#i've been lucky with most of these but my luck is gonna run out at some point :)

[fcthots]

“I swear to you, that as long as I’m alive I won’t let a single soul ever harm you.” with protective upset and slightly unhinged jason would be so so good oh my god. like if something bad happens to reader and he has to get violent to defend her… yeah.

-🧸

You were on you way home, out later than you should have been, but your friend needed moral support after a breakup and you lost track of time.

Unfortunately while both you & Jason's apartment and your friend's were just off the edge of crime alley, your friend's apartment was on the opposite end of you and Jason. All of this is to say, unless you wanted to be out after midnight, you had to pass through crime alley after dark. It was just a five minute walk there, when daylight spared you of most of the dangers of Gotham, but it was pitch black now. You should have driven, but at the time it didn’t seem necessary.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

You walked as fast as possible.

You didn’t even have a purse on you. Your phone was in the leather jacket Jason had bought you as a present and you had 20 dollars stuffed somewhere in your pant pockets.

Were you supposed to turn left here? Yeah, you recognize that streetlamp.

You would call Jason, but your phone is fucking dead and it's not like you were gonna ask your crying friend for a charger. And you didn’t realize how late it had gotten until you stepped outside with no way to get back into your friends apartment.

You were in the home stretch, just in the outskirts of crime alley. Almost freedom.

Never let it be said that you were lucky. All of your luck was used getting your hot ass boyfriend. Luck gone.

The man had a knife and was screaming for your wallet. Your wallet that you did not bring with you.

"Give me the wallet or I'm gonna spill your guts on the fucking ground!"

Just because your boyfriend was scary looking, did not mean you were used to scary men, especially ones that yelled at you. Your hands shook and you weren't sure what to do.

"I don’t have it. All I have is 20 dollars, please."

"That's a fucking lie. I see your jacket. I know that shit is expensive. Lie to me again and I'll slit your throat."

Fuck. If you had to guess, it would be Jason that would find your body. You didn’t want it to be Jason. He wouldn't be able to handle seeing your lifeless eyes. You know what it's like to look into your soulmates lifeless eyes and realize they're gone forever; you were hoping Jason would never have to experience that.

"It's-"

"Tough luck... I guess I could accept other forms of payment."

He bares his teeth in a grin as he sees the look on your face.

"Unless you'd prefer that no one ever finds your body?"

You're really glad you told Jason you loved him before he left for patrol.

The man starts getting closer to you. You can't talk, can't scream, can't think. You were gonna die alone.

You think you mumble out a 'please' before your back hits the wall. His knife was to your throat, but all you could think about was Jason.

There was a bang that you didn’t fully register. Before you could think twice about it, your mugger was on the ground. You didn’t move. You stayed, frozen, silent tears running down your cheeks.

"Shh, it's ok. You're ok. It's me."

You finally focused your eyes and saw the white lenses staring at you, his arms in the air.

You babbled nonsense. You couldn't breathe.

You tried to back away from the man on the floor, but you almost fell. You swore your legs were going to give out. Jason was at your side in less than a second. He lifted you over the bleeding body on the ground, supported your weight as your knees buckled.

He tucked your face into the crook of his neck and you choked on air.

"I've got you. Match my breaths, ok? Good. You're doing great. You're ok, I promise."

All you could manage to get out was his name.

"'M right here. Just breathe. Focus on that for me." His hand cradled the base of your neck.

Eventually you stopped crying. Eventually you could breathe again. Eventually Jason led your face away from his neck to look at you. Your whole body shook. You watched as he drew his hand up to his helmet and heard this hiss and click and he took it off. He took your jaw in one of his hands.

He wiped the splattered blood and tears off your cheeks with a gloved hand, traced the trail of fresh blood and broken skin on your neck from where the knife was pressed against you. “I swear to you, that as long as I’m alive I won’t let a single soul ever harm you.”

You looked into his eyes as they flashed an inhuman green, and you believed him.

Bonus:

"Wait, Jay. Did you just happen to stumble across me?"

"There...may or may not be a tracker in the jacket I bought you... You were in one place for too long."

"I hate that that makes me feel safer."

He smiles apologetically. "I love you."

"I love you too."

#tw: sa mention #tw: sa threat #I am the angst queen #saph’s love letters #jason todd #jason todd x reader #saph’s thots #red hood x reader #jason todd imagine #red hood #jason todd x you #red hood imagine #red hood x you #jason todd angst #jason todd x reader angst #red hood x reader angst #red hood angst #angst #🧸 anon

[rpstartersinc]

* 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐑 ( 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑. )

feel free to change pronouns / wording!

" it's amazing how physically exhausting it can be to do nothing. "

" if you are unable to endure boredom, this work is not for you. "

" i am what i am. "

" i'm not exceptional, i'm just a part. "

" consider yourself lucky if our paths never cross. "

" luck isn't real, nor is karma, or sadly - justice. "

" one is born, lives their life and eventually, one dies. "

" most people refuse to believe that the great beyond is no more than a cold, infinite void. "

" avoid being seen, which is impossible in the twenty-first century, so at least avoid being memorable. "

" keep calm, keep moving. "

" it's a dog-eat-dog world. "

" every man for himself. "

" kill or be killed. "

" survival of the fittest, isn't it all just human nature? "

" it's the idle hours that most often lead a man to ruin. "

" i'm aided and abetted by law enforcement fatigue. "

" vigilance is essential, even the most disciplined mind can become weary, impatient, hurried, sloppy. "

" i find music a useful distraction. "

" i'm not here to take sides. "

" it's not my place to formulate any opinion. "

" no one who can afford me needs to waste time winning me to some cause. "

" i serve no god or country. "

" if i'm effective, it's because of one simple fact - i don't give a fuck. "

" each and every step of the way, ask yourself - what's in it for me? "

" you've done what you can do. "

" calm, breathe. "

" obviously it's a fucking problem to say the least. "

" there were two of them. "

" i've learned not to pry. "

" i was so afraid, afraid i might say something. "

" you'd have been proud, i was strong. "

" i don't know who they are, don't wanna know who you are either. "

" care to explain yourself? "

" who do you think you're trying to intimidate? "

" i need that information, and you are running outta time. "

" need any help getting rid of that body? "

" i'm not a bad person. "

" hope they're not planning a sleepover. "

" how's 'i don't give a fuck' going? "

" fight only the battle you're paid to fight. "

" you picked the wrong house, motherfucker. "

" it's common knowledge when a female is found slain, the prime suspect is always the husband or boyfriend. "

" well, maybe not common knowledge. "

" i've been so good for so long. "

" tell me he went horribly. "

" you would be very impolite to refuse to join in my last supper. "

" afraid it's tainted? "

" what happened to her, i had no part in. "

" i objected to his methods and i told him so. "

" it's nothing personal. "

" we've all had to work through the occasional civilian who's stood between eyes and the prize. "

" i was surprised at what i was capable of. "

" how easy it was. "

" i assured myself there were some things i would never do. "

" less you know, the better. "

" one man's cruelty is another man's pragmatism. "

" you're here because you couldn't help yourself. "

" you expected to sit across from me and feel nothing but reassured. "

" how is it possible? having prepared myself for this moment for so long, i have failed to believe that it would ever arrive. "

" i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, who, come to think of it, at this moment, is you. "

" you'll remember our conversation. "

" help a girl out, won't you? "

" trust no one. "

" this is what it takes, if you want to succeed. "

" good enough for james bond. "

" i told you this, and you don't listen to me. "

" once i see his eyes, i'll have a pretty good idea of how this is gonna go. "

" i'm not going to be disappointed in you. "

" i came to show you how easily one might get to you. "

" do you and i have a problem? "

" nobody's perfect. "

" the need to feel secure, it's a slippery slope. "

" fate is a placebo. "

" maybe you're not one of the few. "

#the killer 2023 #( sentence. ) #sentence meme #sentence starters #rp meme #rp starters #movies #thriller #crime

[fireflyaurora]

(LONG POST WARNING: this post is literally just gonna be me rambling my unorganized thoughts about qsmp, sorry for the lack of consistence)

i don't understand what is happening with the eggs anymore so i'm just gonna put some stuff here that i think is related. i know the current theory is that the codes and feds are acting independently of another but honestly it could all just be the federation playing 4D chess with the islanders since we don't have any actual concrete info on what the federation is or why they are doing what they do.

so, to recap, the eggs disappeared. after that, black concrete started to appear in various places, often containing a message from the egg together with some items related to them. there have also been other things related to the color black, e.g. the shulkers and chests Cellbit got that contained clues that were given to him by an unknown source. more recently, giant alien structures have appeared that also use a lot of black concrete. a small one of these structures contained a picture of what seems to be Dapper's hat.

when BBH, Pierre and Max met Code (?) Juanaflippa a few days ago, she led them to the maze again which also had black concrete. what i find most interesting tho is the entrance to the room with the button.

this seems to be a abandoned fed building. you can't see it here, but i'm pretty sure there was a cactus and some sand in this room somewhere. it was here that they found a button which teleported them to a room with this book:

as people have pointed out before, we have seen the name "AB" before. after killing Egg A1, elquackity went into a room (MADE OF BLACK CONCRETE), titled AB. in it, we saw a small glass container with a cactus and sand, as well as weird screen with the area around lucky ducks and some players.

we never found out what elquackity did after the elections, and this room and egg a1 were never further elaborated upon.

what i find most interesting is that this room was revealed way before the eggs disappeared. at first i thought it may be a coincidence that it uses black concrete (maybe they just wanted it to look mysterious idk) but i think it may be very intentional. we don't know what project AB is yet BUT we may have been seeing it manifest in the last few weeks.

i think it may be related to the new tickets the players have been getting. all of the tickets were obtained by playing some sort of luck based game, which should go against the feds whole "order" principle. but i think it may still be them who planned all this. Bagi and Carre were frozen, like the other newcomers, and then unfrozen (most likely by the federation). i recently re-watched Bagi's rescue and one thing stood out to me.

there was black concrete in the arena everywhere. now, the federation may have been "hacked", since Walter Bob mentioned that Bagi shouldn't be there. but i think it's still hella suspicious.

i also wanna talk about this. whoever is making these new tests really likes fun. their whole thing seems to be games and luck and entertainment. which just gives me a whole different vibe to how the federation normally talks to the islanders.

something i've also noticed is that this seems pretty official. like, this is 100% made by the federation. but i don't think they've even acknowledged that the players have been getting them. if they were being distributed by a foreign entity, don't you think cucurucho would have shown up at every players front door demanding they give it the ticket by now?

AAhhhrg, i can't even put everything here, it's just so much stuff. i don't know where it will all lead. the most important questions right now are: What do the tickets do? Where are the eggs? Did they run away or were they kidnapped? Who could have kidnapped them? How much control does the federation actually have over the island? Are there outside forces intervening with whatever is going on? What even are the codes and are they truly against the federation?

i do want to say that i think the fed is behind this. i know this is not their usual style, but honestly, we know fuck all about them. assuming the players are on the island as some sort of lab rats, who knows what the federation has planned for them? who is to say that they aren't just building up their image in one way in order for the players to not suspect them when something happens that seems out of character for them?

as for the eggs, the most popular theory right now is that they are stuck in some sort of alternative dimension. this is backed by the fact that they can only communicate through what seem to be leaks in reality. also, the first alien structure appeared behind Luzu's house, who is the first one the experience some sort weird dimension leak thing (Arin).

my god, i probably forgot a lot of stuff here. if you have any ideas or more screenshots feel free to give them to me, we need all the brainpower we can get to solve this lmao

#qsmp #qsmp theory #qsmp analysis

[eridan-amporaa]

Oh also idk if this goes on this blog or the SM one but-

Spooky Month Classpects

Roy strikes me as a Rage player and Ross is a Rogue

(augh it's been so long since I've read the comic, I've forgotten most of my Classpect knowledge-)

SO GUESS WHOS BEEN THINKIN ABOUT THIS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS-

OK SO.

im just gonna name all the characters imma classpect: skid, pump, hatzgang, susie, streber, kevin, ethan, radford. I'm disregarding gender-locked classes, idgaf about the gender locks. if a fem locked class fits a dude, congrats, hes gettin it anyway. feel free to add in ur own 2 cents or other charas im v curious!!

puttin this under the cut cuz its gonna be LONG.

SKID - ironically, im havin a really hard time with him. aspect wise, i could see him being hope or doom, seeing as he so often seems to bring bad news but is so painfully optimistic. but he could just as easily be light, with the focus on his weirdly fantastic luck. if i had to guess, id put him down as an Heir of Light - insanely lucky, decent fighter, and not really concsiously manipulating his aspect so much as just kinda rolling with it.

PUMP - easy. Seer of Void. fits with all his voidy theming and ties to Eyes. hes seeing all the secrets, finding out all the shit hes not supposed to know. sounds abt right.

ROY - definitely a rage player. As for class, i can see him going a couple different ways (knight, heir, thief) but im gonna go with Thief of Rage for him. harnessing the power of the anger of those around him to fuel his own power and anger? sounds abt right!

ROSS - ur right abt his class, rogue fits him well. as for aspect, id have to go with mind, seeing as hes prolly the smartest/most skeptical of the gang. so that would make him a Rogue of Mind.

ROBERT - aspect could be heart or hope, but hope fits him better so lets go with that. class wise i could see him easily being a sylph or witch, but imma give him Witch of Hope here. still able to spread his aspect, but also being able to manipulate it in a more direct way than a sylph.

SUSIE - ok so right off the bat heart player. it just fits ok I dont make the rules. as for class... I feel like she'd end up more active here, and she has a thing abt protecting herself which I'm p sure extends to skid n pump, maybe the hatzgang too if she got close to em. so I'd put her as a Knight of Heart.

KEVIN - ok kevin is. hm. I feel like he could be a couple different aspects - doom, for the same reasons as skid, or maybe life? idk he just seems like a life player to me I'm goin with that. as for class... ehhhh? idk, hes kinda hard to class. honestly if anything I think page would fit him best with the whole "find urself n ur aspect" thing so let's just go with Page of Life.

STREBER - streber comes off as a space player to me. idk why he just does. maybe it's the vamp thing? actually all the space players have some sort of transformation thing maybe hed become an actual vamp... hm... well anyway I'm classpecting him as a Mage of Space. idk it just fits

ETHAN - ethan would make a good doom player I think, again just kinda fits. imma go with Maid of Doom, he would use his knowledge of doom n gloom stuff to help tidy up loose ends and keep things stable.

RADFORD - time player. he seems like hed be able to MAYBE handle timeline bullshit, but more relevant to his class is that he might feel like hes always running low on time. Prince of Time. being forced to destroy remnants of other timelines and trying so hard not to destroy the canon one. ough I could give him SO much angst.

#homestuck #spooky month #crossover #homestuck au #spooky month au #classpects #hsmisc.txt #ask #spookystuck au

[voiceofsword]

crocs/22m aridane anon

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE

aaaaaaaah it's gonna be so hard (why is this the way im choosing to celebrate finishing major exams)

def going to get vip ii - thank the stars i saved the £25 google play voucher i got for christmas it is going to help me out somewhat

i probably will fork in a bit more but not go crazy because i don't have the money for that

is vip i also worth it or is that money better spent on dia packs?

the plan is to binge lots of the stories in my free time (and fast forward through the ones i don't really want to read), passive play the upcoming events (i have exams atm so can't dedicate full time for some of them; plus i need to save resources) to get as much dia as possible, use the weekend coupons from the official tumblr account up until and during aridane, level up my cards as best as i can (himeru why does your song have to be a sparkle - my worst attribute on the en server) then when the event hits, just grind like crazy (following the advice you've given and your hot limit experience), hope for the best and hope i get lucky on the gacha (idk if i'll be able to do full 10 10 pulls, so im just gonna hope i get good luck

being realistic, i need to lower my expectations, because 22m is going to be very very hard let's just hope the autism gets me through this

once again thank you so much for all the tips, i want the himeru 5 star so bad (i spent half a year slowly grinding event memorial coins to get him on jp server) and i want the secret outfit (but i could live without it) (at least obbligato is a tour and is ages away after this [around 11 months])

good luck in your efforts with aridane!

(what milestone are you going for?)

good luck anon (both with your exams and the event)!! ;w;

if anything, you could consider going for 7.5m, or 11m? since those are a bit more accessible, you could still go for a form of scr if you go for the latter, and that way you're more prepared for the next time you choose to scr something!

i personally always have vip I active, i think it's a good way to earn passive dia, the 30bp cap is very nice so you dont have to set constant alarms when your bp caps, so i definitely recommend it if you can allow yourself to get it! i also think that since we're most likely getting the cospro banners for wwys around the time ariadne drops, we might get some dia or ticket packs on sale then that would be worth checking out — with the starpro one, the 4.99 and 9.99 ones were the most worthwhile iirc

also, i'm planning on going 22m for it! i've been saving up since hot limit, only digging into my funds for fs rinne and cowboy niki scr and since i play basically everyday i was able to recoup that pretty easily! i'm gonna try to keep a better documented run this time around so that i have concise info to give when ppl ask questions though :-) !!!!

#i keep flipflopping between 22m and lower bc of all the banners i wanan pull on beforehand but. Merumeru.... #asobi next week .. fox rinne.... wwys banners in july...smiling with no teeth

[killian-whump]

Which members (Colin character coven) shoulders would Gerry sit on?

I'm so glad you asked that, Nonny, because that is the cutest mental image I've had in my head for some time now. Like, seriously, I'm just gonna think about little Gerry sitting on everyone's shoulders whenever I need a little pick-me-up in my day. He'd be so happy up there, too... Seeing the world (the human world!!) from a totally different perspective, watching them eat human food with his eyes all wide and hopeful that they might share a bite...

I'd imagine some of them might be concerned that he'd fall off if they didn't watch him closely, but you know, Gerry has hundreds of years of experience in staying on his chair in the penny factory, so I think he'd have no problem staying on a shoulder!

Assuming, that is, that the owner of said shoulder doesn't call him an "oversized fly" and keep swatting at him. JJ hasn't seemed to cotton on yet to the fact that Gerry is literally good luck personified and having him on one's shoulder means absolutely everything will go their way for the duration of his visit.

Some of the coven members are a little quicker on the uptake than others, you know, and while JJ definitely has street horse path smarts galore, he's not really up on his mythical Irish creatures or super tiny people or 2D beings. He still kinda thinks Douxie's just a hallucination of some kind.

As for Gerry, he has his own limitations. He's still not entirely sure about this whole "3D" nonsense. Douxie's been very helpful, considering he's also 2D like Gerry is, and has what Gerry considers a very impressive amount of experience in living in the human world. For the most part, Douxie's done well in explaining that the 3D world is just like the 2D world, just with an added (and not entirely necessary) third dimension of depth. Gerry's still not really sure what that means, really, as one time he fell in a hole on a human "golf course" and he thought that had plenty of depth, but apparently not the kind of depth Douxie means.

At any rate, Douxie hasn't corrected Gerry's other confusions about the 3D world, namely because he doesn't understand them either. Most alarmingly, neither of them can figure out why this 3D world seems to be comprised entirely of dudes that all look the same. Oh, the hair's a bit different, some of them have a scar (the same scar!) while others don't, some are clean-shaven and some aren't... but really, I mean... it's pretty obvious to them both that these are all the same guy. And none of them seem to notice it.

And they all seem to think the 2D folks are the weird ones. Pfft. That's just plain silly.

ANYWAY, given their similarities and their growing habit of sharing a grilled cheese sandwich whilst observing the strange 3D creatures around them, Douxie would be the definite winner if we were to clock who spends the most time with Gerry camped on his shoulder.

But don't count the Hooks out of the running. They're definitely amongst the quickest-witted of the coven, especially when it comes to spotting sources of good luck. I mean, you don't live hundreds of years and survive all the shit Hook's survived without that. And we know Hook's a superstitious sort of fellow, so he definitely knows just what Gerry is - and would be first to notice the uncannily lucky benefits of having Gerry around. In fact, we should probably keep an eye on some of the less-redeemed Hooks, lest they try to smuggle him out of the coven and take him to Vegas...

It's probably a good thing JJ hasn't figured anything out yet.

Of course, most of them are quite aware of what Gerry seems to be. But given his 2D form and the fact that most of them come from the Land Without Magic (as Hook calls it), there's a big difference between knowing he's "a leprechaun" and believing he's an actual, literal leprechaun that brings luck everywhere he goes. Some are a little more open-minded than others, but some are just giving Gerry a wide berth while they consider the growing menagerie of 2Dness in their previously-entirely-3D world.

Don't even get them started about Abe. Nobody's quite sure what his deal is, and every time he tries to tell them who what he is, these train whistles start going off... and there isn't even a train here.

#colin character coven #the adventures of gerry

[dumplingsjinson]

Not sure if you've answered this before, I'm a newcomer to your blog (congrats with cat guy btw, he sounds like everything I'd dream of in a guy 0////0 like omfg u guys are so fkn cute I'm gonna die) but what were your experiences with Hinge?

I'm like THIS close to diving into dating apps but Tinder scares me a bit in its popularity, also thanks to the countless stories I've heard growing up of people exploiting others sjdkshjdjs. Im 21 and also live kinda rural in a "city" with like 15,000ish people and I'm a smidge worried it's too small of a place to do dating app shenanigans safely, ykwim? Hinge sounds like a neat app but I've heard of a few technical problems and glitches (well, as you do every dating app lol), and I'm not gonna be paying for anything either, and I was just curious how you found it.

I have a board of derectives, the veto crew, the Cock Council if you will 🤣 who are gonna help me through this whole chapter. So gl me 😎🤙

(Yeah so... cat guy is on pause right now as I try to clarify if we're on the same page about things so That's Fun. ANYWAY.)

I'd say my experience with Hinge has been pretty okay, though I have run into some weird glitches before. Granted, I've only gone on dates with three guys on that app, but I think that's more than the other apps I've been using. I've also gotten dates using Bumble and CMB, but never gotten a date using Tinder, simply because it's more of a "hookup culture" app than anything else, and I just never really wanted to swipe on there even though I have an account? Of course, every app has their risks, and not everyone on those apps are good people but I feel like Tinder definitely is less trustworthy than the other apps, especially because it is the most popular dating app out there, so you've got basically every type of person on there. Some with good intentions, some without.

Hinge works well enough without needing to pay, and I feel like the layout is just much cleaner than the other dating apps I've used.

Hinge > Bumble = CMB > Tinder in terms of layout (for me).

Hinge > Bumble > CMB > Tinder in terms of finding someone (again, at least for me).

But yes to the "Cock Council" 100% HAHAHA. It's a must!!

Trust me, all of my friends know about me being on these dating apps and about all the dates I've gone on, so I run to them for advice (as well as here on Tumblr because some of you people are good at this shit fr) whenever needed, and they kinda give me a third party perspective on things when I get really into my head. For example, had a call with my friend the day before yesterday about cat guy and him changing his Hinge profile, and she helped calm the hell down because I was DEFINITELY stressing about it a bit too much lol.

Anyway, good luck with the apps. Stay safe, meet in public if you ever do go on a first date (goes without saying, really), and be patient. You won't find someone instantaneously (I guess some people are really lucky in this department) and there will be times when things go a little dry. Also, Hinge has a like limit of 8 per day, so just keep that in mind when you're swiping. Use the prompts to the best of your abilities to showcase the traits you have, or the hobbies and interests you want to use to draw people in. Use good pictures, or at least ones that are more recent, if you're able to.

You've got this!

#anon asks #not prompts

[alheria]

Fresh wind on a hot day (1/9)

He really should have listened to his instincts and stay the fuck home.

Jim Street woke up with probably the most unsettling feeling he's ever experienced, the one that screamed bad things will happen. To him, surely. So like a semi-reasonable adult he was, the fearless SWAT officer decided to ignore that sensation of upcoming doom and went to his extremely dangerous job, feeling as if it could well enough be his last day on this planet. And maybe he was lucky enough not to die, but in the end, perhaps death would have been better than the humiliation he suffered.

The second their shift started, the 20-David got dispatched to multiple shots fired in an office complex under construction. The building turned out to be a twelve-story concrete skeleton in early stages of development, thus the team split up in search for potential suspects. Climbing the stairs up to the entrance of the eleventh floor, Jim clashed with a hostile trying to escape via the staircase. He swiftly ducked the few clumsy shots, quickly radioed his crew for backup and began the chase. Which was not easy, the floor on that level was clearly unfinished, the limited path was cluttered with materials, equipment and cables. Simultaneously focused on keeping tabs on the running man and not stepping right into one of many holes, he failed to notice when the looped cable caught onto his shoe. Few meters of sprint later, the cable couldn't stretch no more. The harsh, unexpected pull made Street lose the balance and fall down through the nearby opening. "Luckily" for him, the line was strong enough, instead of falling all the way to the ground below, the officer violently flew to the side, painfully hitting a support column he somehow managed to grab to stabilize himself. It minimized the swinging, but didn't change the fact that he was now dangling from the ceiling like a fucking chandelier.

For roughly ten minutes he hanged there, waiting for the team to finish the job, hand over the shooters and come to his rescue. Another five it took them to stop laughing hysterically before examining the situation their teammate found himself in and agreeing external resources were needed to safely get him down.

-This is the funniest shit I've ever seen. -chuckled Chris, wiping away the tears, having a hard time keeping composure when her best friend slowly spun in circles like a shish kebab, frowning furiously and cursing his luck once in a while.

-Chris, shut up and focus on recording. -ordered Hondo, poorly hiding a wide smile behind his hand. -No one's gonna believe without a proof.

-I see it with my own eyes and still cannot believe it. -hummed Luca, cautiously observing the younger man. What happened to him might have been funny, although the cable could snap at any moment. Jim wasn't hanging that high, but could still break his neck upon impact. -Send me those pictures later, Chris, so I can print one and hang it in my locker.

-Do you think this cable will hold him long? -wondered Tan taking some pictures himself. 

-He's not that heavy, I bet he could hang up there a whole day. -responded nonchalantly Deacon, looking outside at the pulling up firetruck. Shortly, six people emerged out of it, grabbed some equipment and quickly headed inside.

-Should I cancel the firefighters? -snorted Chris, waving at Street when his face was in direct view.

-This! Is! Not! A circus show! -he screamed. -Take me the fuck down!

-We told you there is no way! -she shouted back. -Gotta wait for the fire guys!

-How long?! -Jim whined. -Not to complain, but this position is rather uncomfortable, and I think I can't feel my leg anymore! 

-You think?! -exclaimed worryingly Luca. The relaxed atmosphere suddenly tensed. Street losing feeling in his leg was no joke. He needed to get down, now. -Where the fuck is that backup?!

-Right here! -called out a calm, male voice coming from the staircase direction. An older firefighter emerged from the entrance, followed by five more. Hondo quickly approached the man to let himself known as the leader of this Doom Squad. He briefly introduced himself as Captain Nash and proceeded to assess the situation. -We will have your guy back down in no time.

Two younger firefighters, Eddie and Buck, were sent upstairs while the rest debated if the air cushion they have on them would fit in the limited space. It wouldn't. The second-best option was to simply pull the stranded officer up. 

-Can't pull him up Cap, rough edges could tear the cable. -reported the blonde man upon returning from the higher floor, making Street sigh very loudly. He didn't need any more bad news, he needed solutions. Luckily, the firefighter had one: -I say I lower myself from up there, grab him, then we cut the cable and go down.

Captain Nash frowned furiously before nodding eagerly:

-Okay, let's do it. Take Ravi with you. 

The three guys quickly moved back up with necessary equipment. At that point, Jim couldn't give any more fucks. He was not feeling well. It's been around twenty minutes since he fell. His head was pounding, eyes tired out, the tied ankle was getting numb, in contrast to the bruised arm that began to burn. The officer was dozing off slightly when some small concrete pieces bounced off his uniform and flew down. He looked up to see one of the firefighters standing at the edge of the opening, cheerfully talking to the others working upstairs before beginning to carefully lower himself on the line he was attached to.

-Hey Jim, I am Buck, you okay up here? -asked the man, assessing the situation from closer perspective. He didn't like how tight the cable was on the leg. It had to come off soon.

-Do I look okay?! -barked Street as the sleepiness got abruptly replaced by deep frustration. He absolutely hated needing help. -I am dangling like a fucking piñata!

The rescue guy snorted so hard the officer was officially ready to die from embarrassment. After apologizing profoundly, Buck explained vaguely the process of getting them back on the solid ground. The firefighter would put a harness on Jim, identical to the one he was wearing. He would then hold him still while his teammate cuts the cable. After that's done, he would rotate him upwards, and they would be lowered down. Easy-peasy, the firefighter said.

It was, in fact, not easy-peasy at all. At least not for Street, who almost vomited upon returning to "normal" body position, feeling the blood and contents of the stomach move around to the correct places. His eyes went so blurry for a few seconds, he didn't even notice reaching the floor until the injured ankle flared with pain under the pressure of his weight.

-Shit! -he cursed, tightly grabbing onto the firefighter's shoulder to regain balance. The man instinctively shifted and wrapped his arm around Street's waist. -Fucking hell. -whispered the officer, glancing at the throbbing leg. The leather shoe was terribly mangled, but still intact, hopefully saved the flesh from severe damage.

-How about we sit you down? -suggested Buck, with a compassionate smile, slowly guided Jim towards a stack of wooden panels where he quickly got surrounded by his relieved team and tended to by a female paramedic. Hen was her name. She gently took off the shoe and pulled the sock, revealing a prominent mixture of dark colors painted on the burning skin. Luca reassuringly rubbed the tense back of Street's neck when a quiet fuck escaped his mouth. He prayed it to only looked that bad. Being benched for a long time was out of question, not when he was still pretty new at SWAT. If he lost the spot...there would be nothing left.

-Huh, seems like the shoe and the length of the cable saved the day. -she hummed, slightly rotating the ankle, making Jim's eye twitch in discomfort. Seeing that, Chris moved closer to squeeze his shoulder. Maybe it was a rather hilarious situation at first, but in the end, her best friend getting hurt was no fun. -Some swelling, bruising, broken vessels, and a few pulled muscles for sure, nothing more than that I believe. -informed the paramedic as she requested an elastic bandage she then began to tie around the injury to prevent from straining further. -Rest and ice should do the job, but you may want to have it looked at to confirm. -Hen concluded, supportive smile flashed on her face. -Done. Are there any other injuries?

-No, I am good, thanks. -Street lied, not keen on bothering anyone anymore, he wanted to leave already and forget about this horrible day. The arm didn't even hurt that much, he could always go to see a doctor later. 

-Want a ride to the hospital to see a surgeon? -Hen asked standing up, but Jim denied.

-I will go if I must, I happen to know one and their girlfriend owes me a big favour for being an ass today. -he smirked, pinching Chris's hand, who laughed mockingly in response and roughly ruffled his hair. 

-Well enough to joke around, I see. -observed Hondo, putting a stop to the immature shenanigans. -Let's roll, shall we?

As it might have been suspected, helping a rather heavy man with one unusable leg get down ten flights of stairs was not easy. Both Luca and the firefighter politely offered to carry him, which ended in Jim saying he may be injured, but is fully capable of committing murder if anyone dares to throw him over their shoulder. So, the overly proud SWAT officer for ten minutes, possibly more, hopped on his one leg all the way outside, minimally supported by Chris holding him firmly. Once out of the building, Luca, bless his thoughtful heart, offered to move Betty closer. Street, leaning on the wall next to the entrance, was unwillingly watching the video of himself when the fire crew passed by, packed up and ready to leave. When the tall one emerged, Jim realized something. He hasn't even thanked him.

-Hey, you over there! Buck?! -he shouted. The firefighter stopped abruptly and turned around with a puzzled look.

-Thanks a lot man!

The warm smile that appeared on his, quite handsome actually, face before he nodded and disappeared behind the firetruck, made Street's chest feel weirdly tight. An emotional response he instantly recognized. 

The Omega side of his was clearly attracted to that fine, Alpha guy.

---

Somehow, after being sent home and later forced to see a doctor, benched for a whole week Jim ended up in a bar, having early evening drinks with Chris and her partner Amelia, whom Street absolutely adored. His two favourite girls met, not surprisingly, in a hospital, roughly half a year ago. That time, it was Luca who required medical assistance after getting hit by a perp with a metal baseball bat so hard, everyone around could hear his humerus crack. The second the tall, confident surgeon with a fierce sea of long red curls and radiant, blue eyes entered the room, Chris was gone, visibly unable to form any coherent thoughts all the time the beautiful Alpha spoke. Before the doc left, she glanced briefly at the absent-minded officer in a very specific way, giving Street an opportunity to act. He knew well enough his best friend was hopeless at initiating relations with people she was attracted to, thus he ran after the lady and gave her Chris's number. The rest was history.

-Next time, listen to your instincts. -suggested Amelia upon hearing how Jim vaguely knew in advance some misfortune was overdue to strike him. -Doctor's orders.

-No need to tell me Ams, one questionable feeling, and I am not even leaving the bed. -sighted the cop, twirling the half-empty beer bottle on the coaster. He was still a little shaken up, the pain in his side now muted by painkillers kept reminding he could've easily died today.

-Hey, Street, isn't that the firefighter that rescued you? -asked suddenly his teammate pointing with her head at a man chatting with a bartender, bringing her friend back from the depressing thoughts.

-...yeah, it is. -Jim hummed, focusing his attention on what was his name? Buck. Damn, he looked real good in the uniform, although in the casual setting was not lacking at all, defined muscles nicely hugged by a pinkish t-shirt on a side of too tight, round ass clearly outlined by dark blue jeans. Simple, but effective.

-Which one? -demanded Amelia, absolutely passionate about any type of drama. She followed Chris's gesture and instantly whistled. -Woah, he's fine. You should totally go for him. -implied, making Jim avert his gaze.

-You guys think? -he frowned. -I mean, he is pretty hot. -added, once again turning back to glance at the handsome firefighter. Was he even if that man's league? It would feel horrible to get humiliated in front of the same person twice in a single day.

-When was the last time you got some D? -asked Chris, knowing well enough she's never heard him talk about any recent intimate encounters. And he, by all means, wasn't shy. Just not getting laid. 

-Oh Lord, no clue. -he chuckled. Trying to get into SWAT and then working extremely hard to keep the prestigious slot was his sole focus lately, there was no time to bother with hookups, let alone dating.

-Exactly! -she exclaimed, supported by Amelia's eager nods. -Go! Maybe you will finally stop third wheeling us.

Seeing the firefighter disappear in the bathroom, he made the decision - fuck it. There was not much to lose, only some dignity and self-confidence. 

-Wish me luck. -Jim laughed, encouraged by the girls, quickly gathered his stuff, carefully got up, and slowly limped after the man.

Buck was washing his hands when Street quietly entered the room and leaned on the heavy door, arms crossed over his chest.

-Hey. -he said eventually, making the Alpha twitch in surprise, definitely not expecting anyone to talk to him. 

-I know you. -observed intelligently the firefighter as he turned around, initial confusion in the blue eyes swiftly turned into joyful gleam. -Hi there, officer. -he smiled, drying his hands with a paper towel. -How's the leg?

-Fixable. -Jim answered shortly, starting to overheat, feeling as it was a big mistake to attempt flirting with such an attractive person. He had no idea what to say. Or how to escape.

-That's good to hear. -Buck nodded, throwing the paper away. -Is there anything else I could help you with? -he asked, taking a few steps closer, gazing at the cop in a way the older man couldn't exactly place. Like he wanted something but wasn't going to say what, rather waited for Jim to give it to him. And for the love of God, Street hoped he is not wrong about it because he was about to risk it all.

-I'm not sure. -murmured the officer, not breaking the intense eye contact. -Depends if you are willing to assist me once again. -he added, suddenly pushing himself away from the door and not at all purposefully losing balance on the injured ankle to have the firefighter instinctively stabilize him. The large hands holding the waist burned terribly on Jim's sensitive to touch skin, as his own, greedy palms attached themselves to Buck's hard chest.

He couldn't believe this silly stunt actually worked. 

-My duty is to serve the ones in need. -smirked the blonde man, lowering his face to capture Street's lips in a long, sweet kiss. -Hmm, that's unexpected. -he whispered once they parted, nuzzling the soft cheek as he inhaled the surprising, very pleasant scent. -Would you like us to move somewhere more...suitable to continue? -wondered, wrapping his strong arms around the other man in a tight, possessive embrace. 

-Yes, please.

---

The second they entered Buck's apartment and the firefighter pinned him against the door, Jim's mind went completely blank.

Their starved lips instantly crashed, tongues intertwined, exploring the depths of wet mouths as the desperate hands roamed the muscular bodies, sneaked under the shirts in search for skin-to-skin contact. Street's lungs struggled to breathe, filled with that amazing smell of an aroused Alpha, who growled when their hips crashed, pressing together the obvious erections. Upon hearing the dominant sound, the officer barely kept his composure, not keen on the Omega side taking charge. Trying to stay in control, he groped Buck's ass with one hand while the other travelled up to the bright, silky strands, entangled itself in them and pushed the head down to deepen the heated kiss.

-Where is your fucking bed? -he demanded, backing away far enough to roughly pull the younger man's hair towards the back to get better access to that beautiful, fragrant neck. He sucked onto the sensitive flesh, leaving a trail of red marks accompanied by a series of very loud moans, Buck's trembling in pleasure body went all limp in his lover's arms. It was so fucking hot.

-Upstairs. -the firefighter managed to say, his previously sharp gaze now glossy, head still tilted up as he pointed at the staircase. There was no way in hell Jim was climbing it with this injury. He completely let go of Buck, confusing him horribly, but before he asked what's wrong, Street rolled his eyes, threw his arms around the marked neck and whispered:

-I'll let you carry me this one time.

And oh, Buck didn't need to hear no more. Swiftly grabbed the muscular thighs and effortlessly pulled the cop up, which was quite impressive considering how heavy Jim was. He quickly moved them to the bedroom, further turned on by the Omega's hard cock pressed to his stomach, and gently lowered him onto the mattress. Not wasting any time, he started unbuckling Street's strained pants while he got rid of his shirt, hoping his developing bruising gets left unnoticed in the weak light.

The firefighter slid his palm under Jim's ass to lift the hips in order to pull the jeans down, making him gasp in relief when the pressure on his penis lessened. The soaked underwear quickly followed, leaving him completely naked, while Buck was yet to undress. 

-Enjoying the show? -he barked, biting off moans as calloused fingers tenderly grazed his abs, trailing down towards the flushed head, but not touching it, just lingering around the prominent erection, teasing.

-I do. -snorted the Alpha, taking off his own shirt, revealing a breathtaking, athletic body covered in odd tattoos. At this point Jim wasn't sure if he's going to survive seeing what's under those pants that soon joined the rest of clothing on the floor. His heart briefly stopped. 

It was fucking huge.

Street has seen dick before, although only in Betas and never so big. He swallowed heavily, wondering how this monster is going to fit inside without tearing him apart. Buck, oblivious to his lover's worries, leaned over the cop and kissed him while his hand got to work down there, one finger easily slipping into the leaking hole, promptly joined by another. Their horny dicks rubbed each-other as he stretched the entrance, trying to prepare it to easily accommodate his width. Jim was melting, his mind going in wrong directions, Alpha-pleasing noises started involuntarily escaping his throat as the firefighter penetrated him skillfully. A long, low-tone groan escaped Buck's lips when he abruptly pulled away, reached for something on the nightstand and, slightly shifting to better fit between Street's spread legs, suggestively ripped the small package with his teeth.

-I need you to tell me if it's too much. -he ordered, pulling the Omega's ass onto his bent knees, lining himself up as he waited for a verbal response. Jim struggled for a second to collect any coherent thoughts, too overwhelmed by an incredible sensation of being touched and cared for by a strong, respectful Alpha.

-I will, but I kinda want you to make me scream. -grinned the officer, through foggy eyes watching Buck's pupils go insanely wide before he inhaled sharply and with zero warning, in one, smooth move fully buried himself inside.

Street was done for. He choked on air, shocked by the unfamiliar sensation of being filled with such large penis, which actually didn't move at first, the firefighter politely waited for his lover to adjust, even though raw desire burned his flesh alive. Pressing impossibly deeper, he nearly glued himself to Jim's chest, crushing his neglected erection between them, leaving feather-light kisses on his trembling jaw. When it stopped, he started slowly thrusting into those incredibly wet insides, picking up the pace as the cop began to respond more adequately once the tense muscles finally relaxed. The Omega weakly threw his arms around Buck's back, nose pressed to the warm shoulder, basking in the lovely scent while the younger man fucked him senseless, grazing the prostate over and over again with the fat shaft.

-More. -Street whined, causing the firefighter's spine to violently shiver and his vocal cords to purr like a fucking wild cat, his moves now at brutal speed, powerful enough to make Jim's eyes roll to the back of his head as he got flooded with pure ecstasy. -Oh God, Buck, just like that. -he cried out, clawing onto his lover's sweaty back, feeling the orgasm approach fast. -I'm close. -blurted, his back arching, stranded dick pleasantly sliding between hard abdomens. The Alpha's low groans mixed with the Omega's louder moans filled the whole apartment as the thrusts turned erratic, signalising Buck's not going to last long either.

-Me too. -he agreed, pressing his forehead to the nook of the officer's flushed neck. -Come with me, Jim. -whispered before biting into that painfully sensitive flesh as his hips bottomed down for the very last time, completely breaking Street's mind. His entire body spasmed, insides contracted on the heavily spilling penis when the orgasm hit them both at once, blinding their eyes, shaking them to the core. He could somehow taste blood in his mouth, but had no recollection of where it came from. And felt too good to give a fuck. Buck, still twitching from the insane force of his release, although more coherent now, shifted to lay a tender kiss on Jim's parted lips.

-Please, stay. -muttered the Alpha under his breath, shyness clear in the quiet voice. Street only smiled in response, pulled the other man closer and started to reassuringly stroke his warm neck, an intimate gesture that spoke clearer than any words could. 

He wasn't planning on leaving just yet.

#ao3fic #m/m #9 1 1 fanfiction #SWAT fanfiction #Buck x Jim #omegaverse #omegaverse fanfiction #m/m smut

[slightlysuspect]

Unexpected Guest

Vos comes to Coruscant

Quinlan Vos

I forgot how much of a dump Coruscant is. I mean I guess the surface isn't bad, but down here... Eh, I'm kind of relived to be back in the city. I love Khaleen to death, but she's running all hormonal in her prenatal state, and I would never say this to her face but I need a break. I told her I had urgent Jedi business, which is somewhat true. Master Windu contacted me months ago for something that I've been blowing off. We'll get to that in good time, but for now a drink. There's a bar called Knox with the coolest bartender, and I could use some good conversation. I open the door and find the place almost abandoned. There's one Togruta at the bar, and serving the drinks tonight...

"Dawson!" I exclaim.

"Well if it ain't Tal Khar. What you been up to?" I don't typically give people my real name.

"Places. First time on Coruscant in awhile. How about a drink?" I toss a generous sum of credits on the bar counter. Dawson gives me his trademark grin.

"These 'places' wouldn't be under a rock would they? A cup of grog's gonna run you more than that." I can hardly mask my surprise. I've never known Dawson to try and screw me before, but I guess I'll have to take my business elsewhere.

"Another." The Togruta says.

"Ahsoka you're gonna have to start paying for these ya know. Otherwise we gonna run outta booze." Despite his words, Dawson still makes the girl another drink.

"Ahsoka?" I ask. "Weren't you the one who came looking for me on Kashyyyk?

"I don't know maybe. I've been a couple times." She grumbles back.

"The yellow line across my face doesn't seem familiar then? I always assumed I had features that stood out. Say what happened to your arm? You know it reminds me a lot of Anakin's-" Ahsoka closes her right hand in a fist and I feel a tight pressure around my throat.

"Whoa, easy now babe." Dawson says as he reaches out and puts a hand on Ahsoka. I take a gasp of air as she releases her grip. Dawson turns to me and says, "You gotta be careful with the whole 'talking' thing around her."

"Duly noted." I acknowledge. "So how come she can get a drink and I can't?"

"Look Tal don't take this personal man, but the world's changed a lot since the last time you were present in it. And tragically, these changes have caused me to be broke, along with most of the galaxy. Welcome to poverty my friend." A patron enters the bar with a carton of eggs and hands them to Dawson, who gives the man half a bottle of a cheap spirit in exchange. The man then disappears into a corner of the bar with his bottle.

"Eggs?" I ask.

"Lucky dog has some chickens cooped up somewhere layin' him food."

"Here? In the undercity? Poor chickens."

"Oh yeah poor chickens." Ahsoka states with an aggressive eyeroll. We live down here too you know."

"

"He gets a drink?" I ask.

"I mean it's not my best deal, but what am I gonna do starve?"

"I gave you 500 Credits!"

"I got Bantha Fodder worth 500 Credits! If that's your idea of a generous sum then I got bad news my man. You're broke."

"How is that possible?" Dawson dramatically rolls his eyes.

"I don't know ask the politicians and the Banking Clan. But the bottom line is, if you ain't got the black gold then you ain't got nothing."

"So how many credits do I need to get a decent drink then?"

Dawson expels a sigh. "Ok I'm willing to go 2,000 Credits on some Tevraki I've got."

"2,000? For a bottle I hope?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Is this some elaborate ruse?" I ask. "I'm simply not paying that much for a shot of whiskey." I'm rather fond of Tevraki too. It has a lot of sentimental value. "If you're so committed to this con then I'll have to take my business somewhere else."

Dawson cracks a smirk. "Good luck with that."

"What you don't think Saric or Moran would be happy to see me?"

"Saric and Moran are both out of business. Their pubs got overran by..." Dawson expels a groan and points out the window behind me. "By that." I turn and see a mob of grubby looking people approaching the bar. Dawson addresses Ahsoka. "Hey babe you know what? I lied. Don't even worry about the tab you weren't gonna pay anyway. Instead, maybe you could keep these people from getting out of hand?"

Ahsoka just rolls her eyes. I had almost forgotten she was here. She's been so disengaged the whole time me and Dawson have been talking. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance." I say.

"Yea sure if you're up for it." Dawson says. "Then maybe we can keep this from getting too messy." A rock smashes through the window.

"Dawson!" A voice from the mob yells. "We're done paying your absurd prices! It's time for you to turn your spirits over to us!"

"C'mon guys haven't you run enough bars outta business?" Dawson asks. "It ain't my fault the the booze is so expensive! What you think I want to operate a bar with no customers?"

Another voice calls out, "Maybe you do! That way it's just you and your call girl in here all the time!" I sense the force around Ahsoka shift aggressively, and suddenly I'm very aware that she's here.

"Oh?" Ahsoka asks as she stands up from her barstool. "You know what? You're right! It was better in here before you came and smashed the window!" Ahsoka stares right at the man who insulted her. "It's time for you to leave."

The heckler maintain a brave face, but his voice falters, "W-w-we're not leaving u-until-" Ahsoka wraps the force around his neck, and fear envelops the mob as the man chokes loudly.

"I'm sorry what were you saying?" She asks.

"Ay babe please don't kill them." Dawson says. "All those bodies right outside the bar is gonna be a hassle." I can see Dawson's heart is in the right place, but Ahsoka doesn't seem to be listening.

"Ahsoka." I say with a hint of warning in my tone.

She sighs and rolls her eyes. "Fine then, a choice." She releases the man and says, "Anyone who does not wish to die, leave now." The mob dissipates in the blink of an eye, and silhouettes of bodies scramble away in the distance.

"Fantastic work babe!" Dawson exclaims with a fat grin on his face. "And you know not getting robbed has put me in a charitable mood. Let me get you a drink Tal." He emerges with a glass of the Tevraki he'd mentioned and serves it to me, but what just happened here? What happened to the galaxy? Why is my money worthless? What happened to Ahsoka?

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

One drink was enough for me tonight. I returned to my ship eager to be off of this planet. I hadn't considered how much my ignorance had grown these last 8 months shacked up with my dearly beloved. I have much that I need to meditate on. I ensure the navigation droid has the right coordinates, and once were moving I sit down and begin my meditation. I see my unborn son Korto, who I will protect with all my life, but I need to look beyond myself. Into that which I do not know. I see... Ahsoka. A younger Ahsoka. She has a vibrant smile, and eyes full of wonder. She's walking beside Anakin, who was her Master back when she was in the order. He has his mechanical arm, which has such an uncanny resemblance to the one Ahsoka now has... Is that a coincidence? The scene shifts into darkness. In the darkness is a sinister presence and with it comes heavy breathing. The figure reveals itself, and I see a tall man dressed in all black complete with a mask and cape.

"Are you the one responsible for all this?" I ask him.

"You should learn to be more specific, Vos." He replies.

"What did you do to Ahsoka?"

"She just needed a little motivation is all. She has come a long way towards fulfilling her destiny."

"Where did you come from? Last I heard the Sith were extinct."

"The Sith never go extinct. There is always two. No more, no less."

"They've disappeared before."

"Because they didn't want the Jedi to know where they were. If everything the Jedi were ignorant of didn't exist, the galaxy would be a very different place."

"Good thing we can learn so quickly."

"That remains to be seen." And with that the Sith Lord disappears, and the scene shifts to a planet I'm familiar. The freely flowing rivers of lava is unmistakably a view from Mustafar. it's definitely not my favorite system, but Ahsoka had just come from here before she found me on Kashyyyk... Perhaps my journey begins in the same place.

Author's Note

I feel oddly uninspired lately. I think its partially because I'm in a major editing cycle, which I find generally less fun then writing new things. But I still write new things from time to time, and I can't seem to attain some elusive bar of quality or satisfaction. Very strange, but what can you do? I figure I'll push out of the rut eventually and then I'll be back stronger than ever. But I guess there's always the fear in every rut that you're merely experiencing the new normal.

#star wars #fanfic #alternate universe #quinlan vos

[arcaneyouth]

we all know having 1 mental illness makes you so likely to have like 15 other mental illnesses, but today i have realized it’s the same with physical illness! you get one, you get them all or you’re constantly at risk for getting them all! yayyy!!

#vent post #negative #ok to reblog #if anybody wants to reblog just to yell in solidarity either for the mental illness or physical illness i am so ok with that #hi! i am chronically ill. i have cystic fibrosis. the basic rundown explanation for that is #my nose pancreas and lungs are all kinda fucked up #if there were any merciful god in the world that would be the end of it cause that already sucks #but i'm also at risk for bone disease teeth problems diabetes higher risk of mental illness (i already have like 4-5 of those so yeah) #heart problems other lung problems and i think like kidney bladder problems has been brought up before that's fun #and the meds i'm on put at me at risk for cataracts #i've been lucky with most of these but my luck is gonna run out at some point :) #fully expecting to eventually end up having diabetes too cause now my dad has it. #and apparently my back is ever so slightly not curved right but that hasn't caused issues. Yet. #or maybe it has and we just don't know it. cause my back got so fucked up i needed surgery a couple years ago. we still don't know how #it's also easier for me to get sick so you can imagine i've been having a GREAT time during this pandemic #WHY does my BODY have so many PROBLEMS and POTENTIAL PROBLEMS #not looking forward to getting old. my body is already pretty fucked what's it gonna be like when normal people's bodies get fucked #made this post cause i've potentially got more bone problems who knows lmao #also if anybody's wondering i'm doing fine i'm on really good meds and i got the covid vaccine a while ago #it's just frustrating as ffffuck #5/10

[artobotsrollout]

Sparklings Headcanon: Hissy Babies

So... what I can gather from Transformers: Exodus... is that all new sparks from the Allspark basically have to survive through a hellish environment while climbing up to the surface.

So consider...needing to survive through so much at the start of their life, generally, cybertronian sparklings are actually vicious, dangerous little things with developed claws, teeth, and other defences.

I've been thinking about this for a long time now and this finally gives me support to have a good enough excuse to yell about my thoughts. SO I'm gonna take that small bit and run with it in my general versions of canon.

Sidenote: I wanna establish before I go deeper into this headcanon that this behaviour is not frame-type exclusive. The aggressive babies would be, across the board, all cybertronians. It's a species thing, not exclusive to any subgroup of cybertronian.

Sparklings aren't helpless like a lot of young species are (like humans where babies can be injured just by looking at them wrong snjxwj) but instead are more similar to how a foal can walk shortly after birth or how a T. Rex grows from a lanky speedy little thing till it's big enough to be a big chonker and not need the same defense mechanisms anymore. (Check out this illustration by RJ Palmer to see what I mean.)

Consider.... during the rebuilding of Cybertron post-war many Cybertronians wanted to raise/adopt newsparks. But instead of the cute experience you'd expect when picking out a sparkling to raise, it's more like trying to coax out a feral cat. Before a regulated system to help young cybertronians can be formed, they can also rise at different levels of development. A few are even near adulthood by the time they emerge since the climb is heavily dependent on each individual spark and luck since it's very easy to become lost for long periods of time. On the flipside, lucky keeners who are good survivors could be very very young and small when they emerge. Most are somewhere in between. The age would also affect the role a caregiver would provide.

Cut to cybertronians on a new cybertron attempting to herd these small little hissing hell demons. Mechs covered in scratches and not caring one bit because they finally managed to coax out the little car who had backed itself into a small hole and had been aggressively beeping and honking at them. Mech's trying to pry off a smol cybertronian that is gripping their helmet with it's little teeth and them taking it in stride with a "I think this one likes me!"

And yes I already hear the debate starting about how cybertronians should or shouldn't emerge in their full sized armor. For the sake of this post I'm going with them growing into their armor and even some of their armor development having adaptive growing that's dependent on what they go through. I could talk about this for hours and I hope to make a more in depth post about cybertronian development but I can be forgetful so if you wanna hear more feel free to remind me djjdsjz.

In the new world after the war, wanting to adopt and raise a sparkling isn't uncommon of cybertronians and during rebuilding efforts, many search different levels from the well for young ones. Ideally a cybertronian taking on a big role in a newspark's life would have a compassionate and patient demeanor and encourage the sparkling to grow it's own way. Eventually there could be stations setup as close to the well of sparks as possible that either transport, or aid in their journey to the surface and furthermore aid in matching temperaments of newsparks and adopters

Cybertronians end up yoinking the human term/idea of family but making it more about a group of individuals who care deeply about one another. Basically, family becomes about who you love, regardless of what type of love it is. They don't view family the way humans do. Familial social constructs and dynamics wouldn't apply. Romantically paired cybertronians aka Conjunxes are just one type of 'parent' and not a standard or even a majority. Many newsparks would be raised by one 'parent' or a pair of amica enduras. Some end up being raised by a group of cybertronians who are so close they consider eachother family.

Brief Sparkling History

Before the war I imagine they had setup stations below the surface to catch sparklings and essentially label them straight away by their frames into a caste and job. By catching them early they could also influence and even straight up modify their armor and protoform development to be ideal for their assigned position.

But nearing the time of the war, when the caste system was at its peak, there had been very few sparklings emerging from the well at all, so most collection stations were abandoned and eventually destroyed from the combination of lack of upkeep + harsh conditions.

Without many checkpoints or mechs braving the depths to search for the little tykes, a fair number of those who emerged from the well right before and during the war end up fully grown on their own whether from having to survive on their own on the surface, or having to navigate the depths for so long the old fashioned way.

Bumblebee is one such case who'd essentially been the equivalent of barely an adult when he'd been swept up by autobots. At this time he was on the younger side of newsparks without guidance emerging from the well. Bee, though young and small, had seemingly come out of nowhere to scare off some decepticons who were terrorising an Autobot minicon. He didn't know the minicon was a spy with incredibly important information for the autobots before acting, he just acted in a situation he felt was unfair. He also was unaware that he'd had an audience in the form of a rescue team headed by an incredibly impressed Optimus with a concerned Ratchet in tow. Optimus and Ratchet, both too charmed by Bee to do otherwise, end up accidentally falling into the role of semi-parental mentors.

#My headcanons #My canon #Sparklings #Aligned continuity #Harbingers au #Its not exclusive to that au im tagging cause it is canon in that one as well #The Harbingers AU #H!canon #My rambles #This ended up being an essay nfjdkdke #It also just occured to me that this headcanon would explain why the cybertronians aren't as worried about the human children as they #Realistically would be at times #Tfp #Hissy babies

[miss-smutty]

Forbidden

Chapter 1

A/N- I've teased y'all for so long I hope this series is going to live up to expectations, I'm confident it will though because I'm addicted and it's been super easy for me to write - I'm up to chapter 3 so far so updates can be on time! There's a slight age gap between my professor Hemsy and OC Jess but she's twenty and completely legal. You know this is gunna be a giant tease fest for the first couple of chapters cos that sexual tension is fucking gold 🥵

Summary- Jess meets the man of her dreams and then stupidly leaves without getting his number. Will fate bring them together again?

Word count- 1.5 K

Pairing- Professor!Chris Hemsworth x OC

Warnings- Swearing, age gap

18+ only!

Disclaimer: This is an entire work of fiction/AU and has no affiliation to real life what so ever! This is a fictional story about fictional characters who happen to share names and faces with some real people.

Posted: 5th August 2021

Taglist:- @innerpaperexpertcloud @pandaxnienke @chickensarentcheap @jjpogueprincess @longlostinanotherworld @mostly-marvel-musings @darklydeliciousdesires @monet-belle

@skyfullofsong123 @swaggysposts

Chapter 2

I pulled out a chair at the last available table in the unusually busy coffee shop, I thought I might've caught a break choosing the one outside of campus but alas I was wrong.

I was about to sit down when the chair opposite me slid out from under the table, my eyes lifted to meet with the most sparkly blue eyes i'd ever seen. The sight of him took my breath away. Literally.

I stood staring, frozen on the spot, my mouth slightly ajar as I looked him up and down. He was tall, so tall, definitely over 6ft and built like a dream. Thick thighs straining against his fitted trousers, wide muscular shoulders and I just knew there was a six-pack hiding behind that tight t-shirt. 

"Sorry. You were here first, I'll just grab a take-out." He smirked a side smile, amused at how I was so obviously checking him out but his sexy Australian accent distracted you from anything else.

"It's fine, I'm on my own. I don't mind if you want to sit there too." I mentally face palmed myself, drawing attention to the fact I was alone wasn't the best idea but then again he was alone too. "I don't bite." I added trying my best to flirt.

It seemed to work, he smiled at me as he sat down and I took the time to admire his handsome face. He was quite clearly a lot older than me, the laughter lines around his eyes a tell tale sign but he was still quite possibly the best looking man I'd ever laid eyes on. His hair was fair and the short beard framed his face perfectly but the one thing that stood out the most were those piercing ocean-blue eyes.

"So do you come here often?" I cocked my eyebrow at him over my coffee cup making him laugh at my reaction. "Sorry, it's been a while." He said nervously, running his hand through his hair.

"It's been a while since you spoke to a stranger or…?" I questioned casually.

"It's been a while since I spoke to an attractive woman." He finished, his eyes sparkling as he watched me almost choke on my drink.

"Oh, I err…. I don't think you're doing too badly." I absentmindedly circled my finger around the rim of my cup, crossing my leg over my other and accidently rubbing my foot up his leg. My cheeks felt hot and flushed as I looked up into his eyes and saw him smiling slyly.

"Evidently. We're already playing footsie under the table." He smiled widely, a genuine smile that stretched the corners of his mouth. I smiled back at him shyly, thinking of something to say to change the subject before I ended up looking like a tomato.

"What part of Australia are you from?"

"I'm originally from Melbourne but I lived in Byron Bay before I came to America." 

"Awesome. I've always wanted to go to Australia, the Spiders put me off though." 

"Yeah I think they put most people off but in heavily populated areas they stay pretty much hidden, I think it's the size that scare people." How have I made this conversation go from flirting to talking about spiders? And how do I get back to flirting?

"Are we still talking about spiders?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly and laughed at the innuendo, flicking my hair over my shoulder. I noticed something in his eyes when I did so, a hunger, just a little flash and then it was gone again. I'm sure I didn't imagine it though because his eyes lingered on my exposed shoulders.

I checked my watch subtly, not wanting him to think he was boring me but I had to get to class and couldn't be late again, not when this semester had only just started.

"I'm really sorry, I'm gonna have to run, I'm going to be late. It was really nice meeting you." I gathered up my bags, ready to leave.

"Already? You've only just got here." He looked disappointed, his smile fading. His mouth opened as if he was going to say something else and then closed again when he saw I was ready to leave. "It was really nice to meet you too, hopefully I'll see you again." His eyes sparkled as he looked into mine, standing from his chair to get the door for me. I felt fireworks when his hand brushed against the small of my back and his face lingered close to mine. The tension was unreal, like we were the only people in the room as his eyes hungrily stared into my soul, undressing me with his eyes. My heart stopped beating when his face moved closer to mine so I could feel his breath on my lips, the smell of coffee and his aftershave filling my nostrils. I paused, my feet routed to the spot, I wanted him to kiss me so badly but I moved away at the last minute. Surely he wasn't actually going to kiss me, we'd only just met, that would be ridiculous. Wouldn't it?

********

I spent most of class daydreaming about my tall handsome stranger and the way he looked at me but most of all how I didn't even get his name. Or his number.

Now I was feeling sorry for myself because it would just be my luck to meet the man of my dreams and then never see him again. So I'd moped about all day and avoided the invitations for drinks after class. Instead I'd

gotten home early, changed into some sweats and settled myself in front of the TV for the night.

"What's up with your face?" My roommate, Ellie said as she walked into our room, throwing her bags onto her bed.

"What're you talking about?" 

"Your face. Looks like you're chewing on a wasp."

"Feeling sorry for myself." I pout pathetically.

"Why, what've you done now?" She rolled her eyes, kicking off her shoes and throwing her legs up onto the bed. I felt so lucky to have a roommate like Ellie, during our freshman year she'd become my best friend practically straight away and now after two years together we were practically sisters.

I sat up in bed cross legged and faced Ellie, getting myself ready to spill my misfortunes of the day with her.

"Well, I went to Impresso's this morning to get my morning coffee before class." She nodded, showing her enthusiasm by also sitting cross legged on her own bed, facing me. "And it was packed full of students, there was only one table left. So I went to grab it as soon as I could." She raised her eyebrow at me, wondering where I was going with the story. "And I kid you not, the most attractive man I have ever seen, pulls out the chair opposite me." 

"Oh my god! No way. Did you talk? Oh my god, this is like the perfect chick flick. Carry on." I smiled at her excitement.

"I told him I didn't mind if he sat there, I mean of course I didn't mind, you should've seen him El. Oh, oh, oh I almost forgot" I flapped my hands, bouncing on the spot. "He was fucking Australian."

"Fuck off, you're lying. Drop dead gorgeous with the sexiest accent ever. How is this even real? Now remind me why you're sat there with a face like a slapped arse?" 

"I panicked when I had to leave, didn't want to be late for class and I didn't get his number, didn't even give him chance to ask for mine." 

"Wow! Ok, now I understand. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, I was panicking and you know what I'm like when I panic." You sulk.

"It's ok, maybe you'll bump into him again."

"Yeah, right. I should be so lucky."

"Cheer up." she says throwing a cushion at me. "There's a party at Alpha Kappa this weekend, I'm sure we can find you someone to help get over your mystery man. Or under should I say?" She raised her eyebrow at me, smiling slyly and making me laugh. She always did know how to cheer me up and maybe a party is what I needed.

There must be some good looking boys around campus that could make me forget about my Australian hunk. Surely? I thought about the guys I'd seen around campus, the guys I'd seen at frat parties and that's definitely not what I wanted. How could a twenty year old boy match to the masculine, experienced man I met this morning. My mind was set, I'd dipped my feet ever slightly into the mature pool and that's what I wanted more than anything. There was always something missing with previous boyfriends and I was tired of all the game playing. I wanted someone who knew what they wanted and wasn't afraid to get it.

The only thing was, he didn't know I was only twenty and I had no way of finding him again. If fate did bring us back together, would he mind that I was still a student? That I couldn't even drink when we went on dates? 

Who am I kidding? Of course he would mind, he could get any woman he wanted, why would he want me?

#smut #chris hemsworth #chris hemsworth fanfic #chris hemsworth smut #chris hemsworth x reader #chris hemsworth x you #chris Hemsworth series #chris Hemsworth X oc #mcu rpf

[multifandom-girlie]

𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 ?

Imagine: He asks you what you'd like for Christmas and you take it up a notch since he asked.

Pairings: Human!Elijah x Human!Reader

Warnings: Smut and a sweet family moment.

A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to apologise in advance because this ended up being a lot longer than anticipated because I got a bit carried away and added the sweetest little family moment at the end anyway no more spoilers but enjoy!!

I had just unlocked the door to Mine and Elijah's apartment, where I had just got some a sexy Christmas outfit for Elijah's Christmas present, since he said I was enough and that he didn't want anything. I thought I'd give him me.

I was just finishing my hair, when I heard the front door open and close, that meant Elijah was home and just in time. He decided to be nice this Christmas and give Klaus and lift home since he got hammered at Rousseau's for Christmas and why not. 

“Beautiful ? I'm back.”

“Okay baby, just wait in the living room. I'll be out in a second.”

“Okay sweetheart.”

I smiled at the terms of endearment, it's a usual thing but I love it so very much. I get Goosebumps and start to blush whenever he says things like 'beautiful' or 'sweetheart'. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled, I know he's going to love it. He always likes it when I dress up just for him.

I opened the bedroom door and stepped out, before walking towards Elijah and standing in front of his chair that he was sat in.

“Happy Christmas, Handsome.”

He gaped for a second and then closed his mouth regained his usual posture and smirked. His hands reached out to grab the diaphanous fabric of the lingerie I was wearing and muttered under his breath.

“Happy Christmas indeed. Wow....I feel terrible I didn't at least get dressed up for you.”

“No, it's okay. Don't worry about it.”

“No it's not. Tell me what you for christmas.”

“Santa ? Is that you ?”

He chuckled and I kept my act up and sat on his knee whilst his arm wrapped around my waist and his other hand rested on my knee.

“It is indeed. What would you like for Christmas this year ?”

“I've been thinking very hard about this Santa because I really don't want anything except one thing. So I would really appreciate it if you have it too me....”

“It better be a good thing to ask for because that was a hell of a build up...”

“I promise it is....”

“Well then, what would you like ?”

“I would like you to fuck me hard. Please.”

I looked at him lustfully and he returned the gesture. Before pulling both my legs and wrapping them around him, making my heels rest on his back. We were inches apart and very desperate to make good on my wish.

“As you wish, my beautiful.”

We grinned at eachother and kissed eachother roughly, passionately....lustfully. I'd never been so turned on as I was then in my life. He was about the rip the lingerie off of me but luckily I stopped him before he could.

“Wait, I spent too much on this for you to rip it straight away. At least let it get 2 wears in.”

“Fine.”

He left it on instead, luckily for us both, there was no bottom half to it. The lingerie was a just a transculent dress really. He pulled the cups of the dress under my breasts so they could breathe however they were immediately suffocated once again, only this time on the sweet mouth of Elijah Mikaelson. His tounge encircled each nipple, one by one and discharged a quiet moan from me.

I clutched at the nape of his neck and began to rub myself against his hard on immediately. He let out a small groan and tightened the grip he had on my nipple with his mouth, which inspired a slight screech from myself. I ripped the belt off of him and I threw it behind him to an empty space by the tree. I continued to rip his clothes off and one of the articles of clothing hit the tree and disturbed us because a bauble had smashed on the floor. We pulled away and started giggling at eachother and we're also incredibly out of breathe. He slipped his boxers off and I immediately blushed.

Everytime I saw how much I affected him, I blushed and I thought it was such an awkward thing to do. I had expressed how I felt about it before to Elijah but he reassured me that he very much adored it but I still feel that tiniest bit awkward. 

I still continued to rest my body on my knees and wrap my lips around his cock, he threw is head back and groaned before he forced himself to pull me off of him and stood up and made me sit down in the chair before kneeling down and lining himself up with my entrance. The action made me bite my lip in anticipation and my lip almost flew out of my mouth as soon as he thrust into me.

My hands gripped the arms of the chair and he consistenly thrusted into me at a slow pace. I stretched around him and his hips slapped against the back of my thighs and he deepened himself further inside of me. It was a tantinisingly slow pace but I knew he was making it last though.

It's not often that we get to just have sex without arranging it. The kids were staying with Rebekah and Marcel for the night and we were going to have a quiet night alone. We often have to plan we have sex though, which makes it less special and it's not even the kids we have to arrange it around...it’s also Klaus. He's incompetent without Elijah with him, I swear he has separation anxiety. I do feel bad for him though since Hayley doesn't like him seeing Hope alone because she's worried he's constantly drunk. He just missed Camille and has just attended the wedding of the love of his life and someone he saw as a brother to him.

Elijah gripped my legs, leaving handprints embroidered in my skins. He pulled out suddenly and flipped me around on the chair. I gripped the back of the chair and my knees sunk into the fabric of the bottom cushion. His large hands stroked my hips tightly before getting down on his own knees and licking and kissing my entrance, earning a few sweet moans to erupt from my throat. Not long after, he sprung back up and stroked my clit with the tip of his cock before suddenly thrusting straight into my entrance which caused a loud moan to echo around us. One of my hands gripped the arm and one gripped the back of the chair, as his pace quickened and he created slapping sounds between our bodies. He kept rocking his hips back and force at a never ending pace. Groans emitting from his body aswell and his hands founding the best grip on my hips. I started to tighten around him and not longer, I came all around him. 

He pulled me to stand up after I came and sat down himself before gently pulling my hand and prompting me to sit on his lap. He positioned himself at my entrance as I was still a bit shaky from my release. I sat down on him slowly whilst letting out a long breathy moan. His hands found my hips again and mine gripped his shoulders. I was too overstimulated to keep moving, so he moved my hips up and down on his lap so he could reach his orgasm. He started throbbing, stimulating me more and more until we both released all over eachother, making a mess. His juices were running down my thighs and dripping down his cock, falling onto his stomach. Mine, combining with his...again running down my thighs and drenching his now flaccid cock.

I carefully removed myself off of him, to grab a warm towel to clean us up with. The sheer material of my dress, tickling my legs as I walked. I walked into the bathroom and looked at myself. I knew I wasn't ugly but damn do I look good after sex. Although it never feels like just sex when it's with Elijah, it feels like pure, physical luck. I always feel like the luckiest women in the world...not forgetting the best looked after cause wow is he godly in physical act of love, for lack of more appropriate words. I walked back in after finishing cleaning myself up and handed him a cloth too, before giving him a kiss and going to run a bath.

“Hey Lijah handsome, I'm gonna run a bath do you wanna get in with me in a sec ?”

“I would love too, beautiful.”

He just finished and stopped in the doorway to our bedroom and turned to him.

“Can you b-"

He cut me off.

“Yes, I will get the wine. Give me a second sweetheart.”

I giggled and walked off. He walked into the bathroom, seeing me already in the bath. Surrounded by candles and and the sweet aroma of the Christmas candle burning, that smelt like cinnamon, hot wine, vanilla, ginger, orange,honey and chocolate. Just a warm, inviting smell to relax too on Christmas day. He got in and poured some white wine he had delivered, along with himself.

“Here we go beautiful.”

I grabbed the glass he handed me and we spent the whole bath talking about nice thing like: the kids, new years eve and complimenting eachother. After about 45 minutes, the water started to go cold so we decided to get out and get into some more comfortable clothes and tidy up a bit. We started to relax by sitting on the sofa and throwing a blanket on top of us whilst watching ‘It’s a wonderful life'...and let me tell you it most certainly is. We were just about to go make some hot cocoa when there was a knock on the door, confusing us both. We glanced at eachother in wonder and when I opened the door, Rebekah and the kids were standing there. I smiled at them as they ran in to say hi to their dad. I turned to Rebekah.

“I’m sorry, I know I promised I'd have them for the night but they wouldn't go to sleep unless Marcel read them a book or your and Elijah were there, but Marcel passed out whilst we were watching a film. I really wanted you and Elijah to have a night to yourselves and I really tried bu-”

I chuckled at her and held my hand up.

“Rebekah, it's fine we don't mind. Honestly, I was missing having the kids here anyway and we were just about to make hot cocoa anyway. Calm yourself down and go to sleep, you look exhausted.”

“Thankyou Y/N, I owe you one !”

“No you don't!”

I closed the door, to see the kids sat with their dad watching home alone. I smiled at the view, this is why I'm lucky to have Elijah.

OUTFIT

MASTERLIST

#elijah mikaelson #elijah mikaelson smut #elijah mikealson imagine #elijah x reader #the vampire diaries imagine #tvd imagine #TVD #the originals imagines #the vampire diaries #to imagine #to #imagines #Smut #christmas

[caranfindel]

Fic: You don’t know how it feels (to be me)

gen, s6 | about 3600 words | pg for language | characters: soulless sam winchester, dean winchester

synopsis: Soulless Sam tries to deal with his brother's feelings about, well, everything. Including his hair. Set in season 6, before "You Can't Handle the Truth."

An idea I had a long time ago, resuscitated by Jared's Walker haircut. The title is from "You Don't Know How It Feels" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

. . . . . .

It's a stupid case.

The manager of the county fairgrounds is a stooped, gnarled old man wearing one of those ball caps veterans wear sometimes. Gold embroidery on the dark blue hat proudly displays the name of his ship or submarine or whatever. Sam doesn't care about his ship or submarine or whatever. He doesn't care about this guy's service at all. Most days, old Blue Hat here got three meals a day and a warm, dry place to sleep in exchange for whatever he gave up. He got a pension when he was done fighting. Sam gets to scrounge for cheap food and sleep in crappy hotels when he's lucky enough to actually land someplace other than the back seat of the Impala. Sam's service to his country earned him a trip to Hell. Sam will get to stop fighting when he's dead. His only pension will be a pyre.

Sam doesn't even get to sleep any more.

(This should bother him. But the truth is, it doesn't.)

Blue Hat frowns at Sam's ID and snorts derisively. "You don't look like a Fed. You look like a goddamn hippie."

He rolls his eyes at the old man, even though he knows Dean hates it when he does that. It's something he didn't do Before, no matter how annoying or insipid the witness. Sam doesn't give a good goddamn what this guy thinks about his hair, but apparently his brother does. "He's been doing some undercover work," Dean says. "Sometimes you've got to look like a goddamn hippie to blend in."

Blue Hat sniffs his disapproval and ignores Sam for the rest of the interview, directing all of his answers to Dean. Which is fine. The old guy doesn't seem to have anything useful to add anyway. Sam leaves his brother to the pointless interview about the stupid case and wanders around the building, taking pictures of the unexplained runes that brought them here. He's bored. The sudden appearance of mysterious runes on the bland metal exterior of a county fairgrounds building feels witchy, and Sam really doesn't care about witches. Two measly deaths, quite possibly from natural causes, and now he's out here standing in cow shit. Or goat shit or pig shit. This entire day has been shit, literally and figuratively.

Dean joins him after a couple of minutes, apparently done with Blue Hat. "What do you think?" he asks.

Sam shrugs. "Too early to tell. If these runes are what Bobby thinks they are, they'll change under moonlight, but moonrise isn't until 9:05 pm."

“Jesus," Dean moans. "I can't stay awake that long. I've already gone almost two days. Let's go back to the motel and crash, and we'll hit this place again tonight."

Or not, Sam wants to say. I think you jumped on this paper-thin excuse for a job just because the alternative was sitting in a motel room with me waiting for an actual case to come up, Sam wants to say. But neither of these are things he would have said Before, and Dean is so goddamn twitchy about Sam being different than Before.

As they turn back to the Impala, Dean glances at Sam with a slight smile. "Dude's not wrong, you know."

“What?"

“You do look like a goddamn hippie." Dean's hand twitches toward Sam, like he's going to smack him on the back of the head or ruffle his hair, but he pulls back without touching him. Because they don't do that now. Casual, good-natured, brotherly contact isn't a thing now. Dean doesn't touch him unless there are injuries involved.

(This is another thing that should bother Sam. It would have, Before.)

. . .

Dean hangs his suit in the closet, sets an alarm, and collapses on top of the covers. Sam stares at his own bed. The threat of spending hours pretending to be asleep makes his skin crawl. If Dean falls asleep quickly enough, he can skip the whole charade.

“Hey, I think I'm gonna shower first," he says.

Dean doesn't open his eyes. "Just don't wake me up when you get out."

In the bathroom, Sam turns on the water but doesn't get undressed. He stands at the mirror, staring at his too-long hair. Why has he bothered to hold onto it? He remembers caring about his hair. He remembers it being a small fuck you to John, the one area in his life where he was able to cling to some autonomy. It's not that he's forgotten about that; he just doesn't give a shit any more.

And like Dean said, Blue Hat wasn't wrong. He does look like a hippie. The hair is a hazard, and it does clash with any kind of law enforcement disguise. Maybe it's time to do something about it. He has time to kill anyway, while Dean sleeps.

(Sam should care that he doesn't need to sleep any more. Dean would definitely care, if he found out. Dean cares so much about any aspect of Sam that is less normal than he thinks it ought to be. Even if it's something that makes him a better hunter. Dean didn't appreciate it when Sam could exorcise demons without killing the host, and Dean wouldn't appreciate that Sam can get so much done when he's not sleeping. He could never understand why this version of Sam is so much better than the way he was Before. It's a shame Dean hasn't discovered the option of Not Caring.)

(Sometimes Sam wonders if getting back with Dean is worth the trouble.)

(And that should bother him too.)

Sam shuts off the shower and pulls out his phone. He needs to find a barber shop in walking distance. Dean will get all pissy if he wakes up and the car is gone; less so if only Sam is missing. Luckily, there's a shop that might still be open. It's one of those ridiculous sports-themed places that presumes men are fussy toddlers who need to be distracted from the ignominy of a hair cut. At least they tend to be staffed by women, and those women tend to be prettier than average. With any luck, he can kill two birds with one stone.

When he opens the bathroom door, Dean is either asleep, or pretending to be. Sam scrawls couldn't sleep, back soon on the motel notepad and closes the door behind him as silently as possible.

(He misses his car. He didn't have an emotional attachment to it, like Dean and the Impala, but it was convenient and it suited him.)

(He doesn't actually have an emotional attachment to anything. That should bother him.)

. . .

Two stylists, both predictably prettier than average, look up when he walks in. The redhead says "sorry, sir, we're just about to close up," and continues sweeping up hair trimmings. But the brunette looks him up and down and smiles. And Sam's partial to brunettes anyway.

He gives her a once-over in return and smiles back. "Do you have time for just a quick cut? I'd be eternally grateful."

She stares at him for a minute, appraising. "Well, how could I turn down an offer of eternal gratefulness?" she says with a wink. She turns to the redhead. "Why don't you go on home. I've got this."

The redhead dumps her clippings into a trash can. "You sure?"

"I'm sure. You mind locking the door behind you? I don't want any more last-minute customers walking in."

The redhead raises her eyebrows, but gathers her purse and jacket and makes her escape as Sam settles into the brunette's chair.

“I'm Marianne," she says, as she starts to drape a cape over his shoulders.

“I'm Sam. But listen. I get too hot under those capes. Would it be okay if we skip it? And I just take my shirt off so I don't get hair all over it?"

Marianne smiles like the cat who caught the canary. "Not a problem, sweetheart."

Sam slips out of his dress shirt and drapes it over the empty chair next to him. Marianne watches him the whole time, eyes roving over the muscles exposed by his snug white undershirt. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.

He sits back in the chair and Marianne stands behind him. Her chest brushes against his shoulders. "So," she asks, "what are we doing today?"

“Shorter. Off my collar, above my ears."

She slips her fingers through his hair, measuring its length. "You sure? This length looks pretty good on you. Just needs to be cleaned up a bit."

“It's for a job. The long hair doesn't fly any more."

“Aw, that's a shame." Marianne's still running her fingers through his hair. "If you've got a lady in your life, I bet she'll miss it. A girl likes something to hold onto."

Well. The best lies are based on a kernel of truth. Sam looks into his lap and lets his smile go sad and soft. "That's kind of why I'm here. My girlfriend died and I thought I'd try to start over. New place, new job, new life. But yeah, that's always been one of my favorite things. A girl grabbing my hair in the heat of the moment. I should have tried to find someone to do that one more time before I had to cut it off."

Marianne leans forward, pressing her breasts harder against him. When he looks up, she meets his eyes in the mirror, then flicks a glance toward a door marked Employees Only. “You know," she says, "that could probably be arranged."

Seriously. Fish in a goddamn barrel.

. . .

Dean's awake when Sam gets back to the motel room, but he doesn't look up from the laptop. "Couldn't sleep?"

“I guess I napped a little in the car on the way down here," Sam lies. "And then, you know, a lot of caffeine this morning."

“Whatever. I'm not the sleep police. I hope you brought food, cause I could —" Dean looks at Sam and stops mid-sentence, mouth still open. "You cut your hair?"

“Yeah."

“Why?"

“What do you mean, why? Like old what's-his-face said, I looked like a hippie, not an FBI agent. And you've been telling me to cut it for years."

“Yeah, I have. I've been saying that for years and you've been ignoring me for years. Now some random witness calls you a hippie and you go running to Supercuts?"

Sam sighs. Dean may not be the sleep police, but he's awfully eager to step in as the hair police, enforcing his own set of laws about Sam's hair. "Why does it matter? You wanted me to cut it. Everyone wanted me to cut it. And I cut it. Can we move on now?"

It's a statement almost guaranteed to make Dean bow up in anger, but instead, he deflates. "It's just… nothing. Fine. Moving on." He closes the laptop and pulls his keys out of his coat pocket. "We've still got an hour or so before moonrise. I'm gonna go run through McDonald's. You want a chicken sandwich, or is that something else you're not interested in any more?"

Jesus Christ. This is what passes for moving on. But Sam needs that shower now, and none of this is worth arguing about.

(Few things are any more. That seems like it should matter.)

“Yeah, that sounds great, thanks."

By the time Dean gets back, the sandwich is cold and the ice in Sam's drink is mostly melted. He pretends to enjoy it anyway.

. . .

Their drive back to the fairgrounds is quiet. Dean occasionally steals an unhappy glance at Sam's hair, but doesn't say anything. Sam ignores it.

They pull into the parking lot in front of the marked building. Without even getting out of the car, they can see that the runes have changed. The broad strokes are softly luminescent, glowing a pale blue in the moonlight.

“Okay, so that answers that question," Sam says. Thank God. Now they can leave without wandering around the grounds, soaking up the barnyard smell again. Wrap this up and start working on something more important. But Dean gets out of the car and looks at Sam expectantly. Well, crap. Sam dutifully follows him closer to the building and tries to think of how he would have felt about this development Before.

“Cool," he says. Dean narrows his eyes at him. "I mean, cool that our theory was right. Not, you know, cool that someone is using this kind of spellwork to make sure their pig wins a blue ribbon at the fair. That part's… pretty awful." But Dean's still looking at him funny, so he probably overcorrected on that one. It's just hard, any more.

Dean rubs the back of his neck as he examines the glowing runes. "If that's all they're doing, more power to them. I couldn't care less. But we need to make sure that's all they're doing. I mean, people died, Sam. We need to figure out if this is why." He pulls out his phone. "Gonna take some pictures to send Bobby." There's no reason to remind him they already have pictures. If Dean thinks additional pictures are more effective and efficient than "just like this, but glowing blue," that's up to him. Sam will most likely solve the damn case later tonight anyway, while Dean sleeps.

And he almost does. Dean knocks back a couple of glasses of whiskey when they get back to the motel, and falls asleep pretty soon after that. Sam doesn't bother to feign sleep — Dean doesn't seem to care, right now, whether his brother gets any sleep or not. But when Sam realizes his own photos missed a crucial corner of the building, he opens his brother's phone and finds his last text to Bobby. There's only one picture, and it's not glowing runes. It's him. Just a dark, slightly blurry picture of Sam, obviously taken earlier that night at the fairgrounds. And a text conversation.

See, I told you, it's short. I don't know what's going on. I swear he's just different.

Yeah, I get it. It's different. He's different. But what'd you expect? Of course he's not the same as he was. Hell changed him.

It didn't change me this much.

His Hell wasn't the same as yours. I know it didn't last very long, but remember, he was in the cage with the devil. We don't know what happened to him in there. Give him some time.

Well. Fuck. Dean's talking about him behind his back. Dean doesn't trust him. Dean thinks, once again, that something is wrong with him.

(That would have hurt, Before. Now it's just an annoyance. A distraction. Something to be dealt with.)

Yes, Hell changed him. Hell burned away all the crap, all the useless feelings, the guilt and shame and fear of failure. Hell purified him. Hell carved out the weakness and left nothing but pure, strong hunter. Dean, of all people, should appreciate the result. But Dean does not, and now Sam has to cater to his tiresome attachment to everything Sam was Before.

Fine. He can make that work.

Sam quietly puts Dean's phone back on the nightstand. He strips down to boxers and his t-shirt, sets an alarm, and crawls into bed. Pretending to sleep is tedious, but a couple of hours of boredom right now might spare him weeks of Dean's moodiness about him being different.

(As if Hell could leave you untouched. As if anyone in their right mind would expect that. As if Dean himself didn't know this first hand, for fuck's sake.)

. . .

Sam spends the next day focusing on acting the way he did Before. When his alarm goes off he stretches, yawns, and pretends he had a good night's sleep. He goes for a run, brings back coffee, showers quickly, and rolls his eyes when Dean makes a crack about him being able to spend less time in the shower now. At breakfast, he smiles at the (cute, definitely worth a bang) waitress, but doesn't flirt or even check her out as she walks away. He's figured out that Dean wants Sam to want to get laid (but not too much; he's definitely not supposed to want it as much as Dean wants it) but for some reason doesn't want him to actually get lucky. And he definitely would have gotten lucky. He spends the day looking empathetic, acting like this whole thing hasn't been a colossal waste of time. Like he cares about everything. About anything.

(God, it's exhausting.)

It turns out the deaths probably don't have anything to do with the witch at all. They return to the fairgrounds one last time, where Sam plants hex bags and paints runes on the corners of the building that will block the witch's simple spells - not that he cares whether the witch achieves anything or not, just on principle. His own runes are small and subtle enough that this novice witch (they must be a novice; no one with any experience would be naive enough to make their work so noticeable) won't even know they're in place. And if the witch escalates, well, that's not exactly Sam's problem.

When he's finished, he wipes his hands on his jeans and says "We should get Chinese for dinner. When's the last time you ate a vegetable?" Because monitoring everyone's vegetable intake is something he did Before.

They're finishing Chinese takeout in their motel room (beef with broccoli for Dean, eggplant in garlic sauce for Sam, because occasional bouts of vegetarianism were also a thing he did Before) when he catches Dean looking at his hair, very clearly wanting to say something.

So. It's go time.

Sam tries to make his eyes big and sad. The puppy dog look, Dean always called it. It was never intentional Before, but now he has to work at it. "Listen," he says. "I owe you an apology. I haven't been telling you the whole truth."

“No shit," Dean says. He's trying to sound nonchalant, but his body language screams that he's bracing for something. "So, spill it. What's your big confession?"

(That I don't care about any of this. This piddly little case. My hair. You. Nothing. And you can't imagine, Dean, you cannot even begin to imagine the incredible freedom of not caring. I wish you could, but you just can't.)

No, he can't say any of that. But the best lies are built on a kernel of truth.

Sam takes a deep, anxious breath and looks at Dean. No, wait. Look away. "You know, I told you I don't remember Hell. And I really don't. Not consciously, anyway. But when we were fighting those demons a couple of weeks ago, one of them grabbed me by the hair, and I felt something… it was a sense memory, I guess. It felt like Hell, for some reason. Like it was something that happened to me in Hell, someone grabbing my hair and pulling my head back and getting ready to cut my throat or… whatever."

He doesn't have to elaborate on whatever. Dean knows the whatevers of Hell better than anyone. He's probably dealing with a little sense memory of his own right now, of clutching someone's hair and pulling their head back in preparation for whatever. And now Sam does look at his brother, who is staring at him with wide, horrified eyes.

“Ever since then," Sam continues, "I just feel like I've been on the verge of remembering something. Something I don't want to remember. And I'm tired of worrying that I'm gonna have a Hell flashback every time I wash my hair."

Dean looks like he's going to vomit. Perfect.

“I'm sorry," Sam says. "It threw me, and I just didn't want to talk about it. But I shouldn't have kept it from you."

For a second, he's sure he has gone too far. Dean is going to say what's this bullshit, Sam, you would never apologize for something like that, so tell me what's really going on. But he doesn't. He stares at Sam for a minute, then looks away and wipes a hand down his face.

“Yeah, okay. Okay. You, ah. You good now? Is it working?"

Sam shrugs. "Hard to say. It hasn't been very long. But yeah, I feel a little more… stable, I guess."

And then it’s time to go for the kill.

Sam gives him the sad smile. (He never used to think of it as a sad smile; never used to think of it as anything at all. It was just what his face did. Every expression requires so much thought now.) "Listen. I know things are weird. I know I'm weird. Different. I know it's hard for you. If this is all more than you want to deal with right now, I understand."

Dean frowns. "What are you saying?"

“Just, I can go back with Samuel and his crew if you don't want to do this any more. You and me, I mean. No hard feelings, I promise."

Dean's face crumples. "What? No, fuck, no, Sam. I don't. You and me, we're good. I'm just getting used to things. That's all."

“Okay." Sam gives his best approximation of a grateful smile.

“So. Uh." Dean looks around the room nervously, like he's waiting for the other shoe to fall, then stands. "I think I'm gonna go get a drink. You wanna come with, or…"

Even if Sam believed Dean really wanted him to come along — and he doesn't; this is obviously Dean's way of retreating from a situation he doesn't want to think about — pretending to sleep when Dean's gone is one of the easier ways of making it look like he actually does sleep sometimes. "No. I'm beat," he says. "I think I'll just go to bed."

“Okay. Yeah. That sounds like a good idea." Dean takes his keys out of his pocket and anxiously tosses them in his hand. When he finally does turn to Sam, he looks at his hair, not his eyes. "Hey, you know, it does. It does look good on you."

Sam ducks his head shyly, like someone who's not used to praise. Who doesn't think he deserves it. "Thanks." When he looks up, Dean is already halfway out the door, putting as much space between himself and his little brother's hellscape as possible.

(Seriously. Fish in a fucking barrel.)

#my fic #sam winchester #dean winchester #soulless sam is my spirit animal #spn #season 6

[oblivionhold]

My entry for Lilanette week day 1, or read it on Ao3. @lilanette-week

Marinette's schoolday had been going great so far. She managed to arrive a couple of minutes early, she hadn't tripped over anything at school, and neither Chloé nor Lila insulted anyone yet. It was only half over, they were about to be released for lunch, but if the second half of the day was just as good as the first, today probably would have been the best schoolday she's had since she became the Guardian.

The familiar sound of several different akuma tracker apps going off at the same time was disappointing but honestly not surprising. She hasn't been nearly as lucky as she used to be.

Most of the class were already pulling out their phones to check the akuma's location. Most of the teachers in their school had long since stopped trying to enforce the no-phone rule for akuma attacks, Miss Bustier included. Marinette, naturally, was among them. She went to swipe to unlock her phone when the screen suddenly changed to show someone's face. The person was unhealthily pale, almost pure white, with neon pink hair and bright blue eyes. She had a lime green domino mask over their face. She was almost certainly an akuma.

"Good afternoon, Paris!" The akuma's voice was high pitched and really annoying. "This is Clickbait, and I'll be your akuma for the day. Don't bother trying to turn off your devices, because I'm not gonna let you." Marinette checked, and, indeed, her phone wouldn't turn off. None of her classmates seemed to have any luck either; Max was even kind of freaking out because Markov's face screen was displaying Clickbait. "Feel free to try change the channel, because I'm on all stations! You've got me for however long it takes for me to take Ladybug's and Chat Noir's miraculouses. But first, I've got an exclusive interview with someone you probably know by name, if not by face..."

The voice was coming from all around her, given every single phone in the classroom was playing her video. So Marinette really thought it was understandable that she wouldn't notice one more voice until a giant robot suddenly rocketed right outside her classroom, with Marinette dropping her phone in shock. Through the windows, she could see a giant humanoid robot with a camera theme; its head was a camera, its hands ended in cameras, it was being propelled by flames that came out of cameras on its feet, and, in its hollow chest cavity, Clickbait was sitting down in a chair, across from another chair, each with multiple cameras pointed at them.

Immediately, her class stood up and began to run out the room. Before they could get very far, however, Clickbait shouted “Freeze!” and the giant mech raised both of its arms to point at the class. Marinette and her classmates stopped running immediately, which caused a couple of them to fall down, with Lila in particular yelping in pain. The robot's chest cavity opened, and Clickbait got out of her seat, walking towards the window. She snapped her fingers, and the robot's right arm shifted its aim slightly and lit up into a laser that blasted through the window and into the wall behind them, laving a hole in both. Then the arm moved back into it's previous position as Clickbait jumped through the hole. “You're not going anywhere, Alya Césaire.” Clickbait smirked.

Marinette's eyebrows shot up. She was honestly expecting this to be yet another akuma going after Chloé. Alya hasn't mentioned getting into a fight with anyone recently...though Marinette supposes she might not have told her about it. Marinette turned her head to look at Alya, who looked as confused as Marinette felt. Clickbait seemed to notice, and she narrowed her eyes. “Do you not even know who I am? Even with my name as a hint?”

“Name as a hint?” Alya tilted her head somewhat, thinking, but then she backed up slightly with a gasp. “Claire?”

“Oh, now she remembers.” Clickbait laughed as she approached Alya. “It seems like the Ladyblogger is too high-and-mighty to remember the little people.”

“That's not...” Alya tried to interject before Clickbait rushed forward to grab her by the throat. Alya, panicked, began to try and pull Clickbait off of her, with no success. Marinette, Nino, and Adrien immediately moved to try and get the akuma off of Alya, but the cameras still pointed at them started to power up in response, causing them to freeze again.

“That's not...what, Ladyblogger? That's not the reason why you rejected my offer of a collaboration? That's not the reason you called my channel nothing but clickbait based around other people's work?” Clickbait started to tighten her hands. “It's Youtube! You need clickbait titles to gain attention! And I'm sorry we can't all get constant exclusive interviews with Ladybug!”

Alya's flailing was starting to get weaker, and Marinette was very close to just trying to tackle the akuma anyway, robot be damned. Luckily, it seems Clickbait noticed as well, as she dropped Alya on the floor. Alya gasped as she struggled to take in air, while Clickbait turned to her giant robot and looked into the camera where the head should be. “That's right, folks!” Marinette turned her head to look at Alya's dropped phone on the table, seeing that this was indeed still being broadcast. “My special guest today is none other than Alya Césaire, the Ladyblogger herself! I can't wait to find out what she's hiding. What's the secret to running a successful blog? How is her love life going? And, of course, the big one, why is she Ladybug's favorite reporter? With the help of my loyal Sentimonster, Bad News, we'll find out.”

Clickbait turned back to Alya and picked her up by the arms. Alya continued to struggle, but she wasn't able to fight against an akuma. Marinette could see out of the corner of her eye Adrien physically holding Nino back from trying to fight her. Marinette could completely understand him, but between the fact he wasn't transformed and the Sentimonster pointing what was basically a cannon at his head, she was glad Adrien was there. The best thing she could for Alya right now was escape and transform to get her away from Clickbait as fast as possible, and she's sure that Carapace would love to help.

Clickbait, with Alya in tow, jumped into Bad News' chest cavity. The akuma forced Alya, who was still struggling, into the chair opposite the one she was sitting in. As soon as Alya was forced back, metal bars came out of the chair, forcing Alya to sit back. Satisfied, Clickbait sat in her original chair and brought out a notepad and pen from nowhere. “Now then, first question...” Before she could actually begin the 'interview', the familiar outline that indicated Shadowmoth was talking to his akuma appeared over Clickbait's face. She listened silently for a couple of seconds, and then growled. “I'll take their miraculouses when they show up. I have Ladybug's favorite reporter here, they'll be there eventually.”

Miss Bustier silently pointed towards the door. Marinette, as class representative, helped direct the evacuation. The class evacuated front the back, and most of it passed without incident, but then they came to Lila, who gestured towards her right foot. Marinette rolled her eyes and helped Lila stand. Lila either was actually injured, or she was really into selling this lie, because she refused to let go when Marinette tried to shake her off. Marinette sighed. It was going to be really annoying to find a way to escape with Lila literally holding onto her.

The rest of the school was already mid-evacuation, without the threat of giant Sentimonster Lasers to worry about. She had picked up her phone from the floor and had half an eye on it as she looked around for an empty spot to transform, and she could see Clickbait was still talking to Shadowmoth. Clickbait shook her head and groaned dramatically. “Fine. You're the boss.” Clickbait then looked directly into this camera. “Welp, sorry guys, but it's not my decision. Blame Shadowmoth, or Ladybug and Chat Noir for not getting here fast enough. Good luck.” Good luck for what?

And then Bad News fired again, sending two of those lasers blasting directly through the roof of her class room. Immediately, the relatively calm and in control evacuation broke into a panic as people began to run away from the Sentimonster and the collapsing building. Another shot, and the stairway her class was taking got ripped in half. Marinette looked over the railing in a panic. As the dust settled, she saw a bunch of her classmates gathered around...

Marinette and Lila both gasped. Adrien was in the middle of the group, laying on the ground, groaning in pain. Nino, next to him, said something she couldn't hear, and Adrien shook his head. Nino rolled his eyes and turned towards Kim and Ivan, saying something else. Then Nino, Kim, and Ivan all picked Adrien up and started walking out the building with him.

“Marinette.” Miss Bustier put her hand on Marinette's shoulder. “Calm down. Adrien is getting medical help and as soon as Ladybug fixes this he'll be fine. We need to get to the elevator.” Marinette hadn't noticed she was beginning to hyperventilate. She took a couple of seconds more to control her breathing and then nodded, right in time for another blast from Bad News to rip through the classroom next to hers.

“Um, Miss Bustier?” Lila asked in a voice that Marinette knew was trying to make her sound as vulnerable as possible. “Are you sure we should take the elevator right now?”

“No, but we don't have a choice. Both of the stairs down are out.” Indeed, when Marinette wasn't looking, the other staircase leading to the second floor was also destroyed, with a bunch of rubble on top of it. “We either stay here, directly where the Sentimonster is aiming, we go to the roof, which is even more dangerous, or we risk the elevator down.” Miss Bustier smiled gently at Lila, clearly trying to be reassuring. “I know it's scary, but we have to move. Alright, Lila?”

Lila's lip wobbled a bit (Marinette resisted the urge to roll her eyes) and then she nodded. “Okay...” she mumbled. Marinette really thought Lila was overplaying things, but Miss Bustier either fell for it or decided it wasn't worth the effort to talk about it.

The girls followed their teacher, slower than Marinette would have liked due to Lila's limp. Marinette was very much hoping that Lila was actually injured, because if she wasn't, Marinette had half a mind to break her leg with her own bare hands. She kept hoping and wishing that Chat Noir would show up and take Bad News' attention away from causing random property damage, but from the occasional cannon shots and the few glimpses of the interview that Marinette caught in between slow steps, Chat Noir hadn't arrived yet.

After far too long, they finally came to the elevator, which thankfully responded when Miss Bustier pressed the button. “Alright, girls, get outside.” Miss Bustier smiled at the two of them, though it didn't reach her eyes. “I'm going to go look for anyone else who might have been left behind.”

Marinette saw her opportunity. “Actually, Miss Bustier, maybe I could go look for people while you help Lila out?” she tried.

Miss Bustier shook her head. “No, Marinette. I'm the teacher here, it's my duty to make sure you're safe.” Well it was worth a shot. Grudgingly, Marinette helped Lila into the elevator, hit the button for the ground floor, and waved goodbye to Miss Bustier's retreating form. The elevator doors closed and started to descend as Marinette planned her next move. She could pawn Lila off on the medical staff that was hopefully outside, and then run home. Hopefully her parents would accept that she's just trying to hide in her room. Then she could transform, maybe go over to Nino and give him the turtle, and hopefully Chat Noir would be there by that time...

Marinette heard a large crashing sound, and then the elevator went plummeting down the rest of the way. Marinette tumbled to the floor, with Lila following on top of her. They weren't too far from the bottom floor, so they didn't fall too far, but it was still a hard drop.

Marinette groaned in pain and annoyance. First that fiasco with Style Queen where she was trapped with Adrien, now this. She was never taking an elevator ever again. “Lila, are you alright?” She asked, worried that she couldn't stand up with moving the other girl.

Lila winced, but managed to push herself off of Marinette. “I'm not any worse than I was before I got in here.” Lila lifted her right leg up, stretching it out, before placing it gently on the ground. Marinette noticed how she was avoiding putting any pressure on her right foot.

Marinette cocked her head to the side. “Huh, I kind of thought you were just faking the injury for attention.” She stood up and walked to the elevator buttons, pressing them to see if they still worked. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to.

Lila rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because that's the sort of thing I'd do. Fake an injury that prevents me from escaping the giant monster and makes me rely on you.” She shook her head, leaning back against the elevator wall. “What kind of idiot do you take me for?”

“The kind of idiot whose genius plan for getting me expelled involved walking down a staircase and hoping no one was looking?” Marinette raised an eyebrow as she tried to force open the elevator doors. They must have been jammed, because she couldn't move them at all.

“Well it worked, didn't it?” Lila shrugged. “You don't need to think smart, you just need to think smarter than anyone else.”

Marinette sighed in frustration. “You read that in a book?” She snapped, sitting across the elevator from Lila.

“Something my dad said, actually.”

Huh. That was the first time Marinette heard Lila talk about her dad. It was usually her mom she was bragging about.

There was no way Marinette was getting out of here without transforming, and there was no way she was going to transform in front of Lila. Adrien is one thing. Marinette would trust him with all of her secrets, except maybe her crush on him. But Lila? The best case scenario Marinette could see about revealing her identity to Lila would be Lila trying to blackmail her in exchange for not immediately telling everybody, and that's assuming Lila doesn't just immediately get akumatized so she can tell Hawkmoth. Transforming would have to be a last resort.

...But only Alya, who was still trapped in the sentimonster's chest, knew she was Ladybug. Her only hope is that Chat Noir rescues Alya, and Alya immediately transforms and gets to Kaalki, who can rescue Lila...but Alya didn't know where she was, and with Clickbait still hijacking her phone, she had no way to contact her without transforming.

It didn't look good, but she had no other choice. Her only option was to sit here, watching Clickbait, and desperately hoping for Chat Noir to show up.

Clickbait's interview with Alya was actually remarkably tame, all things considered. Clickbait asked normal, if leading, questions, like “Is it true that you're Ladybug's secret lover?”, and Alya would answer them (“No, I have a boyfriend.”) Marinette was afraid Clickbait could force someone to tell the truth, or at least detect it, but that didn't seem to be the case...

Her thoughts were interrupted by Lila. “Do you really need to watch that drivel?” Marinette turned her attention towards Lila, who was glaring at her. “It's just a jealous idiot trying to get Alya to say something stupid.”

Marinette scoffed. “Sorry that I'm worried about my best friend?” Marinette glared back. “I know you've never had a friend to worry about, but I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out the concept.”

Lila shrugged, exaggeratedly checking her nails. “There's nothing to worry about. Ladybug will show up and fix everything.”

Marinette blinked in confusion. As far as she knew, Lila hated Ladybug. It was odd to hear her say that she trusted Ladybug to save her and solve the problem. “Fine, I guess. Do you want to talk or something?”

Lila looked at her like she was stupid, but then dramatically sighed. “If I have to talk to you so you stop watching that video, sure, fine.” Marinette put her phone back into her purse, where the sound was muffled and Tikki could inform her if something changed.

There was a couple of seconds of awkward silence before Marinette figured that Lila was waiting for her to say something. “So, um, uh...” Lila rolled her eyes and gestured for her to get on with it. “So how's modeling?”

Lila threw her arms up in annoyance. “Bad. Gabriel has barely called me recently and even when he does he rarely uses the photos I'm in. Claims that Adrien looks better by himself?” She crossed her arms, looking petulantly to the side. “It's stupid. Makes me put in work for no reason.”

Honestly, Marinette wouldn't be surprised if Gabriel was just trying to keep Lila away from his son, but that's just a guess. Outwardly, she said “That's unfortunate.”

Lila just rolled her eyes in response, and another awkward silence occurred. Right as Marinette was about to break it with some other inane question, Lila asked first “So why haven't you done any stupid plans to try and get with Adrien recently?”

Marinette sputtered for a bit. “What? I don't...who told you that?”

“Rose, mainly. She loves sharing everyone's romance drama with anyone who will listen. I have heard way more than I want to about her and Juleka's dating life.” Smug, Lila leaned back against the wall. “You're not dating Juleka's brother anymore, so I'm surprised you're not trying to lock yourself in a refrigerator with him or something dumb.”

Okay, so Marinette was going to have to have words with Rose about what is appropriate to share about her love life, especially with Lila. “I just decided that romance isn't for me, right now. I'm too busy with...other things.”

“Other things.” Lila rolled her eyes. “No wonder you hate liars, you're awful at it. 'Other things.' Do you have stuff to do, too? Maybe some activities that take up all your time?”

Marinette growled. “Speaking of liars, why haven't you said any more big lies? Until today, I could have just pretended you didn't exist for the past couple of weeks.”

“Funny thing about telling your teacher you have a lying disease.” Lila slouched onto her side, holding her head up with one arm. “Suddenly no one believes you about anything. I basically had to apologize to everyone for everything I ever told them.”

Marinette couldn't resist smirking. It's nice to know that something good came out of that whole disaster, even if it did suck at the time.

“So I should tell Rose that her fanfiction isn't going to come true anytime soon?” Lila smirked back.

“Wait, what?” Marinette stood up in a panic. “What fanfiction?”

“Oh, you didn't know?” Lila's smirk melted into a more polite smile. “Rose writes fanfictions about her friends. Her and Juleka, mainly, but she also writes about Nino and Alya, and Ivan and Mylene, and I think I saw a couple of chapters of Chloe and Sabrina. But she really loves to write fanfiction about you and Adrien.” She sat upright again, leaning back against the elevator wall as she checked her finger nails. “I think I even saw a couple of steamy ones. I liked the one where Adrien had Ladybug boxers, personally.”

“That's just...” Marinette shivered for a moment. It was completely unbelievable that Rose would write stuff like that about her friends. It just wasn't like her at all...

In fact, it was completely unbelievable. Marinette narrowed her eyes, glaring at Lila. “That's just a lie, isn't it? You're making that up?”

Lila glared back for a second before breaking out into laughter. “Absolutely, but the fact you actually bought that...”

Marinette definitely wasn't pouting in response. “Hmph.” She turned away from Lila, who was still chuckling to herself.

A couple of minutes passed where the only sound was the muted noise coming from Marinette's bag. Marinette checked to make sure Lila wasn't paying attention, and quickly took out her phone. The interview was still ongoing, though Alya looked a little worse for wear. She couldn't even see a clock on her phone, so she didn't know how long everything was taking, but it must have been at least 20 minutes. Chat Noir should have been there by now...

Unless he was trapped, like she was. Bad News had apparently moved around a lot, still firing lasers at the buildings it passed, so the fact that Chat didn't go to her school didn't really matter. He might have been injured, or simply unable to help. And if Chat couldn't help, Alya couldn't help, and if neither of them could help, then Ladybug couldn't help.

Marinette looked towards Lila, still smiling to herself about her stupid joke.

This was a bad idea. But it was the only idea she had. “Lila.” Lila looked to her, confused at the serious look on Marinette's face. “I need you to not tell anyone about what's about to happen.”

“What are you...?”

“Tikki, Spots On.”

#lilanette #lilanette week #lilanetteweek #miraculous ladybug #lila rossi #marinette dupain-cheng

[nerdie-faerie]

Ace reblogged the ask game!! Multiples of ten back atcha 😁

Flame, hi!! That's fair 😂 Questions from this post

10. do you have any regrets?

I tend to regret a lot of little things but nothing enough that I would go back and change them so I guess no?

20. do you believe in luck?

To some extent. Like when you're running late but the bus is also so you end up just about making it. Type of thing but not as something that can be tangible like a lucky item or person

30. what song is currently stuck in your head?

I've not long been awake so I don't actually have a song stuck in my head atm but that could change 😂

40. what is your relationship with your family like?

Not great. I'm not particularly close with any of my extended family and I don't have a good relationship with my parents but I would say have a pretty good relationship with my siblings, I actually just got off a facetime with them

50. what’s a food you hate?

We have a list in our kitchen for different foods people dislike to help us decide what to cook and my list is unfortunately the most full, I never really grew out of the fussy eater phase. So I'm not sure what food I would say I hate the most probably mushrooms, I hate the texture of mushrooms, cannot stomach them

60. what would your perfect day be like?

Probably something chill. Start with a lie in. Staying in to hang out with my friends rather than going out. Cooking or baking together and maybe watching a movie? Something relaxed where the main goal is just being together and chatting ya know

70. what’s your favourite number?

Mine is 16 as well 😂 I mean it's a square number of a square number. Like the root of 16 is 4 which is also a square number which I think is neat, makes a cool pattern

80. would you rather freeze or burn to death?

Probably freeze. I hate being too warm and I mean neither are particularly pleasant but I feel like burning would be worse

90. what’s your favourite mythical creature?

I think maybe mermaids they've always fascinated me. And if I was gonna end up stuck as one I'd rather it was a mermaid rather than a dragon, I couldn't do flying I hate heights

100. what is the meaning of life?

I think I agree with you about it being about experiences. I definitely don't think working is the meaning of life. Just experiencing all there is to experience and connecting with people and making them happy

Thanks for the ask sweetpea!

#not rp #ooc #OOC asks #random questions asks #Buddy beans #Flamesandpages