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#says terrified brit
adbros · 7 months
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30 ways to make real; money from home
Making money online from the comfort of your home has become increasingly accessible with the growth of the internet and digital technologies. In 2023, there are numerous realistic ways to earn money online. Here are 30 ideas to get you started:
1. Freelance Writing: Offer your writing skills on platforms like Upwork or Freelancer to create blog posts, articles, or website content.
2. Content Creation: Start a YouTube channel, podcast, or blog to share your expertise or passion and monetize through ads, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.
3. Online Surveys and Market Research: Participate in online surveys and market research studies with platforms like Swagbucks or Survey Junkie.
4. Remote Customer Service: Work as a remote customer service representative for companies like Amazon or Apple.
5. Online Tutoring: Teach subjects you're knowledgeable in on platforms like VIPKid or Chegg Tutors.
6. E-commerce: Start an online store using platforms like Shopify, Etsy, or eBay to sell products.
7. Affiliate Marketing: Promote products or services on your blog or social media and earn commissions for sales made through your referral links.
8. Online Courses: Create and sell online courses on platforms like Udemy or Teachable.
9. Remote Data Entry: Find remote data entry jobs on websites like Clickworker or Remote.co.
10. Virtual Assistance: Offer administrative support services to businesses as a virtual assistant.
11. Graphic Design: Use your graphic design skills to create logos, graphics, or websites for clients on platforms like Fiverr.
12. Stock Photography: Sell your photos on stock photography websites like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock.
13. App Development: Develop and sell mobile apps or offer app development services.
14. Social Media Management: Manage social media accounts for businesses looking to enhance their online presence.
15. Dropshipping: Start an e-commerce business without holding inventory by dropshipping products.
16. Online Consultations: Offer consulting services in your area of expertise through video calls.
17. Online Surplus Sales: Sell unused items or collectibles on platforms like eBay or Facebook Marketplace.
18. Online Fitness Coaching: Become an online fitness coach and offer workout plans and guidance.
19. Virtual Events: Host webinars, workshops, or conferences on topics you're knowledgeable about.
20. Podcast Production: Offer podcast editing, production, or consulting services.
21. Remote Transcription: Transcribe audio and video files for clients.
22. Online Translation: Offer translation services if you're proficient in multiple languages.
23. Affiliate Blogging: Create a niche blog with affiliate marketing as the primary revenue source.
24. Online Art Sales: Sell your artwork, crafts, or digital art on platforms like Etsy or Redbubble.
25. Remote Bookkeeping: Offer bookkeeping services for small businesses from home.
26. Digital Marketing: Provide digital marketing services like SEO, PPC, or social media management.
27. Online Gaming: Stream your gaming sessions on platforms like Twitch and monetize through ads and donations.
28. Virtual Assistant Coaching: If you have experience as a VA, offer coaching services to aspiring virtual assistants.
29. Online Research: Conduct research for businesses or individuals in need of specific information.
30. Online Real Estate: Invest in virtual real estate, such as domain names or digital properties, and sell them for a profit.
Remember that success in making money online often requires dedication, patience, and the ability to adapt to changing trends. It's essential to research and choose the opportunities that align with your skills, interests, and long-term goals.
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cvvvendor · 8 months
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What is CC? How to buy cvv
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CC, short for Credit Card, is a plastic payment card issued by financial institutions to their customers. It allows users to make purchases and access credit facilities, with the promise of repaying the borrowed funds at a later date. CCs employ a unique identification number, known as the card number, which is linked to the cardholder's account information.
The Importance of CC Security
As CCs become more prevalent, the need for robust security measures is paramount. Cybercriminals are constantly devising new ways to steal sensitive CC information and exploit it for their gain. Therefore, it is crucial for cardholders to understand the importance of CC security and take necessary precautions to safeguard their financial data.
One of the key security features of CCs is the CVV, or Card Verification Value. CVV is a three-digit number printed on the back of the card, ensuring that the person making a purchase has the physical card in their possession. It adds an extra layer of security to online transactions, as the CVV is typically required to complete a purchase.
Additionally, cardholders should be vigilant in protecting their CC information from phishing scams, skimming devices, and other fraudulent activities. It is essential to only provide CC details on secure websites, regularly monitor CC statements for any unauthorized transactions, and report any suspicious activity to the card issuer immediately.
How to Protect Your CC Information
Protecting your CC information is of utmost importance to avoid falling victim to identity theft or financial fraud. Here are some essential tips to help you safeguard your CC details:
Keep Your CC Secure: Ensure that your CC is always in a safe and secure location. Do not share your card details with anyone, and never leave your CC unattended.
Monitor Your CC Statements: Regularly review your CC statements for any unauthorized charges or suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to your card issuer immediately.
Use Secure Websites: When making online purchases, verify that the website is secure by looking for the padlock icon in the browser's address bar. Avoid entering CC information on unsecured websites.
Beware of Phishing Scams: Be cautious of emails or messages that request your CC information. Legitimate organizations will never ask for sensitive information through email or text.
Update Your Software: Keep your computer, smartphone, and other devices up to date with the latest security patches and antivirus software to protect against malware and hacking attempts.
By following these security measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of CC fraud and protect your financial well-being.
Understanding CVV, Dumps, and Bins
CVV, Dumps, and Bins are terms commonly associated with CCs and the underground market for stolen financial information. Although their usage is primarily for illicit activities, understanding these terms can help individuals better protect themselves from potential threats.
CVV, as mentioned earlier, stands for Card Verification Value. It is a three-digit number printed on the back of most CCs, providing an additional layer of security for online transactions. It ensures that the person making the purchase has the physical card in their possession.
Dumps refer to the information contained in the magnetic stripe of a CC. This data includes the cardholder's name, CC number, expiration date, and sometimes the CVV. Cybercriminals use this information to create counterfeit CCs or make unauthorized purchases.
Bins, on the other hand, are the first six digits of a CC number. They identify the issuing bank or financial institution and can provide valuable information to cybercriminals during the carding process.
Understanding these terms is essential for individuals to recognize potential risks and take appropriate security measures to protect themselves from CC fraud.
Exploring Carding Forums and Shops
Carding forums and shops are online communities and platforms where cybercriminals gather to exchange information, buy and sell stolen CCs, dumps, and other illicit goods. These platforms provide a marketplace for individuals involved in carding activities to connect and conduct their illegal transactions.
It is important to note that participating in carding forums or utilizing carding shops is illegal and can lead to severe consequences. Engaging in such activities not only puts you at risk of financial fraud but also supports criminal organizations and contributes to the proliferation of cybercrime.
To protect yourself and your financial well-being, it is crucial to stay away from these illicit platforms and report any suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities.
Strategies for Safe Carding
Carding, the process of using stolen CC information to make unauthorized purchases or cash out funds, is a criminal activity that can result in significant legal consequences. However, understanding the strategies employed by carders can help individuals and organizations better protect themselves from these illicit activities.
One common strategy employed by carders is the utilization of high balance CCs. High balance CCs have a larger credit limit, allowing cybercriminals to make larger purchases or withdraw more funds before the fraudulent activity is detected.
Another strategy is the use of fresh dumps. Fresh dumps refer to recently stolen CC information that has not yet been reported or blocked by the card issuer. Carders prefer fresh dumps as they offer a higher chance of success during fraudulent transactions.
To combat these strategies, financial institutions and card issuers employ various security measures, including monitoring transactions for unusual activity, implementing advanced fraud detection systems, and educating customers about the importance of CC security.
Finding High Balance CCs and Fresh Dumps
While we strongly advise against engaging in any illegal activities, it is essential to understand how high balance CCs and fresh dumps enter the underground market. Cybercriminals obtain this information through various means, including data breaches, phishing scams, skimming devices, and hacking techniques.
However, it is important to note that these activities are illegal and punishable by law. Engaging in the sale or purchase of high balance CCs and fresh dumps not only supports criminal organizations but also puts you at risk of severe legal consequences.
To protect yourself and your financial well-being, it is essential to only engage in legal and legitimate financial activities. Report any suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities and take proactive steps to safeguard your CC information.
Valid CCs and CVVs: What You Need to Know
Valid CCs and CVVs are essential components of a successful transaction. A valid CC refers to a CC that is active, has not expired, and has a sufficient credit limit to complete a purchase. Without a valid CC, it is impossible to make authorized transactions.
CVV, as mentioned earlier, is a three-digit number that provides an extra layer of security for online transactions. It ensures that the person making a purchase has the physical card in their possession. Without a valid CVV, online transactions are often declined.
It is important to note that possessing a valid CC or CVV without the owner's consent is illegal and punishable by law. Engaging in fraudulent activities using valid CC information can lead to severe legal consequences.
The World of Online CVV Shops
Online CVV shops, also known as card shops, are illicit online platforms where CC information, CVVs, and other stolen data are bought and sold. These shops provide a marketplace for cybercriminals to exchange stolen financial information and facilitate fraudulent transactions.
Participating in online CVV shops is illegal and can lead to severe legal consequences. It is crucial to steer clear of these platforms and report any suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities.
Conclusion
CCs play a vital role in today's digital economy, allowing individuals to make convenient and secure online transactions. However, it is crucial to understand the security risks associated with CCs and take necessary precautions to protect your financial information.
By following best practices such as keeping your CC secure, monitoring your CC statements, and using secure websites, you can significantly reduce the risk of falling victim to CC fraud. Understanding terms like CVV, Dumps, and Bins can also help you recognize potential threats and take appropriate security measures.
Remember, engaging in illegal activities such as carding, participating in carding forums or shops, or utilizing stolen CC information is not only illegal but also puts you at risk of severe legal consequences. Stay informed, stay safe, and protect your financial well-being.
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loveframe · 8 months
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“My body wants more sleep but my pocket wants more money.”
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alpha-mag-media · 8 months
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Deadly Morocco earthquake was like someone picked up the hotel room and shook it, says terrified Brit | In Trend Today
Deadly Morocco earthquake was like someone picked up the hotel room and shook it, says terrified Brit Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS
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ur-mag · 8 months
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Deadly Morocco earthquake was like someone picked up the hotel room and shook it, says terrified Brit | In Trend Today
Deadly Morocco earthquake was like someone picked up the hotel room and shook it, says terrified Brit Read Full Text or Full Article on MAG NEWS
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give-grian-rights · 1 year
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btw jimmy solidarity is going to make me lose my mind. someone who cannot pronounce law should not be rolepalying as a sherrif ESPECIALLY when he pronounces it "lore" on a LORE BASED SERVER
like king. i cannot pronounce my "r"s but LAW and LORE are identical in your accent istg please just put on a southern accent whenever you say the word law. it would be funnier and clearer
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anxiouscryptidpartner · 11 months
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Dani remember to cross post to Tumblr challenge (impossible!)
Anyways, all hail Gladis.
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cherry-leclerc · 2 months
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wait for you ☆ cl16
genre: fluff, humor, tiny bit of smut, established relationship 
word count: 1.8k
An eager Charles tries to convince you to take part in an adorable video to show off your relationship for the first time, but it only lands you two in a clumsy mess. 
nsfw warning under the cut! 
18+…mainly just charles being a tit addict lol, oh and a bit of dry humping ahhah 
req!…quickie, but enjoy :) ps. we love a man who understandssss
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“Come on! Don’t be like that.”
It takes all of you to not roll your eyes at your needy boyfriend. He was excited to be back to racing after such a long time and this was just pure adrenaline, if you can even call it that. He had brought it up a few nights ago over dinner.
It’s been a year. Actually scratch that. A year and five months. Which is basically two if you stop and think about it.
Humming, you nod with less enthusiasm as he dangles his phone right in front of you, displaying cheesy couple videos. 
We can recreate it, people will know, and people will love you. Easy peasy.
But there was nothing easy about any of this. It had stayed a secret for so long for a reason - a perfectly reasonable reason. While you knew the good would most likely outweigh the bad, that didn’t make it less nerve wrecking.
With a heavy sigh, you roll off of his lap, chewing on your bottom lip. “I’m not sure, Charles. You know how I feel about all this. Plus, don’t you like knowing it's just you and me who know about us?” You signal between the two of you, eyebrows wiggling suggestively as he gulps.
“I do love having you to myself…”
“So it’s settled. Not yet.”
The next time he brings it up is when you’re out on a double date with George and Carmen, seeing as they spend a good amount of time here in Monaco. Could be nice, he says, blankly taking a lick from his vanilla ice cream. Would make me happy, y’know…
“I feel like I have to ask,” the Brit mumbles curiously. “Trouble in sex-paradise?”
Choking with surprise, you hurriedly shake your head as Carmen pinches her boyfriend's thigh. He yelps, scooting closer to the Monegasque who continues to pout. Rubbing your temples, you say, “Don’t pay him any attention, he doesn’t know what he’s saying.”
“Amore, it would be perfect!” Angling his head to the couple, he retreats his phone, already showing off the video. “Wouldn’t it be cute to announce our relationship like that?” Before they have a chance to answer, he nods happily, as if they’ve given him the biggest blessing. “It would, I know it would.”
“Reckon it’s a bit much,” George says while Carmen winces in agreement. Charles’ green eyes flicker to where you bite back a grin, writhing to let loose.
“You guys…”
Carmen pats his hand gently over the table. “Charles, just try and put yourself in her shoes. She’s worried. We’ve all been. Being in the public eye is extremely terrifying. Maybe she’s not ready-”
“Or she’s not that into you.”
The brunette clenches his jaw. “You’re not?”
Giggling, you peck his rosy cheek as he stubbornly gives in, a smile already being drawn onto his lips. “I’m so in love.” Then you turn to the Brit, kicking him sharply underneath the table. “Asshole.”
As he winces in pain, his girlfriend rubs his arm gingerly. “Oh, she’s definitely in love, Charles. But she’s not ready. Just wait on her for a tad bit longer.”
You’re honestly shocked when he doesn’t bring up the topic the time you visit his family, or when you meet up with Pierre and Kika. It was odd, but you didn’t think much of it. 
That is until he has you perched on his lap, greedy mouth wrapped around your sore buds. Large hands come in to grip your breasts, squeezing them closer to his face as he groans. You shiver when the cool air hits your wet skin. He smiles wickedly when you start rubbing yourself against his thigh, whimpers entering the room.
“You sound so sweet…”
You grip his shoulders tighter.
“Doing so good for me, yeah?”
You nod with soft pants and tired eyes.
“Do you love me?”
More than anything.
“Then you’ll do the video with me? You will, won’t you, darling?”
“Yes, yes,” you huff, core growing tighter. “Anything and everything you want.”
You can practically feel his smirk against your chest, but are too far gone to even care.
With one last lustful lick, he scoffs. “That’s my girl.”
-
“Okay, stand still,” he instructs, hands fixing his phone against the wooden chair. There's heavy concentration that lingers adorably as he gently bites down on his bottom lip, that it almost makes you regret how much you were dreading this. Balancing yourself on your tippy toes, you giggle nervously. Green eyes look back at you before pressing a kiss against your temple. “Shouldn’t be too hard. Just stand there and look pretty.”
“Because that’s all I’m good for,” you mumble sourly as he aims a deadpan expression. You know that’s not true. Then he presses the countdown and runs out of the frame, leaving you to stand like a lost puppy, soft eyes looking for their owner. Frowning hard at the camera, you sigh. “I really don’t get it-”
All of a sudden, strong arms wrap around your waist as he carries you in a hurry. You’re squealing loudly and shutting your eyes tightly. It leaves you winded as you slip into a coughing fit. Swiftly, the Monegasque places you back down and cradles your face with worried eyes. “Holy shit, are you okay?”
Pushing him away harshly, you shoot daggers at your boyfriend. “What the hell was that? You nearly killed me!”
The brunette winces. “I didn’t mean to do it that fast…” His shoulder droops with panic when you narrow your sharp eyes, chest heaving with slight anger. “Or that hard.”
You step away, frantic arms shooing him. “I’m out, this is stupid.”
“No, wait!” Following after you, he reaches to grab your hand. “I’ll be gentle this time. Let’s just try again.”
A skeptical scowl paints your face before nodding along. Dimples shine back towards you as he happily leads you back to the large kitchen. Slow, Charles. I mean it. Beaming brightly at the screen, you playfully search for him before you catch a glimpse of your clumsy manchild through your peripheral vision. You foolishly flinch as he makes his way and comes to an unexpected halt. He groans and you wail.
“Why did you stop?”
“Why do you look scared?”
Letting out a dry laugh, you bring your hands to your hips, right leg extending out like a strict teacher. “I was doing my part.”
“If looking scared was what you were going for, then mission accomplished.” He rubs his lids. “Try to pretend that you like me. The whole point is to show people that we’re in love.”
“Am I supposed to act like I like you or all lovey dovey? Which one is it?” you bicker back, hair whipping your cheekbones. He rolls his eyes. Stop acting like that, it’s not cute. “It’s not cute,” you mock as you return to your original spot. “Do not fuck this up, Charles.”
“Fine,” he grunts. Repeating the same actions, this time around he manages to trip over his own two feet, landing with a loud splat. The sound of his skin hitting the marble floor has you rolling with laughter and gasping for air. This is great, you wheeze, eyes crinkled. “It’s because I mopped earlier, remember? One last time.”
The Monegaque readies himself like a quarterback, dark eyes drawn to you like a hungry lion. You almost want to laugh with how serious he’s taking all of this, but somehow hold back. Once again, he makes his way on cue, arms wrapping around you securely and taking you down with him this time. 
Landing with a low umph, he holds onto you tightly, making sure to land on top of him safely as you yelp. Twisting up quickly, you bang a soft fist against his chest. “Dickhead! What are you doi- I’m not a fucking potatoe sack!”
The brunette manages to sit up, immediately going in to rub his head. Black spots blaze over his eyes. “I think I’m blind.” He pants, loopy eyes making a weak attempt to take in your delicate figure. “You still look like an angel, though.”
“That makes absolutely no sense.” You pause. “A-are you okay, baby?”
Brown locks bounce up lightly. With a heavy sigh, you help him up, leading him carefully towards the couch. Sore shoulders relax against the pillows. You bite down nervously on your thumb as you debate calling for help, given as how he hasn’t spoken much after the catastrophe. He hums. “I’m fine. Sit.”
“Oh, good,” you say, releasing out a breath of relief. As soon as he feels a dip next to him, he peeks one eye open, finding you with a pale face. A strong sense of protection takes over as he pushes your hair back, making sure to analyze everything about you. Why are you colorless? Did it hurt? Does anything hurt? We can go to the hospital to get you checked out. Actually, let's go.
He’s already grabbing your hand, flinging you to stand up when you let go. “I said I was okay. I’m just worried about you, that’s all. You took it the hardest, I swear I heard the sound of a coconut crack.” A teasing smile slips onto your berry lips, closed fist gently knocking against his head. “Only making sure.”
“Ha-ha.” Bringing you towards his chest, you nuzzle your face sweetly. “I tripped again-”
“I know,” you giggle, though it comes out slightly muffled, and slightly demonic. But it makes him grin eagerly, hand flying to smack your ass. You jump, feeling his chest vibrate as he chuckles. “This was an utter mess. How about we try again tomorrow?”
“How about we don’t?”
You pull away, hands pressing against his tall frame. “But I thought you wanted to do this…”
“I do, but you’re not ready.” A boyish wince strikes his face. “And I’m not going to force you.” You can’t help the swing your heart goes through with his sweet gesture. He continues. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do this in the first place; I knew you weren’t ready and I still tried. I’m sorry.”
Guilt eats you up with his words. “I swear I want to do this for you. I can try again!” Slithering out of his tight grip, you cluelessly look for his phone. He chuckles at your cute pout of determination. 
“But you’re not ready,” he states for the second time. “I’ll wait for you to be.”
The internet was a scary place - one you dread very much - but it’s true. You would have done this with him, even if you weren’t open to it. But the fact that he understood regardless…
Sheepishly marching your way over to the green eyed boy, you shoot a shy wink. “When I am…I’ll let you know?”
He grins, arms wide open as you find a home between them. “Of course.”
taglist: @myownwritings
*anyone is welcome to lmk and i'll add you along :)
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adventuringblind · 7 months
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What you Deserve
Charles Leclerc x Reader x Lando Norris x Max Verstappen
Genre: angst
Summary: Max deserves to be loved in every way, and she, along with her two partners, are determined to give him that.
Warnings: toxic relationship, mentions of Max's childhood, use of whore as an insult, domestic dispute, implied smut,
Notes: No hate to Kelly. I just needed her to be the villain for the plot
Masterlist
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Her life was, and is still, a Rollercoaster. Being the daughter of Christian Horner made it so. Her life has always been with cars. Her soul felt connected to them in a way.
Along with the cars, there also came the people. Seb, Daniel, and Max had become her attachments. Specifically Max since she's only a year younger than him.
You'd think they were in love by the way they acted with eachother. And she would be lying if she said she didn't want that. He, however, wanted to focus on his career and she respected that.
In 2019 she met Charles. An inevitable meeting since she was alway running around making sure things were going to plan. And by running, she means litterally.
She collided with the Monegasque while neither of them were paying attention.
He took her to dinner that night to apologize despite her protest.
It ended up being a fun night. After three after race dinners or outings it felt like tradition.
Something that started as friends didn't last long. Neither are sure who fell first, just that both of them did. They couldn't stay away from each other.
She told her dad. She was terrified and shaking and wanted to cry the entire time, but he took it well. He'd never had a problem with Charles and outside of racing he invited him in. The garage was still off limits.
She remained friends with Max during this time. Even the next year when he and Kelly had been getting closer. She knew it wasn't her place to say anything, but something felt off about it. And the ache in her heart for the blonde Dutch boy hadn't left despite her years with Charles.
It made her feel guilty. Everytime her thoughts flickered back to Max, she felt herself spiraling to places she shouldn't be.
Charles had caught her in such a state. He'd panicked when he saw her glassy and absent stare.
"What's wrong, chéri?" He knelt down next to her and took her hands in his despite his own body shaking.
"I'm not good for you."
"Well that's not true at all." He coos at her. Though it only makes her tears fall harder.
"I love you but I also love Max. Always have. It's not fair to you."
"I already knew amour." He chuckles. "And I don't care. I think your heart os big enough to love more then one person. I'd even be open to seeing if he wanted to join us."
Things changed for the better after that. She felt safe enough to talk about feelings she'd never been able to explore previously.
They'd made a few attempts at asking him about his relashonship with Kelly. None of it had gone anywhere. They didn't go out with them and Max seemed to get rigid and defensive at the subject. So they dropped it until they had more information to work with.
Lando came to them out of nowhere. One day he just exploded with life and laughter into their world and never left.
The Brit had made it very clear that he liked it with them and the other two felt the same. It worked in a way people would find unconventional. But it's their relationship and nobody else's business.
That conversation with her dad made her laugh instead of shake. Mostly because he decided to give a stern lecture to both boys about how he would not hesitate to send Max into the sides of their cars if they hurt her.
Similarly, Max also had a few things to say. Despite him and Kelly going public with their relationship, he still cared for her. A small part of him even knawed with jealousy at times.
Their love for each other felt so different. They openly expressed it and were always smiling around each other. Max had to do something amazing to get that kind of affection from Kelly. Or he had to do something for her first.
But it's all he knows. He'd never had affection modeled for him growing up. He'd seen more hurt then anything. And he can't help the part of himself that wants what they have.
~
"I'm getting worried about him." Says the female who is currently curled across the laps of her lovers.
"Pretty sure you're always worried about him." Lando smiles at her endearingly. His head is resing on Charles' chest and his fingers idly stroke through the females hair.
She hums in agreement. It's not unusual that she's worried about Max. But this felt different.
Three days ago, Max had made history. Yes everytime he was next to Kelly, the Dutch looked almost pained. Even at the after celebrations he tried to stay with the three of them and not Kelly who looked interested in chatting with other people.
"I believe Kelly is gone for a few days." Pipes Charles. He sets his phone down and cuddles closer to his two lovers. "We could see if he wants to go out with us."
"Wouldn't he be cheating on her then?"
"Realistically it could just be Max hanging out with friends. Plus what Kelly doesn't know won't kill her."
~
Max says yes. It shocks her that he does so. Max has always been loyal to a fault. Maybe he is in a worse situation then they thought.
They met at the restaurant. It wasn't anything high class and discreet enough that they would hopefully be able to eat in peace.
Max arrived fashionable late and looking mildly anxious.
"Sorry I'm late." He says while getting comfortable in his seat.
"No need to apologize." Reassures Charles. "Is everything alright?"
Max hesitates, his body going rigid like recalling a bad memory. "Kelly's trip got delayed and when I told her I had plans she tried to keep me home instead."
"She doesn't think your cheating or anything does she?" Lando almost whispers across the table. Eyes filled with concern.
"I don't think so? She's accused me of it a few times with y/n but not recently that I can remember."
The female, who's been fighting the urge to punch Kelly since she started dating Max, decides holding his hand is probably better then her words at the moment. He smiles at her in endearment and appreciation.
"Let's move to another topic, shall we?"
The rest of the dinner is spent conversing about nonsense. Nothing about racing or work just everything and nothing all mixed together.
Max is finally looking more relaxed. His phone forgotten in his pocket. His smile lighting up at silly stories and funny jokes. It's refreshing to see him like this and the female finds herself melting into the fact he looks so comfortable with them.
~
Three days after their dinner date, Max calls to ask if they'd be willing to come to his place for drinks. Which is how they find themselves standing in the doorway of Max's apartment almost dumbfounded.
There is hardly anything around that feels like Max. No redbull posters or racing themed items. No pictures of Max and Kelly together and nothing of Max with his family.
Even when Max is giving them a tour of the place, she spots a shelf that gives evidence this isn't a strangers place. A singular shelf. Again she's fighting the urge to rip all of Kelly's clothes to shreds.
"Mate, your apartment feels like it's a display case." Lando's nose scruntches up in confusion.
Max leads them over to the bar area and starts pouring drinks. His shoulders shrugging and the Brits comment. "Kelly says it's better for my focus if it's like this."
Charles must have caught the way she moved. Her body ready to throw all Kelly's personal belongings out the window. The Monegasque's hand on her thigh stops her from doing so. He shoots her a pointed look that says 'violence is not the answer'.
Joke on him. Violence is always the answer. She just needs to wait for the perfect opportunity to unleash her fury. Just like her sarcastic father and hard to faze mother taught her.
They spent the evening in relatively deep conversation. Not awkward, flowing and comfortable. Max was opening up about his. She knew majority of what happend in his youth but the things about Kelly are new. How Max talks like it's completely normal is beyond her.
~
They continued this dance for a few months. Waiting for Kelly to not be looking before showering the Dutch in affection. They didn't push anything, just tried to give Max the love he'd been missing and craving for so long.
She would say it was cheating. The three of them are simply being good friends and making sure Max is doing okay mentally. And physically.
Until they probably go a step to far. All of them buzzed with liquid courage. The tension from the last few months finally spilling over.
The intimate a passionate night brought then all together in ways she didn't know were possible. The way Max was tearing up at being taken care of for once made every piece of her melt.
They couldn't go back after this. Max had said so himself. He wanted to be done with Kelly but felt stuck.
They reassured him that whatever happened they would be waiting, ready with open arms.
~
A week after, Lando woke up to his phone buzzing at an ungodly hour in the morning. Her and Charles shot out of bed out the sound of Max's broken sob and the sound of something smashing in the background.
The car ride felt blurry. The anger rising in her chest making it hard to breathe. Lando's voice is swimming in her head as he tries to keep Max on the phone with him and keep him breathing.
When they get to Max's apartment, the door is unlocked. Charles swings it open to reveal Kelly angrily stomping around. The place is a mess and there is shattered glass covering majority of the floor.
Kelly stops over to the female and lands a finger in the center of her chest. "This is your fault. You made Max into a damn whore for you people."
"Pretty sure you're the whore. Aren't you the one who feels the need to keep yourself young by sleeping with people who are barely legal behind Max's back?" She spits.
Kelly's palm connects with her cheek. Her face stings but her knuckles are burning with fiery rage. She doesn't give Kelly time to recover. Her fist connects with her jaw and sends her reeling backwards.
She'd been so engrossed that she didn't realize the boys had pulled Max out of wherever he was hiding. Now in the saftey of Lando's arms. Charles is the one who ultimately pulls her away from the scene. Despite her fighting him at first to get another hit on Kelly in before they leave.
~
The next few days are filled with attempting to get Max's things, phone calls, and the ensuring PR circus. The legal things worked themselves out since technically it's his apartment and Max never layer a finger on Kelly. Furthermore, Kelly hit her first so she got away on the 'self defense' excuse.
Max had his stuff mixed in with theirs. She'd printed pictures of them all together and pinned them to the wall. His presences in the house is known.
As she stands in the doorway of their room, her three lovers curled up together, snoring peacefully, she knows it was always meant to be.
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sionisjaune · 9 days
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Neighbour AU + Mutual pining (mickcedes or brocedes please) 💙
[Trope mash up prompts] This might have to become a series, because I got 1k into this and realized I hadn't even gotten to the mutual pining! But here you go, mickcedes monaco neighbours AU:
After breaking up with his girlfriend of four years, Mick musters the courage to ask Seb for his realtor so he can get the hell out of his sister’s place. Gina is awesome—the best sister Mick could ask for—but it’s clear that she’s become somewhat peeved after six weeks of taking care of her older brother.
Seb’s realtor is a terrifying blonde woman named Britta, and when Mick meets her for coffee—black for Britta and a cappuccino for Mick—she pulls up a map of Europe on her phone, holds it out to Mick and says, “Where do you want to go?” 
Mick swallows. He has the force of his family’s bank account behind him, which really means he could go anywhere. He pictures himself in the UK, in Greece, in Norway, in a beautiful island cottage in Croatia and says, “I’ve always wanted to live in Monaco.” 
“Monaco,” says Britta, tilting her head in consideration. “We can do Monaco.” 
-
Three days later, Britta texts Mick a plane ticket to Nice, the receipt for a rental car, and a link to tour a residential high rise virtually. Mick opens the link and flips through images of a sun-drenched condo on the sixth floor. He’s not much of a designer, but he imagines a dining room table beside the french doors that open onto the balcony, a flatscreen on the wall of the living room, and family photos on the mantel. 
He could live with it, he thinks. I like it, he texts Britta. 
-
Britta holds open the door for Mick, awfully gentlemanly, and nods at the doorman like she’s already met him. The lobby is bright and modern, and a plaque made from sun-bleached driftwood reads BIENVENUE on the front desk. 
The elevator ride to the sixth floor is uneventful, Britta and Mick leaning against opposite walls. The floor numbers tick upwards on the LED panel above the door. Britta tucks her hands behind her back and assesses Mick coolly. 
“You know,” she says, conversationally. “If Sebastian ever treats you unfairly, you can tell me, and I’ll sort him out. He can be a selfish little man when he isn’t thinking straight.” 
“Thanks,” Mick squeaks, willing the elevator doors to open. It’s difficult to categorize anything Seb does as unfair when Mick still has stars in his eyes looking at him. It’s Sebastian Vettel, his dad’s protege. 
“I’m serious,” says Britta, fiercely. 
As if sensing Mick’s discomfort, the elevator jolts to a halt, and a ding signals their arrival at the sixth floor. Britta makes an after you kind of gesture, and Mick slips out of the elevator. 
-
When Mick and Britta are done touring the apartment, Mick accepts Britta’s offer to show him around the city. He’s been here before on family vacations, but not since… Well, that doesn’t bear thinking about. 
Britta locks the door to the apartment behind them, and Mick turns around to stride towards the elevator, and runs smack into another body carrying a box of something green.
“Desole,” says Mick, mustering disused French. He shoots an arm out to help the stranger balance his box of what looks like—asparagus and artichokes and various varieties of leafy greens.
“Pas grave,” says the stranger, clutching his box of produce to his chest. Mick pulls back, and the stranger transfers the box to one arm, using his freed hand to sweep the hair out of his eyes. 
The stranger is bright blonde with fine wrinkles at the corners of turquoise eyes like he’s older than his otherwise smooth features suggest. He’s dressed in linen from head to toe, a pair of designer sandals on his feet that Mick only recognizes from his mother’s beach wardrobe. 
Britta snorts behind him. The stranger looks past Mick and wrinkles his nose at her. 
The awkward encounter is over in a matter of seconds, and the stranger is brushing past Mick, presumably to get to his apartment, while Britta ushers Mick towards the elevator. Mick shakes his head clear while Britta pushes the button for the lobby. 
“Do you know him?” Mick asks. 
“Ha,” says Britta, a thin smile growing on her jaw. “Sebastian does. That’s Nico Rosberg, an angel investor in the sustainable energy sector. He lives in Monaco with his husband, a designer.” 
“Rosberg as in Keke Rosberg?” says Mick. 
“That’s the one,” says Britta.
-
A month later, Mick finds himself on a plane to Nice for the second time, his most important belongings crammed in a mountain of suitcases and stowed with the rest of the luggage. Seb offered to fly with him and help Mick set up, but Mick felt somewhat guilty for stealing Britta for so long and wanted to prove to no one in particular that he could make the move by himself. 
He retrieves his new keys from the front desk, and after an afternoon he has most of the important things assembled, which is to say a toaster, an espresso machine and a bedframe. He opens his laptop and half-heartedly scrolls through an online furniture store, but gives up on the third page of bespoke credenzas. He doesn’t even know where he would put a credenza. 
In the end, he wraps himself up in the one sheet he bothered to bring with him and passes out on top of the mattress. 
-
Mick wakes to a knock on his door. He experiences a fleeting thought that he’s still staying with his sister, and it’s her boyfriend knocking on the door to take her out for breakfast before he realizes he’s in his new apartment in Monaco and Gina is thousands of kilometres away. He flings the sheet off his torso, still wearing yesterday’s t-shirt and joggers, and slogs through the apartment to answer the door. 
When Mick tugs the door open, Nico Rosberg is standing on the other side, a basket of greens once again clutched in his hands. Another man, with a deeper complexion, stylish facial hair, and a face stacked with piercings, stands at his shoulder, looking somewhat bored. 
“Hi?” says Mick, uncertain. 
“Hello neighbour!” says Nico Rosberg, foisting the basket on Mick. “We wondered when you’d move in. I’m Nico, and this is my partner Lewis. We live two doors down.” Nico gestures vaguely at the other end of the hallway. “Lewis, say hello,” he sing-songs. 
“Hey, man,” says Lewis. 
“Uh,” says Mick, struggling under his new armful of kale and other vegetables. “Thanks? Can I…” he glances backwards into the apartment and notes the kitchen, which is empty of everything but the toaster and coffee machine. “Invite you in for coffee?”
Nico laughs ebulliently. “Of course not. We wouldn’t dream of taking advantage of your hospitality when you’ve just moved in. If you need anything from us, though, just knock.” He grins flatly at Mick, lips closed. Something about it reminds Mick of Britta. 
“Thanks,” says Mick. “I’ll just…” he breaks off. 
“Great,” says Nico, still smiling his flat smile. “Wonderful to meet you. I’m sure we’ll be seeing you around.” 
Nico spins on his heel, links his arm through Lewis’s and tugs him down the hall. Mick blinks, steadying himself, and nudges the door closed with his foot, hauling the basket of produce into the kitchen. He sets it on the counter and pulls back to scrutinize it. What the fuck is he going to do with 10 kilos of kale?
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xxavengingangelxx · 6 months
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Somewhere Only We Know 3/?
Part threeeee! I feel kind iffy about this one. Smurt starts so MDNI! 18+ I feel like the smut is not my best work but there will definitely be more smut in the future chapters :)
Taglist! @bellgraves, @unicorngirly1, @josieguts, @lily-lily131313, @shepgurl - if you'd like to be added, lemme know! ;)
Val feels like she has no choice but to return to Shadow Company for numerous reasons.
EDIT: Forgot to add! Q and A. Will Graves get more affectionate? I've gotten that question a LOOOT. Yes. But like all men he just found out and is a little overwhelmed 😉
-
You didn’t know how much time had passed when Price excused himself to take a phone call. Someone had called him three times back-to-back.
You knew who it was didn’t you?
-
Price wasn’t allowed to wander off very far. That small wing of the hospital you were in had been sealed off. No one enters or exits except for the police and the military.
Your suspicion was confirmed so were you really surprised when you heard Graves’s voice on the other end of that phone? Years of explosions and gunfire didn’t allow Price to turn the volume low enough that your younger, less exposed ears couldn’t pick it up. And because of how close the perimeter of that hospital wing was you heard every…word.
“Price,” Graves’s voice was tight, on-edge, dangerous and you wondered if someone had pissed him off right before.
“Graves,” Price spat back. “Was beginnin’ ta think Laswell had finally approved that airstrike you were nothin’ but ashes.”
“Haha,”
“Sorry,” Price added, “but I constant’ly fantasize about ya dying.”
“Knock this shit off,” Graves warned. “You have two people I’m interested in.” Graves paused before adding, “One I haven’t quite met yet.”
Price’s silence told you he was in shock.
Why did Graves sound so fucking terrifying today?
“Bloody ‘ell,” Price gasped. “How’d you—”
“I have eyes everywhere,” Graves said darkly. “A thing you might not know about southern culture, ya Brit. We like to keep our families together.”
“And you see Val as family? She’s not your wife ya fuckin’ psycho’.”
“No, she is. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
And you don’t know why that line made your breath catch in your throat. You knew Graves was obsessed with you but what exactly did he mean by that?
“You’re such a sick fuck,”
“Get her back to me.”
“I can’t override an arrest warrant,” Price shot back.
“Figure it out,” Graves snapped. “Or Makarov wins and World War III starts. I have the money and the connections to hide me and my family. Do you?”
-
You didn’t know you were still crying until the tears rolled down your face as a female soldier (no, not a police officer but a soldier) patted you down. The UK military was pissed enough to detain you because you’d released the codes to 141’s homing beacons. You had denied torture and refused to say anything against Graves or Shepherd. So they saw it as you betrayed 141 and willingly gave them up. You and Graves had worked together that night, hadn’t you? At least that’s what it looked like on the outside looking in. All the digging they’d done had revealed hushed secrets of how you two had been inappropriately involved with each other pretty much since you’d met.
You had mugshots taken for the first time in your life. They took pictures of every visible scar. You wondered why this wasn’t done at the detention facility and you were told it was in case you or someone who fancied you just happened to bust you out from the facility or even got to you before you even got there. So they’d have pictures of you to show the world and help re-capture you.
You were given a bulletproof vest because you’d made the news and had been labeled a traitor. You were loathed. There had been threats on your life. The news loves making people look horrible don’t they? You wondered if the news knew about your situation. Graves knew. And you really didn’t know how to feel about that. You couldn’t even get away from him by being arrested and detained.
You were never going to get away from Graves were you? You didn’t exactly hate it, though. But it also scared you, didn’t it?
You were chained like you were some outlaw (you kinda were though, weren’t you?). The fact that you could pick handcuffs and liked swing at authority figures had gotten around and so your cuffs were anchored to a chain around your waist. Not too tight. They didn’t want you, a sue-happy American, to sue them if you just so happened to lose that pregnancy.
“You’re really gonna let yourself get locked up instead of sayin’ somethin’, anythin’ against that son of a bitch?” Price asked.
“Just watch out for Graves and Shepherd, Captain,” you stated. “He might like me. But he won’t think twice about killing you. Make sure you and your boys stay safe.”
“You make it sound like you’re sacrificin’ yaself.”
“I can keep him distracted just enough.”
-
The sunlight was bright and it reminded you of how much you hated sunny days. The noise was overwhelming. News crews, people shouting at you, calling you a traitor. So you just glanced down, using your hair to hide your face. 141, for all you had done against them in the last 3 months, shielded you as best as they could.
Soap even pulled your hood over your head and you almost cried at the kindness of it. Also, pregnancy hormones.
It was cold.
You were about to be put into a military vehicle when a familiar voice, a demanding voice, told them to stop and turn around.
It was impossible to understand what was being said outside with all the noise. So you all went back inside, into the warmth of the hospital.
Granted you couldn’t move much. Cuffs anchored to your waist and leg irons. That thin bulletproof vest was tight on you, straps drawn snug. Graves indeed hadn’t been lying that they were going to treat you like a fucking prisoner, a good for nothing. And that was one of the reasons you kept your faith in Graves. You were weirdly bonded to him. You didn’t love him and you were sure he didn’t love you. But it seemed like you both were stuck together for the time being.
Maybe forever. You were obsessed. Maybe just as much as he was. Maybe a little less, though.
But the man here in person? General Shepherd.
“Graves told me what happened,” Shepherd stated. He removed his sunglasses.
“It’s none of yer business,” Price snapped.
“No, it is because she’s mine.”
“No, your Shadow piece o’ shit kidnapped ‘er. And now he’s fuckin’ stalkin’ her.”
“We had reason to believe she was collaborating with Hassan as she was the only one we found. Wandering all alone.” Shepherd paused before adding, “Like an abandoned puppy. That’s the term Graves used. And abandoned puppies need new homes, don’t they?”
Price full on growled. “Thas’ some bullshit excuse ya have. It won’t make sense on paper.”
“But it will,” Shepherd grinned that shit-eating grin he had. It was the same grin you imagined him having when Graves took that initial hostage video all those months ago. “And it did,”
Price was handed papers. What they said you couldn’t read. The print was too small.
“Val here was abandoned by her task force. We took her in, interrogated her, revealed she had nothin’ to hide.” Price signaled at the documents in Price’s hands, shaking with anger. “We did not, under any condition torture her.”
Shepherd looked at you, smirking before adding, “Ain’t that right, sweetheart?”
“They didn’t hurt me,” you confirmed. You lied. You lied to protect Shepherd, Shadow Company, and most importantly, Graves. Something deep inside told you this would not be the last time lying for them. If this shit was brought to court or congress, you’d keep lying to protect Graves without a second thought.
“Val, ser’ously?” Price glared and if looks could kill, Shepherd would’ve died on the spot.
“She’s been with Shadows for 3 months. She’s mine now.” Shepherd demanded. “Hand ‘er over,”
“She’s not goin’ with ya,” Soap snapped. “Ya’ll done enough.”
“Don’t make me get my boys. You sure as fuck don’t want me getting Graves. He’s pissed. Has been. And when he’s mad he gets trigger happy.” Shepherd smirked. “Now go on ahead and get Graves’s little miss outta those cuffs. She wouldn’t hurt a fly. Don’t why ya’ll would treat a lady like that.”
“You’ve lost your mind…again, Gen’ral,” Price snapped. “She’s lookin’ at a court martial. US and UK want her here.”
“Let me put it in simpler terms for you,” That smirk never left Shepherd’s face. “Give me the girl. Give me my soldier or we all lose.”
“You don’t have to go with him,” Price muttered from next to you. “We can get a court to look at this,” He signaled at the pages which you still hadn’t bothered to try reading. “You have a choice,”
“I want Graves,” you said confidently.
The police officer, a new one, looked at Price, his gaze asking what he should do. Release, not release? Detain?
“You’re gonna go back to the company that fucked you up so bad you tried to kill ya’self?” Price paused before adding, “Is’ not jus’ about jus’ you anymore, Val. You have someone else to think about. Don’t do this.”
You shrugged. Because it really was. The bond you had with Graves was intense. Plus, you’d stay out of prison. You did have a child to think about. And the last fucking thing you wanted was you in prison in the UK, Graves in prison in the US, and your child in that horrible foster care system. You’d run before you let that happen.
“We’ll get them after all this, Val,” Price muttered so only you could hear. “They’ll rot in prison.”
“Release her. Now.” Shepherd demanded of the officer. “They’ve removed her AWOL status and transferred her to Shadow.”
“You better sleep with one eye open, mate,” were the last words Price said to Shepherd before you walked out of that hospital with said general free of restraints.
-
Shepherd didn’t say much in the truck. At least not at first. You rubbed your wrists because they cuffs on your wrists had been on too damn tight.
It was you and Shepherd. That was it. You wondered where Graves was. “You’ve done good work, soldier. Graves asked for you by name. Pulled a few strings and got this done because Graves is my best.”
You didn’t say a word. You’d thanked him earlier anyway. Well, that is except to ask, “Where’s Graves?”
“A safehouse,” Shepherd responded. “What’d you tell ‘em, soldier?”
“Nothing, sir.” You responded. “They threatened me with prison but I didn’t say shit. Respectfully.”
“We’ll pull the hospital records,”
“I’ve nothing to hide, sir.”
Shepherd paused before adding, “Don’t disappoint my top man,” Shepherd warned. “He’s gonna be your Shadow for the rest of your life. Told me he’s not letting you go.”
“No, sir. I won’t, sir.”
“He asks you to get on your knees, your response is how low, understand?”
“Yessir,” you felt like he was selling you to Graves.
“Ya ever thought about letting him fuck a kid into ya?”
Your head snapped to look in his direction next to you. Did he know?
“Would be nice to leave all this to family,” Shepherd stated simply. He saw you as something to be used. Was that why he’d said all those months ago he wanted you specifically working for them? A female? A female Shepherd knew Graves had a thing for?
Shepherd chuckled that cold laugh before adding, “I know ya’ll been fuckin’ since you met pretty much. He’s been obsessed with you.”
Was he kidding? And at that second something deep inside you told you Graves might like that you’re carrying his kid. There was no getting away from him now, was there? Even if you wanted to. Where the hell did you think you were going to hide with his kid?
“No offense, sir,” you replied after catching your breath, “That’s not why we—”
“That’s it’s God-given purpose,” he interrupted. “He’d be perfect.”
Who--? Hell, Shepherd was already obsessed with the kid and Shepherd didn’t even know the kid existed. Right? And you didn’t like that, not one bit.
“Product of two of my best soldiers, raised by Shadows, in the field.”
You weren’t sure if Shepherd took your ensuing silence as a form of defiance or as a form of acceptance.
You wished it was just you. Just you going back to Graves, no kid. But you were stuck now, weren’t you? You didn’t think your IUD would fail. But it did. You had less than a one percent chance of getting pregnant but here you were. And that was why you’d made that decision, amongst other reasons, sure. The decision to keep him. Him because you felt it was a boy.
Because maybe while you distracting Graves wasn’t enough, maybe you and his kid would distract Graves enough for him to leave 141 alone.
You just hated an innocent life was involved.
-
“Did you really raise that much hell?” Graves’s voice from behind you light a fire under your heart. He must’ve noticed your brief injuries.
“You told me to raise hell so I did,”
“Atta girl,” Graves smirked.
You couldn’t help it. You reached out and hugged him, gear and all.
And surprisingly?
He hugged back.
“Good ‘ta have you back,” Graves said, his voice tickling your hair as he rested his chin on your head.
-
You hoped into a hot shower the second you could. You scratched your skin raw trying to get those tape marks off your arms from when the hospital had started an IV sedated you that one day. You had tape marks all up and down your arms from all the times they’d drawn blood, marks around your wrists from the handcuffs and restraints.
“Don’t make yourself bleed, darlin,’” Graves chided. He’d been watching you through the clear glass shower door.
“I want it off,” you almost pouted.
He was naked when he joined you and you couldn’t help but eye him up and down shamelessly. He did the same to you. His eyes stopped on your breasts and on his favorite spot between your legs.
“They hurt you, didn’t they?”
His eyes lingered on the tape burn on your face from the duct tape pulled off your mouth three days ago. On the scrape your cheek showed after being yanked onto the ground face first when you hit a police officer in the face. And finally, to those scratch marks on your arms from trying to take the medical tape residue off.
You had indeed made yourself bleed.
“Only a little,” you contested.
“They’ll never have ya’ll again,” Graves promised.
And that confirmed he knew. He knew it wasn’t just you anymore.
You got on your toes. The hot water had you both sweating. Your hair was in loose curls over your shoulders and his blonde hair falling over his forehead. His hair almost looked light brown when it was wet and hanging on his forehead. Your lips met his briefly before he pressed his lips onto yours, his tongue sweeping your mouth possessively. You raised your hands to his shoulders, to the nape of his neck, the strong stinging pain of scratch mark wounds forgotten.
He placed two strong hands on your hips before gripping your ass and effortlessly lifting you. You, out of habit, wrapped your legs around his waist. He pressed you onto the cold tile behind you, making you gasp and hiss and arch your back.
When you arched your back, you felt him, hot and thick and hard, at your entrance.
“That desperate are we?”
You gave him a lustful glare and an exasperated huff while he scoffed in response.
Graves ran his teeth just along your jawline, making you moan. You caught yourself and reminded yourself to be quiet. This was a safehouse, not a black site. It meant noise traveled through the walls like they weren’t there. It wasn’t like back on base where the walls were concrete. And absorbed all the sound.
“We’re alone,”
You moaned more at his words.
“Lick my fingers,” Graves commanded. He had you pinned against the wall, his hot, thick cock just touching your entrance. You mewled, trying to get him inside you.
So you obeyed. You ran your hot tongue over his fingers as he held them in front of your face.
“Show me how you’re gonna take me,” Graves added in a low growl.
Graves suddenly released you and your knees almost gave out.
You wanted him. You needed him.
“On your knees,”
You obeyed instantly. You fucking loved that despite your delicate situation he was still willing to insert at least a little dominance in the bedroom.
Without him asking you to, you took his hard length into your mouth.
Graves gasped and moaned, throwing his head back and catching his hair in the hot spray of the shower.
-
It wasn’t long before Graves was on top of you, in bed. You were both still drenched from the shower but it wasn’t like either of you cared. You’d started sucking him off and after pulling you off of him he’d started to work his fingers inside of you before he’d abruptly cut off the water.
Now here you were, drenched hair sprawled out behind you while Graves had bruising grips on your thighs as you felt him mercilessly use his lips, teeth, and tongue to taste you.
You felt like you needed him to totally own you. To take your mind off that burning pain from where you’d scratched yourself so hard you’d cut yourself open earlier, from what you’d learned from your hospital stay, from all the shit you’d been through. So you said those key words…the key words that let him know you wanted him to fuck you almost into unconsciousness, that gave him permission to leave marks on you.
“Graves, show me who I belong to,”
But to your surprise?
“No,” came the growled reply from between your legs.
“What?” you glanced down and the sight that met you almost made you gasp. Graves, his hands still grasping your thighs, his pupils wide with lust, his chin damp from your arousal, his hair sticking to his damp forehead.
You wondered if maybe you tasted differently. Could he taste that he completely owned you, marked you forever? You were carrying his child. How much more could he own you?
“No, Val,” Graves repeated, his gaze not leaving yours. “Tonight I’m just gonna relearn every fucking inch of your body.”
So after he’d edged you twice and finally let you cum on his lips, he was finally inside you.
And that’s when time seemed to slow down. It felt like you had been apart from Graves your months when in reality it had been a few days. You wondered if this is what addiction felt like. Every time he moved inside you it was like you both moaned in unison. You heard him say something but you couldn’t quite decipher it. Your brain was jelly.
You could feel yourself getting close and he would stop. You whined at the feeling. You wanted to beg him to continue, to fuck you until you couldn’t talk, couldn’t walk.
But every time you’d open your mouth to beg, he’d seal it with his own. And you’d feel him smile, chuckle. The bastard knew what he was doing. So instead of getting rough, he was edging you. He was relearning you and ensuring himself he still knew every inch of you by making sure his cock reached so deep inside you until it could go no further.
“Say my name,” finally came the command. Apparently your ears had stopped working because you knew that tone of voice. Graves had had to repeat this command more than once.
“Fuck me, Graves,” you gasped as his hips stuttered, making your insides flutter.
Graves talked again, but you had trouble hearing him over your own moans and filthy words begging him
Fuck you harder.
Graves grabbed your shoulders and shook you hard enough to get your attention. Not nearly as hard as when he’d fucked you before you were ‘rescued’ by 141. There was a gentleness to his motions that he’d never shown before and you wondered why. Before reminding yourself: you’re pregnant. He was still buried inside you and you arched your back, trying to get him deeper into you.
“Say my full name,”
So that’s exactly what you did.
You said his full name, Phillip Graves, as you came a second time, this time around his cock and felt as his thrusts got sloppy and rough and hard while he came undone inside of you.
-
End notes: This is gonna get soooo complicated! :o
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alpha-mag-media · 8 months
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Deadly Morocco earthquake was like someone picked up the hotel room and shook it, says terrified Brit | In Trend Today
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nazifa94 · 2 years
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Table Read
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“It’s a matter of pride for me, honestly from my end it has always been 100% professional. Every. Single. Time.” I said earnestly to my disbelieving co-star.
“I just don’t get it; I couldn’t help but fall for Charlie when we first did our scene together.” Natalia grinned.
“Hell even I had a crush on Dacre during season 3” Maya admitted, making the rest of us giggle. I didn’t know what to say to convince them, but I honestly hadn’t had a crush on any of my male co-stars, but the girls were convinced that with my new big romantic arc coming this season that, that would change.
“I bet this new guy will make you feel differently” Maya teased.
“Listen, the day I have a crush on a co-star is the day that pigs fly” I stated very matter of factly.
The girls laughed loudly together as we collected our coffees, making our way to the table read.
Once we reached the room there was an buzz of excitement, everyone greeted each other and soon it was like we’d had never left. The bell rang and everyone sat at their respective seats. The girls were sat opposite me and smiled. I noticed that the seat next to mine was empty and the name tag read ‘Joseph Quinn’. He must be the new guy.
“Hi” said a voice and I looked up.
Shit.
“I’m Joseph” he smiled as he sat down next to me.
“Hi I’m Y/n” I said in a slightly higher octave than I intended to, I cleared my throat.
“It’s nice to meet you Joseph, have you been settling in well?” I asked.
Is my heartbeat racing?
“Oh yeah man, thank God. I was terrified. It’s hard being the new guy, let alone in Hollywood. I was bracing myself for the worst case scenario but thankfully everyone has been gracious” he laughed flashing his beautiful smile. I couldn’t but smile back.
“I must admit it’s nice sitting next to a fellow brit” he beamed as he lightly squeezed my wrist. Trying to ignore the rush of electricity shooting up and down my body over his touch, I held his hand and responded “ditto and hey anytime you need a decent cuppa you’re more than welcome to my trailer. Not to brag but I have my own kettle and custard creams.” I grinned with a wink.
Am I flirting?
His eyes bore into me as his tongue quickly traced his lips. “I’ll definitely take you up on that” he smiled. I felt my heart skip a beat as I placed my hand back on the table.
I looked across the table and saw the girls giggling and winking back at me. My phone buzzed and I quickly opened the message that read:
“BREAKING NEWS: PIGS FLY”
Dammit.
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heartthumpnovel · 7 months
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Heart Thump: Chapter 6
“Seeking Answers”
Word count: 11493
Finally I get to release this chapter! :'D It's a long one but it's literally my favorite so far as we finally get to see and find out what he heck is going on with Jason, or at-least the hook of his issues.
cw: A little bit of cursing
Last chapter: Carrying the World
Next chapter: Growing Pains
---
“Let go of me this very instant- YEUGH!” Jason squealed as his leather loafers had failed to get traction on the smooth concrete floor. He slipped about as he tried to pull away from Motor’s iron grip, trying to get away from his ridiculous rambling. Motor, however, had different ideas. He barely even looked at Ellie, who at this point was begging Motor to stop dragging Jason and was desperately trying to give any sort of explanation as to what happened in the conference room.
Ellie’s tongue tied itself in knots trying to explain Jason’s colossal affliction. It shouldn’t have been possible, but twice now she had seen him grow before her very eyes. And not in any way a human might be able to, like through exercise or aging, but… magically. It was far too surreal for her to put into words.
“It’s- it’s not what you think, it was just… Uh… An allergic reaction? Yeah…” Ellie sputtered out as Motor hustled Jason with a harsh jolt to prevent the squirming weasel from getting away from a confrontation.
"Motor, for Pete's sake, stop that!" She took the next course of action, stepping in front of the angry bull, causing him to halt in his tracks with a fed-up Brit still in his clasp.
Motor stared down at Ellie with a huff and pointed down at Jason, maintaining his furious eye contact with the sweating blonde. "I know what I saw back there," grumbled Motor in an accusatory voice. "I can't believe you two would seriously think I'm that dumb! You just can't leave me out of something cool like this!"
In the middle of the verbal onslaught, Jason was able to speak his mind. "Mate, this isn't some fantastical adventure! It's a disease!"
Motor responded with a dismissive "That's what you think." before sidestepping Ellie and reaching for the janitor's closet. Despite Jason's pleading Motor managed to get the door open with a sharp tug.
They stumbled into the pitch dark room, and Jason had to right himself when he was thrown upon a cold, sleek surface. He fumbled around, trying to get out of the dark void he had been trapped in. He tried to stand back up, however, right as he did, the room flooded with a bright, unnatural light that blinded his eyes.Flinching in pain, he covered his eyes with his hands.
 "Really, man?" The sound of Ellie's exasperated sigh convinced him to move his hands, and…
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[Image Description: Jason is sitting at a counter within Motor's nerd domain. AKA, the janitor's closet with figurines, unkempt posters and his low-end gaming rig. It's obvious Motor is a fan of giant monster movies.]
A touch disappointed that out of everyone who might have been a kaiju, it was Jason, but excited nonetheless, he stared down at the terrified man. Ellie broke the silence, clapping her hands together while wearing a forced grin. "Soooo," she began, the air thick with tension, "Since we have the privacy and time, let's figure this out!"
Jason's eyes, filled with dread, turned to his best friend as he tried to find a reasonable explanation, but all he could feel was anxiety and panic, unsure what he should say. Before he could speak his mind, Motor slammed his hands on his lap, interjecting. “So are you actually an alien or what?”
Jason’s frown couldn’t have been more sour if he had drunk the world’s most expired milk. “I… excuse me a wha-” Before Jason could even express his shock at Motor’s audacity,  Motor interfered with a not-so-polite point to Jason’s chest, leaning over his comparatively small figure. “ARE. YOU. AN. ALIEN?” Motor repeated, more aggressively than the last time. 
The completely normal (barring growth spurts) human, who was definitely born on Earth, felt indignation and fear at the same time. He never liked how Motor jumped to nonsensical conclusions like that.
Feeling like a cat reeling from an overly inquisitive dog, Jason leaned back and pushed Motor’s hand away. “NO! Dear lord! Are you actually stoned right now!?” Jason yelled out, now more rustled than scared. 
Motor gave a slight smug grin, “Not at work.” He responded before Ellie had the chance to lightly push Motor at least a good few inches away but Motor kept egging on the theories with a grin that was too excited. 
"It's painfully obvious, you know!" Motor's words flowed unabated, his momentum building like a runaway train, "You practically radiate anxiety in social situations. I've never once witnessed you attempt to get behind the wheel of a car, and let's not even talk about how you obsessively scrub every inch of your desk, even though you wiped it down just a couple of hours ago on your break- Let me repeat, ON YOUR BREAK.” 
Motor was on a roll and nothing was stopping him at this point.
"Or, here's a wild thought," Motor continued, a mischievous glint in his eye, as he playfully scratched the tip of his work-in-progress beard. He pivoted towards one of his cherished movie posters, his finger tracing the outline of a colossal adversary. 
"Maybe, just maybe, you're actually a kaiju!" He emphasized the word with dramatic flair. "Picture it: 'Godzilla Vs Office Accountant.' Yeah, real box office gold right there." A wry grin crept across Motor's face, his amusement  growing more evident. He turned back to face Jason, who seemed less than amused, but Motor was undeterred, his excitement now matching that of a child who had just discovered their parents' unlocked phone with access to their credit card.
"Oh, hold on a second! What if, bear with me, you're this super crafty alien, all incognito as an ordinary office accountant? But here's the kicker: You've mastered the art of acting so brilliantly that you've actually forgotten you're an alien! And wait for it, your grand mission is to conquer the world and subject humanity to your rule... all while engaging in epic battles against a monkey!" 
With a flourish, a finger playfully booped the tip of Jason's nose, the idea seemingly too amusing to ignore. "And who knows, maybe you've got, like, a trio of heads tucked away somewhere secretly—"
"Motor." Jason interrupted the janitor's ramble in the most bitter tone that it had silenced him and the once confident index finger rolled cowardly back into Motor’s palm.
Jason's cheeks were burning red and it wasn't from ‘the love’ either. Feeling absolutely offended- Jason straightened his spine with a demeanor only an angered parent would have painted across his face as his fists were clenched up. 
"You've got to be kidding me. While I'm grappling with a crisis, you're off daydreaming about stupid movies?? This is no laughing matter, Motor! It's... it's infuriating!" His words erupted in a loud burst of fury, his hands sliding down his face in exasperation. As he sank back into his chair, Jason's emotional state shifted from rage to a more subdued sadness.
 Crumbling into a shivering ball, not being able to comprehend that this was happening to him and more importantly how. He could still feel the walls of that conference room squishing him in a tight hold and feeling like he had no air to breathe. Jason could have possibly suffocated if Ellie didn’t come into work.  
He couldn’t hold his tidal wave of feelings any longer and his eyes watered up- he tried to brush the tears away but it only made a couple more tears flow. Ellie noticed a small sniffle and immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him tightly. She occasionally ran her hand through the stubble on the back of his neck to comfort him. Jason remained silent, his fingers tightly gripping the fabric of his pants. 
Ellie whispered, "Hey, hey..You're in a safe place... it's okay," even though she didn't completely believe it herself. She didn't know what was happening, and it was stressful trying to comprehend the situation. However, she knew that her best friend needed her at that moment.
Motor stood there- frazzled and when he actually stopped to think for five seconds he realized he did a huge woopsy. This particular woopsy just re-hashed an experience a lot of people would call traumatic. The janitor rubbed his forehead while following it with a deep sigh. His shoulders withering away like his excitement, he decided to speak up after several minutes.
"Look, I... I'm really sorry," he stammered, his fingertips guiltily tapping against each other. "I wasn't trying to make light of this. It's just... well, you know how my mouth likes to run without thinking." Ellie, having momentarily disengaged from the hug, cast a quizzical glance back at Motor, her raised eyebrow an unspoken question. Jason wondered if that was the extent of the apology they could expect from him. Motor pressed on, his words more measured this time. "This isn't an everyday thing, you know? It's incredible, and there are people out there who'd give anything to be able to do what you can.” A flicker of his trademark dorky smile emerged, although this time he tried to be sensitive to Jason’s feelings about his gigantism. 
Ellie and Jason cautiously pulled away from each other, with Ellie approving of Motor’s rather geeky nature. She knew that Motor tended to speak before reevaluating his thoughts, but it wasn't usually mean-spirited (at least not towards his friends). Motor could recognize when he said something that was screwed up... a minute or two after the fact. It's a work in progress.
Jason used his suit sleeve to wipe his tears off his face and tried his best to speak up again, but the congestion in his throat made it difficult for him to find his voice. Ellie decided to speak for him, and for everyone in the room for that matter, as Motor was still reeling from the awkward tension that had just passed a few seconds ago.
“So… what do we do now?” Ellie spoke up as her hands started to settle onto the chemical shelves with a shaking in her left leg. Jason looked over at her expecting an answer but Ellie was delivering the same gaze at him. Jason let out a sigh and buried his face in his hands as he slumped over in his chair. His mind felt like a high-speed race car hurtling towards a catastrophic crash - the anxiety of his reality being shattered colliding with the realization that his normal life was over.
“Can we pretend this never happened?” Jason suggested as he started to show his face again- only to be stared down at in disbelief by both of his coworkers. 
Motor shook his head with a sigh. "Jason, you can't just ignore-"
"I know, I know..." Jason melted back into his chair in defeat as he turned to Ellie. "I honestly don't know how to comprehend what's happening to me, let alone begin thinking about what I should do..." 
His hand clasped his chest, which at the moment felt like it wanted to explode from all the stress weighing him down. Something didn't feel right, and it wasn't the normal anxiety he had to deal with for seventy percent of his life. This was some other monster that had shown up on the front porch of his mind, standing eerily still in silence. It was lurking in the grass menacingly, waiting to strike at the perfect signal. What was that signal? Was there a signal at all? With the deadpan look Jason had on his face, Motor cued in that Jason was spacing out. It was time to bring up a daring plan he was constructing while the two were fretting over what to do about the situation. Motor didn't want to impede on Jason again, otherwise they would have more bones to pick. Instead, he waited until the coast was clear to bring up a suggestion that would save a lot of time and worry. “Hey,  why don’t we try to trigger the growth spurt intentionally? That’d be a quick way to figure out what the hell is happening.”  Motor spoke up. 
Ellie was the first to leap as her eyes lit up and a grin finally came back to her face with Jason lagging behind in the enthusiasm department. "That does sound like the next move- if we could figure out the trigger, we could get a bigger understanding of this… thing!" Ellie chirped as she stood back up. 
“I don’t know about that..” Jason said, “What if… something terrible happens? We know nothing about this thing.” His best friend just had to interject however by throwing a supportive hand on Jason’s shoulder.
"But we have to identify the root cause of this before we can even attempt to solve it, Jason," Ellie declared heroically, as she rose to her feet with a clenched fist, determined to help her friend. 
"Plus, we all finish work at the same time today! AH! We could go to the park and observe with our own eyes!" Motor gave a silent but resolute thumbs up in agreement. However, Jason could only mutter incoherent objections, as he had no other options aside from letting it happen again unintentionally. They couldn't be certain that the next time it happened wouldn't spell the end of Jason's normal life, both metaphorically and literally, as it could potentially be fatal.
“It’s settled I suppose.”                                                                   ---
Anyone could tell they were in the Pacific Northwest by the stunning, long-standing forests, emanating the earthy scent of life from the towering pine trees and the thriving wildlife, surrounded by a breathtaking environment. The region's misty weather, which is almost like a year-long depression, only adds to the fascination of the area. 
Nonetheless, it is undeniably beautiful and definitely worth a road trip, even for those who aren't looking to spend time with their regular ol' nuclear family, visiting tourist traps or finding a place to get weed without being chased down by the authorities.
Sometimes it was just three people in a red worse-for-wear pick up truck that proudly showed off its bumper stickers of a t-Rex eating a stick-man family and proudly displaying a blue-white-pink flag design on the back that was in the shape of a middle finger. The engine had a heart of gold though as it was running like a champion and the speakers on the inside were playing the screams of metal-heads just fine at an ear bursting level.
The driver of the vehicle tried to focus on the road, but he couldn't help stealing glances at his strange coworker in the backseat. The way Jason was zoning out was quite intriguing, and it was difficult to resist the temptation to keep looking at him. Thankfully, his passenger, who was sitting in the front seat, kept reminding him to pay attention to the road and not to be rude by staring at Jason. The driver huffed every time, as he was eagerly anticipating the growth to happen.
Jason’s right hand was fiddling with the edges of his retail brand blazer’s sleeve that was spread upon the rest of the back seat. His eyes were busy drifting off at the pine trees moving quickly past them. He found it kind of hard to properly process his thoughts as they had constantly been canceled by the boiling anxiety in his chest. All he could feel was this light sensation running throughout his skin that had a mild tingling that Jason hadn't noticed before. 
He moved his fingers from his jacket to the edge of his left collarbone and placed his fingers around his artery to gauge his heart rate. His heart pumped with stress, and it was so pronounced that he couldn't tell if he needed to make an appointment with his doctor or not. If he did go to the doctor, what was he supposed to tell them? That he had the same syndrome as Goliath? Jason deeply sighed as his fingers trailed down from his throat and landed on his lap. He directed his attention to the trees moving quickly past, and noticed that signs of civilization were long gone. The only thing out there were roads that would lead deeper into the woods.
Jolts to the truck’s wheels shocked Jason out of his dazed state as Motor veered off onto a gravel path that led deeper into the forests of Washington. How far was Motor planning to drive? Ellie grabbed onto the side of her seat as her hair nearly blinded her eyes. It was like they were all being tossed around like quarters in a washing machine. “Do we really have to be out this far Motor, geeze!!” Ellie exclaimed as she tried to look over the nonchalant driver acting as if they were on perfectly smooth concrete. His head slightly tilted up and took a millisecond glance in her direction as paying attention to the road was important after all. 
“Trust me Ellie, we are going to need the space. Besides, no one is gonna be out here around this time of year.” Motor responded as his gaze was searching around for a spot to park in the middle of the wilderness. Motor wanted to make sure to not set his precious baby under a bunch of birds that would take any opportunity to defecate on anyone’s prized possessions. 
Both of Jason’s hands planted on the window as he took a longer look outside, narrowing his eyes slightly in disbelief. 
“I don’t know if I really want to do this anymore.” Jason finally spoke up as the truck’s engine cut off. Ellie looked over from behind the passenger seat while Motor was unbuckling and throwing his seat belt out of the way.
 “You’re completely valid in the way you feel, but we did just drive all the way out here already,” Ellie then unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door to follow Motor outside. “Plus, we're here to support you in case anything goes wrong ya know?” 
Ellie slammed the door shut before Jason could protest with a “But, Ellie, a lot of things can and will go wrong.” He let out a harsh sigh and rubbed his forehead before eventually unbuckling and getting out of the truck.
Jason trailed behind his friends as they searched for a clearing with enough space to test his newfound curse, which Ellie referred to as his "ability". Motor was still tossing out theories about Kaiju or something related to old gods. Meanwhile, Jason remained silent, dreading that he was in the middle of all these conversations. Was the desire to not be seen a feeling that the kids called "a mood"? Well, Jason thought it should be.
“Yeah but come on wouldn’t it not be cool if Jason was the next in line in the Josta- OH HEY- this place looks perfect!” Motor shouted as they set foot into a sprawling clearing that wasn’t being occupied by too much flora or living animals that weren’t bugs. 
The dying grass here sank into the ground, having been trampled time and time again by deer. It looked like the place could hold a small circus if it wasn’t so remote. If it wasn’t obvious enough, this little area was perfect for testing out magical growing powers. 
Once Jason was politely persuaded, looking very mopey with his arms folded, to enter the middle of said clearing to start the test. The three of them were curious on how to actually start investigating this strange quirk of his. Jason stood there as his eyes tracked Ellie pacing around with a finger to her chin as she tapped lightly on her lips.
 “Let’s see… Do you have any inkling of what triggers it?” Ellie asked as she looked over to Jason as he was scratching behind his head as his eyes stared down at his loafers. Maybe it was a certain phrase that he said, though he was skeptical if he could even remember a lot of the things he said, especially since his perception of time had been skewed from fainting so much.  
Now that he thought about it,  he really should go see his doctor about that. In the meantime he started to hesitantly speak words that he could remember saying in the last couple of days. Jason shut his eyes and he quickly spat out random words he could recall saying before the initial incident. 
“No!” “Smashed!”
“Aaagain??” “Excuse me?”
“Oh dear lord- GIANT POWERS: ACTIVATE!!???”
With that last statement, Jason let out a desperate screech, like a squealing rabbit being pulled from its den. He nearly jumped out of his own skin, unsure if it would be enough to demonstrate his point. He held the flinched pose for a couple of seconds before Motor's dying laughter made him fold his arms in shame. “This is stupid.”
“Ooookkaay- Maybe it’s not that,” Ellie slid in as she knelt down, looking around in the umber pine needles and through the evergreens for inspiration.
She smiled as she looked back at her friends. 
“We at least got voice activation off the list! Yay, progress!” She clapped her hands together and stood back up. Motor on the other hand made camp on a nearby rock as Ellie patted the shamed Brit on the shoulder. 
“Jason. Think. What exactly were you doing and feeling when the growth occurred?” Ellie did a light finger snap in his direction to motivate him. The flustered man spat out vowels and rubbed the back of his head. 
“I-I don’t know?? I mean I guess the first time I was just talking to you while drinking at the water cooler and- uh. When I was just sitting at my desk alone just thinking about stuff!....stuff.” Jason’s tirade ended as he felt like he might have spoken about too much, especially in front of Motor, who at this point was just trying to catch his breath from laughing so hard. 
Before Motor made a not PG-13 suggestion, Ellie intervened and suggested conducting a pacer test to see if Jason's heart rate had any correlation to his abilities. Setting up the course was fairly simple, as they used rocks as markers and made sure there were no obstacles for Jason to stumble over.
Thus began the trial of running back and forth for what felt like forever to Jason, who didn’t take exercising that seriously in his early twenties. Watching the poor sight unfold told a story of sitting in a cheap office chair for the majority of his 9-5 work week, and while his natural metabolism kept him skinny- it definitely didn’t do him any favors in the muscle department.
His face quickly reddened as sweat poured from his forehead and soaked through his shirt. He loosened his tie, which was beginning to feel like a noose around his neck. Despite his efforts, he didn't make it to the tenth lap before collapsing, and Ellie had to step in to catch him before he stumbled over his ill-fitting shoes. Gasping for air, Jason instinctively moved his fingers to his neck, trying to steady his racing heart.
 "One hundred and fifty…," he managed to sputter out between coughs. "That's as high as... as it's going to get for me..." Ellie gently guided him to the ground and patted his back. 
"You okay, dude?" she asked, concern etched in her voice. Jason looked up at her, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. 
"Do I look taller?" he asked, his words punctuated by wheezes. 
Ellie looked at him incredulously. "No," she replied, kicking herself for not bringing a full water bottle. "Motor, do you have any water in your truck?" she asked, looking up at him. Motor was holding up his phone which was recording the entire scene. From concern to ticked off, Ellie motioned him over and communicated a silent ‘stop recording camera man and help us’. He quickly pocketed his phone and retrieved a can of water from the truck, offering it to Jason.
“Got seltzer water, that works right?” 
Jason fell over with a groan. 
---
Something wasn't right. Ellie's eyes narrowed as she pondered a potential connection between the events. They weren't getting all the answers here, and Ellie was determined to uncover them, even if it was the last thing she did. She leaned against a trunk, observing Jason as he downed his fourth can of dark cherry seltzer.
"Are you planning on leaving any for the rest of us?" Motor interjected irritably. Holding the box of seltzer in his hands, he loomed over the sweaty and disheveled Jason. After a few gulps, Jason withdrew the can from his lips and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Gasping for breath, he weakly responded.
"Sorry, I feel like death right now." Jason turned the can in front of him, sneering at the ingredients. "I can't believe you drink this stuff. It's sticky and gross." He handed the can over to Motor. 
"You're sticky and gross," Motor retorted, crushing the can in his hand and turning it into an aluminum ball. After telling Motor to shove off, Jason rose to his feet and returned to Ellie. Feeling more disgusted than taller at that point, he questioned how much more of this paranoia-inducing gym class he could endure. That’s when an empty seltzer nearly smacked Jason’s shoulder. Thankfully the can didn’t make it’s target as Jason flinched out of the way with a screech. “AHHHHH- !” Jason let out a loud scream and clutched his chest, glaring at Motor with a deep squint. "What was that for?!" he yelled in fury, stomping his feet. Motor, on the other hand, seemed unfazed and simply scratched the stubble of his baby beard. 
"Looks like it isn't a defense mechanism," he commented with a sly smirk. Jason rolled his eyes so hard that they might as well have been watching his brain.
Brushing his hair back and promptly fixing it back into its black and sleek professional bangs, Jason grunted in frustration facing away from his friends and into the far reaching woods.
This was starting to feel less scary and anxiety-inducing, but everything was becoming ridiculous, including himself. Jason took a deep breath in frustration, "Look guys, I know you want to help, but I don't think we're going to have any breakthroughs," he spoke, avoiding eye contact with his concerned friends. This was just something he didn't want to deal with anymore. Exhausted, he pressed his palms against his cheeks and closed his eyes, pushing his glasses up from the bridge of his nose to the bristle of his bangs. 
"We should just pack up and go home."
“But Jason,” Ellie spoke in a saddening tone that ended her sentence in a cold whimper, “Aren’t you afraid it’s going to happen again?” She approached him as leaves crunched under her shoes. She reached out to him- but, Jason’s eyes darted at her hand and jerked his shoulder away softly, still not willing to look her in the eye.
"I... I don't want to think about it, let alone try to intentionally bring back that god-awful feeling," Jason clenched his face, his voice trailing off as he avoided looking at Ellie. He was certain she was utterly disgusted to discover that Jason was a coward, but he was more than just a timid man.
"You don't understand. That feeling was so terrible, yet... I couldn't help but... enjoy it a little?" Ellie lowered her hand and tilted her head, her dark brown eyes fixed on him in confusion. She could only utter a confused syllable before falling silent. The absence of words intensified Jason's anxiety, and he turned around briefly to face her, his voice cracking.
"Not power hungry or sensual! Honest! Just before all that growth nonsense, I felt... elated and happy, and my heart was racing," his trembling fingers ran through his disheveled hair, tentatively parting the strands. "It felt like, for the first time in my life," Jason took a deep breath, "That’d I wouldn’t have to worry about anything." he concluded with a sigh. 
In that moment, he couldn't look any more broken as he witnessed his best friend of fourteen years struggling to understand him. 
Jason closed his eyes in bitterness, feeling even more repulsed for admitting that, for a brief moment, he had felt lighter than air despite the potential danger he could have caused.
“I’m- I’m crazy aren’t I-” “No. You’re not.”
Jason's eyes darted back to Ellie, who had a new expression on her face. She looked at him with enthusiasm, her mouth slightly open as her fingers touched the bottom left of her chin. A smile slowly formed on her lips, and life seemed to return to her as she gently grabbed the sides of Jason's shoulders.
 “That’s it!” Ellie exclaimed as her eyes had a twinkle of discovery. Jason couldn’t help but be confused about what in the world Ellie discovered. Before he could ask what she mean’t, he suddenly couldn’t see anything at all and felt fingers cover his eyes and a small shove spun him around. There was barely any resistance on Jason’s part- however he was still confused.
 “What in the blazes are you doing??” Jason responded as he couldn’t fight away Ellie’s fingers pressing his glasses on his face. 
“Trust me on this,” Ellie responded calmly, “Close your eyes, we’re practicing mindfulness”. Doing a double take, Jason stalled for a second before defaulting into what Ellie wanted him to do. ‘Surely she has a plan’ Jason thought to himself as he willingly closed his eyes. ‘Right?...’  
Motor on the other hand was watching this all go down with a very skewed frown on his face. He never really was big on this therapy stuff, and he really had no idea where Ellie was going with it. 
"Is this really a good time for a therapy session, sis?" Motor quipped, causing Ellie to shoot a quick glance at him and swat her hand in his direction with a scowl. She then turned back to Jason and patted his shoulders, causing them to jolt slightly.
"Alright, buddy, how do you feel about our friend Natasha?" Ellie asked casually, with a smirk on her face. Jason's shoulders immediately tensed up and a shiver ran up his spine, replacing his melancholy with shock and annoyance. He almost turned to look at Ellie, but her firm grip on his shoulders prevented him from doing so. He tried to cover up his shock with a quick lie, as he didn't want to reveal his secret to Motor, who would surely gloat about it. Plus, he couldn't see the relevance of Natasha to the whole giant situation.
“Wh-what are you talking about?! She’s our friend and an upstanding manager, You should know that Ellie,” Jason sputtered out before crossing his arms, “And that- that’s not appropriate to say.” 
This was going to be a low blow Ellie was about to commit, but in the end, it was going to be for his own good. She gestured her hands over Jason’s eyes so that they went back to being closed and it was followed with a tsk. “It’s okay to be honest here, Nobody else is around for miles," Ellie reassured him, patting his back gently. She took a step back, her arms wrapping around her own back as she tilted her head. "I know you trust me." 
Jason’s head lowered-- he could feel the confused and shocked stare of Motor, who at this point was starting to burn a hard glare at Jason hoping that he wasn’t about to say something that had his best friend involved. Hairs rose on Jason’s neck as he lowered his hand to the ground, keeping his eyes closed in fear that he’d accidentally meet Motor’s seething gaze. 
“You’re screwing with me.” Motor spat out, his glare now full-on directed at Jason, who was probably about to say something he didn't want to hear. Jason became a stuttering mess, keeping his eyes glued shut and not daring to look back at the angry bull behind him, who was huffing and puffing and ready to give him a good slap.
“Ok-okay I might have made my statement a little bit- misleading. I uh- I really like her in a different way,” Jason sputtered, finding that closing his eyes made him a lot braver, even brave enough to turn around to face his companions. 
However, his nervousness wasn't unfounded, as he could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, and a chilling sensation running through his skin like a bad rash. Well, not really bad. In fact, it felt good having this tingling sensation slowly making its way from his chest to the edges of his fingertips. It only grew stronger the more he talked. “I mean, not just in a friendly way. Granted, she's an amazing friend and I don't want to expect anything in the romantic department, but..."
Warmth radiated from his chest from just thinking about talking about her. The heat from his center suddenly pushed through his limbs and ended at his fingertips. It felt as though pure dopamine was coursing through his veins, and his arms wrapped around himself in a tight hug as his lips curled into an anticipatory smile.
"She's just amazing, you know? It feels like we can be so open with each other, and man alive, I haven't met anyone who can get me to smile during a dreadful shift like she can, She's just hilarious." Jason continued, not waiting for a response as the words spilled out of him. 
The more he talked, the easier it became, and confessing his actual thoughts made him feel more alive than he had in a while. His palms grew warm against his cheeks as he pressed his hands onto his face out of slight embarrassment, unable to contain his excitement.
That wasn’t going to stop him droning on, “Not to mention she’s drop dead gorgeous like, I haven’t noticed before but you know how pretty her dim wine eyes are? I didn’t even know that eye color was even possible, right?” His fingers were becoming tangled in his hair with his peepers still glued shut to avoid seeing the expressions his friends were probably making. 
His words were met with a staring silence, but right then he could have given a heartfelt speech to a whole stadium of people as the butterflies soaring through his stomach preoccupied his thoughts.
In the moment he didn’t care about shame, and though a light breeze was making goosebumps rise on his skin, the warmth he felt inside was doing him just fine. A light buzzing felt all over his skin made him feel lighter than air. He continued to fill the empty void in conversations with mere rambling, “And her hands are so soft~ Have to wonder what lotion she uses but, I really want to hold them all day no-- all week!” 
“Uhm- J-jason??” A small voice peeked from the rambling. “Okay granted- that sounds creepy I'll admit. Though it’s just how I really feel about her. She’s a comforting and deep presence that I can’t ignore anymore and that’s..” Jason attempted to continue the conversation by himself.
“Holy shit…” Another small but disgruntled voice spoke as a shadow started to drape itself across the trees, causing most of the wildlife to screech and run for their lives. 
“Well. Yeah a problem. I know. That’s why I haven’t told anyone because if word got out I actually felt it would ruin our..” Before Jason’s tone could fall harder, he was rightly interrupted. 
“JASON OPEN YOUR EYES!!” Screamed a voice- not just any voice. Ellie’s voice. She would never raise her voice like that under any circumstances unless…
Jason's eyelids opened in astonishment. The wind tousled his wispy coal hair as he took in the breathtaking scene before him. Above, the sky stretched endlessly, adorned with gray clouds that seemed to go on for miles. They formed a captivating backdrop to the rolling hills of the distant forest, while even the city's man-made structures appeared remarkably close despite their supposed distance. It felt as though a brisk ten-minute jog would be enough to reach them, defying the time it took to get here.
In fact, he could even make out the faint outline of the Space Needle's peak from his current vantage point. However, this momentary awe was quickly overshadowed by the realization that he wasn't standing on a tourist platform but rather in the midst of nature just moments ago. 
A sinking feeling settled in his stomach as he observed the peculiar chest-high pointed shrubs surrounding him. Initially appearing alien, they gradually became familiar. The distinct scent of pine gave them away as the same trees that had towered over them before he closed his eyes. What made it even stranger was the inability to distinguish individual pine needles anymore, as they seemed to merge into one prickly yet pleasantly fragrant blob.
If Jason didn't know any better, he would have thought he had been taken to an uncanny, miniature version of a golf course as a cruel and extravagant prank. The trees appeared tightly packed and diminutive compared to their previous grandeur, but they swayed in the breeze just as they always had. There was no denying that everything around him had shrunk.
Either that, or he’s gotten bigger.
His throat tightened, and he swallowed hard, keeping his gaze level with the shrunken plant life. He was reluctant to look down, fearing the unsettling sight that awaited him. Each breath felt labored and heavy as he found himself inhaling rapidly. The once exhilarating rush of romantic feelings had now been replaced by sheer terror.
“Jason..?” A very hesitant Ellie spoke as she backed up from the gigantic leather loafers and ankles. Ellie wasn’t sure if she could reach out to him. He was so far away yet- an overwhelming presence that even made her stomach flip. She didn’t want to be afraid of Jason especially since he looked like he was scared out of his mind himself but she couldn’t help the feeling of being around a body that was so big and more importantly, unstable. 
Ellie’s traitorous brain decided this would be a great time to visualize the times when Jason had a fifty percent chance of knocking his head against a bus station pole or clumsily tripping over literally nothing, resulting in nothing more than minor embarrassment. Those incidents would pale in comparison to what blunders Jason could cause being as tall as he is now. As her feet instinctively moved, quietly retreating, Ellie couldn't help but question whether she wanted him to hear her.
Shortly after, Ellie realized that he had indeed heard her, Jason’s head darted downwards after what felt like a lifetime of not looking down. His gentle hazel eyes, filled with tears, locked onto the two of them with a mix of emotions, his face contorted in an expression of awkward despair. His eyebrows shot up, and his jaw slackened in shock. Jason couldn’t believe what he was seeing but, there it was- the proof was right in front of him. 
Both frozen in fear, neither of them dared to make a sudden move, terrified of the potential consequences that could arise from even the slightest misstep. However, their hesitations didn’t matter as Jason's legs began to tingle, the blood rushing to his head causing a loss of sensation, and his weakened heart unable to withstand the pressure. 
Slowly, his colossal form buckled under its own weight, a wave of panic coursing through his mind. Feebly, he managed to utter a series of pleading "nos," accompanied by a desperate shake of his head. With a sinking realization, Jason's heightened senses anticipated what was about to happen, understanding his lack of control in the face of it. What he could do however- was to make sure he wasn’t falling on top of his friends. 
Jason had leaned back, twisted his feet to the side and let gravity do the work. 
"WOAH- Wait, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Motor's voice pierced through the air, a mix of shock and alarm. However, his protest was abruptly cut short by a violent upheaval that sent him sprawling onto the forest floor, his unruly curls mingling with the nearby vegetation. Annoyance etched across his face as he realized his beloved hoodie had become a canvas for dirt, courtesy of his impromptu encounter with the forest floor and an unfortunate stump.
The beanstalk had fallen.
Meanwhile, Ellie's luck prevailed as she found herself caught in the embrace of a sturdy tree, her arms wrapped tightly around a lower branch. Momentary whiplash left her disoriented, temporarily obscuring Motor's colorful stream of expletives. Tentatively, she turned her gaze back toward the spot where Jason's imposing legs had once stood, only to be met with the sight of him partially kneeling on the ground, his trembling arm straining to support his immense weight.
Jason traced a finger on his own face before he pulled it forwards to look at his twitching hands as he retracted them. Still buzzing from the blood rushing to his head he had his last thought of wondering if he was still dreaming this entire week; however, by now it would be less believable to think that his imagination was making this all up than him blowing up into a giant.
 He lost focus on his hand as he heard loud and clear swearing from the bushes. Darting his glaze over to his now miniature coworkers, he couldn’t believe how different the pair looked. Even big ol’ Motor, who normally stood a good few feet over him, and was definitely eating his wheaties as that man could probably take on a horse despite his loafing habits at work, was as big as an incredibly accurate figurine. Their features blended in and Jason could only tell it was them by the fact that they’re the only people there, and by the color of their clothing and hair. He saw Ellie start helping Motor up and pulling him to his feet with a good tug that just seemed so full of effort for such a small being. Their eyes meet once again with a small startle coming from Ellie seeing the monolith iris start tracking her again.
 Jason grimaced pitifully and spoke out without thinking about it. Now his talking wouldn’t bother anyone unless they had something against the British but this time his voice boomed, “Ellie, I’m not gonna hurt you!” Both Motor and Ellie covered their ears with Motor being really angry or really excited- he couldn’t decide either way. 
“Try lowering your voice a tad won’t ya?!” Motor retorted, “It’s going to wake up a whole ass city! That’s...kinda sick, though.” Jason immediately covered his mouth with his free hand, a pained expression on his face, hating that he had to go ahead and make things worse by talking. Ellie hesitantly drew closer. She slowly pulled her hands away from her ears to hold them together in an uncomfortable embrace; as if she was demonstrating reluctance to confirm something. 
Motor on the other hand was in awe- Never in a lifetime he’d thought he’d get to see a real life giant,let alone knowing the guy himself. Before Motor could go up and start doing a frantic inspection Jason removed his hand from his mouth and raised it in front of the two as he shook his head adamantly, and started talking at his usual volume, but his tongue caught him and continued speaking in urgent whispers. 
“NO- oh no- sorry! No no no no, That’s close enough you two,” He spoke in the lowest voice he could just so he didn’t further destroy their ear drums. “I… I don’t want to hurt you both… again.” His arm got tired so he lowered himself down on his forearm and leaned back. This was all around pretty terrible, Jason would admit to himself, he wondered how he was even capable of doing this, and what event caused this transformation in the first place. “Jason,” Ellie finally spoke up softly, staring downwards at the ground as she fiddled with her rings on her pointer finger. Rummaging through her head on what would be the best way to say what she needed to say but, it only looked like being straight forward was the only way to go. 
“This is going to sound so weird but,... I think.. I think it’s your crush on Nat that’s causing this.” She looked up sympathetically at the giant who had a vacant look in his eyes as if her words were bouncing off of his ears, yet it all sank in as his blank face sagged into a frown, with eyes becoming more watery as the idea repeated in his mind. He shook his head, but this time it was languid.
 “That.. that can’t be,” He whimpered, for a moment his voice rose an octave “That’s ridiculous!... That’s ridiculous…” He wanted to unhear that sentence, but deep down he knew that Ellie was right.
 She usually was. 
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[Image Description: Jason, putting his hand over his mouth, is in complete disbelief while Ellie looks at him with concern.]
“Oh. Oh, no.” 
Out of all the ailments in the world it just had to be specifically that one didn’t it? He would have taken yelling silly catch phrases or being physically injured over the truth. His jaw dropped and he grew distant from Ellie’s counseling. She tried her hardest to give her best friend reasons to not panic; it didn’t help much. 
Motor wasn’t much help as he folded his arms with a gruff, “Man that’s lame.” He spoke without thinking but caught his tongue when Ellie darted back a glare he only wished he could unsee. “But uh- uhh… Being a kaiju is cool I guess.” No amount of backtracking was going to matter to Jason- he was just enveloped in his thoughts. 
Thoughts of wondering what he did to deserve this curse; he wasn’t a bad person, was he? He never intended to hurt people, he was polite to all he’s met, paid his taxes and even donated to every charity post he saw on social media even if that meant he’d have toast for dinner. The only sin he remembered committing was falling head-over-heels in love with someone who could lose their whole career if they reciprocated, and who he wouldn't be able to make happy in the long run.
Oh. 
Jason laid himself on the ground with only his arm to support his head. He groaned before making a small glance at his friends who went silent at the sudden movement, he buried his giant face into his free arm and curled up. Murmuring a request that was promptly followed by a deep sigh; “Can I have a minute, Please?”
Ellie and Motor gave each other knowing looks before Motor started to gently pull Ellie away as she didn’t take any action to walk away from her grieving friend.
 “Alright, see ya in a few,” Motor said as he glanced back to see Jason laying there, who was using his legs to cover his face. The last thing Ellie saw when she turned away was a glimpse of a very sad pile of giant limbs pulling together that had grown silent. 
Several meters away from the clearing, they both kept walking until they were out of sight and made sure that Jason couldn’t hear them if they kept a low conversation- knowing that man’s eardrums had to have been blessed enough to be able to hear a needle drop in the middle of highway traffic. Ellie finally released a tense sigh and started to rub her arms vigorously as she tried to relieve all that pent up stress.
 “Man… Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” Ellie confessed as she looked up to Motor with sad eyes that peaked through her blonde hair. “I just really, reaaally wanted to help but…” Motor shrugged his shoulders as he decided that one tree he was conveniently next to was a great place to lean on. 
Giving her a quizzical look, Motor asked, “Wasn’t that your plan? Like, that was the entire point of this experiment, L.” Ellie paused her hair ruffling to dart her eyes right back at Motor. 
“Yeah but- Oh my gods he’s HUGE,” she raised her hands upwards in a grand gesture, “I thought he’d be a few inches taller, Not a few meters taller!” Ellie yelped out as her shoulders crept back into herself in shame. 
“That was more than a few meters Ellie-” he commented. “SHUT. You know what I mean…” she replied.
Whimpering under her breath trying to mask her words unsuccessfully, “This is my fault - I Completely messed everything up... I’m so stupid.”
 Motor wasn’t going to let her get away with that one. “Come on, don’t put yourself down like that- aren’t you supposed to be a counselor after finals or something?” he interjected. “A psychiatrist,” Ellie gave a quick correction, “Though I guess you have a point there.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to not engage too much with the thoughts she was having, letting the guilt sink in but instead of covering herself with it like a wet blanket she tried to understand ‘why’ she was feeling that way. 
“Just… none of this makes any sense, I don’t know about you but we don’t live in a fairy tale Motor, this isn’t normal.” Her shoulders dropped with the weight of the situation weighing her down from standing up to a nearby moss-covered boulder. 
“Back at the office, seeing that giant eyeball staring back at me was horrifying enough, but now that we were literally a foot stomp away from being made into pancakes…” Ellie started to babble as she sunk further into those baseline human feelings that first show up when their whole understanding of existence has been challenged.
 “Not going to lie, I felt like running.” Admitting that out loud made her feel like actual scum of the earth. Her hands clapped together and brought them to her crown with a desperate inhale. Was Motor’s awkward stare down and dirt-kicking coming off as judgemental? It was. According to Ellie it was. 
“So uh… Jason actually likes her back huh?” Motor asked, his stomach sinking from his doubt being proven wrong after all this time. He cringed as he frustratedly brushed his curly mess of hair in a declaration of being agitated. “Kinda messed up, he hasn't noticed by now she’s basically throwing herself at him this whole time. Seriously I haven’t seen her this down bad in years… The giant idiot has been leading her on?!” 
Those words weren’t going to fly, not on Ellie’s watch. She straightened her posture to glare at Motor and pointed aggressively at him. 
 “He isn’t leading her on!” she scolded back as she folded her arms, “It’s complicated, he doesn’t have a single idea that she likes him back.”
 “Then why don’t he, oh, I don’t know, JUST FUCKING TELL HER?” His patience dwindled as he paced around trying to not focus his anger on a person but the ground below him. “This whole star-crossed lover shtick got old the minute Natasha told me she liked him,” Motor spouted as he paced back and forth angrily, “I straight up told her that ain’t going to turn out because he’s a self-absorbed, spineless chicken!”
 The silence from Ellie pulled him away from his anger when he noticed she didn’t retaliate with his argument. She was sadly staring down at her battling thumbs, not sure what to say to that. “I know it looks bad,” she finally opened up to answer, “But they would definitely get terminated by Atlas if their feelings were known, and you know both of them have so much to lose.” 
Motor opened his mouth but it seemed he ran out of arguments. While he didn’t give a single shit about Atlas in the slightest, he knew that Natasha really cared about her career. 
Instead of continuing to bicker, he just took a seat on the boulder of shame next to Ellie and clumsily patted her back as they just let the silence of the forest do all the talking for the both of them. After a good minute Motor broke the silence first. “Capitalism can suck it.” Ellie sighed. “This is completely out of my league, Like, what do we do now?” She questioned not only herself but opened the suggestion to Motor. 
“We turn him into a superhero,” Motor delivered to her, which he continued before she could object. “Wait- let me finish, this is going to be helpful I swear.” He was granted permission by Ellie to go further into his wildly off-course suggestion just to see where he could have been going with it. 
Motor stepped back from the boulder with his hands gesturing to the area where a giant had been having a self pity moment.
 “If I learned anything from superhero movies, I know for sure that weird junk like this doesn’t happen for no reason,” he continued, as he closed his eyes to envision the classic hero origin story from the perspective of a common movie fanatic thinking of theories that could possibly happen in the next few chapters of Jason’s life.
 “You see, I think we’re at that part of the movie we figured out what makes him tick, it can’t be an unimportant plot point because that’d be dumb.” Motor spoke as his hands landed on his hips while his huff blew the tufts of his mess of curly bangs as he kept tacking on information,
 “There’s gotta be a reason for him to have super powers,”  The obviously confused Ellie sat there on the rock trying to find what connections Motor could be talking about and why in the world he’s bringing up fictional terms into this real life situation.
As if Motor could read her thoughts, he continued his spiel while scratching his baby beard, “Could be connected to Natasha, whatever Jason’s past is or something completely unrelated. Who knows?, The thing we need to worry about is,” Motor then talked grimly as he bent down to be eye level with the clearly nervous college student, 
“Whatever it is- Jason needs to be big to stand a chance.” 
It was completely unheard of to Ellie to take whatever comes out of Motor’s mouth with a grain of seriousness. In that bleak moment, the realization of impending doom crawled into her head. Being exposed to a phenomenon that broke her view of real world physics and scale had made her become more receptive to the idea. While Motor’s superhero rant is silly, she had to be there for her friends. Even if she was far from equipped to deal with it. 
No matter if it was just conjecture- it was all they had left. The big nerd has a point for once. 
“Well uhm… I guess we could help him adjust to this… thing.” Ellie asked as her eyes slowly met Motor’s with color fading from her face.
“Bingo,” Motor responded. 
Thunk
CRASH
---
Jason couldn’t tell how long he’d been lonesome. Despite having a small fling in secondary school with a girl, well, it wasn’t a legitimate fling so much as it was the ending punchline to that girl’s sick joke to her friend group that lasted about 12 hours.
 Never forgive or forget Tracey. 
Lucky his teenage heart was broken not out of legitimate love for the girl but the pride of being in a relationship. He learned that he never cared for the race to be someone’s boyfriend or that ladies man nonsense. For years he concluded he just simply wasn’t meant to be attracted to anyone and let that matter rest, because he’d rather not place the burden of love on somebody. He’d always figured he’d be a terrible romantic partner. 
Sure, he idealized romance in his favorite rom-coms and paperback novels which didn’t hurt anyone, though one could say his tastes in quality media suffered. It was for the best he’d keep to himself and do the simple task of just having good friends in his life because that’s all he needed. He absolutely botched the plan when he realized he’d fallen head over heels for Natasha. It happened so abruptly that he could pinpoint the moment his heart decided that she was the one. It was a Saturday night after work when the gang decided to get drinks at this local indie band bar that Ellie suggested. It was just a few pints and music for crying out loud. Cupid must have had it out for him, because in a moment his friend of three years suddenly became the most attractive woman on Earth.
 Strange part was that nothing changed about her, she looked the same, acted the same and seemed to brighten the room the same. Nothing about it was her fault- just his dumb mediocre man feelings. 
She doesn’t deserve him. The bloody monster. Reflection time was abruptly shattered when Jason's body collided with the wooden pikes surrounding him. The tree pressing against his glasses and threatening to poke his eye served as a painful wake-up call, bringing him back to reality. With a sharp yelp, Jason jolted and surveyed his transformed surroundings. The boulders had morphed into skipping stones, and the trees appeared more fragile than before.
As the pieces fell into place in his mind, Jason let out a pitiful grumble. "Now I can't even wallow about my love life without everything shrinking around me? Unbelievable!" he exclaimed in a mixture of annoyance and desperation.
Attempting to gauge his own size, Jason estimated that the towering Douglas firs must have been at their maximum height, around 30 meters. That meant he had to be over 40 meters tall himself, considering the sticks around him only reached his lower chest. The thought induced a cringe that resonated throughout his entire being. 
Why did he have to be good at math?
This made Jason feel like throwing up, though he held back on following through because of the consequences of getting sick everywhere. 
Frustrated and questioning the purpose of his brain, Jason pushed himself up to gaze at the dark gray clouds gathering over Seattle, seemingly poised for an extended stay.
At least there was something looming above him, for the time being. Jason's mind began to wander, contemplating whether he could reach such heights to devour cumulonimbus clouds as if they were fluffy cotton candy. The thought sent a shiver down his spine, but he quickly pulled himself together, realizing that would be just absurd.
This was too weird for him. 
“Out of all the curses in the world, I had to get gigantic, didn’t I?” Jason asked the nonexistent crowd with a strong distaste, “For Pete's sake, I would have taken being turned into stone or a vampire even! At least then I’d be able to fit in a house..” 
He clenched his fists with a large inhale, tensing himself up before exhaling a wind that blew through the quiet woods like a sudden, harsh spring gust. Covering his mouth once again with a startle, Jason took a second before huffing out a smaller, less affecting sigh.
 “How am I supposed to live like this?” He asked no one. No one responded with silence and small trembles of animals escaping the scene.
 Jason could already sense his mind trying to fill the void with the usual daydreaming which unfortunately, had romance most of the time. In defeat of calming himself down, His eyes searched the land for something to distract himself with- what he had at his disposal was trees. Fantastic. 
Jason reached his hand to touch one fateful douglas fir trunk as his whole body laid on the ground. In an attempt to distract himself from the panic swirling inside him, he sought solace in fiddling with something to turn off his overactive imagination. His enormous fingers gently cradled the trunk of the tree and slowly moved the tip of his fingers against the aging bark. His colossal fingers flinched away from surprise in a brief moment, he had expected the bark to feel completely smooth as his eyes told him, but it felt rough.  
“Woah, isn’t this bizarre?, “ Jason remarked, his voice filled with astonishment. His fingers continued to explore the tree trunk, brushing against the curves of the bark that his eyes alone could not detect, “Like- I can still feel all of your crevices and all that… How?” 
Driven by his curiosity, Jason leaned in closer to the trunk, his eyes widening with excitement. He realized that by focusing his attention, he could perceive even more intricate details of the trunk's curves and weathered wrinkles, each marking a chapter in the tree's long history. The bumps scattered across the surface became distinct under his scrutiny, and he could now discern the individual pine needles with remarkable clarity. It was a newfound perspective, one that revealed the tree's hidden beauty in ways he had never imagined before.
 Incredible, he had thought. 
Eyesight was one of those things he’d struggle with needing his glasses to be able to see far-sighted. His ability to see objects up close was serviceable but he'd never been able to pick out details to this extent. 
The excitement surged through his veins, causing his hand to tightly grip the tree trunk as a radiant smile spread across his face. "This is incredible... Could I have done this before?"
However, his blissful moment was abruptly shattered by a sharp snap that echoed in his ears. In an instant, the tree returned to its smooth appearance, devoid of any discernible details. Jason's elation turned to dismay as he realized the consequences of his newly acquired strength. His hand recoiled from the trunk, revealing the broken remnants where his fingers had once tightly clenched. The once-mighty tree, which had weathered countless storms and endured the tests of time, now stood fractured and vulnerable, like a worn-down pencil shattered by an overwhelming force.
Jason lowered down so that his face was a few mere meters away from the afflicted tree with a guilt ridden gaze. “I’m so sorry I didn’t mean to-! …God,” Jason’s panicked guilt turned into unfolding shame. He huffed before brushing his bangs away from his face. “Jason, you're apologizing to a tree for pete's sake.” 
Then why did he feel so bad about it? It’s not like the tree has the capability to forgive him right? He couldn’t even forgive himself. 
Jason also heard another thing with his excellent ears, the sound of crackling and birds screaming as they evacuated their homes. Before he could react, the towering timber leaned precariously, its weight shifting, until it finally crashed onto Jason's head with a resounding thud. A pained yelp escaped his lips, causing an eerie silence to descend upon the once lively surroundings.
With trembling fingers, Jason attempted to push the fallen tree back into its original position, his voice filled with desperation as he whimpered, "No, no! It's alright! Everything is fine!" For a fleeting moment, his efforts seemed to have some effect. 
“See? Good as new!” The creaking sound disagreed however and the tree made its second fall onto Jason’s face. Again.  
He dug his fingers into his knees as he stewed there with a tree adorning his forehead. Against his better judgment he made another large tidal wave of air flow through the forest aggressively.
“What the hell are you doing!?” Motor yelled out as Ellie and him scrambled into the clearing. 
“Destroying the environment, that's about it.” Jason responded solemnly, still with the tree resting on his forehead. 
He didn’t bother looking behind him because he could hear someone making an impressive low whistle. Ellie raced past Motor in a fit, "Are you okay?!" She yelled, pushing through the knee-high grasses and bushes as he bolted towards Jason. The giant hardly had any time to react and had only managed to raise his head off of the ground, letting the dead tree slide off of his nose. 
"Woah hold on a minute don’t get close to-" Jason's warning was cut short by a gentle force pressing against his lower leg. Swinging his head downward, he discovered a tiny figure attempting to grasp his ankle in a panicked embrace. It felt more like a light pinch than a warm hug, but the gesture was appreciated.
Figuring he already knew who was coddling him, the idea of using his newfound ability to focus on her came to mind, and he saw no harm in giving it a shot. Squinting his eyes and concentrating, Jason directed his attention towards Ellie. His head bent downward, his eyes squinting intensely.
In a sudden moment of clarity, the details came into view. He noticed Ellie's blonde, soft bangs brushing against his diamond patterned wool socks, and the elegant tattoos adorning her arms. Underneath her pushed-up sleeve, he caught a glimpse of a wrapped-up bandage on her upper arm. Her grimace was hidden as she buried her face into his sock, holding on tightly for a few more seconds.
“Come on, let him go.” Motor spoke up, “Gulliver said he didn’t want to be touched.” Ellie jolted off of him while patting herself down with shaky hands. “Oh geez- s-sorry dude, I… I just...” Ellie sputtered out embarrassingly as Jason pulled his head back to not scare her further.
 “It’s quite alright Ellie, the hug was nice.” Jason commented as he pulled himself slowly around so he was facing his mini coworkers. He traced his finger in the ground to lightly pet the grass with his finger tips. “This whole ‘giant’ thing has gotten me out of sorts,” Jason began to explain to his audience of two people, reaching his hands up to his face to flex them. 
“It’s not just that everything is small… Compared to me I mean, but I can- well. I don’t know how to explain this without sounding like I’m on some heavy drugs,”
 “Too late for that!” Motor interrupted proudly. 
Jason tried to sputter his words out to scold the little trouble maker without busting anyone’s ear drums. “No-NO! Oh my go- Motor please let me explain! I think I have, oh I don’t know, super focus or something!” 
Jason Leaned a bit forward to look down upon his friends, nervously smiling and trying his best to seem non-threatening as if trying to persuade a feral cat to become best friends. Ellie and Motor looked at each other in confusion. 
“Like- If I have my attention on something for long enough I can actually see and hear it just as if I was normal.” Jason continued to explain, bringing his eyes to track Motor this time and tried to dart his gaze on his clothing. Motor tried to speak up to ask what the heck Jason was even going on about, but he caught his tongue when he noticed Jason’s expression turned from a friendly inspection to a mischievous smirk. Motor hated that look, he could smell the superiority from all the way down there. 
Didn’t help Jason’s hulking form started to lean down towards him menacingly with that disgusting smugness filling his vision. Motor tried to step back a little bit when he saw that Jason’s hand was heading towards him. The audacity of this giant jerk. Motor gawked and yelled out:
“Hey, HEY! HEY! I THOUGHT YOU DIDN’T WANT TO BE TOUCHED.” 
The hand turned into a fist as it was a few meters away and Jason’s earl gray scented breath sent shivers down Motor’s spine. Was this a sick joke? Is Jason about to take his revenge on all those head rubs Motor has tormented him with? He braced himself and waited for… whatever the heck Jason was thinking of doing to him. When nothing happened, Motor peaked his eyes open and realized that Jason’s index finger was pointing down at him just a car lengths away from his chest. “You have a barbecue stain on your jacket.” … “I actually hate you.”  
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Hasn't Killed Me Yet (Simon "Ghost" Riley, GN! Reader)
Alternatively titled: "Ghost has had ample opportunity to kill me in 14 different ways and make them all look like accidents. But he hasn't yet, so I think he likes me" a song by Fall Out Boy"
TW for light swearing and threatening, likely military inaccuracies
| Blog HQ | Modern Warfare 2 Masterlist |
Bags in hand, you made your way back to your room on base after taking a few days off to attend your friend's wedding. It was a beautiful event, with the added bonus that you didn't have to onboard the new recruits that started last week.
The new recruits crowded the halls with their whispers and stories.
He's fucking terrifying, man. He even looks at me, and I want to melt into the floor. If looks could kill, I'm telling you.
How long do you think before he snaps and goes on a rampage around base?
It's always the quiet but stern ones. I wish I could train with one of the others instead.
Your eyebrow arched, maneuvering your way through the bodies. Picking up on bits and pieces of the latest gossip. Finding it entertaining to hear the way they discuss your lieutenant.
"You really let Ghost traumatize recruits already, Captain?" You teased Price later that afternoon. Receiving a snort of amusement from the Brit.
"Ghost let himself do that. I only gave the training assignments, speaking of" he handed you a file, "your traumatized bunch. "
--
"Okay, wrap it up, cool down," you called, following a round of outdoor training. Luckily for you, most of the recruits seemed content (if not pleased), answering to a less intimidating superior.
I should take time off at the beginning of selection more often.
"You're back! We missed you!" A voice happily called out - you turned to see it belonging to Gaz. Followed closely by Soap and Ghost walking to where you stood in the field.
"Got back yesterday. Almost didn't feel like it, though, " you joked, quickly scanning over the recruits around you. "Thanks for covering my assignment, Ghost," you smiled, receiving a stiff nod in return.
"They're not scared of him?" You heard a recruit whisper, shocked by your casual interaction. You saw Ghost stiffen as Soap laughed loudly at the comment.
"No rookie, I'm really not." You turned, looking at all the recruits who went silent. Cool down momentarily forgotten.
"Ghost has had multiple, and I mean multiple chances to kill me in the field and make it look like an accident. But I'm still here, " you shrugged, turning back at the group of men.
"Just admit it, you have a soft spot for us LT," Soap laughed, lightly punching the older man in the shoulder.
"Just because I haven't killed you yet doesn't mean I'm not going to. Especially if you keep up with that rubbish, " Ghost explained, rolling his eyes. "Oi! Did they say cool down was done? Didn't think so!" He called to the recruits who were still watching your interaction, causing them all to immediately busy themselves with the assignment at hand.
Taglist: @bloodonmyhands-1221
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sarucane · 6 months
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OMFD Spiral Parallels 2: Stede's Grand Entrance
Intro: What I love most about how season 2 builds on season 1 of OFMD is the spiral narrative structure. Ground is repeatedly and explicitly re-trod from season 1 to season 2, but in season 2 everything goes deeper than season 1. Meanings are shuffled, emotions are stronger and truer, and transformation is showcased above everything. The first season plucks certain notes, then the second season plucks the same ones--but louder, and then it weaves them together to create a symphony.
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In Season 1 episode 3, Stede enters Jackie's bar in this overwhelmingly cringe scene. He's storming into a situation he doesn't understand, carrying with him fantasies of what piracy means and a frankly mad and somewhat gross attempt to maintain his class status. He's accompanied by a terrified subordinate who had to be strongarmed here and an actual prisoner.
He's totally going to get killed.
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In Season 2 episode 8, Stede shows up in the bar again, and is totally going to get killed, again. He even says an entirely different and also deeply cringeworthy fantasy-pirate line.
But this time, everything that matters is different, and everything shows how Stede's grown.
Let's start with the fact of the entrance. Stede literally scripts the first one, writing terrible lines which he pressures Lucius into delivering. Lucius himself is clearly terrified, having been basically forced out in front (and he's about to get bled on again, emphasizing how physically dangerous this situation is for him). Stede is trying to impose his idea of how this world "should" work on the Republic of Pirates, reveling in the fantasy of piracy while also clinging to his lily-white social and racial status.
Then there's his entrance in season 2. He charges in headfirst to take on the very people who created that social and racial world he clung to in season 1. His situational awareness has rocketed up: instead of plowing onward as he does in season 1, he hesitates and pulls back a bit. His position in the world of pirates and the world high-class world of the Brits has changed completely, and he's no longer clinging to the very thing that suffocated him, washed him out (like white linen).
Then there's the people Stede enters with. In the first scene, Stede holds back at first and makes Lucius go first. When he comes out, he stands over to the side: even here in this attempt to enact his fantasy, he's not in the middle. The person in the middle is the tied-up prisoner, a British officer who was captured on a social call: another product of Stede's Anglo world, and a man who Stede himself complains about having a rapport with not long afterwards. It's three white men, and though two of the men are coded gay neither has acted on that at this point in the show. The costumes draw the parallel among the three: all white in varying degrees of cleanliness.
And now there's season 2. Stede enters first, comes out in front, and stands in the middle. Wise? Hell no, but it's a radical shift from when he was forcing other people to take the dangerous job. And this time Stede's flanked by Ed and Zheng Yi Sao, a man and a woman, both people of color wearing highly individualized costumes. The gay man Stede arrives with isn't a put-upon subordinate, it's Stede's boyfriend. They're all armed, they're all in this together.
And finally there's the reason Stede's here. In the first season, he's arrived almost by accident. He wound up with a hostage and didn't know what to do with him, so he wandered around until he got to Jackie's. He's trying to sell a person, which given the parallels between the British prisoner and Stede is a bit like trying to get rid of a part of himself. Boiled down to brass tacks, Stede's arrival here is a selfish act of trying to make the world around him as well as his own personality conform to a fantasy.
In the second season, he's here to save his friends. His crew, the people who trusted him.
Not bad for a Pinocchio.
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