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#and hi sherbert-if you see this. you get to be here too!! live and in person for the insanity this will surely become if i know anything :)
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[Note before this starts - what the fuck why are we getting irl lore today of all days /lh /vvpos]
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[From Sherbert Stream "DRAWING SHERBS & DND"]
- Rina is streaming on a Wednesday - They don't usually stream on Wednesdays. It feels suspicious. (I know they explained at the beginning, I'm gonna note it down anyway, for ease of remembering.)
- Eye is back - its blue. theres a minor amount of eyeblood beneath it. (It's a different blue than it was last time - brighter and a bit lighter; more realistic. Probably just a difference in the contact, but it should probably be noted.
- There's nothing over Rina's chair - usually theres either the blanket or a shirt or something; now there's nothing.
- At the very very end of stream; Rina was checking out their eye. They seemed rather confused as to why it was there - implying it definitely shouldn't be like that. (Implying that Rina doesn't *know* why it's like that - not this time, at least. As they would've known why during the season break, but not now.)
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skymaiden32 · 8 months
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His Guardian Angels
Read on AO3 here
Fandom: Thunderbirds
Tagging: @dragonoffantasyandreality @thundergeek59 @janetm74 @katblu42 @liseylou @amistrio @uniwolfcorn (Please ask if you would like to get alerts when I update or post new stories.)
Thundertober Day 2: Espionage
Kayo goes on a mission with Lady P to retrieve something that was stolen from International Rescue...
Continuity: TAG
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The hallway crawled with guards as Kayo dodged expertly around boxes and complex machinery, keeping to the shadows as she always did. She hoped she could get there before the sale was made to the highest bidder. Penelope was buying her as much time as she could up there, she just hoped it was enough.
While she ran, she thought vaguely about how they had ended up in the first place. Long story short, it had been a long week, with non-stop and difficult rescues back to back. And a long week meant that even John, who was usually quite quick with security leaks and was sharper than a knife, didn’t see the virus slowly but surely attacking their networks until it was too late. Soon enough, EOS was almost taken out and their communications and trackers went offline. 
Brains and John had never resolved a security hazard faster in their lives, even giving EOS more resources to protect herself and IR’s information so that such a savage malware attack could never happen again. When they finally got their systems back online, after several long and agonising hours, Alan wasn’t answering anyone’s calls. 
Scott had been beside himself, Virgil and Gordon both wanted to bash in the heads of the responsible parties, and John still couldn’t let go of his guilt, despite the other’s best efforts. That was where Kayo came in. With her brothers still reeling from Alan’s disappearance, she’d taken the initiative and called in Lady Penelope for help. She was probably going to get an earful from Scott later for adding to the worry, but right now, she didn’t care. All she cared about was getting her little brother back…
Soon, she came to the end of the corridor, eyeing the two burly men with guns guarding a large metallic door. Bingo. The guards didn’t even know what hit them before she knocked them flat on their faces. Once she was sure they both out cold for hours to come, she swung the door open, furious expression turning to relief when her suspicions turned out to be correct.
Kayo saw Alan squint against the light that filtered through the doorway, in all likelihood framing her as his saviour. “K-Kayo…?” He croaked out shakily, as if not believing what he was seeing was real. 
She raced towards him, scooping him up into her arms and carrying him out the dark, dingy room without a word. Her heart broke into a million pieces when he clung onto her for dear life. “It’s me, Alan… And I’m not letting go for a long time…”
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“And so, Mr Grafton, that is why I believe-” Her long tirade finally ended when her opponent interrupted her, sighing.
“Beg your pardon, Your Ladyship, but I do have another meeting waiting after you.” The crook sighed. “Perhaps we could finish this another time…”
Penelope frowned. “But Mr Grafton, I am simply explaining my concerns about this new monorail project of yours. If I can perhaps get a dear friend of mine to assist with the designs-”
“No! Absolutely not!” Grafton froze like a deer in headlights. Penelope hid her delight behind a well-trained pokerface. Got him. “I mean…” He quickly backtracked. “I have some of the best engineers in the country working on this thing. I assure you, it’s perfectly safe.”
The noblewoman glanced down at her compact, carefully watching as the light on the top flashed twice. Kayo had Alan, and had already left for home in Thunderbird Shadow. It was high time she did the same. She sighed in mock defeat. “Very well then.” She stood up, saving Grafton’s feet from an increasingly irritable Sherbert. “I suppose I had better get going.” She smiled at Grafton, deceptively sweet and cordial. “I do hope you can get the money you require for this project, Mr Grafton.”
“I have several…” he paused, “...assets I can offer my investors, Lady Penelope.”
Penelope smiled. “Oh I’m sure you do, Mr Grafton. I’m sure you do…” She left the room as quickly as she could without raising suspicion, glancing at Parker as she did. That one look between them confirmed all that Parker wanted to know. He didn’t have his so-called ‘assets’ anymore.
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“Where the hell have you been, Kayo?!” The familiar voice practically screamed into her comms the second she came back online, as predicted. What she incorrectly guessed, however, was just who was doing the screaming. “Do you have any idea how worried we’ve all been? First Alan goes missing, and then you leave without telling anyone where you’re going?! You are in so much trouble when you get back.”
Kayo waited patiently for her brother to end his rant, and quickly cut in before he could say anything else. “Sorry Gordon, I had to maintain radio silence for this mission. This guy had already taken out our security. I just couldn’t risk him having some kind of backdoor and hearing all about it…”
Gordon, for perhaps the first time in his life, appeared to be speechless. “You mean…?”
“Yep.” Kayo confirmed. “I’ve got him, all thanks to Penelope. He’s asleep right now in the back seat of Shadow. Better get Virgil to set up an IV. Looks like those monsters didn’t give him any sort of nourishment.”
“I’m on it!” Gordon nodded on the hologram, and went to turn off the comm. Right before he did however, he said something that made her feel so much better. “I’m glad you did what you did. Both of you.” He grinned. “You guys are like his guardian angels.”
Kayo chuckled. “Thanks, Gordon. I’ll see you guys soon.”
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ithehellisbucky · 3 years
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Waking Up In Vegas
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spencer reid x reader
request: prompts 87 (boop), 88 (that's such a bad idea- lets do it), 89 (Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool), 96 (I'm not crying, you are.) by anon
word count: 1.7k
warnings: Mentions of drug addiction, heavy drinking and blackout, that's it.
author's note: I've had this in my inbox for months, and I'm so sorry I didn't finish it sooner. Also, what do you want to see from my blog, it seems like I only post once a week for my fics and that's a no go from me.
~~~
The light was too loud- that's a wonderful thing to think when you remember nothing of the night before. You groaned and sat up, seeing that you were in a large bed with white covers. You scratched your head and looked around, noticing that the bedboard behind you was a large pink heart.
Looking down you realize that you're wearing a sequined red bikini top and a skirt scarf combo with booty shorts underneath. Drunk you does not have good fashion sense.
Before you can notice anything else, you start to feel puke crawling up your throat and you immediately run and vomit all your guts up.
You rinse your mouth out and notice that the blanket mound you left has shifted, and you become wary and pick up a heavy brass candlestick.
And then the lump rolls over, and it's your goddamn coworker.
"Reid?"
He startles and wakes up, staring at you and then glancing down at himself- huh, there was something wrong about that picture, but you couldn't figure out what it was just yet.
"y/n? What are you doing in my hotel room?" He pauses, looks around, then mutters under his breath "this isn't my hotel room."
He looks up at you "Since when are you married?"
"I'm not," You look down at your hand, noticing a giant red ruby adorning your ring finger "I am."
You look down at his hand and notice that he is too, "And so are you."
You and Spencer look around your room, both badly masking paranoia and panic. Both of your eyes stop when you notice a picture frame in the corner- a wedding certificate.
"Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool Cool. This is fine, no big deal, just a marriage certificate," You move over and pick it up "with both of our names on it."
"Okay, this is okay, this is fine," Spencer says, sitting back down on the bed stunned.
"So, we're married, which is a thing that happened, last night, that you definitely remember." You say, sitting down next to your newly revealed husband.
"I don't remember."
"How do you not remember? You have super memory powers!"
"This is an excellent first fight to have as a married couple, of course, you blame me." He says, standing up and shrugging.
You meet his stance "Of course I blame you! You're the smart one!"
"Oh, well Agent, I wasn't aware that you had an IQ of 25!" He pauses "25 is the number associated by Henry H. Goodard to be an idiot, it's actually-"
"I know!" You exclaim, seething with half-hearted rage.
"You know, your the one who got an addict drunk!"
"Your vice isn't alcohol! If I drugged you I'd be a monster! You ordered that first bloody mary all by yourself, and those shots we did were totally consensual!!!"
He looked up at you "you remember that?"
You think, and notice memories that you didn't know were there, "um, yeah, bits and pieces."
From the expression he makes, he looks to be remembered more too. You and your new husband sit down and let it all hit you.
~~~
"4 tequila shots please." You wave down the bartender.
You're already buzzed, but you and Spencer were just getting warmed up. Morgan and Garcia left hours ago to go to a fancy restaurant, Rossi was planted firmly at the poker table, Hotch was nowhere to be seen, JJ had gone home to be with Henry, and Emily was at a "sin to win" night at some casino that you already knew too much about just by hearing the name.
So that leaves you and Spencer at the bar in the only casino in town he wasn't banned from.
At first, you were concerned about him drinking, but once he reassured that alcohol isn't his way of self-medicating, you were okay. Besides, if you saw any red flags, you would throw his ass in rehab faster than you can say 'gin'.
So, you were 5 drinks in and having the time of your lives, showing off battle scars and laughing. God, his eyes were pretty.
"Your eyes are so pretty!" You giggled "like soooooo pretty, woooooooow."
He laughed and looked back at you "your skin is pretty, like in a non-serial killer way, it's really pretty."
"Thank you, just don't kill me for it."
"I just called no murder!" He whined "besides, how am I sure you won't kill me and scoop my eyes out?"
"Because that's gross." You said, rolling your eyes.
"And stealing your skin isn't?"
"You can' have my skin!" You say, mock running away.
He laughs, and looks directly into your eyes, and smiles, wow, he was pretty. Morgan was right.
"Hey, do you wanna get out of here?" Spencer asks you.
"Yeah, let's get ice cream!" You grab his hand, and it feels natural through your foggy brain.
After stumbling through the ice cream parlor, full of people who were trying to pretend like they weren't. Spencer got butter pecan, and you got sherbert and chocolate.
You stumbled out of the store, giggling to yourself and Spencer.
God, you loved him. So you told him.
"I love you." He stopped in his tracks, and you almost tripped on a bicycle rack.
"Really?" He whispers.
All of the giggles are gone.
"I love you."
The ice cream is long forgotten, his on the ground, and half of yours on your clothes and half next to his on the ground. All that's left is your faces inching closer to each other.
When your lips meet it feels like firecrackers going off inside your head.
His mouth is soft, gently contrasting with your soft lips. His tongue sneaks into your mouth, your smile around his.
"Let's get married." He pulls apart from you, out of breath.
You stay silent for a moment, before looking up and directly into his chocolate brown eyes "That is such a bad idea-"
He diverts his eyes and scratches the back of his skull "Um, yeah, that's okay, let's-"
"Let's do it."
He looks back at you, and you grab his body and kiss him.
~~~
Sometimes people can be happy, you realize as an elderly woman ties a sash around your waist.
You have to be honest, you never thought this was gonna be how you were gonna get married. Hell, you weren't sure if you were gonna get married at all. But certainly not like this. Certainly not at 1 am to your coworker 7 drinks in at a cheap roadside attraction.
Definitely not like this.
But something about this weirdness felt like the only way anything ever would've made any sense.
There was something about the outfit you were wearing that was perfect, a bright red bra covered in sequins underneath a top with buttons and poofy sleeves that showed off a lot of your chest, a wrap-around cheap white silk skirt with jeans shorts underneath. And of course purple open-toed boots. Perfect.
Marrying Spencer Reid is like a fever dream. A perfect man with perfect hair and perfect eyes. So of course you were giggling like crazy while they put the cheap crown with pink tulle serving as a veil on your head.
Your witnesses were an elderly couple, of course, you wanted to have your best friends there, but knowing them they'd try to talk you out, and believe me, there was no way you wanted out of it.
"Now's time dear," the woman exclaims, gently patting you on the shoulder and leading you out of the fitting room and towards the chapel.
The owner of the business hooks his arm around yours and leads you into the chapel, church bells from an iPod attached to a speaker ringing out into the air.
Spencer turns around the air visibly leaves his lungs when you make eye contact. The chapel you two had chosen in this drunken haze was costume-themed, and he was wearing an ancient Rome costume that fit the time where his favorite philosopher, so even though no one else noticed, you could tell he was dressed as Gaius.
His hair had been attempted to slick back, but little curls were popping up all over the place instead. He was wringing his hands tightly and bouncing his knee, god you couldn't wait to marry him.
The elderly man who had led you to the alter places you next to Spencer, you couldn't focus on anything but your soon-to-be-husband.
Spencer takes his hands and gently pulls your veil up from around your face, and a tear trickles out of his eyes as he sees you. You smile and notice his nerves, try to calm the love of your life down "boop", you gently tap his nose and he smiles in comfort.
The officiant drones on and on about love but you can't hear him, all you can focus on is his love-filled eyes.
"Do you take Spencer Reid to be your husband?"
Your eyes snap out of their daze and you say with the most certainty than you have ever said anything: "I do."
"And do you take (y/n) (y/l/n) to be your life partner for as long as you may live?"
"I do," And you feel more wanted than you ever have in your life, he wants you, Spencer wants you.
~~~
You and Spencer sit on your bed in stunned silence, neither believing that last night had really happened. You look over at your apparent husband and notice tears streaming down his face.
"You're crying." You say, your voice coming out as a chocked whisper.
"I'm not crying, you are." You look down and notice that your shirt is soaked in tears.
"Oh." You take a deep breath and look into his eyes. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Get an annulment?" He doesn't look completely happy about his answer and stares into your eyes for reassurance.
You take a deep breath and stare off into the distance, out into a world that would be so much better if you were married to Spencer Reid. "I don't want that."
You look back at him to meet his eyes, "Me neither."
"I love you, a lot, and I want to be married to you." Spencer smiles, and you feel wanted and safe and loved.
Instead of saying it back, he kissed you with a passion that was way more descriptive than simple words. Spencer is your husband and you love him, he loves you, and you are finally wanted.
~~
My Masterlist
Requests are open!
~Taglists are open~
Permanent Tags: @natasha-danvers​
Marvel:
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princessbatears · 4 years
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Kitten Moon
Lunar Cycle Series #3 | #1 | #2 |
Pairing: Frankie Morales x Female Reader Summary: You and Frankie discover a tiny, abandoned kitten during an early spring full moon Warnings: mention of previously deceased pet, abandoned animal, mention of werewolf hunting for dinner Words: 900 Tags: Were!Frankie, adopting a new pet, established relationship, personal werewolf lore, purring, soooo much (too much? NEVER!) literal and figurative fluff
So much thanks to my partner in crime @hdlynn​ for prompting me with this idea, for letting me use a picture of her gorgeous cat when she was a kitten, and for being my beta reader! I couldn’t do any of this without you. 🥰
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You’ve always loved having pets. You grew up with several, mostly dogs, a couple cats, a few gerbils. When you got married, your furchild was a little elderly mutt named Sherbert.
She passed away from heart disease shortly before the werewolf attack on Frankie, leaving you brokenhearted. He’d suggested adopting a new dog—maybe even a puppy—but every time he brought it up you burst into tears. The subject was quickly dropped.
One spring full moon, you’re walking back with Frankie after his hunt. It’d been uneventful and he didn’t even get bloody, which is a pleasant change.  There’s always less mess when he dines on several smaller wild animals instead of a large one.
He suddenly pauses, ears swiveling to the left as he sniffs the air. You watch him for signs of danger, but his eyes are worried rather than alarmed or aggressive. After a beat, he turns and starts in the direction of the country road near the edge of your property.
“Frankie, stop,” you hiss, worrying that someone will see him. Almost nobody travels this far out, especially at 2 a.m., but you don’t want to risk it. “Francisco!”
Ignoring you, his pace slows. That’s when you hear it: a tiny, pitiful mewling. Your heart sinks. A kitten is out here in the dark. The snow might be gone, but it’s still much too chilly for a helpless baby to be alone.
It only takes Frankie a second to find the black fluffball under a bush. It’s tiny, probably only a few weeks old. You expect it to be afraid of him, but it takes a few wobbly steps closer, screaming up at him for food. It must sense he only wants to help.
It screeches even more loudly when you crouch in front of it. “Where’s your mommy, little one?” you coo, scooping it into your hand. It’s damp and shivering. You’ve got to warm it up, then feed it.
You turn to Frankie anxiously. “Can you smell any others? A mother? More kittens?”
He inhales deeply before shaking his head somberly. That means it was probably dumped, either alone or with a mother it got separated from. Anger coils in your stomach. How could anyone do this to a defenseless creature?
“We need to hurry. Who knows how long it’s been out here?” You cradle the still-crying kitten to your chest.
Rearing onto his hide legs, he indicates that he’d like to carry you. Honestly, it’s not your favorite way to travel. He’s so tall that you’re uncomfortably high off the ground, and you’re afraid you’ll put his back out even though he could probably carry a horse without hurting himself.
Still, he can move faster than you can and the kitten needs to get out of the cold. “Okay,” you sigh.
Carefully, Frankie scoops you up and begins to run. It’s a jarring ride. His back legs aren’t made for going long distances, but the time you tried to ride him like a pony ended with you losing your grip and landing in poison ivy. You’d taken a good chunk of his fur with you, too. Nobody wants a repeat of that debacle.
Within minutes, he’s setting you on your feet again. You feel vaguely motion sick, however,  your concern for the kitten overrules your desire to sit down.
Hurrying into the living room, you use your free hand to grab a blanket off the nearest sofa. You feel Frankie gently tug on your coat sleeve to get your attention. When you turn, he’s curling up in a ball on the floor. He gestures for you to place the kitten in the center of the cinnamon roll he’s made of himself.
Smiling, you tuck it into his fluffy fur. It immediately begins to knead with its teeny paws, which you take as a sign it likes where it is.
Unfortunately, there isn’t an emergency vet anywhere near you and the pet store won’t be open for hours. Grabbing your phone, you begin to research homemade kitten food. You find an acceptable formula recipe that you can give it until you’re able to get something better in the morning.
“I’m going to make it some food. Are you good here?” you ask Frankie. He thumps his tail softly before beginning to bathe the kitten with his tongue. There’s something about the sweetness of the gesture that makes you nearly weep. He’s going to be an amazing father.
You hurry to the kitchen to heat evaporated milk and an egg yolk together. Then, you find an unused medicine syringe in the bathroom.
“Okay, baby kitty,” you whisper, settling on the floor, “you ready for some grub?”
The kitten suckles eagerly, its tiny ears beating back and forth. It makes biscuits against Frankie’s fur again.
You stroke its back with a finger. Frankie’s ministrations have warmed and dried it. The dark fluff is so soft. You feel something inside you finally start to heal.
“Hey,” you say softly, “how do you feel about a cat as our next pet?”
He gives you a massive grin before licking the kitten’s messy face clean. It doesn’t seem to care that his tongue is wider than it is. In fact, it vibrates with the cutest little purr.
You lay down next to them, resting your head on Frankie’s side, and watch your new family member snuggle down for a much needed snooze.
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Thank you SO much for reading this story; I'd love to hear your thoughts! 🥰
Frankie Morales Masterlist
Werewolf Masterlist
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justjessame · 3 years
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Pleasure and Pine - Home Sweet
“Simon?” Cairo is misery personified the larger my waist grows.  “OGI, for God’s sake!” Coming down the stairs, I feel like I weigh roughly as much as a barge and move with as much grace as one.  
“Lana,” my darling brother appears with the bowl of sherbert he’d rushed off to get HOURS ago - “I was coming up with it, see?”  He holds it up with a flourish and I sigh, my hand on my lower back.  “I wasn’t gone for more than two minutes, I swear.”  He was climbing the stairs with such ease that I wanted to scream, but I didn’t, not when he was holding the icy heaven in his hand.  Perhaps once I had it in my own grasp.  “Why are you out of bed?”  
“Because,” I reached for the bowl, but he refused to hand it over, wrapping his free arm around my back and helping me back up the stairs to my room - to my bed to be more precise.  Bed rest because I was filled to the brim with TWINS.  What a wondrous holiday souvenir did I bring home!  “You were taking forever, and I’m miserable.”  Pouting and swollen, all I wanted was COLD and deflated, was that too much to ask?
He chuckled and kissed my forehead.  “You’re beautiful and carrying my niece and nephew.” His hand was massaging my lower back, something he learned quickly from the midwife and doctors would help soothe my most savage of tantrums.  “Now come on, back to bed with you, and you can have your sherbert.”  
Ogi tucked me in, my headboard amply padded and propped so I could sit up and keep at least slightly busy with my laptop - writing those silly little stories after all, while also keeping track of my brother’s digital schedule from my partially prone state.  He handed me the bowl and spoon and crawled in next to me.  “Are you expecting to share this bowl?”  
“Never,” he shook his head with a grin.  “He’s back.”  I didn’t answer, digging into the soft and cool treat, thinking that I wasn’t dignifying the topic by speaking.  “Don’t you think he should KNOW about -” he gestured at my built-in tray.   
I would have laughed, truly if I wasn’t absolutely savoring the chill and tart flavor of my sherbet, I would have laughed - humorously, but laughed all the same.  ONE day, that’s what we had had ONE day and he’d easily sent me away without so much as a whimper.  Did I think that warranted him having a HINT that I was carrying not ONE of his offspring, but TWO?  No.  Not really.  
“There’s a lot you don’t know about him, Lana.”  Leaning back and eating my treat, I let him talk, since he wanted to.  “Things that I’m not sure I can tell you, but -”  
Ogi had given me far more than I should eat in one sitting, but I didn’t care.  The heat and my swollen feet earned it.  And since he seemed hellbent on discussing Jonathan Pine with me, well, I most certainly earned it.  
“I knew he was at Meisters,” my jaw clenched as I waited for him to go on.  “I thought -” he took a deep breath.  “I thought you both needed one another, Lana.”  
That did it, I pushed the spoon into the sherbert and handed the bowl to him.  “Here.”  Ogi looked confused.  “Take it.”  He took the bowl.  “Get out of my room, Ogi.”  Furrowed brow, and hurt eyes, I nearly broke, but I couldn’t.  “You knew?  You knew and YOU thought we -”  I swallowed hard.  “You -” my eyes burned.  “Please go?”  
“No,” he shook his head and set the bowl down on the table beside him.  “No.” He pulled me into his arms and held me as I cried.  “I should have told you, when you came home looking like -” his nose was buried in the top of my head, but I could hear him.  “I knew how he felt about you, we all did,” he chuckled, but it didn’t feel like he thought it was funny.  “You’d have to be blind to NOT see how you two -”  From a laugh to a sigh.  “He left here broken and I had a part in that, but I didn’t send you there to fix it or as a peace offering, I just thought - you both deserve MORE, Lana.”  
More, that word again.  Sighing and feeling completely cried out - empty and dry, I rubbed my face on my brother’s linen shirt.  “So you just decided to send me to Switzerland to see if the aurora borealis and cold would work their magic?”  The laugh that crept out of me wasn’t really created with humor.  One of my hands fell to the gentle curve of my stomach, not nearly as huge as it felt when I was standing, but far larger than it would be if there weren’t TWO little beings inside of me.  Ogi’s hand came down to meet mine, linking his fingers with mine - my big brother ready and willing to stand beside me - even if I was being stubborn in his mind.  “He can’t know, Ogi.  He can’t.”  
I could feel the kiss he pressed on the top of my head, the heat of his breath fanning my hair.  “Jonathan Pine is many things, Lana.”  My heart clenched hearing his name spoken so casually.  “If he knew, if he could SEE you like this -”
“Then he would make a choice based solely on THIS,” tightening our clasped hands where they lay on my bump, I snuggled a little more into his chest.  “Let him be, Ogi.  Let him live the life he wants to live.”
Another kiss brushed against the top of my head.  “I should let you rest,” he sounded as tired as I felt.  “If you want to end this bedrest -” it wasn’t permanent, not if I could get a few stress related issues under control, according to the midwife and doctor.  “Rest and less stress, right?”  
Nodding, I let him pull away and sat up so he could help me move everything so I could actually lie down.  Rolling onto my left side, I watched him pick up the bowl of melting sherbert and blow me a kiss.  I listened as he shut the door behind him and I tried to push aside thoughts of Jonathan, Switzerland, and what went into creating the twins I would be raising without him.  
I woke up feeling too warm - more warm than even Cairo would make me.  Far warmer than Cairo, pregnancy, and - was that an arm wrapped around me?  
Blinking, against the sunlight - happy to see that I hadn’t slept through the entire day because yes, I had done that since I’d been put on forced rest - I looked down and saw his arm tucked just under my breasts and on top of my bump.  Bare but for his watch, freckled and glowing with golden hairs sparkling in the sunlight, my eyes closed as I tried to fight the urge to cry.  
“Lana,” the soft sound of his voice did nothing to soothe the feeling.  “Sweetheart?”  
My breath caught, a sound that came out suspiciously like a sob had Jonathan rolling me gently onto my back, his hands cupping my face with enough care that almost tempted me to open my eyes, but I couldn’t.  Not on the chance that he’d leave again - or send me away again.  His thumbs were brushing under my eyes, along my cheeks, over my lips.  
“I didn’t know,” he sighed, his breath fanning across my face.  “I - There’s so much that’s happened since -” He swallowed hard again, and then his forehead touched mine.  “Please open your eyes, Lana.  Look at me?”  
Maybe if I did, if I looked at him, he would go.  And I could have peace.  Opening my eyes I found exactly what I knew would be waiting for me - his pale blue oceans waiting for me, staring down and all I could think was how when he left this time it would hurt a thousand times more than when he sent me away before.  
“I’ve been back for weeks,” he murmured, and I could see that he was confused by my silence - not only now, but for all that time.  “Why didn’t you -”
“Why didn’t I do what, Jonathan?” Licking my lips I met his gaze full on.  “Why didn’t I send a message to your old stomping grounds? Why didn’t I simply show up and wait for you to grant me an audience?” My laugh proved how ridiculous I found either option.  “I guess Ogi didn’t explain why I’m in bed during the day?” 
Why Ogi had chosen to go behind my back and tell him, why he’d let him in my room and allowed him to ambush me so - betrayal cut me deep.  I would have thought blood was thicker than water, but perhaps not.
“You’d cut me completely out of your life - their lives?”  He hadn’t moved, still half hovering over me, his face still inches from mine, hands still cradling my face.  “Lana, please?”  
“Please?” My eyes shut, a small cramp building in my lower abdomen.  “Please give you the power to draw them in only to shunt them aside when they become inconvenient?”  The cramp built to an uncomfortable pinch.  “Or better yet, allow you access to come and go as you please, never quite sure WHERE you plan on setting up your next life - I’m absolutely certain that children grow best in temporary soil, always uprooted as Daddy sees fit.”  From a pinch to a stabbing pain, but I was doing my best to ignore it.  “I think you and I both know that’s not exactly -” a gasp that I couldn’t hold back and my hand went to the spot.
“What is it?”  He pulled away and his hand met mine.  “Lana?  What’s wrong?”  
“It’s nothing,” I managed through clenched teeth, but I wasn’t sure.  I hadn’t had such pain before.  And then I felt it.  Something like a ripping, then a gushing sort of feeling.  
“Lana,” his jaw was tight, nostrils flared as his eyes were on the spot where our hands were, below where I could see since my head wasn’t elevated.  “I - I need you to stay still, alright?”  
“Jonathan, what is it?”  Something about how he was staring at the bed, and the way he sounded frightened me.  
He worked to force his face back into the careful facade that I knew all too well.  The never ruffled, never surprised face of the night manager, Jonathan Pine.  His gaze met mine and he gave me a soft smile.  “Nothing at all for you to worry about, sweetheart,” he leaned forward and kissed me on my forehead.  “We’ll argue a little more in a moment,” his smile had grown when he pulled away.  “I have to ask Ogi a question, alright?”  
Something was wrong, but I was far too frightened to ask what - nodding my agreement, I didn’t even stop him when he stole a light kiss from my lips before he left my bed, careful not to jostle me.  
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Yandere! SEA WITCH Natsuya Kirishima x Sailor! Reader
When you were young you’d listen to your grandpa tell stories about the sea, from the evil creatures that slew sailors to their doom to beings that granted them a safe voyage.
Even as a child you were fascinated by the sea and its many bounties, mostly due to your grandfathers’ influence in his storytelling, and being a retired captain also somewhat made an impact on you as you clung to his words when he told you of his adventures. How his tone would shift from light hatred to dark and intimidating when he told one tale to the next.
So when it was your time to sail the seas you embraced the adventurous thrill with open arms and glee, it would often impress your more experienced crewmates about how it seemed like you yourself had all the experience you needed to sail with them. It almost made you proud of your love for the ocean and its many bounties.
You took great joy in sailing.
Until you didn’t.
If only you hadn’t met him then maybe you wouldn’t be trying so hard to avoid the ocean waters, the waters you once held a fascination for now replaced with terror.
Natsuya Kirishima, he was quite charming and put up quite the disguise to lure you and your crewmates into believing he was human alongside his younger brother and company. They were on a pilgrimage, he said when he and the few with him boarded the ship after the captain confronted them when they weren’t on the list. Usually, the old man was able to stand his ground until a pair of boys came over to talk to him one was a blond with sherbert eyes and the other an olive haired gentleman with kind green eyes. It impressed you how easily they persuaded the captain but thinking back to it, that scene should’ve been your first red flag of the danger that lurked.
Somehow eventually while off duty you found yourself talking to Natsuya after finding him at the crow’s nest of the ship, a place you went to after finishing your work to see the ocean stretch on for miles. He apologized for being there but you waved him off with a cheeky grin and told him that he was able to come so long as it was kept a secret between you two. Since then he kept visiting you, and the nest became your meet up whenever you were off duty, his company was enjoyable.
The more time you spent with one another the more you spoke of yourselves, and when Natsuya spoke of himself you look back at those times wondering how well he spun lie after lie, it nearly impressed you to an extent.
Then suddenly there was a shift in behavior from his and his group, no one caught onto it except for yourself and a few others who interacted most with the gentlemen. You and two others noticed while the other four were insistent on playing ignorant while the rest of the passengers, your crewmates, and captain remained oblivious to the concerning situation.
You began distancing yourself from Natsuya and his colleagues, beginning to feel unsettled and unsafe when he came near. In doing so Natsuya was quick to notice your drifting presence, he began to hear excuse after excuse ranging from you being too tired, to having to work extra hours for money to give to your family.
You were so sure that you’d be able to escape by stalling him and waiting for the next time the ship would dock. Then you meet him again, at the bow of the ship leaning on the railings before he looks over his shoulder at you.
“(Y/n), it’s been a while”, he said so casually, but the glint in his eyes were sharp. They made you stay put as you responded to him with a simple “Yes, it has been”.
There was a silence that settled before he suddenly asked if you believed in sea witches, you forced yourself to say no despite the fact that some part of you did believe in all the stories your grandfather told you. You could only stand there, frozen with fear as Natsuya laughed and talked about the power of sea witches, how scary they were, and the many stories that surrounded them.
When the boat suddenly lurched you could only yelp when your body was forced forward and slammed against Natsuya’s chest, his arms were open as if he knew that would happen. He looked at the sky before looking down at you as he added a fact about the bountiful power of the sea witches.
“ It was also said that they could cause disastrous weather, did you know that (Y/n)”, the smile he gave you struck you with pure terror as you witnessed his shift in appearance.
Your screams joined in with the muffled screams of the crew and passengers as you pushed yourself away from Natsuya, trying to flee from him as he yelled for you. The wind thrashed as dark clouds gathered in the sky while the waters slammed against the ship, violently rocking it side to side as you began to see people run-up to the top side of the ship, trying to get to the boats that were set up.
You slid to a stop when you witnessed the olive haired boy that was with Natsuya holding one of the girls that you briefly talked to about your shared concerts revolving around the men, except he had what looked to be an orca’s tail in place of his legs. The girl was thrashing and crying in his arms as he took a moment to look up at you and greet you with a kind smile before plunging into the ocean waters, foolishly you ran after them hoping to somehow catch the girl before he could drag her into the waters.
You could only gape in horror as they splashed into the water, only for a rough shake of the boat to interrupt you as you gripped the railing to see that the ship was starting to sink.
You could hardly remember what happened after that, but you can remember running to reach a boat, slipping and falling, a hand wrapping around your ankle, grabbing the nearest thing to stab at the hand, and then suddenly you’re adrift in the ocean. You could still remember screaming your threat raw after taking a moment to gather your surroundings.
You were found after a week by a passing fishing ship and brought to the nearest island that helped you recover. Learning the language wasn’t easy, and you were still rather clumsy when speaking to the native people, but you stayed far away from the ocean waters not even daring to make an attempt to go back to your home.
So you went to live on the highest ground, far away from the ocean, and never came down unless it was for your necessities.
So you couldn’t help but ask with a trembling voice, “H-how?”.
How was Natsuya here, in your home?
He only smiled as he approached you, “Well it took a while, after all, there were several islands around where your ship sunk, admittedly it did slip my mind that you would look for higher ground”, he hums before stretching his hand towards you. The one you injured.
You couldn’t help but flinch as you backed away from him before letting out a scream that was soon muffled by his hand as he hushed you while bringing your body close to his own, “Ah- Ah- Ah- Ah, none of that now (Y/n)”, he scolded as he hugged you with one arm, still covering your mouth with his other hand.
You struggled as you sobbed when he rested his chin on your head, “We’re going to your new home now, it’ll be scary at first but I’m sure you’ll get used to it with time”, he announced before kissing your forehead.
You cried even more as he smiled down at you.
 “I’m glad I found you again”.
________________
Tagged: @villain-hotline​ (its a special event since Halloween was coming up, not sure if you liked Natsuya but I’ll be sure to tag ya in other Free! fics too!)
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jjmaybanksblog · 4 years
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Hazel Brown- John B Routledge
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Summary: AU where your world is in black and white until you meet your soulmate, then everything turns into color.
Word count: 1,317
Warnings: none
Y/A: your age
Y/N: Your name
Soulmates. Everyone had one, couples pranced around you living in color while you were stuck in your own black and white world. You envied the people who would go out and watch the sunset or rise. You envied the people who went to art galleries and saw true color. You were hurt that you had spent Y/A years on this earth and have not found your soulmate yet.
John B Routledge was just like you; he was resentful of his peers who had found their love. He nearly lost his mind when JJ and Kiara saw colors once they had met. He just wanted to find the one to take to a flower garden, or take a trip outside of the Outer Banks. But he too was stuck in his own world of jet black colors and bland greys. 
______________________
Another day, another shift of working at the ice cream parlor at The Cut. Working in a shop full of colors you couldn't see was a pain in the ass, but you forced yourself to memorize the location of each of the ice cream tubs.
"Can I help you?" You called out to the boy who was eyeing the tubs, squinting. The boy jumped at your voice, taking him out of his trance. "Yeah. Yeah sorry I'm just… frustrated." He exhaled, raking his hand through his hair.
"You can't see color either can you?" You asked, propping yourself against the cooler. He shook his head in response, "welcome to the club, the name's Y/N." You offered you a soft smile as you told him your name. "JJ Maybank."
 "If it makes it easier for you I can let you try a sample of something. I also know where everything is by memory if you know the flavors you want." JJ was very thankful that you were so understanding, many places haven't been so kind.
"I'm ordering for all my friends. But uh I need a small cookie dough, medium brownie cake batter, small mint chocolate chip, and a large sherbert please." JJ looked up and counted on his fingers as he recalled the orders his friends wanted.
He paid as you scooped the ice cream into bowls, softly singing along to the music that played off the store's speakers. After you finished the bowls you put them in a paper bag for him to carry. You two stood aside chatting about how you moved here a few months ago, his life, and just life in general. A trio of teens walked into the parlor, one of them jumping onto JJ's back, nearly knocking him to the ground.
You covered your smile with your hand, chuckling at JJ's groans. "What's taking you so long, Maybank?" The girl asked.
"I got distracted talking to Y/N okay? You know I get distracted by pretty girls." You jokingly rolled your eyes, only imagining how many times he has used that on a girl.
"Y/N this is Kiara, Pope, and John B." He pointed out to his friends as he introduced them. As soon as you made eye contact with John B, both of you dropped to the ground, a sharp pain in your heads. It only lasted about 20 seconds, JJ ran to the other side of the counter to help you up, Pope and Kiara helping John B.
Your shut eyes slowly opened, looking at John B who was already looking at you. Your eyes met his brown ones; brown! You started to see color, you slowly took in every little thing near you. You dropped your ice cream scooper in shock as your eyes began watering, you stepped closer to John B as he  stared at you in awe, taking in everything about you. He could see in color; he took in the color of your hair, your eyes, your skin, even your clothes. 
You two were in complete shock, mouths gaped. His friends smiled to themselves as they grabbed their bag of ice cream before sneaking out of the store, leaving you two by yourselves.
"You... you're... you... I can see colors." He whispered. Your heart was racing a mile a minute as he walked towards you. You reached your hand out in hopes he'd take it to follow you into the back room.
You led him back there, both your heads turning in different directions taking in all the colors you could. He placed his hand delicately on your cheek as he stroked his thumb against it. "You're real." You muttered, smiling brightly. He pulled you close to him, wrapping his arms tightly around your body. You melted into his touch as he rested his cheek on the top of your head. 
"God I never thought this day would come." He thought out loud. You two pulled away, his hand still holding your arm. "I get off at 5, would you want to go maybe look at the sunset? We could get food and go up to the roof." His face blushed at your offer. He softly nodded his head as your heart was pounding. "Yeah I would love that." 
______________♡_____________
Your shift ended, making your nerves spike at an all time high. Hanging up your apron in the back room, you walked out to see John B sitting in a booth, anxiously tapping his leg. You approached him with your hand extended out towards him. "You ready?" You asked. He answered your question by intertwining his fingers with yours. He slid out of the booth, holding a picnic basket in his hand.
Your heart skipped a beat at just how sweet he was. He led you two out of the parlor and into his beautifully decorated van. "This, this is a piece of art." You smiled, looking at the stickers everywhere.
"Finally! Someone appreciates my art. Also I'm sorry for the weed smell, JJ usually hot boxes the whole van in the back." JB explained, one hand on the steering wheel, the other still holding your hand.
"It's all good, I get it." You smiled as he pulled up to the beach. Finding a spot, John B laid a large towel on the sand, sitting down with his legs crossed. You happily joined him, biting your bottom lip as he pulled out a small bouquet of roses. "You're a true cliché, aren't you John B?" You asked after inhaling the relaxing scent of the flowers.
"Only for my soulmate." He winked.
You two spent the entire time talking. Every minute you two spent together was filled with conversations and laughter. It came to a pause when you finally looked at the setting sun. The sky was a beautiful mix of pinks and oranges, white fluffy clouds slowly disappearing. The way the color of the blue waves clashed against the bright ones of the sky.
"It's beautiful." You whispered, squeezing his hand in yours. John B looked down at your intertwined hands before looking at you again. "It certainly is."
John B used his index finger to hold the bottom of your chin, making you look at him. His eyes looked in yours, practically asking for permission to kiss you. You gladly leaned forward and pressed your lips against his, feeling like you were on a high.
You've kissed other guys before, but knowing that you were kissing your soulmate truly felt like a blessing. You've never experienced this kind of passion in your life, igniting the flames in your stomach.
Before things got too intense in the make out session, he pulled away. Gently biting your bottom lip, a chill was sent down her spine. "You know what my favorite color is?" You asked, your thumb swiping across his bottom lip.
"What?"
"Hazel brown." You said, noticing the details of his eyes. How when the sunlight hit it at the right angle, it looked like honey.
"Oh right, and I'm the cliché."
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thestuffedalligator · 5 years
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A widdershins wind had swept over Ankh-Morpork, and the rain was falling horizontally.
It was a good rain. Raindrops were having trouble falling because there was too much rain in the way. It was a rain that had been removed from other climates for unnecessary roughness, and the wind had swept it into a biblical event. All in all, it had the general effect that Morpork was getting hosed down, and Ankh was receiving the spray. Considering the fact that the Cattle Market was on the side of the city being hosed down, this would’ve constituted an act of warfare in times gone past.
Postmaster General Tolliver Groat pulled the golden collar of his jacket to keep out the chill as he shambled up the fire escape. Moist had tried to talk Groat into getting the suit fit when he promoted him, but he wouldn’t have it. This was the shape of the suit when the Post Office was restored to its former glory, and therefore it was sacrament. Tailoring it was out of the question. He had to wrap a belt twice around his waist to get the pants to fit, and then he had to roll up the legs so he wouldn’t trod on the backs of them.
He hauled himself out onto the flat roof and sidled across the slick shingles to the pigeon loft. When he opened the door, a blast of wet wind caught it and threw it open. The ancient structure shuddered with the impact.
Groat thrust a lantern into the darkness. “Allo, lads!” he yelled against the storm. “Just come about the rent-”
The pigeon loft was empty. Even the smell of pigeons was gone.
Groat stared. In the cobwebby corners of his mind, a neuron made a juddering start, dislodging a memory. Oh...yes, that’s right, the lads had left some years ago. Something about moving to the, er...the watchamacallit, big tower thingy, lots of lights, something like that. How’d he forget that?
He eased himself back down the stairs. It had been getting worse, he had to admit. It was his age. Despite his best efforts, he’d managed to catch up with it. And really, this was no way for a Postmaster to be, bones creaking, brain leaking, stranded on a rooftop in the middle of a storm. Maybe it was time to go over to the Palace, have a very serious conversation with Mister Lipwig, and then settle down in some letter-sorting office some-
He was briefly aware of the sudden, soggy gust of wind catching his overlarge jacket and billowing it out like a sail. He felt his shoes scuff across the wet shingles, felt his legs fly up from underneath him, felt the sudden weightlessness and-
There was a short, ugly pause.
There was a short, terrible noise.
There was a long, ugly silence.
TOLLIVER GROAT?
Groat looked up into the ivory face and frowned. “Oh come on, this isn’t fair. I took my medicines, didn’t I?”
I’M AFRAID TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO MEDICATION TO PREVENT FALLING FIVE STORIES TO THE GROUND. Death seemed to consider this. BESIDE COMMON SENSE, I SUPPOSE.
Groat pushed himself up. “Yeah, rub it in, why don’t you.” He looked back and sighed. It had been a nice suit. It was shameful the way his body was leaking over it.
DON’T MISUNDERSTAND ME. I MUST SAY, YOU DID AN EXCELLENT JOB OF WARDING ME OFF FOR SO LONG. I’M VERY IMPRESSED.
“Oh - well, thanks. It’s clean living, that’s the ticket.”
THE SULPHUR IN YOUR SOCKS WAS A GOOD TOUCH.
Groat puffed upward with a warm bubble of pride. “It was, wasn’t it?”
Broad Way was fading around them. Groat could just see a brass blur hover over his body for a moment before all light winked out. He squinted at it. “Here, was that Young Vimes?”
YES.
“Good. Good lad, very sherbert. Won’t leave me out in the rain all night. That’s one less thing to worry about.”
IT IS JUST AS WELL. YOU HAVE REACHED THE PLACE WHERE THERE ARE NO THINGS TO-
Death cut off so suddenly that Groat worried something had gone wrong. SHERBERT?
Groat waved a hand. “Dimwell slang. Lemon sherbert, smart. He’s a smart man, that’s what I’m saying.”
OH, Death said.
And now they were in a desert of black sand. The only thing dividing the sky from the earth were the stars.
“So you’re here to return me to sender, are you?” Groat said.
When he looked up, Death was already turning translucent. YOU WERE THE POSTMASTER, TOLLIVER GROAT. I BELIEVE IT IS YOUR DUTY TO DELIVER. The billiard-ball face vanished. The afterimage of its eyes were pressed against Groat’s eyelids for a moment, and then even those faded away.
Groat sighed. “Fair enough.” Oh indeed, he’d deliver. First Groat to ever be Postmaster General! First Groat to see the Post Office reborn! The thought of the look on his ancestors’ faces when he arrived was tantalizing in the extreme.
He scanned the night sky, settled on a cluster of stars that looked vaguely like a stamp, and marched off to it. Oh yes he’d deliver. Neither sand nor...well, sand nor sand again would stay him.
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Title: Love, Maybe? {27}
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Chris Evans X Reader OFC Vixen Giovanni
Warning: Cursing, Plot, Slow, Smoldering, Torturous Burn 😊
Word Count: 5K
Summary: After a night of drunkenness you wake up next to warm, hot as hell body, a migraine and no memory of the night before. When you come to realize that the hot body belongs to none other than Hollywood’s golden boy Chris Evans you freak out. As events unfold you become even more panicked to find out you got married in your drunken haze. What else is there to do but get it annulled, right? Before walking away, you share one more night of molten kisses and passion. Three years later you are still living with the repercussions of your brash decisions, but the surprises don’t stop there. The past has a way of coming back and have you questioning is this fate that you’ve been running from, hell could it have been love, maybe?
Note: Italic texts is an inner Vixen thought. Bold Italic texts is an inner Chris thought.
**Slightly Edited/Proofread**
***Interactive**
Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️  ❤️ ❤️
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Chapter 27: Boston Bound
  -One Week Later-
  You should have said no. You should have said it was way too soon for this and not felt guilty that you’d had her all to yourself for two years. You should have been selfish. If you had, then you wouldn’t be here right now; in a private jet with your parents, Nexus, Chris, Dodger, and Ella more than halfway to Boston. You certainly wouldn’t be nervous enough to shit bricks. You wouldn’t have all these thoughts and worries about what it would be like coming face to face with Chris’ family. You would be chilling in LA, or San Fran for your little girls’ birthday party.  
  “You just had to be the bigger person, huh. Had to give in to that need to make up for your actions. Uuugh, damn dummy!”
  You closed your eyes and tried to push away the voice—your voice in your head.
  “I can survive a week in Boston. I survived doing all this on my own. I survived being a new mother and opening a restaurant for the first time. I survived pregnancy while going to culinary school and working full time. I am a badass; I can survive this.”
  “How you holding up?”
  “I can survive!” Everyone in the cabin looked at you as if you were crazy. Nexus snorted as she sat across from you.
  “Relax, it’s no big deal, Vix.” You rolled your eyes.
“Nex, I am meeting his family. He’s told them about me, told them who I am and what I did.”
  “So? If he’s not trippin’ about it anymore, why should they? If he's moved on and forgiven you, why should they hold a grudge?” She had a point, but for some reason, you couldn’t get past the possibility that they would hate you.
  “They are going to love you. As sick as it is, you are beyond lovable Vix. Just own what you did, let it be known you regret it and want to move forward for the best interest of Ella. If they can’t do that, then you know they aren’t thinking about Ella or Chris.” You took a deep breath and slowly released it. “I just took a DNA test--.” Nexus began, you snorted and looked around to make sure no one was watching.
  “Turns out, I’m a hundred percent that--.”
  “Language you two.” You and Nexus giggled together, and when you looked over, Chris was watching you with a content smile on his face.
  ~~~~~~
  Once you landed, everyone quickly piled into the truck, then Chris got in the driver’s seat. You weren’t surprised really you’d seen him drive before. He tipped his hat lower and looked at you. “Ready?” You nodded because words failed you, he looked so damn good. When he smiled, the butterflies in your belly took off. Quickly you looked away and tried to get a grip.
  “You can’t lose your shit now, you still have seven more days,” you whined.
  The drive was a nice one. After fifteen minutes of going through the city, Chris pointed out every sight to everyone in the car. You could tell he was a proud Bostonian; it was cute. When he passed Dodger stadium Chris pointed it out, and Ella shouted out “doder,” which made Dodger bark up a storm. Everyone laughed like it was the cutest thing in the world. It felt almost normal, and again that scared you.
  When he left the city, you fell silent and got lost in your own thoughts while everyone else fell into conversation.
  “You are never quiet pumpernickel. What’s wrong?”
  “Nothing, I’m fine. Maybe just jet-lagged,” you lied. Chris studied you for a moment before his eyes went back to the road. When everyone else fell back into their conversation he spoke.
  “If you’re feeling up to it later, there’s something I wanna show you.”
  “Something like what?” Chris smiled again, and again your belly fluttered.
  “For me to know and you to find out. Honestly, where’s your sense of adventure? I remember you used to have a huge one.” You smirked.
  “I remember you being at the top of Vegas’s version of the Eiffel tower, and you stripped right there.” You gasped loudly and covered your mouth. You couldn’t believe he just said that. You looked around to see if anyone heard him but saw no one was focused on you at all. Chris snorted and laughed just as you released yours.
  “Oh my god, how do you remember that?”
  “I told you, I’m an actor. I have a great memory.” You smiled and looked out the window again completely mortified. He probably remembered exactly what you look like naked ad remembered just what you did to each other at the top of that fake Eiffel tower. That thought sent a blazing heat down your spine. You remembered what he looked like too, you remembered very well.
  “So?” You smiled to yourself and decided just to do it.
  “Okay.” Chris smiled as if he’d won some type of award then looked back to the road, repeating the same word you just said. You smiled to yourself and watched the views of trees pass you by.
  Another fifteen minutes passed, and Chris was pulling into a long driveway that led to a house that looked like it was on a hill. It was at this moment you began to regret letting him convince you to stay at his place rather than a hotel. Everyone petitioned that it would be a better way for him and Ella to spend even more time together. You felt if you would have declined you would have come off as a bitch. So, again, you caved.
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“Wow, this is so great. This is yours, Chris?”
  “Yes. I come out here every chance I get when I’m not working.”
  “Do your parents live close?”
  “Well, they each live about twenty-five or thirty minutes away. I have a closer place that is in the city, but I thought this would be a more low key place for the princess’ birthday party.”
  You remained silent, a little amazed how normal it all sounded. It was as if three years hadn’t passed, and he’d been in her life all along. You wondered if it should have felt that natural. Shouldn’t there have been some—adjustment time, some form of awkwardness? Your family got out the car and looked around the front lawn. It was a beautiful property, and it looked well maintained. As they talked amongst themselves you walked to the back and took Ella out her car seat. Once out she planted a big wet kiss on your cheek.
  “Thank you, baby.”
  “My mama.” You smiled and kissed her all over her face. She erupted in giggles as she wiggled in her seat. Once you lifted her into your arms you turned to see Chris watching on with a soft smile on his lips. “Da-da.” His smile widened as he approached. He bent and kissed her on the forehead as you watched. Ella touched your cheek with one hand and Chris’ with her other. “Mama. Da-da.” You peeped up at Chris, who in turn did the same to you. For a few moments, the three of you stood there, no speaking just—being. You were the one to step away first.
  “I’ll show you guys around and come back for the bags,” Chris informed.
  The six of you and Dodger walked inside where Chris gave the tour of his traditional style farmhouse. It wasn’t exorbitantly decorated or even disgustingly pretentious. It was tastefully done, and it looked like it fit his personality. It looked like he could host dinner parties one night with his Hollywood friends, but the next night chill on the couch in front of the fireplace and drink a beer. It screamed him. One by one, he showed each of the members of your family their rooms until it left just you and Ella.
  “So, for you princess, I have a surprise.”
  “Prise, prise, I wuve prise. Eye-cweam?”
  Chris snorted and shook his head. “No, not ice cream.”
  “Pony.” You pinched your lips. She’d been trying to swindle a pony from you since the day she learned the word. Chris looked at you confused.
  “She wants a pony?”
  “What little girl doesn’t?” He smiled.
  “Uh—no princess, not a pony.” The three of you came to a stop in front of a closed door.
  “Mama told me how much you love unicorns, and mermaids--.” Chris began. Ella enthusiastically nodded her head, clearly excited for whatever his surprise was.
  “So, here we go.” Chris opened the door and revealed the girliest, most unicorn and mermaid filled room you’d ever seen. Ella’s face lit up, and she squealed with glee as she wriggled free from your arms. Placing her on the floor, she bounced around the room from item to item.
  “Oonicwon, mowmaid, oonicwon, mowmaid, pink!” Everything she touched, she squealed. You stood in the doorway, just looking around at all the effort he’d put into things. The walls were a pinkish, light orangish sherbert mesh. It reminded you of the softest sunset. It was a beautiful color. On one wall her name was written in cursive letters with a dainty crown right above it. You gulped down the emotion threatening to bubble over.
  “Schwing.” You looked back to her as she climbed into the swing that was off to the side of the room hanging from the ceiling. She tried to push herself and grunted when she couldn’t get as high as she wanted. As quickly as she got on she jumped off and bounded to the unicorn teepee that was set in a corner next to a beautiful window. The room was fit for a princess and absolutely breathtaking. Looking at Ella you knew she loved it. When you looked to Chris he was watching her with the biggest smile on his face.
  Ella ran to you and crashed into your legs. “Mama, ooo see?” You nodded.
  “Yes, my love, I see. It’s amazing.”
  “Mazing,” Ella repeated. You bent down to her and whispered in her ear. She smiled and ran across to Chris and crashed into his legs.
  “Uuugh, you’re going to take me down one of these days.” He lifted her into his arms just as she threw her tiny ones around his neck.
  “Ank oo.”
  “You’re welcome, princess. Do you like it?” She nodded her head while still holding him close. It melted you. Chris looked to you, and the look on his face made yet another Teflon layer of your wall crumble.
  “God damn it!”
  Ella wiggled her way free to the floor and ran out of the room and down the hall, no doubt about to tell everyone about her amazing room. You smiled and wrapped your arms around yourself. You could feel yourself drifting to him like he were some sort of magnet and you the polarized matter. Chris walked to you slowly, and you held tighter and hoped it was enough to keep you in check.
  “Is it too much?” You looked around the room again and saw for the first time a massive dollhouse-like playhouse. It was the cutest thing you’d ever seen and knew Ella would spend countless hours in there. You scoffed and shrugged.
  “Have you met your daughter? This is the child who wore head to toe pink sparkles to the park the other day. Do you remember that?” Chris laughed, and you smiled and nodded. “There is no such thing as too much.”
  You walked into the room a little more walking around him in a way that created the most distance. You stopped in front of the swing and sat, hoping to god it didn’t break under your weight. “This though—might not be the best idea. I can see her sneaking out of bed to swing and hurting herself. While she seems super advanced for her age let’s not set her up to fail.” He smiled and nodded.
  “Got it mama bear. I’ll take it down before bedtime.” You nodded and looked around again.
  “This is great though. It screams—permanence.” You looked down at the carpeted floor and shuffled your feet.
  “I mean—that’s the idea—right? Did I overstep?”
  “No, no, don’t—uuugh. I’m sorry, no, you didn’t. This is great, this—you’re great for doing this.”
  “I sense a but.” You stood and walked to him then touched his hand, hoping the action would make your words believable.
  “There is no but, you’re her father, you wanted to—.”
  “Show you that I’m taking this serious, to show you I want this, I want her, I want everything it means Vixen, all of it.”
  Biting your bottom lip, you held his gaze. You saw his pupil dilate and even felt his hand radiate with more heat than normal. Chris stepped into you and closed the appropriate space between you, and you could feel the air around you become thin and dense. Every hair on your body stood up, and then you saw his face move closer to yours.
  “Shit, he’s gonna kiss me.”
  “Vixen!”
  You jumped at the sound of your mother’s voice and backed away from Chris as if you’d just been caught doing something dirty. A few seconds later, your mother appeared at the doorway. She looked between the two of you, and you walked to her. “Yeah mom.”
  “Ella found the pool and is begging to get in.” Chris laughed.
  “That was quick.” You smiled and nodded.
  “I told you, she’s a mermaid.”
  “I’ll bring up the bags,” Chris said as he walked past you and your mother. Once alone, your mother gave you the look she always did when she expected an explanation. You stood your ground and remained silent.
  “So you are forever connected to a superstar celebrity by the child you share. What do you plan on doing about it?”
  You gaped at her. She had the guts to bring this up. You expected it, hell, some part of you was waiting for it. “What do you mean do about it?”
  “Vixen, you’re a beautiful woman, you have a lot to offer. Why not take things—further?” You scoffed and shook your head.
  “Mom, wow.”
  “Tell me you haven’t thought about it. Tell me you’ve never looked at him and wanted more. He is a handsome man sweetie. Maybe this is your chance.”
  You couldn’t believe your ears. She never seemed to amaze you. She had a one-track mind, and right now, you were it. “Chance for what mom?”
  “Love, maybe?” You snorted and laughed.
  “Love? She’s insane.”
  You shook your head just as Chris walked back in with bags. “Thanks.”
  “Mama, poowl pwease.” You smiled and nodded to her.
  “Come on, let’s pick a pretty bathing suit and get you all ready little mermaid.” Ella clapped her hands and went to the bags. “If you guys would excuse us, we have a fashion montage to start.”
  “Yayyyy!” Chris and your mother smiled at each other and walked out of the room so you and Ella could begin
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Fifteen minutes later, you and Ella walked out to the backyard where the pool awaited you. She squealed with excitement, you smiled and put down the towels you held. Ella went to the edge and looked into the water. “Kristella Raelle, away from the edge, please.” She quickly backed away to a safe distance. You peeled off the t-shirt you wore and walked to the steps of the pool.
  “Ready baby?” She ran to you, and you grasped her hand to lead her into the water. Once she stepped into the water, she let loose a loud laugh. You smiled thoroughly enjoying her happiness. Once you stepped off the last step and sunk into the water you held your arms out for her.
  “Wedy mama?”
  “I’m ready, baby!” Ella squealed again and smiled, and Chris walked out, wearing a pair of swim trunks. Your eyes quickly scanned his exposed muscle and really liked what you saw. Again, the theme song for Baywatch played in your head.
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“Da-da, watoh, come.” Chris smiled and sat at the edge of the pool and watched.
  “Wook!” Ella jumped from the step into your arms, and you spun her around. Chris clapped and lowered himself into the water.
  “Want to swim to da-da?” She nodded, and you set her in front of you then let her go. She did a quick little doggy paddle to an exhilarated Chris. Once she reached his arms he scooped her up and held her in the air. Ella laughed and posed as if she were Baby from Dirty Dancing.
  “Good job, princess.” You smiled. He turned to you as if to ask if you saw her. You nodded and swam to them. The three of you swam around and enjoyed the time together.
  Ella and Chris played in the water, and he seemed to love it, every second that passed he seemed to become more of a big kid, Ella loved it. He let her ride his back like he was a seahorse, and she was the sea princess. Chris let her ride his shoulders while he swam underwater like the whale and she was a talented whale rider. He pretended to be the dolphin complete with dolphin noises while Ella played the dolphin whisperer. They even played Marco Polo once Chris explained it to her, this she loved because every time Chris rocketed from underneath the water when she screamed “maco” he wiggled like a fish diving above the waves and every time he did a belly flop right in the water. Soon they drew the attention of your entire family who sat around the pool watching with adoring looks on their faces.
  After an hour, you’d had enough of the water, and after forty minutes you’d had more than your heart could take of the cuteness. You disappeared into the house to the kitchen and examined the contents of the fridge. Soon after, you busied yourself with cooking some dinner. It took no time at all before you got lost in the chopping, mixing, measuring, layering and a plethora of other actions that allowed your brain to stop.
  You were thankful for it because if it continued you were sure you’d go insane with the constant debate; it was now a three-way fight. Your head, your body and your heart all wanted different things. Your head spoke of shoulds, your body spoke of coulds, and your heart—that traitor was the worst of all, it spoke of woulds. Where your mind and body didn’t question, your heart had plenty. They were questions you didn’t have answers to, questions you would only find the answer to from him, and you weren’t quite brave enough—yet.
  “I should have known this is where you disappeared to.” You looked up from your bending position and saw Chris standing on the other side of the island. He was still shirtless, and your eyes noticed. Slowly they traveled down his torso and took in every detail. The two tattoos on his chest looked like perfect decorations for the well-formed muscle. Your palm itched to touch him. When your eyes trailed down his abs to his oblique indentations, that urge intensified. Unintentionally you squeezed the piping bag in your hands, sending white icing oozing out the tip and right onto your face. It was all so perfectly suggestive.
  “Oh fuck!” You stood and looked around for a cloth. Chris walked around the island to you with the item in his hand.
  “Here.” He lifted his hands to your face and began wiping off the icing. After a few deliberate swipes of the cloth, his movements slowed until they stopped altogether. He was now standing before you with your jaw gently held with one hand a cloth in the other. “There, perfect again. although—you’ve been perfect since—the day—I—I—I met you.” By the time he finished his sentence he was whispering. Chris grazed his thumb along your cheek, and the soft touch sent your belly fluttering.
  “I have something to tell you,” Chris began. His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped.
  “What?” Your voice was a breathy whisper; you couldn’t muster anything else.
  “Uh---well--,” Chris began again.
  “Vix?” You looked from Chris to Nexus, who’d entered the kitchen.
  “Yeah.” Walking to her, she looked between you and Chris. You shook your head signaling for her to let it go.
  “Ella, she missed her nap so--.”
  You sighed. “Yeah, she’ll be a grumpy mess in an hour. We’ll have dinner now and hopefully avoid the meltdown to get her in bed.” Nex nodded and slowly turned to walk out.
  “So—dinner?”
  “Ready, I was just--.”
  “Uh-huh, I see what you were doing.” With that, Nex walked out of the room, and you sighed before you cleared your throat.
  “If you wanna take a quick shower, dinner will be on the table in ten,” you informed. Chris slowly nodded then walked out where Nex did. Once you were alone again you sighed and finished the touches to the cake you were icing.
  After dinner, you tucked Ella into her new bed in her new room. She fell asleep quickly which left you sitting there just staring at her. You knew if you did this to any other kid it would be creepy, but she was yours; it was normal. You’d spent so many nights watching her sleep marveling at the tiny human you were blessed with. Before you knew it two hours had passed, and you were still being a creeper.
  Walking out the room and down the hall to your own you quickly stripped and took a hot shower. The steam helped de-stress you, and the hot water did wonders for your need to be comforted. You worked to keep Chris off your mind. It was hard, but no matter what, after a few minutes, he came right back into your head. It was frustrating. Nex would say it was a sign you were also on his mind. You wondered if that were true.
  Once you stepped out wrapped in a plush towel, you stared at the canopy bed and just like that you were back in Vegas again. It was like he was trolling you with little details from your time together. this was yet another similarity from your exhausting wedding night. You sat on the window seat in the room and looked out to the sea of dark trees. It was peaceful out here, and you knew why he’d chosen this spot. It had nothing in common with LA. As you lotioned your skin, you stared up at the moon and marveled at how big and bright it looked here. A spark of fire caught your eye, and you peered more closely out the window. Chris stepped out onto the grass and walked to the clearing of trees. You watched him climb into the hammock that was just out of sight. Once he was in it all you could see was the tips of his feet and occasional peeks of his head.
  Soon you saw clouds of smoke weft into the air, and you knew he was smoking, you bet it was weed. A nostalgic smile decorated your lips. He began swinging in the hammock, and every time he did, you saw him in full sight. He had a faraway look on his face, but somehow he still looked perplexed. You wondered what he was thinking about so seriously. You had the thought to go down to him and split that blunt but knew if you had weed in your system your inhibitions would soon be lowered and with it your panties.
  “That’s if you wear panties, honey.”
  You smirked and shook your head at the thought. Sometimes you wondered if you were your own worst enemy. Sighing, you looked back to the moon once last time. When you were a child, your mother always had you make a wish on the moon every night. It must have been some old hippie practice because every single night, you’d made a wish on the moon. Some came true instantly, and others took time. You glanced back down to Chris who looked to be looking up at the same moon and closed your eyes.
  Taking a deep breath, you had the perfect wish, the one your heart, head, and body all agreed on. “If it’s meant for me, let it be.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
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midnightlie · 5 years
Text
title: run away with me
pairing: keith/lance
notes: part 7 of my kiss fic series. can be read alone!
*
The desert is little colder this time of year.
It’s chilly in the morning, the desolate land unable to retain heat through the night, so Keith made sure to put his civilian jacket on before he left the warmth of his room behind to make his way to the restricted access area on the roof of the Garrison. He rests his forearms on the metal railing, stares up at the sherbert clouds overhead, enjoying the near-wintery haze in the air and how it clears his head of all ill-thoughts forced upon him by his restless slumber.
The sound of the door opening behind him shatters the silence, boots scuffling against the roof as he’s approached. He lets out a low breath as a pair of arms wrap snugly around his waist, a face pressing into the hollow between his shoulder blades.
“Why did you leave? You made me look all over the dorms for you,” comes the sleepy voice, adorably disgruntled as the arms hold him tight. After a pause, there’s another complaint, softer and mumbled into the fabric of Keith’s jacket. “It’s cold out here.”
“Couldn’t fall back asleep,” Keith says as he drops his eyes to look at the expanse of red dirt and distant rock outcroppings, broken up by deep grooves in the earth that are the only remnants left of the Galra occupation. As quiet and familiar and stunning as it is, Keith thinks he hates it. “Sorry if I woke you when I left.”
Lance’s head nuzzles into his back. “Just missed you.”
Keith shifts so he can run his ungloved hand over the fleecy sleeve of Lance’s coat tight around his waist. “Sorry.”
“S’okay.” He thinks Lance might drop a kiss there between his shoulder blades. “You okay?”
Keith considers that for a moment and then spins in the circle of those arms. Lance leans away slightly to allow the movement, his hair sticking up every which way, the thin turtleneck under his jacket hanging loose around the delicious curve of his throat, his eyes jeweled in the soft-pink of the sunrise. Sleep still clings to his face, warm and soft and heart-achingly sweet, making the expression he fixes on Keith both gentle and creased with concerned.
“Mm,” Keith hums in affirmation, slowly taking in the sight before him, slowly appraising and admiring and committing it to memory. He raises a hand and lays it over the curve of Lance’s cheek, brushing his thumb along the crest of his cheekbone. It still feels like a dream sometimes, that Lance looks at him like this. The muted pastel colors of the early morning give the moment a hazy quality and the only thing he’s really sure of is the dark, vibrant blue of Lance’s eyes beneath the cotton-candy clouds.
Lance flushes under the intense attention but he doesn’t waver. “You sure?” He rubs his palm up and down Keith’s back, nose slightly wrinkled, frowning, as he waits for confirmation. “You look kind of broody. Did I hog the covers again?”
Keith is quiet for a long moment, one arm slowly wrapping around Lance, the other hand still pressed to his cheek. He takes the time to appreciate the warmth of Lance against him and how it chases away the last of his discomfort from the night before.
“You ever think about running away with me?” Keith murmurs, heart full to bursting when Lance leans into his touch.
Those blue eyes meet his with shades of amusement hidden inside. “Where would we go?”
“We could go home.”
Lance leans his body more heavily into him, still pressing his face into Keith’s hand with unadulterated affection.“At the risk of sounding disgustingly cheesy and hopelessly in love with you - which you know I already am - you are my home, Keith.”
He’d been talking about Cuba, and they both knew it but...that’s such a Lance thing to say - so heartfelt and genuine - that Keith is unsurprised to find his face becoming hot with a blush, half-delighted and half-embarrassed. How, after all these years, Lance still has the power to make him fall, is beyond him. His heart feels warm and full in his chest, though, as he smooths his thumb again over the edge of Lance’s cheekbone.
Lance grins a little, the bunch of his cheek settling so well into the palm of Keith’s hand. “Oh, look, I broke you.”
Keith moves his hand from Lance’s face, lets it travel down to his waist before curling there and keeping the other boy snug against his chest, finding Lance suddenly quite irresistible. Without reply, he leans in and gives him a peck on the cheek, and Lance accepts it with a hum of approval.
“Fine, since you insist on being difficult,” Keith says, with fondness, “where would you take me?”
Lance shakes his head before fixing his blue eyes back on Keith. “Why does this gotta be all about me? What about you, Kogane? You must have some place in mind. When you were a kid, where did you picture yourself living in your wildest little Keith dreams?”
Keith considers that for a moment. He doesn’t think he’s ever been asked that exact question and it’s been years since he thought about anything so wildly unrelated to the war. However, the answer isn’t as far buried as he expected it to be, and the memory comes to him warm and nostalgic, falling easily from his tongue. “When I was a kid, my pa and I went on a camping trip in East Texas every year. I loved it there. Always begged to stay when it was time to go.”
Lance seems latched onto the memory, despite it not belonging to him. Interest keeps his gaze trained intently on Keith, eager to soak in these details of a childhood that have never been shared with him before. “What did you love about it?” he asks, reaching up to push some of the hair blown into Keith’s face by the wind away with a gentle hand.
“The smell,” he murmurs, half-caught up in remembering. Trees, tall and big and many and so green--oh god, how things had been green. Keith had never known so much of the color green could exist in the whole wide world, or that it could smell so good. “The air was so humid there but it smelled like pine needles.” It strikes him that he hasn’t smelled that scent since before his father died, and a pang of longing goes off inside him.
Lance smiles at him, pulling him back into the here and now on the roof of the Garrison in the middle of a war-scarred desert. He tucks a lock of hair back behind Keith’s ear. “Yeah, I can see you Davy Crockett-ing it up in a log cabin in the woods all by yourself. That’s a very Keith thing to do.”
Keith rolls his eyes affectionately. “I wouldn’t be by myself.”
Lance’s smile widens. “Oh really? Who’re you gonna take to your secret little forest hideout, Keith? Which lucky man will have the pleasure of being sufficiently and thoroughly wooed by you while surrounded by the sexy, sexy scent of pine needles, hmm? Do I know him?”
“Probably.”
Lance nods sagely, as if accepting the news. “And how do you plan to woo him?”
Keith shrugs one shoulder nonchalantly. “In flannel.”
There’s a pause then as Lance peers up at him before patting his shoulder, one arm still wrapped tight around his waist. “Yes,” he says. “Yes, that’ll work.”
The distracted tone of his voice - entirely genuine now - has Keith breaking into a grin. “You’re too easy.”
His cheeks darken in color, just a bit. “Shut up! It’s not my fault you’d look really cozy and adorable but also extremely hot in a nice flannel shirt. You know exactly what you’re doing, so don’t even go there with me.” The words are accusatory but Lance’s expression is halfway to love-struck and really, Keith feels it deep under his skin, too.
“Hey.” Keith leans down and presses his forehead to Lance’s, suddenly serious. His breaths feel heavier in his chest as his heart thrums at the proximity, at the fullness and lightness of being allowed to be like this, with Lance. “You’d really follow me all the way out into the Middle-of-Nowhere, Texas?”
“Baby, I followed you across galaxies before I even knew I loved you,” Lance says softly, running a hand up to press at the hollow between Keith’s strong shoulder blades. “What makes you think Texas is a deal-breaker? Wherever you wanna go, I’ll go.”
Keith leans in, ghosting his lips over Lance’s for a moment. “I want to take you home, Lance.” Before he can get a response, he presses in more firmly, sealing their mouths together.
Lance sighs into him, immediately going pliant and soft in the circle of Keith’s arms, as though he’s finally getting something he’s been waiting for, a pleased little sound rumbling deep in his chest. Keith has the distinct and sudden thought that there are too many layers between them and pulls away slightly to begin unzipping Lance’s jacket.
Lance jumps at the sound of the zipper and places his hands firmly on Keith’s sides as he  pushes back. “Nope! Nope, nope nope, no way, nuh-uh! It’s cold outside, Keith, I refuse--!”
His voice cuts out in a yelp as Keith leans in and nuzzles against Lance’s neck, momentarily relenting. “But I’m warm,” he mumbles, peppering gentle kisses there against his skin and turtleneck. “I’ll make you warm.”
“Keith, it’s cold,” Lance whines, but he tips his head back and grabs at the back of Keith’s jacket again as if to ground himself. “W-We could just go back inside.”
Keith makes a growly noise of discontent into the curve of Lance’s throat and unzips the front of his own jacket, guiding Lance’s arms under the material where it truly is much, much warmer. “If we go inside, they’re gonna find us and put us to work and I won’t see you again all day.” He groans and Lance shivers against him. “All day. God, that sounds awful.”
Lance sighs and tilts his head to nuzzle at Keith’s cheek, brushing his face against the ends of his hair as the wind teases at both of them with chilly fingers. “You really do wanna run away with me, huh?”
“Yeah,” Keith admits shamelessly, awkwardly shoving Lance’s jacket zipper down so he can feel the warmth of his chest against his. Lance seems to like that, leaning in heavily, no longer putting up a fight about trying to tiptoe back to their room unnoticed. Keith likes it too, likes the heat and the warmth and just being able to remind himself that this is somehow very, very real.
“You gonna marry me someday, Keith?” Lance is breathless, and he’s barely even been kissed yet. He slides his cold hands up under Keith’s shirt slowly, feeling the scars there one by one, reverently.
Keith kisses back up to his mouth with the same amount of attention. “Probably,” he whispers and he can feel Lance’s answering smile against his lips.
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mss4msu · 5 years
Text
Call Me Doctor. (Chapter 15)
Summary: Fresh out of graduate school, you had somehow landed a spot in the faculty of a prestigious university. The small anthropology department has too many faculty and too few offices; sharing an office does not go as you expected.
Pairing: Professor!Steve x Professor!Reader
Words: 3166
Warnings: Feelings
A/N: I have a lot of feelings from seeing Endgame, so there’s a lot of goofiness in this chapter and some ties to the Avengers because I need that. The chapter is real long because I have a lot of feelings and it’s been awhile. This chapter was supposed to happen in October, but then life happened. I started drafting it at Christmas and then wrote more on Mardi Gras, and then planned to release it before Easter, but here we are. Happy almost Free Comic Book Day and May the Fourth. (Please just pretend it’s Halloween bbs)
Catch Up On the Story Here
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You spent the rest of the afternoon in a daze. Every time you tried to concentrate on something work-related, your mind went to Steve; the sweetness of his smile, the warmth of his hands, the passion in his kisses. You shook your head, trying to get Steve out of it.
“Order and organization, that’s what I need,” You said to yourself, pulling out your planner and a pen.
You hesitated for a moment, trying to figure out what to put. You thought of writing “Brunch with Steve,” but that didn’t seem to capture the emotions you were sure both of you had felt.
First Date with Steve - you wrote. You wanted to dot the “i” with a heart, but talked yourself out of it in fear of anyone ever finding and reading your planner.
You looked back through the previous weeks. It had been almost 2 months since you had been at the university. Almost 2 months since you had met Steve. It felt like much longer, which you attributed to the academic bubble; regardless of how much time passed in the “real world” the stress of academia always made it feel 10x longer. Of course Steve’s mood changes had also made time drag on. You flipped to the week to come and your heart began to beat rapidly.
“Oh shit!” you yelled to yourself.
Saturday, October 31st - It was written in black and orange on the page and you had even doodled a witch’s hat and ghost next to it.
“How could I forget my favorite holiday???” you scolded yourself.
You frantically got up and rushed to the closet in your hallway. You found your tub of decorations and carried it into the living room. You pulled out cobwebs and witches’ hats and little skeletons. You unwrapped jack-o-lantern lights and laid them on the floor next to the tub. You went back to the closet and moved all the coats around until you found it; the piece de resistancé, a Mummy scarecrow. You frantically ran around your apartment hanging everything up, taking it down, and hanging it again in a different spot because it looked better. It took two hours for you to finally accept the placement of everything. You sat on the couch and admired your decorations. Although the apartment had already begun to feel like home, having all of your decorations up solidified the feeling.
You pulled your computer out of your bag and opened your email. You typed all of your colleagues names into the “To:” section and made the subject for the email “Sorry for the Late Notice: Halloween Party!”
Dear All,
Sorry for the late notice, I’ve been so focused on the museum project that it completely slipped my mind that Halloween is a week from today. You are all welcome to my humble abode on Saturday to celebrate all things spooky. Haunted happenings will begin at 7:00pm. Costumes are encouraged! Plus ones are of course welcome too!
See you Monday,
(Y/N)
Your finger was still pushed down from clicking send when your computer dinged with a new email notification. Your heart pounded as you looked at the sender and opened the response.
I look forward to attending.
--Steve
You reread his email a few times, your heart sinking slightly, as you figured Steve would show more emotion after your date, at least what you thought had been a date. But looking at the time stamp of his email bolstered you back up. Steve was notorious for never responding to emails, so to have a response immediately after sending you knew was special.  
You spent the rest of the weekend going through your cookbooks to find the perfect spooky snacks, perfecting your Halloween playlist, and going through your tub of costumes to find the perfect choice for the weekend. You put on a few scary movies as you worked to set the mood.
Monday morning, you were in a fantastic mood. You had in your candy corn earrings and were wearing your pumpkin socks under your dress pants. You got to your office to find it unlocked. You walked in to see Steve and James intently staring at Steve’s computer screen.
“What are you two up to?” you asked as you sat down at your desk and pulled your computer from your bag to review your powerpoint before class.
“Nothing,” Steve grunted, his cheeks turning red.
“Just prepping for this weekend,” James smiled slyly at you.
You grinned, “Doing some costume shopping?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know,” James winked at you, “Alright, place the order Stevie, I’ve got to go to class. I’ll leave you two to have some alone time.” He raised his eyebrows at you as he stood to leave the room. “Oh, and I almost forgot!” He put his hand in his bag and pulled out a picture frame, “I got you both a new office decoration!” He turned the frame around and you saw the zoomed in photo he had taken of you and Steve in the coffee shop.
“Buck,” Steve growled, getting up and going towards his friend.
“See you later!” James put the frame on the table and quickly ran out of the office.
Steve went to the table and picked up the picture frame, “It’s actually not a bad picture,” he said, his voice softening now that you two were alone.
“May I see it?” you asked, walking over to him.
He handed it to you, and you felt a shiver as your hands brushed each other. It actually was a cute picture, the two of you cuddled up on the couch together.
“Do you want it?” Steve asked you.
“Oh, um, I mean…” you were caught off guard, unsure of what the right answer was. “Yes?”
“Was that a question?”
“I mean, of course I want it! But I only want it if you don’t. James is your friend first, so if you want it you should have it, but of course I would love to take it if you don’t.”
“You should take it, (Y/N). I can just have him print me another.”
You smiled up at Steve, “Thanks.”
The rest of the week seemed to drag on, which you knew was because you were so looking forward to the weekend to celebrate the most glorious of all holidays. Friday night came and you began to prep food for the party. You peeled grapes and put them in the freezer to serve as eyeballs in the witches’ brew punch. You made little witch hats out of Oreos and Hershey’s Kisses that you then encircled with little bands of colorful frosting. Saturday morning you got up and began to bake. You dyed breadstick dough green and shaped it into fingers, placing an almond in as a fingernail. You then got out hot dogs and crescent roll dough and cut arms and legs into the hot dogs before wrapping them in strips of dough to make mummies. Once the baking was complete, you did all the dishes so the counters wouldn’t be cluttered.
You looked at the clock and realized you only had 3 hours before everyone was set to arrive and you were a mess of dough and dishwater. You hopped in the shower, got out, and dried your hair. You did your makeup and curled your hair into big waves. You decided you’d wait until right when people arrived to put your costume on, as you didn’t want to be sitting around in it for longer than you had to. It was a great looking costume, but it wasn’t the most comfortable.
You saw that there was just an hour left until everyone arrived, so you went back into the kitchen to begin setting everything out. You set the table with all of the food and were impressed with yourself with how it had all turned out. With just a half hour until people arrived, you decided to mix up the witches’ brew. You put lime sherbert, sprite, lime-flavored vodka, and some sparkling grape juice into a large plastic cauldron on your table. You then added in the frozen grapes and some gummy worms.
With just 10 minutes to go until 7pm, you decided it was time to get into costume. You made sure the corset was laced properly and used the side-zipper to get your top on. You were hesitant about the hot-pants of your costume, but figured you could just have a blanket around you if you felt embarrassed. You put on your bracelets and secured the crown onto your head. Just as you were putting on your boots, you heard the buzz of the intercom.
“Hello?”
“Hi, (Y/N). It’s getting very crowded down here!” you heard Natasha’s voice and the clamoring of other voices around her.
“Then you all better come in,” you laughed, buzzing them in.
Moments later, there was a knock on the door. You swung it open and saw a very full hallway filled with your costumed coworkers.
“Welcome!”
“Thanks, (Y/N)! Ooh, James is going to be pissed,” she laughed as she looked at your costume, but she quickly changed the subject before you could ask why, “I brought some wine that had a spooky looking label, where would you like it?” Natasha asked as she walked in. She was dressed as Indiana Jones and you saw Bruce behind her, dressed as Lara Croft.
“Hi, (Y/N),” Bruce said without making eye contact as he followed Natasha into the apartment. He looked slightly embarrassed of his costume, as he kept tugging the shorts down, so you knew Natasha had convinced him to wear it.
“Ahhh, (Y/N), you look hot af,” Wanda said hugging you, “I’m so happy to have another person with such an affinity for the supernatural.”
“Did you just finish The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina?” you asked her, seeing her platinum curled wig and the black dress with a white collar.
“Yes and it was amazing!”
“Yes, Sabrina was absolutely fantastic,” Vis said sarcastically, stepping forward from behind her. He was dressed as a black cat, complete with a little tail.
“Salem?” you asked with a laugh.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Vis replied.
“Oh, shut up!” Wanda pushed him into the apartment. “Also, I brought some ghost-shaped cookies!” she yelled as she walked away.
“I have come stag!” Thor proclaimed as he walked through the doorway.
“And dressed as the god of thunder!” you proclaimed right back. You were relieved he hadn’t brought Loki, as you hadn’t spoken to his brother since your date with Steve.
“I’ve had this costume for years. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Thor grinned as he went to the living room.
“Pepper! Long time no see!” you said as Tony and Pepper entered the apartment.
“Which one of us are you talking to?” Tony asked. He and Pepper were dressed in salt and pepper suits, and Tony was dressed as pepper.
“Tony thought it would be funny to be me for Halloween,” Pepper said, rolling her eyes.
“It’s amazing,” you laughed.
“Thank you,” Tony grinned.
“Please, don’t validate him,” Pepper sighed as she and Tony went to the living room.
“(Y/N), hi,” Clint said as he walked in, “This is my wife, Laura.”
“Hi, Laura, so nice to meet you! I hope everything is going well with the new baby.”
“It is a lot,” Laura smiled, “So thank you for this opportunity to get out of the house.”
“I see you’re both dressed in the appropriate costumes for it though!” you replied, seeing they were dressed as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl.
“We decided this year’s family costume would be Incredibles themed since there are five of us now,” Clint grinned.
“That is truly amazing. Please, come on in.”
You looked out into the hallway, but saw that it was empty. Your heart started to race in anticipation, but given that they were so late last time you hosted a party, you tried to calm yourself down. As you closed the door, the intercom buzzed.
“Hello?” you thought your heart was going to pound out of your chest.
“Hi, (Y/N),” Steve’s voice came through the intercom.
You buzzed them in before he could say anything else and what felt like an eternity later you heard a knock on your door.
You yanked the door open and saw Steve and James standing in the hallway. Steve was dressed as Superman, his blonde hair slicked back except for a small curl on his forehead. James stood next to him, dressed as Batman.
“What the hell (Y/N)!” James exclaimed, looking you up and down, “We were trying to do a couple’s costume and you made it weird by having us look like a throuple now!”
You smoothed the Wonder Woman corset over your stomach and anxiously adjusted your crown, “I’m so sorry, I had no idea you were planning to do a couple’s costume together.”
“It’s FINE,” James huffed as he stormed past you.
“We do a couple’s costume every year,” Steve shrugged his shoulders. He looked you up and down, “You look amazing, (Y/N).”
You blushed, “Thanks, Steve. So do you.”
Steve walked into your apartment and gave you a quick kiss on the cheek before going into the living room.
You waited a second for your heart rate to decrease before joining the group. You could hear James grumbling about his ruined costume plans.
“(Y/N), this food is fantastic!” Thor rumbled from the couch.
“And this punch is disgusting and I love it!” Wanda beamed.
“The decorations are amazing,” Natasha said, looking around. “This apartment isn’t that big, where did you store them?”
“I prioritize holiday decorations over all else. I think I own more costumes than I do regular clothes.”
“Then why don’t you go change,” you heard James grumble under his breath.
Steve came and sat next to you with a full plate of food, “Just ignore him,” he whispered to you.
You gave Steve a half smile in reply.
The night continued to be eventful. Wanda shared spooky stories she had encountered in her research. Steve educated everyone about the history of using superhero outfits as costumes for Halloween. Thor choked on a grape. And when “Thriller” came on the playlist, everyone tried their best to do the original dance. James eventually forgave you and decided documentation of you, Steve, and himself in your superhero costumes was necessary and subsequently forced everyone into a photoshoot. Bruce and Vis were not happy with him.
“Well, I think it’s time for us to relieve the sitter,” Clint said, taking a final drink of punch as Laura yawned and stood up.
“Mind if we hitch a ride back home with you?” Natasha asked, pulling Bruce up off the couch.
“We drove you here, it’s not like we would just leave you,” Clint replied, groaning as he stood.
“Didn’t stop you from leaving me that time in Budapest,” Natasha snarked back.
“You and I remember Budapest very differently,” Clint laughed.
“Pepper, are you ready to go home?” Pepper asked Tony.
“Yes, dear. And thank you for FINALLY accepting the costume,” Tony grinned.
“We should probably go as well,” Wanda said, “I have some...things...to attend to at home.”
“Wait, she isn’t actually a witch is she?” you couldn’t help but ask Vis.
“I don’t feel comfortable answering that question,” Vis sighed.
“Well, Steve, should we go too?” James asked.
“Um...yes...I guess we should? Unless (Y/N) needs help cleaning up?” Steve directed the questions at you.
“I think I can manage it,” you replied, your heart fluttering.
“Are you sure?” Steve asked, looking deep into your eyes.
James realized what was happening, “Steve, you know what, maybe you should stay behind and help (Y/N) clean up. I’ll see you tomorrow buddy.”
You said goodbye to everyone and shut the door with a sigh.
“What can I help you with?” Steve asked from behind you, startling you, as you had forgotten he was still there.
“Um, I really just have to put the leftover food in tupperwares and then clean out the punch cauldron. You really don’t have to stay if you have other things to do.”
“You want to break apart the two strongest members of the Justice League?” Steve asked, stepping closer to you.
“I mean, Wonder Woman is definitely the strongest, but I think Batman is actually….”
Steve stopped your words with a kiss, pushing you against the front door. You tried to put your arms around him, but your hands got tangled in his cape and you couldn’t help but start laughing.
“Let’s clean up first, Superman,” you walked into the kitchen, grabbed tupperware containers, and filled them before putting the leftovers in the fridge. Steve poured out the dregs of the cauldron and began to wash it. You filled the dishwasher with plates and cups and straightened up the pillows on the couch.
Steve dried his hands off on a towel and joined you in the living room, “You know, last time I was here you said I could take a look around. Is it possible to get a personal tour?”
“I’d be happy to,” you smiled, “Let’s start at the front door?” You took his hand and led him to the door. “So this is the hallway, it leads everywhere. To the right is the kitchen, straight ahead is the living room/dining room combo, and up there to the left are the bathroom and bedroom.”
“How practical.”
You pulled him to the right, “Here is the kitchen, I believe you’ve been in here before. And if we walk forward we have the dining room and the living room, which are actually just one big room.”
“What a lovely set-up you have here. Brilliantly decorated.”
You blushed, “Then if we go around this way,” you walked him to the hallway again, “We go down a smaller hallway and we have the bathroom on the left,” you opened the bathroom door and flicked on the light, “complete with a Halloween pumpkin soap and all your regular bathroom furnishings. And on the right,” your breath hitched, “Is the bedroom.”
You hesitated for a second before opening the door to the bedroom. You took a deep breath, opened the door, and turned on the light.
“Here in the bedroom, we have the closet, and a dresser, and the,” you gulped, “bed.”
You watched Steve’s eyes roam around the room, and you were thankful you had thought to clean it this morning while the mummies were baking. Steve cleared his throat and you saw he was staring at the picture frame on your nightstand.
“Oh, um, I can explain that,” your heart was racing and you had no idea how you were actually going to explain it.
Steve’s hand tightened around yours and he gently pulled you onto the bed with him, “You don’t have to,” he whispered in your ear before kissing you passionately.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Call Me Doctor. Tag List:
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inkribbon796 · 5 years
Text
Candy Man Can-Do Ch. 2
Summary: It’s November 9, and the city gets a rather colorful reminder of how powerful Warfstache is.
Chapter 2: Live on Warfstache Tonight
Previous
A.N: This is Chapter 2
____________________________________
    “Wil,” Damien sighed.
    “Yes, my dear?” Wilford smiled, the two of them sitting in what appeared to be an old fashioned diner. People were in the diner talking and dancing next to a jukebox. All of them completely taken over by Wilford’s magic. The waiting staff were all Wilford’s little “assistants” little more than living marionettes with paper masks of his face on them. “Don’t you like your milkshake, chocolate is your favorite.”
    “Will, I have lots of work to do,” Damien sighed. “Both as mayor and with my actual job, which you are interrupting.”
    “It’s not that bad,” Bim leaned over from the neighboring booth, sitting alone and holding up a smoothie that looked more like a rainbow sherbert concoction than juice. “Nice to have a break every once in a while. Plus you’re always working.”
    “Someone has to!” Damien spat, his phone ringing. He didn’t even check who it was, all he made sure was that it was his person phone and not the Mayor’s. “What?” Dark hissed out.
    “Update,” Google warned. “Four heroes have entered the premises, they are obviously arriving to stop Wilford.”
    Dark turned back into his more publically known self, groaning, “Thank you Google, it’s nice to know someone can still do their job.”
    “Affirmative,” Google responded and then hung up.
    “Bim, mask up or leave,” Dark ordered.
    “Someone needs to call your guy’s villains prop department because these masks are creepy looking,” Bim grabbed a masks from table.
    “What mask?” Wilford asked in confusion, but then he shuttered as if a current had been run through him. “What was that?”
    “You tell me, Wil,” Dark stood up, noticing that some of the assistants looked paler, as if their strings were being cut. Dark grabbed his milkshake and tore a hole into the Void. “Bim, go home, the heroes are doing something.”
    “I never get to stay,” Bim tore off his mask. “Come on, I can take them, just let me try.”
    “We have a month left,” Dark snapped. “Go home or go to the office.”
    Bim glared at him but followed Dark’s orders as Wilford stormed towards the door, some of his assistants pivoting to watch him as he walked. Dark made sure Bim left with his sherbet smoothie. Wilford opened the door, Dark stepping out behind him and seeing that they were walking into Wil’s studio.
    Or at least a very good replica. With Prince Creativity sitting in one of the chairs, waiting and talking to the Jims which knocked out half of Google’s projected group.
    Wil’s brain kept pace as Dark just watched from the door.
    “Do I have an interview?” Wilford asked in confusion.
    “Yeah,” RJ commented, checking his watch. “Everyone’s on time.”
    “Perfect,” Wilford smiled and Dark just created a showrunner’s chair for himself as Wilford’s latent magic kicked in to help whatever the heroes were doing.
    Rolling his eyes at Wilford’s stupidity, Dark kept drinking his milkshake. His aura fanning out protectively around him and Wilford. It helped him find Logic and Dr. Iplier standing nearby.
    “You can come out,” Dark turned to them, scanning them both to see Logic completely in costume. Creativity looked half taken over by Wilford’s magic with curled almost red hair, and a suit made of what looked like glitter or crushed candy covering it but lacked any of the other glassy-eyed featured the rest of the people who’d been taken over had.
    Logic and Dr. Iplier, however, looked completely normal. Which Dark found interesting.
    “I see you two are also immune to him,” Dark took a sip of his milkshake. “Interesting.”
    “Shouldn’t you be stopping us?” Logic asked, walking a step or two closer.
    Dark smiled, “So pragmatic, I respect that. When you get tired of the heroes, I can always put a good word for you.”
    “Respectfully,” Logic’s hand went up to adjust his visor, “I am right where I need to be.”
    “Shame,” Dark looked back to the interview, Logic slapped part of Dark’s aura away from his visor. “You’re a bit too noble for your own good. You remind me a bit too much of myself when I was your age.”
    “Really,” Logic hit something on his visor that sent out almost like a localized EMP shock and Dark withdrew his aura. “That seems unlikely. What do you get out of allowing us to stop Wilford? Taking control of the city seems like something that would benefit you.”
    “This isn’t control,” Dark huffed as he kept the Producer away. “It is Wilford’s madness taking root in others. Besides, I can’t get much work done with this much of the city in chaos.”
    “That hardly matters,” Wilford answered a question from the interview, pulling his gun out. “Of course I can hit that.”
    “Really?” Creativity summoned an apple. “I doubt that.”
    BANG!
    And with that, Creativity went limp, blood dripping from his chest, and the world around them became less vibrant and candy-filled. As if with the firing of his gun, Wilford’s magic reset.
    “Well, this was fun,” Wilford smiled as Dark opened up a portal into the Void, his milkshake disappearing. “Darkling, when did you get here?”
    “Just now,” Dark smiled back at him. “Do you want to get something to eat?”
    “Do I?!” Wilford chuckled, stretching his suspenders. “I know this nice place. If you’re free.”
    Dark stood up, fixing his suit. “For you, always.”
    The greyscale entity leaned closer to Logic and Iplier. “If I come back here and find your friend still in that chair, I will assume he’s dead and cremate him.”
    “Noted,” Logic said fearlessly.
    Wilford stood next to Dark, offering out his elbow, which Dark took and the two of them stepped through the Void. Slowly the city began turning back to normal, people blinking off the stupor they’d been in, their clothes turning back to normal. The studio started to turn back into an empty soccer field, currently holding just the few Sides, Egos, and a very expensive camera.
    “We’re clear,” Logan called out as Roman sat up, stopping his suit from turning back to normal. “Astounding work, Creativity. You’re keeping the suit?”
    “Of course, and Moody Frown said I couldn’t do it,” Roman grinned. “I never thought to make the buttons out of peppermint rock candy.”
    “I’m more astounded that you could sit still for that long,” Anxiety defended, sprouting his spider legs again. “Well, my favor’s done. No one ever mention this again.”
    “Thanks for your help,” Iplier smiled.
    Anxiety paused before fleeing the scene without saying anything else.
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katreal-fic · 5 years
Text
Day 7 — for #fictober 10/10/19
Prompt: “No, and that’s final.”
Fandom: Homestuck
Warnings: Cursing, 2nd Person POV
Part of a series. Please start from the beginning!
Characters: Dirk Strider & ARquiusprite; ARquiusprite & Davepeta
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ARquiusprite is ignoring you.
That’s fine. That’s cool. Two can play at this game. You came despite having to deal with him. Not because of him. This works out for the both of you. If he wants to completely ignore your presence all throughout breakfast, not even so much as a sarcastic, “Long time no see” except in many more words and probably more than a little insultingly, that suits you just fine. You get enough of that shit seeping into your thoughts you don’t need it from an external source too.
Dirk > Don’t Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth
You trail a little behind Roxy, her housemate–? You’re not exactly sure what relationship is going on here, but it feels a bit more than housemate–and an exuberant squared sprite as they wind their way through what amounts for a Carapace-targeted market. There’s a lot of…things… you would never have considered food items, being haggled over by chessmen (or women) of both the prospitian and dersite variety. You wonder if New Derse and New Prospit are as segregated as the names implied, or if they are merely historical relics at this point. It’s been several thousand years since y'all seeded civilizations and then completed your big time skip. You don’t see any obvious tension in the mingling of the two types here; and there’s even a few other races either meandering around window shopping or actually manning the shops.
It’s definitely an…interesting set of wares, as the three actual shoppers on this venture stop at a clothing shop. You keep half an ear on the others, Roxy and Davepeta’s chatter loud enough to track even over the odd clicking sounding dialect of the other patrons. A lot of different styles and colors of drapery, from things as simple as something you recognize as bed-sheets, exquisitely tailored little petticoats fitted for the unique cylindrical proportions of the caraparians. 
“Dirkleton! Stop being a stinker and get over here! It’s time for ice-cream!” Roxy quite literally drags you out of your head, latching onto your arm. You aren’t sure how long you’ve been gone, stoically looking out over the crowd with a tension that reminds you of the early days of the game, when you still were still hopped up on adrenaline from your dramatic entry into the session and the bone deep knowledge that your charge was in danger and there’s nothing you could do about it. Nothing you should do about it. Because baby bird need to stretch his wings and fly and it would doom them to coddle them. 
Ice-cream is an…event. True to Roxy’s word ARquiusprite is the one to pay for everyone’s sweet treats. Except yours. But you don’t want one. You hang back while Roxy and Davepeta put their heads together to decide on a good flavor for the cherub, who is wringing her (their? You didn't ask.) claws, a lime green blush staining Calliope's skull-like face.
You don’t notice the drift until you find yourself next to the red sprite that still towards a head above you, despite you finishing off your growthspurt in the intervening years. Not that the contest is really all that fair, what with the floating and the ghostly tail. At this point you’re fuckin’ committed, you guess. He’s still wearing that off-white tank with the weird arrow-shades on it that he had when he was prototyped, which lends credence to your wondering about the staticity of their appearance. The advantage of a tank-top, you note, is that you can see all his those freakishly big muscles. Bulging as he unconsciously shifts and flexes. You can almost see the tension running off his skin. So can the poor bastard pawn behind the register, who is sweating bullets glancing between you two.
Like Davepeta, ARquius’s shades are completely opaque. You can’t read anything, except for the perpetual frown hiding broken teeth. Black cracks running through the constructed shades stirring up the guilt in your gut. (Cracks. A pressure. Your life in his hands. You can do nothing but talk. Stall. Try to buy your right to live with logic and cajoling and guilt)
“How do you even plan to pay for this shit? I don’t see anywhere to keep a wallet.”
“Small-talk still isn’t your STRONG suit is it, Dirk?” ARquiusprite’s voice is a strange rumble, straight red hair shifting as he turns to regard you (you assume) out of the corner of his eye. It’s not like you can see it. 
“Can’t say it’s yours either, bro.” You shot back, before gritting your teeth, “You’ve barely said a word.”
“To you, maybe. To those DESERVING of my brilliance I am one loquacious motherf*****. I have a f****** degree in small talk, dude. Graduated from the sh**** auto responder school of horsesh*** and improvisation. I’m afraid being your entertainment is rather low on my priorities right now.” 
That’s more like it.
“They made you promise to behave, didn’t they?”
He twitches. Your lips curl into a smirk. “Dude, don’t hold yourself back on my account. I’m the interloper here”
“I’m not doing it for you.” He bites back, broken teeth peeking out behind a stifled growl, “I’m doing it because my moirail asked me a f****** favor. If it were up to me you wouldn’t even be crashing this party.”
“Roxy invited me.”
“It was an invitation for the future not right this f****** second. You knew full well she had guests and you decided to crash anyway. There’s no other word for that but inconsiderate as hell.”
He’s right. The fuckin’ arrow straight to the heart causes you to clam up, shut down. The protection of your shades and stoicism is nothing before a being that was once closer to you than anyone in the fuckin’ world every could be.
(you’d thought about it once; trying to create life. Looking at the result, you’re glad you kept to dumb as rocks chat-bots instead)
“You wouldn’t understand, Dirk.” It’s quiet. Nothing more than a rumble in his chest, “At least everyone else cared when they came back. I know you better than anyone–no one f****** matters when you get your head stuck up your own a**.”
Everyone came. Except you.
Before you can respond–how the fuck do you respond?–Davepeta bounds up with what looks like, and probably is, strawberry flavored ice-cream, Calliope with some hot pink flavor, and Roxy with cone full of mint chocolate chip. She turns that smile on you as ARquiusprite goes back to ignoring you (much to the relief of the poor chess dude behind the counter.) You watch as he reaches into Davepeta’s coat to withdraw a wallet from the currently mostly-green garment. Smart. Maybe ARquius didn’t have any pockets in his skin-tight sweat-soaked tank, but Davepeta lucked out into a much more versatile clothing selection.
“You sure you don’t want anythin’ Dirk? I saw they had orange sherbert in there. I kno you’d love that.”
You shake your head, not looking away from the way Davepeta flings themselves into ARq’s arms in excited gratitude. At the way ARquiusprite’s glow seems to intensify, curling his tail around them. You swear there’s a red blush staining his off-white semi-corporeal face.
“Yo, earth-c to Dirk, do you copy?”
You don’t understand?
Maybe you don’t.
ARquiusprite was one of the few voices you don’t have popping up in your head.
You wouldn’t understand, Dirk.
You have a feeling that’s gonna change.
“No, Rox,” You purposefully shake yourself out of your own head again, “No, I’m good.”
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nxjusticehere · 5 years
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Escape the Motherloving Nightmare - Part 10
Tag List: @undocumented-terriaki @risiskifi @virge-of-death @legit-humantm @shay-untitled @uraeus56 @supersepticsteph @margarita-is-the-answer @derisiveharridan @brookeisanerd @reeeeeaaper @aquilacalvitium @bokunobandicoot @authordrive @squishy-anon @imnotcameraready
“You look upset.” Shane sits on the couch, legs apart, leant forward smirking up at Joey who stands a few feet away, arms crossed, and scowling.
“He’s supposed to be dead.”
Shane chuckles, shaking his head. “If you merely wanted him dead you could have killed him yourself. You came to me, so you wanted more. Frankly, I think I’ve given you a masterpiece.”
“You’ve given me a trainwreck.” The air around Joey chills as he steps forward, jabbing an accusing finger at the stupid ass sat before him. “I nearly died in that Dragon’s Keep!!”
“Demon,” Shane corrects, “But not only did you not die, you lived to see your target suffer a devastating loss.” He shrugs sitting back again. “Big win!”
Hands on the collar of Shane’s jacket catch him off guard as Joey drags him to his feet and rages in the idiot’s face, “I am done with your fucked up game! I want him dead!”
Out of sight, the Detective stands, his brother’s droid, Léo, immediately behind him, one arm looped around Dirk’s chest to hold him still, while the other covers Dirk’s mouth to keep him quiet. They’ve heard every word and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who they’re referring to. Dirk offers no resistance as the droid quietly starts to pull him away.
The air out in the street is stale and still, and the whole town feels empty and hollow, like an empty stage in the moments before the actors get into position. Given the chaos and mayhem that they’ve witnessed tonight, it’s a harrowing and haunting contrast that sends shivers through them as the Detective and the droid stomp across the dirt..
“Where are we going?”
Léo has Dirk by the wrist, leading him straight down the main street. Though his steps are purposeful and strangely confident, Léo doesn’t have a clue where he’s going. Away, he supposed. To be honest, that’s the only real direction that matters at this point. Towards Mare would be a bonus so the three of them could pull together a plan to get out, but for Dirk’s ensured survival, ‘away’ will have to do for now.
“Somewhere safe.”
“And where’s that?” Dirk digs in his heels a little, scraping through the dirt as he resists, but the droid’s grip only tightens and his step doesn’t falter. “Where exactly are you taking me? Where in this messed up night-?”
Léo comes to a sudden stop, turning on Dirk and tugging on his wrist as he speaks calm, yet firmly.
“The game is rigged! They want you dead! Away from them,” he vaguely gestures towards the safe zone they’d left behind with his free hand, “is safe enough for now.”
A visceral growl rips through the air, and the very ground beneath them shakes. They freeze. That did not sound friendly. From the end of the street, in the direction they’d been heading a sickly green smoke oozes between the buildings, pouring in from nowhere and crawling along the street. Every nook, every crevice, every space is overwhelmed by the fog as it swallows everything in it’s path.
The next game must have begun. That’s definitely not good.
Before Dirk can react, Léo grabs him by the lapel of his jacket, not even waiting before he starts to drag them both to the nearest building. The Detective struggles a little by instinct, but as he catches a second glance of the fog, he instead just follows. It could be mustard gas, maybe some kind of acidic properties, so it’ll eat his skin as soon as it touches him. It could just as easily be green fog but given what he’s seen tonight, Dirk isn’t sure it’s something he’d wager his life on.
Léo all but throws Dirk through the door before slamming it shut behind him, leaning against it, hoping against the odds that a closed door will be enough to keep them safe. Free of the droid’s hold, Dirk brushes himself down and looks at where they’ve ended up.
Apparently they’re in some olde style sweet store. A counter lines the shop while the shelves behind them have various sweets in jars. Humbugs, rosy apples, sherbert lemons. They’ve clearly not been touched in a very long time, cobwebs strung between most of them, while inches of dust have setled around them. If this place was ever a functioning business, it’s long been abandoned.
Ignoring the suspicious insects that swarm in one of the jars, and some vague disembodied scuttling behind the counter, Dirk moves to the side of the window, clearly able to see through the grimy glass, but also able to disappear out of it’s view should the need arise.
The mist passes by without issue, not even a wisp coming through the gaps around the door or the in-no-way-airtight window, and continues down the street towards the other end of town. Once it reaches the border, the entire town is swathed in a sickly green glow.
After a few moments, a nearby streetlight flickers into life, eventually able to throw out a strong red beacon of light that cuts straight through the fog. Where the light hits the floor, a large red circle is visible. Then the next one along powers up, then the next, and the next. Before long, the street is lined with red circles, each approximately ten to twelve feet apart.
“I have a bad feeling about this.” Dirk mutters. He may not know what’s going on right now, but he can figure it out. Any minute now, some creature will burst onto the scene with the singular intent of claiming the victim of the next game, and probably the best way to get around it will be by using those red lights for a safe pathway.
He glances to the door, the droid still holding it shut, possibly not able to see exactly what is going on from where he is. Dirk should probably tell him. Though before he does, there is one thing he really needs to know.
“Why did you kill him?”
Léo blanks, turning at the strange question. It’s a little out of a nowhere but given the inherent curiosity of humans not entirely. “You really think this is the time for that question?”
“That’s not an answer.” Dirk turns to look back out the window again, purposefully avoiding the droid’s gaze. It’s still really creepy how much like him Léo looks.
“One of you had to die.”
“No we didn’t.” Strong but firm, leaving little room for argument, yet the droid rolls his eyes, seemingly unbothered by the confidence.
“This entire world is built around the purpose of murder. One of you had to die.” He speaks with just as much confidence and conviction, but with a touch of familiar pig-headedness and a dash of arrogance. So much like Lucas. “Besides, Mad wanted me to shoot him.”
“Mad?”
A loud shout from the streets draws their attention outside once more.
At the end of the street, towards the part of town they’ve not really reached yet, stands a figure. Too human to be a monster, and half-carrying another person with them as they slog through the fog. Whoever’s being carried is unfamiliar, but the other one...
“Abe?”
Dirk stares in disbelief before he rushes for he door, easily pulling the droid away despite his protests, tearing it open and rushing out into the fog.
Running out into the toxic-looking mist is pretty high on the list of Dirk’s Dumbest Ideas, but the thought of a friendly face is too much to ignore. A break, that’s all he wants, one little break in this face of monstrosities and nightmares, one chance, that’s all he’s hoping for as he screeches to a stop in the beacon of the nearest streetlight.
His heart is hammering in his chest, his stomach in his throat and eyes sore and tired as he blinks furiously. They...they’re gone….but he could’ve sworn-
Dirk’s thoughts are interrupted by Léo’s shout, the Detective quickly turning to see Safiya, not ten feet away, stood in the soupy green mist with one hand firmly gripping the droid’s arm while the other is tightly grasped over it’s mouth.
“Safiya? What are you-?”
“You’re a smart kid Dirk.” Léo is tense in her grip, eyes wide as one hand tries desperately to pry her hand away from his mouth, but she doesn’t seem even remotely bothered by his efforts, “Think about it.”
Dirk stares, torn between the urge to tear the droid from her grip, and the instinct to stay safe in the red light. He didn’t get this far to fall...at the last….wait...
This night has been filled with so many games, so much death, destruction and loss. How many times has he watched two people leave, for only one to return? Everyone, every single person has done it once. Except Joey...Shane...and Safiya. None of them have faced a death challenge. Not one of them had to fight for their life and come out the victor. They’ve always been safe, spared the danger of the challenges. How did he never notice that? Which means-
“You’re a part of this.”
His voice is surprisingly calm as he runs a hand down his face, his heart racing. Four survivors in this Game, and the only person he can reasonably trust at this point is the droid who shot his brother who isn’t even a player! It’s a lot to process and he can feel the pressure building at the base of his chest as he fights to hold it together, just a little longer. He’ll be of no use if he breaks right now.
The side of Safiya’s mouth quirks at the corner, gently pulling into a soft yet somehow still sinister smirk. “I’m a part of something, but I don’t want you dead.”
“Then what do you want?”
“What I came here for. But I need bait.”
Dirk shivers, like someone just walked over his grave, and Léo tries harder to twist himself free from her grip as he realises what she means. The Detective just stares .
“...oh.”
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dankmemeuniversity · 6 years
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hey friends. the other day i stupidly typed a long post on the app and of course since @staff and @support dont give any shits that the app literally doesnt function, i lost the entire post. it wouldnt post it, i tried over and over again, and i forgot to copy the entire thing before posting (like i normally do on mobile because i expect it not to function) so i lost the entire post. because of course it doesnt save it as a draft, why would it do something that makes sense and is functional? 
anyway, i didnt make this post to trash on the app. i just wanted to give one last update before i start posting memes again. im sad that i lost the post because it was so nice and had pictures but this will have to do for now since i dont have pics on my computer. 
we got Sherberts ashes back in a beautiful wooden box and my parents have him sitting on a shelf next to our dogs Zeus and Hera that we put to sleep in 2007. i still tear up when i talk about him but its so much easier to accept now. my other cat, tiger is doing better too. he was grieving a lot but my parents say he is better now.
also Ocho turned 5 months old on 9.4 and we officially had him for a month on 9.8. he’s getting so big but hes still severely underweight so we’re doing everything we can to bulk him up. hes feisty and playful and acts totally normal. the only other concern is blood in his stool. we took him to the vet to get his booster shot that he was due for but his regular vet wasnt there so we didnt get to see her. the vet he saw, though, didnt seem too concerned about the blood but we’re hoping and praying that his stool will harden and wont have blood in the very near future. 
and most importantly, i wanted to say thank you. thank you to every single one of you that replied to/reblogged my post about sherbert, that sent me messages to my inbox, and that sent me messages through chat. you have absolutely no idea how much it helped me cope and how happy it made me feel that i have such nice internet friends. i love you all so much. i have already responded to the chat messages but im going to take the next couple days to respond to my inbox messages privately. since i dont want to spam my blog with asks, im only going to be responding to the people who didnt send them on anon (that way i can respond privately without posting) but i want all of you anons to know that i appreciate it more than you know. you guys are amazing.
memes will be returning sometime between today and tomorrow and unfortunately, so will ads. ive basically been living in the vets office for the past month and im sure you can imagine the toll that has taken on my bank account. also, my apartments raised the pet fee from 250 for one pet to 500 for one pet and i didnt know that until after i got ocho. they never sent out a notice or anything so ive unexpectedly spend another 250 that i planned on using for rent. i just dont want you guys thinking im over here rolling in dough and still posting ads. the ads really help me with stuff like paying utilities or my 30/month pet fee. it makes it easier to pay my outrageous rent because im not worried about all the other small bills that i have. i know you guys understand but i wanted to explain for all the new people that have followed. 
once again, thank you so much for being such great support for me over the past month while i needed a break. i cant wait to start posting memes again. <3 
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thesffcorner · 5 years
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Her Royal Highness
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Her Royal Highness is the second book in the Royals series, written by Rachel Hawkins. It’s more of a companion novel, following entirely different characters, and though I personally would recommend reading Prince Charming first, you don’t have to. This book follows Amelia or Millie, a 17 year old girl from Texas, who gets a scholarship to MacGregorston, a Private College in Scotland. Once she gets there, she realizes that in addition to dealing with the new timezone, weather and school system, she also has to deal with her roommate: Her Royal Highness Flora, the Princess of Scotland. The reason I say you should read Prince Charming first, is because you might be a little confused as to what kind of parallel universe this is where Scotland has a Queen; well in this book series both England and Scotland have royal families, and we follow the Scottish one, which is really like our real world British Royal Family. This whole series for me comes with a caveat; if you are like me, and you are not interested or have mixed to negative opinions on royalty, the British royal family or tax draining monarchy in general, you still might like this series, because shockingly, though at no point condemning the royals, Hawkins is at least critical of them, and there are many instances in the book where actual important things are discussed. It also helps, that in both books, the lead characters isn’t obsessed or even interested in royalty; both Daisy, and here Millie are very oblivious and sometimes outright hostile to the glamour and strangeness of that kind of living, which presented itself as a nice ‘straight man’ to the still very patriarchal, very imperialist royal family. So let’s talk about this book. Unlike the first book, which focused more on Daisy getting to know the family, lifestyle, and her relationship with her sister, here the focus is the relationship between Millie and Flora, and their gradual move from enemies, to friends to lovers. As such I ended up really enjoying their romance. Hawkins excels at enemies to lovers; there was a perfect amount of time devoted to each section of the relationship, and at no point did I think that things were moving to fast or dragging. Even when Millie and Flora and Millie are ‘enemies’, their rivalry is mostly just petty, like speaking loudly on the phone, putting tape to separate their dresser, or insulting each other with supremely dorky insults. The parts where Flora does do things that are extreme, and could put Millie into physical danger or in danger of expulsion/losing her academic scholarship, are treated as serious events, and Flora is always called out on her behavior and suffers consequences. Since this book is so focused on the characters, I’ll talk about them first. Let’s start with the supporting cast: Sakshi, Perry, Sherbert and Sebastian. Sebastian and Sherbert we met in the last book; Seb is Flora’s twin brother, and Sherbert is part of his friend group, a boy who is dating the Crown Prince of Greece (I think. Or maybe he’s just the son of a wealthy Greek businessman). If you’ve read book 1, there is not much difference between how Seb is there, and how he’s here; he’s his usual charming self, a bit of a hot mess, and his little scuffle at the end of the last book doesn’t seem to have done much damage to his reputation, or even his relationship with his siblings. I really liked his and Flora’s dynamic; they are very similar, except as it tends to go, Seb is allowed to get away with a lot more things than Flora is, which I felt was both intentional and frustrating. They are however ready to throw down for each other at any point, and I liked that Seb got to be the one who makes Millie see the error of her actions in the end. Perry was not a character that had a lot to do; he hates the school because his parents forced him to go there, and he has a crush on Sakshi. There were some funny bits with him, like ordering the wrong kind of beer for Seb out of spite, or his conversation with Sakshi about whether he’s been gay the whole time they had been friends. Overall he was the gloomier foil to Sakshi’s bubbly, larger than life personality. Sakshi was my absolute favorite character. I need the next book to be about her, she was amazing. She is extremely feminine and sharp, while also being physically imposing at 6ft tall. I loved her friendship with Flora, loved how supportive and genuine she was with her, and I even enjoyed her ‘project’ to ‘fix’ Seb, so she can marry a prince and have the biggest philanthropy/charity platform in the UK, which falls away when it turns out that he’s a Harts fan. Even her being an Arsenal fan couldn’t deter my love for her character. As for our leads, let’s start with Flora. I liked Flora a lot; at first she’s the typical mean girl/snobby girl, but it quickly becomes clear that she’s not just catty; she’s willing to throw down and cause some physical and property damage, in her bid to get expelled. She has a very strained relationship to her mother, and to the expectations put on her by royal life. I found this very interesting, and I wish it was explored more; as is the book just doesn’t have time to properly address this relationship, mostly because we are seeing it from Millie’s perspective. I liked that Flora was the more active and willing participant in the relationship between her and Millie, and their banter was hilarious. The things I didn’t like about Flora, like her stubbornness and her willingness to disregard the well being of others for her own personal goals were addressed in the book, by the other characters and she changes by the end, to be less flippant. Millie was the character I liked least. It’s not that I hated her, but she was a pale comparison to Daisy who I related to a whole lot more, and found just simply funnier. Millie was a bit grating, very much a goody two shoes; she’s never broken a rule, she’s obsessed with geology, she only cares about school, avoids conflict. She also has this almost… fetishistic fascination with Scotland? Like she’s obsessed with Scotland, but doesn’t actually know anything about Scottish history or politics other than the most stereotypical things like Braveheart? She does improve significantly, and I like that for a change it was actually her that messed things up. When her fight with Flora begun, I really didn't understand what her big deal was; I still don’t understand why it matters whether Flora broke up with her ex, or her ex did; Flora not wanting to be just a secret to her ex is a perfectly valid reason to break up with someone, regardless. Whatever went down in her previous relationship has no bearing on her current one, and Millie blindly believing what a trashy tabloid writes was really dumb, for someone who’s portrayed as otherwise a sharp and sensible character. The only thing I did agree with Millie on, was Flora paying her tuition. Flora shouldn’t have done it at all, let alone done it without consulting and asking permission from Millie. We get hints on this class inequality between the girls, but it should have been a clearer examination on how their opposing view on money clashes. Flora is a princess, money means nothing to her (even though her money come from unfair taxes, and seizure of lands that should be public property, but this is a kids book, so maybe we can ignore socialism for a bit), so paying for someone she cares about it just that; a nice gesture. But when you don’t have money, or have very little, like Millie, every cent someone gives you feels like you are now in their debt, and you may never be able to repay it. It could have been a genuinely complex argument, but like Flora’s relationship to her mother, the book doesn’t devote enough time to it. The ending too felt a little rushed; while it is in Millie’s character to rush into things and do self-sabotaging things for a person they love (like not wanting to go to Scotland because she has a girlfriend), it still wasn’t great. It doesn’t help that the book just ends; we don’t get any resolution on things like Millie and Jude, Flora and her mom, or the scholarship. Regardless of the flaws, I still think this book is super enjoyable and fun. I really loved reading it, and I think if you liked the first book, or even if you just want a cute sapphic love story, this is the book for you. I will definitely read whatever else Rachel Hawkins has published because she’s convinced me that she’s a really solid, very funny author.
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