#he has been mute ALL DAY i can’t say i’m not sus

[tuituipupu]

käärijä silence = the oncoming threat of käärijä violence.

#he has been mute ALL DAY i can’t say i’m not sus #i just know he’s gonna drop 50M things on us all at once and I’m tryma be cool about it #it auto corrected that to trauma and…. yes. #käärijä #anyway goodnight

[nojey]

impostor

quackity x streamer!reader

genre: fluff, crack

word count: 2,312 (my most so far 😳)

warning(s): (y/s/n) = your streamer name, (n/n) = nickname, cursing

synopsis: having a flirty personality was your nature, but when you use that to make a certain boy in your among us lobby blush, where does that leave you?

today was the day you were going to play among us with some of your friends, and new people you haven’t met yet. you were beyond excited to meet new people because that meant new friends, and new friends means new people to stream with. you hadn’t been able to make new friends recently because people always thought your flirty personality was too much to deal with and gave them mixed signals whether you wanted something more than just being friends. you genuinely didn’t have those intentions and it was something you were lowkey insecure about. your friends had assured you that it wasn’t your fault and it was just your personality but the new people you wanted to be friends with told you otherwise.

you had been streaming for the past 30 minutes waiting for someone to send the code in discord. talking to your chat about the lobby and who would be in it, “um the only people i know for sure are gonna be in it is poki, rae, sykkuno, corpse, and bretman. but rae did tell me that there would be some minecraft streamers,” you said lifting your eyebrows in a suggestive manner. your chat knew about you simping for minecraft streamers and they were excited for you, some of them warning you not to fall for one because they’ll just break your heart and flirt with each other. 

you heard the notification from discord coming from rae, sending the among us code and you immediately started up the game. waiting a few seconds, you put in the code and saw you were one of the last people to join. you entered the vc and heard them talking. “hi everyone!” you said in a cheery voice, smiling as they all replied with a greeting. “i’m (y/s/n), but you guys can call me (n/n)” you said. waiting for everyone else you weren’t familiar with to introduce themselves. everyone did and you figured out that you were playing with not only poki, rae, sykkuno, corpse, and bretman but also dream, george, and karl. “who else are we waiting for?” you asked, noticing the 9/10 on the bottom of the among us screen. as you asked that you heard a very loud scream coming from your headphones. you winced at the sound but soon heard a “i have arrived!” coming from the same voice that did that very loud screech. “nice of you to finally join us quackity,” karl said. you recognized the voice as soon as you heard him say ‘i have arrived’ and your eyes went big. you muted yourself in the discord call and talked to your chat. “holy shit chat, it’s quackity. like quackity the guy i’ve been SIMPING over for the past few months, holy shit.” you said, very surprised to see your favorite minecraft streamer in the same among us lobby as you. 

you unmuted and heard rae say, “surprise shawty!” and you immediately knew that she planned this. “who are we surprising?” george asked. “(y/n) is a very big fan of one of you guys.” poki said in a teasing voice. “oh who is it?” dream asked, sounding very curious. “it’s actuall-” you cut sykkuno off. “ah ha ha, *cough* *cough* *cough*, you guys, let’s start the game. ah ha my chat has been waiting for like an hour now.” “(y/n) bitch, you trying to change the subject?” bretman asked you. “oo now i’m curious too.” quackity said. you started blushing and your chat started teasing you. “mm i have no idea what you’re talking about bret, i just don’t want my lovely chat to keep waiting for this game. they’ve been looking forward to it as soon as they knew you would be in it. you know? bretman rock? singer, songwriter, actor, actress, athlete, activist, a scientist on the motherfucking side, the star of crystal of the day, and a coconut connoisseur. the baddest bitch out.” you said, hopefully distracting him from the previous topic. “okay bitch, just because you know i’m the baddest in this lobby; you’re off the hook.” everyone started laughing and as soon as it died down, dream screamed, “let’s get this game started!” rae then started the game and your adventure began.

the screen in front of you displayed “crewmate” and you were off to do your first task. you met up with sykkuno at the swipe card task and said “hey sykkuno!” he got startled and said, “oh! hey (y/n), swiping your card too?” “yessir! you know sykkuno, my chat always tells me to tell you that you should stop covering your smile whenever you laugh or smile in general and i agree with them. you have a very nice smile and you should show the world your pretty face.” you smiled. he laughed awkwardly, “oh thanks, (y/n)! i’ll- i’ll think about that. well. i’m off to my next task, bye (y/n)!” you bid goodbye to him as well and made your way toward electrical to find dream there alone. “oo dream, did you just hop out of that vent?” you asked, very much joking because he was on the 1 2 3 task, quite far away from the vent. “(y/n). are you serious? i am so far away from the vent! and you’re gonna sus me?” he said, faking offence. “well i don’t know. you do look sus just standing there for so long.” you said, putting up with the bit you guys were doing. “well what if you’re the one that hopped out of the vent? i had my task open and didn’t see you come in, why don’t you just kill me huh, (y/n)? kill me (y/n)!” you guys both started laughing and while you were in your fit of laughter, a body was called. 

“oo what are you guys laughing about?” george asked. “oh nothing. dream was just peer pressuring me to kill him.” he laughed even harder and said, “i was not peer pressuring you! you were sussing me and i was just sussing you just as much!” you laughed a little more and commented, “you know dream, you have a really pretty voice, it’s very comforting.” “oh my god! is dream the guy you’re a big fan of?” karl asked, thinking he made the biggest discovery on earth. “it actually isn’t” poki said, making karl quiet down. 

“anyways. who the fuck killed bretman?!” you asked, lowering your voice to sound more intimidating and finally looking at the screen to see bretman dead. your friends started laughing and corpse said, “i last saw him in o2 with quackity.” which made you a little embarrassed but you kept up with your act. “quackity, i swear to god if you killed the baddest bitch in this lobby you’re dead first whenever i’m imposter.” faking the same deep voice. quackity had started staggering his breath into his mic but finally let out, “i left him there and went to comms, it wasn’t me i swear!” and started to fake cry which made you let out a rambunctious laugh. “okay, okay. i believe it.” you said, still giggling a bit. “the thing is, i found his body in o2 and you were the last to see him, quackity.” rae said, still sussing quackity. “well, where was everyone?” you asked, hoping to get some sus off of him. “i know dream was with me in electrical.” sykkuno was in cafeteria, george and karl were in reactor, rae was obviously in o2 where she found bretman’s body, corpse was in lower engine, quackity in comms and poki was in admin. none of you really had any other susses other than quackity but you all decided to skip since it was only one kill and someone definitely could’ve vented into nav or something.

you started humming the tune to jesus in la by alec benjamin while on your way to electrical to finish your download. you then ran into corpse and started a conversation with him. “hi hi corpse!” and he responded with his signature, “what up baby” you giggled and replied, “my chat goes crazy every time you say that,” he laughed and asked, “if i say it more often do you think they’ll donate?” you laughed very loudly and said, “if they do, i’ll give you half of the donos” you guys both laughed and walked out of electrical to admin together and stayed together majority of the round till the lights got called. “corpse we have to stick together and don’t get gotted.” you said. but somehow along the way to electrical you lost him and just went straight to fix the lights. once you got there, sykkuno was already standing at the light panel but not fixing the lights. “sykkuno, why aren’t you fixing the lights?” you asked him. “oh i was, i just got here, haha.” he said, playing it off. as soon as you hit the last light switch, a body was called and it was dream. you looked to see that corpse and george also died.

“you guys kill bretman then you kill corpse?! who is the one to come face my wrath!” you said with an angry face that chat would probably screenshot or clip. everyone in the lobby started laughing and you held your serious face. “i’m not joking. i was with corpse until the lights got called then we got separated in storage. once i find out which one of you killed them, you better sleep with one eye open.” everyone started laughing even harder and even you cracked a small smile hearing all of them. “well i hate to say it but, i did see sykkuno last with dream.” poki said. “wha-what do you mean? i was in electrical fixing the lights right (y/n)? and i left dream near the beginning of the round” sykkuno replied. “i only saw you once i got there and you were taking a long time to fix them.” you said, hoping that you caught one of the killers. “but i told you that i just got there a few seconds before you.” he said in disbelief, thinking telling you that would help him. “you could’ve lied, sy,” you said, pulling out the nickname you had for him. “what?! me lie to you? i would never.” he said. “mm, he’s lying! he raises his voice a bit when he lies.” rae said, pointing out one of his tales. “that is true.” poki said, agreeing with what rae pointed out. “i can’t believe you would lie to me, sy!” you said. “just for that, i’m voting you.” you continued. “but we’re on 7! we don’t vote on 7,” rae said. “oops.” you said.

karl, and poki all voted with you on voting sykkuno out, leaving rae and quackity voting to skip but he ended up getting sent out of the airlock because sykkuno voted himself, thinking everyone would skip. you had hoped you really did get one of the impostors.

by this time you ended up just going by yourself and finishing your tasks. you haven’t seen anyone so you decided to go to security to spy on cams. no one was passing through until you saw quackity and he entered security and you both started talking. “hi quackity!” you said, very enthusiastic to be talking to your favorite mc streamer. “hi (y/n). how’s it going?” he asked. “well i can’t find anyone, no one has passed by the cameras other than you.” you said with your voice dripping in disappointment. “do you think we should go out and look for someone?” you asked. “no, we should just stay here and talk! we haven’t talked at all the whole game.” he said. “mm that’s true. so did you finish all your tasks?” you asked him. “no, BUT i do have a question for you ms. (y/n).” he said. you heart started beating faster, very anxious to hear what he had to ask. you hummed for him to continue and he asked, “who’s the guy you’re simping for?” you felt like your heart stopped but what you didn’t see was that he was blushing and reading his chat. “chat! i’m not simping! (y/n) is just very attractive, okay? there’s nothing i can do about that!” he said making a ‘>:(’ face, thinking he was muted. “you think i’m attractive?” you asked very shyly. “i- uh- what do you mea- i have no- what?” he stuttered and immediately killed you out of embarrassment. your screen then showed “defeat” and you gasped very loudly. 

“quackity! what the fuck? i fucking knew it was you sykkuno!” everyone started laughing and you heard a ding coming from discord. you saw it was a private message to you from quackity.

quackity: yeah, i do think you’re really attractive ;)

“quackity, you simp! i can’t believe you killed me because of that. you could’ve just told me. i think you’re really attractive too and i’d like to get to know you off stream.” you said, giving a big smile only your chat could see. “awe! (y/n)’s smiling really big! look at their stream!” rae cooed. you covered your face and heard a dono for $50 from quackity, how about we go on a date ;). “i’d like that quackity.” you said in the vc call. “you can call me alex.” he said, smiling and blushing, and his chat teasing him.

-------

after hearing you and dream flirt in the meeting, quackity was determined to kill dream out of jealousy. once he did he heard you and corpse in electrical, staying a distance away and following you both but close enough to hear you and see you with his impostor vision. he called lights and made sure you wouldn’t be able to see him once he killed corpse.

#quackity #quackityhq #quackity x reader #quackity x streamer!reader #quackity imagine #quackity fluff #quackity crack #mcyt #mcyt x reader #mcyt imagine #mcyt fluff #mcyt crack #dream smp #dream smp x reader #dream smp imagine #dream smp fluff #dream smp crack #impostor quackity

[stylistiquements]

The Sorcerer pt. 1

Corpse Husband x gn!reader

Reincarnation AU | Summary :

The same candle lights up on Corpse’s desk every time you are reborn and turn 23. He has been looking for you during centuries but this time you might be closer than anticipated.  {Playlist}

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏 : 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

You’re about to blow your 23rd candles and Corpse is about to experience the consequences of it. Somehow, something about your rebirth is different this time.

☾ Words : 6009.

☾ Warnings : angst, mention of death (only suggested and not specific), grieving, swearing 

Masterlist | Next 

What does it mean to be a sorcerer in 2021? Corpse wonders as he chooses an outfit for his black bean character, lightly tapping his fingers in a crafted rhythm against his dark wooden desk. Nothing, really. The modern days turned his kind into a groundless concept, legendary creatures at best and it’s truly a shame when you think about it.

“Alright, are you ready?” Corpse asks as he moves his mouse above the “start” button and projects everyone into a new round.

“I won’t forgive you like I did last round,” Karl warns Corpse, dash of amusement in his tone.

“Sure,” he scoffs and the devious ghost of a smile shines on his lips when the bloody word “imposter” appears above his virtual pink cat hat.

Sorcerers used to be the rulers of this world and the most famous of well-hidden secrets; no one talked about it yet everyone knew. You just had to be here, respect and adoration followed their every move. People from all horizons went out of their way to meet them in hope of witnessing a miracle.

Oh, how the tables have turned now. They didn’t have to hide their face back then and it all went the harmonious way until a certain day when their fate met a tragic outcome. The day when life took a turn for the hidden.

Corpse is somehow retired now. Maybe that’s why he started doing youtube in the first place; because the craving of being needed had to be fulfilled one way or another. Or maybe because the thrill of life has been gone for so long he had to try everything to fill the void in hope of feeling a drip of something again. The weariness of a mere life stiffened in his rib cage from time to time, preventing a proper breathing.

He could have still been able to practice his magic facelessly -he wouldn’t be the first one to do so after all- but it seems crazy, surreal even, for him to picture being so public about such a heavy little secret nowadays. He found comfort in the concealed, in the invisible so long ago.

See, that’s the most important reason why Corpse is who he is today but stopping the explanations there would be neglecting the truth. Corpse would, but I'm more honest than he is.

Somehow, he believes a little too seriously that a kid’s app was designed to ruin his life. He feels this rotting taste that burns his tongue every time he thinks about it, he always talks about it with great passion; as if one minute videos could compete against the thundering energy that travels from his veins to the tip of his fingers. Witchcraft tiktok got the last bit of his ancestral pride and that’s a damn shame.

His character ambles around the hostile corridors dipped in yellow light, looking for a prey to slice in half. He doesn’t have a plan yet but he sure knows how to improvise by now. Corpse deems that he’s rather good at it. He meets Tina in O2. She’s wandering around, running like a headless chicken. What if he took that expression a little too seriously? Alas, he can’t wrap his mind around the idea of the unforgivable and she escapes his reach. Corpse’s nose wrinkles, better luck next time.

His fictional blood thirst gets stronger when he hops inside a vent and observes Rae’s red character doing her tasks. Corpse knows what comes next, it’s inevitable. A hint of excitement and nervousness hatch on his chest.

At the same time on the other side of the country, the ones you love are carrying a big cake to your table. It seems so silly and it leaves you slightly embarrassed that people are celebrating the fact that you were born but, somehow, you can’t forbid that smile to reach your ears.

When you look at the cake, a snort escapes your control. Your friends drew a glazed picture of you but you find yourself hoping that there isn’t much resemblance between that Picasso-ish designed cake and your actual face. I mean, except for that particularity your face displays; eyes that don’t match in colors, one green and one hazel, it really just looks like a kid's doodle.

23, what a weird number. It doesn’t sit quite right with you for some reason. 22 is fine, same goes for 24 but 23 … Somehow, it feels like something is either missing or too much. You’re not too sure which one it could be.

The warmth that emanates from the candles is sweet and tickles your chin softly and everyone is singing along the most disastrous birthday wishes. You’re preparing for your wish. What could you need more? You’re a faceless horror narrator on youtube and life is just about good. I mean, there really isn’t much to complain about and that should be enough.

Your mind drifts off for a second, contemplating what the dream life could be about while one of your friends is already complaining about wax getting all over your glazed face. You could wish for material things but they come and go and their meaning is only ephemeral, maybe 23 is about getting more than that.

Ah, found it. You close your eyes. May I find the place where I truly belong. 23 candles are blown in one breath, not a bad performance.

That’s when the candle on Corpse’s desk starts shining a delicate and orange shade.

Corpse doesn’t notice it at first, too impregnated by his hunt, but when the unusual warmth finally informs him of the merry event, he wrestles to keep his mind into the game. His virtual character stands motionless for a second as he mutes his mic and takes his headphones off.

Fuck, not now please.

Somewhere, a new version of the love of his life turned 23. His mind drifts off, wandering near this idea as his eyes meet the flame.

It’s been hundreds of years and that fucking candle kept you hostage of his mind. Because Corpse couldn’t forget about you, he built those walls to provide you from slipping away, from invading too much of his busy mind. It was a compromise he made with himself so he couldn’t reach you entirely and, therefore, miss you completely. Yet, your rebirth leaks through the pores of his brain and past the fences no matter how hard he tries.

Corpse battles to breathe, he tries to get his mind back on the game but somehow his throat is already filling with a dangerously acidic concoction. Maybe that’s why he doesn’t notice immediately the way his fingers start shaking at a painstaking rhythm.

He moves his character around. Left and right. It’s mechanical and meaningless, nothing but a lost cause. Corpse clenches his grip around the mouse, hoping that the unsteadiness would pity him. How much longer can he carry that feeling? It sits on his shoulders and his chest. It tests out his patience, his own resistance to pain.

“Corpse!” Rae shouts wholeheartedly, rooting him out of his spiral. “Where are you?!”

Fuck; he has no ounce of idea of what is happening in real life, too busy going down this familiar and intimate loop once more. He swallows it all, praying that you would spare him some earned mercy. You’re always so cruel, unabashedly sneaking in and taking over his space despite all his efforts.

“I-huh- I’m in medbay, I have scan," he bluffs, hoping that no one would notice the way his voice cracks at the end.

Because if anyone did, he would have to admit that he’s not okay, that he never was and doubts that he ever will be. Just as if conceding the facts would’ve allowed him to feel how flourishing his despair was. There’s this knot inside his throat. It’s painful and he’s so tired. How many times was he left crawling on his bathroom’s floor when his heart fractured a little deeper? He misses you every fucking day but each rebirth brings back more and more longing.

He would love to abandon himself to the aching pleasure of this unsolicited reminiscence but he knows that if he did, you would possess him wholly and never give him back. You plague his mind like a mist that grows thicker and thicker on his lungs. It diffuses everywhere and intoxicates what’s left of him.

“Sure sleepy but that’s bullshit,” Tina whines. “We know it’s Corpse. He’s been sus’ the entire round!”

“He said he had scan, right?” Sean interferes, believing that Corpse is the jester. “Why don’t you give him the benefit of the doubt?”

They’re all waiting for Corpse to step in, to defend himself but he’s no longer here, too busy trying to swallow the emotions that are leaking all over the place. It gnaws him alive, piece by piece and it hurts so fucking much. Will it ever stop?

Silence is convenient, “I voted” badges get pinned on everyone’s chest. His black character falls into the lava, what an ironic metaphor.

“Sorry guys, something came up and I gotta go.” He finally says, hurry in his voice. He doesn’t try to hide it. In fact, he can’t.

“Are you s…” Rae’s voice gets cut abruptly when Corpse quits the call without further notice.

Corpse knows what’s next, when his head gets overcrowded by feelings and his heart too empty. It’s ugly, it’s messy and oh how he wishes it would be different this time.

The room is spinning from the crumbs of your sweet face and the trickle of your voice that drips through his ears as if you were still here. He clings onto that distorted and stained picture as if it was the ultimate proof that you were real. Were you even real once ? Remembering feels like repeating a word over and over again: with time, it loses its meaning. It wasn’t you he remembered, Corpse figured it out a long time ago. You weren’t there anymore.

The thought of it drives him crazy. He wishes he could get rid of that fucking candle, constant reminder of your rebirth away from him, constant reminder of the defeat he has to endure every time you turn 23 and you’re still not by his side. He has been looking for you everywhere for hundreds of years, from the biggest capitals to the most secluded parts of this world, without a single hint of your existence. You’re his greatest failure and he can’t, he won’t stand that.

Corpse grabs the candle and it collides with the floor with a thud that tangles with his raw voice. His chest moves heavily. It's scattered and in discord and there is this distorted gaze on his face when he remembers that the candle cannot be shattered. It’s this unsolicited spark of self-awareness that brings him closer to reality. Fuck. What the fuck is he doing? Corpse finally lost his damn mind. His hands wander uncontrollably in his hair and he looks around frantically for a second, trying to remember how to survive.

Corpse’s head is pressuring him, rushing him to turn off his computer and spill the words that are stuck on the back of his tongue on a piece of paper. That grip is unforgivable and unclear but he starts writing as if it was the only thing left to do, maybe it is. It feels like survival instinct at this point, it feels like the last attempt to collect the pieces of himself you left behind.

Dear you,

Happy birthday, wherever you are in this world. Another letter is about to join the pile. How many are there already? I wouldn’t know. I stopped counting since it made me sick.

As every time, I hope it’s the best birthday you have ever had. I remember the twenty-third birthday we spent together as if it were yesterday. I can no longer recall the way your eyes wrinkled under your bright smile or the sound of your echoing laughter but I do remember that warm feeling inside my chest, the pain in my cheeks from laughing with all my heart. How pleasant was it to be able to live it all with you? To be able to embrace you, to breathe you, to see you. Forgive me, my love, for I am no longer capable of picturing anything of you. I wish I could. I wish I could be haunted by a proper ghost, at least, and not just a glimpse of the range of emotions that animated me when you were by my side. All I can remember now is that you felt like a firework and that my eyes never met a prettier human. It’s so truly unfair to think about the fact that no one matters as much as you still do.

I am drifting off, am I? I always tend to do that in those letters. I hope you’re doing well, I really do. Did you spend your birthday with the ones who love you? I hope you’re happy and healthy. It’s the only important thing, or at least that’s what I have learned so far.

I hate those letters, they make me realize how lonely I am. Somehow, it feels like I’m expecting an answer that is never going to arrive.

Fuck. My skin aches from the lack of your touch. I miss you so fucking much. Just tell me what to do. I tried everything and you’re still stuck inside my brain. I’m a sorcerer for fuck’s sake, one of the most powerful beings to have ever existed and yet the concept of one single human defeats me day after day, rebirth after rebirth. I’m a fucking shame for my kind. I hate you. I love you so very much. Happy birthday.

Yours truly, Corpse Husband

The paper is stained by the storm that has been building up in Corpse's mind for hours. The letters are deformed now. Look at the mess you just made. He throws the letters away, where he can no longer see it and brings his knees to his chest, resting his head between his legs. He feels like screaming one more time but he’s choking. Sweet and sore agony grips his throat as his veins are burning with thick poison.

Don’t be fooled, Corpse would have been able to cast a spell or two to forget about your existence and spare himself a bit. Yet, it would only erase the last proof he had of you, not his feelings. He would have to bear the burden of a quest he could no longer figure out. He would be left longing for something that no longer existed. As if it wasn’t the case already. He wishes he could sleep, life would be so fucking easier if he could just fall asleep.

A few days have passed since your birthday. The thread between days and nights is thin and confusing and the candle on Corpse’s desk is still radiating with as much energy as the first day.

Corpse’s head is heavy, aching, he wonders if he could still carry it on his shoulders if he wasn’t lying on his bed. That sore body feels like it has been drained from an eagerness that has been growing for too long. Corpse groans, trying to figure out what’s sheets and blankets and what’s limbs, living up to the name he chose for himself.

Every ray of the sun is burning his skin. It leaves his body smelling like heat, he doesn't like that smell. Now, he could just get up and draw the curtains but that laziness is as weary as infiltrated. If only it could rain, maybe it would soothe his nerves and his growing migraine.

After a few minutes of silent fulminations, Corpse finally unlocks his phone and opens his texts one by one just to ignore them. He’s curled up on himself, as if a compressed version of his darkness could help in order to block the light. Sorcerers are supposed to be tied with nature, with every ray of the moon and the sun. His bond with the sun is molded, if not completely doomed to grow untie. Corpse is a sorcerer like no others and that goes without saying.

One text captures his breath and his attention, bringing back some interest into the numbness. It’s coming from you, y/n. Or at least, the “you” from this present life. The “you” who isn’t aware of the past and the “you” Corpse doesn’t know is the one he has been looking for during eternity.

In this life, the two of you aren’t close enough to be friends -and he would never let you take that role- but, by the time of your first Twitter interaction -which consisted of you tweeting emo Sykkuno with tattoo pictures and Corpse replying with a meme that said "If life is a simulation please turn it off", Corpse knew you should be near him at all time. Not too close for you to actually be able to touch him but definitely not too far. It’s peculiar but something that has to be felt, not explained; a primitive hunch so loud it couldn’t be unheard.

His mind is awake again. The plan for today, which consisted of him rotting in his bed, seems compromised right now. Corpse turns to lay on the left side of the bed, where the sheets are cooler. His brows furrow and he sighs heavily as he rubs his eyes with his thumbs.

Corpse really doesn’t know why he’d feel that way in the first place for someone like you. You always seem so organic, radiating, so free in the way you choose to exist. He envies you for being so authentic when all he can afford to do is remain hidden, where no light can really reach him if not to draw a faint shape of his being. No harsh feelings though, it’s just the way he feels about anyone who doesn’t sound fake. There is still a bit of remaining endearment in the way Corpse’s words are thrown at you, you just have to know what to look for.

Now, Corpse trades his horror narrator's advices against some social media help. Those things are bigger than him, he’s too old for that anyway. You think the way he still uses symbols as emojis is charming -no one does that anymore- but Corpse just can’t keep up with today’s slang and way of showing emotions via texts. Kids these days are just too creative with the way they express themselves.

[Hello, Mr Sorcerer, hope you’re doing good. I need your help on something.]

Huh.

He meets your words and his mind gets coated in sweat, frozen blood preventing the next heartbeat from happening. Who told you?

Corpse can’t wrap his mind around the fact that his most precious secret is being exposed with that much negligence. He can count on his fingers the number of people who are aware of his true nature, half of them are actually other magical beings of some sort. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

His head is hammered by thoughts. He thinks he’s screwed, that everyone will know. He can already foresee what is about to come. That’s why there is a bit of fear in the way his eyebrows are arching. His alerted mind screams for him to just throw his phone across the room but his fingers, covered in panic, are faster. The first text he sends is not directed to you, but to Sykkuno, his familiar.

Familiars are to sorcerers what assistants are to magicians. In short -but not limited to- a massive help.

Corpse’s link with Sykkuno transcends the law of words and thoughts. They just understand each other and the way they do, without even having to see each other, is just something that has to be witnessed once in a lifetime. It’s a sort of energy that travels through space, a special connection. It's light and invisible but leaves a warm trail on its way.

However, what doesn’t transcend their bond is the concept of time zone -which Corpse forgot about for a second. Sykkuno is probably asleep right now. Corpse’s panic takes back its race once he realizes he’s on his own and he types:

[Haha, very funny. You know, if you wanted to talk, you just had to say hi :)]

Denial, that will do the trick, right? You can’t be that persistent. Or at least that’s what Corpse hopes when he leaves his phone on an unstable balance on his forehead, waiting for an answer he hopes would spare his mind from yet another issue he has to take care of.

[I knew you’d say that but don’t worry, I promise I won’t snitch,] you reply, lips twitching under a sly smile. [I’m way too afraid of you cursing me or something.]

[Who told you shit like that anyway?]

[I just know someone.]

His expression hardens, that head keeps throbbing harder and harder by the minute. You’re so impetuous and it turns him into an impatient and choleric fog. The topic is too important, crucial and it shows how you truly have no idea what you’re talking about when you act as recklessly as you do.

[Some crazy folk told you about magic and you believed them, huh? Thought you were smarter than that.]

[Dream would be pretty upset if he knew you called him “some crazy folk”.]

Corpse stares numbly at his screen before sitting back on his bed, pulling away from his vision the curly strands that fell down. He throws a bunch of silent curses at the sun which is still attacking him, if not even more now. He types a few words but erases them in a snap, repeating the process once or twice more. Now he has to send another text, this one is for Dream : “we need to talk.”

What a weird day.

Questions, Corpse has so many of them but he can’t stop shaking his head with confusion. He had no idea you knew Dream. Why would Dream reveal something so critical as Corpse’s identity? Why would another sorcerer send you his way? That’s not how things are done unless it’s something they deem they wouldn’t be able to handle and there’s really a few things Dream wouldn’t be able to do. Corpse hesitates for second, fingers fidgeting in the air. He doubts that he would ever be capable of doing something Dream can’t do but does it really matter when, right now, you’re holding information you should never be holding in the first place?

[Feeling like trading secrets under the full moon?] You outbid. It’s always so tempting to tease Corpse when he sounds like a grumpy old man.

[A sincere fuck you.]

[That’s very rude, Mr Sorcerer.]

The way you avoid providing any sort of explanation grows in his mind like weeds that need to be ripped off. Really, from all the good timing in the world, you had to choose the worst one. But there’s the faintest hint of a smile on his lips when he does the math and realizes that, if you wanted to use that secret to your advantage, you would have done it by now. A slow relief that softens his headache. Also, Corpse is well aware that, as annoying as you can get, he can’t refuse you a thing.

[Fine, tell me what you need.]

[So I keep seeing the same number again and again and your name keeps appearing in my head at random times. Still don’t get the correlation but I know there is one. I wanna know the number’s meaning and how I can get rid of you.]

Corpse huffs, he’d like to know that himself. He’s about to laugh it off when he reads the text one more time. Something about it is mysterious enough to pique his curiosity. You mentioned his name, it bothers him. Not that he doesn’t appreciate you thinking about him but because it sounds odd enough to be something related to magic in one way or another. There’s this mix of excitement and apprehension that fills the pit of his stomach and now half of a smile is embellishing his lips. This buzzing sound in his brain, maybe it’s the final signal that he should start practicing magic again, the final signal his life will feel thrilling again.

[Call you in 5. This is a consultation by the way, I’m not doing this for free.]

[Fine, you rat.] You answer with a victorious smile.

Corpse’s words linger in the air. It’s smooth like velvet -you could almost touch it if you pictured it hard enough- and it’s soothing in some way. It’s deep mumbles and bits of light chuckles and a little magic. You’re spinning slowly on your chair, playing with strands of your hair. There’s a different tone in Corpse’s voice. He sounds tired and it’s mixed with something else you can’t really pinpoint. For the best or the worst, that, has yet to be determined.

“So.” Corpse says, bringing you back to reality. “What’s that number you were talking about?”

“Right. So, I keep seeing the number 5 everywhere. I wake up at 5:55 every morning. When my eyes are looking at the clock, it’s 5:55PM and it extends to absolutely everything.” You faintly slap your palm against your thighs in exasperation.

Corpse is silent for a moment as he tries to collect the bits of knowledge that are still hanging here and there inside his mind. As he expected, the pressure below his left eyebrow makes it hard to think. He really doesn’t get why Dream wouldn’t be able to take care of a matter that sounds so frivolous. It feels like the most important piece of the puzzle is missing , the one that makes the whole picture makes sense.

“Okay, this is not really my specialty but the number 5 is an interesting angel number.” Corpse hums. The word “specialty” echoes. Dream talked about that once and somehow, that’s how you finally realized that Corpse was, indeed, a sorcerer. Not that you wouldn’t believe the information in the first place but there’s a remarkable difference between learning and experiencing. What would be his specialty then?

Dream introduced you to this new veil a couple of months ago and you never fully believed in it before getting involved. Maybe that’s why you never talked about it to anyone. Even now, your skeptical nature always finds its way back to you. He said all sorcerers had specialties and that his was clairvoyance. You don’t really know what that means but you wouldn’t ask too much. Knowledge seems like a curse in that field, or at least that’s what you have learned from Dream’s distressed tone when he talked about the past. He always sounded like a broken record, a little out of tune, as if his soul was still partially stuck back there and maybe that’s why Corpse always sounded that way too.

“Do you believe in guardian angels?” You raise an eyebrow, high voice brimming with confusion.

“Do you?” Corpse pauses, you’re silent for a couple of seconds and he realizes that he won’t get an answer to that. “The number 5 is your guardian angel trying to tell you that things are about to change in your life. In fact, it means that the process already started.”

“You’re kinda scaring me though,” you say as you readjust your sit, nose wrinkling under an almost grimace. You don’t like it, you don’t like their world. It’s not yours, you’re only a human with a mere life and an almost mere job. Sometimes, you hate Dream for letting you on this secret you were now forced to keep. It always felt so two faced.

“You don’t have to be scared, the change is only gonna benefit you.” Corpse’s voice is soft and the way you can tell he believes in the words he is speaking is almost as surprising as reassuring. You can’t help it, you don’t like change. The unknown is called that way for a reason and maybe this reason is the explanation for why it needs to remain that way.

“Sure,” you coy. “What do I do about you? That’s what really interests me.”

He scoffs. Trust me, that’s what interests him the most as well. Yet Corpse knows no answer to that. He hesitates for a second and his eyes wander into the void. Should he let you know that he doesn’t have a clue, that it somehow scares him as much as it intrigues you? It feels like his broken sorcerer ego would crack even more if he did. Maybe he just had to find out before letting you know.

“Are you obsessed with me, y/n?” Corpse winces. Why would he have to travel through sarcasmland(™) to escape the question? His eyes go wide for a second, flickering on corners of his empty room. It’s only fair that he would tease you like you tease him, right?

“You’re just being annoying now,” you mumble, cheeks flushing in a vivid tint of pink and Corpse snorts.

Corpse almost forgot about himself for a second, about that damn candle, but it hits him once the conversation fades away and the static silence is the only thing left. So he gets up, grunts in complaint rooted out by sore muscles, turns his computer on and plays some rain sounds. The melody of droplets hitting the ground is reminding him how to breathe.

“Rain sounds, huh,” you whisper. “You like those.”

Corpse hums and the two of you are left listening to the rain. It tickles your ears pleasantly, so you close your eyes and relax in the back of your chair for a moment. It’s a beautiful disharmony if you really pay attention, just like Corpse is. You feel like the conversation is about to end, you don’t want him to hang up just yet.

“Corpse?” Your voice trails for a second and Corpse hums again. “Why did you decide to be faceless?”

“What did Dream answer to that question?” His tone is interesting, a bit higher than it probably should have been. What came up as conversation modalities turns into a piqued interest.

“He never answered me," you mumble.

“So people like you can’t take advantage of our nature in real life too,” he lies and you can tell by the half chuckle that travels with the answer.

You know you won’t get more from him, way less than you wish you did. Those faceless sorcerers always leave you hanging. They let you in on their little Hannah Montana life but never bear the consequence that is this endless and flowing well of questions. The rain rings heavily through your ears. It’s time for the call to end.

"Goodbye, Mr Sorcerer,” you sing before hanging up.

When the darkness finally surrounds Corpse, he slips into a strange place that greets him with a familiar smell; vanilla and freshly cut grass. The birds are singing. He takes a long inspiration, his body knows before he does. Corpse looks around, trying to let the image of the surrounding setting sink in.

That place seems oddly familiar, yet totally new; a kitchen made of golden wooden walls. It's decorated with an old and distinguished taste. The wooden table is dressed with a pretty blue and red tablecloth. Vases of fresh flowers displayed on parts of the kitchen, dried herbs hanging above the sink in front of the window. It’s dipped in sunlight, too bright to be real. The rays of light are swaying with the shadows of branches which are dancing outside with the wind. Corpse doesn’t mind the light for once, he even closes his eyes for a second to let every pore of his body get soaked in it. God, did he miss that place.

“Honey, I was waiting for you.”

Corpse’s heart jumps a little before clutching harder. He knows who’s here, he knows it’s his unforgettable love and the idea makes him almost want to never open his eyes again. He can feel it, the profound kindness and sweet smiles that are surrounding you like it always have and it makes his eyes burn with tears that are ready to trail down his cheek, sobs jostling inside his throat. Corpse wishes he could just cover you in embraces and kisses but he can’t, he can never do that in those dreams.

Corpse tries his hardest not to let the frustration immerse him in bitterness by controlling his breathing which could get carried away at any moment now. He finally swallows it all to look at you. There’s a significant disappointment on his face when he realizes yours is as blurry as always. He wishes he could just witness this beauty one more time. He doesn’t remember what your face looks like, you’re not real. It’s nothing but a dream and you’re not here.

“I made some cookies for you.” The ghost of you says as it points out a chair that seems to have appeared out of nowhere, inviting him to take a seat as it does the same. “Those are your favorite, remember?”

With a voice sweeter than honey, so bewitching, Corpse’s body works on its own and mimics your gestures. His eyes are frozen on your silhouette. He tries to remember the shades and colors that were once painted on your face. If only he could remember.

“Did you redecorate our kitchen?” Corpse asks as he takes a bite of the cookie.

“Did I?” Your past self wonders out loud. “It’s been so long, I can’t tell.”

The treat tastes as good as it always has, Corpse takes another bite. The silence in the kitchen is delicate, contemplative. Outside, the weather is lovely; white clouds floating above the endless and bright green meadows. Corpse tries to take everything he can from that dream, from the peacefulness he feels now deep inside, and the perfume of your skin, to the sweet voice that caresses his ears. If Corpse could stay here forever, he would.

“Why are you here, my love?” You suddenly ask, forcing Corpse’s attention which he refuses by looking away.

“I wonder if the wind is warm or cool outside, maybe I should check.”

Corpse knows what happens every time you visit his dreams : you end up asking this question, he answers and suddenly he’s alone and you vanished into thin air. The response is always the same; because I miss you. It leaves him feeling lonelier than ever, craving a presence he can no longer be blessed with. Just a little bit longer, please. He blinks rapidly to expel the few tears that are forming in his eyes, so the knot inside his throat wouldn’t become more unbearable than it already is. Corpse is left feeling so desperate and helpless.

In a precipitation he almost can't control, he gets up and walks towards the door. He just wants to feel the wind on his skin. Please, just a bit longer. Corpse is almost at the door when his eyes deform with stupor under the pressure of a hand that grabs his sleeve. His heart stops, he was never able to touch you in a dream before. What changed? There’s a moment of hesitation before his eyes travel from your hand, to your arm, to your neck, to your face and he can no longer swallow his emotions when he dives into your eyes. Your eyes, he can see them.

When Corpse wakes up, wiped out of his dream, his breath is short and sweat pearls down his forehead. He’s in a rush, he remembers something about your face, something important. He knows what to look for now; your eyes, your irises. They don’t match in color. The left is green, the right has a pretty hazel color.

☾ A/N : Welcome on this new AU my friends I’m so excited to have you here with me on this new journey! I hope you liked the first chapter. A big thank you to @moontwinkles for beta reading the chapter and being a big help 💗 How are we feeling about this? Faceless leo men being sorcerers and familiar Sykkuno??? Idk I’m a little too passionate about it. Don’t worry the next chapter won’t be as angsty as this one but I needed to express my thrist for angst lmao anyway let me know what you think! Until next time (ɔˆ ³(ˆ⌣ˆc)

☾ 𝑻𝑨𝑮𝑳𝑰𝑺𝑻 *OPEN* : @open-minded-chip-101​ ; @lochness-butmakeitsexy​ ; @bizarrebibitch​ ; @bellomi-clarke​ ; @ladybismuth​ ; @katyasrussianaccent​ ; @satanhauntedourcats​ ; @owl-llie​ ; @teenloves​ ; @notannis​ ; @mcntsee​ ; @rottenroyalebooks​​ ; @peachdoppi​ ; @mirahg​ ; @foxxtrot-116​ ; @koi-soi​ ; @lupinpetersclearwaterodairparker ; @butterfly-skinnylegend ; @fanworrior ; @stickystrawberrysyrup ;

#corpse husband #corpse #corpse x reader #corpse x y/n #corpse x you #corpse husband x reader #corpse husband x you #corpse husband x y/n #corpse husband imagine #corpse husband fic #corpse husband AU #the sorcerer #platonic!dream

[kyberconfessions]

No Matter Where You Go, I Will Find You. Part 4

Hello All! Sorry for the delay! My Hubby and I have had a busy month of July and I wasn’t able to keep to my schedule like I wanted too. Sorry about that. From Baseball games to Comic-Cons to Disney trips, we’ve been stupid busy. I am working furiously on the other chapters and hope to at least have some words on Cody soon! Y’all, not going to lie, the fact that there has been ZERO mention of him on The Bad Batch is killing me.

As Always:

This will eventually be a 18+ older fic and deals with anxiety, death, sex,  PTSD, murder, loss, found family, Order 66, and coming to terms. This is not just a fluff fic. It will very much be dealing with very dark and hard themes, so please, if that is something that can be too hard for you, don’t read.

Pairings: Rex x Reader x Cody (polyamory) I should say this is NOT a Rex x Cody fic. There will be ZERO Clonecest on this blog or story. Reader is a consensual relationship with Rex and with Cody. Yes they share, yes they will eventually have sex together, but Cody and Rex are NOT in a relationship nor will they be intimate.

Rating: 18+

TW: Death, Murder, infanticide, death of the Jedi, PTSD, Loss, Anxiety, eating disorders, sleep disorders, Order 66. I will add other things as I think about them

Part 4: It’s You.

You waited with your back to the door on Hondo's ship; another one was docked right outside, carrying the crew that had something either of you wanted. You took a deep breath, adjusting your blaster in your thigh holster and checking over your clothes before putting on your helmet. The base of it was a black Ubese helmet, edged with black dyed bantha hair and painted to resemble a Kaleesh skull in white.  The edges of the white skull were rimmed in a dark red and the faux eyes were painted an electric green, almost making them glow.The breather of the helmet was pointed down, tapering at the end and etched with designs reminiscent of a certain Kel Dor. Twin points also came down from the sides,  once again resembling a Kel Dor breather, but painted to look like the fangs of the Kaleesh skull. When you wore it, you were an incredibly fearsome sight to behold. 

Hondo had stepped out of the cockpit while brushing off his clothes, but when he saw you he went on and on in a poetic manner making you snort behind your mask, "Pretty Lady must you put on that horrid thing? How am I supposed to gaze upon your beautiful Visage? How am I to write songs of your shiny eyes if you insist on covering them? How am I to chant loudly into the heavens about the glory of your smile when all I see is that ugly thing staring back at me?" 

The sound that came out of the modulator was a loud crack of static. It wasn't lost on him though, and he waggled his brow at you, knowing he made you laugh.

"Hondo, one of these days I'm going to launch you out of an airlock. Then you'll be Wild Space's problem."

He laughed loudly, but before he could give a retort, the door-lock opened and the crew from the other ship began to board.

Immediately the hair on your neck stood up and your hackles raised. It was time to go into heartless bounty hunter mode, another mask that became easier and easier for you to put on.

Hondo noticed your posture change and went to greet whoever had come aboard, stepping in front of your turned back. Whether it was to hide his best and most terrifying asset or to put space between you and them for your sake, you never knew. You liked to think it was his way of still protecting you, even after all these years. It probably was.

"My friends! My friends! So good to see you again! Ezra Bridger! It has been too long!" 

You heard the cacophony of voices greeting him in a less than enthusiastic excitement. If these people were your friends, you would have laughed again. But you didn't have friends.     From the sound of it, there were four people behind you. Nothing difficult to take down, but not something you should be careless with. There was something off about one of them though, you couldn’t put your finger on it, but they were...familiar.

"Allow me for introductions! This tall, imposing creature behind me is my associate, bodyguard, smuggler, chief pilot, chief mechanic, artistic muse, platonic soulmate, oldest friend, and beautifully deadly bounty hunter, all rolled into one.  And this band of colorful characters are the crew of the infamous Ghost!" Hondo waved his hands in a grandiose manner between the group and your back; this was a well rehearsed situation that you both had done several times, though for whatever reason, he decided to over exaggerate your titles. Normally he would do the talking and you would scare the clientele. And if you had too, if they had something that you knew belonged to them, you'd kill them. Nothing would keep you from the last remnants of the ones you loved and lost.

"Ahh, Hondo? Does your associate have a name? Or talk? Are they even awake? Are they just going to stand there?" You heard a boy's voice, a cockiness only found in the young lacing every word. 

"Ezra." A woman, probably someone important, chastised the boy.

You waited for Hondo's signal for you to turn, but the door opened once more and you heard one more set of boots and something soft, furry, stepping across the steel. A voice spoke. A Lassat. Dangerous creatures, you had seen a few when you were still a young Padawan with your old Master. Before the war. Before they died. Back when your biggest concern was the eventual Trials. You knew a fight wasn't going to be easy and you hated the idea of killing an already dying race. But you would if you had too.

The Lassat male was arguing with someone about something, but you weren't paying attention.

Hondo touched your shoulder softly, your signal to turn. He had spent the time making pleasantries and lulling them into a false sense of comfort, probably. He could have been talking about the weather on Jakku for all you cared. You were more concerned about making sure the straps on your holsters were open, giving you easy access to draw.

Slowly you moved, letting them see just how dangerous you were, how in control of your body you were, how much they should fear the creature behind the helmet. But, you halted mid spin.

All of the blood drained from your face, your mouth went dry, your throat tightened up, and you were overcome with such anger and gut wrenching sorrow you thought you would snap.

The man that walked in with the Lessat was wearing HIS armor. The armor you had spent 15 years looking for.

You blanked. 

Somewhere there was yelling and cries to stop, but you couldn't make it out. Your head was spinning and it felt like there was cotton in your ears and as tunnel vision took over, everything knocked your senses for a loop. You didn’t realize you were doing it, but you grabbed both your blasters, turned fully, and pointed them at the man. Half the crew jumped out of the way, the others pointed their weapons at you, and Hondo tried to reason with both sides, standing with his back to you while the man had his own blasters trained on your head. Hondo quickly got out of the way of the four barrels, still trying to diffuse the situation. You couldn't understand what he was saying, everything sounded so dull and muted.

No, wait. Those weren't just any blasters. You would know those DC-17s anywhere. 

"HOW DARE YOU!"

 Someone was screaming. You couldn’t tell who it was or where it was coming from. It was garbled and cracking, a mechanical sound. It hurt your head. You just wanted everything to stop, just for a moment. But the world kept spinning and you felt like you were going to pass out any moment. You just wanted everything to be quiet, you needed to think, you just wanted a moment to figure out what was going on. Why was it so loud? Why did everything hurt? You just wanted everyone to just be still. Just be still, if only for a second. 

You could feel your breathing pick up, that tightening fear in your chest, that ache that gripped your heart and threatened to pull it from your body. ‘Just be quiet, please, please, be quiet. I can’t...I need to think, I need to think..’

"HOW DARE YOU WEAR HIS HELM!” More screaming,  “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO HE WAS?! DO YOU?! HOW DARE YOU WEAR HIS ARMOR AS YOUR OWN! HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE AND KNOW NOTHING OF HIM!" Maker, the screaming was coming from you. You were yelling at him, venomous spit falling from your mouth, words meant to shame and kill. Your blasters were trained on his chest, fingers laying on the triggers. 

"TAKE IT OFF OR I WILL RIP IT FROM YOUR BROKEN CORPSE!"

You could feel something wet on your cheeks but you didn't know what it was or where it came from.  Did this man kill Rex?! Did he rip his beloved armor from his broken body? Did he leave him to rot in some cursed field? Or did he just take it from his already forgotten skeleton? Your heart beat a mile a minute, you were sweating and your whole body shook in anger, but your hands never wavered, blasters trained perfectly on the man. How dare this cretin dishonor Rex, dishonor his memory. 

"YOU WILL NEVER INSULT HIS MEMORY AGAIN! TAKE IT OFF!!"

You were panting and your modulator was straining under the volume of your voice.

No one lowered their weapons. No one spoke. No one moved a muscle. All that could be heard were your wheezing sobs through the helm.

 There was a beat. And then another. And then the man did something unexpected.

You just knew you were going to have to kill everyone. You just knew you were going to peel bloodied, beloved armor from some backwater nothing. 

But when he slowly lowered his arms, holstering the DC-17s, you faltered. Was he giving up so easily? Perhaps he didn't want bloodshed after all. Good. But it didn't make you lower yours. Nor did it make the others lower theirs.

Slowly, like he was trying to coax a scared lothcat, the man raised his open hands to the old helm covered in hatch marks with jaig eyes and pulled it off. 

First you saw weathered skin tanned from the sun, a white beard trimmed nicely, then a strong nose and finally golden eyes, eyes you had seen a million times before. Eyes that haunted you every time you went to sleep. Eyes you thought you would never see again.

When he had taken the helm completely off and tucked it under his arm, he spoke. And everything inside of you shattered.

"My name is Rex. Captain of 501st regiment in the Grand Army of the Republic. This is my armor that was issued to me almost 20 years ago. I don't know who you think I am, but I can assure you, this is my armor."

The others watched you, weapons trained. No one moved, no one spoke, no one breathed. You, on the other hand, felt everything rushing back at you full force. When he spoke, his voice was a punch to your gut, knocking the wind out of you, causing you to hyperventilate.  Your blasters, still trained on him, began to shake violently in your hands.

You were panting and your eyes blurred from all of the new tears. Panic rose high in your throat, cutting off your breathing. It can’t be. How could it be? He died. The Empire recorded him dying after Mandalore. You were there, you saw the absolute destruction. No one survived that.

Involuntarily you dropped your weapons and they clattered loudly to the durasteel ground, but your arms were still stretched out, still holding onto phantom guns. 

You inhaled sharply, your modulator cracking in a loud hiss. Slowly, trying to control the tremors that wracked your body, you moved your hands to your own helm and unlatched the buckles on the sides. There was another hiss as the airtight seals released the pressure and vented.

"What's going on..." the young boy started. "Hush, Ezra Bridger." Hondo cut him off, silencing him with a hand on his shoulder as you and Rex stared one another down.

You lifted your helm up and then let it fall to the floor, a loud clank shaking the silence between you all.

Rex sucked in a breath and released it in a harsh shudder, his mouth hanging open. "Mesh'la," he whispered; he could feel his knees giving out, causing him to stumble forward and push his way through his crew.

His eyes were as wide as saucers and glistening. Fat, heavy tears tracked down his face and fell into his beard as he reached shaking hands out to you. He paused for a moment, afraid that if he touched you, you would disappear like every dream before. But carefully his hands gripped your face, gently turning it side to side, taking in the scars and faint crows feet and wisps of grey hairs you now sported. Your age and harsh life showed, but you were still just as beautiful, just as ageless, just as perfect as he remembered. Still the same eyes that he dreamed of every night. 

You couldn’t breathe. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of your lungs and every nerve ending burned. You could hear your blood pumping in your ears, creating a painful rush like being thrown under the oceans. Every part of you felt like it was on fire. You couldn’t think, you couldn’t move. Slowly your shaking hands gripped his wrists and held him close. Your body tried to take a shuddering breath, but it only came out as a choked sob while you squeezed your eyes shut.

As the noise left you, Rex pulled you close, his mouth over taking yours in a passionate kiss, full of tongue and teeth. Your hands left his wrists and wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as he continued to hold your face.

"Rex. I thought....I thought you were...Rex," you whispered into his lips between kisses.

"I searched for you, Cyare. I looked everywhere. I thought you died. I thought Cody.."

Your breath hitched at his name, making Rex pull you impossibly closer. You both stood there, wrapped in eachothers arms, crying, kissing, whispering love to one another, completely oblivious to the others. 

You weren't sure if your knees failed you, or if it were his, but one of you fell to the floor, taking the other with them, still wrapped in each other, crying and holding on for dear life. 

The Twi'lek woman quietly ushered the others, a man and a Mandalorian girl, along with the boy and Lessat, out. Hondo followed behind, a smug smile on his face, ridiculously proud of himself, giving you both much needed privacy.

#Rex x Reader #Rex #Cody #Cody x Reader #Rex x Reader x Cody #Hondo x Reader Platonic #Hondo x Platonic!Reader #Rebels fic #clone wars fic #Poly #Jedi!Reader #No Matter Where You Go I Will Find You #Star Wars #Reader is an Ex-Jedi #Reader is now a Bounty Hunter #Big reveal #finally meeting Rex

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Friday Night Stabby best quotes part 19 (23/04/21)

*the crew enter for the first game of the day* Etho: I forgot how to play.

...

Joker: Where was Skizz? Brody: Skizz is dead. Joker: Okay, and where was Skizz’s hair? Impulse: Oh gosh. Etho: Probably also dead somewhere. Evil: Maybe Skizz’s hair strangled him.

...

Etho: I found Mrs Tango in storage. Brody: Excuse me. WE found Mrs Tango. How DARE you. Etho: Okay. WE may have found Mrs Tango in storage.

...

Astro: Did you decide to kill [Skizz] because you didn’t want to see his hair anymore? Joker: Oh if I was gonna kill him because of his hair, I would’ve done that a long time ago. Impulse: First kill, yeah. Joker: Yup, that would definitely have been my first kill.

...

Astro: You’ve been quiet, Joker. And Skizz is dead again. Joker: Uh, yeah. He is. I’m busy celebrating because his hair is no longer visible. Tango: *votes* Joker: Tango, are you voting for me? Tango: I dunno. Joker: You’re a liar. Whatever.

...

Mrs Tango: I just realised I was muted. Brody: She was muted. We were just with her and she was muted. Mrs Tango: And I have a problem pushing buttons. Brody: That’s not true, you press my buttons all the time. Joker: That’s not hard to do, though.

...

Etho: Whatcha got, Skizzle? Skizz: Dude, I’m telling you. Joker was the speedy one and I’m gonna tell you loud and proud: I WISH I was the one who killed him but I-I didn’t. Lower engine, I saw nobody. Brody: That’s not really- That’s not really selling me. Skizz: I wanted so badly to be the one to kill him. I know you can hear me, Joker.

...

Brody: I was on the far right side of the map. Endless: I can confirm that Brody was over there cuz I was harassing him. Brody: Annoyingly, he was.

...

Evil: Not good, Brody. Not good. Brody: What? What’s not good? Evil: The fact that you were running away as I watched Tango’s body fall. Brody: You cannot confirm that. Evil: I- I can. Brody You sure can’t. Evil: I sure can.

...

*Astro, Joker, and Impulse are dead, Skizz is giant imposter* Etho, alive: -so the lovers must’ve been Astro and Impulse. Astro: Nope, we weren’t lovers. That slow, gigantic little jerk just killed all of us. Impulse: Who killed you, Joker? Joker: Uh, Endless did. Endless did and Skizz came right by me. Astro: I mean, Skizz was right there too. Skizz is the other killer. Impulse: Yeah, Endless killed me, then Skizz killed Astro, then Endless killed Joker, I got it. Astro: Okay. So I’m the only one who suffered the disgrace of being killed by the giant.

...

Etho: *reports a body* Tango, immediately: Whoa! I just saw Tango Tek run right by me! That was cool! Brody: Did you? Tango: I sure did! *pause* Etho: Hey everybody!

...

Astro: Skizz, I hate you. Skizz: *laughs* Astro: How DARE you kill me [as giant]. Impulse: Killed by a giant! Ouch! Astro: How DARE you. Skizz: I know! It was SO great, dude! I was SO slow! And the best part was Endless had just gotten a kill and you came in, I was all “I’ll take care of that”. Astro: I… I’m gonna go stand in a corner and feel bad about myself.

...

Skizz: Hey, buddy. Don’t kill me, please! Impulse: Why? Skizz: Cuz I don’t wanna die!? That’s a weird question!

...

Tango: OH is [Joker] a giant murderer? Etho: He’s a giant murderer. Joker: How DARE you, sir. Tango: Don’t vote him out! This is comical. I wanna enjoy this. Joker: How DARE you! Impulse: Let him suffer! Joker: WHAT DO YOU MEAN LET ME SUFFER?!

...

*Tango’s body is reported, Joker is giant* Joker, laughing: I don’t even care! It was worth it! Evil: I found Joker. Impulse: He got one. He got one, did he? Evil: He got Tango! Etho and Impulse: *laugh* Impulse: Tongo couldn’t run fast enough. Evil: So the question is do we leave Joker in or do we kick him out? Joker, still laughing: Tango ran into a corner! It was so funny! Impulse: I guess we gotta get him this time. Joker: Wait hold on, can I just say how funny it was that Tango was like “c’mon big boy, what are you gonna do?” and then ran and got trapped in a corner! Cuz the thing wasn’t there to take across! Impulse, laughing: Oh no! Joker: And the only other thing he could do was go down a ladder and get stuck! Oh, so worth it.

...

Astro: I can kinda vouch for Evil because I was up in the shower having a real hard time and he was- he was coaching me. Evil: Ah- Uh- I- Joker: *bursts out laughing* Evil: I- I was helping you in the shower, you are right. Brody: Uhhhhhh… Etho: No jokes. No jokes, please. Brody: No jokes?! What?! Etho: Nothing, nothing. Brody: Why do you hate fun?! ...

Endless: Whoever was responsible for sabotaging communications over and over again can- can do things. Astro: What would- What would- What would you like me to do, Endless? What- What would you like me to do? :) Endless: You know what you can do, sir.

...

Impulse: Keys or you’re sus! *Impulse and a few others run up to keys despite not having the task* Impulse, laughing: Look how many people did! Skizz: You’re a jerk! Impulse: Gottem!

...

Astro: I’d like to speak to the room here. Will everybody PLEASE stop killing my lovers! I’m tired of it!

...

Tango: Endless’s body is right at the bottom of the entry chute, right- in Happy Town. Mrs Tango: What? What’s Happy Town? Tango: Ohoho. If I was imposter, I’d show you >:)

...

Etho: Joker, where were you? Joker: I don’t know. Etho: Joker…! Why must you do this to me?

...

Impulse: I’m sorry Etho, I was a worthless imposter. Skizz: Impulse, you were a better imposter last round when you weren’t imposter.

...

Impulse: When I called out “keys or you’re sus” at the start, Joker didn’t go do keys. Etho: Gotta be honest, Impulse, sometimes I don’t do keys just to spite you. Impulse: ...fair enough. Tango: That makes me so happy in my core right now.

...

Impulse: The bones have gone bad, okay? The bones have gone bad. Brody: I still like your bone, Impulse. Impulse: Thank you, ‘ppreciate that. Evil: Wow… Brody: What? What?! Impulse: It’s not weird. Evil: No, not at all.

...

Joker: *calls a meeting* Joker: I’ve discovered something about Skizz. *pause* Etho: Voting Skizz! Skizz: Do you wanna elaborate, here?! Joker: No, I cannot. But we should vote for Skizz. *pause* Etho: Voting Skizz!

...

Skizz: So it’s Brody and Mrs Tango. Brody: How is it Mrs Tango? Skizz: I dunno, she voted for me. Brody: That’s not how that works.

...

*after Evil sheriffed imposter Tango in the first 10 seconds of the game* Impulse, getting voted out: I’m deleting this vod. It’s not getting uploaded to YouTube. Brody: Aww, sad. Evil: And- And now I’m gonna get yelled at- Tango, loud enough to wake the dead: EVIL YOU JERK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

...

Brody: I’m gonna tell you why Evil’s the best right now. [Tango] just screamed at all levels and I didn’t get a headache from it so my life is complete. Tango: Thank you for my new compressor, yes. Evil: Because Tango has a compressor now. Brody: Yes, because he has a compressor. Tango: I NEED MY COMPRESSOR!!!! Brody: Yeah, see? It’s perfect. Etho: This is nice.

...

Etho: It’s usually not good to go to specimen first round cuz usually a body gets reported right away and you won’t finish your tasks. Endless: Oh, right. Cuz the imposter’s stupid. Got it.

...

Endless: So guys, remember that game when Joker didn’t get in and we had a great time without him? Tango: That was a good game. Joker: Oh my gosh! Impulse: That actually was the best round of the night, yeah. Joker: WOW.

#friday night stabby quotes #friday night stabby #impulsesv #tangotek #skizzleman #etho #mrstango #brodyman #theendless #astrozoan #evilnotion #misterjoker

[scuttling]

First Dates

Fandom: Criminal Minds Pairing: Aaron Hotchner/Latina OFC Sophie Cortes Word Count: 6,151 Tags: SFW, First dates, Making out, Phone calls, Running, Yoga, Fluff Summary: After California, Aaron and Sophie go on three perfectly imperfect dates. Collection: Sophie Cortes timeline, 1 year-1 year 3 Months at the BAU (See Masterlist for reading order) Link to A03 or read below! “Jet sweet jet,” Prentiss says as they board the plane after California, and Aaron seconds it; the good thing is it’s only Friday afternoon, so at least they get a head start to the weekend, barring another emergency case—not that he doesn’t have piles of work to do, as usual, but it pleases him to think he might get the chance to see Sophie at some point, in an unofficial capacity.

“You know, 14 is when we start to make our own musical choices. Our cognitive development evolves at that age and we start to form our own cultural identity,” he hears Reid say as he sinks down into his seat, headphones hanging around his neck. He and Sophie must be having a conversation about music, because she nods easily.

“That makes sense, actually,” she says, taking the chair across from him. “I remember being obsessed with Bon Jovi around that age, and I was definitely making decisions with my pants.”

Well that’s an interesting piece of information for her to divulge. Reid blushes a little, and pulls on his headphones. Sophie pops in one earbud, looks up at Aaron, smiles, then looks down at her phone and starts typing.

SC: What?

AH: What, what? he replies.

SC: You’re staring.

AH: Maybe I just think you’re worth staring at.

He feels cheesy for saying it, but she grins.

SC: Sure, okay.

SC: Are you going to do work?

AH: You know me.

SC: That’s a yes.

SC: In case I don’t get to talk to you… will you call me tonight?

AH: Absolutely.

She tucks away her phone, succumbs to her—podcast, he guesses by the slight look of concentration on her face—and he works on his paperwork in relative silence, with the ghost of a smile on his face.

“So what are you up to? What do you do when you get home from traveling?” he asks over the phone that night, after they’ve made a little small talk.

“Well, I put a record on—it’s low, so you probably can’t hear it. Bob Dylan.” She’s right, he can’t hear it, but knowing what she chose makes him smile.

“Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi… Your taste in music isn’t what I would have expected.”

“I’ve always been a little behind the times when it comes to music. I like to be able to rely on my faithful favorites.” She pauses, taking a drink maybe, and he can hear kitchen sounds in the background. “I took a nice, hot bath, opened a bottle of wine. I usually make some kind of comfort food, if I have time to stop at the market.” It’s only 8, so that, along with the kitchen sounds, has him betting she’s whipping something up for herself.

“Mmm, what’s on the menu?”

“It’s a dish my papa always used to make when we were sick. It doesn’t sound great—fagioli su pane tostato, which means beans on toast. It’s white beans cooked in this olive oil broth and then served on sourdough toast rubbed with garlic. It tastes so much better than it sounds.”

“It sounds good when you say it in Italian. Maybe we could make it together, some night.” He hopes he’s not imagining the smile in her voice when she replies.

“I’d like that a lot. So what do you do to unwind after traveling?”

“I have a beer, take a long, hot shower—I have a great shower. Sometimes I freeze meals and I’ll warm something up if I feel like it, but tonight it’s Indian takeout.” He takes a sip of said beer, sprawls out further on the couch.

“Oh, what did you get? Indian food is great, I love chana masala on a comfort food day.”

“Ah, I got butter chicken and samosas. My usual; very unoriginal.”

“Can’t go wrong with a samosa though, yum. What else do you like to do to relax? No offense, but you always seem just as stressed on Mondays as you do on Fridays.” He chuckles at that, can see how that would be true.

“Well I have work to do tonight, but on our free weekends I go for a run in the park instead of my neighborhood, or very rarely, I get to play golf.”

“Hmm, you play golf?” Her tone of voice is low, but light, and he struggles to figure out her intent behind that.

“I can’t tell if you’re teasing me…”

“Not teasing, I’m intrigued. I’ve never been golfing or even watched golf before. Mostly I’m trying to visualize you in the little golf outfit, though.” He’s grinning his face off, he’s sure, but he can’t help it; it feels good to flirt with her, to be flirted with by her, openly now. “I run too, or I like kickboxing, Pilates. I don’t always have time to get to the gym anymore, so I do home workouts when I can. Yoga every day.” So, he knows she does yoga, is always packing her yoga blanket when they travel for cases, but left to sit and imagine it for a moment… how she looked on vacation, tiny outfit, bendy body...

“Talk about something to visualize,” he adds, very boldly, he thinks, and she hums down the line. He hopes his flirting affects her the way hers affects him.

“Yeah, we were doing so good there for a minute and now I can’t think of anything but you in a polo and khakis. Must be the wine.”

“Is that something you find sexy? A polo and khakis? That’s practically church attire.”

“Where you’re concerned, there’s not much I don’t find sexy.” He chuckles, runs his hand through his hair—he knows he looks alright, isn’t un attractive or anything, but sexy? She might be overselling it a little bit.  “I should probably rein that in. Sorry.”

“No, it’s… I like that you feel that way.” He wants to say, ‘if you find me even one tenth as sexy as I find you, it would be a miracle’, but his self-esteem isn’t quite that low. And his doorbell rings. “My delivery is here, muting you for a second.”

“Should I let you go?” she asks when he returns. He can hear the sound of her spoon clinking against her bowl, assumes she’s getting ready to eat, too.

“No. I mean, if you don’t mind, I’d like to listen to you talk some more.”

“Okay. What do you want to hear about?”

“I’d like to hear more about your band in Chicago. Did you write music?”

“One of the guys in my band wrote the music, I just sang it; didn’t have much to say.”

“I find that hard to believe,” he says honestly, because she is always thoughtful and insightful, so smart.

“Well the Sophie you know now is much more open, if you can imagine that. I used to be very closed off. The team helps; hard to be closed off when you’re around someone 24/7.”

“I’m glad you feel that the BAU has been good for you; you’ve been very good for us. And you said you sing at your friend’s bar sometimes? I might have to crash one of these nights so I can see you in action.” She laughs, a little self conscious.

“It's really nothing. Just a good way to blow off some steam. So how about you? Are you musically inclined or anything?”

“I can play the guitar.” Her spoon clinks against her bowl in the background again, and she swallows a bite.

“Hold on. You play guitar? This is important information.” He chuckles.

“How so?”

“Because it’s hot.”

“Maybe I should amend that: I could play the guitar. I haven’t in probably… five years? So I may be completely horrible.”

“Nope, doesn’t matter. If you still own a guitar, you can keep the hotness.”

They both eat, chatting in between bites, and they’ve been on the phone for two hours when she starts yawning. He suddenly has a brilliant idea.

“Do you want to meet up and go for a run tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah, I would really like that,” she says, sounding a little more awake. “Is it a date? Or just two people hanging out that want to see each other naked?” He laughs out loud.

“You want to see me naked? I thought you wanted to see me in khakis.”

“Yes, I want to see you naked; I thought that much was clear when I tried undressing you the other day. I want to see both.”

“It’s a date, then. If you want it to be. I was still working on a plan...”

“No plan necessary. I’m easy to please: I just want to see you, in running clothes or golf clothes or no clothes.”

“I’ll text you the address. Meet me there at 7?”

“It’s a date.” The next morning, he is sitting in his car at the park, and he looks up from his phone to see Sophie walking toward him, impossibly beautiful for 7 AM. Her hair is pulled back in a thick, wavy ponytail, face clear of makeup and looking radiant, softly smiling, and he swears his heart skips a beat.

Isn’t it a little too soon for beat skipping? This is only their first date, after all.

“Good morning,” she says, leaning in his window. She looks around the parking lot, which is fairly secluded at this time of the morning. “How are you?”

“A little tired, but good,” he replies and her smile grows brighter. “You?”

“I’m good. Probably shouldn’t have kept you up so late talking. You need your beauty sleep.” She reaches out to brush a hand over the hair at his temple, and he closes his eyes for a moment, content.

“Well you obviously don’t. How do you look like that at 7 AM?”

“This?” she asks, gesturing to her face and body, as if he needed a reason to look. She is fit and perky in black leggings and a University of Chicago t-shirt, and he mentally hopes that she’s not faster than him, or her ass is going to be very distracting. “Just rolled out of bed and came down. Nothing special about this.”

“I beg to differ.” She leans back in, arms crossed casually, smiles again.

“Well you’re sweet. Hey, have you ever run into someone from work here?” He scans the lot as if her question caused one of their coworkers to materialize out of thin air, then realizes he’s being silly.

“No, I haven’t so far. Why do you ask?” Ducking her head, she looks a little shy, though the corners of her lips are turned up.

“I was just wondering if I’ll get to kiss you today.”

There goes his heart, skipping beats again.

He leans forward, a hand on her cheek, and presses his mouth to hers, slow and soft. He’d almost forgotten how nice it is to kiss someone who likes you—the shared breath, the soft smack of lips, the reluctance to break the kiss—and he touches her chin as they separate. When she opens her eyes, they look dreamy, and he preens a little at causing that reaction.

“Okay, yeah. That’s nice.” He huffs a laugh and she steps away from the car, giving him space to exit. “Ready to run?”

“Was kind of hoping to kiss some more,” he teases, but he climbs out of the car and locks up.

They keep pace together well, chatting easily about their plans for the day, and Sophie points out every dog they pass, which is so endearing his face almost hurts from smiling.

“What is it?” she asks as he shakes his head, laughs, when they pass a corgi puppy that is, admittedly, adorable.

“You’re cute, that’s all. It’s nice to see joy on your face when our lives are usually surrounded by darkness.”

“Thanks. It’s nice to see it on yours, too.” She reaches out to touch his cheek, and he presses against it.

As far as dates go, this one is off to a beautiful start.

“That was fun. I enjoyed spending the morning with you,” she says as they walk back to their cars. He is a little winded, and she isn’t. It’s not entirely fair.

“I agree, it was fun. It’s nice to have a running partner.”

“Is that all I am?” she asks with an innocent expression, and he shakes his head.

“Absolutely not.” He leans in for a quick, sweet kiss that feels as natural as the slower, more passionate kisses they’ve shared, and they both pull back smiling. “Are you hungry?”

“We just ran 4 miles, I’m starving. What do you have in mind?”

“There’s a very casual diner around the corner that makes great breakfast; I’m sure they won’t mind all your sweat,” he teases, gesturing to her shirt.  He’s sweatier by far, which makes it so funny, and she laughs.

“Rude, but I’m in. Lead the way.”

The diner is a favorite of his, somewhere he goes every Saturday he runs in the park. He’s a very habit-driven person, and it wouldn’t feel right to leave without stopping by; that he gets to bring Sophie is just the icing on the cake.

“Do you usually get the same thing when you come here, or are you adventurous?” she asks, looking over the menu.

“I am not adventurous. I get a western omelette with mushrooms, potatoes on the side, almost religiously.” She smiles at him over the menu, and he wonders if she likes that quality, or if he’s one wrong comment away from being seen as an old man and not ‘boyfriend material’. He wonders if he’ll ever stop feeling self conscious about his age, where she’s concerned.

“When I find something I like I am also not adventurous. I stick with what I know.”

“Hi there. You have a friend today, Mr. Hotchner.” He smiles at the voice of his favorite waitress, though he wishes she wouldn’t have made him sound like he’s friendless any other time. She stands between his chair and Sophie’s, grinning.

“Yes Julia, this is Miss Cortes.” Sophie reaches out her hand with a warm smile.

“Sophie, if you like. Nice to meet you, Julia. This guy comes here a lot, huh?”

“Oh yes, he’s one of my favorite regulars: Kind, patient, and easy to please.”

“Great qualities in a man,” Sophie jokes, and he’s never heard Julia laugh so hard. She tends to have that effect on people, he thinks. “I feel special, then, being invited to your spot,” she says, looking over at him with a raised eyebrow.

“I'm fairly certain you’re the first person he’s ever brought, so you must be special, hon.” Julia gives her a wink, and he’d be embarrassed but… she’s right. And he didn’t invite her here lightly. Sharing this place means something to him. “So I know your fella wants the western with mushrooms, potatoes on the side, OJ with his coffee. How about you, sweetie?”

“Oh, um,” Sophie begins, and it looks like she’s blushing at the whole ‘fella’ thing. It’s too cute. “Mixed grill please, with cheddar, and I’ll have orange juice too. Thank you.”

When Julia walks away, Sophie crosses her arms on the table, looks at him.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. I’m just… enjoying myself. Being with you.” She reaches out a hand, and he takes it, smiling softly. They don’t move until Julia comes back with their plates and they need to make room.

“This has been the most fun date I’ve ever been on. I don’t want it to end,” she says as they walk back to the parking lot, bellies full of food.

“But?”

“But I know inviting you back to my place wouldn’t be a great idea yet. Well, it would be a great idea, but I know that taking it slow is important. And I can’t promise I wouldn’t get handsy again.”

“Taking it slow is important,” he agrees, and he leans down to kiss her, warm, lingering, “but maybe we could get handsy after our second date.”

“Mmm. I’m content with just kissing if you keep kissing me like that. Touching will just be a bonus.” They kiss more, easy, casual kisses that make them both smile. “So you want to go on another date with me?” she asks as they approach her car.

“Absolutely. I really like you.” He takes her hands in his, squeezes them. “Like you said before, I think it was something I’ve been trying not to feel for a while.”

“I think there’s a lot you try not to feel. I’m glad you’re willing to give me a chance.” They kiss again, and it feels like goodbye. “Are you sure you can’t go to the farmers’ market with me?” He’d love to, but he has to do some extra work to make up for last night and this morning.

“Yeah, I wish I could. Next week, for sure.”

“Okay, that sounds good. I’ll let you go—for the record, I don’t want to,” she says, and she takes a step back, so their arms are stretched further.

“Neither do I. I’ll call you later,” he promises, and he drops her hands, walks away.

When he looks back, she’s looking at him too, soft, and she waves goodbye.

He’s officially a goner.

“Did you have a good time at the farmers’ market?” he asks later, when they speak on the phone that evening.

“Oh yeah, great haul. I just hope I get to eat it all before we inevitably get called to leave town. I should freeze stuff like you. There was music, too, and so many dogs. How was your day?”

“It was good, productive.” She chuckles softly.

“Sounds like a blast.”

“I had my fun with you, this morning. And now.”

“Aw. That makes me happy. I had fun too. And I love talking on the phone with you. It’s my favorite part of the day.” He can hear the water running in the background. “What are you doing now?”

“Are you sure you want to hear? It’s very sexy.” She hums, thoughtful.

“Then yes, absolutely I want to hear.”

“I’m folding laundry.”

“I know you said that as a joke, but I can find a way to make it arousing. It’s a gift I have, apparently, where you’re concerned.” It’s his turn to hum down the line.

“Really? Tell me more.”

“Hmm. Well, I’m thinking of your arms flexing as you fold. Thick, careful fingers. The look on your face when you concentrate. Then, of course, it’s your clothes, so I’ll think of you putting them on… taking them off. See? Laundry is now sexy. It’s a talent.”

“That is impressive. What are you doing?”

“I’m prepping my fruit and veggies for the week. I got some flowers, so I’ll put them in a vase. Then maybe watch a movie.”

“Okay, that just sounds sweet.”

“Well I am sweet, Mr. Hotchner,” she says innocently, and he grins.

“Of course you are. What movie?”

“I think Bringing Up Baby. It always makes me laugh.”

“That’s Cary Grant, right?”

“Yes, I love Cary Grant—so tall, dark, handsome… I guess I have a type.”

They discuss movies some more, their favorite classics, her favorite actors. The night is winding down, though, and he has more work to do.

“Are you going to run tomorrow?” he asks when it’s clear the conversation will be ending soon.

“I think you wore me out today, so probably just some yoga in the park. You could come with me; have you ever done yoga?”

“No, but I’d be happy to try. What time?”

“Let’s say 8? I’ll send you the address to the park I like, and then I can treat you to breakfast at my spot.”

“Oh, so it’s a date, then,” he says, leading, and she laughs softly.

“Yes, it’s a date. I have a mat you can use, so just bring yourself and some water and I’ll take care of the rest.” “So this is called Cat Pose - just think Halloween cartoon cat,” Sophie explains the following morning, from her hands and knees, rounding her back so she looks just like the image she mentioned. “When you alternate with Cow Pose, it’s the best stretch, like waking up late on a Sunday morning and stretching in the sun coming through the curtains.”

It’s a great thought, makes him imagine Sophie sprawled across his bed, brown skin, dark hair, soft lips, smooth legs…

“Aaron?” He blinks at the sound of his name, turns to face her, and she’s smiling softly. “Thought I lost you for a sec. Next is Downward Facing Dog, so straighten your knees and send your butt up to the sky.” He watches as she does it, legs looking long and lean and strong, and he tries to replicate it as best as he can. “You’re doing really good for a beginner. This pose in particular usually sucks for a while.” She comes out of her pose, stands in front of him and presses her hands to his back. “Flat back, if you can, or bend your knees a little; I’m not trying to get sexy, I swear.” He laughs indulgently, and she steps back onto her mat with a grin.

They shift into some standing poses after a moment, Sophie checking in on him with a soft expression, and he is feeling it in his muscles by the time they drop into Plank.

“Almost done. Is it harder than you thought?” she asks, looking absolutely effortless as she supports herself on her hands, and he has to huff a laugh.

“It is, actually,” he admits, his arms quaking a bit. “People who do yoga have my utmost respect.” She lifts one arm, wraps it around her back, and she’s got to be just showing off now. She’s barely sweating.

“Yeah it takes more strength than people usually think. It’s not just all about being bendy and zen. Lower down slowly, no belly flop. Then turn onto your back, arms and legs out—this is the best part.” She closes her eyes, sighs deeply, and he can see how this would be her favorite. His entire body is sore, and before today he would have considered himself in good shape.

They rest and breathe, and when she finally sits up for a swig of water, he does the same. “You thought I wore you out yesterday? I won’t have trouble sleeping for a week,” he teases, and she bites her lip, smiles.

“Good. Maybe I can talk you into this more often. It’s fun.” He nods, panting a little from guzzling his water.

“Fun for you to make an old man suffer, that is.” She swats at his arm, and she stands, offering him a hand and helping him to his feet; they roll up the mats, take them back to her car, and head down the block to her café of choice.

It’s definitely a little more upscale than his diner, but still comfortable—they aren’t out of place in their activewear, and the woman seating them greets Sophie by name.

“So they can absolutely make you a western omelette,” Sophie says when they open their menus, “but if you trust me, I can make a suggestion.”

“I’ll take your suggestion. Let’s see how well you know me,” he offers as a challenge, and she smiles, something adorable that scrunches her nose.

“Oh, it’s a deal. You’ll love your breakfast so much you’ll weep, Aaron, I promise you.” She scans the menu again, and by the time the server comes around to take their orders, she confidently names dishes he didn’t even bother to look at. He wants to be surprised.

She gets a breakfast quesadilla for herself, which he steals a bite of, and the dish she ordered for him is a mess of potatoes and ham and eggs and cheese and veggies that he polishes off so quickly it’s almost embarrassing.

Then there are carrot cake pancakes to share, so sweet they’re almost dessert, and when she offers him the last piece she presents it on her fork, looks him over seriously when he leans in and takes the bite. It’s been all fun and easy laughter all morning, but he’s suddenly warm in a way that has nothing to do with the exercise and everything to do with the company, and he thinks she feels it too.

She pays, tips very well, and they hold hands when they walk back to the park; she leans in, presses her nose to his shoulder, and sighs when they’re about halfway there.

“I could get used to this,” she murmurs, and he looks down into her warm brown eyes and nods his agreement.

“So could I. Maybe we could make it a thing,” he offers, and her returning smile is brilliant.

“Yeah, I would like that.” They get to her car, and he crowds her up against it, kisses her deeply; she licks her bottom lip when they pull apart, and it’s gorgeous, feels a little indulgent for the park.

“As much as I’ve enjoyed our dates this weekend, I would like to take you somewhere in the evening, this week, if we can.” He knows it’s old fashioned, but he wants her to know he’s serious about them, and he feels like drinks or dinner set the tone he’s looking for. She nods her head.

“Sure, okay. Just tell me when and where and I’ll be there.” They kiss again, a little sweeter, this time, since there are families present, and when he steps away from her, she looks a little dazed. “Just remember, you promised me handsy, and if you keep kissing me like that, I’m going to deliver.” He smirks a bit.

“Message received.” His next kiss is just a light, barely there brush of lips, and she smiles when it breaks. “Call me later, if you want. I’ll just be doing work.”

“Okay. Thanks for doing yoga with me,” she murmurs, and he touches her chin.

“Thanks for breakfast. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” she repeats, and she turns around to open her car door, forgets that it’s locked. She bows her head like she’s embarrassed, but he can only laugh. She is so god damn adorable. They see each other again on Tuesday night.

AH: Done kind of early today. Was thinking about going to get a drink.

SC: A drink sounds nice. Do you want company?

AH: When it’s you? Always.

AH: Can we go to your friend's bar?

SC: Of course. There’s open mic tonight, if that’s what you’re getting at.

AH: That’s what I’m getting at.

SC: 717 Carson St, 7:30? - it looks shady, but it’s not, I promise.

AH: A glowing review.

SC: 😋

“You look so good,” is the first thing out of her mouth when he approaches her table, and it makes him laugh, duck his head. She is always so quick to dish out compliments, and while he’s not used to thinking of himself as attractive, hasn’t had a reason to in a while, it does make him feel good.

“Uh, thank you,” he says, trying not to be awkward about it. “You look beautiful, as always.” She does, too, so gorgeous in a tight white sweater and tighter back jeans—she’s too gorgeous for him by far, but he’s certainly not complaining.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, and she stretches up on her toes to kiss him softly on the mouth; he thinks the chances of anyone they know coming to this shady looking bar called Lloyd’s, unprompted, are pretty slim to none, so he encourages her kisses. “Mmm. Do you want to come up to the bar with me? My friend Ben is working, I wanted to introduce you to him.”

“Sure, of course.” She takes his hand, and they each order a beer, and he is introduced to Ben, the bartender, Monty, the guitar player, and Racquel, the manager, all of whom are very kind and appear pleased to meet him; apparently, Sophie has mentioned him once or twice. It’s so endearing.

They sit down, talk a little, order another round of beers, and when it’s Sophie’s turn to sing, she sighs lightly, shoots him a shy smile.

“Alright, here goes nothing,” she says, pressing her lips to his, and she heads up to the stage.

“Give it up for Lloyd’s favorite rock balladeer, Sophie Cortes!” That seems, to Aaron, much more official than just blowing off some steam, and he’s prepared to find out that she severely underestimated her talent; what he’s not prepared for, however, is how incredibly beautiful she looks and sounds when she sings a slow, romantic Bon Jovi song, earning applause from a group of regulars who are clearly familiar with her singing.

She waves at them, blushing a little, and when she comes back to him, he pulls her close for a tender kiss.

“You are amazing. What are you doing at the FBI? You should be selling out stadiums, or something.” She laughs.

“I don’t know about that, Aaron, but thank you. It’s something I love to do, but it’s not a career.” They sit, but he scoots his chair closer to her than before. “You know how it is when you’re a kid; people tell you you can be anything you want to be when you grow up, and then you grow up, and things change. But I’ll always have Lloyd’s, so… it works.” He takes her face in his hands and kisses her again; her fingers brush over the back of this head, and she hums against his lips.

“Can’t believe I’m dating someone who’s practically famous,” he teases when they separate, and she rolls her eyes, blushes.

“Enough, or I’ll make Monty give you his guitar so we can see what you can do.”

“Okay, point taken,” he says, holding up his hands in surrender, and they laugh and talk for a while, until they both remember it’s a work night and they need to head out.

“Where did you park? I’ll walk you to your car,” he says, hand on her back, and she gestures down the street.

“I’m only two blocks away, I walked.” She must see surprise and discomfort in his eyes, because she takes his other hand. “If anyone tries to mess with me, you know they’ll regret it. I'll be fine.”

“I know, but still. I’d feel better if you let me drive you.”

“Well, I’ll never turn you down,” she says sweetly, pulling him down for a kiss, and he gets her into the car, closes the door for her. In a couple of minutes, they are parked in front of her large brown stone building, and they both unbuckle their seat belts, turn to face each other.

“I like Lloyd’s,” he tells her while they sit companionably; it’s clear neither is ready for the night to end. “Everyone is so nice; it definitely feels like a place you’d go.

“Thank you, I think,” she says with a playful smile. He smiles too, feeling great after such a good date, and he leans over for a kiss. Sophie lengthens it, brushing fingers through his hair, and her eyes have that dreamy quality again when they break apart. “Mmm. Can I come over there?” She sets a hand gently on his thigh, and he nods, pushes back his seat to give her more room.

She settles comfortably in his lap, hands on his shoulders, and he brings her to him for a long, steamy kiss. They make out for several minutes, get handsy, as she mentioned before, before she pulls back with a soft sigh. “Can I tell you something?” she asks, pressing her forehead against his.

“Anything. Always.”

“I’ve thought about this—making out in your car—quite a few times. The first time was the night we went out for my birthday.”

“I really enjoyed myself that night.”

“Me too. I was so happy you came out, and stayed out. And when I told you I loved you, there was so much left unsaid… I hoped you knew.” He smooths his hand over her cheek, his thumb over her bottom lip, and she shivers. “Then you took me home, and you helped me with my shoes, and when you kissed me on my head, I thought: maybe, just maybe, he feels the same way I do. And then we never mentioned it, and nothing ever happened, so I thought maybe I was imagining everything.”

“You weren’t imagining anything. I felt it too.”

“Good,” she murmurs, taking his face in her hands, and they kiss hot, slow. “I think you’re so incredible.”

“I think you’re incredible, too.” He smooths his hands up her back, pressing her closer, and she rolls her hips slowly against him, earning a groan. “Sophie,” he sighs, clutching her. She feels so good, smells so good, it’s almost intoxicating.

“I know,” she breathes, and she looks up at him, eyes serious, chest heaving. “Do you want to come up with me?” He is about to answer with an emphatic yes when someone knocks hard on the window; Sophie starts, bumps her head, and he rubs it with his hand, rolls down the window.

It’s a police officer, because of course it is, and they both wince. He is young, a little cocky, Aaron can tell just by looking at him. Great.

“Good evening. I’d ask what you folks are doing out here, but I think it’s a bit obvious,” he drawls, looking slowly over Sophie’s body where she sits in his lap. “Hiding from your wife, or…?”

“No, sir, we are not,” she answers, clearly a little perturbed but keeping her cool. “We were just about to go inside.”

“That’s good; we like to discourage lewd behavior on our streets, which I’m sure you can understand.” Aaron bristles at that himself.

“Lewd behavior? With all due respect, we were only kissing, and we were about to go inside, like she said. Are you going to attempt to cite us for this?” The officer looks them over thoughtfully, takes out his flashlight.

“Let’s start with some identification.” Sophie sighs, makes to climb off his lap, but he stops her with a hand on her hip.

The situation is uncomfortable enough, but if she vacates his lap… it will only become more awkward for everyone. She presses her lips together like she’s trying not to laugh, slides her driver’s license out of her pocket and hands it to the officer.

“Can she get in the glove box for mine?” he asks, trying to remain respectful even though he instantly hates this man. He nods, and Sophie reaches over, opens the glove box, and pulls out his FBI credentials. She flips it open in front of his flashlight, and he blanches, steps back.

“Oh, I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t—I wasn’t.” He looks up, nervous. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening, sir.”

“You were just doing your job,” Aaron says gently, despite the fact that this is just, so embarrassing. “Are we going to be cited?” To his credit, the kid looks like he’s going to wet his pants. It’s a little funny.

“No, sir, of course not. I—thank you for your cooperation. You two enjoy the rest of your night.” He all but runs back to his squad car, and when he drives away, Aaron and Sophie both burst out laughing.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” she says through fits of giggles, and she leans against him for a hug. “This has to be the worst date you’ve ever been on, right?” He exhales, shakes his head in amusement.

“No. I’d take what just happened a thousand times over if I could relive the rest of tonight.” Her face softens, and she presses her lips softly against his, squeezes his shoulder.

“You are some type of man,” she says when she pulls back, and she looks him over like she wants to devour him. His lap situation had subsided, but apparently not for long. “I think we should probably just call it a night, don’t you?” she asks gently. “I’m thinking we should take that unmistakable sign for what it is.” He nods, because even though the prospect of going upstairs is a very sweet one, the decision may have been a little premature.

“I agree; but just know, more than anything, that I don’t want this evening to end.”

“I know, me neither. But we do have work in the morning; you can call me tomorrow night, though, if you want. I would really like that.”

“It’s a date,” he teases, and they kiss softly a couple of times before she slides back into the passenger’s seat, heads out the door.

He exhales deeply when she’s out of his sight.

#aaron hotchner/original female character #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic

[yeojaa]

ANGELS & AIRWAVES (w. jjk)

He's never met you but you know how he sounds when he wakes up from a nap and his greatest fears.  You know the way he sings after a shower and that he could be mistaken for a dying seal when he's laughing too hard.  The best part?  You don't judge him for any of it - including the fact he's a filthy Widow main.  He might just love you.

alt summary.  Jeon Jungkook has a big fat crush on a girl he's never met.

pairing.  jeon jungkook

genre + rating.  fluffy crack.  general, for now.

warning / tags.  long-distance relationship, crushes, canon compliant (ish),  eventual happy ending, gaming, gamer!jungkook, strangers to lovers, friends to lovers, overwatch.  tags are hard.  :( 

reading.   n/a.  a three part one-shot.

word count.  ~2750

part ii.

JUNGKOOK’S ROOM Sunday, 15 March, 2020.  2:01 AM.   

He falls for you in between the tireless teasing, the laughter that sinks into his ears and replays like a highlight reel.  It happens when he leasts expects it, when he's got his face pressed into the velvet of Yeontan's fur and you're cooing over voice chat, whispering sweet nothings to the manic panic pup.  It comes in the moments he's not expecting it to, when he's frustrated and unbearable and you're as sunny as always, spilling yellow paint across the doors he tries to keep shut.  

Bit by bit, day by day, he finds himself thinking of you more. 

First, it's wondering what you're doing while he's half-asleep and on his way to the studio.  Do you look as tired as you sound?  What colour is your hair and how does it stick up when you've just rolled out of bed?  When you yawn, do you stretch like a cat?  He thinks you do, if the sounds you make are any indication.

Then it's asking himself whether you might like the same things he does, from horror movies to carnival rides.  Would you hold his hand as you made the drop, stomachs leaping into your throats?  Would you scream?  Would it sound anything like that terrified pterodactyl noise you make when you're spawn camped by a Roadhog?  He doesn't consider the fact that he doesn't even know if you're in the same city and you'll likely never meet - bound to the servers of Overwatch only.  

He thinks about all the things he'd like to do with you.  Video game nights filled with butter-tipped fingers and spilled popcorn.  Walks with your family dog - Natto - you'd told him about, all fluffy white fur and dark teddy bear eyes.  Sunrises on the rooftop of his building, because you had the worst insomnia he'd ever seen and what better way to spend your endless waking hours than with him.  

Jeon Jungkook knows he'll probably never get any of these things, but he lets himself daydream anyway. 

Like now, for instance, as the two of you sit in another queue at 2 AM.  You just woke up and you've got that tell-tale rattle in your lungs, words sluggish and lacking any real intent.  He imagines you look the way you sound - tired and a little out of it, with barely opened eyes and sleep-loosened limbs.  

"How'd you sleep?"  He asks softly, crossing his legs beneath him and raising his arms high above his head in the same instance.  The bones of his body realign, ridges of his spine clicking into place when he knots his fingers together and pulls taut.  

"You know - the usual,"  you muse, apathetic.  It's always the same.  

He doesn't question it any further.  He had once or twice, when you'd first started talking and he'd noticed the way you were always up at inhuman times.  One grumbling response had told him enough - your schedule was what it was and no amount of remedying could fix it.  

There's a beat of silence before he hears rustling and then the loud, inescapable sound of an electric toothbrush.  You don't bother to mute your microphone, not that he minds.  He simply sits quietly, scrolling through his phone as you go about your "morning" routine.  

"How was your day?"  You're settled back at your computer, he thinks.  The acoustics sound far less like that of a bathroom.  

"I had the day off, actually."  He'd used it to edit some footage and record a cover.  He hasn't posted it to Twitter yet - there were certain times he was supposed to, to maximize visibility - but he's excited for when he does.  It's a song that's been stuck in his head for weeks, all thanks to you.

"Woah - you didn't work today?"  There's genuine surprise in your question, rounded syllables that pop off your tongue in an explosion of shock.

“Right?”  He laughs a little, short and sweet.

Despite his carefully crafted facade, there were certain plot points that just stuck, intrinsically weaved into his day-to-day whether he liked it or not.

His jam packed schedule, for instance. 

To you, it’s the result of stretching himself too thin between teaching at his friend’s dance studio (where he also apparently moonlights as a personal trainer) and working as a videographer for his media-involved friends.  Not that you know any of them.  No, no.  All the work he does is for the little guys - none of those big companies like BigHit or JYP.  Jungkook’s just your average Joe behind the camera.

“What did you do all day then?”  You’re still in awe, little flecks of wonder threaded throughout like glittering gold yarn.  

“Hung out.  Did some editing.  I’m kind of behind.”  That was an understatement.  He’s working on footage from six months ago, trying to get it out before they head on tour and he won’t have the kind of time he has now.  

“Probably spending too much time gaming.”  

“Yeah, probably.”  Not that he minds, or that he’d change it.  He savours the time you spend together, even if it has kind of messed up his sleep schedule.  

“Sorry not sorry,”  you quip, seemingly reading his mind.  

“You should be,”  he retorts with laughter that builds in his stomach and echoes out of his chest.  “I don’t think I’ve had a good night's sleep in weeks.”

If you hadn’t had this conversation a handful of times before, he thinks you might be offended.  Instead, he can practically hear you roll your eyes - imagines your optic nerve nearly severs with the intensity of it - and grins.

“Don’t kid yourself - you know I’m the best thing about your nights!”

You’re not wrong.  “You’ve been lied to.”

“I’m suing!”

“I’ll have my lawyer contact your lawyer.”

“Wait, what?” 

The two of you have done what you always do - talked yourself into a tizzy that has you both laughing, sound crackling across the airwaves.  It’s nonsensical and silly but it feels good.  Your bond shines with it, glitters prettily between you.

Thank god for Overwatch.

You return the conversation to a semblance of normalcy first.  “Did you listen to that song I sent?”

“Yeah.”  The briefest pause.  “It was terrible.  Hated it.”

“Oh, shut up!” 

“I’m kidding.  It was really good.”  Jungkook doesn’t tell you that he’s had it on repeat for the past few days, saved to the private playlist that’s filled with the rest of your song recommendations.  

“I know!”  You’re preening as if he’d just complimented you, clearly pleased by the praise.  He supposes it’s a pretty good endorsement regardless. 

“Got any more for me?” 

“I should just make you a playlist.”

He ignores the way his heart skips a very real beat, mimics the erratic rhythm of his fingers on his keyboard.  Because he’d absolutely love that.

“You should.”

“Really?”  You sound uncertain but maybe - just maybe - a little hopeful.  He might also just be imagining things, as he so often does with you. 

“Yeah.  Why not?”  It comes nonchalantly despite the rushing in his ears, the wave that threatens to drown him.  He can feel emotion in his chest - winged and distracting.  A kaleidoscope of butterflies fluttering away. 

You’re quiet for another second.  It feels like an eon.  “Okay, yeah.  I’ll start one and we can just add to it together.”

BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT’S GYM Thursday, 26 March, 2020.  6:30 PM.   

“You sound like a meathead,”  you say, off-hand and disinterested.  

He loathes the grunt that squeaks past his teeth as he gently returns the dumbbells to the floor. Cue a generous chug of water and a near death experience when the liquid goes down the wrong pipe. 

Loud coughing crackles through his airpods before he’s addressing you.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re grunting like a caveman.”

If your first comment hadn’t offended him, this one does.  Jungkook scoffs, tonguing the interior of his cheek as his brow furrows.  Weights are returned to his hands, rotated above each shoulder as he resumes another set of presses. 

“Do you even workout anything other than your fingers?”  He’s making a conscious effort not to make a sound, breath exhaled sharply through his nose.  It’s harder than he cares to admit but he’s also not about to give you an excuse to tease him further.  You already had way too much material.

“Don’t shame me!”  You really don’t sound that indignant.

“So, I’m right?  You’re a big couch potato who’s just jealous of my hot body?”

Now you’re incredulous.  It’s one of his favourite sounds because it comes draped in laughter, dancing around his head in the form of cartoon hearts. 

“Did you just say ‘hot body’, Jay?”

“Maybe I did.  What of it?”  He sniffs - he’s picked it up from you over the months - and your amusement doubles, giggles crashing into each other in their haste.  

“You are so, so weird.”  There’s a tenderness in your voice that he’d like to live in.  It wraps him up like a hug, tugging at his feeble little heartstrings. 

“Weird and hot.”

“You can’t just say that!”

“Why not?”  If anything, you’re the one person he can say it to.  With you, it’s the funniest joke he’s ever made.  It’s playful and silly, with no rhyme or reason.  He doesn’t have to worry about it being misconstrued or held against him. 

“You just can’t!  Only other people can say it.”  You sigh dramatically, from your chest.  “Do I have to teach you everything?”

“Everything but being healthy, probably.” 

“Har har har.”  

He can tell by how the words roll off your tongue, muffled and lacking clarity, that you’re eating.  He wonders if you’ve made pancakes - you’d been complaining about craving them just two days ago.  There are no tell-tale crunching or slurping, so he knows it isn’t your usual double whammy combo of ramyeon and Choco Boys.  

“I’ll have you know I used to run.”  Something about the way you say it makes him believe you, even though he wants to mock you a little more.  

“In gym class doesn’t count.”

“I used to run with Natto, you ass!”  Okay - so that actually sounded legitimate.

“Why don’t you still then?”

“There was an incident once.”  You’re sipping on something - likely coffee with oat milk and two pumps of hazelnut syrup.  It doesn’t matter that it’s dinner time and most people would be winding down for the evening.  “Because of my insomnia, I’d run at odd hours.  One day, some weirdo stopped me while I was running along the river.  He didn’t hurt me or anything—”  A part of him thinks you’re downplaying it but he says nothing, only waiting for you to continue.  “—but he followed me home.  I made the mistake of telling my parents and they freaked out so…” 

“So no more running by yourself.” 

“Yeah, exactly.”

“I’d run with you.”  It doesn’t mean much, but it’s the thought that counts.  

“Thanks, Jay.”  

Not for the first time, he wishes he could hear his name - his real name.  Just once.

“JUNGKOOOOOOOOOOK.”  It eats up every ounce of space of the gym, filling the room with the resounding boom of it.  How it manages to be so loud, he’s not sure.  He wishes it weren’t.  There’s no way you haven’t heard it.  

Especially not when it comes again, deafening even to his occupied ears. 

“JUNGKOOOOK-AH!”  Namjoon now, right as the double doors fly open.

Jimin’s barreling toward the alarmed maknae as he shouts.  “WE’RE DOING A VLIVE!”

Jungkook feels like his insides are melting  - his internal temperature spiking with embarrassment and worry and something that chants oh no! over and over in his head.  The tops of his ears are burning, as is the column of his throat.  A quick glance in the mirror confirms his suspicion that he is, indeed, bright tomato red.

“Jay?”  You repeat once, twice, when he doesn’t immediately answer.  “Everything okay?”

He moves with a speed he doesn’t expect, weights unceremoniously dropped on either side of him before he’s tearing his AirPods out.  “I’ve got to go. Sorry!”

He doesn’t end the Discord call a moment too soon, Jimin upon him in the next instant.  The smaller dancer is draping himself across Jungkook’s shoulders, the widest shit-eating grin on his pretty face.

“Want to join us for a VLive?”  

“No.  I’m busy.”  

“Busy with your girlfriend?”  Jimin’s wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.  He only stops when Jungkook shifts aggressively, tearing himself out from underneath the other.  

“Not my girlfriend!”  

“But you wish she was!”  

He can’t deny that, so he doesn’t bother, instead seizing his discarded weights with an embarrassed scowl permanently etched into the planes of his face.  He’s reracking them - because god, he’s not an animal - when he notices Jimin making his departure, that teasing smile replaced with something soft and edging on concern.

“What’re you going to do when we’re on tour?”

Jungkook blanches then.  You’d become such an undeniable part of his everyday life that he hadn’t even considered what it’d mean when he was busier than now, unable to spend late nights gaming with you. 

But Jimn’s already gone, leaving him and his thoughts alone.

JUNGKOOK’S ROOM Friday, 27 March, 2020.  12:05 AM. 

It’s close to midnight by the team he logs on.  Realistically, he should go to sleep.  He’s clean and worn out and his bed is calling to him like a siren at sea.  But you’re sitting alone in the channel, streaming Overwatch for no one to see, and he can’t just leave it at that.

He needs to say goodnight, like he always does. 

“Coming for my title as Headshot God?”   The quip’s off his tongue before you have a chance to acknowledge him, your laughter the first thing he hears once he’s connected.

“I’ve been waiting in this queue for seven minutes.  Seven!”  

It’s really not that bad.  The rare times you’d both queue for DPS were nearly double that.  

“Patience is key,”  he teases, slumping into his chair as he watches you click through your Hero Gallery.  You’re cruising seemingly aimlessly, roving through the different skins for your mains (Mercy, Ana, Genji, Ashe).  The silence between you is comfortable, interspersed only by the occasional munching he can only assume comes from the carrots you seem to inhale.

For all the junk you ate, you were somehow also weirdly into vegetables.  

“Patience sucks,”  you retort, matter-of-fact. 

“You know what else sucks?”  

It’s a rhetorical question and he knows you know, but because you’re you, you start listing things off just to get under his skin.  “Spiders?  Undercooked samgyupsal?  Not having coffee?  Your jokes?”

If he weren’t laughing so hard, he might’ve given you shit for making fun of his comedic genius.  He really doesn’t understand how you think he’s the unfunny one when all you do is crack puns.  

“I was actually going to say me,”  he finally manages in between those high pitched cackles of his.  

“Wait, why?”  You’re used to him having witty comebacks.

Edge of enamel worries his bottom lip and Jungkook can taste cherry Chapstick and what would be bashfulness, if it had a flavour.  “For earlier.”

You scoff, your own tinkling laughter tearing him out from inside his own head.

“It’s okay, goofball.”

He appreciates how laidback you are, never holding anything against him.  Not even when he hangs up on you or accidentally spams you with memes when you’re trying (and failing) to sleep.  “No.  I’m sorry.”  He says it earnestly, with all the meaning he can muster.  

MATCH FOUND flickers across his and your screen and you’re loading into hero selection.  He knows you’ll be too distracted once the game starts, so he’s grateful when you laugh again, sweet as summer.  

“Nothing to be sorry about.  Just tell me everything’s okay and we’re even.”  

Inhale, exhale.  Try not to tell her you have the biggest, stupidest crush on her,  he tells himself. 

“Everything’s okay.”  And he means it when he says it, though they aren’t the words he wishes he could say.  

“Good.”  

You’ve chosen Genji,  He smiles to himself when you join voice chat and the rest follow, greetings filtering in from your team members.  

“Good luck.”  You don’t need it.  He still likes to say it.

“You have an early day tomorrow, right?”  Leave it to you to remember his schedule even when he doesn’t.  

“Yeah, pretty early.”  

“Then go to bed!  I’ll still be awake when you’re up.”  

He lingers on that fact - holds it tightly in his hands so it can’t slip away.  You’d be there in the morning, just like you always were.  Knowing that stirs those same butterflies in his chest, words stolen by the overzealous beating of their wings.

You read his silence like they’re your own thoughts,  “I’m always here for you, Jay.”  

“Goodnight.”

"Sleep sweet."

notes.  this chapter is set four-ish months following the first, in case that’s not clear.  :) 

tag list.  @teawithbucky​ 

#heartsforbts #ficswithluv #goldenclosetnet #magicshopnet #bts #bts au #bts scenarios #bts imagine #bts imagines #bts fanfic #bts smut #bts fic #bts fluff #jungkook smut #jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook fanfic #jungkook fic #jungkook fluff #jungkook imagine #jungkook imagines #jungkook au #jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #jungkook x oc #jeon jeongguk #jeon jungkook smut #work.zip #angels.doc #jungkook.doc

[dimensionwriter]

Playing Among Us

It was my birthday a few days ago, so I’m going to post something a little self indulgent. Don’t mind me being a little greedy today.

Y/N

The player none of the boys suspect, even if they’re crewmate or impostor. 

Can totally get away with pulling the “I haven’t played this map before. I’m learning”. None of the other players even question them. 

It’s only if they do something very obvious, like kill someone in front of the group or vents in front of them. Even then someone will be like “Wait.. was that y/n”. 

Usually the last one to get killed because they feel bad about it. Except for a few of the players. Some will chase you across the map, kill you, then self report being like “WHO DID IT! WHO KILL THEM?! FESS UP”. 

You got a lot of wins under your belt.

Zerx

He’s lost most of time. You don’t know if he’s sus because he’s been standing in one spot for a while or if he’s trying to understand the map.

Follows y/n around a lot, leading to them being like “Ummm, I think it may be Zerx”.

He will be playful when he’s crewmate, but will turn competitive when he’s impostor. The best player than.

Everyone can figure out when he’s impostor because he will be pointing a lot more fingers than, then when he’s crewmate. But, sometimes he does the silent move and doesn’t say a thing and just let others accuse each other.

Has a 50/50 chance of winning. He either manages to kill half the crew in one round or he just vents at the very start of the match. There’s no middle ground.

Vyzer

Poor baby. He's scared most of the time, so he's always alone.

Is usually the second one to get killed due to his loneliness. Soft little whines from his ghost as he goes to do task, at least now in peace.

When it's time for him to be the Impostor, it goes horrible.

You will be looking at the cameras and see him sneak up on someone before running off, then coming back to kill them. His little players hops backwards and forward for a while before reporting.

"Um- I-um- I found a body. Yeah- it was- um- near- wires."

If anyone one questions him, he gone for. Just stays quiet for a while and everyone just votes him because they know.

He may not be the best player, but he enjoys having fun with you.

Professor

"I don't understand this game. If there's a bad person among you, just kick everyone off the ship except yourself. Done. Promblem solve."

Even though he's muted, he will still talk about how inaccurate things are. "Who puts an reactor out in the open? I wish doing wires were this easy. I gotta spend 12 hours on them before doing paperwork on it."

He's the mischievous one. Will follow people around just for the hell of it and during the discussion, he'll say " You weren't in electric. I vented in there and it was empty."

As the impostor, loves to play with his prey. He'll chase them for a long time before walking away, making them think they're safe. Then vent to their new room and kill them.

Loves self reporting. "Hey guys, so I was on my way to murder yellow earlier and came across this body. Lol."

If he's killed, you can hear the angry yelling across half the ship. And oh boy if someone falsely acuse him when he wasn't messing with them, he will be yelling through discord before going completely silent.

"My mask came down, but let me tell you why what blue said was crap."

Axel

First one to be killed. 5 seconds after the match start, there's his little black body on the ground. His tiny little mini-me, that definitely isn't named Y/N, staring at his decaying body.

Those few rounds he isn't killed, he off alone doing his task. If someone enters the room, he just leaves instantly (the pain of the past is still there).

He has to use the chat because he can't speak. So sometimes the people talking may be late a little to catch him saying "Red just appeared in a room that use to be empty."

If they don't notice it, red screen and angry screech.

When he's impostor. He wins, there's no if or ands or buts about it. He has to sneak around and get the job done, he's on it.

Sometimes people can figure out he's the impostor by how long he last in a match. But look in the chat and he's smooth talking everyone into believing it's not him.

Seeing the victory screen is followed by a yellow screen and happy beeps. (If you someone sees this, he will deny that it ever happen. Must be those human ears)

Midnight Mask

Doesn't play. He doesn't understand technology, so if you put him in front of a screen, he jokes pokes at the keys randomly and looks at you with a confused puppy face.

So he just sits next you and watches you play. He doesn't understand what's going on, but he knows when you look sad something bad happen.

His job is the cheerleader and comforter.

Karon

Aggressive player. Always yelling how he think this player is sus or this one was acting weird.

He's asking all the questions and you better not stutter of he will be convinced your the impostor.

He hates doing electrical because he always does there. So he never goes alone. He sees someone do medbay or astreoids, he does the little wiggle to get them to follow him into electrical.

" I don't trust no one on this ship. For all I know, they can all be the impostor."

Very quick with his task, tend to be the first one done. This leading him to following people to use himself as bait.

If he dies and let's say red did it and he know someone should know red did, and they end up voting off blue. Angry demon is screaming at screen.

Will walk over to you to complain about what happen and finish watching you play , if you're still alive. He won't spoil who the impostor is, but will growl if you vote for the wrong person.

As the impostor, he is devious. Will use that " I was with brown the entire time, so they're good", just to get someone on his side.

He loves vent killing someone. Pops out of a vent kills someone and goes to the other side of the map to be with Brown again.

Got a 65% winning rate.

Cosmo

He's a gamer man. Loves games that have deception in it and allows him to be . He thrives in it.

Most of the time he's giggling and saying "Stop following me green." He's fantastic with his fingers, so he's able to escape most of the time before pressing the emergency button. "Hey, I don't know about you guys, but green just followed me around like I stole his first born."

Tends to be the last one when it comes to finishing task because he's too busy running around.

"I trust y/n.... Why? Look at that face. Does that look like the face of an impostor?" Then gets killed.

If you are next to him, he will whine about how unfair it that you killed him. You have to give him 15 kisses to make up for it.

He really doesn't like being impostor because of the whole tieflings being deemed "evil". He likes to be chaotic, but still deem good where as being evil and chaotic and being the stereotypical "tieflings".

So, he's the type to kill infront of everyone and goes " I know what it looked like, but due to the red lighting and the coloring on our lens, it wasn't me "

He will only really try at impostor if the two of you are impostor. If someone starts suspecting you, he will turn it into himself. "What do you mean y/n just appeared in cafeteria? I just vented there and it was empty."

He gets lost during discussion time sometimes. Is the person to ask "Wait, who we voting?". He just gets lost in the noises and his brain is like elevator music.

He's just there to have fun and spend time with y/n when they aren't around.

Taoi

One of the few chill players. He just paddles around to do his task. Doesn't try to follow people or stay in group. Just... vibes honestly

When a meeting is called, he'll just sit back and listen to other people accusing. If someone likes white has spoken. He'll lean forward to uute to go "I'm eating Takis right now."

The accidental jokster of the group because of how chill he is. "My memory is not that great for a 500 year old. But I don't remember them being in that room with me. May just be my lack of brain though."

As the impostor, not very good. He prefer to do sabotages and hope his partner will kill them. If it's just him, he will slowly kill. His main focus is to not be suspicious.

Usually looses to the completion of task. He always says gg afterward. The game may not say he won, but a win for him is no one suspecting him.

Yeah, here's just a little something. I'm trying to easy my way back into writing.

#exophilia #monster love #monster boy #monster romance #oc x reader #monster x reader #monsters #dimensionwriter #tetro

[cross-d-a]

if you're doing those characters then please give me more amazing takes on princess mute 🥺💕

OMG IM SO LATE ANSWERING THIS BUT HERE I FINALLY AM

Also omgg thank you SOSOSO much for asking me about Princess Mute?? THE LOVE OF MY LIFE??? You know me so well, vish!! I love and adore you so much!! Thank you for giving me the chance to blabber on about the woman I love!! ⁽⁽٩(๑˃̶͈̀ ᗨ ˂̶͈́)۶⁾⁾

ALSO! I’m gonna do my best to like- not spoil all my plans for whispers, haha

The rest is under the cut bc I just have a lot of FEELINGS~ about our resident zombie girl 

❤⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )

How I feel about this character

OH BOY OK I JUST??? LOVE HER??? A LOT???? I wasn’t expecting to get quite so immediately and intensely attached to her?? But from the second I heard about her in the legend I was just gone. Completely done for. I’m generally a sucker for mythology, and there’s just SO MUCH that’s fascinating about the tale behind the Princess Mute and the South Sea King? 

Even though Princess Mute is so central to the myth, the South Sea King is deemed as the most important? I mean- duh it is his tomb, but Princess Mute is the catalyst? None of this would have happened without her? She’s main character material and yet she isn’t the main character of her own story?? She has practically no agency? It’s so? Fucking? Fascinating?? And there is so fucking much left unanswered? The myth says she turns into a goddamn monster?? Is this- figuratively? Or literally? Is she a monster for breaking gender norms and committing the ultimate taboo by killing the Emperor??? Like- holy FUCK? Like- LOOK at this pic from Ershu’s Expensive Powerpoint:

and a close-up for good measure:

(note the HORNS/HELMET?? the LIGHTNING STRIKE!!! 👀👀👀 how she’s dressed as a SOLDIER?? that SPEAR??? also she’s depicted as much bigger than the emperor!! which, of course, means she’s more important!!!!)

and, HELLO!! She’s called the PRINCESS MUTE. She is only known/named in association to someone else. Her name has been erased from history. It isn’t important to anyone. Which is so fucking ironic. She’s Princess Mute. Her voice has been stripped from her, just like her agency. This tale is the Mute Emperor’s and not her own. Her suffering means nothing to anyone. Her life means nothing other than for the Emperor to desire and the South Sea King to mourn over (and WOW!! ISN’T THIS JUST!! SO perfectly encapsulating Nanpai Sanshu’s female characters and their relevance to the story/male characters)

(so what is her goddamn name???? I mean, I know what I’ve named her, but sorry dudes. Again. I don’t wanna spoil too much :) )

also, WHY is the South Sea King covering her eyes when she’s sent off to sea in the origami boat?

What actually happens to her after this? The body we see of the South Sea King has long white hair so I assume he died pretty old? So why does she look so goddamn young? 

And- the million dollar question here (WHICH I HAVE A LOT OF HEADCANONS FOR BUT I DON’T WANNA SPOIL WHISPERS): What happened to her after she killed the Emperor????

ALSO!! WHY IS SHE HOLDING A DINGLAN RULER WHEN SANSHU FINDS HER IN THAT FIRST EXPEDITION?? (internet says it’s a “special ruler used for making shrines, carving wood statues and making tablets of gods. Later used in measurement of architectural scale; measuring instrument for the netherworld, wishes best for tomb owner) did she design her own father’s tomb?? is there more to her becoming a leather figurine than filial loyalty/sacrifice?? 

Why does she have a tattoo?? I go a bit into this in my fic, but from my understanding it was unusual for people (women especially!) to have tattoos during this time! (this is just from my research! if I am wrong please correct me!) 

For anyone who hasn’t read whispers, there were a a few tribes (minorities!) during this time who tattooed themselves (and to this day, they continue this tradition :) ). The Li were often attacked by invaders who assaulted the women and sold them as slaves. The women ended up tattooing their faces and bodies to make them less appealing, and it ended up becoming a tradition. When a girl came of age she’d get tattooed. Then we’ve got the Dai, who (from what I understand!) got tattoos of animals with characteristics they wished to embody, such as to show their virility and strength! So they’d tattoo tigers and dragons, etc.

So why does Princess Mute have one? Who gave it to her? WHAT ACTUALLY IS IT!!!!!! (eternal frustration that we never see a clear shot of the whole thing!!) It kinda looks like a heavily stylized fish? With some waves. But I am unsure! But it would make sense, considering the ongoing theme of snakes and fish throughout dmbj.

Also, her scars seem very strange. Like- if someone skinned her (YIKES!) then- her scars don’t really seem like they’re a result of skinning (double yikes!!). You’d think that for a woman who was the daughter of the King, they’d take more care to preserve her face?? So why does it seem like someone has done their utter best to ruin it? Did the Emperor do it himself? Did her father? Or did someone else do it?? Did she do it herself????

Also, I just wanna cut the bullshit with the creepy hand clam thing. A hand clam isn’t gonna wrap their fingers around Wu Xie’s hand to stop him from blowing himself up. Like. I get that it’s the censorship. I get it. But- you can’t tell me it wasn’t actually the Princess Mute who saved him. I just?? This moment is so powerful? It literally knocked the breath from my chest.

Princess Mute’s story is just so fascinating and tragic and I am just a mess over how she isn’t in control of her own story? She never is. Except for when she kills the Emperor. (AND when she saves Wu Xie) And I think that’s fucking telling. 

Of course, it felt like they had more of a storyline planned for her which never happened, but I’ll get more into that later.

Basically, I just have SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!

It’s like- I dunno. Seeing a gorgeous woman flip an obnoxious man over her shoulder and slam him to the ground without breaking a sweat and watching her walk away with stars in your eyes. You barely know anything about her but you’re already half in love and you just want to know more.

I’m super Gay for her, if you couldn’t already tell.

Honestly, she just perfectly represents all the female characters and their treatment in dmbj with all the extra PIZAZZ of the mysterious supernatural/mythological elements. She just makes me go feral and I adore her with my entire heart.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

NUMBER ONE I SHIP HER WITH MY CUTE AND PERFECT GF XIAO BAI!!!!!!!!

They are my two favourite (okay and my wife Su Nan!) female characters in dmbj. I think their stories parallel each other pretty beautifully? They’re both women in a powerful position, though with limited agency. They both defy gender norms and accomplish things (I’m counting killing the Emperor as Accomplishing Something) in a very male-dominated world. And- okay. I know the Princess Mute is technically dead. But she also?? is someone still doing stuff?? and pushing along the storyline?? as a zombie?? So I’m just gonna say that both of them aren’t truly killed off for the Man Pain like all the other female dmbj characters (except for Xiu Xiu, and I guess Chuchu but ChuChu’s situation is kinda....Iffy. At best.)

Also both of them are linked pretty heavily with Wu Xie? They both have an interesting relationship with him. And Princess Mute leads Wu Xie to Xiao Bai!!!

And okay this is spoiling a bit of whispers, BUT!!! Warehouse 11 was built atop the South Sea King’s temple. Isn’t that fucking important??? I stand by my headcanon that Xiao Bai is a Warehouse kid (descended from the Founders) and so she grew up there. And like- ignoring censorship bc I can AND because Reboot leaves a lot of supernatural stuff up in the air anyway- wouldn’t growing up atop an insanely powerful temple do something to you? Wouldn’t it affect you in some way?? There’s just!!! SO much potential between Princess Mute and Xiao Bai!! Plus!! I think it’d be great for Xiao Bai to form a relationship with another woman. She needs some female solidarity in her life.

And- well. I just ship Princess Mute with all the dmbj women, really. Princess Mute has two hands, why can she use them both?? I’ve got a couple Princess Mute modern au’s going and in one of them she just- sweeps A’Ning and Su Nan off their feet :)

I really can’t ship Princess Mute with any male characters, I think. There’s just- so much underlying trauma surrounding her agency and how she’s been used by the men in her life. Also, I like wlw & mlm solidarity. Let Princess Mute and Wu Xie wallow over their Stupid Crushes. Or Princess Mute & Xiao Ge. I’m not picky.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Purely bc of my own au, I am very much invested in Princess Mute & Li Cu (& spirit snake). As I mentioned before, there’s a running theme of loss of agency in their own lives and suffering the consequences of others’ actions. Plus, there’s a lot of supernatural happenings surrounding the both of them. Why wouldn’t they find a connection?

And, obviously, I adore Princess Mute & Wu Xie. Princess Mute saved Wu Xie and then Wu Xie was promptly obsessed (can’t say I blame him). They had such an interesting relationship in Reboot that was just- so fucking tragically dropped. 

My unpopular opinion about this character

SHE SHOULD BE MORE POPULAR!!!!!!!!!! She is so goddamn fascinating and gorgeous and I just!! Want!! Everyone to adore her as much as I do!!!!!!!! At least I feel a bit accomplished for swinging some readers over to her side in whispers!! That’s something!!! 

I’ve got like- a million au ideas with her. I’m going to be the creator of the content I wish to read!!!!!

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I WISH SHE COULD HAVE GOTTEN A SATISFACTORILY COMPLETED STORYLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She just gets completely dropped after she leads Wu Xie to Warehouse 11. So once more, she is a plot device and not. And actual. Person. Her importance is tied irrevocably to the male leads. Her agency is not her own. Wu Xie cares so much about her, and okay, he’s trying to figure out a mystery and we all know how he gets when he’s trying to puzzle out a mystery-- but you can’t tell me he just- stops caring after he encounters Warehouse 11??? What happens to her after that?? Does she rot away in a box in Wushanju?? Does Ershu take her back?? I’m just?? WHAT????

I want to know her side of the story and not what everyone else has said. I want her to actually properly communicate with Wu Xie. I want her saving the day again and I want her being fucking badass and I want her and Xiao Ge being soft together and I want her and Xiao Bai to bond fall in love and I want everyone to just- fall in love with her? And care about her? And I want to to find herself caring about these fucking idiots too???? Can you imagine her and Liu Sang bonding over shitty fathers and lack of agency and Trauma?? Can you imagine Princess Mute getting her life back and the freckles returning to her slowly darkening skin and her being silly with Hei-ye bc he keeps shoving increasingly ridiculous sunglasses at her. And can you imagine her trying on jeans for the first time and picking out a cute bomber jacket and shoving a baseball cap on her head and dipping her feet back in the sea and befriending shibie bc she’s just?? that?? cool?? while Iron Triangle is off on the side fretting like she isn’t befriending some very dangerous creatures but it’s okay bc she’s a dangerous creature too and she understands fear and desire and hunger. 

I want her returning to Thunder City. I want her getting closure. I want her story to get closure. Period.

And I know it didn’t happen bc censorship and Nanpai Sanshu and just- a host of Other Things. But I want it, and she deserves it.

--

AAAHH VISH!!!! Thank you so much for letting me yell about Princess Mute!! Sorry I couldn’t go more in depth with headcanons but!! Like I said, I don’t want to completely spoil you for whispers, so I’ll keep those close to my chest for now 

٩(*ゝڡゝ๑)۶♥

#dmbj #the lost tomb reboot #princess mute #dmbj meta #sorta?? #tltr #Wu xie #Xiao bai #cross talks #reunion: the sound of the providence #bai haotian #ask game

[bard-of-worlds]

Chapter 2

“He did what?” Gabriel asked as Nathalie looked at him from the other side of his desk.

 “He threw Lila into the river, walked off and turned his cell off afterwards.  I have no idea where he went and already called his friends and Chloe isn’t being helpful, she said something about a movie and she’ll talk to Adrien latter and her phone was off.”  Nathalie said as she looked at Gabriel. Gabriel just look back out he tried to understand what he had just heard, Nooroo was hovering above him and looked on and shot Nathalie a wince as he felt the confusion change to rage.

 “Find him now!  When he gets back here I’m going to…..I can’t even! Clearly he’s been around the degenerates at that school of his too much, I want you to pull him now, if he’s not at a shoot I want him in here!”  Gabriel snarled as he pounded the desk.  What is wrong with that boy, I’ve tried to raise him right but he does this, what is the matter with him!? He thought as he looked at Nathalie with an angry look in his eyes and as Nooroo hovered above him. “Did Lila say anything about why he did it or did he just snap or lose all sense of pride from being around those children in his class?”

 “Lila told him about how you talked to her about getting Marinette Dupain-Cheng away from him, how you rewarded her with the contract.” Nathalie said as Gabriel stared at her.

 “Didn’t you mention that she wasn’t to speak about that at all Nathalie?” Gabriel asked as Nathalie nodded and Gabriel face palmed in response and groaned.

 “Yes, but I guess she just decided to gloat to get him on board.” Nathalie said as Gabriel kneed his noise, understanding finally why Adrien had done what he had.

 “I never should have made a plan like this; I should have never started to even talk to her after she broke into the mansion.” Gabriel said as Nooroo looked down at him with anger in his eyes.  Nooroo had tried to caution him against using Lila, something about her made even him feel dirty just hearing her speak.  She helped me set up the attack on Heroe’s day and I suppose she had her uses.  Still with the lies she’s told about Dupain-Cheng, that should have clued me in, I knew Adrien wouldn’t like Lila but for her to actually say she did it for me is something I wasn’t expecting.  Of course when I talk to Adrien I can pass it off as believe her that this Marinette sexually harassed him and was trying to use him.  That I acted is because he never told me otherwise, my thoughts that he didn’t because he didn’t want to be pulled from school, yes fatherly conern might work here.  Gabriel thought as he tried to figure out where Adrein could be.  Looking up he frowned as he saw Nathalie holding her tablet tight against her body and the look in her eyes told him there was something else.  “What else happened Nathalie, what did you leave out?”

 Nathalie looked at him and released a breath.  “Gabriel, I…… he said something before he walked off….. it shocked me enough that I lost him.”

 “What could he have said that would let him get away?” Gabriel asked with a scowl.

 “He said that he was glad she’s gone.” Nathalie said as she tried to keep calm as Gabriel turned to her with a scowl.

 “What are you talking about, glad who’s gone?” Gabriel demanded as he looked at her.  Nathalie looked away before turning and swallowing.

 “Emilie.” Nathalie said as he went still and turned to look at her, not sure he had heard her right.

 “What did you say?” Gabriel asked, aghast that Adrien had said something like that.  “He said what about Emilie?”

 “He said that he’s glad she’s gone, that he has memories of a good person and not someone who could love a monster like you’ve become.” Nathalie said.  “Gabriel, I think….. I think he’s going to do something.”

 “Master, perhaps you went too far.” Nooroo said soflty as he floated and Gabriel spared him a glance before shaking his head.

 “No, the plan was perfect and each step was planned perfectly.  As my other persona I talked to Lila and helped her plan every step of it, all in all a mass Akuma attack was supposed to happen.  It was perfect; Lila didn’t know that there were two ways it to go down, one where Dupain-Cheng was the trigger and the other where she was.” Gabriel said as Nathalie looked at him

 “Two ways, what are you talking about Gabriel?” Nathalie asked as Nooroo floated there and felt horror as he realized just what Gabriel had planned.

 “Both girls of course, each one was a potential trigger for a mass attack.  The first was for the feelings of doubt and shock of Miss Dupain-Cheng being suspended; of course I never thought that the principle would have expelled her.” Gabriel admitted as he looked at Nathalie and she was shocked to see a hint of guilt in his eyes.  “I thought that at least that man would be professional about his job, it seems that I thought more of him and that homeroom teacher then they deserve.”

 “Then the second was Lila, but how…..wait you WANTED HER TO FAIL?” Nathalie exclaimed as Gabriel grinned back at her.

 “Yes, if that idiot in charge had looked at the CCTV camera’s that record the school hallways let alone the courtyard, which there are four of them and one of them was right above the principal’s office by the way, then Lila’s lies would have been exposed at once.” Gabriel explained what Lila didn’t know about the plan. Nathalie looked at her boss with an impressed look and Nooroo stared aghast at the betrayal Gabriel had planned.

 “So if she was found to have been behind it all, then Lila’s lies would have all been revealed, and that would have been the second way, brilliant!” Nathalie said with a chuckle. “But what about Miss Dupain-Cheng, how does she factor in?”

 “She was to be the ace in the plan; she got away from me enough times that I’m sure I could finally craft a champion of such power she would have finally gotten me my prize.” Gabriel said as he looked at her and frowned.  “But I have to admit that I never planned for Miss Dunpain-Chang to be a victim to this extent.”

 “And by what you said about the teachers there, you expected them to actually do their jobs properly?” Nathalie asked with a deadpan look.

 “Yes, I have to say that this has destroyed any faith I have in the public school system. I plan to send a special email to the school board with an unaltered copy of the CT footage, say that I’m a hacker who looked into Lila because of something I read online and saw her true colors.  She was stupid enough to even get caught on camera taking the answer sheet.”  Gabriel said and Nathalie laughed a little at her stupidity.

 “So then what about this Miss…… Dupain-Chang master, what will happen to her?”  Nooroo asked as he looked down at Gabriel with a hint of hope in his eyes as he looked at his wielder.

 “Dunpain-Chang Nooroo, and I expect that her record will be cleared, an investigation will be launched against that school that might end with it closing or a few people black listed and that this will be a perfect chance to bring Adrien back to homeschool, but I think I’ll let him keep his social life as it is, maybe let up his extracurricular activities.”  Gabriel said as he looked at Nathalie who looked up and started to type away at her tablet. “Perhaps a program with group projects, yes if I share them with some of the parents of Adrien’s friends that might earn some forgiveness from him about this, and if I explain that Lila tricked me, he might forgive me.”

 Nathaile looked at him and bit her lip as she looked away, something was telling her that this wouldn’t be as easy as he thought it would, a beeping from her tablet caused her to look down and frown as she saw someone knocking on the mansion’s doors, she frowned when she noticed he was wearing a suit.  “There’s someone here Gabriel, did I forget to pencil in an appointment?”

 “No, I can’t think of anything that would be handled with a face to face.” Gabriel said as he looked at Nathalie who looked back for a few moments before she sighed and looked down at her tablet and typed a few keys

 “Who are you and why are you here?” Nathalie said through her tablet and the man looked up at the camera that came out of the gate and frowned.

 “I have to speak with Gabriel Agreste in person, I’m sorry but I can’t talk anything more and I won’t leave.”  He said and Nathalie looked at Gabriel who shrugged and frowned back at her.

 “Please wait there, I will get back to you in five.” Nathalie said as she muted her tablet and turned to Gabriel.  “Well now what, any idea what this could be?”

 “None at all.” Gabriel looked at the camera’s image and looked at Nathalie.  “A reporter after a scoop, a new customer that wanted a personal meeting, remember how that person came to the mansion last year?”

 Nathalie looked down at the screen and looked back at Gabriel.  “He doesn’t seem to be a reporter, I have a……..feeling that this is important.”

 “Very well.” Gabriel said as he got up from his desk and walked towards the door out, Nathalie following behind him and Nooroo hiding in is clothing.  “Let him in, we’ll see what he has to say.”

 A few moments later the man walked into the mansion and meet Gabriel and Nathalie in the foyer.

  “Gabriel Agreste?”  The man said as he went to Nathalie’s desk and opened his briefcase.

 “I don’t know who you all but I assure you I don’t want anything that you have.  I will give you a few minutes of my time but I want you gone.” Gabriel said as the man smiled at him.

 “This will only take a moment, Gabriel Agreste you have been served.” The man said as he put a stack of papers and dropped them onto the desk. “You are cordially informed that you are now under investigation by the Child Protection Agency of France for violating the Child Labor Laws, and you are being sued by one Adrien Agreste for work without pay.  Have a nice day.”  The man said as he dropped a few forms on the desk before he nodded at them and he turned and walked out the mansion, a spring in his step.   As he walked out of the mansion’s grounds he hummed as he turned towards his home, a smirk on his face as he remembered the look Gabriel had when he heard why he was there.  “I just love to deliver to those people; I just love this part of my job.”

  Nathalie looked at Gabriel as he stood there and stared down at the papers on his desk and sighed.  “I knew he would do something, I just knew it. And I knew that one day you would push him too far!”

 Gabriel looked at Nathalie with a scowl on his face. “I don’t need that from you now Nathalie.”

 “Well you’re going to get it Gabriel!” Nathalie said as she looked at him with a frown on her face as Nooroo floated back in from where he had hidden.  “I’m here to help you but I’ve said it before that all the modeling work will come back and bite you one day.”

 “He is my son. I have the right to have him work for me!” Gabriel said as he looked at her and she shook his head.  “And I can’t think of anything that he had done that violated any of the laws, he’s working for the family business!”

 “The keyword there is work Gabriel, work!  I’m not a law specialist so I don’t know ,but maybe if could be how long he does it is and how you pull him from school; people could make a problem about them and there are laws about child labor which Adrien’s work qualifies as!  And what are we to do, Hawkmoth attacked today and failed, if you make one to find Adrien then people will talk!” Nathalie said as Gabriel looked at her and nodded.

 “Contact my lawyer, I want him to investigate who’s behind this!  And go check out the hotel, he has to be there!” Gabriel said as Nathalie walked away.  “Oh, and the video’s with Lila actions, use one of the throwaway accounts, the videos are in file EM02 password 3, and send it to Miss Dunpain-Chang.”

 “What, after all this you want to….” Nathalie said turning her head but trailed of as Gabriel looked at her.

 “It’s imperative that my crusade doesn’t destroy a life, if Emile finds out about this and that I didn’t try and fix it……..then I’ll be the one needing the wish.” Gabriel said as Nathalie chuckled and nodded.   “And it might make any meetings with Adrien easier if I’m surprised by anything he says about Lila, I might be able to make him believe I was tricked by her.”

 “Throwing her under the bus then?”  Nathalie asked dryly.

 “I always planned to one day.” Gabirl said as he looked at his wife’s painting.  “Nooroo didn’t like her, and my feelings about him aside, that’s saying something.”

 “Respectfully Master,” Nooroo piped up.  “I’ve felt people who were insane or psychotic that were less slimy then she is.”

 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 The caseworker looked at the doors to the apartment portion of the bakery and swallowed.   Okay, keep it together Sophia, you’ve done cases like this before, but it’s your first time in the city since Hawkmoth but you can do it.  She thought as she slapped her checks and put a smile on and walked towards the door and knocked and a large strong looking man with a mustache opened it, causing her to swallow and look up at him.  “Hello, I’m Sophia from the Child Welfare Origination; I’m supposed to be meeting Adrien here?”

 “Yes, come in quick.” The large man said as he ushered her in. “I’m Tom Dupain-Chang, Adrien is upstairs in the living room up those stairs, my wife Sabine and my Daughter Marinette is there providing support, I ‘d love to stay but I need to get back to work, the dinner rush should be soon and I have to make sure everything is working right.”  Tom said as he head back towards the front of the store as the woman swallowed and walked up the stairs, psyching herself up as she went.

Walking into the kitchen she saw Adrien sitting down at a table with a glass of water in his hands and Marinette looking at him as he talked as Louise and Sabine talked quietly by the window.

 “….really, I don’t know why I thought he would have taken the time to make it, I was grasping at straws to save our relationship.  I must be the most idiotic person on the planet.  I should have reported him months ago.” Adrien said as Marinette reached over and squeezed his arm.

 “You wanted to think there was a way to salvage something from your relationship with him, I mean I get that.  I’m just sorry I never told you that I made it.”  Marinette said as she looked at his eyes and he smiled back and squeezed her hand back as Sabine giggled and Louise grinned before looking up as Sophia walked into the room.

 “So you made it, you’re the agent the Child welfare Agency sent?”  Louise asked as the other three looked up at Sophia who grinned shakily back.

 “Yes, hello.  I’m Sophia, I was sent to do a preliminary interview.  I understand who the two woman are but who are you sir?” Sophia asked casuing Louise to smile and hold out his hand for her to shake.

 “Sorry, I’m Louise, Louse Artoga, Adrien’s attorney.  I believe that Tom told you who these ladies are of course.” Louise said as he gestured towards Sabine and Marinette who nodded at her as Adrien looked up.

 “Yes, I met Tom before he directed me here.  Now normally I prefer to have my meetings private affairs with only the person and an adult who’s on their side, but in this case.”  Sophia said as she looked at Sabine and Marinette and Adrien looked up for a few seconds before speaking up.

 “I’d like them to stay, at least for moral support.” Adrien said as he looked down.

 “That’s perfectly fine, but if you mind walking me through a normal day, a normal day as your father would have you do.”  Sophia asked as she sat down at the table and opened her briefcase and brought a few piece of blank paper out a pencil and her phone that she put down after activating a recording app.

 “I get up around six in the morning and do stretches and exercises until around six thirty, after that I shower until around seven when I practice the piano until around seven thirty when I have free time until eight when I have breakfast and am driven to school at eight fifteen.” Adrien said as Sophia started to take notes.  

 “What about your father, do you see him in the morning?” Sophia asked and Adrien shook his head as she took notes.

 “No, the only person I see is Nathalie most days…oh, she’s my dad’s assistant and then there’s my bodyguard/driver the Gorilla.  Oh, the Gorilla’s name is Damien.” Adrien said as he looked down and missed the look of rage that went through Sophia’s eyes as Marinette squeezed her hands as Sabine growled under her breath as Louise watched with a blank face. “Sometimes I get to school for afternoon class if there’s a photo shoot in the morning, sometimes I don’t even make it to school at all and then if I get back around five I have supper alone again and practice the piano for an hour or my Chinese tutor comes for the same time, if there’s a photo shoot in the afternoon I work and grab supper between shots until I’m taken back to the mansion ussualy around nine or ten.”

 “What about when you do make it to school?” Sophia asked as she wrote down what Adrien said and tried to keep calm.  “What are your days like then?”

 “I have ordinary classes and at lunch I’m drive home where I eat and stay in my room before I return to school.  When classes end I go to fencing practice when it’s scheduled, I have Mandarin lessons or piano practice if a photo shoot isn’t scheduled and I have an ordinary evening, I have dinner alone and have a few hours of free time in my room before I go to sleep.” Adrien explained.  Sophia looked at him and tried to keep her cool, the shear amount of time he had working was bothering her, and the way he spoke raised a few flags that only increased her concern.

 “How much time do you think you spend with your father, regularly?” Sophia asked and Adrien looked at her and started to think for a few more moments then Sophia was comfortable with.

 “Every few days he checks on my progress at the piano and Mandarin, and maybe I’ll have dinner with him maybe once a month or so…….” Adrien said as he shrugged.

 “A day.” Sophia interrupted him and he looked at her.  “How much time do you spend with him a day, in person?”

 “Normally none in his presence, he’ll check on me through Nathalie’s tablet and I don’t know if he watches me on the cameras but I know there aren’t any in my room so that’s out.” Adrien said as he tried to think.  “So maybe I see if in person about an hour a month, total?  There was the time we watch that movie mom stared in once but that’s not normal.”

 “Thank you, but there’s something else.”  Sophia said as she looked at him and softened her gaze.  “I’m sorry to pick at wounds but you said something when I came in, could you explain it please?”

Adrien looked at her before looking around and when Louise nodded he sighed.  “Okay, my last birthday I thought dad made me a scarf by hand, but I was told an hour ago that Marinette made and he just, stole it from her and took credit for it.”

 Sophia looked at him and hung her head.  Okay, that plus how little time he spends with him that’s emotional abuse.  And the way he does his modeling, that violates the Child Labor laws right there and I haven’t even gotten to the weekends yet.  She thought as s he looked at her notes.

 “Okay I think that’s everything for now, I would say that you should stay away from your school for the next two days since it’s almost the weekend, by then we’ll have gone over the case and I think we’ll be moving to have your father’s people served with a restraining order.”  Sophia said as she put her papers away.  “Miss Marinette I have to ask that you don’t tell anyone

 “That’s going to be easy since I was expelled today.”  Marinette said and Sophia turned and stared at her in shock.

 “I’m sorry that whatever happened caused the hearing to decided that was best, I…..” Sophia trailed off as Sabine growled and Marinette gained a bitter look.

 “I didn’t have a hearing, I was just expelled because Lila said I pushed her down the courtyard stairs to the next floor, I stole the answer key to the test after the test was over and that I stole her grandmother’s necklace the day before and kept it in my locker overnight.” Marinette said as Sophia looked at her before turning to the others and stared aghast at them.

 “That all happened today?! What the hell kind of school is it, the Idiot School for Total Inaptitude?!  Don’t they have CT camera’s there?!”  Sophia demanded in shock that gave way to rage.  “And you have to have to have a hearing, what did they decided not to do their jobs or something?!”

 Adrien stared at Sophia and swallowed as she glared at the room. She’s gonna be Akumatized, how can I get her to calm down?! Adrien thought as Sabine had flashbacks to what happened to her husband and Louise looked ill as he realized what was happening before him.  but before they could do more than react Marinette did first.

 Marinette got up and slapped Sophia’s face.  Sophia just looked at Marinette shocked, her anger dissipated and tried to speak but Marinette spoke over her. “Look at me, Look at me!  Deep breaths, in and out, in and out.  We don’t want to summon an Akuma don’t we?”

 Sophia looked at her and did as she was told, slowly getting herself back under control.  “Thank you, I….needed that but please don’t do that again. But how’d you know how to do that?”

 “Max thought that once maybe a shock could stop someone from feeling what call them.  Smart guy, great programmer but he didn’t catch an obvious lie.” Marinette said as she looked at Sophia who raised an eyebrow.

 “What kind of lie was it?” Sophia asked as she looked between the two teens, hoping that something was

 “A thrown school napkin could have gorged his eye out, and he wears glasses.” Adrien said flatly.

 “Really?” Sophia asked as she looked around and Marinette nodded.  “And this Max, he’s…..smart?”

 “Nobody seems to be where Lila’s concerned.  The school believed her enough to have me expelled right away and didn’t even let me say anything in my defense.”   Marinette said as she shook her head.

 “And she threatened Marinette when she got ‘back’ a week after Hero’s day.”  Adrien said as he glared into space.

 “Got back from where?” Sophia asked and felt something, a feeling of disappointment that she couldn’t explain.

 “She said that she was traveling with her mother, and she says she’s a diplomat.”  Marinette said as she looked at Sophia.  “Of course the first day that she appeared in Paris she became an Akuma that could do illusions and then the fake Chat Noir and Ladybug, well.”

 “How do you know that?” Adrien said suddenly as he looked at her and saw her jolt and realize he was there and winced before she sighed.

 “I saw her take the book you had in the library that day and followed her, I saw her throw it away after she bought something.” Marinette said as she looked down at the table.

 “She took father’s book? Then you’re the one who brought it back to him!” Adrien said as she nodded.  “You’re the reason I’m back in school!  Wait why didn’t you give it back to me then?”

 “When I got it out of the trash it had opened and the pictures were amazing so I lost you guys. I  thought I try and find you and if I couldn’t I’d give it back at school, saying you forgot it in the Library but then when I found you again Ladybug confronted her about lying that she was a friend of hers, smart I mean if Hawkmoth heard about it and attacked her family!” Marinette said as Adrien looked at her and his eyes became pin prints as he realized what she was saying as the three adults all paled and Sophia held a hand to her forehead as the chaos that could have happened because of Lila’s lie.  

 “What do you mean, ‘back in school’?” Sophia demanded as she suddenly realized what he had just said.

 “I found this book in a hidden safe one day while I was looking around my father’s office after Hero’s Day; I wanted to see if he was free to talk about a school trip next month. He wasn’t there but I found this book I took to school, I ‘lost it’ or Lila took it and father pulled me from school to punish me.” Adrien said and Sophia stared.

 Sophia looked into space as she tried to understand just what she had heard.  Okay, that’s a strange punishment and maybe it could be argued a ‘legal’ one.  But it was…..wait when did he say the trip is?! Sophia thoughts died and she looked at Adrien.

 “Wait, just wait!” Sophia said as she held up a hand. “This was after Hero’s Day, but that was months ago…..you had to talk to your father months before a school trip so you could go?”

 “Well he prioritizes the company image over everything else, and he pulled me from school for loosing it.” Adrien said as he blushed.  “He said it was important, that mom and he had found it years ago, not that he ever told me about it.  all my father said when he let me go back to school was a friend had found it and returned it to him, that was you Marinette?”

 “Yeah, but that meteor appeared before I could work up my courage to tell you about what Lila did.” Marinette explained as she looked away with a blush on her face. “So I figured I’d give it back to you in the morning and when you were pulled from school I went to your house and told your father it dropped out of your bag and I had seen you with it earlier so I figured it was his.”

 “Wait, wait a second we’ve gone off tangent here, what was the threat?” Sophia asked as she mentally decided to look into this Lila.

 “That she would take away all my friends and ruin my life, and she got me expelled.”  Marinette said softly as she looked down, trying not to let her face show her emotions about what had happened earlier today.

 “She admitted that she did it too, all so my father would give her a modeling contract as a bonus.” Adrien said as he looked at Marinette and felt something at the back of his mind, something was bothering his subconscious, he didn’t know what but something was there.  “I knew she was a liar but I didn’t want to expose her, I thought she was just a liar who would get tangled up in her lies or was just lonely from traveling with her mother and wanted people to like her.”

 “Well if you didn’t know about the threat kid, then I doubt anyone could blame you for hoping she was just nervous, I’ve seen kids do strange things to get people to like them. Still she just gave that one threat once right?” Louise said as everyone looked at Marinette and she looked down as Sabine gasped and Adrien looked horrified as Sophia broke her pencil. “Marinette, what else did she do.”

 “That day she came back, at the end of the day….. She went up to me at the stairs and said we were at war, that she would ruin me and that Adrien would be….hers.” Marinette said as she as looked down, Sabine stared and started to curse in Mandarin and Adrien tried not to show that he knew what she was saying, but he noticed that Marinette’s blush deepened and wondered if she knew what her mother was saying.

 A beeping from Marinette’s phone caused everyone to look at her as she blushed and took her phone out and paled.  Marinette stared at the screen and tried to figure out what this meant and who could have sent this.  Max, Markov did you two send this…..no that’s not their style.  Who knew to look and why……Hawkmoth but why would he…..nothing about this makes sense, I have more questions than answers and I don’t like this one bit!   I need to talk to Master Fu about this. Marinette thought and looked up as she felt someone touch her shoulder and saw her mother look at her with concern on her face.

 “What’s wrong darling, what’s on your phone?” Sabine asked as she took it and looked down before scowling. “What!?  ‘Lila stealing and framing Marinette?!”

 “What’d you say?!” Louise demanded as he rushed towards Sabine and Marinette as Adrien and Sophia shot to their feet.  Louise looked around and saw the TV in the room and looked at Sabine.  “That’s a smart TV, you can cast the video to it right?”

 Sabine nodded and they all turned to the TV and Sabine played the video.  The first thing was a blank screen that said ‘This is from the school CT cameras’ and then Miss Buister class leaving the room with a small timestamp in the right corner showing that it happened the day before at the last class of the day and Adrien went still.

 “That’s when the fire alarm went off.” Adrien said as everyone on screen left the class room through the courtyard door and then Lila came in from the other doorway and grabbed a paper from Miss Buister’s desk and dash to Marinette’s bag and put the paper in it before she ran after the class.

 “Well there’s the answer about how it got into my backpack.”  Marinette said dumbly as the video continued and it showed Lila walking down the stairs with Marinette staying by Mr. Damocles door before Lila sat down at the bottom and starting to scream.  “And then she led the way to my locker where she opened it and there was her necklace.”

 “Why was it unlocked?” Sophia asked as Sabine went over and squeezed Marinette’s hand and she looked at her mother with a smile before replying.

 “The lockers don’t have locks, something about something that happened a few years back when I asked about it.” Adrien said and Sophia only face palmed and Louise looked murderous. A chocking gasp came from Sabine and they turned to the mother and daughter to see Marinette raise a shaking finger and they saw the TV had showed Lila dropping something into Marinette’s locker, the image being enhanced to show the fox tailed necklace.  “Well, I didn’t know there were camera’s in the locker room, did you Marinette?”

 “No I didn’t, and I was class president.” Marinette said dumbly as she looked at the screen.  “And the time stamp showed it was from before 1st period when she said I had the answer key in my backpack.”

 “Wait I’m not following this, she said you pushed her down the stairs?  And the nurse backed her?” Sophia asked and Sabine scowled as Marinette looked down.

 “They never even had the nurse examine Lila.”  Adrien said dryly causing Sophia to look at her before she face palmed.

 “I think that the lawsuit against the school for malpractice is open and shut, don’t you?” Louise said as Sophia banged her head against the table as she realized just what she had seen and cursed under her breath, knowing that the school system was the thing that would be affected the most before the end, and that she might want to start setting up a the paperwork for homeschooling for a whole school.

  Moments later Sophia looked at Louis and Sabine as the three of them stood at the doorway to the alley. “That was a very good meeting in my opinion.  I have to be honest….a lot of red flags were raised by the office when his mother disappeared and this just adds to them.  I guess that you have the legal paperwork and evidence against his father?”

 “Yeah, a lot but I became Adrien’s lawyer because of something his mother did so he will know what I’m doing once he’s served. Sabine would your family mind putting him up for a few days?  I can rush the paperwork that would make you his temporary guardian in a court outside of Paris tomorrow.” Louis said as he looked at Sabine who nodded back at him.

 “Ahhhh, that scenario then.” Sophia said with a wince.

 “Yes, I’m sorry but that protocol, his situation is exactly what it was set up for.”  Louise said as Sabine looked between them and he noticed it and looked a little….embarrassed.  “It’s a law that was set up after a rich abusive parent bribe the location out of a clerk who fell for their lies and the result was that they attacked the foster home while drunk.”

 “Oh my.”  Sabine said as she looked between Sophia and Louise as Sophia blushed.

 “Thankfully no one beside the drunk idiot was hurt.”  Louise said with a smirk and a laugh.  “And he was hurt by driving his car into a wall!”

 “Oh my.  I guess he lost custady after all then?” Sabine asked as Sophia blushed and Louis laughed before he started to look just disappointed.

 “Yeah, but that’s not the most funny story about my work I have to share.   Why the number of idiotic things people will do, I can’t even say that I’m surprised by anything anymore.”  Louis saide with a sigh as he shook his head.

“That’s nither here or there.  As an agent of the Child Protection Services of France I give my leave to allow Adrien Agrest to stay here overnight legally. We’ll look over the case and come to a decision but I will be putting together the paperwork to remove him from his father’s guidance tomorrow at the earliest.”

 As both Louis and Sophia left through the back alley entrance Sabine looked upwards and sighed as she moved towards the apartment’s kitchen, hoping that Adrien wasn’t allergic to anything that she made that night.

  “Come on Adrien, you can sleep in the guest room tonight.”  Marinette said as she lead him through the house towards the guest room. “It’s on the opposite side of my room from my parents so if you want to scream into the pillow don’t hold back.”

 As they entered the room and Marinette turned on the lights Adrien looked around, noticing that the windows were facing the alley and kept a smile off his face.  Perfect, I can use that to get out and talk to Ladybug on patrol tonight, if I close the door and lock it then that’s easy to keep my secret.  He thought as he looked at Marinette with a bitter smile. “Thanks Marinette, I don’t deserve a friend like you.”

 “Is this about the advice Adrien?” Marinette asked as she looked at him as he sat down on the bed. “Adrien you didn’t know about it. Listen, my grandmother told me once that you can only give advice on what you know, you didn’t and you could only give what you knew at the time.”

 “I was thought she was just a social climber or trying to get people to like her because she was scared.” Adrien admitted as he put his head down. “Chloe was like that, trying to act like the person she wanted to like her.”

 “Chloe…….?” Marinette asked as she looked at him before gasping and covering her mouth.  “Her mom right?   She was like that all those years so her mother would like her?!”  

 “Yeah, she’s always had this idolized view of her for a while; I think what happened when her mom was Akumatized might have broken that.”  Adrien said as he looked at her with a bitter smile.  “She actually came to talk to me about getting justice for you, trying to figure out how to get your expulsion overturned.”

 Marinette stared at Adrien with her mouth open in total shock, only managing to mutter half formed words before she was able to speak clearly. “Chloe did, I thought she hated me!”  

 “No, Chloe’s been hard to understand.  If she hated you then she’ll ignore you, and well I think she liked how you would insult her back.” Adrien said as Marinette looked at him and Adrien continued speaking. “Her grandmother on her mom’s side was a weird person when she was alive, always talking about getting people back based on her own sense of justice.”

 “And she copied her sense of humor from her mother right?” Marinette asked dryly and Adrien only laughed lightly.  “I have some stuff to finish that I was taking a break from when this all happened, we usually eat in about an hour so I’ll see you later.”

 Adrien nodded and Marinette walked and closed the door, Adrein sighing as she did, noticing the door had a lock and he nodded.  “I’m hoping you won’t mind if I don’t feed you that kind of cheese for a while Plagg.”

 “Don’t be too bad kid, just grab me a slice of this places cheese bread every once in a while, hell a piece of bread would do in a hurry.” Plagg said as he floated out of Adrien’s jacket.  “Don’t be overthinking it; I just love cheese like my sugerclub loves sugar.”

 “I thought so for a while now, I’ll make sure that I grab a few piece of emergency cheese the next time I can slip into a continuance store.” Adrien said with a smirk as he looked at the window.  “Think we’ll be able to use that to get out on patrol?”

 “I’ll check, give me a few minutes to look around, take a nap kid, I’ll wake you when I’m back.” Plagg said as he shot through the window and Adrien sighed and leaned back on the bed and closed his eyes.

  “I can’t believe this; Chloe’s actually trying to help me?” Marinette said as she closed the door to her room.  Tikki floated up and looked at her with a smile.  

 “She bonded with Pollen, I wouldn’t expect something else and her jabs against you were like someone hoping for someone to strike back.”  Tikki said causing Marinette to look at her.

 “So all this time Chloe’s been looking for someone to verbally spar with, but what about Ms. Buister’s present, no that was more against her then me.”  Marinette said as she sat down and started to mutter to herself. Tikki grinned and looked at Marinette and before turning sharply and saw Plagg floating by the exit to the terraince and frowned.

 “I’m going to check the alley Marinette, I want to make sure we can slip by Adrien the next time we go on patrol.” Tikki said and Marinette put her head down.

 “Stay out of sight okay? I really need to think about everything Chloe could have done or didn’t.  Now there’s Alix’s watch, but she could have just dropped it by accident, and there’s the design she stole from me, but how couldn’t she have seen the fact that I signed it…..”  As Marinette went over her interactions with Chloe Tikki giggled and flew out of the room, hugging Plagg as soon as she saw him.

 “Hey sugerclub, how should we deal with this?” Plagg asked as Tikki smiled at him.

 “I’m just happy he’s finally standing up for himself after everything you told me about their relationship.  When I saw all that his father had him doing the first time I really hoped he wanted to do a least one of them.”  Tikki said and Plagg scowled

 “No, that kitten’s always trying to please him and he never would say anything, not that he would have listened to him.”  Plagg said with a snort.  “If his mom hadn’t set up his early modeling work’s pay and invested it so he had a modest income from them I don’t think he would have been half as confident to have started to do this.”

 “How bad is it, really?” Tikki asked as she floated and looked at him.

 “I….. I don’t know. Gabriel is short with everyone, not just Adrien.  Maybe he’s like Tom’s dad was, but he’s as proud and over protective as Jonah’s was.” Plagg said as Tikki frowned.  “And then there this, do you think we should push for a reveal?  I mean tomorrow’s patrol alone….”

 “It might be time; they trust each other and Marinette could talk to him about the butterfly.” Tikki said before going silent as Plagg looked at her.

 “What butterfly?” Plagg asked flatly and Tikki looked back and sighed.

 “When Lila threatened her, an Akuma was summoned…… I helped talk her to get it away but then Lila was turned.”  Tikki said and Plagg looked at her and hung his head.

 “And the kitten thinks that Lila was turned because of him calling her out, another reason he said if they knew the truth it doesn’t matter if she lies.”  Plagg said as he looked down at the alley between the buildings. “What’s over there anyway?”

 “I think it was originally an apartment before the owner died and it was taken by the city, I think they were talking about making it a low budget housing but the school raised a stink and it went to court and died there according to Marinette.”  Tikki said as she shrugged.  “And then Hawkmoth appeared and well…..”

 “Might have to teach the kids a few tricks sugerclub, they might be ready for them.”  Plagg said as he looked around and scowled at the school.   “I wonder how Lila tricked Gabriel into giving her that contract; it had to have been on her end you know?”

 “He wouldn’t have reached out to her?”  Tikki asked and Plagg floated there for a few moments before he shook his head.

 “He only remembers Kagami’s name because he wants a contract with her mother’s company, I don’t know how he would have even talked to her.” Plagg said flatly.  “Let’s have the kids transform and call each other, that way they can talk and hopefully postpone the patrol until the day after, we just have to hope that after what happened today Hawkmoth and Mayura will stay down for a day.”

 “Yeah…….” Tikki said as she frowned.  “Hey Plagg, when you were in your Miraculous, did you feel something from Duusu?”

 “You mean did Mayura feel wrong to me, yeah.” Plagg said with a frown.   “I’m thinking there’s a lot about why he’s doing this that we don’t know yet.”

 Tikki floated there and let what Plagg said stew and she tried to think of anything, something was telling her she had all the pieces but she couldn’t set them together right. “I’ll tell Marinette to do that and we’ll let them call each other and hope for the best, for today our choosen are more important.”

 Plagg nodded before he shot back towards Adrien, promising himself he’d let the kid sleep for a bit more and Tikki floated back down towards Marinette and hoped for the best, that this situation might be weathered by all involved.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 Alya looked around the room, trying not to look at the empty seat where Marinette…..normally sat and tried to keep it off her mind.   Nothing about yesterday makes sense, I mean I know Marinette and she wouldn’t cheat or push anyone down the stairs!  I mean I can’t even understand how that happened, or how Hawkmoth did what he did again.  Ayla thought as she looked into space, trying to figure out what had happened yesterday that she never noticed Nino come and put his hand on her shoulder.

 “You okay babe?” Nino asked as he reached her and looked around the room.  That’s strange, Adrien is usually here before me most days, it’s not like him to be late………is there an emergency photo shoot or something his dad pulled him for, he usually texts me to ask to for a copy of my notes?  Nino thought as he sat down behind Alya.

 “No, nothing about yesterday makes sense; I mean I can’t even think of an explanation that explains everything.” Alya said as she hung her head.

 “How about half of it, we can work from the rest Alya.” Nino said as Alya hung lower and he grew worried. “Babe, what is it?”

 “Marinette thinks Lila did it on purpose to get her expelled, but I can’t figure out why. Marinette said that Lila did it and that she’s a liar, I thought it was jealousy that they don’t like each other but I don’t know anymore.” Alya whispered softly as she looked down at her desk. “I mean I get that if you think that Lila was behind it, most of it all lines up but I can’t think of a motive or how to prove it, everything I have is telling me that I’m missing something that I can’t see it, some piece of this puzzle that explains the missing portion.”

 “We’ll figure out what we can do babe, we just need some time.” Nino said as he looked down and frowned, his own mind going place he didn’t like.  He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Alix and Max until Alix slammed her hand down on Alya’s desk causing them both to look at her.

 “How are we going to help Marinette Alya?!”  Alix demanded as she looked at Alya.   “You’re the reporter, you have to know something we can use to get her back and find out the truth, cause there is no way what happened yesterday was real!”

 “I don’t know I mean the evidence is shaky at best, I mean with the fact someone pulled the fire alarm the other day I guess that was could be how the answer sheet could have gotten in her backpack, but to prove that’s what happened is imposible.”  Alya said as she looked down.”  But then their’s Lila necklace, she said she saw Marinette take it but I never even heard about it before and how would Marinette have even known about?  But to prove it is imposable.”

 “The necklace being in the locker wasn’t enough proof.” Max’s voice startled them and they turned to look at him.  “I had Markov do a simulation and it is 100% possible to drop it through the locker’s grill and a chain long enough would let someone put it through the grill and end up where it did, and then there’s the fact that none of the lockers even have locks.”

 “I’ve always felt something scary about that, that’s why I just use it to hold projects and my coat in the winter; I think Marinette does it too.” Rose chimed in and they looked to see her and Juleka nod.

 “There is no way in hell that Marinette hurt someone on purpose even if they did deserve it, and to cheat on a test that didn’t matter, no way.”  Juleka said as she looked down, a hard look in her visible eye.

 “At least once the investigation is done then maybe we can learn what happened right?” Kim spoke up from behind them, causing them all to turn and look at him.

 “What investigation?” Alix asked as she turned and looked at Kim who shrugged before answering.

 “The investigation that they have to do, that’s required for an expulsion to be legal?” Kim asked as he looked down at them in confusion.  “I mean you can’t be expelled like that, you’ve got the right to defend yourself before a panel of judges.”

 Alix looked up at him and frowned as Nino got out his phone and started to type away.

 “Why do you know that muscles?” Alix asked as Kim looked away and blushed.

 “One of my dares before I started to come here, I had to look over the school’s expulsion rules and then argue against a student being expelled.  Not a real student of course, and the darer was my civics teacher and wanted to get my grade up.” Kim said as he grinned.  “It worked, I got a B on that extra-credit work and he dare me to do better, if I got in the top ten students that year he would help me set up a sports festival over the summer, I was in the top five that year but I discovered competitive swimming and well.”

 “Oh, that makes sense.” Alix said as she looked at him and frowned.  “Wait a second, it that in your file…..wait.  Is that why Madame Mendeleiev always challenges you when she hands out the study guides?”

 “What can I say, she knows my old teacher.” Kim said as Nino looked up with a smile from his phone.

 “And he’s right dudes, its solid law, she gets a hearing.” Nino said with a smirk on his face.

 “Once they check out the camera’s I’m sure Marinette will be back!” Rose said with a grin. “Lila has to have been wrong; Marinette wouldn’t push anyone down the stairs. She probably slipped and Marinette tried to grab her!”

 “If she fell.”  Alix said with a scowl as she crossed her arms.

 Alya looked at her and felt hers heart beat faster as she paled.  “What do you mean?”

 “I’ve taken injuries before with my stunts and stuff, if she had fallen she shouldn’t have been able to move that well.” Alix said and looked conflicted.  “And the last time somebody fell down them two years ago they had to take them to the hospital, they were knocked out unconscious!”

 “Why would Lila have been lying about being hurt, I mean why?”  Rose asked as she and Juleka joined the others.  Alya looked around the room and noticed that Ivan and Mylene were in the back talking quietly with each other, but from the frown Ivan had she could guess what they were talking about.

 “I don’t know, but we can agree that Mari wouldn’t do anything like that right, I mean we know her!” Alya said with a scowl as the others nodded and looked at each other. “I mean sure she didn’t like Lila, but I always it was because she thought Lila was after Adrien.”

 “And we know that Marinette wouldn’t do that, but how did the answer sheet get in her bag and the necklace into her locker?”  Juleka asked and the others looked around, none of them making the logical leap that would explain everything.

 Above them Chloe scoffed and looked down at them.  This is why I wear a ‘mask’ all the time, it doesn’t pay to show who you are all the time.  I’m sorry that you’re learning it from interacting with Lila Mari, you were the only person who actually was fun to bitch at, besides Adrien and Sabrina, I think you’re the only person in this class I like.  She thought before she leaned closer to Sabrina.  “How’s your dad feel about what you talked to him about.”

 “He was out all night, didn’t get to talk to him yet.”  Sabrina whispered back to her.  “I’ll talk to him at dinner about it; think we should tell the others?”

 “I don’t know, I mean she’s got most of them wrapped around her finger, if something doesn’t change we might have to.”  Chloe said quietly as she looked around the room, her eyes lingering on Alya and she frowned.  Still it looks like she might be breaking it, if so after a little humble pie I think their releationship will survive this. Still I wonder if I can get in on the bet about when those two get together.  Chloe thought as she looked around the classroom.

 “Still, I was surprised with how many students actually do homeschool since Hawkmoth came out, aren’t you?”  Sabrina whispered and thought of how many different homeschool options there were in Paris alone.

 “Trust me I know parents who are……..overprotective and that’s pretty normal, but I’m more surprised with how many students are here after all.” Chloe said as she remembered the total list of students that actually attended the school was a lot smaller then she originally thought.

 “This place always seemed small to me, I don’t know why but it always did.”  Sabrina said as she shrugged her shoulders.  “And knowing our classmates, I was always surprised how many of us have the same general interests and goals, you know?”

 Chloe nodded was going to say something when she went still and Sabrina turned and saw Lila coming into the room talking with Nathaniel as she walked in.  There’s the bitch in question, I hope Adrien stays away, the research we did last night showed us a lot of options to choose from, a good program with group projects is just what we need. Chloe thought as she looked down at Lila and it took everything she had learned as a Mayor’s daughter to keep the disgust she had for her off her face.

 Alix looked over Lila and frowned.  If she really fell then she’s recovered faster than anyone could…… I so don’t like this, any of it.  And if muscles if right and this place did something illegal yesterday then I might have to rethink my scholastic future here. Alix thought as she looked at Lila as she moved towards the gathering around Ayla’s desk.

 “Hey Lila, you know your walking a lot for someone who fell down the stairs.” Alix said before Lila could say anything.  The others looked at her and she smiled the same way she had before she told one of her stories Alix realized with a jolt as Lila started to speak.

 “I’ve always had a high pain threshold really; I remember once when I broke my leg in a football game and still help make the winning goal!” Lila said as the others only looked at her in disbelief.  

 “American or European football?” Juleka asked and Lila looked at her inconfusion.

 “What’s the difference?” Lila asked and Rose only face palmed and Juleka looked at her with a hard eye.

 “European Football is called soccer in America.”  Juleka said as the others looked from her to Lila and noticed Lila kept smiling the way she had when she began her story. Before anyone could say anything Miss Bustier came into the room.

 “Students I’m sorry but could you all please take your seats, we have a lot to do today.” Miss Bustier said as the students all sat down at their seats before she continued.  “First thing first I’m sorry to say that we have to pick a new president, anyone who wants the job please tell me when class ends. So I thought we would start today with…..”  

 “Why do we need to pick a new class president, that’s Marinette’s job!”  Ivan inturpted as he stared down at their teacher as the others with the exception of Lila nodded.

 “You were all there when she was expelled Ivan, how we feel about it is immaterial we have to move on. There are things that the class president has to do that allows our school to function as it does and every class needs one.”  Miss Bustier said as she looked at Ivan before Kim spoke up.  

 “Yeah but he couldn’t have expelled her like that, it wasn’t right or lawful.”  Kim said stubbornly as he crossed his arms and looked at Miss Bustier and who opened her mouth before Lila cut in.

 “Kim how could you!  After Marinette assaulted me how could you want her back?!” Lila cried as she covered her face and started to sniffle as she covered her eyes with her hands. Juleka frowned as she looked at this and looked down as Rose grabbed her arm, seeing a fierce look in her eyes.

 Alix frowned as she looked at Lila and didn’t see any tears going down her face and wondered if this was all Lila was, a fraud who knew how to manipulate people.  If she took us for a ride then I’ll beat her myself, no I’ll testify against her! Alix thought as Kim looked at Lila with a frown on his face.

 “That doesn’t matter Lila.” Kim said sternly.  “Its Marinette right to tell her side of the story, something that no one gave her a chance to yesterday.”

 Miss Bustier could only look on as the class descended into chaos as they realized that yes, no one had listened or even let Marinette talk about what had happened.  Kim kept his eyes on Lila and what he didn’t see told him more then what he did.

 “That’s enough everyone! Clearly you all feel strongly about this so I will compromise, the post will be opened until enough of you decide we need a new one, is that all right? Now lets begin class.”  Miss Bustier said as she turned around.  Alya sent a text to Nino and Rose and when her phone buzzed she smiled as she looked down at it and grinned.  Hang on Mari we’ll going to clear your name, I promise.  But I think I might have to apologize about not believing you about Lila, I might have been wrong about her.  She thought as she half listened to Miss. Bustier’s leason, not noticing Lila watching her from the corner of her eyes and frowning that Adrien wasn’t here.

  Lila looked around the room and scowled.  They all should have forgotten about Mari-Trash by now, and why’d that Alix bring up my ‘fall’.  Maybe I should find her alone and tell her the truth, I’m sure she’d be smarter then Mari-trash was. Lila thought and looked up as the lunch bell rang. Before she could do more then stand up and looked at Alix Rose was there looking at her.  

 “Lila, I was wondering if I could talk to you about a charity a friend of mine was thinking about starting and I figured with your expertise you’d be the perfect person to talk to about how to structure it the right way!” Rose said as Lila turned her head and saw Alix as she left the room and bit down a curse before turning back to Rose and smiled.

 “Of course I’d be happy to help you Rose!  Why I remember when I was named the treasure for the save the spotted birds once when Mama was stationed in Mexico……” As Lila walked away Kim looked at her before going to Alya.

 “Your idea?” Kim asked and Alya nodded as she got up.

 “Yeah, Rose will give you some time to go and talk to Mr. Damacolis, me I’m going to talk to Marinette and hope she forgives me for being taken in by Lila.” Alya said as Kim winced.

 “Sure she’s lying now?” Kim said as Alya looked down and nodded after a moment.

 “I went over everything that she said and most of them were she said he said things, but the napkin is pretty damming.” Alya said and he remembered what Lila had said how it had almost taken Max’s eye out and winced as Nino came up to them. “Want to come with Nino?”

 “Yeah, I’ll buy something from them and see if Adrien is at an emergency photoshoot or something, he usually text’s me if he won’t be here so he can copy my notes.” Nino said as he joined Ayla.

 “Good luck.”  Kim said as Alya nodded back at him.  He turned and walked towards the courtyard entrance to the classroom and stopped when he saw Ivan waiting for him.

 “Going to talk to Damacolis about how Marinette is due a hearing by a third party?”  Ivan asked and Kim nodded.

 “Yeah, how to do you know about that big guy?”  Kim asked and Ivan shrugged and looked away.

 “I’ve always been tall for my age, but once or twice people tried to get me expelled for what I might do, a hearing was always held and it was shot down.”  Ivan said as Km looked at him before wincing himself.

 “Oh….” Kim said and looked down and started to feel terable.  “Dude, I’m sorry I gave you a hard time before Stoneheart man, I really am.”

 Ivan put a hand on Kim’s hand and looked down at him and smiled.  “A lot of people did over the years; you at least apologized about it afterwards and you mean it.”

 Kim looked at Ivan and nodded as the two were silent as they walked towards Mr. Damacolis office and both of them hoped he would believe them.  But as they reached the office they stopped when they heard Mr. Damacolis’s voice from within.

 “This is my school and what I say goes!”  Mr. Damacolis voice thundered from the office’s closed door and Ivan and Kim looked at each other.

 “Wonder who he talking to?” Ivan asked before a voice, Aurora’s voice came back.

 “Sir, that doesn’t matter, they are rules about this!  You aren’t allowed to do that without a hearing!”  Aurora’s voice shot back and Ivan and Kim looked at each other.

 “Hey isn’t Aurora the class president for Ms. Mendeleiev class?”  Ivan asked and Kim nodded and winced as he heard someone slam a fist onto a desk.

 “OUT NOW!  Any more and I’ll suspend you for talking against the authority of the principle!”  Mr. Damacolis thundered before he opened the door and saw Kim and Ivan standing there.

 “And what do you two want?”    he growled as he saw Kim and Ivan as they stood there and watched as Aurora and Mirelle came out of the office and Aurora had a scowl on her face as Mirelle only looked ahead blank faced.

 “We….” Kim began and only looked at the angry look on Damacolis’s face and the scowl on Aurora’s and tried to think of anything to say when Ivan spoke up.

 “We were passing by on the way to the upstairs boy’s room sir, a dare that Kim could spend a day only using that one.”  Ivan cut in and Kim nodded after a minute.

 “Well lunch is almost over, so good day!” Mr. Damacolis said before he closed the door to his office and Aurora looked back and was about to explode when Mirelle put a hand on her arm and shook her head.  Ivan put a hand on her other shoulder and gestured towards the side passage and he and Kim walked away with the girls following them.

 “Was that about Marinette?” Kim asked once they had moved far enough so the principle couldn’t hear them and the two girls nodded their heads.

 “I heard what happened over the school chat and well I couldn’t believe it, when I heard from Myele what happened I told Aurora and she was so mad.” Mirelle said as Aurora nodded as she scowled.

 “The legality about it, right?” Ivan asked and Aurora nodded, looking so mad Kim looked around for a butterfly.

 “We did a group project about the expulsion process a few months ago for Civics, comparing it to the adult court system and I knew as soon as I heard about it that nothing was done correctly, I mean it was a travesty!” Aurora said with a scowl as spat as she looked back at the office.  Stupid owl!  He’s on a power trip and doesn’t think anything through and if he thinks he’ll get away with that.  She thought as Mirelle nodded.

`

“Yeah, if Ms. Mendeleiev hadn’t taken our class to that field trip I’m sure she would have brought up a lot of things to stop that before it went that far!”  Mirelle said.

 “She feels that bad and out of sorts about it?”  Kim asked shocked at the fact the strictest teacher in school was reacting this way.

 “Yeah, when Ms. Mendeleiev heard what happened this morning she put a video on and it took us a few minutes to stop and ask her what was wrong.  She couldn’t believe that Miss Bustier just sat back and did nothing!” Mirelle said as she looked towards Miss Bustier’s classroom.

 “I’ve worked with Marinette on the school council, she wouldn’t do that!  And we’ve been talking about getting locks for weaks before this happened.” Aurora piped up and Kim and Ivan looked at each other with a smile on their faces.

 Ivan looked at Kim and they smirked at each other.  So we have other allies and maybe a teacher too, this is perfect I can’t wait to talk to the others about it.  and having a teacher on our side might help get her back! Ivan thought excitedly.

 “Come on girls, let’s go and talk with a few friends of ours, I think we’re all on the same side here.” Kim said as he grinned at the girls and as they walked away.

 “You two should come and talk to Miss. Mendeleiev with us.”  Aurora said as she pulled her phone out and turned off the recording app and grinned darkly as she moved.  Everything you just said is going to come home to roost and its hunting season, target owl.  She thought as she followed Kim and Ivan.

#miraculous: tales of ladybug & cat noir adrien Fanfiction #Miraculous Ladybug AU/ The Law is The Law #ml fic #miraculous au #miraculous tales of ladybug and cat noir #adrien x marinette #chloe redemption #lila bashing #lila rossi bashing

[maree-ff]

Interlude: Remission

CAMILA

Excited, joyful, in lust, anxious, nervous, and overwhelmed. These are all of the emotions I was hit with at three o’clock this morning when I woke up to begin my day. Today officially marks five weeks, seventy-two hours and sixteen minutes since I ruined our relationship. Today also marks the same amount of time that Jorden has completely flipped his switch. His behavior is nothing like Andre or I have ever dealt with. I know I’m to blame for calling off our engagement but it’s almost as if Jorden feels like I took his father away. That was never my intention by any means. I only wanted for Andre and I to take some time out to explore every crevice of our relationship. The energy in our union has been off and I want to know what the root of the issue is.

Papi’s been coming by everyday to bring the kids home from school. He’s even stayed to tuck them in, help me clean up from the aftermath of dinner and then he leaves. He’s been distant, rightfully so, but I miss him! I’ve been yearning for attention and I haven’t craved male companionship in ages! Tonight, I’m going to try and do things differently. I’ve been spying on him to get his schedule for today so I can scheme and coordinate in peace. Andre didn’t pick up the kids today because I asked for his mother to do it herself. The girls are helping me choose what to wear for my weekend away while their baby brother is napping.

Sliding my boots on I tiptoed around the mess I created, rushing to get their opinion. I spun around, danced a little, showing off another outfit I pieced together.

“Okay, nenas...what about this?” I’m frantic. I am supposed to be meeting Dre at a resort in Palm Springs. He has an assignment there for the weekend so I figured this is the perfect time for us to fix what’s broken.

“Shoes..perfect. Outfit..even better.” Zoe smiles assuringly.

Kenja tilted her head left and right before responding to my question. “Perfecto..”

“Perfecto? La verdad o es esa actitud que estoy escuchando?” I sassed her.

“Si..la verdad. Mom, mira la hora por favor.” She pointed out. Glancing at my watch I cursed under my breath, rushing to get out of here. I tossed what I need for the weekend in my bag, smothering my girls in affection. I looped my bag over my shoulder and quietly raced up the steps to check on my youngest baby.

Cautiously I entered his bedroom, blushing at the mere sight of him. “Mommy’s going to fix this nino. I promise. For you and tu hermanas.” Shuffling to his bed I pulled his blanket up over his stomach to keep him warm. “Mommy loves you baby. I’ll see you when I get back and I’ll make sure to kiss Papi for you, if he’ll let me.” I kissed his forehead and backed away before he had the chance to wake up.

I left his room, spoke to Divya briefly and headed straight for Palm Springs.

————  ———— 

Pushing the bottle further down into the ice bucket I turned around to check out the room. I managed to get an extra key to his hotel suite since he’s still out. I got a phone call from Meah saying that he should be arriving shortly.

“Mommy,” I exhaled. Clutching the Bible to my chest I looked out at the sun setting over the horizon. “Necesito su orientación.” My spirit feels alive again. I can feel her. “I need you to walk me through this. I ruined my relationship and I need to get it back. Please watch over me and don’t let me screw this up.” Marking my body in favor of the cross I set the Bible down and put some final touches on his room.

About fifteen minutes later I heard a key unlatch the lock to the room.

“Alright, look I’ll tell you what. Let me look over the proposal, run the account and find the bug.” The door shut and the automatic lock clicking made me jump out of my skin. These goddamn nerves! Quickly I downed one of the shots I poured, needing to calm myself before he saw me. I stood tall by the window, looking out at the montañas and hills. “No man, I will personally take care of the firewall and the hiccup in your account. Why don’t you sen-”

Our eyes met the second his speech paused. With the phone to his ear, he silently set his bag down, looking me up and down. “I will have my assistant contact you so you can get me that file personally. Once I get to the bottom of this I will call you..” he motioned to the glass signaling for me to pour him a drink.

I did as he asked, going ahead to fill two glasses.

“Of course. I’ll get back to you in a few days.” His phone touched the desk as did his jacket. “I’m surprised.” He simply stated.

Closing our distance I handed him the glass, holding my own with two hands. “I know.” I agreed. “Necesitamos hablar.” I sipped on my champagne, reading his energy from the body language he’s showing.

“About?” He too sipped from his glass, going to remove his tie.

“Let me..” I offered. I set my glass down to complete the task I offered to take off his hands. A mass of nothing but fears from my subconscious lodged my airways, making it difficult to look at him. “Habla sobre nosotros, nuestra familia y el futuro de nuestra relación.” The slow movement and slithering sound of his tie falling across his shoulder made my heart skip a beat.

“So let’s talk then. Where should we start? You breaking up our family or completely blind siding me at dinner that night?” I knew this surprise visit from me would be a battle but I wasn’t expecting fire this quickly.

I draped his tie over the back of the chair, not wanting the fabric to catch wrinkles. “Don’t do that. I don’t want to fight with you tonight. For you and for us but not with you.” I created space between us, giving him room to breathe again.

“Why not? There’s enough issues to go around that we can argue about right? Isn’t that what you were saying five weeks ago when you tore our family apart?” He’s agitating me and he knows it. He’s pressing my buttons on purpose but I sympathize with his anger and hurt.

“Everything. Papi, we can fix this. I want to fix this. I broke us apart and for good reason but I want to make it right. I never wanted to hurt you or our family.” The sun has vanished leaving the sky lit up in the most beautiful orange and yellow blend.

“Mm..that’s the memo I got and if I’m correct you did hurt me. You hurt our bond, our love and our kids.” He calmly explained his point, fully raising my nerves.

Snapping my head in his direction I warned him not to steer us down a path we may not recuperate from. He clapped back at me as if I’m not in this fight with him.

“Ay, basta ahora! No me hables así! I hurt myself too, okay? You’re not the only one who got hurt that night alright? Stop trying to make me feel like crap and help me fix the problem!” Waving my hand for him to cut the nonsense out, I paced the floor waiting for him to react.

“What problem, Camila? Tell me what are these problems you speak of? I never saw any facet of our relationship that was broken and needed to be fixed. Were you imagining things that aren't real? What is it?”

“Our chemistry must have been off, Dre. It didn’t feel like old times. Y me estás llaman loco? That’s not fair of you to say! I meant what I said and how I feel is valid. You cannot deny the way I feel! Those are my feelings and I am entitled to them!” I yelled.

He approached me silently, picking up the shot from the tray. He threw it back, poured another two rounds, encouraging me to take second. “Our chemistry? What about our chemistry? Break it down for me. We have all weekend right? That’s why your bag is partially unpacked and you got a second key to the room? Well let’s get to the bottom of this shall we?”

He doesn’t know this but that was my fifth shot since I checked in. The scent of his cologne sent my desire for lust, love, affection, attention, you name it..into overdrive. I rolled my eyes swiftly as he walked past me into the living room of the suite. I followed him thinking of how to recite my feelings.

“Well..I feel like you’re still holding back. You never opened up about what happened to you while you were away. You’ve changed, baby. I recognized the signs when you came home. I didn’t pester you about my concerns because I had enough to deal with already. But you have changed and I just want you to feel comfortable enough to be open with me about what you went through.” Removing my earrings I placed them on the coffee table. Andre was mute. He drew an invisible figure eight with the champagne flute in his hand. “Coming here was intentional my love but stressing you out wasn’t.” I reminded him. I inched over to the large windows, taking in the views with him.

Throwing back the remaining champagne, Andre set the glass down by his feet. “Yeah I changed. I’m ashamed of a lot of events that have taken place over the course of my life. You know that. Being away is at the very top of that list. You know that too. It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t want to share at all with anyone but God himself. I can’t.” He disagreed.

Cupping the nape of his neck I fingered the smooth hair, getting excited. He hasn’t touched me in weeks and I’m still breastfeeding so my hormones are driving me batshit crazy. I have been forced to stick out this drought between us, calculating how long until I get him back. Allow me to be frank and say that I have ventured down the road of self pleasure but it takes too long. I’m capable of satisfying myself on a small scale but I need him for that soul snatching, big time release.

“I’m not shaming you, papi. I would never do that. Though I strongly urge you to reconsider. God is an excellent choice mi amor pero I-” his hand claimed my throat as he backed me into the glass. The liquor in my bloodstream and on his breath made me want more. “Por favor..” I am prepared to beg, plead or use any other extreme measures I have up my sleeve if this will bring us closer. I cupped his cheek, yet again finding our son in him. Their eyes hold a familiar sense of depth and comfort. “I want to fix this, really. Again I’m sorry love, you must believe me.”

The teaser of his increase in pressure to my neck turned me on. I’m sure that was his intention and I have no objections. He’s never harmed me which is good because I love when he uses force. A little pain feels ten times better when sex and intimacy are around the corner.

“I know.” He huffed. I’m already wet with anticipation. He only added fuel to my fire. He overpowered me, giving off anger and animosity. I’ll take what I can for the time being, wanting what I’ve been deprived of. I can’t decide if I want this first time back into our fold to go by quickly because I’m so hungry or if I want to take my time.

“I want both.” I thought aloud.

Andre ripped through my clothes without any regard for common sense to treat my belongings with respect. “Of?” He uttered quietly.

We disrobed one another not caring that anyone could possibly walk by the room. We’re completely exposed and normally I’d be willing to keep watch for bystanders but tonight I don’t care much. Let them have a show to enjoy.

Tossing the belt he had on somewhere off to the side I rid him of his trousers, dominating the scene. “I want this to last but I’m desperate after five weeks.” I whined. I did not allow him to choose what pace he would rather stick with. “Give me what I want. Answers and attention.” Moving in for the kill I felt the ground lighten up from underneath my feet. I wrapped my legs around his midsection and locked my ankles to keep myself steady. He stumbled still teasing the clasp of my bra.

My body was freed from the confines of my brassiere, leaving me open for the taking. Andre granted my wish. He fucked the soul out of me up against the glass but tenderly and lovingly. We traded off with the power of getting the beauty of both worlds. What feels like angry, make-up sex carried on out to the hot tub that’s acquainted with the room. I gasped for new air, gripping his hip and palming his lower back to force him into me.

I needed a resting place for my head so I sought out the rim of the tub. My brief moment of desiring to speak ceased to exist as he touched two of my favorite spots. My outcry made me tearful and oh so sad. Sex only places a bandaid over our issues but a lovely bandaid it is. We carried on in the hot water and later transported our affairs back inside the room.

The time has come for us to use our words again. Tying my robe closed I lifted my hair up and out. With a heavy heart I studied Andre from several feet away.

“When did you begin to feel the shift?” He asked me, barely looking over his shoulder.

Clearing my throat I swiped my glass from the desk, taking a sip. “Sometime after Jo’s fifth or so doctor appointment. I think..”

Dre’s insincere snicker ruffled my feathers. He took a long drag of the blunt he’s been working for half an hour. Putting it out he sucked in a fresh wave of oxygen only to take his time blowing it back out. “So Ali is the root of your issues with me?”

“Let’s be adults about this. You know damn well that’s not what I’m getting at nor is that what I’m saying. Maybe it was the stress of waiting for all of the test results to come back..” my sentence ran off as did my feet. I walked myself across the room to look out onto the night sky. Finishing off my champagne I built up the courage to explain a selfish mistake I made so long ago. “I still feel guilty for my comment. I didn’t mean it then and I didn’t mean it now. The waiting and re-testing was backing me into such a dark place that I traded in hope for fear. That is no excuse and I have to live with my idiocy at that moment for the rest of my life.” Turning on my heels I zeroed out the space between us. I placed my hands upon his shoulders, molding to his shape wanting to ease the tension in his upper body. “But you were there. You didn’t give up on our son even while I had doubts and bombarded you with my sadness over the matter.”

Inching closer I captured his lips, entangling us to each other for round three. Speaking about our kids brings me back to consciousness. All of the wild sex that we’ve had since Jorden was born has surprisingly not created another child. This troubling and confusing separation has not hindered an inkling of romance. All that’s different is the lack of title.

“We’re supposed..to be talking..” he hummed. I fondled my way into his lap, going head first.

“Not right now we aren’t.” I denied. I’m in the mindset for a specialty cocktail I can’t put a price on. My skin began to heat up from under the robe. It’s my throat, mouth and hands that are the hottest points of me currently. I used my hands, feverishly wanting to bring him all the way up so I could stop and get him angry. His fingers ran through my hair finding the right coordinates to hold my head still. His body shuddered underneath mine as I ramped up my speed so he can feel like he’s in control of the moment. He’s never been allowed to dominate my pace when I’m pleasing him. I was very transparent in the beginning stages of our romantic relationship about why he can’t force me down or hold me still. In exchange we have worked out an arrangement to where he feels like he’s in control but he’s really not.

The overflow of saliva and the tiny bubbles running down over my fingers and wrists turned up my pride. It’s also the sweet melodic manner in which my name and God’s fills the air. I always honor him with his few moments of fame in thinking that I can’t handle his measurements. There are times when I doubt myself. Like the generous man that Andre is, he never comes short with complimenting how charming my tongue is. The hyper speed of his shaft and juevos sliding in and out my mouth brought on the most beautiful feeling. My scalp is tingling from the massage he’s giving me while I’m finishing the one I’m offering him.

His call out to the heavens is making me greedy. I’ll admit to it and I want him to know. Halting, I knelt before him and pushed him down, ultimately mounting him. Our mouths reunited in sync, no exceeding dominance displayed. My back touched down against the plush comforter, he removed my robe, and I used my hands and feet to disrobe him of his pants.

“Cuidarme, yo soy tuyo.” I begged. Our bodies meshed together resembling a fly getting caught in a Venus fly trap. My internal organs accommodated his endowment warmly. I saw darkness as he set himself up with the right momentum. “Ay Dios!” I called on our Heavenly Father several times over in the most disrespectful way. Tightening the grip I have on him I forced eye contact needing to face him head on.

His affirmation of how I’m making him feel calmed my nerves. “Making love to you always feels a step above incredible..” he told me once again.

Blissfully grinning from ear to ear I matched his strides, watching him react just the way I wanted him to. “Mm,” I hummed. “..te sientes mucho mejor.” I moaned heavily. The darkness took over again, shutting down any verbal conversation for the rest of this fight to the top of the mountain.

————  ———— 

Staring at the moon aligned with the stairs I rolled my eyes listening to Andre ramble. He’s been on a hot streak for what seems to be pushing eternity. In reality only a few minutes have lapsed.

“Can you please sit down? Your pacing is unsettling.” I advised him.

“I can’t believe you would even stoop so low to bring Jorden into our problems. I know the testing was hard on you but you can’t place the blame of our downfall on him.”

“I never said Jo was the source of our problems! All I said was that the outcome and the process itself brought me down to a place I had never been before. I have no reason to blame our children for the reason our relationship was severed and I never will. You’re taking my words and running with them trying to make me look like a shit mother and I’m not. I always put our kids first. The reason we’re apart is because of tu y yo! There are no other parties to blame except for us so don’t ever drag anyone into our shit. We made this mess together so we are responsible for cleaning it up!” Standing up to walk around I meddled in my hair only wanting to reflect.

There’s the fight about Gerrard’s initial arrival. That was the first time that Andre accused me of being unfaithful. He hurt me down to the core. I was already battling how to deal with the slander brought to my name and in my place of work. The pain from Gerrard’s doing and the assumption was double what I was expecting.

Exhaling through my nose I picked up my hair, rubbing my scalp. “Dígame, was Gerrard’s first appearance something that stuck around for you? Did you think about that day anytime afterward?” I asked him.

“Sometimes, yeah.” He confessed.

“Why did you do it? I have never understood why you felt the need to question me after our history. I don’t think I’ll ever understand. I’ve never once accused you of anything even at my lowest point so I’m just trying to put the puzzle pieces together here.” As I met his eye I put in a strong effort not to look angry.

Andre’s shoulders fell as he ran his hands over his head. “I just got scared. I had a moment of weakness and took it out on you. I was sorry then for the way I behaved and I’m sorry now. I will forever be sorry.”

“I know. That’s number one. Numbers two, three and so on. Gerrard coming around the second time, the psychos you once called family, Chris… There’s so much heavy shit in your past and in ours as a unit that keeps me up some nights.” Letting my arms fall I crossed them over my chest.

“Are you a-”

Stopping him short I held up my hand swiftly. “I am not angry. I am not sad. I don’t know what I am.”

My shoulders gained weight. I dropped my head to one side feeling my muscles loosen up.

“I have a feeling that I-my mistakes are a part of our downfall. Amongst other things now that I’m diving deep into our past.” He says.

“Que otras cosas? Dígame por favor.”

He claims that all of what I mentioned are the strongest points that broke the very foundation we’ve built. I deny it all. There’s got to be something else that we are missing.

“I owe you my life babe and I know that you hate hearing about my suicide attempt but it’s relevant. That moment in my life will forever be pertinent to many conversations that we share. That memory, despite how painful it is to both of us, plays a key role in why I am the way that I am today. I still don’t see what you see but I do know that I don’t want to lose you.” He resumed the massage on my shoulders, making me feel warm again.

“A little to the right please.” I suggested. He followed orders eliminating all tension in my upper back. “Mira, I don’t take pleasure in giving you the ring back. Deep down I just didn’t feel right wearing such a statement with the way I was feeling. The way that I’m still feeling. I’m not sure how long it will take us to get back to our old ways but I don’t want to lose you either.” I faced him sliding my hands up his chest. “I did not come here to argue and go back and forth. I want to get to the root of the problem hoping that we can find some middle ground and work our way back to normal.” I used him as a place to lay my head.

“Agreed.” He solemnly voiced.

#maree-ff #mareeff #short story #fiction #short reads

[glitchh3d]

Among Us 2.0 Snippet (Helping to Forget)

“No. You know I love playing Among Us with you, but I seriously can’t right now. I’m studying for that History exam Taichi and I have in a few days,” (Y/n) said, shoving Terushima away from her with her feet as she stared intently at her history textbook. He whined and dropped more of his weight onto her legs. 

“Just one round! Please! We got Bokuto and Akaashi and Kuroo playing with us this time!” Terushima begged. (Y/n) sighed but closed her textbook. 

“Fine. One round! Then you’re gonna let me study for a bit in peace, right?” Terushima nodded. “Alright, let me grab my iPad.” 

A few minutes later, (Y/n), Terushima, Atsumu, Taichi, Futakuchi, Bokuto, Akaashi, Kuroo and Kuroo’s boyfriend Kenma were all in a discord call playing Among us.

(Y/n) chose white, Terushima was lime, Bokuto was yellow, Akaashi was orange, Atsumu chose black, Kuroo chose pink, Kenma was red, Futakuchi was dark green, and Taichi chose purple. They started the game up a few seconds later and (Y/n) pouted as CREWMATE flashed across her screen. 

“What’d you get?” Terushima asked her from her gaming chair. She shrugged. 

“I can’t tell you. That’s cheating.” 

“Hm, okay well I trust you so I’m going to stay with you, okay?” (Y/n) hummed and ran her character to admin so it could swipe the card. 

Too fast. Try again.

She swiped again. 

Too slow. Try again. 

She swiped it again. 

Bad read. Try again.

Too slow. Try again. 

Too fast. 

Too slow.

Bad read. 

Too fast. 

“OH MOTHER FUCKER!” (Y/n) shouted, swiping the card again. It finally went through right as Kuroo called an emergency meeting. Terushima laughed at her. 

The discord call came to life seconds later. 

“So, um. (Y/n) was at card swipe for way too long.” Kuroo laughed. (Y/n) groaned. 

“It kept getting declined! I swear! I promise!” (Y/n) said as people started to laugh and vote. 

“I can confirm.” Terushima said, looking up and winking at (Y/n). She rolled her eyes. “She said motherfucker super loud and looked pissed so I completely believe that she was just super shit at the card swiper.” 

“Thank you, Yuu-chii.” 

“You’re welcome, princess.”

“Alright, we’ll let her off this time but I got my eye on you (Y/n).” Futakuchi said with a laugh as everyone finished voting. The call became silent again as the game continued. 

(Y/n) ran down to storage to fill the gas can to fill the upper engine, Terushima following closely behind her, not doing any tasks. 

She glanced up at him with narrowed eyes but he was too busy looking at his screen, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, to notice.

(Y/n) filled the upper engine with gas then ran back to storage, filling it again to refill the lower engine when the doors to storage closed. She swore. 

Terushima grinned to himself, sabotaging the lights and then killing (Y/n) who gasped and stared at her screen in horror as she was stabbed in the back multiple times by Terushima. 

He reported her body seconds later. 

“SOMEONE MURDERED MY GIRLFRIEND IN STORAGE!” Terushima shouted in fake horror. (Y/n) glared at him and he smiled innocently at her before looking back at his screen. 

“Oh shit, Akaashi is dead too.” Kuroo laughed.

“No!! Agaashi!!!” Bokuto whined, making Terushima sigh. 

“It’s okay, Bo bro. We can avenge our lovers.” 

“I hate to be that person, but Atsumu has been following me and he disappeared for a few seconds when the lights went out. We were in communications.” Taichi said. Atsumu let out a horrified gasp. 

“Fuck you, Taichi. Are you accusing me?” 

“Yeah, I am. You disappeared from my side as soon as lights went out and then (Y/n) died.” Taichi said. (Y/n) shook her head sadly, typing in the dead chat to Akaashi. 

(Y/n): Akaashi!!

Akaashi: Hey (Y/n). Who killed you?

(Y/n): Teru ): Hbu??

Akaashi: Bokuto-san.

(Y/n) gasped. “Oh my god, you assholes.” 

“HEY! Woah. You’re supposed to be dead so shut up,” Futakuchi laughed. (Y/n) glared at Terushima again as the voting ended. Atsumu ended up getting voted out. 

Atsumu was not the Impostor.

The game continued and (Y/n) chose to follow around Terushima to watch who he’d kill next. Unfortunately, the next victim was Kenma. She sighed as he became a ghost, then welcomed him to ghost chat. 

(Y/n): Hi Kenma!! Welcome to the ghostie partyyy

ApplePie: Hello. Thank you. 

(Y/n): OHHHH!!!! Akaashi! Kenma! Atsumu! Let’s have a ghost sleep over in medbay!!!

Sangwoo: No.

(Y/n): tsumuuu ): 

Sangwoo: Alright fine, RACE YOU

(Y/n) giggled, racing Atsumu’s ghost towards medbay. Akaashi and Kenma were both there already, sitting on the beds. (Y/n) and Atsumu sat on the beds and a few seconds of silence later, Kuroo, Taichi, Terushima and Bokuto ran in. (Y/n) gasped. 

The medbay door shut and then Bokuto killed Taichi as Terushima killed Kuroo. 

DEFEAT. 

“I can’t believe you, Yuuji.” (Y/n) said sadly as everyone joined the call. “When I get impostor I am going to kill you so hard.” 

“Alright, so now we know that if Terushima dies first, his girlfriend did it.” 

(Y/n) muted herself. “Hey, Teru. Mute for a second.” Terushima did, looking up at her with big, concerned eyes. “You called me your girlfriend…” 

Terushima blushed. 

“Shit, okay listen! I- we went on a date and-” 

“No no! It’s okay! I just didn’t know if you wanted labels yet but-” 

“Yes! I want everyone to know that I’m dating you!” 

“Oh! Okay! Good!” 

“Hey, love birds. Terushima you moron, you forgot to mute.” Futakuchi called out. 

“Oh…” 

“Well congrats?” Atsumu laughed. Bokuto and Kuroo both started laughing too. Akaashi sighed and congratulated the two. Taichi on the other hand, stayed quiet. 

“Thanks boys.” 

“Hey, (Y/n). I thought you said you were only playing one game?” Terushima said as another game loaded. (Y/n) shrugged. 

“I really feel the need to kill you so I’m playing as many damn games as it takes to get impostor.” Terushima’s eyes widened. 

“I’m staying with Taichi.” 

“No, what? Stay away from me,” Taichi chuckled. (Y/n) grinned. 

“SHH! We’re on mute.” 

The game went by fairly fast. Taichi and Kuroo double killed Terushima and (Y/n) in communications, then they went and double killed Bokuto and Akaashi together in Electrical. They voted Kenma out for no reason and then they killed Futakuchi, winning the game. 

The next game went by in a similar manner, Kenma killing off Kuroo first then being voted out after being caught venting by Akaashi. Then Atsumu killed Terushima and Bokuto. No one got voted out. Then he killed Taichi and Akaashi, leaving Futakuchi, (Y/n) and him alive. 

“Okay hear me out,” (Y/n) started as she called an Emergency Meeting. “Futakuchi just appeared out of nowhere behind me when I went to Electrical. I think it might be him because Atsumu went the complete opposite way.” 

“What? No! I was just coming to make sure you were safe.” 

“Nah, seems sus. Let’s get him out of here, (Y/n). Better safe than sorry,” Atsumu said, voting for Futakuchi. (Y/n) followed suit and Futakuchi whined, voting for (Y/n). In the end, Atsumu and Kenma won the game. 

“GG guys. Great play by (Y/n).” Kuroo teased. 

“Shut up! Ken-Ken, I’m sorry!” 

“Nope. You’re dead as soon as I get impostor.” 

“KENJI!” 

“YOU BROUGHT THIS ON YOURSELF BY VOTING ME OFF AND LOSING!” 

“I didn’t mean to!” 

“Right, I’m sure you didn’t.” 

Terushima laughed and scooted (Y/n)’s desk chair towards her bed. He patted her leg lovingly. “It’s okay baby girl. I’ll protect you from him.” 

(Y/n) rolled her eyes with a smile as the game started. 

IMPOSTOR.

She grinned. Then frowned as she noticed Futakuchi was also the impostor so she couldn’t kill him. 

She hummed as she faked doing wires in storage. Terushima was following her again like a lost puppy. Perfect. 

She went to Communications next, Terushima still following her. The door to storage shut behind them and she killed him in the very corner of the room then set off the reactor. She rushed out and over to the reactor so no one would suspect her. 

“I-” (Y/n) glanced up, winked at Terushima, then went back to the game. 

Terushima pouted at her and crawled onto the bed, laying next to her. She kissed the top of his head lovingly while patting one of his cheeks. “It’s okay you big baby.” 

She killed Atsumu next, then passed by Kuroo and Bokuto’s dead bodies in medbay, deciding to call them.

“Okay, so both Bokuto and Kuroo were dead in medbay. But there wasn’t anyone near.” 

“I dunno, kind of seems like a self-report, don’t you think?” Futakuchi said suddenly. She gasped, thinking he’d back her up.

“What? No! I just-” 

“And look, Terushima is dead too. She said as soon as she got impostor she was going to take him out,” Everyone agreed, voting (Y/n) out. She pouted and Terushima laughed at her. 

“Aw, it’s okay you big baby.” 

***

One round for (Y/n) turned into ten rounds. Then fifteen. Then twenty. 

“Oh! Shoot, hang on guys, my boss is calling me.” (Y/n) exited the game, answering her phone. “Hello? Kait?” 

“Oh my god, where are you?(Y/n) you’re late for work. Did you get kidnapped? Hit by a bus? Car?” 

(Y/n)’s eyes widened in horror and she glanced at her phone screen, checking the time. She was indeed 43 minutes late for work. 

“Oh shit! No, no. I-” She glanced at Terushima who was still playing the game. “I got caught up studying and I didn’t even realize the time! I’ll be in, in a few minutes!” 

“Just get here safe, alright? We’ll chat once you get here about your unhealthy studying habits.” (Y/n) chuckled and nodded. 

“Okay! I’ll be right there. See you soon!” 

The phone hung up and (Y/n) leaped off her bed, scaring Terushima. 

“Woah, where's the fire?” He asked as she pulled her shirt off to change into one of her black work shirts. 

“I got distracted playing Among Us and I'm late for work! Grab the black shoes under my bed for me, would you?” Terushima nodded, saying goodbye to the rest of the guys before logging off the game and shoving his phone in his pocket. 

“Here,” He handed her shoes to her, watching her slip them on quickly. She grabbed her apron and kissed him once before rushing out the door. 

He smiled as he heard the front door of her apartment click shut, but then he noticed her phone and keys laying on her bed still. 

“Oh shit, she needs these.” He said to himself, grabbing them quickly. He shoved them into his pocket then rushed after her, trying to catch up before she got too far. But by the time he was out the door, she was long gone. 

He sighed and locked the apartment up before starting his trek to the small coffee shop. He really hoped she didn’t get in trouble. It was his fault that she got distracted in the first place.

***

(Y/n) rushed into the small coffee shop, slipping behind the counter and washing her hands quickly before turning to help a customer. Kait, her boss and friend, came out of the back, tying her hair up into a quick ponytail. 

“Oh, (Y/n) (L/n). You and your studying-” Kait started, grabbing (Y/n)’s arms, turning her to make her look her in the eyes. Steely green eyes stared back into startled (e/c) ones. 

“I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!” 

The door burst open and Terushima rushed in, holding (Y/n)’s keys and phone in one hand. 

“Hi! Hey, it’s my fault she’s late! I distracted her with a game and she lost track of time and-” (Y/n)’s eyes widened even further as she realized she’d been caught in a lie. 

“A game? I thought you said you were studying?” Kait asked, eyes narrowing. (Y/n) gulped nervously. 

“You heard him, he’s the one to blame. Not me,” (Y/n) said making Terushima gasp at her as Kait turned to glare at him. 

“You, you’re Terushima Yuuji, right?” He nodded. “Keep your ass away from my employee. Got it?” 

“I- Your gonna make me stay away from my own girlfriend? That’s mean!” Terushima whined and Kait’s eyes widened. 

“Oh. Girlfriend?” (Y/n) nodded slowly. “This is news to me. I thought you said that he was-” 

“SHHHH!” (Y/n) slapped her hand over Kait’s mouth, silencing her. “I didn’t say anything Yuu-chii. Thank you for bringing my stuff! See you later, okay?” Terushima nodded slowly, handing her stuff to her before waving goodbye and leaving the coffee shop. 

Kait pried (Y/n)’s hand off her mouth. “Was he the one you went on a date with on Friday?” (Y/n) nodded. “I thought you said that he would, and I quote, “never date you”? What happened to that?” (Y/n) groaned. 

“We confessed to each other at laser tag last saturday and then we kissed and-” 

“YOU KISSED HIM AT LASER TAG?”

“Shhhh! Yes! I’ll show you the video and-” 

“There's a video? Oh my god, Hikari, come work the counter for a few minutes would you? (Y/n) and I need to talk in the back.”

Okay hear me out-

I’ super tired and this isn’t the best but @kaitycole​ IS NOW AN OFFICIAL CHARACTER IN THIS SERIES. 

Because I love her and she inspires me and she’s the whole reason this snippet even exists so if you enjoyed, say thank you to Kait <3

Taglist: @kaitycole, @cosmicmermaid25, @sempiternal-amour, @99astrid, @hidden-otaku-stuff, @vicassa, @elianetsantana, @ankl3s, @newfriendjen, @oikawa-simp, @dakotacecily, @axolotleyeliner, @heyyourecute, @tchalameme, @toobsessedsstuff, @marinovakovich

#terushima yuuji #terushima x y/n #terushima x you #terushima x reader #kawanishi taichi #atsumu miya #Futakuchi Kenji #kenma kozume #kuroo tersurou #boktuo koutarou #akaashi keiji #haikyuu!! #haikyu #haikyuu!! x reader

[void-galaxy-shenanigans]

IDK if this will do what I’m aiming/asking for but I’mma try anyway.

⚠️⚠️⚠️ TW su*c*dal/unalive ideation & self h*rm mentions ⚠️⚠️⚠️ ↓

Hi. We’re on a low swoop during our healing/self love (& self acceptance) journey. We woke up this morning annoyed to still be alive (for the first time in ~2 months), had the urge (paired with a vivid intrusive image of it) to lock the door & grab a razor blade (suicidal self harm) when we went to the bathroom...

& spiraled worse because our mom (who’s a Dark Empath - for those who don't know that means she has antisocial (ASPD/psychopathy & sociopathy) tendencies, lack of empathy, but can still almost 100% accurately sense other people’s moods & needs/desires, then uses that knowledge to manipulate & cause harm) noticed & decided to spend an hour demanding why we were so lazy, why we didn’t have a new job yet (we got fired on Monday, it’s been ~2-3 days) & why we weren’t *trying hard enough*, why we hadn’t gone to the doctor yet if we were *truly* ill (chronic illness is kicking our ass right now - we burnt out & got seriously ill on Sunday, which is what got us fired), why we were such an ungrateful child who didn’t wanna do “chores” (AKA any task they don’t wanna do, including yard work & house work that leaves us too exhausted to get out of bed for days), etc. & generally spent her time intentionally making us feel worse....even when we went silent & zoned out because we were too suicidal & stressed out to reply (which should’ve been a red flag to stop if she did it on accident).

Basically, we’re suicidal & inclined to self-harm. So a call into the void for anyone who can hear us....please send reassurance & kindness if you’re able/have the energy. We may not have the energy to reply, but I genuinely think it will help. It can be as simple as if you like our content or our energy, or as complex as you’d like. Just please don’t drain yourself spending too much energy trying to help. We won’t act on it (we’re intentionally distracting ourselves & I won’t let them), but hearing we matter or make an impact or just....anything kind....would help. Even just a very brief ‘hi I care about you’ helps - this doesn’t need to be an essay.

& thank you in advance to anyone who has the time & energy to send help.

(Our collective pronouns are officially he/they, but most of us are comfortable with anything but she/it. You can call us the Void Galaxy or Stardust collectively, or directly speak to those struggling the most (I’ll name them below).)

The people struggling the most are Nico (he/they - trauma holder who’s done a LOT of healing lately but thinks he’s made very little progress & doesn’t help anyone), Stellar (he/him; little - struggling because he’s mute (he physically has no mouth in headspace, because our abusers never listen so he has no ability to speak)), Dustin (he/him; little - struggling because he’s mute (selective mutism - defense mechanism against verbal abuse)), Avery (he/him - struggling with being dependent on his brother Apollo, even though their connection has kept each other alive & safe), Roman & Patton Sanders (both he/him; Roman thinks he’s not doing enough & Patton thinks he’s failing because he’s unable to fake his happiness anymore), & Halo (he/they; little - struggling because they’re one of our protectors who can’t say no (physically can’t - fawn response on steroids) & he thinks because of that he’s evil (enabling)).

All of us are struggling so you’re welcome to reply for all of us, but they need it most^. Granted caretakers (all of ours, including me) never, ever ask for help because we’re the adults taking care of our people & never the ones taken care of....but I’m most worried about them. Anything helps.

Also if you’d rather not be known but want to help, anonymous asks are open. You can send an anonymous ask with whatever encouragement you wanna say.

I will take this post down if we get hate or uncomfortable replies. Please please please, be gentle & appropriate with the littles (system littles); they are actual children (mental age, not s-x/BDSM or regressors).

~Sam Brooke

(caretaker, soother, guardian; he/they/fae/etc. (anything but she/it))

#trauma #childhood trauma #~Sam Brooke #suicidal #suicidal mention tw #tw suicidal #tw abuse #tw emotional abuse #tw emotional trauma #tw emotional neglect #emotional abuse #emotional neglect #emotional trauma #s.o.s. #self harm #cw self harm #cw cutting mention #cw self harm mention #suicidal self harm #help #please help #struggling #trauma healing #healing process

[andrea-lyn]

If there's still room on your birthday prompts list, I would love a continuation of your fake investigation marriage, or something more with Michael, Alex, and Hope from the unexpected pregnancy fic?

There is ALWAYS room, and thank you for giving me an excuse to write more about the little seahorse.

**

“Mr. Guerin, we need you to come down to the school. There’s been an incident.”

That’s the voicemail on Alex’s phone. He has to excuse himself from the lecture that he’s teaching at the community college to go to Roswell Elementary, dreading whatever trouble that Hope’s managed to find herself in. She’s typically such a good child, but every once in a while, her genius intellect gets her in trouble for asking the wrong questions or trying to learn something new ahead of the class.

His precious six-year-old seahorse genius.

“Michael,” Alex says when he gets Michael’s voicemail again. “When you get this, meet me at the school,” he says, parking his car. He disconnects his phone from the Bluetooth so he can hurry inside, hoping that whatever happened isn’t serious.

(And he’s really hoping that Hope isn’t using her alien powers in public, because he’s not ready for the mindwipes that Isobel will have to perform if that’s the case)

“The principal left a message and she said there’s been an…”

Alex trails off.

He hangs up his phone, now understanding completely why it is that Michael’s not picking up. The principal stands, giving a relieved sigh when she sees him. “Mr. Guerin, thank you for coming,” she says, and beckons him into the office. On the bench outside it sits his darling husband and his precious daughter, both hanging their heads like the guilty parties that they are.

“Really?” he hisses at Michael. He turns to give Hope a more reassuring smile, bending in front of her without squatting so his knees won’t ache. “Hey sweetheart, do you want to tell me what happened before we go in there?”

Hope glances up at Michael, pushing back her dark curls from her face. “Should I?”

“He’s gonna find out, Daddy’s good at that,” Michael says wryly.

Hope still looks uncertain and a touch wary. It’s like they have their own little Fight Club, and given that Michael has a cut on his lip, Alex is starting to worry that maybe he’s not that far off from the truth. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, baby,” Alex assures, tucking a stray curly hair behind her ear.

He’ll find out anyway. That’s why they’re here, aren’t they?

“He got in a big fight with Annie’s Mom.”

Alex gives Michael a confused look, but Michael shrugs, wearing his ‘it’s not my fault’ expression (which historically means that he’s at fault somehow). The one relief here is that he’s pretty sure that Hope isn’t the one in the fight, which means there’s a chance for his daughter yet. “What kind of fight?”

“Mr. Guerin,” the principal beckons. “Inside, please. And bring your husband.”

Alex nods, leaning down to press a kiss to Hope’s head. “Be good and stay here, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy,” she agrees, kicking her legs out.

Michael looks resigned and Alex gives him a nudge into the room, trying not to get angry with him in front of the principal, but he’s fairly sure that the sharp look he’s giving him is plenty explanatory as to how upset Alex is about this situation. He settles in one of the parents’ chairs beside Michael, but as the seconds go by, he’s beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that something’s off, here.

“What did my husband do?” Alex asks calmly, noticing that there isn’t anyone else in the room. He has a bad feeling that he’s not going to like the explanation, and not because he thinks Michael did something wrong.

“Michael was picking up Hope today when he got in an altercation with another mother.”

Michael’s sitting perfectly calm as she speaks, hands in his lap. Alex recognizes it for what it is – he’s trying to keep his anger subdued and that means he can’t say anything because he risks a complete blow-up if he does.

“Did Michael instigate it?”

The principal pauses. “No, but unfortunately the complaint came from Mrs. Sloane.”

Victoria Sloane, who went to school with them. She’s young enough, and her precious little Annie is one of Hope’s best friends, which is why they tolerate her, even though Victoria had been one of the girls who’d been so quick back in the day to join in on teasing Alex for being gay, and Michael for being homeless.

Alex refrains from spitting out profanities, but he already knows Hope is getting a gold star tonight and Michael is getting something else.

“And what did Victoria have to complain about?”

“Hope calls Michael ‘Mommy’.”

“And?” Michael finally pipes up, snapping, like his patience has finally had enough. “What, is my kid not allowed to call me what she wants?”

The principal hesitates, but that’s enough for Alex.

“Why is it wrong that our daughter calls Michael that?” he asks, his voice icy. Instantly, he knows that no one in the Guerin household is in trouble. The only person that Alex is truly upset with right now is pretty little popular Vicky. “It’s our personal business and people have nicknames all the time. Hope has decided that she wants to call Michael ‘Mommy’ and that I’m Daddy.” Alex tips his head to the side. “Isn’t that even closer to the heteronormative bullshit you people like to sling at us?”

“Alex,” Michael murmurs, not a warning to stop, but a reminder.

“Sorry,” Alex says, insincerely, “I’ll deal with this with Victoria,” he guarantees. “Are we in trouble?”

“Ms. Sloane was the one who smacked Mr. Guerin in the face with her handbag, but…”

Alex lets out a derisive laugh. “We’re sitting in your office because my daughter loves her mother, and my husband got assaulted.” He shakes his head in disbelief. “Let’s go, Michael.”

“Mr. Guerin, I…”

Alex is already on his feet. “We’re not suing,” he says, because he knows this is probably the real concern. “We just want to put this behind us.” It’s a complete lie, but he wants to get out of there before he gets a split lip from defending his family from this bullshit. The principal nods, meekly, and lets them go.

He makes a mental note to start looking into other schools so they don’t have to deal with this anymore.

Outside, Alex holds Michael by the arm and tenderly slides his thumb over Michael’s split lip. “What happened?” he asks quietly, looking at Hope as she bounces off towards Michael’s truck. They can’t dawdle long, but he wants to take a moment to make sure Michael’s genuinely fine.

“Picky Vicky being a bitch,” Michael says with a shrug. “She heard Hope calling me Mommy, got all persnickety about it, made a few disparaging comments to her clique. I asked her what the fuck her problem was and she whirled on me, caught me in the lip with the bag. I was mid-rant and bleeding down my chin when they pulled us apart and called you.”

“But you’re fine?”

“My dashing husband came to our rescue and defended us,” Michael says, flipping his keys around his finger. “I’m more than fine. Hope’s fine, she doesn’t even know anything’s really wrong,” he promises. “We’re all fine.”

Alex will be too, as soon as he does some research.

The next morning, Alex insists on dropping off Hope at school, kissing Michael’s shoulder and insisting he stay in bed.

“Are you sure?” Michael asks warily. “Isn’t this letting her win?”

Alex shakes his head very calmly. “Stay in bed, dear.” It’s the tone that brooks no argument, because he already knows what’s going to happen. Michael gives him a sleepy smile as he waves him off, definitely aware of what’s going to happen. Alex takes the truck and parks to send Hope off at the drop-off, joining the crowd of parents seeing their kids off for another day of school.

“Hi Annie!” Hope says breathlessly. “Bye Daddy!”

“Bye sweetheart,” Alex says, waving as she runs off.

He’s so relieved to see his baby girl so happy and ready to run off and enjoy herself, as if nothing from yesterday has made her think twice about her friendship with Annie. It’s sweet and hopeful and trusting, and Alex wants to fight to make sure she never loses that love of the world and that belief in people.

“Victoria,” Alex says calmly, once Annie and Hope have sprinted off. Alex watches as his daughter’s honey curls fall out of the braid he’d put them in, but he smiles for the way she squeals with delight as they hit her cheeks when she runs.

They’re out of earshot.

It’s perfect.

“Alex,” Victoria responds, but she doesn’t sound half as confident as she should. She crosses her arms over her chest, her crappy fake purse on display (Gucci, his ass, it’s one of the worst knockoffs he’s seen). “How are…”

“Let’s not,” he cuts her off. “Michael will be back to drop Hope off as of tomorrow,” he says. “And if I find out that you complained about my daughter calling Michael ‘Mommy’, then I might suddenly have a thing or two to say at your book club, and the PTA meetings. Do you think they’d be interested in hearing about your exploits in Cozumel?” He’d done his digging online, finding the illicit pictures that she’d clearly wanted to stay hidden. “Or maybe your husband would be interested to know about Andrew.”

Victoria blanches, opening her mouth. “That’s…that’s my personal business.”

Alex smiles calmly, smelling the blood in the water and ready for the pounce. “You’re right. It is,” he agrees. “Just like it’s our family’s personal business what our daughter likes to call Michael. You don’t stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, and I won’t have to either. Do we understand each other?”

Victoria says nothing, but she nods mutely.

“Good. I’m glad we came to an agreement.” He twirls the keys around his finger, holding them in his palm. “I’m sure we’ll see one another around,” he adds, so much forced cheer in his voice that he knows how threatening it sounds. From the way she gapes at him, she knows it too.

Alex returns home with a smug sense of victory and donuts.

Michael’s interested in the first, even though it’s not long before he pounces on the donuts. “Did she cry?” Michael asks.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Alex replies, playing the innocent bystander who has no idea what Michael could be talking about.

Michael smirks as he licks sugar off one of the powdered donuts from his fingers, not taking his eyes off Alex as he finishes it in three disgusting bites, before leaning in to give Alex a powdery kiss. “That’s the vengeful sassy bitch I fell in love with,” he whispers, and leaves a powdered lip-mark on Alex’s cheek before he gets up to start his day.

Tomorrow, Michael will drop off Hope and Victoria won’t say a word. She won’t even dream of it, and that’s just how Alex likes it. He has to protect his family, after all, even if it’s as small a thing as Hope wanting to call Michael Mommy, because that’s what she wants.

It’s theirs, and he’ll fight to preserve every moment of it, no matter the cost.

#malex #mpreg #michael/alex #hope the seahorse #domestic fluff #roswell new mexico #bday prompts #pronetohyperbole

[cagestark]

-Defender//3-

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six

Longest chapter by far...enjoy. ;) let me know what you think.

warnings: rape is mention in a strictly theoretical sense, but non-consensual groping is referenced.

read here on AO3.

-

‘Whatever kids do’ (I’m twenty fucking years old, Peter thinks to himself) turns out to be just sitting in his room, climbing the walls. Literally. Unfortunately, there aren’t any spiders making nests in the corners of the room, but at least he tried to find kin.

He takes the plastic bag out of his backpack, the one that hold his trackphone and charger. Now with an increased paycheck, he’ll be able to afford a real phone, one that he doesn’t have to risk turning on just once or twice a day to preserve the battery. There aren’t any messages, but Peter hadn’t really expected any different. He turns it off and tucks it back into the waterproof bag.

After a time, Peter begins to feel like maybe he’s hiding in his room. He’s hungry—and he lives here now, right, so why shouldn’t he just go out into the kitchen and make himself a sandwich? But every time he reaches for the doorknob, he chickens out. What if Mr. Stark is out there? Peter’s dressed in the only casual clothes he owns, a pair of warm sweatpants and a long-sleeve flannel shirt. Hardly appropriate attire to be seen in by a billionaire. By Tony Stark.

But the hunger wins out sometime around eight in the evening. So he carefully nudges the door to his room open and slips out.

He swallows a gasp, heart hammering when he spots Tony sitting on the leather couch with his socked feet up on the coffee table. Schematics are scattered everywhere, and his StarkPad is displaying something in 3D—fuck that’s so cool. The television is on, muted, the History channel playing a documentary on Ancient Egypt. A glass of mostly empty whiskey sits perched in one of the man’s tanned hands.

Quiet as he tried to be, some noise must slip out because Tony’s head turns. He looks wide awake for the late hour. “Hey, kid,” Tony says, eyebrows lifting. “You’re so quiet in there, I honestly forgot you were here.”

“I get that a lot,” Peter mumbles. He points to the kitchen, one hand absently trying to pat at his curls and decide if he looks like a hot-mess or just a mess-mess. “Can I get something to eat?”

“Mi casa es su casa, now. Literally. Help yourself to whatever you like, and if you want to keep me from eating something, put your name on it or hide it behind the vegetables.”

Peter snorts. “Noted. I just didn’t know if I was like, supposed to pay for my own groceries first. I don’t have any money.” He’s been spending his SI checks on motel rooms so that he’s not sleeping outdoors, but the other man doesn’t need to know that.

“Nobody pays for their groceries,” Tony says absently, already looking back to the hologram projected by his StarkPad. He prods at something with the end of his pencil. “Just eat what you want and let me know if you want me to order you something special.”

“Nobody pays for their food?” Peter mutters, looking into the refrigerator. It’s stocked with everything he could possibly want, and several things he can’t even name: fruits of strange shapes and colors, cheeses that smell nothing like cheese, milk that doesn’t come from a cow. “You just buy all the Avengers food, all the time?”

“I am the Avengers’ wallet, kid,” says Tony. “I house them, I buy them whatever they need, I upgrade their suits and weapons, provide any special technologies my brain can cook-up. I provide most of the paycheck—but SHIELD does help. Truth be told, the risk of the job isn’t worth what it pays, so if that’s why you said yes, you might want to rethink things.”

“No offense,” says Peter, sitting at the stool by the marble countertop. He has three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in front of him made with crunchy peanut butter and organic raspberry jelly and wheat bread that is thick and brown and fragrant. His mouth waters. “But you’ve spoken like a true billionaire. Money and security? That’s worth everything.”

Tony stops what he’s doing. He puts his StarkPad down to rest in his lap, and the look on his face—Peter can’t pin it down, but it makes his shoulders hunch. Did he say something wrong?

“No offense, but you’ve spoken like a Dickensian protagonist. It’s worth everything?” Tony repeats. “Worth dying for?”

Peter shrugs. “If I’m dead, who cares. It’s worth almost dying for, though. Or at least—it is to me.”

Tony’s expression makes him look ten years older than he is, Atlas with the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Peter, if you need financial security—I can take care of that. Look, I can fill in a lot of the blanks when it comes to your past and how you’ve had to rough it, but here at SI we take care of our own. You don’t need to be an Avenger to eat, to have a place to sleep, to get healthcare. Jesus, you’re only twenty years old; you have your whole life ahead of you. To be honest, kid, this business doesn’t really guarantee longevity. There isn’t a retirement plan.”

Peter stares. His eyes burn but he isn’t a crier. He cried at May’s ‘funeral’, when he couldn’t afford to bury her and they’d cremated her instead—and he’d promised himself that it was the last time he’d cry for as long as he lived. So he doesn’t cry now, but he kind of wants to. In his mind he sees Ben, sees the man who killed him, feels the helplessness and the guilt all over again.

“Thanks, Mr. Stark,” he says. He pauses to clear his throat so it doesn’t sound choked. Peanut butter is sticky; that’s all. “But you don’t know everything about my past. I’m not just doing this for the money.”

The silence lays thick between them, broken only when Tony nods and says, “That’s fair. Would you do me a favor and bring me a beer while you’re over there? Bottom shelf. Behind the quinoa.”

Peter has no fucking idea what quinoa is, but the refrigerator isn’t Mary Poppin’s purse or something, so he finds the beer towards the back eventually and grabs a bottle for the older man. There aren’t many left, and Peter sees that it’s because several empty bottles are sitting in a row by Tony’s feet. The stuff looks expensive, has a foreign label in a language that Peter can’t even identify, much less read. He crosses the room to deliver the bottle to the man’s waiting hand.

Tony goes to drink it and bumps the cap against his lip. Peter snorts.

“Cut me some slack,” Tony says around a smile. “I haven’t slept since your little nighttime creepy crawly act on my building. This takes a bottle opener anyway—no, no, I’ll get it, you just sit and eat, you’ve done enough for me—”

Peter takes the bottle and pops the cap with his bare hands. All the beer he’s ever seen were cheap screw-off tops, or he would have rummaged through the drawers for a bottle opener for the man earlier. It isn’t until he’s handing the bottle back and sees Tony’s wide-eyed expression that he realizes not everybody can pop a bottle cap with their thumb.  

“You weren’t kidding about how strong you are,” Tony says.

Peter just shakes his head, slow.

Tony points to the sandwiches on the counter. “I was just about to order in Chinese. What do you think? Better than PB&J?”

Mr. Stark clears the coffee table of his work and orders Chinese from a place he swears is the most authentic place in NYC. Then they spend fifteen minutes arguing about whether to start watching the Star Wars movies at the prequels or originals (because the documentary on TV is a snoozefest, which is why Tony was trying to watch it while he worked). Tony finally concedes to Peter’s persuasion, but Peter sees him smiling around the neck of his bottle as he takes a generous sip.

They put on the Phantom Menace.

“So tell me about yourself,” Tony says after the Chinese has arrived, sitting in various boxes scattered across the glass coffee table. He ordered an inordinate amount, and Peter plans to make sure that absolutely no grain of rice goes to waste, thanking the older man between bites. “I know more about your scopulae than I do you—and that’s not a weird metaphor.”

Suddenly Peter’s stomach isn’t used to being so full, and it rolls a little with nausea. He sets his plate down to let it settle.

“You made it sound like you already knew everything about me. What do you want to know?” he asks. He’s keenly aware of how painful his life has been. It sounds like a Shakespearean tragedy when he plays it out in his head: his parents’ untimely deaths, seeing his Uncle murdered (his fault, all Peter’s fault—), then his aunt passing away from illness. Losing the apartment. Living on the streets and in shelters and in any buildings he could scale or break into.

“Whatever you want to tell, kid,” says Tony. “It’s not an interview or an interrogation. FRI says you’re a native of Queens.”

“Yeah,” Peter says. “Yeah. I’m from Queens.”

“I’m sorry,” says Tony gravely.

Peter smiles. “Queens isn’t bad, really.”

“Any family?” Tony asks. He stares at the screen where Qui-gon Jinn and Obi-Wan are bickering and takes a swig from the long-necked bottle, casual as can be, like he knows the answer is heavy but they have to get it out of the way.

The smile slips from Peter’s face. He shakes his head. “I’m alone.”

“No, you aren’t,” Tony says with conviction. “You’re an Avenger now. We’re all assholes, but we watch out for each other. It really is a family of sorts. A dysfunctional family, with an aunt who’s great at murder, a centennial grandfather, and an uncle who drinks too much, but such is life, right?”

“Who are you in that scenario?” Peter laughs. Something settles in Peter’s stomach, warm, like hot chocolate after coming in from the cold. Tony is so fucking nice. How does this man have everything? Looks, brains, money, and kindness.

“Wasn’t it obvious?” Tony holds up the beer bottle. “I’m the uncle who overindulges.”

At that moment, a noise pierces the air. Peter jumps, heart hammering. “What’s that?” He asks.

“Just the bell, kid, no worries. FRI, who is it baby?”

“Captain Rogers, sir.”

Both of them go stiff in their seats. After a moment, Tony relaxes again, but Peter can’t let his guard down, not when that name makes his muscles clench in anticipation for a fight, when it makes his scalp prickle with anxiety and warning. “Let him in,” Tony says, standing. By the time Captain Rogers appears, Tony has a beer out for him.

Steve stops when he sees Peter sitting on the couch. The blond takes it all in: the movie on screen, the mostly-eaten food, the empty beer bottles on the table (which he eyes with disapproval). It must look like Peter and Tony are very familiar with each other, Peter in his pajamas, Tony in just his jeans and the wifebeater that was under his t-shirt while he worked down in the lab.

“Hey, Cap,” Tony says. He holds up the bottle. “Drink?”

“No thanks, Tony. Can I talk to you outside?” The look he gives Peter is apologetic enough. “Sorry kid, you aren’t an official Avenger yet until your induction, or I wouldn’t bother with all the secrecy.”

“It’s fine,” Peter says stiffly.

“I’ll be just a minute, Pete,” Tony says. They step outside.

-

Peter hears everything through the walls from his seat on the couch. The television plays but does nothing to disguise the raised voices from beyond the door. Peter wishes he could see their faces, but (no matter how cool it would have been) he didn’t develop x-ray vision from the spider bite. Maybe it’s for the best—maybe Peter couldn’t be held responsible for his actions otherwise.

“What’s going on between you two?” Steve asks.

“What are you talking about? We were eating Chinese and watching Star Wars.”

“Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate?”

“I sure as hell did, but he insisted that we start with the Phantom Menace and not A New Hope—”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it. Are you grooming him?” Steve sounds horrified at the thought, and Peter can’t assess his face to tell if he’s sincere or not. “A homeless kid you found, and suddenly you’re giving him a room in your penthouse, a job, you’re spending the day with him in the lab? And now, what, you’re plying him with alcohol?”

“I am not grooming Peter,” Tony says. His voice sounds firm. Good! Peter thinks. “He’s in there drinking a goddamn Coke. To be honest, I’m shocked that you even know the term, I didn’t think grooming officially existed in the Stone Age—”

“I take all the classes SHIELD requires of me to lead the team and keep people safe, even from attacks that aren’t always with fists or alien tech. Grooming has always existed; as long as there is prey, there are predators looking—”

“Peter is not prey, he could fucking snap me in half—!”

“But not if you make him like you, is that it? Not if he thinks he owes you—”

“Jesus fucking Christ.”

The silence after that lasts a moment too long, and Peter shuts his eyes. Because he can hear more in that silence than he did in Tony’s exclamation—Tony is beginning to doubt himself. He’s beginning to believe the worst in himself. They’ve only known each other for forty-eight hours, but Peter already feels like he knows Tony better than the people around him: the painful vulnerability, the intense self-criticism.

“Look, if it will make everyone feel better, I’ll move his room—”

“God damn it,” Peter hisses.

“—maybe Vision wouldn’t mind rooming up here with me. I’m practically his father, or—something.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Steve says magnanimously.

“I bet you do, asshole,” Peter mutters.

“Is this all you came up here for?” Tony asks. “To read me the riot act over treating the kid like I’d treat any of you—if any of you liked me enough to invite me to your get-togethers or to accept my offers to join me up here—”

“I had a reason. Here,” something is exchanged hands, the rustle of paper. “Fury’s background check on Queens in there. It’s very thorough and enlightening—”

“And not my business,” Tony says. “This is confidential even by SHIELD standards—do I have clearance to have this?”

“I thought there was something in there that might be important for you to know. The kid used to work for Hammer Industries.”

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Well, this is it. It was lovely, folks! Peter should just pack his bag now. Maybe the windows in his room open so he can slip out and scale the side of the building. For a moment he thinks about how it might feel to just let himself fall. Now that he’s tasted this bite of a better life, returning to his old ways will be even more painful. But Peter doesn’t even know if the fall would kill him—

“Hammer Industries?” Tony says at length. “He definitely upgraded.”

“I want to look out for you, Tony,” Steve says.

Peter doesn’t believe a word of that.

The worst part of all is that he has to sit there on the couch and pretend like he hasn’t heard the entire conversation. How can he explain—how he’s always had a passion for tech, how he never even dreamed of being able to work at Stark Industries, so he’d shot for the moon instead of the stars, settling at Hammer Industries. Only the place had been a shitheap with a perverted boss and Peter saved up enough to cut his losses, and then Stark Industries had accepted him! Even working on machines in the maintenance department…it was more than Peter had ever dreamed.

But Tony doesn’t know that. The look on his face when he comes back in the room is grave.

“Hey kid,” he says. “Sorry I missed some of the movie.”

“It’s okay,” Peter lies.

Tony sits back down on the couch, as far away from Peter as he possibly can. He doesn’t take a single sip more of alcohol, and while he is friendly enough when Peter asks him a question, he doesn’t let himself be roped into conversation anymore. He stares at the television screen like he’s seeing through it, and Peter feels it slipping away—his chances at being close with Tony crumbling like sand through his fingers.

What he decides to do is to say something. Anything.

What he does is scoot across the couch and climb into the man’s lap, straddling the strong thighs. Tony looks at him like two separate heads have sprouted from his ears. Instinct has him pushing at Peter sharply, and it’s only Peter’s enhanced sense of balance and grip that has him twisting to avoid being pushed flat onto the glass coffee table. He lands like a cat in the slim space between the sofa and the coffee table.

“Get off of me—”

“Please let me explain—”

“Explain what?” The man swallows, heavily, staring down at where Peter kneels between his thighs. The sound is loud to Peter’s ears; he can hear it all, the pounding heart too. “Jesus Christ, you don’t need to be in my lap to have a conversation with me, do you?”

“I did work for Hammer Industries,” Peter says. “But I worked maintenance for them, too. They were shit, they treated us like shit, Hammer was a creep who used to grab my ass in the hallways, and I quit before I even had another job, that’s how desperate I was to get away.”

“You heard all that?” Tony asks, eyes wide enough to show white all around the dark iris. “Fuck, kid, eavesdropping—?”

“I have enhanced senses,” Peter pleads. “I can hear everything if it’s close enough. I can hear the Avengers on the floor below us when they’ve got a movie turned up too loud, I just, I didn’t want to say anything because it’s so creepy, but I can’t help it, and, and—”

“Hey, calm down. Here, will you get up? You’re going to give me a heart attack. Come sit on the couch, we’ll talk.”

They resume their seats on opposite ends of the couch. Peter looks down at his shaking hands, clenches them tight until his knuckles go white, but it’s not just his hands: his whole body shakes. Peter has never been gifted with words, something that has only became worse after the passing of his aunt, when he had no one to talk to. If all of this—the chance to be around Tony, the penthouse, the Avengers—if it all relies on Peter talking his way into it…then he’s doomed.

Tony scrubs at his face with a weathered hand. He looks exhausted. “I’m really sorry that you heard all of that out there,” he says at length.

“None of it was true,” Peter blurts. His blood thrums when he remembers all of Steve’s words. “You aren’t grooming me. Not to mention, I’m a fucking adult.”

“A vulnerable one,” concedes Tony.

“So are you,” Peter says through his teeth. “Everybody is vulnerable to something. You want to pity homeless youth, go find one who is really suffering. I’m enhanced! I can climb walls even in the rain to get somewhere safe and dry. I don’t have to worry about anyone mugging me or, or raping me, because I could just pull their arms and legs off. I’m not vulnerable. I’m just—”

“Just what,” asks Tony, motioning with a hand when the younger man’s words cut off. “Go on, kid. I’m listening to you.”

“I’m just a guy who—who is finally getting everything that he wanted,” Peter says. All the anger is sapped from his veins now, and he feels old and heavy and tired, his eyes burning traitorously until he blinks them clear and dry. “I’ve wanted to work with science since I was old enough to go to school. But I don’t have an education, I don’t have a degree. I didn’t even finish high school. Places only hire me for grunt work, but I’m good with machines. I figured maybe I could, could work my way up. To something. Working at Stark Industries was just a pipe dream. I never thought I’d get a chance, but my Aunt May…she used to say that I’m too pessimistic, and I should open myself up to good things, because good things will happen.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you right away Mr. Stark.”

“Peter—it’s okay. I wasn’t worried about you working at Hammer Industries as it was. Hammer isn’t clever enough to infiltrate my building, and even if he were? My secrets are a lot harder to steal than anyone might think. If FRIDAY had seen you doing anything suspicious, she would have notified me in a heartbeat. That’s all shit; I know that.” Tony clears his throat. “But Cap was right about one thing. I don’t want you getting ideas in your head, that you have to treat me a certain way to stay on the team and in the Tower, or that I expect any treatment like that.”

Peter groans. “I don’t think that. I’m not twelve. Besides, the other Avengers treat you like shit, and you keep them around—”

“Hey,” says Tony, raising his voice a little. “They don’t treat me like shit, so knock it off. Having you up here in the penthouse does give the wrong impression. I don’t want you or anyone else to think I’m trying to take advantage of you.”

“What—what if I want you to?” Peter asks. He dares a look at the older man; God, he’s so handsome, even looking stunned as he is. His mouth is open like he wants to say something but isn’t sure what to say, and Peter takes the chance to continue. “I know I’m young, and I’m not the best looking guy around, not even the best looking one in the Tower, but I’ve had a crush on you since like, 2008. You’re everything I’ve dreamed of, Mr. Stark, and somehow I’m here in your penthouse and we ate Chinese together and I don’t want to let it go.”

“Peter—” Tony looks stricken, face pale.

“It doesn’t have to be anything serious,” Peter amends quickly. “I know you’re busy, and I’m going to be too, I guess. No pressure. You could just let me know when—when you wanted me and I’d be there for you.”

“Kid,” says Tony. “Stop. That’s not the way I work, and that’s not the way I want you to work. You shouldn’t let anybody treat you like that—”

“I wouldn’t let anybody treat me like that,” Peter promises. “Just you, Mr. Stark.”

That does something to the man. Tony groans, reaching up to palm at his eyes. “You don’t make it easy on me, appealing to all my seedy kinks, kid. If I’d met you ten years ago—yikes, not ten-year-old you, twenty-year-old you but, yeah, alright, you catch my drift. If I was the same man now that I was ten years ago, I wouldn’t hesitate Peter. You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

“Besides the spider bite, I’m really not that special,” Peter says. “But I’m okay with that. Most people aren’t special.”

“That’s not true,” says Tony. “I’ve got three emails in my inbox from my head of Maintenance begging to have you back, saying that you’re a wunderkind with the machines and that the HVAC hasn’t been in such good shape since it was first installed. You’ve made quite an impression down there—and on me, too.”

“Really?” Peter asks. He can’t help but sit up straighter, buoyant butterflies in his stomach uplifting him.

“Really,” Tony confirms. “I like the way you listen, kid. The hero worship thing, too. You’ve got to know that that plays right into my ego. Fuck, Steve’s right. I’m really not a very good man.”

“I don’t care what Steve Rogers thinks,” Peter breathes. He shifts up onto his knees, edging towards the man at the other end of the couch. By the time he stops, his feet are tucked underneath him, knees touching Tony’s thighs. Peter reaches out to put a hand on his bicep, and the older man flexes instinctively. “I can hear that, you know. The way your heartbeat just picked up.”

Tony swallows. “Not something I usually have to hide.”

“You don’t have to hide anything from me,” Peter says. “Mr. Stark?”

“What, kid?”

“Would you kiss me?”

“That wouldn’t be fair to you. Because after this conversation ends, I’m going to ask you to switch rooms with Vision.”

Peter can sense the weakness in Tony’s will, and he uses it to shift himself onto the older man’s lap, back where he was when this conversation began. Only this time Tony doesn’t push him away, just leans his head back against the couch cushions and closes his eyes. Peter stares, awed. Something about him is attractive to Mr. Stark, something that has the man barely hanging on to his control. The power is a heady thing, makes his body sway forward the way it does when he’s standing on a tall building too close to the edge. This power over the man is just as great a responsibility as his spider senses, and he would never, never misuse it.

“I don’t ever want this conversation to end, then,” Peter admits, letting his fingers drift up from where they’re resting on the man’s bicep, up along the t-shirt he’s wearing and to his neck where his pulse is hammering away. Peter presses, so gently on that carotid artery, and Mr. Stark’s mouth opens, a silent sound that deafens Peter. The younger man’s cock is rapidly hardening, but he keeps his hips pulled back lest he be too tempted to grind on Tony’s abs.

“Everything ends, kid.” The rumble of Tony’s voice reverberates through Peter and makes him shiver.

Peter carefully lets his weight down—and yes, he feels a distinct bulge in the other man’s pants, hears the way that heart stutters, resumes its beating in double-time. Tony sucks in a breath through his nose and holds it until his lungs must be aching. “I’m going to kiss you now,” Peter warns.

Tony tilts his head back up until there is nowhere to look but at each other. Slowly to give the man time to pull away, Peter ducks his head in until their panting breaths are mingling between their open mouths, and Peter decides that if Tony didn’t want Peter to, he wouldn’t have his eyes closed this way, wouldn’t have let his hands grip at Peter’s thighs to pull him further down on the man’s cock.

“One kiss,” Tony says, their lips brushing. “And then you have to go downstairs, Peter. So make it count.”

“I will,” Peter promises.

And he does. Their mouths are open when they meet, and Tony’s mouth feels better than Peter might have ever imagined it to be: soft and firm and eager, coming to life like a live wire beneath Peter’s less experienced lips. But what Peter lacks in experience he makes up for in exuberance, letting both hands come up to tangle in the older man’s dark hair, letting his hips rest heavy on that hard cock beneath him just to feel the way Tony’s groan makes them both vibrate. Peter reaches out blindly and uses one hand to brace himself on the back of the couch so that he can grind down on the cock beneath him.

“Jesus, kid,” Tony breaks apart to breathe.

“I won’t let you cheat me; I’m not done with my kiss,” Peter says, pulling him back, their mouths raw and red. He sucks on the clever tongue and then pulls away to feel the burn of Tony’s facial hair against his oversensitive mouth, keeping the contact (still counts as one kiss, right? If Peter never completely pulls his lips away?) until it leads him down to that pounding pulse that he can lick and suck at. When he plants his teeth there, Tony hisses, hips thrusting up reflexively to drive his hard cock into the hot cradle of Peter’s hips.

“God, I’ve wanted this forever,” Peter says, scraping his teeth against the warm skin of Tony’s neck. “How am I supposed to stop, Mr. Stark? I—I don’t think I can.”

“Peter—one of us has to—has to—fuck, your mouth—!”

“If one of us has to fuck my mouth, I hope it’s you—”

“Christ, don’t say shit like that,” Tony gasps. “Who knew you had such a filthy fucking mouth.”

“Wait until you see what my filthy mouth can do,” Peter says, desperate fingers tugging down the collar of Tony’s t-shirt to suck a bruise onto his collarbone, and it makes the man’s hips stutter beneath him. Peter finally pulls away (this has been far more than one kiss, but he doesn’t think Tony minds much anymore) and stares at Tony’s face. His eyes are closed, lashes long and dark where they brush his cheeks. He has the loveliest mouth, full and expressive and a little swollen from the way Peter nipped at his lips.

Their mouths are drawn back together, two magnets always seeking each other out. This kiss is better, a little more experienced. It’s give and take, both of them swaying into each other like sails caught in the breeze, the lap of warm tongues like waves against a ship’s hull, their ever present arousal being driven higher and higher. Peter reaches down to slip one hand beneath Tony’s jean-clad ass and pull the man up, harder, the friction on their cocks so painfully good that he can’t help but whine in the back of his throat.

“I can’t believe a tiny thing like you is so fucking strong,” Tony says through his teeth, slipping both his hands down into the back pockets of Peter’s jeans. When he squeezes Peter’s ass, he can’t help but jump, cock spitting precum in his boxers.

“Does—does it turn you on?” Peter asks, already suspecting the answer, the dark flash of Tony’s eyes when Peter popped the bottle cap with his bare hand replaying in his mind. “Knowing how much stronger than you I am? If I, If I wanted to, I could snap you in half just like you said to Steve. But I’d never do that. Maybe I’d just hold you down so that I could climb on top of you and ride your cock just the way I wanted to—”

“Fuck—kid, you keep talking like that and I’m going to blow in my pants.”

Peter’s breath catches. He slows his frantic grinding, turning them into long, deep strokes. “That’s what I want,” he whispers. “I want to see you cum, please, Mr. Stark? You make it sound like this might be my only chance. That would be a crime though, because there’s so much I want to do to you, suck your ridiculous brain out through your cock and swallow your cum and rim you and pin you flat to whatever surface we’re closest to—whatever works—and ride your cock, or, or give you mine—”

Tony’s back arches, cutting off a strangled shout. He stays that way, head back, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open in ecstasy for an endless moment, and then his hips drop back down to the couch as he groans, burying his face in Peter’s neck, content to let Peter hump him through his orgasm until he is shaking, oversensitive, heart pounding far too fast for a man of his age and cardiac history. It’s all the most sexual, incredible experience of Peter’s short life, and he knows that it’s not the end. It can’t be.

Even though his cock aches, balls protesting the lack of orgasm, Peter gently shifts himself off the man’s lap, wiping the dark hair from Tony’s forehead, slick with just the beginning of sweat. He places a last tender kiss on the man’s cheek, just above his trimmed facial hair.

“I’ll get my bag,” Peter whispers. “Just give me five minutes.”

Then he stands and disappears into his room, leaving behind the billionaire.

-

Peter stands in what was once Vision’s room feeling bereft. Apparently the man(? cyborg? Peter isn’t sure of what to call him) didn’t care much for decoration, because the room looks as the room upstairs did with all the impersonal warmth of a fancy hotel room. The bed is large and comfortable, sheets clean. The bathroom is black marble, shining and sleek. He should be comfortable here. There’s nothing very different—

—except for the company.

Steve Rogers knocks and then looms in the doorway, leaning against the frame. His face is pleasant enough, a little pitying maybe, but Peter is willing to admit that his own feelings on the man might be clouding his perception. “Hey, Peter. I wanted to see how you were settling in.”

“Oh, hi, Captain,” Peter says. It’s easy to slip on a naïve persona, all guileless wide eyes and timid cracking voice. He just plays up all the characteristics he naturally has, though they all seem to melt away when this man is near. “Would you—would you come in, actually? I have some questions.”

“Sure—”

And when the door closes behind him, Peter is there, a hand flat against it so that try as he might, Steve can’t open it. Any pleasantry saps itself from both of their faces until they regard each other with trepidation (from Steve) and undisguised dislike (from Peter).

“I heard everything you said upstairs when you were talking to Tony,” Peter says through his teeth. He barely recognizes his voice, the darkness in it, the disgust. It feels like possession, like his own anger is a demon inhabiting his body and he’s just along for the ride, staring through the holes of his eyes like they are far away windows. “Do not ever, ever mistake me for prey. I might be in the web along with the flies, but that’s because I am the spider. Tell me: what do you know about spiders?”

“Not much,” Steve admits. He doesn’t look scared, though the tense stance says more than his expressionless face; maybe he isn’t afraid, but he isn’t underestimating Peter either and that’s good. Peter can appreciate that.

“I read all the books in the New York City Public Library about them during the summer I turned fifteen. Did you know that jumping spiders can jump almost 40 times their own length? They can hold up to 150 times their own body weight, too. For their size, they are one of the strongest, fastest animals in the world. Maybe those statistics don’t carry over to me; maybe the mass makes things different, maybe since I don’t have an exoskeleton, maybe since I only have four legs and not eight—but maybe they do reflect my abilities. And maybe I am that strong. And I don’t want you to forget it.”

“Are you threatening me Peter?” Steve asks solemnly.

“No,” Peter says. “I’m defending myself, and I’m defending Tony. Remember that.”

Steve looks at him, serious. “I will. Is that all, kid?”

If he thought that he’d find any satisfaction in threatening Steve Rogers, he was wrong. All he feels after the door closes is empty, angry, a pot with the lid on tight even though the pressure builds and builds, desperate to boil over. There’s no relief to be found; his fury is so impotent. Nothing he can do would change Tony’s mind (and he doesn’t want to change Tony’s mind, he wants Tony’s mind to change on its own).

For the first time, he feels scared of himself.

But all he can do is persist, exist, like a weed coming up through the crack of the Avengers’ concrete.

Peter undresses and lays in the comfortable bed, staring up at the darkness of the ceiling. For a while he tosses and turns (can a bed be too comfortable? Too soft and yielding to his every curve? Talk about first-world problems), but then he sits up in the dark.

On the floor above him, Mr. Stark has started playing music. Loud. Loud enough for Peter to hear.

He takes one of the fluffy pillows and tucks it between his arms where (ideally) another body would rest. Closing his eyes, he falls asleep to the sounds of Led Zeppelin’s greatest hits. He dreams of rain on the windows.

#starker #nff #tw: rape mention #tw: groping mention #tw: rape #tw: noncon #not between any avengers #justin hammer is a creep #cagewrites #longfic

[stannyramirez]

ｎｉｐ／ｔｕｃｋ： ｐｉｌｏｔ

tw: plastic surgery, relationship drama, blood, murder, death, body image issues

❝Tell me what you don’t like about yourself.❞ ❝The Rogaine… it didn’t work.❞ ❝I’m not comfortable having you speak for your brother.❞ ❝What will they think of next?❞ ❝We need to switch.❞ ❝Will do, partner.❞ ❝I’m sorry?❞ ❝You save my ass again.❞ ❝Wanna talk about the real reason you came here?❞ ❝I prefer to let my money talk.❞ ❝One last time, why are you running?❞ ❝I’m still trying to get to the bottom of this?❞ ❝Can I buy you a drink?❞ ❝I don’t drink.❞ *while drinking* ❝May I buy you an appetizer?❞ ❝I don’t eat. I’m a model.❞ ❝Are you finished, honey?❞ ❝There are advantages to having a bouncer boyfriend.❞ ❝You think a girl like me has to wait?❞ ❝The perfect 10. That’s what he calls me.❞ ❝You fix the flaws, you could absolutely be a 10.❞ ❝I don’t want to be pretty. I wanna be better. I want to be perfect.❞ ❝Beauty is symmetry.❞ ❝Am I really this ugly?❞ ❝I was Homecoming Queen.❞ ❝Don’t be upset.❞ ❝Let your shortcomings and flaws fuel you. Let them push you further than you ever thought you could go.❞ ❝When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead?❞ ❝And that’s more shit for me to clean up.❞ ❝It’s manageable.❞ ❝Dad never listens to anything I say.❞ ❝This is not appropriate breakfast conversation.❞ ❝Killer, slow down.❞ ❝Like it or not, we have to talk to your dad about this.❞ ❝He’s such an asshole.❞ ❝Don’t call your father that.❞ ❝You don’t know how luck you’ve got it.❞ ❝Besides, your dad’s not an asshole. Robots can’t be assholes.❞ ❝You’re gonna let me drive?❞ ❝Looks like you’re doing really good for yourself.❞ ❝And thank you for your precious time.❞ ❝Shame on you.❞ ❝A lot goes on in your family that you don’t know about.❞ ❝Basically, he’s self-conscious about his dick…❞ ❝Appearance is everything to a kid. It’s how you fit in.❞ ❝How cool is fatherhood?❞ ❝I don’t want my family infected by what we do here.❞ ❝What else do we do here other than make people feel better about themselves?❞ ❝What we do here is let people externalize the hate they feel about themselves.❞ ❝Do you want it fine, or do you want it perfect?❞ ❝It’s drug money, isn’t it?❞ ❝That’s a ridiculous, unnecessary expenditure.❞ ❝You stay out here and moralize.❞ ❝I’d love to listen, but I have a business to run.❞ ❝I know you say that to all the girls.❞ ❝Tell me what you like about yourself.❞ ❝Look, Dad, I’m grateful that you’re treating me like an adult, but if we have to do this, can we skip the psycho-mind-probe stuff?❞ I could’ve handled it.❞ ❝Why did you go to ______ with your concerns instead of me?❞ ❝He’s cooler than you,a nd he listens to me.❞ ❝I don’t get that father knows best bullshit from him.❞ ❝He treats me like a man.❞ ❝You’ve never bowed to peer pressure before.❞ ❝I think something’s going on.❞ ❝Look, I just want it, okay?❞ ❝Are you having sex with girls?❞ ❝Trivial? This is my life, okay? This is not trivial.❞ ❝Look, for once… just give me something that I need.❞ ❝He’s pissed. All they have is vanilla ice cream.❞ ❝Where’s your brother?❞ ❝Are you the bogeyman?❞ ❝You okay, sweetheart?❞ ❝You’ve got to calm down.❞ ❝I don’t understand this!❞ ❝I thought we were gonna be together.❞ ❝If it’s any consolation to you, honey, you’re not the first girl he’s done this to.❞ ❝Heal in more ways than one and just go one with your life.❞ ❝You’re out of line.❞ ❝I’m starting over before it’s too late.❞ ❝It’s my turn to talk now, okay?❞ ❝The mute finally speaks.❞ ❝So listen up!❞ ❝Thank you for being so ruthlessly ambitious that you would accept drug money.❞ ❝Thank you for being so repugnant to me that I’m finally taking charge of miy life.❞ ❝What are you gonna do?❞ ❝Starting today, I’m transforming myself!❞ ❝I wanna make people’s lives better. I wanna make a difference.❞ ❝You look beautiful.❞ ❝I feel silly.❞ ❝I’m sorry, sweetheart. I presumed you knew.❞ ❝I think our boy’s having a midlife crisis.❞ ❝If I find him screwing around, you have my word, I will kill him.❞ ❝You think he’s having an affair?❞ ❝That was out of line.❞ ❝He told you that?❞ ❝He used to tell me everything.❞ ❝I miss him.❞ / ❝I miss him, too.❞ ❝Have you seen the thing for the thingy? I can’t find it.❞ ❝You didn’t get the response you wanted?❞ ❝I’ll be objective.❞ ❝I want you to give me a big hug.❞ ❝Come here, let me look at you.❞ ❝You have to talk to him, he listens to you. He always has. You’re his compass.❞ ❝I just want to be happy.❞ ❝Next to giving birth, it’s the most difficult thing I’ve done.❞ ❝It’s your problem.❞ ❝Okay, what is wrong with you?❞ ❝You take me for granted.❞ ❝Did you think I wouldn’t find out?❞ ❝What are you doing, __________? When were you gonna tell me?❞ ❝I was waiting for the right moment.❞ ❝How about last week when you screwed me but wouldn’t kiss me? We could have talked then.❞ ❝This is the right thing for me.❞ ❝What the hell is it with people I this house throwing things at my head?❞ ❝Finally, some passion! Congratulations! You’re not bloodless after all!❞ ❝Do you know how long it has been since I have heard you laugh? Since I have seen you be emotional about anything?❞ ❝I haven’t seen you cry since _______ was born.❞ ❝I’m not going to apologize for that.❞ ❝If I get emotional, people die.❞ ❝On your watch, a death has occurred… the death of you and me. This relationship doesn’t even have a pulse anymore.❞ ❝I know that. And I’m sad about that.❞ ❝I realize that we do need to fix something.❞ ❝We need to fix us.❞ ❝I need us to be like we sued to be.❞ ❝How can we have equality when you don’t even respect me enough to, at the very least, tell me you’re thinking of walking away from everything we’ve sacrificed our lives for?❞ ❝Are we being completely honest?❞ ❝I guess I don’t respect you like I used to.❞ ❝Finally. Floodgates open.❞ ❝What do you do with your days?❞ ❝Sorry, that seems like easy street to me. Yet, when I come home, you’re stoned.❞ ❝You don’t show me any respect even though I think the life I’ve given you is pretty goddamn sweet!❞ ❝You gave me nothing! I made this life with you.❞ ❝Did you think this is what I wanted? It’s not.❞ ❝Then change your life!❞ ❝This isn’t change. This is a whim.❞ ❝Apparently you’ve forgotten about that.❞ ❝When was the last time we went to bed that you didn’t hate me?❞ ❝I hear your relationship/marriage jumped the shark last week. My condolences.❞ ❝I’m not coming back.❞ ❝Although you won’t admit it, you need me. Just like I need you.❞ ❝We fit. We always have.❞ ❝You’ll do fine without me.❞ ❝You think a big change like this will be easy? it will not.❞ ❝Brother, we’re on the cusp of the American dream.❞ ❝It’s not my dream anymore.❞ ❝What are you saying?❞ ❝I don’t want anything but a clean start.❞ ❝Tough shit. You pay up. You’ve got one week.❞ ❝You’ve got one week, or I hire a lawyer and freeze your assets.❞ ❝Let him rot.❞ ❝Mom, I’m going to _______’s after school, okay?❞ ❝But, Mom, I can do that when I get back.❞ ❝I’m sick of doing everything around here.❞ ❝I am not gonna clean up your shit anymore!❞ ❝Get over here.❞ ❝Bring the good stuff? And it had better be good.❞ ❝This is the best there is.❞ ❝You cat like this is a drug deal.❞ ❝Let’s see how you’re healing.❞ ❝How did you hear about me?❞ ❝Tomorrow you’ll be one hot bitch.❞ ❝Didn’t know you smoked.❞ ❝What are you doing here?❞ ❝What’s stopping you?❞ ❝Don’t let me stop you, Dad. You go ahead and do it.❞ ❝I was contemplating a work-related matter.❞ ❝I shouldn’t have to clean up after your mistakes alone, right?❞ ❝I’ve been gentle with you, my friend. I’m going to ask you one more time.❞ ❝You don’t know shit!❞ ❝You were repeatedly mentioned by your colleagues as someone lacking ethics.❞ ❝I’ve always been the one who could calm him down.❞ ❝I have no problem with the sight of blood.❞ ❝Why would that be a problem?❞ ❝How long does that take?❞ ❝I was looking out for her.❞ ❝Interesting. That’s very sweet of you.❞ ❝That looks painful, man.❞ ❝Wait! What are we supposed to do with this body?❞ ❝That’s your problem.❞ ❝We have to go to the police. They’ll believe us, right?❞ ❝I’m not going down for this.❞ ❝I am not gonna have my entire life destroyed because you screwed up! Fix this!❞ ❝So, what do we do?❞ ❝I need to believe that.❞ ❝You’re a little too good at this. You’re scaring me.❞ ❝Good. It’s good you’re scared of me.❞

#nip/tuck #sentence meme #ask meme #inbox meme #rp meme #vvitchy #meme #q.