted through the air.

Wanda poured wine as Natasha motioned for Bucky to sit. "Okay, Barnes. Time to spill."

He eyed them warily. "Spill what?"

Wanda leaned back, sipping her wine. "How you feel. About Gianna, about everything. We're not leaving until you talk."

Bucky sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. "What's there to say?"

Natasha leaned forward, spinning pasta on her fork. "Start with the truth. Do you still love her?"

Bucky hesitated but finally nodded. "Yeah, I do. But that's not important."

Wanda shook her head. "That's a start. At least you don’t deny it. Why do you say it isn’t important?"

Bucky's eyes dropped to the table. "I'm not good for her."

“From where we’re standing, you seemed pretty damn good to us. She didn’t exactly seem…unsatisfied.” Nat sipped her wine.

Bucky glared at her.

“Okay, sex jokes aside. That girl was happy. Why the hell do you think you weren’t good for her?”

“Because, Nat, I’m the fucking Winter Soldier.” His fist hit the table, rattling the wine glasses. Neither woman flinched. “She’s young, beautiful, smart, she has everything going for her. Everything. The whole world is in love with her. She could have anything, anyone she wants. She should have a family, a life, everything. She’s too amazing, too good for someone like me. I can’t stand the thought that I’m holding her back from something better. From someone better. I have all this shit that I’ve done, blood on my hands, I still get nightmares…I don’t want her to have to live with all that.” His voice broke ever so slightly at the end.

Natasha leaned in, her voice soft and kind. "Bucky, she knew what she was getting into when she fell for you. And she didn't care. She still doesn't."

He looked down at his hands. "But I can't give her a normal life. She deserves more than this."

Wanda spoke softly, "Maybe she thinks a life with you is better than any normal life. You've got to trust her to make that decision. Plus, it’s not like she can just walk down the street either. Did you forget the reason you met her in the first place?"

Bucky ran his fingers through his hair again, frustration evident. "What if she regrets it? What if she wakes up one day and realizes she wasted her time with me and I’m not worth it?"

Natasha leaned in, placing a hand on his arm. "Bucky, you are worth it. You've changed. You've got to believe that. Stop seeing yourself as this monster that they tried to make you. See yourself how we do."

He looked up at her. “What do you mean?”

Nat glanced at Wanda, who reached out her hand. “May I?”

Bucky nodded slowly, taking her hand.

Instantly, his mind was full of light and color. Scenes flashed before him, one after another.

Him in combat, sniping someone who was about to take a lethal shot at Steve. Him throwing a football to Peter, who was beaming. Him high-fiving an agent who finally won their first sparring match after weeks of private sessions. Him lifting a beam off of a civilian in a fire, rescuing them when they realized it would take too long for the fire department to get the jaws of life up that high. Him with his arm around Wanda on the couch on the anniversary of her parents’ death, holding her while she cried. Him catching Natasha inches before her head hit the concrete after being thrown in battle. Him watching Lord of the Rings with Peter and arguing over whether the book was better than the movie. Countless scenes of him laughing with Steve. Glimpses of the agents’ faces as he spoke, all full of awe and admiration.

Then there was Gianna. Memories of her face, looking at Bucky, eyes full of love. Bits of conversation with Wanda where she gushed about him. Her face when she woke up in the hospital bed after the bombing, immediately asking where he was. Memory after memory of the two of them together, from the perspective of various team members. The two of them dancing on the dock, disgustingly in love. Them laughing, holding hands, dancing in the kitchen in front of the coffee pot. The way she looked at him like he hung the moon. The way he looked at her like she was the sun.

Bucky couldn’t deny the difference between the man in these memories and the man he saw in the mirror. His face was bright, warm, joyful. Now, dark circles hung below his eyes and he just looked…colorless. Like he felt inside.

With a gentle squeeze of his hand, Wanda let go. His mind was quiet, devoid of all the memories. He was back at the table with two of his best friends looking at him with hope and concern. His friends who thought he was worth all of this trouble for. His friends who he loved so dearly.

“How did you…?”

“I asked.” Wanda smiled. “I asked if I could see all of the good memories of you. Everyone had more than enough. The hardest part was sorting through them all.”

He stared at the table for a moment, dumbfounded.

Nat nudged him with her elbow. “Just remember, Buck, if you’re thinking those things about yourself, you’re saying we’re all wrong. When was the last time we were all wrong?” She winked at Wanda. “Especially us.”

Bucky grinned despite himself.

“Eat!” Wanda chastised, gesturing to his plate with her fork. “It’s not as good when it’s cold.”

The conversation continued as they ate, thankfully shifting away from Bucky’s emotions for the time being. For the first time since he watched Gianna walk out the door, he felt a sliver of hope.

As the night progressed, the atmosphere lightened even further. Wanda insisted on watching a romantic comedy, stating that it was a staple of a girls’ night. They even had pints of ice cream reserved for the occasion. Bucky feigned interest, but his mind was elsewhere, lost in thoughts of Gianna and the memories he’d been shown.

Natasha nudged him as they sat on the couch, the screen illuminating their faces. "You okay?"

Bucky sighed, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah. Just thinking about her."

“Good.” Nat grinned. “I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but you better do something. The next intervention won’t be so cushy.”

The movie played on, but Bucky's mind was miles away, contemplating the possibility of winning back the woman he loved.

Gianna

The vibrant atmosphere of Madison Square Garden buzzed around Gianna as she sat courtside at the Knicks game. The cheers of the crowd, the bass of the music, and the energetic spirit of the close game created a palpable buzz in the air.

Gianna, dressed in jeans and a corset top, found herself featured on the Jumbotron. The crowd erupted in cheers as she waved and blew a playful kiss. Beside her, Madison Beer, shared the moment with a grin. They’d been in talks about recording a song together and decided to take a girls’ night to celebrate.

As the halftime began, Gianna caught wind of a commotion in the row behind her. Turning, she saw Peter animatedly trying to persuade her security to let him through, insisting that they were friends. However, the stern expressions on the security team indicated their skepticism as they refused.

With an amused smile, Gianna stood and walked over. "It's alright, guys. He's a friend."

The security team eyed Peter warily as she beckoned him closer. "I told you I know her! Spider-Man and Gigi, pals!"

Gianna chuckled, giving Peter a friendly hug. "It's been too long, Pete. What are you doing in the city?”

“Nat kicked us out for the night.” He ran a hand through his tousled hair.

“Us?” Gianna’s heart pounded.

“Oh, uh, Steve, Sam, and Mr. Stark.” He gestured up towards the suites. Looking up, Gianna saw three friendly faces smiling and waving from the Stark Enterprises box. She grinned and waved back.

Peter paled as he glanced over Gianna’s shoulder, where Madison had joined them.

Gianna laughed, "Oh, I’m so sorry. Peter, meet Madison Beer. Madison, this is Peter Parker."

Peter's eyes widened, and he stammered out a greeting, utterly starstruck.

Madison laughed, "Nice to meet you, Peter. Gianna's told me a lot about you. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and all."

Peter's eyes widened even further. "Really? Wow, now I really owe you one.” He elbowed Gianna.

Madison grinned, amused by Peter's awe. "Are you here on vigilante business?”

Peter, still in a state of disbelief, managed to laugh. "Uh, not this time. More of a guys’ night.” He gestured back to the box.

“Oh my God, is Tony Stark here?” Madison squealed, suddenly starstruck herself.

“Yes, actually, he sent me down to ask if you, uh, wanted to join us…” Peter rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you have great seats, I mean courtside, that’s tough to beat, but we’ve got the bartender and the food and -”

“Can we?” Madison whirled to face Gianna.

“It’s just you four?” Gianna said under her breath to Peter, expression cautious.

“Just us.” He nodded, understanding who exactly she was asking about.

Gianna swallowed in relief and linked her arm with Madison. “Shall we?”

The trio made their way to the Stark Enterprises box, where Tony, Steve, and Sam were eagerly waiting. As Gianna approached, Steve stood up, grinning.

"Gianna! It's been too long," Steve said, enveloping her in a warm hug.

Tony added, "And who's this? Supermodel, actress…?"

“Singer.” Gianna chuckled, "Tony, Steve, Sam, meet Madison Beer. Madison, meet the guys.”

The atmosphere in the private box crackled with excitement as the game resumed after halftime. Gianna, Madison, and Peter, flanked by Tony, Steve, and Sam, were fully immersed in the exhilarating game, standing at the edge of the box.

"Come on, guys! We need a miracle play!" Tony shouted, his eyes glued to the action.

Madison joined in, "Come on, my jump shot looks better than that!"

Peter grinned, "I'd pay to see that."

As the game intensified, Tony couldn't resist pushing the excitement to another level. He gestured to the suite’s bartender, who poured shots for everyone. "A little liquid luck for our team!"

Gianna laughed, taking a shot glass from the tray and raising it in the air. "To the Knicks!"

The group echoed her and the shots went down smoothly. As the glasses were dropped back on the tray, the Knicks scored a crucial basket, sending the group into a collective uproar.

Tony, always one for mischief, looked at Madison. "You know, I heard if you blow a kiss to the team, it brings good luck."

Madison playfully rolled her eyes but obliged, blowing an exaggerated kiss toward the court. The team scored again, and the crowd erupted into cheers.

"Madison, you're our secret weapon!" Sam teased, throwing an arm around her as she jumped up and down.

The alcohol running through everyone’s veins only amplified the excitement. The group became rowdier as the drinks flowed and the game reached its climax. Even Steve, usually the more reserved of the bunch, found himself caught up in the infectious energy, despite not being affected by the alcohol. Gianna had been taking it slower, finding that when she came home after a night of drinking, it all turned to sadness even more intense than when she was sober. So tonight, besides the shot, she was still sipping on her first cocktail.

Gianna leaned over to where he sat, resonating with the other relatively sober person on the. "You having fun, Cap?"

Steve grinned and raised the bottle in his hand, "Beer, basketball, and great company. What’s not to love?" Before Gianna could continue the conversation, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheering as the Knicks finished with a win. The group erupted into cheers and high-fives, Tony going around and kissing everyone on the head.

“Alright, Happy’s bringing the car around. It’s time to celebrate.”

Steve glanced at his watch warily. "Tony, it's late. We've got an early flight back tomorrow."

Tony waved off the concern. "Last time I checked, whoever owns the plane decides the flight time. Looks like our flight just got delayed!"

Madison tossed her hair over her shoulder as she linked arms with Sam and Peter, trailing Tony out the door. Her laughter echoed into the hallway as she wagged her eyebrows at Gianna, clearly thrilled with how the night was unfolding.

“Sounds like we’re in for a long night.” Steve gave a resigned smile to Gianna.

Smiling, she downed the rest of her watery vodka cranberry.

“Then let’s make the best of it.”

Bucky

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“What?” Bucky groaned, stirring on the coach. Wanda had fallen asleep sprawled across half the sectional, leaving Bucky to doze off in an awkward seated position. Only Nat had stayed awake through the second movie. Her reaction to whatever text she just got was enough to wake him back up.

Nat eyed him, but didn’t reply, turning her gaze back to her phone.

“Nat, what is it?” Bucky shifted to sit up straighter.

She paused, chewing her bottom lip. Seeming to realize it was pointless to resist showing Bucky, she flipped the phone around. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright, glowing screen, but he recognized the interface to be Twitter.

‘The Avengers party with Madison Beer and Gianna Cruz: Pop Stars spotted entering famed nightclub Flame following Knicks Victory.’

Bucky clenched his jaw as his eyes raked over the photo. Tony was winking at the camera, leading the group. Gianna and the brunette girl, Madison, each held one of Peter’s arms as they walked, Steve and Sam walking behind them and shielding their eyes from the flashes.

“How old is this?”

“Bucky…”

“Nat,” His tone had a warning in it. “How old is this photo?”

“It was posted fifteen minutes ago. According to Steve, they got to the club about forty five minutes ago and Tony doesn’t seem to want to call it a night.”

He rubbed his hand along his stubbled jawline, suddenly wide awake. “How quickly can we get to Manhattan?”

#avengers #bucky barnes x oc #bucky fanfic #bucky fluff #bucky barnes #james bucky barnes #winter soldier #sebastian stan #winter soldier fluff

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kingarmorking · 6 months

Text

"(simba voice) moooom! mom you're messing up my mane!"

i dont know where this takes place in that au but the image Would Not leave my mind so here we are @tharkflark1

There were many things that Yozora expected when he woke up that morning. Training with his dads, maybe going off world with either of them or Aegis and Magia or maybe it would’ve been a quiet day! Just a day for himself to wander around Quadratum. That was thrown out the window when he saw a news broadcast of a monster, looking eerily similar to the heartless his dads talked about fighting, and then the headline stated, “Young man with a giant key fights off the monster that appears in downtown Quadratum!”

So… yeah he was with a younger version of his dad now. Sora was staying with Strelitzia and they were working on a way to get him back to his own world. That he could do. Sure a wrench or two were consistently being thrown into that plan when the younger version of Riku then showed up followed by his actual dads coming back from where they were off world! But that he could handle! Kind of! He was handling it just fine. What he could not handle… was the younger version of Riku in his spirit form.

Now… his pa (Sora) had told him that dad (Riku) had some trouble controlling the form when they were younger. He wasn’t sure when his dad had gotten a better grasp on it so the few times he’d seen the form growing up, he was in control of his actions for the most part, there were few things that he’d do that pa would embarrass him about later (though he would still find a way to without a doubt)

He’d woken up like normal, after that mess had been settled, terrible bedhead and all that caused it to spike up in random directions. Noise from outside had caught his attention and upon exiting he saw the younger Riku in his spirit form. Again not a big deal but the second Riku’s star-shaped eyes locked with him, Yozora felt the deep rooted instinct of fight-or-flight flare up and he turned to run back inside because where was Sora, why was Riku in his spirit form- he was bowled over none too gently by the giant komory bat dream eater.

He felt the rumbling in Riku’s throat as he nuzzled his back and let out a pained huff, “Okay, Riku I get it, you’re happy to see me, which… better than the alternative… but can you please get off me you’re so much heavier than Meow Mori!” he groaned.

Riku, to absolutely no one’s surprise, did not listen to him. Because why would he like this, Sora was the only one who he’d listen to and Sora was still no where to be seen! A chuff of air further mussed his hair and he rolled his eyes, twisting his body to say something else when a tongue dragged across his forehead up to his hair. Wha… oh hell no, don’t tell him…!

“Riku! I don’t need a bath!” his petulant protests went unnoticed as Riku continued grooming his future child.

The only saving grace was that Aegis and Magia weren’t present because they’d never hear the end of it and then he’d be minus two friends. He continued trying to get out of Riku’s grip, only freezing when he heard muffled giggles from behind him. He craned his head backwards and was greeted with the sight of the older Sora, pa, trying and failing to contain the snickers escaping from his mouth.

“Not… a word.”

“But Zozo!”

“But nothing pa!”

Pa covered his mouth, more muffled giggles coming out at the sight of the predicament Yozora was in as Riku’s tongue made his hair, arguably worse honestly, “Riku! You’re messing up my hair!” he groaned. Pa’s laughs were finally too much and he doubled over, holding his stomach. His dad laughing was fine, this was still better than-

“Aww baby dream eater’s bath time by daddy dream eater~!”

Two sets of laughter joined pa’s and Magia’s voice rang out clear, Yozora briefly wondering if he could suffocate himself in Riku’s mane. Finally he got one arm free and he frantically pat at Riku’s arm, “Okay, okay I’m clean! I’m clean!” he wriggled the rest of his body free and made to smooth his hair out. Once that was done he took a quick calming breath, spun on his heels and materialized his sword and crossbow, aiming them at his two, soon to be, ex-friends. Aegis and Magia both froze, wide grins still on their faces.

“Run.” all three said simultaneously, Aegis and Magia to each other and Yozora’s only warning before he ran after them. Pa could handle Riku’s spirit form for the time being, he had two friends to kill.

#kingdom hearts #uhhh #stork baby au?#sure #stork baby au #king writes #i wrote this in like less than an hour #riku at a later point #“i did WHAT”

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totowlff · 1 year

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chapter five — making the rules

➝ the time has come to settle the legal issues related to their child. and the meeting with the lawyer revealed some problems.

➝ word count: 3,1k

➝ warnings: none

Sitting on the brown leather couch in the reception area, Cassie was incessantly jiggling her foot, staring at the floor. She still had a hard time believing everything that had happened already, and how fast this process was going.

She had decided to have a child on her own. She had undergone what seemed like a dozen exams and started on medication to regulate her cycle. She started feeling ill at work because of it. Her boss noticed that she felt ill. They were good friends, so she told him why she was taking the new medication. He made a proposal to her to be her sperm donor. She had accepted. He had undergone the necessary exams as well, and they showed he was in perfect condition to be her donor.

And now, Cassie was sitting in the lobby of a law firm that specialized in family law, just west of Oxford, in Botley, waiting for Toto — her boss and presumptive donor — to meet her so they could take another step towards realizing their dream of becoming parents.

Well, co-parents.

The sound of the door opening snapped Cassie out of her thoughts, and she looked up toward the building's entryway. Toto had just walked in through it. He was breezing his way through the lobby, walking quickly, with a serious expression on his face. However, his stern countenance came undone almost immediately when his brown eyes caught sight of Cassie.

— Good afternoon, Cassie — he said. She rose to greet him with a kiss on the cheek. Considering they were going to have a child together, a little more familiarity in their greetings didn’t seem amiss.

— Good afternoon, Toto — she replied — How are you?

— I’m fine. What about you? Has your stomach settled a bit?

Cassie blinked. She really hadn’t expected him to remember what she had replied to him on WhatsApp earlier, when she told him she was feeling nauseous.

— Yes, it has. The lemon and ginger tea I had at the office helped a lot — she replied, giving him a shy smile.

— Excellent. Did Claire show up yet?

— I don't think so — Cassie replied, looking at the door beside the reception desk. No one had passed through there since the moment she’d arrived and sat down.

— Wait here — he said, heading toward the receptionist and inquiring if the attorney they'd been meeting with was in the building. After asking to check and make a call, the woman said that Claire was on her way down to the lobby to receive them and take them to a conference room. There, they would discuss the legal aspects of their relationship, setting up firm rules for co-parenting and raising the child they were having.

“Our child”, Cassie thought, watching Toto walk back over.

It still felt surreal.

A few minutes later, while they were standing together in the lobby and talking, a blonde woman with short hair and wearing a well-tailored set of black pants and a smart-looking blazer approached them.

— Mr. Wolff? — she asked.

— Yes, you must be Claire — Toto replied, smiling, and — Nice to meet you.

The two shook hands before the woman turned to Cassie.

— And you must be Miss Aldersey, right?

— Yes, it’s nice to meet you — she replied, squeezing the woman's hand.

— Could you follow me? — Claire asked, holding out her hand to show them the way.

Walking down the long hallway to the office, Cassie couldn't help but feel a little nervous about the situation. They would be discussing crucial questions about the life of a person who didn't even exist yet, but who both of them loved already, to the point that the first message Toto had sent her after their coffee date had been a picture of a rather familiar stuffed rabbit.

“They didn't have stuffed wolves”, he wrote.

The image made Cassie feel nostalgic. She knew that rabbit. It was a Peter Rabbit plush, a character from the Beatrix Potter books that she had read to exhaustion as a child. The tender scenes of the rabbit family made her travel to a different reality, where she didn't have to deal with her mother's strange looks and her father's cruel words. Seeing that rabbit again, in that context, made her eyes fill with tears.

Their child would never need to hide from reality as she had.

They would never need to see the rabbit family as an impossible wish, but as a tangible reality.

They would be the most beloved child in the world.

The three of them entered the conference room and sat at the table, where there was a legal-sized notepad and a pen, with three empty glasses and three bottles of water laid out for them. Cassie was hanging her bag over the back of her chair when Claire cleared her throat.

— Well, from what Mr. Wolff said over the phone, would you like to draft a co-parenting agreement, if I remember correctly. Is that the case?

— Yes — Toto replied.

— Excellent. How long has it been since the two of you separated?

The two looked at each other.

— We’re not separated — Cassie said.

— No?

— We’ve never been in a romantic relationship together.

The lawyer blinked.

— But…

— I decided to do in vitro fertilization and become a single mother — Cassie explained — However, in the middle of the process, Toto expressed interest in becoming a known donor, since he also has the desire to become a parent.

— And due to the fact that we are not a couple or have any legal connection, we decided to contact you to make a legal agreement, with all of our rights and obligations spelled out, along with our intentions to co-parent, just to make everything official — Toto said.

Claire nodded, making some notes on the notepad in front of her.

— So we have some important questions to sort out about his life… Or is it hers?

— I'm not pregnant yet.

Again, surprise came over the woman's face.

— We're still in the middle of the process — Toto said — But, hopefully we’ll be expecting soon.

Claire smiled.

— Well, anyway, it's really good that you decided to go ahead and make this all, uh, legal, especially considering that we're talking about a third party whose quality of life will depend on how well both of you work together — she said, shuffling the stack of papers in front of her — I made a list of topics that will need to be addressed in the final version of the agreement you sign. I think today we should just focus on going through each of them one-by-one to make sure you’re all in agreement. If not, we can work toward finding an acceptable middle ground. Does that sound amenable?

Cassie looked at Toto before nodding.

— We can start with the basics, which I believe would be the baby’s name. It’s fine if you haven’t necessarily discussed it, yet, it’s not necessary for the agreement, but it might be interesting to decide how the choice will be made.

— I believe we'll decide on that with that when the baby is on the way — Toto said, looking at her, waiting for her confirmation. Cassie nodded — But it will definitely be something that will be decided together.

— Yes — the attorney said, writing something down on her notepad — What about the child's last name? As you well know, the custom here in the UK is for a person to have a first name, one or more middle names and a surname, usually the father's. However, something that is not unusual are compound surnames, separated by a hyphen. It is a very common custom in other countries, including Austria, which is where I believe you are from, Mr. Wolff? So, I would like to know what you think.

— It should be Wolff — Cassie replied, immediately.

Toto looked at her, a little startled.

— You know I don't mind if…

— I don't care if our child doesn't have my last name, Toto. It might be better that way, considering… My family.

Cassie didn't want to delve right now into the problems she had with her parents, especially with Albert. Even still, it wasn't uncommon for her to have nightmares of her father's voice screaming in her ears, claiming that she wasn't really part of his family, and that she didn't deserve the last name Aldersey.

It made no sense for her to give her child something she didn't deserve, and oftentimes, didn’t even want.

— We can do it like in Austria, with a hyphen. Aldersey-Wolff, what do you think?

— That’s too much, Toto. Wolff is more than enough of a surname and, let's face it, it’s much nicer than Aldersey.

A small smile appeared on his lips.

— Well, if Cassie doesn't mind, we can follow British convention and just use ‘Wolff’.

— Excellent — Claire said — This brings me to another issue, the child's nationality. Considering that Miss Aldersey is British and Mr. Wolff is Austrian, I believe this needs to be discussed as well.

— Wouldn’t they have dual citizenship? — Toto asked.

— Unfortunately not, Mr. Wolff. Austrian law, as far as I have ascertained, does not allow men who are not in a registered union to automatically pass on their citizenship to their children.

— What if the baby is born in Austria?

— Austrian law does not grant the right to citizenship by place of birth, the so-called jus soli. In order for the child to be granted Austrian citizenship at birth, Cassie would need to be an Austrian national. Austria confers jus sanguinis citizenship through the mother.

— Another subject for Her Majesty — Cassie murmured with a mischievous smile on her face. Toto looked at her, a little aghast.

— Is there a problem with our child being Austrian?

— No, but I’m curious, Toto, what is this insistence on your citizenship? You don't like the idea of our child being British?

He blinked.

— No… I just wish they would have my citizenship, too.

— Well, there is the possibility of applying for dual citizenship at the Austrian embassy, presenting a series of documents that I can provide for you after the birth of the child. That is, if Miss Aldersey agrees.

Toto looked at Cassie, his gaze filled with anticipation.

— What do you think, Cassie?

— Do you want them to have your nationality?

— Yes, I would very much like that.

She smirked.

— Then, that is fine.

He looked back at Claire.

— They will have dual citizenship, then.

The woman smiled, writing down their choice on her legal pad.

— Now, regarding where the child will live, have you discussed that?

Toto and Cassie looked at each other.

— Well, usually children stay with their mother, don't they? — Cassie asked.

— There is no hard-and-fast rule for which parent gets primary custody, since that varies based on circumstance. However, I believe that, in your case, it’s something that merits discussion, since we are talking about two people who have never been in a relationship. In most known donor cases, for the first few years, the child stays primarily with the mother, and the father gets partial custody. However, given that the two of you have a good relationship, I believe that an alternative arrangement can be found, which will allow Mr. Wolff to have more than simple partial custody.

Toto and Cassie were each silent for a moment, each of them deep in thought. Cassie couldn't see any way to bring Toto and their child closer together. It wasn't like he could go live in her flat after their baby was born, there simply wasn’t enough space for all of them.

— What if you move in with me, Cassie? — he asked, in a low voice.

— And, what, live with you?

— Yeah. My house is more than big enough, and I have a guest room. You can stay there for the first six months. That way, I can help you in the beginning, and we can have this… experience together. Once the baby is weaned and is eating solid foods, we can go back to living separately and working with visitation, depending on the race schedule.

— You know moving in together is a big step, right? I don’t know if we know each other well enough for that.

— Cassie, we're having a baby together. If we know each other well enough to have a baby, I think moving in together isn’t such a stretch.

Toto was right. She hadn't stopped to think that they had made a much bigger and more permanent decision than cohabitation without necessarily knowing each other well enough, as she claimed. It didn't make sense to put up more obstacles. Besides, Toto also had the right to participate in his own child's life, especially in the first few months. Those moments would never come back and depriving Toto, who wanted a child as much as she did, would be horribly selfish.

Besides, what harm could she possibly do living with him?

— I didn’t think about it that way before, so, I agree, I think it's better for us to live in the same house at first.

He smiled.

— But only until the baby has introduced food and can be alone with you for long periods. Then I'll go back to my apartment and we'll arrange a schedule, okay?

— Sounds perfect.

Discussion of the details of the arrangement went on to cover the smallest minutiae of the child's life, from how they would spend the holidays, or the use of phones when they were older. They also agreed that the baby would not have a nanny, or be sent to boarding school; Cassie took a firm stance on that. They also discussed how birthdays and holidays would be divided, and taking the baby on international trips, mostly to see Toto’s family in Austria.

— You should come with us too — he said in a soft voice.

Cassie looked at him, a little confused by his tone.

— Is that an invitation or a request?

— Whatever you want it to be, Cassie — he smiled, resting his head on his hand, his index finger reaching for his cheekbone.

The most tense part of the discussion was the discussion of finances. Cassie knew that Toto was quite well-off; he was a multi-millionaire, after all. However, she abhorred the idea of having no financial responsibility for her child. To her, it sounded unnatural, almost an offense to her worldview. She believed that women should have independence and the ability to make choices and to sustain them.

Despite agreeing with her central point, Toto did not like the idea of splitting the bills exactly in half. In his view, it didn't make sense for him for someone of his means to pay the same amount as Cassie, who didn't have such a large salary as he did, nor the existing wealth that Toto had built through his investment career. After a lot of talking, a few cups of coffee, and a short breather after Cassie almost burst into tears of rage, they finally reached a compromise.

Cassie and Toto would be responsible for the child's expenses while they were at their respective houses. Education expenses would be Toto’s responsibility, while health expenses would be covered by the plan offered by Mercedes to their employees. However, one detail of the conversation made Cassie's heart sink.

— I would also like to establish a special trust for my child. I plan to fund it with a considerable value, which would serve as an immediate backup in case... Something happens to me. I know inheritance processes can be time consuming and I wouldn't want your lives to go on stand-by because of me, whatever the reason.

She reached out and took his fingers between his.

— Nothing will happen to you, Toto. Rest assured.

The rest of the conversation moved quickly. Both decided that they would not impose any religion, diet or restrictions on pets. They resolved not to use any sort of physical violence as a means of discipline, and agreed to periodically talk about the child’s routine, so that it stayed consistent between both residences.

— Now that we have all of those details sorted, let's talk about events that may impact your life and thus, the life of your child — Claire said — Regarding any international moves, how would that work?

— I don’t have any plans to move, and I don’t believe Cassie does, either, so I don't think that would be a factor.

— Well, what about changes in financial conditions, like a layoff?

— That’s a question for Toto — Cassie said, giving him a mischievous smile.

— Why?

— Because my job is in his hands.

— Do you work together? — the lawyer asked.

— Ah, yes. I'm the CEO and part-owner of the company, and she's part of the marketing team — Toto replied — And if it's up to me, you'll never leave Mercedes. Never.

— Good to know — she said, laughing.

— And what about having other children together?

— I can't say that for sure, considering I don't even have one so I know what it's like and if I could handle having more.

— Personally, I'd like to — Toto murmured.

— Of course you would, you don’t have to carry and give birth to them.

— Indeed — he replied, laughing.

— And about romantic relationships, how do you intend to deal with that? Well, third-party relationships, in your case; say, if either one of you starts dating someone.

The silence stretched for long, uncomfortable seconds. Cassie hated thinking about it, but at the same time, she couldn't resist imagining herself with Toto. There was something about him that drew her in; he had an indescribable gravity that Cassie had become trapped in somehow. It wasn't just because he was a handsome, charming, good-natured man and the father-to-be of her child.

Cassie shouldn't want him. She knew it was a bad idea to get even more entrenched with him, but she couldn’t help but wish he was something other than a co-parent. Other than a friend. Other than a boss.

— I believe we'll discuss that if a new person appears in our lives and we'll define together his role in our lives — Toto replied — With the maturity, respect, and cooperation that we've always had.

— Exactly — Cassie added, forcing a smile.

— And, if I may ask… Is there any possibility that you may, in the future, develop a romantic relationship?

Cassie's eyes went straight to her hands. She was holding a small styrofoam cup of coffee. She stared at the rim. The room was uncomfortably quiet again. Her head had one answer, but her heart had another, completely different one. Cassie had no idea what to say to the lawyer.

— No, absolutely none — Toto replied definitively.

Swallowing hard, she lifted her head, looking at the woman.

— Do you agree, Miss Aldersey?

— Yes, absolutely — she said.

Cassie had never lied so well.

#toto wolff #toto wolff x oc #formula 1 fic #formula 1 fanfic #formula 1 x oc #f1 fic #f1 fanfic #f1 x oc #collab #wlffog #etlwlff

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notstinky · 8 months

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TIMING: Current FEATURING: Thea ( @notstinky ) & Cass ( @magmahearts ) LOCATION: Thea’s house, Worm Row SUMMARY: Cass's hair looks so nice! Gee, she must be a really skilled hairdresser Oh, wouldn't it be a great idea to invite her over to cut hair? CONTENT WARNINGS: none unless you are Charles Xavier

Cass was sad and Thea didn’t know what to do about it. She didn’t think it was the sort of sadness that could be extracted with company and google searches of a B-list X-Men (she would apologize to Rictor if he was real, but he probably understood why he was B-list). And, certainly, it wasn’t the sort of sadness that would magically evaporate if Thea let her hair be Cass’s new canvas, but she was going to try anyway. Standing around and letting her friend be sad just wasn’t an option. The week before a full moon was the time she had the most energy; the moments in which her body forgot what would happen to her in a few days' time. If she was going to give Cass the best damn chill-hang-out-at-a-friend’s-house ever, it would have to happen now.

“Cass!” Thea flung the door open with a wide smile. “Just in time! The google images page just loaded.” Thea spun her Macbook around, showing off the bright screen and the thousands of results of ‘Rictor marvel’ on Google: from his wet-dog X-Factor investigations look to his tragic early look with the nonsensical beige shoulder pads. “Come-in-how-are-you-love-the-hair,” she muttered all at once, standing off to the side so Cass could enter.

Thea’s extremely humble rental home had all the charm of something built two decades ago, maintained by the laziest of landlords, and subject to a bit of a pending silverfish problem. In every corner there was chipped paint and strange brown stains; if a floorboard didn’t creak then it was probably scratched so deeply that it had a new texture altogether; and the light bulbs illuminated the area in such warmth that it verged on orange. The only thing the house had going for it was the size, designed for a large family but currently occupied by Thea and three other mysterious college students she never saw except for the one time all three of them were huddled outside of her bedroom window, looking up at her. She didn’t think much of it. If her rent was five times what she was paying, it would remind her a lot more of the houses in Toronto.

—

Cass could count on one hand, really, the number of times in her life when someone had recognized she was upset and wanted to do something about it. It was the kind of thing that had seemed impossible for so long, as fantastical and outlandish as the events that unfolded in the comic books she was so fond of. But now? It was becoming almost common. Alex talked her through it when she was feeling abandoned, Nora stayed with her when she was upset, Van let her stay when she begged for it, Thea invited her over when she was sad and rambling on and on. She knew it was probably temporary, knew that eventually they’d all choose to leave her too, but she could enjoy it while it lasted, couldn’t she? She could sit with it, could let it lighten the load on her back. She could walk to Thea’s weird house in the bad part of town and feel good about it, could smile when her friend opened the door.

“Thea,” she greeted, letting her gaze jump down to the laptop monitor as it was turned around. And, yep, there he was. Short-tempered earthquake master Julio Richter, displayed in a thousand different boxes on the Google image result page. “I miss the mohawk,” she sighed, zeroing in on one of the pictures and shaking her head. “I wish they’d let him have one again.”

She stepped into Thea’s house as the other girl stepped to the side, glancing around. She couldn’t say much about anyone’s living situation — living in a cave kind of disqualified her from commenting on anyone’s house, she was pretty sure — but Thea’s place was a little run down. A little falling apart, a little unsteady on its foundation. She wondered how much it cost to live here, wondered if Thea wouldn’t be happier living in a cave instead. She couldn’t imagine anyone preferring any kind of living structure that wasn’t a cave, but people were weird, she guessed. “Um, I didn’t bring scissors because I don’t know where mine are. Do you have some? I can do your hair. What kind of hairstyle do you want?”

—

“It’s better than the long hair and the…whatever this is.” Thea pointed at a picture of Rictor sporting a green headband and skin-tight green spandex. “He looks like he’s going to teach a spin class.” And if Thea understood anything about Rictor, it was that he should not be teaching a spin class. Shatterstar would probably teach an interesting spin class, though. Maybe this was a new subject for Cass’s fanfiction. She’d have to casually broach the subject latter; it wouldn’t be polite to hound the best author in existence with her stupid ideas. The thought made her shiver suddenly, as thinking about Cass’s writing often did. She couldn’t level a comment about it that wasn’t praiseworthy, and that had seeped into her thoughts. Something was wrong, but she wasn’t sure what. Regardless, even if Cass had the writing skill of a sixth grader just discovering the ‘publish’ button, Thea took pleasure in just reading something her friend wrote. “I have scissors! They’re from Walmart, so maybe it’s lower quality than you’re used to, I hope that’s okay.” Thea gestured down the hall leading Cass into the bathroom.

Thea had taken great care to set it up for Cass. She had her Walmart scissors laid out, a spray bottle with water (she knew hairdressers used it, though she didn’t know why), towels, a stool and a hair dryer. A flickering thought crossed through her mind: if Cass cut her own hair, why didn’t she know where her scissors were? That seemed strange. Thea didn’t interrogate it. “Um, just whatever is easy,” she said, answering Cass’s question. “My hair is kinda longer than I like, so maybe just a little cut? Nothing crazy.” Thea sat down on the stool, lowering it so she was at a good height for Cass. She held up the laptop, pointing to a new photo of Rictor; a picture of him from the latest Excalibur run. “What do you think about this one?”

—

“It was the eighties,” Cass replied, squinting at the picture. “I think.” Hard to tell, sometimes; some of the art was recognizable as standard for the decade, but some of it was harder to pinpoint. A rough google image search was a lot harder to determine a specific year from than a full comic cover would have been, even for someone like Cass, who knew just about all there was to know about this particular obscure B-List X-Men character. “I’d go to his spin class. It’d probably be funny.” But talking about X-Men, with Thea, wasn’t quite as much fun as it used to be. That fanfiction bind was a silly one, but Cass still felt bad about it. Would Thea be angry with her if she knew? Maybe it was for the best that the subject changed to scissors and a haircut — that was a lot easier to think about without feeling bad. “Walmart scissors are fine!” Truthfully, Cass wasn’t even sure where she’d stolen her scissors from. It could have been Walmart. She didn’t think her ‘standards’ were quite what Thea assumed they were, but that was okay. She’d still do a good job on the haircut, she was sure of it.

The setup Thea had prepared for her looked very professional. Or… like what Cass imagined a professional setup might look like. She’d never actually seen one in person, but the chair and supplies Thea had pulled together didn’t look entirely dissimilar from that scene in Legally Blonde where they were all in the salon, so she figured it was pretty spot on. “I can definitely do that.” The words didn’t make her feel sick, so she was confident that they were true. That was how it worked, wasn’t it? Leaning forward to investigate the photo, she nodded. “I like that one,” she agreed. “That’s one of his better looks.”

And so, she got to work. She picked up a chunk of Thea’s hair, holding it between her fingers and letting her tongue poke out the side of her mouth as she concentrated. All she had to do was cut it riiiight… snip. Whoops. The scissors slipped, making the cut uneven. Cass carefully masked her surprise. It was fine. She’d cut a little more off to make it even. Except… That was uneven, too. A little more, then. She’d get it right eventually.

—

Thea’s head felt lighter. It was strange to think of hair as having a weight, but as Cass trimmed it very lightly just as Thea had asked, she certainly felt much lighter. She didn’t wonder why the snipping sounded so heavy; tiny cuts didn’t come with such a thick sound, like chunks of hair snapping under the sharpness of her Walmart scissors. When she glanced down, she thought she saw a pile of her hair that seemed to large to be something from a small trim, and she had emphasized she just wanted a trim, right? Nothing crazy? She had said that, hadn’t she? Thea continued to scroll through the images of Rictor, thinking nothing of it. Cass’s hair looked so good, if she got even a fraction of that talent used on her head, she’d be okay. There was nothing to worry about. “Do you like him just because he has rock related powers?” She asked, growing tired of scrolling through images of Rictor; most of them were images of him making out with Shatterstar anyway. She thought that was reductive, certainly Rictor was more than his messy gay romance. So, she typed, ‘cool rocks’ into the search bar and watched the page populate with images of different crystals and stones.

There were photoshop images of glowing rocks, one that looked like the cookie monster, and another that someone had just drawn sunglasses on. Thea realized she ought to have searched for something more specific. Instead of learning her lesson, she typed ‘cool volcanoes' and went with that. “Do you know why this happens?” Thea lifted the laptop up so Cass could see it, pointing at a picture of an erupting volcano with a branch of lighting striking down. She hadn’t intended to embark on a science lesson but unlike her searches of Rictor, the B-List X-Men, she did know a lot about the scientific functions of the world. She had lofty dreams, once. “How much do you know about volcanoes?”

—

This was not going well. Cass could tell, even if she gave no outward indication of it. Thea’s hair was way shorter than she’d meant to make it, getting more and more uneven with each snip. It was starting to look less and less like normal hair and more and more like a bowl cut, too close to the other girl’s skull. But she could still fix this, she was sure of it! She just had to… keep cutting. Thea could pull off short hair, anyway. She’d probably look good. And it’d come in handy with the janitor job! She’d save a fortune on hair ties, and she wouldn’t have to worry about… janitorial stuff getting into her hair! Cass was doing her a favor, really. With a newfound confidence, the oread continued to snip. She was nailing this, actually. She was doing great.

“I like him for a lot of reasons,” she replied, “but the rock related powers are definitely a big one. Have you read the new Excalibur? They gave him lava powers in the new Excalibur.” Naturally, Cass had been thrilled when she read it, even if the comic over all hadn’t been very good. She could excuse bad writing if it meant Rictor was in a comic book again. “I like his personality a lot, though. And his backstory is cool. I think it’s neat how he doesn’t try to fit in. He’s like, ‘This is who I am, and I’m gonna make earthquakes about it.’ I like that.”

Another snip, another mistake. Cass was growing less confident in spite of her internal pep talk. She distracted herself by looking at the laptop screen as Thea held it up for her. “Oh!” She grinned, excitement rushing through her. “There are a lot of factors that contribute to volcanic lightning, actually. Ice charging, frictional charging, fractoemission, radioactive charging, plume height… It builds up in the plume of an eruption. Not really as straightforward as a thunderstorm.” She lifted another strand of hair, snipping. Uneven again. Why was this so hard? “I know a lot about volcanoes.” Nearly everything there was to know, including some things that human scientists didn’t. But she could be chill about it.

—

“No, I haven’t read it yet. I’m really behind on comics. Like, by a few years. I got busy with school and then I got busy with…” Turning into a wolf and eating people. “…moving to America.” Thea sighed, sinking into her stool before she remembered that Cass was trying to cut her hair and moving around wasn’t helping. “Sorry!” She straightened up. If there were some uneven cuts (which she doubted, Cass was probably a pro), it would be Thea’s fault. “It's interesting that you picked Rictor, y’know? ‘Cause not a lot of people would pick him as their favorite; I think that says a lot of good things about you, Cass.” This hair cut was taking a while. Well, she couldn’t rush a genius. Her head felt really light, which was probably a good thing. She repeated this in her head until she believed it, which didn’t take very long—Thea had a superhuman ability to delude herself into anything. She was very proud of the skill.

“Really?” Thea spun around, interrupting another cut. “Ah,” she winced. “Sorry, sorry.” She spun back around; now there really was no one but herself to blame for uneven cuts. “Could you tell me more about volcanoes? Um, okay, well...I know how they’re formed and I know about the different types…” Thea scrunched her face up, trying to think of something specific she wanted to know that she could ask Cass about. In the end, she thought she knew quite a bit about volcanoes and couldn’t think of an extra curiosity on top of it. “Did you go to school for uh, the study of volcanoes? What is that called?” She asked and as a thought occurred to her, striking in her mind not unlike the lighting in ash plume, she spun around again. “Cass, do you…” And then she saw it: from the corner of her eye, her hair. Or, more accurately, her lack of it.

Thea stumbled to her feet, staring at herself in the mirror. “C-Cass?”

—

“It’s not good,” Cass said matter-of-factly, “but Rictor is there.” In her opinion, that made the book one worth reading. It was the eternal plight of comic readers, wasn’t it, to suffer through terrible storylines and awful art just to catch a glimpse of their favorite characters. Thea would understand that, she thought; Thea understood most of what Cass said about comics. Thea moved, and Cass’s hand slipped a little, but with all the other uneven cuts… it wasn’t even noticeable. It was a bad needle in a bad haystack. It was all just bad. “I know he’s not, like, super well-known,” she admitted. “I just like his vibes. I don’t know. Who’s your favorite obscure mutant?” She wanted to know everything about Thea’s tastes, if only to distract them both from what was an undeniably a terrible haircut.

Thea spun around again, and Cass winced. What was one more uneven cut in a sea of them? “I can tell you anything you want to know. I didn’t go to school for it, though. I, um…” She tried to think of the best possible way to describe it. “I learned it when I was a kid.” Not entirely true, but she could hardly say I was born knowing without questions. Anyway, it seemed like the conversation wouldn’t remain about volcanoes for long, because Thea was looking in the mirror and stumbling to her feet. Cass let out an undignified squeak, scrambling over and throwing a blanket from the floor over the mirror. “I’m not done yet!” As if there was any fixing this. “I’m not finished! You can’t look yet! Let’s talk about rocks!”

—

Thea tapped her chin, taking the question very seriously. It was hard to say what counted as an obscure mutant; Thea knew most of, if not all of the official X-Men and in her heart, Xuân Cao Mạnh/Karma was well-known, for example. She was still thinking about the question as she stared at her hair, before the blanket flew on top and she was staring at lint and dust. She would never get around to her answer, which was Monet St. Croix because of that one issue of Generation X where she pushed Jubilee up against a wall and recited the story about the scorpion and the frog and made Thea feel things. Thea never liked ‘mean’ characters but the desire to be stepped on had never made more sense to her than when she thought about Monet. “Cass,” Thea said, turning to her friend—and Cass was her friend, right? “I don’t think there’s any hair left for you to cut.” Thea lifted her hand to her head and groped around the uneven, pointy ends. She still had hair, it was just much shorter than Thea thought she could ever pull off; much shorter than she asked for. “W-what is there left to finish?” But like a good friend or a soldier in shock having watched their friend (her hair) be shot (cut up in what she could only describe as an intoxicated person’s attempt at mowing a lawn with blunt scissors), Thea sat down again.

“Tell me about rocks,” she mumbled, staring out of her soap-stained bathroom window. Her voice had gone flat like a soda left out. “You know, my hair kind of looks like those chia pets. But worse, because those are even.” Thea blinked. “That’s not really related to rocks; I’m sorry. Do you think I’d still look cute if I was bald? Be honest. Rocks are bald.”

—

There was hair left for her to cut! A little! She could fix it, she was sure, she just needed Thea not to look yet. It was too much pressure when Thea was looking. When Thea was looking away and talking about X-Men, Cass could convince herself that the haircut didn’t look quite so bad because no one was freaking out about it. But now, Thea was looking, was reaching up to touch the uneven ends, was stammering through her words. Cass really wanted to go back in time to about three minutes ago, before she’d really started in with the scissors. “Don’t freak out,” she said, though she was freaking out more than Thea seemed to be. “I’m gonna make you look so cute, okay? Um, cute enough for Scott Summers to refuse to blast you to pieces on the moon even though you’re ending the universe!” That was romantic, right? She’d always thought it was romantic, the whole ‘Cyclops and Phoenix dying in front of each other all the time’ thing. Thea would probably like the reference.

“You don’t look like a chia pet,” she squeaked. The lie tasted acidic, making her stomach churn. Thea looked so much like a chia pet right now. “I think — I think you’d look really cute bald. Way better than Charles Xavier. He looks stinky, but you’d pull it off on account of — you — you don’t, um — you don’t make teenagers fight supervillains for you.” This was going so well. So well.

—

It was true that Scott Summers and Jean Grey were sorta romantic; it was cute that through the chaos of her telepathic powers, she thought of Scott like an anchor, it was also true that through the evils the Phoenix could commit, Scott saw the woman he loved. Then there was that whole mess with Madelyne Pryor and Mr. Sinister but that was comics; for everything that made sense there were about twenty things that didn’t. The thought comforted Thea. Perhaps this was her Madelyne Pryor moment; it wouldn’t make sense but maybe she’d look back on it fondly and be thankful that it gave her Nathan Christopher Charles Summers, whose name would always be stupid but at least he had a cool glowing eye. This was her glowing eye. Or maybe, just maybe, her sanity had slipped from her like a screw loosening, popping out of its hole, and rolling away. It was true that she didn’t make teenagers fight for her but the thought didn’t comfort her as much as it should have. The truth was Charles Xavier was an ugly bald bitch and now she was going to be an ugly bald bitch too.

And there was no saving an ugly bald bitch (Thea issued mental apologies to all the ugly bald bitches that weren’t Charles Xavier—he could choke).

“Do you think I could pull off a wig?” Thea sniffled. “Maybe I could wear a red one like Jean Grey and then when I try to destroy the world, I’ll find a Scott Summers who seriously thinks about letting me do it. And a Logan too, although he’s kinda stinky I don’t know if I want him.” She paused. “I’m gonna be so ugly Cass.” She flipped around in the stool. “Promise me I’m not gonna be ugly. Look me in the eyes and say I won’t be ugly. I need you to mean it. I need you to say it for real. I need you to tell me I’m not going to adopt children and then make them fight for me but if I did do it, I’d be hot like Bruce Wayne and not an ugly bald bitch like Xavier. Promise me.” Thea wasn’t sure what she was making Cass do for her; the screw had rolled very, very far away.

—

She felt terrible. There was no saving what was left of Thea’s hair — even if she didn’t do anything else to it, it would grow back all patchy and uneven and weird. The best course of action, at this point, was to shave it bald. Except Thea didn’t seem to want to be bald, and Cass felt bad about making her bald. She thought about offering to shave her own head in solidarity, but she wasn’t exactly sure how that would work with her glamour. Her hair wasn’t even real hair, it was just a mask made of magic. She didn’t think she could shave it if she tried.

“You could definitely pull off a wig,” she insisted quickly. “You could do red like Jean, or — or blonde like Emma Frost. Maybe even white like Storm!” Was this making Thea feel any better? The idea of having Scott Summers and Wolverine in some kind of eternal contest to see who got to be with you on the rare occasions where you were all alive at the same time didn’t sound entirely appealing to Cass, but then, Cass also thought that Wolverine was a little stinky. Scott would probably be a good husband, but all the inner turmoil might get a little old after a while. “You’re not going to be ugly!” She hesitated for a moment, because this could be bad. This could be very, very bad. But her friend was upset and it was her fault, and didn’t she kind of owe her something for that? Plus, ‘ugly’ was a relative thing, anyway. “I promise you’re not going to be ugly,” Cass said, deciding to risk it. “And I’m definitely positive if you adopted kids and made them fight for you, you’d be cool like Bruce Wayne and not stinky like Charles Xavier. None of them would even kill you, probably!”

—

“Emma Frost is seriously hot.” Thea sniffled. “But I think most of that is her boobs.” Emma Frost wasn’t her hair and the more Thea thought about it, the more it comforted her. She thought about the hottest X-Men; Emma, Jean, Ororo, and Mystique (Psylocke would not be making an appearance on her mental list because body snatching discounted her as sexy). She wasn’t going to consider modern depictions of these women because Marvel had finally stopped featuring them on covers with a boobs-out approach, except for Emma Frost, who always had her boobs out. Thea needed to think of them when they were at their sexy peak: half-naked in skin-tight clothing with questionable anatomy. Yes, all of these women had hair but none of them were known for their hair. She could be hot without hair! It would just also require having big boobs and tight clothes and questionable anatomy. In the end, she was back where she started, accepting that Emma Frost wasn’t hot because she had hair, but because she had big boobs. Thea glanced down; some things could not be willed into existence.

The promise was nice even if it wasn’t Thea’s concern now. Sure, she wouldn’t be ugly but would she be Emma-Frost-hot? She twisted in the stool again. “Promise me I’m hot?” she asked, her wet eyes glistening. “Promise me that if you saw me with this hair walking down the street you’d think ‘wow, she looks attractive and cool’?” Thea blinked. “P-promise me that if you saw my hair, and if you were a stranger, you wouldn’t think ‘oh she fell into a lawn mower’…promise? Do you promise that? Do I have the Cass guarantee that no one is even going to notice my hair? No one is going to notice, right? If my child kills me it’ll be because they have an uncontrollable darkness inside of them and not because I’m an ugly bald bitch, right? Promise?”

—

“It’s not the boobs, it’s the attitude,” Cass insisted, still trying to salvage the whole ordeal. “And you’ve got a great attitude, too! Your attitude makes your boobs Emma Frost-level boobs.” Was this helping? Thea was looking down at her boobs — which were, decidedly, not Emma Frost-level boobs, because Emma Frost-level boobs really only existed on Emma Frost specifically, and that was because no one who had ever drawn Emma Frost had done so with a basic understanding of how boobs actually worked — and Cass was desperate to put some kind of a positive spin on this absolute disaster of a haircut. But some things were hard to spin. Cass couldn’t imagine Emma Frost or Jean Grey with this haircut, and she thought Thea probably knew as much.

Which brought them to a new promise. Cass could promise Thea that she wouldn’t be ugly and adopt a bunch of children that she’d make fight for her, because ugly was a relative term and Thea adopting a bunch of child soldiers was far-fetched enough to make the reward outweigh the risk of the promise being broken. But promising Thea that Cass, specifically, would see her haircut and think she was attractive and cool? That was… a little harder to keep. “Uhhh…” Cass’s eyes darted to Thea’s reflection in the mirror. “I don’t think you look like you fell into a lawn mower,” she said, which wasn’t a promise. She couldn’t make the promises Thea was asking for, because people were definitely going to notice. “Bald is in right now! Florence Pugh shaved her head this year, remember? Natalie Portman’s done it, too! And Karen Gillan! You’re gonna be trendy, Thea.”

—

“Those were for movies!” Except for Florence Pugh, but when you were an actress who made as much money as her and who looked like her, you could do anything. Thea thought so, at least. She stood up, pushing the stool away. She gripped Cass's shoulders and shook them lightly. “They got paid! They made money! I don’t have Emma Frost boobs or an attitude! My attitude is like a wet, overcooked noodle! I’m mushy! I’ll never be Natalie Portman or Emma Frost!” Water stung the edge of Thea’s eyes. She released Cass, sighing. It wasn’t her fault, Thea moved around a lot: shaking her head, talking, showing off pictures of volcanoes. It wasn’t lost on her that Cass didn’t promise the things Thea had asked, but as she pulled the blanket Cass threw on the mirror away, she knew what she’d asked for was impossible. It really would take the anatomy of a sexy comic book female character to fix her, and she was never going to get that. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, turning to face her friend. “This isn’t your fault. I’m sure this looked really good before I started moving around and asking about volcanoes.” She slumped.

Thea’s goal had been to cheer Cass up, bald or not, she could still be a good friend. Sucking in a deep, quivering breath, Thea forced her mouth into a wide smile and perked up. “Maybe I’ll start a new trend!” She wouldn’t. “Maybe I’ll be so weird that I’ll be hot!” She really wouldn’t. “Maybe this will make me extra approachable.” It wouldn’t. She considered that if she shaved it down all the way, instead of leaving the uneven strands, she’d look better—but then her hair would have more to grow back from and she did want her hair to go back, desperately. “Hey, why don’t we watch V for Vendetta? So we can see Natalie Portman be bald. And maybe we watch that part of Fantasia that’s ‘Night on Bald Mountain’. Maybe we have a whole bald themed day. I’ll order a pizza but with no toppings, because it’s bald. I’m bald.” She opened her arms, inviting Cass into a hug. “I really appreciate you coming here to cut my hair and hang out, Cass.” This time, her smile was genuine.

Out of the corner of her eye, she looked at the glowing screen of her laptop. Once Cass was gone, she was going to look up pictures of Emma Frost until she felt her hotness was transferred into her. Then she’d try on an all white outfit and spill sauce from a leftover slice of pizza on it and cry. But that would be then and for now, all she wanted to do was hang out with her friend and be bald.

#a little off the top #c: cass #writing #s1 #// this was so fun #the rammys are going to be felt worldwide #also rip to thea's hair

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