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rebeliz7 · 25 days

Text

The Transporter

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Count: 2262

…

You were screwed.

You had two rules, two unbreakable rules. Two rules that have allowed you to survive for as long as you have in your line of work.

The first one was to never ask any unnecessary questions. Your job was simple. You transported packages, no matter what it was, no matter how far you had to go or how long it’d take you to get it to its destination.

You’ve gained quite a reputation because of that first rule, and you were never short on job offers because of it. People valued your work policy, because they valued their privacy.

You were, what the kids would call these days, a delivery person and that was the essence of what you did, only you mobilized very expensive and more often than not dangerous packages.

Your clients--were not good people, but that was not your problem. Of course you suspected it but to be quite honest, you never expected to be caught by the Avengers on your way back home after a well done job.

Long story short, they did catch you and they dropped you in a dark cell for months, and that was alright, you weren’t afraid because you didn’t know anything besides the addresses where you dropped off your packages.

You knew nothing about the packages you delivered, you never peaked and the only question that always interested you when a new job came along was, where do I take it?

“You ready to talk?” The Captain asks from across the table, and you grin at her. They’ve been doing this everyday for the last couple of months.

Each morning you’re taken to an interrogation room, where a new avenger is always waiting for you.

“What do you want to talk about today, love?” You ask her, and she pins you down with a hard stare.

This one lacks patience, but after months of answering the same questions with the truth and nothing but the truth, you do try to spice things up a bit every once and awhile. If only to keep yourself sharp.

“You do realize that you’re never getting out of here if you don’t give us something, right?” She asks, and you lean back to rest against the back of the chair.

“What do you want to know?” You ask her, if only to keep the conversation flowing. Every answer that you could have provided, you already have and they must know it too.

“Who hired you to pick up the suitcase from the airport?”

Oh, the infamous suitcase!

You knew that job was way too easy to be a good thing. It took you an hour to get it done. Easiest and fastest two million you’ve ever made.

“I got a text. I told them my fee. I got a deposit and I asked where I needed to take the suitcase. I dropped the suitcase, and that was it.” You recite the same thing that you always recite, and she glares harder.

“You didn’t ask who was hiring you? Or why did they need the suitcase at that building?”

“Rule number one: Don’t ask questions that don’t concern me.” You tell her and her glare intensifies, if that’s even possible.

“You know that doesn’t erase the fact that you’re an accomplice in a terrorist attack, right?”

That damned suitcase.

“I offer a service. I deliver packages. That’s all I do. Would you call the pizza guy that delivered in the same building before me an accomplice too?”

Her fists glow with dangerous intensity then, and in the blink of an eye you find yourself being pushed against the wall after she hits you with a blast.

…

You wake up in your cell hours later with a massive headache and every inch of your body hurting, so you quickly close your eyes again.

You refuse to fully wake up when you’re in this much pain.

…

The next morning you’re awoken by the sound of your door being opened, and you sit up slowly. Your hand flies to your side as a stabbing pain makes you wince when you move, and you curse under your breath.

They’ve never laid a finger on you before, and you wonder if they’re finally about to try to beat the answers out of you, not that you have any.

“You pissed off the Captain.” A guard shakes his head, a mocking grin on his face as he looks at you. “Aren’t you tired? Just give them what they want.”

“Are you supposed to be talking to me?” You ask him, and he shrugs his shoulders before handing you a fresh towel and a change of clothes.

“Shower. You’re in for a new session in twenty.”

He leaves and with a lot of trouble, you do as he says.

…

The moment you enter the interrogation room you feel like you might pass out again, which reminds you of your second rule.

Rule number two: Never fall for someone involved in the deliveries. This rule applies, of course, to the Avengers who apprehended you too.

“You okay?” Wanda Maximoff asks, as an involuntary groan leaves your lips when you sit down.

You kind of like it when she’s the one in charge of your interrogation for the day, but today you feel like dying and not fully up to appreciate her company.

“Of course.” You smile, as you press your hand against your bruised ribs and you struggle to find a comfortable position to sit in. God, you feel like you’re not getting enough air into your lungs.

“What did Carol do?” She asks you with a frown on her forehead, and you try to smile again.

She’s attractive even when she’s frowning, which is totally unfair and completely distracting.

“Broke a few laws, I’m sure.” You can’t breathe properly and you swallow, if only to try to mask the pain you’re currently in.

“Does anything feel broken? Were you taken to medical?” She asks, as she stands up and you close your eyes.

“I don’t know.” You answer and when you try to move, the pain that envelops you is so massive that you become dizzy where you sit.

“Not even a painkiller.” You hear her murmur, before you stop fighting against so much pain and tiredness.

You fall to the ground, the hit making the pain you were already feeling a hundred times worse.

Wanda raises her voice and while she rushes to your side, you surrender to the darkness.

…

The next time you wake up, you do it in a slightier more comfortable bed than the one in your cell.

“I didn’t even touch her!” You hear the unmistakable voice of Carol Danvers yell, and you’re tempted to huff, but you know that would only make you cry out in pain. No, she didn’t need to touch you to almost break you.

“Her ribs are bruised. She passed out because of excruciating pain!” Wanda exclaims back, and you finally open your eyes.

You’re in the medical-bay and your eyes immediately fall on Wanda’s furious little face. Still attractive, that one.

“She’s a criminal,” Carol argues and you watch as Wanda’s fists begin to glow red with the midst of her powers.

“She’s a human being and you crossed a line.” Wanda tells her, and you’re caught staring at her face again.

She looks positively pissed, and you’re pretty sure that you’ve never seen a woman more beautiful than she is.

“I agree,” Steve Rogers says as he walks inside the room as well. “Did you notice she’s awake?” He asks, his eyes trained on you.

“Hey, hi.” You smile and Wanda rushes to your side, or you think that she does.

God! You feel so woozy and nothing really hurts, and you think that maybe you’re a little bit high on painkillers. Just maybe.

“How you feeling?” Wanda asks you and you look at her, and you can’t help but---but feel.

“You’re so beautiful,” you murmur and her eyes widen. “Really, you are.”

She blushes and her eyes show nothing but panic as she looks at Steve, who is smiling goofily before letting out a breath.

“Painkillers?” He asks, and Wanda nods.

“Maybe something to help her sleep?” Wanda asks the doctor in the room, and when a small smile pulls at the corners of her lips, you smile back.

So beautiful.

…

You wake up with a start and a sharpening pain on your side. You’re in a much different room than the last one. You’re not in your cell, and you’re not in the medical bay either.

No, this is a much nicer room with a big fluffy bed and a huge flat screen hanging on the wall.

You’re about to stand up when someone knocks on the door.

“Come in,” you confusedly call out and the door opens slowly to reveal Wanda on the other side. “Hey.”

“Can I come in?” She asks and you nod, still confused. “You should be laying down. Minimal physical effort. Doctor’s orders.”

You nod, now feeling a little suspicious but you take her advice and lay down again. At least you can breathe a bit better now, and the pain isn’t as blinding as it was the last time you woke up.

“Care to explain?” You ask, as you struggle to grab the blanket.

“Here, let me.” She takes the blanket, and pulls it over your body before sitting down on the edge of the mattress, close to your legs.

She’s wearing an oversized light blue sweater that makes her look all kinds of comfy and you’re caught staring at her.

God! She really is the most adorable superhero ever. The most attractive one too.

“What Carol did was wrong,” she says and you roll your eyes playfully.

“I was being an ass. I shouldn’t have provoked her like that. ”

“She crossed a line. We don’t hit people in our interrogation rooms. We don’t torture prisoners. That’s not what we stand for.”

“I’ve been telling you guys the truth from the beginning. I know nothing about the packages I delivered. My lack of interest in the content of those packages is what kept me in business for so long in the first place.”

“I know,” she says it so casually that you instantly become suspicious. “We don’t make it a habit of reading people’s minds either. That being said, I did read yours yesterday when you were unconscious.”

You chuckle nervously, and immediately wince at the slight pain that it shoots through you with the action. If she was in your head---then she knows you’ve been crushing on her for a while now.

“I only did it because an idea occurred to us and we needed to be sure that you were telling the truth, before we did anything.”

“They call you the Scarlet Witch, y’know?” You tell her, and she grins at you.

You’re distracted, your mind is still trying to process the fact that she read your mind and she probably knows every single thing about you, and your attraction towards her.

“I know,” she softly says and your eyes stray towards her lips. God! It’s so unfair how attractive she is and how easily she can distract you with just her face.

“Natasha has been studying your profile,” she continues. “You do more than just deliver.”

“Natasha Romanoff?” You ask with a start, and she nods. “She’s been studying my profile?”

Natasha Romanoff is a legend, to put it simply, but she never interrogated you. Not once.

You’ve admired her since forever, and every single fighting stance that you’ve mastered, you’ve done it because you spent the majority of your free time studying footage of her fights caught on camera.

“She’s impressed,” Wanda tells you. “She believes that you have potential, and so do I.”

Sometimes trouble follows you and the packages, that’s why you’re always prepared, that’s why you know how to stand you own in a fight.

“Are you offering me a job?” You ask her jokingly but she doesn’t laugh, instead she gives you a look that leaves you breathless. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“I was a prisoner yesterday.” You remind her and she nods, an open and stupidly alluring grin tugging at her lips.

“You don’t have to pretend with me. I’ve been in your head, remember?” She tells you, and you feel your cheeks heating up with a blush.

“That’s a total violation, y’know?”

“It is and I’m sorry for doing it.” She apologizes, and you frown.

She’s good. Too good.

“So you know about my deep desire to quit the delivering world, and join the side of good?”

“I do.” She nods, perhaps amused.

“And you also know that I’ve been crushing on you since the day we met?”

“About that,” she apologetically starts and you panic.

“What?”

“You were really high on painkillers, and you might have exposed yourself about that in front of the Captains.”

“What?” You panic and when you rush to move, the pain shooting through you forces you to lay down again.

“Easy,” she tells you kindly. “For now you just have to focus on getting better. Carol will drop by to apologize. For the record, she was not having a good day that day.”

“Neither were my ribs,” you tell her and she laughs.

“There will be a meeting when you can leave this bed. A new life awaits you.”

“About the crushing thing?” You ask when she stands up to leave, and the smile she sends your way makes you smile in a daze, because she’s just so beautiful.

“We can talk about that too when you’re feeling better.”

You’re still smiling after she’s gone. You only had two rules to do your job, and the first one might have ended up saving you from a lifetime in prison, but the second one? You never stood a chance against the second one.

…

Feedback is much appreciated.

#wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff

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elitadream · 8 months

Text

Mario instinctively lifted a trembling arm before he even registered the embrace, powerless to resist the pull. And when Luigi tightened his hold, wordlessly inviting him to do the same, he found himself entirely unable to hold back any longer. It was then that the stupefying reality of it all finally hit Mario with full force, and he broke down crying as he gingerly engulfed Luigi in a tender hug.

There it is, folks. My last entry for the body swap concept I shared over the past few weeks. 🤲💝 This is a direct continuation of these two scenes that I wanted to explore through both illustration and text. I hope you've enjoyed this tangent! I will surely revisit it again at some point. ^-^

(Full scene below the cut 📝)

-oOo-

Mario stared, mouth agape, frozen in place.

He had been about to voice his surprise as he had looked up and spotted a second figure walking into view, but had fallen silent the second he had recognized who it was. Unable to finish his sentence. Unable to articulate a single word.

The man currently standing a short distance away from him appeared similarly struck, as if lost in a daze. His eyes were wide open and his stance unsteady, but his breathing was slow. Quiet. Calm, even. His hand slid from the rocky surface on which it was resting, and he shuffled his feet slightly as he stood a little straighter. A movement that Mario had seen a million times before and knew by heart. The detail was painful in its candid simplicity, the familiarity it emanated feeling both out of place and strangely grounding. The young man blinked, his shoulders dropping somewhat, and Mario noted that his expression wasn't one of horror or dismay.

It was one of solemn awe and sympathy.

Mario felt his jaw twitch and move feebly, but no sound came out. Distantly, he registered Princess Peach gently patting his neck in support, her touch warm and comforting. He could feel his eyes begin to sting as he swallowed, then resolutely tried again.

"L-Luigi?" He finally whispered, his voice wavering.

It didn't seem real.

Mario wasn't sure how long he had remained chained up in his cell, although the time he had spent imagining the worst scenarios imaginable had seemed to him like an eternity. The confinement and loneliness, he could handle. But no punishment or torture remotely equaled the threat that Bowser had dropped as he had turned to him, his human features distorted by an ugly and cruel sneer.

"If you do anything to try and get out of here, they're dead. That lovely Princess you're so enamored with? Dead. That miserable coward you call your brother? Also dead. I guarantee you I will kill them both, and I will make sure they thoroughly suffer to make you pay for it. Is that understood?"

Mario had already been heavily restrained at this point, faced with a squad of Bowser's best guards and Kamek hovering menacingly above them, wand in hand. But that didn't matter. He might as well have been alone with the tyrant, free and fully capable of defending himself; the dark promise would have halted him in his tracks all the same, paralyzing him with an identical wave of sickening dread.

He had only managed to give a single, haggard nod in response, and as soon as the malevolent king had departed with his troops, he had caved under the weight of his own despair. There, left alone to rot in the deepest dungeon of Bowser's fortress, he had spent many hours stagnating in emotional agony, overwhelmed by a crushing feeling of helpessness and guilt.

This was all his fault. He had fallen into his enemy's trap, and now his loved ones were in grave peril because of his foolishness. Worse yet, he couldn't protect or even warn them.

It was a nightmare come true, and the torment it had plagued him with ceaselessly had made it impossible for him to rest or think about anything else, exhausting him beyond his limits.

He was still reeling from the shock and astonishing surge of hope he had felt when the princess had entered his cell. To see her there, alive and well, reaching to offer him any form of reassurance she could despite his horrendous mistake and appearance had felt almost like an absurd dream in itself…

But to find Luigi there as well stunned Mario in a way that he couldn’t put into words even if he tried. To think of all that his little brother had braved for him - and still continued to brave, even now - was absolutely staggering.

Mario was vaguely aware of the sound of Peach's voice as she offered him a few hushed words of encouragement, but he could barely hear her. His mind felt as though it was wrapped in a thick layer of wool, fuzzy and packed. The prickling sensation at the corner of his eyes intensified, making his vision blurry and unfocused.

Luigi took a tentative step forward, then another. He was being cautious, his movements measured and small. Something in his demeanor told Mario that he wasn't doing this out of unease, or to mentally steel himself, but for another reason entirely. He was observing him attentively, trying to gauge his reaction, and it was suddenly clear that Luigi was being careful for his sake instead of his own.

The pressure at the back of Mario's throat became all at once suffocating, and he made a choked noise as he tried to press himself further against the wall he had backed into, hiding his beastly face in his hands.

"Per favore… Non avvicinarti di più", he whimpered brokenly, vainly trying to conceal himself from view.

He didn't understand how Luigi could remotely find it in himself to look at him, and less even approach him. His little brother had always been frightened of fierce creatures. Mario recalled many nights where he had held Luigi close when they were young, assuring him that no monster would ever come near him. What good could he accomplish now? In a cruel twist of fate, he was stuck as the one thing he had vowed to protect Luigi from, and there was nothing he could do to change his predicament.

He couldn’t handle the mere thought of his brother staring at him with terror in his eyes. He just couldn't. It would be too much for him to bear.

"N-non ti v-voglio spaventare", he stuttered weakly, amidst the ragged breaths shaking his entire form.

There was no audible response to his plea, and for a few harrowing seconds, Mario believed he was alone once more. Wondering, despite himself, whether he had wished so dearly to see Luigi and Peach again that he briefly managed to persuade himself that they were indeed there with him. But then, he heard a faint sigh, and was deeply startled when two very small hands took hold of his own, gently prying them away. The contact was meek but insistent, and Mario found that he didn't have the resolve nor the willpower to fight it. Gradually, his clawed paws were withdrawn from his face as he heaved and shuddered, his eyes still shut tight in mortifcation.

He couldn’t move, could hardly even breathe. He was petrified.

"Ciò non potrebbe mai accadere…"

With a start, Mario gasped and looked down to see Luigi fondly shaking his head. He was smiling, albeit in a pained and wobbly manner, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. His gloved fingers went to cup the underside of his jaw, grazing the scaly area in a gesture completely devoid of hesitation, and with seldom seen certainty, he serenely held his gaze.

"…caro fratellone," he added in a fragile murmur, before leaning forward and past his snout.

Mario instinctively lifted a trembling arm before he even registered the embrace, powerless to resist the pull. And when Luigi tightened his hold, worldlessly inviting him to do the same, he found himself entirely unable to hold back any longer. It was then that the stupefying reality of it all finally hit Mario with full force, and he broke down crying as he gingerly engulfed Luigi in a tender hug.

"Sei qui! Sei davvero qui!" He repeated like a mantra, sobbing profusely.

"Io sono qui," Luigi returned, his kind voice muffled against his neck. "Non vado da nessuna parte."

Never had Luigi been the one to comfort a scared and distraught Mario before, but in this exact moment, nothing felt more right. They both needed this, they knew, and for more reasons than one.

Standing respectfully off to the side, Peach looked on as Luigi whispered something else in Italian, causing both brothers to huff in incredulous mirth. She watched as Mario ever so gently angled his head downwards, ruffling Luigi’s hair with his cheek as he lightly stroked his back. And as she did, it occurred to her with stark clarity that they were really - and truly - two halves of a whole. Separating them seemed as awful and unnatural a thought as a world existing without either night or day. It was simply inconceivable.

Walking out from the shadowed spot where he had quietly observed the whole exchange, Junior wandered closer and stopped a few timid steps away from the princess, his gaze riveted on his feet.

"I understand, now," he mumbled dejectedly.

Peach turned to the young prince, giving him a soft and curious look. Before she could inquire about his statement, he feebly kicked at the dust and joined his hands behind his back, purposely averting his eyes still.

"I understand why this was so important to him," he elaborated, designating Luigi with a slight jerk of his chin. "Why he did all of that, and why he wouldn't back down. I didn't know they were so…"

He trailed off as he looked at the bros, a glimmer of wistfulness and empathy shimmering in his eyes.

"Inseparable?" Peach supplied for him, knowingly.

He nodded, his outwardly nonchalant demeanor however made less than convincing by his troubled frown.

"Do you… Do you think there's a chance Mario will still want to be my friend?" He eventually asked, his voice plaintive and small.

Peach blinked at him in mild shock, and with a compassionate smile, she bent down to his level.

"You have reunited him with his brother," she reminded him, emphasizing the sheer significance of that fact through her tone. When he tried dismissing it with a rueful shrug, she laid a hand on his shoulder and waited for him to look at her. "You did a wonderful thing, and we're all very grateful for it. Mario loves you very much no matter what. He'll want to thank you himself, no doubt."

Though he tried not to let it show, Junior was visibly elated and relieved by her response. He rocked on his heels with a boyish grin, looking proud and hopeful for the first time that day, and Peach found that his enthusiasm was contagious. With a pleased hum, she smoothed out her dress and motioned for him to follow her just as Mario and Luigi finally parted.

They didn't know how they would solve this issue, and if they were all honest with themselves, they were also very apprehensive about what was yet to come. But something had changed. They no longer felt defeated, lost or isolated. Where there had previously been nothing but fear and sadness, there was now love and support. A newfound assurance and sense of security. A powerful warmth that helped soothe the pain.

They were all together again, and this already felt like a victory in itself.

-oOo-

#Mario #Luigi #Princess Peach #Junior #Bowser Jr #Body swap #personal concept #family #comfort #love and support #brotherly bond #feels #hurt/comfort #reassurance #story #drabble #fanart #super mario bros

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prickly-paprikash · 3 months

Text

Since the discourse has reared its ugly head once more, the simple answer is no.

Aang was not a deadbeat, unsupportive, absentee father.

He loved all three of his children and was supportive of them. When Kya came out in the comics, she mentioned straight up that Aang was nothing but supportive of her and who she was. Aang made mistakes in parenting, but he was also stuck in one of the worst situations possible for him.

For one thing, it's been stated that Airbending culture has different views when it comes to family dynamics. Never once does Aang mention his parents, and it's clear that Air Nomads did not put emphasis on the standard nuclear family organization that other nations did. From context clues alone, and many have inferred in the past that Air Nomads were communal, so it stands to reason that their parenting was communal. Monks, Nuns, Masters—all of them were most likely parents to every single child. The responsibility of raising and educating a child was shared amongst the nomads, and that there was no real difference between biological and adoptive parents. Airbenders shared nearly everything, and that meant family as well.

Imagine you're Aang, spending twelve years of life being raised by every adult in the temple. Sure, he was exposed to nuclear family dynamics when visiting other nations and befriending Bumi and Kuzon, but his exposure to their culture was most likely limited. Now, not only is he a father to three beautiful children, but he must raise them in a way foreign to him. There are no other Monks to raise his children—it's just him and Katara. I've no doubt that Sokka and Toph chipped in whenever they could to ease the burden of parenthood, but they were leaders and figures of great importance as well. Not to mention that Toph had her own daughters to take care of.

Aang is also the Avatar, the central spiritual figure amongst the four nations. His presence would always be demanded in other nations. Peace Summits. Negotiations. Ceremony. Dealing with splintered Fire Nation cells and loyalists. Aang had to lead the people of all four nations back into balance, and he was in the unique and unenviable position to heal the scars of a 100 year war due to the absence of the Avatar.

Finally, the dude is also the Very Last Airbender. Of course he'd show favoritism to Tenzin. Bumi was a non-bender and Kya was a waterbender already taking after her mother. Aang was a war hero, a political figure, a man out of time and history, the Avatar, and the Only Living Airbender. The weight of his culture and people all rested on his shoulders, and so he passed on that responsibility and hope to the only other living Airbender at the time. Aang needed to spend time with Tenzin because only through Tenzin could the practices of the Air Nomads survive.

Aang was basically having to transition from a communal family mindset to a nuclear family's; he had to balance romance, fatherhood, and being the Avatar in a Wartorn World; and he had an obligation to every Airbender in history—millions of souls and their memories, passed on from one very flawed father to his newborn son. Every part of Aang's life as a father was met with trials and tribulations, and his family still came out loving him, albeit with some resentment underneath.

No parent is perfect, and Aang could have done so much better when it came to communicating with his children.

But none of his mistakes ever meant he was an abusive, cold, distant father.

He was overworked, acclimating to a style of family not his own, and desperately reviving a century-long dead culture all by himself. The fact that every single one of his kids still loved him and cherished him only solidified the fact that Aang was a father who did his very best.

Being the child of the Avatar would always mean living in his shadow. That resentment, of Aang being needed by the world while his children sought him out, would always be there. Doubly so for Tenzin, who grew up with the Avatar as his father and continued his life-long work of breathing life back into the Air Nomads. Say what you will, but at least Bumi and Kya had the freedom to choose who they wanted to be. Tenzin, no matter what, would always grow up to be the Airbending Master because no one else could.

Aang loved his children. Aang loved his wife. And they in turn loved him. But just like every family, complications rose up and planted the seeds of bitterness and resentment. The only thing that stopped these from blossoming into actual dislike of their family was that Aang's love and respect for his children was always genuine, and that Katara stood firm in making sure their children knew they were beloved.

Aang and Katara's family would never have been ideal in the first place, but they did their best.

And their best was certainly enough.

#avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #bumi ii #kya ii #bumi #kya #tenzin #avatar meta #paprikash ramblings #sokka #toph beifong

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bethanythebogwitch · 11 months

Text

So a while back I made this post

And it became very popular. While many people already knew, I did get some asking why humboldt squids are scary. So for this Wet Beast Wednesday I'm going to teach you why you should be afraid, or at least respectful, of molluscoid menace that is the humboldt squid.

(image: a humboldt squid)

Known to scientists as Dosidicus gigas and to many others as the jumbo squid, pota, jibia, and diablo rojo, the humboldt squid is the 5th largest squid in the world and the largest of the flying squids. Don't worry, it can't actually fly. They reach an average mantle length (tat's excluding the head and arms) of 1.5 meters, with some specimens reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 ft) in mantle length. The arms can reach up to another meter in length. Adults can weigh up to 50 kg (150 lbs), with females generally being larger than males. They live in the Pacific along the cost of the Americas, from the tip of South America up to California in North America. Some individuals have been known to travel farther north, up to Alaska, which is outside of their historical range. It is possible that as the ocean warms, their native range will continue to expand north.

(image: a humboldt squid releasing ink as a defense mechanism)

Humboldt squids reproduce in deep waters, and as a result we don't know much about their courtship. Males use a modified arm called the heterocotylus to transfer sperm into the female's mantle. She then lays a transparent, gelatinous egg mass that is left to float in the water column. These masses can range between 1 and 4 meters in diameter can can contain up to 4 million eggs. Hatchlings receive no parental care and most will die before adulthood. They grow extremely rapidly, likely as a self-defense against cannibalism by larger squids. Like many squid, humboldts only live for a year and die shortly after mating.

(image: a humboldt squid next to a much braver diver than I will ever be)

As with most cephalopods, the humboldt squid has cells called chromatophores that allow it to change color. Cameras attached to captured and released specimens have show two types of color-changing behavior: flashing and flickering. Flashing is when the animal changes rapidly between red and white. This is done in the presence of other squid and is likely a means of communication, possibly a form of courtship or warning to stay away. Flickering is when waves of red and white travel down the body. This is likely a form of camouflage to blend in with light flickering through the water. In addition to flashing and flickering, cameras have seen multiple forms of color changes and communication behaviors, indicating that they have a rich social life. The red color the squid turns when hunting contributes to its nickname amongst Mexican fishermen: "diablo rojo", the "red devil".

(gif: humboldts changing color)

So all that sounds pretty normal, why are they scary? Well that comes down to their feeding behavior and aggression. Humboldt squids hunt in shoals that can include thousands of members and go into feeding frenzies that can make shark feeding frenzies look like a child's tea party. They are infamous for their aggression and there are many stories of them attacking divers and fishermen. Not even they are immune to their predation, as multiple studies have found between a half and a quarter of all dissected specimens have recently fed on others of their species. Cannibalism may make up a major portion of their diet, though cannibalistic behavior seems to increase in response to stress. Their typical diet consists of fish, crustaceans, and other squids. Humboldts typically keep their two long tentacles coiled up between their arms, only for them to suddenly lash out and grab prey. These tentacles have multiple sharp hooks that have been reported to cause severe cuts in humans. Captured prey is then pulled in toward the beak and consumed. Feeding happens so fast that scientists need to us high-speed cameras to record the capture as the tentacles move so fast they prey can be caught and reeled in between frames. Eating is also fast enough that they can grab a hooked fish and skeletonize it in the time it takes a frustrated angler to pull their catch in. And if that wren't enough, they also engage in cooperative hunting, working together to catch prey. When not feeding or being hunted, they have been described as curious, though they often react to unfamiliar stimuli with aggression. Some divers have reported that humboldts will come investigate them and even act friendly, though I can't say I'd be willing to try it.

(gif: a squid attacking a camera)

(gif: hunting squid)

Numerous fishermen's tales and news stories tell of attacks on humans, but the squid do have a reason to not like us. They are fished heavily, especially off the coat of Mexico and are the most important squid for commercial fisheries. Humboldt squids make up about a third of all squid fished every year and are the most popular food squid. Squid meat is saturated with ammonium chloride, which they use for buoyancy, and must be prepared to remove the taste before eating. Not much is known about threats to conservation, though some speculate that overfishing and global warming disrupting their food supply could threaten the population. They are listed as data deficient by the IUCN. As scary as they might be, humboldt squids serve a very important ecological role in their territories, both as primary predators and as prey to sharks and toothed whales, and more research on their sustainability and conservation needs is important.

(image: a scientist attaching a crittercam to a humboldt squid)

#wet beast wednesday #marine biology #biology #zoology #animals #ecology #animal facts #humboldt squid #jumbo squid #squid #cephalopod #that last picture is adorable #he has a little vest!

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ellaa-writes · 5 months

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Do you mind making a fanfic where König slowly falls in love with the reader that's the team medic. And can it be smut towards the end that's more vanilla than rough?

Hiii! Thank you for the request. Also sent back in November. I always get carried away with these. CW; alcohol consumption but over all its very tame and a little fluffy :)

Working for Kortac wasn't always easy but it sure was awarding. Being the team medic/doctor had its perks. You mostly worked on base, or different outposts. You rarely experienced field work, but you weren't completely useless. The rest of the team wouldn't allow it, specially the Colonel.

You train with them, eat with them, shower with them, cause you are one of them.

As well as going out after a successful mission, when everyone is preparing for there leave. A nice hooray before a break.

You've been with Kortac for little over a year now, you made friendships with almost everyone. The Lifesaver they call you, out of respect and also taking the piss. Getting a nickname meant you were really family.

You don't talk about your personal life, no one does and no one asks questions. But it's not like you want to talk about your failures and joining the military was you lose ditch effort to pursue your dreams. Working in the hospital wasn't ideal anymore, the mundane day after day was draining you. And your tremors destroyed your opportunity to your goal as a board certified surgeon.

Wearing your civvy clothes, nothing special. Your favorite pair of jeans, a simple top and chunky boots. It's a tad chilly so you threw a warm leather jacket over it to tie it all in. Taking a cab with Roze to the local bar. Chatting about plans and wants. Roze using her leave to go climb a mountain. Telling her you wish you had her ambition and discipline. And her telling you that she could teach you some time.

The cab stopped in front of the bar, a fairly busy night. A small group of people were gathered around chatting and smoking cigarettes. Some of them you recognize as your teammates, and the Colonel. He made you dizzy, every time your eyes find him every cell in your body buzzes. Like flies to a street lamp.

Like a million butterflies in your tummy, beating against the inside tying to break out. You waving back to the ones that waved to you, making your way into the bustling bar. Leading the way to the bar, Roze close behind.

"We should find a both, I'm not being stuck at a fucking table." Roze gritted into your ear, remembering the last time you two went out with the boys. "Go find one I'll order our drinks. The usual?" you offered. She gave you a big smile and squeeze to your upper arm. "You are a doll, do you know that?" she yelled as she made her way through the crowd.

You finally flagged down the busy bartender, ordering Roze her vodka soda and your old fashion. Looking out into the crowd trying to find the others. Spotting them at a big booth in the back, a big screen rght above playing some sort of football game.

With a loud clink the bartender dropped the drinks in front, snatching the change out of your hand before turning away to help another. Carefully making your way through the crowd to the others, watching has Roze and Hutch lively convo. Setting the drink down before sliding it over to Roze who mouthed a silent thank you to you.

You slid into the other end of the both the faced out towards the bar, right up to a very tired looking Oni who looked unintereseted in whatever Horangi was saying. "What's up cool cat." he cooed to you, his big arm snaking around to give you a tight hug. "Getting drunk." you cheered raising your drink, the two cheering in agreement as they clinked their glass against eachother.

"Room for one more?" his thick deep accent purred for behind you. Colonel König sliding in beside you, taking up the rest of the both. Causing you to shift over to Oni to your right. "You smell like shit." Horangi exclaimed, raising his glass towards König. Causing the giant to bark with laughter, raising his pint towards the Korean. Causing some to slosh to the side and drip in front of you.

Indistinctively making you jump back to not get any of the stinky lager to get on you. "Sorry about the doll." his rumbling voice reached your ears. Making you blush and say "It's all good sir." taking a big gulp of your drink. Shrinking back as the others talked, stopping once in a while to include you.

König's leg brushing up against yours every now and than. If you were any the wiser you'd think he was doing it on purpose. Downing the last of your drink you plopped it on the solid table with a clank. König eyeing the empty glass while he finished his own. Kindly taking it with him as he went to get another fill.

Roze gave you an odd look from across the table, you just shrugged it off. She's been trying to convince you that the Austrian has been pinning for you. You brush it off as him being kind, but he's never that kind. Small things like bringing you things he found that reminded you of him. Small like trinkets and tchotchkes, either hand delivering them himself or leaving at your door.

Always being the first on the team, even before the muscle. Having first pick over any new recruits, a small luxury. Like you said, he's just kind. And very straight forward and to the point. A confident and cocky man, that knows what he wants and always gets it. And it's definitely not you.

It wasn't long until the Colonel returned with his drink and yours, setting down a colorful fruity drink in front of you. Causing a laugh from the others, but you just blinked at it. "I think this is yours." as you shifted it across the table to Hutch. Who gladly took the free drink cause booze is booze baby. "Aw Koni pal, you shouldn't have." he nearly had it to his lips before König thick hand grabbing Hutch's wrist, giving it a light squeeze before saying "It's not yours." in his husky accent. Bringing it back to you, holding it out. "Do you not like?" he asked curiously.

You weren't sure what was happening, was this some joke that you just didn't understand. "No." you said flatly, eyeing Roze for some help but she just eagerly gulped down her own ignoring you. "Can you excuse me." as you brushed passed the giant now looking at the drink in confusion.

Going to the bar you ordered two shots of the strongest liquor they had. Taking them down like a champ you asked for another old fashion. Feeling a warm hard body brush up next to you, seeing the Colonel standing beside you with that stupid drink still in his hand.

"I'm sorry Katze, I thought you would like." he started to explain. The bartender interrupting to give you your whiskey, taking a quick sip before König moved the drink so it was next to you. "It reminds me of you, that's all." he finished. You snorted into your glass and nearly choked on the smooth amber. Huffing out a coughing laugh.

"I'm sorry sir, but how does that remind you of me?" you giggled, finally feeling the alcohol settle into your worn bones.

"It's colorful like you." he said confidently and also confused at how you dont see it. "I'm colorful?" you asked, taking the drink from his hand. Your fingers lightly brushing against his, bringing the liquid to your nose before downing the whole thing in one try. And setting it back into his hand that remained in place.

König eyes widened at your bold display, a fire burning into them as he watched you lips grip the rim of the curved glass. The way your necked bobbed as you swallowed the sweet liquid. The fire burning a path straight to his pants. Feeling himself grow to life and strain against the front zipper.

"It's nice to see you like this sir." you blurted out and immediately regretting it. Ok, last drink and your leaving, you scolded yourself. "What do you mean?" his curosity peeked. You waved his answer away, getting embarssed by your loose lips. "Dont get shy on me now." he pushed. Moving hs big body into yours more, pining you to the bar stool.

"It's just, your so human." you whispered. A little nervous to his reacton, but instead he leaned his head back and barked out a laugh. Causing people around to jump at the sudden loud sound. A few moving away from the big man.

"That was a good one Katze." he leaned further down to your face. "I like seeing you like this." his hand slowly running from your wrist to your neck, holding it in place. "Like what sir?" you mummured, eyeing his lips as they moved closer to your own. "Flustered." he breathed into your mouth, closing the gap and kissing you deeply. His hand moving to the back of your head to keep you in place. Your lungs seizing to produce air as you felt his soft lips move against yours.

He pulled away slowly, moving his hand to your face, running his thumb over your bottom lip. Your lungs screamed, finally sucking in a deep breath. You could feel the heat rise to your face, you must look like a tomato right now.

"So damn cute." he continued, looking away from you to your abandoned drink at the bar. "Are you done?" he questioned. You were buzzing, almost right out of your skin. So light headed all you could do his shake your head yes. König took that as his sign to make a move, so he lead you out of the bar into the cold night.

"This way doll." as he pulled you to the direction of the quiet street, you could spot the bmw shining under the moon light. "I'll drive us back." he reached the passenger door, holding it open for you as you climbed in. Closing it softly as he jogged to the drivers side, climbing in and the car roared to life.

The drive back to the base passed in a flash, König nearly dragging you through the building towards his own room. His high status warrants his own private quarters. A small living and dining area, followed by his bedroom and attached bathroom. He unlocked the door with haste and pulled you in. Spinning you around so you were pushed against the back of the door.

His strong body on yours, you heard the click of the lock slide into place. König lips once again on yours, nipping and sucking. Making a trail down your neck, pulling the zipper of your jacket down and off your arms. Tossing it towards his table, his hands finding your ass and hauling you up. You legs mindlessly wrapping around his waist, tugging him into your core more. Earning a low moan, vibrating from his chest.

He yanked at the collar of your shirt, a clean tear running down the front exposing your breast to his mouth. Pulling a yelp from you as he nipped at the sensitive skin. He turned you both around and towards his room, kicking the door open and dropping you on the bed.

"Sir-" you tried to let out but König's lips swallowed your words. "Shhh, baby. Let me make you feel good. Ja." he whispered into your mouth, making you melt into the bed. All you could do was shake your head has you fully leaned back, closing your eyes.

König made good with your clothes, leaving you only in your panties. You watched has he removed his shirt and shoved his jean and brief's to the floor, kicking them away as he climbed back on and slotted himself between your thighs.

Pining your spread knees to your stomach, rubbing his face against your clothed core. His big nose carding its self along your slit, building pressure against your clit. Pulling moans from you, throwing your head back.

König took his time, running his face up and down your thighs. Kissing from your ankle to your inner thigh, over your soaking core, and down the other leg. Licking path across your skin and blowing on the wetness, goosebumps spreading across your body.

Pulling your hard buds into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and sucking. His teeth grazing on the sensitive nipple and lightly nipping. Relishing in the noises hes drawing from you. Humming in approval, slowly pulling down your panties and letting them get lost on the bed.

His fingers find your center, the thick heavy digits ghosting up and down. Gathering the wetness that pushed through, pressing his wide thumb right against your clit. Making you buck into his hand more, König's mouth still on your tits.

He worked his thick middle finger into you, slowly opening you for him. Working knuckle by knuckle, whispering praises into your ear. Pushing another finger into you, making you whimper at the stretch.

"Ko, please." you pleaded with him, feeling his low chuckle. His hot mouth against your ear, cooing "Patience love." as his fingers pump in and out of you. Feeling your slick slide down your ass and onto the sheets.

Whining at the loss of his fingers, but feeling the head of his dick running up and down. Collecting your wetness and spreading it over him before the tip catches you needy hole. Snapping his hips fowards ripped a cry from your throat. Your legs clamping around him and tightening.

"Shh, shhh. Quiet now pretty girl. I'm sorry, I'll be more carefully." and he kept true to his word. His cock slowly stretching you open, your warm folds inviting him in. Squeezing and pulsing around him, König cherished every moment.

Sensually thrusting in and out, lazily rolling his hips. Making sure he pulls orgasm after orgasm from your body.

Not stopping until your begging and pleading with him. Incoherently going on about it being too much, too sensitive.

König could lose himself in you, deeper and deeper. Holding back to not scare you. Wanting to make it all about his sweet little medic. The moment he laid eyes on you he was hooked. Those sweet eyes and kind smile, how quick and smart you were. Such a soft thing, you shouldn't be in this line of field.

Finally letting himself go, he buried himself deeper. Releasing pressed right up against your cervix, shoveling as much as he could to your core. Letting out one last guttural moan as he collapsed onto you, only rolling over when you started banging against his back. Taking you with you, you settled on his chest.

König laid out completely satisfied, head back and eyes closed. He could feel you staring at him.

"Sleep" he commanded. Hearing your giggle as you continued to stare.

#cod mw2 #könig #konig #könig mw2 #konig mw2 #konig cod #könig cod #konig x reader #konig x you #könig x reader #könig x you #könig call of duty #cod könig #cod konig #könig x fem reader

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ghost-bxrd · 2 months

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Fae!Dick scaring Lex Luthor? He deserves that :)

I don’t know much about Lex Luther apart from that he made Conner and that he’s kind of Superman’s nemesis so take the following headcanons with a grain of salt. 💚

Science and Fae!Dick only get along to a certain point. Dick does NOT like it when people mess with the natural order or with nature. So him heavily disliking Lex from the get go is a given.

Dick isn’t allowed to make him go away completely (Bruce sadly put his foot down regarding that) but he takes full advantage of the galas they attend together to absolutely HOUND Lex. If he’s not allowed to make him into food for his trees, he’s at least going to have some fun with the human.

Lex learns to DREAD each public event he knows Wayne’s strange kid will attend, and no matter how much he tries to avoid him, the boy is always suddenly THERE.

Lex doesn’t know what’s wrong with Wayne’s ward (he suspected alien at first), but he SWEARS he saw the boy eat a live bird the other day. And then watched as the bones rearranged themselves and flew away. He ran several tox screens on the alcohol he had that evening, but all came back clear.

Grayson, because at this point Lex remembers his name, has it out for him. Lex is sure of it. He must be some kind of metahuman, or something cooked up in Gotham’s labs. God knows Gotham is its very own warning. But Grayson’s kind of weird takes the cake, and he swears he didn’t imagine the way the boy smiled at him last night, the picture of adorable child obedience, and kept growing teeth. Lips stretching back impossibly wide to show rows upon rows of teeth that most certainly shouldn’t be in a kid’s mouth. But upon Lex’s horrified stuttering Wayne had just looked at the boy proudly and said he’s very proud of managing to brush them all in under an hour tonight. Lex downs five glasses of champagne to get through the rest of the night. Ignoring all the teeth-eyes-feathers-moss-overgrown-roots-please-stop becomes easier the tipsier he is.

Grayson wants to kill him, Lex decides. Grayson wants to kill him, and Wayne is either a fool not to see his kid is some kind meta-slash-alien-slash-experiment-slash-whatever-the-hell’s-got-this-many-teeth, or he really is as stupid as everyone claims Brucie Wayne to be. But Lex is a smart man, and he’s not gonna go down without a fight. He’ll get a tissue sample and figure the thing out and devise a plan for counteracting assassination attempts. Easy.

When Lex finally manages to snatch a dna sample from the boy and puts it under a microscope. And— he has to recheck several times, but— all that shows up under the magnifying glass are cells of plant matter dating back millions of years. And traces of animals whose remains can only be found in museums these days.

Grayson hands him a glass of champagne during the next gala. Lex has no intention of drinking it, but when he takes it from the boy’s hand and he smiles his too-many-teeth smile Lex could swear— no, no that can’t be. That’s most DEFINITELY not his tooth in the kid’s mouth, right? (He obsessively checks the mirror in the bathroom and tells himself he‘a imagining how one of his teeth is the wrong color compared to the rest)

Lex avoids Grayson like the plague after that. This kid and his mysteries aren’t worth his dwindling sanity (or his teeth). Thank you and good day.

Hehe alright that’s all I got for now. Hope you liked it 💚

#fae dick grayson #dick grayson #Lex Luther #the other things in the woods #others are spiteful creatures #and dick knows how to be disconcerting in a very strange way #Lex knows he’s being played with like a cat plays with a mouse

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delopsia · 1 year

Text

About Last Night | Rhett Abbott x Reader

Word Count: 6,700 Cross Posted on AO3 Warnings & Notes: 18+, AFAB!Reader, Virgin!Rhett, shameless childhood best friends to lovers trope, unprotected sex in a hotel room, loss of virginity, first kisses, reader teaching Rhett how to eat them out, and a lazy morning after snippet. A self-indulgent take on Rhett's best friend coming back to Wabang and surprising him after his final rodeo.

Someone's gone and replaced your flowers with cement replicas. Hundreds of pounds each, weighing heavier and heavier with every moment that passes. Brittle stems threaten to slip out of your sweaty grasp and shatter into a million tiny pieces.

"What did you say?" His wavering words are so weak that you almost don't hear him speak at all.

But you do.

And repeating yourself is just as hard as it was the first time you opened your mouth.

"Congratulations."

Even from so far away, you can feel his gaze drop down to the colorful mess in your hands. Vivid hues of red and yellow, the dainty little petals still glistening from the sudden onset of rain. In hindsight, an umbrella would have been a good idea.

"You..." his head tilts back up, still not moving, "for...me?" Why is it that you already knew he would look behind himself, like someone better, more deserving, would be behind him?

You're glad you chose this spot to surprise him. Where it's dark, and the blinding stadium lights can't cast a spotlight on your contorting face as you scramble for words. Specific sounds that each carry their own unique meaning; all you need to do is open your mouth and make a noise.

But you can't.

Maybe you don't need to, though. Because Rhett's feet are moving, boots audibly scuffing against the dirt because he's not picking them up high enough. Albeit, moving very slowly, as if you're not real, just a ghost of the past that'll turn into mist if he isn't careful.

His heels dig into the ground a mere foot away from you. Like he's met the end of an invisible leash. Eyes back on the flowers, then you once more. "Sunflowers?"

"And tulips," the words spill out of your mouth so quickly that you hardly know what you said, "you...told me a long time ago that sunflowers were your favorite."

The red tulips only made their way into the bouquet because the florist had a shortage of sunflowers. It was either hand him an absurdly tiny bouquet of flowers or spruce it up with the same color tulips he gave you after graduation, way back when. Before you left.

Thunder rolls in the distance. Lightning flickers. Lights up the sky for the briefest instance. One fleeting shot of Rhett's face. Eyes so wet they shimmer. Dirt on his unshaven jaw. He reaches out. Doesn't take the flowers when you hold them out for him. No, he just...touches them. Like he's unsure if they're real.

"You told me that you were never coming back to Wabang," it's almost strange to hear his voice this clearly. No longer muffled by a cell phone speaker.

"I did," licking your lips, "but I never said I wouldn't come back for you."

That... maybe you shouldn't have said that. All it's taken is those few words for this cowboy to go still again. Doesn't even blink. All he's capable of is staring back at you. Blank. No easy-going smile. No childish teasing. Hell. He doesn't even breathe.

Again, lightning flashes across the sky. Veins of light scattering and disappearing in the blink of an eye. Even so, you catch the upturn of the corner of Rhett's lip. Lopsided. Fighting its way across his face.

His hand is traveling. Across the petals. Down the stems. Right across your boiling hand and up your arm. Feather-light, never vanishing. Doesn't stop until those wandering fingertips brush across your cheek.

All of a sudden, he's taking that last step forward. Closing the gap between your bodies. Thunder booms. Shaking the ground beneath your feat. Feels like a goddamn earthquake. But you can't think. Can't acknowledge the storm. Because Rhett's leaning in and. And. And—

"Just for me, huh?" His hot breath fans out against your lips. Noses bumping together. You've known this man your entire life. And yet. You don't recall ever being this close. But this. This.

You've waited a lifetime for this. "Yeah."

That smile breaks across his face. The last push you need to lean in.

You could never have imagined that Rhett Abbott's lips taste like strawberry chapstick.

It's only for a second, parting just as quickly as you'd met, eyes fluttering back open, even though you don't recall shutting them. But one kiss isn't enough. Not when Rhett's taking his hat off, pressing the brim of it flat against your shoulder blades, drawing you impossibly closer. Your arms find themselves winding around his neck as you meet him again, flowers draped haphazardly against his shoulder, long forgotten.

The storm is beginning to rage again, but all you're capable of comprehending is Rhett's mouth. Rhett's bitten lips and the barely there divot in the bottom left corner of them; remnants of a scar with a story that pains you to recall. Warm fingers grasp at your jaw, careful and delicate, keeps you grounded between every fleeting kiss. Each beginning before you've realized it; fleeting, too quick for your liking.

Maybe it's the kiss-drunk frustration that has your free hand moving, or maybe it's moving on its own; seizes that scruffy chin all the same. Two-day-old stubble scrapes against your palm as you hold him still to kiss him proper. The way you've been yearning for years.

Tiny, hard bullets strike at your exposed skin, bringing with them a rain so cold it stings. Your once quiet world dissolves into mind-numbing noise as hail bounces off of tin roofs and cracking pavement.

"Hang onto me," Rhett murmurs against your lips, so close but so hard to hear. He's stepping forward, carting you backward, leaving you with the choice to cling to his shoulders or fall. Doesn't stop until your back is hitting a cold building wall, your body shielded by the overhang of the roof.

"But the hail is still hitting you." Your lips are moving, but you can't hear what you're saying, not under this metal roof. There isn't enough room under it to cover him, too, not in this position; sleet striking against those broad shoulders, hail bouncing off his backside and landing by your feet.

He's tilting his hat back up, settling it right atop that soaked, tangled mop of hair. "Don't care."

Oh, how his mouth fits against yours so perfectly. A surging tide of warmth in this mind-numbingly cold rain, the only thing keeping you from being whisked away by the howling wind. Teeth nip at your lower lip with gentle tugs that have you gasping into his wickedly talented mouth. Even the stubble that scratches at your skin can't stop you from leaning into it; discomfort be damned.

Rhett's hands are everywhere, running up your hips, pressing into the space between your shoulder blades, curling around your jaw, tightening around your waist. So frenzied that you're distracted by their roaming until that hot, wet tongue laps against yours, and all of a sudden, you can't breathe.

"Fuck," he gasps; it's hard to feel so guilty about needing air when he's open-mouthed, panting like a dog in the summer sun.

Even the trembling that's settled into your hands can't stop you from trying to pull him closer, not a centimeter of space between your panting bodies. And God is Rhett trying his best to give you that; presses you flat against the wall, heaving chest bumping against yours whilst a wayward leg steps between yours—

"Ah."

Fuck, was that you?

Rhett's thigh shifts, has another one of those sounds boiling up in your throat as it unintentionally grinds against your core. A soft pressure that you're fighting the urge to grind against; barely there but enough to have your heart rate spiking.

"Shit," Rhett's eyes have gone wide, the whites of them flashing in the poor lighting. "Did I hurt you?"

Oblivious.

Completely, utterly oblivious.

"'m sorry," his muttering barely audible, already beginning to reel backward, "I didn't...did I overstep?"

Words would work just as well, but instead of opening your mouth, you find yourself stepping forward. Clinging to his wet shoulders for balance as you slot your thigh between his and raise it. Just high enough to press against that hardness that's formed in his jeans, straining against its confines.

Those eyelashes of his flutter, eyes rolling back for the briefest second. "Oh."

As the thunder rolls once more, his thighs flex, muscles contracting beautifully as he draws your leg harder against him. You're not even getting any attention, and yet the sensation of him grinding down against you is enough to have a shiver rattling down your spine. He's leaning back in, still panting as your lips brush together once more.

A siren pierces the air. A steady wail that has your skin prickling. Rhett's arms tighten. Drawing you into his chest. As if he can protect you from a potential tornado.

"'ve gotta hotel down the road," he starts; between the storm and the siren, you're lucky you hear him at all, "do you maybe..."

He doesn't need to finish his sentence before you're nodding your head.

Your back hits the door so hard that the frame rattles. A sound that should be so quiet and yet sounds like it's being blasted through a megaphone, echoing down the hallway. You should be opening your eyes, looking around to see if anyone's heard it, but it's so hard to focus when Rhett's teeth graze your lips like that.

He hardly expects you to chase him when he retreats, eagerly nipping at that thin bottom lip, gently tugging. You're not sure if it's meant to be a warning or a tease, but he's gasping into your mouth all the same.

Next to you, his hand fumbles with the lock on the door, plastic card bumping into everything in its path on its way to swipe through the reader. Slides through once. Twice. Three times.

No dice.

"Are you sure it's the right key?"

"Well," drawing away, he looks over to the card reader. Tries again. Same result. "...It worked earlier."

A shrill beep cuts through the air. And all of a sudden, you're moving backward. Treading blindly through unfamiliar territory. Unnatural gait making it hard to keep your lips on Rhett's for more than a second at a time. Broken with every step. Teeth clattering together. Feet tangling. Shoes coming off. Landing God knows where.

The backs of your knees hit the edge of the bed, but Rhett's still moving; all it takes is the slightest collision of bodies, and you're falling back onto the mattress. Not as gracefully as you'd like, but thankfully, Rhett can't see it. Eyes closed as he reaches behind his head, hooking his thumb under the collar of his shirt and tugging it over his head.

You need a drink.

Or five.

Because since when did Rhett Abbott look like he was hand sculpted by the Gods? From the moment you catch sight of the hard lines of his stomach, you know you're in trouble. And that shirt just has to rise higher, slowly revealing the swell of his chest. The biggest part of him; wide, with muscles that look big and pillowy until they flex.

And the dull, golden lighting from the bedside lamp does nothing but cast deep shadows against where he's most defined; the fruit of a lifetime of manual labor. Built for purpose rather than appearance. Moving back out to Wabang suddenly doesn't sound so bad, not if you get to see this every day.

"I know I'm..." Rhett's reaching up, pawing a hand through his unruly hair, poorly conceals the redness that's blossomed in the tips of his ears. "Not much to look at, but..."

"I'd beg to differ." It's out of your mouth before you can realize it. Now it's your turn to sheepishly look at the wall, unwilling to let Rhett catch the horror flaming in your eyes, gaze trained on the wall.

The bed dips as he sinks down onto it, knees settling between your parted legs, slowly but surely crawling up until your faces are mere inches apart once more. Even the flexing of muscles in your peripheral cannot bring you away from your sudden interest in the tacky floral pattern the hotel has chosen for its wallpaper.

But the kisses being peppered across your cheek definitely threatens to break your resolve.

"Hey." Kiss. "D'you wanna look at me?" Kiss. "Hm?"

You're turning to meet that next kiss, neck straining as you twist to catch those swollen lips of his. In the back of your head, you have a sneaking suspicion that yours must be in a similar state. On their own, your legs are rising, thighs hitching over his hip bones like they're meant to be shelved there.

Thunder strikes the ground with a heavy fist, but even the earsplitting noise can't distract you from the way Rhett's hips grind down into yours. Jeans doing little to stop you from feeling the length of him, hard against your clothed cunt. Has you whining into his mouth, rising to meet him on the next roll downward. A wayward hand toys with the hem of your shirt, fingers delving just far enough to brush against skin before retreating as if you've burned him.

"It's alright," Without a second thought, you're reaching down, taking hold of his wrist, guiding it back, "You can touch me."

"'S this my ol' shirt?" He says it as if he doesn't already know the answer, words vibrating against your lips, whilst his hand cautiously smooths up your side. Blunt nails dragging against your skin, stopping just short of the swell of your breasts. Shy.

"No," you giggle, "I just happen to have a shirt identical to the one I hijacked from your closet." Funny; it feels like it was just yesterday. Two dumb teenagers ditching prom to go joyriding around town because their dates sucked, their clothes were too stiff, and the music was one step away from Kids Bop.

"Looks good on you," He's humming, thumb swiping back and forth at the sensitive skin beneath your breast; not stepping that line yet, but debating. "'M sure the fella who gave it to ya was a lot more fun than the noname who got his knickers 'n a twist 'cause your dress didn't match his tie."

You're sure you'd remember that guy's name if your attention wasn't already preoccupied with the feeling of endless muscle beneath your palms. Smoothing up Rhett's chest, stopping short of a tattoo and a scar.

"You can touch me, cowboy," you say, and it's almost a little ironic that you're giving him permission to touch your breasts, considering the heavy cock languidly rolling against you, "I don't mind."

Lightning flickers outside the window, just bright enough to cast a little more light on the way his eyebrows raise. "Are you sure?"

All it takes is your shallow nod, and finally, his big, rough palm is gliding over your chest; he's not even done anything, and you're gasping. So distracted that you're caught off guard by the lips that catch yours, swallowing down your noises as a thumb swirls over a rapidly hardening nipple.

On its own, one of your hands delves into those messy curls resting at his nape, tangling in them, pulling him down into you. His insistent mouth draws yours open, drowns you in remnants of strawberry chapstick and the vanilla candy he sucked on when he drove you here. Doesn't stop, even when your head is spinning.

His tongue meets with yours; such a sudden appearance that you both startle as if you've been struck by a bolt of lightning for crossing such a boundary.

You shouldn't be here; you shouldn't be beneath Rhett Abbott, shouldn't have your legs hitched over his hips, but kissing him is so natural. Easy. Like you were always meant to be wind up here, your hands in childhood best friend's hair and his disappearing beneath the shirt you so shamelessly took from his closet all those years ago. Maybe there was a truth to those undying rumors that once followed you like a plague.

There's a tug on the edge of your shirt, and it's a damn miracle you're able to tear your mouth off of his long enough to get it over your head.

"Fuck," Rhett's eyes downright sparkle at the sight of you, "ain't you just beautiful."

One kiss. Two. Three. Before he's nibbling at the junction of your jaw, working his way down to the soft spot beneath your ear, and all you're capable of is twisting your fingers in the waves of his hair. Silky soft, still damp from the rain. It's all you can do to keep yourself from floating out the window, feeling those wandering lips kiss their way down to your collarbones. Teeth nip at them, threaten to leave a mark, but never quite do.

"This okay?" He murmurs, somewhere in between kissing, licking, his way to the valley between your breasts.

There's more to that statement because he's still talking, but you're already answering him, "More than okay."

Fuck, his mouth is boiling. Tongue like lava as it tentatively laps over your nipple, saliva threatening to burn right through you. It's all you can focus on, sinful noise rolling out of your throat long forgotten. Back and forth, he rolls that delicate skin between his teeth until he's retreating to shower his attention on the other.

"Rhett," gasping, tugging at his hair, "fuck, Rhett."

"You make my name sound like sin, sweetheart," his chuckle vibrates through your bones like the thunder that rattles this old building, "y' gettin' impatient on me?"

Impatient? Fuck, you think you could die happy just with this.

But he's taking your needy huff as a yes, and you can't complain, not when his hands are sliding down either side of your waist, kissing a trail down your belly. Only interrupted by the waistband of your pants, but those thick fingers are quick to curl beneath.

When you don't tell him no, he tugs. You've hardly got the strength to raise your hips off the mattress, too preoccupied with the wet spot that's long since formed at the forefront of his jeans. Don't get to see it for long because the moment your pants hit the floor, he's thumbing open his belt buckle, the old metal rattling as he tugs those tight jeans past his thighs and down his legs.

You don't recall him having so many scars littered across those long legs of his, pale white with age. One of those things you've missed out on, you suppose.

As he settles back between your legs, running a palm up your thigh, there's a different air about him. Hesitation in his breath, bottom lip caught between pearly white teeth. Those eyes flicker up to you, almost...bashful. "'S this a bad time to admit I've never done this before?"

Huh.

"You mean to tell me that you look like that," you're reaching up to flick your thumb over his dusky pink nipple just to see him jump, "and nobody has tried to jump your bones yet?"

"I...yeah, but...I only," he stammers, cheeks ablaze, can't meet your eye, "wanted...you."

The power flickers while you curl your hand around his cheek, feeling the roughness of his jaw under your palm as he leans into it. In the back of your head, you know that you'll have to talk about these feelings eventually; the ones he's so shamelessly brandished in your absence, the same ones you've avoided, fearing the heartache of unrequited love.

But right now, all you're capable of is smiling dumbly as you lean up to kiss him. "I'll teach you," murmuring against his lips, "but you'll have to promise not to share those new skills with anyone else."

Rhett's sudden grin has your teeth clacking together. "I can work with that." He's got a pretty good start, already toying with the hem of your underwear by the time you lay back once more, obediently pulling them down your legs when you lift your hips for him.

"C'n I...?" Deep blues trained on the sight between your legs, teeth worrying that poor, abused bottom lip.

You think he's about to start drooling.

At your encouraging nod, one of his hands falls onto your bare knee, parts your legs the slightest bit. Slow, as if you'll stop him if he moves too quickly; he leans down to press his lips to the inside of your knee. Kissing, down the delicate flesh of your thigh, unafraid to leave a shower of faint marks in his wake. Marks who have the potential to blossom into dark bruises come morning.

Long hair cascades into his face the lower he goes; it's so easy to reach down and run your fingers through it, tangling as your hand comes to rest on the back of his head. Seems to be the only thing encouraging him to move on from your inner thigh.

Hot breath fans out against your cunt, his mouthing hanging open, but doesn't quite have the nerve to move yet. "And you'll tell me if I do something wrong?"

For a moment, you think you catch a glimpse of that old, shy kid he used to be. The one who preoccupied himself with drawing circles into the dirt with his boot because he couldn't handle making eye contact with you. "Yeah."

This old hotel room is so quiet that you can hear the wet, barely-there sound of his mouth opening, pink tongue poking out. Then he's leaning down, licking a tentative, fat stripe up your cunt. Pauses right above your clit, and when you don't voice any complaints, licks back down. It's not much, but you're sucking in a deep breath anyway.

He's trying. Eyebrows furrowed as he maps you out, lapping gingerly at your entrance, the only thing he seems to be generally familiar with. He's a little more confident as he nuzzles closer and slips that careful tongue inside of you. The tip of his nose brushes against your clit, such a soft contact that has you whining.

Fuck, you can't tell if the quickening of your heart is from his mouth or if it's brought on by how he blinks up at you with those curious ocean blues. Knows he's doing something right because he's rising back up to where his nose was just bumping into you.

"This shit's hard when you can't see what you're doing," he chuckles directly into you, doesn't seem to realize his lips are brushing against your clit as he speaks.

The hand in his hair reaches down, taking hold of that scruffy jaw of his, "Right..." lifting him just a smidge higher; fuck, now he's found it, "here."

Humming, Rhett's eyes flutter closed, pressing lazy, wet kisses to your newly-located clit. Takes it between his lips just to delicately roll it back and forth, sends a delicious shiver right up your spine.

"Rhett," whining his name. Fighting the urge to squirm against the mattress.

Maybe you made a mistake by helping him. Because now that he's found your clit, he's not giving it a moment's rest. Drawing intelligible shapes into it with his tongue, ventures away just long enough to make you think he's done, then returns with a surprising, sloppy vengeance. Downright drooling into you, drenching you so thoroughly that the fingers nudging at your entrance slide in with ease.

Albeit muffled, the sound of your name meets your ringing ears, "fuck, you taste good." Soft noises rumbling out of him, eyelashes fanned out against his cheeks so prettily.

It's as if that initial shyness has completely melted off of him, downright collapses against the bed. Free arm hooking around your thigh and grounding you doesn't let you squirm away from the two thick fingers sliding into you. Deliberate in the way they hook, massaging against your walls in search of something he knows is there.

Your hips twitch.

"That it?" Lord, he really has no issue speaking into your pussy, doesn't he? Doesn't care that his deep voice sends a wave of tingles burning up into your chest. All he's focused on is laving his dumb, hot tongue over that swollen bud and teasing that sweet spot he's found.

Abrupt hail beats against the window, wind screams as it whips around the building, so loud that your gasp is rendered inaudible. There could be a tornado outside your door, and all you can care about is prying your eyes open to look at Rhett fucking Abbott. Tongue hanging out, curls framing the sight of him buried between your legs.

Heat grows in your lower belly. An invisible coil winding tighter and tighter. Fuck, you're, you're—

"Please," struggling for air, your voice strained, "stop."

Everything goes black.

But your eyes are...open.

"Fuckin' hate this town," Rhett mutters under his breath, the faintest whisper of his voice; your giggle is louder than his words. "Hold on, think I got a light."

The bed rises as he clambers off of it, taking with him his ever-so-warm presence. Leaves you to shift against the bed, blinking dumbly as your eyes adjust to the darkness. Oh, how you have not missed the joy of Wabang power outages.

Something small hits the bed, rolls until it bumps against your naked hip. Feels like some sort of tube, not the flashlight you were expecting.

"Did you get lost?" You croak, twisting your head to look in the corner next to the bed. Where the hell did he go?

"'m down here." It's hard to catch, but there's sudden movement down by your feet. That old belt buckle chimes as Rhett riffles through his jeans. The sound stops. And then. Light.

"Forgot this dumb phone had a flashlight in it," he's yet to outgrow that sheepish grumble, light bouncing as he meanders to the bedside table. The phone doesn't create much light at all, hardly illuminates the room when he places it down, but it's enough. Even if it casts heavy shadows across Rhett's body, right down to...

"Good lord."

Rhett's attention snaps back to you. "What?"

But you...will be keeping your thoughts to yourself. Maybe the light is playing tricks on you. Because there is no way he's that well endowed. Thicker more than anything, cock leaning to the left, flushed red tip shiny and leaking against his hip.

The lube resting against your hip is about to become your best friend here in a minute.

"What?" He repeats, the corner of his lip rising as he settles back down on the bed, back in his place between your legs. God, his chin is dripping from you. Shimmering in the light. "'s there a monster lurkin' in here with us?"

"Yes," and you will not be elaborating.

That halfway smile explodes into a dopey grin. Seems to know what you're referring to as he reaches for that neglected bottle of lube.

It's not a trick of the light. The size of him never miraculously changes, even as that big hand of his strokes a generous amount of lube over himself. Explains why he drizzles more over his fingers, pushes them back into you once more with a sickly wet sound.

"D'you need more, first?" He asks. The both of you fully aware that even though he's got three fingers in you now, pumping into you in slow, careful strokes, it may not be enough.

It takes you a moment to decide, "I think I'm alright."

One of his hands falls down by your side, muscles rippling as he braces his weight on it, while the other...

The first kiss of his cockhead against your pussy has you gasping. Doesn't quite jump into pushing into you, instead pushing upward, spreading your lips around him as he rubs against you.

Your mouth opens, ready to hurry him up, but he's already heard what you're going to say.

"I know," he chirps, eyes rolling, "I know."

There's a newfound pressure between your legs, the thick head of his cock nudging against your delicate, dripping entrance. Pushing past that twitching ring of muscle, a pair of gasps dancing through the air, can't quite tell who made which sound.

Rhett's swearing under his breath, little incantations of filthy words that somehow don't measure up to how obscene it feels to stretch open around him. Lube audibly squishes as you struggle to relax and take that cock of his.

"Fuck," he's barely got the tip of himself inside of you, and he's already crumbling. Unable to sit upright anymore, forearms bracing his weight on either side of your head, muscles downright shivering. "'re you okay, doll?" His hips stalling.

"Keep moving, cowboy." You don't know when you started reaching up, but your arms are looping around Rhett's neck, drawing him down to meet your lips. Short. Messy. Can't close your mouth for more than a second at a time.

It's hard to recall what gave you so much confidence to begin with because it's long since washed away by the drag of his blunt head against your walls. So thick that he rubs right past that sensitive bundle of nerves, you don't recognize the sound it draws out of your bitten lips. Thighs fluttering, clamping down on those strong hips of his, unable to so much as squirm. All you can do is whimper and take it.

"C'n feel you flutterin' 'round me," he grunts against your lips, voice breathy. It's hard to even voluntarily clamp down around him, all to watch his head jolt backward, eyes falling closed. So, so sensitive, and he's only halfway in you. "Fuck, sweetie."

His head drops into your neck, breath warming the skin there, unintentionally gives you a picture-perfect view of his back. A myriad of smooth muscles flexing under the effort of keeping himself up as he pushes into you. So captivating that you hardly realize he's long since quit moving, hips flush with yours.

It's hard to breathe. As if you can't get enough air into your lungs. Nerves wound so tight you fear they'll snap if Rhett so much as twitches inside of you.

"You okay?" His voice sounds so different, an octave lower, gravelly, unruly hair hanging low in his face as he lifts his head.

Involuntarily, you clench down around him. A little flex of muscle that has the both of you closing your eyes. "I think so."

By the time he works up the courage to draw back, the arms bracketing your head are shaking. Maybe you'd have the nerve to tease him if that first shallow thrust into you didn't effectively erase every thought from your head. You can't tell if it's beginner's luck or an advantage of being so thick, but he massages against your sweet spot so nicely.

Your hands are sliding down his pale back, nails biting into the muscle there, "just like that."

"Yeah?" You've forgotten how wonderful that cocky tone sounds on him. He's drawing back a little further this time, albeit slow on that second, careful push back into you. Like he'll break you if he moves too quickly.

Countless times you've pictured this exact scenario in your head; two of you tangled up in a hotel room bed, crossing the one line you were told not to. Steamy dreams depicting a man who fucks you up against the wall, unafraid to take what's his, and whistful daydreams of a cowboy who treats you like royalty as he makes a mess of you.

Never once did this manifest in your thoughts.

His lips ghosting over your features, unable to stay in one place too long. Shamelessly fucks you slow on this thick cock of his, works his way up to deep strokes that make your nails bite into his skin, drowning in the wet drag that makes you feel every inch of him. Outside, the storm rages on, a chaos of noises that these old walls fail to muffle.

But it's still too quiet.

Lightning flickers outside. Lights up the room as you reach out to pry his lip out from between his teeth.

"I wanna hear you," you murmur, squeezing your legs around his hips.

Rhett's eyes avert; can't look you in the eye, despite being so deep inside of you that you can feel his heavy balls pressing into your skin. "Shits embarrassin'."

"It's just me, dummy," as if to emphasize your words, you're leaning up to catch his lips in your own. Unwilling to let him stifle his noises any longer, swallowing down the reluctant whines you draw right out of him.

Such a simple sound that has you clamping down around his cock, downright shivering around him. Only serves to illicit a breathy whimper of your name, starts a downward spiral that you don't think you'll ever come back from.

Your dominant hand is reaching down, fingertips finding your swollen, nearly forgotten clit. A particularly hard thrust has you breaking away from his lips, head hitting the mattress with a soft cry. That initial slowness is starting to fray at the seams, and you don't think you're going to survive it.

"Rhett," your voice is strained, barely there.

Deliberate, he repeats it. A wet noise tearing through the room. Once. Twice. Until he's finding a rhythm, strokes punctuated by his breathy gasps for air and pitchy noises. You don't know if it's the sound of him or the delicious way his fat cockhead kisses that little bundle of nerves, but a familiar heat is blooming in your belly regardless.

"'M sorry, I can't help myself," Rhett sputters, words nearly lost to the obscene squelch between your legs. Lube and your own wetness creating a downright mess. "Feel so fuckin' good 'round me."

Every thrust has your body rocking against the bed, almost can't keep your fingers on your tingling clit. It's a fight just to find your voice."Fuck you like you mean it, Rhett."

When you said that, you hadn't expected him to lean back onto his haunches, big palms splaying around your hips, as he fucks into you with purpose. This cheap mattress is starting to squeak, loud enough to be heard in the room next to yours, but you're so preoccupied with the sight between your legs that you can't be brought to care.

His cell phone light casts just enough light for you to catch sight of his thick cock disappearing between your legs. So wet that it's shiny, catching in the light and drawing your eyes back to it every time you go to look away. Powerless to stop him from fucking you how he wants, bullying those sensitive nerves until you're lightheaded, head rolling backward.

"Close," Rhett warns. If you knew where your voice went, you'd be muttering much of the same.

You find yourself fluttering around him again, heat tightening in your belly as he all but collapses on top of you. Face buried in your neck once more, deep, guttural sounds spilling into your skin as the rhythm of his hips begins to falter. Twitchy. Thrusts shortening. Rhett's name is tumbling off your lips. The fingers on your clit growing shaky. Legs clenching around him.

"Rhett," supposed to be a warning. Something. Anything.

But it's too late. Pointless. Without further warning, your body goes taut. Back arching, shaking, as that heat spreads and washes over you, cumming around Rhett's spasming cock with a strangled cry. Can feel his hips stall against yours, his whimpered cry muffled by your shoulder.

Distantly, you're aware of how full you still are. Know that he hasn't pulled out in the slightest, cock twitching as his sticky, hot cum fills you. That's probably another line you weren't supposed to cross, but to hell with it.

The darkness behind your eyelids suddenly isn't so dark anymore. And as you pry them open, you find yourself nearly blinded.

Seems the power came back.

Rhett's already beginning to peel his sweaty body away from yours, albeit at a snail's pace. Fixated on the obscene sight of where your bodies connect, so wet that one of you will likely need to change the sheets after this. The light of his phone was decent, but the bedside lamp properly illuminates him. Cheeks pink, lips so bitten you're surprised he hasn't drawn blood.

"Didn't mean to..." he pants, voice barely there, "didn't mean to cum inside you." Those and of his are moving your legs on their own, parting them, gives himself a better view as he slowly pulls out of you. "I think can see the appeal, though."

And as his eyes flick up to drink up your expression, corner of his lip rising, the thought of cleanup doesn't sound so bad.

You don't recall your bed ever being this warm.

Or...lumpy, for that matter.

This isn't your bed.

But even so, opening your eyes is a tremendous task that you take on as slowly as you can. Taking a deep breath, feeling the stiff sheets move with your body, nose catching a hint of coffee and something fresh, crisp. Identical to the Autumn breeze that filters through Wabang every year, used to nip at your skin as you waited on that slow school bus to pick you and Rhett up.

Your eyes snap open. A switch flipped.

This isn't your bed.

And this isn't your childhood bedroom, either.

This hotel room is familiar, though. Tacky, from the wallpaper to the choice of decor. Bed frame built to appear as if it's been constructed by scrap pieces of chopped wood, an iron sign of a momma bear and her cubs hanging on the wall behind your head. So painfully trademark of Wabang that it hurts.

There are flowers on the bedside table. Familiar red tulips and vivid yellow sunflowers precariously placed in a thin, plastic cup. A second cup sits on top of the first, upside down, the bottom crudely cut out for the stems to fit through it. A makeshift support. You recognize that craftmanship. As if your thoughts have manifested his appearance, the bathroom door squeals open.

There he is.

Severely lacking a shirt, in nothing but his old, sun-bleached jeans, the longer ends of his hair tied back into a small ponytail. His left-hand nurses a cup of coffee, and the right, carefully supported by an off-white brace. That wrist never really did heal the same, another one of those free rodeo trophies.

"Mornin, sleepy head," he chirps, and the roughness in his voice suggests he hasn't been up for long, "thought you'd never wake up."

"My dignity can't take dying in a tacky hotel room," you don't recognize your voice. Strangely raw.

Sitting up requires some effort. Body still half-asleep, limbs downright useless as you drag yourself up from the mattress to take a better look around the room. Are those...your clothes on the floor?

Images flash through your head. Blurry, there and gone in the blink of an eye. Memories flood back into the forefront of your mind like a bad dream. What did you do? Why did you do it? There's absolutely no going back from this—

The bed dips as Rhett settles onto the edge of the mattress. And though you're searching for a hint, a suggestion, of regret, you fail to find it. He's all meek smiles and red ears as he leans over to place his cup on the table. Flashing a series of marks on his back, pale pink in color.

His good hand comes down to squeeze your knee through the comforter, just like it always does. "About last night..."

You don't regret it. And by the looks of it, neither does he. Has no problem locking eyes with you; something unknown burning behind those deep blue eyes as teeth sink into his thin bottom lip. Lips you would give both your kidneys just to kiss one more time. As you drag your attention away from his mouth, your eyes meet once more.

The corner of his lip draws upward.

You don't know who moves first. All you know is that you're surging forward, he's catching your needy mouth in his, and you're falling back into the sheets as one. Hands exploring, pawing at what little clothing dares get between you, hearts aching for more, more, more.

Words can wait a little longer.

#rhett abbott smut #rhett abbott x y/n #rhett abbott x reader #rhett abbott #ao3 oneshot #oneshot #rhett abbott outer range #outer range fic #outer range #outer range amazon #rhett abbott imagine #rhett abbott x you #reader self insert #self insert #x reader #reader insert

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inktailsaystuff · 4 months

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Kaveh and Alhaitham Relationship Headcanons~

Tw: none

Pre-relationship~

Alhaitham was the #1 Kavetham denier

Kaveh was aware of his feelings and just kinda moped about it

Poor man thought Alhaitham didn't like him back so he would just be all sad

Alhaitham was in denial

He didn't even realize that he had been crushing on Kaveh for the longest time

He just thought that he had grown attached

Kaveh brings Alhaitham food whenever he goes out (THIS AINT A HEADCANON THIS IS CANON AND WE ALL KNOW IT)

Alhaitham's face is on like every page of Kaveh’s sketchbook

They bicker a lot but the moment Alhaitham thinks he's genuinely hurting Kaveh he gets all apologetic and switches topics

Because Alhaitham doesn't talk to people a lot Kaveh didn't really get jealous when someone flirted with Alhaitham

BUT ALHAITHAM-

Naur this man was so down bad without even knowing it if someone got too “close” with Kaveh he would try to one-up whoever the offending person's intelligence

Everyone but Alhaitham can see how Kaveh is desperately pining after him

No one can see Alhaitham pining after Kaveh other than Nahida

They just think it is an L for Kaveh and many people tell him to move on

(Kaveh does not move on)

When Kaveh gets too drunk and starts getting sad Alhaitham will “rEluCtanTly” console him.

Cyno and Tighnari have a bet on who will confess first because Tighnari heard with his massive ears Alhaitham consoling Kaveh while he was blackout drunk

Eventually Nahida steps in, after watching Alhaitham read every book in the library to try and figure out what his feelings are

Alhaitham denies the claims, and Nahida just is like: You gay.

Kaveh confesses first and has this whole rant where he's like “I know you don't feel the same way and you can kick me out of your house.”

Alhiatham just went “I like you too.” he won at life and was having an internal party

Cue awkward staring

Alhaitham just kinda asked if Kaveh wanted to kiss and they did

Dendro gays are official :D

Relationship~

They have separate rooms but despite that, Kaveh likes sleeping in Alhaitham's room since he likes being close to him

Alhaitham likes having Kaveh’s presence nearby

Alhaitham actually struggles to sleep if he can't feel Kaveh’s presence nearby

When they get into an argument Alhaitham will steal Kaveh’s keys to force Kaveh to talk to him

Despite his appearance, Alhaitham requires at least one physical contact a day with Kaveh, aka buff abs man needs a kiss to function

Alhaitham does not want Kaveh to move out, one time Kaveh mentioned it, and Alhaitham just flat-out said you're not leaving.

Alhaitham doesn't do much physical contact but he just likes having Kaveh near him, like as long as Kaveh is within arms reach he is happy

They will have dates where Alhiatham reads and Kaveh draws him

Alhiatham fills Kaveh’s sketchbook more than ever

Alhaitham likes looking at the drawings Kaveh made

Kaveh constantly gets hit on by other men because of how feminine he looks and Alhaitham just kinda glares

He wont say anything to get people to back off, he’ll just glare or move closer to Kaveh

Alhaitham is so soft for Kaveh its like wild and at the same time hes the biggest jerk to Kaveh

One of their love language is bickering,

No you can't change my mind

They will nitpick each other's tastes but never go as far as to actually hurt each other's feelings

When Kaveh cries Alhaitham just throws all his brain cells out the window, now he is just fussing over Kaveh, holding him and whispering reassurances his brain turns to mush and the only thought is to make Kaveh feel better

If anyone other than Kaveh knew about this he would kill himself he never wants this to get out

Inktail’s Dendro bonus of a wedding plan~

They both get each other rings, well Kaveh makes his for Alhaitham, and Alhaitham just buys one.

Kaveh took on like a million commissions so he could get the materials for the ring

He has an entire sketchbook dedicated to ring designs

Alhaitham just gets a simple gold ring with their names engraved (it costs more mora than the rent)

Alhaitham proposes first and after calming down a Kaveh crying from joy Alhiatham receives his ring.

While it is somewhat bedazzled and has a pair of jewels Alhiatham still wears it since Kaveh gave it to him

Kaveh got a green jewel that matched Alhaitham’s boob gem

Kaveh cried at their wedding,

Alhaitham was internally combusting at their wedding

Nahida was the officiator

Collei was the flower girl

And Scaramouche was the makeup artist

#fluff #genshinimpact #genshin impact #genshin kaveh #genshin impact kaveh #kavehtham #alhaitham x kaveh #kaveh x alhaitham #kaveh #haikaveh #alhaitham #al haithem #relationship headcanons

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sardonic-the-writer · 11 months

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𝐎𝐟 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 & 𝐌𝐞𝐧

↳ summary: you meet everyone. and they have the pleasure of meeting you

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You were beyond out of place right now.

Donning a flat expression, you sat in the far corner of a rickety plane, journal open and in your lap limply. Various paragraphs and doodles lined the pages; a few having been added since you boarded this death trap. So far no one had commented on it, so you were content to keep scribbling away.

Glancing up and over the cover of your book, you took a moment to properly evaluate the foul smelling plane and its inhabitants—some just as smelly as the aforementioned vehicle. You had been the last to arrive just a few hours ago, give or take. Naturally, everyone had already separated into their own friend groups or were just sitting on their own. Too immersed in themselves, they hadn't noticed you sit down on rock hard seat to embark on the plane ride with them.

Looking to your left, you observed a certain sleeping ginger from last season. Scott, if you remembered correctly. From the little you had watched of him last year, you were kind of glad he was asleep. He didn't look the kind to brush his teeth twice a day, and you're not sure you could handle a cloud of halitosis swimming your way.

With a snort, your lips curled into a slight smile as you remembered how he almost became shark food last time. It had been kind of funny, considering karma and all. In your opinion, anyone who was stupid enough to mess with a mutated shark got what they deserved.

The small noise from the back of your throat seemed to wake the beast, the red head giving a start as he began to shift in his seat.

You watched with a hooded gaze as his eyes snapped open, revealing a pair of beady eyes that looked well-rested. Instead of jumping at the sudden noise so close to his ear, Scott quickly turned his head to meet the gaze of you next to him.

He took a good second to observe you from head to toe—sweatpants and all. In the time it took for him to bring his line of sight back up to your own, he had already concluded that you weren't any threat to him and the million. You were wearing sandals for fucks sake. Not really as intimidating as Heather or Jo's outfits.

"Well hello there," Scott spoke in his nasally voice. "See something you like?" He said, referring to your staring. Your face scrunched up a significant amount at that but dropped after you considered your situation. Making one of the main antagonists from last season upset with you wasn't really the smartest move as the new kid. So with a considerable amount of forced politeness, you stuck your hand out for him to shake.

"Sure let's go with that country boy." You fought the urge to cringe at what he probably thought was a cunning smile before giving him your name.

"Scott." He offered while dropping your hand. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

"Yeah. I saw bits and pieces of season four. Good strategy by the way. Even if it was a bit scandalous, I have to congratulate you. Must have really put your last two brain cells into overdrive coming up with that."

The insult went right over Scott's head as he inwardly snickered at your choice of words. He didn't think anyone had ever called him scandalous before. A big jerk, evil, and smelly maybe, but never scandalous.

"Aw really?" He responded with a sickeningly sweet voice, batting his eyelashes. "Thanks."

You couldn't stop yourself from letting out a little noise of disgust at that. Once again, Scott missed your obvious disgruntled nature, already moving on to peak into your personal belongings.

"Whatcha writin' there?" He asked. Scott pointed at your lap when you sent him a curious look, eyeing the various bullet points you had made with ink. You were quick to slam your journal closed in his face, nearly taking his finger off in the process.

"None of your business hillbilly."

"Alright alright! Message received newbie." Scott smirked and put his hands up in the air defensively. But a bit of his mischievous nature still poked through. He wondered what was in there. Secrets? Blackmail? You might not pose a threat to him now, but neither had Cameron last season and that string bean had almost won.

"So—" He dragged out the 'o' like a small child, "—what brings you to this hell hole? The money? Fame?" He quizzed you, wanting to know a little bit about you.

"Er, none of those. Although the money would be nice." You answered slowly. "I'm mostly here to help with my resume. I'm trying to get into college for film and all, and I couldn't find any other shows that wanted me on it. Set work or otherwise. Some friends would be cool though. Not a lot back home when you spend all your time applying for jobs to put you on the map."

Scott had stopped listening at college. Mentally eye rolling, he tried not to scoff. School? Friends? Those were the last things on his mind right now. His brain only held room for two things. The million, and his mama's gruel. Oh, how he loved his mama's gruel.

Why the fuck would Chris choose to put someone new in this season? And a season full of former competitors nonetheless.

By the time Scott had turned back to face you, you had already written him off and were staring out the plane's window. Shrugging, he put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes once more, content to get some more shut eye before the torture began.

A couple more minutes passed filled with chatter from other people on the plane. Insults were thrown, small talk made, and pleasantries exchanged. You paid no mind to it, watching the glittering sea below pass by in a blur.

All of a sudden, the plane came to a soft stop. Not as in, they had stopped flying. Now they were merely hovering. You looked around confused. No one else seemed to pay any mind to this. They were still all talking—or in some cases glaring at someone.

You took a moment to peer out the window once more, watching as a familiar island below swerved in and out of vision at a steady pace.

A loud noise diverted your attention from the window. A big, burly man had pried the rusty door to the pilot's cockpit open and stepped out. Chef looked around with a disgusted look on his face. You could almost hear his internal monologue, complaining about young people and how he should get a raise.

“—and here they are now! From Revenge of the Island, say hello to multiple Mike!” A familiar voice said enthusiastically. It was then that Chef stomped over to a boy with spiky hair. You admired him from afar, smart enough to appreciate when someone was attractive. But you waved away any further thought of that, seeing as the only person he had talked to the entire time was a nice looking redhead. Zoey and Mike, you remembered. The fan favorite couple from last season. Nice people. Both good looking.

“Uh, hey Chef! Let's talk about this!” The boy laughed nervously before being picked up. You proceeded to watch with wide eyes as he was kicked off the plane and plummeted to the ocean below.

Chef wasted no time ignoring the screams of the teenager he had just pushed out of a plane, already moving onto the next person with a considerable amount of force. The announcer from below, who you had now identified as the one and only Chris McLean, continued to call out names

“Mike’s friend pushover turned powerhouse, Zoey!” The mentioned girl jumped after Mike in a panic after he said that. After that, it was just you watching from a corner as Chef picked people off one by one depending on whose name Chris called next.

“Athletic non-supporter, Lightning!”

Splash! There went the cocky white-hared boy.

“Bubble Boy brainiac Cameron!”

You frowned a bit at that one. Cameron seemed nice. Well, nice enough to not be deemed a wuss for the rest of his conceivably short social life. Besides, it's not unlike Chris to—

Holy fucking shit what is that.

You looked over in shock to see a feral boy with a balding head and green tinted skin. He bared his teeth and panted, revealing sharp yellow teeth. The boy—is that even a boy?—noticed your stare and turned to face you. With a snarl and a lunge, your face was stopped from being clawed off as Chef snagged the back of his hoodie. The creature looked at you with a violent expression, one could even call it murderous, before squirming and yowling underneath Chef's grip.

“And feral freak show, Ezekiel!” Chris sounded off from below. Gasps could be heard as Chef dropped the mutated canadian from his hoodie. You leaned over the edge of the plane a bit to see a plunger come out of nowhere and grab onto him.

“Ha! Only joking! No way is that guy coming back again!” Chris laughed before having a robot shoot him off to god knows where. You weren't one to openly wish harm on others, but thank fuck that thing was gone.

“I feel like I'm forgetting something." Chris sang, his voice far away.

"Oh yeaah! That's right! All Stars, say hello to your new competitor, the movie enthusiast!” He said loudly, your full name following suit. You could practically feel the confusion coming off your future teammates/opponents in waves, already so excited to take the plunge and meet them. Note the sarcasm.

Holding out a hand to hault Chef—who had been sneaking up behind you—you shoved the journal that you had been clutching into his hands.

"Make sure that gets down safe and you won't have to toss me like a sack of potatoes. Deal?" You offered. It was a stretch, especially considering that Chef most likely enjoyed throwing people off high places.

But you were met with a shrug as he tucked the book under his arm.

"Sure kid. Just hurry up or Chris'll have my head. Or yours." With a little cackle, he walked off, leaving you staring at where he had just been.

Nice guy.

Again. Notice the sarcasm.

"Sign up for the show, they said. You'll have fun, they said."

Next thing you knew, you were falling through open air with a loud yell, holding your nose and preparing for the impact of salt water on skin.

A cold feeling seeped into your veins and straight to your bones as you plunged into the water. In no way, shape, or form were you an adrenaline junkie, but you did understand a little bit why people would do that.

As fish of all different shapes and sizes passed by, you almost failed to notice the squirming figure under you. Almost.

A sharp jab to your calf prompted your gaze to be pulled below, where you saw a struggling figure resting under you. With a start, you realized you must have landed on someone and drug them under. Acting quickly, you grabbed onto their arm and began to swim upwards, hoping that you hadn't done any serious damage. Upon breaking the surface, you immediately swam to shore, dragging them with you. They offered no complaints, and you began to wonder if they even were conscious.

You trudged onto shore and would have collapsed like everyone else if not for the person you had been carrying like luggage. Whirling around, it was revealed to be a coughing and gagging Mike that you had so ceremoniously drowned. You felt your neck heat up with embarrassment as he spit out more and more salt water. Oops.

"Uhm—" You began unsteadily, unsure of what to do now that he seemed to be fine. "—sorry about that dude. Didn't mean to wreck your day."

“It’s al—” Mike paused to hack his lungs out some more, “—right. I wouldn't have signed up for this show if I couldn't handle a little water, right?” He said smiling a little before spiraling into another mini cough attack at the end. His comment made you grin a bit, the most anyone had managed to get out of you so far.

"Yeah, that's fair." You punctuated the end of your sentence by holding your hand out for him to take, hauling him off the crunchy sand. For a moment, your eyes locked with his. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling a bit more, watching as Mike mirrored your expression shyly.

Yeah. You had been right earlier. He was a cute one.

The two of you might have just stayed there forever, staring at each other, if not for Chris’s regrettably loud voice.

“—but the winners get to sleep in an all new, eco-friendly McLean spa hotel complete with butler, hot tub, and 24-hour masseuse!” The host finished his introduction smugly. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at that, dropping Mike's hand and missing the way his smile dipped at that. But really, naming a building after yourself? Come on Chris. The other campers had instead cheered and jumped up and down, happy to have the chance to not sleep in a cruddy cabin, no matter how slim the chance.

“And in honor of your past performances, excluding our new addition—" You glared at Chris for singling you out, not appreciating all the new attention. “—this season's theme will be Heroes versus Villains!” Chris finished excitedly.

“Heather, Ducan, Lightning, Joe, Scott, and Gwen.” He started, using the robot to kick an already bewildered Gwen on the team. “You will now be known as the Villainous Vultures!”

“What?! Why am I on the villians team!” Gwen cried. You had to side with her there. Even if she did kiss Duncan, technically he wasn't Courtney's boyfriend at the time. And Courtney is a raging monster who used to be nice, so not much sympathy for her there. Emphasis on the used to be nice part.

“Because you stole my boyfriend and became the new Heather!” Courtney retorted with a look of rage on her face. Again, not your boyfriend at the time.

“What she said.” Chris cut your thoughts off, agreeing against the protesting Gwen. A bit more of an argument occurred before a happy Duncan said something to Gwen. Clearly he didn't get the reaction he wanted, instead ending up with Gwen slumping over and his own face contorting into a less positive one, leaving you to wonder what had been said.

“Mike, Zoe, Cameron, Sam, Courtney, Lindsay, and Sierra! You're now the Heroic Hamsters!” Chris shouted out, taking the attention off the villians and towards the others. "You too, new kid." He added on with a sadistic laugh.

“Hey, how come I'm on this team? You know literally nothing about me.” You said in a confused, but not necessarily disappointed tone.

“Look, in the five minutes I have known you, you've saved someone's life, apologized about it, and have had proper sense of hygiene! Which is more than I can say for some people.” Chris said, evil eyeing the vultures. Most of them just shrugged with smirks.

“Wait a minute!” Jo said, jumping in on the conversation. “They have eight people to our six! No fair!”

“Since when have you been about fair?” You mumbled sourly, earning a laugh from Mike. Who, at this point, had saddled up next to you. Tossing him an easy grin, you held your hand out for a first bump, Mike was quick to accept it with a gleeful smile.

“I needed the extra seat on the plane for that Ezekial prank,” Chris continued over you and Mike, shrugging. Jo just glared at him until he huffed a breath of defeat.

“Fine!" He said, dragging out the 'e' a generous amount. “You can have the robot,” Chris grumbled, pulling out a remote and pressing the only button on it. You took the moment to observe said robot. It was rusted and old looking. Very poorly designed with lots of scuffs surrounding its metal encasing. And the way it moved was strange. It was much smoother than a hunk of junk like that should be. You wondered where on god's green earth Chris had found it in the show to afford to revamp the robot.

“Thought your robot could talk man.” Scott piped up.

“Aw, the communication chip cracked when I was in the hosgow.” Chris said, waving it off with a smile that didn't seem entirely genuine.

“Was that english?” Lindsay whispered in a loud tone. You just looked at her and shrugged, as clueless as the blonde bimbo for once.

Everyone proceeded to watch as the robot scooted closer and closer to Heather, causing her to snap at the machine and call it a toaster. You just laughed at that.

“Ahem! Anyways," Chris cleared his throat forcefully, annoyed that the attention had been taken off him.

"This year's challenges are all nods to classics from the past. But with harsh new tricks to make this the hardest Total Drama Season, ever!!” He cackled. You stiffened significantly at his words. You had seen most of the previous seasons. If those were pale in comparison to this year, well let's just say you were having second thoughts about the college credit this would earn you.

“Your first challenge is this. Find the key to the spa hotel—"

Well that's not so bad.

“—and in an homage to Total Dramas' first ever challenge, cliff diving into water infested with ravenous sharks!”

Nevermind.

You watched from across the beach as Scott visibly shuddered—normally his smug face replaced with one of mortal terror. Sure, the other campers were scared, but Scott was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Guess Fang left a lasting impression last year.

Chirs then launched into an explanation with a terrifying example playing on a tv of a suffering intern attempting to do the challenge. You got the gist of it. Dive off the cliff, get the key, don't get mauled, repeat until victory. And some weird touch about baby carriages?

“First team to unlock the spa door wins! And someone from team loser will be going home tonight. Meet me at the base of the cliff in 15 minutes, chop-chop!” The host said, clapping his hands before jumping into and driving off in a Jeep with one of his poor interns.

“Shouldn't we change into our swimsuits or something first!” A worried Mike yelled at his retreating back.

“Sorry! No time!” A far away Chris shouted, not sounding sorry at all.

You sighed. This was going to suck.

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By the time everyone had made it to the beginning of the island's monstrous mountain, you were all sweaty and spent. Meanwhile, Chris didn't even look like he had broken a sweat. And where had he gotten that jetpack? More importantly, how in hell was he paying for all of this?

"Fuck you McLean." You gasped for air in between words, hands on your knees as you paused to catch your breath. Chris just chuckled, saying something about having to mute that on national television while you ignored him.

This place was already turning out to be a shit stain on the bed sheet of life, and you had only been here for less than an hour.

It wasn't all bad though. During the run, you had started to insert yourself more and more into the weird ecosystem that was this reality show. You had struck up a conversation with Cameron—Zoey and Mike not far behind. Your previous observations of them had been right. Cameron was scrawny, and definitely nerdy as hell—within the first minute of meeting you he had started to spew out the mathematical odds of you winning—but he was nice, if not a pushover. In fact, he was just as nice as Zoey and Mike, who quickly welcomed you into their little group. You accepted it thankfuly, albeit a little more cautiously than the standard person. At least Zoey seemed a bit less naive than last season. You weren't sure you'd be able to put up more than one weak willed team member for too long. Sorry, Cameron.

And Mike was—well, he was Mike. For someone that you had almost killed no less than five minutes ago, he seemed to find every little joke you made funny. If it were you that he had landed on back there, you would have popped up to the surface cursing him, his mother, and his mother's mother. But the longer you ran side by side with him across the longest fucking beach ever, the smaller that feeling got. What can I say? You've always had a soft spot for outcasts.

“Greetings All Stars!” Chris piped up over the noise of everyone's suffering with a cheery voice. “Here are the carriages!” With a wave of his arm, he gestured to two different colored baby carriages resting on either side of him.

Whilst Chris continued to terrorize the campers with instructions on how to play, you took in your surroundings. You felt as the salty sea breeze skimmed off your face, and listened to the crashing of the waves against the nearby shore. It was a peaceful alternative compared to listening in on Chris. Anything at this point was, though.

“—decide on your carriage drivers. Starting now!”

You broke out of your trance to see both teams scrambling for the position of carriage pushers. For some reason. Well, more like the villains were. Your team was instead politely offering the opportunity to one another.

“How about Mike?” You cut through all the talk with a monotone offer, just ready for someone to decide at this point. Mike's head whipped your way at your words, face contorting into one of pleasant surprise that you once again missed. Everyone else just stared at you expectantly.

“What? He’s smart and has got enough strength to push most anyone on our team. He should do fine.” You shrugged, arms crossed stubbornly in front of your chest. Zoey awwed at your comment happily, only stopping with a nervous giggle when you sent a warning glance her way.

Everyone seemed in favor of it as Mike made his way to grab the cart, only for Courtney to scoff loudly.

“Lindsay will do it!” She grumpily said, pushing the lovable, but dumb blonde into the yellow carriage. You groaned. As nice as Lindsay was, you were pretty sure she didn't know the difference from an apple and an orange. Might as well forfeit the challenge now.

“Alright. Everyone but Jo and Lindsay, up the cliff!”

Grumbling, you looked upwards at the steep cliff you now had to prepare yourself to climb. How fun.

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The sun. You forgot how much you hated the stupid sun. How could one star a gazillion miles away manage to be so hot and yet so annoying? It was probably your fault you were this sweaty, seeing as you wore sweats to a place like this. But still. The sun sucked. It didn't help that certain teammates were being a real pain in the ass either.

"Hurry up!" Courtney snapped at you for the umpteenth time since everyone had begun their trek, her name making it pretty far up your People I Would Like To Punch list in the process.

"I told you. I don't run. Much less more than once a day." That was all you rewarded her griping with. The girl took to letting out a shrill yell of frustration and pointing a finger at you angrily. Clearly she wasn't happy about your attitude. Or lack of one, therefor.

"I hope you like being here! Because I can assure you, if you don't pick up the pace, you won't last much longer!"

You simply took to sticking your tongue out at her when she turned her back again, earning yourself a smooth high five from a passing Duncan.

"Is she always like this?"

"Hah! You have no idea buddy."

Staying true to your lackluster method, you ended up being the last one to reach the top of the cliff, ignoring a seething Courtney with gusto as Chris explained today's challenge for the third time. He really just needed to put a powerpoint together at this point. Keeps it short and to the point.

Walking over, you stopped at the crest of the hill to peer over it with Zoey. You were met with the sight of a grinning shark waving back at you, looking way too hungry for your liking.

"Fang, right?" You asked. Zoey nodded slowly, looking a little greener in the face than normal. Looking at her and then back down at the creature below, you placed a hand on her shoulder with a wince, not really used to comforting people as much as you should be.

"Er, it'll be okay Zoey. You're strong and fast. I think. You'll have no problem doing this challenge." A pause. "Probably."

"Wow." She looked at you blandly, attention no longer on the mutant shark as she cocked her head to the side. "Has anyone told you you're terrible at pep talks?"

"More than you'd believe."

That got a laugh out of her, curing the squirming in your gut that had come as a side effect with the little interaction. Anxiety is a bitch.

"See? Looking normal already." You severed the physical content with a clap to her back, hand retreating into the confines of your pants pocket.

"Better. It's better, already. Not normal." Zoey corrected you with a quirk of her lips, eyeing you with a smile as you pretended to know that.

“Ahem. If you two are done chatting, its challenge time." Chris's disgruntled expression suddenly appeared in front of you and Zoey—courtesy of his jetpack—sending a good amount of smoke directly into both of your eyes. Great. Now you were sweaty and blind.

"Places people!” The bane of your existence clapped, zooming back up into the air and away from you. "Its diving time!” He cackled at the last bit. You shot him a glare before turning to your team, ignoring whatever squabble was going on over on the villians side. You had a feeling you'd have to get used to that.

“One diver per team at a time. The next diver has to wait until their team's carriage returns.” Chris spoke, pulling out a blow horn.

“Ready, set—!” He didn't get to finish his sentence as he pulled the trigger, the fog horn letting out an unearthly sound as the campers covered their ears.

“Yeah! Lightning strikes!" You watched while the white haired boy, Lightning you remembered, took a running leap of the rocky edge. He was quite quick to dive off the cliff, Courtney following close behind screaming her lungs out. Everyone watched as both of them dove down to get a key. It didn't take long for bubbles to reach the surface, everyone eager to see who would come up with a key first.

The faint call of "sha-bingo!" gave you your answer.

Somehow, Lightning ended up in the lead, jumping in the baby carriage with a shiny key. Eventually, Courtney dragged herself out of the water, snapping at Lindsay to get a move on by the looks of it. It was no surprise to you when Courtneys pick for a driver instead responded by lamely looked around, showing no signs of moving anytime soon. You frowned. Lindsay might as well leave the island now, because there was no way they were going to win the challenge. Less shame in it for her overall.

Sierra jumped next, screaming in a cowboy like fashion on the way down. Not much to say on that beyond that the key was a dud.

"Alright. Let's do this." You stepped up as Sierra and Lindsay returned from the spa-hotel, somewhat eager to prove your usefulness as the newest cast member. A quick breath or two made its way out of your mouth as you bounced on the balls of your feet, hyping yourself up for the plunge to be. You flinched at the view of the drop below but squared your shoulders up anyways in preparation to jump. You were only stopped by a jubilant cheer from behind you.

"Yeah! You've got this!" Mike whooped, Cameron and Zoey backing him up with two pairs of thumbs up. A wiry smile crossed your face as you mock saluted them, already beginning to make your way down the cliff's edge. You were a split second too soon for your competitor, not seeing how Gwen tripped and went tumbling down alongside you.

Your three sort-of-friends—and everyone else—watched as you and Gwen splashed into the water, only to come up and immediately be confronted by sharks. You were in the unfortunate position of sitting wide eyed on Fang's head while Gwen floated in the middle of two more of the deadly sea creatures. Before anyone could sink their teeth into someone else, a rock flew out of nowhere and hit Fang in the nose. Both players looked up the lengthy cliff in surprise to see Mike and Zoey yielding rocks of all different sizes.

Sending a (very) thankful wave up in their direction, you wasted no time basking in the absence of the sharks to dive down in search of a key.

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CONFESSIONAL

[Name]

The footage shows you sitting on a filthy looking toilet, following your gaze as you try not to accidentally inhale a stray fly. It takes you a second to get used to the humidity of the outhouse, not liking the way your clothes begin to stick to your skin like glue. Really gross glue. You continue the look of disgust before remembering what you came in there for.

"That was nice of them to help. Zoey and Mike I mean. Day one and I've already found some likable people. I was expecting to come into this riding it all out on my own, but this is much better. I mean, it wouldn't hurt to brush up on some of my people skills after all. At least, that's what I'm told back home."

You toss an awkward look to the camera at that last part.

CONFESSIONAL OVER

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The ride to the hotel was bumpy and rough, only to be filled by the sounds of Lindsay's huffing and puffing.Feeling sorry for her, you did your best to send her an encouraging smile. That fell into a glower pretty quickly when her gag reflex kicked in at the sight of it. Alright, no smiling around her then. The fucker.

Sticking the key that you grabbed into the lock of the spa, you huffed in annoyance at its refusal to move. Damn.

“It's a no go! Back to the beach.” You huffed already racing to the cart. Lindsay just flopped on the ground, causing you to pause.

“Hey? Are you ok?”

She just groaned in response. Looking around momentarily, you decided to put matters into your own hands with a stick and sheer will, using it as a makeshift oar to row you back to the beach. Lindsay trudged on behind you, designer boots occasionally tripping her over a root or a rock. As you neared the sandy quarters, a very beat up Sam came into view. Suddenly, you were feeling very lucky that Mike and Zoey had such good aim.

“Jesus christ dude, what happened?” You questioned as you began to hop out of your ride. Sam muttered some gibberish about keys and sharks before collapsing in the carriage, taking up for your absence. As they disappeared farther and farther away into the forest, you looked up at the cliff to see a terrified Scott holding onto a rock for dear life, Lightning doing his best to pry him off of it. A few words were exchanged, but being at the bottom of the cliff, you couldn't really hear them. Well, Lightning at least. Scott's screams of protest probably were audible an island over.

You squinted as various pairs of arms and legs went flying in the air before the robot that had been standing nearby was pushed off the edge. So distracted by it bashing into rocks on the way down, you didn't even notice Zoey sprinting past you with a key and a determined expression on her face.

All that the campers could see from above the water's surface were a couple of solitary bubbles before a loud explosion rocked everyone to the bone. As scraps of metal flew out of the water, you saw a man's outline through it all. Was that- ?

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Gasps from all around could be heard as a scruffy man emerged from the wreckage with an award winning smile. Alejandro flashed it at the surrounding crowd and camera as he landed on the beach, proceeding to snatch a key up out of thin air.

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CONFESSIONAL

[Name]

You squint at the camera, looking less than pleased while you lean your arms on the top of your legs.

"Yeah. We definitely lost this one."

CONFESSIONAL OVER

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“Welcome to our first ever elimination ceremony of the season! How do you like the new peanut gallery, huh?” The host of the show said.

It was nighttime on the island now. The moon was out, and so were the elimination marshmallows. Sitting on the lumpy excuse for a seat that Chris called this log, you struggled to balance swatting mosquitos and paying attention, really hoping that today had given your teammates enough of a reason not to vote you off.

"Thanks to me, now winners can watch their opponents give someone the boot before heading to the spa hotel for a deluxe dinner!” Chris said, dragging out the last part. Your stomach grumbled at the thought of food. It had been over twelve hours since you had eaten anything decent.

Staring at the flames to the campfire, you relived today. It seemed like forever ago when you had been sitting in the plane instead of meer hours. Night had fallen way too quickly for your liking, and you could only guess if Chef had gotten your journal back down safely with the rest of your stuff. Although, by the end of this ceremony it may not matter at all.

“Before we start, we need one winner to volunteer for a special reward!” Chris said with a smile.

Yeah right. Since when had there ever been a real bonafide reward in the history of this entire show.

“ Ha! Sha-Lightning!” The athletic junkie volunteered, swiftly jumping out of the peanut gallery and running over to Chris with an arrogant smile.

“Great! Your reward is spending the night in exile at Bony Island with all the hungry, wild, animals!!!”

Reward my ass.

“Aw! How is that a reward!” Lightning whined, voicing your thought for you.

“Because, there's a McLean invincibility statue hidden somewhere on Bony Island! Find it, and you're golden!”

“Now he tells us.” Scott said, clear annoyance in his words.

“This year!” Chris said, moving on and pretending to have not heard Scott. “You get to vote by placing an X on one of the eight by tens of the person you want to eliminate! Now—” He said in a more serious tone. “—get voting.”

You were the first to hop in the outhouse house. Inside were pictures of everyone. Shuffling through them, you glanced at all of the faces on your team. Lingering on one a little bit longer than the others.

Swiping a quick red X on the separate picture of Lindsay, you climbed out of the commode and took a seat at the campfire. Surprisingly, it only took about 5 minutes for everyone to get in and out, and for the votes to be counted. Finally, everyone was back on a log—tensions just as high as they had been before. The only humorous part of the night was when Lindsay got out from voting with an X on her face.

“Okay,” Said the raven haired host, now holding a plate of marshmallows in one of his hands “The following people are safe. Cameron, Sierra, Zoe, Mike, and Sam.” He paused to add your name as if an after thought, earning a nasty look from you.

When your marshmallow was finally thrown at you, you just opened your mouth, letting the soft food find its home in your stomach. An impressed look was shot your way from Zoe, to which you responded with a grin full of marshmallow.

“Lindsay! You're on the chopping block for your terrible driving skills. And Courtney, you're on the chopping block for making Lindsay drive.” Chris said, referring to the only two people left without a marshmallow.

It wasn't a surprise to anyone when Courtney was handed the last marshmallow, rounding out the ending of the first episode with a stink. Literally. The elimination process compared to last year was just downright cruel. It wasn't enough that the eliminated had to be flushed down it, but everyone else that watched had the pleasure of getting stuck in the splash zone.

You were really beginning to hate Chris.

━━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━━

With a grunt, you ruffled the little bit of your hair still drenched with toilet water out while sitting on the darkened steps to your cabin. Face contorted in disgust, you sniffed your clothes curiously, only to become a bit green in the face.

Groaning, you flopped backwards onto your back, running your hands down your face frustratedly.

True to his somewhat nonchalant word, Chef had gotten your prized novel back into your hands safely. It was sitting on your cruddy cabin bed when you walked into the room, proving to be one of the only good parts of your day. Besides not being voted out of course.

You had been quick to swipe your journal up, not wanting anyone to get ahold of it.

You frowned as you thought about it. Shit. This place was already messing with you. But could you really blame yourself with a super stalker teammate like Sierra on the prowl?

Grumbling half heartedly, you made your way over to the confession booth.

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

CONFESSIONAL

[Name]

You didn't take long to start talking this time.

"Alright. Day one." You began tersely. "Almost died on a few occasions, and felt like killing someone else the rest of the time. But what can I expect from former convict Mr. McLean"

A pregnant pause filled the room as you considered your next words carefully.

"Fuck. I can already tell this is going to be interesting."

CONFESSIONAL OVER

#total drama #total drama x reader #total drama all stars #total drama revenge of the island #td mike #mike x y/n #mike x you #td mike x reader #mike x reader #td #td x reader

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sillymercury · 3 months

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Stolen Lullabies

Summary: When war returns to Pyrthian the inner circle finds themselves on the losing side. In a desperate attempt to turn the tides three brother perform a forgotten spell to call forth a great power through time and space. What happens when that ‘great power’ is a human girl who knows nothing of magic? Will she be of use or has destiny abandoned them?

Word count: 4.5k

Part i (Prythian Version)

Part i

New York ver.

Este let out a deep breath as she analyzed her outfit for what felt like the millionth time, observing her pieces over and over again. One minute she hated everything and the next she thought she was God’s gift to earth. Being a perfectionist has its downsides, especially when running behind schedule. She could probably add and take away accessories, try on different shoes, or switch out the jacket over and over again for hours.

The leather mini skirt she had on was her favorite of the night and the studded belt and silver chain that hung off her hips were the perfect add-ons. The top was a beige mesh corset that made Este’s modest chest more boisterous, she also had a long leather jacket that cleared her skirt and landed at her mid-thigh. With her neck and wrists layered in silver jewelry, she threw on some suede calf boots that matched her corset. Her hair was falling to her mid back in tight black curls. With her outfit out of the way she began to play around with her hair: up, down, half up-half down.

The sound of the phone ringing pulled her attention away from her reflection and had her diving into her bed to grab the cell phone that lay atop. It was her manager, no doubt asking where she was. She swiped across her screen to answer the FaceTime call.

“There’s my favorite pop star!” Shayla’s voice rang loudly out of the iPhone speakers. Shayla, the aforementioned manager and team leader, had been taking care of Este for the past couple of months since she signed with her Music company. Signing with the company was a dream come true for Este, after 2 of her songs went massively viral on nearly every platform she was offered a 15 million dollar deal that she immediately accepted. The company was most indulgent with artistic freedom, whether her demos were rock, hip-hop, or alternative, they accepted it all with open arms. After spending the last couple of months perfecting her first EP it’s finally dropping tonight at midnight. All of the effort put into her outfit was for the release party, Shayla tried to offer up a stylist but Este declined and ranted about being ‘authentic.’ “Are you ready for me to pick you up?”

Este shook her head, “I’m still figuring out my hair and I need to do my makeup. I’ll be ready soon Shay-Shay La-La”

“Uggghhhh, I swear to god you were born late,” Shayla exaggerated, “but seriously you don’t need makeup, and just leave your hair down it’s literally gorgeous.” Shayla was always dishing out compliments so Este just shook her head with a small laugh and pushed her single blond curl behind her ear before nodding. “I’m coming now to get you.”

“No!” Este responded slightly too quickly, earning a confused face from Shay. “I just mean it’s only a couple blocks… I want to walk.” Este’s stomach had been doing flips all evening and she blamed it on nerves but some primal part of her told her this anxiety was different. Like it was warning her of something that was on its way… something big. She wanted to be alone for as long as she could to ground herself before mingling with artists, executives, influencers, and whoever else may be at her party.

“Oh… everything all right?” Though they hadn't known each other too long, Shay knew that when Este insisted on going for a walk it meant her soul was feeling heavy.

“Yea… Yea! Just nerves you know,” Este did her best to make herself sound perky and excited even though she felt like her stomach was about to fall out of her ass. “I need the walk to bring myself back down to earth and I'm actually about to leave now!”

“I thought you-” Shay narrowed her eyes and brought her phone closer to her face, Este just smiled as she was being observed. “Okay, okay.” Shayla saw right through her but decided to leave it, Este thanked a metaphorical god for this. “I’ll see you there princessa!”

Este kept from breathing out a relieved sigh and responded cheerily, “Perfect see you there!” She went to hang up but a nagging question lingered in the back of her head and stopped her from pressing that big red button. “Actually um,” she paused, not knowing how to ask casually, “Did my mother ever get back to you? Do you know if she’ll be there?”

Shay took a minute before responding, the hard line that her mouth was set in gave Este her answer. “She read the message but she didn't RSVP… I'm sorry Este.” Este just shook her head as Shay went on, “But hey! There is going to be like a million and one people there who are excited for you and proud of all the work you've put into this.” Shay was nodding, trying to get Este to agree with her, “Let’s have fun, yeah?”

“Yes! Lots of fun,” Este’s enthusiasm was too over the top to be natural and they both knew it. “I'll see you there,” was the only other thing she said before quickly hanging up. The sigh Este was holding in finally shoved out of her mouth as she shoved herself off the bed and out the door, into the street. The wretched smells of the city attacked Este the moment she stepped outside earning a scowl.

New York was the perfect place for an upcoming artist but having been raised in the country side- Este had a natural distaste for the city. The sounds kept her up at night, the smells nauseated her, and the trash was…everywhere. While she loved walks through the city it seemed she never had an enjoyable one; always getting catcalled or stepping in something she didn’t want to identify. The worse part of it all was every single experience, whether she liked it or not, was locked away in her mind and kept in mint condition.

Though today Este’s mind was too busy to think of all the things she hated, she had that horrible nagging feeling eating away at her gut. Maybe that nagging feeling was her mother’s fault, she pondered.

Este had always been the apple of her mother’s eye, the perfect, gifted genius. Her mother would refer to her as “The mind of a generation” and tell her that she was going to revolutionize science and bring the world into a new era. No one ever attested to that notion, Este had an eidetic memory that much more resembles hyperthymesia and an IQ of 186. She was indeed amongst the greatest minds of her generation.

Everything changed when Este started making music. It became an obsession that consumed every waking moment. She had always loved music, having a taste for every genre, but her intense studies never allowed her indulgence. Her world changed when she met an unimportant boy who taught her how to hold drum sticks. He was totally useless other than the few free lessons she got out of him. After she dumped him where she found him, she began learning multiple instruments and how to produce music in a matter of weeks. It soon became all she did, she even began to neglect her schoolwork. Her mother reprimanded her many times, at the time she was 19 and a 3rd-year doctoral candidate, telling her that she worked too hard for too long to throw everything away for a “silly hobby.”

She tried to tell her mother that the silly hobby was her passion but was shot down every time. She insisted that Este had a duty to her gifts and it was her job to make the world a “better place” somehow. It was then she realized pursuing the scientific field was her mother’s dream for her and not her own. Everything came to a head when Este announced she was dropping out of college to focus on her music. If her mother ever was going to give birth to a cow, it would've been that day. The reaction consisted of screaming, crying, a couple of broken household items, and words that could never be taken back. One explosive fight later and she hasn't talked to her mother in 8 months, not when she got signed, not when she was featured on a top-charting song, and not even on her birthday.

Her mother had made it known how disappointed she was, claiming that she was throwing her life away and she wanted nothing to do with it. She said she would only talk to Este if and when she “came to her senses.” Her father didn't take her side either but he had given up on her when she made it clear she wasn't using her genius to further the American military-industrial complex. Her older brother… well after being compared to Este for the entirety of their life she couldn’t blame him for walking out and rejecting the entire family completely. The only one who stood behind her was her younger sister but May had idolized her ever since she was old enough to understand the term “greatness.”

Este shook her head hoping the thoughts of her familial drama would dissipate. She shoved her hands in her pocket and commended the version of herself from an hour ago that threw a lighter and spliff in there. She put the joint between her lips and as she lit it she scoffed thinking about how her mother would react to her newfound habit. The world would gain another cow.

Her pace slowed to a leisurely walk as she enjoyed the burning sensation from the marijuana and how it numbed her brain and body as well as mask the smells of the city. Her brain felt uncontrollable at times but the effects of the drug slowed down her cognitive function enough to feel normal.

The hotel where the party was being hosted was less than 4 blocks away but Este decided not to take the straight shot. She still had 45 minutes before people would be showing up and figured that was enough time to take a spill around the plaza so she did exactly that. As she walked around she focused on the bustling crowd, the wind that pushed and pulled the foliage, and the many sounds of the city. The weed now infiltrating her system had mellowed her out enough to actually be able to enjoy her city and not have a cynical response to everything in her path. So the walk did what it was meant to, she felt lighter and less stressed as she sat on the edge of the fountain to finish off her spliff before heading to the hotel.

She opened her phone and was faced with the paper she had made it halfway through, even though she wasn’t studying it anymore she still loved science. When you spend years of your life completely devoted to something it’s hard to leave completely in the past. The paper was published by the DOE detailing their breakthrough in nuclear fusion ignition, this controlled reaction was the future of clean energy on this planet.

She read the details of the intricate lasers, they contained 2.05 MJ of energy and when shot at a nucleus made up of two light nuclei the fusion reaction produced 3.15 MJ of clean energy. She had a particular interest in the experimental design, reading up on the diagnostics, target fabrication, and the computer simulations that were used. As she read the back of her mind was coming up with ways to apply this breakthrough to day-to-day life, the cynical part saying the US military would probably be the first to apply the concept to some unnecessary war machine.

“That one seems to like you,” a gentle voice came from her left. Reluctantly dragging her attention from her phone, she lifted her head to see an older, stout man. He was probably in his late sixties and based on the bag of nuts he was throwing around for squirrels she assumed he was enjoying his retirement. He had a crooked finger pointed at Este’s feet and when she looked down she noticed a single squirrel circling her her. There was a plethora of squirrels around the old man but this particular one did seem to like her.

“Hmm, looks like he does,” Este chuckled in response. She stood up and took a few steps and the squirrel seemed to follow her, she was laughing now. The influence she was under had her laughing a little harder than she should but she didn't care, the squirrel was adorable.

“Here,” was all the old man said as he handed her a small handful of nuts, Este took the nuts in her hand and thanked the old man before sprinkling some on the ground. The squirrel ran around greedily gobbling up every single nut. She placed a small pile on the lip of the fountain where she was just sitting and her new little friend jumped right up and went to town.

“Oh my gosh,” Este gushed as the joint hung lazily off her lips and she pulled out her phone for a photo. She giggled as she snapped away, getting plenty of angles to show off to whoever would pretend to care at the party later. With the phone mere inches from her face she noticed through the screen some abnormal movement in the fountain behind the squirrel. “Woah,” she let out as she dropped her hands and focused fully on the fountain, cursing the laziness that kept her from putting in her contacts as she had to squint. “Does it usually do that?”

“Well, most squirrels only come up to people they know have food but-” the old man was in the middle of answering before Este shook her head wildly. She stepped closer to the fountain and the sight became more clear.

“No, not the squirrel. The fountain,” Este grabbed the joint and used that same hand to point at the water that was moving rapidly now.

“Oh- Huh?” The old man glanced over his shoulder at the water before shaking his head, “Do what?”

Este looked at the man incredulously, the water was glowing now. It looked like someone had melted gold, added about 50 pounds of glitter, and was now mixing it about the fountain. “That!” Este exclaimed, pointing again, “Swirl and glow.” She moved closer still until she was leaning over the lip looking at the wild water.

The man stood up this time before turning to look again, “What are you getting at!” The old man threw his arms in the air as he exclaimed but Este was barely even listening. A harsh wind was coming from the water and blowing her hair about wildly, the wind seemed to wrap around her and pull her in closer. The water was humming, a melody that felt familiar but she knew she has never heard. It was inviting, and comforting, the sensation felt perfectly safe as she reached a hand out to touch the top of the liquid gold. She could vaguely hear the old man raving about smoking too many funny cigarettes when all of it was drowned out the moment her finger came in contact with the water.

The sounds of the city turned to warbling as she was yanked into the fountain, but she never hit the bottom, she just kept falling. The warbling turned to whooshing as she fell faster and faster. The water felt thick and warm as it encompassed every inch of her being, All of the exposed skin had the sensation of pins and needles, she tried to reach her hands out to grab something, anything but the dense substance made any voluntary movement nearly impossible. She couldn't do anything except let herself fall, so that's what she did.

The end was closing in as she seemed to slow and the warbling sound came back, Este was fully expecting to fall next to the fountain but when she fell on her ass it wasn’t onto concrete.

Este groaned after she hit the ground, it wasn't a hard impact but enough to hurt. She rolled to her knees and as she was pushing herself up she noticed the cold wet floor. It was covered in jagged rocks and puddles. She pushed herself up and looked around. It was hard to see, but she made out that she was… in a cave? There was cold wind blowing off the rocks, water dripping from the ceiling, and a damp earthy smell all around.

Este felt her heart rate rise as she looked around, it was incredibly dark and stuffy. The smell caught her off guard and the breeze had her clutching her body. The light from the swirling water she just appeared from was above her head on the ceiling of the cave and the glow was fading. The only thought in Estes' brain was confusion. She looked down at the joint that was somehow still lit in her hand and noticed she was completely dry. The fountain and the old man were nowhere to be seen.

Okay, she thought, hallucinations?

She looked at the joint again before aggressively throwing it down and stomping it out. “Jesus Christ,”she muttered as she stomped. When she turned around she realized she wasn't alone, her body reacted instinctively and she jumped back, letting out a yelp at the sight. There were three men in front of her, three very large men. Este herself was tall, standing at 5’8, she was still a good foot shorter than the shortest one. With the glow gone, she could barely make out rippling muscles and… wings?

Her eyes bulged before squinting, the only light now was barely glowing red and blue LEDs that were strapped to two of the men’s chests. She couldn't make out anything other than the outline of their body, not their facial features or whatever those huge things on their back were.

“It’s a girl,” echoed off the wall. It was a deep and rough voice, an intimidating voice that held a hint of confusion. Este instinctively took a step back. “A tiny girl.” The voice now had a slightly mocking tone and Este’s blood ran cold. Her head filled with terrible and violent visions of what three strange men might do with “a tiny girl” like her.

Stumbling backward her back hit the wall of the cave and she felt trapped, the part of her brain that hadn’t switched to fight or flight was grappling for an explanation. The majority of her brain was trying to come up with a next move, if she ran their long legs would catch up to her in a near instant, but if she stayed…

She clocked the silhouettes once again and decided fighting was off the table. She tried to control the shaking that had taken over her body as she pushed her brain to come up with something, anything. She contemplated screaming, throwing rocks, and biting sensitive body parts when the middle one spoke.

“Don’t worry,” this voice was smooth and silky, it sounded comforting but Este’s logical brain wouldn’t fall for it. She could vaguely make out hands that were held up in front of him as he took a step forward. “We brought you here… to help us.”

Este didn’t bother to try and understand what the man was saying, her a-million-miles-an-hour thoughts were halted. Something else had caught her attention. A black mass had begun moving behind the men. It looked like it was seeping out of the cave walls, twisting and swirling in an unnatural way. Her eyes would have caught it if its darkness wasn’t so potent.

The mass was darker than dark, so black that it stood out against the rest of the inky environment. Este’s shaking became more violent as she watched the mass, it seemed to grow and was now surrounding the men and pooling unnoticed at their feet. Whatever comfort was in the second man’s voice was stolen by the eeriness of the creature.

“We won’t hurt you,” he stepped forward again and Este didn’t care, her focus stayed behind him. She saw something in the mass, she squinted harder trying to understand what she was seeing. It looked like the mass was producing sharp blades, tens of them layered on top of each other. No. Not blades. Teeth.

She meant to speak, to ask about the ominous mass but her voice betrayed her. She was only able to point, to gesture to the thing moving around them. She made out three heads turning over their shoulders and took the opening.

Este ran. She didn’t know if she was running deeper into the cave or towards an exit but she didn’t care. She just cared to put distance between her and that thing, getting away from those men was a plus. Behind her, she heard a low “Shit,” that matched the first voice. There was also the unmistakable sound of swords unsheathing.

“What the hell? What the hell? What in the hell!?” was what she screamed in her head as she was taking off. She had weird dreams but swords and monsters? She hadn’t conjured anything like that since her juvenile years.

Ester cursed the heels on her feet, not only were they slowing her down but they were loud. That thing or those guys could easily just follow the sound of her steps. She didn’t let up though, she pushed herself as hard as she could, thanking Shay for buying her that gym membership.

She glanced over her shoulder to see how much distance she had gained but upon glancing she saw the man with the blue LEDs was a few paces away from grabbing her.

The shock of seeing him so close made Este stumble and trip over her own frantic feet. A second yelp fell from her lips but she never hit the ground. Strong arms wrapped around her torso and she was pressed into a steely warm body.

A terrible scream tore through her throat, and flailing began “Help! Help m-“

Este was cut off when a large hand firmly covered half of her face. The action was so rough it restricted her airflow from her nose and mouth. Knowing it was futile she still tried to break free anyway. Nails digging into the foreign skin and legs kicking about wildly. She tried to drop her weight and fall out of his arms but he held firm.

She felt a warm breath on her ear that covered her neck and shoulders in goosebumps as it carried a harsh shh. “Screaming like that is going to get us killed.” This voice was a new one, rich and heavy. It was the kind of voice that conveyed an intuitive pensivity. The kind of voice that would stop people in their tracks and drag their attention to whatever was being said.

The coolness of the cave was lost on Este as her body raised many a degree. Her rational brain told her it was the lack of oxygen and the energy she was exerting in her struggle.

She had two options: give in or pass out. She was sure the man knew this too. Deciding not to be unconscious in the company of a strange man she started smacking his arm ferociously. The man uncovered Este’s nose but not her mouth. She jerked her head about trying to get him to uncover her mouth too but he responded simply, “Sorry, I can’t take that chance.”

Este took greedy breaths through her nose and the mildew smell was long gone. It had been replaced with a plentiful teakwood scent, a sweet honey-like undertone, and an uncured resemblance to a freshwater stream. The relaxation was involuntary, her tense muscles relaxed and this time she was dead weight against the chest instead of trying to fall away from it. The man let out a low hum that reverberated through her body and eased her soul. She closed her eyes and took a few more deep breaths before pensively grabbing the hand on her mouth. The man must’ve clocked the change in Este’s demeanor because he let his hand fall away.

She turned and was faced with a chest, craning her neck she couldn't make out any details of his face. He was encompassed in darkness with only the faint flickering blue light to illuminate the bottom of his face. She could see strong cheekbones, full lips, and a sharp jaw but the rest was just shadows.

“Where am I?” Her voice came out as a faint whisper. His body heat was rolling onto her in waves and she had to physically hold herself back from sinking back into the stranger’s warmth.

“We’re-“ he started but then his lips fell into a thin line as he assessed her, “It’s a long story.”

A man of few words. Normally Este would appreciate that but now she was in a strange dark cave with a strange dark man and any story is better than the one she was concocting in her head. She thought up a schizophrenic break, a weird new drug that was slipped to her without noticing, or maybe a bizarre and realistic dream.

“I’m sure I can keep up,” Este spoke firmly. No nice smell or body heat was going to keep her from rationality. She wouldn’t go with him, at least not willing, without an explanation that made sense.

“We need to get out of here,” he pushed past her, clasping a large hand around her wrist, essentially dragging her behind him.

“What? No! I’m not going anywhere with you.” Estes' volume had increased so showed her sincerity. She tried to rip her hand away but alas his grip was strong. Although she was sure wherever she was being led was better than here her stubbornness wouldn’t let up. She dug her heels into the ground in an attempt to keep from being dragged any further.

He turned around and she didn’t need to see his face to know he was annoyed, it was dripping in his voice. “Either you can come with me or I can throw you over my shoulder and you can come with me. How do you want to do this?” His grip on her wrist tightened and he yanked her arm pulling her close to him again.

She pushed back against his chest and he let her step back, ‘how courteous’ she thought sarcastically. “I’m not going anywhere with you! I don’t know you, or where the hell this is, or what the hell is going on. And if you’re not going to tell me tha-“

He cut her off with his hand again, grabbing her and turning her back to his chest again as he assessed the cave. “Shh! Don’t make a sound. Don’t even breathe.” His voice was so low she wasn’t even sure it could be considered a whisper. It was quieter than the dripping sound coming from somewhere deeper in the cave and she’s sure she wouldn’t have heard it if he wasn’t so close. His demeanor had shifted and that scared Este, not necessarily of him but of whatever caused the shift.

She tried to assess their surroundings as well but her eyes couldn’t make much of anything out. The man took a step forward, the action forced Este to step too, and when she did her heel clacked against the floor. They both froze at the sound and Este looked down at her boots, cursing them. Este wasn’t sure why but she knew she just fucked up. It was confirmed by the stranger's sharp breath and newly rigid body.

When Este looked up she saw the mass, the creature from before. Or maybe it was a second one. The teeth, the swirling darkness, it was all much closer than the previous one. This time without a wall of men in between, this time she was the wall. A primordial fear seeped into her bones she couldn’t help the shaking. She had premonitions of what that thing would do to her, and she was sure the stranger would throw her into it for a chance to save himself.

His grip loosened and she took that as confirmation of her fear, a soft sob stole from her lips as she felt the hot tears of fear prickling her eyes. That thing must be attracted to sound because the sob was enough for the mass to start rushing forward. It was swirling in on itself as the dark mist cleared the the short stretch between them.

The man did indeed shove her but not into the mass. He shoved her out of the way into the cave wall. He must’ve underestimated his own strength because she hit the wall- hard. Her head made contact first and the last thing she heard was a sword unsheathing as unconsciousness engulfed her.

A/N: Here we gooo, part i(New York version) from Este’s perspective. I’m excited to write this multi part fic and if one person enjoys it I’m happy😭

If you got this far I love you and if you want to check out part i(Prythian version) you can find it here

Also to all my NYC homies I’m so sorry, i really do love your city but it’s important for Ms. Este to dislike it, pls forgive meeee

Masterlist

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profound-jade · 2 years

Text

Supreme Support Reader

Cottage Core, Supreme Support Reader, basically I was feeling really bad about something in bed, like a lot then I remembered something that made me realise what I was agonising over for the last 20 minutes didn’t happen. The feeling of absolute relief I felt was incredible and as I relaxed in bed I thought about the reader having the divine power of making anyone happy, satisfied, and whatever good emotion they could want.

Like, maybe Xiao is feeling hurt today way more than usual only for him to bump into you accidentally while you're picking berries in the outskirts of Liyue for making jam and a feeling of happiness just flows into him when he is with you. Maybe, well definitely, he would be unable to control himself and goes up to hug you and this sense of unyielding happiness and relief just overwhelms him. It was like every last one of his cells were dying of thirst and hunger for months and a banquet of food and drinks were brought to them.

While Xiao is in sheer bliss, you are just a bit stunned about what happened before turning around and seeing that it’s Xiao, which calms you down. Still a bit confused, but seeing how happy he is and knowing his backstory you decide to just stay there for a bit.

Not just people in constant pain like Xiao react this way, ordinary people that are generally happy and satisfied with their daily lives are not that much better. It’s like something they can’t describe awakened within. It’s like something that was written inside their genes but was never activated. After being with you and having all their negative emotions solved, ones they had subconsciously and they consciously didn’t even know, before then being ubercharged with positive and happy emotions, they cannot go back to how things were before without you.

Ningguang had met you after you opened up a small stall in which you sold products that you made from various homegrown ingredients or stuff you got from foraging. The products were simple like jam from berries, homemade baking products like cookies and cakes, and other things like that. They were simple yet they filled something within the customers. It was like they had an itch they didn’t even know about being scratched as they ate your produce.

Ningguang had been curious so she went and bought some sweets you made without much expectation as she had already tasted all the finest cuisine in all of-holy fuck how are these so good?! She tried to buy out all the remaining stocks after that which yous topped as its not fair to the other customers.

Ningguang rather forcefully befriended you after that and you two started hanging out, doing and playing all sorts of simple things for hours on end like reading comic books, playing kids games, things that she would never have done by herself or anyone. The Tianquan’s time is measured in solid gold, something she carefully built a market for, could earn millions of Mora in just an hour or even. And yet, she now feels all the time she had spent earning those same mountains upon mountains of mora not even worth mentioning as she sat by a large tree, you in her arms reading a short story as the cool breeze flew by.

As the sun set and you returned home, so did Ningguang. Her thoughts raced as she thought about all the things you and her were going to do later on tomorrow despite knowing dang well she can’t possibly fit all those activities within even a month of time, much less a day. Ningguang met her frantic assistants at the Harbour, complaining to her about all the things they had to take care because of her absence, but Ningguang could only smile fondly of her memories today.

She made her way up to the Jade Chamber, and as she had walked into her bedroom, she could only stare at her queen sized bed with an empty look in her eyes. She had prioritised Mora and the Jade Chamber above all else for her entire life but now she suddenly feels the lavish and large abode she lived in was empty and shallow.

Ningguang clutched the part where her heart was under, treating her fine silken garments with force she never would’ve dreamed of before. Ah, this feeling has returned once again. It had been bearable, she suppose. This feeling had sprouted and quickly grew the moment she had met you. It was a feeling she was quite familiar with, something that was imprinted onto her since childhood.

Greed. This intense feeling grew by the moment and with each day, Ningguang’s fantasies of taking you for herself grew more from a shameful thought to a full out plan. Construction and ordering of all kinds of things for turning her private chambers into the two of you’s home was sent out.

Had that not happened first, it probably won’t happen for a while as whoever first finds you gets you.

Maybe when Beidou returned to the harbour to celebrate for newest accomplishment, she saw a single glance at you before being completely stunned in place. Her pupils widened and she made her mind up on the spot to have you for herself.

Childe brushes hands with you on the streets before shamelessly going and straight up grabs yours before flirting.

What if you were in another nation, say Inazuma? Ei would go from meditating and thinking about how eternity and all that is great before instantly changing her mind after meeting you for like 5 minutes and forcefully marrying you and making you live in the palace, the puppet Shogun completely agreeing with her decision. No 200 year long duel needed.

Or, if things get really spicy, all of this and more somehow happens. Maybe you were a small merchant living in nature and just around selling things you made, seducing and charming anyone you made semi-contact with. Because of that, powerful people and characters that could influence the world were just silently stepping on each other's shoes under the table and they begrudgingly shared a picnic table with you outside, them not wanting to scare you being the only reason they haven’t pulled out their weapons and activated their visions yet.

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lets-try-some-writing · 17 days

Note

Unicron softening up because he wanted to have/had bond with Primus at one point and now the roommates he didn't want but now is stuck with? Found family trope at it again, he eventually starts telling stories from his travels..And they bond but Is he going to be dramatic about it? Absolutely (humans have their dramatics from someone after all)

Just the two weaponizing feelings to domesticate him

Unicron: You're killing me. Are you proud of that?

Earth,Moon: Love you too

Unicron: Urk! Stop!

"Father, will you tell me a story?"

Earth asked him for stories from the moment she came into being. Unicron denied her at first. He saw no need to waste his time with a parasite that was quickly spreading to wrap around him like a series of chains.

"Father, look at what I've made!"

And yet, as time passed, Earth still called out for him. She showed him her creations, some of which were more successful than others. He couldn't help but remark and accidentally find himself sharing memories of his journeys with her. She never asked about Primus. She was wise enough to refrain.

"I despise you with every fiber of my being, but you keep my dear Earth alive. For that, I will tolerate you."

Moon was an interesting addition to his prison cell. The Cybertronian Titan had a designation, but when Earth called out to him in her native tongue, he accepted the offered name without complaint. It reminded Unicron of the times he and his brother spent visiting budding civilizations, teaching them to speak and helping them in their struggle to survive.

"You haven't killed her yet. Why?"

Moon was always in his business, constantly prodding and questioning. Despite his hatred for Primus's creations, he understood Moon. The Titan was bored but too loyal to leave now that Earth had come to rely so heavily upon him. Unicron rarely answered his questions, often only making commentary. But Moon became a constant, one that Unicron came to cherish. He appreciated the chance to word spar with someone who wouldn't immediately roll over like Earth.

"It is none of your concern Primus spawn."

He didn't like to think about possibly tearing free of his prison after Moon settled. He told himself it was because Moon would kill him if he ever did, but deep in his spark, he knew it was due to another far more intimidating reason. He refused to match his brother. He couldn't allow himself to fall.

"Father, do you think my children will be as mighty as Uncle's one day?"

Earth asked him about her youngest children, the ones she called "humans". Unicron had long ago thrown the idea of killing Earth out the window. He couldn't end her, not when she basked him in adoration even as she took vitality from him to fuel her own growth. He never informed her that it was because of her feeding that he remained too weak to wake. He knew she would gladly starve herself if he asked. He didn't want to give his wrathful spark a reason to make the request.

"Perhaps. Primus's children are made of steel and starlight. They do not wither, they do not die, not as your children do. If these creatures you call your own are meant to thrive, they will have to overcome the weakness of their flesh."

The first time he offered her any true commentary, he found himself wrapped so tightly in her love that he almost found his spark constricting in its chamber. It was so similar and yet so different from the love he and his brother once shared. Primus and him were bound in spark. Their love was perfect and yet broken. They knew each other better than any other, and yet they could hardly comprehend the other. Earth's adoration was that of an awe filled child, a gleeful storm dancing upon the edge of the sea, so strong and yet so very innocent. He could not help but grow to adore her in turn.

"Father, would you tell us of the stars?"

Millions of years after the first time he denied Earth's request for a story, Unicron found himself sighing. He looked upon the world Earth had forged. He felt the organic growths that grew high into forests and mountain peaks. He sensed the creatures roaming along fertile soil and through clean water. He listened to the laughter of children, eager and hopeful like the daughter that now desired his attention. He looked upon it all and knew he no longer had the spark to deny her.

"Before our battle across the stars, Primus and I traversed all of creation as one. My memory is faint, but we saw many a civilization..."

Earth and her guardian listened closely, and as Unicron told his tale, he found his wrath ease into something akin to peace. One day there would come a time when he would need to act. But for now, for a few blessed moments, he would allow himself a moment to pretend that his brother did not yet live. He could pretend that all was well. There was no need to wake yet. He could wait. He could be patient. He would endure for as long as required. Primus wasn't going anywhere, and his children were nowhere to be seen. Unicron had time, and he intended to spend it wisely.

#transformers #maccadam #transformers prime #unicron and earth au #earth #moon #unicron #primus #fluff and angst #just a little bit #honestly its just Cron being depressed #when he isn't angry hes a wet cat and I will die on that hill #he misses family

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nelkcats · 1 year

Text

Hood Assistant

Prompt Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Next Ao3

Part 4

-----

Hate is born from fear, and rebellion from curiosity, so what is love born from?

--------------------

Jonathan Crane wasn't always a clinically insane villain, or that's what he tells himself inside his cell; he was a brilliant scientist, and everything was going perfectly until the conflict of morality entered his practices.

It was just a couple of people, there are millions of them. Crane saw no problem in subjecting his own co-workers to his new invention "fear gas" and it was a success! for a few minutes at least; and then he was accused of so many absurd things that he can't be bothered to try to remember.

The worst part was not that, but the thousands of eyes that always watched him from the window, reddish eyes judging the center of his soul, those damn feathered creatures that mocked him, since he was a child he could remember the flying rats circling around him, he hated them!

Always there, always watching, judging, judging, judging, yelling loudly, laughing at him, Crane had had enough; even when "Scarecrow" was born he tried to drive them away, that was the whole purpose of the damn body protection, the research suit of him, but even during his last fight with batman they were there. The "Robins" themselves caused him dislike because they alluded to those flying monsters.

Finally he could get rid of them, he had decided to share his research to the world by testing it on humans in the past, when he still cared about general opinion; That was apparently disapproved, however if he got rid of the airborne pests it should be better right?

"I am a genius!" Crane exclaimed between laughs as he walked through the desolate streets of Crime Alley, his escape was not difficult at all, there were as many corrupt guards in Arkham as there were in the police, only one of his men got the job and before anyone knew it he was free.

He had made up his mind, if he could combine his research and get rid of those flying beasts it would all be worth it, literally two birds with one stone! a little infection in the legs of one of them and not even Batman could stop him.

"I have to get close to those things, though," Scarecrow muttered in disgust, watching the crows watching him from the telephone wires, "I suppose sacrifices must be made for human progress."

From the top of a telephone tower, a light-eyed crow watched the villain curiously, flapping its wings and following him through the streets. It was normal since he wasn't an adult yet so most things made him curious, a few days ago he had followed a bright red helmet and he fed him, he assumed it would be the same situation.

"Sacrifice, sacrifice," the crow exclaimed, echoing Crane's words, albeit in a slightly broken way.

"That's right, sacrifices" although he was reluctant to agree, Scarecrow nodded "now where was my safe house? I had one around here"

With easy steps, not caring too much about the fact that he was a fugitive at the time, Crane headed toward a mostly abandoned apartment complex, he recalled setting up a safe house on the spot.

"Here it is!"

—-------

"Ugh, Cujo turn off the alarm," Danny muttered, tiredly rolling over on his bed, and trying to put a pillow over his ears.

Failing to accomplish his task, he gave up and removed the pillow, getting up and trying to open his eyes to focus on his surroundings. Even though it was mostly dark in his room, ghost powers were quite useful when it came to night vision.

"Johnny what the hell are you doing here?" The half questioned seeing not only Cujo sleeping next to him but also a blond ghost glowing like a radioactive pit in the middle of his room. He wondered if he was watching him sleep but ended up dismissing the thought, Johnny would get bored doing that.

"I came to notify you and this is how you pay me?" the ghost asked, offended, he'd hung up on his late night call with Kitty and all.

"Notify me what?" The doubtful boy questioned as he petted the ghost dog, which instead of waking up just rolled to the side reluctantly "and how did Cujo not wake up with all that noise? Did you set an alarm?"

"No, it's all over the city" Johnny sighed, although he didn't need sleep he liked to "Something about a place called Arc Ham, an escape, I didn't quite understand what they were talking about"

"Uh, I don't know what they mean either" the halfa frowned and checked his phone, it was 4:42 in the morning and he had an unread message.

Early Meeting - Jason

Johnny moved closer to read because privacy in the apartment was apparently optional, or so Danny thought wearily.

"Oh, he wants to see you early? More time for you to fantasize about your life together and your future cat" the blond scoffed.

"Shut up Johnny, I still have to ask Hood about his relationship, I'm not breaking up a couple" Danny said resignedly, he really needed to confirm that.

Deciding that it wasn't really possible for him to go back to sleep he stretched and yawned, maybe it would be a good start to his day early.

"Let's go have breakfast, it's going to be 5 o'clock anyway and I don't think we'll sleep with all that noise" he commented leaving his room and going to the living room of the apartment, to be part of an abandoned building in one of the worst places from the city it was quite spacious; Of course, both Technus and Danny made some improvements, avoiding touching the strange room in the back.

"Sure Hun, I could use some ecto" the ghost followed him, letting the pup sleep for a bit longer.

When they turned on the kitchen lights, something began to knock on the door. It seemed that they were trying to open it, the ghost and the halfa looked at each other doubtfully.

"Sacrifice, sacrifice!" The voice of a crow was heard outside.

—----------

"What do you mean Scarecrow escaped from Arkham, Replacement?" Jason questioned with annoyance as he walked through his apartment, a couple of hours ago he had finished his rounds on Crime Alley and it turns out that he couldn't sleep because he had a crazy person on his streets.

"Yes, he is in your territory so we decided not to interfere until we told you first" Tim said, his relationship with his older brother was strained at best.

"Don't you dare invade, I'll take care of him." Jason frowned, he didn't need the whole gang in his house.

"It'd be safer if we could go now, Little Wing-" Dick tried to reason.

"No, I'll take care of him" Jason stated again.

"Fine, but let us know if you need backup" Dick sighed, there was no reasoning with his little brother when he was like that, he was too stubborn.

"It's too early anyway, he's probably hiding, Crane is dramatic enough to wait until dark." Jason sighed reluctantly, waving goodbye and disconnecting the communications.

"It's better if I gather the gang earlier, don't you think, beautiful?" He questioned bending down and stroking Dog's head affectionately, although at first he was going to leave the pitbull at a shelter, he had grown fond of her.

Deciding that this was the best course of action he sent a message to all the "Hoodlins" or whatever they decided to call themselves that week for an earlier meeting. It was better to coordinate a delivery of gas masks in the community, for any mishap. Just in case Crane decided to go even crazier than usual.

"At least they didn't ask about the helmet" he hummed uncertainly, technically there was nothing wrong, but after a confrontation with a gang and some baseball bats it ended up being dented, his communications were pretty affected.

He could quickly repair it in the Batcave but he refused to set foot in the place before the weekly meeting Alfred forced them to attend. He decided to check it out in the afternoon, he was pretending to be just "Jason" and could claim that the Hood was looking for Crane, which wasn't a lie.

In the worst case he would call Babs to alert the bats if he ran into Scarecrow while he was camouflaging himself as a "civilian", he hated being rescued but it was unlikely to happen.

He couldn't be that unlucky, right?

—-------

"Uh, I wonder if it's the owners calling," Danny muttered under his breath as the door kept swinging.

Deciding to ignore the strange phenomenon for now (what could happen to them? They were already dead) he passed a container of ecto to Johnny while he poured himself a coffee, with radioactive green foam of course.

"Didn't food used to come alive when you did that?" questioned the ghost looking at the coffee uncertainly, he had fought alive hot dogs before and didn't find it a fun experience.

"Not in such small quantities, my parents had a full fridge; it's like comparing putting a drop of acid in water with putting a drop of water in acid" the halfa commented nonchalantly, all of his ectoplasm was arranged to isolate itself from food and being properly protected, the radiation was basically nil.

"Right." Johnny internally wondered if no one had called child protection or OSHA, but looking at the boy who was literally a foot from the grave he figured it was too late.

The ghost decided that it was better to change the subject before going into an existential crisis about his friend/ex/roommate with little sense of survival and unsafe home, Danny was not a Fenton anymore after all. Luckily he remembered an important question that Kitty had asked him earlier.

"Hey Danny, if you didn't have money to pay for an apartment when you got here, how did you get this place?" Johnny questioned curiously as the thought came to his mind again, he remembered the halfa complaining about it, and Kitty was curious too.

Danny didn't answer and just looked away, which made the blonde suspicious.

"Danny?" he asked again

"Maybe there was an empty apartment in good condition and I just...occupied it" the halfa replied, drinking his coffee and trying to get out of the conversation.

"DID YOU STEAL AN APARTMENT?" The ghost exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, it's not stealing if no one is claiming it" the boy defended himself.

"Weren't you supposed to be the hero?" Johnny questioned in dismay.

"No, I'm retired," Danny shrugged.

Johnny looked at the boy again, trying to connect the current image with the teenage hero he remembered, guessing he had simply slipped more to the gray side of things.

Was it his fault? He questioned himself for a few seconds before remembering all the boy's influences in his life and denying, no, Danny definitely had worse examples.

"Actually there is a room that we decided not to check for that reason, it felt weird" commented the halfa looking at the end of the corridor "Technus said it was creepy and I left it alone"

"Aren't you curious what can scare even a ghost?" The blond asked, now he wanted to explore the room.

"No Johnny, leave the place alone" Danny dismissed the comment.

"Oh come on, you can't just say there's a secret and unexplored room and forbid it" the ghost frowned, maybe he was getting carried away by the same influence of rebellion that had led him to die but he didn't care.

"I'm literally Schrödinger's cat, I don't want to be the cat that dies of curiosity too, the next thing we know I'll grow cat ears" the halfa denied, what works, works.

"Coward" the blond frowned annoyed.

"Fine, you can search the room but it will be at your own risk, okay? You have to face the consequences if something happens" Danny resigned himself to letting Johnny discover whatever was in there, he didn't care so much but maybe it would be nice to know .

"Cool!" The ghost lit up like a Christmas tree and floated to the mysterious door, opening it.

The room was quite strange, it looked like a study full of chemicals and various things, there were multiple glass bottles bubbling and had formulas on the walls; the final result, if the annotations could be trusted, it looked like some kind of spray, the ghost approached the container with curiosity. It was obvious that the place hadn't been used in a while, but someone had left a job unfinished.

"Uh, it looks like some kind of gas, I think this was a mad scientist's house" Johnny commented uncertainly as he sprayed some gas, it didn't seem to do anything, but to be fair he didn't really need to breathe, and there was no way it would affect his skin if it wasn't meant for ectoplasm.

"A gas?" Danny peeked down the hall, seeing the chem lab Johnny was in, he supposed it was ironic moving from a house with a lab in the basement to an apartment with a lab down the hall.

"Yeah, there's a trap door here, so there must be more, maybe even a basement" the ghost commented curiously, it was obvious what he planned to explore next "the gas doesn't do anything though"

"It's probably meant for humans, you don't breathe so it doesn't affect you" the halfa theorized more than determined to get away from the lab if Johnny was spraying dangerous substances all over the place.

"I guess" The ghost agreed, he was about to open the hatch when he heard the front door give way; he left the laboratory alarmed and closed the door, he could see the place when someone was not invading his temporary haunt.

"Sacrifice, sacrifice!" was heard again.

—-------

"Damn, the door is locked" after twenty minutes of pushing the apartment door Scarecrow was starting to get annoyed, he knew the place was old but this was just ridiculous.

To top it off, the number of crows that were watching him had increased, what was the point of the disguise if they were going to follow him like lost ducklings?

"Get out, get out, get out" he tried to push them away, it probably looked ridiculous, considering that the little annoyances flapped their wings and came closer, he could see in their eyes how they were judging him again, it was frustrating.

"Get out, get out, get out" the crows repeated together.

Crane's anger was building, were the damn birds kicking him out? He couldn't believe the nerve of the things, he really needed to get rid of them as soon as possible. If only the bloody door would give way.

"Shut up!" He exclaimed in annoyance, although he knew that wouldn't work.

"Shut up, shut up" repeated the crows with joy, they really were very intelligent.

Deciding to ignore the creatures he turned his attention to the door again; after all his attempts the damn thing had opened and he could access his safe house.

"Finally!" Scarecrow smiled, he just needed a few minutes in his lab and everything would be solved.

—----------

Shadow wasn't very forthcoming, unlike most concept-born ghosts who expressed their opinions freely, they preferred hiding; They could understand that most of their acquaintances had thought they were just part of Johnny and honestly they didn't care. Because as stupid as it sounds bad luck marveled at love, and he learned the most important thing: to spend your existence learning by your Soulmate's side, protecting and caring for them was worth it.

And maybe it was true, that nothing and no one was immune to falling in love, platonic or romantic; and as is well known, everyone does stupid things for love.

So, you can understand why as soon as Shadow felt danger near their haunt, they decided to check the surroundings; Johnny would probably wake up soon but it was more important to ensure the safety of his light. Their obsession might not be protection like the halfa's, but they were going to vanish before leaving the blond unprotected against an unknown threat.

They found it curious to see a man in a strange costume on the streets. At first they thought it was a ghost but they couldn't feel any ectoplasm inside him. Curiously, they hid within the nearby shadows. It was probably for that reason that the strange term attracted many crows, it was said that they were the symbol of bad luck and they honestly liked them.

"Sacrifice, sacrifice" sang one of the younger crows approaching, Shadow couldn't help but get out of the shadows and approach the little thing, instead of moving away the crow flew towards them and snuggled into their arms, or what was supposed to be their arms.

The disguised stranger continued to walk away, the crows that had surrounded them at the beginning seemed to take more interest in the disguise and decided to follow him. That was probably better, the human was talking to himself, which could teach the birds more, after all Shadow preferred not to talk at all.

Seeing that there was no more danger, they decided to go back to their haunt companions, the weird guy followed by crows didn't seem like a threat so they could go back to Johnny and make sure the surroundings were safe again. With the goal in mind they walked away with the raven in their arms.

—------------

"Shadow?" questioned Johnny curiously seeing his partner at the door, his thoughts about the strange lab almost forgotten, "what do you have there?"

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" exclaimed the crow in the ghost's arms, flying around the apartment.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no more pets in this apartment" Danny immediately shook his head upon seeing the little bird singing "much less sadistic pets"

"The only pet we have here is Cujo" Johnny claimed, offended.

Danny decided not to mention that taking care of both Johnny and Shadow was equivalent to taking care of two more pets, because they required almost the same as Cujo: food and attention. Well, more Johnny, Shadow was pretty quiet and didn't demand anything.

"Uhu, we're not adopting a crow." Danny rolled his eyes at the pleading eyes of both ghosts.

“Crow! Crow!” Exclaimed the excited crow.

"But he's so smart, and he's a quick learner" the blonde said "Let's not adopt him, just let him stay around often, please?"

"Please, please!" It seemed that the crow itself was begging, so the halfa sighed.

"Fine, we'll let him go, but he can climb out the window if he chooses and we'll feed him." Danny said, it was obvious he was going to have another pet to take care of.

"Excellent!" Johnny looked at Shadow expectantly, Shadow simply nodded, clapping their hands and hugged the blond before merging back to their original place "Shadow agrees too"

“Gree, Gree" the crow was learning too many words and sounds.

"You're a very smart crow aren't you?" Danny called the bird that had landed on his head "I'll call you Poe."

"Poe! Poe!" The crow moved over his head and flew to his shoulder.

"Fine, but I have to go to work in a few minutes anyway, Johnny don't wake Cujo up, and if anything happens call me okay?" The halfa couldn't help but go to get ready for work, probably a little better than he should.

"The Twinkcito is lost" Johnny laughed as he sat down next to the crow that was now perched on the sofa "I'm sure he dressed up too much to go see Jay"

"Twi!Twi!cito!" Poe tried to get the word out.

"Yes, Twinkcito head over heels in love," Johnny encouraged him.

"Love love!" Poe exclaimed proudly.

When Danny ran out of the apartment, after spending too much time considering what he should wear, Johnny decided not to comment on how his little visitor had followed him.

—-----------

"Sorry, am I too late?" Danny hurried to meet Jason at the right place, he had come running because it took him too long to decide what to wear, which was a little ridiculous when he ended up wearing the same jacket Johnny gave him in reverse.

"No, you're just in time, I was going to make the announcement" Jason smiled a little relieved, he had been scared that some of his men were missing "Okay, listen up"

He raised his voice to get the attention of most of the people gathered, although it didn't have as much effect as the moment a crow landed on his head, Jason looked at him strangely, but decided to ignore it as Danny waved the crow off.

"Scarecrow escaped last night" Jason continued, grunts were heard from the crowd "yeah, I'm not excited either, but we'll spend today handing out gas masks around Crime Alley, okay?"

After a general agreement he turned to Danny who was looking at the crow in a panic "Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes, perfectly, yes" the halfa replied a little upset.

"Twinkcito! Twinkcito!" Poe exclaimed happily.

"Johnny" Danny growled as he heard the crow.

"I suppose it's yours?" Jason chuckled but tried to cover it up by coughing, which didn't have much of an effect when Danny saw his betrayal.

"It's not mine, my roommate brought it and he's been following us but I thought he'd leave as soon as I got out of the apartment" the boy sighed.

"I guess he's taken a liking to you, what do you think about joining us today buddy?" Jason questioned patting the crow's head, though he wondered if he should look up more about that Johnny.

"Love! Love!" The crow exclaimed excited.

They both stared at the crow's words for a few seconds, Danny was the first to look away embarrassed, he was going to find out how to kill Johnny twice. One word shouldn't cause you to instinctively look at someone damn it.

"Right." Jason cleared his throat and led Danny over to the gas masks he had collected for these occasions, most of the goons were grabbing their own bag but since he was technically still a suspect, and fairly new, he had decided to join the boy for the task.

The morning passed quickly as Danny followed Jason carrying a bag of the masks that they were handing out together through Crime Alley. In general it seemed that Jay was focusing on the children, it was common for them to change places so he was worried that his companions would not reach them in time. The crow had moved away a while ago.

Danny greeted the kids who had arrived last time and they asked when he would be back at the soup kitchen.

"Well, I don't eat much, but if it's for work, probably next week" the halfa admitted.

Both Jason and the children looked at him uncertainly. Jason wondered if he should raise his pay since he hadn't given him any money yet, so maybe he didn't have food; or whether he should prepare refreshments for him. The children were more direct.

"Don't you eat much? Don't you have food at home?" A surprised girl questioned.

"Yes, I have food, although today I only had coffee for breakfast" Danny shrugged "my friend makes sure I eat something during the day, I usually forget about it"

Jason frowned at the answer, so the problem wasn't money.

"You're going to have breakfast with me on the days we work together" the vigilante pointed out, probably more demanding than he intended.

"Huh? Okay" Danny blushed, thinking that Jay had indirectly asked him out "Won't Hood have a problem with that?"

"Why would he?" Jason looked at Danny doubtfully. "I'm pretty sure he'll feed you as soon as I mention it to him."

The children looked at each other and after a quick conversation where Danny assured that he was not starving, they said goodbye. Each one with a mask in hand and a new tidbit about "Jay, the new guy and Hood"

After a while of distributing the masks Danny decided to ask.

"Jay, what's a Scarecrow?"

"Right, you're new to Gotham" Jason reminded "he's a recurring villain, he likes to scare people with fear gas"

"Oh" Danny remembered the lab at home "green gas?"

"Not necessarily, I really don't know what color it will be as he updates the formula." Jason was pretty sure Crane preferred purple for some reason.

"And by any chance he wears a Scarecrow mask and dresses weird?" Danny questioned looking across the street in a bit of a panic.

"Yeah, how did you know?" Jason asked curiously.

"Sacrifice! Sacrifice!" The crow flapping in front of them in a panic, Jason noticed that Danny was reaching into the bag.

It was at that moment that a building exploded behind him and Jason could hear Crane's characteristic laugh from across the street. He was relieved that he hadn't noticed them until Scarecrow fixed his gaze on the crow near them.

"Finally, I will get rid of those monsters and fear will rule all of Gotham!" Crane exclaimed with glee, laughing as the gas began to spread out down the street.

Jason cursed his luck, the only day the mad scientist had preferred to attack in the middle of the damn afternoon and he didn't have his weapons or his helmet with him "Danny you have to get out of here"

"No" Danny continued searching, but at the end of the bag he could only find a mask "you have to get out of here and gather the others"

Jason fixed his gaze on the approaching gas, Crane closing in on them too fast, driven to get rid of the crow next to them.

"Danny, the masks" Jason was cursing, he had to be stuck as a civilian.

"There's only one left" the halfa murmured worriedly.

Before Jason could say anything else, the gas was beginning to spread until almost reaching his face, he turned to Danny in a panic when he felt a weight on his nose.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? You've never faced fear gas before, you have no resistance!" Jason exclaimed in concern, trying to remove Danny's hands from his face where he had put the only gas mask on.

No matter how hard he tried to struggle, the boy had more strength than he appeared. Jason didn't have time for pretty boys with a hero complex, it was too dangerous.

"Love! Love!" The crow exclaimed in panic, rising to where the gas was not reaching.

"Yeah, I'm probably being an idiot, I know." Danny was aware of that, he didn't know how his own unique physiology would react to the gas, but he could handle Frighty's dimension, and if anything happened he would at least know that Jay would be safe. His core couldn't bear to leave someone in danger, much less someone he likes.

"Now is not the time to be a hero!" Jason complained angrily when the boy adjusted the mask on his face, he could see Danny being surrounded by the damn gas.

"I'm not a hero Jay" Danny denied, it had been a long time since he was one, he swallowed looking around, not knowing what to expect "But I know some people are worth going crazy for"

Was he being a hopeless romantic? Yeah; logically he knew he could have gotten rid of the effects another time where he was paying more attention, there were many solutions: not breathing, surrendering to his ghost form, becoming intangible, but as he had mentioned earlier, he was a fool; he could feel his head start to cloud over, he had gasped in reflex panic, he was scared of not finding a mask for Jay and he forgot about himself, it was too late.

"Damn," Jason growled as he pressed the button that called Oracle, he held Danny close to his body as he saw him start to tremble "fuck, fuck."

"Jason? What's wrong?" Barbara's voice sounded shaken, it was early for anyone in the family to call, and Jason calling was rare.

"Crane, I'm engaged, tell the bats to hurry up or I swear I'll shoot him in the head" he said annoyed "he's not paying attention to me but I'm in front of him, I'll hide in a nearby alley, tell them to hurry up fucking immediately"

Oracle hastened to call the bats tracking his current location as Jason walked off into one of the nearby alleys, leading a trembling Danny along with him.

"You're an idiot" he murmured sadly, hugging the boy; he held him when the boy couldn't stand up and began to mutter in panic.

He knew there wasn't much he could do, he had a gun hidden in his thigh but if he killed Crane he would have another argument with B, and he was honestly not in the mood, he didn't want to leave Danny alone either.

"They better hurry up, damn it" even though he knew there was no point getting upset, he couldn't help it, he was aware that it would take a while for the bats to even process an antidote for Scarecrow's new formula.

"No wait, don't leave me alone" Danny stirred where he was still nestled in his arms, Jason stroked his back lovingly.

"Shh, its okay, you're not alone, I'm here" the vigilante knew it was useless, most of the victims of the fear gas were not aware of their surroundings, but he needed to do something to console the stupid man who decided to jump into an unknown danger for him, who did not think twice before deciding that he was worth it.

"You make it very difficult to suspect you, you know?" Jason sighed "I think I grew fond of you too, Doll."

And really, this guy was unfair, how could Jason resist falling for this asshole?

-----------------------------------------------------

Aaand tag time, sorry for all the wait, honestly it was a bit of a difficult week but I wasn't going to let the week go by without an update so here we are, I hope you liked it (Hi Nixxie), I don't know how I keep accidentally making my chapters bigger but hey, I was really excited to write this scene and here we are, I hope this story doesn't go too fast for you, tell me your theories about the lab or anything else haha

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