#UNIFORMED SECURITY GUARD COMPANY

[txttletale]

Hi! Do you think you could link me to some resources about the problems/ evils of the EU? Would love to find some but it's hard to know what's reliable when I have no base knowledge in this area + you seem very well informed :)

sure. let's start with what the EU does to its own member states--in 2009, the EU bailed the greek government out of severe debt on the condition that they establish brutal austerity measures, cutting public spending and welfare. these measures served to immiserate and destroy the lives of thousands of greek people:

Greek mortality has worsened significantly since the beginning of the century. In 2000, the death rate per 100,000 people was 944.5. By 2016, it had risen to 1174.9, with most of the increase taking place from 2010 onwards.

[forbes]

Since the implementation of the austerity programme, Greece has reduced its ratio of health-care expenditure to GDP to one of the lowest within the EU, with 50% less public hospital funding in 2015 than in 2009. This reduction has left hospitals with a deficit in basic supplies, while consumers are challenged by transient drug shortages.

[the lancet]

The homeless population is thought to have grown by 25 per cent since 2009, now numbering 20,000 people.

[oxfam]

the most brutal treatment, however, the EU of course reserves for migrants from the global south. the EU sets strict migration quotas and uses its member states as weapons against desperate people fleeing across the mediterranean. boats are prevented from landing, migrants that do make it to land are repelled with brutal violence, and refugees are deported back to countries where their lives are in lethal danger. these policies have led to many, many deaths--and the refugees and migrants who do survive are treating fucking inhumanely.

After a perilous journey across the desert, Abdulaziz was locked up in Triq al-Sikka, a grim prison in Tripoli, Libya. Why? Because the EU pays Libyan militias millions of euros to detain anyone deemed a possible migrant to Europe [...] A leaked EU internal memorandum in 2020 acknowledged that capturing migrants was now “a profitable business model” [...] in Triq al-Sikka and other detention centres, “acts of murder, enslavement, torture, rape and other inhumane acts are committed against migrants”, observed a damning UN report.

[the guardian]

Volunteers have logged more than 27,000 deaths by drowning since 1993, often hundreds at a time when large ships capsize. These account for nearly 80% of all the entries.

[the guardian]

Refugees and asylum seekers were punched, slapped, beaten with truncheons, weapons, sticks or branches, by police or border guards who often removed their ID tags or badges, the committee said in its annual report. People on the move were subject to pushbacks, expulsion from European states, either by land or sea, without having asylum claims heard. Victims were also subject to “inhuman and degrading treatment”, such as having bullets fired close to their bodies while they lay on the ground, being pushed into rivers, sometimes with hands tied, or being forced to walk barefoot or even naked across a border.

[the guardian]

In September, Greece opened a refugee camp on the island of Samos that has been described as prison-like. The €38m (£32m) facility for 3,000 asylum seekers has military-grade fencing and CCTV to track people’s movements. Access is controlled by fingerprint, turnstiles and X-rays. A private security company and 50 uniformed officers monitor the camp. It is the first of five that Greece has planned; two more opened in November.

[the guardian]

i could go on. i could cite dozens more similarly brutal news stories about horrific mistreatment, or any of the dozens of people who have killed themselves in the custody of border police under horrific conditions. the EU is a murderous institution that does not care about the lives of refugees and migrants or about the lives of the citizens of any member state that is not pursuing a vicious enough neoliberal political program

#ask #sa mention

[vampiretendencies]

ok but imagine instead of kie getting taken by singh’s men it’s JJ & Y/N who would do anything for each other.

like “don’t touch her!” and “let go of him!” and singh realizes their in love and ugh. been thinking about this

most definitely can imagine this and i’m gonna die on the spot so i made this little blurb to satisfy our imaginations. send me your thoughts and i’ll elaborate on them !

cw; fluff, mentions of death, guns, & s3

pairing; jj x fem!reader

The inseparable pair knew they were preeminently fucked.

No sign of parasitical nuance or help for miles, just the company of the other. Selfishly, though either of them are thanking God, that they’ve gotten captured with the other. For no one else of the Pogues would bring such infamous relief and solace— being completely infatuated tended to do that.

And at least if they die in this place, they die together.

Getting to experience a love so unheard of.

You shivered in the bed of the truck— boring your eyes with envy at the gaurd that stood tall upon arrival to Singh’s ‘operation’. If only you’d gone the same route as Kie, Pope, John B, Sarah, and Cleo, such an impact as the plane delving into water had you borderline shell shocked. But, JJ wasn’t having that either, immediately b-lining in your same opposite direction— wherever you stray, he follows.

Which explains this phenomenon before you.

The harsh metal in the truck bed is making your ass go completely numb, knees tucked into your chest in complete and utter panic. JJ’s stomach was whirling with fear, yet he vowed not show it, pulling you into his side— even in the first moments the two of you were shoved and practically thrown back there. His arm envelops you tightly, his slightly grown out mullet catching air lightly whilst he rests his chin on your shoulder. A mesh of two soaking bodies, kneading into one another.

“Gonna’ get us out of here baby.” Is all JJ whispers into the shell of your ear, before peppering sweet domestic kisses to your temple, the contact granting him some form of grace. Now you knew JJ’s plans were elaborate and full of unnecessary schemes but sometimes they worked and sometimes they didn’t. You were choosing to trust that whatever he could weasel his way into this time, would work.

The halt of the truck was sudden, sending you and JJ to a slight jolt forward. A bright white, poled in mansion-like image is in view; bulging eyed stares are shared between the two of you and JJ is secretly shitting himself as he’s walking into this blind. Guards similar to the one towering over you in the truck bed are surrounding the home, khaki colored uniforms a compliment to the guns accompanying them. Such variety as they all held one with a differentiating aim.

No words are spoken, not even a ‘get out’. Though you are being yanked up by your arm like a rag doll— wasn’t exactly something you were prepared for. Two guards stand opposite, winnowing down the trunk flat. In one swift movement, his large tight fist is clamping down onto your much smaller arm. The form of security that rode in the truck bed with you and JJ, mimicks— doing the same to JJ as the other is doing to you.

JJ is biting down so violently on his bottom lip, that the familiar taste of metallic blood is seeping into the inside of his mouth. Putting hands like that on his girl, is nearly asking ‘do you want me to splatter your brains across this pavement?’, and he’d gladly do it with a grin on his face. His vice grip is so tight on you, that his fingernails are leaving crescent moon indentions into your untouched skin, and JJ can feel his insides boiling with pure distaste.

All it takes is maybe two steps out of the truck, toward the unpromising place and JJ elbowing the man in his best, knocking his breath away. He’s squirming to get to you, and you haven’t peered back at him yet. “Let go of her fucking arm, you piece of shit.” JJ spat, nailing your gaurd at the back of his ankle with the spiked bottom of a his combat boot. Walking separate in pairs, not even making it the doomed front door.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, big shot.”

Your guard turns, taking you with him to face JJ. With roaring sun causing a slight glint in your eye. Falsified nickname, is fueling the ignition to the fire that’s burning tauntingly inside of him. The gaurd that’s sustaining JJ, has his arms stuffed dislocated like behind his back, and you wanted to stomp his face in unrecognizable.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Singh had been watching— taking note that the arrival time was much too late than as planned. Gazing through the stained glass filled doors, the alluring scene unfolding before him beneath his shaded driveway was entertaining. His muscular guards, unable to withstand two teenagers.

“Don’t ever touch him like that.”

You bit back, the way his arm was twisted it could’ve passed for being broken. Just as your boyfriend was protective of you, you were protective of him. That’s just how the dynamic always worked. Consequences don’t come to mind when you cherish your lovers life over your own— there could be a gaping hole that’s causing the world to cave in, if one was to fall the other is diving in, no second thoughts.

He’d balance with bare feet on boiling hot coals.

And you’d walk into a bank, full ski mask on, to rob it.

It doesn’t matter the length, their relationship is evidence of doing anything for someone.

So tight knit that everyone back home in Kildare was typically aware of the couples unwavering deepened love. Affectionate, intimate, and everything in between.

If they were to go on living it wouldn’t be without the other.

It wasn’t dumb luck, it was fate.

It’s taking Singh seeing this moment to fully understand that. He’s taken aback by the powerful besot, does it mean he will ease up on them, no. To Singh, those lives are of no importance to him, the gold came before anything.

“Your gonna’ earn your boyfriend here a shot to the head. That what you want?”

JJ can’t help but smirk mischievously at you for rooting for him. He was quite the sight, darkened eyes through damp tresses, muscles prominent past his sleeveless tee. Definitely not something you should be paying grace attention to right now. A gun is lifted to the center of JJ’s forehead, but you don’t fault. Figuring you’ve already trampled through all this mess, what’s the worst.

“Then you’ll have to shoot me too.”

“Glady-“

“You will do nothing of the sort. They are in love y’know.”

The short man with slick hair comes into view, signaling the guards to release the two of you. Embracing eachother within milliseconds, you are colliding with JJ’s chest. A slow kiss is shared, one that is full of yearn and luminous luster. Hands roaming to assure themselves that they were there in one piece and alive. This earns a clap from Singh, more than right about the couple being instantaneously in love.

“So what? cause’ they’re in love they get a free pass?!”

The guards stood dumbfounded, faces scrunched in disgust at Singh thinking all of this under-minded work to get them their was for nothing. All Singh could do was chuckle— they really didn’t know him, did they?

“Perhaps they will hold hands in death, if they don’t get me what I want.”

#jj maybank #outer banks #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x y/n #jj maybank x you #jj maybank angst #jj maybank fluff #obx3 #jj maybank smut #jj maybank x kiara carrera #jj maybank x pogue!reader #jj maybank x kook!reader #jj maybank x oc #jj maybank one shot #jj maybank blurb #jj maybank headcanons #jj maybank imagines

[lunarmoves]

there was a new security guard working in the daycare. 

you’d been wondering when the higher ups at fazbear entertainment would green light the hiring process for one, and apparently it was sooner than you’d thought. you weren’t a particularly important employee, so it made sense why you wouldn’t have been told, but it was still surprising nonetheless. you didn’t remember the last time the security desk in the daycare had been occupied by someone other than yourself when you were taking your lunch break. granted, you hadn’t been working at the pizzaplex for too long, but you’d seen the records, and the strange disappearance of the last guard was something you were never able to dredge up too much information about. 

you met him on one of your lunch breaks actually, while you were contemplating which fast food restaurant to use your free meal on. you think he started up a conversation because you were likely one of the only human staff members he’d seen since getting hired. not that you could blame him, of course. lord knows the last time you'd spoken to someone not made of metal and wires.

“so many options to pick from, eh?” a voice said from your left and you turned to see the new guard standing there with his hands tucked into his pockets. the cap that came with his uniform was nestled atop his head of curly hair and cast his face in shadow from the neon lights overhead. you could just barely make out the glint of his black eyes. “this place really doesn't disappoint.”

you snorted at his words. fazco was many things, but a disappointment wasn't one of them. "you're telling me. the prices on the other hand..." you made a face and he laughed before sticking out his hand.

"name's vincent," he introduced himself with a bright, charming smile. "'m the new daycare guard." the badge pinned to the left side of his chest was decorated with little stars and winked brightly at you in the lighting.

you grabbed his hand with your own for a firm handshake and introduced yourself as well. "i do repairs around the pizzaplex and the like. places the bots can't get to, occasionally minor repairs on the animatronics themselves." the ones that didn't warrant an entire trip down to parts 'n services, at least.

"nice, i bet you're never out of work, huh?" you shook your head with a lopsided smile. vincent opened his mouth as though to say something else, then seemed to pause and instead looked around the food atrium. "anyways, you got any recommendations? i got an hour for a lunch break and i'm starving."

vincent proved to be excellent company as he joined you for your lunch break. you didn't mind, honestly. it was refreshing to be able to talk to another human—someone whom you didn't have to strain your neck to look up to or whom you could connect to on a level you couldn't with robots and automatons. he was hilarious and charming, with a plethora of stories he regaled you with of his life before he was hired at the pizzaplex. and before you knew it, your time for your lunch break was up and you were saying your goodbyes to vincent as you both made your way back to your respective jobs. your heart felt lighter in a way it hadn't been in a long time.

the process repeated.

vincent joined you for your lunch breaks whenever he managed to catch you in the atrium. it wasn't too often, as your schedule was rather erratic, but he could take his lunch break whenever he wanted. so you eventually just swapped numbers so you could text and meet up instead of basing it off of chance. and your friendship skyrocketed from there with the endless memes you'd send to each other both on shift and off—the late night conversations you'd have about things that varied from miscellaneous to more serious (fazco's history being one of them). it felt inevitable, getting closer.

you had such a good time with him that you didn't even realize how long it'd been since you'd last stepped foot in the daycare.

that is—until you got called in for a repair on the daycare attendant.

the email had been sent straight to your phone. an emergency repair, by the sound of it. you hadn't ever had to do one on sun nor moon. usually it was monty or chica. concern tainted your conscience as you made your way over to the daycare and slipped through the giant castle doors.

immediately, you were spotted by vincent, who waved and jogged over from the far side of the security desk. "hey! that was fast."

"yeah, i was close by," you puffed out, your eyes searching around the daycare for sun. it was later in the evening—nearing closing, in fact—so there luckily weren't many kids around. only a handful, you noted as you spotted them sitting around the playmats, coloring or playing with little hand puppets together. your gaze trailed over to a corner by the security desk, where sun was perched atop one of the large foam blocks with his legs crossed. swaying slightly in place as he kept an eye on the kids in the distance. well, at least he looked fine from here. couldn't be all too bad, then, you thought in relief.

"what happened?" you asked vincent as you made your way towards sun, your hand gripping onto a toolbox you'd snagged earlier from parts 'n services.

"i don't know," he replied in earnest, a frown decorating his face. "i went for a bathroom break and when i got back he wa—"

before he could finish, however, you were spotted by sun, who shot straight up from the foam block and beamed with all the light of a thousand stars at your approaching figure.

"friend!!" he exclaimed and closed the short distance between the two of you to sweep you up in a bone-crushing hug. you let out a surprised laugh, holding onto him for dear life as his torso spun around and around and around in tandem with his rays. "you're here! oh we missed you so so so much!"

"hey bud, missed you too," you wheezed and patted him on the back. his robotic strength was unyielding and you did your best to endure. he nuzzled at the side of your face and eventually set you down. a hand was placed on your shoulder, fingers running adoringly over your uniform.

"dropped this," vincent's voice piped up from behind you and those fingers abruptly tightened. you glanced over your shoulder and turned to accept the toolbox from him as he held it out to you. his gaze flicked from you to sun, subtle. you hadn't even noticed you'd dropped it.

"thanks, man." you offered him a smile and grabbed onto the box's handle. "what were you sa—"

"mr. guard!" sun smoothly cut in, stepping in front of you to lean down over vincent. you couldn't see over the terse line of his back, so you poked your head around him to look at vincent and the dark shadow that'd been cast over his form. "please keep an eye on the children in the meantime. it looks like little jeremy's about to stick a crayon up his nose and we can't have that, nonono!"

vincent's frown deepened. he cast you a final look before he nodded shortly. you almost thought he was going to argue. "alright." and then he turned on his heel to make his way over to the kids. you watched him carefully—the rigid line of his shoulders—then jolted slightly when sun spun back around to face you with a bright grin.

you spoke up before he could. "what was that all about?"

"what was what all about?" he asked innocently, his hands clasped behind his back as he swayed side to side, further blocking your view of vincent. you gave him a look.

"you know exactly what i'm talking about," you said flatly and gestured at him to take a seat back on the foam block. he complied with a flourish, spinning on his feet to plop upon it. even sitting he wasn't much shorter than you.

he bobbed his head side to side as though he was contemplating. you set down your toolbox next to him and placed your hands on your waist, raising an eyebrow expectantly at him. he wavered, then let out an exaggerated sigh.

"it's just— the guards!" he tossed his head back dramatically, then leaned forward to stage whisper at you. "we never liked them, you know. and this one is..." he trailed off, eyes squinting as his smile thinned like the edge of a blade.

you rolled your eyes. you did, in fact, know of their distaste for the guards. it was why the daycare had gone so long without one. you couldn't really blame sun, you supposed. after all, they had been on their own for a long time and were more than capable. you weren't entirely sure what fazco was doing. maybe a parent complained.

"vincent's not too bad," you said and lowered your hands from your waist. sun tilted his head at you, gaze trained on your face. you clicked your tongue. "anyways, where's the injury? show me."

"riiiight here!" he brandished his hand at you—the one that you soon realized he'd been carefully keeping out of your sight all this time.

and for good reason, too. your jaw dropped at the way his hand hung off his wrist, held together by a few measly wires. "sun, what happened?!" you gasped as you jolted towards him and gingerly took hold of his hand. wires had snapped ruthlessly apart, splintered and shredded.

"oh, you know!" he waved his free hand, gaze still pinned onto you as you turned his hand this way and that, a crease forming between your brows. "just had a little oopsie, is all! doesn't hurt a bit!" and he spun his rays as though to show how unbothered he was.

you immediately let go of his hand and started fumbling for your toolbox to pull out supplies. you'd honestly prefer to have him get repaired down in parts 'n services for this, but knowing his adverseness to the place, there was no way you'd be able to.

"a little oopsie?" you asked incredulously. "this is a bit more than an oopsie, bud."

"ah, it's nothing our beloved repair tech can't fix!" he replied sweetly, gazing at you in a way that made something in your stomach flutter about. you grumbled and got to work, resolutely ignoring the heat creeping up your neck.

as you diligently worked on cutting and splicing the remaining wires together after turning off the electricity being routed to his hand, sun hummed happily to himself. "so!" he piped up after a moment of you concentrating heavily on his injury. "where have you been all this time, hm?"

you shrugged slightly, eyes firmly fixed to two wires you were splicing. the way they had torn was a bit... strange. like they'd been ripped or stretched apart until they tore. "been busy running around doing repairs, the usual."

"repairs, huh?" he mused, something to his voice that you couldn't quite decipher. "surely you are not working even during your lunch break? it is important to get your rest, friend!"

"i'm not, don't worry," you soothed, glancing up at him. "i've just been eating in the atrium lately. no biggie. sorry i haven't been by, i guess it... slipped my mind." you winced slightly at your words. truly, it had not occurred to you with how your breaks had been filled with hanging with vincent.

this close, you could see the offset white of his ringed pupils, roving over your body and drinking you in like he was a man starved. "i see. you would not happen to be spending it with ah, the guard over there, would you?"

you scrunched your nose at him. "why does it matter if i was?"

"no reason!" he grinned, but there was a tautness lining the edges of his smile that you did not quite like. his gaze flicked briefly over your shoulder, then back to you where his eyes upturned into crescents. "we're just happy to see you again! do make time for us too, yes?" his voice softened and lowered to a murmur. "the daycare isn't the same when you're not here with us."

now that just made you feel guilty. you swallowed it down as best as you could and gave him a small smile. "sorry," you repeated again gently. "i will."

it didn't take much longer to fix up his hand, and before you knew it, he was bouncing to his feet and flexing it every which way to show off its replenished dexterity. "good as new! thank you, my friend!" he scooped you up into another hug and you laughed, dizzy on his excitement.

"yeah, yeah. no more oopsies from now on, okay?" you chided him with a wagging finger once he'd placed you gently back upon the ground. he fixed your rumpled shirt for you, smoothing it down with large fingers. "i forbid it!"

"no promises!" he replied, booping you on the nose before clasping his hands together behind his back.

you packed up your tools and glanced down at your phone to check the time. almost closing. you should head out soon. you glanced over to vincent to see that most of the children had been checked out while you'd tended to sun. the last one was dozing on a playmat as vincent sat nearby, scrolling idly on his phone.

"alright, i need to go," you told sun as you started walking over to the looming castle doors. he followed you like a particularly lithe shadow. "got an early morning tomorrow."

"get some rest, friend!" he said, but you weren't paying attention to him anymore. vincent had caught your eye and quietly got up from his seat to jog over and meet you by the doors.

"all good?" he asked you once he'd come to a stop by your side, his hands buried in his pockets. you nodded and his gaze flicked to sun over your shoulder. he pointed over to the last kid snoring away. "you wanna look after the tyke now? my shift's over."

sun's eyes creased together as he smiled stiffly. one of his rays twitched. "of course! i will see you... tomorrow."

"yep. bye." succinct and terse, vincent gave sun a two-fingered salute then jerked his head at you before he pushed open the doors and left. you eyed vincent's retreating back first, then sun.

this was so weird. you exhaled through your nose and held onto your toolbox tightly. "...bye sun. see you tomorrow, promise."

"i will hold you to that!" was his merry response, and he waved at you with a grin as you left the daycare. white pupils followed you out, the door closing slowly behind you as something unsaid lingered in the air. you gave the doors a final look, then turned towards vincent, who was waiting for you a few feet away.

you considered bringing up all of... that—and boy was the last hour a lot to unpack—but a quick glance at the bags under vincent's eyes had you dropping it. later, you'll ask later.

you walked over to him. "hey, thanks for calling the repair in," you said as you both made your way up the stairs. "sun hates parts 'n services, it would've been a nightmare calling a mechanic to bring him down."

vincent gave you an odd look, one of his eyebrows raising. "what are you talking about?" he asked slowly, confused. "i didn't call it in. i told you i had been in the bathroom?"

he had said that, hadn't he. "oh." you thought he'd called it once he got back, but you guessed you were wrong. "and you really didn't see what'd happened?"

"nope." he took off his cap and ran his hand through his hair before setting it back on his head. "i don't have a single clue."

you hummed, glancing over your shoulder at the daycare as you both walked past the party rooms on the upper level. through the glass and netting, you could see sun, standing by one of the playpens. watching you and vincent with white eyes that gleamed even through the fluorescent lighting.

you suppressed a shiver and turned away, a burning gaze following you until you disappeared beyond a point where it no longer could.

connected to this drabble!

#sun connecting the dots when a new guard shows up at the daycare and u also stop showing up for ur lunch there: >:0 #sun x reader #fnaf sun x reader #dca x reader #dca x you #dca x self insert #dca x y/n #fnaf dca x reader #sundrop x y/n #sundrop x you #sundrop x reader #yeah thats a self inflicted injury. he cray cray #sun x self insert #sun x y/n #fnaf dca x you #fnaf dca x self insert #shay scribbles daydreams

[beneathstarryskies]

Word Count: 4k (and some change)

Summary: Reno is forced to go on vacation after getting pretty beat up on a mission. He takes advantage of his time off to visit the Honeybee Inn, where he becomes enamored by one of the waitresses.

Warnings: fem!reader, shinra counts as a warning, mentions of sex work (more implied than explicit i think), alcohol, kissing, over all pretty tame

A/N: This is part one! I know for sure there will be a second part, but I'm not sure if there will be more than two parts yet. I didn't even anticipate it being two parts, but it just kept getting longer!

Reno heard whispers about the Honeybee Inn for as long as he could remember. Especially once he started working for Shinra. Even the most button-down workers couldn’t resist heading down to Sector 6 to check out the shows. 

“It’s the perfect place for a guy to unwind,” he’d heard some middle manager say in the cafeteria one day. 

Pft. As if Turks have time for that kind of fun.

His luck changed when he found himself a little beat up after a mission, and Tseng had ordered him to take a vacation. There were many things for a young, scrappy guy like Reno to get into. He tossed around the option of heading to Costa Del Sol to hang out with the cute girls on the beach, or maybe even going to the Golden Saucer for some flashy fun. Then, he remembered the excited whispers surrounding the Honeybee Inn. He’d heard it can be hard to get into, but he was confident he could throw his status as a Turk around to get in, at least for a show. If it sucked, he figures he’d still have time to actually do something fun on his vacation. 

After a couple of days of mostly sleeping and ordering takeout, he headed down to Wall Market to see what all the fuss was about. He’d been here a few times for some missions, but he’d never been afforded the luxury of leisure time down there. 

There’s a crowd around the door, people trying to buy tickets or even just get a peek inside. Reno wonders if it’s truly that big of a deal or if people are just buying into the hype. He’s seen firsthand how easy it is for the masses to be swallowed up by something wrapped in shiny drapings and presented with the right flair. Hell, Shinra’s success depended on people succumbing to a bit of dazzle…Enough so that they’ll look the other way from the atrocities committed by the company. 

Now isn’t the time to get moral.

He pushes those thoughts aside and shoves through the crowd. He finds himself stopped by a security guard. If the guy up front wearing a bowtie with no shirt and an antenna headband could be called that. Reno was pretty sure he could take him in a fight, but he had to remind himself to calm down. 

“Come on, you wouldn’t say no to Shinra,” he says to the guard with a sly grin as he flashes his badge. The guard's eyes go wide and he swallows hard before moving aside. 

“Right this way sir,” the guard says and points him in the direction of the front desk. Reno is confident as he glides across the pristinely waxed floors to the desk. He leans on the desk and flashes a charming grin to the girl wearing a honeybee uniform. 

“One ticket to the show, please,” he says. 

“I’m sorry sir, we’re all full for the evening and…” 

“Uh, maybe we should talk to Andrea,” the guard butts in, and gives the girl a glance trying to indicate that Reno is someone who should get a ticket. 

“Andrea is getting ready for the show,” the girl persists. 

“I’m sure he’ll want to know who is here.” 

Reno realizes they think he’s here on business. It’s a little annoying that everyone assumes that just because he’s a Turk, but he also sees the benefit to it in this situation. The ticket girl nods slowly as the guard leans over to whisper something in her ear. 

“I’ll be right back, sir,” she says to Reno before going through a curtain. 

Reno looks around the lobby a little bit and peaks through the doors leading into the main bar. He sees the stage, vacant right now except for a couple of Honeybees practicing their steps for the performance tonight. He sees one girl wiping off tables. Her smile is bright and infectious when one of the girls on stage asks her what she thinks of their moves. He doesn’t have time to watch much longer before the ticket girl comes downstairs again. 

“Sir, follow me, please,” she says sweetly. 

Reno follows her upstairs. There are a few rooms closed off with ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs on the door. He imagined the illicit activities going on inside but did his best to seem disinterested. Then, she leads him up another flight of stairs into an opulently decorated dressing room. Some of the girls are gathered around getting ready, adjusting their costumes and applying makeup. A few of them coo at him flirtatiously, but before he can really enjoy the attention the ticket girl is leading him into a room off to the side with the nameplate “Andrea” on the door. 

She opens the door and ushers him inside. A man sits at a vanity, applying eyeliner meticulously. 

“Have a seat, Mr. Sinclair,” the man says. “I’ll be with you after I’ve made myself beautiful…Or should I say, more beautiful?” 

“Lookin’ pretty good to me,” Reno says with a cheeky grin before sitting down on the chaise lounge. 

“Ah, flattery. I didn’t know Turks carried that in their arsenal,” the man chuckles, then turns around in his chair. “I’m Andrea Rhodea, but I’m sure you knew that already.” 

“Yeah, I had a hint or two,” Reno confirms. “I’m Reno Sinclair, but I’m sure you knew that too.” 

“Mhm,” Andrea stands up and pulls on his waistcoat. “So, what does Turk want here?” 

“Nothing crazy. Just enjoying my vacation,” Reno shrugs. 

“I didn’t know Turks got those.” 

“Well, we don’t often. So you can see why I’d want to make the best of it.” 

“And the Honeybee Inn certainly is making the best of it,” Andrea boasts as he walks over to Reno. “You can sit in the VIP section. It has the best view, and is by invite only.” 

“And what do get from inviting me?” 

“Maybe a favor, if I ever need it,” Andrea smirks. Then, he snaps his fingers. A Honeybee runs in, the same one with the pretty smile he saw earlier. 

You smile up at Reno, “I’ll show you to your seat sir.” 

Reno’s smile widens, “Please do.” 

As you grab his arm, he feels his cheeks heat up a bit and he follows you obediently as you lead him out of Andrea’s dressing room. He keeps looking down at you, trying to figure you out. You seem so sweet and innocent, yet you work in a place like this. 

There’s no tragic backstory for how you ended up at the Honeybee Inn. However, sometimes you weave sad tales to interested customers to get better tips. You grew up in the Sector 5 slums, and had a relatively nice childhood despite living in poverty. The big dream was Loveless. 

Oh, how you longed to take the stage in a role within that masterpiece. 

But living costs gil, and one of the best ways to earn it in your opinion was at the Honeybee Inn. Andrea was a pretty kind boss compared to some other jobs you’d worked around the slums to save up for the move topside. If you fluttered your eyelashes and flirted just right, the people that came in here were willing to tip pretty nicely. Some of the girls were ambitious enough to offer further entertainment in one of the private rooms. While you respected their drive and ingenuity, you weren’t brave enough to go that far. 

As you guide Reno to the table at the very front, you put on your best carefree vibe. You have him sit down at the table and he leans back as you sit beside him. You caress his chest playfully. 

“The VIP section comes with your choice of a personal attendant for the evening, Mr. Sinclair,” you say sweetly. 

“Just call me Reno,” he blushes and bites his lip. “And uh…Are you one of the options, pretty girl?” 

“As it turns out I am!” you say cheerfully and lean closer. “Would you like for me to tend to you for the evening?” 

“Yeah, I think I’d like that a lot.” 

——

Despite his effort to play it cool, you can see a little nervousness in him. He’s different from most guys you’ve tended to in the VIP section. He likes the attention, but he’s not pushy about it. He’s not being as much of a pervert as most guys, even though his eyes do stay pretty well focused on your fishnet-clad legs. 

“Then, I’m all yours for the evening, Reno!” you say sweetly and lean against him. “Should I get you a drink?” 

“Yes please,” he purrs and watches as you stand up. His eyes are fixed on the graceful sway of your hips as you walk to the bar to get him a drink. He notices you don’t ask what he wants, but he trusts you to order something good. 

You talk to the bartender and one of the other girls comes up to you. 

“Got a VIP tonight?” she asks as she orders herself a shot to unwind before the show begins. Already people are starting to file in, and Honeybees are buzzing around to keep them entertained. 

“Yeah, he seems nice actually. I think it’ll be an easy night,” you smile. 

“Be careful, I heard he’s a Turk,” she whispers. 

“Oh?” you raise your brow. 

“Yeah, but I mean it just means he can afford to tip well,” she says before downing her shot. 

You watch her saunter away to deal with some of her tables. Before you have a chance to ruminate on what she’s said, your drink is placed on the bar. You try to shift back into work mode as you grab the drink. Reno’s eyes meet yours as he watches you come back, trying to play off the fact that he’d been staring at your ass while you were bent over the bar. You flash him a flirty smile as you slide into the booth beside him and set the drink on the table. You know this costume does wonders for your curves. It’s often been one of your greatest assets at this job, but has also been the cause of many issues too when creeps thought just because you were wearing the uniform that your body was for sale too. 

“So, how are you enjoying your visit?” you ask as you lean against his side. 

“It’s…Enticing, I suppose,” he smirks at you. 

Deep down, Reno finds the whole thing a little bit frivolous. Wall Market in general rubbed him the wrong way. This place was thriving with gil made off the backs of those in the surrounding sectors trying to escape the sadness and mundanity of their lives. Then, of course, he had to remind himself of his place in the world. Shinra was worse by far, and he was another cog in their machine. 

“Don’t worry, it gets better when the show starts,” you say and snuggle against his chest. 

Deep down you both know you’re buttering him up for a good tip, but Reno can’t help thinking how good it feels to have someone’s warmth against him. He almost feels like a shy teen when he drapes his arm around your shoulder. You keep him busy with light conversation, teasing him a little for how important he looks in his suit. 

Finally, the music starts playing. You sit up and clap your hands excitedly as you draw his attention to the stage. As the girl’s start dancing, preparing to introduce Andrea, he watches for just a bit before his eyes are back on you. The way your eyes light up and your body sways to the music he realizes how badly you want to be onstage. Your feet instinctively tap along with the steps of the dances being performed. 

You really come alive when the cue comes for you to jump on the table. As you do, Reno’s eyes are glued to you. He watches your body move to the music, but more than anything he notices how your eyes are lit up with pure happiness. When this portion of the performance ends, you sit back down beside him. You lean against his side and hold his hand as Andrea make his entrance and steals the show. Reno isn’t even intrested in what’s going on. He’s just completely enamored with you. For the first time in so long he wants to get to know someone, and maybe to be known in return. 

The music slowly comes to an end as the dancers perform their final steps and then take a bow. The curtain comes down, then rises a few minutes later to the house band playing atmospheric music. 

“Well, I suppose that’s that,” you say softly and kiss his cheek. 

“Can I walk you home?” he asks hopefully. 

“I’ve got to help clean up,” you explain as other honeybees start dutifully cleaning tables and sweeping the floors. 

“I can wait,” he insists. “I’ve got all the time in the world!” 

“Okay, I’ll be back in a jiff!” you smile before bouncing away from him. When you return, you’ve changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. The difference to him is astounding. You look like one of those cute college girls he sees sometimes in the city. Innocent and sweet and eyes full of hope. 

You help clean up the rest of the tables before going to the bar to collect your tips for the night. He fishes some gil out of his pocket and doesn’t even bother to count it. He just hands it over to you as soon as you’re close to him. 

“Oh! Reno, this is way too much!” 

“No it isn’t,” he chuckles as he stands up. “It’s not enough.” 

He reaches down to take your hand as he leads you out of the inn. You’re still arguing about the tip he gave you until you head out the door, and then you go quiet mostly out of the necessity of your surroundings. 

“I’m this way,” you lead him toward the shabby apartment building you call home. 

For a while, the two of you stand outside talking. It’s just innocent conversation, trying to get to know one another better. He holds some back due to his job but tries to impress you with some hints that he sees a lot of adventure. Throughout the conversation, you feel him getting closer to you. His eyes dart to your lips, wondering if they taste as sweet and juicy as they look. He stops himself from kissing you because he’s unsure how you’d feel about him doing such a thing. He has a fear that maybe even now you’re just humoring him since he’d been so nice to you tonight. 

“Well, I better get some sleep,” you say sadly. Reno nods weakly. 

“Yeah, I gotta head home too.” 

You both hesitate for a moment before you finally take the plunge. You stand up on your tiptoes and kiss him quickly. It’s nothing more than a little peck on the lips, but it’s enough to make Reno feel tingly all over. His mind spins just enough for him to bravely lean back in for another, deeper kiss. You’re both blushing when he pulls away again. 

“Do you think maybe I could see you again?” he asks, rubbing the back of his neck to appear nonchalant. 

“You know where to find me,” you giggle before kissing his cheek. “Good night, Reno.” 

“G’night,” he says dreamily as he watches you unlock the door and slip into your apartment. He stares at the door for a moment before shaking off the sudden coldness of the night that didn’t seem so present before.

——

“Go on a trip or something,” Rude says over the phone. 

Reno is pacing his apartment, trying to work off his anxious energy. He can hear the humming of a helicopter on the other line, and he knows Rude is on his way somewhere exciting even as they speak. His body tingles with anticipation, but he knows there’s not a target for it. 

“Goin’ on a trip alone is boring,” Reno groans. “Why can’t I just come back to work?” 

“Because Tseng says so,” Rude reminds him. 

“Maybe I could talk to Rufus?” 

“And have Tseng set you on paperwork duty for a month as punishment?”

“Fuck,” Reno growls. “You’re right.” 

“Why don’t you head to Costa Del Sol? You love all the girls in bikinis!”

“Hmph, that’s true…But…” 

He doesn’t know how to express it to Rude. It sounds crazy even in his own mind. The longing that he’d locked away for so long suddenly came rushing back the second you’d pressed your glossy lips to his. He can still taste the cherry flavor of your lip gloss, and the smell tickles his nostrils. The next day he’d had to resist the urge to run right back to your apartment. 

“But?” Rude pulls him from his thoughts. 

“I dunno, I guess I just don’t want to be alone.” 

Rude is taken aback by Reno’s sudden vulnerablity. He knew it was there, but Reno hid it well. To hear him express the feelings was surprising even after all their time working together. 

“Listen, buddy, I—” Rude breaks out. “Oh shit, I gotta go.” 

Reno doesn’t even get to say goodbye the call cuts out. He continues pacing long after he’s tossed his phone to the side, and then he gets an idea. He checks the time and realizes he can probably catch you before your shift starts. He throws his suit on even more sloppily than usual before running out of the apartment. On the way, he makes all of the arrangements over the phone to get the two of you to Costa Del Sol, including borrowing a helicopter so the two of you could avoid all the ferry travel. 

——

He’s running up the stairs to your apartment, taking two at a time, just as you’re coming out the door. You’re still dressed casually, but your makeup and hair is all done up for work. He practically throws himself at you, grabbing your hands as he catches his breath. 

“Come to Costa Del Sol with me!” he practically yells. 

“Uh, is that a question or a demand?” you chuckle softly. 

“A request?” he tries, and seeing your frown he put on his puppy dog eyes. “A plea?” 

“Reno, I can’t just drift away to Costa Del Sol. I don’t have any money, I have to work…I just—” 

“I’ll pay you!” 

“Reno!” you gasp. 

“No, no! Not like that!” he waves his hands in front of his chest. “No, I just meant like…Don’t worry about the money! I’m paying for the trip, I’ll help pay your bills if you need me to because I know this is crazy.” 

“But we just met. I don’t understand.” 

Reno sighs and places his hands on your shoulders, “I know, I know. But I like you a lot, and it’s been so long since I met anyone like you.” 

“So you just want to scoop me away on a vacation?”

“Yes,” he sighs. “I just don’t want to go alone, and I want to get to know you better. I’m scared I won’t get the chance if I wait.” 

“Okay,” you concede. “But I swear if this is some horrible trick!” 

“It’s not! I promise! I’ll even book separate rooms if you want!” 

——

It’s a whirlwind, but you shouldn’t be surprised considering how he’d arrived at your apartment. After packing a suitcase and calling a surprisingly understanding Andrea to tell him the news, you’re whisked away top side. You could’ve spent the whole day just staring at the immaculately designed city. You find yourself fascinated by seeing how the other half lives, but Reno doesn’t give you much time to take it all in. 

“There’s better to come, I promise,” he tells you as he guides you to Shinra HQ. 

You’ve never felt so out of place in your life as you did walking on those pristine waxed floors. Reno keeps his hand protectively on your lower back as you make your way up to the helipad. He wants to sign out one of the helicopters so he can fly you there, but the worker kindly informs him he can’t do that since he’s off-duty. Instead, he’ll have to let a pilot fly the two of you there. He considers making a fuss and calling Tseng or Rufus for clearance, but seeing you holding his hand excitedly he doesn’t want to ruin the day. 

“Alright, alright, we’ll wait,” he concedes. He guides you to the nearby lounge to wait for a pilot to become available. 

“So, you work here?” 

“Oh, yeah.” 

“You must be pretty high up on the totem pole to be able to use a helicopter.” 

“I wouldn’t put it that way, but I do have some perks.” 

The way you’re looking at him with such awe in your eyes makes him worried about what you’d think if he told you the truth. Almost everyone is scared at the mention of his job title because of all the secrets Turks know and their reputation for doing things a little more brutally than the average soldier is allowed. Instead, he distracts you with flirty comments and a kiss on your cheek. At one point President Shinra himself comes to the lounge for a drink, and you’re shaking from the nerves because he must know you don’t belong here. Instead, the President nods curtly before leaving the lounge.

“Wow…I thought he’d be…” 

“Taller?” Reno jokes. 

“I mean I was going to say more handsome,” you giggle. “All of the photos and TV appearances…” 

“They’re doctored,” Reno shrugs. “Don’t tell anyone though.” 

“My lips are sealed,” you giggle. 

Somehow it feels like it takes simultaneously forever and an instant before you arrive at Costa Del Sol. The sun is bright and you’ve never seen such a blue sky before. The harsh metal of the plates was the only sky you’d ever seen before this day. 

“Wow! It’s beautiful!” you gasp as you look around. Many people are hovering about, enjoying their vacations. The waves crash on the shore as the smell of sea salt fills the air. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice,” he smiles, enjoying your reaction more than the sight of Costa Del Sol itself. 

“Come on, we can head to the hotel first and then check out whatever you want,” he promises before getting your suitcase from you. The two of you head towards the fanciest hotel.

Once inside, he approaches the desk and true to his earlier word he requests two rooms. 

“Oh, I apologize sir, but we only have one room available at this time,” the desk attendant says as he looks over his computer monitor. Reno looks at you shyly. 

“Want to try somewhere else?” he asks. “Or I can sleep on the sofa?” 

“There is a pull-out sofa bed available in the room, and it’s quite cozy!”

You consider your options for a moment, then you kiss Reno’s cheek softly. 

“I think one room will do just fine.” 

Reno is surprised by your answer but feels a warm rush of excitement in the pit of his stomach. He confirms you’ll take the room available. He tells you to go ahead and check things out while he signs the paperwork. Mostly just so you don’t hear the price of the room. Someone comes to get your bags and begins leading you towards the room. You skip along happily, obviously having the time of your life. 

“First couple vacation?” the desk attendant asks as he helps Reno through the paperwork. 

“Oh…Uh, yeah.” 

“I hope you have a pleasant time. Payment will be due at check-out.” 

“Thanks, man.” 

Reno takes the keys and trails along to where you’d disappeared to moments before. When he enters the room, he finds you scurrying about checking out every last detail of the room. 

“This is amazing,” you gasp as you skip over to the window and look outside at the ocean view. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty great,” he smiles as he sets his bag down on the floor. “So, what should we do first?”

#reno sinclair x reader #reno x reader #reno ff7 x reader #ff7 fanfiction #ff7 x reader #🌟written in the stars

[sunnysidewrites]

Demon prince!Seungcheol

Inspired by this prompt: “I’m a demon, not a hot water bottle. Stop cuddling me.” “But you’re so warm.” “Like hell. Fire, brimstone, eternal burning.” It had absolutely no effect whatsoever, and the demon sighed, wrapping one arm around the other. This is my re-debut (although not sure if this counts as a re-debut or if it's just a one-time thing) after nearly a 6-year hiatus and needless to say I am extremely nervous and excited!!! (talking in idol terms luv that) I am hoping that also means my writing quality has matured as well (I think??? or not but guess we will find out)! This is for everyone who knew me back then and is still around to see this play out! sorry if it's not the best i am EXTREMELY rusty but hope you enjoy lovelies <3333

wow omg it’s great to dive into writing after so long im getting emotional

you know the drill folks let’s get to it!!

Humans and demons have lived in co-existence for centuries and it’s more or less a chaotic neutral environment given the unique circumstances of these 2 different… races?

It can be difficult to distinguish the demons with the humans since they try to blend in seamlessly for their own sense of peace and security

Despite a big chunk of demons integrating with humans, there are still parts around the world, albeit small, where they have their own territory to control

They usually operate in more traditional political systems, such as still maintaining kings and queens

Humans can live there as well, but it is predominantly demons who are seen as the norm and the former as commoners/lower class

You happen to be one of the lowly commoners who have been working as a maid in the castle since you were young

you and Seungcheol, the Crown Prince, were actually kinda close as kids!!

you could tell all he wanted to do was let loose and have fun but was forced to follow the rules and take everything seriously 24/7

even as a 5 y/o you could see how much he yearned to be a regular kid but duty calls :”((

there were many times you hung out together in secrecy since you as a lowly maid could not be caught DEAD associating yourself with someone of such a high status

and add being human on top of that!! <3

But Seungcheol didn’t care you were literally his first and only friend at the time

Any time a guard looked for him, he and you would duck somewhere to hide together, stifling your smol little giggles im dead

As he grew up and more burdens were placed on his shoulders, you could no longer keep the same innocent, playful friendship between the two of you

Your interactions with him went from running around in the garden to stealing quick looks at each other when you passed by him in the hallways

He went from a happy lil child to a very assertive, stoic man who always picked his kingdom over anything

Despite his new persona, he would occasionally still show you very rare displays of fondness??

You would sometimes randomly find gifts on your bed with a note and well it doesn’t take a genius to know who it’s from

“I swiped the last cookie for you before Penny stole it and I know you would become a demon yourself if someone took your sweets”

“I noticed your uniform was ragged and a little ripped so here’s a new set. be more careful or our next encounter won’t be as pleasant”

“Here’s an extra blanket loser don’t freeze to death on me”

Your heart feels warm knowing that he still shows you his softer side to you while he’s practically a statue to everyone else

Now you were both in your mid-twenties and he’s been busier than ever with political meetings and social gatherings

You were his main maid since out of all of the staff, you were the only one who could really put up with his absurd requests and got along with him in a manner no other maid could, even the older ladies

There were times he summoned you to his headquarters for the sole reason of wanting some company

He would bring up some dumb question and you would be like no offense but this is kinda useless

But little did you know he would do that intentionally to see you crack a little smile, maybe even a laugh in there since he’s been seeing you look more despondent lately

“Even though we can’t run around the palace like how we did as kids, I’m still here. I’m the same Seungcheol – well, actually not really but I still look out for your wellbeing”

“Thanks, not-the-same-Seungcheol”

It’s rumored that the Crown Prince is coming of age to take over the throne soon, but before doing so he needs to find a bride yes it’s one of those tropes ok deal with it

You’re cleaning the hallways one day with some other maids and you can’t help but overhear their gossip

“Did you hear Prince Seungcheol is now engaged??? I think it was just last week”

Your ears perk up and your scrubbing slows down slightly so you can focus on their conversation

“Yeah, I heard the woman is a princess from some neighboring kingdom… It’s really hitting soon that he’ll be the new king”

“I don’t know how long she is going to last… he’s so cold and doesn’t seem to care about anyone. but what can you expect from a demon?” 

They both giggle and move to another room to continue cleaning and you can’t help but feel fired up from the way they were talking about him as if they knew anything about him

Sure, he was not really the friendliest and was very brutally honest with his curt words but it didn’t make him a bad person

Your heart aches after hearing the news and you recall a past talk you had with Seungcheol when you were younger

“Do you believe in love?” you asked him, the both of you lying down on the grass while looking up at the vibrantly blue sky

“Pshh, not really. Father always said marriage is for the people, not for love”

“But shouldn’t you love someone in order to marry them? you will be spending the rest of your life with them”

“I don’t think that is what he wants from me. I would be letting him down”

“Is that what you really want, though? to be stuck with someone you have no feelings for?”

he sighs deeply and looks down. “Well, I guess not… I do care a lot for someone”

your heart dropped. guess he already has his eyes set on someone else. “o-oh, well that wouldn’t be fair to you or to them right?”

he shakes his head, quickly glancing at you before looking away. “but it wouldn’t work out anyway. I wouldn’t want to drag them into the mess of my world. I want them to be free of what I go through. I just hope they know I’ll always care for them from afar.”

You shake your head out of a daze, painfully reminded of how raw that moment still feels

I wonder if he still cares for that person he mentioned, you think to yourself as you continue scrubbing the tiles. But what does it matter now that his future is sealed with someone else?

Shortly after that day, it was formally announced to the kingdom that the Crown Prince and the soon-to-be Crown Princess will be holding a wedding ceremony in just a short few weeks

On the outside, you smile politely and clap your hands but it takes every fiber of your being to not want to fling the door to your cramped bedroom and collapse on your bed and spill the tears you were desperately attempting to hold in 

As you stared at him and his fiancee out the balcony waving to everyone, you swear you thought you saw him give you a forlorn look that lasted for a millisecond before he returned to his usual expressionless state

From that moment on, you barely saw Seungcheol at all

This man was constantly getting pulled in all different directions, especially with the royal wedding around the corner

The night before his big day, he summons you to his room again and your mind is buzzing with loads of thoughts of what he could possibly want to talk to you about

You cautiously enter and close the door slowly before turning back towards him

He looks more disheveled than usual, his hair tousled, his usual prince attire crinkled and slightly unbuttoned

“You look stressed, what's wrong??”

He closes his eyes and sighs for a moment before slowly opening them again and says while still not making eye contact with you, “I… I feel like I’ll have so many regrets once tomorrow comes”

You’re like why is that??

“Do you remember me mentioning I cared a lot about someone back then?”

Your heart drops to your stomach. “Yes… why?” thanks for the reminder

“I keep thinking about them… and all of these what-ifs. I know I can’t do anything about it, but–”

“Of course you can do something about it! I know you’re a stickler for the rules, but if the cost is your happiness, is it really well worth it?”

He shakes his head, looking even more troubled than before. “I can’t risk putting them in that position. Yet I… I want to,” he articulates slowly, as if it’s only dawning on him now that he’s finally learned what he truly feels

You feel as if the waves of heartache and anguish are drowning you but you try to be strong for him and present a smile if not for him, then for yourself

“I think you know what you need to do, Seungcheol”

And with those words, you quietly bow out and make your way to your room

The next morning, you wake up with puffy eyes from crying all night and begrudgingly get out of bed to get ready for the busy day ahead

After a hectic morning and afternoon, the ceremony finally begins

The moment we’re all waiting for is “Speak now or forever hold your peace”

And the most baffling thing happens because it’s not you who speaks up, not some secret lover, not some random citizen in the audience

but it’s Seungcheol himself

“Wait – I don’t think I can go through with this”

SCANDALOUSSSS

That’s right, he causes a whole uproar and everyone is like what tf is he talking about?!?!?

You are unfazed to a certain degree due to the conversation you had with him last night but you’re still confused on where this is going to go

Never in a million years would you have imagined for him to say his next words

“I’m in love with someone else: Y/N”

And all the maids around you gasp like WHAT. IS. HE. TALKING. ABOUT.

You aren’t sure whether to feel mortified or happy but whatever it is, all eyes are now on you

The current King is like MISTER?? WITH A H U M A N????

“I know it’s never been done before, having a demon and a human marry each other. but I’m tired of always having to do the right thing and for once, I want to do something that is right but for myself”

You’re looking at him in complete bewilderment and disbelief like you were talking about me this whole time??!!

“If we can prove that humans and demons can come together, it’ll be a huge stepping stone politically for everyone involved. I can’t change how I feel about her but I can change our worlds with her by my side”

He makes his way towards you and grabs your hand and this time he does not break eye contact even once

“I want to be with y/n, and no one else”

You’re melting like putty in his arms it’s honestly really sweet!!!

The King eventually caves in although he’s obviously not happy with all of their efforts wasted but he’s cool enough to welcome in this new change

Everyone’s reactions are pretty mixed understandably but they don’t seem like they hate it which is probably the best reaction you’re gonna get

“You’re not asking for my hand in marriage are you?? bc that’s a little too quick on a first date”

He shrugs and nonchalantly says, “Not until you’re ready” JESUSLFSJDS

The rest of the day is a whirlwind of crazy events that you get caught up in as the Crown Prince’s new lover now 

By the time it’s time for bed, he summons you for the last time as you being a maid and not as a Girlfriend

Well turns out he’s actually a big baby and the whole time he tried to conceal his feelings for you all he wanted was for you to be by his side pshh lame amiright

“You sure move fast with wanting me to be in your bed already and we haven’t even gone on an actual date yet”

“Shut up and just lay beside me”

After you turn off the lights and get under the covers, you can’t help but notice he’s extremely hot (literally and physically) and considering it’s 20 degrees you’re taking all of that warmth

Of course, Seungcheol tries to make it a big deal and get you off of him even tho he secretly enjoys it

“I’m a demon, not a hot water bottle. Stop cuddling me.”

“But you’re so warm.”

“Like hell. Fire, brimstone, eternal burning” 

Like that was gonna stop you who does he think he is for putting you through all of this and at the very least not giving you some cuddles???

He sighs and wraps one arm around the other after he notices your breathing slowing down

“I don’t have to care about you from afar anymore,” he murmurs, brushing your hair out of your face before also slowly losing consciousness

#my post #seventeen #seventeen seungcheol #seventeen scoups #seungcheol #scoups #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen headcanons #seventeen au #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios #seungcheol headcanons #seungcheol au #scoups imagines #scoups scenarios #scoups headcanons #scoups au #demon au #demon prince au #demon prince!seungcheol #demon!seungcheol #demon prince!scoups #demon!scoups

[bluecollarmcandtf]

Guard Duty

I caught Shane dozing off at the security desk while working late one night. He was the night guard I hired after the building was broken into. Needless to say, I was not happy.

"Shane!" I roared.

He almost slipped out of his chair as he jerked awake.

"Napping? Is this going to be a problem?"

"No, Mr. Isaac," he jumped to his feet, "I'll walk the building right now."

My pathetic excuse for a guard scrambled to collect the flashlight and keys I issued to him, but I wasn't convinced. In my experience, guys that were unreliable once would be unreliable again. Guys that were especially young and attractive like Shane were even more likely to be slackers.

"No," I snarled.

The new hire looked at me wide-eyed, clearly afraid he was about to be fired.

"Get over here," I tapped my foot.

The young man reluctantly stepped up, standing before me with a pitiful expression.

"I'm not going to fire you, Shane."

"Thank you, sir," he sighed in relief, relaxing with a dopey grin, "It won't happen again."

"No, it won't."

I pulled a long chain out from beneath my button-up shirt, revealing a heavy ruby pendant that caught all the light in the dark building. Shane had no idea that the gem on this necklace carried a certain quality with it. People who find themselves staring at it too long left their minds open for anyone to go poking around in, and I was intent on poking around in Shane's.

The young man was wide open within seconds of gawking at my pendant. Anything I told him would be accepted by his brain as undeniable truth.

"Shane, you are going to take this job as night security very seriously," I instructed his subconscious, "This job is your identity now. You think of yourself as the security guard here, even when you're not on a shift. It is just the perfect encapsulation of everything you know about yourself. Isn't it?"

Shane's mouth drifted open as he took my words in. It wasn't long before some drool spillee out dumbly onto the uniform shirt.

"Since this job is the primary point of your life, you don't let anything get in the way of it. That means you make time to sleep 9 hours during the day so you come to work rested and alert. You're not going to doze off ever again when you're on watch, and you're not going to get distracted by anything either."

His eyes remained glazed and his body continued to hang limp, but I knew his brain was accepting every word.

"Since this is your career now, you are going to have to make some changes to better represent my company. That scruffy hair of yours will have to go. You keep your hair trimmed short and your face freshly shaven from now on. That's a better image for this position."

I began to imagine what he'd look like all cleaned up. He'd be a real guard for one thing, but he'd also be a hell of a lot more attractive: at least to me.

"You also always do what Mr. Isaac says without question. He is your boss so he tells you what to do. It doesn't matter if it's embarrassing, unpleasant, or impossible. You obey the man, and that just makes sense since you're his security guard."

I was starting to get a little worked up. The idea of this young guard obeying my every whim was giving me all sorts of fantasies. Every bone in my body was telling me to reach out and grope the dazed man through his uniform. I wanted to get to know the guy I hired a little better.

"But you prioritize your work. You love being a night guard. It gives you purpose. This is your life's calling after all, and there's no other job you'd rather have."

I can't resist any longer. My hands dart out and begin to feel his soft muscles beneath the shirt.

"But the job also turns you on. Nothing gets you more excited than protecting people: guarding them. You get hard putting on your uniform every night, knowing you're a good little security guard. You get hard the entire time you patrol the building because you are doing your job, and nobody is more passionate about it than you."

I was barely holding back anymore. My hands had migrated all the way around him to feel the ass beneath his slacks. Meanwhile, I began shamelessly kissing his parted lips. He had no idea any of this was happening, but I think he would've been happy his boss was paying this much attention to him.

"Alright, Shane," I continued between kisses, "You're going to wake up in a moment and forget everything that just happened, but the commands will stay."

I reluctantly pulled myself away from the new night guard, and tucked the pendant back into my shirt. With a snap of the fingers, Shane's eyes fluttered to life and he awkwardly wiped the drool from his lips.

"Mr. Isaac, like I said, I'm sorry about the slip up," he affirmed, "I can't tell you how important this role is to me."

"I think I get it," I answer, "Now get back to your guard duty!"

"Yes, sir!"

Glancing down I see his excited package straining against the fabric of his uniform pants. The tenting erection seems to not bother the guard as he marches down the corridor to begin his patrol.

I was looking forward to seeing a lot more of him around the building at night, now that he was so much more excited to do his job.

#gay hypnosis #gay mind control #ai art

[monster-disaster]

[orc] Tasha

orc!Tasha x human!Reader Good to know: smut

Summary: You and Tasha meet in the museum after the visitors leave.

The museum is buzzing with life. The sound of footsteps and quiet conversations echoes against the carefully polished marble floors and tall walls. The place is lit by the sun streaming through the glass dome at the top of the lobby. Everything is bright and lively. You can't help but smile at the sight of people coming and going through the grand entrance. Most of the visitors are tourists with backpacks and cameras or families with excited kids running around their parents' legs. You really love days like this. When everything is busy and you don't even notice how quickly the time passes while you work.

You are standing at the reception. Your hips against the counter while you wait for your next group. Your fingers play with the brochures in your hands. "Your break is over already?" You recognize Tasha's voice immediately. Your heart jumps into your throat, and excitement runs through your spine. You almost scowl at your own reaction. "Yes," you clear your throat, letting yourself look at the orc a few steps away from you.

Tasha stands tall and confident. The black trousers she wears stretch on her legs, following the firm line of her bottom. Her white shirt is similar to yours, tucked in under the belt adorning her slim waist. The fabric highlights her broad shoulders and muscular arms. The sleeves are folded up to her elbows. Your gaze pauses at the swell of her breasts. You try to tell yourself you are only looking at her name tag and the security company she works for above the plastic card, but you are lying.

Damn, nobody should look this good in a simple guard uniform.

"My eyes are up here, little human." Damn it! "I know," you gasp, snapping your eyes up to her dark brown ones. Her tusks make her smile even more smug as she stares at you intensely. You feel the heat creeping up to your face. "I have to go," you continue after a few silent seconds. "You know, work and…" And? She is amused at your flustered state. It makes everything worse for you. "Okay," she smirks. "I will see you later." "Yeah," you breathe out. "Yeah."

The museum is like a maze where the walls are adorned with carefully curated artworks, artifacts, and information displays. Spotlights illuminate the exhibits on your way through the rooms full of history. Each room you enter presents a new chapter in the narrative of human creativity, achievement, and knowledge. Sculptures, skeletons, and hundreds of years old items follow you among the columns as you lead your group.

The group of kids you guide are excited and loud. Their teachers are constantly busy to keep them in line. They have dozens of questions about everything you show them. The weight of history hangs in the air, and you are more than happy to connect them with the past and its wonders.

You can't help but notice Tasha every now and again, even though the children around you keep you occupied most of the time. You see her helping the visitors and doing her job while stealing a glance or two your way.

The female orc can barely tear her eyes away from you. Happiness and enthusiasm radiate off of you in thick waves. You smile and laugh as you talk about history. Her chest warms up at the sight. And she can still see your flustered state in her mind. She wanted to steal you away from the crowd to a dark corner where nobody could disturb you.

Hours pass by while both of you are busy with work. At some point, Tasha has to go back to the security room and check on the cameras while her coworker goes on their break. She sits at the desk, watching the black and white screens. She notices you here and there, guiding your group through the exhibitions. She feels almost ridiculous.

You caught her eyes the first day you started working at the museum. You were excited and sweet. And you stuttered every time she talked to you in the first few weeks. She couldn't get enough of you.

And she still can't.

Her thoughts are soon disturbed by the quiet knocks on the door. "Come in," she calls out.

The voice is muffled by the door, but you still know it's Tasha, and your nerves immediately jump to the roof. After she caught you staring at her chest, you hoped you could avoid being alone with her for a few days until your humiliation lessened.

Well, no such luck.

"Hey," you greet her quietly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind you. "Oh!" Tasha is surprised but happy to see you. "Did you miss me?" She smirks. "No," you reply. "Yes." Her smile widens, and you already feel hot in the small space. You want to stay alone with her and run away at the same time. "How can I help you, Meggy?" She asks in the end. "One of the kids lost one of their shoes somewhere," you tell her. "Could we rewatch the recording?" "A shoe?" "Don't even ask," you shrug. "They are kids. It happens." "Okay," the orc hums, still surprised. "But yeah, we can look for it, sure." When she turns back to the monitors, you move closer to see the screens too. As you lean over her shoulder, her scent hits you across the face. She smells like the shampoo she probably uses on her dark red hair that highlights the soft green shade of her skin. It's spicy with herbs and something else you don't recognize. "Do you have any idea where they lost it?" "They said they had it when we saw the dinosaurs." Tasha nods.

You know you should focus on the screen, but it's harder and harder with each passing second. Tasha's scent fills your senses, making you forget why you are even here in the first place. Your fingertips tingle with the need to touch her hair. Her red locks are in braids and twirls with beads around them. And now that you are so close to her, you notice the light freckles across her cheeks. They are just a few shades darker than her skin. You force your eyes to move back to the computers. You don't need her to catch you staring at her again.

"There," you gasp out, leaning over her broad shoulder even more to point at the little kid. They take off their shoes for no reason at all, and when one of the teachers calls out for the small group, they run after their classmates without looking back at the shoe.

You only notice how close you are to the orc when you turn your head to look at her. Your upper body is pressed against her shoulder, and your faces are just a few inches away from each other.

Blood surges in your veins, and the room seems even smaller. "Thanks!" You squeak, and without looking back, just like the kid, you run out of the security room.

A long week goes by without you and Tasha talking to each other for more than a few words. The museum is busy with schools coming for their yearly field trip and people trying to enjoy their free time and learn something new. You guide groups through the exhibitions several times a day.

You meet the female orc again for more than a few minutes on a Friday night. It's already late, and you are one of the few who are still in the museum. It's quiet and peaceful. You always enjoy going through a few rooms after the doors close in front of the visitors. You often find something new and interesting. It's like the museum changes every now and again without anyone really noticing it.

"Didn't you see that enough times already?" The familiar voice asks from behind you. Your gaze from the painting goes to the orc immediately when you turn your head to look at her over your shoulder. You shrug. "I like it." "You should go home, little human, I'm sure you are tired." "I'm on my way to the changing room," you tell her, but none of you move. Your eyes are locked, trying to come up with something to continue the conversation. "You know," she starts, looking around the room. "I never really looked around here." "What?" You are shocked. "What do you mean? You work here." "But I'm always busy with the visitors." "I can give you a private tour if you want?" You suggest. Tasha has to force her thoughts to stay on the right path. When you say private tour, she imagines entirely different things. "Only if you have time. I don't want to keep you here." "No, it's fine. I have nothing to do." A grimace pulls on your lips. Maybe you shouldn't admit you have nothing to do on a Friday night.

So you and Tasha continue your way through the rooms. You stop here and there to show things to her and talk about their past. You bombard her with names, dates, and locations. There are times when the orc worries that you don't even breathe while you talk but never tries to stop you. She often sees you with visitors but has never seen you this close while you speak with so much passion. It radiates from your voice.

"I have no idea how you can remember so many things," she says after a while. You look at the sculpture in front of you, but she watches you. Your eyes are bright, and your smile is constant. "I talked your ear off, didn't I?" You grimace, starting to feel guilty. "I'm sorry. I-" "Don't be sorry," Tasha cuts in. "I enjoy it. It's sexy." Heat rushes up to your face at her last words. "Well," you clear your throat. "Thanks?" She laughs at your reaction. You can barely look at her. She moves closer. "Do I make you nervous?" There is no point in lying. "Yes." Your eyes fall on the plastic name tag on her chest. "Is it good or bad?" Tasha is amused and too entertained with your current state. "Good." "Can I kiss you, Meggy?" Her next question makes you forget how to breathe. Your head snaps up to look at her. "Yes," you croak out. There is no way you could say no to a woman like Tasha.

She leans closer, and in the next second, her lips are on yours. The kiss is gentle and slow. She lets you warm up to her closeness. Her tusks are hard and, at first, a bit strange against your skin, while her lips are soft and warm. She licks your lower lip once, twice, three times, and before she can do it for the fourth time, your mouth opens. Her tongue slips against yours, and her arms curl around your waist to pull you closer. The kiss gets heavy and searing.

"Oh," you breathe out after a few seconds. "Oh?" She asks back, smirking. "I need more than that, little human." The moan out of your lips before you can stop it. Her brow lifts with interest. "Do you like it when I call you that?" She asks. "Yes." "How much do you like it?" She already knows the answer but wants to hear it from you. "Very much," you clear your throat. You can't think straight when the orc is so close. Her arms are still around you, and her breath fans over your face. "Do you get wet?" She asks shamelessly. "Tell me, Meggy, does your pussy clench when I call you little human?" "Yes," you reply, barely louder than a whisper. Your breathing is heavy and ragged. Your fingers tug on her white shirt, opening a few buttons until you can clearly see a part of her breasts. She doesn't wear a bra. "Show me," she says, putting her own hand into yours. "Guide my hand to your pussy, Meggy. Let me feel your wetness and your hot cunt."

Oh god.

Your fingers curl around her wrist. Your hold is weak and trembling as you easily pull her hand under the waistband of your skirt. "Ah-ah," she hums. The orc flicks your clit through the thin fabric of your panties. She can already feel how wet you are, but she wants more. She wants to feel your flesh, wet and hot, under her touch. Tasha doesn't have to say anything else. You lead her hand into your panties until you feel her warmth on your aching cunt. She draws a few teasing circles on your clit, watching your reactions. Your eyelashes flutter as your mouth falls open with a silent moan. Your fingers tighten around Tasha's arm to keep yourself on your feet. Every twist and rub of her fingers sends you higher and higher. Your thighs close on her hand until she can barely move.

It doesn't stop her, though.

"Fuck, Meggy," the orc groans. "You soak my hand. I can smell your pussy, you know that, right?" Oh god. Your reaction is barely noticeable, but she can still see it. A bit of shame and much more hunger glint in your hazy eyes. "The c-camera," you gasp out, looking over her shoulder to the small device hanging in the corner. "Don't worry about it, sweet girl," Tasha replies, leaving your clit to slide through your folds until she reaches your entrance. Your whole body shudders with anticipation. "They can see nothing from this angle." There is a big part of her that wishes otherwise. The orc wants a video of you coming undone in her hands and clever fingers. "Fuck, Tasha!" You cry out when she pushes inside. Your nails dig into her skin. One of her fingers is enough to stretch you. The heel of her hand rubs against your clit. You don't even know where you should concentrate anymore. "It's okay, little human," she hums against your ear. Her voice is deep and smug. "Cum on my hand. Make a mess on my finger so I can taste you." "T-Tasha!" Your scream is hoarse and ragged. Your eyes fall shut when the burning coil in your lower stomach snaps with force. Your muscles twitch with pleasure, and for a long second, you can't even breathe. "So sweet," Tasha hums, watching you the whole time. You are even more beautiful during your orgasm than she imagined. And she imagined it a lot. "My sweet girl, my pretty girl." The orc eases you down from your high softly and slowly. Her embrace cocoons you into safety and warmth while her voice brings you back to reality. When you open your eyes, you see her lifting her finger to her lips, licking down your juice, shining on her green skin. Your blood already feels like lava in your veins, and the sight doesn't help. "You taste as sweet as you look," she says, leaning down to kiss you again. You can taste the faint taste of yourself on her tongue. "Tasha," you breathe out her name but can't continue. You are not sure what you should say. She just made you cum in front of a camera, even if you are safe behind her large body, in the museum where both of you work. "Come home with me?" She asks, helping you out. "We could order some food, and if you are okay with it, I would really like to taste your sweet pussy." Excitement bubbles in your chest again. Your pussy throbs with the need to let Tasha do whatever she wants to do to you. "Okay," you force an answer out through your tightened throat. "I would like that too." A smile spreads across her face and softly tugs you against her side. "That's my sweet little human."

- Masterlist Meriad Masterlist Patreon

#monster x human #monster x reader #monster x you #monster romance #monster smut #monster girlfriend #orc x reader #orc x human #orc girlfriend #orc smut #orc romance #meriad

[piedpiperart]

Four Can Keep A Secret

Secret trio plus Red Robin fic where Danny is captured by the GIW and Jake Long, Randy Cunningham, and Tim Drake end up rescuing him together. AO3

Chapter One

Due to a case, Tim had been patrolling the area by the docks more recently. It was within his territory, so it didn’t take long for him to notice something strange going on. The past few days, any time Tim patrolled the area, his comms glitched. The air was cooler here, and it felt like there was some sort of static in the air that put him on edge. It was almost like the weather reflected the bad vibe Tim was having about the location, and based on past experience, he figured nothing good would come of it.

After doing some research on the surrounding buildings, Tim was able to narrow it down to one of the bigger warehouses. It had access to Gotham Bay, and from the blueprints he scrounged up it looked like a sizable basement as well. It was clear that they needed a big space and access to water, so whatever they were carrying to and fro wouldn’t be noticed by boat. Both were bad signs, so Tim had to get a closer look. From there, it didn’t take long to do research and plan for a reconnaissance mission.

The purchase of the warehouse went through shell company after shell company, and any transactions were firmly shielded and rerouted enough that even Tim couldn’t bypass it. Which led to tonight, where Tim was scaling the surrounding fence to get in to see what was going on. He approached the side entrance, one he’d mapped out through the blueprints earlier, but stopped in his tracks when he heard voices. 

“Dude! That’s not stealthy!”

“We don’t need to be stealthy, we need to get into the-”

“And breaking down the door is gonna alert the guards!”

“But we’ll be inside!” 

“Inside and in danger!”A tall guy in a ninja uniform exclaimed, probably louder than he meant. Both arms were gestured wide as he towered over a smaller figure in red. 

At first glance, Tim thought it might be the League of Assassins, but the type of outfit paired with the red accents made him think otherwise. Not to mention an assassin would be much more subtle, not arguing loudly with a teenager in front of a warehouse they wanted to break into. It was unlikely that the league had sent what seemed like a kid Tim’s age on a mission as well.

On the other hand, the kid arguing with the ninja was short, dressed in regular civilian clothes with spiky black hair with dyed green tips. He wore dark blue shorts and a red jacket, crossing his arms with a scowl as he squared up to the taller ninja. As much as he was curious about how a civilian got involved, Tim was under the impression the two teenagers were about to start brawling if he didn’t do something. To keep them from getting caught, Tim dropped down from the AC unit he was perched on to land closest to the door. 

The two nearly let out a shriek before covering each other’s mouths. “What the juice dude!” The ninja scream-whispered, throwing his hands in the air again.

“Holy shit, you’re one of the bats,”The civilian teen said, albeit a bit more nervous. He scowled at Tim a second later.“What are you doing here?”

“Breaking in,”Tim said, hoping for nonchalant while connecting his wrist computer to the security panel on the doorframe. It was already open, most likely from the other two, so he only had to plug in his code to get it working. “I’ve been monitoring this place. Do you know what’s going on in there?”

“Not really.”

“Yes,”The guy in red said at the same time the ninja shrugged. 

“Great, care to fill me in? We’re on a time limit and I’d like to get in and out as fast as possible,” Tim asked, looking at the guy in red pointedly. 

“A government agency took the Ghost King captive,”He explained reluctantly. “I was sent to return him to his dimension before a war broke out between this realm and theirs.”

Tim paused, turning to him in surprise. It sort of explained why the guy was dressed covertly, but he didn’t seem to have any weapons on him, just a small satchel looped around his chest. It was perplexing to think about how this guy had connections to the ghost king. 

“Oh. That makes more sense,”The ninja perked up. Tim was surprised at that, because while magic might be involved, surely someone on the JL would have noticed a missing King.“I was told to rescue someone inside, something, something, he’s guarded by guys in white, by a magic book.”

Of course it was magic, Tim groaned internally. He’d have to reach out to Zatanna or Constantine about this. For now, he’d keep an eye on the two teens with him. If they had any ulterior motives with the rescuee, Tim would be able to stop them and get the King to safety. Before Tim could ask another question, the Ninja asked,”Which bat are you?”

“Which ninja are you?” Tim countered, unlocking the door. He slipped into the hall silently, glad that the ninja seemed to excel at stealth when he barely heard any footsteps following him. He was less impressed with the guy in red’s attempt. 

“I’m previously known as the Norrisville Ninja, now just the Ninja,”He introduced himself with a whisper. “I go on magical quests given to me by a cursed book.”

“Awesome,”Tim grimaced. He couldn’t help it when magic was involved, especially now that the Ninja was in Gotham. He hadn’t heard anything about Norrisville or Ninjas. If he remembered correctly, Norrisville was around Arizona. It was a long way from Gotham. Tim hoped the guy would be able to get out of Gotham before B caught wind of him. “You can call me Red Robin.”

“Yum,”The two of them chimed, and Tim wanted to smack something. Preferably the two idiots behind him.

“Just call me Jake. I’m an ambassador for magical creatures in America,”Jake added quietly. Tim turned to give him a look, but he didn’t elaborate. He could almost feel the need to unravel Jake’s secrets vibrating in his chest, waiting to burst and ask a million personal and invasive questions. But he refrained, like a normal person. “Someone’s coming on the left. Two people.”

Trusting the supposed magical ambassador, Tim pulled the three of them into a supply closet. Judging by the rescue mission and tense look in the two, Tim figured they were telling the truth. He couldn’t help but wonder what exactly he’d stumbled upon though, given that he’d never heard of Jake, the Ninja, or the Ghost king before. 

Tim turned away from the door to find Jake and the Ninja whispering furiously with each other. “You’ve met before?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow. The two stepped apart.

“Unfortunately,”Jake grumbled. “We’ve met before, once or twice.”

“Cut the cheese, man, I saved your butt a bunch of times and you know it,”The Ninja said. Tim could tell he was grinning through the mask. 

“If you don’t shut up about it, I’m going to roast you like a marshmallow,”Jake retorted, his last words verging on a growl. Tim looked over at Jake subtly, wondering if that was a normal habit or if the guy was a meta. The two quieted down when Tim put up a hand, everyone now serious, and a few seconds later he opened the door to find the guards gone.  

Red Robin didn’t have to say anything to get them moving, and instead followed the blueprint in his head to the basement level. “Woah,”The ninja breathed when they reached the lower level. Everything was white with eerie glowing neon green lights that reflected off the three of them. 

“This is so creepy,”Jake muttered, glancing around. He was a bit paranoid that he’d be the one trapped in something like this one day. With how his old highschool teacher always tried to capture him, it was a very real concern, and he dreaded to think of what might’ve happened if his teacher was even a bit more competent. The eerie white walls and secret scary basement had been a fear of his growing up, especially during those times when he was being hunted. Clutching the strap of the satchel around his chest, he followed the two boys in front of him with a little more urgency. He couldn’t imagine what horrible things the Ghost King was going through here.

 While Jake couldn’t wait to get out of there, he wasn’t leaving until he found the Ghost King. His grandpa and the council of Dragons had been alerted to the danger when the ghosts started going crazy. Apparently, the Ghost King had a reputation for maintaining the balance between the ghost realm and the human realm, and not only was he good at keeping the peace, he was held in high regard by almost every ghost out there. Speaking of ghosts, they were coming in from the realms at a higher, more alarming level than ever before, searching the earth for their stolen king. A few made their way to the dragons with the news of war and Jake was tasked with finding the King to prevent it. Jake shuddered at the thought of a whole dimension of ghosts attacking the living. He wasn’t even sure what side the Dragon council would pick in that fight, but hopefully they wouldn’t need to choose sides. 

After Jake was sent on the mission, armed with a satchel of ghostly ectoplasm- said to heal ghosts from any physical ailment- he made his way to Gotham. Spud helped him track the King to the warehouse, but whatever software they were using at the place couldn’t be cracked remotely. He’d been told about the GIW, a government agency hell bet on eradicating the ghost population, and was upset that none of the magical community had learned about them before. It certainly made his job as the American Dragon more difficult, but at least he was here now.

Jake glanced over to Red Robin, who seemed to know where they were going. The guy led them confidently down the spooky hallway with no hesitation, so Jake followed easily. While he was nervous about being on a Bat’s radar, he was glad Red Robin was there to get them in quickly. From what he knew about the Ninja, he didn’t have any technical skills either. Red Robin was still a better choice than the Bat himself, but Jake was hopeful he wouldn’t have to reveal his powers to the guy. If he did, Jake figured it would be a little more difficult than usual to get him to keep quiet about the existence of the Magical community. 

The Ninja definitely knew he was the American Dragon, but Jake was beyond grateful that the guy hadn’t revealed Jake’s secret to the Bat. He’d only met the Ninja twice before, both when he was on some odd quest from whatever cursed book he was attached to. The first time he’d saved Jake from being revealed to a crowd of paparazzi after a battle with a well-timed smoke bomb. The lanky teen had disappeared so fast Jake thought he was hallucinating until he saw him again during a mission with unicorns. Some overeager college kids had come across a group of them outside and the Ninja had helped him round up some of the unicorns that ran closer to populated areas in the scuffle. Jake was pretty sure the guy knew about the Magical community, but since he seemed to be on their side, he didn’t see the point in alerting the council to the Ninja. He was a good ally to have, even if Jake wasn’t sure of his motives.

Jake shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. Looking around, he saw containment cells, a vat of glowing green liquid, and various tools that gave Jake more than a bad feeling. The sooner they could get out of here the better, he thought with a shiver. The place gave him the creeps, and he was sure that it would be haunting his nightmares for the rest of his life. 

“How do you know where you’re going?” The Ninja piped up, looking over Red Robin’s shoulder. It seemed like a genuine question, but Red Robin shifted the screen away anyway. 

“I have the building schematics, and I downloaded their files,”Red Robin reported, taking a left turn out of the area with containment units and down the hall to the scary lab. “According to this, they have one current captive, labeled PH-01. Nothing in the containment cells we passed so I’m betting the guys here have him in a lab.”

“This is so rank,”Ninja grimaced, looking around. He seemed to talk when he was nervous, Jake observed,”How come this place is so empty? I thought we’d have way more guys to fight by now.”

“I set up a distraction at the other end of the building,”Red Robin grinned briefly before covering it up with a blank smile. He pointed, coming up to a bigger locked door at the end of the hall. Green light seemed to shine through the cracks at the bottom of the door. “It should give us enough time to get whoever’s inside and get out.”

“He’s the Ghost King,”Jake reminded with a frown,”Probably glowing. He can float, turn invisible, that sort of thing. If they caught him he’s going to be restrained in some way.”

“Magic book told me he has white hair and green eyes,”The Ninja added helpfully. 

Red Robin filed the information away as his wrist computer got the door unlocked. It slid open with a hiss, and bright, white lights turned on overhead, making the two without a domino mask wince. Whatever the trio was expecting, this was worse. 

In the room was a bunch oh medical equipment paired with what looked like torture devices. In the middle of the room lay a metal exam table with a small figure strapped down. Tim was surprised to find that the ghost king was around his age, smaller than he’d expected. It made the situation worse in a way, knowing that the people here were experimenting on a kid. Experimenting was sadly the best word Tim could find to describe it, given that the boy had heavy duty restraints on his wrists and neck. No restraints on his legs, but he figured it was because one of the legs looked bent at an unnatural angle. The beginnings of incisions adorned the King’s bare chest, and what looked like needle marks in his arms as well as the IV attached led Tim to believe that the guy was being sedated. 

They stood frozen at the entrance for a few seconds before bursting into motion. The Ninja, surprisingly, went to try to get the cuffs off while Jake went to patch up the unconscious figure with Tim. “I don’t think I can use anything to heal him until the restraints come off,”Jake said, pulling out bandages out of his bag. He didn’t know how ectoplasm would mix with the ghost-proof restraints, so since there was nothing he could do magically, Jake started making a makeshift splint to hold the crooked leg together. 

“Nothing I have can break these,”The Ninja said, frustrated. He went to the other end of the room, snooping for weapons or keys to unlock them before standing watch instead. 

Meanwhile, Tim tried to get the collar off. He figured out quickly that breaking it with the laser on his utility belt wouldn’t work, and set to hacking it instead. Almost immediately, he knew this was going to take longer than they had, and shut his wrist computer with a snap. “I need more time to get the restraints off. We need to move, now,”Red Robin said, moving to help Jake finish patching the kid up. He detached the IV and other restraints keeping him to table, while the smaller teen finished wrapping his leg. 

“There’s a bunch of people coming, any ideas on how to get out of here?” The Ninja said hurriedly, rushing over to help the two get the unconscious boy up off the table. Since the Ninja was the tallest out of the three of them and closest to the Ghost King’s height, they carefully situated the ghost onto the Ninja’s back. Red Robin took up the lead, taking the four of them out a back entrance away from where the guards were coming from. 

“This leads up to the roof,”Red Robin directed, a little surprised at the Ninja’s ability to carry the boy up three flights of stairs without breaking a sweat. “From there we can take him to the Batcave or-”

“No, he’s staying with us,”Jake growled deeper than before, and shouldered past Red Robin. “None of us want the Bats involved in this more than they already are.”

“I’m not saying you have to,”Tim placated, not letting any of his frustration bleed through his voice. “It’s just an option if he needs more medical attention than we can give him.”

“I have a safe house close by,”The Ninja offered, and Red Robin wasn’t surprised when Jake readily agreed. Tim agreed though, given that the Ninja seemed to be the closest thing they had to neutral. Alarms blared behind them as Tim kicked open the rooftop door.

The four of them got onto the roof, Jake closing the door behind them. He broke off the door handle in a surprising show of strength that Tim did not have time to process. “Here, I can take him and grapple-” Red Robin started before getting cut off. 

“I got him,”Jake growled again, and Tim was about to argue when the Ninja just handed the Ghost boy off. Sighing quietly, he resigned himself to just follow along as Jake held the boy easily in his arms despite his small stature. Jake turned to Tim,”Don’t freak out,”He said, accepting it with a bit of suspicion when Red Robin nodded.

Then, to the surprise of the vigilante, Jake transformed into a giant red dragon. “Get on,”Jake grumbled, securing the ghost king in his arms as gently as possible. The Ninja whooped, climbing onto Jake’s back gently despite his excitement and gestured for Tim to follow. Red Robin refrained from spouting all the questions he had and followed. He’d definitely seen weirder, and there was no time for introductions again with the guys in white banging on the door behind them. 

“Hang on!”The dragon called with a sharp grin before he stretched his wings out and leapt off the roof.  Snuggled securely in his arms was the unconscious Ghost King, while the Ninja and Red Robin were holding on for dear life on Jake’s back. They tried to be mindful of the guy, but it was hard not to grip too tight when they were flying so high. “Got directions for me?”He called, and Tim was surprised they could hear him over the wind. 

The rest of the ride went by quickly, with the Ninja giving directions to a small apartment not far from Gotham University. Meanwhile, Tim was trying to take in every detail of the two boys in front of him. Riding a dragon was something he’d never done before, and he had to restrain himself from running his hands over Jake’s ruby scales. He wondered if they were like armor. Was there heat resistance? Tim found his mind racing with the wind around him.

The Ninja on the other hand, was surprisingly muscular despite his lithe, tall figure. Since Tim was seated behind him, he had no choice but to hold on to the boy in front of him if he wanted to stay on the dragon. Despite knowing that the Ninja had multiple weapons on him, he couldn’t spot a single one. Did the Ninja have magical powers too? Tim had a lot of questions, but he knew now was not the time. The most important thing right now was getting those restraints off the Ghost King and preventing a war. 

The two riding the dragon didn’t waste any time getting off once they landed on a rooftop. The unconscious King was passed to the Ninja again and Jake transformed back to human. Tim supposed it made more sense that Jake was an ambassador of magical creatures now that he knew he was a dragon. Or part dragon, Tim wondered. This was not his expertise, so he followed the two with the most experience into the apartment, keeping his eyes peeled for anything suspicious while fiddling with the codes on his wrist computer. 

“Mi Casa es su Casa,”The Ninja grunted, tossing some keys to Jake while keeping a steady hold on the boy on his back, who caught them and easily opened the door. 

“I thought this was a safe house,”Tim said absently as they walked in, still typing. The more time he had to crack the code the better, just as long as he was in the same vicinity as the ghost he could keep working. 

“Well, it’s safe, and it’s where I live, so,”The Ninja added, unable to shrug with his arms full, and brought the boy over to a table near the kitchen. “Can you clear off the books?” He asked, and Jake scrambled to clear the table, helping the Ninja set the Ghost king down gently. The unconscious boy’s head lolled to the side and his white hair drifted over his face. Randy paused, helping him into a more comfortable position before brushing the hair out of the way. His face remained relaxed, not stirring in the slightest at the movement. Randy grimaced when he caught sight of the blood smeared on his neck under the collar, and he hoped they could help him.

“Do you have any medical supplies? Towels?”Jake asked, getting back to work on fixing up the guy passed out on his table. Randy went and got them, pointing Jake to the kitchen to grab some warm water. He rushed to the bathroom, reaching under the sink to pull out his first aid kit and snatching a few towels off the counter. He was glad to have washed them the other night. 

Making his way to the kitchen, he saw Red Robin in a chair next to the Ghost, typing away on the tiny computer on his wrist. He only paused a few times to lean over and look at the collar or fiddle with it, but Randy figured he’d get it off soon with that determined look. Bringing the supplies, Randy spent the next two hours cleaning and dressing the boy’s wounds with Jake. He paused briefly to get Red Robin a bigger laptop to work from, but stayed by Jake’s side to help secure the ghost’s broken leg..

Halfway through, he pulled off his mask, letting the rest of his suit retreat and revealing his unruly purple hair. Red Robin hadn’t even noticed, still typing away, only now he was using Randy’s laptop that he’d gotten for school. It helped to have room to type with both hands, he’d said when he thanked him. 

Jake on the other hand was speechless for a moment, staring with wide eyes before grinning. “Want me to keep calling you Ninja?” He snarked, and Randy rolled his eyes. 

“It’s Randy, actually, but you can call me anytime,”Randy winked, and Jake threw an unused rag at him. Randy dodged, snickering, but got back to work. 

Once the Ghost was bandaged and no longer bloody, they got him in some of Randy’s pajamas and moved him to Randy’s bed. It just so happened that the pajamas were blue and had little polar bears on them. Despite the bandages and makeshift cast, the kid looked more peaceful laying on the comfy blankets. “I’ll keep an eye on him,”Jake said, rolling Randy’s spinny gaming chair to sit next to the bed. He still had the satchel on him when he plopped down on the chair, and held it tighter when he got restless or nervous. Randy assumed he was carrying something important for their guest in there, so he left it alone. No doubt it was something magical and very hard to obtain, and Randy was well known for clumsiness outside of the mask. He was going to avoid messing with it.

“I’ll make some food then,”Randy hummed, but before he left he rummaged through his drawers to find some extra pajamas for Jake and himself as well. He tossed them over to the shorter teen and left the room before Jake could yell at him for it. 

After getting changed in the bathroom, Randy meandered his way past Red Robin, who still had his head in the computer, and into the kitchen. He figured the guy could use something to keep him awake. Opening the fridge, he found a grape flavored Zesti energy drink and brought it to Red Robin. The guy almost flinched at Randy’s presence, but zeroed in on the energy drink and relaxed. “Thanks,”Red sighed, reaching for the drink. He paused, finally noticing the absence of a ninja suit. Randy wanted to laugh at how wide the eyes of his mask went but took pity on him. It was late, and they needed Red Robin to get the collar off. 

“Call me Randy,”He grinned, then turned to the kitchen. “I’m making food if you want anything or have allergies. Let me know if you want another energy drink, I have a bunch.”

“Yeah,”Red Robin rasped, then cleared his throat and reaching for the drink. He got back to work a few seconds later, keeping the can between his arms as he typed. Tim wished he had a straw to drink while he worked, if only to keep him distracted from the cute boy in the kitchen.

Back in the kitchen, Randy was busy making breakfast sandwiches, because that was one of the only things he knew how to make and had enough of those ingredients. He wasn’t quite sure what the others wanted on their sandwich but he’d make it pretty plain in case they had weird tastes. Glancing back at Red Robin hunched over at the kitchen table, he didn’t feel as nervous as he thought he should be at the bat. Randy didn’t mind sharing his identity with the two, and to be honest, either one could figure out his name just by knowing where he lived.

 He had known Jake didn’t trust the Bats, so Randy suggested his own place. It helped that he wasn’t far away, considering he was going to Gotham University for a Media X major. His apartment was neutral ground when it came to magical creatures and the vigilantes, and he was sure the nomicon predicted things working out this way. It definitely wasn’t because he was lonely, no. Randy only just moved to Gotham, away from his friends and family. He was doing fine making friends in college. Sharing his apartment with other heroic teens was just convenient. It was just a normal, college apartment, and he hoped the ghost at least would be more at ease with the surroundings when he woke up. 

Soon enough, Randy plated the sandwiches individually, adding a bit of avocado, tomato, some onion, sriracha, mayo, ketchup, and bbq sauce to his own. He paused, then found the bag of chips on top of the fridge to add to the side of each plate. Going back to the fridge, he pulled out another energy drink and took one plate to Red Robin. 

The guy didn’t even notice Randy dropping off his food, but he seemed to be concentrating so Randy let him be. He left, taking the empty can with him. The purple haired teen hoped the plain egg, sausage and cheese muffin was fine. It was one of the only things he could cook after working at McCluckbusters for one too many summers. 

Grabbing the other two plates, he made his way to the room with the sleeping ghost. “Your dinner awaits, milady,”Randy bowed dramatically, holding out the plate to Jake.

The dragon boy snorted, but dug in gratefully. It was almost 6am already, and Randy was sure all three of them had been up the whole night. He himself was used to late nights gaming, but Jake looked tired. Randy took a bite of his own sandwich, putting some of the barbeque flavored chips inside it to add a crunch, but paused when he saw Jake staring at him. 

“Yo, what did you do to that sandwich, man?” Jake asked, setting down his own sandwich and looking at it like it suddenly had a bug in it. 

“It’s delicious,”Randy said with his mouth full. “Why, do you want some? I left yours kinda plain in case you didn’t like other stuff.”

“Okay, I do like the avocado but it looks like you have ten different sauces on there,”Jake judged. “You couldn’t just pick one?”

“It adds to the flavor,”Randy defended,”And it’s only like, four. I was out of ranch.”

“Oh my god,”Jake sighed, exasperated, “Next time I’m cooking,”He added,”I’ll show you real food.”

“Hey, I learned these secrets the hard way,”Randy said, adding more chips. 

“What, from a fast food place?” Jake asked, mentally planning what dishes he could make with ingredients that a midwestern college white boy would have in his fridge.

“Yeah, exactly,”Randy grinned, and Jake just rolled his eyes.”So if you want breakfast sandwiches or cake fries, I’m your guy.”

“Cake fries?” Jake repeated, looking at Randy in disbelief.

“Just wait til you try it,”Randy pointed out. Jake just rolled his eyes, but Randy could see a small smile on his face.

 They ate in silence after that, talking about random things and watching the sleeping boy between them. Randy took Jake’s plate when they were done, walking out to put them in the sink and check on Red Robin. 

To Randy’s exasperation, the guy had drunk the energy drink, but left the food with a few bites next to him. It seemed obvious that Red Robin had barely taken a break from trying to crack the ghostly restraints, and Randy didn’t know if it would be more or less helpful to remind him of the food. He decided to leave it for now, and took the empty can. He was worried that Red Robin was pushing himself too hard trying to crack the code, but for now he’d help out however he could without bothering his work flow. 

Randy admits, he is a bit restless with no emergency going on, and two strangers in his house. He ended up doing the dishes, giving Red Robin another energy drink, and started on cleaning around the house when he noticed Jake starting to fall asleep in his chair. Cracking his knuckles, he approached with the subtlety of a younger sibling.

“Come on, get up,”Randy shooed, much to Jake’s confusion and annoyance. “Don’t give me that look, you’re practically falling asleep.”

“I’m fine,”Jake growled, but let Randy herd him out of the room.

“Go take a nap on the couch, I’ll keep watch on him and wake you if anything happens,”Randy assured, leaving Jake to settle on the couch without tripping on the too long pajama pants to go grab a spare blanket. He draped it over Jake, grinning in satisfaction when he seemed to drift off in seconds. 

Randy glanced over at Red Robin, who had eaten a bit more but was still hunched over the laptop, and figured the guy was still doing okay. A thought came to him though and he grabbed some more pajamas and a glass of water to set next to Red Robin. Randy was never so grateful of his mom’s Christmas Pajama Tradition. He got a new pair every year and since he’d stopped growing he never needed to throw them away unless they got super old or beat up. 

Randy made his way over to the ghost king and took over Jake’s chair. Plopping down, he grabbed a blanket on the floor to wrap around his cold feet and leaned back to watch the sleeping boy in front of him. All the blood and cuts were cleaned and bandaged, so the little King would have looked almost peaceful if not for the bright green collar around his neck. Throughout the escape and getting settled in the apartment, Randy hadn’t actually gotten a good look at the guy before now. His skin was pale, with almost a hint of blue in it, and his short hair was almost ethereally white. Leaning closer he could see his eyelashes were white too. 

Sitting back, Randy huffed. He definitely had to skip school tomorrow. Considering he and the others had been up all night now, Randy hoped he’d be able to stay awake. Spotting his switch on his nightstand, he leaned over to grab it. Starting it up, he figured he’d play some Animal Farm to try and stay awake. It was a kind of mindless game so he wouldn’t miss anything if the Ghost King moved at all. 

Meanwhile, Tim was nearly done. He had hacked into the files he downloaded to try to find the key to unlocking it, but it turned out that the GIW had gotten the invention from some scientist named Fenton. It was even harder to find blueprints for the collar, but from what he could tell it was running on some sort of alternate power source. The glowing green energy didn’t seem to run out, and reminded Tim a bit of kryptonite. 

Given that it ran independently, the restraints were stuck on the ghost until someone deactivated it with a similar device. It was like the thing was half magic half technology, and Tim was only good with one of those things. What Tim was trying to do was unlock the restraints without the key, and to do that he needed to try and mimic the power source on his own end. To do that, he was trying to get the devices to register each other as a key, but it was slow going. Tim hadn’t done something like this before, but he knew he could do it with enough time. Time he wasn’t sure the ghost king had. 

Then the vigilante frowned. He looked up from the computer, wondering why Jake and Randy were being so quiet, only to find Jake sleeping on the couch. Tim blinked, but figured Randy was keeping watch on the Ghost King, while Jake slept. Looking at the clock on the laptop, he could see why. They’d been up all night, and it was nearly 9 in the morning now. With all the energy drinks he’d had, Tim wasn’t even tired. He couldn’t be tired if he wanted to get the restraints off the boy in Randy’s bed.

Tim sighed, reaching for the can on the table but instead brushed fabric. Surprised, he turned to see a pair of space pajamas with a soft Nasa t-shirt. Next to it was a glass of water and Tim frowned. While he was getting a bit uncomfortable staying in his suit for so long, he wasn’t completely at ease around the boys. Reluctantly, he took a sip of the water, hoping that they didn’t run out of Zesti. 

Glancing back at the screen, he figured now was a good time to take a break. No one else was around, so he quickly and quietly stripped out of his armor and into the soft pajamas, but kept his utility belt, boots, and mask on just in case. Folding his suit and placing it on the chair next to him, he took the time to stretch out his muscles, relishing the way his back cracked. 

Sitting back down, he was glad for the clothing change into something more comfortable. The pants were a bit long and the shirt too big, but they were soft and smelled like some sort of flowery laundry detergent. It was nice. He took another sip of water and started typing, hoping to figure out how to get the power source in the restraints to mimic the type of key needed to trick the system. 

Jake jolted awake with the imprint of the sterile, white lab and eerie green lighting on his eyes. He swallowed down the flames in his throat and rubbed his eyes. When he was no longer afraid to set something on fire, he yawned, stretching. He looked around, seeing Red Robin now sporting space pajamas a few sizes too big, and he could just make out Randy playing a game on his switch in the chair through the doorway of the other room. 

Yawning again, he set the blanket aside and got up. Jake scowled when he almost tripped over the pant legs of his borrowed pants. Despite the tripping hazard, he made his way to the kitchen to look through Randy’s cabinets. Looking at his phone he saw it was nearly 11am and figured the others would appreciate some food. He was surprised to find rice in one of Randy’s cabinets, and figured he could make some fried rice with some of the vegetables in the freezer. Nevermind that the rice looked untouched for months, but it would be easy to make a large amount of food for everyone. 

Jake was pretty sure that ghosts didn’t need to eat, but he figured the guy might appreciate being saved a plate just in case. He placed the satchel with the ectoplasm inside on the counter, and got started cooking. It was calming his nerves to focus on cooking rather than the vigilante at the table and the unconscious Ghost King in the other room. Randy seemed chill, but Jake was paranoid that one wrong move and Red Robin might contact some other heroes to take over.  Looking at the guy now, knowing he’d been hunched over the laptop covered in various stickers for hours and not calling anyone because Jake asked him not to, he felt like the guy deserved some trust. And rice. 

Almost an hour later, Red Robin stood up, ignoring the now cooled bowl of rice at his side. “I got it,”Red exclaimed, making his way to the Ghost King. Jake and Randy perked up from their chairs, sitting around the bed. 

“You got it?” Randy asked with a grin. He stood up, switching to hover around the boy on the bed. 

“Just let me get this ready first,”Jake muttered, pulling out the vial of ectoplasm. Tim nodded, making his way over to the collar. He only needed to activate his program with a push of a button. Once Jake was ready, he nodded to Tim. 

Red Robin took a breath and pressed the button, hoping it would work. Abruptly, the Collar’s bright green light cut out, and after a moment it seemed to pull apart, dropping into two halves on the side of the boys neck. The three watching gave a sigh of relief, but tensed back up when the white haired boy started to stir. 

A weak groan filled the room, and the ghost’s face twisted in pain. Jake was all but ready to use the ectoplasm when suddenly a bright light filled the room. Looking away, the three covered their eyes as it seemed to get brighter and encompass the boy on the bed. 

Red Robin was the first to look back when the light faded, and held in a gasp when he saw a very human boy in place of the ghost. “He turned human?” Randy exclaimed, looking from the other boys in the room and back to the ghost king turned teenager. 

Jake, still holding the ectoplasm, was gaping. “Will this still help him?” Jake asked no one in particular. He had no idea if the human part would reject the ectoplasm. 

“I’ll get the medical supplies,”Tim threw out when he noticed the kid’s appearance. The others, just now looking at he tattered clothes and fresh injuries, blinked in confusion and panic. 

“How does he have different injuries now?” Randy complained. Even the pajamas were gone, replaced with tattered jeans and a t-shirt that used to be white. 

While the ghost version of the boy had a broken leg, this kid’s arm was dislocated, horribly bruised, and possibly broken. Further inspection led to a few nasty burns that looked like something like a blaster hit him, and based on the new rattling sound when he breathed, they were pretty sure some ribs were broken. 

Another thing they learned was that the ghost king might also be… a ghost queen. In their human form, at least. Red Robin took point on getting the… teenager dressed while Jake and Randy averted their eyes in embarrassment. Tim’s cheeks had turned red, but he was at least used to clothing mishaps and more unsavory situations while being a hero. This hardly phased him, but they were all confused about how the Ghost King thing worked when one was a human girl at the same time. They all more or less agreed not to comment on it and stuck with the Ghost King’s he/him pronouns. At least until the teen was able to explain. 

Jake however, was still trying to decide if it would be a good idea to give the teen the ectoplasm or not. He’d received limited information about ghosts and that to do with the ectoplasm, but he had no idea if it would help or hurt the human part. He sat in the chair with a huff when they finished patching up the kid and got him in another set of pajamas. This time they had little dogs on them.

“I can find out for you,”Randy said, looking at the ectoplasm meaningfully. He waved an old looking book in his hand for emphasis. Jake however, did not know what Randy meant by that. 

“How-?”Red Robin asked, but cut himself off. He clearly didn’t know what he was allowed to ask about or not, and it was very amusing for Jake. 

“Sure, go for it,”Jake said, thinking Randy was just going to read the book. He was unprepared, however, for Randy to open it and immediately collapse. 

“What the-” Jake exclaimed, rushing to catch Randy before he hit the floor. Red Robin joined him and they carefully lifted the purple haired teenager onto the bed so he laid next to the other unconscious teen. “Geez,”Jake breathed. 

“Did you know he was gonna do that?” Red Robin asked absently, and Jake shook his head. 

“I knew his book was magic but- man he coulda warned us that would happen,”Jake scoffed. Red Robin let out a small laugh, sitting on the edge of the bed. They were a little overwhelmed, but it was a relief to be able to have someone else to talk to about it. 

Seconds later, Randy woke up with a gasp, startling everyone but the unconscious kid. “Jesus, man, you coulda warned us!”Jake exclaimed, but Randy largely ignored him in favor of pointing to the ectoplasm vial that Jake was still holding. 

“S’good! All good, give him the stuff,”Randy got out, climbing out of the bed and pacing the room. Jake hesitated, but started getting to work while he watched Randy pace. “So- the nomicon was pretty vague about why he’s human in the first place but basically the green stuff helps both forms. Basically.” 

“Basically,”Tim repeated, while Jake gently coaxed some of the ectoplasm down the kid’s throat. He hoped it worked. 

They hovered around the bed for a moment, then watched in awe and surprise when most of the injuries started to heal. It didn’t heal the bigger injuries as much, but most of the bruising and smaller wounds disappeared, leaving little scars. 

Bright blue eyes suddenly opened, and the teenager lurched forward with a cough, huddling in on himself. Unsure what to do, Jake and Randy stepped back to allow Red Robin to come forwards and reassure the kid. “Hey, it’s okay, its alright,”He said softly, but nothing he did seemed to calm the kid down. 

The human ghost king tried to crawl away from them, moving until his back hit the headboard of the bed. He was obviously still in pain, and his eyes were darting around frantically but not seeming to recognize anything. Tim bit back a retort when he was shoved backwards as Jake moved to be right in the kid’s line of sight. 

To Tim’s surprise, Jake transformed into a dragon again, and it actually seemed to calm the kid down. “You’re safe now. The humans won’t hurt you anymore, okay?” Jake said, and Tim understood. Having a more magical creature around would help the kid recognize there were no more agents around. It was smart. 

“I’m out?’ The kid croaked. Tim was amazed at how quickly he seemed to trust Jake, but he supposed it made sense. Meta solidarity or something like that. 

“Yeah, you’re out,”Jake reassured, helping the kid lay back down. The kid seemed to lose all strength when he recognized he wasn’t in a lab. “You’re the Ghost king, right? What’s your name?”

“Danny,”The kid sighed, going boneless in Jake’s arms. The dragon was nice and warm, and he hadn’t felt warmth like that in… what felt like forever. Looking around, he saw just a normal bedroom. “Where..”

“I’ll explain everything when you’re feeling better, but you don’t have to worry about them finding you. Just relax and heal, okay?” Jake said, pulling some blankets over Danny without disturbing the injured arm. The teen was still out of it, obviously exhausted from his earlier panic and trauma, but he laid back down easily enough. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Danny was asleep before Jake could even finish his sentence, and all three conscious boys breathed a sigh of relief. “Poor guy,”Randy whispered, plopping down on the chair again. Tim hummed in agreement, and looked over to Jake, who was still holding Danny’s hand in his dragon form. 

“You okay?” Tim asked, and Jake turned to look at him. 

“Yeah,”Jake said, shaking his head. “It’s just. What happened to Danny could have easily happened to me, or any one of the other magical creatures out there. I’m.. It’s my responsibility to protect them from things like this, but I didn’t even know…” Tim patted Jake on the shoulder reassuringly. “You still saved him, and he’ll get better thanks to you.”

“Yeah,”Jake said, turning back to human form in a dazzling show of light. Tim was fascinated, but he swallowed back his questions to not make the guy feel uncomfortable. He ended up yawning, and Jake looked at him with narrowed eyes. “You should take a nap, you’ve been up for like, two days.”

“I’m fine,”Tim yawned again, refusing to tell him that it was more like three days he’d been awake. With Danny in the clear, most of the adrenaline keeping him up was draining out of him. Jake hummed in a way Tim knew he didn’t believe him. 

“Hey, you can just take the couch over there, “Randy piped up, and Tim was wholly unprepared for the guy to foist a handful of blankets on him and drag him over to the couch. “We’ll wake you if anything happens.”

“I’m not tired,”Tim tried to protest, but once he was laying on the couch piled high with blankets, he really didn’t feel like moving. 

“Sure, just rest your eyes then,”Randy said placatingly, and Tim was already on his way to dreamland. 

#jake long #randy cunningham #tim drake #danny fenton #danny phantom #ninth grade ninja #red robin #american dragon #dcxdp #dcxdpxjlajxrcngn #secret trio #plus tim #four can keep a secret #if one of them is dead #see its a pun #kinda

[wishfullyeternal]

William Afton x Reader Pt 2

A/N- As promised, part two is here! Still working on it, and really I have no idea how it's going to end up. Leaning towards nsfw just because (lol) but open to any and all suggestions, and you can leave requests as well! Y'all are awesome :)

Words- 2,642

Warnings- Mentions of murder, general violence, language

    You went to bed without any problems, and the next day arose a little before your alarm. You hated that. You could never fall back asleep. You wondered about nothing in particular for the next few minutes, trying to muster to urge to finally get out of bed. You looked over to your uniform. It was a starched white shirt, a white tie with tiny multicolored triangles all over it, and a bright red vest. You would get your name tag soon, as the employee handbook stated, and you stared further at the two pins that were stuck on the vest. One said Let’s Eat! In the style of Chica’s bib, the other was a picture of Bonnie the Bunny playing the guitar.

     Bunny?

     Eerily similar to the one in the picture in William’s office. Just purple instead of yellow.

     Why would William close down the diner, make entirely new animatronics, and abandon the yellow bunny?

     You sighed, shaking your head to rid yourself of confusion, before finally rising out of bed. You quickly got ready, and went out the door to your second day at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, a magical place where fantasy and fun come to life.

     This time, when arriving at the door, William himself greeted you, and asked for you in his office.

     God, what did I do now?

     You were fully prepared to get fired. There was no way this could be something good, you followed him back, mind racing. He led you to the office and sat down, you doing the same. He noticed your bewildered expression.

     “Oh don’t worry, it’s nothing bad,” He said, waving his hand dismissively. Before giving you a chance to respond, he quickly began to speak, almost urgently, but not quite.

     “I’m afraid my security guard has quit unexpectedly, effective immediately. The pizzeria needs a temporary security guard until we can hire a new one, which doesn’t take long. Would you be willing to fill in until we find one?”

     He pauses, rubbing his greyed goatee before continuing,

     “The hours aren’t very good, and generally the pay would be the same, I might be able to give a few hours of overtime because of the urgency, but we just really need a body there at night.”

     You were utterly confused, and it showed on your face.

     Why in the hell is William asking me to guard the Pizzeria when I’ve only been here two days? Why wouldn’t Barbara, or the other workers be asked first? Have they said no? Is there something I should know?

     “Why me?” You ask bluntly, William seemed to anticipate this question and answered quickly.

     “It’s easy, and we could train you for both positions at the same time, so you could cover for both. It would be more useful to the company that way.” You barely knew anything about your current position, only how the prize corner worked, so it wouldn’t make sense to immediately start me somewhere else. Let alone at a completely different time. William seemed to feel your confusion and spoke again.

     “I wouldn’t normally train you this way, but it’s very important we have someone here at night. You can come back at around midnight tonight, and it’s only until six AM.” William seemed genuinely desperate, so you agreed. You began to leave his office, wanting to go back home and catch some z’s before going back to the Pizzeria, but asked quickly,

     “What happened to your Diner from before, Fredbear’s Family Diner?”

     William stopped what he was doing and looked up at you, eyes squinted slightly, like he was trying to read your expression, like he was trying to gauge how much you knew. You pointed to the picture. He grabbed it off the shelf and smiled at it.

     “Fredbear’s Family Diner… You’re quite observant. It was closed down about five years ago due to electrical issues, and we rebranded to be a little more with the times, diners were considered outdated by that point.”

     That didn’t explain the bunny.

     “What about the bunny? Why isn’t he here?” William moved his jaw, thinking for a second before responding.

     “We retired those animatronics and replaced them with more high-tech ones, absent from spring-lock mechanisms entirely.” William put the picture back up and thanked you for taking the security guard shift. You went home and slept until around ten p.m.

     You arrived at the Pizzeria again and shut off your car, shivering in the cold. William was waiting for you at the door, and scolded you for not bringing a jacket. He then led you down the same hallway his office was, but instead went into another room further back. This room was a bit bigger, although still cramped, but had another door to lead you to the other section of the building, it was a nice shortcut for getting through both hallways in the back. The front wall had a big poster of all the animatronics, and a few drawings tacked on the wall made by various children. The floor was checkered, and noticeably more dirty and unkempt than the same floor up front. There were identical light switches at both opposite doors, a red button, and a white button. The top red one was labeled DOOR and the bottom white was labeled LIGHT respectively.

     “Thank you for coming, just make sure to watch the cameras and make sure no one gets in…” William seemed like he was going to add something, but rethought.

     “There’s a cassette tape in the recorder if you’d like to listen to it, it might explain the job better. I’ve got to go, but if there’s an emergency you can speed dial me at the front telephone.” William left the room, and you were left in the dark. Almost literally. There was a single light on the ceiling, angled towards the front wall. There were also backlights on the door and light buttons, illuminating them slightly. Those were the only sources of light in the entire room. You flipped through the cameras, looking at the empty Pizzeria. Then you popped in the cassette tape and played it.

     Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact. So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about. Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay? Uh, the animatronic characters here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. Okay. So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit. Uh, they're left in some kind of free-roaming mode at night. Uh... Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long.

     The tape ended abruptly. The animatronics move at night? You took it out of the recorder and looked at the date on the side, it was from around five years ago, when this place would have first opened. You were a little bit on edge and did not want any of them inside your office, or anywhere near you to be honest. Who knows what they would be capable of? You checked the cameras again, and Bonnie had moved.

     Bonnie had moved.

     "Fuck." You said, staring at the camera.

Why in the hell didn't William tell me about this?

That was an easy question to answer, if he had told you, you wouldn't have taken the job. That much was true. You clicked through the cameras again and made sure none of the other animatronics had moved. You sighed when you realized that they were all in their respective places.

The hours went by slowly, but none of the animatronics moved except Bonnie, and Bonnie hadn't come near your door. Once the clock struck six, and Bonnie had moved back to his respective place on the stage, you walked briskly (or rather, sprinted) to the door, and were met face-to-face with the one and only William Afton. You sneered at him. At this point, you were covered in sweat, and your eyes were bloodshot, you had been terrified the entire night.

"Why didn't you tell me they moved!" You said through gritted teeth. William smiled that same gentle goddamn smile.

"Would you have taken the job if I had?" You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed.

"I quit, effective immediately." You said, taking off your vest and handing it to him. You could tell he was expecting this, so he gently gave it back to you.

"Listen, I've got a new security guard lined up to start tomorrow. If you do tonight, I'll pay you double overtime."

Double overtime? That was way more than you had ever gotten paid in your life...And for only six hours of work. You could really use the money.

Like really use the money. William's eyes grew big, and you could see that he genuinely wanted you to stay.

"I really like you, and I think you have the potential to be a wonderful manager at Freddy Fazbear's. If you do this for me, I promise I will lead you to that position...And," He added

"That pays salary," He smiles again and puts his hand on my shoulder, his eyes meeting mine.

"Please?" He asked, you wanted to run far away in the other direction. In fact, you wanted nothing to do with this goddamn Pizzeria at all.

But money was tight. Rent was due in a few days. There was no way your landlord was going to accept another I don't have it.

So you nodded. The tiniest nod. William looked absolutely elated.

"Thank you so much! I cannot express how much I appreciate this," His smile grew, and he patted you on the back.

"Listen, kid, I won't forget this favor, and if you ever need anything from me, let me know." He winked at you before going towards the Pizzeria, you stopped him.

"Is there anything I should know about the animatronics before I go?" Your hands were still slightly shaking from the fear you had just experienced, and William chuckled.

"Bonnie tends to be the most aggressive and will move around a lot. Chica likes to make noise in the kitchen before she appears in the hallway, and Freddy probably won't move around a lot, but I would still keep an eye on him." He furrows his brows before adding,

"Keep the camera on Foxy, or else he'll come running. Literally." You cocked your head, confused, but William had already gone through the door, and you were left watching the sun rise over the building.

What did this all mean?

How did he know about their behaviors? How do they move at night? Are they trying to hurt me?

More importantly.

What was William hiding?

It was obvious he was hiding something. You walked to your car and tried to fit the puzzle pieces together.

He opened up Fredbear's Family Diner, then had to close it because of electrical issues. Why not just solve the electrical issues? Why did he rebrand and make new animatronics? What was wrong with the other ones? Why is there so much turnover in the security guard position? Why did the animatronics move at night? Why, why, why...

There was no way you were going to sleep. So instead of going back home, you drove to the library and waited two entire hours until the older lady at the front unlocked the doors. It took everything in you not to run in the doors. You walked in, not paying attention to anything that was going on, and beelined straight to the newspaper article section. You ran your finger along the white metal shelf, and quickly read through the years.

1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984...

Aha! You almost yelled out, but stopped yourself. This was a library, and you needed to stay civil. Although you were pretty sure that went out the window when you basically ran to the newspaper section. You shuffled through every individual day, until something caught your eye.

Man, you had good luck.

Fredbear's Family Diner Closes, Five Children Missing

You ripped the newspaper from the shelf, eyes scanning over the entire front page. William Afton was on the front, and a large Grand Opening sign was hung on the building. He looked younger... He looked different. His eyes were different.

You read the page.

Five children missing after party at Fredbear's Family Diner. At around 3 pm Saturday morning, ten children attended the birthday party of [REDACTED] and mysteriously went missing. Owner was questioned and has since refused to make a statement. State-wide searches are beginning, and the public is urged to stay vigilant- continued on page 45.

The next page was covered completely with full-color pictures of the five children, all outlined in a red frame with the text HAVE YOU SEEN ME? printed on the top.

You turned to page 43 and turned once more to 46.

46?

A page was missing. You could see where it had been carefully ripped out. Someone wanted to keep this under wraps.

William had to have a part in the disappearance of those five children. You rubbed your finger over the ragged edge inside the newspaper and thought as hard as you could. There was so much you knew, but so much that was left unknown. You bit your lip and put the newspaper back, looking through the others, but finding no other information on Fredbear's Family Diner.

What was going on?

You thought you were going crazy. Maybe the kids just ran away and got hurt in the woods or something. Maybe someone kidnapped them outside the diner. Maybe the children went missing on their way to the party.

You knew they hadn't, a horrible feeling began to eat its way through the bottom of your stomach. You tried to reevaluate the information in your head, to make some sense of it.

Fredbear's Family Diner opens, then five children attend a birthday party and mysteriously go missing during it, then Fredbear's closes not a week after. William stated it closed because of "electrical issues", and Barbara also said "electrical issues", but there was no mention of electrical issues when reading the article. William was questioned but stayed silent, what was he hiding? There was also a page missing from the newspaper, who took it out? Did William not want you to find something? Why did he still keep a picture of Fredbear's Family Diner in his office then?

You left the library, got in your car, and went home. You had to stop thinking about this. You were way too into your psyche. You needed a good meal and a long nap.

So that's exactly what you did. Once eating, and waking from the nap, your brain was clearer, although the images of the five children never left your brain. Something about them seemed familiar like you had seen them before, but you hadn't moved here until about a year ago, and there was no way you would have heard about them, nor seen them. In fact, although you didn’t talk to many people in town, there was no mention of the kids anywhere. Which was exceptionally strange. How could five children go missing and just be forgotten about?

You shook your head yet again and got into your car. Turning the ignition and leaving for the Pizzeria. You were determined to figure out this mystery, and this time you were much more confident in your abilities to keep the free-roaming animatronics at bay. I mean, how hard could it be? They were just robots.

Taglist (comment if you want to be added!)

@ischysiaclark @lvlymicha

#fnaf #fnaf fanfic #fnaf fanfiction #five nights at fred #five nights at freddy's fanfic #five nights at freddy's fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #william afton x reader #william afton #purple guy #matthew lillard

[lovehotelreservation]

Escort

Summary: There’s strength in numbers, but sometimes being alone is what you need most.

Rating: R

Pairing: F!Reader/Sonny

**Warning: contains themes of stalking, unhealthy/possessive behavior, & groping!**

lord free me from the australian

---------

The reassurance of another presence.

City life was an experience of being surrounded by a mass of people yet still managing to feel lonely regardless. Not clicking with colleagues at work, savoring what little personal space that a packed and busy subway allowed, the noise of neighboring families and roommates within the entirety of an apartment complex building–to be enveloped yet still experience isolation.

But there was balance, as you had come to experience while living alone in the city.

After clocking out for the day and saying your goodbyes to the friendly security guard, you could enjoy a latte with adorably crafted foam art by the ever jovial barista, Alban. During your daily commute on the subway, you were texting back and forth with Uki–a friend from college–on plans for an approaching hang out and the interpretation of a recent psychic reading. The noise that often plagued your apartment never bothered you much anyhow since you could always find refuge at the downtown library where the kind yet teasing archivist Fulgur could offer you new recommendations.

By this, you weren’t fully isolated from all human contact.

Yet it was during certain moments of loneliness that made you feel unnerved.

While parting ways with Alban as he closed up the cafe, it was the sensation of someone peering at you from the evening shadows.

As you texted Uki on the subway, it was the phantom touch of fingers creeping along your waist or the hem of your skirt that felt too targeted to simply be an accident or a random groper.

Wandering through the library was meant to be a leisurely adventure, yet as of late, you were instinctively hurrying your steps to Fulgur’s office, gripped by the thought of being followed.

Those were the moments when you craved to be alone, to be free of the fascination of those prying eyes, this obsessive presence.

You knew this building anxiety was soon going to drive you mad–this was no way to live after all.

And so, on a day when there was a downpour, the city swept with shadows and gloom, you blurted out a plea for company as you left work, your face flustered, your fingers digging into the strap of your bag.

By contrast to the moody gray clouds above, the friendly security guard of your company office was a needed ray of sunshine.

He pretty much embodied such radiance, with his bright blonde locks, the gentle look in his amethyst eyes, and the warm smile he showed as he nodded in response to your request.

Sonny Brisko was someone you could trust.

And what a blessing his presence served. He loomed so much taller above you and even out of his work uniform, he still looked so mighty and strong even in a cap, a white t-shirt and black jogger pants. Somehow, during this one trek back home, you felt peace at last from those creeping eyes, perverse fingers, and haunting presence.

The shining armor of your knight was a blue athleisure jacket and a black face mask and you couldn’t be more thankful.

Soon, your apartment complex was within sight at last. By now, night had completely swept over the city and with the stormy weather above, the light of the entrance lobby was blacked out as was the green light for the electronic passcode keypad.

A sign of a power outage.

It was a minor inconvenience, but one you could work around as you drew out your key to open the side door manually.

Your intention was to navigate your way up the stairway with the light of your phone on your lonesome.

Sonny’s hand reached for your wrist.

Gently, of course.

It was too dangerous to go alone, he remarked.

He did not mind escorting you further and the low dulcet timber of his voice was something you couldn’t resist.

You lived a few floors up, but he remarked how he was used to climbing a similar set flight of stairs.

All the while his hand rested along the small of your back as he ushered you through the darkness, the light of his phone and yours guiding your path.

He was close enough that you could feel the warmth of his body heat.

It was comforting at first, but as you got closer to your apartment, you couldn’t help but feel a chill that was slowly clawing its way into your body.

Something within your mind told you that loneliness was absolutely necessary as soon as possible.

Your front door was within reach soon enough.

You whipped out your key as quickly as you offered your thanks to Sonny, right as your eyes caught his.

Where there was once warmth and comfort was something crazed and dark.

Your door was barely open when his hand reached for your wrist once again.

Possessively, of course.

His large and daunting frame of his once brought a sense of protection and security earlier.

Now it was being used to make his way into your home, your sanctuary, all while his fingers reached for your cheeks, cupping them lovingly as he hummed with an all too sweet smile,

“You look lonely, love. Why don’t you let me in?”

#sonny brisko x reader #noctyx x reader #nijisanji en x reader #Noctyx smut #reader insert #Fic #super freaknasty writing

[uniformmanufacturerofficial]

Choosing the Right Security Uniform: Factors to Consider

There are various factors to consider while choosing the appropriate security outfit for your security personnel. Choosing the right outfit for guards at a hospital, hotel, or other business is essential. So here are the six main factors to consider when trying to find the perfect security uniform.

Appearance: 

You want your security guards to seem professional and look the part. Find a security uniform manufacturer that gets what you're after and provides high-quality outfits with a professional vibe. Ensure the uniforms stand out and have badges or patches so people can easily identify who's security and who isn't. This will make it easier for visitors and employees to spot your guards.

Comfort and ease of movement: 

Your guards need to feel comfortable and be able to move around freely while doing their jobs. Go with manufacturers that offer breathable, lightweight clothing, especially if your guards work somewhere hot or are often on the go. Focus on comfort - the uniforms should allow easy motion so your guards can do their jobs well.

Durability and practicality: 

Security guards deal with all kinds of things on the job. You want uniforms that are tough, lasting and versatile. Look for a uniform provider that provides durable, long-lasting uniforms made with higher-quality materials that can take a beating. Things like reinforced stitching and solid construction so the outfits will hold up for a while, and you won't need to replace them as often.

Customization: 

Every business has its look and vibe. You want security uniforms that match your company's style. Look for uniform providers that offer customization so you can add your company logo, colours, or other branding. This fits your company's image and gives your security team a united, cohesive look that represents your brand.

Function and versatility:

Security guards do various things indoors and out. Their uniforms need to be functional and work for different situations. Outfits should handle different weather and varying job duties. Security uniforms should have layers for colder weather or removable parts to accommodate different environments. This ensures your guards are prepared for whatever comes up.

Safety first:

Keeping your security guards safe should be a top priority. There should be a focus on safety features. This could mean reflective accents for better visibility, primarily if guards work at night or in busy areas. Consider outfits with valuable accessories like tool belts or pockets so guards can easily access essential gear like radios or flashlights.

Working with experienced uniform companies is key when outfitting your security team. They can advise to ensure you get the right fit for your guards. Factors like how professional the uniforms look, how comfortable and easy to move in, how durable they are, how customizable they match your branding, how functional and versatile they are for different tasks and weather, and safety features all matter. So, collaborating with an experienced uniform provider is the way to outfit your security team in a way that enhances both their job performance and your company's brand!

#uniform companies #uniform manufacturer #security uniforms #security guard uniforms #uniform company #high quality uniforms #long lasting uniforms

[dostoyevsky-official]

Prigozhin’s Rebellion, Putin’s Fate, and Russia’s Future: A Conversation With Stephen Kotkin

I have long been calling the Putin regime “hollow yet still strong.” It remained, and remains, viable as long as there is no political alternative. Now, we might see just how hollow the regime is. Putin has unwittingly launched a stress test of his own regime. He had already lost his mystique with the bungling of the aggression against Ukraine. Mystique, once lost, is near impossible to regain. The old cliché about the emperor and clothes. He still possesses enormous power, rooted in structures he built around himself, such as his Praetorian Guard, and those he unbuilt—his razing of the landscape of political possibilities besides himself, and severe repression to demobilize the populace.

There is one thing that all dictators properly fear: an alternative. And Putin, shockingly, after years and years of indefatigably suppressing alternatives, of promoting nonentities to his inner circle to ensure no one could threaten him, has allowed one to take shape. Pinch me.

Authoritarian regimes build up formidable military and security services, but these are purposely divided against themselves by the leader, to control them, to make them dependent on him. The leader deliberately gives them overlapping jurisdictions, heightens their inherent rivalries at every turn, and sits back and watches, usually with glee. But in this case, Putin has conjured up his own nemesis.

I’ve been saying for some time that the way to get Putin’s attention, to destabilize his regime, was to identify and recruit a defector from the inside, a Russian nationalist, a person who appeals to Putin’s base, but one who recognized the separate existence of a Ukrainian nation and state. Preferably a defector in uniform. And Putin has gifted us a candidate.

[...] No matter how Putin responds, it seems like he’s at risk of losing his grasp.

[...] This could peter out quickly. Putin is a survivor. A sense that the Russian state is at risk could rally the various rivalrous factions around him.

Here’s the bottom line: even if it is now snuffed out, an alternative was allowed to arise. All this unfolded in real time, on video, over months and months. Putin did not intervene earlier and allowed things to get to this point. Stunning. Either he has descended into utter incompetence or he has less operational control than his media machine has been letting on. Or both. I expected him to be better at Authoritarianism 101. I expected him to understand this was the one threat in real time. I expected him to end the games, end the pitting of rivals against each other to control them, because it had become dangerous to him personally. I overestimated him. I would not want to make the opposite mistake and underestimate him now, though. 

What is the right historical parallel here?

I already mentioned 1917, because Putin himself evoked it and not the Soviet implosion of 1991, which he lived through and has reflected on often. But the remarkable aspect for me is not just the eerie sense of the distant past that appears so close, yet again, but the tech and media revolution. I look at that Ukrainian TV production company running this war, I look at the production of the January 6 hearings here in the United States—Liz Cheney’s hearings were run by a TV producer, with powerful effect—and I think, “This is how you do national security most effectively now: with smartphones, videos, memes.” All those written and emailed policy briefs, all those meetings of principals and deputies form the sprawling national security bureaucracies, all that spying and cloak and dagger—and, boom: Telegram and a pair of thumbs.

[...] Behind the scenes, of course, it’s 24/7 very close monitoring of everything and anything, and intense consultation. Twelve hours, 24 hours, 36 hours, of nail biting. But after all the Sturm und Drang, we could be right back where we started: Putin in power in Moscow and Ukraine facing a counteroffensive that will be very difficult to pull off.

#kotkin

[security-chief-odo]

The Gala Job

Eliot Spencer x Reader

*NSFW in chapter 3

Description: You are sent to charm the team's target on the final leg of the current job. You get in a sticky situation that Eliot has to get you out of. After the job your feelings for Eliot become undeniable, but surely he doesn't feel the same, right?

Smut in the 3rd chapter, a fade to black ending at the end of the 2nd if that's not your thing.

• • •

Your job this time wasn’t to fit in though, you were here to stand out, and that you did. You wore a velvet dress that hugged your figure tightly before flowing out at your legs. Adorned with matching jewelry, you certainly weren’t comfortable, but you definitely stood out among the crowd.

Usually it fell to Sophie to charm her way through a case, but she had already had a run in with Mr. Whitehall and you couldn’t risk him catching on this late in the game. All you had to do was get his flash drive, have Parker make a copy, and escape. It had all of the evidence you would need to bring both Edgar Whitehall and Apex Systems Limited to justice.

The room is buzzing with idle gossip and far too much champagne. You try to subtly keep an eye on the whole room spotting Parker in the server’s uniform to your left, Nate in the opposite corner of the room from you, nursing a drink he probably wishes was whiskey, and Eliot in a simple, flattering suit by the door, acting as a security guard, surrounded by several older women who were almost as enamored by his southern charm as you were.

Spotting your target at the bar, you gracefully head that way. You hear Sophie in your earpiece “Now slowly approach and place your hand between his shoulder blades. Pretend not to notice until after you order your drink.”

You did as she said and gently placed your hand on his upper back as you flagged down the bartender. “I’ll have a vodka soda, please.”

You remove your hand from Whitehall and turn towards him, now having sufficiently caught his attention, “I am so sorry about that, Mr.” you trailed off waiting for him to supply you with his last name.

“Whitehall, Edgar Whitehall. Please just call me Edgar.” He pauses for a second placing a hand on your arm. “Now, what may I call you my dear?”

The touch sent a shiver down your spine and not in a butterflies kind of way, but still, you kept up the act. “Y/N.” The bartender places your drink in front of you, you pick it up with a nod and place a tip down on the bar.

“Well, Y/N, would you join me at my table? I am starved of pleasant conversation at these events and starved even further of pleasant company.” He holds out his arm for you to loop yours around, and reluctantly you do. You let him lead the way, using the distraction to reach into his pocket and grab the USB.

As you sit down next to him, you sneak the flash drive into your purse and hear Hardison chime in through your earpiece, “Great job. Now hang on tight and keep him talking.” That one may be easier said than done.

You tried to make pleasant conversation with him, asking about his work, telling him lies about yours, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. Soon Parker approached, offering complimentary wine to the people around you.

As she approached you and Edgar, she pretended to trip, spilling pinot noir all over his suit. You felt bad for Parker as he started to berate her, but were able to cut him off while keeping up the act. “Edgar, I believe there is a bathroom just down the hall, why don’t we go get you cleaned up?”

He looked frustrated but turned it off in a way that seemed disturbingly calculated. “I certainly can’t turn down the opportunity to have you alone Y/N”

You could hear the others discussing the drive in your earpiece as you slid his jacket off and started to try to get the stains out of his shirt first. If you could drag this out long enough, you should be in the clear. Until then, you dabbed the wine out of the shirt with a wet washcloth. There was no shot in hell of this stain coming out, but there was nothing else to do until the team was ready for you.

Once you got the green light from the team, you started wrapping things up with Whitehall. “I’m sorry Edgar, but I think we may have to just get you a new shirt altogether. I really should get back out there” You slid his jacket over your arm to carry back to your seat, hoping to slide the flash drive sneakily back into his pocket once you got back to your chairs.

Much to your chagrin, he took the jacket and slid it back on. As you head back to your chairs, he starts to panic “Where is it? I know I had it with me tonight.”

“What’s wrong Edgar?”

“I had a thumb drive in this pocket and now it's gone. I lost it.”

You calm your breathing. You can handle this. “I’m sure it’s around here somewhere. Let’s just notify security and get back to our seats. I’m sure someone will find it”

“No, that’s not good enough.” He started to spiral. “ Maybe it’s in the bathroom or on the floor. Maybe someone stole it.” He froze, and turned on his heel to face you. Getting in your face and backing you into the wall he accused “You took it didn’t you? My father always said you couldn’t trust the pretty ones”

You tried to plead with him, “I didn’t take anything. It probably got lost in the commotion. I’m sure everything is fine.”

He spoke over you “Don’t try to tell me everything is fine.” You saw him raise his hand to hit you, but before you had a chance to process it, he was laying on the floor, out cold. You glance up to see Eliot smiling at you, only his hair out of place.

“Ma’am” he offers his hand to you in an obnoxiously chivalrous move to guide you over Whitehall’s sleeping body.

“I could have handled him myself” you huff as you head back to grab your purse. You sneak the flash drive back into his jacket pocket and hope he doesn’t remember a damn thing about this night.

Eliot and you both exit the gala. "I didn’t need you to save me, Spencer. I can handle myself.” You storm off ahead of him.

“He was going to hit you Y/N. I’m sure you can handle yourself, but you were cornered”

“I was handling things Eliot” you spat with a venom you didn’t really mean, but it was frustrating to not be trusted to take care of things. “Why were you even following so closely after us anyways?”

“I was just looking after you darling, besides –”

“I am not your darling”

You don’t quite hear Eliot whisper “Not yet”

Suddenly you hear Nate’s voice in your ear “Guys!”

“Sorry” you and Eliot say in unison as you walk up to Lucille. Getting in, you see everyone already seated and ready to head out.

You were grabbing drinks to celebrate another job well done, but you were far over dressed. As Hardison parked out front, the others piled out of the van, leaving you and Eliot to change into outfits more fitting of an Irish pub.

You both turned your backs as you grabbed your spare clothes to change “Sorry for snapping at you El. I know you were just trying to help.”

“Nah. I’m sorry Y/N. I should have trusted you to handle things. I know you are more than capable of handling a single man in a fight.”

“Thanks,” you said softly as you struggled with the zipper on your dress. “Um, Eliot, would you mind?” you asked, glancing behind you to see him shirtless and in jeans. That is a sight you could get used to.

“Of course darlin’” he said, stepping behind you softly. You don’t object to the term of endearment this time, smiling softly to yourself at hearing it.

Eliot undoes the zipper, certainly slower than was necessary, doing everything in his power to avoid staring at you. God did he just want to stare at you for hours, but he peeled his eyes away. Tur ning back to his own clothes.

“That dress looked great on you by the way” he said as he buttoned up his shirt.

You can almost feel your walls go back up as you say “I’m not quite that easy Spencer.” You wished you believed he meant it, but he often just flirted for flirting's sake, though you could hardly judge in that regard.

“I mean it. No one in that room could take their eyes off of you.”

You brush it off with a scoff as you both exit Lucille and head into the pub.

• • •

Let me know if you want to be on the taglist for this pairing, or my general taglist! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 2

#leverage #leverage fanfic #leverage fic #eliot spencer x reader #Eliot Spencer fanfic #eliot Spencer/reader #reader insert #female reader #nate ford #parker leverage #alec hardison #sophie devereaux #nate ford x sophie deveraux

[xalygatorx]

Worthy (2015) | Chapter 32, "Choice & Prophecy" (End)

Disappearing sporadically in public spaces quickly becomes Cora Dempsey's least concerning problem when suddenly she captures the attention of the forming Avengers Initiative, the World Security Council, and Asgard's fallen prince all in one week. And the universe is only just getting started with her.

Worthy is a slow-burn SFW Marvelverse (films) romance between Loki and a female OC. For additional details on what canon is used, see the Prologue post.

Summary: Cora arrives back in Asgard and is immediately escorted to the Allfather. The prophecy of the Realms’ end is reviewed and some light is shed on what set things to changing. A sentence is given to both Thor and Loki for their transgressions with surprising implications. 

Pairing: Loki x Fem!OC

Warnings: None

Word Count: 5.4k

When the blinding pulsations of light which had enveloped her receded, she saw some white spots dancing in her vision. Cora blinked them away just before she lifted her gaze to peer up at Heimdall, who wore a rather smug expression. After the moment it took her to step forward, her legs slightly wobbly from transport, she realized she'd mistaken his expression. It was one of pride.

Instead of giving his usual greeting or one of the witty remarks they'd come to trade at each meeting, he simply inclined his head and informed her, "I knew you would stop this."

"I'm glad one of us did," Cora said with a smile, her gaze faltering toward the stretch of the BiFrost and the golden palace beyond. "Updates?"

Heimdall shook his head faintly and followed her stare. "I have not seen Thor since he returned, nor Loki. Then again, I am instructed not to leave my post unless certain circumstances occur." He paused before adding, "I do know that Odin has been awakened."

Cora paled faintly. "What do you think that means for Loki? Do you think…"

"I doubt anything has been done yet. The Allfather's actions are rarely so immediate," the gatekeeper said calmly as he stepped off his pedestal, his sword giving a metallic whine as he removed it and sheathed it at his hip. "Especially when a key member of the trial party is not yet present."

"What do you mean?" Cora asked, leaning her head back to keep her eyes on his.

"A certain circumstance of my leave is imminent," he replied ambiguously before translating, "and I am to take you to Odin."

"Why?"

"I was not told, but it is not for any malicious purpose. It is likely…"

When he trailed off, Cora's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Likely what?"

"Given their past, it is likely a gesture toward you. For you to say goodbye." Cora's jaw locked at that and she put her eyes to the iridescent bridge beneath their feet. There was nothing really for her to say and, even if she could've thought of something, she wasn't sure her voice would stay steady enough to carry it. Heimdall sensed her unease and asked, "He seems changed."

"He was never 'evil'… But he made some terrible choices, did some terrible things, I won't excuse him of that…," Cora murmured, sighing as she shook her head incrementally. "But whether or not he was 'bad' doesn't matter now. Does it?"

"I wouldn't imagine so. But I saw what he supplied in Midgard," Heimdall said quietly. Cora nodded in a daze; at least someone here apart from Thor and herself knew what had transpired.

The guards parted the golden doors when they arrived and she got a couple of strange looks from them when they took in her attire. She supposed the skintight SHIELD uniform wasn't exactly normal coverage here. Their footsteps pounded faintly against the glistening floor and being back in Asgard proved to be quite the strange sensation to Cora. Especially because this time when Heimdall brought her into the fortress, she wouldn't be met by Frigga's kind, but queenly, company. The realization provided her with a quiet, hollow ache just above her stomach.

To her surprise, the guards at the entrance to the throne room stood beside already open doors and she was able to look directly through the arch to the golden throne before the dais, Odin sitting upon it once again. For a moment, she entertained the thought that this was, once again, Loki, but she was well-aware that this time, that would not be the outcome. The nearly indifferent look in Odin's aged stare confirmed that.

She continued to walk forward after Heimdall left her side, remaining just inside the throne room doorway. Cora's eyes fell to a guard at Odin's right side when the old man turned to speak to him, her gaze following him to the far door before it closed behind him. When she looked back at Odin, the Allfather was watching her thoughtfully.

When he finally spoke, his voice seemed more gravelly than she remembered. "I suppose I should begin by thanking you." Cora started to reply, but no sound fell from her lips and she simply stood there until Odin chuckled a few seconds later. "I feel that I know what you will say. That it was not your doing that caused the universe to keep on living, that it was your combined efforts with the other Midgardian warriors, my son, and his brother that saved our worlds as we know them."

"Something like that," Cora replied with a slightly embarrassed smile.

He shook his head slightly as he leaned forward and Cora found herself walking closer to the greying Asgardian king as he began to speak again. "Prophecies are made for all of time. A very few in many a millennia are recorded and revered as our eventual histories. Many assume a prophecy is unchangeable, unavoidable. That time is a linear path."

"Even here?"

"Indeed, despite our exponentially longer standing within the universe, there are some things that we share and that is a wariness of time, and a fear of its end."

At that moment, Thor stepped into the throne room after receiving a verbal summons from the guard who had left to ascend the staircase and fetch both princes from their chambers. It had seemed upon arrival that any imprisonment of Loki—at least at that moment—seemed useless. Not only was Thor now solidly on his brother's side, but this new view of Loki in a turnaround from rage and genocide caused conflict in the man who had raised them both. He saw the change in their relationship and dispositions and it caused him slight unease because he did not yet understand the full nature of it.

Loki did come in beside Thor in handcuffs, however. Not the full chained harness he'd been restrained by in his original return to Asgard after the mayhem he'd caused in the Midgardian sector called New York, but enough that, if needed, he could be easily put down.

Odin watched both men in his peripheral, not taking his immediate gaze from the barely half-blooded girl in front of him although he studied all three of them in thoughtful silence. Cora seemed to notice someone had entered the room, but she was keeping her attention upon him out of propriety, her features set into a slimly expressive arrangement of composure. He saw beneath that though, to the uncertainty. Thor wore a similar expression, though his was more stonily exuded as he regarded his father upon the throne. Loki's eyes went to Odin, then to Cora, lingered a moment, and then moved back to Odin, seeming guarded and simply waiting for what he thought to be the inevitable.

Behind her, Cora heard the faint echoes of footsteps, but she kept her eyes trained upon Odin out of respect and interest in where he was going with this. The Allfather took a deep breath and continued with renewed importance, "Prophecies may be wrong. The promise of the end of the Nine felt imminent because it was so detailed and so absolute from being constructed so long ago. Eons before this day. Prophecies may also change due to events leading up to them. Variables not originally included in the original scry."

"That seems so absurd though, if that's the case," Cora couldn't help but notice, tilting her head subconsciously. "To predict something so far ahead without the basis of how time would change the circumstances."

"It does, does it not?" Odin agreed quietly, his lips a thin line. "However, the variables didn't waver until just a short time ago. One and then another. The second of the variables to come about was Thanos. He was never intended to become a part of what we call the Ragnarök, the 'twilight of the gods' and the end of the nine realms in their entirety. His interference and rush of the event caused the unfolding of those events to change."

"Was that why he didn't succeed?"

"It was part of the reason. You were the other."

Cora's jaw dropped slightly. "But… Why me?"

"It became vastly apparent after consulting the ancestral documents in the library and the circumstances surrounding the Ragnarök that something was not matching up. The beings meant to bring about the apocalypse were more or less falling into their places… Except, it seems, for one." He didn't need to say who. "Everything was progressing as anticipated until, what I can understand, is one singular moment: the moment Loki let go of Mjolnir at the BiFrost ledge and was cast into the residual energy still lingering near the observatory, which had recently returned Thor from Midgard."

Cora's eyes widened marginally. In the few times they'd discussed how he'd managed to make it to Earth, he'd never mentioned that his trip had been unintentional. And also an act of defeat. Odin continued, "Such a tiny moment in our millennia of existence and yet it all came down to that moment for a new wave of events to begin turning into motion. Had he held on, both Thor and Loki would have likely been pulled to safety, Loki imprisoned or given a second chance, and life progressing onward as intended. Alternatively, his choice to hold on could have pulled both brothers into the void." The Allfather made a slightly impatient gesture with his hand before looking intently at Cora. "Despite the numerous possibilities, Loki let go and that choice led him to you."

"It was that simple?" Cora asked with a faint frown. "A coincidence?"

"Very little can be left to coincidence," Odin said sagely as his gaze moved to reach over her head. "I remain uncertain of how it was done, but your meeting changed the fate of the realms and the both of you, as well." Cora paused and looked over her shoulder to follow his gaze, finding Thor and Loki standing ten paces or so behind her with guards on either side. Loki looked at her briefly before glancing back up at Odin, wearing the most pristine pokerface Cora had ever seen. It made her a little sick. "All that remains of this twist of destiny…is a resolution to the remainder of a sentence."

Cora felt like she'd been punched in the gut, but in the same instant, she was angry she felt surprised at all. Odin was, at times, fair, but he was equally unforgiving. It was obvious that this was what would become of Loki's return, she'd just been stupid enough to be optimistic. 

She heard a faint rattle of the chains on Loki's handcuffs as he and Thor stepped forward. "Father," Thor greeted Odin a bit curtly, standing on his brother's other side.

Odin watched them a moment before speaking to Cora without directly looking at her. "I will address the second party now." 

Cora grumbled audibly, but stepped back a bit to present the brothers with space in position to Odin's throne, standing near where they'd stood just a moment before. 

Once she'd made her retreat, the Allfather continued. "In the last time we spoke, you had managed to make off with your Midgardian goat and the Aether into the Dark World," he said matter-of-factly, but there was underlying upset in his voice that signaled a punishment to be made.

"Her name is Jane," Thor enunciated with restrained anger, adding quietly afterward, "and she is not a goat."

"Enough," Odin ordered and his eldest quieted out of reflex, looking all the more angry that he did so. "Though you were successful in your endeavors…eventually…you went against my word. You endangered the bloodline and the Nine a thousand times over by separating yourself from Asgard's defenses. And then you…" He'd moved his gaze to Loki. "You have committed multiple accounts of treason, not to mention acts of attempted tyranny, theft, running rogue, defiance of direct orders, subduing and impersonating the sovereign ruler of Asgard, and, of course, mass genocide in Midgard. These acts are unforgivable and no amount of justice you returned to your name in the path of Thanos in these past days may erase these crimes from your history. Do you understand?"

Thor shifted his weight forward as he moved to interject, but Odin silenced him with one look. Cora saw the slight fall in Loki's shoulders as he replied calmly, "I understand." She understood the nearly imperceptible lax in his posture to not be a sign of defeat, but a somber hope that the following decree would be one of execution. Loki would rather die than rot in a cell all over again, especially after having been free for just a while longer.

Odin watched him for a solid minute before leaning back in his throne and continuing, "Therefore, your sentence still stands. The punishment, however, I feel must be taken further. For actions past your original imprisonment."

This is it, Cora thought with some despair as it all became startlingly real in a matter of seconds. She couldn't take her eyes off Loki's back, off the armored plating on his attire. Her heart hit her ribs with every palpitation and she felt like she was starving for breath when she was clearly breathing. If it's a life sentence, make it painless. If he has to die… I hope it's quick.The simple thought of Loki falling under an ax sent chills and genuine pain through her bones. How did I get this hooked? I thought I was tougher than this.

As if he knew her inner turmoil, Loki turned his head just enough so he could see her in his peripheral. He only looked at her for a couple of seconds, tops, but it was sufficient, it seemed. For whatever his reason was for doing it. All three of them, along with the guards and Heimdall nearby, looked to Odin and waited while he stared down at Loki, pondering something the lot of them could only guess at.

Odin nodded a fraction and said decidedly, "Banishment."

The shock was palpable in the room as Odin's word passed through, bouncing off the walls to echo through the doors. "Father?" Thor inquired quietly, breaking the silence that followed.

"Loki, you are hereby banished from Asgard. No longer will you wreak havoc upon this realm and its brothers. For the length of my rule—as it will become Thor's in time—you are not to cross through these golden gates but to leave this day." Odin turned a piercing gaze over to Thor and informed him, "I have left Loki in your charge many a time and each time has failed, therefore I will hand over that burdensome duty to another." That was when he glanced past them once again. "Cora of Midgard. It is unfair of me to request something so grandiose of you, but the incompetence of my heir when it comes to the man he calls his brother is extreme. Would you take this charge and be certain he does not cause more danger to the realms?"

Cora, like the others, was in a silent state of shock, but soon came back to herself long enough to read Odin's face. He looked severe, but beyond that, there was an endeavor to make amends. Holding down a small smile, Cora inclined her head. "I will." She was unable to resist adding on, "…If I must." She just wished she could see Loki's reaction to her elaboration.

All business, Odin nodded and looked back to Loki and Thor. "You remain my heir," he said firmly to Thor and Cora remembered the Odin who had told Thor to go on to Midgard had, in fact, been Loki with a takeover plan in mind. He pursed his lips faintly before finishing his point with, "However, I would dare to think that my lifetime may have yet a few centuries more within it. At best, it will have one, which I can imagine would be long enough to spend…Jane's lifetime with her in Midgard."

Hope must've alighted in Thor's features because Odin swiftly continued to declare, "After which, you will return to this throne and take your rightful place. You will be king in my stead. And, perhaps…" He glanced toward Loki with a surprising amount of respect and subdued optimism for his character. "Perhaps you will find council in family."

Loki's eyes widened at last, as he'd kept cool throughout Odin's decrees. It was that final word that hit the hardest where he thought he could no longer ache and he found the breath to—albeit begrudgingly—reply, "I… Fa—"

"I care not for your excuses, Loki, my decision is final. You must endure the results of your actions, not one word you say will change my mind," Odin cut him off and Cora was hard-pressed not to collapse from knee-weakening relief at the absurdity that was Odin trying to be generous.

The Allfather relaxed after that, giving a nod for them to go. "I have said my fill. I will see you as you see fit." He'd directed the final statement to Thor and though Cora knew Loki and Odin were still painfully estranged, she couldn't help but feel sad that this would probably be the last time Loki would ever see the only father he'd ever known.

However, Odin was doing him a kindness. He was doing all of them a kindness by allowing both Thor and Loki to return to Midgard. Asgard needed to know that its greatest defier was punished and gone and it was Odin's duty to make it so, but the extent of his concealed warmth was more than welcome. When it became clear that it was time for them to go, a guard stepped forward and unlocked Loki's cuffs, taking the metal away as Loki ran his pale, slender fingertips over his wrists.

He and Thor both turned to walk back toward the throne room entrance, both looking to Cora immediately. The three shared knowing looks before she turned to walk out with them, glancing over her shoulder to Odin and sending a grateful smile before following them out. 

Odin watched them go until the golden doors were shut behind Heimdall, who left as well. "Prosper, my sons," he said softly beneath his breath.

"I could pass out from relief," Cora said once the doors thudded shut in their wake, running a hand through her hair as she attempted to pass through the dazed feeling that fogged her brain.

"I would prefer if you didn't," Loki remarked, glancing toward the guards at the entrance. His gaze was suspicious, like he expected to be tricked. Cora would love to meet the person who could trick the "trickster god." Then she realized she'd tricked him plenty and felt herself ascend to a new state of accomplishment.

"You better behave," she warned him amiably. "I'm the one who's going to kick your ass now if you don't. And I'm pretty sure Thor would back me up on it, regardless."

"Anytime, little sister," Thor chuckled, grinning when Loki gave a withering glance between them. He glanced past Cora and she turned to follow his gaze as a few servants rolled two carts forward. 

"What is this?" Loki asked and Cora could have smacked him for the condescending tone that came out of him which could only belong to a boy raised in royalty.

"Payment for her services and some for you to take along to Midgard," the smallest of the servants said, bowing his head.

"‘Payment’?" Cora repeated in confusion, glancing at the covered cart as one of the other servants flipped the corner back to show her what they meant. Her mouth went dry as she saw the cart was brimming with gold. "I… I can't possibly—"

"Yes, you can," Loki murmured near her ear. He leaned up before glancing toward the stairway. "My belongings?" he inquired toward the servants.

"They have been left for you to collect," the small one spoke up again, seeming to be the only one willing to address the banished prince. "And only what is necessary may go, so much as you may carry. Those were our instructions to pass along."

Loki regarded them briefly before nodding to himself. "I will return presently," he informed them.

"Your guardian must accompany you," the tallest servant piped up with an edge to his tone.

Loki's eyes narrowed faintly on the servant and he bristled before exhaling slowly and continued walking without turning around, even as he said softly, "Come along, Cora."

Cora frowned, but followed him up the winding stairwell to the next floor, pausing outside his chamber door when he walked inside. She'd intended to wait outside to give him his space, but a sidelong glance from a guard down the hall caused her to grimace and follow him in, shutting the door behind her. "Guard was giving me the eye, sorry," she explained as she leaned against the closed door.

"It is the norm. I don't mind either way," he said simply from across the room as he pulled a leather knapsack from inside an armoire. It looked small, like he'd used it when he was a child and didn't have much else to choose from now. Cora glanced around while she stood there, taking in the green embellishments in the otherwise gold and black room. It made sense; green seemed to be his color of choice and it suited his personality. What really made her feel like this room was his, however, was the desk by the window, overflowing with old books. It struck the right chord like nothing else in the room that was triple the size of her apartment quite managed to do.

She made an effort to not watch what he was doing just in case he wanted some privacy. It was uncertain when he'd be coming here next and she didn't want to encroach on this revisiting, despite not being able to wait outside without being judged by nearby guards. When she heard him coming back across the room, she looked up at him, noting that he now held the pack in his hands and some garments over his arm that he opted not to leave without. He also held what appeared to be a gold helmet with enormous horns under his arm.

"Is that Asgardian couture?" Cora asked lightly. Loki rolled his eyes and swung the helmet around to dangle it by one of its curved horns in his hand, holding it over her head before sliding it into place. It was heavy and hurt her neck a bit, but he seemed to get a kick out of it. "Well? Am I petrifying?"

"Truly," Loki chuckled as the helm slid over Cora's eyes. He plucked it off her head before it could hurt her and nodded for her to get the door so they could leave.

"Pfft, what, not even going to try to ravage me now that we're alone in your room?" she remarked sarcastically as she turned to get the door.

Loki arched a brow, a mischievous gleam hitting his emerald eyes. "Would you like me to?"

"Shush," she smirked, nodding for him to pass through the door first. "Let's go."

"You made the suggestion in the first place," he protested before walking into the hall, the both of them bickering amongst themselves as they went back down the stairway.

"That's it, then?" Steve asked after Cora had explained the whole story of what had happened in Asgard to him after their arrival back to SHIELD headquarters. "He's just going to stay here?"

"Until Odin's off the throne, yeah, I guess," Cora said, a mug of tea in her hands that she was just allowing to steam while she talked. They'd gotten back to headquarters after saying their goodbyes to Heimdall at the gates. Sindri and Brokkr had apparently left a scabbard for the claymore they'd made her with him to give to her, which she had sitting with her bag near her feet. She currently sat on one of the couches in a lounge on the eastern side with Steve, Bruce, and Natasha, waiting for final preparations to be made before she headed out.

Phil had volunteered to sort through the Asgardian gold with a few other knowledgable agents who had an idea of collectible worth, since his own knowledge in that department more or less started and ended with World War II Captain America memorabilia.

She'd given them permission to use the artifacts to make the beginnings of Asgardian exhibits in the American Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian, while just keeping the majority of gold bars in the cart for them. Those alone would convert into hundreds of thousands at least. She felt sick that she was being given these riches, but she couldn't help but be excited, too; she'd be able to pay off her student loans at last, get amazing care for her grandmother, buy a car that didn't have an arrow embedded permanently in the door, and even get a house without annoying roommates… The possibilities were glorious.

"Isn't that kind of surprising though?" Natasha asked conversationally, pulling Cora out of her thoughts. "From the little bits I'd heard about him, I'd figured he'd have more… Godly wrath, I guess."

"I don't think anyone anticipated him letting Loki off like that… At least as much as he could."

"It's good that he did, I think," Steve ventured bravely after a moment, earning a couple of startled glances from his colleagues. "I get the impression that he's really changed."

"I think he has, too," Cora murmured. She wasn't sure if he'd so much changed as finally found some closure in his past grievances, but it didn't matter. He was figuring himself out and that made her pretty happy for him. The only part she wasn't sure about is how he felt being stuck with her. They'd not talked about that arrangement and she didn't know if this was a blessing to her, but a curse to him. It would make sense if it were, but she tried to not read into it too much. She supposed she'd find out in time.

"Cora?"

She looked toward the door, seeing Loki there with an impatient pinch between his brows. "Agent Coulson has finished converting your funds. He said if you gave him your account information, he would just forward it there." With the way he recited the words, he was fairly certain he was just repeating what Phil had said and had not a clue what it meant. "Is there anything else you must do?"

"I…," Cora paused thoughtfully as she stood up. "I guess not."

It felt odd to be leaving headquarters after all the time she'd spent there on and off by that time and she wasn't quite sure how to react to the departure. When she left the lounge with Loki, Natasha, Steve, and Bruce all accompanied her down to the main floor, where they met Fury and the others at the elevator. Cora walked over to write down her bank account information for Phil, leaving Loki momentarily by himself. He glanced over warily when Fury cleared his throat.

"We thank you for your help during the Ragnarök and, though I can't and won't offer you a position on the Avengers Initiative, I could extend an honorary title your way."

Loki's eyes narrowed a little out of disbelief. "Are you going to hand me a trophy as well?"

Fury sighed and muttered, "Last time I try to be nice to you, you little shit," as Cora rejoined them. "You, however, have my biggest thanks. And we'd love to have you wear the emblem officially."

Cora's eyes widened with surprise and she quickly started to decline. "Oh, I—"

"The benefits are great. We're great. The job's great. You… You probably also need a job, don't you?"

Cora started to argue that she actually had a job, which was what brought her to New York, but she paled when she realized that had been months ago and she'd completely disappeared without notice. The apartment was probably trashed, too, thanks to Lacey. "Oh, dammit…," she murmured despairingly and Loki looked rather alarmed at seeing her become so upset so quickly, something he'd not seen yet.

"Come on, you've already got the uniform," Phil encouraged with his usual smile. "And you've got…a lot to hold you over for a while. But you might want to take a position out of interest, even."

His pause on the terms of her bank balance made her wonder just how much he'd managed to get her for those gold bars, but she asked instead, "Would I be a field agent then?"

"I'd let you pick your spot," Fury said honestly. "Within reason."

Cora smiled a little at that and shrugged. "Sure. I'll look into it."

"We'll find a time to talk it out," Fury confirmed afterward, cracking a slight smile. "Now go home and put your feet up. You've been through hell and back this past year."

"Huh. Wonder whose fault that was," she remarked, grinning when Fury rolled his eyes. "I'll see you guys soon. It's been awesome. Hey, wait, where's Thor?"

"Already back in London," Loki replied with a roll of his eyes. "Supposedly they are planning to move back this way in the near future. At least, that's what he's hoping to convince Jane of."

Cora smiled, rather hoping that he managed to do just that. With one last goodbye, she got into the elevator with Loki and headed down to the parking garage, where they slid into one of the hefty black SUVs and were driven through the city, away from the disrepair until they pulled into the lot of her apartment complex a twenty minute-long drive away. The roads were nearly empty with the week's events and a few lockdowns still in place while SHIELD worked on calming the world down from its state of Ragnarök shock.

They were left standing in front of the sky-high complex and Cora watched the SUV speed away before looking up at Loki instead, her brow creasing thoughtfully. "So…"

"So, indeed," Loki murmured, looking down at her.

Cora hesitated before smiling impishly. "Want to drop off your stuff and get some bagels?"

Loki stared at her lengthily before smiling and placing his helmet under his left arm, freeing up his right to hook around her shoulders and tug her close. He dropped a gentle kiss to her forehead and murmured, "I'm never living that down, am I."

"Nope. I'm hungry though, so follow me," she smirked, taking his hand in hers and towing him along as she set off toward the entrance to the building, keeping in mind one of her favorite bakeries nearby; she was fully intending on a lazy day today, but perhaps a house-shopping/debt-paying day tomorrow, now that she could afford it. It was an ordinary sort of plan, but it felt extraordinary to her and she was incredibly pleased with the prospects. Maybe because she had him along for the ride now. Things just felt right for the first time she could presently remember.

Loki was in much the same state of rightness, though he would die before he admitted it. He watched the woman in front of him, listening to her explain her roommate situation and muse over plans she had, things they needed to do, and it was a mundane sort of existence compared to the future he'd repeatedly set out to gain for himself, but this was oddly so much more satisfying. Not the lifestyle, but just being there with her, specifically. No one else could have made this life appealing to him, he didn't think.

And despite his tumultuous attempts at rebellion and asserting his right to leadership time and time again in the recent past, Loki was more than content to let her lead on, and found himself genuinely happy for the first time in ages to have the privilege of stepping in someone’s shadow, so long as it was hers.

That's all for Worthy! Thank you for reading! x

If you've not yet read the bonus Christmas time chapters I posted as a sort of 'epilogue,' you can find them through my masterlist.

#loki laufeyson #loki x fem!oc #loki x oc #loki fanfic #loki fanfiction #loki fluff #thor odinson #thor movies #thor the dark world #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #angst with a happy ending #slow burn

[strooparfait]

time travel. pt. 2

top! lars alexandersson x bottom! lee chaolan

summary: just as young lee went back to his timeline, young lars decided to stray from his to be here as well.

word count: 3677 words

genre: fluff, smut 18+

content warning(s): threesome, anal fingering, anal sex, somnophilia

a special part for this fic by nekotzgr (already recieved permission from them to write this!).

It has been a few months since young Lee had left the current timeline and back to his. Lee wanted to give him more information and stories he had been through, but he was afraid that any more would ruin the past. 

Lee had been living in his lab working on his new robot projects. It’s nighttime, and nearly every staff member had already left for the night to rest, only security guards that were still here stationed outside the lab. His lover, Lars, is with his fellow soldiers for training camp three cities over. Alisa is accompanying Jin wherever he goes because that kid likes to wander around. No words can explain how lonely Lee is. 

A look at the window showed the beautiful sight of the moon, which enticed the silver-haired man to walk to the window and open it to stare. The sudden gust of cold wind made him shiver despite wearing a lab coat over his sweater, but a smile still appeared on Lee’s face once he gazed upon different tall buildings as the lab was located in a higher floor of the company’s building. Just as Lee was about to ponder about his next project, a sound from his handheld transceiver in his pocket interrupted his peace. 

“Mr. Lee! We have an urgent problem, sir!” Lee huffed, “What is it?” “We think that you want to see this by yourself, sir.” He raised an eyebrow, thinking it’s the Tekken Force barging into the building, but the guard didn’t specify, so it might be a really big problem. Lee hurried out from his lab to check what it was. 

. . . 

Lee went downstairs to check on the guard who called him a few minutes ago, and when he saw a figure sitting on one of the sofas he uncharacteristically nearly gaped his mouth from shock. 

“Lars?” Lee asked, approaching ‘Lars’ on the sofa. ‘Lars’ looked up from the candies that he was eating given by the guard, and was stunned by the new arrival. Pretty man?! He knew my name too? “Uh, yes! My name is Lars, sir!” He stood up, his figure mirroring what soldiers did, and saluted to the Violet Systems CEO. The other can only stare at ‘Lars’ and froze for a bit, before shooing the guards out of the room so he could talk with the younger man alone. 

Once only Lee and ‘Lars’ were left in the room, the silver-haired man had to think for a moment. Is this another case of young Lee? Lee looked over the other man. This ‘Lars’ seems younger than the one Lee has now, a bit shorter, his uniform that he’s wearing is also the Tekken Force’s. This ‘Lars’ is when he just started in the Tekken Force. 

Lee wondered how to tell this to the young man. ‘Lars’ doesn’t look bothered at all, being in a foreign place. On the other hand, ‘Lars’ is actually bothered with this situation, but not what Lee thought it was. ‘Lars’ could not look at Lee’s eyes because he is very beautiful. Everytime he tried to keep an eye contact with the other, his eyes would immediately wander around the rest of Lee’s body. He never thought wandering around the Tekken Force facility would bring him to an angel!

Silence engulfed the room. Lee had to break the news to ‘Lars’, and hopefully he wouldn’t faint from the surprise. 

. . .

‘Lars’ didn’t faint. 

Thank the gods above that he didn’t faint because Lee would have to ask the guards to drag him to a vacant bedroom. ‘Lars’ took the information pretty well, and Lee heard a mutter from him of ‘no wonder that locked room is locked.’ 

Now that Lee took another look at ‘Lars’, he looks handsome at a young age of twenty. The current timeline of Lars is twenty nine years old, and he still looks pretty much the same from then and now. Twenty year old Lars is more youthful, and Lee can see the other’s cheeks just a bit chubbier.  

Before his mind went to another direction however, Lee told young Lars to follow him. “C’mon, I’ll show you where you can rest for the time being. You should be tired.” Young Lars wanted to decline. “Oh, nonono, it’s fine, Mr. Lee. I’m not that tired.” 

Hearing the rejection, Lee pouted. It was a magnificent way to guilt trip his lover in this time, so perhaps it would work for the younger version of him. Young Lars saw it, and sweat came down his forehead and blush appeared on his face. He furrowed his eyebrows and accepted Lee’s offer. Lee smiled in victory. 

Then Lee remembered that he needed to take a look at the machine he made to return young Lee to his timeline. It should be able to work again after a few months of not using it. He returned to his lab to look for the time travel machine that he kept hidden behind different projects of combots that either Lee had discontinued or failed. Once he got what he was looking for, Lee went over to the machine to check for anything broken or anything that needed to be fixed. 

After months of not using the machine, it had not been functioning well when Lee started it up. It appeared that repairments are due for it to work. 

. . . 

The next day arrived, the sun was rising as it was 6 a.m. in the morning. Young Lars didn’t remember how he got to Lee’s office, he just woke from his restful sleep and then he got here. Sitting in front of him on his office chair was Lee, the supposed owner of this company. Lee has his both hands clasped together on the desk, with a gentle smile on his face. Young Lars could not help but stare back at the older man, slightly intimidated by Lee’s strong aura yet attracted to it. 

“So, the machine that could bring you back is… dysfunctional.” Lee started. “For now, at least. I’m currently working on repairing the machine, so during this time you can stay here.” Young Lars nodded his head slowly, processing the information inside his head. “Got it, sir.” 

Lee chuckled, “Just call me Lee.” Then he hummed under his breath while his unclasped fingers tapped his desk in a rhythm. “While we’re here doing nothing, how about I tell you a bit of the current ‘Lars’, hm?” 

For two hours Lee told the story of his Lars, of their first meeting, their best friend Alisa, their first date in Lee’s favourite restaurant, until the current time. “Where is he now?” Young Lars asked. “He’s with his subordinates in training camp. He should be returning soon.” Lee answered. “It’s already 8 a.m. We should go have breakfast, you must be hungry.” 

Lars sat up on his chair with a straight back. “This is fine, sir! I’ve had worse back in the military.” 

Lee frowned in response, “Oh, that’s not good.” He cupped his face with one hand and puffed his cheek, wanting to tease the younger man like how Lee usually does to his lover. “Young soldiers like you should eat a lot. My personal chef has a lot of expertise with different types of meats. He could make us expensive steak-” Young Lars almost salivated at the thought. “-he could make anything good! You should try it.” 

“I guess… I could try…” Young Lars hesitated. Lee smiled in victory once again. Lars: 0, Lee: 2. 

“Excellent! Follow me!” 

. . . 

The day passed by quickly, Lee and young Lars got closer by the end of the day. Both of them had a great time together, Lee took young Lars on a quick tour of Violet Systems after they had breakfast, and they spent the rest of the day in Lee’s personal lab to repair the time machine. 

Young Lars asked questions on Lee’s past, in which Lee complied with the request but hid some truths of it –Kazuya–. Time by time, young Lars seemed to get even more attracted to the older man. He was enticed by Lee’s gentle yet confident voice whenever he spoke. Young Lars was not going to lie but he liked it when Lee joked around and teased him. He couldn’t look away from Lee especially after he had let an adorable grin appear on his face, twinkle in his gorgeous brown eyes. 

The sun had set and Lee decided it was time to rest from working on the machine. Lee felt sore on his back, shoulders and arms. He stood from his chair and stretched his arms, and young Lars could see the other’s back muscles flexing through the white shirt Lee was wearing. 

“I really need a shower… Lars, you can go back to rest in your room for a while.” Lee suggested. “Once you’re done with showering and whatnot, you can head to my office and we can eat dinner together.” Young Lars nodded in agreement. 

They both leave to their respective rooms. Once Lee closed his private bedroom door, he immediately went to the bathroom to take a shower. The soreness on his body returned and Lee massaged the areas slowly to ease the pain as the water from the showerhead washed over his body. Fifteen minutes later he left the bathroom with a white fluffy bathrobe and entered his walk-in closet (because he’s rich he can do and make anything he wants). 

Rummaging through his wardrobe to get the perfect yet casual look for his dinner with young Lars, Lee finally chose a simple white and black t-shirt with long khaki pants after a long time. Just as he had finished wearing them, the silver-haired man heard the bedroom door opening. He perked up, knowing who entered his room. Lee rushed out of his walk-in closet to see his lover closing the door behind him. 

“Lars!” Lee stalked over to the brown-haired man and hugged his neck. In return Lars wrapped his arms over Lee’s waist and kissed his lips passionately. Not too long after that Lars let go of the kiss and booped Lee’s nose, which made the older man laugh. “I’m back, Chaolan.” 

Then Lee remembered that young Lars might be waiting in his office. “Lars. You must have had a shower before heading back here, so just change into something casual. I need to show you someone.” Someone? Lars, hearing the urgency in his lover’s voice, can only follow his request. 

. . . 

“Tada~! Last time it was my younger version, now it’s yours!” 

Lee cheered with a wide and adorable grin, showing off like W*ll Sm*th the younger version of Lars who is awkwardly standing there. Current version of Lars could only gape at the sight of young Lars, forgetting that just a few months back young Lee was here too. And he fucked both versions of Lee as well. And he liked it. 

Lee puffed his cheeks and put his hand to hold his hip when neither of them responded and only stared at each other with eyes glaring. Lee thought he could also hear lightning in the background. To stop this glaring silence Lee clapped his hands to get both Lars’ attention. “Okay, okay, let’s go downstairs. I’m really hungry and I don’t want the dinner to get cold.” 

Immediately the two of them stopped glaring at each other intensely. Lee could only sigh quietly. They would most likely not get along well with each other. 

Fortunately, the dinner passed by smoothly and the silence made by the two Lars was disrupted by Lee’s questions of Lars’ training camp week and young Lars’ usual routine in the military force. Though this incited a rivalry in the two of them and they started to brag about each other (Lars is winning of course due to his past knowledge and his present feats). 

Feeling a bit tired due to repairing the time machine for hours, Lee quickly finished his meal and excused himself from the dining table to rest earlier than usual. Now only the two Lars are left in the dining room, continuing the stare off that they stopped for Lee. Lars started the conversation first.

“You like him.”

Young Lars froze for a moment. “Wha-? No I don’t-” “I know you like Chaolan. I can see from your behaviour when you speak with him.” Lars clutched the cutlery in his hands. His eyes stared at his younger version cautiously, Lars could see and feel the jealousy in the other’s eyes. “What’s it to you, anyway?” Young Lars retorted. “The both of you are lovers, and I’m your younger version. So there’s really nothing wrong with it.” 

“There’s nothing wrong, yes.” The older of the two said. “I think we’re bound to be lovers sooner or later.” Lars continued eating the rest of his meal, then he looked up to stare once again right at the younger version’s eyes. 

“Anyways, I have an idea, and you’ll definitely like it.” 

. . . 

The two Lars approached the sleeping figure on the king-sized bed. Young Lars gazed at Lee before heaving a sigh. “I don’t think this is a good idea.” “You agreed to it before. You’re horny as well.” Lars raised an eyebrow at young Lars’ bulging crotch on his pants which alerted the younger one to hide it with his hand. 

“Are you sure he would be fine with this?” 

“Yes, he likes it too.” 

“Damn, okay.” 

They undressed their clothes and threw it on the floor before getting into the bed. Both Lars have similar builds, with young Lars being slightly smaller due to his younger age. Lars immediately headed to his lover’s sleeping body and unravelled the bed cover covering him. Young Lars who sat a few centimetres away from them gasped as he saw Lee’s naked thighs, while Lars shoved up the only clothing he had on. Lee was only wearing an oversized black hoodie with nothing underneath. 

Lars hissed once he saw Lee’s half naked form, but he moved himself over in between Lee’s long legs. “Come here.” Lars urged young Lars to sit beside him. “Have you fuck someone?” Before young Lars could even respond, Lars continued. “Of course you haven’t. At this age you’re still a virgin.” (Didn’t realise he insulted himself) 

Lars reached out to the nightstand and opened the drawer to grab a small bottle of lube. He quickly snapped it open and coated his fingers in the lube, while young Lars was studying his actions. Lars’s hands roamed over Lee’s thighs, kneading the flesh before reaching over his ass and pulling the cheeks apart to reveal his hole. Young Lars gasped at the sight of his small, pink hole, and Lars started to bring one finger to dip inside Lee’s tight entrance. 

Young Lars watched as the finger slowly entered the rim. “Hm-?” Nearly shook himself, the younger one looked over the still peacefully sleeping figure who let out a small moan. Lars could feel the insides massaging his lone finger as he watched in satisfaction as it disappeared inside the hole. The sound of the lube slowly getting louder as he thrusted his finger in and out, causing Lee to let out soft moans despite being unconscious. 

“Hey.” Young Lars snapped out of his dreamy thoughts when he heard the older version of him calling him. 

Grabbing one of his hands, Lars guided young Lars to hold Lee’s now stiff cock which incited a whimper from the latter. “Start stroking him.” Lars ordered, the younger one followed his orders and stroked the leaking cock slowly. Young Lars could feel his own dick start to harden. “Good. Now press on his tip with your thumb.” 

As he did, young Lars’s fingers moved to the tip of Lee’s cockhead, carefully pressing on the slit, earning him a whine from the sleeping beauty which made him unconsciously squeeze around Lars’ finger. The increasing tightness of Lee’s hole around his finger was a sign that Lars has to get ready to replace it with his cock. He pulled his now wet finger out, and whistled when Lars watched how the small hole was gaped open from just his one finger. 

Lars stopped his younger version from continuing his actions and readied his cock. He grabbed the bottle of lube from where he left off and poured some of them all over his cock. When he saw that Lars was going to enter Lee’s asshole with only lube, young Lars stopped him. “You’re going to enter just like that?” Lars raised an eyebrow at him. “Yeah?” 

“What about condoms?” Young Lars blubbered. He was taught in sex education to always wear condoms with whoever he had sex with back in his school. The thought of entering someone’s private parts without more safety precautions scared him. Lars looked at the younger him for a while until he remembered. “Oh yeah, that. Don’t worry, I told him that too but Chaolan insisted for me not to use them. Anyways.” 

The tip of Lars’ cock touched the rim of his lover’s hole, wetting the area around the hole with the lube on his cock and traces of precum. The hole rapidly clenched and unclenched from the impact while the sleeping beauty was still in his dream, though his cheeks were now blushed pink and both Lars could see drool coming out of Lee’s mouth. The older of the two gazed upon the younger one and grinned. 

“I’ll show you how to satisfy Lee Chaolan.” 

Lee was awakened from his sleep when he felt his body manhandled by a pair of large hands. His mouth leaked drool and his face flushed red. He felt his lower body was being rammed by something as pleasure builded up, his cock spewing out precum and his legs were on top of someone’s shoulders…? As his eyes fluttered to see above him, Lee realised what was happening. “Lars-? Wha- Ah!” 

“Chao, focus.” 

Lee’s head turned over to the sound, and beside him was his Lars, stroking his own dick that was drenched in lube and cum. “How is it? He’s doing quite well for his first time, yeah?” He thought the one who was currently fucking him was his Lars, but it was his younger version. Lee was about to speak before getting interrupted once again by young Lars’ harsh thrusts. 

“Oh my god…” Lee moaned out loud. He was going crazy, his head felt dizzy and Lee thought he was drunk. His heart was racing, and he felt like he was going to combust. 

Whenever young Lars slammed his cock inside Lee’s hole, his balls lightly slapped the silver-haired man’s ass. The whines and whimpers of Lee triggered the younger one to speed up, increasing the loud lewd sounds of sex in the room. 

Young Lars could only groan as he felt the other’s insides tightening even more on his length, his hands gripping onto Lee’s small waist tightly, holding onto him for life. He then pressed his lips on Lee’s neck, kissing the area and then licking it, before it resulted in a hickey. Lars on the other hand held Lee’s face with his free palm and started to make out with him, mixing their saliva together. 

“Move out of the way. I wanna kiss him too.” Young Lars shoved him away from Lee and kissed him on the lips gently. Lars only rolled his eyes from the disrespect, but allowed his younger version to do whatever he wanted with Lee before he had to go back. 

Lee, who was already fucked stupid, can barely comprehend what was happening and let the other two do what they want with him. Lee could feel his climax nearing him, so he reached for young Lars’ nape and held onto him. “I’m close…” He let out a small whine, almost went unnoticed by the two Lars.  Young Lars’ cock only went in deeper as he kept on thrusting to chase his own climax, making the man underneath him cry out in alarm. 

“Right there, Lars… It feels so good…” 

“Say our name.” The growl made by Lars’ voice was demanding in Lee’s ear. Lee hitched his breath. 

“Lars…” Lee’s voice came out trembling, his cock spurted out cum onto his abs and chest, some painted on young Lars’ upper body as well. 

Hearing the moan, young Lars couldn’t hold it anymore, thrusted one final time and finally released his cum inside Lee’s ass. Lee’s inside felt warm from both the dick and the cum and his eyes rolled back when young Lars pulled his cock out from his warmth.  Lars caressed his exhausted lover’s hair and pecked his forehead. 

“You did well, Chaolan.” 

. . . 

Lee ended up having to stay in the bed for the whole day after the rough fucking he just received from his lover and the younger version of his lover. 

After he felt good enough to return to repairing the time machine, Lee took a small moment to smack both Lars on the head which earned him whines of pain. Once the machine had finally been fixed, it was time for young Lars to go back to his timeline. Before he left, young Lars bravely went to Lee and pecked him on the lips which shocked him, but Lee quickly recovered and returned the kiss. Lars who stood beside Lee could only grimace at the sight. 

“Hope to see you again. If ever.” Lee smiled gently. “Hope to never see you again.” Lars bluntly spoke which earned him a glare from his younger version and a slap on his arm from his lover. Young Lars stepped into the time machine and only a few seconds passed by and he was gone.

Lee gazed back at his lover with a smile on his face, nudging his arm. “What happened to yesterday’s team up, hm?” The silver-haired man teased. Lars could only smirked and closed their distance to kiss his pink lips.

“It’s just a one time alliance, my sweet.”

© strooparfait.

#bottom lee chaolan #lars x lee #larslee #lee chaolan #lars alexandersson

[kitseddie]

This Must Be The Place

Chapter 7: Invisible String

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Part 8

(Eddie Munson X GN!Reader)

Summary: You get to know the kids a little better and Steve urges you to confront your feelings about Eddie.

W/C: 3.3K

Warnings: I use italics so much. So so much. I’m trying to stop but it’s in my blood.

A/N: It’s kind of filler but it’s also cute! There’s a lot of platonic Steve/Reader going on but don’t worry…you’ll see why…

Starcourt was a new development that was built about a year before you moved back to Hawkins. It was certainly a change of pace in the town, considering up until now you were lucky to find a strip mall. Huge would be an understatement, not really anything groundbreaking compared to most malls but certainly big given the territory. It was bright and loud and filled to the brim with families and teenagers enjoying their spring break. You would have loved to wander around to window-shop, and see the stores for yourself, but no. You were standing outside The Game Player with Steve and the kids. For the past two hours.

“Remind me why I agreed to this again?”. For a small store, you’d never seen a line so long. And you’d all been here since the mall opened.

“Oh, you didn’t want to spend your spring break standing in line for a stupid video game?”. Steve teased as you rolled your eyes and smirked, the kids all scoffing as you sighed.

“Did you guys completely ignore me earlier? Dracula is the first video game to ever have a 15 rating. And since some of us are late bloomers, we need adults and you’re the closest we got.” The kids had been raving about this new game since it was announced, it was so violent that they even pushed for an R Rating but ended up settling on 15.

Lucas was already 15 and Will had his birthday the month before, leaving you and Steve to be the ones buying Mike and Dustin’s copies. They were lucky that the security guards didn’t care enough to figure out that they were both standing in line, clearly waiting to buy a game they were too young to be playing.

When you drew closer to the door, Dustin quickly rummaged around his pockets and handed you some crumpled-up bills thanking you before he and Mike left to avoid suspicion. Steve shook his head, letting the kids go ahead and get their games. It was kinda sweet to see their goofy smiles as they wandered out with the game in their hands, excitedly talking about all the things they’d heard about it through the grapevine.

“After you.” Steve bowed as you giggled and headed inside, noticing all the teenagers losing their shit over some lame vampire game. Honestly, you were kinda curious to see what all the fuss was about, but with such high demand it was only one per customer and you were looking forward to seeing Dustin’s face when you handed him his copy. Steve buys Mike’s and you both head to the ice cream place, handing your copies to the boys.

“You’re the best!.” Dustin squealed as he squeezed you into a hug and you awkwardly hugged back, slowly moving him off you. Your eyes looked up at the ice cream place and you giggled at the silly sailor uniforms. “Hey Steve, Do you still get a discount at scoops? I think we should have a celebratory sundae”. Your neck almost snapped with how quickly you turned to face him, still get a discount?

“You’re kidding.” Steve held the bridge of his nose between his fingers and closed his eyes, hoping if he tried hard enough he could make himself disappear. The grin on your face couldn’t possibly be any wider, thinking about the endless amount of teasing that was in store.

“Unfortunately…Henderson is right. Robin and I used to sling ice cream before we started working at Family Video.” Oh, this was juicy. This was amazing.

“Stevie. I’m dying to know…” Your eyes looked over at the uniforms and you held your breath in excitement. “Did you have to wear the sailor’s hat?”. He sighed and stared back at you, embarrassed by how much you were loving this.

“Well…it was company policy.” You burst into laughter as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, attempting to ignore you. Dustin joined in and told you all about his personal scooper and the awful shorts. It was almost impossible to hold back the tears as you tried to picture it. When he seemed to get a little tired from the teasing you pouted and gave him a hearty side hug.

“Aw Steve, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I think it’s really uh…noble of you to work a job like that. Certainly builds character.” He waved you off and you pecked his cheek and smirked at his grumpy face. The boys shared some stares that you chose not to dwell on and you went inside for some sundaes whilst they waited for the girls to join.

You’d spoken to Dustin more than the other kids, bonding over D&D, Lord of the rings and Star Wars. He hung around with Steve the most, meaning you saw him more than anyone else. But you wanted to get to know them all, they were friends with Robin and Eddie too and they all seemed pretty cool for their age. When Lucas and Mike started their own conversation, you noticed Will sitting quietly staring at his copy of Dracula. You moved closer to him and looked back at Steve, checking if it was a good time to approach him.

“I have to admit it does look pretty cool…”. Will’s big brown eyes widened as he lifted his head to look at you, he was tall. Looked a lot older than most of the kids, but he still was the youngest at heart. You could see it in his stare. “Your brother told me you guys used to play video games a lot when you were younger, what was it called…Cosmic something?”.

“Cosmic Ark.” He finished, feeling more comfortable at the mention of his older brother. You nodded with an ‘ahh’ as he bowed his head and then lifted it again. “There’s this arcade that we go to a lot, it has Dragon’s Lair and Pac-man and Max beat Dustin’s high score on Dig Dug it was crazy.” You beamed back at him, happy to see him open up to you. You still hadn’t spoken to Max. She was the most reserved out of all the group and you didn’t want to do anything to scare her off, so you were taking baby steps.

“Well, when Eddie and I were kids we would go to this little arcade near the trailer park and I would kick his ass at Star Raiders.” After that you fell into a lengthy conversation about video games, even Steve piped up and admitted he liked Donkey Kong Jr and would sometimes make the top 10 on the leaderboard whilst he waited for the kids to finish up.

Once the ice cream was eaten and the kids met up with Max and El, you waved them goodbye and had to find some time to kill until they needed a ride home. Steve had to do some errands for his parents and you just had to check out the new records at Sam Goody, so you parted ways and headed to your destinations. The collection was insane and you found one album you hadn’t had a chance to buy yet. You gasped to yourself holding Metallica's ‘Master of Puppets’ in your hands when a voice broke you out of your daze.

“Wow, see this is rare, finding someone in Hawkins who has good taste. Maybe you could give me some recommendations?” You chuckled, rolling your eyes, turning to face the guy behind you as you covered your mouth in shock. The tips of his ears and the apple of his cheeks blushed red as you burst out laughing.

“Were you…oh my god was that you flirting?”. His mouth opened but he struggled to make any sound. “Aw Eds, don't be embarrassed! Come on, I think it was sweet.” He covered his face and bowed his head, regretting his life choices in the middle of the record store.

“I didn't…I didn’t know it was you! Fuck, I’m never living this down am I?”. You chuckled and shook your head with a small smile, bringing him in for a big hug. He was adamant still trying to rid the redness from his cheeks, but sighed and hugged back before you dragged him to the metal section.

As you bowed your head he took a second to breathe you in, you looked so pretty when you were focused. When you lifted your head to look at him, he glanced back down at the vinyl and you admired him all the same. His ringed fingers skimmed through the albums until he smirked to himself, looking at Motörhead’s, Bomber. You looked over as he held it up with the sweetest smile and you felt an odd fuzzy feeling in your chest. It reminded you of Halloween 1979.

It was October 31st. You and Eddie had spent all night trick or treating and ended the night by teepeeing some of the rich kids' houses. With a firm high five and a hearty laugh, you both ride your bikes back to the trailer park where you found Uncle Wayne sitting outside Eddie’s having a smoke. His smile is wide, which wasn't uncommon when it came to you both but this particular night Wayne’s smile had some meaning behind it. You entered the trailer and headed towards Eddie’s room to sort through your candy bars when his uncle took a deep breath and smiled back at you.

“Happy birthday son”. He grinned, patting him on the back as he handed him the record. It was one of the first ones Eddie ever got. He’d had hundreds of cassettes that he made when he listened to the metal stations but nothing was like the real thing. Eddie’s eyes lit up as you both morphed your faces into pleading looks, he sighed and shook his head.

“Alright, fine. Just don’t play it too loud ya hear?”. Without a second thought, you rushed into Eddie’s room and bounced on this mattress in excitement. There blossomed his ever-growing collection of vinyl and tapes, it also happened to be the same year that Corroded Coffin performed at the middle school talent show.

You plucked it from his hands as he furrowed his eyebrows as you pleasantly skipped to the counter with it and the new Metallica record. Almost immediately after you placed the money on the counter, he leaned over your shoulder and slapped his hand on top. “And what do you think you’re doing?”. He gave you a look of warning as he slowly pulled some money from his pocket and handed it to the worker behind the register. He gave her a charming smile and a wink and started to walk off with the bag before you barrelled towards him.

“Not funny Munson! I actually wanted those records.” You huffed as you sighed to yourself, you didn't know what game he was playing but you didn't like it. Suddenly he stopped in the middle of the mall, and you backed straight into him. When you got your bearings you noticed him resting on one knee and bowing to you, holding the bag of vinyl as if it were an ancient sword.

“Your majesty”. You widen your eyes in shock, trying to not seem phased by the public gesture. Before anyone else could look at you, your hand grabbed the bag and you sighed looking down at the grinning metalhead.

“Your offerings have pleased the crown.” You muttered, using your arm to mimic a knighting as he bowed his head and thanked you as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He rose to his feet and you felt yourself shrink as he towered over you, his eyes met yours as you looked back at each other and he opened his mouth to speak.

“Oh, there you are!”. Steve shouted from across the way, he quickly caught up with you before glancing over at Eddie. “Oh, Munson. Didn’t know you were around. Hey, how come you weren't waiting in line for that stupid game with us?”. He grinned and opened his black metal lunchbox, waving around his copy.

“Because I know a guy”. You gasped and immediately gripped it from his hands to look over it, as much shit as you were talking this morning you actually wanted to see it for yourself. “Alright grabby, we can play it later. Stop hogging it.” He pulled it from your grubby hands as you groaned in protest and Steve grinned smugly watching you go back and forth.

“Little shits need a ride to the arcade, I thought maybe we could stop by the diner again?”. Eddie’s face dropped slightly at the mention of the diner, he wished it didn't bother him but it still gave him this nasty feeling in his chest. You brought Eddie into a hug and whispered in his ear.

“Don’t you dare start that game without me.” You threatened as you could feel him smirk, holding you against him. He chuckled back, his breath tickling your ear as he spoke.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, sweetheart”. He whispered back as you started to grin like a fool. You waved goodbye as you and Steve headed to the parking lot and piled into your cars.

—

Steve rode with Mike, Will and El and you drove Max, Lucas and Dustin. Max and Lucas were pretty cute, as much as she pretended that she didn’t care you could tell that she was crazy about her little boyfriend. This however was extremely unbearable for Dustin, who sat in the front passenger seat without even asking. But it was okay you didn’t mind, you started up the car as metal blasted from the speakers and everyone yelled at you to shut it off.

“Relax! Relax! I’ll turn it down but I’m not shutting it off…it’s a good song.” His eyes glanced over you, thinking back to when Eddie gave him a ride home from D&D. The same song blasting from his speakers, it was silly how much you were alike. He was wondering how long it would take for you to figure out how perfect you are for each other, or until he had to pull a parent trap on you.

“So you kids got any crazy spring break plans? Other than playing your thrilling new video game.” Your fingers subconsciously tapped against the steering wheel, almost a perfect mimic of Eddie as Dustin shook his head with a smirk.

“Well when we were biking through the woods we saw this amazing treehouse and we thought maybe we could build one ourselves. We just need like…a lot of materials…and muscle.” A smile graced your face as you had plan.

“Oh my god, I have an absolutely genius idea! Wayne helped me and Eddie build a treehouse when we were younger, it’s still up in the woods by the trailer park! It needs a little TLC but I think with some teamwork we can fix her up real nice”. Everyone seemed super excited and thankful and you spent the rest of the ride talking about the plans for what it was going to look like and what kinda cool things it would have inside.

Before you could draw up the blueprints you drove into the arcade parking lot and let the kids wander inside. They all said their thank yous and continued to discuss their new D.I.Y project, whilst Steve signalled for you to tail him to the diner and you happily obliged. It had quickly become a regular hang-out spot for you both and the food was to die for. Which was kind of ironic considering it was so bad for your cholesterol that dying at the hands of it wasn’t that unlikely.

“So…are we gonna talk about Eddie?”. Steve wasted no time cutting to the chase.

“So...are you gonna finish that?”. You quizzed back, making intense eye contact with his crinkle-cut fries. The last batch of crinkle-cut fries in the diner, it so happens. He sighed and moved his food away from you, using it as leverage.

“You’re dodging the question.” He moaned, rolling his eyes as you seemed more interested in his lunch than you did in what he had to say.

“And you’re hogging the fries.” You pawed at the basket under his arm as he moved it further away from you. His eyes looked like a warning, as you slumped your shoulders like a little kid.

“Share with me and I’ll share with you, capisce?”. You groaned at his stern face, resting your back against the booth.

“I should never have shown you The Godfather”. You muttered under your breath, eyeing his fries and weighing your options. With another glance you met his eyes and felt that sincerity, they silently told you “this is a safe place” and you believed that.

Fuck, there wasn’t any getting out of this.

“We’re just making up for lost time.” You muttered, his head lifting to look back at you. His eyes burnt into your soul as you felt a little swarm of anxiety in your gut. “I just…I like things the way they are. I don’t understand why everyone is so obsessed with us. We’re just two adults who care for each other and enjoy each other's company. Why does it always have to be more than that?.” Steve’s eyes dotted around the room as he sighed to himself.

“So you don’t want it to be more than that?”. It was a simple question, but enough to shut you up. “I’ll take those fries now.” You pulled at his basket and started to dig in, filling your mouth with food so you wouldn’t be held responsible for not answering his question. And he cared about you, he really thought that talking would help but you were stubborn. So he dropped it, but not without swearing to himself that he would get you to talk. Sooner or later.

“Miss Byers is having a sort of get-together for Jonathan’s birthday. Him and Argyle are coming back from Cali and they’re staying for a few days. I think it would be cool for you to meet her and Eddie will be there too…” It was a sweet suggestion but you were still so new to the friend group, Jonathan was cool but you didn’t know him super well. Steve sensed your anxiety and shook his head, trying to get you to relax. “It’s not anything crazy, and you don’t have to feel pressured. I just thought it could kinda be like an initiation into the group.” Your smile grew wide as you struggled to contain the fuzzy feeling in your heart.

“Stevie. I’ve been here for a month and you already want me to be part of your group?”. He shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world and you let out a small sigh. “Yeah Harrington, I’ll come to your party”. He pumped his fist in the air with excitement as you chuckled at how ridiculous he looked.

“I think this calls for a celebration.” Reaching into his pocket he pulled out a quarter and slid it into the jukebox, flicking through the songs until he found the perfect one. He landed on Chic’s, Good Times mimicking a bad disco dance as you laughed and covered your face in embarrassment, he started moving out of his seat as you considered bolting for the door. “You better dance with me or I’ll start singing.” You knew by the look he gave you he was not kidding, you quickly ran over to him and he chuckled and grabbed your hand spinning you under his arm.

“Asshole.” You muttered with a grin as he stuck out his tongue and you did the same back, watching him let go of your hands busting out some more disco moves. God, he was a dork and a terrible dancer, but he was also a really cool guy and you were glad you got to call him your friend.

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